This chapter was a little more difficult for me to get into. I realize our Catholic Church needs radical changes just like Matthew Kelly stated. But what kind of changes are going to bring our young people back to the church? How can we make them feel welcome and want to attend the liturgy? I feel I have a good understanding of my faith which I enjoy teaching my students about on a daily basis. I pray that I am preparing them for better lives. I like to let them share their thoughts by providing them with questions that are thought provoking to help them discover the truth. So they can become the best version of themselves. I also try to be a role model by living the values and principles of the gospel in my own life. I hope that other people can understand this and see me as their friend living the gospel.
I'm glad to hear that Debbie was asking the same question, "How do we change in a positive way?" I think that young people want God. My mom just commented on how awesome it is to see so many young people in the Farley church. I think that prayer is the only way we will get the answer to our above question. Leaders, willing to do what God is calling them to do, however small or great, is what we need. I can't wait to see the awesome things that God has planned, because I see God working in people already!
I totally agree with Deb and Abby and the question that had me thinking was how should the Church change in the 21st century? Many of us think we know how the church should change, but we it is important that we understand what authentic change is. I believe we do need to change, but we need authentic change and that we need to start teaching Catholics about their yearning for happiness and the role discipline plays in the fulfillment of that yearning. I know some people think that we need to go back to what we had many years ago, but as it was stated: God never goes back, he always moves forward. This is so true in our own daily lives. There are times when we wish we could go back but we need to always look ahead and ask ourselves what can we do to make things better?
It will be interesting to see how things are a year from now. The New Roman Missal will be implemented during Advent, 2011. How will people react to the changes? People say it is an attempt to be true to the real translation of the language originally used to write the bible. I'm not really sure that this is the kind of change we should be worrying about right now--we need the kind of change that will bring people back to/or join our faith.
Debbie posed the never ending dilema of how do we get the youth of today to return to the church and take an active part? It is very difficult as we can only hypothesize why they have strayed away. I think we can only continue to welcome them and help them feel at home with the church. With the recent change of the pastor in Dyersville, we know do a few things differently. At the start of mass everyone turns to greet the people around them. At first I was uncomfortable because I didn't always know the people around me real well. After several weeks I see that it is a way for everyone to feel welcom. The baptism practice has changed. Now the couple, the child and the sponsors march up in mass and the baptism is done right after the homily. If Fr. Gross is in a good mood, he also sings and carries the child around the church. With grandchild #7 due in February, I am wondering how they will feel about this. At Adven we will begin recieving the blood along with the body at communion. All recipents will process to the front of church. This will be a big change for some as they truly have never seen the front of the church because they always sit in the back sections. It will be interesting how this idea will be recieved!!! All distributors found out a few weeks ago and the congregation was told this past week in the bulletin. Will the people embraced this change?? time will tell.
I think the way we get young people back in the church and taking an active part is prayer. I feel that young people don't go to church because it has never been important in their lives. The more we as teachers, teach the students the great things the church does and the importance of taking their faith out to share with others the more we may see young people in church.
When I read the nineteenth chapter, I saw a statement that stuck out to me. Matthew Kelly talked about the quote people say, “The Church really needs to change.” I agree with him when he said we need to realize that we are the Church. We need to be willing to change. To have change, we need become spiritual people.
One of the saddest parts of the chapter was when Matthew Kelly discussed how people who are in their twenties and thirties rarely attend Mass. I know many people my age who do not attend Mass. Some of them use prayer to stay connected to God. I believe this is good, but I also believe it is important to attend Mass.
The part of the chapter that really shows our influence as teachers in our students’ lives is the importance of Catholic education. Matthew Kelly said, “The Catholic education system has the potential to play an unfathomable role in the renewal of the Church.” I agree that it is important for teachers to talk to the students about what the Church teaches about and why the Church teaches us the way it does. We have such an important role in helping the students to become spiritual people. I believe that one of the best ways to help the students on their spiritual path is by being spiritual people ourselves.
In addition, I also agree that we need to invite and make people feel welcome in our Church by having outreach programs. Like us, other people want to feel like they belong in the Church.
I agree with Steph that many young people don't go to church because it has never been important to them. I did not grow up Catholic but I was always curious about church and God and I often asked my friends about the Catholic religion. My husband also grew up Catholic and every since I met him, there are not many times I can count that we missed church. It was very important to him to make sure he got to church and by working here and becoming Catholic and seeing how important it was to my husband, it became very important to me as well. I think the more we promote what a great and positive thing it is, the more the young people in our communities will come.
I also agree with Steph and Megan about young people not going to church because it hasn't been important to them and to Megan, what a wonderful example you have had in your life, as well as the example you are showing! I have family who fell away from going to mass, but through prayer and feeling the need to have that closeness to God again, have returned to attending mass. I think that it will take prayer and like the author stated, friendship, to get change going in the church. I pray and hope that the example I try to show to my students and my own children will stay with them and keep them faithful Catholics.
