The Spirit of Advent

Because of original sin, man naturally grows in vice rather than in virtue. The first age of man is characterized by thoughtlessness; this grows into love of pleasure and, in old age, develops into love for wealth.

So, John the Baptist came and announced the coming of Christ who would have the unrewarding task of instilling in men "a feeling for their own sins." John did this and paid with his head; Christ followed suit and was crucified.

They were both killed by the Jews, a senseless people, who, though guilty of the worst sins, justified themselves -- this was the cause of their destruction. "They are ignorant of God's righteousness and go about establishing their own righteousness, and have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God." This was the cause of their evils.

But aren't we like this, too? Thoroughly devoid of "feeling for our sins" (i.e. ignorant of our sins and their gravity), we judge ourselves by our norms and not by the norms of God? So, John and Jesus did nothing else except to bring man to a sense of their own sins.

To be forgiven, we must be sorry for our sins. But how can we be sorry if we do not know the gravity of our sins? And how can we discover the gravity of our sins if we do not even know our sins?

We must have a "feeling for our sins" that we may condemn them. Those sins that we condemn, God will not condemn; but those sins we fail to condemn, God will condemn.

"What must we do?" Repent, reform our lives, deny ourselves. Learn to scorn the things of the earth and aim for the things in heaven. It is not possible to be repentant and to live in luxury.

True repentance is this: to know your sins and the gravity of your sins. Then to forsake your evil ways and show forth good deeds greater than the sins. . .this is the fruit worthy of repentance. So if you have stolen, return what you have stolen AND ALSO give up some of your own to the poor. If you have committed fornication, you must stop it AND ALSO abstain even from your wife for certain appointed times. Have you insulted someone?. . .then learn how to take insults hurled at you AND ALSO do good to those who insult you.

Sin is like a dart that has wounded you. You don't only remove the dart (i.e. cease from sinning); you must also heal the wound by good works. So it is not enough for the drunkard to be sober; he must also fast from food and water for a time to cure his spiritual wounds. You who look lustfully at a woman, now be modest in looking, and also deny yourselves even looking at the beauty of nature to heal the wounds of your soul. It was precisely to heal their spiritual wounds that the first Christians went to the desert.

The first step toward holiness is repentance; and the first step of repentance is to have a "feeling for one's sins," i.e. to know your sins and the gravity of your sins. He who shows forth fruits worthy of repentance, he it is who has made his crooked way straight for the Lord.

St. Augustine: "On the Gospels"

(caryana.org)

Our Lady of Guadalupe

A TRIBUTE TO MARY by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a Protestant American poet reminds all America:

"This is indeed the Blessed Mary's Land,

Virgin and Mother of our dear Redeemer!

All Hearts are touched and softened at her name:

The priest, the prince, the scholar, and the peasant.

Alike the bandit with the bloody hand,

Pay homage to her as one ever present!

And even as children who have much offended

A too-indulgent father, in great shame,

Penitent, and yet not daring unattended

To go into his presence, at the gate

Speak to their sister, and confiding wait

Till she goes in before and intercedes.

So men, repenting of their evil deeds

And yet not venturing rashly to draw near,

With their requests, an angry Father's ear

Offer to Mary prayers and their confession

And she in Heaven for them makes intercession.

And if our faith had given us nothing more

Than this example of all womanhood,

So mild, so merciful, so strong, so good

So patient, peaceful, loyal, loving, pure

These were enough to prove it higher and truer

Than all the creeds the world has known before."

“Hear me and understand well...that nothing should frighten or grieve you. Let not your heart be disturbed... Am I not here, who is your Mother? Are you not under my protection? - Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego.

Today, December 12, is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The Power of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Note: Many people do not realize the infinite value of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I hope these statements from the Popes and the Saints will help us realize what we are missing. After reading this post, think about setting an extra day in the week to attend Mass besides the usual Sunday Mass. Offer this for your personal intentions, for your loved ones, or for the souls in Purgatory.

The Power of the Mass

The Greatest Prayer

The Tremendous Blessings and Benefits of the Mass as Told by Popes and Saints

Pope Paul VI
"The Mass is the most perfect form of prayer!"

Pope Benedict XV
"The Holy Mass would be of greater profit if people had it offered in their lifetime, rather than having it celebrated for the relief of their souls after death."

St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church
"The celebration of Holy Mass is as valuable as the death of Jesus on the cross."

St. Gregory, Doctor of the Church
"The heavens open and multitudes of angels come to assist in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass."

