Imagine a catechumen named Penelope who is in the care of a dedicated group of RCIA team members at St. Peregrinus Parish in Pittston, PA. Penelope became a catechumen, along with two other inquirers, in October. It is now February, and the St. Peregrinus team is starting to think about the Rite of Election and what they need to do to get the catechumens ready.

At a planning meeting, one of the newer team members asks Pauline Piotrowski, the team coordinator, if she thinks Penelope is really ready for the Rite of Election. Pauline smiles gently and says, “We can’t keep her from the Rite of Election. Otherwise she couldn’t get baptized. And then she’d feel left out.”

Pauline has a kind heart, and that is one of her strengths as the RCIA team coordinator. However, in this instance, she is doing Penelope no favor. Someone who is not ready for the Rite of Election is not ready for baptism. And someone who is baptized before they are ready is not likely to fully live out their baptism after the Easter Vigil.

But it’s next to impossible to know if someone is ready, isn’t it? Well, no. It turns out, it’s pretty easy. Easy in this sense. The RCIA gives us a  clear plan for a conversion process. All we have to do is implement the plan and look for signs of change—like looking for new shoots in the garden. The difficult part is being disciplined (being disciples) about implementing the plan and looking for the signs.

Conversion opportunities—all year long

If we are going to good discerners of conversion, the first step is to provide opportunities for conversion. If we are not regularly giving the catechumens opportunities to turn toward Christ and away from their former life, how can we possibly “know” if they are growing in faith? The most systematic and effective conversion process the church has is the celebration of the liturgical year. In the example above, poor Penelope has celebrated only about five months of Sundays—barely more than a third of the liturgical cycle. Unless she’s had some miraculous revelation the team is unaware of, it doesn’t seem likely that she’s had nearly enough time to give her heart and soul completely to Christ. And even if she has, the team has not had time to provide the full formation in the Christian life that the RCIA calls for.

So how much time does Penelope need? You can find the answer in the RCIA. Turn to paragraph 76:

The duration of the catechumenate will depend on the grace of God and on various circumstances….  Nothing, therefore, can be settled a priori.

The time spent in the catechumenate should be long enough–several years if necessary–for the conversion and faith of the catechumens to become strong.

Ack! Several years? Are they crazy?

Well it might seem that way at first. But let’s ask ourselves what’s at stake here. This is not a program of instruction in the facts of the faith. It is a radical change in lifestyle. The Christian way of life is very comfortable and familiar to you and me. But it is brand new to the catechumens. They will need practice, practice, and more practice until living the way of faith becomes natural to them as well.

A complete formation

The rite goes on to tell us what a conversion program looks like. If you are doing all of these things throughout the liturgical year, you will begin to see a change in the catechumens. Or if not, then they probably aren’t ready, and you’ll need to be honest with them about that. So here’s what you do (still reading paragraph 76):

1. By their formation in the entire Christian life
2. and a sufficiently prolonged probation
3. the catechumens are properly initiated into the mysteries of salvation
4. and the practice of an evangelical way of life.
5. By means of sacred rites celebrated at successive times
6. they are led into the life of faith,
7. worship,
8. and charity belonging to the people of God.

I added in the numbers to make it a little clearer that there are actual steps that the RCIA gives us. As you can see, there is nothing in those eight steps that is all that difficult. But to do all the steps on a consistent basis and to regularly assess how the catechumens are doing at mastering them—that take some discipline.

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See also these related articles:

• Discernment: What does the Rite say?
• What do the catechumens have to know?
• Do you know the three Rs of RCIA discernment?

I just returned from an RCIA institute sponsored by the North American Forum on the Catechumenate. It was an engaging, intense, fulfilling couple of days. The participants were revved up from the beginning all the way through to the end. I love being with people who are so dedicated to catechumenate ministry.

One question that came up was how to handle some of the thorny issues that arise with catechumens. One of the participants suggested it is best to just refer those to the pastor. I hesitated when I heard that. I do agree that there are times when it is best to bring in the pastor, but I worry that is too often our default response. I wonder if team members are avoiding dealing with difficult issues, not because they are not qualified to do so, but because it is just easier to hand them off.

