triune god

• Music in worship

  The Catholic Church teaches that it is good to use music to praise God
• St Augustine: 'He who sings prays twice'
• Music in the Mass

  • Makes Christians feel inspired and closer to God
  • Unites them with other worshippers
• Music in the liturgy


  Used in Catholic worship to sing parts of the liturgy (the practices and rituals that happen during the communal worship of God)
• Types of music used in Catholic worship


  • Plainchant
  • Traditional hymns
  • Contemporary worship songs
  • Mass settings
• Plainchant


  • Ancient form of music usually sung unaccompanied
  • Used in monasteries and often in church services when the Latin parts of the Mass are sung
• Traditional hymns


  • Religious songs used by generations of believers that praise God
  • Usually written to be sung accompanied by an organ in church with a congregation
• Contemporary worship songs


  • Religious songs that have been written recently to use in worship
  • Usually accompanied by modern instruments and can be more upbeat than traditional hymns
• Mass settings


  • The parts of the Mass that are sung rather than said e.g. the Alleluia, the Sanctus and the Gloria
  • Different styles of music have been used for these over the years
• Acclamations used in the Mass


  Certain parts of the Mass, which highlight the praise and celebration of God
• Examples of acclamations

  • Gloria
  • Alleluia
  • Sanctus
  • Mystery of Faith
• Gloria

  A hymn of praise to God's glory and goodness
• Alleluia


  A Hebrew word meaning 'praise God' used to introduce the reading of the Gospel at Mass, to greet the presence of Christ
• Sanctus


  A Latin word meaning 'holy' used before the Eucharistic prayer in Mass, the central part of the service
• Mystery of Faith


  Happens immediately after the consecration (when the bread and wine have become the Body and Blood of Christ), should be a powerful and wholehearted acclamation in response to God's love
• The first encyclical, papal letter, of Pope Benedict XV was Deus Caritas Est (God is Love)
• Life of the Trinity


  Flows from the love of the Father and the Son for each other, which is the Holy Spirit
• Christians are called to


  Share the love of God with others
• Ways Christians can share the love of God


  • Mission (sending out people to help others)
  • Evangelism (preaching the good news about Jesus to other people)
• Jesus' last instruction to his followers: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:18-20)
• Baptism


  A sign of initiation through which a person becomes a member of the Church and a child of God
• Baptism


  • Usually for babies but can be at any age
  • Uses the words "in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"
  • Water symbolises the washing away of sin and the beginning of a new life as a Christian, and being filled with the Holy Spirit
• Traditional prayer


  A prayer with set words that has been used over a long time e.g. the Our Father, Hail Mary
• Spontaneous prayer


  Praying using your own words, often feeling inspired by the Holy Spirit
• Prayer postures


  • Kneeling (emphasizes respect and humility, can be a position taken when asking for God's forgiveness)
  • Raised arms (a sign of praise for God's greatness, shows a person is fully open to God)
• St Augustine on the Trinity


  Describes the Trinity as a great mystery, argues that for love to exist there must be three parts: the lover (the Father), the beloved (the Son), and the love that unites them (the Holy Spirit)
• Catherine LaCugna on the Trinity


  Focuses on the self-revelation of God and how he has shown himself in the world through his actions, believes the doctrine of the Trinity is ultimately about God's life with us and our life with each other
• Magisterium


  The authority the Pope and bishops have to shape the Catholic Church's teachings, believed to have succeeded from the Apostles
• The Nicaea-Constantinople Creed (or Nicene Creed) came from two important councils: the Council of Nicaea (325) and the Council of Constantinople (381)
• Council of Nicaea (325)


  • Confirmed that the Father and Son have always co-existed and they are both equal and of the same nature
• Council of Constantinople (381)


  • Confirmed that the Holy Spirit is also fully God and that Jesus is both fully God and fully human
• Key beliefs about the Trinity in the Nicene Creed


  • God the Father is described as all powerful and maker of all things
  • God the Son is described as sharing the same nature as the Father and becoming human in Jesus
  • God the Holy Spirit is described as the breath of God that gives life to all things
• The opening passage of the Bible (Genesis 1:1-3) describes the Spirit being involved with Creation, and God the Father bringing things into being with his Word (another title for Jesus, the Son)
• Nowhere in the Bible are the words Trinity or Triune God used but there are many passages that Christians use to show that God is one and at the same time three
• Deuteronomy 6:4 teaches that God is one
• Matthew 3:16-17 and Mark 1:9-11 show a clear belief in the Trinity, with all 3 Persons shown at once
• Galatians 4:6-7 helps explain the relationship between the Trinity and a Christian, with Christians being called God's children and having been given the Holy Spirit