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Lusch Introductory Theology Final Exam Concepts

Key Concepts:

Terms in this set (60)

What three major religions are monotheistic?
Islam, Judaism, and Christanity
What does it mean that the three Divine Persons of the Trinity are united?
Each person in the Trinity is fully God. God is contained in each of them. Each Person in the Trinity is engaged in the work of our salvation and acts to create us in love, redeem us, and make us holy.
What does it mean that they are distinct?
They are distinct in their origins and in how they go about the work of our salvation (know the specifics of this.)
What four reasons does the Catechism give us for the Incarnation?
The four reasons for the Incarnation are to save us by reconciling us with God, to share divine love with us, to show us how to be holy, and to enable us to share in God's divine nature. Jesus fulfilled each of these throughout his work and during his time on earth.
What are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit? (You don't need to memorize, just recognize.)
- Knowledge
- Wisdom
- Reverence/Piety
- Wonder and Awe/Fear of the Lord
- Understanding
- Right Judgement/Counsel
- Courage/Fortitude
What were the two main types of heresies about Jesus in the early church?
One type of Christological heresy stated that Jesus was a creature higher than humans but less than God (not fully divine.) Another type questioned his humanity. The Nicene Creed put these heresies to rest by stating our belief that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine.
Why do we use the title "Mother of God" to refer to Mary?
Because she is the mother of Jesus, who is God. She is "Theotokos," or "God-bearer."
In what ways can the Trinity be a model for human relationships?
The Trinity is a dynamic trio of Persons who live together in love and unity. They endlessly reach out with grace, compassion, and mercy to all humanity. We are called to love within our communities and to reach out to others with grace, compassion, and mercy.
Throughout history humans have been seeking God. Why do we have that inborn tendency?
We have this inborn tendency because God has planted in our hearts the desire for him. We have been created to love God and to be in communion with him. St. Augustine said, "You have made us for yourself, Oh God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you."
What is salvation history?
The pattern of specific salvific events in human history that reveal God's presence and saving actions. Salvation history is recorded in Scripture.
What sources of information can assure us that God really exists?
Sacred Scripture is one source of information in which we can assure God truly exists. The Scripture was written by the disciples through the Holy Spirit and therefore is a reliable source to witness God. Other believers are another source of information to assure us God really exists. Other believers such as martyrs and saints have lived faith filled lives because they believed in God. They challenge us to consider our own doubts. Reason and conscience are other sources of information given to us by God so that we are able to explore and question our faith further.
What is theodicy?
Human attempts to answer the question that if God is all powerful and good, how can there be so much suffering in the world?
What are the key elements of the Catholic approach to theodicy?
Catholics believe all natural disasters are not punishment from God or sign of his divine anger, but rather they are simply parts of nature. Humans continue to commit sins because God created us with free will. God understands our suffering because God experienced suffering as a human person, and is always with us. We have hope in the Paschal Mystery.
What is significant about Christianity's being rooted In Judaism?
Jesus is Jewish. Our religion comes out of Judaism.
Name two primary ways that the Church passes on Revelation and explain how these ways are related.
Scripture and capital T tradition
Explain the difference between Tradition (capital T) and tradition (small t).
Tradition with a capital T is the process of passing on God's authoritative Revelation in the Church. It is also a living process, is never ending, and can never be altered. However, tradition with a lowercase t refers to a custom. They can also be changed over time.
What is the attitude of the Church toward other religions?
The Church wants to seek unity with other religions. The Church has expressed how they hold other religions in high regard through the Declaration on the Relation on the Church and Non-Christian Religions. Pope John Paul II used interreligious dialogue with the Jewish community.
What can we learn from the lives of the saints? How can they help us?
From the saints, we can learn to make wise choices that put our faith into action despite difficult circumstances. We can learn to have patience, courage, and wisdom. The saints teach us to be faithful and trust in God.
How can we use God's gift of intellect to know God better?
We can use intellect to understand our faith more fully. We use intellect to study Scripture, read about the lives of saints, learn the history of Church teachings, and engage in other efforts related to our faith.
What is the Incarnation?
God becoming human in the world
Describe two unique roles that Jesus, as God Made Flesh, fulfills.
He took on the roles of Revealer and Mediator. Jesus revealed God the Father to us and he is the mediator, or bridge, between humanity and heaven.
What does it mean that we are able to share in the divine life of God?
We are drawn into communion with the Trinity. We are profoundly united with God through our Baptism and through our participation in the other sacraments. After death we will experience the Beatific Vision.
Name some examples from Scripture that illustrate that Jesus experienced both the blessings and the frustration of life.
Jesus experienced good times on earth such as when he attended the wedding at Cana. He also had friends, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, whom he had dinner with. Jesus enjoyed the gift of friendship. Jesus also experienced some bad times while on earth as well. For example, he suffered hunger, thirst, and temptation when he fasted in the desert. He also was in pain emotionally and physically when he was crucified.
How did the Roman rule in Palestine affect Jesus and the Jewish community?
During the life of Jesus, the pressure of Roman rule was strongly present. Their rule was harsh and oppressive and their religion was polytheistic and also included the emperor as a god. Jesus barely escaped the hands of Herod at his birth. Also, he associated with tax collectors and other people who were frowned upon by society. Jesus challenged Roman society by preaching the opposite of what they taught. He reached out to women and the sick. By doing this, he was in constant conflict with political and religious leaders.
What is the hypostatic union?
The union of Jesus' divine and human natures in one divine person.
Describe the significance of Pentecost for the Church.
God gives the Holy Spirit to the community soon to be known as the church
What are the four characteristics, or marks, of the Church? What does each tell us about the Church?
