"A consistent question I have been asked over the course of my ministry is how important is the use of one's personal experience in the proclamation of the kerygma and the teaching of Catholic doctrine? This is a critical question because it reveals the intimate relationship between how the person chooses to engage the Word of God and Catholic doctrine in their own personal way. The question then becomes, are these actions properly focused on and reflect the teachings of Jesus Christ? Even more important than personal experience is an authentic expression of genuine love rooted in Jesus Christ as the source of the outward and inward acts of personal experience.
"Any human-to-human experience, whether personal or communal, involves
some form of human interaction and, hopefully, an acceptance of the
human interaction if properly ordered to respect the dignity of the
human person. The act of acceptance reflects a person's intention to
respect the dignity of the person and, in effect, recognize the person
as a child of God. The practice of acceptance in conjunction with
personal experience must derive its identity from the logos the Word of
God, the Incarnate Son Jesus Christ, who is the model of how to use
personal experience par excellence."
In a recent commentary based on the methodology of St. Francis De Sales, Marlon De La Torre, Director of Catechesis for the Diocese of Fort Worth, reflected on how any attempt to evangelize must "involve the opportunity for the heart to speak
to the heart and provide a living witness of how to love one another in
the name of Jesus Christ."
To access Mr. De La Torre's complete post, please visit:
Knowing Is Doing: St. Francis De Sales reminds us that the Heart Speaks to the Heart. But how? (23 JAN 23)
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