Is there Truth? R.C.I.A

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1 R.C.I.A The Existence of God, The Meaning of Life and Prayer Review: Five Key Questions Is there Truth? Does God Exist? Is there Revelation? Is Jesus God? Did Jesus start the Catholic Church? Why Be Catholic? We can know the truth God does exist God has spoken to us Jesus Christ is God Jesus started the Catholic Church Is there Truth? The difficulty of explaining why I am a Catholic is that there are ten thousand reasons all amounting to one reason: that Catholicism is true. -GK Chesterton What is Truth? Truth is when our mind perceives and judges reality the way it exists; We see things as they really are. The truth doesn t conform to us, we conform to the truth. Seeking the truth is not about finding what works for you but finding the truth of how things really work Faith Seeking Understanding CCC 158 "Faith seeks understanding": it is intrinsic to faith that a believer desires to know better the One in whom he has put his faith, and to understand better what He has revealed; a more penetrating knowledge will in turn call forth a greater faith, increasingly set afire by love. understood." St. Augustine, I believe, in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe. 1

2 What is Faith? 150 Faith is first of all a personal adherence of man to God. At the same time, and inseparably, it is a free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed. As personal adherence to God and assent to his truth, Christian faith differs from our faith in any human person. It is right and just to entrust oneself wholly to God and to believe absolutely what he says. It would be futile and false to place such faith in a creature. Does God Really Exist? Kalam Cosmological Argument Whatever began to exist, has a cause for its coming into being The universe & time began to exist Therefore, both the universe & time have a cause for their existence Outside of time - eternal Outside of the material universe - spiritual Extremely powerful We call Him God The Kalam Cosmological Argument Time began to exist Only two options, time began or always was If time always was, there would be an infinite number of days before today It is impossible to transverse an infinite Can t count to infinity and finish So how could I get to today if I had to cover an infinite number of days to get here That doesn t make sense, so time must have a beginning Argument from Causality Everything that begins to exist has a cause for its existence a reason why it exists the way it does The universe began to exist There must be a First Cause to start everything going (aka GOD) Argument from Causality If everything is caused by something else, can there be an infinite regression of causes? No Electrical lines can t go back forever, there must be a power plant You can t borrow a lawnmower that no one owns If causality is passed down, it must have started with an uncaused Cause aka God 2

3 The Argument from Design The universe displays an amazing amount of design This intelligible order is either the product of chance or the product of design It is not random chance If there is only chance, how do we even understand order Constants of the universe are extremely fine tuned for life not chaotic Even evolution presupposes order that there is a fittest Therefore, the universe is the product of intelligent design If there is a design, must be an intelligent designer E.g. if you were find a watch on the beach you wouldn t say, oh the waves produced a watch Pascal's Wager Not sure? What is the best bet? Only two options...either believe or not believe If you believe in God If He doesn't exist live a good life & die If He does exist live a good life & heaven If you don't believe in God If He doesn't exist live a sinful life & die If He does exist live a sinful life & hell The Attributes of God God is One God is Eternal God is All-Powerful God is All-Knowing God is All-Holy and Good God is Truth God is Love Creation Creation Ex Nihilo the universe was created from nothing as a direct act by God and not using pre-existing matter Let there be light (Gen. 1:3) power of His Word God constantly holds creation in existence at every moment Expression of God s goodness and grandeur For you love all things that are and loathe nothing that you have made; for what you hated, you would not have fashioned. And how could a thing remain, unless you willed it; or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you? (Wisdom 11:24-25) Order of Creation Uncreated, Eternal, All Powerful God Not part of creation, but the Creator Angelic Realm pure spirits, no bodies They had a choice to love & serve God or not Angels are those who chose to love God Demons are those that chose to hate God Humans body & spirit, rational beings Animals living & sensing but not spiritual Plants living Inanimate objects 3

