Transcript Church - Rev Fr. Bosco`s space

Why I love my Catholic Church!
A personal and comprehensive view of
Catholic Church
By
Fr.Bosco Gali
Why are you a catholic?
• Most of you have been catholic for years more
than me.
• Suppose if I were to ask you ‘why are you a
catholic?’
• What will your answer be?
• How many of you can explain and say this is
why I am a catholic?
• Apart from the reason ‘I was born a catholic.’
• This is the challenge I was faced with?
• For years I was thinking I am catholic because
my parents and grand parents were catholic;
therefore I am catholic. And I loved it.
• But later on I felt that is not enough. I need
something more.
• Then I began to reflect; Why am I a catholic?
• Specially in In India, where Hinduism is the
majority and privileged religion, why am I a
catholic?
• That made me to think. These are my personal
answers. You may agree or disagree.
Aim
• But My aim for having this class and sharing
these views is;
• That by the end of this class:
• You yourselves will come up with some of your
own reasons for being catholic.
• You will find out what are the things that are
keeping you catholic.
Know why?
• If you don’t know why you are a catholic?
• If you don’t love being catholic for specific
reasons
• Then if someone comes and says something,
• Or you read a scandal in the catholic church
somewhere, and you are disturbed,
• There is a great danger that your faith may be
shaken. So know why you are a catholic and
what you love in this church.
I love my catholic church because of
• What it is!
• What it says! (Teaches)
• And what it does!
What is the Church?
Christ handing the keys to St Peter by Pietro Perugino
What is the Church?
The Church is the
mystical body of Christ,
established by God on
earth to gather humanity
to divine life in heaven.
KEY DEFINITION
What is the Church?
•
God desires all the faithful to be
a single family, united to him and
to one another in one ‘mystical
body’.
•
This assembly is the Church, the
body of Christ, which God has
established as:
“the instrument for the salvation of all”
(Lumen Gentium 9§2, ccc. 776).
Compendium of CCC
• The word Church refers to the people whom
God calls and gathers together from every part
of the earth.
• They form the assembly of those who through
faith and Baptism have become children of
God, members of Christ, and temples of the
Holy Spirit.
Mistakes about the Church
The Ordination of Saint Lawrence by Fra Angelico.
The ordination of St Lawrence by Pope St Sixtus II reminds us that the Church is
essentially hierarchical and united around the successor of St Peter, the Pope.
Mistakes about the Church
MISTAKES ABOUT THE CHURCH
 An invisible church
The denial that Christ founded
a visible institution; the claim
that the present structures of
Catholic leadership are a human
invention.
Mistakes about the Church
MISTAKES ABOUT THE CHURCH
 A church without a Pope
The denial of the true
hierarchical structure of the
Church with bishops united to,
and under the authority of, the
Pope, the successor of St Peter.
• Most non-Catholic
Christians do not
believe that Jesus
Christ established a
visible Church that is
governed by a
hierarchy of leaders
who can teach with
authority
• Instead, they believe
that the Church is an
invisible association
of believers in Christ,
loosely connected by
a common belief in
the Bible alone as the
rule and guide of
faith.
• They believe this
despite the fact that
this understanding of
“church” was not
espoused by any
Christian figure until
1517, when Martin
Luther broke away
from the Catholic
Church and
developed the novel
doctrine of :Sola
Scriptura.
The foundation of the Church by Christ
Christ Teaches his Disciples by Duccio di Buoninsegna. This picture reminds us that
Jesus founded his Church on his twelve apostles, whose successors are the bishops.
• The Scriptures teach us
that Jesus Christ left
behind a visible and
hierarchical Church with
bishops, priests and
deacons on whom He
conferred His own
divine teaching authority
and instructed to
perpetuate His mission
by passing on their
authority to successors
• The Scriptures teach
us that Jesus
specifically built His
Church upon the
Apostle Peter,* to
whom He gave the
keys to the kingdom
of heaven,* Mt.16:19
The foundation of the Church by Christ
Jesus Christ established a group of
followers under twelve leaders he
called ‘Apostles’. He gave one of
them, Simon Peter, overall authority.
“You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my
church, and the powers of death shall not prevail
against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom
of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be
bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven.”
