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Also See:
Advent (Topic Page)
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"Four
thousand years of expectation preceded that coming [of the
Savior], and they are expressed by the four weeks of Advent, which
we must spend before we come to the glorious festivity of our
Lord's Nativity." (Dom Gueranger)
"The
name Advent [from the Latin word 'Adventus', a coming] is applied,
in the Latin Church, to that period of the year, during which the
Church requires the faithful to prepare for the celebration of the
feast of Christmas, the anniversary of the birth of Jesus
Christ." (Dom Gueranger)
Also
See: Incarnation
& Nativity of Christ / Christmas | Traditional
Prayers & Practices
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"I
proclaim that the liberty of the human will was not destroyed but
enfeebled and weakened, and that he who is saved, was tried; and
he who perished, could have been saved." (Council of Arles,
Letter of Submission of Lucidus, c. 475 A.D.)
Also
See: Now
is the Time for Repentance | Now
is the Time for Mercy | Judgment
| Salvation
| Hell
/ Eternal Damnation
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Also See:
Angels (Topic Page)
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"Angels
are bodiless spirits created to adore and enjoy God in
heaven." (Baltimore Catechism)
"The
whole air about us is filled with angels." (St. John
Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church)
"Our
Guardian Angels are our most faithful friends, because they are
with us day and night, always and everywhere. We ought to often
invoke them." (St. John Vianney)
"Since
God often sends us inspirations by means of His angels, we should
frequently return on aspirations to Him by means of the same
messengers." (St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church)
"So
valuable to heaven is the dignity of the human soul that every
member of the human race has a guardian angel from the moment the
person begins to be." (St. Jerome, Doctor of the Church)
"God
appointed guardian Angels to secure for us their help and prayers,
and also to show his great love for us in giving us these special
servants and faithful friends." (Baltimore Catechism)
"When
tempted, invoke your angel. He is more eager to help you than you
are to be helped! Ignore the devil and do not be afraid of him: He
trembles and flees at the sight of your guardian angel." (St.
John Bosco)
"All
the Angels are not equal in dignity. There are nine choirs or
classes mentioned in the Holy Scripture. The highest are called
Seraphim and the lowest simply Angels. The Archangels are one
class higher than ordinary Angels." (Baltimore Catechism)
"It
is moreover manifest that as regards things to be done human
knowledge and affection can vary and fail from good in many ways;
and so it was necessary that angels should be deputed for the
guardianship of men, in order to regulate them and move them to
good." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"For
the name Seraphim is found in Isaiah 6:2; the name Cherubim in
Ezekiel (Ezekiel 10:15,20); Thrones in Colossians 1:16;
Dominations, Virtues, Powers, and Principalities are mentioned in
Ephesians 1:21; the name Archangels in the canonical epistle of
Saint Jude (Jude 1:9), and the name Angels is found in many places
of Scripture...in the names of the angelic orders it is necessary
to observe that the proper name of each order expresses its
property." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"As
men depart from the natural instinct of good by reason of a sinful
passion, so also do they depart from the instigation of the good
angels, which takes place invisibly when they enlighten man that
he may do what is right. Hence that men perish is not to be
imputed to the negligence of the angels but to the malice of men.
