"Inasmuch as it is a Sacramental action of sanctification, the liturgical celebration of Marriage . . . must be, per se, valid, worthy, and fruitful." 123 It is therefore appropriate for the bride and groom to prepare Themselves for the celebration of their marriage by receiving the sacrament of penance.

The practice of all the virtues is animated and inspired by charity, which "binds everything together in perfect harmony"; 105 it is the form of the virtues; it articulates and orders them among Themselves; it is the source and the goal of their Christian practice. Charity upholds and purifies our human ability to Love, and raises it to the supernatural perfection of divine love.

All men are called to the same end: God himself. There is a certain resemblance between the Union of the divine persons and the fraternity that men are to establish among Themselves in truth and Love. 1 Love of neighbor is inseparable from love for God.

"Human society can be neither well-ordered nor prosperous unless it has some people invested with legitimate authority to preserve its institutions and to devote Themselves as far as is necessary to work and care for the good of all." 15 By "authority" one means the quality by virtue of which persons or institutions make laws and give orders to men and expect obedience from them.

It is incumbent on those who exercise authority to strengthen the values that inspire the confidence of the members of the group and encourage them to put Themselves at the Service of others. Participation begins with education and culture. "One is entitled to think that the future of humanity is in the hands of those who are capable of providing the generations to come with reasons for life and optimism." 34

Socio-economic problems can be resolved only with the Help of all the forms of solidarity: solidarity of the poor among Themselves, between rich and poor, of workers among themselves, between employers and employees in a buSiness, solidarity among nations and peoples. International solidarity is a requirement of the moral order; world peace depends in part upon this.

Application of the natural law varies greatly; it can demand reflection that takes account of various conditions of life according to places, times, and circumstances. Nevertheless, in the diversity of cultures, the natural law remains as a rule that binds men among Themselves and imposes on them, beyond the inevitable differences, common principles.

The gift of the commandments and of the Law is part of the Covenant God sealed with his own. In Exodus, the revelation of the "ten words" is granted between the proposal of the covenant 22 and its conclusion - after the people had committed Themselves to "do" all that the Lord had said, and to "obey" it. 23 The Decalogue is never handed on without first recalling the covenant (“The LORD our God made

Jesus makes charity the new commandment. 96 By loving his own "to the end," 97 he makes manifest the Father's Love which he receives. By loving one another, the Disciples imitate the love of Jesus which they Themselves receive. Whence Jesus says: "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love." and again: "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." 98

In Themselves passions are neither good nor evil. They are morally qualified only to the extent that they effectively engage reason and will. Passions are said to be voluntary, "either because they are commanded by the will or because the will does not place obstacles in their way." 44 It belongs to the perfection of the moral or human good that the passions be governed by reason. 45

It is therefore an error to judge the morality of human Acts by considering only the intention that inspires them or the circumstances (environment, social pressure, duress or emergency, etc.) which supply their context. There are acts which, in and of Themselves, independently of circumstances and intentions, are always gravely illicit by reason of their object; such as blasphemy and perjury, murder and adultery. One may not do evil so that good may result from it.

The consent consists in a "human act by which the partners mutually give Themselves to each other": "I take you to be my wife" - "I take you to be my husband." 126 This consent that binds the Spouses to each other finds its fulfillment in the two "becoming one flesh." 127

By its very nature conjugal Love requires the inviolable fidelity of the Spouses. This is the consequence of the gift of Themselves which they make to each other. Love seeks to be definitive; it cannot be an arrangement "until further notice." the "intimate Union of Marriage, as a mutual giving of two persons, and the good of the children, demand total fidelity from the spouses and require an unbreakable union between them." 155

Today there are numerous Catholics in many countries who have recourse to civil divorce and contract new civil Unions. In fidelity to the words of Jesus Christ - "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery" 158 The Church maintains that a new union cannot be recognized as valid, if the first Marriage was. If the divorced are remarried civilly, they find Themselves in a situation that objectively contravenes God's law. Consequently, they cannot receive Eucharistic Communion as long as this situation persists. For the same reason, they cannot exercise certain ecclesial responsibilities. Reconciliation through the Sacrament of Penance can be granted only to those who have repented for having violated the sign of the Covenant and of fidelity to Christ, and who are committed to living in complete continence.