Mt 16:18-19
What is the Church?
The Twelve Apostles
were also given the power to
bind and loose when united
with Peter, their head.
Jesus
Peter
Keys of the
Kingdom
given by Christ to St
Peter, symbol of the
supreme authority of
Peter and of his
successors, the Popes.
This picture symbolises the founding event of the Church on earth.
• and the special mandate
to rule over His flock.
• Read John 21: 15-17
• Do you love me?
• Feed my lambs…
The foundation of the Church by Christ
He gave his disciples his teaching to
pass on to all peoples under the
direction of the Holy Spirit who came
at Pentecost. This teaching is found in
Scripture and Tradition, and is
interpreted by the Church with the
authority of Christ.
He also established the sacraments to
enable his saving power to be present
through the ministry of the Church.
“Do this in remembrance of me” (Lk 22:19).
Kingdom of God: Where?
• Those who deny that Christ left a visible,
hierarchical and authoritative Church are forced
to argue that the kingdom of heaven Jesus was
talking about in Matthew 16:19 refers to the
heavenly kingdom of eternal glory (as if Peter’s
keys relate to a gate—keeping duty of letting
people into heaven).
• Otherwise, the Catholic understanding of a
visible, earthly kingdom-Church built upon
Peter and invested with Christ’s divine authority
is compelling.
But let us examine of parables of the
kingdom to see what type of Kingdom it
• Jesus compares the is?
kingdom of God to a
field of good and bad
seeds in reference to
good and bad people?
This kingdom must refer
to the earthly Church
and not eternal state of
glory for there are no
bad people in heaven.
Parable of the Mustard seed
• Jesus also says the
kingdom of heaven is
like a mustard seed
that grows into a tree.
• This refers to the
growth of the
universal Church on
earth — not heaven,
which is eternal.
Parable of the leaven
• Jesus says the kingdom
of heaven is like bread
that is mixed with three
measures of flour to
become leavened.”
• This refers to the earthly
kingdom of God, which
grows in holiness.
• The metaphors “mustard
seed” and “leaven” also
demonstrate that the
Church would change in
appearance over time,
• but would be in essence
the very same Church of
Jesus Christ and His
apostles.
Parable of net
• Jesus also says the
kingdom of heaven is
like a net which
catches fish of every
kind.‘
• This describes the
universal (“Catholic”)
Church, which unites
people of every kind
into the body of
Christ.
Parable of the ten virgins
• Jesus compares the
kingdom of heaven to
ten maidens, five of
whom were foolish.
• Again, this kingdom
refers to the Church
on earth, because
there are no fools in
the glorious kingdom
of heaven!
So,
• When Jesus declares that the kingdom of God
“has come upon you”* or “is at hand,” He is
referring to the earthly kingdom of God, and
not the eternal state of glory
• Similarly when Jesus gives Peter the keys to the
kingdom of heaven, He is referring to God’s
kingdom on earth.
Ecclesia
• That is why he named his kingdom “Ecclesia.”
Ecclesia is the Greek word for a formal,
hierarchical assembly with visible leadership.
Jesus only uses this word twice in the New
Testament, each time in reference to His
Church.
• He chose a special leader
• He chose twelve apostles from many disciples
• And gave them the power to bind and to loose.
• He also enabled them to choose successors
• In the Acts of the Apostles (1:15-26), we see that
the first thing Peter did after Christ’s Ascension into
heaven was to appoint a successor to Judas Iscariot.
• Even though Judas betrayed Christ, the authority of
his office” (or bishopric) was respected and
preserved (v.20).
• Thus, Matthias succeeded to Judas’ office with full
apostolic authority (v. 15-26).
• in Acts 6, the twelve apostles
expanded the apostolic
college by an additional seven
men: “They chose Stephen, a
man full of faith and of the
Holy Spirit, and Philip, and
Prochorus, and Nicanor, and
Timon, and Parmenas, and
Nicolaus, a proselyte of
Antioch. These they set
before the apostles, and they
prayed and laid their hands
upon them” (Acts 6:5-6).
• A few chapters later, the
Church ordained Barnabas
and Saul at the direction of
the Holy Spirit.
