WE MUST KNOW CHRIST
BEFORE WE CAN TEACH OTHERS
Bishop Paul S. Coakley
This weekend we observe Catechetical Sunday to underline the importance of the catechetical ministry in the life of the Church. Parents, priests and catechists all share in different ways and different settings in the important catechetical work of forming Disciples of Christ in the fullness of our Catholic faith.
Helping others to encounter the living Christ is the fundamental goal of all of our catechetical efforts. At a critical moment in his ministry Jesus asked Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” (Mark 8:29). It is not enough merely to know what others say about him. Jesus seeks a very personal faith response. Before we can teach others about Christ we must know him ourselves. “Who do you say that I am?” Jesus challenges each of us to respond to this probing question which is the theme for this year’s Catechetical Sunday.
As we continue to grow in every other aspect of our lives our knowledge and love Christ and the teaching of his Church ought to continue growing as well. Catechetical formation is a lifelong process because discipleship is a lifelong journey.
THERE ARE A NUMBER of things that we can do to foster this growth in Christian maturity. God created us to know, love and serve him. But we cannot love what we do not know. Catechetical programs in the parish and diocese help us discover and know the content of our faith, that is, what we believe. Among the growing number of excellent catechetical resources available today are two newly published books based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is a summary of the basic themes of the Catechism in a question and answer format. The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults provides an outstanding guide for RCIA, adult education, and study groups as well as for personal use. I highly recommend these authoritative sources which can be ordered at www.usccbpublishing.org .
Making time to pray daily is a fundamental ingredient for growing in faith. Reading and studying, though important, are not enough. We also have to listen and respond. This is what prayer is: a loving conversation with the Lord. The Lord speaks to us in a unique way through the Scriptures. Prayerful reading of the Bible and attentive listening to the Word of God as it is proclaimed in the liturgy evokes a response of faith. Through prayer and meditation on God’s word our knowledge of the Lord ceases to be something abstract and becomes something personal and real.
AUTHENTIC FAITH GROWS when it is renewed at its source. The Eucharist is the center of our lives. Growth in Christian maturity must always be nourished from this Eucharistic source. The maturing disciple continues to discover the inexhaustible riches of the Mass in which we proclaim the death and resurrection of the Lord until he comes. Eucharistic adoration outside of Mass becomes a way of deepening our hunger and appreciation for this gift. Living a sacramental life, including the regular celebration of the Sacrament of the Penance, increases our sharing in the divine life of grace which we received in Baptism and which is destined to come to its fullness in heaven.
Finally, we also have to put our faith into action if it is to continue to grow. In other words, we must serve. Authentic disciples follow Jesus who came not to be served, but to serve others. Faith has to be lived or it will atrophy.
Catechetical Sunday reminds us of the important work our catechists undertake. It is a day to acknowledge them and the importance of this ministry in the life of the Church. Only by a commitment to our own ongoing catechetical formation can we respond adequately to the question Jesus addresses to each of us, “Who do you say that I am?”
Published in The Register, Catholic Diocese of Salina (9-15-06)
Vol. 47, No. 41