| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 675.1 | Human Nature | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Thu Feb 02 1995 23:45 | 34 |
| Q. What are we by nature?
A. We are part of God's creation, made in the image of God.
Q. What does it mean to be created in the image of God?
A. It means that we are free to make choices: to love, to create, to
reason, and to live in harmony with creation and with God.
Q. Why then do we live apart from God and out of harmony with
creation?
A. From the beginning, human beings have misused their freedom and
made wrong choices.
Q. Why do we not use our freedom as we should?
A. Because we rebel against God, and we put ourselves in the place of
God.
Q. What help is there for us?
A. Our help is in God.
Q. How did God first help us?
A. God first helped us by revealing himself and his will, through
nature and history, through many seers and saints, and especially the
prophets of Israel.
|
| 675.2 | God the Father | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Thu Feb 02 1995 23:46 | 30 |
| Q. What do we learn about God as creator from the revelation to Israel?
A. We learn that there is one God, the Father Almighty, creator of
heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
Q. What does this mean?
A. This means that the universe is good, that it is the work of a
single loving God who creates, sustains, and directs it.
Q. What does this mean about our place in the universe?
A. It means that the world belongs to its creator; and that we are
called to enjoy it and to care for it in accordance with God's
purposes.
Q. What does this mean about human life?
A. It means that all people are worthy of respect and honor, because
all are created in the image of God, and all can respond to the love
of God.
Q. How was this revelation handed down to us?
A. This revelation was handed down to us through a community created
by a covenant with God.
|
| 675.3 | The Old Covenant | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Thu Feb 02 1995 23:48 | 32 |
| Q. What is meant by a covenant with God?
A. A covenant is a relationship initiated by God, to which a body of
people responds in faith.
Q. What is the Old Covenant?
A. The Old Covenant is the one given by God to the Hebrew people.
Q. What did God promise them?
A. God promised that they would be his people to bring all the nations
of the world to him.
Q. What response did God require from the chosen people?
A. God required the chosen people to be faithful; to love justice, to
do mercy, and to walk humbly with their God.
Q. Where is this Old Covenant to be found?
A. The covenant with the Hebrew people is to be found in the books
which we call the Old Testament.
Q. Where in the Old Testament is God's will for us shown most clearly?
A. God's will for us is shown most clearly in the Ten Commandments.
|
| 675.4 | The Ten Commandments | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Thu Feb 02 1995 23:56 | 110 |
| Q. What are the Ten Commandments?
A. The Ten Commandments are the laws give to Moses and the people of
Israel.
Q. What do we learn from these commandments?
A. We learn two things: our duty to God, and our duty to our
neighbors.
Q. What is our duty to God?
A. Our duty is to believe and trust in God;
I To love and obey God and to bring others to know him;
II To put nothing in the place of God;
III To show God respect in thought, word, and deed;
IV And to set aside regular times for worship, prayer, and the study
of God's ways.
Q. What is our duty to our neighbors?
A. Our duty to our neighbors is to love them as ourselves, and to do
to other people as we wish them to do to us;
V To love, honor, and help our parents and family; to honor those in
authority, and to meet their just demands;
VI To show respect for the life God has given us; to work and pray
for peace; to bear no malice, prejudice, or hatred in our hearts; and to
be kind to all the creatures of God;
VII To use our bodily desires as God intended;
VIII To be honest and fair in our dealings; to seek justice, freedom,
and the necessities of life for all people; and to use our talents and
possessions as ones who must answer for them to God;
IX To speak the truth, and not to mislead others by our silence;
X To resist temptations to envy, greed, and jealousy; to rejoice in
other people's gifts and graces; and to do our duty for the love of God,
who has called us into fellowship with him.
Q. What is the purpose of the Ten Commandments?
A. The Ten Commandments were given to define our relationship with God
and our neighbors.
Q. Since we do not fully obey them, are they useful at all?
A. Since we do not fully obey them, we see more clearly our sin and
our need for redemption.
