01-23-2022 QUEEN OF ANGELS CHURCH
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
St Augustine
TEXT
COMPENDIUM
01-23-2022
“Jesus
Ascended into Heaven
and Is Seated at the Right Hand of
God the Father Almighty”
132. What does the Ascension mean?
659-667
After forty days during which Jesus showed himself to the apostles
with ordinary human features which veiled his glory as the Risen One, Christ
ascended into heaven and was seated at the right hand of the Father. He is the
Lord who now in his humanity reigns in the everlasting glory of the Son of God
and constantly intercedes for us before the Father. He sends us his Spirit and
he gives us the hope of one day reaching the place he has prepared for us.
“From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead”
133. How does the Lord Jesus now reign?
668-674
680
As the Lord of the cosmos and of history, the Head of his Church,
the glorified Christ mysteriously remains on earth where his kingdom is already
present in seed and in its beginning in the Church. One day he will return in
glory but we do not know the time. Because of this we live in watchful
anticipation, praying “Come, Lord” (Revelation 22:20).
134. How will the coming of the Lord in glory happen?
675-677
680
After the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world the glorious
coming of Christ will take place. Then will come the definitive triumph of God
in the parousia and the Last Judgment. Thus the Kingdom of God will be
realized.
135. How will Christ judge the living and the dead?
678-679
681-682
Christ will judge with the power he has gained as the Redeemer of
the world who came to bring salvation to all. The secrets of hearts will be
brought to light as well as the conduct of each one toward God and toward his
neighbor. Everyone, according to how he has lived, will either be filled with
life or damned for eternity. In this way, “the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13)
will come about in which “God will be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28).
CHAPTER THREE
I
Believe in the Holy Spirit
136. What does the Church mean when she confesses: “I believe in
the Holy Spirit”?
683-686
To believe in the Holy Spirit is to profess faith in the Third
Person of the Most Holy Trinity who proceeds from the Father and the Son and
“is worshipped and glorified with the Father and the Son”. The Spirit is “sent
into our hearts” (Galatians 4:6) so that we might receive new life
as sons of God.
137. Why are the missions of the Son and the Holy Spirit
inseparable?
687-690
742-743
In the indivisible Trinity, the Son and the Spirit are distinct
but inseparable. From the very beginning until the end of time, when the Father
sends his Son he also sends his Spirit who unites us to Christ in faith so that
as adopted sons we can call God “Father” (Romans 8:15). The Spirit
is invisible but we know him through his actions, when he reveals the Word to
us and when he acts in the Church.
138. What are the names of the Holy Spirit?
691-693
“The Holy Spirit” is the proper name of the third Person of the
Most Holy Trinity. Jesus also called him the Paraclete (Consoler or Advocate)
and the Spirit of Truth. The New Testament also refers to him as the Spirit of
Christ, of the Lord, of God - the Spirit of Glory and the Spirit of the
Promise.
139. What symbols are used to represent the Holy Spirit?
694-701
There are many symbols of the Holy Spirit: living water which
springs from the wounded Heart of Christ and which quenches the thirst of the
baptized; anointing with oil, which is the sacramental sign of
Confirmation; fire which transforms what it touches; the cloud, dark
or luminous, in which the divine glory is revealed; the imposition of
hands by which the Holy Spirit is given; the dove which
descended on Christ at his baptism and remained with him.
140. What does it mean that the Spirit “has spoken through the
prophets”?
687-688
702-716
743
The term “prophets” means those who were inspired by the
Holy Spirit to speak in the name of God. The Spirit brings the prophecies of
the Old Testament to their complete fulfillment in Christ whose mystery he
reveals in the New Testament.
141. What did the Holy Spirit accomplish in John the Baptist?
717-720
The Spirit filled John the Baptist, who was the last prophet of
the Old Testament. Under his inspiration John was sent to “prepare for the Lord
a people well disposed” (Luke 1:17). He was to proclaim the coming
of Christ, the Son of God, upon whom he saw the Spirit descend and remain, the
one who “baptizes with the Spirit” (John 1:33).
