Catechism

In the Catholic religion, catechesis (from the Greek κατηχισμός, from κατηχεῖν, 'to instruct') is the name given to the tradition of depositing faith in new members who are just beginning in the Catholic Church and its subsequent instruction. It is found at the very origin of Christianity, completing the announcement transmitted, first of all, by the kerygma.

Catechesis is one of the forms of service to the Word of God and is part of the prophetic ministry. It is an ecclesial action aimed at members of the Christian community who have received the announcement of faith (also called the first announcement or kerygma) and have accepted it into their lives. As an educational action, it seeks to instruct the disciples, accompanying them on the path of maturation of their faith. The purpose of all catechetical action is that every Christian can meet the person of Jesus Christ and make a confession of his Trinitarian faith.

Catechesis within the evangelizing process

Evangelization is understood as the action destined to make known the message of Jesus Christ, contained in the Gospels and protected by the same ecclesial community, inviting men and women to adhere to the faith, join the Christian community and commit themselves to the building of society.

"Go, and cause all peoples to be my disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to fulfill all that I have commanded them. And I will always be with you until the end of the world."

Within this process, catechesis comes after the kerygma or first announcement. The kerygma's mission is to arouse faith in Jesus Christ in men. If the response to that call is positive, the ecclesial community offers the convert a space for growth and maturation in the faith. For this reason, it is said that catechesis is an educational activity aimed at the interior of the Church that seeks to strengthen the faith of its members.

"The first announcement is addressed to non-believers and those who, in fact, live in religious indifference. Assume the function of proclaiming the gospel and calling to conversion. The catechesis, “distinct from the first proclamation of the Gospel”, promotes and matures this initial conversion, educating the converted faith and incorporating it into the Christian community. The relationship between the two forms of the ministry of the Word is therefore a relation of distinction in complementarity."

Through Baptism, believers enter into the life of the Catholic Church. The faith received is strengthened with catechetical action preparing the disciple to deploy in the world (his daily environments: home, neighborhood, work, sector) his apostolic work: summon others to join the life of the Christian community.

Catechesis is a formative process

Given that the purpose of catechesis is that all men and women can experience the presence of God in their lives, especially in reading and reflecting on the Bible, the celebration of the Sacraments (particularly the Eucharist) and participation in fraternal/community life, catechesis is not limited to a moment in the believer's life, on the contrary, it seeks to accompany him throughout life in the different vital situations that each person must face.

"Historical situations and genuinely human aspirations are an indispensable part of the content of catechesis."

For this reason, catechesis must be understood as a process that lasts a lifetime. In the words of Saint John Paul II:

" catechesis is a process of formation in faith, hope and charity that informs the mind and touches the heart, leading the person to embrace Christ in a full and complete way. It more fully introduces the believer in the experience of Christian life that includes the liturgical celebration of the mystery of redemption and Christian service to others."

Catechesis, as a prophetic ministry, assists the believer in various moments of his life: both in the Initiation to the Christian Life and in time dedicated to deepening the faith by answering vital questions specific to each moment of existence:

" catechesis is a path of growth and maturation in faith in a community-eclesial context that gives meaning to life. In fact, through catechesis all men can grasp the plan of God the Father - focused on the Person of Jesus Christ - in their own daily life. They can also discover the ultimate meaning of existence and history."

In history

Christ catechist

The preaching of Jesus, his pedagogical style, is the model of all catechism. Jesus' teaching is accompanied by his actions: each of his words finds resonance in his life. He lives deeply what he teaches. This aspect gives authority to his teaching, which has a flavor of "good news".

Jesus teaches in an original way, with simple examples taken from daily life, he introduces his listeners to the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, especially through parables.

But his teaching does not exclusively tend to clarify these mysteries, but to call for conversion: it invites us to assume a new lifestyle, synthesized in the Sermon on the Mount (the Beatitudes - Mt 5, 1-12) and in the commandment of love: "Love one another as I myself loved you" (Jn 13, 34).

In this regard, Saint John Paul II said:

"...the majesty of Christ who teaches, the unique coherence and persuasive force of his teaching, are explained only because his words, his parables and reasonings can never be separated from his life and from his very being. In this sense, Christ's entire life was a continuous teaching: his silence, his miracles, his gestures, his prayer, his love for man, his predilection for the small and the poor, the acceptance of the total sacrifice on the cross for the salvation of the world, his resurrection is the performance of his word and the fulfillment of revelation."

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Time of the Catechumenate

This time is recognized in the Catholic Church as a paradigm of all catechesis. Its main objective was to introduce adults to the Christian life through four stages:

Pre-catechumenate

A first stage that was rooted in the tradition of the apostolic kerygma, with a first instruction to pagans who were almost completely unaware of the doctrines of faith and Christian life, which concluded with admission to the catechumenate. Basically, the kerygma includes the announcement of the person of Jesus Christ, dead and risen for the salvation of men and the invitation to accept him as Savior.

