Examples of the Narratio in St. Paul's Epistles

       “Narratio” is the “story of salvation.” “It is the narrative of the Faith. It is the Deposit of Faith proclaimed as truths discovered within the living history of the People of God” (Willey, de Cointet, Morgan 84). There are seven “basic elements” within the narratio: they are the four parts of the Catechism, i.e., “The Profession of Faith (Part 1);” The Celebration of the Christian Mystery (Part 2);” “Life in Christ (Part 3);” and “Christian Prayer (Part 4); together with “the three phases of the history of salvation,” i.e., “the Old Testament, the life of Jesus, and the history of the Church” (de Cointet, Morgan, Willey 84). The narratio, centered on Christ, who is the Eternal Word of God, is to be proclaimed to undertake the following fundamental tasks of catechesis: “promoting the knowledge of faith” in the catechetical community; for their “liturgical education” and “moral formation;” and “teaching (them) to pray” (GDC 85). By telling the story of salvation, catechists help the catechetical community to know the faith (fides quae) and act according to the faith (fides qua) (GDC 85).

        We can identify the narratio in St. Paul’s Epistles. For example, in elucidating the doctrine of justification in the Letter to the Romans, St. Paul pointed out that Christians are “justified by faith” in Christ (Romans 5:1), who died for us while “we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8), so that we may be saved by his blood (Romans 5:9). We were “reconciled to God through the death of his Son” (Romans 5:10). Justified in Christ, “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). This is St. Paul’s “Profession of Faith” centered on Christ, in the context of the economy of salvation of the Holy Trinity. In making his point, St. Paul also used the example of Abraham, a prominent Old Testament figure, who was reckoned as righteousness because of his faith in God. And for this reason, Abraham has become our father in faith (Romans 4:16). St. Paul went on to preach the sacrament of Baptism – an important “Celebration of the Christian Mystery.” Those who are baptized into Jesus are “baptized into his death” (Romans 6:3). “(J)us as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Baptized Christians should not remain in the state of sin but have been “set free from sin” (Romans 6:18). We are no longer slaves under the law but “in the new life (of grace) of the Spirit (Romans 7:6), who makes us holy in the “Life in Christ.” By becoming the “children of God” (Romans 8:14), it is fitting for Christians to pray with Jesus to his Father and call Him “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15). Finally, we wait in joyful hope for the “redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:23) as we enter into the eternal glory with Christ.

        St. Paul also used the narratio in his First Letter to the Corinthians to teach the early Christians on the Lord’s Supper. Again, he started the “Profession of Faith” with the economy of salvation centered on Christ. “Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth – as in fact there are many gods and many lords – yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (1 Corinthians 8:5-6). As such, food offered to idols or other gods has not turned evil because “no idol in the world really exist” and “there is no God but one” (1 Corinthians 8:4). St. Paul’s teaching is in fact grounded on “the monotheistic faith” of God’s people of the Old Covenant “to which (the early Christians) have been converted” (c.f. Deuteronomy 4:35, 6:4; Wisdom 7:17. 13:1, 15:2-3) (Coogan 2010). Yet, the Mosaic Law should now be subordinate to the Gospel of Christ (c.f. 1 Corinthians 9:8-14). St. Paul then deepened his teaching from normal food to the spiritual food of Christ. He told the Corinthians to “flee from the worship of idols” (1 Corinthians 10:14). And Christians should prepare themselves well for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper – the great Christian Mystery, examine their conscience, and celebrate together regardless of whether they were rich or poor. It is because “in the one Spirit we were baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and we were all made to drink of one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13). The Church is the Body of Christ (c.f. 1 Corinthians 12:12-31). St. Paul then went on to teach his famous “Passage on Love” – “Love is patient … It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-6). It serves as an excellent guide for our “Life in Christ.” As for “Christian Prayer,” St. Paul reminded those who could speak in a tongue should “pray for the power of interpret” (1 Corinthians 14:13), since all the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for the building up of the Church, and not for vainglory (c.f. 1 Corinthians 14:13-19). Finally, as in Letter to the Romans, he invited all believers to endure with hope for the final “victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57) at the end of time.

Works Cited

Coogan, Michael D. The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version with Apocrypha. N.p.: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.

de Cointet, Pierre, Barbara Morgan, and Petroc Willey. The Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Craft of the Catechesis. Print.

The General Directory for Catechesis. Vatican, n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2017.