----------------------------------------
God spake these words, and said:
I am the Lord thy God who brought thee out of the land of
Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have none
other gods but me.
Lord have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image, nor the
likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth
beneath, or in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow
down to them, nor worship them.
Lord have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.
Lord have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.
Lord have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Honor thy father and thy mother.
Lord have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Thou shalt do no murder.
Lord have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Lord have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Thou shalt not steal.
Lord have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Thous shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Lord have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Thou shalt not covet.
Lord have mercy upon us,
and write all these thy laws in our hearts, we beseech thee.
|
| 675.5 | Sin and Redemption | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Thu Feb 02 1995 23:57 | 35 |
| Q. What is sin?
A. Sin is the seeking of our own will instead of the will of God, thus
distorting our relationship with God, with other people, and with all
creation.
Q. How does sin have power over us?
A. Sin has power over us because we lose our liberty when our
relationship with God is distorted.
Q. What is redemption?
A. Redemption is the act of God which sets us free from the power of
evil, sin, and death.
Q. How did God prepare us for redemption?
A. God sent the prophets to call us back to himself, to show us our
need for redemption, and to announce the coming of the Messiah.
Q. What is meant by the Messiah?
A. The Messiah is one sent by God to free us from the power of sin, so
that with the help of God we may live in harmony with God, within
ourselves, with our neighbors, and with all creation.
Q. Who do we believe is the Messiah?
A. The Messiah, or Christ, is Jesus of Nazareth, the only Son of God.
|
| 675.6 | God the Son | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Thu Feb 02 1995 23:58 | 54 |
| Q. What do we mean when we say that Jesus is the only Son of God?
A. We mean that Jesus is the only perfect image of the Father, and
shows us the nature of God.
Q. What is the nature of God revealed in Jesus?
A. God is love.
Q. What do we mean when we say that Jesus was conceived by the power
of the Holy Spirit and became incarnate from the Virgin Mary?
A. We mean that by God's own act, his divine Son received our human
nature from the Virgin Mary, his mother.
Q. Why did he take our human nature?
A. The divine Son became human, so that in him human beings might be
adopted as children of God, and be made heirs of God's kingdom.
Q. What is the great importance of Jesus' suffering and death?
A. By his obedience, even to suffering and death, Jesus made the
offering which we could not make; in him we are freed from the power
of sin and reconciled to God.
Q. What is the significance of Jesus' resurrection?
A. By his resurrection, Jesus overcame death and opened for us the way
of eternal life.
Q. What do we mean when we say that he descended to the dead?
A. We mean that he went to the departed and offered them also the
benefits of redemption.
Q. What do we mean when we say that he ascended into heaven and is
seated at the right hand of the Father?
A. We mean that Jesus took our human nature into heaven where he now
reigns with the Father and intercedes for us.
Q. How can we share in his victory over sin, suffering, and death?
A. We share in his victory when we are baptized into the New Covenant
and become living members of Christ.
|
| 675.7 | The New Covenant | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Fri Feb 03 1995 00:00 | 40 |
| Q. What is the New Covenant?
A. The New Covenant is the new relationship with God given by Jesus
Christ, the Messiah, to the apostles; and, through them, to all who
believe in him.
Q. What did the Messiah promise in the New Covenant?
A. Christ promised to bring us into the kingdom of God and give life
in all its fullness.
Q. What response did Christ require?
A. Christ commanded us to believe in him and to keep his commandments.
Q. What are the commandments taught by Christ?
A. Christ taught us the Summary of the Law and gave us the New
Commandment.
Q. What is the Summary of the Law?
A. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Q. What is the New Commandment?
A. The New Commandment is that we love one another as Christ loved us.
Q. Where may we find what Christians believe about Christ?
A. What Christians believe about Christ is found in the Scriptures and
summed up in the creeds.
|
| 675.8 | The Creeds | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Fri Feb 03 1995 00:05 | 211 |
| Q. What are the creeds?
