United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - Good & Evil and the Human Condition (The Catholic Faith Series Book 4)

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Washington, DC

For about three years, I have been placing in the Basilica of San Carlo al Corso (Rome), of which I am rector, some catechetical pamphlets on topics related to current events, available to anyone who comes into the basilica. And to my surprise I noticed that more than 2.5 million pamphlets have been taken by people passing through the basilica. So in response to the demand from so many people, I decided to collect, in a compact and portable format, the pamphlets in question.

The criterion of relevance. I decided to present brief summaries of what the Catholic Church teaches about some of the timely topics that are being brought to peoples attention now for various reasons. In some cases I have also tried to select topics that are somewhat forgotten by many Christians today, or even disputed by some of them.

Mainly the documents of the Holy See, and for two reasons. First, because these documents tend to be overlooked by the general public, and their richness, comprehensiveness, and beauty deserve to be more widely known. Second, because they express essential and fundamental beliefs that are held not by any one Catholic alone, but by the Catholic Church as a whole, transmitted through the Magisterium of the pope and the bishops. This Magisterium was established by Christ himself, to confirm the faith of individual believers in him so that down through the centuries and in various parts of the world all may profess one and the same Catholic faith.

From an editorial point of view, the topics are presented in the form of a dialogue, with questions followed by briefly summarized answers.

This dialogue form tends to be more inviting for the reader, and also continues a constant and long-standing catechetical tradition in the history of the Church. Many catechisms that have formed entire generations have used, and very fruitfully, this didactical system of question and answer.

It must also not be forgotten that the Christian faith itself, a special gift from God, is a continual dialogue of God with man, and of man with God.

I also think that it corresponds to the needs of the contemporary world, in which journalistic-style interviews are preferred, as well as summarized formulations, partly because of the little time that many people, even those who identify themselves as Catholic, now set aside for the catechetical study of their own faith. And this lack of time unfortunately leads to religious ignorance, which in turn leads to widespread relativism, to an arbitrary subjectivism, and last but not least to a distressing vacuum of knowledge about the contents of the faith, which characterizes not only children and young people in their catechetical journey but also adults in their varied and demanding activities.

It may help people to understand better the beauty and the importance of the response that the Christian faith offers to all on some topics that characterize our society even today.

This book contains only some of the elements that make up the rich and mysterious panorama of the Catholic faith, and only some of the problems that are eating away at the world today. At the same time, I want to emphasize that in dealing with the individual topics, I do not intend to present all of their aspects and elements, and therefore I do not mean to give each argument exhaustive and complete treatment, but to offer only a few thoughts, fragments of reflection.

So it is intended both for Christians, whom it may provide with an opportunity for a better and deeper understanding of the elements of their faith, and for anyone who might wish to know what the Catholic Church, through some of its official documents, believes and lives, with the help of God.

It means to be united, in Christ, with God, perfect and holy.

So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect (Mt 5:48), is our command from Jesus Christ, Son of God. This is the will of God, your holiness (1 Thes 4:3).

Because God has created us in our image, after our likeness (Gn 1:26), and therefore says, You shall make and keep yourselves holy, because I am holy (Lv 11:44). As he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct (1 Pt 1:15).

The holiness of God is the origin, the source, the model of all holiness. And moreover, in Baptism, he makes us share in the divine nature, adopting us as his children. And thus he wants his children to be holy as he is holy.

Holiness is not a luxury, it is not a privilege for the few, an impossible goal for an ordinary person; it is actually the common destiny of all men called to be children of God, the universal vocation of all the baptized. Holiness is offered to all. (Pope Benedict XVI, General audience, August 20, 2008). Every Christian is called to holiness, which is the fullness of Christian life and the perfection of charity and it is brought about by intimate union with Christ and, in him, with the most Holy Trinity. The path to holiness for a Christian goes by way of the cross and will come to its fulfillment in the final resurrection of the just, in which God will be all in all (Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church [Compendium of the CCC], no. 428).

The Christian is already holy, by virtue of Baptism. Holiness is inseparably connected to the baptismal vocation of every Christian. In the waters of Baptism, in fact, we have been washed... sanctified... justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God (1 Cor 6:11). We have really been made children of God and partakers in the divine nature, and therefore truly holy.

And precisely because we are holy sacramentally (ontologically, on the level of our Christian being), it is necessary that we also become holy morallyin our thinking, speaking, and acting throughout every day, every moment of our lives. The apostle Paul admonishes us to live as is fitting among holy ones (Eph 5:3), to put on then, as Gods chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (Col 3:12).

We must, with Gods help, maintain, manifest, and perfect in our lives the holiness that we have received in Baptism: Become what you are, this is everyones task.

This task can be realized by imitating Jesus Christ: the way, the truth, and the life; model, author, and perfecter of all holiness. He is the way of holiness. We are therefore urged to follow his example and conform to his image, obedient in everything as he was to the will of the Father; to have the same sentiments that were in Christ Jesus, who emptied himself, taking the form of a slave... becoming obedient to death (Phil 2:7-8), and for our sake became poor although he was rich (2 Cor 8:9).