2013 Yes Lord I Believe

Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (cbcp)
EPISCOPAL COMMISSION ON CATECHESIS

AND CATHOLIC EDUCATION (ECCCE)
Philippines
FAITH
Yes Lord, I Believe
a year of faith formation program
Second Edition
Philippines
FAITH
Yes Lord, I Believe
a year of faith formation program
Second Edition, 25 May 2013
FAITH, Yes, Lord, I Believe! is a Year of Faith (2012-2013) Formation

Program of the Episcopal Commission on Cathecesis and Catholic
Education (ECCCE) of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP).
This formation program was adapted from the Live Christ, Share Christ
- Called to Be Catholic program by the Office on Promoting the New
Evangelization (OPNE) - Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP).
The cover image and other icons/images found in the different modules
were mostly taken from the powerpoint presentations of Rev. Fr. Paolo
O. Pirlo, SHMI, who published a book under the Sons of the Holy Mary
Immaculate (SHMI) Quality Catholic Publications (QCP) entitled The
Aposltes Creed.
FAITH Framework/Module Design by Lydia M. Collado, RSCJ.

Layout & Design by Syd Baradi.
The DOOR OF FAITH
The door of faith (Acts 14:27) is always
open for us, ushering us into the life of
communion with God and offering entry into his
Church. It is possible to cross that threshold
when the word of God is proclaimed and the
heart allows itself to be shaped by transforming
grace. To enter through that door is to set out on
a journey that lasts a lifetime. It begins with
baptism (cf. Rom 6:4), through which we can address God as
Father, and it ends with the passage through death to eternal life,
fruit of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, whose will it was, by the
gift of the Holy Spirit, to draw those who believe in him into his own
glory (cf. Jn 17:22). To profess faith in the Trinity Father, Son and
Holy Spirit is to believe in one God who is Love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8): the
Father, who in the fullness of time sent his Son for our salvation;
Jesus Christ, who in the mystery of his death and resurrection
redeemed the world; the Holy Spirit, who leads the Church across
the centuries as we await the Lords glorious return.
PORTA FIDEI , #1
POPE BENEDICT XVI
Newly elected POPE FRANCIS,
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina.
Philippines
Dear Fellow Pilgrims in the Year of Faith,
Peace be with you!

Our beloved Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was truly guided by the Holy Spirit when he
proclaimed the Year of Faith (October 2012 November 2013). I am sure that when
he resigned the Papacy, he was confident that the faithful will continue the renewal that
he began. As the Holy Spirit cannot be outdone in faithfulness and constancy in leading
the Church to a deeper faith, we have been gifted with a new shepherd, Pope Francis.
We rejoice in his humility and generosity to be our father and pastor at this time when
discernment on what to believe and firm decision to stand by them are needed.
The Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education (ECCCE) is privileged
to offer a formation program for the Year of Faith. This formation module entitled, FAITH:
Yes, LORD, I Believe! is just a guide and framework that can be used by all. Surely there
are many other forms, ways and means by which we can renew and solidify our faith, in
communion with one another in this blessed Year of Faith.
I thank all of you who are our partners in the mission of ECCCE. You strengthen my faith and
hope that God will bring everything to completion . What better prayer can I offer you than
this prayer of St. Paul:
When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God because I hear of your love
for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. (Philemon 1:4-5 )
God bless us all.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
+ Socrates Villegas, D.D.

Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan
Chairman, ECCCE
THE REAL DREAMS ... FOR THE YEAR OF FAITH
Once, upon a mountain top, these three little trees dreamed.
The first tree thought of becoming a treasure chest to hold the greatest treasure of the world.
The second tree wanted to be great ship to sail the mighty waters and carry powerful kings.
The third tree wanted to remain in the mountain top and grow so when people look up,
theyd think of God.
After years of rain and shine, the little trees grew tall. And so the woodcutters came. With the swoop of their
shining axe, the trees fell.
The first tree became just a feedbox for animals.

The second tree became just a simple fishing boat.
The third tree was cut into beams and was left in a lumber yard.
They became sad for they didnt reach their dreams.

Many years passed. They nearly forgot their dreams.
But one night, golden starlight poured over the first tree as young woman placed her
little babe in the feedbox. Suddenly, he knew he was holding the greatest treasure in
the world.
As years passed by, a traveler boarded a little boatthe

second tree. Soon a shuddering storm came and passenger
stretched out His hand, saying PEACE. The storm stopped. The
little wood was carrying the king of heaven and earth.
One Friday morning, the third tree a beamwas

yanked from woodpile. And he was startled when soldiers
nailed a mans hand to him. He knew that Gods love had changed everything. When
people would look up, they would think of Gods love. Twas better than being the
tallest tree.
Their personal dreams did not come true, for God has a better dram for each one of them.
God has also a dream, the real one, for us all especially in the YEAR OF FAITH.
Let us dream together and make Gods dream come true in our lives.
- Taken from an E-mail Inspirational Message
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABOUT THIS FORMATION PROGRAM
SESSION 1: Where Do We Stand?

An Introduction to the Apostles Creed 1
SESSION 2: I Believe in the God Who Loves Me

ARTICLE 1: I Believe in God, the Father Almighty
Creator of Heaven and Earth 11
SESSION 3: I Believe in Jesus our Lord

ARTICLE 2: I Believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son,
Our Lord 23
SESSION 4: God Gets Up Close and Personal

ARTICLE 3: He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary 31
SESSION 5: I Stand at the Foot of the Cross

ARTICLE 4: He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
died and was buried 43
SESSION 6: I Stand By the Risen Lord

ARTICLE 5: He descended to the dead. On the third day,
He rose again 53
SESSION 7: God Reigns

ARTICLE 6: He ascended into Heaven and is seated
at the right hand of the Father 65
SESSION 8: I Wait for Jesus, My Lord, to Return

ARTICLE 7: He will come to judge the living and the dead 73
SESSION 9: The Holy Spirit Gives Me Life

ARTICLE 8: I believe in the Holy Spirit 83
SESSION 10: We are committed to Christ by being committed to one another

ARTICLE 9: The holy, Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints 93
SESSION 11: I am Loved and Forgiven

ARTICLE 10: The forgiveness of sins 105
SESSION 12: I am called to an eternity of Love with God Father, Son and Holy Spirit
ARTICLE 11 & 12: The resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. AMEN 115
YES, LORD, I BELIEVE

This formation program will use the framework of F.A.I.T.H.. In the spirit of the three
famous questions of the philosopher Immanuel Kant, who said that all our questions
of human reason and speculation can be combined into three questions: What can I
know? What ought I to do? What may I hope? (cf. Critique of Pure Reason, 1787).
With those three famous questions of Kant, we will add a deepening process called
Integration- How can I find the movements of God in my actions and Thanksgiving -
How can I thank God for my blessings, and how can I offer my life in thanksgiving for
the mission
F.A.I.T.H.
F- FAITH. What can I know? Our Faith, the 12 Decrees. Input on the 12 decrees.
A ACTION. What ought I to do? Our Faith in Action How do we live out the 12
decrees. Application.
I INTEGRATION. How can I find the movements of God in my actions Reflection on

our Action . Deepening.
T THANKSGIVING. How can I thank God for my blessings Our gratitude to God.
Gratitude means we are already filled with the gifts, so we have to share
MISSION.
H - HOPE. Our plan of how we will live out our faith. How can I thank God for my
blessings, and how can I offer my life in thanksgiving for the mission.
ABOUT THIS FORMATION PROGRAM
I. BACKGROUND
The Holy Father has declared a Year of Faith to start in October 2012 till November of 2013. His
Holiness Apostolic Letter emphasizes that the door of faith is always open and invites us all to enter
into the life of communion with God in the context of the Church.
This declaration of the Year of Faith also coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican
Councils opening, the convening Xlii General Assembly of the Synod of the Bishops on the New
Evangelization for the Transmission of Christian Faith and 20th anniversary of the Catechism of the
Catholic Church. However, for the Philippine Church, this year also starts the nine (9) year novena of
preparation for the 500th year of Christianity in the country. All this coincidences are not a matter of luck
but a providential arrangement of events. Against background of the winter of faith happening in almost
everywhere in the world, the call to the Philippine Church to continue to keep our lamps burning is
becoming more apparent and significant as the only Catholic nation in Asian. The phenomenon of
employment migration and immigration of whole families in most part of the world which is becoming a
divine way to renewing Catholic churchs in host countries outside the Philippines only points to this call.
As a response to stirring of the Spirit for the Year of Faith and the call for the New Evangelization, the
Office on Promoting the New Evangelization (OPNE) has put together a program called Called to Be
Catholic.
II. NATURE OF THE PROGRAM
Called to Be Catholic (C2BC) is a 12 talk/session program on the Creed. It aims to invite all Catholics to a
deeper understanding and appreciation of the 12 tenets of the Catholic beliefs as stated in the Creed. In
the spirit of Live Christ, Share Christ, the program wishes to inspire the actual living out of the Faith and
sharing that Faith (evangelization) with others. What better way to deepen the Faith than the Apostles
Creed that Filipino believers profess every Sunday in mass?
The program follows the National Catechetical Directory for the the Philippines (NCDP) principles of
being integrated, inculturated and community forming. It is integrated in that it takes on St. Augustines
triple definition of Faith (based on CFC Ns 134-136, which is really based on lmmanuel Kants 3 famous
questions) for its structure:
(1) knowing the Truth (What Can We Know?),

(2) Living the Truth (What Should We Do?), and
(3) Celebrating the Truth (What May We Hope For?).
It is inculturated because it contextualizes the Faith into the Philippine setting, highlighting the Faith as
truly Filipino.
It is community-forming because the interaction with other participants and the team allow for greater
bonding with the local parish community of which they are a part of. And hopefully, after the Creed, they
will want to participate more in the parish.
The main sources shall be the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) and the Catechism for Filipino
Catholics (CFC), grounded on Scripture. As such, it is Trinitarian and Christo-centric. But it shall be
presented in a simple and easy-to-understand manner, using informal language that all can understand. it
shall make use of laypersons to give the talks/input. Each talk will have a separate speaker, if possible,
but an over-all team leader and service team shall be organized by the parish priest.
Why is the program 12 talks long? The desire of the program is to get participants used to meeting once a
week for 12 weeks so that they can make weekly participation in the parish a habit. This is how virtue is
developed. It also gives due respect to the reality that we, as human persons, take time to assimilate and
learn the truths of our Faith. A weeks reflection on the talk will give time for the participants to give
meaning to the truths they are learning, piece by piece. However, when the need arises, there shall later
be flexibility in collapsing certain talks from 12 to 9, and some topics could be merged. However, it would
be ideal to follow the 12-talk structure.
III. OBJECTIVES OF THE LCSC-CREED:
The LCSC-Creed desires that its participants:
1) Understand the essentials of the Faith better by starting with the basic creedal truths found in
the Apostles Creed, which will help them grow in understanding not only God more, but
ourselves, each other and the world;
2) Live out their Catholic faith more faithfully as seen in their relationship with others and their
participation In the parish community; and
3) Celebrate this love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit by greater participation in th sacraments
and in prayer.
The talks do not present an in-depth study of each article of Faith but focuses on one key area of the
article. This would lead him/her to want to know more about the Faith later on.
IV. DYNAMICS PER TALK
Each session will begin with a prayer/worship, followed by the talk/input (30-45 minutes), some reflection
time and discussion/small group sharing. It will end with a closing prayer/worship.
The flow of each talk will be as follows:
1) Introduction
2) FAITH DECLARATION/CATHOLIC TRUTH (what we believe in as catholics) & MEANING OF THE
FAITH DECLARATION
3) WHAT IT MEANS FOR US TODAY (Present Day Application)
4) Includes element of Tell One Person About It campaign (or a commitment to tell one person about
what they learned that day called, Ikuwento Mo!)
5) HOW WE CELEBRATE THE TRUTH (Prayer/Sacramental Application)
6) Conclusion - Contains the 3-point summary
The small group discussion questions shall follow the same 3-fold structure on knowledge (What can we
know?), application (What can we do?), and a movement to prayer (What can we hope for?).
Each talk shall contain suggested creatives that the speaker can use.
The talk serves as a guide. So long as the speaker covers the basic stuff, then its fine. However, the
speaker would need to tailor-fit the talk to his/her specific audience. (Know your audience!)
At the end of talk 1, the participants can recite the Apostles Creed together, prayerfully. At the end of talk
12, use the Easter Vigil format (Question and Answer: Do you reject Satan and all his works? Do you
believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth? I do!) As a response to Article 10 on
the forgiveness of sins, participants will be encouraged to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
It is suggested that on the last talk/session, participants are invited to get involved in the different parish
groups or commit to some kind of parish involvement. It has been evident that parishioners who get
actively involved in the parish, grow in their faith versus the Sunday Catholics who just attend mass.
The LCSC-Creed may be translated in Filipino. A team may also be asked to translate it into different
dialects, after the piloting stage, to be approved by the bishop of the diocese.
Scriptural &
My
Article/s One Key Response of Church
Session Topic Hopes/Fears
Covered Problem Faith Teaching Bases
(concerns)
(CCC, CFC)
1 The Apostles Where Do We Creed recited I wonder what Knowing what I Col. 1, 28: This
Creed as a Stand? (An mechanically I really believe believe in as a is the Christ we
Whole Introduction to during Sunday in Catholic and why proclaim, to
the Apostles Mass without means growing make everyone
Creed) any real and maturing in complete in
understanding of my relationship Christ. CCC
what we claim to with Christ within Part 1, Sec. 2;
believe the Catholic CFC Chap. 5
community
2 Article 1 I I Believe in the God is taken for I am searching God exists as Gen. 17, 1: I am
Believe in God, God Who granted and for Someone Trinity, who God the
the Father Loves Me ignored in the greater than lovingly created Almighty. Walk in
Almighty, daily life of the me and me and continues my presence
Creator of ordinary Filipino searching for to sustain me CCC Part 1, Sec.
heaven and Catholic. who I really every single 2, Chap. 1; CFC
earth am. moment. When I Chaps. 6 & 7
know who God is,
I know who I am.
3 Article 2 I I Believe in The devotion to I feel I am Jesus is the Son Mt. 16, 16: You
Believe in Jesus as Lord Christ (in the responsible to of God. He is Lord are the Messiah,
Jesus Christ, Sacred Heart, Someone and Savior of the the Son of the
his only Son, Santo Nio, greater than World Living God.
our Lord Hesus myself CCC Part 1, Sec.
Nazareno) does 2, Chap. 2; CFC
not translate to Chap. 10
daily living
4 Article 3 He God Gets Up Not realizing that I need a Jesus is the Lk. 1, 34-35:
was conceived Close and God cant work miracle in my miracle of God: How can this be
by the power of Personal His miracle life when times fully human, born since I know not
the Holy Spirit without human are tough. of a true human man? The Holy
and born of the participation, due mother (Mary), Spirit will come
Virgin Mary to human and also fully upon you. CCC
freedom. divine (Jesus Part 1, Sec. 2,
becomes man). Chap. 2; CFC
Chap. 10
5 Article 4 He I Stand at the Unclear about I am suffering. By His passion Jn. 12, 24:
suffered under Foot of the the Christian and death, Christ Unless a grain
Pontius Pilate, Cross approach to transformed the of wheat falls to
was crucified, suffering and meaning of the ground and
died and was death. See suffering. dies CCC
buried suffering either Part 1, Sec. 2,
as something Chap. 2; CFC
sought in itself or Chap. 11
to be avoided at
all costs.
6 Article 5 He I Stand By the Focus too much I feel hopeless Jesus went to the 1 Cor. 15, 17: If
descended to Risen Lord on the dead place of the dead, Christ was not
the dead. On Christ over the and defeated and raised, your faith
the third day, Risen Christ rose again. is worthless.
He rose again. CCC Part 1, Sec.
2, Chap. 2; CFC
Chaps. 11 & 12
7 Article 6 He God Reigns Unclear about I am afraid of Christ resumes Acts 2, 33:
ascended into the meaning of the future his place in Christ
heaven and is what Ascension heaven, with ascending to the
seated at the means authority. right hand of the
right hand of Father and
the Father. sharing in the
outpouring of the
Spirit. CCC Part
1, Sec. 2, Chap.
2; CFC Chap. 12
8 Article 7 He I Wait for There is nervous I do not know Christ is the King 1 Cor. 16, 22: O
will come to Jesus, My Lord, anxiety and fear what will of heaven and Lord, come!
judge the living to Return about the Last happen at the earth. He will Marana tha!
and the dead. Judgment end of the return in His CCC Part 1, Sec.
world. Second Coming 2, Chap. 2; CFC
to restore all of Chap. 12
creation.
9 Article 8 I The Holy Spirit People know I feel lifeless. The Holy Spirit is Gal. 4, 6: God
believe in the Gives Me Life least about the the Giver of Life. has sent forth
Holy Spirit Holy Spirit, the into our hearts
forgotten the Spirit of His
Person in the Son which cries
Blessed Trinity. out: Abba
(Father). CCC
Part 1, Sec. 2,
Chap. 3; CFC
Chap. 23
10 Article 9 The We are The Church is I cant do it on Christ send His Mt. 16, 18: You
holy, Catholic Committed to perceived as my own. Spirit through the are Peter, the
Church, the Christ by Being merely a Church, and Rock, and on
communion of Committed to building, or the together we this rock I will
saints. One Another hierarchy (pope, journey towards build my
bishop, priests) heaven, with Church. CCC
or a social group. Mary, Mother of Part 1, Sec. 2,
the Church and Chap. 2; CFC
the saints Chap. 23
interceding for us.
11 Article 10 The I am loved and Filipino Catholics I am sinful. Christ saves us Acts 2, 38: You
forgiveness of forgiven are often through Baptism must reform and
sins sacramentalized and continues to be baptized in
but not save us in the the name of
evangelized. Sacrament of Christ that your
Reconciliation sins may be
forgiven, then
you will receive
the gift of the
Holy Spirit. CCC
Part 1, Sec. 2,
Chap. 3; CFC
Chaps. 25 & 27
12 Articles 11 & 12 I am Called to Filipino Catholics I wonder if the God promises us Phil. 3, 20: He
The an Eternity of are influenced afterlife, eternal life and will give a new
Resurrection of Love with God either by a heaven and the hope for a form to this lowly
the body, and Father, Sone growing hell are new heaven and body of ours and
Life Everlasting and Holy Spirit secularism which fairytales. a new earth. remake it
doesnt believe according to the
in the afterlife, or pattern of his
in reincarnation glorified body.
(as if we can CCC Part 1, Sec.
keep coming 2, Chap. 3; CFC
back multiple Chap. 29
times)
Faith F Action
A
I T H
F AIntegration
T
Thanksgiving Hope
H
Yes, Lord, I Believe
John Burland
Do you believe in God the Father? And all the Saints who walked with God.
Yes, Lord, I believe! Yes, Lord, I believe!
Who made the earth and all, we see. Do you believe in Gods forgiveness
Do you believe in Jesus Christ? That we will rise to life again?

Gods only Son born of Mary I believe in God the Father.

Yes, Lord, I believe! I believe in God the Son.
I believe in the Spirit, and the
I believe in God the Father. strength that makes us one.
I believe in God the Son. I believe that Mother Mary sits with
I believe in the Spirit, and the esus t ods h nd
strength that makes us one. I believe, I do believe.
I believe that Mother Mary sits with
esus t ods h nd This is our faith which we profess.
I believe, I do believe. Yes, Lord, I believe!
Do you believe that Jesus died? I believe in God the Father.

Yes, Lord, I believe! I believe in God the Son.
He died for us so we could live. strength that makes us one.
Yes, Lord, I believe! I believe that Mother Mary sits with
esus t ods h nd
Do you believe He rose again? I believe, I do believe.
Yes, Lord, I believe!
I believe. I do believe.
Hes seated now at Gods right hand.
Yes, Lord, I believe!
I believe in God the Father.

I believe in God the Son.
strength that makes us one.
I believe that Mother Mary sits with
esus t ods h nd
I believe, I do believe.
Do you believe in Gods great church

Yes, Lord ,I believe!
Session 1
An Introduction
to the Apostles Creed
Session 1:
THE APOSTLES CREED AS A WHOLE
ONE KEY PROBLEM SCRIPTURAL & CHURCH TEACHING BASES

(CCC, CFC)
Creed recited mechanically

during Sunday Mass without F Col. 1. 28: This is the Christ we
proclaim, to make everyone
any real understanding of what complete in Christ. CCC Part 1,
we claim to believe. Sec. 2; CFC Chap. 5
F
FAITH
A
ACTION
I
INTEGRATION
T
THANKSGIVING
H
HOPES
TOPIC
WHERE DO WE STAND?
(An Intro to the Apostles
Creed)
RESPONSE OF FAITH MY HOPES/FEARS (CONCERNS)
Knowing what I believe in

as a Catholic and why means
growing and maturing in my
T I wonder what
I really believe in.
relationship with Christ within
the Catholic community.
H
EPISCOPAL COMMISSION ON CATECHESIS AND CATHOLIC EDUCATION (ECCCE) FORMATION PROGRAM ON THE YEAR OF FAITH
SESSION 1
Where Do We Stand?
An Introduction to the Apostles Creed
Overview of Session Session 1 is an intro session on the Creed. It challenges participants to ask where
they stand in their Catholic faith. It gives a brief exposition on what the Creed is and
why it is important to study and meditate on it today. It expresses that the Creed is a
faith proclamation of who God is and who we are.
Objectives At the end of the session, the participants should be able to:
1) understand the significance of the Apostles Creed in Catholic tradition,

liturgy and in their daily lives;
2) reflect on and be challenged about what they stand for especially in relation
to the Catholic Faith; and
3) solemnly and prayerfully recite the Apostles Creed at the end of the
session.
Scriptural Text John 1:1-14 In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word
was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things came into
4
being, not one thing came into being except through him. What has come into
5
being in him was life, life that was the light of men; and light shines in darkness,
6
and darkness could not overpower it. A man came, sent by God. His name was
7
John. He came as a witness, to bear witness to the light, so that everyone might
believe through him. 8 He was not the light, he was to bear witness to the light. 9
The Word was the real light that gives light to everyone; he was coming into the
world. 10 He was in the world that had come into being through him, and the world
did not recognise him. 11 He came to his own and his own people did not accept
him. 12 But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God,
to those who believed in his name 13 who were born not from human stock or
human desire or human will but from God himself. 14 The Word became flesh, he
lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory that he has from the Father as only
Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Christian Teaching Colossians 1, 28: This is the Christ we proclaim, to make everyone complete in
Christ. CCC Part 1, Sec. 2; CFC Chap. 5
1
Basic Concepts and Content
Guide for the Opening Song Yes, Lord, I Believe

Inspirational Story Fathers Love Letter
Facilitator Opening Prayer
TALK PROPER AN INTRODUCTION TO THE APOSTLES CREED
F-aith Introduction, What We Believe
A-ction What It Means For Us Today
I-ntegration Share and Pray
T-hanksgiving How We Celebrate The Truth
H-ope Conclusion
Suggested Creatives
Closing Prayer The Apostles Creed
Opening Song YES, LORD, I BELIEVE John Burland
Inspirational Story FATHER'S LOVE LETTER

My Child,
You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1
I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my image. Genesis 1:27
In me you live and move and have your being. Acts 17:28
For you are my offspring. Acts 17:28
I knew you even before you were conceived. Jeremiah 1:4-5
I chose you when I planned creation. Ephesians 1:11-12
You were not a mistake,

for all your days are written in my book. Psalm 139:15-16
I determined the exact time of your birth
and where you would live. Acts 17:26
You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14
I knit you together in your mothers womb. Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born. Psalm 71:6
I have been misrepresented,
by those who dont know me. John 8:41-44
I am not distant and angry,

but am the complete expression of love. 1 John 4:16
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. 1 John 3:1
Simply because you are my child and I am your Father. 1 John 3:1
I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. Matthew 7:11
2
For I am the perfect father. Matthew 5:48
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. James 1:17
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. Matthew 6:31-33
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11
Because I love you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3
My thoughts toward you are countless

as the sand on the seashore. Psalms 139:17-18
And I rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17
I will never stop doing good to you. Jeremiah 32:40
For you are my treasured possession. Exodus 19:5
I desire to establish you

with all my heart and all my soul. Jeremiah 32:41
And I want to show you great and marvelous things. Jeremiah 33:3
If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. Deuteronomy 4:29
Delight in me and I will give you
the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
For it is I who gave you those desires. Philippians 2:13
I am able to do more for you

than you could possibly imagine. Ephesians 3:20
For I am your greatest encourager. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
I am also the Father who comforts you
in all your troubles. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb,
I have carried you close to my heart. Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. Revelation 21:3-4
And Ill take away all the pain
you have suffered on this earth. Revelation 21:3-4
I am your Father, and I love you

even as I love my son, Jesus. John 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. John 17:26
He is the exact representation of my being. Hebrews 1:3
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. Romans 8:31
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
My Son Jesus died

so that you and I could be reconciled. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. 1 John 4:10
I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. Romans 8:31-32
If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. 1 John 2:23
And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. Romans 8:38-39
Come home and Ill throw the biggest party

heaven has ever seen. Luke 15:7
I have always been Father,

and will always be Father. Ephesians 3:14-15
My question is
3
Will you be my child? John 1:12-13
I am waiting for you. Luke 15:11-32
Love, Your Dad

Almighty God
TALK PROPER It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone

with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. (Gal. 1, 28)
An Introduction
Introduction to the Apostles Creed
F-aith INTRODUCTION
The question everyone asks at least once in their lives is, Where do I stand? or
What do I really believe in? While there are many ways at arriving at the answers,
the best answer as to faithful Catholics believe that the best answer as to who we are and what we stand
who we are and what we for is found in our Faith in a loving God who created us, saved us and lives inside
stand for is found in our us 24/7.
Faith in a loving God who
created us, saved us and
lives inside us 24/7. WHAT WE BELIEVE
A. Why Am I Catholic?
1) Probable answers for most Filipino Catholics:
a. Because their parents are Catholic and they grew up in a Catholic

home. Or
b. Because the Philippines is mostly Catholic so were just following the
status quo and being socially acceptable. They may say its
c. Because the Spaniards colonized us and brought the Catholic Faith to
us.
2) Ask yourself the question Why am I a Catholic?
a. For whatever reason you might think of, know that God has called you
if you would try to to be Catholic.
discover the wonderful gift b. Its a call that you responded to, maybe not too consciously. You might
of Catholic faith that you want to ask WHY you are still a Catholic today.
possess, you may be c. Your reasons may be the same as the reasons just given about why
pleasantly surprised about you became Catholic,
what you will discover. d. if you would try to discover the wonderful gift of Catholic faith that you
possess, you may be pleasantly surprised about what you will discover.
4
The Apostles Creed was B. This LCSC-Creed program is entitled, Called to Be Catholic.
not meant to be dead and
impersonal statements. 1) Its a beautiful 12-week program to discover how God has lovingly called
They are truths, living and each one of us to share in His love as Catholics.
saving, meant to urge us 2) One great way to start discovering the beauty of our Faith is through the
to a personal commitment Apostles Creed. Let us take the time to be open, to really understand,
to Christ. reflect on and study the great gems of
3) our Catholic Faith. Welcome to the beginning of this wonderful journey of
understanding the Faith I
C. Why The Apostles Creed?
1) Its the oldest Roman catechism, a longer version of a 3 century Roman

creed.
2) We recite it every Sunday mass here in the Philippines.(ln some countries
like the U.S., they use the longer Nicean Creed, but both versions say the
same thing.) Weve memorized it as children but probably just recite it
mechanically every Sunday because we dont really understand it. Its not
enough to say we dont know why but thats just the way we do things
around here. (CFC 219)
3) The Apostles Creed was not meant to be dead and impersonal statements.
They are truths, living and saving, meant to urge us to a personal
commitment to Christ.
4) We need to understand and practice the Catholic Faith if is not meant to be
a dead Faith. Knowing what we believe in and why, will lead us to grow and
mature in our relationship with Christ within the Christian community (the
Church). Just as we have grown physically and hopefully, psychologically
and emotionally as adults, we were meant to grow also as spiritually mature
adults. Unfortunately, for most of us, we have not stopped to think about
what we claim to believe in. For most of us, we have stopped studying the
Faith after school where we were required to take up Religion, CL/E, or
theology. Yet, we need to grow in every way, especially in our spiritual life.
We must understand more to love more, to pray more and celebrate the
sacraments more. To know God more (through the Creed), is to love Him
more.
5) English bishop, St. Richard of Chichester, who lived in the 13th century,
said it better: Dearest Lord Jesus, Savior and Friend, three things I pray: To
see thee more clearly, to love thee more dearly, to follow thee more nearly,
day by day. From St. Richards prayer, comes the famous song Day by
Because there are 12 Day from the 1970s musical, Godspell. Some parish groups still sing the
apostles, there are also 12 song in their meetings today. The song reminds us that in the deepest part
articles of the Creed, of our hearts, we seek God. And when we find Him, we would want to see
declaring what the Him. The Creed is an invitation to see God more clearly. And when we see
apostles stood for Him more clearly, we are moved to love Him more dearly and follow Him
more nearly.
D. What The Creed Is
1) The Apostles Creed was not written by the original 12 apostles, but it
captures what they professed and reminds us of what they believed in.
5
Its a framework of truths Because there are 12 apostles, there are also 12 articles of the Creed,
that are life-changing. declaring what the apostles stood for, as all Christians stand for today. The
Creed is really a biblical creed professing the Christ event as found in
Scripture.
a. The Catholic Church uses two very old creeds regularly as a part of its
liturgy and other prayers. There are a number of other Catholic creeds
as well.
b. The older Apostles Creed is brief and simple. It is considered to be a
faithful summary of the Apostles teaching. It is the ancient baptismal
symbol of the Church at Rome. (See Catechism, 194.)
c. The longer Catholic Nicene Creed contains some additional language
explaining our belief in the Trinity.
d. Another ancient & traditional creed is commonly called the Athanasian
Creed, since it was originally attributed to St. Athanasius, who died in
373 A.D. (This creed is no longer officially attributed to him.) It is also
called the Athanasian Creed, after its first words in Latin. This beautiful
creed contains a detailed meditation on the nature of the Trinity.
2) It is the summary of faith
a. From its earliest days, the Church used brief summaries to describe an
outline of its most essential beliefs.
b. These summaries are called creeds, from the Latin credo, meaning
I believe. They are also called professions of faith, since they
summarize the faith that Christians profess.
c. Its a framework of truths that are life-changing. Its a measure of what it
means to be Catholic. When we believe definite things, we become
definite as well. Yet, the Creed doesnt say everything we believe in, but
briefly states the basic beliefs of Catholics.
d. Like the Catechism, well use the articles of the Apostles Creed as our
outline for describing the essential tenets of Catholicism. Of course, this
short outline provides only the barest essentials of the Catholic
Christian faith.
3) Some other ways to describe the Creed:
a. Not a list of statements to be proven, but beliefs to be lived out - The

Creed isnt about proofs but truths. While we cant scientifically prove
the great truths of love, friendship, Gods presence, trust and faith, they
arent less true, but are in reality, more true! Our relationships in life are
built on these truths. We live out this faith, hope and love everyday of
our lives in our relationships with others, and are called to live them out
A Pledge of loyalty -The based on our relationship with God.
Creed is a personal
commitment b. A Pledge of Loyalty - The Creed is a personal commitment (I believe in
God... in the Apostles Creed) that we make. We already know it but it
bears repetition because we need to remind ourselves of what we
promised to be loyal to, lest we forget.
6
To recite the Creed is not c. A Communal Commitment - The Creed shows that we love God and
to say many things, but the Church, as we publicly confess our Christian Faith in the Trinity
really just ONE thing: the every Sunday. When we publicly recite them, we draw strength and
mystery of Faith in God support from one another to bear witness to the Truth together. When
Father, Son and Holy we recite them every Sunday, we worship God.
Spirit. It is ONE act with
ONE object: worship of the
Trinity. d. A Proclamation of Identity - The Creed tells of our identity as Catholics.
Our basic personal identity (who we really are) actually comes from
God. The Creed says who we are and what we stand for.
i. There are things that we believe in that other people who arent
Christians dont believe in. We are not meant to agree with
everyone. We are meant to seek out the truth and live it out.
Sometimes our being Catholic will make us controversial to the
world, and even counter-cultural. That is how things are when
we make a stand about what we believe in. (You cant please
everyone. And in todays world, expect different beliefs.)
ii. It keeps the oneness of the Church to God and in service to
the world, the whole human race. We stand together with other
believers, as a community of love and holiness, surrounded by
people who share the same beliefs in a loving God.
4) General features of the Creed
a. The Creed is made up of short statements, so that they can easily be

memorized and remembered. There are 12 articles of Faith, all related
and so beautifully united to form one belief in God. To recite the Creed
is not to say many things, but really just ONE thing: the mystery of Faith
in God Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is ONE act with ONE object:
worship of the Trinity.
b. The articles build on one another. They hang together as a structured

whole, elements hinged/bound together. We start with Part 1 on the
Father, Part 2 on the Son, and Part 3 on the Holy Spirit. Part 2 covers
the most articles 6 articles, from Articles 2-7 because we get to
know God through Christ Jesus who became one of us and showed us
the love of God in the most perfect way. Part 3 covers 5 articles, from
Articles 8-12 because they refer to the Holy Spirit constantly at work in
the Church today, until Jesus comes back in glory.
A-ction WHAT IT MEANS FOR US TODAY (Present Day Application)
A. The Creed is a common prayer we recite with the community.
1) Because we all have memorized it, we can recite it together, as one

united Body of Christ.
2) We can stand proudly and solidly even with all other Christian believers
(all who believe in Christ) and we can pray the Apostles Creed
7
together! I profess words that are borrowed from others in the past, to
express the truths of what we believe in as Christians. But even though
they are the words of the believers who have gone before us, they are
in-line with my own experience of the love of God Father, Son and
Spirit. They are definitely still what I mean and we mean, and what I
stand for and what we stand for.
B. Learning more about the Creed is important because if we understand what

we are professing, we will proclaim it with greater conviction. We will know
what we are standing for.
1) While meditating on the Apostles Creed is a lifelong task, we can start

today. We can begin consciously and convincingly professing the Creed
from our hearts and from the way we live our lives.
2) Indeed, the creedal articles attach themselves repeatedly to things we
all live and feel and glimpse. The Creed is not far from what we
experience, but very close to who we are and what we feel. They are
consistent with our own experience. That is why they are believable.
3) They confess the truths about God and about ourselves. We just need
We can begin consciously to see how by studying each article of the Creed carefully.
and convincingly 4) We try to understand it so we can know Him, love Him, serve Him and
professing the Creed from worship Him better. St. Paul says, assuming that you have heard of
our hearts and from the him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus, that you should put
way we live our lives. away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful
desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new
self, created in Gods way in righteousness and holiness of truth. (Eph
4, 21-24)
I-ntegration Discussion Questions:
1) What is it that you stand for as a Catholic? Choose one truth in the
Apostles Creed and say why it makes sense and why you believe it.
2) Choose one truth in the Apostles Creed that you find most difficult to
understand and say why.
3) IKUWENTO MO: Think of ONE lesson you got from todays session and
share it with the group. Commit to share that lesson with at least ONE
person you know (friend, family, etc.) before the next session.
4) PRAY IT! Commit to pray the Apostles Creed slowly for the next 7 days
before the next session.
8
T-hanksgiving HOW WE CELEBRATE THE TRUTH
A. Credo is the Latin word which literally means to give ones heart. We are
called to give our hearts to God when we recite the Apostles Creed. If we
believe in God, we will keep His commandments and pray through Him,
with Him and in Him. (Eucharistic Prayer).
B. Let us be conscious about when and how we pray the Apostles Creed next
time we celebrate Mass. Let us proceed carefully, reverently, prayerfully,
because we tread not only on words held by all believers for over two
thousand years, but also on holy ground into the mystery of God and the
mystery of ourselves. These words are not just information but Gods reality
that shapes our own, sheds light and gives our lives worth and meaning.
They are true worship towards God.
H-ope CONCLUSION
A. Today we talked about why we are Catholic, what the Creed is, what it
means for us today, and why we need to study it. We are challenged to ask
ourselves, Where do we stand? If we draw from the Creed, we faithful
Catholics stand in faith, hope and love in Christ.
B. Can there be anything more certain than Him? When we embrace the
Creed, it brings life to our Faith. And when we recite it with faith, we enter
into communion with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (CCC 197)
Suggested Creatives Take A Stand Icebreaker; Closing Prayer: Recite the Apostles
Creed slowly and solemnly (prepare a Powerpoint presentation
with many visuals to get them into the reflective mood);
Sing Day By Day as a closing song.
9
Closing Song DAY BY DAY

