God not only has an end goal--He has desires directed toward that end goal. God expresses His goodness in all that He has made, but He exhibits His love through the giving of His Son. God's passion to accomplish His purposes is demonstrated in that He did not withhold His own Son from us (Rom. 8:32). Jesus came that we might have the same joy of the Father that He has had in Himself (among the Persons of the Godhead) throughout all eternity (John 15:11; 17:13). God's desires are not mingled with sin or weakened by human limitations. They are eternally strong and transcendentally pure. God's desire is for His own glory to be put on display through the joy of His own people utterly wrapped in all that He is for them in Jesus Christ.
Index VABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZValuesfamily as the place for passing on, 2207hierarchy of values and economic activity, 2425 and social institutions, 2244 and society, 1886, 1895, 2236human and Christian values of marriage, 1632, 1643, 2363science, technology, and moral values, 2293turning away from moral values and scandal, 2286Varietyof creatures, 339, 353, 1936-38Venerationand adoration of the Eucharist, 1378of God's Word, 127, 1154of holy images, 2132of relics and popular piety, 1674of the saints, 1090Venial. See Sin(s)Vespers, 1175ViaticumEucharist as, 1331, 1392, 1517, 1524-25Vicarbishop as the vicar of Christ, 894, 1560conscience, the "aboriginal Vicar of Christ," 1778Supreme Pontiff as vicar of Christ, 882Vice(s)capital vices or sins, 1866correction of, 2302origin of, 1865, 1876and virtues, 1768, 1774, 2516See also Acedia; Anger; Avarice; Envy; Gluttony; Lust; Pride; SlothVictim (Christ), 457, 604, 1367, 1566VictoryChrist's victory over sin and death, 411, 420, 654, 1505the Church's victory over the powers of death, 552God's victory over evil at the end of the world, 677Jesus' victory over Satan, 539, 2853Vigilancein our approach to the mass media, 2496in our attitudes, 2727Christ summons us to, 672necessity of, 1036in praying, 2612, 2699, 2799, 2849, 2863present time is a time of, 672in protecting the faith, 2088VineChrist as the true, 755"I am the vine, you are the branches," 787, 1988, 2074See also WineViolation, 2356Violenceas a consequence of sin, 1869, 2534gravity of, 1858lying as a form of, 2486in the Passion of Christ, 1851private or collective interests which promote, 2316renouncing in defense of peace, 2306and respect for human life, 2260, 2297sexual, 2356Virginityand chastity, 2349Mary's, 496-99, 502-03, 506, 510, 723for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven, 922, 1618-20Virgin Mary. See MaryVirtuecatechesis of human and Christian, 1697charity as the origin and form of all, 25, 2346chastity as a, 2337, 2341, 2345, 2347, 2349definition of, 1803-04, 1833education in, 1784, 2223as a gift of Baptism, 1266and gifts of the Holy Spirit, 1831Holy Spirit at work through the, 798human virtue elevated by grace, 1810-11obstacles in the exercise of the, 1863, 2284solidarity as, 1942, 1948truth as, 2468-69See also individual virtues gifts of the Holy Spirit definition of, 1830 fruit of, 1832 seven gifts of, 1831human virtues cardinal virtues play a pivotal role, 1805 definition of human virtues, 1804, 1834 fortitude, 1808, 1837 justice, 1807, 1836 moral, 1266, 1804, 1839 prudence, 1806, 1835 purified and elevated by grace, 1810-11 temperance, 1809, 1838, 2290theological virtues charity, 1822-29, 1844 definition and role of, 1812-13, 1840-41 faith, 153, 1814-16, 1842 hope, 1817-21, 1843, 2090Vision of Godbeatific, 1028, 1045dead and, 1032as extreme beatitude, 2548given to the "pure of heart," 2519God calls men to His vision as to beatitude, 1720Hell as deprivation of, 633Vocationof Abraham, 762to chastity, 2337-59of children must be respected and fostered, 1656, 2226, 2232to the Christian apostolate, 863of Christians must be fulfilled in the Church, 2030to communion with God, 27, 44communitarian character of the human, 1878-85to cooperation with God in creation, 307to divine beatitude, 1700, 1703, 1716-24to divine worship and to the service of the Church, 1121to enter the Kingdom, 543to establish the new People of God, 804, 831to eternal life, 1998, 2820evangelical counsels and personal, 1974holiness and the Gospel as vocation of all the disciples of Christ, 1533, 1962of humanity, 1877Israel's vocation perfectly fulfilled by Jesus, 539of the laity, 898-900, 2442to life in the Holy Spirit, 1699to love, 1604, 2331, 2392man is called to union with Christ, 521, 542of a man and a woman in God's plan, 373to manifest God, 2085man's vocation final, 1260 fulfilled by life in the Holy Spirit, 1699 fulfilled with society's help, 1886 revealed by Christ, 1701to marriage, 1603-04, 1607, 2331Mary's, 490men are called to resemblance of the union and fraternity of the divine Persons, 1878of men that they may become adopted children of God, 1to parenthood, 2369priestly, 1583priestly vocation of the People of God, 784to seek God, 30society should permit each of its members to fulfill his, 1907, 2461Voiceof conscience (see Conscience)of God the Father (see God)Vow (Religious)definition of, 2102dispensation from, 2103exemplary value of, 2103Copyright permission for posting of the english translation of the CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH on the Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church web site was granted by Amministrazione Del Patrimonio Della Sede Apostolica, case number 130389.
