God’s Revelation
Evangelization
Church
What is
Revelation?
REVELATION
etymology
Re-velare (L) i.e velum removere, signifies the
removal an impediment that veils or hinders the
sight or knowledge of something. It connotes
manifestation of something that was hidden or
unknown
Apokalypsis (Gk.) revelation of salvific truth.
What is
Revelation?
God’s self-communication
Revelation
1. God's revelation of His loving,
providential plan consists of:
- His desire to communicate Himself.
- His creation of the human persons to
become participant of His divine nature.
- His offer of salvation and the definitive
call to gather all as one family.
How did
God reveal
Himself?
2. God revealed Himself
through. . .
words human
events
What is the relationship
between words and actions?
The words
interpret the deeds
/ actions while the
deeds confirm the
words.
On interpreting actions
- When seen in a series of actions, a particular
action acquires meaning. A kiss in the context of
giving a gift, of sweet holding of hands acquires a
definite meaning.
On interpreting actions
- An action is explained by the word that interprets
and accompanies it.
A tap on the shoulder with the
words: “You did well
yesterday!” is taken as
congratulatory.
But the same action with the
words: “O ano, lalaban ka?” is
provocative.
2. God revealed Himself through
human events and words,
progressively and in stages:
- through creation
What is Creation?
“In the beginning. God created the
heavens and the earth… He created man
according to His image and likeness.”
Why did God create the world?
"The world was made for the glory of God.”
St. Bonaventure explains that God created all things
"not to increase his glory, but to show it forth and to
communicate it", for God has no other reason for
creating than his love and goodness."
What is the
GLORY OF GOD?
The glory of God consists in the
realization of the manifestation and
communication of his goodness, for which
the world was created.
2. God revealed Himself through
human events and words,
progressively and in stages:
- through creation
- through Israel,
God's Chosen
People (through
the prophets)
Why did God
choose Israel?
2. God revealed Himself through human events and
words, progressively and in stages:
- through creation
- through Israel, God's Chosen People (through the prophets)
- the salvific events
accomplished in human
experience and human culture
Why will God save His
people?
3. God brought to
completion His
self-revelation
and divine plan
of salvation by
sending His own
Son Jesus Christ:
mediator and
fullness of
Revelation.
The Son of God
enters human
history,
assumes human
life and death,
and brings the
new and
definitive
covenant
between God and
humanity.
Jesus Christ:
FINAL AND DEFINITIVE
REVELATION
4. To fulfill this divine plan,
destined for all humanity,
Jesus Christ founded the
Church, built on the
Apostles.
4. … Jesus Christ founded gave to the
apostles the Holy Spirit from the Father
and sent them to preach the Gospel to
the whole world.
The Apostles, by words, deeds and writings,
faithfully discharged this task.
The entire Church, pastors and faithful, is
responsible for its conservation and transmission.
What are the
sources of faith?
5. The integral conservation of
Revelation, the word of God
contained in Tradition and
Scripture, as well as its
continuous transmission,
are guaranteed in their
authenticity through the
Church Magisterium.
Tradition and Scripture
(from Dei Verbum 9)
Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture,
then, are bound closely together, and
communicate one with the other. For
both of them, flowing out from the same
divine well-spring, come together in
some fashion to form one thing, and
move towards the same goal…
Tradition and Scripture
(from Dei Verbum 9)
Sacred Scripture is the
speech of God as it is put
down in writing under the
breath of the Holy Spirit.
Tradition and Scripture
(from Dei Verbum 9)
Tradition
remains in its
entirety the
Word of God
which has been
entrusted to the
apostles by
Christ the Lord
and the Holy
Spirit.
Tradition and Scripture
(from Dei Verbum 9)
.
It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that,
enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully
preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their
preaching.
Tradition and Scripture
(from Dei Verbum 9)
The Church does not draw her certainty
about all revealed truths from the Holy
Scriptures alone!
Both Scripture and Tradition must be
accepted and honored with equal
feelings of devotion and reverence.
MAGISTERIUM
Magister in classical Latin
meant “master”, not only
in the sense of “school
master’ or teacher, but in
the many senses in which
a person can be a
“master”, e.g., of a ship,
of servants, of an art or
trade, etc.
Definition/Etymological Meaning of
MAGISTERIUM
Hence the word “magisterium” meant
the role and authority of one who was
a master in the various applications of
the term. In the vocabulary of the
medieval schoolmen magisterium
generally meant the role and authority
of the teacher.
Definition/Etymological Meaning of
MAGISTERIUM
In modern Catholic usage, the term
“magisterium” has come to be associated almost
exclusively with the teaching role and authority
of the hierarchy.
An even more recent development is that the
term “magisterium” is often used to refer not to
the teaching office as such, but to the body of
men who exercise this office in the Church:
namely, the pope and the bishops.
Nature and Properties of the
Magisterium
Nature
The Church was founded by Christ to continue the
redemptive mission through the mediation of the Word
to all men (LG # 1).
Christ, in establishing and fulfilling the mission, had
three messianic functions, namely, as priest, as king,
and as a prophet which the Church community
fundamentally participates in. The participation of
the ecclesial community in Christ’s messianic
function is hierarchical in nature. In carrying out the
mission of Christ, we must find the role of the
Magisterium.
Properties
The authority of serving as an instrument of
Christ, the Teacher, and the Prophet, to preach
the fullness of Christian truth to the entire
world is what we call the doctrinal authority of
the Magisterium. This includes all the rights
and privileges necessary for the effective
teaching of divine revelation and guarding
intact the deposit of faith. The Church is not
only a sociological community, but a believing
community. In order to effect this, the
doctrinal power is necessary for the Church.
Functions of the Magisterium
(Fundamental Functions):
1. Proposition of the Revelation
2. Protection of the Revelation
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all
things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the
Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were
made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the
Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he
was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance
with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of
the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his
kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is
adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for
the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the
life of the world to come. Amen.
– Corollary
While there are two fundamental functions,
there are concretely three acts involved:
• teaching, i.e., presenting the truth of
revelation through simple preaching and
documents which explain doctrines;
• interpreting ambiguous expressions; and
• judging doctrinal controversies and erroneous
opinions.
