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It happens more than we like to admit: after a joy-filled Easter Vigil, many new Catholics skip out on the post-baptismal catechesis sessions. Our best plans for a riveting exploration of the rich theological and historical meaning of the sacred signs of our faith serve only a few.

Like other RCIA directors, this trend in my own parish has given me much cause for reflection. Was it something I did or didn’t do? There may be any number of reasons why someone does not attend mystagogy, but there are also good reasons why people do show up. Last year, our sessions after Easter were better attended and more appreciated than in years past, due to some changes that helped. This article will share with you a few observations and ideas from that experience.

“Fear not little flock”- Luke 12:22
To begin, we started our RCIA with a smaller group than usual. This, of course, was not a freely chosen change! While I, and the RCIA team, mourned the lower numbers and searched for any reasons for it, we soon discovered something important. This smaller group of people (about 10 candidates and catechumens plus their sponsors) bonded with each other seemingly better than any of our other groups before. The retreats and minor rites also went better. There was simply more time to devote to each person, and more impetus for each one to get to know the others. The friendships that formed among the catechumens and candidates helped inspire the improved attendance of mystagogy, I’m sure. Call it positive peer pressure.

Other little changes also helped improved attendance. For example, during the Lenten season, we mentioned mystagogy at almost every turn. It was presented as something important and exciting that we looked forward to doing with them. Part of the reason we could be so positive involves the new elements we included. I will speak of those later.

In battling the business of everyone’s schedule, we conceded a few things to the rhythm of the secular calendar. For example, on Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day, we did not ask them to participate in a mystagogical session apart from attending the Mass of their choice. They appreciated the break and the time with their families.

When we gathered together to unpack the sacraments, the sacred signs, and their layers of significance, the sessions were heavily driven by discussion. They each had an opportunity to speak about what was most meaningful to them in each sacrament. This was a welcomed change in rhythm from our more didactic catechumenal sessions on the sacraments. At times, their insights were amazing! One young man shared his experience of “being made totally new” by Jesus in Holy Communion.

Finally, when the concluding celebration of mystagogy took place on Pentecost, to help encourage attendance, we included a special thank you brunch prepared by the new Catholics for their sponsors. No one wanted to miss it!

Altogether, having a smaller group who got along well together was the first of several changes that God made during our RCIA last year. Sensitivity to family and more dialogical catechetical sessions helped to reinvigorate our RCIA process. However, there was still one more change that we made last year, which everyone appreciated: we discovered and engaged our local Church community (beyond our parish), experiencing the joys of warm hospitality and service.

Introducción

Agnolo Gaddi's Mercy Seat Trinity paintingDurante las últimas décadas, los teólogos que enfocan la evangelización en general, y en particular, al momento de la catequesis – que es una parte de la evangelización- han puesto esfuerzos considerables de pensamiento y atención al tema del kerigma, y con justa razón. El kerigma puede entenderse aptamente como el resumen del Evangelio; y, como tal, siempre merece estudio de mayor cercanía, particularmente en una época cuando el catolicismo está menguando en muchos lugares. En esta serie de tres partes, explico lo que es el kerigma y porqué es importante. En esta primera entrega, les ofrezco una visión general del kerigma, examino su significado hoy en día, y ofrezco una visión más estrecha de uno de sus componentes más relevantes a la labor de la catequesis en nuestro tiempo.

La importancia del kerigma

Veamos primero la importancia del kerigma en la obra de la evangelización de manera general, y en la catequesis, en particular. La comprensión del kerigma es esencial por dos razones. Primero, la pregunta, “¿Cuál es la Buena Noticia de Jesucristo?” tiene, obviamente, importancia. En el Evangelio según San Marcos, las primeras palabras de Jesús son, “El tiempo se ha cumplido: el Reino de Dios está cerca. Conviértanse y crean en la Buena Noticia” (1,15). Sus primeras indicaciones son de arrepentirnos de nuestros pecados y creer en la Buena Noticia, el Evangelio. Claramente, éste es un asunto de suprema importancia; y, por lo tanto, es esencial que tengamos una comprensión clara de la naturaleza del Evangelio.

