This is the greeting that most (if not all) the writers of the Epistles use to introduce their writings. It is a combination of the greetings that the Jews and the Gentiles would use, which I think is cool for a few different reasons, but I'm going to save that for a later post.
Welcome to my blog! It is not my first, but it is the first catechetical blog that I am trying, so bear with me as I experiment.
You're probably wondering: What's a "catechetical" blog? (Or you're about to leave the page. But, if you will, please wait for me to explain before you decide to click the back button.)
"Catechetical" is the adjectival form of the word "catechetics." This is a term used by the Catholic Church to describe the task of handing on the Catholic Faith. A person who carries out this work is called a catechist.
Over the last four years, I have studied at a small private Catholic university. I had a double major in Theology and Catechetics, which basically means I was learning the "what" of the Deposit of Faith and also how to hand on the Deposit of Faith to others. I recently graduated from said university and am now embarking on a new journey as I pursue my Masters in Theology through a specialized program. So if you were to ask me, "What do you do?" to answer you plainly and simply I would respond, "I am a catechist." What does that involve? A lot of things that I would probably overwhelm you with if I tried to say it all in this first blog post. But in a single sentence you could say that this involves helping other people to come to know Jesus and have a relationship with Him by helping them to know Him through His Revelation of Himself, which is the Deposit of Faith.
This blog will mostly be centered around what catechesis involves, the work of the catechist, and other points of theological/catechetical interest. But it will also be a place where you can learn a little bit about what I'm doing.
This blog is titled "The Itinerant Catechist" because, for the next couple of years that is more or less what I will be. Two days ago, I made the longest car drive I have ever done so far. And it was only 4 hours. Yes. I'm new to this. But I made it! No problems. For the next several weeks, I will be taking two different modules of theology courses as a part of the Echo Program through the University of Notre Dame. After the summer, I will be on the road again for a short amount of down time in the hometown, and then I will be on the road again for a long trip south to work in a parish for the next two semesters of the academic year. During that time I will also be doing some online coursework, living in a faith-based intentional community, and participating in a program of ongoing formation. This will broadly be my life for the next couple of years. There will be a lot of travel, a lot of work, a lot of study, a lot of prayer, and a lot of blessings and struggles to go around. Of that I am sure.
But I am also certain of this: My God is with me. No matter where I go, no matter what changes around me, He continues to be the same. He is always good, always loving, and always forgiving. He is patient, He is kind, and He is extravagantly benevolent to me. So even though I look ahead at the amount of work that lies before me, I am not afraid. I am excited and I am at peace because I know that He has brought me here for a reason, and He is perfect in all of His ways. I am not afraid because He is the same and He is with me.
"Itinerant" is also applicable, I believe, because it's not just that I am journeying in the sense that I am traversing the country, but I'm also on a spiritual journey. That's what the life of Faith is. St. Augustine says so beautifully:
To fall in love with God is the greatest romance,
to seek Him the greatest adventure,
to find Him the greatest human achievement.
This program and this opportunity is where God has called me to be. It's part of that great adventure of seeking Him, and I am excited to discover what this part of my journey holds (as well as what I can bring to the journeys of others as we take this road together!).
Until next time, I remain,
The Itinerant Catechist
2 Timothy 4:5
As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
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