This weekend, the Church celebrates the third Sunday of Advent; the liturgical colour is the colour of joy, rose pink, unlike the colour of penance, purple. Advent has already passed the midway point and Christmas is fast approaching. Today's Gospel reading is Matthew 11:2-11; St. John the Baptist needs more evidence to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, so he asks Him directly and Jesus responds that the blind can see, the crippled can walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf can hear, the dead are risen, and men have received the good news. He also says blessed is the one who does not stumble because of me. St. John was familiar with Scripture, so he understood that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. Jesus then illustrated the Baptist's role and asked the crowds why they had come: was it to see a prophet? Jesus explained that John was the greatest of all men born to women, but even the smallest in the Kingdom of Heaven was greater than him. Through baptism, we become children of God and temples of the Holy Spirit.

Apart from Jesus and Mary, Advent has a third important character: St. John the Baptist. In this Sunday's Gospel reading, the Gospel of Matthew 3:1-12, the Baptist proclaims the Kingdom of God is near and calls the people to repent. The term "Kingdom of God" is very important in Matthew's Gospel and appears 51 times. The Baptist wears a shirt of camel's hair and a leather belt, just like the Old Testament prophet Elijah. Apart from their similarity in clothing, the two men also opposed an evil king and were persecuted for it. They also prepared the way for another prophet: Elijah for Elisha, the Baptist for Jesus. And both Elisha and Jesus would heal lepers and raise the dead. Also, both men transmitted their missions at the Jordan River: Elijah was received into Heaven and passed his mission to Elisha; St. John baptized Jesus and made way for His greater mission. The baptism of John prepared the way for the baptism of Christ, which remits sins and makes people into temples of God and members of the Church.

The season of Advent is just before Christmas and reminds us of Jesus's Second Coming in glory. Today's Sunday reading is from Matthew 24:36-44. In the days of Noah, the people did not know God was about to punish them with a flood, so they continued conducting business, eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. But when the rains came, all but Noah's family perished in the flood. Noah was not resigned to his fate, but was obedient to God and avoided the floods. The coming of the Son of God will also be sudden and many will be frightened, just as a thief comes in the night. And when the master of the house awakens the next morning to find his treasured possessions stolen, how pitiful will that scene be! So we must be vigilant and prepare instead of wasting our time trying to predict when Jesus will come.

The Sixth Commandment is "Thou shalt not commit adultery"; it calls us to purity in word and action. The Seventh Commandment is "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife"; it calls us to purity in thought. Sex is sacred, because it creates life, which is sacred - sex has no place outside the marital covenant. We often treat others as objects to use and fulfill our own desires. A saint once said that it is impossible to dialogue with someone with impure thoughts, for one would lose internal peace. We mustn't only avoid sinning, but also the occasions of sin. Positively, we can receive help from the Sacraments, especially Holy Communion and Confession. Negatively, we should avoid idleness, which can lead us to temptation. The Seventh Commandment is "Thou shalt not steal", the Eight Commandment is "Thou shalt not bear false witness", and the Tenth Commandment is "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's goods". All three concern justice towards our neighbour's reputation and property. We mustn't gossip or speak carelessly, or else we will steal others' reputations. Lying is usually a venial sin, but becomes a mortal sin once it severely harms another's reputation or leads them to sin.

The Fifth Commandment is "Thou shalt not kill": we must not needlessly cause or risk the harm or death of ourselves or other people, both physically and spiritually. When we cause another to commit a venial sin or a mortal sin, we cause them spiritual harm and death respectively. Oftentimes, we use people as tools for personal benefit instead of using tools to benefit people. We have no right to destroy human life, because God created us each with an eternal soul - we reflect the glory of God which gives us dignity no matter how weak we are. But when humans are extremely old or young, they are especially vulnerable to abuse - euthanasia in old age and abortion in young age. Western society is losing its respect for human life and becoming a culture of death, but pagan Mexico used to sacrifice humans to their gods and was eventually converted to Catholicism by Mary's apparition at Guadalupe as a pregnant woman.

