In his second letter to St. Timothy, St. Paul with great urgency reminds him to follow the pattern of the sound words he received in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus; and, guard the truth that has been entrusted to him by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.[1] This exhortation serves as a helpful backdrop to describe the nature, premise, and content of all forms of religious instruction associated with the Catholic faith. Specifically, the theme of St. Paul’s message to St. Timothy stresses the importance of adhering to a Trinitarian Christocentric methodology rooted in the Word of God and articulated in creed form.
Sacred Scripture and Catholic doctrine serve as two inseparable anchors of faith that both build and strengthen one another in providing a clear articulation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is an important point to extrapolate due to the urgency of the salvation of souls. Why, because the nature and identity of any religious education process should emphasize the salvation of the soul to Jesus Christ.
An example of this relationship is St. Paul’s exhortation to St. Timothy to,
preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths.[2]
As students begin a new catechetical year at their local parish or Catholic school it is important that the student receive a clear message that he/she is made in the image and likeness of God, is loved, and that the origin of that love comes from God revealed through His Son Jesus Christ. If there is an outcome to this initial message of faith and love it is that faith built on grace from the Father is a gift that should not be viewed as a hindrance or worse yet as an enemy to a person’s way of life. However, there are instances where the mere mention of the Catholic faith or our baptismal responsibility to live this faith can be met with ignorance, indifference, or worse yet, unknowingly be viewed as an enemy.
Faith from a Christian context is associated with the articulation and dissemination of truth. An authentic faith associated with Jesus Christ and His Church focuses on the primacy of truth revealed in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition and properly defined, and explained in the Creed of the Faith as fortunately explained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. When a parent for example requests that his/her child receive the sacraments of initiation it is important to determine whether the child has been encouraged to live an active Christian life from an early age. This approach provides the child with an opportunity to openly form a relationship with Jesus Christ through prayer, witness, and activity. Exercising the body, heart, and mind to be naturally disposed to the love of God establishes an initial understanding of faith as first received in baptism on behalf of their parents who themselves made a profession of faith to Jesus Christ to raise their children in the Catholic faith.
Unfortunately, many families do not view the necessity of fostering a Catholic environment both within and outside of the home that would promote an active relationship with Jesus Christ. The spiritual mindset of many parents gravitates towards an attitude of, “Tell me what I need to do for my child to receive the sacraments, and I’ll be on my way.” The notion that an act of faith let alone faith itself would be associated with the reception of a sacrament would appear to some as a problem or worse yet as an enemy in the desire to receive a sacrament outside of professing faith.
Any reasonable parent would argue that if you want your child to understand and embrace the concept of God or more over, who is Jesus Christ and how he relates to you, an actual living and fruitful example of what this relationship looks like would make sense. Hence, it would require the parent to provide evidence of what an authentic active relationship with Jesus Christ looks like. The pathway to any sacrament of the Church involves adequate preparation of the human person to openly acknowledge the Divine. In this case, a parent’s primary aim for their child’s religious upbringing is to prepare him to openly and lovingly receive Jesus Christ in his life and express eagerness to know him.
If there is a one-word proclamation of faith all parents should desire for their child it is the proclamation of the word “Amen.” Why, because it proclaims and proposes that the person believes in God the Father almighty creator of heaven and earth, and believes that Jesus Christ is both human and divine.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that the final “Amen,”
repeats and confirms its first words: “I believe.” To believe is to say “Amen” to God’s words, promises, and commandments; to entrust oneself completely to him who is the “Amen” of infinite love and perfect faithfulness. The Christian’s everyday life will then be the “Amen” to the “I believe” of our baptismal profession of faith:[3]
St. Augustine reminds us that may your Creed be for you as a mirror. Look at yourself in it, to see if you believe everything you say you believe. And rejoice in your faith each day.[4] The enemy within can be destroyed if we intend to believe in Jesus Christ by deferring to His will. The view of faith as a problem is removed when our identity mirrors that of the Father who made us in His image and likeness. Our identity is not only Incarnational, it embraces a Creed-like identity to proclaim the will of Christ to all. As the Catechism reminds us, Jesus Christ himself is the Amen![5]
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