This past Monday evening was our first catechist meeting of the year and it came off very well. It was nice to see the other catechists on the 8th grade team as well as some of the other catechists from other grade levels that I’ve met over the years.
The highlight of the meeting, however, was the pastor’s comments at the very beginning. He issued a challenge to all of us catechists saying that each of us, when planning our lessons, should ask the question: “how will the children/young people encounter Christ in this session?” He placed such a great emphasis on the importance of a real encounter with the Lord that I think he made a profound impression on all of the catechists.
I think this is so critical for us to remember. At times, we can get caught up in thinking, “in this session, I’m going to be sure that the kids learn the precepts of the Church” or some other doctrinal formulae. There’s nothing wrong with that, unless, that is, we are teaching them those precepts without helping them to encounter Christ. Therein lies the challenge – and a critical and most worthwhile challenge indeed!
Kudos to the pastor!
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