Incarnation

• Incarnation


  God took on the human condition in Jesus
• Why did God become human?


  • Shows that God loves the human race so much that he was prepared to share in the human experience
  • Helps Christians to learn about, understand and value God's love
• Luke 1:26-38: 'The Angel Gabriel tell Mary that she will conceive and give birth to Jesus, the Son of God'
• Jesus


  • Born of a human woman (fully human) and conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit (fully God)
  • Referred to as the 'Son of the Most High' showing that God's message through Jesus' birth is open to all
• Matthew 1:18-20: 'Joseph receives a message in a dream from an angel telling him that Mary is pregnant with the Son of God who was conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit<|>The angel says the child will be called Jesus meaning 'saviour' showing Jesus was sent to save humanity from sin<|>The angel says Jesus will be called 'Emmanuel' meaning 'God with us' showing he is the Son of God and that he will be the Messiah (fulfilling a Jewish prophecy)'
• The Word of God


  Jesus, the Son of God, Second Person of the Trinity
• John 1:1-14: ''In the beginning was the Word' - Like God the Father, the Word of God has always existed/is eternal<|>'The Word was God' - The Word of God is God. The Word of God (Jesus) is God's self-expression<|>'The Word was with God' - While the Word and God are united and co-exist there is also a distinction between them<|>'The Word of God became flesh and lived among us' - Jesus is God made flesh. Jesus expresses God's power and love. God took on human nature to teach us about God and help us become closer to God'
• Jesus as the fulfilment or perfection of the law


  • Jesus 'perfects' the Old Testament law by making it more challenging to follow
  • In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus focuses on changing people's attitudes and not just their actions
  • If people have the right attitude towards God, themselves and their fellow human beings, they will do the right action and therefore be pleasing to God
• Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46)


  • The parable is a warning of the expectations on Christians to put their faith into action
  • The central message is "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you do for me"
  • Jesus is saying that we should look after those in need and how we treat the poor and needy is how we treat him. If we show love to others, we show love to God
• The Beatitudes


  • Jesus blessed certain attitudes or approaches to living and said that people with these attitudes would be rewards
  • Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth - Meekness models the humility of Jesus Christ. Christians should aim to be humble and serve others like Jesus
  • Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled - We should identify what is wrong with society/world and to truly desire and work to fix these injustices
  • Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy - Mercy consists of treating people better than they deserve e.g. helping someone whom we have no obligation to help. God showed mercy by sending Jesus to die on the cross to save us from sin so we should show this mercy to other people
  • Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God - God is the God of peace and wants people to be peaceful in their lives. Christians believe they should work to bring about peace in the world starting in the own lives e.g. in the community, in our homes etc
• Imago Dei and Protection of the Unborn


  • Catholic Church's View Abortion = Believes that abortion is wrong
  • All human beings are made in God's image and therefore all human life is sacred and should be protected/preserved
  • Since God is the creator of all life/all life is a gift from God and therefore only he has the authority to make decisions about who lives and dies
  • Human life begins at conception so the foetus must be treated with the same dignity as any human life
  • To help protect unborn life, Catholics might Support pro-life charities e.g. LIFE or SPUC who care for women who have decided not to abort their child but are facing emotional or financial problems
  • Campaign to reduce the abortion limit
• Luke 1:41-2: 'When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leapt in her womb. This shows that the child in Elizabeth's womb was truly present as was Jesus from the moment of conception. Therefore, Catholics believe that life begins at conception. There is no difference between an unborn child and any other human, they are just at a different stage of their development.'
• Jesus as Fully God and Fully Human


  • Son of Man - Jesus as the 'Son of Man' = fully human. Christians believe Jesus lived a full human experience e.g. felt emotion, pain, experienced death etc. Jesus used the title 'Son of Man' when he talked about his future suffering. Title 'Son of Man' has two meanings: refers to a normal human being and someone who has been given power and authority by God
  • Son of God - Jesus as the 'Son of God' = fully God. Jesus is God made human seen through his miracles and his resurrection. When Jesus is arrested, he acknowledges that he is the Son of God. Title emphasises his divinity. Jesus' resurrection proves that Jesus was always God but during his life he limited himself to human form
• The Law


  • 'Do not murder' (action focused)
  • 'Do not commit adultery' (action focused)
  • Perfected Law - 'Do not get angry with a brother or sister' (attitude focused)
  • 'Do not look at another person with lust in your heart' (attitude focused)
• Why does the Catholic Church support the use of religious art?


  • Images are used as an inspiration to worship God or a stimulus for prayer to God
  • God took on the full limitations of humanity in Jesus and therefore we can show him in this limited form
  • Artwork can help us understand the qualities of God better
  • God came to earth to save all humanity from sin so Jesus can be shown as any ethnicity to help people relate better to him
• Why do other Christians disagree with the use of religious art?


