M ONTHLY C ATHOLIC E DUCATION S ERIES FOR A DULTS Parish of the Holy Eucharist The Triune God And The Creed November 5, 2015
M ONTHLY C ATHOLIC E DUCATION S ERIES FOR A DULTS 2015-2016 S ERIES Parish of the Holy Eucharist Schedule November 5, – Triune God and the Creed December 3 – Praying my Faith January 7 – Treasures in the Catholic Storehouse February 4 – Living my Faith, Morality March 3 – Mass: an Encounter with Jesus
4 Pillars of the Faith Morality Doctrine Worship Prayer
Creeds or Professions of Faith What are they? • From the beginning, the Church handed on brief formulae that contained essential elements of its faith. • The are called Professions of faith summarizes the faith that Christians profess • The are called Creeds because of the first word in Latin, “Credo” or “I believe” • Written to clarify the Christian faith during time of heresy. (Arianism – Did not believe in the divinity of Christ) • To not believe sets one outside the Christian faith
B APTISM AND P ROFESSION OF F AITH The first profession of faith is made during baptism. • Adults make a profession of faith at their baptism. • Parents profess the creed in the name of the child. • This is renewed each Easter and professed every week. Matthew (28:18-20) Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age .” CCC 197 – To say the creed with faith is to enter into communion with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and also the whole church …. The Creed is the spiritual seal, our hearts’ meditation and an ever-present guardian; it is, unquestionably, the treasure of the soul (St. Ambrose).
T HE C REED AND THE T RINITY The creed is divided into three parts 1. The First Divine Person and the wonderful work of creation. I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. 2. The Second Divine Person and the mystery of his redemption of people. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. 3. The Third Divine Person and the origin and source of our sanctification. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen
T HE C REEDS There have been many creeds throughout history but two have a special place in the Church The Apostle’s Creed The Nicene- Constantinople Creed
T HE A POSTLES ’ C REED It is considered to be a faithful summary of the Apostles’ faith. Used in Ancient Baptisms in the Church of Rome. Called the Creed of the Roman Church, the See of Peter. Too early to address Christological issues defined later. The creed as we have it now, can only be traced back to the 8 century but statements found it are found in writings as early as the second century.
T HE A POSTLES ’ C REED Tradition speaks of 12 articles in which the 12 apostles each contributed one phrase. 1. I believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 2. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. 3. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of theVirgin Mary. 4. Under Pontius Pilate, He was crucified, died, and was buried. 5. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. 6. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 7. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 8. I believe in the Holy Spirit, 9. the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, 10. the forgiveness of sins, 11. the resurrection of the body, 12. and the life everlasting.
T HE N ICEO - C ONSTANTINOPOLITAN C REED It stems from two ecumenical councils (325 Nicaea and extended in 381 at Constantinople) Common to all the Churches in both the East and the West to this day The true non-negotiable of the faith
T HE IMPORTANCE OF T HE T RINITY FOR F AITH CCC 232 – The Faith of all Christians rests on the Trinity. CCC 233 – We are baptized in the NAME of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, not in their names. CCC234 – The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God himself. It is the source of all other mysteries of faith. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the “hierarchy of the truths of faith”. Why would Karl Rahner say that if the Church changed its teaching on the Trinity, most people’s faith would not change?
T HE T RINITY I believe in one God, the Father almighty, I believe in One God…. – talking about God and all three persons of the Trinity. The Father Almighty…. – talking about a person of the Trinity.
T HE T RINITY Calling God, “Father” 1. God is the first origin of everything and transcendent authority 2. Loving care for all his children. CCC 239 – God transcends the human distinction between the sexes. He is neither man nor woman: He is God. He also transcends human fatherhood and motherhood, although he is their origin and standard. No one is father as God is Father. He is father in terms of creation But he is eternally father in relationship to his Son Why could we would say “God our Mother” b ut not “Mother, Son, and Holy Spirit”?
T HE T RINITY maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. Maker – Out of nothing Heaven and earth is a scripture expression that means all that exists, creation in its entirety Heaven, “the Place” of the spiritual creatures, angels, and saints who surround God. Seen and unseen – Angels, saints and the visible world, body and soul of the human being
T HE T RINITY I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, Calling God, “the Son” 1. The Israelites called God, “Father” as creator, of Israel, of the poor, orphaned, widowed. 2. Jesus revealed that God is HIS Father. Jesus uses relational terms in using “Father” and “Son” No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father, except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him (Mt. 11:27)
T HE T RINITY born of the Father before all ages. Creation of the work of God, “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” The Son existed with the Father and the Holy Spirit before the time of creation. All of creation was created through the Son and in the Holy Spirit. The Son is the Word of the Father In beginning was the Word and the Word was with God And the Word was God (John 1:1).
T HE T RINITY God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. CCC 252 The Church uses (I) the term "substance" (rendered also at times by "essence" or "nature") to designate the divine being in its unity, (II) the term "person" or "hypostasis" to designate the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the real distinction among them, and (III) the term "relation" to designate the fact that their distinction lies in the relationship of each to the others.
T HE T RINITY God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. CCC 252 The Church uses (I) the term "substance" (rendered also at times by "essence" or "nature") to designate the divine being in its unity, (II) the term "person" or "hypostasis" to designate the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the real distinction among them, and (III) the term "relation" to designate the fact that their distinction lies in the relationship of each to the others.
T HE T RINITY God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. 253 The Trinity is One . We do not confess three Gods, but one God in three persons, the "consubstantial Trinity". The divine persons do not share the one divinity among themselves but each of them is God whole and entire: "The Father is that which the Son is, the Son that which the Father is, the Father and the Son that which the Holy Spirit is, i.e. by nature one God." In the words of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215), "Each of the persons is that supreme reality, viz., the divine substance, essence or nature .“
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