The Catechism of the Catholic Church
Paragraphs 208-2011
 

208 Faced with God's fascinating and mysterious presence, man discovers his own insignificance. Before the burning bush, Moses takes off his sandals and veils his face in the presence of God's ho-liness.Before the glory of the thrice-holy God, Isaiah cries out: "Woe is me! I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips."Before the divine signs wrought by Jesus, Peter exclaims: "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."But because God is holy, he can forgive the man who realizes that he is a sinner before him: "I will not execute my fierce anger. . . for I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst." The apostle John says likewise: "We shall. . . reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything."

209 Out of respect for the holiness of God, the people of Israel do not pronounce his name. In the reading of Sacred Scripture, the revealed name (YHWH) is replaced by the divine title "LORD" (in Hebrew Adonai, in Greek Kyrios). It is under this title that the di-vinity of Jesus will be acclaimed: "Jesus is LORD.""A God merciful and gracious"

210 After Israel's sin, when the people had turned away from God to worship the golden calf, God hears Moses' prayer of intercession and agrees to walk in the midst of an unfaithful people, thus demonstrating his love.When Moses asks to see his glory, God re-sponds "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will pro-claim before you my name "the LORD" [YHWH]. "Then the LORD passes before Moses and proclaims, "YHWH, YHWH, a God mer-ciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness"; Moses then confesses that the LORD is a forgiv-ing God.

211 The divine name, "I Am" or "He Is", expresses God's faithful-ness: despite the faithlessness of men's sin and the punishment it deserves, he keeps "steadfast love for thousands".By going so far as to give up his own Son for us, God reveals that he is "rich in mercy".  By giving his life to free us from sin, Jesus reveals that he himself bears the divine name: "When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will realize that "I AM".”

A Letter from Father Christian

Dear friends,
I learned recently of a quote from the saint, Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos.  He was known to say:  “Thank God ahead of time.”  This is a very profound statement of faith.  Gratitude is essential in the Christian life.  We need to thank God always for his numerous blessings and gifts that He is constantly showering down upon us.  They are truly signs of His love and care for us.  To do so “ahead of time” expresses faith and trust that no matter what God does in the future it will be good and worth thanking Him.  We can truly say this because we know God is good and that He knows what is best for us.  I recently had a situation where I received some unpleasant news . . . Instead of complaining and brooding over it . . . I thanked God because I trust that things would turn out good in the end even if they aren’t to my particular liking.  Let us go forth in     boldness this season of Thanksgiving with an attitude of “pre-emptive” gratitude.

Peace and God bless,
Fr. Christian

"Feed My Sheep" by Yongsung Kim