Palm Sunday

Gospel Lk 22:14—23:56 or 23:1-49

When the hour came, Jesus took his place at the table with the apostles. He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer,for, I tell you, I shall not eat it again until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; for I tell you that from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.”And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.“And yet behold, the hand of the one who is to betray me is with me on the table; for the Son of Man indeed goes as it has been determined;but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed.” And they began to debate among themselves who among them would do such a deed.Then an argument broke out among them about which of them should be regarded as the greatest. He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them and those in authority over them are addressed as ‘Benefactors’; but among you it shall not be so. Rather, let the greatest among you be as the youngest, and the leader as the servant. For who is greater: the one seated at table or the one who serves? Is it not the one seated at table? I am among you as the one who serves. It is you who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father has conferred one on me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom; and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.“Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back,you must strengthen your brothers.” He said to him, “Lord, I am prepared to go to prison and to die with you.” But he replied, “I tell you, Peter, before the cock crows this day, you will deny three times that you know me.”He said to them, “When I sent you forth without a money bag or a sack or sandals, were you in need of anything?” “No, nothing,” they replied.He said to them, “But now one who has a money bag should take it, and likewise a sack, and one who does not have a sword should sell his cloak and buy one.For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me, namely, He was counted among the wicked; and indeed what is written about me is coming to fulfillment.”Then they said, “Lord, look, there are two swords here.” But he replied, “It is enough!”Then going out, he went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. When he arrived at the place he said to them, “Pray that you may not undergo the test.” After withdrawing about a stone’s throw from them and kneeling, he prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.” And to strengthen him an angel from heaven appeared to him.He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground.When he rose from prayer and returned to his disciples, he found them sleeping from grief. He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not undergo the test.”While he was still speaking, a crowd approached and in front was one of the Twelve, a man named Judas. He went up to Jesus to kiss him. Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” His disciples realized what was about to happen, and they asked, “Lord, shall we strike with a sword?”And one of them struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said in reply, “Stop, no more of this!”Then he touched the servant’s ear and healed him. And Jesus said to the chief priests and temple guards and elders who had come for him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs?Day after day I was with you in the temple area, and you did not seize me; but this is your hour, the time for the power of darkness.”After arresting him they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest; Peter was following at a distance. They lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter sat down with them. When a maid saw him seated in the light, she looked intently at him and said, “This man too was with him.”But he denied it saying, “Woman, I do not know him.”A short while later someone else saw him and said, “You too are one of them”; but Peter answered, “My friend, I am not.”About an hour later, still another insisted, “Assuredly, this man too was with him, for he also is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “My friend, I do not know what you are talking about.”Just as he was saying this, the cock crowed, and the Lord turned and looked at Peter; and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.” He went out and began to weep bitterly.
The men who held Jesus in custody were ridiculing and beating him. They blindfolded him and questioned him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?”And they reviled him in saying many other things against him.When day came the council of elders of the people met, both chief priests and scribes, and they brought him before their Sanhedrin. They said, “If you are the Christ, tell us, “ but he replied to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I question, you will not respond. But from this time on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” He replied to them, “You say that I am.” Then they said, “What further need have we for testimony? We have heard it from his own mouth.”Then the whole assembly of them arose and brought him before Pilate. They brought charges against him, saying, “We found this man misleading our people; he opposes the payment of taxes to Caesar and maintains that he is the Christ, a king.” Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He said to him in reply, “You say so.” Pilate then addressed the chief priests and the crowds, “I find this man not guilty.” But they were adamant and said, “He is inciting the people with his teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to here.”On hearing this Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean; and upon learning that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod who was in Jerusalem at that time. Herod was very glad to see Jesus; he had been wanting to see him for a long time, for he had heard about him and had been hoping to see him perform some sign.He questioned him at length, but he gave him no answer. The chief priests and scribes, meanwhile, stood by accusing him harshly. Herod and his soldiers treated him contemptuously and mocked him, and after clothing him in resplendent garb, he sent him back to Pilate. Herod and Pilate became friends that very day, even though they had been enemies formerly. Pilate then summoned the chief priests, the rulers, and the people and said to them, “You brought this man to meand accused him of inciting the people to revolt.I have conducted my investigation in your presence and have not found this man guilty of the charges you have brought against him, nor did Herod, for he sent him back to us. So no capital crime has been committed by him. Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him.”But all together they shouted out, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us.” — Now Barabbas had been imprisoned for a rebellion that had taken place in the city and for murder. —Again Pilate addressed them, still wishing to release Jesus, but they continued their shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate addressed them a third time, “What evil has this man done? I found him guilty of no capital crime. Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him.” With loud shouts, however, they persisted in calling for his crucifixion, and their voices prevailed. The verdict of Pilate was that their demand should be granted.So he released the man who had been imprisoned for rebellion and murder, for whom they asked, and he handed Jesus over to them to deal with as they wished.As they led him away they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus. A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him. Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children for indeed, the days are coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the barren,the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.’ At that time people will say to the mountains, ‘Fall upon us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ for if these things are done when the wood is green what will happen when it is dry?” Now two others, both criminals, were led away with him to be executed.When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” They divided his garments by casting lots. The people stood by and watched; the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God.”Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.”Above him there was an inscription that read, “This is the King of the Jews.”Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply,“Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him,“Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun.Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”; and when he had said this he breathed his last.The centurion who witnessed what had happened glorified God and said, “This man was innocent beyond doubt.”When all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts;but all his acquaintances stood at a distance, including the women who had followed him from Galilee and saw these events.Now there was a virtuous and righteous man named Joseph who, though he was a member of the council, had not consented to their plan of action.He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea and was awaiting the kingdom of God.He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.After he had taken the body down, he wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb in which no one had yet been buried.It was the day of preparation, and the Sabbath was about to begin. The women who had come from Galilee with him followed behind, and when they had seen the tomb and the way in which his body was laid in it, they returned and prepared spices and perfumed oils. Then they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.

