I BELIEVE IN ONE MODULE 1

GOD

Names: _____________________________________________________________

Course and Block: _____________________________________________________________

Instructor/Professor: ______________________________________________________________

Date: ______________________________________________________________

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The first module is an introductory lesson that gives an overview on the contents of IO-RE2
(Fundamental Theology). Since the Religious Education courses in the University are considered
Institutional Courses, they function not only as academic courses, but also as the primary avenues
for the University to preach the Word of God thereby forming its students into the Catholic faith,
values, and ideals. In this way, the Center for Religious Education, through its RE classes, supports
the university in the realization of its vision to become a Christ-centered educational community.

The modules are catechetical in nature, which means, each module is an education in faith of the
students in an organic and systematic way with a view to initiating the hearers into the fullness of
Christian life (Catechesi Tradendae, 18). However, the RE instructors are free to apply teaching
strategies and approaches that deemed necessary for the specific group of students to attain the
objectives. The instructors may use various approaches like the following: teacher-centered;
learner-centered; subject matter-centered; interactive; banking approach; constructivist;
disciplinal; integrative; individualistic; collaborative; direct and indirect; and so on. With the
present situations and contexts of the learners, various philosophy of education may also be used
like the following: idealism; realism; perennialism; essentialism; existentialism; constructivism;
social reconstructionism; behaviorism; empiricism; humanism, and so on.

In any event, RE instructors are highly encouraged to be creative in their delivery and execution
of the lessons in each module. Regardless of the approaches, philosophies and strategies they use,
they should ensure that the objectives are attained at the end of each module.

In this module, the students are introduced to the concept of fundamental theology, its nature,
description, and definition. The coverage and limitation of the course are also given. It also gives
the short overview of the Salvation History, contents of the catholic faith, creed, and sacraments.
Opening Prayer

and take from me the

double darkness in Which l
have been born,
In the name of an obscurity of both sin and
the Father, and ignorance.
of the Son, and
of the Holy Give me a sharp sense of
Spirit. Amen. understanding, a retentive
memory, and the ability to
Creator of all grasp things correctly and
things, fundamentally.
true Source of Grant me the talent of being
light and exact in my explanations,
wisdom, lofty
origin of all and the ability to express
being, myself with thoroughness
and charm.
graciously let a
ray of Your Point out the beginning,
brilliance direct the progress, and help
penetrate into in completion; through
the darkness of Christ our Lord. AMEN
my
understanding
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit. Amen.
 PRETEST

Let’s find out how much you already know about this topic. Think and give your best answers to the question by
Yes or NO. Please answer all items. Take note of your answers and look for the right answer as you go through this
module.

1. Revelation is the process through which God, in His goodness and wisdom, makes himself known to humanity
in order to invite them in His own company. (YES) (NO) CORRECT
ABRAHAM VIRGIN MARY
2. Sarah is the model of such obedience offered us by Sacred Scripture. the Elizabeth is its most perfect
embodiment. (YES) (NO) CORRECT

3. In faith, the human intellect and will co-operate with divine grace: "Believing is an act of the intellect
assenting to the divine truth by command of the will moved by God through grace." (YES) (NO) CORRECT

4. Faith is clearly understood in the light of reason over divine revelation. (YES) (NO) CORRECT

5. Faith and reason always contradict each other. (YES) (NO) CORRECT

Quaestio

Anticipation Reaction Guide (ARG)

Kindly answer the question below.

Instruction: in 5-10 sentences, explain logically and reasonably the questions below.
Looking at the different ways how God reveals himself (in creation, Scripture, Church and Sacraments, other
religion, personal experiences), describe your revelation experience/s whether they are through the creation, Scripture
(Bible), Church or Sacraments, other religions, or personal experiences.
 How did you experience God?
 How did you respond?

