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WHO IS GOD?

WHO IS GOD?

OPENING PRAYER (WELCOME GOD INTO OUR STUDY)

God of Truth, help us to know your revealed Word. Merciful and loving Father, help us to love you in the same abundance as you have loved us. Let us care for our neighbor as you have cared for us, in Jesus’ name we pray.

CATECHESIS (STUDY THE FAITH)

CCC 189-195 Different Creeds

Nicene Creed I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

Apostles Creed I believe in God the Father Almighty the Creator of Heaven and Earth

CCC 201-202 One God

CCC 203-206 God’s Name

CCC 210-211 Merciful

CCC 215-217 Truth

CCC 219-226 Love

“I believe in God,” is the first affirmation in the Apostles Creed and the most fundamental of all beliefs. Nine out of ten Americans believe in the existence of God.

But do they believe what God teaches in Scripture and in His son, Jesus Christ. Not everyone who says Lord, Lord will be saved but those who do the will of my Father. Matthew 7:21

The Apostles Creed is considered a summary of the Faith of the Apostles. It is the ancient baptismal creed of the Church of early Rome. The Apostles Creed is broken into three parts in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The first part speaks of the 1^st divine person and His wondrous works of Creation. The second part speaks of the 2nd Divine Person, Jesus, our Redeemer. The 3rd part speaks of the 3rd Divine Person, the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, Lord and giver of Life.

“We firmly believe and confess without reservations that there is only One True God, eternal, infinite, unchangeable, incomprehensible, almighty, and ineffable, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three persons indeed but one essence and substance.” Lateran Council IV DS 800

God revealed Himself progressively under different names to His people but the revelation that is fundamental for both the Old and New Testament was the revelation to Moses in the burning bush, “I AM WHO AM.” Exodus 3:4-14

God had no beginning and has no end. No one made God. He always was and always will be. God is always present, faithfully caring for His people. God is just as present in the world today as He was in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:8

After the Israelites turned away from God and worshipped the “golden calf,” God reveals Himself as a God of Mercy, “Yahweh, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Exodus 34:1-9

…Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God, For he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting in punishment Joel 2:12-13

God is also the God of Truth. The sum of your word is Truth as the Psalmist sings, “Your every word is enduring;“ Psalm. 119:160

God is Love. “Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. I John 4:8 “God’s love is everlasting.” Isaiah. 54:8 Remain in my love.” John 15:9

CLOSING PRAYER (PRAY THE FAITH)

I believe in you, my God. You are a God of Truth and Love. O my God, you know my poverty and weakness, and that I am unable to do anything good without Thee; I give you thanks for caring for me. In return, I ask only that you give me your grace to never to refuse you anything. All Glory and praise be to you Almighty God, in Jesus’ name we pray!

LIFE APPLICATION (LIVE THE FAITH)

1.Why is belief in God important in my life?

2. Generally what do I know about God? What don’t I know about God?

3. Does it bother me that God is beyond all understanding… incomprehensible and ineffable a mystery in so many aspects?

4. How does the Church help me with my faith? How do my family and friends help me with my faith in God?

WHY DO WE CALL GOD OUR FATHER?

CATECHESIS, CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good and merciful For His loving kindness is everlasting. Psalm 118:29

OPENING PRAYER (WELCOME GOD INTO OUR STUDY)

Our Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth, look with kindness on your people. Help us to be good stewards of your creation until that day when we make an account of our stewardship, face to face, to you Father of us all. In Jesus’ name we pray.

CATECHESIS (STUDY THE FAITH)

REFERENCES FROM CATECHISM OF CATHOLIC CHURCH 2ND EDITION

CCC 238 – 242 God as Father

CCC 441 – 445 Jesus as Son of the Father

Jesus taught his disciples to call God “Our Father ” Matthew 6:5 The Son passed this relationship with the Father on to us through the Spirit. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Abba,^* Father!” Romans 8:15

We live in a time of absent fatherhood due to frequent divorces and walk away dads. Some may find it hard to address God as Father. If there is a problem with Fathers in your life, pray for the healing that will allow you to call God your Father because that is what He is. He is your Heavenly Father, you are his child.

Jesus told His disciples by getting to know Him they would get to know the Father also. Since Jesus and the Father are one. We can see the love of the Father in the actions of the Son.

Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by me. If you know me you know the Father.”

