Kingdom of God Flashcards
What is a pilgrimage?
- journey that has a spiritual purpose, where the destination may be a sacred religious place
Why do Catholics believe that life is a pilgrimage?
- life is a journey to meet God at death -> therefore the Church is the pilgrim people of God
What is a dramatised prayer?
- Prayer that involves physical actions
How do Catholics accompany Jesus in the Stations of the Cross?
- When Catholics pray before the Stations of the Cross, they accompany Jesus on his final journey with a type of dramatised prayer
Why do Catholics make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem?
- Some Catholics make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem where they may do the Stations of the Cross on the Via Dolorosa, the street through which Jesus carried his cross
Give a quote that describe Christian views about life as a pilgrimage to heaven
“Christians, on pilgrimage toward the heavenly city, should seek and think of these things which are above” Gaudium et Spes 57
What is the significance of moving between the Stations of the Cross?
- is a way to accompany Jesus on his last journey
- is a way to share in Jesus’ sufferings as a sign of gratitude & thanks
- helps the person to stay focused on their prayers
Why do Catholics go on pilgrimages?
- Renew their commitment to the Church & God
- meet other Catholics
- heal themselves
- to feel spiritually inspired
What are the popular pilgrimage sites for Catholics?
- Jerusalem
- Rome
- Lourdes
Why is Jerusalem important for Catholic pilgrimage?
- City in Israel where Jesus died
Why do Catholics visit Jerusalem?
- to share in Jesus’ life & suffering
- to renew their faith & commitment to Jesus
Why is Rome important for Catholic pilgrimage?
- Centre of Catholic faith
- Vatican, tomb of St. Peter, St John Lateran (most important Catholic Church)
Why do Catholics visit Rome?
- to show their commitment to the Catholic Church & their unity with the Pope & all Catholics
Why is Lourdes important for Catholic pilgrimage?
- healing powers -> young girl called Bernadette saw visions of Mary
Why do Catholics visit Lourdes?
- to be healed physically or spiritually by the waters
- to feel stronger & more at peace in body & mind
How can films inspire Christians?
- inspires Christians to become more involved in missionary work & evangelism
How is mission through God’s love in good actions portrayed in film?
- In Les Miserables, a thief steals silver from the bishop
- the bishop stops the police from arresting the thief by claiming it was a gift
- persuades thief to become a better person
- the thief sets up a factory to help create jobs & benefit from the wealth the bishop gave him
How is the important of following God’s law (mission & evangelism) shown in film?
- In Les Miserables, the thief is pursued by a former jailer who refuses to forgive the thief for his crimes & wants him to be back in jail
- the thief however saves the jailers life & the jailer finds he cannot arrest him
- the thief’s kind act saves him from prison -> therefore Goodness wins out over the law
How is commitment to God through mission & evangelism shown in film?
- in The Mission, European priests doing missionary work with native Americans
- when natives are attacked by slave owners, priests defend the natives despite danger of death & cautions to leave from the order of the bishops
Why are films important to mission & evangelism?
- illustrates the power such values can have to change & improve people’s lives
- inspires & encourages Christians to show these values in their own lives
- helps to inspire Christians to preach the Gospel message to others & to show it in their lives by their actions
What is the Kingdom of God?
- not a place
- idea of God’s authority & rule
How was the Kingdom of God established?
- through Jesus
- continues to grow through the present day, completed at the end of time
What is the Lord’s Prayer?
- prayer that Jesus taught to his disciples
- gives an idea of what is required for God’s kingdom to grow on earth
What is the meaning of ‘Our Father, who art in heaven’?
- Jesus wants all people to be able to call God their ‘Father’, & to have a trusting relationship with him
What is the meaning of ‘hallowed be thy name’?
- prayer for God to be accepted as holy
- when people respect the majesty & holiness of God, they recognise the importance of God in their lives, so they accept the call to become members of God’s Kingdom
What is the meaning of ‘thy kingdom come’?
