Pedagogy of God: Key Methodological Principles

Dr. William O’Leary

A Diversity of Methods

• The Church, in transmitting the faith, does not have a particular method nor any single method. Rather, she discerns contemporary methods in the light of the pedagogy of God and uses with liberty “everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honour and everything that can be thought virtuous or worthy of praise” (Phil 4:8).  
• “The age and intellectual development of Christians, their degree of ecclesial and spiritual maturity and many other personal circumstances demand that catechesis should adopt widely differing methods for the attainment of its specific aim: education in the faith (CT 51).”
• “Method is only as valuable as it leads to the definitive aim of catechesis: “putting people in touch/in communion with Jesus Christ (cf. CT 5)”.
• A catechist’s proficiency at allowing the Holy Spirit to do this can be the only measure of their success – not how much information those being catechized have successfully retained.

Methodology/Presentation of the Faith 

1. Be at the service of the content of Revelation

   1. “A technique is of value in catechesis only to the extent that it serves the faith that is to be transmitted and learned; otherwise, it is of no value.” (CT 58)
   2. The principle of “fidelity to God and fidelity to man” leads to an avoidance of any opposition or artificial separation or presumed neutrality between method and content. It affirms, rather, their necessary correlation and interaction. The catechist recognizes that method is at the service of revelation and conversion (Cf. CT 52) and that therefore it is necessary to make use of it. The catechist knows that the content of catechesis cannot be indifferently subjected to any method. It requires a process of transmission which is adequate to the nature of the message, to its sources and language, to the concrete circumstances of ecclesial communities as well as to the particular circumstances of the faithful to whom catechesis is addressed…A good catechetical method is a guarantee of fidelity to content.(GDC 149)

2. Be at the service of the Conversion of the Person.

   1. “The Christian faith is, above all, conversion to Jesus Christ” (NDC p. 48). 
   2. The whole Christian life is about conversion.  There is no other aim in catechesis more foundational than the conversion of mind and heart to the person of Jesus Christ.  

3. Prioritize the Primary of Grace (Graceful)

   1. It constantly affirms that God’s initiative is first, God’s grace reaches out first to draw man to Himself.    

      1. Example #1: When teaching about why we exist affirm the truth that God created us out of love.  
      2. Example #2: If you are teaching about Mary, the Mother of God speak about how the Holy Spirit overshadowed her and it was God’s inititive to her and He ask her to respond which she did with a complete “Yes” “Be it done unto me according to your word.”
      3. Example #3: If you are talking about the Liturgical Year it is important to speak of how over the year we remember the Work of God and all that he has done to save us and guide us to salvation – it’s his grace that is first. 

* The idea here is that it’s not us to decide first to follow God but it’s always God who reaches out to us first.  His love and grace are first.  

1. Be Holistic

   1. Lesson/Presentations should be be designed and planned in such a way that all four aspects of the Faith (doctrine, sacraments, morals and prayer) are integrated into them so that the four dimensions of the Christian life are continually nourished. The Faith is to be professed, celebrated, lived and prayed. It’s important that the faith is not compartmentalized.
      1. Example #1: When you are teaching about making moral decisions they are not separate from what we believe (the profession of faith) or separate from prayer or separate from the life of grace we receive in the sacraments.  They are interconnected.  Our prayer life helps us make moral decisions. Our decisions should be based on our belief in God who created us, reveals Himself to us and has a plan for us.  In order to make the right decision in our lives we need God’s grace that we reveived at Baptism as well as the grace we receive in the Eucharist and the sacrament of Reconciliation.  
      2. Example #2: If teaching on the Our Father it is important to keep in mind that Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer which is a summary of the Gospel.  The petitions of the Our Father are all affirmations about what we believe as followers of Christ (that God is a loving Father, that there is a heaven, that God is holy, that we can ask God for His presence in our lives, that we can seek God to forgive us as we are called to forgive others, that we can ask God for daily bread (spiritual food/nourishment/strength), that in this world there are temptations to sin and we want His help to live our life in Christ and not be lead into temptation and we want to be delivered from evil (this assumes sin in the world).  We need God’s grace (that he provides for us in the sacraments and in Euchartic liturgy). 
      3. Example #3: When teaching on the Sacrament of Marriage it is important to acknowledge that the vows made in Marriage are sacred and when done in a Catholic Church or witnessed by a Catholic priest or deacon it bestows supernatural graces upon the couple.  The Catholic couple is called to live according to the teachings of the Church, and always be renewed and strengthened through a sacramental life guided by the desire to live a life in Christ.  Prayer is also an important dimension of marriage that should be fostered personally and as a couple.   

