The Catechist

The purpose of Catechesis is to facilitate an encounter between the students and Jesus Christ. It is precisely those encounters which transformed us, and I feel we would anyway, given what He has done for us. Are there intellectual or philosophical barriers to the acceptance of Catholicism, if I may invoke the name as a system of belief and of living? Below is an unpublished article I wrote seeking to understand such barriers, viewing them as questions rather than roadblocks.  A Philosophical consideration of Catholic Theology  must   begin with the question of knowledge. What can we know and how can we know it? Do we have a belief in God prior to any outside influences? If yes, is this faith? Have others felt this and how is it described? Do we believe the experiences of others? Are they relevant or irrelevant? Do our own life experiences support our belief?  Do we have a natural desire to know what is out there and to know why we are here? Is this merely advanced c...

      It sure seems to me that the kids in school right now are somewhat less socially acclimated than previous classes. Why is that? Well for one they have not had a "normal" school year in about two years! COVID closed everything down and when education did get back going it was from home, online. Think about all the social gatherings and trips and things that didn't happen during that time. A lot of socialization was missed while the kids were still aging at the same rate as always. They aren't quite feral but definitely different. And how could they NOT be? This whole pandemic has been stressful and scary. It is going to take a while to get society back to normal, whatever the new normal is.      This is an opportunity for catechists! We have just what these kids can use to help them get back on track, to understand that they have to treat others well and have respect and empathy. What they need is Jesus Christ, whether they know it or not. Effective ca...

  This afternoon following PSR (Parish School of Religion, formerly called CCD and also known as "Bible School") our parish held our Synod meetings in response to the call from the Vatican. I can say that it was a rich and rewarding experience personally, but most importantly it addressed what we feel that the Holy Spirit was and IS directing us to do. The "Lectio Divina" method was used, centering on a reading from 1 Corinthians, and after each reading time for reflection and listening was given, followed by discussion, input, and refinement.  Some great ideas were captured, and it is clear that everyone felt that we must strive more diligently to evangelize and catechize. There were three parish Catechists in my focus group alone! Shrinking membership was discussed, the impact of COVID was discussed, and the attempt to return fully to normal operation was discussed. The persistent theme though is that existing and active parishioners must discern their own gifts, ...

       For me, the consideration of how the sacramental Body of Christ (Eucharist) is linked to the mystical Body of Christ (the Church) begins with the fact that one flows from the other. Christ, consubstantial with the Father, existed before all time. Because of God’s love for us, Christ came down from heaven and became man. His life, death, and resurrection were not only salvific for mankind but were given freely, just as during the Last Supper Jesus himself instituted what became our Mass, including of course the Eucharist. The Apostles and other disciples were tasked with carrying on this celebration/memorial, which of course though changed is what we DO today! The gift of salvation was freely offered, and the gift of the Eucharist was freely given too. We must keep in mind that Christ is indeed present at mass, and that actual work is being done in and through mass. Things are happening!         It is in this economy of salvation that...

  I believe that one can make the case that the Gospel writers chose to write and record what they did because they believed they had to, that they had been charged with the “carrying on” of the Good News by Christ Himself. Although authorship of the sources of the Gospels may be open to discussion, I maintain that everyone involved in the process of creating the Gospels believed they were doing what was asked of them. For the record, I believe that the "Two-source" explanation of the Synoptic Gospels makes the most sense to me, but that is another topic for another post! Consider THIS post to be referring to any and everyone who brought us the Gospels that we have today.  According to the Gospel of Luke, Christ tasked the Apostles to continue celebration of Passover as the Last Supper, and to do so in memory of Him. This essential fact had to be communicated to others, and to those who were yet to come, in order for this particular practice to continue. This is not the onl...

 As we enter the 2021-22 PSR year, our theme is the familiar biblical line also heard every mass: "(Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof) BUT ONLY SAY THE WORD AND MY SOUL SHALL BE HEALED." This is especially appropriate as we come back to the classrooms in person instead of virtually. Things are a little different though, and we need to acknowledge it.  If ever people needed their souls to be healed, it is now. COVID and all the things we have had to do to slow the spread of it has wreaked havoc on our social lives. We certainly did not need something that caused us to be separated further from our family, friends, and neighbors! If anything, COVID has made it clear that we can function with even less social contact and interaction than we previously thought possible. That's not good.  Our theme illustrates that God is powerful enough to heal us from afar. Anything that He wills to have happen, DOES happen. But that is not the relationship that God wi...

Presumably you are here because either you have become a Catechist or are considering becoming one. Maybe someone asked you to volunteer, or you read a bulletin asking for volunteer teachers. Perhaps you thought to yourself "Hey, that is something that I could do!" But what do we do, and why is it necessary? Furthermore, if we AGREE to do it, what is in it for us?  People today are busy. There are a zillion things competing for our attention at any one time. There are a million distractions. Our friends, our family, our jobs, our social life, our education, the list is unending of places we feel we need to be or things we need to be doing. Why would one add another thing onto that list when it seems that we already are mishandling other things?  There are very few things in life that we can do and KNOW that they are the "right" thing to do. We all have "guilty pleasures" that we know we should NOT be doing, whether it is that extra bowl of ice cream or har...

 II. Humanity Lost without the Gospel God's Power for Salvation.  For I am not ashamed of the Gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: for Jew first, and then Greek. For in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith, as it is written, "The one who is righteous by faith will live.""  (NABRE, Romans 1: 16-17) GOSPEL : The "good news" of God's mercy and love revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. It is this Gospel, or good news that the Apostles, and the Church following them, are to proclaim to the entire world. The Gospel is handed on in the apostolic tradition of the Church as the source of all-saving truth and moral discipline. The four Gospels are the books written by the evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which have for their central object Jesus Christ, God's incarnate Son: his life, teachings, Passion and glorification, and his Church's beginnings under the Spirit...

     That title sounds pretty complicated, but in reality it is not, it is simple. All of our teaching centers around Christ! That's it in a nutshell. Christ is at the center of our teaching because He is at the center of our lives, of our beings, of our very existence. Christ was and is our shining perfect example in all things. But there is a second part to our teaching that is vital, because though we are indeed created in the image of God, we are by no means perfect copies. We must teach the active application of what we have learned about Christ, because we are called not only to know Christ, but to ACT! To teach about Christ is to teach about action!       I teach 7th Grade in my Parish School of Religion, or PSR for short. I like to perform this fun exercise to make it clear that knowing and doing are not always the same. (To do this you will need a chalkboard or a whiteboard and chalk or markers, nothing else.) I will ask the class to please ra...

 First and foremost, welcome! I am so glad you are here, and I hope you gain inspiration from what you find here. Let's start off with a brief introduction followed by a couple of definitions that will make the object of this blog clear, and will hopefully help you in your own personal journey of faith. Whether you are a teacher or student, active parish member or occasional church-goer, this blog will indeed have messages that speak to YOU! As you will see though, they are not really my messages, I am just passing along what I have learned. It is my mission to share it, make it accessible, and make it inspirational as well. There is GOOD NEWS here!! God loves you, and wants you to be happy and fulfilled.  What is "Catechesis?"  I always like to turn to official or approved Catholic sources to define terminology. I will quote and cite many "official" or canonical works throughout this blog, and they are all references from books and publications you can find you...