Sacred Congregation
for the Clergy
GENERAL CATECHETICAL
DIRECTORY
FORE WORD
This General Catechetical Directory is
published in accord with the directive in the Decree on the Bishops’ Pastoral
Office in the Church, n. 44.
Considerable time was spent in the preparation
of this document, not only because of the difficulties involved in a work of
this sort, but also because of the method which was used in producing it.
Thus, after a special commission was set up
consisting of men truly expert in catechesis —they were of various
nationalities and had been selected after consultation with certain episcopates—
the first thing done was to seek the advice and opinions of the various
episcopates.
With that advice and those opinions in mind, a
first draft of the Directory was worked up in an outline form showing only the
principal features. This was examined at a special plenary session of the Sacred
Congregation for the Clergy. After that, a longer draft was prepared, and once
again the Conferences of Bishops were queried so that they might express their
opinion about it. In accord with the advice and observations given by the
bishops in this second consultation, a definitive draft of the Directory was
prepared. Even so, before this was published, it was reviewed by a special
theological commission and by the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith.
The intent of this Directory is to provide the
basic principles of pastoral theology—these principles have been taken from
the Magisterium of the Church, and in a special way from the Second Genera!
Vatican Council—by which pastoral action in the ministry of the word can be
more fittingly directed and governed. This explains why the theoretical aspect
is given primary emphasis in this Directory, although, as will be evident, the
practical aspect is by no means neglected. Such a course of action was adopted
especially for the following reason: the errors which are not infrequently noted
in catechetics today can be avoided only if one starts with the correct way of
understanding the nature and purposes of catechesis and also the truths which
are to be taught by it, with due account being taken of those to whom catechesis
is directed and of the conditions in which they live. Moreover, the specific
task of applying the principles and declarations contained in this Directory to
concrete situations properly belongs to the various episcopates, and they do
this by means of national and regional directories, and by means of catechisms
and the other aids which are suitable for effectively promoting the work of the
ministry of the word.
It is clear that not ail parts of the
Directory are of the same importance. Those things which are said about divine
revelation, the criteria according to which the Christian message is to be
expounded, and the more outstanding elements of that same message, are to be
held by ail. On the other hand, those things which are said about the present
situation, methodology, and the form of catechesis for people of differing ages,
are to be taken rather as suggestions and guides, for a number of them are of
necessity taken from the human sciences, theoretical as well as practical, and
these are indeed subject to some evolution.
The Directory is chiefly intended for bishops,
Conferences of Bishops, and in general ail who under their leadership and
direction have responsibility in the catechetical field. The immediate purpose
of the Directory is to provide assistance in the production of catechetical
directories and catechisms. indeed, it is for this reason, that is, to help in
the preparation of these tools, that the following have been done. Some basic
features of present-day conditions have been set forth, so as to stimulate
studies in the various parts of the Church, studies which should be carried out
with careful and diligent effort, with regard to local conditions and local
pastoral needs. Some general principles of methodology and catechesis for
different age groups have been noted, so as to highlight how necessary it is to
learn the art and wisdom of education. Special pains have been taken in the
composition of Part Three, where the criteria which should govern the
presentation of the truths to be taught through catechesis are set forth and
where a summary of essential elements of the Christian faith is also given, so
as to make fully clear the goal which catechesis must of necessity have, namely,
the presentation of the Christian faith in its entirety.
Since the Directory is intended for countries
which differ greatly in their conditions and pastoral needs, it is obvious that
only common or average conditions could be considered in it. Therefore, in
judging and evaluating the Directory, one will have to give due consideration to
this particular feature as well as to the structure. The same thing must be said
about the description of pastoral work given in Part Six. It deals with the plan
of pastoral action that is to be promoted, and this is described only in general
outlines. This will perhaps be inadequate for those areas in which catechesis
has already made great strides, while, on the other hand, in those places where
catechesis has not yet advanced very far, it will perhaps seem to demand too
much.
With the publication of this document the
Church gives new evidence of her concern for a ministry which is absolutely
necessary for proper fulfilment of her mission in the world. It is prayerfully
hoped that this document will be accepted and be carefully studied and weighed,
with attention to the pastoral needs of the individual ecclesial communities. It
is similarly hoped that this document will be able to stimulate new and more
vigorous studies that faithfully respond to the needs of the ministry of the
word and to the norms of the Magisterium of the Church.
PART ONE
THE REALITY 0F THE PROBLEM
NATURE AND PURPOSE 0F THIS PART
1 Since the essential mission of the Church is
to proclaim and promote the faith in contemporary human society, a society
disturbed by very great sociocultural changes, it is appropriate here, with the
declarations of the Second Vatican Council in mind, to sketch some features and
characteristics of the present situation by pointing out the spiritual
repercussions they have and the new obligations the Church has as a result. The
discussion here is not meant to be exhaustive, because the subject covers points
which are unique and often very much different in the various parts of the
Church. National directories will have the task of filling out this outline and
applying it to the circumstances of individual countries and regions.
The World
THE MODERN WORLD IN CONTINUAL DEVELOPMENT
2 "Today, the human race is passing
through a new stage of its history. Profound and rapid changes are spreading by
degrees around the world... . Hence we can already speak of a true social and
cultural transformation, one which has repercussions on man’s religious Life
as well" (GS, 4).
As examples, two repercussions on the life of
faith which more directly affect catechesis can be cited:
a) In times past, the cultural tradition
favored the transmission of the faith to a greater extent than it does today; in
our times, however, the cultural tradition has undergone considerable change,
with the result that less and less can one depend on continued transmission by
means of it. Because of this, some renewal in evangelisation is needed for
transmitting the same faith to new generations.
b) Ill should be noted that the Christian
faith requires explanations and new forms of expression so that it may take root
in ail successive cultures. Though the aspirations and basic needs peculiar to
human nature and the human condition remain essentially the same, nevertheless,
men of our era are posing new questions about the meaning and importance of
life.
Believers of our lime are certainly not in ail
respects like believers of the past. This is why it becomes necessary to affirm
the permanence of the faith and to present the message of salvation in renewed
ways.
Today one must also keep in mind the very
great diffusion of the instruments of social communication, the influence of
which extends beyond national boundaries and makes individual persons citizens
as ill were of human society as a whole (cf. 1M, 22).
Such instruments exert very great influence on
the lives of Christians, whether because of the things they teach or because of
the style of thinking and mode of behaviour they introduce among these same
Christians. It s necessary to take account of this fact and to give it all due
attention.
PLURALISM TODAY
3 "By this very circumstance, the
traditional local communities such as father-centered families, clans, tribes,
villages, various groups and associations stemming from social contacts
experience more thorough changes every day" (GS, 6).
In Christianity of old, religion was regarded
as the chief principle of unity among peoples. Things are otherwise now. The
cohesion of peoples which stems from the phenomenon of democratisation promotes
harmony among various spiritual families. "Pluralism," as it is called,
is no longer viewed as an evil 10 be eliminated, but rather as a fact which must
be taken into account; anyone can make his own decisions known without becoming
or being regarded as alien to society.
Therefore, those engaged in the ministry of
the word should never forget that faith is a free response to the grace of the
revealing God. And to an even greater extent than this was done in the past,
they should present the good news of Christ in its remarkable character both as
the mysterious key to understanding of the whole human condition and as a free
gift of God which is to be received by means of heavenly grace upon admission of
one’s own insufficiency (cf. GS, 10).
THE DYNAMISM 0F OUR AGE
4 The building up of human society, human
progress, and the ongoing execution of human plans stimulate the concern of the
men of our era (cf. GS, 4). Faith should by no means keep itself as it were
outside that human progress. Joined with that progress there are indeed even now
serious aberrations. Accordingly, the Gospel message should pass judgement on
this state of affairs and tell men what it means.
The ministry of the word, through an
ever-deeper study of the divine and human calling of man, must permit the Gospel
to spread its own vital seeds of genuine freedom and progress (cf. AG, 8, 12)
and to stimulate a desire for promoting the growth of the human person and for
contending against that way of acting and thinking which tends toward fatalism.
What has been said above is meant merely 10
show how today’s ministry of the word ought to direct its activity toward this
world: ". . . it is demanded from the Church that she inject the perennial,
vital, divine power of the Gospel into the human society of today" (John
XXIII, Apost. Const. Humanae salutis, AAS, 1962, p. 6).
THE SITUATION IN REGARD TO RELIGIOUS FEELING
5 That form of civilisation which is called
scientific, technical, industrial, and urban not infrequently diverts the
attention of men from matters divine and makes their inner concerns with regard
10 religion more difficult. Many feel that God is less present, and less needed,
and God seems to them Less able to explain things in both personal and social
life. Hence a religious crisis can easily arise (cf. GS, 5, 7).
The Christian faith, as are the other
religious confessions, is experiencing a crisis of this sort among its followers.
It has an urgent duty, therefore, to manifest its true nature, by virtue of
which it transcends every advancement of culture, and 10 show forth its newness
in cultures which have been secularised and desacralized.
Its a function of the ministry of the word to
uncover, purify, and develop the authentic values which are found in the
spiritual heritage of those human cultures wherein a religious sense remains
alive and operative and is all-pervasive in human life.
In times past, faulty opinions and errors
about the faith and the Christian way of life generally reached a comparatively
small number of people, and were to a greater extent than is so today confined
within groups of intellectuals. Now, however, human progress and the instruments
of social communication are having this effect: faulty opinions are being spread
abroad with greater speed and are exerting an ever-wider influence among the
faithful, young adults especially, who suffer grave crises and are not
infrequently driven to adopt ways of acting and thinking that are hostile to
religion. This situation calls for pastoral remedies that are truly adapted to
the circumstances.
The Church
The particular characteristics of the
spiritual condition of the world are also found in the life of the Church
herself.
"TRADITIONAL" FAITH
6 The faith of many Christians is strained to
a critical point in those places where religion was seeming to favor the
prerogatives of certain social classes to an excessive degree, or where it was
depending too much on ancestral customs and on regional unanimity in religious
profession.
Great numbers are drifting little by little
into religious indifferentism, or are continuing in danger of keeping the faith
without the dynamism that is necessary, a faith without effective influence on
their actual lives. The question now is not one of merely preserving traditional
religlous customs, but rather one of also fostering an appropriate
re-evangelisation of men, obtaining their reconversion, and giving them a deeper
and more mature education in the faith.
By no means, however, is the above to be
interpreted in such a way that it results in neglect of the genuine faith which
is preserved within groups in a culture that is traditionally Christian, or in a
low estimation of the popular religious sense. Despite the growth of
secularisation, a religious sense continues to flourish in the various parts of
the Church. No one can fail to note it, for it is expressed in ordinary life by
a very large number of people, and for the most part in a sincere and authentic
way. In fact, the popular religious sense provides an opportunity or starting
point for proclaiming the faith. The question is, as is clear, only one of
purifying it and of correctly appraising its valid elements, so that no one will
be content with forms of pastoral action which today have become unequal to the
task, altogether unsuitable, and perhaps even irrelevant.
RELIGIOUS INDIFFERENTISM AND ATHEISM
7 Many baptised persons have withdrawn so far
from their religion that they profess a form of indifferentism or something
close to atheism. "Still, many of our contemporaries recognise in no way
this intimate and vital link with God, or else they explicitly reject it. Thus
atheism must be accounted among the most serious problems of this age, and must
be subjected to closer examination" (GS, 19).
The Second Vatican Council gave the matter
careful consideration (cf. GS, 19-20) and dealt expressly with remedies to be
applied: "The remedy which must be applied to atheism, however, is to be
sought in a proper presentation of the Church’s teaching as well as in the
integral life of the Church and her members. For it is a function of the Church
to make God the Father and his incarnate Son present and in a sense visible by
ceaselessly renewing and purifying herself under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
This result is achieved chiefly by the witness of a living and mature faith,
namely, one trained to see difficulties clearly and to master them" (GS,
21).
There are also cases in which the Christian
faith is found contaminated with a new form of paganism, even though some
religious sense and some faith in a Supreme Being persist. A religious
disposition can exist far from the influence of the word of God and from the
practice of the sacraments, but be nourished by the practice of superstition and
magic; moral life can fall back into pre-Christian ethics. Sometimes elements of
nature worship, animism, and divination are introduced into the Christian
religion, and thus in some places a lapse into syncretism can occur. Moreover,
religious sects are being propagated which mingle together the Christian
mysteries and elements of fables from antiquity.
In these cases, there is the greatest possible
need for the ministry of the word, especially evangelisation and catechesis, to
be renewed in accord with the Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church,
nn. 13, 14, 21, 22.
FAITH AND VARIOUS CULTURES
8 There are some members of the faithful who
have had an excellent Christian education who are having difficulty with regard
to the way of expressing the faith. They think it is bound up too much with
ancient and obsolete formulations and too much tied to Western culture. They
are, therefore, seeking a new way of expressing the truths of religion, one
which conforms to the present human condition, allows the faith to illumine the
realities pressing upon men today, and makes it possible for the Gospel to be
brought over to other cultures. The Church certainly has a duty to give ail
possible consideration to this aspiration of men.
What is declared in the Decree on the
Missionary Activity of the Church for recently established churches is also
valid for all who labor in the ministry of the word: "From the customs and
traditions of their people, from their wisdom and their learning, from their
arts and sciences, these churches borrow ail those things which can contribute
to the glory of their Creator, the revelation of the Savior’s grade, and the
proper arrangement of Christian life" (AG, 22; cf. AG, 21; Paul VI, AIloc.,
August 6, 1969).
Consequently, "by presenting the Gospel
message to men in a renewed way, the ministry of the word should show clearly
the unity of the divine plan of salvation. Avoiding confusions and simplistic
identifications, the message should always show clearly the deep and intimate
harmony that exists between God’s salvific plan, fulfilled in Christ the Lord,
and human aspirations, between the history of salvation and human history,
between the Church, the People of God, and human communities, between God’s
revelatory action and man’s experience, between supernatural gifts and
charisms and human values" (Comm. 5-s/comm. 2 General Conference of Bishops
of Latin America, 1968).
THE WORK 0F RENEWAL
9 In this new state of affairs, it is possible
for one to suppose that the apostolic fervor which the Church is now striving to
promote is being impeded. Certainly neither the shepherds nor the faithful
should be faulted on zeal, which they in fact have in large measure. The
impediments seem rather to result either from a widespread failure to prepare
suitably for the new and difficult tasks, or from a kind of thinking, as yet not
fully developed, which is at times expressed in theories that hinder rather than
help evangelisation.
Having duly considered these things, the
Sacred Synod of Vatican it lime and again urged renewal of the ministry of the
word in the Church. This renewal seems today to be entering a period of crisis,
being led there especially by:
—those who are unable to understand the
depth of the proposed renewal, as though the issue here were merely one of
eliminating ignorance of the doctrine which must be taught. According 10 the
thinking of those people, the remedy would be more frequent catechetical
instruction. Once the matter has been considered that way, that remedy is
immediately seen to be altogether unequal to the needs. In fact, the
catechetical plan is to be thoroughly renewed, and this renewal has to do with
a, continuing education in the faith, not only for children but also for adults.
—those who are inclined to reduce the Gospel
message to the consequences it has in men’s temporal existence.
The Gospel and its law of love do, of course,
demand that Christians, each according to his strength, work together—fulfilling
their secular duties and responsibilities—to restore justice and brotherhood
among men more and more. That, however, does not in any way satisfy the need to
give due witness to Jesus Christ, God’s Son and our Savior, whose mystery,
which revealed God’s ineffable love (cf. 1 John 4, 9), must be proclaimed
openly and in its entirety to those being evangelised, and must be examined by
them.
The teaching of the Pastoral Constitution on
the Church in the Modem World and the Declaration on Religious Freedom
countenance no "minimalism" in explaining the service of the
faith directed through the ministry of the
word. Both these documents show concern for providing a remedy for the state of
affairs described above. Renewal in the ministry of the word, especially in
catechesis, can in no way be separated from general pastoral renewal.
Steps which are effective and indeed of the
greatest importance for good results must be taken: promoting the growth of the
customary forms 0f the ministry of the word and stimulating new ones;
evangelising and catechising men of lower cultural levels; reaching the educated
classes and taking care of their needs; improving The traditional forms of the
Christian presence and finding new ways; gathering together all the practical
aids of the Church and al the same time avoiding forms which are not in accord
with the Gospel.
In carrying out this task, the Church places
her hope in ail members of the People of God. Everyone—bishops, priests, men
and women religious, lay people—should by ail means fulfil his mission, each
according to his responsibilities. And indeed each should fulfil his mission
with attention 10 the state of the world which profoundly affects the life of
faith.
So that effective help may be given these
workers in the service of the Gospel, the catechetical renewal ought to use the
help which can be given by the sacred sciences, theology, bible studies,
pastoral thought, and the human sciences, and also the instruments by which
ideas and opinions are spread, especially the social communications media.
PART TWO
THE MINISTRY 0F THE WORD
Chapter I
The Ministry of The Word
and Revelation
REVELATION: GOD’S GIFT
10 In the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine
Revelation, the General Council looked al revelation as the act by which God
communicates himself in a personal way: "In his goodness and wisdom, God
chose to reveal himself and 10 make known the hidden purpose of his will . . .
so that he may invite and take men into fellowship with himself" (DV, 2).
God appears there as one who wishes to communicate himself, carrying out a plan
which proceeds from love.
Catechesís, then, ought to take its beginning
from this gift of divine love. Faith is the acceptance and coming to fruit of
the divine gift in us. This characteristic, by which faith is to be considered
as a gift, has a direct bearing on the whole subject-matter of the ministry of
the word.
REVELATION: DEEDS AND WORDS
11 So that men may come to a knowledge of his
plan, God works in this way, namely, through events in the history of salvation
and through the divinely inspired words which accompany these events and clarify
them: "This plan of revelation is realised by deeds and words having an
inner unity: the deeds wrought by God in the history of salvation manifest and
confirm the teaching and realities signified by the words, while the words
proclaim the deeds and clarify the mystery contained in them"
(DV, 2).
Revelation, therefore, consists of deeds and
words, the ones illuminating, and being illuminated by, the others. The ministry
of the word should proclaim these deeds and words in such a way that the
loftiest mysteries contained in them are further explained and communicated by
it. In this way the ministry of the word not only recalls the revelation of God’s
wonders which was made in time and brought to perfection in Christ, but at the
same lime, in the light of this revelation, interprets human life in our age,
the signs of the limes, and the things of this world, for the plan of God works
in these for the salvation of men.
JESUS CHRIST: MEDIATOR AND FULLNESS 0F ALL
REVELATION
12 "By this revelation, then, the deepest
truth . . . is made clear to us in Christ, who is the Mediator and at the same
time the fullness of ail revelation" (DV, 2).
