Watering the Seeds
If you are already Baptised or have some experience with the Christian faith, then this is a good place to start as it builds on the basic foundations of the faith
The Bible
The Word of God
The Bible is the living and inspired Word of God.
It is a library of 73 individual Books
It is broken down into two sections, The Old Testament which covers the story of the people of God, before the birth of Jesus. The second part is called the New Testament and starts from the birth of Jesus, right up and including the start of the Church and the early Christians.
There are lots of different 'styles' of books in the bible. There are poetry books, historical books, instruction books, letters, eye witness accounts and prophetic books.
Its never a good idea to start at the beginning of the Bible and try to make your way through, as that's not how it was intended to be read.
If you want to start reading the Bible whilst on your Journey, then I would recommend starting with one of the 4 'Gospels' in the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. I personally like Luke, but others recommend John.
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There are some really hard things to read in the Bible, some tough subjects which we find distasteful, which is why we need to understand that the books have to be read and understood in light of each other. Very often the Old Testament prefigures something that happens in the New Testament and its important to recognise that relationship, as well as recognise the time, place and culture in which many of the books were written. Just because its recorded IN the Bible, it doesn't mean it has Gods seal of approval.
As Catholics, we are very lucky to have the Church to help us fully understand the teachings of the Bible so that we don't interpret it in the wrong way. We have for 2000 years had studious and holy people guarding the teaching of the Church and preserving the tradition and word what Jesus taught the Apostles.
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Later on I hope to add a sectional bible study to the site as this is a huge subject that just can't be covered here. We will talk in more depth in the in person or online sessions if you want to join one.
What is Faith and how do I get it?
Faith is a supernatural gift
Faith is a free gift from God! It is our response to Gods revelation to us. Once we choose to believe the Holy Spirit will impart the gift of faith to us. Faith is grace! A free gift from God we do not deserve and did not earn.
We believe once our human rational minds have questioned sufficiently for us to have the evidence we feel we need. That's a natural human reaction, to question, to ponder, to think deeply and ask questions. That is good! That is exactly how God made us to be. He gave us this ability to rationalise.
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God 'invites' us to faith, He doesn't force us, instead He gives us the choice to respond in faith to Him.
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Faith is choosing to trust God, even in tough situations!
What is Prayer?
Prayer is how we speak to God, and how we hear from Him!
Prayer is the lifting of our hearts to God. When we either speak to Him, or sit in silence and listen for Him to speak to us.
Think of it like a relationship, which is what it is! Communication is the building blocks of any relationship. If you didn't speak to, or listen to your friends, family, partner, boss, or anyone else we have a relationship with, then it wouldn't last very long.
It's the same with God. WE NEED prayer (communication) with God. He doesn't need us to pray - He wants us to for sure, but He doesn't need it - but WE do!
Prayer doesn't change God, but it does change us - I think it was C.S Lewis that said something along these lines.
There are lots of different ways to pray, and it doesn't have to be a long drawn out affair, it can just be a conversation with God. Tell Him whats on your mind, what you need help with, what your grateful for, and ask Him what He wants to say to you.
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There are lots of formal prayers that the Church gives and which can be really useful when your just not sure what to say.
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The most famous is probably the 'Our Father' which is a prayer that Jesus Himself taught the Apostles in the Bible.
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Our Father, Who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy Will be done,
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.
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We will have sessions on lots of different types of prayer, including The Rosary, The Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office, The Examen, Lectio Divina, (don't be put off by the big names) as well as how to develop your own prayer life and what other tools and resources are available.
Why do we need a Saviour?
Creation Story, The Fall and Salvation through Jesus
So when God made the world, the Bible tells us 'that it was good', and when He made us, the bible tells us 'that it was very good'!
God made us in His own image and likeness, and He made us to live in friendship with Him, in a place where there was no suffering, no death, no sin, no shame.
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Sadly those first ancestors of ours one day trusted in something other than God who led them to disobey one of Gods instructions. Gods instruction wasn't there to put limits on them, it was there for their protection, and when they chose to ignore it, there were massive consequences, not just for them, but for all humanity.
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Just like we would give children certain boundaries for their own good, like 'you mustn't touch the fire its hot', we aren't restricting them, we are preventing them from dire consequences of serious and permanent burns.
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That's kind of what happened. When they chose to ignore the instruction God gave them, sin and death entered their and our lives and we were forced to live in a world where sin, death, pain and suffering existed.
