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Enlightenment during Advent: Joseph as Model of Faith

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In our continuing series exploring a catechumenal process during the Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany seasons, Kent’s blog last week reviewed the Gospel texts for Advent 2 and 3, both of which highlight John the Baptist, who comes “to prepare the way of the Lord (and) make his paths straight.” Today’s post concludes this series with a look at the Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday of Advent (year A), Matthew 1:18-25, where the Advent time of preparation gives way to the narrative of Mary’s pregnancy and Jesus’ birth from the perspective of the “righteous” Joseph.

Filled with catechetical and homiletical possibilities, this text offers three fitting themes for those preparing for baptism (or renewal of baptism).

  • Joseph’s story is one of a life turned upside down, filled with unexpected turns in this brief text. For many, the path of conversion to Christ can hold a similar pattern of unexpected turns.
  • In the midst of seeming betrayal by his betrothed, the angel who appeared to him in the dream turns that ugly, unwelcomed report into the astonishing good news that “God is with us.” For those seeking God, this text is a reminder that unwelcomed events and broken relationship will still be part of their lives, but God is with them.
  • Joseph responds with trust in the word of God delivered by the angel, a trust that led to obedience: “When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took [Mary] as his wife” (Matt 1:24).

The Christian life is one of faith (trust) in the promises of God, a trust that calls forth obedience to God’s call, even when the path forward looks difficult and unpromising. In a culture where the message of Christmas has been obscured by our consumerist culture and reduced to pious platitudes of “peace” and “joy” in commercial Christmas card, Joseph’s narrative reveals both complexity of the Christian life and the simple and gracious promise—that God is with us—a promise that brings true joy and peace.

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Banner photo: Icon Nativity and adoration of the Magi, 19th century; public domain via Wiki Commons; NB: Joseph and the angel who appeared inhis dream are in the lower left of the icon.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nativity_and_adoration_of_the_Magi.jpg

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Enlightenment during Advent: Preparing the Way of the Lord in the Catechumenate

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In our continuing series exploring a catechumenal process during the Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany seasons, last week Rhoda explored the lectionary readings for Advent 1 which correlate with the Scrutinies (Roman) or Rites of Healing and Deliverance (Journey to Baptismal Living). The final prayer in the Renunciation of Evil from Welcome to Christ captures well the intent of these traditional rites of exorcism, that is, to pray for deliverance from the powers of sin, evil, and satan that thwart the new life in Christ: “Lord God, you promised that the ancient evil of the serpent would be vanquished on the cross of your Son. We ask you: Crush the power of the devil. Protect your people from the evils of the world. Preserve us from sin and error, that with saints and angels we may live in the joy of your goodness and truth, through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Welcome to Christ: Lutheran Rites for the Catechumenate, 28). The readings of the 2nd and 3rd Sundays in Advent focus on the ministry of John the Baptist who comes “to prepare the way of the Lord (and) make his paths straight.” The readings frame these rites of healing and deliverance that seek to uncover and remove sin and inclinations to evil in the lives of the catechumens and lead them to the day of baptismal enlightenment and entrance into the good, right, and saving rule and reign of God. In these rites the catechumens hear John’s call: “Prepare the way of the Lord.”

2nd Sunday in Advent

On this Sunday John the Baptist appears in the wilderness preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand” from the Gospel reading Matthew 3:1-12. The Rites of Healing and Deliverance are that voice addressed to the catechumens and the whole assembly. On the banks of the Jordan John is baptizing the people as they confess their sins. The preacher and catechist can frame this text for the catechumen so that they see themselves in the same place as those gathered around John at the Jordan. So, they are preparing to gather around the font of regeneration and so they are called to confess their sins and cast away the works of darkness. They are preparing for the baptism of repentance, the baptism that “frees them from being enslaved to the father of lies” (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, 99). But it is of course even more than that. It is the baptism of the one whose sandals John is not worthy to stoop down and untie. It is baptism into the kingdom of God and of his Christ: baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire. The catechumens are preparing to experience this baptism of the Lord. Entering into this kingdom, they are called to live faithfully as members of it, with righteousness and faithfulness permeating their lives (Isaiah 11:1-10). The God of the Word has and will continue to give them encouragement and hope to endure until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 15:4-13).

