16. The Church

16. THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST, IS A SIGN OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH. Compendium 147-160 12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:12-14,26-27 1. At Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and Mary and the mission of the Church began in earnest. 2. Christ lives and acts in and with his church, especially through the preaching of the Word and the Sacraments. 3. "Ekklesia" are those who are called and gathered in Faith and Baptism to become children of God, members of Christ, and temples of the Holy Spirit. 4. As members of Christ we are called to live our vocation, faithfully and robustly, for the common good. 5. "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" Matthew 28:16-17 6. His Kingdom is Truth and Life, Grace and Holiness, Justice, Love and Peace. 7. The Church does not only point to the Kingdom of God, it is the Kingdom of God in seed form, teaching us to live in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 8. The Church is a universal sacrament of salvation, effectively guiding and delivering the human family out of darkness. 9. We are called to live the new commandment of love, to be the salt of the earth, and the light of the world, leading all to God's Kingdom already begun on earth. 10. The Church is the Body of Christ and we are the members of that Body. 11. The Church is the Bride of Christ and we are the children of that Bride. 12. The Church is the Temple of the Holy Spirit and we are the living stones of that Temple through Faith, Worship and Service, through the Sacraments and sharing the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 13. One cannot separate the institutional church from its spiritual source, Jesus Christ, because he himself has ordained it so, fully aware of our weakness and unworthiness: "Upon this rock I will build my church." 14. Christ has ordained that as members of his body we share his vocation as priest, prophet and King. We accomplish this through the gift of the Holy Spirit who makes us holy because Christ is the head of our communal body. 15. The Church needs constant reformation of its members. 16. The Church has God as its Origin, Christ as its Head, the dignity and freedom of all as its Hallmark, its Mission is to be salt of the earth and light to the world, it's Law is the New Commandment of Love, The kingdom of God is its Destiny already begun on earth.

The Holy Spirit

15. I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT The Third Person of the Holy Trinity is the "Driving Force" of the Church's Life Compendium 136-146 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. John 14:16-17,26 1.To be the Third Person of the Trinity does not mean to be less important. The Holy Spirit is worshiped and glorified and co-equal to the Father and son. 2. The Trinity is a splendid mystery of God's inward communion of life and love of which we are destined to share fully. 3. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate, Counselor, Comforter and The Giver of Life. 4. The Holy Spirit is "Living Water" at Baptism and "tongues of fire" at Pentecost. The Spirit descends as a Dove at Christ's baptism. He is the inspiration of the Prophets. Through the Power of the Holy Spirit Mary conceived and became the mother of Our Lord and Our Blessed Mother. 5. The Holy Spirit enables us to pray and proclaim the saving Gospel of Truth And Love, he restores divine likeness in those who are baptized, confirms his gifts at Confirmation, empowers priests to bring forth the living presence of Christ in the Eucharist, imparts forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance. 6. When we open our hearts to the fruits of the Holy Spirit (charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, generosity, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity) we bring forth a rich harvest of new life and love."Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful, and they shall renew the face of the earth.” 7. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit, which we receive at Baptism and again at Confirmation, are Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Piety, and Fear of the Lord. 8. An example of Wisdom was when Solomon resolved the case of the two women who gave birth the same night but one baby died. Both claimed the surviving baby was theirs so Solomon suggested cutting the baby in half and one woman agreed but the other said let the baby live even if the other woman would get the baby. So Solomon knew this was the true mother and gave the baby to her. 9. An example of Knowledge is when Peter said to Jesus “you are the Christ, the Son of the living God” and Jesus responded “you have received this knowledge from above.” 10. An example of Understanding is when they wanted to stone a woman and Jesus said “he who is without sin can throw the first stone.” 11. An example of Counsel is when Jesus told the women “Go in peace and sin no more.” 12. An example of Fortitude was Peter when he told the Sanhedrin they he must proclaim Christ even though they forbid him to do so. 13. An example of Piety was Anna the prophetess who lived in the temple most of her life waiting for the Messiah. 14. An example of Fear of the Lord was Moses before the burning bush.

The Risen Lord

14. AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER The risen Lord remains present to the church today as we work to build his kingdom on earth Compendium 127-135 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[f] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Ephesians 1:17-23 1. The Resurrection of Jesus was not a resuscitation. His death was real and indisputable. 2. Mary Magdalene and the disciples at Emmaus as well as the Apostles were amazed, incredulous and afraid, as well as overjoyed, when he appeared to them, eat with them and they could touch him. Yet Jesus showed that he could pass through closed doors. They could fully grasp the Resurrection only with the grace of the Holy Spirit. 3.Those who Jesus brought back from the dead eventually died but when we are resurrected on the last day our bodies will die no more. 4. The Resurrection confirmed that Jesus was truly God and the truth of all he said and did. 5. We share his risen life now through the life of grace and we hope one day to share in his resurrection when our lowly bodies will be transformed in the pattern of his own glorious body. 6. Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, a place of infinite peace and joy, interceding for us and he also remains with us through the ministry and sacramental life of the Church. 7. With the first Christians we look to the heavens and pray "come Lord Jesus" as we prepare for the final judgement with "fear and trembling" and confidence in the love and mercy of Our Father. 8. No other religion or ideology can proclaim the resurrection of the body. Only Christianity is based on the indisputable foundation that our savior proved he was God by rising from the dead and proclaiming everlasting life with indescribable peace and joy for those who follow him. Those who follow him begin to live the joy of heaven on earth and give witness to its truth. 1

13. The Paschal Mystery

13. THE PASCHAL MYSTERY In the liturgy of Holy Week, we commemorate Christ's Passion , Death, and Resurrection. Compendium 112-116 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. John 13:1 1. These events are inseparable and stand at the center of our faith. 2. The Hebrew word "paschal" means both "the passing over" and "passage". 3. In the Exodus the homes of the Israelites, marked by the blood of the sacrificial lamb, were "passed over" by the Angel of Death thereby sparing them so they could make the passage from slavery to freedom. 4. "Passover" is not just an historical celebration but a living memorial. 5. This first Passover anticipates Christ's shedding his blood for us as the sacrificial lamb to free all from the slavery of sin. 6. With Baptism in Christ we pass over from sin to a new and eternal life with Christ. 7. Christ is the new Moses who definitively interprets the Law and the Prophets. 8. We cannot impute guilt for the death of Jesus on those who historically participated in bringing it about. 9. Christ died for all our sins and as Christians we bear a greater responsibility for sin. 10. But God sent his Son in expiation for our sins. 11. Jesus assumed our humanity in order that it would become the very means of our redemption. 12. The entire life of Christ was a free offering to the Father to carry out his plan of salvation. 13. He announced the Kingdom, confirmed it with miracles, took our sins upon himself, cancelled death and showed us the path to everlasting life. 14. "Do this in memory of me", Jesus not only commands the Apostles to recall but also re-enact the very same mystery of love. "As often as you eat this bread and drink this blood you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes." This is the origin of the Mass and the priesthood. 15. "Obedient unto death", Jesus' agony unmasks the enormity of our sins, which we tend to trivialize. Obedience is the key to our reconciliation with God and with those we have harmed. 16. Jesus invites us to take up our daily cross of sacrifice and suffering and walk with him in joy. 17. We await with Mary, our mother, in gratitude and wonder, as the sadness of death gives way to the joy of the resurrection. 18. The stupendous message of the paschal mystery is that our God loves each of us beyond all measure and with infinite tenderness. He implores us to love one another “as I have loved you” and makes this possible with the words “do this in memory of me.” Our God is not an arduous task master but rather an intimate friend and partner who invites us to an eternal banquet in celebration of that everlasting friendship. We cannot earn such an invitation. We can only accept it with the humility of a destitute beggar who is called to the table of the most magnanimous King of kings. We must rejoice and be glad and shout out the good news that our God loves us, forgives and forgets our ingratitudes, and gave his own son to save us from sin and death and desires with his whole heart that we share an eternity of infinite happiness with him. Truly there is no God like our God and no faith like our faith, no gospel like our Gospel.

10. Jesus Christ the Only Son of God

10. Jesus Christ, The Only Son Of God
Truly God and truly man, Jesus Christ stands at the center of history
Compendium 79-97
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Galatians 4:4-5

1. The proclamation of the name of Jesus and his saving deeds is the heart of the Gospel.
"You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" the entire life and mission of the Church has been built on this confession of Peter.
2. Our faith in Christ should instill in us the desire to share the Good News and to reveal in the Person of Christ the entire design of God and to put humanity in communion with him.
3. "Jesus" means "God saves" - because he will save his people from their sins.
In no other name can we find salvation (Acts 4:12) That is why we are never to take Jesus' name in vain.
4. "Christ" is not a family name but a Greek term meaning "anointed one" or "Messiah"
5. Through Baptism we become members of the Church and heirs to all that the Lord  did to save us through his life death and resurrection.
6. Both Jesus' baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist and his Transfiguration on Mount Tabor were marked by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit and the voice of the Father "this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased"
7. "Lord" refers to Jesus' divine sovereignty demonstrated by his miracles, control over nature and his forgiveness of sins.
8. We should never let a day go by without repeating with the apostle Thomas "my Lord and my God"
9. Although Jesus was from eternity God's Son, at a certain point two thousand years ago he assumed our human nature and entered history. This happened because God wanted to draw near to us, reconcile us to his love and enable us to share in his divine life.
10. Jesus is at once "true God and true man" - of one substance, "consubstantial" with the Father and at the same time truly our brother.
11. Fully God and fully man, Jesus has revealed the Father to us and also revealed us to ourselves, who we are and what we should become.
12. As God, he has made us partakers in the divine nature, in the life and love he shares with his Father from all eternity.
13. He worked with human hands, thought with a human mind and learned by experience.
14. Jesus possessed both a human and divine will.
15. The human will of Jesus was fully conformed to the Father's saving love.
16. Jesus's obedience serves to heal our disobedience and its effects.
The disobedience of Adam estranged humanity from God and the perfect obedience of Jesus not only restored us to God but elevated humanity to an infinitely higher level as brothers of His only begotten son and heirs with Jesus to the Kingdom of Heaven.
17. His human heart also knows and loves us. The Sacred Heart of Jesus symbolizes the boundless love of the Holy Trinity for us.
18. For a Christian there are no equals or substitutes for Jesus. He is the only Way, Truth and Life. Christians who do not profess and proclaim this are neither hot nor cold but lukewarm and Jesus has promised to vomit them out of his mouth.
19. Do you have a personal intimate relationship with Jesus? It is available in the Eucharist. “He who eats my body and drinks my blood, lives in me and I in him.”
20. It is easy to go astray, the world is a relentless temptation. Jesus has made it just as easy to get back on track with the “daily bread” and repentance. His mercy is unlimited and greater than any sin.

