Papal Notes - Francis preparing new Catechesis

Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines.

Hebrews 13:9

"Essentially, the pope is drawing attention to the fact that faith itself has a sacramental structure: “The awakening of faith is linked to the dawning of a new sacramental sense in our lives as human beings and as Christians, in which visible and material realities are seen to point beyond themselves to the mystery of the eternal.”

In Lumen Fidei, Pope Francis makes it clear that what the Church is handing on is not solely a

doctrinal content for which a book or the repetition of an idea might suffice. Rather, it is about “the new light born of an encounter with the true God, a light which touches us at the core of our being and engages our minds, wills and emotions, opening us to relationships lived in communion.”

Pope Francis advises that in proclaiming Christ, we are not only concerned with what is right and good, but also with the beautiful. He affirms that “every expression of true beauty can thus be acknowledged as a path leading to an encounter with the Lord Jesus.”

In our teaching of the moral ramifications of life in Christ, we are told to avoid striking the pose of “dour judges bent on rooting out every threat and deviation.” Instead, we should appear as “joyful messengers of challenging proposals, guardians of the goodness and beauty which shine forth in a life of fidelity to the Gospel.”

Finally, Pope Francis expresses a preference for a catechetical methodology: mystogogical renewal. “This basically has to do with two things: a progressive experience of formation involving the entire community, and a renewed appreciation of the liturgical signs of Christian initiation.”

Mystagogical renewal aims to emphasize the link between the Scriptures and the liturgy and make this explicit in our catechetical practice: “To understand the Word of God, then, we need to appreciate and experience the essential meaning and value of the liturgical action.”

Summary

We could, then, sum up the vision of Pope Francis for catechesis in four simple statements.

1. We need to begin with the Kerygma, and continually reflect on it.
   
2. Catechesis requires an attractive presentation and the integration of every dimension of the person within a community journeying towards God.
3. We must emphasize “mystagogy”—working through the concrete liturgical signs we find in the sacraments and linking these with the mysteries revealed in the scriptures.
4. The sacraments are indispensable in passing on the faith of the Church, as they draw people to Christ’s ongoing real presence in the world." TheCatecheticalReview

"Kerygma is distinct from didache, another Greek term that refers to teaching, instruction, or doctrine. While kerygma means the initial gospel proclamation designed to introduce a person to Christ and to appeal for conversion, didache (what we commonly refer to today as catechesis) concerns the fuller and more extensive doctrinal and moral teaching and instruction in the Faith that a person receives once he has accepted the kerygma and has been baptized."

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