Dignity in Christ

God's Greatest Work (1691-1692)

"Christian, recognize your dignity. Remember who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Never forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness" (Pope St. Leo the Great).

The creeds confess God's great works (man's creation, redemption, and sanctification). The sacraments communicate these gifts to man. Christians through Christ and the Spirit must live a life "worthy of the Gospel of Christ" (Phil 1:27).

Called to Be Perfect (1693-1695)

Christians are invited to become "perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt 5:48).

Because they are to be "dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Rom 6:11) they must become "imitators of God as beloved children" (Eph 5:1-2).

The Spirit teaches believers to "pray to the Father" (Eph 4:23) and to bring forth "the fruit of the Spirit" (Gal 5:22).

Church catechesis stresses the "two ways" (to life or to death) and the importance of moral decisions for our salvation. "There are two ways, the one of life, the other of death, but between the two, there is a great difference" (Didache).

The Seven Catechetical Needs (1696-1698)

There must be a catechesis:

Of the Spirit - Who inspires, corrects and strengthens
Of grace - Which alone saves and bears fruit
Of the beatitudes - Which sum up Christ's way
Of sin and forgiveness by which man acknowledges his sinfulness and learns of the possibility of forgiveness
Of human virtues - Which grasp the beauty of goodness
Of Christian virtues - Which follow the example of the saints
Of the Ten Commandments - Which give clear teaching
Of the Church - In which the believer "shares spiritual goods"

All Catechesis must lead to Christ. Only in Christ, can the believer gain the promises. "I ask you to consider that our Lord Jesus Christ is your true Lord. All that is his is yours. You belong to him" (St. John Eudes). "For to me, to live is Christ" (Phil 1:21).

Aspects of Man's Call (1699)

This section has three parts:

The vocation of man in the Spirit
A life of charity toward God and solidarity with man
Salvation

Man's Vocation (1700)

This first part has eight articles:

Man, the Image of God
Man's Call to Happiness
Man's Freedom
The Morality of Human Acts
The Morality of the Passions
Moral Conscience
The Virtues
Sin

MAN: THE IMAGE OF GOD

Nine Truths About Christ and Man (1701-1709)

Only in Christ ("the image of the invisible God") can man understand himself and his exalted call. God's image in man has been restored by Christ.
When man is in communion with others, he is a likeness of the communion of the three divine persons.
Because man has an immortal soul, God has willed his existence for his own sake. From his conception, man is destined for eternal life.
By reason, man can understand that God created this world. By his free will, he can direct himself to his true good.
Because his soul has the power of intellect and free will, man has freedom, "an outstanding manifestation of God's image" (Second Vatican Council).
By his reason man can know that God wills him "to do what is good and to avoid what is evil." He must follow this law of his conscience.
Enticed by the Evil One, man misused this freedom. His nature is wounded by sin, inclined to evil, and subject to error. "Man is divided in himself. As a result, his whole life shows itself to be a struggle between good and evil" (Second Vatican Council).
By his Passion, Christ delivered man from Satan and merited grace which restores what sin damaged.
By believing in Christ, a person becomes a son of God, capable of following Christ and gaining a perfection which blossoms into eternal glory.

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