An interesting aspect of Catholicism
is the fact the Catholic Church has the oldest, deepest, and most
philosophically vibrant history of any Christian denomination. There are so
many fascinating aspects of Catholic theology, tradition, and practices, that it
would take a lifetime just to list them all, let alone learn and understand each
one.
With so much rich history and weighty
doctrines, you would think Catholics are the most religiously knowledgeable
people around. Unfortunately, the exact opposite is true. Average American
Catholics—and I’m talking even about folks who go to Mass on a regular basis—do
not understand core Church teachings very well, and they are usually quite
ignorant about the Church’s rich history.
Well, in my parish, anyway, we’re trying
to do something about this. We will be hosting a video series called “Symbolon:
The Catholic Faith Explained.” The program was produced by the Augustine
Institute in Denver, Colorado. There are two primary sections. The first series
of videos focus on knowing the faith. Basic doctrinal topics include: the
nature of God, the Trinity, divine revelation, the Bible, the identity of
Jesus, His death and Resurrection, the Church, Mary and the Saints, and this
crucial question: What happens after we die?
The second part of the program focuses
on living the faith. Topics include: the sacraments, especially the Eucharist;
a walk through the Mass; Catholic morality; and Catholic social teachings.
The Symbolon program features dozens
of nationally-known Catholic teachers. The state-of-the-art videos were filmed
on location in Rome, the Holy Land, and Calcutta, as well as in the studios and
classrooms of the Augustine Institute.
The program was created in the first
place for one simple reason: Catholicism is an entire way of life, but nowadays
most people have lost sight of this truth. Sure, many folks are familiar with
various aspects of the Catholic faith, but if they asked themselves whether the
faith makes much of a difference in their lives, the honest answer quite often
would be, “No, not really.”
Our modern world has become very
compartmentalized, and we’re rather adept at thinking about faith for an hour
on Sunday morning, and then shifting back to a thoroughly secular frame of mind
the rest of the week.
The goal of the Symbolon series is to help
adults discover, or re-discover, the beauty and richness of the Catholic faith,
and to live in the light of Christ’s joy and peace seven days a week.
The best part of the Symbolon program,
in my humble opinion, is that it explores these rather deep and weighty
concepts in a very easy-to-understand format. Even though the hosts and
teachers in the videos are brilliant theologians with advanced doctorate
degrees, they are wise enough to understand that the target audience—we average
Sunday pew-sitters—are not exactly rocket scientists, nor have we been trained
very well in basic Catholic concepts. So the format is laid-back and relaxed,
nothing like an intense classroom. Each 90-minute session will consist of a
couple of videos, a little prayer time, and an opportunity for some discussion
(but only if you want to participate!). Also, there is no homework and no
tests.
My parish is Immaculate Heart of Mary
in Harwinton, CT, and our program begins on Monday, April 27th, at 6:30 p.m. We
will meet on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month. The program is open to
anyone—I mean anyone—who wants to learn more about the Catholic faith. And if
you’re reading this online right now in, say, Florida or Ireland, then you’d
better leave the house right now so you’re not late.
By the way, I’m privileged to be part
of the team that will facilitate the meetings—but please don’t let that keep
you from coming!
No comments:
Post a Comment