1.The Lord's Prayer.

2.The Angelical Salutation.

3.The Apostles' Creed.

4.The Confiteor.

5.An Act of Faith.

6.An Act of Hope.

7.An Act of Love.

8.An Act of Contrition.

9.The Blessing before Meals.

10.Grace after Meals.

1.Lesson 1 On the end of Man

2.Lesson 2 On God and His Perfections

3.Lesson 3 On the Unity and Trinity of God

4.Lesson 4 On Creation

5.Lesson 5 On Our First Parents and the Fall

6.Lesson 6 On Sin and Its Kinds

7.Lesson 7 On the Incarnation and Redemption

8.Lesson 8 On Our Lord's Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension

9.Lesson 9 On the Holy Gost and His Descent Upon the Apostles

10.Lesson 10 On the Effects of the Redemption

11.Lesson 11 On the Church

12.Lesson 12 On the Attributes and Marks of the Church

13.Lesson 13 On the Sacraments in General

14.Lesson 14 On Baptism

15.Lesson 15 On Confirmation

16.Lesson 16 On the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Ghost

17.Lesson 17 On the Sacrament of Penance

18.Lesson 18 On Contrition

19.Lesson 19 On Confession

20.Lesson 20 On the Manner of Making a Good Confession

21.Lesson 21 On Indulgences

22.Lesson 22 On the Holy Eucharist

23.Lesson 23 On the Ends for which the Holy Eucharist was Instituted

24.Lesson 24 On the Sacrifice of the Mass

25.Lesson 25 On Extreme Unction and Holy Orders

26.Lesson 26 On Matrimony

27.Lesson 27 On the Sacramentals

28.Lesson 28 On Prayer

29.Lesson 29 On the Commandments of God

30.Lesson 30 On the First Commandment

31.Lesson 31 The First Commandment -- On the Honor and Invocation of the Saints

32.Lesson 32 From the Second to the Fourth Commandment

33.Lesson 33 From the Fourth to the Seventh Commandment

34.Lesson 34 From the Seventh to the Tenth Commandment

35.Lesson 35 On the First and Second Commandments of the Church

36.Lesson 36 On the Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Commandments of the Church

37.Lesson 37 On the Last Judgment and Resurrection, Hell, Purgatory and Heaven

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be

done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our

trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace! the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou amongst women, and

blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ,

His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified; died, and was buried. He descended into

hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, sitteth at the

right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and

the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints,

the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary, ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the

Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and to all the

Saints, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word and deed, through, my fault,

through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore, I beseech blessed Mary, ever

Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter

and Paul, and all the Saints, to pray to the Lord our God for me.

May the Almighty God have mercy on me, and forgive me my sins, and bring me to

everlasting life. Amen.

May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant me pardon, absolution, and remission of all my

sins. Amen.

0 my God! I firmly believe that Thou art one God in three Divine persons, Father, Son,

and Holy Ghost; I believe that Thy Divine Son became man, and died for our sins, and

that he will come to, judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which

the Holy Catholic Church teaches, because Thou hast revealed them, who canst neither

deceive nor be deceived

0 my God! relying on Thy infinite goodness and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my

sins, the help of Thy grace, and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my

Lord and Redeemer.

0 my God! I love Thee above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because Thou art

all-good and worthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself for the love of Thee. I

forgive all who have injured me, and ask pardon of all whom I have injured.

0 my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because

I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend Thee,

my God, who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of

Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.

† Bless us, 0 Lord! and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty,

through Christ our Lord. Amen.

† We give Thee thanks for all Thy benefits, 0 Almighty God, who livest and reignest for

ever; and may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Amen.

The Manner in which a Lay Person is to Baptize in Case of Necessity:

Pour common water on the head or face of the person to be baptized say while pouring it:

"I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."

N.B. Any person of either sex who has reached the use of reason can baptize in case of

necessity.

A. By the "end of man" we mean the purpose for which he was created: namely, to know,

love, and serve God.

A. I know that man was created for God alone because everything in the world was

created for something more perfect than itself: but there is nothing in the world more

perfect than man; therefore, he was created for something outside this world, and since he

was not created for the Angels, he must have been created for God.

A. All men are equal in whatever is necessary for their nature and end. They are all

composed of a body and soul; they are all created to the image and likeness of God; they

are all gifted with understanding and free will; and they have all been created for the same

end -- God.

A. Men differ in many things, such as learning, wealth, power, etc.; but these things belong

to the world and not man's nature. He came into this world without them and he will leave

it without them. Only the consequences of good or evil done in this world will accompany

men to the next.

A. God made the world.

A. In this question "world" means the universe; that is, the whole creation; all that we now

see or may hereafter see.

A. God is the Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things.

A. Man is a creature composed of body and soul, and made to the image and likeness of

God.

A. "Man" in the Catechism means all human beings, either men or women, boys, girls, or

children.

A. A creature is anything created, whether it has life or not; body or no body. Every

being, person, or thing except God Himself may be called a creature.

A. This likeness is chiefly in the soul.

A. The soul is like to God because it is a spirit that will never die, and has understanding

and free will.

A. Every spirit is invisible -- which means can not be seen; but every invisible thing is not a

spirit. The wind is invisible, and it is not a spirit.

A. A spirit is also indivisible; that is, it can not be divided into parts, as we divide material

things.

A. By the words "will never die" we mean that the soul, when once created, will never

cease to exist, whatever be its condition in the next world. Hence we say the soul is

immortal or gifted with immortality.

A. We say a soul is dead while in a state of mortal sin, because in that state it is as

helpless as a dead body, and can merit nothing for itself.

A. Our "understanding" means the "gift of reason," by which man is distinguished from all

other animals, and by which he is enabled to think and thus acquire knowledge and

regulate his actions.

A. We can not learn all truths by our reason alone, for some truths are beyond the power

of our reason and must be taught to us by God.

A. Taken together, we call the truths God teaches us revelation, and we call the manner

by which He teaches them also revelation.

A. "Free Will" is that gift of God by which we are enabled to choose between one thing

and another; and to do good or evil in spite of reward or punishment.

A. Brute animals have not "understanding" and "free will." They have not "understanding"

because they never change their habits or better their condition. They have not "free will"

because they never show it in their actions.

A. In animals the gift of "instinct" supplies the place of reason in guiding their actions.

A. "Instinct" is a gift by which all animals are impelled to follow the laws and habits that

God has given to their nature.

A. Men have "instinct," and they show it when placed in sudden danger, when they have

not time to use their reason. A falling man instantly grasps for something to support him.

A. God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be

happy with Him forever in the next.

A. It is necessary to know God because without knowing Him we cannot love Him; and

without loving Him we cannot be saved. We should know Him because He is infinitely

true; love Him because He is infinitely beautiful; and serve Him because He is infinitely

good.

A. We must take more care of our soul than of our body.

A. We must take more care of our soul than of our body, because in losing our soul we

lose God and everlasting happiness.

A. To save our souls, we must worship God by faith, hope, and charity; that is, we must

believe in Him, hope in Him, and love Him with all our heart.

A. "Worship" means to give divine honor by acts such as the offering of prayer or

sacrifice.

A. We shall know the things which we are to believe from the Catholic Church, through

which God speaks to us.

A. By the "Church, through which God speaks to us," we mean the "teaching Church";

that is, the Pope, Bishops, and priests, whose duty it is to instruct us in the truths and

practices of our religion.

A. We shall find the chief truths which the Church teaches in the Apostles' Creed.

A. We shall find the remaining truths of our Faith in the religious writings and preachings

that have been sanctioned by the authority of the Church.

A. In the Apostles' Creed there is no mention of the Real Presence of Our Lord in the

Holy Eucharist, nor of the Infallibility of the Pope, nor of the Immaculate Conception of

the Blessed Virgin Mary, nor of some other truths that we are bound to believe.

A. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus

Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin

Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified; died, and was buried. He descended

into hell: the third day He arose again from the dead: He ascended into heaven, sitteth at

the right hand of God, the Father Almighty: from thence He shall come to judge the living

and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of

Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

A. A perfection is any good quality a thing should have. A thing is perfect when it has all the good qualities it should have.

A. God is a spirit infinitely perfect.

A. When we say God is "infinitely perfect" we mean there is no limit or bounds to His perfection; for He possesses all good qualities in the highest possible degree and He alone is "infinitely perfect."

A. God had no beginning; He always was and He always will be.

A. God is everywhere.

A. God is everywhere whole and entire as He is in any one place. This is true and we must believe it, though we

cannot understand it.

A. We do not see God, because He is a pure spirit and cannot be seen with bodily eyes.

A. We call God a pure spirit because He has no body. Our soul is a spirit, but not a "pure" spirit, because it was

created for union with our body.

A. We cannot see God with the eyes of our body because they are created to see only material things, and God is

not material but spiritual.

A. God sees us and watches over us.

A. It is necessary for God to watch over us, for without His constant care we could not exist.

A. God knows all things, even our most secret thoughts, words, and actions.

A. God can do all things, and nothing is hard or impossible to Him.

A. A thing is said to be "impossible" when it cannot be done. Many things that are impossible for creatures are

possible for God.

A. God is all just, all holy, all merciful, as He is infinitely perfect.

A. God must be just as well as merciful because He must fulfill His promise to punish those who merit punishment, and because He cannot be infinite in one perfection without being infinite in all.

A. The forgetfulness of God's justice will lead us into sins of presumption.

A. The forgetfulness of God's mercy will lead us into sins of despair.

A. "Unity" means being one, and "trinity" means three-fold or three in one.

A. We cannot find an example to fully illustrate the mystery of the Blessed Trinity, because the mysteries of our

holy religion are beyond comparison.

A. Yes; there is but one God.

A. There can be but one God because God, being supreme and infinite, cannot have an equal.

A. "Supreme" means the highest in authority; also the most excellent or greatest possible in anything. Thus in all

things God is supreme, and in the Church the Pope is supreme.

A. Two persons are said to be equal when one is in no way greater than or inferior to the other.

A. In God there are three Divine persons, really distinct, and equal in all things --the Father, the Son, and the Holy

Ghost.

A. "Divine" means pertaining to God, and "distinct" means separate; that is, not confounded or mixed with any

other thing.

A. The Father is God and the first Person of the Blessed Trinity.

A. The Son is God and the second Person of the Blessed Trinity.

A. The Holy Ghost is God and the third Person of the Blessed Trinity.

A. "First," "second," and "third" with regard to the persons of the Blessed Trinity do not mean that one person was before the other or that one is greater than the other; for all the persons of the Trinity are eternal and equal in every respect. These numbers are used to mark the distinction between the persons, and they show the order in which the one proceeded from the other.

A. By the Blessed Trinity I mean one God in three Divine Persons.

A. The three Divine Persons are equal in all things.

A. The three Divine Persons are one and the same God, having one and the same Divine nature and substance.

A. By the "nature" of a thing we mean the combination of all the qualities that make the thing what it is. By the

"substance" of a thing we mean the part that never changes, and which cannot be changed without destroying the

nature of the thing.

A. We cannot fully understand how the three Divine Persons are one and the same God, because this is a mystery.

A. A mystery is a truth which we cannot fully understand.

A. Every truth which we cannot understand is not a mystery; but every revealed truth which no one can understand is a mystery.

A. We should and often do believe truths which we cannot understand when we have proof of their existence.

A. All believe that the earth is round and moving, though many do not understand it. All believe that a seed planted in the ground will produce a flower or tree often with more than a thousand other seeds equal to itself, though many cannot understand how this is done.

A. A divine religion must have mysteries because it must have supernatural truths and God Himself must teach

them. A religion that has only natural truths, such as man can know by reason alone, fully understand and teach, is only a human religion.

A. God requires us to believe mysteries that we may submit our understanding to Him.

A. We praise the Holy Trinity by a form of prayer called the Doxology, which has come down to us almost from

the time of the Apostles.

A. The Doxology is: "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is

now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen."

A. There is another form of the Doxology, which is said in the celebration of the Mass. It is called the "Gloria in

excelsis" or "Glory be to God on high," etc., the words sung by the Angels at the birth of Our Lord.

A. "Making" means bringing forth or forming out of some material already existing, as workmen do. "Creating"

means bringing forth out of nothing, as God alone can do.

A. Everything that exists except God Himself has been created.

A. God created heaven and earth, and all things.

A. We learn that God created heaven and earth and all things from the Bible or Holy Scripture, in which the

account of the Creation is given.

A. God created all things for His own glory and for their or our good.

A. God did not leave all things to themselves after He had created them; He continues to preserve and govern

them.

A. We call the care by which God preserves and governs the world and all it contains His providence.

A. God created heaven and earth from nothing by His word only; that is, by a single act of His all-powerful will.

A. The chief creatures of God are angels and men.

A. God's creatures on earth may be divided into four classes:

1.(1) Things that exist, as air;

2.(2) Things that exist, grow and live, as plants and trees;

3.(3) Things that exist, grow, live and feel, as animals;

4.(4) Things that exist, grow, live, feel and understand, as man.

A. Angels are pure spirits without a body, created to adore and enjoy God in heaven.

A. Angels could appear by taking bodies to render themselves visible for a time; just as the Holy Ghost took the

form of a dove and the devil took the form of a serpent.

A. Angels appeared to the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph; also to Abraham, Lot, Jacob, Tobias and others.

A. The angels were also created to assist before the throne of God and to minister unto Him; they have often been

sent as messengers from God to man; and are also appointed our guardians.

A. All the Angels are not equal in dignity. There are nine choirs or classes mentioned in the Holy Scripture. The

highest are called Seraphim and the lowest simply Angels. The Archangels are one class higher than ordinary Angels.

A. The Archangel Michael drove Satan out of heaven; the Archangel Gabriel announced to the Blessed Virgin that she was to become the Mother of God. The Archangel Raphael guided and protected Tobias.

A. Angels were sometimes sent to punish men. An Angel killed 185,000 men in the army of a wicked king who

had blasphemed God; an Angel also slew the first-born in the families of the Egyptians who had persecuted God's

people.

A. Our guardian Angels pray for us, protect and guide us, and offer our prayers, good works and desires to God.

A. We know that Angels offer our prayers and good works to God because it is so stated in Holy Scripture, and

Holy Scripture is the Word of God.

A. God appointed guardian Angels to secure for us their help and prayers, and also to show His great love for us

in giving us these special servants and faithful friends.

A. The angels, as God created them, were good and happy.

A. All the angels did not remain good and happy; many of them sinned and were cast into hell, and these are called devils or bad angels.

A. We do not know the number of the good or bad Angels, but we know it is very great.

A. Before he fell, Satan, or the devil, was called Lucifer, or light-bearer, a name which indicates great beauty. He

was cast out of heaven because through pride he rebelled against God.

A. The bad Angels try by every means to lead us into sin. The efforts they make are called temptations of the devil.

A. The devil tempts us because he hates goodness, and does not wish us to enjoy the happiness which he himself

has lost.

A. We cannot by our own power overcome the temptations of the devil, because the devil is wiser than we are;

for, being an Angel, he is more intelligent, and he did not lose his intelligence by falling into sin any more than we do now. Therefore, to overcome his temptations we need the help of God.

A. The first man and woman were Adam and Eve.

A. There are no persons in the world now, and there never have been any, who are not the descendants of Adam

and Eve, because the whole human race had but one origin.

A. The differences in color, figure, etc., which we find in distinct races do not indicate a difference in first parents, for these differences have been brought about in the lapse of time by other causes, such as climate, habits, etc.

A. Adam and Eve were innocent and holy when they came from the hand of God.

A. When we say Adam and Eve "were innocent" when they came from the hand of God we mean they were in the

state of original justice; that is, they were gifted with every virtue and free from every sin.

A. God formed Adam's body out of the clay of the earth and then breathed into it a living soul.

A. Eve's body was formed from a rib taken from Adam's side during a deep sleep which God caused to come

upon him.

A. God made Eve from one of Adam's ribs to show the close relationship existing between husband and wife in

their marriage union which God then instituted.

A. Man's body could be developed from the body of an inferior animal if God so willed; but science does not

prove that man's body was thus formed, while revelation teaches that it was formed directly by God from the clay

of the earth.

A. Man's soul could not be formed by the development of animal instinct; for, being entirely spiritual, it must be

created by God, and it is united to the body as soon as the body is prepared to receive it.

