Description
Understand Catholic origins, traditions, and teachings
Ever wonder what Catholics believe, what they do, and why? This book explains the origins and the practices of Catholic Christians that have lasted for nearly two thousand years. Learn about their doctrine, discipline, liturgy, and morality as well as the foundation of the Church, from St. Peter to Pope Francis, and from the Vatican to the typical parishioner in the pew. Sacraments, commandments, precepts, and more are all explained here. Want to know what goes on at a Catholic Mass? What is Marian devotion all about? Whether you’re a cradle Catholic, a lapsed Catholic, considering becoming Catholic, or just curious about Catholicism, find answers to many of your questions in this book. If nothing else, you’ll discover some fascinating facts that over one billion believers embrace around the world.
Inside…
• Discover a brief history of Catholicism
• Find out what Catholics believe
• Learn about the sacraments
• Live like a good Catholic
• Honor the Virgin Mary
• Recognize the Catholic saints
• Memorize Catholic prayers
• Grow in the Catholic faith
Brief Description:
“Imprimatur: Most Reverend James F. Checchio, JCD, MBA, diocese of Metuchen, NJ; nihil obstat: Reverend John G. Hillier, PhD, Censor Librorium, November 22, 2021.”
Table of Contents:
Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 3
Where to Go from Here 4
Part 1: What Do Catholics Believe? 5
Chapter 1: What It Means to Be Catholic 7
What Exactly Is Catholicism Anyway? 7
Knowing What the Catholic Church Teaches 9
Grasping the basic beliefs 9
Respecting the role of the Church and its leaders 11
Worshipping as a Catholic: The Holy Mass 13
Bringing body and soul into the mix 14
Participating inside and out 14
Behaving Like a Catholic 15
Following the general ground rules 15
Avoiding sin 16
Heeding the Church’s stance on tough issues 17
Praying as a Catholic: Showing Your Devotion 17
Praying and using devotions 18
Realizing the importance of Mary and the saints 18
Following traditions 18
Chapter 2: Having Faith in God’s Revealed Word 19
How Do You Know If You Have Faith? 19
Having Faith in Revelation 20
Faith in the written word: The Bible 21
Faith in the spoken word: Sacred Tradition 26
Backing Up Your Faith with Reason: Summa Theologica 32
Through motion 33
Through causality 33
Through necessity 34
Through gradation 34
Through governance 35
Chapter 3: In the Beginning: Catholic Teachings on Creation and Original Sin 37
Making Something Out of Nothing 38
Breathing Life into the World: Creationism or Evolution? 38
Angels and Devils: Following God or Lucifer 40
Infused knowledge, eternal decisions 40
The angels’ test and the devil’s choice 41
Witnessing the Original Sin 42
Tempting our first parents 42
Losing gifts 43
Wounding our nature 43
Being redeemed by God’s grace 44
Facing the four last things 44
Anticipating What’s to Come: Moving toward the End of Creation 45
The Second Coming 45
Resurrection of the dead 47
General judgment 47
The end of the world 47
Chapter 4: Believing in Jesus 49
Understanding Jesus, the God-Man 50
The human nature of Jesus 50
The divine nature of Jesus 53
The Savior of our sins; the Redeemer of the World 54
The obedient Son of God 55
The Gospel Truth: Examining Four Written Records of Jesus 56
Catholic beliefs about the Gospel 56
How the Gospels came to be 57
Comparing Gospels 58
Dealing with Heresy and Some Other $10 Words 63
Gnosticism and Docetism 64
Arianism 64
Nestorianism 65
Monophysitism 66
Chapter 5: Defining “The Church” and What Membership Means 69
Establishing a Foundation: Built on Rock 70
Seeing the Church as the Body of Christ and Communion of Saints 71
Understanding the Four Marks of the Church 72
Fulfilling Its Mission 73
