Nov 2008 - CL Magazine

November/December 2008 | Volume 19, Number 6 | $6.00

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C AT E C H E T I C A L LEADER

I N T HIS I SSUE : Kerygma, Leitourgia, Diakonia Advent: Memories and Hope

CATECHETICAL UPDATE:

Reconciliation and Catechesis

A PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR CATECHETICAL LEADERSHIP (NCCL)

C AT E C H E T I C A L L E A D E R

Table of Contents

November/December 2008

In Every Issue 2 From the President What Member Driven Means 3 From the Executive Director Reclaiming the Power of Witness 13 Books in the News How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization 16 Adult Faith Formation Reclaiming the Adult Church 19 Echoes of Faith Hidden Treasure 20 Diocesan Directors’ Forum Tracing the Common Thread 23 Notable Resources 24 Crossword Advent

Mary Ann Ronan Leland Nagel Reviewed by Joanie McKeown Pam Coster Ed Gordon Anthony C. Marchica Dan Pierson Megan Anechiarico

Features Catechesis in the Early Church: Lessons for Today 4 Kerygma, Leitourgia, Diakonia Louis J. Cameli 8 Living and Learning in Spain Lorraine DeLuca 10 Memories and Hope Robert Hater

Living and Learning in Spain page 8

Catechetical Update Update: Sacrament and Social Ministry page U1

Reconciliation and Catechesis U1 Sacrament and Social Ministry U5 Missed Opportunity

Robert Schreiter, C.PP.S. Patrick Bishop

Reflections on Advent page 10

NCCL BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ms. Mary Ann Ronan

NCCL STAFF

President St. Paul Parish, Phoenix, AZ

Janet Schaeffler, OP Secretary Archdiocese of Detroit

Rev. David Loftus Vice President Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Mr. Leland D. Nagel Executive Director Washington, DC

Dr. Lorraine S. DeLuca Treasurer Diocese of Beaumont

Dr. Chela Gonzalez At-Large Archdiocese Diocese of Santa Fe

C AT E C H E T I C A L L E A D E R

Ms. Michele Harris At-Large St. Francis de Sales Parish, Salisbury, Delaware

Mr. Peter Ries At-Large Diocesan Director Lansing, Michigan

Mr. Thomas Quinlan At-Large Diocese of Joliet

Dr. Michael Steier Ex-officio USCC Department of Education

Mr. Leland D. Nagel Executive Director Ms. Patricia Dudley Office Manager

Dr. Anne Roat At-Large Diocesan Director Lafayette, Indiana

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FROM THE PRESIDENT ❚ FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ❚

WHAT MEMBER DRIVEN MEANS

Mary Ann Ronan

In the July/August Catechetical Leader, I shared with you the role of NCCL’s Board of Directors and the role of the executive director as defined by our bylaws and policies. By now the Representative Council and all of you, through www.nccl.org, have had the opportunity to read and study the Board of Directors Governance Policies approved by the Board in June 2008.

NCCL 2000 changed the face of this organization in ways that we are still trying to grasp. We, as an organization, changed the way of electing leadership to serve you: election of a slate to a three year term, through a process of leadership discernment which begins locally, moves to province/regions, to the Representative Council, and ultimately back to all members.

What is NCCL for in its most focused form?

To make the Board whole, the leadership discernment process helps the Representative Council to discern the at-large-board members. These members are again lifted up by members and provinces/regions for discernment and election to the Representative Council. All this points to us as members and our responsibility to the organization.

When I became a member I kept hearing the words “member driven.” I understood it to mean get involved; find out who the members of NCCL are; interact with others; get out of my comfort zone; talk to all people, not just those I know from my diocese, but those from across the nation; and join a committee or task force. I feel that one of the genius pieces from NCCL 2000 was the formation of forums: These allow us to interact with our peers (DDs, staff, PCLs) on issues and trends, share ideas, and be challenged in ministry.

When John Meyer and Sister Anne Marie Smith from the Diocese of Phoenix asked me to represent the Santa Fe Province on the Representative Council, I took it very seriously, I was representing all the PCLs as well as diocesan directors from the province. I had to study, reflect, and talk to them. At that time I was not attending the province meetings, but I was a speaker at the Southwest Leadership Training. I made sure I had face time with PCLs and diocesan personnel.

What do you do to make “members driven” a reality for you as a member?

I turn now to the section called Ends Policies. John Carver, in Reinventing Your Board, states: “The Board’s never-ending task is determining not what the organization does but what it is for.

The term Ends refer to the effects an organization seeks to have on the world outside itself. Ends define who is to benefit from the organization, in what way and at what cost.”

Defining our ends was difficult work! We looked at our mission, values, and strategic directions and they did not match the criteria for ends policies. We had to begin from scratch to define our organizational purpose. We posed the question: What is NCCL for in its most focused form? The next step after coming up with our global end was to progressively move to more defined levels. We also realized we need to examine our mission, values, and strategic directions in the light being for the world.

These governance policies determine how we do business as a Board. The policies determine how our executive director does the work of NCCL. These policies determine how, on a monthly schedule, we evaluate ourselves and the executive director. Governing in this way frees us, in Carver’s words, “to lead, to be spokespersons for meaningful values, to model bigness of spirit, to be powerful representatives of you, [show] ownership and ultimately to see that tomorrow is created in a better image.”

Johann Baptist Metz in The Emergent Church asks these questions: “Are we living disciples, or do we just believe in discipleship and under its cloak, continue our old ways? Do we show real love, or just believe in love and under its cloak remain egoist and conformists? Do we share the sufferings of others or do we just believe in sharing, remaining under the cloak in sympathy as apathetic as ever?”Am I a blessing for others? The only way to answer the question is to live as a disciple, a lover, understanding suffering as being broken and poured out for all...living the way Jesus taught and showed us how to live and love. y

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FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

RECLAIMING THE POWER OF WITNESS Leland Nagel

Imagine this is your one chance to change your life, be baptized and have all your sins forgiven. You sneak down into the catacombs and are shown pictures on the walls, told stories and are shown the symbols. These were daring times when profound experiences were conveyed face to face; often in a whisper rather than in a lecture.

Such was the experience of many who were initiated into “The Way.” While each of the apostles approached their call to catechize in a slightly different manner, it is Paul’s preaching that we celebrate this year along with his many letters. Paul boldly proclaimed his faith; after all, his conversion was nothing other than forthright in its very nature. Pope Benedict XVI claims that Paul “shines like a star of the brightest magnitude in the Church’s history.”

As the decades passed and our numbers grew, catechesis began to shift from a process of initiation which involved the whole community to one of learning and memorization.

Still, centuries of cathedrals illustrate that catechesis utilized their architecture, stained-glass windows, sculptures, paintings, and tapestries. All that adorned the church building, as well as the structure itself, became visual lessons for those searching for fulfillment.

The early church in northern Wisconsin followed many of the “teaching” lessons of the early church of the apostles.

But slowly the connection between first-rate celebrations of the liturgy and first-class catechesis unraveled. The experience of the people of God as the basis for these practices was forgotten. Ritual succumbed to routine. Slowly a transition occurred; a process that shaped one’s life eroded.

Catechesis moved to fostering an act of the mind; the accumulation of knowledge was considered the path to belief.

The early church in northern Wisconsin, as in much of the unchartered territories, followed many of the “teaching” lessons of the early church of the apostles. While serving in Green Bay, I learned about the work of Bishop Frederic Baraga, the first bishop of the Diocese of Superior, Wisconsin.

In fact, I was given a copy of a poster that he carried with him as he catechized. He would nail this to a tree and teach from the pictures.

endured the harshness of winter and cold nights under the stars along with hunger and fatigue. He is reported to have traveled fifty-seven miles on snowshoes through an uninhabited region solely to baptize a child who was expected to die. Another time he traveled five days’ distance in severe January weather to speak with an Indian chief who had requested a visit.

Bishop Baraga definitely depended on oral instruction to convey this profound experience of conversion. His “poster” contained symbols and pictures from which he told stories. Like the early church mothers and fathers who used the drawings on the walls of the catacombs to teach, Baraga drew on his vocation as priest as storyteller.

While we are grateful to the bishops for insuring that our catechetical materials are in conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church and to our publishers for incorporating good visual images and innovative methods, we can never forget the importance of the witness of the catechist. Just as the hearts of the apostles and Bishop Baraga were “on fire,” so too must the faith of the catchiest be ignited by a deep and intimate relationship with Jesus. This is made most clear in the General Directory for Catechesis:

No methodology, no matter how well tested, can dispense with the person of the catechist in every phase of the catechetical process. The charism given to him by the Spirit, a solid spirituality and transparent witness of life, constitutes the soul of every method (No.156).

Those characteristics are the same ones that are so evident in the apostles. Ignited by encounters with the risen Christ and a passion to share the good news, a good catechist seeks to illuminate the mind and soul, lighting the way from the darkness of despair to the way of salvation. It is no surprise that the word “memorization” is absent from the National Directory for Catechesis. It has been replaced by the phrase “learn by heart.” Catechesis is more than cognition; it is an act of conversion.

It not only involves the mind but engages the whole heart, mind, body, and soul.

As catechists we know the importance of praying and walking our talk.

Perhaps it is time we started writing letters: not emails, blogs, Twitters or IMs, but handwritten notes that convey our passion for Jesus, our depth of faith, our enthusiasm for the message and our desire to share this good news with the one to whom the letter is addressed. The emotional warmth we experience from a hand written letter is the grace of correspondence. y

In this year of Saint Paul, I reflect that Baraga in his travels ran into many difficulties similar to those that Paul encountered. While he may not have endured “labors and beatings” as St. Paul recalled, Baraga

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Kerygma, Leitourgia, Diakonia Lessons from the Early Church

by Louis J. Cameli Pastors, principals, and directors of religious education look for a few simple guidelines or directions to identify the heart of catechetical ministry. They would like a perspective for organizing programs, training and supervising catechists, and selecting textbooks.

