The Tenth Article of the Creed

1 Q. What are we taught by the Tenth Article: The Forgiveness of sins?

A. The Tenth Article of the Creed teaches us that Jesus Christ has left to His Church the power of forgiving sins.

2 Q. Can the Church forgive every sort of sin?

A. Yes, the Church can forgive all sins, no matter how many or how grave they may be, because Jesus Christ has given her full power to bind and to loose

3 Q. Who exercises this power of forgiving sins in the Church?

A. Those who exercise the power of forgiving sins in the Church are, first of all, the Pope, who alone possesses this power in all its plenitude; then the bishops, and, dependent upon the bishops, the priests.

4 Q. How does the Church forgive sins?

A. The Church forgives sins through the merits of Jesus Christ by conferring the Sacraments instituted by Him for this purpose; especially the sacraments of baptism and penance.

The Eleventh Article of the Creed

1 Q. What are we taught by the Eleventh Article: The Resurrection of the body?

A. The Eleventh Article of the Creed teaches us that all men will rise again, every soul resuming the body it had in this life.

2 Q. How will the resurrection of the dead be accomplished?

A. The resurrection of the dead will be accomplished by the virtue of the Omnipotent God, to whom nothing is impossible.

3 Q. When will the resurrection of the dead take place?

A. The resurrection of the dead shall take place at the end of the world, and shall be followed by the General Judgment.

4 Q. Why does God will the resurrection of the body?

A. God wills the resurrection of the body, in order that the soul, having done good or evil while united with the body, may also be rewarded or punished along with it.

5 Q. Will all rise in the same way?

A. No, there will be a vast difference between the bodies of the elect and the bodies of the damned; because only the bodies of the elect shall have, like the risen Christ, the endowments of glorified bodies.

6 Q. What are the endowments that are to adorn the bodies of the elect?

A. The endowments that shall adorn the bodies of the elect are: (1) Impassibility, by which they can never again be subject to evil, nor to any kind of pain, nor to need of food, of rest or the like; (2) Brightness, by which they shall shine as the sun and as so many stars; (3) Agility, by which they shall be able to pass in a moment and without fatigue from one place to another and from earth to heaven; (4) Subtlety, by which without hindrance they shall be able to penetrate any body, as did Jesus Christ when risen from the dead.

7 Q. And the bodies of the damned, what of them?

A. The bodies of the damned shall be destitute of all the endowments of the glorified bodies of the blessed, and shall bear upon them the appalling mark of eternal reprobation.

The Twelfth Article of the Creed

1 Q. What are we taught by the Last Article: Life Everlasting?

A. The Last Article of the Creed teaches us that, after the present life there is another life, eternally happy for the elect in heaven, or eternally miserable for the damned in hell.

2 Q. Can we comprehend the bliss of heaven?

A. No, we cannot comprehend the bliss of heaven, because it is beyond the scope of our limited minds, and because the goods of heaven cannot be compared with the goods of this world.

3 Q. In what does the happiness of the elect consist?

A. The happiness of the elect consists in for ever seeing, loving and possessing God, the source of all good.

4 Q. In what does the misery of the damned consist?

A. The misery of the damned consists in being for ever deprived of the vision of God and punished with eternal torments in hell.

5 Q. Are the happiness of heaven and the miseries of hell for the soul alone?

A. The happiness of heaven and the miseries of hell at present affect the soul alone, because at present the soul alone is in heaven or in hell; but after the resurrection of the flesh, man in the fullness of his nature, that is, in body and in soul, will be for ever happy or for ever tormented.

6 Q. Shall the bliss of paradise and the miseries of hell be the same for all men?

A. The bliss of heaven in the case of the blessed, and the miseries of hell in the case of the damned, will be the same in substance and in eternal duration; but in measure, or degree, they will be greater or less according to the extent of each one's merits or demerits.

7 Q. What does the word Amen signify at the end of the Creed?

A. The word Amen at the end of a prayer signifies so be it; at the end of the Creed it signifies so it is, that is to say, "I believe that all things contained in these twelve Articles are most true, and I am more certain of them than if I had seen them with my eyes."

Prayer

Prayer in General

1 Q. What does this Part of Christian Doctrine treat of?

A. This Part of Christian Doctrine treats of Prayer in general, and of the Our Father in particular.

2 Q. What is prayer?

A. Prayer is an elevation of the mind to God to adore Him, to thank Him, and to ask Him for what we need.

3 Q. How is prayer divided?

A. Prayer is divided into mental and vocal prayer. Mental prayer is that made with the mind alone; and vocal prayer is that expressed in words accompanied by attention of mind and devotion of heart.

4 Q. Can prayer be divided in any other way?

A. Prayer may also be divided into private and public prayer.

5 Q. What is private prayer?

A. Private prayer is that which each one says individually for himself or for others.

6 Q. What is public prayer?

A. Public prayer is that said by the Sacred Ministers in the name of the Church and for the salvation of the faithful. That prayer also which is said in common and publicly by the faithful, in processions, pilgrimages and in God's house, may also be called public prayer.

7 Q. Have we a well-founded hope of obtaining by means of prayer the helps and graces of which we stand in need?

A. The hope of obtaining from God the graces of which we stand in need is founded on the promises of the omnipotent, merciful and all-faithful God, and on the merits of Jesus Christ.

8 Q. In whose name should we ask of God the graces we stand in need of?

A. We should ask of God the graces we stand in need of in the Name of Jesus Christ, as He Himself has taught us and as is done by the Church, which always ends her prayers with these words: Through our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 Q. Why should we beg graces of God in the Name of Jesus Christ?

A. We should beg graces of God in the Name of Jesus Christ because He is our Mediator, and it is through Him alone that we can approach the throne of God.

10 Q. If prayer is so powerful how is it that many times our prayers are not heard?

A. Many times our prayers are not heard, either because we ask things not conducive to our eternal salvation, or because we do not ask properly.

11 Q. Which are the chief things we should ask of God?

A. The chief things we should ask of God are His own glory, our eternal salvation and the means of obtaining it.

12 Q. Is it not also lawful to ask for temporal goods?

A. Yes, it is lawful to ask God for temporal goods, but always with the condition that these be in conformity with His Holy will and not a hindrance to our salvation.

13 Q. If God knows all that is necessary for us, why should we pray?

A. Although God knows all that is necessary for us, He nevertheless wills that we should pray to Him so as to acknowledge Him as the Giver of every good gift, to attest our humble submission to Him, and to merit His favours for ourselves.

14 Q. What is the first and best disposition to render our prayers efficacious?

A. The first and best disposition to render our prayers efficacious is to be in the state of grace; or if we are not in that state, to desire to put ourselves in it.

15 Q. What other dispositions are required in order to pray well?

A. To pray well we specially require recollection, humility, confidence, perseverance and resignation.

16 Q. What is meant by praying with recollection?

A. It means remembering that we are speaking to God; and hence we should pray with all respect and devotion, as far as possible avoiding distractions, that is, every thought foreign to our prayers.

17 Q. Do distractions lessen the merit of prayer?

A. Yes, when we ourselves bring them about, or when we do not promptly drive them away; but if we do all we can to be recollected in God, then our distractions do not lessen the merit of our prayer, and may even increase it

18 Q. What is required to pray with recollection?

A. Before prayer we should banish all occasions of distraction, and during prayer we should reflect that we are in the presence of God who sees and hears us.

19 Q. What is meant by praying with humility?

A. It means sincerely acknowledging our own unworthiness, powerlessness and misery, and as well as this observing a respectful posture.

20 Q. What is meant by praying with confidence?

A. It means that we should have a firm hope of being heard, if it is to God's glory and our own true welfare.

21 Q. What is meant by praying with perseverance?

A. It means that we should not grow tired of praying, if God does not at once hear us, but that we should ever continue to pray with increased fervour.

22 Q. What is meant by praying with resignation?

A. It means that we should conform our will to the will of God, even when our prayers are not heard, because He knows better than we do what is necessary for our eternal salvation.

23 Q. Does God always hear prayers when well said?

A. Yes, God always hears prayers when well said; but in the way He knows to be most conducive to our eternal salvation, and not always in the way we wish.

24 Q. What effects does prayer produce in us?

A. Prayer makes us recognise our dependence on God, the Supreme Lord, in all things; it makes us think on heavenly things; it makes us advance in virtue; it obtains for us God's mercy; it strengthens us against temptation; it comforts us in tribulation; it aids us in our needs; and it obtains for us the grace of final perseverance.

25 Q. When should we especially pray?

A. We should especially pray when in danger, in temptation, and at the hour of death; moreover, we should pray often, and it is advisable we should do so morning and night, and when beginning the more important actions of the day.

26 Q. For whom should we pray?

A. We should pray for all; first, for ourselves, then for our relatives, superiors, benefactors, friends and enemies; for the conversion of poor sinners, and of those outside the true Church, and for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

The Lord's Prayer