Today, I would like to begin my homily by acknowledging all of the hard work and preparation that the students of our first communion class have done in order to get to this joyful day. Zachary, Alyssa, Joey, Ashley, and Blake have been faithfully attending weekly classes here at Church of Our Lady so that they could be ready to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, which, as they know, is the greatest gift that God can give us.
In one of our class discussions, I asked each of the children what they thought it would be like to receive Jesus? As each child responded to my question, I was quite impressed with their answers. The one thing that stood out most to me was their desire to be closer with Jesus. Their responses reminded of a conversation
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Each of these great gifts from God has the power to help us to yield great fruits in our lives. Baptism has the ability to make each one of us sons and daughters of the Lord. Reconciliation has the power to wash away all of our sins and to make us whole again. Marriage enables a man and a woman give themselves unreservedly to each other so that they can become one flesh, which then facilitates the opportunity for them to become co-creators with God through their conjugal love. Ordination has the power of conforming a man in a special to God so that he can be a servant of both the Lord and his neighbour. The last sacrament that I want to talk to you about is the Eucharist. This sacrament is special because, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us, “it is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’ ‘The other sacraments… are oriented toward it… [Because] in the blessed Eucharist[,] is contained [all of] the spiritual good of the Church,… [which is none other than] Christ himself” (no. 1324). In the Eucharist, under the forms of bread and wine, Jesus freely gives himself entirely to us, like he did on Calvary two thousand years ago. Each time we go to Mass and receive Jesus worthily in a state of grace we are blessed with the opportunity of receiving God himself in the bread and wine that the priest consecrates. By receiving that heavenly bread and wine, each person is given the opportunity to abide in Jesus in an intimate way like none other on
In this first chapter of Jesus and the Disinherited , the author Howard Thurman describes
When reading The Sermon on the Mount, it is important to note who the intended audience was, the crowds of people who were there to witness Jesus. These crowds of people most likely were not the most educated; however, Jesus attempted to educate them about the Word of God. To facilitate his teaching, Jesus employed rhetorical techniques such as the metaphor. This crowd required simple and relatable ideas to become educated on his teachings of the Word of God. Many of Jesus’s teachings during The Sermon on the Mount were symbolic in nature, and not meant obeyed explicitly; Jesus merely employed these rhetorical devices to help the followers understand the underlying message, which was to be obeyed.
Gerhard Lohfink, in his book, “Jesus of Nazareth” believes that Jesus’ person and ministry are intertwined, or actually one and of the same. After Lohfink clarifies the difference between the "reign of God" as distinct from the “Kingdom of God,” he asserts that in Jesus, there is this active, ongoing reign which is not only revealed, but is manifested in all He says and does. Lohfink states, that Jesus is “not just preaching about the reign of God, but He is announcing it,” going on to indicating that Jesus is manifesting this reign in His own self disclosure and the actions of His ministry. Jesus ways of teaching and interactions with others, is shown as compassionate, gentle, direct and personal, as well as definitive and bold. As we also find in Ch. 3, “All that is happening before everyone’s eyes. The reign of God is breaking forth in the midst of the world and not only within people.” (51) And for Lohfink, this is taking place in the actual preaching, actions and life of Jesus Christ. Simply, we are personally and collectively and actively a part of establishing this “reign” right here, right now. A “reign” of mercy, compassion, forgiveness, self-giving, sacrificial love, as well as of justice and peace.
Many people have transformed, or changed, throughout their lives, either in a positive or a negative way. But what does it mean to transform? That can be different between people and the way they think. Some think it's something unacceptable and you should try avoiding it, others want to transform themselves. To transform, you just need to see the true meaning of things and be happy. It is possible to change, but you need a reason to change. You need motivation, just like how you need the motivation to do the things you love to do.