Toward Christians who live in this situation, and who often keep the Faith and desire to bring up their children in a Christian manner, Priests and the whole community must manifest an attentive solicitude, so that they do not consider Themselves separated from the Church, in whose life they can and must participate as baptized persons:

The dignity of the human person is rooted in his creation in the image and likeness of God (article 1); it is fulfilled in his vocation to divine beatitude (article 2). It is essential to a human being freely to direct himself to this fulfillment (article 3). By his deliberate actions (article 4), the human person does, or does not, conform to the good promised by God and attested by moral conscience (article 5). Human beings make their own contribution to their interior growth; they make their whole sentient and spiritual lives into means of this growth (article 6). With the Help of Grace they grow in virtue (article 7), avoid Sin, and if they sin they entrust Themselves as did the prodigal son 1 to the mercy of our Father in heaven (article 8). In this way they attain to the perfection of charity.

The divine image is present in every man. It shines forth in the Communion of persons, in the likeness of the Union of the divine persons among Themselves (cf chapter two).

The circumstances, including the consequences, are secondary elements of a moral act. They contribute to increaSing or diminishing the moral goodness or evil of human Acts (for example, the amount of a theft). They can also diminish or increase the agent's responsibility (such as acting out of a fear of death). Circumstances of Themselves cannot change the moral quality of acts themselves; they can make neither good nor right an action that is in itself evil.

The family is the original cell of social life. It is the natural society in which husband and wife are called to give Themselves in Love and in the gift of life. Authority, stability, and a life of relationships within the family constitute the foundations for freedom, security, and fraternity within society. the family is the community in which, from childhood, one can learn moral values, begin to honor God, and make good use of freedom. Family life is an initiation into life in society.

Parents must regard their children as children of God and respect them as human persons. Showing Themselves obedient to the will of the Father in heaven, they educate their children to fulfill God's law.

Some forgo Marriage in order to care for their parents or brothers and sisters, to give Themselves more completely to a profession, or to serve other honorable ends. They can contribute greatly to the good of the human family.

The Church's social teaching comprises a body of doctrine, which is articulated as the Church interprets events in the course of history, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, in the light of the whole of what has been revealed by Jesus Christ. 201 This teaching can be more easily accepted by men of good will, the more the Faithful let Themselves be guided by it.

Rich nations have a grave moral responsibility toward those which are unable to ensure the means of their development by Themselves or have been prevented from doing so by tragic historical events. It is a duty in solidarity and charity; it is also an obligation in justice if the prosperity of the rich nations has come from resources that have not been paid for fairly.

The sensitive appetite leads us to desire pleasant things we do not have, e.g., the desire to eat when we are hungry or to warm ourselves when we are cold. These desires are good in Themselves; but often they exceed the limits of reason and drive us to covet unjustly what is not ours and belongs to another or is owed to him.

"You would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." 9 Paradoxically our Prayer of petition is a response to the plea of the living God: "They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn out cisterns for Themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water!" 10 Prayer is the response of Faith to the free promise of salvation and also a response of Love to the thirst of the only Son of God. 11

The evangelists have preserved two more explicit Prayers offered by Christ during his public ministry. Each begins with thanksgiving. In the first, Jesus confesses the Father, acknowledges, and blesses him because he has hidden the mysteries of the Kingdom from those who think Themselves learned and has revealed them to infants, the poor of the Beatitudes. 48 His exclamation, "Yes, Father!" expresses the depth of his heart, his adherence to the Father's "good pleasure," echoing his mother's Fiat at the time of his conception and prefiguring what he will say to the Father in his agony. the whole prayer of Jesus is contained in this loving adherence of his human heart to the mystery of the will of the Father. 49

On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of the Promise was poured out on the Disciples, gathered "together in one place." 92 While awaiting the Spirit, "all these with one accord devoted Themselves to Prayer." 93 The Spirit who teaches the Church and recalls for her everything that Jesus said 94 was also to form her in the life of prayer.

