Pop-Up Catechesis Archives - Catechist's Journey

Pop-Up Catechesis: Understanding the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist

When it comes to teaching about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, one might wonder: why doesn’t the Church grant permission to a group of scientists to examine reverently an unconsecrated host and a consecrated host under a microscope (much as the Church has allowed scientific studies to be conducted on the Shroud of Turin) and report on the differences they see between the two? I can tell you why the Church doesn’t […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Understanding Holiness

Joe Paprocki

I think that holiness is one of the most misunderstood concepts in spirituality. That’s unfortunate, because holiness is something that we are all called to! Too often, holiness is equated with being pious. While I have nothing against piety, it is mostly thought of as being “devoutly religious,” which usually translates into “someone involved in a lot of church activities.” The problem with that is it confines holiness to the church campus and makes it […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Praying with Words or in Silence

Joe Paprocki

Isn’t it funny how, when you’ve known someone for a long time, you can tell by the look on his or her face what she or he is trying to say to you? We don’t always need words to communicate with someone. By the same token, it can be difficult to know how someone truly feels unless one puts it into words! When it comes to our prayer lives, at times we can rely on […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Making Moral Choices

Joe Paprocki

Too often in our lives, we fail to consider the consequences of our actions. We act impulsively and then find ourselves overwhelmed by and even regretting the ramifications of what we have said or done. There’s no putting the toothpaste back into the tube after it’s been forced out! When we act impulsively—without thinking—our words and actions tend to come too quickly. They can be reckless, and the consequences can linger far too long. For […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Aligning Ourselves with God

Joe Paprocki

During week 2 of our Faith Refreshed online retreat, we are focusing on “Aligning Ourselves with God” and how the second pillar of our Catholic faith—the Sacraments—summarizes how we, as Catholics, worship. In this episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we explore how through our worship, we realign ourselves with God and God’s will. For more information about how we align ourselves with God by celebrating the sacraments, check out the following links: A Well-Built Faith: A […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: God’s Revealing Moments

Joe Paprocki

During week 1 of our Faith Refreshed online retreat, we are focusing on “God’s Revealing Moments” and how the first pillar of our Catholic faith—the Creed—summarizes what God has revealed about himself over the course of salvation history. In this episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we explore how sometimes, we may need to “stare our way” into recognizing how God is revealing himself to us in our everyday lives. For more information about recognizing God’s revealing […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Actual Grace and Sanctifying Grace

Joe Paprocki

Did you know that the Church teaches us that there are two kinds of grace? Indeed, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (#2000) speaks to us of actual grace and sanctifying grace. Grace, of course, is God’s life within us. The Church teaches that we encounter this grace in two unique ways. In this episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we explore the Catholic understanding of actual grace and sanctifying grace. For more information about grace, check […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Going to Mass Every Sunday

Joe Paprocki

Why, exactly, do we have an obligation to go to Mass every Sunday? Does the Eucharist “wear off” after a certain number of days? Of course not. At the same time, as human beings, we are in constant need of reinforcement. We go to Mass weekly for the same reason that people seeking recovery from an addiction attend meetings “religiously”: we stand a better chance of recovery if we attend regularly. And, the truth is, […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: The Eucharist Is One Choice You’ll Never Regret

Joe Paprocki

When eating out at a restaurant, we have so many choices to make from the menu! Unfortunately, we sometimes make choices that we later regret. In a similar way, life offers us many choices for satisfying our spiritual hunger. Some of the things we say “yes” to, however, are not always the best choices, and we end up regretting them later. When we go to Mass, the priest, deacon, or Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Teaching Our Children Reverence

Joe Paprocki

A few years ago, my wife and I had the pleasure of visiting Hawaii, and among the many places we visited was the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. It was extraordinary to experience the quiet that envelops the entire area as people walk and stand in hushed silence out of reverence and respect for the thousands of people who died in the attack there on December 7, 1941. Reverence, in many ways, is becoming a lost […]