Catechism
HUMAN NATURE:
Q. What are we by nature?
A. We are part of God's creation and made in his image.
Q. What does it mean to be created in God's image?
A. It means that we are free to make choices; that is, to love, create, reason, and live in harmony with creation and with God.
Q. So why do we live apart from God and at odds with creation?
A. Because from the beginning, human beings have misused their freedom, and have made wrong choices.
Q. Why don't we use our freedom as we should?
A. Because we rebel against God and put ourselves in his place.
Q. What help is there for us?
A. Our help is in God.
Q. How did God help us from the beginning?
A. From the beginning God helped us by revealing himself and his will through nature and history, through many seers and saints, and especially through the prophets of Israel.
GOD THE FATHER:
Q. What do we learn from the revelation to Israel about God as creator?
A. We learn that there is one God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth, and of all that is visible and invisible.
Q. What does this mean?
A. It means that the universe is good, and that it is the work of one loving God, who creates, sustains, and directs it.
Q. What does this mean about our place in the universe?
A. It means that the world belongs to its creator; and that we are called to enjoy and care for it according to God's purposes.
Q. What does this mean about human life?
A. It means that all people are worthy of respect and honor, because all are created in the image of God, and all can respond to his love.
Q. How has this revelation been transmitted to us?
A. The revelation has been transmitted through a community created by a covenant with God.
THE OLD COVENANT:
Q. What is meant by a covenant with God?
A. A covenant with God is a relationship initiated by God, to which a people respond by faith.
Q. What is the Old Covenant?
A. The Old Covenant is that given by God to the Hebrew people.
Q. What did God promise to these people?
A. God promised them that they would be his people to bring all the nations of the earth to him.
Q. What did God require of the chosen people?
A. God required that the chosen people be faithful; that they love justice, practice mercy, and walk humbly with their God.
Q. Where can this Old Covenant be found?
A. The Covenant with the Hebrew people is found in the books we call the Old Testament.
Q. Where in the Old Testament is God's will for us most clearly made manifest?
A. God's will for us is most clearly made manifest in the Ten Commandments.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS:
P. What are the Ten Commandments?
A. The Ten Commandments are the laws given to Moses and the people of Israel.
Q. What do we learn from these commandments?
A. We learn two things: our duty to God and our duty to our neighbor.
Q. What is our duty to God?
A. Our duty to God is to believe and trust in him:
I. To love and obey God, and to bring others to know him.
II. To put nothing in the place of God.
III. To respect God in thought, word, and deed.
IV. To set aside regular occasions for worship, prayer, and study of God's ways.
Q. What is our duty to our neighbor?
A. Our duty to our neighbor is to love him as ourselves, and to do to him as we would have him do to us:
V. To love, honor, and help our parents and relatives; to respect those in authority and to obey what they justly direct.
VI. To respect the life that God has given us; to pray and work for peace; to remove from our hearts all malice, prejudice, and hatred; and to be kind to all of God's creatures.
VII. To use our bodily appetites according to the will of God.
VIII. To be honest and just in all our dealings; to seek justice, liberty, and what is necessary for the life of all; and to use our talents and goods, conscious that we shall render an account of these to God.
IX. To tell the truth and not to mislead others by our silence.
X. To resist all temptations to envy, avarice, and jealousy; to rejoice in the talents and virtues of others; and to do our duty for the love of God, who has called us into fellowship with Him.
Q. What is the purpose of the Ten Commandments?
A. The Ten Commandments were given to define our relationship to God and our neighbor.
Q. What good are they to us if we do not keep them fully?
A. By not keeping them fully, we see more clearly our sin and the need for our redemption.
SIN AND REDEMPTION:
Q. What is sin?
A. Sin is following our own will instead of God's will, thereby distorting our relationship with God, with other people, and with all creation.
Q. How does sin dominate us?
A. Sin dominates us because we lose our freedom when our relationship with God is distorted.
Q. What is redemption?
A. Redemption is God's action that frees us from the dominion of evil, sin, and death.
Q. How did God prepare us for redemption?
A. God sent his prophets to invite us to return to him, to show us the need for our redemption, and to announce the coming of the Messiah.
Q. What do we mean by the Messiah?
A. The Messiah is the one sent by God to free us from the dominion of sin, so that, with God's help, we may live in harmony with God, with ourselves, with our neighbors, and with all creation.
Q. Who do we believe is the Messiah?
A. The Messiah, or the Christ, is Jesus of Nazareth, the only Son of God.
GOD THE SON:
Q. What does it mean to say that Jesus is the only Son of God?
A. This means that Jesus is the only perfect image of the Father, and that he reveals to us the nature of God.
Q. What is the nature of God revealed in Jesus?
A. God is love.
Q. What do we mean when we say that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary?
A. We mean that by God's own action, his divine Son received our human nature from the Virgin Mary, his mother.
Q. Why did he take our human nature?
A. The divine Son became human so that in him all human beings might be adopted as children of God and made heirs of his kingdom.