That they sometimes appear to men visibly outside the ordinary
course of nature comes from a special grace of God, as likewise
that miracles occur outside the order of nature." (St. Thomas
Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the
history of the Church")
"By
God's providence Angels have been entrusted with the office of
guarding the human race and of accompanying every human being so
as to preserve him from any serious dangers. Just as parents,
whose children are about to travel a dangerous and infested road,
appoint guardians and helpers for them, so also in the journey we
are making towards our heavenly country our heavenly Father has
placed over each of us an Angel under whose protection and
vigilance we may be enabled to escape the snares secretly prepared
by our enemy, repel the dreadful attacks he makes on us, and under
his guiding hand keep the right road, and thus be secure against
all false steps which the wiles of the evil one might cause us to
make in order to draw us aside from the path that leads to
heaven." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)
"Let
us then first examine the reason for the ordering [of the angelic
degrees] of Dionysius, in which we see, that,...the highest
hierarchy contemplates the ideas of things in God Himself; the
second in the universal causes; and third in their application to
particular effects. And because God is the end not only of the
angelic ministrations, but also of the whole creation, it belongs
to the first hierarchy to consider the end; to the middle one
belongs the universal disposition of what is to be done; and to
the last belongs the application of this disposition to the
effect, which is the carrying out of the work; for it is clear
that these three things exist in every kind of operation. So
Dionysius, considering the properties of the orders as derived
from their names, places in the first hierarchy those orders the
names of which are taken from their relation to God, the Seraphim,
Cherubim, and Thrones; and he places in the middle hierarchy those
orders whose names denote a certain kind of common government or
disposition - the Dominations, Virtues, and Powers; and he places
in the third hierarchy the orders whose names denote the execution
of the work, the Principalities, Angels, and Archangels. As
regards the end, three things may be considered. For firstly we
consider the end; then we acquire perfect knowledge of the end;
thirdly, we fix our intention on the end; of which the second is
an addition to the first, and the third an addition to both. And
because God is the end of creatures, as the leader is the end of
an army, as the Philosopher says (De Metaphysica xii); so a
somewhat similar order may be seen in human affairs. For there are
some who enjoy the dignity of being able with familiarity to
approach the king or leader; others in addition are privileged to
know his secrets; and others above these ever abide with him, in a
close union. According to this similitude, we can understand the
disposition in the orders of the first hierarchy; for the Thrones
are raised up so as to be the familiar recipients of God in
themselves, in the sense of knowing immediately the types of
things in Himself; and this is proper to the whole of the first
hierarchy. The Cherubim know the Divine secrets supereminently;
and the Seraphim excel in what is the supreme excellence of all,
in being united to God Himself; and all this in such a manner that
the whole of this hierarchy can be called the Thrones; as, from
what is common to all the heavenly spirits together, they are all
called Angels... The disposition of the orders which is mentioned
by Gregory is also reasonable. For since the Dominations appoint
and order what belongs to the Divine ministrations, the orders
subject to them are arranged according to the disposition of those
things in which the Divine ministrations are effected. Still, as
Augustine says (De Trinitate iii), 'bodies are ruled in a certain
order; the inferior by the superior; and all of them by the
spiritual creature, and the bad spirit by the good spirit.' So the
first order after the Dominations is called that of
Principalities, who rule even over good spirits; then the Powers,
who coerce the evil spirits; even as evil-doers are coerced by
earthly powers, as it is written (Romans 13:3,4). After these come
the Virtues, which have power over corporeal nature in the working
of miracles; after these are the Angels and the Archangels, who
announce to men either great things above reason, or small things
within the purview of reason... A careful comparison will show
that little or no difference exists in reality between the
dispositions of the orders according to Dionysius and
Gregory." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
Also
See: Heaven
| Angels
(Announcements Reflections) | Announcing
Angels (Announcements Reflections) | Guardian
Angels (Announcements Reflections) | Angels
(Topical Scripture)
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"For
since faith is the first foundation of things to be hoped for, and
since, without faith it is 'impossible to please God'; when once
faith is removed, man retains nothing that may be useful for the
obtaining of eternal salvation, for which reason it is written
(Proverbs 6:12): 'A man that is an apostate, an unprofitable man':
because faith is the life of the soul, according to Romans 1:17:
'The just man liveth by faith.' Therefore, just as when the life
of the body is taken away, man's every member and part loses its
due disposition, so when the life of justice, which is by faith,
is done away, disorder appears in all his members. First, in his
mouth, whereby chiefly his mind stands revealed; secondly, in his
eyes; thirdly, in the instrument of movement; fourthly, in his
will, which tends to evil. The result is that 'he sows discord,'
endeavoring to sever others from the faith even as he severed
himself." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"Apostasy
denotes a backsliding from God. This may happen in various ways
according to the different kinds of union between man and God.
For, in the first place, man is united to God by faith; secondly,
by having his will duly submissive in obeying His commandments;
thirdly, by certain special things pertaining to supererogation
such as the religious life, the clerical state, or Holy Orders.
