triune God Flashcards
what does music do in worship?
-Unites people in praise
-increases the beauty of worship
-helps people to feel more involved in worship
-inspires people to praise God
-can make worship feel more joyous or solemn
what are psalms?
-poetry from psalms set to music
-part of divine office
-used during mass
-form the basis of church hymns
divine office
collection of psalms/readings that every priest, monk & nun has to recite at least 4x a day
why are psalms used in worship?
-centre around the praise of God
-cover a wide range of experiences & emotions
-recognise that everything comes from God & without him people are nothing
what are plainchants?
-ancient form of music, sung unaccompanied
-used in monasteries to signify the divine office
-used in church services, esp in latin parts of mass
why are plainchants used in music?
the catholic church considers them to be ideal to use in mass
what are traditional hymns?
-religious songs that praise God
-have used by generations of believers
-accompanied by organ (mostly)
-sung by whole congregation
why are traditional hymns used?
-help people feel involved in worship
-their ability to help people praise God has proven over many years
what are contemporary worship songs?
-religious songs that have been written recently to use in worship
-accompanied by guitars & drums
-often more upbeat than traditional hymns
-sing by whole congregation
why are the contemporary worship songs used?
-help people to feel involved in worship
-more accessible and appealing
why are contemporary worship songs seen as disrespectful?
too upbeat and distract from the worship of God
what are mass settings?
-parts of mass that are sung rather than said
-before the 1960s, the music was often quite complex & sung by choir
-since the 1960s, music has become simpler, allowing the whole congregation to join in more often
why are mass settings used in worship?
-people feel more involved in mass
-the mass is more appealing to the congregation
acclamations
parts of mass that highlight the praise and celebration of God
what is the gloria?
-a hymn to praise God’s glory and goodness
-starts with ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven’
when is the gloria used?
-used near start of mass
-not used in advent and lent (they are sad)
what is the alleluia?
-‘praise God’ in hebrew
-a hymn of joy and triumph that praises God
-announces presence of God
when is the alleluia used?
-used to introduce the reading of the Gospel
-sung 4x in easter vigil to announce resurrection
-not used in lent
what is the sanctus?
- latin word meaning ‘holy’
-hymn to praise God’s holiness
-based on Isiah’s vision in the temple when angels cried out ‘holy, holy, holy is the lord of hosts’
when is the sanctus used?
-used before eucharistic prayer
-not used in advent and lent
what is the mystery of faith?
acknowledgment that the saving process from christ’s life, death and resurrection has been made present through consecration
when is the mystery of faith used?
used after consecration
deuteronomy
‘the lord alone’
the trinity
God, although one, is three people: father, the son & HS
the trinity in the baptism of Jesus
HS
-love that unites the father & son (dove coming down from father to stay with Jesus)
-‘spirit of God descending like a dove’ - matthew
father
-‘voice from heaven’
son
-Jesus
-‘this is my son’
when does God reveal himself as the trinity?
Jesus’ baptism
beliefs about God the Father in the nicene creed:
-creator of all things
‘the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth’
beliefs about God the Son in the nicene creed:
-no distinction in nature between the Father and son
(‘consubstantial with the father’)
-son took on limitations of human nature to become Jesus (‘by the HS was incarnate of the virgin mary and became man’)
-son became human out of love for humans (‘for our sake he was crucified’)
beliefs about God the Holy Spirit in the nicene creed:
-HS gives life to all things
(‘the HS … the giver of life’)
-HS is equal to father and son
(‘who with the Father and Son is adored and glorified’)
-HS let’s people know the will of God (‘who has spoke through the prophets”)
what does genesis tell us about the trinity?
-‘God created the heavens and the earth’ -> God the Father
-‘a wind from God’ -> HS was involved in creation
-‘God said, let there be light’ -> the world was created with the word of God (the Son)
how does the belief in the trinity influence christians?
-the HS is the love of the father and son, it enters people’s lives as grace & inspires them to show love to theirs
quote about how the trinity inspires Christians to help others:
‘the entire activity of the church is an expression of a love that seeks the integral good of man’
mission
sending people out to help others
how do missionaries share God’s love?
-they want to share the love of God through their actions
-they believe they should love others as God loves them
-they follow the commandment ‘those who love God must love their brothers and sisters’
evangelism
preaching the good news about Jesus to other people
how do evangelists share God’s love?
-they are inspired by the HS to share their knowledge of God’s love with others
-they want to help others experience the joy, peace and live that they experience as a christian
-‘make disciples of all nations’
how does the trinity interact with christians?
