As has been the case with the other articles in this series, I am working from a study guide that one of my classmates, Patti Christensen, organized and to which all of my classmates preparing for this exam have contributed. In this part, the outline is the work of my classmate Katie Sukley, and the course we had is called Pedagogy of God II, which I actually have taken back in Spring 2016. Katie, like my other colleagues, has done a phenomenal job with the outline, and it will be the "skeleton" of my own article here, but the content in the article is of my creation, as it will contain insights that I will add which were neither covered in class or part of the curriculum, but rather insights I have discovered and have incorporated.
When it comes to catechetical work, there are two very important factors that have been incorporated into the catechetical process which are going to be discussed here at length. The first are the three attributes of beauty, truth, and goodness, which will primarily rely on Fr. John Saward's text The Beauty of Holiness and Holiness of Beauty (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1997). The second factor is what is called the Ecclesial Method, which will primarily be based on the model that Monsignor Francis D. Kelly outlines in his book The Mystery Proclaimed: Catechesis at the Third Millennium (Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, 1993). Although these two works are the primary texts for this discussion, other material will be incorporated into the proper spots as well as the discussion progresses. We will now turn to the attributes of truth, beauty, and goodness first.
What Saward refers to as the three attributes is also known in metaphysical terms as transcendental properties of being. As Fr. Norris Clarke points out, a "transcendental property of being" is essentially a positive attribute that can be predicated of every real being, and thus is convertible with being itself (W. Norris Clarke, The One and the Many. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2001. pp. 290-291). Three of these transcendental properties, as Fr. Clarke points out as well, are that being is true (Clarke, p. 294) and thus intelligible, being as good (Clarke, p. 297), and being as beautiful, noting the Aristotelian reasoning that proportion is an essential ingredient of beauty (Clarke, p. 298). Saward brings this to a catechetical (and thus theological) dimension when he notes that if the average Christian is deprived of sacred art, the Christian can become blind to the beauty of divine Revelation (Saward, 25). He notes further that without holy imagery, we as Christians are in danger of forgetting the face and thus the flesh of the Son of God. As St. John of Damascus notes in relation to this, "For the image is a triumph and manifestation and inscribed tablet in memory of the victory of the bravest and most eminent and of the shame of those worsted and overthrown (St. John of Damascus, Three Treatises on the Divine Images, Andrew Louth, trans. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir Press, 2003. p. 68). Now, Saward does acknowledge that Satan can corrupt and abuse beauty in order to entice man to worship himself and reject God, and he does so in two ways. First, Satan incites the passion of lust through beauty of the body. In modern times, we see this both in the extreme form of pornography, but also in the crass commercialism of sex being used to sell everything from bon-bons to barbecue grills. Secondly, Satan incites the vice of pride through the beauty of the mind. That is the greatest sin of our age by far, as it is the sin that has its roots in the Enlightenment of the 18th century, via people such as Rene Descartes, and seeks to make man more important than God in his own thinking. The worst thing, Saward notes, however is more subtle; Satan tries to sever the beauty of Christian art from the truth of the dogmatic Creeds of the Church and the goodness of moral virtues (Saward, p. 35). When that separation is allowed, it secularizes and diminishes art, and then more shocking and less-aesthetically pleasing forms of expression dominate in place of true art (such as rock music and the Dadaism of Dali, for a couple of examples). It is also important to remember as well that evil in itself has no beauty - it can appear beautiful, but the beauty is a facade and has no depth. Evil is both the privation of good and the privation of the beautiful as well (Saward, p. 36). Therefore, now in dealing with beauty specifically, a discussion of what Saward calls the "Three Hallmarks of Beauty" is warranted at this point.
In opening this aspect of the discussion, Saward notes that one hallmark of beauty entails how it shines clearly through its outward appearance (Saward, p. 45), as well as it being a splendor of form which also gives beauty a theological anchor as well (Saward, p. 46). The imagery he uses here is of a ray emanating from the brilliant wisdom of its Creator. In the past couple of centuries, in particular with the rise of Enlightenment-influenced thinking, the ideologies of godlessness (namely secularism, but also other factors) have attacked both the Church's beautiful holiness as well as her holy beauty (Saward, p. 186). The Anglican Thomist theologian E.L. Mascall notes this particularly in the area of literature, as he describes literature of the present day (he is referring to the late 1960's) as being "a dead sea alive with corpses" as the themes of squalor, frustration, putrescence, downright futility, and pointlessness are characteristic in the writings of many novelists and dramatists (E.L. Mascall, The Christian Universe. New York: Morehouse-Barlow, 1966. p. 28). In recent news in the past few months, we have seen the fruits of this, as the Antifa terrorists want to tear down anything they feel is "offensive," and naturally religious art has been targeted (of note being the statue of Fr. Junipero Serra in Los Angeles, which was vandalized recently). Mascall notes almost prophetically that if people will not behave themselves because they love God, they are not likely to take up loving God as a help to behaving themselves, and nor is there any reason they should (Mascall, p. 35). In other words, when the ideologies of godlessness do attack the Church and the beauty and morality she has expressed, it leads to a dumbing-down and diminishing of true beauty and of "beautiful truth" as well. This is why it is important to understand Saward's "Three Hallmarks," as it also aids us in preserving true sacred art from the vandalous rampages of the Leftist/secularist iconoclast. The first of these hallmarks is what is known as radiance. Radiance is the primary hallmark of beauty, because it is easier to remember that beautiful things shine (Saward, p. 47). This special radiance, called in Greek claritas, is found in Christ alone as the Word of the Father. When we speak intelligibly and thus intelligently, the light of the mind shows through the words and gives clarity to them. If our thinking is clear, therefore, so are our words (Saward, 51). Radiance is therefore seen by Saward as synonymous with clarity.