Day by day
Oh Dear Lord
Three things I pray
To see thee more clearly
Love thee more dearly
Follow thee more nearly
Day by day
Day by day
Day by day
Oh Dear Lord
Three things I pray
To see thee more clearly
Love thee more dearly
Follow thee more nearly
Day by day
Closing Prayer THE APOSTLES CREED
I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
10
Session 2
Article 1: I Believe in God,
the Father Almighty,
Creator of Heaven and Earth
Session 2:
Article 1 - I BELIEVE IN GOD, THE FATHER
ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH

(CCC, CFC)
God is taken for granted and

ignored in the daily life of the F Gen. 17,1: I am God the
Almighty. Walk in my
ordinary Filipino Catholic. presence... CCC Part 1, Sec. 2,
Chap. 1; CFC Chaps. 6 & 7
F
FAITH
A
ACTION
I
INTEGRATION
T
THANKSGIVING
H
HOPES
TOPIC
I BELIEVE IN THE GOD
WHO LOVES ME
God exists as Trinity, who

lovingly created me and
continues to sustain me every
T I am searching for Someone
greater than me and searching
fo who I really am.
single moment. When I know
who God is, I know who I am.
H
W/^KW>KDD/^^/KEKEd,^/^Ed,K>/hd/KE&KZDd/KEWZK'ZDKEd,zZK&&/d,
SESSION 2
I Believe in the God

Who Loves Me
ARTICLE 1: I Believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth
Session 2 is on the first article of Faith that speaks of God as Father Almighty
Overview of Session
and Creator of heaven and earth. It serves as the foundation for all other articles
of Faith. We discover the almighty power of the loving Father, who is both creator
and provider of all. Our understanding of who God is helps us to know who we
are.
At the end of the session, the participants should be able to:

Objectives
1) see God as loving Creator, Provider and Father;
2) reflect on the call to acknowledge God as God by loving their neighbor
through sharing time, talent and treasure and caring for creation through
responsible stewardship; and
3) celebrate trust and confidence in the God who creates, sustains and
provides for us through prayers of praise and thanksgiving.
Isaiah 45:17-18 Israel, you are saved by the LORD, saved forever! You shall
Scriptural Text
never be put to shame or disgrace in future ages." For thus says the LORD, The
creator of the heavens, who is God, The designer and maker of the earth who
established it, Not creating it to be a waste, but designing it to be lived in: I am
the LORD, and there is no other.
Gen. 17, 1: I am God the Almighty. Walk in my presence

Christian
Christian Teaching
CCC Part 1, Sec. 2, Chap. 1; CFC Chaps. 6 & 7

Opening Song Yes, Lord, I Believe

Guide for the
Inspirational Story Newspaper Boy (John 3:16)
TALK PROPER ARTICLE 1: I Believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of Heaven and Earth
H-ope Conclusion
Suggested Creatives
Closing Prayer
YES, LORD, I BELIEVE John Burland

Opening Song
Inspirational Story Newspaper Boy (John 3:16)
A little boy was selling newspapers on the corner, the people were in and out of
the cold. The little boy was so cold that he wasn't trying to sell many papers. He
walked up to a policeman and said, "Mister, you wouldn't happen to know where
a poor boy could find a warmplace to sleep tonight would you? You see, I sleep
in a box up around the corner there and down the alley and it's awful cold in there
for tonight. Sure would be nice to have a warm place to stay."
The policeman looked down at the little boy and said, "you go down the street to
that big white house and you knock on the door. When they come out the door
you just say John 3:16, and they will let you in." So he did. He walked up the
steps and knocked on the door, and a lady answered. He looked up and said,
"John 3:16." The lady said, "Come on in, Son." She took him in and she sat him
down in a split bottom rocker in front of a great big fireplace, and she went off.
The boy sat there for a while and thought to himself: John 3:16...I don't
understand it, but it sure makes a cold boy warm.
Later she came back and asked him "Are you hungry?" He said, "Well, just a
little. I haven't eaten in a couple of days, and I guess I could stand a little bit of
food," The lady took him in the kitchen and sat him down to a table full of
wonderful food. He ate and ate until he couldn't eat any more. Then he thought to
himself: John 3:16...Boy, I sure don't understand it but it sure makes a hungry
boy full.
She took him upstairs to a bathroom to a huge bathtub filled with warm water,
and he sat there and soaked for a while. As he soaked, he thought to himself:
John 3:16... I sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a dirty boy clean.
You know, I've not had a bath, a real bath, in my whole life. The only bath I ever


had was when I stood in front of that big fire hydrant as they flushed it out. The
lady came in and got him. She took him to a room, tucked him into a big old
feather bed, pulled the covers up around his neck, kissed him goodnight and
turned out the lights. As he lay in the darkness and looked out the window at the
snow coming down on that cold night, he thought to himself: John 3:16...I don't
understand it but it sure makes a tired boy rested.
The next morning the lady came back up and took him down again to that same
big table full of food. After he ate, she took him back to that same big old split
bottom rocker in front of the fireplace and picked up a big Bible. She sat down in
front of him and looked into his young face. "Do you understand John 3:16?" she
asked gently. He replied, "No, Ma'am, I don't. The first time I ever heard it was
last night when the policeman told me to use it," She opened the Bible to John
3:16 and began to explain to him about Jesus. Right there, in front of that big old
fireplace, he gave his heart and life to Jesus. He sat there and thought: John
3:16....don't understand it, but it sure makes a lost boy feel safe.
You know, I have to confess I don't understand it either, how God was willing to
send His Son to die for me, and how Jesus would agree to do such a thing. I
don't understand the agony of the Father and every angel in heaven as they
watched Jesus suffer and die. I don't understand the intense love for ME that
kept Jesus on the cross till the end. I don't understand it, but it sure does make
life worth living. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.
I am God the Almighty. Walk in my presence.... (Gen. 17,1)

TALK PROPER
ARTICLE 1
I Believe in God, the Father Almighty,

Creator of heaven and earth
F-aith INTRODUCTION
WiIl you agree that many A. In last weeks session, we talked about Where We Stand and how the
Filipino Catholics remain Creed guides us as Catholics to know what we stand for. Today, we
KBL Catholics (kasal, take the first article of Faith.
binyag, libing) present in
church only for weddings, B. Filipinos seem to love God a lot, what with a church or chapel found in
baptisms and funerals? every place, including malls. WiIl you agree that many Filipino Catholics
remain KBL Catholics (kasal, binyag, libing) present in church only for
weddings, baptisms and funerals? (CFC 258-59) Will you agree that
there are many others are content to simply go to Mass every Sunday.
Still others serve in the parish.
C. A relevant question to ask is: Do we and many Catholics know who

God really is? And what He means in their lives?


Do we and many Catholics WHAT WE PROFESS
PROFESS TO BELIEVE IN THE FIRST ARTICLE
know who God really is?
A. I Believe in God
1) God exists. There is only one God. This is the first thing that the
Apostles Creed says. This is the most fundamental/basic
statement. The whole creed speaks of God, and in speaking of man
and the world, it does it always in relation to God. All other articles
depend on this first one, and all other articles are about how to
know God better. (CCC 199)
2) God is at the same time one, and three persons: Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit. This is the central mystery of Christianity. (178, 261)(lt is
what we assent to when we make the sign of the cross, our most
basic prayer: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
God is at the same time
Holy Spirit, AMEN.)
one, and three persons:
Father, Son, and Holy
B. God the Father
Spirit.
1) God the Father is the first Person of the one God, the Trinity.
a. God is Father because he is the first origin of all things, and
because of his loving care for all of us as his children. (239)
b. He has revealed himself as He who Is. His very being is Truth
and Love. (Catechism, 178, 199, 200, 230, 231)
c. As Father He comes to us with a personal Love. (CFC 287) He
knows us lovingly, each by name. God was never lonely
because He was always Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the
community of love. Yet, God wanted to share that love with us
because thats just who He is. The God with no beginning and
no end, loves us with a love so complete in itself that He is
Lover (God the Father), Beloved (God the Son) and the Love
between them (God the Holy Spirit).
d. God is at the same time one, and three persons: Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit. This is the central mystery of Christianity. (178,
261)
C. God is almighty because he is all powerful.
1) Of all the divine attributes, the Creed speaks of Gods omnipotence

The God with no beginning
(His unlimited and universal power and authority): that His might is
and no end, loves us with a
universal, because God who created everything also rules
love so complete in itself
everything and can do everything.(CCC 268) His power is both
that He is Lover (God the
beyond us (transcendent) and within us (immanent). (CFC286) Yet,
Father), Beloved (God the
this power is a loving power because He is our Father.
Son) and the Love between
them (God the Holy Spirit).
2) He is Father God, the Almighty. He is not out to get us and send
thunderbolts our way, if we displease Him.
a. When most people think of the Old Testament, they think of the
wrath and anger of a jealous God. But even in the Old


Testament are many images of a God of mercy and
compassion.
b. As early as Exodus, God reveals Himself to Moses in this way:
Yet, this power is a loving So the Lord passed before him and proclaimed: The LORD,
power because He is our the LORD, a God gracious and merciful, slow to anger and
Father. abounding in love and fidelity. Continuing his love for a
thousand generations, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and
sin.... (Ex. 34,6-7).
c. And earlier: But the LORD said: I have witnessed the affliction
of my people in Egypt and have heard their cry against their
taskmasters, so I know well what they are suffering. (Ex. 3,7)
And in Isaiah, the famous lines: Can a mother forget her infant,
be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should
she forget, I will never forget you. (Is. 49,15)
3) The Father Almighty not only has mercy and compassion, but is
mercy and compassion. This is the very character of God. It is who
He is.
4) The Catholic liturgy says, God, you show your almighty power
above all in your mercy and forgiveness by converting us from
our sins and restoring us to his friendship by grace. (277)
D. Creator of Heaven and Earth
A God gracious and 1) The world and everything comes from Gods loving power.
merciful, slow to anger and
abounding in love and a. He is our origin (where we come from), our ruler (who we must
fidelity. follow because He loves us and knows whats best for us like a
true loving Father, and we love Him), and our goal (where we
will go when we die). (CFC314)
b. God Is the only Uncreated Reality and Primary Cause the
first and ultimate cause of all things. All Three Persons in the
Blessed Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are creating,
redeeming and sanctifying us. The God who creates is
expressed in the Word (Jesus Christ) and given in outpoured
Love (the Holy Spirit).
c. God created everything in existence, material & immaterial.
(317, 320, 338)
Can a mother forget her d. The world was made for the glory of God. He freely chose to
infant, be without create to show forth & communicate his glory his unlimited
tenderness for the child of love and goodness. (293)
her womb? Even should
she forget, I will never 2) All that God creates, He sees as good.
forget you.
a. Out of nothing, God created the whole universe, and constantly
keeps it in existence human persons, our planet, the whole
cosmos! We can perceive Gods work of creation through the
apparent order & design in the natural world. (286, 299)
b. So, everything is absolutely dependent on God for existing.


Even the laws of forces of gravity, economics, inertia, and
genetic consequence so that the world works on patterns and
Everything is absolutely structures are created by Him. (The famous Fibonacci
dependent on God for sequence was discovered by Leonardo of Pisa and he wrote a
existing. book about it in 1202 which revealed the mathematical patterns
and spirals found in flowers especially the sunflower, pinecones
and pineapples.)
i. God upholds & sustains creation, is actively involved in its
unfolding and development in time, and is the loving
master of the world and of its history. (301-5, 314)
ii. Left to ourselves, we can tend to make a mess out of
things. But like a loving gardener tending to the garden is
a constant task. If he doesnt tend it, the garden grows
wild and the beauty of creation is lost. It is not just the
planting that is important, but the follow through each
moment, done with patience and love. And so, God
sustains all of creation anew, each moment, for without
His sustaining power, the world would fail to be at all.
Both in origin and on-going life, we are utterly dependent
on Him.
iii. He alone necessarily exists because without Him we
It is not just the planting would not exist and continue existing. Everyone and
that is important, but the everything else is caused by He who is the Uncaused
follow through each Cause. Just as the many colors of the rainbow are
moment, done with refractions of the fullness of the white light, all of creation
patience and love. reflect the fullness of God.
c. The universe is not a chaotic mess but one where the speed of
light remains uniform in all frames of reference. The extremely
complex universe is so orderly. The laws of nature are finely
organized so that eventually, human life could come to be.
There must have been a Personal Designer who purposely
organized the universe to bring us about. There is clear
evidence of an orderly and purposeful complexity of all living
organisms. The human nervous system works on 12 billion
cells, working so orderly and efficiently leaving far behind the
most sophisticated products of electronic engineering.
3) God deliberately created man, male and female, in his image and
likeness and placed him at the summit of creation. Man alone was
created for his own sake, and alone is called to share in Gods own
life. We are not a product of blind chance. (295, 355-6)
The human nervous system
works on 12 billion cells, a. God created man as male & female: equal in value & dignity,
working so orderly and different in nature, and complementary in purpose. (369-372)
efficiently leaving far behind b. While the creation accounts in Genesis may use symbolic
the most sophisticated language, it teaches profound truths about creation, man, the
products of electronic fall, evil, and the promise of salvation. (289, 389-90)
engineering. c. Adam, as the first man, freely chose disobedience to God,
resulting in the loss of mans original holiness and justice, and
brought about death. We call this state of deprivation original


sin. (4 16-19)
d. The victory of salvation won by Christ is greater than our loss
due to sin. (420)
E. In summary
1) The truth that God is Creator reminds us that there is no power like
God, and since He is in control, we do not have to be afraid of the
future.
2) Secondly, creation isnt a once-and-for-all event. It is a continuous
sustaining and maintaining by our powerful and loving God. God
keeps our hearts beating, the world in place, and all things existing
out of His great love.
3) While our Christian brothers and sisters who are Protestant look at
the Bible literally, Catholics know that the Genesis creation account
is to be seen from a theological and not a scientific manner. This
means, that in Genesis, we look at WHY the world was created and
not HOW. Science is most concerned with the HOW of things, but
the Faith looks at WHY the world was created (the meaning and
purpose of creation). And the theological answer of creation from
The victory of salvation won Genesis, is that God created all things because God wanted to
by Christ is greater than our share His love with us. (CFC 323-24)
loss due to sin. 4) Gods love is power (creation) and Gods power is love
(providence). God creates, God provides. He is Father (who He is),
and Almighty (what He does). He is Lord of creation, Lord of the
beginning, Lord of Life and Lord of everything.
A-ction WHAT IT MEANS FOR US TODAY (Present Day

Application)
A. If we want to know who we are, we must know who God is.
1) If God is Father Almighty, it must move us to make God, God. We

must follow Him. It is easy to obsess on other things and make
them our gods. But all this is idolatry for there is only the ONE
God.
2) If God is Father, He is personally, intimately, and lovingly connected
to me, who is His adopted son/daughter. It means not living in fear
but with a positive bahala no attitude in His providence. (God
always provides for us.) Not a bahala na that we wont need to do
anything, but a bahala na in Gods goodness, where we have done
all the good we can do, and must now leave it up to Him with loving
trust, because there is nothing more we can do. We are utterly and
absolutely dependent on His goodness, the goodness of our good
Almighty Father.
3) If we confess that we believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of
heaven and earth, it means we truly believe that God had to will the
world into existence by making a committed, conscious act of
dedication and love for us. And every act of creation, whether a


human person or other, is unique.
4) It means the belief in the One who loves and is constantly
responsible for all the created, including us. In Him we live and
move and have our being. (Acts 17,28) It implies a personal,
commitment towards ourselves and the world around us because
God loves all of creation.
5) If we believe God creates the world, life ought to reflect that
conviction by thanksgiving, reverence and care for all of creation,
and sharing with others.
1) Last week, you committed to share a lesson you got on the Creed with
at least ONE person you know (friend, family, etc.). Share with the
group how your experience went.
2) How can the attitude bahala na si Lord be seen as negative? How can it
be considered positive?
3) How does creation as an on-going sustaining loving effort of God renew

your understanding of creation? (Remember the gardener analogy.)
What do you think God is calling you to do about this truth?
4) You did not have to exist but you do. What does that have to say about
God? About you?
5) IKUWENTO MO: Think of ONE lesson you got from todays session
(God as Father, Almighty, Creator) that you will commit to share with at
least ONE person you know (friend, family, etc.) before next session.
6) PRAY IT! In your daily prayer, meditate on the first article of Faith: I
believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth for
the next 7 days before the next session. Use words of praise and
thanksgiving to honor God. Try to keep a journal to jot down your daily
thoughts on this article of Faith. (If you dont pray regularly to the God of
the universe, now may be a good time to start.)
In gratitude, we celebrate creation as God-given in every way. All creation is

good and beautiful because they are created by God. We thank the Lord for His
goodness, providence and love. We praise Him for every moment and every
heart beat that proclaims we are continuously kept into existence. Indeed He is
a wonderful and great God who deserves all our praise!

H-ope CONCLUSION
Today we talked about God as our loving Creator and Father of us all. If we
know who God is, we will know who we are and what we were meant for. We
are called to trust In Him and respond in love to the almighty God who provides
for us because He personally loves each one of us. We are also called to care
for creation and love others by sharing what we have, for God created all things
for everyone.
A video on the wonder of Creation, like God of Wonders by Third Day

Suggested Creatives
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc--ZYUyE2M) or a praise video like How
Great Is Our God by Hillsong United.
THE APOSTLES CREED

Closing Prayer
Psalm 148
Psalm
CREATION RENEWED
Touched and Transfigured
Refrain: Praise to the transfiguring God,

whose touch transforms and renews
Let the Alleluias ring out in the dark,

the darkness that dazzles with unfathomable light.
Let the People of the Way sing their praise,
alive in the Communion and Mystery of Love.
The Lover, the Beloved, the Spirit Between,

the Love that cannot but be outpoured,
pulsing, cherishing, urging new life,
astonishing, wonderful, marvelous to see.
The threads binding together this extraordinary love

are gossamer and golden, invisible and strong,
reaching out to connect all creation for ever,
from amoeba to human, from atom to brain.
So diverse and complex is the web that we share,

so many forms to names and delight in,
we needs must choose to focus our praise,
our voices finding words for those who are silent.
Let the sun and the moon and the stars

and the earth and the ocean give praise.
We are bound with them; they belong with us:
all change must it be to decay?


The mountains leveled to plains are changed;
the oceans bed buckles to rise from the sea;
the rivers carry silt and make the vales fertile,
the snows melt to release the spring.
Refrain: Praise to the transfiguring God,

whose touch transforms and renews
Seeds yield their life in the darkness of earth,

the flowers, the fruits, and the grains all grow;
some change in the earth to be seen only at harvest,
their abundance deepening our sense of well being.
The worms and the parasites, hidden from view,

all work their mysterious ways,
puzzling destruction a prelude to life,
a transformation that stuns us to silence.
All is changed and may seem to be lost,

and we too know death and decline.
Yet working within us, unnoticed, unseen,
is the thread that binds and transforms.
And we touch one another to pain and to pleasure,

our skin so vulnerable, so finely turned.
Can we reach out and create life with our God?
Can we lose yet discover ourselves?
What once was a curse can become a wise wound,

the hand that abused can cares and be kind,
violation can change to the sharing of passion,
we can be warmed to life by an intimate fire
Praise, praise above all,

all that is No is transformed into Yes,
Yes to the God in whom we belong,
belong together in the dance of delight.
In the love that has taken and shaped every power,

in the new creation that rises from the totally dead,
we worship the God of justice and peace,
we praise the God of freedom and joy,
we adore the God of love and new life,
we bless the God of reconciliation and healing,
we glorify the God of harmony and bliss.
We add our voice to the music of God;
we fall silent in the presence of Mystery,
in wonder and awe and love,
the Mystery that is Source of our being


and the Goal of our longing,
beautiful, utterly holy, glorious light,
unbounded love. Alleluia! Alleluia!
(Source: Psalms for a Pilgrim People

By: Jim Cotter)


Session 3
Article 2: I Believe
in Jesus as Lord
Session 3:
Article 2 - I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, HIS ONLY
SON, OUR LORD

(CCC, CFC)
The devotion to Christ (in

the Sacred Heart, Sto. Nio, F Mt. 16, 16: You are the
Messiah, the Son of the Living
Nazareno) does not translate to God! CCC Part 1, Sec. 2, Chap. 2;
daily living. CFC Chap. 10
F
FAITH
A
ACTION
I
INTEGRATION
T
THANKSGIVING
H
HOPES
TOPIC
I BELIEVE IN JESUS
AS LORD
Jesus is the Son of God. He is

Lord and Savior of the world. T I feel I am responsible to
Someone greater than myself.
H
Session 3
I Believe in Jesus
as Lord
ARTICLE 2: I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son,
our Lord.
Overview of Session Session 3 focuses on the faith statement about Jesus Christ as Son of God, Lord
and Savior. It begins by looking at Filipino popular devotions to Christ and the
positive and negative points about it. It then talks about the meaning of Jesus,
Christ, Son of God and Lord. It ends with a challenge to live out the Lordship of
Christ in our lives and celebrating such lordship in the Holy Eucharist
Objectives At the end of the session, the participants should be able to:
1) understand better than before Jesus place as God, Lord and Savior;
2) reflect on their relationship with Jesus who they have made their Lord and
Savior in Baptism, and whether they are living out Christs Lordship in their
lives today; and
3) celebrate the love of Jesus, their Lord and Savior, in the Holy Eucharist and
in the Blessed Sacrament.
Scriptural Text John 20:27-28 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe."
Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Christian Teaching Mt. 16, 16: You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God! CCC Part 1, Sec.
2, Chap. 2; CFC Chap. 10
23
Guide for the Opening Song Yes, Lord, I Believe

Inspirational Story The Magnetism of Jesus
TALK PROPER ARTICLE 2: I Believe in Jesus Christ, his Son, our
Lord
H-ope Conclusion
Suggested Creatives
Closing Prayer
Opening Song
Song YES, LORD, I BELIEVE John Burland
Inspirational Story The Magnetism of Jesus

Im a very logical, scientific-minded person. I need proofs for everything. Yet
something has happened to me here in college that I cant explain rationally,
scientifically, or even psychologically.
Ive become totally preoccupied with Jesus Christ, who I somehow feel is working
within meI cant explain this feeling. It came about .mainly these past few months,
when, I began reading about the early Christians. I was so amazed and in awe of
these people that I found it impossible to question Jesus or doubt who he is --- the
Son of God.
In short, I guess I began to believe firmly and thoughtfully what I was taught ever
since a child. I began to see what the apostles and disciples saw and loved. Jesus
became real
I still have occasional doubts, but there remains that unexplainable something
inside me, even in my doubts. Call it crazy, psychotic, or whateverI cant explain
it, nor does go away, nor did I induce it to come. It just happened.
- Robert Rybicki
24
TALK PROPER You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. (Mt. 16,16)
ARTICLE 2
I Believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord
F-aith INTRODUCTION
A. In last weeks session, we talked about who our loving God and Father is
We have great devotions and who we are. Today, we will talk about the second article of Faith on
but do we live them out in Jesus Christ.
our everyday life?
B. The popular images of Jesus abound among Filipino Catholics.
1) The Santo Nio is found in many stores, homes and churches.
2) The Sacred Heart is a popular Friday devotion.
3) The Black Nazarene remains a famous feast attracting thousands of
people each year, and revealing the great faith of Filipinos.
4) The 3 oclock habit, a devotion to Jesus, the Divine Mercy, is a fourth
popular devotion.
C. We have great devotions but do we live them out in our everyday life? Does
our faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior translate to daily living?
1) Yet, in many stores, beside the popular and much-loved Santo Nio are
Does devotion to Jesus the Fortune Cat with raised paw (which some think is Chinese but is
reflect in the way they really of Japanese origin) and the feng shui money frog with a coin in its
conduct business and treat mouth. Does Jesus became just one among the many lucky figures to
their neighbor? have around?
2) Worse, even with such devotions of popular piety, does this translate to
the daily lives of people? Does devotion to Jesus reflect in the way they
conduct business and treat their neighbor?
a. How can one claim that Jesus is our Lord but cheat in ones income
tax, bribe others, go against traffic rules and become selfish and
unloving?
b. There is a story about a thief who was caught by the police. At the
precinct, they made him empty his pockets and confiscated the
items he had stolen: a wallet, money, a cell phone, jewelry and a
rosary. As they took each item away, he bashfully asked for the
rosary back because he said he had not stolen it. It was his. The
What does the name police were shocked. This is a classic Filipino reality that even
Jesus mean? Jesus, thieves carry rosaries.
short for Yehoshua
(Joshua) is Hebrew for
God saves.
25
WHAT WE BELIEVE
A. Jesus Christ
Jesus is the Christ, the
1) The essence of Christianity is to believe in God the Father and in Jesus
Messiah prophesied about
who is Lord. The shortest creed proclaimed by early Christians was the
in Scripture in the Old
three word declaration: Jesus is Lord. This was expanded to the
Testament.
article of faith we have today in the Apostles Creed.
a. Jesus is the second Person of the one God, the Trinity. (422-4,
468)
b. Who is Jesus Christ? He is true man and true God. (CFC 500) He
is the messianically anointed Redeemer of mankind. He is the only
one Mediator between God and men, Gods own Self-gift to us.
(CFC 510).
c. What does the name Jesus mean? Jesus, short for
Yehoshua(Joshua) is Hebrew for God saves. (CCC 430) Jesus
will save humanity.
2) What does theChrist mean?
a. Christs divine sonship is the center of the apostolic faith. (442)

Jesus is the only Son of
God, the Son from the
i. Christ is a title, not a proper name, and not the last name of
beginning.
Jesus!
ii. It means Anointed One. It is the Grace rubbed into the
Chosen One whose body would be the vehicle of Gods will on
earth.
iii. Jesus, the Christ, was the awaited king. The Jewish people
were expecting the Christ. It is necessary that the Messiah be
anointed by the Spirit of the Lord.
iv. He was to fulfill the prophecy of Israel that a messiah would
come to save them as God had promised.
v. It indicates that Jesus is God himself. (446, 455)
vi. Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah prophesied about in Scripture
in the Old Testament.
vii. His coming brought about the promised liberation of Israel and
mankind from the bonds of evil and death. (422-4,430-
3,436,438-9)
viii. Christ is the perfect, full & definitive Revelation of God. After
him, there will be no other public Revelation. (73)
B. The Only Son of God

The Father is not the Son
and the Son is not the
1) The Christian Faith stands on the confession that Jesus is the only Son
Father. But they are one.
of God, Our Lord. The Creed encourages us to believe in Gods Only
Son. We will discuss what Only Son of God means, first, and then what
Our Lord means, later.
2) That God is Father means that He has a child. We are temporary
creatures, adopted sons and daughters of God. To be eternal Father,
26
Son was the Fathers He must have a single, only begotten Son. Jesus is the only Son of
perfect self-expression God, the Son from the beginning.
3) He is the perfect image of the Father, completely sharing one and the
same nature and essence as the Father. He is the only Begotten Son
who calls His Father, Abba. The only Son of the Father leaps down
from heaven, and God becomes flesh in Jesus of Nazareth.
4) The Father is not the Son and the Son is not the Father. But they are
one.
5) Simon Peter confesses that Jesus is the Son of the living God to mean
Jesus divine sonship. (CCC 442) ln His baptism by St. John the
Baptist, Jesus is anointed by the Spirit who comes down in the form of
a dove and a voice from heaven declares Him the Beloved Son.(Mt.
3,16-17)
6) Our understanding of Jesus Christ as the Son of God unfolds in the rest
of the Creed. Because we believe in Jesus Christ, we believe that He
was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, that He was born of the
Virgin Mary, that He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died
and was buried, descended to the dead, rose again on the third day,
Gods I love you was so ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, and will
intense come to judge the living and the dead.
C. Our Lord
1) Lord means that Jesus is God Himself. (CCC 446) He was there from
the start and is thus, Creator of the whole universe. In fact, He is the
central event of creation.
2) From all eternity the Son was the Fathers perfect self-expression.
Jesus is the fullness of Gods revelation (God manifesting Himself).
There is nothing else God can reveal aside from this perfect Revelation
of Himself.
3) God gave us His all in Jesus. He said it all in speaking the infinite Word
made flesh, who is Jesus Christ. Even in the Garden of Eden, God
already promises a Savior. Gods I love you was so intense, His
embrace so tightened, that the Son of God became human.
4) We receive not supervision but participation, not hierarchy of God and
human beings but intimacy and solidarity. Jesus is Lord tells us that
God wishes to give Gods Self and not just gifts of God, for He is the
Jesus is the Self-gift of Lord of Love. Jesus is the Self-gift of God.
God. 5) The Church affirms from the beginning that the power, honor and glory
due to God the Father are also due to Jesus Christ, the Son. (CCC 449)
But Scripture says that only when revealed by God can we recognize
Jesus as Lord: No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy
Spirit. (1 Cor. 12,3)

A. If we accept Jesus as Son of God and Jesus as Lord, then we must worship
Him as Lord. Like St. Thomas, we must be able to say in our thoughts, and
by our words and deeds, My Lord and my God! (in. 20, 28)
27
B. If He is truly Lord and Savior to us, we must have full confidence that He
will save us even now, from every fear, anxiety, danger and sin.
C. If He is truly Lord and Savior to us, then we must follow what He says (His
commands Forgive, love your enemies, pray for those who persecute
you) and what He does (love unto giving of your whole self; giving up our
lives by denying ourselves of our wants and desires for the sake of others).
D. Either He is Lord over our lives or He is not. Either He is Savior of our lives
or not. Have we looked for another? Perhaps a more convenient God, one
who doesnt demand that we love until it hurts? One who wont ask for our
whole heart and soul? One who wont ask us to carry such a heavy cross
and die to ourselves?
1) Last week, you committed to share a lesson you got on the first article of
Faith (God as Father, Almighty, Creator) with at least ONE person you
know (friend, family, etc.). Share with the group how your experience went.
2) How is your relationship with Christ now? Is it alive, real, personal? Or does
He seem distant and formal?
3) What do you need saving from right now? How can Jesus as Lord and
Savior answer your most pressing concern and deepest desires right now?
4) IKUWENTO MO: Think of ONE lesson you got from todays session (Jesus
as Lord, Savior, etc.) that you will commit to share with at least ONE person
you know (friend, family, etc.) before next session.
5) PRAY! Spend time in front of the Blessed Sacrament this week and
meditate on the truth of Jesus as Lord and Savior. Try to keep a journal to
jot down your daily thoughts on this article of Faith.

A. Jesus is objectively Lord and Savior of the world, meaning He died for all of
us. We are called to personally make Him Lord and Savior of our hearts.
We declare His Lordship not only when we follow His commands, but from
the start, when we were baptized.
B. Today, as adults, we live out the baptismal promise to keep Him as Lord
over our lives in every way. We celebrate His Lordship when we share in
His love at the Holy Eucharist, celebrating His Real Presence as we take
Him in during Holy Communion, believing, truly believing He is our Lord and
Savior.
28
H-ope CONCLUSION
A. Today we were reminded how Jesus is the God who saves. He is Gods
only Son and Lord over all.
B. The choice to make Him Lord over our lives began at our Baptism and
continues every time we celebrate the Eucharist.
C. And yet, it is a personal, daily choice of living out Gods Lordship over our
lives. Is Jesus indeed Lord and Master of our lives today?
Suggested Creatives Who Am I? by Casting Crowns (see available videos on youtube) or Saviour by
Kilisong United
Closing Prayer THE APOSTLES CREED
Psalm Psalm 86
GOD IS GOD
Refrain: Persistent in faithfulness,

constant in love.
Like the sun through the heavens,

and the moon through its phases,
like the rivers that flow,
and the seas that welcome them,
so are you, God of the universe,
Like the humble of heart,

and the kindly of soul,
like the ones who forgive
and are no longer bitter,
so are you, God of compassion,
You hear the cry of the afflicted,

you listen to the howl of the lonely,
you continually search for the lost,
you heal the hurts of the wounded,
for you are God of yearning,
You gladden the human heart,

you lift the burdens of the depressed,
you give new hope to the despairing,
you reach to the depths of the grave,
you are a God of rejoicing,
You bind the rebellious,

you quieten the strident,
you draw the fangs of the ruthless,
you silence the bullying dictators,
for you are a God of justice.
You welcome the stranger,
29
you embrace the outcast,

you bear our pain,
you strive with our evil,
for you are a God crucified and risen,
Refrain: Persistent in faithfulness, constant in love.
Abiding is your love,

enduring is your patience,
everlasting are your truths,
eternal, is your glory,
O God, you are God.
God of mystery and revelation, at the extremes of our distress and despair, when
you are the only hope left, let us hear you name again, and so take courage on the
journey:
I Am Who I Am,
I Shall Be Who I Shall Be,
That Which I Am I Shall Be,
That Which I Shall Be I Am.
I shall be there as the one who I there shall be,

I am with you always as I always choose to be with you.
I shall be there in the encounter

you cannot predict,
but there you will meet me,
and I shall be for you
as the one who there shall be.

By: Jim Cotter)
30
Session 4
Article 3: He was Conceived by the
Power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary
Session 4:
Article 3 - HE WAS CONCEIVED BY THE POWER OF THE
HOLY SPIRIT AND BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY

(CCC, CFC)
Not realizing that God cant

work His miracle without F Lk. 1, 34-35: How can this be
since I know not man? The Holy
human participation, due to Spirit will come upon you. CCC
human freedom. Part 1, Sec. 2, Chap. 2; CFC Chap.
10
F
FAITH
A
ACTION
I
INTEGRATION
T
THANKSGIVING
H
HOPES
TOPIC
GOD GETS UP CLOSE
AND PERSONAL
Jesus is the miracle of God: fully

human, born of a true human
mother (Mary), and also fully
T I need a miracle in my life when
times are tough.
divine (Jesus becomes man).
H
SESSION 4
God Gets Up Close

and Personal
ARTICLE 3: He was conceived by the power of the
Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
Session 4 is about Jesus Christ as both fully human and fully divine. It discusses
Overview of Session
this reality of Jesus, the God-man, God with us, drawn into our humanity due to His
great love for us. It briefly mentions Marys role and participation in this mystery. It
challenges us to live out our belief that Christ is close to us as our Brother and here
to save and heal us as our Savior. We can do this by drawing closer to Christ (up
close and personal) and by honoring His Mother, who also draws us closer to her
Son.

