Adorons Jésus-Eucharistie! | Accueil >> Varia >> Livres >> Table des matières
[précédente] [suivante]
PROLOGUE
«FATHER,... this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.» 1
«God our Saviour desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.» 2
«There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved» 3 - than the name of JESUS.
I. The life of man - to know and love God
§1
God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely
created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at
every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek
him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men,
scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To
accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as
Redeemer and Saviour. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in
the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life.
§2
So that this call should resound throughout the world, Christ sent forth the
apostles he had chosen, commissioning them to proclaim the gospel: «Go
therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that
I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the
age.» 4 Strengthened by this mission, the apostles «went forth
and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the
message by the signs that attended it.» 5
§3
Those who with God's help have welcomed Christ's call and freely responded to
it are urged on by love of Christ to proclaim the Good News everywhere in the
world. This treasure, received from the apostles, has been faithfully guarded
by their successors. All Christ's faithful are called to hand it on from
generation to generation, by professing the faith, by living it in fraternal sharing,
and by celebrating it in liturgy and prayer.6
II. Handing on the Faith: Catechesis
§4
Quite early on, the name catechesis was given to the totality of the Church's
efforts to make disciples, to help men believe that Jesus is the Son of God so
that believing they might have life in his name, and to educate and instruct
them in this life, thus building up the body of Christ.7
§5
«Catechesis is an education in the faith of children, young people and
adults which includes especially the teaching of Christian doctrine imparted,
generally speaking, in an organic and systematic way, with a view to initiating
the hearers into the fullness of Christian life.» 8
§6
While not being formally identified with them, catechesis is built on a certain
number of elements of the Church's pastoral mission which have a catechetical
aspect, that prepare for catechesis, or spring from it. They are: the initial
proclamation of the Gospel or missionary preaching to arouse faith; examination
of the reasons for belief; experience of Christian living; celebration of the
sacraments; integration into the ecclesial community; and apostolic and
missionary witness.9
§7
«Catechesis is intimately bound up with the whole of the Church's life.
Not only her geographical extension and numerical increase, but even more her
inner growth and correspondence with God's plan depend essentially on
catechesis.» 10
§8
Periods
of renewal in the Church are also intense moments of catechesis. In the great
era of the Fathers of the Church, saintly bishops devoted an important part of
their ministry to catechesis. St. Cyril of Jerusalem and St. John Chrysostom,
St. Ambrose and St. Augustine, and many other Fathers wrote catechetical works
that remain models for us.11
§9
«The
ministry of catechesis draws ever fresh energy from the councils. the Council
of Trent is a noteworthy example of this. It gave catechesis priority in its
constitutions and decrees. It lies at the origin of the Roman Catechism, which
is also known by the name of that council and which is a work of the first rank
as a summary of Christian teaching. . « 12 The Council of Trent
initiated a remarkable organization of the Church's catechesis. Thanks to the
work of holy bishops and theologians such as St. Peter Canisius, St. Charles
Borromeo, St. Turibius of Mongrovejo or St. Robert Bellarmine, it occasioned
the publication of numerous catechisms.
§10
It is
therefore no surprise that catechesis in the Church has again attracted
attention in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, which Pope Paul Vl
considered the great catechism of modern times. the General Catechetical
Directory (1971) the sessions of the Synod of Bishops devoted to evangelization
(1974) and catechesis (1977), the apostolic exhortations Evangelii nuntiandi
(1975) and Catechesi tradendae (1979), attest to this. the Extraordinary Synod
of Bishops in 1985 asked «that a catechism or compendium of all Catholic
doctrine regarding both faith and morals be composed» 13 The Holy
Father, Pope John Paul II, made the Synod's wish his own, acknowledging that
«this desire wholly corresponds to a real need of the universal Church and
of the particular Churches.» 14 He set in motion everything needed
to carry out the Synod Fathers' wish.
III. The Aim and Intended Readership of the Catechism
§11
This catechism aims at presenting an organic synthesis of the essential and
fundamental contents of Catholic doctrine, as regards both faith and morals, in
the light of the Second Vatican Council and the whole of the Church's
Tradition. Its principal sources are the Sacred Scriptures, the Fathers of the
Church, the liturgy, and the Church's Magisterium. It is intended to serve
«as a point of reference for the catechisms or compendia that are composed
in the various countries» .15
§12
This work is intended primarily for those responsible for catechesis: first of
all the bishops, as teachers of the faith and pastors of the Church. It is
offered to them as an instrument in fulfilling their responsibility of teaching
the People of God. Through the bishops, it is addressed to redactors of
catechisms, to priests, and to catechists. It will also be useful reading for
all other Christian faithful.