On the plane home, I read an article related to this issue titled: “What’s Your Leadership Mindset?” Former U.S. Naval Academy superintendent John R. Ryan tells a story of regularly asking academy classes, “How many of you want to be leaders?” He said every hand shot up. Every time he asked.

Following his term at the Naval Academy, Ryan was an administrator at a state university. Same question, but different results. Whenever he asked the university students, fewer than half the hands went up. He tried to explain the difference this way:

At the Naval Academy—and I speak from experience as an alumnus—you learn from the very first day that leadership is a journey, and it’s to be undertaken by everyone. Leadership is not the province of the select few; you can work at it, and you can get better. While you’re not expected to take charge when you first set foot on campus, the expectation is you will become an effective leader—and your entire four years at the Academy are designed to develop you, step by step, into one.

His explanation made me wonder if we are expecting our

catechumenate team members to be leaders—from day one—and giving them the skills to lead. Like the catechumenate, leadership is a journey. When the catechumens say “yes” to the Cross at the Rite of Acceptance, they are signing up for a journey. And when we say “yes” to being on the RCIA team, we are signing up to lead them on that journey.

Take the next step

So here is a baby step to develop your leadership skills. Next time you have to confront a difficult issue with one of the catechumens, don’t just send the catechumen to the pastor. Go along with the catechumen, and learn from the pastor how he handles the situation. Then go back and teach the rest of the team how to handle it also. The next time a similar situation arises, you’ll be able to effectively lead the catechumen to a deeper level of faith.

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See also these related articles:

• Do you run your RCIA like a business? Maybe you should
• How do RCIA catechists model “service”?
• A powerful tool to inspire an RCIA vision

The Concord Pastor wondered aloud the the other day about what requirements for membership we might list in our parish bulletins. He had run across a Unitarian Web site that got him wondering:
 
 
 

I Googled the church and in perusing their website I came across the following with regards to membership in their parish:

Becoming a member of the congregation involves basically four things:

(1) Fundamental agreement
____with our principles and purposes;
(2) Regular and ongoing participation in Sunday worship
____and other congregational activities;
(3) Participation in the work of the church
____in committees and the wider community;
(4) Financial support as each is able.

And I wondered, “Can you imagine walking into a Catholic church and finding something like that on the front of the parish bulletin?”

You can read the entire post here. Be sure to read the comments as well.

What do you think? What would happen in your parish if you posted such a list on your Web site or in your bulletin? How does this align with Paragraph 75 of the RCIA?

To see how you might use one of these points in your catechesis, read “How to lead a 90-minute catechetical session.”

The Way of Faith

Explain that poverty is a moral scandal that we cannot tolerate.

In the news

ROME – The global financial meltdown has pushed the ranks of the world’s hungry to a record 1 billion, a grim milestone that poses a threat to peace and security, U.N. food officials said Friday. (World hunger reaches 1 billion mark)

In the readings

Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer. So whoever is in Christ is a new creation. (2 Cor 5:14-17)

In the tradition

The century and the millennium now beginning will need to see, and hopefully with still greater clarity, to what length of dedication the Christian community can go in charity towards the poorest.

If we have truly started out anew from the contemplation of Christ, we must learn to see him especially in the faces of those with whom he himself wished to be identified: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me” (Mt 25:35-37).

This Gospel text is not a simple invitation to charity: it is a page of Christology which sheds a ray of light on the mystery of Christ. By these words, no less than by the orthodoxy of her doctrine, the Church measures her fidelity as the Bride of Christ. (Pope John Paul II, “At the Beginning of the New Millennium,” 49)

The Way of Faith

Explain that Catholics have a commitment to peacemaking.

In the news

TEHRAN — Taking an unequivocal stand against days of mass protests, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sternly warned opposition supporters on Friday to stay off the streets and raised the prospect of violence if their defiant, vast demonstrations continued. (Iran’s Ruling Cleric Warns of Bloodshed if Protests Persist)

In the readings

A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up…. [Jesus] woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. (Mk 4:35-41)

In the tradition

Peacemaking is not an optional commitment. It is a requirement of our faith. We are called to be peacemakers, not by some movement of the moment, but by our Lord Jesus. The content and context of our peacemaking is set, not by some political agenda or ideological program, but by the teaching of his Church. (The Challenge of Peace: God’s Promise and Our Response, 333)

How’s mystagogy going for you right now, in the middle of June? More importantly, how is it going for the neophytes?

