Catechism of the Catholic Church: Second Edition

The Catchism is a compact and handy hard-cover you can easily carry in your bag or even lady's purse. This edition was promulgated by Poe john Paul II which would be ideal for Polish Catholics and those from Central and Eastern Europe. Also, at US$9.99, it is value for money.

This is a compact edition 7.2 x 4.5 x 1.7 (825 pages) of the larger, more current and easy to use edition 9 x 6.7 x 2 inches (920 pages) by USCCB Publishing. Yet, this is more suitable when travelling and on the road.Nota Bene: This edition was published in April 1995. Although called the Second Edition, this is not therefore the "Catechism of the Catholic Church: revised in accordance with the official Latin text promulgated by Pope John Paul II" which was published in April 2000. In fact, there is a proviso on the copyright page that says, "This translation is subject to the Latin typico edition (editio typica) when it is published."Anyway, there are a number of different good Catechisms that are in print. To name a few, Father John A. Hardon gave us The Catholic Catechism: A Contemporary Catechism of the Teachings of the Catholic Church and The Question & Answer Catholic Catechism. Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl authored the Teaching of Christ and later The Gift of Faith: A Question and Answer Catechism Version of the Teaching of Christ. Better known as the Roman Catechism (Resources for catechetical teachers), there is the less known version of The Catechism of the Council of Trent, which has a history like no other.Each of these has its unique format. However, examining the Roman Catechism, one finds it is divided into four parts which correspond to the divisions followed by the Church since early Christian times:1. Catholic belief presented in an explanation of the twelve articles of the Apostles' Creed.2. The seven sacraments are explained at length, instituted by Christ as a means for the living of the demands of faith.3. The Ten Commandments in a New Testament setting showing how Christ brought the Old Law to perfection.4. After a detailed treatise on prayer: its nature, its necessity, and the practice of prayer in general, including an exposition of the seven petitions of the Lord's Prayer.If we look at the new Catechism of the Catholic Church, we notice an apparent likeness in how it corresponds to the format of the Roman Catechism, having four main and similar divisions:1. The Profession of Faith2. The Celebration of the Christian Mystery (and the Sacraments)3. Life in Christ4. Christian PrayerSo, we can say that the new Catechism in many ways is really update of the Roman Catechism and the teachings and practices that Church has clung to throughout the centuries from early Christian times. This gives much credibility to the permanence, and uninterrupted nature of the Church's beliefs, doctrine, and the Christian Life espoused for 2000 years. We could call the Catechism of the Catholic Church a "Defender of the Faith" for what it does. It could also be called "Defender of Scripture" because it cites Sacred Scripture more than anything else, which certainly takes us back to early Christian times. There are also great references to Vatican II Documents, other Council & Papal documents, plus the writings of the Church Fathers and the Saints. You could say that it "teaches with authority!" It is a great reference book, not something the average person will sit and read from cover to cover.

You get wonderfully lost 'in' this Big Green Book - in the wonder of it all - when you start to look up something in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. My husband and I were Converts and, although we knew the Bible very, very well when we came into full-Communion in the Catholic Church, we still had a lot to learn. We both had our own copies of the Big Green Book (this one) as well as several copies of the small light weight white one which went into our book bags. However, this larger Catechism has everything - the best foot notes and an excellent Glossary. The Glossary was written by former Archbishop William Levada, of the Archdiocese of San Francisco Agana, who is now William Cardinal Joseph Levada, the Prefect of the Congregation of the Faith. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is to promote and safeguard the doctrine on the faith and morals throughout the Catholic world - the former role of our new Pope Benedict XVI. Cardinal Levada was the only American to work on the new Catechism.My husband always called the Big Green Book a page-turner as he just could not stop reading. He would pick up the book to look up one thing and keep reading for hours.The Amazon price is so amazingly low and you will find it is a great gift. Catholics who feel they must defend their faith - which has lasted over 2,000 years - or just want to learn more about what they believe - will want to own this book. Terrence J. Sexton commented in his review of this Catechism, one of the best comments of all: "Fulton Sheen once wrote that there are only a handful of Americans who hate the Catholic Church, though there are millions who hate what they think the Church is." I have discovered that many cradle Catholics say they came from a very poorly Catechized time and they, too, need and appreciate this book. Truth, and that is Truth with a capital "T" is so clear in this Catechism and topics are all easy to locate.We, unlike any other Christian group, have the Authority of the Church. It is wonderful to know What we Believe and Why we Believe It.(I wrote this review for Amazon February 4, 2007. I always like reviewing my own reviews years later to see if I still believe the same thing today - I always do. This one is about the Catechism of the Catholic Church and it still is a "page-turner" in my book!) Terry Fenwick 2/9/2011