Newspaper Page Text
discuss how families become familiar and comfortable with
prayer.
PAGE 11—The Georgia Bulletin, August 18,1983
CAPSULE OVERVIEW OF SERIES
The Know Your Faith series is divided into separate sections that punctuate its underlying theme
with the variety needed to stimulate ongoing reader interest. The 1983-1984 series covers the
following general areas (spelled out in greater detail in the outline).
I. God in the Human Predicament. We ask how Chris
tianity addresses the concrete human situation as ex
perienced by almost every person. The section promises
to have strong reader appeal, exploring situations that
are so real, yet so perplexing. Does
Christianity address the anger or the
stress that most people experience at
times? Does faith influence our
human relationships, our family life?
W hat about our fears or our need for
hope?
II God's 20th Century People of
Prayer. How People Pray. The series
profiles fascinating, modern people of
prayer: famous people as well as more
ordinary people who work and raise
families, who live alone or in a com
munity, etc. Through this human-
interest approach, we catch a fuller
glimpse of how people begin to pray
and why they continue at it; of what
prayer can be for the rest of us. We
ask in this section: How does prayer
emerge from one's situation in life? Does prayer have
to be difficult? How does individual prayer relate to
community worship, or to Christian responsibility in the
world?
III. Accounts From the Life of Jesus. The Lenten Series.
These special materials for a season represent something
new in our series. For six weeks, the Life of Jesus is the
focus. The underlying question: What does his life mean
for us now? These installments represent a service for
groups as well as individuals preparing for Easter.
IV. Perspectives on God. This brief section of our series
takes up some special questions. It asks what sort of
creator God is, and what this says about scientific
theories regarding the world's beginning. It also ex
plores what it means to be "in the im
age" of God the creator. It examines
some modern forms of unbelief that
Christians need to be aware of. with
a look at what Vatican Council 11
said about this. And it takes up the
question of death and the afterlife.
D«ath is an important fact of life in
this world; awareness of death in
fluences our awareness of who we are
and what our purpose is.
V. The People of God. This section of
the series invites people to think
about their place in the church by
pondering its role and value. We
probe dimensions in the life of the peo
ple of God: as community, as struc
ture. We ask what is implied for in
dividuals, families or small groups
when the church gets involved with social issues involv
ing human rights; or when it probes issues such as war
and peace and nuclear armaments. In this section the
series examines the purposes of preaching; the role of
Mary among God's people.
Seasonal Supplements. Finally, the Know Your Faith
series regularly provides educational materials to ac
company the liturgical times of Advent, Christmas,
Lent and Easter. The coming series, as already noted
includes a special series for Lent and Easter.
22. Liturgy. The Community That Prays. For many —
perhaps most — people, participation in the Eucharist is the
principal form prayer takes.
Benedictine Father Virgil Michel was a leading con
tributor in modern times to the understanding of liturgical
worship. This week we ll talk about his life and work.
23. Where to Find Resources for Prayer. The story of
Father John Main, who became a priest only after years of
experience in the British Foreign Service, is the story of a
man who helped many people begin to pray. Flis methods
might not be right for everyone. But his story points to the
need people have to find, resources for prayer within their
communities.
People begin to pray for different reasons. Often they
need help with this. What resources are available to therp?
24. The Monks. Is there any message in the monastic
life for others who are not monks?
This week we ll journey to a community of monks. In
a noisy age of fierce independence, monastic life may seem
an enigma. This week we ll also speak with a parish priest
about his prayer. More and more is written about the im
portance of the priest's spirituality. Why is this now such
an important concern?
25. Scripture and Prayer. For many contemporary peo
ple of prayer, Scripture is a primary source.
This week we ll explore some dimensions of the contem
porary charismatic movement in the church. And we ll pro
vide some guides to the place and use of Scripture in prayer.
26. Catherine de tlueck Doherty: Spiritual Explorer in
the World.
This woman founded Madonna House in Canada. Her
life-long exploration of spirituality led her to probe how the
need for solitude can be linked to a life spent with other peo
ple. We ll find that her work has helped many lay people who
wanted to discover how to pray.
Part IV. Lent and Easter:
Accounts from the Life of Jesus
(This week we introduce a special series on the life of
Jesus. These materials primarily are intended to provide
support and serve as a resource to individuals, families and
groups during Lent. To learn of God, Jesus suggested that
people should look to his own words and actions and life.)
jfg
27. Ash Wednesday. This week we introduce the special
season of Lent by examining its roots, its purpose and the
ways contemporary people of the church observe it.
28. The Life of Jesus. At the Jordan With John the
Baptist.
We begin our accounts from the life of Jesus as his
ministry begins. How did Jesus set out? And why? Does this
beginning by Jesus speak to modern Christians in a special
way?
29. The Life of Jesus: Stories of flis Friends.
Who were the friends and the companions of Jesus? And
just what kind of friend was Jesus? We ll find that among
his friends were people modern Christians can easily iden
tify with.
