Catholic Christianity: Redemption

Question 1

What is Salvation?

Answer 1

Being saved from sin and eternal separation from God

Question 2

What was the Church Architecture like Pre 1965?

Answer 2

• Altar was at the front of the church
• Facing Jerusalem
• Mass was in Latin
• Church in cross shape
• Priest faces away from congregation

Question 3

What is the Church Architecture like Post 1965?

Answer 3

• Churches built around the altar
• Altar brought forward to bring the congregation closer
• Mass in local language
• Priest faces congregation

Question 4

What happens at the start of the mass?

Answer 4

• Catholics come together to offer worship. Together they form the Body of Christ on earth
• At the start of the mass, Catholics apologise to God and each other for the sins that separate them
• This strengthens unity, making people “at one” with God and with one another as they accept that God has forgiven and redeemed them

Question 5

What happens during the Readings at mass?

Answer 5

• Catholics are reminded of how God has guided his people throughout the years
• In the Gospel readings, Jesus demonstrates through his words and actions how God loves, heals, restores and forgives people

Question 6

What happens during the Eucharist at mass?

Answer 6

• Offertory
• Consecration
• Communion

Question 7

What happens during Offertory?

Answer 7

• People present bread (the hosts) and wine to God as a sign of thanksgiving

Question 8

What happens during Consecration?

Answer 8

• The Eucharistic prayer is read which reflects the words of Jesus at the last supper.
• “Take this all of you and eat of it, for this is my body, this is the blood of the new and eternal covenant which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins”

Question 9

Explain the Eucharistic prayer

Answer 9

• The action of breaking the bread and pouring the wine symbolises the death of Jesus, which he accepted for the sake of humanity
• Jesus’ command to eat and drink makes his followers sharers in the offering that he made to the Father on the cross
• The command to eat emphasises that Catholics join in a celebratory meal that binds them to each other and to God in Christ
• Blood of the “new covenant” symbolises how the new promise between god and humans is different to the old one, Jesus seals the covenant with his blood and therefore it will never end or be broken

Question 10

What happens in the Our Father?

Answer 10

• Through Christ’s redemption believers are allowed to call God “father”. At this point in the mass they say the prayer that Christ has taught, the “Our Father”

Question 11

What happens in communion?

Answer 11

Believers receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ, through this action:

• Believers are brought closer to Christ
• They are given the power and grace to resist the temptation to sin
• Jesus’ words are remembered - “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day”

Question 12

What happens at the End of mass?

Answer 12

• After a period of silent prayer reflection on the gift received in the Eucharist, Catholics go out into the world, and through their daily actions, sharing the presence of Christ that they received in the Eucharist with everyone that they meet

Question 13

What is Conscience?

Answer 13

• The voice of God in peoples hearts, guiding them to make the right choices
• The more someone ignores their conscience the more they go against what they feel is right

Question 14

What does Conscience made up of “Natural instincts” mean?

Answer 14

• People instinctively know the right thing to do through Natural Law

Question 15

What does Conscience “needs to be educated” mean?

Answer 15

• The conscience needs to be shaped and developed so we interpret it correctly, we can do this by listening to others, especially church teachings (Bible, Magisterium, Tradition)

Question 16

What is the Lectern?

Answer 16

• A reading stand which the Bible is proclaimed
• It is a prominent place for all to see and hear from
• Christ is truly present when the word of God is proclaimed as he is the “Word of God”

Question 17

What is the Altar?

Answer 17

• A place for sacrifice where the bread and wine
  are offered
• It is at the front of the Church for all to observe the consecration
• At every mass the words of Jesus are repeated and Christ is truly present on the altar offering himself to the Father on behalf of humanity
• God the Father, through the Holy Spirit, offers the Body and Blood of Christ in communion to strengthen the lives and faiths of believers

Question 18

What is the Crucifix?

