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Read the Catechism in a Year


 
Quick update and happy Thanksgiving!

Hey Catechism fans - just so everyone's on the same page...we've wrapped up last year's "Read the Catechism in a Year" and we'll be starting it up again (along with Study the Gospel in a Year - - flocknote.com/gospel) next week as we start the new liturgical year (Advent).

In the meantime, stay tuned. Catch your breath. Hug your loved ones. Have a blessed Thanksgiving. And then get ready to rock as we Read the Catechism in a Year!

Peace be with you,

Matthew Warner
Founder of Flocknote and The Radical Life


 

Take the Catechism Test

Take the test.

NEW! CATECHISM TEST

How well do you know the teachings of the Church? This seven-part test covers then entire Catechism of the Catholic Church. Developed by Jim Seghers of Totus Tuus Ministries, this test has been used to instruct catechists and is used by seminarians to help in their studies.

 Test 1 of 7
 Test 2 of 7
 Test 3 of 7
 Test 4 of 7
 Test 5 of 7
 Test 6 of 7
 Test 7 of 7

Here's a partial of the first test:

CATECHISM TEST #1(CCC #26-#421)
In answering the questions below place a ? in front of the question if you are not certain of the answer. Place a G in front of the question if your answer is a guess. Note: some questions may have multiple answers.
To have your test graded, forward your answers to Jim Seghers’ Totus Tuus Ministries at
http://www.totustuus.com

1. The desire for God (27):
   
   1. is written in the human heart.
      
   2. Must be carefully developed because it is not innate to man.
      
   3. is innately lacking in many individuals.
      
2. Men may reject God through sin (29):
   
   1. but he cannot never forget his longing for God
      
   2. and lose the sense of his vital bond to God
      
   3. neither
      
3. We can know God (31):
   
   1. only through the gift of faith
      
   2. through proofs of reason like the proofs in natural sciences
      
   3. by reason alone through converging and convincing arguments
      
4. It is possible to arrive at knowledge of the existence of God through the physical order, starting from movement, becoming, contingency, order and beauty (31- 32).
   
   1. entirely true
      
   2. entirely true for every rational person
      
   3. entirely false
      
5. The reality of mankind’s freedom and the voice of conscience can lead to discovering the existence of God (33):
   
   1. partially true
      
   2. entirely false
      
   3. entirely true
      
6. Which of the following statements is/are true (34):
   
   1. Man contains within himself his first principle.
      
   2. Man does not contain within himself either his first principle or last end.
      
   3. Man contains within himself is first principle, but not his last end.
      

7. To achieve real intimacy with God depends on (35):
   
   1. God revealing himself and giving grace
      
   2. God revealing himself
      
   3. God giving his grace
      
8. Revelation allows men to know God (38):
   
   
   1. with no admixture of error
      
   2. with certainty
      
   3. with ease, certainty and with no admixture of error
      
9. Which of the following statements is/are correct (43):
   
   1. Faith allows us to grasp God as he is.
      
   2. Similarities between God and his creatures actually expresses a greater
      dissimilitude.
      
   3. Both are correct.
      
10. Which of the following is/are true (51):
    
    1. The Father calls all men to himself directly.
       
    2. It pleases God to have men share in the divine nature.
       
    3. Both.
       
11. The fullness of God’s revelation is found in (53, 65, 75, 100):
    
    1. Sacred Scripture
       
    2. Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition
       
    3. Jesus Christ
       
12. The first parents were created (54):
    
    1. in a state of grace and justice
       
    2. with natural goodness and preternatural gifts only.
       
    3. outside of God’s covenant
       
13. The division of nations (57):
    
    1. was a punishment of sin
       
    2. was not a result of sin
       
    3. limited the pride of men
       
14. Which of the following statements is/are true (60):
    
1. Abraham’s descendants became the chosen people.
   
2. The covenant with Abraham did not benefit the gentiles.
   
3. Abraham is not a saint in the same sense of the New Testament saints. 

Goto the Saint Charles Borromeo site and take the test.

Read the Catechism in a Year - Day 327

Read the Catechism in a Year

Day 327 - Spiritual Works of Mercy

What are the "spiritual works of mercy"?

The spiritual works of mercy are: to instruct the ignorant, to counsel the doubtful, comfort the sorrowful, admonish the sinner, bear wrongs patiently, forgive all injuries, and pray for the living and the dead. (YOUCAT question 451)

Dig Deeper: CCC section (2451-2463) and other references here.
NEW CD/MP3: The Miracle of Divine Mercy - The Chaplet of Divine Mercy sung by award-winner Kitty Cleveland

This text comes from the YOUCAT - an accessible expression of the Catechism in a simple Q & A format. [Learn more here]

Copyright 2011 by Ignatius Press, San Francisco.
Sponsored by Lighthouse Catholic Media, NFP. Powered by Flocknote.

