All About My Catholic Faith
By Scott Johnson
All About My Catholic FaithMar 22, 2019
Pope Benedict XVI and Sexual Abuse in the Church
31 - Pope Benedict XVI just published this past Wednesday, April 10, 2019, a 6,000 word essay titled: The Church and the Scandal of Sexual Abuse. This bombshell piece of work shows what he believes lead to the sexual abuse crisis that we have witnessed in the Catholic Church and in society at large over the last several decades.
For more in depth coverage of this essay please listen to the Dr. Taylor Marshall Catholic Show podcast which will be out later today, April 11. Dr. Marshall and Tim Gordon will talk in depth about this essay and what it means for all of us.
You may also want to listen to the Patrick Madrid Show podcast or his show archive on Relevant Radio from his Thursday show. Patrick devoted the majority of his three hour show to reading and talking about Pope Benedict's essay as well as giving people the opportunity to call in live to discuss how they felt.
You don't want to miss either of those two shows.
Please visit Catholic News Agency for the full text version of Pope Benedict's essay.
What are the Rules for Receiving Communion
30 - The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us in order to receive the Eucharist during Holy Communion at Mass, we need to be in a State of Grace, free from mortal sin. We also need to observe the required fast by not eating or drinking within one hour of receiving the Holy Eucharist. We should also be going to confession often to keep our souls clean as possible, free of all sin, mortal and venial. Receive communion as often as you can, even every day, as long as you only receive once per day.
Before and after communion, give thanks to God for the great gift he has given us and take time to pray for your special intentions.
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The Bread of Life | Change Your Life Forever
29 - Jesus said, "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day." Welcome to Lesson 29 in the All About My Catholic Faith Podcast. We continue this week in our catechism series talking about the Holy Eucharist. I used to think that a person needed to belong to the Catholic Church in order to be saved and have eternal life in heaven. This lesson will teach you what Jesus actually taught 2,000 years ago.
What was the manna that God sent to his people?
Did all of the disciples of Jesus believe he was God?
Was Jesus speaking figuratively when he told his disciples to eat his flesh and drink his blood?
Do we really need to eat the flesh of Jesus and drink his blood?
How can one receive the body and blood of Jesus?
Bible Reading for today:
The Bread of Life Discourse: Gospel of St. John, Chapter 6
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The Perfect Sacrifice - The Holy Mass
This is lesson number 27 - The Sacrifice of the Mass - The Holy Eucharist as the Perfect Sacrifice.
Welcome back to another episode of All About My Catholic Faith. This is the second of three lessons about the Holy Eucharist. Last week we talked about how the Holy Eucharist was a sacrament. Today in this lesson, we're going to talk about how the Holy Eucharist is a sacrifice.
The areas we're going to talk about in today's lesson are about the Mass being a sacrifice. We're going to talk about the cross being the perfect sacrifice and we're going to talk about the Mass also being the perfect sacrifice continued from the original sacrifice on the cross. I will also to talk about the Mass being a ceremony, as well as the purposes of the Mass, and how the Mass is our sacrifice, and finally how we should assist at Mass.
So let's start talking first about the Mass being a sacrifice. Two thousand years ago, on Calvary, Jesus Christ was sacrificed in a bloody manner, which means that he gave his life. He gave every drop of his blood as a sacrifice for us and to save us from our sins. The Mass that we go to every week is also a sacrifice of Christ that's offered in a sacramental manner, not a bloody manner. And of course, not only is the Mass a sacrifice, it is also a sacrament like we talked about last week. The Mass is indeed a Sacrament, or a sign of the sacrifice of Jesus. In this way, it's actually a sign of Christ, in action, offering himself in love to God the Father as he did when he died on the cross. When Jesus died on the cross for us he did it out of pure love for us and for his Father. The Mass is also an act of love, it's our share in the great act of love that Christ made on the cross.
