╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ The Baltimore
Catechism ║
║ of Christian
Doctrine ║
║ For The Use
of ║
║ Sunday-School Teachers
and Advanced Classes ║
║ (Also known as Baltimore
Catechism No. 3) ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════╝
by
Rev. Thomas L. Kinkead
These
Catechisms of the Baltimore Series are arranged on a progressive plan. No. 00 gives the Prayers and Acts to be
learned before the study of the Catechisms begins:-No. 0 contains one half the
questions of No. 1 ; No. 1 half the questions of No. 2; No. 2 one-third the
questions of No. 3, and No. 4 (an Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism)
furnishes much additional information with copious explanations and examples.
The same
questions bear the same numbers throughout the series, and their wording is
identical. The different sizes of type
make the Catechisms more suitable to their respective grades, smaller children
usually requiring larger print.
Apart from its
educational advantages, the progressive plan aims at lessening the expense in
providing children with Catechisms, by furnishing just what is necessary for
each grade; it aims also at encouraging the children to learn, by affording
opportunity for promotion from book to book.
These
Catechisms are intended to furnish a complete course of religious instruction,
when, used as follows:
No. 00 for Prayer classes.
No. 0 for Confession classes and certain adults.
No. 1 for First Communion classes.
No. 2 for Confirmation classes.
No. 3 for two years' course for Post-Confirmation
classes.
No. 4 for Teachers and Teachers' Training classes.
Preface To No. 3
I have been
requested by several priests to prepare an abridgment of the "Explanation
of the Baltimore Catechism" that would be suitable as a classbook for
children who have been confirmed or who have completed the study of the
Baltimore Catechism No. 2. The
"Explanation" itself contains more matter than some of these children
can master and it costs a little more than many of them can afford to pay. I have, therefore, selected from the list
given in the back of the "Explanation" a large number of the more
practical and important questions, to which I have added others, with answers,
as full, brief and simple as the matter will permit. These questions and answers are added to
those of the Baltimore Catechism No. 2, but with such distinction in type that
all may see they are not a part of the Catechism prepared by the Council, but
only a development of its meaning.
Whenever
questions on the same subject are repeated in the book their object is to bring
out some new point or to show their connection with the subject-matter there
explained.
AUTHOR.
Catechism of Christian Doctrine
PRAYERS
The Lord's Prayer.
Our Father,
who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive
us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not
into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
The Angelical Salutation.
Hail Mary,
full of grace! the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou amongst women, and
blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.
The Apostles' Creed.
I believe in
God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His
only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin
Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified; died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He
arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand
of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and
the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost
the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Confiteor.
I confess to
Almighty God, to blessed Mary, ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel,
to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and to all
the Saints, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word and deed, through,
my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore, I
beseech blessed Mary, ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John
the Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the Saints, to pray to
the Lord our God for me. May the Almighty
God have mercy on me, and forgive me my sins, and bring me to everlasting
life. Amen. May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant me
pardon, absolution, and remission of all my sins. Amen.
An Act of Faith.
O my God! I
firmly believe that Thou art one God in three Divine persons, Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost; I believe that Thy Divine Son became man, and died for our sins,
and that he will come to, judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the
Holy Catholic Church teaches, because Thou hast revealed them, who canst
neither deceive nor be deceived.
An Act of Hope.
O my God!
relying on Thy infinite goodness and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my
sins, the help of Thy grace, and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus
Christ, my Lord and Redeemer.
An Act of Love.
O my God! I
love Thee above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because Thou art
all-good and worthy of all love. I love
my neighbor as myself for the love of Thee. I forgive all who have injured me, and ask
pardon of all whom I have injured.
An Act of Contrition.
O my God! I am
heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I
dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell; but most of all because they
offend Thee, my God, who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace,
to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.
The Blessing before Meals.
Bless us, 0
Lord! and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty,
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Grace after Meals.
We give Thee
thanks for all Thy benefits, 0 Almighty God, who livest and reignest for ever;
and may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in
peace. Amen.
The Manner in which a Lay Person is to Baptize in Case of
Necessity:
Pour common
water on the head or face of the person to be baptized say while pouring
it: "I baptize thee in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
N.B. Any person of
either sex who has reached the use of reason can baptize in
case of necessity.
╔════════════════════════════════╗
║ THE LESSONS OF THE
CATECHISM ║
╚════════════════════════════════╝
LESSON 1: ON THE END OF MAN
LESSON 2: ON GOD AND HIS PERFECTIONS
LESSON 3: ON THE UNITY AND TRINITY OF GOD
LESSON 4: ON CREATION
LESSON 5: ON OUR FIRST PARENTS AND THEIR FALL
LESSON 6: ON SIN AND ITS KINDS
LESSON 7: ON THE INCARNATION AND REDEMPTION
LESSON 8: ON OUR LORD'S PASSION, DEATH, RESURRECTION,
AND ASCENSION
LESSON 9: ON THE HOLY GHOST AND HIS DESCENT UPON THE
APOSTLES
LESSON 10: ON THE
EFFECTS OF THE REDEMPTION
LESSON 11: ON THE
CHURCH
LESSON 12: ON THE
ATTRIBUTES AND MARKS OF THE CHURCH
LESSON 13: ON THE
SACRAMENTS IN GENERAL
LESSON 14: ON
BAPTISM
LESSON 15: ON
CONFIRMATION
LESSON 16: ON THE
GIFTS AND FRUITS OF THE HOLY GHOST
LESSON 17: ON THE
SACRAMENT OF PENANCE
LESSON 18: ON
CONTRITION
LESSON 19: ON
CONFESSION
LESSON 20: ON THE
MANNER OF MAKING A GOOD CONFESSION
LESSON 21: ON
INDULGENCES
LESSON 22: ON THE
HOLY EUCHARIST
LESSON 23: ON THE
END FOR WHICH THE HOLY EUCHARIST WAS INSTITUTED
LESSON 24: ON THE
SACRIFICE OF THE MASS
LESSON 25: ON
EXTREME UNCTION AND HOLY ORDERS
LESSON 26: ON
MATRIMONY
LESSON 27: ON THE
SACRAMENTALS
LESSON 28: ON
PRAYER
LESSON 29: ON THE
COMMANDMENTS OF GOD
LESSON 30: ON THE
FIRST COMMANDMENT SAINTS
LESSON 31: THE
FIRST COMMANDMENT -- ON THE HONOR AND INVOCATION OF SAINTS
LESSON 32: FROM
THE SECOND TO THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT
LESSON 33: FROM
THE FOURTH TO THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT
LESSON 34: FROM
THE SEVENTH TO THE END OF THE TENTH COMMANDMENT
LESSON 35: ON THE
FIRST AND SECOND COMMANDMENTS OF THE CHURCH
LESSON 36: ON THE
THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH, AND SIXTH COMMANDMENTS OF THE CHURCH AND HEAVEN
LESSON 37: ON THE
LAST JUDGMENT AND THE RESURRECTION, HELL, PURGATORY, AND HEAVEN
╔═════════════════════╗
║ LIST OF QUESTIONS ║
╚═════════════════════╝
LESSON FIRST: On
the End of Man.
Q.126. What do we
mean by the "end of man"?
Q.127. How do you
know that man was created for God
alone?
Q.128. In what
respect are all men equal?
Q.129. Do not men
differ in many things?
Q.130. Who made
the world?
Q.131. What does
"world" mean in this question?
Q.132. Who is God?
Q.133. What is
man?
Q.134. Does
"man" in the Catechism mean all human beings?
Q.135. What is a
creature?
Q.136. Is this
likeness in the body or in the soul?
Q.137. How is the
soul like to God?
Q.138. Is every
invisible thing a spirit?
Q.139. Has a
spirit any other quality?
Q.140. What do the
words "will never die" mean?
Q.141. Why then do
we say a soul is dead while in a state of
mortal sin?
Q.142. What does
our "understanding" mean?
Q.143. Can we
learn all truths by our reason alone?
Q.144. What do we
call the truths God teaches us?
Q.145. What is
"Free Will"?
Q.146. Have brute
animals "understanding" and "free will"?
Q.147. What gift
in animals supplies the place of reason?
Q.148. What is
instinct?
Q.149. Have men as
well as brutes "instinct"?
Q.150. Why did God
make you?
Q.151. Why is it
necessary to know God?
Q.152. Of which
must we take more care, our soul or our
body?
Q.153. Why must we
take more care of our soul than of our
body?
Q.154. What must
we do to save our souls?
Q.155. What does
"worship" mean?
Q.156. How shall
we know the things which we are to
believe?
Q.157. What do we
mean by the "Church, through which
God speaks
to us"?
Q.158. Where shall
we find the chief truths which the Church
teaches?
Q.159. If we shall
find only the "chief truths" in the
Apostles'
Creed, where shall we find the remaining
truths?
Q.160. Name some
sacred truths not mentioned in the
Apostles'
Creed.
Q.161. Say the
Apostles' Creed.
LESSON SECOND: On
God and His Perfections
Q.162. What is a
perfection?
Q.163. What is
God?
Q.164. What do we
mean when we say God is "infinitely
perfect"?
Q.165. Had God a
beginning?
Q.166. Where is God?
Q.167. How is God
everywhere?
Q.168. If God is
everywhere, why do we not see Him?
Q.169. Why do we
call God a "pure spirit'?
Q.170. Why can we
not see God with the eyes of our body?
Q.171. Does God
see us?
Q.172. Is it
necessary for God to watch over us?
Q.173. Does God
know all things?
Q.174. Can God do
all things?
Q.175. When is a
thing said to be "impossible"?
Q.176. Is God
just, holy, and merciful?
Q.177. Why must
God be "just" as well as "merciful"?
Q.178. Into what
sins will the forgetfulness of God's justice
lead us?
Q.179. Into what
sins will the forgetfulness of God's mercy
lead us?
LESSON THIRD: On
the Unity and Trinity of God
Q.180. What does
"unity," and what does "trinity" mean?
Q.181. Can we find
an example to fully illustrate the mystery
of the
Blessed Trinity?
Q.182. Is there
but one God?
Q.183. Why can
there be but one God?
Q.184. What does
"supreme" mean?
Q.185. When are
two persons said to be equal?
Q.186. How many persons
are there in God?
Q.187. What do
"divine" and "distinct" mean?
Q.188. Is the
Father God?
Q.189. Is the Son
God?
Q.190. Is the Holy
Ghost God?
Q.191. Do
"first," "second," and "third" with regard to the
persons of
the Blessed Trinity mean that one person
existed
before the other or that one is greater than the
other?
Q.192. What do you
mean by the Blessed Trinity?
Q.193. Are the
three Divine Persons equal in all things?
Q.194. Are the
three Divine Persons one and the same God?
Q.195. What do we
mean by the "nature" and "substance" of
a thing?
Q.196. Can we
fully understand how the three Divine Persons
are one and
the same God?
Q.197. What is a
mystery?
Q.198. Is every
truth which we cannot understand a mystery?
Q.199. Should we
believe truths which we cannot understand?
Q.200. Give an
example of truths which all believe, though
many do not
understand them.
Q.201. Why must a
divine religion have mysteries?
Q.202. Why does
God require us to believe mysteries?
Q.203. By what
form of prayer do we praise the Holy
Trinity?
Q.204. Say the
Doxology.
Q.205. Is there
any other form of the Doxology?
LESSON FOURTH: On
Creation
Q.206. What is the
difference between making and creating?
Q.207. Has
everything that exists been created?
Q.208. Who created
heaven and earth, and all things?
Q.209. From what
do we learn that God created heaven and
earth and
all things?
Q.210. Why did God
create all things?
Q.211. Did God
leave all things to themselves after He had
created
them?
Q.212. What do we
call the care by which God preserves and
governs the
world and all it contains?
Q.213. How did God
create heaven and earth?
Q.214. Which are
the chief creatures of God?
Q.215. How may
God's creatures on earth be divided?
Q.216. What are
angels?
Q.217. If Angels
have no bodies, how could they appear?
Q.218. Name some
persons to whom Angels appeared.
Q.219. Were the
angels created for any other purpose?
Q.220. Are all the
Angels equal in dignity?
Q.221. Mention
some Archangels and tell what they did.
Q.222. Were Angels
ever sent to punish men?
Q.223. What do our
guardian Angels do for us?
Q.224. How do we
know that Angels offer our prayers and
good works
to God?
Q.225. Why did God
appoint guardian Angels if He watches
over us
Himself?
Q.226. Were the
angels, as God created them, good and
happy?
Q.227. Did all the
angels remain good and happy?
Q.228. Do we know
the number of good and bad Angels?
Q.229. What was
the devil's name before he fell, and why
was he cast
out of heaven?
Q.230. How do the
bad Angels act toward us?
Q.231. Why does
the devil tempt us?
Q.232. Can we by our
own power overcome the temptations
of the
devil?
LESSON FIFTH: On
our First Parents and the Fall
Q.233. Who were
the first man and woman?
Q.234. Are there
any persons in the world who are not the
descendants
of Adam and Eve?
Q.235. Do not the
differences in color, figure, etc., which
we find in
distinct races indicate a difference in first
parents?
Q.236. Were Adam
and Eve innocent and holy when they
came from
the hand of God?
Q.237. What do we mean
by saying Adam and Eve "were
innocent" when they came from the hand of God?
Q.238. How was
Adam's body formed?
Q.239. How was
Eve's body formed?
Q.240. Why did God
make Eve from one of Adam's ribs?
Q.241. Could man's
body be developed from the body of an
inferior
animal?
Q.242. Could man's
soul and intelligence be formed by the
development
of animal life and instinct?
Q.243. Did God
give any command to Adam and Eve?
Q.244. What was
the Garden of Paradise?
Q.245. Where was
the Garden of Paradise situated?
Q.246. What was
the tree bearing the forbidden fruit called?
Q.247. Do we know
the name of any other tree in the
garden?
Q.248. Which were
the chief blessings intended for Adam
and Eve had
they remained faithful to God?
Q.249. Did Adam
and Eve remain faithful to God?
Q.250. Who was the
first to disobey God?
Q.251. How was Eve
tempted to sin?
Q.252. Which were
the chief causes that led Eve into sin?
Q.253. What befell
Adam and Eve on account of their sin?
Q.254. What other
evils befell Adam and Eve on account of
their sin?
Q.255. Were we to
remain in the Garden of Paradise forever
if Adam had
not sinned?
Q.256. What evil
befell us on account of the disobedience of
our first
parents?
Q.257. Is it not
unjust to punish us for the sin of our first
parents?
Q.258. But how did
the loss of the gift of original justice
leave our
first parents and us in mortal sin?
Q.259. What other
effects followed from the sin of our first
parents?
Q.260. What do we
mean by "our nature was corrupted"?
Q.261. Why do we
say our understanding was darkened?
Q.262. Why do we
say our will was weakened?
Q.263. In what
does the strong inclination to evil that is left
in us
consist?
Q.264. What is
this strong inclination to evil called, and why
did God
permit it to remain in us?
Q.265. What is the
sin called which we inherit from our first
parents?
Q.266. Why is this
sin called original?
Q.267. Does this
corruption of our nature remain in us after
original
sin is forgiven?
Q.268. Was any one
ever preserved from original sin?
Q.269. Why was the
Blessed Virgin preserved from original
sin?
Q.270. How could
the Blessed Virgin be preserved from sin
by her
Divine Son, before her Son was born?
Q.271. What does
the "Immaculate Conception" mean?
Q.272. What has
always been the belief of the Church
concerning
this truth?
Q.273. To what
should the thoughts of the Immaculate
Conception
lead us?
