kingdom of god

Jesus Teaching on the Seashore - Photos.com/Getty Images - rosary icon by bortonia/DigitalVision/Getty Images
Scripture

The Luminous Mysteries: The Proclamation of the Kingdom and Another Way of Being Human

Joe Paprocki

We continue our reflections on the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary as we explore the Third Mystery: The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God. The concept of the kingdom of God (also referred to as the kingdom of heaven or the reign of God) is the very heart and soul of Jesus’ message. It is what Jesus is all about. It is who Jesus is. If Jesus were running a campaign for public office, his […]

No Picture
Creative Moments

Lenten Family Mission – Mary, Seat of Wisdom Parish, Park Ridge, IL

Joe Paprocki

This week, I have had the privilege of preaching a Lenten Family Mission at Mary, Seat of Wisdom parish in Park Ridge, IL, on the theme of the Mass (drawing from my book, Living the Mass). It has been an extraordinary experience of grace and I thank the good people of the parish for their strong turnout each evening of the Mission. Last night, I focused on the Liturgy of the Word and how it […]

No Picture
Catechetical Leaders

How Do We Speak in the Kingdom of God? My Article in RTJ’s Creative Catechist Magazine

Joe Paprocki

The current issue of RTJ’s Creative Catechist Magazine features an article that I wrote titled “How We Speak in the Kingdom of God” and describes how First Eucharist is an ideal time to introduce what I call a “language of mystery” to those we teach. Here’s a PDF of the article: How We Speak in the Kingdom of God – Joe Paprocki article in RTJ’s Creative Catechist Magazine

No Picture
Newsworthy

Catechetical Sunday, September 16, 2012 – “Catechists and Teachers: Agents of the New Evangelization”

Joe Paprocki

This Sunday, September 16, 2012, we celebrate Catechetical Sunday with the theme of “Catechists and Teachers: Agents of the New Evangelization.” With that in mind, I offer the following Catechetical Sunday reflection/homily which you can feel free to use in your own parish. Imagine that you’re looking to go on your dream vacation to an exotic place that you’ve never visited before in which people speak a different language. One way that I don’t recommend […]

A Year of Faith 2012-2013
Online Retreat for Catechists

Year of Faith Retreat – Week 2, Day 2: Learning the Language Spoken in the Kingdom of God (Mystery and Sacramentality)

Joe Paprocki

WEEK TWO: Sacraments (Celebrating the Christian Mystery) DAY 2: Learning the Language Spoken in the Kingdom of God (Mystery and Sacramentality) Recently, I did some research into my ancestry, uncovering stories of forefathers and foremothers who came to the shores of the United States from Poland in the late 19th century. In particular, I was impressed with the story of my great, great grandmother (on my mother’s side), Julia, who, as it turns out, spoke 7 languages […]

No Picture
Intermediate Grades

Teaching About the Kingdom

Joe Paprocki

My lesson tonight includes the concept of God as king and of how we pray for the coming of the Kingdom. In American society, we sometimes have trouble teaching about the concept of the Kingdom of God – afterall, we won our independence from the “tyranny” of the King of England. Our present day understanding of a king is someone who is rich, powerful, self-centered,tyrannical, and arrogant. (In fact, once, on the Feast of Christ the […]

No Picture
Intermediate Grades

Testing the 4th Grade Waters

Joe Paprocki

As part of my lesson this past Monday, I wanted to emphasize how human beings are the greatest part of God’s creation and I wanted to incorporate the use of the Internet in my classes for the first time. I located a brief YouTube video that shows images of babies growing in the womb. I made sure that the video did not have any images relating to the act of sexual intercourse or the fertilization […]