Catechism L5-08 I Choose to Love God

 Prayer Before Studying

Incomprehensible Creator, the true Fountain of light and only Author of all knowledge: vouchsafe, we beseech Thee, to enlighten our understandings, and to remove from us all darkness of sin and ignorance. Thou, who makest eloquent the tongues of those that want utterance, direct our tongues, and pour on our lips the grace of Thy blessing. Give us a diligent and obedient spirit, quickness of apprehension, capacity of retaining, and the powerful assistance of Thy holy grace; that what we hear or learn we may apply to Thy honor and the eternal salvation of our own souls.

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Holy Spirit, giver of all good gifts, enter into my mind and heart. Give me the gift of knowledge, wisdom, understanding and the grace to use it wisely. Help me in all my endeavors. Give me perseverance and fortitude. Help my memory, that I may remember what I learn and recall it when necessary. Guide me in my studies. You who are the Way, the Truth, and the Life, let me not be deceived by false teaching. Our Lady of Good Studies, pray for me. Amen.

Act of Contrition
O my God, I am sorry and beg pardon for all my sins, and detest them above all things, because they deserve your dreadful punishment because they have crucified my loving Saviour, Jesus Christ, and most of all, because they offended your infinite goodness; and I firmly resolve, by the help of Your grace, never to offend you again, and carefully avoid the occasions of sin...

Topic/Agenda:

• To review the Ten Commandments.

• To teach the two great commandments of Jesus.

• Love your neighbor

• To teach the difference between accidents and sins.

• Difference between Venial sin and Mortal sin.

10 Commandments (Catechetical Traditions):

1.      I am the LORD your God: you shall not have strange Gods before me.

2.      You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.

3.      Remember to keep holy the LORD'S Day.

4.      Honor your father and your mother.

5.      You shall not kill.

6.      You shall not commit adultery.

7.      You shall not steal.

8.      You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

9.      You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.

10.   You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.

Luke 10:25-29 (See also Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34)

25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”  

26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”  

27 The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”*  

28 “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”  

29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”  

If we obey these two commandments then we will obey all the others.

Jesus Commands:

1.      Love God with all your heart with all your soul with all your strength and with all your mind.

2.      Love your neighbor as yourself

If we obey these two commandments then we will obey all the others. 


Parable of Good Samaritan
 
Luke 10:30-37
30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by.  32 A Temple assistant* walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.  33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins,* telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’  36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.
37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”



 How you love reflects on how you love your neighbor

Matthew 25:34-45

• 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

• 37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

• 40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,* you were doing it to me!’

• 41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.* 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

• 44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

• 45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

Pointers to Ponder:

• Can anyone make you sin?
• What is a sin?
• What does each sin do to our souls?
• Is an accident a sin?
• If I forget to do something is it a sin?
• When I am tempted to do something wrong, and I know that is wrong but I do it anyway, is it a sin?

What is a sin in the first place?

• A sin is a word, deed, or intention by which man deliberately and voluntarily offends against the true order of things, as God’s loving providence has arranged them.
• To sin means more than to violate some rules about which men have agreed.
• Sin turns freely and deliberately against God’s love and ignores him.
• Sin is ultimately “love of oneself even to contempt of God” (St. Augustine), and in the extreme case the sinful creature says, “I want to be like God” (see Gen 3:5).
• Just as sin burdens me with guilt, wounds me, and by its consequences ruins me, so too it poisons and damages the world in which I live.

Two kinds of sin:

·        Mortal sins – are very big, very bad sins. It kills the life of God in us. Is a serious act of disobedience against the law of God. We cannot go to heaven if there is a mortal sin on our souls. Serious sin destroys the divine power of love in a person’s heart, without which there can be no eternal beatitude. Hence it is also called mortal sin. Serious sin breaks with God, whereas venial sin only strains the relationship with him. One requirement for such a sin is that it be opposed to an important value, for instance, directed against life or God (for example, murder, blasphemy, adultery, and so on) and that it be committed with full knowledge and full consent.

