Ten Commandments in Catholic theology

Main article: Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments represent a covenant between "God and his chosen people". Their introduction during an event known as the Exodus is considered the "central event in the history of ancient Israel". The three Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam all recognize the Commandments as a moral foundation. Jesus acknowledged the commandments and exceeded them in his teachings; he required "more, not less". He also summarized the Ten into two "great commandments" that taught love of God (the first three Commandments) and love of neighbor (the last seven). The Roman Catholic Church summarizes its beliefs in a book entitled Catechism of the Catholic Church which devotes a separate section to explain each commandment. According to the Catechism, "Ever since St Augustine, the Ten Commandments have occupied a predominant place in the catechesis of baptismal candidates and the faithful... ." A review of the Ten Commandments is a part of the most common type of examination of conscience used by Catholics before recieving the sacrament of Penance. Roman Catholic Theology teaches that while Jesus freed people from the Jewish law with its 613 regulations this did not extend to the Ten Commandments. The Church views the Commandments as "liberating", as a "path to freedom" in the sense that they do not limit but protect freedom "as a fence around the city schoolyard does not imprison children from playing there but protects them from life-threatening dangers... ."

History

According to the Catholic Church, God led the people of Israel out of the physical bondage of Egypt through the leadership of Moses. God wanted to free people from spiritual slavery of sin as well and offered them a covenant. A covenant is like a legal or political treaty but is used uniquely to create a permanent bond between God and man. By agreeing to the covenant, the people promised certain responsibilities in observing it. The Book of Exodus records "when Moses came to the people and related all the words and ordinances of the Lord, they all answered with one voice, 'We will do everything that the Lord has told us'" (Exodus 24:3). These commands are summarized in the Ten Commandments.

The coming of Jesus is seen by the Church as the fulfillment of the destiny of the Jewish people who were chosen to "show the true God to the world". The Catholic Catechism discerns "They (the Commandments) were written 'with the finger of God', unlike the other commandments written by Moses" The Church teaches that Jesus freed people from keeping "the burdensome Jewish law (Torah) with its 613 distinct regulations but not from the obligation to keep the Ten Commandments." This teaching was reaffirmed by the Church both at the Council of Trent as well as the Second Vatican Council.

The First Commandment

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments."

(See Catechism 2084–2141.)

Saint Augustine said "Love God and then do what you will" because, according to Peter Kreeft, "All sins are sins against the first commandment ... For all sin serves some other god, obeys another commander: the world or the flesh or the devil." This commandment requires believers to make use of the three theological virtues of faith, hope and love thus violations of these result in violation of the commandment. Examples of violations against faith include doubt, incredulity, heresy, apostasy, and schism. Examples of violations against hope include despair and presumption. Sins against love of God include indifference, ingratitude, lukewarmness, spiritual laziness, and hatred of God "which comes from pride".

The Catechism also specifies certain sins against the first commandment which include Superstition, polytheism, sacrilege, atheism, all practices of magic or sorcery, as well as consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, and consulting of mediums which the Catechism says conceals a "desire for power over time, history, and in the last analysis, other human beings as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers."

Graven Images

Catholics are often accused of worshipping images in violation of the First Commandment. History notes the dispute between Iconoclasts and Iconodules decided at the Second Council of Nicea (787) that determined veneration of icons and statues was not a violation of the commandment and stated "whoever venerates an image venerates the person portrayed in it." The Catechism points to the bronze serpent, the ark of the covenant, and the cherubim as God ordained permission of making of images that point "symbolically toward salvation by the incarnate Word". It states further that "By becoming incarnate, the Son of God introduced a new economy of images"

The Second Commandment

"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain."

(See Catechism 2142–2167.)

