Devoted Study

[Mettermrck]

I realize I’m very new to Catholicism and have a long way to go before I finish RCIA and join the church, yet I feel a strong calling to study and humble learning…so far, I’ve been reading my Bible and Catechism regularly, trying to practice devotions such as the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy. I want to be more knowledgable about my faith so that I can serve Him wherever he calls me, whether someday as an apologist, someone assisting with my local church (deacon?), or a teacher.

Where do I begin beyond what I’m doing know? Where’s a good point to start a methodical Bible study, what methods should I use. What resources should I apply myself to and master (early Church fathers? read up on the noted Catholic apologists now?) I try to be humble enough to know that I have much to learn and that it will take a while. I need to pray on this, but any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Margita]

God bless you for your efforts. God is calling you to get to know Him better.
I would suggest that you simply stick to reading the Bible and make a habit of praying regularly, the Rosary is a school in itself! Especially if you use a scriptural Rosary. Perhaps make an appointment with a pastor, ask for individual spiritual direction - a priest will get you started on your journey to know God better and better every day.
I would not suggest taking up the Church Fathers at this point yet. Simply because you don’t need to expose yourself to temptations of doubt, criticism, whatever - the Church of today is different from the Church of the first centuries, in many ways, and you may become uncomfortable and uncertain when discovering differences which are perhaps not so important at all.
Try to arrange your studies around the RCIA syllabus. be firmly grounded in the basics, it is so easy to become enthusiastic right at the beginning, and to keep asking for more when you already have sufficient supplies at hand. Instead of adding to your syllabus, try to go deeper into what you already have.

God bless you!

 

[Mettermrck]

Try to arrange your studies around the RCIA syllabus. be firmly grounded in the basics, it is so easy to become enthusiastic right at the beginning, and to keep asking for more when you already have sufficient supplies at hand. Instead of adding to your syllabus, try to go deeper into what you already have.

Thank you, I needed some good advice like that. I guess I get drawn in to the historical aspects of my passion for history…in fact, I probably a lot about church history even before I was drawn to the faith, so I guess doubly excited now that it has extra meaning.

But you make a good point I need to hold to, to temper myself and get the fundamentals first. Where could I find a basic RCIA syllabus? Should I ask the person I’m doing my Inquiry with at church or search somewhere online? And for reading the Bible, I have a daily reading guide that lets me read the Bible and Catechism completely in a year. Should I be doing study work, taking notes? Or simply reading, absorbing, and praying.

It’s funny, after I wrote that post, I did my Rosary as a means of meditation, and in doing the Sorrowful Mysteries, I could just cringe at myself, asking how to study to be a leader before I’ve even studied to be a servant. I have much to learn, by His Grace.

 

[Margita]

Where could I find a basic RCIA syllabus? Should I ask the person I’m doing my Inquiry with at church or search somewhere online? And for reading the Bible, I have a daily reading guide that lets me read the Bible and Catechism completely in a year. Should I be doing study work, taking notes? Or simply reading, absorbing, and praying.

It’s funny, after I wrote that post, I did my Rosary as a means of meditation, and in doing the Sorrowful Mysteries, I could just cringe at myself, asking how to study to be a leader before I’ve even studied to be a servant. I have much to learn, by His Grace.

I would strongly suggest to turn to people immediately around you. It is extremely important to be involved in a community, expecially at the beginning. Online religion can be isolating and lonely - you don’t want that! So yes, ask the person you are doing you rinquiry with, and talk to the priest of the parish. Conversation is everything at this point, the Holy Spirit will use people around you to guide you through them. The Church is a community first and last - we are dependent on each other.

I think you can take notes - that is just another way of “absorbing”. Perhaps you can take notes in question-answer form. You can even memorise bits of what you read and meditate over them, and put your meditation into writing afterwards. But pray before and after a “study session” to make yourself aware of the fact that you are doing it with, for, in God, and not as an intellectual drill!

Yes, you have much to learn with God’s grace - but you have that grace and you should be jumping for joy! It is a wonderful thing that is happening to you. I am in the same situation now - trying to renew my faith by a renewed prayer life and meditation. Let us pray for each other - it is a hard journey.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

I realize I’m very new to Catholicism and have a long way to go before I finish RCIA and join the church, yet I feel a strong calling to study and humble learning…so far, I’ve been reading my Bible and Catechism regularly, trying to practice devotions such as the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy. I want to be more knowledgable about my faith so that I can serve Him wherever he calls me, whether someday as an apologist, someone assisting with my local church (deacon?), or a teacher.

Where do I begin beyond what I’m doing know? Where’s a good point to start a methodical Bible study, what methods should I use. What resources should I apply myself to and master (early Church fathers? read up on the noted Catholic apologists now?) I try to be humble enough to know that I have much to learn and that it will take a while. I need to pray on this, but any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Learning the technical aspects of the Church are great, but if you want to embrace the spirit of the Church, I can’t recommend more, than to learn about St. Francis of Assisi. He was the first Saint to direct me towards living a life of humble simplicity and contemplation.