LESSON SIXTH: On
Sin and Its Kinds
Q.274. How is sin
divided?
Q.275. In how many
ways may actual sin be committed?
Q.276. What is our
sin called when we neglect things
commanded?
Q.277. Is original
sin the only kind of sin?
Q.278. What is
actual sin?
Q.279. How many
kinds of actual sin are there?
Q.280. What is
mortal sin?
Q.281. Why is this
sin called mortal?
Q.282. How many
things are necessary to make a sin mortal?
Q.283. What do we
mean by "grievous matter" with regard
to sin?
Q.284. What does
"sufficient reflection and full consent of
the
will" mean?
Q.285. What are
sins committed without reflection or consent
called?
Q.286. Do past
material sins become real sins as soon as we
discover
their sinfulness?
Q.287. How can we
know what sins are considered mortal?
Q.288. Why is it
wrong to judge others guilty of sin?
Q.289. What sin
does he commit who without sufficient
reason
believes another guilty of sin?
Q.290. What is
venial sin?
Q.291. Can we
always distinguish venial from mortal sin?
Q.292. Can slight
offenses ever become mortal sins?
Q.293. Which are
the effects of venial sin?
Q.294. How can we
know a thought, word or deed to be
sinful?
Q.295. Which are
the chief sources of sin?
Q.296. What is
pride?
Q.297. What effect
has pride on our souls?
Q.298. What is
covetousness?
Q.299. What effect
has covetousness on our souls?
Q.300. What is
lust?
Q.301. What effect
has lust on our souls?
Q.302. What is
anger?
Q.303. What effect
has anger on our soul?
Q.304. What is
gluttony?
Q.305. What kind
of a sin is drunkenness?
Q.306. Is
drunkenness always a mortal sin?
Q.307. What are
the chief effects of habitual drunkenness?
Q.308. What three
sins seem to cause most evil in the world?
Q.309. What is
envy?
Q.310. What effect
has envy on the soul?
Q.311. What is
sloth?
Q.312. What effect
has sloth upon the soul?
Q.313. Why are the
seven sources of sin called capital sins?
Q.314. What do we
mean by our predominant sin or ruling
passion?
Q.315. How can we
best overcome our sins?
Q.316. Should we
give up trying to be good when we seem
not to succeed in overcoming our faults?
Q.317. What
virtues are opposed to the seven capital sins?
LESSON SEVENTH: On
the Incarnation and Redemption
Q.318. What does
"incarnation" mean, and what does
"redemption" mean?
Q.319. Did God
abandon man after he fell into sin?
Q.320. What do we
mean by the "gates of heaven"?
Q.321. Who is the
Redeemer?
Q.322. What does
the name "Jesus" signify and how was this
name given
to Our Lord?
Q.323. What does
the name "Christ" signify?
Q.324. How did
Christ show and prove His divine power?
Q.325. What, then,
did the miracles of Jesus Christ prove?
Q.326. Could not
men have been deceived in the miracles of
Christ?
Q.327. Could not
false accounts of these miracles have been
written
after the death of Our Lord?
Q.328. Did Jesus
Christ die to redeem all men of every age
and race
without exception?
Q.329. How are the
merits of Jesus Christ applied to our
souls?
Q.330. What do you
believe of Jesus Christ?
Q.331. Cannot we
also be called the Children of God, and
therefore
His sons and daughters?
Q.332. Why is
Jesus Christ true God?
Q.333. Why is
Jesus Christ true man?
Q.334. Who was the
foster father or guardian of Our Lord
while on earth?
Q.335. Is Jesus
Christ in heaven as God or as man?
Q.336. How many
natures are there in Jesus Christ?
Q.337. Is Jesus
Christ more than one person?
Q.338. From what
do we learn that Jesus Christ is but one
person?
Q.339. Was Jesus
Christ always God?
Q.340. Was Jesus
Christ always man?
Q.341. What do you
mean by the Incarnation?
Q.342. How was the
Son of God made man?
Q.343. Is the
Blessed Virgin Mary truly the Mother of God?
Q.344. Did the Son
of God become man immediately after
the sin of
our first parents?
Q.345. How many
years passed from the time Adam sinned
till the
time the Redeemer came?
Q.346. What was
the moral condition of the world just
before the
coming of Our Lord?
Q.347. Why was the
coming of the Redeemer so long
delayed?
Q.348. When was
the Redeemer promised to mankind?
Q.349. Who were
the prophets?
Q.350. What did
the prophets foretell concerning the
Redeemer?
Q.351. Have all
these prophecies concerning the Redeemer
been
fulfilled?
Q.352. Where shall
we find these prophecies concerning the
Redeemer?
Q.353. If the
Redeemer's coming was so clearly foretold,
why did not
all recognize Him when He came?
Q.354. How could
they be saved who lived before the Son of
God became
man?
Q.355. On what day
was the Son of God conceived and made
man?
Q.356. On what day
was Christ born?
Q.357. Why did the
Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph go to
Bethlehem
just before the birth of Our Lord?
Q.358. Why was
Christ born in a stable?
Q.359. In giving
the ancestors or forefathers of Our Lord,
why do the
Gospels give the ancestors of Joseph, who
was only
Christ's foster-father, and not the ancestors
of Mary,
who was Christ's real parent?
Q.360. Had Our
Lord any brothers or sisters ?
Q.361. Who were
among the first to adore the Infant Jesus?
Q.362. Who sought
to kill the Infant Jesus?
Q.363. How was the
Holy Infant rescued from the power of
Herod?
Q.364. How did
Herod hope to accomplish his wicked
designs?
Q.365. How may the
years of Christ's life be divided?
Q.366. Why is
Christ's life thus divided?
Q.367. How long
did Christ live on earth?
Q.368. Why did
Christ live so long on earth?
LESSON EIGHTH: On
Our Lord's Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension
Q.369. What do we
mean by Our Lord's Passion?
Q.370. What did
Jesus Christ suffer?
Q.371. When did
Our Lord suffer the "bloody sweat"?
Q.372. Who
accompanied Our Lord to the Garden of Olives
on the
night of His Agony?
Q.373. What do we
mean by the transfiguration of Our Lord?
Q.374. Who were
present at the transfiguration?
Q.375. What caused
Our Lord's agony in the garden?
Q.376. Why was
Christ cruelly scourged?
Q.377. Why was
Christ crowned with thorns?
Q.378. Could
Christ, if He pleased, have escaped the tortures
of His
Passion?
Q.379. Was it
necessary for Christ to suffer so much in order
to redeem us?
Q.380. Who
betrayed Our Lord?
Q.381. How was
Christ condemned to death?
Q.382. On what day
did Christ die?
Q.383. Why do you
call that day "good" on which Christ
died so
sorrowful a death?
Q.384. How long
was Our Lord hanging on the cross before
He died?
Q.385. What do we
call the words Christ spoke while
hanging on
the Cross?
Q.386. Repeat the
seven last words or sayings of Jesus on the
Cross.
Q.387. What
happened at the death of Our Lord?
Q.388. What was
the Holy of Holies in the temple?
Q.389. What was
the "Ark of the Covenant"?
Q.390. Why was the
veil of the Temple torn asunder at the
death of
Christ?
Q.391. Why did the
Jewish religion, which up to the death of
Christ had been the true religion, cease at
that time to
be the true
religion?
Q.392. Were all
the laws of the Jewish religion abolished by
the
establishment of Christianity?
Q.393. What do we
mean by moral and ceremonial laws?
Q.394. Where did
Christ die?
Q.395. Where was
Mount Calvary, and what does the name
signify?
Q.396. How did
Christ die?
Q.397. Why was Our
Lord crucified between thieves?
Q.398. Why did
Christ suffer and die?
Q.399. How was Our
Lord's body buried?
Q.400. What
lessons do we learn from the sufferings and
death of
Christ?
Q.401. Whither did
Christ's soul go after His death?
Q.402. Did
Christ's soul descend into the hell of the damned?
Q.403. Why did
Christ descend into Limbo?
Q.404. Where was
Christ's body while His soul was in
Limbo?
Q.405. On what day
did Christ rise from the dead?
Q.406. Why is the
Resurrection the greatest of Christ's
miracles?
Q.407. Has any one
ever tried to disprove the miracle of the
resurrection?
Q.408. What do we
mean when we say Christ rose "glorious"
from the
dead?
Q.409. What are
the qualities of a glorified body?
Q.410. Was Christ
three full days in the tomb?
Q.411. How long
did Christ stay on earth after His
resurrection?
Q.412. Was Christ
visible to all and at all times during the
forty days
He remained on earth after His
resurrection?
Q.413. How did
Christ show that He was truly risen from the
dead?
Q.414. After
Christ had remained forty days on earth,
whither did
He go?
Q.415. Where did
the ascension of Our Lord take place?
Q.416. Who were
present at the ascension and who ascended
with
Christ?
Q.417. Why is the
paschal candle which is lighted on Easter
morning
extinguished at the Mass on Ascension Day?
Q.418. Where is
Christ in heaven?
Q.419. What do you
mean by saying that Christ sits at the
right hand
of God?
LESSON NINTH: On
the Holy Ghost and His Descent upon the Apostles
Q.420. Who is the
Holy Ghost?
Q.421. Did the
Holy Ghost ever appear?
Q.422. Is the Holy
Ghost called by other names?
Q.423. From whom
does the Holy Ghost proceed?
Q.424. Is the Holy
Ghost equal to the Father and the Son?
Q.425. On what day
did the Holy Ghost come down upon the
Apostles?
Q.426. Why is the
day on which the Holy Ghost came down
upon the
Apostles called Whitsunday?
Q.427. Why is this
feast called also Pentecost?
Q.428. How did the
Holy Ghost come down upon the
Apostles?
Q.429. What did
the form of tongues of fire denote?
Q.430. Who sent
the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles?
Q.431. Did the
Apostles know that the Holy Ghost would
come down
upon them?
Q.432. Has any one
ever denied the existence of the Holy
Ghost?
Q.433. What are
the sins against the Holy Ghost which Our
Lord said
will not be forgiven either in this world or
in the
next?
Q.434. Why did
Christ send the Holy Ghost?
Q.435. How was the
Church sanctified through the coming of
the Holy
Ghost?
Q.436. How were
the Apostles enlightened through the
coming of
the Holy Ghost?
Q.437. How were
the Apostles strengthened through the
coming of
the Holy Ghost?
Q.438. What does
"Apostle," and what does "Gospel" mean?
Q.439. Name the
Apostles.
Q.440. Was St.
Paul an Apostle?
Q.441. How did St.
Paul become an Apostle?
Q.442. Who were
the Evangelists?
Q.443. Why did not
the Apostles fully understand when
Christ
Himself taught them?
Q.444. Will the
Holy Ghost abide with the Church forever?
Q.445. What
benefit do we derive from the knowledge that
the Holy
Ghost will abide with the Church forever?
Q.446. What
visible power was given to the Apostles through
the coming
of the Holy Ghost?
Q.447. Why did
such wonderful gifts accompany
confirmation, or the coming of the Holy Ghost, in the
first ages
of the Church?
Q.448. Why are
these signs not continued everywhere at the
present
time?
Q.449. Were such
powers as the "gift of tongues" a part of
the
Sacrament of Confirmation?
LESSON TENTH: On
the Effects of the Redemption
Q.450. What is an
effect?
Q.451. What does
redemption mean?
Q.452. What did
Adam give away by his sin, and what did
Our Lord
buy back for him and us?
Q.453. Which are
the chief effects of the Redemption?
Q.454. Why do we
say "chief effects"?
Q.455. Why did
God's justice require satisfaction?
Q.456. What do you
mean by grace?
Q.457. What does
"supernatural" mean?
Q.458. What do you
mean by "merit"?
Q.459. How many
kinds of grace are there?
Q.460. What is the
difference between sanctifying grace and
actual
grace?
Q.461. What is
sanctifying grace?
Q.462. What do you
call those graces or gifts of God by
which we
believe in Him, hope in Him, and love
Him?
Q.463. What do you
mean by virtue and vice?
Q.464. Does habit
excuse us from the sins committed through
it?
Q.465. What is
Faith?
Q.466. What is
Hope?
Q.467. What is
Charity?
Q.468. Why are
Faith, Hope and Charity called virtues?
Q.469. What kind
of virtues are Faith, Hope and Charity?
Q.470. Why do we
say the three theological virtues are
infused and the four moral virtues
acquired?
Q.471. Why do we
believe God, hope in Him, and love
Him?
Q.472. What mortal
sins are opposed to Faith?
Q.473. Who is our
neighbor?
Q.474. Why should
we love our neighbor?
Q.475. What is actual
grace?
Q.476. Is grace
necessary to salvation?
Q.477. Can we
resist the grace of God?
Q.478. Is it a sin
knowingly to resist the grace of God?
Q.479. Does God
give His grace to every one?
Q.480. What is the
grace of perseverance?
Q.481. Can we
merit the grace of final perseverance or know
when we
possess it?
Q.482. Can a
person merit any supernatural reward for good
deeds
performed while he is in mortal sin?
Q.483. Does God
reward anything but our good works?
LESSON ELEVENTH:
On the Church
Q.484. How was the
true religion preserved from Adam till
the coming
of Christ?
Q.485. Who were
the prophets, and what was their chief
duty?
Q.486. How could
they be saved who lived before Christ
became man?
Q.487. Was the
true religion universal before the coming of
Christ?
Q.488. Which are
the means instituted by Our Lord to enable
men at all
times to share in the fruits of the
Redemption?
Q.489. What is the
Church?
Q.490. How may the
members of the Church on earth be
divided?
Q.491. What is the
duty of the Teaching Church?
Q.492. What is the
duty of the faithful?
Q.493. What do you
mean by "profess the faith of Christ"?
Q.494. What do we
mean by "lawful pastors"?
Q.495. Who is the
invisible Head of the Church?
Q.496. Who is the
visible Head of the Church?
Q.497. What does
"vicar" mean?
Q.498. Could any
one be Pope without being Bishop of
Rome?
Q.499. Why is the
Pope, the Bishop of Rome, the visible
Head of the
Church?
Q.500. Why are
Catholics called "Roman"?
Q.501. By what
name is a bishop's diocese sometimes called?
Q.502. What do we
call the right by which St. Peter or his
successor
has always been the head of the Church and
of all its
bishops?
Q.503. How is it
shown that St. Peter or his successor has
always been
the head of the Church?
Q.504. How do we
know that the rights and privileges
bestowed on
St. Peter were given also to his
successors
-- the Popes?
Q.505. Did St.
Peter establish any Church before he came to
Rome?
Q.506. Who are the
successors of the other Apostles?
Q.507. How do we
know that the bishops of the Church are
the
successors of the Apostles?
Q.508. Why did
Christ found the Church?
Q.509. Are all
bound to belong to the Church?
Q.510. Is it ever
possible for one to be saved who does not
know the
Catholic Church to be the true Church?
Q.511. Why do we
say it is only possible for a person to be
saved who
does not know the Catholic Church to be
the true
Church?
Q.512. How are
such persons said to belong to the Church?
Q.513. Why must
the true Church be visible?
Q.514. What
excuses do some give for not becoming
members of
the true Church?
Q.515. How do you
answer such excuses?
Q.516. Why can
there be only one true religion?
LESSON TWELFTH: On
the Attributes and Marks of the Church
Q.517. What is an
attribute?
Q.518. What is a
mark?
Q.519. How do we
know that the Church must have the four
marks and
three attributes usually ascribed or given to
it?
Q.520. Can the
Church have the four marks without the three
attributes?
