Session #1

Lecture Text

As we study, read, and reflect, we are studying the essence and fundamental principles of Catholicism and Christianity. The content is not necessarily meant to be learned verbatim, but more to contribute to a perspective of how we see and understand what is most important about God, ourselves, the world, others, our faith, and what in reality matters most. There are so many benefits that they cannot be all exposed before the fact but the principal ones are allowing you to categorize your theological knowledge of your faith allowing you to teach, defend, and grow in a balanced and orthodox way. The Catechism's structure does this well. As you can see in the table above, there is great inner unity to the Catechism just as there is in Scripture, in how we live the Christian life, in how it teaches us as we read, in God's relationship to use as a people, and personally as an individual. For me, this validates the Christian project in both its simplicity and coherence. Indeed, concepts sometimes take a while to grasp and even to grasp, as in science. However, at the end of the day, there is nothing more important than knowing we are loved, receiving than love, living in love for God, others, and ourselves free from fear and attachment to that which draws us away from it in the peace, mercy, and providence of God. All of the Christian life, although said in a somewhat vague and reductive summary, revolves and grows from such a statement and sometimes requires dedication to orthodoxy, love, thoroughly seeking understanding of nuanced realities and a life of invisible peace and joy.

 We now begin our reflection as we enter into the  As we read before this session, God freely chose to create man to share in His divine life. Biologically speaking, we know that each person is at least "chosen" as an ideal outcome of many conditions, a will to express love physically between man and woman, ideally who love each other, the woman has recently produced and moved the egg into the uterus (ideally), and the egg must welcome the sperm. It is important to note that if another sperm had been welcomed by the egg and the fertilization/conception took place during a different cycle for the woman; then the person produced would be altogether different. Further, every ancestor we have had to have the chance to reproduce did so in the particular time they did, and every succeeding ancestor likewise. Augustine demonstrates this in summary saying, "God loves us as if there were only one of us." God's existence can be all but demonstrated through philosophy. He revealed Himself to many and continues to do so in many ways but most humanly in Christ and the scriptures which are both the One Word spoken into existence by God. Though Christ, has died, risen again, and ascended to be with the Father in heaven, He has asked His Apostles to form the Church, and the Apostles and our predecessors in faith, parents or otherwise, handed down the faith to all who currently live it. The Church has never ceased fulfilling this perennial call to hand on this deposit of faith to the present. Though faith is institutional on this account, it is also very personal as no one can finally believe on the behalf of another. The Church has formulated "formulas of faith" to "express, assimilate, celebrate, and share with others" the truths of faith in a simple way. God first reveals His identity to Moses with the name YHWH pronounce Yahweh. The Church teaches that just as Israel believes in One God, so do we i.e. One in Substance and Three in Persons of that Substance. The mystery of the Trinity is finally beyond language as well as Human understanding. God is the One who is spiritual, transcendent, omnipotent, eternal, personal, and perfect. God is Truth itself in whom and for whom no deception is possible. He is the one who first loved. The Most Blessed Trinity is at one the central mystery of the Christian and the image in which we were created. All this we have come to know through Christ who reveals most fully. The major councils of the fourth century took place largely to fight the new advent of heresies surrounding Christ's identity and somewhat of the Trinitarian structure.

 In each session (if in a group), when we meet, review a summary of the content in a lecture format as above/we have today, we will read the corresponding parts of the Compendium and test our response before reading the Compendium's answer for each, have a brief discussion, then we will have a Quizzizz competition. Month meetings allow focus to be placed on the text, enough time to get caught up if behind on account of busyness, and enhances the amount of knowledge retained.

