Our Catholic/Christian Faith: 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

Faith is a building block for every religion in our world

·     We Christians, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Shinto, even Non-religion are based on faith and belief

·     And, there 

Today, I would share three steps of our faith.  These are succinct on the surface, but deep when you begin thinking (with philosophy and theology, and your own)

·     Step one: Do you believe in God?

·     Step two: Did God became a man?

·     Step three: Did this man, Jesus Christ, rise from the dead

In a nutshell, that is our belief as Catholics and Christianity

Now, let’s go a little deeper

·     Step one: Do you believe in God?

o  Around the world, there is some conversation that there are up to or beyond 3,000 gods

o  So, we believe in one (monotheism) = one God

§ And three persons in One God = Trinity

o  Judaism and Islam also believe in One God, though not as three persons

o  Also, some people, aka atheism believes in O gods, we believe in one, and other religions believe more

·     Step two: Did God became a man?

o  We are the ONLY religion that believes that God became a man—our Father’s Son

·     Step three: Did this man, Jesus Christ, rise from the dead?

o  Again, we are the ONLY religion that believes this

Today I mention some depths in our faith from the second letter this weekend (step #3)

·     Brothers and sisters:
If Christ is preached as raised from the dead,
how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead?
If the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised,
and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain;
you are still in your sins.
Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
If for this life only we have hoped in Christ,
we are the most pitiable people of all.

·     But now Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Step four for us, is to remind ourselves in our belief in the Nicene Creed and always consider, grow and learn where God is calling you with your intellectual study, and continue to grow with faith