Video Library
The Creed:
Faith Professed
Divine Revelation and Our Faith Response
C 50-100, 142-184, USC Chs. 1 & 4
Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition and the Church
C 101-141, USC Ch. 3
The Mystery of God
C 198-267, USC Ch. 5
Creation of All that is Visible and Invisible
C279-421, USC Chs. 5-6
Jesus I: Son of God and Son of Mary, Fully Human and Fully Divine
C422-486, 512-570, USC Ch.7
Jesus II: Salvation in Christ, His Death, Resurrection and Ascension
C 571-667, USC Ch. 8
The Holy Spirit, Our Divine Guide and Strength
C 687-747, USC Ch. 9
The Church I: The Sacrament of God’s Love and Salvation
C748-810, USC Ch.10
The Church II: The Four Marks of the Church
C 811-870, USC Ch.11
Mary the Mother of Jesus and the Mother of the Church
C487-511, 963-975, USC Ch.12
Our Eternal Destiny
C 988-1065, USC Ch. 13
The Sacraments:
Faith Celebrated
Introduction to the Liturgy and the Sacraments
C 1066-1209, USC Ch. 14
Baptism and Confirmation
C 1212-1321, USC Chs. 15 & 16
The Eucharist
C 1322-1419, USC Ch. 17
Reconciliation
C 1422-1497, USC Ch. 18
Anointing of the Sick
C 1499-1532, USC Ch 19
Holy Orders
C 1536-1600, USC Ch. 20
Marriage
C 1601-1666, USC Ch. 21
Morality:
Faith Lived
Foundations of Catholic Morality I
C 1691-1876, USC Ch. 23-24
Foundations of Catholic Morality II
C 1803-2051, USC Ch. 23-24
First and Second Commandments: Putting God First
C 2084-2167, USC Ch. 26
Third and Fourth Commandments: Rest, Community Worship & Family Life
C2168-2257, USC Ch.27-28
Fifth Commandment: Promoting a Culture of Life
C 2259-2330, USC Ch. 29
Sixth and Ninth Commandments: Sexual Morality
C 1536-1600, USC Ch. 20
Seventh and Tenth Commandments: A Faith that Does Justice
C2401-2463, 2534-2557, USC Ch 31 & 34
The Eight Commandment: Witnesses to the Truth
C 2464-2513, USC Ch. 32
Prayer: Faith Prayed
Prayer I
C 2558-2758, USC Ch. 35
Prayer II: The Lord’s Prayer
C 2700-2719, 2759-2865, USC pp 473-474 & Ch. 36
Featured Blog
Doctrinal Homily Outlines
Each week, Kevin Aldrich offers the homilist a new facet of the intellectual content of our faith so the faithful can embrace it, ponder it, live it, and even teach it to others as part of the New Evangelization:
Central idea: This section illuminates the overall salvific meaning of the Lectionary readings.
Doctrine: This section identifies one doctrine from the Deposit of Faith or Catholic morals contained in the readings. An outline defines, explains, and illustrates this doctrine.
Practical application: This section accomplishes the Church’s desire that the homilist “nurture the Christian life” of the lay faithful.
Catechism Excerpts
3B Advent
This Sunday’s Themes
The Homiletic Directory recommends the following Catechism themes for this Sunday’s readings:
Joy
Characteristics of the awaited Messiah
God’s love for Israel
The Church as the Bride of Christ
Links go section of the catechism where excerpt is found.
Joy
Characteristics of the awaited Messiah
Expectation of the Messiah and his Spirit
713 The Messiah’s characteristics are revealed above all in the “Servant songs.”82 These songs proclaim the meaning of Jesus’ Passion and show how he will pour out the Holy Spirit to give life to the many: not as an outsider, but by embracing our “form as slave.”83 Taking our death upon himself, he can communicate to us his own Spirit of life.
714 This is why Christ inaugurates the proclamation of the Good News by making his own the following passage from Isaiah:84
- The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good tidings to the afflicted;
he has sent me to bind up the broken hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor.
