I finished this book last night and let me say, it is an excellent read. If you are looking to improve your faith, sustain your faith, or challenge yourself, this book has it all. The four signs of a dynamic Catholic are prayer, study, generosity, and evangelization. Mr. Kelly does an amazing job giving tangible ways to improve each, so each of us can be a dynamic Catholic.
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Parents, summer is upon us. As a young Catholic parent, I understand it is important to actively learn and be engaged in my Catholic faith. I've been reading this book by Matthew Kelly, a New York Times Bestseller, and an amazing presenter. I was first exposed to Matthew Kelly when I was in middle school. He spoke to our all school assembly over 10 years ago and from then on I've been following the amazing work he does. This book is the latest gem I've been reading. Kelly and his institute did a study and found the four most common signs of someone who is dynamic in their Catholic faith. Their study also found that only 6.8% of Catholic parishioners are engaged and active in their faith community, which means about 7% are doing everything for their faith community, pretty staggering considering what that means. Kelly explains the four signs and how to strengthen ourselves in them to become better dynamic Catholics in order to draw the 93% into the life of our Catholic parishes 1% at a time, which would make a world of difference. I hope to share more with you about this book as I read it and I highly recommend it. For a brief explanation of the book go to http://dynamiccatholic.com/four-signs-of-a-dynamic-catholic/ I have an app on my phone called Laudate. It's a Catholic app and you can access the daily readings and a reflection among many other prayers, etc. Yesterday, I was reading the readings and this was a part of the reflection. GATER-AID "My solemn word is this: I am the Sheepgate." John 10:7 Jesus is the Founder, Head, and Gate of the Church. If a person does not enter the Church through Jesus but climbs in some other way, that person will tend to be "a thief and a marauder" (Jn 10:1). For example, if a person entered into leadership of the Church primarily through the gates of education, giftedness, or popularity, that person's leadership will probably hurt the Church. Leaders need to be chosen by Jesus, the Good Shepherd and the Gate. How many organists, liturgists, DREs, youth directors, pastoral associates, members of parish councils, committee heads, etc., have entered into their positions in the Church through gates other than Jesus? We can apply this more personally by recognizing our families as "domestic Churches." Has every family activity, decision, TV program, and purchase entered your life through Jesus, the Gate? Does this explain how Dad's joy, Mom's peace, and the children's faith have been stolen? Jesus will only be the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Jn 14:6) for us if He is the Gateway. When Jesus is the Gateway, He is the Truth Who sets us free from lying thieves (see Jn 8:32) and Who gives us life to the full (Jn 10:10). Prayer: Father, I accept Your grace to make Jesus the only Gate into my life. Promise: "God has granted life-giving repentance even to the Gentiles." Acts 11:18 Praise: Teenage Juan persuaded his family to pray a daily rosary. http://site.adw.org/pdfs/2013-calendar-bw.pdf
Here's a great calendar for each day of Lent with great ideas from the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change. |
Parents must be acknowledged as the first and foremost educators of their children. Their role as educators is so decisive that scarcely anything can compensate for their failure in it. The right and duty of parents to give education is essential ...Familiaris Consortio (The Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World) 36. Helpful linksNathan Eten, Youth and Family Ministry CoordinatorParents are the primary catechists for their children. Here we hope you can find more support to live out our Catholic teachings and values to build up our young Church and the domestic church at home. Archives
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