Q. What is the great significance of Jesus' suffering and death?
A. By his obedience to suffering and death, Jesus offered the sacrifice that was impossible for us to offer; in him we are freed from the dominion of sin and reconciled to God.
Q. What is the significance of Jesus' resurrection?
A. By his resurrection, Jesus conquered death and opened for us the way to eternal life.
Q. What do we mean when we say that he descended into hell?
A. We mean that he was among the dead, and offered them also the benefits of redemption.
Q. What do we mean when we say that he ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father?
A. We mean that Jesus took our human nature up to heaven, where he now reigns with the Father and intercedes for us.
Q. How can we participate in His triumph over sin, suffering, and death?
A. We participate in His triumph by being baptized into the New Covenant and made living members of Christ.
THE NEW COVENANT:
Q. What is the New Covenant?
A. The New Covenant is the new relationship with God, given by Jesus Christ, the Messiah, to the apostles and, through them, to all who believe in him.
Q. What did the Messiah promise in the New Covenant?
A. Christ promised to bring us into the kingdom of God and to give us life in all its fullness.
Q. What response did Christ demand?
A. Christ required us to believe in him and keep his commandments.
Q. What are the commandments taught by Christ?
A. Christ taught us the Summary of the Law and gave us the New Commandment.
Q. What is the Summary of the Law?
A. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first and great commandment. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Q. What is the New Commandment?
A. The New Commandment is that we love one another, as Christ has loved us.
Q. Where can we find what Christians believe about Christ?
A. What Christians believe about Christ is found in the Holy Scriptures and is summarized in the creeds.
THE CREEDS:
Q. What are the creeds?
A. Creeds are statements of our basic beliefs about God.
Q. How many creeds does this Church use in its worship?
A. This Church uses two creeds in its worship: the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed.
Q. What is the Apostles' Creed?
A. The Apostles' Creed is the ancient creed of Baptism. It is used in the daily worship of the Church to remember our Baptismal Covenant.
Q. What is the Nicene Creed?
A. The Nicene Creed is the creed of the universal Church and is used in the Eucharist.
Q. So what is the Athanasian Creed?
A. The Athanasian Creed is an ancient document that proclaims the nature of the Incarnation and of God in Trinity.
Q. What is the Trinity?
A. The Trinity is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
THE HOLY SPIRIT:
Q. Who is the Holy Spirit?
A. The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity, God continually acting in the world and in the Church.
Q. How is the Holy Spirit revealed in the Old Covenant?
A. The Holy Spirit is revealed in the Old Covenant as the giver of life, the One who spoke through the prophets.
Q. How is the Holy Spirit revealed in the New Covenant?
A. The Holy Spirit reveals Himself as the Lord who guides us into all truth and enables us to grow in Christlikeness.
Q. How do we recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives?
A. We recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit when we confess Jesus Christ as Lord, and are brought into love and harmony with God, ourselves, our neighbors, and all creation.
Q. How do we recognize truths taught by the Holy Spirit?
A. We recognize as truths taught by the Holy Spirit those that are in agreement with the Scriptures.
THE HOLY SCRIPTURES:
Q. What are the Holy Scriptures?
A. The Holy Scriptures, commonly called the Bible, are the books of the Old and New Testaments. Other books called the Apocrypha (the Apocrypha or Deuterocanonical Books) are often included in the Bible.
Q. What is the Old Testament?
A. The Old Testament consists of the books written by the people of the Old Covenant, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to show God at work in nature and history.
Q. What is the New Testament?
A. The New Testament consists of the books written by the people of the New Covenant, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to make known the life and teachings of Jesus and to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom to all peoples.
Q. What is the Apocrypha?
A. The Apocrypha is a collection of additional books written by the people of the Old Covenant and used in the Christian Church.
Q. Why do we call the Holy Scriptures the Word of God?
A. We call them God's Word because God inspired their human authors, and He still speaks to us through the Bible.
Q. How do we understand the meaning of the Bible?
A. We understand the meaning of the Bible with the help of the Holy Spirit, who guides the Church in the correct interpretation of the Scriptures.
THE CHURCH:
Q. What is the Church?
A. The Church is the community of the New Covenant.
Q. How is the Church described in the Bible?
A. The Church is described as the Body, of which Jesus Christ is the Head and of which all baptized persons are members. It is called the People of God, the New Israel, the holy nation, the royal priesthood, the pillar and foundation of truth.
Q. How is the Church described in the Creeds?
A. The Church is described as one, holy, universal, and apostolic.
Q. Why is the Church described as one?
A. The Church is one because it is one Body, under one Head, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Q. Why is the Church described as holy?
