Oxygen of the Christian Life

 

In  the recent Catholic Times a former President of the Catholic Journalists Association gives the readers some help to become missioners in his column Eyes of the Believer.

"Mission is the oxygen of the Christian life." This is the topic raised by Pope Francis during his Wednesday general audience on January 11, asking us to begin a new catechesis journey. The Pope emphasized the "passion for evangelization," saying that the Church’s mission is to joyfully proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the world. He also said that each person should preach the gospel with charm, not proselytizing ( respecting the beliefs of others) in the environment they find themselves in. The part he paid attention to here is 'catechetical education'.

 

The teaching of doctrine or catechesis is the ongoing process of preaching the gospel. According to the「Korean Catholic Encyclopedia」catechesis is 'the church proclaiming and teaching the word of God, that is, a form of ministry of the word'. Efforts to help individuals or communities to acquire and deepen their faith, and to help educate Christians to form their conscience. 

However, there are many cases of being embarrassed or evasive when faced with an unfamiliar term or vaguely known doctrine. It is more so when conveying or explaining Catholic doctrine to people who do not yet have faith or Protestants. Why? For the catechesis we received is almost entirely in the teaching before baptism and confirmation. He recommends a axiom  from the past to know yourself and the other and you will have little trouble in discussion about the faith.

When you do have difficulty he recommends reading to strengthen your faith. The Faith of the Church Fathers, written by Cardinal James Gibbons and translated by the late Dr. Chang Myon (John), is by far the best. It explains the essence of the Catholic faith with deep reflection and abundant examples. and one will  find it greatly helpful. This is  confidently emphasized  by the columnist.

Many spiritual treasures can also be found in the words of Pope Francis mentioned above. Why don't you come in contact with the teachings of the universal church more often through Mass sermons, Angelus prayers, general audience talks, etc.? This is a shortcut to make an unfamiliar doctrine my own. Here's one tip. Let's become friends with the 'Vatican News' Korean page. It is translated into more than 30 languages around the world. Personally, since he volunteered as a member of the translation team from the beginning of the year, it is a medium that I feel deep affection for. (https://www.vaticannews.va/en/taglist.paesi-e-luoghi.Asia.Corea-del-Sud.html)

 

The Catholic Theological Seminary, where he is  studying, will produce graduates on the 18th of this month. In both the daytime catechesis department and the evening religious education department, 37 students complete the two-year course and receive missionary and catechist licenses. The reason for the existence of the Catechetical Institute is to train missionaries who can contribute to the Catholic Church through systematic education on the Bible and overall Catholic theology. The role of the catechist who teaches the faith of the church through words and example is quite large. The attention and care of parish pastors is needed so that what they have learned can serve in catechesis of catechumens.

 

 "Your words should always be right and seem to be seasoned with salt. Therefore, you must know how to answer everyone" (Colossians 4,6). Meditate on the words of the Bible and resolve to study continually. He hope that we will deepen our faith day by day, pass on that faith to our neighbors, and become ' a light bursting out like the dawn' (see Is 58:8). We all have been called to be missioners and asks for God's grace for it to  be the reality of our lives.