This section recounts section 75 from the 1971 General Catechetical Directory, starting with that great liturgical term, “active participation”:
157. The active participation of all the catechized in their formative process is completely in harmony, not only with genuine human communication, but specifically with the economy of Revelation and salvation. Believers, indeed, in the ordinary state of Christian life, individually or in age groups, are called to respond to the gift of God through
- prayer,
- participation in the sacraments,
- the liturgy,
- ecclesial and social commitment,
- works of charity
- and promotion of human values, such as liberty, justice and peace and the protection of creation.
In catechesis, therefore, subjects take on a commitment in activities of faith, hope and charity, to acquire the capacity and rectitude of judges, to strengthen their personal conversion, and to a Christian praxis in their lives. The same subjects, especially if adults, can contribute to catechesis, by pointing out the most effective ways of understanding and expressing the message such as: “learning while doing”, by employing research ‘and dialogue, by exchanging challenging points of view.
The formatting is mine.
The “capacity and rectitude of judges.” What do you make of that?
“Learn by doing” indeed. This reinforces the notion that faith formation is far more than classroom learning.
