Yesterday was the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ. Many of you probably heard over the weekend something in a homily about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, a core belief of Catholics. I alluded to this belief in my post the other day when I alluded to disbelief in the Real Presence as an example of a sin against the theological virtue of faith.
You may not have heard, however, what the specific fruits are of receiving Holy Communion. Just like receiving the Holy Spirit, receiving Holy Communion produces some wonderful fruits.
1) Holy Communion augments our union with Christ ( Catechism of the Catholic Church p.1391). It produces a very intimate union between us and Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He abides in us, and we abide in Him.
2) Holy Communion preserves, increases, and renews the life of grace at Baptism (p.1392). Just like food strengthens our bodily life, Communion strengthens our spiritual life. Please note that Holy Communion alone cannot give us life (only Baptism and Penance can do that). However, it can do wonders with the life that is already in us, even if that life is very lukewarm or almost dead.
3) Holy Communion separates us from sin (p.1393). Like food renews strength, the Eucharist strengthens our charity, and therefore it wipes away venial sins, and preserves us from future mortal ones. The body we receive was sacrificed for our sins, so naturally, receiving this body will cleanse us from past sins, and can preserve us from future ones.
4) Holy Communion deepens our incorporation into the Church (p.1396). By eating His body, we fulfill the call we receive to form one body, the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church.
5) Holy Communion commits us to the poor (p.1397). Christ's body was broken for all men, so when we eat this body, we grow in awareness and love for all those He died for, including the poor.
Our Lord says "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him." (John 6:56) The Greek word used for "eat" is trogo, which means to "chew on" or "gnaw on". Think about how we consume the Eucharist at Communion. We really chew on the body of Our Lord. So, Our Lord is saying that we have to chew on Him in order to have eternal Life.
It is not just believing in Jesus. It is not just having a spiritual relationship with Him. It is not just being friends with Him. All of those are so, so important, but they are not enough. No, Our Lord says we have to eat Him in order to have life.
This reality may not sit well with everyone, so why did Our Lord say that? Why is loving Him and serving others in His name not good enough? Why do we have to eat Him, as well? I don't think anyone would presume to know all the answers. I think it has something to do with a few realities:
1) Our bodies are need of redemption as much as our souls.
2) Christ's act of redemption involved body and soul, and thus, for us to be able to experience the full effects of that redemptive act, we need to have a bodily and spiritual relationship with Him.
3) Christ desires an intimate relationship with us. Nothing is more intimate than being "consumed" with someone, and them with us.
4) Christ loved us so much He wanted to stay behind among us after He rose from the dead, and ascended into Heaven. This was His way to do that.
We may not understand the fullness of why we have to eat Him to live (at least in this life), but we need to embrace that this is the reality and proclaim it with love and truth to all people. The Eucharistic Banquet, like the Church as a whole, is not just for Catholics in name or registration, but for all people. Our Lord says that if we do not eat His flesh, or drink His blood, we do not have life (John 6:53). He says this to all people, not just Catholics. This is one of the hard sayings that Our Lord made in love, which may not be easy for many to accept today, just as it was in His time. If we deny this statement, and consciously walk away from the Eucharist, or via mortal sin make ourselves unworthy to receive Holy Communion, we put our salvation at risk. Let us not do that, but rather, do the opposite; run to the altar to receive Communion! If you need to go to Confession, run to the confessional, confess your sins, receive His Mercy, rejoice that you are able to receive His Body and Blood, and then run to the altar! All peoples of the world, the Lord waits for you to come to Him! If you are struggling with belief in the Real Presence, consider spending time with Him in front of a tabernacle in a Catholic church, and pray for the grace to believe.
As Our Lord resides in the tabernacles of the world now, so He resided in the tabernacle of tabernacles, the New Ark of the Covenant, the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As the chaste guardian of the Virgin, Joseph was the protector of Jesus in the womb. Now, as Protector of the Universal Church, he guards and watches over all the tabernacles of the world from heaven. Like then, he welcomes people to come and adore his son. Let us turn to him and ask for increased faith and devotion to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, both in Adoration, and Holy Communion.
Joseph, chaste guardian of the Virgin, and Protector of Holy Church, pray for us.
Monday, May 30, 2016
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Sins against the theological virtues
We have spoken recently on the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and love. These are infused virtues from God that dispose us to live the Trinitarian life. We have spoken about how the gifts of the Holy Spirit can help us to live these virtues, as well as the human ones.
If the Spirit helps us to live these virtues, what is it that hurts us, or hinders us, from living them? The answer is sin. The Catechism says in paragraph 1849 and 1850. "Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God, and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods...sin is an offense against God." We have spoken already of the difference between the two degrees of sin, mortal and venial. However, there are also different kinds of sin. For this post, we will focus on the sins against the three theological virtues.
The following are sins against the virtue of faith.
1) Voluntary doubt refusal to hold true what God has revealed and the Church proposes for belief (i.e. I refuse to believe what the Church teaches about the Real Presence.)
2) Involuntary doubt hesitation in believing, difficulty or anxiety in the face of objections to the faith (i.e. I struggle to believe that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, it seems to fly in the face of the perceived senses, and so many Christians do not believe that.)
