Catechesis for Feast of the Holy Family

The Year of Saint Paul

Reading II

Col 3:12-21 or 3:12-17

Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another,
if one has a grievance against another….

The way of faith

• Baptism is the first and chief sacrament of the forgiveness of sins: it unites us to Christ, who died and rose, and gives us the Holy Spirit. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 985)
• Children owe their parents respect, gratitude, just obedience, and assistance. Filial respect fosters harmony in all of family life. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2251)
• The covenant which spouses have freely entered into entails faithful love. It imposes on them the obligation to keep their marriage indissoluble. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2397)

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

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See also these related articles:

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