Q.521. Why are
both marks and attributes necessary in the
Church?
Q.522. Which are
the attributes of the Church?
Q.523. What is
authority?
Q.524. From whom
must all persons derive whatever lawful
authority
they possess?
Q.525. What do you
mean by the authority of the Church?
Q.526. What do you
mean by the infallibility of the Church?
Q.527. What do we
mean by a "doctrine of faith or morals"?
Q.528. How do you
know that the Church can not err?
Q.529. Since the
Church can not err, could it ever be
reformed in
its teaching of faith or morals?
Q.530. When does
the Church teach infallibly?
Q.531. What is
necessary that the Pope may speak infallibly
or
ex-cathedra?
Q.532. Is the Pope
infallible in everything he says and does?
Q.533. Can the
Pope commit sin?
Q.534. What does
ex-cathedra mean?
Q.535. Why is the
chief Church in a diocese called a
Cathedral?
Q.536. How many
Popes have governed the Church from St.
Peter to
Pius XI.?
Q.537. What does
anti-pope mean, and who were the
anti-popes?
Q.538. Why must
the Pope sometimes warn us on political
and other
matters?
Q.539. What do we
mean by the "temporal power" of the
Pope?
Q.540. How did the
Pope acquire and how was he deprived
of the
temporal power?
Q.541. How was the
temporal power useful to the Church?
Q.542. What name
do we give to the offerings made yearly
by the
faithful for the support of the Pope and the
government
of the Church?
Q.543. What do you
mean by the indefectibility of the
Church?
Q.544. What is the
difference between the infallibility and
indefectibility of the Church?
Q.545. Did Our
Lord Himself make all the laws of the
Church?
Q.546. Can the
Church change its laws?
Q.547. In whom are
these attributes found in their fullness?
Q.548. Has the
Church any marks by which it may be
known?
Q.549. How is the
Church One?
Q.550. How is it
evident that the Church is one in
government?
Q.551. What is
meant by the Hierarchy of the Church?
Q.552. How is it
evident that the Church is one in worship?
Q.553. How is it
evident that the Church is one in faith?
Q.554. Could a
person who denies only one article of our
faith be a
Catholic?
Q.555. Are there
any pious beliefs and practices in the
Church that
are not articles of faith?
Q.556. Of what sin
are persons guilty who put firm belief in
religious
or other practices that are either forbidden or
useless?
Q.557. Where does
the Church find the revealed truths it is
bound to
teach?
Q.558. What is the
Holy Scripture or Bible?
Q.559. What is
meant by the Canon of the Sacred Scriptures?
Q.560. Where does
the Church find the revealed traditions?
Q.561. Must we
ourselves seek in the Scriptures and
traditions
for what we are to believe?
Q.562. How do we
show that the Holy Scriptures alone could
not be our
guide to salvation and infallible rule of
faith?
Q.563. How is the
Church Holy?
Q.564. How is the
Church Catholic or universal?
Q.565. How do you
show that the Catholic Church is
universal
in time, in place, and in doctrine?
Q.566. Why does
the Church use the Latin language instead
of the national language of its children?
Q.567. How is the
Church Apostolic?
Q.568. Does the
Church, by defining certain truths, thereby
make new
doctrines?
Q.569. What, then,
is the use of defining or declaring a truth
an article
of faith if it has always been believed?
Q.570. In which
Church are these attributes and marks found?
Q.571. How do you
show that Protestant Churches have not
the marks
of the true Church?
Q.572. From whom
does the Church derive its undying life
and
infallible authority?
Q.573. By whom is
the Church made and kept One, Holy,
and
Catholic?
LESSON THIRTEENTH:
On the Sacraments in General
Q.574. What is a
Sacrament?
Q.575. Are these
three things, namely: An outward or visible
sign, the
institution of that sign by Christ, and the
giving of
grace through the use of that sign, always
necessary
for the existence of a Sacrament?
Q.576. Why does
the Church use numerous ceremonies or
actions in applying the outward signs of the
Sacraments?
Q.577. How many
Sacraments are there?
Q.578. Were all
the Sacraments instituted by Our Lord?
Q.579. How do we
know there are seven Sacraments and no
more or
less?
Q.580. Why have
the Sacraments been instituted?
Q.581. Do the
Sacraments recall in any way the means by
which Our
Lord merited the graces we receive
through
them?
Q.582. Give, for
example, the outward sign in Baptism and
Confirmation.
Q.583. What is the
use of the outward signs in the
Sacraments?
Q.584. Does the
outward sign merely indicate that grace has
been given,
or does the use of the outward sign with
the proper
intention also give the grace of the
Sacrament?
Q.585. What do we
mean by the "right intention" for the
administration of the Sacraments?
Q.586. Is there
any likeness between the thing used in the
outward
sign and the grace given in each Sacrament?
Q.587. What do we
mean by the "matter and form" of the
Sacraments?
Q.588. Do the
needs of the soul resemble the needs of the
body?
Q.589. Whence have
the Sacraments the power of giving
grace?
Q.590. Does the
effect of the Sacraments depend on the
worthiness
or unworthiness of the one who
administers
them?
Q.591. What grace
do the Sacraments give?
Q.592. When is a
Sacrament said to give, and when is it said
to
increase, grace in our souls?
Q.593. Which are
the Sacraments that give sanctifying grace?
Q.594. Why are
Baptism and Penance called Sacraments of
the dead?
Q.595. May not the
Sacrament of Penance be received by one
who is in a
state of grace?
Q.596. Which are
the Sacraments that increase sanctifying
grace in
our soul?
Q.597. What do we
mean by Sacraments of the dead and
Sacraments
of the living?
Q.598. Why are
Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Extreme
Unction,
Holy Orders, and Matrimony called
Sacraments of the living?
Q.599. What sin
does he commit who receives the Sacraments
of the
living in mortal sin?
Q.600. In what
other ways besides the unworthy reception of
the
Sacraments may persons commit sacrilege?
Q.601. Besides
sanctifying grace do the Sacraments give any
other
grace?
Q.602. What is
sacramental grace?
Q.603. Is the
Sacramental grace independent of the
sanctifying
grace given in the Sacraments?
Q.604. Give an
example of how the Sacramental grace aids
us, for
instance, in Confirmation and Penance.
Q.605. Do the
Sacraments always give grace?
Q.606. What do we
mean by the "right dispositions" for the
reception
of the Sacraments?
Q.607. Give an
example of the "right dispositions" for
Penance and
for the Holy Eucharist.
Q.608. Can we
receive the Sacraments more than once?
Q.609. Why can we
not receive Baptism, Confirmation, and
Holy Orders
more than once?
Q.610. What is the
character which these Sacraments imprint
in the
soul?
Q.611. Does this
character remain in the soul even after
death?
Q.612. Can the
Sacraments be given conditionally?
Q.613. What do we
mean by giving a Sacrament
conditionally?
Q.614. Give an
example of how a Sacrament is given
conditionally.
Q.615. Which of
the Sacraments are most frequently given
conditionally?
Q.616. Name some
of the more common circumstances in
which a
priest is obliged to administer the Sacraments
conditionally.
Q.617. What is the
use and effect of giving the Sacraments
conditionally?
Q.618. What is the
difference between the powers of a bishop
and of a
priest with regard to the administration of
the Sacraments?
Q.619. Can a
person receive all the Sacraments?
LESSON FOURTEENTH:
On Baptism
Q.620. When was
baptism instituted?
Q.621. What is
Baptism?
Q.622. What were
persons called in the first ages of the
Church who
were being instructed and prepared for
baptism?
Q.623. What
persons are called heirs?
Q.624. Why, then,
are we the heirs of Christ?
Q.625. What
conditions has Our Lord laid down for the
gaining of
this inheritance?
Q.626. Did not St.
John the Baptist institute the Sacrament of
Baptism?
Q.627. Are actual
sins ever remitted by Baptism?
Q.628. That actual
sins may be remitted by baptism, is it
necessary
to be sorry for them?
Q.629. What
punishments are due to actual sins?
Q.630. Why is
there a double punishment attached to actual
sins?
Q.631. Is Baptism
necessary to salvation?
Q.632. Where will
persons go who -- such as infants -- have
not
committed actual sin and who, through no fault of
theirs, die
without baptism?
Q.633. Who can
administer Baptism?
Q.634. What do we
mean by the "ordinary minister" of a
Sacrament?
Q.635. Can a
person who has not himself been baptized, and
who does
not even believe in the Sacrament of
baptism, give it validly to another in case
of
necessity?
Q.636. Why do the
consequences of original sin, such as
suffering,
temptation, sickness, and death, remain
after the
sin has been forgiven in baptism?
Q.637. Can a
person ever receive any of the other Sacraments
without
first receiving baptism?
Q.638. How is
Baptism given?
Q.639. If water
cannot be had, in case of necessity, may any
other
liquid be used for baptism?
Q.640. If it is
impossible, in case of necessity, to reach the
head, may
the water be poured on any other part of
the body?
Q.641. Is the
baptism valid if we say: "I baptize thee in the
name of the
Holy Trinity," without naming the
Persons of
the Trinity?
Q.642. Is it wrong
to defer the baptism of an infant?
Q.643. Can we
baptize a child against the wishes of its
parents?
Q.644. How many
kinds of Baptism are there?
Q.645. What is
Baptism of water?
Q.646. In how many
ways was the baptism of water given in
the first
ages of the Church?
Q.647. What are
the chief ceremonies used in solemn
baptism,
and what do they signify?
Q.648. Should one
who, in case of necessity, has been
baptized
with private baptism, be afterwards brought
to the
Church to have the ceremonies of solemn
baptism
completed?
Q.649. Is solemn
baptism given with any special kind of
water?
Q.650. What is
Baptism of desire?
Q.651. What is
Baptism of blood?
Q.652. What is the
baptism of blood most commonly called?
Q.653. Is Baptism
of desire or of blood sufficient to produce
the effects
of Baptism of water?
Q.654. How do we
know that the baptism of desire or of
blood will
save us when it is impossible to receive the
baptism of
water?
Q.655. What do we
promise in Baptism?
Q.656. What do we
mean by the "pomps" of the devil?
Q.657. Why is the
name of a saint given in Baptism?
Q.658. What is the
Saint whose name we bear called?
Q.659. What names
should never be given in baptism?
Q.660. Why are
godfathers and godmothers given in Baptism?
Q.661. By what
other name are godfathers and godmothers
called?
Q.662. Can a
person ever be sponsor when absent from the
baptism?
Q.663. With whom
do godparents, as well as the one
baptizing,
contract a relationship?
Q.664. What
questions should persons who bring a child for
baptism be
able to answer?
Q.665. What is the
obligation of a godfather and a
godmother?
Q.666. Can persons
who are not Catholics be sponsors for
Catholic
children?
Q.667. What should
parents chiefly consider in the selection
of sponsors
for their children?
Q.668. What
dispositions must adults or grown persons, have
that they
may worthily receive baptism?
Q.669. What is the
ceremony of churching?
LESSON FIFTEENTH:
On Confirmation
Q.670. What is
Confirmation?
Q.671. When was
Confirmation instituted?
Q.672. Why is
Confirmation so called?
Q.673. Why are we
called soldiers of Jesus Christ?
Q.674. May one add
a new name to his own at Confirmation?
Q.675. Who
administers Confirmation?
Q.676. Why do we
say the bishop is the "ordinary minister"
of
Confirmation?
Q.677. How does
the bishop give Confirmation?
Q.678. In
Confirmation, what does the extending of the
bishop's
hands over us signify?
Q.679. What is
holy chrism?
Q.680. What do the
oil and balm in Holy Chrism signify?
Q.681. How many
holy oils are used in the Church?
Q.682. What
constitutes the difference between these oils?
Q.683. When and by
whom are the holy oils blessed?
Q.684. For what
are the holy oils used?
Q.685. What does
the bishop say in anointing the person he
confirms?
Q.686. What is
meant by anointing the forehead with chrism
in the form
of a cross?
Q.687. When must
we openly profess and practice our
religion?
Q.688. Why have we
good reason never to be ashamed of the
Catholic
faith?
Q.689. Why does
the bishop give the person he confirms a
slight blow
on the cheek?
Q.690. Is it right
to test ourselves through our imagination of
what we
would be willing to suffer for the sake of
Christ?
Q.691. To receive
Confirmation worthily is it necessary to be
in the
state of grace?
Q.692. What
special preparation should be made to receive
Confirmation?
Q.693. Why should
we know the chief mysteries of faith and
the duties
of a Christian before receiving
Confirmation?
Q.694. Is it a sin
to neglect Confirmation?
Q.695. What do we
mean by "these evil days"?
Q.696. Is
Confirmation necessary for salvation?
Q.697. Are
sponsors necessary in Confirmation?
LESSON SIXTEENTH:
On the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Ghost
Q.698. Which are
the effects of Confirmation?
Q.699. Which are
the gifts of the Holy Ghost?
Q.700. Why do we
receive the gift of Fear of the Lord?
Q.701. Why do we
receive the gift of Piety?
Q.702. Why do we
receive the gift of Knowledge?
Q.703. Why do we
receive the gift of Fortitude?
Q.704. Why do we
receive the gift of Counsel?
Q.705. How is it
clear that the devil could easily deceive us
if the Holy
Ghost did not aid us?
Q.706. Why do we
receive the gift of Understanding?
Q.707. Why do we
receive the gift of Wisdom?
Q.708. Which are
the Beatitudes?
Q.709. What are
the Beatitudes and why are they so called?
Q.710. Where did
Our Lord usually preach?
Q.711. What is the
meaning and use of the Beatitudes in
general?
Q.712. What does
the first Beatitude mean by the "poor in
spirit"?
Q.713. Who are the
mourners who deserve the consolation
promised in
the third Beatitude?
Q.714. What
lessons do the other Beatitudes convey?
Q.715. Who may be
rightly called merciful?
Q.716. Why are the
clean of heart promised so great a
reward?
Q.717. What is the
duty of a peacemaker?
Q.718. Why does
Our Lord speak in particular of poverty,
meekness,
sorrow, desire for virtue, mercy, purity,
peace and
suffering?
Q.719. Which are
the twelve fruits of the Holy Ghost?
Q.720. Why are
charity, joy, peace, etc., called fruits of the
Holy Ghost?
LESSON SEVENTEENTH:
On the Sacrament of Penance
Q.721. What is the
Sacrament of Penance?
Q 722. Has the
word Penance any other meaning?
Q.723. How does
the institution of the Sacrament of Penance
show the
goodness of Our Lord?
Q.724. What are
the natural benefits of the Sacrament of
Penance?
Q.725. How does
the Sacrament of Penance remit sin, and
restore to
the soul the friendship of God?
Q.726. What is
Absolution?
Q.727. Does the
priest ever refuse absolution to a penitent?
Q.728. What should
a person do when the priest has refused
or
postponed absolution?
Q.729. Can the
priest forgive all sins in the Sacrament of
Penance?
Q.730. What are
the sins called which the priest has no
authority
to absolve?
Q.731. Why is the
absolution from some sins reserved to the
Pope or
bishop?
Q.732. Can any
priest absolve a person in danger of death
from
reserved sins without the permission of the
bishop?
Q.733. How do you
know that the priest has the power of
absolving
from the sins committed after Baptism?
Q.734. How do we
know that Our Lord, while on earth, had
the power
to forgive sins?
Q.735. Was the
power to forgive sins given to the apostles
alone?
Q.736. When was the
Sacrament of Penance instituted?
Q.737. Are the
enemies of our religion right when they say
man cannot
forgive sins?