Instruction: Respond to each statement twice. Once before the lesson and again after reading the discussion of the
lesson

 Write I believe if you agree with the statement

 Write I don’t believe if you disagree with the statement
 Response Before Statement Response After the
the Lesson Lesson

1. Sacraments are also avenues through which God I AGREE

I AGREE CORRECT
continuously reveals himself to us
2. The Church believes that even non-Christians
“who do not know the Gospel of Christ or his
Church, but seek God with a sincere heart, and, I AGREE CORRECT
I AGREE
moved by grace, try in their actions to do His will
as they know it through the dictates of their
conscience, may achieve eternal salvation”
3. In this Church, the “Good News” of Jesus Christ
is proclaimed and spread to the ends of the earth
I AGREE I AGREE CORRECT
by the power of the Holy Spirit, sent down upon
the apostles at Pentecost (Acts 1:8).
3. Jesus Christ “completed and perfected God’s
revelation by words and works, signs and
I AGREE I AGREE CORRECT
miracles, but above all by his death and glorious
resurrection from the dead”.
4. The first way God reveals Himself to us is
I AGREE I AGREE CORRECT
through creation.
Engage yourself…

Inspiring you to know more about faith as Man’s Response to God please engage yourself watch the video to shed
light the necessity of the human person to have faith in response to God’s love. As you contemplate try to think on the
need to listen and submit on the will of God?

Activity 1. Watch this video while you reflect.

Tour of the Catechism #6 - Man's Response to God: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzodHYr1JYc

Objectio

Most of the people today do not regard the importance of God’s revelation in their lives. We are no longer
interested in discerning the importance to ask God to reveal himself to us. In this way, it becomes a starting point to drift
ourselves farther away from Him because we cannot but sometimes to be preoccupied ourselves of so many unnecessary
baggage’s in life that hardly see and experience us the moving grace of God as His loving revelation to humanity. Thus,
you are given time to pause and reflect of the below questions:

 Do you think God is still revealing himself to us (to you)?

 Do you have a personal experience where God reveals something to you, like simple decision,
enlightenment, etc.?
 What was your response to that revelation?
 Analysis/Sed
Contra

Theology is the study of God and of scientific knowledge of God and Divine things. Theology teaches of God, is taught by
God, and leads to God (Theologia Deum docet, a Deo docetur, ad Deum ducit).

For St. Anselm (11th century monk & archbishop), theology is “faith seeking understanding”.

Fundamental Theology is the branch of theology that systematically reflects on the foundations of the Catholic faith.
Traditionally, the contents of Fundamental Theology are the following: revelation; faith; transmission of Revelation through
Scripture and Tradition; the nature of Sacred Tradition and its relation to Scriptures; the inspiration and truthfulness of
Scripture; principles of biblical interpretation; the task of the Magisterium and its infallibility; the harmony of faith and
reason; and the conditions of human experience which make individual open to receive revelation (Brummond, 2017).

The object of Fundamental Theology is the self-manifestation and self-giving of God in Jesus Christ (i.e. revelation), and
the credibility of that manifestation.

Fundamental Theology prepares one to answer the ‘Why?” in God’s revelation, as St. Peter admonishes every believer to
“always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness
and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15).

Fundamental Theology is for the believers, for they are the first persons who must be able to explain and defend their faith
(faith seeking understanding); and for the non-believers who do not know Jesus yet, or non-catholics who want to study the
catholic faith academically.
In this course, Fundamental Theology focuses on God’s revelation and on the human’s response, which is faith. This course
is limited to human’s response – “I believe” – that is summarized in the Twelve Articles of faith or Creed; and to God’s
revelation in the Sacraments. Hence, this course presents the basic theology of the Catholic Creed and Cult.

GOD’S REVELATION

Revelation is the process through which God, in His goodness and wisdom, makes himself known to humanity in order to
invite them in His own company (Dei Verbum 2).

