{"id":4237,"date":"2012-12-05T01:14:38","date_gmt":"2012-12-05T07:14:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marccardaronella.com\/?p=4237"},"modified":"2013-05-10T22:12:26","modified_gmt":"2013-05-11T04:12:26","slug":"are-you-accidentally-sabotaging-your-students-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marccardaronella.com\/blog\/2012\/12\/05\/are-you-accidentally-sabotaging-your-students-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"Are You Accidentally Sabotaging Your Student’s Faith?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"catechesis<\/a>Did you ever consider that maybe you’re teaching\u00a0the wrong thing?<\/p>\n

Most catechetical programs try to give students a complete education in the Faith before 8th grade.<\/p>\n

But does the textbook’s spiral curriculum really\u00a0make a difference if the students\u00a0don’t believe the teaching and leave the Church?\u00a0What’s missing?<\/p>\n

To me, apathetic 8th graders sitting bored in a Confirmation class are a sign of failure…not of the catechist so much as\u00a0the system.<\/p>\n

I think there is something missing from most catechetical programs that\u00a0sabotage student’s faith. Here’s what it is and how to fix it.
\n<\/p>\n

Catechizing\u00a0with something missing<\/h2>\n

When I went to Franciscan, I wanted to learn how to light people up with faith.\u00a0I wanted others to experience conversion like I had<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I thought I could do it by dazzling students with intricate theological discourses.\u00a0I was wrong. There was an art and science to conversion I knew nothing about.<\/p>\n

I learned a lot of theology and it was amazing. But when I taught a 7th grade CCD class and\u00a0it didn\u2019t work.\u00a0They learned the material but it sort of bounced off them.\u00a0They just looked at me glassy-eyed.<\/p>\n

I was teaching the facts of the Faith, the doctrines and how they fit together\u2026all great stuff, but, in a sense, it was falling on deaf ears. Something was missing.<\/p>\n

Why it wasn’t working<\/h2>\n

In the General Directory for Catechesis<\/em> #62 it states:<\/p>\n

“Only by starting with conversion, and therefore by making allowance for the interior disposition of ‘whoever believes,’ can catechesis, strictly speaking, fulfill its proper task of education in the faith.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The starting point for catechesis is conversion. Without that, students are not disposed interiorly to receive the message.<\/p>\n

I believe this is what was happening with\u00a0my students. And, I wasn’t doing anything to convert them so a real education in the Faith could not take place. The teaching was bouncing off.<\/p>\n

So why is this important?\u00a0Here\u2019s the thing that keeps me up at night.<\/p>\n

We may not be doing anything for our student\u2019s salvation by\u00a0merely teaching them the facts of the Faith.\u00a0If we\u2019re not teaching them in a way that moves them to love God and respond to him in faith, they may not be saved at all.<\/p>\n

What does it take to be saved?<\/h2>\n

In the Council of Trent\u2019s Decree on Justification<\/em>, the Church defined the interior disposition necessary for someone to fruitfully receive Baptism and be saved (justified). Here’s\u00a0the actual text:<\/p>\n

Now, they (the adults) are disposed to that justice when, aroused and aided by divine grace, receiving faith by hearing, they are moved freely toward God, believing to be true what has been divinely revealed and promised, especially that the sinner is justified by God by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; and when, understanding themselves to be sinners, they, by turning themselves from the fear of divine justice, by which they are salutarily aroused, to consider the mercy of God, are raised to hope, trusting that God will be propitious to them for Christ\u2019s sake; and they begin to love Him as the fountain of all justice, and on that account are moved against sin by a certain hatred and detestation, that is, by that repentance that must be performed before baptism; finally, when they resolve to receive baptism, to begin a new life and to keep the commandments of God.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That’s a really long sentence! Basically, what it says is catechumens are disposed to receive justification by Baptism when:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Aided by grace they are moved to initial faith by hearing the gospel<\/li>\n
  2. Believe in revelation (Faith) and that sinners are justified through redemption in Christ<\/li>\n
  3. Understand they are sinners and trust in God’s mercy (Hope)<\/li>\n
  4. Love God (Charity\/Love), hate sin, and repent<\/li>\n
  5. Receive Baptism, begin a new life, and keep the commandments<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    If these conditions are not met, a person does not receive the grace of Baptism, only the character of Baptism.<\/p>\n

    Faith that saves is called “formed faith,” or\u00a0fides formata<\/em>. This is faith shaped by hope and love.<\/p>\n

    Faith that doesn’t save is fides informis<\/em>: faith unshaped by love. This is the kind of faith talked about in James 2:14-26.<\/p>\n

    The truth is, you’re not saved by intellectual\/dogmatic belief alone! This faith without love is dead. And this is the kind of faith your students are formed in when you fail to evangelize before, or during, your catechesis.<\/p>\n

    Catechetical takeaway<\/h2>\n

    Saving faith is infused with hope and love.\u00a0This is the faith that justifies a person and unites them to God through grace.<\/p>\n

    If someone learns the doctrines of\u00a0the Faith but never experiences conversion, never hopes in God’s promises or trusts in his mercy, never turns from sin and conforms his life to\u00a0Christ–they may not be saved.<\/p>\n

    I’m afraid for the apathetic 8th graders sitting bored in their Confirmation classes. This is the sign of a dead faith.<\/p>\n

    And, what if they’re in that position\u00a0because of me…us? What if their faith is being sabotaged\u00a0because\u00a0no one knew to help them\u00a0understand salvation and desire to be changed in\u00a0Christ?<\/p>\n

    However, now that you know this, you can change the way you catechize. You can make a difference.<\/p>\n

    For catechesis to be effective, to accomplish it’s task, there must be conversion happening…and that’s not easy.\u00a0But it is satisfying and extremely fulfilling when you see your teaching take hold and change lives.<\/p>\n

    Image courtesy of renjith krishnan \/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Did you ever consider that maybe you’re teaching\u00a0the wrong thing? Most catechetical programs try to give students a complete education in the Faith before 8th grade. But does the textbook’s spiral curriculum really\u00a0make a difference if the students\u00a0don’t believe the teaching and leave the Church?\u00a0What’s missing? To me, apathetic 8th graders sitting bored in a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-catechesis","post-wrapper","thrv_wrapper"],"yoast_head":"\nAre You Accidentally Sabotaging Your Student's Faith? - Marc Cardaronella<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/marccardaronella.com\/blog\/2012\/12\/05\/are-you-accidentally-sabotaging-your-students-faith\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Are You Accidentally Sabotaging Your Student's Faith? - Marc Cardaronella\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Did you ever consider that maybe you’re teaching\u00a0the wrong thing? Most catechetical programs try to give students a complete education in the Faith before 8th grade. But does the textbook’s spiral curriculum really\u00a0make a difference if the students\u00a0don’t believe the teaching and leave the Church?\u00a0What’s missing? 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