142. What is the work of the Spirit in Mary?
721-726
744
The Holy Spirit brought to fulfillment in Mary all the waiting and
the preparation of the Old Testament for the coming of Christ. In a singular
way he filled her with grace and made her virginity fruitful so that she could
give birth to the Son of God made flesh. He made her the Mother of the “whole
Christ”, that is, of Jesus the Head and of the Church his body. Mary was
present with the twelve on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit
inaugurated the “last days” with the manifestation of the Church.
143. What is the relationship between the Spirit and Christ Jesus
in his earthly mission?
727-730
745-746
Beginning with his Incarnation, the Son of God was consecrated in
his humanity as the Messiah by means of the anointing of the Spirit. He
revealed the Spirit in his teaching, fulfilled the promises made to the
Fathers, and bestowed him upon the Church at its birth when he breathed on the
apostles after the Resurrection.
144. What happened at Pentecost?
731-732
738
Fifty days after the Resurrection at Pentecost the glorified Jesus
Christ poured out the Spirit in abundance and revealed him as a divine Person
so that the Holy Trinity was fully manifest. The mission of Christ and of the
Spirit became the mission of the Church which is sent to proclaim and spread
the mystery of the communion of the Holy Trinity.
“We have seen the true Light, we have received the heavenly
Spirit, we have found the true faith: we adore the indivisible Trinity, who has
saved us.” (Byzantine Liturgy, Troparion of Vespers of Pentecost)
145. What does the Spirit do in the Church?
733-741
747
The Spirit builds, animates and sanctifies the Church. As the
Spirit of Love, he restores to the baptized the divine likeness that was lost
through sin and causes them to live in Christ the very life of the Holy
Trinity. He sends them forth to bear witness to the Truth of Christ and he
organizes them in their respective functions so that all might bear “the fruit
of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22).
146. How do Christ and his Spirit act in the hearts of the
faithful?
738-741
Christ communicates his Spirit and the grace of God through
the sacraments to all the members of the Church, who thus bear
the fruits of the new life of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is
also the Master of prayer.
“I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH”
The Church in the Plan of God
147. What does the word Church mean?
751-752
777,804
The word Church refers to the people whom God
calls and gathers together from every part of the earth. They form the assembly
of those who through faith and Baptism have become children of God, members of
Christ, and temples of the Holy Spirit.
148. Are there other names and images with which the Bible speaks
about the Church?
753-757
In Sacred Scripture we find many images which bring out various
complementary aspects of the mystery of the Church. The Old Testament favors
those images that are bound to the people of God. The New Testament
offers images that are linked to Christ as the Head of this people which is his
Body. Other images are drawn from pastoral life (sheepfold, flock, sheep), from
agriculture (field, olive grove, vineyard), from construction (dwelling place,
stone, temple), and from family life (spouse, mother, family).
149. What is the origin and the fulfillment of the Church?
758-766
778
The Church finds her origin and fulfillment in the eternal plan of
God. She was prepared for in the Old Covenant with the election of Israel, the
sign of the future gathering of all the nations. Founded by the words and
actions of Jesus Christ, fulfilled by his redeeming death and Resurrection, the
Church has been manifested as the mystery of salvation by the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit at Pentecost. She will be perfected in the glory of heaven as the
assembly of all the redeemed of the earth.
150. What is the mission of the Church?
767-769
The mission of the Church is to proclaim and establish the Kingdom
of God begun by Jesus Christ among all peoples. The Church constitutes on earth
the seed and beginning of this salvific Kingdom.
151. In what way is the Church a mystery?
770-773
779
The Church is a mystery in as much as in her visible reality there
is present and active a divine spiritual reality which can only be seen with
the eyes of faith.
152. What does it mean to say that the Church is the universal
sacrament of salvation?
774-776
780
This means that she is the sign and instrument both of the
reconciliation and communion of all of humanity with God and of the unity of
the entire human race.
