USCCA Chapter Notes USCCA Chapter: 8 CCC Paragraph Reference: CCC #517-664 The Paschal Mystery, Unity of the Saving Deeds. Doctrinal Premise. What is the underlying truth behind the doctrine of this chapter? Connecting it to Christ, summarize the chapter in 1-2 sentences. Out of love, Jesus died for us, showing total obedience to the Father, even to the point of death. In the Resurrection, Jesus confirms all that He did and said and guarantees His power over death. Three questions adults might have about this topic. What life-issues do I need to connect with in the people at my session? 1. Did Jesus have to die for my sins to save me? If so, why would God allow Himself to be killed by His creatures, especially in such a violent manner? 2. If Jesus died for my sins, why do I have to do good? 3. How is the Paschal Mystery both a historical and a transcendent event? Three Points from the Story of Faith/Testimony. How is the underlying truth taught in this chapter brought to life? Person of Faith: Sr. Thea Bowman 1. Bertha J. Bowman in 1937 in Canton, MI. She was the daughter of a physician and a school teacher. She went to school in Wisconsin run by the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration and was deeply influenced by their spirituality, becoming Catholic at the age of ten. Six years later she became a religious sister in the congregation, taking the name Thea. 2. She taught from 1958 until her death in 1990. She was a great storyteller that richly voiced the cultural heritage of African Americans. She shared the Gospel and the gifts of black America with all who would listen. 3. Sr. Theo suffered for many years with bone cancer. She embraced the cross of Christ with courage and conviction of her faith in the redemptive nature of suffering. She challenged those in Church leadership to increase the educational opportunities for those in the African American community. Through the bearing of the cross of her illness, she was a witness to the mystery of Christ. Essential Points from the Teaching Section. Add in sub-points as needed. What points need to be made explicit and cannot be left to chance? 1
1. The Cross stands at the center of the mission of Jesus. a. Jesus foreshadowed His death and Resurrection with His apostles. b. Jesus taught His disciples of the importance of carrying one s cross. c. Jesus taught that the greatest love we can have for one another is to die for the other. Jesus models this love for us by His very death. d. To save us from sin and its effects, Jesus experienced all aspects of human life, including suffering and death, without sinning Himself. 2. On the Cross, Jesus freely gave His life for us. a. After a brutal torture, Jesus physically died on the Cross. b. Jesus offered His life as a sacrifice, an act of atonement to make us one with the Father. c. Jesus sacrifice is an act of satisfaction or reparation for sin. d. Jesus sacrifice is an expiation for sin in which God takes the initiative in reconciling us to Him. e. Historically, the Jewish authorities handed Jesus over to the Romans, who crucified Him. f. Because of our sin, we are all responsible for the death of Jesus. g. After His death, the Apostles Creed professes that Jesus descended into hell, calling the righteous who lived before Him to enter into the glory of Heaven. 3. Through His Resurrection, Christ conquers death and promises us the Resurrection of our own bodies. All four Gospels, along with testimony from St. Paul s letters, provide us with the events surrounding Jesus Resurrection. a. The Resurrection of Jesus is a real, historical event that took place at a specific date and time. Over five hundred people saw the Risen Christ, many of whom faced a martyr s death for this belief. b. The Resurrection is a transcendent event, an event of supernatural origin. His disciples were able to touch Him and eat with Him, yet Jesus could pass through walls, without being confined by time. 2
c. If Jesus had not risen, our faith would mean nothing. His Resurrection guarantees everything He said and taught. d. The Paschal Mystery culminates in Jesus Ascension into heaven, 40 days after His Resurrection. 4. In heaven, Jesus intercedes and prays for us at the right hand of the Father. 5. At the end of time, Jesus will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. Scriptural Foundation. List the two to three primary Scripture passages that support the teaching. How is this teaching rooted in the saving events of Scripture? 1. Read the accounts of Jesus passion, death and resurrection in the four Gospels. 2. Matthew 16:21. From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. 3. Luke 9:23. Then he said to all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 4. John 12:24. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. 5. John 15:13. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. 6. Matthew 28:6. 3
He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7. 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; 12-14. 3 For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; 4 that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures; 5 that he appeared to Kephas, then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me. 12 But if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some among you say there is no Resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no Resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then empty (too) is our preaching; empty, too, your faith. 8. Acts 1:9. When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. Relationship to Culture. What does the USCCA both challenge and affirm in our culture? Affirmations of US Culture: Nothing specific from this chapter. Challenges to US Culture: Since the time of the Apostles, the Resurrection of Jesus has been contested and denied. Thousands of Christians at this time died over their belief in Christ s bodily resurrection. In our culture, many continue to doubt and deny the historicity of Jesus Resurrection. These theories plague television documentaries and the internet. Additional Questions for Discussion. Given what the USCCA has in its discussion questions, are there other questions to add to further the discussion? 4
1. Read over the accounts of the passion and death of Jesus in the four Gospels. Describe the evidence that points toward a physical death of Jesus on the cross, as opposed to the hypothesis that says Jesus was faking death or almost dead. 2. Read over the accounts of the Resurrection of Christ in the four Gospels. What evidence and clues point toward the bodily Resurrection of Christ? Given the Gospel accounts, describe the characteristics of the resurrected body of Jesus. Action/Ritual to add with the meditation/prayer. How can you help the participant respond to Christ s invitation given in this chapter? Invite participants to end by praying through the Stations of the Cross, such as the one on the USCCB website at http://www.usccb.org/nab/stations.htm. 5