Trinitarian Dogma Formation

Define Dogma:
(Greek: opinion, decree) “An opinion or belief authoritatively stated, a truth appertaining to faith or morals, revealed by God, transmitted by the Apostles in the Scriptures or tradition, and proposed by the Church as an article of faith, to be accepted by the faithful. In the sense that a dogma is an idea, it follows that dogmatism is necessary for religion, since a religion without ideas is meaningless. The dogmas of the Church, being the intellectual conception and verbal express of Divine truth, naturally take on the characteristic of truth, viz., unchangeableness or immutability. Mathematics has certain dogmas which are permanent and fixed because they are grounded in the very nature of reason itself, e.g., the principle that the whole is greater than any of its parts. The dogmas of the Church, on the other hand, are true because grounded on the authority of the Divine Reason who reveals them. The term dogma is also used in an odious sense of a statement made arbitrarily or arrogantly.” New Catholic Dictionary

The Church expresses her faith in the Holy Trinity in many ways, including Baptism. It is even stated in part of the Liturgy, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God of the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

The Church wanted to illuminate her Trinitarian faith in order to deeper understand the faith and to defend the faith against the inaccuracies that were distorting it. The Church was able to do so with the help of the earlier councils and theological Church Fathers. Their ideas were accepted and carried on by the Christian people’s vision of faith.

While conveying the dogma of the Trinity, the Church developed “her own terminology” based on “notions of philosophical origin”; terms such as substance, person, hypostasis, and relation.

Substance: sometimes replaced with “essence” or “nature” – designates the divine being in its unity.

Person/hypostasis – designates Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the real distinction among them.

Relation – designates the fact that their distinction lies in the relationship of each to the others.

With this strategy, the Church is able to separate the ideas of faith from human knowledge. Therefore defines the Trinity as an “ineffable mystery” (or indefinable vagueness) “infinitely beyond all that we can humanly understand”.

Trinity- The Father and Son...

Revealed by the Spirit cont.
245 The apostolic faith concerning the Spirit was confessed by the second ecumenical council at Constantinople (381): "We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father." By this confession, the Church recognizes the Father as "the source and origin of the whole divinity". But the eternal origin of the Spirit is not unconnected with the Son's origin: "The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is God, one and equal with the Father and the Son, of the same substance and also of the same nature. . . Yet he is not called the Spirit of the Father alone,. . . but the Spirit of both the Father and the Son." The Creed of the Church from the Council of Constantinople confesses: "With the Father and the Son, he is worshipped and glorified."
246 The Latin tradition of the Creed confesses that the Spirit "proceeds from the Father and the Son (filioque)". the Council of Florence in 1438 explains: "The Holy Spirit is eternally from Father and Son; He has his nature and subsistence at once (simul) from the Father and the Son. He proceeds eternally from both as from one principle and through one spiration... And, since the Father has through generation given to the only-begotten Son everything that belongs to the Father, except being Father, the Son has also eternally from the Father, from whom he is eternally born, that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son."
247 The affirmation of the filioque does not appear in the Creed confessed in 381 at Constantinople. But Pope St. Leo I, following an ancient Latin and Alexandrian tradition, had already confessed it dogmatically in 447, even before Rome, in 451 at the Council of Chalcedon, came to recognize and receive the Symbol of 381. the use of this formula in the Creed was gradually admitted into the Latin liturgy (between the eighth and eleventh centuries). the introduction of the filioque into the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed by the Latin liturgy constitutes moreover, even today, a point of disagreement with the Orthodox Churches.
248 At the outset the Eastern tradition expresses the Father's character as first origin of the Spirit. By confessing the Spirit as he "who proceeds from the Father", it affirms that he comes from the Father through the Son. The Western tradition expresses first the consubstantial communion between Father and Son, by saying that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son (filioque). It says this, "legitimately and with good reason", for the eternal order of the divine persons in their consubstantial communion implies that the Father, as "the principle without principle", is the first origin of the Spirit, but also that as Father of the only Son, he is, with the Son, the single principle from which the Holy Spirit proceeds. This legitimate complementarity, provided it does not become rigid, does not affect the identity of faith in the reality of the same mystery confessed. (Jn 15:26)

