Talk II-Catechists identity to live the Call of God

for catechists

1. Diocesan Catechists’ Refresher Seminar

2. Mary: The Role Model for Catechists

3. To ask her to equip us, to understand well and to love our work all the more.

4. O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope. We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick. At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain,

5. with steadfast faith. You, Salvation of the Roman People, know what we need. We are certain that you will provide, so that, as you did at Cana of Galilee,

6. joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial. Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform ourselves to the Father’s will and to do what Jesus tells us:

7. He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to bring us, through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen.

8. We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God. Do not despise our pleas – we who are put to the test – and deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin.

9. Is it really our need to attend this In Service training? Or Is it only a compliance?

10. Virtues that you most admire of Mama Mary whom your tried to apply in your life?

11. Articulate your own virtues and values in life which pleases those people around you?

12. Those virtues of Mother Mary and your own values teaches us about the holiness of hard work and the value of labor. Through these witnesses, we see that real abundance is not found through monetary wealth.

13. Dignity and holiness can be discovered in an ordinary life dedicated to God. Through our labors, we can also find a relationship with God as the toil of our hands takes care of our fellow humans.

14. How is your disposition in doing your work as a Catechist?

15. The deepest poverty is the inability of Joy. This poverty is widespread today, in different forms in the materially rich as well as the poor countries. The inability of joy presupposes and produces the inability of love , produces jealousy, avarice – all defects that devastate the life of individuals and of the world. Pope Benedict XVI

16. The HAPPINESS that You are looking for has a name and has a face JESUS OF NAZARETH

17. WA!!!!!!!!!!!! OKAY !!!

18. Are you happy?

19. What makes us Happy?

20. What REALLY makes You happy?

21. Many are unhappy

22. What are the signs of UNHAPPY PEOPLE?

23. Your default belief is that “life is hard”

24. You believe “most people c an’t be trusted

25. You concentrate on what’s wrong in this world versus what’s right

26. You strive to control Your life

27. You consider your future with worry and fear

28. You fill your conversations with gossip and complaints

29. simple but with ardent passion believe her to be our intercessor our mother and our example the mother of Jesus, our Savior

30. The Mary of our devotion is the Mary of the New Testament, the “handmaid of the Lord” who cried out to the angel Gabriel, “Let it be done to me according to your Word.”

31. She is the Mary of the manger, the first to cradle the Redeemer in her arms on the first Christmas in Bethlehem. She brought forth the Savior into the world, and from then on she has been sought by people of faith, to bring them to Him.

32. We became a Christian country through Mary. It is our being Marian as a nation that has kept us Christian through the centuries. Through Mary’s eyes, through Mary’s heart, we see and know Jesus.

33. We behold Jesus with the eyes of Mary. We have kept Jesus in our hearts because we have treasured Mary in our souls. And Mary will not allow us to be separated from her Son.  

34. Deeds without knowledge are blind, and knowledge without love is sterile. (Ch.2, n.30) Intelligence and love are not in separate compartments: love is rich in intelligence and intelligence is full of love . (Ch.2, n.30)

35. MARY THE WOMAN OF MYSTERY In Mary, we see the interplay of the mystery of love , the mystery of suffering and the mystery of life.

36. MARY THE WOMAN OF MYSTERY Why God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus and not another woman will always be a mystery for us. The mystery of God’s love leaves us in reverential awe and wonder. This mystery is too much to comprehend by the limited minds and hearts that we all have.

37. What makes this love more mysterious is that it does not spare the beloved from pain and sufferings. In fact, the favour of God is shown in allowing his beloved to share in the cross of Jesus his Son. Mary was closest to Jesus at the foot of the cross.

38. In sharing the mystery of the cross, we become sharers in the mission to give life. We can only give life through our readiness and willingness to suffer and die. The mystery of life says “If the seed dies, it bears much fruit”

39. MARY THE WOMAN DISTURBED BY GOD Mary was troubled at the words of the angel. There were so many questions that arose: she knew not man, first of all. And we can surmise that there was tremendous confusion, searching for answers.

40. THE CATECHISTS AND MARY   Although Mary was not called by God to be a priest, Mary is the perfect disciple to whom every priest, catechist and every Christian must look up to for example.  

41. THE CATECHISTS AND MARY If the Church is communio , every Catechist then must be a man/woman of communion. You are fisher of souls. You are sower of the seed. Like Mary, you must be a man/woman of unity—a man who gathers. United by baptism, united in prayer, united through charity, we will become saints together.

42. THE CATECHISTS AND MARY To be holy is our one and only vision. Everything and anything that leads us astray from this path must be cast aside.

43. THE CATECHISTS AND MARY   We are called to sanctify, to lead and to teach. We are here not by worthiness but by favor. None of us is worthy, we were just chosen in spite of. We do not sanctify ourselves; God does. We do not sanctify others; God does. We are a community not an organization. None of us is master; all of us are disciples.

44. Only people who have faith will be able to understand the real meaning of what it is to be a Catechist. Our first and only power is the Lord and our first and only way to the Lord is love. We must pray but it is not enough to pray. Our prayer must make us think and talk and listen and act and be like Mary and Jesus—that is the apostolic action that we need in the Church.

45. Any pastoral action or assembly that does not come from prayer will fail. Any prayer that does not lead us to apostolic charity will wither. Love without service is mere sentimentalism. Service without prayer is social activism.

46. Our ministry is a mission of conversion. Evangelization by its nature is confrontational. We cannot proclaim Jesus and waltz with corruption in public or in private. Evangelization demands conversion. Evangelization may not be always pleasant.

47. It can hurt both the evangelizer and hearer. Only the brave and the loyal can truly evangelize. We are stewards of the Gospel that disturbs. The Catechist is a person with dignity.

48. Dignity is raising your voice against the wrong being said and done to you in a gentle and loving way.

49. Dignity is helping the people in need.

50. Dignity is taking charge of your responsibilities.

51. Dignity is letting people be and not being nosy.

52. Dignity is to try and hold on to positivity no matter what the weather be.

53. Dignity is knowing your self worth.

54. Dignity is having a peaceful sleep without having to carry a burden of adversities.

55. If people are treated with dignity, they usually have the right to make choices for themselves. Dignity also means people are treated with respect

56. Why dignity in the workplace is so important?

57. Dignity is important because it allows individuals and groups to feel respected, valued and connected with others around them. Dignity and respect are considered basic human rights, and both help people feel a sense of worthiness and importance.

58. Dignity involves a mutual effort among people to listen, understand opinions and values and include one another in conversations.

59. Showing dignity involves listening to and acknowledging concerns, making people feel their opinions are valued and speaking to them on an equal level.

60. Pabaon lang poh !!!!! If you want to be a good Catechist, she has to be a good worker - one who prepares her lessons well. She needs to attend her work diligently, be punctual, must keep up her smile constantly.

61. Thank you po !!!