In the first community of Jerusalem, believers "devoted Themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and the Prayers." 95 This sequence is characteristic of the Church's prayer: founded on the apostolic Faith; authenticated by charity; nourished in the Eucharist.

There are as many and varied methods of meditation as there are spiritual masters. Christians owe it to Themselves to develop the desire to meditate regularly, lest they come to resemble the three first kinds of soil in the parable of the sower. 5 But a method is only a guide; the important thing is to advance, with the Holy Spirit, along the one way of Prayer: Christ Jesus.

Games of chance (card games, etc.) or wagers are not in Themselves contrary to justice. They become morally unacceptable when they deprive someone of what is necessary to provide for his needs and those of others. the passion for gambling risks becoming an enslavement. Unfair wagers and cheating at games constitute grave matter, unless the damage inflicted is so slight that the one who suffers it cannot reasonably consider it significant.

The predicament of a man who, desiring to convert to the Gospel, is obliged to repudiate one or more wives with whom he has shared years of conjugal life, is understandable. However polygamy is not in accord with the moral law." [Conjugal] Communion is radically contradicted by polygamy; this, in fact, directly negates the plan of God which was revealed from the beginning, because it is contrary to the equal personal dignity of men and women who in matrimony give Themselves with a Love that is total and therefore unique and exclusive." 179 The Christian who has previously lived in polygamy has a grave duty in justice to honor the obligations contracted in regard to his former wives and his children.

The Gospel shows that physical sterility is not an absolute evil. Spouses who still suffer from infertility after exhausting legitimate medical procedures should unite Themselves with the Lord's Cross, the source of all spiritual fecundity. They can give expression to their generosity by adopting abandoned children or performing demanding Services for others.

Basic scientific research, as well as applied research, is a significant expression of man's dominion over creation. Science and technology are precious resources when placed at the Service of man and promote his integral development for the benefit of all. By Themselves however they cannot disclose the meaning of existence and of human progress. Science and technology are ordered to man, from whom they take their origin and development; hence they find in the person and in his moral values both evidence of their purpose and awareness of their limits.

Research or experimentation on the human being cannot legitimate Acts that are in Themselves contrary to the dignity of persons and to the moral law. the subjects' potential consent does not justify such acts. Experimentation on human beings is not morally legitimate if it exposes the subject's life or physical and psychological integrity to disproportionate or avoidable risks. Experimentation on human beings does not conform to the dignity of the person if it takes place without the informed consent of the subject or those who legitimately speak for him.

In times past, cruel practices were commonly used by legitimate governments to maintain law and order, often without protest from the Pastors of the Church, who Themselves adopted in their own tribunals the prescriptions of Roman law concerning torture. Regrettable as these fActs are, the Church always taught the duty of clemency and mercy. She forbade clerics to shed blood. In recent times it has become evident that these cruel practices were neither necessary for public order, nor in conformity with the legitimate rights of the human person. On the contrary, these practices led to ones even more degrading. It is necessary to work for their abolition. We must pray for the victims and their tormentors.

"People should cultivate [chastity] in the way that is suited to their state of life. Some profess virginity or Consecrated Celibacy which enables them to give Themselves to God alone with an undivided heart in a remarkable manner. Others live in the way prescribed for all by the moral law, whether they are married or Single." 135 Married people are called to live conjugal chastity; others practice chastity in continence:

"Sexuality, by means of which man and Woman give Themselves to one another through the Acts which are proper and exclusive to Spouses, is not something simply biological, but concerns the innermost being of the human person as such. It is realized in a truly human way only if it is an integral part of the Love by which a man and woman commit themselves totally to one another until death." 142

The Spouses' Union achieves the twofold end of Marriage: the good of the spouses Themselves and the transmission of life. These two meanings or values of marriage cannot be separated without altering the couple's spiritual life and compromiSing the goods of marriage and the future of the family. The conjugal Love of man and Woman thus stands under the twofold obligation of fidelity and fecundity.

