From the Pastor…
It is a trying time of year for the confirmation students as they struggle to complete their coursework. The most dreaded of all requirements, of course, is memorizing the catechism.
At this time of year I sometimes wonder, is it worth all the effort? Is it worth the students’ time as they struggle to memorize the creed, the commandments, and their meanings? Is it worth the parents’ worry as they wonder how their child will complete everything in time? Is it worth the pastor’s time as he schedules extra make-up sessions with the students? I have heard people argue—and not just in this parish—that memorization is an old-fashioned requirement that no longer serves a purpose. After all, if the students just forget it after the class is done, then why bother memorizing it in the first place?
In light of all these objections, why still memorize? There are several reasons. The first is that it teaches and reinforces the language of the faith. What do I mean by the language of faith? Consider words such as repentance, righteousness, and justification. Surely Christians would agree that these are important words to know if we are to understand what Jesus commands and promises us. But how often do you hear these words spoken on the street, in school, or at your workplace? They’re not everyday words, but they are crucial for understanding our lives as Christians. Page through your catechism and you’ll find these words in full measure, along with important ideas, such as caring for your neighbor, the power of God’s word, and the certainty of God’s salvation. Even if students memorize a portion of the catechism one week and forget it the next, they’re being exposed to the most important words and concepts of the faith, words and concepts which they don’t hear many other places. By the time you’ve memorized the Second Article of the Creed, you’ve had to read the words redeemed, condemned, and righteousness many times, and you’ve been reminded that these things about Jesus are “most certainly true.”
What if students don’t know what these words mean, though? Isn’t it pointless repetition if students don’t know the meaning of the words they’re memorizing? Hardly. You bring kids to hockey and basketball games long before they know all the rules; indeed, that’s how they learn the rules. It’s the same with the catechism. You have students read and memorize the words, long before they understand them all, because that’s how they learn to understand them. In fact, that’s the reason memorization goes along with classroom instruction. I expect the students to memorize portions of the catechism on the nights we discuss them in class. That way, they’ll understand what they’re memorizing, and at the same time, the things they’ve memorized will help them understand what we’re discussing in class.
Still, the most stubborn objection is that students just forget it all anyway. If they forget it after they’ve taken the quiz, then why memorize it in the first place? But who says they have to forget it after the quiz? For that matter, who says just because you took confirmation years ago and have forgotten the catechism that you can’t memorize it again? Memory is a wonderful gift. In times of distress, you don’t need a Bible on hand if you’ve got a few key verses of scripture tucked away in your memory. Pull a comforting verse of scripture from your mind and let God speak to you through it. I encourage you to tuck some Bible verses in your memory; indeed, this is precisely what the catechism is. It’s a collection of scripture verses and explanations of what they mean.
Don’t worry about memorizing the entire catechism all at once. You could look at just the First Commandment for an entire week. Next week look at the Second Commandment. Talk about it with your family at home during devotions. Actually, this was what Luther had in mind when he wrote the catechism. He intended that fathers and mothers would use it to teach their own children. Luther was hardly original when he suggested this. It’s God’s idea. In Deuteronomy 11, we read, “You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.”
God’s Word is a treasure, and your memory is a treasure chest, a place for keeping it, and later for taking it out and using it. So, yes, confirmation students, memorize. Grandparents, memorize. Young children and their parents, memorize. High schoolers and college students, memorize. Open up the treasure chest of your memory, and cram it full of God’s Word.
Pastor Paul Koch