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The Early Church: The Glorified Messiah. Patron Saint of the Week Bernadette Soubirous. Sees apparitions of Mary as a young girl (Feb-July 1858) Her visions gain acceptance, after resistance Lourdes becomes a central Marian pilgrimage site, with many healings
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Christian Doctrine 1 / Dr. Billings The Early Church:The Glorified Messiah
Christian Doctrine 1 / Dr. Billings Patron Saint of the WeekBernadette Soubirous • Sees apparitions of Mary as a young girl (Feb-July 1858) • Her visions gain acceptance, after resistance • Lourdes becomes a central Marian pilgrimage site, with many healings • Bernadette joins a convent, leads a simple life
Christian Doctrine 1 / Dr. Billings Prayer of the WeekReinhold Niebuhr: “Serenity Prayer” God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next.
Christian Doctrine 1 / Dr. Billings The Glorious Mysteries What are the Glorious Mysteries? • The Resurrection (Luke 24) – Jesus rises from the dead • The Ascension (Luke 24; Acts 1) – Jesus ascends to the Father • The Pentecost (Acts 2) – the spirit descends on the disciples • The Assumption of Mary (scripture’s silence on this: Mary taken up into heaven) • The Coronation of Mary (Revelation 12?; Mary’s blessings fulfilled as Queen of creation)
Christian Doctrine 1 / Dr. Billings “Noli me tangere”Francesco Albani The Resurrection (John 20:11-18)
Shroud of Turin Debate over its origin; ambiguous carbon results; powerful witness in any case (as original relic or as artistic rendering); in either case – still not the resurrection itself
Christian Doctrine 1 / Dr. Billings The Resurrection: Its Importance List some elements of importance about the Resurrection. • Resurrection is central to Christian faith: • “Now if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” (1 Cor. 15: 12-14) • Though central to faith, there are no eyewitness accounts of the event itself; • There are passages that seem to prophesy it; and there are several accounts of appearances (Luke 24; John 20, e.g.); • Some theologians stress the “empty tomb” – a matter of faith in the unseen; some discount its importance and stress only the cross (these approaches seem insufficient); • It seems to be beyond human experience – but is it any less astounding than the miracle of creation?
Christian Doctrine 1 / Dr. Billings Resurrection is not… Distinguish resurrection from (1) resuscitation, (2) reanimation, (3) reincarnation. Resurrection is notthe same as the "resuscitation" or "reanimation" of a body, nor the "reincarnation" or "immortality" of a soul. • Resuscitation - restoration of person from unconsciousness or apparent death to the same earthly life/body. (in OT: 1 Kings 17, 2 Kings 4, 2 Kings 13 – Elijah, Elisha, man touches Elisha’s bones) • Reanimation - rejoining of an earthly body with the same soul (or a new soul?) after a temporary separation. (same as above?) • Reincarnation - the rebirth or migration of a soul into a new & different but still physical & mortal body (common idea in some Eastern religions). • Resurrection of the Body - transition from mortal life, through physical death, to a new, different, spiritual form of bodily life.
Christian Doctrine 1 / Dr. Billings LUKE 23:50-24:12 First Appearance Give some details and the greater significance of the first resurrection appearance in Luke. Who first discovers the empty tomb, according to Luke? “the women who had come with him from Galilee” (“…Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Joanna and the other women…”) : significance: women central to proclamation of Easter message When do they discover the empty tomb? • “early dawn” : significance: a new age, movement from darkness to light; movement from death to life What do the “men” ask them to do? What do the women do? • “remember”; “remember” and “tell”: significance: strong sense of “remember” – call to mind, to heart, to life – leads them to proclaim it.
Christian Doctrine 1 / Dr. Billings The Christian Faith:The Glorified Messiah