Their churches are held in the highest respect and kept very clean. No Christian or member of any sect who has not previously renounced Christ the son of Mary and accepted Mahomet as prophet and messenger of God is allowed to enter under penalty of death. Although they admit Christ to have been a pure and most holy prophet, they nevertheless deny his passion and divinity, and on this point they will listen to nothing, in obedience to what is written in their Koran, sura [chapter] x68: Great care must be observed lest anything unjust or unworthy of our religion should be uttered by you, nor must you say anything false about God, as for example that Jesus, son of Mary, was God's messenger and his spirit and word, sent from Heaven to Mary, nor must you assert that there are three Gods, for there exists but one only, who is without son and to whom heaven and earth are subject. Nor can the existence of Christ or of the angels of God be denied. The same Mahomet speaking of the Jews, whom he calls murderers of prophets in his Koran,69 blames them for blasphemy against Mary when they assert that Christ, her son and God's messenger, was killed on the cross, but they [the Jews] did not kill him, but another man resembling him, for the incomprehensible and omniscient God took him up to heaven.70 These same scoundrels, who although they deny the divinity and passion of Christ, nevertheless place Him above Moses and all the other prophets with the exception of Mahomet, and respect Him and Mary, calling Him Messiath Ebyn Merian [Masíh ibn Mariam].71 and under no circumstances Ebyna Alia [Ibn Allah] that is son of God, because they consider it impossible for God to have a son, since He lacks wife and concubine and takes no pleasure in them.
By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile, / and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance. / By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe! / O our holy father Arethus, pray to Christ our God to save our souls!
By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile, / and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance. / By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe! / O our holy father Sisoes, pray to Christ our God to save our souls!
By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile, / and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance. / By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe! / O our holy father Theophilus, pray to Christ our God to save our souls!
Your holy martyrs Syncletica and her daughters, O Lord, / through their sufferings have received incorruptible crowns from You, our God. / For having Your strength, they laid low their adversaries, / and shattered the powerless boldness of demons. / Through their intercessions, save our souls!
With the light of your pure life, you burned the thorns of the passions, / and with streams of tears, you watered the barren land, / making it a spiritual field bearing much fruit, O most blessed Athanasios, / luminary of Constantinople and adornment of Patriarchs, / pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.
Today the glorious city of Moscow rejoices, having the wonderworking Icon of our Sovereign Lady Theotokos, / for she, showing forth miracles to the faithful, sends down gifts of healing. / Therefore, we bow down with faith and, beholding her most pure image, / it is as if we see our Sovereign Lady herself alive, our Virgin Theotokos, and tenderly we cry out: / "O Mother of God, look down with your merciful eyes, / stretch forth your most pure hands to us as depicted on your Icon, / and grant joy to all who sorrow, to the sick, / who are healed of all diseases and are delivered from troubles, / for you are the speedy Intercessor for our souls."
By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile, / and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance. / By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe! / O our holy father John, pray to Christ our God to save our souls!
Among humans, our friendships have various foundations. It could be that two people have mutual interests and they enjoy engaging in those interests together. It could be that two people have spent much pleasant time together since childhood. Or it could be that two people have endured some difficulty together and that experience has bonded them together. But according to Saint Thomas Aquinas, friendship in its purest form is based on just one thing: mutual charity.
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