Reading the Catechism

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I hope that this is at least close enough to the right location to place this thread but…

I want to increase my faith and also be more well versed in apologetics for defending the Church against all of my Protestant friends. I have multiple books on apologetics for the Catholic Church and other things that are defending Her but, I want to read straight to the source of doctrine which is all listed out in the Catechism.

I want to know if anyone has read through the entire catechism and how did you commit yourself to reading such a dense book filled with information. Also, are there any spiritual readings that you would encourage while studying the catechism like works of saints &c.,

Thanks.
 
I haven’t read the catechism but have studied a condensed version: “The Essential Catholic Catechism” by Dr. Alan Schreck It is 400 pages and his writing style is quite accessible.
 
I read on here that reading the entire Catechism is a necessary step in becoming and apologist, so hey! I said to the Holy Spirit, “LETS’S DO THIS!” That is my lenten challenge. I set 20 pages per day as my goal. I read 10 page increments, morning, and night. Got my sharpie highlighters…It’s been easier than I thought. Need a quiet space to study though cause these are serious subjects. Been a Catholic all my life. Every day I find a gem in the Catechism that I didn’t know, or had never heard sumarized that clearly! It’ a true blessing! I’m writing down Scripture references, on a cheat sheet in my Bible! I’m on page 392. It’s really fired up my faith! Already I’ve been able to help people who had questions about the faith! I’m excited to say, “I just read about that it’s 932, or 1236 in the Catechism!”

Dive right in Landon. The water’s fine! :bounce:
 
Read the official Compendium of the Catechism first. It can also be found online at Vatican.va

And by the way it the Catechism is not a “hard” reading…it flows very nicely! 🙂
 
I studied the entire Catechism in detail a few years ago as part of a master’s degree program in theology. I applaud your goal, seeing as the Catechism is certainly well worth reading and studying because it enhances our spiritual growth, increases our knowledge of the Faith and divine revelation, and makes us better at apologetics (in terms of this last point, consider how often the Catechism is quoted in CAF in order to clarify things and address misconceptions of Catholic teachings).

On the internet there are a number of guides available for the purpose of reading the entire Catechism over the course of a year. Just plug the term “Catholic Catechism in one year” into Google and you’ll get a number of choices. Here’s one I found: Cathechism of the Catholic Church: One Year Reading Guide.

As a kind of commentary and reiteration of the Catechism, I recommend Dr. Peter Kreeft’s Catholic Christianity and the USCCB’s U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults (and there is also a Study Guide for this).
 
I am almost done reading the Catechism (The Image/Doubleday Pocketbook Version). I’m not sure what the difference is between this one and the green cover. In either case one just commits to reading it. Since I am coming from a Protestant experience I read it according to interest, which I found helpful; read about Mary, Indulgences, etc. Reading from page one on forward might not have kept me going.
 
Regina_Love said:
I read on here that reading the entire Catechism is a necessary step in becoming and apologist, so hey! I said to the Holy Spirit, “LETS’S DO THIS!” That is my lenten challenge. I set 20 pages per day as my goal. I read 10 page increments, morning, and night. Got my sharpie highlighters…It’s been easier than I thought. Need a quiet space to study though cause these are serious subjects. Been a Catholic all my life. Every day I find a gem in the Catechism that I didn’t know, or had never heard sumarized that clearly! It’ a true blessing! I’m writing down Scripture references, on a cheat sheet in my Bible! I’m on page 392. It’s really fired up my faith! Already I’ve been able to help people who had questions about the faith! I’m excited to say, “I just read about that it’s 932, or 1236 in the Catechism!”

Dive right in Landon. The water’s fine! :bounce:
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That is great! Thank you for your tips. You mentioned you used highlighters to annotate the catechism. I was wondering if you used any special methods to highlight the catechism like this color goes with this topic or this symbol with this &c., Any tips for turning the catechism into a reference book like this would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 
landon13 said:
I hope that this is at least close enough to the right location to place this thread but…

I want to increase my faith and also be more well versed in apologetics for defending the Church against all of my Protestant friends. I have multiple books on apologetics for the Catholic Church and other things that are defending Her but, I want to read straight to the source of doctrine which is all listed out in the Catechism.

I want to know if anyone has read through the entire catechism and how did you commit yourself to reading such a dense book filled with information. Also, are there any spiritual readings that you would encourage while studying the catechism like works of saints &c.,

Thanks.
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If you want to be an apologist you should know the Catechism backwards and forwards as well as the Old and New Testaments. There are good books on Apologetics. Check EWTN book list under Apologetics. Linus2nd
 
landon13 said:
I hope that this is at least close enough to the right location to place this thread but…

I want to increase my faith and also be more well versed in apologetics for defending the Church against all of my Protestant friends. I have multiple books on apologetics for the Catholic Church and other things that are defending Her but, I want to read straight to the source of doctrine which is all listed out in the Catechism.

