Archives for February 2012

Perspective on 3-in-1: The Holy Trinity by Mike Nuzzo

If asked, could you coherently describe the Holy Trinity to someone?  The Holy Trinity is a simple, yet powerful, part of our faith that is misunderstood by many people (including myself until recently).   The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls it “the central mystery of Christian faith and life”, yet it is so often glossed over, and we are left with “blind faith” alone, or just confusion.  Even the Nicene Creed glosses over the Oneness of God.

The Trinity is as follows: God is one in nature and substance,  yet appears in three distinct persons to us: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

I believe it is in our human nature to instinctively reject things that we cannot prove or visualize.  To go beyond our human nature and expand our spirit and faith,  we must disconnect from the limitations of our imagination.   We can understand and visualize each “person”: God as our creator, Jesus as the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit as the Love of both the Father and the Son.  But once we try to see the three persons as One, we go beyond the capability of our imagination, and we must let go a little.  We must now use our intellect to understand.  Our intellect focus on what is possible, or impossible,  without the limitation of having to visualize it.  With rational thought, and the knowledge of our faith, we can begin along the path of understanding.

The differentiation between intellect and imagination is what really got me while reading “Theology and Sanity” by Frank Sheed.  I always thought I had a great imagination, and was proud of being able to visualize issues & concepts.  I never thought that it could be a limiting trait when exploring ideas at the edge of our understanding.  Now that I am aware, I am (sometimes) able to stop my imagination when it gets in the way.

Why do we have such trouble believing God can be so much more than human? Perhaps this is because of our inability to grasp the full concept of God, and thus this is one of the key mysteries of our faith.  Pray today about this concept, and when your imagination starts flashing pictures, stop, backup, and  meditate on an intellectual journey to come closer to God.

A Roadmap for Catholics: Intro to catechism by Fr. Bob Weighner

Now and then a parishioner will ask me some question regarding the faith.  Sometimes, I just answer them, but often I will refer them to the Catechism of the Catholic Church(CCC).  What is a catechism?  The online etymological dictionary tells us that it means “instruction in Christian principles,” from Latin, catechismus “book of instruction,” and from Greek, katekhizein, “to teach orally”.  Some of us old-timers remember the Baltimore Catechism, which was a simplified question-and-answer form.  Throughout the centuries, many catechisms have been written.  Major catechisms were written for the clergy, theologians and Church leaders, as an aid to their work, and the minor catechisms were written for the lay faithful.

Pope John Paul II commissioned new catechism in 1986

 

 

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) chaired commission

 

In our modern age, a new catechism was commissioned by Pope John Paul II in 1986.  Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) chaired that commission, and completed the work in 1992.  This is a comprehensive work, a universal Catechism, which is envisioned as a “reference text” for use by bishops, priests, catechists, and the lay faithful.  It is a great treasure for the Church today.  Pope John Paul II considered the Catechism to flow from the work of the Second Vatican Council, whose overarching goal was to make the faith more accessible to modern man.  He was convinced that, without proper tools, such as an up-to-date Catechism, it is not easy to teach our faith.

The 4-Legged Table of our Catholic Faith

The Catechism is meant to address the whole range and experience of the Catholic
faith.  To accomplish this, it is divided into four main parts – a 4-legged table, so to speak: faith, liturgy, morality and prayer.  Each of these sections is viewed through a particular inheritance of the faith:

Part I:  What we Believe – studies the Apostles
Creed/Nicene Creed as a synthesis of Catholic teaching.

Part II: How we Celebrate – studies the sacramental and liturgical life of the Church.

Part III: How we Live – the study of Christian morality through the life of Christ and
the Ten Commandments

Part IV: How we Pray – examines the “perfect prayer” given us by Jesus:  the Our Father.

This is a comprehensive approach to the faith, and a fitting way to organize our blogging
page.  Through these pages, we hope to clarify what the Church believes, deepen our appreciation for the liturgy and sacraments, address moral issues in the faith, and lastly, learn better how to speak with our Lord.

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