BOOK REVIEWS

Catholic Truths


by Chris Mattson

On Being Catholic
by Thomas Howard
Ignatius Press
Paperback, 263 pp.
1-800-651-1531

    St. John Bosco once said that only God knows the good that can come about by reading one good Catholic book. I was reminded of this while reading Thomas Howard’s latest work—On Being Catholic—recently published by Ignatius Press.
    A quick glance at the back cover provided the first hint that this book would be better than just good. Some of the most learned and respected Catholics of our day have given it resounding praise. Christoph Cardinal Schonborn, Archbishop of Vienna and major redactor of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, has this to say about On Being Catholic: “In these times of crisis and discussions on religion and liturgy, this...precious little book, so truly Catholic, makes one rejoice greatly; one’s spirit is enlightened, and one’s heart is opened up in contemplating the everlasting presence to us of the overwhelming love of Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Trinity, which is the Truth and Life of the Catholic Church, and of being Catholic.”
    The book, geared to both Catholics and non-Catholics alike, lives up to the glowing praise. It will engage Catholics who desire to deepen their understanding of the faith in light of contemporary issues, and fascinate Protestants who are curious about the teachings of the Catholic Church as presented by Howard, whom they can rightly claim was once “one of their own.”
    A latecomer to the Catholic faith, Thomas Howard was raised by Fundamentalist parents whom he says, “taught me the apostolic faith.” Ironically, rather than bemoaning the errors of Protestant Fundamentalists, Howard admits that it is to them that he owes having at last found his way into the Roman Catholic Church. In fact it was the Fundamentalists whom Howard says taught him that “there is nothing—nothing at all—that may be compared to the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ.” While Howard does not repeat his conversion story here, the interested reader will find it in one of his earlier books—Evangelical Is Not Enough—published by Ignatius Press in 1988.
    Doubtless, every reader will have his own favorite chapter in On Being Catholic. There are sixteen to choose from, including “Are Catholics Saved?” “The Unity of the Church,” “Catholics and the Gospel,” “The Mass,” “Catholics at Prayer,” and “The Virgin Mary.” My personal pick is the chapter on “Catholics and Freedom” in which Howard tackles the age-old myth that “to be a Catholic is to be shackled with heavy irons: rules, obligations, prohibitions, guilt.” On the contrary, Howard counters that the answer ventured by the Catholic Church to such a charge rests on the notion of true freedom, a reality which the modern world has distorted and unwittingly replaced with bondage in its stead.
    One particular chapter, “Going to Church,” is especially timely today since regular Church attendance is now viewed as optional by many Christians—including Catholics. Not so says Howard. Because it is “in the liturgy—the Mass, that is: the act of worship as understood by Catholic Christians —(that) the eternal Church, Spouse of Christ, is constituted—here, in this place, at this hour, by this gathering. The whole Church is here. We may see nothing but some bent and doddering figure in threadbare vestments at the altar and one old man in a pew. Behold the Church! says the Church. Angels and archangels and all the company of heaven are present, literally. In this sense, Catholics do indeed differ from their fellow Christians who also go to Church, but who would scarcely see anything mystical, much less sacramental, in the crowd they form when they have settled into their pews. A Catholic is (or ought to be) acutely conscious of crossing a metaphysical line, as it were, when he goes to Church. Howard forcefully brings home the truth that the Mass is indeed the Christian’s greatest treasure, and that nothing—nothing—can take its place. So much for the contemporary declaration: “I don’t have to go to Church on Sunday. I can worship God anywhere, anytime, in any way!”
    On Being Catholic does not have to be read from front to back. The reader will be quite comfortable in hopscotching around. Howard’s solid theology is presented simply and clearly and does not presuppose a technical background. However, this book does more than set out basic Catholic doctrine and apologetics. The chapters take the form of meditations on Catholic
teaching and practice, and effectively convey the truth that “it is only in the Roman Catholic Church that mankind may discover all that is implied in his native religiosity.”
    Rev. Benedict Groeschel does not think it brash to say that Thomas Howard is an American counterpart of C.S. Lewis. If you are a fan of Lewis, or if you are looking for answers to questions of faith and reason presented in a concise, readable and meditative style, Howard’s On Being Catholic certainly fits the bill.

Chris Mattson holds a Master of Theological Studies degree from the University of Dallas. She works in the Marriage and Family Life Office of the Diocese of San Diego.

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