Mission is what our Christian life is about. Christians are missionaries in the world, writes Bernadette Gopaul-Ramkhalawan at Catholic Trinidad and Tobago.
“Christians are at the service of the world. Mission is not an event one does now and then. It is an integral part of everyday life,” she notes
“What then is mission and why is it important?” she asks, answering as follows:
Mission is about service that elevates the life of others. There are human needs all around us and so we must educate ourselves on the model that the Church uses to guide us in our missionary work.
The Church stands on two feet: charity and social justice. Charity is the relief work that we do such as giving hampers, and social justice is the work we do in addressing the root causes of social ills.
We need to learn the ‘See, Judge, Act’ method so that we can integrate mission in our lives. We need to (see) become aware of the needs and ills around us, then (judge) whether it is a social justice issue or charity issue or both. Finally, we need to act, either with a social justice response such as advocacy or human development, or charity such as relief. Many times, it is a combination of both.
Catechetical sessions should be mission sessions. People learn what they live. We need to move away from the classroom and academic approach to catechesis and move to an apprenticeship, workshop, practical approach to our catechesis.
As people begin to engage in the Christian living and practical ways of being a Christian, they begin to encounter Jesus in new and dynamic ways. Jesus begins to relate to them through the work they do. God’s grace begins to pour into their hearts and minds, and transformation and conversion are experienced. This is the method of forming disciples in this age.
These are exciting times to live in and our divine call to be a catechist in these times is even more exciting. The Holy Spirit should be ablaze in us as we carry out our work, sincerely loving those we catechise.
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Catechesis for today: from classroom to mission (Catholic TT)
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Catholic TT