The Blessed Trinity
and Our Christian Vocation
The Blessed Trinity
Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Faith and
Revelation
Chapter Objectives
The student will be able to understand:
• The difficulties in knowing
about God and knowing him
as a Person
• How God overcomes man’s
difficulties to know him
• Natural faith
• Natural knowledge of God
• God’s Revelation in the Old
Testament
• The Revelation of Christ in the
New Testament
• How Christ is present to us
today
• The effect of encountering
Christ
• The first effects of faith
• The Deposit of Faith
• Sacred Tradition
• Sacred Scripture
• The Church’s criteria for the
authenticity of Scripture
• How to read Sacred Scripture
• Magisterium
• Infallibility
Keys to Chapter 1
• Man naturally seeks God, and he, too, seeks out man.
• Supernatural faith has its counterpart in natural faith, and
revealed knowledge of God has its counterpart in natural
knowledge of God.
• The fullness of God’s Revelation in Jesus Christ.
• Encounters with Christ through faith transforms lives.
• Divine Revelation consists of Sacred Tradition and Sacred
Scripture, safeguarded by the Magisterium of the Church.
In This Chapter We Will:
• Examine the Divine Revelation given to us
through Jesus Christ and how God invites us to
have a personal encounter with him;
• Follow the Profession of Faith made in the
Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds with special attention
to what Jesus has taught us about God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit;
continued
In This Chapter We Will:
• Examine each Person of the Blessed Trinity (the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit), and his
relationship with the life of each individual; and
• Explore the Christian response to God’s call to
faith.
For Discussion:
• How can we come to know God?
• What can we learn about God through
human reason?
• What is supernatural Revelation?
• How does God reveal himself to us today?
God and Man in
Search of Each other
Lesson Objectives
•The difficulties in knowing about God and
knowing him as a Person
•How God overcomes people’s difficulties to know
him
God and Man in
Search of Each Other
Basic Questions
Why is it difficult both to know about God and to
know God personally?
It is difficult to know God’s attributes because his
essence infinitely exceeds human intellectual
capacity, and it is difficult to know God as a
Person because we cannot encounter him with our
senses.
God and Man in
Search of Each Other
Basic Questions
How are we able to know God?
God has searched out each person, offering
knowledge about him and friendship with him prior
to his or her advance toward him.
Guided Exercise
Unpack this opening sentence of the Catechism of
the Catholic Church in terms of what it says about the
inner nature of God, God’s motivation for creating
human beings, and man’s final end.
“God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of
sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his
own blessed life.”
Guided Exercise
After completing a focused reading of the
paragraph “The commandments were…” (pg. 3)
discuss the following question:
How is each of the three Persons of the Blessed Trinity
evident in the plan of salvation?
Focus Question
Why is it difficult to know about God?
Human intellects cannot grasp the ideas we have
about him adequately. As St. Thomas Aquinas
said, “Since our intellect does not adequately grasp
the divine essence in any of the conceptions which
the names applied to God signify, the definition of
these terms cannot fully define what is in God.”
Focus Question
Give an example of an idea people have about
God that does not fully define God.
God is immortal, which means he cannot die.
This does not fully explain the nature of God’s
life.
Focus Question
Why is it difficult to know God personally?
He is unknowable by the human senses since he is
pure spirit.
Focus Question
How does the text explain St. Columbanus’s
explanation of the knowledge of God?
Intellectual knowledge of God is not enough.
Guided Exercise
After reading “The Human Desire to Know
God” (p. 4), develop a philosophical argument for
the existence of God.
Focus Question
What freedom does God give to man?
He gives the freedom to know, love, and serve him
or to reject him.
Focus Question
How did Adam and Eve exercise their freedom?
They chose disobedience over obedience and
severed their relationship with God.
Focus Question
How is Original Sin evident in the life of each
person, even today?
It is evident in the tendency to sin, weakened will
and intellect, sickness, pain, and death.
Focus Question
How are the Ten Commandments an act of
mercy?
They provide a blueprint for correct moral
choices; by them people can more easily know
God’s will and differentiate good from evil
actions.
Guided Exercise
After reading “Do You Know, or Do You Really
Know?” (p. 5), discuss the following question:
How does the story of Alice and Teresa illustrate—when
it comes to persons, whether the person is a human being or
God—we need both “saber” and “conocer”?