Unfortunately, they face a vast quantity of literature that makes it very difficult to identify the core of catechesis. Official documents, such as the apostolic exhortation Catechesi Tradendae, the General Directory for Catechesis (1998), and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, coupled with abundant secondary literature, pose a formidable challenge even for the most diligent seeker.

One possibility is to envision the outcomes of “successful catechesis.” What does it look like? In the sections that follow, I will review commonly expected outcomes of catechesis, some elements of a “total catechesis” drawn from the General Directory for Catechesis, and the development of a model taken from the New Testament.

COMMONLY EXPECTED OUTCOMES Some commonly expected outcomes of catechesis are quantitative. When a pastor sends in his annual report to the diocese, ordinarily he is to note the number of children in the parish and how many are enrolled in the parish school or in religious education. One outcome, then, is achieving as high an enrollment of young people as possible in catechetical programs. The Official Catholic Directory, published annually by P. J. Kenedy & Sons, applies another quantitative criterionthe number of sacraments celebrated.

Parents who enroll their children have another outcome in mind or hope in their hearts. If they follow typical American patterns, they want religion to serve as a vehicle to communicate good values and discipline to their children.

Certainly, pastors, catechists, and many parents also have other expectations linked more directly with the content of catechesis. They would like to have young Catholics exposed to the whole range of Catholic teaching. They want young people to have information about religion on hand, so they can anchor their Catholic identity. In a more general way, they want catechesis to produce good Catholic Christians.

What about the students themselves? Do they have some expected outcomes as they engage in the process of religious education or catechesis? My impression is that even the more interested and invested students do not have a clear sense of their own expectations, probably because the outcomes are unclear for those who teach them and organize their catechesis.

Three Greek words capture the foundational dimensions of Christian life and experience.

How can we achieve some clarity and arrive at a focus for understanding what is “successful carechesis”? An important section of the General Directory for Catechesis provides a handy synthesis of the fundamental tasks of catechesis, which we can then develop more fully in light of models provided by the New Testament.

GENERAL DIRECTORY

FOR

CATECHESIS, NUMBER 85

The title of number 85 already indicates the core of catechesis as envisioned by the Directory: “Fundamental tasks of catechesis: helping to know, to celebrate and to contemplate the mystery of Christ.”

Subsections of number 85 elaborate on this direction: (a) promoting knowledge of the faith, (b) liturgical education, (c) moral formation, (d) teaching to pray. In effect, the Director

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links the fundamental tasks of catechesis with the four pillars, or major parts, of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (a) The Profession of Faith, (b) The Celebration of the Christian Mystery, (c) Life in Christ, (d) Christian Prayer.

Attention to these fundamental tasks constitutes a total, or integral, catechesis: what the apostolic exhortation Catechesi Tradendae refers to as “initiating the hearers into the fullness of Christian life” (18) and the foundation for “the process of continuing conversion” (GDC 69) which is the life of Christian discipleship.

Although these official documents provide a core vision of the outcomes of catechesis, the overall effect of catechesis may have an abstract feel, something removed from the human and vital interactions of the classroom or the parish. Can we focus and concretize this vision of outcomes? I believe that a return to New Testament sources can do this for us.

NEW TESTAMENT WORDS

AND

THEMES

Three Greek words from the New Testament and early history of the church capture foundational dimensions of Christian life and experience. They are kerygma, or proclamation; leitourgia. or liturgy/worship; and diakonia, or service. What later church documents reference and what catechetical ministry currently serves finds its roots in the New Testament and, in a particular way, in the realities expressed in these three words.

KERYGMA — OUR FAITH When Mark describes the beginning of Jesus’ Galilean ministry, he writes: “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the good news of God: The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news’” (Mark 1:14). Mark says that Jesus was proclaiming — kerysson. Proclamation of the good news is the essential foundation for faith. Saint Paul says the same in his letter to the Romans: “And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?” (Romans 10:14).

Effective catechesis proclaims the good news can be accepted in faith. Of course, to accept faith is to accept Jesus Christ, savior of the world.

Once the kerygma or the basic proclamation is made, it retains its vitality. It is not something only for “beginners.” Those who believe need to return regularly to the basic proclama-

tion. Saint Paul, for example, returns to it with his beloved Corinthian community “Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you which you in turn received, in which also you stand …” (1 Corinthians 15:1). Then he proceeds to give a summary of the kerygma: “For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures …”

(1 Corinthians 15:3 — 4).

Catechesis, if we follow the New Testament patterns, begins with the basic proclamation and keeps returning to it. In addition to believers revisiting the kerygma, the New Testament indicates that they are also engaged in receiving didache, or teaching. This enables them to assimilate more deeply and integrate more fully the life-giving word they have received.

The early Jerusalem community is described in Acts 2:42: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching (didache) and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

The teaching that develops the fuller sense of the basic proclamation also incorporates the behavioral or moral implications of living by faith. This form of teaching is paraklesis, or exhortation. This is what Paul does in 1 Corinthians 1:10: “Now I appeal (paraklesis), to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.”

In brief, catechesis ought to take its starting point in the basic proclamation of the good news, the kerygma and return regularly to this center of faith, deepen it through teaching, or didache, and develop its implications for living in the manner of paraksesis, or exhortation. The New Testament tells us that catechesis must focus on what we believe and what difference it makes.

LEITOURGIA — CELEBRATING OUR FAITH Leitourgia is liturgy or worship. In the New Testament, faith in the good news, believing in Jesus Christ, leads to worship and sacramental participation in the mysteries that have been proclaimed and believed.

A very clear example of how believing leads to worship and sacramental participation is found in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2. That momentous chapter begins with the coming of the Holy Spirit. The center is Peter’s speech at Pentecost, his

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KERYGMA, LEITOURGIA, DIAKONIA

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proclamation of the kerygma. Luke describes the reaction and response of the listeners who come to believe Peter’s proclamation of the good news: ‘Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, Brothers, what should we do?’” (Acts 2: 37). Peter’s response indicates the close and direct relationship between faith and sacramental/liturgical participation in the mysteries of faith: “Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’”(Acts 2: 38).

This formal participation in the sacraments leads to an entirely “worshipful” life marked by a contemplative, prayerful stance and a renewal of mind. That is what Paul says to the Romans: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12: 1-2).

DIAKONIA — LIVING OUR FAITH Diakonia or service is a central theme of the New Testament.

Jesus describes the very purpose of his coming among us as service — diakonia — that he defines not as doing favors but rather as the very gift of himself in self-sacrificing love: “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

In the remarkable depiction of the last judgment in Matthew 25, Jesus identifies the criterion of judgment as compassionate service, whether one has served one of the least ones. “For in serving them with compassion, those under judgment have served the Lord: ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me’”(Matt 25:40).

The call to diakonia signals the practical consequence for living out the proclamation of the good news that has been believed and the holy mysteries in which believers have participated through the sacraments. Diakonia also describes the mission of the followers of Jesus in the world. Through their service they give witness in the world to Jesus and, in that way, become salt and light for the world (Matt 5: 13-16).

A SYNTHESIS: TWO DISCIPLES

ON THE

ROAD

Earlier we noted that the General Directory for Catechesis and the Catechism of the Catholic Church converge in identifying the core of catechesis: knowledge of faith, celebration of the Christian mystery, moral life in Christ, and prayer. These elements can also be synthesized in three words important to the early church: kerygma (proclamation), leitourgia (worship), and diakonia (service).

A return to New Testament sources focus our vision of the outcomes of catechesis. continued on page 12

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Living and Learning in Spain

by Lorraine DeLuca Several years ago I came to the realization that it was important to minister to more than just the English-speaking of our Diocese of Beaumont, Texas. As the diocesan director for the Office of Lifelong Catholic Formation/Education, one of my main focuses in this office was to promote and present programs of lay ecclesial ministry formation and adult faith formation throughout the diocese. Like many other dioceses throughout the country, we experienced a great growth in the numbers of Spanish-speaking persons, not only in what previously had been considered our Hispanic parishes, but in many other parishes. It became apparent that our programs needed to be available to everyone, not just those who could understand English.

It is hard for us to be the Mystical Body with the privatized mentality so common in our culture.

In fall 2004 I began to take one Spanish course a semester at our local university and have continued to do so since then. With each successive course I was able to more easily understand Spanish but, as is normal when learning another language, my ability to speak Spanish was much slower in developing. This past summer I was able to make greater strides in my speaking ability. As a student working towards a BA in Spanish at Lamar University, I was given the opportunity to take part in their study abroad program, which meant spending the month of June studying Spanish at the University of Salamanca in Spain.

The University of Salamanca, the oldest university in Spain, encompasses the old section of the city of Salamanca. Daily I attended classes in grammar and Spanish literature, but I learned much more than was taught by the professors. Living in another culture for an extended period of time enabled me to reflect upon differences between the culture of the United States and the culture I was experiencing in Spain.

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ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN Externally, some of the differences I saw indicated more concern for the environment. There was a concerted effort at recycling in all the cities I visited. On many corners and at practically every major intersection there were large, different-colored containers for newspapers/cardboard, glass, plastic and metal cans. As I rode through the countryside, many times I spotted wind farms on the hillsides or rows of solar panels in the valleys. Vary rarely did I see large, gas-guzzling cars being driven in the cities or on the thruways; most were smaller, more gas-efficient models.

Not only are Spaniards concerned with recycling or energy consumption, but in most of the cities I visited I saw that their concern for the environment extended to keeping their streets extremely clean despite all the tourists that visit many of the cities.

Continually I would see the same worker responsible for particular streets keeping it clean either manually or by riding a large vacuum cleaner-like machine.

PLACES

FOR

PEOPLE

I believe that the reason for the cleanliness I observed is the way the Spaniards view and interact in public space. The streets of the older section of many cities are not a place for cars but for people to walk and to gather. Every day restaurants set up dining areas in the middle of the street for lunch and for dining late into the evening. Eating a meal is not just a private affair that one does at home or quickly at one’s desk in the office, but an experience that includes being fed by both food and sharing conversation with others. As a customer, even if you just purchase a soda you can sit as long as you wish, and you do not have to leave until you are ready to go. To allow for this experience of dining with others, all shops close for at least two to three hours during the afternoon.