Read the Catechism in a Year- Day 326

  Read the Catechism in a Year - Corporal Works of Mercy

What are the "corporal works of mercy"?

To feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick and the imprisoned, and bury the dead. (YOUCAT question 450)

Dig Deeper: CCC section (2447-2450) and other references here.

NEW CD/MP3: The Miracle of Divine Mercy

This text comes from the YOUCAT - an accessible expression of the Catechism in a simple Q & A format. [Learn more here] Copyright 2011 by Ignatius Press, San Francisco. Sponsored by Lighthouse Catholic Media, NFP. Powered by Flocknote.

Read the Catechism in a Year - Day 319 - The Duty of Entrepreneurs

The Seventh Commandment: You shall not steal.

What is the duty of managers and entrepreneurs?

Entrepreneurs and managers are concerned about the commercial success of their company. Besides their legitimate interests (including the profit motive), they also have a social responsibility to take into account the just concerns of their employees, suppliers, and customers, as well as of society as a whole, and also to be considerate of the environment. (YOUCAT question 443)

Dig Deeper: CCC section (2427-2432) and other references here.

Intersection of Faith and Science: 

Compelling Proofs for the Existence of God by Fr. Spitzer, SJ 

 

This text comes from the YOUCAT - an accessible expression of the Catechism in a simple Q & A format. [Learn more here]

Copyright 2011 by Ignatius Press, San Francisco.
Sponsored by Lighthouse Catholic Media, NFP. Powered by Flocknote.

Read the Catechism in a Year Day 355 - Learn How to Pray from Mary

Read the Catechism in a Year 

Day 355 - Learn How to Pray from Mary 

What can we learn from the way in which Mary prayed?

To learn from Mary how to pray means to join in her prayer: "Let it be to me according to your word" (Lk 1:38). Prayer is ultimately self-giving in response to God's love. If we say Yes as Mary did, God has the opportunity to lead his life in our life (YOUCAT question 479).

Dig Deeper: CCC section (2617) and other references  here.

Simple advice on prayer:

 

Read the Catechism in a Year: Day 279 - The Sixth Commandment

The Sixth Commandment: You shall not commit adultery. 

What does it mean to say that man is a sexual being? 

God created man as male and female. He created them for each other and for love. He created them with erotic desires and the ability to experience physical pleasure. He created them to transmit life.

Being a man or being a woman is very deeply imprinted on the individual human person; it is a different way of feeling, a different way of loving, a different calling with respect to children, another way of believing. Because he intended that they should be there for each other and complement one another in love, God made man and woman different. That is why man and woman attract each other sexually and intellectually. When a husband and wife express their love for each other in bodily union, their love finds its deepest sensual expression. Just as God is creative in his love, so too man can be creative in love and give life to children.

Is there a priority of one sex over the other?
No. God endowed men and women with identical dignity as persons.

Both men and women are human beings created in God’s image and children of God redeemed by Jesus Christ. It is just as unchristian as it is inhumane to discriminate unjustly against someone because he is male or female. Equal dignity and equal rights, nevertheless, do not mean uniformity. The sort of egalitarianism that ignores the specific character of a man or a woman contradicts God’s plan of creation. (YOUCAT questions 400-401)

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Dig Deeper: Corresponding CCC section (2331-2336) and other references here.
Life-changing book from Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC: Consoling the Heart of Jesus

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This text comes from the YOUCAT - an accessible expression of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in a simple Q & A format. [Learn more here]

Copyright © 2011 by Ignatius Press, San Francisco. Sponsored by Lighthouse Catholic Media, NFP. Powered by Flocknote.

Read the Catechism in a year: Day 269 - Abort

Read the Catechism in a Year

The Fifth Commandment: You shall not kill.

Why is abortion unacceptable at any phase in the development of an embryo? 

God-given human life is God’s own property; it is sacred from the first moment of its existence and not under the control of any human being. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you” (Jer 1:5).

God alone is Lord over life and death. Not even “my” life belongs to me. Every child, from the moment of conception on, has a right to life. From his earliest beginnings an unborn human being is a separate person, and no one can infringe upon his rights, not the State, not the doctor, and not even the mother. The Church’s clarity about this is not a lack of compassion; she means, rather, to point out the irreparable harm that is inflicted on the child who is killed in abortion and on his parents and on society as a whole. Protecting innocent human life is one of the noblest tasks of the State. If a State evades this responsibility, it undermines the foundations of a rule of law.

Can a handicapped child be aborted?

