A Ministry of the Word

"Like other pastoral activities, catechetical ministry must be understood in relation to Jesus' threefold ministry. It is a form of the ministry of the word which proclaims and teaches. It leads to and flows from the ministry of worship, which sanctifies through prayer and sacrament. It supports the ministry of service, which is linked to efforts to achieve social justice and has traditionally been expressed in spiritual and corporal works of mercy." (National Catechetical Directory, #32 )

Message

"...the Gospel kerygma (the initial ardent proclamation by which a person is one day overwhelmed and brought to decision to entrust himself (sic) to Jesus Christ by faith) is gradually deepened, developed in implicit consequences, explained in language that includes appeal to reason, and channeled towards Christian practice in the Church and the world." (John Paul II, Catechesi Tradendae, #25)

- Promoting knowledge of the faith
Who has encountered Christ desires to know him as much as possible, as well as to know the plan of the Father which he revealed. Knowledge of the faith (fides quae) is required by adherence to the faith (fides qua). Even in the human order the love which one person has for another causes that person to wish to know the other all the more. Catechesis, must, therefore, lead to "the gradual grasping of the whole truth about the divine plan", by introducing the disciples of Jesus to a knowledge of Tradition and of Scripture, which is "the sublime science of Christ". By deepening knowledge of the faith, catechesis nourishes not only the life of faith but equips it to explain itself to the world. The meaning of the Creed, which is a compendium of Scripture and of the faith of the Church, is the realization of this task. (General Directory for Catechesis, #85)
 

Communal Prayer (Worship)

"In other words, sacramental life is impoverished and very soon turns into hollow ritualism if it is not based on serious knowledge of the meaning of the sacraments, and catechesis becomes intellectualized if it fails to come
alive in sacramental practice." ( John Paul II, Catechesi Tradendae, #23 )

- Liturgical education
Christ is always present in his Church, especially in "liturgical celebrations". Communion with Jesus Christ leads to the celebration of his salvific presence in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist. The Church ardently desires that all the Christian faithful be brought to that full, conscious and active participation which is required by the very nature of the liturgy and the dignity of the baptismal priesthood. For this reason, catechesis, along with promoting a knowledge of the meaning of the liturgy and the sacraments, must also educate the disciples of Jesus Christ "for prayer, for thanksgiving, for repentance, for praying with confidence, for community spirit, for understanding correctly the meaning of the creeds...", as all of this is necessary for a true liturgical life. (General Directory for Catechesis, #85)

Personal Prayer

- Teaching to pray
Communion with Jesus Christ leads the disciples to assume the attitude of prayer and contemplation which the Master himself had. To learn to pray with Jesus is to pray with the same sentiments with which he turned to the Father: adoration, praise, thanksgiving, filial confidence, supplication and awe for his glory. All of these sentiments are reflected in the Our Father, the prayer which Jesus taught his disciples and which is the model of all Christian prayer. The "handing on of the Our Father" is a summary of the entire Gospel and is therefore a true act of catechesis. When catechesis is permeated by a climate of prayer, the assimilation of the entire Christian life reaches its summit. This climate is especially necessary when the catechumen and those to be catechized are confronted with the more demanding aspects of the Gospel and when they feel weak or when they discover the mysterious action of God in their lives. (General Directory for Catechesis, #85)

Moral Formation

- Moral formation
Conversion to Jesus Christ implies walking in his footsteps. Catechesis must, therefore, transmit to the disciples the attitudes of the Master himself. The disciples thus undertake a journey of interior transformation, in which, by participating in the paschal mystery of the Lord, "they pass from the old man to the new man who has been made perfect in Christ". The Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus takes up the Decalogue, and impresses upon it the spirit of the Beatitudes, is an indispensable point of reference for the moral formation which is most necessary today. Evangelization which "involves the proclamation and presentation of morality", displays all the force of its appeal where it offers not only the proclaimed word but the lived word too. This moral testimony, which is prepared for by catechesis, must always demonstrate the social consequences of the demands of the Gospel. (General Directory for Catechesis, #85)

Community

"...the ecclesial community at all levels has a twofold responsibility with regard to catechesis: it has the responsibility of providing for the training of its members but it also has the responsibility of welcoming them into an environment where they can live as fully as possible what they have learned. "
(John Paul II, Catechesi Tradendae, #24)

- Education for Community Life
a) Christian community life is not realized spontaneously. It is necessary to educate it carefully. In this apprenticeship, the teaching of Christ on community life, recounted in the Gospel of St. Matthew, calls for attitudes which it is for catechesis to inculcate: the spirit of simplicity and humility ("unless you turn and become like little children..." Mt 18,3); solicitude for the least among the brethren ("but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin..." Mt 18,6); particular care for those who are alienated ("Go and search of the one that went astray..." Mt 18,12); fraternal correction ("Go and tell him his fault..." Mt 18,15); common prayer ("if two of you agree on earth to ask about anything..." Mt 18,19); mutual forgiveness ("but seventy times seven..." Mt 18,22). Fraternal love embraces all these attitudes ("love one another; even as I have loved you..." Jn 13,34).
b) In developing this community sense, catechesis takes special note of the ecumenical dimension and encourages fraternal attitudes toward members of other Christian churches and ecclesial communities. Thus catechesis in pursuing this objective should give a clear exposition of all the Church's doctrine and avoid formulations or expressions that might give rise to error. It also implies "a suitable knowledge of other confessions", with which there are shared elements of faith: "the written word of God, the life of grace, faith, hope and charity, and the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit". Catechesis will possess an ecumenical dimension in the measure in which it arouses and nourishes "a true desire for unity", not easy irenicism, but perfect unity, when the Lord himself wills it and by those means by which he wishes that it should be brought about.
(General Directory for Catechesis, #85)

Missionary Initiation (Service)

"Many Synod Fathers rightly insisted that the rich heritage of the Church's social teaching should, in appropriate forms, find a place in the general
catechetical education of the faithful." (John Paul II, Catechesi Tradendae, #29)

- Missionary initiation
a) Catechesis is also open to the missionary dimension. This seeks to equip the disciples of Jesus to be present as Christians in society through their professional, cultural and social lives. It also prepares them to lend their cooperation to the different ecclesial services, according to their proper vocation. This task of evangelization originates, for the lay faithful, in the sacraments of Christian initiation and in the secular character of their vocation. It is also important that every means should be used to encourage vocations to the Priesthood, and to the different forms of consecration to God in religious and apostolic life and to awaken special missionary vocations. The evangelical attitudes which Jesus taught his disciples when he sent them on mission are precisely those which catechesis must nourish: to seek out the lost sheep, proclaim and heal at the same time, to be poor, without money or knapsack; to know how to accept rejection and persecution; to place one's trust in the Father and in the support of the Holy Spirit; to expect no other reward than the joy of working for the Kingdom.

b) In educating for this missionary sense, catechesis is also necessary for interreligious dialogue, if it renders the faithful capable of meaningful communication with men and women of other religions. Catechesis shows that the link between the Church and non-Christian religions is, in the first place, the common origin and end of the human race, as well as the "many seeds of the word which God has sown in these religions." Catechesis too helps to reconcile and, at the same time, to distinguish between "the proclamation of Christ" and "inter-religious dialogue." These two elements, while closely connected, must not be confused or identified. Indeed, "dialogue does not dispense from evangelization." (General Directory for Catechesis, #85)