Sin, Mystery of Evil, Virtues

8/13/2019 Sin, Mystery of Evil, Virtues

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Sin

What is Sin? It is any offense against Godby any thought,

word, deed or omission against the law of God.

Love God- Gods creatures we are called to love God with our

whole being. In the OT, God gave the Israelites a command,

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your

soul, and with all your might. This is centered on doing the

will of God in whatever stage of life we are in. It is the desire

and obligation to do what is right, to center our hearts onGod; it is our call to holiness.

Two Kinds of Sin: Original Sin and Actual Sin.


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SinOriginal Sin

Adam had received original holiness and justice not for himself

alone, but for all human nature. By yielding to the tempter,

Adam and Eve committed apersonal sin, but this sin affected

the human naturethat they would then transmit in a fallenstate. It is a sin which will be transmitted by propagation to all

mankind, that is, by the transmission of a human nature

deprived of original holiness and justice. On account of their

sin Adam and Eve lost sanctifying grace, the right to heaven,

and their special gifts; they became subject to death, disease,

and suffering, and to a strong inclination to evil(concupiscence), and were driven from the Garden of Paradise.

Adam and leave loss their friendship with God, whereas they

used to walk with Him in the garden. Their mind was darkened

(inability to reason clearly) and their will was weakened

(inability to choose to act perfectly). Before the fall, they had

perfect control their passions, but after the fall, they are have

difficulty keeping their passions under control. Before the fall,

they were able to perfectly control their thoughts and

emotions, but not so after the fall. Before the fall, when it

would have been time for them to go to heaven, they would

not have died. Death is a effect of original sin. However, theirnature was not completely corrupt.

John the Baptist was cleansed

of Original Sin while in the

womb of his mother, Elizabeth.

He was born free from sin, but

like us, conceived in sin.


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SinOriginal Sin

Original sin entails "captivity under the power of him

who thenceforth had the power of death, that is, the

devil".The result of the Fall is that all mankind contracted the

guilt and stain of Original Sin, except the Blessed Virgin

Mary, who, through the merits of Her Divine Son was

preserved from original sin and so She was conceivedwithout sin. Mary is The Immaculate Conception.

Through the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus

and through the sacrament of Baptism, Jesus restored

mans friendship with God, opened heaven for us, but

not its effects. Through baptism, we receive sanctifying

grace, we have union with God, share in Gods divine

life, original sin is washed away, personal sin and all

punishment due to sin washed away. We become a child

of God and we are no longer under the power of the evilone. We become a child of God.


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Sin

Actual Sin (Personal Sin)

Sin is the attraction of the soul to follow our own desires and inclinations which,

because of original sin, already tend toward evil, which is concupiscence.

-Humanity can be pulled from God and doing what is right by Satan, who through

temptation lures man away from God.

-Sin wounds and sometimes breaks our relationship with God.

-Sin also wounds us and all sin affects the mystical body of Christ.

-Sin is when we choose to genuinely turn our hearts from love of God and neighbor.

-The choice of self over God is the exact opposite of Jesus obedience to the Father.

-Personal Mortal & Venial sin is forgiven in Confession.

-Venial sins are also forgiven -other ways.

Ignorance of the fact that man has a wounded nature inclined to evil gives rise to

serious errors in the areas of education, politics, social actionand morals. The whole of

man's history has been the story of combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our

Lord tells us, from the very dawn of history until the last day. Finding himself in the

midst of the battlefield man has to struggle to do what is right, and it is at great cost to

himself, and aided by God's grace, that he succeeds in achieving his own innerinte rit .


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Sin

Sin and Grace

-We have the power through our own free will, to bring about our own

destruction, but not bring about our salvation, for which we need Godsgrace.

-We must avoid giving offense to God at all cost, even as some

Christians have done to the point of martyrdom.

-If we fail, we must recognize our sinfulness, beg God for forgivenessespecially through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and to make a firm

purpose of amendment.

The Cross, the Church and the Confessional are the Christs legacies for

each of us to combat sin.


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SinVenial SinActual Sin- any sin that we ourselves commit.

There are two kinds of Actual Sin: Mortal and Venial.

Venial Sin- less grievous than mortal sin, but wounds charity

and wounds our relationship with God, but is not deadly.

-Every Venial Sin Offends God.

-Venial sins weaken our will.

