Creed Night - February 26, 2009
Love Thy Neighbor with Bishop Blair

Gospel of Luke 9:22-25

- God is love
- Love is the theme of life, not just one aspect of it.
- Fall of man, original sin
- as Christians we do not save ourselves; God sent his son to sacrifice himself for us to our sins would be forgiven
- God loved us so much that he became one of us and sacrificed himself on the cross

You must love yourself before you love others (you cannot give what you do not have)
How do you live a life of love when you are faced with persecution and hate?
- You can never judge another person and must always forgive no matter what they do
- In the mystery that brought God into the world he was spat upon, beat, etc. ... and he never judged anyone
- "Thy kingdom come" ... He brings it, we help but we do not build it
- "Be still, and know that I am God"

- What does the church believe about government separating the sacred and the secular?
     As long as separate does not mean no religion then they can and sometimes should be separate.

- How do we forgive ourselves?
     We must believe that grace allows to be done what we cannot do ourselves. Pray for that grace! God pays attention to what we truly want, not what we feel.

- How do you start a conversation with someone who criticizes Catholicism?
     Faith and reason. There must be a mutual respect between the people who are having the discussion, and they must be open to understanding the others views.

-indulgences: spiritual treasury of the church
     - made my saints and their goodness
     - more information in the CCC
- "When you pray it is not to change Gods mind, it is to prepare your heart for what he is going to give" - St. Augustus

- If we do not have the right to judge people how can we excommunicate them?
     Excommunication is a spiritual thing and is in the Bible. It is mean to show a person how serious their actions are and to bring them to their senses, "tough love".
- "Self-revelation of God in the mystery of the Holy Trinity" Love exists within the very being of God = Father, Son and Holy Spirit

- What is the difference between judging someone and realizing they are a weed and the need to untangle yourself from them?
It is not their soul that is bad, but what there are doing ... "weedful behavior". "As long as there is a breath of life there is hope" - Jesus. Hate the sin, love the sinner. Moral will, saying no to things

- "Mary is the church's first and most perfect member"