The Church: people of God,
body of Christ, temple of the Spirit
153. Why is the Church the ‘people of God’?
781
802-804
The Church is the ‘people of God’ because it pleased God to
sanctify and save men not in isolation but by making them into one people
gathered together by the unity of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
154. What are the characteristics of the people of God?
782
804
One becomes a member of this people through faith in Christ and
Baptism. This people has for its origin God the Father; for
its head Jesus Christ; for its hallmark the
dignity and freedom of the sons of God; for its law the new
commandment of love; for its mission to be the salt of the
earth and the light of the world; and for its destiny the
Kingdom of God, already begun on earth.
155. In what way does the people of God share in the three
functions of Christ as Priest, Prophet and King?
783-786
The people of God participate in Christ's priestly office
insofar as the baptized are consecrated by the Holy Spirit to offer spiritual
sacrifices. They share in Christ’s prophetic office when with
a supernatural sense of faith they adhere unfailingly to that faith and deepen
their understanding and witness to it. The people of God share in his kingly office
by means of service, imitating Jesus Christ who as King of the universe made
himself the servant of all, especially the poor and the suffering.
156. In what way is the Church the body of Christ?
787-791
805-806
The risen Christ unites his faithful people to himself in an
intimate way by means of the Holy Spirit. In this way, those who believe in
Christ, in as much as they are close to him especially in the Eucharist, are
united among themselves in charity. They form one body, the Church, whose unity
is experienced in the diversity of its members and its functions.
157. Who is the Head of this body?
792-795
807
Christ “is the Head of the body, the Church” (Colossians 1:18).
The Church lives from him, in him and for him. Christ and the Church make up
the “whole Christ” (Saint Augustine); “Head and members form, as it were, one
and the same mystical person” (Saint Thomas Aquinas).
158. Why is the Church called the “Bride of Christ”?
796
808
She is called the “Bride of Christ” because the Lord himself
called himself her “Spouse” (Mark 2:19). The Lord has loved the
Church and has joined her to himself in an everlasting covenant. He has given
himself up for her in order to purify her with his blood and “sanctify her” (Ephesians 5:26),
making her the fruitful mother of all the children of God. While the term
“body” expresses the unity of the “head” with the members, the term “bride”
emphasizes the distinction of the two in their personal relationship.
159. Why is the Church called the temple of the Holy Spirit?
797-798
809-810
She is so called because the Holy Spirit resides in the body which
is the Church, in her Head and in her members. He also builds up the Church in
charity by the Word of God, the sacraments, the virtues, and charisms.
“What the soul is to the human body, the Holy Spirit is to the
members of Christ, that is, the body of Christ, which is the Church.” (Saint
Augustine)
160. What are charisms?
799-801
Charisms are special gifts of the Holy Spirit which are bestowed
on individuals for the good of others, the needs of the world, and in
particular for the building up of the Church. The discernment of charisms is
the responsibility of the Magisterium.
The Church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic
161. Why is the Church one?
813-815
866
The Church is one because she has as her source and exemplar the
unity of the Trinity of Persons in one God. As her Founder and Head, Jesus Christ
re-established the unity of all people in one body. As her soul, the Holy
Spirit unites all the faithful in communion with Christ. The Church has but one
faith, one sacramental life, one apostolic succession, one common hope, and one
and the same charity.
162. Where does the one Church of Christ subsist?
816
870
The one Church of Christ, as a society constituted and organized
in the world, subsists in (subsistit in) the Catholic Church, governed
by the Successor of Peter and the bishops in communion with him. Only through
this Church can one obtain the fullness of the means of salvation since the
Lord has entrusted all the blessings of the New Covenant to the apostolic
college alone whose head is Peter.
163. How are non-Catholic Christians to be considered?
817-819
870
In the churches and ecclesial communities which are separated from
full communion with the Catholic Church, many elements of sanctification and
truth can be found. All of these blessings come from Christ and lead to
Catholic unity. Members of these churches and communities are incorporated into
Christ by Baptism and we so we recognize them as brothers.