2. Be Organic

   1. The organic nature of catechesis shows us that we are not called to teach merely concepts or facts, but the life of Jesus Christ, a living breathing person, who enlightens everything that we know and believe: His person, His characteristics, His actions, His gestures, and His words.  There is an interconnectedness between the doctrines of the Faith and the person of Christ.  It is in telling the story in a manner that communicates that we have encountered the person of Jesus Christ whom we are speaking about not just know things about Him. This characteristic has similarities to the characteristic of being “holistic”.  
      1. Example #1: The reason we believe in celebrating the Mass in the way we do rather than the way a Bible church does is we believe that Jesus continued the ritual worship that came from His Jewish heritage and the essential emphasis on giving worship to God through sacrifice. So the Mass isn’t just a “praise and preach” session but it’s imitating the way Christ laid out for true worship to God – this shows the organic nature of our worship (it was an organic growth not something completely different).  
      2. Example #2: We believe in the Resurrection – this truth is one of the most important truths of our faith that filters through all of our Catholic Beliefs – The Mass is a sacrifice (so we can properly worship God); it’s also a sacred meal where we gather with fellow believers to celebrate, be renewed, grow and give God our lives – all this is possible because Jesus came and destroyed death through His resurrection which we profess at every Mass.  
      3. Example #3: We believe in One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.  They are connected to Jesus because He established the Church (see Mt. 16).  We believe that Jesus came to unite us to the Father who is holiness itself.  The Church is universal not only because the Mass is the same everywhere in the world but also because Christ came to gather all who were scattered and divided by sin and invite us into communion with God.  The Church is apostolic because the teachings of Jesus are to be safeguarded and transmitted to all generations which the successors of the apostles continue.  

3. Be Personal

   1. A catechesis must be more than factual or full of solid information.  It must be made personal to the persons receiving it.  The reality of Christ and His life necessitates it having a personal impact upon the disciple. It must be personal in nature due to the catecheist’s personal encounter, experience and knowledge of Jesus Christ and what He has done, is doing and promises. Our catechesis needs to be made personal.  Others need to see how the truths of the Faith are seen as being personal to them and their lives.   
      1. Example #1: When teaching about Jesus’ Crucifixion it’s important to speak about it in a manner that communicates that even if we were the only person that needed to be saved He would have taken up the cross and died upon it for you.  We want to speak about how Jesus had each one of us in mind when He freely gave His life on the cross.  He died for you so you could have life with God eternally.  
      2. Example #2: If you are speaking about the Works of Mercy which are a response to the call to love our neighbor.  God is steadfast in His mercy to us and we are called to reflect that mercy to others.  God is personally inviting you and me to serve in this manner.  Love does such things and it’s the love of Jesus that is the source of our inspiration.  
      3. Example #3: When speaking about the Liturgy and the how the bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus at Mass we can show how this is personal because Jesus wanted to always be with you and me. He does this by telling His disciple to “do this in memory of me” which is His personal and intimate way of being with us. It is His very presence that is made present at Mass and His very presence that is in the tabernacle where we can come and be with Jesus.  

4. Be True 

   1. What you are proclaiming is actually true and worthy of assent.  St. John Paul II said: “Christocentricity in catechesis also means the intention to transmit not one’s own teaching or that of some other master, but the teaching of Jesus Christ, the Truth that He communicates or, to put it more precisely, the Truth that He is. We must therefore say that in catechesis it is Christ, the Incarnate Word and Son of God, who is taught – everything else is taught with reference to Him – and it is Christ alone who teaches – anyone else teaches to the extent that he is Christ’s spokesman, enabling Christ to teach with his lips.
      
      Whatever be the level of his responsibility in the Church, every catechist must constantly endeavor to transmit by his teaching and behavior the teaching and life of Jesus. He will not seek to keep directed towards himself and his personal opinions and attitudes the attention and the consent of the mind and heart of the person he is catechizing. Above all, he will not try to inculcate his personal opinions and options as if they expressed Christ’s teaching and the lessons of His life.
      
