Catholicism For Dummies

Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
	About This Book
	Foolish Assumptions
	Icons Used in This Book
	Beyond the Book
	Where to Go from Here
Part 1 What Do Catholics Believe?
	Chapter 1 What It Means to Be Catholic
		What Exactly Is Catholicism Anyway?
		Knowing What the Catholic Church Teaches
			Grasping the basic beliefs
			Respecting the role of the Church and its leaders
		Worshipping as a Catholic: The Holy Mass
			Bringing body and soul into the mix
			Participating inside and out
		Behaving Like a Catholic
			Following the general ground rules
			Avoiding sin
			Heeding the Church’s stance on tough issues
		Praying as a Catholic: Showing Your Devotion
			Praying and using devotions
			Realizing the importance of Mary and the saints
			Following traditions
	Chapter 2 Having Faith in God’s Revealed Word
		How Do You Know If You Have Faith?
		Having Faith in Revelation
			Faith in the written word: The Bible
			Faith in the spoken word: Sacred Tradition
		Backing Up Your Faith with Reason: Summa Theologica
			Through motion
			Through causality
			Through necessity
			Through gradation
			Through governance
	Chapter 3 In the Beginning: Catholic Teachings on Creation and Original Sin
		Making Something Out of Nothing
		Breathing Life into the World: Creationism or Evolution?
		Angels and Devils: Following God or Lucifer
			Infused knowledge, eternal decisions
			The angels’ test and the devil’s choice
		Witnessing the Original Sin
			Tempting our first parents
			Losing gifts
			Wounding our nature
			Being redeemed by God’s grace
			Facing the four last things
		Anticipating What’s to Come: Moving toward the End of Creation
			The Second Coming
			Resurrection of the dead
			General judgment
			The end of the world
	Chapter 4 Believing in Jesus
		Understanding Jesus, the God-Man
			The human nature of Jesus
			The divine nature of Jesus
			The Savior of our sins; the Redeemer of the World
			The obedient Son of God
		The Gospel Truth: Examining Four Written Records of Jesus
			Catholic beliefs about the Gospel
			How the Gospels came to be
			Comparing Gospels
		Dealing with Heresy and Some Other $10 Words
			Gnosticism and Docetism
			Arianism
			Nestorianism
			Monophysitism
	Chapter 5 Defining “The Church” and What Membership Means
		Establishing a Foundation: Built on Rock
		Seeing the Church as the Body of Christ and Communion of Saints
		Understanding the Four Marks of the Church
		Fulfilling Its Mission
			The priestly office: Sanctifying through the sacraments
			The prophetic office: Teaching through the Magisterium
			The kingly office: Shepherding and governing through the hierarchy
		Membership Has Its Benefits
	Chapter 6 Organizing the Church
		Getting to Know the Pope
			How the pope gets his job
			Is he really infallible?
			Now that’s job security
			Where the pope hangs his hat
		Who’s Next in the Ecclesiastical Scheme of Things
			Cardinals
			Bishops and archbishops
			The vicar general
			The parish priest
			Deacons
			Monks and nuns, brothers and sisters
Part 2 Celebrating the Mysteries of Faith
	Chapter 7 Body and Soul: Worshipping Catholic Style
		Getting Your Body and Soul into the Act
		Understanding Some Symbols and Gestures
			The sign of the cross
			The genuflection
			The crucifix
			Holy water
		Sensing God
			Through sight
			Through touch
			Through smell
			Through sound
			Through taste
	Chapter 8 Entering the Church: Baptism, Communion, and Confirmation
		Come On In — The Water’s Fine
			Becoming Christ’s kith and kin
			Washing away original sin
			Baptizing with water
			Receiving the sacrament of Baptism in other ways
		The Holy Eucharist
			Understanding the consecrated host
			Discovering who can receive Holy Communion
			Partaking of First Holy Communion
		Coming of Age: Confirmation
	Chapter 9 The Sacraments of Service and Healing
		The Sacraments of Service and Community
			Marriage — Catholic style
			Holy Orders
		The Sacraments of Mercy and Healing
			Penance
			Anointing of the Sick
	Chapter 10 Celebrating the Catholic Mass
		What Exactly Is the Mass?
