Catechesis in the Process of Evangelization

by Raymond L. Burke, D.D., J.C.D.

Catechesis is part of the dynamic process of evangelization in the Church. Evangelization, which is the reason for the existence of the Church, is the bringing of the Gospel to all our brothers and sisters, of every time and place, so that the Gospel may take root in their hearts and bring forth the civilization of love, according to God’s plan. Evangelization is carried out by various means: proclamation of the Gospel, witness to the Gospel, teaching of the doctrine of faith, administration of the Sacraments, and the love of neighbor. Evangelization cannot be reduced to any one of these means but is all-encompassing: “witness and proclamation, word and sacrament, interior change and social transformation” (General Directory for Catechesis, No. 46).

The dynamic of the process of evangelization is made up of the following moments: missionary activity directed toward those without faith or indifferent to the faith and its practice; initial catechesis on behalf of those who accept the faith and those who are completing their initiation into the faith; and pastoral activity on behalf of the members of the Church who are of mature faith (cf. General Directory for Catechesis, Nos. 47-49).

The ministry of the Word of God is fundamental to evangelization, for, if the Gospel is to be brought to all men and women, Our Lord Jesus Christ must be named and taught. The ministry of the Word of God, in which the Holy Spirit is the primary agent, communicates Divine Revelation by means of human words (Ibid., No. 50).

The General Directory for Catechesis indicates the principal functions of the ministry of the Word of God in the dynamic process of evangelization:

The primary proclamation which is addressed to nonbelievers, to those who have rejected the faith or are living “on the margins of Christian life, and to members of other religions”; the primary proclamation includes “the religious awakening of the children of Christian families;”

Christian initiation by which those who, with the help of God’s grace, choose to follow Christ are introduced into the doctrine of the faith, into the life of prayer and worship, and into the witness of the life of the virtues; Christian initiation is accomplished fundamentally by catechesis closely connected with the reception of the Sacraments of Christian Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist); this catechesis is carried out on behalf of unbaptized adults who are catechumens, baptized adults who seek full communion in the Catholic Church, baptized Catholics who need to complete their Christian initiation or are returning to the practice of the faith, and baptized children and young people who are growing in their knowledge of the Catholic faith and its practice; the Catholic education and formation which takes place in homes, in Catholic schools and in programs of religious education belongs to this function of the ministry of the Word of God;

The permanent catechesis by which those who have been fully initiated into the faith are helped to deepen their knowledge and practice of the faith throughout a lifetime;

The sacred liturgy in which the ministry of the Word of God has an integral part; most important is the homily; also included are instructions given during the preparation and the celebration of the Sacraments; participation itself in the Holy Eucharist must be seen as “a primary means of education in the faith;”

The study of sacred theology by which the truths of the faith are studied systematically and scientifically in order to achieve a deeper understanding of them (General Directory for Catechesis, No. 51).

Evangelization by its very nature invites man to a conversion to Our Lord Jesus Christ, by which “the believer unites himself to the community of disciples and appropriates the faith of the Church” (General Directory for Catechesis, No. 53). The conversion to Christ is both “trustful abandonment to God” and “a loving assent to all that he has revealed to us” (Ibid., No. 54). By its nature, conversion to Christ includes all aspects of a person’s life and penetrates to the very depths of the person’s being. Through conversion to Christ, the Christian “finds what he had always been seeking and he finds it superabundantly,” the truth about God, about himself and about his destiny in God (Ibid. No. 55).

Conversion, like evangelization, is a dynamic process marked by certain moments:

Interest in the Gospel awakened by the first proclamation or call to faith; with the help of God’s grace, the nonbeliever or the indifferent person or person of another religion is attracted to the Catholic faith but without yet a firm decision;

Firm decision for the Gospel after a seeking of the truth, inspired by the Holy Spirit and the proclamation of the events of salvation;

The profession of faith which follows upon the catechesis which has introduced the believer into a deeper knowledge of the faith and into the Christian way of life;

The journey toward perfection for which the profession of faith is the foundation, sustained by adult catechesis, within which the homily has a preeminent place. (General Directory for Catechesis, Nos. 56-57)

The treatment of catechesis as part of the dynamic process of evangelization concludes with a presentation of the different socio-religious situations in which evangelization is carried out. The General Directory for Catechesis distinguishes three basic situations which require a specific response of evangelization.

In the first situation, Our Lord Jesus Christ is entirely unknown or the Christian community is not sufficiently developed so that it can witness and proclaim the Catholic faith to others. The response of the Church to the first situation is missionary activity directed toward young people and adults. The Church directs herself to the unbaptized and invites them to conversion. Catechesis here is carried out within the catechumenate.