Objectives
1) understand better that Christ is the God-man, fully human and fully divine;
2) attempt to respond to the call for them to get up close and personal with
Christ in a deeper way by reflecting on His love;and
3) celebrate the love of God with us, through forgiveness in the Sacrament of
Reconciliation and nourishment in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
Philippians 2:5-8 Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in
Scr
Scriptural Text
Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with
God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a
slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled
himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.
Lk. 1, 34-35: How can this be since I know not man? The Holy Spirit will
Christian Teaching
come upon you. CCC Part 1, Sec. 2, Chap. 2; CFC Chap. 10


Guide for the
Inspirational Story
TALK PROPER ARTICLE 3: He was conceived by the power of the
Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary
H-ope Conclusion
Suggested Creatives
Closing Prayer

Opening Song
Jesus,
Opening Prayer
Preaching good tidings to the poor,
Proclaiming release to the captives,
setting at liberty them that are bound,.
I adore you
Jesus,
Friend of the poor,
Feeder of the hungry,
Healer of the sick,
I adore you.,
Jesus, denouncing the oppressor,

instructing the simple,
going about doing good.
I adore you.
Jesus,
Teacher of patience
Pattern of gentleness,
Prophet of the Kingdom of heaven,
I adore you.
-Coward McCann


Once, in a family re-union, a famous Shakespearean actor was persuaded to
Inspirational Story
demonstrate, his skills at eloquence. In consenting, he insisted that someone
suggest a passage for recitation. A clergyman, also a member of the family,
suggested the Psalm of the Good Shepherd (Ps 23). The actor agreed on one
condition, that the priest recite the same psalm after he had finished. In no orator,
protested the preacher taken aback, But if thats what you want, I will.
The actor rendered the Psalm excellently. His voice and diction was perfect.
Everybody hung on his lips. At the end of his performance the applause was
deafening.
Then came the pastors turn to declaim the Psalm. As he began, his voice sounded
somewhat hoarse, and his diction was shaky. But the words came alive and the
atmosphere seemed pervaded with a mysterious spirit. When he finished there
were a few moments of reverential silence, not a few of those present had tears in
their eyes.
The actor stood up and in a quivering voice said: I reached your eyes and ears; but
our priest here has reached your hearts. The reason is simply this: I know the
Psalm---but he knows the Shepherd.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. Jn. 10:27
(L. Hedwig, At Home with God, p. 2012)
How can this be since I know not man? The Holy Spirit will come upon you.
TALK PROPER
(Lk. 1, 34-35)
ARTICLE 4
He was conc
conceived
eived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary
F-aith INTRODUCTION
A. Last week, we talked about Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Today, we will
talk about the third article of faith.
B. We have already said that Jesus is our Savior. Many Filipino Catholics
today seem attracted to Jesus as their personal Savior who gave himself
up for me. (Gal. 2,20)
1) In our Eucharistic acclamation we proclaim: Lord, by your Cross and
Resurrection you have set us free, You are the Savior of the world!
2) In both Scripture and liturgy, we meet Christ as Savior. What must we
take note of? First, we must remember what Christ saves us from. He


saves us from sin and death, and from the meaninglessness of life. Yet,
this salvation is not just a salvation of Individuals.
3) It is not enough to speak about personal, individual salvation, for Christ
saves us in the context of the Church community through the
Christ saves us in the
sacraments. Community matters! Yet, at the same time, the salvation
context of the Church
that Christ has already won for us is not yet complete, In the sense that
community through the
we must each accept it, embrace it and live it out in our daily lives.
Sacraments.
4) When we dont make that conscious daily choice to be saved and live in
freedom, then salvation cannot take place in our lives. Christs salvation
and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives cant take place without
our participation. For freedom Christ set us free, so stand firm and do
not submit again to the yoke of slavery. (Gal. 5,1)
WHAT WE BELIEVE - What does Article 3 affirm about Jesus? The

Jesus Mystery: Conceived by the Power of the Holy Spirit and Born of the Virgin
Mary (Jesus, Our Lord and Jesus, Our Brother)
A. The Amazing Mystery of Jesus Incarnation
1) Conceived by the Power of the Holy Spirit
a. Christ is the center of all creation, conceived from all eternity, born
of a woman in a certain moment in time. This is the amazing
Jesus in the miracle of mystery
Gods power.
i. Because we accept that a loving God created the whole
universe and constantly keeps it in existence, it doesnt seem
weird or far-fetched (but still amazing!) that a wise and loving
Creator would intervene with a miracle of Jesus conception.
ii. Jesus is the miracle of Gods power. He is conceived without a
human father and born to a virgin mother. It is entirely Gods
act, wholly Gods work to fulfill His promise to Israel.
b. The Spirit overshadows Mary. She is so graced by the God of

ultimate power and infinite love that the child is drawn into God from
the moment of conception.
i. Her child is the Son of God.

ii. Conceived by the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ marks a new
beginning, a new day, a new heaven and earth. Now is the
beginning of the end time. The reign of God on earth
approaches. Our Savior, Son of God and son of Mary is
conceived.
Jesus Christ marks a
new beginning, a new day, c. It means that Jesus had no human father.
a new heaven and earth.
i. It means that Jesus is truly the only Son of God. It means
Jesus is divine, conceived by the Holy Spirit. From Marys
womb to the Resurrection tomb, Jesus is truly divine.
ii. The virginal conception at the beginning and the Resurrection


at the end both point to Jesus as the Son of God, divine
through and through.
Jesus was Gods personal iii. Yet, it also means, at the same time, that Jesus is born of a
presence among us. woman and therefore, He was and is truly human. He had a
genuine mother and was a genuine man, body and soul.
2) Born of the Virgin Mary
a. Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, as written in Scripture.

(423)
b. Jesus is fully man. He is like us in all things except sin. He worked
with human hands, he thought with a human mind, acted by human
choice, and loved with a human heart. Born of the Virgin Mary, he
has truly been made one of us. (from Gaudlum et Spes 22, one of
the 15 documents of Vatican II, called The Pastoral Constitution on
the Church in the Modern World) Jesus did not know sin but He
knew the poverty of the human condition.
God can give no more c. Jesus was Gods personal presence among us. He is the God
than the Son, no greater made human. He is God with us. It is the only Son of the Father,
than the Son. one in being, who takes our flesh to Himself.
i. In giving the Son, once and for all, the Father has given us
personally everything. God can give no more than the Son,
no greater than the Son. Nor can God ever take the gift of
Self back.
ii. The flesh of Jesus cannot be undone. It is irrevocable. The
Father has tied His hands, married off His Son to the
Church, His Bride, without possibility of divorce. For better
or for worse, in sickness or in health, the human race is
wed to God.
iii. The world has been lovingly taken up into the intimate and
infinite life of the Trinity. In Christ Jesus is the fusion of the
Infinite and the finite. And through Jesus is a solidarity with
all humanity, those who had gone before Him (the past)
and those who will come to the world after Him (the future).
B. What is the religious meaning of the virginal conception Jesus

conceived in the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit?
1) Jesus is fully God, and fully man. As God, he has always existed with
the Father and the Holy Spirit. At a specific point in history, he assumed
It had to take God to save human form and became man. He retains both of these natures fully,
us by becoming even now in heaven. (464,467,469-70)
Emmanuel (God with us),
by becoming our brother. 2) God cared for us, not functionally, but intimately and personally.
a. We could not go beyond our human condition completely, no matter
how elevated we are by Gods grace. It had to take God to save us
by becoming Emmanuel (God with us), by becoming our brother.
And so, the fusion began.
b. What is only Gods becomes somehow ours in Jesus who is one
and uniquely one with the Father. When the Father wished to


express Himself in a created manner, to let there be light, the fitting
vocabulary to express the infinite God in space and time was
human nature. He became one of us.

Jesus is both God and man. He is the God- man. He is Savior above us but also
Brother to us. What does this mean for us today?
A. Belief in the Incarnation (the Son of God come in human flesh) is the
distinctive sign of the Christian faith. (463)
1) The season of Advent and Christmas gives us the opportunity to

meditate on the mystery of the Son of God becoming man.
God is with us and 2) We and whole humankind live in Gods heart.

personally related to us. i. On the first Christmas, the Son of God is visibly brought among us
out of love. He didnt want to live love from a distance. He wanted
to come up close and personal. He gave us His personal presence,
His most precious gift! He is Emmanuel, God with us. Not just
merely for us but now with us. Now there is a relationship
between the human race and God as never before. God is with us
and personally related to us!
ii. At the birth of Christ, God allows infinity to be made vulnerable,
weak. We see this in the image of the Madonna and child. We see
the vulnerability of the Infinite God, where the enormous God
becomes tiny, the omnipotent ruler of the universe lies frail in His
mothers arms. She teaches Him to smile. He has the color of His
mothers eyes. He becomes her child and the whole creations
child. In Gods embrace of humanity, God makes Himself
vulnerable forever. But it is a choice that draws from an Infinite
Love that made our Lord now our Brother.
B. The One Personiesus, the Word of God, became man to save us by

Jesus could not save us reconciling us with the Father, so that we might know Gods love, to be our
unless He was truly man. model of holiness, and to make us partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter
1:4). (457-60)
1) Jesus could not save us unless He was truly man. Jesus could not save
us unless He was truly God. (CFC 511) Christ is the one and only
mediator between God and men. (CCC 480) In one Person where
infinity and humanity meet, Jesus becomes both Gods and ours. Had
He been exclusively the Son of God, then He could not have been ours
in the same way. Had He been only ours, then He would not have been
divine. Instead, in Jesus Christ, the separation of man from God is
finally brought to an end.
Jesus knows our pain, 2) Jesus is only One Person the eternal Son of God made man. He is
our loneliness and not part God and part man. He became truly man while remaining truly
suffering. God. (CCC 464) He is inseparably true God and true man, truly Son of


God who became a man and our brother. (CCC 469)
3) When He became man, He was endowed with true human knowledge

He takes our pain and which was limited and within the historical conditions of space and time.
makes them His own. And so, He grew in wisdom and age and favour before God and man.
(Lk. 2, 52) But at the same time, this truly human knowledge
4) was expressed in His divine life, able to know the secret thoughts of
human hearts. (CCC 473) Thus, human knowledge united with divine
wisdom allowed Christ to enjoy the fullness of understanding the
eternal plans he had come to reveal. (CCC 474)
a. First, we affirm that Jesus knows our pain, our loneliness and
suffering. He has gone through it Himself. And so, He takes our
pain and makes them His own. He journeys with us in our pain. He
suffers with us, this God with us. He is not far from us, detached,
unaffected, but ever so close. He has come up close and personal
and remains this way forever.
b. Second, we affirm that in our pain and suffering, with feelings of
helplessness and experiences of having no way out, He is Savior.
Only He can save us from our pain. Only He can save us from sin.
Only He can deliver us from evil. Only He can make a miracle in our
lives. He is our Lord, the Son of God. And yet, close to our hearts.
It was not just one yes to
God in the Annunciation. C. The Place of Mary in Our Lives
1) Because we Filipino Catholics have a special place for Mary in our

lives, it is good to know where in the Creed she comes in. What the
Catholic Faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about
Christ, and what it teaches about her illumines her faith in Christ. (CCC
487) Although she is not the focus of the Creed, her role is critical.
2) God chose Mary to be mother of His Son. Why Mary? We do not know.
We can speculate that it was because God knew she would say yes to
His love. We can speculate many things. But the truth remains that she
did say yes, fully and freely, when she could have said no, although
immaculately conceived. It was not just one yes to God in the
Annunciation. It was a lifetime of yeses, where Mary gave herself
entirely to the person and work of her Son in service to salvation and
utterly dependent on Him. (CCC 494)
a. Mary As Ever-Virgin
i. The Church has always understood that Bible passages on
the brothers of Jesus refer to another Mary. (CCC 500)
Jesus remains Marys only Son, but her spiritual
motherhood extends to all men Jesus came to save. (CCC
501) And hence, she is also Mother of the Church. (More
Mary is Holy because of on this in a while.)
her complete faith in God. ii. Marys virginity is the sign of her faith, completely and
absolutely without doubt, enabling her to become mother of
the Savior. It is not just a biological virginity, but also a
theological virginity where no human father is involved. It is


Gods intervention. She is more blessed because she
embraces faith in Christ than because she conceives the
flesh of Christ. (CCC 506) In other words, what makes her
blessed is her lifetime of yeses to God. Mary is holy
because of her complete faith in God. She remained virgin
conceiving her Son, virgin giving birth to Him, always virgin,
with her whole being declaring herself through word,
thought and deed as handmaid of the Lord. (CCC 510)
b. Mary As Mother
i. Jesus assumed human form in the womb of the Virgin
Mary, his mother. The conception of his human body was
accomplished by the action of the Holy Spirit, and not by
natural generation from man, although he is truly conceived
of Marys flesh. (456, 466, 484-6, 488,496-8)
ii. Mary cooperated and complied with Gods call, allowing her
to be truly Mother of God. Mary is the physical mother of
Jesus our Savior, and so she becomes the spiritual mother
of the Church. (CFC 517) We venerate Mary as Mother of
God because she is mother of Jesus, the God-man. (CFC
545) Veneration of Mary means we honor Mary, as
Mother of our Savior. We do not worship her, because she
is not a goddess. She is human like us but the first disciple
of Jesus because of her constant and wholehearted
obedience to the will of God. Because we love Christ, we
Jesus assumed human love His Mother, too. Because we love Mary, the Mother of
form in the womb of the God, this brings us to love her Son even more.
Virgin Mary, his mother.
c. A final note of what we can take home from the 3rd article is that
we have an example in Mary to live in holiness and dedication to
God. We also have an intercessor in heaven who is again, one of
us. We venerate her as Mother of God and also Mother of the
Church, especially the Philippine Church. May she bring us ever
closer to her Son!
1) Last week, you committed to share a lesson you got on the second article
of Faith (Jesus as Lord, Savior, etc.) with at least ONE person you know
(friend, family, etc.). Share with the group how your experience went.
2) How can you reconcile the mystery of Christ as both God and man at the
same time? What does the mystery of Christ becoming man (called the
Incarnation) say about Gods love for you?
3) What are you moved to do with this great love?
4) IKUWENTO MO: Think of ONE lesson you got from todays session that


you will commit to share with at least ONE person you know (friend, family,
etc.) before next session.
5) PRAY IT! Get up close and personal with the Lord Jesus so He can get up
close and personal with you by going to confession this week, followed by
receiving Jesus in communion. Jot down your daily thoughts on this article
of Faith, especially your experience of confession and communion.

1) Come let us adore Jesus, our Lord, who deserves our praises and worship.
Come let us adore Jesus, the Sacred Heart who is both God and man at
the same time! He wants us to stand beside Him and to say the Our
Father together with Him.
2) Yet, He wants something more. We are invited to choose to enter into that
love. If we choose it, God can make a miracle in our lives. Lets get up close
and personal with our Lord in prayer and in the sacraments.
a. that we receive His forgiveness through confession (the Sacrament of
Reconciliation); and
b. that we nourish ourselves in Him through the Holy Eucharist. It is in us
that He wants to stand before the Father; indeed, in us that He wants to
be in the Father. He wants us to gain entry, into the inward life of divine
love.
H-ope CONCLUSION
1) Today we talked about Christ Jesus as both Lord and Brother to us. He
needed to be God to save us and needed to be man to save us. But this
mystery of Christ makes Him not 50% God and 50% man, but 100% human
and 100% divine.
2) It is from here that we will see that the upcoming articles of Faith affirm our
belief in Jesus. Articles 3-7 are about this embace of the Creator and
creature. It is so tiny implanted in the beginning, but ends so large and wide
in the Lords arms stretched out on the cross in the end.
3) This third article is specifically about the Son of God as Lord of nature. His
human nature is conceived of God and born of a woman. God is both Lord
of the human body and the human heart. He is Lord of nature, Lord of love,
Lord of human birth, and once again, Lord in the beginning.
Do a reflection on the Nativity Scene and the birth of Christ, or sing Emmanuel by
Suggested Creatives
Bukas Palad; make available the sacraments for them, especially the Sacrament of
Reconciliation.


Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous,
Closing
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
Prayer/Message
Prayer/Message To give and not to count the cost;
To fight and not to heed the wounds;
To toil and not to seek for rest;
To labor and not to ask for any reward,
Save that of knowing, that I do your will, O God.
-St. Ignatius of Loyola
Psalm 144
Psalm
THE CREATOR LOVER
Refrain: O Lover, Divine and Human,

intimate, insistent, and tender,
courteous in paying attention,
passionate in wholehearted embrace,
bring us alive and alight,
each a singular creation.
Blessed be you, O God our Creator:

you are the source of our power and skill,
you teach our hands to shape chaos,
our fingers to mould intractable clay.
You swive with us in a dance of delight,
creating what is new in your partners.
We seem to ourselves to be but a breath,

our days a shadow that soon passes by,
insignificant in the vastness of space.
But O the wonder and marvel of your touch
awesome that you should draw so near,
embracing empowering the children of earth.
You bring us alive with electrifying power,

you touch us with the fork of lightning.
Flesh and blood can hardly contain you,
yet your power does not destroys us.
At the heart of the flame is a tender calm,
in courtesy you never intrude.
Little by little you warm us to life,
and we take part in the work of creation.
Refrain: O Lover, Divine and Human,

intimate, insistent, and tender,
courteous in paying attention,
passionate in wholehearted embrace,
bring us alive and alight,
each a singular creation.

You strive with evil, with destructive powers,

not with the matching of strength ,
but absorbing their harm in your dying,
in the expending of love and life.
Hold us steady when we are faced with the chaos and fear,
when the waters foam and rage through the night,
that we may pierce to the eye of the storm,
and know the love that sustains.
So we shall sing a new song,

on flute and trumpet singing your praise.
We and our children shall be people of beauty,
burgeoning with life, maturing to vintage.
The earth will produce in abundance,
the sheep will lamb in their thousands,
there will be no distress of miscarriage,
no loud lamentation in our streets.
Creator Spirit, surge through us with the thunder of the pounding waves,
breathe through us with the whisper of the evening breeze, dance through
us with the leaping flames of the sun, ripple through us with the merriment
of the mountain stream.

By: Jim Cotter)


Session 5
Article 4: He suffered under
Pontius Pilate, was Crucified,
Died and was Buried
Session 5:
Article 4 - HE SUFFERED UNDER PONTIUS PILATE, WAS
CRUCIFIED AND WAS BURIED

(CCC, CFC)
Unclear about the Christian

approach to suffering and F Jn. 12, 24: Unless a grain of
wheat falls to the ground and
death. See suffering either as dies... CCC Part 1, Sec. 2, Chap. 2;
something sought in itself or to CFC Chap. 11
be avoided at all costs.
F
FAITH
A
ACTION
I
INTEGRATION
T
THANKSGIVING
H
HOPES
TOPIC
I STAND AT THE FOOT
OF THE CROSS
By His passion and death,

Christ transformed the
meaning of suffering.
T I am suffering.
H
SESSION 5
I Stand at the Foot

of the Cross
ARTICLE 4: He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was
crucified, died and was buried.
The fourth article takes up the view of suffering from the perspective of the cross of
Overview of Session
Christ. Christs passion and death are the result of the great love of God for
humanity. It discusses the suffering and crucifixion of Christ. Participants are made
to reflect on their own suffering in solidarity with Christ, as they stand at the foot His
cross. They are invited to prayerfully meditate on the Passion of our Lord through
the Stations of the Cross.

Objectives
1) see the crucifixion and death of our Lord as due to the love of the Father
through the Son and in the Spirit;
2) be moved to take on their daily crosses and join them with Christs; and
3) prayerfully meditate on the passion and death of our Lord in the Stations of
the Cross and in the meaning of their Baptism.
Luke 23:46 Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commend
Scriptural Text
my spirit"; and when he had said this he breathed his last.
Jn. 12, 24: Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies CCC Part
Christian Teaching
1, Sec. 2, Chap. 2; CFC Chap. 11


Guide for the
Inspirational Story The Cross
TALK PROPER ARTICLE 4: He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was
crucified, died and was buried
H-ope Conclusion
Suggested Creatives
Closing Prayer

Opening Song
Inspirational Story The Cross
A young man was at the end of his rope, seeing no way out, he dropped to his
knees in prayer "Lord, I can't go on," he said. "I have too heavy a cross to bear."
The Lord replied, "My son, if you can't bear its weight, just place your cross inside
this room.
Then, open that other door and pick out any cross you wish."
The man was filled with relief and said, "Thank you Lord," and he did as he was
told.
Upon entering the other room, he saw many crosses; some so large the tops were
not visible. Then, he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall.
"I'd like that one, Lord," he whispered. The Lord replied, "My son, that is the cross
you just brought in."
When life's problems seem overwhelming, it helps to look around and see what
other people are coping with. You may consider yourself far more fortunate than
you imagined.


YOUR CROSS
Whatever your cross

Whatever your pain
There will always be sunshine
After the rain
Perhaps you may stumble

Perhaps even fall
But God's always there
To help you through it all.
Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of
TALK PROPER
wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. (in. 12, 24)
ARTICLE 4
He suffered under Pontius

Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried
F aith INTRODUCTION
A. Last week, we talked about Jesus as fully human and fully divine, who
The suffering and dead becomes one of us to get up close and personal with us. He calls us to get
Christ remains close to us up close and personal with Him, too. Todays topic is on the fourth article of
due to the Filipinos own Faith. The Creed shifts rather quickly from the birth of Christ in article 3 to
experiences of enormous the death of Christ in article 4.
poverty, much suffering B. Second to Christmas, Holy Week remains the religious celebration closest
and existing injustices in to the hearts of Filipino Catholics. Even today, Filipino Catholic families are
our country. seen participating in the Stations of the Cross, the Pasyon, Visita iglesia
and other Filipino Holy Week practices. Among the popular Holy Week
images of Christ are the Santo Entierro (the Dead Christ) and the Hesus
Nazareno (the Suffering Christ).
C. The suffering and dead Christ remains close to us due to the Filipinos own
experiences of enormous poverty, much suffering and existing injustices in
our country. Indeed, we know that Christ remains close to us. Yet, even as
Catholics, we may misunderstand what suffering and death really mean.
Some piously look at these as something to be saught in itself. Others
embrace the secular view of avoiding suffering and death at all costs.
Christs death was a real. D. Article 4 aims to help us see suffering and death from the eyes of faith in
His death wasnt Christ.
momentary or an illusion.
His death was the end of
His earthly existence
I. WHAT WE BELIEVE

A. He suffered under Pontius Pilate.

1) This is the genuinely historical element in the Creed.
Jesus tasted death for 2) Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor who ruled from 26-36 A.D.
everyone. He died and Mentioning Pilates name in the Creed testifies that in the course of
was buried for our benefit. history, Jesus really lived and died.
(CCC 629) Christs death 3) Jesus story does indeed take place at a particular time and place in our
is universal, in that He died history.
for all. Why?
B. He was crucified.
1) Death by crucifixion is such a painful and utterly shameful way to die

that ancient sources dont describe the details of it.
a. Roman citizens were protected by law from this scandalous
punishment.
b. Rome executed criminals, slaves and rebels who went out of line,
and they would do so regularly to preserve law and order in the
Roman Empire.
2) The horrifying climax of Jesus suffering was His death by crucifixion.

On Good Friday, Jesus dies on the cross naked.
a. Because crucifixion was considered scandalous, St. Paul calls the
Crucified Christ both a stumbling block to the Jews and
stupidity/foolishness to Gentiles. (1 Cor. 1,23)
b. For if you were crucified, you werent considered sent by God but
cursed by Him. Non- believers also couldnt get how the Crucified
Christ was the Son of God, the divine Lord of the world, because
how could they crucify Him who they called God?
c. But thats just what we Christians did. When reflecting on why
Jesus was crucified to death, there are two reasons why.
C. He died and was buried.

1) The Author of Life was killed. (CCC 625)
a. Christs death was a real. His death wasnt momentary or an
illusion. His death was the end of His earthly existence. (CCC 627)
b. Beyond comprehension, God died. God is not dead, but God truly
died. He didnt just die but experienced the condition of death: the
separation of the soul from the body, between the time He expired
on the cross to the time He was raised from the dead. (CCC 624)
2) Jesus tasted death for everyone. He died and was buried for our
benefit. (CCC 629) Christs death is universal, in that He died for all.
Why?
a. First, it is because we, all of humanity, including every believer in
Jesus didnt just die to Christ, killed Him. All sinners authored Christs Passion (His
raise our standard of living suffering). It is we who crucified Him and we crucify Him still with
or to make life easier. He our sins today. (CCC 598)
died so that we could live
forever. i. It is not just the Jews or the Roman guards, but all of humanity
rallied against Him, even every follower of Christ who did not
stand up for Him. If we are not for Him, we are against Him.
Jesus stood alone, accused. No one stood up for Him.


ii. He was simply too good for us, with His standards just too high,
so we boiled in anger and resentment inside, and hurried to
The man pinned on the crucify Him. We wanted Him out of the way.
cross and left to die slowly iii. Three men did the nasty deed for us: the Roman governor
is helpless and vulnerable. Pontius Pilate, the Jewish priest Calaphas, and the apostle of
Jesus, who was Judas. Pilate was weak, Caiaphas was
thinking about his own interests, and Judas was treacherous
(betraying Jesus). Yet, we are all spiritually connected with
these three men. We can be ruthless, treacherous and
uncaring.
b. The second reason for Christs crucifixion unto death is, God did it.
i. It was NOT the Father punishing Christ cruelly for our sins, but
Jesus sharing the Fathers love for us sinners and freely
accepting the cup of salvation. (CFC 569)
ii. Christs sacrifice is unique, complementing and going beyond
all other sacrifices as gift from the Father, offering of the Son
through the Holy Spirit. (CCC 614) It is a love to the end.
(CCC 616)
iii. God wanted to reveal how far His love could go. We are the
frog that the prince must kiss. And in that kiss of death, the
prince must take to Himself the ugliness of death that His
embrace takes away. Jesus Christ is the Suffering Servant.
3) It is also eschatological, which means He did it so we could attain

eternal life. Jesus didnt just die to raise our standard of living or to
make life easier. He died so that we could live forever. (CFC 577)
a. Christs death is not because of chance or unfortunate
circumstances, but part of the mystery of Gods plan. (CCC 599)
b. The plan? That Jesus, the God-man would die for our sins to save
us. Scripture foretold the divine plan of salvation of putting to death
the Righteous One as a ransom for many. (CCC 601) Indeed, For
our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we
might become the righteousness of God in him. (2 Cor. 5,21)
c. It was from the first moment of Christ becoming man that the Son
embraced the Fathers plan of salvation and His mission. Jesus
said, My food is to do the will of the Father. (Jn. 4, 34)
4) Finally, Christs death is empowering. It calls us to a radical conversion

of heart to trust God and accept ourselves as we really are: made for
heaven.
a. It takes a lot to change our hearts and persuade us. Every
generation needs Christs arms opened wide on the cross as an
inspiring gesture of love.
b. The man pinned on the cross and left to die slowly is helpless and
The way to make sense of vulnerable. Love made Jesus helpless and vulnerable! It was love
Jesus ugly, painful and that stopped Jesus from running away from the cross. It was love
humiliating death is love. that led Him to the cross, to accept His mission, His destiny.
c. Sin worked all throughout history, dividing us from one another and
setting us against God. All sin divides and separates. But from the
cross came a love which burned away the barriers and divisions.


It is the sacrifice of love, d. People gathered at the feet of the Crucified Christ: Mother Mary,
which Jesus consciously Mary Magdalene, Joseph of Arimathea. Every Holy Week, we
offers to lay down His gather, too, as children of God, to worship, to pray, to draw strength
life to take it up again. from the Crucified Christ.
e. It was He who was love personified, He who is Love in action. The
way to make sense of Jesus ugly, painful and humiliating death is
love.
i. Not the soft, sentimental love but a love than can move and
change human hearts in a world where we have lost the sense
of true caring and real compassion.
ii. Like Dante in the Divine Comedy, Christs love is like the love
that moves the sun and the other stars. His love is a means for
creating a new world and a new humanity.
iii. His crucified love lets us see the tragic tale promising a happy
homecoming. Like Dante, the love on Calvary changes human
tragedy into a divine comedy. The happy ending after the
Crucifixion is the Resurrection.
f. The cross helps us to grasp the breadth, length, height and depth
of Christs love (Eph. 3,18) in His suffering and death.
i. As we stand at the foot of the cross, we see the innocent Christ
suffer. He is victim. And yet, it isnt Christs very suffering and
death that saves us but really, the perfect self-giving love of the
Father for us. (CFC 558)
ii. It is the sacrifice of love, which Jesus consciously offers to
lay down His life to take it up again. No one takes it from Him,
but He lays it down freely. Why? He does it out of obedience to
the Father, in humility, obedience, even to death on a cross.
(Phil. 28) Why? He does it because love knows no bounds.
A ction WHAT IT MEANS FOR US TODAY (Present Day Application)

1) Suffering is not make-believe. God suffered. He suffered because the cost of
love meant not letting go of its embrace even when the beloved was unworthy
and hateful.
a. Far from being insulated from pain because He was God, He suffered.
God entered the agony, the dark night of the human condition with His
own flesh.
b. In the passion of Jesus was revealed humanity at its worst and God at
Gods best. He who is big becomes small.
c. He who is strong is made weak. He who is alive allows Himself to die.
2) Pain is always personal. Jesus experienced an exceptionally cruel and ugly
death.
a. He suffered extreme agony. (Remember when you watched Mel Gibsons
The Passion of the Christ? Some people couldnt stand it. They had to
leave the theater!) It was grueling!
b. Christ never knew the pain of a broken marriage or the agony of a
terminal disease where you are near death. He never suffered the burden
of old age.
c. Jesus suffering was personal to Him. But He suffered and knew the
depths of human pain.

3) Christ died on our behalf but His great sacrifice doesnt make our own
sacrifices today, unnecessary.
a. Rather, He makes our sacrifices possible saving realities. They can lead
to transformation. So, we are called by Christ to share in His sacrifice and
suffering. (CFC 575)
b. As His disciples, we are called to share in the saving mystery of Christ.
When we lose our life in this manner, we save it and grow ever more into
deeper discipleship of Jesus. (Second Plenary Council of the Philippines
85-86)
4) We suffer death, meaninglessness and hatred. These are brought about by

fear. Death robs us.
a. Friendships break up, chances are missed, time runs away from all of us.
Death brings pain to human persons. It is the meaninglessness that
paralyzes us.
b. We feel hollow and see the world as absurd. We constantly search for
life, meaning and love.
c. But Christ, by His death, saves us. He gives us life, meaning and love.
i. On Good Friday each year, believers around the world venerate the
Cross and kiss the feet of the crucified Christ.
ii. We come with our burdens. We join our crucifixions to His.
iii. Our pain is made meaningful in Christ. We know we are not alone.
Jesus who is Lord hangs on the cross with us. He is in solidarity with
human pain. The Lord is close to those whose hearts are breaking.
(Ps. 34, 19)
5) As we suffer, we are in a special solidarity with the crucified Son of Man.

a. It can be difficult to recognize Christ in the darkness of our suffering and
acknowledge that our agony is mysteriously, an extension of His.
i. At times, we suffer precisely because we try to follow Jesus.
ii. At other times, our sins can bring us pain and anguish.
iii. We may suffer because of things that simply happen to us. But then,
it is not my cross but His cross.
iv. There will always be Pontius Pilates in our lives, always there to put
pain in our lives. Oftentimes, we are victims. The pain is not our fault.
b. No matter who or what we are, we cannot avoid the cross. The choice is
simple: Curse the pain or lay it at the feet of Jesus.
i. When we lay our pain and ourselves at the foot of the cross, our pain
and our lives will be transformed. In the mystery of meaninglessness
and madness, in Christ, even meaninglessness can gain meaning.
ii. Our suffering can be redeeming. We die to ourselves out of love for
others.
iii. Jesus challenges us: If you wish to follow Me, deny yourself, take up
your cross and come follow Me. (Mk. 8, 34) We are called to take up
our cross. (CCC 618)
c. If we say yes to our own crucifixion, we will find that suffering accepted
with Christ proves transforming. St. Paul said: When I am weak, I am
strong. (2 Cor. 12,10) Christ promises us that His grace is all we need
and that in our weakness, Christs power comes in full strength. (Look at
Alcoholics Anonymous and the success of their patients who drew power


and strength from the Lord.)
6) Our challenge when we suffer is will we turn to our Brother Jesus who is
crucified alongside us?
a. By ourselves, we would not be inclined to seek and find the Crucified
Christ. Yet, the whole human passion is in a mysterious way an extension
of His.
b. Renaissance man and a man after Gods own heart, Blase Pascal, once
said: Jesus will be in agony to the end of the world. We must not sleep
during that time.
c. As we share in His suffering for the world and He shares in ours, our love
in His must transform the agony of the world to bring order and good out
of the chaos.
I ntegration Discussion Questions:

1) Last week, you committed to share a lesson you got on the third article of
Faith (Jesus as fully human and fully divine, etc.) with at least ONE person
you know (friend, family, etc.). Share with the group how your experience
went.
2) In the light of Christs cross, how are you to look at suffering? Is all suffering
good? How can you not fall into either misconception of (1) welcoming all
sorts of suffering as good and (2) being allergic to all suffering?
3) IKUWENTO MO: Think of ONE lesson you got from todays session that
4) PRAY IT! Commit to pray the Stations of the Cross in your parish one day
this week. Jot down your daily thoughts on this article of Faith and your
experience praying the Stations of the Cross.
T hanksgiving HOW WE CELEBRATE THE TRUTH

1) Suffering and death are inescapable. But in love, Christ transforms even
these.
2) In Baptism, we die to our sin with Christ in order to live a new life.
a. We were buried with Him by Baptism into death. (CCC 628).Through
his suffering and death, Jesus redeemed man once & for all, freeing
him from slavery to sin, evil, and death. It is for our sins that he died.
(571-3, 619, 1019)
b. We celebrate Christs cross because this cross of love leads to healing
and meaning. It is a symbol to Christians not of scandal or foolishness,
but of love unto death, and love that goes beyond death. We celebrate
this truth by:


i. Reverently and consciously making the sign of the cross;
ii. Meditating on the Stations of the Cross about Christs passion and
death ends with the hope of His Resurrection. Jesus freely offered
himself for our salvation.
iii. Beforehand, during the Last Supper, he both symbolized this
offering and made it really present: This is my body which is given
for you. (621) which is pronounced in the consecration of the bread
and wine at the Eucharist.
iv. Holy Week is always a good time to meditate on the love of Christ
that led to His death. That death ends with His Resurrection and the
birth of the Church. For unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground,
it remains just a grain. (in. 12, 24)
H ope CONCLUSION
1) We can look at pain for pains sake as a good thing, but let us not glorify
pain. We are not masochists!
2) We on the other hand can also avoid pain at all costs. But if we love
God, others, and ourselves, we will do so even unto pain.
3) Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said: I have found the paradox
that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.
God will not take away all our suffering and pain, but when in solidarity with
Christ and His cross, we can be transformed, finding meaning even of the
pain in our lives.
Watch Mel Gibsons The Passion of the Christ (maybe excerpts); show the video
Suggested Creatives
of Lead Me to the Cross by Hilisongs United (with excerpts from the Passion
see http:/www.youtube.cpmlwatch?v=CxcbGxvgvR4) provide copies of the Stations
of the Cross.
THE APOSTLES CREED

Closing Prayer


From the deep places of my soul I praise you, O God:
Psalm I lift up my heart and glorify your holy name.
From the deep places of my soul I praise you, O God:
Psalm 103 how can I forget all your goodness towards me?
UNFATHOMABLE LOVE You forgive all my sin, you heal all my weakness,
you rescue me from the brink of disaster,
you crown me with mercy and compassion.
Refrain: There is no end to your mercy, You satisfy my being with good things,
Enduring and infinite is your love. so that my youth is renewed like an eagles.
You fulfil all that you promise,

justice for all the oppressed.
You made known your ways to Moses,
and all the people saw your deeds.
You are full of forgiveness and grace,

endlessly patient, faithful in love.
You do not haunt us with our sins,
nor nurse grievances against us.
You do not repay evil with evil,
for you are greater than our sins.
As vast as the heavens are in comparison with the earth,

so great is your love to those who trust you.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far do you fling our sins from us.
Just as parents are merciful to their children,

so are you merciful and kind towards us.
For you know how fragile we are,
that we are made of the dust of the earth.
Our days are like the grass,
they bloom like the flowers of the field:
the wind blows over them and they are gone,
and no one-can tell where they stood.
Only your merciful goodness endures;

age after age you act justly
towards all who hold on to your covenant,
who take your words to heart and fulfil them.
For you have triumphed over the power of death,

and draw us to your presence with songs of joy.
We hear the echo of your angels praising you,
and the whole communion of your saints,
those who have walked in your narrow ways,
and heard the voice of your yearning,
Creator God, as we contemplate the vast whose food is to do your will,
universe of which we are so small a part, and in whom you take great delight.
swamping us with fear and despair and our
insignificance, deepen our trust that the From the widest bounds of the universe
profoundest meaning of it all is Love, to the depths of my very being
beyond whose reach it is impossible to fall. the whispers and cries of joy
vibrate to a shining glory,
(Source: Psalms for a Pilgrim People O God, our beginning and our end.
By: Jim Cotter)

Session 6
Article 5: He descended
to the dead. On the Third day,
He rose again
Session 6:
Article 5 - HE DESCENDED TO THE DEAD. ON THE THIRD
DAY, HE ROSE AGAIN

(CCC, CFC)
Focus too much on the dead

Christ over the Risen Christ F 1 Cor. 15, 17: If Christ was not
raised, your faith is worthless.
CCC Part 1, Sec. 2, Chap. 2; CFC
Chaps. 11 & 12
F
FAITH
A
ACTION
I
INTEGRATION
T
THANKSGIVING
H
HOPES
TOPIC
I STAND BY THE RISEN
LORD
Jesus went to the place of the

dead, and defeated death and
rose again (Resurrection).
T I feel hopeless.
H
EPISCOPAL COMMISSION ON CATECHESIS AND CATHOLIC EDUCATION (ECCCE) &KZDd/KEWZK'ZDKEd,zZK&&/d,
SESSION 6
I Stand By the Risen

Lord
ARTICLE 5: He descended to the dead. On the third
day, He rose again.
Amidst the overemphasis on the dead Christ and confusion about the meaning of
Overview of Session
Easter, the fifth article of Faith leads us to reflect on the Descent of Christ into hell,
because Christ really died. It discusses the meaning of death and how Jesus
conquered sin and death. It then speaks of the Resurrection of Christ and how it
transformed humanity forever. These have great implications on our attitude
towards death and daily life, since we are an Easter people called by the Risen
Christ to live in His victory.

