Reflection on the Readings Catechetical Sunday, September 16, 2007

<strong>Reflection</strong> on the Readings
Catechetical Sunday, September 16, 2007
Catechesis: Encountering the Living Christ
The Conversion of Saul (Acts 9:1-19)
The Post-Resurrection appearance to the Disciples (John 21:15-19)
The Encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:4-42)
Encounters are a unique phenomenon. They may turn out to be either a success or a total fiasco.
They can be planned, coincidental, inspiring or discouraging. One way to experience an
encounter is to prepare and long for such a meeting; another way is by coming upon another
person in an unexpected or surprising way. You can never guarantee the outcome of a given
encounter between people because it may result in being costly, negative or frustrating.
However, Encountering the Living Christ always works to our advantage. It may be a
challenge, a conversion, a self-scrutiny or a soul-searching experience, but you can always count
on a very happing ending. Catechesis allows us to enter the mystery of Christ, to encounter him
and to discover ourselves and the meaning of our lives in him.
In the Scriptures we find countless encounters between God and Man. For the sake of brevity,
only a few are chosen for our catechetical theme. In the Old Testament, when Patriarchs and
Prophets encountered God, they discovered themselves, changed the course of their lives and the
lives of many. This transformation enabled them to catechize the people and to bring them
closer to the Creator. When Moses encountered God on Mount Sinai to receive the Ten
Commandments (Exodus 34: 29), his face became radiant, his life was completely transformed
and the results of that encounter changed the entire face of humanity.
Three totally different encounters with the living Christ provide us with the initial conversion
and, through the catechizing words of the Lord himself, they matured into their own faith and
became the shining light of true discipleship:
1. The conversion of Saul informs us how, after encountering the Living Christ, Saul changed
his heart and the course of his life. Being a zealous commander of the faith of his ancestors, he
was headed to Damascus to fight those who did not share his belief. This is a dramatic encounter
that may have been humiliating for a conqueror to be knocked off his horse. Lying in the dust
and blinded by that powerful light coming at him, Saul hears a voice asking: “Saul, Saul, why are
you persecuting me?” Jesus challenges and, at the same time, invites Saul to a new way of life
assigning him to a new mission as Apostle to the Gentiles, thus his new name Paul. His life was
transformed and, through his own catechesis and teaching, he transformed the lives of many.
Our personal encounter with the Living Christ may not be as dramatic as that of Paul, but we are
similarly challenged and invited to abandon our old ways of life and to open ourselves to faith.
Our own conversion changes our hearts and helps us embrace with passion the life and example
that the Living Christ offers.
2. The post-Resurrection appearance to the seven disciples as they were fishing was an eye
opener to Peter especially after he encountered the living Lord. After he had risen from the dead,
the Lord Jesus kept appearing to his disciples in order to confirm them and to remind them of

their continuous catechizing mission. Prior to his dialogue with Peter, the Lord had appeared to
them on the beach. He gave them a few pointers as to where they should cast the nets for a good
catch and prepared breakfast for them since they worked hard at it all night long and did not
catch any fish.
Jesus then poses a searing question to Peter repeating it three times: “Peter, do you love me?”
(vv. 15-17). After Peter answered in the affirmative to each question, Jesus instructed him to care
for his flock and to feed his sheep. It was there and then that Peter realized, as a follower of
Jesus, how great his responsibility was. Peter further discovered that discipleship will make him
do things he would rather not do on his own, and will lead him to places he would rather not go.
It is a sobering reminder of the cost of mature faith, because following Christ may require us to
make decisions or to reach out to others in ways that can be demanding and uncomfortable. The
formation we receive through an ongoing commitment to catechesis to live and practice our faith
helps us to answer as mature believers with a strong “Yes” just like Peter answered, “Lord, you
know that I love you.”
3. The encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well shows another facet of
Encounter and discipleship. The Samaritan woman was startled by the fact that Jesus talked to
her. She was accustomed to being ignored by Jewish men because she is a Samaritan and a
woman. The very mere fact that Jesus revealed to her that he is the Messiah, the Anointed, is
even more unsettling. Yes this encounter, from her own perspective, must have been quite
bizarre, but it had transformed her from being an adversary to being a staunch preacher. At the
end of the story, the woman leaves behind her water jar and runs off to tell others of her strange
but wonderful encounter with Jesus. The Samaritan woman has now become an evangelizer. She
preached, throughout her entire surroundings, the gospel message sharing the Good News of
Jesus Christ in a special method of catechesis.
The story of the Samaritan woman summarizes the threefold process of catechesis that began
with conversion, expanded to a mature faith and culminated with true and active discipleship.
Having a direct encounter with the Living Christ, Peter, Paul and the Samaritan woman have
been transformed, strengthened and confirmed. In their encounter they were all challenged, and
all three made of their faith a living legacy. They became evangelizers in their own way and
employed their catechetical ministry according to their own given talents.
By emphasizing the challenge to make our faith living and active, catechists remind us of the call
to follow the example of the saints. It is our hope that catechists teach not only through words
but through witness to their faith and by becoming mentors and models of active discipleship.
One of the tasks of the catechist is to help us identify and reflect upon the conversion moments in
our lives. Through such means as communal witness, story telling and faith sharing, catechists
help us to recognize how Christ is present to us and how we might respond to his invitation to
know him more fully.
Catechetical Sunday is a once-a-year event that celebrates the ongoing witness and dedication of
catechists and the support and participation of the entire community. Catechesis is ministry for
lifetime, one that opens our hearts to Christ’s love, draws us into a deeper relationship with him
and invites us to assume our role in being his faithful disciples in our world today.