Religious Education Supplement

Menu for an adult faith-filled feast

An invitation from our bishops:

“For adults to fulfill their roles … their faith formation must be life-long, just as they must continue to learn to keep up in the changing world.”
- Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us, #29

Appetizers

Appetizers and “small-plate” meals—for those with lighter appetites and/or little time:

• Take Five: Meditations with Pope Benedict XVI (Our Sunday Visitor, 2009), by Mike Aquilina and Father Kris Stubna
  • “Find clarity, direction and inspiration with five brief minutes of quiet reflection as if led by Pope Benedict himself.”
• www.universalis.com
  • Log on to this Web site to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, the daily prayers prayed by priests, religious and laity at different times throughout each day. It is a British Web site so texts and feast days may differ slightly from what is used in the U.S.
• www.h2onews.org
  • Log on to this Web site with an international flair to view online video news reports about the life of the Church, and social or cultural events that directly pertain to Catholics living throughout the world. On-demand interviews, archives and documentaries are available to provide up-to-date information. With options to view videos in Italian, French, Spanish and many other languages, this is also a great site to test your foreign language skills.

Main Entrees

Main entrees—for those with a hearty appetite ready to “dig in” and study:

• “Caritas in Veritate” (“Charity in Truth”)
  • Issued last July, Pope Benedict XVI’s first social encyclical, “Caritas in Veritate” (“Charity in Truth”), provides sound Catholic insights to many of today’s pressing problems. But, as has been a theme in the teachings of the current pope, these insights are rooted in love and truth:
  • “Charity is at the heart of the Church’s social doctrine. Without truth, without trust and love for what is true, there is no social conscience and responsibility, and social action ends up serving private interests and the logic of power” (#5).
  • To purchase a bound copy, log on to www.ignatius.com or go to a Catholic book store. It can be found on the Internet by logging on to www.vatican.va/phome_en.htm and clicking on the banner for “Caritas in Veritate.” A study guide for the encyclical has been produced by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and it can be found at www.usccb.org/jphd/caritasinveritate/index.shtml.
• Free online Scripture courses at www.salvationhistory.com/studies/courses/online
  • These courses are geared for individual study based on solid biblical scholarship. Topics include “Covenant Love: Introducing the Biblical Worldview” to “The Lamb’s Supper: The Bible and the Mass” to “Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God,” and others.
• Magnificat
  • Magnificat can be used while praying at daily Mass and can also be read at home for personal or family prayer. This monthly liturgical prayer book provides a fitting way to enter fully into the Church’s liturgical rhythms and spiritual legacy. You can investigate buying a subscription at www.magnificat.com.

Dessert

Something “sweet”—to be savored in small portions or large:

• Our Sunday Visitor’s Treasury of Catholic Stories (Our Sunday Visitor, 2001), compiled and edited by Gerald M. Costello
  • A collection of 100 favorite stories that Catholics love to tell again and again. The stories are arranged to illustrate basic Church teachings.
• www.pope2you.net
  • This Web site can help you stay connected to the pope. It has links to the pope’s YouTube and Facebook sites as well as an iPhone application and WikiCath. This is a “sweet” spot for the technology buffs around the house.
• www.gracebeforemeals.com
  • This is a Web site for Catholics of all ages who like to eat, and want to explore the connection between meals, family and faith. There are family meal “conversation starters,” recipes and “webisodes,” which mingle conversation about faith with cooking simple recipes. You can also sign up for the “Grace before Meals” e-mail blast, which contains a faith topic, family-based ideas and a recipe. †