Catechism of the Catholic Church

From A+ Club Lesson Planner & Study Guide

Vocabulary[edit | edit source]

  • catechism
    • "instruction in Christian principles"
    • from Latin catechismus for "book of instruction"
      • from Greek katekhismos
        • which is from katekhizein "to teacher oraly, instruct by word of mouth" which is from Greek katekhein "to resound"
      • thus "catechism" maintains an element of joyful echoes from katekhein "to resound"
  • catacomb
    • "sepulchral vaults" = underground burial tombs
    • from Latin cata tumbas "among the graves"
      • cata = among + comb = graves or tombs
        • derived from Latin cumbere "to lie:
    • unrelated to "catechism"
  • communion
    • generally, coming together in worship
    • specifically, "Holy Communion" for "partaking in the sacrament of the Eucharist"
      • from com for "with, together" + unus for "oneness, union"
  • confess
    • con = wtih + fess from Latin fateri = "to admit"
      • from PIE *bha- "to speak, tell, say"
      • Latin confiteri = "to acknowledge"
  • consecrate
    • "consecrated elements, such as the bread and wine in the Eucharist
    • con = with
  • creed
    • from Latin credo for "I believe"
  • Eucharist
    • sacrament of the Last Supper
      • from Latin eucharistia and Greek eukharistia for "thanksgiving, gratitude"
      • eu = Greek for "good or well " + kharis "favor, grace"
        • thus includes a sense of "thankfulness", "to be thankful"
      • Eukharistia = "the Lord's Supper"
  • firmament
    • in NAB "dome"
    • = heaven
  • Genesis
    • origin, birth, creation of the world
      • from PIE *gene for "to give birth, to beget"
  • invention
    • "finding or discovery"
    • from Latin invenire, "to come upon, find out, discover"
      • in = "in, on" + venir = "to come"
        • PIE root *gwa for "to go, to come"
    • thus an "invention" is not something created by man, it is something discovered or found out by man
    • God creates the world; mankind "invents" or "discovers" it
    • used for the original "Invention of the Cross", which was the discovery of the three crosses from the biblical crucifixion (see Saint Helena, mother of Satin Constantine ("Constantine the Great")
  • lay (adj) / laity (n)
    • not clerical, or "of the people", as in "the lay people" or "the laity
      • from Latin laicus and Greek laikos "of the people,"; both from laos for folk, the people, the crowd; a tribe
    • also indicates common people as distinguished from "experts"
  • liturgy
    • "the service (mass) of the Holy Eucharist"
    • or the conduct (form, presentation) of divine services
    • from Latin liturgia for "public service, public worship" and Greek leitourgia for "a liturgy; public duty, ministry,"
      • related to leitourgos for "one who performs a public ceremony or service
        • as opposed to leito- "public" (from laos "the people")
    • liturgical = "of or related to divine mass"
    • liturgical calendar = the calendar that guides Catholic masses over a year
  • Mass
    • "eucharistic service" or "celebration of the Eucharist
    • Old English mæsse and Middle English messe or masse\
      • the meaning is likely derived from the "dismissal" at the end of the service
      • as it is related to Latin mittere for "to let go, send" as in on a mission
  • profess
  • ransom
    • see Timothy1, 2: 5
  • rosary
    • a series or "garden" of prayers w/ beads to guide their recitation (saying of the prayers)
    • related to Latin hortulus animae for "prayerbook"
      • which means "little garden of the soul"
  • revelation
  • sacred
  • Trinity

Catechism translations[edit | edit source]

Chapter One: Man's Capacity for God
37 In the historical conditions in which he finds himself, however, man experiences many difficulties in coming to know God by the light of reason alone:

Though human reason is, strictly speaking, truly capable by its own natural power and light of attaining to a true and certain knowledge of the one personal God, who watches over and controls the world by his providence, and of the natural law written in our hearts by the Creator; yet there are many obstacles which prevent reason from the effective and fruitful use of this inborn faculty. For the truths that concern the relations between God and man wholly transcend the visible order of things, and, if they are translated into human action and influence it, they call for self-surrender and abnegation. The human mind, in its turn, is hampered in the attaining of such truths, not only by the impact of the senses and the imagination, but also by disordered appetites which are the consequences of original sin. So it happens that men in such matters easily persuade themselves that what they would not like to be true is false or at least doubtful.

- Pius XII, Humani Generis, 561: DS 3875

Overview:
  • Made in the image of God, man is capable of understanding God's knowledge as relates to mankind, but...
    • God's knowledge is shielded from man by man's incomplete perception of it
    • and, worse, it is further misguided by sin.
  • As a result, men deny, deflect, or ignore God's wisdom
    • by hiding behind their own ignorance
    • which they use to justify their denial of God's knowledge.
  • Man can only perceive God's knowledge by surrendering and rejecting his own limited perceptions

Translation:

  • God's relation with man can be understood by reason
  • Yet man's reason has obstacles to that understanding
  • Man's reason ("the human mind") cannot easily attain "such truths"
    • because the relation between God and man goes beyond what can be observed ("visible order of things")
    • as it is "impacted" (hampered) by senses (what man imperfectly perceives) and imagination (what man imagines or dreams of)
  • to begin to perceive God's truths (that go beyond what can be seen by man), man must "transcend" or get beyond what is seen in "human action"
    • "self-surrender and abnegation" (renouncing man's conceit) are required
  • worse, man's perceptions are "disordered" (negatively impacted by) "appetites" (desires) that "are the consequences of original sin."
  • so when man false short of pure reason (incorrect perception, sin, etc.)
    • he convinces ("easily persuade") himself that what he doesn't want to be true (God's word) is not true, or "doubtful" (likely not true)
    • i.e. = he fools himself

Other notes

  • the visible and invisible = parts of revelation
  • we can reason God but we cannot know the Trinity without Jesus
  • God reveals himself through visible creation
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