Answer 18

• A model or image of a cross with Jesus dying in pain on it
• A reminder that Jesus suffered for our sins and rebuilt the relationship between God and Humans
• Emphasises Jesus’ suffering and inspires thankfulness and gratitude

Question 19

What is the Tabernacle?

Answer 19

• A small cupboard where the consecrated bread and wine are kept after the mass
• It shows that Christ is always caring for us and shows the new relationship between God and humans
• People can pray in front of the Tabernacle, creating a deep sense of peace as Christ is still there caring for them in the Consecrated Bread and Wine
• It also saves the Eucharist for those who cannot attend mass due to illness or other arrangements, in this way they can stay empowered by Christ

Question 20

What is a Table?

Answer 20

• Some churches have a table at Mass as a re-enactment of the Last Supper, when Jesus ate with his disciples around a table

Question 21

What is a Cross?

Answer 21

• An empty cross emphasises Christ’s victory over death

- Jesus is not on the cross as he has risen from the dead

Question 22

What is Risen Christ?

Answer 22

• Focuses on Christ as the risen glorified saviour, this emphasises the importance of Jesus’ resurrection and his victory over death

Question 23

What are the 4 ways that Christ is present in the Eucharist:

Answer 23

1) The consecrated bread
2) God’s word proclaimed in the Bible readings
3) The priest acting in “persona christi” (through whom Christ works, especially in consecration)
4) The worshippers as the body of Christ - “when 2 or more are gathered in my name, I am there”

Question 24

When did salvation take place in the past?

Answer 24

Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension made it possible for people to enter heaven as they have been dreed form sin and death

Question 25

When does salvation take place in the present?

Answer 25

• People choose whether to accept or reject salvation (by following Jesus’ teachings) - therefore sin has to exist
• The holy spirit guides people towards salvation

Question 26

When does Salvation take place in the Future?

Answer 26

• Salvation will be completed at the end of time - sin and death will be completely destroyed and all believers will share in the Glory of Christ

Question 27

What metaphor does St Anselm use to describe salvation?

Answer 27

• St Anselm uses the metaphor of “slavery”
• Anselm says that after the fall, humans became slaves to sin
• Jesus paid a ransom for the sins of all humans with his life (sacrifice)

Question 28

What metaphor does St Irenaeus use to describe salvation?

Answer 28

• St Irenaeus used the metaphor “the tree of the cross”
• The tree (in the garden of Eden) created the need for salvation, it causes the broken relationship between God and humans
• The tree (the cross) brought salvation for all (through Jesus’ death), it restores the relationship between God and humanity

Question 29

What is the Criticism of Anselm’s metaphor?

Answer 29

It may indicate there may be something greater than God as it involves Christ paying a ransom to someone

Question 30

What is the Criticism of Irenaeus’s metaphor?

Answer 30

It is based on interpretations of Genesis that may simply be regarded as a myth

Question 31

Why did Jesus have to come? [Free Will and Sin]

Answer 31

• Adam and Eve changed from obedience to God to disobedience by eating forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden
• This is the fall of men. Due to the fall of men human’s are born with the tendency to commit sin (original sin).
• God gave humans free will as he wanted them to choose to follow him, but people misuse their free will - so sin has to exist
• Jesus came to earth, taking the human condition, to restore the relationship between God and Humans

Question 32

What is the Anglican Christian understanding of the Eucharist?

Answer 32

• The bread and wine do not liberally become the body and blood of Christ, rather the bread “symbolises” Christ’s body and the wine “symbolises” his blood
• Christ is present in the community that shares in the Eucharist rather than Eucharist itself

Question 33

What is the Quakers understanding of the Eucharist?

Answer 33

• Do not celebrate any form of Eucharist
• They believe that Christ is present through their prayers and actions - when they serve God and other people
• They do not celebrate any form of sacrament as they believe that the whole of life is a sacrament

Question 34

What is the Catholic understanding of the Eucharist?

