Franciscan at Home

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“I know my kid has problems, but at least she’s not on drugs!” You’ll hear this uttered by moms appealing to their child’s teacher or by fathers trying to rationalize their son’s lackluster behavior. The intent of the phrase is to make one’s existing defects of character seem less significant when compared to someone who has “real” problems. In fact, I remember a mildly heated conversation during my own teen years, when my parents were beside themselves trying to get me to manage my personal life. My mom, sensing the tension and realizing that I really was a good kid, paused at one point and said, “Son, we really are pleased with you, at least you’re not on drugs.” Comforted by this low bar, I continued in my mediocrity.

While this statement is intended to give comfort, it offers a skewed perspective on our purpose for living. Our purpose is not to achieve an absence of vice but to pursue the presence of virtue (Gal 5:22-24; CCC 1784, 1803). If our life is simply measured by the lack of destructive behaviors, we will have set a low bar indeed.

Many parish RCIA processes operate on the “at least you’re not ___________” principle. They measure a candidate’s progress by the lack of obvious sin, more than the presence of virtue or adherence to the Gospel. Due to the challenges in the conversion process, a pastor or RCIA director can unwittingly believe that as long as one is willing to be baptized and there is no presence of serious sin, the RCIA has done its job. If you have found yourself in this place, allow me to inspire you to raise the level of expectation and transform your RCIA into what the Church intends, that is, to generate unbaptized evangelists.

Great Expectations

The expectation of the Church is that the RCIA is supposed to train catechumens (apprenticeship) in the entire Christian life.[i] By entire, the Church really means entire. By God’s grace, everything that should be part of the post-baptismal Christian life, with the exception of sacraments, should be present in some form before baptism: faith, hope, charity, repentance, prayer, moral life, good works, etc. (RCIA 75.1-3). There is one more aspect in which the Church expects catechumens to participate: the apostolic work of evangelism. The Church says, “catechumens should also learn how to work actively with others to spread the Gospel and build up the Church by the witness of their lives and by professing their faith (RCIA 75.1, AG 14).

So often those working in RCIA are just hoping catechumens will come to Mass every Sunday, and the thought of including catechumens in the apostolic work of the Church never crosses their minds. Most RCIA processes are structured for catechumens to only be receivers and not givers.

¿Será que el término “discipulado” es solo otro eslogan católico que se ha puesto de moda?

Aunque exista un mayor énfasis en el discipulado hoy en día, algunos dirigentes parroquiales admiten que no tienen una comprensión muy clara de lo que es exactamente el discipulado y cómo este tema pueda tener un impacto en el ministerio catequético. Incluso algunos se preguntan si no será otra tendencia pasajera. Así como me comentó un dirigente parroquial recientemente, “¿El discipulado?... Ah pues es una de esas palabras católicas que están de moda ahora…. Dentro de unos años, ya ni se dirá…. Así que voy a seguir haciendo lo que he estado haciendo.”

Parte del problema quizás sea que no se ha comunicado una visión consistente del discipulado. Las parroquias, apostolados o dirigentes diocesanos particulares a menudo inventan cada uno su visión sobre el discipulado. Pero, dada la importancia de este tema, imagínese si todos estuviéramos en la misma sintonía al ofrecer una visión del discipulado conformada de verdad por la Palabra de Dios. ¿Y si ofreciéramos a los dirigentes parroquiales un panorama más robusto del discipulado – uno que fuera fundamentado en el ministerio público de Jesús y enraizada en las enseñanzas de la Iglesia sobre la catequesis? Como veremos, esta emocionante visión bíblica del discipulado les equiparía a los trabajadores de la pastoral con un marco poderoso para la evangelización y la profundización de la relación que tiene el pueblo con Cristo.

El discipulado: su sentido bíblico
En el mundo del primer siglo en el que habitaba Jesús, ser discípulo se trataba de una sola palabra clave: imitación. Cuando un discípulo seguía a un rabino, el objetivo no era tan solo adquirir un dominio de las enseñanzas del rabino, sino también imitar su estilo de vida: la forma en que oraba, estudiaba, enseñaba, atendía a los pobres y vivía su relación con Dios cotidianamente. El mismo Jesús decía que cuando el discípulo esté plenamente formado, “será como su maestro” (Lc 6:40). Cuando San Pablo formaba a sus propios discípulos, les exhortaba que no recordaran solamente sus enseñanzas, sino que siguieran su forma de vivir: “Sed imitadores de mí, como también yo lo soy de Cristo” (1 Cor 11:1).

Aunque la palabra griega ‘discípulo’ (mathetés) significa ‘aprendiz’, el discipulado bíblico era algo muy distinto del aprendizaje que se da en el salón de clases hoy en día. En un campus universitario, lo más común es que el profesor dé clases a los estudiantes en una gran aula; los estudiantes toman apuntes, y más adelante durante el semestre se les hace un examen sobre lo que trataron las clases. Sin embargo, por lo regular no existe una relación personal continua, ni una convivencia entre el profesor y el estudiante en el ámbito universitario actual.

Seguir un rabino, no obstante, significaba vivir con el rabino, compartir los alimentos con él, orar con él, estudiar con él, y tomar parte en la vida diaria del rabino. La vida de un rabino debía de ser el ejemplo vivo de una persona conformada por la Palabra de Dios. Los discípulos, por lo tanto, estudiaban no solo el texto de la Sagrada Escritura, sino que también el “texto” de la vida del rabino.

