I Teach Catechism

Motivation may be a concomitant step in the teaching procedure, or it may be an independent effort at the conclusion. All through the teaching procedure the teacher will find story and example occurring frequently, in order to motivate the will. Again, at the conclusion of each section she will find a paragraph presenting a particular idea for motivation as if she would say to the class, 'You have learned something about God; now do something about it.' The Master dogmatized little, seldom gave catechetical form to His pronouncements. If the seventy-two parables and other exhortations, which are just motivations, were removed from the Gospels, only a booklet would be left. These manuals do provide numerous appeals that should make the knowing Catholic also a doing Catholic. The pious teacher will readily discover other motivations, in answer to the question, how useful is this knowledge or practice, how necessary, how pleasant, how noble. If the Master gave such prominence to motivation, then it is surely proper to emphasize its importance in 'I Teach Catechism' and in fact to assign the very place to this important feature." - From the Preface