Trinity – The Father and Son

Revealed by the Spirit
CCC # 243 Before his Passover, Jesus announced the sending of "another Paraclete" (Advocate), the Holy Spirit. At work since creation, having previously "spoken through the prophets", the Spirit will now be with and in the disciples, to teach them and guide them "into all the truth". The Holy Spirit is thus revealed as another divine person with Jesus and the Father. (Gen 1:2; Jn 14:17,26; 16:13)

244 The eternal origin of the Holy Spirit is revealed in his mission in time. the Spirit is sent to the apostles and to the Church both by the Father in the name of the Son, and by the Son in person, once he had returned to the Father. The sending of the person of the Spirit after Jesus' glorification reveals in its fullness the mystery of the Holy Trinity. (Jn 14:26; 15:26; 16:14; 7:39)

Trinity – The Father…

Revealed by the Son

CCC # 238 Many religions invoke God as "Father". The deity is often considered the "father of gods and of men". In Israel, God is called "Father" inasmuch as he is Creator of the world. Even more, God is Father because of the covenant and the gift of the law to Israel, "his first-born son". God is also called the Father of the king of Israel. Most especially he is "the Father of the poor", of the orphaned and the widowed, who are under his loving protection. (Deut 32:6; Mal 2:10; Ex 4:22; 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 68:6)
239 By calling God "Father", the language of faith indicates two main things: that God is the first origin of everything and transcendent authority; and that he is at the same time goodness and loving care for all his children. God's parental tenderness can also be expressed by the image of motherhood, which emphasizes God's immanence, the intimacy between Creator and creature. The language of faith thus draws on the human experience of parents, who are in a way the first representatives of God for man. But this experience also tells us that human parents are fallible and can disfigure the face of fatherhood and motherhood. We ought therefore to recall that God transcends the human distinction between the sexes. He is neither man nor woman: he is God. He also transcends human fatherhood and motherhood, although he is their origin and standard: no one is father as God is Father. (Isa 66:13; Ps 131:2; Ps 27:10; Eph 3:14; Isa 49:15)
240 Jesus revealed that God is Father in an unheard-of sense: he is Father not only in being Creator; he is eternally Father by his relationship to his only Son who, reciprocally, is Son only in relation to his Father: "No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." (Mt 11:27)
241 For this reason the apostles confess Jesus to be the Word: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"; as "the image of the invisible God"; as the "radiance of the glory of God and the very stamp of his nature". (Jn 1:1; Col 1:15; Heb 1:3)
242 Following this apostolic tradition, the Church confessed at the first ecumenical council at Nicaea (325) that the Son is "consubstantial" with the Father, that is, one only God with him*. The second ecumenical council, held at Constantinople in 381, kept this expression in its formulation of the Nicene Creed and confessed "the only-begotten Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father". (Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed; DS 150)
*The English phrases "of one being" and "one in being" translate the Greek word homoousios, which was rendered in Latin by consubstantialis.

The Trinity is a Mystery

The Father

CCC # 233 Christians are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: not in their names, for there is only one God, the almighty Father, his only Son and the Holy Spirit: the Most Holy Trinity. (Mt 28:19)
CCC # 234 The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the "hierarchy of the truths of faith". The whole history of salvation is identical with the history of the way and the means by which the one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, reveals himself to men "and reconciles and unites with himself those who turn away from sin".
CCC # 237 The Trinity is a mystery of faith in the strict sense, one of the "mysteries that are hidden in God, which can never be known unless they are revealed by God". To be sure, God has left traces of his Trinitarian being in his work of creation and in his Revelation throughout the Old Testament. But his inmost Being as Holy Trinity is a mystery that is inaccessible to reason alone or even to Israel's faith before the Incarnation of God's Son and the sending of the Holy Spirit.

How many Bibles are there?

