The search for happiness and the spreading of Jesus' mission seems to be the true goal for us as a Catholic nation. Living a life to gain salvation is our worthy cause. Yes we all have legitmate needs and desires. Through prayer, reflection, receiving the sacraments, help from the church are we able to walk the path that God calls us to follow. The discipline that I read about seems to add the difficulty in following the true path and not waiver. It is easy to jusify why you do what you do. I must keep Jesus as my focus at all times and then I find myself truly happy! I need Christ!
After reading the fourth chapter, the part that really stuck out for me was the section that compared Christians from years ago to how Christians are today. It is amazing to look back and see how every aspect of the early Christians' lives was rooted into Christianity. Sadly, it is no longer this way; we now separate our lives into many parts. As Christians, we need to get into the mindset that Catholicism is a lifestyle. We need to strive to live our lives in the way Jesus lived his life by putting the needs of others before our own. If we do this, I believe that we will all get the most out of life.
The fifth chapter really hit home for me. It made me think about the things that the people of society and I celebrate in our lives. Birthdays and holidays are definitely on the list, but as far as our everyday lives, there are some things that take precedence in our world: reality TV, video games, technology, sports, etc. I agree with the book when it says that we need to reassess how Jesus Christ plays a role in our lives. I believe that we need to make it a priority to put God first in our lives by the way we worship him, treat others, and live our lives. Like the book states, “The real challenge is to bring the Church to the people.” In order for us to successfully do this, we need to live our lives with the values and principles of the Gospel always present. The way we celebrate God has an affect on the future of Catholicism. As it states in the book, “It will be what we make it.”
I totally agree with Lori, we NEED Christ! I also thought about what takes precedence in our lives like Lisa, and have turned that into a personal goal! Realizing that we each have our very own adventure of salvation that is unique and different is cool. "The Church's job is to introduce us to our destiny by opening the mystery of God, who is our ultimate end and our destiny." It's exciting to think that it isn't so hard, or out of our reach, to become the persons we were created to be!
It is amazing how our Catholic faith practices have changed over our lifetime. I can recall my parents asking us to go to daily mass in Bankston before going to school, fasting for time before mass, going to reconcilation each month, etc. What has promoted the changes? Is it simply the fact we have busier lives and a lack of priests.
The passage in chapter 3 made me think about this when it said "There are disciplines and practices that must be adhered to and abided by if we are to walk faithfully along the path of salvation, fulfill our destiny and enjoy the happiness with which God wants to fill us. " I ask myself how can I change myself to show the Lord I am worthy of his love and salvation. This really hit home also as i was reading chapter 5. Why can't I attend an extra mass a week and pray for those who need it? How will I teach my students to live a life that is worthy of God's love? Larry always maintains that it is important to teach the grandkids young what we expect of them when they are at our house. I think this is also true with our students and their faith--- we need to teach them young to give of themselves and to get involved. My parents did and that is what leads me to be involves-- I guess even at my age wanting to "follow the footsteps that my parents set up for me.
"The mission of the Church is God's direct and intimate response to the human heart's unceasing yearning for happiness." That is also part of our own needs. We all yearn for happiness. The mission of the Gospel is to be proclaimed throughout the world. It is alive and active. It has the power to transform lives, as well as the whole world. We are so lucky to be a part of sharing the Gospel with our students by teaching in a Catholic School. We can be a special part of this transformation. We are able to walk the path that God is calling us to walk through prayer, reflection, the Scriptures, the sacraments, and the guidance of the Church. I am very fortunate to have been raised by parents that have taught me how to follow the path that God calls me to. They have taught me as the book states; "Holines is simply the application of the values and principles of the Gospel to the circumstances of our everyday lives - one moment at a time." We need to accept what God has given us no matter how heavy the burdens may be in our life. He never gives us more than we can handle, even when it seems overwhelming. Let all of us go out each day to proclaim the good news of the Gospel to our students. It is important for us to be role models to our students and to carry out this mission of the Catholic Church.
I totally agree with Deanne. I also remember going to Mass daily, fasting before and reconciliation each month. I believe what has changed over the years is our busy lives. We don’t’ feel that there is enough time in the day to do these simple things. If we don’t take the initiative to make these changes, who will? It is not just the mission of the church, but our mission as well. I feel we are doing a great job of this at Seton, instilling in students the importance of prayer, reflection and Mass and the need to be active participants. In having the students attend daily Mass in Peosta, I feel that we are off to a good start and ponder what else we can do not only for myself, but my students.
I thought the part about how Catholics are challenged merely to make it to mass on the weekends because of their busy lives, was very interesting. I know that life can be very busy and crazy and I would agree that sometimes it is difficult to make time for mass, but at the same time, I feel we as Catholics that want to work on getting others involved in the church or that want to get people to come back to church, what a better example for those people with us showing them that despite the fact that we are very busy, we MAKE time to get to church because Jesus is an important part of our lives and we need Him.
Catholicism is a way of life. We want our students to become disciplined, temperate, compassionate, generous, and loving individuals. In order for this to happen we need to strive to be good role models for our students. Making appearances at Sunday mass and events sponsored by the church will visually show our commitment to Catholicism. In my life we celebrate holidays, birthdays, and other accomplishments. I had never thought that each passing day should be a celebration. We should be grateful that our families and friends have made it through another day healthy and happy.
Two of my students at the beginning of the week were telling me what they had done over the weekend. The first student had a bunch of things to say about what he had done. The second student had a whole list of things that kept her busy as well, but included in that list was going to Mass. After hearing that, the first student was quick to say that he didn't go because his mom and dad were too busy to take him. It made me wonder.....How many of our students actually attend Mass on a regular basis? I'm almost afraid to know, because I think it would probably be disconcerting. Modeling the behaviors and beliefs we want to instill in our kids can have such a profound impact, if only we are open to it.
The line that struck me was that Catholicism empowers each individual become the-best-version-of-themselves. Not to compare oneself to another, but to do the very best of what God has given us. I found myself reading many parts of these chapters aloud for my family to hear and appreciate. The author does an excellent job of making sense out of things and putting it into words much better then I can. It also struck me when he wrote that if people don't come to Church is is not their failure, it is ours. This was a very different idea for me to think about. I started to ask myself, how on Earth am I going to get other people to Church if they aren't regular Church goers. I so graciously (ha ha) volunteered to do the Confirmation program this year, I guess this is where I will begin. It will be my challenge to show the young adults how the Gospel can transform their lives
One of the lines that struck me in chapter 4 was this: "In modern society, a great separation has taken place between the various aspects of our lives. Many people feel that they need to leave the values and principles of their faith outside of certain activities." I think that we are so lucky here at Seton that we can incorporate our faith into all parts of the day, not just during religion class or when we attend mass. By showing the kids and by being a model to the kids, that is a place to start to show others that you can show your faith and values anytime, not just on Sunday. Is that easier said than done? Absolutely, but it is a challenge that needs to be undertaken.
I also thought a lot about the line in chapter 5 that stated, "We are the Church." How many times have we as teachers taught that to our students? If the Church is failing, it also has to do with us, the community, not only the leadership.
I would like to comment on Megan's remark about making it mass on a regular basis. It is difficult to look around mass on Saturday/Sunday and notice that the average age is between 55-80. I often worry about the future of the church. I would love to do a round table discussion to talk with younger families and adults. I know that these people need faith and have prayer lives. What is it that keeps them from being a part of their parishes? From attending mass? I would like to brainstorm ways of bringing them back.
I think it would be interesting to know how many families still pray together before each meal or have conversations about their faith and religion at home with one another. I think many families believe that if their children are sent to a Catholic School and church on a regular basis they are receiving all of the information and education they need about our faith. I think that the conversations and examples set within the family about giving of time, talent and treasure are equally important. When the students see it at school each day but don't bring that mindset into the community, it makes a big difference in how their daily lives.
I found it interesting when Matthew Kelly wrote about how it is a challenge for some Catholics to make it to mass each weekend, even though it doesn't surprise me. From conversations with my students after the weekend, I know my students who attend mass regularly. There are also some who don't go to mass on weekends and they are not shy about telling you they didn't want to go or were too busy. I like to bring up the readings from mass in religion class, especially when it's something we've been talking about. Another part that really stuck out for me was the quote about how we should be living the Gospel. "Preach the Gospel at all times, and only when necessary use words."
The search for happiness and the spreading of Jesus' mission seems to be the true goal for us as a Catholic nation. Living a life to gain salvation is our worthy cause. Yes we all have legitmate needs and desires. Through prayer, reflection, receiving the sacraments, help from the church are we able to walk the path that God calls us to follow. The discipline that I read about seems to add the difficulty in following the true path and not waiver. It is easy to jusify why you do what you do. I must keep Jesus as my focus at all times and then I find myself truly happy! I need Christ!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the fourth chapter, the part that really stuck out for me was the section that compared Christians from years ago to how Christians are today. It is amazing to look back and see how every aspect of the early Christians' lives was rooted into Christianity. Sadly, it is no longer this way; we now separate our lives into many parts. As Christians, we need to get into the mindset that Catholicism is a lifestyle. We need to strive to live our lives in the way Jesus lived his life by putting the needs of others before our own. If we do this, I believe that we will all get the most out of life.
ReplyDeleteThe fifth chapter really hit home for me. It made me think about the things that the people of society and I celebrate in our lives. Birthdays and holidays are definitely on the list, but as far as our everyday lives, there are some things that take precedence in our world: reality TV, video games, technology, sports, etc. I agree with the book when it says that we need to reassess how Jesus Christ plays a role in our lives. I believe that we need to make it a priority to put God first in our lives by the way we worship him, treat others, and live our lives. Like the book states, “The real challenge is to bring the Church to the people.” In order for us to successfully do this, we need to live our lives with the values and principles of the Gospel always present. The way we celebrate God has an affect on the future of Catholicism. As it states in the book, “It will be what we make it.”
I totally agree with Lori, we NEED Christ! I also thought about what takes precedence in our lives like Lisa, and have turned that into a personal goal! Realizing that we each have our very own adventure of salvation that is unique and different is cool. "The Church's job is to introduce us to our destiny by opening the mystery of God, who is our ultimate end and our destiny." It's exciting to think that it isn't so hard, or out of our reach, to become the persons we were created to be!
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how our Catholic faith practices have changed over our lifetime. I can recall my parents asking us to go to daily mass in Bankston before going to school, fasting for time before mass, going to reconcilation each month, etc. What has promoted the changes? Is it simply the fact we have busier lives and a lack of priests.
ReplyDeleteThe passage in chapter 3 made me think about this when it said "There are disciplines and practices that must be adhered to and abided by if we are to walk faithfully along the path of salvation, fulfill our destiny and enjoy the happiness with which God wants to fill us. " I ask myself how can I change myself to show the Lord I am worthy of his love and salvation. This really hit home also as i was reading chapter 5. Why can't I attend an extra mass a week and pray for those who need it? How will I teach my students to live a life that is worthy of God's love? Larry always maintains that it is important to teach the grandkids young what we expect of them when they are at our house. I think this is also true with our students and their faith--- we need to teach them young to give of themselves and to get involved. My parents did and that is what leads me to be involves-- I guess even at my age wanting to "follow the footsteps that my parents set up for me.
"The mission of the Church is God's direct and intimate response to the human heart's unceasing yearning for happiness." That is also part of our own needs. We all yearn for happiness. The mission of the Gospel is to be proclaimed throughout the world. It is alive and active. It has the power to transform lives, as well as the whole world. We are so lucky to be a part of sharing the Gospel with our students by teaching in a Catholic School. We can be a special part of this transformation. We are able to walk the path that God is calling us to walk through prayer, reflection, the Scriptures, the sacraments, and the guidance of the Church. I am very fortunate to have been raised by parents that have taught me how to follow the path that God calls me to. They have taught me as the book states; "Holines is simply the application of the values and principles of the Gospel to the circumstances of our everyday lives - one moment at a time." We need to accept what God has given us no matter how heavy the burdens may be in our life. He never gives us more than we can handle, even when it seems overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteLet all of us go out each day to proclaim the good news of the Gospel to our students. It is important for us to be role models to our students and to carry out this mission of the Catholic Church.
I totally agree with Deanne. I also remember going to Mass daily, fasting before and reconciliation each month. I believe what has changed over the years is our busy lives. We don’t’ feel that there is enough time in the day to do these simple things. If we don’t take the initiative to make these changes, who will? It is not just the mission of the church, but our mission as well. I feel we are doing a great job of this at Seton, instilling in students the importance of prayer, reflection and Mass and the need to be active participants. In having the students attend daily Mass in Peosta, I feel that we are off to a good start and ponder what else we can do not only for myself, but my students.
