In this post I just want to pull out some choice quotes from the beginning of the document that will blow your mind and sober you up quickly if you teach the Christian Faith. But first things first, the pope wrote this as a follow up to Pope Paul VI's Evangelii Nuntiandi, to develop the theme of catechesis as "a moment in evangelization" and to continue the spirit of the Synod of the fourth general assembly of Bishops in 1977.
Apostolic Exhortation: Why One On Catechesis?
(Paragraph 1.) "The Church has always considered catechesis one of her primary tasks, for, before Christ ascended to His Father after His resurrection, He gave the apostles a final command - to make disciples of all nations and to teach them to observe all that He had commanded."
(Paragraph 4.) "I ardently desire that this apostolic exhortation to the whole Church should strengthen the solidity of the faith and of Christian living, should give fresh vigor to the initiatives in hand, should stimulate creativity - with the required vigilance - and should help to spread among the communities the joy of bringing the mystery of Christ to the world."
It was Christ Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20 in the Great Commission to the Apostles that He charged them with the care of the truth of the Church to "Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you". This task is essential to the Church, which is why catechesis- the art of making disciples- is a moment within evangelization, bringing the Gospel to all nations and peoples.
Christocentrism: Source, Center and Summit of Catechesis
All catechesis in the Church needs to be essentially Christocentric. There are two meanings of Christocentrism in catechesis that always need to be kept in mind. One pertains to the aim of catechizing, the other to the attitude of the catechist towards the content of the message.
The first meaning refers to the goal or end point of teaching is that "at the heart of catechesis we find, in essence, a Person, the Person of Jesus of Nazareth". Jesus is the center of our all of our teaching. The second meaning shows us that the content of catechesis is not our teaching, but His.
Christocentrism: Who We Teach
The pope speaks of the first form as follows: "The primary and essential object of catechesis is, to use an expression dear to St. Paul and also to contemporary theology, 'the mystery of Christ.' Catechizing is in a way to lead a person to study this mystery in all its dimensions".
All of our teaching is meant to point the student always to Jesus Christ: "It is therefore to reveal in the Person of Christ the whole of God's eternal design reaching fulfillment in that Person."
Now the Pope makes this first form of Christocentricity absolutely clear: "Accordingly, the definitive aim of catechesis is to put people not only in touch but in communion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ: only He can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit and make us share in the life of the Holy Trinity."
Catechesis is meant to foster relationship, intimacy, unity with God through Christ Jesus in the Spirit. It is not the accumulation of facts regarding history, anthropology or church politics. But rather, every fact, date and doctrine is meant to cause within the believer yet another reason to fall in love with Jesus Christ.
Christocentrism: What We Teach
The second meaning of Christocentricism concerns the content of our teaching as not really "our teaching" at all, but rather His. In paragraph 6 the Pope refers to this type of Christocentric catechesis as "the intention to transmit not one's own teaching or that of some other master, but the teaching of Jesus Christ, the Truth that He communicates or, to put it more precisely, the Truth that He is."
John Paul sums it up by saying: "We must therefore say that in catechesis it is Christ, the Incarnate Word and Son of God, who is taught - everything else is taught with reference to Him - and it is Christ alone who teaches - anyone else teaches to the extent that he is Christ's spokesman, enabling Christ to teach with his lips."
Every catechist must take this seriously, no matter who the audience is or the context of the teaching. Volunteer moms teaching first grade religious education once a week, probably the most common catechist in the typical American parish, need to take this as seriously as Adult Faith Formation directors, youth ministers, sacrament preparation leaders and clergy giving homilies. And this responsibility is not just about saying the correct words, but of living one's life worthy of the Gospel. As the Pope says, "Whatever be the level of his responsibility in the Church, every catechist must constantly endeavor to transmit by his teaching and behavior the teaching and life of Jesus."
The teachings and life of Jesus, not my own agenda! Not the agenda of DNC or the RNC! Not the agenda of the UN, the US, the EU or some popular NGO! It is Jesus' church, not ours, and it is His gift of Faith that the catechist is charged with protecting and defending.
To teach is an utterly serious enterprise and many should discern soberly if she or he is called to such a task. Along these lines the Pope continues: "He will not seek to keep directed towards himself and his personal opinions and attitudes the attention and the consent of the mind and heart of the person he is catechizing. Above all, he will not try to inculcate his personal opinions and options as if they expressed Christ's teaching and the lessons of His life."
Would that this were the case in American catechesis! Too often we interpose our own schema and schemes in between Jesus and potential disciple. Imagine those who abandoned the Gospel because of the politicking of the RCIA director or the agenda (both Right and Left here, mind you) of today's trendiest Cause.
No. It is not my faith that I teach. It is not my Church that I represent. It is not my cleverness that turns hearts to God and away from sin. It is not even me that teaches!
"Every catechist should be able to apply to himself the mysterious words of Jesus: "My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me." St. Paul did this when he was dealing with a question of prime importance: "I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you."
And here is the quote that confronts my own heart as a catechist more than any other part in this Apostolic Exhortation:
"What assiduous study of the word of God transmitted by the Church's magisterium, what profound familiarity with Christ and with the Father, what a spirit of prayer, what detachment from self must a catechist have in order that he can say: 'My teaching is not mine!'"
Discomforting Implications: Self-Accusation
Am I teaching the content of the Faith, or my own personal views, agendas and ideologies?
Am I altering the Gospel to fit my social, political and/or economic perspective?
Have I alienated people from the Good News by putting too much "me" in the middle between Christ and His disciple?
Do I pray before, during and after my catechesis?
Is prayer a part of my life as a catechist and as a Catholic in general?
How much time do I carve out of my day to make room for the moments of God in my life?
Do I have "profound familiarity with Christ and with the Father", or am I just a warm body in a classroom for an hour on Sunday afternoons?
Do I assiduously study the Bible? the Catechism? the Church's teachings? Council teachings? or do I just regurgitate the text the DRE placed in my hands?
Do I regularly practice asceticism, mortification, penances, fasting, almsgiving in my life so that I become more and more detached from my self in order to make room for the Gospel?
Is it my teaching, or His?
If you answered poorly to these question, the Good News is that His mercy is here and that tomorrow truly is a new day.
Sincerely,
Mike "what does 'assiduous' mean?" Gormley
AMDG
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment