By Dr. Christine Wood, Director, Office of Evangelisation & Catechesis, Archdiocese of Hobart
The Vatican released a new Directory for Catechesis in June this year. This is only the third of its kind over the last 50 years. Rooted in the renewal of the Second Vatican Council and Pope John Paul II’s letter, Catechesi Tradendae, the Directory’s Preface identifies two aims of catechesis: “maturing the initial faith and of educating the true disciple of Christ by means of a deeper and more systematic knowledge of the person and message of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Directory is a crucial document for those involved in running RCIA because it explains the place of the kerygma – both the proclamation and the content of the Gospel (n. 58) – in the catechumenal process. Indeed, readers will discover we are always coming back to the kerygma in our catechesis. The heart of the kerygma is an encounter with the person of Jesus Christ, which involves the call to repent from sin and to believe in the gospel. The Directory provides the following examples of the kerygma: Matt 1:23; Mk 1:15; Jn 3:16, 10:10; Acts 10:38; Rom 4:25; 1 Cor 12:3, 15:3; and Gal 2:20. I recommend studying, and even memorising, these passages.
Pope Francis summarises the kerygma this way:
The kerygma is trinitarian. The fire of the Spirit is given in the form of tongues and leads us to believe in Jesus Christ who, by his death and resurrection, reveals and communicates to us the Father’s infinite mercy. On the lips of the catechist the first proclamation must ring out over and over: “Jesus Christ loves you; he gave his life to save you; and now he is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen and free you.” This first proclamation is called “first” not because it exists at the beginning and can then be forgotten or replaced by other more important things. It is first in a qualitative sense because it is the principal proclamation, the one which we must hear again and again in different ways, the one which we must announce one way or another throughout the process of catechesis, at every level and moment (Evangelii gaudium, 164; cf. Directory, n. 68).
When enquirers come to the parish, we begin by building relationships with them, removing obstacles to faith, and gently proclaiming the kerygma. This initial proclamation aims at evoking an initial expression of faith, which is then nurtured throughout the catechumenal process. The Directory beautifully explains that the one who proclaims the kerygma witnesses to their own personal experience of Jesus:
In the kerygma, the active figure is the Lord Jesus, who manifests himself in the testimony of the one who proclaims him; the life of the witness who has experienced salvation therefore becomes that which touches and moves the hearer (n. 58).
Once changed by an encounter with Christ, the enquirer moves into the catechumenate, where the RCIA catechist begins to unpack the kerygma. “The catechesis of Christian initiation is a basic, essential, organic, systematic, and integral formation in the faith” (n. 71). It is for this reason that the Directory states that “the period of the catechumenate properly so called is set aside for comprehensive catechesis” (n. 63). It envisions much more than a lectionary-based catechesis during the catechumenate. It requires a comprehensive explanation of the Catholic faith. Again, this comprehensive catechesis is kerygmatic in character insofar as it is always returning to the core gospel message to foster a deeper encounter with Jesus Christ.
Catechesis during the catechumenate is not limited to a formal catechetical session (although an integral Christian instruction is required!), but it also includes proclaiming the Word of God, liturgical action, and works of charity, so that the whole person – not just the mind, but also the heart, senses, and body – are all turned around to Christ (n. 65, 76).
Let me unpack this a little: this comprehensive catechesis is so much more than just the teaching of a doctrine class: it is about forming life-long disciples of Jesus Christ. It means talking to catechumens about their marriage, connecting them with the clergy, helping them develop their prayer life via lectio divina, etc., getting them involved in the big devotional practices of the parish, and immersing them in both the domestic church (Catholic family life) and the diocesan church.
With this sort of formation, catechumens develop the ability to feel, think, and act like Christ (n. 77) through the Church. This will enable them to become members of the Elect, and then be able to make a truly personal and intentional profession of Christian faith on the day of their baptism.
There are many other gems to be discovered in this new Directory for Catechesis, which can be purchased through Catholic bookstores like St Pauls Publications.