"Once people discovered how to collect the books of Scripture in a durable form, other questions arose. One had to do with which books contained true revelation important for the life of the community. We say these accepted books of Scripture are in the "canon." The word canon means "rule," and originally referred to a measuring rod. So, the books in the canon are those that measure up to some standard.
For example, numerous "sacred" books were circulating in the early centuries after Christ. Everyone wanted to tell the story of Jesus with a slightly different slant or purpose. Eventually authorities in the community had to decide which contained the authentic message of Scripture.
For a long time the canon was somewhat flexible, varying from group to group in the early Church. Irenaeus of Lyons insisted that only Matthew, Mark, Luke and John could be used. He argued what seems remarkable to us today: There could only be four Gospels because there were only four corners of the world and only four winds! The Church in Syria happily used a compilation of the four. In Rome, Church leaders used the same four Gospels, but they also included favorite writings such as the Wisdom of Solomon and the Letter of the Shepherd of Hermes.
Eventually the Church cleared up the resulting confusion and set a criterion or rule: Only books that were connected to the apostles and conformed to the emerging faith of the Church could be used. By the end of the fourth century, only 27 books had survived the test: the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the Book of Revelation, 13 letters attributed to Paul and eight other letters. These books are now known as the New Testament.
The earliest versions of the Old Testament were written in Hebrew. But many Jews spoke Greek and wanted to read the Scriptures in their own language. So, a couple centuries before Christ, the sacred scrolls had been translated into Greek.
Legend has it that 70 Jewish scholars went from Jerusalem to Alexandria and spent 70 months translating the texts. The resulting Greek version was called the Septuagint, which means 70. This translation also included seven books originally written in Greek: First and Second Maccabees, Judith, Baruch, Tobit, Sirach and Wisdom.
Having a Greek as well as a Hebrew version of the sacred books wasn't a problem until the temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E. Jews were scattered from their homeland, carrying their sacred scrolls with them.
In an attempt to return some kind of order to the Jewish community, scholars gathered at Jamnia in 90 C.E. There they formed a canon of 39 books of Scripture, chosen from the Hebrew collection. This created a problem for Greek-speaking Jews living in Alexandria because they wanted to keep the Greek books that hadn't been included. Keep them they did, so two canons were still in circulation, the Jamnian (Hebrew) canon and the Alexandrian (Septuagint) canon.
The New Testament books had all been written in Greek, and early Christians also tended to rely on the Septuagint when they wanted to read the sacred Scriptures from their Jewish heritage. But by the third century, Latin replaced Greek as the common language of the Roman Empire. In the fourth century, the pope asked Saint Jerome to translate the Scriptures into Latin. Jerome went off to a little cell in Bethlehem and spent the next 25 years happily creating what came to be known as the Vulgate (meaning "the language of the people") Bible.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the Latin Vulgate was used, but as Christianity spread throughout Europe, fewer and fewer people understood Latin. So scholars produced translations from the Vulgate into the language of the people around them.
In the 20th century, scholars began going back to original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts for new translations into modern languages. Today, we can find several English translations from the original texts. They are all accurate translations and the meaning is the same, but the English phrasing varies. " americancatholic.org

He was lost and has been found; Bible reading: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”So to them Jesus addressed this parable:“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’So the father divided the property between them.After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongingsand set off to a distant countrywhere he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.When he had freely spent everything,a severe famine struck that country,and he found himself in dire need.So he hired himself out to one of the local citizenswho sent him to his farm to tend the swine.And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,but nobody gave him any.Coming to his senses he thought,‘How many of my father’s hired workershave more than enough food to eat,but here am I, dying from hunger.I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.I no longer deserve to be called your son;treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’So he got up and went back to his father.While he was still a long way off,his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.His son said to him,‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;I no longer deserve to be called your son.’But his father ordered his servants,‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him;put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.Then let us celebrate with a feast,because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;he was lost, and has been found.’Then the celebration began.Now the older son had been out in the fieldand, on his way back, as he neared the house,he heard the sound of music and dancing.He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.The servant said to him,‘Your brother has returnedand your father has slaughtered the fattened calfbecause he has him back safe and sound.’He became angry,and when he refused to enter the house,his father came out and pleaded with him.He said to his father in reply,‘Look, all these years I served youand not once did I disobey your orders;yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.But when your son returnswho swallowed up your property with prostitutes,for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’He said to him,‘My son, you are here with me always;everything I have is yours.But now we must celebrate and rejoice,because your brother was dead and has come to life again;he was lost and has been found.’” (Lk 15:1-3, 11-32)

What makes the Catholic Bible different?

Catholics and Protestants (any persons who do not follow Catholicism) refer to the same 27 books in the New Testament of the Bible. But, there are some differences found in the books of the Old Testament. The Council of Trent, in 1546, decided on 46 Old Testament books accepted as scripture for Catholics. These books followed what appeared to be a firm tradition of the Church from ancient times. The leaders of the Protestant Reformation did not agree with the Council of Trent and rejected some books.
The seven books in question are: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and 1 and 2 Maccabees. There are also some sections of Esther and Daniel not considered inspired Scriptures by Protestants. Protestants call these seven books the apocryphal books. Catholics call these same disputed books deuterocanonical.
Currently Catholic editions of the Bible contain an imprimatur (assurance of a Catholic bishop that the text is in line with Catholic teaching) and the seven deuterocanonical books.
Martin Luther, the great Protestant Reformer of the 16th century, made a translation of the Bible in which he included some of his own works. Luther did not agree with some books of the Bible and thus left them out of his translation. He used the Hebrew version of the Old Testament, rather than the Greek Septuagint. It is thought that he intended to exclude the second book of Maccabees because the Catholic Church founded its doctrine of purgatory on that book.
In the New Testament of the Bible, Martin Luther removed the Letter to the Hebrews and the Letter of James. The Letter to the Hebrews calls attention to the priesthood of Jesus. While the Letter of James asserts that faith without good works is dead, and Luther claimed that faith alone was necessary for salvation.
In 1700, the Protestant version restored the New Testament letters. Protestant Bibles still exclude the seven Old Testament books, but, many print them in a separate section called the Apocrypha (a word that means “of dubious value”)

I hope this has enlightened someone.

