Catechism (ˈka-tə-ˌki-zəm)

A summary of the principles of Christian religion, sometimes in the form of questions and answers, used for the instruction of Christians.

Deuteronomy 6:6–7

⁶ Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. ⁷ Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.

(Not so) Rote memorization…

A generation ago it was customary in Lutheran circles for pastors to devote two years to teaching young people Luther’s Small Catechism. I once heard of a pastor in St. Louis, Missouri, whose practice it was to divide the two years of instruction as follows: “The first year,” he said, “I have the students memorize the Catechism. The second year I tell them what it means.” I first learned of this pastor when I was a young man, and like others my age I guffawed. How ridiculous! The whole point of catechism instruction is to help young people understand the meaning of the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, the Creed. What is the value of having youngsters memorize the words of the Catechism without telling them what they mean? Now years later I realize that this pastor was much wiser than I. He knew that Christian faith was a matter of words, and that what counted most in the Catechism were the words. To be sure, the words signified things and carried meanings, but religious meaning is not univocal. As we mature it grows and deepens, bending and turning as our lives bend and turn.

– Robert L. Wilken, Remembering the Christian Past (1995)

Reflection and Prayer

For today’s reflection, find your copy of the Small Catechism or visit catechism.cph.org and choose one portion of the catechism to commit to memory.