- a prayer for God’s Kingdom to come, & for people to accept the rule of God in their hearts
What are the signs needed for the ‘perfect’ kingdom?
- Justice
- Peace
- Reconciliation
How can Christians help the Kingdom of God to grow on Earth?
- By contributing to:
- Justice
- Peace
- Reconciliation
- Both in their own lives & the lives of others
How can justice spread the Kingdom of God on Earth?
- recognises that all people are created & loved equally by God
- treats all people fairly & equally, regardless of e.g. sex, race, religion
- ensures all people have access to basic human rights
How can peace spread the Kingdom of God on Earth?
- supporting organisations that work for justice & unity
- is a state of total trust & unity between all people
- flows from justice- there can be no peace where there is injustice
How can reconciliation spread the Kingdom of God on Earth?
- restores damaged relationships between people -> helps peace & justice to spread
- brings back people who have broken apart
- relies on acceptance & empathy
What is the significance of the hierachy in the Catholic Church?
- Recognises people’s authority & responsibility
- Brings about unity
What is the Second Vatican Council?
- series of meetings held by the Pope & bishops between 1962 & 1965
- it produced a series of documents that reflected a more modern approach to the Church & the world
What is the hierarchy of the Catholic Church?
- The Pope
- Cardinals
- Bishops
- Priests
- Deacons
- Lay people
Who are Cardinals?
- Appointed by the Pope; they elect his successor
Who the Bishops?
- Successors to the apostles
- Responsible for a diocese
What is a diocese?
- a large area of churches
What are the documents in the Second Vatican Council?
- Dei Verbum (the Word of God)
- Lumen Gentium (on the Church)
- Sacrosantum Concillium (on the Sacred Liturgy)
What is Dei Verbum (word of God)
stresses that the Bible should be taken seriously as the word of God, but should not be read in a literal way
What is Lumen Gentium (on the Church)?
- nature & structure of Church -> all members of the Church have important roles to play not just the Pope
What is Sacrosantum Concilium (On the Sacred Liturgy)?
- liturgy & church services -> people should be allowed to take full part in God’s worship -> allows Catholics to hear Mass in their own language
What are the four marks of the Church?
- One
- Holy
- Catholic
- Apostolic
Why are the four marks of the Church important?
they are important characteristics that define the nature of the Catholic Church
What is apostolic succession?
- idea that the Pope & bishops are successors to 12 apostles
- gives Pope & Bishops authority to shape & confirm the Church’s teachings (the Magisterium)
What is the Magnificat?
a prayer that Mary said after she became pregnant with Jesus & visited her cousin Elizabeth
Why do Catholics believe that Mary is the perfect disciple?
some of her qualities which contribute those of a disciple are shown in the Magnificat
What is a disciple?
follower of Jesus
Why is the Magnificat seen as a controversial Kingdom prayer?
- some people think it could inspire the poor & weak to rise up against their governments as a means of spreading the Kingdom of God on earth
How does Mary show humility in the Magnificat?
- Mary recognises that she is only special because of what God has done for her
How does Mary praise God’s greatness in the Magnificat?
- Mary is aware that God has shown his love for all people by doing great things for her & for all humanity
How does Mary show her acceptance of God’s will?
- Mary willingly accepted the role of mother of Jesus
- Her praise of God in this will confirms her readiness to follow God’s will
What are some constrasting views for the controversial Magnificat prayer?
- some people just think the prayer shows that God supports the weak & helpless
- therefore those who trust in God will be saved
What quote shows the sense of revolution within the Magnificat?
“He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly” Luke 1:52
What does “One” show about the Church?
- Church is one united body
- While it is made up of many individual churches, these are all part of the one Church, just as limbs form part of one human body
What does “Catholic” show about the Church?
- word ‘catholic’ translate to ‘worldwide’
- beliefs of Church universal held by Catholics everywhere in world
What does “Holy” show about the Church?
