THE CATECHISM ON READING SACRED SCRIPTURE
I. CHRIST - THE UNIQUE WORD OF SACRED SCRIPTURE
101 In order to reveal himself to men, in the condescension of his goodness God speaks to them in human words: "Indeed the words of God, expressed in the words of men, are in every way like human language, just as the Word of the eternal Father, when he took on himself the flesh of human weakness, became like men."63
102 Through all the words of Sacred Scripture, God speaks only one single Word, his one Utterance in whom he expresses himself completely:64
You recall that one and the same Word of God extends throughout Scripture, that it is one and the same Utterance that resounds in the mouths of all the sacred writers, since he who was in the beginning God with God has no need of separate syllables; for he is not subject to time.65
103 For this reason, the Church has always venerated the Scriptures as she venerates the Lord's Body. She never ceases to present to the faithful the bread of life, taken from the one table of God's Word and Christ's Body.66
104 In Sacred Scripture, the Church constantly finds her nourishment and her strength, for she welcomes it not as a human word, "but as what it really is, the word of God".67 "In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children, and talks with them."68
EARLY WORLD: GENESIS 1- 11
PART I: GENRE
A. A unique type of literature: poetry, not science; "why" not "how."
1. CCC 390: Genesis 3 uses figurative language, but affirms...a deed that took place at the beginning of the history of man."
B. Genesis 1 - 11 as "anti-myth"; in contrast to Enuma Elish, Babylonian creation myth.
1. God alone is king.
2. Mankind created in his image as sons and daughters.
II. CREATION
A. Creation of the earth: God builds a dwelling place for us and him.
1. "The earth was without form and void" (Genesis 1:1)
GOD BRINGS FORM |
GOD FILLS THE VOID |
B. Creation of humanity (Genesis 1-2): How are we different from animals?
1. Has an immortal soul
2. Created in God's image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-31) (CCC, 356-57, 364)
a. intellect - the ability to use REASON:
our own God-given ability to use our minds to make logical sense of the world around us: to think, interpret, understand, & make judgements
b. Free will (ability to act; governed by the intellect)
c. capacity to love (St. John Paul II, the Trinity is a family)
d. Dominion over animals and earth (name; till and keep)
3. Created male and female (creation of woman - Gen. 2:18-25)
C. Two complementary stories (Brichto: "synoptic-resumptive" technique)
D. The seventh day (Genesis 2:1-3)
1. Seventh day breaks from pattern of repetition: it has no end
2. The Sabbath day is holy, represents divine rest (Mark 2:27 - created for man)
3. Man created on the 6th day but for the seventh day
4. meaning of 6 in the Bible - the number of incompletion - we are incomplete
without prayer to God. The stronger our relationship with God, the more complete we are.
5. "Seven" = Sheva, shava - to swear an oath (therefore related to covenant, Hebrew, berit. )
a. CCC, 51 - We were created to share in God's divine life.
III. Test and Temptation (Genesis 3)
A. The nature of the test
1. The prohibition
2. Who was the serpent (nahash)? (See Revelation 12:9, CCC 390-395)
3. How he lures them (Genesis 3:1-5; CCC 398)
B. The key: Do you trust God? (CCC 397) - Sin is lack of trust in his goodness.
IV. Fall and Promise (Genesis 3)
A. Results of the Fall (Genesis 3:7-13)
1. Immediate consequences: ruptured relationships (CCC 400; Romans 7:15)
2. Intellect darkened; will weakened.
3. Result: concupiscence (CCC 405)
B. Why do we sin?
1. St. Augustine: out of an inordinate desire for things, we prefer a lesser good
2. The pursuit of natural goods can lead us to live as though God does not exist
3. Three-fold temptation to sensual lust, worldly greed, pride (1 John 2:16)
4. St. John Paul II: Sin is "a suicidal act," and one's "internal balance is destroyed"; "it's first and most important consequences...are in his relationship with God"
C. What to do when sin stalks us
1. Resist temptation (2 Timothy 2:22)
2. If you sin, repent, go to confession, do penance
3. The result if you do not repent
4. Romans 2:4 - God's kindness is meant to lead us to repentence
V. God has a plan: " The first Good News," Protoevangelium (Genesis 3:15)
THE NEW ADAM & THE NEW EVE
ADAM |
JESUS |
EVE |
MARY |