Bible Adventures & Activities Review

I posted a review this morning of the book Bible Adventures & Activities that I received through the Catholic Company reviewer program. I am sharing it here because I think it is a book that many of you, particularly those of you who home-school, will find useful (and enjoyable) in your religious education curriculum.

Here's a peek into the review:

From the Book Description (back cover):

“Puzzle over the wonders of creation, search out the ways God has shown His love for us, and set out on the adventure of following Jesus! Filled with word games, exciting stories, picture puzzles, tricky quizzes and more!”
My thoughts:
Bible Adventures & Activities is my latest book to review for the Catholic Company. I chose this book because I thought it would be a fun book to incorporate into our bible studies. I was right...(Go here to read more...

Book Review: Catholic Update to Communion

I recently did a review of the book Catholic Update to Communion for the Catholic Company. Here is a little snippet of that review:

"For those of us who are well-versed in Church Teaching, many of the points in “Catholic Update Guide to Communion” are going to be a review of what we all ready know – and that’s a good thing. It is good to go back and remind ourselves of the richness of our faith and the Sacraments, especially the gift of the Eucharist.
For those of us who are not well-versed in Church Teaching,..." Go here to read more...

The New Evangelization, part 3: The Focus of the New Evangelization

Here is the 3rd part to the "Disciples Called to Witness, the New Evangelization" document written by the USCCB.  This post is my thoughts on part 3, and I am attaching Justin Stroh's mini-podcasts which are great in that they are short and explains the bishop's intent in easy terms.

Part III:  The Focus of the New Evangelization

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest”  Mt 11:28

Pope Benedict XVI describes some of the contemporary situation confronting modern man, including secularism, globalization, and social communications, the economy, scientific and technological research, and civic and political life.   Many of these societal realities are positive, but when taken to the extreme, they can lead to disillusionment and weariness.

This is where the New Evangelization comes in.  As fellow Christians, as kindred spirits in the Church, it is our mission to continue to be evangelized, refreshed, and to seek out the hope that is in our heavenly leader, Jesus Christ.  In this way, we can fully share our faith with others, especially those burdened and fallen away from the table of the Lord for one reason or another.  Ask yourself a few questions:  How do I touch people’s lives?  How do I interact with others in a spirit of love?  How do I explain how the faith addresses modern concerns?  Interaction with those who are away from the Lord is part and particle of the New Evangelization, but we must do so with love and respect.  

Again, the 3^rd commandment is discussed as part of the key of evangelization.  Secularism has led to a diminishing recognition of Sunday as the Lord’s Day, a holy day of prayer and rest.  It is through the full participation of the Mass that those burdened with life’s trials and tribulations can find some solace.  “Our hope is not in a program or philosophy, but in the person of Jesus Christ, who comforts those who are burdened.”

As examples of the New Evangelization, before we begin to talk to others about our faith and desire for their return, we must be examples of what that Christian life is.  How do we spend our Sundays?  How do we dress for Mass?  We certainly need to be refreshed in our own faith journey in order to share it with others.

In my previous post, “What does it mean to be TOO Catholic” I list several things that I practice as a Catholic; some have been labeled as TOO Catholic to me directly.  Several dear readers responded to this post and all were appreciative for the share.  Some wish they could be better, but all sounded passionate about their Catholic faith.  YES! 

So this is where the New Evangelization comes in!

What does it mean to be TOO Catholic??

Are you TOO Catholic if you want to lead a group of mothers (not all are Catholic) at a Catholic parish function in the Hail Mary?

Are you TOO Catholic if you want to attend Mass during the week?

Are you TOO Catholic if you want to pray morning, noon, and night each day?

Are you TOO Catholic if you have a crucifix in every room of your house and one in your office?

Are you TOO Catholic if you believe the teachings of the Catholic Church are to be upheld and not optional?

Are you TOO Catholic if you believe that life at all stages is precious and should be respected and protected?

Are you TOO Catholic if you wear a scapular?

Are you TOO Catholic if you sing liturgical hymns outside of Church?

Are you TOO Catholic if you make decisions on a daily basis based on being a Catholic?

Are you TOO Catholic if you think about God and Jesus every day and being a Catholic?

Are you TOO Catholic if you consider yourself a FAN of the Pope and follow him in the news.

Are you TOO Catholic if you buy Catholic books, read Catholic books, and attend only Catholic studies?

Are you TOO Catholic if you think Catholic hospitals and health care facilities should have a strong identity?

Are you TOO Catholic if you think Catholic schools and universities should have strong Catholic leadership?