Objectives
1) XQGHUVWDQGWKHPHDQLQJRI&KULVWV'HVFHQWWRWKe Dead and His
Resurrection;
2) UHIOHFWRQKRZWROLYHRXWWKH5HVXUUHFWLRQDV&KULVWV(DVWHUSHRSOHDQG
3) prayerfully meditate on the Easter event and the Risen Lord through an
Easter song and one Easter account in the Bible.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring
Scriptural Text
with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of
the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, 1 will surely
not precede those who have fallen asleep. (1 Thessalonians 4:14-15)
&RU,I&KULVWZDVQRWUDLVHG\RXUIDLWKLVZRUWKOHVVCCC Part 1,
Christian Teaching
Sec. 2, Chap. 2; CFC Chaps. 11 & 12
53
ARTICLE 5:
He descended to the dead. On the third

day, He rose again.

Guide for the
Inspirational Story 57 cents Church
TALK PROPER ARTICLE 5: He descended to the dead. On the third
day, He rose again.
H-ope Conclusion
Suggested Creatives
Closing Prayer

Opening Song
Inspirational Story 57 cents Church
A little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away
because it was 'too crowded.'
'I can't go to Sunday School,' she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by.
Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and
taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday
school class. The child was so happy that they found room for her, and she went to
bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.
Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings. Her
parents called for the kindhearted pastor who had befriended their daughter to
handle the final arrangements.
As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled red purse was found
which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump.
Inside was found 57 cents and a note, scribbled in childish handwriting, which read:
'This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday
School.'
54
For two years she had saved for this offering of love.
When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do.
Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of
her unselfish love and devotion.
He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger
building.
But the story does not end there...
A newspaper learned of the story and published It. It was read by a wealthy realtor
who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands.
When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered to sell it to the little
church for 57 cents.
Church members made large donations. Checks came from far and wide. Within
five years the little girl's gift had increased to $250,000.00--a huge sum for that time
(near the turn of the century). Her unselfish love had paid large dividends. When
you are in the city of Philadelphia , look up Temple Baptist Church , with a seating
capacity of 3,300. And be sure to visit Temple University, where thousands of
students are educated.
Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building
which houses hundreds of beautiful children, built so that no child in the area will
ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time.
In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the
little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history.
Alongside of it is a portrait of her kind pastor,
Dr. Russell H. Conwell, author of the book, 'Acres of Diamonds'.
55
..if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. (1
TALK PROPER
Cor. 15, 17)
ARTICLE 5
He descended to the dead.

On the third day, He rose again.
F-aith INTRODUCTION
A. Last week, we talked about the the Christian view of suffering in the light of
the Crucified ChristIURP+LVSDVVLRQWR+LVGHDWK7RGD\VWRSLFLVRQWKH
ILIWKDUWLFOHRI)DLWK:HFDQQRWHQGZLWK&KULVWVGHDWKEHFDXVHWKH
meaning of our Faith is found in the Risen Christ who precisely rose from
the dead.
Death is a transitory period
B. Unfortunately, among the images of Christ most loved and therefore, most
between one type of
popular among Filipino Catholics, as we mentioned last week, are the
existence to another
Hesus Nazareno (the Suffering Christ) and the Santo Entierro (the Dead
from earthly to heavenly
Christ). As such, there is more attention given to Holy Week, especially
existence.
Good Friday, than Easter Sunday. And any Easter celebration seems to not
be a religious celebration but one centered on the much commercialized
Easter Bunny and easter egg hunts.
C. While the Hesus Nazareno and the Santo Entierro depict true images of
Christ, they gain meaning only from the context of the Risen Christ. If Christ
GLGQWUHVXUUHFW+HZRXOGQWEHRXU/RUGDQG6DYLRUWRGD\:HDUHFDOOHGWR
worship not a dead Jesus but the living Christ.
WHAT WE BELIEVE - What does Article 5 affirm? It affirms the Paschal

Mystery &KULVWVGHDWKDQGUHVXUUHFWLRQ
A. He Descended to the Dead
1) The Christian Meaning of Death
a. When we say that Christ descended to the dead, it means that He

really died. Jesus is buried, then descends into hell where all the
dead must go.
i. In radical solidarity with us, Jesus, the Christ, stands with us
not only through becoming one of us, not only through
sufferings but also through the place where bodily suffering
We were meant for eventually takes us all to death itself.
something more, an ii. He matches our common mortality, and at the end, He matches
eternal life in union with our common fate by descending to the dead. It is a solidarity
God. with all men and women of all places and times. His human
story comes to a dead stop. He dies with us but also for us.
56
iii. -HVXV*RGVRQO\6RQGHVFHQGVIURPOLIHWRGHDWKFKDQJLQJ
the common destiny of all of us and the world is never the
same. Our final stop is never the same.
Traditionally, we say that b. Death is a transitory period between one type of existence to
&KULVWRSHQHGWKHJDWHV another from earthly to heavenly existence. Yet, many Filipino
RIKHDYHQIRUWKHMXVWZKR Catholics still fear death because we feel defeated and helpless.
had gone before Him. i. Death seems a failure on our part, a point where we are forced
to give up. We see it as something we cannot put off forever.
Eventually, we all must die.
ii. But would we really want our lives to go on indefinitely? Would
we want this life, never- ending with all its suffering, pain and
frustrations? We were meant for something more, an eternal
life in union with God.
c. Death has been seen as the opposite of life. But really, it is a
progression. If one is to move from this life to eternal life, one must
die. It is only in death that we can discover the real meaning of our
earthly life. It is not an end but rather a new beginning.
d. For Jesus Christ, it was the humanly dead man who descended to
the dead, not the victorious living One of Easter. It was this new
dead man, different from any other dead man, dying purely from
love, descended to the dead. It was because of love, the most living
thing there is, that He descended to the dead.
2) First Fruits
a. A second meaning of Descent to the Dead is that Christ went to
preach to the dead who had gone before Him, making Him Savior
of ALL those dead and those alive.(CFC 613)
b. Jesus descends to the dead to free the just persons who had gone
before Him. (CCC 633)People who have died before Christ have
not been abandoned forever.
i. Jesus conquers sin, evil, death. JHVXV$XWKRURIOLIHGHVWUR\V
the power of death (who is the devil).
ii. He binds Satan and takes the righteous prisoners along with
Him into new life. The righteous dead become the first fruits of
WKHWULXPSKRI*RGVNLQJGRP7UDGLWLRQDOO\ZHVD\WKDW&KULVW
RSHQHGWKHJDWHVRIKHDYHQIRUWKHMXVWZKRKDGJRQHEHIRUH
Him. (CCC 637)
c. 6FULSWXUHFDOOVZKHUHWKHGHDGDUHDVKHOO6KHROLQ+HEUHZDQG
Hades in Greek) because these souls were deprived of knowing
God. All the dead, both the evil and the righteous, were waiting for
their Redeemer.
i. Catholic Tradition used to call the event the Descent into Hell,
where hell is death because there is loneliness without God.
Without the presence of God, there is only death. Hell is solitary
confinement. It is the absence of God.
ii. The shift from the word hell to the word dead occurred in
9DWLFDQ,,EXWWKH\JHQHUDOO\PHDQWKHVDPHWKLQJ,WVOLNHWKH
Without the presence of shift from calling the Third Person in the Trinity, the Holy Ghost
God, there is only death. to calling Him the Holy Spirit.)
iii. The descent into hell says that God is Lord even of hell. Jesus
is Lord over what is dead, Lord of what may seemingly be
57
opposed to God. He descends to the farthest point from God, to

When the grain of wheat the darkest night, where the light of God might seem too distant
falls to the ground and to penetrate, and defeats the darkness so that the hellishness
dies, It is the start of new of world events like the German Holocaust, infanticide through
life like never before, for DERUWLRQDQGPDVVLQMXVWLFHVZLOOQRWWULXPSK7KHUHLVQRKHOO
Christ and for all humanity. not even on earth, that can escape the victorious presence of
After the death, comes the Jesus who suffered, was crucified, was dead, was buried and
resurrection to full and final descended to hell.
glory. d. On Holy Saturday, we meditate on the Descent to the Dead by
Jesus Christ and we are caught in between two directions. We look
back to Good Friday when death devoured Jesus. Yet, we can also
look forward because all does not end with pain and death. When
the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, It is the start of new
life like never before, for Christ and for all humanity. After the death,
comes the resurrection to full and final glory.
B. On the Third Day, He Rose Again
1) Jesus must go down to the dead. He dies on Friday, roams the

underworld (where the dead must go) on Saturday, liberating the dead
of all previous ages. Then on Sunday morning, He rises again. He is
the Risen Christ who now holds the keys of death and Hades. (CCC
635)
a. The Resurrection was a real, historical event. It is the basis for our
faith in all Jesus revealed to us. Jesus rose from the dead, body
and soul, early on the Sunday morning after his death. He walked
the earth for a brief time, and there were many witnesses of his
appearances. (638-9)
b. At the same time as the Resurrection was an historical event, it
remains at the heart of the mystery of faith as something that
transcends and surpasses history. (647)
2) It is the Resurrection of Jesus that is the central truth of the first
Christian community, handed down to us through Tradition. (CCC 638)
a. &KULVWV5HVXUUHFWLRQLVWKHFHQWUDOHYHQWRI*RGVZKROHSODQRI
VDOYDWLRQ&)&6W3DXOGHFODUHVLI&KULVWZDVQRWUDLVHG
\RXUIDLWKLVZRUWKOHVV&RU%XWWKHWUXWKUHPDLQVWKDW
Christ is risen! (CFC 620)
Jesus must go down to the b. &KULVWV5HVXUUHFWLRQFRQILUPHGHYHU\WKLQJ&KULVWGLGDQGWDXJKW
dead. He dies on Friday, (CFC 621), fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies that promised the
roams the underworld Savior (CFC 622), and brings us a share in the new life of God
(where the dead must go) &)&,IWKHQZHKDYHGLHGZLWK&KULVWZHEHOLHYHZHVKDOO
on Saturday, liberating the DOVROLYHZLWKKLP5RP,IZHKDYHEHHQIUHHGIURPVLQDQG
dead of all previous ages. death by Christ, we now live with Him in a new life as adopted sons
Then on Sunday morning, and daughters of God.
He rises again. He is the 3) The Third Day - The third day in the Creed means Easter Sunday.
Risen Christ who now a. Friday, the day of crucifixion, was the first day. Saturday, the
holds the keys of death second day began at sunset of Friday. Sunday is the third day,
and Hades. between dawn and sunrise when the women discover the empty
tomb. Why three days?
b. In the Old Testament, three days was a sacred interval, a time of
DQWLFLSDWLRQHQRXJKWRVKRZ*RGVJORU\
58
c. For Christ, it is long enough to be dead, but not long enough to be

The empty tomb makes all abandoned. In practical terms, it meant the limit that the body could
the difference in our Faith. be expected not to decay yet.
4) The Empty Tomb and Beyond
a. There are no eyewitnesses to the Resurrection. No one witnessed
the actual resurrection event. Nobody can say how it came about
physically. (CCC 647) It is the angels who tell them that Jesus is
risen.
b. The empty tomb makes all the difference in our Faith. It confirmed
that Jesus is risen. It would have been impossible in Jerusalem for
the disciples to start proclaiming His resurrection if His grave had
not been empty. Their enemies could have easily produced the
corpse if they were lying.
c. 7KHWUDGLWLRQRIWKHHPSW\WRPELVQRWPHDQWWRSURYH&KULVWV
5HVXUUHFWLRQEXWOLQNHGZLWKZLWQHVVHVGHFODULQJ&KULVWV
appearances to them, confirms it. (CFC 647) The original group of
EHOLHYHUVWHVWLILHGWR&KULVWVSHUVRQDOUHVXUUHFWLRQWRKLVHPSW\
It took the Holy Spirit to tomb, his new existence with the Father. The empty tomb prepared
erase the fear and doubt. the disciples to encounter the Risen Lord. (CCC 657)
d. All those testimonies RI&KULVWV5HVXUUHFWLRQE\3HWHUWKHRWKHU
apostles, the women, etc.) tell us that Jesus Resurrection is an
historical fact. (CCC 643)
i. The Risen Lord appeared gloriously alive to different individuals
and groups of people, several hundred in all! And yet, even
when they saw the Risen Christ, the disciples continued to
doubt. (CCC 644)
ii. It took the Holy Spirit to erase the fear and the doubt. And for
all that has been said about it, the Resurrection remains a
mystery of faith that goes beyond history. (CCC 647)
iii. As a mystery, it is not that we cannot know about it, but its
richness goes beyond our knowing.
5) The Resurrection: An Easter Faith
a. $IWHUWKH5HVXUUHFWLRQ-HVXVVDXWKHQWLFUHDOERG\DOVRSRVVHVVHV
new properties of a glorious body. (645)
i. &KULVWV5HVXUUHFWLRQZDVQWDUHWXUQWRHDUWKO\OLIHDVHFRQG
earthly incarnation, but the Risen Lord passed from the state of
death to another life that went beyond time and space.
ii. $WWKH5HVXUUHFWLRQ-HVXVERG\LVILOOHGZLWKWKHSRZHURIWKH
Holy Spirit. (CCC ,WLVWKHPDQLIHVWDWLRQRI*RGVSRZHU
WKURXJKWKH+RO\6SLULWZKRJDYHOLIHWR-HVXVGHDGKXPDQLW\
DQGFDOOHGLWWRWKHJORULRXVVWDWHRI/RUGVKLS&&&$WWKH
The Resurrection is a same time, the Son effects His own Resurrection by His own
promise that the dance SRZHU,OD\GRZQP\ OLIHWKDW,PD\WDNHLWDJDLQin. 10,17)
goes on, the love iii. As Risen Lord, He is not limited by time and space, but not
continues. separated from them, either. The Resurrection is a promise that
the dance goes on, the love continues. The Kingdom of God
has come.
b. Jesus returns to life, never to die again. Death is overcome. Death
does not have the last word. The Lord of Life has risen. (In the artist
0LFKHODQJHORVVFXSLWXUHRIWKH5LVHQ&KULVW0LFKHODQJHORVKRZV
WKHUHVXUUHFWHG&KULVWFDUU\LQJ+LVRZQFURVVDVDVLJQRI&KULVWV
59
victory over death.)

i. The risen Christ rose on the third day, now no more to die. If we
die with Jesus Christ, we shall rise with Him, for He is the Lord
of Life over death.
ii. Ours is an Easter faith that the living Jesus can make a
difference in our lives here and now. We can hope that our
story will not end in the empty silence of death. We shall live
forever. This is our hope.
c. The Resurrection is not just reanimation.
i. it is not just coming back from the dead, like one slipping out of
a house at night and returning to it in the morning.
ii. Rather, it means full and final freedom from suffering and
death, and living above the limits of what we now experience.
iii. And eternal life is not Just endless life. Eternal life is a new life,
transfigured beyond all that we know about life.
iv. %RUQDQHZ-HVXVZRXQGVDUHJORULRXV+LVWUDQVILJXUHGERG\
surpassing all the beauty of this world. The Risen Lord has
been changed and transformed. So shall we.

1) It is Jesus who rises from the dead and conquers death forever.lt is Jesus,
not the Easter Bunny, who has changed our lives forever.
a. The Resurrection is the principle and source of our own future
resurrection. (655)
b. The Risen Christ transformed this bodily world of sin and suffering. All
things will be made new. It brings hope that amidst our own struggles
and hopelessness, we know that Christ, the Risen One, has defeated
death and gained for us eternal life.
i. One day the struggles and the pain will end.
ii. One day we WRRZLOOULVHDJDLQE\&KULVWVSRZHUDQGSURPLVH
iii. Whatever hellishness we have made or worry about, Jesus who is
Lord, goes before us in victory.
c. As Catholics, we must continue to reflect on the meaning of the Easter
event in our lives, and understand why the Church considers it the most
important celebration of the Church, even more than Christmas.
2) Second, it is the Risen Christ, not the dead one that we worship. Although
they are one and the same Christ, and we cannot separate one event of the
Paschal Mystery from another (since the same Christ who died was also
raised from the dead), yet we must focus on the victory over death of Christ
and not the death of Christ. We must emphasize the Risen Christ over the
dead Christ.
3) And lastly, the real challenge of the Empty Tomb is to believe that because
JUDYHVQDWXUDOO\V\PEROL]HGHDWKDQGWKHHQGRIOLIHZKHQ-HVXVWRPELV
open and empty, it revealed that Christ had conquered death.

1) Last week, you committed to share a lesson you got on the fourth article of
Faith (on the passion, crucifixion and death of our Lord) with at least ONE
person you know (friend, family, etc.). Share with the group how your
60
experience went.
2) What misunderstanding did you have about death, resurrection or Easter
before this talk? How is Easter more important than Christmas?
3) What ONE concrete way can you live out the reality of Easter in your own
life today?
4) IKUWENTO MO7KLQNRI21(OHVVRQ\RXJRWIURPWRGD\VVHVVLRQWKDW
5) PRAY lT! Prayerfully meditate on ONE Easter account from any of the 4
gospels, this week. (Either Mt. 28, 1-10; or Mk. 16, 1-13; Lk. 24, 1-12, 13-
45, and 36-47; or in. 20, 1-9, 11-18, 19-23, and 24-31.)Jot down your
thoughts on this, as well as your daily thoughts on this article of Faith.

1) Every Holy Week, we contemplate on the Paschal Mystery the Passion,
Death and Resurrection of our Lord. It culminates in the celebration of
Easter.
2) But this same Risen Lord is the One we encounter in the sacraments, in a
real way, where Christ is fully truly alive, in the Blessed Sacrament, but
especially in the Holy Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we
meet Christ again and again, and are empowered to live a life of victory
against sin and death.
H-ope CONCLUSION
1) We talked about Resurrection, the central truth of our Faith, that indeed,
Christ is risen.
2) Today we talked about the Christian meaning of death as not the end but
the beginning of new life in Christ.
3) We are challenged as an Easter people to live out our new life in Christ,
standing by our Risen Lord who calls all people to live in His love forever.
May we indeed, proclaim with our hearts and our lives that Christ is risen,
alleluia!
Celebrate an Easter prayer ritual as a community. Meditate on an Easter song like

Suggested Creatives
&KLOGUHQRI(DVWHU0RUQLQJRUDQLFRQRIWKH5LVHQ/RUG
THE AP267/(6&5(('
Closing Prayer
61
Psalm 138
Psalm
*2'6*(17/(728&+
Refrain: To those we barely notice

God draws especially close.
Homeless and restless, I sleep on the streets,

KXGGOHGLQWKHGRRUZD\RIWKHMHZHOHUVVWRUH
Why are they afraid of me who can do them no harm?
Why do they all pass hurried by?
A woman stops, eyes steady and clear:

her hand claps mine, enclosing a coin.
She speaks a few words, spends a few seconds,
risking the laughter of those who pass by.
A man draws close with hesitant step,

embarrassed and awkward when faced with the strange.
Yet he stays long enough to give me some broth,
a waste in the thoughts of those who pass by.
The crypt of the church lies dusty, unused,

till a few catch a vision of a heaven of care.
There are some who give food with a listening ear,
a hope unknown to those who pass by.
A few with pure hearts among those who are wealthy

keep stirring the conscience of people with power,
pressing for the changes that justice requires,
sword in the path of those who pass by.
Do they give me a glimpse of an unusual God?

Is there glory in the costly giving of self?
Am I the one God especially loves?
Is God far from those who pass by?
The skilled and powerful think they are favoured,

they call on their God to buttress their pride.
They miss the gentleness of a touch that is loving,
fearful hands push away and of course they pass by.
Create a new heart in all who oppress,

break down the structures that bind them.
So you will us the sign that we need
for the grace at the last to forgive.
For now let us mightily strive with our enemies,
until all of us, limping, are blessed.
Together may we sing a new song
as we build a more glorious city.
62
As cracks split the walls of the house of prayer,

as the faiths are compromised by collusion with oppression,
as we betray you by killing one another in your name,
as the spirit of the ages moves on, challenges us again, Mysterious
God, in homeland or in exile,
in delving within, expecting to be changed,
in anger and truth changing the world,
that we may see beyond the convictions
with which we bind and cage both you and one another,
and having seen my act.
As no stone was left standing on another in Jerusalem,
so it will be in Canterbury and Rome.
They will fall because their vision is too narrow.
May we not rebuild them as of old,
but keep them as empty silent spaces
that they may speak to us eloquently of what is beyond us.
Empower us to build the City of Peace wherever they are.
May we discern your call to protect and shape
city and home, farm and wilderness, body and community,
all in harmony with your will.
May they alone become temples of our presence,
the places of our prayer, and the new Jerusalem for which we dream
and long.
We give thanks, surprising God, with all our hearts. Through the Poor
Man of Nazareth who embodied your love, and whose Spirit inspires
us still, you keep alive the hope that the true strength of the gentle
and merciful will overcome the brittle force of the fearful and powerful,
that at the last the unrecognized will indeed inherit the earth.

By: Jim Cotter)
63
AN EASTER PSALM
Kathy Galloway
Christ our life,

You are alive in the beauty of the earth
in the rhythm of the seasons
in the mystery of time and space
Alleluia
Christ our life,

You are alive in the tenderness of touch
in the heartbeat of intimacy
in the insights of solitude
Alleluia
Christ our life,

You are alive in the creative possibility
of the dullest conversation
the dreariest task
the most threatening event
Alleluia
Christ our life,

You are alive to offer recreation
to every unhealed hurt
to every deadened place
to every damaged heart
Alleluia.
You set before us a great choice.

Therefore we choose life.
The dance of resurrection soars and surges through
the whole creation.
It sets gifts of bread and wine upon our table.
This is grace, dying we live.
So let us live.
64
Session 7
Article 6: He Ascended into Heaven
and is seated at the right hand
of the Father
Session 7:
Article 6 - HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN AND IS SEATED
AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER

(CCC, CFC)
Unclear about the meaning of

what Ascension in our life. F Acts 2:33: Christ ascenending
to right hand of the Father and
sharing in the otupouring of
the Spirit. CCC Part 1, Sec. 2,
Chap. 2; CFC Chap. 12
F
FAITH
A
ACTION
I
INTEGRATION
T
THANKSGIVING
H
HOPES
TOPIC
GOD REIGNS
Christ resumes his place

in heaven, with authority
(Ascension).
T Unclear about the meaning of
what Ascension in our life.
H
SESSION 7
God Reigns
ARTICLE 6: He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father
The Resurrection of Christ takes center stage in our Faith, but the Ascension is not
Overview of Session
really a separate event but a part of it. This session explains what the Ascension of
Jesus is about, celebrated 40 days after Easter and 10 days before Pentecost. It
explains the meaning also of what it means that Jesus sits at the right hand of the
Father. It then challenges the participants to realize that Jesus has not really left us,
but is our Mediator in heaven, and has sent us His Spirit to empower us. We are His
hands and feet in the world today. We celebrate the Feast of the Ascension
declaring Jesus all powerful and almighty God.

Objectives
1) see the importance of the Ascension in their lives;
2) UHIOHFWRQ&KULVWVORUGVKLSDQGKLVEHLQJ0HGLDWRULQKHDYHQ and
3) prayerfully meditate on the Ascension as mentioned in Acts 1 with hope and
thanksgiving.
Matthew 28:19 - 20 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
Scriptural Text
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the
end of the age."
$FWV&KULVWDVFHQGLQJWRWKHULJKWKDQGRIWKH)DWKHUDQGVKDULQJLQ
Christian Teaching
the outpouring of the Spirit. CCC Part 1, Sec. 2, Chap. 2; CFC Chap. 12
65

Guide for the
Inspirational Story
TALK PROPER ARTICLE 6: He ascended into heaven and is seated
at the right hand of the Father
H-ope Conclusion
Suggested Creatives
Closing Prayer

Opening Song
O Lord my God, teach me where and how to seek you,
Opening Prayer
:KHUHDQGKRZWRILQG\RX
You are my God and you are my Lord, and I have never seen you.
You have made and remade me,
And you have bestowed on me all the good things I possess,
And I still do not know \RX7HDFKPHWRVHHN\RX
For I cannot seek you unless you reach me
or find you unless you show yourself to me.
Let me seek you in my desire, let me desire you in my seeking.
Let me find you by loving you.
Once, in a family re-union, a famous Shakespearean actor was persuaded to

Inspirational Story
demonstrate, his skills at eloquence. In consenting, he insisted that someone
suggest a passage for recitation. A clergyman, also a member of the family,
suggested the Psalm of the Good Shepherd (Ps 23). The actor agreed on one
FRQGLWLRQWKDWWKHSULHVWUHFLWHWKHVDPHSVDOPDIWHUKHKDGILQLVKHG,QQRRUDWRU
SURWHVWHGWKHSUHDFKHUWDNHQDEDFN%XWLIWKDWVZKDW\RXZDQW,ZLOO
The actor rendered the Psalm excellently. His voice and diction was perfect.
(YHU\ERG\KXQJRQKLVOLSV$WWKHHQGRIKLVSHUIRUPDQFHWKHDSSODXVHZDV
deafening.
7KHQFDPHWKHSDVWRUVWXUQWRGHFODLPWKH3VDOP$VKHEHJDQKLVYRLFHVRXQGHG
somewhat hoarse, and his diction was shaky. But the words came alive and the
atmosphere seemed pervaded with a mysterious spirit. When he finished there
were a few moments of reverential silence, not a few of those present had tears in
their eyes.
66
7KHDFWRUVWRRGXSDQGLQDTXLYHULQJYRLFHVDLG,UHDFKHG\RXUH\HVDQGHDUVEXW
our priest here has reached your hearts. The reason is simply this:
I know the Psalm---but he knows the Shepherd.
0\VKHHSOLVWHQWRP\YRLFH,NQRZWKHPDQGWKH\IROORZPH Jn. 10:27
(L. Hedwig, At Home with God, p. 2012)
TALK PROPER Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the holy Spirit
from the Father and poured if forth.... (Acts 2, 33)
ARTICLE 6
He ascended into heaven and is seated

at the right hand of the Father
F-aith INTRODUCTION
Resurrection, the central A. Last week we talked about the Christian meaning of death as not the end
truth of our Faith but the beginning of new life in Christ. We talked about the Resurrection,
the central truth of our Faith, that indeed, Christ is risen.
B. ,I)LOLSLQR&DWKROLFVDUHQWWRRFOHDUDQGWKHUHIRUHGRQWVSHQGWRRPXFK
time reflecting on the image of the Risen Christ, all the more, they feel this
way about the Ascension. Yet, the Ascension can reveal to us more about
who Christ is, and therefore, more about who we are.
C. What can the Ascension teach us about Jesus Christ? Let us find out.
WHAT WE BELIEVE: Article 6 of the Creed tells us that Jesus ascended into
heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
A. He Ascended Into Heaven

1) Jesus ascends into heaven. He is exalted. This completes and
celebrates the resurrection. It also celebrates a home coming. The
Risen Lord is coming home to the Father! The Only Begotten Son
returns!
a. 7KHUDLVLQJRI-HVXVGLGQWVWRSZLWKWKH5HVXUUHFWLRQEXWSDUWRI
The Risen Lord is coming &KULVWV3DVFKDO0\VWHU\LVWKH$VFHQVLRQ&)&7KHUHIRUHLW
home to the Father! The would be more accurate to say that the Paschal Mystery of Christ is
Only Begotten Son about His passion and crucifixion, death, resurrection and
returns! ascension into heaven.
b. All these make up ONE saving event by Christ. This one event
FHQWHUVRQWKHVZHHSRI-HVXVWULXPSKRYHUGHDWKIURPGHVFHQW
67
into hell to the ascent into heaven. The Risen Lord tells Mary
Magdalene that He was ascending to His Father and her Father, to
He ate and drank with His His God and her God, tool (in. 20,17)
disciples and taught them 2) (YHQWKRXJK&KULVWVERG\ZDVJORULILHGDWWKHPRPHQWRI+LV
about the Kingdom, and resurrection, during the 40 days on earth, He ate and drank with His
nobody knew any better. disciples and taught them about the Kingdom, and nobody knew any
better.
a. He appeared ordinarily human to them, even though, of course, He
had changed by leaps and bounds. (CCC 659)
b. It was only in the Ascension, His final apparition, that it is clearly
made known to His disciples that He irreversibly enters into divine
glory, symbolized E\WKHFORXG+HZDVWRVLWDW*RGVULJKWKDQG
forever. (CCC 659) That is where He sits today.
c. Thus, the Ascension marks a very important transition event, which
is why we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension every liturgical year.
Easter remains the major feast of the year. Yet, Ascension clarifies
&KULVWVWUXHDQGILQDOVWDWHLQ+LV/RUGVKLS
3) :KDWLVDPD]LQJDERXWORRNLQJDW-HVXVELUWKDQGWKHQ+LVUHVXUUHFWLRQ
and ascension, is that we see a reversal of events.
a. Jesus is first humbled becoming one of us, then later on, He is
exalted. Jesus goes down (descends) to the stable, then He goes
Jesus suffers everything up (ascends) in glory.
about the human condition b. When we look at all the six articles about Jesus in the Creed
that there is, ending in (Articles 2-WKH\GHVFULEH-HVXVWZR-fold destiny: suffering on
death. earth and sitting in heaven.
i. Jesus suffers everything about the human condition that there
is, ending in death.
ii. Then Jesus sits in heaven with every divine condition and all
power and authority.
c. This is the primary meaning of Jesus being raised or lifted up: His
exaltation, His having power and authority over all creation and all
history. (CFC 649) When the Son of Man is lifted up, we will come
WRUHDOL]HWKDW-HVXVLV*RGWKH*UHDW$0LQ
4) The Ascension, this final stage, Is indeed closely, related to the first
VWDJH&KULVWV,QFDUQDWLRQWKH6RQRI*RGEHFRPLQJPDQ2QO\WKH
One who came from the Father can return to the Father. (CCC 661)He
who came from heaven, returns to where He originally was from. He
returns to the starting point of His mission.
5) Another important meaning of the Ascension is its being also a saving
event for us. (CFC 650)
a. Jesus needed to get back to the Father so He could send His Spirit,
the Paraclete. (in. 16, 7)
b. :KHQ&KULVWDVFHQGHGLQWRKHDYHQ+HZDVQWVHSDUDWHGIURPWKH
world, but became all the more present to His disciples! (CFC 650)
&KULVWV$VFHQVLRQLQWR c. In all glory and power, the Risen Lord now commissions and sends
heaven is a definitive His eleven apostles through the Holy Spirit to go and preach
HQWUDQFHRI-HVXV everywhere.
KXPDQLW\LQWR*RGV 6) &KULVWV$VFHQVLRQLQWRKHDYHQLVDGHILQLWLYHHQWUDQFHRI -HVXV
heavenly domain. KXPDQLW\LQWR*RGVKHDYHQO\GRPDLQ
B. He is Seated at the Right Hand of the Father
68
Christ elevates human

nature to the point of 1) We take it metaphorically to mean that Jesus governs the universe.
SDUWLFLSDWLRQLQWKH)DWKHUV -XVWOLNHWKHVRQJ+HVJRWWKHZKROHZRUOGLQ+LVKDQGV
majesty. a. This is the same Jesus whose hands were pierced by nails for love
of us. Together with the Father, He is all powerful, all mighty, King
of kings and Lord or lords.
b. It is He, Son of the Father, Jesus in the flesh, who holds all power
as king of the world. Christ elevates human nature to the point of
SDUWLFLSDWLRQLQWKH)DWKHUVPDMHVW\
2) It means that the Risen Christ went up to heaven to take His rightful
place at the right hand of the Father. (CFC 670) Christ could not send
the Spirit while He was still with us. So, He ascended into heaven, then
sent His Spirit among us.
3) %HLQJVHDWHGDWWKH)DWKHUVULJKWKDQGVLJQLILHVWKHVWDUWRIWKH
0HVVLDKVNLQJGRP7RKLPZDVJLYHQGRPLQLRQDQGJORU\DQG
NLQJGRPWKDWDOOSHRSOHVQDWLRQVDQGODQJXDJHVZRXOGVHUYHKLP
(Dan. 7, 14) It marks the start of our hope that Christ will come again,
the hope that one day we will be with Him forever. (CCC 666)
4) Today, He continues to mediate on our behalf, to intercede (Rom. 8,
34) and intervene for us, and keeps us hoping that one day, we too will
risHIURPWKHGHDG&)&$OOWKLV+HGRHVVHDWHGDW*RGVULJKW
hand.
a. He assures us that He will forever pour out His Holy Spirit upon us.
(CCC 667)
He assures us that He will b. Jesus has not so much gone from us as taken us with Him to God.
forever pour out His Holy :HGRQWKDYHWRGURSRXWRIOLIHQROonger involved in the world,
Spirit upon us. just waiting for Jesus to come in glory, because His glory, His Spirit
is already within us, as His Church. And we have work to do, as
-HVXVKDQGVDQGIHHWLQWKHZRUOG
A-ction WHAT IT MEANS FOR US TODAY (Present Day Application) - How can
we apply the WUXWKVRIWKH)DLWKDERXW&KULVWVDVFHQVLRQWRRXUOLYHV"
A. We know that Jesus is now in heaven. There, He is not separated from us,
but continues to live forever to make intercession for us. (CFC 651) He sent
us His Spirit who is living within us and among us. He has not left us on our
own, but is closer to us now, more than ever before.
B. Jesus Christ, as the one true mediator between God and man, intercedes
for us constantly before the Father and assures us of the permanent
outpouring of the Holy Spirit. (667)
C. Yet, He calls us to urgently do His work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit.
We are not to sit idly, but to make His kingdom come in the hearts of those
around us. They too need to hope, to experience His love and peace. We
are the Risen LRUGVKDQGVDQGIHHW:HPXVWEULQJ+LPWRRWKHUVWKURXJK
our thoughts and actions.
D. The Ascension gives us hope that we, too, may enter into heaven, body
and soul, and be united with Christ forever. (666)Jesus got there first, but
opens a space for all of us who believe in Him. Holding on to this in faith,
we have nothing to fear about our future, because God is in control. Our
loving Lord and King prepares a place for us and grants us the hope that
we will be with Him in heaven.
69

