Renewing Liturgical Catechesis: Towards the Cultivation of Desire for God1 James Pauley (bio) Cyprian Vagaggini, O.S.B., one of the twentieth century’s most important liturgical theologians, described the liturgy as “the privileged place of encounter between man and God.”2 Because God so generously gives himself—his very life and love—to those who seek him in the liturgy, extraordinary fruits are possible. Yet, increasing numbers of Catholics today choose to live apart from the Church’s corporate prayer. Many have not experienced the liturgy as a locus of encounter, and many more are uncertain whether such an encounter with God is even possible. Reconfiguring our approaches to sacramental preparation and mystagogical catechesis in the years to come will be instrumental to preparing them to encounter God more fully in the Church’s sacramental life. Such a work is important today as we face significant declines in sacramental participation. In this article, we will delineate the contours and priorities of a catechesis that focuses on how the liturgy is, above all, a transformative encounter with God. [End Page 2] A MORE PERSONAL APPROACH Most of us are familiar with the language of “personal accompaniment” employed by Pope Francis in a variety of his writings and speeches. Best described in Evangelii Gaudium, he suggests that we who are engaged in Catholic evangelization must “remove our sandals before the sacred ground of the other.” The Holy Father emphasizes pastoral approaches that accentuate relationship, approaches that move at a “steady and reassuring [pace], reflecting our closeness and our compassionate gaze which also heals, liberates and encourages growth in the Christian life.”3 Accompaniment, as described by Pope Francis, is a respectful dialog leading ultimately to God. I suggest that such a way of engagement finds a “willing dance partner” in the context of liturgical catechesis. This idea of personal accompaniment in inviting others to live the Christian life is not a new concept. Vatican II’s Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church used the term “apprenticeship” to describe the newly restored Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and the Council fathers’ intent for this process through which adults would join themselves to Christ’s Mystical Body: “The catechumenate is not a mere expounding of doctrines and precepts, but a training period in the whole Christian life, and an apprenticeship duty drawn out, during which disciples are joined to Christ their teacher.”4 The catechumenal model described in the decree was understood to be an integral formation of the whole person, carried out by clergy and catechists who could teach and encourage catechumens into a living of Christianity. For this reason, one of the most fascinating statements in the 1997 General Directory for Catechesis is found in the first part, where the document calls the baptismal catechumenate the model, the [End Page 3] inspiration, for all catechetical activity. 5 Such an assertion means many things. One certain implication is that the emphasis on personal mentoring seen in the apprenticeship model is being recommended more broadly for the whole of the catechetical enterprise. What would it mean for catechists to apprentice those entrusted to them for sacramental formation? First, the essential content of catechesis would of course be communicated, but those being catechized would be approached with a sensitivity to each person’s respective movement towards the Lord and sacramental understanding. Such a catechesis would teach the timeless truths of Christianity, and would additionally promote a responsiveness on the part of participants. With such an approach, passive receptivity of doctrinal content would become less pervasive in our collective catechetical experience as we encourage active learning of the content of Revelation. Second, apprenticeship leads to a new way of seeing and a new way of living—these are its enduring fruits. Through liturgical catechesis, as we learn to see reality more clearly, this vision organically changes how we think, how we choose and how we live. In mentoring others in this way, we catechists would find ourselves deeply challenged to be living this faith integration ourselves. Such a mentoring in holiness requires that the catechist not only teach the precious truths of Christ but also speak from experience about how...