12-19-2021 QUEEN OF ANGELS CHURCH
RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION FOR ADULTS
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
St Augustine
***********
R.C.I.A.
SALVATION HISTORY
-------
12-19-2021 QUEEN OF ANGELS CHURCH
RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION FOR ADULTS
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
St Augustine
***********
R.C.I.A.
TEXT
COMPENDIUM
CHAPTER
TWO
I Believe in Jesus Christ, the
Only Son of God
79. What is the Good News for humanity?
422-424
It is the proclamation of Jesus Christ, the “Son of the living God”
(Matthew 16:16), who died and rose from the dead. In the time of
King Herod and the Emperor Caesar Augustus, God fulfilled the promises that he
made to Abraham and his descendants. He sent “his Son, born of a woman, born
under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we
might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5).
80. How is the Good News spread?
425-429
From the very beginning the first disciples burned with the desire to
proclaim Jesus Christ in order to lead all to faith in him. Even today, from
the loving knowledge of Christ there springs up in the believer the desire to
evangelize and catechize, that is, to reveal in the Person of Christ the entire
design of God and to put humanity in communion with him.
“And in
Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord”
81. What is the meaning of the name “Jesus”?
430-435
452
Given by the angel at the time of the Annunciation, the name
“Jesus” means “God saves”. The name expresses his identity and his mission
“because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
Peter proclaimed that “there is no other name under heaven given to men by
which we can be saved” (Acts 4:12).
82. Why is Jesus called “Christ”?
436-440
453
“Christ” in Greek, “Messiah” in Hebrew, means the “anointed one”.
Jesus is the Christ because he is consecrated by God and anointed by the Holy
Spirit for his redeeming mission. He is the Messiah awaited by Israel, sent
into the world by the Father. Jesus accepted the title of Messiah but he made
the meaning of the term clear: “come down from heaven”
(John 3:13), crucified and then risen , he is the Suffering Servant
“who gives his life as a ransom for the many” (Matthew 20:28).
From the name Christ comes our name of Christian.
83. In what sense is Jesus the Only Begotten Son of God?
441-445
454
Jesus is the Son of God in a unique and perfect way. At the
time of his Baptism and his Transfiguration, the voice of the Father designated
Jesus as his “beloved Son”. In presenting himself as the Son who “knows the
Father” (Matthew 11:27), Jesus affirmed his singular and eternal
relationship with God his Father. He is “the Only Begotten Son of God” (1
John 4:9), the second Person of the Blessed Trinity. He is the central
figure of apostolic preaching. The apostles saw “his glory as of the Only
Begotten of the Father” (John 1:14).
84. What is the meaning of the title “Lord”?
446-451
455
In the Bible this title regularly designates God as Sovereign.
Jesus ascribed this title to himself and revealed his divine sovereignty by his
power over nature, over demons, over sin, and over death, above all by his own
Resurrection. The first Christian creeds proclaimed that the power, the honor,
and the glory that are due to God the Father also belong to Jesus: God “has
given him the name which is above every other name” (Philippians 2:9).
He is the Lord of the world and of history, the only One to whom we must
completely submit our personal freedom.
12-12-2021 - TEXT - I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER
The
Symbols of Faith
33. What are the symbols of faith?
185-188
192, 197
The symbols of faith are composite formulas, also called
“professions of faith” or “Creeds”, with which the Church from her very beginning
has set forth synthetically and handed on her own faith in a language that is
normative and common to all the faithful.
34. What are the most ancient symbols (professions) of faith?
189-191
The most ancient symbols of faith are the baptismal creeds.
Because Baptism is conferred “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19), the truths of faith professed at
Baptism are articulated in reference to the three Persons of the Most Holy
Trinity.
35. What are the most important symbols of the faith?
193-195
They are the Apostles' Creed which is the ancient
baptismal symbol of the Church of Rome and the Nicene-Constantinopolitan
Creed which stems from the first two ecumenical Councils,
that of Nicea (325 A.D.) and that of Constantinople (381 A.D.) and which even
to this day are common to all the great Churches of the East and
the West.
“I
believe in God the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.”
36. Why does the Profession of Faith begin with the words, “I believe
in God”?
198-199
The Profession of Faith begins with these words because the
affirmation “I believe in God” is the most important, the source of all the
other truths about man and about the world, and about the entire life of
everyone who believes in God.
