Franciscan at Home

Is the doctrine of the Holy Trinity actually taught any more? This may sound like an alarmist question. One would imagine that the sign of the cross and its accompanying words, ‘In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen’, are still used and explained by the vast majority of Catholic parents, catechists and teachers. Sadly, this is not as common as one might have presumed in the past. In many catechetical resources circulating in Britain the Blessed Trinity is no longer mentioned at all. In this article I’ll be highlighting three simple points: a) that the Trinity is still being eliminated from some Catholic teaching materials, b) that this matters, and c) that we can know the reasons why the Trinity is not being taught and can thus retrieve effectively the very foundation of Christian faith, hope and love.

The Editor of The Sower recently revealed the following statistic: The Report of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales Working Party on Sacramental Initiation, On the Threshold, ‘manages to compile a 66 page report of recommendations about RCIA without once referring to the Trinity, to the Father, to the Son or to the Holy Spirit’.[i] The text uses unvaryingly the word ‘God’ throughout. Another document, from the Catholic Education Service, called, On the Way to Life,[ii] subtitled, ‘a framework for Catholic Education, Catechesis and Formation’, in its 99 pages, mentions the Trinity only once and that is in a quotation from Pope John Paul II. An electronic search of the document for ‘God the Father’ reveals that the phrase appears only twice and each time as part of the title of Mary Daly’s book, Beyond God the Father![iii]

Of course, these are not catechetical programmes in themselves but guidance documents. Surely, you might say, actual sacramental programmes will be imbued with references to the persons of the Trinity? At a recent diocesan day for catechists it was discovered that, in the participants’ examples of catechesis of the Christmas story, not a single catechist present referred to Jesus either as God or as the Son of God. Such catechesis about Christmas will be portrayed as a story of a strangely extraordinary man (or baby) if it is not explicitly taught that Jesus is God become man, Son of God sent by his Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. More and more frequently one finds catechetical texts referring to ‘Jesus’ and to ‘God’ and ‘Jesus praying to God’ as though he were a man like us and not God, or with a special relationship (never explained) with God.

There are, then, different ways of not teaching the doctrine of the Trinity. One, as we have seen, is by omission; the other is by teaching heresy. For example, the adult formation programme for the Archdiocese of Westminster, At Your Word Lord, began with a session on the Trinity as ‘three aspects’ of the one God. These three aspects, it continues, have a loving relationship with each other. The notion of aspects rather than persons having a loving relationship, sadly increases the confusion. Resources for Children’s liturgy in the United Kingdom almost invariably teach children the heresy of modalism on Trinity Sunday, prompting children to draw (or even wear in the offertory procession) three different types of hat.

This is a regular feature highlighting some of the difficult questions experienced by catechists, teachers and parents who are put ‘on the spot’ by those they are teaching. How can an understanding of sacramentality help us when we are in dialogue with non-Catholic Christians who can find this central aspect of our faith bewildering?

She has been a member of the Church of England all her life – almost sixty years. As a young woman she experienced a conversion which enriched her faith, and since that time she has attended Sunday worship regularly and is deeply involved in many aspects of Anglican life, both spiritual and practical. We are able to speak of our faith to each other, albeit in either superficial or social terms, but I had assumed we stood on common ground in rather more areas than proved to be the case. In the course of a recent conversation in which I had mentioned some aspect of Church teaching on the Sacraments, she turned to me in utter confusion.

‘What’s a sacrament anyway?’ she asked. ‘I don’t understand what you mean by a sacrament.’

It seems that we do not always stand on solid ground when we assume other Christians understand what we mean by a sacrament, ‘sacramentality’ or the connection this effects between God and ourselves. Sacraments were dismissed at the Reformation as ‘dead works’ and seem to have an uncertain and ambiguous meaning for many of our fellow Christians – Christians who are part of our families, our schools and our daily lives.

As we begin the Year of St Paul, Alan Schreck assists us in our appreciation of the saints as the greatest educators.