Are you TOO Catholic if you think all Catholic schools should teach with materials true to the Magisterium?

Are you TOO Catholic if you buy Catholic t-shirts, jackets, sweatshirts, and jewelry.....and WEAR THEM??

Are you TOO Catholic if you teach and guide as a parent your children in the ways of the Church daily?

Are YOU too Catholic??

The New Evangelization, Part 2: Historical Context

Justin Stroh's second part of his 6-part series of mini podcasts talks about the three popes who saw and initiated the New Evangelization.

Pope Paul VI:  Ten years after the close of the Second Vatican Council, in 1975 he issued Evangelii Nuntiandi in which the pope stated that the Church "exists in order to evangelize, that is to say in order to preach and teach, to be the channel of the gift of grace, to reconcile sinners with God, and to perpetuate Christ's sacrifice in the Mass, which is the memorial of his death and glorious Resurrection."  Pope Paul VI explained the process of evangelizing and that there were two groups that needed to be focused on, those of whom haven't have never heard the Gospel (ad gentes) and those faithful who have left or are no longer practicing the faith.

Bl. Pope John Paul II:   "No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples."  Blessed John Paul made evangelization the focus of his pontificate saying,

"Evangelization occurs most effectively when the Church engages the culture of those she evangelizes."  He wrote an encyclical Redemptoris Missio, in which he provided the three circumstances in evangelization:  (1) preaching to those who have never heard the Gospel (ad gentes), (2) preaching to those Christian communities where the Church is present and who have fevor in their faith, and (3) preaching to those Christian communities who have ancient roots but who "have lost a living sense of the faith, or even no longer consider htemselves members of hte Church and live a life far removed from Christ and his Gospel......"

For Bl. John Paul II, One's vocation to holiness is strengthened through the gifts of the Church, namely the grace of hte sacraments, prayer, Scripture, and the Church's teachings and traditions.

Pope Benedict XVI and the future of the New Evangelization:
Secularization has caused a serious crisis for the faithful, not to mention how much harder it will be to evangelize those still waiting to learn of the Gospel.  In 2010, the pontiff established the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization to help promote the unchanged mission of the Church against the cultural secularization confronting man and the Church.  The pope noted that the Church is being challenged by "an abandonment of the faith -- a phenomenon progressively more manifest in societies and cultures which for centuries seemed to be permeated by the Gospel.  The New Evangelization is not a single formula meant for all circumstances; first and foremost, it is a personal "profound experience of God."

The New Evangelization, part 1

Justin Stroh, is an amazing Catholic speaker and podcaster that I listen to on one of my favorite podcasts, Catholic Vitamins.  His ministry is focusing on "The New Evangelization" of the Catholic Church.  Right now he is discussing the recently released document from the USCCB called, "Disciples Called to Witness: The New Evangelization"  In this document, which is only 26 pages, the bishops cover the condition of the Catholic Church today and what we need to do to get her back up to where she should be with her believers.

For starters, in our current situation only 23% of Catholics attend Mass each week, below are the many reasons why the other 77% didn't.  Surprisingly, it's not due to current controversial issues.

One of the most important thing we need to be doing as Catholic parents is spending time with our families, especially and most importantly on Sundays!  You can listen to Justin's mini podcast, part 1/6 here

The New Evangelization Inside the family

A few years ago I was listening to some program or reading a book about evangelizing within the Church and I discovered that it had never occurred to me to tell my kids why I'm Catholic!  Recently, at our usual coffee clutch, I brought this up to the other moms and found that they also didn't realize this and had not shared with their own children their story. 

As parents, it is our responsibility to pass on the faith to our children.  We can send them to Catholic schools, make sure they get to their CCD classes and youth programs,  so they can hear all about the faith, all about Jesus, all about the sacraments, but if we don't live the faith at home these efforts are just base. If they don't understand why their own parents are Catholic, we risk losing them to their peers and outside world. In sharing with them about our own faith journeys parents can help their children better understand their own faith. 

Whether you are a homeschooling family or not, there are programs available to Catholic families that are orthodox, clear, and completely user friendly for any family to follow as a supplements to their other school activities and studies. I hate to use the word supplement here since we are deemed the primary educators of our children by God Himself, but in our society this is just not the way we are conditioned, so supplemental activities for the family to live out their faith is how it works nowadays.  But that's ok, however we can bring home the Catholic Church to our families and children that's how we can evangelize without our domestic churches.

During the next few weeks, I'm going to ask Allison to help me bring resources for the families to use for their internal evangelization for the summer.  I am hoping you will find these resources helpful and fruitful.