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What is the Incarnation?   The Incarnation is what we call the mystery that the Son of God took on a human nature.  The word Incarnation means “in the flesh”.  Jesus not only has the same divine nature as God, but also shares in our human nature.   Jesus is both human and divine.  He is like us in all things except sin.

What is the Immaculate Conception?  The Immaculate Conception refers to the Church’s teaching that Mary was preserved free from original sin from the first moment of her conception.  From the moment Mary’s soul was created in her mother’s womb she was free from sin.  We celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th.  It is a holy day of obligation. 

What is the Annunciation? The Annunciation is the biblical event in which the angel Gabriel visited Mary to tell her that she would be the Mother of God and give birth to Jesus our Savior.  Mary responded to the angel with a joyous song called the Magnificat.  Luke 1:46-55                    

WHAT ARE SACRAMENTS?

A sacrament is an outward sign - By this we mean that a sacrament is a visible symbolic action. It is not something we have.  It is something we do (break bread, anoint with oil)

Instituted by Christ - Jesus did not make up symbols.  He took symbols that were common to people and symbols common to his heritage and instituted meaning. 

To give grace - Sacraments help us to make ourselves present to God who is always with us.  They help us to find the footprints of God in our life.  They help us to enter into a friendship with God and that friendship is called grace. 

The sacraments are celebrated at key moments in our lives; the birth of our children, marriage, giving and receiving forgiveness, times of sickness and death, etc.  The sacraments deepen and mark these special times and remind us of Christ’s presence in our lives.

In the next few months we will be looking at each of the sacraments.

CONFIRMATION

• Confirmation is the sacrament that completes the grace we receive at Baptism.  In order to keep the connection of Confirmation to Baptism, there is a renewal of baptismal promises.
• Confirmation is celebrated within the Mass so all can participate in the Eucharist.
• In Confirmation we receive a special outpouring of the Spirit, which increases the Gifts of the Holy Spirit already at work in us. 
• At Confirmation, the bishop or his representative extends his hands over the candidates and prays that the Holy Spirit will come upon them as their helper and guide. 
• The Sacrament of Confirmation is conferred through the anointing with Chrism on the forehead, which is done by the laying on of the hand through the words “Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.”

THE RITE OF CONFIRMATION

Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit

For an explanation of each of the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit visit:

With your household talk about the particular gift you see each family member use often.

Are there any gifts or fruits of the Spirit your family would like to work on?

To see how you measure up complete the Fruits of the Holy Spirit Inventory by visiting:

For more on Sacraments.

WHAT IS THE CREED?

A creed any creed, lists the basic beliefs of a group.  Based on the Latin word credo the word creed means “I believe” “I give my heart to it”.

The Apostles Creed

This prayer states what the Church has believed since the time of the apostles.  Several years after Pentecost, in the city of Rome you would often find Christians gathering in their homes to pray and read Scripture.  They would always renew their faith by praying the creed before they went home.  They believed it was important to pray the Creed to help them remember who and what they stood for.  

Apostles Creed.       

The Nicene Creed (Profession of Faith)

This is the creed we normally pray during Mass.  When we pray the creed at Mass we repeat the statement of beliefs made at our Baptism. This creed based in part of the Council of Nicea 325AD is a fuller expression of our faith. 

In this section we will explore some of these beliefs we profess each week. 

WHAT DO WE BELIEVE ABOUT JESUS

• Jesus is the second person of the Trinity.  Through the Incarnation(which means coming into flesh”)  he became fully man while remaining fully God.  Jesus is “true man and true God.” 
• Through the work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary.
• Christ means anointed or chosen.  Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s promises to the Hebrew people to send a messiah. 

•  Jesus showed he was divine in many ways, particularly through the miracles he worked.  At the same time we see his human nature in the way he touched others by his forgiveness, compassion and love.  Jesus taught us through both his words and actions. 
• Jesus came to reveal God to us in a way we could understand.  He came to teach us how to respond to God’s love and to lead a life of love and service to others.
• Jesus entered the world to bring salvation to all people. He died and rose to new life to save all people from the power of sin.
• In the death and Resurrection of Jesus, God transformed defeat and death into victory and life.  Through his Paschal mystery (his Passion, death, Resurrection and Ascension) Jesus conquered death and makes it possible for those who have faith to experience everlasting life.  We celebrate the Paschal mystery at every Mass. 

BRINGING JESUS INTO YOUR HEARTS AND HOME THIS CHRISTMAS  “ They shall call him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us”  Matthew 1: 22-23

You may know things about Jesus and that is good.  He was truly the Christ-the Messiah sent by God.  But we can get stuck on the Jesus of History.  We forget that Jesus came to be among us.  We will never get a signal telling us to look for him in swaddling clothes in a manger but he is with us in our everyday lives. There is an old Russian legend told this time of year about a woman named Baboushka, who spent a good part of her life searching for the Christ child only to find out that Christ was in every person she met on her journey.

Story of Baboushka

FAMILY CONVERSATIONS

Use these conversation starters that would be appropriate for your household at the dinner table, in the car, or on a walk.

• What do you believe about Jesus?
• Who taught you about Jesus?
• If Jesus were alive today, where would he live, what would he be doing?
• What is one way you can show Jesus love to one another by what you do or say?
• If everyone who believes in Jesus lived as he lived, how would our world be different?
• Mother Teresa found Christ in every person.  Where did you see Jesus today?
• What do you think Jesus would like to have happen in the year 2009? In our world, in your family?
• If you knew Jesus was coming to your home December 25, what things would you do to get ready for his visit?

FAMILY REFLECTION

In the very last sentence of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says to his friends “Know that I am with you always even to the end of the world”

How is Jesus present in your family?

What do you suppose he sees as he looks around at you?

What does he hear? 

What might he say to you right now?

What would you like to say to Jesus?

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