A. The creeds are statements of our basic beliefs about God.
Q. How many creeds does this Church use in its worship?
A. This Church uses two creeds: The Apostles' Creed and the Nicene
Creed.
Q. What is the Apostles' Creed?
A. The Apostles' Creed is the ancient creed of Baptism; it is used in
the Church's daily worship to recall our Baptismal Covenant.
Q. What is the Nicene Creed?
A. The Nicene Creed is the creed of the universal Church and is used
at the Eucharist.
Q. What, then, is the Athanasian Creed?
A. The Athanasian Creed is an ancient document proclaiming the nature
of the Incarnation and of God as Trinity.
Q. What is the Trinity?
A. The Trinity is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
----------------------------------------
Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
----------------------------------------
Nicene Creed
I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of his Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father;
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven,
and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried;
and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures,
and ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of the Father;
and he shall come again, with glory,
to judge both the quick and the dead;
whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost the Lord, and Giver of Life,
who proceedeth from the Father and the Son;
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped
and glorified;
who spake by the Prophets.
And I believe one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church;
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins;
and I look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
----------------------------------------
Athanasian Creed
Quicunque Vult
Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold
the Catholic Faith.
Which Faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt
he shall perish everlastingly.
And the Catholic Faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity,
and Trinity in Unity,
Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the substance.
For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another
of the Holy Ghost.
But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one,
the Glory equal, the Majesty co-eternal.
Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost.
The Father uncreate, the Son uncreate, and the Holy Ghost uncreate.
The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost
incomprehensible.
The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Ghost eternal.
And yet they are not three eternals, but one eternal.
As also there are not three incomprehensibles, nor three uncreated, but one
uncreated, and one incomprehensible.
So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost
Almighty.
And yet they are not three Almighties, but one Almighty.
So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God.
And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.
So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord.
And yet not three Lords, but one Lord.
For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every
Person by himself to be both God and Lord,
So are we forbidden by the Catholic Religion to say, There be three Gods,
or three Lords.
The Father is made of none; neither created nor begotten.
The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created, but begotten.
The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created,
nor begotten, but proceeding.
So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one
Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts.
And in this Trinity none is afore, or after other; none is greater, or less
than another;
But the whole three Persons are co-eternal together, and co-equal.
So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity
in Unity is to be worshipped.
He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.
Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe
rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For the right faith is, that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, is God and Man;
God, of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man, of
the substance of his Mother, born in the world;
Perfect God, and perfect Man: of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting;
Equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead; and inferior to the Father,
as touching his Manhood.
Who although he be God and Man, yet he is not two, but one Christ;
One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of the
Manhood into God;
One altogether; not by confusion of substance, but by unity of Person.
For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, So God and Man is one Christ;
Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third
day from the dead.
He ascended into heaven, he sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God
Almighty; from whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies and shall give
account for their own works.
And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that
have done evil into everlasting fire.
This is the Catholic Faith, which except a man believe faithfully, he
cannot be saved.
|
| 675.9 | The Holy Spirit | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Fri Feb 03 1995 00:07 | 29 |
| Q. What is the Holy Spirit?
A. The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity, God at work in
the world and in the Church even now.
Q. How is the Holy Spirit revealed in the Old Covenant?
A. The Holy Spirit is revealed in the Old Covenant as the giver of
life, the One who spoke through the prophets.
Q. How is the Holy Spirit revealed in the New Covenant?
A. The Holy Spirit is revealed as the Lord who leads us into all truth
and enables us to grow in the likeness of Christ.
Q. How do we recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives?
A. We recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit when we confess Jesus
Christ as Lord and are brought into love and harmony with God, with
ourselves, with our neighbors, and with all creation.
Q. How do we recognize the truths taught by the Holy Spirit?
A. We recognize truths to be taught by the Holy Spirit when they are
in accord with the Scriptures.
|
| 675.10 | The Holy Scriptures | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Fri Feb 03 1995 00:09 | 38 |
| Q. What are the Holy Scriptures?