While the restaurants provide a place for people to gather, in every city I visited the most important public space is the plaza, the main square, which varies in size depending on the population of the city. The plaza is truly at the center of the life of the people. My first Sunday evening in Salamanca I decided to take a walk around the university area so I would have a sense of where I needed to go for class the next day. As I wandered through the streets I noticed that from different directions so many people were headed towards the same destination, and eventually I decided to follow the crowds and ended up at Plaza Mayor.

It is not only university students that go to the plaza, but people of all ages. There were parents with their young children and babies in strollers, groups of youth and young adults, elderly couples walking hand in hand, some with canes and walkers, and others being pushed in wheelchairs. No part of the population was missing from the sea of people that flowed through the streets and into Plaza Mayor that evening. cl

PUBLIC SPACE I was able to observe the variety of interaction that occurs in this public space. While the outdoor seating of the plaza restaurants was filling, much more activity was going on in the center of the space. Small children were running around and playing games as if they were in a playground while their parents sat, watched, and talked with other parents. Groups of students were seated on the ground, with some just talking and others studying together.

There were two elderly men, both with canes who stood there deep in conversation for the longest time. It seemed like one enormous front porch where neighbor met neighbor. This occurred weekday evenings as well, but not with the number of people that gathered in the plaza on weekends. Each day I was drawn to the plaza where I would sit and sometimes do my studying, or at other times I would engage strangers in conversation.

During the first two weeks of my stay in Spain the International Arts Festival of Castilla y León was occurring in Salamanca. Celebrating the construction of its monumental Plaza Mayor, each year Salamanca hosts a two-week celebration of culture and the arts at the plaza as well as in various interesting venues throughout the city. Concerts, dance, theatre, children’s theatre, modern music, cinema, and many other categories of art are part of this festival. The main attractions and concerts occur in the plaza, where many people gather nightly to experience artists from different countries in Europe and around the world. Most of the offerings are free, including those that take place in other venues such as the public library and nearby churches.

CHURCHES

AT THE

CENTER

Not only are the churches and their surrounding areas used for public activities. Because of its history, there is a strong connection between the Catholic Church and civil government in Spain.

Throughout most of its history there was a strong relationship between the church and the crown, at times with the king and queen having direct say in church matters. Although this type of relationship no longer exists, the sense we have in America of the separation of church and state does not exist in Spain.

As I traveled throughout the countryside, at the center of each city or small town I could see a church, usually resting on the highest spot. I could just imagine how in the past the villages grew up around the churches that were so central to the lives of the people. In 2008 it is a different culture and society that exists in Spain, but the Catholic faith still continues to have an impact upon the public life of the people.

One example of this in that on the June 12 each year the city of Salamanca celebrates the feast of San Juan de Sahagún, who is the patron saint of both the Diocese and City of Salamanca. Born in Sahagún in 1419, he was canonized in 1690. As a monk he studied and lived in Salamanca where he became a member of the Order of Saint Augustine. The feast of San Juan de Sahagún is a civic holiday. Our classes were cancelled so that we could attend the celebrations. Throughout the city activities and concerts were held during the day, and at noon the bishop presided over Eucharist in the New Cathedral, which is the only time of the year that the cathedral is used for Mass. Civic leaders participat-

ed in the gathering procession, further indicating the close relationship between the church and public life, and finally, at the end of the day there was a wonderful fireworks display at the old Roman bridge over the river Tormes.

Towards the end of my stay in Spain I had another experience of the Spaniards’ desire to be with others. The final matches of the European World Cup for soccer were being played with Spain was facing Russia in the semifinals. Plaza Mayor once more became the place for people to gather and watch the match, rather than staying home. A huge screen was set up in the plaza and it was filled with people of all ages who stood for the entire time, cheering on their team and celebrating with one another when Spain scored. In Madrid, where I was for the final match against Germany, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Plaza Colon and other public arenas.

COMMUNITY SPACES All these experiences have caused me to reflect on the different attitude that exists in the United States concerning public space.

In our cities, are there such places that people normally gather on a consistent basis? Although I cannot speak for all cities and towns, I do not think that we, as Americans, have a similar attitude towards gathering as community. For us, the local mall is the closest large gathering place to the plazas of Spain and Mexico that I experienced, but most people go there with the purpose of shopping rather than meeting their neighbors. Likewise, during Super Bowl Sunday and other major sporting events in the U.S. we usually gather in private homes with a few friends or family in front of the television to party and watch the game. Rarely do we seek to experience it within the wider community.

I began to think about how that this sense of the importance of private space over public space in our country may have an impact on our faith life and our ability to gather as community in our parishes and in the local church. In 1 Corinthians 12 Saint Paul tells us we are the Mystical Body of Christ, but I think it is hard for us to be so because this clashes with the privatized mentality that is so common in our culture.

Community comes from people gathering together on a consistent basis for a common purpose, and is not created just by participating in the Eucharist and going home. In order to develop community we need the relationships that come from people knowing each other — and that takes time.

We are a time — controlled culture, which is our strength and is our weakness. Our Spanish professor commented on how she could tell continued on page 22

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Reflections on Advent

Memories and Hope

by Robert Hater Advent’s intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope...

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Seek That Which Is Above, 1986

Pope Benedict XVI’s words invite us to remember that from life’s beginning, our creator God lives with us in an intimate way. This realization, actualized through memory and reflection, is the basis for Christian hope, the hallmark of Advent. Advent is primarily about the present time, where we work out our salvation. But to appreciate Advent, we need to remember the past. This includes the long history of God’s communications with civilizations that preceded the divine revelation to the Jewish people and in the person of Jesus. Advent also anticipates the future and the final realization of our lifelong encounter with our loving God at life’s end and at Jesus’ second coming.

With these notions in mind, we reflect on memories of Advent that enable us to experience this season with hope.

What are our memories of Advent? Mine began as a small child, when it didn’t mean much to me. Advent was the time after Thanksgiving, when family members worked especially hard in our small dry goods store to prepare for Christmas. This season was laced with secular work activities. As I got older and began working in the store, I kept in mind that it was Advent. Our Catholic faith taught us that our store was a place where we could live our faith. This attitude of linking faith and hard work permeated the personal relationships and moral activities that were part of doing business.

As time went on, even though I didn’t realize it, childhood experiences and memories, like these, strongly influenced me. This is illustrated by my choice of a doctoral dissertation topic. Attitudes that I assimilated early in life included these: (1) The need to root life in deep seated values, like the ones learned in my family, at the store, and in the parish. ( 2) The importance of blending secular activities with faith, reflected in my store work during Advent. (3) The role of personal goals directed toward a happy life here and eternal salvation later, anticipated in Jesus’ coming during Advent.

My dissertation treated the relationship between personal values, activities, and goals. I completed the first chapter at school in

spring 1986. After returning to Cincinnati in the summer, I wrote the next four chapters. My conclusion aimed at resolving the question, “Do personal values, actions, or goals bring unity to our lives?” I went back and forth on this issue, but to no avail.

When I returned to school in the fall, I made no further progress.

One day, I took a nap in the middle of the afternoon. In a dream I got the answer. Quickly, I scribbled it on a scrap of paper. The note read, “It’s not one’s values, activities, or goals separately that confer unity on a person’s life. Rather, it is striving to achieve one’s goals, rooted in one’s values, that confers such unity”. In other words, it’s not the goal of getting a college degree alone that unifies a student’s activities during this time, but the student’s activities directed toward this goal in high school and college, based on his or her values. Again, it’s not the goal alone of reaching eternal life that unifies our Christian activities, but living a life that is in accord with this goal. One can have great ideas or goals, but without the activities needed to reach it, one’s life remains aimless. I arrived at this insight in a dream, not through rational reflection. Although the insight was present in what I learned as a child, I had to recover it and put it into philosophical language to complete my dissertation, which I did in a week.

This insight was buried deeply in my childhood memories and hopes. Then, I learned that I am made in God’s image, created to praise God, serve my neighbors, do good, avoid evil, and live with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit forever in heaven. Such beliefs taught me that I need to keep my proximate and immediate Christian goals before me, so that what I strive to do every day is based on my Christian values. This ongoing process gives unity and purpose to my life.

As I reflect on personal memories and the hope they bring me, I realize more fully that I am never alone. Our loving Father is always with us. Through the saving effects of Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross, we receive God’s help to live a good life. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to offer us the grace to do good and avoid evil.

Because Jesus saved us, we receive God’s help to live a good life.

Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit offers us the grace to do good and avoid evil. Often, this is not easy to live out in today’s mate-

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rialistic, relativistic, and ambiguous world, just as it was difficult for our family to keep a balance of secular and spiritual values during Advent. In retrospect, Advent mirrored our everyday life, lived with God, family, friends, and parish. These memories remain and are the basis of my Christian hope. What Jesus taught us about hope in the scriptures, I learned through the living life bible, acted out in my family’s activities. The following Advent reflections flow from my experience.

INSIGHTS Jesus said that the kingdom of God is like a man who found a valuable pearl (Matt 13:45). After he found it, he sold what he had and bought it. In Advent language, the pearl of great price can be regarded as the basic insight about ourselves and our activities that we strive to discover during this season. We can ask ourselves, What is this pearl for me? In other words, what insight can help me to confer unity and purpose on my daily activities?

We can begin our search by calling upon the Holy Spirit to help us find this insight in prayer, in silence, or in a dream. As we do so, we will find it valuable to reflect on core insights of the Christian faith, such as that God so loved us that he gave his only begotten Son, so that if we believe in him and live by his words, we will be saved (John 3:16).

VALUES It’s easy to say that our basic values are Christian. Advent is the time to challenge ourselves and ask: Is my eternal salvation a more important value than anything else? Are my overall values Christian, or are they so imbued with secular values that Christian values take a second place? What values do I communicate to my children, grandchildren, colleagues, and neighbors? If I refuse to forgive or be reconciled with a family member or neighbor, can I say that I live by Christian values? Have my values strayed from the childhood values once important to me? What values do I need to ask the Holy Spirit to renew within me?