164. How does one commit oneself to work for the unity of
Christians?
820-822
866
The desire to restore the unity of all Christians is a gift from
Christ and a call of the Spirit. This desire involves the entire Church and it
is pursued by conversion of heart, prayer, fraternal knowledge of each other
and theological dialogue.
165. In what way is the Church holy?
823-829
867
The Church is holy insofar as the Most Holy God is her author.
Christ has given himself for her to sanctify her and make her a source of
sanctification. The Holy Spirit gives her life with charity. In the Church one
finds the fullness of the means of salvation. Holiness is the vocation of each
of her members and the purpose of all her activities. The Church counts among
her members the Virgin Mary and numerous Saints who are her models and
intercessors. The holiness of the Church is the fountain of sanctification for
her children who here on earth recognize themselves as sinners ever in need of
conversion and purification.
166. Why is the Church called “Catholic”?
830-831
868
The Church is catholic, that is universal,
insofar as Christ is present in her: “Where there is Christ Jesus, there is the
Catholic Church” (Saint Ignatius of Antioch). The Church proclaims the fullness
and the totality of the faith; she bears and administers the fullness of the
means of salvation; she is sent out by Christ on a mission to the whole of the
human race.
167. Is the particular Church catholic?
832-835
Every particular Church (that is, a diocese or eparchy)
is catholic. It is formed by a community of Christians who are in communion of faith
and of the sacraments both with their Bishop, who is ordained in apostolic
succession, and with the Church of Rome which “presides in charity” (Saint
Ignatius of Antioch).
168. Who belongs to the Catholic Church?
836-838
All human beings in various ways belong to or are ordered to the
Catholic unity of the people of God. Fully incorporated into the Catholic
Church are those who, possessing the Spirit of Christ, are joined to the Church
by the bonds of the profession of faith, the sacraments, ecclesiastical
government and communion. The baptized who do not enjoy full Catholic unity are
in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church.
169. What is the relationship of the Catholic Church with the
Jewish people?
839-840
The Catholic Church recognizes a particular link with the Jewish
people in the fact that God chose them before all others to receive his Word.
To the Jewish people belong “the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving
of the law, the worship, the promises, and the patriarchs; and of their race,
according to the flesh, is the Christ” (Romans 9:4, 5). The Jewish faith,
unlike other non-Christian religions, is already a response to the revelation
of God in the Old Covenant.
170. What is the bond that exists between the Catholic Church and
non-Christian religions?
841-845
There is a bond between all peoples which comes especially from
the common origin and end of the entire human race. The Catholic Church
recognizes that whatever is good or true in other religions comes from God and
is a reflection of his truth. As such it can prepare for the acceptance of the
Gospel and act as a stimulus toward the unity of humanity in the Church of
Christ.
171. What is the meaning of the affirmation “Outside the Church
there is no salvation”?
846-848
This means that all salvation comes from Christ, the Head, through
the Church which is his body. Hence they cannot be saved who, knowing the
Church as founded by Christ and necessary for salvation, would refuse to enter
her or remain in her. At the same time, thanks to Christ and to his Church,
those who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ and
his Church but sincerely seek God and, moved by grace, try to do his will as it
is known through the dictates of conscience can attain eternal salvation.
172. Why must the Church proclaim the Gospel to the whole world?
849-851
The Church must do so because Christ has given the command: “Go
therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). This
missionary mandate of the Lord has its origin in the eternal love of God who
has sent his Son and the Holy Spirit because “he desires all men to be saved
and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).
173. In what sense is the Church missionary?
852-856
The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, continues the mission of
Christ himself in the course of history. Christians must, therefore, proclaim
to everyone the Good News borne by Christ; and, following his path, they must
be ready for self-sacrifice, even unto martyrdom.
174. Why is the Church apostolic?
857
869
The Church is apostolic in her origin because she
has been built on “the foundation of the Apostles” (Ephesians 2:20).
