Jesus Christ: God s Love Made Visible Freshman Curriculum: Second Semester

Transcription

1 Jesus Christ: God s Love Made Visible Freshman Curriculum: Second Semester SEMESTER OVERVIEW: Semester 1 Overview Revelation Overview of the Bible Faith: Our Response to Revelation Faith, Belief and Religion Discovering God Jesus Christ 1 st Century Palestine Gospels Incarnation Jesus Teachings Agape Abba Forgiveness Powerlessness Bread and Water of Life Faithful and Involved Discipleship: Loving God Back Parables Miracles Beatitudes The Paschal Mystery: God s Plan for Salvation [from textbook, The Paschal Mystery: Christ s Mission of Salvation] Suffering and Death Resurrection and Ascension Making Sense of Suffering Christological and Trinitarian Dogma Scripture and Tradition Heresies Councils

2 SEMESTER 1 OVERVIEW Section 2 (in textbook): Revelation God wants us to know him so we can share in his life. God initiates the relationship with us by revealing himself to us. God reveals himself to us through the Church and Tradition, our everyday lives, the people in our lives, and creation. Catholicism is not just about me and Jesus, it is about the whole community of believers, the Body of Christ. Part 1: The God-Human Relationship 1. What is Revelation? 2. Sharing in God s Life 3. Salvation History 4. How Do We Know God Really Exists? 5. Evil and Suffering and a Good and Powerful God salvation history vocation patriarchs martyrs free will Reign of God Part 2: Sacred Scripture and Tradition 1. God s Revelation Through Sacred Scripture: The Old Testament 2. God s Revelation Through Sacred Scripture: The New Testament 3. God s Revelation through Tradition 4. Passing on God s Revelation 5. The Lives of the Saints inspired Gentile Evangelists canon of Scripture noncanonical Magisterium Tradition ecumenism interreligious dialogue canonized

3 Part 3: Discovering God in Creation 1. Discovering God in Our Daily Lives 2. Discovering God in the Faith of Others: the Early Church 3. Discovering God in the Natural World 4. Discovering God Through the Human Intellect cloistered theology FAITH: OUR RESPONSE TO REVELATION Section 5 (in textbook): Faith and Discipleship: a Personal Response to God Faith is a response to Revelation, a response to encounter with Christ. Discipleship is following Jesus way of life in one s thoughts, words, and actions in the modern world. Faith is expressed through discipleship and grows because of discipleship. Charity, service and justice express faith and discipleship. Part 1: What is Faith? 1. Faith and Religion 2. Faith: A Gift from God 3. Examples of Faith 4. Faith: Our Response to Revelation theological virtues lament Part 2: We Respond to God through Prayer 1. What is prayer? 2. The Lord s Prayer 3. Jesus Teaches Us about Prayer 4. The Cornerstones of Prayer 5. Do Catholics Pray to Mary? Prayer of petition Intercessory prayer Litanies novenas

4 Part 3: We respond through a Life of Discipleship 1. Mary: First Disciple and Model of Faith 2. Discipleship: Resisting Evil, Seeking Forgiveness 3. Discipleship: Concern for the Common Good 4. Discipleship: The Call to Evangelization Annunciation evangelization missionaries novenas Part 4: Our Response to Jesus Matters 1. Our Destiny: Union with God 2. The Church: Visible and Spiritual 3. the mystical body of Christ 4. The Christian Understanding of Death 5. Heaven, Hell and Purgatory JESUS CHRIST laity General Overview of 1 st Century Palestine: See Section 3, Part 2 Section 4: Revelation in the New Testament [from the Freshman 1 st semester textbook, The Bible: The Living Word of God] (In Teacher Guide, Units 7 and 8) Jesus fulfills both the Covenant and salvation history. Knowledge of the communities to whom the Gospels were written can help us to understand the Gospels similarities and differences. The Beatitudes interpret the Ten Commandments and carry the Covenant forward. We can encounter Jesus today in the Gospels. Jesus charged the Twelve Apostles with the responsibility for spreading the Good News. The early apostles were servant leaders who carried word of the New Covenant in their ministries. Paul influenced the development of the early Christian Church through his traveling ministry and by the letters he left behind. The Pauline letters help us to understand how the Christian community made a transition from Judaism to embrace non-jewish converts.

