Viator

On the Catechism 2-3: The Mission of the Faithful

Paragraphs 1 through 3 of the Catechism form a complete unit.  In this introduction to the Faith, there are many sets of three.  From Paragraph 1 recall that the faithful are to know, love and serve God.  Immediately thereafter, the Church teaches us that the mission given to the Apostles by Jesus was to proclaim the Gospel, baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and finally to teach the baptized all that they had heard from their Lord.

This three part commission was passed along through time by Apostolic Succession to all the Bishops of the Catholic Church!  Having the same commission, the Bishops are to teach that which has been received.  We call this received teaching, the Deposit of Faith or the Word of God.  From the Apostles to the Bishops today, all in succession have the solemn duty of handing on the Faith as it was received, guarding the faith from adulteration, and preserving the Faith from heresy and error. However, the Bishops are not the only members of the Church that are called to a special duty.

Each member of the Church is to profess the faith by their manner of living, by celebrating the liturgy, and by their prayers.  These three items are the general rules of living a holy life and for becoming a saint.  The details fill the thousands of paragraphs that follow!

CCC 2-3

2 So that this call should resound throughout the world, Christ sent forth the apostles he had chosen, commissioning them to proclaim the gospel: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." (Mat 28:19-20) Strengthened by this mission, the apostles "went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it." (Mk 16:20)

3 Those who with God's help have welcomed Christ's call and freely responded to it are urged on by love of Christ to proclaim the Good News everywhere in the world. This treasure, received from the apostles, has been faithfully guarded by their successors. All Christ's faithful are called to hand it on from generation to generation, by professing the faith, by living it in fraternal sharing, and by celebrating it in liturgy and prayer. (Acts 2:42)

Q&A

Q. How did the Gospel spread through the entire world?

A. The Gospel was spread to all the nations by Christ's chosen Apostles.

Q. Why did the Apostles spread the Gospel to all the nations?

A. The Apostles spread the Gospel to all the nations because they were personally commissioned by the Risen Lord Jesus Christ.

Q. Was the proclamation of the Gospel the only task given to the Apostles?

A. No. The Apostles were commissioned by Jesus to carry out three tasks. First, they were to proclaim the Gospel to all the nations. Second, the Apostles were to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Finally, the Apostles were directed to teach the baptized to observe all the commandments that the Apostles had heard from Jesus while they were with Him.

Q. Did Jesus make any guarantees?

A. Yes. Jesus guaranteed that he would be with the Apostles not only in their natural life times but until the end of the age. That is to say that Jesus would be with the Apostles and their successors until He returned to end the age.

Q. Did the Apostles carry out the mandate given them by Our Lord?

A. Yes, the Apostles faithfully "went forth and preached everywhere."

Q. Did Jesus, Risen from the dead, Glorified, and Ascended to the Father help the Apostles in their mission?

A. Yes! The Gospel of Mark states that "the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through them" by causing miracles, called "signs" by St. Mark, to demonstrate to the world that the Apostles were acting with the power and authority of Jesus.

Q. Did the people who received the Good News and who were baptized by the Apostles also spread the Gospel?

A. Yes, the people of the time of the Apostles as well as we who have received the Good News today, are commanded to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ everywhere in the world.

Q. Who are the successors of the Apostles?

A. The successors of the Apostles are the Bishops of the Holy Catholic Church. The Bishops of the Church have preserved, guarded, and handed on the treasure of the Word of God received from Christ over all these many centuries.

Q. What are we, the baptized to do in our time?

A. We are called upon to profess the faith, to live the faith, and to celebrate the faith in liturgy and prayer.

BREVIARY

Jesus commissioned the Apostles and all the baptized to proclaim the Gospel to the entire world.

All believers who receive the Good News of Jesus Christ are to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

All believers are to be taught the commandments that the Apostles received from Jesus Christ.

