Well, I have a big announcement. I'm engaged to be married! I've been engaged for just over a month now. My fiancee and I have finalized very few decisions but desperately need to do so soon. Like when to get married. We're thinking one of the warm months. Also where to get married: we're thinking a Catholic parish in southeast Michigan. Okay, we're currently considering two of them. Not surprisingly considering our age, we have moved around a lot and do not feel particularly attached to any one parish as a couple. My fiancee in particular doesn't since she just moved to a new city.... the same city where we will live after we get married.
I am sure many of my future posts will be about getting married in the Catholic Church.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
5 Easy Steps to Gain a Basic Understanding of Catholicism
A subject that has been on my mind lately has been the catechesis of the lay faithful. There seems to be a general consensus that there was a decrease in accurate knowledge of the faith among most Catholics sometime shortly after the Second Vatican Council (1965). I'm not claiming that there was a high level of knowelge before, just that many people seem to think it is less now than it was before. I personally have no idea, I was born in 1984 and wasn't Catholic until 2005. It is my observation that the level of knowledge of the faith is very low among a wide segment of Catholics. Too low, though at the same time I think it isn't as bad as some people make it out to be.
There are many Catholics who would claim to know little about the Gospels, but are very familiar with the mysteries of the Rosary and the Stations of the Cross, which between them cover the events of more than half the content of the Gospels. They might say they have not have memorized any Scripture, but they have memorized the Our Father, which is all Scripture, as well as the Hail Mary, of which the first half quotes Scripture. They are also likely to have memorized several other prayers that do not quote Scripture, but do convey great Scriptural truths.
Unfortunately, there are many Catholics who are not very familiar with those things either. There are many who seem to not even be familiar with the content of the Creed that we say at Mass. This is tragic.
I'm not going to pretend to be able to analyze how this came to be or to pretend I know how to solve the problem. I do have some simple, easy suggestions though, for those Catholics who want to take the initiative to obtain a basic understanding of the Catholic faith for themselves if the do not have one already.
Easy Steps to Gain a Basic Understanding of Catholicism, for Catholic Adults and Teens:
1. Read the Bible everyday: If you follow no other suggestion on this list, at least follow this one. As St. Jerome said, "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." Some time soon I will post more about reading the Bible, because that deserves its own post. In the mean time, pick one up or read the Bible online. If you've never read them all, all the way through, there can be no better place to start that to read all four books of the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. If you read a chapter a day, it will take about three months.
2. Pay attention at Mass. Okay, definitely do this one too. Pay attention to the readings, prayers, creed, and songs. If you haven't read the Bible much, the readings will seem like islands in the middle of no where, so start paying attention so you can begin to connect the dots. The prayers have much to teach us also. Most of them are directly inspired by the Scriptures. They all have a rich, deep content that we can delve to learn about God. Hymns and spiritual songs often do as well. Older hymns tend to have rich theological wisdom. Ponder them. The newest songs today will often talk about how we are supposed to relate to God in love and worship, which is also an important lesson.
3. Read good Catholic books, magazines, and blogs. Now we're getting to the simpler, easier stuff. If your diocese has a good Catholic newspaper or magazine, that's often a good place to obtain useful knowledge of the faith, often for FREE! Also, your friends or relatives might receive the publications of the Knights of Columbus or a religious order. Not sure where to start? If you make mycatholic.com your homepage on your computer, you can personalize feeds with lots of different awesome Catholic content.
4. Talk to people who seem to be knowledgeable Catholics about the Faith. The more you hear it, the more you will absorb.
5. Don't be afraid to tell others about the Faith. Personally, I find that trying to figure out how to explain something to someone else is the best way to synthesize all the bits and pieces I've learned.
There are many Catholics who would claim to know little about the Gospels, but are very familiar with the mysteries of the Rosary and the Stations of the Cross, which between them cover the events of more than half the content of the Gospels. They might say they have not have memorized any Scripture, but they have memorized the Our Father, which is all Scripture, as well as the Hail Mary, of which the first half quotes Scripture. They are also likely to have memorized several other prayers that do not quote Scripture, but do convey great Scriptural truths.
Unfortunately, there are many Catholics who are not very familiar with those things either. There are many who seem to not even be familiar with the content of the Creed that we say at Mass. This is tragic.
I'm not going to pretend to be able to analyze how this came to be or to pretend I know how to solve the problem. I do have some simple, easy suggestions though, for those Catholics who want to take the initiative to obtain a basic understanding of the Catholic faith for themselves if the do not have one already.
Easy Steps to Gain a Basic Understanding of Catholicism, for Catholic Adults and Teens:
1. Read the Bible everyday: If you follow no other suggestion on this list, at least follow this one. As St. Jerome said, "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." Some time soon I will post more about reading the Bible, because that deserves its own post. In the mean time, pick one up or read the Bible online. If you've never read them all, all the way through, there can be no better place to start that to read all four books of the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. If you read a chapter a day, it will take about three months.
2. Pay attention at Mass. Okay, definitely do this one too. Pay attention to the readings, prayers, creed, and songs. If you haven't read the Bible much, the readings will seem like islands in the middle of no where, so start paying attention so you can begin to connect the dots. The prayers have much to teach us also. Most of them are directly inspired by the Scriptures. They all have a rich, deep content that we can delve to learn about God. Hymns and spiritual songs often do as well. Older hymns tend to have rich theological wisdom. Ponder them. The newest songs today will often talk about how we are supposed to relate to God in love and worship, which is also an important lesson.
3. Read good Catholic books, magazines, and blogs. Now we're getting to the simpler, easier stuff. If your diocese has a good Catholic newspaper or magazine, that's often a good place to obtain useful knowledge of the faith, often for FREE! Also, your friends or relatives might receive the publications of the Knights of Columbus or a religious order. Not sure where to start? If you make mycatholic.com your homepage on your computer, you can personalize feeds with lots of different awesome Catholic content.
4. Talk to people who seem to be knowledgeable Catholics about the Faith. The more you hear it, the more you will absorb.
5. Don't be afraid to tell others about the Faith. Personally, I find that trying to figure out how to explain something to someone else is the best way to synthesize all the bits and pieces I've learned.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Bloglife reflects prayerlife?
Considering that I have a really big mouth, I find it surprisingly difficult to blog regularly. I do better when someone else starts the conversation.
My prayer life can be the same way. It's just so hard to get started, it's hard to choose a topic and keep it going. There are times when the Lord is downright chatty, but at other times He is so quiet, I feel like I'm talking to myself. I'm blessed that there are times when I KNOW that I'm not talking to myself, but why are these times so inconsistent?
I know it's because I'm inconsistent, after all, the Jesus is always the same, but I'm not sure what I'm doing when I get it right that's so different from the other times.
Update: The Lord says the difference is when I am listening. I'm not surprised. I just wish I knew why I forget to listen so often.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
The Angelus: the Christian Call to Prayer
Today I stumbled across this awesome, short video: The Angelus.
My previous post could easily have included making the Angelus a regular part of your prayer life. At the very least, it is a traditional Catholic devotion that you should be familiar with. Note that during the seven week liturgical season of Easter, this Marian prayer in honor of the Incarnation is traditionally replaced by the Regina Coeli (Queen of Heaven) prayer.
My previous post could easily have included making the Angelus a regular part of your prayer life. At the very least, it is a traditional Catholic devotion that you should be familiar with. Note that during the seven week liturgical season of Easter, this Marian prayer in honor of the Incarnation is traditionally replaced by the Regina Coeli (Queen of Heaven) prayer.
Friday, January 1, 2010
10 Simple, Easy New Year's Resolutions for Young Catholics in 2010
Here are 10 ways to be a little bit better Catholic in 2010 that are simple and easy to do. Most of them take very little time or effort, or are fun, or reap benefits FAR beyond the effort (like #3). Note that this is not a definitive list and that there are lots of things we should all do as Catholics that are not on this list, and that some of those things are not simple or easy but we should all do them anyways; we can explore those for Lent perhaps.
1. Say Grace After Meals every day. Most Catholics regularly say Grace before Meals, but far fewer seem to say Grace After Meals any more. The way it traditionally works is that before the meal you ask the blessing, and after it you give thanks.
Like Grace before Meals, it's really short and east to memorize:
2. Go beyond the rote at the table. I heard a good priest state that if you want your kids (or anyone else you influence) to know Christ personally you need to demonstrate that you do yourself. This shows that it's possible and not limited to living saints only.He gave some tips on doing that, the easiest was to say more than the rote prayers before and after meals. I like the idea of someone leading in a spontaneous prayer and then everyone saying the rote prayers together.
3. Go to Confession every month, more if needed. You only have to go to Confession once a year, and you need to whenever in a state of mortal sin, especially before receiving Communion. However, every single plan for Catholic spiritual improvement I've ever seen says to go at least once a month.
