Religion: Chapter 3
The Time Almanac identified that there were more than ____________ adherents to ___________religious traditions in the United States of America ___________.
317 million; twenty-five ; in mid 2010
Religion as a spiritual tradition: ____________________________________.
Religions are faith communities built on and expressing spiritual traditions . These traditions engage people's souls, their whole being . While the fullness of Revelation subsists in the Catholic Church , people respond in faith to God in other religious traditions. When truth is found outside of the Catholic Church. Christ's Spirit uses other Christian ecclesial communions and other religions 'as a means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church (CCC 819).
The fullness of _______________ and the means of salvation are found in the Catholic Church.
Revelation
Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. Describe this in your own words in its relation to the Church.
The apostle Paul is comparing Christ's spiritual body, the church, to the human body. Just as the human body consists of many different parts, so does Christ's body consist of many diverse members, coming from different backgrounds, and possessing different spiritual gifts.
What is the importance of belonging to and participating in a religion? Give reasons for your answer.
The importance and belonging to and participation in a religion can be a source of comfort and guidance. It can provide a basis for moral beliefs and behaviors. It can also provide a sense of community and connection to tradition.
Read Matthew 25:31-46. Discuss how this passage helps you understand the Church to be the Body of Christ in the world?
As God's children, He expects us to help everyone around us, especially the poor ones, because in our Lord's eyes we may be rich or poor, but we are all equal. Our Lord also expects us to be humble and generous to everyone, even to people who did bad things to us.
How would you describe the difference between faith and religion?
Faith can be thought of as confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. Religion, one can define faith as "belief in a god or in the doctrines or teachings of religion.
What are we called to do as members of the Church?
We are called to make disciples of all nations as members of the Church.
It is the ________________ of giving adoration to God, ___________ to Him, and offering Him the worship that belongs to Him alone.
habit and disposition; praying,
Everyone has been blessed with gifts to share and given responsibilities to fulfill. So all members of the Church ______________________________.
have gifts, or charisms, from the Holy Spirit to build up the Body of Christ in the world.
Man commits idolatry whenever __________________________________.
he honors and reveres a creature in place of God.
The Church is our ______________________________.
home in the family of God and she is our mother and teacher, teaching her members just as parents teach their children the language, practices and traditions of their family in the home.
What are communal images?
images pointing to a unity marked by diversity, a unity marked by the interdependence of the members of the Church.
Judaism and Christianity are rooted in what?
in the Revelation of the one, true God and the response of the People of God to that Revelation. Jews profess the Shema and Christians the Creeds of the Church. Jews celebrate Passover and Catholics celebrate the Eucharist . Both Jews and Christians live by the Great Commandment and the Ten Commandments , which find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ .
What is Idolatry?
is divinizing what is not God.
Why should we not try to 'go at it alone' when it comes to our faith?
People who 'go it alone' isolate themselves from the support of a community of believers, and, in truth, deny the reality of who they have been created to be. Each one of us needs others in order to grow to be fully human and fully alive. Each one of us needs other people of faith if we are to grow as people of faith.
People look to different ___________ for an answer to the unsolved riddles of human existence.
Religions
It is through the Church that we ___________________________.
receive faith and new life in Christ by Baptism.
Faith is different from ________.
religion
The human person is by nature and calling a __________________.
religious being
'Outside of the Church there is no _______________ .
salvation
The Church nourishes us through her work of ________________. We are nourished at the table of the Word and the table of the Eucharist . We pray with the Church and support one another as we strive to live a life of holiness. The Church nourishes our life of faith with her many traditions and devotions.
sanctification.
At the Second Vatican Council the Church also reminded us of our roots when speaking of the events of the Old Testament ; ______________________.
she taught, 'All these, however, happened as a preparation for and figure of that new and perfect covenant which was to be ratified in Christ...the New Covenant in his blood; he called a people together made up of Jews and Gentiles, which would be one, not according to the flesh, but in the Spirit .'
The Church is the _________________ of salvation.
sign & instrument
At Mass, in Eucharistic Prayer I, ___________________________________.
the Catholic Church acknowledges this truth about her identity when she proclaims Abraham to be 'our father in faith '.
The Old Testament often used the Greek term ekklesia to describe what?
the Israelites as 'the assembly of the people whom God has called together ' to be his People. When the first followers of Christ identified themselves as 'Church ', they were acknowledging that their roots were in God's people of the Old Testament.
