Faith & Revelation BB JC-SJC Ch.2

7/31/2019 Faith & Revelation BB JC-SJC Ch.2

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Knowing God Through

Sacred Scripture

Faith and Revelation


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Sacred Scripture

Divine Revelation and

Supernatural Faith

Chapter 2


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Chapter Objectives

Supernatural Revelation

Gods motive for revealing

himself

How we can know Gods

Revelation

External evidence for

Revelation

Motives for credibility

Miracles Miracles in human history

The criteria for determining

authentic miracles

Classes of miracles

Prophecy, the experience of

Christians, and the Church

herself are proofs of Divine

Revelation

Man is still free to reject

Revelation Qualities of faith

The motive and objects of faith

The student will be able to understand:


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Keys to Chapter 2

God unveils himself to draw all people to him.

God provides much solid, external evidence that

his Revelation can be trusted.

We are still in the age of miracles.

Christians believe what God reveals because he,

who is trustworthy, reveals it.


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In This Chapter We Will Discuss:

Divine or supernatural Revelation, and why it is

needed.

How God has revealed himself to man.

How we can know that Divine Revelation is

true.

Christ as the fullness of Revelation.


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Introduction

Lesson ObjectivesSupernatural RevelationGods motives for revealing himself

How one can know Gods Revelation


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Introduction

What is supernatural Revelation?

In supernatural Revelation, God unveils truths about

himself and mans salvation that exceed natural intellectual

ability.

Why does God reveal himself?God draws human beings to himself because of his loving

magnanimity.

Basic Questions


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Introduction

How does God make it possible to know him?

One can know God because he elevates the natural

intellect through grace so people can grasp the

supernatural truths he reveals through deeds and words.

Basic Questions


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Anticipatory Set

Incorporate John 11:1-44 into the Opening Prayer and

then discuss:

How do Christs actions and the wordshe speaks relate to one another?


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Focus Question

What is the difference between

natural and Divine Revelation?

Natural revelation is how God reveals

himself to people through his creation.

Divine Revelation is how God revealshimself to people directly through particular

individuals.


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Focus Question

What is the meaning of the word

revelation?

It means to uncover or unveil something

hidden.


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Focus Question

What does the word Revelationmean

in theological terms?

Revelation refers to Gods manifestation of

truth to his people.


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Focus Question

What kinds of truths has God

revealed?

God has revealed truths about himself and

creation, especially the origin and destiny of

man and of the world.


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Focus Question

What is the intelligibility to the

human intellect of Gods revealed

truths?

Some are accessible to the human mind on

its own; others exceed all created intellect.


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Focus Question

What does it mean to say Christ is

the one who both reveals and is

revealed?

Christ is the definitive Revelation of God,

and Christ is primarily revealed.


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Focus Question

What is the double meaning of the

phrase Word of God?

It refers to Sacred Scripture and Jesus

Christ.


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Focus Question

Why did St. Jerome write, Ignorance

of the Scriptures is ignorance of

Christ?

Because Christ is the subject of all the

Scriptures, one cannot know him apart fromthem.


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Focus Question

What are the two kinds of revealed

truths?

Natural truths are accessible to natural

reason, and supernatural truths (or

mysteries) are beyond the ability of humanreason.


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Focus Question

What are some examples of

supernatural truths (or mysteries)?

Supernatural truths include the existence of three

divine Persons in one God, the union of the divine

and human natures in the Person of Jesus Christ,

and the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy

Eucharist.


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Focus Question

What does it mean to say Revelation

is received mediately?

It is revealed to a person directly, who then

transmits it to others. Most people receive Divine

Revelation mediately.


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Focus Question

Name some of the persons who

have mediated Divine Revelation.

Abraham, Moses, the prophets, and, definitively,

Jesus Christ have mediated Divine Revelation.


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Guided Exercise

Free Write on the following questions:

Do you find in yourself an innate desire toknow truth?

How does the desire for truth show itself in

your life?


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Focus Question

Why does God reveal himself?

He wants to draw people to himself.


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Focus Question

According to Dei Verbum, what is the

relationship between words and deeds in

the economy of Revelation?The works performed by God in the history of

salvation show forth and bear out the doctrine and

realities signified by the words; the words, for theirpart, proclaim the works, and bring to light the

mystery they contain.


