Christian
initiation for baptism introduces the catechumen--a person receiving
instruction in the Creed, Church and Sacraments--to a life devoted to
Christ and prayer. During the period of instruction, which can take six
months to over a year, it is understood that we are living, or trying to
live, the life of reason before we can truly embark on the road to
faith; faith builds on reason. Pope John Paul II said at the beginning
of the encyclical letter Fides et Ratio (Faith and Reason):
"Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to
the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a
desire to know the truth-- in a word, to know oneself, so that by
knowing and loving God men and women may also come to the fullness of
truth about themselves."
Faith without reason leads
to superstition; reason without faith leads to emptiness. Reason, first principles ( known by themselves, without argumentation) was understood by most, once heard, everyone would accept. This is no longer the case. Worse still is the understanding
of many that there is a contradiction between faith and reason. It would
not be inappropriate to introduce before entrance into the catechumenate proper some of the truths we as humans
accept as seen in the proverbs and words of wisdom from other
traditions, as a first step in the teaching of the catechism. Our humanity precedes the Christianity.
One
of the parishes in the diocese posted a number of sayings from the
Korean classics on the walls of the different rooms in which the
catechumens met, truths accepted as true by most Koreans. They came
from the experience and the life of reason lived by Koreans for
thousands of years. Today, many of those who begin the study for baptism
no longer have this great reservoir of truth, which means the house
being built will likely begin with a weak foundation.
And
yet, it seems there is thirst for these obvious truths, though
expressed in different ways, that fills a void we call spirituality. One
of the most basic human reflexes is that of breathing, which a
German-speaking Catholic priest Pierre Stutz, in his book Respite for the Soul,
uses to cultivate our interior life. Translated from the German and
reviewed by the Peace Weekly, the book stresses the importance of
breathing freely in order to control external distractions that might
interfere with getting in touch with our deeper self.
This can
be done, he says, by learning to breathe deeply, which will also help us
to live more comfortably, with less stress and more control over
ourselves. Breathing, as one of our most individual acts, is also
employed by God, he believes, to unite us with all of creation, an
expression of the gift to life we have received. By learning to breathe
deeply, we will, he says, raise the quality of our lives. Many are
missing out on this useful method, believing they do not have sufficient
leisure to slow the pace of their lives. He would
like us to get rid of the fixed idea of needing to have more material
goods, and find the time to slow down and experience and enjoy our inner
life. This would be a good place to start for the catechumen on the way
to a life of faith.
