Catechesis Notes for the Week — Faith in Christ Is Active in Word and Deed—On Wednesday of this week, we celebrate Holy Cross Day, one of the oldest minor festivals in the Church Year. It is only through the Holy Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ and His redeeming work upon the cross that we come to know and believe in God rightly. Our faith in Christ as the Savior who has died for us upon the cross is what animates what we say and do in our lives as Christians. Our faith in Jesus’ undeserved love is active in words and deeds. Abram Gives Lot the Choice of the Land because he believes that the Lord promised him the land and the gift of salvation that he might share his possessions with others (7^th Commandment). Jesus Comes to Zacchaeus’s House and calls him to repentance and faith. As a result, Zacchaeus restores what he had stolen from others as a Tax Collector (7^th Commandment). When Jesus calls us to Bless Those Who Curse us, He is inviting us to live by faith in the Gospel so that we freely forgive our enemies and “explain everything in the kindest way” (8^th Commandment). Living by faith in the grace of God toward our enemies is ultimately seen in our Lord as Jesus Prays for His Enemies. It is the ultimate fulfillment of the 8^th Commandment. This week’s verse, “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’” reinforces that our faith in Christ is to be expressed in honest words before God and one another.CP220911