Now if that which follows be removed, that which precedes,
remains, but the converse does not hold. Accordingly a man may
apostatize from God, by withdrawing from the religious life to
which he was bound by profession, or from the Holy Order which he
had received: and this is called apostasy from religious life or
Orders. A man may also apostatize from God, by rebelling in his
mind against the Divine commandments: and though man may
apostatize in both the above ways, he may still remain united to
God by faith. But if he give up the faith, then he seems to turn
away from God altogether: and consequently, apostasy simply and
absolutely is that whereby a man withdraws from the faith, and is
called apostasy of perfidy. In this way apostasy, simply so
called, pertains to unbelief... Now apostasy regards unbelief as
the term whereto of the movement of withdrawal from the faith;
wherefore apostasy does not imply a special kind of unbelief, but
an aggravating circumstance thereof, according to 2 Peter 2:21:
'It had been better for them not to know the truth, than after
they had known it, to turn back.'" (St. Thomas Aquinas,
Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history
of the Church")
Also
See: Those
Outside the Church (Coming Home Reflections) | Faith
| Schism
/ Heresy
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"Whoever,
then, proposes to enlist, under the standard of Christ, must first
of all, enter into a sacred and solemn engagement to renounce the
devil and the world, and always to hold them in utter detestation
as his worst enemies." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)
"Can.
788 §2 By formation and their first steps in Christian living,
catechumens are to be initiated into the mysteries of salvation,
and introduced into the life of faith, liturgy and charity of the
people of God, as well as into the apostolate." (1983 Code of
Canon Law)
"Can.
789 By means of appropriate formation, neophytes are to be led to
a deeper knowledge of the Gospel truths, and to the fulfillment of
the duties undertaken in baptism. They are also to be imbued with
a sincere love of Christ and his Church." (1983 Code of Canon
Law)
"Can.
788 §1 Those who have expressed the wish to embrace faith in
Christ, and who have completed the period of their preliminary
catechumenate, are to be admitted to the catechumenate proper in a
liturgical ceremony; and their names are to be inscribed in the
book which is kept for this purpose." (1983 Code of Canon
Law)
"The
task of the catechist is to take up one or other of the truths of
faith or of Christian morality and then explain it in all its
parts; and since amendment of life is the chief aim of his
instruction, the catechist must needs make a comparison between
what God commands us to do and what is our actual conduct. After
this, he will use examples appropriately taken from the Holy
Scriptures, Church history, and the lives of the saints - thus
moving his hearers and clearly pointing out to them how they are
to regulate their own conduct. He should, in conclusion, earnestly
exhort all present to dread and avoid vice and to practice
virtue." (Pope St. Pius X, "Acerbo Nimis", 1905
A.D.)
Also
See: Duties
of Catholics | Catholic
Church / Catholic Faith / Catholics | Sacraments
Section | Selections
from the Baltimore Catechism | Education
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"A
soul that is united with God must be prepared for great and
hard-fought battles." (St. Faustina Kowalska)
"Confirmation
is a Sacrament through which we receive the Holy Ghost to make us
strong and perfect Christians and soldiers of Jesus Christ."
(Baltimore Catechism)
"We
are called soldiers of Jesus Christ to indicate how we must resist
the attacks of our spiritual enemies and secure our victory over
them by following and obeying Our Lord." (Baltimore
Catechism)
"Spiritual
warfare lasts until the last moment of life. The call of Jesus to
be 'vigilant' and 'prayerful' concerns everyone, even the saints.
Only those who persevere until the end will be saved (Mt. 10:22).
It is not very useful for you to have won the initial battles, if
in the end you become lukewarm and then surrender." (Fr.
Fanzaga)
"For
although the enemy's weapons may be powerful, nonetheless these
weapons of the Savior are stronger. If anyone is armed with them,
even though he appear defenseless in the eyes of human beings, he
is nonetheless adequately armed because the most high Divinity is
guarding him." (St. Maximus of Turin)
"Christianity
is a warfare, and Christians are spiritual soldiers. In its
beginning, our faith was planted in the poverty, infamy,
persecution, and death of Christ; in its progress, it was watered
by the blood of God's saints; and it cannot come to the full
growth unless it be fostered with the showers of the martyrs'
blood." (St. Robert Southwell)
"It
is evident that no one can terrify us or hold us in servitude, who
have believed in Jesus over all the earth. For, though beheaded
and crucified and thrown to the beasts and in chains and fire and
subjected to all the other tortures, we do not give up our
confession. On the contrary, the more do such things happen, the
more do others in greater numbers become faithful
worshipers of God through the name of Jesus. Just as with the
vine, when someone cuts away the fruit-bearing parts it grows up
again and puts forth other branches both flourishing and fruitful
- it happens in the same way with us." (St. Justin the
Martyr, c. 155 A.D.)
