We may correctly recall that the reason why God created us was that we would know, love and serve Him in this life and then be happy with him forever in Heaven. A critical point here is knowledge. Once we know God, we cannot help but love Him; loving Him, we will always want to serve Him. That is real happiness.
So, from the time when God revealed Himself to man, man sought to teach others about God. We have the Holy Bible with the prophets, the Psalms, the books of Wisdom. Then, we have fullness of Divine Revelation in Jesus Christ, true God and true man. Our Lord’s mission was to redeem us by His Sacrifice. But, He also taught us. He gave us the truth in a world mixed with truth and lies.
The Church has consistently carried on the mission of teaching as Christ commanded: “Go and teach all nations...” From the time of the Apostles, Catholic missionaries have educated all those to whom they were sent. Catholic schools were eventually established as well as parish catechetical programs. Almost all the Saints were involved in teaching the faith.
Through all of these years, catechesis was divided into four parts. First, there was doctrine, that is, what God has revealed. This part is a delineation of the twelve articles of the Apostles’ Creed. The second part concerns morality, what God tells is right and wrong. Then, catechesis focuses on prayer, the lifting up of our hearts and minds to God. Finally, the seven Sacraments are explained.
This Sunday is Catechetical Sunday in all the parishes of the United States.Teaching the faith is a work of love. Imparting truths concerning God and our relationship with Him is most valuable. It prepares the recipients to grow spiritually for the rest of their lives.
Because there is so much to understand and appreciate in the Catholic faith, the process of learning it should not stop. Unfortunately, for most practicing Catholics religious education ended with the eighth grade. I hope that we all continue to learn the deeply beautiful and enlightening truths of our faith. We have so many opportunities to do this without even venturing out of our homes. We can watch and listen to EWTN on TV and through the internet. Also, on the web, we have good trustworthy sources of Catholic information. Unfortunately not all are reliable, so don’t just google Catholic Church. It’s best to go to the source, such as vatican.va, ewtn.org, or our own website st-michael.org.
Let us try to know God better so that we will grow more in love with Him and eventually be happy with Him forever in Heaven.
Father Stanley
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