Catechism

Q. 1. Who is God? * Indeed it is the first because without God nothing else is explained. God is the Supreme Being. Above Him there are no other. He is the explanation of every other being that there is. This is just beyond us but that's the fact! Of course from point of view of just reason the philosopher can arrive at a definite proof that there is a God which is not made and could not be made. The Mystery which no human mind can attain by itself and which only God told us is that in one God there are three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit - A Mystery!

Q. 2. Who made God? * No one made God. He always was. He always will be. There wasn't a time when He began to be. If anything or any person begins to be, that one cannot be God because it means that that one that began to be, was made to be by someone else. And if that someone else began, who made him or her? And if that someone else began who made him or her until you trace back to a being who never began, who always was. This is not just what our reason says in order to make itself at peace but it is a fact and if a person looks at it in a calm moment the person will see that it is so. God never had a beginning, If God was made, and he wouldn't be GOD at all. He would become a creature made by another. There is a being who explains every other being and who himself is not explained by another because he has in himself the fullness of being and explanation. He is self-sufficient. He is FULL.

Q. 3. Can there be more than one God? * There cannot be more than one God because by definition God is the supreme being! * There cannot be two supreme beings, each of them supreme, it will be a contradiction. If there were 2 who made the other one? Then that one is not God then.

Q. 4. Why must there be a God? * There must be a God because nothing happens unless someone intelligent ultimately in the final analysis makes it to happen. It doesn't just happen by itself. Scientist's study how the world developed but they must came to a time that they will ask, who started it all? if you see even a ballpointpen could not have made itself. A star could not have made itself. Computer machine wonderful surely it demands a very intelligent person who made it. Of course if you see an airplane, it could not have made itself. That's not possible! Anyone who says it happened is unreasonable and if he doesn't admit it somebody should inform him that he is unreasonable. So somebody who explains this complexity and order in creation, not just the world, the earth as we know it, the universe is much bigger. Whatever things evolved, there must have been someone who made those things and the answer is God.

Q. 5. Why is God an infinitely perfect being? * The word perfect contains all the excellence of all the possible qualities. God is an infinitely perfect being because there are no limitations in Him. Creatures see and know the goodness of God in the beauty of creation.

Q. 6. What are God's perfections? * God's perfections are all that we can ever think of in a perfect degree in Him in an infinite way, in a way beyond what we can understand. His perfections are His love, goodness, truthfulness and justice.

Q. 7. Is God infinitely good? * God is infinitely good, no limit in His goodness. We should recognize the goodness of God in every situation in life. The greater we grow in nearness to God and love of God, the more we appreciate His goodness. Our prayer life is very important so as to draw closer to God.

Q. 8. Is God eternal? * God is eternal because He always was and He always will be. He is not limited, there is no before and after, everything is present to Him. He is immortal means that He cannot die and eternal which means He always was.

Q. 9. Why is God all-knowing? * God is all knowing because He knows all things: past, present and future. In everything that we think, God knows that also if God indeed is the creator and also providence, the one who arranges for everything. That means he keeps everything in existence. He is not surprised on whatever things that are happening since He knows it beforehand unlike us; we are surprised since we don't know that it will happen. God created us with free will and He doesn't want to violate that free will. Man uses that freedom (either in good or bad) but still God respects that freedom.

Q. 10. Is God present everywhere? * God is present everywhere all the time and if God will not be in a particular place or thing, that place or thing would not be at all. God is present in the Holy Eucharist as God and man. God is there in the Eucharist: Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. He is also in the Holy Scriptures by His Word. He is in the

Church: in the Pope, in the Bishops, priests and deacons. It is true that God is everywhere; that is why we can pray anywhere. In sacramental way we should accept by faith not by natural vision.

Q. 11. Is God almighty? * Yes, God is almighty, because He can do everything. He can make everything. He can only do things that have meaning. God cannot commit sin because He is perfect. God is powerful beyond what our limited mind can think.

Q. 12. Is God all-wise? * God is all-wise. He alone knows everything. He knows what is best for all His creatures. * If there will be limitation in His knowledge, God would be lacking and would not then be God.

Q. 13. Why is God all-holy? * God is all holy because He is everything we can think of in terms of perfection in action all that are lovable in action, in thought and will is to be found in God. God is holiness itself so we are holy in so far as God's life is in us. Indeed when we say we are Holy, what we really mean is that we are near to God, we are like God and we are according to the mind of God, according to the will of God, we are following God's plan. That is what holiness is, so that not only is God Holy; god can be said to be holiness itself. He doesn't just have holiness as a quality but he is holiness itself. So we are holy in so far as we are like him or in so far as God's life is in us. The more we receive the sacraments, the more we grow in grace, the more we increase in God's presence in us. The more we are growing in grace, the more we are like Christ, the Son of God. He (Jesus Christ) is the one natural son of God, We are the adopted children of God.

Q. 14. Why is God all-merciful? * God is all merciful because there's no end to His mercy. When we offend God, we repent, we change mind and turn towards him again; he receives us back. He forgives us. he pardons us. His mercy has no end. That's the meaning of all merciful. His mercy is limitless. No matter how many times we offend Him, if we say sorry and confess our sins He always forgives us.In the Book of Psalm, it says that "The mercy of the Lord remains forever", it is in His Mercy that we all depend.

Q. 15. Why is God all-just? * God is all-just because He is completely honest and fair with everybody. He is consistent with His own goodness and holiness. He gives the sinner an opportunity to repent in this life.

Q. 16. In what ways has God shown His love for us? * IN many ways. God has shown his Love for us by creating us then When human beings fell because Adam and Eve offended God in a grave way, God promised a saviour and God remained faithful to His promises. He sent us a saviour. God so loved the world he sent his only begotten son so those who may believe in him may not be lost but may have eternal life. That is the sign of God's love for us. Indeed John the Apostle says: God is Love, those who love - know God. Those who don't love, don't know Him.He doesn't just love all humanity, 5 Billion people. He knows each of us one by one. he knows each of us by name. What God has done for us is much more if only we would calmly sit down in prayer and reflect on them. We would never stop singing of the Love of God for us.

Q. 17. What should the thought of God's goodness do for us? * The thought of God's goodness should make us find joy in God who gives us hope of eternal life. The thought of God's goodness should move us to love Him because He loved us first. It isn't we who loved him first, we are only repaying him love in our own little way for the great love He had for us.It should move us to do what He has told us to do. His commandments are not given us in order to prevent us from being happy but to give us real happiness. We should show thoughtfulness for God's goodness by worshipping Him and He has told us how to worship him too, we don't have to put it all together ourselves.

Q. 18. In what ways do we worship God? * In many ways, we worship God in the Sacred Liturgy that is in the public prayer of the Church. The prayer which the Church itself has fixed. The chief person who is acting in these prayers is not you or me or even the Pope - It is christ. And Christ is using the priests, the Pope, the bishops or any other minister and all the people praying, but it is He who is the Chief person in every public prayer of the Church. That then gives these prayers their high value especially when we adore God in the Holy Eucharist. That sacrifice and sacrament which Christ gave His Church before He died on the Cross so that the Church through ordained priest makes bread into the Body of Christ, wine into the Blood of Christ and offers Christ to God the father. The people offer with the Priest and through the priest. That is the highest act of adoration and worship of God that we can offer. When we are baptist - that is also an act of worship, confirmation- that is an act of worship, when I kneel down in front of a priest and confess my sins and I show repentance and I beg God's pardon - I am adoring God, i am worshiping Him. And so all the sacraments-The anointing of sick people, the marriage of man and woman, the ordination of priests. There are different prayers that the Church has in different times of the day- all that is worship of God. Also Personal prayer, group prayer like rosary, way of the cross, devotions etc. We worship God by our lives too. By our doing what God wants.

Q. 19. What should we hope to receive from the goodness of God? * We hope to receive everything because there is no other source of good apart from God. We should hope to receive the graces we need to live a life of love for God and for our neighbor - for God's glory. God will not fail to give us the helps we need in order to do what we should. He doesn't give us impossible commands. We hope to receive the help that we need especially when difficulties come and also when we carry our cross.

Q. 20. Why is it that so few people pay attention to God? * Many people today pay little attention to God because modern life has taken up chiefly with man rather than with God. That means many people pay more attention to themselves than to God and that is the fundamental mistake. In short they are looking for creatures rather than the Creator. St. John says, "Don't love the world nor the things that are in the world. For all that is in the world is, the concupiscence of the eyes (possessions), concupiscence of the flesh (pleasure) and pride of life (power). Concupiscence means over-desire, too much desire, uncontrolled desire which leads to evil. Desire not controlled causes riot, all kinds of problems: stealing, killing and so on, pleasure of sex, pleasure on wine or food, pursuit of power etc. It is that immoderate desire which is outside the Will of God.

Q. 21. Does every man have some desire for God? * Yes, because God is in the heart of everyone. "You have made us, oh God for yourself, and our hearts will never be at peace until they rest in you", as St. Augustine said. Those who know the love of the Holy Trinity feel the strong sense of duty to share that love and knowledge of God to others.

Q. 22. What is the history of salvation? * Salvation history is a fact, the history of how God arranged to give us back that life which we lost in Adam and Eve. Grace is God's life in us and we lost that grace because Adam and Eve offended God in the name of humanity and their sin affect all of us but God promised a Savior who will crush the serpent's head. Through our Blessed Virgin Mary, a Savior was born to redeem mankind from the slavery of sin.

Q. 23. How did God deal with mankind? * God revealed Himself to human beings and He saved us from sin. Jesus Christ is the perfect, final and full manifestation of God to humankind. God inspired people to write down what would be helpful for our salvation. That's why we have the Bible or Sacred Scripture, the Old and New Testament which do not contain everything but sufficient for us to believe, to know and to live. Saint John says, "Everything that Jesus did is not written down in this book... but these are written so we may believe that Jesus is the Son of God and by believing, you may have life in His name."

Q. 24. How did God choose to show Himself to the people of the Old Testament? * God chose to show himself as the one personal God, as the Creator and the one God who must be worshipped. He is the God who brought Israel out of suffering in Egypt, who loves them, who cares for them as a loving parent cares for the child & protects them. He promised them that a Savior would come.

Q. 25. What is the mystery of the Blessed Trinity? * It is a big mystery. The deepest in our faith. It's the mystery that: In one God there are three Persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God as God is one. In persons, there are three. None is greater than the other and none began before the other. God does not expect us to understand that. We are not equal to Him but he expects us to accept. God does not expect us to debate, or to doubt. He expects us to trust Him; to accept. That is what Faith is: I accept because God said it, not because I understand. Faith is, I accept because God said and God cannot deceive me and Himself cannot be deceived so I have secure guarantee.

Q. 26. Why do we believe in the mystery of the Holy Trinity? * We believe in the Mystery of the Holy trinity because God said it is so. And God knows what He is talking about because He is all-wise & all truthful. He knows & He does not deceive. We believe it because He said it and our Faith said it. That's what Faith is all about.

Q. 27. How is the mystery of the Holy Trinity revealed in the New Testament? * In many ways. When the Son of God took on human nature Jesus Christ, He revealed this mystery to us in many ways. Christ himself was often telling the Apostles and the people about his Father. Then at other times he said, that He and his Father would send them another Comforter, another Paraclete, another consoler who would be with the apostles, who would make clear to them what Christ had said to them. When he is about to go to heaven he said to the apostles, "stay in Jerusalem until I send you the power from above", that is the Holy Spirit. As for his Father, he often spoke about him. Wonderful testimony when Christ prayed to his Father. And some of these prayers are recorded in the Gospels. Like when he said, " My Father I thank you for revealing these things to little ones and hiding them from the learned"; that is those who think they know. And at other times he referred to his Father when He said to the Apostles, "My Father and I are one". That is one God. Christ was very conscious of that. Indeed the very prayer he taught the apostles at their request began with our father, But he doesn't put himself exactly on the level of the apostles. It is the revelation made to us by Christ himself, otherwise we would not know.

Q. 28. How did Jesus reveal about Himself?

* He always tells to His apostles that He is the Son of God. When Philip says to Jesus, "Show us the Father and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "...he who has seen me has seen the Father. That I and the Father are one.

Q. 29. How was God the Father revealed by Jesus? * God the Father was revealed by Jesus by calling Him by name 'Father'. Father doesn't mean that He has a body or a flesh because we are not talking about His existence but He is talking about its concept. When Christ drove the moneychangers out of the temple He said, "Don't make my Father's house a place for trade." Jesus said, "Did you not know I must be about my Father's business."

Q. 30. How did Jesus reveal the Holy Spirit? * He revealed the Holy Spirit as the third Person of the Most Blessed Trinity, As the Paraclete that will abide in us. He told His apostles that He must leave them so that, the Advocate will be sent by His Father. The Spirit that proceeds from the Father that will give testimony of Christ.

Q. 31. What did Jesus teach His disciples about God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit? * Christ taught the disciples about the true God. He told them that He and the Father are one. He told them that: He, the Son is the way to the Father. Those who see Christ have seen the Father, and He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus also taught His disciples by becoming sons of God through the gift of the Holy Spirit, the 'Sanctifier'. He calls us to become children of God by adoption when we receive the Sacrament of Baptism in which the life of God is in us and it is increased especially when we receive the Holy Eucharist and the other sacraments, our good works and prayers.

Q. 32. Who is God the Father? * He is the First person in the Blessed trinity. The Creator of Heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. The Originator, who Himself is not originated. Who generates the Son, and the Love of the Father and the Son is the Holy Spirit.

Q. 33. Who is God the Son? * He is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. He took on human nature and became man to redeem us. he is equal to the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Q. 34. Who is God the Holy Spirit? * The Third Person of the Holy Trinity who proceeds from the Father and the Son. He is adored and glorified together with the Father and the Son. He is the One who inspired the prophets. He also keeps the Church in unity and faithful to Christ in teaching and gives the Church all the gifts she needs.

Q. 35. In what ways can we honor the Holy Trinity? * First, by believing what God has revealed to us and remembering the life of God in us, which we call "grace". Second, by respecting ourselves and other human beings. By honoring things and places that are sacred like the Church, Bible, etc. since everything belongs to God. Third, by sharing the Truths of our Faith, which is a gift from God. Fourth, by loving those who are in need, the poor, the refugees, those who are suffering

Q. 36. What is creation? * Creation means that God has brought all things from nothing. God made the visible and the invisible and also things that we cannot perceive with our senses.

Q. 37. Can we know God through created things? * Only through created things we can know God. Created things direct us to God. Psalm 19 says, "The Heaven show forth the glory of God and the firmament declares the work of his hands."Any creature tells something about God.

Q. 38. When did the mystery of salvation begin? * It began when God created the angels, the invisible beings. Then He created the visible world, the universe in which God created the human being who was led to rebel against God when were told by the devil that lead them to disobey God.

Q. 39. Who are the angels? * They are pure spirits created by God that don't have bodies but they have intelligence and will which means that they are persons. They know and they also love, and far superior than human beings. They understand God's goodness and beauty, and have the freedom to love and praise Him. There are 3 angels that the Bible mentioned: Gabriel - brought good news to Mary that she will conceive the Son of God, Raphael - who accompanied Tobias on his journey and helped him to get the medicine, Michael - the

protector of the Catholic Church, he drove the rebellious angels into hell. Lucifer which means bearer of light who became satan - the principal fallen angel that led the rebellion against God.

Q. 40. Who are the devils? * They are the fallen angels who refused to obey God. They were thrown to hell and suffer forever. They will never be with God and never be back to Heaven.

Q. 41. Where are the angels who remained faithful to God? * They are with God in Heaven. They see God as He is and adore Him with joy. Guardian Angels are angels assigned to each one of us to help us in our journey, in front of danger and also in moments of joys and success.

Q. 42. How was man created? * The scripture tells us that God created the human being. First, from the dust of the earth God breathed a soul into this and then man became a living being. That was on the sixth day. It was a way of showing that man is the perfect, the more perfect of the things visible that God had made. We are told first that God made the man, body and then created the soul, then he created the woman and gave the woman Eve to Adam.

Q. 43. In what way was man created in the image and likeness of God? *The spirit that gives us life is an image of the infinitely perfect spirit, who is God. God knows Himself and loves Himself and God made us to be something like Himself. Of course we cannot be God, but an imprint of the Divine is in us. That power to know and to love, intellect and will. That's where we resemble God most.

Q. 44. Is the soul directly created by God? * The soul is directly created by God. It is true that the human parents; father and mother, they contribute the part of the body. They contribute only, because only God gives life even to that part, that's why we call the action of the parents procreation. They are, partners with God in the making of a new human being. God alone inspires or creates the soul and then we have a new human being right from conception.

Q. 45. What special gifts did God give to Adam and Eve?

* He gave Adam and Eve the gifts which theologians call original innocence that is; they were created without inclination to evil. They were friends of God. They had good knowledge, intelligence, higher than what we have now. Their intelligence was not clouded with passions.

Q. 46. What commandment did God give Adam and Eve? * God gave them a test."Of all the trees in paradise you can eat, but this one here, don't eat of the fruit of this tree". Through the disobedience of Adam and Eve, we inherit what we call original sin.And that's why we're sitting down here, suffering all the more there, all the international intrigues, shootings, assassinations, terrorism, adultery, all the ruins of families, rape, incest, all these people urban houses etc..

Q. 47. What was God's first gift leading us to Christ? * The creation of man, the human being, is the first gift of God leading to Christ.Man had a mind to know his Creator, a will to love him, to reach eternal happiness with God. But man must first accept God's love. When man failed, God promised a Saviour who would crush the head of the serpent, that savior is Jesus Christ, the Father sent to lead the new people of God. To gather the scattered children of God.

Q. 48. What did the God's action in the Old Testament reveal and prove to us? * It showed power, love and care for His people. It also showed His providence. He showed His power in creation, all the wonderful things that He made. He helped and guided His people to the Promised Land, gave them protection and victories in battle.

Q. 49. In what event is God's all-powerful action for our salvation especially seen? This all-powerful action of God for our salvation is especially seen in the resurrection of Christ on the third day. The resurrection is the center/foundation of our faith, it's the major proof of god's powerful action and that the message of Christ is authentic.

