t t the pARISh + catechism t i by FATHER FARRELL t +t +++++'+ t Desoldiflsd Father Farrell WRITTEN ESPECIALLY FOR INSTRUCTING NON-CATHOLIC PEOPLE IN THE BASIC TEACHINGS OF RELIGION. Also useful for study clubs, parish missions, lenten reading and so forth. Published by UNITED BOOK SERVICE 609 E. 89th Street Chicago 19, Illinois Phone: RAdcliff 3-4994 Nihil Obstat: The Reverend Edward B. Brueggeman, S. J. Censor Librorum Imprimatur: Samuel Cardinal Stritch, Archbishop of Chicago. December 1, 1954 Copyright January 1, 1955 Martin W. Farrell All Rights Reserved an invitation to Leaun the teachings of chmst “My son, hear My words, words most sweet, excelling all the learn- ing of philosophers, and of the wise men of this world. My words are spirit and life, and not to be esti- mated according to human percep- tion.” Blessed is the man whom Thou, O Lord, shalt instruct, and shalt teach him Thy law: that Thou mayst give him rest from the evil days, and that he may not be desolate upon earth. “I,” saith the Lord, “have taught the prophets from the beginning, to and even till now I cease not speak to all. The world promiseth things temporal and of small value, things most excellent . .; I promise and everlasting.” (The Following of Christ, Chapter 3, Book 3) the suBjects of youR SECTION ONE Page TRUTHS TO BELIEVE 7 Lesson Question 1 Religion 1 to 8 8 2 God 9 to 19 9 3 The Public Worship of Almighty God 20 to 36 12 4 Revelation 37 to 54 15 5 Prayer 55 to 70 17 1 6 Angels 71 to 76 21 7 Human Beings 77 to 88 22 8 Grace ~S9 to 104 24 9 The Beginning of the Human Race 105 to 117 27 10 Sin 118 to 133 29 11 Heaven 134 to 140 32 12 Hell 141 to 150 34 13 Purgatory 151 to 162 35 14 The Life of Jesus Christ 163 to 181 38 15 Jesus Christ is God 182 to 191 41 16 The Blessed Virgin Mary 192 to 199 43 17 The Catholic Church is the Only True Church 200 to 215 46 18 The Catholic Church Alone Has the Authority to Teach, to Give God’s Grace, and to Govern in the Name of Christ 216 to 228 48 19 The Pope 229 to 238 51 20 The Catholic Church is Universal 239 to 245 53 21 The Catholic Church is Holy 246 to 2^9 54 22 The Catholic Church Cannot Teach Error 250 to 254 54 23 The Catholic Church is One 255 to 258 56 24 Do You Intend to Enter the Catholic Church? 259 to 265 57 25 Religious Indifference 266 to 272 58 Religious instRuctions SECTION TWO Page THE WAYS OF OBTAINING GRACE 63 Lesson Question 26 The Seven Sacraments 273 to 283 64 27 Baptism 284 to 295 65 28 Confirmation 296 to 307 68 29 The Blessed Sacrament and Holy Communion (The Lord’s Supper) 308 to 324 70 30 The Sacrifice of the Mass 325 to 340 74 31 Confession 341 to 353 77 32 How to Make a Good Confession 354 to 367 79 33 Holy Orders 368 to 389 82 34 God Made Marriage 390 to 406 86 35 The Sins Against Marriage 407 to 428 89 36 The Christian Marriage 429 to 440 94 37 Reasons for Failure in Marriage 441 to 445 97 38 Extreme Unction 446 to 458 100 SECTION THREE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE ..105 39 The Commandments of God 459 to 472 106 40 The First Commandment 473 to 491 108 41 The Second Commandment 492 to 496 112 42 The Third Commandment 497 to 513 113 43 The Fourth Commandment 514 to 532 116 44 The Fifth Commandment 533 to 551 120 45 The Sixth and Ninth Commandments 552 to 564 123 46 The Seventh and Tenth Commandments 565 to 577 127 47 The Eighth Commandment 578 to 587 130 . “ ' t t t t t t t t t t t t section one t t t . t __ t 1 Ruths to Believe t thy ways to + “Shew, O Lord , me, and teach me thy paths. in thy truth and Direct me , + teach me; for thou art Cod my Savior.' 1 (Psalm 24:4-5) t t t + t t t t t t + (7) (Questions 1-6) Lesson Is RELIGION “Religiousness shall keep and justify the heart: it shall give joy and gladness.” (Ecclesiasticus 1:18) 1. Why did God make man? God made man to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world and to be happy forever with Him in the next world. .” “The Lord hath made all things for himself (Proverbs 16:4) 2. How can you know, love, and serve God? You can know, love and serve God only by studying and prac- ticing the truths of religion as given to us by Christ Himself. 