Liturgical Elements of the Catechumenate
Posted on August 15th, 2008
Download and read the PDF article titled: Grace Elevating Nature: Liturgical Elements of the RCIA Catechumenate Period to discover the liturgical elements of the Christian initiation process.
A quote from the above article:
“The Christian initiation process is intended to be fundamentally liturgical. Participants need and have a right to the grace that flows from the font of the Church’s liturgy as it is made available to them as catechumens and candidates prior to full communion. This grace is an indispensable aid to conversion and the means by which they inter into intimate union with Christ and his Church. The steps towards this intimate union can be referred to as the major rites of the RCIA process – the gateways through which participants knowingly and freely decide to pass in their journey towards the divine consummation of the holy Eucharist. Supporting these major rites are various minor rites, some belonging to the period of the catechumenate and others to the period of purification and enlightenment.”
Tags: Liturgical Rites
Filed under Catechumenate, Liturgy | No Comments »
Catechesis in the Catechumenate
Posted on August 4th, 2008
Download and read the PDF article titled: The Standard of Teaching: Catechesis in the RCIA Catechumenate Period to find the answer to the question: What do I teach and when should I teach it?
A quote from the above article:
“Catechesis cannot be considered systematic and organic solely because it covers a great deal of material or is lengthy. A defining characteristic of a systematic and organic catechesis is its presentation according to the hierarchy of truths (see CCC 90, 234; GDC 114-115). Participants need to understand certain truths first in order to be able to understand others, and as catechesis proceeds, each truth needs to be linked to those taught previously.”
An example: In their catechesis, the catechumens and candidates must come to understand the person and work of Jesus before they explore the Marian dogmas. Then, when Mary is presented, her Immaculate Conception, Perpetual Virginity, Divine Motherhood, and Assumption are shown to have relevance insofar as to who her Divine Son is and what his plan is for her. “What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #487).
Related Blog Entry
Also, see the blog entry titled: “Analyzing Doctrines – What to Teach“
Tags: Systematic Catechesis
Filed under Catechesis, Catechumenate | 1 Comment »
Breaking Open the Word – What Is It?
Posted on July 25th, 2008
What has become known as “Breaking Open the Word” is found in RCIA 67.
67. After the dismissal formulary, the group of catechumens goes out but does not disperse. With the help of some of the faithful, the catechumens remain together to share their joy and spiritual experiences.
The Rite of dismissal is not an end in itself, but a means to move the catechumens (unbaptized) and perhaps candidates (baptized) (see RCIA 406) to a place where they can be spiritually fed. Though they cannot yet come to the table of the Eucharist, Mother Church still has an obligation to feed those who have entered into a relationship with her through the Rites of Acceptance and Welcoming (celebrated recently). This obligation is fulfilled by sending them out to dwell more richly on the Word of God that they have just heard at Mass.
His Word is their only food during this period. Participants depart from the Mass with one or several RCIA team members, godparents, and sponsors to go out to discuss the readings for that Sunday and experience more fully the impact of the Scriptures in their lives. While the congregation is being nourished by Jesus in the Eucharist, those seeking to join us at the sacred table are being nourished by Jesus in the sacred words of Scripture.
The session is not catechetical in its intent; it follows from the liturgical experience, and concludes approximately when the Mass concludes. Breaking Open the Word sessions are not opportunities for the delivery of a prepared catechesis. It is to be a facilitated reflection upon the content of the Liturgy of Word for that Sunday, and opportunity for each participant to actively engage the Scriptural text and to be fed by that encounter with the Word.
Tags: Breaking Open the Word
Filed under Catechumenate, Purification and Enlightenment | No Comments »