A second hallmark to discuss in Saward's thesis is the hallmark of harmony. This is also synonymous with another term called due proportion. In referencing Aquinas, Saward notes that if an image is a perfect likeness of the original, we call it beautiful even if what it copies is ugly. Christ models this due proportion for us just as He does radiance (Saward, p. 51). Another prime example of this is to be seen in the Genesis account to earth just prior to the Fall. Adam and Eve lived in perfect harmony initially in Eden, and that perfect harmony was also with God. As Saward notes, Adam was originally created in grace and therefore in supernatural beauty (Saward, p. 53). Therefore, when one thinks of harmony, they also will synonymously think of balance as well.
The third hallmark Saward discusses is that of wholeness. Again, with Christ as the model, wholeness is also meant to convey that the creator who is perfected in Christ is complete, with nothing missing, and in willful giving of one's will to the Father, nothing is lost but one is perfected in supernatural grace.
God by his very essence is beauty, but when Christ came to us, that divine beauty was hidden by the lowliness of Christ's humanity. However, just as He was made whole at His resurrection, so are we promised when at our resurrection of the body we are made whole again as well. As Saward notes, Christ will make our bodies like His own, and we will be entire and complete (Saward, p. 65).
The next part of this discussion centers on what is called the Ecclesial Method of Fr. Francis Kelly, and it is a particular method of catechesis that entails everything from how the learning environment is structured to the atmosphere of welcome in the setting. This Ecclesial Method has five stages that closely resemble parts of the Mass, and Kelly identifies five steps in the process, which will now be discussed individually.
The first step is that of preparation. This is what truly entails everything from the atmosphere of the classroom, and it resembles the introductory Rites of the Mass. Its aim is to prepare the learner to be open and receptive to the truths of God's Word (Kelly, p. 139).
The second step is that of proclamation. This is the announcing of God's Word. A catechist's teaching is not their own, and therefore should be free of emphasis on the life experience, politics, doctrine, personal agenda, and perspective of the catechist. It corresponds to the Liturgy of the Word in the Mass, as the reading and hearing of Scripture takes central focus. (Kelly, 132, 142).
The third step is that of explanation, and this entails the part of the lesson where the learner comes to a deeper and more personal understanding of the faith. The power of image, story, and symbol helps the proclaimed Word have its fullest impact, and these things are not to be underestimated. Jesus's own example in His rich use of parable and story is a great inspiration for the catechist in designing creative explanations of the Word (Kelly, 144). It corresponds as well to the homily, where the priest or deacon further explains the Word of God and how that Word proclaimed should be applied to the hearer's life. It also helps the faithful foster maturity in faith (Kelly, p. 143).
The fourth step is that of application, which is where conversion really begins to take place. The learner at this point has been equipped with the truth and knowledge of God's Word from the prior steps, and now is called to active participation. As each of us is called to be a witness for Jesus Christ, this step challenges the learner to do so actively. It is a step that most resembles the recitation/prayer of the Creed, as the believer is stating publicly, both in word and action, that they truly believe the doctrines of the faith. At the final blessing in the Mass likewise, the believer is literally sent on the mission of being a witness of Christ to the world around them. This is done by action and service to others. Faith becomes therefore not merely a profession, but a way of life.
The fifth and final step is that of celebration. This is the climax and conclusion of the lesson, where the believer shares in prayerful gratitude their praise to God (Kelly, p. 146). This closely mirrors the celebration of the Eucharist specifically, as it is the source and summit of the Christian life. It also connects and brings together all the other steps. It is where, in catechetical terms, mystagogy takes place as a result of pedagogy.
Within these five steps are some defined keys to teaching Catholic doctrine that we were given in this class as well, and they include the following:
1. Teach the PREMISE or divine perspective - the premise of the doctrine is the underlying truth upon which the doctrine is based, and is not necessarily synonymous with defining the doctrine.
2. Teach the ESSENTIALS - those aspects of the doctrine which cannot be taken for granted when teaching the doctrine itself.
3. Teach what is COMMONLY MISUNDERSTOOD. There is a problem many times (especially in the Anglican group I was once part of) where catechesis has left many with a false understanding of the faith. It is important to clarify those misunderstandings as much as possible.