4 Copyright - Bruno Gilli/ESO - The Order of Creation Days 1-3: Creating the Form First Day: God creates day and night Second Day: God created the sky and the sea Third Day: God creates the land and the vegetation Days 4-6: Filling the Void Fourth Day: God creates the sun to rule the day and the moon to rule the night Fifth Day: God creates the birds and the fish to fill up the sky and the sea Sixth Day: God creates the beasts of the field and human beings to live on the land with its vegetation Seventh Day: God Rested It was very good God s Sabbath covenant with the universe Divine Providence By his providence God protects and governs all things which he has made, "reaching mightily from one end of the earth to the other, and ordering all things well". For "all are open and laid bare to his eyes", even those things which are yet to come into existence through the free action of creatures. Vatican Council I Dei Filius Jesus Christ is the center of human history St. John Paul II Man cannot live without love. He remains a being that is incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not participate intimately in it. This is why Christ the Redeemer fully reveals man to himself. 4

5 Creation vs. Evolution "the teaching authority of the Church does not forbid that, in conformity with the present state of human sciences and sacred theology, research and discussions... take place with regard to the doctrine of evolution, in as far as it inquires into the origin of the human body as coming from pre-existent and living matter [but] the Catholic faith obliges us to hold that souls are immediately created by God" (Pius XII, Humani Generis 36). Creation vs. Evolution The Catholic Church doesn t take a stance on how many days it took to create the world. Catholics can believe 6 days or billions of years Genesis isn t trying to be a science book, but to describe poetically that God is the Creator The Big Bang Theory was developed by a Catholic Priest, Fr. Georges Lemaitre Catholics do have to believe that God created the soul and no amount of evolution can produce a spiritual soul Also believe we come from 1 set of parents Called Monogenesis God created the world for a purpose God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Savior. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life. CCC #1 What Does This Mean God is Real God wants a relationship with you God created you for a relationship with Himself There is an infinite, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good Being who made you for Himself We need to PRAY What is the Meaning of Life? Why do I exist? What is my purpose? Why am I here? What am I supposed to be doing with my life? How can I find real happiness? What am I made for? Worldly Answers Do whatever makes you happy? Pleasure / Fun Money Important Job Fame / Celebrity Possessions Romance 5

6 We were made for more We are searching for more than this world can provide Infinite truth and goodness Looking for something to give our lives to For something that will fill our hearts A love that satisfies We are searching for The Meaning of Life is to live in communion with God St. Augustine of Hippo You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you. To me you shall be sacred; for I, the Lord, am sacred, I who have set you apart from the other nations to be my own. Leviticus 20:26 CCC #27 The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for. Gaudium et Spec #19 The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists it is because God has created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his Creator. 6

7 The Meaning of Life To know, love and serve God in this life and be with Him forever in heaven. To live in supernatural communion with God in this life and forever in the next. To be radically filled with God s own life and love and to live radically for Him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. John 17:3 What is Prayer? For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy. - St. Therese of Lisieux Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God. St. John Damascene Prayer is spending time with God Our souls need time with God Preparing for Prayer Prayer doesn t just happen, we have to make time for prayer Be very concrete and specific Where to pray? The more sacred the better but we can pray anywhere The church, a prayer corner, etc. - make a space Some place quiet with holy images helps a lot When to pray? Set a time everyday Give God your best, not just what s left over How long should I pray? Start out small (5-15 minutes and then work your way up) If you try to do too much you ll get discouraged and stop Forms of Prayer Adoration and Blessing Worship God and acknowledging His greatness Petition and Intercession Asking the Lord for forgiveness Asking good things from God for us and others Praise and Thanksgiving Giving thanks to God for His blessings Giving glory to God for being God Pattern for Prayer Praise Worship God and give Him thanks Offering Offer your day, emotions, struggles, the needs of others, etc. to God Receive Read Scripture and cherish God s Word Open your heart to receive God s graces Resources Handbook of Catholic Apologetics by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli The Journey by Peter Kreeft & strangenotions.com Prove It! God by Amy Welborn Because God is Real: Sixteen Questions, One Answer by Peter Kreeft New Proofs for the Existence of God: Contributions of Contemporary Physics and Philosophy by Robert J. Spitzer How The Catholic Church Built Western Civilization by Thomas E. Woods Jr 7