The greatest teachers of the Catholic Church are her saints. True, many of them were not articulate or great preachers, and some were even illiterate. Nevertheless, they are recognised as ‘saints’ because their lives provide us with the clearest and the best instruction in what the Christian life is all about. And what is it all about? In a single word: Holiness, which means becoming like God in character and virtue. What does holiness look like? We see it most perfectly displayed in the Son of God incarnate (God among us in person, or literally ‘in the flesh’), Jesus Christ. But a nearly perfect reflection of holiness, the character and virtue of God himself, is seen in the saints. The saints teach us most fully what God intended us all to be and to become - truly God-like.

If we look at the ‘reflection’ of God in the saints, we don’t find just a single image or portrait, but a marvellous collage of images of God and his love as different as the sun and the moon, or as mountains and the ocean. There were saints who were kings and queens, and beggars; great intellectuals, and simple priests (like St. John Vianney) who couldn’t learn their Latin; girls and boys and octogenarians; world-traversing missionaries and mystics in their cloisters; bloodstained martyrs and ‘clowns’ of God (like St. Philip Neri). There were soldiers (from St. George to St. Joan), prophets and prophetesses, religious foundresses and mothers, servants of the poor and needy...yes, and even some who were teachers by profession. What they all have in common is a passionate love of God that grew in their souls and finally burst into full blossom. Marvellously, there is a saint for everybody - some saint whose life and experience will uniquely touch a particular person and open them more fully to God. The saints remind us of what we are all made for.

In this year, when we are focusing on the Father, Mary Killeen invites us to consider the significance of ‘fatherhood’ and ‘motherhood’ in our catechesis.

In our catechesis we seek to offer an education in the faith that will initiate others into the fullness of Christian life. In light of such a wondrous endeavor, it is proper that we reflect more deeply on the significance of ‘fatherhood’ and ‘motherhood’ in our catechesis. These realities offer a living framework for the whole of our catechetical work.

“If youth can lead one another to sin, why not to sanctity?” So wondered St. John Bosco as he undertook his life’s work with poor boys in Turin in the 1850s. And youth ministers have asked themselves the same question ever since.

In the last issue of The Sower Jose Varickasseril highlighted Paul’s methods for catechesis. Here is a practical application of his lessons in the area of youth evangelization and catechesis. Reprinted here with permission from Celia Siriois.

Peer ministry is built on the premise that young people can indeed influence one another to the good, that they can be light and leaven in the world in which they find themselves. In many ways peer ministry is the goal toward which all youth ministry tends. It takes with radical seriousness the words of the prophet Joel echoed by Peter in his first sermon: “’And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams’” (Acts 2:17; cf. Joel 2:28). Peter announces the good news that the saving work of Jesus has inaugurated the last days. The Spirit has been poured out on all God’s people without distinction. Now young and old alike are sent to bear witness to the gospel.

Peer ministry seeks to awaken the baptismal imagination of the young, to make them mindful of the gift and call of their Baptism. It encourages them to begin even now to participate actively and responsibly in the work of evangelization. In many ways it is a school, educating the hearts, minds and wills of young people, equipping them to make an intelligent and imaginative contribution to the Church and the world.

En la última edición de The Sower, el Padre Cash escribió acerca del encuentro personal esencial con Jesucristo como esencial para que los catequistas sean testigos auténticos de la gracia transformante que Jesús quiere compartir con todos los bautizados. En este artículo, explica los obstáculos que pueden bloquear el crecimiento en esa gracia transformante.

La fe no es solamente una manera para conocer, sino que es un don del Espíritu Santo que nos transforma como seres humanos. Penetramos en una profunda experiencia personal del conocimiento de Jesucristo. Y esa fe transforma nuestras vidas. Lo conozco a Él, y ya que me ha perdonado mis pecados, mi vida es transformada, así como la vida de todo cristiano es transformada por el conocimiento insuperable de Cristo. Entonces, ¿por qué será que no todos los cristianos tengan esta experiencia?

Points for Catechists

Amette Ley examines the helpful analysis and clarifications provided by the "Doctrinal Note on Some Aspects of Evangelisation," published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, December 2007.

We can be held back in our work by a concern that the proclamation of the Gospel is intrusive or limiting of others’ personal freedom. How do we balance the missionary command of the Lord with respect for the conscience and religious freedom of all people?

