Charles P. Arand's Book - That I Maybe His Own

"That I May be His Own" reflection paper

Charles P. Arand's book "That I should be His Own" is a book written about Luther's Small Catechism. In Arand's book he explains how important the Small catechism is to the Christian faith and the church. Arand explains how the Luther's Small Catechism is the foundation of the faith. All parts of the catechism relate to each other. It is interwoven together so it cannot be separated. Each section is reinforced by another section. The sections go back and forth. The purpose of this paper is the give my reflection to what Arand wrote about the Small Catechism. I agree with many of the points brought up in Arand's book about the Small Catechism.

Luther's Small catechism contains the foundation for the faith of the church. I am amazed by the thought that Dr. Luther put into the Small Catechism. I feel a bit cheated that I failed to understand the importance of Small catechism in my youth.

I found Aarand's the book to be really interesting and thought provoking. It changed my understanding of the how Luther intended his Small Catechism to be used. I learned the catechism as a child in parochial school. Weekly memory workwas required at St. Paul's Lutheran School(WELS). I did not know the great value of it in my education. I memorized it because it was required for questioning in order to be confirmed. My father was new to the Lutheran faith and my mother did have a strong up bringing in the Lutheran faith so they did not teach the faith at home. Early on we attended church sporadically and prayed at all meals. All most of my catechetical instruction took place in grade school from grade two to grade eight. In grade school I learned about the importance of going to church, reading the Bible, and learning scripture. After confirmation I don't think I picked up my catechism for many years. I went to a parochial high school and it was not used there. My catechism basically gathered dust as it became replaced by newer versions. Last spring my Pastor was teaching a community Bible class on the LCMS confessions and beliefs of my church. I searched my catechism for answers to the Bible study questions. My catechism lay idle for some time again till I came to the seminary. I had a question about the fourth petition. I sent my pastor an email about it. Pastor K said look it us in your Small Catechism to see what Luther says. I didn't think to bring my catechism with to the seminary. The seminary bookstore provided me with a new one. I needed it anyway to relearn the six chief parts. I seem to be using it everyday. This little book has so much information. It is much more than just the 10 commandments.

Memorizing the catechism to be confirmed is what so many people in the Lutheran church were taught in the past. I don't think that this holds true so much in the present day so many adult are not familiar with Dr. Luther's Small Catechism. Some Lutheran churches don't require it to be learned for confirmation. This is really unfortunate. This little book is the foundation on which the faith should be built for the whole life of the believer. It is so much more important than the goal of learning it to be confirmed. It should not be just memorized but learned and used daily in the home and congregation.

There are three very important books to the Confessional Lutheran Faith: The Lutheran Study Bible, Luther's Small Catechism(ESV) , and the Lutheran Service Book ( hymnal). These books are important because they teach the faith to the members of the congregation. They teach what we are, what we believe , and where we come from. The books are all tied together and all related to one another. The catechism and hymnal are both drawn from the scriptures. These are not just books of the church but books to be used regularly in the Christian home to feed and nourish the faith. They help us make sense of our lives.

Luther's Small Catechism is the handbook of a Christian. This book tells us what we should do as a Christian, how we should act and how we should live. The Small catechism is like the first grade primer. It teaches the new Christian how to become knowledgeable about salvation through faith in Christ Jesus preparing them to take that faith into the world through thoughts and actions that demonstrate what a Christian's life is like. The Small catechism is never outgrown. It is a book that grows with our faith. It is the handbook of the faith.

Luther considered the heart of the catechism to be the 10 Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord's prayer. The Lord's