Jesus: the Master Catechist Lessons from Jesus on how to pass on the faith Bill Huebsch

Jesus:the Master Catechist

Lessons from Jesus on how to pass on the

faith

Bill Huebsch

Today

Try to learn from Jesus What it means to pass on the faith

Conversations here in this room Speak clearly Be brief I will repeat what you say for the tape

PastoralPlanning.com

Based on this book

Jesus: the Master Catechist

Twenty-Third Publications

Conversation #1

Think of Jesus as a teacher.What Gospel stories come to

mind?

Sermon on the Mount

Fra Angelico1440

San Marco Convent in Florence

Károly Ferenczy, HungarianLate 19th CenturyJesus MAFAHenrik OlrikWilliam Francis Bloch

The lesson from Jesus

The human heart is filled with hunger. no matter who we are or where we

live, no matter how rich or poor we’ve

become, no matter to whom we’re married,

or not married at all…

No matter what, we hunger. Jesus knows this.


And for what is it that we humans hunger? When we pause to consider this, in all it’s magnitude and power, we realize that we hunger for that

One who made us. We hunger for the divine heart. We hunger for God.


This desire for God is written into our very hearts, because we are created by God and

for God… Only in God will we ever find the

truth and happiness for which we never stop searching.

This is what Jesus offers our students.

Jesus taught this Matthew 5

The Message 3 You’re blessed when

you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

4 You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

The New American 3 Blessed are the poor

in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.



you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.

6 You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.

The New American 5 Blessed are the

meek, for they will inherit the land.

6 Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.



you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.

8 You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.


merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.



you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.

10 You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.


peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

10 Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.


The Message 48 In a word, what I’m

saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.

The New American 48 So be perfect, just

as your heavenly Father is perfect.

PastoralPlanning.com │ The Vatican II Center

As catechists

This is the good news To which we lead our students

We help them hear Jesus And carry him in their hearts… …this is the “living water” which

Jesus offered to the woman at the well

Conversation #2

How can we prepare the hearts of modern young people or adults

to receive Jesus ?

Modern life

Revenge Selfishness Ignore the poor Eat on the run Noise, noise,

noise

Be tan Be thin Be popular Wear the right

clothes Have the right

friends

Knowing Jesus

Forgiveness Generosity A heart for the poor Quiet prayer Shared meals Love Did I mention love?

Lesson from Jesus

He did not just drop doctrine on people’s heads

He spent time with his disciples He prepared their hearts (Faith matures as we grow in

it.) He explained the parables with

patience and love

Conversation #2

How can we prepare the hearts of modern young people or adults

to receive Jesus ?

Some ideas

Let your students meet YOU YOU are the key in this,

Not what’s in the textbook Have great patience with your

students Faith matures It isn’t something you can make

happen The Holy Spirit works at her own

speed

Zacchaeus

Familiar story Explore it from the point of view of

the lesson on catechesis it holds


Patience Companionship An interest in the daily life of your

students Shared meals during which you

talk about life, friends, and dreams Did I mention patience?

Conversation #3

How do you know that Jesus loves you and forgives you?

…that he opens his arms to you while you are still selfish,

strong-willed, and of too little prayer?

Hard to believe

That Jesus loves us while we are still sinners is hard to believe

It may even be a little annoying! Who wants someone to be nice to

them when you feel like a slug?

ThePastoralCenter.com │ The Vatican II Center

Why we can’t be holy We know we are sinners We don’t always come to church We have had divorce in our family Our son is gay Our daughter lives with her

boyfriend Shhhh….

We use birth control I should give more to the poor


But holiness…

Is lived as self-giving love You give yourself to each other And you try to “be the big one”

the art of self-giving love You don’t have to be perfect for this Dying to self is the ultimate goal of

life And the ONLY pathway to happiness


The Universal Call to Holiness

Vatican II used this word a lot It’s in our vocabulary

We should learn how to speak of it And we should teach that to others

Attach a new meaning to “holy” It’s the art of self-giving love


Is love enough?

