What is the Catholic response to "Baltimore Catechism?"

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StevEdward

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There is so much disinformation about Catholicism that it’s important we have forums like this. One source of this disinformation must be the “Baltimore Catechism,” and the distortions and half-truths it contains. A Protestant who is getting her information about the Catholic Church from this source said this today:

“Have you ever studied what is happening at the “holy sacrifice of the mass”? Priests are offering up an unbloody sacrifice. They are continually offering up Christ again and again. Christ said it is finished. His one sacrifice took away the sins of the world. The catholic mass really is an abomination to God and Christ.”

All of us know how crazy this sounds, and I’m praying for those who are being misled by such nonsense. But there must be a formal Catholic response to this kind of disinformation. Can anyone here help?

May the Lord bless you and keep you always,

Steven
 
StevEdward said:
There is so much disinformation about Catholicism that it’s important we have forums like this. One source of this disinformation must be the “Baltimore Catechism,” and the distortions and half-truths it contains. A Protestant who is getting her information about the Catholic Church from this source said this today:

“Have you ever studied what is happening at the “holy sacrifice of the mass”? Priests are offering up an unbloody sacrifice. They are continually offering up Christ again and again. Christ said it is finished. His one sacrifice took away the sins of the world. The catholic mass really is an abomination to God and Christ.”

All of us know how crazy this sounds, and I’m praying for those who are being misled by such nonsense. But there must be a formal Catholic response to this kind of disinformation. Can anyone here help?

May the Lord bless you and keep you always,

Steven
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DISTORTIONS AND HALF-TRUTHS?

Um, sugar, those of us over 50 usually used the Baltimore Catechism, at least in the early grades, thank y’all kindly, and you know what? Your friend is WRONG. Did your friend bother to show you the passage she was fussing about? She is interpreting the text incorrectly and now you’re all hot and bothered about the CATECHISM distorting?

Dear it is your FRIEND who is doing the distorting, no doubt unconsciously, but not because of the fault of the CATECHISM, but the fault of her failure to comprehend what she is reading. Nowhere in the Catechism does it EVER say that Christ is offered “again and again” as the priest recrucifies Him at each Mass, and your friend is making a terrible, terrible mistake by claiming that this is indeed what is taught. It is not.

Please tell her to give you a link to the actual passage in question. Then show us that link and I guarantee that we will find that any ‘distortion’ is based on her own lack of understanding and not on some lie or distortion that the catechism gives.
 
I use the Baltimore Catechism when I teach my kids and when I taught my RCIA/RCIC classes. It might be simplified, but it is not wrong. I am going to go with Tantum and say that your friend misrepresents/ mistranslates what the BC actually says.

Who made me?

God made me.

Love it!
 
The “Catholic response” to the Baltimore Catechism is, “Here, let me define some terms for you and help you understand what this is really saying. You’ll soon see that it’s beautiful and true and makes perfect sense.”

Betsy
 
Tantum_ergo said:
DISTORTIONS AND HALF-TRUTHS?

Um, sugar, those of us over 50 usually used the Baltimore Catechism, at least in the early grades, thank y’all kindly, and you know what?
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Hey, don’t forget us young homeschoolers who were raised on it? 👍

The Baltimore Catechism is semi-official, published, IIRC, following the council of Baltimore (a local council, obviously) as a standardized instruction text for the US.

And to answer your friend: The priest does offer up the **same **Sacrifice of Christ on Calvary, in an unbloody manner.
 
StevEdward said:
"Have you ever studied what is happening at the “holy sacrifice of the mass”? Priests are offering up an unbloody sacrifice…
All of us know how crazy this sounds, and I’m praying for those who are being misled by such nonsense. But there must be a formal Catholic response to this kind of disinformation. Can anyone here help?

Steven
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that is straight out of the '62 daily missal. your friend is very misinformed. that information was before the “spirit of vatican ii” started ruining the church in the u.s.
 
