Christ died for us as an act of sacrifice to the Father for the atonement of sins. In Jesus’ gracious act of obedience to the Father he has opened the gates to heaven for the salvation of humanity. Placed before us, by his cross, is the path to salvation. In his obedience of accepting the cross, Christ has demonstrated that it is obedience to the will of God that is the path that leads to eternal life.

Fr. Bill

Christ died for us because of sin, and therefore we need(ed) a redeemer in Jesus Christ.

A powerful that illustrates this point and in which one can read is the Exsultet that is chanted at the Easter Vigil - "O Happy Fault." Also, Christ came to redeem us so that we might become divinized (a process of divinization). God became man so that man might become like God. Catechism 460 states: "The Word became flesh to make us "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Pt 1:4.): "For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God" (St. Irenaeus). "For the Son of God became man so that we might become God" (St. Athanasius). "The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods" (St. Thomas Aquinas). The only three points I would add is that 1). This is not some weird, New-Age ideology, 2). We don't become GOD and never will; and 3). Rather to be divinized is to be purified of sin and receive the unmerited and eternal reward of heaven which is to be perfected by God and live in a communion of love.

One final thought... [Christ didn't have to die for us]. Instead through the Incarnation, the Word became flesh in Jesus Christ who FREELY died out of love as shown on the cross. This was done to restore us (restoration) back into relationship with the Father to the perfected state of grace that Adam and Eve had with God before the Fall, a state known as Original Justice (before original sin)....for us, it’s heaven. The most important part, the greatest act and pinnacle, to restore this relationship upon which our faith rests is the Resurrection

Fr. Jeff

Isaiah 53:5-6

• But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed.
• All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Emphasis added)

Christ allowed God to lay the iniquity of our sins, past, present, and future upon Himself, out of love for us and obedience to the Father. In other words He allowed Himself to be the “scapegoat” to carry away our sins.

In the Bible, a scapegoat is an animal which is ritually burdened with the sins of others then driven away on the Day of Atonement. The concept first appears in Leviticus, in which a goat is designated to be cast into the desert to carry away the sins of the community.

Leviticus 16:7-10

• Then he shall take the two goats, and set them before the LORD at the door of the tent of meeting;
• and Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel.
• And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the LORD, and offer it as a sin offering;
• but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.”

In volunteering to carry our sins for us, Jesus removed all barriers between us and God. Nicky makes a good analogy of this in this week’s video.

“Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” - John 15:13

Mike Cole

Scriptural depiction of heaven is spoken of in terms of justice. Jesus stated that in heaven no one is given in marriage that we are “like” the angels. (Keep in mind that angels are non-corporal beings and have no bodies so we can’t become angels but we will worship before the Lord as do they.) To think about heaven in earthly terms, like blue skies and mountains and the like is to miss the scriptural point of heaven. Liturgically we speak of being reunited with loved ones, meaning that we will encounter each other in some spiritual level of existence.

Fr. Bill

There is no marriage in heaven. Jesus explicitly answers that in the story of one bride for seven brothers in three different (synoptic) Gospel versions: Mt. 22:23-33, Mk. 12:18-27, and Lk. 20:27-40.

Fr. Jeff

Heaven will be unlike anything we have ever experienced before (here on earth). An eternal union with God, the angels and the saints in heaven. If Jesus' Resurrected body (and therefore Jesus himself) walked through walls and ate fish, who's to say that our resurrected bodies won't do the same?

"What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him," (1 Cor. 2:9, Is. 64:3).

