#21 - Significant Dates and Sin

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* 1. Which of the following is not a “root sin"?

Answer:  Anger

"Saying that we have a “root sin” simply means that for each of us, one of the three is dominant. It’s bigger than the others and exerts greater influence on our day-to-day behavior. That said, here are the three possible root sins: pride, vanity, and sensuality. Pride, in this sense, refers to a disordered attachment to our own excellence. The proud person tends to seek meaning and fulfillment in their own achievements and conquests. Vanity is a disordered attachment to the approval of other people. The vain person tends to seek meaning and fulfillment in being appreciated or liked by other people. Sensuality is a disordered attachment to comfort, ease, and pleasure. The sensual person tends to seek meaning and fulfillment in taking it easy and simply enjoying life. Notice that each of these root sins is a disordered attachment to something. The things in themselves – achievements, relationships, pleasures – are not evil. The problem comes when we seek meaning and fulfillment in those temporal, created realities. In fact, we are created and called to seek our meaning and fulfillment in God alone, in our ever-deepening relationship with him. Achievements, relationships, and pleasures are meant to be ordered around and towards that principle and foundation of our life." https://spiritualdirection.com/2010/04/26/how-can-i-identify-my-root-sin

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* 2. February 11th marks the seventh anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI’s announcement of his resignation to take effect on 2/28/2013. Pope Gregory XII had been the last Pope to resign (1415) before Pope Benedict XVI. What was Pope Gregory’s reason?

Answer:  To resolve the Church’s Western Schism

In the early 15th century, “there were three claims to the Papacy.  There was antipope John XXIII, antipope Benedict XIII, and Pope Gregory XII.  The Council of Constance [1415] was called and at the council Pope Gregory XII resigned and antipope John XXIII also resigned so that the Church could elect a new universally recognized Pope.  Antipope Benedict XIII refused to resign but by this point he had no support from any existing Cardinals.  With 2 of the 3 claimants to the Papacy officially resigned, the Council then declared the antipope Benedict XIII excommunicated.  The Council then elected Pope Martin V who was universally accepted by the Church.”  https://www.catholic.com/qa/how-did-the-western-schism-end

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* 3. With the arrival of Valentine’s Day, various forms of romantic involvement are brought to mind.  Regarding one aspect, the Sixth Commandment against adultery pertains to only married persons.

Answer:  False

The Sixth Commandment pertains to both married and unmarried person.  Under Section Two of the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding the Ten Commandments, paragraph #2353 describes the sin of Fornication, which “is carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of persons and of human sexuality which is naturally ordered to the good of spouses and the generation and education of children.”

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* 4. Ash Wednesday is February 26th this year and begins the season of Lent. The ritual for the “Day of Ashes” is found in the earliest editions of the Gregorian Sacramentary, which dates at least to the 8th century. When is the earliest time for the liturgical use of ashes?

Answer:  Old Testament

“The liturgical use of ashes originated in the Old Testament times.  Ashes symbolized mourning, mortality, and penance.  For instance, in the Book of Esther, Mordecai put on sackcloth and ashes when he heard of the decree of King Ahasuerus (or Xerxes, 485-464 B.C.) of Persia to kill all of the Jewish people in the Persian Empire (Esther 4:1).  Job (whose story was written between the 7th and 5th centuries B.C.) repented in sackcloth and ashes (Job 42:6).  Prophesying the Babylonian captivity of Jerusalem, Daniel (c. 550 B.C.) wrote, “I turned to the Lord God, pleading in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes” (Daniel 9:3).  In the 5th century B.C., after Jonah’s preaching of conver­sion and repentance, the town of Nineveh proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, and the king covered himself with sackcloth and sat in the ashes (Jonah 3:5-6).  These Old Testament examples evidence both a recognized practice of using ashes and a common understanding of their symbolism.”  http://catholicstraightanswers.com/what-are-the-origins-of-ash-wednesday-and-the-use-of-ashes/

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* 5. Leap Year Day falls on a Saturday for 2020. When will it be on a Saturday again?

Answer:  2048

“A calendar for a particular non-leap year repeats itself after 11 years twice and repeats itself after six years once in a 28-year span. Calendars for leap years repeat themselves every 28 years.”  Therefore, the next leap year day on a Saturday will be in 2048.
https://www.reference.com/science/calendar-repeat-itself-6348a8075e70592a

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