Catechumenate

During the second stage, catechumens began to be trained in catechetical schools, such as the one in Alexandria (run in the III century by Origins). In addition, they attended the first part of the Mass, where, frequently, the bishops used to address them in their homilies; but they could not attend the celebration of the Eucharist. This period of instruction used to last three years, and was called a catechumenate.

Tradition of Faith

The next stage was an immediate preparation for baptism, where the candidates, in the presence of the bishop and priests, were presented to the community by their godparents. The bishop then delivered a homily known as Procatechesis, beginning the period of instruction prior to baptism, which lasted throughout the Lenten season. It concluded in the fourth week of Lent with the Traditio-Symboli, or official communication of the Symbol of faith by the bishop to the catechumens. Then the catechesis itself began, which had a double aspect: formation in doctrine, and spiritual formation, breaking with pagan customs. This third period of the catechumenate concluded with the baptism of the catechumens.

Mystagogy

The last stage was the so-called mystagogic catechesis, which the newly baptized received from the Bishop, during the first week of Easter. It was an explanation that only those already baptized had access to, about the sacraments and their biblical figures and the meaning of the rites. It is the deepening of the evangelical message to educate the Faith.

Currently

Currently, catechism is divided into the different objectives that it seeks to achieve. Thus, there are the catechism of communion, confirmation, and marriage, which prepare for these sacraments. In addition, adult catechesis is currently being recovered as a new form of post-baptismal catechumenate.

Catechesis tasks

According to the General Directory for Catechesis, published by the Congregation for the Clergy, in 1997, to achieve the purpose of catechetical action which, we recall, is the encounter with the person of Jesus Christ and the confession of faith, various tasks have to be carried out that will enable the formation and maturation of faith.

The Christian faith demands to be known, celebrated, lived, prayed for, shared and announced. These six actions define the fundamental and relevant tasks of catechesis.

The fundamental tasks are:

1. To promote the knowledge of faith: the Symbol of Faith, that is, the Creed, as a synthesis of Christian doctrine.
2. Educate for liturgical celebrations: prepare the disciple for the conscious, active and fruitful celebration in the Eucharist and the other sacraments.
3. Form in moral life: assume the style of life of Jesus, expressed in the Commandments of the Law of God and the Beatitudes.
4. Teaching to pray: to educate for innerness, in sincere dialogue with God.

Relevant tasks are:

1. Start in community life: prepare for integration into the community, assuming the necessary values to live communion.
2. Start in missionary action: encourage the disciple to develop an apostolic activity that will allow him to witness his faith.

The dimensions of catechesis

1. Personal Dimension: takes into account the personal options; promotes the personal encounter of each catechizing with Jesus Christ. “Short in secret your Father who is there, alone with you” (Mt 6:6).
2. Community Dimension: Every catechetical meeting tends to strengthen the lives of the small community: open to dialogue, strengthen ties. "When Jesus was twelve, he went up with them to the feast" (Lk 2:41-47).
3. Social Dimension: prepares for the performance of the Christian in the world, not as mere spectator, but as a necessary participant in the transformation of the world,
4. Crystocentric Dimension: Jesus Christ is the center of all catechesis. This dimension recalls that the Word of God, which is Jesus Christ, is the essential content of every catechetical action. “I am the Way, and Life” (Jn 14:6).
5. Dynamic Character: Follow the Pedagogy of God, who knows how to wait for the right time.
6. Dimension liberating: it encourages commitment to society by raising awareness of practices that seek true liberation from sin. “I don’t condemn you either. Leave in peace” (Jn 8:1-11)
7. Existential and historical dimension: it takes into account the deepest aspirations of the human being; its starting point is the life of the community.

“Historical situations and authentically human aspirations form an indispensable part of the content of catechesis; They must be seriously interpreted, within their current context, in light of the life experiences of the People of Israel, of Christ, and of the ecclesial community, in which the Spirit of the Risen Christ lives and operates continually.”

The concept of catechesis in the Magisterium of the Church

Catechetical Directory of the Argentine Episcopal Conference (1969)

Through catechesis, the Church proposes the education of the faith of those who have accepted the Gospel, and enables the believer to live his Christian life: forming him in his relationship with God, with men and with creation; initiating him in the liturgical life, which actualizes the Paschal Mystery; leading him to a systematic knowledge of the economy of Salvation. CEA.- Directory of Catechesis (1967), 19.-

Saint John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Catechesi Tradendae (1979)

Globally, catechesis can be considered here as education in the faith of children, young people and adults, which especially includes a teaching of Christian doctrine generally given in an organic and systematic way with a view to initiating them into the fullness of Christian life (CT 18). John Paul II.- Catechesi Tradendae (1978), 18.-