The four marks of the Church are One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. One symbolizes that the Church is one is the Lord, we are in one faith, and we are in one baptism. The Church is holy because Christ is unfailingly holy. The Church is catholic, or universal, because Christ is forever present in the Church and it is unified under Christ and because the Church has a mission to spread Jesus' word to everyone. The Church is apostolic because it constantly strives to pass down the teachings of the Apostles to their successors.
What three categories are often used to classify the seven sacraments
Christian Initiation: baptism, confirmation, Eucharist
Healing: anointing of the sick, penance and reconciliation
Service of Communion: matrimony, holy orders
Name four ways that Jesus is present in a celebration of the Eucharistic liturgy.
Assembly
Priest
The Word
The Eucharist
What does the Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence mean?
It means that the elements still taste and look like bread and wine, but they are actually the Body and Blood of Christ.
What are the vocations through which Christians share in the ministry of Christ?
Ordained ministry, laity, consecrated life. (Consecrated life is also known as religious life.)
Describe the gifts of intellect and free will and explain how God wants us to use them.
Intellect means to be able to think, to reason logically, to learn about the world around us, to make wise decisions, and to think about the consequences of our actions. With intellect God calls us to use it to pursue the truths of divine wisdom which will lead us to God. Free will means we are able to make our own decisions without being forced. God wants us to use free will to make wise decisions which we bring us into a closer relationship with him.
In what ways did Jesus model love?
He performed miracles, healed people, treated all with dignity (including those that society overlooked or excluded), and forgave those who were responsible for his death.
How does Jesus want us to love?
Jesus wants us to love everyone including our enemies through the good times and the bad. We should love people even at the expense of our own happiness or comfort.
In what ways does stewardship describe the relationship humans have with the earth?
Stewardship says we are never to exploit creation or use it for our benefit only. We must safeguard creation to acknowledge its goodness and preserve it for future generations. Creation is a gift to us from God which we must care for.
God created humans good, so why do we need redemption?
We need redemption because of the Fall, which was Original Sin committed by Adam and Eve. This does not make us born with sin but rather makes us inclined to sin and therefore in need of redemption.
What is the significance that a person is "not just something, but someone"?
It means we cannot treat people as objects or use them for our own purposes. Such abuse of human persons is a grave violation of the dignity God has given them.
What is the consistent ethic of life?
The reverence for and protection of human life held by Catholics. This ethic applies to life in all its stages—at its very beginning, at its very end, and at every point in between
Explain why abortion and euthanasia are wrong.
They are wrong because the Catholic Church believes in reverence towards and protection for human life from the moment of conception until natural death.
What are the Beatitudes?
They are teachings of Jesus that present us with a specific vision of the happiness God desires for us. They proclaim certain people to be blessed.
What new relationships are given to us in Baptism?
Baptism gives us a new relationship with God. We become God's adopted children. Baptism also gives us a new relationship with other believers.
What are some symbols in the sacrament of Baptism and in the funeral liturgy?
Some symbols in Baptism are water, oil, light, and the white garment. Some symbols in funeral liturgies are holy water, the white funeral pall, the Paschal candle, and incense.
What do the parables of the Friend at Midnight and the Persistent Widow teach us about prayer?
The Friend at Midnight teaches us that our prayers should be persistent and courageous. The Persistent Widow teaches us that we should pray without becoming weary. We should be persistent in prayer.
Recognize the Beatitudes.
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land.
Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
What are the traditional practices of Lent?
Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
What did Jesus teach through the parables? (This is not about specific parables, but what they are about in general.)
Parables are stories that use metaphors based in daily life to convey religious truths. The parables often contain a twist to shock us into thinking differently about ourselves, the world, or God. Through the parables, Jesus taught us to confront ourselves, examine our priorities, and to make difficult choices.
What are the Greatest Commandments?
You shall love God above all else. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
How do the Ten Commandments relate to the Greatest Commandments?
The Ten Commandments provide some insight into the specifics of how we are to live out the Greatest Commandments. The first three commandments focus on how we are to love God. Commandments four through ten focus on how we are to love our neighbor.
Spiritual Works of Mercy
Share knowledge
Give advice to those who need it
Comfort those who suffer
Forgive those who hurt you
Correct those who need it
Pray for the living and the dead
Corporal Works of Mercy
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Shelter the homeless
Clothe the naked
Care for the sick
Help the imprisoned
Bury the dead
What are the theological virtues?
Faith, hope, and love (charity)
Why are faith and religion inseparable?
Faith is the surrender of our whole selves to God's saving love and religion is the practice of prayer, worship, and service, and the shared beliefs that result from surrendering ourselves to God's love. Put another way, faith is our relationship of God and religious practices are ways of expressing that relationship.
What are ways to nourish faith?
We can read the Scriptures regularly and prayerfully. We can engage ourselves in acts of charity and works of justice. We can seek support of other believers. We can ask God to increase our faith.
Who initiates the relationship with God?
God initiates the relationship with us.
Where can we find examples of faith to model?
Biblical figures in the Old and New Testaments, Saints, and Martyrs.
What are the psalms?
Prayers in the Old Testament, originally intended to be sung.
What is prayer?
Prayer is a being active in the relationship in which we are engaged in a personal, vital, and intimate connection with God. Prayer is a reciprocal call between God and his people.
What can the Lord's Prayer teach us about God and ourselves?
God is our father and we are his children. it teaches us about our relationship with God
Why do Catholics pray to Mary and the saints?
We ask Mary and the saints to pray for us and to intercede for us. We venerate them which means to show honor, respect, and devotion.
Who initiates the relationship with God?
God initiates the relationship with us.
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