The Catechism is GPS for the soul
My oldest child recently earned his license and has started driving himself. It’s both freeing (who knew how many hours we spent driving him to extracurriculars each night?) and expensive (monthly car insurance now costs more than several apartments I rented in my 20s). However, as drivers who came of age in the “here’s the directions on the back of this napkin” era, my husband and I are relieved that at least he has GPS to help him as he navigates our town.
My oldest child recently earned his license and has started driving himself. It’s both freeing (who knew how many hours we spent driving him to extracurriculars each night?) and expensive (monthly car insurance now costs more than several apartments I rented in my 20s). However, as drivers who came of age in the “here’s the directions on the back of this napkin” era, my husband and I are relieved that at least he has GPS to help him as he navigates our town.
I’ve always had a terrible sense of direction, and I can clearly remember the first time I used GPS to navigate from Hilton Head to Columbia. It was magical to be shown the way, instead of trying to read scribbled directions while driving. When I reached my destination, I realized it was the first time I hadn’t had to make a U-turn or pull over to phone a friend for help.
In his pastoral letter Via Fidelis: The Faithful Way, Bishop Jacques Fabre-Jeune, CS describes the Catechism of the Catholic Church as “a roadmap that can form our minds and consciences with the doctrinal, sacramental, moral and spiritual teachings of the Church” (p. 30). The first time the Catechism was unpacked for me, it was similar to that feeling of completing a road trip with my GPS — the way was so much easier to understand!
I was introduced to the Catechism in my teens. In that season, I felt there were so many voices in my world telling me what Jesus said — and this was before Google. Even when my media sources were only cable television and magazines, it felt like there were lots of conflicting voices interpreting the Gospel in my life. I don’t know the exact math, but I think it’s safe to say that sources claiming authority have increased exponentially with YouTube, social media and the countless sources of information that now bombard us hourly.
For anyone seeking to truly discern the voice of God in their lives, the Catechism can be trusted. Described by St. John Paul II as “a statement of the Church’s faith and of catholic doctrine, attested to or illumined by sacred Scripture, the apostolic Tradition and the Church’s Magisterium,” he declared it to be “a sure norm for teaching the faith” (Fidei Depositum 3).
This is especially the case with all that has entered the world since the time of Christ. Of course sacred Scripture is the inspired Word of God. However, the Catechism expounds on how to walk with Christ amid the challenges of things like social communication (2896), capital punishment (2267) and even addresses the sinfulness of unsafe driving (2290) — to just name a few modern questions it answers.
As the Diocese of Charleston embarks on this year of seeking to understand the faith, we can be confident that in a world full of information, voices and influence, Christ continues to teach us through his Church. It’s so much more than a reference on the shelf.
The Catechism is the first resource we can turn to for help in aligning our hearts and minds to Christ in confusing times.
Alison Blanchet, LMHC, lives in Panama City with her husband and three children. She works as a therapist for children and teens. Email her at alisondblanchet@gmail.com.
