Pope Francis urged catechists from around the world to share a lived experience of the faith and show others the love of Jesus Christ.
“Christ’s love remains as the true and only commandment of the new life, which the Christian, with the help of the Holy Spirit, makes his or her own day by day in a journey that never stops,” said the pontiff as he welcomed catechists to the Third International Congress on Catechesis.
The gathering was organized by the Dicastery for Evangelization.
In his message, the pope stressed the important role catechists play in the Church, calling them “a sign of the Church’s responsibility to so many people: children, young people and adults who wish to make a journey of faith.”
Pope Francis said he instituted the ministry of Catechist knowing the great role it can play in the Christian community.
“The Lord calls us all to make His Gospel resound in the heart of every person,” said the pope.
Earlier, during his weekly General Audience on Wednesday, the pontiff said it is a “privileged time” to reflect together on the Word of God in light of the Church’s tradition and find ways to witness to the Gospel.
The pope encouraged catechists to never get tired of their ministry, to avoid a “school lecture” type catechesis, and to strive to offer a “living experience of the faith that each of us wishes to pass on to the new generations.”
He said offering catechesis is challenging work because it involves finding the best ways to communicate the faith to different age groups and walks of life.
The key is the interpersonal encounter that “opens the heart” to hear the Gospel and accept the invitation to live and grow in Christian life, said the pope.
Pope Francis underscored that catechesis is a “privileged stage of evangelization,” where one encounters Jesus Christ and allows Him to grow in people’s lives.
This year’s international gathering in Rome carries the theme, “The Catechist, witness of the new life in Christ.”
Pope Francis reminded the catechists that they are “called to make visible and tangible the person of Jesus Christ, who loves each one of you,” guiding lives and helping people discern their moral actions.
“Never turn away from this source of love, for it is the condition for being happy and full of joy always and in spite of everything,” said the pope, adding that it is the new life “that sprang up in us on the day of Baptism and that we have the responsibility to share with everyone so that it can grow in each person and bear fruit.”
