Catholic Faith Refresher Course

DIRECTIONS TO THE STUDENT

Unless you understand some things about grace, this lesson will mean nothing to you. Turn back to the lesson on grace and read it again. The purpose of this lesson is not to explain the origin of the h uman race; the purpose is rather to teach you that you came into this world without grace because of the sin of Adam and Eve and that you m must make a real effort to obtain God's grace.

A. ADAM AND EVE WERE THE FIRST MAN AND WOMAN Adam and Eve were created by God Himself.

"So the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the furniture of them And the Lord God formed man of the slime of the earth, and breathed into his face the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis

After God created Adam He created Eve.

"And the Lord God built the rib which he took from Adam into a woman." (Genesis

"And the Lord God had planted a paradise of pleasure" for them. (Genesis

"Wherefore a man shall leave father and mother. and shall cleave to his wife.

Differences in race and peoples developed gradually through the long span of the centuries. In spite of minor differences, all peoples have the same fundamental capabilities and weaknesses; the human race is one! Science and the Bible both teach this.

Adam and Eve came into the world as adults. They never went through the formative years of childhood and adolescence. We have never seen a person who was physically perfect; everyone born since Adam and Eve (except Christ) has some imperfection. But Adam and Eve were as physically perfect as any man or woman could be. They had no need for hospitals or physicians because they could not get sick. They were free from disease and pain and even death itself.

Unlike us, Adam and Eve did not have to go to school for many years to learn. God placed knowledge in their minds when He created them, so that they knew everything that was necessary for them to know.

Adam and Eve did not have to battle with their passions as we do. They had complete control over them. As a result, they were not tempted by their flesh as we are. Their body was perfectly subject to their mind and will.

If Adam and Eve had remained faithful to God, all these gifts of body and soul would have been given to their children and their children's children down through the ages. If Adam and Eve had not sinned, you and I would have been born into the world with grace; we would have been free from disease, pain and death; we would have perfect control over our bodily appetites.

B. THE BIG GIFT: GOD'S GRACE

in their souls. This is the most important truth in this lesson. Adam and Eve were creatures of earth; but they were also creatures of heaven because they had grace in their souls when they came forth from God's hand. They were to live here for a time sharing God's life of grace; then they were to go to heaven to see God face to face forever. According to God's plan, the children of Adam and Eve and all their descendents down even to the last man and woman were to be born with grace in their souls-if Adam had not sinned. Adam represented all of us, the whole human race. His actions were to bring to his children, to all of us, the life of grace or the life of sin.

C. ADAM AND EVE FALL INTO SIN

The Bible tells us how Adam and Eve fell into sin. "Now the serpent. ..said to the woman: Why hath God commanded you that you should not eat of every tree of paradise? And the woman answered him. saying: Of the fruit of the trees that are in paradise do eat: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of paradise, God hath commanded us that we should not eat; and that we should not touch it. lest perhaps we die. And the serpent said to the woman: No. you shall not die the death. For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened: and you shall be as Gods. knowing good and evil. And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold: and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat. and gave to her husband who did eat." (Genesis 3:1-6)

Adam and Eve disobeyed their Creator in a serious matter. Because of this serious sin Adam and Eve lost for themselves and for all of us the special gifts God had given them-especially the greatest gift of all, the gift of God's grace.

The sin of Adam and Eve was a sin of disobedience. It was not a sin of fornication as some think; Adam and Eve were man and wife. (sexual pleasure does not come from this sin of Adam and Eve; sexual pleasure is a holy thing created by God.)

The sin Adam committed is called Original Sin. Original Sin is the first sin, the sin that came with the origin or beginning of the human race.

D. THE PUNISHMENT

God told Adam and Eve that if they ate fruit from the forbidden tree, they would "die the death"-they would lose God's life of grace in their souls. Therefore, when they sinned, they lost God's life of grace in their souls. They lost grace not only for themselves but for the whole human race; all human beings are born without God's grace. The minor gifts-complete control of their passions and freedom from disease, pain and death-were also taken away.

E. YOU ARE BORN WITHOUT GRACE

Because of the sin of Adam, all of us come into the world without grace. Adam lost grace not only for himself, but for all his descendents.

Remember that grace is a gift. God does not deprive us of something to which we have a right; He is not being unjust. God's grace comes to us through Baptism. Since we cannot get into heaven without grace, each of us without exception must be baptized.

The life of grace in your soul begins through Baptism. The purpose of these lessons is to prepare you to obtain God's grace through real Baptism. Be sure that you and your family are really baptized. To neglect your own Baptism or the Baptism of any of your children is a serious sin; if you neglect Baptism, Christ's death on the cross becomes fruitless for you.

F. ONE PERSON, THE BLESSED VIRGIN, WAS CONCEIVED WITH GOD'S GRACE

The Blessed Virgin, the mother of Jesus Christ, was conceived in the womb of her mother, St the first moment of conception her soul was filled with God's grace. This is called her Immaculate Conception.

Thus the angel was able to say "Hail, full of GRACE, the Lord is with thee." (Luke 1

Just as you give your mother the best that you have, so also God gave His mother His greatest gift-the sharing in the life of God. Since the Blessed Virgin is the greatest of all the saints, you should pray to her often.

G. CHRIST'S DEATH ON THE CROSS BROUGHT GRACE BACK TO US

Christ's death on the cross made up for Adam's sin; it won back for the human race the grace which Adam had lost Christ's death made up not only for Adam's sin, but also our personal sins-the sins of all the world. Christ set up Baptism as a means to give grace to each individual soul. It is not too late for you to obtain God's grace in your soul.

H. YOU ARE WEAK. BEWARE OF TEMPTATION

Eve played with temptation and talked with the devil when she should have run away. You are worse off than Eve. You don't have perfect control over your passions as Eve had. Because of original sin, man is weakened. Sins of adultery, drunkenness, selfishness, injustice toward man and God are so easy today. Though you can win back the grace which was lost by Adam, you can never get back the perfect control over your lower appetites. Every human being has a strong inclination to evil.

You must get sufficient control over your bodily appetites, so that you can lead a good Christian life. You gain control by prayer, fasting and abstinence, by receiving Holy Communion and the other Sacraments, and by staying away from everything that may lead you into sin. Do not trust yourself. Watch and pray.

QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW OF THIS LESSON

1. Who were Adam and Eve?

2. Adam and Eve lost something for tl1em and us. What is it?

3. What is their sin called?

4. Has anyone been born without original sin?

POPE PIUS IX AND THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION That Mary was conceived without sin was believed for centuries. To a Church that was troubled by persecution and at fear of being made a slave of her enemies, Pope Pius IX made a proposal to the bishops: it was time to proclaim the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. While all believed this dogma, they recommended against it for fear of the reaction of irreligious people. Pius IX said there was nothing to fear, for God would help them because they honored His Mother. Almost as if by proof, the moment the pope pronounced the words of the proclamation, the alabaster window above his throne shown with a great light and all were filled with new hope and courage. They knew Mary was stronger than all evil.