9. The Fall

9. The Fall
Scripture and Tradition Shed Light on the Origin and Mystery  of Evil
Compendium 73-78
Genesis 3:14-15
“Cursed are you above all livestock
    and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
    and you will eat dust
    all the days of your life.
 And I will put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
    and you will strike his heel.”
1. Evil began with the rejection of God by Satan and the fallen Angels.(Physical science can neither prove nor disprove the existence of angels because by definition physical science is limited to the physical and excluded from that which transcends physical reality)
2. Satan seduced our first parents to doubt God's friendship and thereby tricked them into subjecting themselves and their descendants to himself and to reject God.
3. In creating beings that share in his own freedom, God takes the risk of love.
4. Love means the lover freely chooses the beloved and vice versa.
It also means that the lover can love someone or something else in place of the beloved.
5. Instigated by Satan, Adam and Eve chose to replicate the sin of the fallen angels. That is to be "like God" on their own terms and masters of their own destiny without God.  They would reject God's warning and choose to decide to define for themselves what is "good" and what is "evil." This was the original sin which caused the loss of original grace of holiness and justice for them and their descendants.
6. Although human goodness and dignity were not lost completely, the natural harmony and friendship between the human family and God were radically disrupted.
7. Original sin is not a personal act but an inherent (inherited) part of the human condition that leads to the shared human tendency to reject God and choose what is evil.
8. All human beings, save the Blessed Virgin by a singular grace, are born with original sin.
9. God, the consummate lover, did not withdraw his love but lavished it all the more and promised that evil would be conquered and man would be lifted up from his fall. The Church sings of the sin of Adam and Eve as a "happy fault" because it reveals the infinite mercy and love of God for each of us.
10. The reality of sin can only be clearly understood through the light of divine revelation and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is the true answer to human suffering.
11. What cannot be contested is that evil exists and keeps the world in turmoil. Even Mother Nature disrupts in the form of storms and earthquakes in reaction to the disorder wrought by evil. Man’s inhumanity to his fellow beings is amply recorded throughout  history. Nevertheless, there has been steady progress and hope always abounds. The fact that more and more people dedicate their lives to peace and justice demonstrates that good can and does triumph over evil. That is what Jesus promises and delivers to all those who follow him faithfully.
12. "Adam" and "Eve" can also be considered as composites representing each and every one of us. Even after being cleansed of "original" sin we perennially tend to revert to selfishness. The Blessed Mother, by the grace of God and the infinite merits of Jesus Christ, is the solitary boast of our humanity and her son is our hope and promise of redemption.

8. Male and Female

8.. "Male and Female He Created Them"
The communion of love between husband and wife finds its ultimate source in God.
Compendium 71-72
Genesis 2:18-24
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.
But for Adam[a] no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[b] and then closed up the place with flesh.Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[c] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
    for she was taken out of man.”
That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

1. "God created mankind in his own image, male and female he created them" Genesis 1:27
2.  "Maleness" and Femaleness" are part of God's creative design and go the depths of one's very being and should inspire wonder and awe in us and in our relationship with God and one another.
3. Sexual differences do not exist in God who is pure spirit.
4. "Being man" and "being woman" are two equal and complementary ways of being human.
5. God created man and woman together and willed each for the other.
6. "Be fertile and multiply", Genesis 1:28 is at the heart of the Church's teaching against contraception.
7. Man and woman created as a "unity of two" in their common humanity, are called to live in a community of love and to mirror to the world the community of love that is in God. They give themselves to each other freely and completely in a holy communion which is a unity in differences which is fruitful and creative and not a business contract that is calculated and measured and exchanged as a commodity or seeking payment.
8. God in himself is love.
9. Each of the divine Persons is truly divine but in a way that the other is not. Similarly, male and female are two distinct ways of being human for the common good of society and the salvation of souls.
10. The best witness to God is a loving and joyful family that renews itself constantly, overcomes discouragement and missteps and begins every day to start again the great adventure of life on earth projected towards heaven.

7. Dignity of man

7. The Dignity of Man
Only humans are created with the capacity to know love and serve God
Compendium 66-70
Genesis 1:26-31
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Only man was created in the "image of God".  God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:27
2. God willed us into being for no other reason than his love for us. God delights in us just as we delight with our children.
3. Our capacity for Truth and our ability and desire to love and be loved reflect God's presence in us.
4. Each of us is an unrepeatable, unique, infinitely valuable, unconditionally loved child of God. 5. We have a common origin in God our Father and our dignity and rights to life and liberty come from God alone. He is the final destiny for each of us.
6. Since God values us for our own sake, so too, should we value others for their own sake. This means we cannot treat others as objects to be used or exploited for any reason and also that we must protect and defend others, especially the most vulnerable such as the elderly, the unborn, the sick, the poor, the unwanted, the persecuted, children, the abused, the outcasts, prisoners etc..
7. We were made to know, love and serve God in this life and to be perfectly happy with him in the next.
8. We are a unity of body and soul. A material body given by our parents and a spiritual soul directly created by God.
9. We are the only creatures who can know love and serve God.
10. We are called to a greatness that goes beyond earthly existence.
11. We are fulfilled only through our friendship with God.
12. A casual reference to our creator is not good enough. God calls each of us to a unique and profound personal friendship with him. There can be only one true religion of the one true God. God who is perfect order has revealed himself in Jesus Christ who suffered crucifixion and death for each of us and rose from the dead to deliver each of us from sin and death to eternal life with him in God as our Father. Truth is not relative to one’s own preferences as if God can be of our own creation and that God doesn't care what we believe. The truth is that God so loved us as to make us one with his only begotten son through the Eucharist so that we could enjoy the same intimacy with him that he shares with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
13. The way we share this truth with others is by listening patiently with humility and good  example and not by bellicose argument or talking down to them as if we were better and privileged. We must recognize that we ourselves are often the obstacle to others by our self-centered lives and obtuseness. People will not believe the message of Jesus if we preach it but don't live it. Unity in diversity is possible with self sacrificing love that holds fast to the Truth without diminishing others. If our hearts are open, God himself will miraculously open hearts and minds that are closed to the truth and bring his family together again.

6. Creationism vs evolution

6. Creationism vs Evolution
By believing that God created the universe we are not rejecting the value of science.
Compendium 50-65
Genesis 1:1-25
1. The Church has no problem with true science or Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
2. In "The Origin Of The Species" Charles does not tell us what the actual origin is.
3. Only God is creator in the strict sense. He created the universe "out of nothing".
4. The biblical account of creation is not a scientific or "literal" but rather a theological explanation to show that creation is the foundation of all God's plans. It is how he communicates his merciful love for us. Through life's joys and sorrows, God leads us to our destiny to share his life and love forever.
5. The answer to evil is the whole of God's plan to reveal himself in creation and history and to redeem the world.
6. God did not create evil or will its existence, but he does permit it. In his omnipotent love he brings forth good from evil. We have the freedom to love or not love. Not loving others leads to all the vices starting with arrogance (Adam), envy (Cain), greed, gluttony, anger, lust (David), and sloth. The worst evil was when we rejected, tortured and killed Jesus, the very Son of God who came to redeem us from evil. From that greatest evil came the greatest good: in spite of our rejection, Jesus, crucified and forsaken, cancelled our sins and redeems us. The proof of love is mercy and forgiveness. What good would it do for God to be all merciful if we were not sinners? Christ has absorbed all injustice to himself and the victims of injustice are co-Redemptors with him.
7. The Church guards against all-inclusive explanations of creation that go beyond the limits of the  scientific method and exclude the all important role of God.
8. The Church rightly insists that each human soul requires God's creative intervention. Each of us is a unique and unrepeatable creation of the all powerful and wonderful God. DNA proves it.
9. When scientist seek to undermine the Creator they reveal themselves to be committed to an agenda rather than the truth. The Truth will set us free, the lack of it enslaves us.

5. Trinity

5. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit The One God has Revealed Himself as a Trinity of Persons Compendium 44-49 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:13-17 1. The Trinity is the most sublime and central mystery. It sheds light on every aspect of our faith and our lives. Revealed to us by Jesus Christ, the concept of the Trinity expands and elevates the power of reason.To grow in understanding of God we must pray and meditate on this profoundly important mystery. 2. Jesus taught us about the Father when he referred to the Father’s beneficent creation of the birds in the air and the lilies of the field. He demonstrated his perfect love for the Father in his complete and unwavering obedience even unto death on the cross. 3. From the Scriptures we learn that Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and that the Holy Spirit hovered over him at his baptism and the Transfiguration. The Holy Spirit empowered the Apostles to forgive sins and descended on Mary and the Apostles at Pentecost. 4. The Father eternally generates the Son and the bond of love between them is the Holy Spirit. 5. The three persons of the Trinity possess completely and co-equally the divine nature. They are three identifiable Persons, each fully God in a manner that is distinct yet related to the others. We must pray to each of them as three persons in one God. 6. God is love and love is always triune. There must be a lover, a beloved, and there must be mutual love among them. God is One and God is one perfect family in love. The human family is an image of the Trinity. God invites us to become part of his family and for this reason he sent his only begotten son to become one with us so that through his son we could also be adopted into his perfect family. This is the Last Will and Testament of Jesus: “Father, that all may be one, as you and I are one.” Jesus not only wants us to love one another and live in perfect harmony and peace forever, he gives himself to each of us totally and makes us heirs to his very same intimacy with the Father and the Holy Spirit for all eternity. God has only one heart and one soul and desires that we freely conform our hearts and minds and souls to his so that all will be one in him.