A. To try their obedience, God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat of a certain fruit which grew in the garden of Paradise.

A. The Garden of Paradise was a large and beautiful place prepared for man's habitation upon earth. It was

supplied with every species of plant and animal and with everything that could contribute to man's happiness.

A. The exact place in which the Garden of Paradise -- called also the Garden of Eden -- was situated is not

known, for the deluge may have so changed the surface of the earth that old landmarks were wiped out. It was

probably some place in Asia, not far from the river Euphrates.

A. The tree bearing the forbidden fruit was called "the tree of knowledge of good and evil."

A. We know the name of another tree in the Garden called the "tree of life." Its fruit kept the bodies of our first

parents in a state of perfect health.

A. The chief blessings intended for Adam and Eve, had they remained faithful to God, were a constant state of

happiness in this life and everlasting glory in the next.

A. Adam and Eve did not remain faithful to God, but broke His command by eating the forbidden fruit.

A. Eve was the first to disobey God, and she induced Adam to do likewise.

A. Eve was tempted to sin by the devil, who came in the form of a serpent and persuaded her to break God's

command.

A. The chief causes that led Eve into sin were:

1.(1) She went into the danger of sinning by admiring what was forbidden, instead of avoiding it.

2.(2) She did not fly from the temptation at once, but debated about yielding to it.

Similar conduct on our part will lead us also into sin.

A. Adam and Eve, on account of their sin, lost innocence and holiness, and were doomed to sickness and death.

A. Many other evils befell Adam and Eve on account of their sin. They were driven out of Paradise and

condemned to toil. God also ordained that henceforth the earth should yield no crops without cultivation, and that

the beasts, man's former friends, should become his savage enemies.

A. We were not to remain in the Garden of Paradise forever even if Adam had not sinned, but after passing

through the years of our probation or trial upon earth we were to be taken, body and soul, into heaven without

suffering death.

A. On account of the disobedience of our first parents, we all share in their sin and punishment, as we should have

shared in their happiness if they had remained faithful.

A. It is not unjust to punish us for the sin of our first parents, because their punishment consisted in being deprived of a free gift of God; that is, of the gift of original justice to which they had no strict right and which they willfully forfeited by their act of disobedience.

A. The loss of the gift of original justice left our first parents and us in mortal sin because it deprived them of the

Grace of God, and to be without this gift of Grace which they should have had was to be in mortal sin. As all their

children are deprived of the same gift, they, too, come into the world in a state of mortal sin.

A. Our nature was corrupted by the sin of our first parents, which darkened our understanding, weakened our will,

and left in us a strong inclination to evil.

A. When we say "our nature was corrupted" we mean that our whole being, body and soul, was injured in all its

parts and powers.

A. We say our understanding was darkened because even with much learning we have not the clear knowledge,

quick perception and retentive memory that Adam had before his fall from grace.

A. We say our will was weakened to show that our free will was not entirely taken away by Adam's sin, and that

we have it still in our power to use our free will in doing good or evil.

A. This strong inclination to evil that is left in us consists in the continual efforts our senses and appetites make to

lead our souls into sin. The body is inclined to rebel against the soul, and the soul itself to rebel against God.

A. This strong inclination to evil is called concupiscence, and God permits it to remain in us that by His grace we

may resist it and thus increase our merits.

A. The sin which we inherit from our first parents is called original sin.

A. This sin is called original because it comes down to us from our first parents, and we are brought into the world with its guilt on our soul.

A. This corruption of our nature and other punishments remain in us after original sin is forgiven.

A. The Blessed Virgin Mary, through the merits of her Divine Son, was preserved free from the guilt of original sin, and this privilege is called her Immaculate Conception.

A. The Blessed Virgin was preserved from original sin because it would not be consistent with the dignity of the

Son of God to have His Mother, even for an instant, in the power of the devil and an enemy of God.

A. The Blessed Virgin could be preserved from sin by her Divine Son before He was born as man, for He always

existed as God and foresaw His own future merits and the dignity of His Mother. He therefore by His future merits provided for her privilege of exemption from original sin.

A. The Immaculate Conception means the Blessed Virgin's own exclusive privilege of coming into existence,

through the merits of Jesus Christ, without the stain of original sin. It does not mean, therefore, her sinless life,

perpetual virginity or the miraculous conception of Our Divine Lord by the power of the Holy Ghost.

A. The Church has always believed in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin and to place this truth

beyond doubt has declared it an Article of Faith.

A. The thoughts of the Immaculate Conception should lead us to a great love of purity and to a desire of imitating

the Blessed Virgin in the practice of that holy virtue.

A.

1.(1) Sin is divided into the sin we inherit called original sin, and the sin we commit ourselves, called actual sin.

2.(2) Actual sin is sub-divided into greater sins, called mortal, and lesser sins, called venial.

A. Actual sin may be committed in two ways: namely, by willfully doing things forbidden, or by willfully neglecting things commanded.

A. When we neglect things commanded our sin is called a sin of omission. Such sins as willfully neglecting to hear Mass on Sundays, or neglecting to go to Confession at least once a year, are sins of omission.

A. Original sin is not the only kind of sin; there is another kind of sin, which we commit ourselves, called actual sin.

A. Actual sin is any willful thought, word, deed, or omission contrary to the law of God.

A. There are two kinds of actual sin -- mortal and venial.

A. Mortal sin is a grievous offense against the law of God.

A. This sin is called mortal because it deprives us of spiritual life, which is sanctifying grace, and brings everlasting death and damnation on the soul.

A. To make a sin mortal, three things are necessary:

1.a grievous matter, sufficient reflection, and full consent of the will.

A. By "grievous matter" with regard to sin we mean that the thought, word or deed by which mortal sin is

committed must be either very bad in itself or severely prohibited, and therefore sufficient to make a mortal sin if

we deliberately yield to it.

A. "Sufficient reflection" means that we must know the thought, word or deed to be sinful at the time we are guilty of it; and "full consent of the will" means that we must fully and willfully yield to it.

A. Sins committed without reflection or consent are called material sins; that is, they would be formal or real sins if we knew their sinfulness at the time we committed them. Thus to eat flesh meat on a day of abstinence without

knowing it to be a day of abstinence or without thinking of the prohibition, would be a material sin.

A. Past material sins do not become real sins as soon as we discover their sinfulness, unless we again repeat them

with full knowledge and consent.

A. We can know what sins are considered mortal from Holy Scripture; from the teaching of the Church, and from

the writings of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church.

A. It is wrong to judge others guilty of sin because we cannot know for certain that their sinful act was committed

with sufficient reflection and full consent of the will.

A. He who without sufficient reason believes another guilty of sin commits a sin of rash judgment.

A. Venial sin is a slight offense against the law of God in matters of less importance, or in matters of great

importance it is an offense committed without sufficient reflection or full consent of the will.

A. We cannot always distinguish venial from mortal sin, and in such cases we must leave the decision to our

confessor.

A. Slight offenses can become mortal sins if we commit them through defiant contempt for God or His law; and

also when they are followed by very evil consequences, which we foresee in committing them.

A. The effects of venial sin are the lessening of the love of God in our heart, the making us less worthy of His help, and the weakening of the power to resist mortal sin.

A. We can know a thought, word or deed to be sinful if it, or the neglect of it, is forbidden by any law of God or of His Church, or if it is opposed to any supernatural virtue.

A. The chief sources of sin are seven:

1.Pride, Covetousness, Lust, Anger, Gluttony, Envy, and Sloth,

and they are commonly called capital sins.

A. Pride is an excessive love of our own ability; so that we would rather sinfully disobey than humble ourselves.

A. Pride begets in our souls sinful ambition, vainglory, presumption and hypocrisy.

A. Covetousness is an excessive desire for worldly things.

A. Covetousness begets in our souls unkindness, dishonesty, deceit and want of charity.

A. Lust is an excessive desire for the sinful pleasures forbidden by the Sixth Commandment.

A. Lust begets in our souls a distaste for holy things, a perverted conscience, a hatred for God, and it very

frequently leads to a complete loss of faith.

A. Anger is an excessive emotion of the mind excited against any person or thing, or it is an excessive desire for

revenge.

A. Anger begets in our souls impatience, hatred, irreverence, and too often the habit of cursing.

A. Gluttony is an excessive desire for food or drink.

A. Drunkenness is a sin of gluttony by which a person deprives himself of the use of his reason by the excessive

taking of intoxicating drink.

A. Deliberate drunkenness is always a mortal sin if the person be completely deprived of the use of reason by it,

but drunkenness that is not intended or desired may be excused from mortal sin.

A. Habitual drunkenness injures the body, weakens the mind, leads its victim into many vices and exposes him to

the danger of dying in a state of mortal sin.

A. Drunkenness, dishonesty and impurity seem to cause most evil in the world, and they are therefore to be

carefully avoided at all times.

A. Envy is a feeling of sorrow at another's good fortune and joy at the evil which befalls him; as if we ourselves

were injured by the good and benefited by the evil that comes to him.

A. Envy begets in the soul a want of charity for our neighbor and produces a spirit of detraction, back-biting and

slander.

A. Sloth is a laziness of the mind and body, through which we neglect our duties on account of the labor they

require.

A. Sloth begets in the soul a spirit of indifference in our spiritual duties and a disgust for prayer.

A. The seven sources of sin are called capital sins because they rule over our other sins and are the causes of them.

A. By our predominant sin, or ruling passion, we mean the sin into which we fall most frequently and which we find it hardest to resist.

A. We can best overcome our sins by guarding against our predominant or ruling sin.

A. We should not give up trying to be good when we seem not to succeed in overcoming our faults, because our

efforts to be good will keep us from becoming worse than we are.

A. Humility is opposed to pride; generosity to covetousness; chastity to lust; meekness to anger; temperance to

gluttony; brotherly love to envy, and diligence to sloth.

A. "Incarnation" means the act of clothing with flesh. Thus Our Lord clothed His divinity with a human body.

"Redemption" means to buy back again.

A. God did not abandon man after he fell into sin, but promised him a Redeemer, who was to satisfy for man's sin

and reopen to him the gates of heaven.

A. By the "gates of heaven" we mean the divine power by which God keeps us out of heaven or admits us into it,

at His pleasure.

A. Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of mankind.

A. The name "Jesus" signifies Saviour or Redeemer, and this name was given to Our Lord by an Angel who

appeared to Joseph and said: "Mary shall bring forth a Son; and thou shalt call His name Jesus."

A. The name "Christ" means the same as Messias, and signifies Anointed; because, as in the Old Law, Prophets,

High Priests and Kings were anointed with oil; so Jesus, the Great Prophet, High Priest and King of the New Law, was anointed as man with the fullness of divine power.

A. Christ showed and proved His divine power chiefly by His miracles, which are extraordinary works that can be

performed only by power received from God, and which have, therefore, His sanction and authority.

A. The miracles of Jesus Christ proved that whatever He said was true, and that when He declared Himself to be

the Son of God He really was what He claimed to be.

A. Men could not have been deceived in the miracles of Christ because they were performed in the most open

manner and usually in the presence of great multitudes of people, among whom were many of Christ's enemies,

ever ready to expose any deceit. And if Christ performed no real miracles, how, then, could He have converted

the world and have persuaded sinful men to give up what they loved and do the difficult things that the Christian

religion imposes?

A. False accounts of these miracles could not have been written after the death of Our Lord; for then neither His

friends nor His enemies would have believed them without proof. Moreover, the enemies of Christ did not deny the miracles, but tried to explain them by attributing them to the power of the devil or other causes. Again, the

Apostles and the Evangelists who wrote the accounts suffered death to testify their belief in the words and works

of Our Lord.

A. Jesus Christ died to redeem all men of every age and race without exception; and every person born into the

world should share in His merits, without which no one can be saved.

A. The merits of Jesus Christ are applied to our souls through the Sacraments, and especially through Baptism and Penance, which restore us to the friendship of God.

A. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the second Person of the Blessed Trinity, true God and true man.

A. We can be called the Children of God because He has adopted us by His grace or because He is the Father

who has created us; but we are not, therefore, His real Children; whereas, Jesus Christ, His only real and true Son,

was neither adopted nor created, but was begotten of His Father from all eternity.

A. Jesus Christ is true God because He is the true and only Son of God the Father.

A. Jesus Christ is true man because He is the Son of the Blessed Virgin Mary and has a body and soul like ours.

A. St. Joseph, the husband of the Blessed Virgin, was the foster-father or guardian of Our Lord while on earth.

A. Since His Ascension Jesus Christ is in heaven both as God and as man.

A. In Jesus Christ there are two natures, the nature of God and the nature of man.

A. No. Jesus Christ is but one Divine Person.

A. We learn that Jesus Christ is but one person from Holy Scripture and from the constant teaching of the Church,

which has condemned all those who teach the contrary.

A. Jesus Christ was always God, as He is the second person of the Blessed Trinity, equal to His Father from all

eternity.

A. Jesus Christ was not always man, but became man at the time of His Incarnation.

A. By the Incarnation I mean that the Son of God was made man.

A. The Son of God was conceived and made man by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the Blessed

Virgin Mary.

A. The Blessed Virgin Mary is truly the Mother of God, because the same Divine Person who is the Son of God is

also the Son of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

A. The Son of God did not become man immediately after the sin of our first parents, but was promised to them as a Redeemer.

A. About 4,000 years passed from the time Adam sinned till the time the Redeemer came.

A. Just before the coming of Our Lord the moral condition of the world was very bad. Idolatry, injustice, cruelty,

immorality and horrid vices were common almost everywhere.

A. The coming of the Redeemer was so long delayed that the world -- suffering from every misery -- might learn

the great evil of sin and know that God alone could help fallen man.

A. The Redeemer was first promised to mankind in the Garden of Paradise, and often afterward through Abraham

and his descendants, the patriarchs, and through numerous prophets.

A. The prophets were inspired men to whom God revealed the future, that they might with absolute certainty make it known to the people.

A. The prophets, taken together, foretold so accurately all the circumstances of the birth, life, death, resurrection

and glory of the Redeemer that no one who carefully studied their writings could fail to recognize Him when He came.

A. All the prophecies concerning the Redeemer have been fulfilled in every point by the circumstances of Christ's

birth, life, death, resurrection and glory; and He is, therefore, the Redeemer promised to mankind from the time of

Adam.

A. We shall find these prophecies concerning the Redeemer in the prophetic books of the Bible or Holy Scripture.

A. All did not recognize the Redeemer when He came, because many knew only part of the prophecies; and

taking those concerning His glory and omitting those concerning His suffering, they could not understand His life.

A. They who lived before the Son of God became man could be saved by believing in a Redeemer to come, and

by keeping the Commandments.

A. The Son of God was conceived and made man on Annunciation Day -- the day on which the Angel Gabriel

announced to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she was to be the Mother of God.

A. Christ was born on Christmas Day, in a stable at Bethlehem, over nineteen hundred years ago.

A. The Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph went to Bethlehem in obedience to the Roman Emperor, who ordered all his

subjects to register their names in the towns or cities of their ancestors. Bethlehem was the City of David, the royal ancestor of Mary and Joseph, hence they had to register there. All this was done by the Will of God, that the

prophecies concerning the birth of His Divine Son might be fulfilled.

A. Christ was born in a stable because Joseph and Mary were poor and strangers in Bethlehem, and without

money they could find no other shelter. This was permitted by Our Lord that we might learn a lesson from His

great humility.

A. In giving the ancestors of Our Lord, the Gospels give the ancestors of Joseph:

1.(1) Because the ancestors of women were not usually recorded by the Jews; and

2.(2) Because Mary and Joseph were members of the same tribe, and had, therefore, the same ancestors; so

that, in giving the ancestors of Joseph, the Gospels give also those of Mary; and this was understood by

those for whom the Gospels were intended.

A. Our Lord had no brothers or sisters. When the Gospels speak of His brethren they mean only His near

relations. His Blessed Mother Mary was always a Virgin as well before and at His birth as after it.

A. The shepherds of Bethlehem, to whom His birth was announced by Angels; and the Magi or three wise men,

who were guided to His crib by a miraculous star, were among the first to adore the Infant Jesus. We recall the

adoration of the Magi on the feast of the Epiphany, which means appearance or manifestation, namely, of Our

Saviour.

A. Herod sought to kill the Infant Jesus because he thought the influence of Christ -- the new-born King -- would

deprive him of his throne.

