unit 2

• Incarnate


  Made flesh
• Incarnation


  God became human form (flesh) in Christ Jesus = God on Earth
• Jesus


  • Had the power of God (100% divine)
  • Had all the joys + limitations of being a human being (100% human) = for humans to relate to JC
• Jesus is God's love for the human race
• The Annunciation


  Mary the virgin is announced to give birth to Jesus the saviour of the world
• Mary


  • Found favour with God
  • Is the Mother of Jesus, God, and the RCC
  • Received God's grace = open to all people!
  • Was obedient to the call and will of God = a role model for Christians
• Matthew's Gospel records the bloodline (genealogy) from Abraham to Joseph – shows how important Joseph was to prove the prohecy
• Emmanuel


  God (JC) is with humanity
• Virgin Birth


  Jesus' humanity comes from Mary, and still JC is fully God
• St Luke's account


  High value for women (Mary)
• St Matthew's account


  Low value for women (Joseph)
• Similarities between St Luke and St Matthew's accounts

  • Mary is a virgin
  • God became flesh
  • Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit
  • An angel announced Jesus' birth
• The Word (Jesus Christ)


  • Is an eternal being
  • Is God in co-existence before all time = Jesus is present at Creation
• The Word became flesh


  God took on human form + nature, coming down to earth to live as a full human being
• The Word as an expression of love


  • Jesus Christ is the expression of God's love for humans
  • Jesus is God's grace (free gift) to the human race >> accept or reject the salvation
  • The Body Christ = the Eucharist + the work of Christ on Earth = living the Catholic life!
• In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1
• Jesus as the Son of Man (Humanity)


  • Was tempted / never sinned
  • Ate and drank with all types of people
  • Wept when his friend died "Jesus wept"
  • Suffered and died
  • In heaven with power over the entire world as God
  • Shows his humanity and divinity
• Jesus as the Son of God


  • At the Sanhedrin, when asked by the High Priest if he was the Son of God he replied, 'I am'
  • The words 'I am' is what God used to reveal himself to Moses (Exodus 3:14) 'I am who I am'
  • The resurrection proves that Jesus always was God (not made)
  • Limited as a human on Earth
• Ichthus (fish)


  • To avoid persecution for their faith, Christians (identify) would draw & erase the outline of a fish on a dusty road to show that they were a Christian or to point the direction of a prayer meeting
  • The Greek word ichthus means 'fish': I is the first letter of the Greek word Iesous, which means Jesus, Ch is the first letter of Christos, which means Christ, Th is the first letter of Theou, which means God, U is the first letter of (H)uios, which means Son, S is the first letter of Soter, which means Saviour

  
• Alpha + Omega


  • Alpha (A) is the first + Omega (Ω) is the last, letter of the Greek alphabet
  • God is involved in everything from the beginning of time to the end of time = eternity
• Chi-Rho


  • A monogram formed from the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ, when it is written in capitals (ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ): The letter chi = X, The letter rho = P
  • An affirmation that Jesus is the Messiah anointed by God to save the world from sin
  • On the Paschal candle it represents the Risen Christ: Revelation 1:8. 'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end'

  
• Reasons against religious art

  • In both Judaism and Islam, it is an offence to show God in any form, because God is infinite
  • The 2nd commandment forbids an artistic representation of God: 'You shall not make or worship an idol' (Exodus 20:4–5) = no false gods
  • Art / statue = a stimulus for prayer & inspiration >> 'Whoever venerates an image venerates the person portrayed in it.' Catechism of the Catholic Church 2132
  • God as a (old) man = offensive to the divinity / Mary wears a crown – not very humble
• Catholic influence of the incarnation on religious art

  • As Jesus was a full human being, he can be shown in a human form
  • As Jesus is also God, it is acceptable to use human images to depict God
  • Show Jesus as any ethnicity

  
• The Sacred Heart of Jesus


  • Holes in his hands = wounds from being nailed to the cross
  • One of his hands pointing to the heart = an expression of peace and love
  • A crown of thorns surrounding the heart = Christ's love even in death
  • A piercing through the heart = 'one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear' (John 19:34)
  • Flames from the heart = the burning love of Jesus Christ

  
• The Crucifix


  • A symbol of Christian faith bearing the image of Jesus Christ
  • Victory over sin and death
  • The sins of humanity were forgiven and allowed for mankind to live an eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven

  
• Different Christian attitudes to sculptures, statutes and images of Jesus

  • Jesus in art is against the 2nd Commandment
  • Jesus is divine, therefore greater than any human art form

  
• The Law of Jesus

  • Jesus showed his followers a deeper idea of the commandments through the Beatitudes (x8) eg "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." eg "Blessed are the meek (to be strong in faith, graciousness, generosity, and service) and, for they will inherit the Earth." eg "Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God."
  • Jesus transformed = radically change to be a good person! people's attitudes towards God, themselves and others = do the right thing
• Sermon on the Mount

  1. From Moses (liberation from slavery) to Jesus (liberation from slavery to sin)

  2. Moses (the Old Law) said: No murder, No adultery, An eye for an eye, Love your neighbour, hate your enemy

  3. Jesus (the New Law) said: Don't act on the anger. Seek peace + reconciliation with your brother or sister before it leads to violence or murder, No lust / adultery in your heart – no lustful thoughts/actions are just as bad and may lead to bad actions, Turn the other cheek / do not seek revenge / give to one who asks – give more than is asked, Love your enemy + pray for those who persecute you. Be a pacifist (reject war + violence as an unjust means)
• The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats: Matthew 25:31-46

  1. As a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, so will God at the Final Judgement separate the good people from the bad people

  2. Jesus says to care for everyone in need i.e. our brothers + sisters in Christ (marginalised people who are …)

  3. The reward for those who do care: give food, give water, welcome strangers, clothe the naked and visit the ill and visit the imprisoned will lead to an eternal life in the Kingdom of God

  4. Helping others is the same as helping Christ

  5. Jesus tells his followers that those who do not care for everyone in need i.e. the least of my brothers & sisters, will be damned forever in the fires of hell

  6. Not helping others is the same as not helping Christ
• St Irenaeus' teaching about Jesus


  • Jesus Christ is a matchmaker – his role is to marry human hearts with God
  • St Irenaeus saw Jesus is a meeting point between God and humanity
  • A personal experience of God
  • Through Jesus humans receive God's free gift – his GRACE
  • Humans can get a true, though limited, understanding of the nature of God through the life-qualities and actions of Jesus - 'Whoever has seen me has seen the Father' John 14:9

  
• Roman Catholic Encyclicals


  • Jesus Christ is the Word
  • Jesus is fully God and is fully human
  • God is revealed to humanity in Jesus Christ as a human
  • Jesus' death = redemption (free from sin)
  • Jesus' resurrection = the true salvation = in the presence of God for all eternity
  • God and Man United

  
• Grace

  • The life-force of the Trinity – the dynamic + mutual love of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit
  • Grace can be freely accepted or rejected
  • Grace is the stillness in the call from God ➔ Confirmation, ACTIVE, John 10:10, carpe diem
• Grace and the incarnation


  • The incarnation started with Jesus Christ (amongst humans)
  • The Holy Spirit is the presence of God on Earth sharing God's grace >> good deeds (faith in action)
• Jesus Christ

  The Word
• Jesus


  • Fully God
  • Fully human
• God is revealed to humanity in Jesus Christ as a human
• Jesus' death


  Redemption (free from sin)
• Jesus' resurrection

  The true salvation = in the presence of God for all eternity
• God and Man United
• Grace


  The life-force of the Trinity – the dynamic + mutual love of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit