Catholic Doctrine Summary

• The document is a summary of Catholic doctrine, ecclesiastically approved in September 2001 in Guatemala de la Asunción.

On Being Christian

• The grace of God makes one a Christian.
• To be Christian means to be a disciple of Christ.
• The Holy Cross signifies Christianity, as Jesus Christ died on it to redeem humanity.
• Divine truths are found in the Sacred Scripture and Divine Tradition.
• The Sacred Scripture is the word of God written in the sacred books of the Bible.
• Divine Tradition is the living transmission of the Word of God, entrusted by Christ and the Holy Spirit to the apostles and their successors.

On God the Creator

• God, our Father in heaven, is the Creator and Lord of all things, rewarding the good and punishing the bad.
• There is only one God.
• The Holy Trinity refers to the same God that is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each a distinct Person but one true God.
• God is called Creator because He made all things from nothing.

On Angels and Humankind

• Angels are pure spirits, without bodies, possessing understanding and will.
• God created angels to praise, obey, and be happy in heaven.
• A Guardian Angel is assigned by God to each person for protection and guidance toward heaven.
• Humans are rational and free beings, composed of soul and body, created by God in His image.

On Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary

• Jesus Christ is the Son of God made Man, born of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, and is the second Person of the Holy Trinity.
• The Incarnation of the Son of God occurred as the Holy Spirit formed a perfect body within the Virgin Mary, uniting it with a most noble soul and the Son of God.
• Jesus was born in Bethlehem, lived most of His life in Nazareth until age 30, preached and performed miracles for three years throughout Palestine, died crucified in Jerusalem on Mount Calvary, resurrected after three days, appeared to His Mother and others for forty days, and then ascended to Heaven.
• The Virgin Mary is full of grace and virtue, conceived without sin, is the Mother of God and our Mother, and is in Heaven in body and soul.
• The main privileges of the Virgin Mary are her Immaculate Conception, perpetual virginity, divine Motherhood, and Assumption into Heaven.

On the Holy Spirit and the Church

• The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Holy Trinity, proceeding from the Father and the Son.
• Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit to His Church on Pentecost, ten days after His Ascension.
• The Holy Church is the People of God, who, with Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit, journey towards the Father.
• Visible pastors of the Church include the Pope, successor of Saint Peter, and the Bishops, successors of the Apostles.
• The Pope, or Roman Pontiff, is the Vicar of Christ on Earth, governing the entire Church.
• Bishops are successors to the Apostles, appointed by the Holy Spirit to continue Christ's mission in the Church, together with the Pope.

On God, Rewarder

• The resurrection of the dead means that, as Christ resurrected, so too shall we resurrect at the end of the world, with our souls reuniting with our bodies, never to die again.
• Heaven is where the blessed live eternally happy with God.
• Those who die in God's grace go to Heaven.
• Purgatory is a place of suffering for purification before entering Heaven, for those who die in God's grace but have not fully atoned for their sins.
• Hell is where the condemned, separated from God, suffer eternal punishments.
• Those who die in mortal sin go to hell.
• A Christian must follow the commandments of the Law of God and the Holy Mother Church.

On the Commandments

• The Ten Commandments of the Law of God include loving God above all things, not taking His name in vain, keeping holy the Sabbath, honoring parents, not killing, not committing adultery, not stealing, not bearing false witness, not coveting impure thoughts, and not coveting others' goods.
• These Ten Commandments can be summarized into two: Loving God above all and loving your neighbor as yourself.
• The main Commandments of the Holy Mother Church include hearing Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, confessing mortal sins at least once a year, receiving Communion during Easter, fasting and abstaining from meat as prescribed, and helping the Church in its needs.
• All Christians who are seven years old or older and have attained the use of reason are obligated to hear Mass on Sundays.
• Days of obligation to attend Mass include all Sundays, January 1 (Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God), November 1 (All Saints' Day), December 8 (Immaculate Conception), and December 25 (Christmas).

On Fasting and Abstinence

• The law of fasting and abstinence applies on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
• Abstinence alone is practiced on all Fridays of the year, though outside of Lent, abstinence can be substituted with acts of charity or piety, such as the Stations of the Cross, Mass, Rosary, visiting the Blessed Sacrament, or reading the Bible.
• Abstinence is obligatory from the age of 14 and fasting from 18 until 60.
• Jesus' new commandment was to love one another as He has loved us.

On Works of Mercy

• Spiritual works are teaching the ignorant, giving good counsel, correcting those who err, forgiving offenses, comforting the sorrowful, bearing wrongs patiently, and praying for the living and the dead.
• Corporal works are visiting and caring for the sick, feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, ransoming the captive, and burying the dead.

On the Sacraments

• A Sacrament is a visible sign instituted by Jesus Christ to give us Grace.
• Grace is a supernatural gift from God to attain eternal life and makes us children and heirs of Heaven.
• The seven Sacraments are Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, Eucharist, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.