-If the smaller sins are not eradicated, they lead us to vices and create the habit of sin.-A disposition to sin leads to dulling of the conscience and foster an environment thatcan lead us to mortal sin.

-We can lose our sense of sin, but we need to be vigilant, for we know not the day norhour when God will demand a reckoning.

-We should Confess our Sins at least Monthly in Confession.

-Venial sins can be forgiven by a sincere act of repentance or by Holy Water. However,it is best to confess venial sins in Confession regularly, to receive sacramental grace toavoid them.

-We are not required to confess venial sins in Confession, but it is very good if we do.

-Sin is a reality, but God expects us to avoid sin and not offend Him.


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Sin

Mortal Sin

There is sin which is mortal.All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin

which is not mortal (1 Jn 5:16-17)

Mortal Sin- Grievous offense against God. It is called mortal because it

kills the supernatural life of the soul and makes the soul deserving of

Hell, should the person die in that state without repentance. The soul isdeprived of sanctifying grace. Those who die in mortal sin, will go to hell

for all eternity.

CCC 1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together bemet: Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also

committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent.

If one of the three conditions are not met, then its a venial sin.


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Sin

Mortal SinMortal sin destroys charity in a persons heart, breaking his or her relationship with God .

Mortal sin causes loss of sanctifying grace. We are excluded from Gods kingdom.

We are no longer friends of God. We lose all the merits, we have obtained. (Ez 18:24)

To die in the state of mortal sin is to condemn ourselves to eternal separation from God, we

give up heaven for all eternity and subject ourselves, soul and body, to the horrible, endless

torment of Hell.

All Sin offends God, but only Mortal Sin destroys the love of God in us.

Mortal sin directly chooses something that directly contradicts the love of God.

Ordinarily Mortal Sins can only be forgiven by the Sacrament of Confession.

Mortal sin brings both temporal and eternal punishment. Mortal sin is the greatest of all

evils.

Catholics are Required to Confess all mortal sins in Kind and Number.

St. Paul tells us that to receive Holy Communion in the state of mortal sin is asacrilege,

Whoever; therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner

will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord.1 Cor. 11:27 When we receive

Holy Communion unworthily, we force Jesus to enter our heart where Satan already holds

sway is an unspeakable sin.

Unintentional Ignorance- excuses one from the responsibility of a deadly sin.


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Sin

Sin Against the Holy Spirit- the deliberate

hardhearted refusal to accept Gods forgiveness

offered through the Holy Spirit , without repentanceof it-- leads to eternal damnation.

Whoever says a word against the Son of Man will be

forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spiritwill not be forgiven, neither in this age or the age to

come. (Matt. 12:32).

We refuse to ask God to be forgiven and so weprevent God from forgiving, though He wants to

forgive us.


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Sin

The 7 Deadly Sins

We are often pre-occupied with our bodys health (diet,

exorcise, go to dentists, see physicians, take medication all forthe pursuit of health), which is good and necessary.

However, how much time do we spend our spiritual counterpart

which is our immortal soul. Often times we neglect the mostimportant element of our natureour soul.

The roots of sin in our fallen nature are a group of tendencies or

inclinations, known as Capital Sins or Deadly Sins.They are called Capital Sins because they engender other sins or

habits of sin in us.

The 7 Deadly Sins:

Pride, Avarice, Envy, Anger, Lust, Gluttony, Acedia.


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Sin (7 Deadly Sins, Part 1)1. Pride-- or arrogance is an inordinate sense of ones importance. It was pride, whichprompted our first parents to want to be like God. They were seduced by Satan, whose sinwas pride. We sin by pride whenever we deem ourselves more important than others,especially God. Catering to our self-importance leads us into the sin of pride. Example: ThePharisee and the Tax Collector (Lk 18:9-14)

Humility-The antidote to pride. Humility is truth. It is seeing our self in the proper

perspective. How God sees us. Jesus said, I came to serve . (Matt. 20:28) We do Godswill, rather than our own. Though He was in the form of God, He deemed not equality withGod, rather He emptied Himself and took the form of a slave, being born in the likeness ofmen. He humbled Himself, becoming obedient, even unto to death. (Phil 2:6-8) (O Jesus,meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto thine.

2. Avarice-- Is Greed, which is a desire for attachment to material possessions. Thesatisfaction of desires can lead to the accumulation and hoarding of things out ofproportion to need. Avarice is a form of idolatry; material things become gods. Poverty

exists partly because avarice promotes the inequitable distribution of Gods abundance.Detachment and Charity-- Detachment helps us to use what is created and enjoyed nothoarded. Charity concentrates on the needs of others and prompts us to help them.

