Almost each Sunday we have an adult religious education hour following our 9:30 AM Mass, during the period of time our CCD program meets for children who do not go to Catholic school.
Our program for adults is called "Coffee and Conversation." It is meant to be informal and discussion based for the participants. This year we have been studying the USCCB's catechism which we also used for the RCIA. It is very good, but a big book packed with a great deal of good doctrine. But it can be intimidating to those who may not be inclined to read such a hefty book.
I was scheduled to lead Coffee and Conversation yesterday. Since the class was on "the resurrection of the body" I decided to use the chapter on it from the Baltimore Catechism (#2). Earlier in the year for I had used a chapter from the Baltimore Catechism (#1) which is geared to elementary age children; #2 to middle school age children.
The chapters in the Baltimore Catechism are very brief, no more than two to three pages. I feared that I wouldn't have enough information to fill the full hour. But I was wrong; there was enough discussion generated by the Baltimore Catechism's chapter on the resurrection of the body, to last more than an hour. I had to cut it short.
This is my point: the structure of the chapter, the examples that were used and simply reading the questions and answers to the adults then piqued their interest and religious imagination and there was great discussion.
Keep in mind that this catechism is for middle school children and written in a way to capture their religious imagination and make them think. It did the same for the adults yesterday. And like the adults yesterday, I was amazed at how little so many adult and children Catholics know today about the very basics of the Catholic faith.
The Baltimore Catechism is very straight forward in handing on the very basics of the faith, that which should be the foundation for any further building on the basics and developing a mature Catholic understanding of these with the various nuances that are necessary for adults.
These are the questions we went over yesterday:
LESSON THIRTY-SEVENTH ON THE LAST JUDGMENT AND THE RESURRECTION, HELL, PURGATORY, AND HEAVEN
408. Q. When will Christ judge us? A. Christ will judge us immediately after our death, and on the last day.
409. Q. What is the judgment called which we have to undergo immediately
after death?
A. The judgment we have to undergo immediately after death is called the
Particular Judgment.
410. Q. What is the judgment called which all men have to undergo on the last day? A. The judgment which all men have to undergo on the last day is called the General Judgment.
411. Q. Why does Christ judge men immediately after death? A. Christ judges men immediately after death to reward or punish them according to their deeds.
412. Q. What are the rewards or punishments appointed for men’s souls after the Particular Judgment? A. The rewards or punishments appointed for men’s souls after the Particular Judgment are Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell.
413. Q. What is Hell? A. Hell is a state to which the wicked are condemned, and in which they are deprived of the sight of God for all eternity, and are in dreadful torments.
414. Q. What is Purgatory? A. Purgatory is a state in which those suffer for a time who die guilty of venial sins, or without having satisfied for the punishment due to their sins.
415. Q. Can the faithful on earth help the souls in Purgatory? A. The faithful on earth can help the souls in Purgatory by their prayers, fasts, alms-deeds; by indulgences, and by having Masses said for them.
416. Q. If every one is judged immediately after death, what need is there of a General Judgment? A. There is need of a General Judgment, though every one is judged immediately after death, that the providence of God, which, on earth, often permits the good to suffer and the wicked to prosper, may in the end appear just before all men.
417. Q. Will our bodies share in the reward or punishment of our souls? A. Our bodies will share in the reward or punishment of our souls, because through the resurrection they will again be united to them.
418. Q. In what state will the bodies of the just rise? A. The bodies of the just will rise glorious and immortal.
419. Q. Will the bodies of the damned also rise? A. The bodies of the damned will also rise, but they will be condemned to eternal punishment.
420. Q. What is Heaven? A. Heaven is the state of everlasting life in which we see God face to face, are made like unto Him in glory, and enjoy eternal happiness.
421. Q. What words should we bear always in mind? A. We should bear always in mind these words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: “What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul, or what exchange shall a man give for his soul? For the Son of man the shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then will He render to every man according to his works.”
These questions led to the reasons why the Church requires Christian burial or entombment, mutilation of the body today; organ donation and donating one's body to science; the horror of damnation as a real possibility; the nature of purgatory and other images for it; the nature of heaven and what makes us happy; the nature of our resurrected bodies and loving what we and others have through the eyes of God not through the prejudice of the world; the nature of the last judgment as a judgement on all the institutions of the world, including the Church.
