Catechism L5-12 Jesus Our Teacher

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.

Divine Mercy Prayer (Short Version)
You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.

O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You! (3X)

Holy God, Holy Might One, Holy Immortal One. Have Mercy on us and the whole world. (3X)     Amen.

Jesus, I trust in You.

Topic/Agenda:

1.      To explain the parable of Good Samaritan.

2.      Introduce the story of St. Martin of Tours

3.      To name the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.

4.      To explain the parable of Sheep and Goat at a Judgment.

Who are the Samaritans?

In Jesus' time, there were distinct groups among the Jews who proclaimed themselves' guardians' of the Mosaic Law and customs, each group pretending to be superior or more religious than the others. The Pharisees took pride in the fact that they observed the laws and practices handed down to them right from the time of the prophets. For example, they observed the Sabbath as a day of rest and rebuked Jesus for working miracles on that day! Another group called the Sadducees, accepted only the written laws and could quote them verbatim. Thus, they considered the "letter" of the law and forgot the "spirit" of the law! Both these groups boasted of their "holier-than-thou" attitudes which led them to despise or condemn other people like the Samaritans. The Jews  referred to the Samaritans as foreigners and heretics; they had married persons from neighboring nations (Assyrians, Mesopotamians) and were looked upon as an impure race. They had also adopted some of the religious practices of the non-Jews and even went to the length of building another temple en face the Temple of the Jews! For those reasons, the Jews (Israelites) regarded the Samaritans as their enemies, never even spoke to them!

Parable of Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?"  He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind, [Deuteronomy 6:5]; and your neighbour as yourself [Leviticus 19:18]."  He said to him, "You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live."  But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbour?"

Jesus answered, "A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he travelled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said to him, 'Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.' Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbour to him who fell among the robbers?"  He said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do."

Who is my neighbor? (Jesus of Nazareth 3 of 4 -- 10:21 to 16:23)

Story of St. Martin de Tours
Born in 315 or 316 in Pannonia, a Roman province that includes modern Hungary, Martin came into a world in transition. Christians were no longer persecuted by the Roman empire but Christianity was still not accepted by all. Martin's father, an Roman army officer who had risen through the ranks, remained faithful to the old religion and suspicious of this new sect, as did Martin's mother. Therefore it was Martin's own spiritual yearning and hunger that led him to secretly knock on the door of the local Christian church and beg to be made a catechumen -- when he was ten years old. In contemplative prayer, he found the time to be alone with God that he ached for. In the discussion of the mysteries, he found the truth he hoped for.

He was still an unbaptized catechumen when he was forced to join the army at 15. The Roman army apparently had a law that required sons of veterans to serve in the military. Still, Martin found this so far removed from his desire to be a Christian monk that he had to be held in chains before taking the military oath. Once the oath was administered he felt bound to obey. He was assigned to a ceremonial cavalry unit that protected the emperor and rarely saw combat. Like his father, he became an officer and eventually was assigned to garrison duty in Gaul (present-day France).

Even in the military Martin attempted to live the life of a monk. Though he was entitled to a servant because he was an officer, he insisted on switching roles with his servant, cleaning the servant's boots instead of the other way around!

It was on this garrison duty at Amiens that the event took place that has been portrayed in art throughout the ages. On a bitterly cold winter day, the young tribune Martin rode through the gates, probably dressed in the regalia of his unit -- gleaming, flexible armor, ridged helmet, and a beautiful white cloak whose upper section was lined with lamb's wool. As he approached the gates he saw a beggar, with clothes so ragged that he was practically naked. The beggar must have been shaking and blue from the cold but no one reached out to help him. Martin, overcome with compassion, took off his mantle. In one quick stroke he slashed the lovely mantle in two with his sword, handed half to the freezing man and wrapped the remainder on his own shoulders. Many in the crowd thought this was so ridiculous a sight that they laughed and jeered but some realized that they were seeing Christian goodness. That night Martin dreamed that he saw Jesus wearing the half mantle he had given the beggar. Jesus said to the angels and saints that surrounded him, "See! this is the mantle that Martin, yet a catechumen, gave me." When he woke, it was the "yet a catechumen" that spurred Martin on and he went immediately to be baptized. He was eighteen years old.