Christ is not only the greatest of prophets,
who by his teaching fulfilled those things which had been said and done by God
in earlier limes. He himself is the eternal Son of God, made man, and thus the
last event to which ail events in the history of salvation look and which
fulfils and manifests the final plans of God. "For this reason he . . .
perfected revel action by fulfilling it . .
(DV, 4; cf. LG., 9).
The ministry of the word ought to direct
attention to this wonderful characteristic peculiar to the economy of revelation.
The Son of God inserts himself into the history of men, takes b himself the life
and death of a man, and in this history fulfils his plan of the Covenant.
in the same way as does the Evangelist Luke,
the ministry of the word ought first to recall the event of Jesus for believers,
by manifesting its meaning and by searching more and more into this unique and
irreversible fact: "Many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the
events which have been fulfilled in our midst.
. I too have carefully traced the whole
sequence of events from the beginning, and have decided to set it in writing for
you" (Luke 1, 1-3).
Therefore, the ministry of the word should be
based on the divinely inspired exposition regarding the redemptive incarnation,
the exposition which has been given us by
Jesus himself and by the first disciples and especially the apostles, who were
witnesses of the events. "It is common knowledge that among ail [the
Scriptures] . . . the Gospels have a special pre-eminence, and rightly so, for
they are the principal witness of the life and teaching of the incarnate Word,
our Savior" (DV, 18).
Moreover, it is to be recalled that Jesus, the
Messiah and Lord, is through his Spirit always present to his Church (cf. John
14, 26; 15, 26; 16, 13; Apoc. 2, 7). Accordingly, the ministry of the word
presents Christ not only as its object but also as the one who opens the hearts
of hearers to receive and understand the divine proclamation (cf. Acts 16, 14).
MINISTRY 0F THE WORD OR PREACHING 0F THE WORD
0F GOD: ACT 0F LIVING TRADITION
13 "Now what was handed on by the
apostles includes everything which contributes to the holiness of life and the
increase in faith of the People of God; and so the Church, in her teaching,
life, and worship, perpetuates and hands on to ail generations all that she
herself is, ail that she believes" (DV, 8).
This tradition is bound up with things that
have been said. In scope and depth, however, it is more than these sayings. It
is a living tradition, since through it God continues his conversation.
"And thus God, who spoke of old, uninterruptedly converses with the Bride
of his beloved Son; and the Holy Spirit, through whom the living voice of the
Gospel resounds in the Church, and through her, in the world . . ." (DV,
8).
This is why the ministry of the word can be
considered as that which gives voice to this living tradition, within the
totality of tradition. "This tradition which comes from the apostles
develops in the Church with the help of the Holy Spirit. For there is a growth
in the understanding of the realities and the words which have been handed down.
This happens through the contemplation and study made by believers, who treasure
these things in their hearts, through the intimate understanding 0f spiritual
things they experience, and through the preaching of those who have received
through Episcopal succession the sure gift of truth" (DV, 8).
On the one hand, the divine revelation which
constitutes the object of the Catholic faith and which was completed at the time
of the apostles, must be clearly distinguished from the grace of the Holy Spirit,
without whose inspiration and illumination no one can believe. On the other hand,
God, who formerly spoke 10 the human race by revealing himself through divine
deeds together with the message of the prophets, of Christ, and of the apostles,
even now still secretly directs, through the Holy Spirit, in sacred tradition,
by the light and sense of the faith, the Church, his bride, and he speaks with
her, so that the People of God, under the leadership of the Magisterium, may
attain a fuller understanding of revelation.
The Church’s shepherds not only proclaim and
explain directly to the People of God the deposit of faith which has been
committed to them, but moreover they make authentic judgements regarding
expressions of that deposit and the explanations which the faithful seek and
offer. They do this in such a way that "in holding to, practising, and
professing the heritage of the faith, there results on the part of the bishops
and faithful a remarkable common effort" (DV, 10).
From this it follows that it is necessary for
the ministry of the word to set forth the divine revelation such as ibis taught
by the Magisterium and such as it expresses itself, under the watchfulness of
the Magisterium, in the living awareness and faith of the People of God. In this
way the ministry of the word is not a mere repetition of ancient doctrine, but
rather it is a faithful reproduction of it, with adaptation to new problems and
with a growing understanding of it.
SACRED SCRIPTURE
14 Under special inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, divine revelation has also been expressed in writings, that is, in the
sacred books of the Old and New Testaments, books which contain and present
divinely revealed truth (cf. DV, 11).
The Church, guardian and interpreter of the
Sacred Scriptures, learns from them, by constantly meditating on and penetrating
more and more into their teaching. Remaining faithful in tradition, the ministry
of the word finds its nourishment and its norm in Sacred Scripture (cf. DV, 21,
24, 25). For in the sacred books the Father, who is in heaven, very Iovingly
meets with his children and speaks with them (cf. DV, 21).
But if t takes its norm for thinking from
Sacred Scripture, the Church, inspired by the Spirit, interprets that same
Scripture: "and the sacred writings themselves are more profoundly
understood and unceasingly made active in her" (DV, 8).
The ministry of the word, therefore, takes its
beginning from Holy Writ and from the preaching of the apostles, as these are
understood, explained, and applied in concrete situations by the Church.
FAITH: RESPONSE TO THE WORD 0F GOD
15 By faith man accepts revelation, and
through it he consciously becomes a sharer in the gift of God.
The obedience of faith must be offered to the
God who reveals. By this, man, with full homage of his mind and will, freely
assents to the Gospel of the grace of God (cf. Acts, 20, 24). instructed by
faith, man, through the gift of the Spirit, comes to contemplate and savor the
God of love, the God who has made known the riches of his glory in Christ (cf.
Col. 1, 26). indeed, a living faith is the beginning in us of eternal life in
which the mysteries of God (cf. 1 Cor. 2, 10) will at last be seen unveiled.
Informed of God’s plan of salvation, faith leads man to full discernment of
the divine will towards us in this world, and to Cupertino with his grade.
"For faith throws a new light on everything, manifests God’s design for
man’s total vocation, and thus directs the mind to solutions which are fully
human" (GS, 11).
FUNCTION 0F THE MINISTRY 0F THE WORD
16 To put the whole matter in a few words, the
minister of the word should be honestly aware of the mission assigned to him.
Ibis b stir up a lively faith which turns the mind to God, impels conformance
with his action, leads to a living knowledge of the expressions of tradition,
and speaks and manifests the true significance of the world and human existence.
The ministry of the word is the communication
of the message of salvation: it brings the Gospel to men. The mystery which has
been announced and handed down deeply influences that will 10 have life, that
innermost desire for attaining fulfilment, and that expectation of future
happiness which God has implanted in the heart of every man and which by his
grace he raises to the supernatural order.
The truths to be believed include God’s
love. He created ail things for the sake of Christ and restored us 10 life in
Christ Jesus. The various aspects of the mystery are to be explained in such a
way that the central fact, Jesus, as he is God’s greatest gift to men, holds
first place, and that from him the other truths of Catholic teaching derive
their order and hierarchy from the educational point of view (cf. nn. 43, 49).
Catechesis in the Pastoral
Mission of the Church
(Nature, Purpose, Efficacy)
MINISTRY 0F THE WORD IN THE CHURCH
17 The ministry of the word takes many forms,
including catechesis, according to the different conditions under which it is
practised and the ends which it strives to achieve.
There is the form called evangelisation, or
missionary preaching. This has as its purpose the arousing of the beginnings of
faith (cf. CD, 11, 13; AG, 6, 13, 14), SO that men will adhere to the word of
God.
Then there is the catechetical form, "which
is intended 10 make men’s faith become living, conscious, and active, through
the light of instruction" (CD, 14).
And then there is the liturgical form, within
the setting of a liturgical celebration, especially that of the Eucharist (e.g.,
the homily) (cf. SC,, 33, 52; Inter Oecum. 54).
Finally, there is the theological form, that
is, the systematic treatment and the scientific investigation of the truths of
faith.
For our purpose it is important b keep these
forms distinct, since they are governed by their own laws. Nevertheless, in the
concrete reality of the pastoral ministry, they are closely bound together.
Accordingly, ail that has so far been said
about the ministry of the word in general is to be applied also 10 catechesis.
CATECHESIS AND EVANGELIZATION
18 Catechesis proper presupposes a global
adherence to Christ’s Gospel as presented by the Church. Often, however, it is
directed to men who, though they belong 10 the Church, have in fact never given
a true personal adherence 10 the message of revelation.
This shows that, according to circumstances,
evangelisation can precede or accompany the work of catechesis proper. In every
case, however, one must keep in mind that the element of conversion is always
present in the dynamism of faith, and for that reason any form of catechesis
must also perform the role of evangelisation.
FORMS 0F CATECHESIS
19 Because of varied circumstances and
multiple needs, catecheticai activity necessarily takes various forms.
In regions which have been Christian from of
old, catechesis often takes the form of religious instruction given to children
and adolescents in schools or outside a school atmosphere. Also found in those
regions are various catechetical programs for adults. There are also various
catechumenate programs for those who are preparing themselves for the reception
of baptism, or for those who have been baptised but lack a proper Christian
initiation. Very often the actual condition of large numbers of the faithful
necessarily demands that some form of evangelisation of the baptised precede
catechesis.
In churches that have been established
recently, special importance is placed on the work of evangelising in the strict
sense. Accordingly, they have the well-known form of the catechumenate for those
who are being initiated in the faith SO that they may prepare themselves for
receiving baptism (cf. AG, 4).
in a word, catechetical activity can take on
forms and structures that are quite varied, that is to say, it can be systematic
or occasional, for individuals or for communities, organised or spontaneous, and
so on.
20 Shepherds of souls should always keep in
mind the obligation they have of safeguarding and promoting the enlightenment of
Christian existence through the word of God for people of ail ages and in ail
historical circumstances (cf. CD, 14), 50 that it may be possible to have
contact with every individual and community in the spiritual state in which each
one is.
They should also remember that catechesis for
adults, since it deals with persons who are capable of an adherence that is
fully responsible, must be considered the chief form of catechesis. All the
other forms, which are indeed always necessary, are in some way oriented to it.
In obedience 10 the norms of the Second Vatican Council, shepherds of souls
should also strive "to re-establish or better adapt the instruction of
adult catechumens" (CD, 14; cf. AG, 14).
FUNCTIONS 0F CATECHESIS
21 Within the scope of pastoral activity,
catechesis is the term to be used for that form of ecclesial action which leads
both communities and individual members of the faithful b maturity of faith.
With the aid of catechesis, communities of
Christians acquire for themselves a more profound living knowledge of God and of
his plan of salvation, which has its centred in Christ, the incarnate Word of
God. They build themselves up by striving to make their faith mature and
enlightened, and b share this mature faith with men who desire to possess it.
For every man whose mind is open to the
message of the Gospel, catechesis is a particularly apt means for him to
understand God’s plan in his own life and to examine the highest meaning of
existence and history 50 that the life of individual men and of society may be
illumined by the light of the kingdom of God and be conformed to its demands,
and the mystery of the Church as the community of those who believe in the
Gospel may be able to be recognised.
Ail these things determine the functions
proper to catechesis.
CATECHESIS AND THE GRACE 0F FAITH
22 Faith is a gift of God which calls men to
conversion. "For this faith to be given, the grace of God and the interior
help of the Holy Spirit must precede and assist, moving the heart and turning it
to God, opening the eyes of the mind and giving joy and ease 10 everyone in
assenting 10 the truth and believing it"
(DV, 5).
The Christian community, listening 10 the word
of God religiously, lives in a mature faith, constantly strives for conversion
and renewal, and gives diligent ear to what the Spirit says to the Church.
Catechesis performs the function of disposing
men to receive the action of the Holy Spirit and to deepen their conversion. it
does this through the word, to which are joined the witness of life and prayer.
CATECHESIS AND PERFORMANCE 0F THE DUTIES 0F
THE FAITH
23 A person mature in the faith fully accepts
the Gospel invitation by which he is impelled to communion with God and with his
brothers; he takes on in his life the duties that are connected with this
invitation (cf. AG, 12).
Catechesis performs the functions of helping
men make this communion with God a reality, and of presenting the Christian
message in such a way that it is clear that the highest value of human life is
safeguarded by it. Ail this requires that catechesis keep in mind the legitimate
aspirations of men, as also the progress and success of the values contained in
these aspirations.
Communion with God and adherence to him entail
the carrying out of human responsibilities and the duty of solidarity, since ail
these things are in keeping with the will of God the Savior (cf. GS, 4).
Catechesis, therefore, must foster and
illumine the increase of theological charity in individual members of the
faithful as well as in ecclesial communities, and also the manifestations of
that same virtue in connection with the duties that pertain 10 individuals and
to the community.
CATECHESIS AND KNOWLEDGE 0F THE FAITH
24 A person mature in the faith knows the
mystery of salvation revealed in Christ, and the divine signs and works which
are witnesses to the fact that this mystery is being carried out in human
history. Ibis, therefore, not sufficient for catechesis merely 10 stimulate a
religious experience, even if ibis a true one; rather, catechesis should
contribute to the gradual grasping of the whole
truth about the divine plan by preparing the
faithful for the reading of Sacred Scripture and the learning of tradition.
CATECHESIS AND THE LIFE 0F LITURGICAL AND
PRIVATE PRAYER
25 "Every liturgical celebration, because
ibis an action of Christ the priest and of his Body the Church, is a sacred
action surpassing ail others. No other action of the Church can match its claim
10 efficacy, nor equal the degree of it" (SC, 7). And the more mature a
Christian community becomes in faith, the more it lives its worship in spirit
and in truth (cf. John 4, 23) in its liturgical celebrations, especially al the
Eucharist.
Therefore, catechesis must promote an active,
conscious, genuine participation in the liturgy of the Church, not merely by
explaining the meaning of the ceremonies, but also by forming the minds of the
faithful for prayer, for thanksgiving, for repentance, for praying with
confidence, for a community spirit, and for understanding correctly the meaning
of the creeds. Ail these things are necessary for a true liturgical life.
"The spiritual life, however, is not
confined 10 participation in the liturgy. The Christian is assuredly called to
pray with his brethren, but he must also enter into his chamber 10 pray 10 the
Father in secret (cf. Matt. 6, 6), indeed, according to the teaching of the
Apostle Paul (cf. 1 Thess. 5, 17), he should pray without ceasing" (SC,
12).
Therefore, catechesis must also train the
faithful 10 meditate on the word of God and 10 engage in private prayer.
CATECHESIS AND CHRISTIAN LIGHT
ON HUMAN EXISTENCE
26 A person mature in the faith is able to
recognise in various circumstances and encounters with his fellowman the
invitation 0f God whereby he is called to work toward the fulfilment of the
divine plan of salvation.
Catechesis has the task, then, of emphasising
this function by teaching the faithful to give a Christian interpretation to
human events, especially to the signs of the limes, so that ail "will
be able to test and interpret ail things in a
wholly Christian spirit" (GS, 62).
CATECHESIS AND UNITY 0F CHRISTIANS
27 Communities of the faithful should,
according to the circurnstances in which they live, take part in ecumenical
dialogue and the other undertakings for the restoring of Christian unity (cf. UR,
5).
Catechesis should, therefore, assist in this
cause (cf. UR, 6) by clearly explaining the Church’s doctrine in its entirety
(cf. UR, 11) and by fostering a suitable knowledge of other confessions, both in
matters where they agree with the Catholic faith, and also in matters where they
differ. in doing this, it should avoid words and methods of explaining doctrine
that could "lead separated brethren or anyone else into error regarding the
true doctrine of the Church" (LG, 67). The order or hierarchy of the truths
of Catholic teaching should be kept (cf. UR, 11; AG, 15; Ad Ecclesiam totam, May
14, 1967, AAS, 1967, pp. 574-592). However, the case for Catholic doctrine
should be presented with charity as whit as with due firmness.
CATECHESIS AND THE MISSION 0F THE CHURCH IN
THE WORLD
28 The Church is in Christ like a sacrament or
sign and an instrument of the salvation and of the unity of the whole human race
(cf. LG, 1). It will be more noted as such, however, the more mature in faith
the individual communities of the faithful become.
Catechesis should help these communities 10
spread the light of the Gospel and 10 establish a fruitful dialogue with men and
cultures that are not Christian, preserving here religious freedom correctly
understood (cf. DH; AG, 22).
CATECHESIS AND ESCHATOLOGICAL HOPE
29 A person mature in the faith directs his
thoughts and desires b the full consummation of the kingdom in eternal life.
Catechesis, therefore, performs the function
of directing the hope of men in the first place b the future goods which are in
the heavenly Jerusalem. Al the same time, lt calls men to be wiliing to
cooperate in the undertakings of their neighbors and of the human race for the
improvement of human society (cf. GS, 39, 40-43).
CATECHESIS AND DEVELOPMENT 0F THE LIFE 0F
FAITH
30 Among the faithful the one faith is found
to be more or less intense according 10 the grace that is given to each one by
the Holy Spirit, grace which must constantly be asked for in prayer (cf. Mark,
9, 23), and according 10 the response that each one gives to this grade.
Moreover, the life of faith passes through vanous stages, just as does man’s
existence while he is attaining maturity and taking on the duties of his life.
Consequently, the life of faith admits of various degrees, both in the global
acceptance of the total word of God and in the explanation of that word and the
application of it to the different duties of human life, according to the
maturity of each and the differences of individuals (cf. n. 38). Certainly, the
acceptance of this faith and its explanation and application to the life of man
are different according 10 whether there is question of the very young, children,
adolescents, young adults, or adults. Catechesis has the function of lending aid
for the beginning and the progress of this Life of faith throughout the entire
course of a man’s existence, ail the way to the full explanation of revealed
truth and the application of it 10 man’s life.
RICHNESS 0F CATECHETICAL WORK
31 Catechesis is concerned with the community,
but it does not neglect the individual believer. it is inked with the other
pastoral functions of the Church, but it does not lose its own specific
character. Al one and the same lime it performs the functions of initiation,
education, and formation.
it is very important that catechesis retain
the richness of these various aspects in such a way that one aspect is not
separated from the rest 10 the detriment of the others.
EFFICACY 0F THE WORD 0F GOD IN CATECHESIS
32 This sentence from Sacred Scripture is
pertinent also to catechesis: "indeed, God’s word is living and effective"
(Heb. 4,
12).
The divine word becomes present in catechesis
through the human word. So that it may bear fruit in man and generate inner
movements which expel indifference or uncertainty and Lead him to embrace the
faith, catechesis ought to express the word of God faithfully and present it
suitably. Furthermore, the witness given by the life of both the catchiest and
the ecclesial community contributes very much to the efficacy of catechesis (cf.
n. 35).