The treasure of God's Word first given to the Apostles has been handed on, guarded, and preserved by the successors of the Apostles, the Bishops of the Holy Catholic Church.

All of Christ's faithful are called upon to hand on the Faith in every generation by professing the faith, by living the faith in fraternal sharing, and by celebrating the faith in the ancient liturgy and by prayer.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Pray for us!

Catechism Project Link

VVV

On the Catechism 1: To Know, Love, and Serve God Redux

It is time to get back to work!

Presented below is a representation of an earlier post which considered the very first paragraph of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  This paragraph is particularly important because it provides a key to understanding the Holy Faith.  In an act of love that was completely beyond the hope of any of man's efforts at religion, God reveals to Israel that He has reached down to man in love to rescue all of us from our fallen world and fallen natures.  Through the Cross of Christ we can see the completion of the Plan of Salvation (Gen 3:15) that was launched at the very moment that Adam and Eve were cast out of Paradise. 

In response, with the help of grace, we are to know, love and serve God.  As any small child who first learned his or her faith from the Baltimore Catechism knows, this response, together with faith, hope and the love of God, is our means of salvation. This is how we get aboard and stay upon the rescue ship that is the Church!  Most of the people who live or who have ever lived will not believe this good news.  Instead of seeking the freedom to do what we ought, most seek the false freedom to do as they will with no reference to Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!  Too many of us look around when we ought to be looking up!  It is time to get back to work. 

 

The first words of the Catechism express the infinite perfection, blessedness and goodness of God. God created man to “make him share in his own blessed life.” God made us to be happy and live forever with a share of the His own life. This fact alone is astounding. It has been revealed to Israel and to all the nations of the world through the Church that God is good and that He loves the humanity that He has created.

A second key point is that God draws close to man! Notice that the Catechism does not teach that man first seeks God.  Rather, the witness of history and the Holy Scriptures is that God initiates the relationship with His people.  History is full of failed efforts, false religions, and hopeless philosophies that seek to either invent or posit a “god” to worship or to ignore God and create a man made utopia.  Our Lord is revealed as “Father” who seeks after the love and good of His children.

The good and loving Holy Trinity calls man to a relationship with God: to “seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength.” In the same way, God calls men into the unity of the Church. The cause of our disunity is sin. Just as God initiates a loving relationship with men, He initiated and executed the Plan of Salvation that redeemed and justified man before God.

The supremely loving act of the Father was to send His Son as “Redeemer and Savior.” In and through the Son, God invites men, “in the Holy Spirit”, to be his adopted children and “thus heirs of His blessed life.” The teaching and life of the Church is about our response to this invitation and the life we live as restored, redeemed, and justified sons and daughters of the Lord!

CCC 1

1 God, 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.

Q&A

Q. What are the very first words of the Catechism that describe God?

A. God is described as infinitely perfect and blessed in himself.

Q. Why did God create man?

A. God created man in a plan of sheer goodness so that man could share in His own blessed life.

Q. Does God draw close to and call man?

A. God both draws close to man and calls man. The Catechism says that God draws close to man at every time and in every place.

Q. What is God’s call to man?

A. God calls man to seek Him, to know Him, and to love Him with all his strength. He makes this call to man while constantly drawing closer to man.

Q. Does God call men to unity with one another?

A. Yes. Like all good Fathers, God wants His children to live in harmony and unity with one another.

Q. What is the source of division among men?

A. Sin.

Q. What type of unity does God desire for men?

A. God desires that all men should be united with one another in the family of the Church which is visible and identifiable to all men.

Q. How has God overcome sin and disunity?

A. God accomplished the defeat of sin and unity through His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. God sent His Son, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, to men and to become one with us. Through the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Our Lord, the work of redemption and salvation was accomplished. Jesus Christ established the unified family of God in His Church.

Q. What is the status of men who enter the Church?

A. Those who enter the Church in faith in Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit, are made His adopted sons and daughters and thus heirs of His blessed life.

BREVIARY

God is infinitely perfect and blessed in Himself.