4. Faith

4. Faith's Foundation Discovering and knowing the one true God Compendium 36-43 Dt 6:4 "Hear, O Israel!* The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!" (Shema prayer) 1. "I believe in One God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible." This is the most fundamental key to our faith. 2. Without God, creation and humanity lose their dignity and nihilism abounds. Without God, life is a meaningless survival of the fittest and even that only briefly. Without God the world is a dark, violent, cruel, sad and stark place. 3. Faith does not destroy reason but enables it to look more competently beyond itself. 4. God revealed his name to Moses as "I Am Who Am" this indicates that he has always existed and will always exist beyond the universe and history. 5. God is unconditional, joyful and everlasting Love. 6. We can know the existence of God by reflecting on the beauty and order of creation and the urgings of our conscience to do good and avoid evil and our insatiable desire for perfect love and fulfillment. 7. If we do not believe in something greater than we are, we can never be greater than we are. 8. St Anselm’s definition of “God” is “that which there can be no greater than” (the greatest) Christopher Hitchens' book “God Is Not Great" only proves that believers are sinners and often severe hypocrites, which is why Jesus came: to save sinners. We hope and pray Christopher is now at peace with his savior, Jesus Christ, his namesake. 9. Science accepts truth by empirical data or by definition. By definition God is the One, all knowing, all powerful, all beautiful, all perfect, all loving, unconditioned, irreplaceable, First Cause, creator of all that is visible and invisible. By definition God is Truth: the Way, the Truth and the Life. 10. St. Thomas Aquinas gives proof of the necessity of a First Cause as do the greatest philosophers of antiquity. Only those committed to a godless agenda say otherwise and they have no empirical evidence to substantiate disbelief only prejudice. 11. Three leading cosmologists, Arvin Borde, Alan Guth, and Alexander Vilenkin, were able to prove that any universe which has, on average, been expanding throughout its history cannot be infinite in the past but must have a past space-time boundary. (A beginning). Wild conjecture regarding the possibility of alternate universes are without an iota of empirical evidence. This debunks Stephen Hawking's unsupported and unexplained statement that because gravity exists there is no first cause and the cosmos and earth are just a random accident without intelligent design and therefore without meaning or purpose. Stephen Hawking has often had to admit to wrong theories and we pray he will have the grace to admit his declared atheism is also wrong as is his support for euthanasia. 12. Physical science can only inquire about the physical universe we know. God transcends the physical universe and is therefore not within the competence of physical science or the scientific method. To deny or dismiss God is to dismiss transcendence and limits us to our physical senses. Love, hope, goodness, virtue, joy, generosity, kindness, gentleness, modesty, faithfulness, chastity, are all transcendent values that disappear without God 13. The rate of expansion of our universe indicates that it began about 16 billion years ago. 14. A common oxymoron is posed as the riddle: can God create something too heavy for God to lift. This is no more intelligible than a square circle. God cannot contradict himself, that is the only thing God cannot do. 15. The energy and enthusiasm that atheists dedicate to denying God is suspect. Only a person with a serpentine motive or a guilty conscience would be obsessed with the impossible task of proving that something doesn't exist. There are many things we cannot see but believe in such as intelligence and electricity. Scientific theories require belief in their assumptions and are sometimes debunked by new evidence. Miracles defy science quite often and those who deny miracles are closed minded to the truth.

3. Response

3. Our Response to God Faith is a gift to be both received and shared Compendium 25-35 Luke 1:26-38 (Fiat) 1. Obedience of Faith: Divine Faith acknowledges the Truth that God has revealed in his goodness and authority and enables us to remain in his presence and follow him. 2. The Blessed Mother's response to Gabriel "let it be done unto me" is a model for everyone. 3. We say "I believe" because Faith is both personal and ecclesial. Faith is nourished in and through the community of believers. 4. Evangelization and catechesis are two essential components of faith. 5. As our faith grows we begin to share here and now in the life of heaven. 6. Faith helps us to understand supernatural truths and clarifies what cannot be understood by reason alone. 7. Both Faith and Science originate in God and cannot contradict each other. 8. It is important for us to memorize and understand the formulas of faith such as the Apostles Creed. 9. The Ten Commandments are indispensable for a just and peaceful society. Jesus summarizes these in the two great commandments of love: love God and neighbor and finally gives his new commandment: love one another as I have loved you. This is the formula for perfection which Jesus offers the rich young man. 10. The beatitudes are the formula for happiness. 11. The 7 Corporal Works of Mercy and the 7 Spiritual Works of Mercy are the blueprint for authentic daily Christian living. 12. The 7 Virtues are to be cultivated and bring the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit as well as the 12 Fruits (Galations 5:22-23) of living the Gifts and enable us to avoid the 7 Deadly Vices. 13. The 5 Precepts keep us faithful to the Church and the 4 Last Things determine our final destiny. 14. As important as it is necessary to know and live these formulas, they are useless without complete charity, sincere tenderness, indomitable patience, total forgiveness and profound humility. This is all summed up in Mary's fiat: "Let it be done to me according to your word."

2. Scripture, Tradition, Magisterium

2. God's way of coming to us: Scripture, Tradition, Magisterium Compendium 11-24 Scripture: God "desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:4 "if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth." 1 Timothy 3:15 The Church, and not Scripture alone, is the pillar and foundation of the truth, according to scripture itself. http://www.catholic.com/magazine/articles/not-by-scripture-alone For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2: 17-26) http://www.catholic.com/quickquestions/doesnt-john-316-clearly-indicate-that-faith-alone-is-necessary-for-salvation Did Christ start a church? Which one is it? 1. Catholicism is the fullest and truest expression of Christianity. 2. Our Faith is not a matter of personal conjecture and preferences but rather a Revelation from God and Jesus Christ through Scripture, Tradition and Magisterium. 3. The 46 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament are a unified and coherent blueprint of God's plan of love for the world. This is demonstrated at Mass in the liturgy that draws from both the old and the new testaments. The old points to and confirms the new and the new clarifies and completes the old. 4. The high point of revelation occurred when God the Father sent his only Son, the second person of the Trinity into the world and the Son became like us in every way yet without sin. 5. The two sources of God's revelation and self-communication to us are Scripture and Tradition. Those who deny tradition deny the foundation of their own beliefs. Every community has traditions which define it. When the New Testament refers to Scripture it can only mean Jewish Scripture because the Bible, as we know it, was only codified (index, chapters, verses) and accepted by Church counsels centuries after it was recorded and it is based on traditional oral and written teachings of Jesus and the Apostles. Jesus wrote nothing himself, as far as we know. 6. Christ established Peter and the Apostles as the first Magisterium and promised to protect their teachings from error. The Pope and the bishops are the only unbroken successors of that Magisterium and promise. 7. Jesus entrusts the keys of the kingdom to Peter. Jesus is referring to Isaiah 22 where King Hezekiah removed Shebna as prime minister and replaced him with Eliakim. The prime minister had all the authority of the king in all practical matters especially the safety and security of the kingdom. This is the authority which Peter clearly exercised among the apostles and past on to his successors. (Luke 10:16 and Acts 1:24-25) Peter is the rock upon which Christ builds his church. Christ has only one kingdom and one church. The tens of thousands of churches which self proclaim the authority of Christ make a mockery of his one church, one baptism, one truth and one way. None of these churches can trace their origins back to Peter except the Catholic Church. The disunity of Christians is the fundamental cause of disunity in the world. Christ’s mission was “that all may be one.” If someone rejects authority, by what authority does one do so? 8. It is not by divisive arguments that we work towards unity but by harmonious living and authentic, patient and humble listening without judgement or arrogance, believing that only the grace of God can bring about the miracle of unity and the presence of Jesus in our midst so that “all may be one, as you, father, and I are one.” They will only recognize us as Christians if we love one another.

1. Thirst

1. Athirst is my soul Man's capacity for God and God's plan for man. Compendium 1-10 Scripture Psalm 63: 1-8 1You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. 2I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. 3Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. 4I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. 5I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. 6On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. 7Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. 8I cling to you; your right hand upholds me 1.Possessions alone can not bring happiness. 2. God himself, in creating man in his own image has written upon his heart the desire to see him. 3. Even if this desire is often ignored, God never ceases to draw man to himself because only in God will he find happiness for which he never stops searching. 4. Questions about evil, suffering, and the meaning of life which may seem to be inconsistent with a loving God, all the more indicate an intense longing for God deep within us. 5. This is God's plan: to go in search of us despite our sinfulness and our substitution of possessions and false loves for his true and everlasting love. 6. Even believers often fall into the trap of living as if God does not exist. 7. There is an inbuilt longing for God: "You have made us for yourself and our heart is restless until it rests in you" (St Augustine of Hippo) The human spirit is made for love - and ultimately for the infinite love of God. Often we search for this love in all the wrong places but the universal and relentless search of the human heart for infinite, perfect and unconditional Love cannot be denied. 8. The harmony, order, beauty, and purposefulness of the universe demand an intelligent creator. 9. Reason must be enlightened by True Faith in order to know the True God in a world which often associates God with hatred, vengeance and violence. 10. God has revealed himself wonderfully throughout history for those who seek him sincerely and humbly. Jesus revealed the beneficent creator in the parables such as the wedding feast to which all are invited and even compelled to come. 11. It often seems that evil is about to dominate the world and eradicate God, but a closer look shows that where evil reigns God’s grace abounds even more. Atheistic totalitarian regimes eventually begin to realize that without freedom of worship everything stagnates. Socialism and communism and even secularism recognize the need and value of community, but community requires trust and trust requires love and true love requires God who is the definition of love. 12. Slowly but surely humanity is coming together for the common good. Let us work and pray and believe in the inevitable springtime when love overcomes the cold of winter.

