Summary
Introduction
1 Liturgy and Catechesis in the First Centuries of Christianity
2 Liturgy and Catechesis in Recent Church Documents
3 Interaction between Liturgy and Catechesis: Main Challenges
4 Mystagogy: A Path for Liturgy-Catechesis Interaction
Conclusion
References
Introduction
The paschal mystery is the heart of Christianity. The explication of its greatness and relevance in our lives is the great task of both liturgy and catechesis. Both dimensions of the Church’s life, through different and essentially complementary paths, assist Christians in the maturation of their faith and its concrete translation in the face of daily challenges.
Catechesis without liturgy is emptied of its mystagogical dimension and is reduced to a set of theoretical teachings about God, the Church, and Christian life, well-articulated in form but hardly capable of giving any deeper meaning to the life of the catechumen. On the other hand, liturgy without catechesis lacks the necessary understanding for the reception and ritual experience that facilitates immersion in the celebrated mystery and touches the heart of the faithful celebrant. Well-articulated, however, in constant interaction, liturgy and catechesis lead Christians to celebrate Christian rites with consciousness and piety, as advocated by Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC, n. 14, 19), as well as to consider the contents in which one believes as always oriented towards the celebration of faith, of which the liturgy is an epiphany.
With this interaction between liturgy and catechesis as a reference, the present text, after a brief overview of how this relationship occurred in the first centuries of Christianity, then presents the perspectives opened by recent Church documents on this interaction, indicating, in a third moment, the main challenges faced and pointing to the path of mystagogy as the one that can best articulate these two constitutive dimensions of the Church’s life and evangelizing action.
1 Liturgy and Catechesis in the First Centuries of Christianity
The first centuries of Christianity witness the richness of the interaction between liturgy and catechesis, well-attested in the ancient principle lex orandi lex credendi, which well expresses how much liturgy and catechesis interpenetrate and contribute to shaping the heart and conscience of the Christian in the perspective of a well-lived faith. From the beginning, it was around the Eucharistic table and the Word that the followers of Jesus consolidated their Christian identity and were strengthened for the witness of faith, as the book of the Acts of the Apostles tells us:
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers […]. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. (Acts 2:42, 46-47)
One can also remember the importance of catechesis associated with liturgy in primitive Christianity, evoking here the figures of the so-called Holy Fathers (3rd-7th centuries), whose preaching, almost always arising from celebratory contexts, illuminated the journey of the Christian faithful and the catechumens. They were great mystagogues, who led people to the experience of the mystery of God, of his saving grace, through a path mediated by spirituality, by the contemplation of sacred signs, always illuminated by the Word of God. In this way, celebrating the faith in the Risen One, the Word was continually deepened and transmitted.
However, historical changes strongly impacted Christianity from the 4th century onwards, and with the advent of so-called Christendom, liturgy and catechesis gradually grew apart. The liturgy was transformed into ritualism, with excessive concern for its external aspects and a sacramentalist focus. As for the contents of the Christian faith, they were diluted in the elements that made up Christendom, in the dogmatic definitions of the great councils and, from the 10th century, in the works aimed at systematizing theology and catechisms. Since then, not only points of distancing between these two fundamental dimensions of the Church’s life have been perceived, but also significant conflicts (PAIVA, 2020, p. 42).
