The Catholic Catechism: A Contemporary Catechism of the Teachings of the Catholic Church

The Catholic Catechism written by John A. Hardon, S.J. is an in-depth source book and orthodox study on the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church with an emphasis on the many documents that emerged post-Vatican II. Fr. Hardon's historically-rooted teaching is not only very clear and exact in its presentation, but it has caused me to fill almost all 571 pages with copious notes and underlined passages both celebrating and respectfully questioning his express orthodox point-of-view. Logical organization, deftly-handled controversy, and topics that deepen one's faith all point toward the overriding theme of Fr. Hardon's work, the love of God and neighbor above all things lived out through enlightened love. The Catholic Catechism is divided into three sections: doctrines of faith, morality and the spiritual life, and ritual and worship. Each of these sections, according to Fr. Hardon's introduction, overlap because faith, morality, and ritual affect and interact with one another. But each division deals with in-depth, scholarly orthodox teaching according to not only magisterial norms but historical and post-Vatican II documents and papal encyclicals. As expected, Fr. Hardon even ties in the Church Fathers on many points. All of this equals a tightly wound, unabashedly orthodox position for objective truth contained in all Roman Catholic Church dogma. Fr. Hardon pulls out all the figurative stops in arguing the Church's point of view on many magisterial teachings that have garnered faithful opposition, and it is Fr. Hardon's argument and counterargument that I find both captivating and scholarly. On pp. 367-381, for instance, Fr. Hardon presents the Church's teaching against contraception. This teaching is one of the most disputed since Vatican II, and not only does Fr. Hardon present the magisterial point of view, but he begins his argument with an anthropological and societal history and moves through philosophical and Christian tradition rooted in the Church Fathers and the teaching of the Didache. Rooted in this section is Fr. Hardon's presentation on the validity of Church authority, which I find clever since some of us who conscientiously oppose the orthodox position on contraception also question papal and magisterial infallibility. Fr. Hardon knows this and brilliantly interweaves the argument for not only papal but magisterial infallibility in teaching faith and morals. Next, he deals with the post-Vatican II document Humanae Vitae and its controversial conclusion, ignoring Pope John XXIII's 1963 commission on Population and Family Life's majority decision to accept contraception. Fr. Hardon creatively argues that the commission functions in a non-definitive, advisory-only capacity, thus leading to the inerrant magisterial decision and teaching on this matter of morals. Admittedly, this is one of the most sagacious, accurately argued examples of exposition in the text. But all writing and ideas are subject to the contextual bias of an author's position and historicity. This 14-page section, moreover, took me over an hour on which to read and make notes. Conclusively, this section exemplifies several strengths in Fr. Hardon's book: First, the arguments herein are solidly orthodox and true to Church teaching. Second, Fr. Hardon is an incredible thinker and deft argumentative and expository writer. Of all the elements about the Church and Fr. Hardon's presentation, there are many teachings and dogmas on which I pray for clarity and the humility of mind. Conversely, there are many teachings that both highlight and deepen my firmly-held beliefs. One favorite section in this book, therefore, is on the truth of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist presented on pp. 457-481. Fr. Hardon is vividly clear and historically accurate in this exposition and argument; he expertly covers the Ratramnus controversy of the 9th century that influenced all later arguments (especially the 16th century Reformation) of a symbolic rather than corporeal presence of Christ. And fittingly, Fr. Hardon moves into the renaissance of faith in the Real Presence that stemmed from the refutation of Ratramnus' treaty and later the teachings of the Council of Trent. Fr. Hardon's book ends with a discussion on a controversial topic in Christianity, indulgences. Indulgences not only confirm the Catholic concept of earning merit, but they teach that although our sins are forgiven, remission of temporal punishment vis-a-vis works approved by the Church is required. Fr. Hardon historically establishes that certain evidence of general indulgences appeared after the eleventh century. He further explains the concept of indulgences and the Church's later abuse. Although the historical explanations are factual, there is a detectable Catholic bias in treating the subject. I do not hold this against, Fr. Hardon, for he is an expert scholar throughout and clearly influenced by an exclusively Catholic upbringing, education, formation, and commissioning to research and write the text by Pope Paul VI. In the midst of my questions, he ends the section with a poignant reference to Pope Paul VI's Handbook of Indulgences that puts the subject in a livable perspective. Fr. Hardon quotes Pope Paul VI in the following: "A partial indulgence is granted to any of Christ's faithful who, in the performance of his duties and bearing the trials of life, raises his mind to God in humble confidence and adds, even mentally, some pious invocation." Prayer amidst the trials of life is an attainable, humble approach to living charitably and a beautiful way to close the discussion on a controversial topic. In his epilogue, Fr. Hardon coalesces his point and purpose: "We are to practice what we profess and live our faith by loving the God we believe in. For his sake we are to love our neighbor, as he, the God-man, has been loving us. . ." All doctrine, morality, and ritual point us to the universal love of God and neighbor for and with the love of Jesus Christ. We cannot forget or lose this core focus, but, as Fr. Hardon writes,"This is not to minimize the value of knowing what God has revealed and what the Church he founded understands this revelation to mean." Enlightenment, prayer, and spiritual discernment form us into effective members of the Body of Christ, allowing us to evangelize others. And although I still have spiritual mountains to climb, Fr. Hardon's teaching has been the Sherpa steadying me along the path to the beatific summit. Wholeheartedly, I recommend this book to anyone seeking knowledge about the Catholic faith and its rich history. With a prayerful heart, you, too, will find enlightenment and a closer relationship with Christ.

