Don't Let Your Work Keep You From This
We typically spend the majority of our most productive hours at work - some of us because we want to, most of us because we have to. A while back we talked about how this arrangement can cause a "weekend mentality" - a problem for some of us. We can easily slip into thinking - obsessing really - about how we'll find pleasure and enjoyment on the weekend as we grind through the work week.
And the fact is, with work taking up so much of our waking hours, and so much of our energy, it's easy to let our work distract us from much that we ought to attend to as Catholic men. Here's one example.
I was reading some remarks by Cardinal Weurl where he recognizes that Catholics have not been properly "catechized." He made these remarks in the context of the Year of Faith that began October 11th, as well as in the spirit of the "New Evangelization" that we keep hearing about. He specifically faults bad Catechesis and liturgical abuses for the lack of understanding about our Faith, which has led many Catholics to embracet, even be overwhelmed by, secular materialist culture. He's right.
So the thought then occurred to me: Can we expect the Bishops to finally - finally - insist that we teach the Faith, the fullness of Truth, to children? What I mean here is that - in case you haven't noticed - the Faith isn't really taught very well these days, and hasn't been taught very well for decades. And, of course, teaching the faith is a primary responsibility of the Bishops.
Now, we can rail all we want about how the Bishops haven't taught the faith properly. We can sit here and wonder about whether they will finally accept their responsibility for the horrendous lack of understanding of the Faith by so many Catholics (most, I'd guess). Or....
We Catholic men can accept the responsibility that God has given us to teach the faith.
What? I'm responsible for teaching the Faith? I'm not a Bishop. Besides I work hard all week to earn a living. I don't have time for this!
But, my friend, you must make time for this. And, yes, it is your responsibility.
First of all, if you have children, you (and your wife) bear primary responsibility for educating your children - and that includes educating them about their Faith. This means that even if the Faith isn't taught well at school or CCD class, you have to step in and make sure that your children understand their Faith properly. You have to raise them as real Catholics. Your role here is as a teacher. If you have to sit them down and teach them catechism properly, because the materials their religious instructors are using aren't doing the job, then that's what you must do.
We Catholic men must never excuse ourselves from this responsibility because we're so busy at work that we think we can't because we don't have the time or energy to do so.
Second, even if you don't have children, you still have to teach others the Faith. When you hear about the "New Evangelization," just remember that the reason we need a "New" Evangelization is that many Catholics slipped into what's known as "indifferentism" these past few decades. Indifferentism says that no one religion is superior to any other. Indifferentism is a heresy. If you know other Catholics who have accepted this false teaching, this heresy, it's your job to teach them the truth. In addition to giving good example in your words and actions, if you can find opportunities to explicitly teach other Catholics (and even non-Catholics, of course) the Truths of the Faith, then do that. If you don't feel confident to teach them, then make it your business to learn your Faith so that you can.
We Catholic men must never excuse ourselves from this responsibility because we're so busy at work that we think we can't because we don't have the time, or energy, or opportunity to do so. And if you're somehow "uncomfortable" speaking the truth to other Catholics, ask yourself why - and get over it.
And the fact is, with work taking up so much of our waking hours, and so much of our energy, it's easy to let our work distract us from much that we ought to attend to as Catholic men. Here's one example.
I was reading some remarks by Cardinal Weurl where he recognizes that Catholics have not been properly "catechized." He made these remarks in the context of the Year of Faith that began October 11th, as well as in the spirit of the "New Evangelization" that we keep hearing about. He specifically faults bad Catechesis and liturgical abuses for the lack of understanding about our Faith, which has led many Catholics to embracet, even be overwhelmed by, secular materialist culture. He's right.
So the thought then occurred to me: Can we expect the Bishops to finally - finally - insist that we teach the Faith, the fullness of Truth, to children? What I mean here is that - in case you haven't noticed - the Faith isn't really taught very well these days, and hasn't been taught very well for decades. And, of course, teaching the faith is a primary responsibility of the Bishops.
Now, we can rail all we want about how the Bishops haven't taught the faith properly. We can sit here and wonder about whether they will finally accept their responsibility for the horrendous lack of understanding of the Faith by so many Catholics (most, I'd guess). Or....
We Catholic men can accept the responsibility that God has given us to teach the faith.
What? I'm responsible for teaching the Faith? I'm not a Bishop. Besides I work hard all week to earn a living. I don't have time for this!
But, my friend, you must make time for this. And, yes, it is your responsibility.
First of all, if you have children, you (and your wife) bear primary responsibility for educating your children - and that includes educating them about their Faith. This means that even if the Faith isn't taught well at school or CCD class, you have to step in and make sure that your children understand their Faith properly. You have to raise them as real Catholics. Your role here is as a teacher. If you have to sit them down and teach them catechism properly, because the materials their religious instructors are using aren't doing the job, then that's what you must do.
We Catholic men must never excuse ourselves from this responsibility because we're so busy at work that we think we can't because we don't have the time or energy to do so.
Second, even if you don't have children, you still have to teach others the Faith. When you hear about the "New Evangelization," just remember that the reason we need a "New" Evangelization is that many Catholics slipped into what's known as "indifferentism" these past few decades. Indifferentism says that no one religion is superior to any other. Indifferentism is a heresy. If you know other Catholics who have accepted this false teaching, this heresy, it's your job to teach them the truth. In addition to giving good example in your words and actions, if you can find opportunities to explicitly teach other Catholics (and even non-Catholics, of course) the Truths of the Faith, then do that. If you don't feel confident to teach them, then make it your business to learn your Faith so that you can.
We Catholic men must never excuse ourselves from this responsibility because we're so busy at work that we think we can't because we don't have the time, or energy, or opportunity to do so. And if you're somehow "uncomfortable" speaking the truth to other Catholics, ask yourself why - and get over it.
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