The Discerning Hearts Blog Archives

USCCA17 – Part 1 The Eucharist: Source and Summit of Christian Life – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

USCCA17 part 1- Episode 17- The Eucharist: Source and Summit of Christian Life

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Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter 17:

The Church draws her life from the Eucharist. This truth does not simply express a daily experience of faith, but recapitulates the heart of the mystery of the Church. In a variety of ways, she joyfully experiences the constant fulfillment of the promise, “Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20), but in the Holy Eucharist, through the changing of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the Lord, she rejoices in this presence with unique intensity. Ever since Pentecost, when the Church, the People of the New Covenant, began her pilgrim journey towards her heavenly homeland, the Divine Sacrament has continued to mark the passing of her days, filling them with confident hope

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This programs is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.
Also we wish to thank Fr. Ryan Lewis and Bruce McGregor for their vocal talents in this episode.

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USCCA18 – Part 2 The Eucharist: Source and Summit of Christian Life – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

USCCA18 Chapter 17 part 2- The Eucharist: Source and Summit of Christian Life

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Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter 17:

The consecrated bread has become Christ’s Body. The consecrated wine has become Christ’s Blood. Jesus Christ is substantially present in a way that is entirely unique. This happens by the power of the Holy Spirit through the ministry of the priest’s or bishop’s acting in the person of Christ during the Eucharistic Prayer. At Mass, when we are offered the Host and hear the statement “The Body of Christ,” we answer, “Amen,” that is, “Yes, I believe.”

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This programs is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.
Also we wish to thank Susan Adams for her vocal talents in this episode.

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USCCA19 – Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation – God is Rich in Mercy – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

USCCA19 Chapter 18 – The Eucharist: Source and Summit of Christian Life

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Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter 18:

It is called the Sacrament of Conversion because it makes sacramentally present Jesus’ call to conversion, the first step in returning to the Father from whom one has strayed by sin. It is called the Sacrament of Penance, since it consecrates the Christian sinner’s personal and ecclesial steps of conversion, penance, and satisfaction. It is called the Sacrament of Confession since the disclosure or confession of sins is an essential element of this Sacrament. In a profound sense, it is also a called “confession” —acknowledgment and praise—of the holiness of God and of his mercy toward sinful man. It is called the Sacrament of Forgiveness, since by the priest’s sacramental absolution, God grants the penitent “pardon and peace.” It is called the Sacrament of Reconciliation because it imparts to the sinner the love of God who reconciles: “Be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20). He who lives by God’s merciful love is ready to respond to the Lord’s call: “Go, first be reconciled to your brother.” (CCC, nos. 1423-1424, citing Mt 5:24)

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This programs is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.
Also we wish to thank Bruce McGregor for his vocal talents in this episode.

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USCCA20 – Anointing of the Sick and the Dying – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

USCCA20 Chapter 19 – The Anointing of the Sick and the Dying

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Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter19:

When the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given, the hoped-for effect is that, if it be God’s will, the person be physically healed of illness. But even if there is no physical healing, the primary effect of the Sacrament is a spiritual healing by which the sick person receives the Holy Spirit’s gift of peace and courage to deal with the difficulties that accompany serious illness or the frailty of old age. The Holy Spirit renews our faith in God and helps us withstand the temptations of the Evil One to be discouraged and despairing in the face of suffering and death. Also, a sick person’s sins are forgiven if he or she was not able to go to Confession prior to the celebration of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This programs is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.
Also we wish to thank Deacon Chuck and Susan Adams for their vocal talents in this episode.

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USCCA21 – Holy Orders Part 1 – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

USCCA21 Chapter 20 Holy Orders Part 1

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Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter20:

The Church adopted the term order from its use in the Roman Empire, where it referred to a governing group. In the Sacrament of Holy Orders, there are three degrees or “orders”: bishop, priest, and deacon. The rite of ordination is the sacramental act that makes this possible. Ordination “confers a gift of the Holy Spirit that permits the exercise of a ‘sacred power’ …which can come only from Christ himself through the Church” (CCC, no. 1538).