3rd Sunday in Advent

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear,” Jesus announces at the end of the Gospel reading for the 3rd Sunday in Advent. Throughout the catechumenate the elect have heard the voice of the Lord through His Word. The catechumenal journey has been, if nothing else, an immersion in the Word. On this final catechumenal Sunday prior to their baptisms on Epiphany/Baptism of Our Lord, the church calls the elect to a continual immersion in that Word. It is that Word that now proclaims to them that Elijah has come in the person of John the Baptist to prepare Christ’s way. And to prepare their way! What have the elect (and the entire assembly) come to see? A wiry reed in the desert? A prophet? Yes, but finally one who points to the Christ who brings the kingdom of God into this sin-sick, evil, and dying world. Here is the word that asks the elect what do you hear and see in this Jesus?: “The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (Matthew 11:5-6). This is the enlightenment that shines into the eyes and hearts of the elect. They truly see, they are cleansed, they hear, they are raised up and they have heard good news preached to them. Repenting of the darkness of sin and evil in their lives and praying for the light of the new life of God’s kingdom, as the Rites of Healing and Deliverance do, embody the very hearing of this gospel reading. With Isaiah (35:1-10) they can be encouraged to be strong and fear not because God is here now in Word and baptismal waters to save them. From now on they can patiently suffer and endure whatever challenges confront them in God’s kingdom (James 5:7-11).

Focus on the kingdom of God and preparing to enter into this kingdom fully through the waters of baptism is the nature of these texts on the 2nd and 3rd Sundays in Advent. While the prayers and rites for the Scrutinies would need to reflect these texts in their use in a catechumenate during Advent, the readings’ appropriately turn the elect away from the kingdom of evil and toward the kingdom of the Lord. The Word is preparing the way of the Lord for them. Follow me, He says!

 

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Formational Reading of Scripture Series

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Today we wrap up the Formational Reading of Scripture Series by reviewing briefly each of the three “methods” of Scripture study commonly used in adult faith formation settings—African, Luther’s Four Strand Garland, and Visualization. Drawing on Understanding Faith Formation: Theological, Congregational, and Global Dimensions by Maddix, Kim, and Estep, Kent introduced this series by highlighting key aspects of “formational reading” (95-96). These goals described in Understanding Faith Formation are worth repeating; such reading …

  • Allows the biblical text to master the reader
  • Forms a humble, receptive approach to the Scriptures
  • Expects an openness to mystery (especially of God) as encountered in the text

The African Method of Scripture Study

This method works particularly well in the first two stages of the catechumenal process, the stages of Inquiry and the Catechumenate. Kent wrote that the African method “exposes inquirers and catechumens to the Word of God in a non-threatening and inviting way. It facilitates an encounter with the Word in which becoming familiar with God’s self-revelation in Christ Jesus is at the center.”

The biblical text is read three times with a different question/prompt for reflection and sharing in the group. These prompts are designed to lead the participants to “ponder in their hearts” the words of Scripture; to hear God speaking to them through Scripture; and to see Jesus in light of their daily concerns and needs. Blog readers can review the method with the “prompts” for reflection and sharing here.

Luther’s Four-Strand Garland Method

Kent wrote: “In contrast with the African method, this method begins to expand more fully into the life of prayer and into the discipled life of the Christian.” Thus, it would be most fitting to use this method in the second or third stages of a catechumenal process, the states of the Catechumenate and Enlightenment (or intense preparation).

