Baltimore Catechism

I goofed in class today.  It was question #6, not Question #1:  Why did God make me?


It's been something that has bothered men for centuries: what is our purpose?  The answer according to the original Baltimore Catechism?  God made me so that I can know Him, love Him, and serve Him so that I can be happy with him for eternity in heaven.  There is great simplicity in that answer as well as great depth.  God did not create out of need, for God is perfect and needs nothing.  God brought us forth out of a sheer, gratuitous act of love--a reality that ought to make us both joyful and humble. God is Love in the most profound and deepest sense of that simple statement.  When we glorify God,  God then reflects that glory back on those He loves for all of creation to see.  And that is how the revised version answers that question: God made us to show forth His goodness and to share with us His everlasting happiness in heaven.  There is a lifetime of meditation in those two statements alone.

As I said in class, the Baltimore Catechism, originally written in 1891, is a local catechism (that is, one published by a local diocese or in a particular place, but still one taken from the official Catechism of the Universal Church) in a Q and A format.  It was meant for children, many of them the children of immigrants faced with the necessity of catechesis in a new land and a new language.  It was revised in 1941 and used up until the time of Vatican II (mid-sixties) in many locales--ask a cradle Catholic over 50 why God made him and odds are the answer you get will harken back to the Baltimore Catechism. Here's a link to the original, and one to the 1941 revision.


Take a look for yourself--bring questions on the questions to class.  This catechism is intended to get you started thinking about these mysteries--it's not a black and white, be-all, do-all substitute for thinking!  I hope you find it a useful supplement to the materials you already have, and a way to jump-start your own inquiries. You might want to look at what the Baltimore Catechism says about sacraments as we move deeper into our discussion of the sacramental life of the Church.  At any rate--enjoy!