Questions from returning Catholic ;)

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elohimrules

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Hi everyone, so glad to belong to this forum! I do not yet have a copy of the catechism. I am a bit nervous to buy one. The reason being, i’m wondering, does Catholicism take the catechism the same level as the Bible? If so, does it have a lot of rules I need to follow? I don’t know if this is a silly question or not.

Second question is more of a comment. I noticed returning to the Catholic faith from protestantism it’s like the blinders are taken off my eyes when reading the Bible. I see ALL kinds of Catholic stuff in there! 😉 One thing I noticed as I was reading the NT is the second book of John is written to “the dear Lady” My Bible comments this is prob representitive of “the church” as a whole. But I mean wasn’t John commissioned to look after Mary from Jesus? Could this be Mary as the head of the church he is addressing? Also, another comment, The book of Jude mentions the spiritual battle over Moses body with Michael the arc angel and the devil. This demonstrates the reality of the spiritual battle and how it is ok to call on Michael to help us as he is actively fighting for believers! Also, Jude quotes from the book of Enoch almost as if it is scripture. I always found the book of Enoch fascinating…I am suprised it was not included in the Bible as Jude quotes from it?! Just some comments from a returning Catholic! 😉 Happy day of ascention (it’s a day of holy obligation) not sure what that means accept I know I will be going to mass 😉
God bless!
 
elohimrules said:
Hi everyone, so glad to belong to this forum! I do not yet have a copy of the catechism. I am a bit nervous to buy one. The reason being, i’m wondering, does Catholicism take the catechism the same level as the Bible? If so, does it have a lot of rules I need to follow? I don’t know if this is a silly question or not.

Second question is more of a comment. I noticed returning to the Catholic faith from protestantism it’s like the blinders are taken off my eyes when reading the Bible. I see ALL kinds of Catholic stuff in there! 😉 One thing I noticed as I was reading the NT is the second book of John is written to “the dear Lady” My Bible comments this is prob representitive of “the church” as a whole. But I mean wasn’t John commissioned to look after Mary from Jesus? Could this be Mary as the head of the church he is addressing? Also, another comment, The book of Jude mentions the spiritual battle over Moses body with Michael the arc angel and the devil. This demonstrates the reality of the spiritual battle and how it is ok to call on Michael to help us as he is actively fighting for believers! Also, Jude quotes from the book of Enoch almost as if it is scripture. I always found the book of Enoch fascinating…I am suprised it was not included in the Bible as Jude quotes from it?! Just some comments from a returning Catholic! 😉 Happy day of ascention (it’s a day of holy obligation) not sure what that means accept I know I will be going to mass 😉
God bless!
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What the Catechism does is just show the Catholic position on a doctrine.

I think when Catholics leave, well I don’t think I know, they leave because ignorance. But when you spend time to see each catholic doctrine, the Church gives us a lot of Bible verses to back it up.

At the bottom of my post you will see me telling people to see my link to Catholic Apologetics. It has tons of information. That should help you.
 
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, referred to as CCC, or sometimes CC, explains what and why about the Cathlic teachings.

For example, the Trinity, Holy Communion, Mass, commandments, after life, about Jesus, sacraments, and so on. It has a very nice index in the back, so that it can be used to find out teaching on different topics without reading thru the entire book.

What is nice about it is that it is the teaching of the church and not what someone says is the teaching of the church. So if in doubt about what is really taught, this is a very good reference to know the truth of what is taught.

It also helps a great deal in reading the bible as well because if we can remember what was taught in the CCC, then we know how to give the correct meaning to the ideas we read about in the bible and not just guess. It is a good source to have for a “go to” book.

Here is a website to help you with difficult passages in the bible. This is also another good source to have for a “go to” place.
catholicculture.org/culture/library/most/getwork.cfm?worknum=216

And as far as I know Ascension Thursday is no longer a holy day in the US of A, but once was.

We are happy that you joined us, and if you stay with us, you will lean a great deal.

May God bless and keep you. May God’s face shine on you. May God be kind to you and give you peace.
 
fred_conty said:
And as far as I know Ascension Thursday is no longer a holy day in the US of A, but once was.
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Just wanted to add that there are som ecclesiastical provinces in the US that still hold Ascension Thursday as a HDO. Mine does, though the majority have moved it to the 7th Sunday of Easter.