Ancient cultures held names as sacred, even for humans. For Jews, to pronounce the divine name was to claim to be it. Thus when Jesus spoke it in the Gospel of John (Jn 8:58), Jews considered this blasphemy and tried to stone him. According to Peter Kreeft, "God lets himself be named with many other names, not only this unutterable one. All these names are holy and come under the second commandment." According to the Catechism, "Respect for God's name is an expression of the respect owed to the mystery of God himself and to the whole sacred reality ..." The Catechism also requires respect for the names of people out of respect for the dignity of that person.

Sins against the second commandment include making false oaths including those that misuse God's name or use it for majical purposes. Lying under oath, voicing words of hatred of or defiance against God or misusing it are considered sins of blasphemy. According to Roman Catholic teaching, this commandment does not preclude the use of God's name in taking solemn oaths administered by legitimate authority.

Hallowed be thy name

The Lord's Prayer contains the word's "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name", reminding us of the second commandment. According to Pope Benedict XVI when God revealed his name to Moses, he established a relationship with mankind. "He puts himself within reach of our invocation. He enters into relationship with us and enables us to be in relationship with him. ... The process that was brought to completion in the Incarnation had begun with the giving of the divine name." Benedict elaborates that this also means that the divine name could now be misused and that Jesus' inclusion of "hallowed be thy name" is a plea for the sanctification of his name, to "protect the wonderful mystery of his accessibility to us, and constantly assert his true identity as opposed to our distortion of it ..."

The Third Commandment

Pope Benedict XVI celebrates the Eucharist, a sacrament celebrated at every Catholic mass; attendance at Sunday Mass is part of the Catholic obligation to keep the third commandment.

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates, for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it."

(See Catechism 2168-2195).

Quoting the Jewish rabbi and scholar Jacob Neusner, Pope Benedict XVI explains that to Israel, keeping this commandment was more than ritual, it was a way to imitate God who rested on the seventh day after the creation. It also constituted the core of Jewish social order. For Catholics, Jesus' statement, "the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath" (Mk 2:27) meant that good works "when the needs of others demanded it" could be part of the day of rest as well.

Because Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday, the sabbath was observed by Christians on Sunday instead of Saturday, as observed by Jews. The Catechism offers guidelines on how to observe the Lord's Day which require the Catholic to attend mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation. On these days they may not work or do activities that "hinder the worship due to God, performance of the works of mercy, and appropriate relaxation in a spirit of joy." The papal encyclical Dies Domini offers guidance to Catholics on keeping this commandment.

The Fourth Commandment

"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

(See Catechism 2197–2257.)

Citing Rabbi Neusner, Pope Benedict XVI states that he "rightly sees this commandment as anchoring the heart of the social order." It strengthens generational relationships, reveals that the family is "both willed and protected by God", and reveals a connection between family order and societal stability. Because parents' unconditional love for their children mirrors God's love, and because they have a duty to pass the faith on to their children, the Catechism calls the family "a domestic church", "a privileged community" as well as the "original cell of social life".

The Catechism says this commandment requires duties of children to parents that include:

1) Respect towards parents that also flows to brothers and sisters.

2) Gratitude as expressed in a quote from Sirach "Remember that through your parents you were born; what can you give back to them that equals their gift to you?" (Sir 7:27-28).

3) Obedience requires the child to obey his parents as long as he lives at home "when it is for his good or the good of the family" except when that obedience requires the child to do something he deems to be morally wrong.

4) Support requires grown children to offer material and moral support for their aging parents as well as in times of "illness, loneliness, or distress".

Keeping this commandment, according to the Catechism, also requires duties of parents to children which include:

St. Theresa School in Coral Gables, FL is one of over 125,000 worldwide Catholic grade schools that offer Catholic religious education classes to both private and public school students.

1)Moral education, spiritual formation and evangelization of their children.

2)Respect for their children as children of God and human persons.

3)Proper discipline for children while being careful not to provoke them.

4)Avoiding pressure to choose a certain profession or spouse which does not preclude parents from giving "judicious advice".

5)Being a good example to their children.

6)Acknowledging their own failings to their children in an effort to guide and correct them.

