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The 20th Anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Bishop's Page
By Bishop David L. Ricken
‘At the heart of catechesis, we find in essence, a Person, the Person of Jesus Christ. The definitive aim of catechesis is to introduce people to an intimate friendship with Jesus Christ. Only He can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit and make us share in the life of the Trinity.’ In Catechesi Tradendae, Blessed Pope John Paul II stresses the centrality of Christ and establishes the essential link between evangelization and catechesis. There is no separation or opposition between catechesis and evangelization. They integrate and complement each other. Catechesis must often concern itself not only with nourishing and teaching the faith, but also with arousing it unceasingly, with the help of grace, with opening the heart, with converting and with preparing total adherence to Jesus Christ.
Anniversary
As the twentieth anniversary of the Catechism approaches on October 11, 2012, our goal as catechists is to help the whole community of faith to come to at least a basic standard of knowledge of Christ and of the teachings of the Church in such a way that the people of God are guided in living in these perilous and confusing days. The only answer to the confusion of our times is a thorough knowledge of the Truth and cooperation with the grace of God to live that knowledge to the full in preparation for the kingdom of heaven. What is being called for here is for all of us to see our relationship to Jesus Christ as the most central one of our lives, and that we recognize that ‘conversion of mind and heart’ to become more like Him every day is the true meaning and purpose of our lives.
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