Chapter
2

A Little History, Please

In This Chapter

The origin and evolution of Catholic catechism

Why we need the Catechism and how to study it

God’s connection to the Catechism

Resources and tips for breaking open the Catechism

Now that you know a little about the Catechism in general, we need to put everything into proper perspective. Clearly this is not the first catechism ever written, so let’s go back and explore how the earliest catechisms in the Church were formed and how they grew into the Catechism we are about to study.

For many people, the Catechism may seem like something that should be left to the professionals, as if there is a flashing sign on the cover that says, “Don’t try this at home.” The reality is that the Catechism, although directed specifically toward bishops as a teaching tool, was written for every person who has an interest in faith. It is not reserved only for those who work for the Church, are ordained to the priesthood, or have advanced theology degrees. Of course, sometimes the language used makes it seem as if it’s written for theologians, but this book is going to help you get past all of that.

In this chapter, we are going to fill in background information you may need in order to put everything into context as you move through the Catechism. Particularly, we’ll make the connection between the Catechism and God—because there is one. Before you’re finished with this chapter, you will have the tools you need to make this trip through the Catechism as enjoyable and informative as possible.

Catechism 101

Catechisms are not unique to the Catholic Church, and, in fact, have been part of the transmission of the Christian faith since the earliest disciples began spreading the message of Jesus Christ. Some even consider the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—to be like a first catechism of sorts because they transmit the teachings Jesus preached in his lifetime. Until the invention of the printing press, catechism texts were none too common. One we do know of is the Doctrine of the Apostles, or Didache, which dates back to first-century Syria and was used to prepare people for baptism. In the fifth century, St. Augustine wrote the Enchiridion, which was a treatise on faith, hope, and love, for use in educating others in the faith.

The first universal Catholic catechism was not published until 1566, when the Catechism of the Council of Trent was written. Designed mainly to help parish priests teach the faithful, this Roman Catechism, as it was commonly called, became a model for future catechisms. Like the current Catechism, the Roman Catechism was divided into four sections: creed, sacraments, Decalogue (or Ten Commandments), and prayer.

In later centuries, numerous minor catechisms popped up, such as the Baltimore Catechism in the United States and the Penny Catechism in Great Britain, which used the simple question-and-answer format that most people associate with catechisms.

In 1986, under the direction of Pope John Paul II, a commission of 12 cardinals and bishops was appointed to produce the first complete rewrite of the Catechism of the Council of Trent. The president of that commission was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict XVI.

True Confessions

Some credit Martin Luther with producing the first catechism, at least according to our modern understanding of a catechism text. Published in 1529, Luther’s little catechism used materials from his sermons to guide teachers and parents. It is still a mainstay in Lutheran churches. He later wrote a second catechism specifically for children. The Calvinists got their own catechism in 1563, when John Calvin published the Heidelberg Catechism.

It took six years to complete the revised version, called Catechism of the Catholic Church, which was published in French in 1992. The English version was released in 1994, and the Latin version, which is now the official text, in 1997.

Teachable Moment

There are two classes of catechisms: major and minor. A major catechism, such as the current Catechism of the Catholic Church, is one that would be used as a teaching tool from which any minor catechisms, such as the Baltimore Catechism, would be written. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is also known as a universal catechism, meaning that it is written for the worldwide, universal Church.

Theology Degree Not Required

Because major catechisms are so comprehensive in content, they tend to be written in a style that is less than engaging for the average person. So we are going to take the complicated passages of the Catechism and hammer them down into prose, heavy on meaning but light on what I like to call Church-speak—that long-winded, lingo-laden academic writing that can make anyone’s eyes glaze over.

You don’t need an advanced degree in theology or philosophy or anything else to benefit from a study of the Catechism. Sure, if you were working straight from the original text with no study guide, you might start to feel a little woozy from all those footnotes and long citations, so that’s why you have this book.

In fact, this is going to be fun because we hit all of the highlights of the Catechism and every core teaching, but don’t dwell on the more minute details that are unnecessary for a basic understanding of Catholicism. Everything you read in the coming chapters is what’s key to understanding the Catholic faith.

