Basics
What’s so important about teaching the foundations of handing on the faith? Let’s discuss it! Then allow us to briefly explain the basic necessities of knowledge for studying and handing on the faith.
From the beginning we have been given the care of passing on what God has revealed to others; first and foremost to our children. In the book of Deuteronomy we read that what the Lord has revealed to us must be taught diligently to our children (Deut 6:4-9). We are to hand on the faith of the Church then to our children; as the Church is the primary and privileged place where truth and grace is received and understood (Cf. 1 Tim 3:14-15). To be able to hand on the faith to others, we must have a confident understanding of the hope we have (Cf 1 Peter 3:15-17). These simple facts reveal two obligatory duties of the Catholic Christian:
1. That we must have a confident and coherent understanding of what God has revealed to us; found in Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and in the Magisterium of the Church.
2. That we have the duty to hand the faith on the others; for the Gospel is universal (Cf. Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 3:9-20; 8:1-13)
Yet, how do we go about studying the faith so that we can more faithfully and confidently hand it on to others? Prayer is essential and is assumed from this point on.
Very frequently, we strive to have a common apologetical approach to studying the faith, which results in a sort of Catholic proof texting of Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and maybe some Early Church Father quotations. This is all well and good, but what their place in the complete, whole, and organic deposit of faith? When we have a categorized and very pointed, yet limited, understanding of the faith, what we end up with a sort of Catholic theology compartmentalized knowledge. Again, knowing valuable explicit Scripture and Church teaching references in important; but it is also open to a mutilated understanding of the wholeness of the faith.
With this good, but incomplete knowledge, we then rely in human methodology to teach others the truth. Human methodolgy is necessary, but inefficient when dealing with Divine Revelation that is not understood and witnessed to in an organic and complete way. This leads us to the mission of Catechetical Foundations: to give people the necessary information to learn the foundational elements of studying, and handing on the faith. In essence, we hope provide you with a easy to understand teaching on the pedagogy of God.
The Basic Necessities:
1. The primacy of grace
2. The organic unity of the faith
3. Foundational truths/Hierarchy of truths
4. Story of salvation
5. The Sacramental Economy
6. The Theological Virtues
7. Teaching Scripturally
8. Teaching Liturgically
9. The spirituality of the catechist
Some Essential Elements to Catechesis
1. Creating a sacred space
2. Teaching to wonder
3. Giving an effective witness
4. Using the Ecclesial Method
5. A proper understanding of prayer
Book Catechetical Foundations today to provide the essential foundation for your catechists!
