COMPILATION OF READINGS

FOR RE 113
( Handouts for Mr. Junsay’s Classes)
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Course/Subject: RE 113
Course Title: Christian Faith
Credit: 3 units
Pre-requisite: RE 111 & RE 112

COURSE OUTLINE:

I. Foundations: Our Identity

A. As a Filipino
1. Family-oriented
2. Meal-oriented
3. Kundiman-oriented
4. Bayani-oriented
5. Spirit-oriented

B. As a Catholic: encounters Christ who:

1. Brings us into the Family of God
2. Nourishes us in the Eucharist
3. Redeems us as a Suffering Servant
4. Calls us to Personal Commitment to Him as our Risen Hero-King
5. Is experienced in His Community, the Church
6. Gives us his mother to be our mother in grace

II. God’s Call: Revelation

A. God Reveals Himself
B. Jesus Christ: Agent, Content and Goal of Revelation
C. Where we Find God’s Revelation

III. Christian Faith: Our Response to God’s Revelation

A. Meaning
B. Sources of Christian Faith
C. Constitutive Dimensions of Christian Faith
D. Characteristics of Christian Faith
E. Paradoxical Characteristics of Christian Faith

IV. Contents of the Faith

A. The Creed: Christ, our Truth
B. The Commandments: Christ, our Way
C. The Sacraments: Christ, our Life

V. RE 113 Integration: Exposure to the Urban Poor

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Foundations: Our Identity

Who is the Filipino Catholic?

• An answer to this question can be sketched by selecting a series of five predominant Filipino
characteristics, together with five essential traits of Jesus Christ, both assumed within the typical
“Filipino way” to Jesus.
• This will at once define the Filipino Catholic as well as show that in our country, to become more deeply
Christian is to become more truly and authentically Filipino.

A. As a Filipino

Five Predominant Filipino Characteristics:

1. Family-Oriented
➢ The anak-magulang relationship is of primary importance to us Filipinos. Ama, ina, and anak are
culturally and emotionally significant to us Filipinos who cherish our filial attachment not only to
our immediate family, but also to our extended family (ninongs, ninangs, etc.). This family-
centeredness supplies a basic sense of belonging, stability and security. It is from our families that
we Filipinos naturally draw our sense of self-identity.

➢ Jesus as both the Son of God (Anak ng Amang Diyos) and the Son of Man (Anak ng Tao) endears
himself naturally to us family-oriented Filipinos. As Son of Man, Jesus leads us to his Mother
Mary (Ina ng Diyos) whom he shares with us (cf. Jn 19:26-27). He thus welcomes us into his own
household, offers himself as our brother (kapatid), and draws us through the Sacrament of Baptism
to a new identity and into the family life of his heavenly Father (cf. Jn 3:5-7).

➢ What can better remind us Filipinos of our early childhood, or respond more directly to our
traditional love for children, than Jesus, the Sto. Niño? At twelve, Jesus was a discerning and
daring child, who nonetheless remained obedient to his parents (cf. Lk 2:41-51)…In our family-
orientedness, then, we Filipinos are naturally attracted to Jesus of Nazareth, Son of God and Son
of Man. Thus, PCP II 46-48 stress the exceptional importance of our Filipino family as both subject
and object of evangelization.

2. Meal-Oriented
➢ Because Filipinos consider almost everyone as part of their family (parang pamilya), we are known
for being gracious hosts and grateful guests. Serving our guests with the best we have is an inborn
value to Filipinos, rich and poor alike. We love to celebrate any and all events with a special meal.
Even with unexpected guests, we Filipinos try our best to offer something, meager as it may be,
with the traditional greeting: “Come and eat with us.” (Tuloy po kayo at kumain muna tayo.)

➢ Jesus as Eucharist is not only the host of the new Paschal Meal (cf. 1 Cor 11:23-26), and the food,
the bread of life (cf. Jn 6:48-58), but even the guest in every gathering (cf. Mt 18:20; Rev 3:20).
The New Testament refers more than twenty-five times to eating (kainan). Eating together in table
fellowship with the presence of the risen Christ (cf.1 Cor 10:17), … “So we Filipinos feel naturally
“at home” in breaking bread together with Jesus.

