1. Part 1 The God-Human Relationship
Section 2 Revelation

2. What do you think of when you hear the word revelation?
What is revelation?
What do you think of when you hear the word revelation?
Revelation is God’s way of revealing himself to us.
God gradually reveals himself and the divine plan of salvation to humanity.
We can learn about God in the events and experiences in our daily lives.
Revelation has unfolded slowly throughout salvation history, or the pattern of specific events in human history in which God clearly reveals his presence and saving actions.
God’s Revelation started with Abraham and Israel and was completed with Jesus.
The Holy Spirit continues to reveal God to us today.

3. We cannot Fully Know God
Although Revelation is complete in Jesus Christ, we cannot fully know God during our earthly lives.
God is beyond our human capacity for thought, words, speech, and understanding.
We can still experience God’s love and mercy on earth.

4. Sharing in god’s life “You have made us for yourself, and our heart is
Through Revelation we live in communion with God, or share His life.
God created us with a longing for this relationship with him.
To be in communion with God is our vocation, or a calling for God to fulfill a particular purpose or mission in life.
God has reached out to humanity throughout history seeking to connect with us in mutual love.
Today, God reached out to us through the Sacraments.
In Baptism we become the children of God.
In the Eucharist we share in the sacrifice of Jesus.
“You have made us for yourself, and our heart is
restless until it rests in you.”
- St. Augustine of Hippo

5. Salvation History
The first and universal witness to God’s love is creation itself.
God’s plan to save us from sin and death occurs within history.
God acts within historical events.
The unfolding of God’s plan for us Is salvation history.

6. Salvation History Began at the creation of the universe
Ended in the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus
Fullness of God’s plan will be revealed at the end of time
Salvation history includes:
Adam and Eve being redeemed
Covenant with Noah and the Israelites
God’s call to Abraham

7. Salvation History

8. THIS ASSIGNMENT WILL BE A TEST GRADE!
Homework Alert!
Create a project using the events of salvation history to describe and explain God’s loving plan.
Use page 49 as a guide.
Suggestions:
Children’s book
Newspaper
Pamphlet
Annotated timeline
Song
THIS ASSIGNMENT WILL BE A TEST GRADE!

9. Jesus Christ, the Savior
The Revelation of God’s plan is fulfilled in the Incarnation.
Jesus becoming man is God’s ultimate effort to save us, reveal the truth, and bring us to eternal life.

10. How do we know God really exists?
Sacred Scripture is a source that helps us recognize God’s presence
The Sacred Scriptures are preserved accounts of witnesses who were commissioned by Christ himself
Because it was written though the inspiration of the Holy Spirit it is a reliable source of God’s presence

11. The Faith of Others
The testimony of those with a strong belief in God can inform our own approach to God’s existence
All people respond to the gifts of faith differently
Martyrs die for their faith
Experiencing the faith of others can motivate us to have more faith in God

12. The Faith of Others
God created human reason and moral conscience so that we may use them to understand our faith more fully
Reason and intellect can strengthen our faith in God if used in the right way
EX. Maximillian Kolbe (pg. 52)

13. Why is there so much suffering?
If God is all powerful and all good, how can there
be so much suffering in the world?
4 key elements to the Church’s answer to this question:
the world is imperfect
Redemptive suffering
The Paschal Mystery
We see only partially

14. The WORLD Is Imperfect Natural disasters are not punishments from God
Part of the laws of nature
Human beings continue to sin
God created us with free will, or the gift to choose between good and evil
By learning to use free will wisely, we participate in God’s work of spreading the Reign of God throughout the world
Reign of God – the rule of God over the hearts of people (Kingdom of God)

15. Redemptive Suffering The Paschal Mystery
Because Jesus’ suffering saved us, we can see our suffering as redemptive
Our suffering unites us with Christ
The Paschal Mystery
The Resurrection of Jesus ensures us that we will also live again after we die
The Paschal Mystery shows us that suffering, sin, and evil will never win
God will bring hope out of every situation

16. We See Only Partially
Suffering reminds us that we cannot see the “big picture” that God can see
Experiences of pain and loss challenge us to trust and invite us to put our confidence in God

17. Part 2 Sacred Scripture and Tradition
Section 2 Revelation

18. Revelation Through the Old Testament
The Old Testament recounts the story of God’s covenant relationship with the ancient Israelites
These sacred, inspired writings help us to learn about God
Inspired – written by human beings with the guidance of the Holy Spirit
The Old Testament contains stories of God’s lasting love.
Christians enrich their faith lives by reading the Old Testament because Christianity is rooted in Judaism
Jesus grew up studying the Old Testament