True Confessions

The Catechism of the Catholic Church became an immediate best-seller when it was released. However, it did not rise to the top of The New York Times, or any other, bestseller list because sales figures from each of the 15 individual publishing houses that produced it were counted separately instead of as one total, despite the fact that the editions were identical. To date, the Catechism has sold more than three million copies in nine languages.

In the Beginning

You might be thinking that the Catechism sounds like something that is written by bishops for bishops, but you’ll be happy to know that the Catechism starts with God. This is not saying God penned the Catechism, because he didn’t. What it means is the text of the Catechism grows out of God’s love for humankind and his desire that all people seek him out and learn to love him.

Church Speak

Good News refers to the central teachings of Christianity, which spring from the words and deeds of Jesus, as found in Scripture, especially the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. In fact, the word gospel means good tiding or good news.

God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to give us the Good News, and his Son picked the Twelve Apostles to carry on the traditions of the faith. From that original group, over the course of centuries, millions of Christians have continued to spread the Gospel. Every man and woman who believes in Jesus is called to share his message with others, whether through formal classes or casual conversations or quiet actions.

The Catechism simply takes that love of God, that call to action, that challenge of faith, and puts it into a single manual that can serve as a lifelong guide to living the Catholic faith in a meaningful and authentic way.

Getting Started

Well, we’re just about ready to begin the real thing. Hopefully at this point you feel comfortable with what’s ahead and confident it won’t be difficult. It’s almost guaranteed at some point during this learning process, you will sit back and marvel at the scope of the Catechism. It really is something to behold.

How to Use It

Before you begin, I want to recommend ways to approach the Cate-chism and how to use this book. You could simply read through this book and stop right there. The teachings and explanations are complete and provide everything you really need to understand the Catholic faith.

However, if you wish to gain a deeper and more comprehensive study of the Catechism, this book is a true study guide for it, too, a complement to the full Catechism, to be used in conjunction with it. Reference numbers for specific Catechism passages are included throughout this book, meaning whenever you see a number in parentheses, all you need to do is look for that same number in the full Catechism to find the unabridged version of that teaching.

The Catechism is very simple to use because of its number system. Every paragraph is numbered and cross-referenced. You can pretty much find any subject you can imagine … and a few you probably can’t!

You can read through this book and the Catechism itself section by section, in order, or you can take a chapter by itself and just read that. There is no right or wrong way to read the Catechism. In fact, you don’t have to read it at all. You can use it as a reference guide, for simply looking up specific subjects of interest to you or to answer questions you may have. It is designed to help you understand the faith, in whatever way makes you most comfortable.

True Confessions

One of the drafts of the Catechism submitted to the bishops of the world for their consideration resulted in 24,000 suggested changes.

Extra Resources

If you want to use this book as a guide to assist you in studying the larger Catechism, there are several resources you’ll find handy to have within your reach:

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, published by the Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

A Bible. This book uses the New American Bible translation, but you may use whatever Bible you have available.

A notebook. This will be helpful for jotting down questions or taking notes on things you might want to explore further.

Internet access. You may want to be able to quickly locate Church documents or other references, which are typically available online.

The Next Step

Before you turn the page and jump in, it might be nice to take a moment of quiet—or a moment of prayer, if you’re comfortable with that—to focus on opening your heart and mind. Put aside any preconceived ideas you have about Catholic teaching, and let the Catechism speak to you.

Teachable Moment

Catholic Bibles differ from Protestant versions. The Catholic Church takes as “inspired” seven books in the Old Testament that are not accepted by Protestants. Catholics consider the following books, known as the deuterocanonical texts, to be part of the canon of Scripture: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and 1 and 2 Maccabees.

The Least You Need to Know

A catechism is any manual used to instruct others in the faith and has existed in various forms since the early Christian Church.

The current Catechism of the Catholic Church, which is a universal catechism, was the first complete rewrite of the Catechism of the Council of Trent, originally published in 1566.

Although the Catechism was directed toward bishops when it was written, it is meant to be read by any person interested in learning more about the Catholic faith.

Studying the Catechism requires little more than an open mind and an open heart. Having on hand a Bible and the full text of the Catechism along with some type of study guide for it can help make the process more effective and complete.