StevEdward said:
There is so much disinformation about Catholicism that it’s important we have forums like this. One source of this disinformation must be the “Baltimore Catechism,” and the distortions and half-truths it contains. A Protestant who is getting her information about the Catholic Church from this source said this today:

"Have you ever studied what is happening at the “holy sacrifice of the mass”? Priests are offering up an unbloody sacrifice. They are continually offering up Christ again and again. Christ said it is finished. His one sacrifice took away the sins of the world. The catholic mass really is an abomination to God and Christ."
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Uuuuuhhhhh…this has nothing to do with the Baltimore Catechism, but is straight out of the bloviations of Catholic-bashers like Jimmy Swaggert or Jack Chick. Has your friend really been within a mile of the Baltimore Catechism, or is she quoting some bigot who claims to cite to it? If you have been within a mile of the Baltimore Catechism, you ought to know better.

The only real problem with the Baltimore Catechism is that not enough people in this day and age have read it.
 
I’m certainly glad to have friends who’ll help to set me straight! Until today I’ve been mostly unfamiliar with the Baltimore Catechism," and the opinion that sent me here came from someone who probably never read it in the first place. I was obviously wrong in thinking BC was the source of this woman’s opinions on the Church. Since so many of you hold it in such high regard, then perhaps I should apologize for not doing my homework before coming to you. And I especially appreciate the respect and patience of Tantum ergo. One should always remember to employ those courtesies.

Thank you all, and peace be with you!

Steven
 
StevEdward said:
I’m certainly glad to have friends who’ll help to set me straight! Until today I’ve been mostly unfamiliar with the Baltimore Catechism," and the opinion that sent me here came from someone who probably never read it in the first place. I was obviously wrong in thinking BC was the source of this woman’s opinions on the Church. Since so many of you hold it in such high regard, then perhaps I should apologize for not doing my homework before coming to you. And I especially appreciate the respect and patience of Tantum ergo. One should always remember to employ those courtesies.

Thank you all, and peace be with you!

Steven
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Here’s a link to the Baltimore Catechism and it’s section on the Mass:

catholicity.com/baltimore-catechism/lesson27.html

And here is what the current catechism says, especially paragraphs 1362-367

vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s2c1a3.htm#V

You will see they say the same thing.
 
StevEdward said:
I’m certainly glad to have friends who’ll help to set me straight! Until today I’ve been mostly unfamiliar with the Baltimore Catechism," and the opinion that sent me here came from someone who probably never read it in the first place. I was obviously wrong in thinking BC was the source of this woman’s opinions on the Church. Since so many of you hold it in such high regard, then perhaps I should apologize for not doing my homework before coming to you. And I especially appreciate the respect and patience of Tantum ergo. One should always remember to employ those courtesies.

Thank you all, and peace be with you!

Steven
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Unfourtunatly its another case of us the younger generations of catholics being shortchanged and therefore ignorant about our faith
 
My response to the Baltimore Catechism?

Where can I get one in Print??? I love it. Simple, straightforward, easy to read, and a wonderful teaching tool.

Plus, the Baltimore Catechism has nothing in it that is not in the new CCC, although some things are worded differently.

FSC
 
Honestly, I’m a Eucharistic Minister at the parish I attend, and it was never my understanding that this Holy Sacrament could be seen in the way this Protestant woman perceives it. This is her answer to the Baltimore Chatechism:
  1. What is the Mass?
    The Mass is the sacrifice of the New Law in which Christ, through the ministry of the priest, offers Himself to God in an unbloody manner under the appearances of bread and wine.
From this reasoning she goes on to say the following about the Catholic Church:

“Have you ever studied what is happening at the “holy sacrifice of the mass”? Priests are offering up an unbloody sacrifice. They are continually offering up Christ again and again. Christ said it is finished. His one sacrifice took away the sins of the world. The catholic mass really is an abomination to God and Christ.”