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Focus Question

What does it mean to say the created

intellect has a basic and radical capacity to

be elevated beyond its natural powers?

It means that human intellect, with the help of grace,

can understand supernatural truths. More grace leads

to a better understanding of supernatural truths.


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Focus Question

What is the normal subject of the natural

drive and capacity of our intellects?

The normal subject is to understand the essence of

material things in the world.


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Focus Question

What is the appropriate(or exact) object for

which the human intellect is searching?

It is searching for truth in its entirety


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Guided Exercise

Read John 11 and explain how theword God spoke was connected to the

deed he subsequently worked.


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Focus Question

How is a human being able to know

supernatural truths?

God elevates human intellects to see things ordinarily

impossible.


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Focus Question

How is Gods Revelation transmitted to

people?

It is transmitted mediately through the Church.


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Focus Question

What keeps the message of Revelation

from being confused or corrupted?

When establishing his Church, Christ guaranteed theassistance of the Holy Spirit to ensure the faithful

transmission of Divine Revelation. The Holy Spirit

guides the Church and her teaching authority (or

Magisterium) when confirming the teachings of Christ

and applying those teachings to temporal situations.


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Guided Exercise

Discuss the following question:

How does the passage from DeiVerbum(p. 34, It pleased God)

reveal Gods magnanimity?


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The Truthfulness of DivineRevelation

Lesson Objectives

External evidence for RevelationMotives of credibility

Miracles


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The Truthfulness of Divine Revelation

How does one know if a revelation is actually from God?

Because the content of revealed truth is not self-evident, God provides

external evidence for believing the revealed truths. These evidences aretermed motives of credibility.

What are the motives of credibility?

The chief motives of credibility are the miracles of Christ and his

saints; the fulfillment of prophecies; the sublimity or dignity of the

message itself; and the growth, holiness, fruitfulness, and stability of the

Church.

Basic Questions


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What is a miracle?

A miracle is an extraordinary and observable fact or action performed

by God that defies the laws of nature.

Basic Questions


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Anticipatory Set

Incorporate Mark 2:1-2 into the

Opening Prayer and then identify thereason Christ gives for healing the

paralytic.


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Focus Question

Why must any Revelation from God be

true?

God can neither deceive nor be deceived.


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Focus Question

Why does reason dictate people need some

evidence to confirm the source of a particular

Revelation is God?

Reason dictates one should only believe something to the extent the truth

of a particular statement can be reasoned or the mediate source of the

statement is known to be reliable.

Extension: One may be able to reason as to why the method of long

division taught by a grade-school teacher works or it may be taken on faith

because that particular teacher is trustworthy.


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Focus Question

What are the four main signs (or motives of

credibility) God provides to assure people his

Revelation is trustworthy?He provides:

1. the miracles of Christ and his saints;

2. the fulfillment of prophecies;

3. the sublimity or dignity of the Gospel message; and

4. the growth, holiness, fruitfulness, and stability of the

Church.


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Focus Question

Why is external evidence required to

know a particular Revelation comes

from God?The content of revealed truth is not self-evident;

therefore, it needs external evidence.


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Focus Question

Why are miracles ascribed to God?

By definition, miracles do not have natural causes;

miracles can only have God as their immediate cause.


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Focus Question

If God did not exist, why would

miracles be impossible?

Only God can set aside the laws of his creation.


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Guided Exercise

Discuss the following question:

How does the tale The Boy whoCried Wolf illustrate the principle

that belief in what an intermediary

testifies depends on his

trustworthiness?


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Focus Question

Is the Church credulous when it comes

to miracles?

No; the Church regards miraculous claims with a

healthy skepticism and carefully scrutinizes them.


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Focus Question

What is a favorable outcome of the

Churchs examination of a miracle or

apparition?

It says there is no viable natural explanation for the

phenomenon and the message of the Revelation, if

any, is in no way incompatible with what the Church

teaches.


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Focus Question

Why does God work miracles in the

modern era?

God calls peoples attention to something important

for their salvation.


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Focus Question

What is the greatest miracle in all of

history?

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the greatest

miracle.


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Guided Exercise

Complete a paragraph shrink on:

The selection from Vatican I (p. 37,For the submission)


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Graphic Organizer

Complete the following table on the kinds of

evidence.

Kind ofEvidence Example Explanation

External

Internal to the

revealed truthitself

Inherent in

mankind


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Focus Question

What is the original meaning of the

word miracle?

