Fundamentals of Faith (FF)

God’s revelation is an invitation for us to KNOW Him more clearly, LOVE Him more
REVELATION deeply and WORSHIP Him more sincerely.
Music KNOW it entails reading the bible
- always been a part of human history
LOVE practice the virtue of charity
- a person’s constant companion
- a disclosure of oneself. WORSHIP respond to His act of revealing Himself
- perpetuates the ideas and feelings of the composer and influence the formation of
values
Use of words
Just like composers of music who bare their heart and soul to the listeners, God - is an affirmation of the human need to reach out to others.
makes use of ways that led His people to discover:
● who he is Functions of words:
● how he feels about them • Informative
● what his plan for them - we speak to merely tell something or just to converse
• Expressive
Revelation - we speak to disclose our deepest feelings
- written by John (in Patmos, a Greek island where, according to most biblical • Apellative
historians, he was exiled as a result of anti-Christian persecution under the Roman - we speak to be reciprocated, begging for a response
emperor Domitian.)
- latin: revelare, which means to lift the veil, to disclose, to uncover. FIVE WAYS OF PROVING THE EXISTENCE OF GOD:
- “God’s personal loving communication to us of who He is and His plan to save us
all in His love. • Proof 1: From motivation (motion)
- It is God’s reaching out to us in friendship, so we get to know and love Him - the series of motion necessitates a first mover.
- nothing can move by itself, there must be a first mover.
● The ultimate purpose of God’s free act of self-disclosing to us is nothing else
but our salvation • Proof 2: From efficient cause (cause and effect)
● God’s capability of limiting himself in human words is in itself a manifestation of - the series of cause and effect requires a first efficient cause
his greatness - there are a series of efficient causes in the world, nothing is the efficient cause of
● With his whole being man gives his assent to God the revealer itself.

Our human limitation • Proof 3: from possibility and necessity

St. Thomas Aquinas said: “There is nothing is the mind that is not first in the - the contingency of beings necessitates a non-contingent being to bring forth
senses” existence
- some being exists of its own necessity and does not receive existence from
1 John 4:12: “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in another being but rather causes them.
us and his love is made complete in us”
• Proof 4: From Gradation of being
● God is a spirit. God is a Mystery. - the degrees of perfection point to a perfect being who has the maximum of all
● A spirit cannot be perceived by the senses. A mystery transcends all human positive qualities
experience - there is gradation found in things, some better, some worse. Predications require
● God is like a farmer reference to the uttermost.
● There’s no such thing as a perfect image
● Nonetheless, we cannot do away with images. They’re all we’ve got. • Proof 5: from governance of things
- the order and beauty visible in the world requires an intelligent designer
Fundamentals of Faith (FF)
- some natural things lack knowledge (i.e. an arrow) but may reach its goal. So [REVELATION Flashcards | Quizlet]
there is an intelligent being.

Language
- is a product of human experience. For us humans to be able to speak of Him in
terms of what our senses can perceive.

Anthropomorphism
- is the attribution of human qualities to non-human beings (such as animals and
objects) including God
- Anthropos: man, morphe: form
- our images of God are products of Anthropomorphism
- Is it similar to personification?

Images
- are “signs”
- they point towards a greater reality.
- have both strengths and limitations
- forming an imaginative picture of God can be misleading
- may be manipulated and distorted

God is a mother
+ makes God more approachable
+ present God as a caring and loving person
- weakens God’s image primarily due to the feminine caused by the cultural
conditioning of patriarchal societies

God is a friend
+ highlights God’s immanence
+ presents God as a person actively involved in the daily life experiences of man.
- may cause over familiarity with God which may lead to lack of reverence

Word of God
- in Hebrew term “dabar” means “word” and also “event” or “reality”

● The events in Salvation History

● The message of God proclaimed through the prophet
● The person of Jesus, who himself is the Word of God
● The preaching of the Christian Faith
● The general message of God to humanity
● The Bible

[Fundamentals of Faith - Chapter 1 Flashcards | Quizlet]

