6/14/2019

   Q: Is Jesus actually God?
 
Isaiah Lupardus
Marietta
 
   A: Yes, absolutely, Jesus is the son of God, namely, the second person in the Holy Trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  The Apostles did not just attest to this fact, but so did Jesus himself. Throughout the New Testament there are a “plethora,” which means really a lot, of references to Jesus’ divinity.
   I say that because even in the early days of the church, there were those who just could not come to terms or grasp Jesus’ divinity. Those heresies still show their ugly face from time to time and we, as fellow Christian missionary disciples, are there to assist our friends and loved ones in understanding Jesus’ true divinity. In the early church, there were those who could not come to grasp that while Jesus is God, he was a person, as well. We know from the Catechism of the Catholic Church that Jesus has two natures, for he is both God and man.
   How blessed we are to have Jesus come among us as one of us and to be God; all of this in order for you and I to be saved and to receive the Holy Spirit that both God the Father and God the Son share. 
 
   Q: When you die at a certain age, does your soul live forever as that age?
 
Mandy Drosieko
St. Clairsville
 
   A: Our soul and our bodies are what make us human beings. We cannot be a human being, one without the other. Contrary to what we may hear from time to time, they are meant to compliment each other.  While our bodies age over time, our soul remains eternal, and it is the same soul that we had when we first came into being. In other words, our soul does not get gray hair, yet at the same time, it is part of who we are, and we are meant to protect it at all costs so that eternally we, as both body and soul, will reign with God. 
   The Catechism of the Catholic Church is quite clear about the necessity of a soul for each human being (see, Cathechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph 364). “The human body shares in the dignity of ‘the image of God’: It is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit.” In fact, the Catechism goes on to say that because of the soul, the body becomes a living human body, comprised of both body and spirit, and forms a single nature. 
 
   Q: How do we know that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist?
 
Emily Buck
Martins Ferry
 
   A: We read in Matthew, Chapter 26, Verses 26-28, that “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it and giving it to his disciples saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup , gave thanks and gave it to them saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.”  Jesus is crystal clear that the Eucharist is his body and blood, for he didn’t say this is like my body or like my blood, but said it is my body, is my blood. St. Paul, in his First Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verses 23-25, echoes these words from Jesus. The scriptural substantiation of the Eucharist is solid and indisputable. 
   St. Justin Martyr, who gave up his life for the faith in the middle of the second century, outlines in one of his works the entire ritual of the eucharistic celebration.  How remarkable that is since only a little more than a 100 years prior was the Last Supper itself. Even the sign of peace is indicated in his remarks. Furthermore, St. Justin Martyr indicates that the one who receives the Eucharist must believe that the Catholic Church teachings are true and must be in right standing with the church as well. The dignity of the Eucharist demands this.
   St. Justin Martyr refers that the celebration of the Mass, as well as the parts of the Mass in its earliest forms, were celebrated this way. In other words, the Mass is not some sort of medieval construct that was thrown together by a bunch of bishops. The Eucharist, as Jesus’ body and blood in the bread and wine, first existed at the Last Supper. This sacrifice of the Mass continues to be celebrated throughout the world in our churches. I would like to think that every moment of the day the Mass is being celebrated somewhere on the planet, sanctifying our time here on earth. Did you know that the word Eucharist, itself, can also mean thanksgiving? When was the last time you and I thanked the Lord for his enduring presence among us in the holy Eucharist?
 
            May you and your family have a blessed Ordinary Time , especially during this summer break.