Katechetyczna interpretacja i aktualizacja orędzia nadziei

Abstract

The article is an attempt at interpretive catechesis and revision of the address of hope included in the Apocalypse of St. John. The starting point is the blessing addressed to the lector (teacher) being the reader and guardian of the teachings and the listener (disciple). The catechesis of hope is reflected in the catechesis about happiness, the penance catechesis and evangelization catechesis, which is supposed to be new, not in terms of its content but in terms of fervour and means of expression. The address of hope, included in the last book of the Bible, evokes the image of an angel announcing to the world “the eternal Gospel” (14:6). The flying angel is the synonym of engagement in preaching the Gospel addressed to the people of all nations, generations, tongues and tribes and spread all over the Earth “so that all nations will hear it” (Mt 24:14-15). The eternal and essential nature of the address concentrates on Christ himself, who – as St. John Paul II taught us – “is to be known, loved and imitated, so that in him we may live the life of the Trinity, and with him transform history until its fulfilment in the heavenly Jerusalem” (NMI 29; cf. Ap 21:9-27). This invariable programme included in the Bible is the ultimate purpose and mission of catechesis, which should “put people (disciples) not only in touch but in communion (in intimacy) with Jesus Christ: “Only He can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit and make us share in the life of the Holy Trinity” (CT 5).