Nurturing Faith

Dear Dr. Murphy:
I am a young married woman and the mother of two children. I also serve as a catechist in my parish. Someone recently asked me if I thought I had a vocation and I didn't know what to answer. I do a lot of things and I have many different roles in my life. But can I say that I have a vocation? And what could my vocation possibly be?
Thank you.
Carol

Dear Carol:
Yes! Carol, you DO have a vocation! Ever since the Second Vatican Council there has been a new development in the way we think of what a vocation is. In the Church today, lay men and women serve as special ministers of communion, lectors, catechists, pastoral assistants, and missionaries and they quite clearly understand these as vocations. Furthermore, the bishops of our Church use the category of "ecclesial lay minister" to identify a wide variety of people who bring their gifts and talents to serve the Church. Visit the Bishops' Web site and read their comments on Lay Ministry. Click on http://www.nccbuscc.org

But there is also another understanding of what a vocation is. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that we are all called to the vocation of holiness and of evangelizing the world.

We receive the power to live out this vocation when we receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

We might say that the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit help us in the following ways.

I am sure, Carol, that as a wife, mother of two children, and parish catechist that you use many if not all of these gifts every day! But you know what the best thing about your vocation is? It is uniquely yours. There has never been nor there will be another you. You have been called by God to this time, this place, to the people in your life. You have a special task set out for you. God says to you,

Dear Dr. Murphy:
Would you please tell me what the RCIA is. Does it have anything to do with ordinary Catholics?
Richard S.

Dear Richard:
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is the process by which persons become members of the Catholic Church. The RCIA follows the practice of Christian Initiation as it was practiced by the first Christians. In the days following Pentecost, we read in the Acts of the Apostles that…" Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the Temple area and to breaking bread in their homes. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved." (Acts 2:42-47)

Those who heard the Good News of Jesus and decided to follow his way joined with other followers of Jesus. They reflected on the message of Jesus and over a period of time gradually became part of the community. Households of faith were baptized. This process became known as the Catechumenate.
The Second Vatican Council taught that the Catecumenate should be restored and in 1974, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults was introduced to the United States. The RCIA is a rite. It is a process in which certain ceremonies mark stages along the way to full commitment in the Catholic Church.
The RCIA contains four periods and three steps or thresholds:

1. The Period of Inquiry. Also known as the time of Evangelization and Precatchumenate)

The Period of Inquiry
During the Period of Inquiry the persons get to know the teachings and values of the Catholic Church and spend time looking at their own lives to see where they are in need of conversion. This period may last from a few months to several years, whatever is necessary.

First Step: Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens
This precatechumenate period ends with the Rite of Acceptance. At the celebration of the Sunday Mass, before the gathered assembly, the inquirers declare their intention to change their lives and enter into a relationship with God. They then receive the Sign of the Cross on the ears, eyes, lips, shoulders, heart, hands, and feet, for they will now join in the mission of Jesus Christ.

Period of the Catechumenate
In the period of the Catechumenate the person has come to believe in Jesus Christ and sincerely desires to become a member of the Catholic Church. During this period, the catechumens gather with the Catholic community on Sundays for the first part of the Mass. They hear the Scriptures and the homily, and then the catechumens are dismissed. With their Catechist, they continue a process of learning the teachings of the Catholic Church, and reflecting and applying the Scriptures to their own lives. This period, also, lasts as long as the person needs it to last, from a few months to several years, if necessary.

Second Step: Election or Enrollment of Names
On the first Sunday of Lent, the catechumens (those who have not been baptized) and the candidates (those who may have been baptized in Protestant denominations but who desire full communion with the Catholic Church and Confirmation) take part in the Rite of Election. This ceremony is usually celebrated at the Cathedral Church with the Diocesan Bishop; by this rite they are accepted as candidates for the sacraments by the Bishop. They are now known as the Elect.

As a pledge of fidelity, the candidates write their names in the book that lists those who have been chosen for initiation. This is an important step because acceptance of the Church signifies the election of God, in whose name the Church acts. This step closes the period of the catechumenate, the lengthy period of formation of the candidates’ minds and hearts.

Period of Purification and Illumination
The Period of Purification corresponds to that time known in the Catholic Church as Lent, the time of preparation for Easter. Throughout Lent, special prayers are offered at the Sunday Eucharist for the catechumens and candidates; they are called scrutinies. These are prayers for purification from all past evil and from anything that keeps them from experiencing the love of God.

Toward the end of the period, the Church continues the custom of "handing over" to the Elect the Creed (the summary of our faith) and the Lord's Prayer (which represents its practice of praying the way Jesus taught us to pray).

Third Step: Celebrating the Sacraments of Initiation
The Sacraments of Initiation are celebrated at the Easter Vigil. By the waters of baptism, the elect pass into the new life of grace and become members of the Body of Christ. They are anointed with special holy oil called chrism. This seals the initiation by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Elect take part at the Table of the Lord in the Eucharist. This marks their membership in the church.
Anyone who has ever witnessed Baptism at the Easter Vigil knows what great joy is felt not only by the newly baptized but by the whole community. Members of the Parish play a significant role in the RCIA by either acting as part of the RCIA team, serving as sponsors, or by supporting the RCIA with prayer.

Period of Mystagogy
The Period of Mystagogy lasts from Easter Sunday until the completion of the Easter season, fifty days later on Pentecost Sunday and completes the initiation process.
Those who have just shared in the sacraments of initiation are now called Neophytes. During this period the Neophytes reflect on the richness of this experience that they have just gone through, they reflect more deeply on the sacramental mysteries of the Church, and they decide the most effective way they can each participate in the mission of Christ, promoting just and peaceful living in their parish all year long.

Marie Murphy, Ph.D., serves as William. H. Sadlier's National Catechetical Consultant, conducting workshops nationwide on catechetical and theological topics as part of Sadlier's Consultant Services. Marie received her doctorate in theology from Fordham University and has served as a parish catechist and Director of Religious Education.