Thanks to http://americancatholic.org/ for the information.

Mary’s Divine Motherhood Proven

CCC # 495 Called in the Gospels "the mother of Jesus", Mary is acclaimed by Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Spirit and even before the birth of her son, as "the mother of my Lord". In fact, the One whom she conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her Son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father's eternal Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the Church confesses that Mary is truly "Mother of God" (Theotokos).

# 509 Mary is truly "Mother of God" since she is the mother of the eternal Son of God made man, who is God himself.

(Lk 1:43; Jn 2:1, 19:25; Mt 13:55)

Mary's Yes

CCC # 494 At the announcement that she would give birth to "the Son of the Most High" without knowing man, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary responded with the obedience of faith, certain that "with God nothing will be impossible": "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be [done] to me according to your word." Thus, giving her consent to God's word, Mary becomes the mother of Jesus. Espousing the divine will for salvation wholeheartedly, without a single sin to restrain her, she gave herself entirely to the person and to the work of her Son; she did so in order to serve the mystery of redemption with him and dependent on him, by God's grace: (Lk 1:28-38; Rom 1:5) As St. Irenaeus says, "Being obedient she became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race." Hence not a few of the early Fathers gladly assert. . .: "The knot of Eve's disobedience was untied by Mary's obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith." Comparing her with Eve, they call Mary "the Mother of the living" and frequently claim: "Death through Eve, life through Mary."

# 508 From among the descendants of Eve, God chose the Virgin Mary to be the mother of his Son. "Full of grace", Mary is "the most excellent fruit of redemption" : from the first instant of her conception, she was totally preserved from the stain of original sin and she remained pure from all personal sin throughout her life.

We can all surely use Mary's life as an example of how we should live our own lives.

I hope this has enlightened someone.

The Virgin Mary

Mary is the perfect example of faith and obedience to God. From the deliverance of the angel Gabriel’s message, to witnessing her own son’s death by crucifixion, she fully believed “with God nothing will be impossible”. Her faith never ceased. With the exemplary life of Mary, “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord” (Lk 1:37-38), obedient throughout life, "the Church venerates in Mary the purest realization of faith". (CCC #149)

# 487 What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ.

Mary was predestined to be the mother of Jesus. # 488 "God sent forth his Son", but to prepare a body for him, he wanted the free co-operation of a creature. For this, from all eternity God chose for the mother of his Son a daughter of Israel, a young Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee, "a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary". (Gal 4:4; Heb 10:5; Lk 1:26–27)
The angel Gabriel acknowledged Mary’s pre-destiny in Luke 1:28 by calling her “full of grace”. Gabriel used this expression because in order for her to accept the journey of being the mother of Jesus the Savior, she had to be “wholly borne by God’s grace”. (CCC#490)

# 491 Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, "full of grace" through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854:
The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.

# 492 The "splendour of an entirely unique holiness" by which Mary is "enriched from the first instant of her conception" comes wholly from Christ: she is "redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son". The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person "in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" and chose her "in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love".

# 493 The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God "the All-Holy" (Panagia), and celebrate her as "free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature". By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long. "Let it be done to me according to your word. . ."

I hope this has enlightened someone.
To be continued…

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Catechism defined: cat·e·chism Noun
1. A book giving a brief summary of the basic principles of Christianity in question-and-answer form.
2. A manual giving basic instruction in a subject, usually by rote or repetition.
3. A body of fundamental principles or beliefs, especially when accepted uncritically.

Since Catholics often make reference to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), it is only fitting to explain the CCC and why I hold its contents to be true.
The CCC is best explained in the words of its collaborator given 11 October 1992, "John Paul II, Bishop Servant of the servants of God for everlasting memory". This explanation, referred to as the Apostolic Constitution FIDEI DEPOSITUM on the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church prepared following the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, can be seen in its entirety here.
The following are a few lines from the Fidei Depositum that I feel justify my use of the CCC. Please read it with an open mind in order to understand why Catholics use the CCC as a reference.

Guarding the deposit of faith is the mission which the Lord has entrusted to his Church and which she fulfils in every age. The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council...had as its intention and purpose to highlight the Church's apostolic and pastoral mission, and by making the truth of the Gospel shine forth, to lead all people to seek and receive Christ's love which surpasses all knowledge (cf. Eph 3:19).

The principal task...was to guard and present better the precious deposit of Christian doctrine in order to make it more accessible to the Christian faithful and to all people of good will...to show the strength and beauty of the doctrine of the faith.

With the help of God, the Council Fathers in four years of work were able to produce a considerable collection of doctrinal statements and pastoral norms which were presented to the whole Church.

...on 25 January 1985 I convoked an Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops... The purpose of this assembly was to celebrate the graces and spiritual fruits of Vatican II, to study its teaching in greater depth in order the better to adhere to it and to promote knowledge and application of it.

