Catechism of the Catholic Church - Sample

CATECHISM OF THE

CATHOLIC CHURCH

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CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH The CTS Definitive & Complete Edition

CATHOLIC TRUTH SOCIETY

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Catholic Truth Society 40-46 Harleyford Road, London, SE11 5AY Libreria Editrice Vaticana omnia sibi vindicat inra. Sine eiusdem Licentia scripto data nemini liceat hunc Catechismum denuo imprimere aut in aliam linguam vertere. Latin text copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Città del Vaticano. Translation revised in the light of the editio typica. English translation for the United Kingdom copyright © 2016 The Incorporated Catholic Truth Society – Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Design and typography © 2016 The Incorporated Catholic Truth Society. All rights reserved. First English edition published 1994 (Chapman) Second revised edition published 1999 (Chapman) This revised edition published 2016 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: 978 1 78469 105 9 (hardback) 978 1 78469 106 6 (paperback)

The design of the logo on the cover is taken front a Christian tombstone in the catacombs of Domitilla in Rome, which dates from the end of the third century A.D. This pastoral image, of pagan origin, was used by Christians to symbolise the rest and the happiness that the soul of the departed finds in eternal life. This image also suggests certain characteristic aspects of this Catechism: Christ, the Good Shepherd who leads and protects his faithful (the lamb) by his authority (the staff), draws them by the melodious symphony of the truth (the panpipes) and makes them lie down in the shade of the ‘tree of life’, his redeeming Cross which opens paradise.

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CONTENTS Abbreviations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii Apostolic Constitution Fidei Depositum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Apostolic Letter Laetamur Magnopere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 PROLOGUE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 I. II. III. IV. V. VI.

The Life of Man – to Know and Love God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Handing on the Faith: Catechesis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The Aim and Intended Readership of the Catechism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Structure of this Catechism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Practical Directions for using this Catechism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Necessary Adaptations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

PART ONE THE PROFESSION OF FAITH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 SECTION ONE “I BELIEVE” – “WE BELIEVE” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 CHAPTER ONE   MAN’S CAPACITY FOR GOD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 I. II. III. IV.

The Desire for God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Ways of Coming to Know God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 The Knowledge of God According to the Church. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 How can we speak about God?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

CHAPTER TWO

GOD COMES TO MEET MAN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Article 1   The Revelation of God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 I. God Reveals His “Plan of Loving Goodness”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 II. The Stages of Revelation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 III. Christ Jesus – “Mediator and Fulness of All Revelation” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Article 2  The Transmission of Divine Revelation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 I. The Apostolic Tradition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 II. The Relationship between Tradition and Sacred Scripture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 III. The Interpretation of the Heritage of Faith. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Article 3  Sacred Scripture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 I. Christ – the Unique Word of Sacred Scripture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 II. Inspiration and Truth of Sacred Scripture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 III. The Holy Spirit, Interpreter of Scripture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 IV. The Canon of Scripture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 V. Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

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CHAPTER THREE

MAN’S RESPONSE TO GOD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Article 1  I Believe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 I. The Obedience of Faith. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 II. “I Know whom I have Believed”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 III. The Characteristics of Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Article 2  We Believe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 I. “Lord, Look upon the Faith of Your Church”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 II. The Language of Faith. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 III. Only One Faith. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 SECTION TWO  THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 THE CREEDS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 CHAPTER ONE

I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Article 1  “I Believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth”. . . . . . . . . . 54 Paragraph 1.   I Believe in God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 I. II. III. IV.

“I Believe in One God” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 God Reveals His Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 God, “HE WHO IS”, is Truth and Love. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 The Implications of Faith in One God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Paragraph 2.   The Father . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 I. “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 II. The Revelation of God as Trinity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 III. The Holy Trinity in the Teaching of the Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 IV. The Divine Works and the Trinitarian Missions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Paragraph 3.   The Almighty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Paragraph 4.   The Creator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 I. Catechesis on Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 II. Creation – Work of the Holy Trinity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 III. “The World was Created for the Glory of God”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 IV. The Mystery of Creation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 V. God carries out His Plan: Divine Providence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Paragraph 5.   Heaven and Earth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 I. The Angels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 II. The Visible World. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Paragraph 6.   Man. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 I. “In the Image of God”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 II. “Body and Soul but Truly One” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 III. “Male and Female He Created Them” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 IV. Man in Paradise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

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Paragraph 7.   The Fall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 I. Where Sin abounded, Grace abounded all the More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 II. The Fall of the Angels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 III. Original Sin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 IV. “You did not Abandon Him to the Power of Death”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 CHAPTER TWO  I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Article 2  “And in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, Our Lord”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 I. Jesus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 II. Christ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 III. The Only Son of God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 IV. Lord. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Article 3  “Who was Conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary”. . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Paragraph 1.   The Son of God became man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 I. Why did the Word become Flesh?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 II. The Incarnation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 III. True God and True man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 IV. How is the Son of God man? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Paragraph 2.   “Who was Conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary”. . . . . . 113 I. Conceived by the Holy Spirit…. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 II. …Born of the Virgin Mary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Paragraph 3.   The Mysteries of Christ’s Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 I. Christ’s Whole Life is Mystery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 II. The Mysteries of Jesus’s Infancy and Hidden Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 III. The Mysteries of Jesus’s Public Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Article 4  “Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was Crucified, Died, and was Buried”. . . . . . . . . 133 Paragraph 1.   Jesus and Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 I. II. III.