1) Last week, you committed to share a lesson you got on the fifth article of
Faith (on the resurrection) with at least ONE person you know (friend,
family, etc.). Share with the group how your experience went.
2) What new understanding about the Ascension did you gain today? What is
still not so clear?
4) PRAY lT! Prayerfully meditate on the Ascension of Jesus using Acts 1, 1-

11. Jot down your thoughts on this, as well as your daily thoughts on this
article of Faith.

A. We celebrate the Feast of the Ascension. Liturgically, the Church
celebrates the Ascension 40 days after Easter. (The importance of the
sacred number 40 is symbolic, more than historical. It carries with it the
recall of the 40 years of Jesus in the desert, tempted by the devil, and the
40 years the Israelites wandered in the desert, as well as the 40 days
Moses fasted on the mountain of God.) Then 10 days later, the Church
celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
In the Preface of the Ascension, we pray...
Christ, the Mediator between God and man, Judge of the world and Lord of
all, has passed beyond our sight, not to abandon us but to be our hope.
Christ is the beginning, the head of the Church; where he has gone, we
hope to follow. (CFC 652)
B. Christ continues to intercede for us. He is Mediator of God and man. He

remains our hope, especially when times seem hopeless. We worship Him
as God, all mighty and all powerful. As head of our Church, He prepares a
place for us. We stand in hope that we may follow to where He has gone,
one day.
H-ope CONCLUSION
A. 7RGD\ZHWDONHGDERXW&KULVWVDVFHQVLRQLQWRKHDYHQDV/RUGDQG.LQJ
:HVHHDQLPDJHRI&KULVWLQ+LVIXOOJORU\:HDUHFKDOOHQJHGWREH&KULVWV
hands and feet to others, cooperating with His Spirit to bring His kingdom (a
70
world of love, peace, joy and hope) to others.
B. 2XUFHOHEUDWLRQRIWKH)HDVWRIWKH$VFHQVLRQLVDFHOHEUDWLRQRI&KULVWV
kingship and the hope that we will one day join Him in glory.
Ascension Day Empty Shoes Presentation

Suggested Creatives
Lord Jesus Christ, the things that hold us back
Closing Prayer
from you are so varied: all those sterile,
futile pleasures and vain preoccupations.
So many things tend to distract or frighten us
and make us too cowardly to accept help from others
timidity which draws us back to self-destruction
remorse for past sins, which flees before the purity of what is holy,
DVVLFNQHVVIOHHVIURPWKHGRFWRUVUHPHG\
And yet in spite of all, you are stronger than all.
Draw us to you ever more strongly.
-Soren Kierkegaard
Psalm 132
Psalm
BEAUTY AND BLISS
I shall wonder
Refrain: Our gaze is held by your beauty,

we gasp with wonder and praise.
The splendour of the Ark of the Covenant,

housed in the glory of the Temple,
crowning in the City of Peace
the pilgrims were drawn by the beauty of God.
No wonder that David of old

vowed not to enter his house,
to sleep in the comfort of his bed,
till the ark of the presence found rest.
We are stirred by the festival day,

the ark in triumphal procession,
the people decked out in splendour,
the faithful shouting for joy.
Your covenant with your people is strengthened,

your beauty attracting and leading us on,
to the goodness at the heart of your law,
to the truth brought to life in our deeds.
The beauty of carvings in wood and in stone,
71
of people transformed in their presence,

the beauty of words and of music,
bring us close to the heart of our God.
Yet more was promised to David that day:

a descendant would inherit the Covenant.
Would we be shown a more lasting beauty,
gloriously embodying the divine and the human?
Refrain: Our gaze is held by your beauty,

we gasp with wonder and praise.
And yet most wonderful paradox

the beauty of God touched the outcast:
nothing in the Crucified to delight us,
RQO\WRIDLWKVH\HLV*RGVJORU\UHYHDOHG
If the ugliest of scars can shine with new light,

if you can fashion new forms from our chaos,
if poeWVFDQEULQJKRSHIURPJHQRFLGHVDVKHV
we can rejoice once again in the Beauty of God.
Keep alive in us, Spirit of God, even in desperate days, a vision of a true
and goodly beauty, shaped from the least likely matter of your creation, that
graced and cheered, we may not perish but we encouraged to glory.

By: Jim Cotter)
72
Session 8
Article 7: He will come to Judge
the living and the Dead
Session 8:
Article 7 - HE WILL COME TO JUDGE
THE LIVING AND THE DEAD

(CCC, CFC)
There is nervous anxiety and

fear about the Last Judgement. F 1 Cor. 16, 22: O Lord, come!
Maranatha! CCC Part 1, Sec. 2,
Chap. 2; CFC Chap 12
F
FAITH
A
ACTION
I
INTEGRATION
T
THANKSGIVING
H
HOPES
TOPIC
I WAIT FOR JESUS,
MY LORD, TO RETURN
Christ the King of heaven and

earth. He will return in His
Second Coming to restore all of
T There is nervous anxiety and
fear about the Last Judgement.
creation.
H
SESSION 8
I Wait for Jesus,

My Lord, to Return
ARTICLE 7: He will come to judge the living
and the dead.
The seventh article of Faith on the Second Coming and Final Judgment may sound
Overview of Session
VFDU\LIZHGRQWWDNHWKHWLPHWRUHDOO\XQGHUVtand the real Christian meaning of
these future events. This article of Faith is not meant to sow fear, but explain that
our choices do have final and eternal consequences. This session explains the
faithfulness of Christ who promised to return and make all things new and restore
HYHU\WKLQJWRKRZLWZDVPHDQWWREH,WDOVRH[SODLQVWKDW&KULVWVMXGJPHQWRYHU
the living and the dead is one of love and mercy. Knowing these truths about our
loving Savior, we should work out the coming of the Kingdom through our loving
DFWLRQV:HPXVWDOVREHUHDG\WRIDFHWKHILQDOWHVWRIWKH(YLO2QHRQWKH&KXUFKV
faithfulness, before Jesus Christ comes.

Objectives
1) understand the true meaning of the Second Coming and Final Judgment
and its relevance for them today;
2) reflect on what loving response they can do so that Jesus can come again
soon; and
3) prayerfully meditate on Matthew 25, on the Last Judgment and ask for
strength to be faithful to the One who loves them.
John 14:1-3 Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith
Scriptural Text
also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that
where I am you also may be.
&RU2/RUGFRPH0DUDQDWKDCCC Part 1, Sec 2, Chap. 2; CFC

Christian Teaching
Chap. 12
73

Guide for the
Inspirational Story You Reap What You Sow
TALK PROPER ARTICLE 7: He will come to judge the loving and the
dead
H-ope Conclusion
Suggested Creatives
Closing Prayer

Opening Song
Inspirational Story YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW
Good morning said a woman as she walked up to the man sitting on ground.
The man slowly looked up.
This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new..
She looked like she had never missed a meal in her life.
His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had
done before.. "Leave me alone," he growled....
To his amazement, the woman continued standing.
She was smiling -- her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. "Are you
hungry?" she asked.
"No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the president. Now
go away."
The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand
under his arm.
"What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily "I said to leave me alone.
Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked..
"No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to
his feet. Will you help me?"
74
The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for
a couple of years. What do you want with him?"
"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him something to eat
and get him out of the cold for awhile."
"Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!"
Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up. "Let me go, officer. I
didn't do anything."
"This is a good deal for you, Jack" the officer answered. "Don't blow it.."
Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the
cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning,
so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet
arrived...
The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by his table. "What's going on
here, officer?" he asked "What is all this, is this man in trouble?"
"This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered.
"Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for
business.."
Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I
didn't want to come here in the first place."
The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled....... "Sir, are you familiar
with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?"
"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly
meetings in one of my banquet rooms."
"And do you make a godly amount of money providing food at these weekly
meetings?"
"What business is that of yours?"
I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company."
"Oh."
The woman smiled again. "I thought that might make a difference." She glanced at
the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. "Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee
and a meal, officer?"
"No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty."
"Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?"
"Yes, maam. That would be very nice."
The cafeteria manager turned on his heel, "I'll get your coffee for you right away,
officer."
75
The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in his place," he said.
"That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this."
She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him
intently.. "Jack, do you remember me?"
Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes. "I think so -- I mean you do
look familiar."
"I'm a little older perhaps," she said. "Maybe I've even filled out more than in my
younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and
hungry."
"Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a

magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry.
"I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a
job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had
been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and
I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that
I could get something to eat."
Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said.. "I was behind the serving
counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said
that it was against company policy."
"I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef
sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a
corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble... Then, when I
looked over and saw you put the price of my food in the cash register, I knew then
that everything would be all right."
"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said.
"I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own
business that, with the help of God, prospered." She opened her purse and pulled
out a business card.. "When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr.
Lyons...He's the personnel director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm
certain he'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled. "I think he
might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some
clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet... If you ever need anything,
my door is always opened to you."
There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you?" he said.
"Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. Thank Jesus......
He led me to you."
Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before
going their separate ways....
"Thank you for all your help, officer," she said.
"On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle today,
something that I will never forget. And.. And thank you for the coffee."
76
God is going to shift things around for you today and let things work in your favor.
God closes doors no man can open & God opens doors no man can close..
If you need God to open some doors for you...send this on.
Have a blessed day and remember to be a blessing...
LIVE WELL, LOVE MUCH, LAUGH OFTEN
NEVER GROW A WISHBONE
WHERE A BACKBONE OUGHT TO BE
O Lord, come! Maranatha!&RU

TALK PROPER
ARTICLE 7:
He will come to judge to living and the dead.
F-aith INTRODUCTION
A. The second part of the Creed (Articles 2-7) is summed up in the short faith
The seventh article of the VWDWHPHQW-HVXVLV/RUG7KHZKROHVHFRQGSDUWLVUHDOO\DFHOHEUDWLon of
Creed is divided into two the Lordship of Jesus who is infinite and the all-powerful Lord.
parts in this discussion. B. Yet, this may be far from the minds of Filipino Catholics when they think of
First, we will talk about -HVXVVHFRQGFRPLQJ7KH\KDYHKHDUGVRPHIXQGDPHQWDOLVWVHFWV talk
&KULVWVFRPLQJDQGWKHQ about the final day when Jesus Christ comes again, and are often confused
we will talk about His DERXWWKH%LEOLFDOVLJQVRI&KULVWVFRPLQJZDUVIDPLQHVHDUWKTXDNHVHWF
judgment of the living and &)&/RRNLQJDWWKHERRNVRI'DQLHODQG5HYHODWLRQGRQWKHOS
the dead. either, speaking of the sign of the Beast, 666 and other scary images.
Would these be a proper reading of the Second Coming? What does our
Catholic Faith tell us?
C. The seventh article of the Creed is divided into two parts in this discussion.
)LUVWZHZLOOWDONDERXW&KULVWVFRPLQJ and then we will talk about His
judgment of the living and the dead.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
A. He Will Come Again
1) We believe that Christ will come again. We proclaim it in the

DFFODPDWLRQDW0DVV&KULVWKDVGLHG&KULVWLVULVHQ&KULVWZLOOFRPH
Ultimately, the final destiny DJDLQ+HZLOOUHWXUQZLWK+LV)DWKHUVJORU\DFFRPSDQLHGE\DQJHOV
of the human race is in (Mt. 16, 27-28)
GRGVORYLQJKDQGV a. 7KHHDUO\&KULVWLDQVSUD\HGIRU+LVFRPLQJ/RUGFRPH
77
Maranatha!&RU,QWKHEHJLQQLQJWKH\ZHUHDOOH[FLWHG

Christ is already in glory in thinking Christ would return soon. But this loving longing for the
heaven, and has sent His Lord began to wane and Christians gave in to sin and infidelity,
Spirit among us. taking on a picture similar to Old Testament prophetic warnings of a
'D\RIMXGJPHQWDVDGD\RI*RGVZUDWKRQKXPDQLW\&)&
b. <HWPRUHUHFHQWO\WKHUHVEHHQPRUHRIDULJKWIXOVWUHVVRQ&KULVWV
saving presence, where His Second Coming introduces the final
completion not just of individuals but of the whole world. (CFC 654)
8OWLPDWHO\WKHILQDOGHVWLQ\RIWKHKXPDQUDFHLVLQ*RGVORYLQJ
hands.
i. In contrast, fundamentalist sects exaggeratedly interpret the
final day literally, when Catholics look at the poetic, apocalyptic
descriptions in the Bible about the end of the world. (CFC 655)
ii. The Books of Daniel and Revelation, for instance, are not a
revelation of the future, but a commentary of their own times.
They use allegorical language and complicated symbolism
presented in visions or dreams. (CFC 655)
iii. As Filipino Catholics, we need to focus on the basic truth that
the Risen Christ will come at a time that no one knows, and so
Christians pray, especially it is useless to speculate when that will be (CFC 673), and
in the Holy Eucharist,to therefore, we must be ready (He will come like a thief in the
KDVWHQ&KULVWVUHWXUQE\ night. 1 Thes. 5,2) doing the work of bringing others to
VD\LQJ0DUDQDWKDO2XU Christ.
/RUGFRPH iv. At the same time, Christ is already in glory in heaven, and has
sent His Spirit among us. He also already reigns through the
Church, as Head of the Church, and we are His Body. (CCC
669)
c. The seventh article of the creed is about the future. Yet, the future
KDVDOUHDG\EHJXQLQWKHVHODVWGD\V
i. Since the Ascension, the kingdom of Christ has already begun
LWVIXOILOPHQWDQGZHDUHDOUHDG\DWWKHODVWKRXU&&&
The renewal of the world is irrevocably under way. (CCC 670)
ii. So, the time of salvation has already come and is taking place
through us as we cooperate with the Spirit to bring love, joy and
peace to others.
iii. 2IFRXUVHDOWKRXJK&KULVWVUHLJQLVDOUHDG\SUHVHQWLQ+LV
&KXUFKLWZLOOEHIXOILOOHGZLWKSRZHUDQGJUHDWJORU\ZKHQ
Jesus, the King, returns to earth. (CCC 671) When He does,
everything will be subject to Him.
iv. Knowing this, Christians pray, especially in the Holy
(XFKDULVWWRKDVWHQ&KULVWVUHWXUQE\VD\LQJ0DUDQDWKDO2XU
/RUGFRPH&&&
d. According to Christ, the present time, the time of waiting for Him to
Why will Christ come come again, is the time of the Spirit and of witness by believers of
again? He will come to &KULVWVUHLJQ
judge the living and the i. Yet, it is also a time still marked by distress and the trial of evil
dead. Jesus announced which does not spare us, the Church, filled with struggles of the
the judgment of the Last last days. This is a time of waiting and watching. (CCC 672)
Day in His preaching. ii. The XQLYHUVDOFDWHFKLVPVD\VWKDWEHIRUH&KULVWVVHFRQG
coming the Church has to pass through a final trial (one last
assault by the powers of evil) that will shake the faith of many
78
believers with religious deception pretending to help humanity

God sentences no one, but find solutions to their problems by giving up their faith and the
reveals us to ourselves. In truth. (CCC 675, 680)
His light, we see light. iii. It speaks of the Antichrist which is when man glorifies himself in
*RGVSODFH&&&7KH&KXUFKZLOOHQWHUWKHJORU\RIWKH
NLQJGRPRQO\E\*RGVYLFWRU\RYHUWKHILQDOXQOHDVhing of evil.
(CCC 677)
B. He Will Judge the Living and the Dead
1) Why will Christ come again? He will come to judge the living and the
dead. Jesus announced the judgment of the Last Day in His preaching.
(Mt. 3, 7-12)
a. In it, the conduct of each one and the secrets of hearts will be
brought to light. (CCC 678) We are to be judged according to what
we have done to the least of our brothers. (Mt. 25, 31,40)
b. Each of us will stand before the judgment bench. Yet, more than
having justice imposed, we will see revealed the justice all along
hidden in our lives and in the world.
2) The coming to judge is the fulfillment of sitting at the right hand. The
)DWKHU$OPLJKW\ORRNVWRWKHEHJLQQLQJEXWWKH-XGJHRIWKHOLYLQJDQG
WKHGHDGORRNVWRWKHHQG
a. Silent back then, at the time of the trial in front of Pontius Pilate,
Not to live in God is to be Jesus will now speak. The Son of Man and Son of God will finally
in hell. If we are filled with judge with complete justice.
love, what we are become b. Bench judgment shall reveal a judgment that can never be unfair or
RXUUHZDUG7RORYH*RG considered unfair. There will be no sourgraping because there will
is now to relate to God be no errors.
face to face. That is
heaven! 3) 7KHMXGJPHQWZRQWEHIURP*RGEXWDUHFRJQLWLRQRIRQHVRZQKHDUW
,Q*RGVZKLWHOLJKWZHVHHRXUVHOYHVDQGDUHMXGJHG
a. God sentences no one, but reveals us to ourselves. In His light, we
see light. (Ps. 36, 9) In an instance, we judge ourselves, because
we truly see ourselves.
b. ,IZHDUHXQORYLQJZKDWZHDUHEHFRPHVRXUSXQLVKPHQW:KHQ
one rejects this life freely given as sheer gift, one actually already
judges himself and can even condemn himself for all eternity by
rejecting love. (CCC 679)
c. Not to live in God is to be in hell. If we are filled with love, what we
DUHEHFRPHRXUUHZDUG7RORYH*RGLVQRZWRUHODWHWR*RGIDFH
to face. That is heaven!
God began the world and 4) When God judges, things are made right. God will justify creation, not
God will finish it. Jesus is just by explaining but by deeds of power that make right. What ought to
Lord in the ending of the be, will be.
world, just as the Father a. Thus, there is no need to fear the judgment. Jesus will be Lord in
was Lord in the beginning. the ending, just as He was in the beginning. Christ is Lord of eternal
life and only He as Redeemer of the world has the full right to pass
definitive judgment on the works and hearts of men.
b. Yet, He has come not to judge but to save and to give His life to all.
79
5) Jesus Christ will justify the ways of God to men, finally.

a. Just as death pursues everyone and gains them in the end, so
much the more is love pursuing everyone and capturing them in the
end. Love will prove stronger than death I
b. It will show that God is stronger than all that is non-God. Our hope
in the Kingdom of God is not a hope in humankind, but a hope in
the infinitely resourceful God who so loved the world that God sent
His Only Son.
6) The origins of creation belong to God. So too, the future fulfillment of

creation belongs to the same Lord.
a. To believe in the Almighty Father in the beginning is to believe in
the Almighty Judge at the end. God began the world and God will
finish it. Jesus is Lord in the ending of the world, just as the Father
was Lord in the beginning. God fathers the world with all power,
Jesus sits at the right hand and He will judge (complete and justify it) with that same fatherly
of God forever. The dance power.
goes on. The covenant is b. If creation is God bringing the world to birth as an infant, the
everlasting. judgment is God the proud father of the bride, bringing the world to
the altar. He fathered her. He shall see her happily married.
7) Jesus sits at the right hand of God forever. The dance goes on. The
covenant is everlasting.
A-ction

1) Last week, you committed to share a lesson you got on the sixth article of
Faith (on the ascension) with at least ONE person you know (friend, family,
etc.). Share with the group how your experience went.
2) Show your End Times/Last Judgment/Second Coming picture to the group.
Share why you pictured it that way. What is the Catholic understanding of
the Second Coming? Are you still afraid about it?
3) IKUWENTO MO: 7KLQNRI21(OHVVRQ\RXJRWIURPWRGD\VVHVVLRQWKDW
4) PRAY IT! Prayerfully meditate on the Ascension of Jesus using Mt. 25, 31-
46.Jot down your thoughts on this, as well as your daily thoughts on this
article of Faith.
T-hanksgiving
80
H-ope CONCLUSION
A. 7RGD\ZHWDONHGDERXW&KULVWV.LQJVKLS-HVXV&KULVWZLOOFRPHWRMXGJH
the living and the dead. He will come in His Second Coming as Lord with all
authority given to Him by the Father.
B. We do not need to be afraid by what this means when we know the love of
Christ and have experienced His mercy and love.
C. Yet, the call to love others, especially the poor and weak, remains a strong
call for those who love the Lord. A final test on the Church and its
faithfulness, every one of us, will come before Christ comes again in full
glory.
D. May we confidently shout, Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus, come!
Draw and color a picture of your image of the End Times/Last Judgment/Second
Suggested Creatives
Coming. Be ready to describe it.
Closing Prayer A Simple Year of Faith Prayer

We give you thanks, O Loving God of us all,
for giving us a relationship with you.
Sometimes we only trust your presence, love and care

at some distance from you.
At times, we live out that relationship in our daily lives

by the way we live gratefully and generously,
with self-sacrificing love for others.
Today we ask you to help us renew our faith

in the bond that you offer us with you.
Let us live today with greater trust in your presence with us,
with a greater sense of our personal mission
which flows from our relationship with you,
and with a greater desire to express our faith in you
through the choices we make today.
Help us with your grace today

to witness our faith
so it might be easier for others to want to know you
and to place their trust in you.
And may our gratitude be expressed in deeds of love

for those closest to us who need our love today
and for those who whose needs cry out to us
throughout the world.
With faith in your fidelity

Amen
81
(http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/YearofFaith/)
Plasm 24
Psalm
THE GLORY OF GOD
Refrain: Praise to the Glory of God,

shining through Jesus Christ.
Dear God, you are creating the earth and all that is in it,
the whole round world and who dwell on land or sea.
You founded life upon the waters,
and drawn it forth from the mysterious deeps
Who shall climb the mountain of God?

Who shall stand in the holy place/
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who have not seen their minds on falsehood,
nor sworn to deceive their neighbours.
They shall receive a blessing from God,
and Justice from the God of their salvation.
Such is the fortune of those who draw near the Creator,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Let the gates be opened, let the doors be lifted high,

that the great procession may come in.
Who is the One clothed with glory?
It is our God, the God who has triumphed,
who has striven with evil and prevailed.
Let the gates be opened, let the doors be lifted high,

that the great procession may come in.
Who is the One clothed with glory?
It is the great God of all the universe,
glorious in a Love that never fails.
May the light and love of God shine in our hearts and through the universe that the
whole creation may be transfigured to glory, in and through Jesus Christ, radiant in
the splendour of the wounds of love.

By: Jim Cotter)
82
Session 9
Article 8: I Believe in the
Holy Spirit
Session 9:
Article 8 - I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

(CCC, CFC)
People know least about the

Holy Spirit, the forgotten F Gal. 4, 6: God has sent forth
into our hearts the Spirit of
person in the Blessed Trinity. His Son which cries out: Abba
(Father). CCC Part 1, Sec. 2,
Chap. 3; CFC Chap. 22
F
FAITH
A
ACTION
I
INTEGRATION
T
THANKSGIVING
H
HOPES
TOPIC
THE HOLY SPIRIT
GIVES ME LIFE
The Holy Spirit is

the Giver of Life. T I feel lifeless.
H
SESSION 9
The Holy Spirit

Gives Me Life
ARTICLE 8: I believe in the Holy Spirit.
This eighth article of Faith marks the beginning of the last part of the Creed,
Overview of Session
IRFXVLQJRQWKH+RO\6SLULW2IWHQWKH)RUJRWWHQ3HUVRQLQWKH7ULQLWy, Filipino
&DWKROLFVGRQWJLYHDVPXFKDWWHQWLRQWRFHOHEUDWLRQVRI3HQWHFRVWDQG7ULQLW\
Sunday. The session talks about the Holy Spirit as Lord, Giver of Life, the Breath of
God and Third Person in the Blessed Trinity. The Holy Spirit gives life, unifies and
moves the Church to loving service. Especially when feeling lifeless, we draw
strength from the Holy Spirit and celebrate His presence as the wind beneath our
wings.

Objectives
1) comprehend better the place of the Holy Spirit in their lives;
2) UHIOHFWRQRXUVKHHUGHSHQGHQFHRQ*RGV6SLULWIRUOLIHXQLW\DQG
movement in the Church, as well as the grace of God that moves us to
loving service of others; and
3) FHOHEUDWHWKHSUHVHQFHRI*RGVSpirit in gratitude, as we draw strength and
life from Him each moment.
1
John 7:38-39 Whoever believes in me, as scripture says: 'Rivers of living water
Scriptural Text 39
will flow from within him.'" He said this in reference to the Spirit that those who
came to believe in him were to receive. There was, of course, no Spirit yet, 1
because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
*DO*RGKDVVHQWIRUWKLQWRRXUKHDUWVWKH6SLULWRI+LV6RQZKLFKFULHV
Christian Teaching
RXW$EED)DWKHUCCC Part 1, Sec. 2, Chao 3; CFC Chap. 22
83

Guide for the
Inspirational Story
TALK PROPER ARTICLE 8: I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
H-ope Conclusion
Suggested Creatives
Closing Prayer

Opening Song
Spirit of wisdom and understanding, enlighten our minds to perceive the mysteries
Opening Prayer of the universe in relation to eternity. Spirit of right judgment and courage, guide us
and make us firm in our baptismal decision to follow Jesus' way of
love. Spirit of knowledge and reverence, help us to see the lasting value
of justice and mercy in our everyday dealings with one another. May we
respect life as we work to solve problems of family and nation, economy and
ecology. Spirit of God, spark our faith, hope and love into new action each day. Fill
our lives with wonder and awe in your presence which penetrates all creation.
Amen. (http://www.catholic.org/prayers/prayer)
My Holy Spirit story ...For me it was way back in the year 2000 sitting on the trunk of
Inspirational Story my dad's car, I had a sort of voice (more like a whisper) say to me that I could let go
of the stuff that was holding me back on God. My life was in a down spiral at the
time. Somehow I believed it to be God, after all the time being uninterested in
anything to do with God.
But in those few hours, talking with my parents and brother about my experience
they talked about committing my life to God and talked about the Holy Spirit. All new
stuff to me but somehow was interested in all of what they were saying to me. But
what caught my attention was thins thing they call speaking in tongues.
So after the sharing and all that, I did not sleep the whole night and thought about
all the stuff they shared. So it was approximately 5am on a valentines day that I told
them I was ready for this committing stuff and Holy Spirit. So they prayed and all
that instant I remember myself speaking in tongues all the way to a course I was
DWWHQGLQJWKDWPRUQLQJ
Blessings!
(Tell Me Your Holy Spirit Stories!!!, ttp://www.patheos.com/blogs/thepangeablog)
84
*RGVHQWWKHVSLULWRIKLV6RQLQWRRXUKHDUWVFU\LQJRXW$EED)DWKHU*DO
TALK PROPER
4, 6)
ARTICLE 8
I believe in the Holy Spirit
F-aith INTRODUCTION
A. This session starts Part 3 (Articles 8-12) of the Creed. ft echoes the second
part on Jesus.
Christ is the face of the 1) Part two is about the deeds of Christ and part three is about the deeds
Father made known to us of the Spirit. Part two is about the historical Christ.
as the God of love, and 2) Part three is about the historical Church as the continuation of the life
Christ is the Giver of the and work of Christ. Christ is the face of the Father made known to us as
Spirit. the God of love, and Christ is the Giver of the Spirit.
3) It is the Spirit who continues the work of Jesus and finishes it. It is the
Holy Spirit who empowers the Church (Article 9), its sacraments (Article
10), and the resurrection (Article 11) to life everlasting (Article 12).
4) In His outpouring, is born the Church, the communion of saints, as well
as the sacraments where forgiveness of sins can take place, the
resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. (CCC 686)
B. How relevant is the Holy Spirit to the average Filipino Catholic? Many do
not think about the Holy Spirit PXFK+HUHPDLQVWKHIRUJRWWHQ3HUVRQLQ
the Blessed Trinity. (CFC 1267)
1) Filipino Catholics celebrate Christmas and Holy Week more
enthusiastically than Pentecost and Trinity Sunday. Yet, although we
Although ZHGRQW GRQWUHFRJQL]HWKH+RO\6SLULWDVHYLGHQWO\LQRXUOLves, Filipinos are by
recognize the Holy Spirit nature, spiritual. From faith healers and spiritual forces to miraculous
as evidently in our lives, appartions of the Blessed Mother and the Santo Nio, Filipinos remain
Filipinos are by nature, curious about these events. (CFC 1269)
spiritual. 2) This session wishes to bring to light the meaning of the Holy Spirit in
RXUOLYHV:HPD\QRWEHDEOHWRVHHWKH6SLULWEXWZHKDYH
experienced Him, more than we are aware of. Therefore, let us begin
talking about the belief in the Holy Spirit, thenproceed to talk about who
He is and what He does.
God the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the one God, the Trinity.
God can embody this (685)
GLYLQHSODQLQPDQNLQGE\ The Holy Spirit has been working for our salvation with the Father
the outpouring of the [Holy] DQGWKH6RQIURPWKHEHJLQQLQJ%XWQRZLQWKHVHHQGWLPHV
Spirit: as the Church, the since the incarnation, God can embody this divine plan in mankind
communion of saints, the E\WKHRXWSRXULQJRIWKH>+RO\@6SLULWDVWKH&KXUFKWKH
forgiveness of sins, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the
resurrection of the body, ERG\DQGWKHOLIHHYHUODVWLQJ&&&
and the life everlasting. The Holy Spirit does not speak of himself or on his own. He simply
reveals Christ to us and disposes us to welcome and receive Christ
85
in faith. His mission is the same as that of the Son: to unite us to

1RRQHFDQVD\-HVXVLV the Son so we may be adopted by the Father. (687, 689-90)
/RUGH[FHSWE\WKH+RO\ 7KH&KXUFKDFRPPXQLRQOLYLQJLQWKHIDLWKRIWKHDSRVWOHVZKLFK
6SLULW shHWUDQVPLWVLVWKHSODFHZKHUHZHNQRZWKH+RO\6SLULW:H
know him in the Church through the Scriptures he inspired,
Tradition in which he acted, the Magisterium he assists, the liturgy
& sacraments through which he acts to sanctify and bring us into
communion with Christ, prayer as he intercedes for us, charisms he
XVHVWREXLOGXSWKH&KXUFKWKHVLJQVRIDSRVWROLFOLIHDQGLQWKH
witness of saints through whom he manifests his holiness and
FRQWLQXHVWKHZRUNRIVDOYDWLRQ
7KH+RO\6SLULWZKom Christ the head pours out on his members,
builds, animates, and sanctifies the Church. She is the sacrament
RIWKH+RO\7ULQLW\VFRPPXQLRQZLWKPHQ
WHAT WE BELIEVE
A. I Believe in the Holy Spirit
1) It is only by the Holy Spirit that we can believH1RRQHFDQVD\-HVXV

LV/RUGH[FHSWE\WKH+RO\6SLULW&RU6RWREH,QWRXFKZLWK
Christ, we must first have been touched by the Holy Spirit. (CCC 683)
He kindles faith in us.
a. It began at Baptism, the first sacrament of faith where the Holy
God revealed Himself
Spirit in the Church intimately and personally came to us with tis
through the Father, then
new life from the Father through the Son. (CCC 683)
the Son and finally, in the
b. Through His grace, the Holy Spirit is the first to awaken faith in us
Holy Spirit
and to communicate to us the new life knowing the Father and
the One who He sent, Jesus Christ.
c. The Holy Spirit is also the last Person of the Blessed Trinity to be
revealed.(CCC 684) That is why the Creed is ordered this way in
RUGHURIDSSHDUDQFHRU*RGVUHYHDOLQJ+LPVHOI)LUVW*RG
revealed Himself through the Father, then the Son and finally, in the
Holy Spirit.
2) The Holy Spirit is at work with the Father and the Son right from the
start way up to the end or completion of the plan for our salvation. It is
LQWKHVHHQGWLPHVWKDWZDVEURXJKWDERXWE\-HVXVbecoming one of
us, that the Spirit was revealed and given, recognized and welcomed as
a Person. (CCC 686)
B. Who the Holy Spirit Is

