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Doorways to Faith
16 Christian Life in the World
15 Grace and the Beatitudes
14 The Ten Commandments
Natural LawEvery country has different laws, and if we travel abroad we might need to be careful to make sure we keep to local laws. However, almost all societies in all places agree on basic principles in the law. These are sometimes called "rights". Others are more like responsibilities. Some are put into law - others are instead values which people try to live by. Life, Honesty, Property, Family are all part of these. We call these basic principles "The natural law", known by reason (not learnt or handed down), which is the universal moral law of human nature for living well. Civil LawCivil laws are the laws which apply the principles of natural law to the laws of countries or particular societies. If Civil laws follow the natural law, then they should be followed - but if they do not, they it would be right not to follow them. Examples would be laws or societies which promote hatred, or genocide. Ten CommandmentsThe Ten Commandments contain the main principles of the natural law, which were given directly by God to Moses on Mount Sinai.
The Ten Commandments can be understood in three headings
The Life of GraceChristians also follow the new law of grace, the essence of which is to follow Jesus Christ in his Church.. |
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13 Deciding between Right and Wrong (Moral Action)
Making DecisionsIn life we are faced with many decisions - especially when we come into adulthood. Everything from what we wear, to what we eat, to what job we do - these are decisions we have to take. Some decisions are clearly just a matter of choice and personal preference. What we choose to eat, for example, or what clothes we wear, are probably just preferences. Other decisions though have a moral dimension, however. Whether to keep an item we find, or not to reveal some information to another person - these are not simply a matter of choice. How do we decide between Right and Wrong?As human beings we have free will. This means we can direct our own lives and can choose to do good. It also means we can choose something which is Wrong. God wants us to choose what is good - but he does not force us to do good. Good action must come from our free will. Moral ActionActions with a moral aspect are Moral Actions. They come about by an act of will. We are responsible for these actions. They are either good or evil (bad). What is sin?Sin is a deliberately bad action - something done, or not done, against God's will. Sins usually pervert (distort) something good which God has given us in our human nature (e.g. greed or lust) At the root of all sin is pride, because it places us above God. | Mortal and venial sinBut surely some sins are much worse than others? The Church carefully distinguishes between mortal (serious) sin and other sins which are "venial". For a sin to be mortal there must be:
If these three conditions are not met, then the sin is not mortal. Mortal sins must be brought to confession. Venial sins are forgiven through prayer, receiving communion, acts of mercy or devotion. How can we do good?Doing good is not easy. We tend to find sin attractive. This seen to be the consequence of Original Sin. To do good we must have a good conscience, good habits, and rely on God's grace through prayer and the sacraments. What is temptation?Temptation is the battlefield between Good and Evil. Remember that even Christ himself was tempted. Our opponents in this battle are The World - the bad influences around us The Flesh - our own desires, yearning for pleasure and avoiding discomfort. The Devil - powers which influence and persuade us to do wrong. The Victory of ChristJesus is victorious over the world, the flesh and the devil in his death and resurrection from the dead. We should call upon his help and trust in his victory. |
07 Creed: Scripture and Tradition
(Sorry - these are just notes so far)
 | Finding your way around ScriptureAlthough the word "Bible" means "Book" Scripture is in fact a collection of books, writings of different styles, which were written over many centuries. The first part, the "Old Testament", is made of scriptures from before the time of Christ. These are the scriptures of the Jewish people, mostly written in Hebrew. In Jewish tradition there are three main types of writing here: The Law (the first five books of the Bible, called the Pentateuch), the Prophets (including books of History) and Wisdom (books of poetry and philosophy). They were written and compiled over about 1,000 years. The Jews call these the The Torah ("Teaching"), Nevi'im ("Prophets") and Ketuvim ("Writings") - giving the name TaNaKh There are some Old Testamant books which were written in Greek, and were used by the first Christians, but came to be rejected by the Jews, and much later by Protestants. Protestants call these books "apocrypha" or "hidden" books. The second part is the "New Testament", which covers the life, death and resurrection of Christ and the years which followed. There are four Gospels, which tell the story of Christ, and 23 other writings which are mainly letters from the apostles to the Churches. These books have all come down to us in Greek. So far as we know all of these books were written between 40 and 80 AD. The collection of books which make up the Bible (the "Canon") was not finally defined until the third century. When the books were put together into the Scriptures, books were given titles, and divided into chapters and verses. These make it possible to give a reference to any passage in the Bible. How to read ScriptureOneThe Bible must be read as a unified work in which God has chosen to reveal himself. Although the Bible is made up of many diverse texts from different times and cultures, it reveals a single story of God’s providence and salvation. The Old Testament points towards its own fulfilment in the New; the meaning of the New Testament is manifested by the Old. TraditionGod has entrusted the whole of Scripture to the Church. It is only by the Church’s authority that the Bible’s 73 books are recognised as the unified word of God. Only the Church has the right and capability of authoritatively expounding Scripture. Profound insight into Scripture is found in the writings of the saints, fathers and doctors of the Church. LiteralThe literal sense is the primary and direct sense of Scripture which God intends to convey through human agency. It is the meaning the writer intends, the interpretation of which is aided by the study of history and context. A literal reading does not mean a literalistic reading of texts intended as metaphors or parables. The literal sense also includes the making of cross-references among Biblical books. SpiritualIn the spiritual sense of Scripture, God has ensured that the realities mentioned in the text can also point to other realities. Analogy (or allegory) often links something mentioned in Scripture, especially in the Old Testament, to Christ or to the Church. Tropology (the moral sense) links something described in Scripture to the living of the Christian life of grace. Anagogy links the realities mentioned in Scripture to those of heaven. |
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
"Cathechesis" is the teaching of the Faith, and a "Catechism" is a book which contains this teaching. Often they were written in a question and answer form.