Q. 50. How should we regard creation? * We should look on things that God has created as action of God for us.The whole world was created for us in order to lead us to God.

Q. 51. How was God especially present in the history of man?

* In human history God is present. His power is with us to continue the saving work of our salvation until the end of time. The life, death and resurrection of Christ are the most important events but we continue to celebrate these events in the church of Christ. That is what we call Liturgy, the public prayer of the church, the highest act of it being the mass.

Q. 52. How is God present to us in our own day? * God is present in human history today. He uses His power to help us to make this world better. Religion should unite all our efforts as citizens. It is not limited only in attending Mass. In fact, it is also by doing Gods Will in each one of us.

Q. 53. How was Original Sin committed? * Original sin was committed by Adam principally and Eve because, they disobeyed God, they used their freedom wrongly. They wanted to be as great as God. They didn't trust God, they didn't obey God, they challenged God. It was rather serious; it was not just a simple innocent eating of a fruit. The devil had said to Eve, God knows that the day you eat it you will know everything, so that's why he wants to stop you from eating it See..that's rather serious.

Q. 54. Why are all men conceived and born in original sin? * Man is born in original sin because all of us human beings are descendants of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve, offended God and handed on to all their descendants this defect, this being born in a state of original sin without therefore the life of God- grace in the soul when the person is born, deprived of those supernatural gifts. And also, inclined to evil and weak to do good. these are some of the things that happened to us when we are born. That's what it means to be born a descendant of Adam and Eve.

Q. 55. What happens in Baptism? * God unites our soul to Himself. The Holy Spirit is poured into our soul. Original sin is removed and our soul is given a share in God's own life. We become adopted children of God and we become members of the Church. Baptism is the key to Christian life and opens the door to receive the other sacraments.

Q. 56. Was anyone exempt from the original sin? * Yes. Christ and Our Blessed Virgin Mary, the two of them. Mary was exempt from original sin because God willed it so because of the merits of Christ, in view of the assignment God was to give her to be the

mother of the Son of God, who would take on human nature. God preserved her totally from original sin so that she was never to be under the power of the devil, the father of lies. She therefore was always pleasing to God, full of grace, no inclination to evil, no personal sin either.

Q. 57. What is actual or personal sin? * It is the individual through whose fault is responsible for that action. The individual knowingly and willingly breaks the law of God. It is a willful disobedience to God, whereas in original sin, Adam and Eve committed the sin, and we inherited it as their descendants.

Q. 58. When someone commits a personal sin, what happens? * The sinner fails in the love of God, turns away from God. If it is a mortal sin, it is a total turning away from God. Mortal sin takes away the life of God in us. It kills the life of grace. Mortal sin is consciously choosing something that is gravely against the Will of God and the person knows it and the person chooses it freely.

Q. 59. What is mortal sin? * The person who deliberately chooses any actions, things even in thought gravely forbidden by God commits mortal sin. It is a total turning away from God. It is an offense against God in a grave matter in which a person is fully conscious of what he is doing.

Q. 60. What are the effects of mortal sin? * The effect of mortal sin is total separation from God; the life of God is no longer in the soul. It causes many other evils in its consequences. It removes the life of grace and the merits of our good actions, which we did in the past. It also procures for the person eternal punishment in hell. If the person were to die in that state, it would follow that the person would be separated from God forever.

Q. 61. What is venial sin? * Venial sin is also an offense against God; however it is not a total turning away from God unlike mortal sin. It doesn't remove the life of God from the soul. That means it doesn't take away the friendship that a man established with God, but this sin should not be taken lightly. Venial sin is also a weakening of our love for God.

Q. 62. Under what condition does a Christian commit a mortal sin? * There are three conditions: 1) The matter itself must be grave. 2) The person must know that it is a grave matter. 3) The person must freely decide to do it, not by force and not by fear. * If one of the three conditions is lacking, it may still be a sin but not a mortal sin. A Fundamental option means that you cannot really commit a mortal sin unless you totally divorce yourself from God consciously. This fundamental option IS NOT ACCEPTABLE and IT IS VERY WRONG. Some examples of mortal sins are: Sins of impurity. Receiving communion in a state of mortal sin is a sacrilege. A sacrilege is a defiling of a sacred thing, and the Holy Eucharist is the most sacred thing since it is the Body and Blood of Christ.

Q. 63. When is an act right or wrong? * An act is right when it is according to the will of God. An act is wrong when it is against the will of God.

Q. 64. How do we know God's will? * We know God's Will through the Holy Scripture, through the teachings of the Church throughout our centuries, through those who teach us authoritatively - The Pope and the Bishops who are in union with the Pope. We know God's will through spiritual direction also.

Q. 65. Does God forgive our sins? * We must believe that God loves us, that God hates sin but loves the sinner. He is ready to receive us back and He will give us grace to return to Him. Christ is teaching us through the parable of the "prodigal son" that the one who offended God but now repents & returns, will be received back by God. Christ gave the parable to teach us how God only waits for us to come back but goes out looking for us when we have left his ways.

Q. 66. How does God draw the sinner to salvation? * In many ways,The formal forgiveness: pardon, reconciliation, receiving back of the sinner is what we call the Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation, sometimes we call it confession. But that word confession, while it is correct it is not enough, it does not say all that happens. It says only one part that the person

confesses. But the person also is forgiven, is received back. So penance is a better name because it is repentance and return. In that way, God draws us back. But also through movements, which we call grace.

Q. 67. How are venial sins forgiven? * Venial sins are forgiven in many ways. They can be forgiven by our turning to God in a very intense way. What we call act of charity, not just reciting a prayer but a great desire for God, love of God. It is very near to what we call act of contrition. That means it really pains us that we offended God not because we might go to hell and suffer for it or purgatory. But because we don't want to offend God who loves us so much. If it is very intense it can remove venial sin, or even mortal sins sometimes. Then, venial sin can be removed by good works. Like helping a poor person, accepting cold and offering it to God or heat & offering it to God, tiredness, poverty, hunger, thirst, any such sickness and offering it to God. In that sense, a person who is sick in hospital, maybe for two years, three years. May accumulate more merit before God than many people who are running around. We don't know, only God knows. Venial sin can be forgiven, obviously, when we go to the sacrament of reconciliation or penance. We confess our sin and we ask for forgiveness. Added to the humiliation of kneeling in front of a priest and admitting that we are wrong. You see, God uses all that then, and he gives His pardon. Venial sins can be forgiven also by reception of some sacraments and by prayer. There are many ways therefore in which venial sin can be forgiven.

Q. 68. What is a capital sin? * A human weakness from which the other ones proceeds and the best way to overcome these sins are to practice the virtue that's the opposite of them.

Q. 69. What are the capital sins? * The capital sins are: Pride - A proud person is seeking self, honor, ambition and vanity. Its opposite is humility, Lust - refers to immoderate desire for pleasure in matters touching chastity. Its opposite is purity, Avarice - an immoderate seeking for wealth, material things, especially money, and what it can buy, Anger - refers to that loss of temper and losing control of self in times of unpleasant situation, Gluttony - is the sin of those who eat more and more, drinks more and more. And they don't know when to stop, or they know when to stop, but don't stop, Envy - is refusing to be happy because the other person is doing well. It is also a sadness of mind that another person is better than us, Sloth - is laziness in doing one's duty to God or to others. Examples: not going to Mass and leaving out prayers. It can make us neglect our duty especially when it is unpleasant. Like parents who have to correct their children.

Q. 70. What is temptation?

* Temptation is an invitation to evil. It comes from inside us or it can come from other people. It can come from things and from the devil. Temptation is not yet a sin, but if we give in to it, it becomes a sin.

Q. 71. Where do temptations come from? * Temptations come from the world, the flesh and the devil. When we say the world, we mean all that is going on in the world, which is not according to the Will of God. When we say the flesh, it's within us because we ourselves are weak - the flesh. Every time someone sins, it gives the devil more power to tempt the whole world, the Mystical Body of Christ. One person's sin affects others, just as another person's good affects another. When we give all our merits to Mary, she multiplies them by her own incalculable merits. This puts into motion positive spiritual forces to repair the damage due to sin, and significantly change the course of history if enough make this commitment.

Q. 72. Of all God's works, which is the greatest? * The greatest thing that God has done for us is the Incarnation; when the Eternal Father sent His Son who took on our human nature so that the Son of God became Man. The Annunciation is the Feast wherein the Archangel Gabriel brought God's proposal to the Blessed Virgin Mary that God wanted her to be the Mother of the Son of God Who would take on human nature. Mary accepted; she consented and at that moment when she said, "Be it done to me according to your word", the Son of God remaining always God became a human being, was conceived in her womb. That is what we call the Incarnation. Incarnation refers to the Son of God conceived by Mary Immaculate, conceived by Mary that's the celebration we keep on March 25, so that Christmas is just 9 months after that when Christ was actually born in Bethlehem.

Q. 73. What does the Incarnation mean? * The Incarnation means that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity; the Son of God, the Word of God became Man and came to live among us. It is the beginning of salvation. Mary gave her free consent and the Savior was conceived. She became the Mother of God. The contrary between the two, Zachary and Mary: Zachary did not accept and he was debating, arguing and doubting. Mary accepted. Mary only asked a question to know what God wanted. She did not to challenge or doubt.

Q. 74. Why did God the Son come into the world? * The Son of God came on earth as we say in the Creed for love of us and for our salvation. Because Adam and Eve had shipwrecked us. All humanity inherited original sin and committed personal sins. Christ the Saviour took on our nature in order to reunite humanity as God's children, to share with us Divine life, to save us from sin, to make the world free from sin, to liberate the world in the true sense of the word and to bring as the life of God. We inherit as adopted children of God, to bring us with Him to

His Father. God did even more than what is necessary, to show love for us. Every act of Jesus Christ the Son of God made Man has infinite value. Even if He said only one word, shed only one drop of Blood, but His Father's Will and His Love for us made Him go all the way to Calvary, and with strain and suffering. As He Himself said, "Greater love than this no man has that He gave His life for His friends". Martyrs have shown love of God beyond which none of us can show. They preferred to lose the earthly life because of love for God rather than to offend God. That is the highest level of love we can show.

Q. 75. Is Jesus Christ true God? * Jesus is true God because it is that same Person the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity, Who is always God, is the same Person Who took on human nature. Incarnation means taking on human nature, body and flesh. So Jesus Christ is one Person but He has two-nature. He is God indeed, the same Person in Blessed Trinity that is - Second Person. But that Second Person has the form of God and the form of man. That is, He is true God and He is also true Man. Only faith was necessary to know He was God and not just Man. When Jesus began to teach, He made abundantly clear, unmistakably clear that He is God and didn't leave anyone in doubt. Except those who do not want to believe. From the time the angel, "Behold a Virgin will conceive and will bring forth a Son, His name shall be called, Emmanuel, which means God with us. The Church has always expressed this faith. The Church never had any doubt. That Jesus Christ, that Person is with you walking about, born in Bethlehem, Who was taken into Egypt, Who lived in Nazareth, Who lectured the doctors, the 3rd day when His Mother and Joseph found Him in the temple, and Who was teaching the Apostles. That Person is God! He's not only God, He is Man too, a true Man. He didn't only appear to be Man but He was Man, a real human being. The mystery of same Person Who is God, there isn't a doubt. The Scripture tells us for instance, "He was hungry, He was thirsty, and He entered to drink water. Not only when asked the Samaritan woman, "Give Me water" but on the cross, He said, "I thirst".

Q. 76. How does the Nicene Creed express our faith in Christ's divinity? * In varied and unmistakable words: we say them often in the Creed, there is the danger if we may not pay sufficient attention; the Creed is the statement of what we believe. As we profess, "God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, one in substance with the Father." of one Substance with the Father. God from God means God the Son from God the Father. Light from Light, the Father is Light, the Son is the perfect reflection of the Father; true God from true God begotten not made. Begotten not made - as Son of God but not made in human terms as we think. A man begets a son; the father of course existed long before the son. One substance with the Father - one substance means 'what the Father is', is God; 'what Christ is', is the same God. They are not two Gods' or three but they are Three Persons. Do not ask how that is so because that's the heart of the mystery. Because He is God, He could save us and died for us on the Cross and all those acts have eternal value, endless value and infinite value because He is Man, He suffered, and He died. God then did our salvation in a perfect way. He is that Person we refer to when we in the Second Person: glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit - all things were created in Him and through Him. In the beginning of St. John's Gospel, he began, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Through Him all

things were made, without Him there's nothing that was made." Referring to that Second Person, the Word became Flesh and dwelt among us. He came to His own and His own received Him not. So the same 'He', the same Person, all the time. Very clear! And that Faith of the Church has continued throughout the centuries from time to time; there are people, teaching false doctrine on this matter. But the Church has always has the teaching clear. For those who are prepared to accept.

Q. 77. Did Jesus say He was God? * He said, "He was God", He said it to the Jews. E.g., where He said, "I have greater testimony than that of John. For the works which the Father has given me to perfect, the works themselves which I do give testimony of Me that the Father sent Me." They understood Him, then they said, "Who is your father?" and He said, "I speak what I have seen with My Father; you do the things that you have seen with your father." He claimed, "I and the Father are one". Although in another place, He said, "The Father is greater than I" as Man. Son of God Son of Man. When the Apostle Philip asked Jesus, "Show us the Father and it is enough for us." Christ said to him, "I have been with you for a long time and you do not know me. He who knows me knows the Father. Do you not know that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? If not believe at least because of the works that I do." That means the miracles. He did so many miracles that the Jews who are hardened and they didn't want to believe. When He raised Lazarus from the dead, St. John tells us: "Many of the Jews believed in Him because of this miracle." And they had of the Jews got together say, "Look, this man is working many miracles. But they are going to believe in Him now. Let us arrange and kill him."In the case of faith, we accept because God has spoken and we know God cannot be deceived and He doesn't deceive and Christ gives us reasonable grounds for believing. The reasonable grounds for believing are: "He says I am God, I'm Man." He actually behaves as a Man. Then He behaves as God and in order to seal it. He works a miracle and before He can say that, He works another miracle. And He sends their Apostles, "You go and work, make miracles in My Name". They even chase the devils away. When John in the Jordan baptized Christ, a voice came from heaven, "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I Am well pleased, listen to Him." What more evidence do we want!

Q. 78. During His Passion, did Jesus say that He was God? * He did, the night before He suffered, before He died at the Last Supper. He spoke in prayer to His Father. And that is indeed the wonderful manifestation of His soul. Times many times over. "Father, the hour has come, glorify Your Son that Your Son may glorify You. As You've given Him power over all flesh, all human beings, that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. And He says, "I am coming back to You, these you have given me in the world. I am not of the world and they are not of the world but they are staying on in the world. Only one of them has been lost. The one who will not accept, Judas Iscariot. When Christ was in front of Pontius Pilate, he told Him "Do you not know I have power to crucify you and I have power to release you?" and Christ said very calmly, "You would not have any power over Me unless it were given you from above. Annas is the high priest when Christ was before him; and they tried all kinds of tricks and maneuvers. They didn't work so they got one bad idea. Annas: "I command you, in

the Name of God to tell us, if you are Christ the Son of God." Christ said, "Yes, you have said, that's what I Am." Then the high priest and all there tore their clothes; that's what the Jews would do when the person blasphemed. And they said, "This man has blasphemed; he is worthy of death."In any case, if we want more proofs; He said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it up. That means "I will rise again if you put me to death."The Old Testament was finished and the New Testament has begun. He was in control; they were their prisoners not him. It was they who are prisoners. He offered Himself and He laid down His Life.

Q. 79. Does the Catholic Church teach that Jesus is truly God? * The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus is truly God; the Eternal Son of the Father, Almighty, Lord of all, Word of God, Who dwells in Light inaccessible but Who also taken on our nature. As St. John the Evangelist says in his first Epistle, "For the life has manifested and we have seen and bear witness to it; and declare unto you the eternal life which was with the Father and has appeared to us that is in Christ." And St. John again says, "Anyone who doesn't confess Jesus as Son of God, does not come from God." And he tells us that not everything Christ did or said was written in the Gospel. But those things that are written are written so that we may believe that Jesus is the Son of God and by believing we may have life in His Name. At the very opening chapter of St. John is unmistakably clear, "In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, the Word was God and then dwelt amongst us. The Word was made flesh. That means the Son of God took on human nature and dwelt among us. But it is still that Word, He came to His own. He is the Light, He came to darkness, and the darkness doesn't overcome it. He is the Mediator between God and Man. Christ, God and Man, the Son of God enters the world therefore but remains the Son of God. That is indeed the 'central' in the faith of the Church.

Q. 80. Is there any further evidence in the New Testament pointing to Jesus as God? * Yes, there are several other passages e.g., Thomas, the Apostle when Christ has risen from the dead, and appeared, he was not there, he doubted; when Christ then came, Thomas confessed: "My Lord and my God!" and he was confessing his faith in the Divinity of Christ and Christ praises him. When Christ asked the Apostles, "Who do people say that I am?" Peter said, "You are Christ, the Son of God!" and Christ rewarded Peter and said, "It isn't human being that reveals that to you but My Father in Heaven. St. Paul tells the Philippians, "Let this might be in you which was also in Christ Jesus Who being God, did not hesitate to give up His splendor and take on human nature. That means when He became Man those who saw Him, didn't realize that that was God. During the Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor, Christ took from the twelve Apostles, Peter, James and John and showed them His splendor. With Moses and Elijah speaking and the Apostles were overcome with fear. It was to strengthen their faith in their divinity so that when He should be dying on the Cross-, they would not lose their faith. They would not think He was defeated. But many times the early Church calls Christ, "Lord and Savior" and 'Lord' it didn't mean just Master. It meant it was a title for God in that context. The Christian community recognizes this by faith, believe it and confess it and put it into their chants and into their prayers so that most prayers were directed to God the Father through Christ the Son, in the Unity of the Holy Spirit. Because the Blessed Trinity the Three Persons are one. But you will notice the prayer of the Church that most of them are directed to God the

Father. And we conclude them by saying, "Through Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever. Very clear!