She is apostolic in her teaching which is the same as that of
the Apostles. She is apostolic by reason of her structure insofar
as she is taught, sanctified, and guided until Christ returns by the Apostles
through their successors who are the bishops in communion with the successor of
Peter.
175. In what does the mission of the Apostles consist?
858-861
The Word “Apostle” means “one who is sent”. Jesus, the One
sent by the Father, called to himself twelve of his disciples and appointed
them as his Apostles, making them the chosen witnesses of his Resurrection and
the foundation of his Church. He gave them the command to continue his own
mission saying, “As the Father has sent me, so I also send you” (John 20:21);
and he promised to remain with them until the end of the world.
176. What is apostolic succession?
861-865
Apostolic succession is the transmission by means of the sacrament
of Holy Orders of the mission and power of the Apostles to their successors,
the bishops. Thanks to this transmission the Church remains in communion of
faith and life with her origin, while through the centuries she carries on her
apostolate for the spread of the Kingdom of Christ on earth.
The Faithful: hierarchy, laity, consecrated life
177. Who are the faithful?
871-872
The Christian faithful are those who, inasmuch as they have been
incorporated in Christ through Baptism, have been constituted as the people of
God; for this reason, since they have become sharers in Christ’s priestly,
prophetic and royal office in their own manner, they are called to exercise the
mission which God has entrusted to the Church. There exists a true equality
among them in their dignity as children of God.
178. How are the people of God formed?
873
934
Among the faithful by divine institution there exist sacred
ministers who have received the sacrament of Holy Orders and who form
the hierarchy of the Church. The other members of the Church are called
the laity. In both the hierarchy and the laity there are certain of
the faithful who are consecrated in a special manner to God by
the profession of the evangelical counsels: chastity or celibacy, poverty, and
obedience.
179. Why did Christ institute an ecclesiastical hierarchy?
874-876
935
Christ instituted an ecclesiastical hierarchy with the mission of
feeding the people of God in his name and for this purpose gave it authority. The
hierarchy is formed of sacred ministers,; bishops, priests, and deacons. Thanks
to the sacrament of Orders, bishops and priests act in the exercise of their
ministry in the name and person of Christ the Head. Deacons minister to the
people of God in the diakonia (service) of word, liturgy, and
charity.
180. How is the collegial dimension of Church ministry carried
out?
876-877
After the example of the twelve Apostles who were chosen and sent
out together by Christ, the unity of the Church’s hierarchy is at the service
of the communion of all the faithful. Every bishop exercises his ministry as a
member of the episcopal college in communion with the Pope and shares with him
in the care of the universal Church. Priests exercise their ministry in the
presbyterate of the local Church in communion with their own bishop and under
his direction.
181. Why does ecclesial ministry also have a personal character?
878-879
Ecclesial ministry also has a personal character in as much as
each minister, in virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, is responsible before
Christ who called him personally and conferred on him his mission.
182. What is the mission of the Pope?
880-882
936-937
The Pope, Bishop of Rome and the Successor of Saint Peter, is the
perpetual, visible source and foundation of the unity of the Church. He is the
vicar of Christ, the head of the College of bishops and pastor of the universal
Church over which he has by divine institution full, supreme, immediate, and
universal power.
183. What is the competence of the college of bishops?
883-885
The college of bishops in union with the Pope, and never without
him, also exercises supreme and full authority over the Church.
184. How do the bishops carry out their mission of teaching?
888-890
939
Since they are authentic witnesses of the apostolic faith and are
invested with the authority of Christ, the bishops in union with the Pope have
the duty of proclaiming the Gospel faithfully and authoritatively to all. By
means of a supernatural sense of faith, the people of God unfailingly adhere to
the faith under the guidance of the living Magisterium of the Church.
185. When is the infallibility of the Magisterium exercised?
890-891
Infallibility is exercised when the Roman Pontiff, in virtue of
his office as the Supreme Pastor of the Church, or the College of Bishops, in
union with the Pope especially when joined together in an Ecumenical Council,
proclaim by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals.
