Day One...
Basic Theology...

DAY # 1 of 7, as taught by Father Dermot J.  Dwyer:
BASIC THEOLOGY...

REFERENCES:

*TB xxx is: Theology for Beginners, ISBN 0-89283-124-3 by Frank J. Sheed.
*TS xxx is: Theology & Sanity, ISBN 0-89870-470-7 by Frank J. Sheed.
*CCC xxx is: The New Catholic Catechism.
*(opt) means optional teaching.
(?) Means there is a question of interest on the Questions Sheet.

*************INVOKE THE HOLY SPIRIT*************

Talk about the Catechism. On page 6, note Pope John Paul II signature on the Apostolic Constitution.
Read the last paragraph of page 5. (CCC is for everyone)
Read CCC 904-906 for authorization for lay teachers.
Let us begin...
PERSON:

Is, the center of attribution in a rational nature. All gifts, talents and blessings.
All within us in a rational nature. *1THESS 5:23, 1COR 15:44-47, HEB 4:12

A person has:

1. A body:
2. A soul: The principal of life. Every living thing has a soul. (Sir 16:31 (DRB), Aristotle 'De Anima') (?)
3. A spirit: It has the faculties of the intellect and free will.
   a: Intellect: The power within to have ideas, to reason, to think and to know.
       The power to acquire knowledge.
   b. Free will: Will power and won't power. I will, I won't. Love is in the will.
4. Five senses, to receive messages and communicate with the outside world.
5. The human soul is spirit, a spiritual soul. *TS 165-166
   * CCC 1730-1748,1704,311,362-368, *TB 55,60-61, *TS 91,110-114,142,240-248.
NATURE:

That which makes a thing be what it is. The source of what it can do.
*TB 28,90, *TS 91,110-114,239-248.

1. Everything has a nature. Everything is not a person.
2. A person possesses a nature. Nature does not possess a person. Person poses the question "WHO?" Nature poses the question "WHAT?". Nature decides what a being can do, but the person does it. *TB 90
3. Each of us is 1 person with 1 nature.
4. GOD is 3 persons with 1 nature. JESUS CHRIST is one person with two natures.
GOD is spirit... JOHN 4:24

Draw two overlapping globes on the blackboard. The left globe is the
Spiritual World, the right is the material world. Label inside the left globe, GOD,
Angels, Devil/Demons, and Human Spirits. Label inside the right globe, Chemicals/Minerals, Plants, Animals, and Humans.


1. THE MATERIAL AND THE SPIRITUAL WORLDS: *TB 54

            *SPIRITUAL WORLD*                                       *MATERIAL WORLD*
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Spiritual World, which we                     +            In the material world, which
do not acquire through the senses,                  +            we do sense with the 5 senses,
there is:                                                            +            are:
          GOD (uncreated)                                   +            Chemicals/Minerals
          Angels *CCC 328-336                           +            Plants
     (?) Devil/Demons *TB 75 *CCC391         +            Animals
          Human Spirits<------------------------------+-------->Humans

Humans ONLY, link the two worlds.
Did GOD create demons? (  ). *TS 181.
THE LAW OF ANABOLISM:

(define anabolism from definition sheet)
*JOHN 6:51-66

Minerals say to the plants.......} UNLESS YOU EAT ME YOU CANNOT LIVE.
Plants say to the animals.........} UNLESS YOU EAT ME YOU CANNOT LIVE.
Animals say to Humans...........} UNLESS YOU EAT ME YOU CANNOT LIVE.
GOD says to humans...............} UNLESS YOU EAT ME YOU CANNOT LIVE.
THE LAW OF CATABOLISM:

(define catabolism from definition sheet)

Plants say to the minerals.......} UNLESS YOU DIE TO YOURSELF,
Animals say to the plants........} YOU CANNOT LIVE IN ME.
Humans say to the animals.....}                          "
GOD says to humans..............}                          "
DEATH: *TS 184

1. Death is the separation of the spiritual soul from the body. *CCC 1005,1016,*TB 92
2. The spiritual soul has no parts, therefore it cannot die. It must live on forever.
3. We all had to die to our mothers womb to come into this world. We all must die
   to this life to go to Heaven.
4. *(opt) The letters after your name are nice, but only one degree really counts in this life, the "ST" before your name.
Who decides the eternal dwelling place?

1. Each decides with his own free will where he will spend eternity.
Where do we live forever?

1. Heaven
2. Hell. *CCC 1033-1037. Does GOD send anyone to hell? (no)
What is Heaven like? *CCC 1023-1029

1. It is indescribable as said by ST PAUL. *1COR 2:9
What is Purgatory like: *CCC 1030-1032,*FC12A,
It is implied in 2MACC 12:46. Compare JOHN 3:13, and MATT 17:3. Where did Moses and Elias come from?

1. Nothing defiled may enter the Kingdom of Heaven, REV 21:27.
2. Purgatory is a place where defilement is removed. It is the Ellis Island for the soul,
   off the coast of Heaven.
3. The worst punishment in Purgatory is to be separated from GOD for a period of time. Purgatory is a great blessing from GOD.
CONSCIENCE: *CCC 1776-1802

1. It is the judgement of the intellect. *TB 64
2. GOD will judge by conscience at the moment of action. MATT 21:28-32
3. We should be enlightened, educated, and informed. Knowing the truth makes you free.
Why did GOD create us? *CCC 293-294,319

1. With INTELLECT: To know GOD, perfect knowledge.
2. With FREE WILL: To love GOD, with our full consent.
3. With LIFE : To serve GOD, a serious matter. To be happy here and hereafter and to help others to salvation.
4. *GEN 1:27, GOD created man in HIS image, beautiful.
5. *GEN 1:31, GOD saw that ALL HE had made was very good.
FEELINGS:

A reaction, normal, natural and spontaneous. They are not an act of free will and are no serious matter (not sin). There is no morality to feelings. They are neither right nor wrong. Everyone has a right to their feelings.
We must not deny the feelings of others.

1. Anger: We can handle it several ways. *CCC 2262,2302.
  a. Lovingly or hatefully.............
  b. Constructively or destructively...
  c. Positively or negatively..........
We can accept, reject, or tolerate feelings.
LOVE:

Love is a decision and not a feeling. Love is in the will. The test of love is obedience.
There are four kinds of love:

1. Stergein: The love of parents for their children.
2. Eros: The love of a man for a woman or of a woman for a man.
3. Philein: Like Philadelphia, is brotherly love and love of friend for friend.
4. Agape: Spiritual love, love for our enemies.
5. Under which one of these four kinds does love of GOD fall? (all)
6. 1COR 13: This says it all.
THE HUMAN MIND:
We have three levels of the mind.

1. SUPRA (above or over) CONSCIOUS: (?)
2. CONSCIOUS: Things which we are conscious of, are passed into the subconscious mind where they remain.
3. SUBCONSCIOUS: It can dominate us. Like Chernobyl, we can self destruct. The radiation emitted at Chernobyl could have contaminated the world. However, the danger there was suppressed by covering it with concrete. In a certain manner we can suppress the subconscious with the conscious.
4. The Conscious mind cannot erase the Subconscious mind but it can DOMINATE it.
5. From DOMINATE we get Dominus, a Latin word which means lord. We also get dome, domineer, dominant, Dominic, etc.: So whatever dominates you in this life is Lord of your life.

Readings: GEN 1:26-27, MATT 28:19-20, 1JOHN 5:7

Study aid: Chart # 6, The Life Of The Soul

*************INVOKE THE HOLY SPIRIT*************

END DAY # 1

THIS COURSE IS INTENDED FOR AUTHORIZED LAY TEACHERS ONLY AND MAY BE DUPLICATED BY ANYONE WHO WISHES TO TEACH THE TRUTH OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
IF YOU FIND ANY ERRORS IN THIS COURSE, OR IF YOU WISH TO MAKE ANY ADDITIONS, DELETIONS, CORRECTIONS, COMMENTS, OR HAVE ANY QUESTION, PLEASE EMAIL ME WITH THE DETAILS.

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Updated October 25,  2006
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