Q. 81. How does the New Testament portray Jesus? The New Testament shows Jesus: as acting with dignity, with status with consciousness of whom He is with the power of God; totally at home in two worlds: at home in the World of God and at home in the world of the human beings. In the world of human beings He could be tired and be sleeping in a boat; in the World of God He could simply say to the storm at sea, "Be still" and the water subsided, and totally in control of the situation. There was no case in which He hasn't overcome.

Q. 82. Is Jesus Christ true man? * Jesus Christ is not only true God He is also true Man. And that is also clear in the Holy Scriptures and in the tradition of the Church, the Son of God became a real man, having real flesh, not apparent, having a real human body and soul. He was teaching, He was hungry, He was tired, He was even angry when He shooed away those who were trading in the temple. But anger for God's glory, not anger for self. So He was really Man. And He also spoke as Man: "The Father is greater than I". "I come to the world not to do my own will but to do the Will of Him Who sent me." Speaking as Man. As God He has the same will as the Father. Then He also was afraid in the garden of Olives; He foresaw His suffering. As Man, He was sweating Blood. He prayed to His Father: "If possible let this suffering pass from me but not I will but what You will. As Man He suffered and died on the cross; He rose again with the power of God though because He's the same Person. So He was a really human being. He wasn't apparent. It wasn't an outward show. And His Mother was really His Mother.

Q. 83. In what ways did Jesus show His concern for us? * First of all by becoming one of us, taking on our nature, which is humiliation for God. It isn't the high statutes for God. We think we are wonderful but for God we are not so wonderful at all. So that's the major one. He went through what we go through except sin; He could be hungry, He could be tired, He could suffer, He could even feel ingratitude, like when He cured ten lepers and only one came back to thank Him. He said, "Ten were healed, where are the nine?" He showed concern for us. He healed those who are in need of healing, those who are sick, more important is that He gave us teaching. He taught us to do and what not to do. He made clear the laws of God. He made the New Covenant with God and with human beings in His Blood. He did miracles and gave the Church to us. He gave us divine guarantee that we will always have the correct teaching in that Church to be faithful to Him. He is still with us in the Holy Eucharist, the wonderful Sacrament, which He gave us even though He goes to Heaven. And He gave us His Mother when He was dying on the Cross. He said in the Old Testament, "My people what more can I do for you? I've done everything for you. I have brought you out of the land of Egypt. I have preserved you form the hands of Herod. I cut the red sea in two and you pass through. I did so many things. Why do you turn around and crucify Me?" He was fulfilling what was symbolized by that Paschal

Lamb. That was showing the Blood of Christ Which would save us. So the real thing signified was being accomplished.

Q. 84. Why did Jesus Christ become man? * The Son of God became Man for love of us and for the salvation. The Eternal Father did not want humanity to be lost after original sin. He prepared humanity for the Savior Whom He had already promised who would crush the head of the serpent. who would be born of the Virgin as Isaiah prophesied in the fullness of time, as the Epistle to the Hebrews tells us, "God having spoken to us through the prophets in the fullness of time, sent His only Son." He sent Him to be our Savior. So Jesus Christ took the nature of humanity becoming Man, remaining always God. As we say in the Creed, "God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God, Begotten not made, of one Substance, of one Being with the Father; for love of us and for our salvation, He came down from Heaven. Taking our nature then He could suffer, He could die, and He could rise again. That is how He saved us. He became one of us, He spoke human language, He allowed Himself to be influenced by a culture, language, He allowed Himself to be hungry, to be tired and even to suffer ingratitude. He lowered Himself to be contradicted by those who refuse to accept His doctrine, those who attributed in His miracle to Beelzebub, the prince of devils, those who have accused Him wrongly in front of Pilate and Caiphas. As St. Paul says, "He emptied Himself, taking the form of man which is even worse than servant for God but for love of us and for our salvation. He did not stop suffering for love of us. Obedience to His Father and to show us the seriousness of sin. He suffered so much because of sin. As Isaiah said, "He took on Himself the sins of us all. He did not commit sin but He took the punishment, which we should have borne. He bore all of them Himself. He saved us by His Suffering, Death and Resurrection; and He perpetuated this mystery in the Mass; and let the Church keep the Mass so that it can celebrate the Paschal mystery. The mystery of Suffering, Death and Resurrection continuity the end of time.

Q. 85. What do we mean when we say that Jesus is our Savior? * Jesus Christ is our Savior because He brought us back to God. He freed us from the slavery of sin, original sin and our personal sins. And He brought us the life of God - grace, adopted children of God so that this new life which Christ won for us we can be accepted by God. Initially in this world in the life of grace permanently for those who die in the state of grace, when they reach heaven then their work of salvation is complete. This is the 'Jesus the Savior' and there is no other Savior. As St. Peter and John told Supreme council of the Jews. There is no salvation in any other name because this is the only name given to human beings on the heaven for salvation. That means Jesus Christ is the One and Only Savior.

Q. 86. Is there any other Savior besides Jesus? * There is no other Savior; there is no need to wait for any other one. Christ is the One that is to come and we are not to look for another. Our Jewish brethren are waiting. That's the major difference between them and us. We don't have a single doubt. This is the Prophet. This is the Savior of whom He spoke to the

people of Israel. And said, "A great prophet will God raise for you, Him you will hear." John the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus ask Him "Are you He that is to come or are we to look for another?" And Jesus said to them, "Go and tell John what you have heard. The blind see, the lame walk and the poor has the Gospel preach to them." As St. Paul said, "God was indeed in Christ reconciling the world Himself the mystery of Christ therefore is here we will find ourselves. And where we find our salvation. It is when we will understand even ourselves. As the Second Vatican Council says, "In that major document "On the Church, In the World of Today" on paragraph 22. "It is in the mystery of the Son of God made man, Savior that the human being gets full explanation. Otherwise our human being on earth is not really explained". He sent the Apostles 12, 4 unlearned people and He said to them, "Preach the gospel to every creature. I am with you all days until the end of the world. That's the Son of Man speaking; the world has not ended yet so He is with the Church.

Q. 87. How did Jesus Christ redeem us? * Christ redeemed us by His life, by His teaching, by His miracles, His suffering, His death and especially His resurrection on the third day. But also ascending into Heaven and sending the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Day on the Apostles Whom He had gathered as the beginning of the Church Whom He sent and strengthened through the Holy Spirit. And He gave us His Mother too. From Ascension Day to Pentecost the Scripture tells us that the Apostles were gathered with Mary, the Mother of God and some of the women who followed Christ and some of His relatives which the Scripture calls, brothers. Start Here

Q. 88. What did the agony and prayer in the garden express? * The agony in the garden, when Christ foresaw what He would suffer on the Cross, He was perspiring Blood, that showed us how intense the suffering of Christ was to be, that He was sweating Blood.Secondly, He showed us how much He loved us. He loved us so much.He asked the three Apostles who were with Him. He asked them to pray. They were tired and sleeping so He did not attempt the third time to wake them up rather He left them. He was suffering. He was praying to His Father, very conscious of being God and Man. So it is a manifestation of God's boundless love for us, a sign that He freely laid down His life for us. It is unmistakable that Christ was total control because when people came to arrest Him, just by a few words all of them fell back.

Q. 89. Why were the sufferings Christ bore for us so severe? * The sufferings of Christ for us were so severe, in large measure because His sufferings is due to our rejection to God's infinite love for us. On Calvary, Christ cried out to the Father, "My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?" This shows the intensity of His sufferings. It shows how we humans reject His infinite love for us.

Q. 90. Before His death what trials did Jesus undergo? * He was arrested like a common criminal; was betrayed by Judas, one of the twelve apostles; was falsely accused by people in front of Pilate; was cruelly treated; blindfolded and slapped on the face by a servant; mocked and spit upon; was crowned with thorns; was condemned by Pilate to be nailed to the Cross although he knew that He was innocent; was abandoned by His apostles, only John had the courage to follow Him to Calvary; was spoken against by one of the thieves. He undergoes all this trials to show His love for us. No greater love than this that any man has! The thief who repents was saved because he believed in Christ. It is a hope for anyone that no matter how destitute sinner we are, if we repent and ask for God's pardon even to the last moment, God will accept us. It is the reason why we have the crucifix. He loves us so much. The cross is the central act of our salvation.

Q. 91. What was Christ's mission on Earth? * His mission why He came in the world is to save us. He was sent by the Father to save us from sin and hell and to bring us with Him to heaven, in the kingdom of the Father, by His sufferings and death. His mission is to gather the scattered children of God, to gather us from all the nations. He came to build up the new family of God, the Church, the new kingdom of God, the new people of God, and the new house of God. In the blood of Christ, everyone is called. All are one in Christ. Christianity is a family made by God to all, whatever race, language or culture we belong. Whatever state of life we are. Salvation belongs to all and we can find it in Christ alone. We reach Christ through baptism and faith. We enter the Church by the grace we have received in the sacraments. God will judge each person according to the persons opportunities in knowing Him and to the response the person made.

Q. 92. In what sense do we speak of the necessity of the Passion and death of Jesus? * In speaking of the necessity of the Passion and death of Jesus, God has decided that. God has willed it so. He did it to show His greater love for us and to make us; stubborn humans realize the seriousness of sin. God was not bound to demand Jesus' Passion but He willed it so. And this is what the Church refers to as the abundance of salvation; it shows in a bigger way His love for us. Our salvation could have been brought to us in variety of ways that God has so desired it.

Q. 93. Did Jesus Himself declare that He had to suffer? * Jesus has declared about the sufferings that He would to be face in order to bring us in eternal life. In many parts of the Gospel, before His Passion Jesus told His apostles about the suffering He will face. After His Resurrection, speaking to His two disciples on the way to Emmaus, He told them that the Son of God should suffer. We can find various texts from the Gospels wherein He Himself speaks of about His suffering.

Q. 94. What did Jesus suffer upon the Cross? * He suffered indescribable pain, both physical and spiritual. Crucifixion is a horrible death that reserves only for subject people not for a Roman citizen. The feeling of being abandoned by his Father and by His disciples but the greatest pain was the indescribable pain of rejected love by those who prefer sinful life to the will of God. On the cross, He also suffered anguish upon seeing the suffering of His sorrowful Mother upon seeing Him on the Cross. These physical and spiritual sufferings He experience while He was on the Cross, put altogether is indeed inexpressible.

Q. 95. What the "seven last words" of Jesus are as recorded in the Gospels? The seven last words of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels are: (1) "Father, forgive them, they do not know what they do." This shows the depth of love Christ has for each of us. (2) "Amen I say to you, this day you shall be with Me in paradise." God is a forgiving God. We should never despair. If we repent, no matter how black is our sin maybe, God will forgive us if only we would turn to Him. God imercy, He will receive us if we go to Him (3) "Woman, behold your son. Behold your mother." At the foot of the Cross, Jesus gave to us through John, who represents the entire humanity, His Mother. Mary becomes our mother as well. Mary becomes our spiritual mother. We are children of Mary especially to those who receive the baptism. (4) "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" He cried out these words to the Father in the intensity of the suffering He endures because of our rejection to His love. It is a sign of loneliness that sin causes to us. God has made him suffer because of our sins. If He suffered, who are we to ask to be exempt? (5) "I thirst." He thirsts for our love. He thirsts for our souls. It is a spiritual thirst. Christ wants us to love Him He doesn't need us but He expect us to love Him. (6) "It is consummated." His mission to save us from sin was fulfilled. In that way, we should also share in the mystery of Christ's Redemption. (7) "Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit." His ultimate sacrifice is his own life and as the Father has sent Him to save us, He will return to the Father. He showed us how to die.

Q. 96. How did Jesus die? * He died on the cross. He was crucified. After tremendous torments, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit to the Father and said, "It is consummated." He bowed His head and died.

Q. 97. What effects did the Passion of Jesus have? * His Passion has wonderful effects. Through His Paschal Mystery, He saves us from sin and its consequences. It is the promised God has made when Adam and Eve offended God. He promised a Savior. That was the Savior and that was the central act of our salvation. That Christ died on the cross. His suffering merited in an infinite way. He merited for us what we could never merit. Being God the effects of His sufferings is infinite and being human He could suffer. Mary shared with Jesus in His Passion. She unites herself with the suffering of His Son. She is the perfect model of uniting our self to Christ.

Q. 98. How did Jesus Christ show the power He has as the Son of God? * Jesus has showed to us His Power as the Son of God through His Resurrection. He died and after three days He rose from the dead in a glorified body; a body that no longer suffer or die; a body that showed the brightness and beauty of a soul united to God. He remained obedient until death and by His resurrection He was glorified as truly the Son of God. He conquered death and showed us that He Himself is the master of life and death.It is in and through His Resurrection that he makes himself available to mankind through His Church. His divine power is at work especially in the sacraments.

Q. 99. Why is the Resurrection of our Lord so important? * It is very important because if Christ has not risen, our faith could lose its major foundation. The Resurrection of Jesus confirms the Church's faith. The center of our faith is Christ Paschal Mystery. It is the central mystery of our faith. Paschal Mystery means the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ. We celebrate this with a great joy every Easter but also every Sunday of the year is the celebration of our Lord's Resurrection. It is the day when Christ broke the chains of death and rose triumphantly from the grave.

Q. 100. Why does the Resurrection of Jesus play a central part in the life of faith? * Because the Resurrection of Jesus is the key event that underlies the Faith of the Church that He is Savior and Redeemer. The Resurrection is the seal, the divine manifestation that Jesus is the conqueror of sin. It confirms Jesus' divinity and His messianic mission is true. It is also a guarantee that we can also rise from the death of sin. Easter is crucial to our faith, it is the greatest feast of the whole year and every Sunday is a commemoration of Easter.

Q. 101. What was the Easter proclamation?

* The Easter proclamation was the words the angel told to the holy women, "He is not here, but he is risen."Christ who died on Good Friday did not remain dead but rose again on the third day. He came back to life as to what He has said.

Q. 102. How did Jesus lead the Apostles to faith in His Resurrection? * He appeared to them in numerous times that were recorded in the Gospel. He eats with them, speak to them, allowed Himself to be touched and felt by them. Jesus leads them to faith in His Resurrection by being present with them for forty days before He goes back to heaven. Christ in many ways showed to them that He is really alive.

Q. 103. How did the Holy Spirit lead the Apostles towards faith in the Resurrection of Jesus? * The Holy Spirit give the apostles inner light which we called faith, an order of knowledge beyond the natural, it is God who gives that knowledge. We must have humility and obedience of our wills to God. The Holy Spirit guides the apostles with faith; that means, that spiritual enlightenment confirming therefore what Christ has said to them because they were to be witnesses of His Resurrection. They were to preach Christ crucified, and risen. Because of this faith, they were no longer afraid. They had the courage to preach.

Q. 104. What does the Church teach about the Resurrection? * Jesus Christ rose from the dead by the power of the Father and by His own power on the third day. Christ's body and soul got up from the dead and He has a new life. He died on Good Friday and rose again from the dead on Easter Sunday. Christ's death means that the Old Testament has ended and the New Testament has begun.

Q. 105. What does it mean to believe in the bodily Resurrection of Jesus from the dead? * To believe that the Son of God, made man, who died, rise again on the third day, conquered death. It is a challenge for us that we can also conquer sin and the sufferings we are facing in this life can be united with His so that we also can be saved. It means also that Christ makes available all this graces for us through the Church. We should believe that this victory is made available to us through His Church.

Q. 106. What has Jesus Christ done for us through His Resurrection? * To believe that the Son of God, made man, who died, rise again on the third day, conquered death. It is a challenge for us that we can also conquer sin and the sufferings we are facing in this life can be united

with His so that we also can be saved. It means also that Christ makes available all this graces for us through the Church We should believe that this victory is made available to us through His Church.

Q. 107. How does the risen Lord help us now? * He gives us the help, the life of grace; the life of God in us. He gives us the help to do well in matters spiritual. He gives us the Holy Spirit, He gives us the Church and He gives to us His mother.

Q. 108. What is the meaning of the Ascension of Christ? * The Ascension of Christ means that He was raised up into heaven. He ascended into heaven with a glorified body. Forty days after the Resurrection of Christ, he gathered all the apostles and said that He will go now to the Father. He gave them the mission of proclaiming and spreading the Gospel. All of us must share in this mission. Each of us was called.

Q. 109. What are the two distinctive aspects of the mystery of the Ascension? These are the 2 distinctive aspects: That Christ as man is glorified and seats at the right hand of the Father and That He has accomplished the ministry assigned to Him on Earth and it is for the Church to continue the rest.

Q. 110. What has Christ done for us through His Ascension? * Christ has given us a participation in His divine life. He has given us the honor of being His witnesses because he has given us the mandate to carry His message to the ends of the Earth. He also promised us that we too should reach our home in heaven if we follow His ways. He ascended into heaven to prepare a place for us; however He is still gazing on us here on Earth.

Q. 111. How is Christ present with the Church? * He is present to us through the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that guides, unites and keeps us always faithful to Christ. He guides those who leads the Church in particular the Pope, the Bishops, the priest, the deacons and those who were ordained. But everyone somehow has the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is through the Holy Spirit that Christ is present to us in all the sacraments especially in the Holy Eucharist. Christ is also present to the Church in His words. He is present to our brothers and sisters who can edify us.

Q. 112. What plan does God have for us?

* That we will live in this world, we will know Him, we will know His only begotten Son that He has sent, we will listen to Him, we will follow in His ways. His plan is for our salvation and that we will unite our mind and heart to His. God has unique plan for each one of us. There is only one of you. No other man can do what you can do.

Q. 113. Is Jesus Christ the center of all God's saving work? * Christ is the center, because in God's plan of salvation, salvation is from Christ. We get save because we are like Christ. We become holy because we are like Christ. We follow God's will because we follow Christ. He Himself has told us, "This is my begotten Son, listen to Him".

