This post is the fourth in a series on how the conversion process in the RCIA makes lifelong disciples. If you have not yet read the previous post on the third and fourth RCIA keys for turning seekers into disciples, please click here. In that post, you will discover how important it is to reflect on the value of the paschal mystery in order to accompany the seekers on their conversion journey. You will also see that the seekers do not enter into the conversion process alone. They learn from the example of parishioners renewing their own conversion.
As a reminder, the six keys are found in paragraphs 4-5 of the RCIA:
- The initiation of catechumens is a gradual process
- that takes place within the community of the faithful.
- By joining the catechumens in reflecting on the value of the paschal mystery
- and by renewing their own conversion, the faithful provide an example that will help the catechumens to obey the Holy Spirit more generously.
- The rite of initiation is suited to a spiritual journey of adults
- that varies according to: the many forms of God’s grace, the free cooperation of the individuals, the action of the Church, and the circumstances of time and place.
In this post, we are going to look at the last two keys for developing a powerful, effective conversion process that leads to lifelong discipleship.
Key 5: The conversion process is a spiritual journey that is suited for adults
In 2016, 670,481 infants were baptized in Catholic parishes. In that same year, we baptized only 105,005 adults (including children of catechetical age; see cara.georgetown.edu). That’s a ratio of more than 6-to-1 in favor of infant baptism.
And yet, shortly after the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults was issued in the 1970s, liturgical theologian Aidan Kavanagh said that adult initiation was and is the normative way of baptizing for the church.
Kavanagh did not mean that we should end or restrict infant baptisms. He was saying that the full meaning of what baptism is and what it is for is most clearly understood in the celebration of the adult rites.
The full meaning of baptism is most clearly understood in the celebration of the adult rites.
“A norm,” said Kavanagh, “has nothing to do with the number of times a thing is done, but it has everything to do with the standard according to which a thing is done” (The Shape of Baptism: The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, p. 108).
Because adult initiation is the standard according to which we join others to Christ, the church teaches that “the rite of initiation is suited to a spiritual journey of adults” (RCIA 5).
The reason adult initiation is important and the reason it is the norm for the church is because the sacrament of baptism-confirmation-eucharist — and the faith journey initiation sacrametalizes — is the norm for how we exist as a church. The baptism of infants is a pastoral necessity, but it is not the model for Christian life and mission. The preparation and initiation of adults and older children tell both the catechumens and the faithful who we are as church and why we exist.
The church will probably always baptize many more infants than adults. But the parents and godparents of those infants are asked to promise that they will raise their babies to make adult decisions and adult sacrifices because of their faith.
In the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens, we mark the adults — including children of catechetical age — all over their bodies with the Sign of the Cross. And then we pray that God will “make them living proof of its saving power and help them to persevere in the footsteps of Christ.”
There is only one way to prove the saving power of the Cross. There is only one way to persevere in the footsteps of Christ. That is, as St. Paul says in his letter the Romans, die with Christ and live in the sure hope that we will rise with Christ (see 6:8).
Dying with Christ is not some far-off future event. For the catechumens, it starts the moment they are accepted into the order of catechumens. And our job, as a parish, is to so clearly live a life of dying to ourselves that it becomes obvious to the catechumens how they are to live. That’s what we mean by “a spiritual journey of adults.”
Key 6: The conversion process varies for each individual (the second-most difficult key to grasp)
In a previous post, I said that the first key — conversion is a gradual process — is the most difficult to grasp. A close second is this final key about the particular nature of the journey that is different for every seeker. At first glance, it seems impossible to accommodate a personalized conversion process for each individual if we have more than a few seekers.
However, take a look at all the reasons listed that explain why the conversion process must be adapted to the needs of each individual. This isn’t a pie-in-the-sky ideal. It is an imperative. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults says that this is a spiritual journey that varies according to:
- the many forms of God’s grace
- the free cooperation of the individuals
- the action of the Church
- and the circumstances of time and place
We could stop at the first variable — the many forms of God’s grace — and be convinced that the journey will be different for everyone. Add in something we all know — not everyone comes with the same level of commitment to the process — and we become more convinced this journey of faith has to be adapted to each person. And then there is the action of your parish and the particular circumstances of your life and the place you find yourself on the conversion journey. All of this combined tells us that we have to find a way to accompany each person in the way they need to be supported.
Not only that, however. If we take seriously the variables of each person’s unique encounter with the Risen Christ, we can clearly see that it is impossible to provide a standard, one-size-fits-all program that will be an authentic spiritual journey of conversion.
It is impossible to provide a one-size-fits-all program that will be an authentic spiritual journey.
As I said, many teams find this step to be especially difficult. Honestly, however, the most difficult part is simply letting go of a programmatic mindset and having faith that the Holy Spirit will guide you in accompanying each person on his or her conversion journey. If we can pray for the courage to let the Spirit guide us instead of being guided by a predetermined syllabus, our work as RCIA teams will actually become much easier.
Simple next step: Start a daily prayer discipline asking the Holy Spirit to make you more open to accommodating your RCIA process to the unique needs of each person. You don’t have to actually change anything right away. Just start praying for the courage and insight to make future changes.
Long-term goal: If you are currently offering a series of classes for the precatechumenate period, plan to discontinue them in the future. In their place, begin a listening process to discover in each seeker how the Holy Spirit is guiding them. Use the signs of conversion listed in RCIA 42 as a starting point for your listening process.
What is your next step?
Do you think your team can take one of the simple next steps suggested above? If not, what is getting in your way? Please share below.
Click here to see how to apply all six keys to baptized candidates.
I feel that the only way to begin a listening process for seekers is to have a jumping off point in the midst of a meeting, such as reading Scripture to inspire sharing. My seekers have never been too keen on talking about themselves or sharing anything deep, whether meeting alone with me or in a group. Is beginning a listening session with Scripture a step in the right direction?