THE BISHOP'S CROZIER: The School of Our Faith

By Bishop James R. Golka

As we begin the month of September, it is that time of year when schools are back in session, including our Catholic schools which are such an indispensable part of the Church’s ongoing mission of evangelization and catechesis.

Sept. 15 is also Catechetical Sunday in which the Church in the United States recognizes and commissions catechists to teach the faith in our parishes across the country.  I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of our teachers and catechists in the diocese who have personally embraced Jesus’ command of “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”  (Matthew 28:20) Your witness and teaching is essential in the life of the Church, for if we do not truly know Jesus, we cannot be his disciples. 

I also want to use this as an opportunity to examine the importance of catechesis as the school of faith in each of our own lives.  At my announcement as your new bishop, I said that ever since I was a child I have been fascinated with Jesus Christ. I would not have had that deep relationship with Christ, nor my vocation, if it was not for the catechesis that I received from my parents, my teachers, and others that taught me the Catholic faith. This is why catechesis is so important for all of us who seek to follow Christ. 

The word catechesis comes from a Greek word which means “to echo.” Just as an echo in a canyon returns perfectly our voice and words to us, the work of catechesis faithfully hands on the very words and revelation of Jesus that he has entrusted to the Church.  Through catechesis, we receive God’s personal revelation of himself — who he is, what he has done for us, and his holy plan for the Church and our lives.  It is only through faithful and ongoing catechesis that we are able to have a true personal relationship with Christ and become his disciples. 

At the very heart and center of catechesis is the person of Jesus Christ who is “the way, the truth, and the life.”  (John 14:6) Catechesis brings us into a personal relationship with Jesus who is the way to the Father.  St. John Paul II teaches that “the definitive aim of catechesis is to put people not only in touch but in communion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ: only He can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit and make us share in the life of the Holy Trinity.” (Catechesi tradendae, 5) Catechesis also leads us to the truth that Jesus, who is fully human and divine, reveals about God and about the human person created in the image and likeness of God. Catechesis also helps us to become more like Christ and share in his life, because it brings about the transformation and renewal of our minds and hearts so that we can truly live like him as his disciples. St. John Paul II summarizes this great fruit of catechesis when he states, “Catechesis aims therefore at developing understanding of the mystery of Christ in the light of God’s word, so that the whole of a person’s humanity is impregnated by that word. Changed by the working of grace into a new creature, the Christian thus sets himself to follow Christ and learns more and more within the Church to think like Him, to judge like Him, to act in conformity with His commandments, and to hope as He invites us to.” (Catechesi tradendae, 20) 

Therefore, catechesis should not only be a part of every Christian’s life, but it should be a life-long endeavor to more deeply know Christ and his mission and plan for our lives.  As St. John Paul II boldly reminds us: “It must be restated that nobody in the Church of Jesus Christ should feel excused from receiving catechesis.”  (Catechesi tradendae, 45) This is even more valid today when we have access to abundant opportunities to learn our faith through the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as well as faithful Catholic books, videos, websites, podcasts, and apps. The more that we know our faith and live it with conviction, the more that we are able to be convincing witness of Jesus Christ in the world today.

It is also important to remember that every baptized Christian is called to be a teacher of the faith.  Through our baptism, we share in the prophetic mission of Christ to teach the faith through word and witness within the particular vocation that God has called us.   Bishops and priests are the chief catechists in their dioceses and parishes.  Parents are the chief catechists of their children in their domestic church that is the family.  The laity, in a unique way, are catechists through word and witness in the ordinary places of secular culture where they live and work.   The task of catechesis belongs to us all and it is at the very heart of the evangelizing mission of the Church. 

So as the new school year begins, let us remember that the most important school of all is the school of our faith.  Let us pray that the Holy Spirit may inspire us to be not only more ardent receivers of catechesis, but to also be bold teachers and witnesses of Jesus Christ.  It should always be “back to school” when it comes to learning our faith.