Theological Presuppositions

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Theological Presuppositions

• for
• Celebrating Sacraments

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1. There is a God.

• God is transcendent goes beyond all limits
  (space, time, etc.) Creator of all material
  things and spiritual beings
  
• God is not a being, but rather God is source of
  all being.
  
• The existence of God can not be proven or
  disproved.
  
• The idea God, is an example of human
  transcendence.
  
• Belief in God is a matter of faith, and is not
  without reason.

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2. The ultimate one word to sum up who God is
comes from John.

• Whoever does not love does not know God, for God
  is love. - 1 John 48
  
• What is your image of God?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?

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Some Common Images of God

• What is your image of God?
• Santa Clause
• Sugar Daddy
• Aspirin
• Policeman
• Clock maker
• Hands off, alien visitor
• This course could help you re-image how you see
  God.

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3. Catholic Christians believe Jesus Christ is
the Word of God.

• God loved his human creation so much, God decided
  to become one of us.
  
• Therefore, to know God, we
• Must know Jesus
• Need to know genuine love
• Must chose our words and actions carefully
• Need to remember that our actions speak louder
  than our words

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4. Jesus taught us to love in the fullest way
possible.

• Jesus showed his own extraordinary relationship
  with God the Father when he called God, Abba
  (Daddy).
  
• Jesus entire life (being) was open to the
  Fathers love. God offers the same love to each
  of us.
  
• Humans often turn away from God in word and/or
  action, but Jesus remained faithful.

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5. Christ died, is Risen, is with us always, and
will come again.

• Though Jesus left the earth in his resurrected
  bodily form at the Ascension, he promised, I
  will never leave you orphans, I will be with you
  always.
• Returned to God the Father, Jesus and the Father
  sent their Holy Spirit into the world.
  
• It is through the Gift of the Spirit that Jesus
  remains ever present in the world.

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6. Jesus is with us through the loving witness of
His true disciples.

• Those who put Christs words into action are in
  fact witnesses to Christ. We are his hands and
  feet in the world.
  
• Others will know about God and his love by the
  way we love one another and how we love strangers
  and any type of outcasts.
  
• As children of Adam and Eve we too are outcasts,
  and God has shown us his love.
  
• Strict disciples of Christ do not return evil for
  evil.

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7. The Church is a visible sign of the living
presence of Christ.

• We are the People of God.
• We are the Church, the body of Christ.
• We are guided by the Holy Spirit who lives within
  us and does not leave us orphans.
  
• The Church is a great Mystery. People make
  mistakes, so the Church has not always made
  Christ as visible to the world as we would like.
  
• The Spirit works through the hierarchy of the
  Church to keep the Churchs body of teachings
  free from blasphemy.

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8. Authentic Humanity shows the genuine presence
of God.

• God is found wherever there is genuine love,
  truth, and justice.
  
• God is not limited to Christians.
• Gods love is found in all human beings,
  especially when they genuinely love one another
  as God loves us
  
• All human beings are created in the image and
  likeness of God and have an infinite capacity for
  love.
  
• Authentic love is marked by compassion, justice,
  mercy, and self-sacrifice.
  

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Discussion Questions

• What are some reasons God might be said to love
  the poor more than his other children in the
  world?
  
• If God loves the poor so much, why doesnt God
  simply end their suffering and immediately make
  them rich, independent, or self-sufficient?
  
• Gods biggest miracle is causing everything to
  remain in being, so to what degree does God cause
  any single thing to be this particular way or
  that particular way at any given moment?