"In
the language of the Church, fortitude has not the meaning it has
in the language of the world. Fortitude, as the world understands
it, is undertaking great things; according to the Church, it goes
not beyond suffering every sort of trial, and there it stops.
Listen to the words of St. Paul: 'Ye have not yet resisted unto
blood'; as though he would say: 'You have not yet gone the whole
length of your duty, because you have not resisted your enemies
unto blood.' He does not say, 'You have not attacked your enemies
and shed their blood', but 'Your resistance to your enemies has
not yet cost you your blood.'" (Bossuet, as quoted by Dom
Gueranger)
"By
the infinite goodness of God man lived again to the hope of an
immortal life, from which he had been cut off, but he cannot
attain to it if he strives not to walk in the very footsteps of
Christ and conform his mind to Christ's by the meditation of
Christ's example. Therefore this is not a counsel but a duty, and
it is the duty, not of those only who desire a more perfect life,
but clearly of every man 'always bearing about in our body the
mortification of Jesus.' How otherwise could the natural law,
commanding man to live virtuously, be kept? For by holy baptism
the sin which we contracted at birth is destroyed, but the evil
and tortuous roots of sin, which sin has engrafted, [is] by no
means removed. This part of man which is without reason - although
it cannot beat those who fight manfully by Christ's grace -
nevertheless struggles with reason for supremacy, clouds the
whole soul and tyrannically bends the will from virtue with such
power that we cannot escape vice or do our duty except by a daily
struggle." (Pope Leo XIII, "Exeunte Iam Anno", 1888
A.D.)
"For
although by Our Redeemer's grace human nature hath been
regenerated, still there remains in each individual a certain
debility and tendency to evil. Various natural appetites attract
man on one side and the other; the allurements of the material
world impel his soul to follow after what is pleasant rather than
the law of Christ. Still we must strive our best and resist our
natural inclinations with all our strength 'unto the obedience of
Christ.' For unless they obey reason they become our masters, and
carrying the whole man away from Christ, make him their slave.
'Men of corrupt mind, who have made shipwreck of the faith, cannot
help being slaves... They are slaves to a threefold concupiscence:
of will, of pride, or of outward show' (St. Augustine, De Vera
Religione, 37). In this contest every man must be prepared to
undergo hardships and troubles for Christ's sake. It is difficult
to reject what so powerfully entices and delights. It is hard and
painful to despise the supposed goods of the senses and of fortune
for the will and precepts of Christ our Lord. But the Christian is
absolutely obliged to be firm, and patient in suffering, if he
wish to lead a Christian life." (Pope Leo XIII, "Tametsi
Futura Prospicientibus", 1900 A.D.)
Also
See: Concupiscence
| Mortification
| Perseverance
| Confirmation
(Sacraments Reflections) | Confirmation
(Sacraments Section) | Suffering
& Death
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"With such planters,
waterers, builders, shepherds, and
fosterers the holy Church grew after the time of the
apostles."
(St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church, c. 421 A.D.)
"We
must most studiously investigate and follow this ancient agreement
of the holy fathers...only those opinions of the fathers are to be
brought forward which were expressed by those who lived, taught,
and preserved wisely and constantly in the holy Catholic faith and
communion, and who merited either to die faithfully in Christ or
to be killed gloriously for Christ. Those men, moreover, are to be
believed, in accord with the rule that only that is to be held as
undoubted, certain, and valid, which either all or most of them
have confirmed by receiving, holding, and handing on in one and
the same sense, manifestly, frequently, and persistently, as if by
a council of teachers in mutual agreement. But whatever was
thought outside of or even against the opinion of all, although it
be by a holy and learned man, or although by a confessor and
martyr, must be removed from the authority of the common and
public and general opinion, as being among his personal and
peculiar and private views. In this way we shall not, as is the
sacrilegious custom of heretics and schismatics, reject the
ancient truth of universal dogma, to pursue, with great danger to
our eternal salvation, the novel error of one man." (St. Vincent of
Lerins, c. 434 A.D.)
