Religious Education Curriculum Directory (3-19) - The Catholic ...

Religious Education Curriculum DirectoryBthe successors of St. Peter and the Apostles,have carefully transmitted to the generationswhom they shepherd the truths revealed andtaught by Jesus Christ. (96, 171, 173, 815)c Jesus Christ promised his Apostles that hewould be with the Church until the end oftime. (Mt 28:20)Christ has also given the Church a share in hisown infallibility. (889-892)1.6.6. How do we as Catholics answer questionsabout the Blessed Virgin Mary and her role inthe life and prayer of the Church (148, 484-511,721-726, 773, 963-972, 829)?A Questions about why Catholics pray to Mary:a Catholics do not worship Mary; worship be-longs to God alone. They venerate Mary andthe saints.b Mary does not have the power to answerprayers on her own; God alone has that power.c Prayers to Mary are asking for her interces-sory help.i Since Mary is already in Heaven, she willknow better than we how to offer praise andprayer to God.ii When people pray to the Blessed Mother theyare asking her in turn to offer the sameprayer for them to God.iii When Mary and the saints were on earth,they cooperated with God to do good for others;so now from their place in Heaven theycontinue to cooperate with God by doinggood for others who are in need on earth andin Purgatory.B Questions about references in the Gospels to thebrothers and sisters of Jesus:a From the earliest days of the Church, Maryhas been revered as ever-virgin; she was a virginbefore Jesus’ birth and remained a virginafterward.b It is not clear who the ‘brothers and sisters’ ofJesus are. At the time Jesus lived, the designation‘brother and sister’ also referred tocousins, kin generally, and sometimes evenclose neighbours.1.6.7. Why would God the Father allow his Son,Jesus, to suffer and die the way he did (599-609)?AGod the Father allowed Jesus Christ, his Son, tosuffer and die the way he did because of his lovefor all human beings; in that love, he wants us tolive eternally with him in heaven. His Passion revealsthe depth of the Father’s love in helping allpeople to not be overcome by the magnitude ofevil, sin, and death.B Because of Adam and Eve’s sin, all human beingsare born with a wounded human nature due tothe absence of the life of Christ’s grace, and so wecould not live eternally with God unless we wereredeemed. (402-406)C God the Father allowed his Son, Jesus, to sufferand die because Jesus’ sacrifice destroyed thepower of sin and restored us to friendship withGod.D In part, the Father allowed Jesus to suffer and diethe way he did in order to show us the gravity andseriousness of sin.1.6.8. Why are followers of Jesus Christ sometimesso willing to make sacrifices and to acceptpain and suffering, especially in witness toChrist and their faith?A Christians are willing to make sacrifices and undergosuffering patiently for a number of reasons.a They are following the example of Jesus Christ,who through his suffering and Death gainedsalvation for us. (1505)b Jesus Christ also predicted that people wouldsuffer for their faith and promised that hewould be with them in their suffering. Knowingthis, believers try to accept suffering patiently,to trust in God, and to pray for hisgrace to sustain them. They rely on the HolySpirit’s gift of fortitude to grow in the virtue offortitude. (1808, 1831)c Followers of Jesus Christ know that suffering isnever in vain because it can help one move towardHeaven and eternal life. In our suffering,we can help make up to some degree for thehurt and harm we cause by our sin.d Finally, the suffering, Death, Resurrection, andAscension of Jesus teaches us to look beyondthe sufferings of this world to the promise ofeternal life with God in heaven. (1521)B Christ strengthens the person to undergo sufferingand thereby become more like Christ himself. Oursuffering, when united with his own, can becomea means of purification and of salvation for us andfor others. (618, 1505)22