Bible Reading for this lesson:
1st Corinthians, Chapter 11: 23-30
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The Source and Summit - The Holy Eucharist
John 6:52 - The Bread that I will give is My Flesh for the life of the world. This week's lesson is on the Source and Summit of our Faith, the Holy Eucharist. Actually, the Holy Eucharist is so important in our faith that this lesson will be spread over the next three weeks. In this first lesson will see the way in which Christ is contained in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, Next week’s lesson we’ll see that the Sacrament is a sign of Christ sacrificed. The third episode we will see that the Sacrament is the food for our soul.
Hello everybody and welcome back to another episode of All About My Catholic Faith. I really hope that you're doing great today and having a wonderful Lent so far. If you're not listening to this podcast during Lent then I hope you're having a wonderful week whatever time of year it is.
When did Jesus start the Holy Eucharist and how did he do it? How are the bread and the wine changed into the Body and Blood of Jesus? How can that be done still today when Jesus is not here with us?
Bible Readings for this lesson:
1st Corinthians chapter 10: 16-17
Gospel of St. Luke chapter 22: starting verse 7
Christ instituted and started the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper when he took the bread, and he blessed, it and he broke it, and he gave it to his disciples saying “Take and Eat, This is my Body,” and then he took the cup of wine, he also blessed it and he gave it to his disciples and said “All of you drink this, for this is my Blood of the New Covenant which is being shed for many unto the Forgiveness of sins.” Finally then towards the end of the Last Supper, he gave his Apostles a very important assignment which was their commission to go out into the world and do this same celebration in remembrance of him. And this didn't just mean for them to go out and eat bread and drink wine and to remember this last supper that they had just had with Jesus. No, actually he was telling them, his new priests of his Church, to go throughout the world teaching and preaching, as well as giving them the power to change simple bread and simple wine into his real, true Body and Blood.
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Does the Bishop Hit You at Confirmation
The Character of Confirmation gives us the power to be soldiers in Christ's army, fighting with him against the enemies of the Faith. We do not fight against persons, but for them, as an army of liberation to free them from the enemies of their soul.
This is lesson number 25, the Sacrament of Confirmation
Hello everybody, I want to welcome you back to another lesson of All About My Catholic Faith. If this is the first time that you've joined this podcast, I want to thank you and welcome you, and if you've been here before, then also a very big thank you. If you need to go back and review some of the previous lessons, you can do that by looking In the archives where you get your podcast or you can go to our website, All About My Catholic Faith.com were you’ll find all the past episodes and lessons for this catechism series.
I'm so thankful to be joined by my son Christopher again this week.
Last week we started the series on the Sacraments by talking about Baptism, and remember Baptism is the gateway to all of the other Sacraments of the Church. In order to receive any of the other Sacraments, you must first receive the Sacrament of Baptism. If you remember from last week's lesson, on Baptism we are born again of water and of the Holy Spirit. This week we're going to talk about Confirmation. At Confirmation, the Holy Spirit gives us power to grow from our infancy to adulthood in the life of Grace in the Church and gives us the strength of a soldier to fight for Jesus Christ.
Bible Readings for this lesson:
St Luke's Gospel, chapter 10: 1-20
Acts of the Apostles, chapter 8: 14
Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2
1st Peter, chapter 4
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All About The Sacrament of Baptism
This week we will talk all about the Sacrament of Baptism. What is Baptism, How do you get baptized, Do you really need to be baptized, What if you are not baptized. Baptism is the gateway into Jesus' Mystical Body and His Church, the Catholic Church. Before you can receive any of the other seven Sacraments, you must first be baptized with water in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Welcome back to another episode of All About My Catholic Faith. This is lesson 24 of our Catechism Series. I hope you had a great week this last week and I hope you went to Mass last weekend and perhaps you even invited someone to go to Mass with you.
Bible Readings for this lesson:
Ezekiel Chapter 36: 22-38
Gospel of St. John, Chapter 3: 1-5
Romans Chapter 6
I Corinthians Chapter 12: 13
Ephesians, Chapter 4: 1-5
Find out these answers and more in this lesson:
So, How is Baptism done in the Catholic Church?
When should we get baptized?
What if a person wasn’t baptized when they were a baby?
What if a person dies but is never baptized? Will that person still be able to go to Heaven?
Enter for opportunity to get Trent Horn's Book: Why We're Catholic
This Podcast appeared on All About My Catholic Faith where you can view more detailed notes about the lesson.
