Five catechetical tasks

For us Catholics, Christmas was not over on Dec. 26! The Christmas Season extended into January as we celebrated the great feasts of Mary, Mother of God, the Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord. We were not done celebrating until Jan. 10 this year! These feasts also provide a wonderful way to reflect further on the new Directory for Catechesis, and how all of us, as baptized missionary disciples, are called to contribute to the renewal of catechesis in our time.

Using the example of how Jesus formed his own disciples during his earthly ministry, the directory offers five “tasks” (or dimensions) that should be part of our catechetical endeavors: Leading to the Knowledge of Faith, Initiating into the Celebration of the Christian Mystery, Forming for Life in Christ, Teaching Prayer, and Introduction to Community Life. All these dimensions are equally important and very much interrelated.

Leading to the Knowledge of Faith 
The directory says that “catechesis has the task of fostering the knowledge and exploration of the Christian message” (no. 80). Put another way, “faith is both caught and taught.” We share faith by teaching it and living it. Isn’t that what we see when we look at the lives of the saints?  Mary, the Mother of God, is the preeminent example of one who shared her faith in word and deed. Her Magnificat continues to teach us about the God who “lifts up the lowly” and “fills the hungry with good things.” So, too, does her fiat teach us what it means to live in fidelity as a disciple of her son, Jesus.
For reflection: How am I sharing faith? How do I need to grow so that I can share faith more deeply? How does Mary inspire me to do so? 

Initiating into the Celebration of the Christian Mystery 
This dimension of catechesis gradually introduces the believer into an ever-deeper understanding and experience of the liturgical celebrations of the Church, “especially the sacrament of the Eucharist, source and summit of the life and mission of the Church” (no. 82). It “also aids in the appreciation of expressions of faith found in popular piety.” The Christmas season provided rich opportunities to make this dimension of catechesis come alive. Celebrating the fact that God in Jesus “pitched his tent among us” is a perfect time to reflect upon the gift of the Eucharist — the abiding way Jesus is truly present with us. Expressions of popular piety — devotion to Mary, the Mother of God, Eucharistic Adoration, the Christmas tree and the Christmas Crèche, using Holy Water in prayer, marking our doors with chalk in honor of the Magi — also allow us to enter more fully into the Christian Mystery.
For reflection: How do I share my love of the Eucharist and what it means in my life as a missionary disciple? Do I share the expressions of popular piety that support my faith journey?

Forming for Life in Christ
“Catechesis has the task of making the heart of every Christian resound with the call to live a new life in keeping with the dignity of children of God received in Baptism and with the life of the Risen One …” (no. 83). The directory urges catechesis to teach believers “to discern under the guidance of the Spirit and in harmony with the law of Christ” — with particular reference to the Beatitudes, “the commandment of charity, and … the virtues both human and Christian …” (no. 84).  Forming for life in Christ is first about touching hearts and gradually arousing a desire to live a life that is rich and fulfilling precisely because it is rooted in Christ. Only then can the moral teachings of the Church make any sense. It is helping believers to see that such a life “is the way to foster the coming of the Kingdom of God in the world and to hope in the promise of eternal beatitude” (no. 85). Just as the Spirit descended upon Jesus at his baptism and propelled him forth into mission, we, too, in baptism have been entrusted with our share of that same ­mission.
For reflection: How do I see my own life in Christ as building up the Kingdom of God in the world?

Teaching Prayer
“Catechesis has the task of educating the believer for prayer and in prayer, developing the contemplative dimension of Christian experience” (no. 86). Like Jesus did with his disciples, we introduce fellow believers to the various types of prayer — “blessing and adoration, petition, intercession, thanksgiving and praise” (no. 87).  But, we also catechize, as Jesus did, by being people of prayer — both personal and communal — and by actually praying with others. Indeed, this is what the Holy Family did in their daily life in Nazareth. Their example reminds us that prayer should permeate all that we do in catechesis — and ultimately in life itself! 
For reflection: Do I take the opportunity to share my way(s) of praying with others? Do I take the opportunity to pray with family, friends and others?

Introduction to Community Life
“The communitarian dimension is … an integral part of the Christian life, of witness and of evangelization” (no. 88). To be a Christian is to be part of a community. There is no escaping this reality that is rooted in the very nature of our Triune God. We are not merely a collection of people who share similar beliefs. Rather, as a community, we are to be an image of God’s own life and self-giving love. We are part of one another, sharing our joys and sufferings, caring for one another’s needs, offering one another true and profound friendship and cherishing one another as gifts from God. (cf. no. 88).  This is how we, as missionary disciples, truly give witness and evangelize. We are to invite everyone to share in this Gospel way of life as the Epiphany (the Manifestation) of the Lord to the nations so well teaches us. All of this is a daunting task given our human frailty! Yet, at each Eucharist, gathered with our saints and loved ones, we are nourished and strengthened. Attentive and docile to the Spirit of God that has been poured out on us (cf. Rom. 5:5), we go forth to glorify the Lord by our life! 
For reflection: How well does the community life of my parish reflect this vision? How do I contribute to this vision of community life in my parish? 

David G. Amico is the diocesan director of the Office of Lay Ministry & Parish Faith Formation and this column is part of a series of reflections on the new directory.