30. The Life of Jesus: The Teacher.
Jesus was a teacher who spoke to the heart. His message
was refreshing and it changed people. What kind of teacher
was he? And what kind of people heard him teach?
31. The Life of Jesus: The Dealer.
The accounts of Jesus as one who healed, one who
forgave and one who responded to the special needs of those
around him, form a significant part of the Gospels. Can
Jesus the healer enlighten us?
32. The Life of Jesus: The Theme of Suffering.
Suffering is hard to understand in any context. It was
very hard for the earliest disciples of Jesus to understand
in the context of his life. What does his life say about suf
fering ahd death in our lives?
*33. The Life of Jesus: The Resurrection. Easter.
For the earliest followers of Jesus — and for people to
day — the resurrection changes everything. What did the
resurrection signify for the writers of the Gospels?
Part V. Perspectives on God
(In this section, our series takes up some important ques
tions asked about God. and some important teachings about
God.)
34. What Kind of Creator Is God? How did the world
begin?
In an age of rapid scientific discoveries, it is still possi
ble to say that God is a creator. Pope John Paul II has spoken
about the relationship that might exist between science and
faith when it comes to discussing how the world began. This
week we II look into his comments. And we ll ask why ac
counts of God s creation are linked to accounts of God s
love.
35. Why Would You Deed to Know About Atheism? Forms
of Disbelief. How much disbelief really exists in your en
vironment? What forms does it take?
Disbelief within society means that Christians need to
think through their own belief- it also means Christians need
to ponder whether they do more to conceal than to reveal
■l.i. , , V'. ,
God, according to Vatican Council ll s Constitution on the
Church in the Modern World. If disbelief really is a force in
society, it has implications for all the church's people.
36. Death s Horizon. How do Christians today look upon
questions about death and life after death?
Many people have wondered aloud about why God would
allow us to die, especially why anyone would be allowed to
die in pain or in a tragic accident. Philosophers have writ
ten about the great influence borne by our awareness that
one day we will die. Death is fact of life whose import
deserves reflection. Some say death is the most important
fact of this life on earth. Why?
Part VI. The People of God
3 7. A People. An Institution. Does Your Church Dave to
Be Either-Or?
What is the role of structures and institutions in the
church? This week we ll examine the question, attempting
to discover whether this really is a question of either-or —
either structures or community.
38. What Kind of God Calls People Together in a Com
munity? Discovering God's Presence in Yourself and Others.
Why should God want Christians to celebrate their faith
together? Vatican Council II described the church as the
people of God. Why? This week we ll also probe the vital role
of grace in creating a church. It means that your presence
in the church is one way God is present in the churc h. God s
grace makes a statement about your value — the worth of
your life.
39. Why Do Christians Heed Laws? Is the Revised Canon
Law Code Supposed to Lead to God? The church's real in
tent in adopting laws is often misunderstood.
Hot every church member can be expected to know
canon law well. Since the revised Code of Canon Law is still
so new in the church, we II look this week at just what it is
and what some of its laws are. And we ll discuss its real
purposes.
40. Preaching. Dow Does Your God Relate to Your Life?
Why does preaching make so much difference to people?
A central element of the eucharistic celebration is the
homily.
For most people in the church, the Sunday homily is the
main occasion each week for hearing and thinking whether
God really can be present in their own, ordinary lives. What
problems do priests face as they prepare homilies? What can
listeners do to relate a homily to their own existence?
4 I. Mary the Mother of God. Does She Really Matter That
Much? Our own destiny concerns us; and Mary s destiny
seems to address this concern of ours.
By keeping Mary's faith in mind, the church says
something about the kind of church it is, as well as about
the place of women in the church. And to recall Mary, some
writers suggest, is to recall something about our own
deepest selves.
42. When The Creed Speaks of the Communion of Sail s
What Difference Should It Make to You?
Throughout history, the Gospel has appealed to Ch is-
tians and challenged them in a multitude of ways. One
reason the tradition of the saints is valued is because the
church does not want to forget all the ways its people have
responded to God. Recalling the saints can impel people to
think through their own response to God.
43. What Place Can the Church's Justice Message Find
in Your Life? A Perspective on Big Problems. Can the average
Catholic relate to this or be involved with this?
When the church addresses the world s social problems,
is God at work too? The church's gaze is directed beyond
its own internal life to the issues that trouble society:
racism, all human rights, health, the aged.
44. The Pilgrim Pope: What Was John Paul II Doing in
Central America Poland, Africa? The pope's purpose was
repeated again and again in his travels. What is it?
The pope thinks the church's social teaching should be
seen as a source of hope that Christians can help com
municate to the world. What are Christians doing, in com
munities like your own, to link the church s social teaching
up with real-life situations near at hand?
45. Duclear Armaments. Dow Concerned Is God With Our
Future in This World?
What is intended when church leaders address specific
issues like the morality of nuclear weapons — issues on
which good people don't always agree? The church is con
cerned about some of the most perplexing issues of our day.
Some say the nuclear armaments debate also pushes Chris
tians up against ultimate questions about their relationship
with God, and God s care for creation.
Begins on September 1st
* ...