By Antony Christy SDB-
David is probably the most famous name among those of the Old Testament. He was chosen as someone ‘after the heart of the Lord’. As a young lad he found favour with the Lord and it is so obvious why. When he was chosen no one could find the rationale for his choice – he was the youngest of all his brothers and the weakest of all in stature.
Why would God choose him to lead the people, when there were many others who were stronger and more capable. The Lord establishes Lord’s own logic: I see the heart not the external appearance. David is chosen, a boy who could hardly bear the weight of the armour that Saul provided him with to fight the challenging Philistine. While all that he took was a sling and five pebbles, his words to Goliath, the Philistine was remarkable. He said, ‘You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel” (1 Sam 17:45). To hear these words from a young boy pitching against that giant of a warrior, is something ridiculous, but bringing the giant down turns out to be a child’s play.
Was it the valour of the boy or the wonder of the Lord – it was both and that is precisely the message. David finds favour with the Lord and the Lord finds David close to the Lord’s heart. David remains true to his identity as the chosen one of the Lord – in his trust on the Lord, in his forgiveness of his enemies, in his true friendship with Jonathan and in his ready and sincere admittance of his own limitations.
Dear young friends,
– do you have a special relationship with God, as did David?
– which of the qualities of young David do you have in you?
YOU CAT
THE SACRED LITURGY AND THE CELEBRATION OF THE MYSTERIES OF CHRIST:
The Celebration of the Christian Mysteries (Questions 166-192). The second part of the Youcat, “How we celebrate the Christian Mysteries” begins with an introduction to Liturgy and moves on to explain the need for sacraments in Christian life. The people of Israel communed with Lord Yahweh seven times a day and Jesus gave a great importance to the need for communion with the Lord
Jesus taught his disciples to pray and as a culmination of this tradition gave himself up as a living sacrifice. Liturgy was born here, as Jesus said – ‘do this in remembrance of me’. Liturgy is the summit toward which the entire activity of the Church is directed, the font of all power and the climax of every good will.
When we celebrate the Liturgy, we are drawn into the love of God, we are healed, we are transformed. The most important of all liturgy was the Paschal Liturgy that Jesus had with his disciples in the Upper room and every liturgy that is celebrated anytime or anywhere is a celebration of this Paschal Mystery.
This celebration is an expression of faith in Jesus Christ. Since God feels that it is not enough to come to the Lord with the intellect, but one needs to come with all one’s senses, God gives the Church what is known as sacraments. Sacraments are a gift of Christ to his Church and they presuppose faith; they are not mere magic. Sacraments are expressions of faith and they are a source of strength to a growing faith.
The One who celebrates the liturgy in all senses is Christ himself and the entire Church -priests and believers- participate in that worship. This liturgical season is a cyclical commemoration of the events in Jesus’ life and the feast of Easter is the pinnacle of these memories. Within this worship, Sunday occupies the central place and every Sunday is a miniature Easter.
– The Liturgy: what meaning and importance does that have in your life as a Christian?
KNOW YOUR CHURCH:
Is Church the building or a congregation?
‘Church’ is a term with more than one meaning. Church refers to the building where the people of God gather for worship as a group or as individuals. It can also mean the congregation of people at various levels. First of all the Church as the place of worship comes from the Dutch root ‘kerk‘ and German root, ‘kirche‘ both of which mean the house of the Lord. What about the meaning that refers to the congregation of persons?
Greek differentiates it well by using two different terms, ekklesia and basilike – while the latter refer to the building as the church and former refers to the communion of persons. This communion of persons at the world level, under the Holy Father, as the Bishop of Rome having been entrusted with a special responsibility of keeping the communion of the Church, is called the Universal Church – it is a communion of communities. Such a congregation at the local level is called a Particular Church.
There can be two different types of particular churches:
1) Autonomous Particular Church or Particular Church sui iuris is the communion of Churches which follow common ritual practices of worship, theological foundation and canonical tradition (there are 23 Particular Churches sui iuris other than the Roman Catholic Church);
2) Local Particular Church which is headed normally by a bishop, commonly known as dioceses. Incidentally, churches (understood as places of worship) are of six different types: Cathedral (the chief church of a diocese), Basilica (churches of importance), Shrine (churches which draw pilgrims), Chapel (informal church), Parish Church (officially assigned for a faith community) and Crypt (underground, normally with a tomb).
DO CAT
THE FOUNDATION OF SOCIETY – THE FAMILY
(Questions 112-133) – Family was intended by God because God would not wish any person to live alone. The Old Testament and the New Testament bear ample witness to the fact that God willed family to be the normal atmosphere for a human person to be born and to grow. The Church regards family as the first and most important natural community.
The family is the foundation of society ad all social arrangements proceed from it. Family is the place where one is loved unconditionally. Different generations live together and experience affection, solidarity, appreciation, unselfish commitment, help and justice, in a family. Though the present systems raise some doubts as to whether the family fits into the concept of a modern society, it would be a fallacy to give in to that doubt. The family, not only fits into the modern society but, contributes to the very humanization of societies.
As specific tasks that a family accomplishes on behalf of the society, we can list,
i) ensuring the continuation of the society;
ii) socialising and raising children, handing down cultural, ethical, social, intellectual and religious virtues, values and traditions;
iii) caring for all members of the household creating safe and private place to grow and relax; iv)providing loving care for the sick and challenged members of the household. Promoting solidarity and a sense of identity is a crucial task accomplished by the Family. Marriage, which is the communion between a man and a woman ordered to the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring, is the foundation of the family. Marriage is a sacrament and a vocation. The State or the society has to acknowledge marriage and family as foundations of a human society, and in solidarity and subsidiarity promote its wellbeing by all means.
– What is your opinion of marriage and family in the context of today’s society?
Fr Antony Christy is a Salesian Priest from 2005, who has a Masters in Philosophy (specialisation in Religion) and a Masters in Theology (Specialisation in Catechetics). He is currently pursuing his doctoral research in Theology at Salesian Pontifical University, Rome. Walking with the Young towards a World of Peace and Dialogue is the passion that fires him on.