Faith, Ordinary Time, and Saints of the Month

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* 1. Who was the first bishop of the United States? 

Who was the first bishop of the United States?

The answer is: John Carroll

John Carroll was the first bishop of the hierarchy of the United States of America, first Bishop and Archbishop of Baltimore.  He was born at Upper Marlboro, Maryland on January 8, 1735, and died in Baltimore on December 3, 1815.   – http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03381b.htmI

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* 2. Although St. Stephen was the first Christian martyr, who was the first Apostle to give his life for Our Lord?

Although St. Stephen was the first Christian martyr, who was the first Apostle to give his life for Our Lord?

The answer is: Saint James

James, son of Zebedee (also known as Saint James the Greater, to distinguish him from the James who was Jesus' cousin) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. His feast day in the West is July 25th. "The Acts of the Apostles records that 'Herod the king' (traditionally identified with Herod Agrippa) had James executed by the sword. James the Greater is traditionally believed to be the first of the Apostles martyred for his faith." [see Acts 12:1-2] -- https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2019-07-25

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* 3. Jesus’ teaching can be summarized best by saying that only our faith in Him – and not our works – is essential for our salvation. 

Jesus’ teaching can be summarized best by saying that only our faith in Him – and not our works – is essential for our salvation.

The answer is: False

"Romans 3:28 is a key verse in the differences between traditional Protestants and Catholics. You will notice that Paul says a man is justified by faith (pistei in Greek). When Martin Luther translated the letter to the Romans into German in the sixteenth century, he added the word alone —but alone is not in the original Greek text. The phrase “faith alone” does occur in the New Testament: one time, in James 2:24. There the inspired apostle denies that justification is from faith alone." -- https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/arent-we-saved-by-faith-alone

Here is the quote from St. James:  "You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works. . . . See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. (Jas 2:22, 24)"

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* 4. The liturgical season between Easter and Advent is called “Ordinary Time” because there are no distinctive mysteries of Christ being celebrated – it is our usual standard way of living.

The liturgical season between Easter and Advent is called “Ordinary Time” because there are no distinctive mysteries of Christ being celebrated – it is our usual standard way of living.

The answer is: True

“Besides the times of year that have their own distinctive character, there remain in the yearly cycle 33 or 34 weeks in which no particular aspect of the mystery of Christ is celebrated, but rather the mystery of Christ itself is honored in its fullness, especially on Sundays.” This period, known as Ordinary Time, is divided into two different sections depending when the weeks occur in the year: Time after Epiphany and Time after Pentecost. The liturgical color is green for hope and growth.
– from the Universal Norms for the Liturgical Year and Calendar, 43

"Ordinary Time is Not So Ordinary. It is our standard usual way of living. In the Church’s definition of Ordinary it is the unchanging usual form, applied in terms like the Ordinary of the Mass, or the Ordinary Form. It is not really a liturgical season, but the “Time of the Year” when there is no overarching narrative or theme of Christ’s Life or a pattern of preparation or celebration like Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. The Liturgy presents the Faith as a whole, not with particular themes. Ordinary Time is returning to our regularly scheduled program of life. . . . We put all our spiritual growth and learning from those previous seasons into action.
– https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/blog/index.cfm?id=277&repos=6&subrepos=7&searchid=1938027

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* 5. We have no certain knowledge of Saints Anne and Joachim, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Their names are not mentioned in the New Testament, and all we know about them comes from legend and tradition.  

We have no certain knowledge of Saints Anne and Joachim, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Their names are not mentioned in the New Testament, and all we know about them comes from legend and tradition.

The answer is: True

“It was only in legendary books of the early Christian centuries that the names of Mary's parents were given as Joachim and Anne.” – https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=1094

“By tradition Joachim and Anne are considered to be the names of the parents of Mary, the Mother of God. We have no historical evidence, however, of any elements of their lives, including their names. Any stories about Mary's father and mother come to us through legend and tradition. We get the oldest story from a document called the Gospel of James, though in no way should this document be trusted to be factual, historical, or the Word of God.” – https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=62

The two feasts of Mary's parents were joined and are now celebrated together on July 26, which was once the memorial of St. Anne only. Saints Anne and Joachim are patron saints of grandparents, and many other things. – https://www.passionistnuns.org/passionist-calendar/2018/7/26/memorial-of-sts-anne-and-joachim

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