Paragraph Sets Covered

Prologue

          I. The Life of Man - To Know and Love God

         II. Handing on the Faith: Catechesis

        III. The Aim and Intended Readership of This Catechism

         IV. Structure of This Catechism

          V. Practical Directions for Using This Catechism

         VI. Necessary Adaptations

PART ONE - THE PROFESSION OF FAITH

SECTION ONE: "I BELIEVE" - "WE BELIEVE"

  CHAPTER ONE: MAN'S CAPACITY FOR GOD

          I. The Desire for God

         II. Ways of Coming to Know God

        III. The Knowledge of God According to the Church

         IV. How Can We Speak about God?

             IN BRIEF

  CHAPTER TWO: GOD COMES TO MEET MAN

    ARTICLE 1: THE REVELATION OF GOD

          I. God Reveals His "Plan of Loving Goodness"

         II. The Stages of Revelation

        III. Christ Jesus - "Mediator and Fullness of All Revelation"

             IN BRIEF

    ARTICLE 2: THE TRANSMISSION OF DIVINE REVELATION

          I. Apostolic Tradition

         II. The Relationship between Tradition and Sacred Scripture

        III. The Interpretation of the Heritage of Faith

             IN BRIEF

    ARTICLE 3: SACRED SCRIPTURE

          I. Christ - The unique Word of Sacred Scripture

         II. Inspiration and Truth of Sacred Scripture

        III. The Holy Spirit, Interpreter of Scripture

         IV. The Canon of Scripture

          V. Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church

             IN BRIEF

  CHAPTER THREE: MAN'S RESPONSE TO GOD

    ARTICLE 1: I BELIEVE

          I. The Obedience of Faith

         II. "I Know Whom I Have Believed"

        III. The Characteristics of Faith

    ARTICLE 2: WE BELIEVE

          I. "Lord, Look Upon the Faith of Your Church"

         II. The Language of Faith

        III. Only One Faith

             IN BRIEF

SECTION TWO: THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

  CHAPTER ONE: I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER

    ARTICLE 1: "I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH"

      Paragraph 1. I Believe in God

          I. "I Believe in One God"

         II. God Reveals His Name

        III. God, "He Who Is," Is Truth and Love

         IV. The Implications of Faith in One God

             IN BRIEF

      Paragraph 2. The Father

          I. "In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"

         II. The Revelation of God as Trinity

Compendium of the Catholic Church Reading

Questions 1-46

Questions answered by the Catechism and Compendium.

1. What is the plan of God for man?

2. Why does man have a desire for God?

3. How is it possible to know God with only the light of human reason?

4. Is the light of reason alone sufficient to know the mystery of God?

5. How can we speak about God?

6. What does God reveal to man?

7. What are the first stages of God's Revelation?

8. What are the next stages of God's Revelation?

9. What is the full and definitive stage of God's Revelation?

10. What is the value of private revelations?

11. Why and in what way is divine revelation transmitted?

12. What is Apostolic Tradition?

13. In what ways does Apostolic Tradition occur?

14. What is the relationship between Tradition and Sacred Scripture?

15. To whom is the deposit of faith entrusted?

16. To whom is given the task of authentically interpreting the deposit of faith?

17. What is the relationship between Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium?

18. Why does Sacred Scripture teach the truth?

19. How is Sacred Scripture to be read?

20. What is the Canon of Scripture?

21. What is the importance of the Old Testament for Christians?

22. What importance does the New Testament have for Christians?

23. What is the unity that exists between the Old and the New Testaments?

24. What role does Sacred Scripture play in the life of the Church?

25. How does man respond to God who reveals himself?

26. Who are the principal witnesses of the obedience of faith in the Sacred Scriptures?

27. What does it mean in practice for a person to believe in God?

28. What are the characteristics of faith?

29. Why is there no contradiction between faith and science?

30. Why is faith a personal act, and at the same time ecclesial?

31. Why are the formulas of faith important?

32. In what way is the faith of the Church one faith alone?

33. What are the symbols of faith?

34. What are the most ancient symbols (professions) of faith?

35. What are the most important symbols of the faith?

36. Why does the Profession of Faith begin with the words, “I believe in God”?

37. Why does one profess the belief that there is only one God?

38. With what name does God reveal Himself?

39. Is God the only One who “is”?

40. Why is the revelation of God's name important?

41. In what way is God the truth?

42. In what way does God reveal that he is love?

43. What does it mean to believe in only one God?

44. What is the central mystery of Christian faith and life?

45. Can the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity be known by the light of human reason alone?

46. What did Jesus Christ reveal to us about the mystery of the Father?

Discussion

• Was there something you did not know before or have not thought of?

• What do you feel most passionate about in this lesson?

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