Chapter Ten The Fullness of Christian Life

Role Model Every person’s vocation exists in the present tense God’s grace to share in the intimacy of his life in the Trinity is given at Baptism The vocation to eternity is now It must take precedence over any other desires or wishes you have for your life

Role Model Mary of Nazareth is the role model for the type of living She was an unmarried pregnant teen She risked being shunned by her betrothed, Joseph, her family, and townspeople But she did not waver in her acceptance of God’s will for her life The effect of Mary’s openness to God’s grace was that Jesus was born

It is the promises and rewards of Heaven that keep us focused on this ultimate vocation Role Model

Your Vocation Now Through Baptism every one of us is included in the laity Laity is a membership of all the faithful except those in Holy Orders or in a consecrated religious community approved by the Church How do laity live their vocation? As individuals Through an organized apostolate 1 2 The intention is to influence institutions, the social conditions, and general mentality of secular society

Priestly Office of Christ The priestly mission of Christ was to offer himself in a perfect sacrifice through Death on a cross Lay people participate in priestly mission by: Bearing and offering work, prayer, service, and hardships in the name of the Holy Spirit to God the Father through Jesus Christ Accepting hardships and suffering and offer them to God as a way to participate in the suffering of Christ

Prophetic Office of Christ Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God by his life and words The laity can do this through participation in family and social life They can acquire a deeper knowledge of their faith and fuller possession of the gift of wisdom Evangelization: bringing the good news of Jesus to others

Kingly Office of Christ By accepting death on the cross, Christ lived out his mission to be servant of all Lay people can work on behalf of Christ’s kingdom by helping to improve secular institutions and conditions that could be an occasion for sinfulness Protesting companies that underpay workers Petition against corporations that violate environmental standards

Seeking Perfection Jesus demands of us: “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48) One way to seek perfection is through the practice of virtues Four cardinal virtues: Prudence Justice Courage Temperance

Seeking Perfection Prudence Common sense and wisdom Keeps a person moving forward while making good and moral decisions Justice Deals with fairness Recognizes the rights of others and considers how a person’s own personal interests fit with the rest of society

Seeking Perfection Fortitude Another word for courage Strengthens a person to avoid moral temptations Helps a person live by Christian values Temperance Moderates a person’s attractions to pleasures and helps balance the way we use created goods Helps temper the desire for pleasures like food, alcohol, drugs, and sex

Perfection by Way of the Cross “If God causes you to suffer much, it is a sign that he has great designs for you” - Saint Ignatius Loyola Our lives are patterned on the Paschal Mystery and it is in the Eucharist that we celebrate the Paschal Mystery by which we are saved Our lifetimes are a series of “little deaths” and “little resurrections” that prepare us for our eventual physical death and rising to perfection of eternal life

The way to perfection, like the cross, is not a straight path. There are many questions, disappointments, and pains along the way. The help of God’s grace helps us to persevere.

Life Everlasting Preparing for a good death is an exercise in faith In Baptism, we have already died with Christ and our eventual physical deaths complete our incorporation into His act of redemption At the time of death, each person receives a judgment from God about whether we should go to Purgatory, Heaven, or Hell (particular judgment) – If we live a good life where our actions are rooted in love of God and others, we have nothing to fear about this judgment

Our time on earth is only the beginning. It’s just the start! A general, Last Judgment, will take place at the end of time God’s saving plan will be clear to everyone who has ever lived In heaven, time and space have no effect on us We will be reunited with family and friends who have died before us in God’s grace and friendship Heaven is our goal during this life

Vocabulary Evangelization Virtues Mortifications Particular judgment Purgatory Last Judgment