There are many catechisms, which have been produced over many years - some very detailed, some quite brief.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1982) is the current official catechism of the Catholic Church, and has a special place as a summary of the Church's teaching.
Finding your way around the Catechism
The Catechism is organised into four sections, based around the Creed, the Sacraments, the Commandments and the Lord's Prayer.
References to Catechism are by paragraph number e.g. CCC 123 means paragraph 123. This means that different translations and printings can all be referenced in the same way.
The Compendium of the Catholic Church is a summary of the Catechism, written in a question and answer format.
05 Creed: I believe in the Catholic Church
 What is the Church?This is a simple question, which can have varied answers. For many it just means "all Christians". For others it is their own local congregation or even building. For some it is a word which refers to clergy - ministers, bishops, priests whatever they may be called. For yet others it is some murky, rich and powerful organisation which is set in the past and which resists change.There is some truth in all of these, perhaps. But none of them have the full answer. The Church is the People of GodThe first thing to say is that the Church is people. Not just clergy - but ordinary people. 98% or Christians, of the Church are not clergy, but ordinary Church members.The phrase 'people of God' tells us that the Church is a Holy Nation, as were the people of Israel in the Old Testament. It has a local, regional, and international structure (the Parish, the Diocese with the Pope at the Head). It has its own system of law (Canon Law). It owns property, has a range of activities, especially schools and hospitals. In many ways it looks like other human organisations. | The Church is the Body of ChristThe Church is a visible institution, with governed by its own rules and with its own history. But its is more than this.The Church is more than just people - the People of God, make up the Body of Christ. This means several things. It is first of all rooted in Christ. Christ founded the Church and is the Head of the Church. The Church has a structure - but this is a holy rule, not like other organistions or nations - made up of bishops and priests, with the Pope at the head. Baptism - a sacrament - is the way in which we enter into the Church. The Sacraments are the spiritual work of the Church, increasing the holiness of God's pople. The Work of the Church is driven by its Mission - to build up the Kingdom of God in the world. Most of its activities - care for the poor, health care for the sick, and education - come from this Mission. The Church is not only on earthThe Church on Earth, doing Christ's work and preparing for his return, is sometimes called "The Church Militant" - at war with evil and carrying on the work of Christ.But this is only part of the Church. The Church in PurgatoryThere is also the Church of the Holy Souls, those who have died and are waiting for the return of Christ at the end of time.This is called "The Church expectant". The Church in HeavenAnd there is also the Church in Heaven, "The Church Triumphant" which is also known as "The Communion of Saints".The Saints are those good souls who enter heaven after their deaths and are now in heaven praying for us. We in the Church on earth are joined in prayer with the saints in heaven. We therefore honour them and pray for their intercession in our earthly pilgrimage. In Scripture, the Church in glory is described as the ‘bride of Christ’ and the ‘new Jerusalem’. |
04b Creed: I believe in the Holy Trinity
 | The Trinity enters our livesAnd notice that in all these examples I give, and in many others, the movement of the Trinity is about entering into the created world, about reaching to humanity. It is about involvement, action. The Trinity is about drawing human beings into the life of God, in creation, in redemption, in prayer, in sacraments. The best description of all is of course love - because love always involves another, and God is love because he lives love in himself, and extends his loving hand, his loving word, his loving Spirit, to embrace all humanity. When we pray, to which of the persons of the Trinity should we speak?Each person of the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is fully God, so prayer can be addressed to any one of the persons and to all three together. However, some prayers might be more appropriate to be made to a particular person. For example, in the liturgy we take part in the action of Christ as high priest, so our prayers are usually to the Father, through the Son and in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Notice that in the Mass prayers nearly always are phrased in this way. It is quite unusual to address a prayer in the liturgy directly to Jesus or to the Holy Spirit. However, private prayers or other acts of devotion may be different. For example, if we are praying for God’s mercy, we may often speak directly to the Son, especially to the Sacred Heart, which is the expression and example of the love and mercy of God. Similarly, we would naturally pray to the Holy Spirit, if we are praying for grace, for the power of Divine Love, or for the many gifts or fruits which come to us from the work of the Spirit in our lives. |
04 Creed : I believe in the Holy Spirit
It is interesting that while many people do not practice a religion, there is nevertheless an extraordinary interest in "spiritual" things. Spiritual practices, like meditation and yoga, spiritual curiosities, like ghosts and the paranormal, and ideas of personal and spiritual development seem to grow in popularity just as the practice of religion is thought to decline. | Always ActiveThe Spirit has always been active.At the very beginning of Creation, as described in Genesis, the breath of God breathes over the water as he creates by his word. In Moses and the later prophets, those chosen by God speak his words through the inspiration of the Spirit. The prophets also promised there would be a time when the fullness of the Spirit would be given to God's people. In the Incarnation, the coming of Jesus, the Angel tells Mary that she will conceive "by the power of the Holy Spirit". Jesus often speaks of the Spirit and promises the fulness of the Gift of the Spirit to his followers after his Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. On the day of Pentecost, after Jesus' Ascension into Heaven, the Gift of the Spirit is given to the Apostles as they are in prayer, and they go out to preach and call people to Christ in many different languages. So the promises of prophets are fulfilled, and the Age of Spirit begins. The Holy Spirit is in action in the sacraments, and also in prayer. He gives us gifts - which can become fruits in our lives.
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