20. Unity and harmony in the personality of catechist. In living out their vocation, catechists, like all members of the Catholic laity, "must be formed according to the union which exists from their being members of the Church and citizens of human society". There cannot be separate parallel lives: a "spiritual" life with its values and demands, a "secular" life with its various forms of expression, and an "apostolic" life with its own requirements.

To bring about unity and harmony in one's personality, certain obstacles of a temperamental, intellectual or emotional nature must first of all be overcome, and an ordered life style established. But what will be decisive will be the ability to reach into the depths of one's soul and find there the principle and source of the catechist's identity, namely the person of Christ himself.

The first and essential object of catechesis is, of course, the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the only begotten of the Father, "full of grace and truth" (Jn 1:14), "the way, the truth and the life" (Jn 14:6). It is the "mystery of Christ" (Eph 3:4) in its integrity, "hidden for ages and generations" (Col 1:26), which must be revealed. It follows that the catechists' concern should be to transmit, through their teaching and behavior, the doctrine and life of Christ. Their mode of being and of working should depend entirely on that of Christ. The unity and harmony in their personalities should be Christocentric, built upon "a deep intimacy with Christ and with the Father", in the Spirit. This cannot be too strongly insisted upon, when there is question of the catechist's role and importance in these decisive times for the Church's mission.