I facilitate The Great Adventure Bible Timeline study at my parish on Sunday afternoons. This past Sunday, we read and discussed 1 and 2 Maccabees. Part of the questions and discussion centered around 2 Maccabees 12:39-46, which records Judas Maccabeus and his compatriots praying for the deceased. I...

Lord's Day 9: Scripture Readings: Matthew 14:15-21; John 2:1-11; 2 Peter 3:1-3 Question 26. What do you believe when you say, "I believe in God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth"?Answer. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and ev...

As in previous years, our congregation has prepared a series of Lenten devotions written by church members. This year, the devotions are loosely based around selections from Luther’s Small Catechism, as explained by our pastor in his introduction. Today’s devotion (on Romans 5:19) is ava...

I've been volunteering as a catechist for a month now. When I'm teaching, I use a somewhat Socratic method, asking a lot of questions to try and draw the answers from the students. Sometimes it works... sometimes it doesn't. This evening, they had a large session (all the classes together) on social...

Lord's Day 7 Scripture Readings: Acts 16:11-15; Eph. 2:1-10; Hebrews 11 Question 20. Will all people then be saved through Christ just as they were lost through Adam?Answer. No. Only those are saved who by true faith are grafted into Christ and accept all his blessings. Question 21. What is true fai...

I'm a bit late getting started but I'd like to post the weekly Heidelberg Catechism questions with accompanying Scripture. I've wanted to work through this catechism, at least read through and meditate on it weekly, for some time now so, I may as well get started and post the readings here. Without ...

"The Catechism of the Catholic Church sets out some convincing reflections on the other aspect of the Church's final trial - persecution. This has also accompanied the people of God for its entire earthly pilgrimage. Jesus holds out no prospects for a Christianity accommodated to the world. He warns...

Lent will start on Wednesday, the 25th of February in 2009, and will continue for 46 days until Saturday, the 11th of April. So what is the significance of that for many of us? Lent is the traditional fasting time that extends from Ash Wednesday through Easter. It is to represent the 40 days Jesus s...

A little late in posting this but better late than never."Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is......

I've recently begun volunteering as a catechist at my parish for the "level 8" students... the ones preparing to receive the sacrament of Confirmation this year. I co-taught a session this past Tuesday night (on "Who is Jesus?" in the Apostles' Creed), and I'm teaching a session next Tuesday night (...