“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; John 14:6

We are made male and female in God’s image. To call God our Father in no way diminishes womanhood or motherhood. The most revered human person that ever lived is our Mother, Mary. The greatest choice ever made by a human being was made by a virgin woman to accept the call to be the Mother of our Savior through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Supported by the Old Testament Scripture, we call God our Father and declare that God is the first origin of everything and is transcendent authority over all.

God is separate from His creation. God is essence itself (being) God creates out of nothing. As Father he generates and brings into being all things that are.

God our Father wants to share His divine life and love with us. We become His adopted sons and daughters through the merits of Jesus Christ when we are born again in faith and Baptism.

Let us pray to the Father to increase our Faith that we may know the Son. Let us pray to the Son that we may know and see the Father in Him.

CLOSING PRAYER (PRAY THE FAITH)

Most merciful and loving Father, in loving gratitude, we pray for the fullness of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, that we may praise you as we ought. To You, Father, be all honor and glory now and forever, Amen. In Jesus’ name, we pray.

LIFE APPLICATION (LIVE THE FAITH)

The absence of fatherhood due to death, divorce or neglect deprives children of an important nurturing influence. What can be done to supplement the missing Father?

2 How does it make you feel to have a Heavenly Father? Is it the best yet or are you still struggling to accept your adoption?

3. Many feminine virtues are ascribed to God in Scriptures. “Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you Isaiah 49:15 But God is never addressed as Mother. Can you guess why?

ORIGINAL SIN

CATECHESIS

CATECHESIS cat·e·che·sis /ˌkadəˈkēsəs/

Jesus empowered the Church to continue His mission when He said, Full authority has been given to me both in heaven and on earth; go, therefore and make disciples of all the nations.

Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to carry out everything I have commanded you. And know that I am with you always, until the end of time. Matthew 28:18-20

ORIGINAL SIN

OPENING PRAYER (WELCOME GOD INTO OUR STUDY)

Father of Mercies, we thank you for the waters of Baptism that cleansed us of Original Sin. We beg you to grant us the grace to avoid personal sin, to repent when we fall, and turn back to you, in Jesus’ name we pray.

CATECHESIS (STUDY THE FAITH)

THE FALL FROM GRACE

The woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and the tree was desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it Genesis 3:6

REFERENCES FROM CATECHISM OF CATHOLIC CHURCH 2ND EDITION

CCC 385 – 390 The Fall from Grace

CCC 391 – 395 The Fall of the Angels

CCC 396 – 409 Consequences of Original Sin

CCC 410 – 412 God’s Promise – “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more”

In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve In His image and likeness, He endowed them with intelligence, love, freedom, and conscience. He gave them the grace of “original holiness.”

Man and the world began in harmony and grace, not sin. The inner harmony between man and woman, and the harmony between man and all of creation comprised the state of “original justice.”

This harmony of “original justice,” God’s original plan for man, is lost by the sin of our first parents. It is called Original Sin. God “tested” our first parents by forbidding them to eat of the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” The tree, off limits to man, was a symbol of the limits humans have as creatures to choose.

TREE OF GOOD AND EVIL

Our freedom to choose means we are free to choose good. To choose evil is enslavement to sin and means estrangement from God. God’s moral laws govern our freedom. To step outside these moral laws is to assume a freedom never granted to man. One of the consequences of “original sin” is the loss of grace, a sharing in God’s divine life.

All descendants of these first parents also inherit concupiscence which is a darkened mind, a weakened will, and disordered passions.

We did not commit “original sin.” But we are born with its effects, a wounded human nature in body and soul and estrangement from God’s divine life. Our plight is not hopeless, however. Baptism restores us to friendship with God but the wounds of original sin remain.

To ignore the fact of sin in human history is plain foolhardy. By any other name we may call it, character flaw, mistake, or weakness, an offense against God is a sin, plain and simple.

Before the fall of man was the spiritual fall of the angels. God, too, as in the case of man created the angels good. Satan and other demons became evil by their own doing, choosing to reject God.

Due to their “spiritual” nature the Angels’ choice was singular and irrevocable. “The fall of the angels consists in the free choice of these created spirits to radically and irrevocably reject God and his reign.” 2 Peter 2:4

The tempter of our first parents, says to Adam and Eve, “You will be like Gods.” Genesis 3:5. The devil, a sinner from the beginning is a liar and Father of lies.

In the Garden, Man, tempted by the devil, abused his freedom and disobeyed God’s command. Immediately Adam and Eve lost the state of original harmony. They became afraid of God and hid from Him.

