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
[that God will increase our faith and bring to perfection the gifts he has given us]Almighty God,
every good thing comes from you.
Fill our hearts with love for you,
Increase our faith,
and by your constant care
protect the good you have given us.We ask 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
- Faith is a supernatural gift from God. In order to believe, we need the interior help of the Holy Spirit.
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 179) - By love, God has revealed himself and given himself to us.
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 68) - Sanctifying grace is the gratuitous gift of God’s life that God gives to us.
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2023)
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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