The four strands of the garland are instruction, thanksgiving, wholeness/confession, and presence. I wrote, “The first and fourth strands, instruction and presence, begin and end the study by listening for God’s voice and resting in the assurance of God’s presence. These strands anchor the entire method in God’s grace, God’s initiative toward us—God is speaking to us, calling to us; God is present with us always, whether we realize it or not. The inner strands call us to respond to God’s grace, first by inviting us to be thankful for what God has done, and then by training us to examine ourselves, identifying our ‘woundedness’ and ‘sinfulness’ brought forth by the biblical text; the confession … [draws] us toward wholeness and healing, toward dying to self and rising in Christ, and into a closer relationship with God. To review the complete description, click here.

The Visualization Method

As Go Make Disciples indicates, “The point of visualizing a passage is to help members of a group see the word of God as it is: lively, active, and speaking to their lives here and now. They might find themselves in a character of the story or in several characters. They might picture truths about their own lives that are illuminated by the acting out of the story” (141-2). Because this method works best when there is some knowledge and awareness of the Scriptures and a sense of community is taking shape in the catechumenal cohort, it functions particularly well in the stages of Enlightenment and Mystagogy.  This method recognizes that the creative process can make a deep impact on learning for many people. As the “riskiest” of the three methods, it calls for the leaders to trust the creative work of the Spirit through the power of the proclaimed Word. To review the steps in the visualization method, click here.

To close, consider these words of St. Paul, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17 ESV). Each of the three methods is anchored in hearing the Scriptures and are designed so that the biblical text masters the reader (not vice versa), forms a humble, receptive approach to the Scriptures, and expects an openness to mystery (especially of God) as encountered in the text.

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Luther’s Four-Strand Garland: Lessons in Baptismal Living

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Introducing Luther’s “Four-Strand Garland” method of Scripture study last week, Kent wrote: “In contrast with the African method, this method begins to expand more fully into the life of prayer and into the discipled life of the Christian.” While the African Method lends itself to the earliest of the four stages of the catechumenal process, the period of inquiry, Luther’s method is better suited to those participants further along in the journey toward discipleship. We see its greatest value in the second or third stage (the second as a period with more formal catechesis; the third as a period of “enlightenment” or intense preparation culminating with the rites of baptism and affirmation of faith/confirmation at the Vigil of Easter).

The first and fourth strands, instruction and presence, begin and end the study by listening for God’s voice and resting in the assurance of God’s presence. These strands anchor the entire method in God’s grace, God’s initiative toward us—God is speaking to us, calling to us; God is present with us always, whether we realize it or not. The inner strands call us to respond to God’s grace, first by inviting us to be thankful for what God has done, and then by training us to examine ourselves, identifying our “woundedness” and “sinfulness” brought forth by the biblical text. The invitation into thankfulness reorients participants’ prayer life away from a “sugar daddy” view of God (focused on asking God for what I want or think I need) toward recognizing that God is the source of all good gifts in our lives. Then the confession completes “the garland,” drawing us toward wholeness and healing, toward dying to self and rising in Christ, and into a closer relationship with God.

In contrast to metaphors of the Christian life as a journey (such as I used in the opening paragraph of this post!) or as following a pathway with a beginning and end or goal (Psalm 1), the image of a garland, “a circular or spiral arrangement of intertwined material,”[1] evokes the repetitive aspect of a life of discipleship. Our wholes lives are “a living from and returning to that holy font [of baptism].”[2]

[1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/garland

[2] The phrase is from the closing portion of the diaconal litany of the Lutheran Diaconal Association.

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Image: Font in Notre Dame Cathedral, Riems, France; June 2024; photo by Rhoda Schuler

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African Method of Scripture Study: Encountering the Word

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As with the other two methods, the African study method meets the inquirer where they are at, not where the church wants them to be. In other words, the focus is not on discursive, propositional study of the Scriptures. It is not the downloading of all the catechetical and doctrinal knowledge that we believe the catechumen needs to have. With these methods we … have to let the Spirit lead through the Word in this encounter. But that doesn’t mean this approach isn’t catechetical. The catechesis arises from and out of the encounter with the Word.