God reveals Himself in different ways, especially in ways that human being can understand. Figure 1 below shows how God
reveals himself.
 Figure 1. God’s revelation in different ways

a. In creation – the first way God reveals Himself to us is through creation. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the
firmament proclaims His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). Humanity holds a special place in creation. For us Filipinos, the world
and everything in it are natural signs of God.

b. In Scripture, through Salvation History – The Bible records God’s entering into a special covenant relationship with
His chosen people, the race of Abraham, the people of Israel. “I will dwell in the midst of the Israelites and will be their
God” (Exodus 29:45).

Table 1 below shows the brief summary of Salvation History that started from Adam and culminated in the Incarnation of
Jesus. The brief summary, which is explained using the concept of “covenant”, is taken from the book “The Father who
keeps his promises” written by the biblical scholar Scott Hahn, and another book “Bible Basics for Catholic: A new picture
of Salvation History” written by John Bergsma with the Foreword by Scott Hahn.

IO-RE2: Fundamental Theology (Center for Religious Education, Office of Religious Affairs, UST-Legazpi, Legazpi City, Albay)
God’s revelation in history was weakened by the infidelities and hardness of heart of His Chosen People. Adam, Noah,
Abraham, Moses, and David failed God. At some point of their lives, they broke their covenant with God. But God so loved
the world, that in the fullness of time, He sent His only Son to be our Savior, like us in all things except sin (cf. John 3:16;
Galatians 4:4; Hebrew 4:15; CCC 65)

Jesus Christ “completed and perfected God’s revelation by words and works, signs and miracles, but above all by his death
and glorious resurrection from the dead” (Dei Verbum 4). Thus, the Risen Christ, prefigured in the Old Testament and
proclaimed by the apostles, is the unique, irrevocable and definitive revelation of God.

c. In the Church – God’s revelation in Jesus Christ did not stop with Christ’s ascension to his Father. Jesus himself had
gathered around him a group of disciples who would form the nucleus of his Church. In this Church, the “Good News” of
Jesus Christ is proclaimed and spread to the ends of the earth by the power of the Holy Spirit, sent down upon the apostles
at Pentecost (Acts 1:8).

What was handed on by the apostles comprises everything that serves to make the People of God live their lives in holiness
and increase in their faith. In this way the Church in her doctrine, life, and worship, perpetuates and transmits to every
generation all that she herself is, all that she believes (Dei Verbum 8; CCC 77-79).

God continues to manifest Himself today through the Holy Spirit not only in the witnessing of loving service, but also through
the celebration of its Christ-given Sacraments.

d. In Other Religions – The Church believes that even non-Christians “who do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church,
but seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do His will as they know it through the dictates
of their conscience, may achieve eternal salvation” (Lumen Gentium, 16).

Filipino Catholics, therefore, should “acknowledge, preserve and encourage the spiritual and moral truths found among non-
Christians, also their social life and culture” (Nostra Aetate, 2).

e. Personal Experiences – God continues to reveal Himself to us in our personal experiences through the inspiration and
movement of the Holy Spirit. Today, with the emergence of many charismatic groups in the church, Filipinos tend to even
more personalize their experiences of faith. Although this is a healthy indicator of cultivating a personal relationship with
God, Christian believers must be cautious of extreme personalism, fundamentalism, individualistic piety, and exaggerated
bahala na fatalism.

THE CONTENT AND FOCUS OF THIS COURSE

By His revelation, “the invisible God, from the fullness of his love, addresses men as his friends, and moves among them, in
order to invite and receive them into his own company” (Dei Verbum, 2). The adequate response to this invitation is FAITH.

By faith, human beings completely submit their intellect and will to God (Dei Verbum, 5). With their whole being, human
beings give their assent to God the revealer. Sacred Scripture calls this human response to God, the author of revelation, “the
obedience of faith” (Rom 1:5; 16:26).

To “obey” (from Latin ob-audiere, to “hear or listen to”) in faith is to submit freely to the word that has been heard, because
its truth is guaranteed by God, who is Truth itself. Abraham is the model of such obedience offered us by Sacred Scripture.
The Virgin Mary is its most perfect embodiment.