Jesus' expansion

When told that his mother and brothers were outside waiting to see him, Jesus replied, "Who is my mother and who are my brothers?" Stretching his hand out over his disciples he said: "Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and my sister, and mother". Pope Benedict stated that this brought the fourth commandment to a new and higher level. By doing God's will, any person can become part of the universal family of Jesus. Thus, the fourth commandment's responsibilities extend to the greater society and requires respect for "legitimate social authorities". The Catechism specifies duties of citizens and nations which include:

1)Obedience and honor to "all who for our good have received authority in society from God".

2)Payment of taxes, exercising the right to vote and defending one's country

3)An obligation to be vigilant and critical which requires citizens to criticize that which harms human dignity and the community.

4)A duty to disobey civil authorities and directives that are contrary to the moral order.

5)To practice charity which is a "necessity for any working family or society", it is the "greatest social commandment" and requires us to love God and neighbor.

6)To welcome the foreigner who is in need of security and livelihood he can not find in his own country.

7)An obligation for rich nations to help poor nations especially in times of "immediate need."

8)An expectation for families to help other families

The Fifth Commandment

"You shall not kill"

(See Catechism 2258–2330.)

This commandment demands respect for human life. Jesus expanded it to prohibit unjust anger, hatred and vengence and requires Christians to love their enemies. The concept of the sanctity of life ethic is philosophically opposed to the quality of life ethic, a philosophy first introduced by a book entitled Life unworthy of life and first embraced by Nazi Germany. The sanctity of life ethic is "the basis for Western civilization from its Judeo-Christian roots, is presupposed in our laws, and is the basis of all Catholic teaching about the fifth commandment." According to the Catechism, "Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. ... no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being."(CCC 2261) The Church defines the moment of conception as the "beginning" of human life and stresses that the child in the womb must be "defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being".

Abortion

Murder, especially of family members is considered "gravely sinful". Abortion has been specifically and persistently condemned by the Church since the first century. "Formal cooperation" in abortion incurs the penalty of excommunication "by the very commission of the offense" The Catechism emphasizes that this penalty is not meant to restrict mercy but to make clear the gravity of the crime, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society."(CCC2272)" "Formal cooperation" in abortion extends not just to the mother who freely submits to the abortion but also to the doctor and nurses, as well as to anyone who directly aids in the act. The Church has ministries of reconciliation like Project Rachel for those who sincerely repent of their sin of formal cooperation in abortion.

Suicide and euthanasia

The fifth commandment forbids the killing of oneself and of those who are dying, even if it is for merciful reasons such as to eliminate suffering. The "ordinary care" of those facing an imminent death may not morally be withheld, according to the Church. "Ordinary care" includes food, water and pain relief and is distinct from "extraordinary care" which extends to the use of repirators or feeding tubes which are considered discretionary. Allowing a terminally ill person to die, using painkillers that may shorten such a person's life, and refusing extraordinary treatment such as chemotherapy and radiation are considered morally acceptable, not a violation of the fifth commandment.

Violations against personal health

Body modifications that are not for therapeutic medical reasons such as breast and subdermal implants are considered violations of the fifth commandment.

Abuse of food, alcohol, medicines, illegal drugs or unhealthy behaviours cause a person to violate the fifth commandment which also requires proper burial of the dead and for societies to work for healthy living conditions for their people. The Church however, warns against the opposite behaviour of "excessive preoccupation with the health and welfare of the body that 'idolizes' physical perfection, fitness, and success at sports" Sterilizations, amputations, mutilations, modifications of the body that are not for therapeutic medical reasons are also forbidden as well as kidnapping, terrorism and torture.