• While they were worshiping
the Lord and fasting, the
Holy Spirit said “Set apart for
me Barnabas and Saul for the
work to which I have called
them.” Then after fasting and
praying they laid their hands
on them and sent them off
(Acts13:2-3).
• All these go to show that the
church established by our Lord
Jesus Christ
• Is the catholic Church
• And the structure of the church
as we have it now is as biblical
as it was in those days.
• Catholic church is the church
founded by our Lord Jesus
Christ on the foundation of his
apostles and their successors.
The Church in the Creed
Pentecost by Duccio di Buoninsegna
This descent of the Holy Spirit was the beginning of the Church’s mission to the world.
The Church in the Creed
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHURCH
“I believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church”
ONE
She is one because she has one
founder, God.
She is also one because her
members are united in one faith,
sharing the same sacraments under
one head, Christ, and the Pope, his
vicar on earth.
Compndium
• The Church is one because she has as her source
and exemplar the unity of the Trinity of Persons
in one God. As her Founder and Head, Jesus
Christ re-established the unity of all people in
one body. As her soul, the Holy Spirit unites all
the faithful in communion with Christ. The
Church has but one faith, one sacramental life,
one apostolic succession, one common hope,
and one and the same charity.
The Church in the Creed
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHURCH
“I believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church”
HOLY
She is holy because she is founded
by God, and because her members
are the baptised.
Through her ministry sinners
receive Christ’s forgiveness and
become holy.
compendium
• The Church is holy insofar as the Most Holy
God is her author. Christ has given himself for
her to sanctify her and make her a source of
sanctification. The Holy Spirit gives her life with
charity. In the Church one finds the fullness of
the means of salvation. Holiness is the vocation
of each of her members and the purpose of all
her activities.
• The Church counts among her members the
Virgin Mary and numerous Saints who are her
models and intercessors. The holiness of the
Church is the fountain of sanctification for her
children who here on earth recognize
themselves as sinners ever in need of conversion
and purification.
The Church in the Creed
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHURCH
“I believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church”
CATHOLIC
She is Catholic, which means
‘universal’, because she is for all
races and nations in all ages.
All salvation comes through her.
• The Church is catholic, that is universal, insofar as
Christ is present in her: “Where there is Christ
Jesus, there is the Catholic Church” (Saint
Ignatius of Antioch). The Church proclaims the
fullness and the totality of the faith; she bears
and administers the fullness of the means of
salvation; she is sent out by Christ on a mission
to the whole of the human race.
The Church in the Creed
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHURCH
“I believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church”
APOSTOLIC
She is apostolic because her faith
and practices have come to her
from the apostles. Her leaders, the
bishops, are successors of the
apostles.
She is also apostolic in that she is
‘sent out’ to preach the Gospel to
all creation.
Compendium
• The Church is apostolic in her origin because she
has been built on “the foundation of the
Apostles” (Ephesians 2:20). She is apostolic in her
teaching which is the same as that of the Apostles.
She is apostolic by reason of her structure insofar
as she is taught, sanctified, and guided until
Christ returns by the Apostles through their
successors who are the bishops in communion
with the successor of Peter.
Where is the Church?
San Marco Altarpiece by Fra Angelico
The Church on earth
The Seven Sacraments by Weyden. The primary mission of the Church on earth
is to sanctify and save her members, particularly through the sacraments.
The Church on earth
St Paul calls the Church the ‘body of
Christ’ (Eph 1:22-23). As a body, she has an
ordered structure and a visible unity.
As Christ’s body, she is both a divine
and human reality (ccc. 771).
The principal visible elements of this
structure are the bishop of Rome
(Pope), all the bishops of the world
in communion with him, their priests
and deacons, those in religious life
and the lay faithful.
The Church on earth
The institution of the Church extends
across all nations. The whole world is
divided up into dioceses under the
authority of bishops.
Dioceses are in turn divided into
parishes under the direction of priests.
The Church on earth
The Church also includes institutes of
consecrated life following particular
vocational paths. These include religious
orders such as the Benedictines,
Dominicans, Franciscans and Jesuits.
Dominicans in the San Marco
Altarpiece by Fra Angelico
There are also secular institutes,
societies of apostolic life and many lay
associations. The majority of the
Church’s members are lay people whose
special calling is to personal holiness
and the evangelisation and sanctification
of the societies in which they live.
