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Chesterton, What’s Wrong With The World, 1910). More than a century ago, it was said: “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting it has been found difficult and left untried.” (G.K. No matter what a person’s own perspective, no one – Catholic, non-Catholic, or “none” –seems unaware that traditional Catholic teaching on marriage, family, and human sexuality is not being embraced. Yet because of the relentless resistance to accepting the sanctity of human life and the sanctity of its transmission, I suggest that we should also be familiar with complementary resources. The Catechism and the Compendium of the Catechism absolutely proclaim the sanctity of human life, as well as and the sanctity of how human life is transmitted.
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Church Teaching on the Sanctity of LifeĪt our particular juncture of history, 2021, the Truth which the Church proclaims about the sanctity of human life and the sanctity of how human life is transmitted certainly seems to constitute what is most widely unappreciated, underappreciated, misunderstood, outwardly mocked, and mercilessly bashed – major stumbling blocks to accepting the Truth! We are called to help get ourselves, our loved ones, and all God’s people to Heaven. All of us need to arm ourselves to promote and defend God’s Truth, because it is only His Good News that leads humanity to authentic happiness. I have also found the Compendium of the Catechism to be a magnificent catechetical resource (As a study guide, for example, each of the 598 answers can be conveyed into American Sign Language for those who rely on that mode of communication – a particular area of interest to me.).
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With its compact 598 question and answer format, it makes an ideal resource/reference for every Catholic – a source of comfort, edification, and reassurance. It was in 2005 that Pope Benedict XVI published the Compendium of the Catechism – a “Readers’ Digest version if you will – of the Catechism. Wow! The body itself is meant to have a glorious destiny. Just as an example, I felt blown away by the first part’s notion of the “resurrection of the dead,” as it indicated that God wants both our bodies and souls in Heaven.
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There was so much that I had not truly and comprehensively understood! It was truly Good News and life-changing. When I first read the Catechism nearly three decades ago, I had numerous “aha” moments. Focusing on how we pray, much of the fourth part, look at the Our Father.Focusing on how we are to live, much of the third part looks at the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes.Focusing on how we celebrate, much of the second part looks at the Seven Sacraments.With its focus on what we believe, much of the first parts explore the Apostles Creed.With regard to setup, those magnificent resources of the Catechism and the Compendium of the Catechism are both divided into the four pillars of 1) the Profession of the Faith, 2) the Celebration of the Christian Mystery, 3) Life in Christ, and 4) Christian Prayer. Bravo! Bravo, Bravissimo! Rather than in any way outdated, both treasures are timeless. In a recent Catholic Stand article ( Why Catholics Need to Return to the Catechism, 6/5/21), Abigal Gripshover called for an embrace/re-embrace of the Catechism and its Compendium of the Catechism.