The Summary of the Catholic Belief

1.      There is only one God, creator of heaven and earth, of all that is visible and invisible.

2.      In the one true God there are three persons: God the father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The plurality is only in regards to the Persons, each of whom possesses fully the one divine nature. This is a mystery called Holy Trinity.

3.      God the Son, the second Person of the Blessed Trinity, became man, being born, by the power of the Holy Spirit, of the Immaculate Virgin Mary. The name of the Son of God made man is Jesus Christ He is true God, and true Man.

4.      Jesus Christ became man in order to reveal God to man, to redeem Him from sin, and to enable Him to attain to His supernatural end, the Kingdom of Heaven.

5.      For this purpose of His incarnation Jesus taught man His gospel, suffered and died on the cross and then arose from the dead. He is instituted the sacraments to established the one true church, a society made of the baptized. It is one, holy, catholic and apostolic, indefectible and infallible. Its rulers are the Bishops, successors of the apostles, under the successor of St. Peter, the Bishop of Rome.

6.      Christ’s redemption and salvation come to man through God’s grace. Sanctifying or habitual grace is God’s supernatural presence in the soul. Thus our sins, original and personal, are forgiven; we are made holy, temples of the Holy Trinity, adoptive children of God and heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven. Through actual grace God illumines our minds, moves and strengthens our wills.

7.      The channels of God’s grace are principally the seven sacraments, which are sensible signs (words and acts) that signify and confer grace, and are administered by the Church.

I.                   BAPTISM makes us Christians and remits the original sin inherited from our first parents, and the personal sins we may have at the time.

II.                CONFIRMATION gives us the grace of the Holy Spirit to make us strong in the faith we received in Baptism.

III.             CONFESSION is for the remission of our sins committed after Baptism.

IV.             HOLY EUCHARIST is the offering to the father of the same victim of Calvary, Our Lord Jesus Christ, under the species of bread and wine. Whom we receive under the same species in Holy Communion.

V.                THE SACRAMENT OF THE SICK is for giving us spiritual strength in time of serious sickness and for restoring health to us should it be for our good.

VI.             HOLY ORDERS constitute the Bishops and other ministers of the Church, giving them the power and grace for the fulfillment of their duties.

VII.          MATRIMONY unites the baptized in lawful marriage, giving them the grace they need for their married state.

8.      Good works are also channels of God’s grace, particularly the works of charity and mercy, which are spiritual and corporal.

I.                   The Spiritual works of mercy are:

a.       To give counsel to the doubtful

b.      To instruct the ignorant

c.       To admonish sinners

d.      To comfort the afflicted

e.       To bear wrongs patiently

f.       To pray for the leaving and the dead

II.                The Corporal works of mercy are:

a.       To feed the hungry

b.      To give drinks to the thirsty

c.       To clothe the naked

d.      To shelter the needy

e.       To visit the sick

f.       To visit the imprisoned

g.      To bury the dead

9.      Those who follow the commandments of God and are sorry for their sins before they die are rewarded by God and received into the Kingdom of Heaven. And hell is the punishment for those who do not obey His commandments and die unrepentant of their sins.

10.  Sin is a free, voluntary and conscious violation of the commandments of God and those who with God’s authority rule over us.

11.  The commandments of God is Ten:

I.                   I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before me.

II.                You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

III.             Remember you keep holy the Lord’s Day.

IV.             Honor your Father and Mother.

V.                You shall not kill.

VI.             You shall not commit adultery.

VII.          You shall not steal.

VIII.       You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

IX.             You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.

X.                You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.

12.  The principal commandments of the Church are five:

1.      To hear Mass and abstain from servile work on Sundays and days of obligation.

2.      To fast and abstain from meat on the days appointed.

3.      To confess at least once a year and to receive Holy Communion during prescribed time.

4.      To contribute to the support of the Church and of our pastors.

5.      To observe the marriage laws of the Church.