A. The Holy Infant was rescued from the power of Herod by the flight into Egypt, when St. Joseph -- warned by

an Angel -- fled hastily into that country with Jesus and Mary.

A. Herod hoped to accomplish his wicked designs by murdering all the infants in and near Bethlehem. The day on

which we commemorate the death of these first little martyrs, who shed their blood for Christ's sake, is called the

feast of Holy Innocents.

A. The years of Christ's life may be divided into three parts:

1.(1) His childhood, extending from His birth to His twelfth year, when He went with his parents to worship in

the Temple of Jerusalem.

2.(2) His hidden life, which extends from His twelfth to His thirtieth year, during which time He dwelt with His

parents at Nazareth.

3.(3) His public life, extending from His thirtieth year -- or from His baptism by St. John the Baptist to His

death; during which time He taught His doctrines and established His Church.

A. Christ's life is thus divided to show that all classes find in Him their model. In childhood He gave an example to the young; in His hidden life an example to those who consecrate themselves to the service of God in a religious state; and in His public life an example to all Christians without exception.

A. Christ lived on earth about thirty-three years, and led a most holy life in poverty and suffering.

A. Christ lived so long on earth to show us the way to heaven by His teachings and example.

A. By Our Lord's Passion we mean His dreadful sufferings from His agony in the garden till the moment of His

death.

A. Jesus Christ suffered a bloody sweat, a cruel scourging, was crowned with thorns, and was crucified.

A. Our Lord suffered the "bloody sweat" while drops of blood came forth from every pore of His body, during His agony in the Garden of Olives, near Jerusalem, where He went to pray on the night His Passion began.

A. The Apostles Peter, James and John, the same who had witnessed His transfiguration on the mount,

accompanied Our Lord to the Garden of Olives, to watch and pray with Him on the night of His agony.

A. By the transfiguration of Our Lord we mean the supernatural change in His appearance when He showed

Himself to His Apostles in great glory and brilliancy in which "His face did shine as the sun and His garments

became white as snow."

A. There were present at the transfiguration -- besides the Apostles Peter, James and John, who witnessed it --

the two great and holy men of the Old Law, Moses and Elias, talking with Our Lord.

A It is believed Our Lord's agony in the garden was caused:

1.(1) By his clear knowledge of all He was soon to endure;

2.(2) By the sight of the many offenses committed against His Father by the sins of the whole world;

3.(3) By His knowledge of men's ingratitude for the blessings of redemption.

A. Christ was cruelly scourged by Pilate's orders, that the sight of His bleeding body might move His enemies to

spare His life.

A. Christ was crowned with thorns in mockery because He had said He was a King.

A. Christ could, if He pleased, have escaped the tortures of His Passion, because He foresaw them and had it in

His power to overcome His enemies.

A. It was not necessary for Christ to suffer so much in order to redeem us, for the least of His sufferings was more

than sufficient to atone for all the sins of mankind. By suffering so much He showed His great love for us.

A. Judas, one of His Apostles, betrayed Our Lord, and from His sin we may learn that even the good may become

very wicked by the abuse of their free will.

A. Through the influence of those who hated Him, Christ was condemned to death, after an unjust trial, at which

false witnesses were induced to testify against Him.

A. Christ died on Good Friday.

A. We call that day good on which Christ died because by His death He showed His great love for man, and

purchased for him every blessing.

A. Our Lord was hanging on the Cross about three hours before He died. While thus suffering, His enemies stood

around blaspheming and mocking Him. By His death He proved Himself a real mortal man, for He could not die in His divine nature.

A. We call the words Christ spoke while hanging on the Cross "the seven last words of Jesus on the Cross." They

teach us the dispositions we should have at the hour of death.

A. The seven last words or sayings of Jesus on the Cross are:

1.(1) "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," in which He forgives and prays for His enemies.

2.(2) "Amen, I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with Me in Paradise," in which He pardons the penitent

sinner.

3.(3) "Woman, behold thy Son" -- "Behold thy Mother," in which He gave up what was dearest to Him on

earth, and gave us Mary for our Mother.

4.(4) "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" from which we learn the suffering of His mind.

5.(5) "I thirst," from which we learn the suffering of His body.

6.(6) "All is consummated," by which He showed the fulfillment of all the prophecies concerning Him and the

completion of the work of our redemption.

7.(7) "Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit," by which He showed His perfect resignation to the Will of

His Eternal Father.

A. At the death of Our Lord there were darkness and earthquake; many holy dead came forth from their graves,

and the veil concealing the Holy of Holies, in the Temple of Jerusalem, was torn asunder.

Q. 388. What was the Holy of Holies in the temple?

A. The Holy of Holies was the sacred part of the Temple, in which the Ark of the Covenant was kept, and where

the high priest consulted the Will of God.

A. The Ark of the Covenant was a precious box in which were kept the tablets of stone bearing the written

Commandments of God, the rod which Aaron changed into a serpent before King Pharao, and a portion of the

manna with which the Israelites were miraculously fed in the desert. The Ark of the Covenant was a figure of the

Tabernacle in which we keep the Holy Eucharist.

A. The veil of the Temple was torn asunder at the death of Christ because at His death the Jewish religion ceased

to be the true religion, and God no longer manifested His presence in the Temple.

A. The Jewish religion, which, up to the death of Christ, had been the true religion, ceased at that time to be the

true religion, because it was only a promise of the redemption and figure of the Christian religion, and when the

redemption was accomplished and the Christian religion established by the death of Christ, the promise and the

figure were no longer necessary.

A. The moral laws of the Jewish religion were not abolished by the establishment of Christianity, for Christ came

not to destroy these laws, but to make them more perfect. Its ceremonial laws were abolished when the Temple of

Jerusalem ceased to be the House of God.

A. By "moral" laws we mean laws regarding good and evil. By "ceremonial" laws we mean laws regulating the

manner of worshipping God in Temple or Church.

A. Christ died on Mount Calvary.

A. Mount Calvary was the place of execution, not far from Jerusalem; and the name signifies the "place of skulls."

A. Christ was nailed to the Cross, and died on it between two thieves.

A. Our Lord was crucified between thieves that His enemies might thus add to His disgrace by making Him equal

to the worst criminals.

A. Christ suffered and died for our sins.

A. Our Lord's body was wrapped in a clean linen cloth and laid in a new sepulchre or tomb cut in a rock, by

Joseph of Arimathea and other pious persons who believed in Our Divine Lord.

A. From the sufferings and death of Christ we learn the great evil of sin, the hatred God bears to it, and the

necessity of satisfying for it.

A. After Christ's death His soul descended into hell.

A. The hell into which Christ's soul descended was not the hell of the dammed, but a place or state of rest called

Limbo, where the souls of the just were waiting for Him.

A. Christ descended into Limbo to preach to the souls who were in prison -- that is, to announce to them the joyful tidings of their redemption.

A. While Christ's soul was in Limbo His body was in the holy sepulchre.

A. Christ rose from the dead, glorious and immortal, on Easter Sunday, the third day after His death.

A. The Resurrection is the greatest of Christ's miracles because all He taught and did is confirmed by it and

depends upon it. He promised to rise from the dead and without the fulfillment of that promise we could not believe in Him.

A. Unbelievers in Christ have tried to disprove the miracle of the resurrection as they have tried to disprove all His other miracles; but the explanations they give to prove Christ's miracles false are far more unlikely and harder to believe than the miracles themselves.

A. When we say Christ rose "glorious" from the dead we mean that His body was in a glorified state; that is, gifted

with the qualities of a glorified body.

A. The qualities of a glorified body are:

1.(1) Brilliancy, by which it gives forth light;

2.(2) Agility, by which it moves from place to place as rapidly as an angel;

3.(3) Subtility, by which material things cannot shut it out;

4.(4) Impassibility, by which it is made incapable of suffering.

A. Christ was not three full days, but only parts of three days in the tomb.

A. Christ stayed on earth forty days after His resurrection, to show that He was truly risen from the dead, and to

instruct His apostles.

A. Christ was not visible to all nor at all times during the forty days He remained on earth after His resurrection.

We know that He appeared to His apostles and others at least nine times, though He may have appeared oftener.