Q.738. How do the
priests of the Church exercise the power
of
forgiving sins?
Q.739. How does
the power to forgive sins imply the
obligation
of going to confession?
Q.740. Could God
not forgive our sins if we confessed them
to Himself
in secret?
Q.741. What must
we do to receive the Sacrament of Penance
worthily?
Q.742. What should
we pray for in preparing for confession?
Q.743. What faults
do many commit in preparing for
confession?
Q.744. What, then,
is the most important part of the
preparation
for confession?
Q.745. What is the
chief reason that our confessions do not
always
amend our way of living?
Q.746. What faults
are to be avoided in making our
confession?
Q.747. Is it wrong
to go to confession out of your turn
against the
will of others waiting with you?
Q.748. What should
a penitent do who knows he cannot
perform the
penance given?
Q.749. What is the
examination of conscience?
Q.750. When is our
confession worthy?
Q.751. How can we
make a good examination of conscience?
Q.752. What should
we do before beginning the examination
of
conscience?
LESSON EIGHTEENTH:
On Contrition
Q.753. What is
contrition, or sorrow for sin?
Q.754. Give an
example of how we should hate and avoid
sin.
Q.755. What kind
of sorrow should we have for our sins?
Q.756. What do you
mean by saying that our sorrow should
be
interior?
Q.757. What do you
mean by saying that our sorrow should
be
supernatural?
Q.758. What do we
mean by "motives that spring from faith"
and by
"merely natural motives" with regard to
sorrow for
sin?
Q.759. What do you
mean by saying that our sorrow should
be
universal?
Q.760. Why cannot
some of our mortal sins be forgiven
while the
rest remain on our souls?
Q.761. What do you
mean when you say that our sorrow
should be
sovereign?
Q.762. Why should
we be sorry for our sins?
Q.763. How do we
show that sin is the greatest of all evils?
Q.764. How many
kinds of contrition are there?
Q.765. What is
perfect contrition?
Q.766. When will
perfect contrition obtain pardon for mortal
sin without
the Sacrament of Penance?
Q.767. What is
imperfect contrition?
Q.768. What other
name is given to imperfect contrition and
why is it
called imperfect?
Q.769. Is
imperfect contrition sufficient for a worthy
confession?
Q.770. What do you
mean by a firm purpose of sinning no
more?
Q.771. What do you
mean by the near occasions of sin?
Q.772. Why are we
bound to avoid occasions of sin?
Q.773. Is a person
who is determined to avoid the sin, but
who is
unwilling to give up its near occasion when it
is possible
to do so, rightly disposed for confession?
Q.774. How many
kinds of occasions of sin are there?
Q.775. What
persons, places and things are usually occasions
of sin?
LESSON NINETEENTH:
On Confession
Q.776. What is
Confession?
Q.777. Who is a
duly authorized priest?
Q.778. Is it ever
allowed to write our sins and read them to
the priest
in the confessional or give them to him to
read?
Q.779. What is to
be done when persons must make their
confession
and cannot find a priest who understands
their
language?
Q.780. What sins
are we bound to confess?
Q.781. Why is it
well to confess also the venial sins we
remember?
Q.782. What should
one do who has only venial sins to
confess?
Q.783. Should a
person stay from confession because he
thinks he
has no sin to confess ?
Q.784. Should a
person go to Communion after confession
even when
the confessor does not bid him go?
Q.785. Which are
the chief qualities of a good Confession?
Q.786. When is our
Confession humble?
Q.787. When is our
Confession sincere?
Q.788. Why is it
wrong to accuse ourselves of sins we have
not
committed?
Q.789. When is our
Confession entire?
Q.790. What do you
mean by the "kinds of sin?"
Q.791. What do we
mean by "circumstances which change
the nature
of sins?"
Q.792. What should
we do if we cannot remember the
number of
our sins?
Q.793. Is our
Confession worthy if, without our fault, we
forget to
confess a mortal sin?
Q.794. May a
person who has forgotten to tell a mortal sin
in confession
go to Holy Communion before going
again to
confession?
Q.795. Is it a
grievous offense willfully to conceal a mortal
sin in
Confession?
Q.796. How is
concealing a sin telling a lie to the Holy
Ghost?
Q.797. Why is it
foolish to conceal sins in confession?
Q.798. What must
he do who has willfully concealed a
mortal sin
in Confession?
Q.799. Must one
who has willfully concealed a mortal sin in
confession
do more than repeat the sins committed
since his last worthy confession?
Q.800. Why does
the priest give us a penance after
Confession?
Q.801. Why should
we have to satisfy for our sins if Christ
has fully
satisfied for them?
Q.802. Is the
slight penance the priest gives us sufficient to
satisfy for
all the sins confessed?
Q.803. Does not
the Sacrament of Penance remit all
punishment
due to sin?
Q.804. Why does
God require a temporal punishment as a
satisfaction for sin?
Q.805. Which are
the chief means by which we satisfy God
for the
temporal punishment due to sin?
Q.806. What
fasting has the greatest merit?
Q.807. What is
Lent?
Q.808. What do we
mean by "almsgiving"?
Q.809. What
"ills of life" help to satisfy God for sin?
Q.810. How did the
Christians in the first ages of the Church
do Penance?
Q.811. What were
these severe Penances of the First Ages of
the Church
called?
Q.812. How can we
know spiritual from corporal works of
mercy?
Q.813. Which are
the chief spiritual works of mercy?
Q.814. When are we
bound to admonish the sinner?
Q.815. Who are
meant by the "ignorant" we are to instruct,
and the
"doubtful" we are to counsel?
Q.816. Why are we
advised to bear wrong patiently and to
forgive all
injuries?
Q.817. If, then,
it be a Christian virtue to forgive all
injuries,
why do Christians establish courts and
prisons to
punish wrongdoers?
Q.818. Why is it a
work of mercy to pray for the living and
the dead?
Q.819. Which are
the chief corporal works of mercy?
Q.820. How may we
briefly state the corporal works of
mercy?
Q.821. How are
Christians aided in the performance of works
of mercy?
Q.822. Who are
religious?
Q.823. Are there
any religious communities of priests?
Q.824. Why are
there so many different religious
communities?
LESSON TWENTIETH:
On the Manner of Making a Good Confession
Q.825. What should
we do on entering the confessional?
Q.826. Which are
the first things we should tell the priest in
Confession?
Q.827. Should we
tell anything else in connection with our
last
confession?
Q.828. After
telling the time of our last Confession and
Communion
what should we do?
Q.829. What is a
general confession?
Q.830. When should
a General Confession be made?
Q.831. What are
the signs of scruples and the remedy against
them?
Q.832. What must
we do when the confessor asks us
questions?
Q.833. What should
we do after telling our sins?
Q.834. What duties
does the priest perform in the
confessional?
Q.835. Why is it
beneficial to go always if possible to the
same
confessor?
Q.836. Should we
remain away from confession because we
cannot go
to our usual confessor?
Q.837. How should
we end our Confession?
Q.838. What should
we do while the priest is giving us
absolution?
LESSON TWENTY-FIRST:
On Indulgences
Q.839. What is an
Indulgence?
Q.840. What does
the word "indulgence" mean?
Q.841. Is an
Indulgence a pardon of sin, or a license to
commit sin?
Q.842. How do good
works done in mortal sin profit us?
Q.843. How many
kinds of Indulgences are there?
Q.844. What is
Plenary Indulgence?
Q.845. Is it easy
to gain a Plenary Indulgence?
Q.846. Which are
the most important Plenary Indulgences
granted by
the Church?
Q.847. What is a
Partial Indulgence?
Q.848. How long
has the practice of granting Indulgences
been in use
in the Church, and what was its origin?
Q.849. How do we
show that the Church has the power to
grant
Indulgences?
Q.850. How do we
know that these Indulgences have their
effect?
Q.851. Have there
ever existed abuses among the faithful in
the manner
of using Indulgences?
Q.852. How have
the enemies of the Church made use of the
abuse of
Indulgences?
Q.853. How does
the Church by means of Indulgences remit
the
temporal punishment due to sin?
Q.854. What do we
mean by the "superabundant satisfaction
of the
Blessed Virgin and the Saints"?
Q.855. Does the
Church, by granting Indulgences, free us
from doing
Penance?
Q.856. Who has the
power to grant Indulgences?
Q.857. Where shall
we find the Indulgences granted by the
Church?
Q.858. What must
we do to gain an Indulgence?
Q.859. Besides
being in a state of grace and performing the
works
enjoined, what else is necessary for the gaining
of an Indulgence?
Q.860. How and why
should we make a general intention to
gain all
possible Indulgences each day?
Q.861. What works
are generally enjoined for the gaining of
Indulgences?
Q.862. What does
praying for a person's intention mean?
Q.863. What does
an Indulgence of forty days mean?
Q.864. Why did the
Church moderate its severe penances?
Q.865. To what
things may Indulgences be attached?
Q.866. When do
things lose the Indulgences attached to them?
Q.867. Will a
weekly Confession suffice to gain during the
week all
Indulgences to which Confession is enjoined
as one of
the works?
Q.868. How and
when may we apply Indulgences for the
benefit of
the souls in Purgatory?
LESSON TWENTY-SECOND:
THE HOLY EUCHARIST.
Q.869. What does
the word Eucharist strictly mean?
Q.870. What is the
Holy Eucharist?
Q.871. What do we
mean when we say the Sacrament which
contains
the Body and Blood?
Q.872. When is the
Holy Eucharist a Sacrament, and when is
it a
sacrifice?
Q.873. When did
Christ institute the Holy Eucharist?
Q.874. Who were
present when our Lord instituted the Holy
Eucharist?
Q.875. How did our
Lord institute the Holy Eucharist?
Q.876. What
happened when our Lord said, "This is my
body; this
is my blood"?
Q.877. How do we
prove the Real Presence, that is, that Our
Lord is
really and truly present in the Holy Eucharist?
Q.878. How do we
know that it is possible to change one
substance
into another?
Q.879. Are these
changes exactly the same as the changes that
take place
in the Holy Eucharist?
Q.880. How do we
show that Christ did change bread and
wine into
the substance of His body and blood?
Q.881. Is Jesus Christ
whole and entire both under the form
of bread
and under the form of wine?
Q.882. How do we
know that under the appearance of bread
we receive
also Christ's blood; and under the
appearance
of wine we receive also Christ's body?
Q.883. Is Jesus
Christ present whole and entire in the
smallest
portion of the Holy Eucharist, under the
form of
either bread or wine?
Q.884. Did
anything remain of the bread and wine after their
substance
had been changed into the substance of the
body and
blood of our Lord?
Q.885. What do you
mean by the appearances of bread and
wine?
Q.886. What is
this change of the bread and wine into the
body and
blood of our Lord called?
Q.887. What is the
second great miracle in the Holy
Eucharist?
Q.888. Are there
not, then, as many bodies of Christ as there
are
tabernacles in the world, or as there are Masses
being said
at the same time?
Q.889. How was the
substance of the bread and wine changed
into the
substance of the body and blood of Christ?
Q.890. Does this
change of bread and wine into the body and
blood of
Christ continue to be made in the Church?
Q.891. When did
Christ give His priests the power to change
bread and
wine into His body and blood?
Q.892. What do the
words "Do this in commemoration of
Me"
mean?
Q.893. How do the
priests exercise this power of changing
bread and
wine into the body and blood of Christ?
Q.894. At what
part of the Mass does the Consecration take
place?
LESSON TWENTY-THIRD:
On the Ends for Which the Holy Eucharist Was Instituted
Q.895. Why did
Christ institute the Holy Eucharist?
Q.896. Has the
Holy Eucharist any other effect?
Q.897. How are we
united to Jesus Christ in the Holy
Eucharist?
Q.898. What is
Holy Communion?
Q.899. Is it not
beneath the dignity of Our Lord to enter our
bodies
under the appearance of ordinary food?
Q.900. Why does
not the Church give Holy Communion to
the people
as it does to the priest under the appearance
of wine
also?
Q.901. What is
necessary to make a good Communion?
Q.902. What should
a person do who, through forgetfulness
or any
other cause, has broken the fast necessary for
Holy
Communion?
Q.903. Does he who
receives Communion in mortal sin
receive the
body and blood of Christ?
Q.904. Is it
enough to be free from mortal sin to receive
plentifully
the graces of Holy Communion?
Q.905. What is the
fast necessary for Holy Communion?
Q.906. Does
medicine taken by necessity or food taken by
accident
break the fast for Holy Communion?
Q.907. Is any one
ever allowed to receive Holy Communion
when not
fasting?
Q.908. Is the Holy
Communion called by any other name
when given
to one in danger of death?
Q.909. When are we
bound to receive Holy Communion?
Q.910. Is it well
to receive Holy Communion often?
Q.911. How shall
we know how often we should receive
Holy
Communion?
Q.912. What is a
spiritual Communion?
Q.913. What should
we do after Holy Communion?
Q.914. What length
of time should we spend in thanksgiving
after Holy
Communion?
Q.915. What should
we be particular about when receiving
Holy
Communion?
LESSON TWENTY-FOURTH:
On the Sacrifice of the Mass
Q.916. When and
where are the bread and wine changed into
the body
and blood of Christ?
Q.917. What is the
Mass?
Q.918. Why is this
Sacrifice called the Mass?
Q.919. What is a
sacrifice?
Q.920. Is the Mass
the same sacrifice as that of the Cross?
Q.921. How is the
Mass the same sacrifice as that of the
Cross?
Q.922. What were
the ends for which the sacrifice of the
Cross was
offered?
Q.923. How are the
fruits of the Mass distributed?
Q.924. Are all
Masses of equal value in themselves or do
they differ
in worth?
Q.925. How are
Masses distinguished?
Q.926. For what
end or intention may Mass be offered?
Q.927. Explain
what is meant by Requiem, Nuptial and
Votive
Masses.
Q.928. From what
may we learn that we are to offer up the
Holy
Sacrifice with the priest?
Q.929. From what
did the custom of making an offering to
the priest
for saying Mass arise?
Q.930. Is it not
simony, or the buying of a sacred thing, to
offer the
priest money for saying Mass for your
intention?
Q.931. Is there
any difference between the sacrifice of the
Cross and the sacrifice of the Mass?
Q.932. What are
the chief parts of the Mass?
Q.933. At what
part of the Mass does the Offertory take
place, and
what parts of the Mass are said before it?
Q.934. What is the
part of the Mass called in which the
Words of
Consecration are found?
Q.935. What
follows the Communion of the Mass?
Q.936. What things
are necessary for Mass?
Q.937. What is the
altar stone, and of what does it remind
us?
Q.938. What lesson
do we learn from the practice of using
martyrs'
tombs for altars?
Q.939. What things
are used with the chalice during Mass?
Q.940. What is the
host?
Q.941. Are large
and small hosts consecrated at every Mass?
Q.942. What
vestments does the priest use at Mass and what
do they
signify?
Q.943. How many
colors of vestments are used, and what do
the colors
signify?
Q.944. What is the
Tabernacle and what is the Ciborium?
Q.945. What is the
Ostensorium or Monstrance?
Q.946. How should
we assist at Mass?
Q.947. Which is
the best manner of hearing Mass?
Q.948. What is
important for the proper and respectful
hearing of
Mass?
Q.949. What is
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, and
what
vestments are used at it?
Q.950. Why does
the priest wear special vestments and use
certain
ceremonies while performing his sacred duties?
Q.951. How do we
show that the ceremonies of the Church
are
reasonable and proper?
Q.952. Are there
other reasons for the use of ceremonies?
