The Catechism, an incredible gift and tool!

I'm pleased to welcome Dorothy Pilarski to "Catholic Moms Talk" today. Dorothy is a Catholic author, television personality, motivational speaker and consultant. She is the family life columnist with the Catholic Register (in Canada). Dorothy facilitates thought provoking conversations on http://saltandlighttv.org/mothering/ produced on Salt and TV. She is the founder of https://sites.google.com/site/dynamicwomenfaithproject/ ministries. She is the author of Motherhood Matters and Monica Loves Dresses.

In her first post at "Catholic Moms Talk" today, Dorothy shares how the Catechism fits into her busy lifestyle.

The Catholic Catechism has been such an incredible gift and tool that has been integral to my role as a wife, mother and friend. One habit that I have developed over the years is to read the section of the Catechism that is touching my life at the moment. For example when my daughter was baptised, I read the section on baptism, when my son had his confirmation, I would turn to the section on the confirmation and so on.  In preparing a program for these celebrations, my husband would always include something from the Catechism to include in the program. It was our way of sharing a specific Catholic Church teaching to guests who were attending the celebration.  Each time a sacrament comes up in family life, I have picked up the Catechism and personally gleaned some ‘new’ truth, some precious treasure I had previously missed. Now that the kids are older, I find myself sharing with them , something that I have just read.

The Catholic Catechism has resuscitated me in my journey of faith more than once.  I really am grateful for it. I have often given it away as a gift too! It is written with such simplicity, beauty and clarity. I remember thinking when it was first released that I wouldn’t be able to understand it. Some of the papal encyclicals I have read, in the past left me a little perplexed, but to my surprise when I picked it up—it was absolutely beautiful and I was able to comprehend it!

 I have often read and reread the section on the sacrament of matrimony. Our culture sends so many mixed messages about marriage and family life. I find reading about the Church's vision for marriage and family life has kept me rooted in the truth and beauty of marriage. My family, my home, my life rarely resembles the images I see in magazines, television programs or movies;  in turning to the pages in the CCC, I often find myself nodding my head, smiling, underlining, circling and filling it with post it notes.  In reading it, I find it resonates with something that already exists inside of me and a part of me comes alive and rejoices in each word I read.

I have hosted a Catholic Mother’s Group, helped in sacramental preparation, I have run a Saints Club and I write a family column for the Catholic Register in Canada.  I find the Catholic Catechism a very practical tool which has helped me to explain parts of the Catholic faith, not only to my kids but to others. 

Lastly, I do have to mention that reading the section on the Ten Commandments in the CCC is also a great way to do an examination of conscience! Just recently I got into some interesting insights from a priest I met on Facebook. Fr. Cassian Sama, was catechizing his friends on calumny and detraction on Facebook. With the upcoming American election, many people on Facebook, he thought, were crossing the line. Honestly, his comments got me examining my own tendencies and so, I picked up the Catechism for a little more clarification. 

With the upcoming Year of Faith upon us, I am committing to picking it up more often!

Visit Dorothy's blog: http://gutsycatholicmom.blogspot.ca/. Contact Dorothy at: 

www.dorothypilarski.com