The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism Lesson 17 Honoring the Saints, Relics, and Images

The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism

Lesson 17

Honoring the Saints, Relics, and Images

Jesus and the Apostles honored Moses and Elijah, two saints who had lived before them.

We read in the Holy Bible:

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        About eight days after he said this, he took Peter, John, and James and went up the         mountain to pray.

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        While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became    dazzling white.

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        And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,

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        who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.

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        Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.

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        As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." But he did not know what he was saying.

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        While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.

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        Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my chosen Son; listen to him."

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        After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen.

                                                                            Explanation

Moses and Elijah, friends of God

            Moses and Elijah lived on earth long before God sent His Son to save us from sin. They lived good lives. They were Gods friends Our Lord talked with them on the mountain. The disciples Peter, James and John saw it all. They were amazed. Our Lord appeared in all His Glory. And Moses and Elijah appeared in all there Glory as saints, or special friends of God.

The saints are God’s friends

             The saints were once people on earth like us. They knew the joys and the sufferings of earth. But they never forgot God. They loved Him and they tried always to do His will. Often this was very difficult, but they never hesitated. They knew the road to heaven and they stayed on it.

We honor God’s friends

            God wants us to honor His friends. He wants us to pray to them and to imitate there holy lives.

            Many of our Churches, schools and other buildings are named after saints. Statues and paintings of them are placed in these buildings. The stained glass windows of many Churches show scenes from the lives of God’s saints. And we often carry about us holy pictures. We have them in our prayer books we set them up at home.

            Let us pray often to the saints of God and try to be close to God, as they were. Let us honor and respect there images and there relics. Relics of saints are part of there body, or of their clothing, or some object, preserved and honored by the Church.

Practice: Imitate the saints, not always there outward actions, but the love of God and other virtue in there hearts.

CATECHISM

94. Does the first commandment forbid us to honor the saints in heaven?

            The first commandment does not forbid us to honor the saints in heaven, as long as we do not give them the honor that belongs to God alone.

95. When we pray to the saints what do we ask them to do?

            When we pray to the saints we ask them to offer their prayers to God for us.

96. Do we pray to the crucifix or to the images of Christ and of the saints?

We do not pray to the crucifix or the images of Christ and of the saints, but to the persons of whom they remind us.

Discussion Questions

1.                              Who are the saints?

2.                              Where are they now?

3.                              In what ways do we honor them?

True or False

1.                              The saints can help us.

2.                              We pray to the crucifix and to statues.

3.                              We honor the saints as much as we honor God.

Fill in the Blanks

1.                                                      The saints are God’s special……………….

2.                                                      They can help us by their………………… to God.

3.                                                      The saints are in…………….

Other Readings from the Bible.

1.                                          St. Johns vision of the saints in heaven, Revelation 7, 9-12

Class Liturgical Action

Recite the “Benedictus,” the song of Zecharia in praise of his son, St. John the Baptist, Luke 1, 68-79

The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism Lesson 15 The First Commandment of God

The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism

Lesson 15

The First Commandment of God

Jesus worshipped His, not Satan.

We read in the Holy Bible:

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Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

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            Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world      in their magnificence,

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            and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me." ⁵

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            At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan! It is written: 'The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.'"

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            Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.

Explanation

God is above all

            God is our Creator. He made us and all things. We owe Him our Love and service. Our Lord showed us by His example how to love and serve God above all things. When the devil tempted Him by offering Him “all the kingdoms of the world,” Jesus refused to “fall down and worship Him. He loved and served only God, His Heavenly Father. Jesus did His will even to death on the Cross to save us. Our Lord said, “I do always the things that are pleasing to Him (the father)” (John 8, 29).

We follow Christ

            Our Lord showed us how to obey the first commandment. He told the devil to go away. He did not give in to temptation.

            Do we follow Christ? Do we refuse to listen when the devil tempts us? Do we place God first? Do we serve God by faith, hope, and charity?

