Section: ITF2

Course: SITF P4

Descriptions: Catechetics
Sources and Content of Catechesis
a. Primary Sources: Scripture and Tradition

Learning Objectives:
At the end of this module, you are expected to be able to:

1. Identify and discuss the two sources of catechesis.

2. Cite why Jesus Christ is the center & source of catechesis for in Him is the fullness
of all revelation.
3. Enumerate the role of the bible in catechesis.

I. SOURCES AND CONTENT OF CATECHESIS

The mystery of Christ, which is what catechesis is all about, is communicated in

many different ways. (NCDP 132)
A. Primary Sources: Scripture and Tradition

Scripture

Catechesis will always draw its content from the living source of the word of God
transmitted in Tradition and the Scriptures, for Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture
,make up a single sacred deposit of the word of God, which is entrusted to the Church”
(Catechesi Tradendae 27)
Jesus Christ is the center & source of catechesis for in Him is the fullness of all
revelation. Why?
o God has revealed Himself through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit
o Jesus Christ is the summit of the Gospel as all peoples receive salvation through His
death & resurrection on the cross
o Jesus Himself teaches love as the foundation of Christian living. Every Christian
should live loving God and one another.
(cf. GDC, no.94)

“The content of the catechesis is drawn from the living source of the Word of God,
which is transmitted to us in Scripture and Tradition, the single sacred deposit of the

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 word of God, which is entrusted to the Church, Jesus Christ is the Word made man and
his voice continues to resound through the intervention of the Holy Spirit. The sacred
Scriptures are like the “speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of
the Holy Spirit” (Dei Verbum 9), and Sacred Tradition “transmits in its entirety the
word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy
Spirit”. ( Dei Verbum 9)

Scripture is the most important source for proclaiming and educating in the Faith because
it is the divinely inspired word of God. As such, Scripture constitutes the indispensable
guide and source for all forms of ministry of the Word. Scripture and Tradition are given
authentic interpretation by the Magisterium, “the living teaching office of the Church…
(which) is not superior to the Word of god but is its servant. (NCDP 133)

The Scripture plays a primary role in teaching the Word of God for it is not only inspired
but it touches the human heart. In other words, it is not only informative but formative,
which will help the hearers not only to follow Christ (Sequela Christi) but to imitate Christ
(Persona Christi).

o Scripture is the book of the Church, the Christian Community, which transmit it
integrally, lives its message historically, and through the Magisterium interprets it
authoritatively.

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 o The catechist is not involved in the scientific study of Scripture, but makes use of the
results of these studies in so far as they help in communicating the essential of the
Gospel message, on the particular level of those to be catechized. (NCDP 137)

Role of the Bible in Catechesis: (NCDP 138)

1. The Bible, as the inspired Word of God, is able to act not only in the minds, but
more on hearts – to be formative and transformative more than merely
informative.
The catechists is interested primarily in the religious meaning of words and
deeds narrated in Scripture – how God is revealing Himself and saving His
people by His graceful love. For example , Biblical personalities such as
Abraham, Moses, David, Peter, Paul , etc show how God chooses human
collaborators for the work of His Kingdom on earth. Such Biblical catechesis
helps the catechized to develop their own sense or “feel” for the Bible, so they
too can respond in faith.

2. The Bible educate Christian in salvation history - how God reveals Himself not
through abstract principles or edicts but through the story narrating the
ordinary words and deeds of Yahweh in the history of Israel, of jesus Christ, and
of the early Church.

3. Finally, the Bible itself constitutes the irreplaceable source for coming to know
and love Jesus Christ. Without the Gospels, the catechized would be without the
means for discerning His presence in their own experience, in others , and in the
world.

St Paul affirms that “all

Scripture is inspired by God
and profitably be used for
teaching, for refuting error,
for guiding people’s lives and
teaching them to be holy.

Tradition
Tradition entails the handing down of practices to every generation. However, for
the Church, tradition is not confined merely by historical facts but of the inspiring
intervention of the Holy Spirit especially in its work of maintaining and preserving the
immensity of God’s love for his beloved creatures. It was already revealed in the Scripture
yet it must be passed down to other people so that the Word of God may be spread. Faith
that is transformed into doctrine, life and worship must be transmitted to every generation
however its interpretation is entrusted to the Magisterium, the teaching office of the
Church. Through Apostolic succession we rightly claim that the Church was founded

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through Peter, when Jesus entrusted to him the key of the Kingdom of God. Thus, we
maintain the tradition of our being in communion with God and unity among all people.

General Directory for Catechesis

95. The word of God, contained in Sacred Tradition and in Sacred Scripture:
– is mediated upon and understood more deeply by means of the sense of faith of all the
people of God, guided by the Magisterium which teaches with authority;
– is celebrated in the Sacred Liturgy, where it is constantly proclaimed, heard,
interiorized and explained;
– shines forth in the life of the Church especially in Christian witness and particularly in
that of the saints;
– is deepened by theological research which helps believers to advance in their vital
understanding of the mysteries of faith;
– is made manifest in genuine religious and moral values which, as "seeds of the word", are
sown in human society and diverse cultures.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command
you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children,
and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when
you lie down, and when you rise. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they
shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your
house and on your gates” (Dt 6:4-9).