Christian initiation of adults in the Early Church : a mystagogical orthopraxis for the contemporary Church

Abstract

Since its inception the Church has always given a particular attention to the initiation of those who were requesting to join it. Different scriptural traditions speak of the apostolic mandate given by Jesus to his apostles before his ascension into heaven to go and make disciples. Documents dating back to the first centuries of the Church describe various rituals associated with Christian initiation. Such rituals were meant both to adequately prepare the candidates and to protect the Church from persons who might have wanted to do harm, especially during the time of persecution. One could observe variations in these rituals from one local Church to another. An integral part of the long process of initiation of new members in the early Church consisted in the catechetical homilies which the catechumens and the neophytes attended together with the rest of the Christian community. These homilies were generally delivered by the local bishop. Four such bishops were Cyril of Jerusalem, John Chrysostom, Ambrose of Milan and Augustine of Hippo. The themes about which these Church Fathers preached included the Creed, the Church and the Mysteries or Sacraments, with teaching about the latter normally being delivered after the candidates’ baptism. After experiencing a centuries-long decline, particularly since the close of the patristic era, the catechumenate was reinstituted in the Catholic Church by the Second Vatican Council. The normative model which emerged was strongly based on that practised by the early Church. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is fundamentally a pastoral model with its two main columns being the liturgical rites and catechesis. Such a model is currently in its initial phases of implementation in the Church in Malta. Through the Christian Initiation of Adults Ministry (CIAM), the Church in Malta is seeking not only to provide an ecclesial formation to those persons requesting to join the Catholic Church but also to serve as an opportunity of ongoing conversion to those who are seeking to deepen their commitment in Christian discipleship.