This negative understanding of evangelisation has been a powerful undercurrent recently, resulting in an unwillingness to proclaim the truth about Christ at all outside our own closed circles. In positively reformulating the idea that there is no salvation outside the Church, many people have sometimes implied the incorrect view that the Church is no longer necessary for salvation – or even that belief in Christ is no longer necessary.

In the light of this misunderstanding, we have been given recently a Doctrinal Note on Some Aspects of Evangelisation – a document which is honest about the difficulties involved and clear about the task to be done, and which can be of great help to us.

In this final article, introducing Veritatis Splendor, Alan Schreck explains how John Paul II clarified Catholic teaching in relation to other moral positions.

A controversial topic that Pope John Paul II addresses in Chapter 2 is the modern theological concept of ‘fundamental choice’ or ‘fundamental option’. The Biblical basis for this notion is that the ‘obedience of faith’ (cf. Rom 16:26) by which a person entrusts his whole self to God (cf. Vatican II, DV 5; VS 66). In the Old Testament, Israel’s fundamental decision is whom they will obey or serve. ‘Choose this day’, Joshua urges the people, ‘whom you will serve!’ (Joshua 24:15). ‘The morality of the New Covenant is similarly dominated by the fundamental call of Jesus to follow him, ‘the invitation he gives to the young man’ (VS 66; Mt 19:21). We have the freedom to respond to that call to serve the Lord, but as St. Paul warns, ‘do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh’ (Gal 5:13).

Fr. Richard Conrad gives us key points for our catechesis on the paschal mystery.

When catechising, it is good to approach the mystery of our redemption from the perspective of the glorious destiny to which we are called. This enables us to see the big picture.

The New Testament promises that we shall know God as He is, we shall ‘see’ God (John 17:3; I John 3:2). St. Thomas Aquinas claims that, apart from the visions of Moses and St. Paul, and apart from the special case of Christ, we cannot know What God is while we are still in this life. For now we know things through concepts, which are drawn from sense experience, and we employ them with the help of the imagina­tion. While all things reflect God's good­ness and beauty in their own ways, none match up to it; so although re­flection on the world can show that God exists, it cannot tell us What God is. At death, the soul leaves this earthly way of knowing behind, and God can reveal Himself to her through a higher way of knowing.

A truly supernatural way of knowing is required if any creature is to know What God is. As St. Thomas understands it, this way of knowing involves God Himself being present to the mind in an unmediated way. God is the Truth itself, and is infinitely knowable. The problem is that He is too knowable, rather as the Sun is more visible than a candle – which is why we cannot look at it. Rather as a stronger eye might look at the Sun, so the creature's mind must be strengthened if it is to know God. Angels, and the souls of the Blessed, are en­dow­ed with a ‘light of glory’ which ‘enlarges’ them so that they can receive, not a more powerful concept, but God Himself. We can put this simply by saying that in Heaven God gives Himself to the soul, at the same time streng­thening her to receive so great a Gift. Only this possession of God can bring fulfil­ment, beatitude – that is why it is called ‘the Beatific Vision’. Our goal, then, is that God the Father, and His Son and Their Spirit, should give Themselves to us to be known and loved, possessed and enjoyed!

The evangelist Luke has reproduced in the Acts of the Apostles the journeys that the Apostle Paul undertook along with others in order to set up Christian communities the length, and breadth of the Roman empire. Highly significant is the use of the Greek verb ‘discipling’[i] that is used towards the end of the first journey (see Acts 14:21). Discipling could be considered as a synonym for catechesis. The very purpose of catechesis is to make disciples, disciples in the true sense of the word. In this article we shall examine the first journey of Paul (Acts 13:1­-14:28) so as to take note of the methods that the Apostle Paul used in order to win converts as well as to confirm them in their faith.
Luke has presented the person of Paul as an ideal catechist who is able to consolidate with his own personal life the faith of those entrusted to his care. What Paul is, is no doubt as important as what he does on behalf of the community by way of imparting faith formation.

At the outset of the first missionary journey, Luke refers to Saul [Paul] and Barnabas (along with three others) as prophets and teachers. This is what Paul is—a prophet and a teacher. These are two complementary gifts given by God in order to establish others in the faith.