Some teams think the period of mystagogy ends with Pentecost, but that’s not what the U.S. bishops think.

Flip your copy of the RCIA open to the very back and look for the the National Statutes on the Catechumenate. Run your finger down to paragraph 24:

After the immediate mystagogy or postbaptismal catechesis during the Easter season, the program for the neophytes should extend until the anniversary of Christian initiation, with at least monthly assemblies of the neophytes for their deeper Christian formation and incorporation into the full life of the Christian community.

How do you get them to come back for mystagogy?

Now you might be thinking you couldn’t get them to come back for regular mystagogy, much less a mystagogy that extends all year long. Well, you might be right, but that’s still no reason not to try. Before you do give it a shot, however, take a moment to put yourself in the new Catholics’ shoes.

They might be feeling a little adrift right now. It’s been about two months since the Easter Vigil. The security of the small group of regulars at the weekly catechetical sessions is no longer there. And they might not really know anyone else in the parish. If you were in that situation, what would attract you to a “monthly assembly”?

Invite neophytes to parish events

I did a little snooping around and read some of your parish bulletins online. One parish is having a Summer Cabbage Ball Fun League that starts next month. I don’t know what cabbage ball is, but for a $25 fee, you get a t-shirt, a pizza party, and all the cabbage ball you can handle. What if the godparents called up the neophytes and personally invited them to play cabbage ball? Or at least come to the pizza party? And perhaps the league organizers would waive the $25 fee for the neophytes.

Another parish is rounding up a group of parishioners to go see the town’s minor league baseball team. Tickets are $7.00. Perhaps the parish might spring for the seven bucks. That, and a personal invitation from you or the godparents would probably get most of the neophytes to the “assembly.”

And a few of you are sponsoring monthly book clubs. What a perfect event to invite the neophytes to, especially the introverts. If they are feeling shy, they can just hide behind the book until they warm up to the group.

A lot of you are having farewell parties for pastors that are moving on. And others are having welcome parties for new pastors. Have the godparents get on the phone and invite the neophytes for some tears and cheers.

Let them know you care

Even if the neophytes don’t come to these “monthly assemblies” in your parish, they will feel more connected to the community just knowing you haven’t forgotten about them. Give it a try, and let us know what happens.

And what about those of you that are already implementing successful, year-long mystagogies? What tips can you share with the rest of us?

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For more ideas on helping the neophytes during their first year of Christian life, check out Living Baptism Daily: A Guide for the Baptized by Lawrence E. Mick.

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The Way of Faith

Explain that God has made a covenant with the Jewish people and that the gifts of God are irrevocable.

In the news

White supremacist James von Brunn will be charged today with murder in the shooting death of U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum security officer Stephen Johns, said Cathy Lanier, chief of the Metropolitan Police Department. (Holocaust museum suspect faces murder charge)

In the readings

Taking the book of the covenant, [Moses] read it aloud to the people, who answered, “All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do.” Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words of his. (Ex 24:3-8)

In the tradition

Furthermore, in her rejection of every persecution against any [person], the Church, mindful of the patrimony she shares with the Jews and moved not by political reasons but by the Gospel’s spiritual love, decries hatred, persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone. (Nostra Aetate, The Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, 4)

The Way of Faith

Explain that the Eucharist commits us to the poor.

In the news

Nearly 20 million children now receive free or reduced-price lunches in the nation’s schools, an all-time high, federal data show, and many school districts are struggling to cover their share of the meals’ rising costs. (More students on free lunch programs)

In the readings

While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.” (Mk 14:12-16, 22-26)

In the tradition

But the presence of those who hunger because they lack bread opens up another profound meaning of this petition [in the Lord's Prayer]. The drama of hunger in the world calls Christians who pray sincerely to exercise responsibility toward their brethren, both in their personal behavior and in their solidarity with the human family. This petition of the Lord’s Prayer cannot be isolated from the parables of the poor man Lazarus and of the Last Judgment. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2831)

The Way of Faith

Explain that “faith in God’s love encompasses the call and the obligation to respond with sincere love to divine charity” to all people (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2093).

