When a child utters her first words it is a joyous occasion for her parents. Though her voice is that of a child and her pronunciation may falter, father and mother recognize her words as their own. The words that she uses came from them. For months the child has listened to father and mother. Now she is finally beginning to speak. She is "echoing" words that she first heard in her ear perhaps a thousand times. This understanding of hearing the Word and "echoing" the Word in the confession of one's mouth is central to the Church's ongoing work of catechesis. To catechize means to speak a word in the ear that is echoed by the catechumen who has received it. To catechize means to speak a word that both creates faith and becomes the Christian's own word in confession and prayer.
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Issue: "Train Up a Child: Becoming People of the Word in a Culture of Images" Jan./Feb. 2001 Vol. 10 No. 1 Page number(s): 25-27
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