A. Christ showed that He was truly risen from the dead by eating and conversing with His Apostles and others to

whom He appeared. He showed the wounds in His hands, feet and side, and it was after His resurrection that He

gave to His Apostles the power to forgive sins.

A. After forty days Christ ascended into heaven, and the day on which be ascended into heaven is called

Ascension Day.

A. Christ ascended into heaven from Mount Olivet, the place made sacred by His agony on the night before His

death.

A. From various parts of Scripture we may conclude there were about 125 persons -- though traditions tell us

there was a greater number -- present at the Ascension. They were the Apostles, the Disciples, the pious women

and others who had followed Our Blessed Lord. The souls of the just who were waiting in Limbo for the

redemption ascended with Christ.

A. The paschal candle which is lighted on Easter morning signifies Christ's visible presence on earth, and it is

extinguished on Ascension Day to show that He, having fulfilled all the prophecies concerning Himself and having accomplished the work of redemption, has transferred the visible care of His Church to His Apostles and returned in His body to heaven.

A. In heaven Christ sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

A. When I say that Christ sits at the right hand of God I mean that Christ as God is equal to His Father in all things, and that as man He is in the highest place in heaven next to God.

A. The Holy Ghost is the third Person of the Blessed Trinity.

A. The Holy Ghost appeared at times under the form of a dove, and again under the form of tongues of fire; for,

being a pure spirit without a body, He can take any form.

A. The Holy Ghost is called also the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth and other names given in Holy

Scripture.

A. The Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son.

A. The Holy Ghost is equal to the Father and the Son, being the same Lord and God as they are.

A. The Holy Ghost came down upon the Apostles ten days after the Ascension of our Lord; and the day on which

He came down upon the Apostles is called Whitsunday, or Pentecost.

A. The day on which the Holy Ghost came down upon the Apostles is called Whitsunday or White Sunday,

probably because the Christians who were baptized on the eve of Pentecost wore white garments for some time

afterward, as a mark of the purity bestowed upon their souls by the Sacrament of Baptism.

A. This feast is called also Pentecost because Pentecost means the fiftieth; and the Holy Ghost came down upon

the Apostles fifty days after the resurrection of Our Lord.

A. The Holy Ghost came down upon the Apostles in the form of tongues of fire.

A. The form of tongues of fire denoted the sacred character and divine authority of the preaching and teaching of

the Apostles, by whose words and fervor all men were to be converted to the love of God.

A. Our Lord Jesus Christ sent the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles.

A. The Apostles knew that the Holy Ghost would come down upon them; for Christ promised His Apostles that

after His Ascension He would send the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Truth, to teach them all truths and to abide with

them forever.

A. Some persons have denied the existence of the Holy Ghost; others have denied that He is a real person equal to

the Father and the Son; but all these assertions are shown to be false by the words of Holy Scripture and the

infallible teaching of the Church.

A. The sins against the Holy Ghost which Our Lord said will not be forgiven either in this world or in the next, are sins committed out of pure malice, and greatly opposed to the mercy of God, and are, therefore, seldom forgiven.

A. Christ sent the Holy Ghost to sanctify His Church, to enlighten and strengthen the Apostles, and to enable them to preach the Gospel.

A. The Church was sanctified through the coming of the Holy Ghost by receiving those graces which Christ had

merited for His ministers, the bishops and priests, and for the souls of all those committed to their care.

A. The Apostles were enlightened through the coming of the Holy Ghost by receiving the grace to remember and

understand in its true meaning all that Christ had said and done in their presence.

A. The Apostles were strengthened through the coming of the Holy Ghost by receiving the grace to brave every

danger, even death itself, in the performance of their sacred duties.

A. "Apostle" means a person sent, and "Gospel" means good tidings or news. Hence the name "Gospel" is given to the inspired history of Our Lord's life and works upon earth.

A. The Apostles were: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, Thaddeus,

Simon, and Judas Iscariot, in whose place Mathias was chosen.

A. St. Paul was an Apostle, but as he was not called till after the Ascension of Our Lord he is not numbered

among the twelve. He is called the Apostle of the Gentiles; that is, of all those who were not of the Jewish religion

or members of the Church of the Old Law.

A. While on his way to persecute the Christians St. Paul was miraculously converted and called to be an Apostle

by Our Lord Himself, who spoke to him. St. Paul was called Saul before his conversion.

A. St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke and St. John are called Evangelists, because they wrote the four Gospels

bearing their names, and Evangelia is the Latin name for Gospels. St. Mark and St. Luke were not Apostles, but

St. Matthew and St. John were both Apostles and Evangelists.

A. The Apostles did not fully understand when Christ Himself taught them because during His stay with them on

earth they were only preparing to become Apostles; and their minds were yet filled with many worldly thoughts and desires that were to be removed at the coming of the Holy Ghost.

A. The Holy Ghost will abide with the Church forever, and guide it in the way of holiness and truth.

A. From the knowledge that the Holy Ghost will abide with the Church forever we are made certain that the

Church can never teach us falsehood, and can never be destroyed by the enemies of Our Faith.

A. Through the coming of the Holy Ghost the Apostles received the "gift of tongues," by which they could be

understood in every language, though they preached in only one.

A. Such wonderful gifts accompanied Confirmation in the first ages of the Church to prove the power, truth and

divine character of Christianity to those who otherwise might not believe, and to draw the attention of all to the

establishment of the Christian Church.

A. These signs are not continued everywhere at the present time, because now that the Church is fully established

and its divine character and power proved in other ways, such signs are no longer necessary.

A. Such powers as the "gift of tongues" were not a part of the Sacrament of Confirmation, but they were added to

it by the Holy Ghost when necessary for the good of the Church.

A. An effect is that which is caused by something else, as smoke, for example, is an effect of fire.

A. Redemption means the buying back of a thing that was given away or sold.

A. By his sin Adam gave away all right to God's promised gifts of grace in this world and of glory in the next, and Our Lord bought back the right that Adam threw away.

A. The chief effects of the Redemption are two: The satisfaction of God's justice by Christ's sufferings and death,

and the gaining of grace for men.

A. We say "chief effects" to show that these are the most important but not the only effects of the Redemption --

for all the benefits of our holy religion and of its influence upon the world are the effects of the redemption.

A. God's justice required satisfaction because it is infinite and demands reparation for every fault. Man in his state

of sin could not make the necessary reparation, so Christ became man and made it for him.

A. By grace I mean a supernatural gift of God bestowed on us, through the merits of Jesus Christ, for our

salvation.

A. Supernatural means above or greater than nature. All gifts such as health, learning or the comforts of life, that

affect our happiness chiefly in this world, are called natural gifts, and all gifts such as blessings that affect our

happiness chiefly in the next world are called supernatural or spiritual gifts.

A. Merit means the quality of deserving well or ill for our actions. In the question above it means a right to reward for good deeds done.

A. There are two kinds of grace, sanctifying grace and actual grace.

A. Sanctifying grace remains with us as long as we are not guilty of mortal sin; and hence, it is often called habitual grace; but actual grace comes to us only when we need its help in doing or avoiding an action, and it remains with us only while we are doing or avoiding the action.

A. Sanctifying grace is that grace which makes the soul holy and pleasing to God.

A. Those graces or gifts of God by which we believe in Him, and hope in Him, and love Him, are called the Divine virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity.

A. Virtue is the habit of doing good, and vice is the habit of doing evil. An act, good or bad, does not form a habit; and hence, a virtue or a vice is the result of repeated acts of the same kind.

A. Habit does not excuse us from the sins committed through it, but rather makes us more guilty by showing how

often we must have committed the sin to acquire the habit. If, however, we are seriously trying to overcome a bad

habit, and through forgetfulness yield to it, the habit may sometimes excuse us from the sin.

A. Faith is a Divine virtue by which we firmly believe the truths which God has revealed.

A. Hope is a Divine virtue by which we firmly trust that God will give us eternal life and the means to obtain it.

A. Charity is a Divine virtue by which we love God above all things for His own sake, and our neighbor as

ourselves for the love of God.

A. Faith, Hope and Charity are called virtues because they are not mere acts, but habits by which we always and

in all things believe God, hope in Him, and love Him.

A. Faith, Hope and Charity are called infused theological virtues to distinguish them from the four moral virtues -- Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance.