3) Incredulity neglect of revealed truth or the willful refusal to assent to it (i.e. It is preposterous that that small wafer is the Body and Blood of Christ.)
4) Heresy post-Baptismal denial of some truth of the Faith, or obstinate doubt concerning the same (i.e. teaching that the Eucharist is merely a symbol of Christ, and not His Real Presence)
5) Apostasy total repudiation of the Christian faith
6) Schism refusal to submit to the authority of the Holy Father
The following are sins against the virtue of hope.
7) Despair not believing one can be saved
8) Presumption believing we can save ourselves, or that God will save us no matter what we do or believe
The following are sins against the virtue of charity.
9) Indifference neglect or refusal to consider the goodness and power of God's love
10) Ingratitude refusal to acknowledge and return God's love
11) Lukewarmness hesitation or negligence in responding to divine love
12) Acedia refusal of the joy that comes from God
13) Hatred of God the opposite of love of God, as a result of pride
Joseph most faithful, pray for us.
If the Spirit helps us to live these virtues, what is it that hurts us, or hinders us, from living them? The answer is sin. The Catechism says in paragraph 1849 and 1850. "Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God, and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods...sin is an offense against God." We have spoken already of the difference between the two degrees of sin, mortal and venial. However, there are also different kinds of sin. For this post, we will focus on the sins against the three theological virtues.
The following are sins against the virtue of faith.
1) Voluntary doubt refusal to hold true what God has revealed and the Church proposes for belief (i.e. I refuse to believe what the Church teaches about the Real Presence.)
2) Involuntary doubt hesitation in believing, difficulty or anxiety in the face of objections to the faith (i.e. I struggle to believe that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, it seems to fly in the face of the perceived senses, and so many Christians do not believe that.)
3) Incredulity neglect of revealed truth or the willful refusal to assent to it (i.e. It is preposterous that that small wafer is the Body and Blood of Christ.)
4) Heresy post-Baptismal denial of some truth of the Faith, or obstinate doubt concerning the same (i.e. teaching that the Eucharist is merely a symbol of Christ, and not His Real Presence)
5) Apostasy total repudiation of the Christian faith
6) Schism refusal to submit to the authority of the Holy Father
The following are sins against the virtue of hope.
7) Despair not believing one can be saved
8) Presumption believing we can save ourselves, or that God will save us no matter what we do or believe
The following are sins against the virtue of charity.
9) Indifference neglect or refusal to consider the goodness and power of God's love
10) Ingratitude refusal to acknowledge and return God's love
11) Lukewarmness hesitation or negligence in responding to divine love
12) Acedia refusal of the joy that comes from God
13) Hatred of God the opposite of love of God, as a result of pride
How appropriate there are 13 sins against the theological virtues.
If you have not developed a spiritual life, these sins may not seem relevant to you like other "earthly" sins do. For example, greed, avarice, lust, anger, strife, jealousy, selfishness, and others, may seem to be more prevalent in your life, and in the world, than the sins we spoke of just now. However, these sins we have spoken of tonight, even though they are not talked about as much as these other more well known ones, are even more deadly, because they strike right at the heart of our ability to enter the Divine Life, which is our goal and destiny. If we fail to enter into Divine Life, we will wind up in hell. So, we can be naturally good all we want, but without the grace of God in the theological virtues, we cannot enter Divine Life. And if we commit these sins against the theological virtues, then no matter how hard we work to avoid other sins, we will ultimately lose the battle.
Let's implore the Holy Spirit to give us the strength to avoid these sins. If we do commit them, let us turn to the Father who is rich in Mercy, for forgiveness and reconciliation, so we can begin now, and for all eternity, to experience the ultimate joy available to all, life in the Blessed Trinity.
Joseph most faithful, pray for us.
Friday, May 27, 2016
The four cardinal virtues
A few posts ago, we spoke of the three theological virtues (faith, hope, and love), which are infused (gifts from God), that dispose us to Trinitarian life. In this post, we will speak of what are called "human" virtues, which, unlike the theological virtues, can be acquired by human effort. However, because of Original Sin, we still need God's help to achieve them.
The Catechism says in paragraph 1804 that human virtues are "firm attitudes, stable dispositions, habitual perfections of intellect and will that govern our actions, order our passions, and guide our conduct according to reason and faith. They make possible ease, self-mastery, and joy in leading a morally good life. " Four such human virtues are called "cardinal", because all the other human virtues are grouped among them. They are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.
1) "Prudence is the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it." (p.1806). " When we are prudent, we make sounds decisions using reason and morality.
2) "Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor." (p.1807). When we are just, we give to God and others what is due them (respect, rights, etc.), and we promote the common good.
3) "Fortitude is the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good." (p.1808) When we practice fortitude, we are better able to resist temptation, conquer fear, and face trials and persecutions that cannot be avoided.
4) "Temperance is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods." (p.809) When we practice temperance, we are able to better master our appetites and passions, and direct them towards greater goods.
So, if we wish to be fully human, the Church teaches that we need to practice these virtues. These virtues give us character, help us practice the good, and make us happy, which is what every man seeks. It is not easy to live these, especially in the world as it is today promoting happiness by other means. The Church recommends frequent prayer, reception of the Sacraments, especially Confession, and fellowship with other believers to help us achieve them.