  • Some Christians believe religious art breaks the second commandment - "You shall not make for yourself an idol … you shall not bow down to them or worship them"
  • God is infinite (unlimited) and cannot be shown in finite (limited) means, such as, art
  • Images can portray the wrong ideas about God and can be misleading
• Teachings of St Irenaeus


  • Jesus helps us to understand God/the qualities of God. God is the Son is also eternal. "From the beginning the Son is the one who teaches us about the Father"
  • Christians can get to know what God is like through Jesus. The qualities that we see in Jesus are qualities of God the Father. Jesus also allows us to have access to God when we die. "He revealed God to men and presented men to God"
  • Jesus set the perfect example for all humans to follow which allows them to live as God intended (be fully alive) and reach Heaven to share in God's glory. "Life in man is the glory of God"
• Grace


  • Grace is God's gift of his unconditional love
  • It is free and undeserved
  • There is nothing that we can do to earn God's grace which is offered by God but needs to be freely accepted
  • Pours into people's hearts and calls them into a deeper relationship with God
• Sacramental nature of reality


  • Catholics believe the whole of reality can be seen as a sacrament - the world and everything in it is a sign of God's love
  • One reason why Catholics believe in this idea is because the whole of creation is holy because God created it. Therefore, humans can experience God in ordinary things e.g. the beauty of nature
  • The second reason is because of Jesus, who is God, has touched the earth and made it holy. Jesus was the ultimate gift of God's love. Because of Jesus, people can see God as a living and active presence in the world
  • The Holy Spirit is still active in the world, sharing God's love with all people
• Sacraments


  • A sacrament is a sign of grace (God's love) - 'An outward sign of an invisible/inward grace'
  • A sacrament is a rite through which a person receives God's grace
  • Every time a Catholic receives a sacrament, they receive more grace and welcome Christ into their life. Sacraments sanctify a person's life (make their life holy)
  • Baptism - The person is cleansed of original sin and becomes a member of the Church
  • Confirmation - The person's faith is strengthened when the re-confirm promises made on their behalf at Baptism and the power of the Holy Spirit is renewed in their lives
  • Eucharist - The person receives the Body and Blood of Christ and is strengthened by/united with Christ
  • Marriage - The couple are joined together in front of God for life and accept that their love for each other is the love of God active in their lives
  • Ordination - The man commits himself to God and becomes a priest
  • Reconciliation - The person is absolved of their sins and reconciled with God
  • Sacrament of the Sick - The person received forgiveness, comfort and strength to face illness or death
• Verbum Domini


  The Word (or Son) of God limited himself to a human form. This explains that Jesus' incarnation made God visible to us on earth so humans could come to understand God. "The eternal Word became small – small enough to fit into a manger, He became a child, so that the word could be grasped by us."
• Dei Verbum


  God is revealed and speaks through Jesus. Jesus becoming a man was the only way for humans to truly understand God. This is possible because Jesus is the Son of God. He bring salvation to all. "For He sent His Son … so that He might dwell among men and tell them of the innermost being of God."
• Ichthus


  Greek word means 'fish'. This acronym for Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour. The Ichthus is a statement of belief, the believer is saying they recognise that Jesus is the Son of God sent to save the world. Used by persecuted Christians as it was easy to draw and was used to indicate where prayer meetings were being held.
• Alpha and Omega


  First and last letter of the Greek alphabet. Is a symbol of eternity. Reminder that the Son is the beginning and the end, is eternal and a divine being. Found on the Paschal candle "I am the Alpha and Omega" Revelation 22
• Chi-Rho


  The first two letters of the Greek word for 'Christ'. Christ translates to the word 'Messiah'. The symbols is also a reminder of Jesus' death on the cross in order to save the world.
• Similarities between Verbum Domini and Dei Verbum


  • Both remind Catholics that God is revealed and speaks through Jesus because He is the Son of God
  • Both documents teach the Son of God became a human to live among other humans
  • Both documents remind Catholics that the Word (or Son) of God limited himself to a human form, so humans could come to understand God
• Differences between Verbum Domini and Dei Verbum


  • Dei Verbum - Jesus brings salvation to all of humanity through his death on the cross
  • Dei Verbum - Through Jesus' death on the cross, he conquered the power of sin and death and allowed humans direct access to God
  • Verbum Domini - Jesus always knew the will of God because he is God. And he always carried out the will of God because he is also the perfect human being
  • Verbum Domini - Jesus, the new Adam, made up for the sins of humanity by being completely obedient to the will of the Father
• Sources of Authority in the Catholic Church


  • Sacred Scripture
  • Sacred Tradition
  • Magisterium
• Sacred Scripture


  The holy writings of the Bible that are believed to be inspired by God
• Magisterium


  The teaching authority of the Catholic Church, exercised by the Pope and his bishops
• Sacred Tradition


  That which has been handed down or passed down; things which have value because they have 'stood the test of time'