THE CATECHISM OF
THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH
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PART ONE -
THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
CHAPTER TWO - GOD COMES TO MEET MAN
50 By natural reason man can know God with certainty, on the basis of his
works. But there is another order of knowledge, which man cannot
possibly arrive at by his own powers: the order of divine Revelation.[1]
Through an utterly free decision, God has revealed himself and given
himself to man. This he does by revealing the mystery, his plan of loving
goodness, formed from all eternity in Christ, for the benefit of all
men. God has fully revealed this plan by sending us his beloved Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
ARTICLE I - THE REVELATION OF GOD
I. GOD REVEALS HIS "PLAN OF LOVING GOODNESS"
51 "It pleased God, in his goodness and wisdom, to reveal himself and to
make known the mystery of his will. His will was that men should have
access to the Father, through Christ, the Word made flesh, in the Holy
Spirit, and thus become sharers in the divine nature."[2]
52 God, who "dwells in unapproachable light", wants to communicate his own
divine life to the men he freely created, in order to adopt them as his
sons in his only-begotten Son.[3] By revealing himself God wishes to make
them capable of responding to him, and of knowing him and of loving him
far beyond their own natural capacity.
53 The divine plan of Revelation is realized simultaneously "by deeds and
words which are intrinsically bound up with each other"[4] and shed light on
each another. It involves a specific divine pedagogy: God communicates
himself to man gradually. He prepares him to welcome by stages the
supernatural Revelation that is to culminate in the person and mission of
the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ.
St. Irenaeus of Lyons repeatedly speaks of this divine pedagogy using the
image of God and man becoming accustomed to one another: The Word of God
dwelt in man and became the Son of man in order to accustom man to
perceive God and to accustom God to dwell in man, according to the
Father's pleasure.[5]
II. THE STAGES OF REVELATION
In the beginning God makes himself known
54 "God, who creates and conserves all things by his Word, provides men
with constant evidence of himself in created realities. And furthermore,
wishing to open up the way to heavenly salvation - he manifested himself
to our first parents from the very beginning."[6] He invited them to
intimate communion with himself and clothed them with resplendent grace
and justice.
55 This revelation was not broken off by our first parents' sin.
"After the fall, [God] buoyed them up with the hope of salvation, by
promising redemption; and he has never ceased to show his solicitude for
the human race. For he wishes to give eternal life to all those who seek
salvation by patience in well-doing."[7]
Even when he disobeyed you and lost your friendship you did not abandon
him to the power of death. . . Again and again you offered a covenant to
man.[8]
The covenant with Noah
56 After the unity of the human race was shattered by sin God at once
sought to save humanity part by part. The covenant with Noah after
the flood gives expression to the principle of the divine economy toward
the "nations", in other words, towards men grouped "in their lands, each
with [its] own language, by their families, in their nations".[9]
57 This state of division into many nations, each entrusted by divine
providence to the guardianship of angels, is at once cosmic, social and
religious. It is intended to limit the pride of fallen humanity[10] united
only in its perverse ambition to forge its own unity as at Babel.[11] But,
because of sin, both polytheism and the idolatry of the nation and of its
rulers constantly threaten this provisional economy with the perversion of
paganism.[12]
58 The covenant with Noah remains in force during the times of the
Gentiles, until the universal proclamation of the Gospel.[13] The Bible
venerates several great figures among the Gentiles: Abel the just, the
king-priest Melchisedek - a figure of Christ - and the upright "Noah,
Daniel, and Job".[14] Scripture thus expresses the heights of sanctity that
can be reached by those who live according to the covenant of Noah,
waiting for Christ to "gather into one the children of God who are
scattered abroad".[15]
God chooses Abraham
59 In order to gather together scattered humanity God calls Abram from his
country, his kindred and his father's house,[16] and makes him Abraham, that
is, "the father of a multitude of nations". "In you all the nations of the
earth shall be blessed."[17]
60 The people descended from Abraham would be the trustee of the promise
made to the patriarchs, the chosen people, called to prepare for that day
when God would gather all his children into the unity of the Church.[18]
They would be the root on to which the Gentiles would be grafted, once
they came to believe.[19]
61 The patriarchs, prophets and certain other Old Testament figures have
been and always will be honoured as saints in all the Church's liturgical
traditions.
God forms his people Israel
62 After the patriarchs, God formed Israel as his people by freeing them
from slavery in Egypt. He established with them the covenant of Mount
Sinai and, through Moses, gave them his law so that they would recognize
him and serve him as the one living and true God, the provident Father and
just judge, and so that they would look for the promised Saviour.[20]
63 Israel is the priestly people of God, "called by the name of the LORD",
and "the first to hear the word of God",[21] the people of "elder brethren"
in the faith of Abraham.
64 Through the prophets, God forms his people in the hope of salvation, in
the expectation of a new and everlasting Covenant intended for all, to be
written on their hearts.[22] The prophets proclaim a radical
redemption of the People of God, purification from all their infidelities,
a salvation which will include all the nations.[23] Above all, the poor and
humble of the Lord will bear this hope. Such holy women as Sarah,
Rebecca, Rachel, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Judith and Esther kept alive the
hope of Israel's salvation. The purest figure among them is Mary.[24]
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