The Church on earth is called Militant Church
• "For we wrestle not against
flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the
darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness
in high places" (Ephesians
6:12).
• The devil hates the good
and persecutes those
trying to set themselves
free of his power. God
permits devil to tempt
people for their own
benefit, as struggle with
temptations helps man
improve and strengthen
spiritually. An ancient
thinker was right, saying,
"Without the devil and
temptations, there would
have been no saints."
The Church in purgatory
Detail from The Coronation of the Virgin by Quarton
The Church in purgatory also called suffering church
Since those who have died and
are in purgatory are also part
of the Church, the Church is
also found in purgatory.
This is why we in the Church
on earth offer prayers and
sacrifices for the purification
and reparation of the holy
souls of the dead.
Therefore he made atonement for the
dead, that they might be delivered
from their sin.
2 Macc 12:45
The Church in purgatory
The Church in purgatory
Christ on the cross
whose merits make
possible the purification
of the imperfect after
death.
A Carthusian praying
Angel helping the soul (of a pope)
from purgatory
This picture depicts how prayers by the Church on earth
can aid the passage of souls from purgatory to heaven.
The Church in heaven
The Coronation of the Virgin by Quarton.
The Church in heaven, the coronation of Mary, Mother of the
Church, and the glory of all the angels and saints.
The Church in heaven
The goal of the Church is to
be united with God in the
glory of heaven. Just as
Christians on earth comprise
a community, those in heaven
also form a community.
This is the Church in glory,
which the Apostles’ Creed
calls ‘the communion of saints’.
The Church in heaven
The word saint means ‘holy
one’, a title of honour given to
those who are now in the glory
of heaven. Although most
saints are unknown to us, the
Church has recognised that
certain men and women, from
all ages and states of life, are
definitely now in heaven.
The Church in heaven
Some examples of saints are the
apostles St Peter and St John; the
martyrs St Agnes and St Thomas
More; the virgins St Clare and St
Edith Stein; and the pastors St
John Vianney and St Philip Neri.
The Church honours exemplary
teachers, such as St Thomas
Aquinas and St Teresa of Avila,
with the title doctor of the Church.
The Church in heaven
We in the Church on earth are
joined in prayer with the saints in
heaven. We therefore honour them
and pray for their intercession in
our earthly pilgrimage.
In Scripture, the Church in glory is
described as the ‘bride of Christ’
and the ‘new Jerusalem’.
I saw a new heaven and a new earth ... And I saw
the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out
of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned
for her husband.
Rev 21:1-2
Summary
• The Church is on earth, in purgatory and in
heaven.
• The principal visible elements of the Church on
earth are the bishop of Rome (Pope), all the
bishops of the world in communion with him,
their priests and deacons, those in religious life
and the lay faithful.
• The Church on earth also offers prayers and
sacrifices for the purification and reparation of
the holy souls in purgatory.
• The Church on earth is also joined in prayer with
the saints in heaven. We honour them and pray
for their intercession in our earthly pilgrimage.
Activities Menu
Concluding Prayer
II. I love the church for what it
teaches!
Mission of the church?
• Mission of the church
under the guidance of
the Holy Spirit is
• To teach
• To sanctify
• and to Govern
• This mission it gets from
our Lord himself
• Who is prophet
• Priest and king
• Hence threefold
functions
• Of teaching
• Sanctifying
• And governing
And how it dispenses it duty!
• This is where I love
my church!
For what it says!
• I love the church for what it teaches.
• Stating what are the characteristics of the people
of God, that is the church,
• Jesus Said:
• You the salt of the earth
• You are the light of the world
• You are a city built of a hill-top
Compendium of CCC 154
• This people has for its origin God the Father;
• for its head Jesus Christ;
• for its hallmark the dignity and freedom of the
sons of God;
• for its law the new commandment of love;
• for its mission to be the salt of the earth and the
light of the world;
• and for its destiny the Kingdom of God, already
begun on earth.
Church as salt and light
• It is only Catholic church which is not easily
moved and influenced by wimps and fancies of
the people.
