Franciscan at Home

Con demasiada frecuencia, los responsables de la formación de la fe para adultos en sus parroquias dejan a un lado al Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica por ser demasiado difícil y, por lo tanto, demasiado abrumador para su auditorio. Quizás también lo consideren irrelevante para la experiencia de la gente, poco práctico o personal, o poco inspirador. Sin embargo, hacer caso omiso al Catecismo como recurso fundamental en la formación de la fe de los adultos sería perjudicar al Pueblo de Dios. El Catecismo es un don de la Iglesia – o más propiamente, del Espíritu Santo, obrando por medio de los sucesores de los apóstoles, para todos los miembros del Cuerpo de Cristo. En su Constitución Apostólica sobre el Catecismo, el Papa Juan Pablo II dice claramente que el Catecismo se ofrece “a todos aquellos fieles que deseen conocer mejor las riquezas inagotables de la salvación” (cf. Ef 3,8).” No es un documento seco, sino uno repleto de vida. “Está orientado a la maduración de esta fe, su enraizamiento en la vida y su irradiación en el testimonio” (CEC 23). El Catecismo es un documento formativo – tiene el poder para transformar al corazón y a la mente de quien lo lea.

El Catecismo es un poderoso instrumento de formación porque expresa tan clara y hermosamente las verdades de los misterios cristianos, y la interconexión entre ellas. Cada doctrina es presentada desde sus fundamentos en la Sagrada Escritura – con su poder para penetrar a las mentes y los corazones, y a través de sus fuentes en la Tradición, tal y como lo expresaron los padres y doctores de la Iglesia, los concilios, y los santos. Las verdades se presentan en su riqueza y profundidad. La persona humana encuentra esta belleza, orden y coherencia irresistible. Hay un principio fundamental en acción aquí: la verdad (de la Revelación), cuando es expresada adecuadamente en sí misma (es decir, hermosamente) habla a nuestro corazón y mente, atrayéndonos hacia dentro. En todas las doctrinas, contemplamos la forma de Cristo, y somos extasiados (tomo prestada esta expresión de Hans Urs von Balthasar): somos cautivados de tal modo que nos impulsa para responder a Cristo mismo con nuestro abandono a la fe. En corto, la belleza convierte.

Too often, those responsible for adult faith formation in their parishes set aside the Catechism of the Catholic Church as too difficult and thus too daunting for their audience. Or they might consider it not relevant to people’s experience, not practical or personal enough, or uninspiring. To overlook the Catechism as a foundational resource in adult faith formation would be to do the People of God a great disservice. The Catechism is a gift from the Church—or more properly, from the Holy Spirit, working through the successors of the apostles, to all the members of Christ’s Body. In his apostolic constitution on the Catechism, Pope John Paul II says clearly that the Catechism is “offered to all the faithful who wish to deepen their knowledge of the unfathomable riches of salvation (cf. Eph 3:8).” It is not a dry document, but one packed with life. It is “oriented toward the maturing of … faith, its putting down roots in personal life and its shining forth in personal conduct (CCC 23). The Catechism is a formative document—it has the power to transform the hearts and minds of those who read it.

The Catechism is a powerful instrument of formation because it expresses so clearly and so beautifully the truths of the Christian mysteries, and their interconnection with one another. Each doctrine is seen in relation to the central truths of the Trinity, the Paschal Mystery, the Church, and the dignity of the human person. Each doctrine is presented through its foundations in Sacred Scripture—with its power to penetrate minds and hearts, and through its sources in the Tradition, as expressed in the Church fathers and doctors, the councils, and the saints. The truths are presented in their richness and depth. The human person finds this beauty, order, coherence, and depth compelling. There is a fundamental principle at work here: the truth (of revelation), when expressed in a manner adequate to itself (that is, beautifully) speaks to our hearts and minds, drawing us into itself. In all the doctrines, we behold the form of Christ, and are enraptured (to borrow a phrase from Hans Urs von Balthasar): we are captivated in such a way that we are drawn to respond to Christ himself with the surrender of faith. In short, beauty converts.