The union of man and woman became subject to tensions, lust, and domination. The rest of creation became hostile and alien to man. Death enters into human history. Because of man’s act of disobedience, all of creation is now subject to death and decay.

Why God permitted sin in the first place remains a mystery. But we do know God can bring a greater good from evil. To quote St. Thomas Aquinas, “God permits evil in order to draw forth some greater good.”

CLOSING PRAYER (PRAY THE FAITH)

Father, how wonderful that you care for us! How boundless your merciful love! Lord God, we praise you for creating man and still more for restoring him in Christ Jesus your Son who shared in our weakness that we may share in His glory now and forever. In Jesus’ name, we pray.

LIFE APPLICATION (LIVE THE FAITH)

1. When I look back on my life where do I see the effects of original sin most apparent? ie. darkened mind, weakened will, disordered passions.

2.At the end of each day, what do I notice about the difference between what I intended to do and what I actually did?

3. How can I develop the habit of choosing good?

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL PRAYER

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.

Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.

May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;

and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host,

by the Divine Power of God, cast into hell Satan

and all the evil spirits who roam throughout the world

seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen

PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD MAKE STRAIGHT HIS PATHS

ADVENT REFLECTIONS

PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’” John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins MARK 1:2-5

INTRODUCTION

As we prepare our homes for Christmas guests, decorations, clean carpets etc, what about our Spiritual House? What do we do with the messiness that resides there…anger, resentments, grudges, and habits of sin that stain our souls, cloud our wills, and obstruct God’s intervention.

Let’s not stand in God’s way. Let’s make more room for Jesus this Advent season, brighten up His dwelling place within us, with sanctifying grace. What is the best Spiritual House cleaning tool for this? The Sacrament of Reconciliation!

The evening of His Resurrection, Jesus appeared to his Apostles, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” JOHN 20:21-23

WHOSE SINS YOU FORGIVE
ARE FORGIVEN THEM

We need to be reconciled both to God and our neighbor. It doesn’t matter to the priest how long ago your last confession was. You can’t shock the priest either. The priest has heard it all. Conversion can take place at any time until death but why wait!

Remember the priest, when hearing your confession, is in persona Christi (person of Christ). It is Christ you are confessing your sins. And we know how merciful God is from the many stories from Scripture…the Prodigal Son…The woman at the well…the woman caught in adultery…. And the Good Thief…. This day you will be with me in Paradise

CONFESSING OUR SINS TO A PRIEST

When the priest receives the penitent, he is fulfilling the ministry of the Good Shepherd who seek the lost sheep and the Good Samaritan who binds up the wounds. The priest is the sign and instrument of God’s mercy. Why confess to a priest? Because that is the way Jesus intended with his Apostles and their successors.

God’s salvific ministry carried out in His Son Jesus Christ wanted to show and perpetrate His loving mercy and reconciliation throughout time through the Apostles and their successors

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed James 5:16

One who avails themselves of the Sacrament of Reconciliation are told by the Priest/Christ in the words of absolution their sins are forgiven. They receive the comfort, the assurance, and thus feel through their senses the mercy of God.

HOW DO I PREPARE FOR CONFESSION?

We should begin with prayer, placing ourselves in the presence of God, our loving Father. We should review our lives (Examination of Conscience) since our last confession, our thoughts, words and actions that have broken our relationship with God and our neighbor.

A BRIEF EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE

Do I attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation?
Do I take God’s name lightly or in anger or in blasphemy?
Do I use profanity especially around my children?
Do I honor and respect my parents?
Have I injured anyone physically or materially?
Have I ever had an abortion or encouraged one
Am I envious, hot-tempered, or prejudiced?
Do I entertain thoughts of revenge, hold grudges?
Lack of patience road rage?
In my marital relationships do I respect my spouse by faithfulness in words and actions?
Do I provide good example to my children in regards virtue of chastity?
Do I watch pornography?
Do I gossip about the faults of others?
Do I forgive others?
Do I judge others?
Am I honest and fair with everyone?
Do I tell lies? Steal property or reputations?
Do I care for and give to the poor and needy?

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE CONFESSIONAL
The Priest receives the penitent with a greeting, a sign of the cross and invitation to trust in God’s mercy.

Confession of sins Through the admission of our sins, we look squarely at our relationship with God and our neighbor and open ourselves to be reconciled with God and full communion with His Mystical Body, The Church.

