The Hierarchy of Truths

The Deposit of Faith – much like a house – exists according to a Hierarchy of Truths, wherein some truths are more foundational than other truths.  The latter rest upon the former as the 2″ x 4″ studs constituting the frame of a home rest upon the concrete foundation and the plumbing.  Before the frame is built, the concrete must be poured, and even before the pouring, the first pipes for the plumbing must be set in place.  With regard to catechesis, the existence of a hierarchy of truths does not mean some truths are more true than others.  Rather, it means that for an effective pedagogy (or, method of teaching), the catechist must lay the foundation first and teach the remainder of the deposit with the foundation always in mind, connecting the pieces.

5 Foundational Truths

In order for RCIA participants to get a solid hold on the Deposit of Faith, it is critical to show them how all of the truths are grounded in several foundational truths. These truths are contained in one significant paragraph within the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

“God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Savior. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life.” (CCC, #1)

These five foundational truths of revelation are invoked throughout the Catechism and provide a framework in which all doctrine finds its proper context. They are:

1. The Blessed Trinity: God is an eternal loving communion of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
2. The Person of Jesus: A divine person who took on human nature in the Incarnation
3. The Paschal Mystery: the suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ
4. The Dignity of the Human Person: made in the image and likeness of God
5. The Church: the Body of Christ brought to life in the Holy Spirit

Breaking It Down

Let’s take a look at each of these foundational truths individually.

What Does This Mean Practically?

The ordering of teachings within the catechumenal process requires a firm understanding of the foundational truths and the way in which all other truths flow from them. These foundational truths, then, should be laid out at the beginning and referred back to during subsequent sessions. In this way, the catechist can provide participants with an overarching framework in which the entire Deposit of Faith can and must be understood.

To break it down even further, if you’re looking for a system to put in place to make this work practically using a curriculum that respects the need for a year-round inquiry and a year-round catechumenate with the proper discernment of readiness before participants progress through rites… then be sure to check out our blog entry titled: “Integrating a Systematic Catechesis with a Year-Round Process.”

You may also be interested in these related blog entries:

• 8 Key Elements of Authentic Catechesis
• Analyzing Doctrines: What to Teach
• The Gospel Message in the Precatechumenate
• Catechesis in the Catechumenate

RCIA 38 says we are “to give the candidates a suitable explanation of the Gospel.” Likewise, RCIA 42 says that before someone passes from the first period of Precatechumenate into the Catechumenate, “the fundamentals of Christian teaching” should have “taken root in the candidates.”

The Gospel and the fundamentals of Christian teaching includes the following:

♦ Trinity and Creation – God is Trinity and creates out of his divine love
♦ Divine Revelation – God speaks to us so we may know his will
♦ Man and Woman – We are made in the image of God (Lat. Imago Dei)
♦ Sin – We have separated ourselves from God through our own free will
♦ From Adam to Jesus – God has been working to save us through the covenants
♦ Jesus Christ – In the final and definitive covenant, God became man!
♦ Paschal Mystery – Jesus saves us through his Suffering, Death, Resurrection and Ascension
♦ Pentecost – Sitting on his heavenly throne, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit; the Church is born
♦ Life in Christ – Jesus frees us from our sin and brings us true joy in holiness
♦ The 4 Last Things – We will die and be judged; heaven and hell are the only two final destinations

The above bullet points serve as an outline of what is known by different names: The Story, The Narratio, or Salvation History. The General Directory for Catechesis says, “In Patristic catechesis, the narration (narratio) of the wonderful deeds of God and the awaiting (expectatio) of Christ’s return always accompanied the exposition of the mysteries of faith” (#107).

A very ancient and time-honored way of presenting the Gospel is to tell The Catholic Family Story. This is the story of who God is and what his plan is for us. The story should be told – in its entirety – near the very beginning of the catechumenal process. This can be accomplished in thirty minutes. The catechist simply lays out the story, element by element, beginning with God, continuing to the present day, and following all the way to the last things: death, judgement, Heaven, and Hell.

Once The Story has been told, the remainder of the Precatechumenate can be spent focusing on the major points of this Story (i.e., the bullet points provided above). This, dovetailed with answering inquirers’ questions, serves as the content of the Precatechumenate. Of course, more is needed. Small group discussion about how these points in the story affect the lives of the participants is necessary. Also necessary are other components, including the acquiring of sponsors; inviting inquirers into parishioners’ homes; praying together; etc.

The next period of the RCIA – the Catechumenate – is the period in which we flesh out these fundamentals of Christian teaching and put the meat on the bones, so to speak. So, there is no rush or need to go into great depth when presenting the above aspects of the Good News, the “Gospel.”

For a more in-depth exposition, download and read the PDF article titled: “Starting Fires in the RCIA: Precatechumenate Catechesis and Apologetics.”

Related Blog Entry

Also, see the blog entry titled: “The Story – Context for Catechesis“