It meant something admirable or astonishing.


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Focus Question

What does the term miraclemean in

theological terms?

It refers to an extraordinary and observable fact or

action that defies the laws of nature.


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Focus Question

What do miracles display?

They display Gods omnipotence and external proofs

of his Revelation.


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Focus Question

How does Gods existence explain the

possibility of miracles?

With God nothing is impossible.


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Test All Things

Lesson Objectives

Miracles in human historyThe criteria for determining authentic

materials

Classes of miracles


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Test All Things

When have miracles occurred?

God worked miracles as recorded in the Old Testament and the New

Testament to the present day.

How does the Church determine if a miracle has occurred?

The Church requires a lengthy and rigorous process to determine if a

miracle has taken place.

Basic Questions


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Test All Things

What are the three most common categories of miracles?

Three common categories of miracles are apparitions of the Blessed

Virgin Mary, miracles of the Eucharist, and miracles of healing.

Basic Questions


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Anticipatory Set

Imagine the case of a person who had incurable cancer.

The person prayed to a specific saint and was

completely cured.

How can we be sure that such a cure is

truly miraculous?


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Focus Question

What are some of the examples of

miracles in the Old Testament?

The plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea,

the manna sent from Heaven, and the destruction of

Jericho.

F Q i


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Focus Question

What isthe difference between the

miracles the Apostles performed after the

Ascension and those Christ performed

while on earth?

The Apostles miracles were done in Christs name to

show they acted with his authority, whereas Christperformed miracles by his own authority.


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Focus Question

What was the first miracle worked by the

Apostles at Pentecost?

The miracles of speaking in tongues was the firstmiracle they worked.


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Focus Question

What are the three major categories of

miracles during the past two millennia?

Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, miraclesof the Eucharist, and miracles of healing have

occurred.


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Focus Question

Search the internet to learn more aboutone of these approved but lesser known

Marian apparitions:

1. Laus (1664-1778)2. Paris (1830)

3. La Sallette (1846)

4. Pontmain (1871)5. Beauraing (1932-33)

6. Banneux (1933)

7. Akita (1973)

F Q i


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Focus Question

What aspects of an alleged apparition are

investigated?

The investigation considers the probability of asupernatural occurrence, the personal qualities of the

person(s) receiving the vision, the content of the

message (if any), and the fruits of the revelation.

F Q i


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Focus Question

What are some factors that result in

negative judgments?

Errors in fact or doctrine, evidence of financialprofit, immoral acts, and psychological disorders of the

visionary result in negative judgments.

F Q i


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Focus Question

What are the three findings of an investigation

into a claim of an apparition, and what does

each mean?

1. Judged as supernaturalmeans the apparitionseems authentic

2. Judged as not supernaturalmeans the

apparition is not authentic;3. Not judged supernaturalis a neutral

statement.

F Q i


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Focus Question

How long do investigations take?

They can take decades or centuries.

F Q i


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Focus Question

If the event isjudged as supernatural, what

can happen?

The bishop (or bishops) may permit public devotion.

F Q i


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Focus Question

How many claims of Marian apparitions

were there in the twentieth century?

There were at least 386.

F Q i


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Focus Question

How were the 386 cases disposed?

Seventy-nine were judged as not supernatural, and

nearly all the rest have received a neutral verdict.

F Q i


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Focus Question

How many Marian apparitions in Church

history has the Church fully approved?

Ten have been approved.

F Q i


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Focus Question

What were the three most popular Marian

apparitions?

They are in Lourdes, Fatima, and Guadalupe.

F Q i


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Focus Question

What is the significance of the name that

Our Lady gave to St. Bernadette?

Our Lady said to St. Bernadette, I am the

Immaculate Conception, a dogma about the BlessedVirgin Mary the Pope had solemnly defined four years

earlier.

F Q ti


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Focus Question

What kind of miracle is today associated

with Lourdes?

Miracles of healing occur there.

F Q ti


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Focus Question

How many miracles have been certified at

Lourdes?

Sixty-seven people have been declared to have been

miraculously healed, and thousands more have claimed

physical and spiritual healings resulting from visits

there.

F Q ti


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Focus Question

Name the three children to whom the

Blessed Virgin Mary appeared at Fatima.

Jacinta

Francisco

Lucia

F Q ti


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Focus Question

What did our Lady ask the children to do?