In the news

President Barack Obama called on the Muslim world to respect people’s right to choose their religion in his Cairo address on Thursday. (Obama upholds religious freedom in Muslim speech)

In the readings

“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…. (Mt 28:16-20)

In the tradition

A basic duty every human person owes to God is regular worship. Because of this, and because of the basic longing each person has for God, a fundamental human right is the right to worship freely. No one should be prohibited from a free exercise of their faith, either in public or in private, and no one should ever be forced to worship in a manner that violates their beliefs and convictions. Because freedom of religion and worship is such an important and fundamental right, governments need to enact and enforce laws that respect and protect this right. (U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults, p. 420)

The Way of Faith

Explain that the fifth commandment requires us to value all human life as sacred.

In the news

“Our bishops’ conference and all its members have repeatedly and publicly denounced all forms of violence in our society, including abortion as well as the misguided resort to violence by anyone opposed to abortion,” Cardinal Rigali said. “Such killing is the opposite of everything we stand for, and everything we want our culture to stand for: respect for the life of each and every human being from its beginning to its natural end. U.S. Bishops Express ‘Profound Regret’ about Shooting Death of Abortion Doctor

In the readings

You must keep his statutes and commandments that I enjoin on you today, that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may have long life on the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever. (Dt 4:32-34, 39-40)

In the tradition

Every human life, from the moment of conception until death, is sacred because the human person has been willed for its own sake in the image and likeness of the living and holy God. The murder of a human being is gravely contrary to the dignity of the person and the holiness of the Creator. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2319-2320)

The Way of Faith

Explain that God will always provide for our needs, no matter how bleak things may seem.

In the news

With companies in no mood to hire, the unemployment rate jumped to 9.4 percent in May, the highest in more than 25 years. But the pace of layoffs eased, with employers cutting 345,000 jobs, the fewest since September. (Jobless rate hits 9.4 percent in May; layoffs slow)

In the readings

Brothers and sisters: For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption…. (Rom 8:14-17)

In the tradition

The witness of Scripture is unanimous that the solicitude of divine providence is concrete and immediate; God cares for all, from the least things to the great events of the world and its history. The sacred books powerfully affirm God’s absolute sovereignty over the course of events: “Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases.” And so it is with Christ, “who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens.” As the book of Proverbs states: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will be established.”

We firmly believe that God is master of the world and of its history. But the ways of his providence are often unknown to us. Only at the end, when our partial knowledge ceases, when we see God “face to face”, will we fully know the ways by which – even through the dramas of evil and sin—God has guided his creation to that definitive sabbath rest for which he created heaven and earth. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 303, 314)

Have you seen other breaking news this week that needs to be discussed? Click on comments to share your thoughts.

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See also these related articles:

• Teaching secrets from the ancient church
• The Four Essential Doctrines the Liturgy Teaches

The Way of Faith

Explain that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be with us and guide us to the truth.

In the news

During her nearly three-month detainment in the notorious Evin prison in Tehran, the American born journalist had turned to God in prayer. However, at a certain point she felt that God had “abandoned” her and gave into her interrogators’ demand that she confess she was an American spy. (Saberi Felt God Still With Her; Recanted Confession)

In the readings

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,
they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky
a noise like a strong driving wind,
and it filled the entire house in which they were….
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…. (Acts 2:1-11)

In the tradition

Before his Passover, Jesus announced the sending of “another Paraclete” (Advocate), the Holy Spirit. At work since creation, having previously “spoken through the prophets”, the Spirit will now be with and in the disciples, to teach them and guide them “into all the truth”. The Holy Spirit is thus revealed as another divine person with Jesus and the Father. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 243)

The Way of Faith

Explain that life in the Spirit is a life that imitates the forgiving nature of Jesus. Jesus gave the apostles his own power to forgive sins.

