CHAPTER 10

Preaching of its nature is directed to an audience that is familiar with the content of Christian doctrine. It aims at recalling certain important points of doctrine to the minds of the faithful in order that they may be brought to a renewed joyous consciousness of their religious capital and thus be decisively orientated and properly stimulated once again to a full Catholic life. Catechesis on the other hand should provide a systematic introduction to the entire field of Catholic doctrine. It is meant to be instruction for instruction’s sake, not just an expedient of some sort for moral guidance. Doctrine itself is to be transmitted, and in all its essentials. It aims to instruct in such a way that the souls of young Christians may receive an unbroken image of religious reality, not, of course, that they may rest content with mere knowledge but that in faith, hope and charity they may grasp the supreme Good and fashion their lives in this world in accordance with it.

Catechesis is, as a rule, aimed at children. It seeks to increase the instruction the small child has received, or should have received, from his mother, to gather all this early instruction together for the first time in a definite order, and then to go on from there, year after year, until the entire structure of Christian doctrine has been reared. This instruction should not end with the years of childhood but should carry on through adolescence, particularly since the young will adopt a critical attitude toward the doctrine they have previously accepted so willingly and thus be exposed to a collapse of their spiritual world in their efforts to build up a new, personalized conception of life. For this very reason these adolescents should not be left to depend upon their own resources alone. It is not surprising, then, that demands for religious instruction during these formative years are becoming ever more insistent and that some success has been achieved in this area, particularly since the war, abetted, unquestionably, by the provisions of Canon Law (c. 1332). The vital question today regards not the need but the form this type of instruction should receive.

This conception of catechesis as a work of religious formation, which aims at influencing will and conduct through the communication of clear ideas, has not always been understood with the requisite clarity nor effectively carried out. Danger threatens it from two sides. On the one hand there are those who believe that religious instruction achieves its goal sufficiently when it imprints clear-cut dogmatic concepts on the minds of our youth and encourages them to virtue by an appended "practical application." This is the intellectualism of the so-called Lernschule (School of Formal Learning).

On the other hand there are those who go to the other extreme and claim that everything depends on life and activity; hence all instruction, even religious, should be reduced to observation and experience, to narrations, discussions and activities, save for the conceptual knowledge that must be had because of extrinsic reasons. This is the irrationalism of today’s Arbeitsschule (Progressive School) and other pedagogical methods which rush to activity and the concrete without the proper conceptual framework.

In opposition to both these views, a truly effectual catechesis should impart the knowledge which will round out and perfect the world-view of the young by acquainting them with the supernatural order in which we actually are – a knowledge of God’s supreme goodness and love which will help prevent us from ever separating ourselves from God.

We are particularly concerned here with the central ideas of Catholic catechesis: Christ, Redemption, grace, the sacraments. We have to admit that the catechesis which has been handed down to us from past centuries set altogether too high a price on methods and exact formulations. These are quite in place in the area of scientific theology but they do not belong to the field of the religious instruction of the people or of the young. Scientific theology tends to separate its subject matter from the context of life and from all considerations of value in order that, by cogent analysis, it may acquire the concepts which will enable it to transmit every single particle of reality with the greatest possible accuracy. The religious instruction of the people and of the young cannot, however, forego a consideration of values since it may not separate itself from the context of life in the interest of knowledge alone. To the extent that such a separation from the vital core of the economy of salvation has occurred in the past, all the greater have been the unfortunate effects, indeed more grave as the doctrines were of greater importance. This was so much the case with regard to the teaching of grace and the sacraments, as we have seen, that we felt compelled to speak of a naturalizing of the concept of grace. So let us start with this very point and ask: how should the doctrine of grace – the supernatural order – be handled in catechesis?