Encountering the Catechism: a Few Illustrations​
I’d like to share a few examples of the formative power of the Catechism. One of my neighbors became interested in Catholicism. He peppered me with questions whenever he saw me in our common parking lot. I answered many of these, but one day when he asked me about purgatory; I had little time and just decided to give him a copy of the Catechism. I directed him to the relevant pages, including the context of the four last things. He came back the next day, excited. Though not at all an educated man, he had read the section thoroughly, as well as looking up other topics. He was amazed by the logic of the presentations, and how Catholicism made everything “fit together.” He even explained it back to me quite well. A few days later, he told me that he wanted to become a Catholic.

When teaching the Ten Commandments to adults, I have found the presentation in the Catechism extremely effective. For example, people were astonished at the scope of each commandment. To learn that “Honor thy father and mother” included the role of the Christian family, caring for elderly parents, and the criteria for civil disobedience enabled them to view the commandments not just as items to be ticked off in preparation for confession, but as the basis for reflection on the nobility of the Christian call. The presentation of the eighth commandment—“you shall not bear false witness”—led to a discussion of why truth was important, awe at its ultimate expression in martyrdom, and how seemingly little offenses against the truth, such as gossiping, can do serious damage. The participants were sober after this session, and ready to re-evaluate their ways of speaking.

Many people wanting to becoming Catholic are often surprised that it can take a year or more. In my former denomination, it was very different. The way one became a Christian was, at the end of any given Church service, the pastor would ask people to bow their heads and close their eyes. He would then ask whoever wanted to receive Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior to raise their hand and then repeat a prayer after him. That was it.

Those leaders can be lauded for their desire for evangelism, but the lack of personal engagement with the one responding to Jesus leaves much to be desired. If seekers are given a little Jesus with no commitment expected, it can be like a spiritual blind date: it might work out, but you do not really know what you’re getting into. When properly run, the RCIA process is specifically designed to help lead people to a real, stable relationship with Jesus that will last. To help one understand why RCIA takes time, I will demonstrate how the RCIA process mirrors a healthy dating relationship that culminates in marriage.

Distinct Steps
Any healthy relationship moves through several stages from the first meeting to the wedding night. The same is true with coming to salvation in Jesus Christ. There are distinct steps that prepare for and allow a person to develop a genuine relationship with Jesus. Wanting to reclaim this process, which was present in the early Church but had fallen into disuse, the Second Vatican Council stated, “The catechumenate for adults, comprising several distinct steps, is to be restored” (Sacrosanctum Concilium 64). The general parallel is as follows.

Annual St.

Our parish recently hosted a major event in collaboration with two local parishes in our area. The speaker was well-known; and as the volunteers gathered in a circle with him to pray before the event, I looked up at one point and noticed something striking: a full seventy-five percent of the volunteers standing in the circle were past RCIA participants! As the RCIA Director of this small to mid-sized parish of around six hundred families, I was thrilled. I silently added a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord for doing great things for us, because I was certainly filled with joy! (cf. Ps 126:3). The words of Pope St. John Paul II ring true in this regard, “In both accepting and proclaiming the Gospel in the power of the Spirit the Church becomes at one and the same time an ‘evangelizing and evangelized’ community, and for this very reason, she is made the servant of all.”[1] Reflecting back on the journey we have traveled to reach this point, I can say with some satisfaction that we have come a long way. Admittedly, we still have far to go. Rome, as they say, was not built in a day. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is most certainly a process for the parish, as well as for the RCIA participants. Beginning the Process Transitioning from a nine-month RCIA process (with a combined Breaking Open the Word/catechetical session on Sundays) to a year-round process (with extended catechesis on a weeknight, including childcare), took a lot of prayer, courage, and organization. This change has made a positive impact on our catechists, catechesis, and the parish as a whole. Included in this adventure was a fair amount of hand-holding and accompaniment by my mentor, especially in the beginning. She should be canonized for her encouragement and patience with me! Eight years later, our team can now look back and say with enthusiasm and a fair amount of zeal that it was ALL worth it! Once we synchronized our methodology with the rhythm of a year-round model for adults, we moved on to building the catechetical team. We then began to incrementally add the following: a hospitality team, intercessory prayer team, set up team, RCIA adapted for teens, RCIA adapted for children (Jr. High-6/7/8 combo, Children-3/4/5 combo), and RICA (for adults in Spanish). All of the above are offered on the same night at the same time in our parish in order to accommodate entire families. Along the way, I was invited by the pastor to become a staff member. Initially it was five hours per week, then it was increased to nineteen and a half hours. We even obtained…gasp…a real office! Finally, my hours were increased to a full-time, thirty-hour per week position with benefits. This is what it takes to direct a full-scale RCIA process in a parish.[2] Our newest endeavor, due to begin this spring, is our neophyte team. These catechists will be present during the Mystagogy sessions where they will become acquainted with the neophytes. After Pentecost, this team will then accompany the new Catholics during their Neophyte Year by meeting regularly with them on a fixed schedule, taking them deeper into discipleship, and beginning to move them toward apostolic works according to the differing charisms of the individuals.

