Evangelisation: Et Homo Factus Est
Et Homo Factus Est
When you sing this Creed in Latin at the above phrase the music slows as we kneel in adoration.. 'And Was Made Man'. Again the breathtaking love of God for us, his creatures, should move us to tears. He so delights in us that to help us in our struggle he became one of us. But why? Again I turn for the answer to my childhood catechism. To save us from sin and hell, and to show us the way to Heaven. He did this by gathering disciples around him and telling them "Go to all nations, baptising them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to OBSERVE all I have commanded you, and I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world".
Baptism in the first step. "Unless you are born again of water and the Holy Spirit, you cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven". So what happens at this baptism?. The Holy Spirit enters our souls and fills them with grace, which helps us in our next task of following Him. Our souls are no longer in rebellion against God, for it is the sin that man freely entered into, that brought about HIs downfall. To earn forgiveness for this sin, Christ suffered and died on the Cross, like a criminal, and now we can 'be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect' from being part of the Church. But it is not a simple decision, for we still must observe all that He has commanded. In other words, we must follow his Way to the Truth and the Light. If we sin, we must seek forgiveness, for not everyone who cries "Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom, but he who does the will of my Heavenly Father"
But what are those things we must observe, his teachings. And what are those teachings. In the Gospel of Mark a rich young man approached Jesus. "Good Master what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus replied "You know the Commandments; you shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not give false witness; you shall not defraud; honour your father and mother. "Master, the young man replied I have kept all these since my earliest days. Jesus looked steadily at him, and he was filled with love for him "There is one thing more you need to do, go and sell everything that you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, then come follow me"
There is so much in the above dialogue that a book could be written on it. Jesus looked at the young man and loved him. But what was he asking of him. It was not just to sell what he had, but by doing so he would be free to follow Jesus. Where does he mention that phrase 'you will have treasure in heaven' again in the Gospels. It is when Peter asked him "What about us, we have left everything for you" Jesus replied "Anyone who leave house.............will have treasure in Heaven" He was calling the young man to be a disciple. And how often is 'giving to the poor' the only point made in many sermons. How easily we miss the ten commandment. But then I have heard that Jesus reduced these Commandments to one - you just love. So that makes things easier. We can now give out condoms and encourage sex among the young, and divorce, surely allowable in this day and age, but if not we can make annulments easier. And of course you must not make yourself unpopular by saying that abortion kills babies. Anyway the Church allows us now to 'follow our conscience' and of course Jesus will understand. What was that Jesus said "Enter in by the narrow gate, for the road to perdition is wide". Just look, if you have a conscience, at what these anti-Catholic teachings have done. Young people are being told that 'God made them the way they are', so if they sin it must be the fault of God. And yet we have God hanging on a cross for those sins. We now have a society that embraces divorce as a good. The Black Lives Matter movement grew out of young men having sex with black women then leaving them to look after themselves and the babies. There are young white girls in the same position, growing up without a father and with little hope of finding a husband. They lack understanding in relationships and are treated as sex objects by boys. God did not make us this way, He died on the cross to redeem us. That is the message of hope the Church must preach and the commandments the Church must teach. If there is to be a renewal in the Church we must turn again to Him 'Who became man'.
When you sing this Creed in Latin at the above phrase the music slows as we kneel in adoration.. 'And Was Made Man'. Again the breathtaking love of God for us, his creatures, should move us to tears. He so delights in us that to help us in our struggle he became one of us. But why? Again I turn for the answer to my childhood catechism. To save us from sin and hell, and to show us the way to Heaven. He did this by gathering disciples around him and telling them "Go to all nations, baptising them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to OBSERVE all I have commanded you, and I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world".
Baptism in the first step. "Unless you are born again of water and the Holy Spirit, you cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven". So what happens at this baptism?. The Holy Spirit enters our souls and fills them with grace, which helps us in our next task of following Him. Our souls are no longer in rebellion against God, for it is the sin that man freely entered into, that brought about HIs downfall. To earn forgiveness for this sin, Christ suffered and died on the Cross, like a criminal, and now we can 'be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect' from being part of the Church. But it is not a simple decision, for we still must observe all that He has commanded. In other words, we must follow his Way to the Truth and the Light. If we sin, we must seek forgiveness, for not everyone who cries "Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom, but he who does the will of my Heavenly Father"
But what are those things we must observe, his teachings. And what are those teachings. In the Gospel of Mark a rich young man approached Jesus. "Good Master what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus replied "You know the Commandments; you shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not give false witness; you shall not defraud; honour your father and mother. "Master, the young man replied I have kept all these since my earliest days. Jesus looked steadily at him, and he was filled with love for him "There is one thing more you need to do, go and sell everything that you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, then come follow me"
There is so much in the above dialogue that a book could be written on it. Jesus looked at the young man and loved him. But what was he asking of him. It was not just to sell what he had, but by doing so he would be free to follow Jesus. Where does he mention that phrase 'you will have treasure in heaven' again in the Gospels. It is when Peter asked him "What about us, we have left everything for you" Jesus replied "Anyone who leave house.............will have treasure in Heaven" He was calling the young man to be a disciple. And how often is 'giving to the poor' the only point made in many sermons. How easily we miss the ten commandment. But then I have heard that Jesus reduced these Commandments to one - you just love. So that makes things easier. We can now give out condoms and encourage sex among the young, and divorce, surely allowable in this day and age, but if not we can make annulments easier. And of course you must not make yourself unpopular by saying that abortion kills babies. Anyway the Church allows us now to 'follow our conscience' and of course Jesus will understand. What was that Jesus said "Enter in by the narrow gate, for the road to perdition is wide". Just look, if you have a conscience, at what these anti-Catholic teachings have done. Young people are being told that 'God made them the way they are', so if they sin it must be the fault of God. And yet we have God hanging on a cross for those sins. We now have a society that embraces divorce as a good. The Black Lives Matter movement grew out of young men having sex with black women then leaving them to look after themselves and the babies. There are young white girls in the same position, growing up without a father and with little hope of finding a husband. They lack understanding in relationships and are treated as sex objects by boys. God did not make us this way, He died on the cross to redeem us. That is the message of hope the Church must preach and the commandments the Church must teach. If there is to be a renewal in the Church we must turn again to Him 'Who became man'.
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