Summary of the Week and a Reflection (16th & 17th February)

The Mystery of Sin and Grace

Diana Kimberly

Grace Saves!

In last week’s class we learnt on the Account of sin Genesis 3:1-24

Sin is an offense against the will of God. The First sin of Adam and Eve which was eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil affects all relationships between humans with God, humans to humans, humans with nature and humans to one self.

The author of good is God, while that of Evil is the Adversary, Satan. When Eve was tricked by the serpent to eat from the tree of knowledge and saw that the fruit was good for food and pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she went ahead to share with Adam even after they were asked not to eat fruit from that tree by God, having eaten the fruit they realized they were naked and so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves, when they heard the voice of the  Lord God as he was walking in the garden they hid as they knew they had disobeyed his command and therefore lost perfect harmony with God and were sent out of the garden of  Eden, the lord cursed the serpent and said that all livestock and wild animals would be above it, it would crawl on its belly and eat dust all its life and that there would be enmity between man and the serpent therefore man will crush his head and the serpent would strike his heel.

The lord also cursed the woman and told her that she would be in pain in childbearing, her desire would be for her husband and he would rule over her and to Adam the lord said that because he listened to woman and disobeyed him, he would toil in pain so as to eat all the days of his life. 

The consequences of the first sin are:

i) They (Adam& Eve) lost perfect harmony / peace with God

ii) Relationships that were a source of happiness became a source of pain; therefore we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God Romans 3:23

Original sin- It is not a personal sin, it is a consequence of the first sin and the whole humanity is affected. This is a condition, wherei we are not able to redeem ourselves so as to reach God and be one with him. Romans 7:13-25

Consequences of the Original sin are “Death”, “Suffering” and “Pain”.

I) Ignorance- Lack of perfect knowledge and understanding

ii) Concupiscence- attachment to what is “pleasurable”, “love for the cross” and” love for suffering”.

iii) Weakness of will- Lack of control of what one wants to do.

iv) Malice - a inclination to what is evil.

Grace is charis in Greek meaning a gift/ a blessing.

We have various gifts given to us by God

a) Natural gifts- are freely given to us some examples are:

-Life                                          -Our talents

-Our five senses                        -Love

-Intelligence                              -Rain

b) Sanctifying grace/created habitual grace- is the divine gift put into us. It forgives/removes the original sin and all actual sin making us reconciled children of God, assisting us further by creating good habits in us. Romans 5:5; 7:25; 8:1-39

b) Actual supernatural grace- makes you holy and they are:

-The sacramental graces (Graces from Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony)

-The 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit namely:

1. Wisdom

2. Understanding

3. Counsel

4. Fortitude

5. Knowledge

6. Piety

7. Fear of the Lord

-Grace of evangelical counsels, to live a life of chastity, poverty and obedience

-Prayer- the prayers we pray daily for protection, grace to be good at what we do i.e. to be good students lectures, parents and other roles we take up.

d) Uncreated grace- Is the gift of God himself which we will experience when we go to heaven.

SUMMARY AND REFLECTION (9TH AND 10TH FEBRUARY)

THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST'S LIFE & THE MYSTERY OF THE HUMAN PERSON 

Sr. Beatrice Ndiritu

The Mysteries of Jesus & The Human Person

In the last week, lecture we looked at the mysteries of Christ life, traced his mystery in all his earthly life from the swaddling clothes of his birth to the vinegar of his passion, and shroud of his resurrection everything in his life was a sigh of his mystery. His deeds, miracles and word reviled in him the whole dwelling of God in him

The two fundamental mysteries in his life were the incarnation and his paschal mystery. By his incarnation, he becomes the sigh and instrument of his divinity and the salvation he brings to the humankind. What was visible in the earthly life leads to the invisible mystery of his divine son ship and redemptive mission. By incarnation, he became poor to enrich us in his poverty. God communicates with us by allowing us his son to our human nature though he remained God he saves us by reconciling us to God so that we may know him, have model in him for our holiness and to make us partakers of his divine nature.

Jesus life was a mystery of redemption which comes to us through the blood of his cross his mystery was at work throughout his entire life; birth, baptism, silent passion and death. The birth of Jesus on Christmas is the mystery o f the marvelous exchange whereby Mary gives to God her yes will and body and God gives her word / Jesus Lord, God gives salvation while Mary gives her humanity. Jesus hidden life is his submission to atone for our disobedient and in his deeds of miracles and word healing and exorcisms he took our infirmities and bore our diseases and by his word he purifies its hearers. By his paschal mystery (death and resurrection), he died for our sins and through his resurrection he justifies us. By his death, he showed his love, he became a curse upon himself; he paid the law of justice and fulfilled his father’s will. He paid our ransom by shedding his own blood.

  THEMYSTERY OF HUMAN PERSON.

The human person is a being at once corporeal and spiritual created in the image of God. The nature of human person is revealed in the biblical account in the book of Genesis in the two-creation account. In Genesis (1:27) God created man in the image of himself, “In the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.” It is also reflected in the second account of creation in Genesis (2:7) this biblical account expresses the reality in symbolic language when it affirms “then the lord formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils’ the breath of life”and man became a living being.”

