Posted on 09/19/2007 1:23:46 PM PDT by NYer
Actually, I do know. It's Leviticus 19:18. But it has nothing to do directly with the "ten commandments."
ML/NJ
A child’s moral character is formed during his first few years of life. And this is also the time that he learns his earliest lessons about God.
Parents don’t have to formally catechetize their young children in order to teach them about God. They just have to spend those critical years with them and give them a good example by practicing their faith. Their children will then pick up that faith as easily as they do language. But if the child is shunted off to day care and spends little time during the day with his mother, his religious and moral formation will be adversely affected. This is why it is so critical for mothers to stay home with their young children. Children are like little sponges during their youngest years: they soak up whatever is in their environment. And the best environment is the home.
From The Anglican Book of Common Prayer. I’m Catholic now but I remember this by heart from childhood and it holds true for all Christians, Catholic and Protestant.
But still don't you have to explain what "all the law" is, and what its place is?
ML/NJ
I think it's important to realize first that God is good. Otherwise, what would have been His point in creating the universe and us in it? Then, striving to harmonize with that good, we hopefully come to all that further reflects that.
God gives us free will by which we can either seek Him or not.
My stepfather's parents were both non-practicing Lutherans. They never had their son baptized saying he could make the decision when he grew up. He married a Catholic, sent me to Catholic schools, attended Mass with us over the decades but never decided on a religion. If anything, over the course of time, he has come to blame organized religion for many of the problems in the world today.
I hear the same nonsense from coworkers - and yes, it drives me nuts, too!
No offense taken. Feel free to ping me with any questions; I will do my best to address them, okay?
But doesn't the Pope begin to get into trouble when he speaks of G-d's Law? You know all the "His yoke is easy and His burden is light," stuff? The "yoke" is what some Jews might consider "G-d's Law." I just wondered what specifically the Pope and/or Catholic Doctrine meant by that phrase.
The Magisterium is the living, teaching office of the Church, whose task it is to give an authentic interpretation of the word of God, whether in its written form (Sacred Scripture) or in the form of Tradition. The Magisterium ensures the Church’s fidelity to the teaching of the Apostles in matters of faith and morals. The Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication, and expounds it faithfully.
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest."
This is from the book of the Evangelist Matthew. These verses are peculiar to Matthew and are similar to Ben Sirach's invitation to learn wisdom and submit to her yoke (Sirach 51:23, 26). Who labor and are burdened: burdened by the law as expounded by the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23:4).
I hope this addresses your question; if not, I'll try to provide a better response.
Let's put it this way: Which, if any, of the following are included in "G-d's Law" as understood by the Pope in his statement:
1) Love thy neighbor as thyself.ML/NJ2) Thou shall not steal.
3) Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
4) Love the L-rd your G-d.
5) On the first day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation.
"God's Law" is not really a formally defined phrase, but I'm pretty sure he means the entirety of revealed religion as given to the Church (including of course the Scriptures, the Liturgy and Sacraments, Tradition, and the Magisterium, as NYer said.)
So the short answer would probably be that Catholics believe God's Law is not a line in a book so much as it is the whole life of the Church.
You may ask! My children are 9, 7, almost 2 and 6 weeks.
“I know some grandmas have done it on the sly. LOL!”
My mom had my niece baptized quietly one afternoon while she was babysitting her. She told me years later. My brother still doesn’t know.
All except 5.
I would also point out that the Sabbath is the 7th day (i.e. Saturday). My understanding is that Sunday was declared to be "the L-rd's Day," which seems to me to be a tacit admission that it is not the same thing as the Sabbath.
ML/NJ
5) On the first day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation.
Perhaps we are referring to different 'laws'. The laws I refer to are in the books of Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21.
But does that really mean that He abrogated all the others like #5?
I'm guessing we're comparing oranges with apples so I will wait for your clarification.
ML/NJ
Thank you! May I ask for your guidance? I have a 4 1/2 year old. He says his prayers, we talk about Jesus and Mary, etc. How exactly did you start catechising at a very young age?
An excellent program for your child’s age would be Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. There are programs with trained teachers that you could take your child to or you can order the complete program and set it up at home. Here is a link for more info.
http://www.jmjpublishing.com/COGSshopping.htm
I’ll give you a list of books that I use with my kids if that helps. We homeschool so I spend the first part of our day on Religion.
The Catholic Children’s Bible from Regina Press.
Jesus and I from Loyola Press.
Saints for Young Readers for Every Day, Volume 1 and 2 written by Susan Wallace.
A Life of Our Lord for Children by Marigold Hunt.
Catholic Tales for Boys and Girls and More Catholic Tales...by Caryll Houselander.
A Catholic Child’s Illustrated Lives of the Saints by L.E. McCullough, Ph.D.
Saints and Angels by Claire Llewellyn.(This one has the most beautiful pictures. We study the paintings from this book, also.
And finally, I use the Faith and Life series on grade level from Ignatius Press.
Whew! I hope this helps! If you want more let me know!
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