Archbishop George Lucas Archives

USCCA29 – Life in Jesus Part 4 – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:59 — 25.6MB) | Embed

USCCA28 Chapter 24 Life In Jesus part 4

Conscience represents both the more general ability we have as human beings to know what is good and right and the concrete judgments we make in particular situations concerning what we should do or about what we have already done. Moral choices confront us with the decision to follow or depart from reason and the divine law. A good conscience makes judgments that conform to reason and the good that is willed by the Wisdom of God. A good conscience requires lifelong formation. Each baptized follower of Christ is obliged to form his or her conscience according to objective moral standards. The Word of God is a principal tool in the formation of conscience when it is assimilated by study, prayer, and practice. The prudent advice and good example of others support and enlighten our conscience. The authoritative teaching of the Church is an essential element in our conscience formation. Finally, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, combined with regular examination of our conscience, will help us develop a morally sensitive conscience.
The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This programs is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.
Also we wish to thank Matt Wilkom for his vocal talents in this episode.

[ezcc]

USCCA28 – Life in Jesus Part 3 – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:42 — 25.4MB) | Embed

USCCA28 Chapter 24 Life In Jesus part 3

Conscience represents both the more general ability we have as human beings to know what is good and right and the concrete judgments we make in particular situations concerning what we should do or about what we have already done. Moral choices confront us with the decision to follow or depart from reason and the divine law. A good conscience makes judgments that conform to reason and the good that is willed by the Wisdom of God. A good conscience requires lifelong formation. Each baptized follower of Christ is obliged to form his or her conscience according to objective moral standards. The Word of God is a principal tool in the formation of conscience when it is assimilated by study, prayer, and practice. The prudent advice and good example of others support and enlighten our conscience. The authoritative teaching of the Church is an essential element in our conscience formation. Finally, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, combined with regular examination of our conscience, will help us develop a morally sensitive conscience.

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This programs is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.
Also we wish to thank Matt Wilkom for his vocal talents in this episode.

[ezcc]

USCCA27 – Life in Jesus Part 2 – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:47 — 25.4MB) | Embed

USCCA27 Chapter 24 Life In Jesus part 2

The Understanding of Moral Acts

Another important foundation of Christian morality is the understanding of moral acts. Every moral act consists of three elements: the objective act (what we do), the subjective goal or intention (why we do the act), and the concrete situation or circumstances in which we perform the act (where, when, how, with whom, the consequences, etc.). For an individual act to be morally good, the object, or what we are doing, must be objectively good. Some acts, apart from the intention or reason for doing them, are always wrong because they go against a fundamental or basic human good that ought never to be compromised. Direct killing of the innocent, torture, and rape are examples of acts that are always wrong. Such acts are referred to as intrinsically evil acts, meaning that they are wrong in themselves, apart from the reason they are done or the circumstances surrounding them. The goal, end, or intention is the part of the moral act that lies within the person. For this reason, we say that the intention is the subjective element of the moral act. For an act to be morally good, one’s intention must be good. If we are motivated to do something by a bad intention—even something that is objectively good—our action is morally evil. It must also be recognized that a good intention cannot make a bad action (something intrinsically evil) good. We can never do something wrong or evil in order to bring about a good. This is the meaning of the saying, “the end does not justify the means” (cf. CCC, nos. 1749-1761).

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This programs is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.
Also we wish to thank Matt Wilkom for his vocal talents in this episode.

[ezcc]

USCCA26 – Life in Jesus Part 1 – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:31 — 26.1MB) | Embed

USCCA26 Chapter 23 Life In Jesus part 1

Made in the Image of God

The most basic principle of the Christian moral life is the awareness that every person bears the dignity of being made in the image of God. He has given us an immortal soul and through the gifts of intelligence and reason enables us to understand the order of things established in his creation. God has also given us a free will to seek and love what is true, good, and beautiful. Sadly, because of the Fall, we also suffer the impact of Original Sin, which darkens our minds, weakens our wills, and inclines us to sin. Baptism delivers us from Original Sin but not from its effects—especially the inclination to sin, concupiscence. Within us, then, is both the powerful surge toward the good because we are made in the image of God, and the darker impulses toward evil because of the effects of Original Sin. But we should always remember that Christ’s dying and rising offers us new life in the Spirit, whose saving grace delivers us from sin and heals sin’s damage within us. Thus we speak of the value, dignity, and goal of human life, even with its imperfections and struggles. Human life, as a profound unity of physical and spiritual dimensions, is sacred. It is distinct from all other forms of life, since it alone is imprinted with the very image of its Creator.

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This program is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.

