Not sure about the basics of the faith? Are you new to Catholicism? Take a look around on this page!
Catholics are Christians
Contrary to what some protestants may say, Catholics are thoroughly Christian. We believe that Christ died for us, and that He is the One True God. Catholics are monotheistic.
The Holy Trinity
As Catholics, we believe in One God, with three persons, The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father created everything, from the entire universe to each individual person, including you. The Son is Jesus Christ, the one who died for us on the Cross, and rose again from the dead. The Holy Spirit guides us through life and inspires us to prayer. Though these are three distinct persons, they are only One God.
Original Sin
It’s pretty clear to see this everywhere we look. Sin is everywhere, people hurt each other, people care only for themselves. This is not what we are made for. Humans are made to be with God. This brokenness came into humanity when Adam and Eve defied the commandment of God, and tried to become their own gods. Since then, brokenness exists in everyone, and we need to overcome it.
Jesus Died For Our Sins
Catholics all believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins. He voluntarily sacrificed Himself to pay the price for sin in the world, especially the original sin created from Adam and Eve. This sacrificial act was necessary, because justice had to be done for the original separation from God. Christ’s sacrifice is what allows us to enter into Heaven, but unfortunately on Earth our brokenness remains.
Angels and Demons
God created other beings with free will, and these are the angels. Unfortunately, 1/3 of all those angels made the choice to reject God and they rebelled. These angels are fallen, and are called demons. These demons now want to trick us to separate ourselves from God, and conspire against us constantly. Satan, or the Devil, is the leader of these fallen angels. Luckily, God is on our side and wants us to be with Him, and these demons are nothing compared to Him. The angels are also on our side, they fight for us against these demons so that we can make it to our home with God in Heaven. God also assigns each of us a special angel to guard us, our guardian angel.
Mary and the Saints
Mary and the saints are not gods, they are people like you or me. They are special because we know they made it to Heaven and are with Christ right now. So why do we pray to them? Prayer to saints is not a form of worship, it’s the same as asking another person to pray for us. We petition Mary and the saints to pray and intercede for us because we believe that their prayers are more efficacious.
Mary is very special compared to the saints, and is due more respect and honor. We call her the Mother of God, because she was the mother of Jesus. She was the only person created by God to have never sinned throughout their life. Because of how special she is, God raised her up to be the Queen of Heaven. This is not equal to Jesus, who is the King of Heaven. She is to be held with great respect and veneration, but not worshipped.
The Apostolic Succession of the Catholic Church
Catholics believe that the Catholic Church is descended directly from the apostles of Jesus. The first Pope was Peter, and Jesus Himself appointed him as the first Pope when He said that Peter was the rock on which He would build His Church.
The Bible
The Catholics were the ones who compiled together all of the books of the Bible. This happened in the Council of Rome in the year 382 ad. The Bible is very important to Catholics, as it is the written word inspired by the Holy Spirit. Everything in the Bible is sacred to Catholics, and we even have 3 readings and a Psalm read at every mass.
Mass
The Mass is very important to Catholics, and in fact is the most important form of prayer. All Catholics are required to participate in every Sunday Mass. Mass is a ceremony which is centered around the consecration of the Eucharist, in which the body and blood are changed into the body and blood of Christ.
The Eucharist
Before Christ died on the cross, He told us that unless you eat His body and drink His blood, you will not have life in you. He also made clear what His body and blood was when at the Last Supper He held up bread and wine. Today, at a Catholic Mass a priest does this same thing. As Catholics, we are called to believe that that is the actual body and blood of Christ, not a symbol. Yes, that is very literally Jesus that the priest holds up. So Catholics show a lot of respect for this Sacrament, and as such, every faithful Catholic should search their heart and determine if they are worthy to receive it.
Mortal Sin vs Venial Sin
Sin is awful. They separate us from God, and are choices we make to do things that are wrong. The thing is, sin often times will feel good in the moment, or at least feel better than what is right. If sin felt bad in the moment, no one would do it! But afterwards we may realize that we have done wrong. Or we may feel off, even without realizing we did something wrong. That’s because sin is a type of spiritual poison, and is bad for our souls.
Not all sins are the same, some are more damaging than others. Some even sever our ties with God, making it so that we are separate from His grace. These are called mortal sins. The criteria to determine if a sin is a mortal sin is, the gravity of the sin, having full knowledge it is a sin, and having full consent and choice to do that sin. Other sins do separate us from God in some way, however we are still able to receive His Grace. These sins are called venial sins. When we have no mortal sins on our soul, we are in a state of grace. When we do have mortal sin, we are in a state of sin. Confession brings us back to a state of grace when we are in a state of sin.
Reconciliation or Confession
All Catholics are able to confess their sins and have them forgiven through the Sacrament of Confession. This reconciles our hearts toward God. Through this Sacrament, we confess our sins to a priest, and Christ acts through the priest to confess our sins. The priest himself does not forgive our sins through his own power, Christ does.
Precepts of The Catholic Church
The Precepts of the Church are the bare minimum that all Catholics must follow. Not following these means that you are not a Catholic in good standing.
The Precepts:
- Attendance at Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation
- Confession of serious sin at least once a year
- Reception of Holy Communion at least once a year during the Easter season
- Observance of the days of fast and abstinence
- Providing for the needs of the Church
Vocations
The Church has several different vocations, or what we as members of the Church are called to by God. A vocation is a sort of job, and is intended to be something we do to strengthen the Church and spread the word of God.
Priests are called to be a representative of Christ. He says Mass, hears confessions, anoints the sick, performs marriages, and teaches his congregation. A priest is meant to embody the good shepherd that is Christ.
Married couples are supposed to raise children in the Faith. Every child must learn about their Catholic Faith, and parents are their most important teacher. Parents have incredible responsibility in this. Married couples are also supposed to get each other to Heaven. This is the most important part of their vocation, even more important than raising their children well.
Catholic Morality
Catholic morality is based on many different Bible sources, including the ten commandments, the two commandments of Christ, and most importantly by Christ’s example and teachings in the Gospels.
Catholics believe that Christ is in every individual, and as such every person must be treated with dignity and respect. If they have needs that we can fulfill, we are called to help. Charity is incredibly important to the faithful Catholic.
Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell
All people are created to be with God in Heaven. Catholics do not believe in predestination or that some people are created to go to hell and others are created to go to heaven. We are all called to go their. The problem is, we have to consistently choose to follow God to make it there. Christ made it clear to us that few people will make it there, and many will choose the path that leads to hell.
Purgatory is represented by popular secular shows and movies as a second chance. A way to get it right after messing up your life on Earth. This is completely false and is a misrepresentation in order to fit their stories. Catholics believe that purgatory is for those who have already chosen God and are going to heaven. These people just need to be prepared first, and need to be perfect before they enter the perfection of heaven. Although sins may be forgiven, those sins have effects that must be overcome on our souls.
Hell is where those who reject God go. People who end up here expect to suffer an eternity of torment, with the demons who rejected God at the beginning of time. It’s a hard subject for people to accept, however it is a reality all Catholics must keep in mind. Hell is real, and the demons want you there. God is eternally merciful, however He is also just, and it would be unlikely that He would allow someone into heaven after they reject Him, and reject doing any good.