Life in Christ Study

Introductory Anecdote and Analogy

I hit my finger with a hammer on accident, it broke a blood vessel under the skin and caused a red/black spot on my pink and I could not rest my hand on my picky without pain. It should be otherwise but since I acted poorly I have injured myself, this injury made that which is injury to be not as it was meant but to malfunction, due to that injury my nature will remind me that things are not as they were meant to be every time I wish to use that which is broken, it cannot function properly until it is healed and will not be healed until it functions properly. God's grace saves us from the paradox that we need to be healed to be better and cannot heal ourselves where it counts. Certainly, sin is an offense but unlike speeding or walking across a street without a crosswalk this offense hurts us more than anyone else because by definition it contradicts our good and that is not so much punishment as injury. Yet what Christ calls us to is more than first aid it is habitual safety, and more than habitual safety but habitual communion not only because it is what we were made for but because it is what we were made to appreciate most.

 Also note you may spend more time on the passages if desired it may be helpful to include some discussion.

Family: The family as the smallest unit of the Church, where faith is first taught and practiced

Common Good (is not at the loss of the individual): The sum total of social conditions that allow people, either as groups or individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and easily (CCC 1906; Summa Theologica II-II, Q. 58, Art. 9; Gaudium et Spes, 26).

How does the analogy of the injured finger help us understand the nature of sin and the necessity of God's grace in our healing process?

• The analogy illustrates that sin injures our nature, making us incapable of functioning as intended without healing. God's grace is necessary to break the cycle of injury and dysfunction, enabling us to heal and function properly. Christ's call to habitual safety and communion aligns with our nature and ultimate fulfillment.

Video Clip - What kind of God is the Trinity?

Watch 9:16 -14:07, then if desired the rest after completing this session

How does the Spiritual life unfold and How does that relate to our moral choices? 

You might notice that the spiritual life, the way we come to know God, the way Israel was brought back to God from slavery, and the way we fall in love with someone even all follow a certain pattern. First, you encounter and your heart is captured, you purge your heart and mind of that which is unhelpful in coming to know them, then you come to see them as they are not as you maybe once perceived them, and then in the manner and magnitude appropriate you join yourself to them. Naturally, we imitate who we love and they imitate us because this is what it means to form a communion. In the Christian life, we should aspire to this with God (Ephesians 5:1-2). Ephesians 5:1-2, Genesis 1:26; John 15:4; Matthew 22:37 

• Also Read as Desired CCC 2031

1. As we fall in love with God, we may begin by kissing His feet the way a slave might. This is where we will find ourselves being purified of our sins.

   1. Israel was delivered from Slavery

   2. The Apostles were called out of their Old life

2. As that relationship deepens we may kiss His hands recognizing Him as a Brother and in this process, we find ourselves coming to understand all His is about and doing will be illuminated to us.

   1. Israel spent all the time in the desert to get on the same page with God

   2. The Apostles became disciples

3. Lastly in pursuit of full unification, we find ourselves kissing His mouth as a Spouse might. In this porcess everything we do is in accord with the Father's will, we suffer with Christ, redeeming the world, and all we do is love.

   1. Israel enter the promise land

   2. The Apostles carried on the mission of Christ

   3. Also Read as Desired: CCC 1716-1717

   4. Also Read as Desired: ST I-II, Q. 3, Art. 8 and/or ST I-II, Q. 1, Art. 8 

The progression of the spiritual life influences our moral choices by gradually transforming our desires and actions to align with God's will. As we deepen our relationship with God, we are purified of sinful inclinations, gain a clearer understanding of His intentions, and ultimately act out of love and communion with Him. This journey fosters moral growth, leading us to make choices that reflect our unity with God and His love for the world.

 How might we react when we encounter what God has done for us?

Luke 5:1-11

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

What can we learn from Peter's reaction to the miracle of the fish about how we might respond when we recognize God's work in our lives?

• Peter's reaction to the miracle of the fish teaches us humility and awe in the presence of God's power. Recognizing our own sinfulness in the face of divine generosity can lead to a deeper sense of reverence and a willingness to follow God's call. This encounter encourages us to trust in God's plans and respond with faith, even when we feel unworthy.