"It is most true that he who attends Holy Mass shall be freed from many evils and from many dangers, both seen and unseen."

St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church
"The angels surround and help the priest when he is celebrating Mass."

"He who devoutly hears holy Mass will receive a great vigor to enable him to resist mortal sin, and there shall be pardoned to him all venial sins which he may have committed up to that hour."

"He [who attends Mass with all possible devotion] shall be freed from sudden death, which is the most terrible stroke launched by the Divine Justice against sinners. Behold a wonderful preservative against sudden death."

St. Jerome, Doctor of the Church

"Without doubt, the Lord grants all favors which are asked of Him in Mass, provided they be fitting for us; and, which is a matter of great wonder, oftentimes He also grants that also which is not demanded of Him, if we, on our part, put no obstacle in the way."

St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church
"When Mass is being celebrated, the sanctuary is filled with countless angels who adore the divine victim immolated on the altar."

St. Anselm, Doctor of the Church
"A single Mass offered for oneself during life may be worth more than a thousand celebrated for the same intention after death."

St. Teresa, Doctor of the Church

Once, St. Teresa was overwhelmed with God's goodness and asked Our Lord "How can I thank you?" Our Lord replied, "ATTEND ONE MASS."

St. Leonard of Port Maurice
"The principal excellence of the most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass consists in being essentially, and in the very highest degree, identical with that which was offered on the Cross of Calvary: with this sole difference that the sacrifice on the Cross was bloody, and made once for all, and did on that one occasion satisfy fully for all the sins of the world; while the sacrifice of the altar is an unbloody sacrifice, which can be repeated an infinite number of times, and was instituted in order to apply in detail that universal ransom which Jesus paid for us on Calvary."

"I believe that were it not for the Holy Mass, as this moment the world would be in the abyss, unable to bear up under the mighty load of its iniquities Mass is the potent prop that hold the world on its base."

"Be now confounded for very wonder, reflecting that the proposition just laid down is indeed most true; a soul assisting with adequate devotion at Holy Mass renders more honor to God than that which all the Angels and all the Saints put together render with all their adorations."

"And, yet, with the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, viewed according to its intrinsic preciousness and value, satisfaction may be made completely for committed sin ... Not that the Sacrifice of the Mass by any means cancels our sins immediately, and of itself, as does the Sacrament of Penance: but it cancels them mediately, calling down various aids of interior impulse, of holy aspiration, and of actual grace, all tending toward a worthy repentance of our sins, either at the time of the Mass itself or at some other fitting time."

"O blessed Mass, by which we come to have the Son of God placed not within our arms but within our hearts, nor is there a doubt but that with Him, and Him alone, we shall be able to satisfy the debt of gratitude which we have contracted with God."

"It is in our power by means of it to pay the fourth debt due to God, which is to supplicate Him, and to entreat new graces of Him. ... Yes, yes: in holy Mass our dear beloved Jesus, as the chief and supreme Priest, recommends our case to the Father, prays for us and makes Himself our advocate. ... How can you doubt but that He wishes to give you all the virtues and all the perfections which are required to make you a saint, and a great saint, in Heaven?"

"What graces, gifts and virtues the Holy Mass calls down ... repentance for sin ... victory over temptation ... holy inspirations which dispositions to shake off tepidity ... the grace of final perseverance, upon which depends our salvation ... temporal blessings, such as peace, abundance and health ..."

In having Masses said for the suffering souls in Purgatory: "The holy Mass not only shortens their pains but also extends great immediate relief to those poor souls .. the charity you exercise toward poor souls under purification will all redound to your own good."

In having Masses said for your own soul: "... get celebrated all the Masses possible in your circumstances not only for the souls departed but for your own. Do this for two motives: first to obtain a good and holy death - it being the invariable opinion of theologians that there is no more efficacious means for attaining so holy a purpose. Another motive is that you may yourself issue quickly from Purgatory and fly away into eternal glory, there being no means more adapted for obtaining from God a grace so precious as that of going direct to Heaven, or at least a short detention on the way, than Indulgences duly gained, and the holy Sacrifice."

St. John Vianney
Patron Saint of Parish Priests
"When we receive Holy Communion, we experience something extraordinary - a joy, a fragrance, a well being that thrills the whole body and causes it to exalt."

"If we really understood the Mass, we would die of joy."

"There is nothing so great as the Eucharist. If God had something more precious, He would have given it to us."

"When we have been to Holy Communion, the balm of love envelops the soul as the flower envelops the bee."

