By Nicholas Norman-Krause
December 9, 2022
What exactly is catechesis and why is it so important?
The term “catechesis” comes, in fact, from the New Testament itself. The Greek word, κατηχέω, is often translated “to teach” or “to instruct.” So, St Paul writes in his Epistle to the Galatians, “Those who are taught (ὁ κατηχούμενος) the word must share in all good things with their teacher (τῷ κατηχοῦντι)” (Gal. 6:6). In its most literal sense, however, the term means something like “to resound” or “to echo,” capturing the way in which good teaching resonates and reverberates in the hearts and minds of those who learn. In the New Testament, catechesis refers to the kind of instruction all Christians are expected to receive, in order to come “to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).
So, is “catechesis” just Greek for “Sunday School”? Well, not exactly.
As it emerged and developed in the earliest days of Christianity, catechesis became identified with a particular kind of instruction, namely, the formation of persons discerning or preparing for baptism, or “catechumens.” In early Christian catechesis, catechumens would receive instruction from anywhere from one to three years, in anticipation of their baptism. Those who were enrolled in the “catechumenate,” as it was called, were taught, often by the bishop, engaged in dialogical questioning and answering, and were expected to memorize the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer, in order to recite them at baptism. The term “catechesis” was particularly fitting for this practice, as those being instructed would quite literally “echo” the teaching they received by responding to the catechists’ questions and promptings.
In its contemporary form, catechesis is not simply for those preparing for baptism and confirmation, but for the whole Church. All of us are called to continual growth in the gospel as we journey together to full Christian maturity.
As a form of instruction, however, catechesis was and is more than simply a process of knowledge transfer, learning the right conceptual content and beliefs. Doctrine is certainly part of catechesis, but only one part. Traditionally, catechesis has focused on three aspects of Christian life: belief, or doctrine (centered on the Apostles’ Creed); prayer and worship (centered on the Lord’s Prayer); and moral life, or discipleship (centered on the Ten Commandments).
We can think of these three areas as roughly corresponding to the three ways we are called to love the Lord: with all our mind, heart, and soul (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 22:37). In loving God with our minds, we seek to understand the faith we confess, the various claims we make each day and each week as we confess our faith in the creeds. In loving with our hearts, we aim to learn how to pray, how to commune and communicate with the Triune Lord, and how to direct our passions and affections to God in petition, penitence, and praise. In loving with our souls, we seek to be conformed to the righteousness of Christ and led into a life of grace, virtue, obedience, holiness, and spiritual maturity, following the commandments of God and walking in His holy ways.
In other words—and here is the key point—catechesis is a process of wholistic formation. Our minds, hearts, and souls, our senses and imagination, our whole being, need the transforming grace of God. And this grace is not simply finished with us at our baptism. It leads us into an ever-deepening knowledge and love of God. Catechesis is where we journey into the deep mysteries of God. Whether it be children, adolescents, or adults, all are called to this pursuit and to this formation.
In the ancient Church, a Church often living under the threat of persecution, those teaching and those being formed in catechesis knew that martyrdom was always a possibility for any Christian. So, in catechesis, every Christian was to be formed in such a way as to testify to Christ and his Kingdom, even unto death. Catechesis was meant to form martyrs, either potential or actual. And to do that, to form persons capable of courageous and faithful confession under the pressures of persecution, the Church aimed to make Christians who truly loved the Lord with all their mind, heart, and soul, Christians whose lives had been wholly transformed by the knowledge and love of God.
Most of us will not experience martyrdom. But every Christian is called to have the faith, the devotion, and the character of a martyr. That’s what Christian maturity looks like. And catechesis is a major part of how we get there.
Rev. Dr. Nicholas Norman-Krause is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University and an assisting priest at Christ Church Waco. He serves as a research fellow for the IRCC.
*This article is modified from a weekly church newsletter for Christ Church Waco.