RE - UNIT 3 PART A

• Events in the Catholic Church calendar

  • Advent
  • Christmas
  • Jesus birth
  • Epiphany
  • Ash Wednesday
  • Holy Week
  • Easter
  • Ascension
  • Pentecost
• The Church's year


  The unfolding of the Mystery of Christ
• Advent wreath


  1. Candles to show God is omnibenevolent

  2. Candles remind Catholics that Jesus is the light of the world

  3. A candle is lit every Sunday in the lead up to Christmas: 3 purple 1 pink and 1 white
• Jesse Tree


  Tree showing Jesus' family history
• Christmas


  1. Priest wears white and gold vestments for celebration

  2. Cribs can be set up as a reminder of Jesus being born in Bethlehem

  3. Exchange of gifts to show agape

  4. Christmas carols teaching Luke and Matthew's gospel
• Epiphany


  1. Celebrated 12 days after Christmas on the 6th of January

  2. Celebrates the magi (wise men) visiting Jesus as told in Matthew's gospel
• Lent


  1. Time spent in prayer, fasting and almsgiving (giving money to charity)

  2. Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession)

  3. Pray the 14 Stations of the Cross (Jesus' journey towards his death)
• Ash Wednesday


  You receive ashes to show you are sorry
• Holy Week


  1. Palm Sunday - Fulfilled Zechariah's prophecy that the messiah would ride on a donkey

  2. Maundy Thursday - Jesus showed agape by washing his disciples' feet

  3. Good Friday - No Mass is celebrated but a solemn liturgy
• Easter


  1. Easter Vigil Service takes place on Holy Saturday where people can be baptised and the Paschal candle is lit

  2. Exchange of eggs symbolise new life
• Ascension


  1. Holy day of obligation

  2. Celebrated on the Sunday closest to the Ascension

  3. The Paschal candle is blown out, White vestments are worn by the priest
• Pentecost


  1. Red vestments are worn

  2. Whit walks - procession by Church members

  3. Bishop can celebrate Confirmation on this day
• Advent


  • Prepares Catholics for the birth of the incarnation (God becoming flesh through Jesus)
  • It also remembers Jesus' second coming at the end of time when we will be judged
• Christmas


  • Remembers the birth of the incarnation
  • Fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy that the messiah would be born of a virgin
  • Jesus' birth showed God is all loving (Omnibenevolent)
  • Salvation - Jesus needed to be born to save humans from sin, He did this on Good Friday
• Epiphany


  • Remembers the visitation of the magi who were Gentile (non-Jewish) which showed that Jesus was sent to save everyone
  • The magi brought 3 gifts with meanings - gold (his kingship), frankincense (his divinity) and myrrh (his crucifixion)
• Lent


  • Remembers the time Jesus spent in the desert and his temptations
  • Preparation for Easter
• Palm Sunday


  Fulfilled Zechariah's prophecy that the messiah would ride on a donkey
• Maundy Thursday


  • Jesus showed agape by washing his disciples' feet
  • He foreshadowed his sacrifice by changing the bread and wine into his body and blood
• Good Friday


  Achieved salvation (Jesus' death saved us from sin) and achieved atonement (the relationship between God and humans was restored)
• Easter


  • Resurrection (showed Jesus is the Son of God as no ordinary person can rise from the dead)
  • Eternal life (proved there is eternal life)
  • Ascension (Jesus ascending into Heaven would happen 40 days later)
• Ascension


  • Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit and this promise was fulfilled at Pentecost
  • It marked the end of his earthly ministry
  • Jesus rose into Heaven to prepare a place for us
• Pentecost


  'Birthday of the Church' as the disciples became apostles (means sent out) as they were empowered by the Holy Spirit to go out and spread the Word of God to all nations
• Views on the Bible


  • Literal
  • Conservative
  • Symbolic
  • Myth
• Literal


  The Bible is read at face value, Fundamentalists will read the Bible this way
• Conservative


  • The belief that the Bible was written by humans who were inspired by God
  • They still follow the Bible's teachings but don't necessarily take every word as being the voice of God
• Symbolic


  The Bible can be read symbolically, different symbols are used like Jesus as a shepherd, his disciples as sheep and the Holy Spirit as a dove, wind and fire
• Myth


  Involves interpreting texts to reveal things about the future, e.g. the book of Revelation uses the word Jerusalem to refer to the heavenly future of Christians
• How the Bible is used by Catholics


  • Conscience formation
  • Rites and ceremonies
  • Absolute law
  • Mass
  • Private worship
• Conscience


  The Bible can form our conscience (the mind of beings making moral decisions)
• Rites and ceremonies


  The Bible is read during rites and ceremonies such as funerals and sacraments like Marriage
• Absolute law


  The teachings of the Bible cannot change, e.g. murder is always wrong because of 'Thou shall not kill'
• Mass


  The Bible is used during the Liturgy of the Word to teach the congregation the Word of God
• Private worship


  The Bible can be used in private worship and can help with prayer
• Other sources of authority for Catholics

  • Magisterium
  • Natural Law
  • Conscience
• Magisterium


  The teaching authority, made up of the bishops and the Pope
• Natural Law


  Developed by St Aquinas, God-given and an action is wrong if it goes against what nature intended
• Conscience


  Catholics believe their conscience is the voice of God
• Catholic beliefs about the afterlife

  • Soul is immortal and goes to Heaven, Purgatory or Hell
  • Two judgements - Individual and Final
• Soul


  Catholics believe the body is mortal and will die, but the soul, which is immortal and God-given, will go to Heaven, Purgatory or Hell
• Judgements


  Individual judgement at the moment of death, and Final judgement at the end of time when all humans will be raised and judged