She asked them to pray the rosary, offer themselves to

God, and bear suffering as reparation for the

conversion of sinners.

F Q ti


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Focus Question

What public miracle occurred at Fatima?

The lady told the children she was the Lady of the

Rosary, and a crowd of many thousands saw the sun

dance in the sky.

F s Q sti n


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Focus Question

Where and when did the miracle of

Guadalupe occur?

It occurred outside Mexico City in 1531.

Foc s Q estion


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Focus Question

To whom did the Blessed Virgin Mary

appear?

She appeared to an indigenous Mexican, St. Juan

Diego.

Focus Question


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Focus Question

What sign did she use to show Bishop

Zumarraga she had really appeared?

Her image was miraculously imprinted on St. Juan

Diegos tilma.

Focus Question


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Focus Question

What is miraculous about the image of

Our Lady of Guadalupe?

Modern scientific tests have failed to identify how the

image was made or why it has not faded or deteriorated

over the past 500 years.

Focus Question


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Focus Question

Who is the patroness of the Americas?

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Focus Question


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Focus Question

Why is there such a difference between

the number of unexplained healings

credited to prayer and the number ofproven miraculous interventions?

The criteria for establishing miracles of healing are

very strict, and unexpected healings must be rigorously

studied.

Guided Exercise


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Guided Exercise

Discuss the following:

Why is it prudent for the Church tohave such strict guidelines to

determine whether or not a healing

is miraculous?

Focus Question


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Focus Question

What is the Real Presence?

It is the Catholic doctrine that Jesus Christ is really

and substantially presentBody, Blood, Soul, andDivinityin the Eucharistic species after the

consecration of bread and wine.

Focus Question


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Focus Question

What is the Eucharistic miracle that

occurred in Bolsena-Orvieto, Italy?

A German priest had trouble believing in the RealPresence. When he stopped to say Mass on his way to

Rome, the consecrated Host began to bleed.

Focus Question


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Focus Question

Where are the Host and bloodstained

corporal today?

They are in the Orvieto cathedral.

Focus Question


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Focus Question

What did Pope Urban IV do when he

learned of this event?

He instituted the feast of Corpus Christi (the Bodyof Christ).

Focus Question


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Focus Question

What are the criteria for a cure to be

declared miraculous?

1. There must be an accurate diagnosis of a permanent illness or infirmity

by competent medical authority;

2. The prognosis must be grim;

3. The cure itself must be immediate, complete (no need for rehabilitation

or convalescence), and permanent; and

4. The medical treatment prescribed must not be a contributing factor inthe healing.

Focus Question


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Focus Question

How is an alleged healing at Lourdesinvestigated?

The claimant presents his or her case at the Lourdes Medical Bureau.

If it passes scrutiny, the case is presented to the Lourdes MedicalCommittee, which is populated by nearly two dozen physicians from

around the world. Their investigation usually takes five to ten years; if

they rule an alleged healing as medically inexplicable, then the case is

sent to the cured persons bishop. The bishop will consult local experts

and the Vatican before deciding whether to formally recognize a miracle

has occurred.

Focus Question


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Focus Question

In the case of a person whose cause for

canonization is underway, who makes the

final determination as to whether a miraclehas taken place?

After a thorough and many-leveled investigation, thePope makes the final decision.


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The Truthfulness of DivineRevelation

Lesson ObjectivesProphecy, the experience of Christians, and

the Church herself are proofs of Divine

Revelation

Man is free to reject Revelation



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How are prophecy, the experience of Christians, and the

Church motives of credibility?

Prophecy is a motive of credibility because prophets speak in thename of God and their fulfilled prophecies are signs of the

truthfulness of their message. The Christians experience of Christ

offers internal proof of the truth of Revelation because Christ

satisfied the highest human aspirations. The propagation, sanctity,fruitfulness, unity, and stability of the Church provide a motive of

credibility for her divine mission.

Basic Questions

The Truthfulness of Divine


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Revelation

What is the role of freedom in accepting Revelation as true?

People have the freedom to accept or reject the truthfulness of Divine

Revelation.

Basic Questions

Anticipatory Set


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Anticipatory Set

1. The Roman Empire

2. Arianism

3. The French Revolution

4. The U.S.S.R.

5. Nazi Germany

What do these have in common?