37. Why does one profess belief that there is only one God?
200-202
228
Belief in the one God is professed because he has revealed himself
to the people of Israel as the only One when he said, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord
our God is one Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4) and “there is no other” (Isaiah 45:22).
Jesus himself confirmed that God is “the one Lord” (Mark 12:29). To
confess that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are also God and Lord does not introduce
any division into the one God.
38. With what name does God reveal Himself?
203-209
230-231
God revealed himself to Moses as the living God, “the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6). God also
revealed to Moses his mysterious name “I Am Who I Am (YHWH)”. Already in Old
Testament times this ineffable name of God was replaced by the divine
title Lord. Thus in the New Testament, Jesus who was called Lord is
seen as true God.
39. Is God the only One who “is”?
2112-213
Since creatures have received everything they are and have from
God, only God in himself is the fullness of being and of every
perfection. God is “He who is” without origin and without end.
Jesus also reveals that he bears the divine name “I Am” (John 8:28).
40. Why is the revelation of God's name important?
206-213
In revealing his name, God makes known the riches contained in the
ineffable mystery of his being. He alone is from everlasting to everlasting. He
is the One who transcends the world and history. It is he who made heaven and
earth. He is the faithful God, always close to his people, in order to save
them. He is the highest holiness, “rich in mercy” (Ephesians 2:4),
always ready to forgive. He is the One who is spiritual, transcendent,
omnipotent, eternal, personal, and perfect. He is truth and love.
“God is the infinitely perfect being who is the most Holy
Trinity.” (Saint Turibius of Montenegro)
41. In what way is God the truth?
214-217
231
God is Truth itself and as such he can neither deceive nor be
deceived. He is “light, and in him there is no darkness” (1 John 1:5).
The eternal Son of God, the incarnation of wisdom, was sent into the world “to
bear witness to the Truth” (John 18:37).
42. In what way does God reveal that he is love?
218-221
God revealed himself to Israel as the One who has a stronger love
than that of parents for their children or of husbands and wives for their
spouses. God in himself “is love” (1 John 4: 8.16), who gives
himself completely and gratuitously, who “so loved the world that he gave his
only Son so that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16-17).
By sending his Son and the Holy Spirit, God reveals that he himself is an
eternal exchange of love.
43. What does it mean to believe in only one God?
222-227
229
To believe in the one and only God involves coming to know his
greatness and majesty. It involves living in thanksgiving and trusting always
in him, even in adversity. It involves knowing the unity and true dignity of
all human beings, created in his image. It involves making good use of the
things which he has created.
44. What is the central mystery of Christian faith and
life?
232-237
The central mystery of Christian faith and life is the mystery of
the Most Blessed Trinity. Christians are baptized in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
45. Can the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity be known by the light
of human reason alone?
237
God has left some traces of his trinitarian being in creation and
in the Old Testament but his inmost being as the Holy Trinity is a mystery
which is inaccessible to reason alone or even to Israel’s faith before the
Incarnation of the Son of God and the sending of the Holy Spirit. This mystery
was revealed by Jesus Christ and it is the source of all the other mysteries.
46. What did Jesus Christ reveal to us about the mystery of the
Father?
240-242
Jesus Christ revealed to us that God is “Father”, not only insofar
as he created the universe and the mankind, but above all because he eternally
generated in his bosom the Son who is his Word, “ the radiance of the glory of
God and the very stamp of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3).
47. Who is the Holy Spirit revealed to us by Jesus Christ?
243-248
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Most Blessed Trinity.
He is God, one and equal with the Father and the Son. He “proceeds from the
Father” (John 15:26) who is the principle without a principle and
the origin of all trinitarian life. He proceeds also from the Son (Filioque) by
the eternal Gift which the Father makes of him to the Son. Sent by the Father
and the Incarnate Son, the Holy Spirit guides the Church “to know all truth” (John 16:13).
48. How does the Church express her trinitarian faith?
249-256
266
The Church expresses her trinitarian faith by professing a belief
in the oneness of God in whom there are three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. The three divine Persons are only one God because each of them equally
possesses the fullness of the one and indivisible divine nature. They are
really distinct from each other by reason of the relations which place them in
correspondence to each other. The Father generates the Son; the Son is
generated by the Father; the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.
