THE CATHOLIC WAY: Faith for Living Today

Anyone who wants to know the Catholic Church's position on just about any topic can easily find it by consulting the church's new catechism, a superbly organized and accessible compendium first published in 1992. For those intimidated by the catechism's language or overwhelmed by its sheer size, several guides have been produced, the latest of which is this easy-to-use companion volume, written by the bishop of Pittsburgh and chairman of the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Education. Although not intended as a substitute for the catechism itself, Wuerl's book provides a fitting introduction to the more detailed summary of Catholic thought, which was produced by a commission of church cardinals and bishops. Wuerl is an excellent teacher who has expanded on portions of the catechism's teachings in 83 chapters, each of them brief and followed by questions for discussion or reflection. He deals with the catechism itself, the place of Scripture, the sacraments, the commandments, moral conscience, natural moral law and prayer. Non-Catholics may be especially interested in his explanations of the church teachings that still separate Catholics and Protestants (namely Mary, the pope and the saints). Progressive Catholics will be happy to see that chapters on social justice issues and racism in America have been included, and traditionalists will be pleased that Wuerl chose to deal with such current concerns as the Catholic belief in the "real presence" and the teaching authority of the pope and bishops. (Sept.)