Pope Benedict’s Catechesis

(On March 15, 2006 the Pope announced the beginning of a new series of catechetical talks which would focus on “the mystery of the relationship between Christ and the Church, reflecting upon it from the experience of the Apostles, in light of the duty entrusted to them.” Below you will find links to the talks that have been given so far. Beneath some of these talks you will find suggested readings)

Update: On Wednesday, March 7 2007 the Pope began teaching on the Fathers of the Church and the writers of the Middle Ages. These are listed below the talks on the Apostles.
Update #2: On July 2, 2008 the Pope began a series of Catechetical talks on St. Paul as part of the “Year of St Paul.” These are listed below the talks on the Fathers of the Church.

On The Apostles And New Testament People:

1. CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH.

suggested readings:

• a) The Spirit of Catholicism (esp. chapter 2) by Karl Adam
• b) Mystici Corporis (On the Mystical Body of Christ) By Pope Pius XII
• c) The Ecclesiology of Vatican II by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
• d) Catechism links to Christ and the Church:
  • beginning, foundation and Head of the Church, 2, 424, 551-53, 771, 778, 807, 864, 874
  • bestows qualities on the Church, 811, 889-90
  • leads the Church, 551, 852, 1547
  • only gateway, 754
  • origin of the Church, 424, 763-67
  • origin of the Church’s Magisterium, 88
  • pillar of the Church, 820, 822-24, 830, 837, 869, 1076, 1547
  • presence in the Church, 775, 779, 1119
  • priesthood, 941, 1544-45

2. APOSTLES AS WITNESSES OF CHRIST.

Suggested readings:

• a) Ad Gentes (Decree on the Mission Activity of the Church) Vatican II
• b) Redemptoris Missio (Mission of the Redeemer) Pope John Paul II
• c) Catechism links: mission of the apostles, 2, 551, 858-60, 1122, 1223

3. THE GIFT OF COMMUNION.

Suggested reading:

• a) Some Aspects of the Church Understood As Communion. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (difficult)
• b) Catechism links: Communion of man
  with Christ, 533, 725, 787, 790, 1331
  with the divine persons, 259, 732, 737, 850, 1107
  with God, 27, 45, 54, 154, 613, 780, 1489, 1804
  with the mysteries of Jesus, 519-21
• c) Baptism Is the Foundation of Communion. Pope John Paul II

4. SAFEGUARDING THE GIFT OF COMMUNION.

Suggested readings:

• a) The Spirit of Catholicism, chapter 7 by Karl Adam
• b) St Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, 4:1-16.
• c) St Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy, 1:6-4:5.

5. COMMUNION IN TIME: TRADITION.

Suggested readings: Please note that I could not find anything on the net regarding specifically the relationship between Tradition and communion. The readings below concern the validity of Tradition. It should be noted that the Pope’s 6th and 7th addresses, found below, are closely connected to the current address. The 4th address prepared for them.

• The two Canons: Scripture and Tradition by Jimmy Akin
• Oral Tradition in the New Testament by David Palm
• Tradition and Living Magisterium from the Catholic Encyclopedia

6. APOSTOLIC TRADITION AND THE CHURCH.

7. HAVING A VISION FROM ON HIGH.

• The Fathers of the Church from Catholic Answers
• Successors of the Apostles from Catholic Answers
• Apostolic Authority and Succession from scripturecatholic.com
• The Apostolic Church by Dwight Longnecker, from The Coming Home network

8. PETER, THE FISHERMAN.

9. PETER, THE APOSTLE.

10. PETER, THE ROCK.

11. ANDREW, THE PROTOCLETE.

12. JAMES, THE GREATER.

13. JAMES, THE LESSER.

14. JOHN, SON OF ZEBEDEE.

15. JOHN, THE THEOLOGIAN.

16. JOHN, THE SEER OF PATMOS.

17. MATTHEW.

18. PHILIP THE APOSTLE.

19. THOMAS THE TWIN.

20. BARTHOLOMEW.

21. SIMON AND JUDE.

22. JUDAS ISCARIOT AND MATTHIAS.

23. PAUL OF TARSUS.

24. ST. PAUL’S NEW OUTLOOK.

25. ST. PAUL AND THE SPIRIT.

26. ST. PAUL AND THE CHURCH.

27. TIMOTHY AND TITUS.

28. St Stephen.

29 Barnabas, Silas, Apollos.

30. Priscilla and Aquila.

31. Women serving the Gospel.

On The Fathers And Medieval Writers:

32. St Clement, Bishop of Rome.

33. St Ignatius of Antioch.

34. St Justin the martyr.

35. St Irenaeus of Lyons.

36. St Clement of Alexandria.

37. Origin of Alexandria.

38. Origin on Prayer and the Church.

39. Tertullian.

40. On St Cyprian.

41. St Cyprian on Unity and Prayer.

42. On Eusebius of Caesarea.

43. On St Athanasius.

44. On St Cyril of Jerusalem.

45. On St Basil 1.

46. On St Basil 2.

47. On St Gregory Nanzianzus 1.

48. On St Gregory Nanzianzus 2.

49. On St Gregory Nyssa 1.

50. On St Gregory Nyssa 2.

51. On St John Chyrsostom 1.

52. On St John Chrysostom 2.

53. On St Cyril of Alexandria.

54. On St Hilary of Poitiers.

55. On St Eusebius of Vercelli.

56. On St Ambrose of Milan.

57. On St Maiximus of Turin.

58. On St Jerome 1.

59. On St Jerome 2.

60. On Aphraates “the sage”.

61. On St Ephrem.

62. On St Chromatius of Aquileia .

63. On St Paulinus of Nola.

64. On St augustine of Hippo (1)

65. On St Augustine of Hippo (2)

66. On St Augustine of Hippo (3)

67. On St Augustine of Hippo (4)

68. On St Augustine of Hippos (5)

69. On St Leo the Great

70. On Boethius and Cassiodorus

71. St Benedict of Norcia

72. Pseudo-Dionysius

73. St Romanus the Melodist

74. Pope St Gregory the Great (1)

75. Pope St Gregory the Great (2)

76. St Columban

77. St Isidore of Seville

78. St Maximus the Confessor

79. John Climacus

80. St Bede

81. St Boniface

82. Ambrose Autpert

83. St Germanus

84. St John Damascene

85. St Theodore the Studite

86. Rabanus Maurus

87. John Scotus Erigena

88. St Cyril and Methodius

89. St Odo of Cluny

90. St Peter Damian

91. Symeon The New Theologian

92. St Anselm

93. Peter the Venrable

94. St Bernard of Clairvaux

95. Monastic Theology And Scholastic Theology

96. Two Theological Models In Comparison: Bernard and Abelard

97. The Cluniac Reform

98. The Cathedral From The Romanesque To The Gothic Architecture

99. Hugh And Richard of St Victor

100. William of Saint Thierry

101. Rupert of Deutz

102. John of Salisbury

103. Peter Lombard

104. The Mendicant Orders

105. St Francis of Assisi

106. St Dominic Guzman

107. St Anthony Of Padua

108. St Bonaventure (1)

109. St Bonaventure (2)

110. St Bonaventure (3)

111. St Albert The Great

112. St Thomas Aquinas (1)

113. St Thomas Aquinas (2)

114. St Thomas Aquinas (3).

115. John Duns Scotus.

116. St Hildegard (1).

117. St Hildegard (2).

118. St Clare of Assisi.

119. St Matilda.

120. St Gertrude.

121. Blessed Angela of Foligno.

122. St Elizabeth of Hungary.

123. St Bridget of Sweden.

124. Marguerite d’ Oingt.

125. St Juliana of Cornillon.

126. St Catherine of Siena.

127. Julian of Norwich.

128. St Veronica Giuliani.

129. St Catherine of Bologna.

130. St Catherine of Genoa.

131. St Joan of Arc.

132. St Peter Canisius.

133. St John of the Cross.

134. St Robert Bellarmine.

135. St Francis De Sales.

136. St Lawrence of Brindisi.

138. St Alphonsus Liguori.

139. St Theresa of Lisieux.

Catechesis on Prayer:

1. Holiness.

2. Man in Prayer (Part 1).

3. Man in Prayer (Part 2).

4. Man in Prayer (Part 3).

5. Man in Prayer (Part 4).

6. Man in Prayer (Part 5).

7. Man in Prayer (Part 6).

8. Man in Prayer (Part 7).

9. Man in Prayer (Part 8).

10. Man in Prayer (Part 9).

11. Man in Prayer (Part 10).

12. Art and Prayer.

13. Psalm 3.

14. Psalm 22.

15. Psalm 23.

16. Psalm 126.

17. Psalm 136.

18. Psalm 119.

19. Psalm 110.

20. Jesus.

21. Jesus’ Prayer in John 17:1-26.

22. Jesus’ Prayer in the Garden of Olives.

23. Jesus’ Prayer on the Cross (Part 1).

24. Jesus’ Prayer on the Cross (Part 2).

25. On the Silence of Jesus.

26. The Prayer of Mary in the Upper Room.

Catechesis for The Year of St Paul:

On Paul’s World and Time

The World of St Paul

The Life of Paul

The Conversion of St Paul

Apostleship According To St Paul

St Paul’s relation to the Church and Apostles(1)

St Paul’s Relation to the Church and Apostles (2)

St Paul’s Knowledge of Christ

St Paul’s Teaching on the Church

On St Paul’s Christology: Pre-existence & Incarnation

On St Paul’s Christology: Theology of the Cross

Son St Paul’s Christology: The Decisiveness of the Incarnation

Eschatology: the Expectation of the Parousia (Second Coming)

The Doctrine of Justification: From Works to Faith

Paul’s Teaching on Faith and Works

The Relation Between Adam and Christ

Theology of the Sacraments

Spiritual Worship

Letter to Colossians and Ephesians

The Pastoral Letters

St Paul’s Life and Legacy