Unit One

Dates: Ten evenings 7.30pm – 9.30pm: Omagh: Tuesday evenings (27 September – 6 December)

Maghera: Wednesday evenings (5 October – 14 December)

Theme:

This unit will explore the question of faith and the nature of God who reveals himself to us and invites us into relationship with him. We will also explore God’s self-revelation through the Bible.

Aim and Content of Unit One:

At the beginning of John’s Gospel we are told: “The Word became flesh” (John 1:14). God becoming human gives great dignity to human nature. We will begin this unit by looking at the dignity of our human nature that God created and through which he reveals himself to the heart of the believer and to the world. We will reflect on how we mature in faith and grow spiritually. After reflecting on the nature of God, particularly as Trinity, we will explore God’s self-revelation in the Bible. We will look at the Old Testament and examine how God speaks to us through its books and stories. We will then turn to the New Testament and explore God’s revelation in the person of Jesus. We will also explore the person of Jesus Christ in the theology of the Church and as he is portrayed in art. In this unit, participants will come away with an understanding of and familiarity with the Bible as the revealed Word of God. We will also reflect on the importance of Mary, the Mother of God, and her place in our life of faith.

The following areas will be covered:

• Growth in self-understanding – Grounding faith in our human nature
• What is faith? Our growth in faith
• Spiritual growth and prayer in the Christian life
• Images, experiences and perceptions of God
• Introduction to the Bible
• God’s self-revelation in the Old Testament
• God’s self-revelation in the New Testament - Jesus in the Gospels
• Who is Jesus Christ? – A Portrait of Christ
• Mary – Icon of Faith and Bearer of the Word of God