Welcome to
Catholics for Israel's
Online Course!
"Guarding the deposit of faith is the mission which the Lord entrusted
to his Church, and which she fulfills in every age." (FD)
Welcome to Catholics for
Israel's online course - an introduction to God's plan of salvation, to
the Catholic faith, and on how to live as God's children!
The Course
The online course is a comprehensive summary of the authentic
faith and authoritative teachings of the Catholic Church. It
covers:
- The Story of Salvation: How God has revealed himself and
worked through human history from creation to our own day;
- What we believe: A firm grasp of reality as the essential
condition for sane and joyful living;
- How we are to live: The moral life as key to
freedom and happiness;
- How we worship: How the liturgy and sacraments of the
Church empower us to live a holy life;
- How we pray: Speaking with God and developing a loving
relationship with Him.
Goal
"God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of
sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed
life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws
close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with
all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by
sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplish this, when
the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Savior.
In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy
Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed
life" (CCC
1). The aim of this course, accordingly, is “to put people
not only in touch but in communion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ:
only he can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit and make us
share in the life of the Holy Trinity"
(CT
5).
Sources
Since this course intends to teach the authentic Catholic
faith that Jesus entrusted to His apostles, preserved in divine
revelation and handed down to us through the apostles’ successors and
the Church’s tradition, the two principal sources for the course’s
material are Sacred Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church
(CCC), called by pope John Paul II “a sure and authentic reference text
for teaching catholic doctrine” (FD 3). These two primary texts are
occasionally supplemented by other official magisterial documents of
the Church, and by other writings such as the works of theologians and
biblical scholars. However, we remember that "the task of
authentically interpreting the word of God, whether written or handed
on, has been entrusted exclusively to the living teaching office of the
Church, whose authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ. This
teaching office is not above the word of God, but serves it, teaching
only what has been handed on..." (DV
10) .
Target audience and method
The course was originally developed as the curriculum for an
RCIA program (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) for
non-Catholics inquirers interested in learning about Catholicism and
possibly entering the Catholic Church. However, it may also be used in
a variety of other catechetical settings such as adult faith formation,
campus ministry or youth ministry. Since it was designed particularly
for use in Israel, for Jewish inquirers into the Catholic faith, for
Catholics of Jewish background, or simply for teaching the Jewish roots
of the Catholic faith, you will notice a special emphasis on the Old
Testament and Jewish background of the Church's faith, worship, moral
life, and prayer.
Content, organic unity and repetition
The Catholic faith forms an organic unity in which all parts
and doctrines are related one to the other. All lessons are
interrelated in this organic whole, and each lesson will be fully
grasped only within the context of the whole course. However, in order
that each lesson may be understood “on its own” (in the event, for
example, that it is taught as a one-time lecture rather than as part of
the whole course, or if a student missed a previous lesson), some of
the material has been repeated throughout several lessons. For example,
the lessons on personal sin, salvation, and grace (B08, B10, B11)
include a short review of the lesson on original sin (A09), since a
sound grasp of latter is essential for understanding the
former.
Two Parts
The course is divided into two parts:
Format
The lessons were designed as multimedia
PowerPoint presentations, which include many pictures, graphics and
charts illustrating the truths of faith. The presentations are
available in two formats:
- Flash animations can be freely viewed
online for self-study. A few of the lessons include audio music files
that accompany the visual presentation.
- The original PowerPoint
presentations (PPT 2003/2007 format) can be purchased
online. These files are fully editable and customizable,
and may be used for teaching in a church or classroom setting. The
presentations also include additional notes for the teacher. You may
want to add musical selections of your own to some of the lessons if
you use them for teaching.
Handouts
A summary handout (in pdf format) is
provided with each lesson, which includes all of the scripture,
catechism, and magisterial document citations for further review and
study. These handouts are entirely free, and you are welcome to
download, save, and print them at leisure! [Note: You must
register in order to download the free handouts.]
Supplementary readings and ongoing study
The lessons are only introductory outlines
and are not sufficient in themselves to attain a full understanding of
the faith. It is highly recommended to supplement each lesson with the
relevant sections of Scripture and of the Catechism of the Catholic
Church. For your convenience, all scripture and catechism citations in
the PowerPoint files are hyperlinked to the full online text; the
citations can thus easily be accessed and read in their relevant
context, only one click away. Additional readings are
occasionally provided at the end of the PowerPoint lesson or on the
handout.
How much does it cost?
If you are simply inquiring about the
Catholic faith, or you are a Catholic who wants to better understand
your faith, the online course is entirely FREE for self-study! Enjoy it
and may God bless your spiritual journey! If, however, you wish to use
the course for teaching or ministering in your parish, church, school,
or other, you can purchase and download the original PowerPoint
presentations, either individually or in one of our discounted
packages. Catholics for
Israel is a non-profit organization and all proceeds will
go towards the maintenance and growth of our apostolate, including the
translation of this website into Hebrew. The course has required
several years of hard work, and your contribution will help to continue
to provide this free resource to those who seek the Kingdom of God.
Thank you for supporting our work of evangelization and catechesis in
the Holy Land in among the nations!
Give us feedback!
Please let us know what you think of the
online course! Post your feedback, questions and suggestions on
our forum
so that we may improve it in the future and better suit it to your
needs!
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