La segunda razón por la que el kerigma es tema esencial se relaciona estrechamente con la primera. Considerando lo importante que es el Evangelio para nuestra fe cristiana y nuestra vida como Sus discípulos, los estudios han demostrado que demasiados cristianos (incluyendo a muchos católicos) no saben qué es el Evangelio. De hecho, se podría argumentar que no solamente muchos creyentes ignoran el contenido auténtico de los Evangelios, sino que es probable que lo consideran ni Buena, ni Noticia. Y si esto es verdad en cuanto a los católicos y demás cristianos, ¿cuánto más se aplica de verdad entre los demás pueblos del mundo, de quienes Jesús nos dijo que hiciéramos discípulos?

Comprendiendo al kerigma, el contenido nuclear del Evangelio, es, entonces esencial: primero, por su centralidad al cristianismo; y segundo, por lo poco que se conoce en realidad en el mundo actual, entre los católicos, los demás cristianos, y la población en general.

El kerigma: una proclamación

Abordemos ahora lo que es el kerigma, al considerar lo que la palabra “kerigma” significa y al proporcionar una visión de conjunto de su contenido.

En cuanto al primer punto, el término kerigma en sí es una palabra griega que significa “proclamación”, y se relaciona estrechamente con los términos griegos que significan “proclamar” y “anunciar”. El kerigma, entonces, es la proclamación o el anuncio de algo. Como se notó arriba, el kerigma es el mensaje básico del Evangelio, el núcleo de la Buena Noticia. “Noticia”: considere esa palabra en su sentido cotidiano. Cuando escucha, lee, o mira “las noticias”, ¿qué significa la palabra? Se refiere a alguien que le cuenta acerca de algo que ha sucedido, o está sucediendo. Es lo mismo en cuanto a la Buena Noticia, el Evangelio y el kerigma: es el anuncio, la proclamación de algo que ha pasado (y, como veremos más adelante, sigue sucediendo).

Este punto en cuanto al kerigma como proclamación de algo que ha pasado es increíblemente significativo: pero, por ahora, quisiera destacar solo una manera en la que esto es cierto. Cuando hablamos de nuestra fe cristiana, a menudo tenemos la tendencia de hablar acerca de los aspectos de “cómo hacer”: aquí tiene cómo vivir, cómo orar; cómo estudiar o aprender la fe; cómo convertirse en un mejor cristiano, un mejor hombre, una mejor mujer, un mejor padre o madre de familia, etc.; y por encima de todo, aquí está cómo asegurarse que esté en el camino correcto, el camino que va al cielo. En otras palabras, hablamos acerca de lo que hacemos. Hablar acerca del “cómo hacer”, o hablar acerca de lo que nosotros hacemos no es la proclamación de algo que ha sucedido; y aunque sea Bueno, no es la Buena Noticia, sino Buenos Consejos.

Otramente dicho, cuando compartimos nuestra fe con los demás, muchos de nosotros nos saltamos involuntariamente a la Buena Noticia y nos vamos directamente a los Buenos Consejos, a los “cómo hacer”, al qué hacemos. El problema con esto no son las indicaciones “cómo hacer”: es absolutamente necesario hablar de esas cosas. El problema es saltar la Buena Noticia; ¡ya que la Buena Noticia (y su núcleo, el kerigma) es lo que hace que los Consejos sean Buenos, hace acogedora, atractiva e incluso posible aquella invitación a cómo hacerle!

La Buena Noticia, por lo tanto, es una proclamación de algo que Dios ha hecho, algo que Él ha cumplido, a la que respondemos.

A Proclamation of Salvation

Introduction

Over the last several decades, theologians who focus on evangelization in general, and the moment of catechesis within it in particular, have given considerable thought and attention to the topic of the kerygma, and rightly so. The kerygma can be aptly understood to be the summary of the Gospel; and, as such, it is always deserving of closer study, especially so in an age when Catholicism is waning in many places. In this three-part series, I’ll explain what the kerygma is and why it’s important. In this first installment, I’ll provide a basic overview of the kerygma, examine its significance today, and offer a closer look at one of its components more relevant to the work of catechesis in our time.

