GOD THE FATHER, OUR CREATOR
12/10/07
Presented by Father Kris
Resource: Study Guide for the
Accompaniment:
Opening Prayer (pg. 6 in the Study Guide)
Love of God, Love in God.
We have the presence of God through the Word. God is true love.
God the Creator, created Heaven and Earth. Of all that is seen and unseen as stated in the Creed.
Beginning with Genesis, all Scripture states the following truths in relation to God’s work of creation: (pg. 53-54, U.S. Catholic Catechism of Adults)
The Old Testament is the words spoken by God. It reveals God who is One, unique and without equal. In Genesis, God is revealed as the Creator of the world, the Almighty and eternal Truth of all that exists. The Word became flesh. People did not recognize the Word.
The New Testament refers to the Father and Son relationship. Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit. However humanity was not ready for deeper meaning. Jesus was revealed in stages.
“I” believe in God. As stated in the Apostles Creed, explains that God is not there for Himself, He was created for all of us.
What we do know is that God is the Creator, the Supreme Being. We do not know the technicalities because no human existed at that time, however, we just believe.
Time does not apply to Him.
True Love: Again, He loves us and we love Him. He gave us his only Son. Because he gave us His Son, we have an intimate and personal relationship with God. God is a mystery we cannot understand and will not until the end of the Earth.
John the Baptist: He was the greatest of all the Theologians. John had diverse positions: light/darkness; love/hatred. John the Baptist’s message was True Love and the mystery of our relationship with God.
In the New Testament God reveals Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus reveals God as his Father and promises the Holy Spirit as our teacher, guide, and comforter. The Holy trinity is believed by all Christians. Jesus was brought to us: A teaching from the Apostles.
CCC #231 God alone can reveal Himself. God is sending us His grace. We may not see or understand Him but He is always there and giving us this grace.
God created Angels. They do not share the limitations of a physical body and yet exist as the result of His all-powerful loving act of creation. They are purely spiritual creatures, have intelligence and will. Angels glorify God and work for our salvation.
The point and message of the Gospel: When we consider the hardship people have endured such as wars, etc. God’s message always is one of love and hope. God cares. He promises us salvation. He sacrificed by sending Jesus. Human conditions are human conditions.
Theological conditions- we failed Him somehow. We were tempted. We were created with free will. That brought us temptations and consequences. We will not be punished forever.
Additionally, we are stewards of what God has given us. We have everything on Loan. We really are fragile.
God is not selfish in His love. The mystery is why us? Love needs to be directed to someone God knows that. We share with other beings that He created.
Book of Genesis:
In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over the waters.
Ancient understanding: Chaos of waters. God separated the water and made order. The abyss needed to move. See The World of the Hebrews in the Book of Genesis for a visual explanation of the creation of the world. The world was not a place, but a state. Completely different than what we can imagine. It was both physical and not physical. New Heaven, New Earth, New Life.
Genesis: verses 27 & 28. We are so special and unworthy. How we came to be. We were created in God’s image. We can think and feel love. Due to original sin, we experience the consequences. We are longing for harmony with God, unfortunately the evil came. Suffering comes with freedom, free will.
To show He did not leave us alone, He sent His Son. Like any parent, he gave us freedom but checks up on us.
CCC #289 The unity of the whole Scripture. The wholeness and traditions of the Church. It is not the Bible alone, but also the traditions. Belief in the presence of the Holy Spirit.
CCC #285 The Origins of the World. We have to question the origin no matter where we come from (different religions).
Our responsibility as Catholics is: to follow God and be with Him once again.