The book Anecdotes and Examples Explaining the Catholic Catechism
is tailored to go with the Baltimore Catechism. For many of the
questions it has one or more stories to illustrate the point. The
first story is quite good: "The world did not come into existence
spontaneously. The celebrated astronomer Athanasius Kirchner had a
friend who did not believe in the existence of God, and frequently
asserted that the orbs of heaven were self-existent. One day, when
this friend visited the astronomer, he noticed in one comer of the
room a globe which displayed the hand of a skillful workman. "Who
made that globe?" he inquired. "No one made it," Kirchner answered,
"it is self-made." And when his friend seemed angry at this answer
being given him, he added: "If the immense orbs of heaven are
self-existent, why not this insignificant little globe?" The
unbeliever looked thoughtful, and presently acknowledged that he
now saw that his principles were false." Let us consider also the
fish out of water: "Without the knowledge of God the heart has no
true peace. A certaiu fisherman one day caught it great number of
fish. As he was a good sort of man, he picked out the largest fish
to take as a present to his parish priest. The fish was still alive
when he brought it to the prcsbytery and laid it on the ground. All
at once it began to flap with its tail, to flounder and twist
itself about incessantly. The priest made use of the occasion to
draw a lesson for the bystanders. "See," he said, "how that
Unfortunate creature wriggles and flounders about; it wants to
return to its clement, which is water. It cannot be happy unless it
is in the water. So it is with us men. We are made for God, and as
soon as we depart from God we arc unhappy and ill at ease." St.
Augustine says truly: "Our heart cannot rest until it rests in
Thee, O God." Let us consider the story of Baptism by Children: "A
sea-captain, a Protestant, lived with his three motherless children
in a Catholic family. The children of the family attended the
Parochial School, and after an instruction on the necessity and
manner of giving Baptism at which the captain's children also were
present, the eldest of the latter said to the eldest of the former:
"Are you baptized " "Yes," replied the other, "I was baptized in my
infancy." "Then," rejoined the first, "baptize me, for I might die
tonight, and I want to go to heaven." This was done accordingly,
and he in turn baptized his two younger sisters. When their father
returned, they related what had been done, and to please them he
also submitted to be baptized. Three days later he, his children,
his ship, all all aboard were lost at sea." And then there is the
story of the three children, which illustrates the levels of
contrition: "A father had. three children to whom he intrusted the
care of three little lambs. One day, as they were asleep, wolves
bore off the lambs. The children were inconsolable, but their grief
differed in its motives. "I weep," said the eldest, "because father
will punish me." "And I," said. the second., "because besides
punishing me he will be deeply grieved." "I weep," said the
youngest, "because father will be deeply afflicted, and I would
rather be punished all my life than cause him pain." The children
illustrate the grades of sorrow from servile fear to perfect
Contrition." Jesus used parables to illustrate His points and teach
us doctrine. These wonderful stories will bring the catechism to
life for you and your family. This is a good companion to 'The
Catechist'.
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