On the Essence of Sacraments

• Baptism regenerates us, incorporating us into Christ and granting us the life of grace, removing original sin and any personal sins, making us disciples and members of the Church, and providing graces to live as true Christians
• The formula for Baptism includes pouring water on the head of the person and saying, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.".
• Confirmation increases the grace of the Holy Spirit, strengthens us in faith, and makes us soldiers and apostles of Christ.
• The gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of God.
• The fruits of the Holy Spirit are charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity.
• The Sacrament of Penance, or Confession, is how Jesus forgives sins committed after Baptism.
• A good confession requires examination of conscience, sorrow for sins, purpose of amendment, confessing sins, and performing the penance.
• The Eucharist, or Communion, is the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ under the appearance of bread and wine.
• Jesus Christ is truly and fully present in the Eucharist, whole and entire in each part.
• During the Last Supper, Jesus took bread and said, "Take and eat, this is my body," then took the cup with wine and said, "Take and drink, for this is my blood."
• In Mass, the priest, acting as Christ, repeats the gestures and words of Jesus at the Last Supper, transforming the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the Lord.
• This transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ is called Transubstantiation.
• Holy Mass is the sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ offered to God by the priest in remembrance and renewal of the sacrifice of the Cross.
• The Eucharistic fast requires refraining from food and alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages for one hour before receiving communion, except for water.
• For the sick and elderly, the Eucharistic fast is reduced to fifteen minutes, allowing for non-alcoholic drinks and medications.
• The Anointing of the Sick is a sacrament that comforts the soul and body of a seriously ill Christian, increasing sanctifying grace, forgiving venial sins and even mortal sins if the person repents but cannot confess, strengthening against temptation, easing suffering, and granting physical health if beneficial.
• Anointing of the Sick should be administered with care to the faithful whose life is in danger due to illness or old age.
• Family members and caregivers have a serious obligation to ensure the sick receive Anointing of the Sick, if possible, before losing consciousness.
• Holy Orders is the sacrament through which some Christians are elevated to the dignity of being ministers of God.
• Holy Orders increases sanctifying grace, confers the power to perform sacred functions, and provides the necessary graces to do so worthily.
• The primary functions are to celebrate Mass, administer the Sacraments, and preach the Word of God.
• Matrimony sanctifies the union of a man and a woman, giving them the grace to live in peace and raise children for Heaven.
• Matrimony must be received with the grace of God to prevents committing a grave sacrilege.
• The ministers of Matrimony are the couple themselves.
• The purposes of Matrimony are procreation and education of children, mutual aid between spouses, and a remedy for concupiscence.
• The properties of Matrimony are unity and indissolubility.
• To live a holy life, spouses should love and be faithful to each other, accept the children God grants them, and raise them in a Christian manner.

On Virtues and Sins

• Virtue is a permanent disposition of the soul to do good.
• The theological virtues are faith, hope, and charity.
• Faith is a supernatural virtue through which we firmly believe what God has revealed and the Church teaches.
• Hope is a supernatural virtue through which we trust that God will grant us glory through His grace and our good works.
• Charity is a supernatural virtue through which we love God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves for love of God.
• The principal moral virtues are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.
• Sin is any voluntary disobedience to the Law of God.
• Mortal sin is a voluntary disobedience to the Law of God in a grave matter, with full knowledge and consent, that deprives the soul of grace and merits eternal punishment.
• Vice is an inclination to sin, acquired through the repetition of bad acts.
• Capital sins include pride, greed, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth.
• Virtues that counter act the seven vices are humility, generosity, chastity, patience, temperance, charity, and diligence.
• The enemies of the soul are the world, the devil, and the flesh.
• The remedy for sin is the Grace of God through the merits of Jesus Christ, granted through prayer and the sacraments, with our cooperation through good works.

On Prayer

• To pray is to speak with God.
• Obligation to pray exists because Jesus Christ commands it.
• Prayer is the ordinary means to attain grace and God’s benefits.

On Blessings

• The Beatitudes include those who are poor in spirit, meek, mourn, hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and persecuted for righteousness' sake.
• All of these are blessed, and theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

On Prayer

• The Sign of the Cross invokes the Holy Trinity for deliverance from enemies
• The Lord's Prayer, or the Our Father, asks for God's will and the forgiveness of our sins.
• The Hail Mary is a prayer to Mary, full of grace, asking her to pray for sinners.
• The Glory Be praises the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
• The Hail, Holy Queen is a plea to the Mother of Mercy for intercession.
• The General Confession acknowledges sins in thought, word, and deed.

On Devotions

• The Morning Prayer thanks God and offers the day to Him.
• The "Oh My Lady" prayer offers oneself entirely to Mary.
• The "Blessed Be Your Purity" prayer praises Mary's purity.
• The Memorare prayer asks for Mary’s intercession.
• The Angelus commemorates the Incarnation and requests God’s grace.
• The blessing for food asks God to bless the food and give thanks for all benefits.
• The Night Prayer thanks God for the benefits of the day and seeks forgiveness for sins.
• The Creed professes belief in God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the teachings of the Catholic Church.