Joseph Hollcraft MA
Foundations of Catechetics: CCP 211
Week 5: October 2, 2007

IV. Catechesi Tredendae: Apostolic Exhortation that continues the 2000 year care of the Holy Spirit whereby the Church instructs and hands on the faith revealing the mystery of Christ. John Paul II writes this exhortation in response to a synod that convened to bring about a new hope for the education of the faithful and the cultures, which come from it. John Paul II calls out the greatness of Paul VI and John Paul I in their own work for their contribution to this exhortation. Essentially, this letter highlights the gift of education to better understand the mystery and person of Jesus Christ (CT 1-4). There are eleven chapters in its systematic instruction.

A. We have but one teacher in Jesus Christ: The goal of all Catechesis is not something but someone, a person, a living mystery that is Jesus Christ (CT (CT 5).

1. In communicating this Person Jesus Christ, we communicate the Truth that he is (CT 6). Moreover, we imitate him as teachers because he is the one Teacher (CT 8).

2. Christ’s authority comes from his life as a whole. His parables, stories, etc…is never separated from his life both in word and deed (CT 9)

B. An experience as old as the Church: The image of Christ the Teacher was stamped on the spirit of the Twelve and of the first disciples, and the command "Go...and make disciples of all nations" (Mt.28.19) set the course for the whole of their lives. Article number 10 highlights the words of St. John to illustrate this: "No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you" (Jn.15.15-16).The early Church fathers were marked by their unswerving commitment to catechesis!

1. Consider here the work of the Church Fathers (past lecture).

2. Ecumenical councils act as a fresh reminder for every form of catechesis. Consider Vatican II. The Church’s inner growth and correspondence to God’s plan is tied to proper catechetics (CT 13).

a. All catechesis is a sacred duty (CT 14) and should be implemented as part of every pastoral program. In addition, we need to be reminded that it is “an attitude of faith. And an attitude of faith always has reference to the faithfulness of God, who never fails to respond” (CT 15).

b. The responsibilities of catechesis needs to be shared according to different needs and moreover talents (CT 16), all the while open to broadening its method upon need to keep it fresh (CT 17).

C. Catechesis in the Church’s Pastoral and Missionary activity: “There is no separation or opposition between catechesis and evangelization. Nor can the two be simply identified with each other. Instead, they have close links whereby they integrate and complement each other... evangelization,- which has the aim of bringing the Good News to the whole of humanity, so that all may live by it - is a rich, complex and dynamic reality, made up of elements, or one could say moments, that are essential and different from each other, and that must all be kept in view simultaneously.(48) Catechesis is one of these moments - a very remarkable one - in the whole process of evangelization” (CT 18).

1. The kerygma, or proclamation of the good news, must be laid as the foundation in our approach to catechesis.” Catechesis aims therefore at developing understanding of the mystery of Christ in the light of God's word, so that the whole of a person's humanity is impregnated by that word. Changed by the working of grace into a new creature, the Christian thus sets himself to follow Christ and learns more and more within the Church to think like Him, to judge like Him, to act in conformity with His commandments, and to hope as He invites us to” (CT 20).

a. Within the larger scope of evangelization and transformation, Catechesis is the stage in which there is a more formal training of the person of Jesus Christ and the Sacred Deposit of faith (CT 20).

2. There must always be a clear form of systematic catechesis, for this communicates the very essence of the Church (CT 21).

a. ‘It must deal with essentials, without any claim to tackle all disputed questions or to transform itself into theological research or scientific exegesis.”

b. “It must nevertheless be sufficiently complete, not stopping short at the initial proclamation of the Christian mystery such as we have in the kerygma.”

c. “It must be an integral Christian initiation, open to all the other factors of Christian life.”