It was the Second Vatican Council, with its preparatory movements, that shed new light on the life of the Church in general, and on the liturgy in particular. Although the council fathers did not produce any specific document on catechesis, its inspiration and new pastoral paradigms have had and continue to have renewing effects in this field of faith education as well. Many precious texts have been produced by the Magisterium, from those of the popes and Roman dicasteries to the documents of episcopal conferences, all of them pointing to the urgency of rescuing the precious interaction between liturgy and catechesis, as indicated, for example, by the Directory for Catechesis (DPC) of 2020:
Liturgy is one of the essential and indispensable sources of catechesis and of the Church, not only because from the liturgy catechesis can draw contents, languages, gestures, and words of faith, but above all because they belong to each other in the very act of believing. (DPC, n. 95)
2 Liturgy and Catechesis in Recent Church Documents
Some documents of the Second Vatican Council, even if only with nods, offer important contributions for us to think about the mutual relationship between liturgy and catechesis. The decree Christus Dominus, on the pastoral office of bishops, when asking pastors for solicitude for catechesis, makes a point of affirming that the liturgy is one of its essential sources:
they should be concerned with catechetical instruction, which aims to make the faith, illustrated by doctrine, living, explicit, and active, and that it be administered with diligent care to children and adolescents, as well as to young people and even adults […] This instruction should be based on Sacred Scripture, tradition, the liturgy, the magisterium, and the life of the Church. (CD n. 14)
The declaration on Christian education, titled Gravissimum Educationis, in defining the objectives of catechesis, states that it “illuminates and strengthens faith, nourishes life according to the spirit of Christ, leads to a conscious and active participation in the liturgical mystery, and awakens to apostolic activity” (GE n. 4).
In the fields of liturgy and catechesis, specifically, the Second Vatican Council triggered a fruitful and continuous process of change. Synods, seminars, liturgical and catechetical directories, formation meetings for agents, and much material produced, all created a favorable climate for the necessary renewal. Worthy of remembrance are the VI International Week of Catechesis (1968), held in Medellín, the publication of the General Catechetical Directory in Rome (1971), the publication of the document Evangelii Nuntiandi (1976), by Pope Paul VI, on evangelization, and the apostolic exhortation Catechesi Tradendae, in 1979, by Pope John Paul II.
In this last document, the pope emphasizes the necessary and intrinsic link between catechesis and liturgy, stating clearly:
Catechesis is intrinsically linked with all liturgical and sacramental action, because it is in the sacraments, and especially in the Eucharist, that Christ Jesus acts in fullness for the transformation of men. […] Catechesis necessarily leads to the sacraments of faith. On the other hand, an authentic practice of the sacraments necessarily has a catechetical aspect. In other words, sacramental life is impoverished and quickly becomes a hollow ritualism if it is not founded on a serious knowledge of what the sacraments mean. And catechesis becomes intellectualized if it does not draw life from a sacramental practice. (CT n. 23)
In Brazil, the great milestone in the catechetical dimension was document 26 of the National Conference of Bishops, Catequese Renovada: orientações e conteúdo (Renewed Catechesis: Orientations and Content). Its impact changed the course of the catechetical journey, in addition to deeply touching other dimensions of the Church’s pastoral life. The name itself already announced its intention: to renew catechetical practice from within, offering principles, orientations, and content that would sustain this process of change.
Two numbers of this document, in particular, reflect the important interaction between liturgy and catechesis. In number 89, we can read:
Not only for the richness of its biblical content, but for its nature as a synthesis and summit of the entire Christian life, the liturgy is an inexhaustible source of catechesis. In it, one finds the sanctifying action of God and the prayerful expression of the community’s faith. Liturgical celebrations, with the richness of their words and actions, messages and signs, can be considered a “catechesis in action.” But, in turn, to be well understood and participated in, liturgical or sacramental celebrations require a catechesis of preparation or initiation. (CNBB, 1983, n. 89)
And the following number adds:
The Liturgy, with its peculiar organization of time (Sundays, liturgical periods such as Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, etc.) can and should be a privileged occasion for catechesis, opening new perspectives for the growth of faith, through prayers, reflection, imitation of the saints, and the discovery not only intellectually, but also sensitively and aesthetically, of the values and expressions of Christian life. (CNBB, 1983, n. 90)
In 1997, the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy published the General Directory for Catechesis (GDC), showing significant sensitivity to the theme of the interaction between liturgy and catechesis, emphasizing the need for a liturgical catechesis as a way to initiate catechumens into the celebratory life. In it we can read:
Liturgical catechesis, which prepares for the sacraments and fosters a deeper understanding and experience of the liturgy. It explains the content of the prayers, the meaning of the gestures and signs, and educates for active participation, contemplation, and silence. It should be considered as “an eminent form of catechesis” (GDC, n. 71).
