FAMILY CATECHESIS: WAYFORWARD IN OUR CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY

I decided to use this platform to write on this salient issue that has been neglected by most parents in our contemporary society. Recently, I attended one of the lectures with the topic “Challenges of Family Catechesis” in the ongoing catechetical week in most Catholic Churches in the eastern part of our country and that prompted me to put up this article. The family as we know is the smallest unit of the society. It is the first point of contact for the child where he/she learns the basic societal, cultural, ethnic, religious and social values. The family is the first Christian community in which a child first experiences faith and love. It is also a domestic church for sharing the faith with parents as the primary educators of faith.  Let me brief you on what family catechesis means.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, prologue, paragraph 5, page 28: “Catechesis is an education in the faith of Children, young people and adults which includes especially the teaching of Christian doctrine imparted , generally speaking, in an organic and systematic way, with a view of initiating the hearers into the fullness of Christian life.” It aims at presenting an organic synthesis of the essential and fundamental contents of the Catholic doctrine as regards both faith and morals to the hearers. The primary catechist for children is their parents. To catechize is to give instructions, to educate someone. Again, catechesis is built on four pillars: “The baptismal profession of faith (the creed), the sacraments of faith, the life of faith (the Commandments) and the prayer of the believer i.e. the Lord’s Prayer, (CCC; Prologue, paragraph 13, page 29). Family catechesis is a religious education program in which parents fully participate in the faith formation of their children. Parents are the primary teachers of faith. When a child is baptized, the parents in conjunction with the godparent of the child take full responsibility to bring up the child in the practice of the catholic faith. Through the ministry of Family catechesis, the church seeks to facilitate the process of ongoing faith development that happens formally and informally within the family. But then, my question is: “How many parents in our today’s world are involved in family catechesis?” Being a parent is one thing and training your children according to the faith and doctrines of the Catholic Church is a herculean task. Each parent has a singular responsibility to inculcate Catholic morals and virtues in their Children.

Going down the memory lane, I remember vividly when I was much younger and how my lovely mum contributed immensely in nurturing and inculcating the catholic faith in me and my siblings.  At a very young age of seven, I had already begun catechism class and was an ardent member of the Block Rosary crusade. Then, my mum left no stone unturned when it comes to family catechesis and even up till now, the fire of faith still burns in the family. Then, she never joked with our family prayers. At least, we recited the rosary each day and after the rosary, she would instruct us more about the catholic faith. For me, I got my spirituality from her. She was an ardent legionary and also a member of so many pious societies of which she made sure we joined them. Unlike most kids that spent more of their time on television, such never happened during my early days. At a point, mum would ban and even disconnect the TV cable (those days of Binatone antenna) just to prevent us from watching the television. We could only get access to it whenever she was around. Then, we had so many religious books and religious movies in our home. Each time we didn’t receive Holy Communion at mass, she will make sure we received the sacrament of reconciliation as soon as possible. We have a family altar where we gather each morning for prayers and also to share the word of God. Once in a while, she will invite a Catholic Priest to come and admonish and pray for the family. Same goes with my Dad, he equally made sure he contributed his own quota in making sure we learnt the catholic faith. Sometimes, I wonder what would have been my fate with regards to spirituality if not for my parents. Often times, mum would always tell us how she began and how she knew the catholic faith through her parents and through Block rosary crusade. The advent of mobile technologies has changed our lifestyle positively and negatively.