Cheers!
 
elohimrules said:
Hi everyone, so glad to belong to this forum! I do not yet have a copy of the catechism. I am a bit nervous to buy one. The reason being, i’m wondering, does Catholicism take the catechism the same level as the Bible? If so, does it have a lot of rules I need to follow? I don’t know if this is a silly question or not.
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I’m not really sure what you mean by taking it “the same level as the Bible.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains the teachings, often with direct references to the Bible. It’s not really a book most of us read from cover to cover; it’s generally more of a reference, with a subject index in the back. However, I’ve heard that some people do read it cover to cover, because the sections are arranged in a way that it makes sense to do that. There is a large part, for instance, that explains the Apostle’s Creed, line by line, explaining and expounding on our beliefs in this profession of faith.

If there is a particular subject you would like to look up, you can also find the CCC online. However, I would highly recommend going ahead and getting a printed copy, too! I often look specific things up online, but I use my “hard copy” CCC more often when I’m just curious or wondering about a teaching–and often get “drawn in” from one subject to the next. 😃

That said, remember that our faith is not about “a lot of rules [we] need to follow.” It’s about our relationship with God. Everything the Church teaches and asks us to do, has a reason and a meaning that goes back to that relationship with God. It’s not as much about law as it is about love. 👍

And welcome back to the Church! 👋
 
I have been trying to read the CCC as often as possible as I feel that most of my issues being a faithful Catholic have resulted from being poorly catechized in spite of 16 years of Catholic schooling.
Here is a link to the CCC that I have downloaded and carry on my phone as well to be able to read when ever I have time.
vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM
 
The CCC is the official statement of what Catholics believe.

Here’s the deal on the Bible: the Bible is truth, but it alone is not sufficient to teach the whole faith. Sola Scriptura (Bible alone) isn’t even IN the Bible! In fact, the opposite is true! St. Paul says to hold fast to traditions. Jesus taught the Apostles for 40 days after He rose from the dead - but those teachings aren’t anywhere in Scripture! Consequently, they form the Sacred Tradition that we get from the Apostles - all of the oral teachings. We also have the Magisterium, or the teaching office of the Church. Divine revelation is complete, which means that all teachings of the Magisterium must be in harmony with Sacred Tradition and Scripture, as well as all previous teachings.

What the CCC does is interpret Scripture for us and lay down the truths we know from Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium. It’s kind of the compendium of all those things, gathered together and written down as an official statement of faith.
 
Convert2013 said:
Just wanted to add that there are som ecclesiastical provinces in the US that still hold Ascension Thursday as a HDO. Mine does, though the majority have moved it to the 7th Sunday of Easter.

Cheers!
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Maine is in the Ecclesiastical Province of Boston. There, like in most of the Northeast, the Holy Day of Obligation is still observed today.
 
And as far as I know Ascension Thursday is no longer a holy day in the US of A, but once was.

It is still a holy day in New England. Boston, Hartford, Jersey, and New York! Not sure why the rest of the USA dosen’t have to go…I think it has to do with something about low church attendance.
 
Welcome home, elohimrules!

In my opinion, this is the easiest-to-read Catechism of the Catholic Church:

usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/index.cfm

Also, read the FAQs:

usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/frequently-asked-questions-about-the-catechism-of-the-catholic-church.cfm

“A catechism should faithfully and systematically present the teaching of Sacred Scripture, the living Tradition in the Church and the authentic Magisterium, as well as the spiritual heritage of the Fathers, Doctors, and saints of the Church, to allow for a better knowledge of the Christian mystery and for enlivening the faith of the People of God. It should take into account the doctrinal statements which down the centuries the Holy Spirit has intimated to his Church. It should also help to illumine with the light of faith the new situations and problems which had not yet emerged in the past.
This catechism will thus contain both the new and the old (cf. Mt 13:52), because the faith is always the same yet the source of ever new light.”

Dive on in! Learning about your faith so that you can share it with others is a life-time process. “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence,…” 1 Peter 3:15-16
 
One cannot fully understand the CCC unless one has read the Bible. It is God’s Word! That said, it is important to read the CCC to understand the Catholic interpretation of the Bible.
 
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