Since it was first published in 1967, Anthony Wilhelm's Christ Among Us has become America's most popular guide to modern Catholicism. Perfect for both new Catholics and those returning to the faith, this classic presentation of the Catholic faith provides a thorough, up-to-date discussion of Catholic theology, traditions, and practices and traces Church teachings from Vatican II to Pope John Paul II. The sixth revised edition of Christ Among Us has been fully updated to reflect the Church's teaching on current social issues and including excerpts from the new Catechism of the Catholic Church. Including discussion questions with modern relevance as well as suggestions for personal reflection, Christ Among Us is the ideal handbook for anyone interested in the practice of Catholicism today. Since it was first published in 1967, Anthony Wilhelm's Christ Among Us has become America's most popular guide to modern Catholicism. Perfect for both new Catholics and those returning to the faith, this classic presentation of the Catholic faith provides a thorough, up-to-date discussion of Catholic theology, traditions, and practices and traces Church teachings from Vatican II to Pope John Paul II. The sixth revised edition of Christ Among Us has been fully updated to reflect the Church's teaching on current social issues and including excerpts from the new Catechism of the Catholic Church. Including discussion questions with modern relevance as well as suggestions for personal reflection, Christ Among Us is the ideal handbook for anyone interested in the practice of Catholicism today. Anthony Wilhelm, a religious educator, has taught theology and directed religious educator programs for adults across America. Christ Among Us A Modern Presentation of the Catholic Faith for Adults, Sixth Edition By Wilhelm, Anthony HarperSanFrancisco Copyright © 2004 Anthony Wilhelm All right reserved. ISBN: 0060693495 Chapter One Our Life and God What is life all about? Is there a God? If there is a God, does he care about us? Can I make contact with God? To answer these questions, we begin with something all people seek... Something To Live For If there is one thing that people seek from life, it is fulfillment. We need a purpose, something to live for, a goal that will truly fulfill us and bring us happiness. Many live for a successful marriage and a good home; some want a pleasant job with financial security; some seek power, or a life of pleasure and leisure, or friends and social position. Many today, including many younger people, find their purpose in the service of others. In this age of great social change and consequent confusion these highly motivated individuals have brought about great good in our world. Yet we must acknowledge that none of these things can completely satisfy our aspirations. No matter what we have, there is always something else we want. We also realize that these things cannot give us lasting and secure happiness, nor a lasting sense of accomplishment, for human weakness, tragedy, or death can destroy what we have. "Human beings are like a breath; their days like a passing shadow" (Psalm 144, 4). The conviction of the Christian believer is that two thousand years ago Jesus Christ revealed to us an ultimate purpose to our life: to live forever with God after death. We know that our greatest happiness in this life comes from love. From childhood everyone has an insatiable desire to love and be loved. Our happiness in human love, Christ tells us, is but a dim reflection of the immense, unending joy of loving God and being loved by him forever. Jesus told us that this unending life of happiness after death is such that we could not even begin to dream of it. It is as if someone lived in a closed room, never seeing or hearing anything outside. Then one day someone opened the door to the outside to display the world with its marvels. Christ did this for us, but he revealed that our destiny is infinitely more wonderful -- so staggering that we can grasp it only bit by bit. Jesus told us that we begin our life of love and happiness with God while still here on earth. But this happiness is different from what many people think. It does not come from satisfying our desire for pleasure or material things or social achievement. It comes from truly loving and often involves suffering and sacrifice. It is realistic. It brings not freedom from pain but a deep peace and sense of fulfillment even in the midst of pain. Jesus showed us how to get along with others and how to bear sufferings and frustration. He told us and showed us what we can do about our loneliness and fears, our guilt and uneasiness, and how to have true peace and security. Jesus revealed that God has a plan by which we are to share in his love and happiness, in other words, that there is a meaning to human history. He told us not only that we have a place in God's plan but that (as is becoming more apparent