The Importance of the Kerygma

Let’s first look at the importance of the kerygma in the work of evangelization generally, and catechesis particularly. Understanding the kerygma is essential for at least two reasons. First, the question, “What is the Good News of Jesus Christ?” is obviously an important one. In the Gospel according to St. Mark, Jesus’ very first words are, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (1:15). His first directions are to repent of our sins and to believe in the Good News, the Gospel. Clearly this is a matter of supreme importance; and, therefore, it is essential that we have a clear understanding of the nature of the Gospel.

The second reason that the kerygma is an essential topic is closely related to the first. Considering how important the Gospel is to our Christian faith and to our life as his disciples, studies have shown that far too many Christians (including many Catholics) do not really know what the Gospel is. In fact, it could be fairly argued that not only are many believers ignorant of the actual content of the Gospels, they probably don’t even see it as either Good or as News. And if that’s true of Catholics and other Christians, how much more true must it be of the peoples of the world, all of whom Jesus told us to make disciples?

Understanding the kerygma, the core content of the Gospel, is essential then: first, because of its centrality to Christianity; and second, because of how little it is actually known in the world today, among Catholics, other Christians, and the general populace.

Psalm 42:1, “Like a deer thirsting for running water,” illustrates the soul touched by the grace of God. The enthusiastic catechist needs to be confident that God is already at work in the student. However, amid the increasing isolation of youth in the secular culture, it is easy to be less than confident.

Carved in stone above the courtyard entry to our Congregation’s founding educational institution are the words (in Latin on one side and English on the other): to give truth is the greatest charity. For the six years I taught at that school, it was not lost on me that this is a radical and controversial statement in our world today. When we think of charity, we think of acts done to serve the poor, such as the corporal works of mercy. If we think of charity in speech, many associate this with attitudes and words of non-confrontational tolerance. But I dare to say that few people spontaneously think of truth and charity as necessarily linked. Yet this is central to the message and the very Person of Jesus Christ, who not only taught that God is love (1 Jn 4:8), but that he, as God incarnate, is the way, the truth, and the life (Jn 14:6).

We might ask why truth has fallen into disrepute. It goes beyond the scope and limits of this article to explore in depth the effects of the Enlightenment that have led some to doubt whether there even is truth, especially concerning knowable universal ethical goods. Because this article aims to address the pastoral approach to the truth, it seems worth our time to explore a few reasons at the applied level that people perceive a divorce between truth and charity.

Challenges to Wedding Truth and Charity

Why is giving truth one of (if not the) highest forms of charity? Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” (Jn 8:32). Few would argue against the fact that today we all want to be free, but because freedom has often been interpreted as the license to choose among all possible alternatives, regardless of the impact on the person and on others, freedom itself needs to be revisited in the light of truth.

Theologically we can say that the gift of freedom is given to us by our Creator who made us in his own image, capable of knowing the truth of what is good and therefore of choosing what is good, ultimately choosing to love. According to the great Thomist Servais Pinckaers, the voluntarist overemphasis on the will resulted in a concept of “freedom of indifference” that is merely the ability to choose between two contraries proceeding from the will alone.[1] From this perspective, each choice is independent, with no unifying end in view. Law is not only external to our freedom, but it also limits our freedom through obligation imposed from outside.

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Recientemente, en una conferencia para dirigentes católicos, me preguntó un joven sacerdote a qué me dedicaba. Le dije que ayudo a las parroquias a inventar estrategias para crear una cultura de discipulado en su parroquia. Me preguntó cómo hago eso. Le contesté que nos gusta enfocar principios, no balas de plata, y capacitar a un grupo de dirigentes en la parroquia para producir un cambio cultural al proyectar una visión, edificando un camino claro hacia el discipulado, movilizando a los líderes, y alineando ministerios claves con una visión orientada hacia el discipulado.

Recently, at a conference for Catholic leaders, I was asked by a young priest what I do. I told him that I help parishes strategize around how to create a culture of discipleship in their parish. He asked me how I do that. I told him that we like to focus on principles, not silver bullets, and train a group of leaders in the parish to create culture change by casting vision, building a clear path to discipleship, mobilizing leaders, and aligning key ministries with a discipleship-oriented vision.

His face fell. I wondered what I had said to offend him!