The content of our faith is Jesus Christ Himself, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Jn 14:6). Figure 2 below shows the
content of humanity’s response (faith) to God’s revelation.
 Figure 2. Humanity’s response to God’s revelation

Figure 2 shows the contents of Jesus’ proclamation of Himself as the “Way, Truth, and Life”. The “obedience of faith”
requires that we – the believers – must follow Jesus our Way through the Codes or Decalogue (Ten Commandments) that
his Father gave us, summed up in the great commandment of love. We are also to believe in him through the articles of faith
summarized in our Creed, since he is the Truth himself. And we are called to celebrate our lives with him in the Sacraments
that Jesus himself instituted. These contents of our faith are preserved in the deposit of our faith, faithfully guarded by the
Church as they are handed down from the Apostles down to our present generation.

In this course, IO-RE2 (Fundamental Theology), the contents will focus on Jesus as the Truth and Jesus as our Life.
Therefore, the basic theology of Creed and Cult will be discussed in details particularly on how we respond to God’s
revelation through the Creed that we profess, and how we celebrate our faith in the Sacraments in the Church.

Man's Response to God

By his Revelation, "the invisible God, from the fullness of his love, addresses men as his friends, and moves among
them, in order to invite and receive them into his own company." The adequate response to this invitation is faith.

By faith, man completely submits his intellect and his will to God. With his whole being man gives his assent to
God the revealer. Sacred Scripture calls this human response to God, the author of revelation, "the obedience of
faith".

I BELIEVE

I. The Obedience of Faith

To obey (from the Latin ob-audire, to "hear or listen to") in faith is to submit freely to the word that has been
heard, because its truth is guaranteed by God, who is Truth itself. Abraham is the model of such obedience offered
us by Sacred Scripture. the Virgin Mary is its most perfect embodiment.

Abraham - "father of all who believe" BECAUSE HIS FAITH IS STRONG.

The Letter to the Hebrews, in its great eulogy of the faith of Israel's ancestors, lays special emphasis on Abraham's
faith: "By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance;
and he went out, not knowing where he was to go." By faith, he lived as a stranger and pilgrim in the promised
land. By faith, Sarah was given to conceive the son of the promise. and by faith Abraham offered his only son in
sacrifice.
Abraham thus fulfils the definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1: "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the
conviction of things not seen": "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." Because he
was "strong in his faith", Abraham became the "father of all who believe".

The Old Testament is rich in witnesses to this faith. the Letter to the Hebrews proclaims its eulogy of the exemplary
faith of the ancestors who "received divine approval". Yet "God had foreseen something better for us": the grace
of believing in his Son Jesus, "the pioneer and perfecter of our faith".

Mary - "Blessed is she who believed"

The Virgin Mary most perfectly embodies the obedience of faith. By faith Mary welcomes the tidings and promise
brought by the angel Gabriel, believing that "with God nothing will be impossible" and so giving her assent:
"Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be [done] to me according to your word. “Elizabeth greeted her:
"Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." It is for
this faith that all generations have called Mary blessed.

Throughout her life and until her last ordeal when Jesus her son died on the cross, Mary's faith never wavered. She
never ceased to believe in the fulfilment of God's word. and so the Church venerates in Mary the purest realization
of faith.

II. "I Know Whom I Have Believed"

To believe in God alone

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.

To believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God

For a Christian, believing in God cannot be separated from believing in the One he sent, his "beloved Son", in
whom the Father is "well pleased"; God tells us to listen to him. The Lord himself said to his disciples: "Believe
in God, believe also in me." We can believe in Jesus Christ because he is himself God, the Word made flesh: "No
one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known. “Because he
"has seen the Father", Jesus Christ is the only one who knows him and can reveal him.

To believe in the Holy Spirit

One cannot believe in Jesus Christ without sharing in his Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who reveals to men who Jesus
is. For "no one can say "Jesus is Lord", except by the Holy Spirit", who "searches everything, even the depths of
God. No one comprehends the thoughts of God, except the Spirit of God. “Only God knows God completely: we
believe in the Holy Spirit because he is God.