      Every catechist should be able to apply to himself the mysterious words of Jesus: “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.”(13) St. Paul did this when he was dealing with a question of prime importance: “I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you.”(14) What assiduous study of the word of God transmitted by the Church’s magisterium, what profound familiarity with Christ and with the Father, what a spirit of prayer, what detachment from self must a catechist have in order that he can say: “My teaching is not mine!” (CT 6)
      
      
      1. Example #1: The Communion of Saints…We don’t worship statues or see the saints as more important than God, but we believe that they are in heaven with God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  They lived a life in imitation of Jesus to such a degree that they are worthy models and witnesses of how to live out our faith.  They can help pray (intercede) for us and bring our prayers to God because they are with God.  The reality of the Saints is true and worthy of our belief.
      2. Example #2: The Real Presence of Jesus. Jesus is really and truly present Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Holy Eucharist, in Holy Communion.  We believe what Jesus said is true even though we cannot see the change occur.  It requires an assent of faith to believe.  
      3. Example #3: The Incarnation.  The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1).  God became man, He took on human flesh and was fully human and fully divine in the person of Jesus Christ.  This is something that is mind boggling because God is the creator of the whole universe and He is all knowing, all powerful and He took on our human nature in order to suffer with us and save us.  This truth was utterly astounding to people 2,000 years ago and still today we are in awe at what God did to save us from sin and death.    

5. Be Attractive

   1. Catechesis that proclaims the wonder of the Gospel message is attractive.  The reason why the Apostles gained so many followers to “The Way” is because it was abundantly attractive and compelling.  
   2. “He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”” -Mark 2:12           
   3. “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus. – Acts 4:13 
      1. Example #1: When speaking about the Commandments, make it attractive by sharing the joy and freedom that comes when one does what God has commanded as compared to what God forbids.  Show through your witness, your testimony and your joy that living the commandments brings you peace, joy and helps give purpose to your life.  
      2. Example #2: The Mass is Boring… Speak about the amazing things that happen at Mass which make it so special…the fact that God speaks to us at each Mass through the Scripture readings, the reality that we are invited to bring our sacrifice/our needs and place them (spiritually) upon the altar so that when the priest offers the bread and wine that become His body and blood our sacrifice/prayers/needs are also offered to the Father.  The miracle of the bread and wine being changed into the body and blood of Christ is amazing (but it takes faith because no fireworks happen when the change occurs).  The receiving of God into our very selves is another way you can testify to something incredible that happens at Mass.  Also, at the end of Mass we are sent out to go live whom we have received and the “marching orders”.  We are given a command to do something so important for God.  All these are ways you can illustrate how important and wonderful the Holy Mass is and through your witness and your joy it reveals the attractiveness of it all.  
      3. Example #3: The Saints…Their lives are so inspiring.  They loved God and desired to follow in His footsteps and were willing to do incredible things all because they believed in God who loved them so much and called them to imitate Him. The lives of the saints testify to their desire to love God with their whole mind, heart and soul.    

6. Be Purposeful

   1. An education in the Faith is not random or without direction, but it is with purpose and intention that one catechizes.  Catechesis must be intentional and purposeful or it lacks the power that it actually has to compel those who hear it.
      1. Example #1: Teaching about the Holy Spirit must be with the purpose so one will know and get a sense that He is significant to their life.  The Holy Spirit helps guide and sanctify us.  The Holy Spirit prods, pulls, whispers, nudges us to live out God’s will in our lives and daily actions (e.g., When you pray and talk to God it is the Holy Spirit that inspired you first to think and have the desire to talk to God or when making an important decision it is the Holy Spirit who is helping you make that decision or when you experience guilt after doing something you should not have done it is the Holy Spirit that is speaking to your conscience). 
      2. Example #2:  When teaching about venial and mortal sin do it with the purpose of helping those you are catechizing know that they need to be in a state of grace in order to receive Jesus in the Eucharist.  Being in a state of grace means that the grace you received at your Baptism has not been lost because of sin.  When we sin seriously we lose that sanctifying grace that we received at Baptism.  In order to have that restored we must be reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.   Being in a state of grace is a requirement to receiving Jesus in Holy Communion.  Thus, you are not teaching about sin “just because” but you are helping those you are teaching to see that it’s important to guard the life of grace that we have been freely given.
      3. Example #3: Purgatory – We believe that at the end of our lives it is possible for the need to be purified more fully by not going directly to heaven but to Purgatory. It purifies the “temporal” sins we committed on earth. Even if we went to confession throughout our lives there are effects of all our sins that may still need to be fully purified before we see God face to face in Heaven.  Purgatory is not a fear tactic but it’s a reality that we need to be aware of so 1) we can do penance and make sacrifices while on earth to limit our time in purgatory and prepare us for Heaven and 2) to pray for souls who are in purgatory.  Our prayers have an effect on the time souls spend in purgatory and we are called to pray for the faithful departed.  