Quote from last week’s post by Kent Burreson

Kent’s words are a challenge to our readers. Embracing the role of the Spirit in these methods of Scripture study can be difficult for church leaders trained in traditional forms of pedagogy that focus on delivering content about a subject. The lack of biblical literacy among inquirers also drives those of us who teach to address that lack with lesson plans about content. But, as Kent points out, the goal is not mastery of content but an “encounter” that comes “through the Word.” The Spirit not only leads “through the Word” (Scripture) but also leads to “the Word”—that is, to an encounter with the “Word made flesh,” Jesus Christ, full of grace and truth.

As a former skeptic of these methods of Scripture study, I offer this testimony from a woman who was part of the faith formation process at St. Mary’s Lutheran Church, one of our research congregations.[1] Betty, who was eager to start the process because she “had so many questions,” was surprised that rather than asking questions, the members of the group were directed to answer questions! At one point in our conversation, she said, “I don’t think I found St. Mary’s; I think St. Mary’s found me.” With these words, she is implicitly acknowledging the work of the Spirit in the congregation’s faith formation process; one that, by posing questions for reflection, drew her more deeply into a relationship with Christ.

As the sample questions provided by Kent in last week’s post show, the African study method meets the inquirers where they are at, asking what “word, phrase, or image” captured their attention; how “God is speaking to you in this story”; and, if possible, a question based on the particular text, such as “What burdens are you carrying now?” in response to Jesus’s words about his “yoke” that is “easy” and “burden is light” (Matt 11:25-30). The goal is to lead the participants to “ponder in their hearts” the words of Scripture; to hear God speaking to them through Scripture; and to see Jesus in light of their daily concerns and needs. As Martin Luther wrote in his Preface to the Old Testament (1523),

… think of the Scriptures as the loftiest and noblest of holy things, as the richest of mines which can never be sufficiently explored, in order that you may find that divine wisdom which God here lays before in such simple guise as to quench all pride. Here you will find the swaddling cloths and the manger in which Christ lies, and to which the angel points the shepherds [Luke 2:12]. Simple and lowly are these swaddling cloths, but dear is the treasure, Christ, who lies in them. (Luther’s Works, vol. 35, p. 236).

Luther’s words are a warning to those teachers of the faith (like me!) who are tempted to impart a plethora of knowledge about a given text and its context. The African study method sees Scripture as the swaddling cloths and manger that hold what is “dear … the treasure, Christ,” and aims to lead participants to encounter that most priceless treasure, Jesus.

[1] Both the person’s and congregation’s names are pseudonyms.

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Formational Reading of Scripture: The African Bible Study Method

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Likely the most utilized Bible study method in the catechumenate is the African Bible Study method (also called collation). As Go Make Disciples describes “it refers to the process of ‘collecting’ or gathering thoughts, reflections, and prayers through the hearing of a passage of Scripture read multiple times” (140). It bears marked similarity to the ancient devotional practice of Lectio Divina. New Christian communities in South Africa employed it in the 1960’s and 1970’s as a way of evangelizing and building the church. All three primary methods of Bible study can be utilized throughout any of the stages of the catechumenate. However, I think this method works particularly well in the first two stages of Inquiry and the Catechumenate stage. It exposes inquirers and catechumens to the Word of God in a non-threatening and inviting way. It facilitates an encounter with the Word in which becoming familiar with God’s self-revelation in Christ Jesus is at the center. That encounter takes place through this method in the context of where the inquirer and catechumen are in the specificity of their lived experience. (This would be true of all three methods.) As with the other two methods, the African study method meets the inquirer where they are at, not where the church wants them to be. In other words, the focus is not on discursive, propositional study of the Scriptures. It is not the downloading of all the catechetical and doctrinal knowledge that we believe the catechumen needs to have. With these methods we have to release for controlling the movement toward right belief. We have to let the Spirit lead through the Word in this encounter. But that doesn’t mean this approach isn’t catechetical. The catechesis arises from and out of the encounter with the Word.

So what is the pattern of reading, reflection, and sharing in this method?

