Forming Disciples on Campus
Those of us who are privileged to serve young Catholics on a college campus know that one of our first responsibilities is to catechize our students. Throughout my ministry I have learned that while sharing knowledge of the faith is central to anyone engaged in catechesis, our primary work is forming disciples. A disciple is a follower of Jesus, who has appropriated the faith and has committed to living their faith in the world. I suggest four simple things that are key to this ministry.
1. Building Relationships. Christianity is a way of life. If we are to model our teaching on Jesus' methods, we must begin by establishing relationships based upon trust. In today's culture, all of us are continually bombarded with conflicting messages of what will make us happy. To be an effective messenger of the Gospel we must show others by our lives that our relationship with Christ is worthwhile and that it leads us to the peace and happiness Jesus promises to those who follow Him.
2. Reading (and living) the Bible. I don't think I've ever met anyone who was seriously trying to follow Christ who didn't believe it was important to understand what has been passed down to us through the Scriptures. Most people, however, also think that it may be too complicated for them to understand. The best advice I have ever received is to read the Bible regularly, put into practice what I understand, and not to worry about the things that don't make sense at the moment. My own belief is that anyone who will commit to this course of action will grow in one’s faith over time. I was impressed this past week by one of our students who heard the Gospel at mass on what to do when you feel a fellow Christians was in need of correction. She was hurt in a recent conversations with me and took Jesus' instruction to heart by approaching me in private to let me know. It was a great example of listening to God's word and then putting it into practice.
3. Learning to Pray. One of the most effective ways of teaching what we believe is through prayer. We need to pray with our students and invite them to incorporate prayer into their day. We are blessed as Catholics to have a multitude of ways to pray. Over the course of each year, our common prayer can deepen the knowledge of our faith. During Advent and Christmas we can focus our prayer on the Incarnation of Christ, throughout the season of Lent we have the opportunity to learn what it means to be people of mercy and reconciliation, Easter helps us to understand the victory Christ has won for us and the many Marian feasts can show us the importance of intercession for one another. Mirroring our catechetical efforts with the celebrations of the universal Church is a great way of reinforcing the things we believe as Catholics as well as helping others to enter more fully into prayer each Sunday as we come together to celebrate the Eucharist.
4. Being People of Mission. Perhaps one of the strongest ways to learn how to be a disciple of Christ is by doing the things disciples do. Every year there are opportunities for service on campus that our students can take part in. These can be excellent settings for catechesis when we take the time to reflect on how they connect to our faith. One simple way to do this would be by beginning service activities with prayer and following up with a short discussion on the corporal works of mercy.
My hope is that these ideas will remind all of us who work in forming disciples that our mission, while sometimes difficult, need not be complicated. By taking small, consistent, and caring actions with our students, we can lead them closer to Christ and deepen our own faith in the process.
What does catechesis look like on your campus? Is there anything you would add to my list of four simple keys?
Fr. Christian Mathis is Chaplain of the Catholic Center at East Tennessee State University.