Table of Contents

Preface ix

Chapter I The Big Picture: Structure, Governance, and Issues 1

The Communion of Saints 1

The Nicene Creed 3

Is There a Difference between Religion and Spirituality? 4

Structure: Diocese and Parish, Bishop and Priest 5

What Are My Rights and Duties as a Catholic? 6

Lay Leaders of Worship 8

Feasts and Seasons 9

Liberal or Conservative? 9

Who Can Go to Heaven? 10

Are Protestant Churches Defective? 11

What's the Story with Purgatory? 13

What Happens to a Child Who Dies Before Baptism: Do We "Limbo" Anymore? 14

What Does the Church Teach about Suicide? 14

Chapter II The Local View: Structures and Tools 16

Should I Read the Bible? Which One? 16

What Is Lectio Divina? 17

Catholic Social Teaching 17

Vocations 19

Monasteries and Religious Life 19

What Is Contemplation? 20

The Seven Precepts of the Church 22

The Corporal Acts of Mercy and the Spiritual Acts of Mercy 22

What about the Tridentine Mass and Praying in Latin? 23

How about Secular Songs or Readings at Mass? 25

Chapter III Sacraments: Faith, Religion, and Theology In Practice 26

What Is Ritual For? Or, Are We Really What We Eat? 26

Can't I Pray on the Golf Course or from My La-Z-Boy Recliner? 28

The Whats and Whys of Prayer, Praise, and Thanksgiving 29

Keeping the Sabbath on Sunday 32

Christ, the Sacrament of God 35

What Is the Difference between Sacraments and Sacramentals? 35

Initiation: Becoming One in the Body of Christ 36

Baptism: The Door to the Sacraments 36

Confirmation: Sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit 38

Eucharist: Participation in the Body of Christ 39

Reconciliation: Pardon and Peace 40

Confession: A How-To Guide for the Anxious or Reluctant 40

Marriage: Covenant of Love 42

Holy Orders: Set Apart for Service 43

Anointing of the Sick: Confidence in Divine Mercy 45

Who Can Bring Communion to the Sick? 46

What's RCIA? 46

The Funeral Rite: Sure and Certain Hope 48

Chapter IV But, Then, What About? 50

Can I Solve the Paschal Mystery? 50

Why Do We No Longer Say Yahweh? 51

When Does Lent End? 51

Where Did We Get the Name Easter? 52

What's a Triduum? What's an Octave? 52

Why Is Easter a Moveable Feast? 53

Is the Idea of Sin or Sinfulness Out of Fashion? 53

Grace: The Gift That Keeps on Giving 54

Why Is It Called the Mass? 55

What Is the Liturgy of the Hours? 55

Where Did the "Eighth Day" Come From? 56

Was Jesus Really Born on December 25? 56

What's Up with Christmas Trees? Are They Really Pagan Symbols? 57

What's the Difference between Ecumenical and Interfaith? 57

Chapter V Questions From The Tradition 59

Who Are the Fathers of the Church? 59

Who Are the Doctors of the Church? 60

What are the Seven Deadly Sins and the Seven Contrary Virtues? 60

Is Mary a Goddess? 61

What Are the Seven Sorrows of Mary? 61

What about Churches That Sound Eastern Orthodox But Are in Communion with the Pope? 62

Why Do We Burn Candles When We Pray? 62

What Is the Difference between a Cathedral and a Basilica? 63

How Is the Pope Elected? 63

Why Do We Say "Lamb of God"? 63

Why Do We Sometimes Say "Two Tables" When Speaking of the Eucharist? 64

Chapter VI Contemporary Challenges 65

Catholic Manners 65

The Challenge: Television and Popular Culture 67

How Are Women Part of the Big Picture? 68

Do Catholics Have Environmental Concerns? 69

Is It a Sin to Not Recycle? 69

How about the Saints and Popular Devotions? 70

If There is Separation of Church and State, Should Catholics Vote? 71

Is All Theology about Liberation and Freedom? 71

Does the Church Have Anything to Say about Sex? 71

Is There Either Healing or Hope in the Wake of the Clergy Sexual Abuse Scandal? 72

What Do Catholics Think about Homosexuality and Marriage? 74

How about War, Peace, and Issues of Justice? 74

Is There a Consistent Ethic of Life? How Do We Live It? 75

Chapter VII Prayer 76

Traditional Catholic Prayers 76

Marian Prayers 80

Prayer Prompts and Examples 88

Notes and Further Reading 96