Definitions

Introductory Unit

            Heart- the analogy for us not being the origin of ourselves

            X and the Arrows- The x is the mystery; the horizontal arrow is human history; the arrows going up are different religions trying to reach the mystery; the arrow coming down is the mystery coming to us or Jesus

            Being- a collection of needs inexorable and insatiable

            Reality- the state of existing

            4 Truths of The “I”- didn’t make myself; abilities are limited; have desires; expect to be happy (all the time)

            Religious sense- a characteristic feature of being human, which is expressed in certain questions having to do with the meaning and purpose of life

            Ontology- the philosophy of being

Anointing of The Sick

            Original Sin- the sin that caused the Fall and all of us are born with

            Oil of The Sick- Oil that is blessed and used to anoint the sick

            Church- the body of Christ

            Society of Jesus- a religious order created by St. Ignatius of Loyola

            Theodicy- the justification of God

            Stations of the Cross- the 14 events that represent the Passion of Christ

            Suffering- a state of pain or agony

Reconciliation

            Penance- an act performed to show sorrow or repentance

            Mortal Sin- sin that deprives the soul of sanctifying grace

            Venial Sin- slight sins that injure our relationship

            Ten Commandments- the ten rules that God gave us in the Old Testament

            Schism- a division or disunion because of a doctrinal difference

            Heresy- a doctrine that goes against the accepted doctrine of the Church

            Empathy- understanding someone else’s situation and feelings

Matrimony

            Fidelity- faithfulness

            Abortion- termination of a pregnancy resulting in the death of the embryo

            Annulment- finding by the Church on the day that vows were exchanged that some element for valid marriage was lacking in one or both parties involved

            Adultery- carnal connection between a married person and someone who is not their spouse

            Polygamy- having more that one wife

            Contraception- any outside action that stops you from procreating when having of sexual intercourse

            Divorce- a grave offense against natural law; breaks the vow made in marriage “until death do us part.”; legally end a marriage

Holy Orders

            Diocese- territory or churches subject to jurisdiction of a bishop

            Vicar- the representative of a person in the Church

            Infallibility- immunity from error

            Parish- part of a diocese that is under the care of a priest

            Celibacy-renunciation of marriage and sex

            Cardinal- dignitary of the Church and a counselor of the pope

            Clergy- the group of ordained people in a religion

Baptism

            Proper Matter- Water

            Correct Form/Words-Immersion or poured water 3 times; “I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”

            Designated Minister- Bishop, Priest, or Deacon

            Biblical Basis- Jesus getting baptized in the Jordan

            Baptismal Candle- candle given to you at your baptism; lit on anniversary of baptism, marriage, and death

            White Garment- shows that you are cleansed of Original Sin

            Effects of Baptism- washes away Original Sin, Makes us children of God and temples of the Holy Spirit, marks us forever as sharers in the believers and in Christ mission of justice and peace

Confirmation

            Proper Matter- Chrism (oil)

            Correct Form/Words- laying of hands and anointing with Chrism on forehead; “(name) be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit”

            Designated Minister- Bishop

            Holy Spirit- the third person of the Trinity

            Biblical Basis- the dove comes down and lands on Jesus

            Pentecost- Birthday of the Church; when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles

            Effects- allows you to belong to Christ, receive the Holy Spirit and fight sin and Satan

Eucharist

            Definition- to give thanks

            Transubstantiation- the substance of bread and wine is transferred to Jesus

            Biblical Basis- The Last Supper

            Proper Matter- bread and wine

            Consecration- an act in which a thing is separated from its common use to a sacred one

            Other Names- Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion, Breaking of the Bread, and Holy Sacrifice

            Corpus Christi- the body of Christ (Church)

Call to Holliness

In life if you want something you go after it or you fight for it. Mankind has started to fail the Church because they are not striving to form a relationship with Jesus. They are not striving to take part in the body of Christ. Unlike things in life, which can go away, the Church is always, they’re waiting for you to come and join it. Maybe that is the problem; the Church is waiting for people to join instead of being this hard unreachable goal. Human do have a limited time to join the Church and that is how long of a life they have. Since you don’t’ know when your going to die it makes since to join the Church as quickly as possible but people still don’t have a great urgency to join.

Just like how getting into the Church is something that some people strive to do, when a person gets in the Church they strive to be perfect and share in the holiness that Jesus has offered to the Church. Being in the Church is fulfilling our desire to be in a union with God, a union, which was lost when Original Sin came into the world.  The desire of the heart, which wants us to have a relationship with Christ, is also the same thing that is holding us back. We must fight against this desire that holds us back and freely accept the call to holiness and a relationship with Christ. When we accept the call to holiness we are accepting love into our hearts. Jesus gives us the commandments to love others as he has loved us and tells us that there is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends. When people follow these commandments we share in the perfection and life of Christ.

The quote is telling the everyday Catholic that you must continually strive for a better relationship with God. We also cannot fail in our challenge to bring others to God. We cannot fail mankind because God didn’t fail us. When we were in the bad place of Original Sin, God sent Jesus to save us. We must also remember who Christ is and as his body we must strive to be the perfect representation of Him.

