We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.

Help Now >

Good Breeding

Free World Class Education
FREE Catholic Classes

By Father James D. Zatalava
©Catholic Online 2005

When shopping for employees, pets, spouses, or Saviors you need to know that there is no substitute for Good Breeding. You want to know how your worker will work? Interview the parents. You want to know how Fido will behave? Check his pedigree papers. You want to know how your fiancée is going to turn out? Take the parents to dinner. If you're looking for a Savior, hear what the Mom and Dad have to say.

In our Savior search let's pick a candidate at random. How about we check out this Jesus of Nazareth. What do Mom and Dad have to say? Available data has the Father saying this: [Mat 17:5] While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."

After a brief tiff with her son ([John 2:3] When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." [4] And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.") the Mother tells all of us the secret of salvation ([John 2:5] His mother said to the servers, "Do whatever he tells you.")

We're Back - Greatest Meat on Earth

The Father acknowledges paternity and thereby implies that Jesus is God. If we trust God we by implication trust Jesus. The Father guarantees us salvation by ordering us to "Listen to Him." The Motherly advice comes by way of an explanatory addendum. She advises that we not only listen to him, as in hearing his words, but that we also "do whatever he tells you."

Now there's a Savior I can relate to. There is no substitute for Good Breeding.

What does He, Jesus, say, that I may "Listen to Him?" What does He, Jesus command, that I may "do whatever he says."

Obey the Pope (Peter's successors.)
[Matthew 16:5] He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" [16] Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." [17] And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. [18] And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build MY church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. [19] I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Go to Communion
[John 6:53] So Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever."

Go to Confession
[John 20:21] Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." [22] When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. [23] If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

Shop Timeless Catholic Gifts

Venerate My Mother
[John 19:25] And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. [26] When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, "Woman, here is your son." [27] Then he said to the disciple, "Here is your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

Make Converts to MY CHURCH
[Mat 28:19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Take care of all humans
[Mat 25:40] And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'

Luckily Jesus didn't have the same editor I do. He never would have gotten those last six paragraphs into print. But, of course, he would not have had to. He could have said exactly the same thing in six words. You, go be a good Catholic.