The married couple forms "the intimate partnership of life and Love established by the Creator and governed by his laws; it is rooted in the conjugal Covenant, that is, in their irrevocable personal consent." 146 Both give Themselves definitively and totally to one another. They are no longer two; from now on they form one flesh. the covenant they freely contracted imposes on the Spouses the obligation to preserve it as unique and indissoluble. 147 "What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder." 148

Techniques involving only the married couple (homologous artificial insemination and fertilization) are perhaps less reprehensible, yet remain morally unacceptable. They dissociate the sexual act from the procreative act. the act which brings the child into existence is no longer an act by which two persons give Themselves to one another, but one that "entrusts the life and identity of the embryo into the power of doctors and biologists and establishes the domination of technology over the origin and destiny of the human person. Such a relationship of domination is in itself contrary to the dignity and equality that must be common to parents and children." 167 "Under the moral aspect procreation is deprived of its proper perfection when it is not willed as the fruit of the conjugal act, that is to say, of the specific act of the Spouses' Union .... Only respect for the link between the meanings of the conjugal act and respect for the unity of the human being make possible procreation in conformity with the dignity of the person." 168

In the battle of Prayer, we must face in ourselves and around us erroneous notions of prayer. Some people view prayer as a simple psychological activity, others as an effort of concentration to reach a mental void. Still others reduce prayer to ritual words and postures. Many Christians unconsciously regard prayer as an occupation that is incompatible with all the other things they have to do: they "don't have the time." Those who seek God by prayer are quickly discouraged because they do not know that prayer comes also from the Holy Spirit and not from Themselves alone.

In the Latin Rite the celebration of Marriage between two Catholic Faithful normally takes place during Holy Mass, because of the connection of all the Sacraments with the Paschal mystery of Christ. 120 In the Eucharist the memorial of the New Covenant is realized, the New Covenant in which Christ has united himself for ever to the Church, his beLoved bride for whom he gave himself up. 121 It is therefore fitting that the Spouses should seal their consent to give Themselves to each other through the offering of their own lives by uniting it to the offering of Christ for his Church made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice, and by receiving the Eucharist so that, communicating in the same Body and the same Blood of Christ, they may form but "one body" in Christ. 122

The texts of Sacred Scripture are often not quoted word for word but are merely indicated by a reference (cf.). For a deeper understanding of such passages, the reader should refer to the Scriptural texts Themselves. Such Biblical references are a valuable working-tool in catechesis.

Mary Magdalene and the holy women who came to finish anointing the body of Jesus, which had been buried in haste because the Sabbath began on the evening of Good Friday, were the first to encounter the Risen One. 497 Thus the women were the first messengers of Christ's Resurrection for the apostles Themselves. 498 They were the next to whom Jesus appears: first Peter, then the Twelve. Peter had been called to strengthen the Faith of his brothers, 499 and so sees the Risen One before them; it is on the basis of his testimony that the community exclaims: "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" 500

Finally, Christ's Resurrection - and the risen Christ himself is the principle and source of our future resurrection: "Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. . . For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive." 528 The risen Christ lives in the hearts of his Faithful while they await that fulfilment. In Christ, Christians "have tasted. . . the powers of the age to come" 529 and their lives are swept up by Christ into the heart of divine life, so that they may "live no longer for Themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised." 530

At the end of this mission of the Spirit, Mary became the Woman, the new Eve ("mother of the living"), the mother of the "whole Christ." 108 As such, she was present with the Twelve, who "with one accord devoted Themselves to Prayer," 109 at the dawn of the "end time" which the Spirit was to inaugurate on the morning of Pentecost with the manifestation of the Church.