40. Symphonic

40. CONCLUSION: THE TRUTH IS SYMPHONIC THE FOUR PILLARS OF FAITH PRESENTED IN THE CATECHISM ARE INTERCONNECTED PARTS OF A WHOLE 1. The first pillar of our faith is summarized in the Credo, the profession of our faith. But we must profess this faith not so much in words as in deeds. It is not by proselytizing that the Church grows but by "attraction." We must know, love and live our faith joyfully to fulfill our obligation to share it with our family, friends, neighbors and the world and even with our enemies. This is how we impact individual lives and transform the culture into a culture of life, hope, mercy and peace. The Kingdom of God is an extravagant wedding banquet celebrating the love of God for each one of us to which we must witness and invite everyone without exclusion if we hope to enter ourselves. 2. Our faith is not a set of rules but a way of life. 3. The second pillar of our faith is the 7 sacraments, especially the Eucharistic banquet which is a foretaste of heaven on earth. How we believe gives rise to how we worship, pray and live. 4. Only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light and meaning. 5. God is Love and the mystery of creation and redemption is that God made us in his image and likeness so that we could enter into a communion of love with him. 6. The third pillar of our faith is summarized by the Ten Commandments, which codify the natural law that God instills in every man and women to accompany our free will and guide us in avoiding evil. Without the natural law governing right from wrong, morality is incoherent and civilization disintegrates. Our bad choices disrupt the natural law and cause chaos in the world and in our individual lives. The Ten Commandments tell us how to live, but rather than list all the things we are free to do (which would be an enormous unending list) the commandments list the few things we should not do. The Jews recognized that the commandments could be summarized by two positive commandments: love God (1-3), love of neighbor (4-10). But Jesus gives us a New Commandment: Love one another AS I HAVE LOVED YOU. Jesus died to himself for each of us. 7. By his life, death and resurrection Jesus has taught us that his and our Father's love is greater than sin and death. 8. Jesus established his Church so that through the power of the Holy Spirit we could share in his redeeming love until the end of time. 9. Human history is rife with the discordant notes of human infidelity and horrific scandals, and the Church is not exempt, but the love of God always prevails. 10. Scripture and Tradition cannot be separated but speak with one divine voice. Faith and Reason together lift up the human spirit. United they stand, divided they fail. 11. Christian Morality is the coherent way that Christ's goodness resonates in our intentions, decisions and actions. 12. The Mass and the Sacraments are a graced response to God's love for us. 13. The fourth pillar of our faith is contained in the “Our Father.” Prayer is how we respond intimately and personally to Christ's love. We pray the Our Father before Communion and Communion makes real all that the Our Father promises. The Our Father reveals the mind of God and his loving plan for each and all of us: he wills us to be like him and share all that he is and has for an eternity of perfect bliss. No one can take this from us but we can choose to throw it away. 14. Let us be united in proclaiming and living our True, Beautiful, Good, Life-giving Faith for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. This is symphonic witness to the world.

39. The Lord's prayer

39. THE LORD'S PRAYER WITH THE OUR FATHER JESUS BOTH TAUGHT US HOW TO PRAY AND GAVE US A SUMMARY OF THE GOSPEL Compendium 578-598 Matthew 6:913 Luke 11:1-4 1. The Our Father embodies the Beatitudes, which are a self portrait of Christ and a blueprint for holiness. 2. The true home of the Our Father is in the Eucharist which embodies its seven petitions. 3. The Our Father allows us to speak to God with the very word of God. 4. "Our" means it is a prayer of unity for all humanity. 5. "Father" means we are already brothers and sisters and one holy family. 6. "Who art in heaven" lifts us up to his glory. 7. We ask God to feed us, forgive us, sustain us in temptation and to free us from all evil. 8. "Hallowed be thy name" means we want his holiness to envelop the whole earth. 9. "Thy kingdom come" asks for the civilization of love to be realized. 10. "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" asks that we may imitate the lives of Jesus and Mary in total obedience to the Father for the salvation of the world. 11. "Our daily bread" recognizes that we do not live on material food alone but we need the Eucharist and every word of the Gospel. 12. "Forgive us our sins" acknowledges the power of God's love to heal us. 13. "As we forgive" echoes Jesus's "Blessed are the merciful" and is the only path to peace and joy. 14. "Lead us not into temptation" asks for strength and perseverance with a clear understanding of right from wrong. 15. "Deliver us from evil" proclaims that Jesus has conquered sin and death and the Devil for all of us forever. 16. "Amen" echoes Mary at the Annunciation and Jesus at Gethsemane and is our assent to this prayer which must rule our lives. 17. If we want to be authentic Christians, if we want to be continuously made and remade in the image of God, if we want to be his loving and obedient children, if we want to be like Jesus, here is the formula: to live this prayer, word for word, in the morning when we wake, in the evening when we rest and all throughout the day, starting over again every time we fail or forget, never accepting defeat or discouragement. Let this prayer be like running water which melts the hardest rock. Let this prayer transform your heart into the heart of Jesus. Let this prayer build in you the courage and strength of Jesus. Let this prayer teach you the humility, obedience and faith of Jesus. This is the only thing necessary so that with your last breath the Father will say “this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.”

38. How to pray better

38. HOW TO PRAY BETTER THE PRACTICE OF PRAYER DISPOSES US TO RECEIVE THE GIFT OF FAITH AND GROW IN FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD. Compendium 566-577 Psalm 27 1. Where to pray? The best place is in church before the Blessed Sacrament. At home it is good to have a special quiet spot. 2. When to pray? We should pray morning and evening prayers, before and after meals, whenever faced with a temptation or difficulty and as often as we can so as to punctuate the day and have a prayerful spirit in everything we do. 3. What to pray? The daily mass scripture readings are excellent and present the old and new testaments side by side so that the old is the foundation and leads to the new and the new reveals and confirms the old. Together they are the Word of God that transforms us and builds the kingdom of God. The daily readings from the mass are a perfect bible study program.The Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Rosary, Mercy Chaplet, the Angelus, Come Holy Spirit, the Magnificat, a favorite prayer from one of the saints such as the Memorare from St. Bernard of Clairvaux, "Make me an instrument of your peace", etc.the Liturgy of the Hours. 4. FORMS OF PRAYER: Vocal (alone or with a group); Contemplative (a gift of the Holy Spirit which allows us to surrender to Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration - like lovers gazing at each other and content to just be together in silence), Meditation (marshaling our interior powers and focusing on the mysteries of faith and relationships through readings). 5. Distractions: focusing on ourselves and material concerns instead of the things "above". 6. We must ask the Holy Spirit to create in us a clean heart and steadfast spirit with knowledge of our sinfulness and need for repentance and humility and we will begin to see the 12 fruits of the Holy Spirit transform our heart and become alive in our daily life. 7. When our prayer seams "dry" we must use willpower to be vigilant and persevere. Mother Teresa felt little or no consolation for 50 years but kept on loving Jesus in each person 8. By meditating on the Passion of Jesus (stations of the cross, sorrowful mysteries of the rosary) we enter into his constant prayer for us at the right hand of the Father. 9. Prayer is a conversation with God, the wisest and most loving Father and Creator. Listening and conversing with him guarantees a steady growth in wisdom, knowledge, understanding, peace and joy. 10. Prayer is just as essential as air and water and food. Without those our body quickly dies. Without prayer our soul decays and dies. “Seek and you shall find, knock and it will be opened…” Jesus has promised us the solution to all problems begins with prayer. Try it and you will be convinced. Little is accomplished or lasting without prayer. With faithful prayer there is no limit to miracles.

37. The essentials of prayer

37. THE ESSENTIALS OF PRAYER GUIDED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE CHURCH, WE LEARN TO PRAISE, THANK AND PRESENT OUR NEEDS TO GOD Compendium 548-565 Romans 8: 26-27 Psalm 145 1.It is God who first blesses us and allows us to bless him in return. 2. The prayer of Adoration acknowledges that we owe our very existence to God. 3. In Petition we present our spiritual and material needs. 4. Intercessory prayer includes not only our family and friends but all those in need and even for our enemies that they will be touched by the love of Christ. 5. Eucharist means "Thanksgiving" and we join in Christ's perfect thanksgiving and Praise when we participate in this sacrament. The liturgy of the Eucharist also epitomizes blessing, adoration, petition and intercession. 6. We pray for his Kingdom which is realized when we live the commandments in the spirit of the beatitudes. We ask not only for what we want but also for our needs and the needs of others. 7. We ask for forgiveness and intercede for one another especially for our enemies that we may be reconciled. 8. We never pray alone but always with and through Christ who makes our prayers acceptable and worthy and enables us to pray without ceasing with the angels and saints. Prayer is always Christ centered. 9. Prayer formulas help and guide us in prayer. The Rosary is a powerful meditation on the life of Jesus with Mary, the icon of prayer. Mary always and only leads us to Jesus. The Magnificat summarizes the heart of the Old Testament. 10. Parents are the first and most important and essential teachers of their children in the ways of prayer and faith. 11. When our prayers are not just for ourselves but include others with the same needs, our prayer becomes irresistible to God. 12. Jesus did not work miracles through magic. The source of miracles is faith filled prayer. We do not work miracles because our faith is too weak. Our faith is weak because we do not know how to pray. Jesus taught us how to pray: “thy kingdom come, thy will be done…. Forgive us as we forgive…” Mary was only a child but she knew how to pray and she brought the Savior into the world. Mary became the spouse of the Holy Spirit because she “let it be done to me.” We can do the same and be like Mary “full of grace.” 13. Prayer is first and foremost friendship with God which is open wide to those who “go first and be reconciled with those who have something against you, then come to the alter.”