War and self defense

While Christ invited his followers to "turn the other cheek even to the point of martyrdom" when our own lives are threatened, the Church defines a legitimate defense of oneself and societies that is allowed and even considered a grave duty for those who are responsible for the lives of others. "The defense of the common good requires that an unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm."(CCC2265) "Self-defense is legitimate for the same reason suicide is not: because one's own life is a gift from God, a treasure we are responsible for preserving and defending." The Church requires all to pray and work to prevent unjust wars but allows for just wars (such as World War II) if certain conditions are met. These are:

1)The reasons for going to war are defensive.

2)" 'The damage inflicted by the aggressor ... must be lasting, grave, and certain' (CCC2309)"

3)It is a last resort taken only after all other means of putting an end to the "grave damage" have been ineffective.

4)The ultimate aim is peace and there is a serious chance of success.

5)No graver evils are produced that overshadow the evil to be eliminated. This forbids the use of arms to eliminate whole cities and areas with their inhabitants.

6)Respect and care is required for non-combatants, wounded soldiers and prisoners. Soldiers are required to disobey commands to commit genocide or others that violate universal principles. (CCC2313)

Scandal

The Catechism defines scandal as "an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil"(CCC2284). In the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 18:6) Jesus stated "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea" The Church considers it a serious crime to cause another's faith, hope and love to be weakened especially if it is done to young people and the perpetrator is a person of authority such as a parent, teacher or priest.(CCC2285)

The Sixth Commandment

"You shall not commit adultery"

(See Catechism 2331–2400.)

According to the Church, humans are sexual beings whose sexual identity extends beyond the body to the mind and soul. The sexes are meant, by divine design, to be different and complimentary, each having equal dignity and made in the image of God. The sexual act is sacred within the context of the marital relationship that reflects a "complete" and "life-long" "mutual" "gift" "of a man and a woman (CCC2337)" Sexual sins thus violate not just the body but the person's whole being. Like orthodox Judaism and Islam, the Catholic Church considers all sexual acts outside of marriage to be grave sins. The gravity of the sin " 'excludes one from sacramental communion (CCC2390)' until repented of and forgiven in sacramental confession."

Different levels of sin are identified by the Catechism from the least to greatest. These are:

1)Lust - The Church teaches that sexual pleasure is good and created by God who meant for spouses to "experience pleasure and enjoyment of body and spirit." "Lust does not mean sexual pleasure as such, nor the delight in it, nor the desire for it in its right context. Lust is the desire for sex that seeks the pleasure of it apart from its intended purpose of procreation and the uniting of man and woman, body and soul, in mutual self-donation.

2)Masturbation is considered sinful for the same reasons as lust but is a step above lust in that it now involves a physical act instead of just a mental one.

3)Fornication The sexual union of an unmarried man and an unmarried woman.

4)Adultery is the sexual union of a man and woman where at least one is married to someone else. This is considered a greater sin than fornication. because the adulterer sins against "his spouse, his society, and his children as well as his own body and soul."

5)Pornography ranks yet higher on the scale in gravity of sinfulness because it is considered a perversion of the sexual act which is intended for distribution to third parties for viewing.

6)Prostitution is sinful for both the prostitute and the customer; it reduces a person to an instrument of sexual pleasure, violating human dignity and harming society as well. The gravity of the sinfulness is less for prostitutes who are forced into the act by destitution, blackmail or social pressure.

7)Rape is an intrinsically evil act that can cause grave damage to the victim for life.

8)Incest, or "rape of children by parents or other adult relatives" or "those responsible for the education of the children entrusted to them" is considered the most hienous of sexual sins.

Homosexuality

The Church distinguishes between homosexual attractions, which are not considered sinful, and homosexual acts, which are considered sinful. Like all heterosexual acts outside of marriage, homosexual acts are considered sins against the sixth commandment. The Catechism states that they "violate natural law, cannot bring forth life, and 'do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved'(CCC2357)" The Church teaches that a homosexual inclination is "objectively disordered" and can be a great trial for the person for whom the Church teaches must be "accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity... unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided."(CCC2358)

Professor Kreeft notes that within the Church community, there exists two different lay movements that represent opposing philosophies "(on any issue, not just homosexuality)". The first group called "DignityUSA", seeks to change the Churches teachings to justify homosexual acts. The second, "Courage International" is an organization of homosexuals who "support each other in the sincere effort to live in chastity and in fidelity to Christ and his Church."

