Ten Commandments, Sin, & Morality Archives - Page 2 of 6

Pop-Up Catechesis: The Sixth Commandment and Relationships

Take a moment to complete the following simple word analogies. Hot is to cold as up is to ___________. North is to south as east is to ___________. Good is to bad as small is to ___________. Those were easy! (The answers, of course, are down, west, and large.) Analogies are all about relationships between words. The Sixth Commandment, “You shall not commit adultery,” teaches us about relationships, not between words, but between people. Just […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: The Fifth Commandment and Nurturing Life

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 […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: The Fourth Commandment and Listening

Joe Paprocki

It seems like podcasts are all the rage these days. There is no shortage of voices we can listen to concerning any subject. Whereas, in conversation, we often ask people what they are reading, today it is also common to ask people who they are listening to. Interestingly enough, this was a question that God had for Adam and Eve when he found them hiding in the bushes after eating the “forbidden fruit.” God asks, […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: The Third Commandment and the Importance of Being

Joe Paprocki

It’s funny how so many people think of the Ten Commandments solely as prohibitions—rules that say no to everything. While the majority of the Commandments are indeed phrased in the “Thou shall not…” form—prohibiting actions from which we should refrain—the Third Commandment is unique in that it doesn’t tell us to avoid a specific behavior nor does it tell us to perform a specific action. In fact, the Third Commandment, “Remember to keep holy the […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: The Second Commandment and Living Up to Our Name

Joe Paprocki

I remember one time in grade school when I was called on the carpet by the school principal, Sr. Salome, for some type of misbehavior (nothing too serious, I’m sure). As Sr. Salome verbally chastised me, the words that stung the most were, “That’s not what I’d expect from a Paprocki.” Ouch! As the seventh of nine children who all went to the same Catholic elementary school, I had to live up to the reputation that […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: The First Commandment and Our Attraction to God

Joe Paprocki

The First Commandment is “I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me.” Each of us has a natural attraction to God, who is always seeking to pull us closer to him as a magnet attracts a piece of metal. Unfortunately, we often let a lot of other things come between us and God. We are attracted to many things that we think will bring us happiness in life. When […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Divine Mercy and Treating People Like One of the Family

Joe Paprocki

One of the most compelling reasons for believing in the Resurrection of Jesus—for me, at least—is the fact that the Gospel writers record no acts of vengeance on the part of the Risen Christ. Think about it: if the Gospel writers were trying to protect or restore their own reputations for backing a failed messiah who was publicly executed in the most humiliating way, they would most likely fabricate a story about his return to […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Finding Hidden Heroes in Our Everyday Lives

Joe Paprocki

We usually think of a hero as someone who has done something very dramatic, such as running into a fiery building to save someone who is trapped or rescuing someone who is drowning in a lake, river, or pond. Certainly, such acts are heroic. However, a hero is simply someone who puts personal needs aside and goes above and beyond the call of duty to make a profound and positive impact on the life of another. […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Cleaning Out Closets and Drawers

Joe Paprocki

One of the lessons we’re learning during the pandemic is how to “do without.” There are so many things that we would love to be doing that we are simply unable to do right now. And yet, doing without is a spiritual virtue. So why not turn it up a notch and find some more things you can do without? In today’s episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we look at cleaning out our closets and drawers […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Taking to Heart/Memorizing Doctrinal Formulas

Joe Paprocki

In this digital age, memorization is becoming a lost art! Why memorize something when you can look it up online? When God gave Israel the Ten Commandments, he told them, “Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.” (Deuteronomy 6:6) Being able to recall doctrinal formulas such as the Ten Commandments is a way of internalizing our faith and making it more personal. In this episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we look at […]