36. Prayer: a gift from God

36. PRAYER: A GIFT FROM GOD SCRIPTURE TEACHES US THE MEANING OF PRAYER AND PRESENTS US WITH MODELS OF DISCIPLESHIP. Compendium 534-547 John 17: 1-26 1. Prayer is the raising of one's whole heart and whole mind to God. 2. We offer him praise, seek his Will and his friendship, ask for our needs, beg forgiveness, support one another and God is very pleased that we generously intercede for each other. 3. Abraham with his unconditional obedience; Moses and the Ten Commandments, David singing of the generous goodness of God with the Psalms, and the prophets are models of prayer and friendship with God. They were effective leaders because of their constant intimate relationship and communication with God. 4. Jesus made his whole life a prayer to his Father and gave us the perfect prayer, the Our Father. 5. Jesus exemplified the purity of heart, openness to God's will, intrepid faith, love for enemies, indispensable vigilance and self sacrifice necessary in true prayer. 6. The Beatitudes are a restatement of the Our Father. 7. Mary, who taught Jesus how to pray, gives us the Magnificat which is a prophecy of the Beatitudes. 8. The Rosary is a perfect summary of the prayer filled life of Jesus through Mary. The Rosary began as a way for the common person to emulate the praying of the Psalms and creates the same heavenly atmosphere, especially when prayed together with others. 9. Prayer is God's gift to us to lead us to full communion with the Holy Trinity and one another. 10. Prayer is too often the last thing we turn to after all else fails, like reading the instruction manual after not be able to figure it out by ourselves. The Our Father is the instruction manual which can make clarity out of confusion. We must meditate on this prayer in the morning and evening and throughout the day if we hope to make sense of our lives. Prayer brings grace and grace is a lifestyle to be lived always.

35. Living in truth

35. LIVING IN TRUTH CHRISTIANS HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO PRACTICE HONESTY AND INTEGRITY IN ALL THAT THEY SAY AND DO. Compendium 521-526 Dt 5:20 Matthew 5:33-37 1. Living the truth is not just about words, it is a way of life. Deception, Greed and Fear are the cause of lies and create scoundrels. 2. When our word is our bond we build trust, engender cooperation and serve the common good. 3. We must seek to live the truth in charity. 4. Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life, his followers must guard against deception, duplicity, distorting the truth and hypocrisy. 5. The Christian must bear witness to the Truth even with his life. 6. False witness, perjury and lying and causing the innocent to be punished are grave evils. 7. The eighth commandment also forbids Rash Judgement, Calumny, Gossip, Slander and Defamation. 8. Flattery, Complaisance (silence against falsehood) and adulation are also forbidden. 9. The eighth commandment requires discretion in speech and respect for the seal of secrecy with confessors and other counsellors. 10. Truth is beautiful and that which is truly beautiful proclaims the Truth. 11. When the tongue speaks the truth and praises God it is golden, when it talks just to hear itself in useless chatter in becomes putrid. Silence when there is nothing of value to say is a virtue. 12. Most of us do not examine our conscience often enough regarding the eighth commandment and so casual insinuations, accusations, poisonous gossip and slander pollute the world and cause chaos.

34. Stewardship

34. STEWARDSHIP OF THIS WORLD'S GOODS OUR WORK AND CIVIC RESPONSIBILITIES ARE ROOTED IN HUMAN DIGNITY AND THE COMMON GOOD Compendium 503-520, 531-533 Dt 5:19,21 Matthew 6:21 1. The seventh and tenth commandments: DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBOR'S GOODS; instruct us to be generous and just stewards of God's blessings and creation. 2. Love of neighbor is necessary to create a well ordered society. 3. The right to own private property is an expression of human dignity but it is not an unlimited right which deprives others of a fair share of opportunities or is contrary to the common good. 4. The parable of Lazarus and the poor man instruct us about our obligation to take care of the poor and to live justly, with temperance and prudence. We do not have a right to live in luxury while others lack basic necessities. 4. The seventh commandment requires that we return what we have stolen. 5. It forbids unjust wages and fraud. 6. Financial systems must be ethical and at the service of the human person. 7. Unbridled Capitalism and Totalitarian Government both offend human dignity. 8. We must be aware that Labor is a path toward holiness. 9. Citizens must actively engage in civil affairs as witnesses of authentic Gospel values. 10. We must imitate Christ's detachment from this world's goods and live the beatitudes so that God will say to us “well done, good and faithful servant.” 11. We are all precious gifts to one another. When we share our treasure , talents and our time we are truly children of God. If we hoard our blessings they shrivel and die. 12. How can we reconcile magnificent churches,vestments and vessels with “Blessed are the poor in spirit” ? The answer is implied in the question. Jesus does not recommend poverty for poverty sake but rather detachment from worldly treasures in lieu of the eternal treasures of heaven. No one is entitled to more than they need. Justice demands that our surplus must be shared with the needy. This sharing must be voluntary and not violently enforced as often happens in totalitarian governments and results in greater poverty and injustice and loss of freedom. Capitalism is immoral if it does not afford opportunity and equal access to the needy. It is not a matter of one or the other but rather a matter of both and. There can be both magnificence and justice for the needy. Hatred and greed breed poverty and misery, whereas when we share there is more than enough for all as Jesus demonstrated with the multiplication of the loaves and fish to feed 5000. Judas complained when the repentant women used expensive oils to anoint the feet of Jesus and opined that it would be better to spend this on the poor but Jesus corrected Judas and it later became clear that Judas was not interested in the poor but rather his own pocket. There is no organization that has invested more time, talent, and treasure in lifting up the needy than the Catholic Church. Tens of thousands of schools, hospitals and missions cover the globe with priests, nuns and dedicated people sacrificing their own lives for others. Those who have done more than the church for the needy can cast the first stone.

33. God's plan for life and love

33. GOD'S PLAN FOR LIFE AND LOVE THE VIRTUE OF CHASTITY IS NECESSARY TO PROTECT AND PRACTICE THE TRUTH ABOUT MARRIAGE, SEXUALITY, AND HUMAN LIFE Compendium 487-502 527-530 Dt 5:18 Matthew 5:27-28 1. Chastity is a gift from God and a virtue which calls us to self mastery and is necessary in all states of life in order to build a culture of life and to avoid losing our human dignity and living like mere animals. 2. Even married couples are called to purity. "Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God" Chastity is at the heart of a happy marriage, safeguarding unity, fidelity, indissolubility and openness to new life. 3. The purpose of human sexuality is to express the exclusive love of husband and wife in a manner which is open to procreation. 4. The sixth commandment forbids adultery, lust, masturbation, pornography, fornication, homosexual acts, prostitution, rape, pedophilia. All of these destroy happiness. 5. Sterilization and contraception are anti-life. 6. Abstinence during periods of fertility is the only acceptable means of spacing pregnancy. This is called natural family planning. 7. Artificial insemination and fertilization are unnatural. There is no God given right to biological parenthood. Adoption is the generous and natural solution. 8. Divorce, polygamy, incest, cohabitation outside of marriage, and same sex marriage are enemies of harmonious family life. 9. The sacraments, prayer, mortification and temperance are necessary for control of our passions by the power of reason. 10. For consecrated souls celibacy is the means to keep an undivided heart and to be spiritual mothers and fathers to everyone and be truly free. 11. For married couples conjugal chastity is essential to express exclusive love open to procreation. 12. Children are not a "right" nor a burden and adoption is a wonderful option. 13. Chastity leads us to wholesomeness and joy. The lack of purity leads to depravity, misery and despair. 14. The sacraments of Reconciliation and Communion restore us completely to a chaste life in Christ.

32. In defense of human life

32. IN DEFENSE OF HUMAN LIFE WE ARE COMMANDED TO PROTECT AND PROMOTE THE GIFT OF HUMAN LIFE AT ALL OF ITS STAGES Compendium 466-486 Dt 5:17 Matthew 5:9 1. "Thou shalt not kill" unequivocally forbids the taking of human life from conception to natural death. Jesus desires abundant life for everyone because each one is created in God’s image and likeness and destined to eternal friendship with the Trinity. This is the complete Gospel message. All lives are equally sacred and infinitely important to God. 2. Those who have the responsibility for the lives of others must defend themselves and those entrusted to their care. But self-defense must exclude rage and disproportionate force. 3. Capital punishment is practically impossible to justify in most societies and punishment must be proportionate to the crime. 4. The right to life is not endowed by the state but rather is a gift and commandment of abundant life from the Creator God. 5. Blessed are the peacemakers: War must be avoided vigorously by eliminating economic and social injustice and discrimination and only a last resort in defense against serious and sustained unjust aggression. 6. Mass destruction and genocide are crimes against humanity. 7. Conscientious objectors must be permitted to perform alternate community service. 8. Prisoners of war, wounded soldiers, and innocent civilians must be treated humanely and orders to the contrary must not be obeyed. 9. It is legitimate to use drugs to manage pain but not to hasten death. 10. Organ transplants and experimental treatments must have informed consent of the patients. 11. Ordinary medical care must not be withheld and euthanasia is forbidden. 12. The dying must be supported by loving care, prayer and the sacraments. 13. God demonstrates the infinite value and beauty of human life by becoming human, living among us and remaining with us and his resurrection and Ascension promise that our human bodies are just as eternal as our souls. Even the most unfortunate human being in this life is heir to that magnificent and consoling promise that makes even the most difficult life worth living. Jesus has filled every emptiness, illuminated every darkness, accompanied every solitude, annulled every suffering, cancelled every sin.