Having said all this, living these four cardinal virtues cannot alone lead us to our eternal destiny. That destiny is life in the Blessed Trinity, and for that, we need the theological virtues, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, both of which we have spoken of. That same Holy Spirit can help us live these human virtues, as well. When we live the human and theological virtues, under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we then experience a happy life, proof of which is the experience of the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit, which we have spoken of as well.
Both the human and theological virtues are "habitual and firm dispositions to do good." (p.1803). A virtue, in other words, is a habit. When we seek the virtues, we seek not just to do something good at one moment in time, but rather, we seek to make it a habit, something we do over and over again. Doing the good over and over again makes us men and women of character. It makes us happy, and gives us peace.
Several of the titles of Saint Joseph in his Litany allude to his practice of the virtues. Joseph most just (justice), Joseph most chaste (temperance), Joseph most prudent (prudence), and Joseph most strong (fortitude). May we model him in his living out of the cardinal virtues.
Joseph, most just, pray for us.
Joseph, most chaste, pray for us.
Joseph, most prudent, pray for us.
Joseph, most strong, pray for us.
The Catechism says in paragraph 1804 that human virtues are "firm attitudes, stable dispositions, habitual perfections of intellect and will that govern our actions, order our passions, and guide our conduct according to reason and faith. They make possible ease, self-mastery, and joy in leading a morally good life. " Four such human virtues are called "cardinal", because all the other human virtues are grouped among them. They are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.
1) "Prudence is the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it." (p.1806). " When we are prudent, we make sounds decisions using reason and morality.
2) "Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor." (p.1807). When we are just, we give to God and others what is due them (respect, rights, etc.), and we promote the common good.
3) "Fortitude is the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good." (p.1808) When we practice fortitude, we are better able to resist temptation, conquer fear, and face trials and persecutions that cannot be avoided.
4) "Temperance is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods." (p.809) When we practice temperance, we are able to better master our appetites and passions, and direct them towards greater goods.
So, if we wish to be fully human, the Church teaches that we need to practice these virtues. These virtues give us character, help us practice the good, and make us happy, which is what every man seeks. It is not easy to live these, especially in the world as it is today promoting happiness by other means. The Church recommends frequent prayer, reception of the Sacraments, especially Confession, and fellowship with other believers to help us achieve them.
Having said all this, living these four cardinal virtues cannot alone lead us to our eternal destiny. That destiny is life in the Blessed Trinity, and for that, we need the theological virtues, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, both of which we have spoken of. That same Holy Spirit can help us live these human virtues, as well. When we live the human and theological virtues, under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we then experience a happy life, proof of which is the experience of the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit, which we have spoken of as well.
Both the human and theological virtues are "habitual and firm dispositions to do good." (p.1803). A virtue, in other words, is a habit. When we seek the virtues, we seek not just to do something good at one moment in time, but rather, we seek to make it a habit, something we do over and over again. Doing the good over and over again makes us men and women of character. It makes us happy, and gives us peace.
Several of the titles of Saint Joseph in his Litany allude to his practice of the virtues. Joseph most just (justice), Joseph most chaste (temperance), Joseph most prudent (prudence), and Joseph most strong (fortitude). May we model him in his living out of the cardinal virtues.
Joseph, most just, pray for us.
Joseph, most chaste, pray for us.
Joseph, most prudent, pray for us.
Joseph, most strong, pray for us.
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Mortal and venial sin
I have said before that God lays in the details, and that Catholic theology presents distinctions and nuances that are not just there in the theology of Protestantism. This, in my opinion, makes Catholicism more coherent and persuasive than any other Christian theology, for those with open minds and open hearts.
Here is a good example of that. When we speak of sin, Catholics distinguish between two types of sin, mortal and venial. This drives two groups of people crazy; those who think there is no such thing as sin, and those who say "sin is sin". The truth, as is often said though, lay in the middle.
What is the difference between mortal and venial sin? Mortal sin, according to the Catechism, "destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God's law; it turns man away from God." (p.1855). Venial sin, on the other hand, "allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it." (ibid). So, basically, mortal sin turns us away from God, and thus makes us unable to love God. Venial sin wounds our love for God, but does not turn it off; we can still love God after committing a venial sin.
How can we tell if we have committed a mortal sin versus a venial one?
Three conditions must be present for a sin to be mortal.
1) The object of the sin must be grave matter. This means that the sin must deal with something very serious like murder, adultery, theft, lying, dishonoring one's loved ones, or any of the other commandments of God.
2) It must be committed with full knowledge. This means that the sin is committed by someone who knows fully that what they are doing is indeed sinful. This does not necessarily mean one has to have been explicitly told that it is a sin, rather it means that they are aware in their own being, via the natural law, that it is wrong.
3) It must be committed with deliberate consent. It means the person committing the sin must clearly consent to doing so freely. External pressures can diminish a person's culpability and may turn what seems to be a serious mortal sin into a venial one.
If any of those three conditions are not present, the sin is a venial sin, and not a mortal one.