Answer 34

• Catholics believe that the mass is the “source and summit” of Christian life
• The source - receiving the Eucharist gives spiritual strength and offering mass fulfils the commandments to keep the sabbath day holy
• The summit - The Mass re-enacts Christs sacrifice. The most important event in Christianity, so it is the highest form of prayer

Christians believe that bread and wine become the actual Body and Blood of Christ, Christians cannot live the full life that Jesus wants

Question 35

What is the Orthodox Christians understanding of the Eucharist?

Answer 35

• Like Catholics, the Orthodox Church believe that the bread and wine becomes the actual Body and Blood of Christ
• However the consecration takes place behind iconostasis as it is too holy to be seen by the congregation
• The iconostasis is a screen dividing the altar from the congregation

Question 36

What is the the Nonconformist Christians understanding of the Eucharist?

Answer 36

• Non-conformist Christians are protestant Christians who do not follow the rules of a central authority, unlike Catholics and Anglicans. Examples include Baptists and Methodists
• They believe that the Eucharist is to remember the last supper but not to re-enact it. For them the Bible is the most central part of worship - Christ is present in the word of God

Question 37

What is Benediction/ Eucharistic Adoration?

Answer 37

• A short service in which the real presence of Christ is adored and praised.
• The consecrated bread is put on display in a “monstrance” and lifted.
• The incense burnt symbolises prayers going to God
• It does not take place during mass but is a separate service

Question 38

What is “Agnus Dei” and Explain it.

Answer 38

• “Agnus Dei” means Lamb of God
• The last supper was a Passover meal that celebrated the Jew’s escape from Egypt. Passover meals remember how God ordered the Jews to eat a lamb and smear the blood on their door. The lamb was a sacrifice that saved the Jews
• For Christians Jesus is the new “Lamb of God”. His death and blood destroyed sin and death. All people have been saved by the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God.

Question 39

What happens when the Words of Institution are Said ?

Answer 39

• When these words are said, the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ.
• The bread and wine look the same but in reality there’s changes
• This is shown in the words “this is my body”
• By taking Christ’s Body and Blood, his followers are able to share in redeeming the effects of his death and resurrection.

Question 40

What does Acts 1:6 - 11 show us?

Answer 40

• Before Jesus ascended to heaven, Jesus told his disciples they would be witnesses “to the ends of the earth”.
• They were redeeming Jesus’ work on earth. Jesus expected the disciples to continue spreading teachings once he was gone, so all could accept and share his redemption.
• After Jesus ascended to heaven, two angels told the disciples he would return in the future. Jesus will complete the redemption of the world at the end of time, when sin and death will be completely defeated.

Question 41

What does Acts 2:1 - 4 show us?

Answer 41

• On the day of Pentecost, the apostles were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.
• The holy spirit then gave the apostles the courage and ability to go into the world and teach people about Jesus, so they could accept his redemption.

Question 42

What does the passage of John 20:1 - 18 show?

Answer 42

• When Jesus first appeared to Mary after his resurrection, she didn’t immediately recognise him
• Suggests Jesus, while physically present, was different.
• He entered new creation. Reflects the idea that redemption changed creation making it more perfect.

Question 43

How is Jesus a restorer in the Bible?

Answer 43

• His death restored the relationship between God and humanity.
• Mark tells how (after Jesus died) the holy temple in Jerusalem the veil that separated the holiest part of the temple from the rest tore in two.
• This shows that Jesus’ death broke down the barrier between God and Humanity.

Question 44

How is Jesus a victor in the Bible?

Answer 44

• Mark shows how Jesus experienced pain, death and suffering as a human.
• By bringing the presence of God into these experiences, Jesus was victorious over them.
• He made it possible for all people to share in the final defeat of suffering and death.

Question 45

How do we see Redemption and salvation in the liturgy?

Answer 45

• In the Mass, Christ’s offerings of himself to the Father on the cross is re-enacted. Catholics also offer themselves up with Christ.
• Through receiving Holy Communion, Catholics receive the Body and Blood of Christ. Christ enters their lives to give them grace and strength to resist sin.
• Mass is a chance to experience what the heavenly banquet will be like.