We save our soul

            Jesus said, “For what does it profit a man, if He gains the whole world, but suffers the loss of his own soul?” (Matthew 16, 26). If we follow Christ, we shall never place anyone or anything above God. We shall love and serve Him alone. And in doing this, we shall save our soul. We shall earn heaven. We shall have happiness with God forever.

           

Practice: Resolve to please God in everything today.

CATECHISM

88. What is the first commandment of God?

            The first commandment of God is: I am the Lord your God; thou shalt not have     strange Gods before me.

89. What are we commanded by the first commandment?

            By the first commandment we are commanded to offer to God alone the supreme worship that is due Him

90. How do we worship God?

            We worship God by acts of faith, hope, and charity, and by adoring Him and        praying to Him.

91. How does a catholic sin against faith?

            A Catholic sins against faith by not believing what God has revealed, and by       taking part in non-catholic worship.

92. What are the sins against hope?

            The sins against hope are presumption and despair.

93. What are the chief sins against charity?

            The chief sins against charity are hatred of God and of our neighbor, envy, sloth, and scandal

             Charity means love. Hatred is against love, envy is being displeased at         another’s success. Sloth is laziness. Scandal is bad example.

Discussion Questions

1.                              What did the devil tempt Our Lord to do?

2.                              What did Our Lord do?

3.                              What should we do when tempted to sin?

4.                              Why do we owe supreme worship to God?

5.                              What do we earn by loving and serving God alone?

Yes or No

1.                              Did Our Lord do what the evil wanted?

2.                              Did Our Lord always do what pleased the father?

3.                              Does prayer help when we are tempted?

4.                              Does charity mean only giving money to the poor?

5.                              Do we obey the first commandment when we give God the worship he deserves?

Fill in the Blanks

1.                                                      Presumption and despair are sins against ……………....

2.                                                      When we do not believe all that Jesus told us we sin against ………….

3.                                                      Hatred of God or against God or of our neighbor is a sin against …………….

4.                                                      If we resent somebody else’s blessings we commit the sin of …………….

5.                                                      If we do not give God our love and service we sin against the ………… commandment of God.

Other Readings from the Bible

1.                                          What St. Paul says about Matthew 15, 21-28.

2.                                          What St. Paul says about hope, Romans 8:23-25

3.                                          What St. Paul says about charity, 1 Corinthians 13.

Class Liturgical Action

Learn say Psalm 42, the opening of mass, which expresses our desire to worship God.

The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism Lesson 15 The Two Great Commandments

The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism

Lesson 15

The Two Great Commandments

The Sheep are Those who love as the Good Samaritan did in helping the wounded man.

The Goats are those who refuse to love as the rich man did in not feeding Lazarus.

            1^st Commandment: Thou shalt love the Lord Our God with thy whole heart, and thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength.

            2^nd Commandment: thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

We read in the Holy Bible:

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            "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon       his glorious throne,

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            and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one             from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

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            He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

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            Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my         Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

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            For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a    stranger and you welcomed me,

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            naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.'

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            Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and             feed   you, or thirsty and give you drink?

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            When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?

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            When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'

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            And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one        of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'

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            Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal        fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

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            For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,

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            a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'

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                Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a     stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?'

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            He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least             ones, you did not do for me.'

Explanation

Jesus our King and Judge

            Some day we will all appear before Jesus our King. He will judge us on all we have ever done. But He will not do it in a simple way. He will look into our hearts to find one thing-love.

How much do we love Him

             Test your love of God by your love for others. Are you kind in speech and action, helpful, generous, forgiving, even to those you don’t like?

By love we keep the commandments

            If we are always growing in love for others, then we can be sure we are keeping the commandments. We are following our Good Shepherd, and when we appear before Him some day He will know us as His sheep and say those wonderful words to us: “Enter into the joy of your Master” (Matt. 25, 21).

           

Practice: Be kind today to one person you do not like.

CATECHISM

84. Besides believing what God has revealed, what else must we do to be saved?

            Besides believing what God has revealed, we must keep His law.

85. Which are the two great commandments that contain the whole law of God?

            The two great commandments that contain the whole law of God are:

                        1^st Commandment: Thou shalt love the Lord Our God with thy whole heart, and thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength.