Summary of St. Martin de Tours life:

• He was a soldier for the Roman Empire
• He was baptized was 18 years old
• St. Hilary wished to make this promising young man a priest but Martin, out of humility, refused even to be ordained a deacon.
• He finally agreed to be ordained an exorcist
• He lived as a Hermit in an island near Milan after he was whipped and driven out from his hometown after he denounced publicly the Arian Heretics.
• he founded a monastery for them called Ligug. There he performed the first of many miracles. When a catechumen died before baptism, Martin laid himself over the body and after several hours the man came back to life.
• Was forced to become Bishop of Tours because people knew his holiness even though the bishops who will ordained him to become a bishop does not like his dirty, ragged, and disheveled (untidy) image.
• He continued his lifestyle as a monk but people constantly came to him with questions and concerns that involved all affairs of the area .
• To regain some of his solitude Martin fled outside the city to live in a cabin made of branches.He kept in touch with Tours through priest representatives who reported to him and carried out his instructions and duties with the people.
• He continue to convert many people from Paganism even with tough resistance.
• Martin was also dedicated to freeing of prisoners, so much so that when authorities, even the emperors, heard he was coming, they refused to see him because they knew he would request mercy for someone and they would be unable to refuse.
• Martin was human and made mistakes. In spite of what we may think of people in earlier times, many were skeptical of his visions of demons, believing them to come from too much fasting.

Note:

Arianism -- is the theological teaching attributed to Arius (ca. AD 250–336), a Christian presbyter in Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of God the Father to the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Arius asserted that the Son of God was a subordinate entity to God the Father. Deemed a heretic by the Ecumenical First Council of Nicaea of 325, Arius was later exonerated in 335 at the regional First Synod of Tyre,[1] and then, after his death, pronounced a heretic again at the Ecumenical First Council of Constantinople of 381. The Roman Emperors Constantius II (337–361) and Valens (364–378) were Arians or Semi-Arians. The Arian concept of Christ is that the Son of God did not always exist, but was created by—and is therefore distinct from—God the Father. This belief is grounded in the Gospel of John (14:28)[3] passage: “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I." Colossians 1:15—"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;"; also, Revelation 3:14—"These are the things that the Amen says, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation by God"; and Proverbs 8:22–29.

Catechumen -- in the early Church, was the name applied to one who had not yet been initiated into the sacred mysteries, but was undergoing a course of preparation for that purpose. 

The Corporal Works of Mercy
Corporal -- means of or relating to body.
Are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in bodily necessities (CCC #2447) , based on Christ’s prophecy of the Last Judgment, that will determine each person’s final destiny.

• Feed the hungry
• Give drink to the thirsty
• Clothe the naked
• Shelter the homeless
• Visit the sick
• Visit the imprisoned
• Bury the dead

The Spiritual Works of Mercy
The spiritual works of mercy are oriented toward the soul.

• Admonish the sinner
• Instruct the ignorant (This and the next work are extremely pertinent categories today, when so many people are confused by what the Church teaches on contraception, abortion, homosexuality, etc.)
• Counsel the doubtful
• Comfort the sorrowful
• Bear wrongs patiently
• Forgive all injuries
• Pray for the living and the dead

The Judgment of the Nations (Matthew 25:31-46)

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.

34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,[a] you did it to me.’

41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

(Jesus of Nazareth 3 of 4 -- 57:45 to 59:30)

Human Experience

• What is these got to do with us (Good Samaritan, Works of Mercy)?
• Are you certain that you are fulfilling what God requires from you?
• Are you sure that when you die, you will not go to Hell?

2 years old Chinese Toddler hit by Truck left dying -- similar to Parable of Good Samaritan.

• What will you feel if your that pitiful man in the parable or you are that little girl who was hit by a truck?
• Don't you think those pitiful people deserve some help from us?
• So what are you going to do next time you see some people who needs help or compassion?
• So do you think it is just right to help your classmate on his/her problem on the Assignment that I'm asking from you? Maybe he/she badly needs help.
• Examples of Good Samaritan are: St. Martin of Tours, Mother Theresa, Mahatma Gandhi

Life Application:

In the parable of Good Samaritan, how did the Samaritan show love to his neighbor compared to Jews?

• The Samaritan did not observe the boundaries of race/religion/color and poured his heart of love and compassion on the Jew steeped in wounds.
• Neighbor  is not a matter of blood or nationality or religious ties but determined by the attitude a person has towards others.
• Love without expecting anything in return is called selfless love.
• Jesus holds up Samaritan as a model for us to imitate -- the least and despised people.
• The Jews should have set the example of selfless love but did not do so.

In the Judgment of Nations, what is telling us is:

• Those who say or sing "Lord, Lord I love you" does not mean they belong to God's family.
• Only those who do loving acts, who came forward to lend a helping hand even when it's not their direct concern are truly belong to God's family.
• Those without love do not recognize Jesus in the poor and will thereby be excluded from the Kingdom of God.

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.

References:

Parable of Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)

The Judgment of the Nations (Matthew 25:31-46)

Corporal Works of Mercy (CCC #2447)

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=81

•Holy Bible (New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition)

•Catechism of the Catholic Church

•Wikipedia

•New Advent (www.newadvent.org)

•http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=81