In the news

A London pastor who was ambushed in his car by an armed gang last October is to tell thousands of Christians this Sunday that the answer to ridding the capital of gun and knife crime lies in offering forgiveness and hope to the perpetrators. (London pastor urges forgiveness for perpetrators of gun and knife crime)

In the readings

[H]e breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.” (Jn 20:19-23)

In the tradition

During his public life Jesus not only forgave sins, but also made plain the effect of this forgiveness: he reintegrated forgiven sinners into the community of the People of God from which sin had alienated or even excluded them. A remarkable sign of this is the fact that Jesus receives sinners at his table, a gesture that expresses in an astonishing way both God’s forgiveness and the return to the bosom of the People of God.

In imparting to his apostles his own power to forgive sins the Lord also gives them the authority to reconcile sinners with the Church. This ecclesial dimension of their task is expressed most notably in Christ’s solemn words to Simon Peter: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”45 “The office of binding and loosing which was given to Peter was also assigned to the college of the apostles united to its head.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1443-1444)

The Way of Faith

Explain that the Holy Spirit gives different gifts to each of us to accomplish the mission of the church.

In the news

For advocates of women’s rights, adding another female justice is not about diversity for diversity’s sake. It’s about bringing women’s perspectives and life experiences into interpretations of law, and about helping the male justices see things through their eyes. (What another woman would bring to Supreme Court)

In the readings

To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.

As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. (1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13)

In the tradition

Believers who respond to God’s word and become members of Christ’s Body, become intimately united with him….

The body’s unity does not do away with the diversity of its members: “In the building up of Christ’s Body there is engaged a diversity of members and functions. There is only one Spirit who, according to his own richness and the needs of the ministries, gives his different gifts for the welfare of the Church.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 790-791)

Have you seen other breaking news this week that needs to be discussed? Click on comments to share your thoughts.

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See also these related articles:

• Teaching secrets from the ancient church
• The Four Essential Doctrines the Liturgy Teaches

The Way of Faith

Explain that our love of and knowledge of Christ compells us to tell others about him.

In the news

The Vatican is linking one of its websites to the popular social networking site Facebook as part of a drive to harness internet technology in reaching the world’s one billion Catholics. (Vatican Reaches Faithful with Facebook )

In the readings

Jesus said to his disciples: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mk 16:15-20)

In the tradition

The transmission of the Christian faith consists primarily in proclaiming Jesus Christ in order to lead others to faith in him. From the beginning, the first disciples burned with the desire to proclaim Christ: “We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” And they invite people of every era to enter into the joy of their communion with Christ….

From this loving knowledge of Christ springs the desire to proclaim him, to “evangelize”, and to lead others to the “yes” of faith in Jesus Christ. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 425, 429)

The Way of Faith

Explain that “taken up into heaven” is symbolic language and that heaven is not a “place” that we go “up” to. It is a way of living in union with Christ.

In the news

Fr. Donald Cozzens, who has produced arguably one of the most candid examinations of the contemporary Catholic priesthood and hierarchical culture in the United States in a series of four books published since 2000, believes the church will submerge in many ways before any emergence occurs. (The church will submerge before any emergence)

In the readings

So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs. (Mk 16:15-20)

In the tradition

This biblical expression ["who art in heaven"] does not mean a place (”space”), but a way of being; it does not mean that God is distant, but majestic. Our Father is not “elsewhere”: he transcends everything we can conceive of his holiness. It is precisely because he is thrice holy that he is so close to the humble and contrite heart.

“Our Father who art in heaven” is rightly understood to mean that God is in the hearts of the just, as in his holy temple. At the same time, it means that those who pray should desire the one they invoke to dwell in them. “Heaven” could also be those who bear the image of the heavenly world, and in whom God dwells and tarries. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2794)

The Way of Faith

Explain that racism is a sin and all people are equal.

In the news

Racially segregated proms have been held in Montgomery County — where about two-thirds of the population is white — almost every year since its schools were integrated in 1971. Such proms are, by many accounts, longstanding traditions in towns across the rural South, though in recent years a number of communities have successfully pushed for change. (A Prom Divided)

In the readings

[L]ive in a manner worthy of the calling…one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Eph 4:1-13)

In the tradition

The equality of [all people] rests essentially on their dignity as persons and the rights that flow from it:

Every form of social or cultural discrimination in fundamental personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God’s design. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1935)

Have you seen other breaking news this week that needs to be discussed? Click on comments to share your thoughts.

