Inaugural Issue of The Catechetical Review

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Inspired Through Art of the Spirit is revealed above him: heaven opens—the barrier between Creator and created has fallen—and the Spirit of God descends in the shape of a dove to hover over Jesus.” 7 An intimate and “infinite encounter took place: the illimitable abundance of the divine Father streamed into the Son’s human heart” and the “power of the Spirit descends upon Jesus.” 8 God the Son humbly immerses himself in the waters of rebirth. God the Holy Spirit hovers above Jesus and John in the form of a dove. While Perugino does not include an image of the Father in this version, he does in the Sistine Chapel painting. Still, we know for a fact that God the Father’s voice resounds from Heaven (Jesus’ place of origin) proclaiming, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 9 This statement from the Father exemplifies a profound truth: who we are is more important that what we do. Prior to this point, Christ’s life has been a hidden one in Nazareth: working in his father’s carpentry shop, living a simple life of manual labor, and bearing witness to the dignity of human work and the life of the family. By worldly standards he had not yet done anything noteworthy or commendable. Yet the Father’s voice reminds us not only that work is dignifying but also that we have incomparable value as children of God. Our worth and dignity do not depend on our actions but rather on the divine filiation we receive at our baptism. How humbling to think we are all daughters and sons within such a royal family! The power of the Holy Spirit propels Jesus out to wrestle with forces of evil, as he is tempted in the desert by Satan, and to carry out his public ministry to the end. Yet even Jesus is not left to carry his burdens alone. Do you remember the angels on the banks of the Jordan in both paintings After Jesus is tempted in the desert “angels ministered to him” 10 and in the Garden of Gethsemane appeared “to strengthen him.” 11 May we never forget our own baptism and continually, with great humility, enter again into its deep mystery. May we always seek cleansing from our sin and conversion of heart in Christ so that, filled with the Holy Spirit, we may bring the light of the Gospel to everyone we meet. Paula Thelen has a BA in Catholic Studies, Theology and Secondary Education from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.. She currently teaches at McDonell Catholic High School in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Notes 1. http://www.wikiart.org/en/pietro-perugino/baptism-of-christ-1 2. http://www.wikiart.org/en/pietro-perugino/baptism-of-christ-1483 3. Romano Guardini, The Lord (Washington, D.C.: Regnery Publishing, Inc., 1954), 31. 4. Oratio 39 in Sancta Lumina, 14-16, 20: PG 36, 350-351, 354, 358-359. This homily is found in the Office of Readings on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. 5. John 3:30. 6. Guardini, The Lord, 25. 7. Ibid, 24. 8. Ibid. 9. Matthew 3:17. 10. Mark 1:13. 11. Luke 22:43. Reflection Questions Before handing out the article to participants of your class or prayer group, allow them to make their own observations about the artwork by asking the following questions: 1. How do we know this is a “divine event” 2. Why do you think Perugino included a church in the background 3. How are the postures of John and Jesus similar and different Why 4. Why is water necessary for baptism What does it symbolize 5. How many symbols of baptism are present in the painting 24 THE CATECHETICAL REVIEW
From the Shepherds Pope Francis Speaks to CATECHISTS On September 27, 2013, Pope Francis gathered catechists from around the world for the International Congress on Catechesis in Rome. For many of these catechists, this was a stirring encounter with the Holy Father. While this department will regularly feature insights of our chief shepherds, in this inaugural issue we begin with those of THE chief shepherd. May the following excerpts from the Holy Father’s important address to catechists 1 challenge us to faithfully live out our vocation. The Requirement of Love To “be” a catechist requires love, an ever stronger love for Christ, a love for his holy people. And this love can’t be bought in stores, even in Rome. This love comes from Christ! It is Christ’s gift! And if it comes from Christ, it also starts with Christ, and we too need to start anew with Christ, from the love he gives us. To start anew from Christ means being close to him, being close to Jesus. Jesus stresses the importance of this with the disciples at the Last Supper, as he prepared