The wind cannot be seen
1) Lord, Giver of Life
any more than the Spirit of
a. 7KH&UHHGFRQIHVVHVWKDWWKH6SLULWJLYHVOLIH+HLV*RGVFUHDWLYH
God, but without air we
power that gives existence to all things living and non-living, and
die. It is everywhere and
keeps them existing. (CFC 1285)
we are always totally
i. He is like the air we breathe, the sea in which we sail or swim,
dependent on it. So with
WKHDWPRVSKHUHLQZKLFKZHOLYHDQGPRYHDQGKDYHRXU
the Spirit.
being. (Acts 17, 28; CFC 1275)
ii. ii. The central metaphor for such life is wind, the breath of God.
86
+HLV*RGV%UHDWK+LVZLQG:HFDQQRWOLYHXQOHVVZH
breathe the wind in and out of our bodies.
And it is the Holy Spirit iii. The wind cannot be seen any more than the Spirit of God, but
who enables us to follow without air we die. It is everywhere and we are always totally
Jesus Christ, dependent on it. So with the Spirit. He is everywhere and we
are utterly dependent on Him for life.
b. God lovingly gives life in unfading freshness. He gives nothing
RWKHUQRWKLQJOHVVWKDQ*RGVRZQVHOI,/LIHLV*RGJLYHQWRXV
i. Even now, we are indwelt, inhabited, inbreathed, by the gift of
*RGVOLIH-giving self. Even now, our human loving is the form of
*RGV7KH*RGEOHVV\RXWKDWZHVD\DIWHUVRPHRQH
sneezes contains a prayer for their life, lest they lose their
breath without recovery and so, die.
ii. Whether sent forth from God, breathing all creatures into being,
renewing the earth and filling it with good things; whether
breathing peace on the disciples for the forgiveness of sins, it is
RQHZLQGRQH6SLULWZKLFKEORZVZKHUHLWZLOOVDQGZHGRQot
know where it comes from nor where it goes.
iii. ,EHOLHYHLQWKH+RO\6SLULWDFNQRZOHGJHVWKDWWKHZRUOGLVQRW
under our control, nor under the control of any other creature,
St. Paul also gives the system, force, or thing, for everything is breathed by God. Only
Holy Spirit these titles: the God can make a heart beat!
Spirit of the promise, the 2) He Proceeds from the Father and the Son
Spirit of adoption, the Spirit a. We find our basic identity in the Trinity.
of Christ, the Spirit of the i. It is God the Father who created us and adopted us as His
Lord, and the Spirit of God. sons and daughters.
ii. It is the Son of God, Jesus Christ who became one of us to
teach us how to love and who saved us. *
iii. And it is the Holy Spirit who enables us to follow Jesus Christ,
who inspires us to live out being a son and daughter of our
Father, who unites us with Christ and with each other in the
Church. (CFC 1274)
b. The Holy Spirit is, like the Only %HJRWWHQ6RQ+HZKRSURFHHGV
from the Father. It is the Holy Spirit who is the personal love
between the Father and the Son. (CFC 1324)
i. We believe that not only the gifts of God are given to us, but
*RGLQ*RGVJRGQHVVLVJLYHQWRXV
ii. Therefore the Spirit has to be God. Just as the Son of God is
the Word of God, so the Holy Spirit is the Love of God. Just as
much as Jesus is Lord, so the Spirit Is Lord. Because He is
God, together with the Father and the Son He is worshipped
and glorified. (CFC 1325)
3) The Name of the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity
a. Aside from the Hebrew word ruah, which means breath, air, wind
(CCC 691),St. Paul also gives the Holy Spirit these titles: the Spirit
of the promise, the Spirit of adoption, the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit
The Holy Spirit animates of the Lord, and the Spirit of God. (CCC 693)
us, purifies us, strengthens b. He is symbolized In many ways including the symbols of water
us. (CCC 694), anointing with oil (CCC 695), fire (CCC 696), cloud and
light (CCC 697), and the dove (CCC 701).
b. As fire, the Holy Spirit gives light and warmth. He illumines our
87
minds and enkindles our hearts. The Spirit inspires the truth,
The Holy Spirit Unifies the counsels the doubtful, gives spirited faith and hope to those in
Church darkness.
C. What the Holy Spirit Does - The Holy Spirit animates us, purifies us,
strengthens us. (CFC 1274) Until today, the Holy Spirit continues to give life
to, to unify, and to move the whole Body of Christ. (CFC 1301) We
experience the Spirit in the preaching of the Gospel, when we celebrate the
sacraments, and when we deepen our faith which calls us to share in
building up the Church. (CFC 1303)
1) The Holy Spirit Gives Life to the Church

a. The Holy Spirit is the One who gives us the life of God. He gives life
to the Church, to our sacramental and moral life, and our
resurrection to life everlasting. (CFC 1334) He fosters the life of the
Church and the family of humanity under God.
b. He renews all things and re-creates the face of this earth. Right
IURPWKH%RRNRI*HQHVLV6FULSWXUHZLWQHVVHVWR*RGV6SLULWWKDW
EULQJVOLIHDQGJURZWK6RLQ-RKQVgospel when the risen Jesus
EUHDWKHVRQ+LVGLVFLSOHVDQGVD\V5HFHLYHWKH+RO\6SLULWZH
are not surprised.
c. The life-giving breath or Spirit of God will animate the community of
disciples as the Church begins to live, grow and move out.
The Holy Spirit is called 2) The Holy Spirit Unifies the Church
the Paraclete, literally, the a. The Spirit of God unifies what has been torn apart, and encourages
one who is called to help. family and community bonding, not in terms of uniformity (all alike)
He is our Advocate, but unity.
Helper, and Counsellor. b. The Spirit brings people together: cultures, races, sexes, creeds.
Whereas once we were a separate humanity, in the Spirit, we are
now a community of brothers and sisters of the one Lord Jesus.
c. ,QWKHWKLUG(XFKDULVWLF3UD\HUZHDVN*UDQWWKDWZHZKRDUH
nourished by his body and blood may be filled with his Holy Spirit,
and become one bodyRQHVSLULWLQ&KULVW&)& 1281)
3) The Holy Spirit Moves the Church
a. The power of the Holy Spirit is the power o love. Those who have
experienced it know what it is but have difficulty describing it to the
satisfaction of others. How do you know if you love someone? You
MXVWNQRZ+RZGR\RXNQRZWKH6SLULWVSRZHULVPRYLQJ"<RXMXVW
know. You can explain a bit, but not fully, what is happening.
b. The Holy Spirit is called the Paraclete, literally, the one who is
called to help. He is our Advocate, Helper, and Counsellor. (CFC
1322)
i. We do not save ourselves. We do not even initiate our prayers
for help. At every turn, the Spirit of God who is everywhere,
Every good thing that moves us. In the depths of our being, prior to our
comes out of our mouths, consciousness, the Holy Spirit speaks most of all.
our thoughts and our ii. Scripture describes Him as the gift of the Father sent by the
works is the Holy Spirit Son as a Comforter to abide with the apostles and to console
working in us. them on their loss of the earthly Jesus. Yet, while He comforts
and consoles us, He also troubles us out of complacency. (CFC
1322)
88
The Holy Spirit is at work c. Every good thing that comes out of our mouths, our thoughts and
in our lives. our works is the Holy Spirit working in us.
i. <HWLWLVQWDOZD\VHDV\WRUHFRJQL]HWKH+LPEHFDXVH+HKDV
no shape or form (pure spirit). Unlike our many personal
images of the Father and Christ our Lord, we are forced to use
images that are impersonal like water, fire, cloud, wind and
breath, or a fragile white dove.(CFC 1276)
ii. :KLOH*RGV:RUGLVFOHDUIL[HGDQGGHWHUPLQHGWKH6SLULWLV
constantly felt but is never seen and never grasped, just like the
wind.
d. We also do not pray directly to the Spirit often, but rather, pray IN
the Spirit through the Son to the Father. (CFC 1276)
i. :HDUHWDXJKWDVFKLOGUHQWRSUD\2XU)DWKHUDQGFDOO&KULVW
2XU/RUGEXWGRQRWFDOOWKH+RO\6SLULW2XU6SLULW (CFC
1278) Yet, the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives.
ii. How do we know? It is the Spirit who always leads us to faith in
Christ whom He glorifies. It is the Holy Spirit who always acts in
keeping with Scripture and Tradition showing unity, continuity
and consistency.
We speak of a joint iii. It is the Spirit who gives spiritual gifts to build up the Christian
mission of Christ and the community. (CFC 1283) It is the Spirit who is known by His
Spirit. IUXLWVRIORYHMR\SHDFHSDWLHQWHQGXUDQFHNLQGQHVV
generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Gal. 5,
22-23)
e. When the Father sent His Word, Jesus, He also sent His Breath,
the Holy Spirit. (CCC 689) That is why we speak of a joint mission
of Christ and the Spirit. (CFC 1299)
i. When Christ healed, did miracles, spoke of the Father, and
prayed to the Father, the Holy Spirit was right along with Him.
When anyone makes contact with the Son by faith, he/she must
first encounter the Spirit. (CCC 690)
ii. Although distinct Persons, the Son and the Spirit are
LQVHSDUDEOH-HVXVVWDUWV+LVSXEOLFPLQLVWU\ZLWK7he Spirit of
WKH/RUGLVXSRQPH/N
iii. It is however, at Pentecost, ten days after the Ascension, that
ZHKHDURIWKHRXWSRXULQJRIWKH+RO\6SLULW,Q6W/XNHV$FWVRI
WKH$SRVWOHV&)&$OOZHUHILOOHGZLWKWKH+RO\6SLULW
(Acts 2, 4) They spoke in different tongues. Yet, the language
of the Spirit overcame all language barriers, because the Spirit
speaks the universal tongue of the heart of humanity.
iv. And therefore, at Pentecost, were men not in search of God for
selfish, ego-driven intentions as the builders of the tower of
Babel in the Genesis, but men open to receive the grace of
(YHU\ZKHUH*RGV6Sirit is God through Jesus Christ. From this outpouring of the Spirit,
at work, making people arose the Church.
more human and more like f. 2QWKHGD\RI3HQWHFRVW&KULVWVSDVVRYHULVIXOILOOHGLQWKH
Christ. outpouring of the Holy Spirit. (CCC 731) The Holy Trinity is fully
revealed. By His coming, which never ceases, the Holy Spirit
FDXVHVWKHZRUOGWRHQWHULQWRWKHODVWGD\VWKHWLPHRIWKH
Church, the Kingdom already here though not yet fully. (CCC 732)
g. Right from the beginnings of Christianity, Christians knew that they
89
believe not only IN the Holy Spirit but because of the Holy Spirit.
i. The Spirit makes things possible and makes things happen:
personal faith, forgiveness of sins, the life of the sacraments,
the whoOH&KXUFKVEDVLFILGHOLW\WRWKHRULJLQDOPHVVDJHRI
Christ with fresh insights and new applications of that message,
and loving communication between individuals and groups
where all communication seemed to have broken down.
ii. (YHU\ZKHUH*RGV6SLULWLVDW work, making people more human
and more like Christ.
A-ction WHAT IT MEANS FOR US TODAY (Present Day Application) - The

presence of the Spirit in our lives gives us crucial a understanding about ourselves
and our world.
A. First, life comes from God through His Spirit. We can rely on His unending
love to keep things In balance and sustain us and our world. When we feel
lifeless, we can draw strength from Him who is our strength.
B. Second, because the Holy Spirit is forever in the background and hardly in
the limelight, we are called to be as He is, never self-seeking, never self-
centered, but rather, other-centered. We must
C. ask for the power of His love to work in our lives. Indeed, He is the wind
EHQHDWKRXUZLQJV(YHQZKHQZHDUHQWFRQVFLRXVRILW+HVustains us
and takes care of us.
D. Third, whenever we reflect on our being alive, being lovingly united with
others we may not like, when we are moved to be kind, merciful,
compassionate and good to others, then we know the Spirit is at work in our
lives. How can ordinary Filipinos be motivated to sacrifice for others,
beyond their own family and circle of friends? All this would be possible only
though the Spirit sent by Christ and the Father. (CFC 1333) It is the Spirit
who saves us from our narrow selfish selves, to reach out to others in loving
service as Christ commanded. (CFC 1333)
E. And finally, we believe because of the Spirit. Faith is a gift that comes from
*RGV6SLULW7KHJLIWLVXQGHVHUYHGIDYRUWKDWZHPD\EHOLHYH$QGZHZLOO
if we cooperate with the Spirit.

1) Last week, you committed to share a lesson you got on the seventh article
of Faith (on the Second Coming and Last judgment) with at least ONE
person you know (friend, family, etc.). Share with the group how your
experience went.
2) What is the place of the Holy Spirit in your life? How can you be more
conscious about the presence of the Holy Spirit now?
90

The truth of the Holy Spirit is the basis for all true worship. We would not know how
to pray as we should except that the Spirit Himself intercedes with sighs too deep
for words. (Rom. 8, 26) Let us celebrate then, the presence of the Holy Spirit in our
lives as we pray the Preface of the Sixth Sunday:
Father, in You we live and move and have our being.
(DFKGD\\RXVKRZXVD)DWKHUVORYH
Your Holy Spirit, dwelling within us, gives us on earth the hope of unending joy.
Your gift of the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead,
Is the foretaste and promise of the Paschal Feast in heaven.
The Spirit makes us ONE!
H-ope CONCLUSION
Today we talked about the Holy Spirit: who He is and what He does. As Lord, Giver
of Life and Third Person in the Blessed Trinity, He gives us life, unifies and moves
us as the Body of Christ, the Church. We are called to draw strength from Him, so
that we can be as we were meant to be, moving away from our selfish, lazy selves.
Let us praise and worship Him who is our Lord. He is the wind beneath our wings.
5HIOHFWLRQVRQJ:LQG%HQHDWK<RXU:LQJVE\%HWWH0LGOHU6SLULtus Creator
Suggested Creatives
3UD\HU by Hans Urs von Baithasar
7+($3267/(6&5(('
Closing Prayer
Psalm 139
Psalm
LIGHT OF LIGHT
Refrain: Always aware of us,

ever-present with us,
ceaselessly creating us
we respond in love,
we tremble, and adore,
our God, mysterious and faithful.
Light of light, you have searched me out and known me.

You know where I am and where I go,
you see my thoughts from afar.
You discern my paths and my resting places,
you are acquainted with all my ways.
Yes, and not a word comes from my lips
but you, O God, have heard it already.
You are in front of me and you are behind me,
you have laid your hand on my shoulder.
91
Such knowledge is too wonderful to me,

so great that I cannot fathom it.
Where shall I go from your spirit,

where shall I flee from your Presence?
If I climb to the heavens you are there:
if I descend to the depths of the earth, you are there also.
If I spread my wings towards the morning,
and fly to the uttermost shores of the sea,
even there your hand will lead me,
and your right hand will hold me.
If I should cry to the darkness to cover me,
and the night to enclose me,
the darkness is no darkness to you,
and the night is as clear as the day.
For you have created every part of my being,

cell and tissue, blood and bone.
You have woven me in the womb of my mother;
I will praise you, so wonderfully am I made.
Awesome are your deeds and marvelous are your works.
You know me to the very core of my being;
nothing in me was hidden from your eyes
when I was formed in silence and secrecy,
in intricate splendor in the depths of the earth.
Even as they were forming you saw my limbs,
each part of my body shaped by your finger.
How deep are your thoughts to me, O God,

how great is the sum of them.
Were I to count them they are more in number
than the grains of sand upon the sea-shore
and still I would know nothing about you
yet still would you hold me in the palm of your hand.
Yet my trust falters. I see all that is wrong in the world and in my heart, all
the mutual loathing and hatreds, all the betrayals and lies. Scour our hearts,
refine our thoughts ,strengthen our wills, guide us in your Way.

By: Jim Cotter)
92
Session 10
Article 9: The Holy, Catholic
Church, the Communion
of Saints
Session 10:
Article 9 - THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH,
THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS

(CCC, CFC)
People know least about the

Holy Spirit, the forgotten F Mt. 16, 18: You are Peter the
Rock and on this rock I will
person in the Blessed Trinity. build my Church. CCC Part 1,
Sec. 2, Chap. 2; CFC Chap. 23
F
FAITH
A
ACTION
I
INTEGRATION
T
THANKSGIVING
H
HOPES
TOPIC
WE ARE COMMITTED
TO CHRIST BY BEING
COMMITTED TO ONE
ANOTHER
Christ sends His Spirit through

the Church, and together we
journey towards heaven, with
T I cant do it on my own.
Mary, Mother of the Church and

the saints interceding for us.
H
SESSION 10
We are committed
to Christ by being committed
to one another
ARTICLE 9: The holy, Catholic Church, the Communion
of Saints
7KLVQLQWKDUWLFOHRI)DLWKGLVFXVVHVWKH&KXUFK&KULVWV%RG\WKHFRPPXQLW\RI
Overview of Session
love which all persons are called to be a part of. The Holy Spirit resides in the
Church to make us whole/holy through holy things (the sacraments) and holy
people through the communion of saints (those in heaven, those here on earth,
and those in purgatory). We ask Mary and the saints to intercede for us, even as
we pray for our dead and pray for one another. To be committed to Christ, we must
likewise be committed to one another.

Objectives
1) see how the Church is composed of bishops, priests, religious, and laity
all believers in Christ as well as those in heaven and in purgatory,
where together we form the communion of saints;
2) realize that we must love the Church as we love Christ, commit to each
other, bear one DQRWKHUVEXUGHQVDQGGUDZVWUHQJWKIURPHDFKRWKHUDV
well as those who have gone before us, especially Mary and the saints;
and
3) FHOHEUDWHWKHSUHVHQFHRI*RGV6SLULWLQJUDWLWXGHDVZHGUDZVWUHQJWK
and life from Him each moment.
John 15:12-14 This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No

Scriptural Text
one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my
friends if you do what I command you.
0W<RXDUH3Hter the Rock and on this rock I will build my Church.

Christian Teaching
CCC Part 1, Sec. 2, Chap. 2; CFC Chap. 23
93

Guide for the
Inspirational Story An Unforgettable Flight
Facilitator Opening Prayer God of Life
TALK PROPER
H-ope Conclusion
Suggested Creatives
Closing Prayer

Opening Song
Opening Prayer God of Life
You call us to deeper communion with you,

with one another and with all your creation.
Your love for us is so broad and strong,
Your compassion so great yet gently embracing,
Your offer of community so compelling
Bringing us all to build your kingdom here on earth.
Guide us and bless us. We are yours. Unite us with You. Amen.
Inspirational Story An Unforgettable Flight
I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat.
7KLVLVJRLQJWREHDORQJIOLJKW,WKRXJKW,PJODG,KDYHDJRRGERRNWRUHDG
0D\EH,OOJHWDOLWWOHQDS
I fly frequently; I always look for an opportunity to share Jesus with someone. I
wondered who it could be, because all around me were empty seats. Not much of a
chance to talk to anyone, I thought.
Then just before takeoff a line of soldiers came down the aisle and took the seats
across the aisle and in front of me. More came. Still more. Finally 10 soldiers filled
all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. This is more like it! OK, Lord, which one
will it be? Who needs to hear about You?
I decided to start a conversation.
:KHUHDUH\RXKHDGHG",DVNHGWKHVROGLHUVLWWLQJFORVHVWWRPH
&KLFDJR7R *UHDW/DNHV%DVH:HOOEHWKHUHWZRZHHNVIRUVSHFLDOWUDLQLQJ7KHQ
94
ZHUHEHLQJGHSOR\HGWR,UDT
Anyone Hungry?
After we had been flying for about an hour, an announcement that sack lunches
were available for $5 each was made. It would be several hours before we reached
Chicago, and I quickly decided that a lunch would help. As I reached for my wallet, I
overheard a soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy a lunch.
1RWKDWVHHPVOLNHDORWRIPRQH\MXVWIRUDVDFNOXQFK3UREDEO\LVQWZRUWK ,OO
MXVWZDLWXQWLOZHJHWWR&KLFDJR+LVIULHQGDJUHHG
I looked around at the other soldiers surrounding me. Not one was buying a lunch. I
ZDVKXQJU\EXW,FRXOGQWEULQJP\VHOIWRHDWLQIURQWRIWKHP,ZDONHGWRWKHEDFN
of the plane and handed WKHIOLJKWDWWHQGDQWDELOO3OHDVHWDNHDOXQFKWRDOO
WKRVHVROGLHUV,VDLG
6KHJUDEEHGP\DUPVDQGVTXHH]HGWLJKWO\KHUH\HVZHWZLWKWHDUV0\VRQZDVD
VROGLHULQ,UDTVKHVDLG,WVDOPRVWOLNH\RXUHGRLQJLWIRUKLP
She picked up 10 lunches and headed for the area where the soldiers were seated.
Overwhelmed by her emotional response, I returned to my seat, only to realize I had
failed to order a lunch for myself. Before I could undo my seat belt the flight
attendant stopped by my seat.
:KLFKZRXOG\RXOLNHEHHIRUFKLFNHQ"VKHDVNHG
&KLFNHQ,UHSOLHGZRQGHULQJZK\VKHKDGDVNHG6KHZHQWWRWKHIURQWRIWKH
plane and returned a minute later with a dinner plate from the first-class cabin. She
put down my tray table and sat tKHSODWHRQLW7KLVLV\RXUWKDQNVVKHVDLG
Now I felt guilty. I had dinner, and the soldiers had only a sack lunch.
Gathering Momentum
After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the
restroom.
A man stopped me. ,VDZZKDW\RXGLGKHVDLG,ZDQWWREHSDUWRILW+HUHtake

WKLV+HKDQGHGPH
6RRQDIWHU,UHWXUQHGWRP\VHDWWKHSODQHVFDSWDLQFDPHGRZQWKHDLVOHORRNLQJDW
the aisle numbers as he walked. I noticed he was looking at the numbers only on
my side of the plane. When he got to my seat, he stopped, smiled, and, holding out
KLVKDQGVDLG,ZDQWWRVKDNH\RXUKDQG
4XLFNO\XQIDVWHQLQJP\VHDWEHOW,VWRRGDQGWRRNWKHFDSWDLQVKDQG,QDERRPLQJ
YRLFHKHVDLG,ZDVDVROGLHUDQG,was a pilot. Someone once bought me lunch. It
ZDVDQDFWRINLQGQHVV,QHYHUIRUJRW7KDQN\RX
I sat down embarrassed by the applause of passengers sitting nearby.
Later I walked to the front of the plane to stretch my legs. About six rows in front of
me a man reached out to shake my hand. He left another $25 in my palm.
95
When we arrived in Chicago, I gathered my belongings and started to deplane.

Waiting just inside the door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt
pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another $25.
Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to Great Lakes
%DVH,ZDONHGRYHUWRWKHPDQGKDQGHGWKHP+HUH,VDLG%\WKHWLPH\RX
UHDFKEDVHLWOOEHWLPHIRUDQRWKHUPHDO*RGEOHVV\RX
Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers.
As I walked to my car I whispered a prayer for their safe return. They were giving
their all for their country. I could give them only a couple meals. It seemed so little.
BY DENNY KUCICH AS TOLD TO BEVERLY BRASS
Now you ore the body of Christ, and each one of you isa part of it. (1 Cor.
TALK PROPER
12,27)
ARTICLE 9
The holy, Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints
F-aith INTRODUCTION
A. The articles of the Creed build upon each other. The later ones presuppose
The work of the Church the earlier ones.
goes on in the hearts of 1) From the Holy Spirit, springs the Church.The Church is the first great
men and women in all OLYLQJZRUNRIWKH+RO\6SLULWWKH*LYHURI/LIH&)&
places and times since 2) This means that the Holy Spirit lives in the Church and works through
Pentecost. the Church. The work of the Church goes on in the hearts of men and
women in all places and times since Pentecost. From the early
Christian community, it has grown oh so big, to what it is today.
B. Many Filipino Catholics share a deep respect, loyalty and love for the
Church. (CFC 1362)
1) Yet, for most Filipinos, the Church is simply the building where people
go to pray.
2) Or it means the bishops, priests and religious. (CFC 1351) But the
Church is more than these because it includes the laity.
3) It is also more than some human social organization that makes one
feel he/she belongs. (CFC :HUHPRUHWKDQDFOXE
C. If we want to know more about what the Church really is, then we must look
directly to Christ and His Spirit who give the Church its substance and
meaning. Who else but Christ can tell us what His plan is for the Church?
Who else but Christ can
tell us what His plan is for WHAT WE BELIEVE
the Church?
96
A. The Holy, Catholic Church

1) 7KH&KXUFKLVWKH3HRSOHWKDW*RGJDWKHUVLQWKHZKROHZRUOG
Ekklesia, which means a. The Church is a gathering, an assembly, a people summoned,
WKRVHZKRDUHFDOOHG chosen, called together, for some task, some purpose. This people
IRUWK is, of course, the human race, called into common life, communion,
in God. This community life is celebrated in the Church.
b. 7KH*UHHNZRUGIRU&KXUFKLVHNNOHVLDZKLFKPHDQVWKRVHZKR
DUHFDOOHGIRUWK$OOWKRVHwho are baptized and believe in God are
FDOOHGIRUWKE\WKH/RUG7RJHWKHUZHDUHWKH&KXUFK2QFH\RX
ZHUHQRSHRSOHEXWQRZ\RXDUH*RGVSHRSOH3HWHU
c. At the same time, we know about Jesus through the Church (Ram.
10, 14-17). As Martin LutKHUUHPDUNHGWKRVHZKRZDQWWRILQG
&KULVWPXVWILUVWILQGWKH&KXUFK:HEHFRPH&KULVWVGLVFLSOHVE\
being baptized into the Church (Rom. 6, 1-11) and remain as such
by celebrating the Eucharist together until He comes again (1 Cor.
11, 23-26). The Christian religion is essentially social, never a
matter of just God, Jesus and myself.
d. :HGRQRWOLWHUDOO\DQGLPPHGLDWHO\KHDU*RGVYRLFHRUVHH+LV
That community is the face. What we see and hear and touch is His Church, the
visible, living sign of the community which had been prepared for over the centuries and
5LVHQ/RUGVSUHVHQFHDQG which fully came into being at the first Pentecost. That community is
of His desire to bring home WKHYLVLEOHOLYLQJVLJQRIWKH5LVHQ/RUGVSUHVHQFHDQGRI+LV
to the Father all men and desire to bring home to the Father all men and women of all times
women of all times and and places.
places. 2) Christ is the Head and we are His body.
a. Everything the Church is, it is only because of Christ. It depends
HQWLUHO\RQ&KULVW,WVKRZVIRUWK&KULVWVOLJKWVSUHDGV&KULVWV
:RUGDQGFRQWLQXHV&KULVWVZRUN7KH&KXUFK)DWKHUVXVHGWKH
moon as an image of the Church: all its light is reflected from the
sun. (748)
b. She exists in local communities and is made real as a liturgical,
above all a Eucharistic, assembly. She draws her life from the word
DQGWKH%RG\RI&KULVWDQGVRKHUVHOIEHFRPHV&KULVWV%RG\
(752)
c. When we celebrate the sacUDPHQWVDQGKHDU*RGV:RUG&KULVWLV
in us and we are in Him, that is, we are His Church.
(Youcat/YC121) God wills that there be an ekklesia, those called
forth, because He wants to save us, not individually, but together.
He wants to make everyone His people. (YC 122)
d. We cannot become fully Christian then, without the Christian
FRPPXQLW\ZKLFKLVWKH&KXUFK:HDUHQRW&KULVWLDQVVRWKDW
there can be a church; there is a church so that we can be
&KULVWLDQVWKHUHE\JDLQLQJRXUVDOYDWLRQ+HOPXW7KLHOLcke)
Ekklesia, those called e. The Church is at the full service of promoting Christians, followers
forth, because He wants to of Christ, and bringing people to Christ. The Church remains an
save us, not individually, DUNRIVDOYDWLRQLQDVHDRIZRHV:HJLYHKRSHOHVVSUREOHPDWLF
but together. He wants to tired and searching people hope because we given them Christ.
make everyone His f. Therefore, the Church on earth is a means to an end. The end, the
people. mission is to bring people to communion with Christ (which is what
heaven/eternal life is). Then, one day, when Jesus returns, there
would no longer be a need for the Church, because Christ is
97
already with us. No need to point to Christ. They can see Him for
themselves I
3) The Church is the place where the Spirit flourishes. (749)
We give hopeless, a. Just as the Trinity is a community of love, God calls us to be a
problematic, tired and FRPPXQLW\RIORYHWRR7KDWVZKDWWKe Church is meant to be!
searching people hope b. And as a community of love, we are responsible for one another.
because we given them We ought to take care of one another, and watch out for each other,
Christ. DQGEHDUHDFKRWKHUVEXUGHQV1RPDWWHUKRZZHPD\QRWJHW
along with afellow Christian, each of us UHPDLQVDOZD\VIDPLO\
:HDUHHDFKRWKHUVZD\WRKHDYHQ:HDUHFDOOHGWRORYH
HYHU\RQHHVSHFLDOO\RWKHUPHPEHUVRIWKH&KULVWLDQIDPLO\6HH
KRZWKH\ORYHRQHDQRWKHU,Q
c. The Church is made up of people who God has graced to be His
holy tHPSOH:HDUHWKHOLYLQJVWRQHVRIWKH&KXUFK:HEHOLHYHLQ
the Holy Spirit, and then believe in the assembly of the Spirit,
&KULVWV&KXUFK
d. Did you know that the oldest version of the baptismal creed in
5RPHRQO\VDLG,EHOLHYH,QKRO\&KXUFK"6Rfrom the very start,
SDUWRIEHOLHYLQJLQ&KULVWDQGEHFRPLQJDPHPEHURI*RGVIDPLO\
meant being a member of the Church, too.
4) 7KHIRXUPDUNVRIWKH&KXUFKDUHWKDWLWLVRQHWKURXJKXQLRQLQ
Christ), holy, catholic (she proclaims the fullness of the faith and is sent
out to all peoples in all times), and apostolic (built on the foundation of
the Apostles and is governed by Christ).
Just as the Trinity is a
a. One and Holy Church
community of love, God
i. The Church is holy because God, her author, is holy. Christ
calls us to be a community
gave Himself up to make her holy, and the Spirit of holiness
of love.
giver her life. (CCC 867)
ii. The union between Christ and his Church is that of the
bridegroom and his bride, which is a great mystery. (772)
iii. Holiness means to be whole, complete, set apart. It has the
VDPHURRWZRUGDVZKROH7KLVPHDQV that whenever one has
God in his/her life, he/she is whole/holy. Holiness is otherness,
the unimaginable, unattainable fulfilment of all our hopes and
dreams.
iv. The Church becomes unholy when she does not unite herself
with Christ and His Spirit. Her holiness shines in the countless
number of uncanonized saints among the lay and religious who
through the ages, have led holy lives. (CFC 1397) This means
the saints were so connected/bonded to God that they were
whole/holy.
v. 7KH&KXUFKVKROLQHVVVKLQHVEULJKWHVt in Mary because Mary
is already all-holy (completely with God) and enjoys the reward
of eternal bonding with God In heaven. (CCC 867)
vi. Only the holiness of God living in the Church of sinners will
bring about the holinss of its members. The holy Church
The Church is holy rePDLQVDOZD\V*RGVZRUN*UDFHLVHYHUIURPDERYHDQGLWLV
because God, her author, promised without fail. United with Christ, the Church is
is holy sanctified (or made holy) by Him, and through and with Him she
becomes sanctifying to her members and to the world. In her,
we become holy. (CCC 824)
98
vii. If we want to be holy, or with Christ, we need to be connected

to the Church. Yet, the &KXUFKVKROLQHVVLVLQSURFHVVDQGLV
Holiness means to be QRWDJXDUDQWHHGVWDWH$V&KULVWV%RG\&RU 12,27), we are
whole, complete, set apart. in a journey towards holiness and closeness to Christ.
It has the same root word Therefore, the &KXUFKVVDQFWLW\LVUHDOWKRXJKLPSHUIHFW&&&
DVZKROH 825)
viii. This means the Church Is really united with Christ when it
\LHOGVWR+LPEXWLWVLPSHUIHFWEHFDXVHWKHUHVDOZD\VD
SRVVLELOLW\WKDWZHDV&KULVWVFRPPXQLW\FDQWXUQWKHRWKHU
way (choose what is sinful and unholy!). She is always in need
of being purified (made holy) and never stops striving for
holiness. (CFC 1398)
ix. All members, not just priests and nuns, are called to be holy,
each in his/her own way. (CCC 825)Some are called to be holy
as families, and some are called to be holy as clergy and
religious. We are still on our way to greater holiness, and can
RQO\EHKRO\WKURXJK&KULVWV6SLULW
b. Catholic Church
i. The term catholic in this context, means universal, complete,
all-embracinJNHHSLQJZLWKWKHZKROH&&&RUUHODWHG
If we want to be holy, or WRWKHZKROH<&:KDWGRHVWKLVPHDQ"
with Christ, we need to be First, the Church is catholic because Christ called her to
connected to the Church. claim openly the WHOLE faith(YC 133), not just part of the
Faith! At Pentecost, the Church was catholic and will
DOZD\VEHVRXQWLOWKHGD\RI&KULVWV6HFRQG&RPLQJ
(CCC 830)The Church welcomes sinners like Jesus did.
(CFC 1397)
Second, the Church is catholic because Christ called her to
preserve ALL: celebrate ALL the sacraments, proclaim the
Good News to ALL, and be sent to ALL nations and
peoples. (YC 133) The Church is worldwide, sent to all
peoples, speaking to all human persons, encompassing all
times throughout history. (CCC 868)
ii. The community known as the Catholic Church is the Catholic
Church insofar as it gathers together all the living and the dead
under the one Lord and King. The Church yearns to embrace
everyone. It desires to exclude no one.
iii. 7KHYHU\ZRUGFDWKROLFPHDQVXQLYHUVDO7KLVPHDQVLWLVQRW
elitist or exclusive but strives to be for all men and women. The
Church is open without discrimination to age, race, color, sex,
etc. Jesus mingled with sinners and outcasts I The Church
must be tolerant, non-judgmental, welcoming, while ever
guarding the integrity (moral uprightness) of being &KULVWV
witness to the truth as it has been given to know it.
We are still on our way to iv. The Church, by nature, is missionary. We exist for mission. If
greater holiness, and can ZHGRQWVSUHDGWKH*RRG1HZVWKDW-HVXVZDQWVWRVDYHDQG
only be holy through bond with every human person, then our existence as a Church
&KULVWV6SLULW is useless. Of course, we cannot do the mission without the
power of the Holy Spirit. (CCC 852) It is only by the power of
the Holy Spirit that we have the strength and grace to bring
99
others to Christ. Remember the fearful disciples before

the Church is catholic Pentecost? Remember how when the Holy Spirit came, they
because Christ called her then became courageous to share the Good News?
to claim openly the
WHOLE faith c. Apostolic Church
i. Christ instituted the Church to be the great sacrament of our
VDOYDWLRQWKURXJK&KULVWVRZQFRQWLQXLQJDFWLRQ+HJDYHWKH
Church its definite structure, with Peter at its head, and
conferred on it his own divine authority. He promised to remain
with It until the end of time, and to send his Spirit to guide it and
teach it in all truth. By all his actions, Christ prepared and built
his Church. (775-6, 763-8)
ii. 7Ke Church is in history, but at the same time she transcends
LW,WLVRQO\ZLWKWKHH\HVRIIDLWKWKDWRQHFDQVHHKHULQKHU
visible reality and at the same time in her spiritual reality as
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iii. Unity with the Bishop of Rome (the Pope, successor to Peter) is
the point of our unity with the universal Church, and with Christ
KLPVHOI3HWHULVWKHURFNRQZKLFKWKH&KXUFKLVIRXQGHG
(880-85, 896)
iv. As the one who through her faith & charity brought salvation
7KHYHU\ZRUGFDWKROLF into the world through her role as mother of Christ, Mary is the
means universal. This model of the Church. She is the spiritual mother of all members
means it is not elitist or RI&KULVWV%RG\WKH&KXUFK7KLVUROHLVLQVHSDUDEOHIURPKHU
exclusive but strives to be union with Christ and flows directly from it. (963-4,967)
for all men and women
B. The Communion of Saints
1) Communion of Saints means two things: communion in holy things,
soncta and communion with holy people, sancti. (CCC 948, CFC 1428)
a. Communion in holy things looks to the early Church mentioned in
the Book of Acts, where they were committed to communion in the
faith received from the apostles, fellowship in the Lord together,
breaking bread and prayers, and sharing all things in common.
(CFC 1428) The holy things that united the believers (the living
saints) were the acts of fellowship (bonding together in Christ), the
Eucharist, and sharing together all they had with the community.
Today, the Eucharist remains the foremost example of communion
in holy things.
b. Communion with holy people includes three states:
i. pilgrims here on earth (what is called the Church Militant
because they have to be active in promoting the faith and
warlike, indicating that we are in a battle against evil),
ii. those who are being purified(called the Church Expectant,
because they have hope/expect in faith that one day they will
be united with God in heaven), and
Mary is the model of the iii. those who are already in heaven with God (called the Church
Church 7ULXPSKDQWEHFDXVHWKH\DUHDOUHDG\HQMR\LQJ*RGVSUHVHQFH
and have succeeded in their quest to join God when they die).
iv. All three states are in communion because we love the same
God, are disciples of the same Lord, and are moved by the
same Spirit. (CFC 1429)
100
Communion of Saints 2) As a communion of saints, nothing is private, although everything is

means two things: personal. We come to Christ, never really as individuals alone but as
communion in holy things, one Body of Christ, a communion of saints. And in communion, those in
soncta and communion heaven can pray for those on earth and for those who need to be
with holy people, sancti purified.
3) /LNHZLVHWKRVHRQHDUWKFDQDOVRSUD\IRUWKHSRRUVRXOVLQSXUJDWRU\
This is because we are in communion with the dead. We can pray for
the dead who are still undergoing purification. (YC 146) We can also
offer our sacrifices in christ for them. The prayers of the living rise up for
the dying and for the dead. If the prayers of the saints in heaven can
EHQHILWWKHVDLQWVRQHDUWKZK\FDQWWKHSUD\HUVRIWKHOLYLQJUHDFK
out to the dead? Intercessory prayer is a confession of a faith that
believes the Infinite and sovereign God comprehends all of the past,
present and future.
4) :K\DUHZHLQFRPPXQLRQZLWKDOOWKHVDLQWVLQKHDYHQRQHarth and
in purgatory? Because we share in the same sacraments I In baptism,
we are born into the living Body of the church, in the Eucharist, we are
fed at the common table of the Lord and grow in this new life. The
Church itself is the great sacrament that unites us in Christ. It is
IHOORZVKLSLQ&KULVWWKDWPDNHVXVLQIHOORZVKLSZLWKHDFKRWKHU
5) *RGKDVWUXO\EOHVVHGWKHOLYHVRIRXUEURWKHUVDQGVLVWHUVZKRKDYH
JRQHWRWKHLUUHVWLQWKHKRSHRIULVLQJDJDLQ,WLVHDV\WRSUD\%ULQJ
the Eucharist remains the them and all tKHGHSDUWHGLQWRWKHOLJKWRI\RXUSUHVHQFH
foremost example of a. What is hardest perhaps is to acknowledge as a communion of
communion in holy things. saints the Christians who live with us and around us today. Their
faults seem too easy to notice. Can they be part of the communion
of saints?
b. Despite their sinfulness, though (as well as our own), we must open
our eyes in love to make us sensitively aware of the presence of teh
Holy Spirit In these Christians around us. Ultimately, more than
what we do and do not do, it is the goodness of God that writes the
story of their lives and our lives.
c. The Christians around us, do also make up the communion of
saints. We realize then, that the Creed is not only about God but
also about ourselves, as members of this communion of saints.
C. Mary, Mother of the Church

1) Mary is Mother of the Church because she is Mother of God. She was
united with Jesus on earth like no other human person was or could be
in a closeness that does not end even in heavenl Mary is Mother of
the Church and so, she is quite close to us. (YC 147)
2) Mary is also model of virtues and model of Faith to the Church. (CFC
As a communion of saints, 6KHLVWKHILUVWDQGPRVWSHUIHFWRIFKULVWVGLVFLSOHV&)&
nothing is private, although For us Filipino Catholics, she is our Mother who constantly helps,
everything is personal. protects and intercedes for all her children. (CFC 1438) We love Mama
Mary and she holds a special place in the Filipino heart.
3) Together with our Blessed Mother, the saints declared by the church
have always been the source of strength for the Church in its most
difficult moments in history. (CCC 828) The saints surround us with
their love and intercession like grandparents. And of course, in the
Blessed
101
It is fellowship in Christ 4) Virgin Mary, the Church has already reached that perfection. We turn to
WKDWPDNHVXVLQ 0DU\DQGVHHKRZLWLVWREHDOOKRO\&&&
fellowship with each other. 5) Mary and the saints intercede for us with the Father, because of
brotherly concern. (CCC 956) They know we are their brothers and
sisters in Christ. We can call on our patron saints and favorite saints,
and even our departed relatives and friends who we believe are already
with God, to pray for us. (YC 146)

A. Love the Church
1) The Church is more than the bishops, priests and religious, but includes
all of us. To be Christian and who I truly am, I must see myself in the
FRQWH[WRIZHWKH&KXUFK$V&KULVWVORYLQJ%RG\ZHPXVWEHD
community open to all (catholic) and striving to be united to Him that we
may be whole (holy).
2) We must love the Church, for when we love the Church, we show our
love for Christ who is Head of this holy Body. We must love one another
DQGEHDUHDFKRWKHUVEXUGHQVWKDWZKHQRWKHUSHRSOHVHHRXU
community, they will see Christ in and through us.
B. One with the Church
1) A second application is the realization that we do not have to be afraid
about making it on our own in this world, because we are not alone.
Christ sends His Spirit through the Church, and together with other
lovers of Christ, we journey towards heaven, with Mary, Mother of the
Church, and the saints who cheer us on and intercede for us.
2) We can and must draw strength from other Christians around us and
from those whb have gone ahead of us, especially Mary and the saints.
We must remain committed to each other, for when we are, we are
committed to Christ.