A. The Church is holy because the Holy Spirit dwells in it, consecrates its members, and guides them to do the work of God.
Q. Why is the Church described as universal?
A. The Church is universal because it proclaims the whole Faith to all peoples, until the end of time.
Q. Why is the Church described as apostolic?
A. The Church is apostolic because it continues in the teaching and fellowship of the apostles, and is sent to carry the mission of Christ to all peoples.
Q. What is the mission of the Church?
A. The mission of the Church is to restore all peoples to union with God and with one another in Christ.
Q. How does the Church carry out its mission?
A. The Church carries out her mission by prayer and worship, by proclaiming the Gospel, and by promoting justice, peace, and love.
Q. Through whom does the Church carry out her mission?
A. The Church carries out her mission through the ministry of all her members.
THE MINISTRY:
Q. Who are the ministers of the Church?
A. The ministers of the Church are the laity, bishops, priests, and deacons.
Q. What is the ministry of the laity?
A. The ministry of the laity is to represent Christ and his Church; to bear witness to him wherever they are; according to the gifts they have received, to carry out Christ's reconciling work in the world; and to take their place in the life, worship, and government of the Church.
Q. What is the ministry of the bishop?
A. The ministry of the bishop is to represent Christ and his Church, especially as an apostle, chief priest, and pastor of a diocese; to watch over the faith, unity, and discipline of the whole Church; to proclaim the Word of God; to act in Christ's name for the reconciliation of the world and the edification of the Church; and to ordain others to carry on Christ's ministry.
Q. What is the ministry of the presbyter or priest?
A. The ministry of the presbyter is to represent Christ and his Church, especially as a shepherd of the people; to participate with the bishop in the government of the Church; to proclaim the Gospel; to administer the sacraments; to bless and declare forgiveness in the name of God.
Q. What is the ministry of the deacon?
A. The ministry of the deacon is to represent Christ and his Church, especially as a servant of those in need; and to assist bishops and presbyters in the proclamation of the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments.
Q. What is the duty of every Christian?
A. The duty of every Christian is to follow Christ; to meet together weekly for communal worship; and work, pray and give offerings for the extension of the kingdom of God.
PRAYER AND WORSHIP:
Q. What is prayer?
A. Prayer is the response to God, by thought and deed, with or without words.
Q. What is Christian prayer?
A. Christian prayer is the response to God the Father, through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Q. What is the prayer that Christ taught us?
A. Our Lord gave us the pattern of prayer known as the Lord's Prayer.
Q. What are the principal kinds of prayer?
A. The principal kinds of prayer are: adoration, praise, thanksgiving, penance, oblation, intercession, and petition.
Q. What is worship?
A. Worship is the lifting up of the heart and mind to God, asking nothing but enjoying His presence.
Q. Why do we praise God?
A. We praise God, not to get anything, but because the Divine Being inspires us to praise Him.
Q. What do we give thanks for?
A. We thank God for all the blessings of this life, for our redemption, and for all that brings us closer to him.
Q. What is penance?
A. In penance we confess our sins and, as far as possible, make restitution with the intention of amending our lives.
Q. What is the prayer of oblation?
A. Oblation is the offering of ourselves, our lives, and our works, in union with Christ, for God's purposes.
Q. What are intercession and petition?
A. Intercession brings before God the needs of others; and in petition we bring our own needs before him, that his will may be done.
Q. What is communal worship?
A. In communal worship we join with others to acknowledge God's holiness, hear his Word, offer prayers, and celebrate the sacraments.
THE SACRAMENTS:
Q. What are the sacraments?
A. The sacraments are outward and visible signs of an inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and effectual means by which we receive that grace.
Q. What is grace?
A. Grace is God's favor toward us, which we have neither earned nor deserved. Through grace God forgives our sins, enlightens our minds, quickens our hearts, and strengthens our wills.
Q. What are the two greatest sacraments of the Gospel?
A. The two greatest sacraments bequeathed by Christ to his Church are Holy Baptism and the Holy Eucharist.
HOLY BAPTISM:
Q. What is Holy Baptism?
A. Holy Baptism is the sacrament by which God adopts us as his children, and makes us members of the Body of Christ, the Church, and heirs of the kingdom of God.
Q. What is the outward and visible sign in Baptism?
A. The outward and visible sign in Baptism is water, in which the person is baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Q. What is the inward and spiritual grace in Baptism?
A. The inward and spiritual grace in Baptism is union with Christ in his death and resurrection, birth into the family of God, the Church, forgiveness of sins, and new life in the Holy Spirit.