4. Update your parish registration if necessary. Lots of young Catholics are not registered at the parish they attend, if at all. The Church thinks it's important to belong to a parish, and to be registered at the right one. It helps the Church plan its ministries, it determines how much money each parish has to send the diocese. Register at the parish you attend most and/or the one you have the biggest stake in. When in doubt, register to the closest one to your home. Not sure how to register, email the parish secretary, perhaps you can even do it online!
5. Contribute money to your parish electronically. Our generation likes digital solutions that are quick, easy, and maintenance-free, so now that you've updated your parish registration, sign up to contribute financially via automatic withdrawal. My parish does this either weekly or monthly. I chose monthly. I never have to remember to write a check and bring it to Mass, and the parish doesn't ever miss my contribution because I was out of town. You can sign up for any amount. I signed up for the minimal amount I felt comfortable giving automatically. When able, I give more to special collections or different charities, but my parish always has what I can always give, and I don't ever have to think about it.
6. Serve at your parish. Do anything, big or small. Big: Teach catechism, be a volunteer assistant youth minister. Sing in the choir every week. Small: Lector, be an extraordinary minister of holy communion, usher, sing in a special holiday choir. Truly better than nothing: gather discarded bulletins after mass, put away stray hymnals after mass, just show up at anything beyond Mass and be cheerful and helpful. Ask your priest for other ideas.
7. Sing hymns and spiritual songs at home. Music has a profound effect on most people, and an easy way to contribute to renewing your mind in Christ Jesus is to play and sing your favorite hymns and spiritual songs when your at home, in the car, in the shower, or anywhere that you could sing without creating a (large) disturbance. If you haven't memorized any spiritual songs, google the lyrics. Not sure where to start? I think every Catholic should know "Holy God We Praise Thy Name," and be able to sing it from memory. Try that.
8. Create a Station of the Cross in your home. Buy, find, make, or otherwise acquire a crucifix and place it on a wall in your home. Whenever you walk past it, make the sign of the cross and lift your heart up to God. A very simple way to pray simply more often. When able, stop and pray at the crucifix more actively. Only have a few seconds. Perhaps you can say the Jesus prayer or the Glory Be, or the prayer from the Stations of the Cross that goes:
9. Commune with the Saints. One easy method: Put up some pictures of the saints somewhere in your home too. Holy cards are cheap and can be stuck on a bulletin board or on the fridge. Get extra, shove one in your purse or wallet, place one in your car, use them as book marks. Whenever you see one you can just think "pray for me St. So and So." On occasion grab one and pray a little longer with that saint. Maybe you'll end up with a half dozen or more on your fridge and you can regularly say a mini-litany of the saints while you're waiting on the microwave.
10. Be catechized by Catholic media. Read Catholic blogs, subscribe to Catholic news and Catholic podcasts, listen to Catholic radio and Catholic CDs. Pick one or more that appeals to you. These are the easy ways I know to learn more about the faith without trying very hard. You probably should try harder also though.
1. Say Grace After Meals every day. Most Catholics regularly say Grace before Meals, but far fewer seem to say Grace After Meals any more. The way it traditionally works is that before the meal you ask the blessing, and after it you give thanks.
Like Grace before Meals, it's really short and east to memorize:
It's a simple, easy way to pray a little more often, observe traditional Catholic practices, and regularly keep the souls in purgatory in your prayers. Spreading this practice amongst your family and friends will likely reap huge dividends some day after your own demise, since what goes around comes around and you reap what you sow.We give thanks for all your benefits, almighty God, who lives and reigns forever. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
2. Go beyond the rote at the table. I heard a good priest state that if you want your kids (or anyone else you influence) to know Christ personally you need to demonstrate that you do yourself. This shows that it's possible and not limited to living saints only.He gave some tips on doing that, the easiest was to say more than the rote prayers before and after meals. I like the idea of someone leading in a spontaneous prayer and then everyone saying the rote prayers together.
3. Go to Confession every month, more if needed. You only have to go to Confession once a year, and you need to whenever in a state of mortal sin, especially before receiving Communion. However, every single plan for Catholic spiritual improvement I've ever seen says to go at least once a month.
4. Update your parish registration if necessary. Lots of young Catholics are not registered at the parish they attend, if at all. The Church thinks it's important to belong to a parish, and to be registered at the right one. It helps the Church plan its ministries, it determines how much money each parish has to send the diocese. Register at the parish you attend most and/or the one you have the biggest stake in. When in doubt, register to the closest one to your home. Not sure how to register, email the parish secretary, perhaps you can even do it online!
