As long-time readers here know, I like to take my time and examine a subject. There are lots of good reasons for this approach, having to do with not overwhelming you (knowing how flustered I myself feel when confronted with a deluge of “must-dos”), as well as trying to make my way through the forest of often conflicting advice out there.
Perhaps not least, my methods allow me to build in long pauses for mysterious stabbing pains, visiting/resident grandchildren, and broken vacuums requiring alternate (and time-consuming) remediations. (Hooray for warrantied parts; boo for standard shipping, further interrupted by snow storms!)
Anyway. The result might be less than linear, so, a recap is perhaps in order.
What do we have so far?
Part 1: My preliminary musings on a sort of sadness and loss of meaning that comes from trying to live life without reference to the moral nature of the thing.
Part 2: Things grow according to their nature: God gives very young children a mother, a father, and family life to teach them that things are; a child at at the age of reason starts the simple task of memorizing the Commandments, with a necessary but small amount of instruction.
Part 3: A bit more about teaching the Ten Commandments, with some resources that can take you right up to to the point where the child is intellectually able to delve deeper and more analytically into the truths of the faith, and most importantly, has the beginnings of the habits of virtue that must undergird such a study.
Now we come to the older child — that child who can buckle down and study. His mind has taken a turn for real inquiry. In other subjects, he has begun to investigate causes. He is capable of examining a footnote (and I regard a 7th or 8th grader as gearing up for this sort of thing).
Whenever I open the Catechism of the Catholic Church, I am once again wondering why it is that we don't just read it with our older children.
For teaching the moral law and explaining the role of the Church in this task, the Catechism is the clearest, most efficient, and most inspiring way to convey the whole body of teaching. (I truly am tempted to say just this about every section of the CCC, because it's all amazing.)
The perceived problem is that it's a big book. That makes it daunting. It's got a lot of pages.
But no one said that you have to read it all at once!
Let me tell you how it operates.
There are four main Parts, in addition to a prologue which you will want to read (seriously, we will have another post about reading this Lent, and the CCC will be a great option).
You absolutely could make each part a year of your older child's religion curriculum. With the addition of a systematic (not devotional per se) Scripture study, a return, as in every year, to the timeline of Salvation history, and of course, your family's living of the Liturgical Year in the company of the Church, you would be sending him out into the world with a solid foundation as to the facts of Christianity.
It took me decades to figure this out, with many mistakes along the way; and I'm trying to say that “I alone have survived to tell you” — save yourself a lot of grief and go with this.
You can look at the table of contents to see how it's arranged: one of the Parts is “Life in Christ.” This section is on the Ten Commandments, and their fulfillment in the New Testament, the Beatitudes.
Here's a little sample (and I try to reference my documents on the St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church site*, where they are mercifully free of the intensely distracting background found on the Vatican website):
The Duties of Parents [in the section on the Fourth Commandment, Honor Your Father and Your Mother]:
2221 The fecundity of conjugal love cannot be reduced solely to the procreation of children, but must extend to their moral education and their spiritual formation. “The role of parents in education is of such importance that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute.”29 The right and the duty of parents to educate their children are primordial and inalienable.30**
It's a feature, not a bug, to be forced to take some time to look up some of these words. How will your child function, intellectually, without knowing what fecundity, conjugal, primordial, and inalienable mean? Further, ponder the statement in quotes!
Each article builds on the preceding sections, and everything is shored up by Scripture and sound theology (and philosophy). The Parts were given to the very best and most orthodox minds to compose — this is no “committee production,” watered down to the lowest denominator!
Every aspect of the question at hand is examined, but there is also a section at the end of each article that summarizes the main points. One could certainly go through once using those “In Brief” sections and then go through again, taking the time to expand on them. But I guarantee you will be drawn in by the excellence and sheer inspiration of the main body of material.
Yes, you could get a textbook that digests all of this for you. But I'm not going to lie — it's going to make it more tedious. (Sometimes I wonder if we think that serious things ought to be tedious! But that's not true!) It's better to approach this compact paragraph as it stands, showing your student how to expand it for themselves. Let them write you a statement about what it means.
It's a real problem when we are tempted to add what is really a “slogging factor” to work that requires effort but is basically approachable if we take our time. It requires much more energy to read a textbook about Shakespeare than to read Shakespeare!
This is the brilliance of the Catechism. It is intentionally compact and succinct. Certainly you, the teacher, can read outside sources to help you explain things to your child, but I would be very wary of eliminating or attempting to override the particular format of the CCC.