Q.953. How are the
persons who take part in a Solemn Mass
or Vespers
named?
Q.954. What is
Vespers?
Q.955. Can one
satisfy for neglecting Mass on Sunday by
hearing
Vespers on the same day?
LESSON TWENTY-FIFTH:
On Extreme Unction and Holy Orders
Q.956. What is the
Sacrament of Extreme Unction?
Q.957. Why is this
Sacrament called Extreme Unction?
Q.958. Is this
Sacrament called Extreme Unction if the
person
recovers after receiving it?
Q.959. To whom may
Extreme Unction be given?
Q.960. What are
the right dispositions for Extreme Unction?
Q.961. When and by
whom was Extreme Unction instituted?
Q.962. When should
we receive Extreme Unction?
Q.963. What parts
of the body are anointed in Extreme
Unction?
Q.964. What things
should be prepared in the sick-room when
the priest
is coming to give the last Sacraments?
Q.965. What seems
most proper with regard to the things
necessary
for the last Sacraments?
Q.966. What else
is to be observed about the preparation for
the
administration of the last Sacraments?
Q.967. Should we
wait until we are in extreme danger before
we receive
Extreme Unction?
Q.968. What should
we do in case of serious illness if the
sick person
will not consent or is afraid to receive the
Sacraments,
or, at least, wishes to put off their
reception?
Q.969. Which are
the effects of the Sacrament of Extreme
Unction?
Q.970. Will
Extreme Unction take away mortal sin if the
dying
person is no longer able to confess?
Q.971. How do we
know that this Sacrament, more than any
other, was
instituted to benefit the body?
Q.972. Since
Extreme Unction may restore us to health,
should we not be glad to receive it?
Q.973. What do you
mean by the remains of sin?
Q.974. How should
we receive the Sacrament of Extreme
Unction?
Q.975. Who is the
minister of the Sacrament of Extreme
Unction?
Q.976. What is the
final preparation we should make for the
reception
of the last Sacraments?
Q.977. At what
time should persons dangerously ill attend to
the final
arrangement of their temporal or worldly
affairs?
Q.978. What is the
Sacrament of Holy Orders?
Q.979. Besides
bishops and priests, who are the other
ministers
of the Church?
Q.980. Why is this
Sacrament called Holy Orders?
Q.981. What are
the grades by which one ascends to the
priesthood?
Q.982. Are not the
different orders separate Sacraments?
Q.983. What name
is given to sub-deaconship, deaconship and
priesthood?
Q.984. What double
power does the Church possess and
confer on
her pastors?
Q.985. How do the
pastors of the Church rank according to
authority?
Q.986. How do the
prelates or higher officers of the Church
rank in
dignity?
Q.987. Who are
Cardinals, what are their duties and how are
they
divided?
Q.988. Who is a
Monsignor?
Q.989. Who is a
Vicar-General?
Q.990. Who is an
Abbot?
Q.991. What is the
pallium?
Q.992. What is
necessary to receive Holy Orders worthily?
Q.993. What name
is given to this divine call and how can
we discover
this call?
Q.994. How should
we finally determine our vocation?
Q.995. What should
parents and guardians bear in mind with
regard to
their children's vocations?
Q.996. How should
Christians look upon the priests of the
Church?
Q.997. How do we
know that the priests of the Church are
the
messengers of God?
Q.998. When did
the priests of the Church receive this
threefold
power to preach, to forgive sins and to
consecrate
bread and wine?
Q.999. Why should
we show great respect to the priests and
bishops of
the Church?
Q.1000. Should we do more than merely respect the
ministers
of God?
Q.1001. Who can confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders?
Q.1002. How do we know that there is a true priesthood in
the
Church?
Q.1003. But is there need of a special Sacrament of Holy
Orders to
confer these powers?
Q.1004. Can bishops, priests and other ministers of the
Church
always
exercise the power they have received in Holy
Orders?
LESSON TWENTY-SIXTH:
On Matrimony
Q.1005. What is the Sacrament of Matrimony?
Q.1006. When are persons lawfully married?
Q.1007. When was marriage first instituted?
Q.1008. When was the contract of marriage raised to the
dignity of
a Sacrament?
Q.1009. What is the outward sign in the Sacrament of
Matrimony,
and in what does the whole essence of the
marriage
contract consist?
Q.1010. What are the chief ends of the Sacrament of
Matrimony?
Q.1011. Can a Christian man and woman be united in lawful
marriage in
any other way than by the Sacrament of
Matrimony?
Q.1012. Were, then, all marriages before the coming of
Christ
unlawful
and invalid?
Q.1013. What do we mean by impediments to marriage?
Q.1014. Can the Church dispense from or remove these
impediments
to marriage?
Q.1015. What is required that the Church may grant, when
it
is able,
dispensations from the impediments to
marriage or
from other laws?
Q.1016. Why does the Church sometimes require the persons
to whom
dispensations are granted to pay a tax or fee
for the
privilege?
Q.1017. What should persons who are about to get married
do?
Q.1018. What timely notice of marriage should be given to
the
priest, and
why?
Q.1019. Why are the banns of matrimony published in the
Church?
Q.1020. What things in particular should persons
arranging for
their
marriage make known to the priest?
Q.1021. What else must they make known?
Q.1022. What is particularly necessary that persons may
do
their duty
in the marriage state?
Q.1023. Can the bond of Christian marriage be dissolved
by
any human
power?
Q.1024. Does not a divorce granted by courts of justice
break
the bond of
marriage?
Q.1025. Does not the Church sometimes allow husband and
wife to
separate and live apart?
Q.1026. Has not the Church sometimes allowed Catholics
once
married to
separate and marry again?
Q.1027. What evils follow divorce so commonly claimed by
those
outside the true Church and granted by civil
authority?
Q.1028. Which are the effects of the Sacrament of
Matrimony?
Q.1029. What do we mean by bearing with each other's
weaknesses?
Q.1030. How are parents specially fitted to bring up
their
children in
the fear and love of God?
Q.1031. To receive the Sacrament of Matrimony worthily is
it
necessary
to be in the state of grace?
Q.1032. With what laws of the Church are we bound to
comply in
receiving the Sacrament of Matrimony?
Q.1033. In how many ways may persons be related?
Q.1034. Who has the right to make laws concerning the
Sacrament
of marriage?
Q.1035. What do we mean by laws concerning the civil effects
of the
marriage contract?
Q.1036. Does the Church forbid the marriage of Catholics
with
persons who have a different religion or no
religion at
all?
Q.1037. Why does the Church forbid the marriage of
Catholics
with
persons who have a different religion or no
religion at
all?
Q.1038. What are the marriages of Catholics with persons
of
a different
religion called, and when does the Church
permit them
by dispensation?
Q.1039. What are the conditions upon which the Church
will
permit a
Catholic to marry one who is not a Catholic?
Q.1040. What penalty does the Church impose on Catholics
who marry
before a Protestant minister?
Q.1041. How does the Church show its displeasure at mixed
marriages?
Q.1042. Why should Catholics avoid mixed marriages?
Q.1043. Does the Church seek to make converts by its laws
concerning
mixed marriages?
Q.1044. Why do many marriages prove unhappy?
Q.1045. When are marriages entered into hastily?
Q.1046. When are motives for marriage worthy?
Q.1047. How should Christians prepare for a holy and
happy
marriage?
Q.1048. How may parents be guilty of great injustice to
their
children in
case of marriage?
Q.1049. May persons receive the Sacrament of Matrimony
more than
once?
Q.1050. Where and at what time of the day should
Catholics
be married?
Q.1051. What must never be forgotten by those who attend
a
marriage
ceremony in the Church?
LESSON TWENTY-SEVENTH:
On the Sacramentals
Q.1052. What is a sacramental?
Q.1053. How do the Sacramentals excite good thoughts and
increase
devotion?
Q.1054. Do the Sacramentals of themselves remit venial
sins?
Q.1055. Why does the Church use Sacramentals?
Q.1056. Show by an example how Sacramentals aid the
ignorant in
learning the truths of faith.
Q.1057. What are the Stations or Way of the Cross?
Q.1058. Are prayers and ceremonies of the Church also
Sacramentals?
Q.1059. On what ground does the Church make use of
ceremonies?
Q.1060. How may persons sin in using Sacramentals?
Q.1061. What is the difference between the Sacraments and
the
sacramentals?
Q.1062. May the Church increase or diminish the number of
Sacraments
and Sacramentals?
Q.1063. Which is the chief sacramental used in the
Church?
Q.1064. How do we make the sign of the cross?
Q.1065. What is a common fault with many in blessing
themselves?
Q.1066. Why do we make the sign of the cross?
Q.1067. How is the sign of the cross a profession of
faith in
the chief
mysteries of our religion?
Q.1068. How does the sign of the cross express the
mystery of
the Unity
and Trinity of God?
Q.1069. How does the sign of the cross express the
mystery of
the
Incarnation and death of our Lord?
Q.1070. What other sacramental is in very frequent use?
Q.1071. What is holy water?
Q.1072. How does the water blessed on Holy Saturday, or
Easter
Water, as it is called, differ from the holy
water
blessed at other times?
Q.1073. Is water ever blessed in honor of certain saints?
Q.1074. Are there other sacramentals besides the sign of
the
cross and
holy water?
Q.1075. When are candles blessed in the Church and why
are
they used?
Q.1076. What praiseworthy custom is now in use in many
places?
Q.1077. When are ashes blessed in the Church and why are
they used?
Q.1078. When are palms blessed and of what do they remind
us?
Q.1079. What is the difference between a cross and a
crucifix?
Q.1080. What is the Rosary?
Q.1081. Who taught the use of the Rosary in its present
form?
Q.1082. How do we say the Rosary, or beads?
Q.1083. How many mysteries of the Rosary are there?
Q.1084. Say the five joyful mysteries of the Rosary.
Q.1085. Say the five sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary.
Q.1086. Say the five glorious mysteries of the Rosary.
Q.1087. On what days, according to the pious custom of
the
faithful,
are the different mysteries of the Rosary
usually
said?
Q.1088. What do the letters I. N. R. I.
over the
crucifix mean?
Q.1089. To what may we attribute the desire of the Jews
to
put Christ
to death?
Q.1090. With whom did the Blessed Virgin live after the
death
of Our
Lord?
Q.1091. What do we mean by the Assumption of the Blessed
Virgin, and
why do we believe in it?
Q.1092. What do the letters I. H. S.
on an altar
or sacred things mean?
Q.1093. What is the scapular, and why is it worn?
Q.1094. How many kinds of scapulars are there in use
among
the
faithful?
Q.1095. What are the seven dolors of the Blessed Virgin?
Q.1096. What are the seven dolor beads, and how do we say
them?
Q.1097. What is an Agnus Dei?
LESSON TWENTY-EIGHTH:
On Prayer
Q.1098. Is there any other means of obtaining God's grace
than the
Sacraments?
Q.1099. What is prayer?
Q.1100. How many kinds of prayer are there?
Q.1101. Why is mental prayer most useful to us?
Q.1102. How can we make a meditation?
Q.1103. Where may we find subjects or points for
meditation?
Q.1104. Is prayer necessary to salvation?
Q.1105. At what particular times should we pray?
Q.1106. How should we pray?
Q.1107. What should our attention at prayer be?
Q.1108. What should be the position of the body when we
pray?
Q.1109. What should we do that we may pray well?
Q.1110. Why does God not always grant our prayers?
Q.1111. What assurance have we that God always hears and
rewards our
prayers, though He may not grant what
we ask?
Q.1112. Which are the prayers most recommended to us?
Q.1113. Are prayers said with distractions of any avail?
Q.1114. Why are prayers said with willful distraction of
no
avail?
Q.1115. Do, then, the distractions which we often have at
prayer
deprive our prayers of all merit?
Q.1116. What, then, is a distraction?
Q.1117. What are the fruits of prayer?
Q.1118. Why should we pray when God knows our needs?
Q.1119. What little prayers may we say even at work?
Q.1120. Did Our Lord Himself pray, and why?
Q.1121. Why does the Church conclude most of its prayers
with the
words "through Jesus Christ Our Lord"?
Q.1122. Was any special promise made in favor of the
united
prayers of
two or more persons?
Q.1123. What is the most suitable place for prayer?
Q.1124. For what should we pray?
LESSON TWENTY-NINTH:
On the Commandments of God
Q.1125. Is it enough to belong to God's Church in order
to be
saved?
Q.1126. Are not the commandments of the Church also
commandments of God?
Q.1127. Which are the Commandments that contain the whole
law of God?
Q.1128. Why do these two Commandments of the love of God
and of our neighbor contain the whole
law of God?
Q.1129. Explain further how the two commandments of the
love of God
and of our neighbor contain the teaching
of the
whole ten commandments.
Q.1130. Which are the Commandments of God?
Q.1131. What does the first commandment mean by a
"graven
thing"
or "the likeness of anything" in heaven, in the
earth or in
the waters?
Q.1132. Who gave the Ten Commandments?
Q.1133. How and when were the Commandments give to
Moses?
Q.1134. What do we mean when we say Christ confirmed the
Commandments?
Q.1135. Was anyone obliged to keep the Commandments
before they
were given to Moses?
Q.1136. How many kinds of laws had the Jews before the
coming of
Our Lord?
Q.1137. To which of these laws did the Ten Commandments
belong?
Q.1138. When did the civil and ceremonial laws of the
Jews
cease to
exist?
Q.1139. Why were not also the moral laws of the Jews
abolished
when the Christian religion was established?
LESSON THIRTIETH:
On the First Commandment
Q.1140. What is the first Commandment?
Q.1141. What does the commandment mean by "strange
gods"?
Q.1142. How may we, in a sense, worship strange gods?
Q.1143. How does the first Commandment help us to keep
the
great
Commandment of the love of God?
Q.1144. How do we adore God?
Q.1145. By what prayers do we adore God?
Q.1146. How may the first Commandment be broken?
Q.1147. What is the honor which belongs to God alone?
Q.1148. How do we offer God false worship?
Q.1149. Why must we serve God in the form of religion He
has
instituted and in no other?
Q.1150. When do we attribute to a creature a perfection
which
belongs to
God alone?
Q.1151. Do those who make use of spells and charms, or
who
believe in
dreams, in mediums, spiritists, fortune-te
llers, and
the like, sin against the first
Commandment?
Q.1152. What are spells and charms?
Q.1153. Are not Agnus Deis, medals, scapulars, etc.,
which
we wear
about our bodies also charms?
Q.1154. What must we carefully guard against in all our
devotions
and religious practices?
Q.1155. What are dreams and why is it forbidden to
believe in
them?
Q.1156. Are bad dreams sinful in themselves?
Q.1157. Did not God frequently in the Old Law make use of
dreams as a
means of making known His will?
Q.1158. What are mediums and spiritists?
Q.1159. What other practice is very dangerous to faith
and
morals?
Q.1160. What are fortune tellers?
Q.1161. How do we, by believing in spells, charms,
mediums,
spiritists
and fortune tellers, attribute to creatures the
perfections
of God?
Q.1162. Is it sinful to consult mediums, spiritists,
fortune
tellers and
the like when we do not believe in them,
but through
mere curiosity to hear what they may say?
Q.1163. Are sins against faith, hope, and charity also
sins
against the
first Commandment?
Q.1164. How does a person sin against faith?
Q.1165. How do we fail to try to know what God has
taught?
Q.1166. What means have we of learning the Christian
doctrine?
Q.1167. Should we learn the Christian doctrine merely for
our
own sake?
Q.1168. How should such instruction be given to those who
ask it of
us?