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The Seven Sacraments - Introduction
The Sacraments are signs of Jesus taking care of his sheep. This is episode 23, The Seven Sacraments.
Hello there, I want to welcome back once again to another lesson of All About My Catholic Faith. Hey, If you remember from our last lesson, I told you that things are really starting to get exciting in our lessons. We are on lesson number 23, so we've come a long way in learning what the Church has taught and what God has taught us throughout all of these years. Today we're going to start talking specifically about the Sacraments of the Church. We're going to learn an overview of the Sacraments, what the Sacraments are, what they do for us, and some consequences if we don’t stay in God’s grace.
Make sure you listen to this week’s lesson so you can learn a bit more about the Sacraments and also how you can get a free copy of Trent Horn’s book, Why We’re Catholic.
I’m very glad that you’re joining me as we continue on our journey to learn the teachings of Jesus and his Church that he started 2,000 years ago. I’m also super excited to have my son, Christopher join me again. So Hey Christopher, thanks for joining me. You got it! How have you been since our last episode? Did you get over your cold? Pretty much. I’m doing pretty good, just spent the last couple days at the coast, so you know it’s hard to go wrong there. That sounds good.
Let's start off as we always do with a few questions for you to think about during our lesson.
What are some things that Jesus does for his sheep?
What is a Sacrament?
Why do we need signs?
How can we lose the life that we received at our baptism?
Bible Readings for this lesson:
Ezekiel, chapter 34: 11-16
Gospel of Saint Matthew, chapter 28: 18-20
Gospel of Saint Matthew's, chapter 11: 25-30
Enter for opportunity to get Trent Horn's Book: Why We're Catholic
This Podcast appeared on All About My Catholic Faith where you can view more detailed notes about the lesson.
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Valid Marriage, Divorce and Holy Communion
This is lesson 22: The 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th commandments of the Church.
Hello, welcome back to another episode of All About My Catholic Faith. If this is your first time to listen, thank you very much and I truly hope that you’ll find that this podcast will teach you something new, strengthen what you already know, and help you to share your faith with others.
Things are really starting to get exciting now as we move into the next few commandments that the Church gives us. Then we’ll be able to start moving into the sacraments of the Church. The sacraments, among other things, are what make the Catholic Church so special. Remember the Catholic Church is the original Church founded by Jesus Christ 2000 years ago and it has continued unbroken for all that time until today. Jesus gave the authority to the Catholic Church to be the stewards of all of the seven sacraments.
I am very happy to have my son join me again today for this podcast lesson.
The third commandment of the Church is that we are to confess our sins to the Church at least once a year. The fourth commandment of the Church is that we are also to receive Holy Communion at least once per year. The fifth commandment of the Church is that we are to contribute to the support of the Church. And the sixth commandment is that we are to observe the laws of the Church concerning marriage.
Bible Reading for this lesson: Gospel of St. John chapter 13: 1-14
Enter for opportunity to get Trent Horn's Book: Why We're Catholic
This Podcast appeared on All About My Catholic Faith where you can view more detailed notes about the lesson.
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How Did Early Christians Worship Jesus
Before we can talk about the Church giving us actual commandments after the Ten Commandments, we need to find out why and how the Catholic Church was given the authority to even give us any commandments or laws. The Catholic Church has the right to make laws because Jesus gave the Church that authority. Jesus did that. In St. Matthew's gospel chapter 16 verse 19 when he said, “I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind on Earth will be bound in Heaven and whatever you loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven.” By saying this, Jesus was telling Peter and the Apostles that they had the keys to Heaven. Having the keys meant they had the authority to make rules to help all of us out. Just like you having the keys to your house. With you having the keys to your house you have all the power and authority of who you want to let in. You make the rules because it’s your house, and you have the keys. Jesus gave the keys to the Church to St Peter and his Apostles. That’s why and how the Catholic Church has the power and authority to make rules and laws to teach us what Jesus taught.
