In the early days of Christianity, mystagogy was used by the Fathers of the Church to help the neophytes to transform the experience of the sacraments of initiation into a living experience of the presence of God. Early Christian mystagogy took the shape of catecheses, which were proclaimed during the first Easter week after the celebration of the sacraments at the Easter Vigil. Their goal was not to transmit religious knowledge, but to introduce the neophytes into the mystery of the living God who gives to the people his grace through the sacramental signs. This method is reminiscent of the ancient maieutics which is an inductive way of dialogue. Maieutics was proposed by the famous Greek philosopher Socrates as a method of teaching by helping someone articulate ideas already present in his mind. The philosopher plays the role of an intellectual midwife who assists at the birth of the truth. Therefore, one may describe the mystagogy as a spiritual midwifery because it is a kind of pastoral support, which enables Christians to enter into a living relationship with God. Following the pattern of the antique mystagogic catecheses, the German theologian Karl Rahner has constructed a contemporary model of mystagogical pastoral care. His pastoral mystagogy is a kind of maieutic method what leads into the primordial experience of God. Such a religious experience reaches the roots of human existence. Because of it, the new mystagogy believes that human subjects can alone experience the presence of God and his work of salvation in everyday life. The task of the pastor is in this perspective to serve as a mystagogue supporting someone to disclosure his personal relationship with God as an event of everlasting grace. Such a style of pastoral care respects the needs of today’s people who are longing for a deeper spiritual life and want to give a true meaning to their existence.
The aim of preparation for Confirmation is the formation for a testimonial form of Christian life and practising of apostolate. In the context of these tasks the present mode of preparation for the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation still remains highly insufficient. This preparation is of a too individualistic and formal character. It does not prepare for living in a community and therefore does not meet its major purpose of fostering Christian maturity. In this context a new meaning should be bestowed upon the roles of witnesses and mystagogy in preparation for the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation. The conclusion is that in pastoral practice one should take into consideration the fuller introduction of the confirmed to a parish life by a catechumenal method. In order to achieve this aim one can use more profoundly the deuterocatechumenal formation of the Light-Life Movement (Ruch Światło-Życie) an experience of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal which is quite efficient in introducing into a reality of faith through seminars of faith renewal. There is also a very valid postulate at stake to create „spirituality centres” in dioceses or special centres preparing adults for Confirmation according to the Rites of Christian initiation of adults (Ordo initiationis christianae adultorum).
In recent decades there have appeared many communities in the Church that fit in the widely understood notion of the New Evangelization. One of them is St. Andrew's School of Evangelization, whose charism is the formation of new evangelizers for the New Evangelization. In the following thesis, the author analyzes the formation program of this community in terms of its conformity with the Church's modern teaching on evangelization. It outlines the key assets and shows how the SNE is practically implementing the Magisterial Guidelines for the new evangelization. It also shows the shortcomings and contradictions of the formation program, pointing to specific errors and abuses, especially in the field of liturgy.
PL
W ostatnich dziesięcioleciach pojawiło się w Kościele wiele wspólnot, które wpisują się w szeroko rozumiany nurt nowej ewangelizacji. Jedną z nich jest Szkoła Ewangelizacji św. Andrzeja, której charyzmatem jest formacja nowych ewangelizatorów dla nowej ewangelizacji. W poniższym opracowaniu autor analizuje program formacyjny tej wspólnoty pod kątem zgodności ze współczesnym nauczaniem Kościoła o ewangelizacji. Wylicza najważniejsze atuty działalności SNE i pokazuje jak ta wspólnota w praktyczny sposób realizuje wytyczne Magisterium odnośnie do nowej ewangelizacji. Pokazuje również, że program formacyjny zawiera szereg braków i sprzeczności, co przekłada się na liczne błędy i nadużycia, zwłaszcza w dziedzinie liturgii.
This article presents homily as a space of leading to the encounter with Christ in the Eucharist. One of three primary tasks, which are appointed to the homily by the authors of the newest Homiletic Directory, is preparing community to celebrating the Eucharist and recognizing that they really take part in the mystery of Lord’s death and resurrection through it. Homilist should remember, that Christ is present in the Eucharist not only to be adored, but most of all to save human and worship the heavenly Father. The main task of the homily is to lead into this saving action of Christ, through showing the meaning of celebrated mystery. It is done by referring to the mystery of liturgical year which is recalled to in the Eucharist, as well as to the proclaimed word of God. Preaching which indicates the Christ’s saving presence in the liturgy will certainly preserve homily from moralizing fault.
PL
Prezentowany artykuł ukazuje homilię jako przestrzeń doprowadzania do spotkania z Chrystusem w Eucharystii. Jednym z trzech podstawowych zdań, jakie autorzy najnowszego Dyrektorium homiletycznego wyznaczają homilii, jest bowiem przygotowanie wspólnoty do celebrowania Eucharystii i do rozpoznania, że dzięki niej zgromadzeni naprawdę biorą udział w tajemnicy śmierci i zmartwychwstania Pana. Homilista powinien pamiętać, że Chrystus jest obecny w Eucharystii nie tylko po to, by Go adorować, ale przede wszystkim by zbawiać człowieka i uwielbiać Ojca. Głównym zadaniem homilii jest wprowadzenie w to zbawcze działanie Chrystusa poprzez ukazanie znaczenia celebrowanego misterium. Dokonuje się to poprzez odwołanie się do wspominanej w Eucharystii tajemnicy roku liturgicznego oraz proklamowanego w niej słowa Bożego. Przepowiadanie, które wskazuje na zbawczą obecność Chrystusa w liturgii, z pewnością zabezpieczy homilistę przed błędem moralizatorstwa.
The study presents a general sketch of prof. Enrico Mazza’s (born 1940) teaching and writings on the Christian mystagogy of the end of the fourth century. This widely known and respected scholar and expert in the matter, graduate and professor of the Pontifical Liturgical Institute in Rome, a lecturer at Catholic universities in Italy and abroad, affirmed that mystagogy is not just a form of catechism or spirituality, but rather a way of doing theology in the fullest sense. Actually, the fact that mystagogy is built on a specific use of the Bible and employs the typological method, makes of it a distinct kind of theology, called by Mazza a “liturgical theology”.
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