MISSION

A Revitalized Catechesis

The Deeper Meaning behind Christian Doctrine

Catechesis in the post-conciliar period underwent a time of hardship and virtual collapse in the west. The teaching of our rich, vibrant Christian Faith became perfunctory. Our deep sacramental world-view was flattened out. The generations brought up in this time were left largely uninspired by the Great Story and unable to see, let alone communicate, its profound mystery and beauty.

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"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you."

John 6:53

Modernity brought about an experiential and subjectivizing approach in philosophy and religious teaching. Hyper-emphasizing the universality between all religions or spiritualities. Well intentioned as this was, the result was a watering down of Christianity in the broader culture. Jesus Christ became viewed as one spiritual teacher among many. His startling nature was tamed. Messaging of the revolution He brought was domesticated and the verve of Catholicism turned bland and muted.

Pew Research studies verify a consensus held amongst pastors in the west that we have experienced a collapse of catechesis in the decades following the council. Today studies show that even amongst Catholics who still regularly attend Mass or those who were raised in the Faith, there exist fundamental misunderstandings. Some of which are actually antithetical to the Faith or Catholic truth claims.

Christianity is distinct, beautiful and bold.

Vatican II summoned us to "read the signs of the times". Lay people were meant to see what was happening in the culture through the lens of Christ as logos - leading us to a deeper, truer understanding of ourselves and reality. Not for our own personal gain or satisfaction but to aid in sanctifying the world. Instead, a gradual and generational process set in whereby we began reading the Gospel through the lens set by the culture.

Christianity is distinct, beautiful and bold. Its theology and the claims made by it are unlike those made by any other religion or spiritual code. The truths about reality-and-being revealed in Christ break, remake and raise our understanding of who we are and what is possible. Catechesis helps us better understand the mystery behind Christian Doctrine.

A Revitalized Catechesis

As we revitalize our catechesis and renew our understanding and implementation of a Catholic apologetics, we ought to equip ourselves with some of the core questions, issues and misunderstandings facing younger people today.

Frequently Asked Questions &

Basic Catholic Doctrine

What we mean by God
St. Augustine said, "Si comprehendis, non est Deus" meaning something like, "If you understand it, it's not God." God the father, in his fullness, is inaccessible to us as limited finite beings. But we can know some things about God and his divine attributes simply by being receptive to the self-evident truth present within our reality and human experience.
God is being itself and thus metaphysically greater than anything in the material domain. Everything in the material world is and owes its being to the ground and cause and source of all being, which is God.
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The Trinity
Reality exists in relationship. In times of retrospection, have you ever uttered the phrase, "What was I thinking?" In this "Double I" phenomenon we see that our mind is able to make an image of itself. There is a higher observer, which typically constitutes some form of ideal. The lower observer is us in each moment, whose actions can be judged or assessed by the higher observer as meeting the ideal to varying degrees of success. When properly ordered, our higher and lower selves exist in harmonious relationship to one another. The higher acts as a beacon or guiding light. Out of love, it calls the lower self to meet and become one with its meaning, purpose and identity.
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Incarnation
Is the perennial human story NOT one of embodiment of higher ordered principals? Across time and cultures and differing faiths, have we not ultimately been called to be something more than our primitive, animal instincts would inevitably lead us to? We want to be good, truthful, beautiful, brave, loving, etc.
In the Incarnation and the God-Man Jesus Christ, the story of humankind became real in a shocking way. A way the reveals our deepest and truest meaning, purpose and identity.
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The Eucharist
For better or worse, each one of us will go through some sort of life changing event at some point in our lives. This event does not necessarily mean a change to our physical being, although it could. More often than not, the change made by such an event effects us and alters who we are at a much deeper level than our mere physical state. When an umpire calls a player "out", when a police officer says "you're under arrest", a change in being has occurred under the authority of the law.
These examples of authority pale in comparison to Gods divine authority. Gods word is creative, and so, what he says, is. Christ said "This is my body and my blood..." and in a process of deification, we are blessed to receive His Real and True presence in the Eucharist.
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The Resurrection
Sin and death were ushered into human experience as a consequence of The Fall. In prideful taking of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, we endeavor to know the good as we determine it. We build and shape ourselves and our societies around this interpretation of the good - and suffer the consequences of it ad infinitum.
Our separation from God, and from our ultimate meaning, purpose, and identity, is a type of death, albeit spiritual. Our fallen state of consciousness into primarily the material realm facilitates the view of bodily death as our ultimate end.
But Christianity, rooted in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, reveals a totally different ending.
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The Sacraments
The Sacraments are a mystical and spiritual rite of receiving Gods grace. St. Leo The Great said, "What was visible in our savior, has now passed over into His mysteries." The event of the Incarnation is prolonged through the Sacraments, across space and time.
We see the Incarnational structure on display in regard to matter and form. Material things such as bread, water, wine, hands, are no doubt present. But also present is the accompanying word, or form, which gives matter its meaning.
By receiving the Sacraments we encounter Christ and are spiritually nourished, healed, renewed, and sent on the ultimate mission of our lives.
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Mary Mother of God
Early Church Fathers have rightly pointed out the parallel and correction to Adam and Eve, made by Mary and Jesus. Through her faith and fidelity, Mary becomes the new Eve, and begins the revolution that was completed by Jesus as the new Adam. The revolution of bringing the human race back "online" so to speak. Mary teaches us a great deal about living a life receiving Gods grace and offering it back to him as sacrifice.
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What is the Bible?
The Bible is not A book. It's a collection of books. The Greek word ta biblia literally means "The Books". The Bible is more properly understood as a library. Full of varying genres all offering up their own vision of truth in reality and our human experience.
The Bible is not an old dusty book on bronze age mythology full of stories that have no relevance in our post-modern age. The Bible is alive. The stories of the Bible tell us something true about ourselves and the world in which we live. The Bible describes reality and cannot be separated from it.
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What is divine revelation?
Our word "revelation" comes from the Latin word revelatio, meaning "to uncover". The Greeks used the word apokalypsis to describe revelation, which meant a "lifting of the veil".
As Catholics, we believe that Truth exists and does reveal itself to us. We believe that we are made and blessed to come into a relationship of knowing with truth. The patterns of intelligibility woven through the created world helps to shed light on the goodness and order and truth behind creation.
The Christian God calls to us and speaks to us. And did so in a profound way as author of The Great Story.
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ALL ROADS CATHOLIC MEDIA

All of us together are His Mystical Body.

All Roads Catholic Media highlights Jackson Catholic Parish events, Holy Sacraments, and personal witness from parishioners.  Our mission is to help the younger generations feel comfortable participating in parish life, to understand and live out their faith more boldly, and to evangelize more effectively in their everyday lives.

ABOUT US
ALL ROADS CATHOLIC MEDIA

Mission

Catechesis

A time of formation and receiving of the deep, mysterious and miraculous truth claims of Christianity.

Evangelization

We are called and sent on mission. Our mission is to embody and share the good news of real freedom and ultimate love.

Apologetics

An intelligent and nuanced defending of the Faith. "Be prepared to give reason for the hope that is within you."