Catechesis is the echoing of the Word of God, which resides in the Pascal Mystery of Christ, has roots in the Trinity, proceeds from Love, and hinges on Scripture and Tradition (NDC 15). The word "Catechesis" comes from the Greek word meaning "to echo in the ears."

The aim of Catechesis is to not solely teaching the faith or knowing the faith but also a call to live what one knows. It is aimed at enriching the life of faith to help the baptized live as Christ did. In this sense not only does the phrase "What would Jesus do" but also "What did Jesus do" becomes applicable, and through the examination of the life of Christ one might learn how to echo Christ.

Catechesis is more rightly called a "handing on of the faith." To hand on something not only encompasses teaching but also involves showing: a blend of witness and words. It is near futility to tell someone about love and never show him or her what love in action looks like. Handing on the faith need and should begin in love and proceed from love, so that in love we have no other choice but to hand on the faith. By handing on the faith, a person is really handing on life, which leads others to work, walk, and talk hand in hand and face to face with the person of Jesus in an intimate way.

Catechesis is not only for children but is also for adults, and it is a life-long responsibility. There is no graduation from catechesis. The faithful should never dry off from the waters of baptism (Jerry Baumbach Ph.D. History and Theory of Catechesis. Class Lecture. University of Notre Dame du Lac. Summer 2006). Because being a Christian is a life-long journey, catechesis is a call to an on going, life-long conversion and renewal in faith and understanding, so as to be able to participate more fully, enrich, and strengthen the Mystical Body of Christ so that the body of the church - in her entirety through words, sights, sounds, gestures, smells, objects (the environment as a whole) - might all catechize one another. Yet, not through words alone but also by action as was the case with St. Francis of Assisi: that is, to be a catechist and to catechize is to answer the call of Pope John Paul II's new evangelization, where not only those seeking entrance into the Catholic Church are catechized but also the baptized, and in doing so support each other on their own personal walk of faith: their own road to Emaus.

No matter how a person looks at it, Catechesis is serious stuff. It is risking one's life for another. It is participating in a mystery that runs deeper than any ministry. It is not an event or only words. The real challenge to the Catechist is whether or not they are echoing Christ in their daily actions or are they echoing something that is less than Christ-like. In the end we are all catechist and need to be echoing Christ.

The Brief Catechesis is to (NDC 20):
1. Promote knowledge of the faith.
2. Promotes knowledge of the meaning of the Liturgy and the sacraments.
3. Promotes moral formation in Jesus Christ.
4. Teaches the Christian how to pray with Christ.
5. Prepares the Christian to live in community and to participate actively in the life and mission of the Church.
6. Promotes a missionary spirit that prepares the faithful to be present as Christians in society.

By: Paul Catalanotto (Paul is a masters student in theology at Notre Dame University and a volunteer at Catechetics Online)