Tag: Explanation Station

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August Explanation Station – St. John Nepomucene Adult Faith Formation

August Explanation Station – St. John Nepomucene Adult Faith Formation

Why is the Catholic Church known as Apostolic?

An unbroken chain of succession characterizes the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Christ commissioned the Twelve Apostles, and each one of them in turn commissioned bishops, who in turn ordained other bishops and priests. So every priest and bishop alive today, including the pope and the patriarchs of the Eastern Churches, has a lineage that traces directly back to the Apostles. It is why the Church is known as an “Apostolic Church.”

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July Explanation Station – St. John Nepomucene Adult Faith Formation

July Explanation Station – St. John Nepomucene Adult Faith Formation

The ONLY Christian church in existence for the first 1,000 years of Christian history was the Roman Catholic Church. All other Christian churches which exist today can trace their lineage back to the Roman Catholic Church. Most non-Catholic churches which exist today are less than a century or two old by comparison.

Source: Catholiconline.com

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June Explanation Station – St. John Nepomucene Adult Faith Formation

June Explanation Station – St. John Nepomucene Adult Faith Formation

The word “Catholic” was first used by Ignatius of Antioch around the year A.D. 110. It is from the Greek word katholikos, which means “toward the whole.” Ignatius was suggesting that the Church is a gift offered by Christ to all people. The Catholic Church is the largest single denomination in Christianity. It was the church that added modern-day chapters and verses to the Bible.

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May Explanation Station – St. John Nepomucene Adult Faith Formation

May Explanation Station – St. John Nepomucene Adult Faith Formation

With the arrival of spring, it seems timely to address the beauty of the Catholic Church. Beauty is the single aspect of God which can be expressed physically within the earthly realm. It is critical to the setting of the holy Mass. God is present at the Mass, in the Eucharist. The church stands as the dwelling place of the Lord on Earth and reflects the Church dwelling in Heaven.

Beauty is not merely man’s arrogance or a waste of resources which could be directed to the poor. Beautiful settings,  artwork,  music and liturgy are appropriate and necessary aspects of God’s everlasting mystical presence before mankind. Please take time to prayerfully absorb the beauty of every church you enter as you contemplate what Heaven might be like. 

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March Explanation Station – St. John Nepomucene Adult Faith Formation

March Explanation Station – St. John Nepomucene Adult Faith Formation

What is a good Bible for Catholics?

The New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition (NRSV-CE) is a Bible translation approved for use by the Catholic Church, receiving the imprimatur (an official license to print a religious book) of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The imprimatur is located on the back of the title page. An imprimatur indicates that the Bible is free of errors in Catholic doctrine.

A Catholic edition will include the Church’s complete list of sacred books along with introductions and notes for understanding the text. Catholic Bibles have seven more books than Protestant Bibles.

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February Explanation Station – St. John Nepomucene Adult Faith Formation

February Explanation Station – St. John Nepomucene Adult Faith Formation

Why do we praise God?  Imagine never being taught to say thank you. We would never be truly appreciative of anything we receive in life because we would simply expect it to be done.

The priest, in the introduction to the Eucharistic Prayers, says, “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God!”  We respond, “It is right and just!”

We give praise because it is right to praise God’s goodness. God could easily be less merciful and still be perfectly just. The praise we give to God is partly our just duty but also keeps us mindful of His goodness and love. Let us shout out often during each day: “Lord, I thank you and I praise you!”  Let us remember to do it especially when things are not going well.

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January Explanation Station from Adult Faith Formation Committee

January Explanation Station from Adult Faith Formation Committee

WHY CONFESSION?

If God knows everything, why can’t we just tell him we’re sorry when we do something wrong?  There is a big difference between God “knowing” what we did and his ACT of forgiveness.

For true reconciliation to take place, God wants us to actually say the words, that we are truly sorry, and then to hear the words, spoken by the priest, that we are forgiven. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he gave his divine power of forgiveness to his first priests, the apostles. They, in turn, passed that power to others throughout the centuries.

Therefore,  when a priest says, “I absolve you of your sins,” we must hear Jesus Himself, as the human face of God, saying those same words to us. We, as Catholics, are blessed to have this powerful sacrament in our lives. 

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July Explanation Station from St. John Adult Faith Formation

July Explanation Station from St. John Adult Faith Formation

Our Amazing Catholic Faith

Catholics are prone to accept dogma, doctrines, and Tradition not because we understand them but out of habit ingrained in us as children. We became familiar with the phrases we learned and, since we were raised in the faith, we accepted the Church’s teaching at face value. As we mature, we hopefully want to learn more about the beauty of Catholicism.

Ongoing study of our Catholic faith helps us become informed and able to confidently converse with others, something many of us don’t often feel qualified to do. Study helps us become familiar with Scripture, history, theology and philosophy. We grow to understand our Catholic roots, and our culture comes alive.

We will be challenged, but the process will also strengthen us. By studying just a little every day, we will be amazed at the wonders God places before us!

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June Explanation Station from St. John Adult Faith Formation

June Explanation Station from St. John Adult Faith Formation

Pope Francis, in his Pentecost Sunday homily, provided  powerful examples of how to recognize the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

“The Holy Spirit will never tell you that on your journey everything is going just fine.  No, he corrects you; he makes you weep for your sins; he pushes you to change, to fight against your lies and deceptions, even when that calls for hard work, interior struggle and sacrifice.

The evil spirit pushes you to always do what you think and what you find pleasing. He makes you think that you have the right to use your freedom any way you want. Then, once you are left feeling empty inside – it is bad, this feeling of emptiness inside, many of us have felt it – and when you are left feeling empty inside, he blames you, becomes the accuser, and throws you down, destroys you.”

Let us keep these words in our hearts and minds as we continue to make important choices in our daily lives. Come, Holy Spirit! Fill us with joy and peace.

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May Explanation Station from St. John Adult Faith Formation

May Explanation Station from St. John Adult Faith Formation

Preparing hearts for the Ascension of the Lord

Ascension is a time to teach our children that by living the faith, the day will come when “we all shall be taken up in clouds to meet Christ and to be with our Lord forever.” As joint heirs of heaven, we must keep before their eyes and ours the fact that this was the reason for our creation. We must also stress the words of Christ, our Brother, words of consolation for us at His Ascension: “I go to prepare a place for YOU.”

Our prayers for Ascension Sunday (May 29th) must indicate triumph, because Jesus has accomplished the world’s redemption. They must also express the joy with which the angelic choirs are preparing to lead Him to His throne and to adore Him. “Lift up your gates, oh ye princes, and the King of glory shall enter in.”

Source: www.catholicculture.org