The Catechetical Review - Communicating Christ for a New Evangelization

The Way of Bethlehem: A Spirituality for Catechists Pt II

From the beginning of time, God has revealed himself to humanity through his judgments, his laws, which are true and righteous and emanate from the heart of love and goodness in the Trinity. As Pope Benedict XVI writes: ‘The law is the visibility of the truth, the visibility of God’s countenance….’ The relationship to God and to his judgments that once came through the law and the prophets now comes in greater fullness through personal relationship in Jesus Christ who fulfilled that law. It is important for us as Christian catechists to understand about God’s judgments in our own lives. As we learn to identify these judgments of love and discipline and then come to trust and love them, we draw nearer to our Father and share more completely in the mission of the Son. In Part I of this article we saw how important it is for Christians to learn how to line up with God’s judgments by ‘agreeing’ with them quickly and so allow them to purify and make us more like Christ. In this second part, we’ll further consider the form God’s judgments may take in our daily lives. God uses every circumstance, every person, and every aspect of life to communicate with his children. No evil or difficulty is greater than his ability to transform it and work it—sometimes in the form of discipline necessary for growth in humility and love— for the good of those who love him. The Scriptures give us many examples of God’s judgments coming to whole peoples as well as to individuals. These inspired accounts, particularly those about individuals such as David and St. Paul, greatly aid us in our struggles to identify and come to grips with God’s way of speaking directly into our own lives. The stories of the saints also supply these helps, for here also are real human beings who have also obviously found the secret of loving God’s life-changing judgments.

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