December 2004

Q. - How was God made?
A.- Well, God wasn’t made. If He were, it would imply that He had a beginning, but God had no beginning: He always was, He is, He always will be.

God even reveals this about Himself when He speaks to Moses at the Burning Bush. If you remember, Moses said to God: “But when I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you’ if they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what am I to tell them?” God replied, “I AM WHO AM”. Then He added, “This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:13-14)

By this the Lord reveals that His essence is subsistent being (real being, real existence) itself. That He does not depend on any being for His existence, but subsists in His own right. He is the absolute and necessary Being. Everything (and I mean everything) else has but a borrowed and unnecessary being; that is, everything and everyone else, the whole universe and all of creation (visible and invisible) depends on Him for their existence.

So - if God does not take His being from anyone or anything else, then He was not made
and must always have been. He is truly eternal.

The Psalmist says, “Before the mountains were born, the earth and the world brought forth, from eternity to eternity Thou art God.” (Ps 89:2) And Jesus, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity says of Himself, “Amen, Amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.” (John 8:58)

It is hard for people to wrap their minds around someone or something having no beginning.

It doesn’t make sense to us. For example, we can picture ourselves starting at conception but even if we think (erroneously) that when we died we ceased to exist, we still couldn’t picture the rest of the world not going on. Can you really imagine a point where it all ends?

When there is nothing more of anything? That’s not easy to do, but it speaks of our nature, not God’s. We have a beginning but no end. We will exist for eternity. Our very nature then makes it hard to see God not having a beginning, not having been made, because it’s seen through the lens of our own being. But God, in truth, has no start point and was not made.

Actually, the fact that we have a ”beginning” when we were “made” and took on existence depends on having been created by Someone who “IS” all by Himself.

I don’t know how in depth an answer you need. If you want to go further than this, write again and we can touch on different writings and teachings of philosophers and theologians which prove the existence and nature of God. Hope this helped for now.

Recommended reading:

The Holy Bible (the entire Bible reveals God to us through His Word)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (section 2, chapters 1-3)

This is the Faith: a complete explanation of the Catholic Faith (Canon Francis Ripley)

Q.- It looked like the priest genuflected or kneeled during the creed on Christmas. Am I right? If so, do you know why?

A.- You are right! And very observant. Good for you!

Actually, every Sunday or solemnity, the priest and all the faithful are to bow deeply during the Profession of Faith (Creed) at the words “by the power of the Holy Spirit was born of the Virgin Mary and became man.”

Except- on Christmas and the Feast of the Annunciation the faithful are supposed to genuflect at those words instead of bowing. It is done out of reverence and gratitude for the Incarnation, to better respect how Christ humbled himself to come down from Heaven and share in our humanity.

Most people don’t know this or don’t remember so it gets overlooked and may have seemed more noticeable to you because there weren’t too many who did. But now you
know! :)

Thanks for asking!

Recommended reading:

General Instruction of the Roman Missal (Chapter 4 #137)

Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite (#265)

The Incredible Catholic Mass (Fr. Martin von Cochem)

Mass Confusion (James Akin)

Q.- Are more graces received if the rosary is prayed privately or in a group?

A.- Actually, as far as graces are concerned a brief overview might be in order for others who may read your question and not understand.

Grace is favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to His call to become children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life. (catechism #1996) Whether sanctifying grace, charisms or actual graces, they are free gifts of the Holy Spirit to us. After the initial grace of forgiveness and justification (which cannot be merited but is God’s own initiative) at the beginning of our conversion, we can then merit the graces we need for ourselves and others because we are united to Christ in active love.

So – as far as public or private recitation of the Rosary there is not more or less grace one way or another….. How much grace is merited by prayer depends firstly on God’s free gift of it and secondly your collaboration with it. (catechism #2010)

HOWEVER – there are more indulgences attached to public recitation of the Rosary than private.

An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven…. It can be partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the punishment due…. It can be applied to the living or the dead. (catechism #1471)

The Rosary has a plenary (complete remission) indulgence attached to it when it is
recited in a church or oratory or when it is recited in a family, religious community or a
pious association. (under usual conditions) It is a partial indulgence in all other
circumstances. (handbook of indulgences #48)

Either way the Rosary is a fabulous prayer that combines vocal recitation with meditation
on the various mysteries and is loaded with grace regardless of whether you take
advantage of the indulgences or not. The point is to pray it.

Pope St. Pius X said it best: “of all the prayers, the Rosary is the most beautiful and
richest in graces; of all, it is the one most pleasing to Mary, the Virgin Most Holy.
Therefore, love the Rosary and recite it every day with devotion; this is the
testament which I leave unto you that you may remember me by it.”

Recommended reading:

Catechism of the Catholic Church (#’s 1987-2029, 1471-1479)

Handbook of Indulgences, norms and grants (published by Catholic Book Publishing Co)

The Secret of the Rosary (St. Louis de Montfort)