Praying the catechism
John H May 21st, 2007
As I mentioned in a recent post, the Small Catechism is great reading for Christians of any tradition. It represents a “mere Christianity” that is believed, and can be appreciated, far beyond the institutional boundaries of “Lutheranism”. (See, for example, CraigS’s reference to the catechism he prepared for his sons, based on the Small Catechism.)
And as I said in the same post, the Small Catechism has been described as the only catechism that can be prayed (PDF). Luther wrote it, not as a doctrinal standard, but as a resource for personal and (especially) family instruction and devotion (hence the inclusion of prayers for morning, evening and meal times).
So one of the best ways to “get into” the Small Catechism is to pray it. As I’ve mentioned, the Catechism contains orders for morning and evening prayer, and these can easily be expanded to an informal “catechism office” along the lines of the following:
- Introduction
- Confession
- Praise
- Reading
- Creed
- Prayer
Make the sign of the holy cross and say: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Read or recite the Ten Commandments, perhaps dwelling on two or three questions from Luther’s exposition, and confessing to God any particular sins that come to mind.
Sing or recite a psalm or two, ending each with the “Glory Be…”.
Read a passage from Scripture, according to whatever scheme you choose to follow.
Read or recite the Creed, perhaps dwelling on Luther’s exposition of one of the articles or (once you’ve worked your way through the Creed) a question or two from the sections on Holy Baptism, the Sacrament of the Altar or Confession and the Office of the Keys.
Pray the Lord’s Prayer, and then go back to focus on some or all of the petitions as expounded upon by Luther, adding your own particular prayer requests as come to mind under each heading. Conclude with the “little prayer” for the morning or evening (as applicable) from the section of Daily Prayers.
Any suggested refinements are very welcome.
The best version of the Catechism for this purpose is probably the small “tract” edition produced by CPH. It’s a small, plain booklet that fits easily inside a Bible, and can then be easily referred to. I also hope to put some further resources up on this site at some point that may be useful for this purpose. (No promises, though, mind…)
Note: Updated on 12 June 2008 to reflect developments in my own practice, and to bring it closer to Luther’s own practice as described in A Simple Way to Pray.