The gathering together of the People of God began at the moment when Sin destroyed the Communion of men with God, and that of men among Themselves. the gathering together of the Church is, as it were, God's reaction to the chaos provoked by sin. This reunification is achieved secretly in the heart of all peoples: "In every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable" to God. 156

"Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth" 273 are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written Word of God; the life of Grace; Faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements." 274 Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blesSings come from Christ and lead to him, 275 and are in Themselves calls to "Catholic unity." 276

By his obedience unto death, 444 Christ communicated to his Disciples the gift of royal freedom, so that they might "by the self-abnegation of a holy life, overcome the reign of Sin in Themselves": 445

Jesus scandalized the Pharisees by eating with tax collectors and Sinners as familiarly as with Themselves. 364 Against those among them "who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others", Jesus affirmed: "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." 365 He went further by proclaiming before the Pharisees that, since sin is universal, those who pretend not to need salvation are blind to themselves. 366

The harmony in which they had found Themselves, thanks to original justice, is now destroyed: the control of the soul's spiritual faculties over the body is shattered; the Union of man and Woman becomes subject to tensions, their relations henceforth marked by lust and domination. 282 Harmony with creation is broken: visible creation has become alien and hostile to man. 283 Because of man, creation is now subject "to its bondage to decay". 284 Finally, the consequence explicitly foretold for this disobedience will come true: man will "return to the ground", 285 for out of it he was taken. Death makes its entrance into human history. 286

The world, and man, attest that they contain within Themselves neither their first principle nor their final end, but rather that they participate in Being itself, which alone is without origin or end. Thus, in different ways, man can come to know that there exists a reality which is the first cause and final end of all things, a reality "that everyone calls God". 10

This is why man stands in need of being enlightened by God's revelation, not only about those things that exceed his understanding, but also "about those religious and moral truths which of Themselves are not beyond the grasp of human reason, so that even in the present condition of the human race, they can be known by all men with ease, with firm certainty and with no admixture of error". 14

In keeping with the Lord's command, the Gospel was handed on in two ways: - orally "by the apostles who handed on, by the spoken word of their preaching, by the example they gave, by the institutions they established, what they Themselves had received - whether from the lips of Christ, from his way of life and his works, or whether they had learned it at the prompting of the Holy Spirit"; 33 - in writing "by those apostles and other men associated with the apostles who, under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit, committed the message of salvation to writing". 34

3. Be attentive to the analogy of Faith. 82 By "analogy of faith" we mean the coherence of the truths of faith among Themselves and within the whole plan of Revelation.

Believing is possible only by Grace and the interior Helps of the Holy Spirit. But it is no less true that believing is an authentically human act. Trusting in God and cleaving to the truths he has revealed is contrary neither to human freedom nor to human reason. Even in human relations it is not contrary to our dignity to believe what other persons tell us about Themselves and their intentions, or to trust their promises (for example, when a man and a Woman marry) to share a Communion of life with one another. If this is so, still less is it contrary to our dignity to "yield by Faith the full submission of... intellect and will to God who reveals", 26 and to share in an interior commUnion with him.

The Trinity is One. We do not confess three Gods, but one God in three persons, the "consubstantial Trinity". 83 The divine persons do not share the one divinity among Themselves but each of them is God whole and entire: "The Father is that which the Son is, the Son that which the Father is, the Father and the Son that which the Holy Spirit is, i.e. by nature one God." 84 In the words of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215), "Each of the persons is that supreme reality, viz., the divine substance, essence or nature." 85

Catechesis on creation is of major importance. It concerns the very foundations of human and Christian life: for it makes explicit the response of the Christian Faith to the basic question that men of all times have asked Themselves: 120 "Where do we come from?" "Where are we going?" "What is our origin?" "What is our end?" "Where does everything that exists come from and where is it going?" the two questions, the first about the origin and the second about the end, are inseparable. They are decisive for the meaning and orientation of our life and actions.