31. The family in God's plan

31. THE FAMILY IN GOD'S PLAN THE COMMANDMENT TO HONOR ONE'S FATHER AND MOTHER REFLECTS THE FAMILY'S ROLE IN THE CHURCH AND SOCIETY Compendium 455-465 Dt 5:16 Sirach 3:2-7,12-14 1. The family is the "original cell" of society and is not a human invention but rather a gift from God for the benefit of the spouses and procreation and formation and education of children. The fourth commandment, “Honor your father and mother”, encompasses the entire plan of God for marriage and family life. 2. The family is the Domestic Church where faith and virtue are imparted and develop. The basic lessons of, prayerfulness, love and service to one another, truth, honesty, discipline, and respect are inculcated and reinforced in the family. 3. In a healthy family children learn an appropriate understanding of authority, the common good, citizenship, rights and dignity of everyone. 4. By word and example children learn how to relate to each other, family and society. 5. Parents must “waste” time with their children everyday to prepare and guide them to holiness and openness to God’s calling. 6. The Eucharist must be at the center of family life just as it is at the center of Church life. 7. The Government must protect public morality, parents rights, and private property but only in rare and extreme cases is it legitimate for government to intervene in family affairs. 8. Eventually children must care for their parents when they are in need, physically, emotionally and spiritually. 9. Finally our love for Christ must exceed our love for parents and children. 10. Families are not called so much to perfection as to holiness in Christ. The Holy Family of Jesus , Mary and Joseph is the model. Each member of the family must strive for holiness without judging the other members. Mercy and joy must be the constant atmosphere of the family. Forgiveness and starting again must be the modus operandi of the family. 11. We must be aware that the family is under attack by a fierce worldliness and selfishness from without and from within. Often relatives, friends and neighbors can be the greatest threat to a family because we least expect it and are therefore most vulnerable to it. The family that prays together can overcome these threats.

30. Loving God above all

30. LOVING GOD ABOVE ALL THE FIRST THREE COMMANDMENTS PERTAIN TO OUR DUTY TO LOVE GOD WITH OUR ENTIRE BEING Compendium 434-454 Exodus 2:2-17 Matthew 19:16-19 1. By becoming one of us Jesus revealed the love of his Father for each of us and made us children of God with infinite dignity and worth. Without God there is no meaning or purpose. 2. The Ten Commandments given to Moses, is God's covenant with his chosen people, Israel, and universally apply to all people of all times not as a restriction but rather a pathway to freedom and happiness as children of our infinitely loving and merciful Father. The Ten Commandments are the written form of the natural law inscribed within each of us. 3. Jesus, in his words and life summed up the Ten Commandments into two: Love God with your whole being and your neighbor as yourself. 4. "I Am the Lord your God. You shall not have other God's before me. We live the first commandment through the virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity. 5. With faith we reject heresy, apostasy, and schism, as well as presumption and despair. 6. Charity demands that we love God above all things and that we reject ingratitude, indifference spiritual laziness, and false pride which leads to hatred of God and our fellow man. 7. With freedom we must prayerfully search for God and avoid the modern false God's of Power, Money and Pleasure. 8. Demon worship and superstition are enemies of God. 9. Aggressive atheism ridicules God and practical atheism ignores God. 10. Idols and false images are forbidden but true images of Jesus and the saints remind us of heavenly realities and are not worshiped in themselves. 11. God's name is Holy and we should only use it in blessings and honoring him. Never should we curse or swear with his name. Blasphemy includes all forms of disrespect toward God. 12. Genesis tells us that God rested on the Sabbath as a covenant and sign that man should use this day in thanksgiving for all creation. 13. We must obey the Sabbath with rest from worldly pursuits and devote time to our relation with God and one another. 14. The Sabbath is celebrated on Sunday by Christians because this is the day of the Resurrection of Jesus. 15. It is the first and most important precept of the Church to attend Mass every Sunday. 16. The Eucharist must be the center of our lives so we are able to live the Commandments in the spirit of the beatitudes. 17. In order to receive the Eucharist worthily we must avail ourselves of the sacrament of Confession often and at least once a year is required. Pope Francis confesses every two weeks and recommends this. 18. Honoring the Sabbath and The Lord’s Day professes that people do not live to work but rather work to live in freedom and joy with their God. When we seek His Kingdom in this way all the rest is given to us gratuitously. Heaven is an eternal sabbath with the family of God celebrating one another in harmony and perfect peace and joy.

29. God's salvation, law and grace

29. GOD'S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE THE MORAL LAW, ROOTED IN DIVINE WISDOM AND WRITTEN ON THE HUMAN HEART, IS FULFILLED IN OUR LIFE WITH CHRIST Compendium 415-433 Romans 2: 15 1. "Natural Law", which is known naturally by reason, is an inherent sense of right and wrong written on our hearts by the creator and is the basis of rights and duties of individuals and communities, but is not clearly perceived by everyone at all times. 2. The Ten Commandments summarize and confirm natural law and unchanging moral truth. 3. The natural law is brought to perfection in the Beatitudes and witness of Jesus Christ in his life death and resurrection. 4. The grace to live the Beatitudes is a gift of the Holy Spirit. 5. We are "justified" by God’s mercy at work through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ earning for us the sanctifying grace of Baptism and Repentance which maintains our souls in grace throughout our lives. Sanctifying grace allows us to participate in the holiness of the Trinity and is always with us. 6. "Actual grace” allows us to live the circumstances of our daily lives in conformity with the Beatitudes. 7. Grace does not in infringe upon us but frees us to fulfill our ultimate desire for complete happiness in God's love. Grace constantly calls us to holiness through intimacy with Jesus. 8. Morality becomes a continual hymn of praise and thanksgiving to God our Father. 9. The Precepts of the Catholic Faith are a necessary guide to living a life of Beatitude as Jesus proclaimed. 10. The five precepts of the Church direct us to the evangelizing truth, goodness and beauty that our lives must reflect. They are the minimum requirements to live an authentic Catholic life. 1. You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and remain free from work or activity that could impede the sanctification of such days. 2. You shall confess your sins at least once a year. 3. You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least once during the Easter season. 4. You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church. 5. You shall contribute to the support of the church. 11. We should not be satisfied with fulfilling the minimum but use them as a springboard to complete fulfillment in Christ. Considering the infinite reward, we should give enthusiastic witness to living our faith. The Church is the bride of Christ and the Eucharist is the eternal wedding banquet begun on earth. May the Holy Spirit enlighten our minds and hearts to the magnificence of our calling.

28. The human community

28. THE HUMAN COMMUNITY SEEKING AUTHENTIC HUMAN DEVELOPMENT , THE CHURCH PROMOTES SUBSIDIARITY, SOLIDARITY AND THE COMMON GOOD. Compendium 401-414 1 Peter 2:13-17 1. We can only find happiness in community. 2. God is a community of Persons, Father, Son, Holy Spirit and all who are called to friendship with him. 3. The human family is modeled on the Holy Trinity. 4. The human person must be the principal, subject and end of social institutions. 5. SUBSIDIARITY: the family is the basic unit of society and must not be deprived of its fundamental authority by the State or higher institutions which must be at the service of the basic unit of society and the common good. The State should not preempt parental authority. 6. There must be a priority of ethics over technology, and persons over things and spirit over matter. 7. The Common Good is the sum of those conditions of social life which allow social groups and their members to flourish with relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfillment and must be sought using morally licit means and requires the personal integrity of leaders. 8. The dignity of each person, especially the most vulnerable, must be respected. 9. Unjust or immoral laws are not binding. 10. Solidarity requires that we must work for a more humane society with generous charity for the most needy because we are all created in God's image with a rational soul and are destined to share the same eternal happiness with him. 11. The continuous disparity between rich and poor is contrary to the Gospel. 12. The remedy for this disparity are the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. 12. The corporal works of mercy are: 1. To feed the hungry 2. Give drink to the thirsty 3. Clothe the naked 4. Shelter the homeless 5. Visit the sick 6. Visit the imprisoned 7. Bury the dead. 13. The spiritual works of mercy are 1. Counsel the doubtful 2. Instruct the ignorant 3. Admonish the sinner 4. Comfort the afflicted 5. Forgive offensives 6. Bear wrongs patiently 7. Pray for the living and the dead. 14. These works of mercy require a personal and individual participation and involvement. When they are relegated to central government authorities they become impersonal and inefficient entitlements which rob people of human dignity as they crush the economy with waste and corruption and cause even greater poverty.

27. Virtue and vice

27. VIRTUE AND VICE A WELL FORMED CONSCIENCE AND THE PRACTICE OF VIRTUE LEAD US TOWARD HOLINESS AND AWAY FROM SIN Compendium 370-400 Galatians 5:22-23 1. Our conscience is formed by the inner voice of God and the natural law etched on our souls by God which recognizes right and wrong, good and evil, such as not doing unnecessary harm to others. Conscience does not establish moral truth but rather a well formed conscience perceives it. 2. In baptism and confirmation we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety, fear of the Lord) 3. We can never do evil so that good can come from it. 4. We should treat others with the same dignity we wish for ourselves. 5. We should accept others without condoning evil. 6. We must recognize that we do not know everything and we can be wrong. 7. When we make good habits we grow in the Cardinal virtues of Prudence, Justice, Temperance and Fortitude and we grow in likeness to God who created us in his image and likeness. 8. Virtue is the habitual and firm commitment to do good and avoid evil. 9. Faith is believing that God is Truth itself and leads us to Hope for eternal life which is the reward for living the present moment well in Charity to all. We grow in these theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity through prayer and the sacraments. 10. The fruits of living the virtues are Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Faithfulness, Goodness, Gentleness, Generosity, Modesty, Self-control and Purity. 11. The vices are Pride, Envy, Greed, Lust, Anger, Sloth and Gluttony. These sinful habits damage our relationship with God and one another, diminish human solidarity and cause evil to gain power in the world. Sin is the root cause of all evil and suffering. 12. Sin is a thought word or deed that is offensive to God who is Love. 13. There are also sins of omission when we fail to do good that we should do. 14. Mortal sin is deliberate and grave offense committed with full knowledge and consent of the sinner and separates the soul from God and risks the loss of eternal life. 15. We must never cooperate in the sins of others. 16. The Sacraments of Baptism and Confession free us from sin and restore the life of Christ in us. We are truly free when we admit our sins and allow God's infinite mercy to heal us. 17. On the cross Jesus reveals the seriousness of sin and the necessity of repentance. 18. While we must love the sinner as Jesus does, giving our life for each one, we must hate sin for the slavery it brings to humanity.