Zealous catechists have always devoted their best efforts to the task of bringing home to their students the supernaturality of the life imparted by the sacraments, one surpassing every created expectation and desire. In catecheses published for use with catechisms this is normally done by a commentary on the text of the catechism in which the key concepts are illustrated in every conceivable way. For example, the unmerited benevolence of a master and that of the Supreme Master; supernatural gift, something over and above all the kingdoms of nature – plants, animals, men; sanctifying grace, the biblical concepts of the wedding garment, children of God, heirs of heaven, with the indicated earthly relationships as further illustration; the images used by eloquent Greek Fathers to describe the life of grace; parallels to the mystery of grace offered by modern technology; use of the concrete sacramental sign and rite of Baptism to bring out the more abstract concept of the grace produced, with a further development of the concept by a similar treatment of the other sacraments; uniting the doctrine on grace to that of the Holy Spirit.

These are all valuable helps without a doubt and in the hands of a gifted catechist will certainly summon up a lofty concept of grace in the minds of his hearers. Yet one cannot help feeling that even the most masterful description and explanation of the concept of grace has but a small chance of remaining a lasting possession of the young person’s soul or of becoming an effective motive for an exalted Christian life. How small a role the concept of grace plays in the religious thought and speech of our Christian people, even the best of them, despite all our efforts! Perhaps this detached concept, this logical abstraction of the condition of a justified soul – wholly removed from experience – is just not suited in such an isolated form to make grace and the supernatural a living reality in Christian consciousness. As long as grace appears only as something isolated, as the God-willed mysterious condition of the justified soul, all our superlatives and all the skills of illustration are going to be more or less wasted.

But it is an altogether different story when grace is seen as that reality in God’s great plan of salvation which takes hold of the individual soul and thus partakes of the surpassing grandeur of that economy. In Christ and the Church this salvific plan of God has entered powerfully into the course of world history. Its effects meet us day by day, in every place where the Church encounters us with its multi-formed institutions, whether we pass by the house of God or hear the sound of the Angelus bell. Not only the reality of this new order which takes hold of the whole of mankind as well as the individual soul is brought into intimate contact with this salvific plan of God in a way totally different from that in which the outlook is continually fixed on the individual soul, but its supernaturality is brought into closest relationship with that plan as well. From the fact that Deus factus est homo ("God became man") we gain most easily an understanding of that which God’s goodness has in store for us, the goal ut homo fieret Deus ("that man might become God-like").

This type of procedure is also applicable to catechesis on the lower levels. Indeed, it is in the mystery of Christmas that we have the place where even the small child becomes conscious of the fact that on that night a bit of heaven somehow fell upon this earth of ours – in other words, a supernatural order was established or rather newly established. But right here we should see to it that this first intimation is not lost in the Christmas atmosphere and crib-songs. Along with the various accounts we give the children of the childhood and life of Jesus, this thought must be firmly impressed: this bit of heaven which on Christmas came down upon our world of men does not want to remain an island, a lonely light in a dark night, but wants the Catholic Church to be born from His coming – the Kingdom of God on earth. When a child is baptized, it belongs from that very moment to the Catholic Church, and at that moment everything becomes bright and clear in its soul just as the fields became bright and clear from the presence of Jesus on that holy night, and at that moment the baptized child becomes a little brother or sister of the Infant Christ. At a point like this one can touch on the life of grace and offer a simple explanation. However, it is not so important that attention be called over and over again to the forms under which the supernatural is manifested in the individual soul. It is far more important that the new order which was established with Christ and intended for the entire world be presented above all else in its reality and made clear with regard to its structure.