In everyday life, we apply rhetorical devices for many situations. We apply them most when trying to persuade others, such as advertisements on television. Rhetorical devices have been used for a really long time. Rhetorical devices go as far back as the Great Awakening. Unconverted men were persuaded through rhetorical devices. Unconverted men are people who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. In 1741, the unconverted were persuaded to accept God and to live a holy life. They were always told about the effects of sinning and were told what would happen after their life ended. Around that time, a pastor—Jonathan Edwards—gave a sermon about what would happen if they did not convert into a child of God. In “Sinners in the Hands
In the Catholic faith, there are seven sacraments. They are baptism, reconciliation, eucharist, confirmation, matrimony, holy orders and anointing of the sick. This year, the majority of the grade seven students are receiving the sacrament of confirmation. For confirmation, we have been asked to choose a Saint. For my Saint, I chose someone that I look up to. I chose Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.
Love is being considered the most incredible thing in one’s life. As human, we have right to make our own decisions on who we fell in love with. Sex, the action of love, which just like love, happen naturally. But we know sometimes that is not how love and sex being treated in the reality. In Hozier’s song, Take Me to Church, Hozier, he used a lot of rhetorical devices to point out and criticize that some organizations, such as churches, interfere with people’s love and sex.
In The Meaning of Jesus N.T. Wright and Marcus Borg present different views on issues relating to how Jesus is viewed. While Borg and Wright do agree on central ideals of Christianity, Borg tends to have more liberal views, whereas Wright holds more conservative views.
In Langston Hughes’s narrative essay “Salvation”, Langston talks about how his experience at church caused him to crack under pressure and pretend to be saved from Jesus, which leads him to not believing Jesus is real anymore. I personally felt like he relates to real-world problems when it comes to Salvation. How you're expecting to feel this tidal wave of emotions to flourish and have these signs of repent to show up but doesn't happen. Another thing is, I like how he explains how tense the room felt when it was just him alone on the mourning bench and how the pressure to be “Saved” makes him lie to everyone. Within the essay, Hughes touches on many different types of ideas and feelings that most people can relate too.
Taking into account the essence of the sermon,"Sinners in the Hands of God" by Jonathan Edwards, it is evident that his outstanding use of Rhetorical Devices such as Imagery, Analogy, and Simile contributed and greatly influenced the reader to be persuaded and follow through based on the author's purpose. Edwards basically intends to transmit the concept that God is our hero and will lead us to salvation if we on our behalf, believe and honor God. Based on the sermon, the intended audience seems to be people who do not believe in God and are basically when reading this sermon, exaggeratedly given the idea that if they continue to not believe in God, then they will be foreseeing an endless experience in Hell.
In Pierre De Berulle’s selected writings pages 134 through 147 we continue to learn about the “Discourse on the State and Grandeurs of Jesus. The fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth discourse is on the communication of God in this mystery.
Each week we are entrusted with not only the care but also the instruction of children. Our goal is to build a foundation of Biblical truth within their
In this chapter, I will be talking about my life is a Catholic, and how my faith has developed over the years. My life as a Catholic is the Sacramental one, and so far I have received the sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, Holy Eucharist, and Confirmation. The sacrament of baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist are the three sacraments of initiation, and because I have already received my Confirmation. I am looking forward to alter serving at my class' confirmation. Baptism is the Sacrament that brought me into the Catholic Church.
that of all the Sacraments, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the most complex
Jesus can teach me several lessons and skills. We come from different types of lifestyles; His is poverty; mine is middle-class. Most likely, Jesus will be more diligent than my classmates and me in all areas of life. At times, a role model like Jesus will be beneficial in academic settings, especially when I want to avoid working to my potential or giving up on a task. Jesus has carpentry skills and techniques from over 2,000 years ago, which are different from the ones used today. This is a new medium which can complement my drawing and painting skills. Together, we can collaborate using the different mediums and create unique projects. Jesus practices the Jewish faith and has already taught in the Temple. Jesus can use this knowledge to help my classmates and me during my religion classes. The traditions and stories in the Bible have been told through oral tradition for many years. I would like to learn if these stories are accurate, and what has been changed due to language and culture. Jesus knows how His Father wants all of us to live—according to His word. However, each individual has a different path in life. Jesus can help my classmates and I begin to find ours. Mary and Joseph made numerous sacrifices for Jesus during His early life. I would like to know how His parents handled making these sacrifices. Also, how did they accept God’s plan for them? In addition, expectations for children 2,000 years ago are different from ours today. In what ways have they changed? My classmates and I would benefit in several aspects