Franciscan at Home

Seven years ago a young guest surprised me by suddenly asking, “Mrs Flynn, what is Natural Family Planning?” Our guest was a young woman called Asel Ibraeva, whose family had befriended one of our daughters when she was travelling in Central Asia a few years earlier. Asel was living in Karakol, a town in the east of Kyrgyzstan, near the splendid lake Issyk-Kul. In the summer of 2003, after six months studying English in London, and before returning home, she spent a fortnight with us in Oxfordshire.

I gave Asel a short summary of how NFP works, but realised that this brief explanation could not do justice to the subject, so I telephoned Colleen Norman, who is a very experienced Natural Family Planning teacher, and asked her if she would be willing to run a training course in Kyrgyzstan. To my surprise and delight, not only did she accept, but she immediately sent us a copy of the Russian translation of her own NFP manual, which had just been published. She followed this up by meeting us at Heathrow Airport a few days later, when Asel was about to return home. By the time Asel went through the departure gate, it had been agreed that she would try and interest as many people as possible in NFP, and see if she could gather enough support to make a course the following year feasible.

When she arrived home in Karakol, armed with the NFP manual in Russian, she boldly approached a doctor who was responsible for the training of local GPs. This doctor proved to be very responsive to learning about a method of family planning that does not involve the contraceptive pill, which is not only expensive but also increases the risk of anaemia among women whose poor diet already puts them at risk. She willingly agreed to help Asel organise a course. Asel advertised in the local press and on television, and soon there were over twenty enquirers, nearly all doctors and nurses; premises were then booked at a local lakeside resort. An important factor in their ready acceptance of this course is a Kyrgyz Government policy, established in 1997, that the health care of the new nation should be based on the promotion of healthy family life. A project to teach and encourage the use of NFP would quite clearly meet this aim.

This project is one which emphasises and promotes fundamental human values which are too often rejected in western society. In this way it plays an important part in spreading the good news of the Kingdom.

Alan Schreck begins his exposition of John Paul’s great apostolic exhortation on catechesis.

It is humbling to write an article for The Sower, a foremost catechetical journal, on one of the central documents in this field: Pope John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation On Catechesis in Our Time (Catechesi Tradendae Oct. 16, 1979). It is valuable to catechists frequently to go back to the ‘sources’ the Church has provided that articulate the principles and guide the practice of this critical work of the Church. Catechesi Tradendae begins by reminding us that Jesus Christ himself entrusted the Church with this essential task of catechesis, which includes, first, making disciples (helping people to believe that Jesus is the Son of God) and secondly, educating and instructing them in Christ’s life (CT 1).

Even though this was one of the earliest of John Paul II’s papal documents, it is the fruit of an effort than spanned four pontificates: that of Bl. John XXIII who called Vatican II to express and teach the Faith to people of our time; Paul VI, who called the fourth synod of Bishops in Oct, 1977 on the topic of catechesis; John Paul I, a master catechist who was preparing to write this document before his death, and John Paul II, who was a participant in the Synod on catechesis. Pope John Paul II desired that this document ‘should strengthen the solidity of the faith and of Christian living’ (CT 4).

G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy[i] contains a chapter entitled ‘The Suicide of Thought.’ There are ways of thinking that stop thought itself! Among these different ways Chesterton includes materialism, false theories of progress, and pragmatism. However, his main emphasis is on the problem of the modern skeptic: ‘the human intellect is free to destroy itself. Just as one generation could prevent the very existence of the next generation…so one set of thinkers can in some degree prevent further thinking by teaching the next generation that there is no validity in any human thought.’[ii]

Skepticism claims to be rational, but is actually an attack on reason. Chesterton recognizes that when man begins to wildly question, reason will be the first thing to be questioned. In his humorous way he says, ‘The mere questioner has knocked his head against the limits of human thought; and cracked it’,[iii] and ‘With a long and sustained tug we have attempted to pull the mitre off pontifical man; and his head has come off with it.’[iv]

Skepticism is part of the cultural soil we must take account of in catechesis. How does it impact catechesis?

What is urgently needed for the New Evangelisation, wrote Blessed John Paul II in Christifidelis laici, is a ‘mending of the Christian fabric of society’. And then: ‘for this to come about what is needed is to first remake the Christian fabric of the ecclesial community itself present in these countries and nations.’ Pope Benedict XVI echoes this call in Ubicumque et semper, the Apostolic Letter establishing the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelisation.

Catechesis in Poland

In each Catholic community the essential features of a Catholic approach to formation need to take root in the local soil, a soil that is specific to that environment. The challenges to the local church always revolve around how to engage fruitfully and creatively with this environment, so that Christians can come to maturity in an authentic way.