 Fundamentals of Faith (FF)
TYPES OF REVELATION
Through time, God communicated to humans in ways they could understand His
plan of Salvation. God made known His plan to humankind.
● Like us, God also wants to express himself and disclose His plan of salvation.
● God’s loving communication to humanity gradually unfolds through time until
the fullness of His revelation is made known in Christ.
● "In those things that we profess about God there are two types of truths. For
there are some truths about God that exceed every capacity of human reason,
such as that God is [both] three and one. But there are other truths that natural
reason is also capable of arriving at, such as that God exists, that there is one
God, and others of this sort. Indeed, philosophers, led by the light of natural
reason, have proved these truths about God demonstratively."
TYPES OF REVELATION
➢ Natural or General revelation
- sometimes called “natural revelation” refers to how God makes himself known to
us through the created world.
- refers to how God makes himself known to us through the created world.
➢ Special Revelation
“Ever since the creation of the world, his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they
are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made.” - Romans 1:19-20
“15“Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you
good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the
heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. 16 In the past, he let all nations go
their own way. 17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by
giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food
and fills your hearts with joy.”
- Acts 14:15,17
“27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him,
though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’
As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’”
- Acts 17:27-28
13 Anyone who does not know God is simply foolish. Such people look at the good things
around them and still fail to see the living God. They have studied the things he made, but
they have not recognized the one who made them. 2 Instead, they suppose that the gods who
rule the world are fire or wind or storm or the circling stars or rushing water or the heavenly
bodies. 3 People were so delighted with the beauty of these things that they thought they must
be gods, but they should have realized that these things have a master and that he is much
greater than all of them, for he is the creator of beauty, and he created them. 4 Since people
are amazed at the power of these things, and how they behave, they ought to learn from them
that their maker is far more powerful. 5 When we realize how vast and beautiful the creation is,
we are learning about the Creator at the same time.
6
But maybe we are too harsh with these people. After all, they may have really wanted to find
God, but couldn't. 7 Surrounded by God's works, they keep on looking at them, until they are
finally convinced that because the things they see are so beautiful, they must be gods. 8 But
still, these people really have no excuse. 9 If they had enough intelligence to speculate about
the nature of the universe, why did they never find the Lord of all things?
- Wisdom 13:1-9
- (Acts of the Apostles 14:15,17; Acts 17:27-28; Wisdom 13:1-9) are the stuff about
God that we can learn and discern based on the world around us. We look at
creation for instance and we see how huge it is how intricately it's designed and so
on and we figure whoever made this must be all-powerful and/or we look into our
own hearts and we find things like a love of beauty or a sense of right and wrong
and we figure whoever made me must be beautiful and true and good.”
“They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience also
bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or perhaps excuse them.”
- Romans 2:15
- Invites us to constantly struggle to live a MORAL LIFE and grow in reverence
toward all God’s creation.
- “supernatural revelation”
- would be unknown to us without God’s supernatural Intervention through his
chosen messengers.
- St. Thomas equates special revelation with the Bible.
- cannot be discovered through natural means, such as observation of nature,
philosophy and reasoning, conscience or providence.
- The communication of some truth by God to a rational creature through means
which are beyond the ordinary course of nature.
- Invites us to regularly pray with and read the Scriptures and grow in our
knowledge and love for God’s Word.
- Knowledge of God and of spiritual matters can be discovered through supernatural
means, such as the:
Sacred Scriptures
Narratives in Scriptures
Prophesies
Miracles: “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive
their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are
raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. - Luke 7:21-22
Mystery of the Holy Trinity
 Fundamentals of Faith (FF)
Paschal Mystery: Refers to God’s plan of salvation which was ultimately fulfilled
through four events in Christ’s life: His Passion (his suffering & crucifixion),
death, Resurrection, and Ascension.

➢ Public Revelation
- These are the essential truths of our Christian faith revealed by Christ and taught
by the Church
- Divine Revelation:
‣ For ALL of humanity
‣ Why? Because these are the TRUTHS NECESSARY for our SALVATION!
‣ Imposes the obligation of faith; adherence is necessary, BINDING all of us.
‣ Final and Complete in the person of Jesus Christ!
- Invites us to grow in our sharing in the LIFE OF CHRIST (not just imitating Christ
but sharing really in His Life).

➢ Private Revelation
- Church-recognized messages from apparitions or mystical experiences
- They do not add to Public Revelation
- They impose no obligation of faith
- Are carefully examined by the Magisterium based on Public Revelation so that we
may authentically know which can help us lead to the true calling of Christ. - CCC
67
- Not continuation of Public Revelation (which ended with the death of the last of the
apostles), but rather a confirmation of truths already revealed.
- Lifts up our faith in God and encourages us to live out more fully God’s revelation
through committed prayer, love for the Cross, and heroic charity.
Fundamentals of Faith (FF)

AVENUES OF REVELATION
Revelation through Events:
❖ Creation
- First act of God’s revelation that declares the glory of God
- Points to God as the cause of everything
- The goodness of creation reflects the goodness of God.

❖ History
- Events seen through the eyes of faith become manifestations of God’s divine plan
for humanity
- Whether secular or religious, communal or personal, pleasant or tragic points as
actions of God.

