Pope Sylvester was the leader of the Catholic Church at a great turning point in the Church’s history. For the first time in nearly 300 years, Christians were freed from the threat of persecution. The powerful emperor Constantine had given Christians the right to practice [...]
|
|||||
|
In the Opening Prayer of the Mass on the feast of St. Thomas, we pray, “Almighty God, you granted the martyr Thomas the grace to give his life for the cause of justice” (Sacramentary, page 761). The justice Thomas died for was the right of the Church to be free from control by the government. Thomas [...] On Christmas Day, we celebrate the birth of Jesus. The next day we celebrate the birth of Stephen. But this is a different kind of birth. It is the birth of Stephen into eternal life. Death brought life for him. He is the first martyr of the Christian Church. In the beginning of the Church, its [...] John was raised in an orphanage in Spain. He longed for solitude and the opportunity to be one with God in prayer. After he left the orphanage, John began training to become a carpenter and then a printer. He worked as a nurse assistant in a hospital and developed a great love for the poor [...] Odilia was born in France in the seventh century. When she was still an infant, her parents realized that she was blind. Her father was so angry that he ordered his only child put to death. But Odilia’s mother convinced him to allow Odilia to be raised by nuns. The nuns raised Odilia with faith and [...] St. Lucy lived so long ago that many details of her life are unknown to us. We do know that she came from the island of Sicily and that she died in the year 304. We have proof that she was beloved by the early Christians because her name is prayed in the first Eucharistic [...] Maria was born into an important royal family in Madrid, Spain in 1891. Her father was also Spain’s ambassador to the Vatican. The family was very religious and Maria was always encouraged to put God first in her life. She prayed that the Holy Spirit would guide her in knowing how God wanted her to [...] Catechist Background and Preparation To prepare for the session, read all the readings. Genesis 3:9-15, 20 Psalm 98:1, [...] John was born in 676 and raised in Damascus. His father worked for the Muslim government, which controlled the city, but John’s family were faithful Christians and respected in the community. John inherited his father’s job, but resigned when people began to complain that a [...] Charles was raised by his grandfather in Strasbourg, France after his parents died in 1864, when he was six. He was baptized and made his First Communion, but never really believed in the Christian life. He became an officer in the French army. After his grandfather died, Charles inherited his fortune. He left the army [...] |
|||||
|
Copyright © 2012 RCL Benziger Resource Center - All Rights Reserved |
|||||