3. Envy--is characterized by the begrudging of good that another possesses, and animmoderate desire to obtain them for oneself, even if it be done unjustly. This sin resentsthe accomplishments or good things of others, and leads to dislike and hatred of persons.Envy comes from pride, but is the clear mark of a self-centered heart. The envious personrejoices over the misfortunes of others. It was the envy of Satan that led him to temptAdam and Eve.

Charity also opposes envy and jealousy. We are glad at the good fortune of others. Thevirtue of gratitude teaches us to be thankful for the good things God has given us, ratherthan we are feeling we are owed by God.

4. Anger-- It is the root of violence. Sinful anger is not the same as righteous anger, suchas when Jesus cleared His Fathers house of wrongdoers. It is morally neutral until itbecomes damaging thoughts, words, or deeds. The deadly sin of anger is disproportionate

to its cause. Satan is pure hatred, while God is pure love. Anger corrodes a persons soul.Meekness- Gentleness and patience help us to control our anger.

Si (7 D dl Si P t 2)


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Sin (7 Deadly Sins, Part 2)5. Lust-- It includes all forms of sexual impurity, un-chastity, and unduedesire for sexual gratification, whether with others or with oneself. It treatsothers as objects for personal gratification, rather than as persons worthy ofself-sacrificing love. Selfish satisfaction is all that matters. Because lustseeks some of the greatest physical pleasures the body can know, it attracts

the mind and body more than most other evils. (ex: pornography & movies)Purity and ChastityOvercome lust in our lives. We are to love and respectothers as our self. See God in others. Essential for achieving chastity is thevirtue of self-mastery by which we control the passion of sexual desire. Turnto Mary, Virgin Most Pure for help. (St. Alphonsus said if anyone praysthree Hails Marys in honor or Marys Purity, and for the gift of Purity, onewill always become more pure.)

6. GluttonyLike Lust is associated with a lack of self-control. It is theinordinate desire for bodily satisfaction in the use of food, or drink or sleepfor its own sake. One who is gluttonous fails to exercise restraint onsatisfaction of physical desires.

Temperance-counteracts gluttony by tempering our attraction to physicalpleasures. And Self-Control gives us self-mastery. (Fasting)

7. Acedia-- Also called Sloth- is a sickness of the soul. The slothful person,knows the good but does not desire it. It is spiritual laziness whereby werefuse to seek what is needful for our souls salvation is a deadly sin. Itrejects the efforts which we must make to combat difficulties in the pursuitof holiness. Slothful people neither seek God, nor find Him.

Zeal for the Good and Perseverance oppose Sloth. We must hunger andthirst for righteousness.


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Sin

What are the Six Sins Against the Holy Spirit?

1. Presumption 2. Despair 3. Resisting the Known Truth 4. Envy of Anothers Good

5. Obstinacy in Sin 6. Final Impenitence

What are the Four Sins crying out to Heaven for Vengeance?1. Willful Murder 2. Oppression of the poor (widows) 3. Homosexual Acts

4. Defrauding Laborers their Wages

What are the Ways We Either Cause or Share the Guilt of Anothers Sin?

Counsel, Command, Consent, Provocation, Praise or Flattery, Concealment, Partner in the Sin,

Silence, Defending the Wrong DoneWhat are Our Three Enemies We Must Fight Against, all the Days of Our Life?

The world- false maxims of the world and society of those who love vanities, riches & pleasure

The flesh- our own corrupt inclinations and passions

The devil- Satan and all the evil spirits, who are ever seeking to draw us into sin

We Must Hate All Sin- We should resolve to never willfully commit any sin


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SinBaltimore Catechism

Q. 774. How many kinds of occasions of sin are there?

There are four kinds of occasions of sin:

1.Near occasions, through which we always fall;

2.Remote occasions, through which we sometimes fall;

3. Voluntary occasions or those we can avoid; and a person who lives in a near and voluntary occasion of sin

need not expect forgiveness while he continues in that state.