Bible Readings for this episode:
Gospel of St. Matthew, chapter 16: 19
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2: 42
Gospel of St. Luke, chapter 5: 38
Gospel of St. Luke, chapter 2: 41-42
Gospel of St Luke, chapter 5: 37-38
Enter for opportunity to get Trent Horn's Book: Why We're Catholic
This Podcast appeared on All About My Catholic Faith where you can view more detailed notes about the lesson.
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Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbors Wife
Do you ever wonder why your Catholic education seemed to be lacking or even watered down? Once upon a time, not too awfully long ago, Catholic kids were taught the truths about Christianity and the Catholic faith using the Baltimore Catechism. There were a couple Baltimore Catechism books that were used, one was geared towards the younger children, and the second was designed to dive a little deeper for older kids and teens. These certainly were not perfect, but pretty darn close, they teach the faith in a well organized and truthful manner. A lot of people have fallen away from their Catholic faith, and they will sometimes cite the reason that they just didn’t really learn that much about the faith when they were young, even though they may have attended Catholic school or ccd classes.
So in my podcast series here, I want to bring back those basic teachings. If you listen to this podcast, you will learn the faith like you should have when you were younger. It will also help you better teach the faith to those you love and together we can make our family, our community, our country and our Church holy again! This is lesson 20. The 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th Commandments of God.
You can’t take your riches from this life when you die, or can you?
Bible Readings for Today:
Gospel of St. Matthew, chapter 6: 19-21
Gospel of St. Matthew, chapter 19: 16-24
Gospel of St. Luke, chapter 12: 13-34
Gospel of St. Mark, chapter 14: 55-59
Seventh Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Steal
Eighth Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness Against Thy Neighbor
Ninth Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Wife
Tenth Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Goods
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The Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Commandments
Is it a sin to have impure thoughts?
Do I have to always obey my parents?
Is marriage really only between one man and one woman?
This is lesson 19, The Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Commandments of God. Welcome back to another lesson of All About My Catholic Faith. Today, I want to continue to talk about the Ten Commandments. This lesson will be on the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Commandments. Fair warning that during this episode I’ll be talking about some sexual and life topics that may not be appropriate for younger ears. So, with that being said, I’d like to give you a few questions to think about during this lesson.
Bible Readings for this lesson:
St Luke's Gospel chapter 2: 51
Philippians chapter 2: 8
Ephesians chapter 6: 1-3
First Peter Chapter 2: 13-25
First Corinthians chapter 6: 19-20
I hope you learned a little bit more about the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Commandments. Remember the Fourth Commandment is "Honor your father and your mother." The Fifth commandment is, "Thou shalt not kill." The sixth Commandment is, "Thou shalt not commit adultery."
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The Second and Third Commandments of God
In this lesson, we will talk about the second and Third Commandments of God from The Ten Commandments. The Second Commandment of God is “Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” The Third Commandment is “remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.” Let's start off with a few questions for you to think about during this lesson.
How can we honor God's name?
How can we keep Sunday holy?
How did the Lord keep the Sabbath holy?
Bible Readings for this lesson:
St Luke chapter 4: 15,16,31,32
Saint Matthew chapter 5: 33 -37
Saint Matthew chapter 5: 21-24
Saint Matthew chapter 21: 12,13
In our next lesson, we will continue to talk about the Commandments. As you go through this next week remember that Sunday is coming up. Make sure to go to Mass and do more than you normally would do this Sunday for God. Say God bless you to somebody, say an extra prayer for somebody, or read something from the Bible and something about the saints.
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Honoring Relics and the Saints
In our last lesson, we talked about Jesus being led up to the mountain and being tempted by the devil. Satan promised Jesus that if he did whatever he wanted him to do and if he worshiped him, he would give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. Jesus did not give in to the temptations of the devil. Instead, he honored his Father and did everything that God the Father would want him to do throughout his life even to the point of dying for our sins on the cross. In that lesson, we talked a lot about worshipping God and only God. Today we will talk about honoring relics, statues, saints, and other religious things. We will talk about the difference between worshipping God and how we treat these other items.
Let's start off with some questions for you to think about during this lesson. Try to answer these questions as you make your way through the lesson.
Who are the Saints?
Where are the Saints right now?