Q. 114. Who is God the Holy Spirit? * The third person of the Most Holy Trinity. It proceeds from the Father and the Son and together with them He is adored and glorified. The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is the love of the Father for the Son and the love of the Son for the Father. It is something beyond our human understanding but a fact of our faith revealed to us by Jesus Christ.

Q. 115. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. What is meant by this? * It is the infinite love of the Father and the Son. It flows between the Father and the Son, an infinite love; a divine and personal love, so perfect and living love. We must not expect the human language to capture the depth of this highest mystery of our faith because human language will always be weak.

Q. 116. What did Jesus Christ say about the Holy Spirit? * Jesus has told the Apostles that He need to go so that He would ask the Father to send the Paraclete to them. The Father sent Christ and Christ will ask the Father to send to the Apostles the Holy Spirit. He said that the Holy Spirit is the Comforter, will guide and lead them as they fulfill the mission that Christ has entrusted to them.

Q. 117. When did the Holy Spirit descend upon the Church? * Christ sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It came fifty days after Christ has ascended in the form of wind and tongues of fire. The Holy Spirit has brought courage to the apostles to speak about Christ. The Holy Spirit continues to be with the Church all along the centuries.

Q. 118. How does the Holy Spirit carry out Christ's work in the Church? * The Holy Spirit works in the Church in multiple ways. The Holy Spirit works in the Church by urging persons to answer god's invitation to love Him and others. The Holy Spirit keeps the Church united and faithful to the doctrines and teachings that Christ has give us.

Q. 119. Where is God the Holy Spirit especially present? * The Holy Spirit is present in a special way in the Catholic Church. He keeps the Church dynamic in spreading the Gospel especially to those who prefer to die rather than to commit sin. The Holy Spirit is also present to those who are outside the boundaries of the Catholic Church. He breathes, as He will. He is also present to other believers and He guides them as they seek God. The Holy Spirit give all the gifts we called charisms. The Church is not condemning other religions, whatever is noble, the Church admires. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth and truth comes from God. Everyone is bound to look for the truth and follow it when they see.

Q. 120. What does God the Holy Spirit accomplish for the Church? * The Holy Spirit gives the Church the grace to carry out the mission Christ has given; the work of salvation. He gives divine life to the Church, keeps it united and guides it. He promotes the different movement of the Church in the Apostolate in spreading the faith to new areas. He helps in re-evangelizing the people who are cold in the faith. He guides in the meeting of the Church other believers to promote the reunion of Christians.

Q. 121. Why is the Holy Spirit called the Soul of the Church? * The Holy Spirit is animates the Church with His divine presence. He is the Soul of the Church because He gives supernatural life to all its part. All the members of the Church must be faithful to this calling. We must increase our fidelity, constancy, and authenticity so that people may recognize us as His disciples.

Q. 122. What is the task of the Holy Spirit in the Church? The works of the Holy Spirit in the church are: * He maintains and preserves the Body of Christ and as His Bride in remaining faithful to Christ in holiness until the end of the world. He helps the Church to purify and renew herself and her members.

Q. 123. How should the Holy Spirit be honored?

* By living our lives according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Giving Him the necessary honor as we honor the Father and the Son. Obeying the teachings of the Church authorities because the doctrine that they teach us is not a human doctrine but it is from God.

Q. 124. What takes place when a person accepts the Spirit of Christ? * The person begins to live the new life that Christ has won for us. The life of grace, the life of God in us. Being a Christian is being a follower of Christ.

Q. 125. What is sanctifying grace? * It is a gift of God that makes us holy. It is the life of God in us. It means that God abides in the person. It means that we got to share in the divine life. We are adopted children of God. The sanctifying grace makes us a little like Christ. We got this first in Baptism and it will be remove if we commit mortal sin. We can only get it back through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Q. 126. What does this new life of sanctifying grace do for man? * This new way of life gives a new way of existing, a new way of acting and higher value to the person's action precisely because a person is now adopted child of God.

Q. 127. What does God's gift of grace do for us? * Grace provides us the grace to abandon sin. It gives us the strength to say no to temptation and say yes to the things of God. It gives us the grace to share in the divinity of God; God's life helping us to live as children of God. It keeps us united to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

Q. 128. What is actual grace? * Actual grace is that special helps that God gives to us at the moment. It enlightens our minds and strengthens our will to do some action that will have supernatural value. God will use any occasion, known and unknown in giving us the actual grace. In acquiring this, we don't have to be in the sanctifying grace. The person who is receiving this can resist this actual grace but it is pity for the person to resist the help God is giving.

Q. 129. What does the indwelling of the Holy Spirit do for man?

* It gives the person hope and courage. Hope is what a Christian need to believe and aspire greater things. Courage strengthens us to persevere, to continue and not to give up. It heals the human weakness, help to overcome temptation, and selfishness. It helps us to practice virtues, teach us how to pray and leads us how to pray. Indwelling of the Holy Spirit is necessary for our interior life.

Q. 130. What is our greatest dignity? * Our greatest dignity is to have supernatural life because of that supernatural grace which Jesus Christ won for us by redemption. Christ won the new life; life in Christ, life of God in us. This supernatural life if we can have it and live it is our greatest dignity.

Q. 131. What are the theological virtues? * The Theological virtues are faith, hope and love. It is called theological because it refers us directly to God. These virtues, we receive them in our souls when we receive sanctifying grace; that is the life of God in us first time at baptism. If the person were to lose the sanctifying grace (the dwelling of God in us), but if the person repents and seeks for forgiveness, the sanctifying grace comes back together with all the other gifts. Theological virtues directly links us to God. They have the type of eminence over other virtues because it mediates directly our relationship with God.

Q. 132. What is the theological virtue of faith? * Faith is a supernatural virtue by which we firmly believe that all the truths that God has revealed because God has said it. By faith we accept what God has said not because we got proof about it but because God said it. It is the intellectual obedience to God who reveals.

Q. 133. What is the theological virtue of hope? * Hope is a supernatural virtue by which we firmly trust that God who is all powerful and faithful to His promises will. Who will in His mercy give us eternal happiness and the means to obtain it through the merits and sufferings of Christ. By this theological virtue, the supernatural hope, we believe that and we hold that God will fulfill His promises and that he can fulfill what He promised. So we trust that he will be faithful to his promises. And so therefore we are not under any illusion, we are sure and we trust and we hold firmly that God will do his part. We have a type of assurance from God.

Q. 134. What is the theological virtue of charity? * Charity is a supernatural virtue by which we love God above all things for His own sake and we love our neighbor as our self for God's sake. Charity therefore is that we prefer that we love God above all

things and we choose Him above all things. It is the virtue that will last forever and will bring us to heaven because when we reach Heaven, we no longer need faith and there is no need to Hope because all our hopes are realized but the love of God will continue.

Q. 135. What are the cardinal virtues? The cardinal virtues are; (1) Justice- it gives everyone what is due to that person and give to God what is God's. (2) Fortitude- it is strength, a spiritual courage to stand for what is correct despite of difficulties. (3) Temperance- it keeps our moderation in the use of things. (4) Prudence- it is the wisdom to do right judgments.

Q. 136. Why are prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance called cardinal virtues? * They are called cardinal virtues because they are the key virtues upon which other moral virtues depend. Cardinal virtues have nothing to do with the cardinals of the Catholic Church. These are the virtues that everybody should have. It comes from the Latin word cardo which means hinge. Cardinal virtues are like hinges for the other virtues. A Virtue is a good habit in which we acquire by repeated good action. It cardinal virtues is like a foundation for the other good habit and moral virtues. Moral virtues we mean the question of right and wrong, it can be referred to any type of action. Moral virtues we mean that when saying the truth and not saying the truth, touching human conduct of right and wrong.

Q. 137. What are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit? The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are qualities given to the soul in sacrament Baptism and confirmation in which makes the soul responsive to the grace of God. These seven gifts help practice vitrue. When God dweels in a soul by sanctifying grace, that is the life of God in the soul, God endowed the soul with these gifts. They are generally enumerated as seven embodying all the other gifts as charity embraces other virtues, we can then speak them: (1) Wisdom- sort like queen of them all.it strengthens our faith, makes our hope stronger. Makes our charity more perfect. The gift of wisdom that the Holy Spirit gives us, enlightens our mind to discern and relish the things of God.The things of God appeals more in the soul, the person understands and appreciate them better, the person sees the things of these world are passing things, not that they are no value but the person sees it as less value than the things of God. (2) Understanding- it enable us to grasp the meaning of the truths of our religion, it helps us to penetrate the inner meaning and revealed truths as far as possible for us on earth.

(3) Counsel- it endows the soul with supernatural prudence. It enabling us to judge quickly and correctly what is to be done in any circumstances. This gift help us to know what is to be done and to see clear and to decide. (4) Fortitude- it is the spiritual strength that the Holy Spirit gives to the soul to overcome natural fear and to perform our duty even when the going is difficult. It is this gift of fortitude that makes the man able to face death rather than commit sin. (5) Knowledge- it enables the soul to evaluate created things at their true worth not giving them more value than they have. To know the correct value of created things we must relate them to God and then we will have thier true value. We dont say that created things has no value but they have no absolute value only God has absolute value. So our duties to God goes before the usefulness of material things. (6) Piety- begets in our hearts a type of affection to God that is like a childlike, loving attitude towards God and things of God. Things of God can be person, places, time, things and people dedicated to God. The gift of piety teaches us to have proper attitude toward them. (7) Fear of the Lord- is a gift that help us to behave as those who respect God. We fear God not as a slave but as children of God becuase as Psalm said that fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. We fear God not to offend him, our fear should stem from our respect to God. Fear of God is part of reverence toward God's greatness and holiness.

Q. 138. What is the Catholic Church? * The Church is the new people of God and a community of believers, the people paid for by the blood, sufferings and death of Christ. It is this new people of God that is already being prepared in the Old Testament when God prepared the people of Israel and then He was preparing the way in the fullness of time He sent his Son to be our Saviour. Then Christ began gathered disciples .The Church then is seen as people brought together into unity from the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Father sent the Son and the Son sent the Holy Spirit to form the new people of God. The Church has structures, people with various gifts to answer the various needs of the world and of the church in the name of Christ.

Q. 139. When did Jesus start the Catholic Church? * It began from Christ who died on the cross and rose again on the third day. We can also say that it started from the pierced side of Christ when the soldier pierced His side with the lance blood and water came out a symbol of the church. It began also when Jesus gather members of the church especially the key ones the apostles in His three years of public ministry. And then he taught them, prepared them and at the last supper He ordained them as His priests and bishops to do this is commeration of him, consecrate the bread and wine to become the Body & Blood of Chirst and give them the power to forgive sins. After the resurrection before He ascended into heaven gave them the universal mission of proclaiming the Gospel and baptized every person in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Pentecost is the public manifestation of the Church.

Q. 140. What are some of the basic gifts given by God to the Catholic Church? These are the saving truths, which Christ has given us to make sure that we had the salvation that Christ gave us. The sacraments, which equipped the life of the Church especially the Holy Eucharist but also the others. The ministries, which are inherited from Christ through the Apostles so that the Church will be served according to the mind of Christ. In this way the church is equipped with what the Holy Scriputure calls the family of God, the new people of God. God didn't leave the church without proper equipment. He has furnished it with all the Church needs in order for her to be responsive to the universal mission which Christ gave.

Q. 141. What are the two sources of divine truth which constitute the truths of the Faith? The two sources are: The Holy Scripture and the Tradition. Holy Scripture we mean therefore is what God has inspired people to write. It is God who guides what to write according to God's judgement that are sufficient for us and for our salvation. Tradition is what has been handed down to us from Christ, what God has manifested and revealed from Christ through the Apostles. And from the Apostles reaches to us that was not written down.

Q. 142. What are some other gifts of the Catholic Church besides the truths of the faith? * The sacraments are the gifts that the Church has beside the truths of our faith. The major sacred celebrations through which we come into contact with the saving mysteries of Christ. The basic sacraments is the baptism and real imposing it in the confirmation. The greatest is the Holy Eucharist. These sacraments are signs of Christ's love for the Church and for all humanity.

Q. 143. Are there other basics gifts of the Church besides the truth of the faith and the sacraments? * Other than the truths of our faith and the sacraments, Christ gave us ministries of the Church that we inherited from the apostles. That means it is Christ itself who arranged that in His church there will be bishops and the Pope as their leader. It is Christ who instituted the office of St. Peter. He also instituted sacred orders or the hierarchy of the Church. Christ also willed that there will be priests and deacons in his church. This what we call the sacred order in the Church.There are three steps in this sacred order: deacons, priests and bishops. The pope is the head of the bishops and the universal church.

Q. 144. By means of these gifts, what does the Catholic Church do for mankind? * Through these God given gifts, the Church does much to mankind. The Church must be a sign of Christ presence to us. The truths help to follow the will of God. It is not easy to follow His ways that is why He provided us the means through the Church. They give proper formation of members to supply the world

with people who will live as how Christ wants us to live. People who will be able to build love and harmony among the people and their neighbors. The Church to the world is a sign of God's love and continues concern.

Q. 145. Why does the Catholic Church belong entirely to Christ? * The Catholic Church belongs to Christ because it is He who instituted it. He gave the instructions and the equipment so that it can work. He gave the ministers that will be at service and gave the Holy Spirit who keeps the members united. In a word, Christ is the head of the Church and therefore, the Church is Christ's Bride. The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ and in mystic word, the Catholic Church is Christ's Spouse.

Q. 146. How does the Catholic see the Church? * The Catholic should see the Church as a body of believers of Christ, redeemed by Christ, the Bride of Christ, related to Christ, dependent on Christ, founded by Christ, nourished by Christ, provided for by Christ, equipped by Christ. If we see it that way everything will follow in line immediately. We must see the Church as one Catholic Church that exist in all parts of the world.

Q. 147. Why is the Catholic Church a living continuation of Christ on earth? * The Church is a living continuation of Christ because the faith which the Church have came from Christ, the light is from Christ, the walk by which we carrying out is Christ walk, the salvation is salvation came from Christ. The Church is a living continuation of Christ here on earth because of the ministers who are in the Church: the Pope, the bishops, the priests, and the deacons. They perform the sacred ceremonies called the sacraments given by Christ for the Catholics. These ordained persons act in the name of Christ. When a priest gives us the sacraments, it is Christ who gives it to us through the person of the priest.

Q. 148. Why the Catholic Church is called the sacrament of Christ? * When we say sacraments, it pertains generally to the seven actions but in relation to these seven sacraments, the word sacrament are signs that show things and give effect to what they show. The Catholic Church is in a way called the sacrament of Christ because it shows a sign that Christ is present in the world. It is not just an empty sign because the Church also effects what they show. It shows Christ's concern because Christ has equipped the Church to be effectively a sign of his continues presence in the world. The concerns of the Church are not just for religious truths but also for service to the whole human person, the total development including also the person's social and cultural development.

Q. 149. What do we mean when we speak of the Church in heaven? * When we say the Church in heaven we mean those members of the Church who already reached their eternal home. Our home is in heaven. What we have on earth is just a provisionary of our journey towards heaven. The Church in heaven we usually called the Church Triumphant means those Christians who has served God in this world. Have reached heaven and are in the triumph of heavenly kingdom with Christ and His Blessed Mother.

Q. 150. Does the Catholic Church have leaders? * The Catholic Church has leaders because in the very plan of God, He gives us a hierarchy that is ordained ministers who would serve the Church in the name of Christ. This hierarchy of the Church has three orders: deacon, priest, and Bishop. The Bishops are the one who has cathedral, the seat teaching authority. The Pope is the head of the bishops in the hierarchy as to what Peter was the leader of the apostles. The priests are the associates of the bishop and the deacon is the first step in this sacred order in what we call hierachy.

Q. 151. Who is the Holy Father, the Pope? * The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, the Vicar of Christ for the whole Church, the successor of St. Peter as the head of the college of apostles and the Pope is the college of the Bishops. The Pope is the one who has the chief responsibility and authority to guide the whole flock of Christ. With regards to teaching that the entire faithful must believe, the Pope is not capable to make error. It has a divine guarantee of the infallibility of the Pope.

Q. 152. Who are the bishops of the Church? * The Bishops of the Church are the successors of the Apostles. As Christ sent the apostles to bring His message to the world, so He also sent the Bishops (successor of the apostles).

Q. 153. What are the chief responsibilities of the Pope and bishops of the Catholic Church? * The role of the Pope and the bishops are three fold: to teach, to sanctify and to celebrate the sacred mysteries. To teach what Jesus has handed unto us through the Apostles, which is the saving truths about Christ. To lead us in the celebration of the sacred mysteries, the sacraments and all the celebration of the Church, the blessings and the prayers. The bishop is the leader in prayers and in sacred ceremonies. His principal Church in the diocese is the cathedral church. The Church that contains the cathedral, the seat of the bishop.To govern the people of God in the sacred sense. Gathering the people together and to be the leader in the apostolate that means promoting the share of each person in the mission of the whole church.

Q. 154. Who directs Christ's work in the Catholic Church? * The Holy Spirit directs the work of the Church.The Holy Spirit needs human being in the Church and the first person that is responsible is the Pope and then the bishops in their dioceses. Together they work as a group for the whole world.

Q. 155. What is owed to the Pope and bishops by the faithful? * The faithful owed the Pope and the Bishops the respect, obedience, love. The consequence of all will be is the collaboration that is we work together.The Pope and the bishops is never meant to discharge the apostolate of the whole Church singleheartedly. This respect and love is all within our faith, it isn't anything servile becuase we are all servants of Christ but not of us is a slave.

Q. 156. Why is respect owed to everyone in the Church? * Every member of the Church deserves respect because we are all baptized thereby we are all members of Christ. The word lay in Greek means people. The laity is not an ordinary people. They are part of the mystical body of Christ.

Q. 157. Why is the Catholic Church a community? * The Church is a community because it is a gathering of all those who share the new life in Christ. The life Christ won for us by His suffering and Death and Resurrection. By faith and baptism, we enter the Church and we share in Christ and become one body in Christ. We are one community gathered together by Christ Himself, paid for by His blood, nourished by His sacraments.