This chapter was a little more difficult for me to get into. I realize our Catholic Church needs radical changes just like Matthew Kelly stated. But what kind of changes are going to bring our young people back to the church? How can we make them feel welcome and want to attend the liturgy?
ReplyDeleteI feel I have a good understanding of my faith which I enjoy teaching my students about on a daily basis. I pray that I am preparing them for better lives. I like to let them share their thoughts by providing them with questions that are thought provoking to help them discover the truth. So they can become the best version of themselves. I also try to be a role model by living the values and principles of the gospel in my own life. I hope that other people can understand this and see me as their friend living the gospel.
I'm glad to hear that Debbie was asking the same question, "How do we change in a positive way?" I think that young people want God. My mom just commented on how awesome it is to see so many young people in the Farley church. I think that prayer is the only way we will get the answer to our above question. Leaders, willing to do what God is calling them to do, however small or great, is what we need. I can't wait to see the awesome things that God has planned, because I see God working in people already!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Deb and Abby and the question that had me thinking was how should the Church change in the 21st century? Many of us think we know how the church should change, but we it is important that we understand what authentic change is. I believe we do need to change, but we need authentic change and that we need to start teaching Catholics about their yearning for happiness and the role discipline plays in the fulfillment of that yearning. I know some people think that we need to go back to what we had many years ago, but as it was stated: God never goes back, he always moves forward. This is so true in our own daily lives. There are times when we wish we could go back but we need to always look ahead and ask ourselves what can we do to make things better?
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see how things are a year from now. The New Roman Missal will be implemented during Advent, 2011. How will people react to the changes? People say it is an attempt to be true to the real translation of the language originally used to write the bible. I'm not really sure that this is the kind of change we should be worrying about right now--we need the kind of change that will bring people back to/or join our faith.
ReplyDeleteDebbie posed the never ending dilema of how do we get the youth of today to return to the church and take an active part? It is very difficult as we can only hypothesize why they have strayed away. I think we can only continue to welcome them and help them feel at home with the church. With the recent change of the pastor in Dyersville, we know do a few things differently. At the start of mass everyone turns to greet the people around them. At first I was uncomfortable because I didn't always know the people around me real well. After several weeks I see that it is a way for everyone to feel welcom. The baptism practice has changed. Now the couple, the child and the sponsors march up in mass and the baptism is done right after the homily. If Fr. Gross is in a good mood, he also sings and carries the child around the church. With grandchild #7 due in February, I am wondering how they will feel about this. At Adven we will begin recieving the blood along with the body at communion. All recipents will process to the front of church. This will be a big change for some as they truly have never seen the front of the church because they always sit in the back sections. It will be interesting how this idea will be recieved!!! All distributors found out a few weeks ago and the congregation was told this past week in the bulletin. Will the people embraced this change?? time will tell.
ReplyDeleteI think the way we get young people back in the church and taking an active part is prayer. I feel that young people don't go to church because it has never been important in their lives. The more we as teachers, teach the students the great things the church does and the importance of taking their faith out to share with others the more we may see young people in church.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the nineteenth chapter, I saw a statement that stuck out to me. Matthew Kelly talked about the quote people say, “The Church really needs to change.” I agree with him when he said we need to realize that we are the Church. We need to be willing to change. To have change, we need become spiritual people.
ReplyDeleteOne of the saddest parts of the chapter was when Matthew Kelly discussed how people who are in their twenties and thirties rarely attend Mass. I know many people my age who do not attend Mass. Some of them use prayer to stay connected to God. I believe this is good, but I also believe it is important to attend Mass.
The part of the chapter that really shows our influence as teachers in our students’ lives is the importance of Catholic education. Matthew Kelly said, “The Catholic education system has the potential to play an unfathomable role in the renewal of the Church.” I agree that it is important for teachers to talk to the students about what the Church teaches about and why the Church teaches us the way it does. We have such an important role in helping the students to become spiritual people. I believe that one of the best ways to help the students on their spiritual path is by being spiritual people ourselves.
In addition, I also agree that we need to invite and make people feel welcome in our Church by having outreach programs. Like us, other people want to feel like they belong in the Church.
I agree with Steph that many young people don't go to church because it has never been important to them. I did not grow up Catholic but I was always curious about church and God and I often asked my friends about the Catholic religion. My husband also grew up Catholic and every since I met him, there are not many times I can count that we missed church. It was very important to him to make sure he got to church and by working here and becoming Catholic and seeing how important it was to my husband, it became very important to me as well. I think the more we promote what a great and positive thing it is, the more the young people in our communities will come.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Steph and Megan about young people not going to church because it hasn't been important to them and to Megan, what a wonderful example you have had in your life, as well as the example you are showing! I have family who fell away from going to mass, but through prayer and feeling the need to have that closeness to God again, have returned to attending mass. I think that it will take prayer and like the author stated, friendship, to get change going in the church. I pray and hope that the example I try to show to my students and my own children will stay with them and keep them faithful Catholics.
ReplyDelete