By Dr. Carmel Suart, Office of Christian Initiation, Archdiocese of Perth
“At the centre of every process of catechesis is the living encounter with Christ.” (Directory for Catechesis 75)
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Pope Francis states that “at the centre of every catechesis is the living encounter with Christ” (Directory for Catechesis 75). He makes clear that what the Church is handing on is not solely doctrinal content. Rather, it is “the new light born of an encounter with the true God, a light which touches us at the core of our being and engages our minds, wills and emotions, opening us to relationships lived in communion” (Lumen Gentium 6). “Catechesis needs to be holistic.”
Initiatory catechesis leads catechumens and candidates to encounter a personal relationship with Christ in their particular way and at their own time. It is concerned with “helping the catechumen and candidate name the experience of God within his or her own life” (The RCIA, Transforming the Church, Thomas Morris). To help them come to know and understand how to live this new faith more fully, the RCIA process needs to reflect the key tasks of catechesis. These are: promoting knowledge of the faith, liturgical education, teaching how to pray, moral formation, education for life in the community, and missionary initiation. The Directory for Catechesis (1997) emphasises that “it is very important that catechesis retain the richness of these various aspects in such a way that one aspect is not separated from the rest to the detriment of the others.”
A weakness of the RCIA process in many parishes is that the process is treated as a program. They use the same ‘teaching plan’ year in and year out, not taking into consideration the readiness and experience of the new group of catechumens and candidates gathered at a given time. The main task becomes imparting knowledge and information about faith. While knowledge and information about the Catholic faith is important, it is but one task of catechesis. The danger of simply transmitting doctrinal formulae is that it runs the risk of catechumens and candidates knowing a lot of information about Christ and the Christian way of living, but they lack what is most important, that is, developing a personal relationship with Christ. It is important that all the tasks of catechesis be incorporated into the journey of catechumens and candidates.
At the heart of the RCIA process, is the specific task of immersing catechumens and candidates into the life of the Church through liturgical catechesis. It is through task of catechesis that catechumens and candidates are introduced to the many aspects of Church life and witness the sacramental life of the community. Immersion into the liturgical life of the faith community leads to an active participation. Active participation cannot be achieved if the RCIA process does not prepare catechumens and candidates to experience and grow in understanding of the prayers, symbols gestures and words and the rites used by the community even if initially only a limited way. For liturgical catechesis to be effective the RCIA process needs to explain the signs, celebration and the liturgical seasons through the participation in the major and minor rites which mark significant moments in their faith journey.
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Another important task of catechesis is prayer. Prayer is not simply the recitation of formulae learnt off by heart. Prayer develops and facilitates a deep and intimate relationship with God. Within the RCIA process catechumens should be introduced to and experience different kinds of prayer: vocal and mental, formulas, spontaneous prayer and liturgical prayer. Teaching them how to pray will enable catechumens and candidates to know how to develop a personal prayer life and will aid them to pray together with the faith community.
Through participating in the liturgical life of the faith community, catechumens, perhaps for the first time, come in direct and intimate contact with the Gospels as the Word of God. By breaking open the Word of God the catechumens encounter Christ as a living person. The RCIA process sheds light and strengthens the understanding of the teachings of the Church. Through breaking open the Word, catechumens and candidate also learn to hear God’s inner voice that drives them to choose what is good and to avoid all that is evil. The RCIA process gives insight to catechumens and candidate on how to authentically live out the message and teachings of the Gospels in everyday life.
The support of the faith community is paramount in enabling the catechumens and candidates to experience an authentic way of how the faith community prays, breaks open the scriptures, celebrates the sacraments, and deepen their appreciation of Catholic Church teachings. Yes, it might be much easier if catechumens and candidates be given a book or different texts and to go through them at their own pace in the comfort of their homes, but then how would they be socialised in the faith and to grow together as a community united because they share common values, centred on the teachings of Jesus?
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Finally, catechumen and candidates, who through the different aspects of catechesis have come to know Christ intimately, are called to bear witness to him through daily life. Being a Christian means giving witness to what one believes through words, deeds and choices. The one and only model of how this is done is Jesus himself, whom the crowds believed because “he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Mk 1: 22). This authority was the result of the coherent and authentic life which Jesus openly lived. This is the way all Christians are called to live their faith.
Pope Francis states that “at the centre of every catechesis is the living encounter with Christ” (Directory for Catechesis 75). A living encounter with Christ is formed through a catechesis that is not solely about passing information about the faith. It is about a catechesis that enlivens faith (The RCIA, Transforming the Church, Thomas Morris p.120). Through the RCIA process, the various tasks of catechesis are crucial in leading catechumens and candidates not only to know about the person of Jesus Christ, but more profoundly, to come know him so intimately that it leads to a life-long conversion of heart and mind.
