Unit 3 AOS 1 DP# 4 Ultimate reality Flashcards
Ultimate reality
- Is a general term which is used to name the cosmic force beyond human understanding of how the universe came into being and how it continues to develop, which is attributed to the works of an ultimate reality.
- The ** god figure, spirit or force** is considered to be ** supreme** in power and wisdom and the source of moral values.
Ultimate reality in the RCT: The Triune God
- The Roman Catholic Tradition is monotheistic meaning that they confess a belief in one God.
- For Catholic adherents, the one God is triune and is known as the Triune God or the blessed trinity.
Triune God or the Blessed trinity in Catholicism
One God is made of three persons:
The Father - as the Creator of all things
The Son (Jesus Christ) – the Redeemer of all things
The Holy Spirit – The Sustainer of all things
Is God three separate beings (RCT)?
- It is incorrect to see God as three separate beings with three separate roles.
- God is involved in createing, redeeming and sustaining. So, when God created the universe, Jesus and the holy spirit are part of that creative action, same with any other events where God is involved.
What does RCT teach about the relationship between the three persons?
- RCT teaches that there is a relationship between the three persons.
- Also that God has reveled himself to the human race over time:
1. First as one God to the jewish people as depticted in the old testament.
2. Then the full revelation of the Triune nature of God through Jesus as told in the New Testament.
Theological terms to describe triune God: Omnipotent
All powerfull
Omniscient
All knowing
Omnipresent
Everywhere at once
Imminent
Present everywhere in all created things
Transcendent
Exists outside of the confines of time and space.
Co-equal
The Father, Son and Holy Spirit have all existed since before the beginning of time and for eternity.
Consubstantial
The Father, Son and Holy Spirit share in the same substance, nature and essence.
Expressions of the Triune God in: TEXT
Belief that God is one - ‘We believe in One God…’
Belief in God the Father as a person in the Trinity and that God created all things - ‘I believe in One God, the Father, the Almighty, creator of Heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen…’
Belief in Jesus as a person in the Trinity and belief that he is the Redeemer by his death and Resurrection- ‘For our sake he was crucified…died and was buried. On the third day He rose again in fulfillment of the scriptures…’
Belief in the Holy as a person in the Trinity and as the Sustainer of all things- ‘I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life…’
What is the full and definitive stage of God’s Revelation?
The full and definitive stage of God’s revelation is accomplished in his Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, the mediator and fullness of Revelation. He, being the only-begotten Son of God made man, is the perfect and definitive Word of the Father. In the sending of the Son and the gift of the Spirit, Revelation is now fully complete, although the faith of the Church must gradually grasp its full significance over the course of centuries.
What is the central mystery of the Christan faith and life?
The central mystery of Christan faith and life is the mystery of the most blessed Trinity. Christan’s are baptized in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Symbols: Sign of the Cross
A symbolic gesture, usually associated with prayer to indicate belief and relationship with the Triune God. As a symbolic action, the sign of the Cross, which uses the ‘trinitarian formula’ below, establishes the context for prayer in the RCT.
‘In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit’
Spaces, Places, Times and Artefacts
Every year on the first Sunday after the feast of Pentecost, the RCT celebrates Trinity Sunday. At this time, adherents of the RCT revisit the belief in one, triune God with focus given to the Nicene Creed in Catholic liturgies. At this time, the symbolic colour of Trinitarian belief is white to represent God as one, pure and as spirit.
One of the texts associated with Trinity Sunday is from St Paul’s letter to the Corinthians which reminds adherents that community is modelled on the Trinitarian community of God as one God, yet three persons. St Paul provides a Trinitarian greeting in this letter which state:
‘The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all’ (Cor 13:13)