1) Last week, you committed to share a lesson you got on the eighth article of
Faith (on the Holy Spirit, the Giver of Life) with at least ONE person you
know (friend, family, etc.). Share with the group how your experience went.
2) Who is the Church? Why is it important that we realize that our relationship
is not just about me, Jesus, Father and Holy Spirit, but includes all who
believe in Christ? How can I become more involved in the Church by
becoming more involved in the parish?
3) IKUWENTO MO: 7KLQNRI21(OHVVRQ\RXJRWIURPWRGD\VVHVVLRQWKDW

102
4) PRAY IT! Say a prayer each day this week for (1) someone who seems like
a burden to you these days, (2) a departed loved one. Ask for Mary and
your favorite saint to intercede for you and for these two other people.

A. In speaking of the communion of saints, it refers to holy people and holy
things. The holy things are those means to holiness/wholeness, which are
first and foremost, Baptism (which unites us with the rest of the communion
of saints) and the Eucharist, our nourishment in Christ. We say in the mass,
)DWKHU\RXJDWKHU\RXUFKLOGUHQLQWR\RXU&KXUch, to be ONE as you,
Father, are one with your Son and the Holy Spirit. You call them to be your
PEOPLE, to praise your wisdom in all your works, You make them the
%2'<2)&+5,67DQGWKHGZHOOLQJSODFHRIWKH+RO\6SLULWWK3UHIDFH
for Sundays)
B. We celebrate our being Church through the sacraments where we meet
Christ in His Spirit. We also stand confident knowing that we can ask Mary
and the saints to intercede for us. At the same time, we know that we need
to pray for each other daily (the Church on earth, especially our Church
leaders), as well as our dead and those who are still being purified. Our
prayers are united with those in heaven.
H-ope CONCLUSION
A. Today, we talked about how all Christians make up the Church, together
with those in heaven and in purgatory. God meets us in His Church, called
to be catholic (open to all people) and called to make us holy (whole) in
&KULVWV6SLULW
B. We realize that we are not alone, but are joined in the communion of saints
through holy things (especially Baptism and the Eucharist) and holy people
(those in heaven, earth, and purgatory).
C. Let us ask Mary, Mother of the Church, and the saints to intercede for us,
even as we pray for others with us on earth and those who are still being
purified in purgatory.
We are the Church activity

Suggested Creatives
The blessing of God,

Closing Prayer
The eternal goodwill of God,
The shalom of God,
The wilderness and warmth of God, be among us,
Now and always. Amen.
(St. Hilda Community)
103
Psalm 101
Psalm
THE SINGLE EYE
Refrain: Peirce our hearts with the light of your love,
our minds with the sword of your truth.
Take from us, O God, the burden of pretence,

the lie that we and our leaders are just.
Lets songs of wisdom sound from our lips;
keep self righteousness far from our hearts.
So often we pretend to innocent,

blameless and free of all guilt.
Open our eyes that we may see clear:
there is no escaping our crookedness.
So often we slander our neighbours,

afraid of their class or colour or creed.
Expose to the light the projections of our minds:
it is ourselves we should see in their mirror.
So often we angry with the greedy and proud,

the arrogant who are deaf to the cries of the poor.
Keep our eye single; give us hearts that are pure,
lest we trample without knowing what we do.
So often we grumble at people with power,

calling them deceitful and corrupt in their ways.
Humble us all whose eyes are so blurred:
dishonest we are, we discern not the truth.
So often we fail to take account of our wealth,

the power of body, possessions, or talent.
May the light that shines from the eyes of the humble
burn out the corruption to which we are blind.
God of truth, hold before our eyes a vision of your commonwealth, you
reign of integrity and wisdom, justice and mercy. Give to those in
public life minds that are true and hearts that are compassionate.
May they be humbled by those who pass by.

By: Jim Cotter
104
Session 11
Article 10:
the Forgiveness of Sins
Session 11:
Article 10 - THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS

(CCC, CFC)
Filipino Catholics are often

sacramentalized but not F Acts 2, 38: You must reform
and be baptized in the name of
evangelized. Christ that your sins may be
forgiven, then you will receive
the gift of the Holy Spirit. CCC
Part 1, Sec. 2, Chap. 3; CFC Chaps.
A
25 & 27
F
FAITH
A
ACTION
I
INTEGRATION
T
THANKSGIVING
H
HOPES
TOPIC
I AM LOVED AND
FORGIVEN
Christ saves us through

Baptism and continues to
save us in the Sacrament of
T I am sinful.
Reconciliation.
H
Session 11
I am Loved and Forgiven

ARTICLE 10: The forgiveness of sins
The tenth article of Faith says we Christians believe in the forgiveness of sins.
Overview of Session
We are forgiven by Christ through His Spirit working in the Church, as we celebrate
the Sacrament of Baptism. This forgiveness is restored and renewed every time we
confess in the Sacrament of Reconciliation because of our sins. As Christ continues
to forgive us every time we sin, we followers of Christ are called to also forgive
others who have hurt us. Forgiveness presupposes love. It is necessary to forgive if
we want to maintain our unity with Christ and unity with His Church.

Objectives
1) understand that forgiveness of sins means God saving us through Baptism
and in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and that forgiveness is a product of
love;
2) realize that they are called to love and forgive others even as Christ has
loved and forgiven them; and
3) celebrate the love and forgiveness of God in the Sacrament of
Reconciliation this week.
Luke 5:24-25 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on
Scriptural Text
earth to forgive sins" -- he said to the one who was paralyzed -- "I say to you, stand
up and take your bed and go to your home." Immediately he stood up before them,
took what he had been lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God.
$FWV<RXPXVWUHIRUPDQGEHEDSWL]HGLQWKHQDPHRI&KULVWWKDW\RXU
Christian Teaching
sons may be forgiven, then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. CCC
Part 1, Sec. 2, Chap. 3; CFC Chaps. 25 & 27
105

Guide for the
Inspirational Story
Facilitator Opening Prayer Magnificat of Reconciliation
TALK PROPER ARTICLE 10: THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS
H-ope Conclusion
Suggested Creatives
Closing Prayer

Opening Song
Opening Prayer MAGNIFICAT OF RECONCILIATION (Luke 4:14-30)
My soul rejoice in you, Yahweh
and my spirit dances within your presence, my God,
because you who you love mightily look upon me,
one who stands with arms stretched out toward you.
From this day and forever all who come to life,

One after one, shall remember me and shall pray,
%OHVVHGDUHZHZKHQZHRSHQRXUKHDUWVDQGUHFHLYHLQMR\WKHVHHGRIWKH
(YHUODVWLQJ2QH
Holy is your name.

You are the gentle one who reaches ou and scatter.
You pull down the structures and fantasise with t in tenderness
From age to age
To caress with your hand the heads of those who bend their necks.
With powerful arms you embrace each of us.

The proud hearts that would hold out to you,
You break and scatter.
You pull down the structures and fantasies with which
We fortify ourselves,
And you teach us the simple things.
When we are hungry you fill us with good things.
When we are glutted you teach us patience.
That we may come hungry again to your table.
106
This day and forever you stand with your people

Those who remember your tenderness,
KDYLQJJLYHQXV\RXUZRUG\RXUSURPLVH
We remember your tenderness as we walk in safety.
For you are Yahweh
In whom we trust.
You must reform and be baptized in the name of Christ that your sins may be
TALK PROPER
forgiven, then you will receive the gjft of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2,38)
ARTICLE 10
The Forgiveness of Sins
F-aith INTRODUCTION
A. While many of us Filipinos have been baptized Catholic and go to mass on
When we know Christ Sundays to celebrate the Eucharist, making us sacramentalized, many of
more, we can love Him us may not be evangelized and do not really understand our Faith. The
more. (To know Him is to LCSC-Creed is a means to understanding our Faith more. And when we
love Him I) know Christ more, we can love Him more. (To know Him is to love Him I)
B. This particular article of faith focuses on the forgiveness of sins. Christ by
His Spirit, works in the Church today, to bring us to Christ through the
forgiveness of sins, first and foremost, through the initial Sacrament of
Baptism, and continued in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
A. In the Apostles Creed, faith in the forgiveness of sins is linked to faith in the
Holy Spirit, the Church, and the communion of saints. When Christ gave the
Holy Spirit to his Apostles, at the same time he gave them the power to
forgive sins. (976)
B. We Are Forgiven in Baptism
1) %DSWLVPLVWKHILUVWDQGFKLHI VDFUDPHQWRIIRUJLYHQHVVRIVLQV
because we are joined to Christ who saved us so we could have new
life (CCC 977).
a. Christ saves us and forgives us of the guilt of sin that has affected
allof humanityfrom the beginning. From a state of hopelessness, we
receive the hope of salvation that only Christ can give us. In Him,
we have new Iifel
When Christ gave the Holy
b. ,QWKH%RRNRI$FWVLWVD\V<RXPXVWUHIRUPDQGEHEDSWL]HGLQ
Spirit to his Apostles, at
the name of Christ that your sins may be forgiven, then you will
the same time he gave
UHFHLYHWKHJLIWRIWKH+RO\6SLULW$Fts 2,38)
them the power to forgive
2) What does Baptism do?
sins.
a. First, Baptism gives us new life in Christ. We share in the life of
107
God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) which will reach its end in eternal
Because we are united life forever union with God when we die (CFC 1604, 1647).
with Christ, we are also b. Second, because we are united with Christ, we are also united with
united with all the other DOOWKHRWKHUPHPEHUVRI&KULVWV%RG\WKH&KXUFK&)&
PHPEHUVRI&KULVWV%RG\ c. Third, Baptism is the sacrament of faith. When people want to be
the Church. EDSWL]HGWKHSULHVWDVNV:KDWGR\RXDVNRI*RGV&KXUFK"7KH\
UHVSRQGZLWK)DLWK (CFC 1611) When we seek to be baptized, we
DUHDVNLQJ*RGV&KXUFKIRUIDLWKLQ*RGZKLFKLVDJLIW&)&
,WLVRQO\ZLWKLQWKHFRQWH[WRI&KULVWV%RG\DQGWKURXJKWKH
Holy Spirit, that we can be baptized and respond fully to Christ
(CFC 1652).
C. Only Christ forgives sins; the priests and sacraments are simply the means
through which Christ acts to accomplish this. (987, 986)
1) If we have already been baptized, why do we still need to reconcile with
God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (popularly caOOHG&RQIHVVLRQ"
a. The new life we receive in Christ through Baptism, does not remove
our human weaknesses and the chance to be tempted to sin again
and again (CFC 1781). In fact, Jesus precisely tells His disciples to
SUD\HYHU\GD\)RUJLYHXVRXUVLQV/N
b. Christ gave the Church the power to forgive sins, first in baptism but
also in the Sacrament of Reconciliation to reconcile the baptized to
Christ with the Church (CCC 980).
2) When we go to confession, we imply that we are: *
a. sinners, and so
b. we QHHG*RGVPHUF\ZKLFKLVDOZD\VDYDLODEOHWRXVWKURXJK
Christ in His Church by the Sacrament of Reconciliation;
WHQHHG*RGVPHUF\ c. ZHDUHFDOOHGWRGREHWWHUZLWK*RGVKHOSDQG
which is always available d. this process of conversion takes a whole lifetime but we must strive
to us continuously for it to come about (CFC 1775, 1780).
D. We Are Forgiven in the Sacrament of Reconciliation
1) There is no such sin, no matter how grave, that the Church cannot
forgive so long as the person is honestly repentant and sincere (CCC
982).
2) If the Church had not been given this gift of forgiving sins, then nobody
could come to the hope of eternal life/salvation! (CCC 983) And
because the sacrament reconciles us with God, it also reconciles us
with the Christian community whom we have offended by our sins (CFC
1819).
E. Reflections on the Forgiveness of Sins
1) *RGVJUHDWHVWPLUDFOHZKHQLWFRPHVWR+LVFRQYHUVLRQRIWKHKXPDQ
heart, is the movement from a self-centered isolation (what sin is) to
communion.
a. Sin always separates us from others and from God, but God
restores that separation. Our sins are walls of fear that will destroy
us. Our sins tell the world that we are all that we have, that there is
no God who loves us and protect us. So, we must protect ourselves
The movement from a self- and become selfish.
centered isolation (what b. %XWIRUJLYHQHVVFRPHVLQDQGFUHDWHVDZHZKHUHWKHUHZDVQR
sin is) to communion. ZHEHIRUH)RUJLYHQHVVLVDORYHWKDWJRHVRXWWRVLQQHUVVRWKDW
they may be included and embraced in the communion of saints
(also sinners!), leading to reconciliation, the forgiveness of sins, and
108
the conversion of those who did not want to repent Initially.

The love of Christ is real c. God is so good that from evil, the Spirit transforms it Into good, and
and working. the hardheartedness of sin, into a heart of love. In the communion
of saints communion with holy people in the Church and with
holy things in the sacraments we experience how this self-
isolation of sin has truly been healed and forgiven. We are part of
the whole again!
2) Amidst a human race divided by sin, there is in the Christian
FRPPXQLW\DVHQVHRIZH-ness where union is restored by the
forgiveness of sins.
a. In the communion of saints, alienation is overcome, and the love of
Christ is real and working.
b. It is the Holy Spirit who is the bond of unity among us, sustaining us
in His love, working out our forgiveness time and time again, that
we may remain united. The outpouring of the Spirit thus creates
communion, which in turn creates forgiveness and reconciliation.
Insofar as we yield to the Spirit, we shall remain united with the
communion of saints.
3) The primary reason why we are forgiven is not because we have
repented but because we ourselves have turned to forgive our brothers
and sisters, a sure sign of repentance.
a. We are sinful people but we are also unconditionally loved and
accepted by God. If people only knew how terrible we really are,
We are sinful people but they would not love us. But the good news of the gospels is that
we are also unconditionally *RGVORYHGRHVQRWZDLWIRUJRRGQHVVWRFRPHEXWSUHFLVHO\GUDZV
loved and accepted by us in our weakness, poverty, and ugliness inside (pan gitnakaloo
God. ban).
b. ,WLV*RGVJRRGQHVVWKDWPDNHV+LPSXUVXHXVDQGORYHXVZKLOe
ZHDUHVWLOOVLQQHUVXJO\DQGXQORYDEOH,WLV*RGVORYHWKDWEULQJV
the goodness out of us. For when love touches the human heart,
the love inspires a change of heart.
c. Such forgiving love allows us to accept who we are and how we
need God. And what occurs is a recreation (nagigingbagomuli) of
the human heart, a transformation greater even than the creation of
the universe. For here, one loves his enemies, and that must be
more amazing than moving the stars. This is the life that God
creates in us.
4) The Creed urges us to receive forgiveness of our sins, to breakdown
the barriers of communion. Instead, we move into reconciliation.
a. When we are reconciled with others, we become Church, the
communion of saints. Such communion leads to the forgiveness of
sins.
b. )URPORQHO\,WRORYLQJZHOLYLQJLQWKHORYHRI*RGDQGVKDULQJ
in His life. A community that forgives one another reveals the
Communion leads to the amazing love of God who is the first to forgive us.
forgiveness of sins. c. He did not just give us the gift of salvation (forgiveness), but such
gift is Self-gift that is forever giving, even now, in the Church.
d. It is this forgiveness of sins that will lead us to the resurrection of
the body and life everlasting, with God who loved us first and loves
us last.
e. It is this forgiveness of sins that will change us, transform us to go
109
God who loved us first and out of ourselves into service and love.
loves us last. f. ,WLVWKLVIRUJLYHQHVVWKDWUHPLQGVHDFKRIXVWKDW*RGVD\V%XOE
DNRVRL\R,,EHOLHYHLQ\RX

A. It means that ChrLVWVORYHIRUXVLVVRDPD]LQJWKDW+HGLHGDQGURVHRXWRI
that love, so that when we confess that we believe in Him through Baptism,
ZHDUHVDYHGLWPHDQV&KULVWVG\LQJZDVVD\LQJ\HVWRWKH)DWKHUVZLOO
who wanted us to be reconciled to Him. It meanV&KULVWVORYHFRPHV
through the Holy Spirit who we receive in the Sacrament of Baptism, and
receive again and again, every time we go to confession.
1) The Father, Son and Holy Spirit love us, which is why they are called a
community of love. It is love that makes them continue to forgive us.
2) They continue to forgive us because they continue to love us. And this
love will never end.Forgiveness unites us to Christ.
3) When we ask for forgiveness, our relationship with Christ is restored. In
being united to Christ, we likewise become united with each other, we
who are the Body of Christ. While sin divides, forgiveness which
presupposes love, unites.
4) If we believe in the communion of saints, we will do everything to
preserve that communion even when people hurt us or let us down.
&DUGLQDO&KLWR7DJOHRQFHVDLG)RUJLYHQHVVLVZKHQ\RXUORYHIRUWKH
RWKHULVJUHDWHUWKDQWKHSDLQKXUWKHVKHKDVFDXVHG\RX
5) If God has forgiven us, we ought to forgive others, too. Since this is not
easy many times, we need the grace of God to heal our pain and our
hurt, and the faith to know He will give us a heart of forgiveness if we
will it.
B. The true Christian believes in forgiveness.
1) God created humankind good, and sin is a distortion. We receive the
love of God that we do not earn and cannot earn, and it fills us,
outweighing all the sufferings we experience and may not understand.
2) We are sinners, it is true. But God will always forgive us so long as we
ask for forgiveness and mean it, which includes changing our sinful
ways.
3) GodVIRUJLYHQHVVVD\VWKDW+LVORYHIRUXVLVJUHDWHUWKDQMXVWLFH
although He remains a just God.
4) His forgiving heart knows no limits. He is not a vindictive God, and
neither should we be vindictive people. Forgiveness becomes truly
possible for us, even though we may have suffered great hurt, because
we believe in forgiveness God forgiving us, and thus, us forgiving
others building from all the other nine previous articles of the creed.
110

1) Last week, you committed to share a lesson you got on the ninth article of
Faith (on the Church, the communion of saints) with at least ONE person
you know (friend, family, etc.). Share with the grqup how your experience
went.
2) What new insight on the Sacraments of forgiveness/reconciliation (Baptism,

Reconciliation) did you gain today? What questions do you still have about
these?
3) Is it easy or difficult for you to live out the spirit of forgiveness? Why/why
not? What can you do to be a more forgiving person today?
5) PRAY IT! Go to confession this week. Bring a friend or relative with you so
WKDW\RXGRQWKDYe to go alone and God will be pleased that not only you
but you and someone you love want to be united with Him again!
6) (It would be even better if confession within a Penitential Service will be

organized by the team giving the LCSC-Creed.)

A. We renew our baptismal promise every year on Easter Sunday. We
remember that one day, as a baby, our parents stood in faith for us, saying
they believe for us.
1) But as we grow, we are given the opportunity every year, to say yes
again to Christ and His being Lord and Savior to each one of us,
personally. The priest asks us If we reject Satan and all his works, to
ZKLFKZHUHVSRQG,GR7KHQLQVWHDGRIUHFLWLQJWKH&UHHGKHDVNV
us if we believe in God the Father almighty, if we believe in Jesus
Christ, if we believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the
communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the
ERG\DQGOLIHHYHUODVWLQJ7RHDFKRIWKLVZHDUHLQYLWHGWRVD\GR
2) It is a chance for conversion, to be made new again, to be conscious of
what we say we believe as children of God.
B. We have the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where God can make us new
again, after we have sinned against Him and our neighbor.
1) Every time we go to confession, we come one step closer to being
whole/holy/Christlike. Let us make a commitment to go to confession
often.
2) The Church says we should go to confession at least once a year. But
we Filipino Catholics like to go during the liturgical seasons of Advent
and Lent (on Good Friday, usually).
111
H-ope CONCLUSION
A. Christians believe in the forgiveness of sins. We are forgiven by Christ
through His Spirit working in the Church, as we celebrate the Sacrament of
Baptism.
B. This forgiveness is restored and renewed every time we confess in the
Sacrament of Reconciliation because of our sins.
C. As Christ continues to forgive us every time we sin, we are called as
followers of Christ to also forgive others who have hurt us. Forgiveness
presupposes love.
D. It is necessary to forgive if we want to maintain our unity with Christ and
unity with His Church.
Forgiveness activity, invite priests for a Penitential Service where they can go to
Suggested Creatives
confession after the session, to feel the love and forgiveness of God
Closing Prayer LEANING ON THE HEART OF GOD

I am leaning on the heart of God.
I am resting there in silence.
All the turmoil that exhausts me
Is brought to bear on this great love.
No resistance or complaint is heard

$V,OHDQXSRQ*RGVZHOFRPH
There is gladness for my coming.
There is comfort for my pain.
I lean, and lean, and lean

Upon this heart that hurts with me.
Strength lifts the weight of my distress.
Courage wraps around my troubles.
No miracle of instant recovery,

No taking away of lLIHVEXUGHQV
Yes, there is solace for my soul,
And refuge for my exiled tears.
It is enough for me to know the Heart of God is with me,

Full of mercy and compassion, tending to the wounds I bear.
-Joyce Rupp
112
Psalm 149
Psalm
RECONCILIATION EMBRACED
Held and Healed
Refrain: Praise the God who overcomes all divisions,

who bears the pain of our healing.
Blessed are those who refuse to take vengeance,

blessed are those who cause no harm,
blessed are those who break the cycles of slaughter,
blessed are those who bless and do not curse.
Blessed are those who resist the temptations of power,

who refuse to gather it to themselves.
Blessed are the little ones who find new courage
to claim and inhabit their own.
Blessed are those who seek to reconcile,

who themselves from a bridge for strange meetings.
Blessed are those who repent of their oppression,
blessed are the harmed who show them mercy.
%OHVVHGDUHWKRVHZKRDEVRUERWKHUVKXUWV
who refuse to give back in like manner.
Blessed are those who keep in touch with their enemies,
who refuse to let them go.
Blessed are the judges who wisely discern,

who help to put right what is wrong,
who bring together those who are estranged,
at no little cost to themselves.
Blessed are those who use the sword as a scalpel,

to be accurate and clear in their telling of truth,
who protect and probe but do not destroy,
whose wounds serve only to purify and p rune.
%OHVVHGLVWKH2QHZKREHDUVWKHZRUOGVSDLQ
who loves and endures to the end,
who holds to the heart a wincing world,
who surprises us with healing and hope.
In the reconciliation that is based on the repentance and mercy,

in the healing that has held and enfolded the pain,
in wonder and awe and love,
the Mystery that is the Source of our being
and the Goal of our longing,
(Source: Psalms for a Pilgrim People By: Jim Cotter)
113
A HYMN OF PRAISE
I will sing the mercies of God

manifested in my life,
For indeed God is forever faithful to me
and constantly present
in event pleasant and unpleasant.
I proclaim the fullness and the greatness of my God

For in my nothingness God has chosen me
filled me with love and mercy
I am blessed, God is great and holy.

For God is God forever.

We are blessed, God is great and holy!
114
Session 12
Article 11 & 12: The Resurrection
of the Body, and Life Everlasting.
Amen
Session 12:
Article 11 & 12 - THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY AND
LIFE EVERLASTING. AMEN.

(CCC, CFC)
Filipino Catholics are influenced

either by a growing secularism F Phil. 3, 20: He will give a new
form to this lowly body of ours
which doesnt believe in the and remake it according to the
afterlife, or in reincarnation pattern of his glorified body.
(as if we can keep coming back CCC Part 1, Sec. 2, Chap. 3; CFC
multiple times). Chap. 29
F
FAITH
A
ACTION
I
INTEGRATION
T
THANKSGIVING
H
HOPES
TOPIC
I AM CALLED TO AN
ETERNITY OF LOVE
WITH GOD - FATHER,
SON AND HOLY SPIRIT
God promises us eternal life and

the hope for a new heaven and
earth.
T I wonder if the afterlife, heaven
and hell are fairytales.
H
Session 12
I am called to an
eternity of Love with
God Father, Son and
Holy Spirit
ARTICLE 11 & 12: The resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. AMEN.
This last session discusses the eleventh and twelfth articles of Faith, including the
Overview of Session
last word, Amen. It concludes the 12-week l.CSC-Creed program. This last session
GLVFXVVHVWKHPHDQLQJRIWKHUHVXUUHFWLRQRIWKHERG\EDVHGRQ&KULVWVRZQ
resurrection. It presents death from the Christian perspective where death is not the
end of all human life but the end of this life and a movement to the next life. Eternal
life is communion with God which begins in this life, but ends in the afterlife, whether
in heaven, hell or purgatory. Rather than fear, the focus of these last two articles is
the love of God who consistently calls us to an eternity of love with Him, in
communion with all the saints.

Objectives
1) see death from a Christian perspective which proceeds to new life,
UHVXUUHFWLRQRIWKHERG\DVEDVHGRQ&KULVWVUHVXUUHFWLRQDQGHWHUQDOOLIHDV
communion with the Trinity forever;
2) synthesize what they have learned in the twelve weeks;
3) realize that their choices, thoughts and deeds have eternal consequences;
and
4) trust in the love of God who calls us to an eternity of love, praying for a
happy death for oneself and for those who have gone before us, especially
our loved ones.
John 6:40-41 This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and
Scriptural Text
believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day." Then
the Jews began to complain about him because he said, "I am the bread that came
down from heaven."
3KLO+HZLOOJLYHDQHZIRUP to this lowly body of ours and remake it
Christian Teaching
DFFRUGLQJWRWKHSDWWHUQRIKLVJORULILHGERG\CCC Part 1, Sec. 2, Chap. 3; CFC
Chap. 29
115

Guide for the
Inspirational Story
TALK PROPER ARTICLE 11 & 12: THE RESURRECTION OF THE
BODY, AND LIFE EVERLASTING. AMEN.
H-ope Conclusion
Suggested Creatives
Closing Prayer

Opening Song
Father of all, Your wisdom knows no bounds
Opening Prayer
And your care for us is colour-blind
Some high school students were decorating their school auditorium in preparation
Inspirational Story
for Christmas celebration. Since the Crucifix did not seem appropriate for the
season, they were thinking of removing it from the wall when one of their teachers, a
priest walked in7KHSULHVWXUJHGWKHPWRDOORZWKHFUXFLIL[WRUHPDLQ$IWHUDOOKH
H[SODLQHGWKDWLVZK\-HVXVZDVERUQ to die on the on the Cross, and rise again to
VKRZWRXVWKDWWKHUHLVDQHWHUQDOOLIH
He will give a new form to this lowly body of ours and remake it according to
TALK PROPER
the pattern of his glored body.(Phil. 3,20)
ARTICLE 11 & 12
The resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
Christian life is already a participation of our body & soul LQ&KULVWVGHDWK

F-aith
and Resurrection, through baptism. This dignity demands that we respect
our bodies & those of others. (1002, 1004)
There are two judgments: the particular judgment of each person
immediately when he dies, when the immortal soul receives its definitive
reward or punishment. Then at the end of time, the Last Judgment will take
place with all souls reunited with their glorified bodies. Then we will all know
116
the ultimate meaning of creation and all of salvation, and will see our part in
Then we will all know the LWIRUJRRGRULOODQGUHFHLYHWKHFRQVHTXHQFHVRIRXURZQOLIHVZRUN-
ultimate meaning of 41)
creation and all of After the Last Judgment, the righteous will reign forever with Christ, glorified
salvation, and will see our in body & soul. The universe itself will end & be renewed in a new creation, a
part in it, for good or ill, JUHDWP\VWHU\WKDW6FULSWXUHFDOOVDQHZKHDYHQDQGDQHZHDUWK7KLVLV
and receive the the full and definitive reign of the Kingdom of God in the heavenly
consequences of our own Jerusalem, where God will make his dwelling among men. (1042-44)
OLIHVZRUN Hell is real, a place of great suffering especially in that those in hell are
forever separated from God. Although God wants to save all men, he
created us with free will out of love, and allows us to reject him and choose
death instead of life. (1033-37)
Amen is a Hebrew word related to the word IRUEHOLHYH,WH[SUHVVHV
VROLGLW\WUXVWZRUWKLQHVVIDLWKIXOQHVV$PHQH[SUHVVHVERWK*RGV
faithfulness towards us and our trust in him. (1062)
7KXVWKH&UHHGVILQDO$PHQUHSHDWVDQGFRQILUPVLWVILUVWZRUGV,
EHOLHYH7REHOLHYHLVWRVD\$PHQWR*RGVZRUGVSURPLVHVDQG
FRPPDQGPHQWVWRHQWUXVWRQHVHOIFRPSOHWHO\WRKLPZKRLVWKH$PHQRI
LQILQLWHORYHDQGSHUIHFWIDLWKIXOQHVV7KH&KULVWLDQVHYHU\GD\OLIHZLOOWKHQEH
WKH$PHQWRWKH,EHOLHYHRIRXUEDSWLVPDOSURIHVVLRQRIIDLWK0D\\RXU
Creed be for you as a mirror. Look at yourself in it, to see if you believe
Amen is a Hebrew word HYHU\WKLQJ\RXVD\\RXEHOLHYH$QGUHMRLFHLQ\RXUIDLWKHDFKGD\
related to the word for JHVXV&KULVWKLPVHOILVWKH$PHQ+HLVWKHGHILQLWLYH$PHQRIWKH)DWKHUV
EHOLHYH,WH[SUHVVHV love for us. HHWDNHVXSDQGFRPSOHWHVRXU$PHQWRWKH)DWKHU)RUDOOWKH
solidity, trustworthiness, promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why we utter the Amen
IDLWKIXOQHVV$PHQ WKURXJKKLPWRWKHJORU\RI*RG
H[SUHVVHVERWK*RGV
faithfulness towards us INTRODUCTION
and our trust in him.
A. Forgiveness of sin leads in turn to the resurrection of the body and life
everlasting.
1) If we remain united with Christ and with the communion of saints, we will
choose to always forgive even as Christ has forgiven us through His
Church.
2) $QGWKLVNLQGRIORYHSUHVHQWLQ&KULVWV%RG\FDQQRWGLH7KH
relationships of love DPRQJ*RGVFKLOGUHQFDQQRWHQGLQGHDWK5DWKHU
it leads to union with God, body and soul in a life that lasts forever,
called eternal life.
B. Filipino Catholics are influenced either by a growing secularism which
GRHVQWEHOLHYe in the afterlife. They may no wonder if heaven and hell are
mere fairytales.
C. Some Filipino Catholics tend to believe the idea of reincarnation (as if we
can keep coming back multiple times) and do not see it as contradictory to
This kind of love present in
our being Christians.
&KULVWV%RG\FDQQRWGLH
D. These are inconsistent with the Christian understanding of what happens
The relationships of love
DIWHUGHDWK7KHODVWWZRDUWLFOHVRI)DLWKDUHWUDGLWLRQDOO\FDOOHGWKHODVW
DPRQJ*RGVFKLOGUHQ
WKLQJVDQGGHDOZLWKGHDWKODVWMXGJPHQWKHDYHQRUKHOODQG&KULVWV
cannot end in death.
second coming (CFC 2029).
117
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Our Faith tells us that it
This final pair of articles in the creed speaks of the complete fulfillment of our
ZDVQRW*RGVSODQIRUXV
salvation at the end of time. Christ will raise our dead bodies, changed into a spiritual
to die, but death is a
ERG\OLNH&KULVWVRZQJORULRXVERG\DIWHUKLV5HVXUUHFWLRQDQGUHXQLWHWKHPWRRXU
consequence/result of sin
immortal souls. God created man as a unity of body & soul, and that is how we will
live in eternity. (988-1001, 1052)
A. The Christian Meaning of Death