A. The Holy Scriptures, commonly called the Bible, are the books of
the Old and New Testaments; other books, called the Apocrypha, are
often included in the Bible.
Q. What is the Old Testament?
A. The Old Testament consists of books written by the people of the
Old Covenant, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to show God
at work in nature and history.
Q. What is the New Testament?
A. The New Testament consists of books written by the people of the
New Covenant, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to set forth
the life and teachings of Jesus and to proclaim the Good News of the
Kingdom for all people.
Q. What is the Apocrypha?
A. The Apocrypha is a collection of additional books written by people
of the Old Covenant, and used in the Christian Church.
Q. Why do we call the Holy Scriptures the Word of God?
A. We call them the Word of God because God inspired their human
authors and because God still speaks to us through the Bible.
Q. How do we understand the meaning of the Bible?
A. We understand the meaning of the Bible by the help of the Holy Spirit,
who guides the Church in the true interpretation of the Scriptures.
|
| 675.11 | The Church | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Fri Feb 03 1995 00:10 | 59 |
| Q. What is the Church?
A. The Church is the community of the New Covenant.
Q. How is the Church described in the Bible?
A. The Church is described as the Body of which Jesus Christ is the
Head and of which all baptized persons are members. It is called the
People of God, the New Israel, a holy nation, a royal priesthood, and
the pillar and ground of truth.
Q. How is the Church described in the creeds?
A. The Church is described as one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.
Q. Why is the Church described as one?
A. The Church is one, because it is one Body, under one Head, our Lord
Jesus Christ.
Q. Why is the Church described as holy?
A. The Church is holy, because the Holy Spirit dwells in it,
consecrates its members, and guides them to do God's work.
Q. Why is the Church described as catholic?
A. The Church is catholic, because it proclaims the whole Faith to all
people, to the end of time.
Q. Why is the Church described as apostolic?
A. The Church is apostolic, because it continues in the teaching and
fellowship of the apostles and is sent to carry out Christ's mission
to all people.
Q. What is the mission of the Church?
A. The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with
God and each other in Christ.
Q. How does the Church pursue its mission?
A. The Church pursues its mission as it prays and worships, proclaims
the Gospel, and promotes justice, peace, and love.
Q. Through whom does the Church carry out its mission?
A. The church carries out its mission through the ministry of all its
members.
|
| 675.12 | The Ministry | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Fri Feb 03 1995 00:13 | 46 |
| Q. Who are the ministers of the Church?
A. The ministers of the Church are lay persons, bishops, priests, and
deacons.
Q. What is the ministry of the laity?
A. The ministry of lay persons is to represent Christ and his Church;
to bear witness to him wherever they may be; and, according to the
gifts given them, to carry on Christ's work of reconciliation in the
world; and to take their place in the life, worship, and governance of
the Church.
Q. What is the ministry of a bishop?
A. The ministry of a bishop is to represent Christ and his Church,
particularly as apostle, chief priest, and pastor of a diocese; to
guard the faith, unity, and discipline of the whole Church; to
proclaim the Word of God; to act in Christ's name for the
reconciliation of the world and the building up of the Church;
and to ordain others to continue Christ's ministry.
Q. What is the ministry of a priest or presbyter?
A. The ministry of a priest is to represent Christ and his Church,
particularly as pastor to the people; to share with the bishop in the
overseeing of the Church; to proclaim the Gospel; to administer the
sacraments; and to bless and declare pardon in the name of God.
Q. What is the ministry of a deacon?
A. The ministry of a deacon is to represent Christ and his Church,
particularly as a servant of those in need; and to assist bishops and
priests in the proclamation of the Gospel and the administration of
the sacraments.
Q. What is the duty of all Christians?
A. The duty of all Christians is to follow Christ; to come together
week by week for corporate worship; and to work, pray, and give for
the spread of the kingdom of God.
|
| 675.13 | Prayer and Worship | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Fri Feb 03 1995 00:16 | 64 |
| Q. What is prayer?