The regular celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation can help us keep our values in better balance.

GOALS Advent reflections continue with our goals. We ask: What are the most important goals in my life? Is my number one goal the salvation of my soul and the souls of my loved ones? What Christian goals are strong and which are weak? Is there a unifying goal in my activities? If so, what is it; if not, what are the goals around which I center my activities? Are they balanced and healthy?

What is more important, having my child excel in soccer or another sporting activity, or seeing that my child prays and goes to Mass each Sunday? Are my faith or secular goals more important? What goals do I have to take more seriously during Advent and the rest of the year? Which goals do I need to strengthen and which need changing?

To keep our Christian goals before us daily, we will find Advent is a good time to begin regularly to say the Morning Offering, giving all our daily thought, words, and actions to God.

UNIFYING ACTIVITIES Finally, Advent offers us the opportunity to reflect on whether our daily activities are unified or all over the place. We ask: Do I live a consistent life or do I move from activity to activity with little overall purpose and meaning? When do my activities reflect my faith? To what degree do my values and goals form the basis for a unified Christian life? When do my daily activities reflect Christian values and goals, and when do they not?

The Christian virtue of hope helps us confer unity and purpose on our values, goals, and activities.

We end as we begin, by remembering the words of Pope Benedict XVI. His words at the beginning of this article tell us that Advent invites us to come to a deeper awareness of our memories that center on the God who became a child. This healing memory brings hope and the promise of new life. y Rev. Robert J. Hater, PhD, is professor emeritus at the University of Dayton and professor of pastoral and systematic theology at the Athenaeum of Ohio.

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Another synthesis of these elements appears in chapter 24 of the Gospel according to Luke, the story of the two disciples on the way to Emmaus (Luke 24: 13-35). They grapple with the recent events concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which have occurred in Jerusalem. The stranger they encounter proclaims the central mystery of faith, the death and resurrection of the Lord, and then deepens their sense of that fundamental proclamation. They celebrate sacramentally what they have come to believe in the breaking of bread. They pray and reflectively assimilate what has happened to them. Finally, they return to the Jerusalem community to serve by witnessing to their experience of the risen Jesus.

Compactly, densely, and yet somehow also very naturally, the story of the two disciples on the way to Emmaus contains the essential elements that are the gist of catechesis: the word proclaimed, broken open, celebrated in worship, prayerfully assimilated, and shared in mission and service. As we try to

appreciate both official church documents and secondary literature about catechesis, these New Testament perspectives may serve to give us some orientation and focus as to how we proceed in catechesis today … as people who believe, worship, live, and pray. y Note: This is a shortened version of an article which first appeared in A Professional Study Paper for Religious Educators under the title “Reclaiming a Dynamic Model from the New Testament,” published by RCL in 2002. Used with permission and in discussion with the author and publisher.

Father Louis J. Cameli holds a doctorate in theology with a specialization in spirituality He has served on the faculty of Mundelein University of St. Mary of the Lake. Father Cameli is a frequent presenter at NCCL’s National Conference. He is the pastor of Divine Savior Parish, Norridge, Illinois.

Catechesis in the Early Church | Volume 19, November/December 08

CATECHETICAL UPDATE A publication of the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership

RECONCILIATION: SACRAMENT AND SOCIAL MINISTRY

by Robert Schreiter, C.PP.S. When catechists and other ministers hear the word “reconciliation,” they are likely to think immediately of the sacrament of reconciliation.

This is not surprising, since this sacrament is so central to Catholic identity and imagination.

Yet alongside the preparation for and practice of the sacrament another important dimension of reconciliation in the church’s life and ministry has been drawing attention: social reconciliation, as in the bringing together of parties that have been divided, the healing from the wounds of abuse and trauma, and the restoring of communication in families. These practices of reconciliation are of course not new. But they are now much more visible in everyday life, and the skills for these are eagerly being sought after in parishes and retreat settings.

The question immediately arises when we speak of such reconciliation in a religious context: what is the relation of reconciliation as a social or even individual, one-on-one ministry to the sacrament of reconciliation? The skills and techniques learned from conflict transformation or communication theory are clearly part

The most notable difference between vertical and horizontal reconciliation lies in the point of focus: penitent or victim.

of social reconciliation. Indeed for most people these are its most prominent features. But do all of these have some basic connection to the understanding and practice of the sacrament of reconciliation, especially when social reconciliation is practiced within a religious setting? And what might our understanding of the sacrament contribute to a ministry of social reconciliation?

This article traces some of the connections between sacrament and social ministry, especially as they figure in a ministry of social reconciliation. It begins with a brief description of what is emerging

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as the theological basis for a ministry of social reconciliation: how we might understand such reconciliation from a biblical and theological point of view. Then the connections between the sacrament and the social ministry of reconciliation are taken up, showing the common points and the divergences, especially as they appear in the practice of social ministry and sacrament. And finally, something will be said about how the sacrament of reconciliation can support the ministry of social reconciliation.

One can envision how this horizontal ministry can be enacted ritually in the life of the church.

The Christian Understanding of Reconciliation As people have been thinking more about what might be the theological basis of a social ministry of reconciliation, a theology has been emerging. It finds its biblical basis in the writings of Paul, especially 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 and Ephesians 2:12-20. The Corinthian passage speaks of Paul’s own experience of reconciliation to the church he had once persecuted, and how God’s work of reconciling the world in Christ is now given to the church as a ministry. In the Ephesians passage, Paul speaks of the reconciliation of Jew and Gentile who, through Christ, are now fellow citizens in the household of God. From this emerges a theology for a ministry of reconciliation that can be summarized in five basic points: God is the author of reconciliation. God is the source and principal agent in any reconciliation that takes place. “All of this is from God,” Paul says in the Corinthian passage. We cooperate actively in God’s work, but it is God who leads us. Consequently, anyone engaging in a ministry of reconciliation must maintain a deep communion with God in order to be able to discern God’s ways. For that reason, a spirituality of working on God’s behalf must accompany any strategies of reconciliation.

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God begins the healing process of reconciliation with the victim. This may seem counterintuitive, since we normally think of reconciliation happening when the wrongdoer feels remorse, apologizes to the victim, and seeks the victim’s forgiveness. Ideally, things should happen that way. But frequently the wrongdoer never repents, nor may even be there to accept the forgiveness offered by the wrongdoer (think of the deceased alcoholic parent of a child who is now an adult, dealing with the abuse of the past).

If there is no repentance, does the victim remain a hostage to the past deed? God not only initiates and guides the reconciliation process, but begins that process by healing the victim, restoring the victim’s humanity and human dignity — something wrested away by the wrongdoing. That God would act thus is not surprising, given the image of God in the great Prophets and in the ministry of Jesus that God reaches out especially to the poor and the marginalized.

The healing process makes of the victim (and eventually also the wrongdoer) a “new creation.” We often imagine being healed of a wound that has disrupted our lives as returning to where we were before the event changed us so profoundly. But if the wound has really been that significant, we cannot return to that state without doing damage to the memories and the reality that we have now become. Rather, we are made, in Paul’s words, a “new creation.” We are taken to a new place — often a surprising one that we had not anticipated. In that moment of healing we experience especially the power of God in our lives.

Christians deal with their suffering by patterning it onto the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. Suffering in itself does not automatically make us better persons. It can only do so if it is connected with some larger pattern of meaning. For Christians, that has been connecting the story of our suffering to that of the suffering and death of Christ, who was raised from the dead. Paul speaks of this in Philippians 3:10-11: He patterns his own suffering into that of Christ’s so that he too might come to know the power of the resurrection.

Reconciliation is only completed when God has reconciled all things in Christ at the end of time. This last point reminds us that, in this life, we usually experience the healing that reconciliation brings as still incomplete. Reconciliation cannot bring back the dead; this will only happen at the end of time. This reminds us

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too that God is indeed the author, the agent, and the end of reconciliation.

This, in a nutshell, is the theology that lies behind a ministry of social reconciliation. How does it compare and connect with our understanding of the sacrament of reconciliation?

Sacrament and Social Ministry: Theological Connections The theological connection between reconciliation as sacrament and reconciliation as social ministry is a deep and profound one.

To understand it, it helps to know the differences between what might be termed vertical reconciliation and horizontal reconciliation. Vertical reconciliation is the reconciliation that God brings about with humanity through the saving work of Christ. God is reconciling all creation with himself through Christ. We have turned away from God in our sin, and in doing so have not only harmed ourselves, formed as we are in the image and likeness of God. We have in turn damaged social bonds among ourselves and — as we are now increasingly aware of — the physical environment of creation itself. It has taken God’s initiative in Jesus Christ to restore the refulgence of ourselves as images of God, and to reconcile all of our social world and creation itself through the forgiveness of sins. This understanding of vertical reconciliation can be found at several points in Paul’s writings, but perhaps most pointedly in Romans 5:1-12.

We immediately recognize this understanding of reconciliation in our theological understanding of the sacrament. By confessing our sins, we enter into the grand design of reconciliation that God has begun — and is bringing to fulfillment — in Christ.

Horizontal reconciliation is the reconciliation the human beings work out among themselves, either as individuals or in larger groups. It can entail a whole range of practices: using mediators, re-visioning what happened in the past, patterns of apology and forgiveness, rituals to mark a new communion between the parties involved. It can be understood without any reference to God, and is so understood in many circles. From a Christian perspective, however, horizontal reconciliation is only possible because of vertical reconciliation. All our efforts at reconciliation are rooted in the divine drama of God’s reconciling the world. It is for that reason that the five points mentioned above address so directly God’s action throughout the process.

© 2008 by National Conference for Catechetical Leadership

Horizontal reconciliation is only possible because of vertical reconciliation. All our efforts at reconciliation are rooted in the divine drama of God’s reconciling the world.

