Catholicism 101: Is Catholicism a denomination?

  1. Intent of sessions: initiate a discussion. Much more informal that TOT or other like things
  2. Format:
  3. Three things:
  4. List of suggestions to read
  5. Short talk
  6. Lots of Q&A! Opportunity for you to speak on things on your minds related to the topic, conscious that many people don’t get that chance today
  7. Especially helpful for catechists, but we should recall today that every Christian is a missionary; we are intrinsically so by baptism. Faith is not private! But…can’t give what don’t have, whether at home or elsewhere
  8. Bibliography
  9. Some brief things to consider, and some essentials we should all have
  10. Introduction:
  11. Why are you a Catholic?
  12. Scandals among priests
  13. Scandals among laity
  14. Gospel is not for the faint of heart
  15. More entertaining places to be on Sunday!
  16. What is God’s will?
  17. To reveal Himself…that all may have access to the Father
  18. DV2 (John 17:3; 1 Tim 2:4; 2 Pet 1:4).
  19. How does this happen? Where does one find access to the Father?
  20. In Scripture – the history of His saving deeds (although remember that Revelation is not limited to the words but includes the things He has done – more on that in two months)
  21. Old Testament: God initiates a relationship; breaks into people’s lives; calls certain folks to friendship with a two-fold intent
  22. To grant access to Himself
  23. To send out to tell others
  24. This culminates in Christ (cf. Heb 1:1f)
  25. How do I meet Jesus?
  26. Lots of places:
  27. Scripture
  28. Community
  29. Ordained
  30. But in a particular way in the liturgy, and above all in the Eucharist
  31. This is the actual place of God’s revelation: not merely reading and commentary but hearing and responding and becoming what God intends: the Body of Christ, i.e., the Church
  32. The Old Testament has a center – the Exodus – the Passover – received from God (Ps 111:4). This defined them.
  33. New Testament has a center – Paschal Mystery – Eucharist – received from Christ (“Do this in memory of Me”)
  1. Define some terms
  2. Catholic
  3. Not merely universal, if by that mean “open to all ideas”. OK if mean open to all, no matter race, origin, or condition. For the early Church had to do with being spread abroad over the whole world, so, on Pentecost, it was already Catholic
  4. Has to do with drawing all together, because the Church offers to all the desires of our hearts
  5. Church
  6. Ecclesia/qahal: called together, gathered.
  7. Means there is an Initiator, a Gatherer.
  8. Means there is a plan – an ultimate one, and, because of that, a plan for here and now