Catechesis, therefore, should convey the word
of God, as it is presented by the Church, in the language of the men to whom it
is directed (cf. DV, 13; OT, 16). When God revealed himself to the human race,
he made the human word the sign of his word, expressing his word in a language
that belonged 10 a particular culture (cf. DV, 12). The Church, 10 whom Christ
entrusted the deposit of revelation, strives until the consummation of the world
to transmit, explain, and interpret this word in a lively manner for the peoples
of every culture and for men of every condition.
PEDAGOGY 0F GOD IN REVEALING AND 0F THE CHURCH
IN CATECHISING
33 In the history of revelation God used
pedagogy in such a way that he announced his plan of salvation in the old
Covenant prophetically and by means of figures, and thus prepared the coming of
his Son, The author of the New Covenant and the perfecter of the faith (cf. Heb.
12, 2).
Now, however, after the consummation of
revelation, The Church has the obligation of sharing the entire mystery of our
salivation in Christ with the people to be instructed. Mindful of the pedagogy
used by God, she 100 uses a pedagogy, a new one, however, one that corresponds
10 the new demands of his message. The Church sees to it, of course, that this
message, when it has been presented without adulteration or mutilation, is
accommodated 10 the ability of the people to be taught.
On the one hand, in order 10 take account of
the limited ability of some, the Church explains matters rather simply and
briefly, using even suitable summary formulas, which may be explained further
later. On the other hand, she tries to satisfy the requirements of the more
lively and capable minds by using more profound explanations.
PRESERVING FIDELITY TO GOD AND HAVING CONCERN
FOR MEN
34 The Church performs this kind of function
chiefly by means of catechesis (cf. DV, 24). By drawing the truth from the word
of God and faithfully adhering to the secure expression of this word, catechesis
strives 10 teach this word of God with complete fidelity. The function of
catechesis, however, cannot be restricted to repetition of traditional formulas;
in fact, it demands that these formulas be understood, and be faithfully
expressed in language adapted to the intelligence of the hearers, using even new
methods when necessary. The language will be different for different age levels,
social conditions of men, human cultures, and forms of civil life (cf. DV, 8;
CD, 14).
THE NECESSITY 0F ECCLESIAL WITNESS
35 Catechesis, finally, demands the witness of
faith, both from the catechists and from the ecclesial community, a witness that
is joined to an authentic example of Christian life and to a readiness for
sacrifice (cf. LG, 12, 17; NA, 2).
Man encounters Christ not only through the
sacred ministry, but also through individual members of the faithful and their
communities (cf. LG, 35), and these accordingly have a duty b give witness. if
such witness is lacking, there arises in the listeners an obstacle b the
acceptance of God’s word.
Catechesis must be supported by the witness of
the ecciesial community. R speaks more effectively about those things which in
fact exist in the community’s external life as well. The catechist is in a
certain way the interpreter of the Church among those who are to be instructed.
He reads the signs of faith and he teaches others how to read them. The chief of
these signs is the Church herself (cf. First Vatican Council, Dogm. Const. Dei
Filius, Dz.-Sch. 3014).
Hence it 15 clear how necessary it is that the
ecclesial community, according to the mind of the Church and under the guidance
of her bishops, remove or correct things that mar the appearance of the Church
and constitute an obstacle for men to embrace the faith (cf. GS, 19).
Catechists, therefore, have the duty not only
10 impart catechesis directly, but also 10 offer their help in making the
ecciesial community come alive, 50 that it will be able 10 give a witness that
is authentically Christian.
Catechetical action, therefore, fits into that
general pastoral action in which ail elements of ecclesial life are properly
ordered and bound together (cf. GS, 4, 7, 43).
PART THREE
THE CHRISTIAN MESSAGE
SIGNIFICANCE AND PURPOSE 0F THIS PART
36 Faith, the maturing of which 15 10 be
promoted by catechesis (cf. n. 21), can be considered in two ways, either as the
total adherence given by man under the influence of grace 10 God revealing
himself (the faith by which one believes), or as the content of revelation and
of the Christian message (the faith which one believes). These two aspects are
by their very nature inseparable, and a normal maturing of the faith assumes
progress of both together. The two can, however, be distinguished for reasons of
methodology.
The subject of this third part is the content
of the faith, and it is treated in the way indicated here. The first chapter
points out the norms or criteria which catechesis must observe in the discovery
and exposition of its content. The second chapter will deal with that content
itself. This second chapter is by no means intended to set forth each and every
one of the Christian truths which constitute the object of faith and of
catechesis. Nor 15 it desired here b present an enumeration 0f the chief errors
of our age, or of the truths of the faith which today are being more sharply
denied or neglected. The ordinary or extraordinary Magisterium of the Church
provides for this point authoritatively by its public pronouncements.
Much less is there an attempt in that second
chapter to show a suitable way for ordering the truths of faith according to an
organic plan in a kind of synthesis which would take just account of their
objective hierarchy, or of the needs more intensely felt by the men of our age,
whether men are considered in the context of their age or in the perspective of
their social and cultural formation. This is the task of sacred theology and of
the various other kinds of exposition of Christian doctrine.
Rather, it has seemed opportune 10 expound in
that chapter —by means of those broad formulations which encompass fuller
explanations—some of the more outstanding elements contained in the saving
message, elements which certainly are organically interrelated, especially in
those particular features which must be brought out more clearly in a new,
adapted catechesis which pursues its goal faithfully.
Chapter I
Norms or Criteria
THE CONTENT 0F CATECHESIS IN RELATION TO THE
VARIOUS FORMS 0F ECCLESIAL LIFE, IN RELATION
TO DIFFERING CULTURES, AND IN RELATION TO
DIFFERENT LANGUAGES 0F MEN
37 Revelation is the manifestation of the
mystery of God and of his saving action in history. It takes place through a
personal communication from God to man. The content of this communication
constitutes the message of salvation which is to be preached to all men.
It is, consequently, the supreme and
absolutely necessary function of the Church’s prophetic ministry to make the
content of this message intelligible 10 men of all times, in order that they may
be converted to God through Christ, that they may interpret their whole life in
the light of faith, having considered the special conditions of events and limes
in which that life develops, and that they may lead a life in keeping with the
dignity which the message of salvation has brought them and that faith has
revealed to them.
To achieve this end, catechesis, as a most
excellent opportunity for the prophetic ministry of the Church, must not only
foster a strong and continuous contact with the various forms of life in the
ecciesial community, but it must strive 10 promote a greater accord between the
possible formulations of the divine message and the various cultures and diverse
languages of peoples.
THE GOAL 0F CATECHESIS IS TO PRESENT THE
ENTIRE CONTENT
38 The content of the message of salvation is
made up of parts that are closely interrelated, even though its revelation was
given by God gradually, in limes past through the prophets, last of ail in his
Son (cf. Heb. 1, 1). Since the purpose of catechesis, as was said, consists in
leading individual Christians and communities to a mature faith, it must take
diligent care faithfully to present the entire treasure of the Christian message.
This must surely be done according to the example of the divine pedagogy (cf. n.
33), but with the full store of revelation that has been divinely communicated
being taken into account, 50 that the People of God may be nourished by it and
live from lb.
Catechesis begins, therefore, with a rather
simple presentation of the entire structure of the Christian message (using also
summary or global formulas), and it presents this in a way appropriate b the
various cultural and spiritual conditions of those 10 be taught. By no means,
however, can it stop with this first presentation, but it must be interested in
presenting the content in an always more detailed and developed manner, 50 that
individuals among the faithful and the Christian community may arrive al an
always more profound and vital acceptance of the Christian message, and may
judge the concrete conditions and practices of Christian life by the light of
revelation.
This task of catechesis, not an easy one, must
be carried out under the guidance of the Magisterium of the Church, whose duly
il is to safeguard the truth of the divine message, and to walch thal the
ministry of the word uses appropriate forms of speaking, and prudently considers
the help which theological research and the human sciences can give.
THE CONTENT 0F CATECHESIS FORMS A CERTAIN
ORGANIC AND LIVING BODY
39 The object of faith embraces a content
which of its very nature is complex, namely, God in his own mystery and in his
saving intervention in history. Ail these things are known through what God
himself has revealed about himself and about his works. Christ has central
importance both in the salvific intervention of God and in the manifestation of
him 10 men. Catechesis, therefore, has as object God’s mystery and works,
namely, the works that God has done, is doing, and will do for us men and for
our salvation.
A catechesis that neglects this interrelation
and harmony of its content can become entirely useless for achieving its proper
end.
CHRISTOCENTRISM 0F CATECHESIS
40 Christ Jesus, the incarnate Word of God,
since he is the supreme reason why God intervenes in the world and manifests
himself 10 men, is the center of the Gospel message within salvation history.
He is "the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of ail creation. in him everything. . . was created" (Col. 1,
15). For he stands out as the one mighty mediator through whom God draws near to
man and man is led 10 God (cf. 1 Tim. 2, 5). In him the Church has its
foundation. In him all things are brought together (cf. Eph. 1, 10). For this
reason, created things and the conscience of men and the genuine values which
are found in other religions and the diverse signs of the limes are ail to be
thought of, though not univocally, as paths and steps by which it is possible 10
draw near to God, under the influence of grace and with an ordering 10 the
Church of Christ (cf. LG, 16).
Hence catechesis must necessarily be
Christocentric.
TRINITARIAN THEOCENTRISM 0F CATECHESIS
41 Just as Christ is the centre of the history
of salvation, 50 the mystery of God is the centre from which this history takes
its origin and to which it is ordered as to its last end. The crucified and
risen Christ leads men 10 the Father by sending the Holy Spirit upon the People
of God. For this reason the structure of the whole content of catechesis must be
theocentric and Trinitarian: through Christ, 10 the Father, in the Spirit.
Through Christ: The entire economy of
salvation receives its meaning from the incarnate Word. It prepared his coming;
it manifests and extends his kingdom on earth from the lime of his death and
resurrection up 10 his second glorious coming, which will complete the work of
God. So it is that the mystery of Christ illumines the whole content of
catechesis. The diverse elements
—biblical, evangelical, ecclesial, human,
and even cosmic—which catechetical education must take up and expound are ail
10 be referred 10 the incarnate Son of God.
To the Father: The supreme purpose of the
incarnation of the Word and of the whole economy of salvation consists in this:
that ail men be led 10 the Father. Catechesis, therefore, since it must help to
an ever-deeper understanding of this plan of love of the heavenly Father, must
take care to show that the supreme meaning of human life is this: 10 acknowledge
God and to glorify him by doing his will, as Christ taught us by his words and
the example of his life, and thus to come to eternal life.
In the Spirit: The knowledge of the mystery of
Christ and the way 10 the Father are realised in the Holy Spirit. Therefore,
catechesis, when expounding the content of the Christian message, must always
put in clear light this presence of the Holy Spirit, by which men are
continually moved to have communion with God and men and to fulfil their duties.
If catechesis lacks these three elements or
neglects their close relationship, the Christian message can certainly lose its
proper character.
FOR US MEN AND FOR OUR SALVATION
42 The theocentric-trinitarian purpose of the
economy of salvation cannot be separated from its objective, which is this: that
men, set free from 5m and its consequences, should be made as much like Christ
as possible (cf. LG, 39). As the incarnation of the Word, se every revealed
truth is for us men and for our salvation. To view the diverse Christian truths
in their relation 10 the ultimate end of man is one of the conditions needed for
a most fruitful understanding of them (cf. First Vatican Council, Dogm. Const.
Dei Filius, Dz.-Sch., 3016).
Catechesis must, then, show clearly the very
close connection of the mystery of God and Christ with man’s existence and his
ultimate end. This method in no way implies any contempt for the earthly goals
which men are divinely called to pursue by individual or common efforts; it does,
however, clearly teach that man’s ultimate end is not confined to These
temporal goals, but rather surpasses them beyond ail expectation, 10 a degree
that only God’s love for men could make possible.
HIERARCHY 0F TRUTHS TO BE OBSERVED IN
CATECHESIS
43 in the message of salvation there is a
certain hierarchy of truths (cf. UR, 11), which the Church has always recognised
when it composed creeds or summaries of the truths of faith. This hierarchy does
not mean that some truths pertain 10 faith itself less than others, but rather
that some truths are based on others as of a higher priority, and are illumined
by them.
On ail levels catechesis should take account
of this hierarchy of the truths of faith.
These truths may be grouped under four basic
heads: the mystery of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Creator of
ail things; the mystery of Christ the incarnate Word, who was born of the Virgin
Mary, and who suffered, died, and rose for our salvation; the mystery of the
Holy Spirit, who is present in the Church, sanctifying it and guiding it until
the glorious coming of Christ, our Savior and Judge; and the mystery of the
Church, which is Christ’s Mystical Body, in which the Virgin Mary holds the
pre-eminent place.
HISTORICAL CHARACTER 0F THE MYSTERY 0F
SALVATION
44 The economy of salvation is being worked
out in lime: in time past it began, made progress, and in Christ reached its
highest point; in the present time it displays its force and awaits its
consummation in the future. Hence in the exposition of the content of catechesis,
memory of the past, awareness of the present, and hope of the future life ought
10 be evident by ail means.
Therefore, catechesis recalls the supreme
event of the whole history of salvation, the event with which Christians are
united by faith, namely, the incarnation, passion, death, and resurrection of
Christ.
Moreover, catechesis enables the faithful to
recognise how the saving mystery of Christ works today and throughout the ages
through the Holy Spirit and the ministry of the Church, and leads them to
understand their duties toward God, themselves, and their neighbors.
finally, catechesis rightly disposes hearts to
hope in the future life that is the consummation of the whole history of
salvation. Towards this goal Christians ought to tend with filial confidence,
but not without a holy fear of divine judgement.
Through this hope the Christian community is
deeply filled with an inner eschatoIogicai expectation which enables it to think
correctly about human and earthly goods by keeping them in proper perspective,
while not despising them as worthless.
These three main viewpoints are to be kept in
mind continuously and practically in the exposition of the content of catechesis.
SOURCES 0F CATECHESIS
45 The content of catechesis is found in God’s
word, written or handed down; ibis more deeply understood and developed by the
people exercising their faith under the guidance of the Magisterium, which alone
teaches authentically; it is celebrated in the liturgy; it shines forth in the
life of the Church, especially in the just and in the saints; and in some way it
is known too from Those genuine moral values which, by divine providence, are
found in human society.
Catechesis has ail these as its sources. These
sources are either principal or subsidiary, and so they are by no means all to
be taken as sources in exactly the same sense. In using them, the catechist must
first and always look to the unquestionable pre-eminence of revelation, written
or handed down, and to the authority of the Magisterium of the Church in matters
connected with faith.
Moreover, in regard to any particular part of
the content of faith that i5 10 be explained, the calechist should carefully
note how the mystery of Christ is the center of that part; how the Church
interprets and defines that part, and how she celebrates it and puts it into
practice, sharing it in her liturgy and in the practice of the Christian life.
Finally, the catechist must consider how, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, the
plan of God can be fulfilled in the present era.
GENERAL PRINCIPLES 0F CATECHETICAL METHODOLOGY
46 The norms pointed out above, about the
exposition of the content of catechesis, must be applied in the various forms of
catechesis, than is to say, in biblical and liturgical catechesis, in
doctrinal summaries, in the interpretation of
the conditions of human existence, and so on.
It is not possible, however, b deduce from
those norms an order which must be followed in the exposition of the content. 11
is right to begin with God and proceed to Christ, or to do the reverse;
similarly, it is permissible to begin with man and proceed b God, or b do the
reverse; and so on. In selecting a pedagogical method, one ought 10 take into
account the circumstances in which the ecclesial community or the individuals
among the faithful to whom the catechesis is directed live. From this there
arises the need to use great diligence in looking into and finding ways and
methods which better respond to the various circumstances.
The Conferences of Bishops have the task of
giving more specific norms in this matter and of applying them by means of
catechetical directories, of catechisms for various age levels and cultural
conditions, and of the other helps that seem appropriate for the task (cf. below,
Part Six)
Chapter II
The More Outstanding Elements of
The Christian Message
THE MYSTERY 0F THE ONE GOD: FATHER, SON, HOLY
SPIRIT
47 The history of salvation is identical with
the history of the way and the plan by which God, true and one, the Father, the
Son, the Holy Spirit, reveals himself to men, and reconciles and unites with
himself those turned away from 5m.
The Old Testament, while clearly affirming the
unity of God in a polytheistic world, already gives some foreshadowing of the
mystery of the Trinity. These are completely explicated, however, in the person,
the works, and the words of Jesus Christ. indeed, when he reveals himself as the
Son of God, he al the same time reveals the Father and the Holy Spirit. An
intimate knowledge of the true God imbues the whole mind of the Divine Teacher,
and he shares it with his disciples, calling them 10 become sons of God, through
the Gift of his filial Spirit, which he bestows on them (cf. John 1, 12; Rom. 8,
15).
in catechesis, therefore, the meeting with the
Triune God occurs first and foremost when the Father, the Son, and the Spirit
are acknowledged as the authors of the plan of salvation that has its
culmination in the death and resurrection of Jesus (cf. Irenaeus, Proof of the
Apostolic Pmeaching, n. 6, Sources chretiénnes, 62, pp. 39 if.). in this way
the growing awareness of the faithful responds to the revelation of the mystery
transmitted by the Church; for the faithful understand through faith that their
life, beginning at baptism, consists in acquiring a more intimate familiarity
with the three divine Persons, inasmuch as the faithful are called to share in
their divine nature. Finally, Christians, through the gift of the Holy Spirit,
can already now contemplate with eyes of faith and cherish with filial love the
Most Holy Trinity of Persons, as it is from eternity in God’s intimate life.
GENUINE WORSHIP 0F GOD IN A SECULARISED WORLD
48 "The God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ" (Eph. 1, 3) is "the living God" (Malt. 16, 16). He is a
holy, just, and merciful God; He is God the author of the covenant with men; God
who sees, frees, and saves; God who loves as a father, as a spouse. Catechesis
joyfully proclaims this God who is the source of our every hope (cf. 1 Pet. 1,
3-4).
catechesis, however, cannot ignore the fact
that not a few men of our era strongly sense a remoteness and even absence of
God. This fact, which is part of the process of secularisation, surely
constitutes a danger for the faith; but it also impels us to have a purer faith
and to become more humble in the presence of the mystery of God, as we ought:
"Truly you are a hidden God, the God of Israel, the Savior" (isa. 45,
15). With this perspective, it is possible also to understand more easily the
true nature of the worship which God demands and which glorifies him, a worship,
that is, which includes a resolve to fulfil his will in every field of activity,
and faithfully to increase in charity the talents given by the Lord (cf. Malt.