Our act of contrition expresses our sorrow for offending God and our detestation of sin. Our words of contrition express an inward condition to love God and avoid sin in the future.

SAMPLE ACT OF CONTRITION

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee. I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of Heaven, and the pains of Hell; but most of all because I love Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen

Prayer of absolution The words of absolution by the priest, “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit” and the reply by the penitent, “Amen” The priest may conclude with this prayer, “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good” The penitent’s response is, “For His mercy endures forever.

JESUS SEEKS US OUT;

WON’T YOU LET HIM IN!

…When you give Me your sins, you give Me the joy of being your Savior. There is nothing I cannot forgive and heal…Come to Me with your misery and your sins, with your troubles and needs, and with all your longing to be loved. I stand at the door of your heart and knock… I am seeking you every moment of the day…. I THIRST FOR YOU…”
MOTHER TERESE OF CALCUTTA
REFLECTION ON JESUS’ DESIRE TO FORGIVE US

IN HIS IMAGE:GOD CREATED THEM MALE AND FEMALE

CATECHESIS, CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING

CATECHESIS

Jesus empowered the Church to continue His mission when He said, Full authority has been given to me both in heaven and on earth; go, therefore and make disciples of all the nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to carry out everything I have commanded you. And know that I am with you always, until the end of time. Matthew 28:18-20

IN HIS IMAGE GOD CREATED THEM MALE AND FEMALE

OPENING PRAYER (WELCOME GOD INTO OUR STUDY)

Heavenly Father, you have made us in your Divine image. In your image, transform us, that we may be a more faithful reflection of your love on earth and be faithful stewards of your creation. In Jesus’ name, we pray.

CATECHESIS (STUDY THE FAITH)

REFERENCES FROM CATECHISM OF CATHOLIC CHURCH 2ND EDITION

CCC 355 – 358 In the Image of God

CCC 362 – 365 Unity of Body and Soul

CCC 369 – 373 Male and Female, a unity of two

CCC 374 – 379 Original Integrity

“Then God said: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the cattle, and over all the wild animals and all the creatures that crawl on the ground. God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:26-27

Human nature is made up of matter and spirit. “Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (soul) and man became a living being. Genesis. 2:7 The soul images God in consciousness, in intelligence, in love, and in freedom to choose.

Our souls are created at our conception and do not perish when separated from the physical body at death.

The Catholic Church teaches (CCC #366) that every spiritual soul is created immediately by God – it is not “produced” by the parents – and also that it is immortal: it does not perish when it separates from the body at death, and it will be reunited with the body at the final Resurrection.”

God created sexual and gender differences. He created us male and female. Both have one and the same dignity in the image of God. God is neither man nor woman. God is pure Spirit.

God created man and woman together and willed each for the other. Man discovers woman as another “I,” sharing the same humanity. “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. Genesis 2:23

In marriage, a man and woman relates in a communion of love that images the Holy Trinity. This married love is intended to be creative and generative in producing new human life according to God’s blessing, “Be fruitful and multiply.” Genesis.1:28

CLOSING PRAYER (PRAY THE FAITH)

Loving God, after creating the universe, you formed man out of dust from the earth and breathed into him a soul that would never die. Help us to use our minds to know you, our free will to love you, and one day bring us home to eternal life with You forever and ever. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

LIFE APPLICATION (LIVE THE FAITH)

1 We image God in our soul’s capacity to know, act freely, and make moral judgments based on an informed conscience.

How well am I imaging God right now?

How can I exercise these soul qualities more effectively?

2. God purposely created masculinity and femininity. male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:26-27

What does God’s word say to you about Gender Identity?

Man and Women in union in marriage imitates the love relationship in the Holy Trinity and fruitful in producing new human life according to God’s blessing, “Be fruitful and multiply.” Genesis.1:28

How does this fact of God’s plan affect support for same-sex marriage?

3. How does I am made in image and likeness of God affect the way I view others especially the less desirable?

I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, HIS ONLY SON, OUR LORD

1 Comment / CATECHESIS

OPENING PRAYER (WELCOME GOD INTO OUR STUDY)

Heavenly Father, thank you for sending us your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, Savior of the world. With grateful hearts, send us your Spirit to enlighten our minds and enflame our hearts to know and love your Son more deeply through our study of the teachings of your holy Catholic Church. Amen

JESUS CHRIST SAVIOR OF THE WORLD

CATECHESIS (STUDY THE FAITH)

REFERENCES FROM CATECHISM OF CATHOLIC CHURCH 2ND EDITION

CCC 422 – 429 The Person of Jesus Christ

CCC 430 – 435 The Name of Jesus

CCC 441 – 445 The Only Son of God

CCC 446 – 451 Jesus the Lord

“And the angel Gabriel came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.”…”and behold you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son and you will call his name, Jesus.”

