Books

Essentials of the Faith: A Guide to the Catechism / Pastoral Answers

Reviewed by Michael E. Daniel

Contents - May 2003 - Buy a copy now Editorial: The significance of the Resurrection - Peter Westmore Events: Carnivale Christi 2003 - A tale of four cities - Anthony McCarthy News: The Church Around the World Surge in priestly vocations confounds secular culture - Joanne Grainger Why priestly vocations are up in Perth Archdiocese - Debra Warrier Brisbane archdiocesan synod: challenges needing to be addressed - Peter Howard Liturgy: Latvia shows the way on liturgical renewal - Cardinal Janis Pujats Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan (1928-2002): How faith survived in a Communist prison - Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan Architecture: 'Re-ordered' and 'new' churches - symptoms of a wider spiritual malaise - Marie Cassey Language: The forgotten language of adoration of God - through words and actions - Audrey English Letters: Definitive teachings (letter) - Jerome Gonzalez Letters: Infallible (letter) - George Simpson Letters: Teachings promoted (letter) - Pat O'Brien Letters: Role of bishop (letter) - Arthur Negus Letters: Healing of the family tree (letter) - Anne Lastman Letters: Friday Abstinence (letter) - Leo Leitch Letters: Teilhard de Chardin (letter) - Stuart J. Blackwood Letters: Praying for priests (letter) - Denise Kelly Books: Life-Giving Love: Embracing God's beautiful design for marriage, Kimberley Hahn - Leanne and Michael Casanova (reviewer) Books: Christianity On Trial: Arguments Against Anti-Religious Bigotry - Bill Muehlenberg (reviewer) Review: The Mysteries of Light: Rosary for Children and Youth on cassette - Colleen McGuinness-Howard (reviewer) Books: Essentials of the Faith: A Guide to the Catechism / Pastoral Answers - Michael E. Daniel (reviewer) Review: Spending The Day With Mary: The Rosary on CD and Tape - Joe Padero (reviewer) Books: Our books are the cheapest! Reflection: St Francis on individual confession and receiving Holy Communion - Fr Sebastian Camilleri OFM

ESSENTIALS OF THE FAITH:
A Guide to the Catechism of the Catholic Church
by Alfred McBride OPraem
(Our Sunday Visitor, 2002, 205pp, $24.95. Avaliable from AD Books)

PASTORAL ANSWERS
by Msgr Francis Mannion
(Our Sunday Visitor, 2002, 240pp, $29.95. Available from AD Books)

One of the greatest resource materials available for contemporary Catholics is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Essentials of the Faith is a revised edition of a work first published in 1994 and is designed to make the contents of the Catechism accessible to ordinary readers.

Each section summarises the main points of a specific segment of the Catechism, highlighting the key aspects presented there. It also provides themes for reflection and prayer, a glossary of terms and ideas for life application.

Essentials of the Faith would be an ideal resource for adult education groups, secondary religious education classes and trainee teachers, as well as for personal prayer and reflection.

Pastoral Answers is, as the title suggests, answers to a myriad of questions on many aspects of Catholic belief and practice. The questions range from those commonly encountered - the correct place for the tabernacle, how to deal with liturgical abuses, general confession and communion under both kinds - to the unusual, e.g., whether, under Church law, a nun could be a best man at a wedding! (The answer, ironically, is yes, because while prudence may dictate otherwise, the Church does not specify the gender of the two witnesses for a wedding.)

As with Essentials of the Faith, Pastoral Answers is easy to read and faithful to orthodox Church teachings. Its advice is also reflective of current Church discipline, particularly regarding Canon Law and the norms for administration of the sacraments.

Michael Daniel teaches at a Melbourne independent secondary college.

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 16 No 4 (May 2003), p. 18