Catechetics

Details: 16 September 2011

Meaning

The original and traditional meaning of "catechesis" (from the Greek-teaching by word of mouth) was instruction or teaching. It meant the setting out and the explanation of Christian Doctrine. This is the sense in which the word is used in the Bible ( for instance in Luke 1:4 & Acts of the Apostles 18:25). In the New Testament there were two basic aspects to this explanation. One was called in Greek "kerygma" and the other "didache". "Kerygma" was an initial proclamation to people, telling them the startling Good News about the entrance of Almighty God Himself into our human history in the divine Person of Jesus Christ, Who came down from heaven to die and rise and thereby save and redeem humanity. "Didache" (literally-the teaching of the twelve Apostles) was in a certain sense the "follow-up", presenting to one who had already received and assimilated the "kerygma" the completeness and fullness of divine revelation, with its implications and consequences for the world and especially for those who have heard and accepted the "kerygma". Both of these aspects are present and operative in the present day catechetical work of the Catholic Church.

The late Pope, Blessed John Paul II, said, "Quite early on the name "catechesis" was given to the totality of the Church’s efforts to make disciples, to help men believe that Jesus is the Son of God, so that believing they might have life in His name, and to educate and instruct them in this divine life, thus building up the Body of Christ. Catechesis is an education in the faith of children, youth, and adults, which includes especially the teaching of Christian doctrine, imparted, generally speaking, in an organic and systematic way, with a view to initiating the hearers into the fullness of Christian life."

The National Catechetical Directory for the United States (published in 2005 by the USCCB) tells us where all genuine and authentic Catholic catechesis comes from. "Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition remain the foundation for the Church’s ministry of the word. These fonts of revelation continue to play an essential and indispensable role in catechesis. Sacred Scripture inspires, directs, and nourishes the Church’s catechetical mission."

Vatican Two

The Second Vatican Council, in its Dogmatic Constitution on divine revelation (called "Dei Verbum" in Latin), explains how guarding and proclaiming what God has revealed in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition involves the "Magisterium" of the Church, and thus, this teaching of the Council can give a hint as to how and why Bishops in union with the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of Saint Peter, are rightfully concerned about the catechizing of the people whose salvation has been entrusted to their care. The Council proclaims, "The task of authentically interpreting the word of God, whether written or handed on, has been entrusted exclusively to the living teaching office of the Church whose authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ. This teaching office is not above the word of God but serves it, teaching only what has been handed on, listening to it devoutly, guarding it scrupulously, and explaining it faithfully by divine commission with the help of the Holy Spirit. It draws from this deposit of faith everything it presents for belief as divinely revealed. It is clear, therefore, that Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the teaching authority of the Church, in accord with God’s most wise design, are so linked and joined together that one cannot stand without the others, and that all together, each in its own way under the action of the One Holy Spirit contribute effectively to the salvation of souls."

Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has written that the world’s Bishops’ "experience as shepherds had shown them (after the Council) that the various new pastoral activities have no solid basis unless they are irradiations and applications of the message of faith. Faith cannot be presupposed but must be proposed. This is the purpose of the Catechism. It aims to propose the faith in its fullness and wealth, but also in its unity and simplicity."

Two Documents

When one enters the field of catechetics, there is at the current time an immediate encounter with two types of documents. One type are "catechetical directories", General or National, which usually set out the table of contents of what is to be taught, discussion about the audience that will be receiving the teaching, the people and teachers who are responsible, and something about the didactic techniques and pedagogical methods which are suggested to be employed. The other type are the catechisms themselves. These are the most important kinds of documents because they present the contents of what is to be taught. Sometimes there is an overlap between the catechisms and the directories, but they are most often distinct kinds of documents.

As Pope John Paul II wrote, "A catechism should faithfully and systematically present the teaching of Sacred Scripture, the living Tradition in the Church, and the authentic Magisterium, as well as the spiritual heritage of the Fathers, Doctors, and saints of the Church, to allow for a better knowledge of the Christian mystery and for enlivening the faith of the People of God. It should take into account the doctrinal statements which down the centuries the Holy Spirit has intimated to His Church. A catechism should also help to illumine with the light of faith new situations and problems which had not yet emerged in the past."

Pope Benedict XVI noted that after the Second Vatican Council, its documents, especially the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, its decrees on ecumenism, the missions, and its declarations on non-Christian religions and on freedom of religion, opened up broad vistas of dialogue making the Church responsible to confront with renewed energy the many new questions pressing in from every side. This is what led to the call in the 1985 International Synod of Bishops for a new universal and standard catechism on which national and regional catechisms could be based. This led to the formation by Pope John II of a commission of Cardinals and Bishops to draw up this new Catechism of the Catholic Church, which he then endorsed, approved, and promulgated. The older catechisms certainly retain their value and importance The new Catechism of the Catholic Church thus, said Pope John Paul II, "contains both the old and the new (Matthew 13:52) because the faith is always the same yet the source of ever new light."

Q and A

Catechisms have a long history in the Catholic Church. Beginning in the 16th century, however, for teaching ease, they often were formatted in a question and answer way, particularly when presenting them to children. Recognizing the desirability of such a format, Pope Benedict, shortly before the death of Pope John Paul II, drew up a Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic in just such a question and answer form. He flattered this columnist by requesting that I do the English translation of that Compendium, which I finished just before his election to the papacy. If the entire Catechism of the Catholic Church seems too formidable, I would certainly commend the Compendium to your attention, especially if you are a CCD teacher.