1. Catholic Gateway Course Ss. Mary & Joseph Church – Thursday, October 15, 2009 – Week 1

2. Welcome!

3. Welcome to the Gateway Course This is an 8-week introductory series for: those who are not Catholic, but interested in the faith those who have been away from the Church Catholics who want to learn more about their faith The format will be seminar-lecture with opportunities for table discussion and questions feel free to ask questions at any time there will be a strict 1-hour time limit on the speaker those who are not Catholic will meet for approximately 30 minutes afterwards for continued discussion loosely based on text Catholicism for Dummies Special Pricing! Catholics: $10 Non-Catholics: Free!

4. Why the “Gateway Course”? Gateway: inquiry, entry Discipleship: enlightenment, preparation Emmaus: relationship, discovery

5. Why the “Gateway Course”? The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) Prepares adults to become full members of the Catholic Church through Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist A holistic process of immersion in the faith, worship, and mission of the local parish community No quick answers, just good questions: discernment; the only obligations are those placed on you by God Ideally, an on-going, year-round process “Class”-oriented, yet self-paced If you know anyone who is interested in becoming Catholic or who needs one or more of the Sacraments of Initiation, please invite them to join us!

6. Welcome to the Gateway Course Fr. Tom Donovan Erin Hodgson Rebecca Marchiori Diane Ahrens Ss. Mary & Joseph Parish Staff www.ssmjc.org

7. Week 1 - Introduction Why do we believe in God? Is the belief in God reasonable? What role does the Church play in faith or belief? What do Catholics believe about God?

8. Why do we believe in God? God himself in creating man in his own image, has written upon his heart the desire to see him. Even if this desire is often ignored, God never ceases to draw man to himself because only in God will he find and live the fullness of truth and happiness for which he never stops searching. By nature and vocation, therefore, man is a religious being, capable of entering into communion with God. This intimate and vital bond with God confers on man his fundamental dignity. Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2

9. Why do we believe in God? Relationship to the Creator, “image and likeness” Search and desire for the good, the true, the beautiful God draws us to himself out of love Our dignity and worth are illuminated by God’s love

10. Why do we believe in God? St. Augustine of Hippo (354 - 430) "Belatedly I loved you, O Beauty so ancient and so new, belatedly I loved you. For see, you were within and I was without, and I sought you out there. Unlovely, I rushed heedlessly among the lovely things you have made. You were with me, but I was not with you. These things kept me far from you; even though they were not at all unless they were in you. You called and cried aloud, and forced open my deafness. You gleamed and shined, and chase away my blindness. You breathed fragrant odors and I drew in my breath; and now I pant for you. I tasted, and now I hunger and thirst. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.” Confessions Book X

11. Why do we believe in God? “… to praise you is the desire of man, a little piece of your creation. You stir man to take pleasure in praising you, because you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Confessions, Book I

12. Is belief reasonable? Argument between faith and reason a modern phenomenon. Study of God (theology) as “faith seeking understanding” – St. Anselm Truth does not contradict truth Classic “proofs” of God pp. 60-63 Through motion Through causality Through necessity Through gradation Through governance/order

13. Is belief reasonable? John Henry Newman (1801-1890) Grammar of Assent (1870) Faith and belief are modes of ‘knowing’ Can I believe what I don’t understand? Can I believe what I can’t prove? Faith involves things that are intelligible but not graspable Certainty of anything in this world is impossible– even in science. Full assent comes as one discerns the converging probabilities on a solution and makes a ‘leap of faith’.

14. What is the role of the Church? Adam and Eve did not need faith, they saw God face-to-face, until that fateful day… With minds and hearts darkened by sin, God needed to reach them in another way.

15. What is the role of the Church? God revealed himself in the person of Jesus, called the “Christ” or “Messiah”. He selected and taught a band of disciples over the period of about three years before leaving them. These disciples received the authority to teach what their master had taught. The disciples, now apostles, worked together to preserve the integrity of the teaching. In time, an oral tradition of these teachings was compiled into a collection of books and letters we know as the Bible. The descendants of this band of teachers assumed the role of authoritatively interpreting the Bible.

16. What is the role of the Church? The Church is the “School of God”, flowing from the encounter with Jesus Christ. The Church restores the relationship humanity has with God. The Church restores the relationship humanity has with each other. All ministry of the Church is relational and expresses the restored unity of the human family in God.

17. What do Catholics believe about God? Unity of the Church is expressed in worship. The height of unity is found in Communion Sacramental Communion Spiritual Communion Participation in the Life of the Trinity “We Believe” – the Creed

18. What do Catholics Believe about God? The Creed is a prayer expressing unity within the Trinity – God is One, God is Three Persons God is an uncreated reality from all time Jesus Christ is God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God The Holy Spirit ‘proceeds’ from the unity and love of God the Father and God the Son. In the Spirit we have belief in the Church.

19. Next Week: Revelation: Sacred Scriptures and Sacred Tradition Catholic Bible Basics