49. How do the three divine Persons work?
257-260
267
Inseparable in their one substance, the three divine Persons are
also inseparable in their activity. The Trinity has one operation, sole and the
same. In this one divine action, however, each Person is present according to
the mode which is proper to him in the Trinity.
“O my God, Trinity whom I adore...grant my soul peace; make it
your heaven, your beloved dwelling, and the place of your rest. May I never
abandon you there, but may I be there, whole and entire, completely vigilant in
my faith, entirely adoring, and wholly given over to your creative action.” (Blessed
Elizabeth of the Trinity)
50. What does it mean to say that God is almighty?
268-278
God reveals himself as “the strong One, the mighty One” (Psalm 24:8),
as the One “to whom nothing is impossible” (Luke 1:37). His
omnipotence is universal, mysterious and shows itself in the creation of the
world out of nothing and humanity out of love; but above all it shows itself in
the Incarnation and the Resurrection of his Son, in the gift of filial adoption
and in the forgiveness of sins. For this reason, the Church directs her prayers
to the “almighty and eternal God” (“Omnipotens sempiterne Deus...”).
51. What is the importance of affirming “In the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1)?
279-289
315
The significance is that creation is the foundation of all God’s
saving plans. It shows forth the almighty and wise love of God, and
it is the first step toward the covenant of the one God with his people. It is
the beginning of the history of salvation which culminates in Christ; and it is
the first answer to our fundamental questions regarding our very origin and
destiny.
52. Who created the world?
290-292
316
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are the one and
indivisible principle of creation even though the work of creating the world is
particularly attributed to God the Father.
53. Why was the world created?
293-294
319
The world was created for the glory of God who wished to show
forth and communicate his goodness, truth and beauty. The ultimate end of
creation is that God, in Christ, might be “all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28)
for his glory and for our happiness.
“The glory of God is man fully alive; moreover man’s life is the
vision of God.” (Saint Irenaeus)
54. How did God create the universe?
295-301
317-320
God created the universe freely with wisdom and love. The world is
not the result of any necessity, nor of blind fate, nor of chance. God created
“out of nothing” (ex nihilo) (2 Maccabees 7:28)
a world which is ordered and good and which he infinitely transcends. God
preserves his creation in being and sustains it, giving it the capacity to
act and leading it toward its fulfillment through his Son and the Holy Spirit.
55. What is divine providence?
302-306
321
Divine Providence consists in the dispositions with which God
leads his creatures toward their ultimate end. God is the sovereign Master of
his own plan. To carry it out, however, he also makes use of the cooperation of
his creatures. For God grants his creatures the dignity of acting on their own
and of being causes for each other.
56. How do we collaborate with divine Providence?
307-308
323
While respecting our freedom, God asks us to cooperate with him
and gives us the ability to do so through actions, prayers and sufferings, thus
awakening in us the desire “to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
57. If God is omnipotent and provident, why then does evil exist?
309-310
324, 400
To this question, as painful and mysterious as it is, only
the whole of Christian faith can constitute a response. God is
not in any way - directly or indirectly - the cause of evil. He illuminates the
mystery of evil in his Son Jesus Christ who died and rose in order to vanquish
that great moral evil, human sin, which is at the root of all other evils.
58. Why does God permit evil?
311-314
324
Faith gives us the certainty that God would not permit evil if he
did not cause a good to come from that very evil. This was realized in a
wondrous way by God in the death and resurrection of Christ. In fact, from the
greatest of all moral evils (the murder of his Son) he has brought forth the
greatest of all goods (the glorification of Christ and our redemption).
Heaven
and Earth
59. What did God create?
325-327
Sacred Scripture says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens
and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). The Church in her profession of faith
proclaims that God is the Creator of everything, visible and invisible, of all
spiritual and corporeal beings, that is, of angels and of the visible world
and, in a special way, of man.
60. Who are the angels?
328-333
350-351
The angels are purely spiritual creatures, incorporeal, invisible,
immortal, and personal beings endowed with intelligence and will. They
ceaselessly contemplate God face-to-face and they glorify him. They serve him
and are his messengers in the accomplishment of his saving mission
to all.
61. In what way are angels present in the life of the Church?
334-336
352
The Church joins with the angels in adoring God, invokes their
assistance and commemorates some in her liturgy.