This kind of in-depth study of the Commandments is irreplaceable. Do you remember from our reading of Guardini's Spirit of the Liturgy:
We have seen that thought alone can keep spiritual life sound and healthy. In the same way, prayer is beneficial only when it rests on the bedrock of truth. This is not meant in the purely negative sense that it must be free from error; in addition to this, it must spring from the fullness of truth. It is only truth–or dogma, to give it its other name–which can make prayer efficacious, and impregnate it with that austere, protective strength without which it degenerates into weakness… Dogmatic thought brings release from the thralldom of individual caprice, and from the uncertainty and sluggishness which follow in the wake of emotion. It makes prayer intelligible, and causes it to rank as a potent factor in life.
If, however, religious thought is to do justice to its mission, it must introduce into prayer truth in all its fullness.
The very ability to pray, the gift we want to give to our children, rests on the truth. The Church exists for worship, which requires that she guard doctrine; each person must also guard it, which is why Scripture exhorts us to follow God's commandments and write His precepts on our hearts.
In his precise little volume, Difficulties in Mental Prayer, Dom Eugene Boylan gets to the point of what might be giving us trouble in our relationship with God in the chapter called Goodness of Life:
Prayer will not develop unless the soul is advancing towards the fourfold purity of conscience, of heart, of mind, and of action… [Sin] is a direct denial of love to God…
Nothing so darkens our gaze on God, nothing so weakens our desire for God, nothing so lessens our striving for God, as a single inordinate attachment. That is the great source of many difficulties in prayer.
The inquiry into the proper orderings of attachment is exactly what moral education is, and that begins with the Commandments.
If we want our children to know and love God's Law so that they can have a relationship with Him, we have to teach them. Yes, the natural law is written on man's heart (CCC 1955), but it must be nurtured. Today there's a lot of discussion about conscience and one's actions; what is not so much valued anymore is the role of teaching in forming conscience. The Catechism has this to say:
1785 In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our path, we must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice. We must also examine our conscience before the Lord's Cross. We are assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, aided by the witness or advice of others and guided by the authoritative teaching of the Church.
That last clause is why we begin with the Catechism itself!
That's the “study” part of things (and immediately, we find that study becomes prayer, paradoxically!), but of course, such a study forms a part of a more comprehensive education, taken in the larger sense, which has to include other, non-analytical ways of expressing the same thing.
I'll try to address that aspect in another post.
*The site also has the virtue of a search box that brings up a result, and then enables you to locate it in the larger context. However, there is no substitute for the actual in-real-life book.
**the footnotes in this paragraph are to Familiaris Consortio and Gravissimum Educationis, two of the many documents that address the duty to educate.
The first footnote in Gravissimum Educationis illuminates the solid foundation of teaching on which the statements are based — I'm just going to plop it here so you can see for yourself how deep down it goes:
1. Among many documents illustrating the importance of education confer above all apostolic letter of Benedict XV, Communes Litteras, April 10, 1919: A.A.S. 11 (1919) p. 172. Pius XI's apostolic encyclical, Divini Illius Magistri, Dec. 31, 1929: A.A.S. 22 (1930) pp. 49-86. Pius XII's allocution to the youths of Italian Catholic Action, April 20, 1946: Discourses and Radio Messages, vol. 8, pp. 53-57. Allocution to fathers of French families, Sept. 18, 1951: Discourses and Radio Messages, vol. 13, pp. 241-245. John XXIII's 30th anniversary message on the publication of the encyclical letter, Divini Illius Magistri, Dec. 30, 1959: A.A.S. 52 (1960) pp. 57-S9. Paul VI's allocution to members of Federated Institutes Dependent on Ecclesiastic Authority, Dec. 30, 1963: Encyclicals and Discourses of His Holiness Paul VI, Rome, 1964, pp. 601-603. Above all are to be consulted the Acts and Documents of the Second Vatican Council appearing in the first series of the ante-preparatrory phase. vol. 3. pp. 363-364; 370-371; 373-374.
If you consulted each of those documents, you would further find references to the early Fathers and to Scripture.
Z says
My 14 year old is in public school in 8th grade. CCD ends at 5th grade here. There is “youth group” at our parish, but it is sporadic at best right now. Public high school is close on the horizon, and I am terrified. I feel I need to be doing something more with her regarding her religious education, but it’s all a bit overwhelming..
I’d love to hear you expand more on “systematic Scripture study” and a return to the timeline of Salvation. I feel at a loss as to how to practically do all of this; exactly where/how to begin?
If I were to start tonight, for example, what would be the first thing I do? Start reading the Prologue with her? Read the Bible straight through alongside it? A little intro example would be lovely for us dullards.
Thank you so much for this discussion.
Leila says
Z, it depends on your child. You can start with the Prologue now or you can wait for high school. Has she done the Baltimore or Penny Catechism? In other words, has she gone through the steps I outline in my previous posts?
Each stage builds on the next. If a child has not simply memorized the 10 Commandments, talking about each in a brief way with the teacher/parent, it’s going to be hard going in the CCC. But if she has done that for a few years, perhaps she’s ready.
