137 speaking, all of the efforts that we undertake have some type of bonding, either directly or indirectly, with the Church. Catechesis of Adults There is a saying that Jesus blessed the children and catechized the adults, while the Church is practicing the opposite: she blesses the adults and catechizes the children. It is a very signifi cant point that the present documents of the Church not only speak of adult catechesis but go as far as to emphasize its central role in Christian formation. John Paul II thus wrote in Catechesi tradendae: “I cannot fail to emphasize now one of the most constant concerns (…) a concern imposed with vigor and urgency by present experiences throughout the world: (…) the catechesis of adults. This is the principal form of catechesis, because it is addressed to persons who have the greatest responsibilities and the capacity to live the Christian message in its fully developed form” (no. 43), while the abovementioned document of the Council on Catechesis strongly emphasizes that: “a fully Christian community can exist only when a systematic catechesis of all its members takes place and when an effective and well-developed catechesis of adults is regarded as the central task in the catechetical enterprise” (no. 25). The Catechumenate as a Model of Catechesis As the document of the Council on Catechesis states: “The Synod of 1977 affi rmed that “the model of all catechesis” is the catechumenate, which culminates in baptism (Synod Message 8; cf. EN 44. Chr. L. 61). According to ancient tradition, every form of catechesis should be inspired by the catechumenal model. Precisely because the catechesis of adults aims at living the Christian life in all its fullness and integrity, the process outlined in the catechumenate seems the most appropriate model and should be encouraged everywhere, though it cannot be considered the exclusive model” (no. 66). Obviously, in the event of catechesis for people who have already been baptized, we do not deal with the catechumenate in the true sense of the word. However, certain essential elements of the catechumenate can become a source of inspiration for post-baptismal catechesis (cf. Directory, art. 90-91). Primarily, catechumenal catechesis is not only an intellectual form of passing down the truths of the faith. It is an integral catechesis, in which the word, the liturgical celebration, and the way of life are completely harmonized. Catechumenal catechesis aims at the formation of one’s entire life.
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