Jesus and the Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Jesus and the Temple. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Jesus and Israel’s Faith in the One God and Saviour. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Paragraph 2.   Jesus Died Crucified. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 I. The Trial of Jesus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 II. Christ’s Redemptive Death in God’s Plan of Salvation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 III. Christ offered Himself to His Father for our Sins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Paragraph 3.   Jesus Christ was Buried. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 Article 5  “He Descended into Hell; on the Third Day He Rose again”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 Paragraph 1.   Christ Descended into Hell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 Paragraph 2.   On the Third Day He Rose again from the Dead. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 I. The Historical and Transcendent Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 II. The Resurrection – a Work of the Holy Trinity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 III. The Meaning and Saving Significance of the Resurrection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

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Article 6  “He Ascended into Heaven and is Seated at the Right Hand of God the Father Almighty”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Article 7  “From there He will Come to Judge the Living and the Dead”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 I. He will Come again in Glory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 II. To Judge the Living and the Dead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 CHAPTER THREE:   I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Article 8  “I Believe in the Holy Spirit”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 I. The Joint Mission of the Son and the Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 II. The Name, Titles and Symbols of the Holy Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 III. God’s Spirit and Word in the Time of the Promises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 IV. The Spirit of Christ in the Fulness of Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 V. The Spirit and the Church in the Last Days. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Article 9  “I Believe in the Holy Catholic Church” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 Paragraph 1.   The Church in God’s Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 II. The Church’s Origin, Foundation, and Mission. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 III. The Mystery of the Church. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 Paragraph 2.  The Church – People of God, Body of Christ, Temple of the Holy Spirit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 I. The Church – People of God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 II. The Church – Body of Christ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 III. The Church is the Temple of the Holy Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 Paragraph 3.   The Church is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 I. The Church is One. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194 II. The Church is Holy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 III. The Church is Catholic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199 IV. The Church is Apostolic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Paragraph 4.   Christ’s Faithful – Hierarchy, Laity, Consecrated Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 I. The Hierarchical Constitution of the Church. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 II. The Lay Faithful . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 III. The Consecrated Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218 Paragraph 5.   The Communion of Saints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 I. Communion in Spiritual Goods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224 II. The Communion of the Church of Heaven and Earth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225 Paragraph 6.   Mary – Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226 I. Mary’s Motherhood with regard to the Church. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 II. Devotion to the Blessed Virgin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 III. Mary – Eschatological Icon of the Church. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 Article 10  “The Forgiveness of Sins” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 I. One Baptism for the Forgiveness of Sins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 II. The Power of the Keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

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Article 11  “The Resurrection of the Body” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 I. Christ’s Resurrection and Ours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 II. Dying in Christ Jesus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 Article 12  “Life Everlasting”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 I. The Particular Judgement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 II. Heaven. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240 III. The Final Purification, or Purgatory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 IV. Hell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242 V. The Last Judgement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 VI. The Hope of the New Heaven and the New Earth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 “AMEN”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

PART TWO THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 SECTION ONE  THE SACRAMENTAL ECONOMY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 CHAPTER ONE   THE PASCHAL MYSTERY IN THE AGE OF THE CHURCH. . . . . 255 Article 1  The Liturgy – Work of the Holy Trinity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 I. The Father – Source and Goal of the Liturgy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 II. Christ’s Work in the Liturgy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 III. The Holy Spirit and the Church in the Liturgy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258 Article 2  The Paschal Mystery in the Church’s Sacraments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 I. The Sacraments of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 II. The Sacraments of the Church. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264 III. The Sacraments of Faith. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265 IV. The Sacraments of Salvation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266 V. The Sacraments of Eternal Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 CHAPTER TWO

THE SACRAMENTAL CELEBRATION OF THE PASCHAL MYSTERY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Article 1  Celebrating the Church’s Liturgy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268 I. Who Celebrates?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268 II. How is the Liturgy Celebrated? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 III. When is the Liturgy Celebrated?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274 IV.

Where is the Liturgy Celebrated?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

Article 2  Liturgical Diversity and the Unity of the Mystery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

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SECTION TWO THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283 CHAPTER ONE

THE SACRAMENTS OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . 283

Article 1  The Sacrament of Baptism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283 I. What is this Sacrament Called? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284 II. Baptism in the Economy of Salvation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284 III. How is the Sacrament of Baptism Celebrated?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287 IV. Who can receive Baptism? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290 V. Who can Baptize?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291 VI. The Necessity of Baptism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292 VII. The Grace of Baptism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293 Article 2  The Sacrament of Confirmation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 I. Confirmation in the Economy of Salvation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297 II. The Signs and the Rite of Confirmation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298 III. The Effects of Confirmation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 IV. Who can receive this Sacrament?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 V. The Minister of Confirmation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 Article 3  The Sacrament of the Eucharist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304 I. The Eucharist – Source and Summit of Ecclesial Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304 II. What is this Sacrament Called? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305 III. The Eucharist in the Economy of Salvation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306 IV. The Liturgical Celebration of the Eucharist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309 V. The Sacramental Sacrifice: Thanksgiving, Memorial, Presence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312 VI. VII.

The Paschal Banquet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318 The Eucharist – “Pledge of the Glory to Come”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

CHAPTER TWO

THE SACRAMENTS OF HEALING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325

Article 4  The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325 I. What is this Sacrament Called? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 II. Why a Sacrament of Reconciliation after Baptism?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 III. The Conversion of the Baptized. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327 IV. Interior Penance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327 V. The many forms of Penance in Christian Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328 VI. The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329 VII. The Acts of the Penitent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332 VIII. The Minister of this Sacrament. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334 IX. The Effects of this Sacrament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336 X. Indulgences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337 XI. The Celebration of the Sacrament of Penance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339

