10.3: Christian Responsibility

Read Matthew 18:23-35

As a talent was the equivalent of several thousand pounds the servant owed an impossible sum of money. The master who forgives him is madly generous, and it seems that he is so rich that he can absorb the debt. Yet the servant imprisons a fellow servant for five hundred denarii, a denarius being a day’s wage for a labourer. The message of this passage is that any sin against God is too great a debt to pay, but God can write it off quite easily, as he is great enough to handle it. But the condition is that we forgive others. We cannot receive God’s forgiveness unless we ourselves are forgiving. The converse of this is that the way to be forgiven is to forgive your enemies.

Do you find it easy to forgive and forget?

Why is forgiveness so difficult?

What is the message of the parable which you have read?

Read Matthew 25:14-30

This parable is about using our abilities in God’s service. Talents stand for abilities. We all have some ability. Every human being, even the most handicapped, has the ability to give and receive love. Most have other abilities. Christ teaches that we must make the most of them. This means that we should develop them by education and should use them in a good and wise way. Furthermore, we should help others to develop their abilities too. The trouble with our abilities is that we can use them for good or evil. The more ability you have the more good or evil you can do.

How might your intelligence be used for good and evil?

Why do Catholics think it important to develop your abilities by education?

Make a list of your own abilities and say how you can use them to do good in life.

Read Luke 15:1-10

This pair of parables shows Jesus as the one who never gives up in the quest to save sinners. The image of the Good Shepherd seeking the lost sheep is very moving. Obviously, the parable teaches us that God will never give up in his pursuit of the sinner. God wants all people saved. For this reason the Catholic Church will allow anyone, even the wickedest of sinners, to confess and be forgiven, even when they are close to death.

Christians also should not give up in their work for good. Often they have disappointments and they feel that their task in life is too much for them. However, they should be confident that God is with them and will help them through. Similarly, when we have done wrong or something has gone wrong with our lives we should not despair. We have to rebuild our lives as well as we can. The biggest mistake is not falling. It is not getting up again.

Make a list of the difficulties a Christian may face in the course of their life. How can the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin help them in facing these difficulties.

Suppose a Christian has a problem with drink or drugs. How might this parable help them?

Read The Letter of St James:5:13-15

James deals with the subject of Christians undergoing difficulties. He recommends singing a psalm, a hymn from the Bible. Christians have always believed that prayer is a powerful source of strength in times of distress. Christians who feel that the burdens of life are too much for them can turn to prayer to ask God for the spiritual and moral strength to cope. Prayer is vital for a Christian suffering from an addiction to drink or drugs. Alcoholics Anonymous say that to escape from addiction you have to rely on a power from beyond yourself. Christians see this power to be God working through his Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Often Christians pray for help through times of physical illness. Christians also pray for guidance when they do not know which decisions to make. They talk to God about them, and it is often the case that they feel enlightened as to what to do.

Note also that James recommends calling the ministry of the Church into play when people are sick. The Catholic Church has a sacrament of the sick which is to give strength to those who are sick. Healing ministries are found throughout the Christian church, as the healing of damaged minds and bodies is an essential part of the Christian mission.

What benefits might praying give a Christian who is in trouble in their personal life?

In what situations might a Christian pray to God for guidance.

Can you think of situations in which a Christian might have to pray for moral strength to cope with pressures and temptations?

Read Matthew 25:31-46

Task RC 12

List the things that the just did for others.

These works of charity were considered optional extras in Judaism; Christ said that they were compulsory, for they express love of neighbour. It is love on which you will be judged by God. For Catholics charity is essential to the genuinely holy life.

Choose two of these ways and say how Christians can apply them by helping people in poorer countries.