The first Three Commandments concern loving God above all, while the Fourth through Tenth Commandments concern loving one's neighbours as oneself. The Fourth Commandment is "honour your father and mother" - we must love, respect, obey, and help our parents; we must avoid despising, disrespecting, disobeying, and not caring about them. Just as the Church calls us to respect other legitimate authorities placed over us, our parents are representatives of God in the family and He blesses us through them. There are some exceptions to this Commandment, such as when our parents ask us to commit a sin - in these cases, we must not obey for to do so would place them above God. We ought also to help our parents materially and spiritually, such as ensuring they receive the Sacraments before death and praying for them after they have died. Children have a special duty to obedience when they have not become adults yet. But as one becomes an adult, one takes up complete responsibility for their actions and is no longer bound to obey their parents but should still listen to their advice and respect them. Jesus too obeyed His parents for His first thirty years on earth, and then obeyed God the Father in His final three years.

The Third Commandment is to keep the Sabbath day holy. It calls us to attend Mass and avoid unnecessary work on Sunday in honour of the day Jesus rose from the dead and the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles during Pentecost. Fr. Chu once told a story during a homily, saying that someone gave a beggar six of the seven coins in their pocket. The beggar hit the person, stole the seventh coin, and left. Oftentimes, Fr. Chu explained, we are like the ungrateful beggar. God gave us six days to do our work but we often ignore Him and even that seventh day we steal from Him. If we do our work, studies, and chores for God, then we can temporarily pause them to focus on God on Sunday. If we cannot even let go of these duties temporarily, then we have placed them above God and made them into idols. In certain circumstances, if there is no priest nearby or if one cannot step away from caring for someone, for example, it is impossible to attend Mass on Sunday. In these cases, one must increase personal worship of God. We have four reasons to attend Mass: adoration, reparation, thanksgiving, and supplication. Sunday is a foretaste of Heaven, prevents us from being enamoured of the present life, and reminds us to place God first.

The Second Commandment is "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord your God in vain" - we can only use the name of God with veneration and good reason, not for cursing or making false oaths. Usually, using His name while swearing constitutes venial sin, but it can be a mortal sin if one blasphemes God. Likewise, it is venial sin to wish little misfortune on someone, but mortal sin to wish big misfortune. In certain circumstances, we must make oaths to affirm that we are speaking the truth, such as in court. To ensure we make good oaths, three conditions must be met: the oath must be necessary, one cannot lie during the oath, and one cannot make an oath to do evil. Oaths are our medicine for our lost trust in each other - they compensate for this defect in human nature and we only make them if necessary. Traditionally, making oaths unnecessarily is considered a venial sin but lying during an oath is a mortal sin. Vows are not merely promises to God, but constitute major duties to God, such as those professed by those in the religious life. Moreoever, because we must honour the name of God, we must also honour the names of His beloved saints. Neither is swearing acceptable, for just as we use the local language when travelling abroad, we must also use heavenly language if we wish to enter Heaven.

Superstition is a sin against the worship of God. Because our spiritual marriage to Him is exclusive, it is wrong to worship false gods and attribute God's power to created things. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were like an unfaithful woman, and worshipped foreign gods through the influence of neighbouring nations. Sacrilege is another sin against the worship of God, whereby one does not respect holy things. We must ensure that our sins are free of mortal sin before we receive the Eucharist, or else go to Confession first. We also ought not to trade in holy things, unless their price is set on other factors, such as their historical or material value. Catholics do not worship Mary, the saints, or the angels, but ask for their intercession before God on our behalf - this can be seen in the Mass liturgy, when sacrifice is offered to God alone. God gives us worldly blessings through other people, like our parents and teachers; He gives us spiritual blessings through our heavenly siblings so that we might experience membership in the heavenly family. To worship the saints and angels is a grave sin. And to pray before a holy statue or card is to pray to the person depicted, not to the statue or card itself. We ought to worship God through public liturgy and private prayer.

