Pop-Up Catechesis: Practicing Humility

Being humble is definitely not in vogue these days! In fact, quite the opposite is true as celebrities, athletes, and politicians all seem determined to toot their own horns as loudly as possible. Unfortunately, humility too often gets bad press in our contemporary culture, which tends to view it as a belittling of oneself. Humility, however, is “not thinking less of yourself, but thinking about yourself less.” (C.S. Lewis) Humility is simply seeing ourselves as […]

7 Keys to Spiritual Wellness: Who’s Your Court Jester?

Editor’s note: Today we start a series inspired by Joe Paprocki’s book 7 Keys to Spiritual Wellness. In the book, Joe introduces each key with a fun or thought-provoking question. Each Friday we’ll share an excerpt from 7 Keys to Spiritual Wellness that poses a question, followed by a response by a catechist or catechetical leader. Today, Bob Burnham, catechist and author of Little Lessons from the Saints, responds to the first question. We invite […]

The Student Teaches the Catechist About Reconciliation

I often wonder if I am effective catechist. Too many times, the ninth graders I teach sit with blank stares and respond to questions with disinterested shrugs. I suspect that many of them are simply counting the days until their Confirmation, because they will no longer have to go to faith formation class. I often wonder what will happen to the seeds of faith I have scattered: will they take root or will birds come […]

Talking About Humility

I noticed that author Jane Knuth (Thrift Store Saints) asked a question about humility yesterday on the People for Others blog. In particular, she mentions the following quote from St. Vincent de Paul and then asks readers to share their understanding of the quote. The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is humility. For, as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from […]