Q.1169. Who are they who do not believe all that God has
taught?
Q.1170. Name the different classes of unbelievers and
tell
what they
are.
Q.1171. Will the denial of only one article of faith make
a
person a
heretic?
Q.1172. What is an article of faith?
Q.1173. Who are they who neglect to profess their belief
in
what God
has taught?
Q.1174. How do persons who are members of the Church
neglect to
profess their belief?
Q.1175. What chiefly prevents persons who believe in the
Church from
becoming members of it?
Q.1176. What does Our Lord say of those who neglect the
true
religion
for the sake of relatives or friends, or from
fear of
suffering?
Q.1177. What excuse do some give for neglecting to seek
and
embrace the
true religion?
Q.1178. How do we show that such an excuse is false and
absurd?
Q.1179. Can they who fail to profess their faith in the
true
Church in
which they believe expect to be saved while
in that
state?
Q.1180. Are we obliged to make open profession of our
faith?
Q.1181. When does God's honor, our neighbor's spiritual
good, or
our own good require us to make an open
profession
of our faith ?
Q.1182. Which are the sins against hope?
Q.1183. What is presumption?
Q.1184. How may we be guilty of presumption?
Q.1185. What is despair?
Q.1186. How may we be guilty of despair?
Q.1187. Are all sins of presumption and despair equally
great?
Q.1188. How do we sin against the love of God?
LESSON THIRTY-FIRST:
The First Commandment -- On the Honor and Invocation of
the Saints
Q.1189. Does the first Commandment forbid the honoring of
the saints?
Q.1190. What does "invocation" mean?
Q.1191. How do we show that by honoring the Saints we
honor God
Himself?
Q.1192. Give another reason why we honor God by honoring
the Saints.
Q.1193. Does the first Commandment forbid us to pray to
the
saints?
Q.1194. Why does the first commandment not forbid us to
pray to the
Saints?
Q.1195. What do we mean by praying to the saints?
Q.1196. Do we not slight God Himself by addressing our
prayers to
saints?
Q.1197. How do we know that the saints hear us?
Q.1198. Why do we believe that the saints will help us?
Q.1199. How are the saints and we members of the same
Church?
Q.1200. What is the communion of the members of the
Church
called?
Q.1201. What does the communion of saints mean?
Q.1202. What benefits are derived from the communion of
saints?
Q.1203. How can we best honor the Saints, and where shall
we learn
their virtues?
Q.1204. Does the first Commandment forbid us to honor
relics?
Q.1205. How many kinds or classes of relics are there?
Q.1206. What is there special about a relic of the true
cross on
which Our
Lord Died, and also about the instruments
of His
Passion?
Q.1207. What veneration does the Church permit us to give
to
relics?
Q.1208. What care does the Church take in the examination
and
distribution of relics?
Q.1209. What should we be certain of before using any
relic
or giving
it to another?
Q.1210. Has God Himself honored relics?
Q.1211. Does the first Commandment forbid the making of
images?
Q.1212. How do we show that it is only the worship and
not
the making
of images that is forbidden by the first
commandment?
Q.1213. Is it right to show respect to the pictures and
images
of Christ
and His saints?
Q.1214. Have we in this country any civil custom similar
to
that of
honoring the pictures and images of saints?
Q.1215. Is it allowed to pray to the crucifix or to the
images
and relics
of the saints?
Q.1216. Why do we pray before the crucifix and the images
and relics
of the saints?
LESSON THIRTY-SECOND:
From the Second to the Fourth Commandment
Q.1217. What is the second Commandment?
Q.1218. What do you mean by taking God's name in vain?
Q.1219. What are we commanded by the second
Commandment?
Q.1220. Is it sinful to use the words of Holy Scripture
in a
bad or
worldly sense?
Q.1221. What is an oath?
Q.1222. How is an oath usually taken?
Q.1223. What is perjury?
Q.1224. Who have the right to make us take an oath?
Q.1225. When may we take an oath?
Q.1226. When may an oath be required for God's honor or
for
our own or
our neighbor's good?
Q.1227. Is it ever allowed to promise under oath, in
secret
societies
or elsewhere, to obey another in whatever
good or
evil he commands?
Q.1228. What societies in general are we forbidden to
join?
Q.1229. Are trades unions and benefit societies
forbidden?
Q.1230. Is it lawful to vow or promise strict obedience
to a
religious
superior?
Q.1231. What is necessary to make an oath lawful?
Q.1232. What is a vow?
Q.1233. Which are the vows most frequently made?
Q.1234. What do the vows of poverty, chastity and
obedience
require?
Q.1235. Has it always been a custom with pious Christians
to
make vows
and promises to God?
Q.1236. What is a pilgrimage?
Q.1237. Is it a sin not to fulfill our vows?
Q.1238. Are we bound to keep an unlawful oath or vow?
Q.1239. What is forbidden by the second Commandment?
Q.1240. When is an oath rash, unjust or unnecessary?
Q.1241. What is blasphemy, and what are profane words?
Q.1242. What is the third Commandment?
Q.1243. What are we commanded by the third Commandment?
Q.1244. What are holydays of obligation?
Q.1245. How are we to worship God on Sundays and holydays
of
obligation?
Q.1246. Name some of the good works recommended for
Sunday.
Q.1247. Is it forbidden, then, to seek any pleasure or
enjoyment
on Sunday?
Q.1248. Are the Sabbath day and the Sunday the same?
Q.1249. What is meant by the Old and New Law?
Q.1250. Why does the Church command us to keep the Sunday
holy instead
of the Sabbath?
Q.1251. Do we keep Sunday instead of Saturday holy for
any
other
reason?
Q.1252. What is forbidden by the third Commandment?
Q.1253. What are servile works?
Q.1254. From what do servile works derive their name?
Q.1255. Are servile works on Sunday ever lawful?
Q.1256. Give some examples of when the honor of God, the
good of our
neighbor or necessity may require servile
works on
Sunday.
LESSON THIRTY-THIRD:
From the Fourth to the Seventh Commandment
Q.1257. What is the fourth Commandment?
Q.1258. What does the word "honor" in this
commandment
include?
Q.1259. What are we commanded by the fourth
Commandment?
Q.1260. Why should we refuse to obey parents or superiors
who command
us to sin?
Q.1261. Are we bound to honor and obey others than our
parents?
Q.1262. Who are meant by magistrates?
Q.1263. Who are meant by lawful superiors?
Q.1264. What is the duty of servants or workmen to their
employers?
Q.1265. Have parents and superiors any duties toward
those
who are
under their charge?
Q.1266. If parents or superiors neglect their duty or
abuse
their
authority in any particular, should we follow
their
direction and example in that particular?
Q.1267. What is the duty of employers to their servants
or
workmen?
Q.1268. What is forbidden by the fourth Commandment?
Q.1269. What is meant by contempt and stubbornness?
Q.1270. What is the fifth Commandment?
Q.1271. What killing does this commandment forbid?
Q.1272. How do we know that this commandment forbids the
killing
only of human beings?
Q.1273. What are we commanded by the fifth Commandment?
Q.1274. What sin is it to destroy one's own life, or
commit
suicide, as
this act is called?
Q.1275. Is it ever lawful for any cause to deliberately
and
intentionally take away the life of an innocent person?
Q.1276. Under what circumstances may human life be
lawfully
taken?
Q.1277. What is forbidden by the fifth Commandment?
Q.1278. Can the fifth commandment be broken by giving
scandal or
bad example and by inducing others to sin?
Q.1279. What is scandal?
Q.1280. Why are fighting, anger, hatred and revenge
forbidden
by the fifth
commandment?
Q.1281. What is the sixth Commandment?
Q.1282. What are we commanded by the sixth Commandment?
Q.1283. It is a sin to listen to immodest conversation,
songs or
jokes?
Q.1284. What is forbidden by the sixth Commandment?
Q.1285. Why are sins of impurity the most dangerous?
Q.1286. Does the sixth Commandment forbid the reading of
bad and
immodest books and newspapers?
Q.1287. What should be done with immodest book and
newspapers?
Q.1288. What books does the Church consider bad?
Q.1289. What places are dangerous to the virtue of
purity?
LESSON THIRTY-FOURTH:
From the Seventh to the End of the Tenth Commandment
Q.1290. What is the seventh Commandment?
Q.1291. What sin is it to steal?
Q.1292. Is stealing ever a sacrilege?
Q.1293. What sins are equivalent to stealing?
Q.1294. In what other ways may persons sin against
honesty?
Q.1295. What are we commanded by the seventh
Commandment?
Q.1296. How may persons working for others be guilty of
dishonesty?
Q.1297. In what other way may a person be guilty of
dishonesty?
Q.1298. What is forbidden by the seventh Commandment?
Q.1299. What must we do with things found?
Q.1300. What must we do if we discover we have bought
stolen
goods?
Q.1301. Are we bound to restore ill-gotten goods?
Q.1302. What must we do if we cannot restore all we owe,
or
if the
person to whom we should restore be dead?
Q.1303. What must one do who cannot pay his debts and yet
wishes to
receive the Sacraments?
Q.1304. Are we obliged to repair the damage we have
unjustly
caused?
Q.1305. What is the eighth Commandment?
Q.1306. What are we commanded by the eighth
Commandment?
Q.1307. What is a lie?
Q.1308. How can we know the degree of sinfulness in a
lie?
Q.1309. Will a good reason for telling a lie excuse it?
Q.1310. What is forbidden by the eighth Commandment?
Q.1311. What are rash judgment, backbiting, slander and
detraction?
Q.1312. Is it ever allowed to tell the faults of another?
Q.1313. What is tale-bearing, and why is it wrong?
Q.1314. What must they do who have lied about their
neighbor
and
seriously injured his character?
Q.1315. What is the ninth Commandment?
Q.1316. What are we commanded by the ninth Commandment?
Q.1317. What is forbidden by the ninth Commandment?
Q.1318. Are impure thoughts and desires always sins?
Q.1319. What is the tenth Commandment?
Q.1320. What does covet mean?
Q.1321. What are we commanded by the tenth Commandment?
Q.1322. Should we not, then, try to improve our position
in
the world?
Q.1323. What is forbidden by the tenth Commandment?
Q.1324. In what does the sixth commandment differ from
the
ninth, and
the seventh differ from the tenth?
LESSON THIRTY-FIFTH:
On the First and Second Commandments of the Church
Q.1325. Are not the commandments of the Church also
commandments of God?
Q.1326. What is the difference between the commandments
of
God and the
Commandments of the Church?
Q.1327. Which are the chief commandments of the Church?
Q.1328. Why has the Church made commandments?
Q.1329. Is it a mortal sin not to hear Mass on a Sunday
or a
holyday of
obligation?
Q.1330. What is a "serious reason" excusing one
from the
obligation
of hearing Mass?
Q.1331. Are children obliged, under pain of mortal sin,
the
same as grown persons, to hear Mass on Sundays and
holydays of obligation?
Q.1332. Why were holydays instituted by the church?
Q.1333. How many holydays of obligation are there in this
country?
Q.1334. How should we keep the holydays of obligation?
Q.1335. Why are certain holydays called holydays of
obligation?
Q.1336. What should one do who is obliged to work on a
holyday of
obligation?
Q.1337. What do you mean by fast-days?
Q.1338. Is it permitted on fast days to take any food
besides
the one
full meal?
Q.1339. Who are obliged to fast?
Q.1340. Does the Church excuse any classes of persons
from
the
obligation of fasting?
Q.1341. What should one do who doubts whether or not he
is
obliged to
fast?
Q.1342. When do fast days chiefly occur in the year?
Q.1343. What do you mean by Lent, Advent, Ember days and
the vigils
of great feasts?
Q.1344. What do you mean by days of abstinence?
Q.1345. Are children and persons unable to fast bound to
abstain on
days of abstinence?
Q.1346. Why does the Church command us to fast and
abstain?
Q.1347. What is meant by our passions and what by
mortifying
them?
Q.1348. Why does the Church command us to abstain from
flesh-meat
on Fridays?
LESSON THIRTY-SIXTH:
On the Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Commandments of
the Church
Q.1349. What is meant by the command of confessing at
least
once a
year?
Q.1350. Should we confess only once a year?
Q.1351. Should we go to confession at our usual time even
if
we think we
have not committed sin since our last
confession?
Q.1352. Should children go to confession?
Q.1353. What sin does he commit who neglects to receive
Communion
during the Easter time?
Q.1354. What is the Easter time?
Q.1355. When is Trinity Sunday?
Q.1356. Are we obliged to contribute to the support of
our
pastors?
Q.1357. Where did the duty of contributing to the support
of
the Church
and clergy originate?
Q.1358. What does the obligation of supporting the Church
and school
imply?
Q.1359. Does the fifth commandment of the Church include
the support
only of our pastors and the Church and
school?
Q.1360. What is the meaning of the commandment not to
marry
within the third degree of kindred?
Q.1361. Who are in the third degree of blood
relationship?
Q.1362. Are there other relationships besides blood
relationship
that render
marriage unlawful without a dispensation?
Q.1363. What should persons about to marry do, if they
suspect
they are related to each other?
Q.1364. What is the meaning of the command not to marry
privately?
Q.1365. What sin is it for Catholics to be married before
the
minister of
another religion?
Q.1366. What is the meaning of the precept not to
solemnize
marriage at
forbidden times?
Q.1367. What is the nuptial Mass?
Q.1368. Should Catholics be married at a nuptial Mass?
Q.1369. What restrictions does the Church place on the
ceremonies
of marriage when one of the persons is not
a Catholic?
Q.1370. Why does the Church dislike mixed marriages?
LESSON THIRTY-SEVENTH:
On the Last Judgment and the Resurrection, Hell,
Purgatory, and Heaven
Q.1371. When will Christ judge us?
Q.1372. What is the judgment called which we have to
undergo
immediately after death?
Q.1373. Where will the particular judgment be held?
Q.1374. What is the judgment called which all men have to
undergo on
the last day?
Q.1375. Will the sentence given at the particular
judgment be
changed at
the general judgment?
Q.1376. Why does Christ judge men immediately after
death?
Q.1377. How may we daily prepare for our judgment?
Q.1378. What are the rewards or punishments appointed for
men's souls
after the Particular Judgment?
Q.1379. What is Hell?
Q.1380. Will the damned suffer in both mind and body?
Q.1381. What is Purgatory?
Q.1382. Why is this state called Purgatory?
Q.1383. Are the souls in Purgatory sure of their
salvation?
Q.1384. Do we know what souls are in Purgatory, and how
long they
have to remain there?
Q.1385. Can the faithful on earth help the souls in
Purgatory?
Q.1386. Since God loves the souls in Purgatory, why does
He
punish
them?
Q.1387. If every one is judged immediately after death,
what
need is
there of a general judgment?
Q.1388. What is meant by "the Providence of
God"?
Q.1389. Are there other reasons for the general judgment?
Q.1390. Will our bodies share in the reward or punishment
of
our souls?
Q.1391. When will the general resurrection or rising of
all the
dead take
place?
Q.1392. In what state will the bodies of the just rise?
Q.1393. Will the bodies of the damned also rise?
Q.1394. Why do we show respect for the bodies of the
dead?
Q.1395. What is Heaven?
Q.1396. In what does the happiness in heaven consist?
Q.1397. What does St. Paul say of heaven?
Q.1398. Are the rewards in heaven and the punishments in
hell
the same
for all who enter into either of these states?
Q.1399. What words should we bear always in mind?
Q.1400. Name some of the more essential religious truths
we
must know
and believe.