So what makes horizontal reconciliation different or distinctive from vertical reconciliation? As was just said, Christian efforts at horizontal reconciliation are always framed within God’s action.

At the same time distinctive elements can be seen, especially in the practices of vertical and horizontal reconciliation: * The most notable difference between vertical and horizontal reconciliation lies in the point of focus. In the sacrament of reconciliation, the emphasis in the human side of the equation is upon the wrongdoer or penitent. The penitent must admit and show remorse for wrongdoing, seek forgiveness, and show an intention not to sin again. The penitent must also be willing to engage in acts of expiation. In the social ministry of reconciliation, the primary emphasis is on the victim. The wrongdoer is not excluded from consideration, but action typically begins among those who have been harmed. If one looks at the liturgy and rituals of the church (in the Eucharist prayers of reconciliation, for instance) one finds this vertical emphasis on God reconciling sinners. This is as it should be, since the ministry of the church is for the forgiveness of sins and for reconciliation.

Horizontal reconciliation does not deny this, but shifts the emphasis to the victim. This certainly represents another important dimension of the Christian message of reconciliation, presented in the earthly ministry of Jesus. To this point, however, we do not have this aspect of the ministry of reconciliation enshrined as centrally in the liturgy. Yet one can envision how this ministry can be enacted ritually in the life of the church. * The sacrament of reconciliation is presented to us as a single ritual (albeit in various approved forms). The ministry of social reconciliation, on the other hand, may use rituals of various sorts, drawn from cultural settings (rituals of apology and forgiveness, rituals to seal the new bond between the parties). It also utilizes a wide range of techniques and strategies to bring about healing in the lives of victims and to bring together the aggrieved

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By telling the truth about ourselves in the ritual context, we may learn to discern the difference between truth and lies in the settings in which we work. parties. Many of these rituals can find connections with the church’s larger ritual life (for example, sharing a meal together is a common cultural ritual sealing the new bond between parties).

Ritual is indeed important to social reconciliation at key points, but does not hold the same place that it does in the sacrament of reconciliation. This reveals something of the difference between vertical and horizontal reconciliation: vertical reconciliation with God touches the deepest levels of alienation in our being, an alienation that may be represented in a variety of human acts. That the engagement with this alienation is marked by a single ritual form is therefore appropriate and even necessary. Horizontal reconciliation must deal with multiple human parties and conflicting interpretations of what has happened.

Hence a variety of communication strategies must be used.

While the roots of those events lie ultimately in the same alienation that the sacrament of reconciliation tries to address, the immediate concern of horizontal reconciliation lies at those more visible levels. * The nature of these ritual differences may help us understand also why the ministers of these forms of reconciliation are also different. In the sacrament, there is a clearly designated minister who may act in offering absolution. In the ministry of social reconciliation, a wider range of people is called. In this latter case, not every person will be an effective minister of reconciliation.

But one can see how training in the techniques of conflict transformation, a special capacity for empathy, and effective modes of communication stand as necessary conditions for realizing horizontal reconciliation.

Christians both forms of reconciliation are ultimately God’s work and guided by God.

Can the Sacrament Help the Social Ministry of Reconciliation?

Another way of asking the question about the relationship between reconciliation as sacrament and as social ministry is to look at how the sacrament might relate to the social ministry of reconciliation. This can be examined from a number of perspectives, but let us look here at just one: what the sacrament of reconciliation can do for the minister of social reconciliation.

Three things come immediately to mind.

First of all, the sacrament reminds ministers of social reconciliation that, as instruments in the hands of God, they too are sinners.

They are fragile, finite instruments in the work of reconciliation.

They have done wrong as well. This can help build empathy when dealing with wrongdoers in the social setting.

Second, frequent use of the sacrament can remind them of the need to keep that close and intimate bond with God who is the source and agent of reconciliation. It can remind them how difficult it is to overcome brokenness.

Third, truth-telling is an important practice in horizontal reconciliation. It involves undoing lies about victims and delusions among wrongdoers. By telling the truth about ourselves in the ritual context of the sacrament, we may learn to discern the different between truth and lies in the settings in which we work.

Exploring the bonds between reconciliation as sacrament and as social ministry is still in its early stages. But as the latter grows in significance in the church’s awareness, it will be increasingly important to explore those bonds in catechesis, and see how the sacrament nourishes this ministry. y Father Robert Schreiter, C.PP.S., teaches systematic theology at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He works internationally in the areas of peacebuilding and reconciliation. Among his books is The Ministry of Reconciliation: Spirituality and Strategies (Orbis Books).

Even as we note some of the distinctive features of vertical and horizontal reconciliation, it is important to remember that for

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MISSED OPPORTUNITY

by Patrick Bishop

Confession, penance, reconciliation: each title describes an aspect of the sacrament. I want to zero in on the last one. It is, after all, the opportunity offered to us by the church to admit, learn from, and put behind us the hurts caused by our remaining in darkness and failing to walk in the light of Christ.

How can we be honest when we are not honest with ourselves?

Admit it. Not many of us like to admit anything unflattering about ourselves. As children, we are likely to express our admission by saying “she made me do it”! As adults, we offer a slightly more sophisticated (if equally self-deluding) excuse: “It’s a rough world out there and you have to look out for yourself because no one else is going to cover your back for you.”

When was the last time you or I took total responsibility for our own actions or decisions? Is there not usually a “someone made me do it” excuse that makes our fall from our usual lofty perch a little more tenable? If we are inclined to admit that what we did was wrong it is often followed by a “but” that makes us more of a victim than someone who sinned. In a world where too many of us have a façade of self-esteem that is worn like make-up on a player, how can we be honest when we are not honest with ourselves?

The personal qualities of fidelity, honesty, dependability, reliability are no longer qualities of the greatly-admired. If my impressions from childhood are correct, one of the highest compliments my dad could pay another person was that “he is a man of his word.” I haven’t heard that expression in years — have you? In what seems like such a short time, cheating has become perfectly acceptable: cheating in school, at work; cheating the government or the family; cheating the poor, the dependent, the consumer, the voter, the worker, the employer, the vulnerable or anyone willing to watch our shell game.

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Looking at the Hurt Before I can “confess” my sins, I need to look at the hurt I have caused openly and honestly with the light of Christ. I have to take responsibility for my own decisions and not try to pawn that responsibility off on someone or something else.

In the process of recognizing and claiming the hurts I have caused, I can gradually become aware of other hurts caused by me but yet to hit my consciousness. The process helps me to become more sensitive to others and much more selfaware. It is a process not, I fear, adequately addressed in the few minutes standing in line waiting for confession. What we really need to do is admit what everyone else already realizes about us: we are capable of causing deep hurt.

The point is that good people can cause great hurt.

I may do an excellent job of confessing my sins against the Ten Commandments, the Laws of the church, the code of decency for all human beings, civil law, and the Gospel itself.

My list may well be thorough, thoughtful, and sincere. But, if I am just rattling off a list and leaving it in the lap of the priest as I get back to my real life, have I really taken full advantage of the graces offered me in the Sacrament? Is not the one of the purposes of the Sacrament to help me learn from the experience of darkness and help me walk more consistently in the light of Christ? “Firm amendment ....”?

How deeply has my relationship with God and his people grown if I have, indeed, recognized my sinfulness but have been unchanged by the experience of its hurt?

Hurt. That is the key to our whole understanding of the sacrament of reconciliation. Sin hurts. Sin always hurts. In thinking of ourselves as just one small person in the vast universe of life, we cannot be too quick to absolve ourselves of the major sins of our modern world. War exists in this world because we allow it to exist within our own hearts: war with family, neighbors, political opponents, co-workers, people who are different than we — people we perceive to be in competition with us over anything.

Life is not respected in this world because it is not always respected in our own lives. It is cheapened by our gossip, our arrogance, our sad sense of humor, the value we put on the young totally healthy athlete and the way we can literally look down on the crippled, infirmed, elderly, or handicapped. Life is cheapened by our easy talk of war and destruction; hatred and revenge; and genetic design and perfection.

The family is in crisis in the world today because we don’t always hold it in reverence in our own attitudes and daily living. The Catholic divorce rate has finally caught up with that of the society around us. That society that isn’t even sure how to define marriage and we, who understand it as a sacred sacrament, seem to be every bit as confused about how to make it work as is everybody else.

The noble person promotes justice, equality, peace, human rights and dignity. But, the noblest among us sometimes treat people unjustly, divide people into “them” and “us,” aren’t always peaceful even with the family. Often we are more concerned about what we perceive to be our rights even at the expense of the rights of others, and are quite capable and adept at exploiting others for our own needs or wants. That abuse has even occurred within our most sacred walls. The litany could go on. The point is not that people are evil.

Indeed, people are intrinsically good. The point is that good

Catechetical Update Is Now Available Online Catechetical Update is a valuable resource for our members. You can now access the pages free of charge from the NCCL website (www.nccl.org) under the “resources” tab. You must login as a member in order to view the page and download the articles.

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Those directly experiencing the hurt we caused are not the only ones affected.

people can cause great hurt — hurt not only for themselves, but hurt that ripples out like waves on a lake and affects all of humankind.

Ripple Effect Sometimes we have been asked by others — or even asked ourselves — why do Catholics have to go to confession to a priest? Why don’t they just go directly to God? The answer is obvious when we emphasize the reconciliation nature of the sacrament. Catholics do go to God — right away, no detours, no delays, as quickly as they can. And, as he has promised over and over again, he forgives. He wants to forgive more than we want to seek forgiveness.

But, like ripples on a lake .... He then expects us to approach those who have felt most directly the hurt we caused. Their forgiveness, too, needs to be sought. This may or may not include the actual “confession” of our offenses, but always includes some kind of effort to let others know we regret the pain we caused and treasure them and their feelings.