- presence of God makes Church holy
- every member of Church made holy by baptism
What does “Apostolic” show about the Church?
Church’s teachings are built on the teachings of the 12 apostles
Why is the Church concilliar?
- it makes important decisions through Councils
- helps Pope to discuss difficult issues w/ other members of Church to understand feelings of the whole Catholic community
- Councils express the voice of the whole Church
Why is the Church pontifical?
- Pope has highest authority
- authority passed down from Peter (chosen by Jesus to lead apostles)
- decisions of a Council have no authority until announced by the Pope
What does the Church teach about society?
- weakest & poorest members should be supported
- economic exploitation to help create a more equal society
- “the Church sincerely professes that all men…ought to work for the betterment of this world in which all alike live” Gaudium et Spes 27
What do Christians do as members of the “Body of Christ”?
- Christians follow Jesus’ command to ‘love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:31) by showing love to those in need
- Christians work through local, national & global charities to follow this teaching
What is SVP?
- example of Catholic charity working locally by providing friendship & practical help to people in the local area
- members visit people in need in their homes, hospitals, care homes, prisons & offer support, friendship & advice to people who are vulnerable
- members help individuals w/ practical needs e.g. help w/ shopping & chores
- members run projects to help local community e.g. summer camps for kids & food for homeless
What is CAFOD?
- example of Catholic charity working nationally & globally by trying to make a difference at a national or international level for people who live in poverty
- emergency aid for global natural disaster/war & give long-term aid e.g. farming equipment to grow food
- challenge laws that hurt those in poverty e.g. campaigning against policies contributing to climate change/inequality
- legal assistance to those threatened by actions of companies e.g. farmers losing land to large companies
What are Kingdom values?
values (or standards for living) that God wants people to have as members of his Kingdom
What is a vocation?
call from God to take on a certain role in life
What are examples of Kingdom values?
- gentleness
- humility
- obedience to God
What is a priest?
ordained minister of Catholic Church or one chosen to celebrate Mass, preach & forgive sins
How does the Christian vocation of priesthood embrace Kingdom values?
- priests take a promise of celibacy (no sex/marriage) to commit themselves to God
- don’t have a family to become free to serve others
- promise of obedience to their bishop, knowing they are obeying the voice of God
How does the Christian vocation of family life embrace Kingdom values?
- Love is an important Kingdom value that unites a family together
- Catholic parents try to show Kingdom values in their relationship w/ each other
- They also aim to teach their children Kingdom values & by doing so they help spread the Kingdom of God on Earth
What are monks & nuns?
people who commit themselves to God by living in a small religious community where life centres around prayer
How does the Christian vocation of religious life embrace Kingdom values?
- Catholics who commit to a religious life as a monk or nun take vows of poverty, chastity & obedience to show they have committed to God’s values
- They have simple lives, dedicated to prayer & serving others
- Monasteries have a sense of peace that other people can come & share in
What is Pope Francis a good example of?
a well known Catholic who lives by the Kingdom values of justice, peace & reconciliation
How does Pope Francis show his belief in justice?
- increasing number of priests working among the poor
- aiming to inspire others to live more simply e.g. living in a modest flat rather than a large apartment in the Vatican
- criticising economic policies that lead to inequality & exploitation
How does Pope Francis show his belief in peace?
- played a major role in restoring relations between the US & Cuba
- brings together leaders of countries that have been at war w/ each other e.g. in 2014 he met & prayed w/ the Israeli & Palestinian presidents
- uses his public addresses to pray for peace e.g. areas under conflict
How does Pope Francis show his belief in reconciliation?
- Maundy Thursday, washes the feet of 12 prisoners (inc. Muslims) to show his belief that people who have committed crimes should still be accepted by society
- Visited areas of tension in the world to restore harmony
- has helped to reconcile some of the tensions between Muslims, Jews and Christians by arranging services in his cathedral where Muslim & Jewish leaders can pray w/ him
