Contents at a Glance
Part 1: Decoding the Catechism
1 Not Your Grandmother’s Catechism
Set aside any preconceived notions you may have about the official Catechism of the Catholic Church, and open your mind to go on an incredible spiritual journey. This operating manual for Catholics is about so much more than rules.
To understand the current Catechism, you need to get the skinny on catechisms in general, and what they’re meant to do and be in the life of a believer.
What makes us want to have a relationship with God? Get a close-up look at faith, divine revelation, and all those things that lead us closer to our creator.
The Apostles’ Creed summarizes the beliefs of the Catholic faith in one concise prayer. We’ll start with God the Father and work our way through the Trinity, the central belief of the Christian faith.
If God is so kind and merciful, why is there so much suffering on Earth? Let’s look at those age-old questions about good vs. evil, the presence of angels, and the reality of the devil.
Jesus Christ is the Word Incarnate, the second person of the Trinity. What does all that mean? And while we’re at it, what was the Virgin Mary’s role in all of this?
To understand Jesus’ role in God’s plan of salvation, we have to look at the human life he lived, from his birth and childhood, to his years of preaching, to his eventual Crucifixion and Resurrection.
We may think of the Holy Spirit as a dove or fire or wind, but who is the Spirit really, and what is his role in the Trinity and in the Church today?
Catholics profess a belief in “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” Under-standing these four “marks” of the Church will help explain the Church’s mission and the role of its members.
The end of the creed covers a wide array of beliefs that often stump non-Catholics: saints, the Virgin Mary, purgatory, confession, and the last judgment. They’re all right here.
Part 3: A Mystery Not Meant to Be Solved
11 Mass: It’s Not Just for Sundays
Catholic liturgy is the center of the Church’s life, bringing together signs and symbols, music and sacred images, and a host of earthly elements designed to bring people closer to the heavenly kingdom.
Catholics receive three sacraments over the course of their lives: baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist. Find out why they’re important and what they mean.
Being human means we’re going to face struggles of both the spiritual and physical kind. The sacraments of reconciliation and anointing of the sick strengthen Catholics who are facing weakness, illness, or death.
Ordination and marriage are two very different vocations lumped under one heading. Learn about holy orders and why only men are ordained priests, bishops, and deacons, and get the straight scoop on marriage and why the Church says “No” to divorce.
15 Morality: the Root of All Dignity
Before we get to the Ten Commandments, we have to talk about morality in general, starting with that little voice in your head that tells you what you should and shouldn’t do.
It’s not enough to be good people. We’ve got to make the world better for everyone else while we’re at it. Find out about the common good, social justice, and moral law.
17 The First Three Commandments
These three biggies honor God the Father. You know the drill: no other gods, no taking the Big Guy’s name in vain, and no skipping the Sabbath.
18 #4: Honor Thy Father and Mother
After God, there’s good old Mom and Dad. This commandment says that you have to obey them when you’re young, and respect and care for them when they’re old. It also says a few other important things about respect for authority and the earth.
Think of this commandment as the “seamless garment” rule. Respect for life comes before everything else, whether we’re talking about abortion, suicide, science, or euthanasia.
20 #6: You Shall Not Commit Adultery
Don’t be fooled by the heading on this one. There’s much more to adultery than meets the eye. This commandment forbids lust, pornography, masturbation, homosexuality, birth control, and more.
If you think this commandment is strictly about taking something that doesn’t belong to you, think again. Here the Church gets into economic justice, fair wages, environmentalism, and caring for the poor.
22 The Last Three Commandments
Lying, greed, and envy play the starring roles in this chapter, where bearing false witness and coveting are clearly linked to their modern-day counterparts.
Prayer is a pretty personal thing, but there are some basics that are one-size-fits-all. Check out what makes people want to pray and where to go for guidance.
Do you pray out loud? Meditate? Contemplate? Whatever way you pray, there’s a method to your madness and a way to get past the obstacles that distract you.
25 The Prayer of All Prayers: The Our Father
This is the “perfect” prayer of Christianity. We’ll take it one line at a time to grasp its full depth of meaning.