The Church never ceases to proclaim her faith in one only God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

III. The Characteristics of Faith

Faith is a grace
When St. Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus declared to him that this
revelation did not come "from flesh and blood", but from "my Father who is in heaven”. Faith is a gift of God, a
supernatural virtue infused by him. "Before this faith can be exercised, man must have the grace of God to move
and assist him; he must have the interior helps of the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and converts it to God, who
opens the eyes of the mind and 'makes it easy for all to accept and believe the truth.'"

Faith is a human act

Believing is possible only by grace and the interior helps of the Holy Spirit. But it is no less true that believing is
an authentically human act. Trusting in God and cleaving to the truths he has revealed is contrary neither to human
freedom nor to human reason. Even in human relations it is not contrary to our dignity to believe what other
persons tell us about themselves and their intentions, or to trust their promises (for example, when a man and a
woman marry) to share a communion of life with one another. If this is so, still less is it contrary to our dignity to
"yield by faith the full submission of... intellect and will to God who reveals", and to share in an interior
communion with him.

In faith, the human intellect and will co-operate with divine grace: "Believing is an act of the intellect assenting to
the divine truth by command of the will moved by God through grace."

Faith and understanding

What moves us to believe is not the fact that revealed truths appear as true and intelligible in the light of our natural
reason: we believe "because of the authority of God himself who reveals them, who can neither deceive nor be
deceived". So "that the submission of our faith might nevertheless be in accordance with reason, God willed that
external proofs of his Revelation should be joined to the internal helps of the Holy Spirit. “Thus the miracles of
Christ and the saints, prophecies, the Church's growth and holiness, and her fruitfulness and stability "are the most
certain signs of divine Revelation, adapted to the intelligence of all"; they are "motives of credibility" (motiva
credibilitatis), which show that the assent of faith is "by no means a blind impulse of the mind".

Faith is certain. It is more certain than all human knowledge because it is founded on the very word of God who
cannot lie. To be sure, revealed truths can seem obscure to human reason and experience, but "the certainty that
the divine light gives is greater than that which the light of natural reason gives." "Ten thousand difficulties do
not make one doubt."

"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. the grace of faith opens "the eyes of your hearts"34 to a lively
understanding of the contents of Revelation: that is, of the totality of God's plan and the mysteries of faith, of their
connection with each other and with Christ, the centre of the revealed mystery. "The same Holy Spirit constantly
perfects faith by his gifts, so that Revelation may be more and more profoundly understood." In the words of St.
Augustine, "I believe, in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe."

159 Faith and science: "Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and
reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human
mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth."37 "Consequently, methodical research in all
branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws,
can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God.
the humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite
of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are."
The freedom of faith

To be human, "man's response to God by faith must be free, and... therefore nobody is to be forced to embrace the
faith against his will. the act of faith is of its very nature a free act."39 "God calls men to serve him in spirit and in
truth. Consequently they are bound to him in conscience, but not coerced. . . This fact received its fullest
manifestation in Christ Jesus."40 Indeed, Christ invited people to faith and conversion, but never coerced them.
"For he bore witness to the truth but refused to use force to impose it on those who spoke against it. His kingdom...
grows by the love with which Christ, lifted up on the cross, draws men to himself."

The necessity of faith

Believing in Jesus Christ and in the One who sent him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that salvation.
“Since "without faith it is impossible to please (God) " and to attain to the fellowship of his sons, therefore without
faith no one has ever attained justification, nor will anyone obtain eternal life 'But he who endures to the end.'"]

Perseverance in faith

Faith is an entirely free gift that God makes to man. We can lose this priceless gift, as St. Paul indicated to St.
Timothy: "Wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting conscience, certain persons
have made shipwreck of their faith." To live, grow and persevere in the faith until the end we must nourish it with
the word of God; we must beg the Lord to increase our faith; it must be "working through charity," abounding in
hope, and rooted in the faith of the Church.