Focus Question
What gift did God give man to place him above
all creation?
God gave man free will and an immortal soul.
Focus Question
What does it mean to say, in the human-divine
friendship, God chooses man first?
Since he created man, God’s desire for
friendship with each person precedes any desire
for friendship with him.
Focus Question
How has God revealed himself to people?
God has revealed himself in creation, in Divine
Revelation; and, most of all, through his Son.
Natural Faith and Natural
Knowledge of God
Lesson Objectives
•Natural faith
•Natural knowledge of God
Natural Faith and Natural
Knowledge of God
Basic Questions
What is natural faith?
Much of what is known about the world is
through natural faith. That is, one knows by
believing what trustworthy authority reveals.
Natural Faith and Natural
Knowledge of God
Basic Questions
Can a person know God exists through the
use of human reason?
God’s existence can be known through the
exercise of human reason as St. Thomas
Aquinas showed, for example, through
movement, causation, and design.
Anticipatory Set
Brainstorm things you believe to be true but
which you can never verify by direct observation
or personal knowledge.
Guided Exercise
Discuss the following question:
What is the connection between natural and supernatural
faith?
Focus Question
What is natural faith?
It is belief in the testimony of a person because of
confidence in the person who said it.
Focus Question
What determines the strength of one’s
assent to natural faith?
Strength is determined by the wisdom and integrity
of the person, tested by experience. Consistently
true statements reinforce natural faith; falsehood
can weaken the natural faith.
Focus Question
What experience does each person have to
demonstrate he or she was made for God?
Nothing in the world completely satisfies
anyone.
Focus Question
How did Pope Benedict XVI explain
Plato’s search for ultimate truth?
Nostalgia (or a longing) makes each person seek
God.
Focus Question
Why is science unable to discover
something like a mother’s love?
Though a mother’s love for her child is real, it cannot
be directly observed or studied with scientific
methods. Science only examines an observable
reality.
Focus Question
What are the tools used to search for God?
Faith and reason are used and applied to people’s
experience of the Divine.
Guided Exercise
Discuss the following question:
Why was St. Thomas Aquinas called the “dumb ox”
by his classmates?
Focus Question
Why is natural faith necessary for learning
and progress?
If every claim had to be verified by every person,
no one could learn very much.
Focus Question
Under what conditions is it reasonable to
trust other people’s conclusions?
A person can be trusted when there is sufficient
reason to trust and little reason to doubt what he
or she says.
Focus Question
Why should a conversation about the
existence of God begin with reason, not faith?
While the Scriptures and Church teachings are
solid grounds for knowing about God, they are not
self-evident sources of authority. On the other hand,
reason is a way to the truth that every person shares
in common.
Focus Question
Why is philosophical knowledge about God not
enough for people?
People were made to experience and love God, which
exceeds mere rational knowledge. God’s interaction
is personal. The Creator loves his creatures who
have been made in his image.
Graphic Organizer
Complete the following table about three of St.
Thomas Aquinas’s arguments for the existence of
God.
Name of Argument
First Mover
First Cause
Grand Architect
Essence of Argument
Guided Exercise
Discuss the following question:
Based on the hints from Sacred Scripture as quoted in the
sidebar “Seeing God Face-to-Face” (p. 11), what can be
glimpsed about the vision of God?
The Revelation of Christ
in the Scriptures and in
the Life of the Church
Lesson Objectives
•Revelation in the Old Testament
•The Revelation of Christ in the New Testament
•How Christ is present today
The Revelation of Christ in the Scriptures
and in the Life of the Church
Basic Questions
How did God reveal himself in the Old
Testament?
God revealed himself to his Chosen People and
promised a savior in the Old Testament.
The Revelation of Christ in the Scriptures
and in the Life of the Church
Basic Questions
Who is the fullness of God’s Revelation?
Christ is the fullness of God’s Revelation, to
which people have access through grace and faith.
The Revelation of Christ in the Scriptures
and in the Life of the Church
Basic Questions
How is Christ present today?
Christ is present in his Church; in the Sacraments,
especially in the Eucharist; in the liturgies; in his
Word; in our prayer; and in the example of his
followers.