How much should we love our Neighbor?

If man is as God and God is sacred, then man is sacred. When we gaze at each other do we see something sacred? When we look at ourselves? It is not holiness that allows us to gaze at each other with eyes glazed over, seeing only material and not even animate material as a gift like gold or food to be possessed, traded, or exploited. Rather, it is real authentic love, which people of the world rarely possess, which first recognizes the other, that it may recognize the good for the other and see them as a gift which itself chooses to be given, when they may choose otherwise. This applies to friendships just as well as spousal or potentially spousal relationships. Recognizing, the sacred, the holy, the other is important even with how we treat ourselves (Matthew 25:40-45, Romans 12:1, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). “By the oblation of his Body, he brought the sacrifices of old to fulfillment in the reality of the Cross, and, by commending himself to [the Father] for our salvation, showed himself the Priest, the Altar, and the Lamb of sacrifice.” (Eucharistic Preface of Easter V: CHRIST, PRIEST AND VICTIM)

How does recognizing the sacredness of each person influence the way we love and treat our neighbors and ourselves?

• Recognizing the sacredness of each person calls us to see others and ourselves not merely as material beings but as reflections of God's image, deserving of love and respect. This perspective encourages us to love authentically, seeing others as gifts rather than objects to be used or exploited. By embracing this view, we align our actions with God's will, fostering genuine relationships and personal holiness.

What does it mean to love others As Christ and As He Has Loved Us?

Matthew 22:37-39, Mark 12:30-31, Luke 10:27; John 13:34, John 15:12; Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27, 35 (Clicking the link will prevent the repetitive verses but they are cited for the point)

 *Here it might be good to note the Church has not taken a pro-life stance so much as what Christ teaches can be categorized as pro-life and gave rise to pro-life thought in general.

He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him in love. He destined us for adoption as His children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:4-6)

If we are destined, made for something, then it follows there is an order we would ideally abide by. It is not that we are not free to resist, it is that we should not want to, knowing that it always means degradation of what is actually good even if our perception (clearly warped by sin) tells us goodness is otherwise. What is actually good is what actually satisfies because in it our identity is realized in oneness and not infected by our duplicitous and fickle diversion of desire which tears us apart(cf. Galatians 5:17). The resurrection itself suggests there is something for man to care for in Himself which in the end will not be mortal even if passing through death. If there were no resurrection our faith is vain but also it would mean that what materialists conclude of morality is true.

What is Love and Communion?

"The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God.”

Communion is the fundamental goal of everything we do. John 17:21-23 It embodies the "shalom" from the beginning, the original state of man.[2] LLove, or charity, is the efficient cause of the mutual, abiding, dialogical state of communion between persons, which is the final cause. This communion results from both parties willing the good of the other through vulnerability. The love of God serves as its force, energy, source, and matter. Peace is its precipitate, while goodness, truth, and beauty constitute its form. It is also the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for His own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God (CCC, 1822. ; Summa Theologica II-II, Q. 23, Art. 1; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7).[3] The communion of the marital embrace is the highest physical expression of love, but communion extends beyond marriage or sex.[4] When we sin, contradicting love, truth, goodness, and beauty, we forsake communion.[5] When we pray or engage in dialogue, we participate in communion.

The term “dialogue” elucidates this concept. "Dia" means two, and "logue" derives from Logos, signifying an interplay, an interface, an interpersonal dynamic to/from/with every person (especially with the Word/Logos of God), and the harmonious confluence of two natures. This is inherently beautiful because of its oneness, completeness, and radiance.[6] Even the persons of the Trinity are only found in distinction from each other since they are so perfectly joined that they are considered one Divine Substance.[7] Furthermore, Christian communion always begins with our unity to God more than to other creatures.[8] Authentic spirituality, a real and harmonious relationship with God, is also communion with Him. This relationship defines for every individual what communion is possible among created things. It is the archetypal relationship since it is with God Himself (1 John 4:16-20). Also read CCC 2565.

