A Few Thoughts

Here I list passages I found worth sharing with the general public, from my own appreciation and to address misconceptions I've seen regarding the Christian faith.

The Bible

• When it seems like God doesn't care: Psalms 77, 79, 83, 86, 88, 89.
• The Priestly Benediction: Numbers 6.22-27
• Solomon Prays for Wisdom: 1 Kings 3.1-15
• Judgment and the Future Belong to God: Ecclesiastes 3:16-22.
• Concerning the Order of the Universe: Sirach 16.26-30.
• Wisdom concerning God's Gifts to Men: Sirach 17.1-24.
• Concerning the idea that knowledge of evil is good: Sirach 19:22.
• Concerning the idea that violence is useful in executing judgment: Sirach 20.4.
• Be content with little or much (Sirach 29:23).
• Concerning Physical Health: Sirach 29:14-17.
• Concerning Treasures: Matthew 6.19-21
• Do Not Be Anxious: Matthew 6.25-34
• The Greatest Commandment: Matthew 22.34-40
• The Parable of the Good Samaritan: Luke 10.25-37
• The Ascension of Jesus: Acts 1:6-11
• Marks of the True Christian: Romans 12.9-21
• Love for One Another: Romans 13.8-10
• Glorifying God in the Body: 1 Corinthians 6.12-20
• The Way of Love: 1 Corinthians 13
• The Works of the Flesh and the Fruit of the Spirit: Galatians 5.16-26
• Rules for the New Life: Ephesians 4.25-5.2
• Final Exhortations, Greetings, and Benediction: 1 Thessalonians 5.12-28
• The Example of Jesus; Exhortation to Be Strong and Avoid Sin: Hebrews 12
• Sacrifices Well-Pleasing to God: Hebrews 13.1-19
• Live as Servants of God: 1 Peter 2.11-17

Quotations

• I want you to be wise as to what is good, and simple as to what is evil; then the God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. — Romans 16:19b-20a; cf. Romans 16:17-20

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)

• Faith and understanding: 156-159 (See also Adam, Eve and Evolution)
• Paragraph 1691
• The cardinal virtues: Paragraphs 1805-1809
• Regarding The Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit
  • 1831 The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David. (see note 109) They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations.
  • 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." (see note 112)
  • 1834 The human virtues are stable dispositions of the intellect and the will that govern our acts, order our passions, and guide our conduct in accordance with reason and faith. They can be grouped around the four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.
  • 1840 The theological virtues dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. They have God for their origin, their motive, and their object - God known by faith, God hoped in and loved for his own sake.
  • 1841 There are three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity. They inform all the moral virtues and give life to them.

  • 1900 The duty of obedience requires all to give due honor to authority and to treat those who are charged to exercise it with respect, and, insofar as it is deserved, with gratitude and good-will. Pope St. Clement of Rome provides the Church's most ancient prayer for political authorities: (see note 18) "Grant to them, Lord, health, peace, concord, and stability, so that they may exercise without offense the sovereignty that you have given them. Master, heavenly King of the ages, you give glory, honor, and power over the things of earth to the sons of men. Direct, Lord, their counsel, following what is pleasing and acceptable in your sight, so that by exercising with devotion and in peace and gentleness the power that you have given to them, they may find favor with you." (see note 19)

The Early Church Fathers

• We have been taught that Christ is the first-begotten of God, and we have declared him to be the Logos of which all mankind partakes [John 1:9]. Those, therefore, who lived according to reason [Greek, logos] were really Christians, even though they were thought to be atheists, such as, among the Greeks, Socrates, Heraclitus, and others like them. . . . Those who lived before Christ but did not live according to reason [logos] were wicked men, and enemies of Christ, and murderers of those who did live according to reason [logos], whereas those who lived then or who live now according to reason [logos] are Christians. Such as these can be confident and unafraid.

  — (First Apology 46 [A.D. 151]), Justin Martyr. See Salvation Outside the Church.

This page was last modified Tuesday, 18-Oct-2011 10:49:43 EDT.