I am going to make an attempt to compare this Catechism against several of the other popular Catechisms being read today.First, let us look at the Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition. This is the current normative text by which other Catechisms are supposed to be developed. It is an excellent text. Where it falls down in my view is in the manner in which is was written. English is obviously not the original language, it was Latin and as such, the translation can be clunky at times and is often not written in a style of English that most are familiar with. Second, it was written for the Bishops, not the laity, and as such, it tends to obfuscate and dance around certain issues so that the reader can go through a paragraph of the text and come away having no idea what they just read or what it meant.Second, let us look to the US Catholic Catechism for Adults, published by the USCCB. Overall, this is a great text and presents the faith a clear and direct manner, much more so than the Universal Catechism I discussed above. My major concern with the US Catechism is the manner in which it handles Social Doctrine as taught by the Church. The section on Catholic Social doctrine is good for the most part, but there are some disturbing problems. For instance, the manner in which the doctrine of Subsidiarity is portrayed in this Catechism is as if it was of minimal importance, when the CCC and the Compendium for the Social Doctrine of the Church treat it as essential, and a major aspect of Catholic Social Teaching. This gives the impression that the Church is in support of governmental action in all parts of our lives, which is not remotely the case. "CCC 1883 states:1883 Socialization also presents dangers. Excessive intervention by the state can threaten personal freedom and initiative. the teaching of the Church has elaborated the principle of subsidiarity, according to which "a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to co-ordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the common good."7You will need to look very carefully to see the difference. You will note that CCC 1883 talks about "in case of need" -- not mentioned in the USCCB Catechism. Also, note that the CCC talks about "a community of a higher order..." while the USCCB Catechism talks about "governments". We know that communities of higher order can talk about the immediate family, the extended family, the neighborhood, the town, the parish, the diocese, and so on..."communities of higher order" are not limited to governments. Yet, if you teach catechism based solely upon the USCCB document, you would not recognize that.Next, on page 421ff, there is a presentation talking about the Reflections of the Catholic Bishops of the United States on the Church's Social Teaching: Major Themes.This portion is a condensation of the USCCB "Pastoral Letter" Economic Justice for All. Economic Justice for All was written by Robert Weakland in 1986. To my knowledge, it did not receive unanimous consent by the US bishops nor did it receive a Recognito from the Holy See (ref CIC Can 455 and Motu Proprio Apostolos Suos). In other words, it is not Magisterial, but it is in the USCCB Catechism which gives the impression that it is authoritative, and this is a problem, a major problem.Third, let us look to the Catechisms put out prior to the Second Vatican Council. Some examples would be the Catechism of the Council of Trent, the Baltimore Catechism, My Catholic Faith, etc. There are several, and some are excellent. Unfortunately though, they do not take into consideration the documents of Vatican II, which are certainly important in the life of the Church, and Catholics today. In addition, the Catechism of the Council of Trent does not include all of Catholic dogma as it was written prior to the Dogmatization of the Immaculate Conception.So, what is a faithful Catholic or someone looking to learn the faith in an orthodox fashion and have it presented in a clear and articulate manner to do? Simple, get Fr. Hardon's Catechism and don't look back. This Catechism is nothing short of a blessing for those are trying to be faithful Catholics and wish to have an orthodox Catechism which takes into consideration Vatican II in its presentation of the Faith. In fact, trying the documents of the Second Vatican Council to all of the Sacred Tradition of the Church was one of the main efforts of Fr. Hardon's Catechism. From the preface we read:"In the wake of the Council, and under the aegis of acting in its "spirit" sometimes without reference to what it actually said, not a few aberrations, exaggerations, and deficiencies began to creep into textbooks and classrooms of some parts of the Church's teaching structure......The attempt to present a "source book" has necessarily resulted in an extensive, though easily read, text with many attractive features. For instance, the Bible is given special prominence in the presentation of the doctrine of the faith. The latest insights offered by the Council are blended with the unchanging dogmas of the Church to present a clear and logical unfolding of the teaching of the Catholic Church from the apostles to our own times." John Cardinal WrightThe bottom line is simple as far as I am concerned. For my money, Fr. Hardon's Catechism is the best one available without question. Its depth, clarity of writing, and orthodoxy make it stand out above all others.

I remember very well "The Catholic Catechism: A Contemporary Catechism of the Teachings of the Catholic Church" by Fr. John Hardon. This was the catechism I used when I first took instructions in the Catholic faith back in 1979. I remember it as being an extremely well-written catechism, not in the older, traditional "question-and-answer" style of the Baltimore Catechism. I learned a tremendous amount from it.Fr. Hardon's style is brisk, forthright, easy to understand and follow, and conversational. Most importantly, the content is faithful to the traditional teachings of the Catholic Church as they were taught in the 1980s through the end of the twentieth century.I lost my old, battered, highlighted copy of "The Catholic Catechism" a few years ago, but was very pleased to see this Kindle version. I immediately added it to my Kindle library! Even though I am no longer Catholic, I use this book frequently as a reference book. I recently began to re-read it in its entirety."The Catholic Catechism: A Contemporary Catechism of the Teachings of the Catholic Church" is an excellent source book of Catholic teachings. Highly recommended.

This book is very useful for all Catholics, because open your view about your faith and help you to be sanctuary

of what i have read of it sofar i think it will be a very good catholic aid for my catholic faith

Haven't read much yet. It's a bit too deep. I expected more of a question and answer type book. But I will try to make good use of it.

soon here. wonderful writer learned yet lucid. A gift for life

I thought it was a hard copy book otherwise I would of never purchased it

Very educational even for the beginner.Written to understand.Makes a wondeful spiritual read, to enrich your life.Recommend to teenagers and up.Claudia