We could have gone on and on! It also helped us to realize that if as adults the only catehecesis we had was the Baltimore Catechism as children, we would have the basics but we would still be infantile in terms of knowledge of God, the Church and morality, that we need to grow as adults into an adult faith to have our questions answered with more nuanced statements and discussion. But the Baltimore Catechism did that yesterday with the adults I had and the discussion it created.
If you have an adult religious education group, I recommend the Baltimore Catechism, any of them as a spring board to further discussion. It's as easy as pie!
You can find the entire Baltimore Catechism on line, but the on-line doesn't have the simple art drawings and examples that are so important too for the religious imagination. THIS IS #2 on line, press here.
29 comments:
I've heard several people in the parish say how impressed they were with the Baltimore Catechism and, based on your usage of it, were looking for their own copy to buy!
Perhaps we should consider using this for RCIA next year.
You might find Baltimore Catechism 4, for advanced classes useful.
Can never go wrong with FUNDAMENTALS. They're the building blocks of our Faith!
Truly, Colleen, fundamentals are the basis for everything. There is beauty in simplicity.
Creeping secularism and ecumenicism have introduced distraction where it is not needed.
The primary mission of the Church is saving souls.
All we need to know about the faith and how to get to Heaven is in either the Roman or Baltimore Catechism.
Priests should be trained to offer the Sacrifice of the Mass, hear Confessions, perform the other Sacraments, and give spiritual advise. They do not need to spend their time messing with parish councils, sub-committees, and flower funds.
The Athanasian Creed should be returned to regular use.
Marc and I had this discussion last week. He continues to edify me as I remain in awe of his spiritual discernment and knowledge of Church dogma.
I have similar discussions with adults with pretty much the same questions - burial, cremation, orgain donation, purgatory, etc. - and have never used the Balto Catechism as a "starter" for such.
Enquiring minds want to know . . .
Thank you, Pin.
I actually just received in the mail today my new copy of The Roman Catechism. I was intrigued to find a "Sermon Guide" in the front that has a year long guide for what to preach each Sunday in order to educate the people over the course of a year on every aspect of Catholic Dogma.
How would the Church change if that were implemented? How much easier would be the life of a priest in not having to "invent" homilies every week?
I would be the last to suggest alternatives to the Baltimore Catechism, from a version of which I as a convert gained a greater understanding of the faith than I could have gotten from any contemporary RE or RCIA materials.
But I do think that the Compendium of the CCC--with it's Q&A format--would be much better for any group of this sort than the CCC itself, which is diffuse and singularly unsuitable for class use or group learning. (Better as a reference for someone already beyond the basic catechism level.)
Marc - I, for one, do not "invent" homilies every week. The Church has given us a syllabus to follow -the lectionary cycle. It serves well as a guide and as a basis for proper preaching.
GIRM: 65. The homily is part of the Liturgy and is strongly recommended,for it is necessary for the nurturing of the Christian life. It should be an exposition of some aspect of the readings from Sacred Scripture or of another text from the Ordinary or from the Proper of the Mass of the day and should take into account both the mystery being celebrated and the particular needs of the listeners.
Fr. Pater, I wasn't trying to offend you or any priest with the use of the word "invent." I was trying to convey the idea that priests sometimes comment on the difficulty of coming up with new homilies based on the readings after many years of preaching. So, "invent" was meant in terms of creativity in homiletics, not as a derogatory statement about any priest's presentation of doctrine.
I have been very pleased with the Baltimore Catechism, and it would certainly be a good foundation for a class. That said, I would suggest the CCC (with its excellent index) as a reference for questions which are asked in RCIA, especially those which come up in connection with news stories. Besides giving a solid answer, the students would soon see the value of having a copy of their own close at hand.
Ignotus/Kavanaugh, Maybe you should try using the Baltimore Catechism. You and your parishioners might learn something...
