Lessons and Activities

In the fourth century, Augustine declared that Sacraments are sacred signs. Throughout the history of the Church, Sacraments have been connected to Christ as revelations of God and signs of grace. The histories of the various Sacraments are rich. For our purpose, we will reflect and build upon what the Second Vatican Council proclaimed about the Sacraments.

The theme of CATECHIST's January issue each year is the liturgical life of the Church and the Sacraments--what they mean to us as Catholics and the different ways we can teach about them in our classes. The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults emphasizes that that the Sacraments have a visible and invisible reality (see page 168).

One of the loveliest images of Joseph is of him leading a donkey that is carrying Mary who is pregnant with Jesus. They are traveling from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem. The journey made by Joseph and Mary may hold more spiritual gold and meaning than the census that caused it.

by Cullen Schippe I was never any good at checkers. The stratagems of this simplest of board games elude me. My leaky defenses always leave a...

Those of us who serve as catechists, parish spiritual leaders, mentors, and guides need to pursue our own spiritual, catechetical, biblical, and theological formation to be able to address the questions, struggles, and ambiguities that our young people bring to us. This is not a time to waffle with weak responses that have not been tested within our own desert experiences. We are called to be salt and light for all those who seek to come out of the desert.

Most everything has a beginning an ending. In fact, the beginning of one thing often means the ending of another thing.

People in Cupertino, Italy, just shook their heads when Joseph was around because he had difficulty completing tasks. Much of the time he forgot what he was supposed do. He often stared off into space. Other children made fun of him. Everyone thought he was clumsy and forgetful.

This Palm Sunday, we hear the story of Jesus' Passion and Death from the Gospel of Mark (14:1—15:47). A few days later, on Good Friday, we hear the account from the Gospel of John (18:1—19:42). To help enter more deeply into Jesus' experience during his last hours, join him on his journey to Calvary by tracing the path he most likely took. Number each stop along the way, and mark the path as you go from place to place. At each stop, reflect on the Bible passage given.

by Jeanne Heiberg After a long drive home following a weekend workshop at beautiful Lake George, NY, I dropped friends off at a train...

A Family Together - February 2012