In what ways do we honor the Saints?
Bible readings for this lesson:
Luke 9: 28-36
Revelation 7: 9-12
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The First Commandment of God - Thou Shalt Not Have Strange Gods Before Me
I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt not have strange gods before me.
In our last lesson, we talked about the two great Commandments. The first of the two Great Commandments is: Thou shalt love God with your whole heart, your whole soul, and with your whole mind, and with your whole strength. The Second Great Commandment is: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
Today we will learn about the first of the Ten Commandments. We listed the Ten Commandments in the last lesson. The First Commandment is: I am the Lord thy God and thou shalt not have strange Gods before me.
Before we get started let's think about a few questions.
What did the Devil tempt our Lord to do?
What did our Lord do?
What should we do when we are tempted to sin?
Why do we owe supreme worship to God?
What do we learn by loving and serving God Alone?
Today's Bible Readings:
Matthew 4: 1, 8-11
Matthew 15: 21-28
Romans 8: 24-25
1st Corinthians 13
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The Two Great Commandments and The Ten Commandments
Today we're going to start talking about the Ten Commandments. Today we will focus on the two great commandments. Do you recall that Jesus Is our shepherd and we are all his sheep? Remember that the sheep are those who love as Jesus wants them to love and who follow him. Jesus is the shepherd who will lead them to heaven. In this lesson, we are going to learn that the goats are those who refuse to love Jesus and who turn away from him.
As always here are a few questions for you to think about while we go through this lesson.
Who will take us to the Father on the last day?
What must be in our hearts when the Lord comes?
Will our Lord have to ask us if we love him?
What are some ways to show love of neighbor?
Do we love God if we only love those who we like?
Since we're going to be talking about the Ten Commandments, let's see what they are.
I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt not have strange Gods before Me.
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.
Honor thy father and thy mother.
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's Goods.
Bible readings for this episode:
Matthew 25: 31-45
Luke 10: 25-37
Luke 6: 27-38
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The Resurrection and Life Everlasting
The Communion of Saints and the Forgiveness of Sins
The Marks of the Church - One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic
Today, there are many Christian traditions and denominations. Many experts say there are more than 30,000 different Christian denominations. How do we know which one is correct? Which church or churches have the truth. The most important question here: Is there a church that has the fullness of Christ’s truth?
Here are some questions to think about during this chapter:
Who are the other sheep that Jesus was talking about? What does Jesus desire for the other sheep? Did our Lord start many churches or only one church? How do we know which church or churches Jesus established?
How do we help the other sheep to know that the Catholic Church is the Sheepfold of Christ?
Remember from the last chapter, that the Sheepfold of Christ is the same as Jesus's Church.
Our first reading from the Holy Bible is from the Gospel of St. John 10: 9-16We see in that reading that Jesus called his Church a Sheepfold. We also see something new that we didn't read before. “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead and they will hear my voice and there will be one flock one Shepherd.” This really helps us to better understand and to answer the question that we had: Did Jesus establish one church or many churches? Well, Jesus definitely said there will only be one flock of sheep, one Church with one shepherd. Jesus Christ was the first leader of his one Church. We call Jesus the head of his Church and we call his Church a body. The Church, like us, has one head and one body. That makes sense to me. In the body of Christ the people in the Church all believe what the Church teaches. Jesus gave the authority to the apostles to teach the whole world what he taught, even to those who don’t believe. Jesus gave the authority to the bishops back then. The bishops still have that same authority to teach everybody the one and only complete truth about Jesus and his Church.
All of us in his Church are taught and believe what the Church teaches and we all receive the same sacraments. Just like when Jesus started his one Church and chose Peter to be the head of his Church on Earth as the first pope, we still have one head of the Church today. Pope Francis takes the place of Jesus here on Earth. He has the same authority that was given to St. Peter 2000 years ago. Every pope in history has had the same exact authority as our first pope St. Peter had.
Today's chapter is titled the Marks of the Church. A mark is something that we can use to know that something is true or it shows that it is true. The Church has four marks. I will describe each of them right now.