But again, like ripples on a lake. . . . Those directly experiencing the hurt we caused are not the only ones affected by the shadow we cast on the light of Christ. The family that is the church, the family that is humankind also suffers from the darkness of each person living — a family far too large to gather together. It is the priest’s vocation to preside at gatherings of the church — to be the official representative of that church and a sign of Christ’s presence and love for the church. As he speaks the Prayer of Thanksgiving for the gathered community at Mass, so too in the sacrament of

© 2008 by National Conference for Catechetical Leadership

reconciliation the priest speaks for the church the prayer of absolution. As he represents the Christ present to that community in Mass, so too the priest represents Christ’s hand stretched out in forgiveness in the sacrament of reconciliation. It is then that God, we, the sinner, and the Body of Christ are reconciled.

“The whole power of the sacrament of Penance,” the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, “consists in restoring us to God’s grace and joining us with him in an intimate friendship.” Reconciliation with God is thus the purpose and effect of this sacrament. For those who receive the sacrament of penance with contrite heart and religious disposition, reconciliation “is usually followed by peace and serenity of conscience with strong spiritual consolation.” Indeed the sacrament of reconciliation with God brings about a true “spiritual resurrection,” restoration of the dignity and blessings of the life of the children of God, of which the most precious is friendship with God.”(CCC, No.1468).

As catechists we must encourage that time be put into preparation for the sacrament which enables the full power of the grace of reconciliation to permeate the heart. With a little preparation everyone can come ready for the opportunity offered to us by the church to admit, learn from, and put behind us the hurts caused by hanging out in the darkness and failing to walk in the light of Christ. y Monsignor Patrick Bishop is pastor of Transfiguration Catholic Church in Marietta, Georgia.

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BOOKS IN THE NEWS

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization by Thomas E. Woods, Jr., Ph.D. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2005. Hardcover, $29.95. (For information on discounts on this title, contact arc2@email.com.)

Reviewed by Joanie McKeown

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ired of half-truths, distortions and unsubstantiated allegations (and we are not talking sexual abuse here)?

Many believers, Catholics included, cannot get past what they describe as the profound opposition of the Catholic Church to science and reason. These people find it difficult to accept, or even to be open to, what the church has to say about spirituality because they are so convinced that the church can’t even get it right when it comes to reason and the expansion of knowledge.

Faced with attacks on the historical role of the church, along with the human flaws within the Catholic Church, we can turn to How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization. Historian Thomas E. Woods, author of The Church and the Market: A Catholic Defense of the Free Economy and the bestselling The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History, presents a much-needed perspective on the positive contributions of the Catholic Church to the world.

This book presents a historically accurate view of the contributions of the Catholic Church to the development of Western civilization. It highlights the fact that the spiritual life does not close one’s mind to science and reason. Rather, it is the richness of the spiritual life that has stimulated people throughout the centuries to explore the richness of the world that God created and the fullness of what it means to be human.

Even if the reader does not remember all the details of the accomplishments of Catholics through the centuries, the over-arching

theme of the openness of the Catholic Church to science and reason makes this book a valuable resource in countering the negativity towards religion and the Catholic Church that so dominates some people’s lives.

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The book begins with the reminder that Catholic monasteries, in addition to preserving the literary works of the ancient world in the centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire, became the only centers for learning. They played a major role in almost every advancement of basic civilization and modeled social action to the world.

Aware of the mistreatment of the natives in the New World, Catholic priests, Catholic philosophers and Catholic theologians began to ponder the issues of basic human rights and the proper relations that should exist between nations, leading to the idea of international law as we understand it today. Voltaire, known for his anti-Catholic views, conceded that no one was as concerned with social justice and charitable works as those within the Catholic Church.

Catholic priests made such extraordinary discoveries in the areas of science and economics that many are known in the secular world by such titles as the father of geology, the father of Egyptology, or the father of monetary economics. Jesuits so dominated the study of earthquakes that seismology was called “the Jesuit science.” For the nearly 700 years from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, the Catholic Church gave more money and support to the study of astronomy than all other institutions.

Louis Pasteur was Catholic. Roger Bacon, the forerunner of the modern scientific method of experiment and proof, was a Franciscan. Numerous priests became scientists, viewing science as an exploration of the wonders of the world that God created and not as an opponent to faith.

St. Thomas Aquinas had taught that faith and reason were complementary. Apparent contradictions indicated errors in one’s understanding of either religion or philosophy. Few realize that it was the Protestants, not the Catholics, who condemned Copernicus when he started teaching that the sun, not the earth, was at the center of the orbit. The Catholic Church acknowledged how accurately that hypothesis accounted for celestial phenomena.

The Catholic Church further stated that if this hypothesis were true, some Scripture passages would need to be re-interpreted.

Woods cites the words of Cardinal Robert Bellarmine, a contemporary of Galileo:

“If there were a real proof … that the sun does not go round the earth but the earth round the sun, then we should have to proceed with great circumspection in explaining passages of Scripture which appear to reach the contrary, and rather admit that we did not understand them then declare an opinion to be false which is proved to be true.” [The Life and Work of Blessed Robert Francis Cardinal Bellarmine, S.J., 1542-1621, Vol. 2, by James Broderick] Cardinal Bellamine was echoing the words of St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) who, centuries earlier, had stated: “When there are different ways of explaining a Scriptural text, no particular explanation should be held so rigidly that, if convincing arguments show it to be false, anyone dare to insist that it still is the definitive sense of the text. Otherwise unbelievers will scorn Sacred Scripture, and the way to faith will be closed to them” [cited from God and Nature by Edward Grant].

It was Galileo’s insistence that his hypothesis be accepted as fact, even though scientific questions remained, that led the church to condemn him. The hypothesis itself, that the earth revolved around the sun, was never condemned by the Catholic Church.

In fact, Catholic scientists were permitted to continue their research unopposed as long as they treated this as a hypothesis until they obtained further proof.

The true importance of learning about the Catholic Church’s contributions to the worlds of science, art, and modern living are summarized in the concluding chapter of the book: Paradoxically, the importance of the Church to Western civilization has sometimes become clearer as its influence has waned … Without a metaphysical recognition of the transcendent, without the recognition of a divine intellect at once the source of nature’s order and the fulfillment of human aspiration, reality is construed in purely materialistic terms. Man himself becomes the measure, unaccountable to an objective order. Life itself is empty and without purpose.

As we help others to recognize the vital contributions of the Catholic Church for the past 2000 years, we help to remove the blockades and to open their minds and their lives to the God-

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message that is the fundamental reason for the church’s existence and the heart and soul of all we do.

People who approach life primarily from an emotional perspective will probably find this book interesting. People who approach life primarily from an intelligent perspective will relish the wealth of information in this book and the preponderance of evidence that faith is not the antithesis of reason, but is the stimulus for a broader use of reason. As someone who falls into that second category, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. y Joanie McKeown has served in the Diocese of Superior as a PCL, Parish Minister, and Pastoral Associate for the past 20 years. She is a much sought-after speaker within the diocese.

McKeown is a member of the Wisconsin Directors of Religious Education Federation (the first province-wide PCL organization in the country) and represents the PCLs of Wisconsin on NCCL’s Representative Council.

ADULT FAITH FORMATION ❚

RECLAIMING THE ADULT CHURCH

by Pam Coster “They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers… All who believed were together and had all things in common… . Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying favor with all the people. And every day the Lord

Pope Benedict XVI, in his meeting with priests of northern Italy on August 6, spoke about evangelization in its most simple, but effective, form. He might have been speaking of the loving community described in Acts: “Honesty, joy, openness to listening to one’s neighbor, the capacity to forgive, generosity, goodness, [and] cordiality… . are indicative of the fact that faith is truly present… . .A light will radiate out from us, without our having to think about it too much, without adopting a way of acting that’s — to put it this way — ‘propagandistic.’ It will happen on its own, because it reflects our soul.”

In the early church, adults experienced conversion through the rich evangelization of community life and the passionate teaching and witness of the apostles. They brought that light of faith to their family life. If the church is to thrive in the future, we must reclaim this adult church. Bringing adults to Christian maturity is the central task of our faith communities. It is our turn, in salvation history, to pass on the faith adult-to-adult. Research gives us the good news that adults not only need formation, they want it.

THE SEARCH

FOR

MOORINGS

The Gallup Organization in 2001 noted that, in the United States today, “There is an intense searching for spiritual moorings, a hunger for God… . We are a searching, praying population, perhaps as we haven’t been for many years.” (Reality Check for 21st Century Churches, Gallup Press, 2001). Their statement echoes the words of Pope John Paul II ten years earlier in Redemptoris Missio: “God is opening before the Church the horizons of a humanity more fully prepared for the sowing of the Gospel.” Now, as in the days of the early church, is a time of

tremendous opportunity for those who would further the evangelizing mission of Jesus Christ. People are open and searching.

As the Gallup study concluded, “It is for churches to seize the moment and to direct this often vague and free-floating spirituality into a solid and lived-out faith.”

Can we look at adult formation with new eyes, not as just another ministerial task, but as though we are bringing food to the hungry and drink to the thirsty? When someone is hungry we assume they want food; when thirsty, we assume they want drink.

Research shows that people in the U.S. today have a hunger for God and yet it seems that we too often assume adults in our parishes do not want formation. “They don’t come to our programs” is a frequent complaint. But that is a judgment on the programs, not the spiritual needs of the parishioners.

Past ways of thinking are difficult to change and some may resort, for example, to “getting to the adults through their children” as someone once said when speaking about sacramental programs.

There is nothing wrong with using the occasions of children’s religious milestones as opportunities to re-evangelize or form their parents in faith, but what follows? One-time programs are not enough.

The adult-focused parish has a plan to become involved in the spiritual development of their people on an ongoing basis. If we don’t do this with intentionality, adults may drift, not from a grievance or even unhappiness but because there is nothing compelling, nothing they will miss if they spend their time somewhere else on Sunday morning. No one has demonstrated to them that they care about adults’ spiritual development. When we focus on numbers instead of people, when we become “propagandistic” instead of caring, we have lost our way.