Focus Question
What is the most basic question that should be
asked about Jesus Christ?
How can one know with certainty he is truly the Son of
God?
Focus Question
What caused the Apostles to accept Christ as the
Son of God?
Their faith was based both on their personal experience
with Christ and on grace, by which God revealed this to
them.
Anticipatory Set
Remember that a type is a person, place, thing,
or event in the Old Testament that foreshadows
something in the New Testament or the Church.
Brainstorm examples of types of Christ and his saving
work in the Old Testament.
Focus Question
What is Divine (or supernatural) Revelation?
God makes himself known beyond the natural capacity
to know him through reason.
Focus Question
What does it mean to say the Incarnation made
the face of God visible?
In becoming man, God the Son took on a human nature,
which includes a body. Because Christ is one divine
Person with two natures—one human and one divine—
when anyone would see the face of Christ, he or she saw
the face of God.
Focus Question
What did Pope John Paul II say about Christ in
the Scriptures?
The Sacred Scriptures are permeated with the face of
Christ, which was veiled in the Old Testament and fully
revealed in the New Testament.
Guided Exercise
Create a list of the five most important
points of the section, “Divine Revelation in
the Old Testament” (p. 12).
Focus Question
What is grace?
It is the free and undeserved gift from God that
enables people to respond to their vocation to become
his adopted children.
Focus Question
What is faith?
It is the supernatural assent of the intellect
through which one accepts, trusts, and believes
in the truth of Divine Revelation.
Focus Question
How is Christ present in his Church?
The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, in
which Christ is the head and the People of God
are the members.
Guided Exercise
Review the section “How Christ is Present Among
Us” (pp. 14-18).
List the ways people can encounter Christ.
Focus Question
What does it mean to say the Sacraments are
efficacious signs of grace?
Each Sacrament symbolizes a supernatural action
that is made effective in the soul. For example,
Baptism is a symbol of washing, which “washes
away” actual sins and Original Sin.
Focus Question
What does it mean to say Christ is the principal
minister of a Sacrament?
The effect of a Sacrament is brought about by
Christ through the human minister.
Focus Question
How is Christ especially present in the
Eucharist?
Christ is both the priest and the victim in the
Eucharist, and his presence remains in the
consecrated species.
Focus Question
How did the disciples on the road to Emmaus
recognize Christ?
They recognized him in the breaking of the bread.
Extension: The breaking of the bread was used by the
early Church to mean the Mass.
Focus Question
What effects do personal feelings or beliefs
have on the presence of Christ in the Mass?
They have none. He is present no matter how
each person feels or believes about the Mass.
Guided Exercise
Discuss the following question:
Why can every Mass be a great opportunity to
encounter Christ?
Focus Question
What determines the extent to which each
person encounters Christ in the Mass?
Each person’s disposition determines that. The
more one seeks Christ in faith, the more he or she
will encounter him in the Sacraments.
Focus Question
How does a person prepare to have a good
disposition at Mass?
He or she keeps the soul in the state of grace
and actively seeks Christ.
Focus Question
How is Christ present in Sacred Scripture?
God the Holy Spirit is the primary author of
Sacred Scripture, and both the Old and New
Testaments speak of Christ.
Focus Question
How does each person meet Christ in the
Scriptures?
He or she reads them prayerfully with faith,
entering into them with heart and mind.
Focus Question
What is prayer?
Prayer is the lifting of one’s heart and mind to
God.
Focus Question
How much should a person pray according to St.
Paul?
Every person should pray constantly.
Focus Question
What are the official, daily prayers of the
Church?
They are the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours.
Focus Question
What is spontaneous prayer?
It is speaking with God using one’s own words.
Focus Question
What is mental prayer (or meditation)?
It is unspoken, informal, and spontaneous prayer
to God.
Extension: It is often focused on a spiritual
reading.
Focus Question
What difficulty might a person encounter with
memorized prayers, and how might it be
overcome?
Memorized prayers can be said while the mind
wanders. However, consciously recited, this prayer
can help overcome distractions and reach a deeper
communion with God.
Focus Question
How do Christ’s followers enable others to
see Christ?
Others will be able to see the face of Christ in
them.
Focus Question
How do Christ’s followers obscure the face of
Christ?