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The Bible is then full of God giving His people instructions on how to try and repair the breach they had created. For a while, people would try and do as God instructed, but they would always give up and fall back into their old ways.
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Then God seeing how hard it was for us, decided to come down to meet us in this world we have created and redeem us Himself as He could see we couldn't do it alone.
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This fall and our inability to repair the damage done, is why we need a Saviour, and that Saviour is Jesus.
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As death entered the world by the disobedience of our first parents or ancestors Adam and Eve, our salvation entered the world through the obedience and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who came to us through His Mother Mary.
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The Moral Life
What makes something right or wrong?
How can we know if something is right or wrong? Maybe you think it is to stick to the rules society has made into laws, or its something each person decides by their own conscience, or what the majority think is right and wrong.
This is a really tricky one, as different cultures believe different things and different countries have their own laws. People have different upbringings and experiences, so its difficult for all people to come to the same belief about what might be right or wrong.
There are usually consequences of getting things wrong!
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Fortunately, God left us a very clear set of morals to abide by. These are often referred to as the 10 Commandments. They are
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I am the LORD your God. You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.
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You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
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Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.
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Honor your father and your mother.
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You shall not kill.
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You shall not commit adultery.
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You shall not steal.
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You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
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You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
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You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.
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You might look at these and think, well I'm good, I haven't stolen anything or killed anyone, which is great by the way! However, how about if I delved a little deeper. Thou shalt not steal... have you ever downloaded or streamed music or videos that you haven't paid for and have a copyright? How about done personal chores like checking a few emails whilst your at work and being paid for your time? These things might seem harmless in the moment, but someone somewhere suffers the effects of it, even if we never see it!
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The Bible, and the Church teach us exactly what is morally right and wrong according to Gods law, and we don't have to guess! How amazing is it, that we have this roadmap laid out for us.
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So even though Jesus is our Saviour, we have to choose to accept the free gift He gives us. He doesn't force it on us, He leaves it for us to accept if we choose. And part of choosing to accept that gift, is amending our lives to live in accordance with how He teaches us to.
We can't enter back into that perfect place God created for our first parents with all the baggage of sin on our shoulders, we have to make a concerted effort to get rid of that first.
I seen this really cute video of a dog that had found a gigantic stick, and it carried all the way home in its mouth, and in this video the poor dog tries every way it knows how to get that stick through the front door, but it just wont fit. Eventually the dog drops the stick and heads on into the house. This is us!
True Love
What does true love look like?
I love my bed! I love chocolate! I love my family! I love my enemy!
Are all these really 'love'? Are they all the same then? Do I love chocolate the same amount and way I Iove my family? I guess they might be pretty upset if that was the case... although I do like chocolate.... a lot!!
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Love is a word we throw around a lot in society, and perhaps its something we need to change, as abusing the word seems to have watered down the true meaning of what love really looks like.
We need to bring back words such as 'like' 'enjoy' 'really appreciate' and elevate the word love back to its proper meaning.
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To love something or someone, means your willing to hurt for them, to sacrifice for them, to go above and beyond for them, to put their good above your comfort.
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Jesus loves us, and He laid down His very life for us, in the most painful and humiliating way. He didn't have to, He is after God, and He could have called down an army of Angels to defend Him, or simply disappeared. He could have... but He didn't. He sacrificed everything for YOU. That person He looked at and said the world needs one of you. He laid down His life and took the punishment for our sins upon Himself, knowing it was a price we couldn't pay.
THAT is love!
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He calls us to do the same for Him other people, our friends and family, but also the stranger, and yes even those who have hurt us. He knows that is not easy, or achievable without His help, which He also gives us in abundance by the way!
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There are Saints and Martyrs throughout history who have given their lives (literally) for love - like St Maximilian Kolbe who gave His life for a stranger in Auschwitz - , and some who have given their lives by living a life of Sacrifice for others for love, like Mother Teresa of Calcutta who lived her life serving the needs of others before her own. They are awesome examples of what love looks like in human form with Divine assistance.
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There is a Saint called Thérèse of Lisieux who realised she wouldn't be called to lay down her life in such a dramatic way as Jesus, so she came up with loving like He did in small ways every day, and that is a great place to start. Do small things with great love.
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Throughout the sessions, we we learn what we need to do to love like that.
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Let me ask you a question though.... how amazing would it feel to BE loved like that?
The wonder in all this, is WE ALREADY ARE! By Jesus Himself who laid down His life for us.
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