The General Instruction of the Roman Missal says the homily should be “an exposition of some aspect of the readings from Sacred Scripture or of another text from the Ordinary or from the Proper of the Mass and should take into account both the mystery being celebrated and the particular needs of the listeners” (65, emphasis added).
The same can be said of your extended catechesis. You can base your process on a liturgical text other than the readings, taking the needs of the catechumens into account. If you intend to base your catechesis on this prayer, be sure to alert the presider to use it on Sunday.
First opening prayer
Let us pray
[for the gift of God’s forgiveness and love]Father of everlasting goodness,
our origin and guide,
be close to us
and hear the prayers of all who praise you.
Forgive our sins and restore us to life.
Keep us safe in your love.Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
The way of faith
- In the creation of the world, God gave the first and universal witness to God’s almighty love and wisdom…, which finds its goal in the new creation in Christ. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 315)
- Like conversion, justification has two aspects. Moved by grace, we turn toward God and away from sin, and so accept forgiveness and righteousness from on high. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2018)
- Faith in God leads us to turn to him alone as our first origin and our ultimate goal, and neither to prefer anything to him nor to substitute anything for him. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 229)
To see how you might use one of these three points in your catechesis, see “How to lead a 90-minute catechetical session.”
See also these related articles:
