All of us who are a little older remember studying the catechism of the Catholic Church, and most of us still remember what we learned! The only problem is that we memorized a whole bunch of things, yet many times we did not think about what they meant. This made us then unable to apply their meanings to our daily lives.
In the meantime, some of our youth did not memorize anything, but instead were taught to think for themselves, which appears to be a good thing. The only problem is that it is not possible to think for oneself if one does not have a foundation of basic truths on which to base one’s subsequent thoughts. This led to many youth thinking their way in circles, or believing that everyone’s beliefs are true, which of course leads to relativism.
The answer here is that we need both memorization and reflection on what was memorized. We need to enroll our children as early as the age of 6 in catechetical classes to learn as much as possible. Since they only meet once per week, we need to help them understand what was learned by reviewing at home.
In our homes, we need to pray together. We need to ask our children what they have learned and what it means to them. The FIRST teachers of the faith are the parents, not the catechists. Our families NEED to pray together and talk about God every day, not to mention coming to Mass every Sunday as a family.
It is not enough to send them to catechism. We need also to help them understand what they have learned, so that not only will it be in their minds, but especially so that it may move to their hearts, and thus they may be able to live as Christians filled with joy and hope in the Lord!
Classes begin on the 14
th of September, so sign up soon!