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SOLEMNITY OF MARY MOTHER OF GOD JANUARY 1

MARY MOTHER OF GOD

Solemnities are the highest rank of liturgical celebration. By celebrating a solemnity dedicated to Mary’s motherhood, the Church highlights the significance of her part in the life of Jesus.

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel, God with us.

Isaiah 7:14

It is fitting to honor Mary, as Mother of God, following the birth of Jesus. We are not only honoring Mary, who was chosen among all women throughout history to bear God incarnate, but we are also honoring our Lord, Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully human.

Just as Christmas honors Jesus as the “Prince of Peace,” the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God honors Mary as the “Queen of Peace” Every year on January 1 the Holy Father marks the World Day of Peace, inviting all people to reflect on the important work of building peace.

Some may wonder why we refer to Mary as Queen. From the moment Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive and bear a great son, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,,, Luke 1:26, Mary becomes future Queen..

In the Hebrew tradition, Mary is Queen Mother. Unlike modern-day kingdoms, the Queen of Israel was not the king’s wife but his mother. The king often had many wives but only one Mother.

From antiquity, Mary has been called “Theotokos, “God-Bearer.” The term was used as part of the popular piety of the early first millennium church. It lies at the heart of the Latin Rite’s deep Marian piety and devotion.

This is seen dramatically in Mary’s visitation to her cousin, Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. LUKE 1:41-42

BLESSED ART THOU AMONG WOMEN
LUKE 1:42-43

Although Mary is the Mother of God, she is not the source of her Son’s divinity. Women give birth to persons. Mary carried and gave birth to the person, Jesus Christ, and the person she gave birth to is God. Jesus is one Divine Person, consubstantial with the Father and the Spirit.

Mary is the Mother of God because she carried Jesus in her womb and contributed the genetic material for His human nature. Jesus is God; Mary is the Mother of God.

In the 4th and 5th centuries there was much debate about Jesus’ human nature and divine nature. The debate was about Christ’ divine nature. At the center of this debate was the particular title of Mary Mother of God.

Referring to Mary this way was popular in Christian devotion, but the patriarch of Constantinople from 428-431, Nestorius, objected on theological grounds.

Nestorius suggested that Mary was only the mother of Jesus’ human nature, but not his divine nature. Nestorius’ ideas were condemned at the Council of Ephesus in AD 431, and again at the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451.

The Council’s insistence on the use of the title Mary Mother of God reflected an effort to preserve the teaching of the Church that Jesus was both Divine and human, that the two natures were united in His One Person.

This wonderful title, Mary, the Mother of God, “Theotokos”, reveals a profound truth not only about Mary, but about each one of us. We too are invited to become “God-bearers,

THEOTOKOS–GOD-BEARER

WHAT A GREAT INTERCESSOR WE HAVE IN MARY, THE MOTHER OF GOD!
WHO CAN REFUSE A MOTHER’S REQUEST???

JESUS CERTAINLY COULDN’T AT CANA!

FEAST OF THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

ADVENT REFLECTIONS

WHAT DO WE CELEBRATE THIS CHRISTMAS DAY

At Christmas, the God-man, Jesus, enters into human history, humbling himself taking on human nature that we might share in His divine nature now through grace, and forever in heaven face to face with God for all eternity.

We live two parallel lives whether we realize it or not, one temporary in this world and an eternal life in the next.

Seek and you shall find! Do I make an effort to find God in prayer, in scripture, and in my daily experiences or do I push God aside and fill my heart with other things?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. John 1:1-3

In time the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.

And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you… 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. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High Luke 1:26-27

THE GREATEST EXCHANGE OF GIFTS

At Bethlehem, humanity sees not only God-Made flesh but also receives an invitation to become God-like. God offers to make men and women by grace what Jesus Christ is by nature,

In exchange for the humanity Jesus takes, the Incarnate Word gives us a share in his divinity. God is born in time so we can be reborn in eternity. The Son of God becomes the Son of Man so men and women can become children of the one same Father in heaven.

BEHOLD A GREAT LIGHT SHATTERS THE DARKNESS!

A great light has shattered the darkness of this earth shackled to sin. Jesus leads us in a new Exodus from sin. Jesus is that great light! Jesus is the way, the truth, the life. “Jesus spoke to them saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

REFLECTION

Jesus is the Word made flesh…the Light of the World. Darkness cannot keep out the Light….Are there things hidden in my own life that need the light of Christ….