A. We say the three theological virtues are infused; that is, poured into our souls, because they are strictly gifts of

God and do not depend upon our efforts to obtain them, while the four moral virtues -- Prudence, Justice,

Fortitude and Temperance -- though also gifts of God, may, as natural virtues, be acquired by our own efforts.

A. We believe God and hope in Him because He is infinitely true and cannot deceive us. We love Him because He is infinitely good and beautiful and worthy of all love.

A. Atheism, which is a denial of all revealed truths, and heresy, which is a denial of some revealed truths, and

superstition, which is a misuse of religion, are opposed to Faith.

A. Every human being capable of salvation of every age, country, race or condition, especially if he needs our help, is our neighbor in the sense of the Catechism.

A. We should love our neighbor because he is a child of God, redeemed by Jesus Christ, and because he is our

brother created to dwell in heaven with us.

A. Actual grace is that help of God which enlightens our mind and moves our will to shun evil and do good.

A. Grace is necessary to salvation, because without grace we can do nothing to merit heaven.

A. We can, and unfortunately often do, resist the grace of God.

A. It is a sin, knowingly, to resist the grace of God, because we thereby insult Him and reject His gifts without

which we cannot be saved.

A. God gives to everyone He creates sufficient grace to save his soul; and if persons do not save their souls, it is

because they have not used the grace given.

A. The grace of perseverance is a particular gift of God which enables us to continue in the state of grace till death.

A. We cannot merit the grace of final perseverance, or know when we possess it, because it depends entirely upon

God's mercy and not upon our actions. To imagine we possess it would lead us into the sin of presumption.

A. A person cannot merit any supernatural reward for good deeds performed while he is in mortal sin;

nevertheless, God rewards such good deeds by giving the grace of repentance; and, therefore, all persons, even

those in mortal sin, should ever strive to do good.

A. God rewards our good intention and desire to serve Him, even when our works are not successful. We should

make this good intention often during the day, and especially in the morning.

A. The true religion was preserved from Adam till the coming of Christ by the patriarchs, prophets and other holy

men whom God appointed and inspired to teach His Will and Revelations to the people, and to remind them of the promised Redeemer.

A. The prophets were men to whom God gave a knowledge of future events connected with religion, that they

might foretell them to His people and thus give proof that the message came from God. Their chief duty was to

foretell the time, place and circumstances of Our Saviour's coming into the world, that men might know when and

where to look for Him, and might recognize Him when He came.

A. They who lived before Christ became man could be saved by belief in the Redeemer to come and by keeping

the Commandments of God.

A. The true religion was not universal before the coming of Christ. It was confined to one people -- the

descendants of Abraham. All other nations worshipped false gods.

A. The means instituted by Our Lord to enable men at all times to share in the fruits of His Redemption are the

Church and the Sacraments.

A. The Church is the congregation of all those who profess the faith of Christ, partake of the same Sacraments,

and are governed by their lawful pastors under one visible Head.

A. The members of the Church on earth may be divided into those who teach and those who are taught. Those

who teach, namely, the Pope, bishops and priests, are called the Teaching Church, or simply the Church. Those

who are taught are called the Believing Church, or simply the faithful.

A. The duty of the Teaching Church is to continue the work Our Lord began upon earth, namely, to teach revealed

truth, to administer the Sacraments and to labor for the salvation of souls.

A. The duty of the faithful is to learn the revealed truths taught; to receive the Sacraments, and to aid in saving souls by their prayers, good works and alms.

A. By "profess the faith of Christ" we mean, believe all the truths and practice the religion He has taught.

A. By "lawful pastors" we mean those in the Church who have been appointed by lawful authority and who have,

therefore, a right to rule us. The lawful pastors in the Church are: Every priest in his own parish; every bishop in his own diocese, and the Pope in the whole Church.

A. Jesus Christ is the invisible Head of the Church.

A. Our Holy Father the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, is the Vicar of Christ on earth and the visible Head of the

Church.

A. Vicar is a name used in the Church to designate a person who acts in the name and authority of another. Thus a

Vicar Apostolic is one who acts in the name of the Pope, and a Vicar General is one who acts in the name of the

bishop.

A. One could not be Pope without being Bishop of Rome, and whoever is elected Pope must give up his title to

any other diocese and take the title of Bishop of Rome.

A. The Pope, the Bishop of Rome, is the visible Head of the Church because he is the successor of St. Peter,

whom Christ made the chief of the Apostles and the visible Head of the Church.

A. Catholics are called Roman to show that they are in union with the true Church founded by Christ and governed by the Apostles under the direction of St. Peter, by divine appointment the Chief of the Apostles, who founded the Church of Rome and was its first bishop.

A. A bishop's diocese is sometimes called his see. The diocese of Rome, on account of its authority and dignity, is

called the Holy See, and its bishop is called the Holy Father or Pope. Pope means father.

A. We call the right by which St. Peter or his successor has always been the head of the Church, and of all its

bishops, the Primacy of St. Peter or of the Pope. Primacy means holding first place.

A. It is shown that St. Peter or his successor has always been the head of the Church:

1.(1) From the words of Holy Scripture, which tell how Christ appointed Peter Chief of the Apostles and

head of the Church.

2.(2) From the history of the Church, which shows that Peter and his successors have always acted and have

always been recognized as the head of the Church.

A. We know that the rights and privileges bestowed on St. Peter were given also to his successors, the Popes,

because the promises made to St. Peter by Our Lord were to be fulfilled in the Church till the end of time, and as

Peter was not to live till the end of time, they are fulfilled in his successors.

A. Before he came to Rome, St. Peter established a Church at Antioch and ruled over it for several years.

A. The successors of the other Apostles are the Bishops of the Holy Catholic Church.

A. We know that the bishops of the Church are the successors of the Apostles because they continue the work of

the Apostles and give proof of the same authority. They have always exercised the rights and powers that belonged

to the Apostles in making laws for the Church, in consecrating bishops and ordaining priests.

A. Christ founded the Church to teach, govern, sanctify, and save all men.

A. All are bound to belong to the Church, and he who knows the Church to be the true Church and remains out of

it cannot be saved.

A. It is possible for one to be saved who does not know the Catholic Church to be the true Church, provided that

person:

1.(1) Has been validly baptized;

2.(2) Firmly believes the religion he professes and practices to be the true religion, and

3.(3) Dies without the guilt of mortal sin on his soul.

A. We say it is only possible for a person to be saved who does not know the Catholic Church to be the true

Church, because the necessary conditions are not often found, especially that of dying in a state of grace without

making use of the Sacrament of Penance.

A. Such persons are said to belong to the "soul of the church"; that is, they are really members of the Church

without knowing it. Those who share in its Sacraments and worship are said to belong to the body or visible part

of the Church.

A. The true Church must be visible because its founder, Jesus Christ, commanded us under pain of condemnation

to hear the Church; and He could not in justice command us to hear a Church that could not be seen and known.

A. The excuses some give for not becoming members of the true church are:

1.(1) They do not wish to leave the religion in which they were born.

2.(2) There are too many poor and ignorant people in the Catholic Church.

3.(3) One religion is as good as another if we try to serve God in it, and be upright and honest in our lives.

A.

1.(1) To say that we should remain in a false religion because we were born in it is as untrue as to say we

should not heal our bodily diseases because we were born with them.

2.(2) To say there are too many poor and ignorant in the Catholic Church is to declare that it is Christ's

Church; for He always taught the poor and ignorant and instructed His Church to continue the work.

3.(3) To say that one religion is as good as another is to assert that Christ labored uselessly and taught falsely;

for He came to abolish the old religion and found the new in which alone we can be saved as He Himself

declared.

A. There can be only one true religion, because a thing cannot be false and true at the same time, and, therefore, all religions that contradict the teaching of the true Church must teach falsehood. If all religions in which men seek to serve God are equally good and true, why did Christ disturb the Jewish religion and the Apostles condemn

heretics?

A. An attribute is any characteristic or quality that a person or thing may be said to have. All perfections or

imperfections are attributes

.

A. A mark is a given and known sign by which a thing can be distinguished from all others of its kind. Thus a

trademark is used to distinguish the article bearing it from all imitations of the same article.

A. We know that the Church must have the four marks and three attributes usually ascribed or given to it from the

words of Christ given in the Holy Scripture and in the teaching of the Church from its beginning.

