However, the first time I opened the Catechism I felt so intimidated I almost put it back on the shelf. Not because of all the words, but because there were so many numbers next to them! It felt like sneaky Catholic algebra, and I wasn’t sure I was up for the challenge.

I eventually learned that the numbers were there to help and enhance my study, but it took some practice. And, while it all could be unpacked over the course of many classes or, say, a year-long popular podcast (looking at you, Father Mike Schmitz), in the next several paragraphs, I offer you a crash course in how these numbers guide the reader.

The most obvious thing one notices when picking up the Catechism is that the paragraphs are numbered — these are the numbers in bold on the left. After a letter from St. John Paul II and the prologue, the Catechism begins with Part One, paragraph #27. There are four parts of the Catechism:

Part One — Profession of Faith (the Creed)

Part Two — Celebration of Christian Mystery (sacraments)

Part Three — Life in Christ (morality)

Part Four — Christian Prayer 

In “The Love that Never Ends,” a commentary on the Catechism, authors DiNoia, O’Donnell, Cessario and Cameron explain that this is an intentional progression. In professing our faith, we are invited into relationship with God. The sacraments are our response to this invitation. Empowered by the sacraments, we can then seek to follow the Ten Commandments and live the Eight Beatitudes. Finally, we are instructed in dialogue with God, which is prayer. 

What I find surprisingly enriching about the Catechism are the cross-references it contains. While the paragraph numbers made sense, I tended to ignore the italicized numbers scattered next to the paragraphs for the first several years. Finally, I was taught that these were highlighting where the Catechism addressed the same topic throughout the text. 

For example, if you look up paragraph #1831 in Part Three, “The Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit,” it talks about his seven gifts listed as strength for the moral life. However, next to this paragraph we also find the italicized numbers 1266 and 1299. Flipping to #1266 takes us to Part Two and an explanation of how we receive the Holy Spirit in baptism. Then, #1299 — also in Part Three — has the words that are used in the sacrament of confirmation, which list the gifts of the Holy Spirit found in #1831!

When we seek to learn more about a topic, flipping to the cross-references can really enhance our understanding and appreciation of how systematic and robust our faith is. 

In the prologue, the Catechism explains that it is “an organic presentation of the Catholic faith in its entirety” (#16). Learning to find how different truths of our Catholic faith were unpacked and then referenced throughout the four parts was a turning point for my study. Being Catholic wasn’t just a set of rules.

In the first part, I was invited into relationship, and the following three parts offered the structure of this response. My beliefs had a logical order and arrangement that I hadn’t even appreciated until I followed the numbers around the Catechism. Pick any topic that intrigues you and consider doing the same!