One may say that it seems to be a very high standard for one to commit a mortal sin and may conclude that therefore it is hard to commit one, and therefore, hard to lose the life of God, and lose eternal salvation.
Well, in the world today, I think otherwise. Think of how we routinely cheapen our value of human life with things like abortion, human trafficking, prostitution, just to name a few. Think how many marriages end in divorce because one or both parties violate their marriage vows. Think how easily we lie and steal from each other. Yet, at the same time, we know in our heart of hearts that when we do any of these things it is wrong, yet we do it anyway, and often. Therefore, I submit to you that it is rather fairly easy to commit a mortal sin these days, not hard. Unfortunately, many think the opposite. They know they do bad things, but do not think they are serious. In this, they are mistaken. If they do not recognize that in time, and do something about it, they may spend eternity apart from God.
So what can we do about mortal sin? We ourselves can do nothing. Once we sin mortally, no future act can take away the effect of that turning away. It stays there, and there is nothing we can do to fundamentally change our direction away from God. However, God can do something. He can restore our life through His Mercy, which is normally given in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or Confession. The Divine Life in our soul, given to us by Baptism, is itself a gift from God. Therefore, to restore that life after a mortal sin has been committed, also requires an act of God. However, normally it will not be given without our consent, and so, first we must repent, and only then, can we receive the great Mercy of God.
OK, one says, mortal sin is very very serious, but it sounds like God can forgive even that, and wipe the effects of that sin away. If that is the case, then venial sin must not be very serious at all, one might conclude. Well, this is another misconception, I am afraid. The Catechism says in paragraph 1863, "Deliberate and unrepented venial sin disposes us little by little to commit mortal sin." So, we think committing "small" sins like gossip, yelling at someone who cuts us off in traffic, overeating, telling lewd jokes, excessive shopping, and others of the like, are not serious, we would be wise to change our thinking. If we keep doing these things, eventually our appetites and passions will come to rule us, and we will not be able to control them. We will desire more and more the temporary satisfaction those sins give us, and as a result, we will commit greater offenses. We will probably then not even realize when we have crossed over the threshold from venial to mortal sin. If we die after committing a mortal sin without repenting, we will be in hell forever.
Therefore, even though reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation is not absolutely necessary for forgiveness of venial sins, one can see why the Church still strongly recommends going to Confession for those types of sins, as well.
The Church distinguishes between mortal and venial sins not to lessen the deadly reality of sin, but simply because it is true, and the Church speaks the Truth. The reality is some sins (mortal ones) separate us from God, while some (venial) weaken our relationship to Him, but do not separate us from Him. It is important in pastoral practice, spiritual direction, and counseling, that we know the difference, and apply the appropriate remedies. It is important that we ourselves know the difference lest we become too scrupulous in the cases of sins we think are mortal, but in reality are venial, or we become too lax, and think there is no sin, or that there is no such thing as mortal sin which can kill us.
This is the Year of Mercy. If we are to receive Mercy, we must first recognize the reality of sin, in the world, and in our own lives. May we seek the gifts of the Holy Spirit to make us aware of our sins, and give us the grace and strength to repent of them, and receive the great Mercy of God.
Joseph, while seemingly not a big sinner, was a sinner. Only Jesus and Mary were sinless. Yet, the Holy Family lived in peace because Joseph accepted that he was a sinner, sought the mercy of God in His life, and worked to keep his appetites and passions under control. May we do the same.
Here is a good example of that. When we speak of sin, Catholics distinguish between two types of sin, mortal and venial. This drives two groups of people crazy; those who think there is no such thing as sin, and those who say "sin is sin". The truth, as is often said though, lay in the middle.
What is the difference between mortal and venial sin? Mortal sin, according to the Catechism, "destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God's law; it turns man away from God." (p.1855). Venial sin, on the other hand, "allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it." (ibid). So, basically, mortal sin turns us away from God, and thus makes us unable to love God. Venial sin wounds our love for God, but does not turn it off; we can still love God after committing a venial sin.
How can we tell if we have committed a mortal sin versus a venial one?
Three conditions must be present for a sin to be mortal.
1) The object of the sin must be grave matter. This means that the sin must deal with something very serious like murder, adultery, theft, lying, dishonoring one's loved ones, or any of the other commandments of God.
2) It must be committed with full knowledge. This means that the sin is committed by someone who knows fully that what they are doing is indeed sinful. This does not necessarily mean one has to have been explicitly told that it is a sin, rather it means that they are aware in their own being, via the natural law, that it is wrong.
3) It must be committed with deliberate consent. It means the person committing the sin must clearly consent to doing so freely. External pressures can diminish a person's culpability and may turn what seems to be a serious mortal sin into a venial one.
If any of those three conditions are not present, the sin is a venial sin, and not a mortal one.
One may say that it seems to be a very high standard for one to commit a mortal sin and may conclude that therefore it is hard to commit one, and therefore, hard to lose the life of God, and lose eternal salvation.
