RCLBenziger.com

What Difference Does Faith Make?
by Jo Rotunno

How often have you heard a child (or even an adult) say, "Who cares?" or "What difference does it make?" Sometimes these can be defensive statements designed to guard against hurt or to shirk responsibility. But these questions also point to an important feature of faith formation. It is valid to ask, "What difference does my faith make?" We are asking whether or not the truths we learn about our faith have any application to our lives.

In the process of good catechesis, we begin and end in life. We begin by engaging the children's interest and helping them to see ways in which our lesson is connected in some way to the lives they are already living. For example, if our lesson is about forgiveness, we begin by asking when they have been forgiven for something they did or when they have forgiven someone else. We ask other questions to find out what they may already have learned about the Christian doctrine of forgiveness.

We then teach them some new things about forgiveness, using various strategies, dialogue, and activities. We pause after each concept to check understanding in any number of ways. With each concept, first we teach, and then we apply.

Then we should ask some important questions. How has the Church applied these teachings to its own corporate life? How do we show, as a Christian community, that we practice what we preach? We might share the example of Pope John Paul II, who visited the man who attempted to assassinate him and offered the man his forgiveness. The leader of the Church offered a public sign of what each Christian is called to do.

Now the moment comes in the catechetical process for each learner to make a personal response. What difference does faith make in my life? The catechist might allow the children to explore options by drawing, acting out, or describing ways that forgiveness can take place. But the catechetical process is not complete until the learner answers the final question: What will I now do? In Faith First, we call this "My Faith Choice" and it is an integral part of every lesson.

It is only when we reflect on the truths of our faith and begin to act on their implications day by day that faith becomes more than a noun. It becomes a verb—a living witness to the Risen Lord. Our faith has become "living, explicit, and fruitful" (GDC 82).