  • Typically, the biblical text is the Gospel reading for the “current” Sunday (that is, if the group gathers on Sunday, they will use the text from that day). The same reading is used throughout the week, Monday through Saturday, on whatever day the group meets. [Other texts, including liturgical texts or rituals, can also be used].
  • The Gospel text is read three times, each time with a different prompt for individual reflection. There are different kinds of prompts that can be used.
    • First reading, reflection, and sharing.
      • The catechist gives the first prompt, “Listen for a word, phrase, or image that captures your attention,” pauses for a brief time of silence, and then reads the text slowly.
      • After the reading and a short silence, each person shares their word, phrase, or image; no one comments on what others have said.
    • Second reading, reflection, and sharing.
      • The catechist gives the second prompt, followed by silence, before the text is read slowly a second time by someone else.
      • Second prompt (here are two options)
        • How is God speaking to you in this story? Or
        • What theme or concerns do you hear in this text?
      • After the reading and a short silence, each person shares briefly; no one comments on what others have said.
    • Third reading, reflection, and sharing.
      • The catechist gives the third prompt, followed by silence, before the text is read slowly the third time by someone else.
      • Third prompt (here are two options)
        • Where does this passage touch my life today? Or
        • A question crafted by the catechumenal team specific to the Gospel reading. These questions were written for Matthew 11:25-30.
          • What burdens are you carrying now?
          • What is the Son revealing to you at this point in your life?
        • Optional addition after the second reading: The catechist may offer a voice from tradition which illuminates the passage in some way (i.e. scriptural teaching and/or catechesis); this “voice from tradition” should be prepared in consultation with the pastor or may be one or two points from the Sunday’s sermon.

 

This provides the basic pattern, but there are numerous other structural options. Central to this experience is each individual inquirer’s or catechumen’s encounter with the Word. That is why the silence and the prohibition against speaking until all who want to express their response to the prompts have done so. The catechist catechizes in this method by the kinds of prompts they provide, by their guiding of the process, and by their initial teaching that flows from the time together in the Word. This method decidedly expresses the conviction that the agent of conversion and strengthening of faith is the Holy Spirit through the living and breathing Word of God.

 

              

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Formational Reading of Scripture: Methods of Studying the Word

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In previous posts we gave attention to the role that the study of the Scriptures plays in the various stages of the catechumenate. It entails less focus on information and learning what Christians believe and a much greater focus on hearing and reflecting on the Word of God and exploring the questions about Jesus, faith, and the church that seekers and catechumens pose. This type of reading and exploration of Scripture is often called formational reading of Scripture. As the book Understanding Faith Formation indicates, formational reading transforms the reader by the influence of the Word of God mediated through the lived encounter with the text by the power of the Holy Spirit (94).

As part of the general approach of the catechumenate for forming disciples who live by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, formational reading aims to transform the lives of those encountering Christ in the church’s life. Formational reading is described by Understanding Faith Formation in the following ways:

  • The objective is not to cover as much material as possible
  • Formational reading is deep
  • Allows the text to master the reader
  • The reader is shaped by the text
  • Forms a humble, receptive approach to the Scriptures
  • Expects an openness to mystery (especially of God) as encountered in the text (95-96)

Since the reintroduction of the catechumenate with the RCIA in the 20th century, three primary approaches to study of the Scriptures have proven effective among Lutherans (and other Christians) as methods of formational reading: The African study method, the Luther method, and the Visualization method. All three forms are easily adaptable and can be contextualized to any given congregation. For example, instead of focusing on the lectionary readings, especially in the early stages of the catechumenate, some congregations focus on the Word as it is encountered in the worship experience of the church, through the liturgy.  Liturgical texts and actions become the primary encounter with the Word upon which these study methods focus. Over the next 8 weeks we will consider these three primary study methods and how they can be used to shape a formational reading of Scripture in a congregation’s catechumenate and in its life together.

One of the results of the catechumenate is that it builds community and incorporates newcomers into that community. Establishing such a formational reading approach to encountering the Word of God will form the community around the Word, with the Word at the center. It will lead the explorers and catechumens to fall “in love with the Scriptures” and to make it a daily part of their contemplation of and encounter with Christ (Macalintal, Your Parish is the Curriculum, 75) through their corporate life together in Jesus.

