Catechism of the Catholic Church (1995, Paperback)

When it was first announced that the Catholic Church would publish a new universal catechism, liberals began to squeal like abused little pigs. It signalled the beginning of the end of their absolute monopoly over catechetics. For approximately forty years, doctrinal and moral relativism had reigned supreme in the American Church, from the parish pulpits, to the classrooms, to the seminaries. For decades, actual belief--the daring conviction that religious truth existed and that it was man's highest vocation to conform to this truth--was viewed primarily as a threat to human freedom. The fruit of this doctrinal and moral anarchy has been the rise of the culture of death, the culture of promiscuity, the culture of unbelief, and the New Age Movement, even within nominally Catholic institutions. Perhaps two entire generations of Catholics have now been raised within this climate of confusion. Which is to say, many who call themselves "Catholic" have been left utterly uncatechiized, and think and live accordingly.

The new universal catechism is the beginning of the end of this confusion. Now, in modern terms, the ancient faith has again been proclaimed to the modern world. Finally, priests, theologians, catechists, homeschooling parents, and the faithful in general, at last have an authoritative reference which can be held up as the standard of Catholic teaching. This is absolutely necessary, as liberals and unorthodox persons within the Church, who have presented themselves as a sort of counter-magisterium, have imposed their innovations on the faithful without mercy, depriving them of the beauty and goodness of revealed truth. It was necessary that the faithful be able to fight the notions of the false magisterium with the truths of the genuine magisterium. The catechism, then, is as much an instrument for truth as a weapon against error.

The new universal catechism is organized like a typical traditional catechism. It is divided into four sections: the Profession of Faith (Creed), the Celebration of the Christian Mystery (Sacraments), Life in Christ (Commandments), and Christian Prayer (Our Father). Each section is quite extensive in its presentation of Catholic teaching. The language is classic, yet modern, while no politically manufactured "inclusive language" is used. Reading this book provides a refreshing break from the imposed dialect of American newspeak. An excellent topical index is provided even in the smaller edition, while the larger edition has a number of extremely useful indexes according to Sacred Scripture, Church councils and synods, pontifical documents, canon law, liturgy, and ecclesiastical writers. The text itself is extensively cross-referenced, allowing for additional research into each subject.

The catechism is something of a Bible commentary. It explains and expounds, according to the Apostolic faith, teachings which are sometimes only introduced in the pages of Holy Writ. It settles many controversies which non-Catholics can only debate without resolution. It carries through the ages a clarity of Christian faith and morals, showing us how to live the Gospel life in a world that has fanatically rejected the Gospel, to its own peril.

I cannot recommend highly enough the new universal Catechism of the Catholic Church. Thanks be to God for this masterful "symphony of the faith!"