Infallibility is also exercised when the Pope and Bishops in their ordinary
Magisterium are in agreement in proposing a doctrine as definitive. Every one
of the faithful must adhere to such teaching with the obedience of faith.
186. How do Bishops exercise their ministry of sanctification?
893
Bishops sanctify the Church by dispensing the grace of Christ by
their ministry of the word and the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist,
and also by their prayers, their example and their work.
187. How do the Bishops exercise their function of governing?
894-896
Every bishop, insofar as he is a member of the college of bishops,
bears collegially the care for all particular Churches and for the entire
Church along with all the other bishops who are united to the Pope. A bishop to
whom a particular Church has been entrusted governs that Church with the
authority of his own sacred power which is ordinary and immediate and exercised
in the name of Christ, the Good Shepherd, in communion with the entire Church
and under the guidance of the Successor of Peter.
188. What is the vocation of the lay faithful?
897-900
940
The lay faithful have as their own vocation to seek the Kingdom of
God by illuminating and ordering temporal affairs according to the plan of God.
They carry out in this way their call to holiness and to the apostolate, a call
given to all the baptized.
189. How do the lay faithful participate in the priestly office of
Christ?
901-903
They participate in it especially in the Eucharist by offering as
a spiritual sacrifice “acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1
Peter 2:5) their own lives with all of their works, their prayers,
their apostolic undertakings, their family life, their daily work and hardships
borne with patience and even their consolations of spirit and body. In this
way, even the laity, dedicated to Christ and consecrated by the Holy Spirit,
offer to God the world itself.
190. How does the laity participate in the prophetic office?
904-907
942
They participate in it by welcoming evermore in faith the Word of
Christ and proclaiming it to the world by the witness of their lives, their
words, their evangelizing action, and by catechesis. This evangelizing action
acquires a particular efficacy because it is accomplished in the ordinary
circumstances of the world.
191. How do they participate in the kingly office?
908-913
943
The laity participate in the kingly function of Christ because
they have received from him the power to overcome sin in themselves and in the
world by self-denial and the holiness of their lives. They exercise various
ministries at the service of the community and they imbue temporal activities
and the institutions of society with moral values.
192. What is the consecrated life?
914-916
944
The consecrated life is a state of life recognized by the Church.
It is a free response to a special call from Christ by which those consecrated
give themselves completely to God and strive for the perfection of charity
moved by the Holy Spirit. This consecration is characterized by the practice of
the evangelical counsels.
193. What can the consecrated life give to the mission of the
Church?
931-933
945
The consecrated life participates in the mission of the Church by
means of a complete dedication to Christ and to one’s brothers and sisters
witnessing to the hope of the heavenly Kingdom.
I believe in the communion of saints
194. What is the meaning of the “communion of saints”?
946-953
960
This expression indicates first of all the common sharing of all
the members of the Church in holy things (sancta): the faith, the
sacraments, especially the Eucharist, the charisms, and the other spiritual
gifts. At the root of this communion is love which “does not seek its own
interests” (1 Corinthians 13:5) but leads the faithful to “hold
everything in common” (Acts 4:32), even to put one’s own material
goods at the service of the most poor.
195. What else does “the communion of saints” mean?
954-959
961-962
This expression also refers to the communion between holy
persons (sancti); that is, between those who by grace are united to
the dead and risen Christ. Some are pilgrims on the earth; others, having
passed from this life, are undergoing purification and are helped also by our
prayers. Others already enjoy the glory of God and intercede for us. All of
these together form in Christ one family, the Church, to the praise and glory of
the Trinity.
Mary, Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church
196. In what sense is the Blessed Virgin Mary the Mother of the
Church?
963-964
973
The Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mother of the Church in the order
of grace because she gave birth to Jesus, the Son of God, the Head of the body
which is the Church. When he was dying on the cross Jesus gave his mother to
his disciple with the words, “Behold your mother” (John 19:27).