Q. 158. Is everyone in the Church equal? * In the point of view of human dignity, all persons are equal. We have the same human nature. We have the same salvation in Christ. The same faith, the same baptism, the same hope of Kingdom of Heaven. In performance, God alone knows it. Whoever has more charity, more love of God, more self-sacrifice will be holier. From point of view of assignment given to us by the Church, we have different assignment but each of them is important.

Q. 159. Who in the Church is called to a life of holiness? * Everyone has a vocation of holiness in the Church because holiness is a perfection of charity. All of us has a call to faith and baptism, that means membership in the Church and that's the foundation to the call

to holiness. Holiness is doing God's will and fedility in our vocation. Vatican II teaches that we are all called to the universal call to holiness.

Q. 160. Why is the Catholic Church missionary? * The Church is a missionary because of its very nature. The Church is sent to share the message of God to everyone. Christ himself was sent by His Father and also sent the Holy Spirit to the Apostles. Every member of the Church has a share in the spreading of the Gospel. The Church is a missionary in its very nature and has understood it so becuase the faith is not meant for private position, that is why in every age christians made tremendous sacrfices to bring the faith to other people.

Q. 161. What is the role of the Church in the world? * The role of the Church in the world is to be present in the world as witnesses of Christ to show concern for the whole human person and to bring the Gospel to people.The Church is present as leaven in the world, not of the world, but in the world.

Q. 162. How does the Catholic Church minister to our spiritual needs? * By providing faith in the community that is, the society of believers in Christ.The Church is there with the doctrine, with the sacramental life which is very necessary so that whoever sees this society of Christ will be motivated to believe in Christ.

Q. 163. How does the Catholic Church minister to the bodily needs of people? * The Church ministers to the bodily needs of people by motivating first Her followers that just as Christ when He was on the earth. When He saw hungry people He did miracles and fed them and those who are sick He healed them by miracles. This by means that at least we can organize to put up a hospital for the sick people, or organize a social services centers, or organize vocational or technical school to help young people to acquire skills to help them live a dignified life. The Church does not limit its activity by just praying but if we can gather money we will do so. It is the tradition of the Church to put up services to help people in the name of Christ. It is that intense love of God and love of neighbor that flo\wers in practical works.

Q. 164. How can we help unbelievers find God? * We can help unbelievers to find Christ by the witness of our own lives. If they would see us living the Gospel, they will ask to themselves what is the source of the inspiration of this person and they would

begin to wonder. We as believers of Christ must be a living witness so that we can draw the unbelievers to have faith in God.

Q. 165. What is our duty towards the world? * Our duty towards the world is to be in the world, witnesses of Christ who show faith in God, who show union in Christ, and who show concern for their fellow brothers and sisters. The concern must be expressed itself not only in word but also in action.

Q. 166. Why is Christian unity in faith and love the will of God? * Christian unity is God's will because Christ Himself who founded the Church is one. He also sent His followers and prayed that they may be one as He and the Father is one. He also prayed that the Apostles may be one so that the world may believe that it was He who sent them which means that the more we are united as Christians the better we can testify that Christ sent us. The division of Christians is not accord to the will of the God. It is the fault of human beings.

Q. 167. How is Christian unity promoted by Catholics? * The Catholics promote Christian unity or what we called ecumenism in many ways. We pray and ask for it because unity is a gift we receive from God. But praying is not enough, we must live in such a way that within the Catholic Church, we are united in the Church, we must get big effort including humility and obedience. In approaching other Christians, we show them the charity of Christ and our fidelity to the Gospels, the whole of Scripture and the Church Tradition, and our love and concern for them that they themselves would also like to reciprocate. There is pratical measure depending what the individual can do like taking part in dialogue among the other chrisitians but even in diocesan level at least we can show friendliness to christians in other religious families and to show justice and love. We can study what the church wants from us so that we can promote ecuminical relations as how the church wants it. The desire for christian unity and the efforts to promote it must not be at the expense of the truth. We cannot change any of things what Christ has taught us or the Tradition of the Church that was handed down unto us becuase we are not masters of our faith. We must look for the will of Christ and seek for the grace to follow it.

Q. 168. Why should we respect all men of good will? * Catholics should show respect for all men of good will because it is God who created the human person and sent Christ to redeem all and have the same final destiny for all. God has equipped every human being with intelligence and will. It is therefore to make every human being a person, an individual, and a

unique person. God Himself respects every human person and it is a sign that we too should respect one another. Faith is a result of divine grace, which moves and teaches the person to the obedience of faith.

Q. 169. What do we believe about the Catholic Church and Salvation? * We believe that Jesus made the Catholic Church the ordinary means of salvation. Christ instituted the Church to be the gathering of the new people of God and that He equipped this Church with the means of salvation in full. We believe that somehow no one will be lost when it is not the person's fault. Christ took on the human nature and united Himself in every human being. We should believe that the Holy Spirit could put everyone in link to the mysteries of Christ.

Q. 170. How do the laity share in Christ's mission? * The laity, those who are baptized and are called to carry out their Christian calling in the ordinary situation of family, school, profession, trade, commerce and politics. They share in the mission of Christ as His good witnesses in these areas mentioned and others areas alike if they carry out thier apostolate as a lay person as what we call the Lay Apostolate in the Church.

Q. 171. How is the Catholic Church an institution of salvation? * The Church is an institution of salvation since because a community of the people of God. It is Christ who gathered them for a specific purpose as the gospel says Christ gathered the scattered children of God. Salvation in His name, in His blood. He died and suffered for us that is why He gathered us. He gave us the saving Truth that shall help us for our long for home in heaven that is what the Church is there for , so it is a community of salvation, it is an institution of salvation. It is for the spreading of the works of Christ.

Q. 172. What are the marks that point out the true Church founded by Jesus? There are four marks of the Church that Jesus has instituted: (1) One - because the faith is the same, we have the same sacraments, the same authority - the pope as the head of the whole Church. The Church is one becuase the traditions we inherited from the Apostles are one and Christ the founder guides it to the one Holy Spirit. (2) Holy- because the Church was instituted by Christ who is in the summit of holiness. He is God and Man. The Blessed Virgin Mary His mother who is all holy, and the Saints have accumulated all merits throughout the centuries. The Church is also holy in their celebrations, the sacraments; the Church is holy also in the offices that Christ gave her.

(3) Catholic- because the Church is established by Christ for the whole world , universal. The Church has to reach all stages and in Her missionary work it is not meant to destroy what the various culture has that are good, noble and true. In respect for all of them, bringing the one Gospel of Christ allow each people to remain authentically that people. What must change is what is opposed to the Gospel. The Church is Catholic because it is at home amongst each people. (4) Apostolic- because it came from the Apostles, from Christ through the Apostles so that every Bishops in the Catholic Church can trace backs His ordination from the Apostles and every priest can trace his ordination to a Bishop, this is what we call the Aposotlic Succession that will find the link from the Apostles. It is wonderful to see that for two thousand years this link is never been broken.

Q. 173. Why is the Catholic Church one? * The Church is one because the belief of the Church is one. It believes the same faith the same sacraments.

Q. 174. How did Jesus indicate that His Church is one? * Christ prayed and said, "That they may all be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in us". (John 17:21). He also said speaking of Himself as the Good Shepherd, "Other sheep I have, who are not of this fold so they also I must bring that they may form one fold and one shepherd." (John 10:16). He wants the apostles to be one that people may believe that He sent them. He wanted unity for His Church.

Q. 175. Why are we united by a spiritual leader? * All Catholics are united on the same spiritual leadership because Jesus Christ has made St. Peter, the head of His apostoles, the chief shepherd of His flock. He provided that St. Peter would have successors until the end of the world and the successor of St. Peter is the Pope who is the rock foundation of the Church. In the College of Bishops the Pope as their head, then the unity of the priests with their Bishop, and therefore unity of the local Churches with Rome that means the Church in the diocese and then in the whole country, the Church in the other countries that are centered in Rome.

Q. 176. Why are we united in worship? * We are united in worship because we have one altar upon which Christ daily renews the offering of His Body and Blood. The Holy Eucharist is the sacrament of the Church. It is Christ's sacrifice put into the hands of the Church making it possible for us to do in form of sacraments - bread and wine- which becomes Body and Blood of Christ. To do that every day is a commemoration of Christ. In

commemoration of what He did on Calvary. The Eucharist is the sacrament of unity and the band of charity among members of the Church.

Q. 177. Why is the Catholic Church holy? * The Church is holy because Jesus Christ who is all holy founded her. She teaches according to the will of Christ. The church also provides the means to live a holy life especially the sacraments and prayer. The Church makes it possible for the faithful to live a holy life throughout their life. Holy means living in charity and following God's commandments and His Will.

Q. 178. Why is the Church catholic or universal? * The Catholic Church is universal because the teachings of Christ are for everyone, everywhere and everytime. The message of Christ is not conform to one people only. It is meant for everyone. He said to the apostles, "To me all power is given in heaven and on earth, go in therefore and teach all nations and make disciples of all nations. Teach them to observe what I tell you and I will be with you all always until the end of time. In the Acts of the Apostles it says: "They are to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth." It means in every country, langauge, and culture.

Q. 179. How long has the Catholic Church been in existence? * The Church is almost 2000 years of existence. It is because Christ gave us the divine guarantee of its existence and relevance.

Q. 180. Does the Catholic Church teach all the truths tuaght by jesus Christ? * The Catholic Church teaches all the truths taught by Jesus Christ. And we make progress in our understanding of those truths. The Church does the formulation of the doctrine and it also makes progress becuase we are human beings but the truths itself make no progress becuase if it is true it is true, so that we are sure that we are following what Christ has taught. It is not our faith to have a selective or cafeteria type of teaching.

Q. 181. Why is the Catholic Church apostolic? * It is important to remind us that the Church is Apostolic because she has got its lineage and unbroken continuity back to the Apostles. It is the Apostles who ordained their successors who ordain others and until it reach today.

Q. 182. What do we mean when we say, "I believe in the Communion of Saints?" * If we say I believe in the communion of Saints it means that we believe in the communion of unity, which exist between all those who are baptized in Christ. These communion of Saints are those who form the Church whether those who are still on the Earth, the Church militant or in purgatory, the Church suffering or those who reach heaven, the Church Triumphant. These three communicates with each other and this is what we called the communion of Saints.

Q. 183. Why is the Church called the Church Militant? * The Church on earth who is on pilgrimage towards our heavenly home is called the Church militant because we have to fight against our weaknesses, fight not to sin, fight against the consequences of mortal sin, fight against error which may not come from us personally. It may come from society, social structures of depression and repression. We are not fighting to kill anybody but we are fighting to promote justice, peace, harmony and love, to control our passions, to fight our senses, is in those ways we attain our salvation and the salvation of others. Our struggles are not just against sin and flesh but also of the devil, principalities and power. It means that if a person would not want to do a battle for Christ, that person will not be a good Christian.

Q. 184. How do we help each other? * We help each other while we are on earth by our good example, by helping who are in need of teaching and share our brotherhood to those who are in material need. In all those ways, we can help each other. We can share our faith with one another for those who are on earth. We Christians, who are making effort in this life to follow Christ, fight the devil, his works and pumps and fight human selfishness must link to our brothers and sisters who are suffering in purgatory and with the Saints who are already in heaven.

Q. 185. What is the Church Suffering? * Church sufferings are those members of Christ who died in the state of grace but they have some stain, which makes them to go to purgatory to suffer for sometime, be purified before they reach heaven. Sometime is a simple word we cannot tell how long. All we know is that the suffering is intense. It could only be less than the suffering in hell but it is more than any suffering we know on this earth.

Q. 186. What is our duty toward the deceased? * Our duties towards the deceased are to bury them and pray for them so that if our dear brother or sister is in purgatory, the person may be released soon and go to heaven. We can offer Mass, it is the highest act, then the prayers of the Church, community prayers, personal prayers, mortification, good works, alms

giving, offering our sufferings to God for the sake of that person. We can help the deceased to get them in purgatory either wiped up or shortened their stay there by gaining indulgences for the souls in Purgatory.

Q. 187. What is the Church Triumphant? * Church Triumphant is those who are faithful in Christ that has already reach home in heaven. They now enjoy the vision of Christ not just for a day but forever.

Q. 188. Why does the Church honor the Saints? * The Church honors the Saints because they are already with God in heaven and they reached their eternal home, they can inspire us by their lives and example. And we ask them to pray for us becuase we need thier help. We can read their lives becuase they help us and that is why the Church canonized some of them to proposed them as an example to all the people of God.

Q. 189. What do we mean when we say, "I believe in the forgiveness of sins?" * It means that we believe that Christ gives His Church the power to forgive sin. Christ has said to the Apostles, "Whose sins you will forgive, they are forgiven. When we kneel down to the priest who is minister of Christ through the Church and confess our sins and we are repentant we are begging for forgiveness.

Q. 190. In what way is the saving work of Christ continued? * The saving works of Christ is continued through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Christ gives the Church, His continued presence so that the Church can continue the ministry on saving mission of Christ. Christ is ever present to His Church, through His Spirit he gives life and dynamisn to continue in that saving mandate He entrusted to her.

Q. 191. How does the Church continue Christ's work? * There are many means the Church has, the Word of God, the teaching handed down to us by the Apostles especially the sacraments. There are also some major celebrations but the sacraments are the central part.

Q. 192. What are the sacraments?

* The sacraments are those special celebrations through which we come into contact with the saving work of Christ. The sacraments are signs, sacred signs that we can perceive by the senses. Signs that also affect what they signify. They are not empty sign, they show and they do what they show. Christ institutes them to receive grace for us and for our salvation.

Q. 193. What do the sacraments reveal? * The sacraments show that God wanted the human beings to be holy and that God wants us to receive His grace. Each particular sacrament has its own specific grace to gain.

Q. 194. Why are the sacraments referred to as actions of Christ? * The sacraments are called actions of Christ because it is Christ who is the chief person acting in every sacrament. Although Christ uses the human being to be His instruments in giving the sacraments, it is still He (God) who is present in the human minister. Christ gave His Holy Spirit to Christians, to form them through the sacraments and in the community of Christians; Christ is also the Chief person leading the prayer. So it correct to say that the sacraments are actions of Christ, without Christ these sacraments will immediately lost its meaning and existence.

Q. 195. Why did Jesus institute the sacraments? * The purpose of the sacraments in the Church is: (1) to help us to be holy (2) to make us more full of the love of God and neighbor (3) to build up the Church, instruct & teach. * Every sacrament is primarily called divine worship. Our faith and our prayer go hand in hand. Our faith helps our prayers and our prayers also inspire our faith.

Q. 196. Why does the Church encourage Catholics to receive the Sacraments? * The Church urges the Catholic to receive sacraments because the sacraments give grace. The sacrament nourishes Christian life; nourishes our faith and above all the sacraments give glory to God.

Q. 197. What purpose do the sacraments serve?

* The purpose of the sacraments is to give honor to God, help us grow in that love of God we called holiness. The sacraments help us grow in faith with Christ, strengthens us in our earthly pilgrimage because living our christian life, in the doing the Will of God in the details of our daily life is not easy without God's special help we can't make it. Sacraments also help us in responding to the call for each of us with generosity, fidelity and perseverance not for one day only but all of our days in this life. And for the Church as a community, the sacraments have a communitarian aspect. They are celebration of the whole faith community.

Q. 198. What are sacramentals? * The sacramentals are different from the sacraments. These are blessings or ceremonies like dedication of people or Churches or places or things. One thing that is common about these sacramentals is, it is the Church that instituted its rites.These sacramentals help us to grow in holiness and to nourish our life.

Q. 199. What is the effect of the sacramentals? * The sacramentals dispose people who receive the chief effect of this sacrament. Sacramentals are oriented towards the sacraments. The sacramentals render holy states in life. The sacramentals give grace because of the prayer of the Church and the cooperation of the individual who receives it.

Q. 200. What are some of the sacramentals? * The example of sacramental is the ceremony by which the Church is being dedicated.The ceremony that consecrates a human being into a nun or a monk, or makes the person a brother or a sister, a religious profession. The blessing given to married person. The sign of the cross, religious articles like rosary, scapular, medals, candles, books, ashes, holy water, holy oils, and incense.These sacramentals nourish the faith and help the charity to grow.

Q. 201. What is the sacrament of Baptism? * The sacrament of Baptism is the fundamental sacrament, the most necessary. It is that sacred celeberation or sacrament that removes or washes away orginal sins or personal sins he/she may have. It makes us members of Christ and therefore members of the Church. It gives us new life in Christ and makes it possible for us to share in Christian worship. Baptism is the foundation sacrment so that without Baptism the other sacraments will not work because the person haven't recieved yet the fundamental capacity to receive the other sacraments and he/she is not yet a member of the Church. Baptism admits us into the church as a member, so it is therefore the foundational sacrament.

Q. 202. What relationship with God is begun at Baptism?

* Baptism relates a person to God. This relationship can never be wiped out. The seal of Baptism cannot be removed either to the person's joy and glory in heaven or to the person's shame and suffering in hell. Baptism joins a person to Christ and gives a share in Christ who is priest, prophet and king. Every baptized person has a share in the life and mission of Christ. The laity must share in the evangelization work to proclaim and share the faith in their different walks of life. If we claim that we love Christ and we believe that our faith is the most thing in our life we cannot wait until we share it with others.

Q. 203. What is the sacrament of Confirmation? * Confirmation is the sacrament that we receive after the baptism wherein we receive an abundance outpouring of the Holy Spirit so that give us strong and make us more committed Christians. It would be generally a bishop who will insitute this sacrament, but also a priest can insitute confirmation in certain occassions.

Q. 204. What happens when we receive the seal of the Spirit at Confirmation? * The seal of the Spirit gives a baptized person, a confirmed person or an ordained person a share in the priesthood of Christ. This seal, that special mark to the soul, can never be wiped out whether the person relapses, or not to sin. It will give us the grace to fulfill our mission.

