Life Of Christ #3 Flashcards
The Blessed Virgin Mary did not suffer childbirth pains
True - The correct answer is true. Because our Lady was immaculately conceived and never committed a personal sin, she did not inherit the consequence of giving birth in pain. As a result, the Blessed Mother truly gave birth to our Lord without the slightest ounce of pain as light passes through glass without damaging the glass in any way: “… as the rays of the sun penetrate, without breaking or injuring, in the least, the substance of glass; after a like, but more incomprehensible manner, did Jesus Christ come forth from his mother’s womb without injury to her maternal virginity, which, immaculate and perpetual, forms the just theme of our eulogy.”
Bethlehem means “House of Bread,” and it was thus fitting that the “Bread of Life” would be born in the
True - The correct answer is true. Christ willed to be born in Bethlehem for two reasons. First, because He was made the seed of David according to the flesh. Secondly, because, as Pope Gregory says: “Bethlehem is interpreted the house of bread. It is Christ Himself who said, “I am the living Bread which came down from heaven.”
King David was not born in Bethlehem
False - The correct answer is false. History confirms that King David was born in Bethlehem. St. Thomas Aquinas writes in the Summa that our Lord “willed to be born at Bethlehem, where David was born, in order that by the very birthplace the promise made to David might be shown to be fulfilled.”
The Magi were not Jews awaiting the Messiah but were pagans, symbolizing the soon–to–be salvation won for all mankind
: True - The correct answer is true. The Magi were not Jews but pagans from the East. Their acceptance of the birth of the Christ Child foreshadowed the later incorporation of the Gentiles (non Jews) into the household of God. Through the death of Christ on the Cross, all peoples (whether Jews or Gentiles) were called to the same possibility of salvation. The fact that the Magi accepted Christ, whereas the Jews rejected Him, is referenced in Matthew 8:11-12.
Our Lord had no brothers or sisters, in the modern sense of the term
True - the correct answer is true. As directly quoted from the Balitmore Catechism: “Our Lord had no brothers or sisters. When the Gospels speak of His brethren they mean only His near relations. His Blessed Mother Mary was always a Virgin as well before and at His birth as after it.”
Son of God assumed a divine nature in order to accomplish our salvation
False - the correct answer is false. Our Lord, the Son of the Eternal Father, who is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity and therefore God Himself, always had a divine nature. Jesus Christ was divine for all eternity without beginning or ending. But He chose at a particular moment in time roughly 2,000 years ago to take on human flesh and a human nature. So it is correct to say that he Lord assumed a human nature. He did not assume a divine nature since He always had a divine nature
Our Blessed Lord, even in His birth, displayed unfathomable humility
True - the correct answer is true. The Lord was born in a feeding troph for animals and was wrapped up in the few garments they had. The Holy Family was poor. What does this teach us? “To teach us not by words but by example that which He afterwards so often preached and forcibly taught, namely: the love of poverty, the practice of humility and patience with contempt of the world, and also to confound by His humble birth the foolish wisdom of the world which seeks only honors, pleasures and riches” (The Church’s Year by Rev. Leonard Goffine).
Out of jealousy, Herod the Great sought to kill the Child Jesus.
True - the correct answer is true. The Herod who ordered the massacre of the Innocents and was jealous of our Lord was Herod the Great. He is not to be confused with his successor, the usurper Herod Antipas, who ordered the execution of John the Baptist and helped bring about the death of Christ. Both Herods were different men
The 12 Days of Christmas start on December 14th and end on December 25th
False - The correct answer is false. The 12 Days of Christmas begin on December 25th and last until the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th. During this time, it is truly Christmas, and we should wish people a Merry Christmas. The days up until December 25th are Advent days and are not part of the Christmas Season, which starts on December 25th.
Mary is truly the Mother of God.
True - the correct answer is true. Mary is the Mother of Jesus Christ, who is the Second Person of the Trinity. Therefore, Mary is the Mother of God. To claim that she is the mother of only Jesus Christ the man is to condemn the hypostatic union and the nature and person of Christ. The Council of Ephesus in 431 AD declared that Mary is not only the Mother of Christ but the Mother of God, and this fact must be believed by all Christians. To state this is not to imply that Mary is superior to God in any way. She also is not the Mother of God the Father or the Holy Ghost. She is the Mother of the Second Person of the Trinity, who is God.
