Catechesis...What? What is that?

      The word catechesis is a descendant of the Greek prefix "Kata", meaning "downward" and  the Greek verb "echien," meaning "to echo". The prefix "downward" perhaps has two meanings in the context of catechsis. The first is God's  downward Revelation to humanity, most notably in the person of Jesus Christ and His saving actions. This downward movement, issued from the graciousness and goodness of God the Father, is gift; through the Life, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of His Son, He announced that humanity remained no longer captive to death.

        Viewing God's downward, visible casting of His unfailing love for humans as a gift conflicts with notions of modern liberty many Westerners hold today. Servias Pinchaers notes that mindsets in modernity often define liberty as the ability to "do want I want, when I want to do it, and how I want to do it." A God who downwardly inserts rebuffs concepts of modern liberty, a framework of liberty that is perhaps also characterized by the wholehearted acceptance of the idea that humans can save themselves. May we always recognize the need for our souls to open themselves to God's Eternal Peace and His desire to share that Joy with us.
     The second meaning of the Greek prefix" Kata" in the context of issues of faith, as well as the importance of contemplating the meaning of the word "echo" will occur in subsequent posts. May God Bless you.