Angelus News | September 23, 2022 | Vol. 7 No. 19

NEW WORLD OF FAITH
ARCHBISHOP JOSÉ H. GOMEZ
Why read the Catechism?
Thirty years ago, on Oct. 11,
1992, the Catechism of the
Catholic Church was published.
If the catechism is just a book on the
shelf, take it down and open it up.
You will be surprised.
The Church’s doctrines, teachings,
all the norms of our faith, are presented
clearly and with authority. But
this is much more than a collection
of rules.
In these pages, you hear the voices
of the Church down through the
ages — prophets, apostles, Church
Fathers, saints, popes, and Church
councils. You hear echoes from ancient
prayers and liturgies.
The Church’s teachings are like a
symphony, St. Pope John Paul II liked
to say. Each teaching is essential to
the whole, united in a single revelation
from God about who he is, and
who he created us to be.
What we believe is intended to lead
us to follow and worship the One we
believe in, and to make his teaching
the way and the truth for our lives.
At the heart of the catechism is Jesus
Christ.
“It is Christ alone who teaches,”
we read. “Anyone else teaches to the
extent that he is Christ’s spokesman,
enabling Christ to teach with his lips”
(CCC 427).
These are words that should be
prayed and reflected on every day by
every teacher and catechist.
Every paragraph in the catechism is
filled with citations and words from
Scripture.
If you read this book with your
Bible, looking up the context for
these citations, if you follow the many
cross-references found in almost every
paragraph, the catechism becomes
spiritual reading.
You are swept up in the mystery of
salvation history: “From the liturgical
poem of the first creation to the canticles
of the heavenly Jerusalem, the
inspired authors proclaim the plan of
salvation as one vast divine blessing”
(CCC 1079).
There are beautiful summaries of
the meaning of our lives: “God put us
in the world to know, to love and to
serve him, and so to come to paradise”
(CCC 1721).
Another: “The vocation of humanity
is to show forth the image of God and
to be transformed into the image of
the Father’s only Son” (CCC 1877).
This is one of the most powerful
sentences in the catechism. It is interesting
that it begins a section on “the
human community.”
The catechism reminds us that
God’s plan, and the Church’s mission,
are not only for the salvation
of souls. The Gospel speaks to every
aspect of human life, including the
way we organize our economy and
government.
The catechism’s sections on society’s
purpose (CCC 1877–1948) and
what makes for social justice (CCC
2419–2449) help us to understand
that a deeper spiritual meaning underlies
the events in our world.
The catechism is a rich source of
wisdom and practical advice.
You can learn how to develop the
habits of virtue, and get personal
spiritual direction from a fourth-century
saint, Gregory of Nyssa: “The
goal of the virtuous life is to become
like God” (CCC 1803).
There are “mission statements”
and “marching orders” for moms
and dads: “Parents have the first
responsibility for the education of
their children. They bear witness to
this responsibility first by creating a
home where tenderness, forgiveness,
respect, fidelity, and disinterested
service are the rule” (CCC 2223).
If you are a priest preparing a
homily, you can gain insights on the
Gospel by looking up how the text is
used in the catechism. You’ll find references
to almost every chapter and
verse of the Gospels in the index.
And the catechism’s inspiring section
on holy orders concludes with
two beautiful quotes from saints that
will remind you why you fell in love
with Jesus and became a priest in the
first place (CCC 1589).
The final section of the catechism
is a masterpiece of spiritual writing
about how to pray.
Read the section on the passage
of the Lord’s prayer, “Give us this
day our daily bread.” It should be
a powerful inspiration in this time
of the Eucharistic Revival (CCC
2828–2837).
And St. Justin Martyr’s long description
of how the Mass was celebrated
in the year A.D. 155 will help you
understand why we call it “the Mass
of all ages” (CCC 1345).
For me, the catechism is a great
witness to our hope in Jesus Christ.
“Hope, O my soul, hope,” we hear
from St. Teresa of Ávila. “The more
you prove the love that you bear your
God, the more you will rejoice one
day with your Beloved, in a happiness
that can never end” (CCC 1821).
Pray for me and I will pray for you.
And may our Blessed Mother Mary
help all of us in the Church to
remember that “the whole concern
of doctrine and its teaching must be
directed to the love that never ends”
(CCC 25).
On
ken
mo
September 23, 2022 • ANGELUS • 3