The Church fulfills her teaching responsibilities in many ways. For example,________________________________.
the Pope and bishops gather in Council or in Synod. The Pope may write encyclicals or many other types of official teaching documents. Bishops in the United States work together and teach through the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Bishops teach the people of their diocese through pastoral letters and other official documents.
These elements are integral features of a religion : __________________________________________.
the development of doctrines or beliefs, or a creed; to worship; or cult; and to moral laws and ethics, or a 'code'.
Just as with our own body, when one part is not well, our whole body is affected. So, too, when one member of the Body of Christ suffers, ______________________.
the whole Body suffers.
Religion is also a _________.
virtue
Religion is both a ____________________________.
virtue and a set of beliefs and practices followed by people committed to the worship and service of God.
The ____________ is rooted in the First Commandment.
virtue of religion
Most religions began ________________________________that transformed both the way they looked at life and how they lived their lives.
with a founder, a charismatic person or group who had a powerful experience of the Divine
In his ______________________ in every aspect of his life, Death and Resurrection , Jesus revealed to his disciples the way of being his Church in the world.
words and in his actions,
The Church is Holy:
The First Letter of Peter teaches that God called the Church to be holy, as he, the Lord God, is holy. 'You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood , a holy nation, God's own people.' The Church is holy because God, the Holy Trinity , always lives in communion with the Church. Through Baptism, we are once again made sharers in the very inner life of the Trinity and become members of the Church. The Holy Spirit builds up, animates, and sanctifies the Church and her members, transforming us more and more into the holy People of God—despite our faults and failings.
Read Exodus 32. What led the Isrealites to turn their worship away from God and to the golden calf?
The Lord tells Moses to go down from the mountain immediately because the people are already turning aside from what he commanded them. God sees how stubborn the people are. His wrath burns against them, and he intends to destroy them, making a great nation from Moses alone. However, Moses argues with God. Disobedience comes from the lack of faith and lack of faithfulness. Their mentality was often that of a weak God, a God who couldn't do much for them or who they didn't want to serve. They were frustrated and impatient.
Read CCC 2135. How does it relate to the virtue of religion?
"You shall worship the Lord your God" (Mt 4:10). Adoring God, praying to him, offering him the worship that belongs to him, fulfilling the promises and vows made to him are acts of the virtue of religion which fall under obedience to the first commandment." CCC 2135
What are the four Marks of the Church?
'One', 'holy', 'catholic ', and 'apostolic' Church.
Section 3: "The Church: The New People of God"
.......
Section 2: "Faith Finds a Home in Religion"
........
Section 4: "The Church is the Body of Christ in the World"
.........
Section 5: "Judge and Act"
.............
Religion as a life stance: is centered in the relationship of its members with God. Judaism and Christianity are monotheistic religions that believe in the one true God who first revealed Himself to ________________________________________
Abraham and of whom Moses declared, 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord'. Jesus revealed the one true God to be 'Father, Son, and Holy Spirit'--the mystery of one God in three divine persons. Religion makes faith, trust, and life centered in God make life meaningful and worthwhile and give direction and a sense of ultimate purpose to the lives of believers.
What is the New Covenant? Where can this be found in the Catholic Church?
At the Second Vatican Council the Church also reminded us of our roots when speaking of the events of the Old Testament ; she taught, 'All these, however, happened as a preparation for and figure of that new and perfect covenant which was to be ratified in Christ...the New Covenant in his blood; he called a people together made up of Jews and Gentiles, which would be one, not according to the flesh, but in the Spirit .'
The Church is the ____________________ in the world.
Body of Christ
According to CCC 168, what do catechumens ask of God's Church and what does that offer you?
Catechumens ask "What do you ask of God's Church?". The answer of faith. What does Faith offer to you? The answer is eternal life.
The Church founded by Christ subsists in the ________________ .
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church teaches that those who through no fault of their own do not know what?
Christ or the Catholic Church are not excluded from salvation ; in a way known to God, all people are offered the possibility of salvation through the Church.
Jesus Christ founded his ____________ to her the fullness of the means of salvation .
Church and entrusted.
The four Marks of the Church are most fully found in the Catholic Church and are essential characteristics of the _______________.
Church.
Name several ways (~3) in which you can strive to be what St. Teresa of Avila described a disciple of Christ to be.
Giving things to the needy. Treat others with respect. Give up your body to the Lord.
What consequences did Aaron and the people of Israel have because of this decision?
God brought a plague on the people, killed thousands of people.
Jesus is the fullness of _______________,
God's Revelation .
Look at your above example. What were the consequences of the people turning away from God?
