Pop-Up Catechesis: The Fifth Commandment and Nurturing Life

Pop-Up Catechesis with Joe Paprocki

We humans tend to be minimalists. And so, when we are given a rule or a law to follow, we tend to look for a minimalist approach to interpret it in such a way that it doesn’t require much of us. A good example is the Fifth Commandment, “You shall not kill.” If this commandment is simply about refraining from committing murder, few of us have any reason to worry; we will most likely not kill anyone in our lifetime. However, avoiding murder is a minimalist approach to this commandment. If someone were to entrust me with caring for a houseplant while the family goes on vacation, and that person says, “Now, don’t kill my plant while I’m gone,” we could let the plant sit there until the person returns and say, “I did not kill it.” However, the plant may indeed be dead, since we did nothing to nurture and nourish it (such as watering it). In this episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we explore the Fifth Commandment and how it calls us to nurture, protect, and respect all human life.

For more information about the Fifth Commandment, check out the following links:

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.

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