César de Bus was born in France in 1544, and his pious upbringing carried him through fighting with the French army in a war against the Huguenots. After the war, he spent about three years in Paris and his faith faltered. He began living for the world and loved being the life of every party. One night on the way to a masked ball he passed by a candle burning in front of an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and he had a reversion to his faith on the spot. Modeling himself after St. Charles Borromeo, he became deeply penitential, entered the priesthood, and started an apostolate preaching the catechism. His “Three Cycles of Doctrine”—for children, adolescents, and advanced—form the structure for modern catechism instruction today.
CHALLENGE
For St. César de Bus, teaching the catechism wasn’t a class but a way of life. He wrote, “Everything in us must catechize, we must become a living catechism.” How often do people say they are Catholics, but then fail to live a Catholic life? Today, spend half an hour in prayer and reflect on how you can better become a living catechism.
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Being a good husband and father starts when a man honors his wife.
In Kevin Lowry’s new delightful, easy-to-read book Honor Thy Wife, he shares a month’s-worth of stories and the lessons he learned over 35+ years of marriage.
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And Michael Hernon, President and co-founder of Messy Family Project enthused, “All married men need this book—their wives will be grateful!”
