Serious catechesis - what is it?

[Brian_K]

I don’t know that there can be a single standard that qualifies as “serious catechesis.” To me it means taking our faith seriously and making honest effort to grow in it. For me that means spiritual reading almost every day. But I may jump from one book to the next as the Spirit moves me, or I may read one several times.

More importantly, it means allowing things like reading to pervade the rest of my life. I work alone for the most part, so I’m able to converse with God a lot throughout the day, and struggles that weighed me down for 20 years are being overcome by His grace. So I would say that serious catechesis is whatever brings you closer to God is a substantial way.

Of course we all need some particular amount of factual knowledge, but once that’s gained, the level of seriousness consists in how effectively that knowledge is applies to our lives as a whole and how much more deeply we welcome God to guide us.

 

[Beryllos]

Last Sunday the faithful of my parish contributed over $35,000 to the parish offertory. This is still not enough?

Not even close. I think @fide is referring to this passage, or one like it:

Matthew 19:21
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

 

[Nihilo]

…Now, that we are all reading the Bible, there is confusion. And many people have no concept of sin.
Something went wrong somewhere and reading the Bible doesn’t seem to be helping.

It was confusing before, not necessarily about whether something is sin, but more what it means that it’s sin, and how does that it’s sin relate to the faith as a whole, and what about Jesus dying on the cross? didn’t He die For sin? and is it all grave sin, or what exactly is light sin that is venial? what’s the difference? how should I think about them as distinct?

These things weren’t known. Now with the Catechism they are both knowable and known. The Apostles taught about All of this, we can only catch incomplete images of their answers and thoughts on all of these matters in Scripture. What we should do with the blanks that they leave behind in the Bible, is fill in those gaps with mortar from the Catechism.

In time you’ll find the Catechism to be primary. The scriptures always support the Catechism, when you go to look up all its references that are to scriptures. Can confirm, literally checked hundreds of different references myself over the years.

The Scripture is a pure and inerrant and infallible and authentic, authoritatively, God-breathed, divinely inspired, Holy Spirit authored, literary photo album from key moments in history. It’s absolutely fabulous. But the teaching of and to the Church is the Catechism. The Scripture is etched in stone, written by the finger of God, and cannot be changed or broken. And the Magisterium is in the New Testament. They’re the holders of the offices that the Apostles created, which is in the New Testament. The Scripture vouches for our Magisterium. Plus, everything in matters of faith and morals that our authentic pastors teach in communion with each other, is either obviously supported by the Scripture, or does not overlap with the Scripture, and in no case does it conflict with or contravene or contradict Scripture.

The Catechism is the solution. The cure’s already out there, readily available. It’s important to avoid sin, and it’s important to know the faith, and while we shouldn’t ever sin, we also shouldn’t ever be complacent about catechesis, to our own selves first and constantly, and then to our kids also, etc.

 

[adgloriam]

But now, we are so much more literate, more highly educated and so much more affluent

Hey man, in the better part of Europe the only reason folks are finishing high school is because it was turned into ridiculously easy…and even then…Same goes for a significant percentage of college education. Statistics show people are reading less books than ever (and they’ll go Dan Brown and JKRowling if they do)…

I could tell you a thousand jokes about university professors I’ve met who, well…It’s bad!!

 

[adgloriam]

That was a really good post @Nihilo. But tell you the truth: I just want to survive and mind my own business.

I’ll try diligence and patience. As for everything else…If people get beaten down they’ll start thinking about converting, otherwise they’re doing fine so don’t be fooled into thinking anyone’s gonna exchange an inch of sloth for studying doctrine.