Fr. Jeff

There is a book authored by a Jewish Rabbi entitled “When Bad Things Happen to Good People”. It was an account of his son who was born with a disease that progresses the age of a person. They die very early in life, often in the teen years, as an elderly person. The rabbi could not make sense of all of this in the death of his son. But he came to understand the meaning of the Book of Job, that there are many difficult things about human existence, including pain and suffering. The Book of Job reveals, you can also read this in Lamentations, that God journey’s with us in life. The human condition is mortal, meaning that we exist for only a period of time. What takes place during that time called life is a variety of experiences many of which are hurtful. God does not create evil, pain or suffering but allows it to exist as these experiences cause a need within the human to seek God as a means of hope as humans face particular life events. We are finite beings, there is an end to our earthly existence and so our relationship with God, and living by His commandments, is about moving towards spiritual perfection so that when our earthly body a “tent” to use Paul’s notion, is that we might be worthy to rise to a new life free of pain and suffering in the kingdom of heaven.

Fr. Bill

Bad things happen to good people and pain and suffering exist for at least two reasons (not exhaustive, and yes, this is oversimplified): (1) free will (our choices/decisions have consequences) and this stems from and originates in (2) original (SIN).

Their are at least four effects of original sin: (1) Death, (2) Ignorance, (3). SUFFERING, and 4). Concupiscence (inclination toward sin).

We may even want to add two more after the Fall: (1) women experiencing labor pains at the end of pregnancy (Gen. 3:16) and (2) the toil of man, working by the sweat of his brow (Gen. 3:17-19).

Fr. Jeff

This is an explanation I heard a long time ago and it has stuck with me over the years. Think of the saints as our spiritual big brothers and sisters or our heavenly cheerleaders rooting us on from Heaven. We don't pray to the saints, but we ask them to pray for us and our needs/concerns. The saints are living in the fullness of glory with Jesus. They spend all their time at the throne of God, and because of that they can ask on our behalf and pray for us.

I have always loved imagining the saints just cheering for me up in Heaven. :)

Patty Breen

Another thought. We believe that Jesus is the first fruits of all who have fallen asleep. We believe in the resurrection of Jesus and that we too shall rise. It is Jesus himself who said that no one can come to the Father except through him. And so we believe that Christ is the mediator that leads us to heaven. We do recognize that there are those who have not heard of Christ, but the goodness of their lives will be embraced in eternal glory.

Also, because we believe in the resurrection we hold that those who have died have risen. So we pray to and with the saints as being united with us in faith. They are the Church Triumphant, the living with Christ, and as they were a part of our faith family on earth they are still a member of the family. It is to say that we pray united as the disciples of Jesus, whether as the Church Triumphant or the Church Militant.

Fr. Bill

Jesus stated that the only way in which to grow closer in relationship is to be faithful to God’s commandments. I don’t remember the passage, but Jesus stated, and I’m paraphrasing, that one who says he is a disciple but ignores the will of God, is a thief and a liar. If one truly wants to be a disciple and grow closer to God, a willingness to embrace the commandments is necessary. That is so not just to follow rules, but the deeper one enters into the meaning of the commandments the more one understands that these are buildings blocks to inner peace and harmony for society. Here is where it becomes personal.

Fr. Bill

Three ways I think are important in growing closer in one's relationship to God: Scripture, Sacramental life, and Community.

Reading and praying with the Scriptures are an ongoing way for people to grow closer to God. We cannot [know] Jesus personally if we don't [know] Him through Scripture. We need the sacraments frequently to grow closer to God and be filled with grace to live the Christian life. Weekly Sunday Mass, frequent Adoration and Confession, are all tools we have available to help us grow in relationship to God.

Community is important too. Jesus doesn't want us to be "Lone Christian rangers." We cannot live the Christian life alone or in isolation. We need each other. We need other people to encourage, challenge, support, and hold us accountable.

Patty Breen

This topic will be discussed in depth at the Alpha Retreat

Faith is not an educated guess. It is an acceptance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and placing our trust in that message. No formula can prove faith. This is about trust. God has revealed himself through the prophets, the covenant, the teachings of Jesus and the witness of the cross. The ability to believe and ultimate trust is the work of the Holy Spirit. Recall Jesus’s words to Peter and the Apostles. No man revealed this to you, but our Father in heaven. So the Spirits works, as it wills as Jesus stated, and is the sign of faith growing in the heart.

Fr. Bill