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See also these related articles:

• Teaching secrets from the ancient church
• The Four Essential Doctrines the Liturgy Teaches

The Way of Faith

Explain that the Catholic Church “deplores the hatred, persecutions and displays of anti-Semitism directed against the Jews at any time and from any source” (Nostra Aetate).

In the news

When Pope Benedict XVI sets foot in Jerusalem today, he will be only the third pope in history to do so. The visit comes at a crucial time for both Catholics and Jews. (The Catholic Church and Judaism: a way forward)

In the readings

Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is of God;
everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. (1 Jn 4:7-10)

In the tradition

Looking to the future of relations between Jews and Christians, in the first place we appeal to our Catholic brothers and sisters to renew the awareness of the Hebrew roots of their faith. We ask them to keep in mind that Jesus was a descendant of David; that the Virgin Mary and the Apostles belonged to the Jewish people; that the Church draws sustenance from the root of that good olive tree on to which have been grafted the wild olive branches of the Gentiles (cf. Rom 11:17-24); that the Jews are our dearly beloved brothers, indeed in a certain sense they are “our elder brothers”.

At the end of this Millennium the Catholic Church desires to express her deep sorrow for the failures of her sons and daughters in every age. This is an act of repentance (teshuva), since, as members of the Church, we are linked to the sins as well as the merits of all her children. The Church approaches with deep respect and great compassion the experience of extermination, the Shoah, suffered by the Jewish people during World War II. It is not a matter of mere words, but indeed of binding commitment. “We would risk causing the victims of the most atrocious deaths to die again if we do not have an ardent desire for justice, if we do not commit ourselves to ensure that evil does not prevail over good as it did for millions of the children of the Jewish people … Humanity cannot permit all that to happen again”.

We pray that our sorrow for the tragedy which the Jewish people has suffered in our century will lead to a new relationship with the Jewish people. We wish to turn awareness of past sins into a firm resolve to build a new future in which there will be no more anti-Judaism among Christians or anti-Christian sentiment among Jews, but rather a shared mutual respect, as befits those who adore the one Creator and Lord and have a common father in faith, Abraham. (We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah)

The Way of Faith

Explain that the Eucharist commits us to the poor.

In the news

“There’s this squeeze going on,” John E. Silvia, chief economist at Wachovia Corporation, said. “We still have job losses. We still have a lot of pressure. And now you’re going to tell me that a lot of these basic commodities are rising? People’s real income is going to get squeezed.” (Jump in Food Costs Drives Up Prices)

In the readings

This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (Jn 15:9-17)

In the tradition

The Eucharist commits us to the poor. To receive in truth the Body and Blood of Christ given up for us, we must recognize Christ in the poorest, his brethren:
“You have tasted the Blood of the Lord, yet you do not recognize your brother,…. You dishonor this table when you do not judge worthy of sharing your food someone judged worthy to take part in this meal…. God freed you from all your sins and invited you here, but you have not become more merciful.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1397)

The Way of Faith

Explain that social justice is linked to the common good and the exercise of authority.

In the news

The scholars say their studies found that religious people are three to four times more likely to be involved in their community. They are more apt than nonreligious Americans to work on community projects, belong to voluntary associations, attend public meetings, vote in local elections, attend protest demonstrations and political rallies, and donate time and money to causes — including secular ones. (Religious citizens more involved—and more scarce?)

In the readings

I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another. (Jn 15:9-17)

In the tradition

The principle of solidarity, also articulated in terms of “friendship” or “social charity,” is a direct demand of human and Christian brotherhood.

An error, “today abundantly widespread, is disregard for the law of human solidarity and charity, dictated and imposed both by our common origin and by the equality in rational nature of all men, whatever nation they belong to. This law is sealed by the sacrifice of redemption offered by Jesus Christ on the altar of the Cross to his heavenly Father, on behalf of sinful humanity.”

Solidarity is manifested in the first place by the distribution of goods and remuneration for work. It also presupposes the effort for a more just social order where tensions are better able to be reduced and conflicts more readily settled by negotiation. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1939-1940)

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