Compendium arrived

A parecel waiting on the doorstep this afternoon contained the 30 copies I had ordered of the new Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I ordered the hardback copies (£6.95 each) because I want people to be able to keep this book and refer to it often.

The Catholic Truth Society are to be congratulated on producing the book so well. Strong boards, good sewn binding, clear colours on the pictures and neat legible printing. If there are to be copyright restrictions on the new ICEL missal when it finally comes out, what about the CTS for the favoured publisher instead of those who have given us shoddy missals that fall apart after a few months?

The pictures are worthy illustrations for the text and are all given an interpretative explanation. The text is exactly what is needed for the average adult who is taking instruction to be baptised or to be received into full communion with the Church. The book will also be very useful for Catholics who had little doctrinal formation in their youth and want to see what it was that nobody told them. This is a book in which we can rejoice wholeheartedly. Get yourself a copy. (It is on Amazon.)

One question caught my eye - number 296 under "The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation"

296. What is the name of this sacrament?
It is called the sacrament of Penance, the sacrament of Reconciliation, the sacrament of Forgiveness, the sacrament of Confession, and the sacrament of Conversion.

So it is not itself a sin to call it "the sacrament of confession" and you do not need to go to confession for doing so.