19. Revelation Through the new Testament
The New Testament focuses on the saving work and life of Jesus
None of the New Testament writings were composed while Jesus was alive
The disciples shared their experiences of Jesus through oral tradition
These men were the first missionaries – they traveled to distant cities to spread the Good News and to encourage others to join Christianity

20. Revelation Through the new Testament
The earliest writings of the New Testament were the epistles, or letters
First written by St. Paul in 51 AD (20 years after Jesus’ death)
Around the year 70 AD, the first Gospel, Mark, was written
Followed by Luke, Matthew, and finally John in AD 95
Evangelists – “good news”; anyone who actively works to spread the Gospel of Jesus; 4 specific authors of the Gospels
The Evangelists chose to write things about Jesus that would be most useful to the believing Christians

21. Revelation through tradition
Divine Revelation can be experienced through Scripture and Tradition
The Apostles’ teaching authority (given by Jesus) was passed on to the popes and bishops as a way to spread the Good News to every generation
Magisterium – the official authoritative teaching voice of the Church
This living transmission of the Good News is called Tradition, or the process of passing on the Gospel message

22. The Unity of Tradition and Scripture
Both Tradition and Scripture are working to achieve the same goal
These are the primary ways the Church passes on God’s revealed truth
They both reveal God to us

23. Passing on God’s Revelation
Apostolic Succession and papal infallibility help us confirm that the beliefs and teachings of the Church come from God
Jesus entrusted his ministry and message to the Apostles
The Apostles passed on the message to their successors
This process of passing the message on is called Apostolic Succession
The Pope and all the bishops are the modern-day successors of the Apostles.

24. Infallibility
Christ ensured that all Christians world have access to the truths of salvation by sharing his infallibility
st Vatican Council – Doctrine of Infallibility
Infallible means “without error”
Statements of the Pope are true in certain situations, such as doctrines of faith and morals
The Holy Spirit guides the Pope and keeps him from error when he speaks about our salvation
The Pope is the Church’s authoritative teacher
The whole body of bishops (including the Pope) can share in infallibility

25. The Lives of the Saints
We can see God at work in our lives and in the lives of the saints, holy men and women
Christ’s Church is a communion of saints, a gathering of holy people
The people the Church has officially canonized, or publically and officially proclaimed a saint, have led lives of exemplary holiness
The saints are ordinary people who lived and suffered just like us
They made choices to put their faith into action
We can use them as a model for our own lives

26. The Lives of the Saints St. Anthony, St. Anthony Please come down
We can pray to the saints in Heaven for help
Many saints are traditionally considered to be the patrons of specific issues or causes
Catholics do not worship the saints
We ask them to pray with and for us
St. Anthony, St. Anthony
Please come down
Something is lost
And can’t be found

27. Part 3 Discovering God in Creation
Section 2 Revelation

28. Discovering God in our daily lives
Every experience of our lives can make us aware of God’s presence if we reflect
God is not confined to church
We can connect with God everyday through prayer
Ask the Holy Spirit to teach and guide us

29. Saint Ignatius of Loyola and prayer
St. Ignatius encouraged his followers to conduct an examen at the end of each day:
Find a quiet space
Review the experiences of our day, noticing how we responded and interacted with people
Asking for God’s forgiveness for when we sinned
Offering gratitude for the blessings of the day
Seeking strength for all we will face the next day
“Find God in all things.”
- St. Ignatius of Loyola

30. Venerable Catherine McAuley of Dublin pg. 75

31. Discovering God in the Faith of Others
We are not alone in seeking God
Sharing faithful lives can help us grow in holiness
Family is very important
Family is where we first learn about our faith
Family members can encourage us to grow in faith
When our family is not a good faith role model, we can turn to the family we have in the community of the Church, in Heaven and on earth
Communal prayer is just as important as private prayer

32. Discovering God In the natural World
Nature tells us that God is the origin and Creator of all that is.
God freely chose to bring the universe into existence
All creatures reflect God’s glory
Belief in the divine origin of the universe does not mean that Catholics are against scientific inquiry
Both faith and reason are gifts from God
The fact that God brought the universe into being is a key religious truth, but science can inform us as to how this may have been accomplished

33. Stewardship of Creation
God has entrusted us with stewardship of creation, a responsibility to care for and protect all the good he has created.

34. Discovering God through the Human Intellect
The Church urges us to use our minds to grow in understanding of our faith.
Theology is the study of God; “faith seeking understanding (St. Anselm)
God gave us the gift of intellect to understand faith more fully.