Continuing Catholic
Education
2010-2011
The Word Of God
• What is the Word of God?
– Is Bible the word of God?
– Is Bible the only Word of God?
– Is it Man speaking about God?
– Is it God speaking about himself?
What is the Word of God?
• The word of God is God’s revelation
• In the Beginning, was the Word – John 1:1
– What was this Word ?
• The word of God is Christ himself
• The word became flesh and dwelled among us,
John 1:14
• “That which was from the beginning, which we
have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,
which we have looked at and our hands have
touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word
of life.” 1 John 1:1
God’s Word – Devine Revelation
• Christ is the Sum of God’s Revelation
• God’s Revelation in two forms
– Sacred Scripture
• Written word-Bible
– Holy Traditions
• Apostolic Traditions
• Ecclesial Traditions
• One Common Source, two modes of
transmission
Study of Word of God
• Study the Plan of Salvation
– From Genesis – Revelation
• Study the Word of God that was in the
beginning, and was with God and God himself
• Study the Revelation of Trinity
– Revelation of the Son by the Father
– Revelation of Father and Spirit by the Son
– Revelation of Father and Son by the Spirit
The Bible- The Written Word of God
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Authored by God
Centered on The Son
Inspired by the Holy Spirit
Old Testament
– Genesis – Malachi (46 books)
– Creation – Promise - Anticipation
• New Testament
– Mathew – Revelation (27 books)
– Incarnation – Fulfillment of Promise- Omega
What great recent converts say about
Biblical Christians??
• Biblical Christians, Who are they?
– Are we Roman Catholics biblical Christians?
– Or, Is there any other Christian denominations are
more biblical Christians than us?
– Are we following some pagan practices which are
not biblical?
So called, Biblical Christians explains?
• Martin Luther, John Calvin – Protestant
Christian thinking
• Sola Fide - Faith Alone
• Sola Scriptura – Scripture contains everything
So called Biblical Christians, ? us
• Show us in the bible all the pagan practices
followed in your church…
• You just need to accept Jesus Christ as Saviour
and Lord and that’s all you need.
• Lorraine Weithner – Roman Catholicism [AntiCatholic Doctrine] Book
• Contraversial Topics – Holy Eucharist, Mary,
Saints, Saints, Pope, Purgatory etc…
For us Roman Catholics….
• If the way the catholic worship in alter is not
God, they are to be just idolater, nor pagans.
They are to be pitied and opposed. So are
we…?
• If the pope in Rome is not infallible vicar of
Christ, who can bind hundreds and millions of
catholics in their believes and practices, then
he is a tyrant. He is a spiritual dictator.
Studies by Scott Hahn
• Roman Catholics are the only Christians
rooted in scripture.
• His study on God’s covenant explained in
scripture.
• Catholic view on Covenant
• Protestant view on Covenant – synonym with
a Contract (Interchangeable)
God’s Covenant
• Protestant World – new covenant with God
means You give God, your sin; he gives you
christ and everything is a fair deal for
salvation.
• Reality this covenant means – sonship or
kinship.