197. How does the Virgin Mary help the Church?
965-970
974-975
After the Ascension of her Son, the Virgin Mary aided the
beginnings of the Church with her prayers. Even after her Assumption into
heaven, she continues to intercede for her children, to be a model of faith and
charity for all, and to exercise over them a salutary influence deriving from
the superabundant merits of Christ. The faithful see in Mary an image and an
anticipation of the resurrection that awaits them and they invoke her as
advocate, helper, benefactress and mediatrix.
198. What kind of devotion is directed to the holy Virgin?
971
It is a singular kind of devotion which differs essentially from
the cult of adoration given only to the Most Holy Trinity. This special
veneration directed to Mary finds particular expression in the liturgical
feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and in Marian prayers such as the holy
Rosary which is a compendium of the whole Gospel.
199. In what way is the Blessed Virgin Mary the eschatological
icon of the Church?
972
Looking upon Mary, who is completely holy and already glorified in
body and soul, the Church contemplates in her what she herself is called to be
on earth and what she will be in the homeland of heaven.
“I BELIEVE IN THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS”
200. How are sins remitted?
976-980
984-985
The first and chief sacrament for the forgiveness of sins is
Baptism. For those sins committed after Baptism, Christ instituted the
sacrament of Reconciliation or Penance through which a baptized person is
reconciled with God and with the Church.
201. Why does the Church have the power to forgive sins?
981-983
986-987
The Church has the mission and the power to forgive sins because
Christ himself has conferred it upon her: “Receive the Holy Spirit, if you
forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they
are retained” (John 20:22-23).
“I BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY”
202. What is the meaning of the term “body” (or “flesh”)
and what importance does it have?
990
1015
The resurrection of the flesh is the literal
formulation in the Apostles Creed for the resurrection of the body. The term
“flesh” refers to humanity in its state of weakness and mortality. “The flesh
is the hinge of salvation” (Tertullian). We believe in God the Creator of the
flesh; we believe in the Word made flesh in order to redeem flesh; and we
believe in the resurrection of flesh which is the fulfillment of both the
creation and the redemption of the flesh.
203. What is meant by the “resurrection of the body”?
990
This means that the definitive state of man will not be one in
which his spiritual soul is separated from his body. Even our mortal bodies
will one day come to life again.
204. What is the relationship between the Resurrection of Christ
and our resurrection?
998
1002-1003
Just as Christ is truly risen from the dead and now lives forever,
so he himself will raise everyone on the last day with an incorruptible body:
“Those who have done good will rise to the resurrection of life and those who
have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:29).
205. What happens to our body and our soul after death?
992-1004
1016-1018
After death, which is the separation of the body and the soul, the
body becomes corrupt while the soul, which is immortal, goes to meet the
judgment of God and awaits its reunion with the body when it will rise
transformed at the time of the return of the Lord. How the
resurrection of the body will come about exceeds the possibilities of our
imagination and understanding.
206. What does it mean to die in Christ Jesus?
1005-1014
1019
Dying in Christ Jesus means to die in the state of God's grace
without any mortal sin. A believer in Christ, following his example, is thus
able to transform his own death into an act of obedience and love for the
Father. “This saying is sure: if we have died with him, we will also live with
him” (2 Timothy 2:11).
“I BELIEVE IN LIFE EVERLASTING”
207. What is life everlasting?
1020
1051
Eternal life is that life which begins immediately after death. It
will have no end. It will be preceded for each person by a particular judgment
at the hands of Christ who is the Judge of the living and the dead. This
particular judgement will be confirmed in the final judgment.
208. What is the particular judgment?
1021-1022
1051
It is the judgment of immediate retribution which each one after
death will receive from God in his immortal soul in accord with his faith and
his works. This retribution consists in entrance into the happiness of heaven,
immediately or after an appropriate purification, or entry into the eternal
damnation of hell.