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Catechumenate Formation for Pastors and Deaconesses-to-Be: Experiential Pedagogy

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Two-thirds of the way through this half semester course—as students were preparing to make their presentations on various aspects of the catechumenate—the revelation popped into my head that I had used few experiential pedagogical elements in the course. What a sucker-punch self-critique of my pedagogy this was. Why? For at least two reasons, first because I strive to teach using a variety of pedagogies to attend to students’ different learning styles. Experiential learning is a critical style to attend to, especially among students of the post-modern generations. And here I had utterly failed to employ any experiential pedagogies. Second, because Dr. Schuler and I had included just such learning strategies throughout the workshops we had held both in person and on-line over the past four years. How had I forgotten about these extremely effective ways of learning about the catechumenate that we had employed in the past? In our next class period, I immediately began class by asking for forgiveness from my students for having failed them as a teacher in this regard. In next year’s version of the class, I will not make the same mistake.

               In our catechumenate workshops we have employed both ritual and catechetical, experiential pedagogies. [Our image for this post only hints at it, with the oil on the table below my posture.] We have had participants experience the rite of acceptance with anointing of the body and the rite of enrollment with the signing of the Book of the Elect. Catechetical experiences have included the African, the visualization, and the Luther Scripture study methods. All three involve reflective, personal consideration of the texts and questions that explore their meaning for the catechumens’ lives of faith in the Triune God. (We have explored these study methods in previous blog posts. If you’d like a copy of one of these posts, e-mail me at burresonk@csl.edu). Exposure to all of these experiential learning experiences will be a part of the course going forward.

               But you, the reader, are wondering what does Burreson’s pedagogical failure have to do with me? Well, primarily, learn from my error of judgement. Your catechumenate should include such opportunities for experiential learning throughout the catechumenate’s length. This will embed the learning and formation of the catechumenate in intentional ways that take hold of the catechumen. This is one of the reasons that ritual action is significant in faith formation. But the same thing applies to experiential forms of Scripture study and opportunities for service to the church and the community throughout the catechumenate. Engagement with these types of experiential learning also becomes important when introducing the catechumenate to a congregation. They need to experience the same things that the catechumens will experience. They need to be formed by the same vision of Christian life, into a similar experience of entering the Christian life. Hopefully, they are captivated and it renews their own faith.

               My students forgave me in early May for failing them pedagogically. Repentance and forgiveness lead by the Spirit’s power to new fruits of faith. Experiential pedagogy will be a constitutive part of the class from now on. I pray you don’t need to repent of such failures in your catechumenate; that it is already filled with an abundance of experiential learning.

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A Curriculum for the Catechumenate? Formation for Life

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An often asked question about the catechumenate is, “Where can I find a curriculum for the catechumenate?” While from the perspective of efficiency it would be desirable to have a curriculum that could fit all places and circumstances that desire works against the nature of the catechumenate. While some Roman Catholic dioceses do provide catechetical/doctrinal curriculums for the RCIA, those usually only focus specifically on catechetical knowledge and aren’t intended as a curriculum for the entire catechumenate. This is why Diana Macalintal titled her book on the RCIA’s life within the Christian community: Your Parish IS the Curriculum. (See my series of blog posts on her book from July 15 through August 20, 2021). Since the catechumenate is aimed toward forming seekers into the Christian faith within that particular congregation’s life as the Body of Christ, their life together is the curriculum for formation. An abstract curriculum from outside the parish would run counter to that type of formation.

But I don’t want to be accused of punting on the efficiency question. Yes, the catechumenate requires a deliberate, intentional, and, at times, slow approach to forming disciples. But that “built-in” inefficiency shouldn’t be shouldered solely on the backs of the pastors, church workers, catechists, and sponsors who work the catechumenal process. Rather, the inquirers and seekers themselves should shoulder that load since the intentionality and slow pace of the catechumenate is for their benefit as they walk the road to conversion.