I want to know if anyone has read through the entire catechism and how did you commit yourself to reading such a dense book filled with information. Also, are there any spiritual readings that you would encourage while studying the catechism like works of saints &c.,

Thanks.
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Yes …for Lent. Almost thru.
Its amazing… I’d read short versions b-4…but, get the full 803 page, Vaticano edition 1992, hardback. It has all the key reference citations from ECF’s, scripture & Encyclicals.
 
brb3 said:
Yes …for Lent. Almost thru.
Its amazing… I’d read short versions b-4…but, get the full 803 page, Vaticano edition 1992, hardback. It has all the key reference citations from ECF’s, scripture & Encyclicals.
Click to expand...
👍 Don’t freak at the number of pages, the foot notes are extensive, and there is a summary at the end of each chapter. The last 100 pages are all notes, references, and such.

I highlight in yellow key points of doctrin, or teaching. I underline key words. I hope that helps. 🙂
 
landon13 said:
I hope that this is at least close enough to the right location to place this thread but…

I want to increase my faith and also be more well versed in apologetics for defending the Church against all of my Protestant friends. I have multiple books on apologetics for the Catholic Church and other things that are defending Her but, I want to read straight to the source of doctrine which is all listed out in the Catechism.

I want to know if anyone has read through the entire catechism and how did you commit yourself to reading such a dense book filled with information. Also, are there any spiritual readings that you would encourage while studying the catechism like works of saints &c.,

Thanks.
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Yes I have read the entire Catechism. It was a Lenten challenge I gave up TV for Lent and spent my nights reading during the Lenten season.
I wish I could say it it totally revolutionized my faith at the time but, the seeds it planted helped me better discern what was happening around me, at the time of reading these things were not evident. I liken the experience to an increase in ‘spiritual maturity’ I was an adult when I read the Catechism, my body may have been mature, not my spirit. I can admit this now after many years of reading books of all kinds that relate to our faith.
Reading the Catechism pushed me out of the pew and into the faith, actually contributing not being a ‘pew warmer’ but, armed with this knowledge, a pew filler. Read it, please, it could change your life, it did mine.
God bless.
 
I read the CCC during December and January. I set a goal of four pages per day, but I found it was much easier to read than I expected.

You will notice a difference in authorship, detail, intensity, etc. as you read through it. It’s not all the same.

I thought that at least for the first edition of the CCC, there was a compendium. I thought this had all the scripture and other references you see along the way. This would have slowed me down, by running every footnote. But, I mention it because you may want to get more depth in your reading by doing this.

I have been mentioning a matter about something I read there. I suggest you read paragraph 1735 every once and a while. I think it is terribly vague and lacking in practical significance. I have been asking everybody if there is an authoritative explanation of it. There are apparently a lot of reasons why a mortal sin (grave matter, as the CCC likes to put it) IS NOT a mortal sin. You’d think there would be a whole lot more said about something so important. As for lacking practical information, if one does some grave matter but feels it is not a mortal sin, must one still confess it – before receiving communion?

Problem is, if you take the side of saying “yes” then aren’t you making 1735 irrelevant? Why have 1735, if it doesn’t make any such difference?

Since the CCC is introduced as being the deposit of faith, then it seems that one should not personally overturn 1735 without incurring the criticism of being heretical – denying a revealed truth.

There are other implications of 1735. Suppose one DOES have a habit of committing a particular sin, is one subsequently excused for performing it? Suppose one DOES have a psychological factor (not clearly explained here) that makes it impossible or next to impossible to avoid committing a sin. Here I think of people who have a permanent psychological disposition, like homosexuality, to commit sins we’d usually think of as grave matter. When does 1735 no longer apply in the life of such a person? Can anybody but the Lord decide that?

Well, anyway, if you read 1735 FIRST before everything else, you should keep it in mind as you read about all the “grave matter” that the CCC defines, because it goes together with all those other statements, each and every one.

If anybody wanted to “teach” the CCC to others, then one should be fully prepared for 1735.
 
sirach2v4 said:
I read the CCC during December and January. I set a goal of four pages per day, but I found it was much easier to read than I expected.

You will notice a difference in authorship, detail, intensity, etc. as you read through it. It’s not all the same.

I thought that at least for the first edition of the CCC, there was a compendium. I thought this had all the scripture and other references you see along the way. This would have slowed me down, by running every footnote. But, I mention it because you may want to get more depth in your reading by doing this.

I have been mentioning a matter about something I read there. I suggest you read paragraph 1735 every once and a while. I think it is terribly vague and lacking in practical significance. I have been asking everybody if there is an authoritative explanation of it. There are apparently a lot of reasons why a mortal sin (grave matter, as the CCC likes to put it) IS NOT a mortal sin. You’d think there would be a whole lot more said about something so important. As for lacking practical information, if one does some grave matter but feels it is not a mortal sin, must one still confess it – before receiving communion?

