The disciples of Jesus are scattered in the world as leaven but, as in every age, they are not immune from the influences of human situations. It is therefore necessary to enquire into the current situation of the faith of Christians. Catechetical renewal, developed in the Church over the last decades, continues to bear very welcome fruit.41CT 3; cf. MPD 4. The catechesis of children, of young people and of adults has given rise to a type of Christian who is conscious of his faith and who acts consistently with it in his life. In such Christians this catechesis has encouraged: – a new and vital experience of God as merciful Father; – a more profound rediscovery of Jesus Christ, not only in his divinity but also in his humanity; – a sense of co-responsibility on the part of all for the mission of the Church in the world; – and a raising of consciousness with regard to the social obligations of the faith.
Nonetheless, in considering today's religious situation, the Church is also obliged to take into account the extent to which Christians "have been shaped by the climate of secularism and ethical relativism?" 42TMA 36b; GS 19c. A prime category requiring examination is that of the "many people who have been baptized but lead lives entirely divorced from Christianity".43EN 52. Cf. CT 19 and 42. This in fact constitutes a mass of "non-practising Christians" 44EN 56. even though in many hearts religious feeling has not been completely lost. Re-awakening these to the faith is a real challenge for the Church. Then there are "the simple people" 45EN 52. who express themselves, at times with sincere religious feeling and deep rooted "popular devotion".46EN 48; cr. CT 54; ChL 34b; 1985 Synod, II, A, 4; DCG (1971), 6. They possess a certain faith, "but know little even of its fundamental principles".47EN 52. There are, moreover, numerous other Christians, often highly educated, whose religious formation amounts solely to that which they received in childhood. These also need to re-examine and develop their faith "from a different standpoint".48Cf. EN 52; CT 44.
There is also a certain number of baptized Christians who, desiring to promote dialogue with various cultures and other religious confessions, or on account of a certain reticence on their part to live in contemporary society as believers, fail to give explicit and courageous witness in their lives to the faith of Jesus Christ. These concrete situations of the Christian faith call urgently on the sower to develop a new evangelization,49ChL, 34b; 33d. especially in those Churches of long-standing Christian tradition where secularism has made greater inroads. In this new context of evangelization, missionary proclamation and catechesis, especially of the young and of adults, is an evident priority. The internal life of the ecclesial community
It is important to consider also the very life of the ecclesial community which is its innermost quality. Firstly, it is necessary to see how the Second Vatican Council has been accepted in the Church, and how it has borne fruit. The great conciliar documents have not remained a dead letter: their effects are widely acknowledged. The four constitutions (Sacrosanctum Concilium, Lumen Gentium, Dei Verbum and Gaudium et Spes) have indeed enriched the Church. In fact: – liturgical life is more profoundly understood as the source and summit of ecclesial life; – the people of God has acquired a keener awareness of the "common priesthood" 50LG 10. founded on Baptism, and is rediscovering evermore the universal call to holiness and a livelier sense of mutual service in charity; – the ecclesial community has acquired a livelier sense of the word of God. Sacred Scripture, for example, is read, savoured and meditated upon more intensely; – the mission of the Church in the world is perceived in a new way: on the basis of interior renewal, the Second Vatican Council has opened Catholics to the demands of evangelization as necessarily linked to dialogue with the world, to human development, to different cultures and religions as well as to the urgent quest for Christian unity.