4. Involuntary occasions or those we cannot avoid

Q. 775. What persons, places and things are usually occasions of sin?

1.The persons who are occasions of sin are all those in whose company we sin, whether they be bad of themselves

or bad only while in our company, in which case we also become occasions of sin for them;

2.The places are usually liquor saloons, low theaters, indecent dances, entertainments, amusements, exhibitions,

and all immoral resorts of any kind, whether we sin in them or not;3.The things are all bad books, indecent pictures, songs, jokes and the like, even when they are tolerated by

public opinion and found in public places.

Th M f E il


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The Mystery of EvilWhy Does Evil Exist? Freedom to Choose Good or Bad (Free Will isNecessary to Love)

-It seems as though God is powerless in the face of evil and suffering.

-Some think God cannot be good if He allows so much evil & suffering,

especially when the afflict the innocent.-Some even reject their belief in God due to evil.

-Instead of hating evil, they choose to hate God.

-Evil did not exist in the Garden of Eden, until Adam and Eve chose it.

-God did not create evil.

-It exists because we choose to make it exist.

-God did not create robots, He created us to seek happiness, by choosingthe good.

-In His wisdom He gave us freedom to choose.

-Evil came into the world because our first parents chose it.

-God did not prevent Adam and Eve from choosing evil because Herespected the very nature of mankind as He had created us: free to chooseto love Him or reject Him.

Natural Calamities are the Consequence of Evil. (Storms,earthquakes, hurricanes)

-If God wanted-- He could eliminate all evil. But, He would accomplish thisby removing free will from us. However, without freewill we would not betruly human.

-Without free will, we would no longer love because love requires freedom.

The Mystery of Evil


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The Mystery of Evil

-Due to our fallen nature and our tendency to sin, evil will exist until

the end of time. -God does not allow evil in the world without

intending to bringa greater good from it.

Where there is sin, grace abounds all the more. (Rom. 5:20)

-Despite Adam and Eves choice of evil, God worked a miracle of loveby giving us something better than what they had thrown away,

His Son, Jesus.

-Jesus did not come to destroy suffering but to sanctify it.

-The more we choose evil, the more we are trapped in the slavery of sin.

-When we use our gifts to choose good,

we embrace happiness and freedom

and we become creatures of virtue and holiness.

-The more we choose to do good, the more pleasing we become to God.

-And in this way we change the world to be back into harmony thatexisted before the fall.

-We can learn to offer our sufferings and difficulties to God.

-Saints give us an example to live to overcome evil.

--The Catholic Answer to the Mystery of Evilis to have the right desirewhich is God;

to have the right will, which is choosing Jesus;

and to do the right actions, which is holiness,

the conscious avoidance of sin and evil.And this is real happiness, joy and freedom, here on earth and in eternity.

The Greatest Act of Evil

was to Crucify Jesus!

We unite our sufferings to

the Sufferings of Jesus

f


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Mystery of Evil

Only Christian faith as a whole constitutes the

answer to this question; the goodness of creation, the

drama of sin, the patient love of God who comes tomeet man by His covenants, the redemptive

Incarnation of His Son, His Gift of the Holy Spirit, His

gathering of the Church, the power of the sacraments,and His call to a blessed life to which free creatures

are invited to consent in advance, but from which, by

a terrible mystery, they can also turn away inadvance. There is not a single aspect of the Christian

message that is not in part an answer to the question

of evil (CCC 309).

The Mystery of Evil


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The Mystery of Evil

The message of the Cross, coming from Christs passion and death, is, therefore, theonly answer to human agonizing over evil. Our Savior reveals a loving Father who sentHis only-begotten Son to pay the debt that the human race incurred by their sins. InHis redemptive mission He came precisely to suffer and die. Suffering and death arethe result of original sin, and His redeeming sacrifice not only nailed sin to the cross(Col. 2:14) and broke the strangle hold of Satan on humanity, but opened the gates ofheaven and took the sting out of suffering and death.

He took the sting out of sufferingby transforming it into a means of expiation. Whenthe head of the Mystical Body freely accepted the sufferings of the Passion to atonefor the sins of mankind, He won for us the capacity of transforming our suffering(physical or mental) into a means of atonement for our sins and those of the world,

when accepted voluntarily in union with His sacrifice.So while the justice of God demands that sin be punished, Christ conquered as wellthe evil of punishment. He transforms punishment inflicted because of sin into ameans of expiation when accepted voluntarily in union with the mystery of the Cross.

Christ took the sting out of death, for with the resurrection of the body, death shall bedefeated, and life will triumph in all its glory. In heaven there will be no more death or

suffering of any kind. That is why St. Paul exclaims: O death, where is your victory,where is your sting? (I Cor. 15:55) Commenting on this text the Jerome Biblicalcommentary states: Sin has been vanquished by Christ the Redeemer. Thus death, likea serpent deprived of its venomous sting, can no longer harm those who are in Christ.The enemies which made man their slave - sin, death and Satan - have beenconquered. Thus by dying on the Cross for the offenses of mankind Christ conqueredsinand the devil, and by His resurrection (which insures our resurrection) Heconquered death.

Th M t f E il


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The Mystery of Evil

While sin is punished by suffering, it does not follow that those whosuffer more have sinned more. On the contrary, those closest toChrist are given a greater share in His Cross. Aware of the redeemingvalue of suffering, they are able to say with St. Paul,

I rejoice in my suffering . . . in my flesh I complete what is lacking inChrists suffering for the sake of His Body, . . . the Church"(Col. 1:24).That is why Christs Mother, the Blessed Virgin, became the Queen ofMartyrs and Co-redemptrix.

We have a little better understanding, then, of the mystery of evil,and why God allows it. It brings out more clearly the mercy of God,who never fails to forgive the repentant sinner. It occasioned thecoming of the Redeemer, whose coming brought far more blessings,than we were deprived of by the deceit and envy of Satan. We seewhy God permits pain and sorrow, financial or family problems,natural disasters, sickness and death. All of these are for the sake ofsomething better. For the Christian all suffering and death is orientedtowards the resurrection and glory. For as St. Paul says: We are heirsof God, coheirs with Christ, sharing his sufferings so as to share hisglory.(Rom. 8:17)

The Mystery of Evil


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The Mystery of Evil

CCC 618The cross is the unique sacrifice of Christ, the "one mediator between God

and men. (1Tim. 2:5) But because in His incarnate divine person He has in some way

united himself to every man, "the possibility of being madepartners, in a way known

to God, in the paschal mystery" is offered to all men. He calls His disciples to "take up

*their+ cross and follow *Him+, (Matt. 16:24) for "Christ also suffered for *us+, leaving

[us] an example so that [we] should follow in His steps. (1 Pt. 2:21) In fact Jesus desires

to associate with His redeeming sacrifice those who were to be its first beneficiaries.

This is achieved supremely in the case of His Mother, who was associated more

intimately than any other person in the mystery of his redemptive suffering.

Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.--St.Rose of Lima

St Augustine--God willed to create us without our assistance, but he wills to save us

with our assistance.

The Mystery of Evil


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The Mystery of EvilJesus the One Mediator and Mary the Mediatrix of All Graces

If Jesus is the only Mediator between God and man, than why do we call

Mary, the Mediatrix of All Graces?

First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and

thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, thatwe may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good

and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come

to knowledge of the truth. For there is one God. There is also one mediator

between God and the human race, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave

himself as ransom for all. ( 1Tim. 2:1-6)

--All of us are mediate for one another with supplications, prayers,

petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone. We help each other

to get to heaven.

--Our Lords Mediation is Different. His mediation was accomplished as God,

who gave Himself as a ransom for all. No one could give oneself as a

ransom for all, except God. Only Jesus can redeem us, because He is God.Because as God, He took upon our human nature, only He could redeem us

on the Cross. He wills we participate in His one mediation, as creatures. He

does not need us, but He chooses to use us to mediate for others. Mary, as

a creature, participates in the highest way possible, by Her supplications,

prayers, petitions and thanksgiving . She is more powerful than any other

creature. First because She is His Mother, but also because She was totallywithout sin. She mediated Our Lords first miracle at Cana.

On the third day there was

a marriage at Cana in

Galilee, and the Mother of

Jesus was there. Jesus

was also invited to the

marriage with His disciples.

When the wine failed, the

Mother of Jesus said to

Him, They have no wine.And Jesus said to Her, O

woman, what has this to do

with me and you? My hour

has not yet come. His

Mother said the servants,

Do whatever He tells

you.---Jesus said to them,

Fill the jars with water.

(Jn 2:1-7)


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SinBaltimore Catechism

Q. 774. How many kinds of occasions of sin are there?

There are four kinds of occasions of sin:

1.Near occasions, through which we always fall;

2.Remote occasions, through which we sometimes fall;

3. Voluntary occasions or those we can avoid; and a person who lives in a near and voluntary occasion of sin

need not expect forgiveness while he continues in that state.