What Bible Is
• A History book
– History of Salvation, God’s relationship with
mankind
– History told from God’s point of View rather than
author’s point of view
– Even historical accounts are within the context of
salvation history
– Story of salvation was begun with specific people
in a specific time, place and culture
What Bible Is
• Family Story
– God is a family of three person – Father, Son and
Holy Spirit
– God’s desire to share this family with creation
– Biblical Covenants resulting from this desire
• A Love Story
– A History of God’s Love for His creation
– The Fall of the creation to sin
– God’s Mercy through a covenental Love
What Bible is Not
• Fictional literature that are the results of
author’s imagination
• World History with narrations of events and
Leaders of Nations
• Scientific Book containing theories
• Myth
Bible a Book of Covenants
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Covenant with Adam-Family
Covenant with Noah – Household
Covenant with Abraham and his tribe
Covenant with Moses and Israel Nation
Covenant with Jesus and all humanity
Final Covenant is for all eternity in heaven
Categories of Books in Bible
• The Old Testament (46 books)
– The Historical Books (21 books)
– The Wisdom or Poetic Books (7 books)
– The Prophets (18 books : 4 major and 12 minor
plus Baruch and Lamentations)
• The New Testament (27 books)
– Historical Books – 4 Gospels, Acts of Apostles
– Wisdom Books 21 Epistles/Letters
– 1 Prophetic Book - Revelation
Bible Timeline
• 1. The Early Word
• 2.The Patriarchs
• 3.Egypt and Exodus
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• 4.The Desert Wanderings •
• 5.Conquest and Judges •
• 6. The Royal Kingdom •
7. The Divided Kingdom
8. The Exile
9. The Return
10. The Maccabean Revolt
11. Messianic Fulfillment
12. The Church
Historical Books in Bible
• The Pentateuch (The Law)
– Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
– Time Period 10,000 BC – 1,400 BC
– From Beginning – Formation of nation of Israel
• Historical Books
– Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings,1&2
Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Tobit, Judit, Esther, 1&2
Maccabees
– Time Period 1,400 BC – 160 BC
– From the formation of Israel – Emergence of Roman
Empire
Genesis
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Greek for “beginning”
Story of Creation
The Fall from God’s presence
The Promise
Noah’s Ark
The Flood
The Promise to Noah
The Call of Abraham and other Patriarchs
Formation of Joseph’s sons as 12 Tribes of Israel
Genesis – Act1 - Creation
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In the Beginning God Created man and woman
Did God create man differently?
In the likeness and Image of God
How God has united man and woman?
Covenant between God and Mankind
Marriage and Family
How about Theory of Evolution? Did Genesis get
it wrong?
Genesis – Act 2 – The Fall
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The Fall – Broken Relationship
The Fall of Adam and Eve
Who are Adam and Eve?
Serpant as a symbol
Two States of Human Beings
– Be with God
– Stray Away from God, needing salvation
Genesis – Seen from NT
• Man made in God’s Image and Likeness, sons - OT
• Son made in father’s image, incarnated - NT
• Man Stray Away from God By Evil Spirit –
Disobedience - OT
• Man Lead by the Spirit -Complete Obedience NT
• Do not Eat from the fruit of the Tree, or else you
shall die – OT
• “This is my body, eat it and you shall live”, and
that body is raised on a tree - NT
Genesis Outline
• Primitive History (1:1-11:32)
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Creation of the World
Creation of man and woman: Their fall
Cain and Abel
God’s covenant with Noah
The tower of Babel
• History of Patriarchs (12:1- 50:26)
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Abraham (12:1-25:18)
Isaac (25:19-26:35)
Jacob (27:1-37:1)
Joseph sold into slavery; down to Egypt (37:2-50:26)
Purpose of Creation Story
• Providing radically new notions of
– God
– Nature
– Human Beings and Human Life
• Not scientific/Mathematical/Historical
Primitive History in nutshell
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“In the Beginning”
CREATION: A covenant with the universe
Creation is GOOD.
Creation of Human Beings in the Image of God
The Fall
Spiritual Death
Where are You?
The Curse
Evil
Righteous line of Seth
Creation in Spiritual Sense
• Placing God in the beginning of our lives
• Avoiding the death traps of deadly sins
– Pride (Adam/Eve/tower of Babel)
– Envy (Cain)
– Anger (Cain)
– Sloth (Refers to Relativism of today’s world)
Forgiving and Merciful God
• Descendents of Cain through Lamach’s evil in
its completeness.
• Descendent of Seth through Noah grace
coming through.
• Noah’s Arc and flood symbolizes the Christian
church in God’s plan and our baptism.
• Rainbows of our life.
Genesis- Act2 – The Fall Contd.
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Cain and Abel
What did Cain and Abel Offer?
Why did God not accept Cain’s offering?
Perfect Offering, Liturgy, How to Pray?
Forgiving God
Seth –
Geneology – Salvation Plan
Genesis – Contd.
• Marriage
– What Jesus said :Mathew 19:3
– Creation of Man and Woman
– Why does the story say that woman was made out
of man?
– “Bone of my bones and Flesh of my Flesh”
– “What God has Joined together, let not man put
asunder”
Marriage – What we hear today
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A spirit of Domination
Infidelity
Jealousy
Conflicts escalating into hatred
Statistics
Culture
Media
Marriage – Replica of Eden
• With God – After Creation
– Perfect Communion: “bone of bones and flesh of
flesh”
– Call the helpmate ‘Woman’ since she came from Man.