The First Commandment includes having faith, hope, and worship in God. Hope is a supernatural virtue; it is the anticipation of attaining the glory of Heaven and the help of the grace of God. Against hope are two extremes: despair and presumption. When we despair, we abandon the possibility of forgiveness and when we are presumptuous, we claim to love God but do not follow up with actions. We can either do evil actions in the expectation that we have already been saved, or because we haven't done any egregiously evil actions claim that we are already saved. Presumption can fester in one's heart: either we grow complacent in living our faith over time or think we have no need to enter the Church because we are already good people. St. Thomas Aquinas taught us how to pray to be ensured of being saved by God: we must pray for (1) ourselves and (2) the things necessary for salvation, and to do so both (3) fervently and (4) diligently.

The Ten Commandments teach us how to get to Heaven. Simply believing in Jesus is not enough, we must have a living faith. When we meditate on each Commandment, we can ponder the things they prescribe and forbid. The First Commandment is to love God above all, and it prescribes four things: to believe in, hope in, love, and worship God; and it forbids their opposites, namely: disbelief, despair, hate, and superstition. Faith requires that we learn God's revealed Truth to the best of our ability, firmly believe it, and openly proclaim it. If we lack understanding in anything, we must seek the help of others. Once, there was a monk who read a passage of the Bible for a long time but even after praying for understanding, still could not understand its meaning. He had just decided to ask a neighbouring monk for help when an angel appeared, praised his humility, and rewarded him by revealing the meaning of the passage to him. God sometimes reveals the truths of the faith through others; some saints have revealed that God makes His will known to lesser angels through greater angels. If faith is weak, it is often because we are proud and seek to control all knowledge in our heads. In our modern society, faith suffers innumerable attacks. We must increase our faith through prayer.

Among the Ten Commandments, the first three concern loving God and the last seven concern loving your neighbour. Some command us to do things; these are positive commandments. Others forbid us from doing things; these are negative commandments. Positive commandments are to be followed in certain circumstances, but negative commandments hold at all times and places. There are three levels to assessing morality: (1) the object, (2) the intention, and (3) the circumstances. Some actions are objectively wrong and we cannot justify them with an intention to do good. An evil intention can make a good action evil, but neither can a good intention make an evil action good. Circumstances can modify the morality of an action; for example, performing evil in front of others increases the harm. We should strive to do good actions with good intentions under good circumstances.

Purgatory is the destination of saved souls who did not have any unforgiven serious sins at the time of death but did not enter Heaven immediately. Before entering Heaven, they must undergo purifying suffering in reparation for their unforgiven small sins and forgiven serious sins. Some saints experienced Purgatory through private revelations and reported that it was as painful as Hell because they could not see God. But unlike the hateful and cursing souls in Hell, the souls in Purgatory were joyful and peaceful, because they knew their suffering would purify them to be with God forever. The amount of charity that we have at the time of death determines our eternal destination. Hence, the souls in Purgatory cannot increase their charity as the living still can. We can help the souls in Purgatory to reach Heaven by praying for them and offering up our works and sufferings so God can reduce their suffering. We can pray for their souls and they can pray for us in return.

The souls of humans were created for God, hence our greatest joy on Heaven and Earth is to be with God. But to be in Heaven is also joyful because we can be with the angels, saints, and our loved ones. If our earthly friendship is a holy one, it will continue forever in Heaven. There is no perfect happiness on Earth – we are either disappointed because we cannot obtain what we desire or are disappointed once we obtain what we desire. In Heaven, we will have eternal desire but also eternal fulfillment. In Purgatory or Hell, the greatest pain is to temporarily or permanently lose God, who is our perfect happiness. Jesus graphically describes Hell as a place of worms, fire, and gnashing of teeth. On earth, we must choose our eternal destination.

