Posted on 05/31/2013 2:44:05 PM PDT by NYer
Do our Catholic children and most adults know what these images teach?
All of us know one of the elephants in the room of the Catholic Church. Our religious education programs are not handing on the essence of our Catholic Faith, our parents are befuddled about their role in handing on the faith and the materials we use are vapid or if good do not make an impression on young minds. We are afraid of asking for memorization and thus most don't remember anything they've learned about God and Church other than some niceties and feel good emotions.
I teach each class of our grades 1-6 (we don't have 7th or 8th) each Thursday, rotating classes from week to week. For the last two years I have used Baltimore Catechism #1 as my text book. It is wonderful to use with children and it is so simple yet has so much content. If Catholics, all Catholics, simply studied Baltimore Catechism #1, we would have very knowledgeable Catholics.
These past two years I've used Baltimore Catechism #2 with our adult religious program which we call Coffee and Conversation following our 9:30 AM Sunday Mass, which coincides with our CCD program which we call PREP (Parish Religious Education Program).
This #2 book has more content and is for middle school, but upper elementary school children must have been more capable of more serious content back when this book was formulated and used through the mid 1960's because it is a great book to use with adults and not childish at all. We all use this same book as a supplemental book for the RCIA because it is so clear, nobly simple and chocked full of content!
Yes, there are some adjustments that need to be made to some chapters, but not that many, in light of Vatican II and the new emphasis we have on certain aspects of Church that are not present in the Baltimore Catechism. But these are really minor.
What is more important though is that when the Baltimore Catechism was used through the mid 1960's it was basically the only book that was used for children in elementary and junior high school. It was used across the board in the USA thus uniting all Catholics in learning the same content. There was not, in other words, a cottage industry of competing publishing houses selling new books and different content each year.
The same thing has occurred with liturgical music, a cottage industry of big bucks has developed around the sale of new hymnals, missalettes and new music put on the open market for parishes to purchase. It is a money making scheme.
Why do our bishop allow this to happen in both liturgical music and parish catechesis? The business of selling stuff to parishes and making mega bucks off of it is a scandal that has not be addressed.
In the meantime, our liturgies suffer and become fragmented because every parish uses a different resource for liturgical music and the same is true of religious formation, everyone uses something different of differing quality or no quality at all.
Isn't it time to wake up and move forward with tried and true practices that were tossed out in favor of a consumerist's approach to our faith that has weakened our liturgies, our parishes and our individual Catholics?
Whats the matter you don't like it when we pull your tricks back on you?
Absolutely...Jesus could have refused to be crucified...Jesus could have robbed the 1st National Bank if he wanted to, and gotten away with it...
Did he do any of these things??? Nope...So Jesus was sinless...
Nope simple statement of fact.
I thought Catholics were up on their history and not prone to jump right on a comment without knowing if it is correct or not.
The majority of the posts at that point were about Galileo, if you had meant someone else YOU should have been more specific, like I said YOUR fault and yes I do still forgive you your trespasses.
I always forget that doing that is SOP.
For protestants. It is part of that whole intellectual dishonesty thing and bearing false witness that you all are so good at.
Do you have an answer to my question in the post you are replying to?
Why yes I do as soon as you are honest enough to tell me who you were specifically referring to. If not I will just ignore your posts.
If you have no answer, we shall concede that your statement in question has no Biblical basis.
Assume what ever you like, I am already over it and you.
Awww I am sorry sweety I am not debating that point with you at this time, this is another fine example on you part of protestant intellectual dishonesty and game playing.
BTW when are you going to get back to me about post #430. You have clearly made two contradictory statements and need to explain which one is true and which one isn't.
Couldn't have been cousins...There's already a word for cousins...Half brother??? Maybe, unlikely...
But here's where you lose your marbles...
Mat 13:56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
Aha...Sisters...Sisters are real sisters...Not half sisters...Not kin, not half sisters, not relatives distant or near...Jesus had real, live sisters whose mother is Mary...
Exactly...The only way Jesus could have a half brother is if Mary got pregnant by Joseph or another man, or, as you say, the Holy Spirit had a girlfriend on the side...
I'm still putting my money on Joseph tho...Who you bettin' on NL???