Revelation through Persons:

★ Prophets
‣ Spokespersons of God
‣ Proclaim a religious interpretation of history

★ Church
‣ A collective discernment and sense of divine actions. They ritualize these through
the following:
1. Preaching of the Word
2. Worship celebration
3. Acts of service and charity

★ Jesus Christ
‣ God revealing & God- revealed
‣ Fullness of God’s revelation
‣ Ultimate self-communication

● Realizing that God reveals Himself to us in different ways, we are bound in

turn to reveal Him to others in different ways.
● The basic calling of taking care of God’s creation is part of our dignity as
human persons.
Fundamentals of Faith (FF)
- Traditions from the HOLY BIBLE. These practices and beliefs can be
THE GOD OF HOSTORY justified by quoting Sacred Scriptures
Apostolic Succession
- Before Jesus returned to heaven he commissioned apostles to continue his ● Apostolic Tradition
mission to “share” the message of salvation to all people. - These are the teachings which the Apostles left us, not through written
scripture, but through the unbroken chain of succession of Popes, bishops,
The gospel challenge priests and deacons. This unbroken chain is an assurance that the
- We are challenged by the Gospel of Christ to spread the truth and continue the teachings of the Apostles are preserved intact.
mission he gave his disciples
● Teachings of Magisterium
Apostles - latin: magister – teacher
- fulfilled their mission by oral preaching, examples, and by observances that were - The teaching authority of the Church. Exercised by the Pope in making
handed on and received from Christ. solemn definitions or by the Bishop in an Ecumenical Council like Vatican 2

Principle of Solidarity and Preferential Protection for the Poor and Vulnerable Sola scriptura
- By her very nature the Church is missionary; she abounds in effective charity and - Scripture only, from the Latin expression adopted by the reformers who said that it
a compassion which understands, assists and promotes. is the bible, not tradition or a church, which is our final authority.
- “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these
brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” - Matthew 25:40 (The Sheep and the “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not
Goats) recorded in this book” - John 20:30
- “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure - Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of [his] disciples that are not
you use, it will be measured to you.” - Matthew 7:2 (The way we treat others has a written in this book.
transcendent dimension)
● The sacred Scriptures originated from ORAL TRADITION
Tradition ● Not all Traditions had been written down, hence the Bible does not
- latin: tradere: to pass on; to hand over contain the entirety of revelation
● Tradition does not stop when it is written down. It continues in the life
Oral Tradition of the Church.
- Initially passed-on by word of mouth
Divine relation = deposit of faith
Written Tradition
- Eventually, SOME of it were put into writing Sacred tradition and sacred scripture
- form one sacred deposit of the Word of God, committed to the Church.” Dei
Sacred Tradition Verbum 10
- Cultural traditions
- Could have arisen from particular needs of the Church at a particular time and Synod
place - Common Journey or Shared path
- can be changed, modified or done away with without destroying the integrity of our - syn – together
CHRISTIAN FAITH - hodos – on the way
- Doctrinal traditions - Purpose: Opportunity for the entire people of God to discern together how to move
- the LIVING and LIVED faith of the Church forward on the path towards being a more synod church in the long term.
- can never be changed, modified or done away with, for doing so would harm the - “The purpose of the Synod, and therefore of this consultation, is not to produce
integrity of our CHRISTIAN FAITH documents, but “to plant dreams, draw forth prophecies and visions, allow hope to
be nourished, inspire trust, bind up wounds, weave together relationships, awaken
● Scriptural Tradition
Fundamentals of Faith (FF)
a dawn of hope, learn from one another, and create a bright resourcefulness that
will enlighten minds, warm hearts, give strength to our hands.”

Objectives of the Synod:

- recalling how the Spirit has guided the Church’s journey through history and,
today, calls us to be, together, witnesses of God’s love;
- living a participative and inclusive ecclesial process that offers
everyone—especially those who for various reasons find themselves on the
margins—the opportunity to express themselves and to be heard in order to
contribute to the edification of the People of God;
- recognizing and appreciating the wealth and the variety of the gifts and
charisms that the Spirit liberally bestows for the good of the community and the
benefit of the entire human family;
- exploring participatory ways of exercising responsibility in the proclamation of
the Gospel and in the effort to build a more beautiful and habitable world
- examining how responsibility and power are lived in the Church as well as the
structures by which they are managed, bringing to light and trying to convert
prejudices and distorted practices that are not rooted in the Gospel
- accrediting the Christian community as a credible subject and reliable partner
in paths of social dialogue, healing, reconciliation, inclusion and participation,
the reconstruction of democracy, the promotion of fraternity and social
friendship
- regenerating relationships among members of Christian communities as well
as between communities and other social groups, e.g., communities of
believers of other denominations and religions, civil society organizations,
popular movements, etc
- fostering the appreciation and appropriation of the fruits of recent synodal
experiences on the universal, regional, national, and local levels

Synodality
- is the way of being the Church today according to the will of God, in a dynamic of
discerning and listening together to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

The fundamental question for the consultation of the People of God

- A synodal Church, in announcing the Gospel, “journeys together:” How is this
“journeying together” happening today in your local Church? What steps does the
Spirit invite us to take in order to grow in our “journeying together”?

[https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/pontifical-and-royal-university-of-santo-tom
as-the-catholic-university-of-the-philippines/science-technology-engineering-and-ma
thematics/faith-1st-quarter-notes-topic-1-7/27298951]