Rating: 
Summary: Lowest Common Denominator Catholicism
Review: After a generation of Catholics have received sloppy to bad instruction in the Faith, it's sad that authors like Groome are reduced to adopting a lowest-common-denominator approach to defining Catholicism. Simply put, there's more to being a Catholic than simply calling yourself one. A recent piece from Ascension Press addresses what *should* make us Catholic: You need to strive to know, love, and serve God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit (Jn 6:27, 17:3; 1 Cor 8:3; CCC 1). You need to commit yourself to being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Since Christ continues to act in the world through the Church with which He is one body, Catholics believe complete discipleship involves adhering to Christ's Word as presented in the teachings of the Catholic Church (Eph 4:11-16). You need to follow the teachings of the Church. This means assenting to all that the Magisterium (the pope and the bishops united with him) teaches as true concerning faith and morals and, by God's grace, living accordingly (Mt 18:15-18; 2 Thess 3:6; CCC 150, 892). To his disciples Christ said, "Whoever listens to you, listens to Me. Whoever rejects you, rejects Me. And whoever rejects Me, rejects the One who sent Me." (Lk 10:16) The Magisterium carries on this mission. When the Magisterium teaches, it is Christ teaching us through it. You need to receive Christ's grace through the sacraments. This includes receiving the sacraments of initiation - Baptism (Acts 22:16), Confirmation (Acts 8:14-19), and the Holy Eucharist (Acts 2:42)); the sacraments of healing - Reconciliation (Jn 20:21-23) and Anointing of the Sick (Jas 5:14-15)); and those related to the particular vocation to which God is calling you - Holy Matrimony (Eph 5:31-32) or Holy Orders (1 Tm 4:14)). The sacraments are visible, effective signs of Christ's invisible action (CCC 1113, 1127, 1129). Finally, Christ exercises His pastoral and kingly authority over His followers through the pastors of His Church (Eph 1:22-23, 4:11-12). You need to obey their lawful authority as a way of obeying Christ (1 Jn 4:6). Following the pastors includes observing the six precepts of the Church (Jn 14:16): 1. Attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days (Ex 31:13-17; CCC 2180). 2. Confess one's sins at least once a year (if one is conscious of mortal sin) (Jas 5:14-16; CCC 1457). 3. Receive Holy Communion during the Easter season (Acts 2:42; CCC 1389). 4. Observe appointed days of fasting and abstinence (Acts 13:2-3; CCC 2043). 5. Contribute to the support of the Church (Gal 6:6). 6. Observe the marriage laws of the Church (Rom 7:2-3). These precepts are all ways our basic Christian commitment to follow Christ is lived out in His Church. It is important to remember that these precepts are minimal acts of discipleship. Some people adopt a sort of legalistic approach to such requirements and ask "What is the bare minimum I have do?" This is something like a husband asking, "How often do I have to kiss my wife?" This is not a sign of a particularly healthy relationship. The precepts of the Church are more like a sketch, a basic outline of a portrait of a disciple. It is the task of each of us to use the gifts God has given us to fill in that portrait with the oil paint of faith, hope, and charity, and make it as beautiful as we can. To find out more about "what it means to be Catholic", try reading books like "Catholic Christianity" by Peter Kreeft" and "Living the Catholic Faith" by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput.
Rating: 
Summary: A thoughtful articulation of the Catholic faith
Review: After several generations of Catholics have received sloppy to bad instruction in the Faith, it's sad that authors like Groome are reduced to adopting a lowest-common-denominator approach to defining Catholicism. Simply put, there's more to being a Catholic than simply calling yourself one.
What ought to "make us Catholic"? According to the Catholic Church:
You need to strive to know, love, and serve God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit (Jn 6:27, 17:3; 1 Cor 8:3; CCC 1).
You need to commit yourself to being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Since Christ continues to act in the world through the Church with which He is one body, Catholics believe complete discipleship involves adhering to Christ's Word as presented in the teachings of the Catholic Church (Eph 4:11-16).
You need to follow the teachings of the Church. This means assenting to all that the Magisterium (the pope and the bishops united with him) teaches as true concerning faith and morals and, by God's grace, living accordingly (Mt 18:15-18; 2 Thess 3:6; CCC 150, 892). To his disciples Christ said, "Whoever listens to you, listens to Me. Whoever rejects you, rejects Me. And whoever rejects Me, rejects the One who sent Me." (Lk 10:16) The Magisterium carries on this mission. When the Magisterium teaches, it is Christ teaching us through it.