Faith - the beginning of eternal life

Faith makes us taste in advance the light of the beatific vision, the goal of our journey here below. Then we shall
see God "face to face", "as he is" So faith is already the beginning of eternal life:
When we contemplate the blessings of faith even now, as if gazing at a reflection in a mirror, it is as if we already
possessed the wonderful things which our faith assures us we shall one day enjoy.

Now, however, "we walk by faith, not by sight";49 we perceive God as "in a mirror, dimly" and only "in part".50
Even though enlightened by him in whom it believes, faith is often lived in darkness and can be put to the test. the
world we live in often seems very far from the one promised us by faith. Our experiences of evil and suffering,
injustice and death, seem to contradict the Good News; they can shake our faith and become a temptation against
it.

It is then we must turn to the witnesses of faith: to Abraham, who "in hope... believed against hope"; to the Virgin
Mary, who, in "her pilgrimage of faith", walked into the "night of faith" in sharing the darkness of her son's
suffering and death; and to so many others: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is
set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith."

Article 2

WE BELIEVE

Faith is a personal act - the free response of the human person to the initiative of God who reveals himself. But
faith is not an isolated act. No one can believe alone, just as no one can live alone.
You have not given yourself faith as you have not given yourself life. the believer has received faith from others
and should hand it on to others. Our love for Jesus and for our neighbour impels us to speak to others about our
faith. Each believer is thus a link in the great chain of believers. I cannot believe without being carried by the faith
of others, and by my faith I help support others in the faith.

"I believe" (Apostles' Creed) is the faith of the Church professed personally by each believer, principally during
Baptism. "We believe" (Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed) is the faith of the Church confessed by the bishops
assembled in council or more generally by the liturgical assembly of believers. "I believe" is also the Church, our
mother, responding to God by faith as she teaches us to say both "I believe" and "We believe".

I. "Lord, Look Upon the Faith of Your Church"

It is the Church that believes first, and so bears, nourishes and sustains my faith. Everywhere, it is the Church that
first confesses the Lord: "Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you", as we sing in the hymn Te Deum;
with her and in her, we are won over and brought to confess: "I believe", "We believe". It is through the Church
that we receive faith and new life in Christ by Baptism. In the Rituale Romanum, the minister of Baptism asks the
catechumen: "What do you ask of God's Church?" and the answer is: "Faith." "What does faith offer you?" "Eternal
life."

Salvation comes from God alone; but because we receive the life of faith through the Church, she is our mother:
"We believe the Church as the mother of our new birth, and not in the Church as if she were the author of our
salvation." Because she is our mother, she is also our teacher in the faith.

II. The Language of Faith

We do not believe in formulae, but in those realities they express, which faith allows us to touch. "The believer's
act [of faith] does not terminate in the propositions, but in the realities [which they express]." All the same, we do
approach these realities with the help of formulations of the faith which permit us to express the faith and to hand
it on, to celebrate it in community, to assimilate and live on it more and more.

The Church, "the pillar and bulwark of the truth", faithfully guards "the faith which was once for all delivered to
the saints". She guards the memory of Christ's words; it is she who from generation to generation hands on the
apostles' confession of faith. As a mother who teaches her children to speak and so to understand and communicate,
the Church our Mother teaches us the language of faith in order to introduce us to the understanding and the life
of faith.

III. Only One Faith

Through the centuries, in so many languages, cultures, peoples and nations, the Church has constantly confessed
this one faith, received from the one Lord, transmitted by one Baptism, and grounded in the conviction that all
people have only one God and Father. St. Irenaeus of Lyons, a witness of this faith, declared:

"Indeed, the Church, though scattered throughout the whole world, even to the ends of the earth, having received
the faith from the apostles and their disciples. . . guards [this preaching and faith] with care, as dwelling in but a
single house, and similarly believes as if having but one soul and a single heart, and preaches, teaches and hands
on this faith with a unanimous voice, as if possessing only one mouth."