Birth control, artificial insemination and fertilization

Church teaching on sexual activity can be summarized as: "sexual activity belongs only in marriage as an expression of total self-giving and union, and always open to the possibility of new life." The Church encourages large families and sees this as a blessing. It also recognizes that responsible parenthood sometimes calls for reasonable spacing or limiting of births and thus allows for natural family planning as morally acceptable but all methods of artificial contraception is not.

Because it divorces the sexual act from the creation of a child, the Church rejects all forms of artificial insemination and fertilization. The Catechism states, "A child is not something owed to one, but is a gift ... 'the supreme gift of marriage'..."(CCC2378)

Divorce

Jesus taught that "anyone who divorces his or her spouse and marries another commits adultery" and that divorce was an accomodation that had slipped into the Jewish law. The Church teaches that marriage was created by God and meant to be indissoluble, like the new creation of a child that can not be "un-created", neither can the "one flesh" of the marriage bond. The Catechism states, "Divorce is a grave offense against the natural law. It claims to break the contract, to which the spouses freely consented, to live with each other till death" (CCC2384) By marrying another, the divorced person adds to the gravity of the offense as the remarried spouse is considered to be in a state of "public and permanent adultery"(CCC2384) There are the situations that do not equate to divorce according to the Church:

1)"Separation is not a divorce and is justified in extreme examples such as domestic violence."

2)Annulment is not a divorce, it is a ruling by the Church that there was never a valid marriage to start. The criteria of marriage is deemed to have been lacking one of the five integral ingredients of either "complete", "lifelong", "mutual", "free gift" of a "man and woman".

3)Civil divorce is not recognized as valid, is not considered a moral offense and is accepted by the Church if it is deemed to be the only way of ensuring legal rights, care of children, or protection of inheritance.

The Seventh Commandment

"You shall not steal"

(See Catechism 2401–2463.)

According to the Catechism, this commandment regulates worldly goods and forbids unjustly taking, using or damaging those that belong to someone else. It also places requirements upon those who posess worldly goods to use them responsibly taking into consideration the good of the environment and society. Hence, business owners are required to pay their workers a reasonable wage, honor contracts, and abstain from dishonest activity including bribery of government officials, workers in turn are required to do their jobs conscientiously as they have been hired to do them and avoid dishonesty in the workplace such as using office goods for personal use without permission. Wealthier nations, like wealthier individuals, have a moral obligation to help poorer nations and individuals and work to reform financial institutions and ecomonic factors to benefit all. Because it considers humans to be stewards of God's creation, the Church forbids abuse of animals and the environment as well as slavery which it deems the stealing of a person's human rights.

The Church teaches that business owner's should balance a desire for profits that will ensure the future of the business with a responsibility toward the "good of persons". It also teaches that a balance should exist between government regulation and the laws of the marketplace. It deems sole reliance on the marketplace (pure Capitalism) insufficiently addresses many human needs while sole reliance on government regulation (pure Socialism) "perverts the basis of social bonds".(CCC2425) However, the Church does not reject either Capitalism or Socialism but warns against excessive extremes of each system that result in injustice to persons.

According to the Church, private property "is a natural need and a natural right" that compels the owner use it for more than private enjoyment - for the common good while first taking care of his family. Like man and woman, private property and the common good are complementary and exist to strengthen the whole of society. The taking of another's private property "in obvious and urgent necessity ... to provide for immediate, essential needs (food, shelter, clothing ...)" is not considered by the Church to be stealing. (CCC2435)

The Eighth Commandment

"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor"

(See Catechism 2464–2513.)