Q. 205. What is the sacrament of Penance? * The sacrament of penance is a sacred celebration in which we receive God's mercy and pardon, God's forgiveness. It is a sacred rite in which a person who has offended God returns to God and receives forgiveness by the ministry of the priest who acts in the name of Christ.

Q. 206. How does the sacrament of Penance help us? * The effects of penances are that the person who has turned away from God receives back his liberation from sin. It includes that the person having a mortal sin has got back the sanctifying grace, which is the life of God in a soul. It also includes peace restored with God, with Christ and with the Church. It makes the person more able to walk towards the person's salvation because it equips the forgiven person to resist temptation or habits of sin. For those people who are making an effort to love God more, frequent reception of the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation is highly recommended because it will give strength to resist temptations in the future.

Q. 207. If a Catholic has committed a mortal sin, is it necessary for him to go to confession?

* If a person committed mortal sin, it is a must for the person to go to the Sacrament of Penance. A person who repents out of love for God because he/she offended God is the perfect contrition and at that moment the person is forgiven but don't have a priest to go to, it must also include a firm resolution of going to confession as soon as possible. The Church teaches if you are in mortal sins, you must have to schedule confession immediately or a soon as possible. You cannot receive Holy Communion without going to confession, to regain the grace or the sanctifying grace present in the soul.

Q. 208. What does perfect sorrow for sin do for a person? * The effect of perfect sorrow for the sin is that person gets back the sanctifying grace immediately.

Q. 209. What does the Church desire concerning confession? * The wish of the church is that Catholics from when they were able to distinguish between rights and wrong would learn to approach the priest in this sacrament in order to receive Gods mercy. The church therefore wishes, for example, children before they receive first communion would confess their sin. The adult must not imagine that the child has to burn down the parental home before he commits a sin. The child will in his own way know what the child considers to be what Jesus does not want. So, already the conscience is being trained. In any case the church wants all grown up Catholics to confess their sin at least once a year at easter or thereabout. The church was not saying that once a year is enough but those who dont confess even once a year have gone below the permissible minimum. But people who are striving to love God, two weeks, three weeks, those who are not conscious of any mortal sin, confessions once two or three weeks is for them normal and most helpful.

Q. 210. What do we gain by confessing venial sin? * Confession is useful even when venial sins are in question for many reasons. The sacraments give the person strength to fight the root defects from which those venial sins flow. It increases the person commitment to the new life in Christ. It therefore reduces the power of temptation to pull the person down. It increases the good disposition of the person when the person receives the Holy Eucharist. It disposes the person better to fulfill the duties of the person's state of life or association; married person, priest, religious, member of a Catholic movement, association or otherwise. You can see the many benefits, it increases that sensitivity to sin, to evil. Therefore, it increases Love of God.

Q. 211. Must we still suffer for our sins in other ways even after they are forgiven? * Yes that is the ordinary teaching of the Church that even when, particularly mortal sin has already been forgiven, the punishment in hell is removed but the most probably will remain is called temporal punishment due to a sin already forgiven. Guilt removed but temporal punishment remains which can be

removed in this world by suffering, by penance, and indulgence or otherwise in the next world or by suffering in purgatory.

Q. 212. What is an indulgence? * An indulgence is the special intercession by the Church with God for the remission of this type of temporal punishment due to a sin already forgiven. The church intercedes because of the special relationship of the Church to Christ.

Q. 213. How does the church have the power to grant indulgences? * The Church, making use of her power to minister the redemption of Christ, intervenes to dispense the treasure of the superabundant merits of Christ, and of the saints, to the faithful who are rightly disposed, for the remission of temporal punishment due to sins.

Q. 214. What are the conditions for gaining an indulgence? * The conditions of gaining an indulgence are: The person must be in a state of grace, that is any mortal sin we may have committed must be forgiven, The person must say the prayer or do the work to which the indulgence is attached, The person must have the intention of gaining the indulgence.

Q. 215. May we gain an indulgence for the benefit of the departed? * The Holy Mother Church tells that all indulgences are applicable for the souls of our departed brothers and sisters.

Q. 216. What is the difference between a plenary and a partial indulgence? * A plenary indulgence indicates the remission of ALL temporal punishment due to sin. The partial indulgence indicates that only part of the temporal punishment is remitted & not the whole.

Q. 217. What are some examples of partial indulgence? * There are conditions in gaining partial indulgence that the Church specifies. Examples are: Doing good works with humility and trust in God, bearing the burden of an office and offering it to God, making the sign of the cross with holy water as you enter the Church, visiting the grave on Nov. 2 or that week and pray for the souls of our beloved dead then you'll get plenary indulgence for them, If you say the rosary,

or Stations of the Cross. Anyone who wants to know exactly examples of partial indulgence has to get the document on norms for indulgences set by the Church.

Q. 218. What is the sacrament of Holy Orders? * Holy orders makes certain members of the people of God particularly like Christ the mediator, puts them in positions of special service in the Church, and gives them sacred power to carry out this service. The sacrament of Holy Order is a sacred rite by which a deacon is being ordained by the imposition of the hands of the Bishop and they get a special share in the priesthood of Christ. Through the sacrament of Holy Orders, Jesus Christ makes Himself present, through bishops and priests. Each of them shares in the priesthood of Christ according to the specific call of each.

Q. 219. What does Episcopal consecration or ordination confer? * The Episcopal consecration or ordination makes a person minister of Christ, supreme priest of His people. The Bishop is the representative of Christ. The Episcopal consecration gives the person participation in the three powers of Christ for the people of God: First, he is the chief priest for his diocese and he is a member of the Episcopal College worldwide under the authority of the Bishop of Rome, Successor of St. Peter, Second, he is the chief person in the preaching of the word of God, Third, he is the chief person in gathering the people of God together what we normally call diocese.

Q. 220. What special grace is given by Jesus in the sacrament of Holy Orders? * Jesus bestows a permanent charism or grace of the Holy Spirit for the particular calling of a person as Bishop, Priest or Deacon. As Bishop, he is the overseer of his people. He is the chief organizer, the director of the apostolate for the Church on the diocese of his area. For the priest, he is the closest coworker of the Bishop. The priest celebrates particularly the Holy Eucharist in the name of Christ. Every rite and celebration he does in unity with the Bishop. He gathers the people of God together and preaches. The deacon is ordained for assistance to the priest and to the Bishop primarily in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist but also in service. The very word deacon meant "service".

Q221. What can priests do as representatives of Jesus? * The priest can do much as a representative of Christ. The highest act he can do is to celebrate Mass. When He says, "This is my Body... This is my Blood... The bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. Then the priest gives Christ to the people. It is the supreme moment for a priest. He also forgives sins in the name of Christ. And as a minister of the Church, he baptizes, does the confirmation sometimes (usually done by a bishop but with the permission of the bishop a priest can administer Confirmation) and blesses those who are married, and anoints the sick. He also preaches the word of God authoritatively as an official minister of the Church. He governs the people of God.

Q. 222. What is the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick? * The anointing of the sick is that sacred rite which is performed by the Church as one of the seven sacraments for those who are sick. It is a rite wherein a priest with the prayer of the Church helps the person to recover (if it is God's Will), anoints a seriously sick person. It also gives the sick person strengthening grace either to bear the sickness or to prepare the person to the last journey to God.

Q. 223. When is the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick best received? * The sacrament of anointing of the sick is best received when the person is when indeed seriously sick. It is best receive when the sick person is conscious enough to participate as fully as possible. Not to wait until they are unconscious. This sacrament is for all who are seriously sick and not only for those whose death appears imminent. Moreover, the sacrament can be repeated for persons who get well and become seriously ill again. The priest should be called early to a sick person's side so that he can help the person to sincere sorrow for sins.

Q. 224. What does the Church ask the Lord for by this anointing? * By this anointing and prayers, the church, through her priests, asks the Lord to lighten the sufferings of the sick, forgive their sins, and bring them to eternal salvation.

Q. 225. What does the Church ask the sick to do? * The Church encourages the sick to join the people of God in prayer as much as possible. The Church encourages the sick to offer the suffering with Christ, in Christ, through Christ.

Q. 226. Who instituted the sacrament of Matrimony? * God Himself our Creator instituted the sacrament of marriage. It is God who created Adam and then decided that Adam would not be alone. He would create Eve as companion and said to them, "Increase and multiply" that means, He blessed human love and He willed that when babies come into this world they'll have father and mother. And his will that in every baby coming into this world comes in the family, in a legitimate family, and in a legitimate marriage. Marriage is of a divine institution for everyone not just for Christians.

Q. 227. Who elevated marriage to the dignity of a sacrament?

* Jesus Christ raised the marriage to the dignity of a sacrament. It meant that for Christians it is not only a contract and association instituted by Almighty God for all but it is also one of the major means by which we receive the graces of redemption walked for us by Christ, for christians.

Q. 228. Who are the ministers of the sacrament of Matrimony? * The ministers of the sacrament are the spouses themselves. It means that the bride is minister to her groom and the groom is minister to his bride. The sacrament of Marriage is begun in the mutual promises between husband and wife in the marriage ceremony; after that, it constitutes to be strengthened, as these promises are carried out in the years of married life. A bishop, priest or deacon officiates at the ceremony as the Church's witnesses to this act of grace.

Q. 229. In what ways can we see the dignity of the sacrament of Matrimony? * We see the dignity of the sacrament of matrimony when the spouses live together with the blessing of Christ. Christ raises their love to a higher level, sacramental level. He blesses that love. We see the dignity of the sacrament in the fact that the spouses live together in Christ's grace, imitate Christ's own love for his Church.

Q. 230. What do Christian spouses commit themselves to do in the sacrament of Matrimony? * The Christian spouses in marriage pledge themselves to love one another, to stand by each other, to sustain each other, to help each other, to be open to new life, to love the children and nurture them. They pledge themselves to build up the Church and the society through the institution of marriage. By this sacrament, Christians are, as it were, consecrated to God to uphold and carry out its duties.

Q. 231. Why did God institute marriage? * Marriage was instituted to bring children into the world and to educate them, to promote and deepen the love of the spouses for each other. The husband and wife helping each other to achieve salvation and to achieve human growth as persons. Marriage is a total self-giving. The couples give themselves to each other without reserve.

Q. 232. How long does the bond of sacramental marriage last? * The bond of sacramental marriage lasts until the death of one of the spouses. The marital bond cannot be broken, even in the midst of difficulties. Marriage is for Life.

Q. 233. What is the purpose of conjugal love and family life? * The true practice of love between husband and wife is that the couple would be ready with generous hearts to love one another and cooperate that love with God. The purpose of conjugal love is for their growth as persons, their spiritual growth, their human growth and their psychological growth.

Q. 234. What is every family's calling? * Every family is called to share in love and to grow in love.

Q. 235. How does the Christian Family show the Savior's living presence in the world? * The Christian family manifests that the Savior is present in the world because the spouses love one another, because they are generous, because their home is a happy one, because they transmit this love to their children. Their children are like living proofs of their love. Their children are learning from their parents how to love, how to give, how to thank. In short, their family has become what vatican II says about the family, a domestic Church. Their family has become where true religion begins.

Q. 236. What is a sacrifice to God? * A sacrifice to God is an offering made to God, to acknowledge that God is supreme. To that offering made to God or Gift, Some action is performed on that offering so that the offering is then a victim. The victim in a way taking the place of the person who offers. So it is an offering of a victim to God to acknowledge his supreme authority over us, to adore Him, and also to request forgiveness or and to request other things that we need, and more importantly to thank Him. It is an acknowledgement that God is supreme. So that from the nature of sacrifice, sacrifice can be offered to God alone and never to any creature. No matter how exalted. Prayers can be offered to creatures. Sacrifice however is more than prayer, It is an act of adoration and therefore it can only be offered to God.

Q. 237. What is the Holy Eucharist? * The Holy Eucharist is that sacrament and sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ which Christ himself gave his church under the appearances of bread and wine. To commemorate, what he did on Mount Calvary. To perpetuate that Sacrifice and to nourish His peopled during their journey on earth. The Eucharist is so rich in concept that we can only approach it step by step. We can only take one concept or one aspect at a time and we cannot say it all in one breath.

Q. 238. Why is the Eucharistic Celebration carried out?

* The Eucharistic celebration is carried out in obedience to the works of Christ Himself Who at the Last Supper turned bread into His Body and wine into His Blood. By saying to the Apostles, "Do this in remembrance of Me". The Mass is the Church's way of doing what Jesus did at the last supper. The Church does this to remember Jesus, and to be reunited with Him.

Q. 239. What happens when the priest speaks the words of Eucharistic consecration? * When the priest speaks the words of Eucharistic Consecration, "This is my Body, this is my Blood", the bread becomes the Body of Christ and the wine becomes the Blood of Christ. The bread and wine are no longer there but the color, taste and weight remains. St. Thomas Aquinas said "We should not shake in our faith, but be strong and believing." Only our very faith will tell us that it is Jesus. Not with our own eyes and senses. Jesus' words and power made Him really and substantially present under the outward appearances of bread and wine which he gave the Apostles to eat; so they actually received Jesus in that meal and were united with Him. This made the Apostles one with Jesus and all that He did. They share in both the gifts of Himself to his Father on the cross and in the Father's gift of life to Jesus in the Resurrection. The Apostles then gave Christ to the people of God in Eucharist.

Q. 240. How is Jesus present in the Eucharist? * Jesus is really present in the Eucharist. That is why we adore Him. Christ is truly present in the Holy Eucharist with His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity under the appearance of bread and wine. The Eucharist is the sacrament of love and faith, a sign of unity, a bond of charity. At the Last Supper, on the night He was betrayed our Savior instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of His Body and Blood.

Q. 241. What is the sacrifice of the Mass? * The sacrifice of the Mass is the ritual celebration of the self-offering of Christ on Mt. Calvary, now in the form of a sacrament. A priest who was baptized and ordained can only be the who can offer the sacrifice of the Mass. By the sacred words said by the ordained priest, the bread and wine will become the Body and Blood of Christ. The Mass is a prayer to the Father and a sacrifice which brings us the resurrected Christ.

Q. 242. What is the liturgy? * The liturgy is the public worship of the Church that means the prayer which the whole church. Christ and His members offer the worship, which they offer to God the Father. Christ being always the chief person leading in every liturgical celebration. In brief, the public worship of the Church. The highest point of such public worship is the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. The highest act of Christian worship

but it isn't the Holy Eucharist alone that is liturgy. It is also all the sacraments, all of them, from baptism to marriage. Liturgy are: (1) The Holy Eucharist and all the other sacraments. (2) The sacramentals; that means those sacred celebrations instituted by the Church. In which the Church is acting in an official way. Not just an individual - in a private capacity. (3) There are prayers for various times in the day said in the name of the Church either by a community like monks or by an individual like a priest, a religious brother or sister - all that is liturgy but the highest act of liturgy is the Eucharistic celebration (MASS).

Q. 243. What is the most important form of all Christian liturgies? * The most important form of all Christian liturgies is the Mass.

Q. 244. What are the two principal parts of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass? * The two principal parts of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass are the (1) Liturgy of the Word, example: the scripture readings together with the homily, the profession of faith, and the Prayer of the Faithful. (2) Liturgy of the Eucharist.

* The liturgy of the Eucharist has three stages: (1) the offertory rite; (2) The Communion rite. In the offertory rite, the gifts of bread and wine are brought to the altar and are offered to the Lord; in the Eucharistic Prayer, the saving mysteries of the Lord's passion and Resurrection are recalled by sacramental action which makes these mysteries present again in the midst of the people; in the communion rite, the Body and Blood of Christ are received in a sacred meal, to gather in closest unity with Christ those who have received life through Him.

Q. 245. Why is the Holy Mass offered? * The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered for the principal ACTS of religion. For the principal motives for which we should honor God. These principal motives are: * Adoration - We must adore God because He is our Creator and it is a supreme act of Christian worship. * Contrition for our sins - We must be contrite and ask pardon from God for our sins and the sins of others. * Thanksgiving - We must thank God with thanksgiving and gratitude for all He has done for us. * Supplication (Asking for what we need) - We must ask God for our need both spiritual and temporal.

Q. 246. How do lay people participate in the Mass?

* The lay people participate in the Mass by preparing themselves for the sacrifice when it is coming. Preferable if they have manual missals. They can prepare particularly the readings before they come to Church. Before Mass, they should recollect themselves that's why those who come late deprive themselves of something, recollect themselves and be ready before the priests actually comes to the altar. Then during the celebration, they make a big effort to be really attentive, to listen to the readings, to join in the various prayers and songs/chants, and gestures like standing, sitting, kneeling and expressing peace to their neighbors. Greater still their participation, they will make a big effort that their internal state of mind be more and more like Christ. The highest way to take part at Mass is to receive holy Communion because we receive the Divine victim who died on the cross and Who offered his Body and Blood for us, to feed us and make us more like Him. The primary things is not what we get. The primary thing is that we adore God. We thank Him for what he has done for us. And we express repentance for our sins, offering the Divine Victim Who alone pays adequately for our sins. We could never of our own repay God. it is Christ Who offers reparation which is abundant and super abundant. So what we get out of the Mass in terms of sentiments or feelings or whether we get our requests, those comes last because we are not primary at the Mass. God is primary!

Q. 247. Why is the Mass both a sacrifice and a sacred meal? * The Mass is both a sacrifice and a meal. This is so because it is an unbloody representation of the sacrifice of the cross; in application of its sacred power, the Lord is immolated in the sacrifice of the Mass. When the words of consecration are said, this immolation or sacrifice of Christ becomes present in a sacramental form under the appearances of bread and wine and becomes the spiritual food of the faithful.

Q. 248. Why is the Mass the one sacrifice of Christ? * The Mass is the one sacrifice of Christ because Christ is the same Person Who Himself on the Cross and on the altar at Mass. He is also the Victim offered on the altar at Mass and on the cross. The only difference is the way of offering. On the cross, we see he was shedding blood. On the altar, he does not shed blood. On the Cross, he didn't need an ordained priest. At Mass, he wants to use the ordained priest. On the Cross, we see real blood. On the altar, we need faith to know that it is the Body and Blood of Christ. Those who don't have faith do not accept that. The 2nd vatican council insists very much that, the more people understand and take active part whole-heartedly at Mass, the more fruit it will produce. None of us come in to Mass, should be like some of the Roman soldiers on calvary, who didn't realize the big mystery that was going on in front of them.

