ST. ANSELM, an 11TH century Archbishop of Canterbury, had the motto: “fides quaerens intellectum,” faith seeking understanding.
Here, St. Anselm is not proposing to replace faith with understanding. On the contrary, St. Anselm intends it to mean that an active love of God compels one to seek a deeper understanding of the beloved, and, in the process, becomes a living, walking proof that can convince even unbelievers to believe in Christ.
You can just imagine the life-changing, the world-renewing effect it would have were everyone to proclaim Christ from every rooftop, were every Christian to decide – each in his own work place and his ordinary circumstances – to proclaim Christ’s saving doctrine.
To do that, we have to know by heart our Catholic faith. If we are to give Christ’s doctrine to others we have to know it first.
For instance, we all know about the Garden of Eden, right? Right, everybody’s raising his hand. But do we know where it was? Silence.
Well, Eden was near Basrah, Iraq. How did we know this? Genesis tells us that through Eden flowed a river which branch out into four rivers: Pison, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates. There are only two rivers left there now, Tigris and Euphrates, but they’re still there, enabling us to know where Eden used to be.
We know that God gave Adam and Eve dominion over the land and over every living thing – a very generous gift, but did we know that God gave Adam and Eve five even greater gifts, the preternatural gifts – all priceless because these gave our First Parents powers beyond their nature?
Donum immortalitatis – Adam and Eve were not capable of dying a physical death unlike us now.
Donum impasibilitatis – Adam and Eve were not capable of suffering; if they were wounded, the wound would heal; if they become ill, they become well immediately; Adam might till the field the whole day, and he would feel tired.
Donum rectitudinis – their reason and their lower passions were in such total harmony that they never felt lust.
Donum scientiae – they knew everything they needed to know to carry out their task.
And most priceless of all: Sanctifying Grace- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit indwelt in their souls.
Did we know that when our First Parents did the unthinkable – disobey God – they lost all their precious gifts, and led all of mankind to sin and death,
But instead of zapping mankind to oblivion for the offense, God elevated mankind to a new supernatural level way better than just having dominion over God’s creatures. God made us his adopted sons and daughters, co-heirs with Christ, partakers of the divine nature!
Do all of us understand the meaning of marriage? Did we know that – through the conjugal union of man and woman in marriage, we get a glimpse of the divine, we get a glimpse of the nature of God’s inner workings?
Did we know that only by forgetting one’s self and giving one’s self up for the good of another – be it the community or our spouse – only then can we become all that we can possibly be? Only then can we realize our full potential as a person? Only then can we be truly happy?
Do we know how to explain our faith to another? Do we know how to answer the common non-Catholic objection “Why do you confess to a priest who is human like you? Why not confess directly to God?”
Do we know how to answer the common question thrown at Catholics by Born-Again:” Why do you worship Mary?”
All Christians, each one according to the gifts he has received, need to use the means to acquire this doctrine. This formation will begin by our learning the Catechism thoroughly.
Catechism is also possible through spontaneous spreading of doctrine, perhaps carried out in an informal way but extraordinarily effective, as the first Christians did.
How does one acquire the knowledge?
1. Get yourself a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Get yourself a copy of Ludwig Ott’s “Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma.” Fr. Leo Trese’s “Faith Explained” is easy to read.
2. Get yourself books, DVDs, or downloads of apologetics audios of Scott Hahn, Karl Keating, Patrick Madrid, Tim Staples, Robert Sungenis, John Sealza, Steve Ray, Dave Armstrong,
3. Check out “Catholic Answers,” “New Advent,” “Socrates58,” “Philvaz,” “Shameless Popery,” “Called-to-Communion” on the Internet.
4. If you’re looking for Bible proof for anything, try “Scripture Catholic” online.
5. If you have extra cash, get yourself the Navarre Bible. You will never regret it. There are digital versions you can get for free.
6. If you’re in a hurry to know as much as you can in the least possible time well, there’s only one and only one way to do that: join online discussions. Learn apologetics. Apologetics is being ready to give Catholic answers to Protestant questions. I’d like to suggest a site: “Catholic Truth Explained with Charity” on Facebook. I’m one of the admins.
7. If you want you can check out my Wordpress site: www.faiththirsting understanding.blogspot.com. I have another one: www.katergazomai.blogspot.com.