The source from which catechesis draws its message is the word of God: "Catechesis will always draw its content from the living source of the word of God transmitted in Tradition and the Scriptures, for sacred Tradition and sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the word of God, which is entrusted to the Church". 297CT 27. This "deposit of faith" 298Cf. DV 10 a e b; cf. 1 Tim 6:20 and 2 Tim 1:14. is like the treasure of a householder; it is entrusted to the Church, the family of God, and she continuously draws from it things new and old. 299Cf. Mt 13:52. All God's children, animated by his Spirit, are nourished by this treasure of the Word. They know that the Word is Jesus Christ, the Word made man and that his voice continues to resound in the Church and in the world through the Holy Spirit. The Word of God, by wondrous divine "condescension" 300DV 13. is directed toward us and reaches us by means of human "deeds and words", "just as the Word of the eternal Father, when he took on himself the flesh of human weakness, became like men". 301Ibid. And so without ceasing to be the word of God, it is expressed in human words. Although close to us, it still remains veiled, in a "kenotic" state. Thus the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, has to interpret the word continually. She contemplates the word with a profound spirit of faith, "listens to [it] devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully". 302DV 10. The source and the "sources" of the message of catechesis 303As can be seen both expressions, the source and the sourcees, are used. The term 'the source of catechesis' is used to underline the oneness of the word of God and recalls the concept of Revelation in Dei Verbum. CT 27 also speaks of 'the source' of catechesis. Nonetheless following general catechetical usage the expression 'the sources' is used to denote those concrete loci from which catechesis draws its message; cf. DCG (1971) 45.
The word of God, contained in Sacred Tradition and in Sacred Scripture: – is mediated upon and understood more deeply by means of the sense of faith of all the people of God, guided by the Magisterium which teaches with authority; – is celebrated in the Sacred Liturgy, where it is constantly proclaimed, heard, interiorized and explained; – shines forth in the life of the Church, in her two-thousand-year history, especially in Christian witness and particularly in that of the saints; – is deepened by theological research which helps believers to advance in their vital understanding of the mysteries of faith; – is made manifest in genuine religious and moral values which, as "seeds of the word", are sown in human society and diverse cultures.
These are all the sources, principle or subsidiary, of catechesis but must not be understood in a narrow sense. 304Cf. DCG (1971) 45b. Sacred Scripture "is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit", 305DV 9. Sacred Tradition "transmits in its entirety the word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit". 306Ibid. The Magisterium has the duty of "giving an authentic interpretation of the word of God", 307DV 10b. and in doing so fulfils, in the name of Christ, a fundamental ecclesial service. Tradition, Scripture and the Magisterium, all three of which are closely connected, are "each according to its own way", 308DV 10c. the principle sources of catechesis. Each of the subsidiary sources of catechesis has its own proper language which has been shaped by a rich variety of "documents of the faith". Catechesis is a living tradition of such documents: 309Cf. MPD 9. biblical excerpts, liturgical texts, patristic writings, formulations of the Magisterium, creeds, testimonies of the saints and theological reflections. The living source of the word of God and the "sources" deriving from it, and through which it is expressed, provide catechesis with those criteria for the transmission of its message to all who have made their decision to follow Jesus Christ. Criteria for the presentation of the message
The criteria for presenting the Gospel message in catechesis are closely inter-connected with each other as they spring from the same source. – The message centred on the person of Jesus Christ (christocentricity), by its inherent dynamic, introduces the trinitarian dimension of the same message. – The proclamation of the Good News of the Kingdom of God, centred on the gift of Salvation, implies a message of liberation. – The ecclesial character of the message reflects its historic nature because catechesis—as with all evangelization—is realized within "the time of the Church". – The Gospel message seeks inculturation because the Good News is destined for all peoples. This can only be accomplished when the Gospel message is presented in its integrity and purity. – The Gospel message is a comprehensive message, with its own hierarchy of truth. It is this harmonious vision of the Gospel which converts it into a profoundly meaningful event for the human person. Although these criteria are valid for the entire ministry of the word, here they are developed in relation to catechesis. The christocentricity of the Gospel message
