Every year, on the first Sunday in Lent, a group of people, known as Catechumens and their godparents come together to celebrate the ancient practice of the early church known as the Rite of Election. Last Sunday, 9 March, Bishop Michael welcomed 28 Catechumens to Sacred Heart Cathedral to undertake this special step on their journey towards Christian Initiation, where they will be fully initiated into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. It was a wonderful celebration with Bishop Michael for all who attended.
At the Second Vatican Council it was decided, after many requests, to restore, revise and adapt the catechumenate to the contemporary world and make it a central part of the missionary life of the Church (RCIA, n. 2).
This Rite of Election is a threshold moment for the Catechumens as it signifies their readiness to enter the final step on their journey towards initiation into the Catholic Church. After the Rite of Election, the Catechumens are known as The Elect. It is a time of purification and enlightenment; in other words, getting their heart and minds ready for their Baptism, Confirmation, First Communion and their subsequent postbaptismal journey as a Neophyte (this means ‘new plant’ – as with all new plants they need lots of watering. I’ll write about this later in the year – stay tuned).
However, the word catechumen comes from the Greek word katēchoumenos, which signifies one receiving instruction. A time, as we read in Romans (NRSV, 10:17), where Paul explains this instruction as faith that comes ‘from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ’, and then in Ephesians (NRSV, 4:22-14) where Paul further instructs that: ‘You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness’.
As the Elect journey through this time of ‘getting their heart and minds ready’, we too, this Lent can learn from their example, and prepare our heart and minds as we journey towards the Paschal Mystery – the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
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