“ Beside each believer stands an angel as a protector and
shepherd leading him to life.” (Saint Basil the Great)
62. What does Sacred Scripture teach about the creation of the
visible world?
337-344
Through the account of the “six days” of creation Sacred Scripture
teaches us the value of the created world and its purpose, namely, to praise
God and to serve humanity. Every single thing owes its very existence to God
from whom it receives its goodness and perfection, its proper laws and its
proper place in the universe.
63. What is the place of the human person in creation?
343-344
353
The human person is the summit of visible creation in as much as
he or she is created in the image and likeness of God.
64. What kind of bond exists between created things?
342
354
There exist an interdependence and a hierarchy among creatures as
willed by God. At the same time, there is also a unity and solidarity among
creatures since all have the same Creator, are loved by him and are ordered to
his glory. Respecting the laws inscribed in creation and the relations which
derive from the nature of things is, therefore, a principle of wisdom and a
foundation for morality.
65. What is the relationship between the work of creation and the
work of redemption?
345-349
The work of creation culminates in the still greater work
of redemption, which in fact gives rise to a new creation in which everything
will recover its true meaning and fulfillment.
Man
66. In what sense do we understand man and woman as created “in
the image of God”?
355-357
The human person is created in the image of God in the sense
that he or she is capable of knowing and of loving their Creator in freedom.
Human beings are the only creatures on earth that God has willed for their own
sake and has called to share, through knowledge and love, in his own divine
life. All human beings, in as much as they are created in the image of God,
have the dignity of a person. A person is not something but someone, capable of
self-knowledge and of freely giving himself and entering into communion with
God and with other persons.
67. For what purpose did God create man and woman?
358-359
380-381
God has created everything for them; but he has created them to
know, serve and love God, to offer all of creation in this world in
thanksgiving back to him and to be raised up to life with him in heaven. Only
in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of the human person come
into true light. Man and woman are predestined to reproduce the image of the
Son of God made Man, who is the perfect “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).
68. Why does the human race form a unity?
360-361
All people form the unity of the human race by reason of the
common origin which they have from God. God has made “from one ancestor all the
nations of men” (Acts 17:26). All have but one Savior and are
called to share in the eternal happiness of God.
69. How do the soul and body form a unity in the human being?
362-365
382
The human person is a being at once corporeal and
spiritual. In man spirit and matter form one nature. This unity is so profound
that, thanks to the spiritual principle which is the soul, the body which is
material, becomes a living human body and participates in the dignity of the
image of God.
70. Where does the soul come from?
366-368
382
The spiritual soul does not come from one’s parents but is created
immediately by God and is immortal. It does not perish at the moment when it is
separated from the body in death and it will be once again reunited with the
body at the moment of the final resurrection.
71. What relationship has God established between man and woman?
369-373
383
Man and woman have been created by God in equal dignity insofar as
they are human persons. At the same time, they have been created in a
reciprocal complementarity insofar as they are masculine and feminine. God has
willed them one for the other to form a communion of persons.
They are also called to transmit human life by forming in matrimony “one flesh”
(Genesis 2:24). They are likewise called to subdue the earth as
“stewards” of God.
72. What was the original condition of the human person according
to the plan of God?
374-379
384
In creating man and woman God had given them a special
participation in his own divine life in holiness and justice. In the plan of
God they would not have had to suffer or die. Furthermore, a perfect harmony
held sway within the human person, a harmony between creature and Creator,
between man and woman, as well as between the first human couple and all of
creation.
The Fall
73. How should we understand the reality of sin?
385-389
Sin is present in human history. This reality of sin can be
understood clearly only in the light of divine revelation and above all in the
light of Christ the Savior of all. Where sin abounded, he made grace to abound
all the more.
74. What was the fall of the angels?
391-395
414
This expression indicates that Satan and the other demons, about
which Sacred Scripture and the Tradition of the Church speak, were angels,
created good by God. They were, however, transformed into evil because with a
free and irrevocable choice they rejected God and his Kingdom, thus giving rise
to the existence of hell. They try to associate human beings with their revolt
against God. However, God has wrought in Christ a sure victory over the Evil
One.
75. What was the first human sin?
396-403
415-417
When tempted by the devil, the first man and woman allowed trust
in their Creator to die in their hearts. In their disobedience they wished to
become “like God” but without God and not in accordance with God (Genesis 3:5).
