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Dr. Carole Eipers is the Executive Director of Catechetics for William H. Sadlier, Inc. She served in parish ministries for over 20 years as a teacher, Director of Religious Education, Youth Minister and Pastoral Associate. Carole was Director of the Office for Catechesis for the Archdiocese of Chicago for nine years and has written and presented extensively in the area of catechetics.
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Sacraments: All in the Family
Popular television series are pursuing interesting sub-plots lately. We not only see TV doctors in the emergency room responding to patients, but also see them in their homes dealing with daily life. We not only watch investigators delving into the crime scene, we are privy to flashbacks of their upbringing and its impact on their work. We can watch detectives on the hunt for perpetrators and also be given insight into the marital and parental tensions which they face.
I dont remember this kind of attention being paid to Sergeant Fridays personal life, nor Kojaks, nor Perry Masons. Have television producers embraced the notion that familyboth family of origin and current familyare the primary influences on ones life? Have we, as a Church, and as catechists, embraced the importance of family in the process of catechesis?
Merriam-Webster Online defines family as "a group of individuals living under one roof and usually one head." How do you define family? How do you describe "family"? The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "The Christian family constitutes a specific revelation and realization of ecclesial communion, and for this reason it can and should be called a domestic church. It is a community of faith, hope, and charity&The Christian family is a communion of persons, a sign and image of the communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit." (CCC 2204, 2205)
The family, whatever its particular make-up, is holy and called to grow in holiness. One of the most important ways families grow in holiness is through the celebration of the sacraments. How can we provide catechesis before and after the sacramental celebrations that truly enrich families and nourish their faith?
Three areas seem to be particularly significant in our efforts. First, the preparation for the sacraments calls us to be attentive to the involvement of family. Beyond the traditional "parent meeting," which itself is an opportunity not just for practicalities, but for meaningful adult catechesis, we can offer a way for families to journey together in faith. We can engage families through prayer and learning and activities that enhance their understanding of what is to be celebrated. By providing materials and processes which invite families to share in the preparation, we can help them to focus on encountering Jesus together. We can also offer catechesis for the parish community. The National Directory for Catechesis reminds us that sacramental catechesis "is intended for all the members of the community, takes place within the community, and involves the whole community of faith." (NDC 35B)
Second, we can provide resources that highlight the celebration of the sacrament and elucidate the meaning of the signs and symbols which they will experience. Such catechesis "tills the soil" so that the experience of the mystery in the actual celebration is richer and deeper. Families can learn together about the signs and symbols, relate them to their own lives and come ready to experience them in the sacramental celebration, whether for the first time, or again but in a new way.
Third, we can invite families to remember what they have celebrated in the sacraments, to share those experiences, and to live what they have celebrated. How often the Scriptures call us to "remember" to reflect on what God has done for us. When we do this as a family, we can become more aware of the blessings of family life, and of the presence of God in both the sacramental experiences of our lives and in our daily life as well.
Perhaps of the three ways highlighted above, the one we tend to neglect is the remembering. We are a fast-paced society, and time for reflection is precious and necessary for faith. What can we build in to the preparation time for sacraments that will enable the "remembering?" After the celebration is the time of mystagogia, the prayerful reflection on our experience, the deepening of our encounter with mystery. Through this remembering we see more clearly how we are changed by our encounter with Jesus Christ and how we are to live because of that encounter.
Television is reemphasizing the importance of family on each individual within it and on society as a whole. When the detectives or doctors have flashbacks, we see again that family experiences are singularly powerful in shaping us. Family experiences of the sacramental encounters with Jesus can be the most powerful forces of all, if we prepare, celebrate, and remember well.
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