Then they weren't half brothers...They were step brothers...
So who do you think Jesus was praying to, himself??? Your ignorance of scripture is astounding...
When Jesus says his Father and He are one, what does your cult make of it? How do they spin it?
This is the same crowd that last night claimed to be counting some theological coup because St. Ignatius did not use a capital "C" in the word Catholic until it was pointed out that Koine Greek has no capital letters.
Somehow this post was found to be objectionable and deleted the first time I posted it to you today.
Peace be with you
While you seem to have quite a bit of knowledge outside of the bible, again, it is astounding how little of scripture you seem to know or understand...
It is not that an adopted son was a closer relation...That's impossible...It's the agreement of the adoption that counts...It's not only true of American law, it's true of the New Testament as well...
When God adopts us Christians into his family, he can not disinherit us....Doesn't matter how bad of a person one is...God will not disinherit...
Under Jewish law they were His brothers as stated in the Gospel. They shared a common legal father and different mothers. You can apply which ever modern English term you want, but your etymological exercise are not relevant to the facts.
Peace be with you
I have never pushed the 'abuse' button for the moderator as you constantly do but I may consider it just once...
You remind me of a Chihuahua...Constantly yappin' but no bite...Just meaningless noise...
Not a fact at all, it just showed that you deceived yourself.
The majority of the posts at that point were about Galileo, if you had meant someone else YOU should have been more specific, like I said YOUR fault and yes I do still forgive you your trespasses.
Hmmm, still the accuser of the brethren, eh? You know who is the chief accuser, right? It appears you are emulating the enemy.
Because you are not up on your denominations history, you blame me. LOL, more SOP.
So because you assumed I was referring to someone you are familiar with, I'm wrong? LOL again.
I always forget that doing that is SOP.I'm not a Protestant, but according to your statement there, you are doing what you accuse them of. *sigh*For protestants. It is part of that whole intellectual dishonesty thing and bearing false witness that you all are so good at.
Do you have an answer to my question in the post you are replying to?That's not the way it works, I asked you 3 times, this is the first time you have asked me that question. I figured you would have found it by now if you are at all familiar with your denomination's history.Why yes I do as soon as you are honest enough to tell me who you were specifically referring to.
If not I will just ignore your posts.
No problem, I am used to Catholics and Mormons going to cricket mode when they have been called on their erroneous statements.
That's alright, there are plenty of posters that back up what they say instead of copping out and tossing out false accusations and statements.
If you have no answer, we shall concede that your statement in question has no Biblical basis.It's not an assumption, now it is a solid fact. I'll take that comment as conceding.Assume what ever you like, I am already over it and you.
You believe that Jesus authorized the Catholic Church to burn those at the stake (even Christians!) that question it's way of doing business.
OH and BTW Hus was burned with fuel of Wycliffe's manuscripts.
What else your denomination decided to burn him for besides trying to get the Word of God out to the people is a moot point.
An old woman threw a small bit of fuel on the fire, to which Hus exclaimed: "Sancta Simplicitas!" (Holy Simplicity!)
Bye, I'll miss your...ah...er..."communications"....
“The right answer was Jesus’ half brothers were the biological sons of Joseph from his first wife. But we do have a lovely parting gift for you
Then they weren’t half brothers...They were step brothers... “
You guys!! That is giving me a headache trying to figure out that family tree!! Can’t you say say “extended family” or something?
Most of the time, only across one lane - enough for the collection plate.
Peace be with you
And with your Spirit.
Still waiting for a response from GPH and MeganC to this post. Perhaps you can provide the scriptural response.
It is rampant EVERYwhere!
WHY ARE OUR (fill in the blank) LAITY SO ILLITERATE WHEN IT COMES TO THE (fill in the blank)FAITH
“As i recall, the psychological attraction of Mary had much to do with at least one of the conversions,”
I wonder what the draw of Mariolotry is? I guess human beings have an innate desire of idolatry, though I myself can’t help but to be physically repulsed at the idea of trading in my Protective Savior for a created “Savior” who proposes to save me from the wrath of Christ, as long as I dedicate myself to her immaculate heart, that is.
Don't fret, you will still have me.
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