7. Be Faithful

   1. Catechesis is faithful in its announcement of the whole Gospel message.  Some believe that the social Gospel proclaiming justice toward our fellow man is the most important or that love is more important than truth or that truth is more important than love.  Catechesis must be faithful to Jesus Christ who is the way of love, the truth of the Gospel message and the life lived in and through Him.   
      1. Example #1: When teaching about the reception of Communion it’s important to communicate that it’s not for everyone who is a “good person” to receive Jesus in Holy Communion because it means something to receive Holy Communion.  One needs to believe what Catholics believe in order to receive Holy Communion (not just about the Real Presence, but also the Faith we profess in the Creed. The Eucharist is a sign of our unity and belief as Catholics.  And one needs to always be “properly disposed” when they approach Jesus in Holy Communion (not in a state of mortal sin, not in an irregular marriage, not having become a fully initiated member of the Catholic Church, etc.). 
      2. Example #2: When topics of morality are to be taught one should not side-step what we believe (age appropriateness is an important consideration).  The Church’s teaching about contraception, sex before marriage, cohabitation, birth control, homosexuality, sex changes, etc. should be communicated. Personal opinions about the truths of the Faith/Church teaching do not have a place in the catechesis of children or adults. “In catechesis “Christ, the Incarnate Word and Son of God,… is taught — everything else is taught with reference to him — and it is Christ alone who teaches — anyone else teaches to the extent that he is Christ’s spokesman, enabling Christ to teach with his lips… Every catechist should be able to apply to himself the mysterious words of Jesus: ‘My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.'”(CCC 427).    
      3. Example #3: We have an obligation to feed the poor and assist them.  “Faced with a world today where so many people are suffering from want, the council asks individuals and governments to remember the saying of the Fathers:  ‘Feed the people dying of hunger, because if you do not feed them you are killing them,’ and it urges them according to their ability to share and  dispose of their goods to help others, above all by giving them aid which will  enable them to help and develop themselves.” (Second Vatican Council, The Church in the Modern World [Gaudium et Spes], no. 69).    

8. Be Evangelizing

   1. We must proclaim the Gospel message in our catechesis. We must give an announcement of the glad tidings of Jesus Christ.  An evangelizing catechesis is what is needed today. No matter the topic there needs to be an evangelizing dimension to our catechesis. Pope Francis said in Evangeli Gaudium: 
      
      In catechesis too, we have rediscovered the fundamental role of the first announcement or kerygma, which needs to be the center of all evangelizing activity and all efforts at Church renewal. #164 
      
      “All Christian formation consists of entering more deeply into the kerygma, which is reflected in and constantly illumines, the work of catechesis, thereby enabling us to understand more fully the significance of every subject which the latter treats. It is the message capable of responding to the desire for the infinite which abides in every human heart.” #165
      1. Example #1: A virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do the good.  Jesus said: “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt. 5:48). We have been created for a purpose – to be in a relationship with God and living virtue enables us to live in that friendship with God.
      2. Example #2: When speaking about sin and how it separated us from our original purpose (union with God).  Sin wounded and distorted that harmony and relationship we had been created for.  Christ came to earth to unite us back to union with God and enable a renewed relationship with God. Christ call us to live in the freedom of being a daughter or son of God. 
      3. Example #3: The Sacraments…”What Christ did while on earth are now passed into the Sacraments.”      (Pope St. Leo).  We are children of God and new creations in Christ and we have been given the ability through our baptism to live in the freedom of God’s life.  The sacraments bestow on us the life of God (God’s grace) and through the grace given in the sacraments we are able to more fully live that life in God. Without grace we cannot live in Christ.  The grace of the sacraments enable us to live as a child of God.  Separation from the sacraments prevents us from living that life.  