Saint Padre Pio, stigmatic priest
"It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do without Holy Mass."

Revelation of Christ to St. Gertrude the Great
For each Mass we hear with devotion, Our Lord sends a saint to comfort us at death.

Revelation of Christ to St. Mechtilde
He who is in the habit of devoutly hearing Holy Mass shall in death be consoled by the presence of the angels and saints, his advocates, who shall bravely defend him from all the snares of infernal spirits.

Recommended books:
1. Hidden Treasure, Holy Mass, by St. Leonard of Port Maurice.
2. The Incredible Catholic Mass, by Fr. Martin von Cochem.

Note: Register the living and the dead - and please be *sure* to register yourself (will anyone really and truly have masses said for you after you die?). And rememeber, all registrations are permanent.

http://www.holysouls.com/enter.htm

Prayer For Humility

Prayer For Humility

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being extolled, of being honored, of being praised,

of being preferred to others, of being consulted, of being approved,

deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being despised, of being rebuked, of being neglected,

of being forgotten, of being ridiculed, of being wronged, of being suspected,

of being injured, deliver me, Jesus.

That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be chosen and I set aside; that others may be praised and I unnoticed;

That others be holier than I, provided that I may become holy as I should,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

(Prayer for Humility taken from Presence, Prayers for Busy People)

"Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls." - Matthew 11:29

All Soul's Day

Yesterday, we celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints Day. They are those who have made it to heaven and yes they are all saints, both with a big S and a little S. They are triumphant and enjoying eternal bliss in heaven. We also call them the Church Triumphant. Today, we commemorate our dear departed, who we hope are either in heaven now or are still undergoing a process of purgation in the next life. We call them the Church Suffering. They are those who died in God's friendship but are yet to be purified of their wrongdoings and sins in order for them to gain entry to heaven. Although they are suffering terribly in the purifying fires of Purgatory, they are already assured of their eternal salvation. It's only a matter of time before they will enter Heaven.

It's a consoling to know that our Church has set a day to remember them and that we as a people cherish their memories by going to the cemeteries. But apart from all this, what they really really need from us is prayer. Though your relative died many many years ago, you can never assume that they are already enjoying the Beatific Vision up above. They may still be in Purgatory and so we must continue to offer them Masses, prayers, and sacrifices for their eternal repose. This practice is a spiritual act of mercy - praying for the dead - and very very few people remember their dear departed apart from today's celebration. We are in fact all guilty of neglecting to offerer prayers for them somewhat because we assume they are already in the Lord's company when in fact they may be not.

If you want to find out how you can help the Poor Souls, you may want to join this organization (Prayer Warriors of the Holy Souls). You can visit their website at http://www.pwhs-mfi.org/. Pray for these souls and when they reach heaven they will pray incessantly for you as well. Remember, there are no ungrateful souls in Heaven.

Below is an article on dying well from caryana.org

Since death is the end of life, a good death is the finale of a good life. Everyone who lives well up to the end cannot die badly. He who lives badly will die badly and if one has never lived well, he is liable to die badly.

But how could the thief who lived a bad life end up with a good death? He lived a good portion of his life, while on the cross, in a holy manner. . .he openly defended Christ from the calumnies of the wicked and corrected his own blaspheming companion, "Do you not even fear God. . .we are receiving what our deeds deserve; but this man has done nothing wrong." He entered the vineyard late, but entered he did.

However, it is dangerous to put off conversion from sins until the end of life. Happier are they who carry the yoke of God's law "from their youth."

Let our first thesis remain that the rule of dying well depends upon the rule of living well.

St. Robert Bellarmine

"Bury my body anywhere; it does not matter. Do not let that disturb you. This only I ask - that you remember me at the altar of God wherever you may be." - St. Monica to her sons as she lay dying far from home

The Greatest Commandment

This is a short reflection on the Gospel this Sunday that deals with the topic of loving God which is the first and greatest commandment and loving our neighbors as well.

THE TWO GREATEST COMMANDMENTS
(Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34)

The Pharisees, Scribes and Sadducees were not really agreed on which is the greatest commandment. Some thought it was sacrifices but the Scribes thought it was to love God and neighbor.

So happy was the Scribe when he received from Christ the answer confirming their stand that the greatest commandment is to love God and neighbor.

In the New Testament, Christ stated that the greatest commandment is to love God. The second is to love your neighbor...which is like the first, He added. In between these two commands is to love oneself...which does not have to be mentioned because it is natural to man.