Problem is, if you take the side of saying “yes” then aren’t you making 1735 irrelevant? Why have 1735, if it doesn’t make any such difference?

Since the CCC is introduced as being the deposit of faith, then it seems that one should not personally overturn 1735 without incurring the criticism of being heretical – denying a revealed truth.

There are other implications of 1735. Suppose one DOES have a habit of committing a particular sin, is one subsequently excused for performing it? Suppose one DOES have a psychological factor (not clearly explained here) that makes it impossible or next to impossible to avoid committing a sin. Here I think of people who have a permanent psychological disposition, like homosexuality, to commit sins we’d usually think of as grave matter. When does 1735 no longer apply in the life of such a person? Can anybody but the Lord decide that?

Well, anyway, if you read 1735 FIRST before everything else, you should keep it in mind as you read about all the “grave matter” that the CCC defines, because it goes together with all those other statements, each and every one.

If anybody wanted to “teach” the CCC to others, then one should be fully prepared for 1735.
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1735 is not heretical. But its application presumes one is acting under the direction of ones confessor. No one should presume on ones own authority that one of the factors mentiond applies to them. Linus2nd
 
Reading the Catechism is an excellent idea!

Here is the CCC ‘simplified’, on line–it steamlines the CCC–a bit anyway.:

catholicity.com/catechism/

Note: Not a substitute, but rather a help for navigating the CCC. Hope this helps.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum.
 
sirach2v4 said:
I read the CCC during December and January. I set a goal of four pages per day, but I found it was much easier to read than I expected.

You will notice a difference in authorship, detail, intensity, etc. as you read through it. It’s not all the same.

I thought that at least for the first edition of the CCC, there was a compendium. I thought this had all the scripture and other references you see along the way. This would have slowed me down, by running every footnote. But, I mention it because you may want to get more depth in your reading by doing this.

I have been mentioning a matter about something I read there. I suggest you read paragraph 1735 every once and a while. I think it is terribly vague and lacking in practical significance. I have been asking everybody if there is an authoritative explanation of it. There are apparently a lot of reasons why a mortal sin (grave matter, as the CCC likes to put it) IS NOT a mortal sin. You’d think there would be a whole lot more said about something so important. As for lacking practical information, if one does some grave matter but feels it is not a mortal sin, must one still confess it – before receiving communion?

Problem is, if you take the side of saying “yes” then aren’t you making 1735 irrelevant? Why have 1735, if it doesn’t make any such difference?

Since the CCC is introduced as being the deposit of faith, then it seems that one should not personally overturn 1735 without incurring the criticism of being heretical – denying a revealed truth.

There are other implications of 1735. Suppose one DOES have a habit of committing a particular sin, is one subsequently excused for performing it? Suppose one DOES have a psychological factor (not clearly explained here) that makes it impossible or next to impossible to avoid committing a sin. Here I think of people who have a permanent psychological disposition, like homosexuality, to commit sins we’d usually think of as grave matter. When does 1735 no longer apply in the life of such a person? Can anybody but the Lord decide that?

Well, anyway, if you read 1735 FIRST before everything else, you should keep it in mind as you read about all the “grave matter” that the CCC defines, because it goes together with all those other statements, each and every one.

If anybody wanted to “teach” the CCC to others, then one should be fully prepared for 1735.
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???

This is what section 1735 says in my copy:
1735 Imputability and responsibility for an action can be diminished or even nullified by ignorance, inadvertence, duress, fear, habit, inordinate attachments, and other psychological or social factors.
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Here is the link from which I c&p’d it (still matches my hard copy).

scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s1c1a3.htm#I

Help me out here, please–what could possibly be so controversial about that statement?

The very same concept has been imported to criminal law–‘mens rea’–you have to know what your doing is wrong–if not, at the very least, it mitigages one’s culpability. (Notice the language: “…can be diminished…”; not “…one is therefore absolutely absolved…”).

Surely one who knows the gravitiy of their sin, is more culpable, than one who doesn’t even know what a sin is. Surely we should hold adults to a higher standard than children, no?

Am I missing something?

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum.
 
Just a quick plug to say please, if you have not already, read all of scripture before reading the Catechism. Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of God (St. Jerome).
 
Michael_Allen said:
Just a quick plug to say please, if you have not already, read all of scripture before reading the Catechism. Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of God (St. Jerome).
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The Catechism is loaded with scripture, and gives scripture context. Reading the Bible is great–but no need to put off indefinetely, reading the CCC, until you read the entire Bible.

Keep 'em both around; read the Bible as prompted (whenever this or that biblical story is referenced, or the like); and read teh CCC when ever one seeks to know what the Church says aobut a given subject.

It’s not an either or proposition–or even one first, then the other–they complement one another suberbly–now, authoratatively, the bible>CCC; but frankly, I’m not aware of any conflicts b/t the Bible and the CCC–quite the contrary–the CCC gives many passages in scripture, proper context, and therefore brings them into better focus.

IMHO.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum.
 
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