Well, in the world today, I think otherwise. Think of how we routinely cheapen our value of human life with things like abortion, human trafficking, prostitution, just to name a few. Think how many marriages end in divorce because one or both parties violate their marriage vows. Think how easily we lie and steal from each other. Yet, at the same time, we know in our heart of hearts that when we do any of these things it is wrong, yet we do it anyway, and often. Therefore, I submit to you that it is rather fairly easy to commit a mortal sin these days, not hard. Unfortunately, many think the opposite. They know they do bad things, but do not think they are serious. In this, they are mistaken. If they do not recognize that in time, and do something about it, they may spend eternity apart from God.
So what can we do about mortal sin? We ourselves can do nothing. Once we sin mortally, no future act can take away the effect of that turning away. It stays there, and there is nothing we can do to fundamentally change our direction away from God. However, God can do something. He can restore our life through His Mercy, which is normally given in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or Confession. The Divine Life in our soul, given to us by Baptism, is itself a gift from God. Therefore, to restore that life after a mortal sin has been committed, also requires an act of God. However, normally it will not be given without our consent, and so, first we must repent, and only then, can we receive the great Mercy of God.
OK, one says, mortal sin is very very serious, but it sounds like God can forgive even that, and wipe the effects of that sin away. If that is the case, then venial sin must not be very serious at all, one might conclude. Well, this is another misconception, I am afraid. The Catechism says in paragraph 1863, "Deliberate and unrepented venial sin disposes us little by little to commit mortal sin." So, we think committing "small" sins like gossip, yelling at someone who cuts us off in traffic, overeating, telling lewd jokes, excessive shopping, and others of the like, are not serious, we would be wise to change our thinking. If we keep doing these things, eventually our appetites and passions will come to rule us, and we will not be able to control them. We will desire more and more the temporary satisfaction those sins give us, and as a result, we will commit greater offenses. We will probably then not even realize when we have crossed over the threshold from venial to mortal sin. If we die after committing a mortal sin without repenting, we will be in hell forever.
Therefore, even though reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation is not absolutely necessary for forgiveness of venial sins, one can see why the Church still strongly recommends going to Confession for those types of sins, as well.
The Church distinguishes between mortal and venial sins not to lessen the deadly reality of sin, but simply because it is true, and the Church speaks the Truth. The reality is some sins (mortal ones) separate us from God, while some (venial) weaken our relationship to Him, but do not separate us from Him. It is important in pastoral practice, spiritual direction, and counseling, that we know the difference, and apply the appropriate remedies. It is important that we ourselves know the difference lest we become too scrupulous in the cases of sins we think are mortal, but in reality are venial, or we become too lax, and think there is no sin, or that there is no such thing as mortal sin which can kill us.
This is the Year of Mercy. If we are to receive Mercy, we must first recognize the reality of sin, in the world, and in our own lives. May we seek the gifts of the Holy Spirit to make us aware of our sins, and give us the grace and strength to repent of them, and receive the great Mercy of God.
Joseph, while seemingly not a big sinner, was a sinner. Only Jesus and Mary were sinless. Yet, the Holy Family lived in peace because Joseph accepted that he was a sinner, sought the mercy of God in His life, and worked to keep his appetites and passions under control. May we do the same.
Joseph, solace of the wretched, pray for us.
Monday, May 23, 2016
Faith, hope, and love
"Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13: 13
Yesterday was the Feast of the Holy Trinity. The Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian Faith. I may discuss it more in another post.
However, I would like to discuss tonight a few things that definitively tie in to the Trinity, and are essential to understand, if one wishes to begin experiencing the Divine, Trinitarian life here on Earth, and live it fully in Heaven. Those three things are the three theological virtues; faith, hope, and charity (or love). They tie in to the Trinity because they, as the Catechism says in Paragraph 1812, "dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity." So, in order to experience life in the Trinity, one must live the three theological virtues.
Before this paragraph, the Catechism discussed what virtue is in general. It says in paragraph 1803, "A virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do the good." It then goes on to discuss human virtues, which we may also discuss in a future post. However, doing human virtues alone, while perhaps building our character, and making us better people, cannot, in and itself, lead us to experience Divine, or Trinitarian life, inside of us. For that, one needs the infusion of the theological virtues. These virtues animate our Christian life, and make us "capable of acting as children of God, and meriting eternal life." (p.1813) When God infuses these virtues in us, it is a "pledge of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the faculties of the human being." (ibid). So, here is the connection between the three theological virtues, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which we spoke of a few days ago. When the virtues are infused in us, the Holy Spirit, with all His gifts, is then given for us to actively live out those virtues. So, to repeat, we cannot live these virtues on our own, they have to be infused, and then the Holy Spirit needs to come to allow us to live those virtues in their perfection. That is a lot of grace, but it is all there for us!
One will often hear our Protestant brothers and sisters say that we are saved bv faith alone, not works. If they are referring to works of the law, or natural works, we agree. However, Catholics believe in works of grace, and those are works done, with the help of the Holy Spirit, as a result of the theological virtues infused in us. We can take those to the grave with us. In fact, they are the only things that last, as our opening Scripture verse states.
Here is a brief description of each virtue:
1) Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because he is truth itself. (p.1814) Every time we make an interior or exterior (public) act of faith, we exercise this virtue. We exercise this virtue when we give all of ourselves over to this God whom we believe in. We exercise this virtue when we live out our Faith in any way.
2) Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit. (p.1817) Every time we place our trust in God, even in difficult circumstances, we exercise this virtue. Every time we believe we or others can be saved, despite our faults and failings, and live our lives accordingly in joyful expectation, and in line with the dignity that our neighbor and ourselves deserve, we exercise this virtue. I believe in the world today, that we need this virtue the most out of the three.
3) Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God. (p.1822) I think this is pretty self explanatory. The key point, though, is that even here, this love is a supernatural gift, it is not something we can do on our own. We can only love as we should with God's help.
A lot of more can be sound about each of these. There has been an entire Papal Encyclical written on each of these virtues in the last five years. Reading them in their entirety, while recommended, is not necessary for salvation. However, living these virtues is. Why? Because, as stated earlier, we are saved not by faith alone, but by faith and works of grace. We cannot do the necessary works of grace by ourselves; to do those necessary works, we need the infusion of the theological virtues. Furthermore, we cannot live those virtues without the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we can say, we cannot be saved without the Holy Spirit. So, we see here that while we rightly proclaim Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, all Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity, whom we celebrated yesterday, are necessary for salvation. They are necessary to live joyful, hopeful, and loving lives.
Saint Joseph demonstrated each of these virtues. He believed God's messenger, the angel, exercising the virtue of faith. He trusted in God to protect his family, exercising the virtue of hope. He loved his family as God would love them, exercising the virtue of charity. Let us turn to him as an example, and an intercessor, for living these virtues.
Joseph, most faithful, pray for us.
Yesterday was the Feast of the Holy Trinity. The Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian Faith. I may discuss it more in another post.
However, I would like to discuss tonight a few things that definitively tie in to the Trinity, and are essential to understand, if one wishes to begin experiencing the Divine, Trinitarian life here on Earth, and live it fully in Heaven. Those three things are the three theological virtues; faith, hope, and charity (or love). They tie in to the Trinity because they, as the Catechism says in Paragraph 1812, "dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity." So, in order to experience life in the Trinity, one must live the three theological virtues.
Before this paragraph, the Catechism discussed what virtue is in general. It says in paragraph 1803, "A virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do the good." It then goes on to discuss human virtues, which we may also discuss in a future post. However, doing human virtues alone, while perhaps building our character, and making us better people, cannot, in and itself, lead us to experience Divine, or Trinitarian life, inside of us. For that, one needs the infusion of the theological virtues. These virtues animate our Christian life, and make us "capable of acting as children of God, and meriting eternal life." (p.1813) When God infuses these virtues in us, it is a "pledge of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the faculties of the human being." (ibid). So, here is the connection between the three theological virtues, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which we spoke of a few days ago. When the virtues are infused in us, the Holy Spirit, with all His gifts, is then given for us to actively live out those virtues. So, to repeat, we cannot live these virtues on our own, they have to be infused, and then the Holy Spirit needs to come to allow us to live those virtues in their perfection. That is a lot of grace, but it is all there for us!
One will often hear our Protestant brothers and sisters say that we are saved bv faith alone, not works. If they are referring to works of the law, or natural works, we agree. However, Catholics believe in works of grace, and those are works done, with the help of the Holy Spirit, as a result of the theological virtues infused in us. We can take those to the grave with us. In fact, they are the only things that last, as our opening Scripture verse states.
Here is a brief description of each virtue:
1) Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because he is truth itself. (p.1814) Every time we make an interior or exterior (public) act of faith, we exercise this virtue. We exercise this virtue when we give all of ourselves over to this God whom we believe in. We exercise this virtue when we live out our Faith in any way.
2) Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit. (p.1817) Every time we place our trust in God, even in difficult circumstances, we exercise this virtue. Every time we believe we or others can be saved, despite our faults and failings, and live our lives accordingly in joyful expectation, and in line with the dignity that our neighbor and ourselves deserve, we exercise this virtue. I believe in the world today, that we need this virtue the most out of the three.
3) Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God. (p.1822) I think this is pretty self explanatory. The key point, though, is that even here, this love is a supernatural gift, it is not something we can do on our own. We can only love as we should with God's help.
A lot of more can be sound about each of these. There has been an entire Papal Encyclical written on each of these virtues in the last five years. Reading them in their entirety, while recommended, is not necessary for salvation. However, living these virtues is. Why? Because, as stated earlier, we are saved not by faith alone, but by faith and works of grace. We cannot do the necessary works of grace by ourselves; to do those necessary works, we need the infusion of the theological virtues. Furthermore, we cannot live those virtues without the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we can say, we cannot be saved without the Holy Spirit. So, we see here that while we rightly proclaim Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, all Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity, whom we celebrated yesterday, are necessary for salvation. They are necessary to live joyful, hopeful, and loving lives.
Saint Joseph demonstrated each of these virtues. He believed God's messenger, the angel, exercising the virtue of faith. He trusted in God to protect his family, exercising the virtue of hope. He loved his family as God would love them, exercising the virtue of charity. Let us turn to him as an example, and an intercessor, for living these virtues.
Joseph, most faithful, pray for us.
