Faith

Friday, September 12, 2025Faith

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I hope that all of us remember that this sacred task of transmitting the faith belongs to us all and is never limited to a program, classroom, or parish hall.

Archbishop Richard G.
Henning

The first generation of Christians modeled their proclamation of the faith on the ministry of the Lord. He boldly proclaimed that the Kingdom of God had drawn near, and they boldly proclaimed Him the Risen Lord. The Lord taught the crowds with compassion as they were "sheep without a shepherd" (Mat 9:36). Of course, His words were part of the larger truth of His healing ministry and His self-offering in the Paschal mystery. There was a clear unity of word, deed, and identity. Having received their commission from the Lord to take up His healing ministry, the Apostles and the early Christian Church understood from the Lord's example that their task likewise required a consistency between word and deed. They announced the Good News and lived that Good News in their community life and in their outreach beyond. They took up the Scriptures of Israel and the emerging texts of the New Testament to teach the Word of God and to introduce the world to Jesus Who is the Word.

The holistic and organic nature of this process of the transmission of the faith makes sense when we recall that faith is first and foremost about relationship. The foundation and expression of discipleship is found in coming to know and be known by the Son of God Who reveals the face of the God of Love and Who reveals to us our own hearts. It is not enough to teach concepts or even creeds -- these are part of a larger whole that aims to bring us into relationship with the Lord through word, sacrament, and the communion of the Church. All of this is catechesis -- the "speaking" of the faith across the generations.
After what is typically the summer break, parishes and Catholic institutions will be resuming catechesis in varieties of ways. Catechesis will be done in Catholic schools, in faith formation programs, in sacramental preparation programs, in Bible studies on college campuses, in high schools, in adult formation events, and in programs and rites of initiation for soon-to-be new Catholics. I hope that all of us remember that this sacred task of transmitting the faith belongs to us all and is never limited to a program, classroom, or parish hall. If we dare the designation disciple of the Lord Jesus, then we are bound to communicate His grace and mercy whenever and wherever there is opportunity.
At the same time, I want to thank those who take on this particular task of drawing others to relationship with the Lord. As I express my gratitude, I recall the four men who bring the paralytic to Jesus for healing by lowering him through the roof (Mk 2:1-12). While the Gospel does not name them, what better image could there be of the heart of catechesis? We are fortunate to have the hard work of many trained professionals and dedicated and generous volunteers who devote themselves to this good work of drawing others to the heart of Christ.
This sacred work does not belong to any one of us, but is truly the work of the whole Church. As a tool and a guide, the Church offers us the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catechism assists us in making sure that what we transmit is not our own opinion but the fruit of the Church's centuries-long reflection upon the Word of God, the grace of the sacraments, and the witness of the Saints.
The Church seeks, by catechesis, to make that initial proclamation of the Good News, seeking to arouse faith just as we see the early Church doing so in the Letters of Paul and the Acts of the Apostles. Catechesis invites those stirrings of faith to go deeper by studying the Word of God, examining the reasons for our faith and grasping its demands for our living. Catechesis invites us to be drawn into the mysteries of the sacramental life of the Church by which the Body of Christ is formed and sustained. Catechesis aims to draw men and women into the communion of that same Body of Christ that is the Church.
With all of this in mind, the first task of any catechist is to go deeper into that relationship with the Lord. May God grant us all that grace, and may the Lord bless and enlighten all those who undertake the ministry of catechesis in our communities!

- Archbishop Richard G. Henning is the Archbishop of Boston