In our RCIA groups, we often have people at very different levels of faith. The General Directory for Catechesis identifies three levels. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is really concerned only about the first two levels: initial proclamation and initiatory catechesis. However, we often have very many people in our RCIA groups who are require the third level—ongoing or postbaptismal catechesis.

No matter which level people are at, we all have a single purpose when it comes to catechesis:

The definitive aim of catechesis is to put people not only in touch, but also in communion and intimacy, with Jesus Christ. (Pope John Paul II, On Catechesis in Our Time, 5)

You may have heard that before. It is a frequently quoted statement. Like all things familiar, the impact can sometimes be dulled with repetition. So try and read the pope’s words again as though you are reading it for the first time. And as you are reading, try to think about everything the pope means in this context by “communion,” “intimacy,” and “Jesus Christ.”

Communion

When Catholics hear the word “communion,” we tend to think of Eucharist and sharing in communion at Mass. And the pope certainly means that in this context. But he also means “communion” in the broader sense. That is, when we are in communion with Jesus Christ, we are in a shared union, a common oneness. It is part of the mystery of Christ that we are able to live in him and that he lives in us.

But that “living in” is not just what’s going on in my life today. It is also everything that went on in Jesus’ life during his life, passion, and death. And not only that, but everything that the evangelist John means when he says the Word was present “in the beginning.” Every thing that the Logos—the Son of God—is and has lived, throughout all time and all of the cosmos, lives in us. This is already accomplished. It is a done deal. What remains is for us to grow more deeply aware of this reality and conform our lives to it more completely, day by day. That is what it means to be “in communion…with Jesus Christ.”

What remains is for us to grow more deeply aware of this reality and conform our lives to it more completely, day by day. That is what it means to be “in communion…with Jesus Christ.”

Intimacy

“Intimacy” is an important phrase here. When you think of your intimate relationships, who comes to mind? Your spouse for sure. Your children. Perhaps your parents. Some of us have a friend with whom we’re intimate. A few of us might even have two such friends. I think it’s less common to have three or more friends we would consider “intimates.” But you might be the exception. Perhaps you have several intimate friends. Even the most open and giving people among us, however, have a limited, small number of people in our lives with whom we would say we are truly intimate. The pope, of course, says that Jesus Christ should be on that small list. As disciples, we must be intimate with Christ.

Jesus Christ

As a child, I had a storybook, almost cartoon-like image of Jesus. In adolescence, I needed a more complete, multidimensional relationship with the Lord. I began to think of Jesus as a friend—even a best friend. That was a step in the right direction, but it was still a little one-sided. My BFF Jesus was always happy, always agreeable, and amazingly, always thought just like me.

The complete context of “Jesus Christ” that the pope is talking about has to also include the real, tangible way in which anyone who was born after 33 AD experiences the fullness of the Risen Christ. And that is in the sacramental worship of the church. This is the head-smacking, breathtaking insight about the “definitive aim of catechesis.”

We are called to communion and intimacy not only with our spouse and best friend. We are called to communion and intimacy with the entire, sacramental Body of Christ. That sacramental Body includes my childish image of Jesus and my adolescent image of Jesus. And it includes the consecrated bread and wine that become the Body and Blood of Christ. And it also includes everyone who shares in the communion of the that Body and Blood. It includes the church, which is the manifestation of Christ.

We are called to communion and intimacy not only with our spouse and best friend. We are called to communion and intimacy with the entire, sacramental Body of Christ.

That’s a whole lot of communion and intimacy

The aim of catechesis then, is to train us in a lifestyle of intimacy with billions of our brothers and sisters in Christ. This striving for intimacy is not to expand our network of best friends. Rather it is to learn who Christ truly is in all the many dimensions of that reality. It is a challenging task and one that will likely remain unfinished at our deaths. It is, nevertheless, the guiding aim for catechesis and for our lives as disciples.

Multiple levels of catechesis

As you know, intimacy is not a destination. It is a process. So no matter what level of faith people are at, we can lead them to deeper intimacy with Christ. The intimacy-deepening process involves six steps, which we’ll look at in a future article. In the meantime, I’d be grateful if you took a moment to share your insights or wonderings about the idea of putting people into communion and intimacy with Christ.