CATECHETICS AND CATECHESIS

Sharing an Experience of Growth in Faith

by A Missionary of Charity

Faith in the Christian Life

"Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb. 11:6). This single sentence from Sacred Scripture should be enough to alert us to the primary importance of faith in human life. It is equivalent to saying "without faith it is impossible to be saved," for those who reach heaven are, by definition, those who please God.

But there is far more to this quotation than whether a person barely manages to get into heaven. If "without faith it is impossible to please God," then with faith it is possible to please Him, and with greater faith - more clearly understood, more deeply rooted, more integrally lived faith - it is possible to please Him more. It is the degree of clarity and depth and practice of faith that makes life on earth meaningful (and to that extent, fruitful and joyous) and secures the degree of intimacy which a man will have with his Maker for all eternity.

Therefore it is necessary for every believer to strive to grow in faith by all the means at his disposal, particularly by seeking and knocking through a systematic study of the truths God has revealed, and by the asking in prayer which alone converts dry knowledge into the gift of the living water of faith. What applies to every baptized person applies in a pre-eminent way to religious. Religious consecration is meant to be the full flowering of baptismal consecration. Since faith is the root of the justification conferred by baptism, it is the health and strength of this root which will determine the beauty of its flowering in the religious life and its fruitfulness in a sanctity that expresses and builds up the kingdom of God on earth.

Prayerful study of the Faith, then, is not an option for the religious but a vital need arising from the very nature of the life to which God has called them. They simply must feed their faith on the nourishment of the Word of God, imbibed both in personal prayer and through the teachings of the Church which Christ founded to pass on His saving truth in its fullness to all generations of believers. This is where catechesis come in. A sound catechism - precisely because it contains the Church's authentic understanding of the truths revealed and entrusted to her by God - can be the rich banquet table for any religious desirous of nourishing his life of faith. Far from being just a book for children, the prayerful assimilation of the catechism sustains the growth in faith of those committed to following Jesus most closely in religious life.

It was with all these considerations in mind that the following sentence was incorporated into the Spiritual Directory of the Missionaries of Charity:

We should ... seek to deepen and strengthen our faith by a weekly prayerful and contemplative study of the truths of our faith (Part III, No. 8).

And again we find in the Constitutions:

Every Missionary of Charity should know her faith well, and also how to teach catechism to children and adults (No. 107).

Of course, to carry out what our rule of life set forth, the Sisters must be prepared, i.e. motivated and equipped. And so an ongoing program of faith formation has been introduced in the Society which touches every single Sister. Through this program, the Sisters are led to see the vital necessity of growth in faith and are given the tools by which this growth may be cultivated. This faith formation program, which will be described below, has been gradually introduced in the whole Society (presently numbering over 3500 professed Sisters in more than 550 communities worldwide) beginning from 1988. The fruits of this program, when seriously undertaken, have been noted and remarked upon by many, both individual Sisters and those in charge of others, such as Regional Superiors and Formation Mistresses.

Ideally, a Region of the Society (consisting of 10-20 communities of Sisters) is initiated into the faith formation program by means of a seminar which all the Sisters attend in turn. The seminar is both motivational and informative. From the standpoint of motivation and inspiration to spiritual growth, over half the sessions of the seminar are devoted to explaining, in a living and practical way, some of the cardinal mysteries of our Faith and their bearing on our daily life as Christians and religious. The subjects of these sessions include: Life, Divine Revelation, the Blessed Trinity, Creation, God's Original Plan for Man, Sin and Its Consequences, Concupiscence, and the Life of Grace with emphasis on the supernatural powers received at Baptism. It is not possible, nor is it intended, that the seminar should thoroughly explore each of these vast topics. Rather, these classes are meant to open a door and give a provocative glimpse; to invite each Sister, as it were, to enter in and continue the exploration on her own. None of these mysteries are new to the Sisters in the sense that they had not heard of them before. But, for many, these classes serve to resuscitate what may have been until then only dry information, and to show these mysteries for what they are, living and life-giving springs of the graces of salvation and sanctification.

The remaining sessions of the seminar are practical, devoted to the "how-to" of continuing the work of faith formation once the seminar is over. It is in these sessions that the Home Study Catholic Catechist Course by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. is introduced. The Sisters are instructed in how to handle the Catholic Catechist's Manual which serves as a guide to the Pocket Catholic Catechism, the Pocket Catholic Dictionary, and the Question Book for Catechists. The prayerful study of these books has proved invaluable in leading the Sisters to a deeper understanding of their faith and in awakening them to the transcendent meaning of life. The Manual is especially useful in helping the Sisters to increase their religious vocabulary and to focus clearly on the main themes taken up in the material presented in the Pocket Catholic Catechism. There was also a great advantage, not entirely unforeseen, in beginning with these sound and well-written books of Fr. Hardon as early as 1988. Because they are constructed in the same four sections (or "pillars") as the Catechism of the Catholic Church and treat the same material (obviously, the faith is one), Fr. Hardon's books provided a wonderful preparation and incentive for digging deeply into the Catechism of the Catholic Church when finally it was published in English.

