CATECHIST FORMATION SERIES 2010-2011

A Moral Compass: The Sermon on the Mount

The Sermon on the Mount is probably the best-known part of the teachings of Jesus. It is also arguably the least understood and certainly the least obeyed. It is Jesus’ own description of what he wants his followers to be and to do. Humanity today needs a moral and spiritual compass. The Gospel—particularly the Beatitudes—offers such a compass.


SEPTEMBER 2010
Introduction: A Moral Compass: The Sermon on the Mount
There will always exist paradoxes of the Gospel and the culture swirling around us. Therefore, our challenge today is to find a way to imbibe within our lives a renewed spirit and a sense of a Beatitude culture that will weave itself into the fabric of the total community.

This article sets the stage for studying the Sermon on the Mount with particular focus on the Beatitudes for twenty-first-century Catholic Christian living.


OCTOBER 2010
Character Formation: The Foundation for Living the Beatitudes
In our fast-paced society, many families are not taking the time to regularly cultivate in their children important character traits such as honesty, courage, patience, and self-control. Children receive hundreds of hours of negative value messages each year communicated through the mass media. Consequently, more and more young people are not learning the importance of being a person who demonstrates positive character. As catechists prepare students for the twenty-first century, it is essential that they are equipped with the crucial character skills and experiences that will give them the ability to authentically witness to a Beatitude way of life.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines virtue as “a habitual and firm disposition to do well” (n. 1833). Traditionally, it is a quality of human character by which individuals habitually recognize and do what is right. A good moral habit is produced by good actions. So we need to recall that a habit is not a single action. The habits for reflection are those we form that make us more or less reflections of God’s image. Beatitudes describe the character of persons living in the Kingdom of God.

This article focuses on the importance of cultivating a strong Catholic Beatitude character that is reflected in living out the Beatitudes each day.


NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010
Portrait and Promise of Discipleship
Through Baptism and Confirmation, we have been anointed for a life of authentic discipleship in the world today. Discipleship comes from the word discipline, to practice a particular way of living that is better than any other! For us as Christians, it means we follow Jesus, we live the Gospel—the Beatitudes—in the ordinary moments of our lives. It has been said that “with only a little effort, all the Beatitudes can be memorized. Once learned by heart, we carry within us for the rest of our lives a short summary of the teaching of Jesus Christ: the whole Gospel in a grain of salt” (Jim Forest).

This article focuses on Jesus’ call for us to be authentic disciples grounded in a Beatitude life.


JANUARY 2011
The Ladder of the Beatitudes I: Rungs 1 through 4 (The Ladder of the Beatitudes I: Beginning the Ascent)
There are eight Beatitudes, if we recognize the last two verses as one—thus, eight facets of discipleship. Yet, in one sense, there is only one Beatitude, because all are aspects of life in communion with God. Each of the eight describes aspects of being in the Kingdom of God. They are like rungs on a ladder, which Christ has arranged in an exact order. There is a pattern to his arrangement. Each step builds on the foundation of the previous step; each leads to the next, and each is indispensable (Forest).

In this article we begin an initial journey through the first four rungs of the ladder (poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness). We contemplate their meaning for cultivating a Beatitude way of living.


FEBRUARY 2011
The Ladder of the Beatitudes II: Rungs 5 through 8 (The Ladder of the Beatitudes II: Embracing the Challenge
The last four rungs of our ladder deepen our conversion, conviction, and commitment to a Beatitude way of life. We become more transparent in God’s eyes as we detach ourselves of “self” to begin to live fully for others. In our attempt to live the Beatitudes, we become more aware of who we really are and identify where we should be going: We are a people born of God’s love and on our way to the fullness of that love. We are called to be (and should continue to become) the merciful and the pure in heart who are finding ways to be peacemakers. To bring reconciliation to our world is our mission. And the Beatitudes end where they began—with the Kingdom of God. They lead us back to our beginning. And they point us toward our final goal— to the very heart of God.

In this article we bring to completion our upward journey—understanding that truly they are blessed who are willing, as were the prophets, to risk all for the sake of God’s kingdom.


MARCH 2011
Guiding Lights: Principles of Discernment
A Beatitude life calls for the ability to apply principles of discernment, to be able to read the signs of the times. Saint Ignatius Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises presents us with guidelines for nurturing a discerning heart that can navigate us through the perils of cultural distraction that inhibit Beatitude living from informing, forming, and transforming our lives. We live the Beatitudes where we are right now. We live them one decision at a time, one action at a time. Jesus calls us to a “beatitudinal” way of life—a life shaped by the dynamic of seeking and finding God’s presence in our lives, doing whatever is essential to put God at the very center— rather, putting ourselves at the very center of God’s will.

This article explores the steps for applying the principles of discernment as a daily spiritual exercise.


APRIL/MAY 2011
Becoming a Beatitude Parish, School, and Neighborhood
This last article is the capstone for our entire series. We attempt to explore pastoral approaches that parishes and Catholic schools can apply for animating a Beatitude culture that is woven into the entire fabric of the faith community. We explore adaptations within the curriculum, the spiritual life of the community, and prophetic witnessing. The bishops of the United States have called all individuals to minister to those who are poor and vulnerable. If we are to build a less violent and more compassionate world, we need to cultivate dispositions and deeply committed Beatitude communities. These are not luxuries but necessities for the twenty-first century.

We conclude our series with practical ideas that enable our parishes and schools to become “living Beatitude communities.”