You need to receive Christ's grace through the sacraments. This includes receiving the sacraments of initiation - Baptism (Acts 22:16), Confirmation (Acts 8:14-19), and the Holy Eucharist (Acts 2:42)); the sacraments of healing - Reconciliation (Jn 20:21-23) and Anointing of the Sick (Jas 5:14-15)); and those related to the particular vocation to which God is calling you - Holy Matrimony (Eph 5:31-32) or Holy Orders (1 Tm 4:14)). The sacraments are visible, effective signs of Christ's invisible action (CCC 1113, 1127, 1129).
Finally, Christ exercises His pastoral and kingly authority over His followers through the pastors of His Church (Eph 1:22-23, 4:11-12). You need to obey their lawful authority as a way of obeying Christ (1 Jn 4:6). Following the pastors includes observing the six precepts of the Church (Jn 14:16):
1. Attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days (Ex 31:13-17; CCC 2180).
2. Confess one's sins at least once a year (if one is conscious of mortal sin) (Jas 5:14-16; CCC 1457).
3. Receive Holy Communion during the Easter season (Acts 2:42; CCC 1389).
4. Observe appointed days of fasting and abstinence (Acts 13:2-3; CCC 2043).
5. Contribute to the support of the Church (Gal 6:6).
6. Observe the marriage laws of the Church (Rom 7:2-3).
These precepts are all ways our basic Christian commitment to follow Christ is lived out in His Church.
It is important to remember that these precepts are minimal acts of discipleship. Some people adopt a sort of legalistic approach to such requirements and ask "What is the bare minimum I have do?" This is something like a husband asking, "How often do I have to kiss my wife?" This is not a sign of a particularly healthy relationship. The precepts of the Church are more like a sketch, a basic outline of a portrait of a disciple. It is the task of each of us to use the gifts God has given us to fill in that portrait with the oil paint of faith, hope, and charity, and make it as beautiful as we can.
** To find out more about "what it means to be Catholic", try reading books like "Catholic Christianity" by Peter Kreeft" and "Living the Catholic Faith" by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput.
Rating: 
Summary: Koinonia
Review: Groome's new book on the Catholic community could also, it seems to me, be a portrait of the ideal 'catholic' community: that is, the Church, wherever it finds itself, behaving as the koinonia it was intended to be. The Church is a beloved community, an event more than a place, in which the Holy Spirit unites humans with one another and with God in bonds of love that then radiate outwards to embrace and heal the rest of the world. In reminding Roman Catholics of their essential witness, Groome has reminded Christians of all denominations of their essential calling. How different the world would be if catholics (Roman and otherwise) took seriously the proclamation that God is present in the world, thereby making the everyday holy and properly eliciting forth from us reverence and awe, a passion for social justice, and such a deep-seated joy in the "little" (sacramental) things of life that our consumerist mania would drop by the way! Groome's book aims to help us recapture this vision. His anecdotes, prayers, exercises are helpful rather than maudlin or pietistic. A very good book for Lenten meditation, but an even better one, I suspect, for Pentecost: what better time to reflect on the true nature of Church and koinonia? Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Koinonia
Review: Groome's new book on the Catholic community could also, it seems to me, be a portrait of the ideal 'catholic' community: that is, the Church, wherever it finds itself, behaving as the koinonia it was intended to be. The Church is a beloved community, an event more than a place, in which the Holy Spirit unites humans with one another and with God in bonds of love that then radiate outwards to embrace and heal the rest of the world. In reminding Roman Catholics of their essential witness, Groome has reminded Christians of all denominations of their essential calling. How different the world would be if catholics (Roman and otherwise) took seriously the proclamation that God is present in the world, thereby making the everyday holy and properly eliciting forth from us reverence and awe, a passion for social justice, and such a deep-seated joy in the "little" (sacramental) things of life that our consumerist mania would drop by the way! Groome's book aims to help us recapture this vision. His anecdotes, prayers, exercises are helpful rather than maudlin or pietistic. A very good book for Lenten meditation, but an even better one, I suspect, for Pentecost: what better time to reflect on the true nature of Church and koinonia? Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: What DOES Make Us Catholic???
Review: I just finished Thomas Groome's "What Makes Us Catholic" and found it to be worthwhile reading. Groome describes a good priest as one who 'companions people like a soul friend and serves the community's spiritual hunger through Word and Sacrament... enabling the gifts of all to work well together--with "holy order".' Primarily, though, the book is about each person's call to holiness, regardless of station in life, and how our Catholic faith assists us in that life long journey. I've added to my "to do" list Groome's suggestion of writing a personal foundation prayer or morning offering as described on p. 202. A soundbite for this book would be "choose for life for all".
Rating:
Summary: How Do We Live As Catholics?