The first Mark of Christ’s Church is that the Church is Holy. The Church teaches us all to be holy. Everyone who follows the teachings of the Church and stays away from mortal sin will become and remain holy. The Church is here to help us to do just that. The sacraments of the Church are most especially here to help us do that.
The second Mark is that the Church is catholic. [...] www.allaboutmycatholicfaith.com/
My Walk of Faith - Christ the King
I was exposed to the harsh realities of this world many times during my childhood. I saw crime. I experienced relatives fighting with each other. I saw and felt how alcohol could easily destroy a person or a family.
The influences of the world and those around me led me to fall into a lifestyle of lying and cheating soon after our family relocated to a much smaller city in the midwest. I couldn’t seem to break free from lying to my parents. If I had the opportunity to lie to them, I usually took that road. It was very hard to break free from something like that.
My life began to change direction thanks to Jesus working through my mom’s sister and her husband. I remember them often having discussions, sometimes heated, about Christianity. My aunt and uncle were Catholic. They were encouraging my mom to seriously consider the Catholic faith. I was in fourth grade. My mom was still searching for the right “church” to belong to. Thanks be to God, my mom started to really take to what my aunt and uncle were telling her. I am so thankful for them for being brave and bold enough to risk losing the love of their family member in order to bring the Good News of Jesus and his Church to my mom.
One thing quickly led into another. Before long, my brothers and I were soon taking private instruction lessons in the Catholic Faith. We were baptized after our period of learning, and I finally had the Grace of God within me. I was certainly a child of God. My sins, although childlike, were washed away with my baptism through the shedding of the blood of Jesus. I remember feeling that my lifestyle of lying and cheating were now washed away from my way of life and way of thinking. Thank you also needs to be given out to my guardian angel.
As often happens, my faith slipped towards the end of my high school years and into college. Staying out late, going to parties, and having a circle of friends that weren’t interested in my soul, slowly led me further away for Jesus and his Church.
Fast forward twenty years. I was lucky if I was going to Mass once every 4-6 weeks. I certainly was not showing that Christ was my king. I am sure that my fall from grace all started when I did not go to confession during my confirmation in tenth grade. I know that the seal of the Holy Spirit did not fully take effect, because of my stubborn attitude towards thinking I was in control.
In steps my mom in her loving and always caring manner. I know she had been praying for me for many years. It was around the year 2000 when my mom mentioned to me that she had found a Catholic radio station in our northern California city. She suggested a few times that I should listen to Immaculate Heart Radio on my commute to and from work.
I finally tuned in and soon went to confession for the first time since before my confirmation.. What a tremendous blessing that was. To confess my sins to Jesus, through Father Walsch, have my sins of the last twenty years washed away, and to finally receive the seal and grace that I missed at my confirmation was life altering.
I was truly transformed. Since that Saturday which was the feast of Corpus Christi, (Body and Blood of Christ) I now yearn to go to Mass each week or more often. The great gift of being able to physically and spiritually receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist is really mind blowing. The Mass itself is such a gift that has been handed down by the Apostles and the early Church fathers. I truly desire to have Christ be my KING!
Jesus Gives the Keys of His Church to Peter
At the end of our last lesson about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we asked the questions: What church did Jesus start and is that church still with us today?
In this lesson, we will find out what a church is. We will also find out if Jesus started a church. Today, there are many Christian denominations or Christian traditions. To be a Christian means to be a follower of Christ Jesus. Many experts say that there are more than 30,000 different Christian denominations throughout the world today.
Do we really need a church or 30.000 churches in our world?
Here are some questions for you to think about while you read through this lesson.
What do we call the sheepfold of Christ?
How does our Lord help his sheep?
Why did our Lord choose twelve apostles?
Which apostle did Jesus pick to be the leader of the apostles?
Who takes our Lord's place, today, as the shepherd of the Church?
In the Apostles Creed that we've been learning about, we say: “I believe in the Holy Catholic Church”.
Let's read something from the Holy Bible to see if we really should be believing in the Catholic Church, or any church for that matter.
Here is a reading from the Gospel of St John, chapter 10: 1-11.
“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice.
But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” Although Jesus used this figure of speech, they did not realize what he was trying to tell them.