Q. 249. Who has been empowered to offer the Eucharistic Sacrifice? * The ordained priests are empowered to offer the Eucharistic Sacrifice to God the Father in the name of Christ and the Church for the living and the dead. The priest does other things too: he forgives sins, he preaches to the people, he organizes the Apostolate -but all these things are oriented towards the Mass.

Only the ordained priest and Bishops are called to offer the Eucharistic sacrifice to the Father, with christ, in the Holy Spirit, for the living and the dead, and for the salvation of all.

Q. 250. What is Holy Communion? * The Holy Communion is the Eucharistic meal of the Body and Blood of Christ which reminds us of the Last supper, celebrates our unity together in Christ, and is a foretaste of the Messianic Banquet in the kingdom of Heaven. Holy Communion give us spiritual strength to do the battle of the Christian life. Christ promised, "He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood will live for ever and I will raise him up on the last day". The Holy Communion is the Sacrament of Love because it promotes our love for Christ (Who gives us this Sacrament for love of us), for one another, for the Church and for the whole world. Christ is present in this Sacrament. He loves us so much that even though those people who commit sacrilege and insult Him, He does not withdraw His presence. Holy Communion does not just nourish us; it also nourishes us in our vocation, mission in life, for our apostolate, for our presence in the world, our solidarity with others, and our participation.

Q. 251. Why is the Holy Eucharist a sacrament of unity? * The Holy Eucharist is a sacrament of Unity because it unites the faithful closely with Christ and unites them with one another, presuming that they are well disposed and well prepared. It also promotes the unity of the Church because the Holy Eucharist builds up the Church. It is the symbolism of giving one another expression of peace. The parish community is a Eucharistic community of faith and love so much so as they believe, they celebrate and they live together, and they care for one another. In this way the individual will know that "I belong to a caring community of love and service". In order to have a caring community of love and service we must celebrate the Holy Eucharist lively and allow that celebration to influence our lives in the community.

Q. 252. What does Jesus do for properly prepared Catholics in the Eucharist? * In the Holy Eucharist, Jesus nourishes Christians with His own Body and Blood; The Bread of Life, the Cup of eternal salvation so that they become one people, more and more united with Him and will be filled with the greater love of God and neighbor. Love of neighbor is often a test of our love of God. E.g., when the individual is in psychological, economic or simply feeling alone in a village or in a big city if there is no love from a community then there is a lack in their living of the Eucharist. The movements and associations in the Church are the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our time. Let each one maintain its proper charism, always within the unity of the parish and diocese.

Q. 253. Does reception of the Holy Eucharist at Holy Communion increase the supernatural life of our soul?

* Holy Communion is a sign of Christ nourishing our souls; symbolism of food and drink is what Christ has chosen - bread and wine, food and drink - to show that he nourishes our souls, he gives us that spiritual joy and peace and spiritual health. Therefore the Holy Eucharist nourishes the life of God in us, the supernatural life, which we already call sanctifying grace. The faith of the minister does not determine whether the sacrament will be valid or not. For the sacrament to be valid, it is important that the minister will desire to do what the Church does. The Church has the faith. If the minister determines to do what the church does and carries out the rites correctly, the sacrament is valid.

Q. 254. Does Holy Communion unite our souls more closely to Jesus? * Holy Communion unites us with Jesus because we received the Body and Blood of Christ. We are weak human beings. That's why we receive Him more often. He said, "It is not those who are strong needs a doctor, but those who are weak. I've come so that they may have life and have it abundantly." When we receive Christ we should become more like Him. Christ wants us to receive Him as long as we are in state of grace.

Q. 255. Does Holy Communion increase our love for God? * Holy Communion increases our love for God by increasing sanctifying grace, when we receive Christ the life of His sanctifying grace increases in us. It increases our supernatural powers to do good. It increases attraction to the things of God. It reduces the power of temptations over us, It helps us to fight better our weaknesses. In all those ways, it increases our love for God more and it helps us more to love our neighbor in the practical details of daily life. It commits us better to the exercise our vocation and mission. If any of us who receives Holy Communion often but remains the same difficult person in the family, always fighting, nagging, complaining, never forgiving, never reconciling, If the person remains dishonest in the person's work, dishonest in relations with other people, then that person should examine himself. There's something that is not going well.

Q. 256. Does Holy Communion increase our love for our neighbor? * This sacrament increases our love for our neighbor because the sanctifying grace and actual graces equip us better to love our neighbor. Because he who loves God must love his neighbor. Holy Communion commits us to love of neighbor. That's also why the Church wants us to show the indication of love of neighbor before we receive communion by saying, show to one another, give to one another, a sign of peace, love, concern. Those people must reflect that Holy Eucharist promotes not just our union with Christ but our union with our neighbor. Both love of God and love of neighbor go together, and then both remain authentic. The one who wants to receive the body of Christ must be aware that the Christians are the mystical body of Christ. My neighbor is part of Christ and anyone who ignores their neighbor is not fit to receive Christ in Holy Communion.

Q. 257. Why is Holy Communion a pledge of future glory? * Holy Communion is a pledge of future glory because when we receive Christ in this sacrament, it's the seed of everlasting life. Christ is like giving us a ticket and saying, "If you hold fast to it, if you don't throw it away by neglect; by mortal sin, I promise you life everlasting and you will live forever." Jesus said to the Jews, "Do not labor for the bread that perishes but labor for the Bread the Son of Man will give you. Your fathers ate manna in the desert and are dead. He, who eats this Bread that I'll give, will live forever. And the Bread that I shall give is My Body, for the life of the world." Holy Communion is a pledge of future glory because it establishes physical contact between Jesus Christ Who reigns in glory and us on earth.

Q. 258. Why does Jesus become present in the Holy Eucharist? * Jesus becomes present in the Holy Eucharist in order: to renew the sacrifice He offered of Himself on Mt. Calvary in an unbloody manner on our altars, to nourish ours souls in Holy communion, and to remain bodily among us by His Real presence in our tabernacles.

Q. 259. Why is the Holy Eucharist reserved in our churches? *The Holy Eucharist is reserved in our churches in order to greatly enhance our adoration of Jesus and to increase our love for others. It is also reserved in the churches in order to be taken to the sick.

Q. 260. What do we owe to Christ, reserved in the Blessed Sacrament? * We owe Christ adoration, gratitude for all He has done for us especially in this Sacrament and love. Sometimes when we say devotion, some people may misunderstand it. Devotion means we are giving attention to Christ; We love, adore, and thank Him. It will simply mean loving presence. The Cure of Ars; St. John Vianney, the parish priest, said that there was a certain farmer who visited a Blessed Sacrament before going to work and upon returning from work, this farmer stayed a long time in the church in front of the tabernacle. The Cure of Ars asked, "What did you do?" He said, "I am just there, Christ is there. I look at Him, He looks at me." It is not necessary to say many words when we are with those whom we love. We don't need to speak or talk. Sometimes we are just there - in loving presence. It is we who need Christ. He doesn't need us. If therefore, He is there in the tabernacle and we forget about Him, we don't visit Him, it suggests that we don't love Him or at least not sufficiently. If we rash, it means we don't love Him enough. Visits to Blessed Sacrament are very important to nourish our faith. If you are passing through a church if you have the time, you drop in for some minutes. If you cannot drop in, maybe you are in a bus you're passing through, at least make sign of the Cross as you pass through a church where Christ is present. All those are signs of your love for God.

Q. 261. Why is the Holy Eucharist the center of all sacramental life?

* The Holy Eucharist is the center of all sacramental life because it unites and strengthens the Church. We are baptized to become Christians and can offer Christian worship. The highest act of Christian worship is the Mass. Baptism enables us to do apostolate, example of this is sharing our faith with others. Those who are sick, they receive the Holy Eucharist for greater strengthening. If the proper order is observed, those who are sick and are visited by the priest, the first Sacrament that they will receive is the Sacrament of Forgiveness/Penance then Anointing of the Sick and then the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. All the Sacraments especially Marriage and Ordination are within the Mass to show that unity and summarizing and centralizing of Christian worship as the Vatican Council said in its document on the Liturgy, "The Eucharistic celebration is the apex, the highest point of Christian celebration." All the Sacraments rotate around it. The Liturgy of the hours also points towards the Holy Eucharist. So that it is indeed the central celebration of the Church. Many Christians including, the consecrated ones, priests, religious that, if they are in difficulty with reference to their vocation and mission they have to re-examine their relationship with the Holy Eucharist.

Q. 262. What is prayer? * Prayer, in a strict sense, begins when one has the movements of one's will, and raises one's mind and heart towards God, simply be in His presence with love before the Blessed Sacrament if possible, if not in the Chapel, where one adores Him, loves Him, turn towards Him with or without words, recalling many things He has done for oneself and asks Him what one needs. In prayer, we move and express our various feelings towards Him not only with our intellect but also with our will, knowing that we are with Him. The important thing is that it will be personal. Those who are nearer to God, their prayer will be of a higher order. Those who are more distant from God, still struggling with mortal sin, their prayer will be of a more elementary type. Contemplation is a time that is taken over by God. It's not a discursive and the individual soul is the one that does most of what happens that time and the soul remains present, lovingly present to God. We must not try or hope that we can analyze it all and understand everything that happens that time. The great saints have lived this life, they have assured us that not our effort but it is within God's power to give us what He wills, when He wills and to whom He wills.

Q. 263. What is mental or interior prayer? * We say mental prayer to distinguish it from what we call vocal prayer. Vocal prayer is the prayer we say aloud. Generally, a prayer read formula, written by somebody else, written out by the Church, or by a Saint, or somebody else who is still alive on earth. Meditation is another type of prayer. Sometimes it's a prayer of the heart or prayer in the person. Sometimes it is called meditation. Meditation is more a preparation for prayer. Meditation is more exactly a reflection on a Sacred Text, like Holy Scripture, especially the Gospels; a reflection on some truth of our Faith. Thinking about it is meditation but to become prayer, there must be movement of the will, not only movement of the mind. That's what we mean raising of the heart to God. Mental prayer is that prayer of the heart and mind which is not really formulated in words but which is loving presence with God loving attention to God.

Q. 264. Why is prayer necessary? * Prayer is necessary because we are creatures and God is our Creator. Because we are creatures, we should recognize our Creator. It is a tribute that we owe to God Who created us which means the chief thing in prayer is adoration.

Q. 265. What are the four purposes of prayer? * The four purposes of prayer are Adoration - because God created us, Thanksgiving - because we owe everything to Him, Contrition - asking forgiveness for our sins and Petition - asking God for things we need for our soul and for our body. We need actual graces to carry out our duties of our state of life; we need grace to resist temptation, to love our neighbour more; we also have many needs of our body. We need food, sufficient money to maintain a dignified life, to get a job, to make progress and so on.

Q. 266. How should we pray? * We should pray with loving attention. We should pray with spirit of humility. We should pray with trust to the goodness of God.

Q. 267. Why is Jesus the divine model of prayer? * Jesus is the divine model of prayer because He is the son of God who took on human nature while remaining divine. He showed us how to relate to God. He is our model. He prayed to His Father. He taught the disciples how to pray.

Q. 268. Why is the "Our Father" a prayer of perfect and unselfish love? * It is a prayer of perfect & unselfish love because it is a model prayer that Christ gave and taught to His Apostles at their request. In this prayer we offer entirely our life to God.

Q. 269. If we want to answer to God's love with our love, what must we do? * Jesus said to us, "If you love Me keep My commandments". If therefore we love God so we are to follow His ways and God does not left us in doubt. He has given us conscience to know right and wrong. He has given us Ten Commandments, expressed laws valid for everyone, everywhere, in every culture. Moreover he had sent His only begotten Son who took on human nature. Gathered apostles and taught them. And He gave them charge and the assignment to continue to teach. So if we believe and do, all will be well with us as Christ said, "Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it."

Q. 270. What does Christian morality teach? * Christian morality means christian teaching on what is right and what is wrong in human conduct. Christian morality teaches us a way of living which is worthy of human being and an adopted child of God, i.e., human beings redeemed by Christ given new life in Christ, made member of the Church, given promise that the person will see God as He is in heaven. This is our calling. Christian morality teaches us how to live in order to be good people in this way, in this new life, which Christ brought us.

Q. 271. How is Catholic morality supported and guided? * The structure of Catholic morality is supported and guided by the grace and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps us to understand the ways of God and gives us the spiritual strength to follow those ways. We must be ready to listen to the Word of God. Also as explained by the Church and having had it, we must be willing to do it. The Holy Spirit persuades us to hold each other in high esteem. he gives us a common bond of friendship so that we may become a community of love, united in Christ because we share his life of grace. Moreover, the Holy Spirit causes us to have the desire and the power to do the things which are pleasing to our heavenly Father through His actual graces. The Spirit makes clear what Jesus taught us in the Gospel; and He gives us the help we need to fight satan and to remain true to Jesus and the catholic Church no matter what the situation. Without these helps, it would be impossible to do anything which might win our own salvation or the salvation of others.

Q. 272. What is conscience? * Conscience is a personal judgment concerning what is to be done now - "That this is right and this is wrong". A practical judgment built into us by the Creator to guide us on judging about correctness of an action to be done.

Q. 273. Should each person have a right conscience? * Yes. Each person is bound to have right a conscience because if the conscience is wrong it would direct the person wrongly. Each person is bound to follow his/her conscience but conscience is not autonomous. It is not the supreme law. The supreme law is the Will of God, or the law of God. Our conscience must be educated to know that law, to recognize that law and to be able also to judge in a concrete situation, which is not always easy.

Q. 274. How should a Catholic form a right conscience? * A catholic must form a right conscience by studying and obeying the teaching authority of the Church. It is the duty of the teaching authority of the catholic Church, or Magisterium, to give guidance for

applying the enduring norms and values of Christian morality to specific situations of everyday life. Christian freedom needs to be ruled and directed by the specific circumstances of human life. Accordingly, the consciences of the faithful, even when informed by the virtue of prudence, must be subject to the teaching authority of the Church. It is the Church's duty to explain the whole moral law authoritatively, in order that it may rightly and correctly make known the objective moral order. The conscience of the catholic Christian must pay respectful obedient attention to the teaching authority of the Catholic Church.

Q. 275. What does obedience to the Holy Spirit entail? Obedience to the Holy Spirit includes a faithful observance of the Commandments of God, the laws and precepts of the Church, the the just civil laws.

Q. 276. What is the summary of all of the commandments? * All of the commandments are summed up in love of God and consequently love of neighbor; that we should love God with all our whole heart and love our neighbor as ourselves.

Q. 277. Why the love of God is called the soul of morality? * The love of God is the soul of morality because God is love and in God's plan that love reaches out to men in Jesus Christ so that men might be united by their love for God and for one another.

Q. 278. What is man's greatest responsibility? * The man's greatest responsibility therefore is to do the Will of God and it means to keep the Commandments, to follow the ways that God has laid out for us and then once we follow His Commandments, we will love God and it would mean we would love our neighbor. Indeed the Ten Commandments precisely states that; the first three is more directly referring to the love of God and the other seven more directly referring to love of neighbor because whoever doesn't love neighbor doesn't love God either. Christ already said, "What you do to the least of my brethren you did it to Me." "He who gives a cup of cold water to another because that one is my disciple will not lose his reward." The Vatican II tells us that Christ by taking on human nature has somehow united Himself with every person so that the fact that the Son of God became one of us, reinforces our being brothers and sisters.

Q. 279. How does a person obtain holiness? * A person is holy when the person lives according to God's Commandments, according to the will of God that means according to what the love of God has laid down for that person. When the person lives

as God wills that person to live, that person is holy. The state of life in which a person is called will specify how the person will live it. But the state of life doesn't tell us the person's degree of holiness. It only tells us the concrete situations in which the person will be holy. The degree of holiness is not measured by your state but by your degree of love of God and neighbor. Only God can access adequately the opportunities the person has, but what is certain is that that person is holier who has shown more love of God and neighbor in the concrete situation in which God has called that person. Each time we are looking for the will of God, the young person who is thinking what shall I do in life, must not just ask, "What do I want to do?" the most important is that, "What does God want me to do? What is God's plan for me?". Sometimes you will need advice from parents, from priests, confessor, spiritual director, teacher, provided that these are people of God, not self-centerd people. then when the state of life is discerned,when it has been borne out of prudence, wisdom, love of God and the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the state of life is chosen then the individual must then live with generosity the calling in that specific way of life - That's the road to holiness.

Q. 280. Why do men and women enter into consecrated vocations? * If God called some to that state of life; the religious vocation or the consecrated religious and enter into it, it shows in a special and necessary way, their love of God by giving themselves in service to mankind. They are the people considering the advice of the Gospels, "Leave all things and follow Me." Consecrated life is another way of living the Gospel. One thing common among all religious is that they make three vows: Chastity, Poverty and Obedience. That is they make a sacrifice of the three best things that the human could desire on earth. The three vows that the religious are making is not condemning possession or marriage or doing our own will but the religious is offering a gift of love of the right to marry to God; a gift of love, the right to decide what to do. When the Church approves the person that enters the consecrated life prepared himself/herself, taking the vows, lives them faithfully, the person will arrive holiness. All of us belong to God by Baptism but some can make further vows, and that is what they are doing. They've made commitments beyond Baptismal vows and called religious or people of common life or apostolic life. The religious and consecrated people have meaning and they are bound to God more than others.