I recommend the Great Adventure Scripture series (you can look it up online). My reservation about it is that I don’t like the “teen youth group” vibe of the way it’s presented, because it’s designed to be attractive to CCD programs, but the content is very good. I simply tell my students “too bad they didn’t make it beautiful; I know you can overlook the silliness and get into the study.”
What I like about it is that it is a Bible timeline. See what you think.
You can do that with a few of her friends — meet once a week, watch the video, do the work together. They end up memorizing quite a bit — it’s a good program for studying the bible.
What I mean by “systematic” is “not devotional”. Bible study can be very much a part of prayer, or it can be done more analytically. We need both. At her age, your daughter just needs to know some things about the Bible — the *kinds* of books, the order, what they say, how they fit together, the history, the poetry. Devotional study won’t do us much good if we don’t have a certain basic knowledge of what scripture is.
When she’s ready for the CCC — and it might be next year — start with the Prologue (maybe with that same group of friends that does the bible study — you can do it first over a cup of tea and some cookies, then go watch the video).
The first 3 parts you can pick out the quotes at the beginning and then one or two points — it’s about how God wants us to know Him, and what catechesis is. Then you can read the 4th section together — it’s an overview of how the book is structured.
And that’s how you go… you can certainly go right to the 3rd Part, about the moral life. Or you can take each Part, one per year.
See what you think.
Z says
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer me! We all very much appreciate what you do out here in cyberspace 🙂
I will definitely look into the Great Adventure Scripture series 🙂 We did try the Baltimore catechism, but we did not get very far.
I see what you are saying about evaluating her readiness and going back and doing the basics first. Thank you so much for pointing that out. I guess I realized she wasn’t quite ready for the big green Catechism, but then I got stuck on what to do because of her age. Now I understand! We just have to do some prerequisites. 🙂
A more “nuts and bolts” study of the Scripture makes sense right now, and I am excited to do that with her.
I honestly don’t remember learning the books of the Bible myself. I just can find them on my own usually without looking at the table of contents. I credit that to my Dad simply reading the Bible to me daily since a very young age and having me look up things for him. I missed the boat on that one with my daughter, but I hope to remedy that.
I love the Catechism too. It is so very beautiful and comforting to read; I savor every word of every sentence.
Thanks again! I love these posts 🙂
Dixie says
I love this, Leila! The CCC is a treasure-trove, and what’s more, it’s really quite a clear source, not muddled or missing pieces as a textbook sometimes can be. The tone of the CCC is also so wonderful. It does not read like a set of restrictions, but rather carefully explains why we believe what we believe. It reads as sympathetic to the difficulties of sinners while still holding forth the glorious knowledge of what we are called to be in spite of temptation. I think it’s a great idea to have young people go through it systematically; it would give a really thorough knowledge of the faith.
Kristi says
Yes! Reading the Catechism sped me on the path of coming into the Catholic Church. It is beautiful and uplifting.
Thank you for this series, Leila.
Brit says
Auntie Leila, This series has been wonderful. We are all converts, and I am currently homeschooling my oldest through high school. Your posts are so reassuring – I worry often that there is no way I can have him read all the books or learn all the things before he graduates (not to mention his four siblings as they move up in through the ranks). A firm foundation in Scripture, Salvation History, and the CCC sounds so very doable.
E says
Do you happen to know any youngish moms who would want to read through this great and wonderful thing together? It’s forgetful and intermittent going alone, let me tell you. Especially with little kids afoot. It is good though. Hard. Good.
I’m kind of excited for the day I can discuss it with my kids.
Leila says
E, it would be a great project for a St. Greg’s Pocket!
Whitney says
I so appreciate these! I was not raised Christian so I have no clue or traditions on how to get started. 🙂
Mrs. B. says
That Guardini quote sounds awfully “rigid” 😉
With our older children we are a bit in no man’s land: old enough to know the very basics, but too young yet to delve into deep waters. For now I would like to flesh things up a bit better. One project is to get to know the Bible better, beyond the main stories and names. We will try to understand its parts, and how it came to be one Book. I also bought the DVDs of a Scott Hahn program on EWTN called Our Father’s Plan – I’m hoping to watch it as a family. Actually, I want all of our formal religious education to happen as a family, with Daddy very much included: I dread making the study of the faith into another school subject.
I’ve also found a gem while reading Amy Welborn recently, the book With Mother Church, from The Christ-Life Series in Religion, published in 1935. It’s hard to believe it was a 7th grade textbook… I don’t have 7th graders yet, so it’s just a read-aloud, no work involved. I bought it especially because a big chunk is about the liturgical year: there is an introduction to every liturgical season, and a reflection on the Mass readings of each and every Sunday of the year, and also of major feast days. All very short and to the point, quite meaty – perfect.
Melanie Statom says
Read Sophia Cavaletti’s The Religious Potential of the Child…and check out the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd…by far the best formation for children I have encountered.