Read on TwitterI& #39;m late to the party but I think that this interaction between @briankeepsworth and @caseyofm
re: the relationship between catechesis and evangelization touches on some very important questions. https://twitter.com/briankeepsworth/status/1251634225087868928?s=19">https://twitter.com/briankeep...
The first point that& #39;s important to remember is that, as JP II said in catechesi tradendae, catechesis is a moment in the evangelization process. Catechesis is integral to evangelization because it presents the Gospel through the lens of systematic study and reflection.
Therefore, the question is not whether evangelization should precede catechesis but rather, at what point should catechesis take place in the evangelization process. The answer to this question must be a nuanced one.
@caseyofm puts forward a legitimate concern over how premature catechesis could become a dry exercise in answering questions that aren& #39;t being asked. However, I think that this danger doesn& #39;t come so much from early catechesis as much as it does from poorly-executed catechesis.
If a catechist attempts to catechise an adult who is being introduced to the Faith for the first time in the same way that he or she would catechize a child who is a cradle Catholic then naturally the results will be ugly.
OTOH, JP II points out that there is a deep connection between catechesis and life experience. Good catechesis will demonstrate how the Gospel is concerned with the meaning of life and how the Gospel can illuminate every aspect of an individual& #39;s life.
Therefore, catechesis can provide answers to the questions that are common to every human heart. The question of when and how to provide catechesis to people outside the Church will largely be a case-by-case question.
For many people, certain intellectual questions or difficulties with Church teaching would have to be dealt with before they would be willing to open themselves to the possibility of having a relationship with Christ. This would seem to be the camp @briankeepsworth was in.
For these peoples& #39; sake, Catholics must present the Faith in a way that is clear, articulate, and reasonable. When the Church& #39;s accumulated wisdom is presented in an intelligent way (e.g. @BishopBarron), people are less likely to dismiss it out of hand as pre-scientific nonsense.
For other people though, their issue with the Faith is not so much intellectual as it is personal. For them, it is not that the Faith does not appear reasonable. Rather, it appears irrelevant. They cannot see what positive dimension it would bring to their day-to-day lives.
For these peoples& #39; sake, Catholics must witness to the joy of the Gospel and the way our Faith informs every aspect of our life. We need people (e.g. @frmikeschmitz) who show through the example of their lives that living out the Faith is a joy-filled and fulfilling experience.
Intellectual knowledge and subjective experience of God are both important. However, we do not worship a set of beliefs or an experience. Rather, we worship a person with whom we can have an encounter and a personal relationship. *End of thread*