The occasion for the presentation of these ideas occurs when we turn to the mystery of the redemption, of the Church with her authority and saving powers – in a word, when we turn to the Easter theme. It is apparent that this material can be given to small children in the elementary grades, and hence the essential instruction on grace and the supernatural involved in it. In fact, it is at this level that we have the opportunity to impart to the receptive souls of these little ones an excellent outline of salvation history in its mighty progress and luminous plan, free of non-essentials. It is certainly a notable gain, for which we can thank the catechetical movement, that catechesis on the lower grades is now allowed to turn more and more from a catechism-type form of special instruction and permitted simply to follow the progress of salvation history, as well as that of the Liturgical Year. In this way a twofold goal can be attained: not only can the basic mysteries of the Incarnation and the Redemption be grasped early in life, but they can also be deeply experienced as the children participate in the liturgical celebration of the principal feasts of the Church’s year. By way of simple narration the story of creation and the history of salvation are so presented that their climaxes coincide with the feasts of Christmas and Easter.

As in the case of Christmas, Easter, too, should be given the right perspective in catechesis from the very start. It is the feast of the Redemption, but not redemption in the negative sense alone; it has its positive side, the regeneration of mankind. It would be a mistake were one to restrict himself during the pre-Easter period to a description of the bitter sufferings of Our Lord, with special emphasis on the example of patience He gave us. Although the concept of vicarious satisfaction may demand a little too much of small children, still it is quite easy to explain the reality itself to them: Our Lord did not have to suffer. He could have saved Himself from the hands of His enemies; indeed, He could have worked a miracle, but He did not defend Himself for He wanted to suffer for us. He wanted to bear these sufferings for men. He wanted to bear these sufferings for men who deserved them for their sins. These thoughts could be summed up in the context of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary and thus imprinted upon their prayer life.

But the Redemption should not be presented as atonement for sin alone; the Cross is also the source of all grace and sanctification. All the sacraments have their power from here. This idea can perhaps be better explained by means of a simple blackboard illustration than by abstract terms: a cross on the hill of Calvary; at the foot of the cross seven little streams take their rise – the seven sacraments. All these streams bring something of Jesus’ holiness into our souls. He is entirely holy. When a child is baptized, not only is original sin washed away but at that moment there is light and beauty in his soul; now when the heavenly Father looks down on this newly baptized child, He sees that it is truly a little brother or little sister of the Infant Jesus.

One can lead up to this same idea in earlier sections of the narrative-type catechesis, as for instance, when talking about those whom Jesus healed. Here we have people who were sick in body, and Jesus made them well. When someone is sick in body a doctor can often help him, but not as quickly as Jesus did. But what if he were sick in soul? And when is someone sick in soul? Can men help him then? Right! Men cannot help him. But Christ Our Lord has given us seven means to help us when the soul is sick, either by curing it or by making it strong, etc. In ways like this we can give even first and second grade children all the knowledge that is required for the reception of the sacraments. Moreover we can put the concepts of sacrament and grace before them in the proper light from the very start. In this way the basic doctrines of faith will not only be within the grasp of the slowest children, but they will stay with them in the vital context of salvation history and the Church’s sacramental life.

In the upper grades the curriculum that is offered will receive a much sharper differentiation. Individual points of doctrine will come in for more attention, even those that are peripheral, and from time to time these may even distract from the total picture. But this is to be expected as a natural concomitant of the necessary development of the subject matter, much as one should never lose sight of its inherent unity. Time must likewise be spent on individual points of doctrine in order that one may build up in the students a certain immunity to misinterpretations and errors. At this stage of development, too, biblical history will be presented to a certain degree on its own, using the actual words of Sacred Scripture; passages will also be cited which do not bear directly on this history but which will serve rather as helps for moral instruction and formation.

This more advanced curriculum will find its over-all, orderly arrangement in the catechism. This could be one in which the entire matter, together with source-texts and explanations and preceded by some sort of catch-phrase, is presented in the form of well-rounded lessons; or it could be the traditional catechism in which only a skeleton outline is offered of certain dogmatic propositions which are deemed necessary for indispensable possession; or finally the mixed form that is prevalent today could be allowed to stand.