God’s love for Israel
God is love
218 In the course of its history, Israel was able to discover that God had only one reason to reveal himself to them, a single motive for choosing them from among all peoples as his special possession: his sheer gratuitous love.38 And thanks to the prophets Israel understood that it was again out of love that God never stopped saving them and pardoning their unfaithfulness and sins.39
219 God’s love for Israel is compared to a father’s love for his son. His love for his people is stronger than a mother’s for her children. God loves his people more than a bridegroom his beloved; his love will be victorious over even the worst infidelities and will extend to his most precious gift: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.”40
The Church as the bride of Christ
The Church – mystery of man’s union with God
772 It is in the Church that Christ fulfills and reveals his own mystery as the purpose of God’s plan: “to unite all things in him.”189 St. Paul calls the nuptial union of Christ and the Church “a great mystery.” Because she is united to Christ as to her bridegroom, she becomes a mystery in her turn.190 Contemplating this mystery in her, Paul exclaims: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”191
The Church – Body of Christ
796 The unity of Christ and the Church, head and members of one Body, also implies the distinction of the two within a personal relationship. This aspect is often expressed by the image of bridegroom and bride. The theme of Christ as Bridegroom of the Church was prepared for by the prophets and announced by John the Baptist.234 The Lord referred to himself as the “bridegroom.”235 The Apostle speaks of the whole Church and of each of the faithful, members of his Body, as a bride “betrothed” to Christ the Lord so as to become but one spirit with him.236 The Church is the spotless bride of the spotless Lamb.237 “Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her.”238 He has joined her with himself in an everlasting covenant and never stops caring for her as for his own body:239
- This is the whole Christ, head and body, one formed from many . . . whether the head or members speak, it is Christ who speaks. He speaks in his role as the head (ex persona capitis) and in his role as body (ex persona corporis). What does this mean? “The two will become one flesh. This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the Church.”240 And the Lord himself says in the Gospel: “So they are no longer two, but one flesh.”241 They are, in fact, two different persons, yet they are one in the conjugal union, . . . as head, he calls himself the bridegroom, as body, he calls himself “bride.”242
Catechism Themes
Year B
Dates are for Sundays of 2020-21
“The following paragraphs from the Catechism of the Catholic Church resonate with the biblical readings for this Sunday. They were chosen either because they cite or allude to the specific readings, or because they treat topics found in the readings.”
The Desire for God
30 “Let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.”5 Although man can forget God or reject him, He never ceases to call every man to seek him, so as to find life and happiness. But this search for God demands of man every effort of intellect, a sound will, “an upright heart”, as well as the witness of others who teach him to seek God.
Faith – the beginning of eternal life
163 Faith makes us taste in advance the light of the beatific vision, the goal of our journey here below. Then we shall see God “face to face”, “as he is”.47 So faith is already the beginning of eternal life:
God upholds and sustains creation
301 With creation, God does not abandon his creatures to themselves. He not only gives them being and existence, but also, and at every moment, upholds and sustains them in being, enables them to act and brings them to their final end. Recognizing this utter dependence with respect to the Creator is a source of wisdom and freedom, of joy and confidence:
The Holy Spirit – God’s Gift
736 By this power of the Spirit, God’s children can bear much fruit. He who has grafted us onto the true vine will make us bear “the fruit of the Spirit: . . . love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”129 “We live by the Spirit”; the more we renounce ourselves, the more we “walk by the Spirit.”130
Charity
1829 The fruits of charity are joy, peace, and mercy; charity demands beneficence and fraternal correction; it is benevolence; it fosters reciprocity and remains disinterested and generous; it is friendship and communion: Love is itself the fulfillment of all our works. There is the goal; that is why we run: we run toward it, and once we reach it, in it we shall find rest.108
The gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit
1832 The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. The tradition of the Church lists twelve of them: “charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity.”112
Christian holiness
2015 The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle.68 Spiritual progress entails the ascesis and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes:
The love of husband and wife
2362 “The acts in marriage by which the intimate and chaste union of the spouses takes place are noble and honorable; the truly human performance of these acts fosters the self-giving they signify and enriches the spouses in joy and gratitude.”145 Sexuality is a source of joy and pleasure: