What is "catechesis" and why is it imperative?

 First and foremost, welcome! I am so glad you are here, and I hope you gain inspiration from what you find here. Let's start off with a brief introduction followed by a couple of definitions that will make the object of this blog clear, and will hopefully help you in your own personal journey of faith. Whether you are a teacher or student, active parish member or occasional church-goer, this blog will indeed have messages that speak to YOU! As you will see though, they are not really my messages, I am just passing along what I have learned. It is my mission to share it, make it accessible, and make it inspirational as well. There is GOOD NEWS here!! God loves you, and wants you to be happy and fulfilled. 

What is "Catechesis?"  I always like to turn to official or approved Catholic sources to define terminology. I will quote and cite many "official" or canonical works throughout this blog, and they are all references from books and publications you can find yourselves. From the definitive Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) we have the following definition from the glossary: 

CATECHESIS: an education of children, young people, and adults in the faith of the Church through the teaching of Christian doctrine in an organic and systematic way to make them disciples of Jesus Christ. Those who perform the ministry of catechesis in the Church are called "catechists." (Pg. 869) 

That's my job, my role in the Catholic Church, along with serving as an "Extraordinary Minister of the Holy Eucharist" which is often abbreviated EM. But primarily I am engaged in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the kids in my class every Sunday morning during the school year, and so this blog will mostly be about that. 

The other big word in the title is "imperative." We will turn to the handy Merriam Webster dictionary on my phone for that! This one is actually a little longer. 

IMPERATIVE: (adjective) 

1. not to be avoided or evaded: NECESSARY. // an imperative duty

2. of, relating to, or constituting the grammatical mood that expresses the will to influence the behavior of another. 

So the title of this blog makes it clear that there is a belief that it is necessary to teach people of all ages the Word of God, and although we are talking primarily about the Catholic Church here, really this belief extends to all forms of Christianity. Some may question the part of the definition that describes the will to influence the behavior of other people, but it is a great truth that Christianity is intended to BE transforming! What is the end goal of this transformation, and why is it important? Why does God feel it absolutely necessary that every single person know and accept His love? That is precisely what we are going to explore here. 

Does this message apply to YOU? Absolutely. It applies to me too. It applies to people not even born yet, and all who have passed on before us. The angel that appeared to the shepherds said that they should "Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." (Lk 2:10)  Be sure to understand that "all people" includes you! The message applies to you, and to those we teach. Everyone can be sure that they are included in this! 

Wherever you are on your own personal journey of faith, I invite you along as we explore why Catechesis IS imperative!