God created man in a plan of sheer goodness in order to share His blessed life .

God calls all men to Himself and He draws men to unity in His Church.

All disunity among men is caused by sin.

God has defeated sin and disunity through His Son, who became one with us, and who suffered, died, and rose again.

The work of redemption and salvation was accomplished through Our Lord's suffering, death, and resurrection.

All who enter the Church in faith in Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit, are made His adopted sons and daughters and are thus heirs of His blessed life.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Pray for us!

Catechism Project Link

VVV

On the Catechism: 1: To Know and Love God

The first words of the Catechism express the infinite perfection, blessedness and goodness of God. God created man to “make him share in his own blessed life.” God made us to be happy and live forever with a share of the His own life. This fact alone is astounding. It has been revealed to Israel and to all the nations of the world through the Church that God is good and that He loves the humanity that He has created.

A second key point is that God draws close to man! Notice that the Catechism does not teach that man first seeks God.  Rather, the witness of history and the Holy Scriptures is that God initiates the relationship with His people.  History is full of failed efforts, false religions, and hopeless philosophies that seek to either invent or posit a “god” to worship or to ignore God and create a man made utopia.  Our Lord is revealed as “Father” who seeks after the love and good of His children.

The good and loving Holy Trinity calls man to a relationship with God: to “seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength.” In the same way, God calls men into the unity of the Church. The cause of our disunity is sin. Just as God initiates a loving relationship with men, He initiated and executed the Plan of Salvation that redeemed and justified man before God.

The supremely loving act of the Father was to send His Son as “Redeemer and Savior.” In and through the Son, God invites men, “in the Holy Spirit”, to be his adopted children and “thus heirs of His blessed life.” The teaching and life of the Church is about our response to this invitation and the life we live as restored, redeemed, and justified sons and daughters of the Lord!

CCC 1

1 God, 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.

Q&A

Q. What are the very first words of the Catechism that describe God?

A. God is described as infinitely perfect and blessed in himself.

Q. Why did God create man?

A. God created man in a plan of sheer goodness so that man could share in His own blessed life.

Q. Does God draw close to and call man?

A. God both draws close to man and calls man. The Catechism says that God draws close to man at every time and in every place.

Q. What is God’s call to man?

A. God calls man to seek Him, to know Him, and to love Him with all his strength. He makes this call to man while constantly drawing closer to man.

Q. Does God call men to unity with one another?

A. Yes. Like all good Fathers, God wants His children to live in harmony and unity with one another.

Q. What is the source of division among men?

A. Sin.

Q. What type of unity does God desire for men?

A. God desires that all men should be united with one another in the family of the Church which is visible and identifiable to all men.

Q. How has God overcome sin and disunity?

A. God accomplished the defeat of sin and unity through His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. God sent His Son, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, to men and to become one with us. Through the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Our Lord, the work of redemption and salvation was accomplished. Jesus Christ established the unified family of God in His Church.

Q. What is the status of men who enter the Church?

A. Those who enter the Church in faith in Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit, are made His adopted sons and daughters and thus heirs of His blessed life.

CREDO

I believe that God is infinitely perfect and blessed in Himself.

I believe that God created man in a plan of sheer goodness in order to share His blessed life .

I believe that God calls all men to Himself and that He draws men to unity in His Church.

I believe that all disunity among men is caused by sin.

I believe that God has defeated sin and disunity through His Son, who became one with us, and who suffered, died, and rose again.

I believe that the work of redemption and salvation was accomplished through Our Lord's suffering, death, and resurrection.

I believe that all who enter the Church in faith in Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit, are made His adopted sons and daughters and are thus heirs of His blessed life.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Pray for us!