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In Albert Winseman’s book Growing an Engaged Church: How to Stop Doing Church and Start Being Church Again (Gallup Press, 2006), he lists twelve indicators of engaged church members found in recent research. Of those, half pertain to spiritual development: 1) In my parish, my spiritual needs are met. 2) There is someone in my parish who encourages my spiritual development. 3) The mission or purpose of my parish makes me feel my participation is important. 4) The other members of my parish are committed to spiritual growth. 5) In the last six months, someone in my parish has talked to me about the progress of my spiritual growth. 6) In my parish, I have opportunities to learn and grow. Parishes that do not focus on the spiritual development of their adults in an intentional way may be busy, but not effective. They may be attractive communities, but not communities of deep faith.

EARLY-CHURCH MODEL The early church provided a model for passing on the faith adultto-adult. The bishops recognized this when, in the General Directory for Catechesis, they called the RCIA the “inspirational model” for all catechesis. The beauty of the RCIA process comes from its roots in personal interaction — the method Jesus used to form his disciples. As Jane Regan says in her book Toward an Adult Church (Loyola Press, 2002) “Adults learn best when they are in conversation with other adults about things that matter.”

Walking with others on the journey of faith, welcoming them warmly into the broader community; sharing scripture, ritual and symbol; providing them with solid teaching; conversing about the meaning of faith for their daily lives; being aware of their needs as they grow spiritually — all of these elements of the RCIA create a firm foundation for future growth in faith. How enlivened the church would be if each adult were supported in this way!

We cannot bring people into deeper communion with Jesus Christ if we do not know them and respect the context in which they come to faith. It is encouraging that a number of parishes have created the position of Time and Talent Coordinator and are helping adult parishioners discern their gifts in order to better serve the mission. This allows the kind of personal interaction that leads to a growth in faith. It shows a concern for the individual and helps them use their time and talent in a way that will deepen their communion with Jesus Christ and other believers.

At the same time, parish leaders come to know what next step might be appropriate for a particular adult on their spiritual journey and they can suggest appropriate programs, practices, retreats

or prayer experiences. According to Winseman, those who experience this in the parish volunteer more of their time, give more of their treasure, have greater life satisfaction and invite others to the parish — living into the mission of Christ to evangelize.

The community described in Acts attracted others by its witness.

It is the same today. Faith communities that are known to be welcoming and caring; which provide beautiful liturgies and opportunities for meaningful growth in faith, become “destination” or “magnet” parishes. Fr. Robert Hater in his book The Catholic Parish: Hope for a Changing World (Paulist Press, 2004) says “Most cities have one or more of these [magnet] parishes.

They affirm, nurture and encourage people’s desire for spiritual nourishment, wholeness, personal relationships, service and global awareness.” Many books have been written about what makes a parish great, but most have this common thread — focus on the development of adults. The fruits of this spill generously over into service, outreach and evangelization. Great parishes have reclaimed the adult church of the apostles.

Bishop Blase Cupich, in his foreword to the book Shaping Catholic Parishes (Loyola Press, 2008), which was written in conjunction with the Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership Project, likens the stories of today’s pastoral leaders in this “time of unparalleled transition” to the Acts of the Apostles. This is a new day in the evolution of the church, but one that mirrors, in fundamental ways, the challenges and opportunities of the time following the Resurrection of the Lord. The adult-to-adult models of evangelization and formation that existed then still compel us now. It was difficult for the apostles to begin their ministry.

They even went into hiding until the Holy Spirit filled them with courage and purpose. The same Spirit is with us today as we look for better ways to support the spiritual development of the adults in our care.

In the church today, as in the early church, we have “praying, searching” people, attracted to solid and passionate teaching, needing community in which to thrive, longing for an intimate relationship with God, willing to do their part to further the mission of Jesus Christ. May we call them by name and walk with them on their journey. And may the Lord add to their number every day! y Pam Coster is a member of the NCCL Adult Faith Formation Committee. After thirteen years as a parish catechetical leader, she recently formed Avanza Partners, consultants in adult formation.

She can be reached at pcoster@avanzapartners.com.

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ECHOES OF FAITH

HIDDEN TREASURE

by Ed Gordon

Cardinal Martini, the retired archbishop of Milan and renowned Scripture scholar, has great reason to rejoice. For more than twenty years he had been urging the Holy Father to hold a synod on the Scriptures. This year, his wish will be fulfilled when representative bishops from around the world gather in Rome to discuss, “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.” This theme should be familiar to us in the United States because it was the same theme chosen for Catechetical Sunday.

Scripture is important. The National Directory for Catechesis says, “Sacred Scripture, the Word of God written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has the preeminent position in the life of the Catholic Church and especially in the ministry of evangelization and catechesis” (NDC, 24B). Since Vatican II, the church has asked that the Scriptures be opened to the people and almost every parish has at least one Scripture group going year round.

Our catechetical texts are saturated with Scripture. Yet for too many of our people, including our catechists, the Scripture is not “the starting point, foundation, and norm of catechetical teaching.” (NDC, 24B). The theologian James Loder has remarked that the younger generations are the first generations who do not have a biblical imagination. Yet, we know how crucial such an imagination is. St. Jerome said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”

If we are to have an effective catechesis, our catechists must have an understanding and love of Scripture. The Echoes of Faith Plus Scripture module is an incredible tool for introducing catechists, parents, and catechumens and candidates to a Catholic understanding of sacred Scripture.

the content covered in the module itself. The module begins by explaining how the Scriptures were formed and how we speak of the Bible as the Word of God. It then explains how the canon of Scripture developed. The module takes great pains to explain why it is important to understand the context of any writing. It then moves on to look at the sweep of salvation history with a special emphasis on the stories intimately related to the Paschal mystery and concludes with a focus on Jesus as the fulfillment of all the promises and the proclamation of the Good News. As I reviewed the module, I couldn’t think of anything that was missing from this quick overview of the Scriptures and the way Catholics approach the Word of God. The bonus interviews alone are worth the price of the module.

Dr. Elizabeth Nagel, a Scripture professor at Mundelein University in Chicago and Dr. Margaret Nutting Ralph, master catechist, professor, and author of more than ten books on Scripture, give wonderful interviews that provide almost an hour of information on everything from fundamentalism to inspiration; from using Scripture with children to a deeper appreciation of the relationship of the Scripture to the church. The explanations are told in language that any adult can understand and appreciate and could be expanded into another course.

If you haven’t taken time to review the Scripture module, I would urge you to do so. It may be just what you are looking for to help your catechists, parents, and catechumens and candidates gain a greater appreciation for the Word of God in the Catholic community. y Ed Gordon is the Diocesan Director of the Diocese of Wilmington and Chairman of the NCCL Catechist Formation (Echoes) Ad Hoc Committee.

The module focuses on the essentials for understanding Scripture and the two accompanying interviews add to and reinforce

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DIOCESAN DIRECTORS’ FORUM ❚

TRACING THE COMMON THREAD

by Anthony C. Marchica Evangelization is the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelize, that is to say in order to preach and teach.

— Pope Paul VI These words reflect the life of the church from its

In the fourth century Augustine called the catechumens to a moral

beginning. As we consider the lives and writings

transformation.

of the early church leaders it is clearly evident that many of them devoted their lives and ministries to the primary task of teaching the “new believers.”

Early on, the name catechesis was given to this ministry and it remains to this day a primary task of the church.

Among his many other responsibilities, the directorship of the Catechumenate in North Africa belonged to Augustine. One of his most important works was De Catechizandis Rudibus, “On the Catechizing of the Uninstructed.” This work was written to encourage and motivate others in the important task of catechesis.

The fourth element is the deliverance from sin through baptism and exorcism and the renunciation of Satan. This was done in a holistic manner inclusive of the other elements.

Obviously there has been an evolution in the methods and approaches used in the mission of catechesis since its beginning. With the passage of time, we today have believers rooted in their faith through their ancestry, passed down from one generation to the next, as well as a wellspring of “new believers” like those welcomed by the early church fathers. This is not to exclude those that are neither churched nor catechized. The common thread is that catechesis remains as a

Looking at how the early catechists engaged in this activity brings us

fundamental mission of the church. It must address the needs of and

to four key elements that stand at the forefront of their efforts. The

be inclusive of everyone, for the basic evangelical mission of the

first was immersion in the Word. It was the proactive effort to intro-

church is to make disciples of all.

duce new believers to Scripture, explain it to them, and lead them to thoughtful discernment of how this would impact their lives as they were converted by it.

Our most recent popes have given catechesis a special emphasis and importance. Pope John Paul II in Catechesi Tradendae (On Catechesis in Our Time), reminds us that catechesis is the work of the whole

The second was to teach them the central doctrines of the church.

church and must be continually renewed by a broadening of its con-

These included the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Creed and other

cept, the revision of its methods, the search for suitable language, and

doctrines intrinsic to the faith, but not necessarily inclusive of prac-

the utilization of new means for transmitting the message. This does

tices surrounding the doctrines.

not suggest that the work of the early church has no impact or rele-

Third was the spiritual and moral formation of the catechumen.

This would have included examination of practices and behaviors

vance. We can learn much from the rich and fruitful experiences of our beginnings.

for the purpose of stopping what was inconsistent with the faith,

The first lesson I see is that catechesis is not an exclusive ministry for

renunciation of sin, and commitment to living out a life of faith.

the baptized, the churched, and new believers. It is an essential com-

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ponent of evangelization. Our catechetical efforts should reach out to the larger community and be an invitation to “come and see.” The initial effort of the church was in large part to create this interest and to bring people to new belief in Christ.

It is also evident that the disciples went to the people and met them where they were, not only logistically, but emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually as well. I am most impressed that there was no “program” or specified time frame for conversion, that the effort of catechesis was focused on adults, and that the goal was conversion to a life in Jesus Christ. Think about it. A catechesis centered in Christ to make disciples of all people … well, maybe things haven’t changed as much as we sometimes think they have! y Anthony C. Marchica, diocesan director of the Office of Catechetical Leadership and Youth Ministry Formation for the Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida, has served the diocese in various positions since 1981.

Together with Marianne, his wife of more than thirty years, he offers retreats and seminars for married couples to enrich married and family life. They have two grown sons who are committed to social justice.

