308. Christian hope unfolds … in the proclamation of the beatitudes.

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 308

Ave Maria series

What is hope?

Hope is the power by which we firmly and constantly long for what we were placed on earth to do: to praise God and to serve him; and for our true happiness, which is finding our fulfillment in God; and for our final home: in God.  [1817-1821, 1843]

The Sermon on the Mount. “The beatitudes raise our hope toward heaven as the new Promised Land.”…..308

Hope is trusting in what God has promised us in creation, in the prophets, but especially in Jesus Christ, even though we do not see it.  God’s Holy Spirit is given to us so that we can patiently hope for the Truth. 1-3

“Glory means good report with God, response, acknowledgement and welcome into the heart of things. The door on which we have been knocking all our lives will open at last.”  C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.”  Romans 8:26

[1817-1821, 1843]

Hope

1817Hope 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. "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful."(Hebrews 10:23.)⁸⁴ "The Holy Spirit . . . he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life."(Titus 3:6-7.)⁸⁵–Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

1818The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man; it takes up the hopes that inspire men's activities and purifies them so as to order them to the Kingdom of heaven; it keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude. Buoyed up by hope, he is preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that flows from charity. --CCC

1819 Christian hope takes up and fulfills the hope of the chosen people which has its origin and model in the hope of Abraham, who was blessed abundantly by the promises of God fulfilled in Isaac, and who was purified by the test of the sacrifice.(Compare Genesis 17:4-8; Gen 22:1-18.)⁸⁶ "Hoping against hope, he believed, and thus became the father of many nations."(Romans 4:18.)⁸⁷–CCC

1820 Christian hope unfolds from the beginning of Jesus' preaching in the proclamation of the beatitudes. The beatitudes raise our hope toward heaven as the new Promised Land; they trace the path that leads through the trials that await the disciples of Jesus. But through the merits of Jesus Christ and of his Passion, God keeps us in the "hope that does not disappoint."(Romans 5:5.)⁸⁸ Hope is the "sure and steadfast anchor of the soul . . . that enters . . . where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf."(Hebrews 6:19-20.)⁸⁹ Hope is also a weapon that protects us in the struggle of salvation: "Let us . . . put on the breastplate of faith and charity, and for a helmet the hope of salvation."(1 Thessalonians 5:8.)⁹⁰ It affords us joy even under trial: "Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation."(Romans 12:12.)⁹¹ Hope is expressed and nourished in prayer, especially in the Our Father, the summary of everything that hope leads us to desire. –CCC

1821 We can therefore hope in the glory of heaven promised by God to those who love him and do his will.(Compare Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 7:21.)⁹² In every circumstance, each one of us should hope, with thegrace of God, to persevere "to the end"(Matthew 10:22; compare Council of Trent: Denzinger-Schonmetzer 1541.)⁹³ and to obtain the joy of heaven, as God's eternal reward for the good works accomplished with the grace of Christ. In hope, the Church prays for "all men to be saved."(1 Tim 2:4.)⁹⁴ She longs to be united with Christ, her Bridegroom, in the glory of heaven:–CCC

Hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience makes doubtful what is certain, and turns a very short time into a long one. Dream that the more you struggle, the more you prove the love that you bear your God, and the more you will rejoice one day with your Beloved, in a happiness and rapture that can never end.(St. Teresa of Avila, Excl. 15:3.)⁹⁵ –CCC

IN BRIEF

1843 By hope we desire, and with steadfast trust await from God, eternal life and the graces to merit it. –CCC

JT  Beatitudes Sermon On The Mount

307. Faith

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 307

Ave Maria series

What is faith?

Faith is the power by which we assent to God, acknowledge his truth, and commit ourselves personally to him.  [1814-1816, 1842]

Christ carrying the cross as portrayed by El Greco, 1580. 

“Today bring to Me all devout and faithful souls and immerse them in the ocean of My Mercy.  These souls brought Me consolation on the Way of the Cross.  They were that drop of consolation in the midst of an ocean of bitterness.”  -- Novena to the Divine Mercy, Diary 1209, Third day, St. Faustina.…..307

Faith is the path created by God leading to the truth that is God himself.  Because Jesus is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), this faith cannot be merely an attitude or “confidence” about something or other.  On the one hand, the faith has definite contents, which the Church professes in the Creed (=profession of faith), and it is her duty to safeguard them.  Anyone who wants to accept the gift of faith, in other words, anyone who wants to believe, acknowledges this faith, which has been preserved constantly through the ages and in many different cultures. On the other hand, part of faith is a trusting relationship to God with heart and mind, with all one’s emotional strength, for faith becomes effective only through charity, practical love (see Galatians 5:6).  Whether someone really believes in the God of love is shown, not in his solemn affirmations, but rather in charitable deeds.

“He who says ‘I know him’ but disobeys his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”  1 John 2:4

“Every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 10:32

[1814-1816, 1842]

THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES

Faith

1814 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. By faith "man freely commits his entire self to God."(Dei Verbum 5.)⁷⁸ For this reason the believer seeks to know and do God's will. "The righteous shall live by faith." Living faith "work[s] through charity."(Romans 1:17; Galatians 5:6.)⁷⁹–Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

1815 The gift of faith remains in one who has not sinned against it.(Compare Council of Trent (1547): Denzinger-Schonmetzer 1545)⁸⁰ But "faith apart from works is dead"(James 2:26)⁸¹ when it is deprived of hope and love, faith does not fully unite the believer to Christ and does not make him a living member of his Body. --CCC

1816 The disciple of Christ must not only keep the faith and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it: "All however must be prepared to confess Christ before men and to follow him along the way of the Cross, amidst the persecutions which the Church never lacks."(Lumen Gentium 42; compare Dignitatis Humanae 14.)⁸² Service of and witness to the faith are necessary for salvation: "So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven."(Matthew 10:32-33.)⁸³ --CCC

IN BRIEF

1842 By faith, we believe in God and believe all that he has revealed to us and that Holy Church proposes for our belief. –CCC

JP  Christ carrying the cross

306. Faith, hope and charity

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 306

Ave Maria series

Why are faith, hope, and charity virtues?

