Month of November 2018 - Beatitudes and Last Things/End Times

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* 1. The Beatitudes teach us about true happiness to which God calls us.  Select the item from the following list that is NOT one of the eight Beatitudes:

1)  The Beatitudes teach us about true happiness to which God calls us. Select the item that is NOT one of the eight Beatitudes.

The answer - NOT one of the Beatitudes:  D. Blessed are faithful, for they will be spared the final trial

The eight Beatitudes are (from Matthew 5:1-12 - New American Bible, revised edition):

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
  Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
  Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.   
  Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. 
  Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 
  Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. 
  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 
  Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
  Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. 
  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

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* 2. The Church rejects a popular end-time teaching known as the “Rapture” (from Latin raptus "a carrying off, abduction, snatching away”) where Jesus comes back secretly before His final coming and invisibly snatches true believers and innocent children up into heaven, so they can avoid the final trial. 

2)  The Church rejects a popular end-time teaching known as the “Rapture” (from Latin raptus "a carrying off, abduction, snatching away”) where Jesus comes back secretly before His final coming and invisibly snatches true believers and innocent children up into heaven, so they can avoid the final trial. 

The answer is: A. True

Since ancient times, Catholics have professed their faith in the Nicene Creed:  “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.”  However, the Nicene Creed “says absolutely nothing about an extra, ‘third’ coming to snatch believers from the world before the final tribulation.”  This “novel, eccentric teaching” about a secret third coming evolved in the 19th century, after similar notions cropped up occasionally in colonial America during the previous century.  From 1827 to 1874, two Protestant leaders (Edward Irving and John Nelson Darby) began preaching the secret rapture teaching. The Left Behind series of stories and movies, which became popular in the 1990s, is but another version of this “unbiblical idea.”  All of these “rapture theorists” have taken Scriptural passages out of context to justify their preconceived theory.  (Thigpen. The Rapture Trap, Ch 6-7)

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* 3. The Papal Basilica of St. Paul outside “the Walls” in Rome is one of Catholicism's four major basilicas. One of its distinctive features is a single row of papal portraits that circle the ceiling. When the last space in this row is filled, the pope pictured in that portrait will be the final pope as the Second Coming begins.

3)  The Papal Basilica of St. Paul outside “the Walls” in Rome is one of Catholicism's four major basilicas.  One of its distinctive features is a single row of papal portraits that circle the ceiling.  When the last space in this row is filled, the pope pictured in that portrait will be the final pope as the Second Coming begins. 

The answer is: B. False

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief,” according to 2 Peter 3:10, “and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.”  In Matthew 24:34-42, Jesus speaks about heaven and earth passing away and tells his disciples: “But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone… Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.”  Therefore, it’s futile to look for earthly signs that point to the end of times. 

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* 4. The Church possesses a sacrament specifically intended for the benefit of the sick, called the “anointing of the sick.” Which of the following statements is correct?

4)   The Church possesses a sacrament specifically intended for the benefit of the sick, called the “anointing of the sick.”  Which of the following statements is correct?

The answer is: G. All of the above

See “The Anointing of the Sick” in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2nd ed. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2000, especially paragraphs 1514 – 1523.

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* 5. Although the Church urges that the body of the deceased be present for the funeral rites, cremation is now permitted. Therefore, cremated remains should be (select all that apply):

5)  Although the Church urges that the body of the deceased be present for the funeral rites, cremation is now permitted.  Therefore, cremated remains should be (select all that apply):

The answer is: A Buried in a grave and B. Entombed in a mausoleum

“Although cremation is now permitted by the Church, it does not enjoy the same value as burial of the body. The Church clearly prefers and urges that the body of the deceased be present for the funeral rites, since the presence of the human body better expresses the values which the Church affirms in those rites.”  Ideally, if a family chooses cremation, the cremation would take place at some time after the Funeral Mass... This allows for the appropriate reverence for the sacredness of the body at the Funeral Mass... When cremation takes place before the Funeral Mass, and the diocesan bishop permits the presence of cremated remains at the Funeral Mass... The cremated remains of a body should be treated with the same respect given to the human body from which they come… The cremated remains should be buried in a grave or entombed in a mausoleum or columbarium. The practice of scattering cremated remains on the sea, from the air, or on the ground, or keeping cremated remains on the home of a relative or friend of the deceased are not the reverent disposition that the Church requires.
from http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/bereavement-and-funerals/cremation-and-funerals.cfm

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