5 Students should be able to answer: Why and how does Jesus fulfill the Covenant from the Old Testament? Why are there four Gospels, and why are they different from one another? How do the Gospel writers show that Jesus is connected to God s Covenant with Abraham, Moses, and David. Why are the Gospels important to Christians today? Who were the apostles and why were they important? Who was Paul and what was his influence on early Christianity? How did the apostles carry on the legacy of the leaders of Israel in relationship to the Covenant and servant leadership? How did the early followers of Jesus expand to include non-jews as well as Jews? Part 1: The Gospels 1. The central place of the Gospels 2. Three stages in Gospel formation a. Life and teachings of Jesus b. Oral tradition c. Written gospels 3. Why four Gospels? a. Evangelists b. Synoptic Gospels and Q source c. Different perspective, same truth Gospels venerated kerygma Evangelists synoptic Gospels Quelle Paschal Lamb vocation Part 2: Revelation in and through Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels 1. Gospel of Matthew a. Jewish and Gentile Christians b. Jesus as supreme teacher c. Salvation for all 2. Gospel of Mark a. Messianic secret b. Discipleship

6 3. Gospel of Luke who s in and who s out? a. Gentiles and Jews b. Poor and vulnerable c. Women 4. Central accounts in the synoptic Gospels a. Infancy narratives b. Beloved Son c. Satan and temptation d. Beatitudes 5. The parables and miracles in the synoptic Gospels 6. The Paschal Mystery in the synoptic Gospels Gentiles Matthean scribes rabbi messianic secret Syrophoenician Golgotha Samaritan anawim canticle Magnificat Infancy Narratives Annunciation magi Beatitudes parables miracles Passion Garden at Gethsemane Part 3: Revelation in and through Jesus in the Gospel of John 1. God Incarnate 2. Signs and miracles 3. The I Am statements 4. The Bread of Life and Last Supper discourses 5. The Passion, Death and Resurrection Beloved Disciple Johannine

7 Part 4: Acts and Letters Logos sign allegory Paraclete 1. Acts of the Apostles a. Pentecost b. A missionary church 2. The Pauline letters a. Jesus is the path to salvation b. The Church is the Body of Christ 3. The Catholic letters 4. The Book of Revelation a. Apocalyptic literature b. Hope for all time Pentecost martyrdom Pauline letters epistle Gnosticism Antichrist Asia Minor apocalyptic literature Section 3 (in the text): Jesus: The Definitive Revelation of God Jesus Christ was both fully divine and fully human at the same time. The times and place Jesus lives affected how he lived and taught. Jesus Christ made God s love visible to us in a perfect way. God invites us to be in communion with him through Jesus. Part 1: The Incarnation 1. What is the Incarnation? 2. Mary s Role in the Incarnation 3. Jesus: The Word Made Flesh 4. The Union of God With Humanity holy day of obligation Original Sin

8 personal sin collects Beatific Vision Part 2: The 2 Natures of Jesus: Human and Divine 1. Jesus: A Human mind, a Human Heart 2. Jesus: A Faithful Jew 3. Jesus Life in First-Century Palestine 4. Jesus: Union of the Human and the Divine 5. Jesus: Lord and Redeemer sanctifies circumcision scribes Pharisees Sadducees anti-semitism pluralistic hypostatic union Part 3: Jesus and the Church [This section can be deferred until sophomore year Sacraments and junior year Church. ] 1. Pentecost and the New Age of the Church 2. Jesus Fulfills his Mission in the Church 3. Communion with Christ through the Sacraments 4. Jesus Presence in the Eucharist 5. Jesus Teaches through the Church 6. Jesus Ministry through the Community of Faith sacraments grace liturgy Eucharistic species consecrate evangelical counsels vows JESUS TEACHINGS AND DISCIPLESHIP: LOVING GOD BACK [This section will require other sources to develop appropriately.] Agape Abba

9 Forgiveness Powerlessness Bread and Water of Life Faithful and Involved Parables Miracles Beatitudes Section 4 (in text): Jesus: The Definitive Revelation of God s Plan God Made us To Love Him and Others. Jesus promoted the dignity of other people, especially those who were considered outcast. Jesus forgave and healed then and does so today, providing another example of the Christian way to live. God wants us to make morally food decisions but gives us the free will to choose him and his way of life or to reject him. Part 1: Jesus Reveals a Vision of Authentic Humanity 1. What Does it Mean to be Fully Human? 2. The Gifts of Intellect and Free Will 3. To Love and be Loved 4. The Call to be Stewards of Creation conscience Samaritans Parables Stewards grace Part 2: Jesus Reveals our Inner Dignity 1. Created, Redeemed, and Bound for Glory 2. The Inherent Dignity of All People 3. In the Image and Likeness of God 4. Women and Men: Partners in God s Plan 5. Respect for Human Life the Fall immortal procreation chastity genocide embryo fetus

10 Part 3: We Are Children of God 1. God Desires our Happiness 2. Baptism: Becoming God s Adopted Children 3. Our Ultimate Destiny: Eternal Life 4. Bringing our Needs to God in Prayer sanctifying grace Heaven Purgatory Part 4: Jesus Reveals our Call to Holiness 1. The Sermon on the Mount 2. The Parables of Jesus 3. Jesus and the Rich Man 4. The Greatest Commandments 5. The Last Judgment Beatitudes Abba synoptic Gospels Parousia solidarity THE PASCHAL MYSTERY: GOD S PLAN FOR SALVATION [Teachers will draw from the text, The Paschal Mystery: Christ s Mission of Salvation.] Section 3 (from Paschal Mystery textbook): God s Plan for Salvation Fulfilled Jesus suffering, death, and Resurrection form the heart of his saving work on earth. Jesus suffering and death were acts of redemption love. The Resurrection of Jesus was not only a historical event, but it also transcends history. Faith in the Resurrection is a definitive belief of Christianity. In the Ascension the resurrected Jesus returns to his heavenly home. Part 1: The Suffering and Death of Jesus 1. The Events of the Passion 2. Who Killed Jesus? 3. The Meaning of the Cross Passion chief priests

11 Apostles Sanhedrin blasphemy procurator Part 2: The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus 1. The Events of the Resurrection 2. What is the Resurrection? 3. The Significance of Christ s Resurrection 4. The Ascension 5. The Significance of Christ s Ascension Resurrection Gnosticism corruptible exegesis righteous Ascension symmetry paradox Passion Part 3: Redeemed by Christ: Our Eternal Destiny 1. Saved from Saved for Our Judgment by God 4. Heaven, Hell and Purgatory venial sin mortal sin beatific vision sanctifying grace theological virtues Heaven Hell Purgatory Section 4 (from Paschal Mystery textbook): The Paschal Mystery and Your Life In his suffering and death, Jesus stands in solidarity with all humanity. We are called to follow the example of Jesus by standing with and serving those who suffer.

12 Jesus gives us a powerful example of redemptive suffering, suffering willingly taken on for the good of others. When viewed through the eyes of faith, suffering presents us with a unique opportunity to see and experience God s grace. Part 2: Suffering and the Paschal Mystery 1. Making Sense of Suffering 2. Is Accepting Suffering a Sign of Weakness? 3. Finding Strength in Times of Suffering leprosy fortitude CHRISTOLOGICAL AND TRINITARIAN DOGMA Section 1: The Trinity God is love. Catholics are monotheistic and believe in only one God. Catholics are Trinitarian and believe there are 3 Persons in One God. The Trinity is a model of love for human communities. Part 1: God is One: Father, Son and Holy Spirit 1. God is One: Catholics are Monotheistic 2. God is Three-in-One: Catholics are Trinitarian 3. The First Person of the Trinity: God the Father 4. The Second Person of the Trinity: God the Son 5. The Third Person of the Trinity: God the Holy Spirit covenant doctrine Trinity Nicene Creed monotheism divine economy incarnate filial beatitude Last Judgment Messiah Pentecost

13 Part 2: The Development of the Trinitarian Doctrine 1. The Early Church Faces Challenges to Apostolic Faith 2. Early Christological Heresies 3. Ecumenical Councils of the Early Church 4. The Nicene Creed 5. The Trinity: Model for Human Relationships Church Fathers Ecumenical Council philosophy Christology solemnities