Book Review: Little Catechism on the Eucharist
Occasionally I have niggles of guilt at Mass. As we kneel for the
consecration, something catches my attention from the corner of my eye and I
groan inwardly as I notice that one of my children is fidgeting. She may be
daydreaming, distracted or, worse yet, distracting! I immediately begin to
worry that I haven't explained the sublime truth of the Mass with enough
clarity. Did I emphasize to her that this is Christ, the Son of God, who is
coming down on the altar right at this moment? I file it away in my mental
to-do list as something to discuss at home. After all, if she only realized
the truth, she wouldn't fidget would she? Somehow between laundry and
dishes and music practice, I have forgotten to review one of the most
treasured realities of our Faith. Certainly she understood everything when
preparing for First Holy Communion! Or did she? On second-thought, how
well do any of us understand this mystery?
Could it really be true that "All I really need to know I learned in First
Communion Class"? I wouldn't have gotten very far in life if my knowledge
of math, socials, language or science never went further than what I learned
in Mrs. Moore's Grade 2 class. The same must be true of my knowledge
concerning the Holy Eucharist. With catechism, as with any other subject
that I learned in childhood, I have needed to expand and increase my
knowledge. If you haven't learned more about the Eucharist since your days
of ponytails and freeze tag, perhaps it is time to learn more. And why not
involve your children for good measure? You may be pleasantly surprised at
the spiritual fruit this will yield in your family.
Wishing to go deeper with my children but not sure where to begin, I was thrilled to find just the resource. At a conference last summer, I discovered, "The Little Catechism on the Holy Eucharist" by Fr. Roberto Coggi, O.P. and the Institute of St. Clement I. What first appeared to be a simple book proved to be a treasure whose contents are very compelling. At first glance, I assumed it was designed for a child preparing to receive the sacrament, but upon reading I was delighted to find a clear but thorough catechetical treatment of the theology of the Eucharist. It delves into topics that wouldn¹t even occur to a 7-year-old preparing to receive Our Lord for the first time.
"The Little Catechism" is deep but very readable and not intimidating. But more importantly, it is reverent, devout and doctrinally sound. The book is very well grounded both in the traditions of the Church as well as in recent documents such as "The Catechism of the Catholic Church." It is encouraging to see that "The Little Catechism" enjoys endorsements and high praise from numerous cardinals.
The theological text is written in a "Question and Answer" format much like
an in depth interview. And the questions are excellent. It begins with the
foundational question: "Why must we believe in the Eucharist?" It goes on
to discuss "Whether a person who rejects a dogma of faith, can still
consider himself a Catholic Christian?" Another interesting question is: "Why do we have the sacrifice of the Mass when we already have the sacrifice
of the Cross?" I was intrigued to read the reflections on Transubstantiation
and the consequences of the Real Presence in our midst. This book unfolds
the complexity of the topic with clarity of thought aided by excellent
illustrations that help to bring the difficult concepts into focus.
Following the opening section, there are two devotional sections that give a
sampling of faith-affirming Eucharistic miracles and the lives of more than
a dozen inspirational Eucharistic saints.
I would recommend this book not just for those preparing children for the sacrament but for any parent, catechist, or teacher. Indeed, it is a valuable resource for any Catholic home both for ourselves and so that we might share this information with others. It would make a priceless gift for children, grandchildren and godchildren.
Inside "The Little Catechism" are the words, "Catechism Series #1," which makes me hopeful that there are similar texts in the making. I was very pleased to see that the publisher's website has "The Sacrament of Confirmation" by the same Institute. I know which book I'll be buying next.
Text available from:
New Hope Publications,
3050 Gap Knob Rd.
New Hope, Kentucky 40052
(270) 325-3061
http://www.newhope-ky.org/