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This programs is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.
Also we wish to thank Matt Willkomb for his vocal talents in this episode.

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USCCA22 – Holy Orders Part 2 – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

USCCA22 Chapter 20 Holy Orders Part 2

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Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter20:

A bishop is given the grace to teach in the name of Christ; to sanctify the Church through the celebration of the Sacraments; to guide, govern, and defend the Church; and to be a sign of the unity of the Church.

A priest is given the grace to proclaim the Gospel and preach, to celebrate the Sacraments (except Holy Orders), and to shepherd the people entrusted to him.

A deacon in the Latin Church is ordained to proclaim the Gospel and preach, to baptize, to assist the bishop or priest in the celebration of the Eucharist, to assist at and bless marriages, to preside at funerals, and to serve the community through works of charity.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This programs is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.
Also we wish to thank Matt Willkomb for his vocal talents in this episode.

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USCCA23 – The Sacrament of Marriage Part 1 – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

USCCA23 Chapter 21 The Sacrament of Marriage Part 1

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Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter21:

The first effect of the Sacrament of Matrimony is the gift of the bond between the spouses. “The consent by which the spouses mutually give and receive one another is sealed by God himself” (CCC, no. 1639). “The marriage bond has been established by God himself in such a way that a marriage concluded and consummated between baptized persons can never be dissolved” (CCC, no. 1640).

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This programs is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.
Also we wish to thank Matt Willkomb for his vocal talents in this episode.

[ezcc]

USCCA24 – The Sacrament of Marriage Part 2 – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

USCCA24 Chapter 21 The Sacrament of Marriage Part 2

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Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter21:

The couple needs to remember they have entered a relationship between persons. They come to one another with two loves, the one commanded by Jesus and the one caused by their attraction to each other. They are challenged to unite their personal love with Christ’s love. Their human love will survive more effectively the cultural challenges they face, as well as the psychological and economic ones, when it is merged with the powerful love of Christ, who wants them to succeed and whose divine grace is ever at their service.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This programs is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.
Also we wish to thank Matt Willkomb for his vocal talents in this episode.

[ezcc]

USCCA25 – Sacramentals and Popular Devotions – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

USCCA25 Chapter 22 Sacramentals and Popular Devotions

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Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter22:

Sacramentals dispose believers to receive the chief effects of the Sacraments. They are sacred signs that resemble the Sacraments in the sense that they signify spiritual effects that are obtained through the intercession of the Church. Sacramentals include blessings, actions such as processions, prayers such as the Rosary, and objects such as holy water, palms, ashes, candles, and medals.

The Church instituted sacramentals to sanctify certain ministries, states of life, and the variety of situations in which Christians are involved. Their use has been guided by bishops’ pastoral decisions in responding to specific needs that are particular to a given period of history or locality. They include a prayer, usually with a gesture such as the Sign of the Cross or the sprinkling of holy water.

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This program is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.

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USCCA26 – Life in Jesus Part 1 – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

USCCA26 Chapter 23 Life In Jesus part 1

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Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter23:

Made in the Image of God

The most basic principle of the Christian moral life is the awareness that every person bears the dignity of being made in the image of God. He has given us an immortal soul and through the gifts of intelligence and reason enables us to understand the order of things established in his creation. God has also given us a free will to seek and love what is true, good, and beautiful. Sadly, because of the Fall, we also suffer the impact of Original Sin, which darkens our minds, weakens our wills, and inclines us to sin. Baptism delivers us from Original Sin but not from its effects—especially the inclination to sin, concupiscence. Within us, then, is both the powerful surge toward the good because we are made in the image of God, and the darker impulses toward evil because of the effects of Original Sin. But we should always remember that Christ’s dying and rising offers us new life in the Spirit, whose saving grace delivers us from sin and heals sin’s damage within us. Thus we speak of the value, dignity, and goal of human life, even with its imperfections and struggles. Human life, as a profound unity of physical and spiritual dimensions, is sacred. It is distinct from all other forms of life, since it alone is imprinted with the very image of its Creator.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This program is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.

[ezcc]