Idolatry brings physical ruin- brokenness, pain, suffering, death, and judgment.
What are different forms of idolatry?
Idolatry is divinizing what is not God. Man commits idolatry whenever he honors and reveres a creature in place of God. idolatry inevitably leads people into some form of addiction and slavery.
How is the Eucharist similar to the Passover tradition?
Jesus gave the Passover a new meaning. The Eucharist "fulfills the Jewish Passover" through the Paschal Mystery (CCC, 1340)
Read John 24:15-19. What is Jesus asking of his Apostles?
Jesus is asking his Apostles to help all of his lambs and children to be healed by them.
The Church is the _____________
People of God.
Read the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 4:23-7:29. Choose and state one of the teachings Jesus gave here. How does this teaching of Jesus challenge the way things are in the world today?
It is a blueprint on how to live as his church the new people of God. We just live in sin. He tries to teach us the beatitudes except we're doing the complete opposite.
What does it mean when they say the Church is a domestic church?
It means one universal; we are all together in one big family
Read 1 John 1:1-3. How does this relate to religion as an institutional structure?
John seems to indicate that God created by speaking, and that Jesus was the Word through whom God made the world. When John writes that "without him was not anything that was made" (John 1:3b), he asserts that God the Father through the Son is responsible for all that is.
How are Judaism and Christianity similar? Different?
Judaism and Christianity are rooted in the Revelation of the one, true God and the response of the People of God to that Revelation. Jews profess the Shema and Christians the Creeds of the Church. Jews celebrate Passover and Catholics celebrate the Eucharist . Both Jews and Christians live by the Great Commandment and the Ten Commandments , which find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ . Judaism and Christianity are monotheistic religions that believe in the one true God who first revealed Himself to Abraham and of whom Moses declared, 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord'.
What does St. Teresa of Avila's commitment to living the Gospel says about her faith?
Living the Gospel says a lot about her faith because it means she has total faith, to give your life to God.
What are the different charisms members of the Body of Christ can have?
Pastoral charisms, communication charismas, organizational charisms, charisms of healing, charisms of understanding, lifestyle charisms, creative charisms.
What is the importance of organized religion?
Organized religion's theoretically enable people to understand the world and be part of a historic community of believers,a basic component of human life.
What is Passover?
Passover is celebrated in Judaism, a holiday commemorating the Hebrews' liberation from slavery in Egypt and the "passing over" of the forces of destruction, or the sparing of the firstborn of the Israelites, when the Lord "smote the land of Egypt" on the eve of the Exodus.
What false gods in our modern culture exist? How do they tempt young people?
Some false gods in modern culture are entertainment, pleasure, fame, money, power, and selfishness. These things tempt young people.
The Church is One
St. Paul wrote to the Church in Ephesus: 'Maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.' The Church is both human and divine; she is visible and invisible. She is a sign and instrument of unity through the presence of a visible world-wide community of the faithful sharing one Lord, one faith, and one Baptism. We can see the members of the Church easily enough, but we need 'eyes of faith' to see the invisible presence of God the Holy Spirit acting in and through the Church.
How does thinking of the Church as the Body of Christ help you to come to a deeper understanding of the Church and your role in the life of the Church?
St. Paul's teaching on the Church as the 'Body of Christ' is among the most engaging and revealing of the images for the Church. This image teaches that every member of the Church is interrelated and is vital to the functioning of the whole Church—just as every part of the human body contributes to the functioning of the whole body.
It also ______________ our ability to fulfill the promises of our ___________ .
Strengthens, Baptism
Find another example in the Bible of a time when humanity turns from God to worship false idols. Explain why the people did this.
The Bible also has examples of people making idols out of the sun, moon, stars, and rivers, out of a nation's strength and army, kings and political leaders become idols.
What difference would it make if people took this teaching, and all of Jesus' teachings, seriously and boldly lived by it?
The difference would grant them eternal life, happiness, and love for everyone.
Describe how the human body is like the Church?
The human person is a unity of a body and a spiritual soul , a union of the visible and invisible.When the members of the early Church began to describe who they were, they used several communal images -images pointing to a unity marked by diversity, a unity marked by the interdependence of the members of the Church.
The Church is Catholic:
The risen Lord commissioned the Apostles to 'make disciples of all nations ...And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.' The word 'catholic' comes from the Greek word 'katholios' which means 'universal '. First of all, the Church is 'catholic' because Christ is always present in the Church. Second, the Church is also 'Catholic' because she is sent out to make disciples of the whole human race. From the beginning the Church has been part of God's plan to unite all people into the one family of God. The Church's nature and mission is to be the sign and instrument of God's salvation in the world. The Church is the universal sacrament of salvation to all humankind.
