Man is made
to know and to love God. God the Father, “in
a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own
blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws
close to man” (CCC, 1). In the Death and
Resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, God invited all men to become His
children, heirs of His divinity.
The Apostles
accepted this invitation, and they extended it to others in proclaiming the
Good News throughout the world. The Church continues to proclaim this Faith,
handing it on to each generation. This “handing on” is called catechesis, which Blessed John Paul II
defines as:
…an
education in the faith of children,
young people, and adults which includes especially the teaching of Christian
doctrine imparted, generally speaking, in an organic and systematic way, with a
view to initiating the hearers into the fullness of Christian life (CCC, 5).
Catechesis is
as old as the Twelve Apostles, but it wasn’t until twenty years ago that the
Church published the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In his forward to the Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church (YOUCAT), Pope Benedict XVI explains that the twentieth
century was a difficult time for the Church. Many people,
