Beginning with the story of Creation and continuing through the present day, God calls each of us to love and serve Him in the world as Jesus taught us in his preaching, teaching, and ministry. God also expects us to respond in words and actions.
The month of November offers some unique opportunities to reflect on God’s call and our response. Starting with All Saints’ Day, we remember those who embraced God’s call in their service to the world and church even to death. They stand as models for us today as we face the challenges of our age. Like the saints who lived lives of holiness, we too are expected to embrace the call to holiness and live it in our school, parish, and homes.
Toward the end of the month, we focus our attention on the poor in the United States as we prepare for and participate in the Sunday collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. The call to fill the needs of the poor among us is one of the core themes of Jesus’ teaching, one that is reiterated in the bishops’ own statement Sharing Catholic Social Teaching.
On Thanksgiving, that core theme gets emphasized again. During our meal and festivities, we give thanks and remember—two actions that are at the center of our Eucharist. At Eucharist, however, we are asked to do more—to serve the needs of those in our communities.
Early in the month, we have the opportunity to exercise our right to vote during mid-year elections. Faithful Citizenship, the statement on Catholic political responsibility, urged Catholics to participate in the country’s political life in ways that are faithful to Church teaching. It is particularly challenging to respond to this call because of the political climate in which we live.
This issue of To Teach focuses on various ways to reflect more deeply on God’s call in our lives and how we respond as individuals, as members of a community, and in our leadership roles.
Invite your staff or school board to assess how they live out the call to holiness at this month’s staff meeting. Use the bulleted list on p. 229 of the National Directory for Catechesis as the starting point for individual reflection and small group sharing.
Use the chapter called, “The Call to Holiness” in Called and Gifted for the Third Millennium as a reflection at your next PTA/PTO meeting. Invite different people to read the sections aloud, then ask the group to share their reflections on the questions at the end of the chapter in small groups.
Work with local community organizations to identify material needs in the community that might include food as well as clothing, baby supplies, or toys. Host a collection for these goods during the weeks before Thanksgiving. Remind students that by donating something, they are responding to God’s call to help others.
Read the bullet points on p. 229 of the National Directory for Catechesis, and answer this question: How could you demonstrate one of those characteristics better in your work and life? Do that specific action throughout the month of November.
Invite your students to make a quilt (of paper or material) about what it means to be holy. Encourage them to read stories about the lives of the saints as a resource, especially their patron saint. Give each student a square and ask them to creatively decorate the square with their ideas about what it means to be holy. Display the quilt in the classroom.
Review the Nicene or Apostles Creed with your students, highlighting the communion of saints. Explain what the communion of saints is (see questions 194 and 195 in the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church) and why the saints are important to us. If there are statues, icons, or any artistic rendering of a saint in your church, tour the church with your students, pointing out who the saints are and why they are important to you parish.
Set aside time each week to reflect on God’s call in your life. Use one chapter of Called and Gifted for the Third Millennium each week as the resource for your reflection.
Read the story of the life of your child’s patron saint or any saint that they have a special interest in. Talk with them about what it means to be a saint and how your child can practice being holy. Share what the church teaches about saints and the communion of saints (see questions 194 and 195 in the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.)
Check out a copy of Readings on Catholics in Political Life from your local library. Read up on Church teaching on “hot” topics in your local elections as you make your decision about your vote.
Use Follow the Way of Love as a resource to reflect on your call as a parent of a family. There are brief discussion questions throughout the book. In what way could you better respond to the catechetical or spiritual needs of your children and family?
Make a commitment to give a donation to parish or a local charity that minimally equals the amount that the family spends on Thanksgiving dinner. Remind your children that God wants us to help those in need. Note also that one of the promises that we make at Mass is that we will help others.
There are three chapters—Chapter 12, “Mary: The Church’s First and Most Perfect Member,” Chapter 15, “Baptism: Becoming a Christian,” and Chapter 17, “The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Christian Life”—that deal with aspects of God’s call and our response. Both individuals and groups—a full staff or a grade level gathering—can use the following suggestions. Most suggestions can be completed in 10-15 minutes.
Read Chapter 12 on Mary and respond to the discussion questions, especially question 3 about discipleship. As you reflect on your response to the call to discipleship, commit to one action to deepen your response during the month. Memorize this chapter’s meditation, the Magnificat, and pray it each day. Reflect on how Mary’s canticle of praise inspires and challenges you to be a better disciple.
Review your knowledge of the Sacrament of Baptism in Chapter 15, paying particular attention to the section called, “Baptism Is a Call to Holiness.” How do you live out the baptismal call to holiness in your everyday life?
Spend a week individually or with a small group slowly and intently reading Chapter 17 on the Eucharist. Write your responses to question 3 under “For Discussion” in a journal. As you reread your responses, what changes or actions are you being called to make today?
Pray the Anima Christi (p. 230) each morning and teach it to your students or children.