            2^nd Commandment: thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

86. What must we do to love God, our neighbor, and ourselves?

            To love God, our neighbor, and ourselves we must keep the commandments of   God and of the Church.

87. Which are the commandments of God?

            1. I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before me.

            2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

            3. Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.

            4. Honor your father and your mother.

            5. You shall not kill.

            6. You shall not commit adultery.

            7. You shall not steal.

            8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

            9. You shall not desire your neighbor's wife.

            10. You shall not desire your neighbor's goods.

Discussion Questions

1.                              Who will take us to the Father on the last day?

2.                              What must be in our hearts when Our Lord comes?

3.                              Will Our Lord have to ask us if we love Him?

4.                              What are some ways to show love of neighbor ?

5.                              Do we love God if we love only those we like?

True or False

1.                              Jesus will know without asking if we love him.

2.                              We love God when we love some of our neighbors.

3.                              We must keep holy the Lord ’s Day.

4.                              the first great commandment tells us not to steal.

5.                              The fourth commandment forbids us to kill.

Fill in the Blanks

1.                                                      We must love our………… and our ……………....

2.                                                      We must believe in God and keep His ………….

3.                                                      The Fifth Commandment says: Thou shalt not …………….

4.                                                      We must love even those we do not …………….

5.                                                      We must keep the laws of ………… and the………….

Other Readings from the Bible

1.                                          An example of how we should love, Luke 10, 25-37

2.                                          How to love others, Luke 6, 27-38

Class Liturgical Action

Say or sing Psalm 1 after your teacher. This psalm speaks of the reward of those who keep God’s laws.

The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism Lesson 14 The Resurrection and Life Everlasting

The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism

Lesson 14

The Resurrection and Life Everlasting

The sheep must follow the Good Shepherd through death to Resurrection

“I believe in…the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.”

We read in the Holy Bible:

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May the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant, Jesus our Lord,

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furnish you with all that is good, that you may do his will. May he carry out in you what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever (and ever). Amen.

Explanation

Heaven is our true home

            Our Blessed Lord loves us very much. He went to heaven to prepare a place for us. He told this to His Apostles the night before He died. “I go to prepare a place for you.

And if I go to prepare a place for you, I am coming again, and I will take you to Myself; that where I am, there you also may be. And where I go you know and the way you know” (John 14, 6).

            Thomas was not sure of the way, so he asked Our Lord what it was. Our lord answered, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14, 6).

By dying to ourselves we shall live forever

            Our Lord has shown us that we must die in order to rise. We die to ourselves every time we do something we don’t feel like doing to please. This kills the selfishness in us.

            Some day our bodies will die. If our selfishness is dead too, then we will be ready to rise with Christ.

            Those who die with some selfishness still in them have to go to purgatory to be cleansed. Those who die in mortal sin must go to hell.

           

Practice: We will die to ourselves today in some way so that we may rise with Jesus to live with Him forever.

CATECHISM

78. What is meant by “the resurrection of the body”?

            By “the resurrection of the body” is meant that at the end of the world the bodies of all men will rise from the earth and be united again with there souls, nevermore to be separated.

79. Has the body of any human person ever been taken into heaven?

            By the special favor of her  Assumption, the body of the Blessed Virgin Mary was   raised from the dead and taken into heaven.

80. What is the judgment called which will be passed on all men immediately after the general resurrection?

            The judgment which will be passed on all men immediately after  the general             resurrection is called the general judgment.

81. What is the judgment called which will be passed on each one of us immediately after death?

            The judgment that will be passed on each one of us immediately after death is    called the particular judgment.

82. What are the rewards or punishments appointed for men after the particular judgment?

            The rewards or punishments appointed for men after the particular judgment are heaven, purgatory, or hell.

83. What is meant by the word “Amen” with which we end the Apostle’s Creed?

            By the word “Amen,” with which we end the Apostle’s Creed, is meant “So it is,” or “So be it.”

