The Catechetical Review - Communicating Christ for a New Evangelization

Overcoming Resistance (by God's grace!) to Church Teaching in Those We Catechize

Authored by Ken Ogorek in Issue #35.2 of The Sower
A disciple is one who shows discipline—who follows the teaching and example of another. Adam and Eve didn’t like being told what to do and we haven’t changed much since! Resistance Does Not Equal Error One of the most important messages I deliver in speaking, teaching etc. is as follows: “Never mistake resistance on your part for error on the Church’s part.” Because we’re all wounded by original sin, it would be surprising if we didn’t struggle occasionally—on our journey of learning the Faith—with a doctrinal or (more likely) a moral teaching of our Church. All too often I hear folks tell me of making the quantum leap from “I’m not sure about that teaching” to “That teaching needs to be reversed. The Church needs to get with the times!” It’s important that we help those we catechize know that it shouldn’t surprise or disconcert them if they find some aspects of Church teaching, initially at least, to be a hard saying. We should advise them to take their struggle to the Lord in prayer, saying essentially, “Lord I’m struggling with this teaching, but I know that you can neither deceive nor be deceived; and if a change is going to occur, it won’t be in the teaching but rather in me. Please help bring about a change my heart, Lord.” We might point out to our listeners that this prayer might need to be repeated on several occasions—maybe on many.

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

Editor’s Reflections: Eucharistic Communion and Seeing Those in Need
By Dr. James Pauley
Free The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that receiving the Eucharist “commits us to the poor” (1397). Why is this so? Receiving the Eucharist means that we enter into union with the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. And being in Holy Communion with Jesus himself means something profound. Let’s consider one facet of this great mystery.... Read more
The Anawim and the Kerygma
By Colin and Aimee MacIver
Sarah: aged and barren. Joseph: rejected, betrayed, and enslaved. Moses: desperately cast afloat in a basket. Daniel: sent to death by lions. Mary: unknown, unmarried, unbelieved. Salvation history is the story of the poor ones, the bowed down, the lowly—the anawim , as they are named in Hebrew. In both the Old Testament and the New, God tends to... Read more
The Spiritual Life: Poverty, Purity of Heart, & Eucharistic Living
By Sr. Alicia Torres, FE
Free This article is part of a 3-year series dedicated to promoting the efforts of the National Eucharistic Revival in the United States. “The Body of Christ.” “Amen.” Each time we participate in Mass, we have the opportunity to encounter the Lord Jesus in the most intimate way through the reception of Holy Communion. This moment is the most practical... 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