On that occasion the Synod Fathers stated: "Very many have expressed the desire that a catechism or compendium of all Catholic doctrine regarding both faith and morals be composed, that it might be, as it were, a point of reference for the catechisms or compendiums that are prepared in various regions. The presentation of doctrine must be biblical and liturgical. It must be sound doctrine suited to the present life of Christians." After the Synod ended, I made this desire my own, considering it as "fully responding to a real need both of the universal Church and of the particular Churches". ...we thank the Lord wholeheartedly on this day when we can offer the entire Church this reference text entitled The Catechism of the Catholic Church, for a catechesis renewed at the living sources of the faith!

...this catechism will make a very important contribution to that work of renewing the whole life of the Church, as desired and begun by the Second Vatican Council.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is the result of very extensive collaboration: it was prepared over six years of intense work done in a spirit of complete openness and fervent zeal.

In 1986 I entrusted a commission of 12 Cardinals and Bishops, chaired by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, with the task of preparing a draft of the catechism requested by the Synod Fathers. An editorial committee of seven diocesan Bishops, experts in theology and catechesis, assisted the commission in its work.

...It can be said that this catechism is the result of the collaboration of the whole Episcopate of the Catholic Church, who generously accepted my invitation to share responsibility for an enterprise which directly concerns the life of the Church.

...the harmony of so many voices truly expresses what could be called the symphony of faith.

A catechism should faithfully and systematically present the teaching of Sacred Scripture, the living Tradition of the Church and the authentic Magisterium, as well as the spiritual heritage of the Fathers and the Church's saints, to allow for a better knowledge of the Christian mystery and for enlivening the faith of the People of God. It should take into account the doctrinal statements which down the centuries the Holy Spirit has intimated to his Church. It should also help illumine with the light of faith the new situations and problems which had not yet emerged in the past.

The catechism will thus contain the new and the old (cf. Mt 13:52), because the faith is always the same yet the source of ever new light.

In reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church we can perceive the wondrous unity of the mystery of God,his saving will, as well as the central place of Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, sent by the Father, made man in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary by sacraments: he is the source of our faith, the model of Christian conduct and the Teacher of our prayer.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which I approved 25 June last and the publication of which I today order by virtue of my Apostolic Authority, is a statement of the Church's faith and of Catholic doctrine, attested to or illumined by Sacred Scripture, Apostolic Tradition and the Church's Magisterium.

For more information on the CCC, please refer to the CCC paragraphs 4-25.

I hope this has enlightened someone.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help

The picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is painted on wood, with a background of gold. It is Byzantine in style and is supposed to have been painted in the thirteenth century. It represents the Mother of God holding the Divine Child while the Archangels Michael and Gabriel present before Him the instruments of His Passion (nails and a cross). Over the figures in the picture are some Greek letters which form the abbreviated words Mother of God, Jesus Christ, Archangel Michael, and Archangel Gabriel respectively. Frightened by the vision of two angels showing Him the instruments of the Passion, the Christ Child has run to His Mother, almost losing, in His haste, one of the tiny sandals. Mary holds Him in her arms reassuringly, lovingly. But notice her eyes. They look not at Jesus, but at us. Is this not a touch of genius? How better express Our Lady's plea to us to avoid sin and love her Son?

The picture was brought to Rome towards the end of the fifteenth century by a pious merchant, who, dying there, ordered by his will that the picture should be exposed in a church for public veneration. It was exposed in the church of San Matteo, Via Merulana, between St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran. Crowds flocked to this church, and for nearly three hundred years many graces were obtained through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin. The picture was then popularly called the Madonna di San Matteo. The church was served for a time by the Hermits of St. Augustine, who had sheltered their Irish brethren in their distress. These Augustinians were still in charge when the French invaded Rome (1812) and destroyed the church. The picture disappeared; it remained hidden and neglected for over forty years, but a series of providential circumstances between 1863 and 1865 led to its discovery in an oratory of the Augustinian Fathers at Santa Maria in Posterula.
The pope, Pius IX, who as a boy had prayed before the picture in San Matteo, became interested in the discovery and in a letter dated 11 Dec., 1865 to Father General Mauron, C.SS.R., ordered that Our Lady of Perpetual Help should be again publicly venerated in Via Merulana, and this time at the new church of St. Alphonsus. The ruins of San Matteo were in the grounds of the Redemptorist Convent. This was but the first favour of the Holy Father towards the picture. He approved of the solemn translation of the picture (26 April, 1866), and its coronation by the Vatican Chapter (23 June, 1867). He fixed the feast as duplex secundae classis, on the Sunday before the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, and by a decree dated May, 1876, approved of a special office and Mass for the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. This favour later on was also granted to others. Learning that the devotion to Our Lady under this title had spread far and wide, Pius IX raised a confraternity of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and St. Alphonsus, which had been erected in Rome, to the rank of an arch-confraternity and enriched it with many privileges and indulgences. He was amongst the first to visit the picture in its new home, and his name is the first in the register of the arch-confraternity. Two thousand three hundred facsimiles of the Holy Picture have been sent from St. Alphonsus's church in Rome to every part of the world. At the present day not only altars, but churches and dioceses are dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. *
*New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia


