Introduction to A Catholic Guide for Busy Working Men
We recently suggested some items you could take to work with you that would help your spiritual life throughout the day. You can access those items even when you're super-busy and giving your full attention to whatever the workplace throws your way. Take a look if you missed them.
Today we're going to talk about a simple but comprehensive guide to your Catholic Faith. It basically covers all the important stuff and cuts right to the bottom line. It's one of the best sources I know to serve as an aide in learning and practicing your Catholic Faith. If you've ever used checklists in your business, or little "cheat sheets" that summarize the key points of a presentation, or that hit the key points of some product or service you offer, you'll appreciate this. Here's an example of what I mean.
I'm no great public speaker, but I have had to speak to groups from time to time. These groups sometimes consisted of colleagues at work, or management, or groups of customers, or potential customers. Rarely did I ever actually read a "speech." In fact, the people to which I was speaking probably would have been put off had I done that. On the other hand, I really wasn't comfortable just speaking "off the cuff." So I used to have a sheet of paper - usually only one - with some sort of outline. I'd jot down, better type out, the key items I wanted to address, in order.
I started doing this before Power Point was invented, or at least before it became so ubiquitous. And even after Power Point became the standard tool used in giving presentations, I stuck with it. The basic reason was that I wasn't comfortable just reading those Power Point bullets, as so often people do during presentations. In fact, my experience has been that too often people read those bullet points without really knowing what the heck they're talking about. Having been subjected to one too many of these sorts of sessions, and been either bored to tears of infuriated that my time was being wasted, I decided that even if I had to read those points to please my boss, I would still take the time to outline what I wanted to say and prepare myself using that outline.
So after jotting down my outline, here's what I would do. Before giving my presentation, I'd look at my points, one by one, and think about them. And not just think about what words I'd say to "fill in" the gaps between main point #1 and main point #2. From time to time, as I'd review my points, I'd realize I needed to know more about that particular item. And so I'd do some homework, some research. I always enjoyed discovering something new, something I didn't know, something that added to my knowledge as well as better prepared me to talk more naturally to my intended audience.
If you're in a similar situation, and you don't want to read a "speech" or read - worse, spit out - Power Point bullet points, I humbly suggest you use this outline idea.
Now back to the "Catholic Guide." I'm going to pass on something I found by Fr. Vincent Fitzpatrick. He calls it What Every Catholic Should Have Committed to Memory (and be able to define and discuss). Interesting, eh? Just like the outline we talked about above, the points require attention and in many cases homework. Father covers the following: Old Testament, New Testament, Church History, the Creed, Moral Life, the Sacraments, Prayer.
Simple breakdown, but pretty comprehensive, don't you think?
Next time we'll see how Father expands these topics, allowing for us - even the busiest of us - to discern what we already know and where we need to increase our knowledge, From there we can apply our knowledge and understanding to improve how we live day to day. We'll also be equipped to explain and, when necessary, defend our Holy Faith.
Exciting stuff. More next time...
Today we're going to talk about a simple but comprehensive guide to your Catholic Faith. It basically covers all the important stuff and cuts right to the bottom line. It's one of the best sources I know to serve as an aide in learning and practicing your Catholic Faith. If you've ever used checklists in your business, or little "cheat sheets" that summarize the key points of a presentation, or that hit the key points of some product or service you offer, you'll appreciate this. Here's an example of what I mean.
I'm no great public speaker, but I have had to speak to groups from time to time. These groups sometimes consisted of colleagues at work, or management, or groups of customers, or potential customers. Rarely did I ever actually read a "speech." In fact, the people to which I was speaking probably would have been put off had I done that. On the other hand, I really wasn't comfortable just speaking "off the cuff." So I used to have a sheet of paper - usually only one - with some sort of outline. I'd jot down, better type out, the key items I wanted to address, in order.
I started doing this before Power Point was invented, or at least before it became so ubiquitous. And even after Power Point became the standard tool used in giving presentations, I stuck with it. The basic reason was that I wasn't comfortable just reading those Power Point bullets, as so often people do during presentations. In fact, my experience has been that too often people read those bullet points without really knowing what the heck they're talking about. Having been subjected to one too many of these sorts of sessions, and been either bored to tears of infuriated that my time was being wasted, I decided that even if I had to read those points to please my boss, I would still take the time to outline what I wanted to say and prepare myself using that outline.
So after jotting down my outline, here's what I would do. Before giving my presentation, I'd look at my points, one by one, and think about them. And not just think about what words I'd say to "fill in" the gaps between main point #1 and main point #2. From time to time, as I'd review my points, I'd realize I needed to know more about that particular item. And so I'd do some homework, some research. I always enjoyed discovering something new, something I didn't know, something that added to my knowledge as well as better prepared me to talk more naturally to my intended audience.
If you're in a similar situation, and you don't want to read a "speech" or read - worse, spit out - Power Point bullet points, I humbly suggest you use this outline idea.
Now back to the "Catholic Guide." I'm going to pass on something I found by Fr. Vincent Fitzpatrick. He calls it What Every Catholic Should Have Committed to Memory (and be able to define and discuss). Interesting, eh? Just like the outline we talked about above, the points require attention and in many cases homework. Father covers the following: Old Testament, New Testament, Church History, the Creed, Moral Life, the Sacraments, Prayer.
Simple breakdown, but pretty comprehensive, don't you think?
Next time we'll see how Father expands these topics, allowing for us - even the busiest of us - to discern what we already know and where we need to increase our knowledge, From there we can apply our knowledge and understanding to improve how we live day to day. We'll also be equipped to explain and, when necessary, defend our Holy Faith.
Exciting stuff. More next time...
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