Focus Question


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Focus Question

To what extent does the wordprophet

refer in Hebrew?

It refers to one who talks to man in the name of

God.

Focus Question


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Focus Question

How does this definition relate to Christ

as a prophet?

Christ spoke to man in the name of God.

Focus Question


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Focus Question

Who are some of the prophets of the

Old Testament?

Jeremiah, Isaiah, Daniel, Micah, Hosea, and

Nehemiah are Old Testament prophets.

Focus Question


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Focus Question

What is a prophecy?

It is an infallible predication of a contingent future

event, which can be foreseen with certainty only

through supernatural illumination.

Focus Question


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Focus Question

Who, then, is the ultimate author of

every prophecy?

God is the author of prophecy.

Focus Question


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Focus Question

How is Isaiahs prophecy about the Virgin

Birth a sign that offers verification of its

own truthfulness?Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son (Is 7:14;

New American Bible); when this was fulfilled in Christ, it

gave credibility to Isaiahs prophecy and to everything else hesaid. It also lent credibility to Jesus Christ as the promised

Messiah.

Guided Exercise


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Guided Exercise

Complete a focused reading of the section

Christ Satisfies.. (pp. 43-33) and discuss the

following:

How does the experience of living the Faith

provide an internal proof that the Faith istrue?

Guided Exercise


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Guided Exercise

Islam teaches Jesus was one of many prophets but

Mohammed (early seventh century) is the final and

greatest prophet of God. Based on the Steps of Divine

Revelation (p. 45) discuss the following:

Why can Catholicism not accept

Mohammeds testimony in the Koran?

Guided Exercise


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Guided Exercise

Read The Life of the Church (p.

44) and create a bullet-point

summary in favor of the assertion

that the Church herself is a miracle.

Focus Question


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Focus Question

Do miracles, prophecies, and other motives

of credibility prove with absolute certainty

that the truths taught by the Church comefrom God?

No; each person has to be open to receiving thetruth.

Focus Question


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Focus Question

What factors hinder acceptance of Divine

Revelation despite good evidence?

Original Sin and its consequences prompt people to

reject Divine Revelation.

Focus Question


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Focus Quest o

What helps a person accept Divine

Revelation?

Love of the truth and the desire to find God

inclines one to accept Revelation.


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The Act of Faith

Lesson ObjectivesQualities of Faith

The motive and objects of faith

The Act of Faith


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c

What are the qualities of faith?

Faith is a certain and free supernatural assent of the intellect through

which a truth revealed by God is believed on the authority of God, who

reveals it.

What are the motives and objects of faith?

The motive for faith is the authority of God, who reveals. The objects

of faith are God himself, all other supernatural truths God wished to

reveal, and those natural truths God wished to confirm.

Basic Questions

Anticipatory Set


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p y

Incorporate Mark 9:14-29 into the Opening Prayer.

Picture Christ has just returned from the Mount of

Transfiguration with Sts. Peter, James, and John. A large

crowd has gathered and several scribes are arguing with

the disciples.

What does this epistle seem to say aboutfaith?

Focus Question


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Q

Is faith a feeling?

No; it is the assent of the intellect.

Focus Question


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Q

Is Divine Revelation self-evident to

human intellect?

No; it must be tested and accepted.

Focus Question


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Q

What is the role of the will in the act of

faith?

Though the senses and intellect tell a person

something that is true, he or she must choose to

believe.

Focus Question


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Q

What is faith?

It is a certain and free supernatural assent of the

intellect through which a truth revealed by God isbelieved on the authority of God, who reveals it.

Focus Question


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Q

What does it mean to say, We do not

just believe; rather, we believe in

something?

Faith has a content. A person does not simply

believe God exists; he or she believes in God himself

and in his Revelation, that is, his attributes and his

relationship with us and with his creation.

Focus Question


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Q

What is the motive (or reason) for

making the act of faith?

The motive for the act of faith is the authority of

God.

Focus Question


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Q

What are the three objects of faith?

The objects are:

1. God himself;2. truths that can only be known through

Revelation; and

3. natural truths God wishes to confirm.

Guided Exercise


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Discuss the following:

What is an example of

each of the three objects offaith?

Graphic Organizer


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p g

Complete the following table about the qualities ofthe act of faith.

Quality Explanation

Supernatural

Free

Certain

Faith & Revelation BB JC-SJC Ch.2

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