We also have storytime with Dave on why Kenny Baldwin is A MONSTER (just kidding) and extend an extra-special welcome to long-time listener Ralph “The Party” VanVickle!

We want to hear from you! Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com with your story, question, or comment—or if you’ve got a new nickname for Dave.

SHOWNOTES

What makes a good catechist?

• You have a mature spiritual life with daily prayer and a mentality of fides quaerens intellectum or "faith seeking understanding".
• You have an answer to this question: “Can you tell me about your daily lived relationship with the Lord?”
• You prioritize the truths of the Faith and always tie them to the Person of Christ.
• In the classroom, you make sure any craft or art project is truly effective and relevant to the lesson.
• You understand that you are making a difference to the immortal souls of your students.
• You have a DRE who is responsible for ongoing formation of catechists.

What makes a bad catechist?

• Unprepared, you haven’t read it or prayed about it.
• You don’t know your kids’ names.
• You never pray for them.
• You don’t quote the Bible.
• You never share your story of God’s movement in your life.
• You don’t think about conversion, only communicating the doctrine.
• You don’t see the whole and how it is all interrelated to Christ and the Trinity.
• Prayer is nothing but a bookend to your class.

How to find good catechists

• Start a Bible study or adult faith formation event (or go to one that already exists) and see who shows up consistently and is serious about growing in their faith.
• Invite specific people to be catechists. Don’t advertise to the whole church. You’re looking for people who are called, not guilted into it.
• Do a ministry fair where people can come and see what ministries your parish has.
• Pray and ask God for good catechists.
• Be comfortable letting people go.

5 PRACTICAL TAKEAWAYS

1. Personal Prayer Time: Ephesians 4:1-16
2. Memorize Catechesi Tradendae center of paragraph five.
3. Handwrite each kids’ name and pray for one minute for each kid in your class this week.
4. Prepare a lesson plan for one lesson on one topic and, keeping in mind good/bad catechist, write one sentence that ties it to Christ.
5. Come up with one example from your life per lesson plan.

RESOURCES AND EVENTS

• Dave’s School of Spiritual Warfare event in Akron, OH
• Catechesi Tradendae
• Chosen Confirmation Prep Program

Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Spiritual warfare and evangelization go hand-in-hand. Turns out the devil doesn’t like it when you try to win souls for Christ. Acknowledging the reality of spiritual warfare is an important first step. Once we realize that we’re fighting battles everyday, we can use these principles to guide the way.

Snippet from the Show
“Spiritual warfare is more than a metaphor for the spiritual life, it’s a reality ... We’re all at war with the world, the flesh, and the devil.”

10 Practical Principles of Spiritual Warfare

1. By his passion and death, Christ won a definitive victory over Satan and the kingdom of darkness and any personal victory we have is a participation in the victory Jesus won and gave to his church.
2. The devil and the fallen angels play a mysterious role in the drama of salvation. The battle that they wage against us is a test of God’s elect.
3. While powerful, the devil is only a creature and if we stay close to Jesus Christ and his Church we should not fear the actions of evil.
4. The way we participate in the victory of Jesus Christ is through personal faith, moral living, and prayer.
5. The devil should not be given too much attention but his actions should not be ignored.
6. The Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Michael, and all the saints and angels are our allies in this battle.
7. Any spiritual warfare you conduct for others is first won in the battle for your own heart.
8. Humble submission to God and the Church is a powerful weapon against evil.
9. True holiness as witnessed in the lives of the saints is what destroys the kingdom of darkness.
10. The devil despises: A sure knowledge of the sonship that comes from baptism, knowledge of the abundant mercy of God, authentic Christian community, and a clear knowledge of, and courage to speak out about, what is good and evil.

1 Practical Tip
If you’ve never thought of yourself as a spiritual warrior, take some time to see how you have entered into the spiritual battle.

See more at ascensionpress.com/everykneeshallbow

We want to hear from you! Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com with your story, question, or comment—or if you’ve got a new nickname for Dave.

Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

We start off today answering some tough questions about the kerygma, and then pivot to ways you can infuse evangelization into programs your parish already has like baptism prep, marriage prep, and religious education.

Our advice isn’t the only way to do it, but it is a (pretty darn good) way to do it. How do you evangelize at your parish?

We want to hear from you! Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com with your story, question, or comment—or if you’ve got a new nickname for Dave.

Snippet from the Show
“People aren’t going to surrender their life to Christ if we’re hitting them over the head with moral issues and their failure … but there is no gospel without repentance.”

Check out this episode at ascensionpress.com/everykneeshallbow for shownotes and resources from the show.

Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)