Page 6 - Awaken ~ Summer 2024

Scan here for parent resources. ➥
and CHURCH TEACHING
Connecting GOSPEL
God’s Plan for Salvation
It is important to know the Church’s teaching about
her own existence. “The Church has her origin in the
Holy Trinity…. In his plan for the salvation of humanity,
God the Father willed the existence of the Church.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, established a community
of disciples and died on the cross for the forgiveness
of sins. The Holy Spirit, sent by the Father and the Son,
works within the Church to keep her members faithful
to the Gospel” (United States Catholic Catechism for
Adults, p. 129). The Holy Spirit continually helps us to
understand the fullness of God’s revelation. We also
hear the Church assert, “Those who through no fault
of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his
Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere
heart, and moved by grace, try in their own actions to
do his will…those too may achieve eternal salvation.”
(Lumen gentium, no. 16)
Closing PRAYER
Holy Spirit, in you our Church is one, holy,
catholic, and apostolic. Help me to grow in
appreciation of your presence and guidance
in our Church. Amen.
FAMILY CORNER
Points to Ponder
Creed, Code, and Cult
Today we reflect upon the relationship between faith
and religion. While both speak to our spiritual lives,
they are distinct. There are people who refer to faith in a
quantitative way. We are misled to believe that God gives us
something that is measured. The truth is that God with great
love invites us into relationship. He creates us with the capacity
to recognize and the freedom to respond to his invitation.
We decide whether or not to grow in that relationship.
Faith, like all relationships, is developed over time. Religion
is a communal expression of faith. All religions have the
components of creed, code, and cult. A creed expresses
a common set of beliefs shared in a common theological
language. Based on creed, the community develops a code, a
set of behaviors that express the values of their beliefs. Finally,
cult is the common experience of ritual and worship. The
word cult has only recently developed a negative meaning.
l How would you explain the statement “Religion should
always be in service of faith”?
l As you reflect upon your own development in faith, share
how one aspect of your relationship with God has grown.
➥ To learn more, refer to CCC, 422–442
or go to Booklet 4, Session 1 in Growing Faith.
Strengthen belief in the
True Presence of Jesus in the
Eucharist. Visit the Pflaum
Eucharist resources page.
Imprimatur: +Most Reverend Robert J. McManus, S.T.D., Bishop of Worcester, February 16, 2024.
Copyright © 2024 by Pflaum Publishing Group, a division of Bayard, Inc., sponsored by the Augustinians of the Assumption. Theological Reviewer: Reverend Michael T. Martine, S.T.B., J.C.L.; Publisher: David Dziena; Author and Editor: Jo Ann Paradise, Ph.D.; Designer: Jennifer Poferl.
Images: Olga Makhanova/shutterstock.com, Wiktoria Matynia/shutterstock.com, murat irfan yalcin/shutterstock.com, Macrovector/shutterstock.com, Vector/shutterstock.com, rodnay/shutterstock.com, CIRIC International/adobeimages.com. Printed in the USA. Material in this
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The Eucharist is the living
heart of each of our
parishes and indeed of the
Church herself. Without
the Eucharist, the Church
simply does not exist.
—Saint John Paul II
Question of the Week
How do you honor Jesus with your words and actions?
Family Prayer
Dear Jesus, help us to be true in our faith and love for you.
Let our words and our actions reflect that love. Amen.
SAMPLE
Pflaum Publishing Group