A Catechism of Christian Doctrine.

 The Catechism of Christian Doctrine is the Penny Catechism I learned to recite aloud in my primary school.    It was, I was later, told a small summary of the teachings of the Council of Trent made for children.   When the revolution came into the Church in the sixties and seventies, this rote learning was frowned upon by the reformers, who claimed they were introducing a more sensible approach to religious education, but their more sensible approach put the majority of children in many parts of the world off religion completely, including here in England.

Sometimes in life there are situations in which my generation is  often helped when we recall what the Catechism said.   I have a handicapped son who once had very challenging behaviour and drove my wife to tears at times.   Once she cried out in despair "Why God did you make him?"   Perhaps it was the use of the word 'make' that brought her back to the Catechism.  Why did God make you?   And the answer came to her almost immediately,  'God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world , and to be happy with Him forever in the next'   What a beautiful reply she was given by God.   Yes, he was no different from us, and was put on this world for the same purpose as us.   A few years later after we had discovered his vocation and taught him to pray and visit church, he received a special grace from Our Lady of Lourdes and his challenging behaviour ceased.

That is the vocation of every handicapped child, and we should constantly pray with them to remind them that heaven is waiting.    But there is another vocation of a handicapped child.   I worked with them and found myself overawed by the love they gave me.   They do not answer back, make spiteful remarks, they always accept you.   Yes, there are difficult cases that can break your heart.   But never despair of God or that your situation cannot improve.   Perhaps parishes need a special outreach to the families of handicapped children, to help them keep faith, and support them in their emotional needs.

But back to the Catechism.   I want to take the questions in the catechism I learned as a child and look at them now as an adult, with my experience as an adult.   I have given you one example.   There are many many more.

Mary our Mother pray for us.

     

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