Document 84 of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, Diretório Nacional de Catequese (DNC – National Directory for Catechesis), dedicated several numbers to the theme of liturgy and catechesis, always reaffirming the mutual dependence of these two dimensions of the Church’s pastoral action. It first considers the liturgy as a source of catechesis, and cites the proclamation of the Word, the homily, prayers, sacramental rites, the experience of the liturgical year, and feasts as moments of education and of growth in faith. Without hesitation, it states that “authentic catechetical itineraries are those that include in their process the celebratory moment as an essential component of the Christian religious experience” (DNC, n. 118).
Immediately following, the same Directory emphasizes the urgency of a liturgical catechesis, saying that “it is a fundamental task of catechesis to effectively initiate catechumens and catechizands into liturgical signs and through them to introduce them to the Paschal Mystery” (DNC, n. 120). Thus, it points out as the mission of catechesis to prepare the Christian for sacramental initiation and to help them live as good Christians through prayers, gestures and signs, silence, contemplation, the presence of Mary and the saints, listening to the Word, etc. (DNC, n. 120).
Worthy of mention here is the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (EG) by Pope Francis. Reflecting on the need for a kerygmatic and mystagogical catechesis, he proposes the valorization of the liturgical symbols of Christian initiation and a catechesis centered on the Word, but one that does not neglect “an adequate setting and an attractive motivation, the use of eloquent symbols” (EG, n. 166), reaffirming the traditional via pulchritudinis, the way of beauty that makes the truth and goodness of the risen one shine in the human heart (DGC, n. 167).
More recently, document 107 of the CNBB, Iniciação à vida cristã: itinerário para formar discípulos missionários (IVC – Christian Initiation: An Itinerary to Form Missionary Disciples), in a more catechumenal context, once again insisted on this interaction between catechesis and liturgy, stating that “the processes of Initiation are based on Sacred Scripture and the liturgy, they educate for listening to the Word and for personal prayer, through lectio divina, highlighting a close relationship between the Bible, catechesis, and liturgy” (IVC, n. 66). And it continues: “Such a rescue of the catechumenal spirit implies the commitment to re-establish the partnership and union between liturgy and catechesis that, over the centuries, have been compromised” (IVC, n. 74).
The Directory for Catechesis (DC), from the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, published in 2020, when dealing with the sources of catechesis, dedicates precious numbers to the liturgy (DC, n. 95-98), in addition to other important statements, throughout the text: the necessary interaction of liturgy with catechesis; the liturgy as a privileged place for the catechesis of the people of God, preserving the celebratory character of the liturgy; the urgency of a mystagogical itinerary in catechesis, which leads to the interpretation of rites in light of salvific events, introduces the meaning of liturgical signs, and presents the significance of rites for Christian life in all its dimensions; the importance of the participation of catechumens in the Sunday liturgy and in the feasts of the liturgical year.
3 Interaction between Liturgy and Catechesis: Main Challenges
The fruitful interaction of liturgy with catechesis is guaranteed in the documents of the Church and very well rooted in its tradition. In the day-to-day life, in most ecclesial communities, however, there is still much to be done. “In the current situation, there is no lack of problematic aspects and points of friction, both in the field of catechetical and liturgical reflection, and in the field of pastoral practice” (ALBERICH, 2004, p. 305).
