Religion High School

Teen Catechism is a nice entry point into the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In spite of its name, Teen Catechism could be used by an adult convert or any person who wants a solid introduction to or review of our Catholic faith. It follows the topic sequence of the Catechism, covering the Creed, the Sacraments, Morality, and Prayer in its 36 chapters.

Each chapter begins with a passage quoted from another source which is selected as a lead-in to the chapter's topic. The purpose is to raise questions in the reader's mind, or make him aware that there is a question involved. This is followed by a "Some Say" section which is a wrong or incomplete version of the answer. Then there is a "The Catechism Teaches" section which contains quotes from the Catechism on that topic, and "We Catholics Believe" which translates the CCC quotes into everyday language. The "Reflection" is a quote from Scripture or a saint's writings which allows one to meditate further on the topic. Each chapter concludes with "In my Life" a series of open-ended questions which lead the reader to ponder how to apply the stated truths of the chapter to his life. Finally, there is a Prayer and a glossary of theological terms used in the chapter.

The layout is very clear and easy to follow. A variety of fonts are used to distinguish the different parts of the chapter from each other. Brief Scripture verses introduce and conclude the meditations. There is at least one black and white illustration per chapter, either a photograph or a sketch related to the topic. The strategy within the chapters is somewhat similar to St Thomas Aquinas's layout in the Summa Theologicae - a question, some objections, then a reply to the objections. This approach is well suited to the world we live in today, where we often hear a multiplicity of different opinions on a topic, and it is difficult to sort out which is closest to the traditional teachings of the Church.

The book could easily be used in a discussion group, or even as topics for personal devotions. It would be easy to plan "extensions" or further study on a given topic, either by looking into what the Catholic Catechism says in full, or by doing further research on the saints and other people mentioned within the book.

So much of the time, the word "teen" is associated with trendy, lightweight resources, but this book is quite the opposite. It is a solid and thoughtful introduction to the basics of our Catholic faith. One caution for younger readers: in the sections on the 6th and 9th Commandments, the opening stories are of St Maria Goretti, and the story of Susannah and the wicked judges. While the stories are not unnecessarily graphic, they do cover the topic of rape and violence, and may need to be discussed by parents with their younger teenagers.

With an eye-popping cover that is sure to catch your attention, Fit for Eternal Life is not your typical, Catholic fare. Blending spiritual fitness with physical fitness and eating right, Fit for Eternal Life offers a balanced, Christian approach to a healthy lifestyle.

With a background in weightlifting and fitness training, Kevin Vost, Psy. D. shares his expertise, giving common sense answers to cardiovascular workouts, dieting, and strength and endurance training. Fit for Eternal Life blends spiritual fitness with a Christian approach to physical fitness, “a theology of the bodybuilder.”

For those of us who would rather curl up with a book, than jog around the block or lift weights, Vost hopes to encourage us to see the importance of caring for our bodies as much as our souls. He wants to remind us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and if we treat them well, we will feel better, achieve more in all areas of our life, and live longer.

Quoting Pope John Paul II and Pope Piux XII, he hopes we will see the value of proper and orderly exercise. “There is a need to find free time in order to exercise strength and dexterity, endurance, and harmonious movement, so as to attain or guarantee that physical efficiency necessary to man’s overall equilibrium” (Pope John Paul II).

This book would especially appeal to those interested in fitness training, specifically weightlifting, aerobic exercise, and a balanced diet, yet reaches out to a wider audience. In fact, it might be a sneaky way of exposing a weak Catholic to the importance of living a virtuous life as he learns to do better bench presses.

You won’t find any grapefruit diets or pleas to buy his super vitamins, because he doesn’t sell any. Vost does share plenty of tips on the HIT (high intensity training) methods, offers sample weekly workouts, and explains how to get the results you want. He gives lots of specific advice to encourage everyone to gain maximum strength with the minimum amount of time, yet seek a balanced, healthy lifestyle. I especially like the section that acknowledges that yard and house work are actually aerobic exercise.

Logically laid out, the book takes you step by step through the process of finding a fitness program that works for you. Building on virtue and not sheer will power, Vost knows most good intentions fall easily by the wayside if not established on the proper foundation. To encourage and motivate you along the way, each chapter and section begins with quotes from a variety of sources, St. Thomas Aquinas, Aristotle, Xenophon, and others. For women, older people, and teens, Vost includes additional advice, so that they too can tailor the program to fit their specific needs.

To keep the reader going, especially those who might not normally spend time reading, the chapters are short and easy to breeze through. His pleasant, engaging voice gives an informal, confidential tone as though he is there for you as your personal fitness coach.

Even though the cover displays a rather brawny bicep, the focus is not to imitate the false images of the world, obsessed with physical beauty, but to lead a balanced, healthy lifestyle for the right reasons. If you are wondering where to begin a sensible, Christian approach to health and fitness, Fit for Eternal Life may be the ticket for you.

Thomas Woods, Jr. wrote a book to amend the erroneous attitude prevalent in society today – the Catholic Church has had only a negative impact on Western Civilization. Titled, How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization, Dr. Woods, a history professor at a community college in New York, details the many contributions of the Catholic Church throughout history, primarily during the “Dark Ages” and “Middle Ages”.

From science to natural law, from the university system to the system of architecture, from the theories of free-market economies to the theories of morality, Dr. Woods details the influence and innovations of the Catholic Church.

This is not an unbiased, unemotional textbook. Dr. Woods states from the beginning that he is trying to show his students, and his readers, that the Church was in the forefront as the Western World began to civilize, began to make laws to protect the innocent, began to build and trade and participate in the world. Woods’ love of his Church and desire to set the record straight are prevalent throughout the text.

