ing the Christian Faith and the Christian Way of Life with a view toward baptism. If all was agreeable you would be invited to inscribe your name in the Book of the Catechumenate. You were now recognized a someone who is seriously committed to learning about this new way of life with a view to being baptized. You knew that if this book fell into the wrong hands it could be your death warrant, however, it is truly the Book of Life. As a catechumen, you were recognized as a member of the Church but not a fully-initiated member of the Church. The catechumenate usually lasted for three (3) years, three (3) years and forty (40) days. The last forty days were a period of intense preparation, and prayer, and fasting, and study which developed into our holy season of Lent. While three (3) years was the usual time of preparation in the catechumenate it was not uncommon for a person to take a longer time to prepare for baptism. The person may want more time to see if they could agree totally with the teachings and/or the Christian Community
wanted to be sure that the person seeking baptism would be committed to the Faith even to the point of laying down his life for it if it came to that. During this time of catechumenate the catechumen would come to the Mass of to the Lord’s Supper, however, they would only be allowed to stay for the first part of the Mass, which we know as the Liturgy of the Word, which used to be known as the Mass of the Catechumens. After the homily, the catechumens would be dismissed with prayers and anointings with the Oil of Catechumens. They would not be allowed to stay for the “Mysteries”, the Liturgy of the Eucharist or the Mass of the Faithful, as it used to be known as because they were not fully-initiated into the mysteries. They would be dismissed to go with their catechists, teachers to reflect on the Word which they heard. All during this time the person who first brought you to your first meeting of the Christian Community has not abandoned you. This person would walk the Journey of Faith with you, praying with you, accom-
Photo Credit: Flickr/ Fr. James Bradley
panying you to instructions, sharing their journey into the Christian Faith with you; in short, becoming a spiritual Dutch uncle to you. Usually this person became your sponsor. As the time of your catechumenate was coming to an end and the Christian Community was convinced of your progress in not only learning the Faith but also living it you would be invited to progress onto the Order of the Elect. Elect means chosen. In the Rite of Election, the catechumen would inscribe his name in the Book of the Elect. Again, if this book fell into the wrong hands it could be your death warrant. However, as one signed the Book of the Elect, it was in a real sense signing one’s name in the Book of Life. The Elect would be received by the episcopus, the bishop. The people who were the Elect were chosen by God, and this choice was ratified by the Christian Community to receive the Easter Sacraments, the Sacraments of Initiation this Easter Vigil. The elect now entered into a period of intense preparation, and study, and fasting, and prayer which would culminate with their Baptism, Confirmation, and Reception of Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. However, not only the elect would enter into this time of preparation, their catechists, their sponsors, the leaders of the Church, indeed the whole Church would pray and fast with them. There were two (2) reasons for this; the faithful would pray and fast for those who were to be initiated at the Easter Vigil. Also, they recognized that they might become a little sloppy, a little tempted in their commitment to living their Catholic Christian lives. This time of prayer and fasting was a time to exercise those spiritual muscles and become the leaner, kinder, Catholic Christians they professed to be to welcome these new comers into the Catholic Christian Community. This developed into our holy season of Lent.