So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came [before me] are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Jesus is telling us in this reading, in order for us to be saved from going to hell after we die, we need to follow him. He also said that he is the gate, and that whoever enters through him will be saved. When shepherds are in the field with their sheep, they often have a gate they open to let the sheep go into a place of safety. Jesus is telling us that we can enter that safe place by going through him. He is the gate and our Good Shepherd. Christ will teach his sheep, feed his sheep, heal his sheep’s wounds, and guide his sheep to heaven. Who are the sheep of Christ? That's right, you and I are his sheep.
Here's another reading from St. John chapter 21: 15-17
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He then said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” [Jesus] said to him, “Feed my sheep.” [...] www.allaboutmycatholicfaith.com/2018/11/catechism-catholic-church.html
The Virtues and Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Today we continue our lessons about the teachings of the Catholic Church.
In our last lesson we talked about the Holy Spirit and the grace that we receive from prayer, the Sacraments, and from the Holy Eucharist. Today, we're going to talk about the Virtues and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
We all have problems or challenges that we have to deal with. We may have issues with school, homework, friends, family, and many other things in this world. The Holy Spirit is there to give you strength and to help you carry your cross.
Here are the questions that I would like you to think about during this lesson.
1. Who sends the Holy Spirit into our hearts?
2. What does He fill us with?
3. How does He teach us to love the Father?
4. How does the Holy Spirit change us?
5. What do we have to be willing to do in order for Him to be able to change you?
The Catholic Church leaders put together all the books of the Old Testament and the New Testament around 300 a.d.. They were guided by the Holy Spirit to choose all the books and only the books that make up the Holy Bible. Some people actually think the Bible fell from the sky. It was actually the Catholic Church, with the help of the Holy Spirit, that gave us the Holy Bible.
First Reading: Romans chapter 8: 14-17.
In our last lesson, I told you that one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit was wind or the Breath of God. God has breathed his life into each one of us to make us his children. I think it's great to be one of God's children. That means that his home in heaven is now open to be our home. Thankfully, we get to enjoy many of the great things here on Earth during our life. There are many beautiful and wonderful things in this life.
There are also things that give us hurt and heartache. Those things that are hard for us to deal with are called our crosses. Just like Jesus had to carry that very heavy cross in Jerusalem, you and I have to carry our own crosses every day. I know, your crosses can be very heavy to carry at times. The holy spirit is right there to help you deal with your cross and to help you carry your cross. If you carry your cross and are having a hard time with one of your crosses, take a minute to pray to the Holy Spirit for some extra strength and more faith. He will give you extra strength. When Jesus carried his cross, it was the most beautiful act of love anyone could ever do for you or me. We can also carry our crosses with love for those in our life.
The powers of the Holy Spirit will make your soul stronger. They are like muscles in your soul. The main three powers that we get from the Holy Spirit are faith, hope, and charity. These are called the Three Virtues. God also gave us seven special gifts that we call the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts are indeed very special. We were given the three virtues and the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit when we were baptized. That's also when we received sanctifying Grace.
Faith is the virtue that we are given that allows us to believe the word of God and everything that he has revealed to us directly, through scripture, and through the Church.
Hope is the second virtue. Hope simply means that you can always trust God to care for you and all your needs. Sometimes you may feel overwhelmed, but hope is always with you. You just have to remember to call on it to help you. Please always keep hope.
Charity is the third virtue. Charity is the love of God that you give from your heart to another person, especially when they really need your help.
The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit will help you live a better life, and a more holy life. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.
Read from the Bible Galatians 5: 16-25
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The Holy Spirit and Grace - Jesus invites His sheep to drink of His spirit
The Redemption
The Incarnation
We read in the Holy Bible: "The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And when the angel had come to her, he said 'Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.' When she had heard him she was troubled at his word...And the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace with God. Behold, you...shall bring forth a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son the Most High...The Holy Spirit shall come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and therefore the Holy One to be born shall be called the Son of God.' Mary said, 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her." (Luke 1, 26-38)
God really wanted to send His Son to us here on earth so that he could save all of us from our sins. He did so in a way where He would be born poor, and grow up and work and suffer with us and for us. God asked Mary to be the Mother of His Son, the Mother of God. Mary said "Yes."