We must love God as God and not as a man as many do, treating Christ as man and sort of having a romantic relationship with Him. We must love ourselves as humans and not as gods as many also tend to do. And we must love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

In this we must observe the right order; in that we must love God first before we can love ourselves and our neighbors in the right way. Without loving God first, a soul becomes totally incapable of loving oneself and neighbor in the right way. And Christ said so--that the love of God is shown by loving one's neighbor. If there is no love for God, there is no love to show one's neighbor.

How do we love God? "If you love Me, keep My commandments." We must keep the commandments of God in the Old Testament and the Beatitudes of Christ in the New Testament. And this is Christ's command, in short, "to deny oneself, take up one's cross and follow Him." Christ said the same command in different ways; one way is to be "meek and humble of heart."

How do we love ourselves if we have loved God first? By obeying His commands. Because it is in this way that we are saved and to save ourselves is the greatest act of love we can do for ourselves. He who sins and condemns himself to eternal damnation hates himself.

And how do we love our neighbor if we truly love God and ourselves. By making our neighbors, husband, wife, children and others obey the commands of Christ. St. Thomas Aquinas said: "In your journey to salvation, make your neighbor walk with you." It is not enough to serve them physically with food and drink and education and other material comforts. You must teach them and make them obey the commands of God found in both the Old and New Testament. If you don't do this, you do not love your neighbor, you do not love yourself and you do not love God.

The great spiritual battle going on in the world is that war between love of God and love for the world. Christ clearly said: "Friendship with the world is enmity with God." And the world is surely winning in that most souls have opted to love the world rather than love God. Christ deplored these our times, describing it as a generation that loves money and selves.

Where and how can we learn the love of God and neighbor? In an atmosphere of discipline and unity. The atmosphere must be such that all the commands of Christ are being observed by all. And there is unity in the quest for holiness among all. Cupidity is the greatest enemy of this atmosphere wherein individuals insist on their own desires rather than the Will of God. And because the world is a place where everyone pursues his own interests, in such an atmosphere, it becomes impossible to love God and neighbor .

In the early history of the Church, to attain to the knowledge of love of God, Christian monarchs sent their children to monasteries and they, themselves, ended their lives in monasteries or they would invite a holy monk to their castle to supervise the Christian training of their children. St. Thomas More, patron saint of lawyers and of politicians did exactly that. He got very Christian teachers to tutor his children at home; and teachers, children and servants lived a disciplined monastic life at home.

When we have obeyed all the commands of Christ, thus showing we love God...when we have become deserving of salvation because of our obedience to Christ's commands, thus showing we love ourselves in the right way...when we have made our neighbor obey Christ's commands, thus showing we love our neighbor...then we can say that we love God with all our heart, with all our mind and with all our strength.

(Source: caryana.org)

The Temptation of Christ

(All of us are faced with temptations. They are virtually inescapable but Christ showed us the way how to conquer the tempter. Read on.)


Christ was led by the Holy Spirit to the desert to be tempted. He did not go on His own, teaching us not to rush on to temptations. In fact, Christ went to Galilee, having heard that John was imprisoned, to distance Himself from Herod. . .as an example for us.

The devil loves attacking man when he is alone; this seems to give him the upper hand. No one must enter into this situation unless, like Christ, led by the Holy Spirit, precisely to do battle against the wicked spirit.

Whenever you enter God's service, prepare yourself for battle against the evil spirits; life for you will be an ordeal. Because every wicked man is part of the devil's body and, thus, will be your enemy.

The devil begins his temptation by a suggestion, followed by offering delight and, consequently, getting our consent. Christ, being God, could not take delight nor give consent. So, in His case, the devil could only suggest. The trick is to beat the devil in this first step. Victory becomes more difficult in the second and nearly impossible in the third.

The temptation of Christ is similar to that of Adam and Eve. It begins with gluttony wherewith the devil showed Eve the forbidden fruit, as he tempted Christ in turning stone into bread.

The second is vainglory wherewith Adam was offered, "You will be like gods," as Christ was tempted to fly.

The third is avarice, the mere acquisition of the knowledge of good and evil, in the case of Christ-- the acquisition of the kingdoms of the world.
Christ, of course, could have thrown down Satan with a twit of His finger; but He was showing us how to overcome the evil one. How? By refuting him with the commands of Christ.

Faced with someone so vicious, we must not be angered nor take revenge but face them with the commands of Christ. Christ overcame His enemy, not by destroying him but, by bearing with him for a short while.

