Triune God

• Music in worship

  It is good to use music to praise God
• Value of music in worship


  • Makes people feel inspired and closer to God
  • Unites people in praise
  • Inspires people to praise God
  • Increases the beauty of worship
  • Can make worship feel more joyous or solemn
  • Helps people to feel more involved
• Sacrosanctum Concilium 12 supports the value of music in worship
• Liturgy


  Practices and rituals that make up the communal worship of God
• Plainchant


  An ancient form of music usually sung unaccompanied, to a limited range of notes, used in monasteries to sing the Divine Office, ideal for use in Mass but not all people understand Latin
• Traditional hymns


  Religious songs that praise God, used by generations of believers, sung in church by the whole congregation, not limited to one period of time, help people feel involved in worship, but can be a bit outdated
• Contemporary worship


  Recently written religious songs to be used in worship, accompanied by modern instruments like drums/guitar, sung by the whole congregation, more upbeat and accessible than traditional hymns, but can be disrespectful and distracting due to its upbeatness
• Acclamation


  Praising with great enthusiasm
• Gloria


  Hymn to praise God's glory and goodness, used at the beginning of Mass, not used during Advent and Lent as they are periods of sorrow, based on Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest heaven"
• Alleluia


  Hebrew word meaning "praise God", a hymn of joy and triumph announcing the presence of Christ, sung 3 times during the Easter Vigil to announce the resurrection, not used during Lent
• Sanctus


  Latin word meaning "holy", a hymn to praise God's holiness, based on Isaiah 6:1 "holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts", used before the Eucharistic prayer in Mass, not used in Lent
• Mystery of Faith


  An acknowledgement that Christ's life, death and resurrection have been made present through the consecration, used after the consecration when the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ
• Trinity


  Within one God there are three persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
• Deuteronomy 6:4 "the Lord alone" stresses there is only one God, forming the foundation of belief in the Trinity
• Matthew 3:16-17 describes the baptism of Jesus and how God reveals himself as the Trinity, with the Holy Spirit represented by a dove and the Father's voice from heaven calling Jesus his Son
• Relationship between the Trinity and Christians

  Christians are God's children, brothers and sisters to Jesus
• The Nicene Creed


  • Belief in one God the Father, the creator
  • Belief in the Son, the only begotten, consubstantial with the Father
  • Belief in the Holy Spirit, the giver of life
• The Holy Spirit inspires people to know God's will and shares the love of God through their actions
• Evangelization


  Preaching the good news about Jesus to other people, sharing knowledge and experience of Christianity to influence lives, inspired by the Holy Spirit
• The Holy Spirit is the love of the Father and the Son, entering people's lives as grace and inspiring them to show love to others
• Magisterium


  The authority of the Pope and Bishops to shape Catholic teachings
• St. Peter


  The first Pope, given the keys to the kingdom and the foundation of the Church
• Bishops


  Chosen by the apostles to lead the Church in new areas, receiving the power of the Holy Spirit and apostolic authority through the laying on of hands
• Pope


  The Bishop of Rome, the head of the Catholic Church, teaching without error in matters of faith (infallibility)
• The Council of Nicaea confirmed the Son is equal and of the same nature as the Father
• The Council of Constantinople reaffirmed the belief that Jesus is both fully God and fully human
• Baptism


  A sign of initiation through which a person becomes a member of the Church and a child of God, as Jesus himself was baptized by John the Baptist
• Symbolism of Baptism


  • Symbolizes the start of a new stage of life, joining in Jesus' death and resurrection, being totally submerged under water symbolizing joining Jesus in the tomb, rising up out of the water symbolizing the resurrection and beginning a new life as a Christian
• Importance of Baptism


  Fills the person with the Holy Spirit to give them strength to resist evil, cleanses the person of all their sins, is a pledge that the person will join God in heaven after they die, shares the Trinity with the person
• Traditional prayer


  Have set words that have been used by generations of believers, open up to the presence of God
• Spontaneous prayer


  Made up in the moment, a more personal and sincere way of communicating with God
• Prayer


  Raising the heart and mind to God, a conversation between a person and God, the highest form is Jesus offering himself to the Father on the cross
• Benefits of traditional prayer

  • Don't have to worry about coming up with the right words, familiar words comfort when upset, not having to focus too much on the words allows more openness to God's presence
• Benefits of spontaneous prayer


  • Feels sincere opening up personal concerns and worries, helps develop an individual relationship with God, comes from the heart and reflects current feelings
• Physical postures in prayer


  Kneeling - a sign of humility and asking for forgiveness

  Genuflecting - a sign of respect and acknowledging Christ's presence

  Open hands - a sign of praise and acceptance of what God sends

  Joined hands - a sign of asking for help from God

  Bowing - a sign of respect and praise to God

  Prostrating - a sign of total humility and submission to God