A. Prayer is responding to God, by thought and by deeds, with or
without words.
Q. What is Christian Prayer?
A. Christian prayer is response of God the Father, through Jesus
Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Q. What prayer did Christ teach us?
A. Our Lord gave us the example of prayer known as the Lord's Prayer.
Q. What are the principal kinds of prayer?
A. The principal kinds of prayer are adoration, praise, thanksgiving,
penitence, oblation, intercession, and petition.
Q. What is adoration?
A. Adoration is the lifting up of the heart and mind to God, asking
nothing but to enjoy God's presence.
Q. Why do we praise God?
A. We praise God, not to obtain anything, but because God's Being
draws praise from us.
Q. For what do we offer thanksgiving?
A. Thanksgiving is offered to God for all the blessings of this life,
for our redemption, and for whatever draws us closer to God.
Q. What is penitence?
A. In penitence, we confess our sins and make restitution where
possible, with the intention to amend our lives.
Q. What is prayer of oblation?
A. Oblation is an offering of ourselves, our lives and labors, in
union with Christ, for the purposes of God.
Q. What are intercession and petition?
A. Intercession brings before God the needs of others; in petition, we
present our own needs, that God's will may be done.
Q. What is corporate worship?
A. In corporate worship, we unite ourselves with others to acknowledge
the holiness of God, to hear God's Word, to offer prayer, and to
celebrate the sacraments.
|
| 675.14 | The Sacraments | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Fri Feb 03 1995 00:18 | 18 |
| Q. What are the sacraments?
A. The sacraments are outward and visible signs of inward and
spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain means by which
we receive that grace.
Q. What is grace?
A. Grace is God's favor toward us, unearned and undeserved; by grace
God forgives our sins, enlightens our minds, stirs our hearts, and
strengthens our wills.
Q. What are the two great sacraments of the Gospel?
A. The two great sacraments given by Christ to his Church are Holy
Baptism and the Holy Eucharist.
|
| 675.15 | Holy Baptism | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Fri Feb 03 1995 00:19 | 38 |
| Q. What is Holy Baptism?
A. Holy Baptism is the sacrament by which God adopts us as his
children and makes us members of Christ's Body, the Church, and
inheritors of the kingdom of God.
Q. What is the outward and visible sign in Baptism?
A. The outward and visible sign in Baptism is water, in which the
person is baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit.
Q. What is the inward and spiritual grace in Baptism?
A. The inward and spiritual grace in Baptism is union with Christ in
his death and resurrection, birth into God's family the Church,
forgiveness of sins, and new life in the Holy Spirit.
Q. What is required of us at Baptism?
A. It is required that we renounce Satan, repent of our sins, and
accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
Q. Why then are infants baptized?
A. Infants are baptized so that they can share citizenship in the
Covenant, membership in Christ, and redemption by God.
Q. How are the promises for infants made and carried out?
A. Promises are made for them by their parents and sponsors, who
guarantee that the infants will be brought up within the Church, to
know Christ and be able to follow him.
|
| 675.16 | The Holy Eucharist | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Fri Feb 03 1995 00:21 | 44 |
| Q. What is the Holy Eucharist?
A. The Holy Eucharist is the sacrament commanded by Christ for the
continual remembrance of his life, death, and resurrection, until his
coming again.
Q. Why is the Eucharist called a sacrifice?
A. Because the Eucharist, the Church's sacrifice of praise and
thanksgiving, is the way by which the sacrifice of Christ is made
present, and in which he unites us to his one offering of himself.
Q. By what other names is this service known?
A. The Holy Eucharist is called the Lord's Supper, and Holy Communion;
it is also known as the Divine Liturgy, the Mass, and the Great Offering.
Q. What is the outward and visible sign in the Eucharist?
A. The outward and visible sign in the Eucharist is bread and wine,
given and received according to Christ's command.
