Episode Details

Fr. Peter George Flynn explores the often-overlooked world of the neophytes: the newly baptised who emerged from the Easter Vigil as members of Christ’s body after what Fr. Peter calls their passage through the cocoon of baptism. He reads closely from the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults on the post-baptismal period of mystagogy (literally, “teaching of the mysteries”), explaining how the Sunday Masses of Easter are specifically designed for neophytes, how their godparents, parishes and priests are charged to welcome and support them, and how the whole community is renewed by encountering their fresh faith.

He traces the Easter season lectionary Sunday by Sunday (Peter’s Pentecost sermon, the Road to Emmaus, the Good Shepherd, “I am the Way the Truth and the Life,” and the promise of the Holy Spirit) as a structured catechesis for newly baptised adults. Father Peter also takes up St. Paul’s caution in 1 Timothy and St. John Chrysostom’s commentary that a neophyte should not be ordained or given governance: not because of youth, but because of the danger of inordinate pride — illustrating this with the extraordinary exception of St. Ambrose of Milan, baptised and ordained in days by popular acclamation, without whom there would have been no Augustine, no Thomas, no Bonaventure.

L'articolo Catechesis – Neophytes: The Newly Baptised during Easter – John Carlin and Fr Peter George Flynn OFM proviene da Radio Maria.