El Buen Pastor - Catechism
Una, Santa, Católica y Apostólica
Book of Common Prayer, P. 843
Concerning the Catechism:
This catechism is primarily intended for use by parish priests, deacons, and
lay catechists, to give an outline for instruction. It is a commentary on the creeds,
but is not meant to be a complete statement of belief and practice; rather, it is a
point of departure for the teacher, and it is cast in the traditional question and
answer form for ease of reference.
The second use of this catechism is to provide a brief summary of the Church's
teaching for an inquiring stranger who picks up a Prayer Book.
It may also be used to form a simple service; since the matter is arranged under
headings, it is suitable for selective use, and the leader may introduce prayers
and hymns as needed.
The Holy Scriptures
- Q.
- What are the Holy Scriptures?
- A.
- The Holy Scriptures, commonly called the Bible, are the
books of the Old and New Testaments; other books,
called the Apocrypha, are often included in the Bible.
- Q.
- What is the Old Testament?
- A.
- The Old Testament consists of books written by the
people of the Old Covenant, under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, to show God at work in nature and history.
- Q.
- What is the New Testament?
- A.
- The New Testament consists of books written by the
people of the New Covenant, under the inspiration of
the Holy Spirit, to set forth the life and teachings of
Jesus and to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
for all people.
- Q.
- What is the Apocrypha?
- A.
- The Apocrypha is a collection of additional books
written by people of the Old Covenant, and used in
the Christian Church.
- Q.
- Why do we call the Holy Scriptures the Word of God?
- A.
- We call them the Word of God because God inspired
their human authors and because God still speaks to us
through the Bible.
- Q.
- How do we understand the meaning of the Bible?
- A.
- We understand the meaning of the Bible by the help of
the Holy Spirit, who guides the Church in the true
interpretation of the Scriptures.
El Buen Pastor
178 Clinton St.
Redwod City, CA 94062-1583
(650) 245-7759
E-Mail: ABLange@aol.com
Human Nature