Catechism Project Link

VVV

On the Catechism: 1953: The Moral Law Finds its Fullness

The purpose of all morality is to direct us to Our Lord Jesus Christ.  Our way of living, our actions and our choices reflect the degree to which we chose or reject the love of God.  The moral law is fully realized in the person of Jesus the Lord.  He is the perfect man. In his human nature He was perfect just as He is perfect in His divinity.  The purpose of the law, Scripture tells us, is the justification - and salvation - of each person.

CCC 1953

1953 The moral law finds its fullness and its unity in Christ.  Jesus Christ is in person the way of perfection. He is the end of the law, for only he teaches and bestows the justice of God: "For Christ is the end of the law, that every one who has faith may be justified." (Rom 10:4)

Q&A

Q.  In whom does the moral law find is fullness and unity?

A.  The moral law finds its fullness and unity in Christ.  "Human nature finds its perfection and ultimate meaning in Christ."  Because morality is based on human nature, morality finds its ultimate expression in the person of Jesus Christ. (Kreeft, CC, 169)

Q.  What is meant by the phrase "fullness and unity?"

A.  "Fullness and unity" means completeness and comprehensiveness in a single entity.

Q.  Who is the way of perfection?

A.  The way of perfection is the person of Jesus Christ.  Only in God is perfection found.

Q. What does it mean to be the 'end of the law?"

A.  The end of a thing is the purpose for which it exists.  Therefore, the law exists for the purpose of pointing to Jesus Christ.

Q.  Who teaches?

A.  Only Jesus Christ teaches.  All other true teachers can only teach what they have heard from Him.

Q.  What does it mean to say that Jesus bestows the justice of God?

A.  On that Last Day, it has been given to Jesus Christ, the perfect man, the One who is fully human and fully divine, to judge and implement the justice of God.

Q.  Who is justified according to Romans 10:4?

A.  Chris is the "end of the law" so that everyone who has faith may be justified.  Justification is to be restored to friendship with God.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Pray for us!

Catechism Project Link

On the Catechism: 1250: Born with Fallen Human Nature

It is very difficult for parents to see and hold their new born infants and see them as anything other than perfect.  And yet, revelation and experience tell us that every person is born fallen and tainted by original sin. The Catechism summarizes our condition at birth in Paragraph 1250. If we can see with spiritual eyes, we will see that infant baptism is an incredible act of mercy and graciousness by Our Lord. He commanded that the children be allowed to come to Him. We should heed his command.

CCC 1250

1250 Born with a fallen human nature and tainted by original sin, children also have need of the new birth in Baptism to be freed from the power of darkness and brought into the realm of the freedom of the children of God, to which all men are called. The sheer gratuitousness of the grace of salvation is particularly manifest in infant Baptism. The church and the parents would deny a child the priceless grace of becoming a child of God were they not to confer Baptism shortly after birth.

Q&A

Q. Why do we need to baptize infants?

A. Infants need Baptism because they are born with a fallen human nature and are tainted by original sin.

Q. What is the effect of infant Baptism?

A. The effect of infant Baptism is new birth and freedom from darkness. Additionally, the child is brought into the realm of the freedom of the Children of God. The infant becomes a regenerated son or daughter of God.

Q. How is the Baptism of older children or adults different than infant Baptism?

A. In infant Baptism no actual sins are forgiven because an infant is not able to commit a sin. Baptism of older children and adults wipes away all actual sin. Nonetheless, an innocent child is born separated from God; Baptism makes the infant a child of God.

Q. Why does God allow infant Baptism?

A. God pours out His infinite mercy and freely gives grace that is available by the merits of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Q. Does the Church teach that Baptism is an urgent matter?

A. Yes, Baptism is an urgent matter. The Catechism goes so far as to say that denying Baptism is to deny a child the "priceless grace of becoming a child of God."

St. Thomas Aquinas, Pray for us!

Catechism Project Link

On the Catechism: 1952: There Are Different Expressions of the Moral Law

All law flows from the Eternal Law.  The Lex Aeterna establishes the Laws of Science - the observed behavior of material objects - and, more importantly for us, the Principles of Morality.  The key principles of morality is the Divine Law, or the Lex Divina, and the Natural Law out of which flows the Lex Humana or what is now known as Positive Law.  The system of laws is beautiful in its structure.