With creation, God does not abandon his creatures to Themselves. He not only gives them being and existence, but also, and at every moment, upholds and sustains them in being, enables them to act and brings them to their final end. Recognizing this utter dependence with respect to the Creator is a source of wisdom and freedom, of joy and confidence:

The religious state is thus one way of experiencing a "more intimate" consecration, rooted in Baptism and dedicated totally to God. 455 In the Consecrated life, Christ's Faithful, moved by the Holy Spirit, propose to follow Christ more nearly, to give Themselves to God who is Loved above all and, pursuing the perfection of charity in the Service of the Kingdom, to signify and proclaim in the Church the glory of the world to come. 456

"As with other forms of Consecrated life," the order of virgins establishes the Woman living in the world (or the nun) in Prayer, penance, Service of her brethren, and apostolic activity, according to the state of life and spiritual gifts given to her. 464 Consecrated virgins can form Themselves into associations to observe their commitment more Faithfully. 465

By a "life perfectly and entirely Consecrated to [such] sanctification," the members of these institutes share in the Church's task of evangelization, "in the world and from within the world," where their presence Acts as "leaven in the world." 471 "Their witness of a Christian life" aims "to order temporal things according to God and inform the world with the power of the gospel." They commit Themselves to the evangelical counsels by sacred bonds and observe among themselves the Communion and fellowship appropriate to their "particular secular way of life." 472

"By the sacred anointing of the sick and the Prayer of the Priests the whole Church commends those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save them. and indeed she exhorts them to contribute to the good of the People of God by freely uniting Themselves to the Passion and death of Christ." 97

Only Priests (bishops and presbyters) are ministers of the Anointing of the Sick. 130 It is the duty of pastors to instruct the Faithful on the benefits of this Sacrament. the Faithful should encourage the sick to call for a priest to receive this sacrament. the sick should prepare Themselves to receive it with good dispositions, assisted by their pastor and the whole ecclesial community, which is invited to surround the sick in a special way through their Prayers and fraternal attention.

An ecclesial Grace. the sick who receive this Sacrament, "by freely uniting Themselves to the passion and death of Christ," "contribute to the good of the People of God." 137 By celebrating this sacrament the Church, in the Communion of saints, intercedes for the benefit of the sick person, and he, for his part, though the grace of this sacrament, contributes to the sanctification of the Church and to the good of all men for whom the Church suffers and offers herself through Christ to God the Father.

"The Priests, prudent cooperators of the episcopal college and its support and instrument, called to the Service of the People of God, constitute, together with their bishop, a unique sacerdotal college (presbyterium) dedicated, it is, true to a variety of distinct duties. In each local assembly of the Faithful they represent, in a certain sense, the bishop, with whom they are associated in all trust and generosity; in part they take upon Themselves his duties and solicitude and in their daily toils discharge them." 51 priests can exercise their ministry only in dependence on the bishop and in Communion with him. the promise of obedience they make to the bishop at the moment of ordination and the kiss of peace from him at the end of the ordination liturgy mean that the bishop considers them his co-workers, his sons, his brothers and his friends, and that they in return owe him Love and obedience.

Deacons share in Christ's mission and Grace in a special way. 55 The Sacrament of Holy Orders marks them with an imprint (“character") which cannot be removed and which configures them to Christ, who made himself the "deacon" or servant of all. 56 Among other tasks, it is the task of deacons to assist the bishop and Priests in the celebration of the divine mysteries, above all the Eucharist, in the distribution of Holy Communion, in assisting at and blesSing Marriages, in the proclamation of the Gospel and preaching, in presiding over funerals, and in dedicating Themselves to the various ministries of charity. 57

All the ordained ministers of the Latin Church, with the exception of permanent deacons, are normally chosen from among men of Faith who live a celibate life and who intend to remain celibate "for the sake of the kingdom of heaven." 70 Called to consecrate Themselves with undivided heart to the Lord and to "the affairs of the Lord," 71 they give themselves entirely to God and to men. Celibacy is a sign of this new life to the Service of which the Church's minister is Consecrated; accepted with a joyous heart celibacy radiantly proclaims the Reign of God. 72

"The matrimonial Covenant, by which a man and a Woman establish between Themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the Spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a Sacrament." 84

"Individual, integral confession and absolution remain the only ordinary way for the Faithful to reconcile Themselves with God and the Church, unless physical or moral impossibility excuses from this kind of confession." 94 There are profound reasons for this. Christ is at work in each of the Sacraments. He personally addresses every Sinner: "My son, your sins are forgiven." 95 He is the physician tending each one of the sick who need him to cure them. 96 He raises them up and reintegrates them into fraternal Communion. Personal confession is thus the form most expressive of reconciliation with God and with the Church.