No. Aborting a handicapped child is always a serious crime, even if it is done with the intention of sparing that person suffering later on.  (YOUCAT questions 383-384)

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Dig Deeper: Corresponding CCC section (2270-2274) and other references here.The Incredible Conversion Story of an Ex-Abortionist: 

Aborting America

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This text comes from the YOUCAT - an accessible expression of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in a simple Q & A format. [Learn more here]

Copyright © 2011 by Ignatius Press, San Francisco.
Sponsored by Lighthouse Catholic Media, NFP. Powered by Flocknote.

Read the Catechism: Day 275 - Respect for the Dead

Read the Catechism in a Year

Day 275 - Respect for the Dead

The Fifth Commandment: You shall not kill.

How do Christians treat the corpse of someone who has died?

Christians treat the corpse of a dead person respectfully and lovingly, realizing that God has called him to the resurrection of the dead.

It is a traditional part of Christian funeral customs for the remains of a dead person to be buried in a dignified manner in the earth and for the grave to be decorated and tended. Today the Church also accepts other funeral arrangements (for instance, cremation), as long as they are not interpreted in a way contrary to the belief in the resurrection of the dead. (YOUCAT question 394)

Dig Deeper: Corresponding CCC section (2300-2301) and other references here.

NEW TALK - A Real Life Healed by Real Love: 




Copyright © 2011 by Ignatius Press, San Francisco. Sponsored by Lighthouse Catholic Media, NFP. Powered by Flocknote.

Read the Catechism- Masturbation

Read the Catechism in a Year

Day 285 - Is Masturbation an Offense Against Love? The Sixth Commandment: You shall not commit adultery. Is masturbation an offense against love? Masturbation is an offense against love, because it makes the excitement of sexual pleasure an end in itself and uncouples it from the holistic unfolding of love between a man and a woman. That is why "sex with yourself" is a contradiction in terms. The Church does not demonize masturbation, but she warns against trivializing it. In fact many young people and adults are in danger of becoming isolated in their consumption of lewd pictures, films, and Internet services instead of finding love in a personal relationship. Loneliness can lead to a blind alley in which masturbation becomes an addiction. Living by the motto "For sex I do not need anyone; I will have it myself, however and whenever I need it" makes nobody happy. (YOUCAT question 409) Dig Deeper: CCC section (2352) and other references here. A Talk that Saved Thousands of Lives: Detox by Jason Evert This text comes from the YOUCAT - an accessible expression of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in a simple Q & A format. [Learn more here] Copyright 2011 by Ignatius Press, San Francisco. Sponsored by Lighthouse Catholic Media, NFP. Powered by Flocknote.

Part 3: Life in Christ (1691 - 2557)

Section 2: The Ten Commandments (2052 - 2557)

Chapter 2: You Shall Love Your Neighbor as Yourself (2196 - 2557)

Article 6: The Sixth Commandment (2331 - 2400)

Jesus said to his disciples: "Love one another even as I have loved you."¹ ⇡

You shall not commit adultery.¹¹³

You have heard that it was said, "You shall not commit adultery." But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.¹¹⁴ ⇡

II. THE VOCATION TO CHASTITY ⇡

Offenses against chastity ⇡

1735
(all)

2352

By masturbation is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive sexual pleasure. "Both the Magisterium of the Church, in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action."¹³⁸ "The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose." For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of "the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved."¹³⁹

To form an equitable judgment about the subjects' moral responsibility and to guide pastoral action, one must take into account the affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety or other psychological or social factors that lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability.

1.

Jn 13:34.

113.

Ex 20:14; Deut 5:18.

114.

Mt 5:27-28.

138.

CDF, Persona humana 9.

139.

CDF, Persona humana 9.

Read the Catechism in a Year - Day 273

Read the Catechism in a Year

Day 273 - Experimentation and Organ Donation The Fifth Commandment: You shall not kill. Is it permissible to experiment on a live human being?  Scientific, psychological, or medical experiments on a live human subject are allowed only when the results that can be expected are important for human well-being and cannot be obtained otherwise. Everything, however, must take place with the free and informed consent of the subject in question. Moreover, the experiments must not be disproportionately risky. To make human beings the subjects of research against their will is a crime. The fate of the Polish resistance fighter Dr. Wanda Poltawska, a close confidant of Pope John Paul II, reminds us what was at stake then and still is now. During the Nazi period, Wanda Poltawska was a victim of criminal human experiments in the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Later Dr. Poltawska, a psychiatrist, advocated a reform of medical ethics and was among the founding members of the Pontifical Academy for Life.  Is organ donation important?    Donating organs can lengthen life or improve the quality of life, and therefore it is a genuine service to one’s neighbor, provided no one is forced to do it. It must be certain that the donor during his lifetime gave his free and deliberate consent and that he was not killed for the purpose of removing the organ(s). Donation by living donors is also possible, for example, in bone marrow transplants or in the donation of one kidney. Organ donation from a cadaver presupposes a certain determination of death and the consent of the donor during his lifetime or else of his representative. (YOUCAT questions 390-391) Dig Deeper: Corresponding CCC section (2292-2296) and other references  here.  Brand New Talk from Fr. Larry Richards: This text comes from the YOUCAT - an accessible expression of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in a simple Q & A format. [Learn more here] Copyright © 2011 by Ignatius Press, San Francisco. Sponsored by Lighthouse Catholic Media, NFP. Powered by Flocknote. By Matthew Warner COMMENTARY: The questions asked are:

Is it permissible to experiment on a live human being? 

If I understand the answer, it can be summarized further in these words.  It is permissible to experiment on a live human being if:

a.  The human upon whom the experiment is being conducted consents to said experiment.
b.  The experiment is not too risky.  I presume that means to life and limb.
c.  It is for an extremely good cause.  I presume something like find the cure for cancer.

In addition, I think the article says that experimenting on someone against their will is akin to murder.  That is why it is captioned with the Commandment, "thou shalt not murder."

Is organ donation important?   

In reading the answer, it didn't respond to the question directly.  However, all the things that were mentioned in the answer I would classify as important.  Therefore, by logical extension, I'd say the answer is, "yes, organ donation is important."  

As for me, I relate it to the teaching of Scripture:

John 15:13  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 

 Sincerely,

De Maria 

 

Read the Catechism in a Year

Day 272 - The Importance of Health The Fifth Commandment: You shall not kill. How important is health?  Health is an important value, but not an absolute one. We should treat our God-given body gratefully and carefully, but not be obsessed with it. Appropriate care for the health of its citizens is one of the fundamental obligations of the State, which must create living conditions in which sufficient food, sanitary housing, and basic medical care are available to all.  Why is it a sin to take drugs?   Using drugs is a sin because it is an act of self-destruction and thus an offense against the life that God has given us out of love. Every form of a person’s dependence on legal substances (alcohol, medication, tobacco) and even more so on illegal drugs is an exchange of freedom for slavery; it damages the health and life of the person concerned and also does great harm to the people around him. Every time a person loses or forgets himself by becoming intoxicated, which can also include excessive eating and drinking, indulgence in sexual activity, or speeding with an automobile, he loses some of his human dignity and freedom and therefore sins against God. This should be distinguished from the reasonable, conscious, and moderate use of enjoyable things.  (YOUCAT questions 388-389) Dig Deeper: Corresponding CCC section (2288-2291) and other references here.Brand New Talk from Fr. Larry Richards:  This text comes from the YOUCAT - an accessible expression of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in a simple Q & A format. [Learn more here] Copyright © 2011 by Ignatius Press, San Francisco. Sponsored by Lighthouse Catholic Media, NFP. Powered by Flocknote. By Matthew Warner

Commentary:

God gives us all good things.  But does not expect us to abuse them.  Everything is good.  Even illegal drugs are used in hospitals to help in the curing of diseases and alleviating of pain.  However, these same drugs which God gave us to cure disease and alleviate pain can lead to unhealthful results when used for the sole purpose of becoming intoxicated out of one's mind.  

As the Scripture says:

Galatians 5:13

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Therefore, do not overindulge in any drugs.  Even wine, which is a drug praised and suggested in Scripture: 

1 Timothy 5:23

Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.

can lead to a man's destruction if abused:

Proverbs 20:1

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

Sincerely,

De Maria

Read the Catechism in a year

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Read the Catechism in a Year

Day 270 - Embryonic Experimentation The Fifth Commandment: You shall not kill. Can experiments be performed on living embryos and embryonic stem cells?   No. Embryos are human beings, because human life begins with the fusion of a sperm cell and an egg. Regarding embryos as biological material, “producing” them and then “using” their stem cells for purposes of research is absolutely immoral and falls under the commandment “You shall not kill.” Research on adult stem cells is a different matter, since they cannot develop into human beings. Medical interventions on an embryo are justifiable only if they are made with the intention of healing, if the life and unimpaired development of the child are assured, and if the risks involved are not disproportionately great. (YOUCAT question 385) Dig Deeper: Corresponding CCC section (2275) and other references here.The Incredible Conversion Story of an Ex-Abortionist:

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This text comes from the YOUCAT - an accessible expression of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in a simple Q & A format. [Learn more here]

Copyright © 2011 by Ignatius Press, San Francisco.
Sponsored by Lighthouse Catholic Media, NFP. Powered by Flocknote.

By Matthew Warner

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