– Mutual attraction, God’s gift
– Vocation to be fruitful and multily
• Without God _ After the Fall
– Blame each other – ‘The woman you gave me’
– Lust and domination
– Pain of Childbirth and toil of work
Marriage -What Jesus Meant
• In The Beginning (Matt 19:3)
– Special emphasis on the need for God in Marriage
– Corrects the teaching from Moses on the hardness
of their hearts.
• As a Sacrament
– Celebrants are Bride and Groom
– Priest is only blessing the Sacrament
– The sacrament continues everyday in our lives
Marriage – As a Covenant
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What is a Covenant?
How is Covenant established in Bible?
How is Marriage becoming a Covenant?
What is our Call?
Seventh Day for Marriage?
– Man and Woman resting with God on Seventh Day
– Children as God’s Gift, Raised for God
– Family, A Sanctuary of God
Marriage – What Church Teaches
• Church teachings on Marriage
• Encyclicals
– Humane Vitae – Paul VI
– Evangelium Vitae – John Paul II
– Theology of Body – John Paul
Genesis – Contd.
• Chapter 4- The Fall of Man continues
– God’s warning Gen 4:7
– Man ignores the warning
– Man kills his brother in the field when they were
alone
– “I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?“
– Value of Life – Thou Shall not Kill
– Stand Firm to protect Life
Life –Breath of God
• Gen 2:7 “God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;
and man became a living being.”
• “Am I my brother's keeper?“ or “Am I the keeper of God’s
breath?”
• Culture of Death continues with Cain’s son(s) (4:23-24)
• Cain kills Abel in the field, where he had no defense of
his parents-most vulnerable place.
• Today, Lives of many are threatened when they are the
most vulnerable-Inside wombs and during the old-age.
• “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to be from
the ground”:Gen 4:10
Marriage and Life
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Marriage and Life are inseparable
Intimate community of Life and Love
Marital Love is Life-Giving.
Sacrificial and Self Giving Love to each other
St. Paul equates this as the Love of Christ to Church.
CCC equates of this as Love of God to Man
Procreation-Husband and wife becomes partners in
God’s Creation
• Marriage – A Call to Holiness
• Family – A Sanctuary of Life
God’s Mercy
• Genesis paints picture of a Merciful God
• God searching for Man 3:9
• God becoming a Taylor to clothe the naked
Man 3:21
• Promise of Savior after Man’s Fall to save
them from Sin
• Forgiving Cain even after he became the first
murderer
Genesis – Act3 – The Flood
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What is the story of Flood?
Why did Noah escape the flood?
Creation – Take 2
What does the flood symbolize?
Baptism
What does the Ark represent?
What does the rainbow represent?
Covenant with a Family
Genesis- Act 4- Tower of Babel
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What is the story?
Who built the tower and why?
Mankind refuting against God
Symbolism of Babel to Pentecost
End of Genesis Early Word Section
Exodus
• Greek for “Going out”
• Escape from slavery
• Journey (and wanderings) to the promised
land
• Ten Commandments
• Failure to keep commandments
• Providence of God in Israel’s daily lives
including food, shelter etc.
Leviticus
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Talks a lot about Levitical Priests of Israel
Book of Laws, mainly for religious observances
Sacrifices and offerings (1-7)
Duties of Priests (8-10)
Cleanliness and Holiness (11-22)
Feasts (23)
Promises and warnings (25-27)
Leviticus
• The character of God
• The fundamental conditions of true religion
• The principles that should guide human
legislators
• The work of Christ
• The prophecies in types of things to come in
the kingdom of Christ.
Numbers
• Gives a census of all Tribes in Israel
• Story of 40 years in the desert
• Israel’s Constant rebellion against authority of
God and his prophet Moses
Deuteronomy
• Greek for “Second Law”
• Repeats the First Law – Ten Commandments
• Gives guidelines on how to live in the
promised land
• New Constitution of the State of Israel
• Gives Prophetic roadmap for Israel’s history
Pentateuch – Bible in a capsule
• Pentateuch tells the whole message of Bible
• The main message is
– Obedience of God + True worship will give
peace and permanent possession of the
promised land; and will bring salvation
– Disobedience results in its loss
• Do we see a corollary for this in new
testament?