CCC 1952

1952 There are different expressions of the moral law, all of them interrelated: eternal law - the source, in God, of all law; natural law; revealed law, comprising the Old Law and the New Law, or Law of the Gospel; finally, civil and ecclesiastical laws.

Q&A

Q.  What are the different expressions of the moral law?

A.  The first expression of the moral law is Eternal Law.  Eternal Law is in the nature of God and is the source of all law.  The second expression of moral law is Natural Law.  Following Natural Law is Revealed Law.

Q.  What are the components of the Revealed Law?

A.  Revealed Law is composed of the Old Law and then the New Law.  The New Law is also known as the Law of the Gospel.

Q.  What law flows from the Natural Law?

A.  Natural Law is flows into civil and ecclesial laws.  Additionally, the Rights of Nations are a facet of civil law.

Q.  How is Eternal Law defined?

A.  Eternal Law is God's will for the government of the created universe.

Q.  How is Divine Law defined?

A.  Divine Law is the Eternal Law as revealed to men in Scripture.

 

 

St. Thomas Aquinas, Pray for us!

Catechism Project Link

On the Catechism: 1951: Eternal Law and Man’s Freedom

In this paragraph, the Church shows how moral law is related to eternal law. Genesis has shown us that God created the universe. We should think of God as being like an artist, engineer, and architect who created a world for us to live in and where we can be happy in a relationship with Him. We were given freedom so that we can be free to love! A creature that is not free cannot chose. Since love is an act of the will, choosing is the first act of love. For our protection, God has enacted a law to guide us.

CCC 1951

"Law is a rule of conduct enacted by competent authority for the sake of the common good. The moral law presupposes the rational order, established among creatures for their good and to serve their final end, by the power, wisdom, and goodness of the Creator. All law finds its first and ultimate truth in the eternal law. Law is declared and established by reason as a participation in the providence of the living God, Creator and Redeemer of all. "Such an ordinance of reason is what one calls law."

Alone among all animate beings, man can boast of having been counted worthy to receive a law from God: as an animal endowed with reason, capable of understanding and discernment, he is to govern his conduct by using his freedom and reason, in obedience to the One who has entrusted everything to him.

Q&A

Q. What are the parts of law?

A. Law is (1) a rule of conduct (2) enacted by competent authority for (3) the sake of common good. Another way to talk about the "rule of conduct" is as St. Thomas Aquinas has termed it to be: "an ordinance of reason."

Q. What are the parts of the moral law?

A. Moral law (1) presupposes the rational order, (2) established by God. This is to say that God has established an order to things for our good. What is order; order is the right relationship of things and persons to one another. For example, in the rational order established by God, children honor their parents. Similarly, private property is to be protected and remain with its owner. These are the proper relationships of things or persons to one another. What's more, the order has been established within creation by the "power, wisdom, and goodness" of God.

Q. What is the basis of all law?

A. The basis, the foundation and authority, of all law is the eternal law.

Q. what is the "eternal law."

A. "Eternal law" is the plan of divine wisdom. Eternal law directs all the actions and events of the universe. It is the unchangeable effective decree of God binding the whole of creation to the fulfillment of its purpose. This means that God has established the way in which creation works and the ways within which we should live in order to be happy.

Q. How does eternal law apply to creatures?

A. Animals are not free to reject the eternal law in that they live according to their instincts. Only human persons are free to choose conduct that is contrary to the eternal law of God.

Q. How can a "human person" be defined?

A. A human person is "an animal endowed with reason, capable of understanding and discernment." Because of this freedom, a human persons must "govern his conduct by using his freedom and reason." God has entrusted the law and freedom to man.

