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In July 2017 Pope Francis sent a message to an International Catechetical Symposium which took place at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina in Buenos Aires, and had as its theme “blessed are those who believe”.
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October 30, 2017
October 23, 2017
Martin Luther: Luther's Bible - Part 2 by Steve Mueller
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Although there had been many attempts at translating the Bible into the several Germanic dialects since the 4th century, before the advent of printing it was difficult to make these manuscripts widely available. Thus the primary Bible translation was the Latin Vulgate done by St. Jerome a thousand years before. The problem was that only the highly-educated knew Latin.
Luther, a university professor, was one of the most learned scripture scholars of his time and as such he was aware of the new discoveries of the Greek New Testament manuscripts that pre-dated the Latin translation of Jerome. Like scripture scholars today, comparing the Greek and Latin versions, Luther realized that the Latin did not always accurately translate the Greek. So he decided to produce a new translation.
But his real stroke of genius was that he would translate the Bible into German and, thanks to the printing press, he could make it available to all the people. His translation, finished in 1534, became an instant sensation. It was a clear, forceful translation that made the unintelligible Latin come alive in the mouths of preachers and catechists. Moreover, as the King James Bible did for the English language, Luther’s Bible helped to create a literary style and vocabulary that contributed greatly to the High German that a remains today as the common standard for the German language.
Steve Mueller is the author of the five books in The Reading the Bible Series, which is published by Faith Alive Books.
October 16, 2017
Theology in a Nutshell: God - God Loves Everyone by Steve Mueller
- God Loves Everyone
Looking around us at the untold diversity of creation, we conclude that God must love variety. The billions of human persons that have lived, for example, are each a unique individual though they share the same kind of biological, chemical and genetic material. And among insects and plants, there are new species that are continually being discovered. We are like Job (Job 40:4-5), who, when made aware of the elaborate care with which God maintains the universe (Job 38–39), could only stand awestruck and marvel in silence.
Most importantly, we need to recognize that all creation stands before God equally “good” and loved. God desires a relationship with each person and invites each one of us into a community of those who wish to shape our lives according to God’s guidelines for right relationships.
We often overlook that God’s first covenant was made with Noah (Gen 6–8) long before the Jewish people entered the story. With this first covenant, God entered into a relationship with Noah and his household, who represent all humanity since they are the only survivors of the flood that God loosed on the earth as punishment for human sins. God promises never again to destroy the earth on account of human sins. This pledge is also an assurance of God’s continuing care for the earth, which is symbolized in the rainbow (Gen 9:8-17).
For more, see CCC, #344
Martin Luther: Master Catechist - Part 1 by Steve Mueller
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In 2017, we recall the beginning 500 years ago of the Protestant Christian Reformation triggered by the posting of 95 theses for theological debate at the University of Wurzburg by the Augustinian Scripture professor Fr. Martin Luther. But their publication soon ignited the widespread desire for reform of the many abuses that characterized the Church at that time.
Martin Luther is held in high esteem today for his great theological insight and teaching, and not only by Lutherans. His teachings are based on scripture and still form the basis for Lutheran doctrine. That Luther has had lasting influence on Western culture was recognized in a millennial survey in Life magazine that named Luther as the third most important person of the past 1,000 years, after Thomas Edison and Christopher Columbus.
But most important for us as catechists, we should recognize and learn from the example of Martin Luther as a master catechist, who combined a deep knowledge and love of Scripture with a practical zeal to communicate the gospel message to both children and adults in their own language and in a way that they could understand its application to their everyday lives. We can explore these two dimensions of Luther’s catechetical craft by noting his skill as a Bible translator and as the creator of a basic catechism.
Steve Mueller is the author of the five books in The Reading the Bible Series, which is published by Faith Alive Books.
October 09, 2017
Martin Luther: Master Catechist - Introduction by Steve Mueller
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October 31, 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Christian Reformation that began in Germany when Augustinian scripture professor Fr. Martin Luther posted his theological theses for debate. Much of what was protested then has now been modified or fixed. But for us catechists, it might be a time to appreciate the contribution of Martin Luther to scripture scholarship and to catechesis. So in the next 3 weeks, we will explore the contribution of Martin Luther: Master Catechist, in particular considering his work as Bible translator and also as author of his Small Catechism for teaching the basics of the Christian faith.
Steve Mueller is the author of the five books in The Reading the Bible Series, which is published by Faith Alive Books.
October 04, 2017
Theology in a Nutshell: God - Jesus Ascended into Heaven by Steve Mueller
10. Jesus Ascended into Heaven
In the gospels, only Luke describes the ascension of Jesus into heaven, and he does it twice—once at the end of his Gospel and again at the beginning of Acts—as if to stress the end of the special visible appearances of the risen Christ in preparation for the descent and mission of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus’ ascension has several consequences for the Church. First, it assures us that God’s commitment to Jesus did not cease when Jesus died. Second, his enthronement at the right hand of God invites Christians to worship Christ as they do God. Third, it reminds us that Christ eternally intercedes for the people of God. Because Jesus was one of us, he understands our human situation and advocates for us with God.
Like the disciples, we are not called to stand gazing into heaven to detect his return (Acts 1:10-11), which will surely come, but to go back to our cities and homes to show forth the power of the Spirit that has been given to us by the ascended Jesus. By our attitudes, our words and our deeds, we display to the world around us the importance of Jesus’ ascension.
For more on Jesus’ ascension, see CCC, #659–664.
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