3. What is religion? Religion is the virtue by which you give to God the honor and service you owe Him. You owe God honor and service because He is your Creator, Master, and Lord. “He made us, and not we ourselves” (Psalm 99:3) “All things were created by him and in him.” (Colossians 1:16) 4. To practice religion, what is necessary? To practice religion it is necessary to know and accept the truths that God has revealed and to Uve according to these truths. Every reasonable man sees the necessity of learning about God and man. He needs to know about grace, sin, heaven, hell, purgatory, the ways of obtaining God’s grace, and the Com- mandments God wants us to obey. Therefore it is necessary for you to come to instructions and to study the catechism well. “Blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it” (Luke 11:28) 5. What reward will God give to those who learn and follow His teachings ? God Himself guarantees heaven to those who learn and follow His teachings. “That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard : neither hath it en- tered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9) 6. What punishment does God give to those who neglect either the study or the practice of religion? Those who neglect to know, love, and serve their God in this world will hear the condemnation of Christ, the Just Judge, on judgment day: “Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire , which was prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Mat- thew 25:41) Therefore, no man can say he is too busy either to study religion or to live a good life. ( 8 ) : : (Questions 7-11) 7. Can we see the result of this lack of religion in the world today? Lack of knowledge or failure to practice religion is perhaps the root cause for most of the unhappiness in the world today. It is because men either do not know or do not practice their duties towards God and towards their fellowman that we have all sorts of unhappiness as evidenced by the many broken hearts, broken homes, divorces, unfaithful husbands, juvenile delinquents in the world today. 8. Can it be said that a good life is its own reward? Yes, it can be said that a good life is its own reward. From the practice of religion a man gains Peace of heart and soul which comes from leading a good life. The answers to the big questions in life—Who am I ? Where am I going? How can I gain happiness? How can I have a happy married life? How can I help my children lead good lives? Etc. 9. Parents sometimes have the mistaken notion that the Catholic school has a magic formula for making children good. This is nonsense! The goodness you see in Catholic school children is due to their religion. The Catholic school, however, is no sub- stitute for religious parents. Parents must understand and practice the teachings of God if they expect their children to be good. Lesson 2: GOD “I am the First, and I am the Last: and besides me there is no God.” (Isaias 44:6) Who is God? God is the Creator, the One “Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all things that are in them.” (Psalm 145:5) God created everything that exists. Only God can create, that is, make something out of nothing. 10. How do we know there is a God? We know there is a God because the world and all the things in it must have been made and set in motion by Someone. “But ask now the beasts , and they shall teach thee: and the birds of the air, and they shall tell thee. Speak to the earth, and it shall answer thee: and the fishes of the sea shall tell. Who is ignorant that the hand of the Lord hath made all these things ?” (Job 12:7-9) 11. Are there any other proofs for the existence of God? Yes, there are other proofs for the existence of God. Among them are the following ( 9 ) : (Questions 11 to 14) The marvelous order of the universe proves that there is Someone who not only created it, but Who also keeps it in order. Every man’s conscience tells him there is a Law Giver and All-just Judge whom he must obey. All men of every nation and race, no matter how unedu- cated, have always known and taught that there is a God.