4. Involuntary occasions or those we cannot avoid

Q. 775. What persons, places and things are usually occasions of sin?

1.The persons who are occasions of sin are all those in whose company we sin, whether they be bad of themselves

or bad only while in our company, in which case we also become occasions of sin for them;

2.The places are usually liquor saloons, low theaters, indecent dances, entertainments, amusements, exhibitions,

and all immoral resorts of any kind, whether we sin in them or not;

3.The things are all bad books, indecent pictures, songs, jokes and the like, even when they are tolerated by

public opinion and found in public places.

Vi t d B tit d


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Virtues and Beatitudes

Virtue-The Habitual and firm disposition to do good.--A virtue is a good habit.

--The moral law serves as a compass to guide us through life.--The goal of a virtuous life is to be like God.

--Our actions help us to be holy and perfect like the heavenly Father.

--Virtues work in harmony toward the attainment of our ultimate goal and

perfection.

Human Virtues- CCC 1804 Firm attitudes, stable dispositions and habitual

perfections of intellect and will that govern our actions, order our passions, and

guide our conduct.

They are not dependant upon sacramental graces. They are acquired by human

effort, but are aided and elevated by sacramental graces. These virtues lead us

to live good lives. The orient us to the supernatural destiny revealed and made

possible by Christ.



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Cardinal Virtues (Moral Virtues) Lead us to Live Moral Lives.

The cardinal virtues are the four primary moral virtues. The English word cardinalcomes

from the Latin word cardo, which means "hinge." All other virtues hinge upon these four

virtues. Unlike the theological virtues, which are gifts of God through grace, the cardinalvirtues can be practiced by anyone. The four cardinal virtues are prudence, justice,

fortitude (or courage), and temperance (or moderation).

Prudence- the virtue that allows us to judge correctly what is right and what is wrong in

any given situation. When we mistake the evil for the good, we are not exercising

prudencein fact, we are showing our lack of it.

Justice- the constant and permanent determination to give everyone his or her rightful

due. Governs our relationship with others

Fortitude- allows us to overcome fear and to remain steady in our will in the face of

obstacles, but it is always reasoned and reasonable; the person exercising fortitude does

not seek danger for danger's sake. Fortitude is the only one of the cardinal virtues that is

also a gift of the Holy Spirit, allowing us to rise above our natural fears in defense of the

Christian faith. Strength to provide good actions in the face of difficulty.

Temperance- the restraint of our desires or passions. Food, drink, and sex are all necessary

for our survival, individually and as a species; yet a disordered desire for any of these goods

can have disastrous consequences, physical and moral. Temperance is the virtue that

attempts to keep us from excess, and, as such, requires the balancing of legitimate goodsagainst our inordinate desire for them.


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Vi t d B tit d


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Act of Faith

O my God, I firmly believe that You are one God inthree divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I

believe that Your divine son became Man, died for our

sins, and that He will come to judge the living and the

dead. I believe these and all the truths which the Holy

Catholic Church teaches, because You have revealed

them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived.



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Act of Hope

O my God, relying on Your almighty power and

infinite mercy and promises, I hope to obtain pardonof my sins, the help of Your grace, and life everlastingthrough the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and

Redeemer.

Act of Love

O my God, I love You above all things, with my

whole heart and soul, because You are all-good andworthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself for thelove of You. I forgive all who have injured me, and ask

pardon of all whom I have injured. Amen.



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Virtues and BeatitudesHumility-Disposes us to appreciate andacknowledge our true position with respect to Godand others. God is the source of all good things.He who is greatest among you shall be yourservant. Matt. 23:11 (Opposes Pride)

Liberality-Generosity towards others, disposing usto use material goods rightly. (OpposesCovetousness)

Chastity-Pure in body and soul. Those who keepthemselves pure are like angels on earth. All are topractice chastity, married, virgins (Opposes Lust)

Meekness- Its patience. Disposes us to controlanger when offended and resentment whenrebuked. (Opposes Anger)

Abstinence-Keeps in bounds use of and pleasure infood and drink. A man eats only what he needs,not to fully satisfy his appetite. (Opposes Gluttony)

Zeal- Fervor for our salvation and for that of others,out of love for God.