Inspired by the faith formation seminar, which normally lasts five days, the Sisters return to the very active life of the Missionaries of Charity in service of the poorest of the poor. It is in this context that they must continue the work of deepening their faith, all the while carrying on the active apostolate, the life in community, and the rhythm of prayer that make up our life as Missionaries of Charity. And so time for faith study - two hours a week - is incorporated into the community timetable. To a scholar, two hours a week may sound like nothing. But for busy people (religious and lay alike) a commitment to a regular time for studying the faith, however little it may be, bears abundant fruit. The two hours dedicated to faith study remain in the community timetable even after the Sisters complete the 36 lessons of Fr. Hardon's Home Study Course just because we can never finish knowing God. And it is one of the fruits of this course that, by the time the Sisters have completed it, they have developed a real taste for the mysteries God has revealed and so are eager to learn more and more.

Many of the lessons of the Home Study Course recommend or require supplementary reading. And so, in addition to the Catechism of the Catholic Church mentioned above, the Sisters are enriched by the whole world of Church documents - Papal, Conciliar, and Post-Conciliar. This too incites a hunger, as the solid food of Church teaching is a staple to nourish the appetite for truth.

All of this being said, however, it must be insisted that without prayer any study of the faith is wasted effort. "What is born of the flesh is flesh," and what is born solely of natural intellectual endeavor is natural knowledge - even when the topic studied is God. The aim of studying the faith is growth in faith, not growth in knowledge. Faith is a gift of God, as is growth in faith. Therefore, the single most important part of our effort, to grow in faith is to contact God, i.e. to pray. From the time the faith study is introduced, prayer is presented as an essential element of it. Even during the introductory faith formation seminar, the Sisters are encouraged to meditate upon the subjects touched on in class. To ask for light to understand, to exclaim in praise and give thanks for the marvels God has done, to express regret for failing to return such love, even just to sit before a mystery in silent adoring contemplation -all these are forms of prayer which must arise from the study of the truths of the faith.

In prayer. But if it is prayer that makes the study of faith fruitful, the converse is equally true. The study of the faith can be itself a catalyst to deepen the life of prayer. Indeed, this is one of the chief fruits that the work of faith formation bears in the lives of the Sisters. All Christians are accustomed from infancy to hearing that "God is love." However, many Christians remain interiorly unconvinced of this truth precisely because they have never come to recognize the signs of this love. The systematic study of the faith presents the saving works of God to the mind in an orderly fashion. Taken to prayer, one comes to "see" the love of God acting in a powerful and personal way both in the global history of salvation and in the individual history of one's own walk with the Lord. The mysteries then become the root of a relationship, a source of intimacy with the three Divine Persons.

Further, the prayerful assimilation of the mysteries of the faith which have been studied enlightens one's own spiritual journey. As the Being of God never changes, so His way of acting remains constant. What God has done in the past for all humanity, He still wants to do in the life of each believer who through faith and surrender gives Him a free hand. The Incarnation, the Passion, the Resurrection, and so many other mysteries are meant to take root and be lived anew, as it were, in the life of each one. To know what God has done for all is to know what God means to do in me. And this knowledge, gained by a prayful study, gives rise to a supernatural outlook on life, conferring meaning, and consequently security and peace, in the midst of what could otherwise be the baffling array of each day's events.

In the moral life. As with the life of prayer, so too the moral life of the Sisters is given direction and certainly through the prayerful study of the Faith. Much of the study of the Creed is devoted to learning of and reflecting upon the Person and work of Jesus Christ. This prolonged contact with Jesus the Way, the source and model of all holiness, gradually has its effect in life. The pursuit of sanctity ceases to be a blind groping after some vague, otherworldly ideal and comes to be understood in its true sense as the "putting on" of Jesus Christ. The reflective study of the mysteries reveals both the interior attitudes of Jesus and the exterior virtues He practiced while on earth. Moving from Creed to Commandments and Beatitudes in this perspective, one is confronted, not with a set of arbitrary rules to be obeyed, but with a blueprint for the imitation of Christ. What clarity of vision and motivation to holiness this brings - especially to the religious whose consecration binds her to strive for the perfection of charity.

And yet, the very loftiness of the ideal of sanctity of Christ sets in relief the weakness and sinfulness of even those who sincerely follow Him. Sanctity is impossible to human effort alone. However, "with God nothing is impossible." In striving after the holiness of Jesus, human misery is in desperate need of Divine help. Here again, the prayerful study of the catechism points the way, for it presents the channels of grace - the Sacraments - precisely as sources of the Divine light and strength needed to follow Christ on earth so as to reach eternal glory with Him in heaven.

