THURSDAY
March 30, 2000
volume 11, no. 64

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APPRECIATING THE PRECIOUS GIFT OF OUR FAITH Series         INTRODUCTION

    Every day we present a short point that helps bring into focus the treasures of the Roman Catholic Church that comprise the great Deposit of Faith.

    It is no secret that over the past thirty years fewer and fewer know their Faith and it shows with the declining number of vocations, parish participation and attendance at Holy Mass. We have the new Catechism of the Catholic Church but for the common man, the one brought up on sound bites and instant gratification, it is more of a text book and that in itself prompts them to shy away from such a tome. So what's a loyal Catholic to do in evangelizing to fellow Catholics and understand their Faith? Our answer: go back to basics - to the great Deposit of Faith. We have the Baltimore Catechism which, for unknown and ridiculous reasons, was shelved after Vatican II. We have the Holy Bible but there are so many newer versions that the Douay-Rheims and Confraternity Latin Vulgate in English versions, the ones used for so long as the official Scriptural text authorized by the Church, seem lost in a maze of new interpretations that water down the Word. This is further complicated by the fact there are so few Douay-Rheims editions in circulation though it is available on the net at DOUAY-RHEIMS BIBLE. We have so many Vatican documents available at the Vatican web site and other excellent Catholic resource sites that detail Doctrine, Dogma and Canon Law. We have the traditions, and the means of grace but how do we consolidate all these sources into one where it is succinct and easy to understand? We have the perfect vehicle. It is called "My Catholic Faith", now out of print, that was compiled by Bishop Louis Laravoire Morrow and published by My Mission House. This work ties in Scriptural references, the Sacraments, Dogmas, Doctrines, Traditions, Church documents, Encyclical and Papal decrees to clearly illustrate the Faith in simple, solid and concise terms that all can understand and put into practice. We will quote from this work while adding in more recent events and persons when applicable since the book was written in the late forties during the pontificate of Pope Pius XII. We also quote from the Catholic Almanac published by Our Sunday Visitor for the Roman Curial offices and from Old Testament Confraternity Edition and New Testament Confraternity Edition of the Saint Joseph New Catholic Edition of the Holy Bible.

    Nothing in Holy Mother Church's teaching has changed and therefore we feel confident that these daily "points of enlightenment" will help more Catholics better understand their faith, especially those who were not blessed with early formation of the faith in the home and their parish school. Regardless of where any Catholic is in his or her journey toward salvation, he or she has to recognize that the Faith they were initiated into at the Sacrament of Baptism is the most precious gift they have been given in life. For points covered thus far, click on APPRECIATING THE PRECIOUS GIFT OF OUR FAITH


installment 142:
The God-Man part two

        Jesus Christ is called the "Word." Just as the thought in our minds finds expression in a word, so the Son of God dwelling in the bosom of His Father was shown to the world when the Word became man. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:1, 14). Jesus Christ is man because He is the Son of the Blessed Virgin, and has a body and soul like ours.

        The birth of Jesus Christ is a fact of history. He was born of Mary, who was espoused to a carpenter named Joseph, who lived in Nazareth of Galilee. The archangel Gabriel said to Mary, "The Holy One to be born shall be called the Son of God."

        Jesus Christ is true man, because He has a body and soul like ours. He derived His human nature from His mother. History tells us of Jesus Christ, Who preached in and about Jerusalem over two thousand years ago. Many records tell of His appearance, of His words, of His actions, of His teachings. Nobody doubted that Jesus Christ was a Man, for He could be seen and touched like other men. He lived and died just as men of all times live and die. His Holiness John Paul II, Christ's Vicar on earth, experienced this last week during his historic "Jubilee Journey" in his Papal Pilgrimage through the Holy Land retracing the footsteps of the Savior and shared with all via live coverage on EWTN and news coverage in the DailyCATHOLIC which can be reviewed by going to A review of the Pope's "Jubilee Journey" to the Holy Land.

        We can prove that the religion God has revealed through Christ is worthy of belief, because Jesus Christ, announcing Himself as the true Son of God, whose coming was foretold by the prophets, preached doctrines which He said all must believe. If Christ is God, then the religion He established is true, and the Church He founded is the true Church. We can believe everythng He says, even without understanding it, because God cannot err.

        If Jesus Christ were not God, then Christianity would be a farce, and the sooner it were done away with the better. If Christ were not God, then He were an impostor who, by claiming divinity, has led billions into error for 2,000 years. We know that is not possible for He truly is the Son of God.

        Christ worked wonderful miracles, which showed that the God of truth approved His teachings. Christ worked so many miracles publicly that all flocked to Him to be cured. "But when John had heard in prison of the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples to say to Him, 'Art Thou He Who is to come, or shall we look for another?' And Jesus answering said to them, 'Go and report to John what you have heard and seen: the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise, the poor have the gospel preached to them' " (Matthew 11:2-5).

      (a) Christ permormed miracles on inanimate objects, as when He changed water to wine, calmed the storm, multiplied loaves.
      (b) He healed in an instant the sick, the blind, the lame. He expelled devils.
      (c) He raised the dead to life; as the daughter of Jairus, the son of the widow of Naim, and Lazarus. Even His enemies acknowledged His miracles. The Pharisees planned to kill Lazarus, because the Jews believed in Jesus as a result of the miracle.
      (d) He worked miracles on His own Person, as in the Transfiguration, Resurrection, and Ascension.

    Tomorrow: Our Lord Jesus Christ part one

          

March 30, 2000
volume 11, no. 64
APPRECIATING THE PRECIOUS GIFT OF OUR FAITH

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