This Issue

• Hope and the Economy
• For Principals and School Boards
• For Educators
• For Parents
• Forming Adult Faith
• Compendium Corner

Hope and the Economy

The gloomy news of the economic downturn seems to follow us everywhere. Economic troubles are impacting every diocese, parish, and school in some way, and there appears to be no quick fix in sight.

This trouble continues during Lent, which is traditionally a time of self-examination and change anticipating the hope of Easter. Opportunity often lies hidden in difficult times, and the economic crisis provides unique ways for Catholics to learn about and practice their faith.

This issue of To Teach focuses on finding hope during troubled economic times for all Catholics. The following sections provide ideas and strategies for talking about the economy and focusing on helping others in the classroom and home during the Lenten and Easter seasons.

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For Principals and School Boards

• Distribute copies of Economic Justice for All, Tenth Anniversary Edition to faculty and administrators, and brainstorm ways to practice good stewardship and help the poor.
• Examine your policies in areas such as wages and benefits, employment, and worker participation in light of the moral principles in A Catholic Framework for Economic Life.
• Review the traditional practice of Eucharistic Adoration with your school board and faculty members. Provide them and parents with a schedule for Eucharistic Adoration in the surrounding parishes.
• Purchase copies of the Stewardship and Teenagers brochure for older students, and work with them to find ways they can use their time, talent, treasure, and tradition to bring hope to those in need during Lent.
• Arrange for local priests to be available for a day or two during the last weeks of Lent to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation with students and faculty members. Post the available dates and times throughout the school.
• Set aside one day during Lent or after Easter for faculty and staff to participate in a local social service program for helping the poor.
• Play the audio recording of the daily readings as part of your morning announcements. Post the link to the New American Bible daily readings as a podcast at your school's Web site.

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For Educators

• Begin class with the Way of the Cross. This brief and inspiring version of the final steps of Jesus juxtaposes the lives of Catholic heroes past and present whose actions give testimony to the power of faith over injustice with traditional scriptural citations.
• Take time in class to honor the Jubilee Year of St. Paul by celebrating the word of God with freedom and responsibility (no. 6). After the celebration, discuss how freedom and responsibility empower Catholics to do good during difficult times.
• Distribute copies of Pope Benedict XVI's new book, The Word of God (Spiritual Thoughts Series) to learn more about Sacred Scripture and how reading and hearing the Word calls Catholics to witness to society in all circumstances.
• Emphasize St. Paul's teaching on Christ as a gift-giver by reading and discussing the mystery of the Cross in Pope Benedict XVI's book on St. Paul (Spiritual Thoughts Series).
• Use the Stewardship and Teenagers brochure for class discussion. Have students list ways they can share their time, talents, treasure, and tradition for the remainder of Lent and through Easter. After Easter, have them report on their activities and what they learned about Christian stewardship through the process.
• Devote one class session to the practice of Eucharistic Adoration. At the conclusion of the class provide students with prayer cards using the Prayers Before the Blessed Sacrament and encourage them to consider participating in Adoration as a Lenten offering.
• Clarify any questions that your young people may have about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Provide students with a copy of How to Go to Confession which contain all of the steps for confession in easy-to-read language and includes the prayer of the penitent. Other useful resources include Celebrating the Sacrament of Penance and Penitential Practices for Today's Catholics. Encourage students to participate in the Sacrament sometime during the Lenten season.
• Play the audio recording of the daily readings as part of your class prayer. Encourage your students' parents to subscribe to the New American Bible daily readings as a podcast and listen to and pray with the readings throughout Lent and Holy Week.
• Explore the meaning of Passover and its significance to Christians and Jews with the video or DVD version of Walking God's Paths from the Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC). Use this video as an introduction to a class session on Passover or Holy Thursday.

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For Parents

• Give the gift of forgiveness this Lent and prepare for the Sacrament of Penance by saying family prayers of Penance and Reconciliation in Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers.
• Invite your family to take time each evening during Lent for prayer and reflection using Night Prayer. This resource is from the Liturgy of the Hours and offers the last prayer of the day together with hymns and psalmody, Scripture readings, and gospel canticles.
• Find out how the economic crisis is impacting your marriage, and take time to talk openly about the issues as a family.
• The economic crisis is a global problem—as a family, participate in Catholic Relief Service's Operation Rice Bowl to help ease international hunger.
• Learn more about the global food crisis, and how you can help. Consider setting aside one day a week for Lenten fasting, in solidarity with the world's hungry people.
• Reflect on the economic choices your family makes and consider how they promote or diminish economic justice.
• Pray the Novena for Justice and Peace and remember all of those who are suffering from economic injustice.
• Prior to Holy Week, discuss as a family the Church’s position on the Passion and death of Christ using The Bible, the Jews, and the Death of Jesus or Jesus and the Jews to prepare for the discussion. These resource reflect the Church's position on the events and ethnicities surrounding the Passion and death of Christ—and its reproval of hatred and persecution of any form.
• Use these prayers and reflections once a week at the family dinner table to “break open” the readings and themes of the Lenten season.
• Read the Message of His Holiness Benedict XVI for Lent 2009 as you continue your family's Lenten journey.
• View the daily video reflections from a priest, deacon, or lay person from around the country as they share their thoughts on the daily Scripture readings.
• Teach your children the practice of Examination of Conscience, using the resource Let the Children Come: The Sacrament of Reconciliation and Children. Help even young children who have not yet received the sacrament to understand and practice a daily examination.
• If your family is not able to attend your parish’s Stations of the Cross, pray the Scriptural stations at home. As another option, choose one day of the week during the Lenten season fast as a family from dinner and use that time to pray the stations.

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Forming Adult Faith

"Forming Adult Faith" is a new feature of To Teach. It includes suggestions from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults (USCCA) on how to promote ongoing faith formation among the adults in your school community.

There are three chapters from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults that reflect on appropriate themes of penance, and a Christian approach to the economy.

• Chapter 18: Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation: God is Rich in Mercy
• Chapter 31: The Seventh Commandment: Do Not Steal—Act Justly
• Chapter 34: The Tenth Commandment: Embrace Poverty of Spirit

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.

• In a journal, write the three discussion questions on a separate page. During the week, read one section of one chapter each day, then reread and respond to the discussion questions each day, noting any new insights or reflections. At the end of the week, review your overall reflection. Share your insights with a colleague, your spouse, or a close friend.
• Begin your reflection with the prayer. After reading one section of chapter, reflect on and jot down any new insights you have gained regarding the prayer and the paschal mystery of Jesus' death and Resurrection.

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Compendium Corner

"Compendium Corner" is also a new feature of To Teach. It provides a list of questions and answers in the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church that are related to this month’s topic. (The number before the question is the question number in the Compendium.)

• Review the questions and answers in preparation for your class.
• Consider how to use appropriate questions and answers as part of your lesson plan.
• Develop learning activities that help youths and young adults learn this information by heart (memorization).
  

200. How are sins remitted?
201. Why does the Church have the power to forgive sins?
297. Why is there a sacrament of Reconciliation after Baptism?
299. Do the baptized have need of conversion?
301. What forms does penance take in the Christian life?
303. What are the acts of the penitent?
304. Which sins must be confessed?
412. On what is human equality based?
413. How are we to view social inequalities?
511. How should social and economic life be pursued?
520. By what is love for the poor inspired?

To obtain a copy of the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, visit www.usccbpublishing.org or call 800-235-8722.

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