Our Lady Of Perpetual Help Prayer:

O Mother of Perpetual Help, grant that I may ever invoke thy most powerful name, which is the safeguard of the living and the salvation of the dying. O Purest Mary, O Sweetest Mary, let thy name henceforth be ever on my lips. Delay not, O Blessed Lady, to help me whenever I call on thee, for, in all my needs, in all my temptations I shall never cease to call on thee, ever repeating thy sacred name, Mary, Mary.
O what consolation, what sweetness, what confidence, what emotion fill my soul when I pronounce thy sacred name, or even only think of thee. I thank God for having given thee, for my good, so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name. But I will not be content with merely pronouncing thy name: let my love for thee prompt me ever to hail thee, Mother of Perpetual Help.

Memorare:

Remember,

most loving Virgin Mary,

never was it heard

that anyone who turned to you for help was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence,

though burdened by my sins,

I run to you for protection for you are my mother.

Amen

I hope this has enlightened someone.

Prayer

"Pray constantly" (1 Thess 5:17). It is always possible to pray. It is even a vital necessity. Prayer and Christian life are inseparable. Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph #2757.


#2659 We learn to pray at certain moments by hearing the Word of the Lord and sharing in his Paschal mystery, but his Spirit is offered us at all times, in the events of each day, to make prayer spring up from us. Jesus' teaching about praying to our Father is in the same vein as his teaching about providence: time is in the Father's hands; it is in the present that we encounter him, not yesterday nor tomorrow, but today: "O that today you would hearken to his voice! Harden not your hearts."


Sometimes we feel that God does not hear our prayers. Or that God hears them, but does not answer. When He doesn't answer, we think He is unwilling to help us. What we are really experiencing is our own closedness to Him. The problem is that we "need" God one day and then forget about Him the next day. God gives himself to us constantly and we should acknowledge Him constantly.

#2650 Prayer cannot be reduced to the spontaneous outpouring of interior impulse: in order to pray, one must have the will to pray. Nor is it enough to know what the Scriptures reveal about prayer: one must also learn how to pray. Through a living transmission (Sacred Tradition) within "the believing and praying Church," the Holy Spirit teaches the children of God how to pray.

#2834 "Pray and work." "Pray as if everything depended on God and work as if everything depended on you." Even when we have done our work, the food we receive is still a gift from our Father; it is good to ask him for it and to thank him, as Christian families do when saying grace at meals.

Luke 18:7-8
Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them?
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

It is possible God isn't answering our prayers because we are praying for the wrong things! We should always be open to letting God's will be done. See Ephesians 1:11 "In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the one who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, ..."
God is listening, he just wants us to rest silently until he reveals his answer. Sometimes, our maturity is not at a level where we can ask for the appropriate assistance. Therefore, He may be protecting us from our wants because sometimes our wants can hurt us.

#2736 Are we convinced that "we do not know how to pray as we ought"? Are we asking God for "what is good for us"? Our Father knows what we need before we ask him, but he awaits our petition because the dignity of his children lies in their freedom. We must pray, then, with his Spirit of freedom, to be able truly to know what he wants.

When we pray, we must desire Him freely and completely, the same way he desires us - without reservation or condition.

God wants us to open the door of our hearts so He might enter. Only then can His love soften our hardened hearts, pouring in life-giving grace.

I hope this has enlightened someone.

Spiritual Bouquets

I have to dedicate this blog to my mother. She gave me the idea of discussing Spiritual Bouquets. I had never heard of them until she described them to me.

"...they are so old fashioned that no one is interested anymore. They are so Catholic in every way, and it's shame no one cares about them anymore. ", said Mom. So, I investigated and here's what I found...

EWTN has a craft corner with an easy explanation: "A spiritual bouquet is simply a list of prayers the giver has offered or will offer for the recipient. Write your spiritual bouquet on a purchased or homemade card for the special occasion, or make a card with a spiritual bouquet theme. You can even refer to the prayers as representative flowers, or make an accompanying tissue paper flower or bouquet."

I also found this wonderful website. It shows pictures of

Spiritual Bouquets that were created at Notre Dame School by a little girl long ago. This really touched my heart.

With further research, I came across this website. I couldn't help but notice one of the flowers listed is my Mom's favorite kind, the Hydrangea! What a coincidence!

I love this idea and can't wait to make a spiritual bouquet.

Mom, Love you!

I hope this has enlighted someone...and my mom.

How do you become a Saint? And who determines you to be a Saint?

I would like to start by stating this: Catholics should not worship saints because we should only worship God. Saints should be viewed as role models and people who can intervene on our behalf with God. A saint is a person who has lived an exemplary life and is considered an inspiration. Therefore, when they die, they go to heaven.