Saturday, May 21, 2016
12 fruits of the Holy Spirit
In the last post, we listed the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts are dispositions that make men and women docile to receive inspirations from God. The 12 fruits are the effects of those 7 gifts. As the Catechism says in paragraph 1832, the fruits of the Spirit are "perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory." The list is based on Paul's letter to the Galatians, specifically 5:22-23.
Here they are:
1) Charity Performing our works out of love of God
2) Joy Being aware of God's infinite goodness
3) Peace Result of joy, makes us tranquil
4) Patience Ability to endure the disagreeable
5) Kindness Acting for the good of people no matter what they do, treating others like we want to be treated
6) Goodness Inclines us to wish to do good to everyone without distinction, and avoid evil, produces kindness and generosity
7) Generosity Goodness in words and actions, giving without expectation of anything in return, sharing our gifts and resources
8) Gentleness Power and strength under control, a calm temperament; practicing forgiveness and understanding, instead of doing things that could lead to anger and resentment
9) Faihfulness Loyal to the good, above all to God, the Faith, and the Church, but also to our spouses, loved ones, and other noble goods
The Catechism does list the 12 gifts, as I stated above, but does not offer explanations of each of them in that aforementioned paragraph. I pulled the above explanations from different sources (including other places in the Catechism for a few of them). Some of them you can see are very close to each other, and in fact, some traditions only list 9 fruits. However, one of the beauties of Catholic teaching, in my opinion, which sets her apart from other Christian denominations, is the details and distinctions that have been produced in Her development of Her theology over her 2000 years. In my opinion, the more detailed Her theology is, the more revealing of its Truth it is.
When we think of Saint Joseph, can we not see a man whose life bore all these fruits?
Can we see those fruits in our lives? There should at least be a desire to experience these fruits, even if we may not be at the current moment. If we have no desire for them, we are spiritually dead, and need to pray for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Can we see them in others? People who do are the kind of people we should want to grow in friendship with, or establish a working relationship with, or at least develop some sort of connection with. If a person whom we are considering developing any sort of relationship with (friendship, marriage, work) does not bear these fruits, we should be cautious before proceeding too far into that relationship.
Let us continue to pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so we may experience all these wonderful fruits!
Joseph, most chaste and most faithful, pray for us.
Here they are:
1) Charity Performing our works out of love of God
2) Joy Being aware of God's infinite goodness
3) Peace Result of joy, makes us tranquil
4) Patience Ability to endure the disagreeable
5) Kindness Acting for the good of people no matter what they do, treating others like we want to be treated
6) Goodness Inclines us to wish to do good to everyone without distinction, and avoid evil, produces kindness and generosity
7) Generosity Goodness in words and actions, giving without expectation of anything in return, sharing our gifts and resources
8) Gentleness Power and strength under control, a calm temperament; practicing forgiveness and understanding, instead of doing things that could lead to anger and resentment
9) Faihfulness Loyal to the good, above all to God, the Faith, and the Church, but also to our spouses, loved ones, and other noble goods
10) Modesty Moderation in external actions, refusing to unveil things that should remain hidden
11) Self control Directing thoughts and actions so that they correspond with God's will, right reason and the common good
12) Chastity Moderation and control of the sexual appetite
The Catechism does list the 12 gifts, as I stated above, but does not offer explanations of each of them in that aforementioned paragraph. I pulled the above explanations from different sources (including other places in the Catechism for a few of them). Some of them you can see are very close to each other, and in fact, some traditions only list 9 fruits. However, one of the beauties of Catholic teaching, in my opinion, which sets her apart from other Christian denominations, is the details and distinctions that have been produced in Her development of Her theology over her 2000 years. In my opinion, the more detailed Her theology is, the more revealing of its Truth it is.
When we think of Saint Joseph, can we not see a man whose life bore all these fruits?
Can we see those fruits in our lives? There should at least be a desire to experience these fruits, even if we may not be at the current moment. If we have no desire for them, we are spiritually dead, and need to pray for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Can we see them in others? People who do are the kind of people we should want to grow in friendship with, or establish a working relationship with, or at least develop some sort of connection with. If a person whom we are considering developing any sort of relationship with (friendship, marriage, work) does not bear these fruits, we should be cautious before proceeding too far into that relationship.
Let us continue to pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so we may experience all these wonderful fruits!
Joseph, most chaste and most faithful, pray for us.
Sunday, May 15, 2016
7 gifts of the Holy Spirit
Today is the Solemnity of Pentecost, the day we commemorate the Holy Spirit coming down upon the Apostles and Mary. It is sometimes called the birthday of the Church, but I am not sure that is really accurate. Rather, I think of Pentecost as the Church's "Epiphany", or manifestation to the world. Christ was born on Christmas, but was not made manifest to the world until Epiphany. Likewise, the Church was born from the wounded side of Christ on Good Friday, but was not made manifest to the world until Pentecost. When the Spirit came, the apostles were given the strength to be instruments through which Christ's work of salvation would continue in the world. The existence and mission of the Church was now manifest.