The human body shares in the dignity of the image of God and to be of God’s image means the body is animated by a spiritual soul and it have divine image. Human beings are Gods being in that they have self-consciousness, they have self-knowledge and they are free being and have intelligent.

In conclusion, human beings are unique and they contain the unity of soul and body in a profound way. The soul is considered the form of the body as it is spiritual and the body made of matter becomes a living human body. The union of spirit and matter forms a single nature but not two natures united. Every spiritual soul is created immediately by God, it is immortal it does not perish when it separates from the body at death and it will be united with the body at the final resurrection. Man and woman contains equality and difference and in this they reflect creators wisdom and goodness

The Mystery of Jesus: Summary and Reflection (2nd & 3rd February)

The Mystery of Jesus & the Salvific Significance of His Life

Sr. Monica Ichife

The Mystery of Jesus

The word of God became flesh for the salvation of humanity, through the new eve our lady Mary the blessed virgin. The cooperation of Mary with God in the line of salvation has made man to become partaker of Jesus’ divine nature and oneness with God the father.

In the mysteries of Christ’s incarnation we understand the word was God and was made flesh as proclaimed/affirmed by Elizabeth the blood relations (cousin) of Mary when she says “blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus”(Lk1:42). Jesus as the word made flesh in his hidden life of which we understand that he identified with humanity right from his birth and childhood. He is involved in domestic and social life activities; he was submissive to his parents Joseph and Mary in obedience. And for him to be really effective he was prepared by his parents and God the father who is in absolute control of his mission.

His public ministry was ushered in with his baptism, he acted as light to the world but first he was humble enough to be baptized by john the Baptist though we earn that baptism cleanses us from original sin and Jesus is without any sin; his incarnation was by the power of the holy spirit. Hence his baptism is to show/prove his true nature as the son of God who strengthens and empowers him for the great task ahead saying after his baptism “this is my son, the beloved, He is my chosen one” (Matt3: 17). We see also his triumphant entry into Jerusalem to be a proof of his messianic kingship. For his ministry and mission to stay on he (Jesus) choose himself among his followers 12 apostles to whom he entrusted this great mission and faith with the first place given to Simon peter as the key holder to the church we have today.

The mystery of his death and resurrection was accompanied by suffering which began from Gethsemane as a perfect act of obedience; again we see this paschal mystery as in accordance with Gods plan of redemption for his humanity and Jesus’ acceptance. Though Adam and eve were the cause of mans downfall in disobedience but we see the best of the new creation in the person of Jesus as Gods mercy and compassion is experienced through him.

Jesus resurrection glorifies God because hid divinity is truly manifested in the supreme power of his name which above every other name hence all liturgical prayers conclude with the word “through Christ our lord.

In conclusion we see the lordship of Christ manifested in the lips of peter where he says, “You are the messiah, the true son of God.” Hence the uniqueness of Christ Jesus and his relationship with God the FATHER. In other words it’s an invitation for man not to submit his personal faith to any earthly power but only God the father.

The Mystery of God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit

In the second week of lectures we looked at the mystery of God, the Father Son and the Holy Spirit, one God in three persons. The Christian God is ONE, yet it is not a simple solitary One, but the communion of THREE PERSONS, the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

Who discovered this truth about God?

It was no human achievement! Instead it is Jesus Christ, the "one who is at the bosom of the Father" (Jn 1:18) who revealed to us God's inner self and His work for our salvation. Jesus called God "Father" and taught us to call Him Father. He spoke of himself as the "one sent by the Father", the one who is with the Father". Certainly his contemporaries were scandalized by his claims. He was put to death for the same reason: "He has blasphemed," they said. After the resurrection, those who believed in him, those who loved him, recognized his true identity. Thomas called him, "My Lord and my God". The Christians proclaimed their conviction that Jesus is God and many were martyred for the same reason.

Jesus, before leaving this world, promised to send the Spirit, the Paraclete, the Advocate. The Spirit did come, on the first day of the resurrection on the apostles, and on Pentecost on the whole community united with the apostles. Now they experienced the divine power within them. They recognized that the Spirit that the Lord had given them is a divine Spirit. They had no difficulty to confess, "We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord the giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father, with the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified"

So what is the our faith in the Triune God?

·         The Trinity is ONE. The divine persons do not share the one divinity among themselves but each of them is God whole and entire.

·         The divine persons are really distinct from one another: God is one, but not solitary. “Father”, “Son”, “Holy Spirit” are not simply names designating modalities of the divine being. They are distinct from on another in their relations of origin: “It is the Father who generates, the Son who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds”

·         The divine persons are relative to one another: In the relational names of the persons the Father is related to the Son, the Son to the Father, and the Holy Spirit to both.

The God in whom we believe is a PERSONAL GOD. In fact His best attributes are TRUTH and LOVE. He wants human beings to posses Him by possessing both Truth and Love in their hearts. He invites them to a relationship, to a close friendship, leading to complete union.

However we are free to accept or reject that invitation. Herein lies the mystery of the "powerlessness" of God. God may not take away the gift of freedom that has been given to us. This is why sin and evil seems to play an upper hand at times. However, God will finally bring His creation to its "Sabbath Rest", that includes salvation for all those who love Him and live according to His commandments.
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