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The
New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism (Official Baltimore Catechism Series No. 2) Revised
Edition
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This Catechism retains the text of the Revised Baltimore Catechism,
Number 2, but adds abundant explanations to help children understand the difficult parts
of each lesson along with pictures to aid in understanding.
Intended for grades 6-8
Official
Baltimore Catechism Series No. 1
is also available
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5. When the Church tells you that
Jesus comes down to the altar, at the beck
and call of a priest to be sacrificed, and Jesus said "it is finished" and
that by one(!) offering man can have salvation, in whom do you put your
trust?
Jesus coming down to the altar at the "beck and call of a
priest to be sacrificed" does not at all describe what happens at
the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist. At the Mass Catholics
come together to give thanks and praise to God on High for the
gift of His Son. We remember in a special and uniue way Jesus'
sacrifice on the cross at cavalry, fulfilling what He himself
commanded "do this in memory of me."(Lk 22:19b) If he did not intend
for us to participate with his sacrifice in this way then he
wouldn't have given us this command. In doing this Catholics
recognize what Jesus himself said, "I am the living bread that came
down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the
bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." (Jn
6:51) Furthermore, Jesus would not have said "Amen, amen, I say to
you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you do not have life within you[,]" or "[w]hoever eats my flesh and
drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last
day,(Jn 6:53,56)" if it were not possible for us to do this through
him. We have complete faith and trust in Jesus who makes himself
our food through the priest, who prays to the Father solely through
the Son, while the power of the Holy Spirit makes the bread and
wine the Body and Blood of Christ that gives us eternal life.
Thus, for us the bread on the altar "is the bread that came down
from heaven...whoever eats this bread will live forever. (Jn
6:58)" Indeed, as the Gospel relates, because of Christ's teachings
on the Eucharist many of the disciples who listened said, "This
saying is hard; who can accept it?" Morever, "[a]s a result of this,
many of his disciples returned to their former ways of life and no
longer accompanied him.(Jn 6:60,66) Catholics faithfully respond to
Jesus as Peter did, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words
of eternal life. (Jn 6:68) In this we trust in Jesus. |
