Where Did I Come From? Where Am I Going? How Do I Get There?
Straight Answers for Young Catholics
by Charles E. Rice and Theresa Farnan
South Bend: St. Augustine Press, 2006
Reviewed by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur
Have you ever wondered why the Catholic Church teaches what it does on issues of faith and morals? Do you struggle with belief in a personal God? Are you having difficulty making ethical decisions? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then "Where Did I Come From? Where am I Going? How Do I Get There? Straight Answers for Young Catholics" is the book for you. Co-authored by Charles E. Rice, Professor Emeritus at Notre Dame University, and his daughter, Theresa Farnan who is a lecturer in Philosophy at Mt. St. Mary's Seminary, this book seeks to provide black and white answers to a world that often only sees shades of grey.
"Where Did I Come From?" begins by proving the existence of God. This section will seem very familiar to those who have studied the work of Thomas Aquinas. For those who have not, you are in for quite a treat. If you have ever wondered "How can one prove that there is a God using reason," you will now have an answer.
The book then goes on to describe why a Church, in particular the Catholic Church, is necessary, and why there must be a Pope. The authors maintain that the teachings of the Church "are like a manual provided, not by General Motors, but by God himself to show me how to achieve eternal happiness, a goal even more important than changing a tire."
Ethics are also covered in detail. Topics discussed include: how one makes ethical decisions, why there must be a right and a wrong, and the role of our conscience in making decisions. Rice and Farnan delve into difficult ethical issues such as abortion in the case of incest or rape and the removal of feeding tubes. While one may not necessarily agree with their conclusions, they do present the official Church teaching and the reasons for it.
While this book is aimed for young Catholics who are still in the midst of being formed in the faith, it provides a useful tool for Catholics of any age who are seeking for definitive answers.
Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur is editor of www.spiritualwoman.net and author of "Letters to Mary from a Young Mother" (iUniverse, 2004). She has a Master
of Arts Degree in Applied Theology from Elms College.
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