IV. Structure of this Catechism
§13
The plan of this catechism is inspired by the great tradition of catechisms
which build catechesis on four pillars: the baptismal profession of faith (the
Creed), the sacraments of faith, the life of faith (the Commandments), and the
prayer of the believer (the Lord's Prayer).
Part One: the Profession of Faith
§14
Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their
baptismal faith before men.16 First therefore the Catechism expounds
revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by
which man responds to God (Section One). the profession of faith summarizes the
gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and
as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith
in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our
Lord and Saviour; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church
(Section Two).
Part Two: the Sacraments of Faith
§15
The second part of the Catechism explains how God's salvation, accomplished
once for all through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, is made present in the
sacred actions of the Church's liturgy (Section One), especially in the seven
sacraments (Section Two).
Part Three: the Life of Faith
§16
The third part of the Catechism deals with the final end of man created in the
image of God: beatitude, and the ways of reaching it - through right conduct
freely chosen, with the help of God's law and grace (Section One), and through
conduct that fulfils the twofold commandment of charity, specified in God's Ten
Commandments (Section Two).
Part Four: Prayer in the Life of Faith
§17
The last part of the Catechism deals with the meaning and importance of prayer
in the life of believers (Section One). It concludes with a brief commentary on
the seven petitions of the Lord's Prayer (Section Two), for indeed we find in
these the sum of all the good things which we must hope for, and which our
heavenly Father wants to grant us.
V. Practical Directions for Using this Catechism
§18
This catechism is conceived as an organic presentation of the Catholic faith in
its entirety. It should be seen therefore as a unified whole. Numerous cross-references
in the margin of the text (numbers found at the end of a sentence referring to
other paragraphs that deal with the same theme), as well as the analytical
index at the end of the volume, allow the reader to view each theme in its
relationship with the entirety of the faith.
§19
The texts of Sacred Scripture are often not quoted word for word but are merely
indicated by a reference (cf.). For a deeper understanding of such passages,
the reader should refer to the Scriptural texts themselves. Such Biblical
references are a valuable working-tool in catechesis.
§20
The
use of small print in certain passages indicates observations of an historical
or apologetic nature, or supplementary doctrinal explanations.
§21
The
quotations, also in small print, from patristic, liturgical, magisterial or
hagiographical sources, are intended to enrich the doctrinal presentations.
These texts have often been chosen with a view to direct catechetical use.
§22
At the
end of each thematic unit, a series of brief texts in small italics sums up the
essentials of that unit's teaching in condensed formulae. These «IN
BRIEF» summaries may suggest to local catechists brief summary formulae
that could be memorized.
VI. Necessary Adaptations
§23
The Catechism emphasizes the exposition of doctrine. It seeks to help deepen
understanding of faith. In this way it is oriented towards the maturing of that
faith, its putting down roots in personal life, and its shining forth in
personal conduct.17
§24
By design, this Catechism does not set out to provide the adaptation of
doctrinal presentations and catechetical methods required by the differences of
culture, age, spiritual maturity, and social and ecclesial condition among all
those to whom it is addressed. Such indispensable adaptations are the
responsibility of particular catechisms and, even more, of those who instruct
the faithful:
Whoever teaches must become «all things to all men» (⇒ I Cor 9:22), to win everyone to Christ. . . Above all, teachers must not imagine that a single kind of soul has been entrusted to them, and that consequently it is lawful to teach and form equally all the faithful in true piety with one and the same method! Let them realize that some are in Christ as newborn babes, others as adolescents, and still others as adults in full command of their powers.... Those who are called to the ministry of preaching must suit their words to the maturity and understanding of their hearers, as they hand on the teaching of the mysteries of faith and the rules of moral conduct.18
Above all - Charity
§25
To conclude this Prologue, it is fitting to recall this pastoral principle
stated by the Roman Catechism:
The whole concern of doctrine and its teaching must be directed to the love that never ends. Whether something is proposed for belief, for hope or for action, the love of our Lord must always be made accessible, so that anyone can see that all the works of perfect Christian virtue spring from love and have no other objective than to arrive at love.19
PART ONE:
THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
SECTION ONE
«I BELIEVE» - «WE BELIEVE»
§26
We begin our profession of faith by saying: «I believe» or «We
believe» . Before expounding the Church's faith, as confessed in the Creed,
celebrated in the liturgy and lived in observance of God's commandments and in
prayer, we must first ask what «to believe» means. Faith is man's
response to God, who reveals himself and gives himself to man, at the same time
bringing man a superabundant light as he searches for the ultimate meaning of
his life. Thus we shall consider first that search (Chapter One), then the
divine Revelation by which God comes to meet man (Chapter Two), and finally the
response of faith (Chapter Three).