Death is the separation of body and soul. Once a soul leaves the body, it is subject to particular Judgment. If it carries God’s grace at the time of death, it goes to Heaven; if it carries serious unrepented sin, it goes to Hell. There was a dentist in Colombia called Gloria Pola who got struck by lightning. She went into a coma and experienced her particular Judgment saw that she was going to Hell, but God gave her a second chance, because there was a poor farmer who prayed for her recovery. God told her to witness to the reality of Judgment and today, there are many videos online detailing her experience of Judgment. Resurrection, then, is the reunion of body and soul. If God can create our bodies from nothing, He can also raise them up on the last day. But the bodies of the good and wicked are different. Those of the good resemble the glorified body of Christ and possess: brightness, subtility, agility, and impassibility. That is, their bodies shine visibly, are not restricted by spatial constraints like walls, are not restricted by temporal constraints from travelling instantly, and are not restricted by sickness and death. The bodies of the wicked, on the other hand, are ugly and painful. After particular Judgment follows general Judgment, when individual verdicts will be universally proclaimed – all our thoughts, words, and actions will be revealed to the world. We ought to be careful about these things in this life because we’ll have to account for them to God. Oftentimes, people who want to escape their own actions will also deny the existence of God. If we are upset that injustice exists in our world, we will see it rectified at the general Judgment. If we have a clean conscience, then we have no reason to fear judgment. As Christians, we ought to anticipate the judgment with hope.

There are three kinds of saints recognized by the Church: Biblical saints, traditional saints, and ecclesiastical saints. Biblical saints lived in the time of the Bible, such as Mary and Joseph. Traditional saints were martyrs, monastics, Church Fathers, and missionaries who lived in the first millennium, before a canonization process existed, so their sanctity was recognized through the liturgy. After the first millennium, a canonization process was established to investigate the sanctity of candidates for recognition as saints. If the investigation begins, the candidate is known as a Servant of God. Once evidence of martyrdom or heroic sanctity is found, the candidate becomes a Venerable. If the candidate advances to become a Blessed, the local church or community will venerate them through the liturgy like a saint. If the candidate is a martyr, then they automatically become a Blessed; but if not, then evidence must be found that they are already in Heaven. That is, evidence of an intercessory miracle that defies natural explanation must be found. If their importance extends beyond the local church or community to the universal Church, as shown by their intercessory miracles, then the Pope can proclaim the candidate as a Saint. At this point, the universal Church will venerate them through the naming of Churches and mentioning them in the liturgy. The Church has dedicated different days to commemorate different saints who gave witness to God at different times and places, showing us that everyone can walk on the path to holiness through the grace of God.

The Catholic Church has two main creeds: the longer Nicene Creed and the shorter Apostles' Creed. The Apostles' Creed mentions "the communion of saints", which refers to how the Church is the mystical Body of Christ, whose life is the Spirit, flowing like blood and enabling the baptized to help each other. The members of this Body also include the saints in heaven too, who care for and pray for us. We can also pray for the souls in Purgatory and help them enter Heaven earlier. Our communion with other humans reflects the communion enjoyed by the Three Persons of the Trinity. Traditionally, the Church comprises of three parts: the souls in Heaven, known as the Church Triumphant; the souls in Purgatory, known as the Church Suffering; and the souls on Earth, known as the Church Militant. Furthermore, there are three categories of saints: Biblical, Traditional, and Ecclesiastical saints.

The third mark of the Church is its catholicity, a term that means "universal". Since the Catholic Church must endure until the end of the ages and proclaim the Gospel to all nations, the Church welcomes everyone, whether poor or rich, educated or uneducated, people from different ethnicities. As a result, the Catholic Church translates catechism texts in different languages and sends missionaries around the world. In the past, agricultural societies were largely illiterate, so old European churches are filled with stained glass instead. The fourth mark is its apostolicity; the priests and bishops of the Church are consecrated by preceding bishops. And if we read the Church fathers, people are often surprised to find that the early Church worshipped much in the same way as the Catholic Church today.

The Church is “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic” – these are her four marks. She is one because she is led by the same Pope, believes in the same doctrine, and celebrates the same Sacraments. She is holy because her founder is Christ and her Pope is Christ’s Vicar on earth, teaches doctrine to sanctify people, and provides the means for people to become saints. The Church is, in a sense, a hospital: we are patients who can get better if we obediently listen to the doctors’ advice. But no one can force us – we have the freedom to disobey and hamper our recovery. In the Church, we see many faithful who have refused to live like Christ but also many who have, the saints. These lives of faithful witness show in a visible way the holiness of the Church.