Q. What is required of us in Baptism?
A. We are required to renounce Satan, repent of our sins, and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
Q. Why, then, are infants baptized?
A. Infants are baptized that they may share in Covenant citizenship, relationship with Christ, and divine redemption.
Q. How are the promises made on behalf of infants made and fulfilled?
A. Promises are made on behalf of infants by parents and godparents, who guarantee that they will grow up within the Church, to know Christ and be able to follow Him.
HOLY EUCHARIST:
Q. What is the Holy Eucharist?
A. The Holy Eucharist is the sacrament ordained by Christ as a perpetual memorial of his life, death, and resurrection until he comes again.
Q. Why is the Eucharist called a sacrifice?
A. Because the Eucharist, the Church's sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, is the means by which Christ's sacrifice is made present, and in which he unites us to the one oblation of himself.
Q. By what other names is the Holy Eucharist known?
A. The Holy Eucharist is known as the Lord's Supper and Holy Communion; it is also known as the Divine Liturgy, the Mass, and the Anaphora.
Q. What is the external and visible sign in the Eucharist?
A. The external and visible sign in the Eucharist is the bread and wine, given and received according to Christ's command.
Q. What is the internal and spiritual grace conferred in the Eucharist?
A. The internal and spiritual grace in Holy Communion is the Body and Blood of Christ, given to his people and received by faith.
Q. What are the benefits we receive at the Lord's Supper?
A. The benefits we receive are the forgiveness of our sins, the strengthening of our union with Christ and with one another, and the first fruits of the heavenly banquet which is our food in eternal life.
Q. What is required of us when we come to the Eucharist?
A. We are required to examine our lives, repent of our sins, and be in love and charity with all.
OTHER SACRAMENTAL RITES:
Q. What other sacramental rites evolved in the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit?
A. The other sacramental rites that evolved in the Church include confirmation, ordination, holy matrimony, reconciliation of a penitent, and anointing.
Q. How do these differ from the two sacraments of the Gospel?
A. Although they are means of grace, they are not necessary for all people in the way that Baptism and the Eucharist are.
Q. What is Confirmation?
A. Confirmation is the rite in which we judiciously express our commitment to Christ and receive strength from the Holy Spirit, through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop.
Q. What is required of those to be confirmed?
A. Those to be confirmed are required to have been baptized and sufficiently instructed in the Christian Faith, to be repentant and willing to affirm their confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Q. What is Ordination?
A. Ordination is the rite by which God confers the authority and grace of the Holy Spirit on those who are made bishops, priests, and deacons, through the prayer and laying on of hands of the bishops.
Q. What is Holy Matrimony?
A. Holy Matrimony is the Christian union, in which a woman and a man enter into a lifelong union, make their vows before God and the Church, and receive God's grace and blessing to help them fulfill their vows.
Q. What is Reconciliation of a Penitent?
A. Reconciliation of a Penitent, or Penance, is the rite by which those who repent of their sins may confess them to God in the presence of a priest, and receive the assurance of forgiveness and the grace of absolution.
Q. What is the Anointing of the Sick?
A. Anointing is the rite of anointing the sick with oil, or of laying on hands, through which God's grace is given to them for healing of spirit, mind, and body.
Q. Is God's activity limited to these rites?
A. God is not limited to these rites; they are examples of the countless ways God uses material things to reach us.
Q. How do the sacraments relate to our Christian hope?
A. The sacraments sustain our hope in this life and anticipate its fulfillment in the future.
CHRISTIAN HOPE:
Q. What is Christian hope?
A. Christian hope is to live confidently in newness and fullness of life, and to look forward to the coming of Christ in glory, and the fulfillment of God's purposes for the world.
Q. What do we mean by the coming of Christ in glory?
A. By the coming of Christ in glory we mean that he will return, not in weakness but in power, and that he will make all things new.
Q. What do we mean by heaven and hell?
A. By heaven we mean eternal life in our joy with God; by hell we mean eternal death in our rejection of God.
Q. Why do we pray for the dead?
A. We pray for the dead because we continue to love them, and because we trust that in the presence of God those who have chosen to serve him will grow in his love, until they behold him as he is.
Q. What do we mean by final judgment?
A. We mean that Christ will come in glory to judge the living and the dead.
Q. What do we mean by the resurrection of the body?
A. We mean that God will raise us from the dead, in the fullness of our being, to live with Christ in the communion of saints.
Q. What is the communion of saints?
A. The communion of saints is the whole family of God, the living and the dead, those we love and those we offend, united in Christ by the sacraments, prayer, and praise.
Q. What do we mean by eternal life?
A. By eternal life we mean a new existence in which we are united with all of God's people in the joy of fully knowing and loving God and one another.
Q. What is our security as Christians?
A. Our security as Christians is that nothing, not even death, can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
☘ Fr. Johnny
Pentecost of the year of the Lord 2023 ⁓ Capilla del Monte, Córdoba, Argentina.