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The meaning and purpose of Part Three
138. In the school of Jesus
the Teacher, the catechist closely joins his action as a responsible person
with the mysterious action of the grace of God. Catechesis is thus an exercise in
"the original pedagogy of the faith". (485)
The transmission of the Gospel through the
Church remains before all else and forever the work of the Holy Spirit and has
in Revelation a fundamental witness and norm.
This will be found in chapter one. But the
Holy Spirit works through people who receive the mission to proclaim the Gospel
and whose competence and human experience form part of the pedagogy of the
faith.
Hence arises a series of questions which
have been fully explored in the history of catechesis. These are concerned with
catechetical activity, its sources, its methods, those to whom it is addressed
and the process of inculturation.
The second chapter is not intended to be an
exhaustive examination of all of these aspects but it will deal with those
points which today appear to have particular importance for the whole Church.
It is the task of the various directories and other catechetical instruments of
the particular Churches to respond to specific problems in an appropriate
manner.
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