Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Fides Service) - Here is an interesting paper by Prof. Ramón Peralta, a member of the Higher Institute of Missionary Catechesis and Spirituality at the Urban University, on an important theme: The promotion of serious and qualified catechesis for adults with a missionary and evangelising dimension to respond to the travails of the world today and the torments of mankind in the third millennium
“The Gospel describe eloquently how Jesus Christ, aware of his mission of salvation, (cf Jn 21, 27-28), addresses his preaching first of all to adults of the Jewish religion (cf Mt 10,5). The contents of his teaching is the coming of the Kingdom of God and the necessity of conversion to enter the Kingdom. Living with the Master and listening to his teaching the early community learned his method of catechesis That is: using simple words to reveal the mystery of his person, an attitude of mercy to correct errors, attentive charity to alleviate every sort of poverty, patient teaching to live daily life in obedience to divine providence, active hope to give rise to faith and lastly confident mission of sending to preach the Good News (Cf Mt 28, 19-20).
Starting from this mandate the Church never tires of proclaiming the Gospel message to men and women of all times and all places. The instruction given was called pre-baptismal catechesis. The apostles and the disciples started their preaching orally, later it was written and collected in the Gospels and apostolic letters (cf CT, 22).
This all goes to show that since early times the Church had a missionary and evangelising awareness of her mission, which was testified above all with martyrdom. Dying to profess faith in Jesus Christ and, no less important, commitment for fraternal solidarity living the commandment of charity.
Our times characterised globally by various different torments and paradoxes call the ecclesial community to take up the challenge of serious and qualified catechesis for adults in a missionary and evangelising prospective which is capable of awakening interest and love for Christ, the only Saviour and for his Church which prolongs Him in time. Among the most important experiences we note the following:
The catechumenate: a long gradual path of formation in the faith with the goal of formation in the faith with the objective of receiving the Sacraments of Christian initiation so that the Christian may make a conscious and motivated decision for the faith and bear witness in every occasion to his loyalty to Christ. To day we can say with sadness that many who have received Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist, live as if those sacraments had no significance for their existence. This is why, being aware of her missionary dimension the Church, must organise paths of catechumenate for new Christians and also for the large majority of people who have approached the Sacraments without adequate catechetical education. New evangelisation - “new” not in doctrinal contents which are eternal - finds in the catechumenate a vast field of creativity and impulse to act and operate with confidence and dedication to reach conversion, in order to overcome the scandal of dichotomy between faith and life and obtain conscious and operating incorporation into ecclesial life.
Listening to the Word: the strong impulse given to Biblical pastoral since the Second Vatican Council has shown itself above all in the diffusion of the Bible, a multiplication of Centres for the study of the Sacred Scriptures, direct contact with the sacred texts in popular parish missions and teaching to pray and meditate the Word of God, all with the finality of becoming listeners and witnesses of God’s presence in daily life. Biblical catechesis- conducted with well motivated fidelity to the uninterrupted Magisterium - will surely produce vigorous new missionary and evangelising spirit able to involve adults responsibly in the demanding commitment to inculturate the Gospel message so that the values and criteria of life reflect coherence of faith and faithful adhesion to Holy Mother Church.
Family Pastoral: deterioration, crisis and attacks on the family are a given fact. It is enough to glance at the message coming from the media or at legislation which fails to protect the family. This situation calls for catechetical care for the family community and so this itinerary of faith cannot fail to address the urgency of presenting the irreplaceable role of parents as the first witnesses of the faith for their children.. It is also important to underline the ministry of spouses as co-workers with God in generating life, as announcers of the values of the Kingdom of God, truth, love, patiencs, forbearance, justice, mercy, peace, respect, ability to forgive; and, led by the priest, commitment as pastoral workers with explicit involvement in catechetical, liturgical and charity activities of the ecclesial community. Spouses, catechised adults, guarantee the family the missionary and evangelising dimension of its life through the way with which they face and solve problems becoming in this way eloquent proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Conclusion: The missionary and evangelising dimension of adult catechesis des not stop here. It is a stimulus and encouragement to devote oneself with passion to dialogue of faith to bring them to encounter Christ in the conviction that the more thy are formed and convinced the more God will be present and working in society of today which cries out, silently or noisily, for the Church’s help to solve its tragedies..” (Prof. Ramón Peralta). /Agenzia Fides 30/3/2004; Righe 67; Parole 881)