Jesus Christ not only transmits the word of God: he is the Word of God. Catechesis is therefore completely tied to him. Thus what must characterize the message transmitted by catechesis is, above all, its "christocentricity". 310Cf. CCC 426-429; CT 5-6; DCG (1971) 40. This may be understood in various senses. – It means, firstly, that "at the heart of catechesis we find, in essence, a person, the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth". 311CT 5. In reality, the fundamental task of catechesis is to present Christ and everything in relation to him. This explicitly promotes the following of Jesus and communion with him; every element of the message tends to this. – Secondly, christocentricity means that Christ is the "centre of salvation history", 312DCG (1971) 41a; cf. DCG (1971) 39, 40, 44. presented by catechesis. He is indeed the final event toward which all salvation history converges. He, who came "in the fullness of time" is "the key, the centre and end of all human history". 313GS 10. The catechetical message helps the Christian to locate himself in history and to insert himself into it, by showing that Christ is the ultimate meaning of this history. – Christocentricity, moreover, means that the Gospel message does not come from man, but is the Word of God. The Church, and in her name, every catechist can say with truth: "my teaching is not from myself: it comes from the one who sent me" (John 7,16). Thus all that is transmitted by catechesis is "the teaching of Jesus Christ, the truth that he communicates, or more precisely, the Truth that he is". 314CT 6. Christocentricity obliges catechesis to transmit what Jesus teaches about God, man, happiness, the moral life, death etc. without in any way changing his thought. 315Cf. 1 Cor 15:1-4; EN 15e, f. The Gospels, which narrate the life of Jesus, are central to the catechetical message. They are themselves endowed with a "catechetical structure". 316CT 11b. They express the teaching which was proposed to the first Christian communities, and which also transmits the life of Jesus, his message and his saving actions. In catechesis, "the four Gospels occupy a central place because Christ Jesus is their centre". 317CCC 139. The trinitarian christocentricity of the Gospel message
The Word of God, incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth, Son of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is the Word of the Father who speaks to the world through his Spirit. Jesus constantly refers to the Father, of whom he knows he is the Only Son, and to the Holy Spirit, by whom he knows he is anointed. He is ?the Way' that leads to the innermost mystery of God. 318Cf. Jn 14:6. The christocentricity of catechesis, in order of its internal dynamic, leads to confession of faith in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is essentially a trinitarian christocentricity. Christians, at Baptism, are configured to Christ, "One of the Trinity", 319The term 'one of the Trinity' was used by the Fifth Ecumenical Council (Constantinople 533): cf. Constantinopolitanum II, Session VIII, can. 4, Dz 424. It is also used in CCC 468. and constituted "sons in the Son", in communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Their faith is, therefore, radically Trinitarian. "The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life". 320CCC 234; cf. CCC 2157.
The trinitarian christocentricity of the Gospel message leads catechesis to attend amongst others, to the following points. – The internal structure of catechesis: every mode of presentation must always be christocentric-trinitarian: "Through Christ to the Father in the Holy Spirit". 321DCG (1971) 41; cfr. Eph 2:18. "If catechesis lacks these three elements or neglects their close relationship, the Christian message can certainly lose its proper character". 322Cf. DCG (1971) 41. – Following the pedagogy of Jesus in revelation of the Father, of himself as the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, catechesis shows the most intimate life of God, starting with his salvific works for the good of humanity. 323Cf. CCC 258, 236 and 259. The works of God reveal who he is and the mystery of his inner Being throws light on all of his works. It is analogous with human relationships: people reveal themselves by their actions and, the more deeply we know them, the better we understand what they do. 324Cf. CCC 236. – The presentation of the innermost being of God, revealed by Jesus, the mystery of being one in essence and three in Person, has vital implications for the lives of human beings. To confess belief in one God means, that "man should not submit his personal freedom in an absolute manner to any earthly power". 325CCC 450. It also implies that humanity, made in the image and likeness of God who is a "communion of persons", is called to be a fraternal society, comprised of sons and daughters of the same Father, and equal in personal dignity. 326Cf. CCC 1878; CCC 1702. SRS uses the term model of unity when referring to this question. CCC 2845 calls the communion of the Blessed Trinity "the source and criterion of truth in every relationship". The human and social implications of the Christian concept of God are immense. The Church, in professing her faith in the Trinity and by proclaiming it to the world, understands herself as "a people gathered together in the unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit". 327The term comes from St Cyprian "De orat. dom.", 23; PL, 4:553; LG 4b.