Bearing false witness or "speaking a falsehood with the intention of deceiving" (CCC2482) encompasses all violations of truth which can take various forms with various degrees of gravity depending on the "intentions of the one who lies and the harms suffered by its victims." These include:

1)False witness and perjury are statements made publicly in court. They obstruct justice by either condemning the innocent or exonerating the guilty or may increase the punishment of the accused.

2)Rash judgement is believing, without sufficient evidence, statements that accuse another of moral faults.

3)Detraction is disclosure of another's faults without a valid reason.

4)Calumny is lying about a person in order to harm his reputation and providing opportunity to others to make false judgements concerning him.

5)Flattery is "speech to deceive others for our benefit".

6)Bragging, boasting, or mocking either only honors oneself or dishonors others.

The Church requires those who have damaged the reputation of another to "make reparation for the untruth they have communicated". However, it does not require a person to reveal a truth to someone who does not have a right to know and teaches respect for a right to privacy by recognizing that not all truth needs to be communicated. Priests are prohibited from violating the seal of confession no matter how grave the sin or its impact on society.

Included in the Church teachings of this commandment are the requirement for Christians to bear witness to their faith "without equivocation" in situations that require it. The use of modern media in spreading untruths, by either individuals, businesses or governments, is condemned.

The Ninth Commandment

"You shall not covet your neighbor's wife"

(See Catechism 2514–2533.)

Jesus emphasized the need to be pure in our thoughts as well as our actions and stated "Everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Mt 5:28) The Catechism states that, with the help of God's grace, people are required to overcome lust and the desires of our body. The virtue of purity of heart is suggested as the necessary quality needed to accomplish this task and common Catholic prayers and hymns include a request for this virtue. The Church identifies some gifts of God that help a person maintain purity and these are:

1)"Chastity, which enables people to love others with upright and undivided hearts";

2)purity of intention, which seeks to fulfill God's will in everything, knowing that it alone will lead to the true end of man.

3)purity of vision, "external and internal", disciplining the thoughts and imagination to reject those that are impure.

4)modesty, of the feelings as well as the body is discreet in choice of words and clothing.

Jesus stated "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God" (Mt 5:8). This purity of heart, which the ninth commandment introduces, is the "precondition of the vision of God" and allows the person to see situations and people as God sees.(CCC2519) The Catechism teaches that "there is a connection between purity of heart, of body and of faith".

The Tenth Commandment

"You shall not covet your neighbor's goods"

(See Catechism 2534–2557.)

Detachment from riches is the goal of both the Tenth Commandment and the first Beatitude (blessed are the poor in spirit) because, according to the Church, this precept is necessary for entrance into the Kingdom of heaven(CCC2544) Covetousness is considered to be the first step toward commission of theft, robbery, and fraud which can lead to violence and injustice; it is defined as a "disordered desire" and can take different forms:

1)greed is the desire for too much, for what one does not really need,

2)envy is the desire for what belongs to another.

Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote that "An evil desire can only be overcome by a stronger good desire". Saint Paul the Apostle illustrated this concept in his letter to the Phillipians when he listed his worldy credentials as a respected Jew and then stated, "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."(Phil 3:4-9). As Jesus stated, "What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"(Mk 8:36), Church teaching on the tenth commandment is directed toward this same attitude toward worldly goods.

References

• Barry, Rev. Msgr. John F (2001). One Faith, One Lord: A Study of Basic Catholic Belief. Gerard F. Baumbach, Ed.D. ISBN 0-8215-2207-8.
• Benedict XVI, Pope (2008). Jesus of Nazareth. Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-385-52341-7.
• Kreeft, Peter (2001). Catholic Christianity. Ignatius Press. ISBN 0-89870-798-6.
• Noble, Thomas (2005). Western Civilization. Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0618432779. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• O'Toole, James M. (2005). Habits of Devotion: Catholic Religious Practice in Twentieth-Century America. Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801472558.
• Schreck, Alan (1999). The Essential Catholic Catechism. Servant Publications. ISBN 1569551286.