The Spiritual Life of Catechists,

Part 1: Finding and Sharing Love and

Joy
CATECHIST-VOCATION

A catechist is called to
holiness with “a particular
urgency” (National Directory for Catechesis, 229)
The first characteristic is a love of
God (Trinity), of the Church, the
pope, and God’s holy people.

A catechist is motivated by love, not

just by a desire to be helpful.
Love of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is only
possible within a lived relationship with God,
instantly recognizable in the form of joy. As Pope
Francis has said often, JOY is key to proclaiming
the Gospel effectively. In Evangelii Gaudium, he
calls us to a renewed personal encounter “with
God’s love, which blossoms into an enriching
friendship,” in which, “we find the source and
inspiration of all our efforts at evangelization”
(EG#8).
If this is a person’s true identity, he or she
can’t stay away from Sunday Mass or from
other opportunities to gather with the
community. People will be attracted to such
Christians as well, because their joy and faith
is simply infectious. These are the catechists
who leave a lasting impression through
humor, creativity, and genuine care for their
students.
The Spiritual Life of Catechists
Part 2: Authenticity of Life
The National Directory for Catechesis
(NDC) calls this, “a coherence and
authenticity of life.” It is “characterized by
[the catechist’s] faithful practice of the
faith in a spirit of faith, charity, hope,
courage, and joy.” (229)
Coherence and authenticity mean there is no
disconnect between a person’s public actions
and his or her private life. We can see
evidence of the person’s faith, charity, hope,
courage, and joy—and not only in church. It’s
true in every facet of his or her life. Put
simply, a catechist should not have two lives,
one in church and another the rest of the
time.
The Vatican’s Guide for Catechists explains
that, “Before doing the catechesis one must
first of all be a catechist. The truth of their
lives confirms their message. It would be sad
if they did not ‘practice what they preached’
and spoke about a God of whom they had
theoretical knowledge but with whom they
had no contact.”
Catechists should be develop their spiritual lives.
Encouraging them to use the daily Examen would
give them a good tool for developing and
maintaining authenticity and growing in
relationship with God.

True catechists are in a committed, constantly

growing relationship with Jesus Christ. They are
disciples in all they do—and it shows.
The Spiritual Life of Catechists
Part 3: Personal Prayer
Catechists are called to a strong prayer
life, having not only a habit of regular
personal prayer but a living relationship
with God. The Catechism describes
prayer as God’s gift, a covenant
relationship, and communion of life in
Christ. Through it, we discover God, who
dwells in each human heart (CCC 2558–
2565).
A catechist with a well-developed
prayer life will naturally be a better
teacher and leader of prayer, so it is
very important to find and recruit
 people who give evidence of a life of
prayer and to assist them to deepen
it through regular formation.
Teaching catechists to use—and teach—the 
daily Examen to meditate on their
cooperation with God’s grace is also a simple
and fruitful way to enrich their prayer lives.

Meditation can be either mental prayer or

journaling. A prayer journal is also a great
method for catechists to make themselves
accountable for regular prayer.
Catechists should also be invited to
explore contemplative prayer through the
ancient Carmelite and Benedictine
traditions, such as the writings of 
St. Teresa of Ávila. At the very least,
catechists should develop a practice of
silence. It is in silence that God speaks,
and in our busy world, there is never
enough silence.
A catechist who both speaks and
listens to God in prayer will be more
authentic and more Spirit-filled
when in the classroom. We owe it to
catechists and to those they
encounter to assist them to deepen
their prayer lives.
On the Importance of Personal Prayer in
Christian Life
• Pray always
• By means of a parable Jesus teaches us that it is
necessary to pray always without becoming
weary (cf. Lk 18:18). St Paul returns to the same
teaching. He writes the Thessalonians: "Pray
without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus"
(1 Thes 5:17-18) .
• What is prayer?
• Every one of us has an idea of what prayer is. Let
us listen to two Saints on how they see it.

• St Therese of Lisieux describes prayer with her

characteristic simplicity, limpidity and depth:
"For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a
simple look turned toward heaven; it is a cry of
recognition and of love, embracing both trial and
joy" (Manuscripts autobiographiques, C 25r).
St John Damascene is even more brief: "Prayer is the
raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of
good things from God" (De Fide orth. 3, 24: PG 94, 1089C, quoted
in Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2559).

• The person who prays strives to be in communication

with God, principally to adore him, to praise him, to
thank him for his gifts, to make reparation for our
offences, and to ask for our various needs, both spiritual
and temporal. So the Catechism of the Catholic
Church sees prayer as "a vital and personal relationship
with the living and true God" (CCC, n. 2558).
Three kinds of prayer
• liturgical, community and personal prayer.

• Liturgical prayer is the official prayer of the Church in

which Jesus Christ is the chief person praying and in
which he associates his Church with him. The
Eucharistic celebration is its fount and apex. Liturgical
prayer embraces the seven Sacraments, the Liturgy of
the Hours and the Sacramentals or the Prayers and
Blessings instituted by the Church for various
occasions
Community
Community prayers are such prayers as the Way of
the Cross, the Holy Rosary, various devotions to the
Blessed Virgin Mary or the Saints, particular prayers
of Religious Orders or Congregations, or of Catholic
Sodalities, Associations or Movements. Such
prayers are generally prayed by a group of persons,
although individuals also use them. They differ from
liturgical prayers because they are not public,
official prayers of the whole Church.
Personal Prayer
Personal prayer is the prayer of an individual. It
wells up from the depths of the heart of the
person. It can indeed be inspired by liturgical or
community prayer. But it is personal and peculiar
to that person. Personal prayer can be in words.
But it can also take the form of "inexpressible
groanings" (cf. Rom 8:26), as the Holy Spirit may
guide each soul.
The importance of personal prayer

• Personal prayer is important in the promotion of

our living relationship as children of God with
our Father who is goodness itself, with Jesus
Christ his Son and our Redeemer, and with the
Holy Spirit our Sanctifier. A life of prayer is the
habit of being in the presence of the thrice-holy
God and in communion with him (cf. CCC, n.
2565).
Personal prayer promotes and improves
our participation in liturgical and
community prayers. If heart and mind are
to be properly engaged in these two
forms of prayer, then personal prayer is
very useful to help us internalize and
make our own the liturgical and
communal texts and rites.
In the Old Testament the Lord, through the
prophet Isaiah, warned the chosen people
about the danger of ritualism, the danger of
reciting official prayers when their hearts are
not in union with the words: "This people
draws near with words only and honours me
with their lips alone, though their hearts are
far from me, and their reverence for me has
become routine observance of the precepts
of men" (Is 29:13) .
Personal prayer helps to make our
religion more genuine, more personal,
more deeply rooted. It favours our union
with God. It comes to our aid in the little
pinpricks of daily life as well as in
temptations and trials which can never
be totally excluded during our earthly
pilgrimage
Brothers and sisters, that personal
prayer is very important in our lives,
both to manifest and intensify our
life of union with God, and to help us
internalize better our participation in
liturgical and community prayers and
worship.
Guide question for sharing
1. Have you ever felt like you faith was fragile? What
triggered this experience? Are you still struggling?
2. What factors in your life might be challenging you
faith?
3. Have you ever felt the God just didn’t care? Did you
doubt his love or his existence?
4. Has God ever felt absent from your life? Have you
experienced period of spiritual dryness?
5. How might your work transform you into a holier
person??