Experience repeatedly shows us that those who live through a crisis without losing faith are often the best able to bear hope to those who are suffering. This is true whether the suffering one endures is of body or of spirit. Perhaps we all know someone who has survived cancer and becomes an extraordinary advocate and helper for those who receive that frightening diagnosis. The cancer survivor is deeply attuned to the emotions that come with that diagnosis, to the difficult path of surgery and chemotherapy, and to the immense joy that comes if at last remission is declared. All of the Twelve Step programs, a time-proven gift for those who struggle with addictions, are rooted in the compassionate understanding of those who have faced the same challenges. The one who has fought the constant battle to overcome addiction to alcohol, drugs, or other means of seeking to cope with painful realities can be a life-changing support to another who wakes up to the devastating effects of addiction.

Is “discipleship” just another trendy Catholic catchphrase? Although there’s a lot more emphasis on discipleship today, some parish leaders admit not having a clear understanding of what exactly discipleship is and how this theme can impact catechetical ministry. Some even wonder if it’s just a passing trend. As one parish leader recently said to me, “Discipleship?…Oh, this is just another Catholic buzz word that happens to be in vogue now…It will fade away in a few years….I’m just going to keep doing what I’ve been doing.” Part of the problem might be the lack of a consistent vision being casted for discipleship. Individual parishes, apostolates, or diocesan leaders each often come up with their own views on discipleship. But given the importance of this theme, imagine if we were all on the same page in offering a picture of discipleship that was truly shaped by God’s Word. What if we were to offer parish leaders a more consistent and more robust picture of discipleship—one grounded in Jesus’ public ministry and rooted in the Church’s teachings on catechesis? As we’ll see, this exciting biblical vision for discipleship would equip pastoral workers with a powerful framework for evangelization and deepening people’s relationship with Christ. Discipleship: Its Biblical Meaning In the first-century Jewish world of Jesus, being a disciple was all about one key word: imitation. When a disciple followed a rabbi, the goal wasn’t merely to master the rabbi’s teachings but also to imitate the way he lived: the way he prayed, studied, taught, served the poor, and lived out his relationship with God day-to-day. Jesus himself said when a disciple is fully trained, he “becomes like his teacher” (Lk 6:40). And when St. Paul formed disciples of his own, he exhorted them not just to remember his teachings, but also to follow his way of living: “Be imitators of me as I am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). Though the word disciple (mathetes) means “learner,” biblical discipleship was very different from modern classroom learning. On a college campus, a professor might give lectures to students in a large hall; the students take notes, and they’re examined on the material later in the semester. But there’s usually not an ongoing personal relationship and sharing of life between professor and student in the university setting today.

“It would make no difference to my faith,” someone once assured me, “if they found the bones of Jesus.” He spoke only of his faith not being shaken and did not claim anything about the faith of others. About the same time, I received the results of a questionnaire on the resurrection presented to several hundred college students. Almost 90% agreed that they could not believe in the risen Jesus unless his tomb was found empty. They accepted the underlying argument of the graffito one sees on walls in the springtime: “There will be no Easter this year. They have found the body.”

What is the historical evidence that underpins accepting the empty tomb? And how does the empty tomb center Christian faith in Jesus risen from the dead?

Evidence of the Resurrection
The New Testament offers at least three strands of evidence that support the historicity of the empty tomb story: the testimony of Mark 16 (followed by Matthew 28 and Luke 24) that three women discovered Jesus’ tomb to be open and empty on the first Easter Sunday; the probably independent witness of John 20 that Mary Magdalene made that discovery (immediately confirmed by Peter and “the beloved disciple”); and the implications of Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 15.

Pope Francis is fond of describing the Lord as One who goes before us in our apostolic mission. No matter where it is that catechists are called to serve, no matter the challenges and the adversity, we can take heart (as well as courage) that the Lord has preceded us into this place, that he is in charge, that we are not alone.

Registration is now open for Franciscan University of Steubenville's Summer Conferences for Adults. Call 740-283-6315; email [email protected] or visit the Steubenville Conferences' website.

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One of the most interesting elements of guidance given by the Church in the General Directory for Catechesis (GDC) is the pedagogical principle of “Fidelity to God and Fidelity to Man.”[1] What is unique about this and also essential for any catechist is the fact that this principle should guide both content and methodology. In fact, St. John Paul II wrote that catechesis must refer to “a law that is fundamental for the whole of the Church’s life: the law of fidelity to God and fidelity to man in a single loving attitude.”[2] As catechists, we must have this “single loving attitude.” We can find inspiration in this from the world of iconography. Many times in the writing of icons, the iconographer will draw the face of the saint with one eye slightly turned upward to God and one eye focused straight ahead. As catechists, like the saints we try to emulate, we look both upward and outward in a two-fold fidelity. The balance that a catechist must obtain is not between two conflicting motivations. If we look at the hypostatic union, we see that Christ’s divinity does not destroy his humanity nor does his humanity take anything away from his divinity. The two exist united yet distinct. Similarly, catechists must constantly be aware of those who are before them and the mystery they proclaim. We do not catechize in a vacuum but in a specific time, place, and to a particular people. It is the responsibility of catechists to be “heralds of the Gospel who are experts in humanity, who know the depths of the heart of many today, who share in his hopes and joys, his worries and his sadness, and at the same time are contemplatives, in love with God.”[3] This principle protects and directs the catechist in many ways. The GDC states, “The principle of ‘fidelity to God and fidelity to man’ leads to an avoidance of any opposition or artificial separation or presumed neutrality between method and content. It affirms, rather, their necessary correlation and interaction.”[4] In recent catechetical history, the relationship between content and method has been frequently discussed. Many catechetical textbooks are judged by these two standards and rightly so; but a textbook is not the most important aspect of catechesis.[5] The person of the catechist is that advocate on the part of God to explain and apply what God has revealed and an advocate on the part of the person to help him respond to what he has revealed. In order to better understand our role as catechists, let’s explore each side of the principle of fidelity to God and fidelity to man.