What interests us here particularly is the question of the order in which the curriculum is to be presented and that of the light in which the core-ideas especially are to appear. Without a doubt the old traditional formulation of Creed, Our Father, Ten Commandments, Sacraments, must determine the plan in some way. It would be a mistake to substitute a scientific schema for this mature, old and traditional classification. This does not mean to say, of course, that there should not be an effective, objective basis for the arrangement of the curriculum. But the order that is already observable or latent in the formulas themselves should be exploited. And furthermore, these formulas themselves should be arranged in some sort of order.

It is quite true that children, even in the upper grades (from ten to fourteen years of age) have little interest in a schema, in its orderly classifications and divisions; even as teaching techniques, logical arrangements of this sort have little value for those accustomed to learn in a piecemeal way. And yet no thoughtful educator would thereby conclude that instruction should be carried on in a chance, haphazard way. The Arbeitsschule attempted just that in the area of secular education and is now reaping the harvest. With every consideration for the age of the children and their interests of the moment, an objective order must guide the presentation of subject matter, even in religious instruction. This order should be instilled into the minds of children through organically arranged courses, which, through their inner dynamism, reverently serve our educational purpose. Mirroring the great order established by God, these courses should so be shaped that they offer the most effective orientation to the life He wants us to live. The structure will not be the product of the latest philosophical-theological analysis, but it will aim at clarifying the meaningful relationships of the events of salvation and of the Church’s institutions, with the hope that, as instruction progresses, this objective order may find a subjective reflection in the mind of the student.

Of the four traditional divisions, the Creed should have precedence – according to the whole of Christian tradition – since, to say no more, the main block of the distinctive teachings of faith are found there. But the Creed need not form the framework of the entire catechism. Moral teaching, as collected together under the Ten Commandments, and the Our Father, as the primitive form of Christian prayer, can certainly be handled as sections distinct from the doctrinal teaching, even though both of them pertain to the content of revelation, since they concern not so much the knowledge of supernatural realities as the corresponding religious conduct in divine worship and life. On the same basis the purely ritual-practical treatment of the sacraments, as a broader introduction to divine worship, can be considered separately. The situation is quite different, however, with regard to the instructional material that is actually to be presented as altogether basic in the teaching of the sacraments. It is here precisely that we must set forth clearly what is of divine institution in the sacraments, describe the sign and grace of the sacrament, and also point out, as the occasion demands, what is required for the proper reception of the sacrament (Penance). If greater attention should be given to the liturgical side of the sacraments than in the catechisms of the past, especially to the Sacrifice of the Mass, this material could be organized in a distinct section and added to the treatment of prayer, divine worship and the Liturgical Year; or it might be presented in the teaching manual or, better still, in a diocesan prayer book.

The teaching on the sacraments themselves must, therefore, be connected with the Creed, since only in this way can the entire doctrine of faith be truly presented in an integrated image. One might deem it sufficient to advance the section of Grace and the Sacraments from last place to second, as, for instance, is done in the Roman Catechism: Creed, Sacraments, Commandments, the Our Father. He might appeal also to the usual order of early medieval theology, for example, that of the School of Abelard: fides, sacramentum, caritas; and the words of Christ Himself, "Make disciples of all nations... baptizing them... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matt. 28: 19-20).

Still one might go a step further and put the teaching on the sacraments in its natural place, namely, in that section of the Creed where two great sacraments are already indicated in the words, "the remission of sins." In this way one would not be omitting one of the traditional formulas but only inserting the customary enumeration of the seven sacraments in a definite place in the explanation of the Creed. At the same time still another benefit would be attained: the doctrine on grace would now appear in its full organic context. Hence after the teaching on the Redemption, which ends with the glorification of Christ and the sending of the Holy Spirit, one would now have the teaching on the Holy Spirit as the principle of grace, that on the Church as the earthly receptacle of grace, that on the sacraments as the instruments of the Church’s mediation, and finally that on glory as the final fruit of grace.