…”and Mary said to the angel, “How can that be since I have no husband?” And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high will overshadow you, therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.” Luke 1:28, 31, 34-35

JESUS IS SON OF GOD. SON OF MARY.

TRUE GOD AND TRUE MAN.

The Son of God worked with human hands; he thought with a human mind; he acted with a human will; and he loved with a human heart. Born of the Virgin Mary, he has truly been made one of us, like us in all things, except sin.

Vatican II, Gaudium Spes #22

It is true Jesus was a human being like us in all things but for sin. But we must not diminish His divinity by placing a disproportionate emphasis on his humanity.

. There are a lot of great men in history. We revere Abraham Lincoln but we worship Jesus because He is God. .Jesus is the Son of God, the second person of the Most Holy Trinity.

MOST HOLY TRINITY FATHER SON HOLY SPIRIT

In Hebrew, the name Jesus means, “God saves.” The name, “Jesus,” expresses both his identity and his mission. “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow.”

It was because He was God and Man that his sacrificial offering on Calvary could redeem us from our sins and restore us again to life in the Father.

Christ is not Jesus’ last name! The word Christ comes from the Greek and is a translation of the Hebrew, Messiah, meaning “anointed one.” The name Christ became proper to Jesus because he perfectly accomplished the divine mission that His Father gave him.

Another title Jesus goes by is Lord. In the Old Testament God’s name in Hebrew was Yahweh. That Hebrew name is translated in the New Testament into the Greek as Kyrios, and then Lord into English. At his birth, Jesus was announced by the angels to the shepherds, “To you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11!

CLOSING PRAYER (PRAY THE FAITH)

All praise and thanksgiving be given to Jesus Christ, the only Son of God. At the name of Jesus, every knee should bend and every tongue confess, Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, in the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

LIFE APPLICATION (LIVE THE FAITH)

Jesus became man to live among us, to reveal to us what it means to be sons and daughters of the Father. What transformations do I think I have to make in my life to pattern my life more after the life of Jesus?

2 Why is it important to me to express my faith in Jesus’ divinity as well as his humanity?

3. When I meditate on the name of Jesus, what kinds of thoughts and images come to my mind?

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

CATHOLIC FEAST DAYS, MARY MOTHER OF GOD

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE DECEMBER 12

PATRONESS OF THE AMERICAS

O Mary, dawn of the new world,

Mother of the living, to you do we entrust the cause of life.

Look down, O Mother, upon the vast numbers of babies

not allowed to be born.

Grant that all who believe in your Son

may proclaim the Gospel of life

to the praise and glory of God, the Creator and lover of life.

BACKGROUND

In 1910, St. Pius X named Our Lady of Guadalupe Patroness of Latin America, and in 1945, at the urging of bishops from the U.S. and Canada, Pius XII bestowed on her the title Empress of the Americas.

In 1999, St. John Paul II formalized the invocation of Our Lady of Guadalupe as Patroness of the Americas and Star of the New Evangelization and declared that her feast day of Dec. 12 be celebrated in churches throughout the Americas.

The story begins in the early morning hours of December 9, 1531, when a 57-year-old Indian Peasant, convert to Christianity, named Juan Diego was walking along the path of Tepayec Hill on the outskirts of Mexico City on his way to Mass. .

As he walked along Tepeyac Hill, he began to hear beautiful strains of music, and he saw a beautiful lady, who called his name: “Juanito, He approached, and she said, “Know for certain, least of my sons, that I am the perfect and perpetual Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, the true God, through whom everything lives.

This “beautiful lady” asked Juan Diego to go to the Bishop and have a church built on this site in her honor. The Bishop demanded a sign before he would approve construction of a church.