25, 14 if.). In the sacred liturgy the faithful bring the fruits of every kind
of act of charity, of justice, of peace, in order 10 make a humble offering of
them 10 God, and 10 receive in return the words of life and the graces they need
to enable them in the world 10 profess the truth in love (cf. Eph. 4, 15) in
communion with Christ, who offers his Body and Blood for men.
KNOWLEDGE 0F GOD AND THE WITNESS 0F CHARITY
49 The greatest way the faithful can help the
atheistic world for doming b God is by the witness of a life which agrees with
the message of Christ's love and of a living and mature faith that is manifested
by works of justice and charity (cf. GS, 21).
However, the right use of human reason may not
be neglected; for, as the Church holds and teaches, from created things this
reason can come to a knowledge of God as the beginning and the end of ail things
(cf. First Vatican Council, Dogm. Const. Dei Filius, Dz.-Sch., 3004-3005, 3026).
This knowledge of God not only does no harm to human dignity, but rather gives
it a basis and strength.
Though the eternal salvation of men is the
objective of the Church, nevertheless faith in the living God cames with it the
urgent duly of collaborating in the solution of human questions (cf. 1 John 4,
20-21). In this area the faithful must give witness by their works 10 the value
of the Lord’s message.
JESUS CHRIST, SON 0F GOD, THE FIRSTBORN 0F ALL
CREATION AND SAVIOR
50 The greatest of God’s works is the
incarnation of his Son, Jesus Christ. Being the Firstborn of ail creation, he is
before ail and ail things hold together in him (cf. Col. 1, 15-17). All things
have been created in him, through him, and for
him (cf. Col. 1, 15 if.).
Having become obedient unto death, he was
exalted as Lord of ail things, and was manifested 10 US through his resurrection
as God’s Son in power (cf. Rom. 1, 4). Being the Firstborn of the dead, he
gives life to ail (cf. 1, Cor. 15, 22): in him we were created new men (cf. Eph.
2, 10); through him ail creatures will be liberated from the slavery of
corruption (cf. Rom. 8, 19-21). "There is no salvation in anyone else"
(AcIs 4, 12).
CREATION, THE BEGINNING 0F THE
ECONOMY 0F SALVATION
51 The entire world created out of nothing is
the world in which salvation and redemption are in fact accomplished through
Jesus Christ.
Already in the Old Testament the truth of God’s
creative action is not presented as an abstract philosophical principle; rather,
it enters the minds of the Israelites, with the help of a notion of the oneness
of God, as a message declaring the power and victory of Yahweh, as the basis for
showing that the Lord remains always with his people (cf. isa. 40, 27-28; 51,
9-13). The omnipotence of God the Creator is also manifested in a splendid way
in Christ’s resurrection, wherein is revealed "the immeasurable scope cf
his power" (Eph. 1, 19).
For this reason the truth of creation is not
to be presented simply as a truth standing by itself, tom from the rest, but as
something which is in fact ordered to the salvation wrought by
Jesus Christ. The creation of visible and
invisible things, of the world and of angels, is the beginning of the mystery of
salvation :(cf. DV, 3); the creation of man (cf. Pius XII, Encyci. Humani
generis, AAS, 1950, p. 575; GS, 12, 14) is to be regarded as the :first gift and
the first call that leads to glorification in Christ (cf. ~Rom. 8, 29-30). When
a Christian hears the explanation of the doctrine about creation, besides
thinking about the first act whereby God "created the heavens and the earth"
(Gen. 1, 1), he should turn his mind b ail the salvific undertakings of God.
These things are always present in the history of man and of the world; they
also shine forth especially in the history of Israel; they lead to the supreme
event of Christ’s resurrection; and, finally, they will be brought to
completion al the end of the world, when there will be "new heavens and a
new earth" (cf. 2 Pet. 3, 13).
JESUS CHRIST, THE CENTER 0F THE ENTIRE
ECONOMY 0F SALVATION
52 A Christian recognises that in Jesus Christ
he is linked with ail of history and is in communion with ail men. The history
of salvation is being accomplished in the midst of the history of the world. By
this history of salvation God fulfils his plan, and thus the People of God, that
is, "the whole Christ," is being perfected in lime. The Christian
acknowledges with simplicity and sincerity that he has a role in such work,
which through the power of Jesus the Savior is aimed al having creation give the
greatest possible glory to God (cf. 1 Cor. 15, 28).
JESUS CHRIST, TRUE MAN AND TRUE GOD IN THE
UNITY 0F THE DIVINE PERSON
53 This great mystery, namely, Christ as Head
and Lord of the
universe, "has been manifested in the
flesh" (1 Tim. 3, 16) 10 men. The man, Jesus Christ, who dwelt among men—the
one who as man worked with his hands, thought with a human mind, acted with a
human will, Loved with a human heart—he is truly the Word and the Son of God,
who through the incarnation in a certain way joined himself with every single
man (cf. GS, 22).
Catechesis must proclaim Jesus in his concrete
existence and in his message, that is, it must open the way for men 10 the
wonderful perfection of his humanity in such a way that they will be
able to acknowledge the mystery of his
divinity. Christ Jesus, for a fact, who was united with the Father in a constant
and unique practice of prayer, always lived in close communion with men. By his
goodness he embraced ail men, the just and the sinners, the poor and the rich,
fellow-citizens and foreigners. If he loved some more particularity than others,
this predilection was showered on the sick, the poor, the lowly. For the human
person he had a reverence and a solicitude such as no one before him had ever
manifested.
Catechesis ought daily b defend and strengthen
belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ, in order that he may be accepted net
merely for his admirable human Life, but that men might recognise him through
his words and signs as God’s only-begotten Son (cf. John 1, 18), "God
from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made,
consubstantial with the Father" (Dz.-Sch. 150). The correct explanation of
the mystery of the Incarnation developed in Christian tradition: through a
diligent understanding of the faith, the Fathers and the Councils made efforts
10 determine more precisely the concepts, to explain more profoundly the
peculiar nature of Christ’s mystery, to investigate the hidden connections
that bind him to his heavenly Father and to men. Besides, there was the witness
of the Christian life about this truth—a witness that the Church presented
throughout the centuries: that God’s communion with men, which is had in
Christ, is the source of joy and inexhaustible hope. In Christ there is ail
fullness of divinity; through him God’s love for men is shown forth.
St. Ignatius wrote to the Ephesians: "There
is only one physician, both in body and in spirit, born and unborn, God become
man, true life in death; sprung both from Mary and from God, first incapable of
suffering and then capable of it, Jesus Christ our Lord" (Enchiridion
patristicum, 39).
JESUS CHRIST, SAVIOR AND REDEEMER 0F THE WORLD
54 The mystery of Christ appears in the
history of men and of the world—a history subject to 5m—net only as the
mystery of the incarnation but also as the mystery of salvation and redemption.
God so loved sinners that he gave his Son,
reconciling the world 10 himself (cf. 2 Cor. 5, 19). Jesus therefore as the
Firstborn among many brethren (cf. Rom. 8, 29), holy, innocent, undefiled (cf.
Heb. 7, 26), being obedient 10 his Father freely and out of filial love (cf.
Phil. 2, 8), on behalf of his brethren, sinners that
(they were, and as their Mediator, accepted
the death which is for them the wages of sin (cf. Rom. 6, 23; GS, 18). By this
his most holy death he redeemed mankind from the slavery of 5m and of the devil,
and he poured out on it the spirit of adoption, thus creating in himself a new
humanity.
- THE SACRAMENTS, ACTIONS 0F CHRIST IN THE
CHURCH, THE PRIMORDIAL SACRAMENT
55 The mystery of Christ is continued in the
Church, which always enjoys his presence and ministers 10 him. This is done in a
specific way through the signs that Christ instituted, which signify the gift of
grace and produce it, and are properly called sacraments (cf. Council of Trent,
Decree on the Sacraments, Dz.-Sch., 1601).
The Church herself, however, is in some way to
be considered the primordial sacrament, since she is not only the People of God
but also in Christ a kind of "sign and instrument of the intimate union
with God, and of the unity of the entire human race" (LG, 1).
Sacraments are the principal and fundamental
actions whereby Jesus Christ unceasingly bestows his Spirit on the faithful,
thus making them the holy people which offers itself, in him and with him, as an
oblation acceptable to the Father. The sacraments are surely 10 be considered
inestimable blessings of the Church. To hem, then, beings the power of
administering them; and yet they are always to be referred 10 Christ, from whom
they receive their efficacy. In reality, it is Christ who baptises. ibis not 50
much a man who celebrates the Eucharist as Christ himself; for he it is who
offers himself in the sacrifice of the Mass by the ministry of the priests (cf.
Council of Trent, Decree on the Sacrifice of the Mass, Dz.-Sch., 1743). The
sacramental action is, in the first place, the action of Christ, and the
ministers of the Church are as his instruments.
FULL MEANING 0F THE SACRAMENTS
56 Catechesis will have the duty of presenting
the seven sacraments according 10 their full meaning.
First, they must be presented as sacraments of
faith. 0f themselves they certainly express the efficacious will of Christ the
Savior; but men, on their part, must show a sincere will to respond to God’s
love and mercy. Hence, catechesis must concern itself with the acquisition of
the proper dispositions, with the stimulation of sincerity and generosity for a
worthy reception 0f the sacraments.
Second, the sacraments must be presented, each
according to its own nature and end, not only as remedies for 5m and its
consequences, but especially as sources of grace in individuals and in
communities, 50 that the entire dispensation of grace in the life of the
faithful may be related in some way to the sacramental economy.
CATECHESIS ON THE SACRAMENTS
57 Baptism cleanses man from original sin and
from ail personal sins, gives him rebirth as a child of God, incorporates him
into the Church, sanctifies him with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and,
impressing on his soul an indelible character, initiates him in Christ’s
priestly, prophetic, and kingly roles (cf. 1 Pet. 2, 9; 1G, 31).
Confirmation binds the Christian more
perfectly 10 the Church and enriches him with a special strength of the Holy
Spirit, that he may live in the world as a witness of Christ.
Since the life of Christians, which on earth
is a warfare, is liable to temptations and sins, the way of the sacrament of
Penance is open for them, so that they may obtain pardon from the merciful God
and reconcile themselves with the Church.
Holy Orders in a special way conforms certain
members of the People of God 10 Christ the Mediator by conferring on them a
sacred power, that they may shepherd the Church, nourish the faithful with the
word of God, and make them holy, and, in the first place, that they,
representing Christ’s person, may offer the Sacrifice of the Mass and preside
al the Eucharistic banquet.
"By the sacred anointing of the sick and
the prayer of her priests, the whole Church commends those who are iii 10 the
suffering and glorified Lord, that He may lighten their sufferings and save them"
(1G, 11; cf. James 5, 14-16).
In catechesis on the sacraments, much
importance should be placed on the explanation of the signs. Catechesis should
Lead the faithful through the visible signs to ponder God’s invisible
mysteries of salvation.
THE EUCHARIST, CENTER 0F THE ENTIRE
SACRAMENTAL LIFE
58 The primacy of the Eucharist over ail the
other sacraments is unquestionable, as is also its supreme efficacy in building
up the Church (cf. LG 11, 17; instruction, Eucharisticum mysterium, nn. 5-15).
For in the Eucharist, when the words of
consecration have been pronounced, the profound (net the phenomenal) reality of
bread and wine is changed into the body and blood of Christ, and this wonderful
change has in the Church come to be called "transubstantiation."
Accordingly, under the appearances (that is, the phenomenal reality) of the
bread and wine, the humanity of Christ, not only by its power but by itself (that
is, substantially), united with his divine Person, lies hidden in an altogether
mysterious way (cf. Paul VI, Encyci. Mysterium fidei, AAS, 1965, p. 766).
This sacrifice is not merely a rite
commemorating a past sacrifice. For in it Christ by the ministry of the priests
perpetuates the sacrifice of the Cross in an unbloody manner through the course
of the centuries (cf. SC, 47). in it too he nourishes the faithful with himself,
the Bread of Life, in order that, filled with love of God and neighbor, they may
become more and more a people acceptable to God.
Having been nourished with the Victim of the
sacrifice of the Cross, the faithful should by a genuine and active love remove
the prejudices because of which they are al limes accused of a sterile worship
that keeps them from being brotherly and from co-operating with other people. By
its nature the Eucharistic banquet is meant to help the faithful to unite their
hearts with God more each day in frequent prayer, and thence 10 acknowledge and
love other men as brothers of Christ and sons of God the Father.
THE SACRAMENT 0F MATRIMONY
59 in our days, with the pre-eminence that the
Christian message ascribes 10 consecrated virginity being preserved (cf. 1 Cor.
7, 38; Council of Trent, Canons on the Sacrament of Matrimony, Dz.-Sch. 1810), a
special importance must be assigned to religious education on matrimony, which
the Creator himself instituted and endowed with various blessings, purposes, and
laws (cf. GS, 48).
Supported by the words of faith and by the
natural law, under the guidance of the Magisterium of the Church, which is
responsible for authoritative interpretation of both the moral and the natural
law (cf. PauI VI, Encyci. Humanae vitae, n. 4, AAS, 1968, p. 483), and al the
same time taking due account of contemporary advances in the anthropological
sciences, catechesis must make matrimony the foundation of family life, with
regard to its values and us divine law of unity and indissolubility, and with
regard to its duties of love, which by its natural character has been ordered
towards the procreation and education of offspring. in regulating procreation,
conjugal chastity must be preserved in accord with the teaching of the Church (cf.
Encyci. Humanae vitae, n. 14, AAS, 1968, p. 490).
Since Christ elevated matrimony to the dignity
of a sacrament for the baptised, the spouses, who are the ministers of the
sacrament when they give personal and irrevocable consent, living in Christ’s
grace imitate and in a certain way represent the love of Christ himself for his
Church (cf. Eph. 5, 25). Christian spouses are strengthened and as it were
consecrated by this special sacrament for fulfilling the duties of their state
and for upholding its dignity (cf. GS, 48).
Finally, ibis part of the family’s vocation
to become a community, one which is also open to the Church and 10 the world.
THE NEW MAN
60 When man accepts the Spirit of Christ, he
establishes a way of life that is totally new and gratuitous.
The Holy Spirit, present in the soul of the
Christian, makes him a partaker of the divine nature and intimately unites him
ho the Father and Christ in a communion of life which net even death can break
(cf. John 14, 23). The Holy Spirit heals man of his spiritual weaknesses and
infirmities, frees him from the slavery of his passions and of immoderate
self-love, by giving him power 10 keep the divine law, strengthens him with hope
and fortitude, enlightens him in the pursuit of the good, and infuses in him the
frumps of charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, longanimity,
humility, fidelity, modesty, continence, and chastity (cf. Gal. 5, 22-23). This
is why the Holy Spirit is invoked as the guest of the soul.
Justification from 5m and God’s indwelling
in the soul are a grade. When we say a sinner is justified by God, is given life
by the Holy Spirit, possesses in himself Christ's life, or has grade, we are
using expressions which in different words mean one and the same thing, namely,
dying 10 sin, becoming partakers of the divinity of the Son borough the Spirit
of adoption, and entering into an intimate communion with the most Holy Trinity.
The man belonging b the history of salvation
is the man ordered to the grace of filial adoption and to eternal life.
Christian anthropology finds its own proper character in the grace of Christ the
Savior.
HUMAN AND CHRISTIAN FREEDOM
61 The divine call of man requires him to give
a free response in Jesus Christ.
lt. is net possible for man to be unfree. it
is also very much part of his dignity and duty, since he has dominion over his
actions, 10 keep the moral law in the order of nature and in the order of grade,
and thus 10 adhere closely 10 God who revealed himself in Christ. The freedom of
fallen man has been so weakened that he would be unable for long 10 observe even
the duties of the natural law without the help of God’s grade; but, when he
has received grade, his freedom is so elevated and strengthened that the life he
lives in the flesh, he is able to live holly in the faith of Jesus Christ (cf.
GaI. 2, 20).
The Church has a duty defend and promote a
true sense of freedom and its right use against every kind of unjust force. She
also protects freedom against those who deny it, who think man’s activity is
wholly dependent on psychological determinism and on economic, social, cultural,
and such other conditions.
The Church is by no means unaware that
freedom, even when assisted by divine grade, is liable to grave psychological
difficulties and to the influence of external conditions in which each one
lives, with the result that human responsibility is not rarely diminished, and
indeed in some cases is barely preserved, and in some cases it is not preserved
at ail. The Church likewise takes note of the researches and modem progress in
the anthropological sciences concerning the use and limits of human freedom. For
this reason she is solicitous both to educate for and to foster genuine freedom,
and also to bring about suitable conditions in the psychological, social,
economic, political, and religious fields, se that freedom will be able to be
truly and justly exercised. Christians, therefore, must work sedulously and
sincerely in the temporal sphere, 50 that as far as possible the best conditions
may be established for the right exercise of freedom. They have this duty, of
course, in common with ail men of good will; yet Christians know they are bound
to the same duty because of a more important and more urgent reason. For here it
s question net only of promoting a good that belongs b this life en earth, but
also of a duty which ultimately serves the acquisition of the inestimable good
of grace and of eternal salvation.
SIN 0F MAN
62 Nevertheless, the conditions of history and
of life are not to be considered the main impediment to human freedom. When man
freely applies himself to the work of salvation, he finds sin the greatest
obstacle.
"Although he was made by God in a state
of holiness, from the very dawn of history man abused his liberty, al the urging
of the Evil One. Man set himself against God and sought to find fulfilment apart
from God" (GS, 13). "Through one man sin entered the world, and with
sin death, death thus coming to ail men inasmuch as ail sinned" (Rom. 5,
12). "ibis human nature so fallen, stripped of the grace that clothed it,
injured in its own natural powers and subjected to the dominion of death, that
is transmitted to ail men, and it is in this sense that every man is born in
sin" (Paul VI, Profession fidei, n. 16, AAS, 1968, p. 439).
The multitude of sins, then, has become a
sorrowful experience for mankind, and it is also the cause of manifold sorrows
and ruin. One must net neglect the leaching on the nature and effects of
personal sins, whereby man, adding knowingly and deliberately, by his act
violates the moral law, and in a serious malted also seriously offends God.
The history of salvation is also the history
of liberation from sin. Every intervention of God both in the old and in the New
Testament was to give guidance to men in the struggle against the forces of 5m.
The role entrusted to Christ in the history of salvation relates to the
destruction of sin, and is fulfilled through the mystery of the cross. The
profound reflections found in St. Paul (cf. Rom. 5) concerning the reality of
sin and Christ’s consequent "work of justice" must be numbered among
the principal points of the Christian faith, and it is not right to pass over
them in silence in catechesis.