3. Life experience never replaces the orderly structure of our faith, because it is there where we encounter the living breathing Church (CT 22). "No one can arrive at the whole truth on the basis solely of some simple private experience, that is to say, without an adequate explanation of the message of Christ, who is `the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn. 14:6).

a. Catechesis is also intrinsically linked with the sacramental life, most especially the Eucharist-the source and summit of our faith-which continues the process of transformation and Christian well-being (CT 23).

b. In the final analysis, catechesis is necessary both for the maturation of the faith of Christians and for their witness in the world: It is aimed at bringing Christians to "attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph.4.13)). It is also aimed at making them prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls them to account for the hope that is in them (Ct 25).

D. The whole of good news drawn from its source: “...Catechesis will always draw its content from the living source of the Word of God transmitted in Tradition and the Scriptures…To speak of Tradition and Scripture as the source of catechesis is to draw attention to the fact that catechesis must be impregnated and penetrated by the thought, the spirit and the outlook of the Bible and the Gospels through assiduous contact with the texts themselves; but it is also a reminder that catechesis will be all the richer and more effective for reading the texts with the intelligence and the heart of the Church and for drawing inspiration from the 2,000 years of the Church's reflection and life” (CT 27).

1. The Creed must always be set forth as the foundational model of catechesis as it becomes a point of reference and courage for any catechumen or Christian faithful (CT 28). Always working with the Articles of faith in mind we must set forth to “explain that the history of the human race, marked as it is by grace and sin, greatness and misery, is taken up by God in His Son Jesus, …Finally, it is important to reveal frankly the demands - demands that involve self-denial but also joy - made by what the Apostle Paul liked to call man becoming a ‘a new creation,’(2 Cor.5.17) in Christ (CT 29).

a. Integrity of the message and content must always be intact or there is danger of the ecclesial community loosing what it should rightfully expect-graced enrich understanding of the faith (CT 30).

b. Ecumenism must espouse towards unity (CT 31).

E. Everyone needs to be catechized: Catechesis needs to made available for every age: adolescent children, the young, Adults, handicapped and every age, including the elderly-persons who deserve particular attention in view of their experience and their problems - no less than for children, adolescents and the young (CT 45).

1. Migrants and other folks who might not be able to be catechizing by distance must have catechesis made available to them (CT 25). It is desirable that initiatives meant to give all these groups a Christian formation, with appropriate means (audio-visual aids, booklets, discussions, lectures), should increase in number, enabling many adults to fill the gap left by an insufficient or deficient catechesis, to complete harmoniously at a higher level their childhood catechesis, or even to prepare themselves enough in this field to be able to help others in a more serious way (CT 45).

a. Nobody in the Church at anytime should feel excused from receiving catechesis. This is true of even of young seminarians and young religious, and of all those called to the task of being pastors and catechists. They will fulfill this task all the better if they are humble pupils of the Church, the great giver as well as the great receiver of catechesis (CT 45).

F. Various ways to catechize: “From the oral teaching by the apostles and the letters circulating among the churches down to the most modern means, catechesis has not ceased to look for the most suitable ways and means for its mission, with the active participation of the communities and at the urging of the pastors. This effort must continue” (CT 46).

1. Communications Media: Television, Radio, and the Internet are opportunities for greater awareness of the faith (CT 46).

2. Gathering Place as Occasions for Catechesis: Pilgrimages, Missions, Retreats, Cruises, Bible studies, Conferences (Eucharistic or Marian). Be sure to consider opportunities for reflection and deeper conversion (CT 47).

3. Homily: Journey of Truth, Adoration and Thanksgiving (CT 48).

4. Catechetical Literature: Teaching manuals, Journals, Publications, magazines, etc…to name a few are good resources to help better explain the faith. Fidelity to the magisterium of the Church is the obvious essential to any one thing used to aid instruction. In order that these works may correspond with their aim, several conditions are essential (CT 49):

a) “They must be linked with the real life of the generation to which they are addressed, showing close acquaintance with its anxieties and questionings struggles and hopes.”

b) “They must try to speak a language comprehensible to the generation in question.”

c) “ they must make a point of giving the whole message of Christ and His Church, without neglecting or distorting anything, and in expounding it they will follow a line and structure that highlights what is essential.”

d) “They must really aim to give to those who use them a better knowledge of the mysteries of Christ, aimed at true conversion and a life more in conformity with God's will.”

