Chapter Ten

The Fullness of Christian Life

Role Model
Every persons vocation exists in the present tense
Gods grace to share in the intimacy of his life in the
Trinity is given at Baptism
The vocation to eternity is now
It must take precedence over any other desires or wishes you
have for your life

Role Model
Mary of Nazareth is the role model for the type of living
She was an unmarried pregnant teen
She risked being shunned by her betrothed, Joseph, her family,
and townspeople
But she did not waver in her acceptance of Gods will for her
life

The effect of Marys openness to Gods grace was that

Jesus was born

Role Model
It is the promises and rewards of
Heaven that keep us focused on this
ultimate vocation

Your Vocation Now

Through Baptism every one of us is included in the laity
Laity is a membership of all the faithful except those in Holy
Orders or in a consecrated religious community approved by
the Church

How do laity live their vocation?

1As individuals
2Through an organized apostolate
The intention is to influence institutions, the social
conditions, and general mentality of secular society

Priestly Office of Christ

The priestly mission of Christ was to offer himself in a
perfect sacrifice through Death on a cross
Lay people participate in priestly mission by:
Bearing and offering work, prayer, service, and hardships in the
name of the Holy Spirit to God the Father through Jesus Christ
Accepting hardships and suffering and offer them to God as a
way to participate in the suffering of Christ

Prophetic Office of Christ

Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God by his life and
words
The laity can do this through participation in family and
social life
They can acquire a deeper knowledge of their faith and fuller
possession of the gift of wisdom

Evangelization: bringing the good news of Jesus to others

Kingly Office of Christ

By accepting death on the cross, Christ lived out his
mission to be servant of all
Lay people can work on behalf of Christs kingdom by
helping to improve secular institutions and conditions that
could be an occasion for sinfulness
Protesting companies that
underpay workers
Petition against
corporations that violate
environmental standards

Seeking Perfection
Jesus demands of us: be perfect, just as your heavenly
Father is perfect (Mt 5:48)
One way to seek perfection is through the practice of
virtues
Four cardinal virtues:
Prudence
Courage
Temperance
Justice

Seeking Perfection
Prudence
Common sense and wisdom
Keeps a person moving forward while making good and
moral decisions

Justice
Deals with fairness
Recognizes the rights of others and considers how a persons
own personal interests fit with the rest of society

Seeking Perfection
Fortitude
Another word for courage
Strengthens a person to avoid moral temptations

Helps a person live by Christian values

Temperance
Moderates a persons attractions to pleasures and helps
balance the way we use created goods
Helps temper the desire for pleasures like food,
alcohol, drugs, and sex

Perfection by Way of the Cross

If God causes you to suffer much, it is a sign that he has
great designs for you
- Saint Ignatius Loyola

Our lives are patterned on the Paschal Mystery

and it is in the Eucharist that we celebrate the
Paschal Mystery by which we are saved
Our lifetimes are a series of little deaths and
little resurrections that prepare us for our eventual
physical death and rising to perfection of eternal life

The way to perfection, like the cross,

is not a straight path. There are many
questions, disappointments, and pains
along the way. The help of Gods
grace helps us to persevere.

Life Everlasting
Preparing for a good death is an exercise in faith
In Baptism, we have already died with Christ and
our eventual physical deaths complete our
incorporation into His act of redemption
At the time of death, each person receives a
judgment from God about whether we should go to
Purgatory, Heaven, or Hell (particular judgment)
If we live a good life where our actions are
rooted in love of God and others, we have
nothing to fear about this judgment

A general, Last Judgment, will take place at the

end of time
Gods saving plan will be clear to everyone who
has ever lived
In heaven, time and space have no effect on us
We will be reunited with family and friends
who have died before us in Gods grace and
friendship
Heaven is our goal during this life
Our time on earth is only the beginning. Its just the start!

Vocabulary
Evangelization
Virtues
Mortifications
Particular judgment
Purgatory
Last Judgment