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Article 5  The Anointing of the Sick. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341 I. Its Foundations in the Economy of Salvation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341 II. Who Receives and who Administers this Sacrament? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345 III. How is this Sacrament Celebrated?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345 IV. The Effects of the Celebration of this Sacrament. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346 V. Viaticum, the Last Sacrament of the Christian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347 CHAPTER THREE  THE SACRAMENTS AT THE SERVICE OF COMMUNION. . . 349 Article 6  The Sacrament of Holy Orders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349 I. Why is this Sacrament called “Orders”? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349 II. The Sacrament of Holy Orders in the Economy of Salvation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349 III. The Three Degrees of the Sacrament of Holy Orders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353 IV. The Celebration of this Sacrament. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357 V. Who can confer this Sacrament?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358 VI. Who can receive this Sacrament?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359 VII. The Effects of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360 Article 7  The Sacrament of Matrimony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363 I. Marriage in God’s Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363 II. The Celebration of Marriage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368 III. Matrimonial Consent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369 IV. The Effects of the Sacrament of Matrimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371 V. The Goods and Requirements of Conjugal Love. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373 VI. The Domestic Church. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375 CHAPTER FOUR  OTHER LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377 Article 1  Sacramentals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377 Article 2  Christian Funerals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380 I. The Christian’s Last Passover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380 II. The Celebration of Funerals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381

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PART THREE LIFE IN CHRIST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385 SECTION ONE MAN’S VOCATION: LIFE IN THE SPIRIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389 CHAPTER ONE   THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389 Article 1  Man: the Image of God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389 Article 2  Our Vocation to Beatitude. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391 I. The Beatitudes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391 II. The Desire for Happiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392 III. Christian Beatitude. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392 Article 3  Man’s Freedom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394 I. Freedom and Responsibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394 II. Human Freedom in the Economy of Salvation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395 Article 4  The Morality of Human Acts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397 I. The Sources of Morality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397 II. Good Acts and Evil Acts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398 Article 5  The Morality of the Passions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399 I. Passions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399 II. Passions and Moral Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400 Article 6  Moral Conscience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401 I. The Judgement of Conscience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401 II. The Formation of Conscience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402 III. To Choose in Accord with Conscience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403 IV. Erroneous Judgement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403 Article 7  The Virtues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405 I. The Human Virtues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405 II. The Theological Virtues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407 III. The Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411 Article 8  Sin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412 I. Mercy and Sin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412 II. The Definition of Sin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413 III. The Different Kinds of Sins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414 IV. The Gravity of Sin: Mortal and Venial Sin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414 V. The Proliferation of Sin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416 CHAPTER TWO  THE HUMAN COMMUNITY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418 Article 1  The Person and Society. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418 I. The Communal Character of the Human Vocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418 II. Conversion and Society. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419

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Article 2  Participation in Social Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421 I. Authority. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421 II. The Common Good. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422 III. Responsibility and Participation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424 Article 3  Social Justice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425 I. Respect for the Human Person. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425 II. Equality and Differences among Men. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426 III. Human Solidarity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427 CHAPTER THREE

GOD’S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429

Article 1  The Moral Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430 I. The Natural Moral Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430 II. The Old Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431 III. The New Law or the Law of the Gospel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432 Article 2  Grace and Justification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435 I. Justification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435 II. Grace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437 III. Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440 IV. Christian Holiness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441 Article 3  The Church, Mother and Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443 I. Moral Life and the Magisterium of the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444 II. The Precepts of the Church. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445 III. Moral Life and Missionary Witness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446 SECTION TWO THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451 CHAPTER ONE  “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457 Article 1  The First Commandment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457 I. “You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you Serve”. . . . . . . . . . 457 II. “Him only shall you Serve”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459 III. “You shall have no other Gods before Me”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463 IV. “You shall not make for yourself a Graven Image…” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467 Article 2  The Second Commandment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468 I. The Name of the Lord is Holy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468 II. Taking the Name of the Lord in Vain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470 III. The Christian Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471 Article 3  The Third Commandment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472 I. The Sabbath Day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472 II. The Lord’s Day… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473

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CHAPTER TWO  “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR AS YOURSELF”. . . . . . 478 Article 4  The Fourth Commandment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478 I. The Family in God’s Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479 II. The Family and Society. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480 III. The Duties of Family Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482 IV. The Family and the Kingdom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485 V. The Authorities in Civil Society. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486 Article 5  The Fifth Commandment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490 I. Respect for Human Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490 II. III.

Respect for the Dignity of Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496 Safeguarding Peace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499

Article 6  The Sixth Commandment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503 I. “Male and Female He Created Them…” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503 II. The Vocation to Chastity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504 III. The Love of Husband and Wife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509 IV. Offences against the Dignity of Marriage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513 Article 7  The Seventh Commandment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 517 I. The Universal Destination and the Private Ownership of Goods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 517 II. Respect for Persons and their Goods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518 III. The Social Doctrine of the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520 IV. Economic Activity and Social Justice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522 V. Justice and Solidarity among Nations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 524 VI. Love for the Poor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525 Article 8  The Eighth Commandment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528 I. Living in the Truth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529 II. To Bear Witness to the Truth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530 III. Offences against Truth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 531 IV. Respect for the Truth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533 V. The Use of the Social Communications Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534 VI. Truth, Beauty and Sacred Art. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535 Article 9  The Ninth Commandment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537 I. Purification of the Heart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 538 II. The Battle for Purity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 539 Article 10  The Tenth Commandment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 541 I. The Disorder of Covetous Desires. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 541 II. The Desires of the Spirit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542 III. Poverty of Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 543 IV. “I want to see God”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 544

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PART FOUR CHRISTIAN PRAYER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549 SECTION ONE PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550 WHAT IS PRAYER?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550 CHAPTER ONE

THE REVELATION OF PRAYER THE UNIVERSAL CALL TO PRAYER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 552

Article 1  In the Old Testament. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 552 Article 2  In the Fulness of Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559 Article 3  In the Age of the Church. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565 I. Blessing and Adoration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 566 II. Prayer of Petition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 566 III. Prayer of Intercession. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 567 IV. Prayer of Thanksgiving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568 V. Prayer of Praise. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568 CHAPTER TWO

