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.
Alternate opening prayer
Let us pray
[that through us others may find the way to life in Christ]Father,
we come, reborn in the Spirit,
to celebrate our sonship in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Touch our hearts,
help them grow toward the life you have promised.
Touch our lives,
make them signs of your love for all men.Grant this through Christ our Lord.
The way of faith
- Justification has been merited for us by the Passion of Christ. It is granted us through Baptism. It conforms us to the righteousness of God, who justifies us. It has for its goal the glory of God and of Christ, and the gift of eternal life. It is the most excellent work of God’s mercy. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2020)
- We acknowledge one Lord, confess one faith, are born of one Baptism, form only one Body, are given life by the one Spirit, for the sake of one hope, at whose fulfillment all divisions will be overcome. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 866)
- The title “Son of God” signifies the unique and eternal relationship of Jesus Christ to God his Father: he is the only Son of the Father; he is God himself. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 454)
To see how you might use one of these three points in your catechesis, see “How to lead a 90-minute catechetical session.”
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