Faith, hope, and charity are genuine powers—bestowed by God, of course—that a person can develop and consolidate with the grace of God so as to obtain “the abundant life” (seeJohn 10:10).  [1812-1813, 1840-1841]

My paternal grandmother Sarah Cordelia Bragg. Sarah converted to Catholicism in 1876 at the age of 16. Grandma had a combined chicken and rabbit barn dug into the ground to protect the animals from harsh winters. As a child I looked forward to helping her tend the animals and gather chicken eggs on family visits. In so many ways, in my memories of times past "there abides faith, hope and love", as St. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 13.…..360

 [1812-1813, 1840-1841]

THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES

1812 The human virtues are rooted in the theological virtues, which adapt man's faculties for participation in the divine nature (Compare 2 Pet 1:4.)⁷⁶ for the theological virtues relate directly to God. They dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. They have the One and Triune God for their origin, motive, and object. –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

1813 The theological virtues are the foundation of Christian moral activity; they animate it and give it its special character. They inform and give life to all the moral virtues. They are infused by God into the souls of the faithful to make them capable of acting as his children and of meriting eternal life. They are the pledge of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the faculties of the human being. There are three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity. (Compare 1 Cor 13:13..)⁷⁷–CCC

IN BRIEF

1840 The theological virtues dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. They have God for their origin, their motive, and their object - God known by faith, God hoped in and loved for his own sake. –CCC

1841 There are three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity. They inform all the moral virtues and give life to them. –CCC

People  Cordelia Sarah Bragg

305. Faith, Hope and Charity

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 305

Ave Maria seriesWhat are the three supernatural virtues?

The supernatural virtues are faith, hope, and charity.  They are called “supernatural” because they have their foundation in God, are directly related to God, and are for us men the way by which we can reach God directly. [1812-1813, 1840]

The old abbey church at Saint John’s University, Collegeville, MN.   In large gold letters arched over the sanctuary were these words (in Latin) “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” While a student there, I would read them again and again.  Those words have remained central to my faith amid the turmoil and contradictions of secular life in the world around us.…..305

[1812-1813, 1840]

THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES

1812  The human virtues are rooted in the theological virtues, which adapt man's faculties for participation in the divine nature (Compare 2 Pet 1:4.)⁷⁶ for the theological virtues relate directly to God. They dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. They have the One and Triune God for their origin, motive, and object. --Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

1813  The theological virtues are the foundation of Christian moral activity; they animate it and give it its special character. They inform and give life to all the moral virtues. They are infused by God into the souls of the faithful to make them capable of acting as his children and of meriting eternal life. They are the pledge of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the faculties of the human being. There are three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity.(Compare 1 Cor 13:13.)⁷⁷–CCC

IN BRIEF

1840  The theological virtues dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. They have God for their origin, their motive, and their object - God known by faith, God hoped in and loved for his own sake. –CCC

Church  Saint John  Collegeville

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 24,2019

 

As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 24,2019
Lectionary: 81

 

Reading 1   1 SAMUEL 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23

In those days, Saul went down to the desert of Ziph with three thousand picked men of Israel,
to search for David in the desert of Ziph.  So David and Abishai went among Saul’s soldiers by night
and found Saul lying asleep within the barricade,with his spear thrust into the ground at his head
and Abner and his men sleeping around him.

Abishai whispered to David:“God has delivered your enemy into your grasp this day.  Let me nail him to the ground with one thrust of the spear;I will not need a second thrust!”  But David said to Abishai, “Do not harm him,for who can lay hands on the LORD’s anointed and remain unpunished?”  So David took the spear and the water jug from their place at Saul’s head,and they got away without anyone’s seeing or knowing or awakening.  All remained asleep, because the LORD had put them into a deep slumber.

Going across to an opposite slope,David stood on a remote hilltopat a great distance from Abner, son of Ner, and the troops. He said: “Here is the king’s spear.  Let an attendant come over to get it. The LORD will reward each man for his justice and faithfulness.  Today, though the LORD delivered you into my grasp,  I would not harm the LORD’s anointed.”

 

Responsorial Psalm   PSALM 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13

R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.

Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.

R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

He pardons all your iniquities,
heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
crowns you with kindness and compassion.

R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.

R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.

R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

 

Reading 2  1 CORINTHIANS 15:45-49

Brothers and sisters:  It is written, The first man, Adam, became a living being, the last Adam a life-giving spirit. But the spiritual was not first; rather the natural and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, earthly; the second man, from heaven.  As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly, and as is the heavenly one,  so also are the heavenly.  Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.

Alleluia   JOHN 13:34

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I give you a new commandment, says the Lord:
love one another as I have loved you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel  LUKE 6:27-38

Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say,love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well,and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic.  Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.  Do to others as you would have them do to you.  For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  Even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you,what credit is that to you?  Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?  Even sinners lend to sinners,and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

“Stop judging and you will not be judged.  Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.  Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give, and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” 

Nature  Rainbows often have