Confidence, Generosity, Joy, and Fearlessness: Four Ways Mary Inspires Catechists

Lord, give me Mary’s confidence and generosity of spirit. I ask not only to listen to your voice and do your will but also to do these things joyfully and fearlessly. Let me answer your call with an exultant “Yes!” because I know that my journey into the unknown will be made radiant by your transfiguring presence.

—Sacred Space: A Little Book of Encouragement

This extraordinary quote inspires me as a catechist. There is no better example for catechists than the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her confidence, generosity of spirit, joy, and fearlessness are a model for catechists to follow.

I had scant idea of what I was getting myself into when I volunteered to be a catechist. It seemed like a straightforward and simple task. I had always volunteered at my son’s schools, so I was comfortable with the age group and familiar with teaching. There was a teacher’s book that would tell me exactly what to do, so I did not need to worry about planning or creating a lesson. Little did I know.

Confidence

While I started out with confidence, I quickly realized that this was a false confidence born of underestimating what was really required of me as a catechist. Mary’s confidence, on the other hand, came from her complete trust in God in the face of the unknown. I now aspire to imitate Mary’s confidence. Before each class, I pray that that the Lord will use me for his purposes with my students that week and that my efforts will bring greater glory to him. This prayer helps me place my trust in God, and that trust leads me to be a confident catechist.

Generosity

We are called to imitate Mary’s generosity of spirit, which can be seen in the way she offered her entire self to God. As a catechist, I want to offer my best efforts to God and inspire the children in my class to know and seek him. Every now and then I might feel like I could have done more for my students; in those moments, I look to Mary to discover ways I can be more generous in passing on the richness of our Catholic faith to my students.

Joy

This generosity of spirit helps me be joyful in passing on the faith to my students. Pope Francis begins The Joy of the Gospel by writing, “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus.” As catechists, we bring the joy of the Gospel to our students! We want them to have an encounter with Jesus that fills their hearts and lives. I am not teaching my students a biography lesson; I am introducing them to a person. I am called to help children come to know Jesus himself, just as Mary did. My mission is not to transmit information, but joyfully pass on the Gospel to transform hearts.

Fearlessness

We can’t let fear impede our joy. We are called to go forth fearlessly. Often there is fear as we face the unknown, whether in life or as a catechist. But following Mary’s example we can face those fears not by running from them, but by running toward God: “I sought the Lord, and he answered me, / and delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4)

Mary is our clearest model of how to respond to God with a full-throated “Yes.” By following her example, we can be catechists who are confident, generous, joyful, and fearless.

How do you approach your classroom with confidence, generosity, joy, and fearlessness? How can you share these qualities with the students in your class?

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