The night the Christ Child was born, there was no room in the Inn….Is there room in my heart for the Christ Child…

Shepherds came and saw, then worshiped and spread the Good News…do I spread the Good News… or Do I hide my light under a bushel

Mary pondered all these mysteries in her heart…do I ponder the birth of Jesus in my heart…

What other mysteries do I ponder…

PRAYER

God of love, Father of all, the darkness that covered the earth has given way to the bright dawn of your Word made flesh. Make us a people of this light. Make us faithful to your Word, that we may bring your life to the waiting world. Grant this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

PEACE OF CHRIST BE WITH YOU

SILENT NIGHT , HOLY NIGHT ALL IS CALM, ALL IS BRIGHT

KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

CATECHESIS

CATECHESIS HANDING ON THE FAITH

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

This great commission has been handed on to women and men, whom God has called, to proclaim the Good News. This ministry of teaching and forming has traditionally been referred to as catechesis. Catechesis is the effort within the Church to make disciples, to help people to believe that Jesus is the Son of God…and to educate and instruct them in this life and thus build up the Body of Christ. (Catechesi Tradendae #1)

Knowledge of God

OPENING PRAYER (WELCOME GOD INTO OUR STUDY)

Almighty and Great God you created us out of love. Jesus, your Son has taught us to call you Abba, Father. You sustain us, Father and nourish us in your revealed Word. Father lead us into a deeper knowledge of you who is love itself. In Jesus’ name, we pray.

CATECHESIS (STUDY THE FAITH)

REFERENCES FROM CATECHISM OF CATHOLIC CHURCH 2ND EDITION

CCC 27 -30 Man’s desire for God

CCC 31 – 35 Ways of coming to know God

CCC 36 -38 Knowledge of God according to the Church

CCC 39 – 43 How we can speak about God

The first Roman Catechism was commissioned in 1546 by the Council of Trent. It prevailed for four centuries and was still highly recommended by Pope John XXIII in 1960. On June 25, 1992 Pope John Paul II officially approved The Catechism of the Catholic Church now in its second edition. The Roman Catechism of Trent and the recently published Catechism of the Catholic Church are the only official Catechisms published by the Catholic Church.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1992 is broken into four parts like the Roman Catechism of Trent: The Creed (Faith Professed) Sacraments (Faith Celebrated) Commandments (Faith Lived) and Our Father (Faith Prayed.)

Our Creed begin with the words “I believe.” To believe does not mean to think, to suppose, or to be of the opinion of but rather it is an expression of a person with the deepest conviction and of unhesitating assent to all God has revealed and taught through his Son, Jesus Christ.

The knowledge derived from faith is NOT to be considered less certain than knowledge derived from physical objects and sense experience. Our Faith is given to us by a God who can neither deceive nor be deceived and testified to by Jesus Christ and his disciples.

The desire for God is written in the human heart because man is created by God, for God. God never ceases to draw us to Himself. God loved me into existence. We can forget God or reject God, but God never ceases to call everyone to seek Him and to find eternal life.

There are many ways to know or approach God. Beginning with Creation, its beauty, and order, we can come to the knowledge of an intelligent First Cause. There is a first cause that exists outside of ourselves that most people call God. Nothing in Creation is necessary. All is contingent. Something exists in creation because God loved and willed it into existence.

Our holy Mother, the Church, holds and teaches us that God is the first principle and last end of all things and can be known with certainty from the created world and by the natural light of human reason. When we speak about God it is always limited because God is infinite and we are not.

It is easier to say what God is not. God is always more than we can know or say about Him. We may speak about God, even if our knowledge is limited and our human words always fall short of the full mystery of God

CLOSING PRAYER: (PRAY THE FAITH)

Loving God, I praise you for the gift of divine Revelation which helps my reason discover you in creation and in my conscience. Thank you for giving me a capacity for your presence within the depths of my heart. Cleanse my heart of any obstacles to your loving presence. In Jesus’ name we pray.

LIFE APPLICATION: (LIVE THE FAITH)

1. Is my curiosity about God and the world still alive and well or am I too grown up to be amazed in awe and wonder?

2. Do I sense a spiritual restlessness in my soul? What have I done to satisfy this restlessness that makes me feel a deepening need of God’s presence in me?