Though these simple, biblical expressions of the Creed, scarcely touched by theological reflection, do not, quite obviously, measure up to the demands of a theological schema – whose treatises bear other titles for this very reason – they do seem well adapted, precisely because of their primitive stamp, to serve as a starting point or framework for the further instruction of the people and of the young in these doctrines. Furthermore, one would thus overcome the decidedly unsatisfactory condition of our catechisms today, in which we find only an unrewarding word-exegesis of these passages in the actual exposition of the Creed, while the doctrines involved are explained elsewhere; and thus, too, the final section of the Creed would be restored to its true significance.

This proposal seems particularly called for, or rather should be repeated (proposed earlier in an article, "Die Gnadenlehre im apostolischen Glaubensbekenntnis und im Katechismus," ZkTh 50 [1926], 196-219), since even such an implacable foe of all Scheinsystematik (specious schemata) as Karl Raab makes a similar suggestion, outlining, as he does, a three-year catechism-catechesis for the upper grades that is based on the order of the Creed (5th year: the teaching on God the Almighty Father, together with the Commandments and the Our Father; 6th year: the teaching on Christ and His sacrificial redemption; 7th year: the teaching on the Holy Spirit, grace, the Church, the sacraments, and the last things).¹ So far as the structure of the catechism itself is concerned, Raab only gives serious attention to the problem of inserting the teaching on Grace and the Sacraments within the explanation of the Creed; the tie-up between God (first article) and the Commandments and the Our Father is left to a syllabus and teaching manual.

But one should dare to go a step further. The Creed should be presented in such a way that not only its final section but the whole of it be centered on Christ – the midpoint of the Christian doctrine of salvation; hence it should be so arranged that each of its divisions will be illumined by this radiant core. Unquestionably the division of the Creed into twelve articles at the turn of the fourth century, in honor of the twelve Apostles, was a significant protestation of its venerable origin, but it did break up an organism. (See our earlier explanation of the actual formation of the Creed, pp. 20-23.) A departure from the twelvefold division would not indicate an unheard-of break from sacred tradition. St. Thomas Aquinas divided it into fourteen articles (Summa Theologica, II-II, q. 1, a. 8), while the catechism commissioned by Pius X (Compendio della dottrina cristiana) divided it into seven sections.

With the insertion of the doctrine on Grace and the Sacraments in its proper context, only the first steps have been taken to our goal: now we must see to it that this section is presented in an organic-genetic way. As we have indicated earlier, this will mean, first of all, that habitual grace will be handled before actual grace, starting off, say, with the doctrine on the Holy Spirit or Baptism, or simply with the fact of the Redemption. In any case, what will come to the fore in the doctrine on grace is the new being – the divine life – which has been granted to us. Grace should not be lowered in the minds of our hearers to the level of natural moral conduct by the emphasis placed upon it as a help to moral behavior, but conversely moral effort should be lifted up to the height of divine grace; it should be seen as the fruit which God expects of His vineyard – the fruit that is to ripen in the sunlight of His new nearness to man.

So far as the form of the exposition is concerned, the presentation of the doctrine of grace should not consist in excerpts from theological treatises. Though we need not abandon abstract concepts, they should remain vital. For very young children the idea of "the beautiful garment of the soul" which one must be wearing in order to get into heaven may well suffice. But in the following years – in the upper grades at the latest – the notion of the state of grace must be developed out of this idea, first of all by summarizing all the particular points that have hitherto been explained: Christ Our Lord did not want to be the only one who was holy, the one who alone would be God’s son and who alone would have God as His Father. He wanted all who come to Him, even the little children who are carried to Baptism, to be His brothers and sisters – and this is why He instituted Baptism. From that moment on the heavenly Father accepts them as His children. From then on the Holy Spirit dwells in their hearts. Because of their Baptism their souls are made pure, beautiful, holy, just like the soul of Jesus Himself. This is an altogether new state of soul – one that we call the state of grace. The biblical concept of life will also be introduced: through Baptism a new life comes to the soul, a holy life, the life of the children of God. This concept of "a holy life" can take on a certain centrality. This life always remains within us. It is only lost through "mortal" (death bringing) sin. This life is also called "eternal life" since it develops into eternal happiness. Now it is only in the soul and makes our souls like Christ, but after the resurrection on the last day it will also make our bodies like the body of Christ, as He was after His resurrection.