On the Catechism: 1950: The Moral Law

A general reading of the Holy Scriptures will show that God gradually taught the People of God how to please Him. The Jewish people were grateful that they, of all the peoples of the Earth, knew the ways and proscriptions of God.

CCC 1950

"The moral law is the work of divine Wisdom. Its biblical meaning can be defined as fatherly instruction, God's pedagogy. It prescribes for man the ways, the rules of conduct that lead to the promised beatitude; it proscribes the ways of evil which turn him away from God and his love. It is at once firm in its precepts and, in its promises, worthy of love.

Q&A

Q. What is the moral law?

A. The moral law is fatherly instruction received from God according to His method of teaching in history.

Q. What is pedagogy?

A. Pedagogy is the art of teaching or a method of teaching. God's pedagogy is the gradual revelation of Himself beginning with the Fall and culminating in the life and teaching of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Q. What does God's moral law positively teach?

A. God's moral law "proscribes" or marks out the limits of conduct within which a person may live according to the holiness of God and thereby, with the sacrifice of the Cross having been accomplished, travel the way to the "promised beatitude."

Q. What does God's moral law negatively teach?

A. God's moral law also marks out the acts and conduct of a man that "turn him away from God and his love."

Q. How should we regard God's moral law?

A. We should see God's moral law as those of a father who cares for his children. His precepts are firm for the purpose of protecting his children and insuring that they receive the promises of beatitude. Because Our Father cares for us in this way, He and His moral law is worthy of love.

On the Catechism: 1949: Called to Beatitude

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is divided into four main parts. Within the parts are sections then chapters then articles. A study of God's Salvation: Law and Grace begins with this post.

 

 

 

 

The portion of the Catechism considered is situated within the whole as follows:

Part Three: Life in Christ 

    Section One: Man's Vocation: Life in the Spirit

        Chapter One: The Dignity of the Human Person

        Chapter Two: The Human Community

        Chapter Three: God's Salvation: Law and Grace

            Article 1: The Moral Law

                The Natural Moral Law

                The Old Law

                The New Law or the Law of the Gospel

           Article 2: Grace and Justification

                  Justification

                  Grace

                  Merit

                  Christian Holiness

I begin with Paragraph 1949 which comes before Article 1 to establish the purpose of Chapter Three.

CCC 1949

"Called to beatitude but wounded by sin, man stands in need of salvation from God. Divine help comes to him in Christ through the law that guides him and the grace that sustains him:

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Phil 2:12-13)"

Q&A

Q. What is beatitude?

A. Beatitude is happiness with God in a face-to-face relationship of communion and love.  Supernatural beatitude is the perfect happiness enjoyed by a person raised by grace and the light of glory to the eternal vision of God.

Q. Who is called to beatitude?

A. Every person is called to "beatitude." However, every person is wounded by sin; both personal sin and original sin.

Q. What are the consequences of the wounds of personal and original sin?

A. Because of this wound, each man needs salvation from God.

Q. Can a man overcome the wounds of sin?

A. No, Man is in need of God's help. God helped man through Jesus Christ.

Q.  How has Jesus Christ helped humanity?

A. This help comes through law that guides man and through the free gift of grace that sustains him. This help was merited by the life, suffering, and resurection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Q. How must we, who beleive that Jesus Christ is our Redeemer, live our lives?

A. St. Paul tells us that we must solemnly persevere and work toward our salvation. We learn that God is at work in us helping us toward perfection and holiness.

Q. What is the meaning of the phrase, "both to will and to work for his good pleasure."

A. Perseverence in faith and charity (love of God) until the end of one's life is a gift from God. The Council of Trent taught that "all ought to have the most secure hope in the help of God.  For unless men are unfaithful to his grace, God will bring the good work to perfection, just as he began it, working both the will and the performance."  God's solicitude towards us should not, however, be an excuse for inaction on our part.  He is always desirious of entering our soul, but he will not do so if we refuse to listen to his voice; if we bar our heart to him.  (TNB, Captivity Epistles, 130)