THE TRADITION OF PRAYER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570

Article 1  At the Wellsprings of Prayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570 Article 2  The Way of Prayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572 Article 3  Guides for Prayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 577 CHAPTER THREE

THE LIFE OF PRAYER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 580

Article 1  Expressions of Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 580 I. Vocal Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 580 II. Meditation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 581 III. Contemplative Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582 Article 2  The Battle of Prayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 584 I. Objections to Prayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 585 II. Humble Vigilance of Heart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 585 III. Filial Trust. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 587 IV. Persevering in Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 588 Article 3  The Prayer of the Hour of Jesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589 SECTION TWO THE LORD’S PRAYER: “OUR FATHER!”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 591 Article 1  “The Summary of the Whole Gospel” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 592 I. At the Centre of the Scriptures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 592 II. “The Lord’s Prayer”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593 III. The Prayer of the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593

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Article 2  “Our Father Who Art in Heaven”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595 I. “We dare to say”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595 II. “Father!”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596 III. “Our” Father. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598 IV. “Who Art in Heaven”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599 Article 3  The Seven Petitions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 600 I. “Hallowed be Thy Name” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601 II. “Thy Kingdom Come”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603 III. “Thy Will be Done on Earth as it is in Heaven”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 605 IV. “Give us this Day our Daily Bread”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 606 V. “And Forgive us our Trespasses, as we Forgive those who Trespass against us” . . . 609 VI. “And Lead us not into Temptation”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 611 VII. “But Deliver us from Evil”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 612 Article 4  The Final Doxology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613 INDEX OF CITATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615 SUBJECT INDEX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 657

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ABBREVIATIONS AA AAS AF

Apostolicam actuositatem Acta Apostolicae Sedis J.B. Lightfoot, ed., The Apostolic Fathers AG Ad gentes CA Centesimus annus CCEO Corpus Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium CChr Corpus Christianorum CCL Corpus Christianorum, series latina CD Christus Dominus CDF Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith CELAM Consejo Episcopal Latinoamericano CIC Codex Iuris Canonici (1983) CL Christifideles laici COD Conciliorum oecumenicorum decreta CPG Solemn Profession of faith: Credo of the People of God CSEL Corpus scriptorum ecclesiasticorum latinorum CT Catechesi tradendae DeV Dominum et Vivificantem DH Dignitatis humanae DM Dives in misericordia DS Denzinger-SchĂ–nmetzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum (1965) DV Dei verbum EN Evangelii nuntiandi EP Eucharistic Prayer FC Familiaris consortio GCD General Catechetical Directory GE Gravissimum educationis GILH General Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours GIRM General Instruction of the Roman Missal GS Gaudium et spes HV Humanae vitae ICEL International Commission on English in the Liturgy IM Inter mirifica

JB Jerusalem Bible LE Laborem exercens LG Lumen gentium LH Liturgy of the Hours LXX Septuagint MC Marialis cultus MD Mulieris dignitatem MF Mysterium fidei MM Mater et magistra NA Nostra aetate NCCB National Conference of Catholic Bishops (USA) ND Neuner-Dupuis, The Christian Faith in the Doctrinal Documents of the Catholic Church OC Order of Confirmation OCF Order of Christian Funerals OCM Order of Celebrating Matrimony OCV Ordo consecrationis virginum OE Orientalium ecclesiarum OP Ordo poenitentiae OR Office of Readings OT Optatam totius PC Perfectae caritatis PG J.P. Migne, ed., Patrologia graeca PL J.P. Migne, ed., Patrologia latina PLS J.P. Migne, ed., Patrologia latina Supplement PO Presbyterorum ordinis PP Populorum progressio PT Pacem in terris RBC Rite of Baptism of Children RCIA Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults RH Redemptor hominis RMat Redemptoris Mater RMiss Redemptoris missio RP Reconciliatio et paenitentia SC Sacrosanctum concilium SCG Summa contra gentiles SCh Sources chrĂŠtiennes SRS sollicitudo rei socialis STh Summa theologiae UR unitatis redintegratio

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The following abbreviations are used for the books of the Bible cited in the text: Gen Genesis Ex Exodus Lev Leviticus Num Numbers Dt Deuteronomy Josh Joshua Judg Judges 1 Sam 1 Samuel 2 Sam 2 Samuel 1 Kings 1 Kings 2 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chr 1 Chronicles 2 Chr 2 Chronicles Ezra Ezra 2 Macc 2 Maccabees Job Job Ps Psalms Prov Proverbs Eccl Ecclesiastes Song Song of Solomon Wis Wisdom Sir Sirach Isa Isaiah Lam Lamentations Bar Baruch Ezek Ezekiel Dan Daniel Hos Hosea Joel Joel Am Amos Jon Jonah

Mic Micah Zeph Zephaniah Zech Zechariah Mal Malachi Mt Matthew Mk Mark Lk Luke Jn John Acts Acts of the Apostles Rom Romans 1 Cor 1 Corinthians 2 Cor 2 Corinthians Gal Galatians Eph Ephesians Phil Philippians Col Colossians 1 Thes 1 Thessalonians 2 Thes 2 Thessalonians 1 Tim 1 Timothy 2 Tim 2 Timothy Titus Titus Philem Philemon Heb Hebrews Jas James 1 Pet 1 Peter 2 Pet 2 Peter 1 Jn 1 John 2 Jn 2 John 3 Jn 3 John Jude Jude Rev Revelation

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APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION

FIDEI DEPOSITUM ON THE PUBLICATION OF THE

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH PREPARED FOLLOWING THE SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL

JOHN PAUL, BISHOP Servant of the Servants of God

For Everlasting Memory

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To my Venerable Brothers the Cardinals, Patriarchs, Archbishops, Bishops, Priests, Deacons and to all the People of God. Guarding the Deposit of Faith is the Mission Which the Lord Entrusted to his Church, and which she fulfils in every age. The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, which was opened 30 years ago by my predecessor Pope John XXIII, of happy memory, had as its intention and purpose to highlight the Church’s apostolic and pastoral mission and by making the truth of the Gospel shine forth to lead all people to seek and receive Christ’s love which surpasses all knowledge (cf. Eph 3:19). The principal task entrusted to the Council by Pope John XXIII was to guard and present better the precious deposit of Christian doctrine in order to make it more accessible to the Christian faithful and to all people of good will. For this reason the Council was not first of all to condemn the errors of the time, but above all to strive calmly to show the strength and beauty of the doctrine of the faith. “Illumined by the light of this Council”, the Pope said, “the Church… will become greater in spiritual riches and gaining the strength of new energies therefrom, she will look to the future without fear…. Our duty is to dedicate ourselves with an earnest will and without fear to that work which our era demands of us, thus pursuing the path which the Church has followed for 20 centuries.”1 With the help of God, the Council Fathers in four years of work were able to produce a considerable number of doctrinal statements and pastoral norms which were presented to the whole Church. There the Pastors and Christian faithful find directives for that “renewal of thought, action, practices and moral virtue, of joy and hope, which was the very purpose of the Council”.2 After its conclusion, the Council did not cease to inspire the Church’s life. In 1985 I was able to assert, “For me, then – who had the special grace of participating in it and actively collaborating in its development – Vatican II has always been, and especially during these years of my Pontificate, the constant reference point of my every pastoral action, in the conscious commitment to implement its directives concretely and faithfully at the level of each Church and the whole Church.”3 In this spirit, on 25 January 1985, I convoked an extraordinary assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the 20th anniversary of the close of the Council. The purpose of this assembly was to celebrate the graces and spiritual fruits 1

St John XXIII, Discourse at the Opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, 11 October 1962: AAS 54 (1962) pp. 788–91. 2 Bl. Paul VI, Discourse at the Closing of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, 7 December 1965: AAS 58 (1966) pp. 7–8. 3 St John Paul II, Discourse of 25 January 1985: L’Osservatore Romano, 27 January 1985.

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of Vatican II, to study its teaching in greater depth in order that all the Christian faithful might better adhere to it, and to promote knowledge and application of it. On that occasion the Synod Fathers stated: “Very many have expressed the desire that a catechism or compendium of all Catholic doctrine regarding both faith and morals be composed, that it might be, as it were, a point of reference for the catechisms or compendiums that are prepared in various regions. The presentation of doctrine must be biblical and liturgical. It must be sound doctrine suited to the present life of Christians.”4 After the Synod ended, I made this desire my own, considering it as “fully responding to a real need of the universal Church and of the particular Churches”.5 For this reason we thank the Lord whole-heartedly on this day when we can offer the entire Church this “reference text” entitled the Catechism of the Catholic Church, for a catechesis renewed at the living sources of the faith! Following the renewal of the Liturgy and the new codification of the canon law of the Latin Church and that of the Oriental Catholic Churches, this catechism will make a very important contribution to that work of renewing the whole life of the Church, as desired and begun by the Second Vatican Council. 1. The Process and Spirit of Drafting the Text The Catechism of the Catholic Church is the result of very extensive collaboration; it was prepared over six years of intense work done in a spirit of complete openness and fervent zeal. In 1986, I entrusted a commission of twelve Cardinals and Bishops, chaired by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, with the task of preparing a draft of the catechism requested by the Synod Fathers. An editorial committee of seven diocesan Bishops, experts in theology and catechesis, assisted the commission in its work. The commission, charged with giving directives and with overseeing the course of the work, attentively followed all the stages in editing the nine subsequent drafts. The editorial committee, for its part, assumed responsibility for writing the text, making the emendations requested by the commission and examining the observations of numerous theologians, exegetes and catechists, and, above all, of the Bishops of the whole world, in order to produce a better text. In the committee various opinions were Final Report of the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops, 7 December 1985 Enchiridion Vaticanum, vol. 9, II, B a, n. 4: p. 1758, n. 1797. 5 St John Paul II, Discourse at the Closing of the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops, 7 December 1985, n. 6: AAS 78 (1986), p. 435. 4

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compared with great profit, and thus a richer text has resulted whose unity and coherence are assured. The project was the object of extensive consultation among all Catholic Bishops, their Episcopal Conferences or Synods, and theological and catechetical institutes. As a whole, it received a broadly favourable acceptance on the part of the Episcopate. It can be said that this Catechism is the result of the collaboration of the whole Episcopate of the Catholic Church, who generously accepted my invitation to share responsibility for an enterprise which directly concerns the life of the Church. This response elicits in me a deep feeling of joy, because the harmony of so many voices truly expresses what could be called the “symphony” of the faith. The achievement of this Catechism thus reflects the collegial nature of the Episcopate; it testifies to the Church’s catholicity. 2. Arrangement of the Material A catechism should faithfully and systematically present the teaching of Sacred Scripture, the living Tradition in the Church and the authentic Magisterium, as well as the spiritual heritage of the Fathers, Doctors and saints of the Church, to allow for a better knowledge of the Christian mystery and for enlivening the faith of the People of God. It should take into account the doctrinal statements which down the centuries the Holy Spirit has intimated to his Church. It should also help to illumine with the light of faith the new situations and problems which had not yet emerged in the past. This catechism will thus contain both the new and the old (cf. Mt 13:52), because the faith is always the same yet the source of ever new light. To respond to this twofold demand, the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the one hand repeats the “old”, traditional order already followed by the Catechism of St Pius V, arranging the material in four parts: the Creed, the Sacred Liturgy, with pride of place given to the sacraments, the Christian way of life, explained beginning with the Ten Commandments, and finally, Christian prayer. At the same time, however, the contents are often presented in a “new” way in order to respond to the questions of our age. The four parts are related one to another: the Christian mystery is the object of faith (first part); it is celebrated and communicated in liturgical actions (second part); it is present to enlighten and sustain the children of God in their actions (third part); it is the basis for our prayer, the privileged expression of which is the Our Father, and it represents the object of our supplication, our praise and our intercession (fourth part). The Liturgy itself is prayer; the confession of faith finds its proper place in the celebration of worship. Grace, the fruit of the sacraments, is the irreplaceable

