God makes Himself known to man: the Revelation.02

Compendium of the Catechism6. What does God reveal to man?50-53 68-69God in his goodness and wisdom reveals himself. With deeds and words, he reveals himself and his plan of loving goodness which he decreed from all eternity in Christ. According to this plan, all people by the grace of the Holy Spirit are to share in the divine life as adopted sons in the only begotten Son of God.

IntroductionIn The Confessions, St. Augustin says:great art Thou, o Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is Thy power, and Thy wisdom infinite.(). Yet would man praise Thee; he, but a particle of Thy creation. Thou awakest us to delight in Thy praise; for Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless, until it repose in Thee. BOTTICELLI, SandroSt Augustine in His Cell1490-94Tempera on panel, 41 x 27 cm cmGalleria degli Uffizi, Florence

Main ideasBLOEMAERT, AbrahamThe Emmaus Disciples1622Oil on wood, 145 x 215,5 cmMuses Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels

1. The desire of God in mans heartThe desire of God is inscribed in the heart of man.God doesnt cease to bring man to Himself. Man can only find peace in God.Man is a religious being.In Him we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 18, 28)RAFFAELLO SanzioStudy for St Paul Preaching in Athens1514-15Red chalk over stylus underdrawing, 278 x 418 mmGalleria degli Uffizi, Florence

2. The ignorance or the denial of GodMan can forget about God or even reject Him:Ignorance, rebellion against evil that one suffers or sees, worldly cares and materialism, the bad example of those who claim to be Chistians, ideas contrary to religion, the attitude of the sinner.None of these reasons justifies the ignorance or the denial of God.GOES, Hugo van derThe Fall1467-68Oil on oak, 33,8 x 23 cmKunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

3. The existence of God can be known by natural reasonMan can know the existence of God in two ways: one in a natural way and the other through supernatural means. Natural way: has as its starting point the creation.With the sole light of reason, man knows that neither these things nor he himself have the reason for being in themselves.We are contingent, created and dependent beings.Man can get to know the existence of God, the Creator, the necessary and eternal Being, first cause and ultimate end of everything, through creation.

MICHELANGELO BuonarrotiCreation of the Sun, Moon, and Plants (detail)1511FrescoCappella Sistina, Vatican

4. God goes out in search of manGod has revealed Himself to man out of love.God offers him a definitive response to the important questions about the meaning and the purpose of human life.History of the Revelation:Adam and Eve, to whom He promised salvation and offered His covenant.Abraham and the People of Israel.He sent Jesus Christ to us. CARAVAGGIOThe Calling of Saint Matthew1599-1600Oil on canvas, 322 x 340 cmContarelli Chapel, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome

5. Jesus Christ, Word of the FatherJesus Christ:Son of God made man. the only perfect and definitive Word of God the Father.Jesus Christ has already said everything that God wanted to communicate to man .There could be no other revelation after Christ .GRECO, ElThe Adoration of the Name of Jesus (detail)late 1570sOil and tempera on pine panel, detail size 29 x 24 cmNational Gallery, London

6. The sources of Revelation: Sacred Scripture and Tradition The Revelation of God is found in Sacred Scripture and in the divine Tradition.The Sacred Scripture is the Word of God transmited in writing.The Bible. Books inspired by God : 45 Old Testament + 27 New Testament.Tradition: divine Revelation entrusted by Chist and the Holy Spirit to the apostles, and fully transmited orally to the Church.DRER, AlbrechtChrist Among the Doctors1506Oil on panel, 65 x 80 cmThyssen-Bornemisza Collection, Madrid

7. The Church, guardian and interpreter of the deposit of the faithChrist entrusted the Revelation of God to His Church.Deposit of faith: Sacred Scripture and Tradition.To what purpose? In order that she may guard, interpret, profess and preach it to the whole world.This is the Christian doctrine, that the Church unceasingly teaches.