One of the great challenges concerns a catechetical praxis that does not actually initiate into the liturgy. Despite the goodwill of catechists and some steps already taken in this direction, liturgical formation in the context of catechesis is still incipient and limited to the conception of “celebrating” with the catechumens. Much is said about the importance of the liturgy, but it is still celebrated little. And it is not possible to initiate someone into rituality with speeches alone. And when it is celebrated, the catechist’s difficulty in articulating faith, life, the Word of God, symbols, and gestures—in short, those elements that greatly constitute the Christian rite—is clear. This difficulty was pointed out long ago by the General Directory for Catechesis, when it drew attention:
Often […] catechetical practice shows a weak and fragmented connection with the liturgy: limited attention to liturgical signs and rites, little appreciation for liturgical sources, catechetical outlines with little or no relation to the liturgical year, a secondary presence of celebrations in the itineraries of catechesis. (GDC, n. 30)
Alberich is of the opinion that the anthropological and experiential dimensions, those that deal with the questions of man and his life experiences, of charity and of service, obviously important in catechesis, ended up overshadowing the centrality of the liturgical experience in the growth of faith (ALBERICH, 2004, p. 306). Thus, we can speak of a catechesis that is out of focus from the liturgical experience or that has it only as an appendix to its processes.
Another no less worrying challenge is the instrumentalization of the liturgy for didactic and pedagogical purposes to satisfy the need to explain the rites to children and young people. These practices disregard the nature of the liturgy, which is essentially celebratory and mystagogical, imposing on it a language and methodology foreign to its very essence, transforming the celebration into a more animated “class” on the Mass, for example. Besides not actually initiating into the celebratory dynamic of faith, because it does not respect the proper mystagogical and psychological structure of the rite, it causes resistance and a certain annoyance to the assemblies and does not allow them to be enchanted by the contemplative and prayerful dimension of faith.
Deficiencies in the way of celebrating, both on the part of the assemblies and many of their ministers, including the ordained, also constitute another important challenge to consolidating this very important relationship between liturgy and catechesis. We cannot disregard that the liturgy is the main transmitter of the Church’s faith, a true catechesis in action. Therefore, the act of participating in a celebration should be a privileged way of receiving and welcoming the faith transmitted through the depth and richness of the rites constituted over two millennia by the Church. Permeated by the Word, the liturgical rites communicate, in themselves and in their concrete experience, the most genuine faith of the Church, centered on the paschal mystery of Jesus Cristo. In this way, the assembly apprehends and understands its faith as it makes the rite happen in its life. A liturgy celebrated in a lax, improvised, or rushed manner due to the voluntarism of its ministers creates difficulties for an authentic education in the Christian faith to be derived from it.
Other challenges can still be enumerated, such as a sacramentalizing vision of catechesis, the timid presence of the liturgical year in catechetical processes, subjectivism combined with ignorance of liturgical theology on the part of many laity and ordained ministers, the lack of preparation of catechists to facilitate the interchange between the two dimensions of liturgy and catechesis in their own experience, pastoral practice, and life witness, etc.
4 Mystagogy: A Path for the Interaction of Liturgy with Catechesis
Thinking about the interaction between liturgy and catechesis directly touches on the theme of mystagogy, so dear to the tradition and spirituality of Christianity. In fact, since Judaism, the mystagogical method has been evident as a privileged way of educating the faith of new generations and reaffirming the faith for those already initiated. One of the best examples of this can be found in the annual celebration of the Jewish Passover. The prescription contained in the book of Exodus always resonated sovereignly for them:
When you have entered the land that the Lord will give you, as he promised, you shall keep this service. And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt’. (Ex 12:25-27)
“What does this rite mean?” was the question ritually reserved for the youngest. This is not just a ritual formality, but something essential. In the answer to this question was the content that sustained and gave meaning to the Passover rite. And in answering, the eldest of the family would recall the liberating deeds of God in favor of his people, guaranteeing historicity to the rite, inserting it into a history of salvation continued in their lives. “What does this rite mean?” was the question that the catechumens and neophytes of primitive Christianity asked, seeking to understand the faith they were embracing. On the answer depended the eloquence of the rite in their lives. Without the answer, the rite would remain mute and inexpressive (BOSELLI, 2014, p. 29). The answer came with the mystagogical catecheses of the Holy Fathers, who, starting from the Word, united the Old and New Testaments and helped the faithful to dive into the heart of the paschal mystery. “What does this rite mean?” is the question that today and always will echo in the Church from Christians and non-Christians, seeking some meaning in liturgical actions, that is, seeking to draw from the rituality some catechesis that helps them to unveil or, at least, to welcome the celebrated mystery.
The constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium concerned itself with rescuing the centrality of the paschal mystery in liturgical action and showing its impact on the entire rituality of the Church. It sought to free the liturgy from its externalized conception, seen only as ceremony, drawing attention to its essence. It defined it as the perfect worship that the total Christ, head and members, offers to the Father, in the Holy Spirit, through rites and prayers. It is the summit and source of the Church’s life (SC n. 7, 10, 48). Per ritus et preces: it is in this way that the Church, the people of God, recognizes the crucified and risen one and makes him known through the mediation of sacred signs, words, gestures, silence, prayers… And, by congregating its assemblies for its rites, it transmits its faith in Christ. The salvific events, present and actualized in each celebration, found and legitimize the rites, freeing them from magic and illusion (BOSELLI, 2014, p. 29). In this way, it is through the signs that touch the senses, like bridges that go from the hearts of Christians to the heart of God himself, that one reaches the Meaning par excellence, the risen Lord himself. But, to traverse these bridges well, it is up to the Church to initiate its faithful into the liturgical universe and its rich language. Boselli, paraphrasing Saint Jerome, who said “Ignoratio Scripturarum, ignoratio Christi est”, dares to say: “ignoratio liturgiae, ignoratio Christi est”, that is, not knowing the liturgy means not knowing Christ (BOSELLI, 2014, p. 32).
A mystagogical catechesis is one that leads to a deepening and a greater awareness of the mystery that, for us, is “Christ, the hope of glory” (Col 1:27). It presents itself as the only possibility of freeing the catechumen from a theoretical relationship with God, helping them to immerse themselves in his grace and to experience him as their Lord and their life. According to document 107 of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, a catechetical process that disregards the very high value of the mystagogical element is unthinkable, and this necessarily passes through the liturgy, to which, since the beginning of Christianity, in full interaction with catechesis, the mission of initiating into the faith has been entrusted (Doc. 107, n. 70).
The Directory for Catechesis offers some essential elements for following a mystagogical itinerary in catechesis which, in our view, would greatly contribute to a more effective approximation between liturgy and catechesis: the interpretation of rites in light of salvific events, rereading the life of Jesus, from the Old Testament; the introduction to the meaning of liturgical signs, educating the sensitivity of the faithful to the language of signs and gestures that, united with the Word, constitute the rite; and the presentation of the meaning of the rites for Christian life in all its dimensions (DPC, n. 98).
Conclusion
We have traveled a quick but dense path, seeking to show, more than the importance, the urgency of seeking alternatives to make the liturgical and catechetical dimensions interact in our pastoral practice. We have seen how recent Church documents point to the mutual enrichment of these two dimensions when this interaction is achieved, as well as the challenges for it to effectively happen. We concluded by considering as a possible effective response a more mystagogical catechesis, one that is capable of inserting the catechumen into the experience of encountering Christ and of deepening their faith in the mediations of sacred signs and rites, always illuminated by the Word of God.
What is at stake is the need to reconstruct the unity of the experience of faith, without reductionism of any of its dimensions, but seeking to conceive it in its globality. This requires articulating liturgy, catechesis, and Christian life. If we agree with the Church when it affirms that the sacred liturgy constitutes the “summit and source of the Church’s life” (SC, n. 10), it constitutes a true locus theologicus, always having a catechetical function for all the people of God, in the richness and efficacy of its rites. For all this strength to be experienced profitably, catechesis is required to provide the propaedeutic care of initiating children, young people, and adults into the liturgical universe, less by what it says and more by what it does, resorting to the rich heritage that the liturgy offers to make it possible for the Christian to access the mystery of faith professed and continually celebrated by it.
Vanildo de Paiva. Priest of the Archdiocese of Pouso Alegre, Minas Gerais (Brazil). Master in psychology and professor at the Catholic Faculty of Pouso Alegre. Original Portuguese text. Submitted: 07/30/2022; approved: 10/30/2022; Published: 12/30/2022.
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