Encountering God in Our Life

Chapter 1: Revelation and Faith

What is Revelation?

The process by which God personally manifests and communicates Himself, the Divine Self, to us and the eternal designs of the divine will for our salvation (Dei Verbum 6)

Human experience is the locus of Gods revelation to His people

God speaks to us in and through our concrete historical human experience

The process of interpreting our experiences is in influenced by:

The existing conditions/situations in the community Culture (Language, religion and tradition) Worldview

Perception on human realities and the world

God Reveals Himself Through:

Natural Signs

Genesis 1:26 God reveals himself through his handiwork In a special way God shows himself in men and women

Biblical Signs

Through His Inspired words in Scriptures, God still reveals Himself to us, and inspires us to respond to His covenant of love

Ecclesial Signs

God continues to manifest Himself through the Holy Spirit in the Church

In the Churchs preaching of the truth in Scripture (Creed) In witness of loving service (Code) Through the celebration of its Christ-given sacrament (Cult)

God Reveals Because:

To liberate To unify

Faith

Is our response to Gods offer of personal relationship It is a gift, and we are free to accept it or reject it

God respects our freedom at all times

Faith

Those who receive and respond to the gift of faith do so freely Those who, though no fault of their own, do not receive the gift of faith, but who live according to their conscience

Will not put their eternal destiny in jeopardy

Faith

We believe because God has revealed these truths to us

Our gracious and loving God will not deceive us Believing makes a difference in our lives Makes life more meaningful Helps us to cope with life better

We believe because

Faith

Is always a leap in the dark Faith comes from the Latin fidere, which means to trust We must begin to look at any experience of human trust as an experience of trusting God

Faith

There is a well-known story of a man who always had complete trust in God. After many days of rain, the river was about to flood its banks and all the residents in the area were warned to seek higher ground. The man ignored the call because he was certain that God would not let this thing happen to him.

There is a well-known story of a man who always had complete trust in God. As the flood waters rose, the man climbed to the upstairs part of the house. A boat came by taking people off who, like himself, had left it too late to leave. He refused a ride in the boat because he was certain that God would help him. As the waters rose further, he climbed on to the roof of his house, at

Which point a helicopter, taking off the few remaining survivors, came by and lowered a rope for him. No, he said, God would look after him. And in time, he drowned. The man arrived in heaven, and being very angry at the way he had been treated, complained to Saint Peter that God had let him

Down despite his great faith and trust. St. Peter replied: Did we not give you ample warning to seek higher ground? And did we not send you a boat to collect you when you did not heed the first warning? And did we not send you a helicopter, taking off the few remaining survivors for you? It seems that we really did answer your prayers!