Christ in Catechesis Today

In many Catholic parishes, Catechesis no longer has a Christocentric focus. It has been watered down into vague Church teachings and half-hearted Bible stories. Catechesis needs to be reverted to its roots. Catechists must be reminded that because everything goes back to Christ, their Catechesis must also. To go about this radical yet necessary change, we must thoroughly examine what Catechesis is, why it matters, and how to make it Christocentric. We will begin this Catechetical journey by defining Catechesis.

What is Catechesis?
In On Catechesis in Our Time by Saint Pope John Paul II, Catechesis is defined as “the efforts within the Church to make disciples.” The document goes on to clarify that Catechesis is meant to help people know that Jesus is God for the Body of Christ to be built up (CT). The word “Catechesis” is only used twice in the Bible. In English, the phrases translate to “one who is instructed” and “instructed in the way” (Gal 6:6, Acts 18:25). Therefore, Catechesis is the method by which one instructs others in the way of Christ. Since Catechesis is meant to teach about Christ, Catechesis needs to be Christocentric. This means Catechesis must be centered around the Person of Christ and His teachings (CT). When Catholic doctrine is handed down to new Disciples, the Person of Christ must always be at the forefront of the discussion. Just as the center of the Mass is centered around the Sacrament of the Eucharist, so the teaching of the Church must be centered around the Body of Christ. At the heart of all Catechesis is the mystery of Christ (CT). 

Why Does This Matter?
Catechesis must be completely Christocentric because if the Word of God is taught without the main focus being Christ, students will only receive information about Him - not an encounter with the person. They will only encounter the person of Christ if all of Catechesis is Christocentric. This is vital for Catholics to develop a personal relationship with Jesus. Without a relationship, Catholics will either fall away from the Church or become lukewarm Catholics. Christ warns heavily against these things. “‘Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven . . . I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers’” (Matthew 7:21, 23). Therefore, the Christocentricity of Catechesis matters because of the dire consequences if the Catechist does not introduce the Catechised to the person of Jesus Christ. It matters because if Catechesis is not centered around Christ, people will fall away from the Church. If students are not introduced to a personal relationship with Christ, they will have no reason to stay. 

If Catechesis is without Christ, then it is not Catechesis at all. In the Great Commission, Christ tells his disciples to begin “. . . teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). The center of what Jesus wants us to teach is Himself. There is no Catechesis without Christ in the center of it all, yet that is what it has become today. With so much of the world’s Catechesis falling away from Christocentricity, there must be a way to get the Church back on track in how she teaches the Faith. 

How Do We Make Our Teaching Christocentric?
Considering this information, we can figure out how to teach Christocentric. Simply stated, all we have to do is to make Christ the center of our Catechesis. This is easier said than done. We can teach what Jesus taught, but in a manner in which the Catechised encounter the person of Christ. For example, Jesus taught about salvation. We can make this teaching Christocentric by explaining that we are saved through Christ and that He is how the Father chose to fulfill Revelation (DC, 21). The best thing that we can do is model our teaching after Christ’s teaching (DC, 56). “. . . he got them to know the mysteries of the Kingdom, taught them to pray, proposed to them gospel values, initiated them into the life of communion with him and among themselves, and into mission” (Directory for Catechesis, 56). With this in mind, we can examine specific doctrines and figure out how to teach them with Jesus as the focal point.

To help illustrate how to make our teaching Christocentric better, let’s examine some specific doctrines and how they are Christocentric. One doctrine in particular, the nature of the Trinity, can tell us something about Jesus. This doctrine tells us that Jesus Christ is forever the Son of God, but only in reference to God the Father (cf. CCC 240). Therefore, by learning about the three Persons of God, we also learn about Jesus. Christocentricity applies to other doctrines as well, even when it seems otherwise. Another example is that, at first glance, the doctrine of the Virgin Mary’s Immaculate Conception appears to only be about Mother Mary. However, Mary was immaculately conceived to be a pure vessel for Jesus. She became a dwelling place for the Son and the Holy Spirit (cf. CCC 721). Her Immaculate Conception happened so she could carry Jesus in her womb and bring the Son of God into the world. Like this, when we teach the doctrines of the Church, we must always come back to what the doctrine tells us about Jesus Christ.

To conclude, all Catechesis must be Christocentric to call God’s people to Him. The Christocentricity of Catechesis is vital because it is what Jesus demands of us. Christianity boils down to following Jesus Christ (DC, 23). To take Christ out of the center of Christianity is to believe in nothing at all. “. . . and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is in vain; you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished” (1 Corinthians 15:17-18). Christ is at the center of the Catholic Faith. Thus, it only makes sense for Catholic teaching to have Christ at its center. 

Sources:

“Catechesi Tradendae (October 16, 1979): John Paul II.” Catechesi Tradendae (October 16, 

1979) | John Paul II, https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_exhortatio 

ns/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_16101979_catechesi-tradendae.html.

Catechism of the Catholic Church. Second ed., Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994.

Directory for Catechesis. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2020.

The New American Bible. Revised Edition ed., World Catholic Press.