26. Morality, freedom and human dignity

26. MORALITY, FREEDOM AND HUMAN DIGNITY CHRISTIAN LIFE AND MORALITY, LEAD TO, RATHER THAN TAKE AWAY FROM TRUE FREEDOM AND HAPPINESS Compendium 357-369 Matthew 5:1-11 1. Everyone wants to be happy. Sometimes happiness is sought in all the wrong places. Lust for money, power and illicit pleasure cannot bring lasting happiness. Jesus teaches us the source of true and lasting happiness in the Beatitudes. Christian morality can transform us into living images of Jesus. 2. The Beatitudes are the self portrait of Jesus who demonstrates how to be fully human and by living them we become like him. 3. Good intentions do not guarantee good results. 4. True Freedom and happiness requires taking responsibility for our actions. 5. The end does not justify the means. 6. Freedom is God's gift to humanity and is not endowed by any human institution. 7. Human dignity requires correct choices with a priority towards the common good and social justice and order, and taking responsibility. 8. Killing innocent human beings is an example of objective evil. 9. Our moral choices are a decision for or against God and freedom. 10. Wrong choices diminish our freedom and can enslave us to drugs, alcohol, and sex, money, power, worldliness and pleasure. 11. Freedom requires that we free ourselves from ourselves in order to transcend the limitations of this life and gain the eternal freedom Christ has won for us.

25. The sacraments of vocation

25. THE SACRAMENTS OF VOCATION THROUGH HOLY ORDERS AND MATRIMONY, CHRISTIANS ARE GIVEN SPECIAL GRACES AND A PARTICULAR MISSION Compendium 321-353 Hebrews 7:26-28 Matthew 19: 4-6 1. Melchizedek foreshadowed the kingly priesthood of Christ, who offered himself on the cross to reconcile men to God. 2. This gift of obedient and selfless love is the heart of the sacramental priesthood that Christ shares with our priests. 3. Priests are empowered to act in the very name of Christ. 4. Their priesthood is indelible. 5. The celibacy of the priesthood for the sake of the Kingdom is a beacon for fidelity to those called to holiness in marriage. 6. These distinct vocations strengthen each other and share the same mission of the Church. 7. Deacons preparing for the priesthood are "transitional" and there are also "permanent" deacons who assist in the liturgy and sacramental life and especially caring for the needy. 8. Only the Bishop can confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders. 9. Bishops are successors of the Apostles and continue the ministry of the Apostles to teach,sanctify and spiritually rule the faithful. 10. They are called together with their priests and deacons to set hearts on fire with love for Christ and his church. 11. Marriage is a covenant of faithful, permanent and fruitful love. Created in the divine image, man and woman are complementary. 12. Unity-in-difference is at the heart of marriage. 13. Man and woman are made for each other and for procreation and education of children. 14. Spouses, united to Christ, are called to form a family which is a community of Faith, Prayer and Virtue. 15. Divorce, contraception and same sex marriage are the archenemies of this indelible covenant designed by God to be permanent, faithful and fruitful. 16. A valid marriage requires the free and conscious consent of the man and women. 17. Marriage with a non Catholic requires an agreement that the children will be raised Catholic. 18. In the Jewish tradition of Passover every head of household had the vocation of priesthood and lead the celebration of the paschal meal. This tradition is still alive today in the Jewish community. It was only after the tragedy of the golden calf that Moses restricted the priesthood to the Levites. Just as the family is the indispensable foundation of an ordered and functional society, so it is for the Church. If men fail in the spiritual leadership of their families both society and the Church cannot function well.

24. The sacraments of healing

24. THE SACRAMENTS OF HEALING THROUGH THE SACRAMENTS OF PENANCE AND THE ANOINTING OF THE SICK THE CHURCH CONTINUES CHRIST'S HEALING MINISTRY Compendium 295-320 James 5:14-15 1. God's love and mercy is greater than our sins. 2. On that first Easter evening, Jesus instituted the sacrament of Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Healing, Mercy and Repentance and empowered the apostles and their successors, bishops and priests, to forgive sins. 3. Although Baptism gives us a new life in grace, there is still a tendency to sin as a result of the Fall: concupiscence. 4. Mortal sin separates us from God and venial sin weakens our relationship with him and one another. 5. The Sacrament of Reconciliation restores those relationships. 6. We are called to lifelong conversion and that is made possible by this sacrament. 7. After confessing, we can show our sincere repentance for sin through prayer, fasting and giving alms. 8. We cannot receive the Eucharist if we commit mortal sin until we go to Confession. 9. The confession of venial sins helps us to grow in virtue and resist temptation. 10. We prepare for confession by examining our conscience with the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes and the 7 Virtues and 7 Vices, 7 Corporal Works of Mercy and 7 Spiritual Works of Mercy. 11. Confession removes eternal punishment and reduces temporal punishment due to sin. 12. Prayers and good works bring Indulgences which reduce or eliminate temporal punishment for ourselves and the souls in purgatory. 14. This Sacrament also brings peace, serenity, joy and strength. 15. We must resolve not to sin again and to avoid occasions of sin. 16. General Absolution without individual confession is only used in grave emergencies. 17. The Anointing of the hands and forehead of the sick and aged with holy oil unites them to the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ and prepares them for eternal life and forgives sins if they are not able to confess. It also brings comfort, serenity, consolation and courage. 18. It can often help physical healing. 19. It is of eternal importance to encourage one another to avail ourselves of these sacraments. 20. The fear of alarming the person who is approaching death is a failure of love. There is no love without truth and there is no truth without love. We must pray to the Holy Spirit for the wisdom and courage to tell the truth with love.

23. Loving the Eucharist

23. LOVING THE EUCHARIST WE MUST GROW IN UNDERSTANDING OF AND REVERENCE FOR THE EUCHARIST Compendium 271-294 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 1. The Eucharist is the very sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ on the cross perpetuated throughout the ages. 2. When we properly partake of the Eucharist we participate even now in the life of God. 3. The Eucharist puts us into communion with the Trinity and with one another. 4. Through ordination, the priest is conformed to Christ so that he can re-enact the full impact of the words and deeds of Christ: "this is my body" and "this is my blood of the New and everlasting Covenant". 5. The Eucharist contains the entire spiritual wealth of the Church as it brings us into community with the Blessed Trinity and with one another. 6. For this gift we must show infinite "Thanksgiving" which is the meaning of "EUCHARIST". 7. The deliverance from sin which we experience in the Eucharist was foreshadowed by the Passover of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. 8. The sacrifice of the cross and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one and the same sacrifice. 9. The sacrifice of the Eucharist is the most perfect and effective prayer we can offer with Christ. 10. Transubstantiation is the real transformation of bread and wine into the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. 11. To receive the body of Christ we must be members of the Catholic Church and be in the state of grace which is confirmed by the Sacrament of Confession. 12. There is normally a one hour fast before communion. 13. Our demeanor and dress reflect our respect for the Eucharist. 14. A true understanding of the Eucharist leads to spiritual ecstasy with God. We should understand why the Church insists on the obligation to attend Mass every Sunday and Holy Day and receive Communion and Confession at least once every year. We should dread the loss of this sacrament and desire to receive it as often as possible. The Eucharist is the only sacrament that continues in heaven. The Eucharist is the heavenly banquet already begun on earth. The Eucharist is the complete revelation of God’s plan that all will be one.

22. Born anew and strengthened in the faith

22. BORN ANEW AND STRENGTHENED IN THE FAITH THE SACRAMENTS OF BAPTISM AND CONFIRMATION ALLOW US TO SHARE IN THE LIFE OF THE TRINITY Compendium 250-270 Romans 6:3-4 Titus 3:4-6 1. Baptism can be by immersion or pouring of water. We are born anew by Baptism to a life in Christ which cancels sin and death. What do you want for your children? The correct answer is not only baptism but more profoundly: eternal life. 2. We are confirmed to this new life by the Holy Spirit at Confirmation and nourished daily by the Eucharist. 3. Baptism confers the Holy Spirit and the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. It also brings us a share of the kingly priesthood of Christ as members of his body. Baptism brings sanctifying grace which unites us to the life of the Trinity. 4. Noah's Ark and the Red Sea were forecasts of the drowning of sin and death and acquiring new life through the waters of Baptism. 5. The crossing of the waters of Jordan to enter the Promised Land forecasts our passage to eternal life through Christ's death and resurrection. 6. With the Holy Oils and laying on of hands, Confirmation strengthens us with the courage and power of sanctifying grace and allows us to share in the mystery of Pentecost. With confirmation we receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Counsel, Fortitude, Piety, Fear of the Lord. 7. Christ calls us to bring this new life to all nations without exclusion of anyone. 8. Infants become "children of God" through Baptism and after the age of reason confirm their parents commitment to life in Christ by their profession of faith. 9. Baptism cancels original sin and all sins committed prior to baptism for adults. 10. The baptized share the responsibility to attract others to the faith and prepare them for life in Christ and help them to grow in holiness. 11. Those who die for the faith before being baptized are considered Baptized by the blood of Christ. 12. Those who desire baptism but do not have the opportunity are considered baptized by their intention. 13. The unborn who die in the womb are confidently entrusted to the infinite love and mercy of God, their true Father and creator, who cannot abandon his own creation. 14. We call the disobedience of Adam and Eve a “happy fault” because it necessitated that the “word” became flesh in Jesus who by baptism not only cancels sin and death but moreover makes us brothers of Jesus and therefore sons of God and participators in the Holy Trinity forever. May the Holy Spirit expand our minds to be able to appreciate the enormity of this gift.

