In a “back to school” spirit, I would like to invite all of you to go back to school this academic year to learn more about and integrate into your life even further a very important part of our Catholic faith, our Catholic Social Teaching.
Tag: teaching
Those magic words
Dear Readers,
Most new teachers struggle mightily during their first year in the classroom; I was no exception.
New era in teaching on personal atonement
To the editor: […]
New era in teaching on personal atonement
To the editor: […]
Clearing up misconceptions about forgiving
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| Robert Enright |
Second in a series of seven articles on forgiveness.
Lent is a time of seeking forgiveness for sins and then practicing forgiveness toward those who have been unfair to us.
When we forgive, we give the gift of goodness to those who have not been good to us. As we are forgiven, we forgive, as the Catholic Church teaches (Catechism of the Catholic Church, par. 2838).
Sometimes, when people reflect on this link between being forgiven in the Sacrament of Penance and then forgiving others, there may be some apprehension in now extending that forgiveness to those who have been hurtful.
Sharing, teaching God’s love with children
The face of my four-year-old scrunched up as he sounded out a word in a book. “Gah,” he said, successfully figuring out the sound of the letter “G.”
He considered the next letter, “O,” thought a moment, then said, “Ahh.”
Finally he got to the last letter, “D,” and put the sounds together. “Gah-ahh-dd,” he said slowly, enunciating each letter individually, his eyebrows knit in concentration.
“Gahd.”
Suddenly, his eyes flew open, his eyebrows shot up, and the light of understanding emanated from his joyous grin as he shouted out, “God! It says God!”
Theme eight: A Home for the Wounded Heart
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| Beth Ulaszek |
In conjunction with the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia this past September, the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis of the Diocese of Madison is providing a monthly series on a particular theme on marriage and family. Each theme is a chapter in the preparatory catechesis developed for the event entitled Love Is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive, available in paperback from www.osvparish.com or for free online at www.worldmeeting2015.org
‘It doesn’t matter what you believe . . .’
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A team of sociologists, led by Catholic University professor William D’Antonio, published a survey a few years ago that received quite a bit of media attention, for it showed that many Catholics disagree with core doctrines of the Church and still consider themselves “good Catholics.”
Forty percent of the respondents said that belief in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is not essential to being a faithful Catholic. Perhaps the most startling statistic is this: 88 percent of those surveyed said “how a person lives is more important than whether he or she is a Catholic.”
Parish offers creation care class
MADISON — Blessed Sacrament Parish will host the Just Faith Ministries’ module, “God’s Creation Cries for Justice,” which probes a faithful response to climate change.
In this eight-week class, participants will examine climate change through the lens of Catholic social teaching — reflecting on their place in and responsibility for God’s creation. With a particular focus on the impact of climate change on the poor and vulnerable, the group will explore what action steps they can take to insure a sustainable future for all.
Conscience must be a ‘Truth-seeking radar’
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| This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop. |
Dear Friends,
There is a great service to humanity that is being lost. It is being lost in society and it is being treated with kid gloves even in the Church. This service is to help another person form and follow their conscience.
So lost is this service that it is very quickly becoming illegal. I wish I were speaking in exaggerated hyperbole here, but sadly I am not. To help others form their conscience means to say that this or that is wrong. And to say certain things are wrong has become very dangerous and indeed — close to illegal in our country, and already illegal in Canada.
However, it is, always and everywhere, the right and responsibility of the Church, and of parents, and of good neighbors, to witness to the law of the Lord, to speak the Truth as it is written on our hearts, and to help others to form their conscience.
In fact there is little that is more important because, as we’ll see, it is the path by which we must follow to seek and to attain the blessedness in this life and in the life to come.