G. How to impart catechesis: “The age and the intellectual development of Christians, their degree of ecclesial and spiritual maturity and many other personal circumstances demand that catechesis should adopt widely differing methods for the attainment of its specific aim: education in the faith. On a more general level, this variety is also demanded by the social and cultural surrounding in which the Church carries out her catechetical work” (CT 51).

5.We must avoid mixing our catechetical teaching with a masking of a personal political or ideological view. We must be centered at the service of revelation for the single purpose of conversion of heart and mind (CT 52).

6. We ought to be constantly present to the way of life; customs; system of values and way of life when catechizing a particular group of people. This can wither be a sub-culture within the United States i.e. gang, more affluent, etc…At the same time John Paul II calls us out to offer popular devotion as it would be the “glove/ball” fit! I am thinking of calling on Our Lady of Guadalupe when evangelizing Central and South America (CT 53-54).

7. “What is essential is that the texts that are memorized must at the same time be taken in and gradually understood in depth, in order to become a source of Christian life on the personal level and the community level” (CT 55).

H. The joy of faith in a troubled world: We must affirm an authentic Christian identity rooted in faith and a firm sense of certainty in Truth. Here, our call is to become joy for those who need a reason to hope; be the “salt” and “light” for the world (CT 56).

1.“…Pedagogy of faith is not a question of transmitting human knowledge, even of the highest kind; it is a question of communicating God's revelation in its entirety. Throughout sacred history, especially in the Gospel, God Himself used a pedagogy that must continue to be a model for the pedagogy of faith. A technique is of value in catechesis only to the extent that it serves the faith that is to be transmitted and learned; otherwise it is of no value” (CT 58).

a. This pedagogy is realized in a deeper understanding of covenant theology and the Theologia and oikonomia of God (CT 58).

2. “The supreme rule” is that the great advances in the science of language must be capable of being placed at the service of catechesis so as to enable it really to tell…about a core doctrine without distortion” (CT 59).

a.“A more subtle challenge occasionally comes from the very way of conceiving faith. Certain contemporary philosophical schools, which seem to be exercising a strong influence on some theological currents and, through them, on pastoral practice, like to emphasize that the fundamental human attitude is that of seeking the infinite, a seeking that never attains its object. In theology, this view of things will state very categorically that faith is not certainty but questioning, not clarity but a leap in the dark…These currents of thought certainly have the advantage of reminding us that faith concerns things not yet in our possession, since they are hoped for (CT 60).

b. Theological research with respect to the hermeneutical science of exegesis (proper understanding of the senses of Scripture) must always be at the service of catechesis as it sheds light on a particular teaching or principle of faith” (CT 61). Catechesis and Theology should always be at one in harmony!

I. The task concerns us all: Here the Pope calls Bishops, priests, men and women Religious, and lay catechists to set their hearts aflame for the sake of the Gospel and the Church (CT 62).

1. Focusing in on the family, school, parish life, businesses, and training institutes John Paul II challenges us to carry out the mission of the Church to defend the integrity of the person to help realize the potential of our being and call to beatitude…There is a universal call to holiness!

a. John Paul II stresses that the family has a unique character to catechesis because it is the cell of society. “It precedes, accompanies and enriches all other forms of catechesis” (CT 68).

J. Conclusion: “Catechesis, which is growth in faith and the maturing of Christian life towards its fullness, is consequently a work of the Holy Spirit, a work that He alone can initiate and sustain in the Church” (CT 72). In closing, John Paul II calls upon the Holy Spirit to renew the Church through a “catechetical dynamism”, bearing witness to the life of the Trinity (CT 72).

a. Lastly, the late beloved Holy Father consecrates the mission of the catechetical Church into the hands of Our Lady, she who is spouse to the Holy Spirit (Rev.22.17). She who is the “living catechism…mother of all catechists” as she did more than bear witness to the word-she bore the word (CT 73).

Homework Assignment: In at least two paragraphs, give me a short general reflection on the importance of law.