By not imitating Christ, they damage people’s
perception of the Faith by their poor examples.
Effects of the Encounter
and the Beginning of Faith
Lesson Objectives
•The effect of encountering Christ
•The first effects of faith
Effects of the Encounter and the
Beginning of Faith
Basic Questions
What is the effect of an encounter with Christ?
An encounter with Christ through faith
transforms a person into a follower of Christ
as evidenced in the lives of Sts. Peter and
Paul.
Effects of the Encounter and the
Beginning of Faith
Basic Questions
What are the first effects of faith?
Faith is first received from others and for others; it is
then verified by one’s own experience before coming alive
as one lives in communion with the Church.
Anticipatory Set
Incorporate Christ’s encounter with the
woman at the well into the Opening Prayer.
Focus Question
What is the effect of an encounter with Christ?
It transforms in ways sometimes perceptible and at
other times imperceptible.
Focus Question
How was St. Peter transformed by an encounter
with Christ?
When Christ said, “Follow me,” St. Peter left
everything behind to follow him, eventually becoming
the Head of the Church.
Focus Question
How was St. Paul transformed by an encounter
with Christ?
He went from a vehement persecutor of the
followers of Christ to a fervent Christian.
Graphic Organizer
List some of the parallels between Bartimaeus’s
encounter with Christ and your own.
Bartimaeus’s Encounter with
Christ
My Own Encounter with
Christ
Focus Question
What are the three stages of the beginning of
faith identified by Pope Benedict XVI?
Faith is first received from others and for others,
verified by one’s own experience, and finally comes
alive as he or she lives in communion with the
Church.
Focus Question
What does it mean to say faith in God is
received from others and for others?
It means the gift of faith is received through contact
with a person of faith and that faith is to be given to
others.
Focus Question
What is the baptismal vocation of each
Christian?
It is to seek personal holiness and carry on the
prophetic mission of Christ, in other words, to
bring Christ into the lives of those he or she
encounters.
Focus Question
What quality in a person makes it possible to
bring the Faith to others?
Personal sanctity or holiness makes it possible.
Focus Question
What does it mean to say faith is verified by
personal experience?
When a person lives the Faith, his or her inner
experience demonstrates the Faith is true.
Focus Question
What does the word correspond mean with respect
to a person’s faith experience?
Derived from the Latin corresponsdere, it means a
mutual response or to be in conformity or agreement
with. The Christian’s lived experience verifies beyond a
doubt the faith he or she received from another is true.
The virtue of faith answers the expectations of the heart
and mind when a person responds to its demands.
Focus Question
How does the experience of the Samaritan
townspeople illustrate faith is verified by personal
experience?
•Initially, the townspeople believed the woman at the well
because of her testimony. Later, after they had spent two
days with Christ himself, they said, “We no longer believe
because of your word for we have heard for ourselves, and
we know that this is truly the savior of the world.” In
other words, their experience told them the Faith was
true.
Guided Exercise
Read “Faith Calls…” (p. 22) and summarize each of
these three points in one sentence.
1.A Catholic has the duty to know and spread the Catholic
faith to others.
2.A Catholic has the duty to build his relationship with God
through vocal and meditative prayer.
3.Most importantly, a Catholic has to live according to God’s
will.
Focus Question
To what extent can faith be lived purely as an
individual?
Faith needs to be lived in communion with others who
have faith. Outside the communion of the Church, faith
can wither and die. This is why the early Christians
“devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching and
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers”
(Acts 2:42).
Focus Question
What does communion in the Church mean?
It means an interdependence of all the members of
the Church centered on and united in Christ.
Guided Exercise
Complete a focused reading on the paragraph “Pope
Benedict XVI also…” and the following quote (p.
23) using the following question:
What is the relationship between the Faith, personal
experience, and the meaning of life according to Pope Benedict
XVI?
Divine Revelation in Sacred
Tradition and Scripture
Lesson Objectives
•The Deposit of Faith
•Sacred Tradition
•Sacred Scripture
•The Church’s criteria for the authenticity of Scripture
•How to read Sacred Scripture
Divine Revelation in
Sacred Tradition and Scripture
Basic Questions
What is the Deposit of Faith?
The Deposit of Faith is contained in Sacred
Scripture and Tradition, which has been
handed down in the Church from the time of
the Apostles.
Divine Revelation in
Sacred Tradition and Scripture
Basic Questions
What is Sacred Tradition?
Sacred Tradition consists of the truths
of the faith handed down by Christ to
the Apostles.
Divine Revelation in
Sacred Tradition and Scripture
Basic Questions
What is Sacred Scripture?
Sacred Scripture is a collection of books and
letters the Church venerates as the Word of
God. They are inspired by God and, thus, are
inerrant.
Divine Revelation in
Sacred Tradition and Scripture
Basic Questions
How did the early Church decide which early
Christian writings are authentically scriptural?
To be accepted as authentic, the books of
Sacred Scripture had to be judged by the
Church as apostolic, orthodox, inspired, and
liturgical.
Divine Revelation in
Sacred Tradition and Scripture
Basic Questions
How does the Church interpret the Scriptures?
The books of the Bible are authentically
interpreted by the Church with the help and
guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Anticipatory Set
Discuss why the early Church might suspect this
“Gospel” could not be authentic.
Another time, when the Lord Jesus was coming home in
the evening with Joseph, he met a boy, who ran so hard
against him, that he threw him down; to whom the Lord
Jesus said, as thou has thrown me down, so shalt thou
fall, nor ever rise. And that moment the boy fell down
and died.
Focus Question
What is a creed (or profession of faith)?
It is a statement that articulates what a person or
group believes to be true. The word creed comes from
the Latin credo, meaning I believe.
Focus Question
What were the first creeds in the Church?
They were simple professions of faith
regarding Jesus Christ and the central beliefs
of the Church recited by those about to be
baptized.
Focus Question
Why were formal creeds—like the Nicene and
Apostles’ Creeds—adopted?
These creeds were written and adopted by the
Church to confront heresies in the early
Church regarding the natures and Person of
Jesus Christ.
Focus Question
What is the Deposit of Faith?
It is the fullness of Divine Revelation, which
Christ taught and entrusted to his disciples
and their successors to be handed down
faithfully and accurately throughout the ages.
Focus Question
What are the two sources of the Deposit of
Faith?
Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture are its
sources.
Focus Question
What does it mean to say Christianity is not a
religion of the book?
The essence of Christianity is not derived from
a book but from a Person; Jesus Christ. Thus,
Christianity is a religion of the Word of God,
of a living person.
Focus Question
What is tradition?
Tradition is that which is handed on; it comes
from the Latin tradere, meaning to hand on.
Focus Question
How were Christ’s teachings initially handed
on?
They were handed on orally through the
preaching of the Apostles.
Focus Question
Which came first; Sacred Scripture or Sacred
Tradition?
Sacred Tradition came first. Parts of Sacred
Tradition were written down, forming the books
of the Old and New Testaments (Sacred
Scripture).
Focus Question
Is every element of inspired truth contained in
Scripture?
No; some truths remain part of Tradition
without ever having been included in the
Scriptures.
Focus Question
How do we know from Sacred Scripture that
Sacred Tradition existed in the early Church?
St. Paul instructed the Thessalonians to “hold to
the traditions which you were taught by us, either
by word of mouth or by letter.”
Focus Question
How did the early Church decide which preChristian Scriptures were authentic?
The early Church accepted the Septuagint, the
Greek translation of the Scriptures (Old
Testament), which the New Testament’s Sacred
Authors quoted and the Church had been
using since her founding.
Focus Question
What basic problem did the early Christians
face with respect to written documents in
circulation?
They needed to determine which Gospels and
Epistles were inspired by the Holy Spirit and
which were not.
Focus Question
What four criteria did the early Church use to
decide which early Christian writers are
authentically inspired by God?
To be accepted, a book had to be apostolic, written by an
Apostle or a close associate of the Apostles; orthodox,
faithfully teaching the truth that had been handed down by
the Apostles; inspired by the Holy Spirit through its
Sacred Author; and liturgical, commonly used in the
celebration of the Mass.
Focus Question
When making the decision of canonicity, what
safeguard does the Church possess?
She possesses the charism of infallibility from
the Holy Spirit.
Focus Question
What did the early Church do with the
canonical writings for the next 200 years?