Mary then appeared a second time to Juan Diego December 12 and ordered him to collect roses and take them to the Bishop. In a second audience with the Bishop, Juan Diego opened his cloak, letting dozens of roses fall to the floor and revealing the image of Mary imprinted on the inside of the cloak. The image is now venerated in the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

JUAN DIEGO OPENS HIS CLOAK BEFORE THE BISHOP

COMMENTARY

At the time of Mary’s appearance to Juan Diego (1531), the Aztec nation was heavily into human sacrifice where blood of infants were offered up to appease the pagan gods. We are horrified to hear stories of the Aztecs, who cut out the hearts of their victims to appease their pagan gods. When Mary appeared, she brought a message of compassion,

“I am the merciful Mother, the Mother of all of you who live united in this land, and of all mankind, of all those who love me, of those who cry to me, of those who seek me, of those who have confidence in me. Here, I will hear their weeping, their sorrow, and will remedy and alleviate their suffering, necessities, and misfortunes.”

Mary wore a black maternity band around her waist. The girdle or bow around her waist demonstrates plenitude and fecundity to the native Indians. The high position of the bow and the slight swelling of the abdomen show that the Lady is “with child.”

Our Lady, by appearing as an expectant mother, showed the Aztecs that human life is sacred. Our Lady of Guadalupe’s message of conversion brought new dignity to the Aztec people. No longer did they worship the pagan gods of sacrifice. Within just a few years, 11 million Native Americans were converted, and the practice of human sacrifice stopped, along with Culture of Death practices.

No more did the people need to cower in abject terror before the bloodthirsty gods who demanded the death of their children. They found refuge beneath the gracious protection of a gentle Mother. In 2002 Pope John Paul II canonized St. Juan Diego. (feast day December 9).

CALL TO ACTION

Why aren’t we just as horrified today at the slaughter of millions of innocent unborn children through the practice of abortion to appease the gods of convenience? The sin of abortion has claimed more than 1.6 billion innocent lives worldwide since 1973.

Politicians and legislatures as servants of the “common good” are duty bound to defend the fundamental right to life, the fruit of God’s love.” Pope Benedict XVI, Emeritus

We must shift our debate from pro-abortion vs anti- abortion to how do we address both the needs of the unborn and already born. We must make abortion unthinkable as we address the needs of the mother to be. The baby and mother both have life needs.

We must shout it from the rooftop “that all life is Sacred!” Trusting in God, we must fearlessly go forward in our quest to support a culture of Life. We need Mary’s intercession today!

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE BE OUR INTERCESSOR!

JESUS CONCEIVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT-BORN OF A VIRGIN

4 Comments / CATECHESIS, CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING

CATECHESIS (cat·e·che·sis ) to transmit the Gospel

Jesus empowered the Church to continue His mission with these words to His apostles, Full authority has been given to me both in heaven and on earth; go, therefore and make disciples of all the nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to carry out everything I have commanded you. And know that I am with you always, until the end of time. Matthew 28:18-20

OPENING PRAYER (WELCOME GOD INTO OUR STUDY)

Heavenly Father, in your mercy, bless us through the intercession of Holy Mary who conceived your only begotten Son, Jesus. In Jesus’ name, we pray.

CATECHESIS (STUDY THE FAITH)

REFERENCES FROM CATECHISM OF CATHOLIC CHURCH 2ND EDITION

CCC 456 – 463 The Incarnation

CCC 464 – 478 True God-True Man

CCC 484 – 486 “By the Power of the Holy Spirit”

CCC 487 – 507 “Born of the Virgin”

In Bethlehem we encounter a most astonishing mystery, God becoming man. How much love does that take? God to empty himself, taking the form of a servant and being born in the likeness of men. Phillipians 2:7

In Jesus Christ, God shows us a human face. In Jesus Christ, a human face shows us the face of God. As son of God, Jesus is Divine. As son of Mary, Jesus is human.

At the Annunciation, the whole universe, heaven and earth, waited for Mary’s reply. Adam and Eve begged her to say yes. So also did Abraham, Moses, and David from Sheol, the realm of the dead. Isiah 38:10

In that silence Mary gathered up her whole soul filled with the fullness of grace. The answer came from the depths of her very being, in union with God, “May it be done to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38

HAIL FULL OF GRACE

God the Father blessed Mary from the foundations of the world, chose her to be holy and blameless. Through the merits of her Son’s passion and death, Mary remained free of any personal sin her whole life long.

The Annunciation inaugurates the fullness of time of God’s promise and preparations. The Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of Life is sent by the Father to sanctify Mary’s womb…. the Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit The Angelus

The angel coming to her, said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus…..

