The Faith (Servant Books)

I first discovered Fr. John Hardon last year when I had the opportunity to read and review his Catholic Dictionary. It was then that I realized that he had a gift for condensing the Catholic faith into manageable bites and making it easier to learn. Unfortunately, he is no longer with us, but his books are still being published and republished, and his cause for beatification is currently in progress. Today, I am reviewing his book, The Faith, available from Servant Books.

When the Catechism of the Catholic Church was first published, a lot of people were confused as to what to do with this tome. It was well-organized by topic, but wasn't as reader friendly as the old Baltimore Catechism. To make matters worse, Catholics just started treating it as a reference guide. If you have a question that needs answered, simply turn to the index; find the topic; read that section; and put it back on the shelf until the next time you had a question. That is not how the Catechism is supposed to be read, so Fr. Hardon created this book, The Faith, so people would be able to understand the Catechism more fully.

The Faith can best be described as a compendium to the Catechism, though it should not be confused with the USCCB book, Compendium: Catechism of the Catholic Church. In The Faith, Fr. Hardon seeks to break open the Catechism and expose the heart and meat of it. The book is organized in the same order as the Catechism, but it is presented in a Q & A format. Each answer then contains the paragraph numbers from the Catechism which can be referenced for further clarity. Overall, there are 1306 questions and answers. These aren't basic questions with simple answers, but they are technical and deep, while still maintaining an ease of understanding. For example:

517. What is the history of Baptism in the Church?
From the day of Pentecost to the present, Baptism has been the door of the Church. It is through Baptism that a person is purified, justified, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. (1226-1228)

With the recent Year of Faith, proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI, many people took up the challenge to read through the Catechism in a year. If you are like me and missed the opportunity, now is a good time to try again. It doesn't have to be in a year, but if you read a little bit each day of the Catechism and the corresponding Q&As in Fr. Hardon's book The Faith, then you will find a deeper knowledge of God and your Faith and hopefully a deeper love too. May we all strive for that deeper understanding and deeper love. May we also prayer for the beatification and canonization of Fr. Hardon. From the few books of his I have read, he was a great priest and a great teacher, and I can't recommend his books enough.

This book was provided to me for free by Servant Books in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

Image Books: Catholic Dictionary

There are some books that you read once and then you place on your shelf to add to your collection. Other books, however, manage to land a coveted spot on your desk to be used for reference and will eventually need to be replaced because it has been used so frequently. The book I am reviewing today, Catholic Dictionary, falls into the latter category. I didn't read it cover to cover, and frankly I don't know many people who would do that with a dictionary. I did use it as a reference though, and I would like to provide you with a brief review of this work.

At over 500 pages, the Catholic Dictionary is an abridged and updated version of Fr. Hardon's "Modern Catholic Dictionary." Entries vary in length and cover topics from Aaron to Zephaniah. Don't let the bookending entries fool you though. This dictionary covers more than the Bible. It deals with all things Catholic, including Scripture, Tradition, history, doctrine, prayers, and devotions. With over 2,000 entries, if there is something Catholic you need to define, this book is the resource to turn to.

My favorite entries were the lists that included Scriptural references. There was a list of Jesus' miracles, filed under "Miracles of Christ" for those looking to locate it in the dictionary. In this entry, Fr. Hardon divides Jesus' miracles into five categories - Nature Miracles, Miracles of Healing, Deliverance of Demoniacs, Victories over Hostile Wills, and Cases of Resurrection. In addition to providing a list of each type of miracle and where you can find it in the Bible, he also gives a brief definition on each type of miracle. There are other definition lists like this in the Catholic Dictionary, such as "Christ, New Testament Names and Titles." Picking any one of these lists would make an excellent starting point to do your own study and learn more about Jesus.

This is a great Catholic reference book that you should have in your library. It is scholarly but manages to be both clear and concise as well. If I had one gripe to make about it, it would be that the binding is paperback. I feel that reference books should always be hardcover. Since these types of books get frequent use, hardcover seems to better stand the test of time. I won't dock a full star for that complaint alone, so that still makes this a 5 star book. If you are looking to compile a Catholic reference library, this is a good starting point. You can then pair it with a Catechism, Catholic Bible Encyclopedia, and a Catholic Bible Concordance as well!

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