209. What is meant by the term “heaven”?
1023-1026
1053
By “heaven” is meant the state of supreme and definitive
happiness. Those who die in the grace of God and have no need of further
purification are gathered around Jesus and Mary, the angels and the saints.
They thus form the Church of heaven, where they see God “face to face” (1
Corinthians 13:12). They live in a communion of love with the Most
Blessed Trinity and they intercede for us.
“True and subsistent life consists in this: the Father, through
the Son and in the Holy Spirit, pouring out his heavenly gifts on all things
without exception. Thanks to his mercy, we too, men that we are, have received
the inalienable promise of eternal life.” (Saint Cyril of
Jerusalem)
210. What is purgatory?
1030-1031
1054
Purgatory is the state of those who die in God’s friendship,
assured of their eternal salvation, but who still have need of purification to
enter into the happiness of heaven.
211. How can we help the souls being purified in purgatory?
1032
Because of the communion of saints, the faithful who are still
pilgrims on earth are able to help the souls in purgatory by offering prayers
in suffrage for them, especially the Eucharistic sacrifice. They also help them
by almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance.
212. In what does hell consist?
1033-1035
1056-1057
Hell consists in the eternal damnation of those who die in mortal
sin through their own free choice. The principal suffering of hell is eternal
separation from God in whom alone we can have the life and happiness for which
we were created and for which we long. Christ proclaimed this reality with the
words, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire” (Matthew 25:41).
213. How can one reconcile the existence of hell with the infinite
goodness of God?
1036-1037
God, while desiring “all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9),
nevertheless has created the human person to be free and responsible; and he
respects our decisions. Therefore, it is the human person who freely excludes
himself from communion with God if at the moment of death he persists in mortal
sin and refuses the merciful love of God.
214. In what does the final judgment consist?
1038-1041
1058-1059
The final or universal judgment consists in a sentence of
happiness or eternal condemnation, which the Lord Jesus will issue in regard to
the “just and the unjust” (Acts 24:15) when he returns as the Judge
of the living and the dead. After the last judgment, the resurrected body will
share in the retribution which the soul received at the particular judgment.
215. When will this judgment occur?
1040
This judgment will come at the end of the world and only God knows
the day and the hour.
216. What is the hope of the new heavens and the new earth?
1042-1050
1060
After the final judgment the universe itself, freed from its
bondage to decay, will share in the glory of Christ with the beginning of “the
new heavens” and a “new earth” (2 Peter 3:13). Thus, the fullness
of the Kingdom of God will come about, that is to say, the definitive
realization of the salvific plan of God to “unite all things in Christ, things
in heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1:10). God will then be
“all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28) in eternal life.
“Amen”
217. What is the meaning of the word “Amen” with which we
conclude our profession of faith?
1061-1065
The Hebrew word “Amen”, which also concludes the last book
of Sacred Scripture, some of the prayers of the New Testament, and the
liturgical prayers of the Church, expresses our confident and total “yes” to
what we professed in the Creed, entrusting ourselves completely to him who is
the definitive “Amen” (Revelation 3:14), Christ the Lord.
Part Two
The
Celebration of the Christian Mystery
Section One
The Sacramental Economy
218. What is the liturgy?
1066-1070
The liturgy is the celebration of the mystery of Christ and in
particular his paschal mystery. Through the exercise of the priestly office of
Jesus Christ the liturgy manifests in signs and brings about the sanctification
of humankind.
The public worship which is due to God is offered by the Mystical
Body of Christ, that is, by its head and by its members.
219. What place does the liturgy occupy in the life of the Church?
1071-1075
The liturgy as the sacred action par excellence is
the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed and it is
likewise the font from which all her power flows. Through the liturgy Christ
continues the work of our redemption in, with and through his Church.
220. In what does the sacramental economy consist?
1076
The sacramental economy consists in the communication of the
fruits of Christ’s redemption through the celebration of the sacraments of the
Church, most especially that of the Eucharist, “until he comes” (1
Corinthians 11:26).