But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man? And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. Luke 1:28-35

Why did the Word become Flesh? “For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven by the power of the Holy Spirit; he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary and was made Flesh.” Nicene Creed

Jesus Christ is True God and True Man in nature. He is one Divine person, the second person of the Most Holy Trinity, God the Son. Jesus has a human intellect and human will and a divine intellect and divine will.

As the God-Man, Jesus could increase in “human wisdom and human stature in favor with God.” Luke 2:52 Jesus did learn from human experience. i.e. improved carpentry skills

In his Divine Person, Christ enjoyed the fullness of understanding of the eternal plans he had come to reveal and accomplish. There was never a time He did not know and understand His Divine mission. i.e. Jesus 12 years of age in temple, “I must be in my Father’s house.” Luke 2:49

In his human will, Christ submitted in obedience to his Father’s will for the salvation of the world. Christ’s human will does not resist or oppose the divine will of the Father. In obedience, Jesus submits to the will of the Father.

CLOSING PRAYER (PRAY THE FAITH)

Lord Jesus Christ, we believe that you are True God and True man. You are God’s only begotten Son and Son of Mary. In you there is the fullness of divinity. You are the divine Word of God made man. May we give you glory now and forever and share in your divine life as you have shared in ours. Amen.

LIFE APPLICATION (LIVE THE FAITH)

By becoming man, Jesus proved His love for me. How can I love Jesus in return?

2. Reflect on the Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel to Mary, the handmaid of the Lord. What stands out?

3. Mary is our model of obedience of faith. Where Eve failed, Mary, the new Eve succeeded. How am I when it comes to choosing God’s will over my own will?

JESUS OF THE GOSPELS

CATECHESIS, CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING

CATECHESIS cat·e·che·sis /ˌkadəˈkēsəs/

Jesus empowered the Church to continue His mission when He said, Full authority has been given to me both in heaven and on earth; go, therefore and make disciples of all the nations. Matthew 28:18 (Catechesis: Teach the Faith)

JESUS OF THE GOSPELS

OPENING PRAYER (WELCOME GOD INTO OUR STUDY)

Oh my Jesus, Divine Word of the Father, as we read the Gospels, help us to know you more deeply, love you more tenderly, and follow you more closely. To you, be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.

CATECHESIS (STUDY THE FAITH)

REFERENCES FROM CATECHISM OF CATHOLIC CHURCH 2ND EDITION

CCC 512 – 521The Mystery of Christ’s Life

CCC 522 – 534The Infancy and Hidden Life

CCC 535 – 540 Jesus’ Public Life

CCC 541 – 556 Proclamation of the Kingdom

The Gospels were written “that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and that through that belief you may have life in His name.” John 20:31

The Gospels are a narrative of Christ’s earthly life and the revelation of the Father in the very person of Jesus Christ. “The Father and I are one. Who sees me sees the father.” John 10:30

Jesus’ hidden life in Nazareth in obedience to his mother and foster father fulfills perfectly the fourth commandment; “Honor your father and your mother.”

Jesus’ obedience is the undoing of Adam and Eve’s disobedience. His ordinary life as an apprentice carpenter and growing in wisdom and stature under the guidance of his earthly parents is our journey too.

Jesus’ public life began with his baptism by John. Though he was without sin, he submitted himself to his Father’s will and he, without sin, took on all the sins of the world. The Father responded in complete delight, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:17

After John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the “kingdom is at hand, repent. Jesus came to call sinners.“I came to call sinners, not the righteous.” Mark 2:17

The kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor, the humble of heart, the poor in spirit, the meek of heart, those who humbly acknowledge their need and dependency on God. See the Sermon on the Mount (Beatitudes) Matthew 5

BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL FOR THEY WILL BE SHOWN MERCY

Jesus challenges us, “One who loses his life will find it.” Matthew 10:39 We must give everything to God. Didn’t God give everything for us, even his very life on the cross of redemption? God must reign in our hearts.

Jesus did not come to eradicate all evil and suffering. Jesus came to free mankind from the greatest oppression of all, the bondage of sin.

At the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus chose twelve ordinary men and sinners like ourselves to teach and train so they may participate in his mission to build the kingdom.