"For though languages differ throughout the world, the content of the Tradition is one and the same. the Churches
established in Germany have no other faith or Tradition, nor do those of the Iberians, nor those of the Celts, nor
those of the East, of Egypt, of Libya, nor those established at the centre of the world. . ."The Church's message "is
true and solid, in which one and the same way of salvation appears throughout the whole world."

"We guard with care the faith that we have received from the Church, for without ceasing, under the action of
God's Spirit, this deposit of great price, as if in an excellent vessel, is constantly being renewed and causes the
very vessel that contains it to be renewed."
IN BRIEF
Faith is a personal adherence of the whole man to God who reveals himself. It involves an assent of the intellect
and will to the self-revelation God has made through his deeds and words.

"To believe" has thus a twofold reference: to the person, and to the truth: to the truth, by trust in the person who
bears witness to it.

We must believe in no one but God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Faith is a supernatural gift from God. In order to believe, man needs the interior helps of the Holy Spirit.

"Believing" is a human act, conscious and free, corresponding to the dignity of the human person.

"Believing" is an ecclesial act. the Church's faith precedes, engenders, supports and nourishes our faith. the Church
is the mother of all believers. "No one can have God as Father who does not have the Church as Mother" (St.
Cyprian, De unit. 6: PL 4, 519).

We believe all "that which is contained in the word of God, written or handed down, and which the Church
proposes for belief as divinely revealed" (Paul VI, CPG # 20).

Faith is necessary for salvation. the Lord himself affirms: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he
who does not believe will be condemned" (⇒ Mk 16:16).

"Faith is a foretaste of the knowledge that will make us blessed in the life to come" (St. Thomas Aquinas. Comp.
theol. 1, 2).

1. THE CREEDS
Whoever says “I believe” says “I pledge myself to what we believe”. Communion in faith needs a common language of faith,
normative for all and uniting all in the same confession of faith.

From the beginning, the apostolic Church expressed and handed on her faith in brief formulae normative for all (cf. Rom
10:9; 1 Cor 15:3-5). But already very early on, the Church also wanted to gather the essential elements of its faith into
organic and articulated summaries, intended for candidates for Baptism.

Such summary is called “profession of faith” since they summarize the faith that Christians profess. They are called “creeds”
on account of what is usually their first word in Latin: “credo” (I believe). They are also called “symbols of faith”.
There are many creeds that had been formulated in different places and different time to respond to the needs of the different
era. Among all the creeds, two occupy a special place in the Church’s life: The Apostles’ Creed and The Nicene Creed.

The Apostles’ Creed is considered to be a faithful summary of the apostles’ faith. It is the ancient baptismal symbol of the
Church of Rome. Its great authority arises from this fact: it is “the Creed of the Roman Church, the See of Peter the first of
the apostles, to which he brought the common faith” (St. Ambrose, Expl. Symb. 7:PL 17, 1196).

The Nicene Creed draws its great authority from the fact that it stems from the first two ecumenical Councils (325 and 381).
It remains common to all the great Churches of both East and West to this day.

The presentation of the faith in this course will follow the Apostles’ Creed, which constitutes “the oldest Roman catechism”.
The presentation will be completed by constant references to the Nicene Creed which is often more explicit and more detailed
(CCC 194-197).
 THE APOSTLES’ CREED THE NICENE CREED

I believe in God, I believe in one God,

the Father almighty, the Father, the Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth. maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,

I believe in Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
his only Son, our Lord.
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
He was conceived by the power of true God from true God,
the Holy Spirit begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
and born of the Virgin Mary. through him all things were made.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, For us men and for our salvation
was crucified, died, and was buried. he came down from heaven,
He descended to the dead. and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
On the third day he rose again. and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
He ascended into heaven and rose again on the third day
and is seated at the right hand In accordance with the Scriptures.
of the Father. He ascended into heaven
He will com again to judge and is seated at the right hand
the living and the dead 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,
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
the holy Catholic Church, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
the communion of saints, who has spoken through the prophets.

the forgiveness of sins, I believe in one, holy, catholic and

the resurrection of the body, apostolic Church.
and the life everlasting. I confess one Baptism for
Amen. the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.

