Faith and Revelation

1. Faith and Revelation Knowing God Through Sacred Scripture

2. Faith and Revelation Chapter 3

3. Chapter 3 The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ Through Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture

4. Chapter Objectives The student will be able to understand: Christ established a Church The Magisterium Ecumenical Councils Apostolic succession Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture Sacred human traditions Sources of Sacred Tradition The authorship of Sacred Scripture Sacred Scripture is free from error The holiness of Sacred Scripture The literary forms in the Bible The four senses of Scripture Global factors in interpreting the Bible How to read the Bible

5. Keys to Chapter 3 Christ entrusted Revelation to his Church, which has a Magisterium, or teaching authority, guarded by the Holy Spirit. The living Sacred Tradition of the Church has produced Sacred Scripture, written by God and human authors. Sacred Scripture should be interpreted according to its literary forms and the literal and spiritual sense its human and divine authors put into it.

6. For Discussion: How Jesus intended his message of salvation to be transmitted until he comes again. The role of an Ecumenical Council The role of the Magisterium in the transmission and interpretation of Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture. The Deposit of Faith The different literary forms in Scripture. How to read the Bible, and the role of Sacred Scripture in the Christian life.

7. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Lesson Objectives - Christ established a Church The Magisterium Ecumenical Councils Apostolic Succession

8. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Basic Questions - • Why did Christ establish a Church? • By the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ established a Church under St. Peter and the Apostles so his Revelation could be preserved in its entirety and reach all nations without corruption.

9. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Basic Questions - • What is the Magisterium? • The Magisterium is the name given to the universal teaching authority of the Pope and the bishops in communion with him, which guides the members of the Church without error in matters of Faith and morals through the interpretation of Sacred Scripture and Tradition.

10. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Basic Questions - • What is an Ecumenical Council? • One way the Church has exercised her Magisterium is through Ecumenical Councils. • What is Apostolic Succession? • The Magisterium is preserved through Apostolic Succession, the lineage of Catholic bishops through the ages, in which each holds his office in direct link to one of the Twelve Apostles.

11. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Anticipatory Set - • Create a bullet-point summary of salvation history from the first five paragraphs of this chapter (p. 56, “God is not an aloof…”)

12. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • What key instrument has God used to transmit salvation history? • He has used Sacred Scripture.

13. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • What should be each person’s response to what God reveals? • The proper response is faith.

14. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • How is the Church a motive of credibility for the truth of Divine Revelation? • It has been faithful to Christ for two millennia despite severe trials.

15. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • How is the faithfulness of the Church promised by Christ? • When Christ made St. Peter the head of the Church, he said, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it” (Mt 16:18).

16. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Guided Exercise - • Review the objectives (p. 57, “In This Chapter…”) • What objective do you understand the best?

17. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Guided Exercise - • Why are the following questions of utmost importance? • How has the Good News revealed by Jesus Christ been transmitted through the generations? • How can we be sure his message has been handed on faithfully?

18. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • Why is it logical to think God would provide a means by which his Revelation should be fully preserved and transmitted in the future? • Since the Good News is for all people and all times, it makes sense he would provide a way for all people to have access to this Revelation.

19. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • How did Christ guarantee his Revelation would reach all nations unadulterated? • He established his Church and granted his teaching authority to the Apostles.

20. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • What guarantees the Church can infallibly transmit the Faith? • The Holy Spirit guarantees it.

21. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • With respect to his message, when was Christ’s guarantee fulfilled? • It was fulfilled on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles.

22. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • When was the infallibility guaranteed to the teaching of the Apostles first seen? • In the Council of Jerusalem, the Apostles decided the Gentiles did not have to follow the Mosaic Law: “It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (Acts 15:28).

23. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • What is a model for Ecumenical Councils? • The Council of Jerusalem is a model.

24. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • What is an Ecumenical Council? • An Ecumenical Council is a meeting at which bishops from around the world convene to discuss and debate matters of concern to the whole Church.

25. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • Why are these Councils called ecumenical? • The Greek oikoumene means the inhabited world.

26. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • What kind of issues have Ecumenical Councils addressed? • They have addressed theological issues and matters of worship and Church discipline.

27. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • What is the role of the Ecumenical Council in the history of the Church? • These councils served as the primary means by which bishops discussed and made definitive decisions about issues facing the entire Church.

28. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • Who presides over an Ecumenical Council? • The Pope or his delegate presides.

29. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • What is the effect of decrees of the Magisterium emanating from an Ecumenical Council? • If ratified by the Pope, they are binding on all Christians.

30. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • How many Ecumenical Councils have there been? • There have been twenty-one (Nicaea I through Vatican II).

31. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • What is the Magisterium? • It is the teaching office of the Church; safeguarded from error by the Holy Spirit, it transmits Christ’s Gospel faithfully and correctly.

32. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • Who constitutes Magisterium? • The Apostles and their successors comprise it.

33. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • What is the sensus fidelium? • The sense of the faithful is “the whole body of the faithful who have an anointing that comes from the holy one cannot err in matters of belief. This characteristic is shown in the supernatural appreciation of the faith (sensus fidei) of the whole people, when, ‘from the bishops to the last of the faithful’ they manifest a universal consent in matters of faith and morals.”

34. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • Who guides the People of God in knowing the Faith? • The sacred teaching authority, or Magisterium, guides them.

35. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Graphic Organizer - Complete the following table about the two ways the Magisterium exercises the charism of infallibility.

36. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • What is the infallibility of the Magisterium? • The Church cannot teach error in matters of Faith and morals.

37. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • What ensures the infallibility of the Magisterium? • The Holy Spirit ensures it.

38. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • What should be the response of the faithful to a teaching of the Magisterium when it proposes a doctrine for belief as divinely revealed? • The definitions “must be adhered to with the obedience of faith.”

39. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • Where can examples of the teaching of the Magisterium be found? • It can be found, among other places, in creeds and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

40. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • What is the Deposit of Faith? • It describes the whole content of Divine Revelation.

41. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • What are the twin sources of the Deposit of Faith? • Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture are its sources.

42. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • How does St. Paul witness to the twin sources of the Faith? • He wrote, “Brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter” (2 Thes 2:15). • Extension: The phrase word of mouth refers to Sacred Tradition; by letter refers to Sacred Scripture.

43. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • How are Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the Magisterium of the Church connected? • They work together and none can stand without the other two.

44. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Guided Exercise - • Discuss the following question: • What does St. Matthew teach about • St. Peter’s authority (16:18-29)?

45. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • How do the contemporary terms priest, bishop, and Pope apply to the Apostles? • The Apostles were what we would call the first priests and bishops for the Church, and St. Peter is regarded as the first Pope.

46. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • What is Apostolic Succession? • The office of bishop has been passed along in an unbroken continuity from the Apostles to the present day.

47. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • How can a person know the present Pope traces his authority directly to the Pope? • There is a record of the 266 Popes from St. Peter through Pope Benedict XVI.

48. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ - Focus Question - • How did most of the early Popes show their fidelity to the Gospel? • They were martyrs for the Faith.

49. Tradition and Scripture - Lesson Objectives - Sacred Tradition and Scripture Sacred and human traditions Sources of Sacred Tradition The authorship of Sacred Scripture Sacred Scripture is free from error The holiness of Sacred Scripture

50. Tradition and Scripture - Basic Questions - • What is the relationship between Sacred Scripture and Tradition? • Sacred Scripture is the part of Tradition that was written under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. • What is the relationship between Sacred Tradition and human traditions in the Catholic Faith? • The Catholic Faith includes both Sacred, unchangeable Tradition and human, changeable traditions. The Church’s human traditions grow out of her Sacred Tradition.