Your Children’s Catechism

Applauding the love and labors of our catechists

09/18/2022

Lk 16:10-13 Jesus said to his disciples: "The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon."

One of the most common words in a Christian’s vocabulary is also one of the least understood, namely, “catechism.” When we think of “catechism” we usually imagine a big book containing all our beliefs. And that is true. But there are many forms of this word, like “catechumen” (which is someone learning about the faith), or “catechist” (that is someone who teaches the faith), and "catechize” (which is the ability and skill to teach the faith). But most people do not know the literal meaning of this word.

Catechism originally comes from Greek, and literally means “oral teaching” or “to teach by word of mouth.” In other words, a catechism is spoken by the lips long before it is written on paper by pen. After all, isn’t this the way Jesus, the divine Catechist, himself taught? He never wrote one word in the gospels, unless you count writing in the sand with his finger in John 8 when our Lord was presented with the woman was caught in adultery.

Why is this important? Well, because you never really know your faith until you can put your faith into your own words and share it with someone else. Only when you can teach something publicly have you really learned something personally. In other words, a catechist can teach the Catholic faith because he or she has first put that faith into their own words, not simply regurgitating something written in a big book of beliefs.

Let me give you an example of what I mean by a true catechist. Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he learned in Sunday school. Joey answered: “Well, mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelite people out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his army build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then, he radioed headquarters to send jet fighters to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved.” His mother asked doubtfully, “Now, Joey, is that was your teacher really said?” Joey replied: “Well, no. But mom, if I told it the way the teacher did, you’d never believe it!” Can you see how Joey was becoming a real catechist? He was trying to put the faith in his own words, not just repeating what he read in a big book of beliefs.

This Sunday we celebrate Catechetical Sunday. Now, I hope you have a little better understanding of what word, “catechetical”, really means. That is, this Sunday we acknowledge all the catechists in our church, who try to put the faith into their own words and share it with others, hopefully a little better than Joey did. Did you know we have a small army of catechists here at Immaculate Conception? Let me give you a list of who they are and how many are involved in each group.

The baptismal preparation is provided by 5 people, First Communion classes are given by 12 people, religious education classes have 46 catechists, Confirmation preparation has 18 catechists, RCIA has 18 catechists, marriage preparation has 10 catechists (some are couples), youth ministry has 10 catechists, Scripture study classes are led by 10 catechists, the school teachers in our elementary school are all catechists and number 36, and the Hispanic prayer group has about 50 catechists.

That comes to a whopping total of 215 people who are catechists in our church. Our catechists may not have written any books about their beliefs. But they have taken the seed of faith God planted in their hearts and blossoming in their lives, and they gladly give that bouquet of faith flowers to others. In a sense, they don’t need a big book of beliefs because they have become that book themselves. In other words, a true catechist is a walking, talking catechism; he or she has become the book.

My friends, as much as we applaud the labors of our formal catechists today, we should not forget that each of us is called to be an informal catechist to those around us, especially parents to their children. I love to hear my parents talk about their faith. On one trip to India, we visited my home state of Kerala, and my mom very proudly told me how her family built their small, local church, just like some I.C. families talk about how their ancestors built this magnificent church. My dad never stops telling us how much they sacrificed to send us to Catholic schools, because there we would learn our faith. But his sacrifice taught me as much as the school.

By the way, this is why when your children ask you hard questions about the faith, you cannot just say, “I don’t know, ask Fr. John!” And this is why you cannot simply “Google” the answer. Why not? Well, because YOU are your children’s catechism: your life, your experiences, your tragedies, your triumphs, your love for Jesus and Jesus love for you. You yourself are the answer to your children’s tough questions about the faith; and you will not find that on the internet. Your autobiography is the first book of beliefs your children will ever read.

And once you learn the meaning of the word “catechism” you begin to see how easy and natural it is to share the faith. It is true that sometimes our explanations may not be exact, and then we should go back to our big books of beliefs and double-check, and correct, our answers. I always learn more about the faith whenever I talk to our parishioners and hear their stories and their love for the Lord. In those moments they are the “catechists” (those who teach) and I am the “catechumen” (one who learns). Every Christian is called to be a catechist and put the faith into their own words and share it. And when we do, each Christian becomes the book of faith.

Praised be Jesus Christ!