unceasing call is emphasized.
The second paragraph reminds us of the apostolic foundation of the faith and surprises us with its statement about the gift of mission — the apostles were “strengthened” by the mission they received. To be given a worthwhile mission is one of the greatest of all gifts. The gift of mission provides us with purpose, with resolve; it calls us to discover new energies within ourselves, and so strengthens us.
Notice the warmth, sensitivity, and utter respect God demonstrates towards his creatures. He “calls,” he “invites,” while we are called to “welcome” and “freely respond.” There is no compulsion — only a loving God calling to his children, seeking their good and their happiness.
Finally, note the fourfold means of formation, of handing on the faith, reiterated in the last lines of CCC 3, and footnoting Acts 2:42.
Day 6
CCC 4-10
Handing on the Faith: Catechesis
Today’s reading explains the essential nature of catechesis and its importance in the Church.
CCC 7 reminds us that catechesis is essential for the healthy growth of the Church, both numerically and in her authentic development. Each new soul, freshly drawn into Christ’s Body, is to be fed with the pure nourishment of God’s truth through the work of catechesis. As Saint Paul puts it, once attached to the Body, the child is to move from milk to solid food, so that a healthy growth is maintained (see 1 Cor 3:2; Heb 5:12-13). Thus the great periods of renewal in the Church, in which God inspires the bishops anew in their zeal for souls and for sanctity, are also necessarily “intense moments of catechesis” (8). In CCC 8-10 the Catechism draws our attention to the prevalence of bishops who are also saints in these times of renewal. It is not coincidental, then, that the initiating bishop of this Catechism, John Paul II, and the bishop who called for the Church council from which this Catechism derives its trajectory and proximate inspiration, John XXIII, have both, since the publication of the Catechism, been declared saints of the Church.
Because catechesis is so essential to the healthy development of the Church, these paragraphs take great pains to define it very carefully. CCC 6 carefully distinguishes catechesis from related areas of the Church’s work, while CCC 4-5 provide central points of definition. The goal of catechesis is to initiate each new member into “the fullness of Christian life” (5) — that is always the target. As we have seen, this fullness has a fourfold nature, reflected in the four Parts of the Catechism. The teaching given for our initiation into this fullness is to be systematic and organic — it is to be planned and sensibly sequential, emphasizing the links between the different elements being taught, so that those receiving the teaching can understand that this is one faith, one truth, in its many aspects.
Day 7
CCC 11-12
Aim and Intended Readership and Index of Citations
CCC 11 tells us that the Catechism provides an account of the essentials of the faith. What is given here is only that which it is absolutely necessary for us to know, the essential truths that have been handed on to us through “the whole of the Church’s Tradition.” The presentation of these essentials is synthetic — care is taken to impress upon us how the truths of the faith belong together through the organization of the contents of the faith. The presentation is also organic, a vital point we shall discuss when looking at CCC 18.
The sentence on the “principal sources” might strike us as oddly placed in a paragraph concerned with the aims of the Catechism. We might remember though that in Fidei Depositum, Saint John Paul celebrated the Catechism’s publication precisely because he saw it renewing our contact with the “living sources of the faith.” These living sources are found in the footnotes on every page, and they are gathered in the Index of Citations at the end of the Catechism. Take a moment to find in that Index the categories of sources mentioned in CCC 11 — Scripture, the Fathers, the liturgy, the Church’s Magisterium. The authors of the Catechism want us to be directly acquainted with these.
CCC 11 also reminds us that the Catechism is intended to be fruitful — to inspire the writing of other catechisms and act as a solid anchor and reference point for their composition.
We have seen that all of the bishops of the world were involved in writing this Catechism, and from CCC 12 we see clearly why this was the case: the Catechism is intended primarily for them, to assist them in their responsibilities as the chief catechists. Through the bishops, it is offered to all the faithful, as a sure norm for understanding the faith. The Catechism has been published as an aid for helping the bishops reach all of their flock with the good news of Christ.
Day 8
CCC 13-17
Structure and Subject Index3
We had occasion to view the structure of the Catechism when we examined the contents pages. These paragraphs provide us with a short summary of the content of each of the four Parts.
CCC 13 refers to the four pillars. These are not equivalent to the Parts but rather make up Section Two of each Part. Using the analogy of pillars, then, these provide the main structural “bones” to the building. The presentation of Section Two in each Part provides the detailed content of that Part, in the form of Creed, sacraments, commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer.
If Section Two provides us with the pillars, Section One in each Part lays the necessary foundations upon which the pillars are erected. Thus, before we reach the details of the Creed, we learn of God’s revelation of himself; before we unpack the sacraments in Part Two, we ponder the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the liturgy and our grace-led participation in this work; prefacing the concrete expositions of the commandments in Part Three is a reminder of the principles of Christian living common to the keeping of all the commandments; and the first section in the prayer Part of the Catechism leads us beautifully into a consideration of the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer through profound reflections on the nature of prayer.
You may want to note that the Parts are explicitly related to the great theological virtues which define the whole of the Christian life — faith, hope and love. Thus Part One is concerned with the fostering of faith in our lives, Part Three with the inculcation of love, and Part Four with the development of hope. Part Two, treating of the liturgy and sacraments, is the wonderful integrating center to the whole Catechism: here, faith, hope, and love come together — we profess our faith in the Creed, reach out in hope through the “Our Father” and receive all the grace needed for lives of Christian love.
Day 9
CCC 18-22
Practical Directions
The practical directions are simple to understand and yet radical in their nature. CCC 18 makes clear to us that the Catechism is a rare text in that it is intended to be read, not just sequentially, but also across the Parts. Numerous cross-references have been placed in the margins in order to facilitate this special kind of reading, together with a Subject Index at the end of the Catechism. While it might appear that topics belong only in one Part of the Catechism, related aspects appear in numerous places, and every topic always belongs, in some fashion, to all four Parts. For an adequate understanding of a topic, therefore, we are asked to use the cross-references and Subject Index to range across the whole Catechism.
We are being invited, then, to a slow reading, to take our time, pondering how different areas of the faith relate