9. Be Scriptural

   1. Catechesis must be grounded in Sacred Scripture. Scripture should be a “driving force” in your proclamation of the Good News.  The more a disciple of Christ is “soaked” in the Scriptures the more efficacious is his/her catechesis.
      1. Example #1: All the topics we teach should have a Scriptural foundation.  If your topic is the Eucharist then use John 6; any of the Last Supper narratives, the feeding of the 5000, or the Road to Emmaus in your opening prayer or at the beginning of your proclamation.     
      2. Example #2: Examination of Conscience… While Scripture doesn’t have the phrase examination of conscience, however, one can root their lesson in Scripture.  A few examples:
         
         “Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy steadfast love; according to thy abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in thy sight, so that thou art justified in thy sentence and blameless in thy judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Fill me with joy and gladness; let the bones which thou hast broken rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.” Psalm 51: 1-10
         
         Or
         
         So watch yourselves. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. – Luke 17:3
         
         Or
         
         Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…” – Acts 3:19
      3. Example #3: Prayer…There are many Scriptural verses on prayer, but also keep in mind that you want to use Scripture to illustrate and help your audience ponder God’s ways.  So consider using a parable as an instrument of prayer and reflection (lectio divina).

10. Be Liturgical

    1. “The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; it is also the font from which all her power flows” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10). Our catechesis must flow from and lead us back to the liturgy.
       1. Example #1:  Crossing the Red Sea.  Did you know the event of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea is a prefigurement of Baptism.  They went down into the parted waters and rose up to freedom on the other side guided by a pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.  In Baptism there is a death to sin as one goes down into the water (or the water is poured upon the person) and a rising to new life (coming out of the water).  We are washed of original sin and given a white garment communicating that we have been clothed with Christ and we are given a candle that was lit from the Easter (Paschal) candle affirming that we have received the light of Christ symbolizing the flame of faith that now has been bestowed.  The event in Scripture points us to something liturgical – the Rite of Baptism.   
       2. Example #2: How is the Annunciation of the Angel to Mary Liturgical?  We can connect it to the eucharistic liturgy because at the Annunciation the Angel told Mary that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and Jesus would enter into her womb.  At Mass we call upon the Holy Spirit (at the epiclesis) to make the gifts of bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus Christ.  
       3. Example #3: The Second Coming.  God will judge the living and the dead.  At Mass we profess the Nicene Creed which proclaims how we will face a time of judgment: “He will come to judge the living and the dead”. And in the Memorial Acclamation, we say: “We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.” 

11. Be Prayerful

    1. When we catechize we are communicating from a place of faith and belief.  Only a catechesis rooted in prayer and flowing from a life of prayer can bear fruit.  Our preparation should stem from a life rooted in prayer as well as our catechesis needs to begin and end with prayer.  Additionally, catechesis should lead believers to a desire to pray.    
       1. Example #1:  It is valuable to distinguish a catechetical session from a mere gathering of people by beginning and ending in prayer.  
       2. Example #2: Take your class to the church to pray for a few minutes.  Class should not only be about teaching about Jesus be also providing moments of encounter with Jesus.   
       3. Example #3: The catechist needs to be a person of prayer and foster a spiritual life in order to more fully be able to be an instrument of Christ.

12. Be Invitational

    1. Catechesis is always inviting persons to believe and respond in faith to the Gospel message.  It is always invitational.  Its very nature is to reach out and invite one to hear the Good News, to receive the Good News, to find the peace that passes understanding so that they may give a response to that which they have received.    
       1. Example #1: You are inviting those you are catechizing into a relationship with Christ and inviting a response to the proclamation given during your session. Catechizing is a constant invitation into something and belief in someone – Christ.  
       2. Example #2: Invite those you are catechizing to prayer, to wonder, to joy, to following Jesus, to praising and adoring Christ, to loving others, to seeking God’s ways, to what God is asking of them.  There are multiple ways to offer moments of invitation and to foster a culture of invitation.
       3. Example #3: In every topic that is presented the catechist is always inviting one to enter that mystery and respond to it.  Doctrines of faith are not only truths that are to be believed but they are truths that transform one’s way of living.  If you are speaking about heaven you are inviting them to walk in the footsteps of Christ and desire Heaven as the our true home which we have been created for.  If you are speaking of the Immaculate Conception you are inviting your audience to know God’s redemptive work in Mary at the moment of her conception and her model of surrendering to the will of God perfectly.