The Catechism is a direct result of the Second Vatican Council, fulfilling the principal task entrusted to that Council by Pope John XXIII: to guard and present better the precious deposit of Christian doctrine in order to make it more accessible to the Christian faithful and to all people of good will. (Pope John XXIII, Discourse at the Opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, October 11, 1962: AAS 54 (1962), pp. 788-91.) Exactly thirty years after John XXIII opened the Council (October 11, 1962) his successor, John Paul II, formally presented the Catechism of the Catholic Church to the Church and the world (October 11, 1992)--a gift of Vatican II.

First of all, let me preface what we are about to attempt in a series of articles which are apt to take as much as two years to complete. The object of our consideration is nothing less than God himself, made present in time and space in the Person of Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15; cf. 2 Cor. 4:4) who is the Truth by his own assertion (Jn. 4;16). This quintessential truth is a divine Some-body, not a mere some-thing. This divine Teacher taught himself, not something extrinsic to himself. The teaching of Jesus Christ is the teaching of the Church, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church is a statement of the Church's faith and of catholic doctrine...a sure norm for the teaching the faith. (John Paul II, Apostolic Constitution Fidei Depositum, 3.) As stated, the Catechism is the legitimate child of the Second Vatican Council, not above the Council, but one with the Council. The Catechism of the Catholic Church articulates the Faith of the Church in a systematic and organic way, incorporating into itself the essential teaching of the Council. The most cursory reading of the Catechism shows precisely how replete with the Council's teaching (and the Church's previous Councils' teaching as well) the Catechism is.

The Catechism is, first of all, meant for bishops, for they are the principal catechists of the Church. It was felt that in the hands of the entire episcopate, the Catechism would facilitate unity. The bishops likewise can guarantee the authentic infusion of the essential contents of the Catechism into local situations. This, however, would not have been enough if only the bishops were the intended readership of the Catechism. Such a construal would not have corresponded to our renewed understanding of the Church via Vatican II. The laity are likewise responsible for the faithful transmission of the Church's faith. They are not merely passive recipients of the deposit of faith, but they also participate in its development through the sensu fidei, and they have a serious responsibility to hand on faithfully what they have received to their children. The Catechism was much needed for the individual Christian, and its sales to date close the case as to whether or not the faithful want it. Close to ten million copies are in print after a very short time! It is a best seller by all accounts.

The Catechism is a stellar example of harmonious cooperation between primacy (the Pope) and collegiality (college of bishops united to the Pope). This corresponds beautifully to both the spirit and the letter of the Second Vatican Council, as Cardinal Ratzinger expresses: ...the Catechism is de facto a collegial work; canonically, it falls under the special jurisdiction of the Pope, inasmuch as it was authorized for the whole Christian world by the Holy Father in virtue of the supreme teaching authority invested in him...The Pope is not speaking over the heads of the bishops. On the contrary, he invites his brothers in the episcopate to join him in letting the symphony of the faith ring out. He draws together the whole and secures it with his authority, which is not something imposed from without but rather something that gives the common witness its concrete, public validity. (J. Ratzinger & C. Schonborn, Introduction to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Ignatius Press, 1994, pp. 26.)

Flowing ultimately from the Council, and immediately from the extraordinary synod of bishops of 1985, the Catechism is the result of a monumental collaboration of all the world's bishops, who received a prodigious amount of input from the ecclesiastical faculties of theology around the world, as well as numerous individual theologians and scholars. The result is truly one brought forth by the Holy Spirit through the Church universal.

What is presented in the Catechism is not one faction's personal opinions or theological hypothesizing, but the solid, objective and definitive Faith - what the Catholic Church believes and teaches authentically and authoratively. It is not a book containing merely one perspective; it is the objective and essentially immutable doctrine of faith - in short, the Truth, the teaching of Jesus Christ. It must be approached that way.

The Catechism presents the unchangeable Truth in a way that is up-to-date and relevant to precisely this age in history, remembering that the essential contents of what is presented transcends all times and all cultures, hence being limited to none and helpful to all; it being understood that the Catechism will be adapted to the languages and the cultures of today through local catechisms. What is presented by the Catechism of the Catholic Church is nothing less than Jesus Christ. He alone is both the Teacher and the Object of catechesis. This being the case, the words of the author of the Letter to the Hebrews prove helpful, "Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever, therefore do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teaching" (Heb. 13:8-9).

In a world that often fails to discern the difference between what can change and what cannot, it is good to know that what we believe and are called to live in its essence has not and cannot change. The Truth is a Rock, and we build our house upon that Rock who is essentially Jesus Christ, the chief Cornerstone upon which the Church is built the Truth himself. The Catechism of the Catholic Church articulates what Catholics believe and are called to live and celebrate. With our house built solidly on this Rock of Truth we can say, let the rains of confusion come, let the storms of time and culture lash against our house, we shall not be swept away, for we have built our house upon solid Rock, not upon the shifting sands of mere personal opinions nor ideas that come and go with the passing of ages.