Catechesis 18: For The Candidates For Baptism On ‘And In One Holy Catholic Church, And In The Resurrection Of The Flesh,
CATECHESIS 18: For the candidates for baptism On ‘and in one holy catholic church, and in the resurrection of the flesh, and in everlasting life’
Reading: Ezek 37.1: ‘And the hand of the Lord came upon me, and he led me out in the Holy Spirit, and set me in the middle of the plain, and it was full of bones…’
32 Beloved brothers and sisters, the remaining part of this instruction will be devoted to encouraging you to prepare your souls to receive the heavenly graces. By the Lord's grace over the past days of Lent I have given you as many catechetical addresses as I could concerning the holy apostolic Creed which was delivered to you for your profession. Not that these were the only things we needed to tell you; there are many matters which we have passed over or which have been developed at greater length by those who are perhaps better teachers. But when the holy day of Easter comes, the day when your charity will be enlightened in Christ through the ‘washing of rebirth’ (Tit 3.5), you will receive, God willing, the further teaching you will need: concerning the devotion and order with which the called should enter; the purpose of each of the holy mysteries of baptism; the devotion and order with which you should proceed from baptism to God's holy altar, and enjoy there the spiritual, heavenly mysteries. In this way your soul will be enlightened in advance through instruction on every point, and you will learn how sublime the graces are which you will receive from God.
33 After the holy and saving day of Easter, starting on Monday every day of the following week, after the assembly you will enter the holy place of the resurrection, where, God willing, you will hear further catechetical instructions. You will receive further teaching about the reasons for everything that is done, and you will receive proofs from the Old and New Testaments: first concerning what is done immediately before baptism; then how the Lord purifies you from your sins ‘by the bath of water in the word’ (Eph 5.26); how like priests you began to share Christ's name, and you were given the seal of the ‘fellowship of the Holy Spirit’ (Eph 5.26); concerning the mysteries which take place on the altar of the new covenant and which were instituted here, the teachings which the holy Scriptures have passed on to us, the power of these mysteries, how and when you should approach them, and how you should hold them; and finally how in future you ought to behave in deed and word so as to be worthy of the grace and gain eternal life. These things, God willing, will be explained to you. …