In the Church, the term grace literally means "gift." Hence, every gift from God may be called a "grace." We distinguish between different kinds of grace by identifying the way each particular grace (or gift) operates in our lives. For example, the gift of sharing in God’s divine life is sanctifying grace. Help and inspiration from God that enables us to reject sinfulness is grace of conversion.

It seems that sin is gaining the upper hand in all areas of society and in all parts of the world. At such times it is important to keep in mind that God’s mercy and promise to restore humanity are the dominant themes throughout all the Scriptures. The message of the Gospel, and therefore of the Church, should be one of proclaiming God’s mercy.

Of all Jesus’ teachings, the Beatitudes tend to be the most misunderstood. Some people have tried to water them down; others have demanded they be taken literally. Neither approach helps us understand their true meaning, which is only revealed within the context of Jesus’ overall teaching about the Kingdom of God. The Beatitudes teach that what is often viewed as misfortune and weakness in this world can, when embraced in faith, actually lead to the true happiness of living in communion with God.

All of Jesus’ teachings went against the conventional wisdom of the religious, political, social, and economic institutions of his day. He challenged all the false values this conventional wisdom promoted and protected. In our time, Jesus’ teachings still seem to have this "subversive" quality. Because conventional wisdom has not changed all that much, to be an authentic disciple of Christ remains as revolutionary today as it was 2,000 years ago.

As catechists, we need to stress, as Jesus did, that everything the Ten Commandments teach us is summarized in the Great Commandment: "Love God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself" (based on Mark 12:30-31). But knowing what the commandments teach is not the challenge. Instead, it is the willingness to love in the unselfish, unconditional way that God loves.

Rooted in belief in the Incarnation and in life’s sacramentality, the Church has, since the earliest times, encouraged the veneration of sacred images to aid in spiritual growth. The Jewish and Muslim faiths, on the other hand, prohibit the use of human images for religious purposes. This is rooted in their strict monotheism and interpretation of the First Commandment.

A good way to present the commandments is to explain that they are the ideal human responses to the fact that God has taken the initiative to love and save us. Because God loves us, we ought to show our love in return. Each commandment is actually a way to show our love for God and, as a consequence, for our neighbor. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is an excellent resource for obtaining detailed information on each of the commandments.

One of the effects of the Second Vatican Council and of the renewed Scripture study it promoted has been to reawaken the Church’s mission to foster social justice in its teachings and its ministries. As catechists, we are being asked to weave the principles of social justice into all catechesis.

The late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin of Chicago introduced a concept known as the "seamless garment" into the Church’s discussion of social justice. The basic message behind his idea was that we need to support all justice issues at the same time. For example, it is an error to oppose abortion and at the same time support the death penalty.