In attempting to discuss matters of faith I am sure that many catechists teaching the faith have had an interaction something like this:

‘There is a God.’

‘Prove it.’

‘There is life after death.’

‘Prove it.’

‘Jesus is God.’

‘Prove it.’

‘The Eucharist is the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus.’

‘Prove it.’

‘A progressivist…is by definition an unhappy person, one who is unhappy with what is. It is only for that reason that he wants to change it…A conservative is someone who thinks happiness consists first of all in enjoying the good things we already have. A progressivist is one who sees happiness first of all in hoping to enjoy the things we do not yet have… the Devil himself was the first progressivist. The other angels were happy with God and His will, but the Devil wanted to progress to something better.’[i]

The philosopher Plato wrote, ‘Any change whatever except from evil is the most dangerous of all things.’[ii] In trying to proclaim the Gospel we live in a culture that frequently is obsessed with what is new and novel, with a correlating disdain for tradition. This is the mindset called progressivism, which in essence is a false theory of progress. Peter Kreeft defines progressivism this way: ‘Progressivism, or “chronological snobbery,” confuses “new” with “true.” It also confuses facts with values, by using a factual chronological term to carry a value meaning. Hence, something “modern,” “contemporary,” or “current” is “truer,” “better,” or “more reliable.”’[iii] Progressivism confuses change with progress. Just because something is new, or because something has been changed, it does not mean that is true or good.

Progressivism affects the work of catechesis in different ways.

First, it makes it difficult to teach the absolute truths of the faith since there is a rejection of the wisdom of the past. We know that what we teach is an inheritance of the precious deposit of faith given to us by Christ through the Apostles. As Kreeft points out, ‘Progressivism clearly contradicts the very idea of a divine revelation. If there is such a revelation, Progressivism corrects it, corrects God Himself, and arrogates to itself the right to edit rather than deliver the divine mail, evaluating it by dating its postmark.’[iv]

Our redemption took place on 'a tree', the tree of the Cross. This is the culminating point for a wonderful teaching we can give on the importance of trees in creation and in the story of our redemption.

Trees occupy a central place in the Scriptures. Stonewall Jackson understood his Bible well, and knew that as he was departing this life he would meet his Creator at ‘the trees’. Just as Genesis begins with a meeting at two trees, the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil and the Tree of Life,, so in the restored Garden of Paradise there is a tree, and in the book of Revelation we are shown that, ‘The Leaves of the Tree were for the healing of the nations.’ (see Gen. 2:17; 3:22; Rev. 22:2). The life giving tree is restored, and we may meet God their again in restored communion. The two trees of Genesis that were meant to be a meeting place for God and Man soon became a memorial of the death of humanity, where our first parents met the serpent and heeded its word instead their Father's.

Scripture sees trees as meeting places. In this arid world of the middle east there is a natural theology of trees as points of encounter between God, or His prophets, and His children. Where the tree is, there is life. Not only do we have the fruit of the tree but also shade and a water source that is feeding it. Time and again we shall see that trees are signs of life, rest and meeting.

There are a large number of trees, plants and shrubs in the Bible. These are 'types', pointing the way to the ultimate ‘Tree’ of Scripture, the tree of the Cross. Typology works in this fashion: there is a progression and construction of types until the final unveiling of the superior 'anti-type', that is, the reality towards which everything else points. Thus there are many leaders who point to the one Messiah; many;; prophets prophesy until the last great Prophet; many meals are taken, which point to the Last Supper; the women of Scripture all point to one ultimate Woman par excellence; plants and trees all lead us to one specific Tree.

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).

Kelly Colangelo nos recuerda que las actividades de servicio son las primeras y más importantes oportunidades para servir a Cristo en los otros.

San Vicente de Paúl dijo: “Vayan con los pobres y encontrarán a Dios”. Algunas veces, vamos a los pobres, pero se nos olvida que estamos buscando y sirviendo a Cristo. Sin embargo, el servicio comunitario es la donación de nosotros mismos para ayudar a otros, más que tan sólo un “proyecto completado” u “horas contabilizadas”. Como Jesús dijo: “Sepan que el Hijo del Hombre no ha venido para ser servido, sino para servir” (Mc 10, 45).

En años recientes, el servicio comunitario y el voluntariado han jugado un papel integral en la vida de los jóvenes. Esto puede ser resultado de un requerimiento escolar y/o eclesiástico; sea como sea, la participación activa en el servicio comunitario está en auge entre los jóvenes. Con una participación incrementada en el servicio comunitario uno podría esperar que esto significara que más jóvenes estuvieran creciendo en su relación con el Señor y estuvieran poniendo su fe en acción. Desgraciadamente, esto no siempre es el caso. Uno podría sospechar, de hecho, que hay más y más divulgación, pero la presencia de Dios está menguando.