Franciscan at Home

Here we continue to explore the second part of Pope John Paul II’s apostolic letter on catechesis,issued in the second year of his pontificate, October 16, 1979.

The Holy Father begins the fourth section of Catechesi Tradendae (henceforth CT) by noting that the content of catechesis and evangelization is the same—the Good News of salvation. However, in catechesis the Word is “probed unceasingly” through reflection, study and simply living the Faith (no. 26). The source of this Good News, of course, is Scripture and Tradition, the “single sacred deposit of the Word of God” (cf Vatican II, Dei Verbum, no. 10).

t was the Associate Pastor’s first Sunday in his new assignment. He was counseled (or cautioned) by the pastor that the congregation was somewhat unenthusiastic during Mass. The idea came to him to begin Mass with a joke or humorous story as a way of engaging them. As the choir concluded what seemed like their Broadway debut, he tapped the microphone to test its sound. Nothing! He panicked and tapped it again this time speaking apologetically to the congregation, ‘Something’s wrong with the mic.’ To which everyone dutifully responded, ‘And also with you, Father!’

Ah, the familiarity of the Mass responses! We could say them with our eyes closed - and perhaps sometimes many of us early risers do! Yet familiarity can be a good thing, for it allows us to concentrate on the symbolic gestures during Mass and to ponder the depth of their meaning. However, come November 27, 2011 when the Church begins to use the revised translation of the 2002 Roman Missal, some of this familiarity will diminish, and for many Catholics this will be a challenge. Even if priests spend the recommended year preparing their congregation for the new texts, it is most certain that for a few Sundays following November 27, 2011, some in the congregation will continue to profess proudly their faith in Christ who is ‘one in being’ with the Father, instead of ‘consubstantial.’ Habits are hard to change - especially prayerful ones.

Often our struggles with change - especially in the area of Church discipline or teaching - result from misunderstandings, which in turn can lead to camps or ‘extremist ideology.’ At one extreme we can find a certain ‘dogmatic fundamentalism’ or ‘traditionalism’ that views change, especially liturgical change, as a ‘rupture from the past.’ At the other extreme lies a kind of ‘enlightened progressivism’ that sees reality in ‘continuous flux’ and theology in a state of ‘process.’

Neither position is true, as Blessed John Henry Cardinal Neman insightfully demonstrates in his magnificent work, The Development of Doctrine. Organic growth in doctrine is always rooted in the unchanging reality of Jesus Christ and His revelation, even as it matures or develops into fuller expression.

The Lord’s Prayer can be very helpfully used as a prayerful focus for catechising in morality. One of the advantages of this is that those we teach will gain the vital perspective that how we live and act flows from our prayer and is an expression of it. One on the gravest errors of our time is the dichotomy between faith professed and the practice of lives.[ii] It will help all of us to remember, as well, that the commandments begin with God and our relationship with him.

When teaching morality, it is important to present our final ‘end’, or goal, very clearly. Then we need to present how to reach that goal, cooperating with God’s grace. Finally, we explain and discuss how to behave towards others in the light of these convictions. The structure of the Our Father lends itself very well to this approach. Our true fulfilment is to draw close to God, whom we call Abba, Father. The ‘how’ is reflected in the central part of the prayer; and the prayer closes with an appeal for help in relationships with others and in remaining faithful to the life he has in mind for us.

We cry out to our Father in heaven revering his name; life in its fullest sense consists in a loving relationship with him. We are created in his image and he has placed in us a desire for him.[iii] So in teaching morality the focus is to be on the Father, his kingdom,[iv] and our eternal destiny. When we adopt this perspective, challenges in daily life can be seen to help lead us to the very place where we learn to be our true selves, the heart of the Father.

‘On the Spot’ aims to highlight some of the complex positions, questions and comments experienced by Catechists, teachers and parents. It tries to outline the knowledge necessary to be faithful to Church teaching and which will best help those we teach who call us to account for the hope that is in us (see I Peter 3:15). This time we look at what ‘Providence’ may mean to those we teach, and we consider the distinction between Providence and the God who provides.

‘God’s Providence Is Mine Inheritance’. These words are to be found on the front of an old building in the City of Chester in the North of England. They can probably be attributed to those who lived in a previous building on the site and were spared from the plague. Others, most notably the Earl of Cork in the seventeenth century, have taken these words for their family motto, though I suspect that they may have been thinking of the words in a different light (‘Mine Inheritance is God’s Providence’), rather than expressing a trust in God to provide for the future!

Jason Gale draws some important lessons for catechesis from the Church’s understanding of Creation.

God’s work of Creation is both once and for all and at the same time continuing. When we speak of Creation, we sometimes speak of it as a past act from which everything else flows. But the truth is that God continues to create. His act of creation continues both in the creation of new things and persons and also in the continuing existence of those persons and things already in existence.

Pope John Paul II stated, “Having created the cosmos, God continues to create it, by maintaining it in existence. Conservation is a continuous creation.”[i] We can draw many implications from this truth, and we can draw two conclusions which are particularly important for our work as catechists.