But the salvation brought by Jesus Christ
involves much more than redemption from 5m. For it fulfils the plan begun by God
that he would communicate himself in Jesus with such fullness that it utterly
transcends human understanding. The plan in question does not come to an end
because of men’s transgressions, but it confers a grace that is superabundant
compared ho the death which 5m brought (cf. Rom. 5, 15-17). This plan, which has
proceeded from love, by virtue of which men are called by the Holy Spirit to
share in divine life itself, is always in force and belongs 10 all limes. Even
though man is a sinner, he always remains in the one order which God willed,
namely, in the order in which God mercifully shares himself with us in Jesus
Christ, and man can, therefore, under the impulse of grade, attain salvation
through repentance.
MORAL LIFE 0F CHRISTIANS
63 Christ commissioned his apostles 10 teach
the observance of everything that he had commanded (cf. MatI. 28, 20).
Catechesis, therefore, must include not only those things which are to be
believed, but also those things which are to be done.
The moral life of Christians, which is a way
of adding that is worthy of a man and an adopted son of God, is a response to
the duty of living and growing, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in the
new life communicated through Jesus Christ.
The moral life of Christians is guided by the
grace and gifts of the Holy Spirit. "The love of God has been poured out in
our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Rom. 5, 5).
The docility with which the Holy Spirit must
be obeyed entails a faithful observance of the commandments of God, the laws of
the Church, and just civil laws.
Christian freedom still needs to be ruled and
directed in the concrete circumstances of human life. Accordingly, the
conscience of the faithful, even when informed by the virtue of prudence, must
be subject to the Magislerium of the Church, whose duty ibis to explain the
whole moral law authoritatively, in order that it may rightly and correctly
express the objective moral order.
Further, the conscience itself of Christians
must be taught that there are norms which are absolute, that is, which bind in
every case and on ail people. That is why the saints confessed Christ through
the practice of heroic virtues; indeed, the martyrs suffered even torture and
death rather than deny Christ.
THE PERFECTION 0F CHARITY
64 The action of the Spirit of Christ is made
clear when the peculiar characteristic of Christian moral teaching s brought to
light; ail precepts and counsels of this moral teaching are summarised in faith
working through charity (cf. Gal. 5, 6), and this is as it were its soul.
Man is called to adhere freely to the will of
God in ail things; this is "the obedience of faith by which man entrusts
his whole self freely to God" (DV, 5). However, since God is love, and his
plan calls for communicating his love in Jesus Christ and for uniting men in
mutual love, it follows that adhering freely and perfectly to God and to his
will is the same as following a way of life in which love reigns in the keeping
of the commandments; in other words, it is identical with embracing and putting
into practice the precept of charity as a new precept.
Man, therefore, is called to embrace, in
faith, a life of charity toward God and other men; in this lies his greatest
responsibility and his exalted moral dignity. The holiness of a man, whatever
his vocation or state of life may be, is nothing other than the perfection of
charity (of LG, 39-42)
THE CHURCH, PEOPLE 0F GOD AND
SAVING INSTITUTION
65 The Church, instituted by Christ, had its
origin in his death and resurrection. She is the new People of God, prepared for
in the course of the history of Israel; a people to which Christ gives life and
growth through the outpouring of the Spirit, and which he perpetually renews and
directs by his hierarchical and charismatic gifts; "a people made one with
the unity of the Father and the Son and the Hoiy Spirit" (LG, 4).
The Church, therefore, inasmuch as she is the
People of God, the society of the faithful, and the communion of men in Christ,
is the work of God’s saving love in Christ.
And the principles which give birth to
Christians, form them, and establish them as a community (namely, the deposit of
faith, the sacraments, and the apostolic ministries) are found in the Catholic
Church. To her they have been entrusted, and from them spring the ecciesial
activities. in other words, in the Church there are ail the means necessary for
assembling herself and guiding herself to maturity as the communion of men in
Christ. This work is the fruit not only of the action of a transcendent God, and
of the invisible working of Christ and of his Spirit, but also of the
institutions, offices, and saving actions of the Church. The Church, therefore,
besides being a society 0f the faithful, is also mother of the faithful because
of her ministeriai and salutary work.
The Church is the holy People of God which
shares in the prophetic office of Christ (cf. LG, 12). Assembled by the word of
God, it accepts it and gives witness b it throughout the world. She is a
priestly people: "Christ the Lord, High Priest baked from among men, ‘made
a kingdom and priests to God his Father’ (Apoc. 1, 6) out of this new people.
The baptised, by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are
consecrated into a spiritual house and a holy priesthood. Thus through ail those
works befitting Christian men they can offer spiritual sacrifices and proclaim
the power of him who has called them out of darkness into his marvellous
light" (LG, 10). The Church, however, is essentially a hierarchical
society; it 15 a people guided by its Shepherds, who are in union with the
Supreme Pontiff, the Vicar of Christ, and who are under his direction (cf. LG,
22). To them the faithful look with filial love and obedient homage. The Church
is a people on pilgrimage toward fullness of the mystery of Christ.
The Holy Spirit’s presence in the Church, on
the one hand, safeguards in hem, in an indefectible manner, the objective
conditions required for her sanctifying meeting with Christ; on the other hand,
the Holy Spirit’s presence brings it about that the Church strives for
continual purification and renewal in hem members, and for the sake of hem
members, and in her changeable structures.
THE CHURCH AS COMMUNION
66 The Church is a communion. She herself
acquired a fuller awareness of that truth in the Second Vatican Council.
The Church is a people assembled by God and
united by close spiritual bonds. Her structure needs a diversity of gifts and
offices; and yet the distinctions within hem, though they can be not only of
degree but also of essence, as is the case between the ministerial priesthood
and the common priesthood of the people, by no means takes away the basic and
essential equality of persons. "The chosen People of God is one: ‘one
Lord, one faith, one baptism’ (Eph. 4, 5). As members, they share a common
dignity from their rebirth in Christ. They have the same filial grace and the
same vocation 10 perfection. They possess in common one salvation, one hope, and
one undivided charity... . And if by the will of Christ some are made teachers,
dispensers of mysteries, and shepherds on behalf of others, yet ail share a true
equality with regard to the dignity and the activity common to ail the faithful
for the building up of the Body of Christ" (LG, 32).
in the Church, Therefore, every vocation is
worthy of honour and is a call to the fullness of love, that is, to holiness;
every person is endowed with his own supernatural excellence, and must be given
respect. Ail gifts and charisms, even though some are objectively more excellent
than others (cf. 1 Cor. 12, 31; 7, -38), work together for the good of ail
members by means of the :provident multiplicity of forms, which the apostolic
office must discover and co-ordinate (cf. LG, 12). This holds also for ail
particular churches individually; for in each one, though it be small and poor
or living in dispersion, "Christ is present, and by his power the one,
holy, catholic, and apostolic Church is gathered together" (1G, 26).
The Catholic faithful ought to be solicitous
for the separated Christians who do not live in full communion with the Catholic
Church, by praying for them, communicating with them about Church matters, and
taking the first steps toward them. First of al, however, each one according to
his condition, should weigh sincerely and attentively he things in the Catholic
family itself which ought to be renewed and achieved, in order that its life
might bear a more faithful and clear witness to the doctrine and institutions
handed down by Christ through the apostles (cf. UR, 4, 5).
THE CHURCH AS SAVING INSTITUTION
67 The Church is not only a communion among
brothers, whose head is Christ, but she manifests herself also as an institution
to whom the universal saving mission has been entrusted. The People of God,
established by Christ "as a communion of life, of charity, and of truth, is
also used by him as an instrument for the redemption of ail, and is sent forth
into the whole world as the light of the world and the salt of the earth"
(LG, 9).
For this reason the Church is shown by the
Second Vatican Council as a reality that embraces ail history, accepts ail its
different cultures and directs them be God; and by virtue of the action of
Christ’s Spirit is constituted "the universal sacrament of
salvation." Likewise, she is shown as the Church that is engaged in
dialogue with the world. Taking note of the signs of the limes, she discovers
what men are considering important and on what things she is in agreement with
them. Moreover, she takes pains to be understood and recognised by the world,
striving to divest herself of those external forms which seem less Gospel-like,
and in which traces of eras already ended appear all too clearly.
The Church, of course, is not of this world,
she is "inspired by no earthly ambition" (GS, 3) and she will be
perfect only in heaven, on which she has her eyes fixed and toward which she is
journeying. And yet she is connected with the world and its history. However,
"the deep solicitude of the Church, the Spouse of Christ, for the needs of
men, for their joys and hopes, their grief's and efforts, is nothing other than
her great desire to be present 10 them, in order to illuminate them with the
light of Christ and to gather them ail in him, their only Savior. This
solicitude can never mean that the Church conform herself to the things of this
world, or that she lessen the ardor of hem expectation of hem Lord and of the
eternal Kingdom" (Paul VI, Prof essio fidei, n. 27, AAS, 1968, p. 444).
MARY, MOTHER 0F GOD, MOTHER AND MODEL 0F THE
CHURCH
68 Mary is united in an ineffable manner with
the Lord, being his Ever-Virgin Mother, who "occupies in the Holy Church
the place which is highest after Christ and yet very close to us"
(1G, 54).
The gift of Christ's Spirit is manifested in
hem in an altogether singular manner, because Many is "full of grade"
(Luke 1, 28), and is "a model of the Church" (LG, 63). in hem, who was
preserved from ail stain of original 5m, who was freely and fully faithful 10
the Lord, and who was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory, the Holy Spirit
has fully manifested his gift. For she was compiebely conformed "to hem
Son, the Lord of lords, and the Conqueror of 5m and death" (LG, 59).
Because she is the Mother of God and "mother to us in the order of
grade" (1G, 61), the type of the virginity and motherhood of the total
Church (cf. 1G, 63-65), and the sign of a secure hope and solace for the pilgrim
People of God (cf. LG, 69), Many "in a certain way unites and mirrors
within herself the central truths of the faith," and she "summons the
believers ho hem Son and 10 his sacrifice, and to love for the Father" (LG,
65). Therefore, the Church who honors the faithful and the saints who are
already with the Lord and are interceding for us (1G, 49, 50), venerates in a
most special way Christ’s Mother, who is also her mother.
FINAL COMMUNION WITH GOD
69 In Christ Jesus and through his mystery,
the faithful already in this earthly life hopefully await "our Lord Jesus
Christ, who will give a new form to this lowly body of ours and remake it
according 10 the pattern of his glorified body" (Phil. 3, 21; cf. 1 Cor.
15). The very last realities, however, will become manifest and perfect when and
only when Christ comes with power, as Judge of the living and the dead, to bring
history to its end and ho hand over his people to the Father, SO that "God
may be ail in ail" (1 Cor. 15, 24-28). Until "the Lord corms in his
majesty, and al the angels with him, and until death is destroyed and ail things
are subject b him, some of his disciples are pilgrims on earth, some have
finished this life and are being purified, and others are in glory, beholding
clearly God himself three and one, as he is"
(LG, 49).
On the day of the Lord’s coming, the entire
Church will reach hem perfection and enter into the fullness of God. This is the
very foundation of the hope and prayer of Christians ("Thy kingdom
come"). Catechesis on the subject of the last things
- should, on the one hand, be taught under the
aspect of consolation, of hope, and of salutary fear (cf. 1 Thess. 4, 18), of
which modem men have such great need; on the other hand, it should
- be imparted in such a way that the whole
truth can be seen. It is
- net right t minimise the grave
responsibility which every one has regarding his future destiny. Catechesis can
not pass over in silence the judgement after death of each man, or the expiatory
punishments of Purgatory, or the sad and lamentable reality of eternal death, or
the final judgement. On that day each man will fully arrive al his destiny,
because ail of us will be revealed "before the tribunal of Christ, se that
each one may receive the recompense, good or bad, according to his life in the
body" (2 Cor. 5, 10), and "those who have done right shah miss ho
live; the evildoers shah rise 10 be damned" (John 5, 29; cf. LG, 48).
PART FOUR
ELEMENTS 0F METHODOLOGY
NATURE AND PURPOSE 0F THIS PART
70 Within our present century, catechists have
thoroughly investigated questions raised by the psychological, educational, and
pedagogical sciences. indeed, studies have been undertaken with regard 10 the
method to be used in the catechism lesson; the mole of activity methods in the
teaching of catechesis has been pointed out; the act of catechesis has been
investigated in ail its parts according to the principles which govern the art
of teaching (experience, imagination, memory, intelligence); and finally, a
differential methodology has been worked out, that is, a methodology which
varies according to the age, social conditions, and degree of psychological
maturity of those who are 10 be laugh.
Not ail problems of this sort are considered
here; rather, here are set forth only certain points to which great importance
is being attributed today. Attacking these problems in an appropriate and
specific way in individual countries will be the task of the various directories
and the other tools.
FUNCTION 0F THE CATECHIST
71 No method, net even one much proved in use,
frees the chartist from the personal task of assimilating and passing judgement
on the concrete circumstances, and from some adjustment to them. For outstanding
human and Christian qualities in the catechists will be able to do more to
produce successes than will the methods selected.
The work of the catechist must be considered
of greater importance than the selection of texts and other tools (cf. AG, 17).
The importance and magnitude of the work to be
done by catechists does not prevent the necessary establishing of boundaries
around the mole of catechists. They are responsible for
choosing and creating suitable conditions
which are necessary for the Christian message 10 be sought, accepted, and more
profoundly investigated. This is the point to which the action of catechists
extends—and theme lt. stops. For adherence on the part of those to be laugh is
a fruit of grace and freedom, and does not ultimately depend on the catechist;
and catechetical action, therefore, should be accompanied by prayer. That remark
is kself-evidenb, but it is nevertheless useful to recall it in present-day
conditions, because today much is being demanded of the talent and of the
genuine Christian spirit of the catechist, while al the same lime he is being
urged to have the greatest possible regard for the freedom and
"creativity" of those to be taught.
INDUCTIVE AND DEDUCTIVE METHODS
72 The method called inductive offers great
advantages.
- It serves in the presentation of facts (such
as biblical events,
- liturgical actions, the life of the Church,
and daily life) and in the consideration and examination of those facts in order
that in them may be recognised the meaning they have in the Christian mystery.
This method is in harmony with the economy of revelation and with one of the
fundament processes of the human spirit, one that comes to grasp intelligible
mealtimes through visible things, and also with the particular characteristic of
knowledge of the faith, that is, a knowing through signs.
The inductive method does not exclude the
deductive, but rather even requires it. The deductive method is used in
interpreting and explaining the facts by proceeding from their causes. The
deductive synthesis usually manifests its full force, however, when the
inductive process has already been cambered out.
FORMULATIONS
73 The advantages of the inductive method,
chief among which are the active exercise of the spiritual faculties and the
constant reference 10 concrete things in the explanation of intellectual
concepts, must in no way lead to a forgetting of the need for and the usefulness
of formulas.
Formulas permit the thoughts of the mind to be
expressed accurately, are appropriate for a correct exposition of the faith,
and, when committed to memory, help toward the firm possession of truth.
Finally, they make it possible for a uniform way of speaking to be used among
the faithful.
Formulas are generally presented and explained
when the lesson or inquiry has reached the point of synthesis.
To be selected in preference to the others are
those formulas which, while expressing faithfully the truth of the faith, are
adapted to the capacity of the listeners. It must not be forgotten that dogmatic
formulas are a true profession of Catholic doctrine, and are accordingly to be
accepted as such by the faithful in the sense in which the Church has understood
and does understand them (cf. First Vatican Council, Dogm. Const. Dei Filius,
Dz.-Sch., n. 3020, 3043). The traditional formulas for professing the faith and
for praying, such as the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary,
and the like, are to be taught with special care.
EXPERIENCE
74 a) Experience begets concerns and
questionings, hopes and anxieties, reflections and judgements; these merge and
there results a certain desire to steer the human way of life.
Therefore, catechesis should be concerned with
making men attentive to their more significant experiences, both personal and
social; it also has the duty of placing under the light of the Gospel the
questions which arise from those experiences, so that there may be stimulated
within men a right desire to transform their ways of life.
In this fashion, experience also makes men
respond in an active way to the gift of God.
b) Experience can also help make the Christian
message more intelligible.
Christ himself preached the kingdom of God by
illustrating its nature with parables drawn from the experience of human life.
He recalled to mind certain human situations (the merchant who came on a good
business, the servants who to a greater or lesser extent increase the talents
given to them, and so forth) in order to explain eschatological and transcendent
realities, and then to teach the way of life which these realities demand of us.
Thus it is that experience serves in the
examination and acceptance of the truths which are contained in the deposit of
revelation.
c) Experience, considered in itself, must be
illumined by the light of revelation. By recalling to mind the action of God who
works our salvation, catechesis should help men to explore, interpret, and judge
their own experiences, and also to ascribe a Christian meaning to their own
existence.
In this aspect, experience is as it were an
object to be interpreted and illumined by the catechist. This task, even though
it is not without its difficulties, must not be overlooked.
STIMULATING THE ACTIVITY OR CREATIVITY 0F
THOSE CATECHISED
75 Ail human education and all real
communication require first of ail that interior activity be made possible and
be stimulated in the one to whom they are directed. In catechesis, therefore,
one must stir up the activity of faith (of hope, too, and of charity); for
correctness and vigor of judgement, which are to be stimulated by an active
style of instruction, here help to bring about acceptance of the word of God.
But the confidence which inspires active education should never Lead one to
forget that the act of faith necessarily involves a conversion of the one making
it.
From what has been said it is evident that
this active way of catechising is in complete harmony with the economy of
revelation and salvation. The pedagogical art which promotes an active response
on the part of those to be catechised is in harmony with the general condition
of the Christian life in which the faithful actively respond to God’s gifts
through prayers, through participation in the sacraments and the sacred Liturgy,
through acceptance of responsibilities in the Church and in social life, and
through the practice of charity.
Those to be taught, especially if they are
adults, can contribute in an active way to the progress of the catechesis. Thus,
they should be asked how they understand the Christian message and how they can
explain it in their own words. Then a comparison should be made between the
results of that questioning and what is taught by the Magisterium of the Church,
and only
those things which are in agreement with the
faith should be approved. In this way powerful aids can be found to hand on
effectively the one true Christian message.
GROUPS
76 in catechesis, the importance of the group
is becoming greater and greater.
In the catechesis of children, the group helps
to further their education for social Life, both in the case of children who
attend catechism classes together, and in the case of those brought together in
a small number to engage in some activities.
For adolescents and young adults, the group
must be considered a vital necessity. In a group, the adolescent or the young
adult comes to know himself and finds support and stimulation.
