Rev.John Powell, a theology professor at the Loyola University in one of his books mentions the conversation that he had with one of his students in the final class of the semester. The student told him that he doubted whether he would ever find God in his life. The Professor told him as he was leaving the class that even if he did not find God , God would find him. A few years later, hearing that the student had contracted cancer he spoke to him. The student then mentioned how the parting words in the final class had changed his life. Fr.Powell remarked in the class earlier that “ the essential sadness in life is to go through life without loving.” The student decided to open his heart to his parents and told them how much he loved them. His life from then on began to change and he added that “God does things in his own way and He found me even after I stopped looking for Him.”
All through our life we are in this search. We are sure that even if we don’t find him, He will find us. The loving Father will never abandon us. Even if the whole world turns against us, even if there are only dark clouds on the horizon, we are sure that the radiance of our Father will break through and envelop us in His warm embrace. It is about the radiance of this Love that we teach from this month onwards through our CCD classes.
Most of our parishes have begun C.C.D classes for our children. We take this occasion to acknowledge the splendid work done by our C.C.D teachers and greet our parents who have taken a great effort in enrolling our children for the classes.
At this time, it would be very opportune for us to reflect on the guidelines given by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the US through their National Directory. It enumerates the following elements as the criteria for the authentic presentation of the message:1. The Christian message should be centered on Christ,2.The message should be Trinitarian,3.The message has to proclaim the Good News of Salvation and liberation from sin,4.The Eccelsial and historical character of the message have to be brought out,5.The inculturation of the message has to be emphasized, and 6.The comprehensive hierarchical character of the message, the communication of the profound meaning of the person and the promotion of the common language of the faith are also to be emphasized. It is in the background of these criteria that we have to plan our lessons for various classes.
As Syro-Malabar Catholics, our children should absorb the heritage and the patrimony of our faith. It is through our Church —the Syro-Malabar Church-- that we received the faith . Our rite and our liturgy are the pillars of the heritage of our faith. They are to be transmitted to the young. Faith is not one aspect of our life as human beings. Faith is the air we breathe. That is the unique heritage of St. Thomas Christians. In our C.C.D classes, our children should see that their faith encompasses the whole of their lives.
At the same time we should also be aware of the fact that they live in the United States, in a culture that is very different from ours. Openness and mobility-- Freedom of space and movement—are some of the great features of the American culture. When we teach them, we have to bear in mind that we are teaching American children who grow up with the values from the culture in which they live. They appear like Indians but their attitudes and perspectives are molded by the culture in which they live. Some of the features of the American culture which a teacher should be aware of are mentioned in the National Directory: Religious Freedom, Economic Freedom, Pluralism, Pragmatism Interest in science and technology, Globalization, and Mobility.
In a recent issue of the America magazine on religious education, James Digiacomo urges the teachers of Religious Education to offer the children “ the presentation of the Christian message that is not only orthodox but also challenging and inspirational.” He tells them to “help students to ask religious questions before offering them the answers to the deepest questions we can put to human life.” He also warns against the spirit of consumerism that is part of their vision. He adds that “consumerism is not just buying things…It is a whole world view…it defines the human person in terms of material things owned and consumed.”
According to the Directory, the teachers should be given “the criteria and skills with which to evaluate the media and the culture that the media creates.” The teachers are encouraged to use all the modern resources available at their disposal to reach the young. Since most of them have email ids, and they watch you tube, we can also use those resources. “Catechists can hold lesson planning sessions via instant messaging, send the outlines of a catechetical lesson to a group of students by email…discuss the points of a lesson in a chat room.” These are some of the new ways in which we can communicate with the young who are very computer-savvy.
We are a in a new world and we have to present the Gospel in this new world. We know this is a difficult task but this is the task that is given to each one of us because of our life as Christians. We have to make Jesus known to all but more specially to our children. They are going to be the new ambassadors of Christ. It is their faith that is going to matter say twenty or thirty years from now. Whatever that is needed to make our faith palatable and acceptable to the young has to be employed.
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