Christ’s Paschal Mystery Self-emptying Service of others Putting oneself last and others first In a word, self-giving love

Not terribly theological A simpler understanding is that we

should do what Christ has done


Pope Francis

The Eucharist, although it is the fullness of sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.

These convictions have pastoral consequences that we are called to consider with prudence and boldness.The Joy of the Gospel 47



How can we help our students know and trust that they are loved?

This is the really good news.

It’s life-changing.



How do we help our students learn that Jesus loves them

no matter what?

Conversation #4

What does it take to shift from being

“a teacher with all the answers” to

“a companion on a journey of faith?”

Joy of the Gospel

“One who accompanies others must realize that each person’s

situation before God and their life in grace are mysteries which no one can fully know

from without.”Joy of the Gospel #172

Therefore

Withhold judgment Much as you may want to

condemn Look at the spec in your own eye as a

catechist And be compassionate

Lead them to the cross


Be a spiritual companion more than a teacher

Accompany others

Who accompanied you in your own journey?

Who had mercy on you?

John 21:1-14


These guys had run off and abandoned him in his hour of need

They denied him out of fear

But he never stopped loving them Never.


How’s it going? “Try this instead…” Come & share a

meal

Mercy. Love. Compassion.

Jesus teaches us how to love

This is an amazing amount of love Love despite our selfishness

You must demonstrate this yourself Your love must shine through What they see in you they will

recognize as being from Christ

Conversation #5

The kerygma is the core message of Jesus: Jesus Christ loves you; he gave his life to save you;

and now he is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen, and free you.

How do we keep this message on our lips in every lesson?

Joy of the Gospel #164

Difficult to teach

We must help our students grasp this reality

Pope Francis asks that this truth be “the first thing on our lips”

When we teach about Eucharist Or about the Trinity…

Eucharist Transubstantiatio

n The meaning of

the Rites Uniquely Catholic

theology Rules about

fasting Mortal sin for

missing Mass

An amazing sign of the love of God

Giving himself entirely to us

We become what we receive

We go to Mass in order to give, not to get

Remember…

The kerygma is the core message of Jesus:

Jesus Christ loves you; He gave his life to save you; Now he is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen, and free you. Joy of the Gospel #164

The Trinity Theology 3 persons in one

God Living in heaven “Consubstantial” Creeds Propositions

A community of love

Not out at the edge of the universe

Intimately near us

When we live in divine love, we live in the Trinity

Remember…

The kerygma is the core message of Jesus:

Jesus Christ loves you; He gave his life to save you; Now he is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen, and free you. Joy of the Gospel #164

Conversation #6

How can we listen to our students without judging them when they tell us about attitudes and actions that

we would otherwise condemn?

How can we love them while leading them to faith?


Luke 7 The sinful woman

She had been planning this She had listened to his teachings And she had seen how he treated

others That inborn hunger was very

strong So she made her way to Jesus


People condemned her But she knew her own heart And Jesus knew her heart, too

This is the key: Let the judgments be God’s

Not yours

Pope Francis

“People who judge others are wrong, mistaken, and defeated because they assume God’s place; but God is the one and only judge…

Jesus, before the Father, never accuses,

it is the opposite, he defends!”

Homily on June 23, 2014

With our students

Keep offering them forgiveness Offer them the hope of eternal love “I do not condemn you.”

No matter what, God loves you God walks with you You hunger for him

Turn your heart to him now…

Conversation #7

What is the most important lesson from Jesus that you

have learned about how to pass on the faith

to someone else?

For me, personally

Listen to the stories of others Talk less and listen more Follow-up questions

Let my own dying and rising be evident Not bragging But allowing my own faith to be seen As the thing that brings me inner

peace And saves me

Thank you

For what you do in your parish For being here today

For taking on this new mission Come Holy Spirit,

fill the hearts of your faithful enkindle in us the FIRE of your love!

PastoralPlanning.com

Based on this book

Jesus: the Master Catechist

Twenty-Third Publications

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Jesus: the Master Catechist Lessons from Jesus on how to pass on the faith Bill Huebsch