Ok, now I've done it. I've gone and pulled an "Adoro".
Tonight at RCIA I was presented with an opportunity to sign up for future Gospel reflections and to be a Catechist.
Well, next week I'm speaking on the following Sunday's readings, so I'll be preparing a talk there.
The following week there is no class due to All Saints' Day...but the week after....
Are you ready?
My topic, my first topic as a Catechist...Catholic Social Teaching and the 10 Commandments.
I have a history of jumping into things with both feet. Law Enforcement, Firefighting...and neither of those ended so well for me. Now I'm doing it again. I'm jumping in as a catechist with both feet on maybe one of the more difficult and potentially controversially-charged topics. But I really felt called to choose this topic, so maybe there's a real purpose here.
But it requires study, so thank GOD I have the time to prepare!
Please, everyone, keep me in your prayers because I really will need them to get through the next few weeks...for more reason than one. (A recent tragedy I will blog about later).
Also, good resources on Catholic Social teaching are needed. Wasn't there a Vatican II document on this? Or an encyclical?
Last week I asked, "Lord, what must I do", but I guess then I will go into the next weeks with the query, "Lord, what have I done...?"
As always, please keep all RCIA students, catechists, and priests in your prayers.
7 comments:
Adoro: The formation of Catholic social teaching predates VII, though there are some documents on it that were released during the Council and after.
You may want to read the following(if you have time!):
Rerum Novarum (1891)
Quadragesimo Anno (1931)
Mater et Magistra (1961)
Pacem in Terris (1963)
Populorum Progressio (1967)
Laborem Exercens (1981)
Solicitudo Rei Socialis (1987)
Evangelium Vitae (1995)
Centesimus Annus (1991)
Pope Leo XIII is credited with being the first to express the social teaching of the church in an enyclical. The first two documents on the list are his.
I agree with Angela, I think you can incoporate the teachings on life into this. In fact, I don't think you can avoid it. I don't think of Catholic social teaching as just being on peace, war and unjust wage issues. You may want to look at Evangelium Vitae.
Also, Populorum Progressio and Dignitatis Humanae are useful.
The USCCB has some information on Catholic Social Teaching on their webpage.
There are probably summaries of each of the documents that I listed someplace.
The Lord and the Holy Spirit be with you! Let us know how it goes.
I'm sorry to hear you have had rough times lately. I hope all is well.
Adoro: Believe it or not, I forgot one! How could I forget Gaudium et Spes? That was a VII counciliar document.
See :
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
by Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
This is a later companion volume to the Catechism of the Catholic Church
and serves a similar function in relation to social teachings.
Looks like everyone else has already recommended excellent resources. You might also want to consider the Ten Commandments in light of what Christ said were the two greatest commandments: love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself. Each of the commandments falls under one of these two. Also, consider that most of the commandments regarding neighbors are prohibitions. You can turn these around and find positives expressed in them as well. For example, "do not covet your neighbor's possessions" expresses that we're not to desire goods for ourselves that belong others. It implies that we should desire goods for others that we have. "Do not bear false witness" implies speaking charitably, and by extension, acting charitably toward others.
You might also refer to a good primer on reconciliation and examination of conscience. Some of these are organized in relation to the Decalogue and include both sins of commission and omission. The latter would be particularly useful to you.
Thanks, everyone, for the great references. I've heard of many of them, but boy, to take and summarize...definitely no time for that!
I went to our local archdiocesan website and they have a few summary pages and teaching resources, although most are geared towards actual CLASSES, not just a 30 min overview of the subject.
I think the part on the 10 commandments will be easy because I was also thinking of using an examination of conscience as a reference and way of explaining them. It's more the Social Justice issue.
How does one take a topic which easily comprises rooms full of volumns on the topic...and talk about it for about 15-20 min and leave people with any idea whatsoever about wht they just heard?
I'll be doing a LOT of reading in the next few weeks...
~ Adoro
Adoro: Given that it is only a 15-20 minute talk (and you are right, now way can the richness of Catholic social teaching be done full justice in that time), I like theocoid's idea. Scan as much or as many documents as you have time and then try and tie them to the 10 commandments. The Catechism talks about each of the Commandments in turn. Perhaps, the footnoes reference some social teaching documents in the commandment section? I have the Compendium of Documents for the Catechism if you want to borrow it. It's a huge book. It corresponds to the first edition of the Catechism. It expands upon the footnoes in the Catechism with the appropriate document section or full document used to develop that #.
Adoro--cathy has a great list, but the simplest way to get the basics is looking at the USCCB's "Sharing Catholic Social Teaching" document. Very succinct, lists the primary themes and why they are all connected.
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