Today, most families don’t even know what family catechesis is all about. Some don’t even pray together or share the word of God together. In most cases the parents are so preoccupied with the jobs that they have little or no time to catechize their children and yet you expect the child to uphold the catholic faith. Most of the societal problems we are facing results from improper child upbringing and parental laxity. Often times, when married men and women comes to the altar of God to say the prayers of the faithful during Eucharistic celebration, the way and manner which they say the prayer makes one to wonder if such a person is truly a catholic. One spectacular thing about the Catholic Church is that we have procedures for doing this. A situation whereby the parents cannot pray, what then will be the faith of the child? How many families can boast of a family altar? How many families say their prayers together? Block rosary centers no longer exist in our today’s world unlike before. I still doff my cap for Onitsha Archdiocese, up till today, Block rosary crusades is still waxing stronger over there. At least, in a street you can count up to five block rosary centers. Most youths cannot say the litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary accurately or say the rosary well but yet such person grew up in a Catholic home. To an extent, mobile technologies have instilled laziness in us. In most families, both the parent and the children are always busy with their smartphones or watching television programs. There is no effective communication between parents and children. Most youths no longer value the importance of the sacraments especially the sacrament of reconciliation. I had a faith discussion with one of my friend and he out rightly told me that since after his first holy communion, he can’t remember ever visiting the confessional. I couldn’t believe my ears! Most youths also falls in this category. Some year ago, I attended a wedding ceremony of a catholic couple and to my greatest shock; the bridegroom didn’t receive Communion on his wedding day (I don’t actually know his reasons for that). How then will you expect such a person to tell his children the importance of receiving Holy Communion when he don’t even have regards for it. Every parent has a role to play in family catechesis.  Often times, when you attend Church programs, you tend to see more of the married men and women and the elderly than the youths. What is actually the problem? Where did we get it wrong?

The youths are the hope of the Catholic Church in this perilous time and age. This is a clarion call not only to our parents but also to the youths of this generation because tomorrow you will get married and be in a position to catechize your children. You can’t give what you don’t have. What will you tell your children? How will you fulfill your primary obligations if you’re knowledgeable about the faith of the church? I think we need to go back to the drawing board before it becomes late. We need to learn our Catholic faith from the scratch and also uphold the true doctrines of the church. The church is built on sacred scriptures and sacred traditions. The sole reason why most youths leave the Catholic Church in pursuit of the “TRUTH” is because they lacked proper family catechesis. Whatever you can’t find in the Catholic Church, I wonder where you can find such (I stand to be corrected). Ladies are usually victims of such. Most times, I frown at Catholic ladies when they make this statement “My pastor advised me to …” we are not practicing a mediocre religion. To the best of my knowledge, every Catholic is meant to have a spiritual director who might be a Priest or a Religious. Why don’t you approach a Priest for proper counseling when the need arise. Nobody is perfect. Sometime ago, I had a little problem with my faith, all I did was to confine in a priest and his words of advice brought me back on track. A priest acts as a mediator between us and God. Again, there are so many good books and movies on the faith of the church, what stops you from making use of them.

In conclusion, parents should learn to appreciate the gift of child upbringing. Children are free gift from God. You never bargained or never paid for them. So, God through the ministry of the Church has entrusted them into your care. Learn to love your kids irrespective of their stubborn behavior. Teach them the Catholic faith, be role models to them, send them to block rosary and even Children’s mass where they will be further tutored. The only way to save the Church is by giving your kids proper family catechesis. Say your morning and night prayers together as one family. Share the word of God together, in that way you learn from each other. The mother has a very big role to play in family catechesis. Let this words be your watchword “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it (cf: Prov. 22:6). Instead of watching “African Magic” with your kids, why not expose them to catholic channels like “Eternal World Television Network, EWTN” and some other religious movies. Always take your kids to Sunday masses and if possible weekday masses. Send them to mission schools; teach how to say the rosary and other catholic prayers. Explain to them the importance of the sacraments especially the sacrament of the Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation. Make sure they join pious societies like Legion of Mary, Sacred Heart society, Catholic Bible Society of Nigerian etc. Always learn to pray for your kids, don’t curse them when they err rather show them love. Have a family priest and make sure he visits the family once in a while for prayers and counseling. As you do this, you will find out that your child will never depart from it even when he grows old.

Finally, Let us implore the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary to continually intercede for all broken families and all parents that have neglected their duty that through her powerful intercession, more families will be united in love and the faith of the church will inculcated in the younger generations through adequate and proper family catechesis.

Shalom!

By; ANIEBO ANTHONY C.