Education for Christian life: why and how?
Education for Christian life is one of the five essentials to which every baptized person is called. So, why be educated in Christian life? And how?
In this article by Hozana, discover complete and concrete tips on why and how to learn. At the end of this reading, we invite you to discover other great questions about christian life.
Why be educated in Christian life?
To be able to give an account of your faith
As a prophet, a baptized person is called to announce the word of God. Witnessing and evangelism require being able to give an account of one's Christian faith, at least on essential elements, such as:
· Who is God?
· Who is Jesus?
· Who is the Holy Spirit?
· What does one God in three persons (Trinity?) mean?
· What is the central message of the Christian faith?
· What does it mean that Jesus died and rose again for our sins?
· What happens after death?
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To defend your Christian faith
The Christian faith can be the victim of stereotypes, false ideas, objections, even attacks. As a baptized person, the office of prophet includes witnessing, and being able to defend one's Christian faith to keep the faith intact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us.
To be faithful to one's baptism
Baptism is a call to be educated in Christian life, for example, on the following issues:
· What does my baptism commit me to?
· What are the rights and duties of a baptized person?
· What does it mean to be a priest, prophet, and king, and how can I be one in my life?
· What is evangelism? How can we evangelize?
· What is holiness? How can one be holy?
How can one be educated in Christian life?
With their parish
Parishes can offer various training opportunities. Some will offer Bible study, or study of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Others will organize one-day or half-day sessions during highlights of the liturgical year, such as Advent, Lent or Easter. In other parishes, in addition to the homily, which also contributes to teaching, the parish priest will offer teaching.
We invite you to inquire with your pastor about the existing training offering within your parish. You can also ask for advice on how you can get more training.
With the Diocesan Service of Continuing Education
Each diocese normally has a diocesan service of continuing education.
This service is generally aimed at anyone with a desire to enrich their relationship with Christ and deepen their understanding of faith.
This is how training proposals and courses, of different levels, are offered throughout the year. In order to get to know them, contact this service of your diocese and ask for the study catalog, or go to their website, where it is generally possible to view or even download the program.
Training and session proposals that can be found in dioceses can be linked to:
Fundamentals of the faith of the Church
The History of the Church
The Bible
On missions and evangelism: becoming missionary disciples, the proclamation of the kerygma
On ecumenical dialogue and other religions such as Judaism, Islam, etc.
They can also concern liturgical actors, for funerals, teams preparing for baptism, marriage, etc.
With the Internet
The web is full of many sites where you can continue to learn. For example:
On the website of the Catholic Church
At the site of catechetical responsibility, published by the National Service of Catechesis and Catechumenate
At the site on liturgy and sacraments offered by the National Service of Liturgical and Sacramental Pastoral Care
Diocesan websites
On YouTube
By reading
Another way to continue your education in Christian life is to read, whether it is:
The Bible: In our guide, you will find some suggestions for books to deepen your understanding of the Sacred Scriptures. Let us also add that meditation on the Bible contributes to the formation of Christ in us.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church or the You Cat
The texts of the last Council (Second Vatican Council)
Encyclicals and exhortations, such as Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), Fratelli tutti (letter "on fraternity and social friendship"), Amoris laetitia (Apostolic Exhortation on love in the family), Gaudete et exsultate (Apostolic Exhortation on the call to holiness in the world today), etc.
Books on the Fathers of the Church
The lives of saints
By taking courses
You can also learn by taking courses, whether in person or remotely. In some training seminars for future priests, even lay people can take courses.
In addition, there are several universities that also offer courses, such as the Catholic Institute of Paris (ICP), the Collège des Bernardins, the Catholic University of Lyon, etc. There are also others that offer remote theology courses.
Finally, we have also recently seen the emergence of MOOC training. These are online courses open to all, free and offered over a period of time. It usually consists of short videos accompanied by educational resources. In 2022-2023, there was real publicity around the MOOC about the Mass to better understand the Eucharist, and the MOOC about catechisms to accompany those transmitting the faith to young people.
By attending retreats
Preached retreats are also another way to learn. There are hundreds of them per year, whether in charitable homes, spiritual retreat centers, or sometimes in abbeys and monasteries.
By attending events
The Mission Congress is an annual two-day event which organizes workshops, conferences, and meetings, to exchange ideas and practices in terms of evangelism. It is therefore an excellent way to be educated in the mission and proclamation of the Gospel.
Let us develop the taste to educate ourselves with Hozana
With Hozana, let us develop the taste to learn more about Christian life, to discover its treasures, to know how to account for it, and to be able to testify to it.
In addition to its guides on prayer, the Bible, the lives of the Saints and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Hozana offers many communities to train you. You can train yourself in many ways, for example about your guardian angel, on the Gospels with this commented reading of the daily gospel, on the spirituality and life of the Saints by praying a novena to Saint Joseph, and many others. Finally, let us also ask for the docility of the Holy Spirit to let us also be educated by Him.
