Christian Living Reviewer 11 - St. Thomas Aquinas PDF

Christian Living Reviewer: 11 - St. Thomas Aquinas Samella Apuhin The Basic Pillars of Faith: CREED B. Liturgical and Catechetical Creeds The Creed - Summary of our Catholic beliefs. - Development of liturgic...

Christian Living Reviewer: 11 - St. Thomas Aquinas Samella Apuhin The Basic Pillars of Faith: CREED B. Liturgical and Catechetical Creeds The Creed - Summary of our Catholic beliefs. - Development of liturgical “Creed” - from the Latin “Credo” = “I believe”, acclamations of the early Christian presents the essential truths of the Christian communities. faith. The term was used to designate a formula We first received the rule of faith during our pronounced or sung by a group to express a common Baptism. sentiment or to address a specific person or object. These Creeds were created and handed down - “There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; through Catholic Tradition by the Magisterium, the one God and Father of all, who is over all, and teaching Church. works through all, and is in all” (Eph 4:5-6) 1. Apostles’ Creed - It is recited at Sunday Mass - As the early churches developed, so did the in the Philippines, which is an elaboration of creeds. For they were needed in catechetical the early “Roman Creed” of the third century. instruction to prepare converts for baptism. 2. Nicene Creed - It was promulgated by the Three Events Dominated the Christian Story: First Council of Constantinople in 381. It 1. God’s creating act “confirmed the faith of Nicea,” the first 2. His redeeming act in Jesus Ecumenical Council held in 325. Articulated in 3. His sanctifying presence in the Holy Spirit 325 at the first ecumenical Council of Nicaea The early creeds were “professions of faith” used in in response to the heresy of Arianism. Baptisms that narrated the saving events which - Arianism - The heresy of Arianism grounded the faith of the Christian communities. was articulated by Arius, a popular Three Main Parts of the Creed: priest in Alexandria, who concluded 1st – Talks about the first divine person and that Jesus was not fully divine. the wonderful work of creation. A. Biblical Creeds 2nd – Speaks of the second Divine person and Old Testament (Profession of Faith from the the mystery of his redemption of men. Old Testaments (CFC 224) 3rd – speaks of the third divine person, the - “Indeed the Lord will be there with us, origin and source of sanctification. (CCC 190) majestic; yes the Lord our judge, the Lord our lawgiver, the Lord our king, 12 Articles of the Creed He it is who will save us” (Is 33:22). Article 1: I believe in God, the Father “The Lord is God and there is no Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. (A I) other” (Dt. 4:35).) Article 2: And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our New Testament (Early proclamation of faith Lord. (A II) centered in the Risen Christ (CFC 224) Article 3: Who was conceived by the power of - “The God of our ancestors raised Jesus the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. (A from the dead – whom you killed by II) hanging him on a cross. God exalted Article 4: He suffered under Pontius Pilate, him to his own right hand as Prince was crucified, died, and was buried. (A II) and Savior that he might bring Israel Article 5: He descended into hell. The third to repentance and forgive their sins.” day he arose again from the dead. (A II) Article 6: He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. (A II) Type your initials here | 1 Christian Living Reviewer: 11 - St. Thomas Aquinas Samella Apuhin Article 7: He will come again to judge the Function of Creed living and the dead. (A II) Summary of Beliefs – summary of catholic of Article 8: I believe in the Holy Spirit (A III) Catholic truths needs to communicate and Article 9: The holy Catholic Church, the instruct in the Gospel Communion of Saints (A III) Pledge of Loyalty – to God and to the Church Article 10: The forgiveness of sins (A III) Proclamation of Identity - as disciples of Article 11: The resurrection of the body (A III) Christ, reborn in his Spirit within his body, the Article 12: And in life everlasting. (A III) Church. The Basic Pillars of Faith: Nurturing Our Prayer C. The Creed Today Life Creed is only recited as part of the Mass, but not Christian Prayer is a loving, conscious, personal everyone is taught how the twelve articles of Creed relationship with God, our all-loving, good Father, form an organic unity. (CFC 227) who has adopted us through His beloved Incarnate - Something memorized as children in school Son, Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. CFC 1475 or with the local parish catechist. It is in prayer that we entrust everything to God. - Recited more or less attentively, together at Forms of Christian Prayer Sunday Mass. 1. Adoration - We adore God as our Creator and - Few Filipino Catholics have been taught how Lord, on whom we depend for our very relevant the Creedal truths are today for us. existence. Objection to the Creed 2. Contrition - We ask God’s forgiveness through - For some Filipino Catholics, the Creed our Lord Jesus Christ, for the sins through remains an impersonal, abstract, and which we rejected God and his love. irrelevant dead formula. 