to give us his own greatest gift of love, his sacrifice on the Cross. Jesus uses the image of the vine and the branches and says: Abide in my love, remain attached to me, as the branch is attached to the vine. If we are joined to him, then we are able to bear fruit. The first thing for a disciple is to be with the Master, to listen to him and to learn from him. This is always true, and it is true at every moment of our lives. What will become of us if we stay united to Christ Starting anew with Christ means imitating him by leaving ourselves behind and going out to encounter others. This is a beautiful experience, and yet a paradox. Why Because when we put Christ at the center of our life, we ourselves don’t become the center! The more that you unite yourself to Christ and he becomes the center of your life, the more he leads you out of yourself, leads you from making yourself the center and opens you to others. This is the true dynamism of love, this is the movement of God himself! God is the center, but he is always self-gift, relationship, love that gives itself away . . . and this is what we will become if we remain united to Christ. He will draw us into this dynamism of love. Where there is true life in Christ, there follows an openness to others, and so a going out from oneself to encounter others in the name of Christ. And this is the job of the catechist: constantly to go forth to others out of love, to bear witness to Jesus and to talk about Jesus, to proclaim Jesus. To the outskirts! Starting anew with Christ means not being afraid to go with him to the outskirts…God is not afraid of the outskirts. If you go to the outskirts, you will find him there…Whenever we Christians are enclosed in our groups, our movements, our parishes, in our little worlds, we remain closed, and the same thing happens to us that happens to anything closed: when a room is closed, it begins to get dank. If a person is closed up in that room, he or she becomes ill! Whenever Christians are enclosed in their groups, parishes, movements, they take ill. If a Christian goes to the streets, or to the outskirts, he or she may risk the same thing that can happen to anyone out there: an accident. How often have we seen accidents on the road! But I am telling you: I would prefer a thousand times over a bruised Church than an ill Church! This is fundamental for us: God is always ahead of us! When we think about going far away, to an extreme outskirt, we may be a bit afraid, but in fact God is already there. Jesus is waiting for us in the hearts of our brothers and sisters, in their wounded bodies, in their hardships, in their lack of faith. But can I tell you about one of the “outskirts” which breaks my heart I saw it in my first diocese. It is children who don’t even know how to make the sign of the cross. Final Words Dear catechists, I have made my three points. Always start anew from Christ! I thank you for everything that you do, but above all, because you are part of the Church, the pilgrim People of God, and you accompany God’s People on that pilgrimage. Let us remain with Christ – abiding in Christ – and let us always try to be one with him. Let us follow him, let us imitate him in his movement of love, in his going forth to meet humanity. Let us go forth and open doors. Let us have the audacity to mark out new paths for proclaiming the Gospel. Notes 1. The full text may be found at: http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/ speeches/2013/september/documents/papa-francesco_20130927_pellegrinaggiocatechisti.htm JANUARY-MARCH 2015 25
Page 1 and 2: January - March 2015 INAUGURAL ISSU
Page 3 and 4: Contents Features Vol. 1 No. 1 Edit
Page 5 and 6: Editor’s Reflections Communicatin
Page 7 and 8: Lead Feature Being clear on the goa
Page 9 and 10: Feature It took me a few years to u
Page 11 and 12: Moving toward a Catechesis of Encou
Page 13 and 14: Feature which a book or the repetit
Page 15 and 16: Feature means to bring people into
Page 17 and 18: Feature addresses the first stage o
Page 19 and 20: Feature Series It is within this co
Page 21 and 22: Inspired Through Art for while it g
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Page 27 and 28: The Spiritual Life to encourage the
Page 29 and 30: If we peruse the foundational catec
Page 31 and 32: Empowering Parents Youth & Young Ad
Page 33 and 34: PERMANENT MYSTAGOGY: According to t
Page 35 and 36: Feature Theology of the Body for th
Page 37 and 38: Encountering God in Catechesis “F
Page 39 and 40: A New Approach to Children’s Cate
Page 41 and 42: Feature concerned with the transmis
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