We must not be scared to talk about Christ to others. We should do missionary work and bring others to Christ. We are not called to be the Body of Christ sometimes, but we are called to be the body of Christ all the time. We will face challenges and struggles, but it is up to us to no be afraid. Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit to help us stand strong against adversity. If we face death, we die as martyrs, trying to bring Christ to the world. Once we live our life we hope God will say to us, “well done my good and faithful servant,” and we will recieve eternal life with God and join the legion of saints. 

Baptism For All

In the story, the woman treats the girl in a respectful way. Even though she is pregnant at a young age, the woman helps the girl deliver her child. The way she treats the girl shows that she is treating the girls like one of her own daughters. The woman loved and cared for the girl even though she did something wrong. This shows the unconditional love that God has for us. God loves us in the midst of all our flaws and he loves us even when we sin.

The infant was born with original sin, but the infant was also born as he was nearing death. To save him from original sin the infant had to be baptized. In the case of someone being on his or her deathbed anyone can perform the sacrament of baptism. The woman took the role of becoming the minister of baptism to the infant. She asked her son to prepare the things she needed and she quickly baptized him. This means he was saved from original sin. The infant, though he died so soon, was able to take part in the body of Christ.

The journey of the woman to her own home shows the struggles of life. There are always things in life that will try to stop you from achieving your goal, or in the case of the story saving someone from sin. The journey also parallels life in the sense that it is filled with ups and downs but God will help you along the way, just like her son did. The woman had strength and perseverance because she was able to make this trip quickly and also in the middle of the night where she could have been sleeping. She made a sacrifice just like Jesus did with His life.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord. In my life, these gifts are helping me to grow into a better person. Through Wisdom, I see the world in a new way. I can find how things are connected to God, and how to find peace within the world and myself. Understanding helps me to appreciate God and his grace. With understanding comes the opportunity for me to help and lead others the right way. Counsel is the gift that helps me make or choose the right decision even though it could be hard. In the end, it works out and I receive joy and comfort from the decision I made. Fortitude is the power for me to avoid evil and the devil and instead do good acts. Because I am human and there are a lot of temptations in the world, I need fortitude so I can avoid these temptations. Knowledge helps me see through the illusions and temptation of the world and helps me to focus and put my trust in God. Piety is serving God. From Piety I have received a greater sense of love and I love other more because we are connected as being God’s children. Finally there is Fear of the Lord. At first I didn’t understand this one, but I realized it is like a parent and a child relationship. You fear your parent especially if you do something wrong.

In your teenage years, I believe that I need a lot of Fortitude. In this time period you are getting peer pressured into doing a lot of things such as drinking, smoking, having sex, and using drugs. This is also a time period where parent start to give you more freedom and you might stop relying or your parents to take you places because you or your friends can driving. Fortitude is needed so that you don’t fall victim to these temptations of the world and that you can stay on the right path. During this time it is hard to fight temptations if everyone around you is doing it and they are pressuring you to do it. I need the strength to fight off these earthly sins and the devil’s advances on me. Fortitude gives us determination, energy, courage, and strength to be perseverant, steadfast, and patient in during times of great trial and temptations. The more fortitude that you have makes it less likely for you to fall prey to temptations of the devil and sin. The worst years of being a teenager are coming up soon and that is college. You are away from home and usually the worst things happen when there is no parental supervision.    

Are The Sacraments Narrow?

Are The Sacraments Narrow? By Mark Shea Questions

1. What is Ludwig’s problem?

He doesn’t understand why people say grace is imparted through the sacraments, because it shows grace in a narrow view. He sees God’s grace and love as universal.

2. Explain what the Church is not thinking about when it comes to sacramentality.

The Church is not saying the sacraments are there to deny God’s love and grace to the people who are not saved.

3. Explain what the Church is thinking about when it comes to sacramentality.

The Church is speaking out against doctrines that limit God’s redemption scope and they believe that redemption can happen to everyone.

4. How does God reveal and give to each individual human being his universally offered grace?

There is a primal Sacrament of Sacraments, or Jesus who came and showed us God in the world. He is where the sacraments stem from.

5. Which Christian Doctrine is the foundation of the Sacraments?

The doctrine of the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us, is the foundation of the Sacraments.

6. Explain what the gobs of modern “spirituality” tells us?

They tell us that God is extended ether in the cosmos and would never sully himself with the crudeness of matter, and that the spiritual dwell in realm of things unknown to the lesser evolved.

7. Explain the Christian repudiation of “such spirituality snobbery.

God likes matter a lot, because he declared it good during creation and manifested himself in it, and also became human.

8. “But that was so that he could put this gross body of flesh to death on the Cross and revert back to pure spirituality, wasn’t it?” Answer and Explain.

His death was an example that when we die we will live again. We also will become resurrected and liberated from the earthly bondage, and we will live again looking like human beings instead of spook beings.

9. Explain: “That is why the sacramental worldview sees more than just a symbol in a sacrament”

God didn’t created the world to show it off instead he created it to participate in it. These sacraments impart grace like Jesus imparted miracles and the Holy Spirit.

10. Explain what G.K. Chesterton said:

G.K. Chesterton says that the sacraments focus God’s grace on specific things instead of taking it away. The sacraments are there so you won’t be overwhelmed with all that grace. They are your lens that make the grace more focused and clear.

11. What does grace do?

Grace brings God to us. This is how he shows his love, not by sending letter but by being apart of our lives.