Also
See: Saints Section
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Also See:
Ten
Commandments (Topic Page)
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"We
show that we love God above all things by keeping His commandments
and by never offending Him for any person or thing."
(Baltimore Catechism)
"God's
commandment is never detached from his love: it is always a gift
meant for man's growth and joy." (Pope John Paul II, 1995)
"If
any one saith, that the commandments of God are, even for one that
is justified and constituted in grace, impossible to keep; let him
be anathema." (Council of Trent)
"How
mistaken is he who toils on Sunday with an idea that he is making
more money or doing more work. Nothing can ever compensate for the
injury one does to oneself by breaking the law of God." (St.
John Vianney)
"Our
Lord did not say, 'If thou wilt enter into life, keep one
commandment'; but keep all 'the commandments'" (St. Thomas
Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the
history of the Church")
"The
commandments of the Church are also commands of God, because they
are made by His Authority, and we are bound under pain of sin to
observe them." (Baltimore Catechism)
"[T]o
be disobedient to the commandments of God is a mortal sin, because
it is contrary to the love of God." (St. Thomas Aquinas,
Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history
of the Church")
"The
commandments of God are the guides which God gives us to show us
the road to Heaven; like the names written up at the corners of
the streets, to point out the way." (St. John Vianney)
"If
any one saith, that nothing besides faith is commanded in the
Gospel; that other things are indifferent, neither commanded nor
prohibited, but free; or, that the ten commandments nowise
appertain to Christians; let him be anathema." (Council of
Trent)
"These
two Commandments of the love of God and of our neighbor contain
the whole law of God because all the other Commandments are given
either to help us to keep these two, or to direct us how to shun
what is opposed to them." (Baltimore Catechism)
"Accordingly
we read also (1 John 5:3) that 'His commandments are not heavy':
which words Augustine expounds by saying that 'they are not heavy
to the man that loveth; whereas they are a burden to him that
loveth not.'" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"If
any one saith, that the man who is justified and how perfect
soever, is not bound to observe the commandments of God and of the
Church, but only to believe; as if indeed the Gospel were a bare
and absolute promise of eternal life, without the condition of
observing the commandments; let him be anathema." (Council of
Trent)
"Though
man is not always bound to will what God wills, yet he is always
bound to will what God wills him to will. This comes to man's
knowledge chiefly through God's command, wherefore man is bound to
obey God's commands in all things." (St. Thomas Aquinas,
Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history
of the Church")
"As
any one can see, who reads carefully the story of the Old
Testament, the common weal of the people prospered under the Law
as long as they obeyed it; and as soon as they departed from the
precepts of the Law they were overtaken by many calamities."
(St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest
theologian in the history of the Church")
"The
Commandments, written on two tables of stone, were given to Moses
in the midst of fire and smoke, thunder and lightening, from which
God spoke to him on the mountain, about fifty days after the
Israelites were delivered from the bondage of Egypt and while they
were on their journey through the desert to the Promised
Land." (Baltimore Catechism)
"The
commandments of God are these ten: 1) I am the Lord thy God. Thou
shalt not have strange gods before Me, 2) Thou shalt not take the
name of the Lord thy God in vain, 3) Remember though keep holy the
Sabbath day, 4) Honor thy father and thy mother, 5) Thou shalt not
kill, 6) Thou shalt not commit adultery, 7) Thou shalt not steal,
8) Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor, 9) Thou
shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, and 10) Thou shalt not covet
thy neighbor's goods." (Baltimore Catechism)
"It
is easy to conjecture that men are afflicted with heavy calamities
because they violate this [second] Commandment; and if these
things are called to their attention, it is likely that they will
be more careful for the future. Deterred, therefore, by a holy
dread, the faithful should use every exertion to avoid this sin.
If for every idle word that men shall speak, they shall render an
account on the day of judgment, what shall we say of those heinous
crimes which involve great contempt of the divine name?"
