Fanning the Flame at 2620 Lebanon Avenue, Belleville, IL 6221 US - Proclaim the Gospel (3)
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Proclaim the Gospel (3) |
Proclaim the Gospel to Every Creature (CCC, NOS. 74-133) Click here for the study sheet for printing, includes * below -St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, (of Lisieux) When I was growing up, and especially as I revealed to others that I was considering becoming a priest, I was once asked, “How do you know what you believe? How do you know that it is trustworthy?” Well, unable to answer this fully myself, I went to my father as I often did in matters of faith and life. Part of his answer was that we were Catholic and this is what we believe and live as one might expect him to respond, but it also went deeper. He wanted to know what the person seemed to be asking me. He explained that there was the constant history and witness of our Faith over the last 2000 years. And he said that both God and men testify to the same Truth. Finally, he stated that is just makes sense, from which I took that the Faith was reasonable and did not contradict our reflected experience. Indeed, this is a very good question to Roman Catholics, how do we know what we believe? And how can we be sure that we can trust it. Let us take a closer look. Simply put, God’s Revelation of Himself to us is the source of our Faith, Prayer, and Practice. We can study that which is around us and see that something like “God” might or must exist, but it would tell us only limited things about God. When God reveals Himself, we get the whole scoop. God fully revealed Himself in Jesus Christ, who has made known to us that God is ONE in THREE Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. From Jesus Christ, the One Word of God, Divine Revelation about God has two expressions: Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Sacred Scripture is easy to identify because it is contained in the 44 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament coming together in the Holy Bible. Assembled from the first centuries of the Church, God inspired Sacred Scripture by acting in and through human authors (p. 27). God is the primary author of Sacred Scripture, and human beings are the secondary authors. Sacred Tradition takes a bit more for us to perceive and receive. Jesus Christ did not write a book, He preached a Gospel. And He sent His apostles out to, “proclaim the Gospel to every creature (Mark Hold fast to the traditions you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.-St. Paul to the Thessalonians; 2 Thes. Who transmits this living message you may ask? Well that is the final part of Divine Revelation. We now have two expression of the Divine Revelation (Bible and Tradition), but who can tell us what they mean. For example, there are 30,000 Christian groups that say they believe and practice by the Holy Bible alone, and yet the Holy Bible does not say that it is the only expression of Revelation. Thus, Jesus gave us the Magisterium. Definition: MAGISTERIUM ( from Latin magister – “teacher”) – The teaching office of the pope, and bishops in communion with him, guided by the Holy Spirit. The pope and bishops are the authoritative teachers in the Church. (p. 519 United States Catholic Catechism for Adults) Finally, Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition do not stand alone. The Magisterium has the authority from Jesus Christ to guard and interpret them to Catholic Christians in each age so that we may know about God, how to have communion with Him, and how we are to cooperate with the whole of creation. The oral preaching of the Apostles (Tradition) and the written message of salvation under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (Bible) are conserved and handed on as the Deposit of the Faith through the Apostolic Succession (Magisterium) in the Church. Both the living Tradition and the written Scriptures have their common source in the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. (p. 25 United States Catholic Catechism for Adults.) "He who receives you, receives Me, and he who rejects you, rejects Me and the One who sent Me." -Matt. 10:1,40; Luke 10:6; John 13:20 “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” -Matt. 16:19 2. Do I trust God? Do I trust the way He has chosen to reveal Himself and pass that on? Have I tried to trust God? Have I tried to trust others? 3. How has God proclaimed Himself to me or others? Have I looked for this proclamation? Did I respond to this proclamation? If so, how might I respond better and proclaim it myself? If not, how might I respond and proclaim it in my life? How can I proclaim the Gospel to each person God puts me in contact with? When I found your words, I devoured them; and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, because I bear your name, LORD, God of hosts. Jeremiah 15:16 Write down a 10-15 word descriptive sentence on a piece of paper. Silently tell that sentence to the first person of a group of people. Then ask that person to silently tell the sentence to the next person beside them and so on until each person has heard it. Finally, ask that last person to repeat aloud the sentence they had heard from the second to last person. More than likely it will not match the original sentence written down. However, if you repeat this exercise with yourself checking each person after they are told by the previous person and showing them the written paper and explaining it if necessary, you can be assured that the sentence will be whole and entire when it reaches the last person. This might be an example of how Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition guarded and interpreted by the Magisterium have operated through the centuries of the Church. Digging Deeper We are all called to proclaim Jesus Christ and all that He has revealed. We do this best by what we think, say, and do. First, take on the mind of God. Read the Sacred Scripture in light of the Faith, especially the Sacred Scriptures that will be proclaimed in the approaching Sunday. Think about the things Jesus told His disciples, and the homily you heard at Sunday Mass. Second, don’t be afraid to discuss the Faith with others. Encourage family, classmates, and co-workers with the truth of God’s love for them and all. Stand up for the dignity of all human beings. Finally, don’t be afraid to be seen doing Catholic Christian acts such as praying in public, not working on Sunday, living the morality of the Church, etc. They will know Jesus Christ and those who follow Him by the love we reflect in our thoughts, words, and actions. Let Jesus and His bride, the Church, consume you as St. Therese of Lisieux (above) did and pass it on! About the Author:
About the Author
View a reading of the chapter's faith story by Immaculate Conception Catholic School, Columbia IL
Nugget*
Quick Reflection*
Commentary*
Questions to Ponder and Discuss*
Prayer Intentions*
Family Connection
Digging Deeper
Chapter Nugget:
Ah! in spite of my littleness, I would like to enlighten souls as did the Prophets and the Doctors. I have the vocation of the Apostle. I would like to travel over the whole earth to preach Your Name and to plant Your glorious Cross on infidel soil. But 0 my Beloved, one mission alone would not be sufficient for me, I would want to preach the Gospel on all the five continents simultaneously and even to the most remote isles. I would be a missionary, not for a few years only but from the beginning of creation until the consummation of the ages.
SUMMARY
Discussion Questions
1. What are you certain about in life? How do you know this for certain? Why are you certain? If you are not certain about anything, do you think God would want us to be this way?
EXERCISE AND EXAMPLE:
Living as a Catholic Christian
Hello, my name is Father Robert Zwilling. I am from the area growing up on a grain and livestock farm 12 miles northeast of Olney. I'm the youngest of 11 children, and have always treasured and given thanks for the blessings that my parents have given me being born in a large family. Attending Catholic School, I started thinking about the priesthood when my father first told me in eighth grade that he thought I would make a good priest. After two years of community college and further discernment through retreats and prayer, I went on to seminary to study to become a priest. After spending seven years in Chicago, I was ordained a priest and have served one year at St. Mary Parish in Mount Vernon and four years as the Parish Priest of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Radom and St. Barbara Parish in Scheller. I was blessed to serve the grade schools at those parishes over the years. I am currently blessed to serve as the Pastor of St. Theresa School and Parish in Salem and at St. Elizabeth Parish in Kinmundy.