4. Teach the SCRIPTURAL BASIS - We must always remember that doctrine is grounded in Sacred Scripture.
5. Teach RELATED DOCTRINE - at some point, one doctrine is going to relate in some way with another (for instance, the divinity of Christ and the doctrine of the Trinity, for an example). However, care must be taken to keep in mind the organic unity of the doctrine which is the focus of the teaching.
6. TEACH TO AND FROM THE LITURGY - As the Catechism of the Catholic Church notes, the Church prays what she believes (CCC 1124).
Now that we have talked about truth, beauty, and goodness as being both qualities of art as well as transcendant attributes of being, it is now important to note how the Church defines these three things. First, the fullness of these things can only be found in God Himself, as otherwise they will endeavor an unending search on the part of man - without that aspect, man's efforts are incomplete and futile (CCC 27). Secondly, these transcendent properties of being are connected in a real way to the moral virtues, in particular that of charity. The moral virtues, if embraced and followed, lead us toward true beauty. Charity is the form of these virtues, as Aquinas taught, and it shapes, elevates, and sweeps them up into new heights of spiritual beauty via supernatural grace. These virtues direct man to their own proper object, which is the super-beauty of the Trinity (Saward, p. 64). And, that leads to a very important part of this discussion next.
The National Directory of Catechesis notes that while the particular expressions of sacred art vary from culture to culture, authentic sacred art turns human minds, hearts, and souls toward God (NDC 148). God created this diversity, and each expresses its own beauty for a variety of reasons. For example, we take the art of the Mar Thoma Syriac Christian community in India, which incorporates cultural symbols of the society it is part of into iconography. A perfect example of this is noted below:
At first glance, the above statuary looks like a Buddhist idol, but in reality it is not - it is a representation of the Virgin Mary that can be found among a group of obscure Japanese Christians known as the Kakure Kirishitan. Originally converts from St. Francis Xavier's mission to Japan in the 17th century, these clandestine Japanese Christians had to hide their faith for many centuries to protect themselves from persecution, so they used Buddhist and Shinto-inspired art to do so. Over the centuries, a unique Christian art and subculture developed in secret embodying this type of art, and it still continues today. There is yet another example from recent times, as illustrated in the following icon written by Robert Lenz:
At the conclusion of the Holocaust, many Hebrew Catholic Christians began to incorporate Jewish elements into their spirituality, including contextual icons like the one above. Many writers - notably Fr. Elias Friedman, who founded the Association of Hebrew Catholics apostolate in the early 1980's - associate Christological imagery with the Holocaust itself - the Holocaust is a typology of the Crucifixion, while the re-establishment of the State of Israel is a picture of the Resurrection (Fr. Elias Friedman, Jewish Identity. Ypsilanti, MI: The Miriam Press, 1987. p. 68). This icon could be used to express that in such a way that the true and beautiful merge, and a tragic circumstance is seen in light of the higher good.
In wrapping up this part of the discussion, sacred art is affirmed by the Church as true and beautiful when its form corresponds to the particular vocation it represents - evoking, glorifying, in faith and adoration, the transcendent mystery of God. This is embodied in the surpassing invisible beauty of truth and love made visible in Christ. Genuine sacred art, therefore, draws man to adoration, prayer, and to the love of God and of His Son Jesus Christ (CCC 2502).
There are a few important observations to make in regard to understanding truth, beauty, and goodness, which in their fullest essence is God Himself. God is truth, God is beauty, and God is goodness, although God is also true, beautiful and good as well. However, if we don't understand that essence of truth, beauty, and goodness, we don't understand art. And, further, we don't understand how to use art. This can lead to some catechetical problems if not addressed. God also revealed Himself in creation and nature before revealing Himself to man in words. A dogma of the Church, as a matter of fact, is that God can be known through nature. This makes perfect sense, as Aquinas and other Doctors and Fathers of the Church have affirmed this truth as well.
I have skipped over a lot of the rest of the content here for brevity's sake, but there is a quote from St. Gregory the Great that is also important to understand in lieu of the discussion. St. Gregory noted that painting is employed in churches (particularly in that period of time) so that those who cannot read or write may at least read on the walls what they cannot decipher on the page. We see this particularly in the iconography of the Christian East, where churches are covered in iconography that tells the divine Kerygma in imagery that the people understand. A perfect example of this is the church in Romania we see below:
The creators of this beautiful ancient church realized something we should keep in mind in conclusion of this discussion. We as catechists in particular have to always be aware of our audience, and make sure that what we teach and what we are using will appeal in such a way as to provide contextualization without conformation. We cannot put out or even scandalize or shock people in order to try and teach them the truth (although the Holy Spirit can use conviction to draw them), but we must understand the age of those we teach, their capabilities, cultural backgrounds, as all of these things are very important. It is reaching our people where they are at, but at the same time keeping in mind that the tradition and the Deposit of Faith are to in no way be compromised. If that can be done effectively, we have done our job as catechists. I will see you next week with the next part in this series.