The priestly office: Sanctifying through the sacraments 74
The prophetic office: Teaching through the Magisterium 74
The kingly office: Shepherding and governing through the hierarchy 75
Membership Has Its Benefits 76
Chapter 6: Organizing the Church 79
Getting to Know the Pope 80
How the pope gets his job 80
Is he really infallible? 84
Now that’s job security 89
Where the pope hangs his hat 90
Who’s Next in the Ecclesiastical Scheme of Things 92
Cardinals 92
Bishops and archbishops 93
The vicar general 96
The parish priest 96
Deacons 99
Monks and nuns, brothers and sisters 100
Part 2: Celebrating the Mysteries of Faith 103
Chapter 7: Body and Soul: Worshipping Catholic Style 105
Getting Your Body and Soul into the Act 106
Understanding Some Symbols and Gestures 107
The sign of the cross 107
The genuflection 107
The crucifix 108
Holy water 108
Sensing God 109
Through sight 109
Through touch 112
Through smell 113
Through sound 114
Through taste 115
Chapter 8: Entering the Church: Baptism, Communion, and Confirmation 117
Come On In — The Water’s Fine 118
Becoming Christ’s kith and kin 118
Washing away original sin 119
Baptizing with water 120
Receiving the sacrament of Baptism in other ways 126
The Holy Eucharist 128
Understanding the consecrated host 129
Discovering who can receive Holy Communion 130
Partaking of First Holy Communion 132
Coming of Age: Confirmation 132
Chapter 9: The Sacraments of Service and Healing 135
The Sacraments of Service and Community 135
Marriage — Catholic style 136
Holy Orders 143
The Sacraments of Mercy and Healing 145
Penance 145
Anointing of the Sick 152
Chapter 10: Celebrating the Catholic Mass 157
What Exactly Is the Mass? 158
Honoring the Sabbath publicly 159
Participating fully 159
Uniting past, present, and future 160
The Two Parts of the Mass 161
Beginning the Mass 161
Greeting (Introductory Rite) 162
Acknowledging sin (Penitential Act) 162
Gloria 163
Opening Prayer (Collect) 164
The Liturgy of the Word 164
The Liturgy of the Eucharist 168
Vatican II and the Celebration of Mass 177
Allowing worship in vernacular languages 178
Other changes resulting from Vatican II 179
Checking out the Roman Missal, Third Edition 179
Understanding the Latin roots 180
Seeing why change was necessary 180
Knowing what it means for you in the pew 181
Adjusting the Mass for the Occasion 181
Weekday and Sunday 182
Holy days of obligation 182
Simple and solemn celebrations 183
Spiritual Seasons of the Year 184
Christ Our Light: The first half of the liturgical year 184
Christ Our Life: The second half of the liturgical year 185
Part 3: Living a Saintly Life 187
Chapter 11: Obeying the Rules: Catholic Law 189
Following the Eternal Law of God 190
The divine positive law 190
The natural moral law 191
The human positive law 193
Playing by the Church’s Rules 198
Attending Mass on all Sundays and holy days of obligation 199
Receiving the Holy Eucharist during Easter season 199
Confessing your sins at least once a year 200
Fasting and abstaining on appointed days 200
Contributing to the support of the Church 201
Observing Church marriage laws 201
Supporting missionary work of the Church 203
Chapter 12: Loving and Honoring: The Ten Commandments 205
Demonstrating Love for God 206
I: Honor God 206
II: Honor God’s name 208
III: Honor God’s day 209
Loving Your Neighbor 211
IV: Honor your parents 211
V: Honor human life 212
VI and IX: Honor human sexuality 215
VII and X: Honor the property of others 217
VIII: Honor the truth 218
Coming Out Even Steven 219
Chapter 13: Being Good When Sinning Is So Easy 221
Cultivating Good Habits 222
Prudence: Knowing what, when, and how 223
Justice: Treating others fairly 224
Temperance: Moderating pleasure 227
Fortitude: Doing what’s right come hell or high water 228