Review: I was recently talking with someone who had read Thomas Groome's WHAT MAKES US CATHOLIC. She said "I did not recognize the Church in this book." While this may sound like a good reason not to purchase the book, it was actually a ringing endorsement. This woman was recently returning to the Church and it helped her realize the richness of her faith, a faith that has been tested, and in recent years marred by scandal, but none the less a faith that at its best mirrors Jesus Christ.
While Groome himself is a professor of theology and religious education at Boston College, the work is not a catechism of sorts. It does not explicitly talk about what the Church teaches, but how the Catholic faith can shape a person. Groome focuses on eight areas that affect the lives of Catholics: grace, the sacramental way of life, community, scripture and tradition, social justice, reaching out to others, and spirituality. In each are he focuses on hat it means to live each of these areas, which for a Catholic is essential, since the Catholic faith is one that is based on lived experience (contrary to what some may think). Her also uses the gift of Catholic imagination, so much a part of Catholicism, but often neglected. The end result may be a Catholic faith that is not instantly recognizable, but if one looks through history and the way in which many Catholics live today, it is a Catholicism that is real and very much a part of human life.
The book was first published in 2002, just as the current scandal in the Church was making the headlines in newspapers across the country, and throughout the world for that matter. For many who read Groome's book at that time, it was a reminder of what the Church has to offer and why it needs to be saved. This alone makes the book a gift to the Church. From a spiritual point of view, it is a great book to re-infuse a person's faith and give it a fresh perspective. Catachetically it is a great book to be used in RCIA programs. It is a readable book that will be an important resource for years to come.
Rating: 
Summary: What does the author mean by Christian?
Review: If you're a 'Catholic' you will probably love this book. But if you're a 'Christian' you may debate some issues. Even though the author uses the words Catholic and Christian synonymously he is promoting Catholicism as the true religion. However, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Baptists, Lutherans, and a whole host of other denominations also call themselves Christians. Then I must ask myself, "What's the difference between a 'Catholic' Christian and a 'Pentecostal' Christian?" Obviously both consider themselves Christian, yet if you look at the two religions they have very little in common. I read the gospels and I couldn't find where Jesus made distinctions between those who followed Him, He preached only one consistent gospel.
Rating:
Summary: A good overall review, but could be more specific
Review: This book reads very much like a previous one he wrote, although this is much shorter. Groome approaches being Catholic from the usual approach theologians do, the anthropological one. Here, as in the previous book, Groome updates Catholic language and speaks of a Catholic world view in terms of prayer, justice, relationships, etc. His ideas concerning church tradition are interesting He does not believe that the magisterium belongs exclusively to the hierarchy. He encourages lay people to seize it, too. He asserts that this tradition is developing. This is an easy book to read for those with a background in theology. A neophyte could also read this book with interest.
Rating:
Summary: A thoughtful articulation of the Catholic faith
Review: This book was a joy to read. Groome "unpacks" several key defining characteristics of the Catholic faith, including the sacramental view of God as present in the world around us, the thirst for social justice, the need to recognize and include people of all cultures. This book is a wonderful synthesis of what makes Catholics Catholic, and even though I was familiar with these ideas before reading the book, I found Groome's thoughtful explanation of each characteristic in its Scriptural and historical context to be particularly enlightening. Very refreshing was his empowerment of the laity to actively live their faith,and he offers many practical ideas on how to do so. Groome is also very honest about times when the Catholic church has fallen short of its own ideals, both in the past and in the present day, but the overall message is one of hope: the Holy Spirit is continuing to move throughout the Church and, as was stated at Vatican II, "as the centuries succeed one another, the Church constantly moves forward toward the fullness of divine truth." This book is truly a refreshing drink for a thirsty soul.
Rating:
Summary: A thoughtful articulation of the Catholic faith
Review: This book was a joy to read. Groome "unpacks" several key defining characteristics of the Catholic faith, including the sacramental view of God as present in the world around us, the thirst for social justice, the need to recognize and include people of all cultures. This book is a wonderful synthesis of what makes Catholics Catholic, and even though I was familiar with these ideas before reading the book, I found Groome's thoughtful explanation of each characteristic in its Scriptural and historical context to be particularly enlightening. Very refreshing was his empowerment of the laity to actively live their faith,and he offers many practical ideas on how to do so. Groome is also very honest about times when the Catholic church has fallen short of its own ideals, both in the past and in the present day, but the overall message is one of hope: the Holy Spirit is continuing to move throughout the Church and, as was stated at Vatican II, "as the centuries succeed one another, the Church constantly moves forward toward the fullness of divine truth." This book is truly a refreshing drink for a thirsty soul.
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