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condition for Christian living, just as participation in the Church’s Liturgy requires faith. If faith is not expressed in works, it is dead (cf. Jas 2:14-16) and cannot bear fruit unto eternal life. In reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church we can perceive the wonderful unity of the mystery of God, his saving will, as well as the central place of Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, sent by the Father, made man in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, to be our Saviour. Having died and risen, Christ is always present in his Church, especially in the sacraments; he is the source of our faith, the model of Christian conduct and the Teacher of our prayer. 3. The Doctrinal Value of the Text The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which I approved 25 June last and the publication of which I today order by virtue of my Apostolic Authority, is a statement of the Church’s faith and of catholic doctrine, attested to or illumined by Sacred Scripture, the Apostolic Tradition and the Church’s Magisterium. I declare it to be a sure norm for teaching the faith and thus a valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion. May it serve the renewal to which the Holy Spirit ceaselessly calls the Church of God, the Body of Christ, on her pilgrimage to the undiminished light of the Kingdom! The approval and publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church represent a service which the Successor of Peter wishes to offer to the Holy Catholic Church, to all the particular Churches in peace and communion with the Apostolic See: the service, that is, of supporting and confirming the faith of all the Lord Jesus’s disciples (cf. Lk 22:32), as well as of strengthening the bonds of unity in the same apostolic faith. Therefore, I ask all the Church’s Pastors and the Christian faithful to receive this catechism in a spirit of communion and to use it assiduously in fulfilling their mission of proclaiming the faith and calling people to the Gospel life. This catechism is given to them that it may be a sure and authentic reference text for teaching catholic doctrine and particularly for preparing local catechisms. It is also offered to all the faithful who wish to deepen their knowledge of the unfathomable riches of salvation (cf. Eph 3:8). It is meant to support ecumenical efforts that are moved by the holy desire for the unity of all Christians, showing carefully the content and wondrous harmony of the catholic faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, lastly, is offered to every individual who asks us to give an account of the hope that is in us (cf. 1 Pt 3:15) and who wants to know what the Catholic Church believes. This catechism is not intended to replace the local catechisms duly approved by the ecclesiastical authorities, the diocesan Bishops and the Episcopal

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Conferences, especially if they have been approved by the Apostolic See. It is meant to encourage and assist in the writing of new local catechisms, which take into account various situations and cultures, while carefully preserving the unity of faith and fidelity to catholic doctrine. At the conclusion of this document presenting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, I beseech the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Incarnate Word and Mother of the Church, to support with her powerful intercession the catechetical work of the entire Church on every level, at this time when she is called to a new effort of evangelization. May the light of the true faith free humanity from the ignorance and slavery of sin in order to lead it to the only freedom worthy of the name (cf. Jn 8:32): that of life in Jesus Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, here below and in the Kingdom of heaven, in the fulness of the blessed vision of God face to face (cf. 1 Cor 13:12; 2 Cor 5:6-8)! Given 11 October 1992, the thirtieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, in the fourteenth year of my Pontificate.

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APOSTOLIC LETTER

LAETAMUR MAGNOPERE IN WHICH THE LATIN TYPICAL EDITION OF THE

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS APPROVED AND PROMULGATED

JOHN PAUL, BISHOP Servant of the Servants of God

For Everlasting Memory

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Apostolic Letter Laetamur Magnopere

To my Venerable Brothers the Cardinals, Patriarchs, Archbishops, Bishops, Priests, Deacons, and to all the People of God. It is a cause for great joy that the latin typical edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is being published. It is approved and promulgated by me in this Apostolic Letter and thus becomes the definitive text of the aforementioned Catechism. This is occurring about five years after the Apostolic Constitution Fidei Depositum of 11 October 1992, which, on the thirtieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, accompanied the publication of the first, French-language text of the Catechism. We have all been able to note with pleasure the broad positive reception and wide dissemination of the Catechism in these years, especially in the particular Churches, which have had it translated into their respective languages, thus making it as accessible as possible to the various linguistic communities of the world. This fact confirms how fitting was the request submitted to me in 1985 by the Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops that a catechism or compendium of all Catholic doctrine regarding faith and morals be composed. Drawn up by the special Commission of Cardinals and Bishops established in 1986, the Catechism was approved and promulgated by me in the aforementioned Apostolic Constitution, which today retains all its validity and timeliness, and finds its definitive achievement in this Latin typical edition. This edition was prepared by an Interdicasterial Commission which I appointed for this purpose in 1993. Presided over by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, this Commission worked diligently to fulfil the mandate it received. It devoted particular attention to a study of the many suggested changes to the contents of the text, which in these years had come from around the world and from various parts of the ecclesial community. In this regard one can certainly understand that such a remarkable number of suggested improvements shows the extraordinary interest that the Catechism has raised throughout the world, even among non-Christians, and confirms its purpose of being presented as a full, complete exposition of Catholic doctrine, enabling everyone to know what the Church professes, celebrates, lives, and prays in her daily life. At the same time it draws attention to the eager desire of all to make their contribution so that the Christian faith, whose essential and necessary elements are summarized in the Catechism, can be presented to the people of our day in the most suitable way possible. Furthermore, this collaboration of the various members of the Church