A. The Church cannot have the four marks without the three attributes, because the three attributes necessarily

come with the marks and without them the marks could not exist.

A. Both marks and attributes are necessary in the Church, for the marks teach us its external or visible qualities,

while the attributes teach us its internal or invisible qualities. It is easier to discover the marks than the attributes; for it is easier to see that the Church is one than that it is infallible.

A. The attributes of the Church are three:

1.authority, infallibility, and indefectibility.

A. Authority is the power which one person has over another so as to be able to justly exact obedience. Rulers

have authority over their subjects, parents over their children, and teachers over their scholars.

A. All persons must derive whatever lawful authority they possess from God Himself, from whom they receive it

directly or indirectly. Therefore, to disobey our lawful superiors is to disobey God Himself, and hence such

disobedience is always sinful.

A. By the authority of the Church I mean the right and power which the Pope and the Bishops, as the successors

of the Apostles, have to teach and to govern the faithful.

A. By the infallibility of the Church I mean that the Church can not err when it teaches a doctrine of faith or morals.

A. By a doctrine of faith or morals we mean the revealed teaching that refers to whatever we must believe and do

in order to be saved.

A. I know that the Church can not err because Christ promised that the Holy Ghost would remain with it forever

and save it from error. If, therefore, the Church has erred, the Holy Ghost must have abandoned it and Christ has

failed to keep His promise, which is a thing impossible.

A. Since the Church can not err, it could never be reformed in its teaching of faith or morals. Those who say the

Church needed reformation in faith or morals accuse Our Lord of falsehood and deception.

A. The Church teaches infallibly when it speaks through the Pope and Bishops united in general council, or through the Pope alone when he proclaims to all the faithful a doctrine of faith or morals.

A. That the Pope may speak infallibly, or ex-cathedra:

1.(1) He must speak on a subject of faith or morals;

2.(2) He must speak as the Vicar of Christ and to the whole Church;

3.(3) He must indicate by certain words, such as, we define, we proclaim, etc., that he intends to speak

infallibly.

A. The Pope is not infallible in everything he says and does, because the Holy Ghost was not promised to make

him infallible in everything, but only in matters of faith and morals for the whole Church. Nevertheless, the Pope's opinion on any subject deserves our greatest respect on account of his learning, experience and dignity.

A. The Pope can commit sin and he must seek forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance as others do. Infallibility

does not prevent him from sinning, but from teaching falsehood when he speaks ex-cathedra.

A. "Cathedra" means a seat, and "ex" means out of. Therefore, ex-cathedra means speaking from the seat or

official place held by St. Peter and his successors as the head of the whole Church.

A. The chief Church in a diocese is called a Cathedral because the bishop's cathedra, that is, his seat or throne, is

erected in it, and because he celebrates all important feasts and performs all his special duties in it.

A. From St. Peter to Pius XI., 261 Popes have governed the Church; and many of them have been remarkable for

their zeal, prudence, learning and sanctity.

A. Anti-pope means a pretended pope. The anti-popes were men who by the aid of faithless Christians or others

unlawfully seized and claimed the papal power while the lawful pope was in prison or exile.

A. The Pope must sometimes warn us on political and other matters, because whatever nations or men do is either

good or bad, just or unjust, and wherever the Pope discovers falsehood, wickedness or injustice he must speak

against it and defend the truths of faith and morals. He must protect also the temporal rights and property of the

Church committed to his care.

A. By the temporal power of the Pope we mean the right which the Pope has as a temporal or ordinary ruler to

govern the states and manage the properties that have rightfully come into the possession of the Church.

A. The Pope acquired the temporal power in a just manner by the consent of those who had a right to bestow it.

He was deprived of it in an unjust manner by political changes.

A. The temporal power was useful to the Church:

1.(1) Because it gave the Pope the complete independence necessary for the government of the Church and

for the defense of truth and virtue.

2.(2) It enabled him to do much for the spread of the true religion by giving alms for the establishment and

support of Churches and schools in poor or pagan countries.

A. We call the offerings made yearly by the faithful for the support of the Pope and government of the Church

"Peter's pence." It derives its name from the early custom of sending yearly a penny from every house to the

successor of St. Peter, as a mark of respect or as an alms for some charity.

A. By the indefectibility of the Church I mean that the Church, as Christ founded it, will last till the end of time.

A. When we say the Church is infallible we mean that it can never teach error while it lasts; but when we say the

Church is indefectible, we mean that it will last forever and be infallible forever; that it will always remain as Our

Lord founded it and never change the doctrines He taught.

A. Our Lord Himself did not make all the laws of the Church. He gave the Church also power to make laws to suit the needs of the times, places or persons as it judged necessary.

A. The Church can, when necessary, change the laws it has itself made, but it cannot change the laws that Christ

has made. Neither can the Church change any doctrine of faith or morals.

A. These attributes are found in their fullness in the Pope, the visible Head of the Church, whose infallible authority to teach bishops, priests, and people in matters of faith or morals will last to the end of the world.

A. The Church has four marks by which it may be known: it is One; it is Holy; it is Catholic; it is Apostolic.

A. The Church is One because all its members agree in one faith, are all in one communion, and are all under one

head.

A. It is evident that the Church is one in government, for the faithful in a parish are subject to their pastors, the

pastors are subject to the bishops of their dioceses, and the bishops of the world are subject to the Pope.

A. By the Hierarchy of the Church is meant the sacred body of clerical rules who govern the Church.

A. It is evident that the Church is one in worship because all its members make use of the same sacrifice and

receive the same Sacraments.

A. It is evident the Church is one in faith because all Catholics throughout the world believe each and every article of faith proposed by the Church.

A. A person who denies even one article of our faith could not be a Catholic; for truth is one and we must accept it whole and entire or not at all.

A. There are many pious beliefs and practices in the Church that are not articles of faith; that is, we are not bound

under pain of sin to believe in them; yet we will often find them useful aids to holiness, and hence they are

recommended by our pastors.

A. Persons who put a firm belief in religious or other practices that are forbidden or useless are guilty of the sin of

superstition.

A. The Church finds the revealed truths it is bound to teach in the Holy Scripture and revealed traditions.

A. The Holy Scripture or Bible is the collection of sacred, inspired writings through which God has made known to us many revealed truths. Some call them letters from Heaven to earth, that is, from God to man.

A. The Canon of Sacred Scriptures means the list the Church has prepared to teach us what sacred writings are

Holy Scripture and contain the inspired word of God.

A. The Church finds the revealed traditions in the decrees of its councils; in its books of worship; in its paintings

and inscriptions on tombs and monuments; in the lives of its Saints; the writings of its Fathers, and in its own

history.

A. We ourselves need not seek in the Scriptures and traditions for what we are to believe. God has appointed the

Church to be our guide to salvation and we must accept its teaching us our infallible rule of faith.

A. We show that the Holy Scripture alone could not be our guide to salvation and infallible rule of faith:

1.(1) Because all men cannot examine or understand the Holy Scripture; but all can listen to the teaching of the

Church;

2.(2) Because the New Testament or Christian part of the Scripture was not written at the beginning of the

Church's existence, and, therefore, could not have been used as the rule of faith by the first Christians;

3.(3) Because there are many things in the Holy Scripture that cannot be understood without the explanation

given by tradition, and hence those who take the Scripture alone for their rule of faith are constantly

disputing about its meaning and what they are to believe.

A. The Church is Holy because its founder, Jesus Christ, is holy; because it teaches a holy doctrine; invites all to a

holy life; and because of the eminent holiness of so many thousands of its children.

A. The Church is Catholic or universal because it subsists in all ages, teaches all nations, and maintains all truth.

A.

1.(1) The Catholic Church is universal in time, for from the time of the Apostles to the present it has existed,

taught and labored in every age;

2.(2) It is universal in place, for it has taught throughout the whole world;

3.(3) It is universal in doctrine, for it teaches the same everywhere, and its doctrines are suited to all classes of

persons. It has converted all the pagan nations that have ever been converted.

A. The Church uses the Latin language instead of the national language of its children:

1.(1) To avoid the danger of changing any part of its teaching in using different languages;

2.(2) That all its rulers may be perfectly united and understood in their communications;

3.(3) To show that the Church is not an institute of any particular nation, but the guide of