• It is the true prophet of our times and teaches
what is right and what is wrong
• Its stand for the unity and sanctity of
marriage. Hence it says not to divorce.
• Its stand for sanctity of life. Hence it says not
to abortions
• Its stand for sacredness of sex. Hence it says
no to artificial birth controls
• Its stand for the dignity of human body.
Hence it says not to gay marriages or Sodomism.
Misunderstanding………..
• Often people accuse catholic church of not
teaching enough of the Bible…………
• What they don’t understand it that Bible they
have in their hand itself is our gift to them.
• It is we who received this word, preserved this
word and given it to them.
• And if you attend your Sunday masses regularly
and listened to the word of God attentively for
three years,
• You have read the whole Bible once.
• And if you attend daily masses regularly and hear
the word of God for two years, you have read
the Bible again.
• So it is useless and baseless to accuse that
Catholic church does not teach Bible.
• The other churches feel and teach as if Bible is
their possession and we don’t have it;
• Don’t be misled by them. Bible is ours before it
is everyone else’s.
• And the greatness of our church is that it does
not bury its head in the bible alone obsession
and does not know what is going on around.
• No it is awake to what is going on around.
• And responds to the situations around
• Saying what does the word of God mean to that
situation.
• Jesus said “When the Spirit of truth comes, he
will guide you into all truth.”
• He preached and gave his word, yet, he says,
“the Spirit” who he will send will lead us into
the truth.
• It was the same Spirit that was breathed on to
his apostles and that which descended on the
apostles.
• All the ecumenical councils, dogmatic
constitutions, encyclicals, apostolic letters are all
responses to the present day situations,
explaining what does the word of God mean for
today.
• This is where our Catholic church is different
from others
As a true mother
• It teaches us how to respond to new situations
• What is the truth behind so many new
developments
• What to trust and what not to trust
• It acts as a conscience to the world.
• That is why I like the Church.
I love the Church for what it does.
• What I like in the catholic church is its
sanctifying office.
• The Church carries out its office of sanctifying
in a special way in the sacred liturgy, which is an
exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ.
(Can. 834 ß1 )
• In the liturgy, by the use of
signs perceptible to the
senses, our sanctification is
symbolized and, in a
manner appropriate to each
sign, is brought about.
Through the liturgy a
complete public worship is
offered to God by the head
and members of the
mystical body of Christ.
• This worship takes place
when it is offered in the
name of the Church,
• by persons lawfully
deputed and through
actions approved by
ecclesiastical authority.
186. How do Bishops or priests exercise their
ministry of sanctification?
• Compendium says
• Bishops sanctify the Church by dispensing the
grace of Christ by their ministry of the word
and the sacraments, especially the Holy
Eucharist, and also by their prayers, their
example and their work.
• In other churches, they will be concerned more
about the sanctification by the word
• But they don’t have the sacraments
• Even if they have, they have only one or two
• But we have seven
• These seven sacraments are the seven channels
of grace available for us at each and every critical
stage of our life.
I love the church for its sacraments
Church’s role in my life
• The church is
present there from
birth to death
• It brings the grace
of God to me from
birth to death.
Baptism
• When I am born it
initiates me into the
life of faith and
grace through the
sacrament of
Baptism
Communion
• When I reach ten years
of age, it starts feeding
me with the body of
Christ, because I am no
longer a baby feeding my
mother’s milk.
confession
• It also cleanses me
from all my sins
through the
sacrament of
confession. I am no
longer a child, I have
my own reason and
will. And as a mother
it knows I will fall and
become dirty.
Confirmation
• When I start getting
my moustache; it says,
now you confirm
your faith and be
strengthened by the
Holy Spirit in faith,
because now the devil
will become more
active and therefor
you need more
strength
Ordination or marriage
• After twenties, It
gives me a choice of
married life or
consecrated life as my
path to go to heaven.
Depending on the
choice I make, I am
given the grace.
Anointing
• And when I
reach the twilight
of my life, it is
there at my bedside offering me
comfort and
healing.
The Beautiful hands of a priest…
• We need them in life's early morning,
We need them again at its close;
We feel their warm clasp of true friendship,
We seek it while tasting life's woes.
• When we come to this world we are sinful,
The greatest as well as the least.