In the second situation, the Church is solidly established and her members “are fervent in their faith and in Christian living” (General Directory for Catechesis, No. 58). The response of the Church is a well-developed pastoral activity so that the Church’s members may grow in their knowledge of the faith and its practice. Regarding the second situation, the General Directory for Catechesis observes: “In such contexts it is vital that catechesis for children, adolescents and young people develop various processes of well articulated Christian initiation which permit these to arrive at adulthood with mature faith which makes evangelizers of those who have been evangelized” (No. 58).

In the third situation, which is called intermediate, “entire groups of the baptized have lost a living sense of the faith, or even no longer consider themselves members of the Church and live a life far removed from Christ and his Gospel” (Pope John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, No. 33). The Church responds to the third situation with “a new evangelization,” directed to the baptized of all ages for whom the Gospel and faith are no longer interiorly appropriated.

As the General Directory clearly points out, today the three different situations “oftentimes co-exist in the same territory” (No. 59). It is important, then, to keep distinct the three responses of the Church and to employ them appropriately: the Church must carry out its primary missionary activity on behalf of the unbaptized; the catechesis of catechumens is the model for all other forms of catechesis; the catechesis of adults must be considered “the chief form of catechesis,” toward which all the other necessary forms of catechesis are directed. In other words, the necessary and fundamental catechesis of children and young people is directed toward their adult knowledge and practice of the faith.

Catechesis is only properly understood within the context of evangelization; it is an essential moment of the dynamic process of evangelization. As a moment of evangelization, it is missionary in nature and is a fundamental way by which the Church fulfills her missionary mandate from Our Lord Jesus Christ (General Directory for Catechesis, No. 59).

Catechesis and the Other Elements
of Evangelization
Catechesis is an integral part of evangelization and, therefore, is best understood in relationship to the other elements of evangelization: the primary proclamation carried out in missionary activity; the celebration of the Sacraments of Christian Initiation; the ordinary life or pastoral activity of the Church; and teaching of religion in schools.

Catechesis and the primary proclamation

The first element of evangelization, which is the primary proclamation, is directed to those who do not yet believe and to those who are religiously indifferent. Its goal is a proclamation of the Gospel which is at the same time a call to conversion.

Catechesis is complementary to the primary proclamation, for it “promotes and matures initial conversion, educates the convert in the faith and incorporates him into the Christian community” (General Directory for Catechesis, No. 61). The primary proclamation responds to Our Lord’s command: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to all creation” (Mk 16, 15). Catechesis responds to the need of the one who converts for further instruction in the faith and its practice in preparation for Christian initiation: “The man who believes in it and accepts baptism will be saved . . .” (Mk 16, 16).

The General Directory for Catechesis points out that it is not always easy “to define the boundaries of these activities” (No. 62). Sometimes those being catechized, in fact, first need conversion. Therefore, the Church normally requires a prior stage to catechesis, what is called the pre-catechumenate or pre-catechesis, in order to be certain that the catechized has first accepted the faith. Even though a diocese carries out catechesis with attention to pre-catechesis, it must also have in place a proper program of primary proclamation for those who are not yet believers or remain in religious indifference.

Catechesis and the Sacraments of Christian Initiation

Catechesis follows upon the primary proclamation and conversion, and it prepares the convert for the reception of the Sacraments of Christian Initiation by introducing him or her to “the mystery of salvation and an evangelical style of life” (No. 63). Catechesis provides the solid foundation upon which all development of understanding and of practice of the faith will rest. Without catechesis, the missionary effort or primary proclamation would remain fruitless, and the pastoral activity of the Church would lack solid foundations.

Faith requires Baptism. Our Lord commanded us to make disciples of all nations and to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (cf. Mt 28, 19). Catechesis prepares the unbaptized to make the profession of faith required for Baptism. By a well-ordered and complete presentation of the doctrine of the faith through catechesis the catechized is readied to make the profession of faith and to be baptized. The General Directory for Catechesis lists the following characteristics of the catechesis which prepares the unbaptized for the Sacraments of Initiation:

Catechesis must be comprehensive and systematic, for the purpose of catechesis is to introduce the catechized into the full mystery of our salvation in Jesus Christ;

Catechesis must be complete, providing “education in knowledge of the faith and in the life of faith” (No. 67); in other words it must not only be instruction but also introduction into the following of Christ in daily living;

Catechesis must concentrate on the essentials and fundamentals of the faith and its practice, in view of the development of the faith and its practice in the individual through the ordinary pastoral activity of the Church.