3. What am I most passionate about in life? Where do I place my enthusiasm and energy?

4. We make plans and God laughs! What is God’s plan for me?

GOD’S REVELATION TO MAN

CATECHESIS, CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING

GOD REVEALS HIMSELF TO THE PROPHETS

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. The prophets proclaim a radical redemption of the People of God, purification from all their infidelities, a salvation which will include all the nations. CCC 64

OPENING PRAYER (WELCOME GOD INTO OUR STUDY)

Heavenly Father, you desire us in relationship. Your Divine Revelation in Scriptures, especially in the Word Incarnate, Jesus Christ, demonstrates your desire to be found. Let our desire for you be as strong as your desire for us, in Jesus’ name we pray.

CATECHESIS (STUDY THE FAITH)

REFERENCES FROM CATECHISM OF CATHOLIC CHURCH 2ND EDITION

CCC 51-53 God reveals His plan of Love and Goodness

CCC 54-58 Covenant with Noah

CCC 59-64 God chooses Abraham and forms His people

CCC 65-67 Jesus, the Word made Flesh

Divine Revelation to man begins in the Garden of Eden. God revealed himself to our first parents, Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve’s fall from grace, original sin did not stop God from reaching out to them and their descendants. After the fall, God gave our first parents hope by promising a Redeemer who will once and for all make salvation, accessible to all human kind.

GENESIS 9:12-13

After the great flood, Noah became our new ancestor. In the covenant with Noah, God promised never to destroy all mortal beings again by a flood. God placed a rainbow in the sky as a sign of His covenant with His people. “I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” Genesis. 9:12-13

God began to form His people in Abraham. God begins to gather scattered humanity. “In you all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 22:18

Abraham and his descendants Isaac and Jacob will be caretakers of God’s people until God gathers all his people through Jesus Christ into the universal Church.

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. They would be the root on to which the Gentiles would be grafted, once they came to believe. CCC 60

EXODUS 20:1-3

Then God spoke all these words: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall not have other gods beside me.

God frees His people from the Egyptians and establishes a covenant on Mount Sinai through his prophet, Moses. The first commandment Moses receives on Sinai is to love and serve this one, only, living and true God. Through other prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, God continues to form his people in expectation of a new and everlasting covenant.

The word covenant means “coming together.” God wants to come together with us. God promises to love and care for us and we are expected to accept and live this goodness. A covenant results in blessings if kept and curses if violated.

By His covenants, the Creator is fathering a family. He is saying to His people, “I will be their God and they shall be my people…I will be a Father to you and you shall be sons and daughters to Me” 2 COR, 6:16

In the New Testament God revealed to us His greatest covenant and everlasting covenant in the person of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, consubstantial with the Father.

Jesus Christ frees us from the enslavement of our sins that separate us from God and restores our inheritance, a share in the Divine Life of the Blessed Trinity. Jesus Christ is the end of public revelation.

Throughout the ages, there have been “private revelations” to individuals, some which have been recognized by the authority of the Church. It is not, however, the role of these ‘private revelations” to improve or complete Christ’s definitive revelation but to assist one to live more fully by the faith revealed by Christ. We do not have to believe in private revelations.

THE FULLNESS OF DIVINE REVELATION IS TO BE FOUND IN CHRIST ALONE.

CLOSING PRAYER (PRAY THE FAITH)

Father, with grateful hearts, we thank you for your gift of revelation. Thank you for the gift of your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, the most perfect expression of divine revelation, Thank you for seeking us wherever we are, loving us as we are, and offering us a share in your divine life, In Jesus’ name, we pray.

LIFE APPLICATION (LIVE THE FAITH)

1. Since God gave me reason and intellect that can prove God’s existence why is Divine Revelation still needed?

2. The fullness of divine revelation is to be found in Christ alone. What does that mean to me?

3. Are there private revelations since the time of Christ that have assisted in my faith?

FAITH: A DIALOGUE OF LOVE

CATECHESIS, CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING

FAITH: A DIALOGUE OF LOVE

GOD AND MAN IN RELATIONSHIP

OPENING PRAYER (WELCOME GOD INTO OUR STUDY)

Most Loving Father, you have revealed yourself through the prophets Abraham and Moses. You gave us the fullness of your Word in your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Your overwhelming love for us is clear. All you ask in return is our Faith and our Trust. Help us to Trust in you. Replace our disbelief with belief, in Jesus’ name we pray.