(Catechism of the Council of Trent)
"God's
commandments teach us the way of life. The negative moral
precepts, which declare that the choice of certain actions is
morally unacceptable, have an absolute value for human freedom:
they are valid always and everywhere, without exception. They make
it clear that the choice of certain ways of acting is radically
incompatible with the love of God and with the dignity of the
person created in his image. Such choices cannot be redeemed by
the goodness of any intention or of any consequence; they are
irrevocably opposed to the bond between persons; they contradict
the fundamental decision to direct one's life to God." (Pope
John
Paul II, 1995)
"But
no one, how much soever justified, ought to think himself exempt
from the observance of the commandments; no one ought to make use
of that rash saying, one prohibited by the Fathers under an
anathema, - that the observance of the commandments of God is
impossible for one that is justified. For God commands not
impossibilities, but, by commanding, both admonishes thee to do
what thou are able, and to pray for what thou art not able (to
do), and aids thee that thou mayest be able; whose commandments
are not heavy; whose yoke is sweet and whose burden light. For,
whoso are the sons of God, love Christ; but they who love him,
keep his commandments, as Himself testifies; which, assuredly,
with the divine help, they can do." (Council of Trent)
Also
See: The
Commandments | Precepts
of the Church | Love
/ Charity | Sin
| Mortal
Sin | Confession
/ Penance (Sacraments Reflections) | Confession
/ Penance (Sacraments Section)
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Also See:
Saints (Topic Page)
|
"The
communion of the members of the Church is called the communion of
saints." (Baltimore Catechism)
"We
believe that the saints will help us because both they and we are
members of the same Church, and they love us as their
brethren." (Baltimore Catechism)
"The
communion of saints means the union which exists between the
members of the Church on earth with one another, and with the
blessed in heaven and with the suffering souls in purgatory."
(Baltimore Catechism)
"For
the Communion of Saints, as everyone knows, is nothing but the
mutual communication of help, expiation, prayers, blessings, among
all the faithful, who, whether they have already attained to the
heavenly country, or are detained in the purgatorial fire, or are
yet exiles here on earth, all enjoy the common franchise of that
city whereof Christ is the head, and the constitution is charity.
For faith teaches us, that although the venerable [Eucharistic]
Sacrifice may be lawfully offered to God alone, yet it may be
celebrated in honor of the saints reigning in heaven with God Who
has crowned them, in order that we may gain for ourselves their
patronage. And it may also be offered - in accordance with an
apostolic tradition - for the purpose of expiating the sins of
those of the brethren who, having died in the Lord, have not yet
fully paid the penalty of their transgressions." (Pope Leo
XIII, "Mirae Caritatis", 1902 A.D.)
Also
See: Heaven
| Purgatory
| Indulgences
| Treasury
of the Church | The
Catholic Church | Saints Section | Saints
Section Reflections | Sacraments
Section
Note:
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"[C]oncupiscence does not constitute sin" (Catechism
of the Council of Trent)
"For concupiscence which is the effect of sin is nothing
more than an appetite of the soul in itself repugnant to
reason." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)
"This
strong inclination to evil is called concupiscence, and God
permits it to remain in us that by His grace we may resist it and
thus increase our merits." (Baltimore Catechism)
"[C]oncupiscence,
if indulged, gathers strength...by resisting concupiscence we
moderate it according to the demands of virtue." (St. Thomas
Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the
history of the Church")
"This concupiscence, which
the apostle sometimes calls sin, the holy Synod declares that the
Catholic Church has never understood it to be called sin, as being
truly and properly sin in those born again [that is, baptized], but because it is of
sin, and inclines to sin." (Council of Trent)
"No
one, not even he who has been renewed by the grace of baptism, has
sufficient strength to overcome the snares of the devil, and to
vanquish the concupiscence of the flesh, unless he obtains help
from God each day to persevere in a good life." (Indiculus,
c. 435 - 442)
"Concupiscence is ever
striving to make our soul a slave to the body; and in order to
escape this tyranny, our life has to be one continual struggle. An
unruly love for independence is unceasingly making us desire to be
our own masters, and forget that we were born to obey. We find
pleasure in sin, whereas virtue rewards us with nothing in this
life, save the consciousness of our having done our duty."