1) Our lives are measured by minutes and hours, days and years, where
we grow old, and realize our limited time on earth before our bodies turn
into dust and our spirits return to God, the Creator
2) (CCC 1007).
3) <HWRXU)DLWKWHOOVXVWKDWLWZDVQRW*RGVSODQIRUXVWRGLHEXWGHDWKLV
a consequence/result of sin (CCC 1008).
4) Christ becomes man and also dies Himself out of obedience to the
)DWKHUVZLOOWRGLHDQGVDYHXVDQGVRWUDQVIRUPVGHDWKIURPZKDWZDV
once a curse into a blessing. (CCC 1009) iesus conquers death and
because of Him, death gains a Christian meaning where through
%DSWLVPOLIHGRHVQWHQGDWGHDWKEXWRXU journey on earth ends (CCC
1010).
5) We die just once, and there is no reincarnation after it (CCC 1013).
Since we only live and die once, the Church urges us to prepare
RXUVHOYHVIRUWKHKRXURIGHDWKE\RXUHYHU\WKRXJKWDQGGHHGLQOLYHV
of love and holiness, because we do not know when death will come
LiIHGRHVQWHQGDWGHDWK
(CCC 1014).
but our journey on earth
B. Resurrection of the Body (Article 11)
ends
1) When God created us, He created us as body and spirit. Our bodies are
important to God. It is as persons, body and spirit (CFC 689) that we
relate with other human persons and with the world. And so, in the end,
God will unite our bodies and spirits once again, at the end of time.
2) )DLWKLQ*RGDV&UHDWRUDQGDV5HVXUUHFWRUJRWRJHWKHU%HIRUH
FUHDWLRQWKHUHZDVQRWKLQJ$IWHU+HUHWXUQVLQWKH6HFRQG&Rming, we
shall receive a transformed body which once existed but has been
destroyed by death. Both our bodies and creation shall be renewed (a
new heaven and a new earth).
3) Resurrection means new life in the Risen Christ born out of a real,
personal and living relationship with Him (CFC 2037 & 2039).
a. The resurrection of body means that the not only our soul (with our
PLQGRXUPHPRULHVRIERQGVUHODWLRQVKLSV&KULVWVIRUJLYHQHVDQG
love, etc.) will live on after death but even our bodies will come alive
again (CCC 990).
b. 6W3DXOVD\V,IWKHUHLVQRUHVXUUHFWLRQRIWKHGHDGWKHQQHLWKHU
has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then
HPSW\>WRROLVRXUSUHDFKLQJHPSW\WRR\RXUIDLWK&RU-
Both our bodies and
14) But of course, we believe precisely that Christ rose from the
creation shall be renewed
dead and so, we too will be raised from the dead by Christ, when He
(a new heaven and a new
comes back in glory.
earth).
c. 6W3DXOVD\VDJDLQ+HZLOOJLYHDQHZIRUPWRWKLVORZO\ERG\RI
RXUVDQGUHPDNHLWDFFRUGLQJWRWKHSDWWHUQRIKLVJORULILHGERG\
118
(Phil. 3,20)
We believe precisely that i. The Risen Lord was not a ghost. He was a glorious body that
Christ rose from the dead went beyond time and space, able to be when and how He
and so, we too will be wanted to be present, in several places at once, no longer
raised from the dead by restricted by this world (CCC 645).
Christ, when He comes ii. Our body will be like His, glorified, not limited by time and space,
back in glory. never to die again. A glorified body is an incorruptible one, one
WKDWZRQWURWRUJURZROGRQHWKDWZLOOEHUHXQLWHGZLWKRXUVRXO
(CCC 997).
4) Believing in the resurrection of the body means believing in God who is
God oIWKHOLYLQJQRWWKHGHDG,&&&)RU&KULVWSUHDFKHV,DP
WKH5HVXUUHFWLRQDQGWKHOLIHLQ:HZLOOULVHOLNH&KULVWULVH
with Him, rise through Him (CCC 995). Yet, this doctrine is one of the
most argued against and misunderstood (CCC 996).
a. We cannot know for sure what the details of this resurrection of our
body would mean, but in faith, we know we will not be disappointed.
We take on the promise of Christ with courage and confidence,
EHOLHYLQJWKDW:KDWH\HKDVQRWVHHQDQGHDUKDV not heard, and
what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for
WKRVHZKRORYHKLP&RU
b. It is the love of Christ that brings this trust, courage and confidence.
It is also our love for Christ that brings trust, courage and
confideQFH2QHGD\ZHVKDOOEHKROG*RGIDFHWRIDFHDQGLQ
God, hold each other, too, in a love so pure than we had ever known
:KDWH\HKDVQRWVHHQ DV&KULVWV%RG\RQWKLVHDUWK
and ear has not heard, and C. Life Everlasting (Article 12)
what has not entered the 1) When we die, the time to accept or reject Christ ends (CCC 1021).
human heart, what God a. We are judged in accordance to whether we lived our life for Christ
has prepared for those or not, whether we loved like Christ or not (CCC 1022). The
ZKRORYHKLP MXGJPHQWRI&KULVWLVQRWVRPHWKLQJPHUHO\LPSRVHGRQXVIURPWKH
RXWVLGHEXWDSHUVRQDOFKRLFHWRDFFHSWRUUHMHFW+LP&)&).
b. If we embraced Christ and His love, we enter into heaven either
LPPHGLDWHO\RUDIWHUSXULILFDWLRQDQGLIZHGLGQWZHUHFHLYH
everlasting separation from God, called hell (CCC 1022).
c. (WHUQDOOLIHPHDQVKHDYHQZKHUHDVKHOOLVHWHUQDOSXQLVKPHQW0W.
25,46)
2) Heaven is not a place as many Filipinos think, but a state of being with
God (CFC 2068). Hell, on the other hand, is a state of eternal separation
from God due to a conscious, intended rejection of His love (CFC 2071).
It is to be alone with only me, versus heaven which is to be all together
ZLWKWKHFRPPXQLRQRIVDLQWVWREHDOZD\VZH
3) Both Scripture and the Church have never said that any human person
has actually undergone eternal damnation/hell, but the Church affirms
that it exists (CFC 2070).
Eternal life means heaven, a. It is not God who brings people to this state, but people can damn
ZKHUHDVKHOOLVHWHUQDO themselves by rejecting the love of God (CFC 2070).
SXQLVKPHQW b. +DYHWKH\RUZLOOLWKDSSHQ":HGRQWNQRZ%XWWKHSRVVLELOLW\LV
there, so we are warned about the eternal consequences of freely
cKRRVLQJHYLODQGIUHHO\UHMHFWLQJ*RGVORYH
c. At the same time, as a communion of saints, we can pray that all
people will be finally saved.
119
4) PXUJDWRU\LVWKHVWDWHRIILQDOSXULILFDWLRQZKLFKWHOOVXVWKDWVDOYDWLRQ
At the same time, as a LVQWDERXWMXVWSDVVLQJWKHPDUNWRJet to heaven but that whatever is
communion of saints, we not pure must be made pure before one can join God in His holiness but
can pray that all people will whether this purification process happens at death or In another way is
be finally saved. not clearly known since none of us have ever died and come back to tell
about It(CFC 2072).
5) What remains clear is that there will be a particular judgment of each
one at death and a general judgment at the end of time when Jesus
comes in glory (His Second Coming). Only in that Second Coming will
the fullness of the resurrection of the body happen.
6) Just as heaven, hell and purgatory are not clearly understood by the
Filipino Catholic, neither is everlasting life.
a. Everlasting lifeis hard to understand because we have never
experienced anything everlasting, only things that do not last and are
temporary (CFC 2060).
b. Yet, the gospel of John speaks of it as a new life already begun in
our relationship with Christ (CFC 2039 & 2041). It will reach its
IXOILOOPHQWRQFHDQGIRUDOOLQ-HVXV6HFRQG&RPLQJ$QGWKHQWLPH
will be redeemed where time will be present, past and future in one,
FDOOHGWKHHWHUQDO12:ZKHUHWKHVHQVHRIWLPHLVQRWDVZHNQRZ
It at all (CFC 2061). It will be a world without end.
c. Yet, the life to come will not just be an endless number of days
ahead, not just a quantitative leap of life, but a qualitative one, too.
And then time will be 2XUOLIHZLOOWUXO\EHWUDQVIRUPHG:HZLOONQRZ*RGVJORU\OLNHQHYHU
redeemed where time will before.
be present, past and future d. The earth and heaven will be transformed when Christ comes again
iQRQHFDOOHGWKHHWHUQDO in glory. We will gain a new heaven and a new earth, where God will
12:ZKHUHWKHVHQVHRI dwell with us always and forever (CFC 207879).
time is not as we know It at 7) :KLOH6W3DXOVD\VWKHZDJHVRIVLQLVGHDWK5RPWKHZDJHV
all of grace is life! It is an eternal life with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
a. Life everlasting means the dance goes on, the love of GRGVRQ-
going conversation with us, the never-ending relationship. We can
only begin to imagine what it is like based on the space and time
images that we have known and experienced.
b. Yet, we know it will be happiness, something never boring, sinful,
lacking, incomplete or temporary. Some follow the cliche Idea of
heaven being us on clouds playing harps with the angels, but It must
be more than that.
c. Think of life with the One you love, but a million times better. It will
be happiness that means not only me and God but me and God and
all of us, tayo-WD\R)RU)LOLSLQRVKHDYHQZRQWEHKDSS\,ILWVMXVWD
few of us or some of us. We want everyone to be there, everyone to
be part of that great party in heaven.
d. So, eternal life is life in communion with the saints, gathered
together not just in spirit but in body and spirit.
8) (YHQQRZHWHUQDOOLIHKDVDOUHDG\EHJXQDVZHEHJLQWRHQMR\*RGV
Think of life with the One presence in our lives. At the same time, resurrection of the body has
you love, but a million also already begun because in Baptism, we die to our sin and rise with
times better. Christ as new creatures. And when we die, our spirits will live on, but
their union with our bodies will be completed when Christ returns a
second time.
120
9) 7REHOLHYHLQHWHUQDOOLIHLVUHDOO\WREHOLHYHLQ*RGWKURXJK&KULVWZKR
7REHOLHYHLQHWHUQDOOLIH IS the life (in. 14,6). Indeed, all the articles of the creed are really
is really to believe in God variations of the truth that Jesus is Lord. When we see the Lord, we will
through Christ who IS the be with Him now and forever.
life a. He will be with us to fill the deepest longings of our hearts, which
really is a longing for Him. In Him is the fullness of life, the truth, and
a love that will never end.
b. The New Testament books present heaven as a marriage feast that
never ends. There, we will meet family and friends once again. But
more than that, we will be one with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
c. ,QWKHOLWXUJ\ZHSUD\ZKDWZHEHOLHYH7KHVDGQHVVRIGHDWKJLYHV
way to the bright promise of immortality. Lord, for your faithful people
life is changed, not ended. When the body of our earthly dwelling lies
in death we gDLQDQHYHUODVWLQJGZHOOLQJSODFHLQKHDYHQ
d. In the life to come, there will be joined the finite with the Infinite, the
temporary and the eternal, the human and the divine.
10) We must admit that after all is said and done, what we know is that we
really donWNQRZDWDOOZKDWLVWRFRPHIRUVXUH:HUHO\JUHDWO\RQKRSH
and a history of consistent love from the God who loves us to pieces.
And so, we stand each and every Sunday, and say together in faith and
WUXVWDQGKRSH,EHOLHYH
D. AMEN
We stand each and every 1) At the end of the twelve articles of faith comes the Amen, a solemn act
Sunday, and say together of worship to God. It is a promise by a people to the God they worship
in faith and trust and hope: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It seals the pledge of solidarity to a God who
,EHOLHYH promised so much to us, and assures us of His faithfulness.
2) We say Amen, without ever completely understanding what we are
assenting to, but that is why it is a creed of faith. We claim to love, hope,
and trust in the God who loved us first.
3) Amen means reliability, integrity and truth. God can rely on us to believe,
to be morally upright, to believe. But even before we came to be, God
DOUHDG\VDLG+LVRZQ$0(1+HVDLG6REHLWWRWKHORYHWKDWFUHDWHG
us, the love that sustains us today, and to the love that will bring us as a
communion of saints Into the resurrection of the body and life
everlasting. This God of love will be enough.
4) In the last word of the Creed, all articles dissolve into one another. We
say Yes. We say Amen. We say we pledge ourselves once again to the
work of bringing others to believe with us. But this is only because the
God of the universe and of our lives has said Yes first.
Pledge of solidarity to a 5) We utter Amen, then, to the God who has put His seal on us, the God
God who promised so who has died for us, the God who has given us His Spirit. From the
much to us, and assures beginning to the end, to the Alpha and the Omega, the first word and the
us of His faithfulness. last, and all that goes in-between, we say in faith, Yes. AMEN.

A. First, because we believe in the resurrection of the body, we must treat our
bodies and those of every other person with respect (CCC 1004). Some may
think that only our spirits are important, but we know today that our bodies
121
are equally important because they are a part of us (embodied spirits) and
will be reunited with our spirits at the end of time.
B. Second, if we believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting,
then all our actions and thoughts do make a difference as to what future
eternity we will have. Our choices in this life have eternal consequences.
One day, we will die and our loving or unloving choices will determine our
future eternity.
C. Third, the resurrection of the body means new life and hope. When I share in
the sufferings of Christ, this sharing is not in vain. I make a difference. And
even those sufferings that cause much pain and hardship can be seen with
the hope that one day the sufferings, the despair, the hurts will end.
D. Fourth, we need not be afraid of the future because we are meant for an
eternity of love united with the Father, Son and Spirit, in communion with the
saints. This is our destiny, if we choose to accept &KULVWVORYH$QGWKLV
destiny has already begun. Eternal life has already begun. And still, the best
is yet to come. This is only the beginning. We may not know and understand
how, but we believe because we love and we love because we believe.
E. Finally, the last word is AMEN. It is an entrusting to God. It is letting God be
God. It is trusting in the Beloved One.

A. What insights did you gain today on any of the topics discussed: the
resurrection of the body, the Christian view of death, eternal life, heaven, hell
and purgatory, and Christian hope?
B. What topic discussed Is still not clear and that you wish to know more about?
C. How can you live out the last two articles of faith? How can you live out the
creed more today?
D. IKUWENTO MO: Think of at least TWO people you know (friends, family,
etc.) who you will invite to the next LCSC-Creed. What positive things on the
last 12 weeks do you plan to share with them so they will be encouraged to
attend?
E. PRAY IT! Pray each day this week, for the people you know and love who
have gone before us.

A. Between now and eternity, we strive towards a life of always choosing God
and saying yes to His love. We have confidence that we can ask the
communion of saints who are in heaven, to pray for us. We ask Mary to
LQWHUFHGHIRUXVDVZHVD\+RO\0DU\0RWKHURI*RGSUD\IRUXVVLQQHUV
now and at the hour of our death$0(1:HDOVRDVN6W-RVHSKWR
intercede for us, for a happy death (CCC 1014). And then we pray for those
who have died, that our faith may lead them to life everlasting.
122
B. These comforting words are shared with the dying Christian in the Viaticum,
to SUHSDUHKLPKHUIRUWKHMRXUQH\IURPGHDWKWRWKHQH[WOLIH7KH(XFKDULVW
LVJLYHQDVIRRGIRUWKHMRXUQH\WRSUHSDUHKLPKHUIRUWKHQH[WOLIH7KHQD
prayer is said for him/her by the Church, led by the priest:
Go forth, Christian soul, from this world

in the name of God the almighty Father, who created you, in the name of
Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God,who suffered for you, in the name of
the Holy Spirit who was poured out upon you.
Go forth, faithful Christian!
May you live in peace this day, may your home be with God in Zion, with
Mary, the virgin Mother of God, with Joseph, and all the angels and saints....
May you return to (your Creator) who formed you from the dust of the earth.
May holy Mary, the angels, and all the saints come to meet you as you go
forth from this life.... May you see your Redeemer face to face. (CCC 1020)
H-ope CONCLUSION
A. In this session, we talked about the resurrection of the body based on
&KULVWVRZQUHVXUUHFWLRQ:HWRRVKDOOULVHDJDLQO:HVDZGHDWKIURPthe
Christian perspective where death Is not the end of all human life but the end
of this life and a movement to eternal life.
B. Eternal life is communion with God which begins now but ends in the
afterlife, whether heaven, hell or purgatory.
C. These last two articles conclude the 12 articles of Faith as seen in the
$SRVWOHV&UHHG7KH\HQGZLWKD\HVD6REHLWODQDPHQ,WLVDODVWZRUG
of confidence and entrusting in the love of the God who first said yes to
loving us. It is a promise, a declaration of faith and a desire to stand by the
God we love. Let every Christian say, AMEN.
5HIOHFWLYHUHDGLQJRIWKH$SRVWOHV&UHHGDWWKHHQGRIWKHWDONDSHUVRQDOYHUVLRQRI
Suggested Creatives
WKH$SRVWOHV&UHHGLQWKHLURZQZRUGVVRPHJRRGE\HULWXDODQGFommitment to
attend the follow-up talks; recite the renewal of baptismal vows prayed on Easter
Sunday
Dear Jesus, help me to spread Your fragrance everywhere I go.

Closing Prayer
Flood my soul with Your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly

That all my life may only be a radiance of Yours.
Shine through me, and be so in me that every soul

I come in contact with may feel You presence in my soul.
Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus!
Stay with me, and then I shall begin to shine as You shine;
123
so to shine as to be light to others;

the light , O Jesus, will be all from You, none of it will be mine; it will be shining on
others through me
Let me thus praise You in the way You do love best,

by shining on those around me
Let me preach you without preaching,

Not by words but by my example, by the catching force,
The sympathetic influence of what I do;
The evident fullness of the love my heart bears to you. Amen.
%DVHGRQVRPHRI1HZPDQVLGHDVLQ0HGLWDWLRQVDQGGHYRWLRQV
Psalm 147
Psalm
PROMISES FULFILLED
City and Countryside
Refrain: Praise God whose Promise is fulfilled:

it gives us great joy to give thanks.
The earth itself is transformed,

the City of Peace is established:
creatures in their thousands leap for joy,
and the people dance in the streets.
The scattered outcasts greet one another,

kings and clowns tumble together,
the hobbling teach the dancers new steps,
the scars of the wounded shine.
The torn heal over with grass,

the gnarled trees put forth new shoots.
Ramblers and farmers take care of the land,
the scattered homesteads dwell in safety.
Protesters and politicians sit down together,

the clever sit at the feet of the wise.
The frantic are calmed by those in wheelchairs,
the sexually divers are welcomed in love.
The cattle are released from their pens,

the hens run free from their sheds.
The walls of the camps are demolished,
numbers are forgotten and names are restored.
No longer do we glory in the might of our arms,

taking pride in the weapons we polish.
No more is the tallest and biggest the best;
124
no more even thinks of trampling the weak.
Refrain: Praise God whose Promise is fulfilled:

it gives us great joy to give thanks.
Women and men bring their gifts to each other;

no longer are they driven to harm and abuse.
In eyes that speak truth they see each other,
and know how to touch in the sparkling of love.
Marvellous rarities are tasted by all,

bread that is wholesome is baked once again.
The water we drink springs clear from the hills,
the finest wines grace every table.
The skaters spiral on the frozen lakes,

the skiers exult on the mountain slopes,
the gliders swoop and soar through the skies,
the surfers ride the thunder of the waves.
Through the artists a world of bliss is unveiled,

through the poets fresh images of truth are revealed,
through the scientist what is hidden comes to the light,
through the lovers unfolds the joy of new life.
Restored, fulfilled, gathered together,

we know we belong to the universe.
In songs of harmony we embrace one another,
Transfigured in the presence of the one Who is All.
In the celebration that embraces the exile and outcast,

in the joy that sings of freedom at last,
in wonder and owe and love,
the Mystery that is the Source of our being
and the Goal of our belonging,

By: Jim Cotter)
125
TE DEUM
You are God: we praise you;

You are the Lord: we acclaim you;
You are the eternal God:
All creation worships you.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,

Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.

The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the church acclaims you:

creator-God, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,

the eternal Son of god.
When you become human to set us free

You overcome the sting of death,

We believe that you will come, and be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,

bought with the price of you own blood,
and bring us with your saints
to glory everlasting.
126
Have you ever imagined your life spent on just being loved
by someone who really cares for you so much?
I know of a God creature who did. And he taught me to do the same.
Spotty was not the most lovable dog we had in the farm. In fact, among our
dogs who are all Aspin (Asong Pinoy), he was the most ordinary looking one, all
the others are mestizo-Aspins. And talk about the most loving and gentle dogs,
Spotty was the least. He would be the first one to bark or start a fight with his
dog companions, and that happens mostly when I am around, when he did not
like anyone but him to get near me. On cleanliness, Spotty easily perspired,
becoming smelly even after a bath, as he also loved rolling on the ground
regardless of the dirt or mud. Whatever state of cleanliness he was in,
whenever he would see me, he would run and jump on me, as he was assured
that he would get big hugs, kisses and stroking, and if he was lucky, extra bones
for munching in between his regular meals. Whenever I was in the farm, I never
missed a day without visiting Spotty and his Aspin companions.
Spotty played a very important role in my life. His main duty was just to allow me to love him. I did not
understand why I was so fond of him, and he of me. I also love our other dogs, but I loved Spotty the most.
It was all worth it especially when one day, Spotty fell ill. All the other volunteers in the farm were around
him, keeping vigil, caring for him and praying that he get well. His regular veterinary doctor was on his side,
but after three days of struggle to live, Spotty gave in to kidney failure. No words can describe the sadness
that I and other friends of Spotty felt. We bid him farewell in tears, as we laid him to rest in what is now

Volunteer Community. I conlighting a candle at times to pray for the many
intentions people have asked me to pray for, especially in thanksgiving for the gift of life and love, and to pray
for those who have no one to love them. I continue to thank God for Spotty, as I also remain grateful for the
love that I was able to give to my beloved friend, for the privilege of loving him.
My experience with Spotty often role in my life was just to be my beloved,

could my role to God be just the same? God created me so
that He can love me. My role for God is to experience the
fullness of life that He gives. I know that the nature of my
existence to be
beloved is different from that of
Spotty, but the essence is the same: to be
.
Indeed, I was created by God to experience His love. If I was

able to love Spotty for what he was, why should I wonder
with the thought and feeling that God really loves me for
what I am? My little faith though cannot help but ask: Who
am I really to God, ? How have I been chosen and given the
grace to respond to my religious vocation? All this time, our Lord has been
loving me and empowering me to do things beyond my own capabilities. Needless
to say, that with the love I am continually given, I am also forgiven and can change
for the better.
Am I worthy of
My memories of Spotty seem to answer my question: be loved,

as you have loved me. God has a way of going down to my level so that I can
understand His love.
. I know that God

to live a life dedicated to you? I know all of us have this call, but how come you gave
A few years ago, I met some of my closest friends in high school who are now living in different States in
America. It was fun for us to recall those times when we made our dreams and ambitions. Then the question:
ow
as wives and mothers, and as career women. They are also good Christians. Although they are now
convinced (unlike before when they thought I was out of my mind) that I am in the right vocation, they still
want to know (as I, sometimes ,still do) - ou had all the chances to choose differe
I did not know how to respond but we
husband now, when you were being courted by a more handsome, more intelligent and more successful
former classmates before?
Love has its own mind and heart, and eye-lenses to see through events which others do not see and find it
hard to comprehend.
only those who let themselves be absorbed by it can have a
glimpse of its mystery.
Spotty helped me to firmly believe in two things: first, that I have been created to be loved by God, and
second, when God calls me, he enters into my world so that I can hear and respond to His call.
Could it be something similar when Jesus called the first disciples?
Jesus got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and
asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat
down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had
finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water
and let down your nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master,
we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if
you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done this,
they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to
break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come
and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they
began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at
Jesus' knees, saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful
man!" Luke 5:3-8
What did Jesus see in the first disciples? Did Jesus see the passion of
Peter and his companions to catch fish? Did Jesus feel the
disappointment of the group when they did not catch any, when it is their
craft and probably what they did best at that time?
What did Jesus want to show them? It seems that Jesus wanted them to
experience the joy of catching fish not only from their own effort or
expertise, but also from

something that Jesus chose not to have power over. It was the free will of
Peter and his companions. The bigger grace was the obedience of Peter
to cast their nets again. Their belief in Jesus made them obey -- not
without doubts - big catch.
It must have been so overwhelming that Peter exclaimed, "Go away from
me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" .

nd forgiveness poured out on me, and instead of saying,
rather put up the defense of running away, or taking it all upon myself until I got
proud and bungled things up in the end? How often did I make my being human an excuse to justify my
faults?
Yet, our Lord knows how to cut through my own defenses, doubts and fears.
Jesus knew the things that I am passionate about and made ways to cultivate them. I have a deep desire to
discover how love can be expressed in so many different ways that can develop and nourish others. And I
want the experience duplicated in their own context. When I was my
my heart followed
through Jesus who called me, and made me exclaimed,

However, as I live on y is willing to

do so
context of the call of Jesus for us to follow him, sometimes having no catch can also mean having more in the
sense that when there is no tangible proof of a
es
Disc

but we can only make a choice for it if we allow God to love us all the way.
I then continue to examine myself: How do I allow God to love me everyday? Does my capacity, resilience and
obedience to Jesus increase in my day to day life?
Like Peter, do I let my passion for Jesus come out freely, and let my skills be honed and sharpened for the
mission? Have I become more courageous in expressing my love and care for others? Do I ask the question
in person
To some extent, my answer to the above questions is, yes, I doy that
goes with freeing experiences, I know that I still have the tendency to go back to the boat where Peter first
met Jesus.
Am I the same person that I was when I first met Jesus? After
Peter and his companions decided to follow Jesus, did they stay
on the same boat and remained the same persons?
Peter and the others have their own salvation story. Do I have
my own, then? Have I not been loved unconditionally by Jesus,
making me fruitful, in spite of my failures, despite my sinfulness,
in spite of who I am?
My being proclaims, , for you have

been with me, loving me all the way.
And lo and behold!, I am not getting on the same boat, and I have grown! The love of Jesus, my Lord, who
died and rose from the dead for me, has made me a better person for God. The Holy Spirit is with me to
care and nourish, to heal and guide. .
A post-resurrection event narrates that Jesus met again with Peter and his companions. Then they were
asked to do the same thing, . The call is the same, only this time, we have come to
believe more in Jesus. He is also now offering more opportunities, giving us more chances to grow in love,
deepen our faith, as we
Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will
go with you." They went out and got into the boat, but that night they
caught nothing. Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the
disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children,
you have no fish, have you?" They answered him, "No." He said to them,
"Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they
cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so
many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!"
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for
he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in
the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land,
only about a hundred yards1 off. When they had gone ashore, they saw a
charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring
some of the fish that you have just caught." So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net
ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net
was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared to
ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and
gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. John 21:3-13
Our hearts are full, YES, LORD, I BELIEVE!
The YEAR OF FAITH is another opportunity for renewal of our faith in God. Jesus is calling us to allow
ourselves to take more seriously our faith in God. That is, to allow God to love us, in his own way, in his
time, though in our own context and reality.
We cast our nets the grace to obey. We can choose to obey, and be able to say,

I am joining Peter again. I will get on his boat and continue
casting nets with him and the other disciples. I have no
doubts this time. I am no longer hesitant.
As I reflect back on Spotty, whose greatest gift to me, his

best friend, was the joy of loving him, I cannot help but

If, as a human being, I can
love Spotty so much, as I do with the human beings whom
God has given to me, and love them even more than I loved
Spotty, how much more is God for me? Surely, there
can be no greater love than that.
I cannot fully fathom the depths

my
imagination is so limited to grasp its totality.
That is why we celebrate the YEAR of FAITH. We are all invited to contemplate, live out and
celebrate, once again --- the depths, the heights and broadness
each one of us.
As I recall t moments with me and with the volunteers in the farm, I cannot help but believe in
the power of love that even animals can understand. Spotty died on my lap, his face sweet and peaceful
when he breathed his last. But before he died, he looked at me with his soulful eyes, as if saying: Thank you
for loving me. Yes, I believe, you love me!

LOVE US!
YES, LORD, I BELIEVE !
(Written for the , Year of Faith Formation Program, ECCCE, by Lydia M. Collado, RSCJ,
)
(ANIMATION STEPS)
(SWAYING FROM LEFT TO RIGHT)
1.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER? YES, LORD, I BELIEVE!
WHO MADE THE EARTH AND ALL WE SEE. YES, LORD, I BELIEVE!
DO YOU BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST. YES, LORD, I BELIEVE!
GODS ONLY SON, BORN OF MARY. YES, LORD, I BELIEVE!
REFRAIN:
I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER. I BELIEVE IN GOD THE SON.

I BELIEVE IN THE SPIRIT, AND THE STRENGTH THAT MAKES US ONE.
I BELIEVE THAT MOTHER MARY SITS WITH JESUS AT GODS HAND.
I BELIEVE, I DO BELIEVE!
2.
DO YOU BELIEVE THAT JESUS DIED? YES, LORD, I BELIEVE!
HE DIED FOR US, SO WE COULD LIVE. YES, LORD, I BELIEVE!
DO YOU BELIEVE, HE ROSE AGAIN? YES, LORD, I BELIEVE!

HES SEATED NOW AT GODS RIGHT HAND. YES, LORD, I BELIEVE!
REPEAT REFRAIN:
3.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN GODS GREAT CHURCH? YES, LORD, I BELIEVE!
AND ALL THE SAINTS WHO WALKED WITH GOD. YES, LORD, I BELIEVE!
DO YOU BELIEVE IN GODS FORGIVENESS? YES, LORD, I BELIEVE!
THAT WE WILL RISE TO LIFE AGAIN? YES, LORD, I BELIEVE!

REPEAT REFRAIN:
4.
THIS IS OUR FAITH WHICH WE PROFESS. YES, LORD, I BELIEVE!

Animation Steps by Retreat and Recollection (R&R) Participants led by Ms. Rica Lavilla. Illustration by Julito Domingo, Jr.
R&R Participants from the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan,
Baguio, Cebu, Tacloban and Northern Samar with
MOST REV. EMMANUEL C. TRANCE, D.D.
Bishop of Catarman
LAUNCHING OF THE YEAR OF FAITH FORMATION MODULE

RETREAT AND RECOLLECTION (R&R) GIVING - TRAINING SEMINAR
Religious of the Sacred Heart (RSCJ) -
Sacred Heart Institute for Transformative Education (SHIFT) Foundation
Sophies Farm, Brgy. Doa Lucia, Mondragon, Northern Samar, Philippines
APRIL 26 - MAY 1, 2013
Second Edition, 25 May 2013
FAITH, Yes, Lord, I Believe! is a Year of Faith (2012-2013) Formation Program of the
Episcopal Commission on Cathecesis and Catholic Education (ECCCE) of the Catholic
Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
This formation program was adapted from the Live Christ, Share Christ - Called to Be
Catholic program by the Office on Promoting the New Evangelization (OPNE) - Catholic
Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
The cover image and other icons/images found in the different modules were mostly
taken from the powerpoint presentations of Rev. Fr. Paolo O. Pirlo, SHMI, who published
a book under the Sons of the Holy Mary Immaculate (SHMI) Quality Catholic Publications
(QCP) entitled The Aposltes Creed.
FAITH Framework/Module Design by Lydia M. Collado, RSCJ.

Layout & Design by Syd Baradi.
***
Please contact:
Msgr. Gerardo Santos

Executive Secretary
EPISCOPAL COMMISSION ON CATECHESIS AND CATHOLIC EDUCATION (ECCCE)
CBCP Building
470 General Luna Street
Intramuros, 1002 Manila
Email: eccce@cbcpworld.com
Telephone: (+ 63) 2 - 527-4161 or 527-5417
or
Sr. Lydia M. Collado, RSCJ or Mr. Isidoro Baradi IV

RSCJ- Sacred Heart Institute for Transformative Education (SHIFT) Foundation
Brgy. Dona Lucia, Mondragon, Northern Samar, Philippines
Emails: lydiamcolladorscj@gmail.com
syd4th@gmail.com
Mobile: (+ 63) 918-918-1253 or (+ 63) 929-112-9505

Philippines

2013 Yes Lord I Believe

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2013 Yes Lord I Believe

Enviado por

Direitos autorais:

Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (cbcp)

EPISCOPAL COMMISSION ON CATECHESIS

Second Edition, 25 May 2013

FAITH, Yes, Lord, I Believe! is a Year of Faith (2012-2013) Formation

FAITH Framework/Module Design by Lydia M. Collado, RSCJ.

Dear Fellow Pilgrims in the Year of Faith,

Peace be with you!

God bless us all.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

+ Socrates Villegas, D.D.

The first tree became just a feedbox for animals.

They became sad for they didnt reach their dreams.

As years passed by, a traveler boarded a little boatthe

One Friday morning, the third tree a beamwas

ABOUT THIS FORMATION PROGRAM

SESSION 1: Where Do We Stand?

SESSION 2: I Believe in the God Who Loves Me

SESSION 3: I Believe in Jesus our Lord

SESSION 4: God Gets Up Close and Personal

SESSION 5: I Stand at the Foot of the Cross

SESSION 6: I Stand By the Risen Lord

SESSION 7: God Reigns

SESSION 8: I Wait for Jesus, My Lord, to Return

SESSION 9: The Holy Spirit Gives Me Life

SESSION 10: We are committed to Christ by being committed to one another

SESSION 11: I am Loved and Forgiven

YES, LORD, I BELIEVE

I INTEGRATION. How can I find the movements of God in my actions Reflection on

II. NATURE OF THE PROGRAM

(1) knowing the Truth (What Can We Know?),

III. OBJECTIVES OF THE LCSC-CREED:

The LCSC-Creed desires that its participants:

IV. DYNAMICS PER TALK

The flow of each talk will be as follows:

Do you believe in Jesus Christ? That we will rise to life again?

Gods only Son born of Mary I believe in God the Father.

Do you believe that Jesus died? I believe in God the Father.

I believe in God the Father.

Do you believe in Gods great church

ONE KEY PROBLEM SCRIPTURAL & CHURCH TEACHING BASES

Creed recited mechanically

Knowing what I believe in

1) understand the significance of the Apostles Creed in Catholic tradition,

Basic Concepts and Content

Guide for the Opening Song Yes, Lord, I Believe

Opening Song YES, LORD, I BELIEVE John Burland

Inspirational Story FATHER'S LOVE LETTER

You were not a mistake,

I knit you together in your mothers womb. Psalm 139:13

I am not distant and angry,

For I am the perfect father. Matthew 5:48

My thoughts toward you are countless

I desire to establish you

I am able to do more for you

When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. Psalm 34:18

I am your Father, and I love you

My Son Jesus died

Come home and Ill throw the biggest party

I have always been Father,

Will you be my child? John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you. Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Dad

TALK PROPER It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone

1) Probable answers for most Filipino Catholics:

a. Because their parents are Catholic and they grew up in a Catholic

2) Ask yourself the question Why am I a Catholic?

C. Why The Apostles Creed?