ReplyDeleteI thought the part about how Catholics are challenged merely to make it to mass on the weekends because of their busy lives, was very interesting. I know that life can be very busy and crazy and I would agree that sometimes it is difficult to make time for mass, but at the same time, I feel we as Catholics that want to work on getting others involved in the church or that want to get people to come back to church, what a better example for those people with us showing them that despite the fact that we are very busy, we MAKE time to get to church because Jesus is an important part of our lives and we need Him.
ReplyDeleteCatholicism is a way of life. We want our students to become disciplined, temperate, compassionate, generous, and loving individuals. In order for this to happen we need to strive to be good role models for our students. Making appearances at Sunday mass and events sponsored by the church will visually show our commitment to Catholicism.
ReplyDeleteIn my life we celebrate holidays, birthdays, and other accomplishments. I had never thought that each passing day should be a celebration. We should be grateful that our families and friends have made it through another day healthy and happy.
Two of my students at the beginning of the week were telling me what they had done over the weekend. The first student had a bunch of things to say about what he had done. The second student had a whole list of things that kept her busy as well, but included in that list was going to Mass. After hearing that, the first student was quick to say that he didn't go because his mom and dad were too busy to take him. It made me wonder.....How many of our students actually attend Mass on a regular basis? I'm almost afraid to know, because I think it would probably be disconcerting. Modeling the behaviors and beliefs we want to instill in our kids can have such a profound impact, if only we are open to it.
ReplyDeleteThe line that struck me was that Catholicism empowers each individual become the-best-version-of-themselves. Not to compare oneself to another, but to do the very best of what God has given us. I found myself reading many parts of these chapters aloud for my family to hear and appreciate. The author does an excellent job of making sense out of things and putting it into words much better then I can. It also struck me when he wrote that if people don't come to Church is is not their failure, it is ours. This was a very different idea for me to think about. I started to ask myself, how on Earth am I going to get other people to Church if they aren't regular Church goers. I so graciously (ha ha) volunteered to do the Confirmation program this year, I guess this is where I will begin. It will be my challenge to show the young adults how the Gospel can transform their lives
ReplyDeleteOne of the lines that struck me in chapter 4 was this: "In modern society, a great separation has taken place between the various aspects of our lives. Many people feel that they need to leave the values and principles of their faith outside of certain activities." I think that we are so lucky here at Seton that we can incorporate our faith into all parts of the day, not just during religion class or when we attend mass. By showing the kids and by being a model to the kids, that is a place to start to show others that you can show your faith and values anytime, not just on Sunday. Is that easier said than done? Absolutely, but it is a challenge that needs to be undertaken.
ReplyDeleteI also thought a lot about the line in chapter 5 that stated, "We are the Church." How many times have we as teachers taught that to our students? If the Church is failing, it also has to do with us, the community, not only the leadership.
I would like to comment on Megan's remark about making it mass on a regular basis. It is difficult to look around mass on Saturday/Sunday and notice that the average age is between 55-80. I often worry about the future of the church. I would love to do a round table discussion to talk with younger families and adults. I know that these people need faith and have prayer lives. What is it that keeps them from being a part of their parishes? From attending mass? I would like to brainstorm ways of bringing them back.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be interesting to know how many families still pray together before each meal or have conversations about their faith and religion at home with one another. I think many families believe that if their children are sent to a Catholic School and church on a regular basis they are receiving all of the information and education they need about our faith. I think that the conversations and examples set within the family about giving of time, talent and treasure are equally important. When the students see it at school each day but don't bring that mindset into the community, it makes a big difference in how their daily lives.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting when Matthew Kelly wrote about how it is a challenge for some Catholics to make it to mass each weekend, even though it doesn't surprise me. From conversations with my students after the weekend, I know my students who attend mass regularly. There are also some who don't go to mass on weekends and they are not shy about telling you they didn't want to go or were too busy. I like to bring up the readings from mass in religion class, especially when it's something we've been talking about. Another part that really stuck out for me was the quote about how we should be living the Gospel. "Preach the Gospel at all times, and only when necessary use words."
ReplyDelete