·        Venial sins – are little act of disobedience against the law of God, but they still make God sad. Most sins are venial sins. Venial sins are opposed to secondary values (honor, truth, property, and so on) or are committed without full knowledge of their seriousness or without full consent of the will. Such sins disrupt the relationship with God but do not sever it.

If we do something bad on purpose, we commit a sin. We do not love God when we commit sin. Each sin that we commit takes grace away from our souls. Each sin turns us away from God. 

How can we love your neighbor?

1.      Can you hurt yourself or let others hurt you?

2.      You love yourself to be the first in line.  Can you let others to be first in line?

3.      You love yourself that you want to have the largest piece of cake. Can you give it to others?

4.      We love our neighbor by being kind and helpful to everyone we meet.

5.      We should love our parents and obey them cheerfully.

6.      We should share things with other children, and always tell the truth.

7.      We should pray for people who need God’s help: the poor, the sick, people who are unhappy, & people who don’t love God.

How can we love God?

1.      God gave us souls and give us the power to choose to love God.  We have the power to choose between good and evil. To choose what is right and what is wrong.

2.      When you do wrong, it isn’t because you “have to”. No one “makes you” do it. Only you can choose.

3.      At times it is hard to be good, but that is when you show God that you really love Him.

Questions:

•Do you think it is really important not to commit Mortal sin?

•Is it ok to commit Venial sins once in a while since it is not
as grave as Mortal sin?

–show how heavy a Venial sins can accumulate vs. single Mortal sin

The Seven Deadly Sins

• Anger (Enraged, Wrathful, Irate, Indignant, Feeling or Showing Anger)

• Envy (Grudging Desire for Another’s Advantage or Excellence)

• Gluttony (One who Eats, Drinks, or Indulges to Outrageous Excess)

• Greed (Selfish or Acquisitive Desire beyond Reason)

• Pride (Haughty Behavior, Ostentatious Display, Excessive Elation in Your Success)

• Sloth (Laziness or Indolence [Insensitive to Pain or Slow to Heal])

• Lust (Sexual Desire of an Intense Longing, to an Unrestrained, Sharp Degree)

How does a person know that he has sinned?

• "Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment. . . . For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God. . . . His conscience is man's most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths." (CCC 1776)

• A person knows that he has sinned through his conscience, which accuses him and motivates him to confess his offenses to God. [CCC 1797, 1848] 

• Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator. The education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected to negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer their own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings. (CCC 1783)

Why must a sinner turn to God and ask him for forgiveness? 

• Every sin destroys, obscures, or denies what is good; God, however, is all-good and the author of all good. every sin goes against God (also) and must be set right again through contact with him. [1 Therefore 847] 

How do we know that God is merciful? 

• In many passages in Sacred Scripture God shows that he is merciful, especially in the parable of the merciful father (Lk 15) who goes out to meet his prodigal son, accepts him unconditionally, and celebrates his return and their reconciliation with a joyful banquet. [1846, 1870] 

• Already in the Old Testament God says through the prophet Ezekiel: “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live” (Ezek 33:11). Jesus is sent “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Mt 15:24) and he knows that “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Mt 9:12). Therefore he eats with tax collectors and sinners, and then toward the end of his earthly life he even interprets his death as an initiative of God’s merciful love: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Mt 26:28).  (YOUCAT questions 312-314)

Prayer for the Help of the Holy Spirit
O God, I thank you for this day and the lessons that we have learned today.  May You send forth your Holy Spirit and stay forever into my heart that I may perceive and understand You more, into my mind that I may remember, and into my soul that I may meditate.  Inspire me to speak and behave with patience, piety, holiness, tenderness and mercy. Teach, guide and direct my thoughts and senses from beginning to end. By Your grace, we may live and preach on the Words that You spoke to us today. May your grace ever help and correct me, and may I be strengthened now with love and wisdom from on high, for the sake of your infinite mercy. Amen.