Why do I teach adult faith classes, and why do I think that they are significant for our parishes?
According
to Catholic law and theology, a parish priest has three duties, listed
in order of importance: teaching and preaching; celebrating the
Sacraments; administration of parish properties. Preaching in the sense
of proclaiming Christ is expected at every Eucharistic celebration.
Teaching is the priest’s duty in his “care for souls,” in the effort to
help ground human beings in the truth of Christ. Generally teaching our
little ones is entrusted to worthy lay people in the parishes, who have a
good grounding in their faith and desire to share that with our
children. Adult education generally takes the form of initial
instruction for non-Catholics who wish to enter our church (RCIA), and
ongoing faith development, or mystagogy, for Catholicsseeking a deeper understanding of our common faith.
Regarding
the significance of adult faith education, let me quote an exchange
with a senior monsignor with whom I worked in Maryland. Parishes asked
that I offer faith classes, but he refused to allow me, saying that
“They are not needed. You learn your faith as a child.” As I said to the
monsignor, “The faith you learn as a child is a child’s faith; it must
grow.” It is that simple: Faith in God needs to grow into understanding,
insight, wisdom, and ultimately, a more genuine love of God and of
neighbor in God.
Our new class begins on 09 and 11
September at the times listed. After some thought, I have chosen to have
us study together the New Testament letter often briefly called
“Romans.” This letter is the longest and most developed presentation of
the Apostle Paul’s understanding of our life in Christ. It justly can be
called “the Gospel according to St. Paul.” Rather than present stories
from the life of Jesus to flesh out the meaning of his death and
Resurrection, the Apostle Paul explains the meaning of Christ for human
life.
To enhance our understanding, I shall draw at
times on Old Testament passages or from other letters of St. Paul, or
from writings by Church fathers and theologians. But above all, we shall
seek to read the text of “Romans” closely, and try to enter into its
meaning and underlying spiritual experiences. Needless to say, we must
proceed using not only reason, but the Spirit to help us understand this
profound letter by the Apostle.
Please know that all adults and maturing younger people are invited to attend these sessions of our adult faith class.