CATECHESIS (STUDY THE FAITH)

REFERENCES FROM CATECHISM OF CATHOLIC CHURCH 2ND EDITION

CCC 142-143 Man’s response to God

CCC 153-162 Characteristics of Faith

FAITH IS A GIFT FROM GOD, ANIMATED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHO CREATES IN OUR HEARTS A DESIRE FOR GOD.

When we are young, God gives us the gift of Faith through our family, friends, and Church. When we become adults, Jesus asks us not to just talk about Him but to really get to know Him in a personal way in relationship.

Faith is a dialogue of love with God. In His revelation, God says, “I love you.” In Faith we say, “We gratefully accept your love and return it to you, Father.”

It is not so much about our love for God that is so very crucial in the beginning but an acknowledgement and an acceptance of God’s love for us. In Faith we say, “Yes, God loves me, through no merit of my own but because God is good.

In Faith, man completely submits his intellect and will to God. With his whole being, man gives his assent to God. That response is called the “obedience of faith.” This “obedience of faith” can most perfectly be seen in Blessed Virgin Mary’s reply to Angel Gabriel at the Annunciation, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.” Luke 1:38

In the letter to the Hebrews we find this definition of faith given by St. Paul, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

JESUS CHRIST SON OF GOD,

CONSUBSTANTIAL WITH THE FATHER

Belief in God cannot be separated from believing in the One He sent. “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, listen to Him.” And one cannot believe in Jesus Christ without believing in the Holy Spirit who is sent by Jesus Christ.

It is the Holy Spirit who animates our minds and hearts so that we may recognize Jesus for who He is. “For no one can say Jesus is Lord except the Holy Spirit and who He has revealed him.” I Corithians. 12:13

Faith is a priceless gift, a pearl of great price. We must pray never to lose it and ask the Holy Spirit for His guidance and protection against onslaughts and attacks by a faithless world. “By rejecting conscience, certain persons have made a shipwreck of their Faith.” I Tim.1:18-19

To love, grow, and persevere in our Faith, we must nourish it with the Word of God and practice it through works of charity. Faith makes us taste in advance the light of the beatific vision. “Then we shall see God, face to face, as He is.” I Corinthians. 13:12 The Theological virtue of Faith is the beginning of eternal life.

CLOSING PRAYER (PRAY THE FAITH)

Heavenly Father, you have in your wisdom given us your precious gift of Faith. May the inner secrets of your word be opened to us in our hearts. This. we beg of you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in whom is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

LIFE APPLICATION (LIVE THE FAITH)

Has my approach to faith changed from childhood, through adolescence, into adulthood?
Is my faith deeper now than when I was younger? How?
How important are regular religious practices of devotions and prayer for my faith development? What might I do to improve my prayer life?
Do I make faith the mover of my moral behavior? How?

COME LORD JESUS, LIGHT OF THE WORLD!

ADVENT REFLECTIONS

“the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,

on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen”

Matthew 4:16

COMMENTARY.

As We approach the fourth week of Advent, the birth of Jesus which changed the world forever is ever closer.

One of my favorite metaphors for Jesus is comparing him to LIGHT. Jesus is the light of the world. A world so dark with its burdens of sin and disease awaits the one who will lighten our load…

Come to me all you who labor and are burdened…and I will give you rest… Matthew 11:28.

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who lived in a land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing” Isaiah 9:1-2

The first chapter of John’s Gospel describes the role of Jesus, “What came to be through him was life,and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:2-4

“A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light…He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world” John 1:4-9

Later in John’s Gospel, Jesus affirms He is that light. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”John 8:12

REFLECTION

Those who choose Light….become children of the Light….and testify to the Light…

Do I hide my light under a bushel or do I let it shine everywhere, even where inconvenient, in the public square?

Are there things hidden in my own life that need the light of Christ…

O come, O come, Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel

that mourns in lonely exile here Until the son of God appear

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Let us be people of the Light who walk in the Light and give witness to the Light everywhere we go! AMEN!

WHO IS GOD?

CATECHESIS

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