5. Contribute money to your parish electronically. Our generation likes digital solutions that are quick, easy, and maintenance-free, so now that you've updated your parish registration, sign up to contribute financially via automatic withdrawal. My parish does this either weekly or monthly. I chose monthly. I never have to remember to write a check and bring it to Mass, and the parish doesn't ever miss my contribution because I was out of town. You can sign up for any amount. I signed up for the minimal amount I felt comfortable giving automatically. When able, I give more to special collections or different charities, but my parish always has what I can always give, and I don't ever have to think about it.
6. Serve at your parish. Do anything, big or small. Big: Teach catechism, be a volunteer assistant youth minister. Sing in the choir every week. Small: Lector, be an extraordinary minister of holy communion, usher, sing in a special holiday choir. Truly better than nothing: gather discarded bulletins after mass, put away stray hymnals after mass, just show up at anything beyond Mass and be cheerful and helpful. Ask your priest for other ideas.
7. Sing hymns and spiritual songs at home. Music has a profound effect on most people, and an easy way to contribute to renewing your mind in Christ Jesus is to play and sing your favorite hymns and spiritual songs when your at home, in the car, in the shower, or anywhere that you could sing without creating a (large) disturbance. If you haven't memorized any spiritual songs, google the lyrics. Not sure where to start? I think every Catholic should know "Holy God We Praise Thy Name," and be able to sing it from memory. Try that.
8. Create a Station of the Cross in your home. Buy, find, make, or otherwise acquire a crucifix and place it on a wall in your home. Whenever you walk past it, make the sign of the cross and lift your heart up to God. A very simple way to pray simply more often. When able, stop and pray at the crucifix more actively. Only have a few seconds. Perhaps you can say the Jesus prayer or the Glory Be, or the prayer from the Stations of the Cross that goes:
"We bless You, O Lord, and we thank You, for by your holy cross You haveHaving a rough day? Maybe you can just recall Christ sufferings and offer up your own to him as you glance at your crucifix and mark yourself with sign of the cross of Christ.
redeemed the world."
9. Commune with the Saints. One easy method: Put up some pictures of the saints somewhere in your home too. Holy cards are cheap and can be stuck on a bulletin board or on the fridge. Get extra, shove one in your purse or wallet, place one in your car, use them as book marks. Whenever you see one you can just think "pray for me St. So and So." On occasion grab one and pray a little longer with that saint. Maybe you'll end up with a half dozen or more on your fridge and you can regularly say a mini-litany of the saints while you're waiting on the microwave.
10. Be catechized by Catholic media. Read Catholic blogs, subscribe to Catholic news and Catholic podcasts, listen to Catholic radio and Catholic CDs. Pick one or more that appeals to you. These are the easy ways I know to learn more about the faith without trying very hard. You probably should try harder also though.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
List of Best Posts
Just a quick note today to point out the new feature in the side bar. It's the list of "Best Posts." I've seen similar lists on other blogs and thought I'd give it a try. What do you think? Should different posts be on the lists, or did I choose well?
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Prayer for the dead
As I drove home from work today I took a slightly different route than ususal. This route took me past a couple of cemeteries. There were two, one on either side of the road. One was a Catholic cemetery and the other was not. I made the sign of the cross as I approached them and as I drove past each section of each cemetery I extended my hand in prayer and said a Hail Mary for the repose of the souls that had belonged to the bodies in all the graves that I was passing. A Hail Mary is a short prayer so it goes very quickly, I had time to say four before I was pass each cemetery. I concluded with a Glory Be to the Father as I drove away.
One of the many aspect of the Catholic faith that I love is our communion with the Church Triumphant and the Church Suffering, souls in Heaven and souls in Purgatory. Those who have left this early life in friendship of Christ remain in our friendship as well, if we too are Christ's friends. As a Protestant, I believed that there was no point in praying for those who passed away. When someone died, I would pray for the bereaved family and friends the had left behind, but the deceased was beyond our Realm of influence.
Catholics know better. Death does not separate from God those who inherit eternal life, nor does it seperate from the Church her members. I love that we can pray for those who have passed from this life in order to assist them as they complete their sanctification to enter into the fullness of life eternal. To pray for them is a blessing, for it reminds us of our mortality and the need to pursue holiness in this life. The prayers we receive from them once they have, when they are Saints, are a blessing beyond all measure.
Catholics who read this, say a Hail Mary or an Our Father for the souls in Purgatory... or both.
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