Jim

 

[PhilotheaZ]

Where could I find a basic RCIA syllabus? Should I ask the person I’m doing my Inquiry with at church or search somewhere online?

The best possible RCIA syllabus is the Catechism of the Catholic Church coupled with the Bible. If you didn’t use the Catechism in RCIA, make it your syllabus now. For sections where you want to dig deeper, use the footnotes which refer you to the Bible and Church documents which will give you more detail.

The Catechism is structured around the four Pillars of the Church: faith (the Creed), Christian living (the Commandments), prayer (the Our Father), and the seven Sacraments. These Pillars are basic to a good Christian life.

It’s not an easy read; don’t force yourself to finish it in a year if the pace is too quick for you.

 

[dustrunner]

As well as Bible study, it would do you a lot of good spiritually to begin to meditate on the Scriptures. One of the two ways of prayer recommended by the Catechism (along with the Rosary) is Lectio Divina, Sacred Reading. You can find a good primer on this form of meditation at our monastery’s website valyermo.com. Bible study is good in and of itself, but meditation on the Scriptures will help you grow spiritually as well as intellectually.

Welcome to the Catholic Church!

 

[CTenorman]

I can’t recommend the Liturgy of the Hours highly enough, both as something that leads you into deep prayer and union with God, and as a way of getting to know scripture better. You’ll also be praying with the whole church, just as you do in mass, so it’s a wonderful prayer, and full of variety. If you’re looking for a good general introduction, take a look at “Catholicism for Dummies” - yes, I’m serious! It’s actually quite a good book, and will give you a great, orthodox, general introduction to Catholicism. If you want to know why Catholics do strange things (as a convert myself, I came across a lot of “strange” things at first, and continue to!), take a look at “Why do Catholics do that?” A good, small, book to accompany you through the bible is “Inside the Bible” by Baker.

The translation makes a big difference in how much reading you’ll do, and is a personal matter - it depends on what you’re looking for. Many will recommend the Douay-Rheims, and it certainly has flowing, older language, and adheres to the the church’s doctrine very closely. However, many find it hard to read, and it does not represent the latest work in biblical scholarship - you’ll miss some things by reading it, and you’ll have real difficulty if you get into any discussions with non-Catholics, as they’ll have translations that are very different from your own, and the Church would be the first to admit that Douay may not be right. You may also find it more difficult to read, though this is a personal thing. More modern translations you might want to consider are the NAB (New American Bible), the RSV-CE (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition), NRSV (New Revised Standard Version), and the NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), among others. I personally use the NRSV, and am well aware of the limitations (overly-inclusive language sometimes, etc), but I find it to be the best compromise between readability and literalness of translation. You can look at the notes at the bottom to see if “brothers” or something similar to that was in the original. A great advantage of either the RSV or the NRSV is that you can speak with those from other denominations, and they’ll generally accept the translation. At Presentation Ministries you’ll find several Catholic bible reading plans; choose one that works for you, and go with it. The key thing is to find something you’ll do consistently, and then do it.

As for the church fathers, there are several books, including Mike Aquilina’s “The Fathers of the Church: Expanded Edition.” But while learning about the fathers is important, place greater emphasis on on learning the catechism and the key documents of the church. Individuals, even saints, can be wrong. The church, when speaking dogmatically, can’t error, so master what you can trust first. Certainly not everything in the catechism is dogmatically defined, but it’s the most balanced, orthodox presentation you’re going to find of our faith. Time and again I’ve found it wise to trust the Church, and not individual men.

Rather than focus on history, I’d focus on apologetics, for you don’t want your faith swept out from under your feet by a brilliant argument you’re not ready to counter. Peter Kreeft’s “Handbook of Christian Apologetics” is good, and Keating’s “Catholicism and Fundamentalism” is good for answering protestant objections. If you’re philosophically inclined, I’d also recommend Adler’s “How to Think about God”, C.S. Lewis’s “Miracles”, and a book that covers the perennial philosophy comprehensively, “The Elements of Philosophy” by William Wallace. That last one is a bit heavy, so if you want a gentler general introduction, I’d recommend “An Introduction to Philosophy” by Sullivan.

Finally, if you want a good listing of courses to pursue, this site (home.comcast.net/~icuweb/icu3.htm) should help. Also, if you’re looking for a detailed list of books, go to (direct.mbsbooks.com/cgi-vb/ndAdoptions.mac/deptcourses?&CSID=220UM0T02TAOKQCCM2&UVAL=76076&FVDEPT=000091893&FVDEPTNAME=Graduate)),
choose the course you want, and you’ll be provided with reliable resources. I hope this gives you a good start. If you have any questions, or want to know more, let me know - I’ve been down the same path as yourself, and I wish I’d had great resources thrown at me as well from the start. Hopefully this will get you going! Take care, God bless!