It must be recognized, however, that in the midst of this richness there also occur "difficulties about the acceptance of the Council".51Synod, 1985, I, 3. Despite so comprehensive and profound an ecclesiology, the sense of belonging to the Church has weakened and "a certain disaffection towards the Church is frequently noted".52Ibid. Thus the Church is often regarded in a one-dimensional way as a mere institution and deprived of her mystery. In some instances tendentious positions have been adopted and set in opposition to the interpretation and application of the renewal sought in the Church by the Second Vatican Council. Such ideologies and conduct have led to divisions which damage that witness of communion indispensable to evangelization. The evangelizing activity of the Church, catechesis included, must tend all the more decisively toward solid ecclesial cohesion. To this end it is urgent that an authentic ecclesiology of communion,53Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter Communionis notio (28 May 1992), n. 1, AAS 85 (1993), p. 838; cf. TMA 36e. be promoted and deepened in order to arouse in Christians a deep ecclesial spirituality. The situation of catechesis: its vitality and difficulties
The vitality of catechesis in recent years has been amply demonstrated by many positive aspects. Amongst others the following must be highlighted: – the great number of priests, religious and laity who devote themselves with enthusiasm to catechesis, one of the most important ecclesial activities. – the missionary character of contemporary catechesis and its ability to secure adherence to the faith on the part of catechumens and those to be catechized in a world in which religious sense is obscured must also be underlined: in this dynamic there is an acute awareness that catechesis must have a catechumenal style, as of integral formation rather than mere information; it must act in reality as a means of arousing true conversion; 54Cf. CT 19b. – consonant with what has been said, concerning the expanding role of adult catechesis 55Cf. CT 43. the catechetical programmes of many particular Churches assume extraordinary importance. This option appears to be a priority in the pastoral planning of many dioceses, and also plays a central role in many ecclesial groups and movements; – promoted no doubt by recent directions of the Magisterium, catechetical thought, has gained much in our times in terms of quality and profundity. In this sense many local Churches already have at their disposal suitable and opportune pastoral programmes.
It is necessary, however, to examine with particular attention some problems so as to identify their solutions: – the first concerns the conception of catechesis as a school of faith, an initiation and apprenticeship in the entire Christian life of which catechists do not yet have a full understanding. – with regard to the fundamental direction of catechesis, catechetical activity is still usually impregnated with the idea of ?Revelation': however, the conciliar concept of 'Tradition' is much less influential as an inspiration for catechesis: in much catechesis, indeed, reference to Sacred Scripture is virtually exclusive and unaccompanied by sufficient reference to the Church's long experience and reflection,56Cf. CT 27b. acquired in the course of her two-thousand-year history. The ecclesial nature of catechesis, in this case, appears less clearly; the inter-relation of Sacred Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium, each according to "its proper mode" 57DV 10c. does not yet harmoniously enrich a catechetical transmission of the faith; – Concerning the object of catechesis, which always seeks to promote communion with Jesus Christ, it is necessary to arrive at a more balanced presentation of the entire truth of the mystery of Christ. Often, emphasis is given only to his humanity without any explicit reference to his divinity; at other times, less frequently today, emphasis is so exclusively placed on his divinity that the reality of the mystery of the Incarnate Word is no longer evident; 58Cf. CT 29b. – Various problems exist with regard to the content of catechesis: there are certain doctrinal lacunae concerning the truth about God and man; about sin and grace and about eschatology; there is a need for a more solid moral formation; presentations of the history of the Church are inadequate; and too little importance is given to her social teaching; in some regions there has been a proliferation of catechisms and texts, the products of particular initiatives whose selective tendencies and emphases are so differing as to damage that convergence necessary for the unity of the faith; 59Cf. CT 30. – "Catechesis is intrinsically bound to every liturgical and sacramental action" 60CT 23. Frequently however, the practice of catechetics testifies to a weak and fragmetary link with the liturgy: limited attention to liturgical symbols and rites, scant use of the liturgical fonts, catechetical courses whith little or no connection with the liturgical year; the marginalization of liturgical celebrations in catechetical programs; – Concerning pedagogy, after a period in which excessive insistence on the value of method and techniques was promoted by some, sufficient attention is still not given to the demands and to the originality of that pedagogy which is proper to the faith. It remains easy to fall into a 'content-method' dualism, with resultant reductionism to one or other extreme; with regard to the pedagogical dimension the requisite theological discernment has not always been exercised; 61Cf. CT 58. – Regarding differences between cultures in the service of the faith, it is difficult to know how to transmit the Gospel within the cultural horizons of the peoples to whom it is proclaimed, in such a way that it can be really perceived as Good News for the lives of people and of society; 62EN 63. – Formation for the apostolate and for mission is one of the fundamental tasks of catechesis. Neverthless while there is a new sensitivity to the formation of the laity for Christian witness, for inter religious dialogue, and for their secular obligations, education for missionary activity "ad gentes" still seems weak and inadequate. Frequently, ordinary catechesis gives only marginal and inconsistent attention to the missions.