I. THE SACRAMENTS

The Sacraments are the efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is
dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to
each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions (CCC 1131).

Since, the Sacraments are also avenues through which God continuously reveals himself to us, this course includes the basic
theology of the sacraments that touches on Sacramental Theology.
Table 2 below shows the seven sacraments and the categories where they belong.

Table 2. The seven sacraments and their categories

SACRAMENTS CATEGORIES
1. Baptism
2. Confirmation Initiation
3. Eucharist
4. Reconciliation/Confession
Healing
5. Anointing of the Sick
6. Matrimony
Service
7. Holy Order

The basic theology of each sacrament will be discussed in this course.

GENERALIZATION

 Theology is the study of God and of scientific knowledge of God and Divine things.
 Fundamental Theology is the branch of theology that systematically reflects on the foundations of the
Catholic faith.
 Revelation is the process through which God, in His goodness and wisdom, makes himself known to
humanity in order to invite them in His own company
 Faith is our belief on what we hope for. It is our response to God’s revelation to us. Jesus, who is the
Way, Truth, and Life, is the content of our faith.
 Creed is the profession of faith. We have The Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed.
 The Sacraments are the efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by
which divine life is dispensed to us.
 Respondio

Instruction: in 300 words, explain logically and reasonably the questions below.

 (As a catholic, or as non-catholic, or as non-Christian, or as a non-believer of God) What is the importance of studying
the Catholic creed and sacraments as man’s faith response to God? And what benefit shall I gain in studying this
subject?
(The teacher will encourage the students to be honest with their answers in their reflection paper. The output of the students may
be utilized for possible relevant research.)

Post-Test

True or False. Write True if the statement is correct, and False if incorrect.

TRUE
__________ 1. Theology is the study of God and of scientific knowledge of God and Divine things. CORRECT
__________
TRUE 2. God cannot be known by human reason alone. CORRECT FALSE
TRUE
__________ 3. God makes himself known through the wonders of creation around us. CORRECT
TRUE
__________ 4. God enters into a relationship with humanity through his covenant. CORRECT
__________
FALSE 5. God’s covenant with David is represented by his crown.(THRONE) CORRECT TRUE
__________
FASLE 6. The Apostles’ Creed is longer than the Nicene Creed. CORRECT
TRUE
__________ 7. The contents of our Catholic faith is summarized in the person of Jesus. CORRECT
TRUE
__________ 8. Faith is very much related to obedience. CORRECT
FALSE 9. The sacraments are instituted by the Church. (BY CHRIST) CORRECT
__________
__________
TRUE 10. God’s revelation culminated in the incarnation of Jesus. CORRECT
CLOSING PRAYER

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of

the Holy Spirit. Amen.

May God the Father bless us.

May God the Son heal us.
May God the Holy Spirit enlighten us, and give
us
eyes To see with, ears to hear with,
hands to do the work of God with, feet to walk
with,
a mouth to preach the word of salvation with,
and the angel of peace to watch over us and
lead us at last, by our Lord’s gift, for the
Kingdom.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit. Amen..
References:

 Bergsma, J. (2012). Bible basics for Catholics: A new picture of salvation history. Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria
Press.
 Brummond, M. (2017). What is fundamental theology? Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrsuOTysOeg
 Catholic Answers. https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/theology
 Catechism for Filipino Catholics. (1997). Manila: ECCCE Word & Life Publications.
 Catechism of the Catholic Church
 Hahn, S. (1998). A Father who keeps his promises: God’s covenant love in Scripture. Ann Arbor, MI: Servants
Publications.
 Switzer, J. (n.d.) What is theology? US Catholic faith. Retrieved October 30 2018, from
https://www.uscatholic.org/church/2010/03/glad-you-asked-what-theology