Catechist Workshop 3/24/18 St. Anthony Parish Wichita, KS Presented by James J. Bitting Jr., M.A.
St. Peter & the Call to Holiness 1 Peter 1-2 Called to Holiness so we can declare the wonderful deeds of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Pt 2:9)
The Prime & Fundamental Vocation Universal Call to Holiness - Christifideles Laici 16-17 (LG 39-42). The vocation to holiness is received from the Father in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. It is the call to perfection in charity and testimony of the dignity of a disciple. The call to holiness stems from what the Church is: She is the choice vine, the Mystical Body, the Beloved Spouse of the Lord, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Men and women saints have always been the source and origin of renewal in the most difficult circumstances in the Church s history (CL 16)
Universal call to Holiness [In Baptism] Since Christians are reclothed in Christ Jesus and refreshed by his Spirit, they are "holy". They therefore have the ability to manifest this holiness and the responsibility to bear witness to it in all that they do (CL 16) This life of holiness is to follow and imitate Jesus Christ This Christian life has 4 dimensions: Creed Listening, Believing and Meditating on the Word of God Sacraments conscious and active participation in the liturgical life Moral - Embracing the Beatitudes, hunger and thirst for justice, practice the commandments of love Prayer - personal prayer, prayer in our family, and prayer in our parish community
The Catechist s Conversion Catechists must have a deep spirituality, i.e. they must live in the Spirit, who will help them to renew themselves continually in their specific identity The need for a spirituality proper to catechists springs from their vocation and mission. It includes, therefore, a new and special motivation, a call to sanctity. Pope John Paul II's saying: "The true missionary is the saint", can be applied without hesitation to the catechist. Like every member of the faithful, catechists are "called to holiness and to mission", i.e. to live out their own vocation "with the fervour of the saints (Guide for Catechists 6).
Particular Call to be a Holy Catechist In addition to the common vocation of the apostolate, some lay people feel called interiorly by God to assume the service of catechist. The Church awakens and discerns this divine vocation and confers the mission to catechize. The Lord Jesus invites men and women, in a special way, to follow him, teacher and formator of disciples. This personal call of Jesus Christ and its relationship to him are the true moving forces of catechetical activity. From this loving knowledge of Christ springs the desire to proclaim him, to 'evangelize,' and to lead others to the 'Yes' of faith in Jesus Christ (GDC 231) See also Guide for Catechists pgs. 9-21
Mary was first a Disciple then Mother It means more for her, an altogether greater blessing, to have been Christ's disciple than to have been Christ's mother. That is why Mary was blessed, because even before she gave him birth, she bore her teacher in her womb (St. Augustine) She was both mother and disciple, as St. Augustine said of her, venturing to add that her discipleship was more important for her than her motherhood Mary is the mother and model of catechists (CT 73)
The Disciple s Disposition Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, (Phil 2:5-9 emphasis mine)
Kerygmatic Heralds (Hofinger) Appointed & sent by Christ Our Lord s Herald Enthusiasm comes from knowledge of this great vocation Humble wholehearted acceptance leads to joy & perseverance in difficulties Close personal attachment to the Master is necessary for catechesis to be effective we must be like Him. Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect (Mt 5:48)
Virtues of a Herald: Fidelity, Unselfishness, Winningness Fidelity - causes careful, exact, and diligent proclamation. With Christ we proclaim what the Father sent Him to proclaim not as a nervous servant but as a generous & joyful son. Hand on the message as fully as possible we cannot select according to our taste or personal devotion
Heraldic Virtues con t Unselfishness Be generous die to our own interests saying with St. Paul, I die daily (1 Cor 15:31) It is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me (Gal 2:20) Winningness Christ will win others to Himself through us. The goodness & kindness of God should be seen in the herald Attract hearers not to yourself but to Christ
Bearing Effective witness the greater part of mankind is moved to desire after heavenly goods more by example than by reasoning (Pope St. Gregory the Great) First comes deed, then word; for no word of teaching is approved unless first he who teaches shows himself to be a doer thereof (Theophylactus in catena aurea Luke 24) Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses (EN 41).
Importance of Bearing Witness to Christ Above all the Gospel must be proclaimed through witness [through witness] these Christians stir up irresistible questions in the hearts of those who see how they live (En 21). But this witness cannot be solely silent witness Even the finest witness will prove ineffective in the long run if it is not explained, justified, and made explicit by a clear and unequivocal proclamation of the Lord Jesus (EN 22).
It is the norm that Jesus is announced before He is accepted (Romans 10:14-17): A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him (Jn 1:6 emphasis mine) Mary s Magnificat (Lk 1:46-55) The Samaritan Woman (Jn 4:28-30,39-42) St. Paul retells his conversion story several times: See Acts 22:6-16; 26:12-18; Galatians 1:11-24
Bearing Witness to What Christ has / is doing with you: Giving Your Personal Testimony This is powerful The devil is defeated by testimony, They defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony (Rev 12:10-11 emphasis mine) It leads others to Christ they want the same love and kindness you received from Christ for themselves. No one can argue with you about your own experience i.e. I can t say you didn t experience Christ s transformative love It establishes a connection between the audience and Christ - You become a bridge to Christ ( You know Him!) You are weak like me if you have a relationship with Him then so could I!
How to give your testimony Be like Mary and draw all the attention to what GOD has done for you. And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever. (Lk1:46-55)
How to Share Your Testimony Prepare Pray Reflect & Write 3 Parts: 1. Your Life Before Christ 2. Your Conversion to Christ 3. Your life in Christ
It is the surest mark of love to want to be known (Frank Sheed Theology and Sanity) We were gentle among you, like a nurse taking care of her children. So being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us (1 Thess 2:7-8 emphasis added) You must love them enough to let them know who you are (who the new you is in Christ) That is what Christ has done(come down & revealed Himself to us) that is what we must do! Be prudent with sharing details some details should not be shared. Again keep the focus on Christ.
The Message The Content of Evangelization is the Gospel message aka The Kerygma. The substance of this message can be expressed in a variety of ways, longer or shorter but the substance always remains the same: Jn 3:16; Eph 1:3-10; 1 Cor 15:3-5,21-23; 1 Jn 4:9-17; CCC 1 When sharing the Gospel, you focus on the basic Christian message, the core of the Good News Who Christ is, what he offers us, and why we need what he offers That is the Kerygma, the essential Christian message (Hahn, Evangelizing Catholics pgs. 39-40).