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Listening, Watching, Reading: Suggestions from the Justice and Charity Committee
In an effort to continue highlighting the many resources for learning more about social justice and applying Catholic social teaching to our everyday interactions, this new blog feature will provide regular reviews of podcasts, movies, and books for those interested in learning more about social justice and Catholic social teaching. Provided by the Justice and Charity Committee members, these reviews will briefly describe context for the material and provide a summary of the work. These reviews represent the personal opinions of the writers and are not intended to be a formal endorsement or recommendation from Our Lady of Lourdes.
Beg inning Apologetics I: How to Explain and Defend the Catholic Faith
by Father Frank Chacon and Jim Burnham
Reviewed by Matt Gulseth
Why do Catholics focus so much on the Eucharist? Why do we have Popes? Why do we believe in the Immaculate Conception of Mary, her Assumption, and her perpetual Virginity? Why do Catholics rely on Tradition and not the Bible alone? Who are the fathers of the Church? If the redemptive works of Christ is all sufficient, why do Catholics insist on various good works and penances? These are the types of questions that we as Catholics should be ready to defend and answer with sound reasoning.
In 1999, then Pope John Paull II issued a “call to arms” for Catholics to become better at knowing and defending our faith in our secular culture.
“Don’t fail to respond to the Master who calls. Follow him to become, like the apostles, fishers of men. Have the courage to bear witness to the gospel on the street and in the town square, in the valleys and mountains.”
JP II was essentially asking us all to become better defenders, or Apologists, for the Church. The field of Apologetics simply means giving reasoned explanations for your faith. You cannot defend the faith in today’s culture unless you have a good grasp of the reasoning behind our faith. A good Catholic apologist charitably explains and defends Catholic doctrine using scripture, history, and common sense. I have found apologetic resources are some of the best ways for me to learn and understand our catholic doctrine. You do not need to be a street corner evangelist to benefit from these types of resources. They come in handy in all sorts of settings and have helped me on my journey.
One of my favorite apologetic resources is a short 46-page booklet entitled Beginning Apologetics I: How to Explain and Defend the Catholic Faith by Father Frank Chacon and Jim Burnham of San Juan Catholic Seminars. This easy to read booklet is a great introduction to Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture and the basic doctrines of our faith. It provides the reader a framework for understanding the reasoning behind our beliefs. I highly recommend you get this booklet as a starting point for other apologetic resources. After reading this booklet you will be able to answer the questions presented above as well as many others. The booklet also has a corresponding study guide for each chapter. If you like this type of format you might also like some other booklets in the Beginning Apologetics series. Some of my favorites are #3 How to Explain and Defend the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, #5 How to Answer Tough Moral Questions, #6 How to Explain and Defend Mary, and #7 How to Read the Bible. I have found these little booklets have been indispensable resources to help me better understand our faith.