In the case of adults, the group can today be
considered a requisite for catechesis which aims at fostering a sense of
Christian co-responsibility.
In groups which include adolescents or adults,
catechesis takes on the character of a joint study.
Such joint study aims at exploring the mutual
relationships and ties between the content of the Christian message, which is
always the norm for believing and acting, and the experiences of the group.
The catechist should take part in the joint
study, but in such a way as to maintain his particular place in the group. For
in the name of the Church he acts as a witness of the Christian message, one who
ministers to others, shares with them the fruits of his own mature faith, and
wisely orders the joint study toward the accomplishment of its purpose.
This function of the witness of the message
does not necessarily mean that the catechist must be set over the group as its
director.
A group which has achieved a high degree of
perfection in carrying out its task will be able to give its members not only an
occasion for religious education, but also an excellent experience of ecclesial
life.
Catechesis performed in this way will be able
to show the young that the Church is not at ail something unrelated to their own
existence, but is rather a great reality for which all, each in keeping with his
own calling and service, have some responsibility.
PART FIVE
CATECHESIS ACCORDING TO
AGE LEVELS
NATURE AND PURPOSE 0F THIS PART
77 There are many methods and plans by which
the Christian message is made to meet the various needs of men.
If missionary activity is considered, there is
the method of evangelisation, and of the initiation of catechumens and
neophytes.
If the physical and spiritual development of
those who are to be taught is considered, there is catechesis according to age
levels.
if the sociological and cultural conditions in
which men live are considered, there is catechesis suited to various mental
outlooks (catechesis for workers, for technicians, and SO on).
finally, if the various stances which those
who have been baptised can take towards the faith are considered, there is
catechesis for believers who desire to obtain a fuller and more profound
knowledge of the faith, and there is a catechesis for those who still lack the
very basics of the faith.
Each of these methods, which are
interconnected and interdependent, obviously has its own value and importance.
National or regional catechetical directories
will have the task of providing specific and definite norms in this whole area,
in accord with concrete local conditions and needs.
Here, for the sake of an example, are
presented only some general principles of a catechesis adapted to various age
levels, to show the force and importance of such a catechesis.
INFANCY AND ITS IMPORTANCE
78 The first roots of religious and moral life
appear at the very beginning of human life. In the families of believers the
first months and years of life, which are of the greatest importance for a man’s
balance in the years to come, can already provide the right conditions for
developing a Christian personality. The baptism of infants takes on its full
meaning when the Christian life of the parents, of the mother especially but not
exclusively, makes it possible for the baptismal grace to produce its fruits.
For the infant absorbs into himself, as though through an "osmosis"
process, the manner of acting and the attitudes of the members of his family.
And 50 it is that the immense number of his experiences will be, as it were,
pressed together within him to form a foundation of that life of faith which
will then gradually develop and manifest itself.
The right orientation of a trusting spirit
depends at first on a good relationship between the infant and his mother, and
then also on one between him and his father; it is nourished by sharing their
joyfulness and by experiencing their loving authority. The theological virtues
depend in part upon the growth of that healthy orientation for their own
unimpeded development, and at the same time they tend to strengthen that
orientation. At this time, too, there arises the affirmation of personality, or
autonomy; this is needed for the acquisition of the moral virtues and for
leading a life in community. It itself demands a balance between firmness and
acceptance. Next, the capacity for spontaneous action can gradually develop;
this will be most necessary for beginning social life as well as for promoting
and strengthening the service of God and of the Church.
An education in prayer must accompany ail
these acquisitions, so that the little child may learn to call upon the God who
loves us and protects us, and upon Jesus, the Son of God and our brother, who
Leads us to the Father, and upon the Holy Spirit, who dwells within our hearts;
and SO that this child may also direct confident prayers to Mary, the Mother of
Jesus and our mother.
If these foundations are lacking, catechesis
must determine whether there are any insufficiencies as a result, what they may
be, and how they may be compensated. Suitable assistance on the part of
Christian parents must be supported by giving the parents an adequate formation.
This formation must be given to them by competent educators, even though it is
to be simple and adapted to the cultural level of the parents. This task of
pastors is not supererogatory; for when parents are helped to perform their
duties rightly, the Church is being built up. This also provides a splendid
occasion for catechising adults.
CHILDHOOD AND ITS IMPORTANCE
79 When the child goes to school he enters a
society wider than that of his family, and he is initiated into the society of
adults in an intensive way that absorbs a great part of his resources and
concerns. He gets his first experience of working in school (cf. GE, 5).
Before this point, the family served a
mediating role between the child and the People of God. But now the child is
ready to begin sharing directly in the life of the Church, and can be admitted
to the sacraments.
The child’s intelligence develops gradually.
Catechesis must be adapted to this mental development. The child seeks to
understand the religious lite of adults. Accordingly, the genuine Christian life
of the adult community helps very much toward giving the children a solid
formation, and it does this in a truly instructive way when it explains the
religious life of adults and the activities of the People of God suitably in the
light of salvation history.
The initial experience of working should not
be thought unrelated to the aim of catechesis. The joy of doing things and doing
them well, co-operation with others, discipline arising out of this as something
easy to understand and reasonable—in all this one finds many experiences which
are useful not only for sharing in social life but also for active participation
in the life of the Church.
With these things in mind, catechetical
pedagogy, whatever method it follows, should stimulate activity on the part of
the children. If it should fail to do so, catechesis could not satisfy its
obligation to teach the believer to give an ever more personal response to the
word and the gift of God. This active pedagogy should not be satisfied with
external expressions only, however useful they may be, but it should strive to
bring forth a response from the heart and a taste for prayer. This interior
education is indeed rendered more difficult, but also more necessary, because of
the character of contemporary civilisation which tends to disperse spiritual
energies.
Co-operation between catechists and parents
(sharing with one another their opinions about programs, about methods, and
about difficulties which arise) is necessary if the education of the children is
to proceed in a suitable and harmonious way. This kind of co-operation is useful
for both the catechists and the parents and helps them in carrying out their own
specific duties.
CHILDREN WHO DO NOT ATTEND SCHOOL
80 There are also regions, even very large and
sometimes heavily populated areas, in which there are not enough schools. Where
this is so, earnest pastoral action should be directed to the families
themselves, and, to the extent that it is possible, various associations should
be set up to take care of the children. These associations should be set up in
such a way that they can take account of the local circumstances and meet the
spiritual needs of the children.
CHILDREN WHO GROW UP IN FAMILlES AFFECTED BY
RELIGIOUS INDIFFERENCE
81 The difficulty of giving catechesis to
children living in families who do not practice their religion at all or do so
in an entirely inadequate way is becoming more and more marked. Sometimes
questions are raised about the very possibility and appropriateness of giving
them a catechesis.
Catechesis is certainly not to be omitted for
such children; rather, it is to be planned and carried out in a way that fits in
with actual circumstances and conditions. In these cases there is need to
establish contact with the families and to study their mental attitudes and
styles of life, SO that some means can be found to open a dialogue with them. It
is also necessary that catechesis present its material in a way that really
responds to the concrete possibilities of these children.
ADOLESCENCE AND EARLY ADULTHOOD, AND THEIR
IMPORTANCE
82 The period of adolescence and, in a larger
sense, the so-called "phenomenon of youth" have very great importance
(cf. AA, 12). In pre-industrial societies which have only a smaller number of
schools, the transition from childhood to the adult community takes place as t
were directly. In our time the custom is spreading more and more of extending
the time of education in schools for adolescents. This custom creates in society
a generation which is not immediately occupied with gainful labor, and which,
though it already enjoys physical and intellectual vitality, is engaged in no
activity other than study and preparation for a future profession. This social
class has a great impact on adult society; and this creates no small problem.
This problem is also found in the Church, and
although it takes different forms here, it is just as serious. Adolescents and
young adults are less exposed to the danger of violently opposing the Church
than they are to the temptation of leaving it. The fact that it is often
difficult for adults to acknowledge that adolescents and young adults can
contribute anything worthwhile is a further reason why this is a very serious
problem in catechesis.
But the young will be less distrustful, the
more the catechists show an ability to understand their roles and to accept
them.
PRE-ADOLESCENCE, ADOLESCENCE, AND EARLY
ADULTHOOD, AND THEIR IMPORTANCE
83 National directories should distinguish
pre-adolescence, adolescence, and early adulthood.
Here it can only be pointed out that in
sophisticated regions where the point is raised, the special difficulties of
pre-adolescence are in practice not sufficiently nor always recognised. The
educator can be tempted to treat pre-adolescents in the same way as children,
and thus it is to be feared that he will not win their attention; or he can
treat them as adolescents, and in that case give them themes and methods of
working which presuppose a maturity of personality and of experience that they
have not yet attained.
The age of pre-adolescence has as its peculiar
note the troublesome beginning of concern with one’s self. Hence it is
important not to continue at this age the simple and objective kind of
instruction which is appropriate for children; at the same time, however, one
must be careful not to propose problems and themes that belong properly to
adolescence.
A concrete type of instruction which would
explain the lives and works of the Saints and of other outstanding persons,
together with reflections on the actual life of the Church, could provide
catechetical students of this age with wholesome nourishment.
The time of young adulthood, taken strictly,
which follows adolescence, is also a period of life which has not yet been
sufficiently studied and investigated, and its special characteristics are not
yet sufficiently known.
Some think that theological instruction should
begin at this age. Others believe that human and social questions should be
presented for study, together with simple theological explanations and with
certain encouragement's to Christian behavior. The method that seems most
desirable is that of treating fundamental problems and problems of most concern
to this age with the serious, scholarly apparatus of the theological and human
sciences, using at the same time a suitable group-discussion method.
SEARCHING INTO THE MEANING 0F LIFE
84 The adolescent notices profound physical
and psychological changes within himself. He is looking for his place in
society. Although he is no longer content with the religious forms of his
childhood, he has not yet reached the maturity of faith proper to an adult; and
therefore he seeks a basic orientation by which he can unify his life anew. But
this searching often Leads to a religious crisis.
The principal task of catechesis in
adolescence will be to further a genuinely Christian understanding of life. It
must shed the light of the Christian message on the realities which have greater
impact on the adolescent, such as the meaning of bodily existence, love and the
family, the standards to be followed in life, work and leisure, justice and
peace, and so on.
FOCUSING ATTENTION ON GENUINE VALUES
85 The adolescent makes an effort to direct
the vision of his life and the course of his existence according to certain
principal and primary values. Today, however, the adolescent feels himself
immersed in "values" that are opposed to one another. This tact
sharpens the conflict within the adolescent among the various values which he is
in search of, and he persuades himself to reject those values which he does not
find expressed in the way adults live.
Catechesis must help him more and more to
discover genuine values and to put them in order.
PERSONAL AUTONOMY
86 In order to attain the autonomy which he
very much desires, the adolescent often exaggerates his self-expression and at
times finds fault with the pattern of life which he has received from adults.
Adults must realise that adolescents hold fast
to the faith and strengthen themselves in it, not because of any identification
with adults, but because of their own convictions as these are gradually
explored.
From this kind of autonomy there arises what
can be called a "temptation to naturalism," which makes adolescents
tend to perform their actions and to seek their salvation by their own powers.
The bolder the personality, the stronger will be an inclination of this sort.
It is, therefore, the task of catechesis to
bring the adolescent to that personal maturity which will allow him to overcome
subjectivism and to discover a new hope in the strength and the wisdom of God.
GROUPS 0F ADOLESCENTS
87 In order to maintain their autonomy
adolescents seek to form associations among themselves, so that they may be able
to follow out more easily their own ideas and talents, and so that by means of
groups they may protect their own autonomy from adult groups. Again within the
orbit of these groups the adolescent is urged on by various life values and is
moved to live in accordance with them. In daily life practice adolescents
communicate more easily with young people of their own age than with adults.
Catechesis has the task of working with these
youth groups, which can serve to mediate between young people and the whole
community of the Church (cf. AA, 12).
Youth groups do not always have positive
values. For this reason there is an urgent need to promote relationships between
them and Christian communities, so that the human and Christian values of the
latter may be duly recognised and appreciated by the adolescents (cf. AA, 12).
INTELLECTUAL DEMANDS
88 The adolescent possesses essentially the
"formal" use of reason. He is learning how the intellect is to be used
rightly, and is discovering that the culture set before him demands reflection
and must be actively applied in his own life.
If catechesis is to be able to awaken an
experience of the life of faith, it simply cannot neglect the formation of a
religious way of thinking which will show the connection of the mysteries with
one another and with man’s final end (cf. First Vatican Council, Dogm. Const.
Dei Filius, c. IV, Dz.-Sch., 3015-3020). To make firm the inner coherence of
this kind of religious thinking, witnessing is not enough. Today scientific
strictness is demanded everywhere; hence catechesis must also provide the
rational foundations for faith with the greatest care.
The intellectual building up of the faith of
adolescents must by no means be considered as merely a kind of addition, but
rather it should be counted as an essential need for the life of faith. The
manner of teaching is of special importance. The catechist, in dialogue with the
adolescent, must stimulate the mind of the adolescent.
ACTION
89 Action is necessary for the development of
the adolescent’s personality. Freedom from egocentrism and subjectivism
demands dealing with reality itself, whether with success or with failure.
Catechesis, which should encourage personal
experience of faith and at the same time well-ordered reflection on religious
matters, is brought to perfection when it Leads to the fulfilment of religious
duties. Christian catechesis should educate adolescents to assume the
responsibilities of faith and gradually make them capable of upholding their
Christian profession before ail men.
ADOLESCENTS WHO DO NOT ATTEND SCHOOL
90 An immense number of young people who are
engaged in the manual or professional skills are drawn into an accelerated
development of their personality. This accelerated development of personality
may turn out to be favourable or unfavourable, complete or incomplete.
It follows, then, that it is necessary to
establish a special catechesis for such adolescents. This will have to consider
the immediate problems of everyday life, support the young as they begin working
and help them, in accordance with their individual capacities, to carry on their
activity by working together with Catholic associations.
Moreover, since the special characteristics
and needs of adolescents remain present in the young worker, it will be the task
of catechesis not only to shed light on his concrete activity, but also to Lead
him to embrace the whole of God’s plan.
CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS NOT ADJUSTED TO THE
CONDITIONS 0F LIFE
91 The duty here cannot be considered one that
is secondary or one that is taken care of elsewhere. Maladjusted children and
adolescents make up no small part of the citizenry. The conditions of society
today not infrequently make it difficult for young people to have a harmonious
life development and to have a suitable adjustment to society.
Catechesis must provide for these young people
the possibility of living a life of faith in accordance with their own state.
This is an eminently evangelical task and a
witness of great value, which the Church has carried out in every age.
The education of these young people in the
faith has a pastoral value, and indeed one of great importance, also because it
offers the possibility of reaching very many families.
Finally, the peculiar difficulty in performing
this task and the necessity of imparting to such young people only the essential
elements can give catechesis in general the benefit of employing the methods and
ways which pedagogical research discovers and makes available for the sake of
these young people.
ADULTHOOD
92 This General Directory earnestly affirms
the need of catechesis for adults, for these reasons:
a) The undertaking of tasks in social life,
and the responsibilities of family, professional, civic, and political Life
demand of adults that they complete their Christian formation according to the
norm of the word of God in a special and suitable way (cf. AA, 29-32).
Co-operation should be promoted between those who catechise adults and those who
take part in the various forms of the apostate of the laity.
b) Aptitudes and capacities which reach their
full development in adult life, such as the experience of life, maturity of
personality, and so on, must be cultivated and illumined by the word of God.
c) The adult, moreover, must successfully pass
through certain periods of life which are full of crises. Although these crises
are Less obvious than those experienced by adolescents, they are not to be
considered Less dangerous or less profound; in these times the adult’s faith
must be constantly illumined, developed, and fortified.
DYNAMIC NOTES 0F ADULTHOOD—FELLOWSHIP AND
LONELINESS
93 When a person arrives at adult age, he
ordinarily becomes more capable of having fellowship with others and of
establishing mutual relationships with them.
This capacity and the need for fellowship come
into play within the framework of family duties and within the relationships of
social life; and ail these things serve at times to promote this fellowship and
at times to hinder it.
As a matter of fact, people, especially in
contemporary society, often experience too much Loneliness.
Catechesis ought to show that God, who is
love, is really the author of the community of faith, which is the Church, and
at the same time it should enkindle a desire for entering into fellowship with
every man. It reminds married couples that their intimate union is, in virtue of
the sacrament of matrimony, a sign of the mystery of unity and fruitful love
between Christ and the Church, and that it shares in that mystery (cf. Eph. 5,
32).
Within the frame of small groups of the
faithful, catechesis will help adults to live Christian charity to the full.
Indeed, this charity, as the sign of a certain common experience, makes them be
of assistance to one another in the faith.
FULL DEVELOPMENT 0F THE PERSONALITY
94 Adult age is distinguished chiefly by the
awareness of having achieved a fully developed personality.
The man who has successfully passed through
each stage of his development and who has been able to enter into fellowship
with others and to exercise creative ability, tries, when he has reached adult
age, to reduce to a unified whole ail the experiences of his personal, social,
and spiritual life. A danger lies in the fact that the adult, especially if he
belongs to an industrial society, may think that he can obtain this unity merely
by conforming himself to the society in which he lives. But the perfect
attainment of personality does not consist in a merely exterior balance between
personal life and its social context, but it looks especially toward the
attainment of Christian wisdom.
For this reason catechesis must strive to Lead
man to observe the order of priority among ends, that is, to perceive more fully
the meaning of life and death, in the light of the death and resurrection of
Christ.
95 The importance of old age is still not
sufficiently recognised in the pastoral ministry.
In our times the number of the aged is
increasing more and more. The aged are often neglected by contemporary society,
however, and this tact must be carefully noted for its relevance to pastoral
activity.
As a matter of tact, the aged can contribute
no small benefit to the community both by their work, which is not always justly
appreciated, and by the witness that flows from their experience.
Moreover, there is a duty in justice to help
the aged by a catechesis that has reference to death, which biologically is near
at hand, and socially is to some extent already present, since almost nothing is
expected any more from their activity.
Catechesis should teach the aged to have
supernatural hope, by virtue of which death is considered a crossing over to
true life and as a meeting with the divine Savior. In this way old age can
become a sign of the presence of God, of immortal life, and of the future
resurrection. This will, indeed, be an eschatological witness that the aged can
bear by their patience toward themselves and toward others, by their
benevolence, by their prayers poured out in praise of God, by their spirit of
poverty and the trust that they put in God.
Unquestionably, it would be a serious loss to
the Church if the great number of the aged who have been baptised were not to
show that their faith shines with a brighter light when death approaches.