MAN'S CAPACITY FOR GOD
I. The Desire for God
§27
The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God
and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he
find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for:
The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists it is because God has created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his creator.1
§28
In many ways, throughout history down to the present day, men have given
expression to their quest for God in their religious beliefs and behaviour: in
their prayers, sacrifices, rituals, meditations, and so forth. These forms of
religious expression, despite the ambiguities they often bring with them, are
so universal that one may well call man a religious being:
From one ancestor (God) made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him - though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For «in him we live and move and have our being.» 2
§29
But this «intimate and vital bond of man to God» (GS 19 # 1) can be
forgotten, overlooked, or even explicitly rejected by man.3 Such
attitudes can have different causes: revolt against evil in the world;
religious ignorance or indifference; the cares and riches of this world; the
scandal of bad example on the part of believers; currents of thought hostile to
religion; finally, that attitude of sinful man which makes him hide from God
out of fear and flee his call.4
§30
«Let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.» 5
Although man can forget God or reject him, He never ceases to call every man to
seek him, so as to find life and happiness. But this search for God demands of
man every effort of intellect, a sound will, «an upright heart» , as
well as the witness of others who teach him to seek God.
You are great, O Lord, and greatly to be praised: great is your power and your wisdom is without measure. and man, so small a part of your creation, wants to praise you: this man, though clothed with mortality and bearing the evidence of sin and the proof that you withstand the proud. Despite everything, man, though but a small a part of your creation, wants to praise you. You yourself encourage him to delight in your praise, for you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.6
II. Ways of Coming to Know God
§31
Created in God's image and called to know and love him, the person who seeks
God discovers certain ways of coming to know him. These are also called proofs
for the existence of God, not in the sense of proofs in the natural sciences,
but rather in the sense of «converging and convincing arguments» ,
which allow us to attain certainty about the truth. These «ways» of
approaching God from creation have a twofold point of departure: the physical
world, and the human person.
§32
The world: starting from movement, becoming, contingency, and the world's order
and beauty, one can come to a knowledge of God as the origin and the end of the
universe.
As St. Paul says of the Gentiles: For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made.7
And St. Augustine issues this challenge: Question the beauty of the earth, question the beauty of the sea, question the beauty of the air distending and diffusing itself, question the beauty of the sky. . . question all these realities. All respond: «See, we are beautiful.» Their beauty is a profession [confessio]. These beauties are subject to change. Who made them if not the Beautiful One [Pulcher] who is not subject to change?8
§33
The human person: with his openness to truth and beauty, his sense of moral
goodness, his freedom and the voice of his conscience, with his longings for
the infinite and for happiness, man questions himself about God's existence. In
all this he discerns signs of his spiritual soul. the soul, the «seed of
eternity we bear in ourselves, irreducible to the merely
material» ,9 can have its origin only in God.
§34
The world, and man, attest that they contain within themselves neither their
first principle nor their final end, but rather that they participate in Being
itself, which alone is without origin or end. Thus, in different ways, man can
come to know that there exists a reality which is the first cause and final end
of all things, a reality «that everyone calls God» .10
§35
Man's faculties make him capable of coming to a knowledge of the existence of a
personal God. But for man to be able to enter into real intimacy with him, God
willed both to reveal himself to man, and to give him the grace of being able
to welcome this revelation in faith.(so) the proofs of God's existence,
however, can predispose one to faith and help one to see that faith is not
opposed to reason.
Catéchisme de l'Église catholique © Libreria Editrice Vaticana 1992.
[précédente] [suivante]
Adorons Jésus-Eucharistie! | Accueil >> Varia >> Livres >> Table des matières