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Catechism

The first words

“FATHER…this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”1 “God our Savior desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”2 “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved”3 the name of JESUS.

Jn 17:3.  2 1 Tim 2:3-4.  3 Acts 4:12.

Catechism of the Catholic Church – very first words

Some years back I was blogging regularly about the Catechism of the Catholic Church. 

As a Protestant. 

A Protestant offended by what other Protestants were saying about Catholics. (I will share more about that another time.)

I blogged for at least two years, going through the Catechism paragraph by paragraph. Then I stopped (I can’t remember why) and everything sat dormant. I finally took it offline and forgot about it.

About a month ago I remembered it and read through the first sixty entries. I will be sharing some of them here over the next few months. I think it’s worth it, for me and for you.

Why, you might ask. Who cares about the doctrinal divisions between Catholics and Protestants? Really, with all the division in our world, why pay attention to that one?

One reason tops them all: Jesus begged the Father that we might be one as they are one.

And here we are, divided as can be.

For His sake, can we not try to understand each other and help each other along the narrow path, often difficult to find, that leads to Him, to life itself? Maybe this little exercise will help us.

That’s why.

Grace and peace to you…

dw

(It just so happens the first sentence in the quote above is, for me, the most important verse in scripture and is the origin of a A Prayer for Eternal Life, one of the most-visited posts here.)

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Current Events Music prayer Prayers

Prayers for Perilous Times

We live in a perilous time, a time we need to pray through so we can act with honesty, courage, and love…after we listen with honesty, humility, and love. Listen to the Spirit within us, in the pages of the Bible, and in those we may or may not agree with. Act by following Jesus on his path toward Golgotha and the Cross, in order to finally arrive in Glory, all together, beyond our differences and unified.

Two prayers come to mind for times such as these. Let’s take the opportunity to consider, to imagine, to lean in, and to appropriate these words for ourselves, our loved ones, and even for those we don’t love so much.

I hope you find them encouraging and uplifting.

Grace and peace to you…

dw


May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you;


may he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm;


may he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you;


may he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.

Claiborne, Shane. Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals (p. 50). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

You may be interested in reading a previous post about this prayer here where there are some prompts for reflection.


The second prayer, a hymn attributed to St. Patrick, comes in two parts (with music by yours truly). You can see the original posts here and here.

Stone Irish cross in rural landscape
Image by krystianwin from Pixabay

Part One

I bind unto myself to-day
The strong name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever,
⁠By power of faith, Christ’s Incarnation;
His baptism in Jordan river;
⁠His death on cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spiced tomb;
⁠His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;
⁠I bind unto myself to-day.

I bind unto myself to-day
⁠The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch. His might to stay,
⁠His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
⁠His hand to guide. His shield to ward;
The Word of God to give me speech,
⁠His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
⁠The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
⁠The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh.
⁠In every place, and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
⁠I bind to me these holy powers.

I bind unto myself the Name,
⁠The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same,
⁠The Three in One, and One in Three.
Of Whom all nature hath creation;
⁠Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation
⁠Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

Part Two

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
⁠Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
⁠Christ to comfort and restore me,

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
⁠Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
⁠Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.