In the past we have looked at summarizing the faith
so as to see the big picture. We as Catholics should be able to present the
faith to someone if asked, especially if we have children we need to be
constantly living the faith but explicitly teaching the faith to them as well. We can summarize our faith for someone but then back that up with the Bible
as well.
I would
say this - we are made for a relationship with God, but because we offend him
with sin this relationship is severely damaged. So God the Father sent his Son
to repair that relationship through His suffering, death, resurrection, and
ascension into heaven, from where he gives us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit
is received by those who believe in the work of the Son of God and are
baptized. Now that we have received the Holy Spirit through baptism, we can now
live a new life in fellowship with the Father which is maintained by the
sacraments and prayer.
How does the Bible present all of this?
If we
know our Bible History, we know that on Ascension Thursday right before Jesus
was taken from the apostles it says this:
Acts 1:4-5 And while staying with
them he [Jesus] charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the
promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me, for John baptized with water,
but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
So the apostles are to wait for the promised Holy Spirit
by whom they will be baptized.
Acts 2 says this (and I am paraphrasing) - Nine days
later the Holy Spirit arrives and transforms these frightened fishermen into
fearless witnesses for Christ. Those who hear them preaching think they are
drunk but Peter says - We are not drunk but have received that promised Holy
Spirit, spoken of by the prophets. Jesus was the Christ which was proven over
and over by miracles and you all had him killed. But God has risen him up and
he now sits at the right hand of the Father from where he has poured out on us
the Spirit which was promised.
This part that you just told us corresponds to the
Creed. We say this is what God has done in the past. Now how do we get in touch
with that thing that happened in the past today?
The first
step is to believe the message. Do I believe that what Jesus did back then was
for my benefit? Now some people say – Yes I do believe, and they think right
there and then they are saved. This is not the case. If an emergency worker
knocked on your door and said there is a tornado headed this way and I can take
you to safety, and I said – I believe you can take me to safety. I still have
to follow the emergency worker to actually be saved. The same thing is true
with Jesus, and we see it happen in the church in Acts 2.
Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the
heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what
shall we do?"
Now that
they believe in the work and person of Christ, it is then applied through
Baptism, just as Jesus said:
Acts 2:38, 39 And Peter said to them, "Repent, and be
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of
your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For
the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every
one whom the Lord our God calls to him
So I believe in the work of Christ which
corresponds to the Creed in the Catechism, and I now receive the Holy Spirit
through the Sacraments…this is so we can walk in newness of life, or as the
Catechism calls it – Life in Christ.
Amen to
that, listen to St. Paul
Romans 6:3-4 Do
you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into his death? We
were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was
raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness
of life.
So the reason we receive the sacraments which communicate God’s
very life to us, (such as baptism) is so that we might walk in a new life, a
life in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:1, 2, 16-25 For
freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again
to a yoke of slavery. …But I say, walk by the
Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the
desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are
against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from
doing what you would. … Now the works of the flesh are
plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery,
enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before,
that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no
law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the
flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit,
let us also walk by the Spirit.
Finally this new relationship with God
is maintained by prayer.
Jude 1:20 But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most
holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit;
1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing
Philippians 4:6-8 Have no anxiety about
anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, … will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus. Finally, brethren,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there
is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
So we
see that even in the Bible, this outline which the Catechism presents to us is
present, and is summarized in
Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles'
teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