The Kingdom of Heaven has been enduring violentassault, and the violent are taking it by force. Matt.11:12 (Opposes Sloth)

Brotherly Love- Charity towards our fellow men.Love one another, as I have loved you. John 15:12

At a very early age St. Agnes hadsuch a high regard for the virtue of

chastity that she vowed her

virginity to God. At the age of 13,

Roman soldiers tried to make her

offer incense to God, but she

refused. They offered to marryher to the son of an official. But

she answered that she was

consecrated to her heavenly

bridegroom. She suffered torture

and meekly laid her head on the

execution block.



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The Beatitudes

The Eight Beatitudes form the core of the

Christian life. As Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.,

writes in his Modern Catholic Dictionary,they are the "promises of happiness made

by Christ to those who faithfully accept his

teaching and follow his divine example."

That happiness is not in the future but now

for those who conform their lives to Christ.There are two versions of the Beatitudes,

one from the Gospel of Matthew and one

from the Gospel of Luke. Both are

delivered by Christ during the Sermon on

the Mount. The text of the Beatitudes

given here is from Saint Matthew, Chap. 5,

the version most commonly quoted and

from which we derive the traditional count

of Eight Beatitudes.

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is

the kingdom of heaven.

2. Blessed are the meek: for they shall

possess the land.

3. Blessed are they that mourn: for they

shall be comforted.

4. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst

after justice: for they shall have their fill.

5. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall

obtain mercy.

6. Blessed are the clean of heart: for they

shall see God.7. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they

shall be called children of God.

8. Blessed are they that suffer persecution

for justice' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of

heaven.

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1. Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

To be poor in spirit means that we come to understand and accept-- we truly

own nothing because all we have is a gift from God. We trust in Gods

providence that He will provide for all our needs. This beatitude reminds us to

follow the stewardship way of life. As a steward of Gods gifts, we should use

our time, talent and treasure as God desires. When I become aware of my

intelligence, wealth, success, gifts and talents-- do I give God the credit. If I

have a financial hardship do I trust God to take care of all my needs and

abandon myself to His care?

2. Blessed are Those who Mourn

As Christians we are to comfort those who suffer, especially the loss of a

loved one. We should attend funerals and comfort those who mourn.

We should pray for those who have died and offer Masses for the

repose of their soul. We should also comfort those who go through

difficult situations, such as illness, tragedies, divorce or family hardship.

Those who have teenswe should listen to themand support them

during their difficult time as they mature into adulthood.

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3. Blessed are the Meek

To be meek means we control our anger and impatience. Most of the

time, we become angry or impatient because we do not want to accept

suffering associated with the anger or impatience. To be meek one

needs to be willing to embrace ones cross and to be willing to suffer

with love.

4. Blessed are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness

How many of us wake up in the morning and pray to Jesus, I want to

become a saint! I desire to be holy and virtuous! We can grow in

holiness by coming to daily Mass, going to confession weekly or

monthly, praying the Rosary everyday, daily reading a paragraph fromone of the Gospels and meditating on the life of Jesus and spending an

hour with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration. If you want to hunger and

thirst for righteousness, wake up every morning and pray, Jesus, help

me to become a saint!


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6. Blessed are the Pure of Heart

This beatitude calls us to have a pure heart, by looking at others as

persons. We attempt to overlook the faults of others and see Jesus in

everyone. We attempt to be pure in mind and body, avoiding all

persons, places and things that can cause us to have impure thoughts

and actions-- such as television, movies and inappropriate websites.

Avoid watching television, install an Internet Filter, go to confession

frequently, especially if one suffers from frequent impure temptations.Entrust yourself to the Virgin Most Pure and daily seek Her intercession.

7. Blessed are the Peacemakers

We should strive to be a peacemaker especially trying to heal family

divisions, so that unity in the family may prevail. Misunderstandings or

disagreements may have caused strained relationships with family,

friends and co-workers. To set down and calmly work things out

would not be easy, but would be a loving thing to do.

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8. Blessed are They Who are Persecuted for

the Sake of Righteousness

Not many of us are insulted for our faith,

primarily because we dont express it to

others. However, all Catholics are insulted

when the pope or our Church is insulted.

Catholics suffer persecution when we stand

up for abortion or stand up for our faith. Wesuffer persecution when the government

tries to take away our religious freedom. We

can also express our faith among family and

co-workers, and talk about topics such asabortion, contraception, the Blessed Virgin

Mary or belief in the true presence of Jesus in

the Eucharist.

Sin, Mystery of Evil, Virtues

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