Personalistic Moral Education in Catechesis

Abstract

Personalistic moral education in catechesis primarily involves accompanying human being in his development, which should aim at the fullness of humanity and self-empowerment as the human person. Personalistic moral formation is based on the human person and his inalienable and irreducible dignity. Catechesis, conveying the moral message, does not teach one of many theories of human good conduct, but explains the truth about the human being as a person, his inalienable dignity. The teaching of morality is, therefore, no savoir-vivre, but is ontic in character, i.e. involves personal creativity and leads the human person to perfection and sanctity. A personalistic approach to moral education requires that the human being should not only be the executor of the Divine law, but a co-host, invited to seek the truth. Hence in the personalistic approach, moral formation is not a technique of influencing the person and does not require respect of norms and obligations. Nor does it concentrate on the deification of the law and legality or involve moralising, but is based on the meeting and communion of the human person with Jesus Christ and on the following and imitation of His Person. The entire process of moral education is to benefit the person and help her to be more herself, to assure her dignity through moving from the humanity of nature to the humanity of the person.