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will once again achieve what I wrote in the Apostolic Constitution Fidei Depositum: “The harmony of so many voices truly expresses what could be called the ‘symphony’ of the faith” (no. 2). For these reasons too, the Commission seriously considered the suggestions offered, carefully examined them at various levels and submitted its conclusions for my approval. These conclusions, insofar as they allow for a better expression of the Catechism’s contents regarding the deposit of the Catholic faith, or enable certain truths of this faith to be formulated in a way more suited to the requirements of contemporary catechetical instruction, have been approved by me and thus have been incorporated into this Latin typical edition. Therefore it faithfully repeats the doctrinal content which I officially presented to the Church and to the world in December 1992. With today’s promulgation of the Latin typical edition, therefore, the task of composing the Catechism, begun in 1986, is brought to a close and the desire of the aforementioned Extraordinary Synod of Bishops is happily fulfilled. The Church now has at her disposal this new, authoritative exposition of the one and perennial apostolic faith, and it will serve as a “valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion” and as a “sure norm for teaching the faith”, as well as a “sure and authentic reference text” for preparing local catechisms (cf. Apostolic Constitution Fidei Depositum, no. 4). Catechesis will find in this genuine, systematic presentation of the faith and of Catholic doctrine a totally reliable way to present, with renewed fervour, each and every part of the Christian message to the people of our time. This text will provide every catechist with sound help for communicating the one, perennial deposit of faith within the local Church, while seeking, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to link the wondrous unity of the Christian mystery with the varied needs and conditions of those to whom this message is addressed. All catechetical activity will be able to experience a new, widespread impetus among the People of God, if it can properly use and appreciate this postconciliar Catechism. All this seems even more important today with the approach of the third millennium. For an extraordinary commitment to evangelization is urgently needed so that everyone can know and receive the Gospel message and thus grow “to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph 4:13). I therefore strongly urge my Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate, for whom the Catechism is primarily intended, to take the excellent opportunity afforded by the promulgation of this Latin edition to intensify their efforts to disseminate the text more widely and to ensure that it is well received as an

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outstanding gift for the communities entrusted to them, which will thus be able to rediscover the inexhaustible riches of the faith. Through the harmonious and complementary efforts of all the ranks of the People of God, may this Catechism be known and shared by everyone, so that the unity in faith whose supreme model and origin is found in the Unity of the Trinity may be strengthened and extended to the ends of the earth. To Mary, Mother of Christ, whose Assumption body and soul into heaven we celebrate today, I entrust these wishes so that they may be brought to fulfilment for the spiritual good of all humanity. From Castel Gandolfo, 15 August 1997, the nineteenth year of my Pontificate.

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Prologue

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PROLOGUE “Father,… this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”1 “God our Saviour desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”2 “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved”3 – than the name of Jesus.

I. The Life of Man – to Know and Love God 1. God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplish this, when the fulness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Saviour. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life. 2. So that this call should resound throughout the world, Christ sent forth the apostles he had chosen, commissioning them to proclaim the gospel: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”4 Strengthened by this mission, the apostles “went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it.”5 3. Those who with God’s help have welcomed Christ’s call and freely responded to it are urged on by love of Christ to proclaim the Good News everywhere in the world. This treasure, received from the apostles, has been faithfully guarded by their successors. All Christ’s faithful are called to hand it on from generation to generation, by professing the faith, by living it in fraternal sharing, and by celebrating it in liturgy and prayer.6 II. Handing on the Faith: Catechesis 4. Quite early on, the name catechesis was given to the totality of the Church’s efforts to make disciples, to help men believe that Jesus is the Son of God so 1 Jn 17:3. 2 1 Tim 2:3-4. 3 Acts 4:12. 4 Mt 28:18-20. 5 Mk 16:20. 6 Cf. Acts 2:42.

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12 Prologue

that believing they might have life in his name, and to educate and instruct them in this life, thus building up the body of Christ.7 5. “Catechesis is an education in the faith of children, young people and adults which includes especially the teaching of Christian doctrine imparted, generally speaking, in an organic and systematic way, with a view to initiating the hearers into the fulness of Christian life.”8 6. While not being formally identified with them, catechesis is built on a certain number of elements of the Church’s pastoral mission which have a catechetical aspect, that prepare for catechesis, or spring from it. They are: the initial proclamation of the Gospel or missionary preaching to arouse faith; examination of the reasons for belief; experience of Christian living; celebration of the sacraments; integration into the ecclesial community; and apostolic and missionary witness.9 7. “Catechesis is intimately bound up with the whole of the Church’s life. Not only her geographical extension and numerical increase, but even more her inner growth and correspondence with God’s plan depend essentially on catechesis.”10 8. Periods of renewal in the Church are also intense moments of catechesis. In the great era of the Fathers of the Church, saintly bishops devoted an important part of their ministry to catechesis. St Cyril of Jerusalem and St John Chrysostom, St Ambrose and St Augustine, and many other Fathers wrote catechetical works that remain models for us.11 9. “The ministry of catechesis draws ever fresh energy from the councils. The Council of Trent is a noteworthy example of this. It gave catechesis priority in its constitutions and decrees. It lies at the origin of the Roman Catechism, which is also known by the name of that council and which is a work of the first rank as a summary of Christian teaching….”12 The Council of Trent initiated a remarkable organization of the Church’s catechesis. Thanks to the work of holy bishops and theologians such as St Peter Canisius, St Charles Borromeo, St Turibius of Mongrovejo or St Robert Bellarmine, it occasioned the publication of numerous catechisms. 10. It is therefore no surprise that catechesis in the Church has again attracted attention in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, which Pope Paul VI considered the great catechism of modern times. The General Catechetical Directory (1971), the sessions of the Synod of Bishops devoted to evangelization (1974) and catechesis 7 Cf. St John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Catechesi tradendae 1; 2. 8 CT 18. 9 CT 18. 10 CT 13. 11 Cf. CT 12. 12 CT 13.