Priests must encourage the Faithful to come to the Sacrament of Penance and must make Themselves available to celebrate this sacrament each time Christians reasonably ask for it. 70

Already dedicated to him through Baptism, the person who surrenders himself to the God he Loves above all else thereby consecrates himself more intimately to God's Service and to the good of the Church. By this state of life Consecrated to God, the Church manifests Christ and shows us how the Holy Spirit Acts so wonderfully in her. and so the first mission of those who profess the evangelical counsels is to live out their consecration. Moreover, "Since members of institutes of consecrated life dedicate Themselves through their consecration to the service of the Church they are obliged in a special manner to engage in missionary work, in accord with the character of the institute." 474

In the primitive community of Jerusalem, the Disciples "devoted Themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and the Prayers." 480 Communion in the Faith. the faith of the Faithful is the faith of the Church, received from the apostles. Faith is a treasure of life which is enriched by being shared.

For this reason the Church, especially during Advent and Lent and above all at the Easter Vigil, re-reads and re-lives the great events of salvation history in the "today" of her liturgy. But this also demands that catechesis Help the Faithful to open Themselves to this spiritual understanding of the economy of salvation as the Church's liturgy reveals it and enables us to live it.

The Epiclesis ("invocation upon") is the intercession in which the priest begs the Father to send the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, so that the offerings may become the body and blood of Christ and that the Faithful by receiving them, may Themselves become a living offering to God. 23

The Liturgy of the Hours is intended to become the Prayer of the whole People of God. In it Christ himself "continues his priestly work through his Church." 50 His members participate according to their own place in the Church and the circumstances of their lives: Priests devoted to the pastoral ministry, because they are called to remain diligent in prayer and the Service of the word; religious, by the charism of their Consecrated lives; all the Faithful as much as possible: "Pastors of souls should see to it that the principal hours, especially Vespers, are celebrated in common in church on Sundays and on the more solemn feasts. the laity, too, are encouraged to recite the divine office, either with the priests, or among Themselves, or even individually." 51

The celebration of the liturgy, therefore, should correspond to the genius and culture of the different peoples. 70 In order that the mystery of Christ be "made known to all the nations . . . to bring about the obedience of Faith," 71 it must be proclaimed, celebrated, and lived in all cultures in such a way that they Themselves are not abolished by it, but redeemed and fulfilled: 72 It is with and through their own human culture, assumed and transfigured by Christ, that the multitude of God's children has access to the Father, in order to glorify him in the one Spirit.

Conversion to Christ, the new birth of Baptism, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the Body and Blood of Christ received as food have made us "holy and without blemish," just as the Church herself, the Bride of Christ, is "holy and without blemish." 13 Nevertheless the new life received in Christian initiation has not abolished the frailty and weakness of human nature, nor the inclination to Sin that tradition calls concupiscence, which remains in the baptized such that with the Help of the Grace of Christ they may prove Themselves in the struggle of Christian life. 14 This is the struggle of conversion directed toward holiness and eternal life to which the Lord never ceases to call us. 15

This unequivocal insistence on the indissolubility of the Marriage bond may have left some perplexed and could seem to be a demand impossible to realize. However, Jesus has not placed on Spouses a burden impossible to bear, or too heavy - heavier than the Law of Moses. 108 By coming to restore the original order of creation disturbed by Sin, he himself gives the strength and Grace to live marriage in the new dimension of the Reign of God. It is by following Christ, renouncing Themselves, and taking up their crosses that spouses will be able to "receive" the original meaning of marriage and live it with the Help of Christ. 109 This grace of Christian marriage is a fruit of Christ's cross, the source of all Christian life.