It is truly amazing what God can do when you focus on him. Lately, I have been reflecting on the “Smith” family, who came to our parish after beginning the RCIA process at two other parishes. When they came to our parish, I met with them to see how we could help.

I was amazed at their story and how much they desired to become Catholic! Mr. Smith shared with me how he was formally a leader in the Church of Christ and had begun to study Catholicism to prove it was wrong. His intentions may have been misdirected, yet even this was a response to God’s grace. His studies took a different turn: they led him to see how the Catholic Church was the one true Church. Once he realized this, he told his wife that he wanted to convert to Catholicism. She told him that if he converted it would “wreck” their marriage. He decided to pray and continue to study on his own, trusting that if God led him to this conclusion he would also provide a way for him to become Catholic and keep his family intact.

A Gift from the Church for the Church What does the world need at this time? And what would help every single Catholic right now? The answer is held in this beautiful gem, the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The contents on each page of this “book” capture God’s profound love for us and his unwavering desire to be united with us in a relationship of love. Literally, we can find God in every paragraph! St. Paul tells us in his Letter to the Romans that we are to “be transformed by the renewal of [our] mind” (Rom 12:2). There are a vast number of excellent Catholic books that can be studied and put into practice that bring such renewal, but none compare to the richness of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This is a bold statement but is based upon the testimony by Catholics at all levels of faith: from the person in the parish with no theological background to the scholarly intellectual with years of higher-level training. This life-saving treasure is worth reading in its entirety, as a systematic and orderly presentation of the “Sacred deposit” of the Faith.[1] We have been given a most incredible gift in the Catechism. This beautiful masterpiece is an orderly presentation of the faith—revealed Truth—that slowly builds in a manner in which all the teachings draw together and make sense. That is to say, there is a growing explanation of who God is, what he has done and continues to do for us, and our response to him through our choices in daily life and our relationship with him through prayer. And the presentation of doctrine throughout is clear and succinct. Beginning with the prologue, the first heading grabs our attention: “The life of man – to know and love God.” In order for us to know and love God, we must come to “the knowledge of the truth” (1Tim 2:3-4; emphasis mine), which is necessary for salvation. So, anything that is taught regarding the Faith must be correct in order to convey the truth! We have the guarantee that the teaching in the Catechism is correct. From the Church we receive the Truth revealed by God gathered together in the Catechism—the treasure of “Good News” given by Christ to the Apostles and handed on to us. Therefore, the Catechism allows every Catholic, and the world, to know exactly “what the Church professes, celebrates, lives and prays in her daily life.”[2] In Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Constitution introducing the text of the Catechism, the first line captures the feelings of every person who has read any part of this “authoritative exposition of the one and perennial apostolic faith”: “It is a cause for great joy that the…Catechism…is being published.” In Chapter One of the Creed, I can remember finding peace in the depths of my soul when I read the following lines because I had lived in a place where I was not hearing the truth: …God is Truth itself, whose words cannot deceive. This is why one can abandon oneself in full trust to the truth and faithfulness of his word in all things…. God is also truthful when he reveals himself – the teaching that comes from God is “true instruction.” When he sends his Son into the world it will be ‘to bear witness to the truth’: “We know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, to know him who is true.” (CCC, pars. 215, 217, emphasis mine) We can rest assured that the Catechism contains the constant teaching of the Catholic Church. We can have a tremendous sense of security in knowing this is a reliable presentation of the truth. As Jesus said, “you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (Jn 8:32). This truth not only brings intellectual freedom but also, even more comprehensively, provides emotional and spiritual freedom, which brings stability and peace. We don’t have to wonder; this does not involve guesswork; we don’t have to figure it out. God has revealed the truth and wants us to know and understand the truth and live it out by his grace, because it will provide personal happiness, not only now but for all eternity. The Catechism also contains a cohesive unity, in that it is composed of four interconnected parts, also called pillars: Creed, Sacraments, Life in Christ, and Prayer. What we believe in the Creed, we celebrate in the Sacraments. Our belief and celebration, in turn, shape and sustain how we live and pray. In other words, a doctrine in the Creed is directly related in some way to specific paragraphs in the sections on the Sacraments, Life in Christ, and Christian Prayer. And this is the case, back and forth, between all four pillars.

En nuestro número anterior, Dr. Kreeft exploró varios asuntos importantes que se suscitan cuando consideramos las preguntas de “¿quién?” y “¿dónde?” en cuanto se refieran a Cristo en la Eucaristía. En este artículo, el autor examina las tres preguntas finales con tal de ayudarnos a mejor comprender la enseñanza de la Iglesia sobre nuestro Señor Eucarístico.

¿Qué?
¿Qué actividad realiza Cristo en la Eucaristía? Obviamente, Él actúa sobre nosotros y dentro de nosotros en la Sagrada Comunión, tanto en nuestro cuerpo como en nuestra alma, ya que Él nos penetra en Cuerpo y Alma, no solamente para estar allí, para ser actual, sino para ser activo también en nosotros. Nos hace cosas. Nos salva de nosotros mismos, nos lava quitando nuestros pecados, nos justifica y santifica, y nos glorifica. Nos da toda gracia, nos hace, de forma gradual, lo que le hizo a María repentina y totalmente, es decir “llena de gracia”. En nuestro caso, este proceso no es completado y perfeccionado en esta vida, como lo fue para María. Pero lo que le hizo Dios, nos lo hace a nosotros. Hace – está ahora manos a la obra haciendo – una obra mucho mayor que el hacer el universo entero desde la nada: está haciendo santos de pecadores. El mundo entero es como aquella caja-más-que-mágica a la que llamamos el confesionario: Adán entra y Jesús sale. Cristo hace lo que únicamente Dios puede hacer: crea en nosotros un corazón puro. Nos está operando el corazón. Él es quien T.S. Eliot llamó “el cirujano herido”. La Sagrada Comunión es cirugía cardíaca.

Pero, ¿qué hace Cristo en la Eucaristía todo el tiempo, aun cuando no estamos recibiendo la Sagrada Comunión y cuando no estamos ofreciendo su Cuerpo y su Sangre al Padre para la salvación del mundo cuando asistimos a Misa? ¿Qué hace durante la Adoración Eucarística? ¿Qué está haciendo ahorita mismo?

Santo Tomás contesta esa pregunta con una sola palabra, una palabra maravillosa, en el himno eucarístico más perfecto que se haya escrito. El primer renglón es “Adoro Te devote, latens deitas, quae sub his figuris, vere latitas” (Devotamente te adoro, Dios escondido, oculto verdaderamente bajo estas apariencias). Aquella palabra, latitas, es la respuesta a nuestra pregunta, “¿Qué está haciendo Cristo allí?” Se está ocultando.