I agree with Henry, but I can say so only now that the Compendium is available. Back in the '90's when the CCC first came out, there was a subtle opposition to it claiming it was only a reference text. The problem was that those saying it had a reputation for opposing Church teachings. But now that the Compendium is here, it's possible to agree with the statement without unpleasant associations.
Marc - I took no offense, indeed. Like you I have heard some really atrocious homilies. Some preachers are gifted, some are not. Some try hard to do what the Church asks, some don't.
It takes diligence to attend to the high calling of preaching, and talents vary from priest to priest.
I'm not sure you'd get a better result even if a somewhat detailed syllabus were provided. A preacher can give a "weak" homily on the parable of the Prodigal Son OR on the doctrine of Purgatory...
Fr. Shelton, I found Msgr. Wrenn's books on why the Catechism was not well accepted to be very worthwhile.
So Marc,
Are you discerning the permanent diaconate?
You don't have to answer publicly.
~SL
My question is, why don't we use the Baltimore Catechism or something similar anymore? It's so easy to understand and is not over-inflated with opinionated theological psychobabble political propaganda that can be interpreted in 3000 different ways, like the contemporary handout-type publications from several sellers. That's not to say that the CCC is opinionated theological psychobabble political propaganda (it isn't), but the CCC is a really awful primary teaching tool for RCIA and the like. It's just too cumbersome.
The Baltimore Catechism should be the basis for all first catechesis for any age group, perhaps with two slightly different versions (with differences mainly in style) for children and adult converts.
Unfortunately, Ignotus/Kavanaugh suppressed the use of the Baltimore Catechism during his tenure at MHT. It had been used for years in the First Communion preparation class with many children learning the true fundamentals of their faith. The use of the Baltimore Catechism has not returned to MHT parish religious since his departure.
The Baltimore Catechism should be added to the list of "approved" books for use in Parish Relgious Education classes in the Diocese of Savannah. It is already being used as a de facto supplement to the "approved" materials because the approved stuff often lacks the directness and clarity of the "Balto" Catechism.
As for the official "Catechism of the Catholic Church," I can recall back in the 1990's when it first came out, I commented to our then Director of Religious Education, an unhabited sister, that it contained what united us. I was shocked then (and still am) when she responded, "No, that Cathechism is what divides us!" She also believed that the women's ordination "issue" was not settled by John Paul II. More evidence of what you said earlier, Father Shelton.
MHT, The very presence of a Priest like Ignotus in Churches like MHT and St. Jo's is like seeing a pig in the Louvre. There is just too much cognitive dissonance...
Ignotus needs to be in some modular, prefab Church somewhere where they play guitars, hold hands, and make it up as they go along. Perhaps God blesses that stuff and uses it somehow. I guess that is why He is God...
I have heard rumors that what passes for catechism in many Parishes in this Diocese pleases our new Bishop not one iota. Although I can not confirm the rumor, I can easily believe it, as I possess a hand out from a Parish used for 8th Graders that states the keys given to St Peter were the keys to the Gates of Hell. It states also that the statement "the gates of hell shall not prevail against her" is nonsense because everyone know's that gates can't attack. I kid you not, these things are being taught by Catholic Churches to Our Children. The wife of the Deacon at this class was used to teach (ordination through marriage) the idea that "Mass is Boring".
SL,
I am actually not old enough to be a deacon. I think in our Diocese one must be at least 30 years old to become a permanent deacon.
Thank you for asking. I take that as a very nice compliment! :-)
Deacon or not, you need to remain in some teaching capacity in the Church...most particularly at St. Joseph's.
Marc,
Deacons are required to take courses before they are ordained. If you started now and took them over two years...
I truly beleive you would make a fine permanent Deacon!
actually it is 5 years of preparation!
And, actually according to the USCCB, one must be 35 years old. So, even factoring in the 5 years formation, I won't be 35 years old in 5 years!
Thank you all for your compliments!
Marc, "...won't be 35 years old in five years." You dog...!
Actually Gene, you almost have that right- Marc will be 35 in one dog year!
If it's any consolation, I do feel much older than I am...
Interestingly, Fr. McDonald was ordained to the priesthood on my birthday, but three years before I was born! I always remember his ordination date and I try to remind him that I was -3 when he began his priestly ministry! :-)
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