╔═════════════════════════════╗
║ THE QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS ║
║ OF THE CATECHISM ║
╚═════════════════════════════╝
LESSON FIRST: On
the End of Man.
Question 126.
What do we mean by the "end of man"?
Answer: By
the "end of man" we mean the purpose for which
he
was created: namely, to know, love, and serve
God.
Question 127. How
do you know that man was created for God
alone?
Answer: I
know that man was created for God alone because
everything in the world was created for something
more perfect than itself: but there is nothing in
the
world more perfect than man; therefore, he was
created for something outside this world, and
since he was not created for the Angels, he must
have been created for God.
Question 128. In
what respect are all men equal?
Answer: All
men are equal in whatever is necessary for
their nature and end. They are
all composed of a
body and soul; they are all created to
the image
and
likeness of God; they are all gifted with
understanding and free will; and they have all
been created for the same end -- God.
Question 129. Do not men differ in many things?
Answer: Men
differ in many things, such as learning,
wealth, power, etc.; but these things belong to
the
world and not man's nature. He came into
this
world without them and he will leave it without
them. Only the consequences of
good or evil done
in
this world will accompany men to the next.
Question 130. Who
made the world?
Answer: God
made the world.
Question 131.
What does "world" mean in this question?
Answer: In
this question "world" means the universe; that
is,
the whole creation; all that we now see or may
hereafter see.
Question 132. Who
is God?
Answer: God
is the Creator of heaven and earth, and of all
things.
Question 133.
What is man?
Answer: Man
is a creature composed of body and soul, and
made to the image and likeness of God.
Question 134. Does "man" in the Catechism mean all
human beings?
Answer:
"Man" in the Catechism means all human beings,
either men or women, boys, girls, or children.
Question 135.
What is a creature?
Answer: A
creature is anything created, whether it has
life or not; body or no body. Every being, person,
or
thing except God Himself may be called a
creature.
Question 136. Is
this likeness in the body or in the soul?
Answer: This likeness is chiefly in the soul.
Question 137. How
is the soul like to God?
Answer: The
soul is like to God because it is a spirit
that will never die, and has understanding and
free will.
Question 138. Is
every invisible thing a spirit?
Answer:
Every spirit is invisible -- which means can not
be
seen; but every invisible thing is not a
spirit. The wind is invisible,
and it is not a
spirit.
Question 139. Has
a spirit any other quality?
Answer: A
spirit is also indivisible; that is, it can not
be
divided into parts, as we divide material
things.
Question 140.
What do the words "will never die" mean?
Answer: By
the words "will never die" we mean that the
soul, when once created, will never cease to
exist, whatever be its condition in the next
world. Hence we say the soul is immortal
or
gifted with immortality.
Question 141. Why
then do we say a soul is dead while in a state
of
mortal sin?
Answer: We
say a soul is dead while in a state of mortal
sin, because in that state it is as helpless as a
dead body, and can merit nothing for itself.
Question 142.
What does our "understanding" mean?
Answer: Our
"understanding" means the "gift of reason," by
which man is distinguished from all other animals,
and
by which he is enabled to think and thus
acquire knowledge and regulate his actions.
Question 143. Can
we learn all truths by our reason alone?
Answer: We
can not learn all truths by our reason alone,
for
some truths are beyond the power of our reason
and
must be taught to us by God.
Question 144.
What do we call the truths God teaches us?
Answer:
Taken together, we call the truths God teaches us
revelation, and we call the manner by which He
teaches them also revelation.
Question 145.
What is "Free Will"?
Answer:
"Free Will" is that gift of God by which we are
enabled to choose between one thing and another;
and
to do good or evil in spite of reward or
punishment.
Question 146.
Have brute animals "understanding" and "free
will"?
Answer:
Brute animals have not "understanding" and "free
will." They have not
"understanding" because they
never change their habits or better their
condition. They have not
"free will" because they
never show it in their actions.
Question 147.
What gift in animals supplies the place of reason?
Answer: In
animals the gift of "instinct" supplies the
place of reason in guiding their actions.
Question 148.
What is instinct?
Answer:
"Instinct" is a gift by which all animals are
impelled to follow the laws and habits that God
has
given to their nature.
Question 149.
Have men as well as brutes "instinct"?
Answer: Men
have "instinct," and they show it when placed
in
sudden danger, when they have not time to use
their reason. A falling man
instantly grasps for
something to support him.
Question 150. Why
did God make you?
Answer: God
made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve
Him
in this world, and to be happy with Him
forever in the next.
Question 151. Why
is it necessary to know God?
Answer: It
is necessary to know God because without
knowing Him we cannot love Him; and without loving
Him
we cannot be saved. We should know Him
because He is infinitely true; love Him because He
is
infinitely beautiful; and serve Him because He
is
infinitely good.
Question 152. Of
which must we take more care, our soul or our
body?
Answer: We
must take more care of our soul than of our
body.
Question 153. Why
must we take more care of our soul than of our
body?
Answer: We
must take more care of our soul than of our
body, because in losing our soul we lose God and
everlasting happiness.
Question 154.
What must we do to save our souls?
Answer: To
save our souls, we must worship God by faith,
hope, and charity; that is, we must believe in
Him, hope in Him, and love Him with all our heart.
Question 155.
What does "worship" mean?
Answer:
"Worship" means to give divine honor by acts such
as
the offering of prayer or sacrifice.
Question 156. How
shall we know the things which we are to
believe?
Answer: We
shall know the things which we are to believe
from the Catholic Church, through which God speaks
to
us.
Question 157.
What do we mean by the "Church, through which God
speaks to us"?
Answer: By
the "Church, through which God speaks to us,"
we
mean the "teaching Church"; that is, the Pope,
Bishops, and priests, whose duty it is to instruct
us
in the truths and practices of our religion.
Question 158.
Where shall we find the chief truths which the
Church teaches?
Answer: We
shall find the chief truths which the Church
teaches in the Apostles' Creed.
Question 159. If
we shall find only the "chief truths" in the
Apostles' Creed, where shall we find the remaining
truths?
Answer: We
shall find the remaining truths of our Faith in
the
religious writings and preachings that have
been sanctioned by the authority of the Church.
Question 160.
Name some sacred truths not mentioned in the
Apostles' Creed.
Answer: In
the Apostles' Creed there is no mention of the
Real Presence of Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist,
nor
of the Infallibility of the Pope, nor of the
Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
nor
of some other truths that we are bound to
believe.
Question 161. Say
the Apostles' Creed.
Answer: I
believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of
heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only
Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy
Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered
under
Pontius Pilate, was crucified; died, and was
buried. He descended into hell:
the third day He
arose again from the dead: He ascended into
heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God,
the
Father Almighty: from thence He shall come to
judge the living and the dead. I
believe in the
Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the
communion
of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection of the body, and the life
everlasting. Amen.
LESSON SECOND: On
God and His Perfections
Question 162.
What is a perfection?
Answer: A
perfection is any good quality a thing should
have. A thing is perfect when it
has all the good
qualities it should have.
Question 163.
What is God?
Answer: God
is a spirit infinitely perfect.
Question 164. What
do we mean when we say God is "infinitely
perfect"?
Answer:
When we say God is "infinitely perfect" we mean
there is no limit or bounds to His perfection; for
He
possesses all good qualities in the highest
possible degree and He alone is "infinitely
perfect."
Question 165. Had
God a beginning?
Answer: God
had no beginning; He always was and He always
will be.
Question 166. Where
is God?
Answer: God
is everywhere.
Question 167. How
is God everywhere?
Answer: God
is everywhere whole and entire as He is in any
one
place. This is true and we must believe
it,
though we cannot understand it.
Question 168. If
God is everywhere, why do we not see Him?
Answer: We
do not see God, because He is a pure spirit and
cannot be seen with bodily eyes.
Question 169. Why
do we call God a "pure spirit'?
Answer: We
call God a pure spirit because He has no body.
Our
soul is a spirit, but not a "pure" spirit,
because it was created for union with our body.
Question 170. Why
can we not see God with the eyes of our body?
Answer: We
cannot see God with the eyes of our body
because they are created to see only material
things, and God is not material but spiritual.
Question 171.
Does God see us?
Answer: God
sees us and watches over us.
Question 172. Is
it necessary for God to watch over us?
Answer: It
is necessary for God to watch over us, for
without His constant care we could not exist.
Question 173.
Does God know all things?
Answer: God
knows all things, even our most secret
thoughts, words, and actions.
Question 174. Can
God do all things?
Answer: God
can do all things, and nothing is hard or
impossible to Him.
Question 175.
When is a thing said to be "impossible"?
Answer: A
thing is said to be "impossible" when it cannot
be
done. Many things that are impossible
for
creatures are possible for God.
Question 176. Is
God just, holy, and merciful?
Answer: God
is all just, all holy, all merciful, as He is
infinitely perfect.
Question 177. Why
must God be "just" as well as "merciful"?
Answer: God
must be just as well as merciful because He
must fulfill His promise to punish those who merit
punishment, and because He cannot be infinite in
one
perfection without being infinite in all.
Question 178.
Into what sins will the forgetfulness of God's
justice lead us?
Answer: The
forgetfulness of God's justice will lead us
into sins of presumption.
Question 179.
Into what sins will the forgetfulness of God's
mercy lead us?
Answer: The
forgetfulness of God's mercy will lead us into
sins of despair.
LESSON THIRD: On
the Unity and Trinity of God
Question 180.
What does "unity," and what does "trinity" mean?
Answer:
"Unity" means being one, and "trinity" means
three-fold or three in one.
Question 181. Can
we find an example to fully illustrate the
mystery of the Blessed Trinity?
Answer: We
cannot find an example to fully illustrate the
mystery of the Blessed Trinity,
because the
mysteries of our holy religion are beyond
comparison.
Question 182. Is
there but one God?
Answer:
Yes; there is but one God.
Question 183. Why
can there be but one God?
Answer:
There can be but one God because God, being
supreme and infinite, cannot have an equal.
Question 184.
What does "supreme" mean?
Answer:
"Supreme" means the highest in authority; also the
most excellent or greatest possible in anything.
Thus in all things God is supreme, and in the
Church the Pope is supreme.
Question 185.
When are two persons said to be equal?
Answer: Two
persons are said to be equal when one is in no
way
greater than or inferior to the other.
Question 186. How
many persons are there in God?
Answer: In
God there are three Divine persons, really
distinct, and equal in all things --the Father,
the
Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Question 187.
What do "divine" and "distinct" mean?
Answer:
"Divine" means pertaining to God, and "distinct"
means separate; that is, not confounded or mixed
with any other thing.
Question 188. Is
the Father God?
Answer: The
Father is God and the first Person of the
Blessed Trinity.
Question 189. Is
the Son God?
Answer: The
Son is God and the second Person of the
Blessed Trinity.
Question 190. Is
the Holy Ghost God?
Answer: The
Holy Ghost is God and the third Person of the
Blessed Trinity.
Question 191. Do
"first," "second," and "third" with regard to
the
persons of the Blessed Trinity mean that one
person existed before the other or that one is
greater than the other?
Answer:
"First," "second," and "third" with regard
to the
persons of the Blessed Trinity
do not mean that
one
person was before the other or that one is
greater than the other; for all the persons of the
Trinity are eternal and equal in every respect.
These numbers are used to mark the distinction
between the persons, and they show the order in
which the one proceeded from the other.
Question 192.
What do you mean by the Blessed Trinity?
Answer: By
the Blessed Trinity I mean one God in three
Divine Persons.
Question 193. Are
the three Divine Persons equal in all things?
Answer: The
three Divine Persons are equal in all things.
Question 194. Are
the three Divine Persons one and the same God?
Answer: The
three Divine Persons are one and the same God,
having one and the same Divine nature and
substance.
Question 195.
What do we mean by the "nature" and "substance" of
a
thing?
Answer: By
the "nature" of a thing we mean the combination
of
all the qualities that make the thing what it
is. By the "substance"
of a thing we mean the
part that never changes, and which cannot be
changed without destroying the nature of the
thing.
Question 196. Can
we fully understand how the three Divine
Persons are one and the same God?
Answer: We cannot fully understand how the three
Divine
Persons are one and the same God, because this is
a
mystery.
Question 197.
What is a mystery?
Answer: A
mystery is a truth which we cannot fully
understand.
Question 198. Is
every truth which we cannot understand a
mystery?
Answer:
Every truth which we cannot understand is not a
mystery; but every revealed truth which no one can
understand
is a mystery.
Question 199.
Should we believe truths which we cannot
understand?
Answer: We
should and often do believe truths which we
cannot understand when we have proof of their
existence.
Question 200.
Give an example of truths which all believe,
though many do not understand them.
Answer: All
believe that the earth is round and moving,
though many do not understand it.
All believe
that a seed planted in the ground will produce a
flower or tree often with more than a thousand
other seeds equal to itself, though many cannot
understand how this is done.
Question 201. Why
must a divine religion have mysteries?
Answer: A
divine religion must have mysteries because it
must have supernatural truths and God Himself must
teach them. A religion that has
only natural
truths, such as man can know by reason
alone,
fully understand and teach, is only a human
religion.
Question 202. Why
does God require us to believe mysteries?
Answer: God
requires us to believe mysteries that we may
submit our understanding to Him.
Question 203. By
what form of prayer do we praise the Holy
Trinity?
Answer: We
praise the Holy Trinity by a form of prayer
called the Doxology, which has come down to us
almost from the time of the Apostles.
Question 204. Say
the Doxology.
Answer: The
Doxology is: "Glory be to the Father, and to
the
Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in
the
beginning, is now, and ever
shall be, world
without end. Amen."
Question 205. Is
there any other form of the Doxology?
Answer:
There is another form of the Doxology, which is
said in the celebration of the Mass.
It is called
the
"Gloria in excelsis" or "Glory be to God on
high," etc., the words sung by the Angels at the
birth of Our Lord.
LESSON FOURTH: On
Creation
Question 206. What
is the difference between making and
creating?
Answer:
"Making" means bringing forth or forming out of
some material already existing, as workmen do.
"Creating" means bringing forth out of nothing, as
God
alone can do.
Question 207. Has
everything that exists been created?
Answer:
Everything that exists except God Himself has been
created.
Question 208. Who
created heaven and earth, and all things?
Answer: God
created heaven and earth, and all things.
Question 209.
From what do we learn that God created heaven and
earth and all things?
Answer: We
learn that God created heaven and earth and all
things from the Bible or Holy Scripture,
in which
the
account of the Creation is given.
Question 210. Why
did God create all things?
Answer: God
created all things for His own glory and for
their or our good.
Question 211. Did
God leave all things to themselves after He
had
created them?
Answer: God
did not leave all things to themselves after
He
had created them; He continues to preserve and
govern them.
Question 212.
What do we call the care by which God preserves
and
governs the world and all it contains?
Answer: We
call the care by which God preserves and
governs the world and all it contains His
providence.
Question 213. How
did God create heaven and earth?
Answer: God
created heaven and earth from nothing by His
word only; that is, by a single act of His
all-powerful will.
Question 214.
Which are the chief creatures of God?
Answer: The
chief creatures of God are angels and men.
Question 215. How
may God's creatures on earth be divided?
Answer:
God's creatures on earth may be divided into four
classes:
(1) Things that exist, as air;
(2) Things that exist, grow and live, as plants
and
trees;
(3) Things that exist, grow, live and feel, as
animals;
(4) Things that exist, grow, live, feel and
understand, as man.
Question 216.
What are angels?
Answer:
Angels are pure spirits without a body, created to
adore and enjoy God in heaven.
Question 217. If
Angels have no bodies, how could they appear?