[ezcc]

USCCA25 – Sacramentals and Popular Devotions – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:50 — 43.0MB) | Embed

Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter 22:

Sacramentals dispose believers to receive the chief effects of the Sacraments. They are sacred signs that resemble the Sacraments in the sense that they signify spiritual effects that are obtained through the intercession of the Church. Sacramentals include blessings, actions such as processions, prayers such as the Rosary, and objects such as holy water, palms, ashes, candles, and medals.

The Church instituted sacramentals to sanctify certain ministries, states of life, and the variety of situations in which Christians are involved. Their use has been guided by bishops’ pastoral decisions in responding to specific needs that are particular to a given period of history or locality. They include a prayer, usually with a gesture such as the Sign of the Cross or the sprinkling of holy water.

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This program is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.

[ezcc]

USCCA22 – Holy Orders Part 2 – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:37 — 39.4MB) | Embed

Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter 20

A bishop is given the grace to teach in the name of Christ; to sanctify the Church through the celebration of the Sacraments; to guide, govern, and defend the Church; and to be a sign of the unity of the Church.

A priest is given the grace to proclaim the Gospel and preach, to celebrate the Sacraments (except Holy Orders), and to shepherd the people entrusted to him.

A deacon in the Latin Church is ordained to proclaim the Gospel and preach, to baptize, to assist the bishop or priest in the celebration of the Eucharist, to assist at and bless marriages, to preside at funerals, and to serve the community through works of charity.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This programs is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.
Also we wish to thank Matt Willkomb for his vocal talents in this episode.

[ezcc]

USCCA21 – Holy Orders Part 1 – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:35 — 44.2MB) | Embed

Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter 20

The Church adopted the term order from its use in the Roman Empire, where it referred to a governing group. In the Sacrament of Holy Orders, there are three degrees or “orders”: bishop, priest, and deacon. The rite of ordination is the sacramental act that makes this possible. Ordination “confers a gift of the Holy Spirit that permits the exercise of a ‘sacred power’ …which can come only from Christ himself through the Church” (CCC, no. 1538).

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This programs is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.
Also we wish to thank Matt Willkomb for his vocal talents in this episode.

[ezcc]

USCCA20 – Anointing of the Sick and the Dying – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:58 — 46.4MB) | Embed

Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter 19

When the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given, the hoped-for effect is that, if it be God’s will, the person be physically healed of illness. But even if there is no physical healing, the primary effect of the Sacrament is a spiritual healing by which the sick person receives the Holy Spirit’s gift of peace and courage to deal with the difficulties that accompany serious illness or the frailty of old age. The Holy Spirit renews our faith in God and helps us withstand the temptations of the Evil One to be discouraged and despairing in the face of suffering and death. Also, a sick person’s sins are forgiven if he or she was not able to go to Confession prior to the celebration of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This programs is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.
Also we wish to thank Deacon Chuck and Susan Adams for their vocal talents in this episode.

[ezcc]

USCCA19 – Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation – God is Rich in Mercy – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

USCCA19 Chapter 18 – The Eucharist: Source and Summit of Christian Life

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:51 — 46.2MB) | Embed

Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter 18

It is called the Sacrament of Conversion because it makes sacramentally present Jesus’ call to conversion, the first step in returning to the Father from whom one has strayed by sin. It is called the Sacrament of Penance, since it consecrates the Christian sinner’s personal and ecclesial steps of conversion, penance, and satisfaction. It is called the Sacrament of Confession since the disclosure or confession of sins is an essential element of this Sacrament. In a profound sense, it is also a called “confession” —acknowledgment and praise—of the holiness of God and of his mercy toward sinful man. It is called the Sacrament of Forgiveness, since by the priest’s sacramental absolution, God grants the penitent “pardon and peace.” It is called the Sacrament of Reconciliation because it imparts to the sinner the love of God who reconciles: “Be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20). He who lives by God’s merciful love is ready to respond to the Lord’s call: “Go, first be reconciled to your brother.” (CCC, nos. 1423-1424, citing Mt 5:24)

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This programs is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.
Also we wish to thank Bruce McGregor for his vocal talents in this episode.

[ezcc]

USCCA18 – Part 2 The Eucharist: Source and Summit of Christian Life – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:01 — 46.5MB) | Embed

USCCA18 part 2 – Episode 18- The Eucharist: Source and Summit of Christian Life

Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter 18:

The consecrated bread has become Christ’s Body. The consecrated wine has become Christ’s Blood. Jesus Christ is substantially present in a way that is entirely unique. This happens by the power of the Holy Spirit through the ministry of the priest’s or bishop’s acting in the person of Christ during the Eucharistic Prayer. At Mass, when we are offered the Host and hear the statement “The Body of Christ,” we answer, “Amen,” that is, “Yes, I believe.”

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This programs is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.
Also we wish to thank Susan Adams for her vocal talents in this episode

[ezcc]