So what might a curriculum look like that is oriented to the seekers and more efficiently responds to their seeking? Roman Catholic Nick Wagner in his book, Seek the Living God: Five RCIA inquiry Questions for Making Disciples (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2017), advocates for a curricular approach that is seeker-centered and oriented toward the adult learner. We must ask the question of each adult seeker, “What are you actually seeking?” This allows the seeker to be the primary person for determining the shape of a curriculum in the catechumenate that is tailored for their individual journey. Wagner encourages the use of contract learning in which the seeker and catechumenal team develop a contract that will facilitate their formation toward baptism and participation in the Body of Christ. Developing that contract entails for Wagner asking five questions of the seeker:

  1. Where have you been?
  2. Where are you now?
  3. Where do you want to get to?
  4. How are you going to get where you want to go?
  5. How will you know when you have arrived?

Answering these questions leads to designing a learning contract that will facilitate participation in the Body of Christ in accord with the seeker’s background, current needs, and the journey they wish to make. The seeker is the one looking to make this journey and the opportunity for accomplishing it is placed on them. All the participants in the catechumenal team can then play their role in facilitating this journey. Given the uniqueness of the journeys of each seeker, there is not a one-size-fits-all curriculum for the catechumenate. But this individualized approach, with the necessary involvement of a diverse catechumenal team, creates significant commitment to the process for the seeker that will lead to lifelong formation for Christian life. Wagner’s book calls for further reading, which I intend to do. I commend it to you. And encourage you to explore constructing a catechumenate curriculum that is seeker-centered, forming them for continual participation in the life of Christ’s body.

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Real Characteristics of the Catechumenate

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Over the last four class periods, our catechumenate class has had the opportunity to converse with two of the pastors—Pastor Dan Eggold of Grace, Lafayette, IN and Pastor Tim Droegemueller of Living Faith, Cumming GA—who were involved in our catechumenate grants and with Dr. Schuler. The conversations surfaced numerous characteristics that shaped a vision of what Gospel-oriented, effective, and strong catechumenates look like. I am going to highlight these characteristics so that you can have the same vision that we had as a class as we talked to these pastors and Dr. Schuler.

Strong catechumenates exhibit structure and order while being flexible and nimble. Faith formation with people that come from all types of circumstances and personal contexts demands a structure that the catechumen can rely upon, while being able to adjust to the demands on their vocations that surface, often unexpectedly. Demonstrating intentional structure in the catechetical classes and in the ritual process while being nimble in the approach to individuals and families is an act of invested hospitality. Such intentionality shows that the congregation wants and intends to be hospitable to the stranger. It creates a culture of love.

Creating a culture of love begins with pastoral care. It is a consistent theme in all the congregations that have invested in their catechumenates. The pastors and church workers perceive pastoral care to be a virtue that is at the center of the relationships that they form with the catechumens. And pastoral care goes hand-in-glove with pastoral leadership. Strong catechumenates demonstrate strong pastoral leadership, leadership that manifests to the baptized that the catechumenate is a priority for the entire congregation’s life. This strong pastoral leadership elicits lay involvement and leadership in the catechumenate. The baptized want to be involved and find their niche. As Pastor Eggold said, he doesn’t have to worry about the organizational plan for their weekly catechumenal meetings, especially the meals. He has a member who takes the lead with all of that.

And effective catechumenates are truly feasts. They provide an opportunity for the catechumens, sponsors, catechists, pastors, and the baptized to eat together as a family in Christ. Breaking bread together allows them to get to know one another and immerses them in each other’s lives. But the feasting isn’t only on physical food and drink. It is feasting on the Word. And that feast’s food and drink is the rhythm of the church year and the heartbeat of the lectionary. It is that Sunday in and Sunday out encounter with the Word that forges questions, reflections, and adjustments from and in the lives of the catechumens (and the baptized too). That, after all, is the goal: lives transformed by the gospel.

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