+JMJ
Dear Parishioners,
Did you know that a Catholic podcast was on the top of the list in popularity over this past year? A Catholic podcast got the most downloads of all podcasts! The podcast was “Bible in a Year", created by Father Mike Schmitz and Ascension Press. Well, there is a similar opportunity coming up for all of us, beginning January 1, 2023. Fr. Schmitz will provide a podcast called “The Catechism in a Year.” It seems everywhere I have been in the last couple of years, I ran into people who were working through Fr. Schmitz's “Bible in a Year.” Makes sense, right, given that it was the most downloaded podcast on the charts? I always heard high praise for that podcast. People learned a lot about the basic story-line of the Bible.
What about making “The Catechism in a Year” your New Year's resolution for 2023, regarding how you are going to study the Faith in the coming year? Catholics ought always to have some concrete plan for growing spiritually and intellectually in the Faith. A faith small group is a great way to cover much of the concrete plan. Obviously, weekly Mass has to be part of that plan. Then daily prayer. Some type of charity or service should be included. Then some spiritual reading (which might be part of the daily prayer time), and some intellectual reading. The intellectual reading helps us grow in our understanding of the Faith. I would put the Catechism in the category of intellectual reading.
Studying the Catechism of Catholic Church throughout this coming year is a great follow-up to the study of the Bible last year, since the Catechism can be considered the greatest commentary on the Bible. The Creed, the Sacraments, the Morality and Spirituality explained in the Catechism are the result of 2000 years of meditation on the person of Jesus Christ; and the Bible ultimately focuses on the person of Jesus Christ…. So you see how the Catechism can be called the best commentary on the Bible.
So, is the Lord calling you to consider “The Catechism in a Year” as your intellectual endeavor in the Faith for this coming year? Have a blessed Christmas!
In cordibus Iesu, Mariae et Iosephus,
Father Poggemeyer