Read the
Summa contra Gentiles and the
Summa Theologiae so you know that your faith is rational, and not blind: that it is superior to all other faiths, and this is demonstrated through rigorous logic and good exegesis. And the
Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis. And
Christ Is Passing By by St Josemaria Escriva. And
Fides et Ratio and
Evangelium Vitae, and anything by Blessed Pope John Paul the Great or by the Holy Father. Both are copious authors compared to any other Pope in the modern era that I know of; John Paul the Great focuses more on theological, philosophical, and contemporary matters; the Holy Father focuses on exegesis and interpretation of the Bible.
I’m crazy about reading vast, vast amounts of writing, and, as a Catholic, that’s included a sizable proportion of Catholic writing, so I tend to ramble on. However, for learning the basics of Catholicism, nothing beats a Catechism, whether it be the modern one, the Roman one, or the Baltimore one. I’m partial to the Roman catechism myself, but I believe the modern Catechism (the one in a rectangular white hardcover with gold on the corners) is the standard. And a
good Catholic Bible, but I don’t want to get in to that here - my passion for excellent Biblical translation is intense.
Scott Hahn is “formal theology”? I would have considered Balthasar “formal theology”, and Scott Hahn “popular apologetics”?
Note: St Thomas Aquinas and Hans Urs von Balthasar are incredibly erudite, dense, and difficult to read if you don’t already have a strong basis in classical philosophy and basic concepts of Catholic theology.
Welcome to the true Church of Jesus Christ, the true faith
Code:
We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church.
We confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and we look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.
Ave Maria,
Gratia plena,
Dominus tecum.
Benedictus tu in mulieribus
Et benedictus fructus ventris tui,
Iesus.
Sancta Maria,
Mater Dei,
Ora pro nobis peccatoribus
Nunc et in hora mortis nostrae.
**
Amen.**
Or as they say in Battlestar Galactica, “So say we all!”
