John Francis Noll - Father Smith Instructs Jackson

Father Smith Instructs Jackson

Centennial Edition

Father Smith Instructs Jackson

Centennial Edition

Archbishop John Francis Noll, D.D., LL.D.

2008 Revision by Paul Thigpen, Ph.D.

Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division

Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.

Huntington, Indiana 46750

Nihil Obstat

Rev. Michael Heintz

Censor Librorum

Imprimatur

John M. DArcy

Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend

April 23, 2008

The Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur are declarations that a work is free from doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.

The Scripture citations used in this work are taken from the Second Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible (RSV), copyright 1965, 1966, and 2006 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Excerpts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, for use in the United States of America, copyright 1994 and 1997, United States Catholic Conference Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Every reasonable effort has been made to determine copyright holders of excerpted materials and to secure permissions as needed. If any copyrighted materials have been inadvertently used in this work without proper credit being given in one form or another, please notify Our Sunday Visitor in writing so that future printings of this work may be corrected accordingly.

Copyright 1913, 1963, 1975, 1981, 2009 by Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division

Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. Published 2009

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Previously revised by Rev. Albert J. Nevins, M.M.

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ISBN 978-1-59276-445-7 (Inventory No. T682)

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This Catholic apologetics classic by Archbishop John Noll, the founder of Our Sunday Visitor publishing company, has enjoyed a remarkably long life. First published in 1913, it has seen numerous printings over the last 96 years; this is the fourth revised edition. The 1975 revision was made by Albert J. Nevins, M.M. That edition made substantial changes in light of the Second Vatican Council (19621965) and cited as well the Credo of the People of God, issued by Pope Paul VI in 1968.

The antique speech patterns that were common almost a century ago hold a certain charm; perhaps thats why they were largely retained in the earlier revisions. But given the original purpose of the book, I felt compelled in this latest updating to render the language more accessible to everyday readers of the twenty-first century.

Here are a few more changes youll find in this new version:

Only two speakers take part in this extended dialog, Father Smith and Chris Jackson. So the repetitive speaker identifications throughout the original version (Father S. and Mr. J.) are rather unnecessary and have been deleted. Instead, the words of Chris, who is inquiring about the Catholic faith, are in bold, while the words of the priest remain in regular type. (The first name Chris has been given to Jackson, since a twenty-first-century priest would be more likely to address a young inquirer by first name.)

One of the most important additions to this edition is the inclusion of quotes from, and references to, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition. The many numbers within parentheses on these pages refer to paragraphs in the Catechism that are related to the specific topic of discussion. Youre urged to consult that marvelous summary of the Catholic faith for further reading about authoritative Church teaching.

A book of this sort, while comprehensive, can never be exhaustive. So I resisted, in most cases, the temptation to expand passages whose coverage of a particular topic seemed too brief. Nevertheless, it didnt seem appropriate to neglect a few particular topics that for various reasons werent addressed in the original but are now of intense interest to a contemporary audience. In a few places, then, completely new passages have been added to deal with such subjects.

To update a book of this sort is to be repeatedly reminded of just how much has changed in the past century and how much has stayed the same. The original version of the book knew nothing of Vatican II, the vernacular Mass, in vitro fertilization, online pornography, stem cell research, legal recognition of same-sex unions, and so much more.

On the other hand, this little volume remains a treasure house of the Churchs ageless teaching about the nature of God and the dilemma of the human condition, about the sacraments and prayer and the challenges of the moral life. Such wisdom stands firm like an ancient mountain while the seasons come and go.

Christian author C.S. Lewis once wrote about the importance of reading old books. He noted that every age has its characteristic way of looking at the world, and each generations perspective has a unique array of strengths and weaknesses. If we read books from authors of earlier generations, we benefit from the difference in the angle of vision, because the shortcomings of their view and those of ours are less likely to coincide. What seems obvious to them may come as a surprising revelation to us, while the truths that they have overlooked may already be obvious to us. The lessons to be learned in this way are invaluable.

I kept that insight in mind as I updated the archbishops work. What struck me in this perspective from almost a century ago was his emphasis on Gods holiness, transcendence, justice, omnipotence, and laws; on the horror of offending the Almighty and staining His honor; on the necessity of following the clear dictates of reason and fulfilling our duty. These aspects of his thought stood out to me because our generation has tended to embrace a very different set of emphases: Gods love, nearness, mercy, humility, and promises; the misery of alienation from the ultimate Source of our happiness; the spiritual journey that beckons us to follow our hearts and fulfill our desires in Him.

I must admit that this difference in perspective, encountered repeatedly, at first left me cold. But as I continued to work my way through Nolls text, the chill eventually had a bracing effect that I came to welcome. It alerted me to neglected aspects of the relationship between God and our fallen race that our generation has largely neglected in its perpetual pursuit of all that is warm and fuzzy.

No doubt the book, despite my revisions, will have a similar effect on many other readers if they allow themselves to be challenged by it. The happy result will be a richer understanding of what it means to be a Christian.

My prayer is that this updated version of Father Smith Instructs Jackson will make the work of Archbishop Noll accessible and profitable to a whole new generation of Catholics and other seekers of the truth. And if Our Lords return should be delayed yet another century, I fully expect that this little volume will find itself, revised once again, in the hands of readers in the twenty-second century.