Catechesis and ongoing formation in the faith

Once catechesis has accomplished its goal of a basic instruction in the faith and introduction into its practice, the Christian community bears the responsibility of helping the catechized to continue developing his or her understanding and practice of the faith, to engage in ongoing conversion of life (No. 69). The continuing formation in the faith is sustained primarily through participation in the Holy Eucharist, hearing the Gospel and sharing in Christ’s Sacrifice. Clearly, the homily at Sunday Mass and other Masses is the eminent means by which the knowledge and practice of the faith acquired through catechesis is deepened and developed.

The other forms of continuing catechesis or formation in the faith are: 1) the study of the Sacred Scripture, especially through lectio divina (the reading of the Word of God, the prayerful meditative reflection upon it, and its application to daily life); 2) the Christian reading of events, especially through the study of the Church’s social doctrine; 3) liturgical catechesis which studies the prayers, the signs and gestures of the sacred liturgy, and is directed to the fuller participation in the sacred liturgy; 4) occasional catechesis regarding a particular aspect or circumstance of home life or of the life of the Church or of society; 5) initiatives of spiritual formation aimed chiefly at deepening prayer life and witness through works of justice; and 6) theological study which helps the believer to be better equipped to give an account of his faith (No. 71). As the General Directory for Catechesis points out, it is critical that there be coherence between the catechesis for Christian Initiation and the continuing catechesis (No. 72).

Catechesis and religious instruction in schools

The General Directory for Catechesis addresses itself to the relationship of catechesis to religious instruction in the schools, which takes various forms in the Church throughout the world. For us in the United States, religious instruction in schools can only happen in the Catholic school. Religious instruction in the Catholic schools is catechesis but also something more, the illumination of the whole of the student’s education by the Gospel and the doctrine of faith. In both regards, it is important that religious instruction in the Catholic schools be carried out with the same seriousness and completeness as instruction in the other subjects. Religious instruction should not be viewed as secondary but must occupy a place with the other academic subjects, so that an interdisciplinary study can be accomplished (No. 73). Religious instruction in the Catholic school is also accompanied by catechesis, the homily, liturgical catechesis, and so forth.

For students who are believers, religious instruction in the Catholic school helps them to deepen their understanding of the doctrine of faith. For those who are experiencing doubts regarding the faith, religious instruction provides the opportunity to know “what exactly faith in Jesus Christ is, what response the Church makes to their questions, and gives them the opportunity to examine their own choice more deeply” (No. 75). For nonbelieving students, religious instruction will be the primary proclamation of the faith.

The General Directory for Catechesis concludes the discussion of catechesis as part of evangelization by pointing out the responsibility of each diocese to set forth guidelines regarding the education in the faith and its practice for children, adolescents and young people through Christian family life, through catechesis and through the Catholic school. It is important that the formative duties of the family, of catechetical programs and of the Catholic schools be set forth in their relationship to one another.

Once the General Directory for Catechesis has placed catechesis in the proper context of evangelization in the Church, it describes catechesis in particular.

The Nature of Catechesis

What is the nature of catechesis? Catechesis is an activity of the Church by which she continues the teaching mission of Our Lord Jesus, under the inspiration and with the strength of the Holy Spirit. The Church is our mother; we come to life as children of God in the Church. As mother, the Church is also teacher: she transmits to her children “the faith which she herself lives.” She transmits the faith in a way which leads the catechized to deepen their faith and renew their lives in Christ. Doing the work of catechesis is responding to the life of the Holy Spirit within us through Baptism and Confirmation, and nourished through the Holy Eucharist, by transmitting the faith and its practice to the catechized. The catechized, for their part, draw upon the grace of the Holy Spirit given to them in Baptism to respond to the handing-on of the faith and its practice (General Directory for Catechesis, Nos. 78-79).

The Object of Catechesis

What is the object of catechesis? Catechesis seeks to strengthen and develop the communion of the catechized with Our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Baptism, the catechized have come to life in Christ; they have become sons and daughters of God in His only-begotten Son. Catechesis helps them to know Christ more fully. Coming to know Christ more fully means knowing more fully God the Father Who sent Him into the world and the Holy Spirit, the gift of the Father and Son to us in the Church. It also means knowing more fully the Church herself, Christ’s Mystical Body. What is more, it means coming to know more fully all our brothers and sisters in the human family, whom Christ came into the world to save, to restore to communion with God the Father.