Discussion Questions

1.                              Is death the end of all life for us?

2.                              What is Our Lord doing for us in heaven?

3.                              What must we do on earth?

4.                              When will Jesus come again?

5.                              Why must we always be prepared for death?

Yes or No (Explain your answer.)

1.                              Will the world last forever?

2.                              Is death the end for us?

3.                              Is life a preparation for heaven?

4.                              When will Jesus come again?

5.                              Will Jesus take everybody to heaven?

Fill in the Blanks

1. Mary’s body taken into heaven is called………….

2. On the last day our Lord will rise again………… will rise again.

3. The………… judgment will rise again.

4. The judgment right after death is called the………………….

5. By………… to ourselves we shall live forever.

Other Readings from the Bible

1. The happiness of heaven, Revelation 21, 3-4.

2. The way in which we must die to sin to rise with Christ, Romans 6, 3-11.

3. What the resurrection will be like, 1 Corinthians15.

4. John 18 and 19.

Reading even one of these accounts of the Passion of Our Lord will give a greater understanding and appreciation of what He did for us.

Class Liturgical Action

Learn to say (or sing) the “Victamae Paschali.” This is the Sequence from the Easter Mass, which explains the victory of Christ’s Resurrection.

The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism Lesson 13 The Communion of Saints The Forgiveness of Sins

The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism

Lesson 13

The Communion of Saints The Forgiveness of Sins

The early Christians shared all their possessions

“I believe in the… the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins…”

We read in the Holy Bible:

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            They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.

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Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

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All who believed were together and had all things in common;

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            they would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all   according to each one's need.

Explanation

            Christ’s followers shared all things

After Our Lord ascended into heaven, His followers continued to love Him and obey His teachings. They went to mass and received Holy Communion. This means this means they shared all their earthly and spiritual goods with one another.

then we love we share

The word “communion means “a sharing.” The more we love one another in Christ, the more we shall want to share our all with one another.

Besides sharing the things we can see, we shall also want to share what we cannot see. That is all the graces and spiritual riches God has given us. The more we love one another the more we will share in the graces and spiritual riches that God has given every one of us. This sharing is the “communion of saints.”

We can help those in spiritual need by our prayers, especially the souls in purgatory. And we can be helped by the prayers of others.

The outward sign of sharing

The sign of our wish to share is the taking of the Holy Communion together. Eating at the same table together is a sign of friendship. Partaking of the Eucharist at Gods table is a sign that we love God and that we love one another.

           

Practice: imitate the first followers of Christ by sharing all things with one another

CATECHISM

76. What is meant by “the communion of saints” in the Apostles Creed?

By “the communion of saints” is meant the union of the faithful on earth, the         blessed in heaven, and the souls in purgatory, with Christ as their Head.

            The word “saints” means “holy ones.” Baptism gives us the beginning of       holiness and heaven is for those who are perfectly holy.

77. What is meant in the Apostles Creed by “the forgiveness of sins”?

By “the forgiveness of sins” in the Apostles Creed is meant that God has given to the Church, through Jesus Christ, the power to forgive sins. Jesus gave this power to His Apostles. It has been handed down through the years  to the priests of the Church today. This great power will be explained more fully in lesson 29.

Discussion Questions

1.                              What did the early Christians do with their possessions?

2.                              Why did they do this?

3.                              Why do we normally receive Holy Communion together at Mass?

True or False

1.                              Christ gave the Apostles power to forgive sin.

2.                              The priests today do not have this power.

3.                              The “communion of saints” is a union only of those in heaven.

Fill in the Blanks

1.      God gave to his church the power to forgive sins ………… sins.

2.      The “communion of saints” is the…………of all in heaven, in purgatory and on earth.

3.                  The early followers of Christ…………their earthly and spiritual goods.

Other Readings From the Bible

1. We all share in the Church, the body of Christ, 1 Corinthians 12, 12-26.

2. We show our unity and our desire to share by receiving Holy Communion together,1 Corinthians 10, 16-17

Class Liturgical Action

One day should be designated as a day for the class to receive Communion together. Allowances could be made for those who do not care to do so.