The writers of the Bible could not write errors into the Bible because they wrote under the inspiration of God. But outside of writing the Bible, the writers could sin, make mistakes, even write errors. The Popes are the same – there were many saintly Popes and many criminal Popes. But in deciding matters of faith and reason, God guarantees that they will not err. The teachings of Christ are transmitted to us through the written Scriptures and the oral Tradition. The Church also teaches through the Magisterium: the Pope with his bishops make a final decision in cases of disagreement on faith and morals. These infallible decisions must have four conditions: (1) it must be related to faith or morals, (2) the Pope must proclaim it in his capacity as Pope, (3) it must be proclaimed to the entire Church, and (4) the Pope must make his intention clear. The infallibility of the Pope is not to make his person infallible but is meant to help him serve the Church and preserve the true faith.

The Catholic Church has three defining characteristics: authority, infallibility, and indefeasibility. Since she continues Christ's mission as prophet, priest, and king, she inherits His authority to preach, serve the Sacraments, and set moral laws. Just as countries have the authority to set secular laws to maintain the peace and enforce them with police, the Church sets spiritual laws for the salvation of souls and enforces them with the force of personal conscience. The Church has different kinds of laws: canon law is promulgated by the Pope himself, while diocesan law by the local bishop. The Church's infallibility does not mean the Pope cannot err in all things, but that his teaching on faith and morals will always be correct. Throughout history, countries and ideologies have risen and fallen, but Jesus promised that the demonic powers would never defeat the Church - she alone will endure until the end of time. In her first century, the Church suffered external persecutions, then she suffered internal heresies, but she has always endured through the help of saints who encouraged people to stay close to God.

On the fiftieth day after Easter, we celebrate Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit descended and the birthday of the Church. The Church is the body of Christ, with the Virgin Mary as the neck, connecting us to the head of Christ, and the Holy Spirit as the soul. The Church continues the work of Christ on earth, bringing people to eternal life in heaven. Christ had a threefold mission: as prophet, priest, and king. The Church prophesizes by teaching the Gospel to all nations, acts as priest by offering up worship and sanctifies the people through the Sacraments, and leads people to do good and avoid evil.

When the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles forty days after the Resurrection, they were filled with understanding of the Gospel, love, and hope. Immediately, they headed outside and began proclaiming the Gospel to people of different languages. The Sacrament of Baptism is heavily related to the death and resurrection of Christ – it symbolizes death to sin, life in Christ. The Sacrament of Confirmation is heavily related to the descent of the Holy Spirit – the Holy Spirit dwells in the recipient and illuminates their reason and will to do good. To open our hearts is the best attitude we can have to honour the Holy Spirit. St. John Paul II especially honoured the Holy Spirit, in 1983 he beatified Sr. Mariam Baourdy, who was also devoted to the Holy Spirit and brought a message to Pope Pius IX that the priests and seminarians had neglected their devotion to the Holy Spirit.

The Apostles Creed proclaims that when Jesus died, His body was buried and His soul entered Hell. Hell in this case refers to the place of souls not in Heaven, not the place of damned souls. One part of this “Hell” is Purgatory, another is called the “Limbo of the Patriarchs” or the “Bosom of Abraham” – the place where virtuous souls like Adam and Eve, Moses, and David waited for Jesus to open the doors of Heaven for them. After Jesus rose from the dead, He waited on earth for 40 days to prove His Resurrection and provide instruction to His disciples. Before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He gave them a threefold mission: (1) to “make disciples of all nations” as prophets, (2) to baptize all people as priests, and (3) to lead all believers to salvation as kings. After Jesus ascended, He was seated at the right hand of the Father to show the completion of His salvific mission. His Ascension had three benefits for us: (1) it opened the doors of Heaven, (2) it permitted the descent of the Holy Spirit, and (3) it allowed Him to constantly pray for us before the Father.