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?
I saw what you did there. Too funny. But otherwise...Augustine was correct, it was "Rocky" from the Rock, not the other way around.
The church is an organism, not an organization.
As members of said body of Christ, it is the responsibility of each person to be the vehicle of His continuing mission here on earth, empowered by the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and gifting us individually for whatever purpose He has for us individually.
The purpose of this authority is to give the Church the ability to teach without error about the essentials of salvation:
The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to guide us into all truth.
Scripture is all that is needed to bring a person to salvation. BlueDragon posted that from your own church in post 1260. Your own Catholic church says as much.
From Die Verbum; Therefore, since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully and without error that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of salvation.
This same Church authority is the only thing that guarantees the accuracy and inerrancy of the Bible itself.
The Catholic church can guarantee nothing. The Holy Spirit breathed out Scripture. The Catholic church can render an opinion, can put its stamp of approval on it, but it CANNOT guarantee it. That alone belongs to God.
Catholic teaching prohibits in vitro fertilization, ...
On what basis? Its own opinion? Or on the Scripture that you claimed does not address contemporary issues?
Indeed he was, before he went off the rails providing first had proof that his OSAS doctrine was false.
Peace be with you.
Positively Quixotic!
Now, that's funny!!!!
As to the pic --- what a pitiful kitty. Appears born that way, and I do know you are not.
Yes it is, but only in the best way, and more artfully restrained.
Holding most fast to that which is most important, Elsie rocks, doesn't he?
Yes he does. I have a feeling I would really like him if we got to know each other outside the forum. Same goes for you.
Cheers
I suppose you want the RCC to take a bow and receive praise from all over the universe for the Bible? And all of the writers were Catholic as well?
You don't like me NOW??
REALLY like me?
What does that leave us with now? hippy, from hippopotamus?
It was either that; or The Teddy Bear’s Picnic.
Yes, I do. You have a fantastic sense of humor and a sharp wit. I'm just not comfortable with what I love being the object (victim) of it. To Catholics criticism of the Church is as much a personal insult as criticism of our families. I'm sure that if we could limit our discussion to politics we could be great friends and of one mind.
Cheers
1 Corinthians 12: 27Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.28And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.29All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they?30All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?31But earnestly desire the greater gifts.
And I show you a still more excellent way.
2 Thessalonians 2: 15So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.
You guys do not get to create your own gospel. Paul tells us that the Church teaches, and has the words from God. Not individual humans.
He doesn't. Individual humans reject Him.
The two Great Commandments.
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