21. Celebrating the Church's Liturgy

21.CELEBRATING THE CHURCH'S LITURGY THE SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH BOTH SIGNIFY AND MAKE PRESENT GOD'S TRANSFORMING GRACE. Compendium 224-249 Revelation 7:9-11 1. All the events of Christ's life become a present and living reality through the Sacraments and liturgy. As we celebrate the sacraments we grow in likeness to God. 2. Baptism and Confirmation are indelible marks that make us adopted children of God and are received only once. 3. Holy Orders is also an indelible mark and is only received once and allows the ordained to act in the person of Christ in the celebration of the liturgy. 4. The effectiveness of the Sacraments does not depend on the personal worthiness of the minister. If the medicine works, the character of the pharmacist is secondary. 5. It is a most serious obligation for both the minister and the recipient to pursue personal holiness through the sacraments. 6. The sacraments do not act mechanistically, they require assent. 7. When it is celebrated faithfully, prayerfully and joyfully, The Sacramental life of the Church has a logic and beauty all of its own that emerges and leads us to long to see God in heaven. 8. Water, bread, wine, oil and laying on of hands are necessary signs that accompany the words that give them sacramental power and grace. 9. The Church carefully distinguishes what is unchangeable and what can be adapted by culture in the liturgy. 10. The sacramental life of the church is the fast track to holiness and unity with God that Jesus gave us. To climb a mountain is difficult, arduous, and dangerous, the sacramental life gives us wings to fly to the top of the mountain.

20. Worshiping in spirit and truth

20. WORSHIPPING IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH GOING TO MASS IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST AN OBLIGATION FOR FAITHFUL CATHOLICS Compendium 218-223 Matthew 26:26-28 1. Liturgy means "public worship" and is used most specifically to refer to the Mass and the Sacraments. 2. In the Liturgy, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are made present and active. 3. The Liturgy is the source and summit of the Church's life and mission. 4. It is the highest and best means by which Christ continues to act on our behalf to sanctify us, redeem us from our sins and enable us to share in the life of God. It contains the mystery of God's loving plan to save us. 5. Through the Liturgy, the Holy Spirit, as the soul of the Church, brings us to ponder and deepen the new life Christ has won for us by his life, death and resurrection so that we can worship the Father in Spirit and Truth. 6. The Mass is not only a communion of saints and a foretaste of heaven, it is also a rehearsal of our individual encounter with God at the end of this life that will determine our final destiny for all eternity. All the wealth and health and happiness of earthly life is infinitesimally small compared to the wealth and opportunity that we receive at Mass. 7. Going forth from Mass, we take not only Jesus but the entire communion of saints into the world which we can easily conquer if we remain faithful, united and reliving Christ’s Passion in our own lives.

19. Communion, Forgiveness, and life everlasting

19. COMMUNION, FORGIVENESS, AND LIFE EVERLASTING CONCLUDING THE CREED, WE PROFESS OUR BELIEF IN THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS, BAPTISM AND THE FINAL RESURRECTION Compendium 194-217 1 Corinthians 51-57 1. Communion means that God invites us to share in his inner life, the Trinity, not to seek our own interests but to put ourselves at the service of one another. 2. "Saints" include not only the canonized but also the souls in purgatory and those still alive seeking holiness. 3.Christ has given us his mother as the Mother of all saints and our most powerful advocate with him. The Rosary is a compendium of the Gospels. Mary was the first Christian and the most faithful. Mary was the only one who accompanied Jesus from his conception in her womb to his death and resurrection. Her “Magnificat” is a summary of the Old Testament and the promise of the New Testament. She is “full of grace” means she is and always was completely immersed in God and completely in his service to all. Mary is the model for every Christian. We can be like her: “the one does the will of my father is my mother ….” 4.Baptism is the first Sacrament for the forgiveness of sins. 5. Christ also established the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the forgiveness of sins committed after Baptism. "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them and whose sins you retain are retained" John 20:23 5. The separation of our bodies from our souls at the end of this life will not last for all eternity. We are called to share in the Resurrection in Christ. Those who die in the grace of Christ will share the happiness of Heaven. Some will experience a "Purgatory" to be completely conformed to Christ. We can help the souls in purgatory with prayers, Masses, good deeds and sacrifices offered in Christ. 6. Hell is the separation from God for all eternity. Those who freely choose to remain in mortal sin condemn themselves to Hell. God wants all to be saved but must respect free will, otherwise there is no free will and therefore we could not be “like God.” 7. We look forward to the Second Coming of Christ, although no one knows when it will be, and then Christ will be all in all. In the meantime, this must be what we live and breathe for: “that all may be one” in spirit and truth in Jesus Christ.

18. The Christian faithful

18. The Christian Faithful INSTITUTED BY CHRIST, THE HIERARCHY AND THE VISIBLE STRUCTURE OF THE CHURCH ARE PART OF GOD's PLAN Compendium 177-193 Matthew 16:18-19 1. There is a true equality among the members of the Church in their dignity as children of God. 2. The HIERARCHY of the Church includes bishops, priests and deacons. 3. Bishops and priests speak and act in the very person of Christ. 4. Deacons assist in preaching and teaching and especially in serving the poor and needy. 5. The popes are the visible foundation of the Unity of the Church down through the ages. 6. The Pope is the "Vicar of Christ" and supreme pastor of the God's people and exercises immediate, universal, and supreme power over the whole Church. 7. The college of bishops, in unity with the Pope, also exercises supreme authority over the Church. 8. Every diocese is a local manifestation of the universal Church. 9. The Magisterium, the bishops in Union with the Holy Father, and priests in union with their bishop, exercise the office of teaching, sanctifying and governing. 10. The baptized accept and live the faith in accordance with the Magisterium. 11. The Magisterium is charged with authentically interpreting God's Word in scripture and tradition and to ensure that the faith of the Apostles is handed on. 12. Even when doctrines are not infallibly proclaimed, they are to be accepted with religious submission of intellect and will, understood in the context of love. 13. Dissent from Church teachings short circuit missionary discipleship. 14. The laity, which means "people", share in the priestly, prophetic and kingly office of Christ as they build a civilization of love according to God's plan as parents and witnesses of a holy life at home and in the workplace. 15. Consecrated men and women, both lay and ordained, take vows and dedicate their lives in chastity, poverty and obedience in order to lead all members of the Church to greater holiness and dedication to Christ and his mission. 16. The structure of the human body is the skeleton but, as necessary as they are, we do not see or think about skeletons. The Church is the body of Christ, the hierarchy would be the skeleton. The laity are the flesh of the body of Christ and his Church. The laity must bring the Church to the world in every aspect: the workplace, homes, politics and everywhere. When St. Lawrence was ordered to deliver the treasures of the church, he presented the poor, the sick, the crippled, the outcasts. They are always the true treasure of the true Church.

17. One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic

17. ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, APOSTOLIC The four marks of the Catholic Church are essential to understanding the Body of Christ. Compendium 161-176 Matthew 28:19-20 1. Christ founded only one Church, and entrusted it to Peter and his successors in communion with the bishops. 2. In spite of the problems and divisions due to human frailty and sinfulness, there exists in the Church a fullness of Truth, sacramental life and communion. 3. We believe in One God, we share one faith, one sacramental life, one common hope in Jesus Christ, one apostolic succession, we are one in charity. 4.Oneness in Christ is our mission and our destiny. Ecumenism is our obligation. We must all pray and work for unity in Christ. The source of our oneness is the Trinity: one God in three divine persons. 5. The Church is first of all the body of Christ, which is all Holy. The Church provides all that we need to respond to the call to holiness. Mary and the saints show us how to participate in God's truth, goodness and love and assist us with their prayers. Holiness is not only our goal, it must also be our way of life in the present moment in constant renewal through the sacraments. 6. The Church is Catholic because her mission is to all nations and to bring the totality of the Christian Faith. We must work and pray to bring non practicing Catholics back to church and also promote unity with non Catholic Christians by our Faith and witness. We have a special affinity to those of the Jewish faith as the first to receive the Word of God. Many non Christian faiths reflect God's truth and goodness. We must foster understanding with other religions for the common good. Non Christians can be saved if they sincerely seek God and follow their conscience. Those who know the truth of the Church and reject it imperil their salvation. 7. Christ founded the Church upon the Apostles when he "sent" them to proclaim the Good News. The Church adheres to and hands on the teachings of the Apostles. The bishops are the successors of the Apostles in communion with the Successor of Peter. By the Sacrament of Holy Orders the mission and power of the Apostles are transmitted to their successors, the bishops, thereby maintaining the link to the Church's Apostolic mission, faith and origins. 8. Our obligation to be One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic is a reality in the Church which we must individually give witness to in our personal and community life, to fail to give this witness is to fail at being one, holy, Catholic and apostolic. It is to fail at being the church of Christ. 9. We must be for others, live, breath, eat, sleep, think, work, rest, pray for others. Whether in person, by mail, by phone or the Internet, our communication with others must include the Trinity, all for one and one for all as Jesus taught us.