SPECIAL FORMS 0F CATECHESIS FOR ADULTS
96 There are conditions and circumstances that
demand special forms of catechesis.
a) There is the catechesis of Christian
initiation or the catechumenate for adults.
b) There is the catechesis for those who are
involved in the lay apostate in a special way. Clearly catechesis must provide
for a deeper study of the Christian message in these cases.
c) There is a catechesis which is to be given
on the occasion of the principal events of life, such as marriage, the baptism
of one’s children, first communion and confirmation, the more difficult
periods of the children’s education, one’s illness, and 50 forth. These are
times when people are moved more strongly than ever to seek the true meaning of
life.
d) There is a catechesis which is to be given
on the occasion of some change in the circumstances of one’s life, as for
example on the occasion of starting work, on entering military life, when
migrating, or when changing one’s profession or social status. These changes
can indeed increase one’s spiritual goods, but they can also disturb the
spirit and snatch away hope. The Christian community has a duty to supply those
who experience them with necessary helps in fraternal love. The word of God,
which in these circumstances is sometimes more readily accepted, ought to be a
light and an aid to them.
e) There is the catechesis which is concerned
with a Christian use of leisure, and that which is to be given on the occasion
of recreational travelling (cf. Directorium Generale pro ministerio pastorali
quoad "turismum," n. 19, 25).
f) There is the catechesis which is to be
given on the occasion of special events touching the life of the Church or of
society.
These special forms of catechesis in no way
lessen the need for establishing catechetical cycles which are devoted to a
systematic study of the entire Christian message. This organic and
well-organised formation is certainly not to be reduced to a simple series of
conferences or sermons.
THE SPECIAL FUNCTIONS 0F CATECHESIS FOR ADULTS
97 So that it will always be able to respond
to the more urgent demands of our time, a catechesis for adults should:
a) Teach them to evaluate correctly, in the
light of faith, the sociological and cultural changes in contemporary society.
The Christian people are becoming more and more aware of the necessity of
examining where the contemporary development of society may be leading and of
distinguishing between true blessings and the dangers of our present human
civilisation. They
desire help in evaluating the changes which
are constantly taking place, and they want to be enlightened about the styles of
behavior which they can and should make their own.
b) Explain contemporary questions in religious
and moral matters. Catechesis must make its own the new questions which men of
this age are asking themselves. For example, today great importance is attached
to questions that deal with social relations. Man wishes to imprint a new form
on the society in which he lives. Such attempts at renewal, in which the
responsibilities and also the limits of man are clearly evident (cf. Encyci.
Populorum progressio, AAS, 1967, pp. 257-299), simply cannot escape the interest
of catechesis.
c) Shed light on the relations between
temporal action and ecclesial action. Catechesis should educate Christians to
perceive the mutual relations between temporal duties and ecciesial duties.
Catechesis should make it clear that the performance of temporal duties can have
a useful influence on the ecclesial community itself, when it makes it more
aware of its transcendent goal and of its mission in the world, and that the
performance of ecclesial duties serves in turn to benefit human society (cf. GS,
40-45).
d) Develop the rational foundations of the
faith. The Church has always guarded the rational foundations of the faith
against fideism. Catechesis must develop more and more a correct understanding
of the faith, and thereby show that the act of faith and the truths which are to
be believed are in conformity with the demands of human reason. Catechesis must
show that the Gospel is always contemporary and always relevant. For this reason
pastoral action must be promoted in the area of Christian doctrine and Christian
culture.
PART SIX
PASTORAL ACTIVITY IN THE
MINISTRY 0F THE WORD
PASTORAL ACTION
98 Those things which have been explained
about the catecheticai act and the content of catechesis provide the basis for a
plan of pastoral action, the main points of which are treated in this part.
This pastoral action requires appropriate
organs on the national level, to be set up by the Conferences of Bishops, for
the purpose of planning or research and for administration. Generally these
organs include: (a) an Episcopal commission for catechesis on which work
selected ex officio members and experts; and (b) a permanent executive structure
(office, center, and so on).
So that with the aid of these organs the
pastoral action in the ministry of the word can be carried out in an efficient
and co-ordinated way, it is necessary that
1) a report be prepared about the actual state
of affairs and the place, and about what it is possible to achieve through the
ministry of the word under those conditions;
2) a program of the action to be carried out
be published;
3) attention be given to the formation and
instruction of those who have responsibility in this matter;
4) appropriate aids for the work be rightly
planned and made available;
5) organisation structures suitable for
catechesis be promoted;
6) pastoral action in catechesis be
co-ordinated with the other fields of pastoral work;
7) provision be made for research; and
8) international co-operation be encouraged.
The guides and suggestions presented in this
part cannot be implemented always and ail at the same time in ail parts of the
Church. in the case of countries or regions where catechetical action is not yet
sufficiently advanced, the purpose of these suggestions and guides is to point
out goals which are to be accomplished gradually.
Chapter I
Analysis of the Situation
PURPOSE
99 it is necessary that there be within a
Conference a clean knowledge of the situation ìn which the ministry of the word
is exercised.
The analysis aims at bringing out to what
extent the Church’s evangelical activity is attaining the goals that have been
set for if. Careful study must be made of the way in which the ministry of the
word is being practised and of the results—to the extent that these can be
ascertained by human knowledge—which have been obtained by catechesis or by
other ways of presenting the Christian message. To be subjected to examination
are the undertakings of the Church and how they have been received, where and by
what persons, with what results, and so on.
OBJECT
100 The object of this investigation is
multiple. included are examination of pastoral action and analysis of the
religious situation as well as of the sociological, cultural, and economic
conditions, to the extent that these tact's of collective life can greatly
influence the success of evangelisation.
METHODS
101 Since this work is rather arduous, it is
necessary that two dangers be avoided, that is to say, one must guard against:
a) considering principles and indications
which have not been sufficiently tested and proved as though they were certain;
b) demanding a degree of scientific accuracy
so high that it cannot be attained.
It must also be rightly noted that technical
research carried out by means of questionnaires or interviews is of little
valueunless preceded by diligent consideration of the various forms of pastoral
action that can be chosen. it seems necessary, then, for the Conferences of
Bishops to have a complete picture of the situation. This can be obtained by
consulting experts truly skilled in examining the evidence available and by
drawing conclusions from pastoral action which has already been started.
Monographs can be of very useful help in this regard.
The entire Christian community should share in
the study of the situation, so that the people may be made aware of the
questions and be disposed to action.
EFFECTS
102 An investigation of this sort is not its
own end. Rather, it should bring to light the more effective activities and pave
the way for the undertaking of them, both by intensifying the works and
undertakings that have already been proved effective and by promoting others.
For it deals with foreseeing and preparing for those things that will necessary
have to be done in the future.
An investigation of this sort should also
convince those who work in the ministry of the word that, so far as pastoral
action is concerned, human situations are ambivalent. Therefore, workers in the
service of the Gospel should learn to note the many possibilities that are
opening up for their action in new and diverse circumstances. There is a danger
that knowledge of difficulties might Lead one to conclude that pastoral action
is impossible. On the contrary, everyone should be convinced that cultural
realities are not inert, immutable, univocal principles which have the effect of
reducing grace and pastoral action to impotence as it were in their regard. For
always possible is a process of change which can make clear the way to the
faith.
Chapter II
Program of Action
PROGRAM 0F ACTION
103 After the situation has been carefully
examined, it is necessary to proceed to the publishing of a program of action,
especially by means of a catechetical directory. This program determines the
objectives, the tools for pastoral catechetical action, and the guiding norms
for that same action, and these are determined in such a way that they are
altogether in harmony with the objectives and norms of the universal Church and
at the same time they fully respond to the local needs.
In proposing a program of action, one should
carefully bear in mind the functions of strictly ecciesial institutions, such as
parishes, special communities of the faithful, and societies devoted to the
apostate; of the institution of the family; of educational institutions, such as
schools, both Christian and neutral; and of ail other forms of social and
cultural groups.
The goals to be attained and the means to be
used should be considered the cardinal points of any program of action.
GOALS TO BE ATTAINED
104 The goals to be attained in the field of
pastoral action may differ in degree and style according to differences of place
and of needs. Nevertheless, all must pertain to the growth of faith and morality
among Christians and to a strengthening of their relationships with God and
neighbor. They should, for example, have the objectives that adults achieve a
mature faith, that Christian teaching reach scientific and technical groups,
that the family be able in carry out its Christian duties, that the Christian
presence exert an influence on the work of social transformation.
Since the goals are generally numerous, if is
altogether advisable that they be determined in due time and according to an
order of priority for the objectives to be accomplished.
it is also helpful for the pastoral goals
established in one region to be opportunely compared with those established by
the Conferences of Bishops that are closest to it geographically or culturally.
MEANS TO BE USED
105 The chief means to be used are:
catechetical institutes, which are to be promoted or supported; programs; texts
(cf. Chapter 5 of this part); working tools; instructions on methods (cf. Part
Four). The area of research on means can hardly be detained. Yet this 15 always
to be carefully borne in mind: the means proposed should always respond
appropriately to the spiritual objectives that are to be attained.
NORMS
106 The norms that can be given with regard to
catechesis are many and they vary with the ends to be attained. In comparison
with the others, the norms for preparing the faithful for the sacraments have a
special importance. These include, for example, norms for the catechumenate of
adults, for the sacramental initiation of children, and for the preparation of
families for the baptism of their children.
To be effective, ail such norms should be few
in number, simple in character, and set external rather than internal criteria.
As is obvious, no particular norm can derogate
from the Church’s general laws and common practice without the approval of the
Apostolic See.
DISTRIBUTION AND PROMOTION 0F RESPONSIBILITIES
107 First of ail, attention must be given to a
clean and effective distribution of tasks and responsibilities. It is very
important, for example, to clarify and put in their proper light the
responsibilities of Christian families, of associations of the faithful, of the
clergy, and of catechists. Nevertheless, it is not enough to rest content with
the distribution of forces already existing; if is also necessary that effort on
the part of ail Christians be more and more stimulated and promoted. Cane must
be taken to make the Christian community every day conscious of ifs duty, which
is to be a sign of the wisdom and love of God that was revealed to us in Christ.
For this, it is expedient that the entire community and each of ifs members as
far as possible always be informed at the proper time about what things are to
be done, and also that ail be invited to take an active part in the undertaking
of projects, in the making of decisions, and in the carrying out of what has
been decided.
In preparing programs of catechetical
activity, one must consider well the tact that various undertakings can at times
give rise to inconveniences and disputes. For example, difficulties can arise
from the changes in terminology and from the new opinions on the relationship
between education and the apostate. In these cases, every effort should be made
to avoid ail those things which can unduly disturb people.
Finally, it is necessary that ail catechetical
activities be provided with suitable financial support.
Chapter III
Catechetical Formation
CATECHETICAL FORMATION
108 Any pastoral activity for the carrying out
of which there are not at hand persons with the right formation and preparation
will necessarily come to nothing. The working tools themselves cannot be
effective unless used by catechists who have been rightly formed. Hence, the
suitable formation of catechists must come before reform in texts and
strengthening of the organisation for handling catechesis.
First of all, if is necessary that attention
be given to the formation of those who carry out cafechetical activities on the
national level. The duty here belongs to the Conferences of Bishops.
Nevertheless, the formation of those who direct catechetical activities on a
national level should be joined, as if were with an extension and completion of
itself, with the formation of the catechists who carry out this activity on
regional and diocesan levels. Responsibility for this latter formation belongs
to the regional Conferences of Bishops, where such exist, and to the individual
bishops.
HIGHER INSTITUTES AND CATECHETICAL SCHOOLS
109 Higher institutes for training in pastoral
catechetics should be promoted or founded, so that catechists capable of
directing catechesis at the diocesan level, or within the area of activities to
which religious congregations are dedicated, may be prepared. These higher
institutes can be national on even international. They ought to function as a
university 50 far as curriculum, length of courses, and requisites for admission
are concerned.
Schools of religious education should also be
founded within individual dioceses, or at Least within the area of regional
Conferences, in order that, through a curriculum that is less advanced but still
effective, full-time catechetical personnel may be prepared.
CONTINUING FORMATION
110 Continuing formation includes diverse
methods and grade levels. It is necessary that this formation be continued over
the entire time that the catechists remain committed to their functions. Thus
this pertains to directors of catechesis as well as to ordinary catechists.
Continuing formation cannot be entrusted to
the central offices alone. Rather, Christian communities on lower levels must
also give attention to if, also for the reason that the conditions and needs ton
catechesis can vary from place to place. The clergy and ail who have
responsibilities for supervising and directing catechesis have a duty to see to the continuing formation of ail their co-workers in catechesis.
OBJECTIVE 0F CATECHETICAL FORMATION
111 The summit and center of catecheticai
formation lies in an aptitude and ability to communicate the Gospel message.
This formation requires, therefore, an accurate formation in theological
doctrine, in anthropology, and in methodology, geared to the level of knowledge
that is to be attained. The formation does not end, however, with the
acquisition of doctrinal knowledge. The formation is complete when the catechist
becomes competent to select the most suitable method for communicating the
Gospel message to groups and individuals who live in circumstances always
different and singular.
THEOLOGICAL-DOCTRINAL, ANTHROPOLOGICAL, AND
METHODOLOGICAL FORMATION
112 a) Doctrine. That a strong doctrinal
heritage must be acquired is self-evident. This must always include adequate
knowledge of Catholic doctrine, together with a degree of scientific theology
obtained at higher catechetical institutes. Sacred Scripture should be as if
were the soul of this entire formation.
In any case, the doctrine ought to be mastered
in such a way that the catechist will be able not only to communicate the Gospel
message accurately, but also to make those being taught capable of receiving if
actively and of discerning what in their spiritual journey agrees with the
faith.
b) Human sciences. Our era is marked and
distinguished by a very great growth in the sciences about man. These sciences
are no longer reserved for the learned and the specialists. They penetrate the
awareness that modern man has of himself. They influence social relationships
and shape a cultural pattern, as it were, for humanity today, even that not very
sophisticated.
in the teaching of human sciences, given their
very great number and diversity, there are difficult problems in regard to
choosing from among them and in regard to the method of teaching them. Since the
question here is one of training catechists, not experts in psychology, the norm
to be followed is this: determine and choose that which can directly help them
to acquire facility in communication.
c) Methodological formation. Methodology is by
ifs very nature nothing other than careful consideration of means that have
stood the test of experience. Therefore, more importance is to be attributed to practical exercises than
to theoretical instruction on pedagogy. Still,
theoretical instruction is necessary for helping the cafechist to meet various
situations appropriately, for avoiding an empirical form of teaching catechesis,
for grasping the changes found in educational reports, and ton directing future
work correctly.
Careful attention should be given to the tact
that, when it is a question of training ordinary catechists (that is, those who
teach the primary elements of catechesis), the principles we have considered
above can be acquired better if they are taught at the same time the work is
being performed (for example, during sessions in which lessons of catechesis are
being prepared and feasted).
LEARNING THE ART 0F CATECHESIS
113 The preparation of the catechisf must be
such that he will be able accurately to interpret the reactions of each person
or group, and thus be able to discern their spiritual capacities and choose the
means by which the Gospel message can be received fruitfully and effectively.
Many methods for this can be given:
practical exercises, working in groups,
analysis of cases, and so on. The whole question here turns on weighing well and
understanding the communicative power of the Christian message. Catechesis,
which is the Church’s practice, is not learned in a merely theoretical way.
The art of teaching catechesis is acquired from experience, from the guidance of
skilled teachers, and from actually performing the function. An aptitude for
apostolic action and knowledge of the faith, of men, and of the laws that govern
the development both of individual men and of communities, contribute to the
acquisition of skill in this art.
SPIRITUAL LIFE 0F CATECHISTS
114 The function entrusted to the catechist
demands of him a fervent sacramental and spiritual life, a practice of prayer,
and a deep feeling for the excellence of the Christian message and for the power
it has to transform one’s life; if also demands of him the pursuit of the
charity, humility, and prudence which allow the Holy Spirit to complete his
fruitful work in those being taught.
FORMATION 0F CATECHISTS
115 If is necessary that ecclesiastical
authorities regard the formation of cafechists as a task of the greatest
importance.
This formation is meant for all catechists
(cf. AG, 17, 26), both lay and religious, and also for Christian parents, who
will be able to receive therefrom effective help for taking cane of the initial
and occasional catechesis for which they are responsible. This formation is
meant for deacons, and especially for priests, for "by the power of the
sacrament of Orders, and in the image of the Eternal High Priest (cf. Heb. 5,
1-10; 7, 24; 9, 11-28), they are consecrated to preach the Gospel, shepherd the
faithful, and celebrate divine worship as true priests of the New
Testament" (LG, 28). indeed, in individual parishes the preaching of the
word of God is committed chiefly to the priests, who are obliged to open the
riches of Sacred Scripture to the faithful, and to explain the mysteries of the
faith and the norms of Christian living in homilies throughout the course of the
liturgical year (cf. SC, 51, 52). Hence it is of great importance that a
thorough catechefical preparation be given students in seminaries and
scholasticates, which should be completed afterwards by the continuing formation
mentioned above (cf. n. 110).
Finally, the formation is meant for teachers
of religion in public schools, whether these belong to the Church or to the
state. To carry out a task of such great importance, only persons should be
selected who are distinguished for talent, doctrine, and spiritual life (cf. GS,
5).
It is highly desirable that in this area of
formation there be genuine co-operation between the various apostolic activities
and catechesis, because they are performing, although under different aspects, a
common task, that 0f communicating the Christian message.
Chapter IV
Catechetical Aids
AIDS
116 0f the chief Woking tools for catechesis,
the following are considered here:
—directories of the Conferences of Bishops;
—programs;
—catechisms;
—textbooks;
—audiovisuaI aids.
CATECHETICAL DIRECTORIES
117 Directories are concerned with promoting
and co-ordinating catechetical action in the territory of a region or nation, or
even of several nations of the same sociocultural condition. Before they are
promulgated, every local Ordinary should be heard, and they should be submitted to
the Apostolic See for approvai (cf. n. 134).
PROGRAMS
118 Programs set up the educational goals to
be attained according to ages or places on set times, the methodological
criteria to be used, and the content to be taught in cafechesis. By ail means
cane must be taken that the mysteries of faith to be believed by adults are
already indicated in the programs for children’s and adolescents’ catechisms
in a way adapted to their age (cf. n. 134).
CATECHISMS
119 The greatest importance must be attached
in catechisms published by ecclesiastical authority. Their purpose is to provide, under a form that is condensed and practical, the witnesses of
revelation and of Christian tradition as well as the chief principles which
ought to be useful for catechefical activity, that is, for personal education in
faith. The witnesses of tradition should be held in due esteem, and very great
care must be taken to avoid presenting as doctrines of the faith special
interpretations which are only private opinions or the views of some theological
school. The doctrine of the Church must be presented faithfully. Here the norms
set forth in Chapter I of Part Three are to be followed.
