The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is the process through which an adult or child over the age of seven prepares to celebrate the sacraments of initiation-Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist-with the Catholic community of faith. This is a gradual process during which the person journeys with others and is formed in the Catholic way of life, a life of discipleship rooted in Christ and enlivened by the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Pre-Catechumenate or Inquiry
The journey of Christian Initiation begins with the period of evangelization, the Pre-catechumenate. This inquiry time has as its focus welcoming a person into relationship with God and with the Church. The beginning of any relationship starts with getting to know one another. A person who is called into relationship with God needs some assistance from those who are willing to share their own experience of God. Some of the members of the community may be very experienced at uncovering God's voice in the ordinary everyday life or in the not-so-ordinary experiences of living. These parishioners can point out where God has been reaching out to an inquirer. Also, they share the story of God's relationship with the human race, connecting what is happening in the inquirer's life with the life of the Church and the stories of Scripture.
When the inquirers decide that they would like to move deeper into the relationship with Christ and the Church, they begin a more structured formation in the teachings and practices of the Catholic Church. They and the community celebrate this movement on the journey during the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens. In this ritual the Church claims the inquirers for Christ by signing them with the Cross. The Rite of Welcoming may be celebrated with those already baptized who are seeking full communion with the Catholic Church.
Catechumenate
The second period in the journey is called the Catechumenate. This is the time for the nurturing and growth of the catechumens' faith and conversion to God. This extended period of time (a minimum of one year for the unbaptized) allows for proper formation in the Christian life, a true time of apprenticeship. Since the beginning of the Church, the way people learned how to live as Christians was by living with Christians!
During
the Catechumenate, the catechumens are brought to maturity in the Christian life
in four ways
· by a suitable catechesis that leads them to an appropriate
acquaintance with the word of God and the teachings of the church
·
by living and praying the liturgical life of the community
·
by following the example of sponsors, godparents and the rest of the community
as they live the Christian life
· by learning to spread the Gospel through
the apostolic work of the community.
In other words, catechumens learn to pray by being with and praying with people who pray. They learn to be active Christians by being with active Christians doing Christian service.
The catechesis of this period is rooted in Scripture. During the Sunday liturgy, after the homily, the catechumens are sent forth to further break open the Word of God. Along with the catechist, they reflect and connect the Word to their lives and to the Christian message proclaimed by the Church.
Ultimately it is God who brings a person to maturity in the Christian life. We prepare the environment, but God does the transformation. How long does this take? The Rite supports a gradual process. Since the period of the Catechumenate ends when the conversion and faith of the catechumen is strong, the duration depends "on the grace of God." (RCIA, #76)
Purification and Enlightenment
The Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion marks the end of the Catechumenate and the beginning of Purification and Enlightenment. The Rite of Election is the turning point of the Catechumenate period. It celebrates the call of God experienced in the life of the individual and the recognition of that call on the part of the community. The Church says, in word and gesture, that those who have been called by God may now proceed to Baptism. After this rite, the unbaptized are called the elect.
The Call to Continuing Conversion reminds the baptized candidates for full communion that during the upcoming season of Lent they are to join with the entire community to reflect on their baptismal commitment and the need for repentance and conversion.
The period of Purification and Enlightenment, which corresponds to the forty days of Lent, marks the final preparation of the elect for their celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation. These 40 days of spiritual preparation is an important time for the Church. In special rites called the Scrutinies on the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sunday of Lent, we pray for the elect is a special way. The Church prays for liberation from sin for the elect, the liberation that Christ brings.
The baptized candidates are also on a journey that will lead them to full participation in the sacramental life of the Catholic community. Their conversion is based on the baptism they have already received, the effects of which they are developing. They undergo a period of purification and enlightenment during Lent that centers on their preparation for the celebration of the sacrament of Reconciliation.
Baptism is the central focus for both the parish and for the period of Purification and Enlightenment. The elect and the community engage together in this period of spiritual preparation. The elect prepare for Baptism and the entire community prepares to renew their baptismal commitment at Easter. The theme for all is dying and rising with Christ in Baptism.
Sacraments of Initiation
The Easter Vigil is the Church's primary celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord, and therefore, the most appropriate time to celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. During this liturgy on Holy Saturday night the unbaptized die and rise with Christ in the waters of Baptism, are anointed with the oil of salvation in Confirmation, and receive Christ's Body and Blood in the Eucharist. The baptized candidates make their profession of faith, are confirmed and, now one with the Catholic community of faith, receive the Eucharist for the first time.
Mystagogia
For the baptized (neophytes) and the newly received, the Church's special time of celebration, the Great Fifty Days of the Easter Season, is a time to reflect on the experience of the Easter Sacraments and the commitment they have made to the Lord, to the Church, and to the parish. During this time of Mystagogia, the Sunday Eucharist and living the Christian life with the community provides the basis of their ongoing formation. During Mystagogy, the neophytes are invited to grow in their grasp of the Paschal Mystery by doing works of charity. Living faith is expressed in action, charitable works.
Beyond
Initiation…for the LIFE OF THE WORLD!
The RCIA is a process of gradual conversion to Christ that leads to an involvement in his missionary spirit. The newly initiated have been clothed in Christ, and now share in his mission, for the life of the world. Empowering people for witness and mission is an important gift of initiation. The neophytes are invited to discern how they have been called and gifted to serve the Church's mission-in the parish and in the world.
The process of conversion continues beyond the celebration of the Easter Season. What has begun with the initial call to faith comes to be renewed in every Eucharist. The Sunday Eucharist is where we are reminded who we really are--the people of God who have "put on Christ" in baptism and who are called forth to bring the gospel to the world.
Our Sunday celebration of the Paschal Mystery is not complete without an outward movement. We take the message of the One whose life we share through the sacraments and the life of the Church into the world, "so that they may have life."
If
you are interested in this journey of faith or have any questions, please contact
your local Catholic parish or the Office of the Catechumenate at cle@allentowndiocese.org.