Do we, does each one of us Christians, believe in God’s love, which stretches over and covers the entire world and each one of us? Deists—and many Christians—say, “I believe in the Creator of the world, but I don’t believe he plays a role in the life of the world.” St. John Chrysostom says that those within the bosom of Christ’s Church who reason in this way are worse and more dangerous than unbelievers. We may boldly, and without fear of error, add to the words of this “Teacher of the Whole World” that the rejection of God’s Providence—that is, the rejection of God's continued care for the world—contradicts reason.

My dear ones, we know that the Creator’s plan for the world is a loving plan. And therefore it is impossible for God the Creator to deprive the world of His care.

Most catechists will have experienced the frustrating situation where those being taught are not actively disagreeing with anything being presented – and yet there is not the smallest spark of interest in what is being communicated. The presentation leaves the listener cold. No spark has been generated.

It is noteworthy, therefore, that the Catechism places a section on the desire for God and for the truths of the Faith at the very beginning of the work (CCC 27-30). At the heart of the catechetical process there must be a desire, in the one being catechised, to receive the Revelation which is being transmitted.

We find similar thoughts centuries before the preaching of the Gospel, in Plato, the Father of Western philosophy, who understood the central importance of motivation for learning. His dialogue the Meno revolves around the question of how knowledge can be gained, and in this dialogue Socrates insists that there is no way that knowledge can be imparted independently of the learner’s desiring to receive it. The learner must be motivated to learn, and must be active in the learning process. The General Directory for Catechesis echoes this idea, insisting that catechumens need to understand themselves to be ‘co-responsible’ in the learning process (GDC 167).

‘On the Spot’ aims to highlight some of the complex positions, questions and comments experienced by Catechists, teachers and parents. It tries to outline the knowledge necessary to be faithful to Church teaching and which will best help those we teach who call us to account for the hope that is in us. [cf I Peter 3:15]

This time we look at the ways in which we can help adults respond to the grace of God which draws the human mind and spirit towards him who is the desire of every heart.

The analogy of a feast is central to the Christian life. Our Baptism is a washing and making ready for this feast; a “Nuptial Bath” preceding the wedding feast of the Eucharist. (CCC 1617) Not only do we share in the life of the Blessed Trinity even now through our participation in this holy food, but we also look forward to the Heavenly Banquet, the Marriage Feast of the Lamb.

This imagery is not accidental. The need for food is universal and draws everyone by their desire to eat. Anyone who is no longer interested in food is probably sick or dead, unless they have deliberately tamed their physical appetites for some purpose. Our daily lives are punctuated by our interaction with food, and every celebration or occasion will be marked with a meal of some kind. We are drawn to food by our human need to eat or die, even though we frequently eat more, and more richly, than is necessary for our health. We are drawn by the loveliness of fresh, well prepared food; its smell, its appearance, the promise of relaxation and laughter with friends and family. We are drawn by our own delight.

Dad could hardly believe it. “You’re worried about which door to use? Use any door!”

The boldness of this idea did not comfort me. After all, wasn’t it important to follow the school rules? When the bell rang on the first day, we were to line up at the correct door with our class. Then we were to enter upon the journey of knowledge with our new teachers. This was supposed to happen out of a situation of chaos – hundreds of youngsters (rough-housing and yelling on our big playground) were expected to respond quickly. What if I did not hear my new teacher call me by name? I could end up in class 4-A rather than 4-B! What if I were left alone on the playground?

And yet, somehow, it happened! With the help of my older sisters, the strong voices of my teachers, and the belief that this was the way it was supposed to be, I entered upon the new school year!

I never seemed to have a doubt about what door to exit. We would pour back out onto the playground and make our way homeward to tell Mom how we had fared, by that time forgetting all about the entry door to the new year.

As God’s good children, we have already entered our Porta Fidei and started a New Church Year. Without forgetting what we have embarked upon, how can we use the “exit door” of Lent and Holy Week in the service of catechesis?

Deacon Mike Knuth helps us to understand the meaning of vocation and how to foster a vocational environment.

St. Paul admonishes in Ephesians 4:1, ‘I…urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received…’ Here St. Paul shows us a profound and intimate relationship that exists between catechesis and vocations. In the great tapestry of our faith, two important threads are the call God has placed within us, and the life we live in response to it. How can we live a life worthy of the call if we don’t understand both the call and the kind of life that the call elicits?

The word vocation comes from the Latin word vocare, which means ‘to call’. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) defines vocation in its glossary as, ‘The calling or destiny we have in this life and hereafter.’ Vocation is really a way of life – a living in communion with God now that prepares us for eternal communion.

As we know, catechesis prepares a Christian to live in a community, and to participate actively in the life and mission of the Church. Christian community does not spontaneously happen. It comes about through the careful education of its members. Presenting the Christian message, catechesis not only shows who God is and what His saving plan is, catechesis must also reveal man to himself and make him more aware of his sublime vocation.[i] The General Directory for Catechesis (GDC) speaks of the role the Catechism is to play in demonstrating to man his highest vocation.[ii] Using the Catechism, let’s examine this whole area of God’s call.