What does it mean to be 'Catholic'?
The risen Lord commissioned the Apostles to 'make disciples of all nations ...And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.' The word 'catholic' comes from the Greek word 'katholios' which means 'universal '. First of all, the Church is 'catholic' because Christ is always present in the Church. Second, the Church is also 'Catholic' because she is sent out to make disciples of the whole human race. From the beginning the Church has been part of God's plan to unite all people into the one family of God. The Church's nature and mission is to be the sign and instrument of God's salvation in the world. The Church is the universal sacrament of salvation to all humankind.
What are charisms?
gifts from the holy Spirit
How can the wisdom you learned in this chapter help you live your life as a disciple of Jesus Christ and a member of the Catholic Church?
The wisdom that I learned from this chapter can help me by reading the Gospel and actually understanding it, instead of just reading it. Giving your life in God's hands and interesting him that he will guide us in the best ways possible.
The Beatitudes, which begin the Sermon on The Mount, are central to the Christian way of life. __________________________.
They challenge and turn upside-down many commonly accepted values of the world. The entire Beatitudes and the whole of the Sermon on the Mount teaches us to live a God-centered life, as Jesus did, and not a self-centered life.
Prayerfully read and reflect on these words of St. Teresa of Avila: "Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, not feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which to look out Christ's compassion to the world. Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good, and yours are the hands with which he is to bless us now." Explain what this means in your own words.
This means that her body was giving up to the Lord.
Do you feel like our current society is turning away from God? Why or why not? Give at least 2 examples in your response.
This society still has some people that believe in God, but the world also has some people that are turning away from him. Many people turn away from God because they have sins in their lives that cause them to feel quilt when they show up at church. They feel scared to pray and read the Bible.
According to CCC 778, how has the Church been the goal of God's plan from the beginning?
To unite all people into one family of God
What words, images and actions come to mind when you hear the words 'faith' and 'religion'?
When I hear the word 'faith', I think of something that is believed especially with strong conviction, "complete trust", "belief and trust in and loyalty to God", as well as "a firm belief in something for which there is no proof". When I hear the word 'religion', I think of a set of organized beliefs, practices, and systems that most often relate to the belief and worship of a controlling force, such as a personal God or another supernatural being.
Read Matthew 16:13-20 and 26:69-75. Explain how Christ set up the institution of the Church.
With the help of the Holy Spirit dwelling in the church, Christ's work among us moves forward from the days of the apostles.
In Baptism all members of the Church are to ______________________________, the Head of the Church, according to their function in the Church.
Work together in union with Christ
What do you think God will have to do to get humanity to turn their eyes back to Him?
Yes, because God is the rule over the creation in a way that God protects, and enhances his works so that all creation may fulfill the purposes God intended for ir. We must manage the environment not simply for our own benefit but for God's glory.
Being an active member of a community of faith and ___________________________ for people to join with others and 'put their faith to work' as the Gospel demands.
a religious tradition can, motivate, guide, and provide opportunities
idolatry inevitably leads people into some form of ________________.
addiction and slavery.
Whether those 'gods', _________________________ .
are the sun, the moon or the stars ; whether they are emperors or entertainment or sports or business personalities; or whether they are inordinate weath, fame or success ,
Some who have been ___________ claim that they are spiritual but assert that they have no need for ________________.
baptized; organized religion .
Religion refers to a set of ___________________followed by those committed to the _____________ of God.
beliefs and practices , service and worship
Atheists claim that they do not ___________ in a God.
believe
Agnostics claim that they are not sure God __________.
exists
The human person is a unity of a ___________________ , a union of the visible and invisible
body and a spiritual soul
When the members of the early Church began to describe who they were, they used several ___________________________.
communal images
-The word 'church' in Latin ecclesia and Greek ekklesia means __________________.
convocation' or 'assembly '.
Faith is _____________ from religion .
different
St. Paul's teaching on the Church as the 'Body of Christ' is among the most _______________________.
engaging and revealing of the images for the Church. This image teaches that every member of the Church is interrelated and is vital to the functioning of the whole Church—just as every part of the human body contributes to the functioning of the whole body.
The Church is, what?
first, the People that God gathers in the whole world; second, the particular or local church (diocese ); and third, the liturgical (above all Eucharistic) assembly.