The object of catechesis, the fuller communion with Our Lord Jesus, is achieved through the profession of faith with ever greater understanding and adherence. To profess faith in Jesus Christ is always to profess faith in the Triune God; to come to know more deeply Jesus Christ is to come to know more deeply God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. By helping us to make more wholeheartedly the profession of faith, catechesis also helps us to express our faith in the Holy Eucharist and the other Sacraments, and to live “the commitments which it entails” (General Directory for Catechesis, No. 82).

When we confess our faith in God — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — we make it clear that love of God and of neighbor is the heart of our life and activity. The confession of faith frees us from any worship of false idols: “gods or demons (for example, satanism), power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state, money, etc” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2113).

The profession or confession of faith is made as an individual but in and through the Church. Professing our faith means accepting, with all of our brothers and sisters in the Church, the Church’s mission, even to the point of suffering persecution and death (General Directory for Catechesis, No. 83).

The Tasks of Catechesis

The object of catechesis is achieved by carrying out certain tasks which are all necessary and closely related to each other. The General Directory of Catechesis indicates that the tasks of catechesis are first seen in the mission of Our Lord Jesus, the Master: He taught His disciples to pray, He inculcated in them the Gospel virtues, and He prepared them to bring the Gospel to others (Nos. 84 and 87).

Catechesis must promote knowledge of the faith. The catechized, having come to a first knowledge of Christ, desire to know Him more and more through the study of Tradition and the Holy Scriptures. This task is the deepening of the understanding of the Profession of Faith or Creed. The deeper knowledge of the faith not only helps the catechized to live more fully in Christ but also prepares him or her to give an account of the faith to others.

Catechesis must lead to full, conscious and active participation in the Sacred Liturgy. Through catechesis, the catechized are educated in the most privileged encounters we have with Christ in the Church: the Sacred Liturgy, especially the Sacraments. The deeper understanding of the meaning of the Profession of Faith must necessarily lead to the deeper understanding of how the faith is expressed in the Sacred Liturgy.

Catechesis must give moral formation. Knowledge of Christ necessarily entails accompanying Christ along the Way of the Cross, the way home to God the Father. Catechesis prepares the catechized to witness to Christ in the manner of their daily living. The Sermon on the Mount, by which Christ teaches the full meaning of the Ten Commandments, is the constant point of reference for catechesis in providing moral formation.

Catechesis must teach how to pray. Deeper friendship with Jesus Christ means praying with Him, especially in the words which He Himself has taught us: the Our Father. All of the sentiments which Our Lord Jesus expresses in the Our Father are taught in catechesis: “adoration, praise, thanksgiving, filial confidence, supplication and awe for [the Father’s] glory” (General Directory for Catechesis, No. 85d).

Catechesis must educate for community life. Catechesis inculcates in the catechized the virtues which foster the life of the Church: “the spirit of simplicity and humility . . .; solicitude for the least among the brethren . . .; particular care for those who are alienated . . .; fraternal correction . . .; common prayer . . .; mutual forgiveness” (General Directory for Catechesis, No. 86a).

Education for community life inspires the desire of Christian unity. Catechesis promotes true ecumenism to the degree that it provides the catechized with a full and clear presentation of the Church’s teaching. The presentation of the Church’s teaching should include the “elements of faith” which the Catholic Church shares with other Christian churches and ecclesial communities.

Catechesis provides initiation into the mission. Catechesis prepares the catechized to be effective witnesses of Jesus Christ in the world: in their work or professional life, recreation and cultural activity. At the same time, it introduces the catechized into direct service of the Church, in accord with their vocation in life.

In introducing the catechized into the mission of the Church, catechesis should foster very much the vocations to the ordained priesthood and to the consecrated life in its various forms, so that the catechized whom God the Father is calling to these vocations will be assisted in responding for the building-up of the Body of Christ.

Education for the mission includes preparation for respectful conversation with persons of other religions, for example, Judaism or Islam. With regard to dialogue with persons of other religions, the catechized should be reminded of their duty to proclaim faith in Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

Although the catechesis of the baptized is fundamentally different from pre-baptismal catechesis, the General Directory for Catechesis presents the baptismal catechumenate as an inspiration for carrying out the work of catechesis in the Church: the parallel importance of catechesis and the Sacraments of Initiation; the responsibility of the whole community for catechesis; the centrality of the mystery of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ in all catechesis; the relationship of the faith to the actual situation of the catechized or inculturation; and catechesis as a true school of the faith which is carried out systematically and gradually.

Bishop Burke is the Bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin.

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