The Theological Virtues 228
The Seven Deadly Sins 229
Pride goeth before the fall 231
Envying what others have or enjoy 233
Lusting after fruit that’s forbidden 234
Anger to the point of seeking revenge 234
Gluttony: Too much food or firewater 235
Greed: The desire for more and more 236
Sloth: Lazy as a lotus-eater 237
Chapter 14: Standing Firm: The Church’s Stance on Some Sticky Issues 239
Celibacy and the Male Priesthood 240
Flying solo for life 240
No-woman’s-land 246
Matters of Life and Death 250
Abortion 250
Euthanasia 252
The death penalty 254
The Just War Doctrine 255
Planning Your Family Naturally 259
The moral argument against artificial contraception 259
The natural alternative to contraception 260
What if you can’t conceive naturally? 262
Defending Traditional Family Life 264
The Economy and the Environment 267
Money, money, money 267
Ecology theology 267
Part 4: Praying and Using Devotions 269
Chapter 15: Growing in the Faith 271
Having a Personal Relationship with God through Prayer 272
Practicing the four types of prayer 272
Getting to know spontaneous and formal prayer 274
Praying in Private and in a Community 275
Taking personal time with God: Private prayer 276
Joining others for communal prayer 277
Saying the Lord’s Prayer 279
Taking It to the Next Level: The Stages of Spiritual Growth 281
Purgative: Practicing self-denial and sacrifice 281
Illuminative: Distinguishing good from evil 282
Unitive: Connecting with God 284
Chapter 16: Showing Your Love for God 285
Going Beyond Your Basic Duty 286
Knowing when and where to pray devotions 286
Separating devotions from Mass 286
Running the Gamut of Devotions 287
Praying novenas to the saints 287
Loving litanies 289
Looking at statues and icons 290
Making pilgrimages 291
Going on a retreat 291
Wearing sacred gear 292
Praying the Rosary 293
Saying the Divine Mercy Chaplet 297
The Way of the Cross 298
Chapter 17: Expressing Affection for Mary 301
No, Catholics Don’t Worship Mary 301
What Catholics Believe about Mary 304
She’s the Mother of God 304
She’s the Mother of the Church 306
She’s the Mother of the Mystical Body of Christ 306
She was conceived through Immaculate Conception 307
She went to heaven, body and soul 310
Her never-ending virginity 311
Up Close and Personal with Mary 312
May crowning 312
First Saturdays 313
Marian shrines and apparitions 314
Chapter 18: Honoring the Catholic Saints 319
Having a Place in the Hearts of Catholics 320
Honoring God’s Good Friends 322
It’s All about Intercession 322
Recognizing a Saint 324
Looking at the process to becoming a saint 325
Going through the investigations for sainthood 326
Experiencing the beatification and canonization Mass 331
A Saint for Every Day of the Year 331
Discovering the Communion of Saints 332
Saints in heaven 333
Believers on earth 335
Souls in purgatory 336
Limbo 338
Chapter 19: Practicing Catholic Traditions 341
Adoring the Blessed Sacrament 342
Participating in Benediction 343
Adoring at church during Perpetual Adoration or the 40-hour devotion 344
Representing Life’s Journey: Other Religious Processions 346
Meatless Fridays 348
The tradition of abstaining 348
Substituting Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy for abstinence 349
Using Sacramentals 349
Catholic Funerals 350
Signifying death with ashes 351
Commemorating with blessed palms 351
Receiving the blessing of throats 352
Exorcising demons 352
Tolling bells 353
Celebrating Year-Round 354
Feast of the Epiphany 356
Feast of Candlemas 356
St Patrick’s Day 357
St Joseph’s Day 357
Marian Feasts in May 358
Feast of St Anthony of Padua 358
Feast of St Thérèse of Lisieux 358
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe 358
Part 5: The Part of Tens 359
Chapter 20: Ten Famous Catholics 361
Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) 361
Father Gregor Mendel (1822-1884) 362
Emperor Karl I (1887-1922) 363
Monsignor Georges Lemaître (1894-1966) 364
Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty (1898-1963) 364
Father Patrick Peyton (1909-1992) 366
Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964) 367
Justice Antonin Scalia (1936-2016) 368
Sister Dolores (Hicks) Hart (1938-) 369
Bishop Robert Barron (1959-) 370
Chapter 21: Ten Popular Catholic Saints 371
St Matthew 371
St Mark 372
St Luke 373
St John 374
St Teresa of Ávila 376
St John of the Cross 377
St Margaret Clitherow 379
St Mary MacKillop 380
St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross 380
St Josemaría Escrivá 381
Chapter 22: Ten Popular Catholic Places 383
Duomo di Orvieto (Italy) 383
Einsiedeln Monastery (Switzerland) 384
Mont-Saint-Michel (France) 385
Notre Dame Cathedral (France) 387
Oberammergau (Germany) 388
Salzburg (Austria) 389
Shrine of Our Lady of Le Puy (France) 390
St James of Compostela (Spain) 390
The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham (England) 392
The Shrine of St Anthony (Portugal) 393
Chapter 23: Ten Recent Beatifications and Canonizations by Pope Francis 395
St François-Xavier de Montmorency-Laval (1623-1708) 396
St Junipero Serra (1713-1784) 397
Sts Louis and Zélie Martin (19th Century) 398
Blessed Father Michael Joseph McGivney (1852-1890) 399
Blessed Solanus Casey (1870-1957) 400
Pope St Paul VI (1897-1978) 401
Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich (1901-1927) 402
Sts Jacinta and Francisco Marto (Early 20th Century) 403
Blessed Stanley Rother (1935-1981) 404
Blessed Carlos Acutis (1991-2006) 405
Chapter 24: Ten Famous Papal Encyclicals 407
Rerum Novarum, Leo XIII (1891) 408
Divino Afflante Spiritu, Pius XII (1943) 408
Mystici Corporis Christi, Pius XII (1943) 409
Mediator Dei, Pius XII (1947) 410
Humani Generis, Pius XII (1950) 411
Pacem in Terris, St John XXIII (1963) 412
Humanae Vitae, Paul VI (1968) 412
Veritatis Splendor, St John Paul II (1993) 414
Evangelium Vitae, St John Paul II (1995) 415
Fides et Ratio, St John Paul II (1998) 416
Part 6: Appendixes 417
Appendix A: A Brief History of Catholicism 419
Ancient Times (A D 33-741) 419
Non-Christian Rome (A D 33-312) 419
Christian Rome (A D 313-475) 422
Barbarian invasions and the fall of Rome (A D 476-570) 422
Pope St Gregory the Great to Charles Martel (590-741) 424
The Middle Ages (A D 800-1500) 425
Christendom: One big, mighty kingdom 425
The Golden Age 427
The downward spiral 428
The Reformation to the Modern Era (1517-Today) 431
The growing need for reform 432
The reformers 434
The Catholic Church’s response: The Counter Reformation 436
The Age of Reason 437
The Age of Revolution 439
The Modern Era 442
Appendix B: Popular Catholic Prayers 449
Western (Latin) Catholic Prayers 449
Our Father (Pater Noster) 450
Hail Mary (Ave Maria) 451
Glory Be 451
Salve Regina 452
Memorare 453
Act of Contrition 454
Prayer to Guardian Angel 455
Grace Before/After Meals 455
Prayer to St Michael the Archangel 456
Act of Faith 457
Act of Hope 457
Act of Love (Charity) 457
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary 458
Litany of Saint Joseph 460
Litany of the Saints 462
Eastern and Byzantine Catholic Prayers 467
Prayer before meals 467
Prayer after meals 467
Prayer of the Publican 468
Prayer of St Ephraim of Syria 468
Prayer to St Maron 468
Appendix C: Directory of Patron Saints 469
Index 483
- 1.18″ H x 9.13″ L x 7.32″ W (1.95 lbs)
- Black & White on White paper
- 528 pages
- ISBN-13: 1119855713 (Paperback)
- BISAC Categories:
– Religion | Christianity | Catholic
– Religion | Biblical Studies | History & Culture
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