Catechists Have the Most Beautiful Feet!

Joe Paprocki Christmas

Christmas socks

The First Reading for Mass During the Day on Christmas proclaims:

How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings glad tidings,
announcing peace, bearing good news,
announcing salvation, and saying to Zion,
“Your God is King!” (Isaiah 52:7)

I’ve said this before here on Catechist’s Journey, but it bears repeating: catechists have the most beautiful feet! Why? Because catechists are the ones who, day in and day out, bring glad tidings, announce peace, bear good news, and announce salvation to those they teach. What do each of these mean in practical terms?

  • Catechists bring glad tidings. Some tidings (news) cause fear, while other tidings cause sadness. The tidings that catechists announce bring joy and gladness—another word for delight. And what are those tidings? That God is with us!
  • Catechists announce peace. Peace is the reality that happens when God’s will and human wills intersect. Catechists announce peace by announcing that God is with us and that his will is accessible.
  • Catechists bear good news. Catechists bring the good news that God is near to us! And we don’t just bring it; we “bear it,” which means that we embody it.
  • Catechists announce salvation. Catechists do not announce self-improvement; we announce salvation! And this salvation comes to us as a Person: Jesus Christ, who is not just a wise man, a good teacher, or a deep philosopher. He is our Savior, the One who saves us from that over which we have no power: sin (separation from God).

And so, as we celebrate the glorious Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, Jesus Christ, I once again thank you—all catechists—for your beautiful feet!

Christmas Blessings!

Print Friendly, PDF & EmailPrint Friendly
About Joe Paprocki 2742 Articles
Joe Paprocki, DMin, is National Consultant for Faith Formation at Loyola Press, where, in addition to his traveling/speaking responsibilities, he works on the development team for faith formation curriculum resources including Finding God: Our Response to God’s Gifts and God’s Gift: Reconciliation and Eucharist. Joe has more than 35 years of experience in ministry and has presented keynotes, presentations, and workshops in more than 100 dioceses in North America. Joe is a frequent presenter at national conferences including the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, the Mid-Atlantic Congress, and the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership. He is the author of numerous books, including the best seller The Catechist’s Toolbox, A Church on the Move, Under the Influence of Jesus, and Called to Be Catholic—a bilingual, foundational supplemental program that helps young people know their faith and grow in their relationship with God. Joe is also the series editor for the Effective Catechetical Leader and blogs about his experiences in faith formation at www.catechistsjourney.com.

Related Articles

No Picture
Newsworthy

Over the Hills and Everywhere!

Joe Paprocki Newsworthy

This Christmas, my wish for you is that you proclaim the birth of Jesus with renewed spirit, fire, and enthusiasm! The great Christmas song, “Go Tell it on the Mountain,” inspires us to proclaim the birth of Jesus “on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere!” That’s what catechists do. We tell the world that Jesus is in our midst and invite others to make him the center of their lives. I know that readers of Catechist’s […]

Print Friendly, PDF & EmailPrint Friendly
Nativity - Christmas
Christmas

Babies Are Game Changers. The Christ Child Is No Exception!

Joe Paprocki Christmas

When we think of Jesus coming into our world as a baby, we can easily be lulled into lovely, peaceful images of cuddly babies sleeping in heavenly peace. The truth is, babies are “game changers!” The dictionary defines a game changer as “an event, idea, or procedure that effects a significant shift in the current manner of doing or thinking about something.” Having a baby is a game changer. You know this if you are […]

Print Friendly, PDF & EmailPrint Friendly
Nativity - Christmas
Holidays

Catechists Are Incarnational Ministers

Joe Paprocki Holidays

As we await on the doorstep of Christmas—the celebration of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ—I’d like to take this time to wish all of my Catechist’s Journey readers a very blessed Christmas! This is the season in which we celebrate the very heart of our faith: our knowledge that God has drawn near to his people; the Word became flesh and dwelt among us! In Jesus Christ, the invisible and intangible God became visible and […]

Print Friendly, PDF & EmailPrint Friendly

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*