Lenten program links Bible and Catechism

There was a time when Eva Pearce considered it a penance of sorts to open her catechism.

Now, the chair of the pastoral council at St. Mary's Church in Nassau reads "The Catechism of the Catholic Church" with fervor -- and she's encouraging others in her parish to do the same this Lent.

Mrs. Pearce has invited St. Mary's parishioners to assist in searching for common themes found in both the catechism and the Bible. The results are being shared with the rest of the congregation throughout the Lenten season via the weekly church bulletin.

Linkages

Mrs. Pearce says the idea for the project came to her one day while she was leafing through her Bible with her catechism nearby.

"It just hit me that not enough people read their catechisms," she recalled. "I thought this might be a way to motivate them to dust off their catechisms, open them up, pick out a theme and then really delve into that theme, using both their catechisms and their Bibles. Best of all, it was something they could do in their own homes, investing as much or as little time as they wished. It's almost like a home-study course."

So far, the participants have discovered that both books abound with messages of compassion, forgiveness, reconciliation, healing -- and hope.

Reinforcements

"Each book has so much to offer on its own, but it's just amazing how the two reinforce one another," says Mrs. Pearce. "You constantly find some verse in the Bible that enhances a section you've just read in the catechism -- and vice versa.

Parishioners match catechism excerpts with daily Bible readings for the six weeks of Lent. One example encouraged parishioners to read Dt. 30:15-20, Ps 1:1-4, 6 and Luke 9:22-25 to tie in with catechism section 1033. Another theme noted that Jesus' call to conversion and penance does not aim first at outward works -- "sackcloth and ashes," fasting and mortification -- but at interior conversion.

"Without that," noted the bulletin, "such penances remain sterile and false; however, interior conversion urges expression in visible signs, gestures and works of penance."

Spur to sacraments

Mrs. Pearce hopes that publishing the catechism excerpts and Bible readings will prompt parishioners to avail themselves of the sacraments during Lent.

"I'm especially hoping that reading the themes of healing and forgiveness will encourage those who perhaps haven't received the Sacrament of Reconciliation in some time to consider doing so once again," she says.

If the Lenten reading program is well-received by the parish, Mrs. Pearce will consider offering a similar menu of spiritual nourishment during Advent.

(03-13-97) [[In-content Ad]]