Q. What is the inward and spiritual grace given in the Eucharist?
A. The inward and spiritual grace in the Holy Communion is the Body
and Blood of Christ given to his people, and received by faith.
Q. What are the benefits which we receive in the Lord's Supper?
A. The benefits we receive are the forgiveness of our sins,
the strengthening of our union with Christ and one another, and the
foretaste of the heavenly banquet which is our nourishment in eternal
life.
Q. What is required of us when we come to the Eucharist?
A. It is required that we should examine our lives, repent of our
sins, and be in love and charity with all people.
|
| 675.17 | Other Sacramental Rites | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Fri Feb 03 1995 00:24 | 69 |
| Q. What other sacramental rites evolved in the Church under the
guidance of the Holy Spirit?
A. Other sacramental rites which evolved in the Church include
confirmation, ordination, holy matrimony, reconciliation of a
penitent, and unction.
Q. How do they differ from the two sacraments of the Gospel?
A. Although they are means of grace, they are not necessary for all
persons in the same way that Baptism and the Eucharist are.
Q. What is Confirmation?
A. Confirmation is the rite in which we express a mature commitment to
Christ, and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and
the laying on of hands by a bishop.
Q. What is required of those to be confirmed?
A. It is required of those to be confirmed that they have been
baptized, are sufficiently instructed in the Christian Faith, are
penitent for their sins, and are ready to affirm their confession of
Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
Q. What is Ordination?
A. Ordination is the rite in which God gives authority and the grace
of the Holy Spirit to those being made bishops, priests, and deacons,
through prayer and the laying on of hands by bishops.
Q. What is Holy Matrimony?
A. Holy Matrimony is Christian marriage, in which the woman and man
enter into a life-long union, make their vows before God and the
Church, and receive the grace and blessing of God to help them fulfill
their vows.
Q. What is Reconciliation of a Penitent?
A. Reconciliation of a Penitent, or Penance, is the rite in which
those who repent of their sins may confess them to God in the presence
of a priest, and receive the assurance of pardon and the grace of
absolution.
Q. What is Unction of the Sick?
A. Unction is the rite of anointing the sick with oil, or the laying
on of hands, by which God's grace is given for the healing of spirit,
mind, and body.
Q. Is God's activity limited to these rites?
A. God does not limit himself to these rites; they are patterns of
countless ways by which God uses material things to reach out to us.
Q. How are the sacraments related to our Christian hope?
A. Sacraments sustain our present hope and anticipate its future
fulfillment.
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| 675.18 | The Christian Hope | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Fri Feb 03 1995 00:26 | 57 |
| Q. What is the Christian hope?
A. The Christian hope is to live with confidence in newness and
fullness of life, and to await the coming of Christ in glory, and the
completion of God's purpose for the world.
Q. What do we mean by the coming of Christ in glory?
A. By the coming of Christ in glory, we mean that Christ will come,
not in weakness but in power, and will make all things new.
Q. What do we mean by heaven and hell?
A. By heaven, we mean eternal life in our enjoyment of God; by hell,
we mean eternal death in our rejection of God.
Q. Why do we pray for the dead?
A. We pray for them, because we still hold them in our love, and
because we trust that in God's presence those who have chosen to serve
him will grow in his love, until they see him as he is.
Q. What do we mean by the last judgment?
A. We believe that Christ will come in glory and judge the living and
the dead.
Q. What do we mean by the resurrection of the body?
A. We mean that God will raise us from death in the fullness of our
being, that we may live with Christ in the communion of the saints.
Q. What is the communion of saints?
A. The communion of saints is the whole family of God, the living and
the dead, those whom we love and those whom we hurt, bound together in
Christ by sacrament, prayer, and praise.
Q. What do we mean by everlasting life?
A. By everlasting life, we mean a new existence, in which we are united
with all the people of God, in the joy of fully knowing and loving God
and each other.
Q. What, then, is our assurance as Christians?
A. Our assurance as Christians is that nothing, not even death, shall
separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.
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