8. Knowing the BibleThe four Gospels occupy a privileged place, with Jesus Christ as its center.It is logical that every Christian knows the Sacred Scripture, especially the four Gospels:Reading it.Meditating it.Ignorance of Sacred Scripture is ignorance of Christ (St. Jerome)MINIATURIST, FrenchBible of Charles V1372Illumination on parchmentRijksmuseum, The Hague

Resolutions for Christian life

Resolutions to move forwardThink about this phrase of St. Augustine: You made us for Yourself, oh Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You. Read each day something from the Bible, starting with the four Gospels.

***Saint Agustine is one of the most remarkable saints that the Church has ever had and one of the wisest men of Christianity. After living a life far from God, he had himself baptized and eventually became bishop of Hippo, in the north of Africa. He wrote a lot, and one of his books, The Confessions, is especially inspiring. Here he relates his own conversion and proclaims the desire of God which is deeply inscribed in the heart of the creature:great art Thou, o Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is Thy power, and Thy wisdom infinite.(). Yet would man praise Thee; he, but a particle of Thy creation. Thou awakest us to delight in Thy praise; for Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless, until it repose in Thee.**The desire of God is inscribed in the heart of man, who has been created by God and for God. God doesnt cease to bring man to Himself. Man can only find peace in God, the truth and the joy which he continually seeks. Man is a religious being. This is what Saint Paul refered to in Athens when he said: in Him we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17, 28).*But sometimes man can forget about God or even reject Him or deny His existence. For what reasons? Ignorance, rebellion against evil that one suffers or sees, worldly cares and materialism, the bad example of those who claim to be Chistians, ideas contrary to religion, and the attitude of the sinner who out of fear hides from God and flees from His call. None of these reasons justifies the ignorance or the denial of God.*Man can know the existence of God in two ways: one in a natural way and the other through supernatural means. The natural way to get to know God has as its starting point the creation, that is to say, the things that surround us. With the sole light of reason, man knows that neither these things nor he himself have the reason for being in themselves, because they have a beginning and they will have an end: they are contingent beings, created and dependent. For this reason, man can get to know the existence of God, the Creator, the necessary and eternal Being, first cause and ultimate end of everything, through creation.*Moreover, God has revealed Himself to man out of love, in order to have an encounter with him. In this way, God offers him a definitive response to the important questions about the meaning and the purpose of human life. He made himself known, in the first place, to our first parents, Adam and Eve; after the fall due to original sin, He did not abandon them, but He promised them salvation and offered them His covenant. After that, with Abraham, He chose the People of Israel. Finally, God fully revealed Himself by sending His own Son, Jesus Christ.*Jesus Christ is the Son of God made man, the only perfect and definitive Word of God the Father. Jesus Christ has already said everything that God wanted to communicate to man; therefore, there could be no other revelation after Christ.*The Revelation of God is found in Sacred Scripture and in the divine Tradition. The Sacred Scripture is the Word of God transmited in writing, and is made of the books inspired by God that form the Bible: 45 from the Old Testament (before the coming of Jesus Christ to Earth) and 27 of the New Testament. The Tradition is the divine Revelation entrusted by Chist and the Holy Spirit to the apostles, and fully transmited orally to the Church.*Christ entrusted the Revelation of God to His Church, contained in Sacred Scripture and in Tradition. We call this treasure the deposit of faith. Christ has entrusted it to the Church in order that she may guard, interpret, profess and preach it to the whole world. This is the Christian doctrine, that the Church unceasingly teaches to men and women of all ages and of all times.*The Church has great veneration for Sacred Scripture, especially the four Gospels, which occupy a privileged place, with Jesus Christ as its center. In the Holy Mass, after reading the Gospel, the priest kisses the book as a sign of veneration and respect. It is logical that every Christian know Sacred Scripture, especially the four Gospels, and spends some time reading and meditating on them. As St. Jerome would say, ignorance of Sacred Scripture is ignorance of Christ.**