(Source: caryana.org)

There's Something About Mary

Today, September 8, is the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary - the Promised Woman in the book of Genesis and the Woman of Revelations. I encourage everyone to take time to read The Glories of Mary , an explanation of the Salve Regina, which St. Alphonsus de Liguori wrote in defense of the ancient practice of honoring the Mother of God against those who were criticizing and ridiculing this devotion. I believe personally that true devotion to Mary goes beyond the outward performance of devotions due to Her. All external acts of devotion or piety are meaningless unless we have authentic interior disposition, that is, a true devotee must hold the Blessed Virgin in high esteem as the perfect model of Christian discipleship, must always have recourse to Her in their needs both temporal and spiritual, and above all must endeavor to IMITATE the virtues for which She is very well known for, most notably, the virtues of chastity, humility, and perfect obedience to God's will. Sounds too difficult? Let's all pray for the necessary graces because the spiritual life is a long and arduous journey full of dangers and uncertainties. Let's all remember that authentic devotion to Mary is always Christocentric - it leads us always to Jesus who must be the sole purpose and meaning of every Christian's life - Ad Jesum Per Mariam - To Jesus Through Mary.

St. Alphonsus de Liguori on the Glories of Mary:

"I may be allowed to make a short digression and give my own sentiment here. I would say that when an opinion tends in any way to the honor of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, when it has some foundation and is not repugnant to the Faith, nor to the decrees of the Church, nor to truth, to refuse to hold it, or to oppose it because the reverse may be true, shows little devotion to the Mother of God.

"I do not choose to be counted in that company, nor do I wish my reader to be. I wish rather to be in the company of those who fully and firmly believe all that can without error be believed of the greatness of Mary.

"If there were nothing else to take away our fear of going too far in the praises of Mary, St. Augustine's opinion would be enough. He declares that anything we may say in praise of Mary is little in comparison with what she deserves, because of her dignity as Mother of God."

And after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of Thy womb, Jesus.

Mustard-Sized Faith

Today's readings are centered on faith. In the Gospel, Christ reprimanded the apostles for lack of faith. And then he went on to say that if they had faith the size of a mustard seed, they could move a mountain. This is of course symbolic language but if you ponder on that line there is so much power in it. Have you seen a mustard seed? I haven't actually seen a real one except for the picture above. Now I'm convinced how tiny that seed is. Look at the size of that seed and from that seed will grow a huge shrub when planted and properly cared for. I'm asking myself the question: "How is it possible that little faith can move mountains?" It seems so unthinkable and yet the Lord only asks us to come up with a mustard-sized faith. There must be something in it that goes beyond size. It must be faith itself that makes all things possible.

But I'm a man of little faith. I still struggle with overcoming "mountains" in my life - most notably my SSA struggle and chastity issues. Can faith help me overcome these problems? I want to think it can but certainly not by my own strength or power. God can certainly work miracles in my life but he is looking and waiting for my faith response. Oh, good Lord increase my faith coz I have so many mountains to move and I want to move on with my life. Why is it so hard to muster a faith as tiny as a mustard seed? If the apostles who were with you every day lacked in their faith, what would become of me then?

Meditation from The Anawim Way:

Today's readings teach us about faith, faith as power and faith as patience. God can work through us to overcome the obstacles to his life within us. The "mountain" represents impossible problems. We can't overcome them by ourselves, but with faith we can. Faith gives us power, patience, and perseverance.

The just man lives by faith. If we are living by faith - even when we see or are experiencing problems - we can persevere, knowing that God is in charge and he will work in his own time. Faith endures even in the face of severe problems, even in the face of death itself. So faith gives us power on one hand, but when there is no evidence of power, faith gives us patience.

I need to have great trust in the Lord if I am going to follow him in the way he wants to lead me. I must keep him ever in mind, focusing on his presence, his power, his person. When my focus is on myself, doubts and fears enter, my faith shrinks, and I cannot act. The Lord desires to transform me and lead me from useless trust in myself to total trust in him. When I place even a "mustard seed" of faith in his hands, his power will act in me to move any mountain-sized problem I face. Then I can be a haven and a light for others. In him nothing is impossible!

Jesus told them. "I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, `Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." ~ Matthew 17:20 (New Living Translation)

An Interview With God

I got this one from a pamphlet I have which I just want to share to inspire us all.

I dreamed I had an interview with God...

"So, would you like to interview me?" God asked. "If you have time," I said. God smiled. "My time is eternity...what questions do you have in mind for me?"

"What surprises you most about humankind?"

God answered. "That they get bored with childhood, they rush to grow up, and then long to be children again."

