Searching for God Flashcards
What have we always done?
We’ve always searched for God and given expression to this quest
How does God speak to us?
Through our human reason, through prayer, and through our hearts. He calls us first.
In spite of _______ of _______ and _______, most people still belong to an organized _______.
prevalence, irreligion secularism, religion
________ does not come out of ________
something, nothing
Because we are created in God’s image, we are endowed with ________. Look at the world around us.
intelligence
The _______ teaches that human _______ can discover God.
Church, intelligence
What are the “converging and convincing arguments” of God’s existence
- Unmoved Mover
- First Cause
- Everything comes from Something “Cosmological Argument”
- Supreme Model
- Grand Designer
Why do we all want to be happy?
because we were made to be happy
Where is true happiness found?
in God alone, the source of every good and all of love
_______ in this life can make us fully content or perfectly happy. True happiness is found in _______ alone.
Nothing, God
religion
the relationship between God and humans that results in a body of beliefs and a set of practices: creed, cult, and code
irreligion
a vice contrary to the virtue of religion that directs us away from what we owe to God in justice
secularism
an indifference to religion and a belief that religion should be excluded from civic affairs and public education
monotheistic
religions that believe there is only one God. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam for example.
polytheistic
religions that believe in the existence of many gods and goddesses
atheist
someone who denies the existence of God
agnosticism
the belief that God’s existence cannot be known
What are we by nature?
religious
Divine Revelation
the way God communicates knowledge of himself to humankind
What do we have as human beings?
an unquenchable thirst for happiness that makes us yearn to discover the mystery of God and find happiness forever with Him
Our human experiences of _______ and _______ are foretastes of the perfect truth and beauty that can only be found in God
beauty, truth
What do we sense deep in our guts?
that we are called to do the right thing and that God will do right by us who do what is right, if not in this life, then surely in the life to come
What is the love experience in this life similar to?
the love God shares with us
Human _______ and human ________ cannot fully describe God or really know what God is like. God is truly a mystery!
language, reason
God does not leave us to our own _______ ________. He gives us ________ ________
limited knowledge, Divine Revelation
What is Divine Revelation?
God’s free gift of self-communication by which he makes known his divine plan
What does God tell us through the events of Salvation History?
who He really is
God invites us to live in __________ with Him
covenant
What was the greatest sign of God’s love?
the sending of his Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Savior from sin and death
Define Salvation History
the story of God’s saving action in human history
Define covenant
a binding and solemn agreement between human blessings or between God and people, holding each to a particular course of action
Define Sacred Scripture
the written record of Divine Revelation found in the books of the Old Testament and New Testament
Define Sacred Tradition
The living transmission of the Church’s gospel mes- sage found in the Church’s teaching, life, and worship. It is faithfully preserved, handed down, and inter- preted by the Church’s Magisterium.
Define Magisterium
the official teaching authority of the Church. It is the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the bishop of Rome (the pope)
God’s creation of the world begins what?
Salvation History (the account of God’s saving activity for humankind)
What did God intend from the very beginning?
He intended to invite humans to live in intimate union with him
God remains _________ to us despite our _________.
faithful, sinfulness
What were God’s covenants with humankind?
- covenant with Noah
- covenant with Abraham
- covenant with Moses, the Sinai covenant
- kings and prophets
- wisdom literature
- Jesus Christ, the New Covenant— the climax of Salvation History
How is Divine Revelation handed down?
Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture
What does the word tradition mean?
“handing down”
The Apostles preached the _______ to all nations.
Gospel
What men did the Apostles choose to succeed them?
bishops headed by the Bishop of Rome
What is the teaching authority known as?
Magisterium
Jesus gave the Apostles the authority to do what?
interpret the divinely inspired Scriptures
What does the word bible mean?
“books”
Define faith
a theological virtue
What does faith do?
- makes it possible for us to accept Jesus Christ
- opens up the gates of Heaven for us
- enables us to partake in the life of the Holy Spirit
What does faith require?
free acceptance
Upon whom did Christ found the Church?
St. Peter
St. Peter was ________ among the Apostles
first
How many books are in the Catholic Bible?
Old Testament- 46
New Testament- 27
Altogether- 73
define dogma
a central truth of Revelation that Catholics must believe
define conscience
A practical judgment of reason that helps a person decide the goodness or sinfulness of an action or attitude. It is the subjective norm of morality we must form properly and then follow.
define Original Sin
The sin of disobedience committed by Adam and Eve that resulted in their loss of original holiness and justice and their becoming subject to sin and death. Original Sin also describes the fallen state of human nature into which all generations of people are born. Christ Jesus came to save us from Original Sin (and all sin).
define omnipotent
An attribute of God that he is everywhere, unlimited, and all-powerful.
define circumcision
The surgical removal of the male foreskin; it was the physical sign of the covenant between God and Abraham.
explain prophet
The word prophet is from the Greek, meaning “one who speaks before others.” God entrusted the Hebrew prophets with delivering the divine message to rulers and the people. Most
of them were unpopular in their own day. Their style was poetic and memorable. Most of their prophecies were written only at a later time.
What is Deposit of Faith?
“The heritage of faith contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, handed down in the Church from the time of the Apostles, from which the Magisterium draws all that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed” (CCC, Glossary).
explain faith
A gift from God; one of the three theological virtues. Faith refers to personal knowledge of God; as-
sent of the mind to truths God has revealed, made with the help of his grace and on the authority and trustworthiness of his revealing them; the truths themselves (the content of faith); and the lived witness of a Christian life (living faith).
define virtues
“Firm attitudes, stable dispositions, habitual perfections of intellect and will that govern our actions, order our passions, and guide our conduct according to reason and faith” (CCC, 1804).
define theological virtues
Three foundational virtues that are infused by God into the souls of the faithful: faith (belief in and personal knowledge of God), hope (trust in God’s Salvation and his bestowal of the graces needed to attain it), and charity (love of God and love of neighbor as one loves oneself).
Quote some famous words by St. Augustine
“God is not what you imagine or what you think you understand. If you understand,
you have failed.”