In view of the great difficulties in putting
these works together and the great importance of these witnesses, if is most
expedient that:
a) there be collaboration by a number of
experts in catechetics and in theology;
b) there be consultation with specialists in
other religious and human disciplines, and also with the other pastoral
organisations;
c) individual local Ordinaries be consulted
and their opinions be carefully considered;
d) limited experiments be tried before
definitive publication; and
e) these texts be duly reviewed after a
certain period of time. Before promulgation, these catechisms must be submitted
to the Apostolic See for review and approval (cf. n. 134).
TEXTBOOKS
120 Textbooks are aids offered to the
Christian community that is engaged in catechesis. No text can take the place of
a live communication of the Christian message; nevertheless, the texts do have
great value in that they make if possible to present a fuller exposition of the
witnesses of Christian tradition and of principles that foster catechetical
activity. The putting together of these texts requires a co-operative effort by
a number of catechetical experts, and also consultation with other experts.
MANUALS FOR CATECHISTS
121 These books should contain:
—an explanation of the message of salvation
(constant reference must be made to the sources, and a clear distinction must be
kept between those things which pertain to the faith and to the doctrine that
must be held, and those things which are mere opinions of theologians);
—psychological and pedagogical advice;
—suggestions about methods.
Books and other printed materials intended for
study and activity by those being taught should also be provided. These printed
materials can be made part of the books for the use of those being taught, or
they can be published as separate booklets.
Finally, cane should be taken to publish books
for the use of parents, if the question is one of giving catechesis to children.
AUDIO-VISUAL AIDS
122 Audio-visual aids are used especially:
a) as resources for enriching catechetical
instruction with objective elements; for this use, they should excel in
truthfulness, careful selection of ideas, and pedagogical clarity; and
b) as images for properly cultivating the
powers of the senses and the imagination; for this use they should have real
beauty and be effective in moving people.
In regard to these aids, the following are
necessary functions:
—fostering studies concerning the criteria
which should guide the production and selection of these aids in keeping with
the particular aspects of the Christian message that are to be presented and the
particular groups of people for whom they are intended; and
—.instructing catechists in a right use of
these aids (it often happens that catechists are ignorant of the proper nature
of visual language; if happens more often that audio-visual aids used improperly
lead to passive rather than active behavior; and so on).
MASS MEDIA
123 The mass media have the effect, among
other things, of giving an aura of reality and actuality to the events,
undertakings, and ideas about which they speak, and, contrariwise, of
diminishing in popular estimation the importance of the things they are suet
about.
The message of salvation, therefore, must have
a place among the media of social communication (cf. 1M, 3). If is not enough to
perfect the media that the Church already possesses in this field, but rather if
is necessary to promote co-operation among the producers, writers, and actors
who offer their services for this purpose. Such co-operation requires that on
the national and international levels there be set up groups of experts who can
give genuine assistance if consulted about programs of activities that pertain to
religion.
Also, if is the function of catechesis to educate the faithful to discern the nature and value of things presented through
the mass media. This, as is obvious, demands a technical knowledge of the
language proper to these media.
PROGRAMMED INSTRUCTION
124 Catechesis can and should use audio-visual
aids so that it will be better able to achieve its goal. in this area there is a
new method which is gaining ground more and more today and which in the
educational field is called "programmed instruction." if ought not to
be ignored.
In this matter, however, one must consider the
difficulties which arise, either from the truths to be taught, or from the
purpose of catechesis itself. Unprepared explanations are to be avoided. Rather,
both for preparing the programs, as well as for expressing truths with the help
of pictures, one should call upon the joint effort of experts in sacred
theology, in catechetics, and in the art of audio-visual teaching.
Chapter V
Organisation for Catechesis
ORGANISATION FOR CATECHESIS
125 The organisation for catechesis within the
area of every Conference of Bishops consists chiefly 0f diocesan, regional and
national structures.
The principal purposes of these structures
are:
a) to promote catechetical activities; and
b) to cooperate with other apostolic
undertakings and works (for example, with the liturgical commission, with
associations for the lay apostate, with the ecumenical commission, and so on),
because ail these activities of the Church have a part, even though in different
ways, in the ministry of the word.
DIOCESAN STRUCTURES
126 The Decree Provide sane (cf. AAS, 1935,
pp. 151 if.) established the Diocesan Catechetical Office, the function of which
is to supervise the entire catechetical organisation. This diocesan office
should have a staff of pennons who have special competence. The extend and
diversity of the problems which must be handled demand that the responsibilities
be divided among a number of truly skilled people.
It is also the task of the diocesan office to
promote and direct the work of those organisations (such as the parish
catecheticai center, the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, and so on) which
are as if were the basic cells of catechetical action.
Permanent centers for training catechists
should be set up by local communities. if will thus become clear among Christian
people that the work of evangelisation and the teaching of the message of
salvation pertain to ail.
The Catechetical Office, therefore, which is
part of the diocesan curia, is the means which the bishop as head of the
community and teacher of doctrine utilises to direct and moderate ail the
catechetical activities of the diocese.
No diocese can be without its own Catechefical
Office.
REGIONAL STRUCTURES
127 It is useful for a number of dioceses to combine their actions, bringing together for common benefit their experiences
and undertakings, their offices and equipment; for the dioceses that are better
provided for to give help to the others; and for a common action program to be
prepared for the region as a whole.
NATIONAL STRUCTURES
128 If is by ail means necessary that the
Conferences of Bishops, and more directly, the Bishops’ Catechetical
Commission, be equipped with a permanent structure.
This National Cafechetical Office or Center
has a twofold task:
—to serve the catechetical needs of the
country as a’ whole. The effort here would extend to publications of national
importance, national congresses, relations with the mass media, and generally
ail those works and projects which are beyond the powers of individual dioceses
and regions;
—to serve dioceses and regions by
publicising catechetical ideas and undertakings, by co-ordinating action, and by
giving assistance to those dioceses that are Less advanced in cafechetical
matters.
Another function of the National Office or
Center is to co-ordinate ifs own work with the action of the rest of the
national pastoral undertakings, and also to cooperage with the international
catechetical movement.
Chapter VI
Co-ordination of Pastoral Catechetics
with ail Pastoral Work
CATECHESIS AND PASTORAL ACTION
129 Since every important act in the Church
participates in the ministry of the word, and since catechesis always has a
relation in the universal life of the Church, it follows that catechetical
action must necessarily be co-ordinated with the overall pastoral action. The
aim of this co-operation is to have the Christian community grow and develop in
a harmonious and orderly fashion; for, surely, although it has distinct aspects
because of the various functions, if nevertheless strives toward a single basic
goal.
If is necessary, therefore, that catechesis be
associated with other pastoral activities (cf. Motu proprio, Ecc!esiae sanctae,
n. 17), that is, with the biblical, liturgical, and ecumenical movements, with
the lay apostolate and social action, and so on. Besides, it must be kept in
mind that this co-operation is necessary from the very outset, that is, from the
time that studies and plans for the organisation of pastoral work are started.
CATECHUMENATE FOR ADULTS
130 The catechumenate for adults, which at one
and the same time includes catechesis, liturgical participation, and community
living, is an excellent example of an institute that springs from the
co-operation of diverse pastoral functions. Its purpose is to direct the
spiritual journey of persons who are preparing themselves for the reception of
baptism, and to give direction to their habits of thought and changes in moral
living. If is a preparatory school in Christian living, an introduction to the
religious, liturgical, charitable, and apostolic life of the People of God (cf.
AG, 13-14; SC, 65; CD, 14). Not only the priests and cafechists, but the entire
Christian community, through sponsors who act in its name, is engaged in this
work.
Chapter VII
Necessity of Promoting
Scientific Study
SCIENTIFIC STUDY
131 Because of the rapid development in
present-day culture, the catechetical movement will in no way be able to advance
without scientific study.
Hence if is necessary that the national organs
of the Conferences of Bishops promote joint research projects. Clearly if is
necessary that a program of questions to be researched be determined, that there
be awareness 0f the questions already under study and occasional consultation
with the experts who are working on them, and that a study be undertaken of
questions that have not yet been researched, the necessary financial support for
this having been provided.
There can be subjects for research that have
universal importance: for example, the relations between catechesis and modern
exegesis, between catechesis and anthropology, between catechesis and the mass
media, and SO on. Because of the nature and difficulties of such kinds of
research, international co-operation is often advisable.
Chapter VIII
International Co-operation and Relations with
the Apostolic See
INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION
132 The Apostolic College performs ifs
function in a closely co-operative way (cf. LG, 22-23; AG, 38; CD, 2, 4).
Consequences of this solidarity which affect catechesis have been considered a
number of times in this part of the Directory (for example, Chapter It:
comparing pastoral goals among neighbouring confines; Chapter III: establishing
higher institutes; Chapter IV: working out common aids; Chapter VII: doing
scientific research).
International co-operation is also required in
the ministry of the word for immigrants.
The task to be accomplished is twofold. On the
one hand, the word of God must be brought to the immigrants. Because of the
differences in language, culture and customs, this requires an exchange both of
information and of persons between the churches of the countries from which the
immigrants come and the churches of the countries which accept them. On the
other hand, it is necessary that this ministry of the word make the Christians
of the host countries aware of the pressing problems of the immigrants, and
ready to welcome them out of brotherly love.
International co-operation is also required
for the catechesis of tourists. If is clean that "tourism," as if is
called, is spreading more and more among ail nations (cf. Directorium Generale
pro ministerio pas torah quoad "turismum," passim).
International co-operation must show regard
for the tasks and conditions of the local churches. Hence, those countries that
have made greater advances in personnel, in economic goods, and in scientific
research, should assist the other countries that have not progressed that far,
but should not impose their own styles of thinking and acting, non their own
methods.
HOLY SEE
133 Just as Peter was made the head of the
Apostolic College and the foundation upon which the Church is built, so the
Successor to Peter, namely, the Roman Pontiff (cf. 1G, 22), is the visible head
of the College of Bishops and of the entire People of God. He fulfils his
universal office of teaching and of ruling as Vicar of Christ and Shepherd of
the whole Church (cf. 1G, 22), always for the welfare and spiritual development
of the People of God. He can, however, freely carry out this office according to
the needs of the Church, either in a personal way, or in a strictly collegial
way, that is, together with the bishops of the entire Church. The personal way
he exercises either by his own acts or through acts of his ministers,
principally by acts of the Offices of the Roman Curia.
SACRED CONGREGATION FOR THE CLERGY
134 The central responsibility for catechesis
in territories of so-called common law has been entrusted to the Sacred
Congregation for the Clergy (Second Office). This Congregation has the task of
working out, of co-ordinating, and of moderating matters that have to do with
promoting the preaching of the word of God and the works of the apostolate; if
also has the task of publishing information, and of promoting, as much as
possible, collaboration among the various countries.
This Office assists the development of and
gives guidance to offices that are in charge of catechesis.
If reviews and approves catechetical
directories, catechisms, and programs for preaching the word of God produced by
Conferences of Bishops. if encourages national catechetical congresses, or if
approves or calls international ones (cf. Const. Apost., Regimini Ecclesiae
universae, n. 69; Letter of the Secretariat of State, August 20, 1969, N.
143741).
ADDENDUM
The First Reception of the Sacraments of
Penance and the Eucharist
Among the tasks of catechesis, the preparation
of children for the sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist is of great
importance. With regard to this, if is held opportune to recall certain
principles and to make some observations about certain experiments that have
been taking place very recently in some regions or places of the Church.
THE AGE 0F DISCRETION
1 The suitable age for the first reception of
these sacraments is deemed to be that which in documents of the Church is called
the age of reason or of discretion. This age "both for Confession and for
Communion is that at which the child begins to reason, that is, about the
seventh year, more or less. From that time on the obligation of fulfilling the
precepts of Confession and Communion begins" (Decree Quam singulari, I,
AAS, 1910, p. 582). R is praiseworthy to study by research in pastoral
psychology and to describe this age which develops gradually, is subject to
various conditions, and which presents a peculiar nature in every child. One
should, however, be on guard not to extend beyond the above-mentioned limits,
which are not rigid, the time at which the precept of Confession and Communion
begins to oblige per se.
FORMATION AND GROWTH 0F THE MORAL CONSCIENCE
0F CHILDREN
2 While the capacity to reason is evolving
gradually in a child, his moral conscience too 15 being trained, that is, the
faculty of judging his acts in relation to a norm of morality. A number of
varying elements and circumstances come together in forming this moral
conscience of a child: the character and discipline of his family, which is one
of the most important educative factors during the first years of a child's
life, his associations with others, and the activities and the witness of the
ecclesial community. catechesis, while carrying out ifs task of instructing and
forming in the Christian faith, puts order info these various factors of
education, promotes them, and works in conjunction with them. Only in this way
will catechesis be able to give to the child timely direction toward the
heavenly Father and correct any goings astray or incorrect orientations of life
that can occur. Without doubt children at this age should be told in the
simplest possible way about God as our Lord and Father, about his love for us,
about Jesus, the Son of God, who was made man for us, and who died and rose
again. By thinking about the love of God, the child will be able gradually to
perceive the malice of sin which always offends God the Father and Jesus, and
which is opposed to the charity with which we must love our neighbor and
ourselves.
IMPORTANCE 0F EXPLAINING THE SACRAMENT 0F
PENANCE TO CHILDREN
3 When a child begins to offend God by 5m, he
also begins to have the desire of receiving pardon, not only from parents or
relatives, but also from God. Catechesis helps him by nourishing this desire
wholesomely, and if instills a holy aversion to sin, an awareness of the need
for amendment, and especially love for God. The special task of catechesis here
is to explain in a suitable way that sacramental Confession is a means offered
children of the Church in obtain pardon for sin, and furthermore that if is even
necessary per se if one has fallen info serious 5m. To be sure, Christian
parents and religious educators ought to teach the child in such a way that
above all he will strive to advance to a more intimate love of the Lord Jesus
and to genuine love of neighbor. The doctrine on the sacrament of Penance i5 to be presented in a broad framework of affiancing purification and spiritual
growth with great confidence in the mercy and love of God. In this way, children
not only can little by little acquire a delicate understanding of conscience,
but do not lose heart when they fall info some lessen fault.
The Eucharist is the summit and center of the
entire Christian life. In addition to the required state of grace, great purity
of soul is cleanly fitting for the reception of Communion. One must be very
careful, however, that the children do not get the impression that Confession is
necessary before receiving the Eucharist even when one sincerely loves God and
has not departed from the path of God’s commandments in a serious way.
CERTAIN NEW EXPERIMENTS
4 In very recent times in certain regions of
the Church experiments relative to the first reception of the sacraments of
Penance and of the Eucharist have been made. These have given rise to doubt and
confusion.
So that the Communion of children may be
appropriately received early, and so that psychological disturbances in the
future Christian life which can result from a too early use of Confession may be
avoided, and so that better education for the spirit of penance and a more valid
catecheticai preparation for Confession itself may be fostered, if has seemed to
some that children should be admitted to first Communion without first receiving
the sacrament of Penance.
In fact, however, going to the sacrament of
Penance from the beginning of the use to reason does not in itself harm the
minds of the children, provided if is preceded, as it should be, by a kind and
prudent catechetical preparation. The spirit of penance can be developed more
fully by confining catechetical instruction after first Communion; likewise,
there can be growth in knowledge and appreciation of the great gift that Christ
has given to sinful men in the sacrament of the pardon they will receive and of
reconciliation with the Church (cf. 1G, 11).
These things have not prevented the
introduction in certain places of a practice in which some years regularly
elapse between first Communion and first Confession. In other places, however,
the innovations made have been more cautious, either because first Confession
was not 50 much delayed, or because consideration is given the judgement of the
parents who prefer to have their children go to the sacrament of Penance before
first Communion.
THE COMMON PRACTICE IN FORCE MUST BE HIGHLY
ESTEEMED
5 The Supreme Pontiff, Pius X, declared,
"The custom of not admitting children to Confession or of never giving them
absolution, when they have arrived at the use of reason, must be wholly
condemned" (Decree Quam singulari, VII, AAS, 1910, p. 583). One can
scarcely have regard for the right that baptised children have of confessing
their sins, if at the beginning of the age of discretion they are not prepared
and gently led to the sacrament of Penance.
One should also keep in mind the usefulness of
Confession, which retains ifs efficacy even when only venial sins are in
question, and which gives an increase of grace and of charity, increases the
child’s good dispositions for receiving the Eucharist, and also helps to perfect the Christian life. Hence, if appears the usefulness of Confession
cannot be dismissed in favour of those forms 0f penance or those ministries of
the word, by which the virtue of penance is aptly fostered in children, and
which can be fruitfully practised together with the sacrament of Penance, when a
suitable catechetical preparation has been made. The pastoral experience of the
Church, which is illustrated by many examples even in our day, teaches hem how
much the so-called age of discretion is suited for effecting that the children’s
baptismal grace, by means of a well-prepared reception 0f the sacraments of
Penance and of the Eucharist, shows forth ifs first fruits, which are certainly to
be augmented afterwards by means of a continued catechesis.
Having weighed ail these points, and keeping
in mind the common and general practice which per se cannot be derogated without
the approval of the Apostolic See, and also having heard the Conferences of
Bishops, the Holy See judges if fitting that the practice now in force in the
Church of putting Confession ahead of first Communion should be retained. This
in no way prevents this custom from being carried out in various ways, as, for
instance, by having a communal penitential celebration precede or follow the
reception of the sacrament of Penance.
The Holy See is not unmindful of the special
conditions that exist in various countries, but if exhorts the bishops in this
important matter not to depart from the practice in force without having first
entered info communication with the Holy See in a spirit of hierarchical
communion. Non should they in any way allow the pastors or educators or
religious institutes to begin or to continue to abandon the practice in force.
In regions, however, where new practices have
already been introduced which depart notably from the pristine practice, the
Conferences of Bishops will wish to submit these experiments to a new
examination. If after that they wish to continue these experiments for a longer
time, they should not do so unless they have first communicated with the Holy
See, which will willingly hear them, and they are at one mind with the Holy See.
The Supreme Pontiff, PAUL VI, by a letter of
his Secretariat of State, n. 177335, dated March 18, 1971, approved this General
Directory together with the Addendum, confirmed if by his authority and ordered
if to be published.
Rome, April 11, 1971, Feast of the
Resurrection of Our Lord.
John J. Cardinal Wright, Prefect
Pietro Paiazzini, Secretary
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