Prelims

• The biblical foundation of the Church can be traced as early as the the Old Testament and justified in the person of Jesus Christ.
• covenant


  derived from Hebrew word "berit", which means an agreement or legal contract between kins
• In biblical conception, the covenant is seen as agreement between God and man. Also the unsought gift of God to man.
• Pope Benedict XVI in his Theology of Covenant notes, in particular, that the Old Testament distinguishes Noahite, Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Jesus Christ (as new covenant) in the New Testament.
• The Covenant with Noah (Noahite)


  covenant between God and Noah and his descendants and all the animals in the ark: "never again shall the world be destroyed by flood". Thus sign of this solemn promise is the appearance of rainbow.
• Covenant between God and Abraham (Abrahamic)


  1. Make a great nation, fulfilled by Moses in founding Israel. 2. Make great kingdom, fulfilled by David and his descendants. 3. Make catholic or universal blessing, fulfilled by Jesus Christ
• Israel


  are the priestly chosen people of God, called by the name of the Lord, the first to hear the word of God, and the people of elder brethen of Abraham
• Israelites worshiped Canaanite gods- El, Baal, Asherah, Anat, and Astarte, for good harvest and the like.
• Disobedience of Israelites resulted to separation of Northern and Southern Israel due to Solomon's permission to worship pagan gods.
• The expectation of a Savior, and Messiah was born. This was fulfilled in the life and person of Jesus by his passion, death, and resurrection.
• In the Old Testament, Isaiah prophesized a child named "Emmanuel".
• In the New Testament, Luke narrates that angel Gabriel visited mary to tell her about the birth of "Jesus."
• Jesus is both a divine(God) and human. He is the Word made flesh and the extent of God's love is embedded in Jesus' incarnation.
• Incarnation is the embodiment of a deity.
• Sin created a gap between man and God.
• In John's gospel, incarnation of Word becoming flesh.
• Reasons why the divine assumed human form: to save us by reconciling us with God, to know God's love, to be partakers of the divine nature, and to be our model of holiness.
• In the mystery of Incarnation, Jesus identified himself with the whole humanity as a New Covenant to make God's love more tangible and to fulfill God's plan of salvation.
• Jesus did his ministry in Galilee for three years starting when he was 30 with his baptism by John the Baptist in the Jordan river.
• Jesus' public ministry is a collaboration" of God's manifestation of love that reaches its culmination in his suffering, death, and resurrection.
• In Christian tradition, baptism is the entry point of faith, belongingness to the Christian family.
• Baptism came from the Greek word baptizein meaning "to immerse".
• Why was Jesus baptized even if He is the Son of God?

  Immersion: He allows himself to be numbered among sinners

  Acceptance of the Paschal Mystery: Jesus' accepts His passion and death as part of God's saving plan.

  Aligned with John the Baptist's mission: baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
• The 12 apostles followed Jesus and participated in His mission.
• Peter was originally known as Simon, but Jesus gave him the nickname Cephas (John 1:42), which translates to Peter, meaning “rock.”
• James son of Zebedee is often referred to as James the Greater to distinguish him from James son of Alphaeus, James the Less (who may be the same person as James son of Alphaeus), and James the brother of Jesus. “Greater” here could refer to height, age, or importance.
• John, brother of James, a fisherman.
• Andrew was Simon Peter’s brother. Like his brother, he was a fisherman. According to the Gospel of John, Andrew was the first disciple Jesus called, and brought Peter to Jesus, but he told him Jesus was the Messiah.
• Philip the Apostle, posses a simple faith for Jesus.
• Bartholomew; also called Nathanael, righteous and believed as scholar of the scripture.
• Matthew; also called Levi, a tax collector.
• Thomas the Apostle doubted Jesus' resurrection.
• Simon the zealot, the activist against Roman gov't.
•  James son of Alphaeus, also called James the Less.
• Judas son of James, also known as Jude Thaddeus.
• Jude Iscariot, betrayed Jesus.
• What did Jesus do in his Ministry?

  Proclaiming the Kingdom of God: Kingdom of God belongs to the poor and the lowly, he has a preferential love for the poor.

  Healing and Forgiving sins: Jesus' mission is to reconcile man to God and to heal gap between them.

  Sacraments: Sacraments were instituted during his public ministry such as sacrament of baptism, holy eucharist, and matrimony.
• God's saving plan was accomplished by the redemptive death of his Son Jesus Christ.
• Paschal Mystery is a core doctrine of the Church.
• Paschal is adapted from Greek word pascha, which was derived from Hebrew word pesah (or pesach), which means "passover."