Spirituality, properly applied, is the willful joining of our nature to God’s, from which comes our communion, existence, and sustenance (Romans 12:5; John 15:5; Acts 17:28). [9] This concept is linked to every aspect of Theology and Psychology. Every person, as an individual, bears a distinct communion that encompasses reason and individual substance.[9] In this way, we truly reflect our Creator. The dialogue that is communion is the "giving away of the self," which is required for man to fulfill his meaning.[10]

 As John Paul II cites Plato in defining "eros," he says, "eros is love athirst for transcendent Beauty, and expresses insatiability straining toward its eternal object...man, placed between the world of the senses and the world of Ideas, has the destiny of passing from the first to the second."[11] This means we are destined by nature to confluence with, to commune with God above all (Ephesians 1:5). The Theology of the Body suggests that we are meant to commune with each other, a truth most apparent in marriage, as witnessed by biology. Communion is always a creative act where people and their love grow, and in the case of Trinitarian or marital love, new persons may arise.

 On Earth, this communion is available in a sacramental and prayerful way, received in a heart conformed to God and a mind directed at Him (1 Corinthians 2:16, 1 Corinthians 6:17).[12] The Catechism understands and uses communion in the interior and spiritual life, among believers, in catechesis, between Trinitarian persons, describing what persons are called to in their dignity, in the sacraments, the Church, Saints, bishops, society, family, and prayer.[13]

 Love is not only something we are told to do but is our Creator’s declaration of our purpose, health, happiness, and holiness. Love is legally binding because it is our nature to be in communion, even to the point of loving those who sin against us. [14] For communion to be good, beautiful, and truly loving, it must be actual, true, and concretely real, fostered in vulnerability through unity of nature, will, and heart.[15]

FN:

1. Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2nd ed. Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference, 1, 27.

2. CCC, 371-379. 

3. Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae, II-II, q. 23, at New Advent, www.newadvent.org.

4. CCC, 2360.

5. CCC, 1849.

6. ST, I, q. 39, a. 8.

7. ST, I, q. 29.

8. CCC, 27, 259, 264.

9. CCC, 460.

10. Second Vatical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on The Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes (7 December 1965), §24.; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter on Jesus Christ, Redeemer of Man Redemptoris hominis (04 March 1979), §10.

11. John Paul II, General Audience on Knowledge-Generation Cycle and Perspective of Death (26 March 2021).; John Paul II, General Audience on Eros and Ethos Meet and Bear Fruit in the Human Heart (05 November 1980).

12. CCC, 1324-1327, 2565.

13. CCC, 85,100, 154, 248, 357, 383,775, 813, 2565.

14. ST, I-II, q. 91, a. 2.

15. ST, I, q. 5, a. 4, ad.1.

Video Clip - In brief, what has God Done for Us?

Watch 3:13 -5:20, then if desired the rest after completing this session

Who does God call to Communion? 

Galatians 3:28-29; John 17:21-23

God who is pure love, is the very thing we say we have for somebody when we want to be in communion with them and Him. HE came and died for you just to show you He loves you, He spends His eternity thinking about you He made all this for you. He wants to be with you if you let Him and trust me when I tell you I have disinvited him more times than I want even guess at. What are you going to do? 

What do we gain from Authentic Love?

"Man cannot live without love. He remains a being that is incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not participate intimately in it. This, as has already been said, is why Christ the Redeemer "fully reveals man to himself". If we may use the expression, this is the human dimension of the mystery of the Redemption. In this dimension man finds again the greatness, dignity and value that belong to his humanity. In the mystery of the Redemption man becomes newly "expressed" and, in a way, is newly created. He is newly created! "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus". The man who wishes to understand himself thoroughly-and not just in accordance with immediate, partial, often superficial, and even illusory standards and measures of his being-he must with his unrest, uncertainty and even his weakness and sinfulness, with his life and death, draw near to Christ. He must, so to speak, enter into him with all his own self, he must "appropriate" and assimilate the whole of the reality of the Incarnation and Redemption in order to find himself. If this profound process takes place within him, he then bears fruit not only of adoration of God but also of deep wonder at himself. How precious must man be in the eyes of the Creator, if he "gained so great a Redeemer", and if God "gave his only Son "in order that man "should not perish but have eternal life". Redemptoris hominis, 10.