Q. 281. How do we know the duties which flow from love of God and man? * We know the duties, which flow from the love of God and fellow man by the Ten Commandments of God, which are valid for everyone, everywhere in the world. Secondly, the most specific and clear teaching of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by the Sermon on the Mount, the inauguration of His public life particularly, the Beatitudes; it teaches us how to live practically the love of God and neighbor. Third, if we follow such teachings as the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, that is, how we can show mercy to our neighbor in matters of touching the soul or in matters of touching the body such giving good advices, feeding the hungry, curing the sick, comforting the imprisoned, being their brother and sister. Fourth, by the "theological virtues" of faith, hope and love. Without this God gift's of charity, we would

not be able to love God or one another. This is also includes the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude. And another way is by the laws of the Church such as participating Mass every Sunday and holy day of obligation, receiving Holy Communion and Sacrament of Penance, observing marriage laws, etc.. In all these ways then we learn how to love God and our neighbor in a concrete way.

Q. 282. What can be said in general about a Christian's duties toward God? * The obligation of the Christians, indeed for all human beings toward God is, to love God and to serve Him. Since He is our Creator, we owe Him love, adoration and service all our days without holidays. There are no holidays for the service of God because He is our Creator everyday and He keeps us in existence everyday.

Q. 283. How do we sin against the honor of God? * A person sins against God's honor in many ways. The first 3 commandments tells us about recognizing God and give Him the honor due to Him. 1.) Anyone who ignores the honor due to God and gives that honor to other creature is breaking the first commandment, "I am the Lord your God, you're not to have any other gods before Me" Examples are by putting anyone or anything in God's place, some people adore their career, other people adore money and there are other people who adore pleasure, there are some also who makes a statue of a false god and worship it. 2.) Sin against the 2nd commandment,"You shall not take the name the Lord your God in vain" is by blaspheming or perjuring ourselves. We must honor God in the use of His Name and in matters touching Him and things dedicated to Him. We must speak well of God and with great respect. Also they are those who use the name of God in vain but they don't give seriousness to the use of the Name of God. People commits a sin called sacrilege, which means a breaking of a vow or a solemn promise. 3.) We sin against God's honor by failing to show respect for person, places and things consecrated especially to God. We must have reverence also with reference to persons, things, and places connected with that are consecrated to God in a special way. It's a sin of sacrilege also when one fights, strikes or does the physical harm to those who are consecrated to God, (especially to the pope, bishops, deacons, religious- monks and nuns, for they are consecrated to God more than others) even out of hatred for religion. Another sin against the 2nd commandment is called desecration, which means person violating a holy place. 4.) Sins against the 3rd commandment, "Remember to keep the Holy Sabbath day" are by atheism, heresy, and schism and by missing Sunday Mass and holiday of obligations. Everybody should attend Mass on Sunday's and holidays of obligation because it is a mortal sin if we fail to do that, unless we have a valid reason for not going because the Mass is the highest form of worship. It is a reminder of Christ's Easter victory and the joy we share in Christ.

Q. 284. What responsibilities do we have toward other people? * Our duties toward our fellowmen can be put into several headings:

1.) Respect for them as a unique persons. 2.) Respect for their rights and freedom, and therefore, concern for what touches their health, their house, food, their right to work, and all what touches them. 3.) Showing to all others that justice and charity of Christ which we all desire to be shown us and which our Savior has taught us in the Sermon on the Mount and especially in the Beatitudes. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the meek, and blessed are those who are merciful". That is His spirit, His new Commandment, which is to love our neighbor. 4.) We should respect all lawful authority whether in the home, in the family, in the civil society or in the church. If we do all these, we will be observing that love towards our fellowman which includes duties.

Q. 285. How can we show the justice and charity of Christ to others? * We show the justice and charity of Christ to others by sharing our faith with others especially by living our faith in our association with others so that even without formulating it into words the others who are dealing with us immediately notices that we are disciples of Jesus.

Q. 286. How should our judgments of others and our speech be ruled? * Our judgements of others and our speech should be ruled by following God's command to think kindly about others. Kindness is an essential virtue of our Christian lives. Its object is the giving of ourselves to others. The basis of love is kind thinking. Christ is telling us not to judge others so that we won't be judged as well. When we speak of our neighbours, what we say must be ruled by charity and prudence.

Q. 287. In obedience to lawful authority, how do we show our love for our neighbor? * With respect to lawful authority, love for our neighbor demands that first, we accept his/her authority that comes from God whether that authority be that of parents in their home, civil authorities or authorities in the Church. We give our willing obedience, respect and the necessary cooperation.

Q. 288. In what ways do we sin against our neighbor? * We sin against our neighbor in many ways: 1.) Sins against our neighbor in the area of justice. In the 7th and 10th commandments, God forbids taking or using something that belongs to another person against his reasonable wish. Injustices include: stealing, borrowing without permission, fraud, not paying

debts, wasting an employer's time, money or property, cheating, etc.. All the goods of this world comes from God. These material goods are not only for ourselves but also for the benefit of our families and helping others in need. 2.) Sins against our neighbor in the area of God's gift of life. The 5th Commandment is God's Will of protecting human life, protecting the body and protecting the soul. Protecting the body is to take care of the body and of the bodies of others. We must honor and preserve life because it is sacred from the first moment of conception to the moment of natural death. Therefore murder, suicide, abortion, euthanasia (mercy killing of innocent unborn babies and 6months to 90 year old), excessive use of drugs drunkenness, fighting, anger, though they are not of the same graveness. But they are all menaces against life and some of them take away life itself. It is our duty to help our brother and sister towards God, not to lead them away from God and Christ will judge us for that when we come into judgment. 3.) Sins against our neighbor in the area of speech. The 8th Commandment is telling us to say the truth and to be honest in our speech. Therefore do not tell a lie. Say it as you see and as you think. Simply let your 'yes' be 'yes', your 'no' be 'no' is the first injunction. Honesty in speech safeguards the name of another. It's not correct to say everything you know. Sometimes we know something about someone but are bound to keep it secret. The best rule is how would you like others to treat you in matters of your own weaknesses then treat others like that.

4.) Sins against our neighbor in the area of sexuality. The 6th and 9th commandments indicate that the use of the sexual faculty is a right privilege of those who are validly married. Adultery, polygamy, fornication, masturbation, pornography, premarital sex, homosexual practices, indecent entertainment and all other acts of impurity are all gravely contrary to chastity and are seriously wrong.

Q. 289. What responsibilities do we have towards self? * Our responsibilities toward self are: 1.) to be an example of Christian goodness, Christ Himself is telling us to love our neighbours as ourselves, "You will love your neighbour as yourselves." which means He wants us to love ourselves. Only if we love ourselves in a correct sense. Our duties towards ourselves can be put this way: first, we should strive to be followers of Christ, following the example that Christ gave us of goodness, of doing the Father's will. 2.) To be humble and patience with ourselves. We need to be patient with ourselves knowing that we have not yet reached the height of perfection. We have faults but we can improve and we should improve. 3.) To being simple in the use of the things in this world. We should strive to have proper relationship, by giving them the proper value. Detachment from these earthly possessions is one of the sacrifices Christ asks from us because things of this world don't have absolute value. Christians should have simplicity and dependence upon God as Christ did. 4.)We

should also strive to be pure in our thoughts, and therefore, in our actions. Our actions should be the outflow of minds that are tuned to God; God-centered not self-centered. 5.) In the virtue of humility, we will strive to fight the danger of pride, laziness, envy, and food and drink, those things that are pleasant, we will always need moderation, which is the virtue of temperance. When effort is made in all these direction, we will become a saint striving each day to follow Christ with greater generosity and fidelity.

Q.290 What does the thought of the duties and obligations help the Christian to do? * When we think of duties that are ours as consequence of our love of God and love our neighbor, many things follow. The short way to put them is to keep the Commandments because if we keep the Commandments, it means we love God and we love our neighbor. It will also mean, we will try to form a good conscience so that we will have clear ideas and our decisions about what to do or not to do are in line with God's will and are not our own private judgements going against objective reality. It is to Form our conscience and inform ourselves! We learn from the Church to what is right and wrong, how to judge, decide and choose to do it. Sometimes it is necessary to go against the current of public opinion & what I would like to do. Then we must have the courage to say "no" to temptation, and also to cut off the occasion of sin.

Q. 291. Why should a Christian face death with courage and joy? * If the person has passed through life ignoring God and Christ, and the Church, and the Gospel, making himself the center, no wonder if that person gets afraid when death comes with neither courage nor joy. But if the person pass through life making honest effort to love God and neighbor and to keep the commandment, and to follow the ways of Christ as much as the person knows and for a Catholic, be very dynamic in Church life, in apostolate, in reception of Sacraments, in prayer, when death is near, it means the time is coming to meet the Lord Jesus, to meet God, Who made us, for Whom he has been living, It means the time has come for him to get full benefit from the resurrection of Christ. In Christ we live, in Him we die, in Him we rise again. It means the time for homecoming has arrived.That justifies the joy and the courage that is why the Saints are very happy at the time of death. A certain amount of fear because we cannot be 100% sure but also hope, trust because as Saint Paul says:" I know in Whom i have believed." And the Church always celebrates the day a Saint dies because that's the day of entry into heaven. It's their spiritual birthday. The day they were born into heaven.

Q. 292. What is the particular judgment? * When a person dies the soul is separated from the body. The body begins to show signs that the soul is not there anymore. The soul goes before God to get what we call particular judgment, judgment for just that particular person. If the person has done God's Will, died in the state of grace, without the slightest speck of sin then the person goes to heaven. If the person dies in mortal sin, not loving God at all, no

sanctifying grace whatsoever, then the person goes to hell. Both heaven and hell have no end. If the person dies in state of grace but still there is some temporal punishment due to sin not yet remitted on earth, the person goes to Purgatory and will suffer there for time, the length of which we don't know and will eventually reach heaven. So, particular judgment means at the very instant, that the soul leaves the body, it is judged by Almighty God.

Q. 293. What is hell? * Hell is a total separation from God which is also eternal that means which has no end. The person has died in the state of mortal sin. We say hell as a fire because we have no human language adequate enough for it. But all fire that we know would be gentle breeze compare to the real suffering of people in hell and will never end. The fact is that Christ speaks to us of that fire, which dies not and Christ speaks of those who at the Last Judgment will go into eternal punishment which is prepared for the devil and his angels. It is necessary to think of hell because Christ Himself reveals it to us. It is a fact we cannot wish that it will be away from us by saying that we don't admit that it's there, we haven't a second chance after death. It's therefore important to take our Savior seriously. There are some who don't want to preach on hell. They say, "It disturbs children". (Note: God shows hell to 3 little children at Fatima apparition). We cannot pretend to be wiser than our Savior. So we better preach the full Gospel.

Q. 294. What is purgatory? * Purgatory is a place for suffering, for souls of those who have died, who died in state of grace but there is some temporal punishment due to mortal sin already forgiven or perhaps there is some venial sins not sufficiently repented of or some other speck which God will know, and we know that no soul with any type of defect will enter heaven. Purgatory is therefore, in a sense, a place of mercy, to get the person fully purified and fit for heaven and yet it is also a place of justice of God to get the compensation, the reparation made. That is what Purgatory is. We don't know how long souls suffer there. Maybe very long, maybe much longer than we think. What we know is that the suffering is intense and it's more than any suffering we know on earth. The difference between it and hell is that it has an end. It will not last forever. The souls in Purgatory have already loved God, but because they love God and cannot yet see Him as He is; the suffering is also intense. We know also from our faith that we can help, we can pray for them, we can especially get Holy Mass offered for them, we can obtain indulgence for them, we can offer penance for them and we should for it can help them to reach heaven quickly.

Q. 295. What is the Beatific Vision? * The Beatific Vision is that seeing God as He is in heaven and seeing Him without any danger of loosing that intense joy without end. Knowing that the person has reached home. has attained the purpose of being created. God made me to know Him, to love Him and serve Him in this world so that i shall be happy with Him forever in the next.

Q. 296. What do we mean when we say, "I believe in the resurrection of the body"? * What we mean is that at the end of this world, there will be a general resurrection because up to that time, the people in heaven were there only with their souls, the same those in hell. Those in Purgatory will go to heaven. At that general resurrection, the body will arise. The body joins the soul, so that the human being is now complete once more. Either the soul will experience eternal happiness in heaven or for eternal suffering in hell. The human being is body and soul together; they make a unit that served God or refused to serve Him while that person was on earth. At natural death the soul goes before God for judgment but at the resurrection of the body, the body arises and joins the soul. So the human being is complete.

Q. 297. What we mean when we say "I believe in life everlasting? * We mean that we believe in a life after death, a life of joy, happiness without end with God in heaven for those who have served God with generosity and for the life of suffering for ever for those who have died in state of mortal sin. So there is life without end and our faith will profess it.

Q. 298. What is the Last or general Judgment? * When we say the Last or General Judgment we mean, when all humanity will come and our Lord Jesus will say as He Himself said, "Separate the sheep from the goats". In short, those who loved Him at His right, those who did not love God at the left. When everything would be manifested openly before everyone as distinct from the individual or particular judgment which was for each person at the moment that person died. Christ Himself tells us in the Gospel according to St. Matthew 25: "When the Son of Man comes in His glory escorted by all the angels then He'll take His seat on His throne of glory. All the nations shall be assembled before Him. And He will separate men one from another as shepherds separate sheep from goats." Our Savior is telling us, "There will be final day in which in front of everyone it will be clear." Those who have done His will, to one side, and those who have refused to do His will, died in state of mortal sin, to the other side.

Q. 299. What will take place on the day of the Last Judgment? * What will happen is that everything will be laid bare. When the Judge will sit, everything hidden would be made known and nothing will be left anymore. Some people in this world do evil and they get away with it as far as human eyes can see. Other people don't realize that they are evildoers. And there are other people who suffered a lot. They are oppressed and repressed and they bare it and they died, the public may not know that they are giants in the love of God. These are great Saints. On that day everything will be manifested, so those who don't feel, who don't get justice in this world will have full justice on that day. In the Scripture, the servant did not use the talent that was given to him. He did not even deposit it in

the bank for some interest. So he was condemned, thrown out to the exterior darkness. Such is the great warning to us all that sins of omission can be serious.

Q. 300. What will take place when Christ returns with power? * When Christ will return with His power as Judge of the living and the dead, He will hand over the Kingdom to His Father as He Himself has said. That means the work of Redemption is complete. Christ brings to the Father all of those who have accepted the Redemption. It is too bad for those who have refused to take the benefit of the Redemption. There will be no Church Militant on earth and there will be no need now for faith and hope but only charity will remain. Because St. Paul said, "Charity never dies; never ceases." Those who did not realize the glory of Christ will then realize it. We have to make a big effort that everybody will realize the glory of Christ while on earth.

Q. 301. When will we fully reach our eternal destiny? * When the person dies at the particular judgment: Heaven, Hell, Purgatory. Those who are sure in heaven are babies who were baptized and they died before they are able to do good or evil. Then they definitely go to heaven. We don't need canonization of those by the Holy Father. We celebrate Holy Innocents because they were killed for Christ.

Q. 302. Why does Mary have the highest place in the Church after Christ? * Mary is in a place highest after Christ because first, she is the Mother of God her only begotten Son, Who is the 2nd Person of the Blessed Trinity, Who always being God took on human nature from her, was conceived by her, and was born in Bethlehem. Second, Mary has a prominent place, she is Associate of the Savior, she was with Christ, and Christ is our Savior. Mary was His Associate from the announcement of His coming into this world by the Archangel Gabriel, Mary accepted. From that moment to the visitation to Elizabeth and Zachary and to the Nativity of Christ in Bethlehem, His presentation in the temple, of public life, His death on the Cross. The Holy Spirit coming on the Apostles, Mary was always prominent. Mary is also Mother of all the followers of Christ, Mother of the Church. For all these reasons she has a unique place after Christ. Our Salvation comes from Christ and Mary was His Mother, beside the Cross and we receive graces through her. In every stage through history the Church has benefited from the prayer and protection of the Virgin Mary, the Holy Scripture and the experience of the faithful see the Mother of God as the one who in a very special way is united with the Church at the most difficult moment in its history.We are encouraged to continue to look to Mary as the Model of the Church and the best example of discipleship of Christ. She is the mother of all Christians and shows us how best to follow Christ and of her Christ always said, "Blessed is he who hears the word of God and keep it." This is normal as our Catholic piety and it's 100% in line with our Faith.

Q. 303. What are some special gifts, which God gave to Mary?

* The most special gift Mary received from God is to be Mother of God. That in a way includes everything else. Mother of God that's the highest. She is conceived Immaculate, that is without original sin which all of us inherited from Adam. Mary knew in view of the merits of Christ, in preparing her to be the Mother of God, God didn't want her to be under the power of the devil for any moment. Concupiscence is that propensity we have to evil which makes temptation difficult for us to resist. Mary did not have that concupiscence because she doesn't have original sin and therefore didn't have the consequences of original sin We have original sin and even though it is removed in baptism the consequences do not entirely disappear. We still have to battle against temptation. She is full of grace. Angel pronounced her full of grace that means she pleased God totally she was full of the life of God, full of the love of God. She never did anything that God did not want. She always did what God wanted. Mary was also assumed body and soul into heaven at the end of her earthly life. And she was also a Virgin, always a Virgin before Christ was born and after. Graces we receive are graces of Christ but they come through Mary.

Q. 304. What is the wish of the Catholic Church concerning devotion to Mary? * The wish of the Church, as the Second Vatican Counsel says, as God made Mary great, we recognize the fact and act accordingly. It isn't we who made Mary great. Its God. She herself had said it in the Magnificat. "The Almighty has done great things for me and holy is His Name and all generations will call me blessed." If anyone doesn't call her blessed the person has to ask himself how he fits into the gospel. Anyone who cares to read the gospels even just the first two chapters of St. Luke or St. John or St. Matthew, If anybody reads them without bias the person sees then the Church wants us to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of God, as Mother of the Church, as our spiritual Mother and as our Example in how to follow Christ because she is the first of those who heard the word of God and kept it. In every sense of the word, she even had the Word of God made Man, held him in her hands, so she even kept Him as her Child. And also kept His sayings, reflecting them in her heart and acting on them!

MMIV Apostolate for Family Consecration Media Trust, All Rights Reserved, Philippines, www.familycatechism.com, www.familyland.tv and www.familyland.org