Because it is the day of the liturgical year when we tend to have the highest focus on the Holy Spirit (though we should speak of it a LOT more than just one day of the year), you may have heard a lot about the Holy Spirit in a homily today or last evening. You may or may not have heard that there are seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. I would imagine, though, in your average homily, if those gifts were mentioned, an explanation of what those seven gifts are was not. I will try to do that here in case anyone heard that phrase today or yesterday and wondered what those gifts are.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks of these seven gifts in Paragraph 1830. The moral life of Christians is sustained by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These are permanent dispositions which make man docile in following the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Here are the seven.
1) Wisdom Wisdom is the gift that allow us to value the truths of the Faith, and see the world through the eyes of that faith. We see creation as God's gift to us, we see our place in relation to God, and our need of a Savior, the reality that Jesus Christ is that Savior, and that He founded One Church for the salvation of all men.
2) Understanding Understanding is indeed similar to wisdom, but slightly different. Understanding goes beyond just accepting and valuing the truths of the Faith, but it allows us, as it implies, to "understand" them a little bit, although that will be impossible to do 100% this side of eternity.
3) Counsel Counsel is the gift that allows us to judge what we should do in a particular instance, almost by instinct. It is like, as it implies, that we have a "counselor" inside us, giving us very good advice.
4) Fortitude Fortitude is connected to counsel, because it gives us the grace to follow through on the counsel we receive. It gives us the strength to do what needs to be done, even if it involves possible suffering.
5) Knowledge The gift of knowledge is a result of the gift of wisdom. Whereas wisdom allows us to desire the things of God, and therefore see the world and our life in it accordingly, knowledge is our actual seeing of those aforementioned things.
6) Piety Piety is the gift of desire to please God by worshiping and serving Him, this God whom we have come to know and understand a little via the other aforementioned gifts of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. It gives us the grace to practice true religion.
7) Fear of the Lord This gift gives us the desire not to offend God, and the certainty He will give us the grace not to. This is analogous to our relationship with our parents. We do not want to hurt them, not because we are afraid of them per se, but rather, because we respect them because of how much they mean to us.
Those are the seven gifts in a nutshell. More could be said about each of them. They are similar, connected, and yet, distinct, from each other. Only in the Catholic Church, among all the different Christian denominations, is there such deep theological and spiritual insight that can produce such a nuanced list.
I hope this sheds a little light on what these gifts are. I can speak more perhaps about one or more in a later post, as well as the twelve "fruits" of the Holy Spirit that these gifts produce. In the meantime, let's pray to receive all these gifts of the Holy Spirit, so our lives can be lived according to God's Will, and we receive peace and joy in this life, and eternal happiness in the next.
Joseph, protector of Holy Church, pray for us.
Because it is the day of the liturgical year when we tend to have the highest focus on the Holy Spirit (though we should speak of it a LOT more than just one day of the year), you may have heard a lot about the Holy Spirit in a homily today or last evening. You may or may not have heard that there are seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. I would imagine, though, in your average homily, if those gifts were mentioned, an explanation of what those seven gifts are was not. I will try to do that here in case anyone heard that phrase today or yesterday and wondered what those gifts are.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks of these seven gifts in Paragraph 1830. The moral life of Christians is sustained by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These are permanent dispositions which make man docile in following the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Here are the seven.
1) Wisdom Wisdom is the gift that allow us to value the truths of the Faith, and see the world through the eyes of that faith. We see creation as God's gift to us, we see our place in relation to God, and our need of a Savior, the reality that Jesus Christ is that Savior, and that He founded One Church for the salvation of all men.
2) Understanding Understanding is indeed similar to wisdom, but slightly different. Understanding goes beyond just accepting and valuing the truths of the Faith, but it allows us, as it implies, to "understand" them a little bit, although that will be impossible to do 100% this side of eternity.
3) Counsel Counsel is the gift that allows us to judge what we should do in a particular instance, almost by instinct. It is like, as it implies, that we have a "counselor" inside us, giving us very good advice.
4) Fortitude Fortitude is connected to counsel, because it gives us the grace to follow through on the counsel we receive. It gives us the strength to do what needs to be done, even if it involves possible suffering.
5) Knowledge The gift of knowledge is a result of the gift of wisdom. Whereas wisdom allows us to desire the things of God, and therefore see the world and our life in it accordingly, knowledge is our actual seeing of those aforementioned things.
6) Piety Piety is the gift of desire to please God by worshiping and serving Him, this God whom we have come to know and understand a little via the other aforementioned gifts of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. It gives us the grace to practice true religion.
7) Fear of the Lord This gift gives us the desire not to offend God, and the certainty He will give us the grace not to. This is analogous to our relationship with our parents. We do not want to hurt them, not because we are afraid of them per se, but rather, because we respect them because of how much they mean to us.
Those are the seven gifts in a nutshell. More could be said about each of them. They are similar, connected, and yet, distinct, from each other. Only in the Catholic Church, among all the different Christian denominations, is there such deep theological and spiritual insight that can produce such a nuanced list.
I hope this sheds a little light on what these gifts are. I can speak more perhaps about one or more in a later post, as well as the twelve "fruits" of the Holy Spirit that these gifts produce. In the meantime, let's pray to receive all these gifts of the Holy Spirit, so our lives can be lived according to God's Will, and we receive peace and joy in this life, and eternal happiness in the next.
Joseph, protector of Holy Church, pray for us.
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