The Catechetical Review - Communicating Christ for a New Evangelization

Catechesis in Contemporary Culture: Freedom

Authored by Brian Pizzalato in Issue #29.4 of The Sower
Freedom! What a wonderful gift we have been given in free will. Everyone values their freedom, from the youngest to the oldest. We are appalled when a person’s, or a groups of peoples, freedom is repressed. We recoil in horror when we think of the Nazi’s, or the totalitarian regimes of communism, and what they did to those they conquered. In the field of catechesis we must always emphasize, and respect, the freedom of the human person. When we teach the Gospel we are proposing, not imposing. However, we must also try to diagnose whether we and our students have a correct or incorrect understanding of freedom. As catechists we must affirm what is right, as well as disabuse our students of what is wrong, in their understanding of freedom. Unfortunately, their understanding of freedom is likely to reflect that which was described by the Second Vatican Council: ‘Our contemporaries make much of this freedom and pursue it eagerly; and rightly to be sure. Often, however, they foster it perversely as a license for doing whatever pleases them, even if it is evil.’ (Gaudium et Spes 17) St. Peter warns us, ‘Live as free men, yet without using your freedom as a pretext for evil…’ (1 Pet 2:16)

The rest of this online article is available for current subscribers.

Start your subscription today!


This article is from The Sower and may be copied for catechetical purposes only. It may not be reprinted in another published work without the permission of Maryvale Institute. Contact [email protected]

Articles from the Most Recent Issue

We Belong to One Another: Seeking Solidarity with the Poor
By Philip Couture
When encountering a person living on the streets, a distressing question is imposed on the well-intentioned passerby: “Should I do something?” The question is especially disquieting for the Catholic who is reminded of the Savior’s exhortations, who tells his disciples that anything they do for the “least of these” is done for him. And what... Read more
Practical Strategies to Promote Vocations
By Fr. Tyron Tomson
Most of them didn’t go to Catholic schools. A quarter of them never served at Mass. Only about half were ever in a youth group, and a good chunk are converts. A majority of them are over 40 years old. One in three has no European ancestry. By statistical and anecdotal analyses, the newest priests of the United States come from varied, even... Read more
Resting in the Lord: Liturgy and Education
By Leonardo Franchi
In his important apostolic letter Dies Domini (“Keeping the Lord’s Day Holy”), St. John Paul II argues that to rest is to re-member (put together again) the sacred work of creation on the day set aside for worship, thus orienting times of rest toward a deeper contemplation of God’s vision of humanity. “Rest therefore acquires a sacred value: the... Read more

Pages

Watch Tutorial Videos

We've put together several quick and easy tutorial videos to show you how to use this website.

Watch Now