The expression "sanctifying grace" – coined by Scholasticism – will unquestionably be used, but not as a rigid formula. It is rather amazing how the term gratia sanctificans has been translated so literally and in what a stereotyped way we speak of the possession, of the increase, of the loss of sanctifying grace. We might note a certain ambivalence, too, in the word "sanctifying"; it does not sanctify per modum causae efficientis (by way of efficient causality – as the reception of the sacraments makes one holy or as study makes one learned), but per modum causae formalis (by way of formal causality – as knowledge makes one learned). Sanctifying grace makes one holy only in the sense that through its existence as a form (formaliter) in the soul, one is holy or sanctified. Hence Christians who are true to their state not only possess sanctifying grace, but they are individuals who have been sanctified – "saints" – as Paul boldly calls them. Indeed, they have received holy Baptism, God dwells within them as in a temple, they may receive the holy Bread of the Eucharist as often as they desire, they belong to the communion of saints, and only in light of this have they a title to heaven since only what is holy can enter there. Perhaps this type of presentation may be able to implant a reverence and appreciation for the state of grace more deeply in the soul than the unwonted clarity of the scientific concept can ever do. But in any event, we should interpret and enliven the expression along the lines we have indicated in our work of preaching and catechizing.

The grace won for us by Christ on the other hand need only be traced, in the way we have suggested, from its real source – as the fruit of the Redemption, as a sharing in the divine life of Our Lord, quite apart from the images which Scripture and Tradition put at our disposal. If this Christologically tinged explanation of grace is given at the outset, it will be fastened more deeply upon the minds of children when they come to study the sacraments, since all of them have been instituted by Christ to communicate His life of grace.

And this will be all the more the case if the doctrine on the Person and salvific activity of Christ has been orientated in this direction. Particular attention should be given to this idea in the upper grades, especially in the matter of instruction in biblical history and the corresponding textbooks. More is needed here than external events as they are recorded in the simple words of the evangelists. These events should be illumined by appropriate theological reflections and evaluations found elsewhere in Sacred Scripture. Thus short pericopes from the sermons or letters of the Apostles, and perhaps classic passages from the Prophets, can be inserted at opportune places (possibly in a different print style), for example, the Gospel narrative of Christ’s death and resurrection might well be complemented by such Pauline passages as Phil. 2:7ff., Eph. 2:14ff., Col. 2:12ff. If this is done, one might offset the temptation to use the Gospel narrative largely as an example of patience or proof of love and, in the case of the Resurrection, to put all the stress on apologetical considerations. From the standpoint of concentration, this procedure builds yet another bridge between the Person of Christ and the consideration of the fruits of His redemption.

It is obvious that lived religion pertains to the sphere of religious instruction, even to that of the classroom, particularly divine worship which, so far as possible, is adapted to children and participated in by them. This divine worship should come to be looked upon as the fitting response to all the wonderful things they have heard about God in their catechism class. Catechesis itself, which today must face the disadvantages as well as the advantages of the classroom, should not only provide for prayer as a regular part of its program but should also arrange for "festive hours" on opportune occasions during which the faith of the young may find joyous expression in songs, in short plays, etc.