Ocultarse es un acto, no solo un estado estático de ser, sino una acción, una actividad, un acto libremente deseado que hace una diferencia, que cambia algo. Cuando nos ocultamos, cambiamos nuestra apariencia. Si no nos ocultáramos, estaríamos visibles; cuando nos ocultamos, hacemos algo, cambiamos algo, nos volvemos invisibles. Nos retiramos de las apariencias. Cuando dejamos de ocultarnos, no le sumamos nada a nuestro ser, sino que nos quitamos algo: nos quitamos nuestro disfraz, o nuestro escondite. Cesamos la acción de ocultarnos.

n our previous issue, Dr. Kreeft explored several important issues that arise when we consider the questions of “who” and “when” as they relate to Christ in the Eucharist. In this article, he will examine three final questions, to help us better understand the Church’s teaching concerning our Eucharistic Lord.

What?

What activity is Christ performing in the Eucharist? Obviously, he is acting on us and in us in Holy Communion, both in body and soul, since he enters us both in body and soul not just in order to be there, to be actual, but also to be active in us. He does stuff to us. He saves us from ourselves, he washes away our sins, he justifies and sanctifies us, and glorifies us. He gives us all graces, he makes us, gradually, what he made Mary suddenly and totally, namely “full of grace.” For us, this process is not completed and perfected in this life, as it was for Mary. But what God did to her, he does to us. He does—he is now at work doing—a far greater work than making the entire universe out of nothing: he is making saints out of sinners. The whole world is like that more-than-magical-box we call the confessional: Adam walks in and Jesus walks out. Christ does what only God can do: he creates in us a clean heart. He is performing heart surgery on us. He is what T.S. Eliot called “the wounded surgeon.” Holy Communion is heart surgery.

But what is Christ doing there in the Eucharist all the time, even when we are not receiving Holy Communion and when we are not offering his Body and Blood to the Father for the salvation of the world as we assist at the Mass? What is he doing there during Eucharistic adoration? And what is he doing right now?

St. Thomas answers that question in a single word, a wonderful word, in the most perfect and beautiful Eucharistic hymn ever written. The first line is “Adora te devote, latens deitas, quae sub his figuris vere latitas.” (Devoutly I adore thee, hidden deity, Who beneath these figures hideth there from me.) That word latitas is the answer to our question, “What is Christ doing there?” He is hiding.

The phrases “God from God” and “Light from Light” are used in the Nicene Creed which is recited at every Sunday Mass.

In Latin, the phrase “Light from Light” is lumen de lumine. The phrase appears in the very first section of the Creed:

"I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made."

The Symbolum Nicaenum, or Nicene Creed, was first promulgated at the Council of Nicea (325), though in an abbreviated form from what we have today. St. Athanasius (296-373), the great bishop of Alexandria, attributes the composition of the Nicene Creed to a Papal Legate called Hossius of Cordoba. The Creed is also sometimes called the Nicene-Constantinoplian Creed since it appears in the Acts of the Council of Constantinople (381). It was formally promulgated at Chalcedon in 451 and has come down to us as our present Nicene Creed.

It was at the Councils of Nicea and Constantinople that the true nature of Jesus was defended against a multitude of heresies. In particular, the words “God from God” and “Light from Light” were aimed against the Arian heresy, which denied the pre-existence of Christ. Arius (c. 250-336), a priest from Alexandria, argued that the Father alone is God in the full sense and that the Son was a being created by the Father. This idea was also called “subordinationism.” The Councils, drawing upon the traditions handed down to them from the Apostles, condemned the heresy and declared that Jesus was indeed both true God and true man. Against Arius, the Nicene Creed reasserts the principle that Jesus Christ is not made by God and so is of the created order, but is instead of the same order of being as the Father: uncreated, eternal, and timeless. The Greek word “homo-ousios” (of the same being), or in Latin “consubstantialis” and now in the English version of the Creed “consubstantial,” was used to denote the relationship of God the Father to God the Son.

Nonetheless, Arianism remained a problem for well over a century. The whole of modern day France was infected with Arianism until King Clovis married Burgundian Princess Clotilde. In 496, Clotilde, who was not an Arian, convinced Clovis that Christ really was God. When Clovis converted to this position, some 4,000 of his soldiers followed him, and as a consequence Arianism died out in the Frankish kingdom. St. Clotilde is one of a number of saintly queens who used her influence with poorly catechised husbands to change the course of history in a decidedly Christian direction.