			Honoring the Sabbath publicly
			Participating fully
			Uniting past, present, and future
		The Two Parts of the Mass
			Beginning the Mass
			Greeting (Introductory Rite)
			Acknowledging sin (Penitential Act)
			Gloria
			Opening Prayer (Collect)
			The Liturgy of the Word
			The Liturgy of the Eucharist
		Vatican II and the Celebration of Mass
			Allowing worship in vernacular languages
			Other changes resulting from Vatican II
		Checking out the Roman Missal, Third Edition
			Understanding the Latin roots
			Seeing why change was necessary
			Knowing what it means for you in the pew
		Adjusting the Mass for the Occasion
			Weekday and Sunday
			Holy days of obligation
			Simple and solemn celebrations
		Spiritual Seasons of the Year
			Christ Our Light: The first half of the liturgical year
			Christ Our Life: The second half of the liturgical year
Part 3 Living a Saintly Life
	Chapter 11 Obeying the Rules: Catholic Law
		Following the Eternal Law of God
			The divine positive law
			The natural moral law
			The human positive law
		Playing by the Church’s Rules
			Attending Mass on all Sundays and holy days of obligation
			Receiving the Holy Eucharist during Easter season
			Confessing your sins at least once a year
			Fasting and abstaining on appointed days
			Contributing to the support of the Church
			Observing Church marriage laws
			Supporting missionary work of the Church
	Chapter 12 Loving and Honoring: The Ten Commandments
		Demonstrating Love for God
			I: Honor God
			II: Honor God’s name
			III: Honor God’s day
		Loving Your Neighbor
			IV: Honor your parents
			V: Honor human life
			VI and IX: Honor human sexuality
			VII and X: Honor the property of others
			VIII: Honor the truth
		Coming Out Even Steven
	Chapter 13 Being Good When Sinning Is So Easy
		Cultivating Good Habits
			Prudence: Knowing what, when, and how
			Justice: Treating others fairly
			Temperance: Moderating pleasure
			Fortitude: Doing what’s right come hell or high water
		The Theological Virtues
		The Seven Deadly Sins
			Pride goeth before the fall
			Envying what others have or enjoy
			Lusting after fruit that’s forbidden
			Anger to the point of seeking revenge
			Gluttony: Too much food or firewater
			Greed: The desire for more and more
			Sloth: Lazy as a lotus-eater
	Chapter 14 Standing Firm: The Church’s Stance on Some Sticky Issues
		Celibacy and the Male Priesthood
			Flying solo for life
			No-woman’s-land
		Matters of Life and Death
			Abortion
			Euthanasia
			The death penalty
			The Just War Doctrine
		Planning Your Family Naturally
			The moral argument against artificial contraception
			The natural alternative to contraception
			What if you can’t conceive naturally?
		Defending Traditional Family Life
		The Economy and the Environment
			Money, money, money
			Ecology theology
Part 4 Praying and Using Devotions
	Chapter 15 Growing in the Faith
		Having a Personal Relationship with God through Prayer
			Practicing the four types of prayer
			Getting to know spontaneous and formal prayer
		Praying in Private and in a Community
			Taking personal time with God: Private prayer
			Joining others for communal prayer
			Saying the Lord’s Prayer
		Taking It to the Next Level: The Stages of Spiritual Growth
			Purgative: Practicing self-denial and sacrifice
			Illuminative: Distinguishing good from evil
			Unitive: Connecting with God
	Chapter 16 Showing Your Love for God
		Going Beyond Your Basic Duty
			Knowing when and where to pray devotions
			Separating devotions from Mass
		Running the Gamut of Devotions
			Praying novenas to the saints
			Loving litanies
			Looking at statues and icons
			Making pilgrimages
			Going on a retreat
			Wearing sacred gear
			Praying the Rosary
			Saying the Divine Mercy Chaplet
			The Way of the Cross
	Chapter 17 Expressing Affection for Mary
		No, Catholics Don’t Worship Mary
		What Catholics Believe about Mary
			She’s the Mother of God
			She’s the Mother of the Church
			She’s the Mother of the Mystical Body of Christ
			She was conceived through Immaculate Conception
			She went to heaven, body and soul
			Her never-ending virginity
		Up Close and Personal with Mary
			May crowning
			First Saturdays
			Marian shrines and apparitions
	Chapter 18 Honoring the Catholic Saints
		Having a Place in the Hearts of Catholics
		Honoring God’s Good Friends
		It’s All about Intercession
		Recognizing a Saint
			Looking at the process to becoming a saint