During the period of elementary schooling the attention of children tends to focus on the particular. This is the law of his psyche. But all the elements for a general survey are at hand as they move on to the secondary level. This is the period of adolescence when the hunger for liberty and greater independence in directing one’s life awakens within them, and with it a certain feel for the ultimate questions concerning human life. From this standpoint adolescents are not greatly interested in a multitude of fine points; they would rather know how the broad lines of life can be fit together into a meaningful whole. This then is the time when they need religious instruction which, taking their own experiences and questions as its point of departure, sets before them a total-view of Christianity that can offer the answer to the large problems of life. For those whose schooling is more immediately job-orientated, this total-view can be effectively attained by a vital understanding of the central thoughts of the Apostles’ Creed: God – in His greatness, omnipotence and holiness; Christ – our Teacher and Guide, continuing His redemptive work among all peoples in His Church.

Many points, which later on might well open the door to dangerous doubts, can presently be solved in the light of this radiant core-doctrine. Thus faith itself will not be looked upon as the blind acceptance of all sorts of incomprehensible statements but as the necessary entrance to the Kingdom of God. All the miracles which surround the life of Christ and the birth of the Church will be seen as just so many rays of that greatest of all miracles, the Incarnation itself. The Holy Eucharist, with its Real Presence, will not be an arbitrary demand on our reason but rather an altogether integral element of the plan of salvation – for if Christ has redeemed us, He must want to be personally united to us and we, in our turn, should want to draw close to Him, since power goes out from Him. Church authority, with its claims on our allegiance, will not be regarded as a thirst for domination: Christ simply could not leave His people without guidance, but where there is guidance there must be command and law. Papal infallibility will be seen as simply Our Lord’s own spiritual power which in a smaller ray continues its influence in the Church – and must do so if Christ’s work is not to collapse.

For those whose secondary schooling is college-preparatory this total picture, whose center is Christ, will be equally necessary. Like a mosaic in the apse of an ancient basilica, it must ever remain in the background of their thinking as an image in whose presence all questions are seen and to which all answers point. Only if this central idea has been vitally realized – when the young person has caught fire or at least has an understanding of Christ and His Kingdom – will all the knowledge acquired in the many hours of religious instruction throughout the year be truly assimilated, in the sense of real religious formation.

A certain amount of apologetics, or better, fundamental theology is not rendered superfluous by this approach, much as one will discover that the best security against doubt is the proper development of the truth. Moreover, even with regard to apologetics itself, one can very profitably take as his starting point today what is already a given fact among believing Catholics, namely, the Church as the signum levatum in nationes (Is. 11: 12), the Church whose greatness and beauty is now an experienced reality. The inner drive of awakened interest will instinctively suggest other ways and means which can be of assistance in deepening religious thought and life: lectures, associations, institutes. We must obviously see to it, too, that non-denominational schools do not set up obstacles to an organic growth of religious life and instruction – obstacles which our young people are unable to surmount on their own. Rather secular instruction, especially in history and literature, should extend the instruction received in religion class, at least to the extent that Christ is clearly seen to be the true center of all world history.

Best of all, this kind of religious instruction offers the distinct possibility that we shall eventually have an educated laity who, possessing an adequate theological background, may take an active part in the discussion of questions which lie between the theological and the profane – in fact even lead the way – without prejudice to Catholic doctrine or practice. Experience with our young people today would indicate that this is no utopian goal; in fact, it tends to show that there are a goodly number who, thanks to their early orientation toward what is central, are able to make judgments in religious matters with astonishing accuracy. In this way, then, we can and must create a spiritual atmosphere on every level of our Catholic people in which Christianity will not merely be a matter of external, even courageous, profession of belief, and a sincere, perhaps very self-sacrificing submissiveness. Rather there must be a climate in which genuine interest flourishes, in which the great truths and questions of religion are as much a part of life and just as important as they were to the Christian communities to whom St. Paul wrote his magnificent letters, letters which we today might imagine to have been addressed to theologians.

Given this knowledge, one need not worry whether there will be a religious life to match it, simply because this kind of knowledge and appreciation of religious truth can only develop when there is an accompanying cultivation of religious life.

1 See K. Raab, Das Katechismusproblem, p. 187ff.

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