How to Evangelize Without Being Offensive – Oct 07 – Homily – Fr Matthias

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Fr Matthias gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Oct 07, 2024, on how Christianity is the one true faith, encouraging us to live it out daily and pray the Rosary.

There are many good people in the world, there is only one true religion—Christianity. He cites Dominus Iesus, a document that clarifies the importance of Christianity's superiority in matters of faith, despite the modern emphasis on pluralism and equality of dignity among people of different religions. Father emphasizes that all humans are equal in dignity, but not all religions hold equal truth, with Christianity being the one that connects us directly to God. He states that other religions, while they may contain elements of truth derived from Christianity, ultimately present obstacles to knowing God fully.

Father recalls the historical significance of the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, linking it to the Battle of Lepanto, where Christian soldiers defended Europe from the expansion of Islam. He reminds the congregation of the need to appreciate the truth of Christianity and to live by it, warning that those who have received the grace of Christ but fail to live accordingly will face harsher judgment, as stated in Dominus Iesus. Finally, he encourages the daily praying of the Rosary as a means to align our thoughts, words, and deeds with Christ's teachings, drawing strength from this meditation on the life of Jesus and the mysteries of salvation.

References in the Homily:

Dominus Iesus – emphasizes the primacy of Christianity over other religions. - https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000806_dominus-iesus_en.html

  • Paragraph 8:

    • "Furthermore, it cannot be overlooked that other rituals, insofar as they depend on superstitions or other errors (cf. 1 Cor 10:20-21), constitute an obstacle to salvation."



  • Paragraph 20:

    • "Certainly, the various religious traditions contain and offer religious elements which come from God... One cannot attribute to these, however, a divine origin or an ex opere operato salvific efficacy, which is proper to the Christian sacraments."



  • Paragraph 21:

    • "However, from what has been stated above about the mediation of Jesus Christ and the 'unique and special relationship' which the Church has with the kingdom of God among men... it is clear that it would be contrary to the faith to consider the Church as one way of salvation alongside those constituted by the other religions, seen as complementary to the Church or substantially equivalent to her."



  • Paragraph 22:

    • "One cannot attribute to these [religious traditions and rituals], however, a divine origin or an ex opere operato salvific efficacy, which is proper to the Christian sacraments."

    • "However, 'all the children of the Church should nevertheless remember that their exalted condition results, not from their own merits, but from the grace of Christ. If they fail to respond in thought, word, and deed to that grace, not only shall they not be saved, but they shall be more severely judged'."




CCC 841 - Salvation and other religions - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p3.htm#841
CCC 846 - Necessity of the Church for salvation - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p3.htm#846
CCC 888 - Role of the Church in teaching - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p3.htm#888
Catholic Answers - Guide to praying the Rosary - https://www.catholic.com/tract/how-to-pray-the-rosary?.

Ave Maria!

Mass: Our Lady of the Rosary - Mem - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13189a.htm
Readings: Monday in the 27th Week in Ordinary Time - http://usccb.org/bible/readings/100724.cfm
1st: gal 1:6-12
Resp: psa 111:1-2, 7-10
Gsp: luk 10:25-37

More on the Readings: https://airmaria.com/r?m=1172&r=961

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and YouTube: https://youtu.be/1biPQrCqCMg

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