Why does the Catholic Church teach that homosexual attraction is sinful? Why does it teach that sex is dirty and should only be tolerated within marriage? And how can the Church justify its belief that women are inferior to men, which is why the Church refuses to ordain women? Also, why is it that the Church teaches Mary is as important as Jesus? And how could the Church teach that the Pope can never make a mistake?
Did any alarms go off? The Catholic Church does not teach any of these things. If you thought it did, then this article is for you.
Before diving in, there is something too important to simply include in a list. If you really want to know what the Catholic Church teaches you should first and always pray. God wants you to know what the Catholic Church actually teaches, so whether you are a non-Catholic looking from the outside, or even a Catholic looking from the inside, it is essential to start and continue the search with prayer. Even a simple and authentic skeptic’s prayer will do wonders: “God, if you exist and you are listening, please show me the truth about what the Catholic Church teaches. If what the Catholic Church teaches is false, help me to reject it and help others to do the same. If what the Catholic Church teaches is true, help me to understand and open my heart to embrace it. Not my will, but your will be done. Amen.”
For Catholics and non-Catholics, the first reaction when trying to figure out what the Catholic Church teaches should be to go to the Bible. This is God’s one and only inspired book written for us!
This may come as a surprise to some non-Catholics, and perhaps even to some Catholics, but the overwhelmingly dominant view of the Church Fathers is that the Bible contains, at least implicitly, all doctrines taught by the Catholic Church. Over the centuries most Catholic theologians have believed that the “material” of all Catholics doctrine is contained within Scripture, again, at least implicitly, even if the Church is still needed to provide clarity when disagreements arise.
So if you want to know what the Church teaches about Jesus, read the gospels. If you want to know what the Church teaches about prayer, read the Psalms and the Our Father (Matt 6:9-13). Whether you’re curious about the sacrament of Baptism (Mark 1:9-11; John 3:3-5, Acts 2:38; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 3:21), the Eucharist (Exod 16; John 6:25-69; 1 Cor 11:23-30), or Confession (John 20:22-23), or you want to learn what the Church teaches about Mary (Gen 3:15; Luke 1:41-45; John 19:27; Rev 12:1-6) or what the Church teaches about sexuality (Gen 1:27; Mark 7:21-23; Mark 10:11-12; 1 Cor 6:19-20), or any other belief, start with Scripture. Seriously, take a pause here and open up a Bible if you have one to check out one or more of the references listed above. The two minutes it will take you to do that will be time better spent than finishing this article.
Of course, while Scripture is essential, Catholics believe God’s public revelation is contained both within Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. The comprehensive reference summarizing all Catholic beliefs as contained in both Scripture and Tradition is the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
The Catechism is broken down into four parts and corresponds to the following pillars of Catholic faith and life: the Creed (core beliefs), the Sacraments, Life in Christ (morality), and Prayer. Each topic is further broken down into numbered paragraphs for easy reference.
While the Catechism may seem overwhelming at first, it is an invaluable storehouse of Catholic teaching. It contains innumerable footnotes connecting any specific Catholic belief to its scriptural roots and has copious quotations from Church documents and the Church Fathers. In addition, it is very readable. (I was surprised by this when I first started reading it on my way back to the Catholic Church.) So don’t let its size scare you away. Begin by finding a single Catholic belief you want to learn more about, find the relevant section in the Catechism, and go from there.
The Church has been around 2,000 years and has produced a multitude of official writings. There are the early creeds, papal letters, decrees from ecumenical councils, and many other documents. Here are a few recommendations to get started. The first three are important papal encyclicals from the past 60 years which address key issues, such as contraception, objective truth, and the impossibility of the Church ordaining women (this is not because the Church teaches women are inferior to men). The last two are much longer as they are the official documents from two pivotal ecumenical councils: the Council of Trent (1545-1563) and Vatican II (1962-1965). These can all be found for free online or you can easily track down print copies.
Whatever you do, do not try to learn Catholicism from non-Catholics or former Catholics. Whether you agree with Catholicism or not, you should at least ensure you are learning true Catholic beliefs. The best way to do this, along with reading Scripture and consulting the Catechism and other Church documents, is to read Catholic authors. This includes the saints, the Church Fathers, theologians from across the centuries, and contemporary authors.
To make things simple, here is a list of recommended resources to get you started. There is a recommendation for an informational book, a book containing one or more testimonials, and a book about Catholic spirituality, each broken down into beginner, intermediate, and advanced. The Church teaches we are integrated corporal beings, both body and soul, mind and heart. So in order to truly “get inside Catholic theology” one must learn what the Church teaches, yes, but it’s also valuable to hear why others have become Catholic, often at much personal cost, and to expose oneself to the deep wellspring of Catholic spirituality, thus learning how a Catholic prays and is to orient his or her life.
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Finally, exploring websites and podcasts is another good way to tap into Catholic beliefs. Here are a few that are informational and engaging, faithful to Church teaching, and which I have found to be especially helpful.
If you were hoping to find direct answers in this article about the Church’s teaching on homosexuality, Mary, or the Pope, don’t be disappointed. God willing, I will be able to write about these and many other topics in the future. Besides, the purpose of this article was to point people in the right direction to find answers to any question about Catholic teaching. Based on the suggestions in this short article and by checking out the recommended resources scattered throughout, I hope you will be more confident about where to begin to learn more about Catholic teaching.
Lastly, I started by suggesting prayer and I will end by suggesting prayer. If you are struggling with the Church’s teaching on any topic, whether you are a Catholic or a non-Catholic, take your doubts and concerns directly to Jesus. Find a local Catholic Church, stop into the chapel, find the red candle indicating Jesus’s real presence in the Eucharist, and be real with him. Don’t hold back your doubts, pain, or frustration. He can take it. If you let him, Jesus will grant you peace and will guide you to the life-giving truth about him and his Church.