Thus, Adam and Eve immediately lost for themselves and for all their
descendants the original grace of holiness and justice.
76. What is original sin?
404
419
Original sin, in which all human beings are born, is the state of
deprivation of original holiness and justice. It is a sin
“contracted” by us not “committed”; it is a state of birth and not a personal
act. Because of the original unity of all human beings, it is transmitted to
the descendants of Adam “not by imitation, but by propagation”. This transmission
remains a mystery which we cannot fully understand.
77. What other consequences derive from original sin?
405-409
418
In consequence of original sin human nature, without
being totally corrupted, is wounded in its natural powers. It is
subject to ignorance, to suffering, and to the dominion of death and is
inclined toward sin. This inclination is called concupiscence.
78. After the first sin, what did God do?
410-412
420
After the first sin the world was inundated with sin but God did
not abandon man to the power of death. Rather, he foretold in a mysterious way
in the “Protoevangelium” (Genesis 3:15) that evil would be conquered,
and that man would be lifted up from his fall. This was the first
proclamation of the Messiah and Redeemer. Therefore, the fall would be called
in the future a “happy fault” because it “gained for us so
great a Redeemer” (Liturgy of the Easter Vigil).
12-12-2021 QUEEN OF ANGELS CHURCH
RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION FOR ADULTS
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
St Augustine
***********
Today, DECEMBER 12th, is the FEAST OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE, PATRON SAINT OF MEXICO AND EMPRESS OF THE AMERICAS.
198-199
The Profession of Faith begins with these words because the affirmation “I believe in God” is the most important, the source of all the other truths about man and about the world, and about the entire life of everyone who believes in God.
37. Why does one profess belief that there is only one God?
200-202
228
Belief in the one God is professed because he has revealed himself to the people of Israel as the only One when he said, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4) and “there is no other” (Isaiah 45:22). Jesus himself confirmed that God is “the one Lord” (Mark 12:29). To confess that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are also God and Lord does not introduce any division into the one God.
38. With what name does God reveal Himself?
203-209
230-231
God revealed himself to Moses as the living God, “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6). God also revealed to Moses his mysterious name “I Am Who I Am (YHWH)”. Already in Old Testament times this ineffable name of God was replaced by the divine title Lord. Thus in the New Testament, Jesus who was called Lord is seen as true God.
39. Is God the only One who “is”?
212-213
Since creatures have received everything they are and have from God, only God in himself is the fullness of being and of every perfection. God is “He who is” without origin and without end. Jesus also reveals that he bears the divine name “I Am” (John 8:28).
40. Why is the revelation of God's name important?
206-213
In revealing his name, God makes known the riches contained in the ineffable mystery of his being. He alone is from everlasting to everlasting. He is the One who transcends the world and history. It is he who made heaven and earth. He is the faithful God, always close to his people, in order to save them. He is the highest holiness, “rich in mercy” (Ephesians 2:4), always ready to forgive. He is the One who is spiritual, transcendent, omnipotent, eternal, personal, and perfect. He is truth and love.
“God is the infinitely perfect being who is the most Holy Trinity.” (Saint Turibius of Montenegro)
44. What is the central mystery of Christian faith and life?
232-237
The central mystery of Christian faith and life is the mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity. Christians are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
45. Can the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity be known by the light of human reason alone?
237
God has left some traces of his trinitarian being in creation and in the Old Testament but his inmost being as the Holy Trinity is a mystery which is inaccessible to reason alone or even to Israel’s faith before the Incarnation of the Son of God and the sending of the Holy Spirit. This mystery was revealed by Jesus Christ and it is the source of all the other mysteries.
46. What did Jesus Christ reveal to us about the mystery of the Father?
240-242
Jesus Christ revealed to us that God is “Father”, not only insofar as he created the universe and the mankind, but above all because he eternally generated in his bosom the Son who is his Word, “ the radiance of the glory of God and the very stamp of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3).
47. Who is the Holy Spirit revealed to us by Jesus Christ?
243-248
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Most Blessed Trinity. He is God, one and equal with the Father and the Son. He “proceeds from the Father” (John 15:26) who is the principle without a principle and the origin of all trinitarian life. He proceeds also from the Son (Filioque) by the eternal Gift which the Father makes of him to the Son. Sent by the Father and the Incarnate Son, the Holy Spirit guides the Church “to know all truth” (John 16:13).