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Actual Sin
The sin of Herod was a very terrible example of sin. The sin that Herod committed is called a mortal sin. A mortal sin is a sin that is grave in nature; a sin that one knows is a terrible sin; and the person commits the sin willfully.
In this "All About My Catholic Faith" podcast, we will learn about mortal sin, venial sin, and how they differ from each other and with original sin.
It is mainly through the inspired pages of Sacred Scripture and the divinely guided actions of the Sacred Liturgy that we come to know the Person of Christ. The better we know and understand the Person of Christ, the more we will be able to understand the meaning of what He tells us. The Catechism helps us to understand the meaning of what Christ has taught, but we will understand the Catechism only to the extent that we aim at understanding Christ Himself.
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Creation and the Fall of Man
This "All About My Catholic Faith" podcast lesson is about The Creation and the Fall of Man. We will learn about Adam and Eve and how the devil tempted Eve, which then led Adam into sin. Did they choose to eat from the Tree of Life or the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. What difference did it make to them and to us.
It is mainly through the inspired pages of Sacred Scripture and the divinely guided actions of the Sacred Liturgy that we come to know the Person of Christ. The better we know and understand the Person of Christ, the more we will be able to understand the meaning of what He tells us. The Catechism helps us to understand the meaning of what Christ has taught, but we will understand the Catechism only to the extent that we aim at understanding Christ Himself.
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Creation and the Angels
What do we mean when we say that God is the Creator of heaven and earth? What are angels? How do the good angels help us? What happened to the angels who did not remain faithful to God?
Get these answers and more in this episode of: All About My Catholic Faith.
It is mainly through the inspired pages of Sacred Scripture and the divinely guided actions of the Sacred Liturgy that we come to know the Person of Christ. The better we know and understand the Person of Christ, the more we will be able to understand the meaning of what He tells us. The Catechism helps us to understand the meaning of what Christ has taught, but we will understand the Catechism only to the extent that we aim at understanding Christ Himself.
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The Unity and Trinity of God
"Jesus drew near and spoke to them saying, 'All power in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you...' " (Matthew 28, 18-20)
This "All About My Catholic Faith" podcast lesson is about The Unity and Trinity of God. We will learn about the mystery of the Trinity. There are three Persons in one God and that is truly a mystery. We can't really understand this, but we do believe it because Jesus told us. We call this mystery of three Persons in ONE God the "Blessed Trinity"
It is mainly through the inspired pages of Sacred Scripture and the divinely guided actions of the Sacred Liturgy that we come to know the Person of Christ. The better we know and understand the Person of Christ, the more we will be able to understand the meaning of what He tells us. The Catechism helps us to understand the meaning of what Christ has taught, but we will understand the Catechism only to the extent that we aim at understanding Christ Himself.
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God and His Perfections
This "All About My Catholic Faith" podcast lesson is about God and His perfections. We will learn about the power and perfection of God. God is all-knowing, all-good, and almighty. All these qualities of God are called His "perfections." He has all these powers without limit.
It is mainly through the inspired pages of Sacred Scripture and the divinely guided actions of the Sacred Liturgy that we come to know the Person of Christ. The better we know and understand the Person of Christ, the more we will be able to understand the meaning of what He tells us. The Catechism helps us to understand the meaning of what Christ has taught, but we will understand the Catechism only to the extent that we aim at understanding Christ Himself.
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The Purpose of Man's Existence
"I am the Good Shepherd, and I know Mine and Mine know Me" (John 10,14)
"He who enters by the door is shepherd of the sheep. To this man the gatekeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them forth..., and the sheep follow him because they know his voice" (John 10, 2-4)
It is mainly through the inspired pages of Sacred Scripture and the divinely guided actions of the Sacred Liturgy that we come to know the Person of Christ. The better we know and understand the Person of Christ, the more we will be able to understand the meaning of what He tells us. The Catechism helps us to understand the meaning of what Christ has taught, but we will understand the Catechism only to the extent that we aim at understanding Christ Himself.
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