She safeguarded, copied, collected, and
exchanged these writings.
Focus Question
Are the books of the Bible always literally
true?
Yes; however, each book has to be interpreted
according to the author’s intention and the
literary form in which it was written.
Focus Question
What is the meaning of the creation accounts
at the beginning of Genesis?
They teach fundamental truths about God
and human beings.
Focus Question
What is the creationist versus evolutionist
debate?
These two sides debate about what should be
taught in public schools with respect to the origin
of the universe and man; God created the world
or the world evolved according to Darwin’s ideas.
Focus Question
Who is the author of Sacred Scripture?
Each passage of Scripture has two authors.
God is the principal author of Scripture and
the human writers are also true authors because
they acted as free, subordinate, and intelligent
instruments of the Holy Spirit.
Focus Question
What are the two major truths about the
nature of Sacred Scripture?
It is inspired and inerrant.
Focus Question
What does it mean to say that the Bible is
inspired?
God himself guided the human writers so their
intellects were enlightened directly by the action
of the Holy Spirit to write what God wanted
and nothing more.
Focus Question
What does it mean to say that Bible is
inerrant?
The Sacred Scriptures teach truth, never error.
Guided Exercise
Write a paragraph using the following statement as a
thesis statement:
For the past 2000 years, the Catholic Church has been the
writer, interpreter, translator, copier, mass distributor, and
guardian of the sacred truths left by Jesus Christ.
The Magisterium of
the Church
Lesson Objectives
•Magisterium
•Infallibility
The Magisterium of the Church
Basic Questions
What is the Magisterium?
The Magisterium is the universal teaching authority
of the Pope and the bishops in communion with him,
which guides the members of the Church without
error in matters of Faith and morals through the
interpretation of Sacred Scripture and Tradition.
The Magisterium of the Church
Basic Questions
What is infallibility?
Infallibility is the special gift of God to the
Apostles and their successors to ensure they
will not teach error in matters of Faith and
morals so as to faithfully hand on the Deposit
of Faith.
Anticipatory Set
What is the difference between impeccability and
infallibility?
Focus Question
Why is an authority needed to interpret Sacred
Scripture?
A given passage of Scripture can be interpreted in
different, contradictory ways.
Focus Question
How did Christians in the Apostolic era obtain
answers to questions about the Faith?
They would have asked the Apostles because the
Apostles had received the Deposit of Faith from Christ
and Christ’s authority to lead the Church and teach in
his name.
Focus Question
What gift did Christ give St. Peter and the
Apostles to ensure the faithful would be
truthfully taught?
He gave them the gift of infallibility.
Guided Exercise
Write a paragraph using the following statement as a
thesis summarizing the Church’s infallibility.
Focus Question
Where in the New Testament did the Apostles
render a decision about the proper interpretation
of the Faith?
They did so at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15).
Extension: The Apostles, under the guidance of St.
Peter, declared Gentile converts did not have to
conform to the Mosaic Law.
Focus Question
What is the Magisterium?
It is the universal teaching authority of the Pope and
the bishops in communion with him, which guides the
members of the Church without error in matters of
Faith and morals through the interpretation of
Sacred Scripture and Tradition.
Guided Exercise
Review one of the noncanonical texts
mentioned on p. 29 and explain why the
early Church would not have included it
from the canon of Sacred Scripture.
Guided Exercise
Search an online Catholic edition of Sacred
Scripture and search for the following terms:
teach, faith, hope, love, truth, pure, life or
another word of your choice.
Focus Question
What areas does Church teaching include?
It includes matters of Faith and morals
since these are necessary for salvation.
Focus Question
What are the three cases in which Church teaching
is infallible?
Church teaching is infallible:
1.When the Pope, in his office as supreme teacher, makes a
declaration regarding faith or morals by a definitive act;
2.When the Pope together with the bishops exercise the
Magisterium, particularly in an Ecumenical Council; and
3.When the bishops, in communion with the Pope, propose a
teaching that leads to a better understanding of Revelation in a
matter of Faith and morals.
Focus Question
What does it mean to say the Church is not the
master of Revelation but its servant?
The Church does not create Revelation, add to it, or
subtract from it; she faithfully passes on everything
Christ revealed.