In 1994, the Holy Father authorized the publication of a new
Catechism of the Catholic Church. This was a cause for great joy
for it had been over four centuries since the last catechism had
been promulgated. At that time the Church was trying to
reconcile the impact of the Protestant “Reformation” and needed
to clarify her teachings for those in spiritual turmoil. Fast
forward to the twenty-first century and, once again, Christians
face challenges for which they need deep insights and clear
answers. This wonderful book has answered the call.
>From nuclear war to stem cell research, modern Catholics wrestle
with issues that are simply not addressed in the Sacred
Scriptures and far removed from our childhood CCD classes. The
new Catechism fills the void by carefully delineating the
teachings of the Church and the source reference of those
teachings. The second edition of the Catechism (green cover) was
released in 1997 and contains improvements from the first
edition such as inclusion of a comprehensive index and glossary.
Reading and studying the text, however, can be a bit daunting to
the average Catholic. A catechism is a reference text and should
be read as such. Small forays into its depths with subsequent
time for reflection is more productive than attempting to read
it like a novel. Like Scripture, it presupposes a certain
understanding of Sacred Tradition. Without this grounding,
readers may have difficulty unearthing the great wisdom in its
pages.
Perhaps a short review of some key building blocks of the
Catholic faith will assist in this regard. The Magisterium is
the teaching authority of the Church which, guided by the Holy
Spirit, seeks to safeguard and explain the truths of the faith.
Magisterium comes from the Latin magister meaning “to teach.”
All the world’s bishops united with the Pope comprise the
Magisterium. Their singular goal is to protect the authentic
teachings of Christ until the end of time.
The Deposit of Faith is the body of saving truth entrusted by
Christ to the Apostles and handed on by them to the Church to be
preserved and proclaimed. This deposit has numerous components,
such as the oral tradition of the Apostles, Sacred Scripture,
writings of the Fathers of the Church, the documents of the
twenty-one Councils of the Church, testimonials of the Saints
and Doctors of the Church, and pontifical “teaching letters”
(known as encyclicals). As evidenced by the list, the Roman
Catholic religion runs deep and wide.
As with any component of the Deposit of Faith, however, the
Catechism does not stand alone but is part of a vast mosaic.
Like hyperlinks on the Internet, the new Catechism presents a
teaching and then leads us on to other references so we can
pursue the supporting Scripture passage, theological writings or
conciliar document. Those who contend that the Bible is the sole
reference for faith life miss out on these profound resources.
How is the catechism structured? It begins with the Apostolic
Letter from the Holy Father which describes the evolution of the
text and authorizes it as a valid reference for teaching the
faith. A review of the Contents page shows that the catechism is
set upon four “pillars” which form the framework of the entire
text. These pillars, and the doctrines they present, are as
follows:
Profession of Faith - This part of the Catechism discusses man’s
relationship with God and the unfolding of God’s revelation to
man. God chose to reveal Himself slowly over time as Father, Son
and Spirit, and the reader begins to see the deep mystery of
this relationship. The text carefully lays out the importance of
the Old and New Testaments and their value to the Christian. The
reader is then taken on a journey through the twelve articles of
the Profession of Faith, the creed that summarizes the key
truths of the Catholic religion. In summary, this part of the
Catechism explains:
A. Divine Revelation
B. Apostolic Tradition
C. Relationship between Scripture and Tradition
D. Sacred Scripture
E. The Profession of Faith (referencing the Apostle’s and Nicene
Creeds)
Celebration of Christian Mystery - In this part of the
Catechism, we plumb the depths of the seven Sacraments. Many of
us received the Sacraments in our youth but never understood how
deeply they are grounded in Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and the
teachings of the great Fathers of the Church. The new Catechism
opens up each Sacrament and carefully explains the layers of
meaning for each of these powerful gifts. Living among many
“Bible-only” Christian groups, this exposition is most valuable
in helping us defend these profound moments of grace. The text
also gives us an understanding of sacramentals, those physical
objects which serve to excite pious devotion and remembrance of
holy people or events. In summary, this part of the Catechism
explains:
A. The Sacraments of Initiation, Healing, and Vocation
B. Sacramentals
Life in Christ - This part of the Catechism encapsulates the
teachings of the faith on the inestimable value and dignity of
human life. It is here where we explore those issues that often
put the Church at odds with the global “culture of death.” We
learn about how, from the earliest years of the faith,
Christians honored human life from conception to natural death.
We go on to learn how, contrary to societal notions, sin and its
devastating effects cannot be masked behind euphemisms or
“relative” morality. The Catechism conducts an exhaustive review
of the Ten Commandments, reminding us that they are still in
force and how they must serve as the template to shape our
lives. In summary, this part of the Catechism explains:
A. Dignity of the Human Person
B. Christian Morality
C. Virtues
D. Sin
E. Social Justice
F. The Ten Commandments
Christian Prayer - The last section of the Catechism offers
insights into the importance of maintaining intimate contact
with our Creator through prayer. We learn about the various
types of prayer, the intrinsic value of prayer and the
obstructions that can affect the quality of our prayer life.
Prayer is essential to our pilgrimage but, like any endeavor, it
takes practice and commitment. Saints have reminded us that God
is interested in quality, not quantity. The Catechism closes
with a superb exposition of the Our Father, the prayer taught to
us by the Lord himself. In summary, this part of the Catechism
explains:
A. The Revelation of Prayer
B. The Tradition of Prayer
C. The Life of Prayer
D. The Lord’s Prayer
A wonderful feature of the book is that, after every few pages,
there is a bullet-type summary (known as In Brief) encapsulating
the major points presented. In a culture grown accustomed to
sound bites, each In Brief section gives us a quick review and
provides the cross-reference back to the main text. These
summaries come in handy when the material is especially deep or
theologically complex.
A journey through this profound document would be extremely
difficult were it not for the supporting material that comprises
almost one-fourth of the book’s total pages. Located at the very
back of the Catechism, this material gives us the tools to
pursue the source of Catholic beliefs and doctrines. It starts
off with the Index of Citations which give us the source
reference of each footnote, from Sacred Scripture (all taken
from the Revised Standard Version or the New Revised Standard
Version of the Bible) to the Ecumenical Councils, the Pontifical
Documents, Canon Law, and the Ecclesiastical Writers.
Perhaps the most important navigation tool is the Index of
Topics, an improvement made to the second edition of the
Catechism. This comprehensive Index is a wonderful pathway to
the vast array of topics inside. Those new to the faith find it
especially helpful to go here first. They find a topic of
interest or concern to them and zero in on the appropriate
paragraph in the text to see where the Church stands on that
issue. Coming from a “Bible only” background, it is often a
revelation for them to see that the Church has squarely faced
the difficult issues of the age and given a clear, supported
teaching. For those of us who grew up in the Catholic faith, we
find comfort in the fact that the Catholic Church is consistent,
i.e. that her commitment to virtue, piety and moral living is
always the same no matter what new challenge comes along. The
difficult topics addressed by the Catechism remind us that Holy
Mother Church never was, nor will ever be, afraid to stand as a
moral voice for all ages. A helpful Glossary follows the Index,
which aids in understanding some liturgical or theological terms
we may not come across every day.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a treasure. Its riches
are wide open to the faithful, reminding us that we are members
of an ancient Church, “...so old yet so new.” In mining the
wisdom of its pages we hear, once again, the voices of the
Apostles, the Popes, the Fathers, and the Saints. They remind us
that, in our humility before the world, we can still be proud to
be members of the one true Church founded by Jesus Christ.
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