LIVING AND LEARNING IN SPAIN

continued from page 9

we were not Spaniards because we were on time for class every day — which never occurred with her regular students. As a people driven by time we have produced much and made many advances, but what impact has this had on community? Technological advance has caused separation within families as members go off to different places to work. The glorification of the freedom of the individual car has separated us into our own cocoon as we travel side by side on the roadways, rather than using mass transit, which is lacking in some areas of our country. How can we, who throughout the week operate in such a privatized manner in certain areas of our lives, suddenly shift gears and become community when it comes to our faith?

LEARNING

FROM

HISPANIC CULTURE

I believe this is a key question for all of us who are catechetical leaders, but I do not, as of yet, have the answers. I think that I need to begin with myself and reflect on how I operate in the world to see if I have a private or public mentality. I also have to discover why I was so excited by participating in all the activities I did in Spain, including watching the final soccer match with thousands in a public arena. I can then move on to other experiences I have had in the past that occurred in public spaces. What do all these situations have in common and what can they teach me about my need for community and public space.

I can also learn from the Hispanics of parishes in the Diocese of Beaumont. Initially I thought that the culture I would experience in Spain would be extremely different from the culture of the Hispanics in our diocese, since most are from Mexico, but I was wrong. Since historically Spain had such a great influence on the development of Mexico, some similarities exist, including the importance of gathering as families and with others and spending the time necessary to do so.

As a catechetical leader I also need to examine the programs I present to determine if they encourage the growth of a private or public mentality and whether or not they build community. This is only the beginning for me as I grapple with these issues, but I am grateful for all that I learned from my experience in Spain, that went much further than I imagined when I traveled there for the purpose of speaking the language better. I hope I have let some of the culture of that magnificent country affect me and call me to be a better minister of the People of God. y Dr. Lorraine S. DeLuca is the treasurer of the NCCL Board of Directors and the diocesan director for the Office of Lifelong Catholic Formation/Education for the Diocese of Beaumont, Texas.

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C A T E C H E T I C A L L E A D ER EDITOR: Joyce A. Crider, President and CEO, Visual Dynamics, Inc., 1216 Deerfield Point. Alpharetta, GA 30004 EDITORIAL CONSULTANT: Mary Kay Schoen DESIGN: Rings Leighton Design Group PUBLISHER: Leland D. Nagel PRINTER: Tri-State Printing Company Catechetical Leader (ISSN: 1547-7908) is published six times a year by the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership (NCCL), 125 Michigan Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20017.

Authors’ views do not necessarily reflect those of

NCCL. Letters to the editor and submissions of news items are encouraged. Send to Catechetical Leader at the address above or email nccl@nccl.org. Phone: (202) 884-9753 Fax: (202) 884-9756. Contact NCCL for reprints.

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NOTABLE RESOURCES ❚ Books, websites, and media for the enrichment of the parish catechetical leader.

Compiled by Dan Pierson The Life of St. Paul

A Jesuit Off Broadway

Paulist Press

by James Martin SJ. Loyola Press.

In this year of St. Paul many titles and resources on his life, letters, and ministry are being published. The one book that I am looking forward to reading is the Life of St. Paul by Lawrence Boadt, CSP, noted scripture scholar and president and publisher of Paulist Press.

Boadt recounts the story of St. Paul, inviting readers to discover his faith and knowledge of Christ, as well as his astounding personality. Accompanying the text are thirty-four vivid, icon-like paintings by artist Linda Schapper.

Available November 2008.

A Concise Guide to the Documents of Vatican II

by Edward P. Hahnenberg. St. Anthony Messenger Press.

Welcome to the Wisdom of the World

by Joan Chittister. Wm. B. Eerdamns.

Crossing the Desert: Learning to Let Go, See Clearly and Live Simply

by Robert Wicks. Sorin Books, an imprint of Ave Maria Press.

study, small Christian communities, religion classes, and school projects.

Book Giveway From faithAlivebooks.com

The following titles are free for the asking. After reading the book, I invite you to email me a few words of endorsement or recommendation.

This will be posted on www.faithAlivebooks.com/catholicbookjournal.

The Catholic Experience of Small Christian Communities

by Bernard J. Lee, SM

Handbook of Spirituality for Ministers

Living with Christ

A Commentary on the General Instruction of the Roman Missal

Twenty-Third Publications

by Ed Foley, et. al. Liturgical Press.

A personal copy of the Living with Christ Sunday Missal (4” by 6”) is an excellent gift for catechists — excellent content, simply designed, long lasting, and the “right price.” It will help them grow in appreciation of and formation with the liturgy. It helps all Catholics prepare for and participate in the Sunday Eucharistic liturgy. It is excellent for personal prayer and reflection. The Sunday Missal contains complete readings and Mass prayers; reflections on the Sunday readings; and guides and questions for personal reflection, family prayer, or small group sharing. Other features include a diverse collection of Christian prayers from the Bible; the Christian tradition; the saints, both ancient and modern; as well as morning and evening prayers.

Multiple Orders: 10 or more missals for only $2.50 each plus shipping. To place a multiple-copy order of 10 or more missals, call 800-321-0411.

Note: Check out a subscription to the monthly Living With Christ. Visit www.livingwithchrist.us.

Mexican American Catholics

Soul Tsunami: Sink or Swim in the New Millennium Culture

by Eduardo C. Fernandez, Paulist Press.

by Leonard Sweet

Keeping the Covenant

Seeking His Mind: 40 Meetings with Christ

Catholic Press Association

from Catholic Book Publisher Association

Award Winners for 2008

CatholicsRead.org, a service of the Catholic Book Publisher Association, promotes reading of the Bible and related trade books. Each year publishers submit and recommend over one hundred titles that develop the yearly biblical theme. Individuals can locate a Catholic bookstore in their area. Books are perfect for individual or group Bible

In spring each year the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada present annual awards in eight professional categories. Here is a sampling of book awards that may be of interest to catechetical leaders. For a complete listing of awards, see www.faithAlivebooks.com.

by Thomas Sweetser, The Crossroad Publishing Co.

edited by Robert J. Wicks

by M. Basil Pennington, OCSO

Portraits of Grace

Praying with Icons

by Patricia A Lynch, ACTA Publications.

by Jim Forest

Make Room for God: Clearing Out the Clutter

The Heart of a Saint: Ten Ways to Grow Closer to God

by Susan K. Rowland, St. Anthony Messenger Press.

by Pert Ghezzi

The Great Catholic Reformers

Christian Meditation: Experiencing the Presence of God

by C. Colt Anderson, Paulist Press.

by James Finley

Women in Mission

Spiritlinking Leadersip: Working through Resistance to Organizational Change

by Susan Smith, Orbis Books.

An Introductory Dictionary of Theology and Religious Studies

by Orlando O. Espin and James B. Nickoloff, Liturgical Press.

CatholicsRead.org

by Donna J. Markham

God’s Mechanics: How Scientists and Engineers Make Sense of Religion

by Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ

Sundays in America: A Yearlong Road Trip in Search of Christian Faith

by Suzanne Strempek Shea

Dan Pierson served as the director of religious education for the Diocese of Grand Rapids for seventeen years. He is the founder of faithAlivebooks.com and works with religious publishers in product development and marketing. Contact: pierson.dj@gmail.com

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CROSSWORD ❚

ADVENT ACROSS 1 13 15 17 18 19 21 24 25 26 28 30 32 33 37 39 40 42 43 45 46 47 49 51 52 53 55 57 59 61

Carmelite Advent Saint - 4 words Advent is a time of this Hymn Postal abbr. of Nashville’s state Lion of the zodiac Spots one - 2 words Advent OT prophet Beethoven’s “Moonlight” 14th letter 1st lady Jumble for artist’s pigment Personal affirmation of being - 3 words Legendary bird of prey Branch of peace Edgar Allan statement of identity - 2 words Fifth letters Mexican Marian Advent feast day Roman 55 Opposite of dine out - 2 words Stockpile Perceive Samba or foxtrot Jumble for cooking chicken, duck, beef, or a pig Devotee Old MacDonald’s letters, __ e-i-o Rabbitwood fruit - 2 words Christmas or Easter Spanish “Lord” Internet address Charlotte’s Web author White

by Megan Anechiarico 62 Gaudete Sunday color 63 Advent is a time of this 69 Advent is a time of this

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

DOWN

15

1 Advent calendar on which to hang ornaments - 2 words 2 Jumble for word with pennies meaning to scrimp 3 Jumble for word with moans 4 Japanese writer Kenzaburo 5 Musical expression meaning “loud soft” - abbr.

6 Implied or silent consent 7 Personnel dept.

8 Consume one - 2 words 9 Jumble for instigate 10 Postal abbr. for Providence’s state 11 Yellow-tufted honeysucker 12 NBC weekend sketch comedy show, for short 14 Advent is a time of this 16 Abbr. for Old English 20 Gabriel’s interaction with Mary 22 Incarnation result 23 Advent “O”s 26 Sixth sense, for short 27 Advent liturgical color 29 Mexican Advent tradition symbolizing the journey of Mary and Joseph 31 Village in Norway 34 Postal abbr. for New Orleans’ state 35 Photo & student 36 English Language Arts - abbr.

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14

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17 20

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24 28

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29 33

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37 42 46

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61 64

65

50

54

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60 63

38

45

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27

31

41

44

59

26

30

32

43

18

58 62

66

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68

69

38 40 41 44 46 48

Advent wreath branch ___ rummy You and me Novelist Amy Jumble for blesses with holy oil USCCB Coordinator for Youth and Young Adult Ministry, Sister McCann 50 Jumble for highways 51 Number of Advent Sundays 54 Perfect

56 Assoc. for Black Culture Ctrs. abbr.

58 Fifteenth letters 60 Robert E. ___ 64 Roman 90 65 Italian river 66 Titanium symbol 67 Do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, __, do 68 Postal abbr. for Des Moines’ state

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November/December 2008 | Volume 19, Number 6

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