3. Thanksgiving - We give thanks to God for all - IT IS NOT THE DOCTRINE WHO DIVIDES US, that He has bestowed upon us, especially the BUT THE WAY OTHERS PERCEIVED IT. gift of His Self-giving love. The Creed is like: 4. Supplication - We present our needs to God, - A Skeleton, a framework of truths that asking His divine help undergirds our relation to Jesus, to God, to 5. Offering - We place before God all our our fellowmen and to our whole life. A human thoughts, words and deeds, our whole lives. skeleton is not the whole living person, but it Why do we pray? gives a framework and rigidity without which - To be transformed by God no one could live or move. - To respond to God’s call for us to “be still” - A Scaffold. It is not the whole building but it - To draw strength from Christ serves as its foundation. So too in our life, we Levels of Christian Prayer need to have a strong foundation to stand 1. Private, Personal Prayer firm in our faith. ❖ The Rosary ❖ Novenas ❖ Devotions to patron saints ❖ Meditation 2 Christian Living Reviewer: 11 - St. Thomas Aquinas Samella Apuhin 2. Public, Communal, Liturgical Prayer Communion with God- Partaking in the Our faith is personal yet ecclesial (CFC 151) Eucharist allows believers to have a personal The prayer taught to us by Jesus (Our Father) and intimate relationship with God, is a communitarian prayer. experiencing His love and grace. Filipino Catholics are liturgical people. Unity and Fellowship - The Eucharist brings Liturgy is the official public worship of the believers together as one body, symbolizing Church. the unity and fellowship within the Christian Liturgy - leitourgia - “work of the people”/”an act of community. the whole community” Other Names of the Holy Eucharist: Liturgy includes the seven sacraments, liturgical year 1. Eucharist - it is an action of thanksgiving to and Liturgy of the Hours. God. (eucharistein) Sacraments: 2. Lord's Supper- it signifies the eve of Jesus' - Baptism, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Holy passion and anticipates the wedding feast of Eucharist, Holy Order, Matrimony, Anointing the Lamb. of the Sick 3. Breaking of Bread- it signifies Jesus blessed Liturgical Year: and distributed the bread. - Advent (starts with Nov. 25 – Christ the King) 4. Eucharistic assembly- it signifies that the - Christmas Eucharist is celebrated amid the convocation - Ordinary Time of the assembly. - Lent 5. Memorial- it commemorates the Lord's The Holy Eucharist Passion and Resurrection. - It is a sacrament in the Christian tradition 6. Holy Sacrifice- it makes present the one that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus sacrifice of Christ the Savior and includes the Christ with his disciples. Church's offering. History and Origins 7. Holy and Divine Liturgy- because the Church's Roots in Passover - The Holy Eucharist is whole liturgy finds its center and most connected to the Jewish Passover meal, which intense expression in the celebration of this recalls the Israelites' liberation from slavery sacrament. in Egypt. 8. Holy Communion- we unite ourselves to The Last Supper - During the Last Supper, Christ, who makes us sharers in His Body and Jesus shared bread and wine with his Blood to form a single body. disciples, calling them his body and blood. 9. Holy Mass the sending forth (mission) of the This act forms the basis of the Eucharist. faithful (Missa mittere to send) Early Christian Gatherings - Early followers of The Two Main Parts of the Mass Jesus continued the practice of the Eucharist, - Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the meeting regularly to break bread, share in the Eucharist cup, and remember Christ's sacrifice. The Four Gospels Meaning and Significance - The Bible teaches us to “preserve in the faith, Transubstantiation - In Catholic belief, the firmly grounded, stable and not shifting from bread and wine become the actual body and the hope of the gospel that you heard” blood of Christ through the process of (Colossians 1:23). transubstantiation. 3 Christian Living Reviewer: 11 - St. Thomas Aquinas Samella Apuhin The Gospels consist of the books of Matthew, The apostles and the original witnesses were Mark, Luke and John. They announce the dying or being martyred. Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Good News was being preached to people The gospels were authored by writers knows away from Jerusalem and the Jewish culture as evangelists – a term derived from the and religion. A written record is needed to Greek word evangelion which means avoid errors. “announcement of the Good News” The first Christians realized that Jesus would The Gospels are faith accounts about Jesus, not be coming back as soon as they had not his autobiographies. originally expected. They realized the need Formation of the Gospels for a more permanent record of Jesus’ The Gospels took 40-70 years of composition. message for future generations. It was written 30 years after the narrated 3. The Written Gospels (65-100 CE) events that happened. The Gospels were written over 30-40 years Jesus’ death and resurrection took place approximately from 65-100 CE. around 30 CE while the first-written Gospel The evangelists, the writers of the gospels (Mark) appeared only around 60-70 CE. draw their materials from the oral preaching Stages of Gospel Formation and the partial written compilation of Jesus’ 1. Jesus’ earthly life in Palestine (1-30 CE) life. Jesus was born relatively between 6 BCE and They were able to write the gospels through 4 BCE the special grace of the Holy Spirit which is He was raised in the small village of Nazareth. called biblical inspiration. He learned and practiced the trade of Gospels refer to the four written versions of carpentry. the Good News of Jesus namely, Matthew, He started his Public Ministry when he was Mark, Luke and John. 30 years old (27-30 CE). Each of the four Gospels presents Jesus as the The Passion and Death of Jesus happened Savior. The evangelists’ concern was not to around 30 CE. report a chronological summary of Jesus’ life, After the Resurrection, the apostles preached but to share the incredible Good News. They that Jesus Himself is the Good News. desired to proclaim the religious significance Through Jesus’ Passion, Death, and and enduring impact of Jesus, the Savior of Resurrection, Jesus became our Savior. the world. 2. Oral Tradition Where do we have four gospels? After Jesus’ Resurrection and the descent of The four Gospels give us a clearer and more the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the apostles complete picture of who Jesus is. The added fulfilled Jesus’ command to preach the Good quality of the inspired Gospels is that they are News. the living Word of God that grounds the faith This period after Jesus’ Resurrection of Christians in this ever-changing world. constituted the oral tradition stage in the formation of the Gospels. The original proclamation of the apostles after Pentecost is called kerygma. As time went by, the early Christians saw the need to record or document the Good News for the following reasons: 4 Christian Living Reviewer: 11 - St. Thomas Aquinas Samella Apuhin Synoptic Gospels Synoptic is from the combined words syn and 4. Evangelist: John optic which mean “to see together”. Gospel Symbols: Eagle The Gospel of John starts with a prologue The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke share praising Jesus, who alone can look at the face many similarities which can be studied of God just as the eagle alone can look upon together or alongside one another. the sun. The Gospel of John is different from the three. Gospel Portraits of Jesus: Jesus is the Son of It is no longer written in a more poetic tone. It God, the Word of God made-man also contains accounts that are not found in John emphasizes the divinity of Jesus who is the synoptic Gospels. described in symbolic images and titles such as “the Word made flesh” and “the Light of the The Four Gospels World? 1. Evangelist: Mark Gospel Symbols: Desert Lion The gospel of Mark starts with John the Baptist “crying out in the desert”. This symbol also fits Mark’s style which is as vivid and direct as a lion’s roar. Gospel Portraits of Jesus: Jesus is the Suffering Messiah The evangelist wanted to make clear to the persecuted Roman Christians that Jesus Himself also suffered like them. 2. Evangelist: Matthew Gospel Symbols: Man The Gospel opens with a record of Jesus’ ancestors. Gospel Portraits of Jesus: Jesus is the Messiah and King Matthew portrayed Him being recognized and proclaimed as the Messiah by His apostles. 3. Evangelist: Luke Gospel Symbols: Ox Luke is represented by an ox because his Gospel begins with Zechariah offering a sacrifice to God in the temple. The ox is a reminder of ancient animal sacrifice. Gospel Portraits of Jesus: Jesus is the Savior of the World Luke portrayed Jesus as someone who is full of mercy and compassion often crossing social, religious and political barriers to reach to the poor, outcast, sinners and the women. 5