The saints are set apart by God through baptism and filled with His grace. Therefore, all those who were baptized and live in a state of grace are able to become a saint. In a more technical sense, saints are those who have victory over sin and they are called saints after life on Earth. See 1 Peter 2:9 .

Since saints are alive in Heaven, they are considered to be close to God. People ask saints to pray for them. A Saint might be a Patron Saint for a certain cause, disaster, region or group of people as I described in yesterday's blog.

But, not just anyone can be titled a saint. The Catholic Church must first examine the state of affairs that qualifies one as a saint (see Steps to Sainthood below). Once one is officially recognized by the Catholic church as a saint, one receives the title "Canonized". One is also listed in the Litany of Saints.

When the Church uses a capital 'S' for the saint that means they are officially canonized. Because all people in Heaven are considered saints, there are thousands of saints.

Canonization can take several years. An investigation of the person and an examination of miracles caused by them is required. The good deeds or holiness while the person was living are also examined.

The official canonization procedure was originally developed by Pope John XV in the 10th century but has had a few revisions since then.

Steps to Sainthood

The process begins 5 years after a person's death. Exceptions to this rule are Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II.

The process consists of local bishops (the bishop of the person's diocese) investigating the life of the person and the results are sent to the Vatican.

After approval by a panel of theologians and Cardinals in the Vatican, the Pope proclaims the candidate as "venerable," meaning a role model of Roman Catholic virtues.

The next step, if it is determined by the Church that the candidate is responsible for a miracle after his or her death, is Beatification.

Finally, for the designation of a Saint, the Church must certify proof of a second posthumous miracle.

I hope this has enlightened someone.

Patron Saints

Patron saints as defined by Wikipidea. Also, the Cathechism of the Catholic Church paragraph # 2165 reads: "In Baptism, the Christian receives his name in the Church. Parents, godparents, and the pastor are to see that he be given a Christian name. The patron saint provides a model of charity and the assurance of his prayer."
Thus, teaching us as Catholics, if we need help with anything we can pray and our patron saint will hear our prayer and in turn pray for us.
I heard a priest explain this as follows: when you need help or you are having a difficult time, you turn to your mother, father, brother, sister or friend, etc. It is during this time that you can ask another type of friend for help...a spiritual friend.
Your patron saint is the saint you can ask for help in your particular situation. For example, I am a mother. My patron saint, as a mother, would be St. Anne , Gerard Majella, or St. Monica. There is a patron saint for just about anything.
The internet: Isidore of Seville
Heart ailments: John of God
Animals: Francis of Assisi (most common) or Anthony of Padua etc.
The list goes on. And there are sometimes more than one patron saint per topic.
Your patron saint could also be a saint with the same name as you. My first name, Jennifer, is often referenced to St. Genevieve. Marcellina is the patron saint by my middle name, she also happens to be the saint for my birthdate as well. How cool is that?
Hopefully this has enlightened someone.

Blog Prayers and more

I would really like to begin my blogging experience with some prayers. I will list some common prayers and then list some patron saint prayers.
The Our Father
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen
The Hail Mary
Hail, Mary! Full of grace, The Lord is with thee, Blessed are thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death.
Amen
Isidore of Seville (patron saint of the Internet) pray for us.
Prayer re Saint Thomas Aquinas (patron saint of apologists)
Father of wisdom, You inspired Saint Thomas Aquinas with an ardent desire for holiness and study of sacred doctrine. Help us, we pray, to understand what he taught, and to imitate what he lived. Amen.
Prayer to Saint Anne (patron saint of mothers)
Good Saint Anne, you were especially favored by God to be the mother of the most holy Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Savior. By your power with your most pure daughter and with her divine Son, kindly obtain for us the grace and the favor we now seek. Please secure for us also forgiveness of our past sins, the strength to perform faithfully our daily duties and the help we need to persevere in the love of Jesus and Mary. Amen.
Prayer to Saint Monica (patron saint of mothers)
Exemplary Mother of the great Augustine, you perseveringly pursued your wayward son not with wild threats but with prayerful cries to heaven. Intercede for all mothers in our day so that they may learn to draw their children to God. Teach them how to remain close to their children, even the prodigal sons and daughters who have sadly gone astray. Amen.
If you would like a prayer posted, or need to know of a patron saint, leave a comment. I will be glad to give you all the information I can.
God Bless you.

Welcome to Catholic Thoughts as I Learn the Way!

Welcome to my blog. I am a first time blogger, so I am taking a little time getting used to all the set ups.
Hopefully, on this blog site, I will be able to examine my Catholic faith and share it with you. As I learn more about my Catholic faith, I seem to have more questions and thoughts that intrigue me. If I post a question, maybe someone reading can comment and help to better explain these questions for me. I am a member of the Rosary Army forum and I love the family-like atmosphere I find there. I would like for this blogging experience to also be an easy and friendly learning journey. Please bere with me as I have been away from the church for many years and I have forgotten most everything I learned in elementary school about my Catholic religion.
Well, let's begin this wonderful journey!