(Dom Gueranger)
"No
one even after having been restored by the grace of baptism is
capable of overcoming the snares of the devil and subduing the
concupiscences of the flesh, unless he has received through the
daily help of God the perseverance of the good way of life. The
doctrine of the same high-priest confirms this in the same letter,
declaring: 'For although He had redeemed man from his past sins,
nevertheless knowing that he would be able to sin again, He saved
many things for reparation to Himself, offering him daily remedies
by which He might be able to correct him even after those (sins),
and, if we do not struggle relying upon these [remedies] and
trusting in them, we shall by no means be able to conquer human
mistakes. For it is necessary that, as we are victorious with His
aid, we shall again be defeated if He does not help us.'"
(Council of Ephesus, 431 A.D.)
Also
See: Mortification
| Temptations
| Christian Soldiers
| Original
Sin | Sin
| Evil
/ Satan | Penance
| Perseverance
Note:
Categories are subjective and may overlap. For more items related
to this topic, please review all applicable categories. For more
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Also See:
Pro-Life (Topic Page)
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"God
is the Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things."
(Baltimore Catechism)
"Everything
that exists except God Himself has been created." (Baltimore
Catechism)
"God
created all things for His own glory and for their or our
good." (Baltimore Catechism)
"God
created heaven and earth from nothing by His word only; that is,
by a single act of His all-powerful will." (Baltimore
Catechism)
"[L]ife
is God's gift to man" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the
Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the
Church")
"If
anyone is so bold as to assert that there exists nothing besides
matter: let him be anathema." (First Vatican Council)
"Making
means bringing forth or forming out of some material already
existing, as workmen do. Creating means bringing forth out of
nothing, as God alone can do." (Baltimore Catechism)
"If,
dearly beloved, we comprehend faithfully and wisely the beginning
of our creation, we shall find that man was made in God's image,
to the end that he might imitate his Creator, and that our race
attains its highest natural dignity, by the form of the Divine
goodness being reflected in us, as in a mirror." (Pope St.
Leo the Great, Doctor of the Church)
"If
anyone does not confess that the world and all things which are
contained in it, both spiritual and material, were produced,
according to their whole substance, out of nothing by God; or
holds that God did not create by his will free from all necessity,
but as necessarily as he necessarily loves himself; or denies that
the world was created for the glory of God: let him be
anathema." (First Vatican Council)
"If
anyone says that finite things, both corporal and spiritual, or at
any rate, spiritual, emanated from the divine substance; or that
the divine essence, by the manifestation and evolution of itself
becomes all things or, finally, that God is a universal or
indefinite being which by self determination establishes the
totality of things distinct in genera, species and individuals:
let him be anathema." (First Vatican Council)
"If
upon entering a home you saw that everything there was
well-tended, neat and decorative, you would believe that some
master was in charge of it, and that he was himself much superior
to those good things. So too in the home of this world, when you
see providence, order, and law in the heavens and on earth,
believe that there is a Lord and Author of the universe, more
beautiful than the stars themselves and the various parts of the
whole world." (Minucius Felix, 3rd century A.D.)
"And
God made man; He modeled him to the image of God, i.e. of Christ.
Wonderful deed, to fashion this slime of the earth! God seems to
be absorbed in it; He makes it the work of His hand and of His
heart; counsel, wisdom, providence, and above all love, trace the
lines. As He forms each lineament of this clay, He has in mind
Christ who is to become man. This slime of the earth, stamped with
the image of the Christ is to come, is not only God's work, it is
also His pledge." [Tertullian ("an excellent early
Christian writer" - although he would ultimately fall into
heresy), c. 3rd century A.D.]
Also
See: Purpose
of Life | Why
God Created Man (Our Father's Love Reflections)
| Life
(Catholic Life Reflections) | Animals
/ Creation (St. Francis Section Reflections) | Life
/ Life Issues (Catholic Life Reflections) | The
Gift of Life: Life Facts (Catholic Life Section)
Note:
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[top]
Reflections:
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Life (Reflections)
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Home (Reflections)
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Father's Love (Reflections)
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Mass / Catholic Tradition (Reflections)
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Talk Section: 'Favorite Roman Catholic Churches'
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