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Vocabulary
Predestination- act or state of being predestined; the doctrine that God in consequence of his
foreknowledge of all events infallibly guide those who are destined for salvation
Indissolubility- not to be undone; incapable of being dissolved, broken or undone
Jesuit- member of the Roman Catholic Society of Jesus founded by St. Ignatius Loyola in
1534and devoted to missionary and educational work
Reformation- a 16th century religious movement marked ultimately by rejection or modification
of some Roman Catholic doctrine and practice and establishment of the Protestant churches
Magisterium- teaching authority of the Church; in the Roman Catholic tradition, the authority of
the Church to teach religious doctrine
Nicene Creed- the first creed so named was adopted at the first Council of Nicaea in AD 325 to
settle a controversy concerning the persons of the Trinity
Primordial- first created or developed; primeval; existing or persisting from the beginning;
fundamental
Grace- unmerited assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification; a virtue
coming from God; a state of sanctifications enjoyed through divine grace; Gods loving presence
Immersion- baptism by complete submersion of person in water
Aspersion- sprinkling of water in religious ceremonies
Infusion- a pouring in of something that gives new life or significance
Lesson 12: John Calvin
John Calvin
-was born in 1509 in Noyon, Frace
-key to understanding his thoughts is the sovereignity of God
-believes that God is the absolute ruler of the universe, nothing happened without Gods direct
involvement and that God willed all sin and all good (including Adam and Eves)
-developed the doctrine of predestination
Predestination
-teaches that some were chosen before the foundation of the earth was laid
-those who were chosen are called the elect who were redeemed by Christ
Double Predestination
-some were chosen to be save while others were chosen to be condemned
Holy Spirit
-grants the elects the benefits of Christ
-produces faith in Christ and this faith is firm and sure
Teaching of the Church:
-Our Christian Faith is a free response, no one, not even God, forces us to believe. God calls men
to serve Him in spirit and in truth. We are pilgrims on-the-way.
-Salvation history narrated in the Bible shows the dynamic interplay between good and evil,
success and failure, within the lives of the great biblical figures.
Spiritual Exercises
-central to this is the idea that the goal of life is to completely serve God and others
-leads one to an in-depth examination of soul to bring it into complete submission to God
-to serve others means to save ones soul
-originally involved a rigorous four week program but were modified
Jesuits
-prime tool against heretics through the extensive system of education they developed starting
from grade school to university level
-their system of education provokes thinking but encourages conformity to orthodox Catholic
doctrines; successfully prevented many areas to fall into the influence of the Protestants
-known not only in education but in world mission work
-evangelized places like Indi, Malay Peninsula, Japan, China, Southeast Asia, Africa, North & South
America
Lesson 15: Council of Trent
The Council of Trent (1545-1563)
-Pope Paul III
-animated by Ignatius understanding of reformation
-two concerns of the Catholic Church: 1) self-renewal 2) opposition to what is regarded as
Protestant heresy
-countered Luthers reformation Scripture alone and grace alone
-affirmed the role of human cooperation with grace for salvation
-reaffirmed that the seven sacraments are efficacious/ they effect grace by virtue of their
administration (baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance, extreme unction, holy orders and
matrimony)
-reaffirmed the doctrine of transubstantiation
-decreed that Magisterium, teaching authority of the Roman Church, is the final interpreter of
Tradition and of Scripture
-it did not achieve all its goals but it energized the spirit and interest of the Roman Church
-the Catholic reform was essentially personal
The council decreed that no one should dare to rely on his own judgment in matters of faith and morals
affecting the structure of Christian decision to distort Sacred Scripture to fit meanings of his own that are
contrary to the meaning that holy Mother Church has held now holds; for it is her office to judge about the
true sense and interpretation of Sacred Scripture
b. The Holy Spirit enhances holiness and salvation; Church has seven sacraments
c. Men and women lead holy lives
-the Church is unfailingly holy yet it is not absolutely holy at every moment. The Church
is both holy and in need of purification because she is also made up of sinners.
3. Catholic
-general or universal; as members we can call ourselves as a universal, complete and
all-embracing religion
a. The Church expands throughout the world. (communication, communion, bond
and unity)
b. The Church possesses all saving- truths.
c. The Church reaches out to the whole world.
-Our contemporary Church is concerned in restoring unity of the Christian Churches.
4. Apostolic
-The Churchs hierarchy today is the direct successors of the apostles
a. You are Peter, the rock and on this rock I will build My Church. The authority and
mission which the present leadership in the Church exercises were passed by the
tradition from the Apostles.
b. The Church continues teaching the same doctrines the Apostles profess and bears
witness to the kind of Christian lives the Apostles had and preserved the good news
of Christ.
Lesson 17: Sacraments: Signs and Symbols
Sacraments
-a saving symbolic act from the ministry of Christ and continued in, by and for the Church, which,
when received in faith, fashions us into likeness to Christ in His Paschal Mystery, through the
power of the Holy Spirit.
- sensible signs, real performative word events that present the spiritual reality symbol,
namely the saving presence of the Risen Christ
-the importance of symbol is seen in every aspect of our lives- natural, secular and religious
-draws us closer to the Church, to Christ Himself in the Spirit and to the Father
-gradually shapes us toward Chirstlikeness
Christ as the Primordial Sacrament
-expressions instituted by Christ and actions of Christ
-means He is not merely the originator of the seven sacraments but the primary agent and
the fullest expression/goal
*Christ is the first sacrament and therefore the symbol of His Father through His life of word and
action and then established the Church as the basic sacrament
Church makes present Christ to all persons
1. By being His Body
2. By celebrating those actions that demonstrate Chirsts own ministry (like the Holy Eucharist)
Church as the Foundational Sacrament
-makes the Risen Christ by being His body and by celebrating His saving acts in the sacraments
*To give grace us understood today as not a thing automatically conferred by the sacraments but
Gods personal presence within us through the Risen Christ in the Spirit. Grace is freely given but
will only have effects if we are actively involved in the celebration of the sacraments in our daily
lives.
*Grace and love bestowed in Baptism are not passive gifts, they accompany the child and
call him to respond freely to Gods love. The sacraments give special power to shape our
imaginations, develop our affections and direct our behavior in Chirstliness.
Purpose of the Sacrament:
1. Sanctify men and women
2. Build up the Body of Christ
3. Give worship to God
Sacro Sanctum Concilium 59 further stresses that because sacraments are signs, they also
instruct. They not only presuppose faith but by words and objects they also nourish, strengthen
and express it. Thats why theyre called Sacraments of Faith. They also confer grace, but in
addition, the very act of celebrating them most effectively disposes the faithful to receive this
grace to their profit and worship God duly, and to practice charity.
***Jesus, by becoming man is the sacrament of Gods saving love for all. The Church is the
sacrament of Jesus and the seven ritual sacraments