And the hands that make us pure as angels
Are the beautiful hands of a priest.
Beautiful hands of a priest…
• At the altar each day we behold them,
And the hands of a king on his throne
Are not equal to them in their greatness
Their dignity stands alone.
• For there in the stillness of morning
Ere the sun has emerged from the east,
There God rests between the pure fingers
Of the beautiful hands of a priest.
The Beautiful Hands of a Priest
• When we are tempted and wander
To pathways of shame and sin
'Tis the hand of a priest that absolve us.
Not once but again and again.
• And when we are taking life's partner
Other hands may prepare us a feast
But the hands that will bless and unite us,
Are the beautiful hands of a priest.
The Beautiful Hands of a Priest
• God bless them and keep them all holy,
For the Host which their fingers caress,
What can a poor sinner do better
Than to ask Him who chose them to bless
• When the death dews on our lids are falling,
May our courage and strength be increased
By seeing raised o'er us in blessing
The beautiful hands of a priest.
Two more things
• Every priest prays divine office every day. And
when we are ordained deacons we make a
promise that we will pray this everyday.
• You know for whom this prayer is offered.
• It is for the people. Whether you pray or not,
there are people praying for you.
• You must have seen or heard monks in
monasteries singing this office. Its all for you
and me
• And priests also celebrate daily Mass, even
though it is not compulsory like the divine office
• And when he offers he does it as Hebrews says
‘Every high priest is chosen from among the
people to represent then before God and offer
sacrifices……………………….He is bound to
offer sacrifices for his sins as well as those of
the people. (Hebrews 5:1-3)
• So every mass offered by the priest on the alter is
for us. Even though there is a particular intention.
• Every priest’s mass is for his parish and Every
bishop’s mass is for his diocese.
• Whether I am there or not prayers are offered for
me.
• Because I am part of this one body of Christ.
Conclusion
Winesses: John Jimenez, USA, joined at
24.
• I rededicated myself to the Catholic Church at
the age of 24 for many reasons, first and
foremost being God's grace. In my early
adulthood, I began to recognize that I was a
follower of Christ, but on my own terms. My
prayer life was not what it should have been and
I was attached to some of my sins.
• When I truly began, through prayer and study, to see
the Presence of the Divine Lover in the Catholic
Church, and fall in love with the Mass, Christ took
greater hold of me. I learned to truly dedicate myself
to Christ. Although I know that all Christians are
brothers in Christ, I saw and still see in the Church the
true Bride of Christ, established by Him through the
Apostles, faithful to her Spouse. It's true that the devil
has found his way into the lifestyles of many
Christians, and Catholics, but I know our Lord is
faithful to His Church and loves her, so in imitation of
Him, I love her, and am eternally grateful for her
bringing me into more intimate union with the One I
truly love, Jesus.
Bobby Van, USA, joined at 25.
• I was raised in a Protestant church
(fundamentalist), and was very involved in
Sunday school and Bible Study. While
prayerfully studying the Scriptures, I became
aware that Christ had instituted seven
sacraments, designed to deepen our faith and
bring us closer to God. I mentioned this
concept to my pastor, and I discovered that he
didn't have a clue what a sacrament was.
• In fact, I began to realize that my denomination
had made an idol of the Bible, and was actually
worshipping the Word of God, instead of
worshipping the living Lord. It was a very
sobering experience. I realized that
fundamentalism has drifted far, far away from
the message of the Gospel, and really doesn't
represent Christ's mission and message at all.
• I began to study the teachings of the liturgical
churches -- Catholic, Greek, Episcopalian -- and
ultimately discovered that the Catholic Church is
the only Christian denomination that still
teaches the Gospel of Christ. I made my first
confession and first Holy Communion when I
was 25.
What is your witness?
Final Prayer
From the hymn
‘Jerusalem the Golden’
Jerusalem the golden, with milk and honey blest,
Beneath thy contemplation sink heart and voice oppressed.
I know not, O I know not, what joys await us there,
What radiance of glory, what bliss beyond compare.
O sweet and blessed country, the home of God’s elect!
O sweet and blessed country, that eager hearts expect!
Jesus, in mercy bring us to that dear land of rest,
Who art, with God the Father, and Spirit, ever blessed.
Amen.