Using contemporary and modern scholars’ work, Dr. Woods defends his thesis admirably. Often quoting even those who are known anti-Church voices – including Martin Luther -- the history professor gives his reader lessons on the Benedictines’ actions which helped spread the Gospel and keep the “light of civilization” burning during the reign of Barbarianism known as the “Dark Ages”. He also gives a detailed account of the spread of monasticism and the many examples of the spread of practical, technical, charitable and educational skills accomplished by these monks.
Today’s university system is also beholden to the Church for the ability to debate, discover and develop new theories of life. He explains that the creation of the university system, directed by the Church, was committed to reason and rational argument and that there was a spirit of inquiry that has amounted to “a gift from the Latin Middle Ages to the Modern World”. Further, the Church is responsible for retaining much of the valuable scholarship from the ancient times: “massive translation efforts brought forth many of the great works of the ancient world….including the geometry of Euclid; the logic, metaphysics, natural philosophy and ethics of Aristotle; and the medical work of Galen.”

Woods explains that science is another field where the Church has been unfairly disparaged in recent times. Astronomy (even with the problems with Galileo), optics, biology, geology, seismology are just a few of the subjects where Catholic religious and laymen delved and developed theories and understandings.

Law – natural, international and modern – can also be tracked to the influence and innovation of the Catholic Church. Economics and the free-market theories are a direct contribution of Jesuit scholars – long before the eighteenth century theorists who get the bulk of the credit for free-market theories.

Dr. Woods’ book can become a bit didactic in his vehemence to set the record straight. The reader must understand that this book has a stated bias and must further understand that Dr. Woods is championing a cause that negates much of the history all of us have learned. That said, this is a book that all Catholics should read – a book that will help us all to explain to others the great contributions of our Church over the past two centuries. Interestingly, Southern Catholic College, a newly formed Catholic school in Georgia uses this book for their Freshman History text book.

It's rather lovely, I think that the Pope uses in his own book a phrase (which he applies to the parables of Jesus) which aptly describes this fascinating book: "...it not only or even primarily adds to what we know, but it changes our lives."

In Jesus of Nazareth, Our Holy Father presents a vision of primary events of the Gospels (this volume covers significant stories chronologically from the Baptism of Our Lord through the Transfiguration - a second volume is expected in the future). He delves into these Gospel stories (many of which are commonly taken for granted - both because we've heard these stories since we were young and because we're missing some of the background details that add depth and additional significance to these stories) to help bring Our Lord to life for modern readers.

Here are the basic Gospel stories that are covered in the text:

The Baptism of Jesus
The Temptations of Jesus
The Kingdom of God
The Sermon on the Mount
The Lord's Prayer
The Disciples
The Parables (with an emphasis on The Good Samaritan, The Prodigal Sun and the Rich Man and Lazarus)
Images from St. John's Gospel (Water, Vine and Wine, Bread, and the Shepherd)
Peter's Confession
The Transfiguration
Jesus Declares His Identity (The Son of Man, The Son, "I Am")

Here's a sampling of the style and content of the book, taken from the chapter on the Our Father in which the Pope discusses what we mean by "Hallowed be Thy Name".

God establishes a relationship between himself and us. He puts himself within reach of our invocation. He enters into relationship with us and enables us to be in relationship with him. Yet this means that in some sense he hands himself over to our human world. He has made himself accessible and, therefore, vulnerable as well. He assumes the risk of relationship, of communion, with us.

The process that was brought to completion in the Incarnation had begun with the giving of the divine name.... God has now truly made himself accessible in his incarnate Son. He has become a part of our world: he has, as it were, put himself into our hands.

This enables us to understand what the petition for the sanctification of the divine name means. The name of God can now be misused and so God himself can be sullied. The name of God can be co-opted for our purposes and so the image of God can also be distorted. The more he gives himself into our hands, the more we can obscure his light; the closer he is, the more our misuse can disfigure him. Martin Buber once said that when we consider all the ways in which God's name has been so shamefully misused, we almost despair of uttering it ourselves. But to keep it silent would be an outright refusal of the love with which God comes to us. Buber says that our only recourse is to try as reverently as possible to pick up and purify the polluted fragments of the divine name. But there is no way we can do that alone. All we can do is plead with him not to allow the light of his name to be destroyed in the world.

He elucidates the various Gospel stories from many angles, though certain patterns emerge. In many places, he discusses and refutes modern theories about the Life of Christ (many of which have the common thread of doubting the historical validity of the Gospels). These are usually the most difficult portions of the book to follow. I found it helpful to underline principal portions in order to keep a particular thread fresh in my memory. Brief notes on the various threads might also be helpful.

He also references Eastern imagery from traditional icons and what we have learned from Tradition (from the teachings of the Church Fathers) about the various Gospel passages.

This is a life-changing book. There are many stories, like the Transfiguration, that I had little understanding of to begin with and will never hear or think about in the same way again. I studied this over the course of a school year with a group of high school students. We studied approximately 10 to 15 pages at a time and discussed everything in depth. I don't think it's a book that most high schoolers could read on their own. Reading it in chunks together allowed us to delve into it more deeply (I'm certain that I got more out of it than I would have if I had read it on my own.) The discussions provided an opportunity to clarify confusing parts of the text (many times I was able to provide some helpful background info such as an explanation of a philosophical idea). The students really enjoyed the book and got a lot out of it. Besides the obvious benefits of the content of the book itself, they're now less intimidated by an "intellectual" book and understand that it's okay to just make a beginning in reading such a book and that it's perfectly normal to get more out of such a book every time they read it.

For those who might be interested, I wrote a number of blog posts on this book while I was studying it. You can read them here.