Catechism is tool for informing Christian hope, says Argentinean archbishop

La Plata, Argentina, Aug 18, 2009 / 20:49 pm

Archbishop Hector Aguer of La Plata in Argentina called on the faithful this week not to be content with the teachings they receive in the Sunday homily but to look to the Catechism as well for their formation in the faith and to discover the reasons for their Christian hope.
 
“The Apostle St. Peter, in his First Letter, told the Christians of that time that they must be prepared to give a reason for their hope, for the hope who is Christ, his teaching and his redemption. The exhortation is also valid for us. We must be prepared to give a reason for the Truth. This reason implies knowledge,” the archbishop said during his weekly radio program “Keys to a Better World.”
 
The archbishop said Sunday homilies, when they are adequately prepared by the priest, convey to the faithful the fundamental contents of Christianity.  Nevertheless, even in the best of cases, “there is still something that must be completed later and in a personal way by each Christian.” 

“We cannot be content simply with what we receive in the Sunday homily,” he said.
 
In this sense, he pointed to the Catechism of the Catholic Church as “a splendid instrument for our instruction in the truths of the faith,” since in this document “we find a synthesis of what the Church transmits in the name of Christ.”  It not only educates us in the sacraments, prayer, the liturgy and the commandments but also “in particular issues of utmost relevance for today,” he added.
 
Archbishop Aguer said the Catechism should be present in every home, “together with the Sacred Scriptures,” as a help in dealing with the day-to-day issues of one’s life, in responding to doubts posed by our children and friends, or when we have a doubt concerning some objection we have heard.”
 
“When we say that each Christian should be a disciple and missionary of Jesus Christ, we are charged in some way with this responsibility.  We are the bearers of this truth that we need to put [it] at the disposal and consideration of all those who come into contact with us,” the archbishop said.