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(1977), the apostolic exhortations Evangelii nuntiandi (1975) and Catechesi tradendae (1979), attest to this. The Extraordinary Synod of Bishops in 1985 asked “that a catechism or compendium of all Catholic doctrine regarding both faith and morals be composed”.13 The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, made the Synod’s wish his own, acknowledging that “this desire wholly corresponds to a real need of the universal Church and of the particular Churches.”14 He set in motion everything needed to carry out the Synod Fathers’ wish.

III. The Aim and Intended Readership of the Catechism 11. This catechism aims at presenting an organic synthesis of the essential and fundamental contents of Catholic doctrine, as regards both faith and morals, in the light of the Second Vatican Council and the whole of the Church’s Tradition. Its principal sources are the Sacred Scriptures, the Fathers of the Church, the liturgy, and the Church’s Magisterium. It is intended to serve “as a point of reference for the catechisms or compendia that are composed in the various countries”.15 12. This work is intended primarily for those responsible for catechesis: first of all the bishops, as teachers of the faith and pastors of the Church. It is offered to them as an instrument in fulfilling their responsibility of teaching the People of God. Through the bishops, it is addressed to redactors of catechisms, to priests, and to catechists. It will also be useful reading for all other Christian faithful. IV. Structure of this Catechism 13. The plan of this catechism is inspired by the great tradition of catechisms which build catechesis on four pillars: the baptismal profession of faith (the Creed), the sacraments of faith, the life of faith (the Commandments), and the prayer of the believer (the Lord’s Prayer). Part One: The Profession of Faith

14. Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.16 First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Extraordinary Synod of Bishops 1985, Final Report, II B a, 4. St John Paul II, Discourse at the Closing of the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops, 7 December 1985: AAS 78 (1986). 15 Extraordinary Synod of Bishops 1985, Final Report II B a, 4. 16 Cf. Mt 10:32; Rom 10:9. 13 14

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14 Prologue

Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two). Part Two: The Sacraments of Faith

15. The second part of the Catechism explains how God’s salvation, accomplished once for all through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, is made present in the sacred actions of the Church’s liturgy (Section One), especially in the seven sacraments (Section Two). Part Three: The Life of Faith

16. The third part of the Catechism deals with the final end of man created in the image of God: beatitude, and the ways of reaching it – through right conduct freely chosen, with the help of God’s law and grace (Section One), and through conduct that fulfils the twofold commandment of charity, specified in God’s Ten Commandments (Section Two). Part Four: Prayer in the Life of Faith

17. The last part of the Catechism deals with the meaning and importance of prayer in the life of believers (Section One). It concludes with a brief commentary on the seven petitions of the Lord’s Prayer (Section Two), for indeed we find in these the sum of all the good things which we must hope for, and which our heavenly Father wants to grant us. V. Practical Directions for using this Catechism 18. This catechism is conceived as an organic presentation of the Catholic faith in its entirety. It should be seen therefore as a unified whole. Numerous cross-references in the margin of the text (italicized numbers referring to other paragraphs that deal with the same theme), as well as the analytical index at the end of the volume, allow the reader to view each theme in its relationship with the entirety of the faith. 19. The texts of Sacred Scripture are often not quoted word for word but are merely indicated by a reference (“cf.”). For a deeper understanding of such passages, the reader should refer to the Scriptural texts themselves. Such Biblical references are a valuable working-tool in catechesis. 20. The use of small print in certain passages indicates observations of an historical or apologetic nature, or supplementary doctrinal explanations. 21. The quotations, also in small print, from patristic, liturgical, magisterial or hagiographical sources, are intended to enrich the doctrinal presentations. These texts have often been chosen with a view to direct catechetical use.

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Prologue

15

22. At the end of each thematic unit, a series of brief texts sum up the essentials of that unit’s teaching in condensed formulae. These “IN BRIEF” summaries may suggest to local catechists brief summary formulae that could be memorized.

VI. Necessary Adaptations 23. The Catechism emphasizes the exposition of doctrine. It seeks to help deepen understanding of faith. In this way it is oriented toward the maturing of that faith, its putting down roots in personal life, and its shining forth in personal conduct.17 24. By design, this Catechism does not set out to provide the adaptation of doctrinal presentations and catechetical methods required by the differences of culture, age, spiritual maturity, and social and ecclesial condition among all those to whom it is addressed. Such indispensable adaptations are the responsibility of particular catechisms and, even more, of those who instruct the faithful: Whoever teaches must become “all things to all men” (1 Cor 9:22), to win everyone to Christ…. Above all, teachers must not imagine that a single kind of soul has been entrusted to them, and that consequently it is lawful to teach and form equally all the faithful in true piety with one and the same method! Let them realize that some are in Christ as newborn babes, others as adolescents, and still others as adults in full command of their powers…. Those who are called to the ministry of preaching must suit their words to the maturity and understanding of their hearers, as they hand on the teaching of the mysteries of faith and the rules of moral conduct.18 Above All – Charity

25. To conclude this Prologue, it is fitting to recall this pastoral principle stated by the Roman Catechism: The whole concern of doctrine and its teaching must be directed to the love that never ends. Whether something is proposed for belief, for hope or for action, the love of our Lord must always be made accessible, so that anyone can see that all the works of perfect Christian virtue spring from love and have no other objective than to arrive at love.19

17 Cf. CT 20-22, 25. 18 Roman Catechism, Preface, 11; cf. 1 Cor 9:22; 1 Pt 2:2. 19 Roman Catechism, Preface, 10; cf. 1 Cor 13:8.

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