"That they lose their health to make money...and then lose their money to restore their health."

"That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live in neither the present nor the future."

"That they live as if they will never die, and die as though they had never lived."

"What are the things that humankind must learn?" I asked.

God answered. "To learn they cannot make anyone love them. All they can do is let themselves be loved."

"To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others."

"To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness."

"To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in those they love, and it can take many years to heal them."

"To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most, but is one who needs the least."

"To learn that there are people who love them dearly, but simply do not let them know how to express or show their feelings."

"To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it differently."

"To learn that it is not enough that they forgive one another, but they must also forgive themselves."

"Thank you for your time." I said humbly. "Is there anything else you'd like your children to know?"

God smiled and said..."Just know that I am always here..."

"Always."

Sunday Sermons

Download the Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers of the Church in advance courtesy of Fr. Odon de Castro. It is on the right lower corner section of the webpage.

It is a great way to gain insight of the weekly Sunday Gospel explained in the light of the teachings of the Church Fathers and the Saints. Personally, I really appreciate this kind of sermon. It's what you and I should hear every Sunday, just like the preachings of the pre-Vatican I priests. Fortunately, we still have those kind of preachers around but they are very few. It is the kind of sermon that will engage your intellect and leave you something to think about. On the other hand, I don't think it is wrong for the preacher or priest to inject some humor during his homily (just don't do it the way a standup comedian does) or his audience might drift away to the emptiness of space. I know this is very challenging to the priests and I symphatize with them especially because our generation has very short attention span, and most people today are in danger of making their brains mere vestigial organs because of misuse and nonuse.

Now, here is my own sermon - It is important for truth to be fully understood first before we can make an intellectual assent of the truths revealed which presupposes the theological virtue of faith. By doing so our free will is illumined and guided by the "thinking" intellect to always do the right thing, thus we reach the other theological virtues - namely hope and then charity - which is the greatest of all the virtues and which we should all aspire to attain. It always boils down to love - love of God first and the rest follows.

Amen.

Catechism 101

Most of the devout Catholics and Christians I know are very well versed in the Scripture from Genesis to Revelations. They know fairly well the books that comprise the Old and the New Testaments - the Gospel, the books written by St. Paul and the Apostles, the Pentateuch, the Deuterocanonical books, and some writings of the ancient prophets, etc. They even know the exact chapters and verses of popular Bible passages. Now, that is really something. As for me, the only Bible passages I can recite are John 3:16 and lately Philippians 4:13. Good for these people, but how many of us read the Catechism of the Catholic Church which I think is also important in our spiritual life??

Alas! If you ask these same people to explain the dogma of the Holy Trinity, Hypostatic Union, Transubstantiation, Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, Sacraments and sacramentals, Marian dogma of Immaculate Conception, Veneration of the Saints, Purgatory, Infallibility of the Holy Father on matters of Faith and Morals, etc., etc., how would you expect them to answer you? I am stressing here the importance of knowing our Catholic Faith. We cannot afford to be ignorant of these things and it is our duty to know them through the means available to us.

The good news is these things are available within our reach. If you happen to have a cable subscription, you can tune in to EWTN or FamilyLand. These TV programs are great sources of Christian religious instructions you won't get anywhere else. I suggest that you also grab a copy of the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This book is not the 3-inches thick catechism book that your local parish priest reads. It is a concise and reader friendly Catechism book in question and answer type format divided into four chapters - Creed, Sacraments, Commandments, and Prayer.

Lastly, there are radio programs out there about catechisms and religious instruction. Yes, I'm one of those young people who still listen to AM radio stations even when the rest of the people I know only listen to FM stations. Oh, come on don't be silly. AM stations are not only for your old folks. You just need to select the right programs. For those who don't know much about their faith, they can tune in to the Hello Father program of Radyo Veritas 846 KHz from Monday to Friday I think around 9 pm to 11 pm.

For those who are yearning to learn more beyond the basics, tune in to Fr. Odon de Castro's Katesismo ng Simbahang Katolika over DWWW 774 KHz every Thursday and Friday 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. and every Saturday at 9:30 am to 11 am for the sermons of the Great Fathers of the Church. I listen to the latter more often. Fr. Odon explains the catechism Benedictine style. He's not your ordinary preacher or radio evangelist. He is very knowledgable about the teachings of the early Church Fathers, the saints, and especially the teachings of the Magisterium and Pope Benedict XVI. He explains the catechism from this perspective and in a very in-depth way. You can also read his blog or visit Caryana .