Answer:
Angels could appear by taking bodies to render
themselves visible for a time; just as the Holy
Ghost took the form of a dove and the devil took
the
form of a serpent.
Question 218.
Name some persons to whom Angels appeared.
Answer:
Angels appeared to the Blessed Virgin and St.
Joseph; also to Abraham, Lot, Jacob, Tobias and
others.
Question 219. Were
the angels created for any other purpose?
Answer: The
angels were also created to assist before the
throne of God and to minister unto Him; they have
often been sent as messengers from God to man; and
are also appointed our guardians.
Question 220. Are
all the Angels equal in dignity?
Answer: All
the Angels are not equal in dignity.
There
are
nine choirs or classes mentioned in the Holy
Scripture. The highest are called
Seraphim and
the
lowest simply Angels. The Archangels are
one
class higher than ordinary Angels.
Question 221.
Mention some Archangels and tell what they did.
Answer: The
Archangel Michael drove Satan out of heaven;
the
Archangel Gabriel announced to the Blessed
Virgin that she was to become the Mother of God.
The
Archangel Raphael guided and protected Tobias.
Question 222.
Were Angels ever sent to punish men?
Answer:
Angels were sometimes sent to punish men. An
Angel killed 185,000 men in the army of a wicked
king who had blasphemed God; an Angel also slew
the
first-born in the families of the Egyptians
who
had persecuted God's people.
Question 223.
What do our guardian Angels do for us?
Answer: Our
guardian Angels pray for us, protect and guide
us,
and offer our prayers, good works and desires
to
God.
Question 224. How
do we know that Angels offer our prayers and
good works to God?
Answer: We
know that Angels offer our prayers and good
works to God because it is so stated in Holy
Scripture, and Holy Scripture is the Word of God.
Question 225. Why
did God appoint guardian Angels if He watches
over us Himself?
Answer: God
appointed guardian Angels to secure for us
their help and prayers, and also to show His great
love for us in giving us these special servants
and
faithful friends.
Question 226.
Were the angels, as God created them, good and
happy?
Answer: The
angels, as God created them, were good and
happy.
Question 227. Did
all the angels remain good and happy?
Answer: All
the angels did not remain good and happy; many
of
them sinned and were cast into hell, and these
are
called devils or bad angels.
Question 228. Do
we know the number of good and bad Angels?
Answer: We
do not know the number of the good or bad
Angels, but we know it is very great.
Question 229.
What was the devil's name before he fell, and why
was
he cast out of heaven?
Answer:
Before he fell, Satan, or the devil, was called
Lucifer, or light-bearer, a name which indicates
great beauty. He was cast out of heaven because
through pride he rebelled against God.
Question 230. How
do the bad Angels act toward us?
Answer: The
bad Angels try by every means to lead us into
sin.
The efforts they make are called temptations
of
the devil.
Question 231. Why
does the devil tempt us?
Answer: The
devil tempts us because he hates goodness, and
does not wish us to enjoy the happiness which he
himself has lost.
Question 232. Can
we by our own power overcome the temptations
of
the devil?
Answer: We
cannot by our own power overcome the
temptations of the devil, because the devil is
wiser than we are; for, being an Angel, he is more
intelligent, and he did not lose his intelligence
by
falling into sin any more than we do now.
Therefore, to overcome his temptations we need the
help of God.
LESSON FIFTH: On
our First Parents and the Fall
Question 233. Who
were the first man and woman?
Answer: The
first man and woman were Adam and Eve.
Question 234. Are
there any persons in the world who are not the
descendants of Adam and Eve?
Answer:
There are no persons in the world now, and there
never have been any, who are not the descendants
of
Adam and Eve, because the whole human race had
but
one origin.
Question 235. Do
not the differences in color, figure, etc.,
which we find in distinct races indicate a
difference in first parents?
Answer: The
differences in color, figure, etc., which we
find in distinct races do not indicate a
difference in first parents, for these differences
have been brought about in the lapse of time by
other causes, such as climate, habits, etc.
Question 236.
Were Adam and Eve innocent and holy when they came
from the hand of God?
Answer:
Adam and Eve were innocent and holy when they came
from the hand of God.
Question 237.
What do we mean by saying Adam and Eve "were
innocent" when they came from the hand of God?
Answer:
When we say Adam and Eve "were innocent" when they
came from the hand of God we mean they were in the
state of original justice; that is, they were
gifted with every virtue and free from every sin.
Question 238. How
was Adam's body formed?
Answer: God
formed Adam's body out of the clay of the
earth and then breathed into it a living soul.
Question 239. How
was Eve's body formed?
Answer:
Eve's body was formed from a rib taken from Adam's
side during a deep sleep which God caused to come
upon him.
Question 240. Why
did God make Eve from one of Adam's ribs?
Answer: God
made Eve from one of Adam's ribs to show the
close relationship existing between husband and
wife in their marriage union which God then
instituted.
Question 241.
Could man's body be developed from the body of an
inferior animal?
Answer:
Man's body could be developed from the body of an
inferior animal if God so willed; but science does
not
prove that man's body was thus formed, while
revelation teaches that it was formed directly by
God
from the clay of the earth.
Question 242.
Could man's soul and intelligence be formed by the
development of animal life and instinct?
Answer:
Man's soul could not be formed by the development
of
animal instinct; for, being entirely spiritual,
it
must be created by God, and it is united to the
body as soon as the body is prepared to receive
it.
Question 243. Did
God give any command to Adam and Eve?
Answer: To
try their obedience, God commanded Adam and Eve
not
to eat of a certain fruit which grew in the
garden of Paradise.
Question 244.
What was the Garden of Paradise?
Answer: The
Garden of Paradise was a large and beautiful
place prepared for man's habitation upon earth.
It
was supplied with every species of plant and
animal and with everything that could contribute
to
man's happiness.
Question 245.
Where was the Garden of Paradise situated?
Answer: The
exact place in which the Garden of Paradise --
called also the Garden of Eden -- was situated is
not
known, for the deluge may have so changed the
surface of the earth that old landmarks were wiped
out.
It was probably some place in Asia, not far
from the river Euphrates.
Question 246.
What was the tree bearing the forbidden fruit
called?
Answer: The
tree bearing the forbidden fruit was called
"the tree of knowledge of good and evil."
Question 247. Do
we know the name of any other tree in the
garden?
Answer: We
know the name of another tree in the Garden
called the "tree of life." Its fruit kept the
bodies of our first parents in a state of perfect
health.
Question 248.
Which were the chief blessings intended for Adam
and
Eve had they remained faithful to God?
Answer: The
chief blessings intended for Adam and Eve, had
they remained faithful to God, were a constant
state of happiness in this life and everlasting
glory in the next.
Question 249. Did
Adam and Eve remain faithful to God?
Answer:
Adam and Eve did not remain faithful to God, but
broke His command by eating the forbidden fruit.
Question 250. Who
was the first to disobey God?
Answer: Eve
was the first to disobey God, and she induced
Adam to do likewise.
Question 251. How
was Eve tempted to sin?
Answer: Eve
was tempted to sin by the devil, who came in
the
form of a serpent and persuaded her to break
God's command.
Question 252.
Which were the chief causes that led Eve into sin?
Answer: The
chief causes that led Eve into sin were:
(1) She went into the danger of sinning by
admiring
what was forbidden, instead of avoiding it.
(2) She did not fly from the temptation at once,
but
debated about yielding to it. Similar conduct on
our
part will lead us also into sin.
Question 253.
What befell Adam and Eve on account of their sin?
Answer:
Adam and Eve, on account of their sin, lost
innocence and holiness, and were doomed to
sickness and death.
Question 254.
What other evils befell Adam and Eve on account of
their
sin?
Answer:
Many other evils befell Adam and Eve on account of
their sin. They were driven out
of Paradise and
condemned to toil. God also
ordained that
henceforth the earth should yield no crops without
cultivation, and that the beasts, man's former
friends, should become his savage enemies.
Question 255.
Were we to remain in the Garden of Paradise
forever if Adam had not sinned?
Answer: We
were not to remain in the Garden of Paradise
forever even if Adam had not sinned, but after
passing through the years of our probation or
trial upon earth we were to be taken, body and
soul, into heaven without suffering
death.
Question 256.
What evil befell us on account of the disobedience
of
our first parents?
Answer: On
account of the disobedience of our first
parents, we all share in their sin and punishment,
as
we should have shared in their happiness if
they had remained faithful.
Question 257. Is
it not unjust to punish us for the sin of our
first parents?
Answer: It is not unjust to punish us for the
sin of our
first parents, because their punishment consisted
in
being deprived of a free gift of God; that is,
of
the gift of original justice to which they had
no
strict right and which they willfully forfeited
by
their act of disobedience.
Question 258. But
how did the loss of the gift of original
justice leave our first parents and us in mortal
sin?
Answer: The
loss of the gift of original justice left our
first parents and us in mortal sin because it
deprived them of the Grace of God, and to be
without this gift of Grace which they should have
had
was to be in mortal sin. As all their
children are deprived of the same gift, they, too,
come into the world in a state of mortal sin.
Question 259.
What other effects followed from the sin of our
first parents?
Answer: Our
nature was corrupted by the sin of our first
parents, which darkened our understanding,
weakened our will, and left in us a strong
inclination to evil.
Question 260.
What do we mean by "our nature was corrupted"?
Answer:
When we say "our nature was corrupted" we mean
that our whole being, body and soul, was injured
in
all its parts and powers.
Question 261. Why
do we say our understanding was darkened?
Answer: We
say our understanding was darkened because even
with much learning we have not the clear
knowledge, quick perception and retentive memory
that Adam had before his fall from grace.
Question 262. Why
do we say our will was weakened?
Answer: We
say our will was weakened to show that our free
will was not entirely taken away by Adam's sin,
and that we have it still in our
power to use our
free will in doing good or evil.
Question 263. In
what does the strong inclination to evil that
is
left in us consist?
Answer:
This strong inclination to evil that is left in us
consists in the continual efforts our senses and
appetites make to lead our souls into sin. The
body is inclined to rebel against the soul, and
the
soul itself to rebel against God.
Question 264.
What is this strong inclination to evil called,
and
why did God permit it to remain in us?
Answer:
This strong inclination to evil is called
concupiscence, and God permits it to remain in us
that by His grace we may resist it and thus
increase our merits.
Question 265.
What is the sin called which we inherit from our
first parents?
Answer: The
sin which we inherit from our first parents is
called original sin.
Question 266. Why
is this sin called original?
Answer:
This sin is called original because it comes down
to
us from our first parents, and we are brought
into the world with its guilt on our soul.
Question 267.
Does this corruption of our nature remain in us
after original sin is forgiven?
Answer:
This corruption of our nature and other
punishments
remain in us after original sin is
forgiven.
Question 268. Was
any one ever preserved from original sin?
Answer: The
Blessed Virgin Mary, through the merits of her
Divine Son, was preserved free from the guilt of
original sin, and this privilege is called her
Immaculate Conception.
Question 269. Why
was the Blessed Virgin preserved from original
sin?
Answer: The
Blessed Virgin was preserved from original sin
because it would not be consistent with the
dignity of the Son of God to have His Mother, even
for
an instant, in the power of the devil and an
enemy of God.
Question 270. How
could the Blessed Virgin be preserved from sin
by
her Divine Son, before her Son was born?
Answer: The
Blessed Virgin could be preserved from sin by
her
Divine Son before He was born as man, for He
always existed as God and foresaw His own future
merits and the dignity of His Mother.
He
therefore by His future merits provided for her
privilege of exemption from original sin.
Question 271.
What does the "Immaculate Conception" mean?
Answer: The
Immaculate Conception means the Blessed
Virgin's own exclusive privilege of coming into
existence, through the merits of Jesus Christ,
without the stain of original sin. It does not
mean, therefore, her sinless life, perpetual
virginity or the miraculous conception of Our
Divine Lord by the power of the Holy Ghost.
Question 272.
What has always been the belief of the Church
concerning this truth?
Answer: The
Church has always believed in the Immaculate
Conception of the Blessed Virgin and to place this
truth beyond doubt has declared it an Article of
Faith.
Question 273. To
what should the thoughts of the Immaculate
Conception lead us?
Answer: The
thoughts of the Immaculate Conception should
lead us to a great love of purity and to a desire
of
imitating the Blessed Virgin in the practice of
that holy virtue.
LESSON SIXTH: On
Sin and Its Kinds
Question 274. How
is sin divided?
Answer:
(1) Sin is divided into the sin we inherit called
original sin, and the sin we commit ourselves,
called actual sin.
(2) Actual sin is sub-divided into greater sins,
called mortal, and lesser sins, called venial.
Question 275. In
how many ways may actual sin be committed?
Answer:
Actual sin may be committed in two ways: namely,
by
willfully doing things forbidden, or by
willfully neglecting things commanded.
Question 276.
What is our sin called when we neglect things
commanded?
Answer:
When we neglect things commanded our sin is called
a
sin of omission. Such sins as willfully
neglecting to hear Mass on Sundays, or neglecting
to
go to Confession at least once a year, are sins
of
omission.
Question 277. Is
original sin the only kind of sin?
Answer:
Original sin is not the only kind of sin; there is
another kind of sin, which we commit ourselves,
called actual sin.
Question 278.
What is actual sin?
Answer:
Actual sin is any willful thought, word, deed, or
omission contrary to the law of God.
Question 279. How
many kinds of actual sin are there?
Answer:
There are two kinds of actual sin -- mortal and
venial.
Question 280.
What is mortal sin?
Answer:
Mortal sin is a grievous offense against the law
of
God.
Question 281. Why
is this sin called mortal?A nswer: This
sin
is
called mortal because it deprives us of
spiritual life, which is sanctifying grace, and
brings everlasting death and damnation on the
soul.
Question 282. How
many things are necessary to make a sin
mortal?
Answer: To
make a sin mortal, three things are necessary:
A
grievous matter, sufficient reflection, and full
consent of the will.
Question 283.
What do we mean by "grievous matter" with regard
to
sin?
Answer: By
"grievous matter" with regard to sin we mean
that the thought, word or deed by which mortal sin
is
committed must be either very bad in itself or
severely prohibited, and therefore sufficient to
make a mortal sin if we deliberately yield to it.
Question 284.
What does "sufficient reflection and full consent
of
the will" mean?
Answer:
"Sufficient reflection" means that we must know
the
thought, word or deed to be sinful at the time
we
are guilty of it; and "full consent of the
will" means that we must fully and willfully yield
to
it.
Question 285.
What are sins committed without reflection or
consent called?
Answer:
Sins committed without reflection or consent are
called material sins; that is, they would be
formal or real sins if we knew their sinfulness at
the
time we committed them. Thus to eat
flesh
meat on a day of abstinence without knowing it to
be
a day of abstinence or without thinking of the
prohibition, would be a material sin.
Question 286. Do
past material sins become real sins as soon as
we
discover their sinfulness?
Answer:
Past material sins do not become real sins as soon
as
we discover their sinfulness, unless we again
repeat them with full knowledge and consent.
Question 287. How
can we know what sins are considered mortal?
Answer: We
can know what sins are considered mortal from
Holy Scripture; from the teaching of the Church,
and
from the writings of the Fathers and Doctors
of
the Church.
Question 288. Why
is it wrong to judge others guilty of sin?
Answer: It
is wrong to judge others guilty of sin because
we
cannot know for certain that their sinful act
was
committed with sufficient reflection and full
consent of the will.
Question 289.
What sin does he commit who without sufficient
reason believes another guilty of sin?
Answer: He
who without sufficient reason believes another
guilty of sin commits a sin