Ten Commandments, Sin, & Morality

Pop-Up Catechesis with Joe Paprocki
Ten Commandments, Sin, & Morality

Pop-Up Catechesis: Practicing the Virtue of Faith

Joe Paprocki

In a previous episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we looked at virtues as good habits that we practice to walk the path of holiness. Traditionally, the virtues have been identified as the Theological Virtues (faith, hope, and love) and the Cardinal Virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance). In this episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we explore the first of the Theological Virtues, faith, and talk about what it means to practice faith.  For more information about […]

Pop-Up Catechesis with Joe Paprocki
Ten Commandments, Sin, & Morality

Pop-Up Catechesis: Exploring the Value of Cleanliness

Joe Paprocki

The phrase, “Cleanliness is next to godliness,” is not found in the Bible but is regularly used, nonetheless, by Christians as if it were. Perhaps that is because there is great truth in this statement. Scripture does tell us that God “makes all things new.” Cleanliness—referring to both personal hygiene and keeping our environments neat and clean—is a reminder to us of how God restores things and does indeed make all things new. In this […]

Pop-Up Catechesis with Joe Paprocki
Ten Commandments, Sin, & Morality

Pop-Up Catechesis: Exploring the Value of Optimism

Joe Paprocki

Optimism is at the very heart of the Kingdom of God, and before we invite someone to consider following Jesus, we had better show some optimism. To be Christian is to have a disposition of optimism and not despair. We are not doomsayers. By the same token, we do not see the world through rose-colored glasses. We are realists. We see, feel, and experience pain, violence, sadness, hurt, and evil. However, our faith teaches us […]

Pop-Up Catechesis with Joe Paprocki
Ten Commandments, Sin, & Morality

Pop-Up Catechesis: Exploring the Value of Honesty

Joe Paprocki

On several occasions, Jesus accused the Pharisees of being “hypocrites.” The word hypocrite comes from the Greek word hypokrites, which means “an actor,” and we know that actors in ancient Greek theater wore masks to hide their true identities behind the identities of the characters they were playing. We sometimes struggle to be honest about our true thoughts and feelings. And yet, our spiritual and emotional well-being rely on the value of honesty—being honest with ourselves, […]

Pop-Up Catechesis with Joe Paprocki
Ten Commandments, Sin, & Morality

Pop-Up Catechesis: Exploring the Value of Generosity

Joe Paprocki

Lent is a good time for us to explore our values, and the Lenten discipline of almsgiving reminds us to cultivate the value of generosity. We tend to think of generosity as an occasional act of kindness expressed monetarily. We send a check to a charity, drop an envelope in the church basket, purchase Girl Scout cookies, or put some money in the red kettle or CRS Rice Bowl. These are indeed generous acts that […]

Pop-Up Catechesis with Joe Paprocki
Ten Commandments, Sin, & Morality

Pop-Up Catechesis: Exploring the Value of Altruism

Joe Paprocki

Being approximately 99% Polish (according to Ancestry.com), I have always taken a special interest in prominent Polish figures throughout history. One of my favorites is the famous 16th-century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who was the first to propose a model that showed that the planets orbit the sun rather than the earth, as was previously believed. Inspired by his work, the phrase “Copernican revolution” has become commonplace for describing someone who needs to be less self-centered. […]

Pop-Up Catechesis with Joe Paprocki
Ten Commandments, Sin, & Morality

Pop-Up Catechesis: Exploring the Value of Compassion

Joe Paprocki

As kids, most of us dream of finding a buried treasure, something of great value. We use the word values to refer to those beliefs and principles that we believe are most important for guiding the way we live and work and treat ourselves and others. Lent is a great time to reflect on our values and to reshape them so that we truly treasure, or value, that which God treasures and values most. In this […]

Pop-Up Catechesis with Joe Paprocki
Ten Commandments, Sin, & Morality

Pop-Up Catechesis: The Tenth Commandment and Avoiding Comparisons

Joe Paprocki

From the time we are toddlers right up to the present day, it is common for us to compare ourselves to others. I know that this past Christmas, my wife and I were happy to have our grandchildren open their Christmas presents on separate days so that they wouldn’t compare their gifts to their cousins’. We may think that this is only a problem that children have; however, there is a reason we have the […]

Pop-Up Catechesis with Joe Paprocki
Ten Commandments, Sin, & Morality

Pop-Up Catechesis: The Ninth Commandment and Misplaced Desires

Joe Paprocki

Something does not need to be lost in order to be classified as “misplaced.” We typically think of those two words as synonymous; however, there is a difference. If something is lost, it means that we are having trouble locating it. If something is misplaced, it simply means it is in the wrong place such as a, misplaced comma in a sentence (such as the one I inserted in this sentence). It is with this […]

Pop-Up Catechesis with Joe Paprocki
Ten Commandments, Sin, & Morality

Pop-Up Catechesis: The Eighth Commandment and Honoring Truth

Joe Paprocki

One of the most profound statements that Jesus Christ made about himself is the following: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) In this statement, Jesus is not just describing himself as a truthful person. He is identifying himself as truth itself. This should make us think twice about how we do or don’t honor truth in our everyday lives and interactions with others. While humankind has always struggled with telling […]