-Christians have an intimate relationship with God, they can call God ‘abba’, which is what Jesus called God
-HS gives believers the strength to accept their relationship with God the father
-the HS is the same spirit that filled Jesus at his baptism, this shows that the relationship between the trinity is also shared with the believer
st augustine & the trinity
-the bible states that ‘God is love’
-love can’t exist on its own - to have love there must be three things:
-the person who loves
-the person who is loved
-the love that unites them
-the trinity can be thought of as three
persons united in love
-the Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father; the love that unites them is the HS
-HS shares God’s love with all people
catherine lacugana & the trinity
-the Son comes from the Father, but the Son did not just suddenly come into being
-he has always been a part of God
-so the Son is eternally coming from the Father
-HS is the love that eternally unites the Father and the son
-this continual creative act constantly flows outwards into the whole of creation
-the Son came to earth as Jesus to bring redemption
-this means that the son comes from the Father to save humanity
-HS (God’s love) is continually guiding believers towards the father, to complete the work of Jesus’ redemption
-when redemption completes, all things will be brought back to God
magisterium
the official teaching authority of the church (the pope and bishops) to shape the catholic church teachings
why does the magisterium have authority?
-jesus had the 12 apostles
-when the apostles went to a new area to preach, they chose someone to lead the Church in that area
-this person became a bishop, in a ceremony that involved the laying on of hands - a symbolic gesture that passes on the power of the HS and the apostolic authority
-the leader of the apostles, peter, died in rome, since his death, there has been an unbroken succession of bishops of rome
-the bishop of rome - the pope - is the head of the catholic church.
-the pope and the bishops form the magisterium
council
-when the pope & bishops gather to make decisions about important issues for the church
-declarations from the council are seem as infallible as the church is being guided by the HS
which councils were held in the 4th century to confirm church teachings about the trinity?
-the council of nicea (325CE)
-the council of constantinople (381CE)
the council of nicea
a priest was teaching that only the Father was eternal so the bishops called a council & concluded that the father & son are equal & have always co-existed
the council of constantinople
there were disputes about the nature of the trinity so a council was called & concluded that the HS is the third person of the trinity & that Jesus is both fully God & human
the symbolism of baptism in the early church
-in early church, adults would be fully submerged under water -> symbolised joining jesus in the tomb after he died
-jesus gave up his life to the will of God, so the person being baptised commits their life to God in the same way
-rising up out of the water symbolises joining in with Jesus’ resurrection, to begin a new life as a christian
the symbolism of baptism in the modern church
-water is poured over the persons heads
-the idea of joining in with Jesus’ death and resurrection is still important
-the use of water in baptism symbolises the
HS, in baptism a person is filled with the Holy Spirit (sustains the believer’s faith in God)
-this is the same Spirit that filled Jesus during his baptism
why is baptism important?
-it is the start of the christian life when person becomes member of church & child of God
-it cleanses sins
-fills person with holy spirit -> strength to resist evil
-pledge that person will join God in heaven after death
what is prayer?
-a conversation between a person and
God
-inspired by the Holy spirit
-the highest form of prayer is Jesus offering to himself to God
traditional prayer
forms of prayer that have been used by generations of believers
spontaneous prayer
prayer with no set format, HS guides person with what to say
why do some people prefer traditional praver?
-they don’t have to worry about coming up with the right words to use
-they don’t have to focus on the words so their mind can go deeper than the words
-when upset, familiar words comfort them
why do some people prefer spontaneous prayer?
-feels more sincere than traditional prayer as they are opening up to God about personal issues
-develop individual relationship with God
-prayer comes from heart and reflects feeling at the moment
Kneeling posture for prayer
-sign of humility
-shows the person acknowledges God’s authority & submits to his will
-position asking for forgiveness
genuflecting for prayer
-sign of respect
-genuflect when enter church/passing tabernacle to acknowledge christ’s presence
prostrating for prayer
(lying flat with face on ground)
-sign of total humility & submission to God
-pleading for help & mercy
standing for prayer
-sign of respect
-shows readiness to act on God’s behalf
bowing for prayer
-sign of respect
-acknowledge that God is great
sitting for prayer
-comfortable, allows person to focus on communication with God
standing with arms stretched out in front for prayer
-pleading for God’s help
-person is willing to accept whatever God sends them
standing with arms up for prayer
-praise for God’s greatness & glory
-focuses on God above in heaven
-person is totally open to God
walking for prayer
-for christians who don’t confine prayer to specific moments or places but who want God to always be with them
joined hands for prayer
-sign of asking
-request for God’s help
open hands for prayer
-sign of praise
-acceptance of whatever God sends