The one posting by Victorious must be the only conclusion:

“Uuuuuhhhhh…this has nothing to do with the Baltimore Catechism, but is straight out of the bloviations of Catholic-bashers like Jimmy Swaggert or Jack Chick. Has your friend really been within a mile of the Baltimore Catechism, or is she quoting some bigot who claims to cite to it? If you have been within a mile of the Baltimore Catechism, you ought to know better.”

There are a great many participants at the ChristianMingle.com website. On the boards there is a Bible Study & Theology group that includes many former Catholics and people who claim to have studied Catholicism. Some of the Catholics there have privately thanked me for using aplologetics to refute the arguments against our Church. But like Patrick Madrid told me on Facebook, my effort may bring a lot of perspiration.

Thank you all, and may peace be with you!

Steven
 
I am homeschooling my son and we use the Baltimore Catechism. We just did this lesson and the Baltimore Catechisim is very careful to make it fully understood that Christ can not die again and that the sacrifice offered during Mass is the the same one that was offered on the Cross. One death, one sacrifice offered through out all time. We have to remember that GOD exists outside of time.
 
FidesSpesCarita said:
My response to the Baltimore Catechism?

Where can I get one in Print??? I love it. Simple, straightforward, easy to read, and a wonderful teaching tool.

Plus, the Baltimore Catechism has nothing in it that is not in the new CCC, although some things are worded differently.

FSC
Click to expand...
Very difficult to find a complete set. However, if you contact Aquinas and More Catholic Gifts or baroniuspress.com you should be able to purchase a complete set as well as the Catechism of the Council of Trent.
 
Many evangelicals seem to be unable to differentiate between the modern US colloquial phrase “Once and for all” and the Scriptural statement “Once for all” in regards to the Eucharistic sacrifice.

The former phrase implies a “once and then it is wrapped up” situation. The latter speaks of something that is established for eternity.

When the sacrifice of the Eucharist is offered to God, it is not being offered “again.” That particular moment is supernaturally linked through time and space to that of every other moment of every other mass and to the Last Supper and the Crucifixtion death of our Lord. Far from being offered “again” we a truly present THEN. It is a miraculous way in which all believers are united together, regardless of what year it is. (I find that the above resonates a lot better with sci fi fans than those of less imaginative minds 😉 ).

“Once for all,” not “Once and for all.”
 
StevEdward said:
Honestly, I’m a Eucharistic Minister at the parish I attend, and it was never my understanding that this Holy Sacrament could be seen in the way this Protestant woman perceives it. This is her answer to the Baltimore Chatechism:
  1. What is the Mass?
    The Mass is the sacrifice of the New Law in which Christ, through the ministry of the priest, offers Himself to God in an unbloody manner under the appearances of bread and wine.
From this reasoning she goes on to say the following about the Catholic Church:

“Have you ever studied what is happening at the “holy sacrifice of the mass”? Priests are offering up an unbloody sacrifice. They are continually offering up Christ again and again. Christ said it is finished. His one sacrifice took away the sins of the world. The catholic mass really is an abomination to God and Christ.”

The one posting by Victorious must be the only conclusion:

“Uuuuuhhhhh…this has nothing to do with the Baltimore Catechism, but is straight out of the bloviations of Catholic-bashers like Jimmy Swaggert or Jack Chick. Has your friend really been within a mile of the Baltimore Catechism, or is she quoting some bigot who claims to cite to it? If you have been within a mile of the Baltimore Catechism, you ought to know better.”

There are a great many participants at the ChristianMingle.com website. On the boards there is a Bible Study & Theology group that includes many former Catholics and people who claim to have studied Catholicism. Some of the Catholics there have privately thanked me for using aplologetics to refute the arguments against our Church. But like Patrick Madrid told me on Facebook, my effort may bring a lot of perspiration.

Thank you all, and may peace be with you!

Steven
Click to expand...
Of course Christ offered his sacrifice once, for all. The sacrifice of the Mass is not a different sacrifice, but the same one. Each time Mass is offered is not a new sacrifice, but the same one.

Christ is not sacrificed again and again. His one sacrifice is made present.
 
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