48. How does the Church express her trinitarian faith?
249-256
The Church expresses her trinitarian faith by professing a belief in the oneness of God in whom there are three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The three divine Persons are only one God because each of them equally possesses the fullness of the one and indivisible divine nature. They are really distinct from each other by reason of the relations which place them in correspondence to each other. The Father generates the Son; the Son is generated by the Father; the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.
STORY OF DIVINE REVELATION
GOD made himself known little by little.
The first to meet HIM were ADAM and EVE.
Later GOD formed a CHOSEN PEOPLE, the ISRAELITES, who were later called JEWS, to be the special guardians of HIS REVELATION.
GOD began to form this community by choosing a man named ABRAM, who lived almost 4,000 years ago in Mesopotamia.
GOD made him the father or founder of the CHOOSEN PEOPLE.
These people eventually wrote the revelation they had received from GOD. They put these writings together in a book we call the OLD TESTAMENT.
aLMOST 2,000 years after ABRAHAM, it was time for GOD to give us HIS GREATEST REVELATION, the GIFT OF HIS ONLY SON, JESUS CHRIST.
Our LORD JESUS CHRIST taught people all about GOD and corrected some misconceptions they had about HIM.
To ensure that his teachings were properly understood and passed on to others, he founded the CHURCH.
JESUS made his TWELVE APOSTLES the official TEACHERS in the CHURCH and placed his revelation (GOSPEL) in his custody.
After the RESURRECTION, the APOSTLES taught the GOSPEL (which means GOOD NEWS) to others, preaching in word an in writing (the NEW TESTAMENT).
TRADITION AND SCRIPTURE
"...Thus, then, Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scriptures are intimately united and intertwined. Because both springing from the same divine source, they merge in a certain way and tend to the same end... That is why both must be received and venerated with the same spirit of piety." (DOGMATIC CONTITUTION DEI VERBUM)
Sacred Scripture (the Bible) and Sacred Tradition (the Word of God that was given by Jesus to the Apostles and through them to his successors) contain all the truth of God.
It is very important to remember that divine revelation reached its highest point with the life of Christ and the preaching of his twelve Apostles.
The Lord's teachings, faithfully preached by these holy men, are summed up in a profession of faith that we call the APOSTLES 'CREED.
Saint Augustine taught us that the CREED is the summary of our faith and the key to correctly interpret the Holy Scriptures.
This CREED is a statement of our basic beliefs as Catholic Christians; in it we find the main mysteries of our faith.
MYSTERY is a truth that is beyond our power to understand it but that we believe because God has said so.
God's public revelation to the world came to an end with the death of the last of the apostles. Everything that God wanted man to know for his salvation had been made known by Jesus and his twelve Apostles.
"... There will be no more public revelation until Christ comes again ..." (Dei verbum, # 4)
THE HOLY BIBLE
OLD TESTAMENT - Gathered by the Jewish people. Consist of the first 46 books of the BIBLE.
Mainly interested in preparing the world for the MESSIAH.
NEW TESTAMENT - It is the most important part of Scripture. It consists of 27 books.
Contains the life and teachings of Jesus.
CONTENT: Gospels (4), Acts of the Apostles, Letters of Saint Paul (14), Letters to all Christians (7), Book of Revelation or Apocalypse.
The OLD TESTAMENT and the NEW TESTAMENT are united in GOD's revelation plan.
"...the New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New..."CCC #129
AUTHOR AND INSPIRATION OF THE BIBLE
The main author of the Bible is God the Holy Spirit. That is why we call the BIBLE THE WORD OF GOD.
God the Holy Spirit chose certain men to be the human authors of the Bible. They wrote in their own language and style, just what the Holy Spirit inspired them to write.
INSPIRATION means that God moved these men to write about Him and guided their minds to write what He inspired them.
This is why the Bible is free from error in teaching us about God and what is necessary for our salvation. This is called INERRANCY.
The Church is the protector and teacher of Divine Revelation.
Jesus put the Church in the hands of the apostles and their successors.
Today the successors of the apostles are:
The Pope (who takes the place of authority of Saint Peter)
The Bishops who are united to the Pope
His authority to teach is called MAGISTERIUM.
The Pope and the Bishops are guided by the Holy Spirit and are not wrong when they teach about faith or morals. This special gift is called INFALLIBILITY.