In the liturgical life. In her earthly pilgrimage, the Church recalls and lives the mysteries of Christ's life through the annual cycle of liturgical celebrations. The Sisters very quickly come to appreciate study as a means to enter more deeply into each liturgical moment. Whether it be reflection on the sacrament of penance and the Passion of Our Lord during Lent, contemplation of His Incarnation and the role of Our Lady throughout Advent, or pondering about the Final Judgement and Life Everlasting in the month of November, the catechism provides sound doctrinal support for liturgical piety.

In the consecrated life. The fruits of the prayerful study mentioned above - as stimulus and content of prayer, light and direction on the spiritual journey, and enrichment of liturgical life - could be experienced by anyone who seriously undertook this study. But as religious, we can reap even more. As explained earlier, religious consecration is built upon baptismal consecration and is its fullest expression. Therefore, a deep experiential knowledge of the faith professed at Baptism is the irreplaceable foundation for the structure of religious life. It is next to impossible to take a vow of obedience, for example, without an understanding of what the Fourth commandment already imposes on every believer, nor without contemplating Christ who was obedient unto death. The same sort of example could be given for all the vows and obligations of religious life. Without the foundation, the structure will sooner or later crumble. But built on the rock of faith, the "house" of religious life can withstand any storm. The Sisters bear this out in their own experiences, finding new meaning in and zest for our Constitutions when studied in conjunction with the catechism.

In the apostolate. The personal spiritual growth that the Sisters experience as a fruit of their prayerful study of faith naturally has its effect on the apostolate. As Missionaries of Charity, we are specially dedicated by vow to giving wholehearted and free service to the poorest of the poor. On the surface, the services we render to the poor can appear to be mere social work. Only a deep faith transforms these humble works into "God's love in action." It is the supernatural vision of faith, which has been built up by prayerful study, than enables the Sisters to truly appreciate the dignity of the poor in their distressing disguise, and the value of our life of prayer, sacrifice and humble service as a channel of God's grace to them. Faith is the key to our service, making our deeds (in the words of Mother Teresa) "the overflow of our love for God and the first fruits of our cleaving to Him in chastity."

However, the poorest of the poor are not only the materially impoverished. There is in this world also deep spiritual poverty. Our mission to the poorest of the poor includes those who are the spiritually poorest of the poor - those ignorant of God's love, and those who reject it. That is the reason why, in many places, the Sisters teach catechism. In this missionary endeavor, too, the prayerful study of the Faith is invaluable. Having studied thoroughly themselves, the Sisters know well what to teach and the order in which to present the mysteries. Sometimes this security is all that is needed to turn a Sister who was nervous and hesitant about catechizing into one who is zealous and enthusiastic about imparting the beauty of God's truth to others. But beyond pedagogy, the personal and prayerful pondering of the mysteries produces a Sister with deep and convinced faith. She is then a better channel through which God can communicate the grace of faith to her students.

In formation and in fidelity. As in the spiritual life of religious and in their apostolate, the prayerful study of the faith bears fruit in religious formation. There may have been a time when Postulant Mistresses and Novice Mistresses could take for granted that their charges came from home already well grounded in the Faith. But times have changed. Today's candidate comes to the convent with an abundance of good will, but very little knowledge of the things of God. And this is true, on the whole, throughout the world - as Formation Mistresses can attest. One of the chief tasks in religious formation, therefore, is simply Christian formation - leading the candidates through a systematic study of the Faith, helping them to ponder upon, appreciate, and live the riches of Christ. This alone provides the basis for their informed choice of religious life, and the springboard for giving "the more" in the vows.

After formation, continued fidelity in the religious life also rests on faith. And in today's climate of infidelity, only an informed faith can be trusted to endure. Here again, the prayerful study of the catechism as a lifelong project is of great benefit. The simple sensus fidei of the Sisters is bolstered by this study. They are enabled to defend the Faith, in words as well as in deeds, when they sense it is being threatened. They also have reasons for resisting the fickleness of "doctrinal fashion" which can lead so many astray.

When we consider all the benefits coming to us through the prayerful study of the catechism, we Missionaries of Charity can do nothing but thank God for this great gift to our Society. We thank Him, too, for those He uses as channels of this grace to us. In first place is our gratitude to the Church who guards and faithfully transmits the whole deposit of faith, and who, in these recent years, has gifted us with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Then our thanksgiving goes to Fr. Hardon whose faithful guidance and inspired texts have made this faith formation program both possible and fruitful. Eager that others may share in the treasure we have received, we earnestly encourage families, parishes, and religious institutes to undertake a faith formation program of their own.

It seems fitting to conclude this article with a prayer that Mother Teresa asked all the Sisters to pray many times a day in her General Letter of February 11, 1984:

Jesus in my heart,

Increase my faith,

Strengthen my faith,

Let me live this faith

Through living humble obedience.

Amen.

[If you would like more information regarding the Home Study Catholic Catechist Course by Fr. John Hardon, S.J., please write to Inter Mirifica, P.O. Box 241, Kensington, MD 20895 U.S.A.]