Simon Peter holds a significant place among these twelve apostles. “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18

Jesus entrusted a special authority to Peter to preserve and defend the faith. “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19

RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT JOHN 20:22

This power of binding and loosing is the authority given to Peter and his successors to absolve sins, pronounce judgments on doctrines of faith, and make disciplinary decisions in the life of the Church. Jesus has promised that His Church will be protected from error in its teachings of faith and morals through the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit, Lord and giver of Life.

CLOSING PRAYER (PRAY THE FAITH)

Jesus, Divine Savior, we believe that you came to earth to bring to the world your Divine Life, to save us from sin, and to make the world new again. We thank you for your mercy and love. Bless us with your peace and good will. Amen.

LIFE APPLICATION (LIVE THE FAITH)

What does it mean to me that everyone, even those I don’t like, are invited to enter the kingdom of heaven? Am I that generous?
Read Matthew 25. Jesus tells us whatever we do to the least of our brethren we do to him. How can I do a better job performing the corporal works of mercy described in Matthew?
We are also called to perform the spiritual works of mercy (CCC 2447) instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, admonish the sinner, bear wrongs patiently, forgive offenses, comfort the afflicted and pray for the living and the dead. How well am I doing meeting these challenges?

SECOND COMING OF JESUS TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD

CATECHESIS

HE WILL COME TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD
2 TIMOTHY 4:1-5

OPENING PRAYER (WELCOME GOD INTO OUR STUDY)

We pray, Come Lord Jesus. May we not be like the foolish virgins of Scripture (Matt 25:1) that let their lamps burn out. Fuel our lamps with your nourishment. Let our lights burn bright! Come Lord Jesus and reign in our hearts now and forever! AMEN!

CATECHESIS (STUDY THE FAITH)
REFERENCES FROM CATECHISM OF CATHOLIC CHURCH 2ND EDITION

CCC 659 – 664 The Ascension
CCC 668 – 677 He will come again in glory
CCC 678 – 679 To judge the living and the dead.

End times are much speculated about by novelists and TV shows. But no one knows, only the Father. Jesus spoke of end times in the Gospel of Mark, “But of that day or that hour, no one knows not even the angels in heaven nor the Son but only the Father.Mark.13:12

Jesus ascended into heaven 40 days after Easter. It may not have been literally 40 days because the Hebrews used the number 40 as a figure of speech for the perfect time for a mission to be accomplished. And certainly Jesus had accomplished his mission perfectly.

JESUS BLESSES HIS APOSTLES
AS HE ASCENDS INTO HEAVEN
LUKE 24:50

At the time of his Ascension, Christ warned his disciples that the present time is a time of the Spirit and witness. It is a time of waiting and watching. Like Jesus’ first disciples, we are soldiers of Christ, the Church militant, the faithful witnesses here on earth to all that Christ has given us.

“Before Christ comes again, the Church must endure many trials and persecutions. Many rosy colored plans for heaven on earth will be presented to draw eyes from the true heaven and the true kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Many will renounce their faith and jeopardize their immortal souls for expediency and false gods. The anti-Christ will be worshipped in place of God and will seduce many from their faith. “CCC 675

In the end, Jesus Christ will come again as he ascended, totally victorious and supreme king of heaven and earth. God’s final victory over evil will take the form of the Last Judgment.

The Father has given all judgment to the Son. “The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son that all may honor the Son even as they honor the Father.” John 5:22

“Nothing is covered up that will not be known. Whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed upon the house tops.” Luke 12:23

How will this judgment be conducted? We have a sneak preview in Matthew 25;
“Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of these least brethren, you did it to me.” (Mt. 25:40)

Our behavior towards our neighbor, especially whomever we consider least “loveable” will disclose our own acceptance or refusal of God’s grace and divine love. If we reject God’s grace and God’s love in this life, we have already judged and condemned ourselves.

The Son did not come into this world to judge but to save. “For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is already condemned.” John 3:17-18

CLOSING PRAYER (PRAY THE FAITH)

O my Jesus, King of glory and merciful judge, rule our hearts now that we may come to your judgment seat with hope and trust rather than fear and trembling. Lead us to witness your salvation and kingdom now on earth so that we may participate at the end of time in your glory in heaven. Amen.

LIFE APPLICATION (LIVE THE FAITH)

1. If I thought the world would come to an end in a year, what effect would that have on my life? Are there changes I would make? What would I change?

2. Whatever you do to the least of my brethren you do to me. How am I doing loving the least of my brethren, those I don’t find lovable…those I envy…those I resent????

3. How will God judge me?… as I have judged others? How is my judging of others going?