			Going through the investigations for sainthood
			Experiencing the beatification and canonization Mass
		A Saint for Every Day of the Year
		Discovering the Communion of Saints
			Saints in heaven
			Believers on earth
			Souls in purgatory
			Limbo
	Chapter 19 Practicing Catholic Traditions
		Adoring the Blessed Sacrament
			Participating in Benediction
			Adoring at church during Perpetual Adoration or the 40-hour devotion
		Representing Life’s Journey: Other Religious Processions
		Meatless Fridays
			The tradition of abstaining
			Substituting Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy for abstinence
		Using Sacramentals
			Catholic Funerals
			Signifying death with ashes
			Commemorating with blessed palms
			Receiving the blessing of throats
			Exorcising demons
			Tolling bells
		Celebrating Year-Round
			Feast of the Epiphany
			Feast of Candlemas
			St. Patrick’s Day
			St. Joseph’s Day
			Marian Feasts in May
			Feast of St. Anthony of Padua
			Feast of St. Thérèse of Lisieux
			Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Part 5 The Part of Tens
	Chapter 20 Ten Famous Catholics
		Dante Alighieri (1265–1321)
		Father Gregor Mendel (1822–1884)
		Emperor Karl I (1887–1922)
		Monsignor Georges Lemaître (1894–1966)
		Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty (1898–1963)
		Father Patrick Peyton (1909–1992)
		Flannery O’Connor (1925–1964)
		Justice Antonin Scalia (1936–2016)
		Sister Dolores (Hicks) Hart (1938–)
		Bishop Robert Barron (1959–)
	Chapter 21 Ten Popular Catholic Saints
		St. Matthew
		St. Mark
		St. Luke
		St. John
		St. Teresa of Ávila
		St. John of the Cross
		St. Margaret Clitherow
		St. Mary MacKillop
		St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
		St. Josemaría Escrivá
	Chapter 22 Ten Popular Catholic Places
		Duomo di Orvieto (Italy)
		Einsiedeln Monastery (Switzerland)
		Mont-Saint-Michel (France)
		Notre Dame Cathedral (France)
		Oberammergau (Germany)
		Salzburg (Austria)
		Shrine of Our Lady of Le Puy (France)
		St. James of Compostela (Spain)
		The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham (England)
		The Shrine of St. Anthony (Portugal)
	Chapter 23 Ten Recent Beatifications and Canonizations by Pope Francis
		St. François-Xavier de Montmorency-Laval (1623–1708)
		St. Junipero Serra (1713–1784)
		Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin (19th Century)
		Blessed Father Michael Joseph McGivney (1852–1890)
		Blessed Solanus Casey (1870–1957)
		Pope St. Paul VI (1897–1978)
		Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich (1901–1927)
		Sts. Jacinta and Francisco Marto (Early 20th Century)
		Blessed Stanley Rother (1935–1981)
		Blessed Carlos Acutis (1991–2006)
	Chapter 24 Ten Famous Papal Encyclicals
		Rerum Novarum, Leo XIII (1891)
		Divino Afflante Spiritu, Pius XII (1943)
		Mystici Corporis Christi, Pius XII (1943)
		Mediator Dei, Pius XII (1947)
		Humani Generis, Pius XII (1950)
		Pacem in Terris, St. John XXIII (1963)
		Humanae Vitae, Paul VI (1968)
		Veritatis Splendor, St. John Paul II (1993)
		Evangelium Vitae, St. John Paul II (1995)
		Fides et Ratio, St. John Paul II (1998)
Part 6 Appendixes
	Appendix A A Brief History of Catholicism
		Ancient Times (A.D. 33–741)
			Non-Christian Rome (A.D. 33–312)
			Christian Rome (A.D. 313–475)
			Barbarian invasions and the fall of Rome (A.D. 476–570)
			Pope St. Gregory the Great to Charles Martel (590–741)
		The Middle Ages (A.D. 800–1500)
			Christendom: One big, mighty kingdom
			The Golden Age
			The downward spiral
		The Reformation to the Modern Era (1517–Today)
			The growing need for reform
			The reformers
			The Catholic Church’s response: The Counter Reformation
			The Age of Reason
			The Age of Revolution
			The Modern Era
	Appendix B Popular Catholic Prayers
		Western (Latin) Catholic Prayers
			Our Father (Pater Noster)
			Hail Mary (Ave Maria)
			Glory Be
			Salve Regina
			Memorare
			Act of Contrition
			Prayer to Guardian Angel
			Grace Before/After Meals
			Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel
			Act of Faith
			Act of Hope
			Act of Love (Charity)
			Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
			Litany of Saint Joseph
			Litany of the Saints
		Eastern and Byzantine Catholic Prayers
			Prayer before meals
			Prayer after meals
			Prayer of the Publican
			Prayer of St. Ephraim of Syria
			Prayer to St. Maron
	Appendix C Directory of Patron Saints
Index
EULA