3. Kundiman-Oriented
➢ The kundiman is a sad Filipino song about wounded love. Filipinos are naturally attracted to
heroes sacrificing everything for love. We are patient and forgiving to a fault (“magpapaka-alipin
ako nang dahil sa iyo”). This acceptance of suffering manifests a deep, positive spiritual value of
Filipinos’ kalooban.
➢ Jesus, the Suffering Servant of the prophet Isaiah, is portrayed through our favorite Filipino images
of Padre Hesus Nazareno, the Santo Entierro or the Sacred Heart. Through these images, Jesus
appears as one of “the least of our brethren”… Jesus the Suffering Servant can thus reach out to
us Filipinos as a healing and forgiving Savior who understands our weaknesses, our failures, our
feelings of depression, fear and loneliness. .. To us Filipinos who can even celebrate the sufferings
and hardships of life in song, Jesus Christ calls: “Come to me, all you who are weary and find life
burdensome, and I will refresh you” (Mt 11:28).
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4. Bayani-Oriented
➢ We Filipinos are natural hero-followers. For all our patience and tolerance, we will not accept
ultimate failure and defeat. We tend instinctively to always personalize any good cause in terms
of a leader, especially when its object is to defend the weak and the oppressed. To protect this
innate sense of human dignity, Filipinos are prepared to lay down even their lives.

➢ Jesus as Christ the King (Cristo Rey) responds well to the bayani-oriented Filipino. As born social
critics, organizers and martyrs, we Filipinos see Jesus Christ as the Conqueror of the world by his
mission as prophet, king and priest (cf. PCP II 57-61). …. He was “to bring glad tidings to the
poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and release to prisoners” (Lk
4:18). … Jesus made the Kingdom of God present among his people by his teaching (cf. Mt 7:29)
and signs. “The blind recover their sight, cripples walk, lepers are cured, the deaf hear, dead men
are raised to life, and the poor have the good news preached to them” (Lk 7:22). So as bayani-
oriented, we Filipinos enthrone our image of Cristo Rey. He assures us that everything will be
alright in the end. Christ the King has won the ultimate victory over evil

5. Spirit-Oriented
➢ We are often said to be naturally psychic. We have a deep-seated belief in the supernatural and in
all kinds of spirits dwelling in individual persons, places and things. Even in today’s world of
science and technology, Filipinos continue to invoke the spirits in various undertakings especially
in faith-healings and exorcisms.

➢ Jesus the “miracle-worker” who promised to send his Spirit to his disciples to give them new life
(cf. Jn 15:26; 16:7; 13-14), is thus very appealing to us Filipinos. The Holy Spirit, sent by the
Father and the Risen Christ, draws us Filipinos into a community wherein superstition and
enslaving magic are overcome by authentic worship of the Father “in spirit and truth” (cf. Jn 4:23).

B. The Filipino Catholic

Thus we Filipino Catholics are people who:

1. Belong to the Family of God

“as baptized into discipleship of Jesus Christ, discover our identity as adopted children of our Father and
as members of Christ’s Body, the Church, inspired by Mary our Mother;”

2. Nourished in the Eucharist

“in the breaking of bread around the table of the Lord, find meaning in sharing ecclesial fellowship with
one another and with Christ, their Priest and Eucharist;”

3. Redeemed by Christ as a Suffering Servant

“in meeting the Crucified Savior are sustained in the sufferings and hardships of life, and receive
forgiveness for their sins through his Sacraments;”

4. Commit to Christ as the Risen Hero-King

“commit ourselves to our Risen Lord and his mission through the gift of Faith, celebrated in great Hope
in the Sacraments, and lived out in Love and service of their fellowmen;”

5. Experience the Spirit of Christ in the Community and the Church

“form our world-vision led by the Spirit of the Risen Christ, experienced in the Christian community, the
Church, which sustains us in our pilgrimage of life-in-Christ;”

6. Inspired by Mary, our Mother and Model

“approach and live out this Christian life within the powerful inspiring presence of Mary, our Mother and
Model.”

Catechism for Filipino Catholics pp. 26-30

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God’s Call: Revelation

Christian life is based on the conviction that God has spoken to us and that the central truths of our Faith are
given in this revelation.

A. Meaning of Divine Revelation

• Divine Revelation is God’s personal loving communication to us of who he is and his plan to save us all
in His love. It is God’s reaching out to us in friendship, so we get to know and love Him. [CFC 101]

• God reveals Himself in:

1. In Creation → natural signs of divine revelation

➢ Creating us and everything we see, hear and touch – from the beginning till now…
➢ “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28)
➢ For us Filipinos, then, the world and everything in it are natural signs of God – the initial way
God makes Himself known to us.

2. In Scriptures, through Salvation History → biblical signs of divine revelation (CFC 68-69)
➢ His words and deeds in Sacred Scripture’s record of salvation history, completed and perfected in
Jesus Christ…
➢ God revealed Himself in stages:
a. Old Testament or Hebrew Bible: through Biblical signs made up both deeds and words
- covenants with Noah, Abraham and Moses
- great works for His Chosen People – Israelites (parting of the Red Sea, manna in the
dessert, etc..)
- through the words of kings, prophets and judges (God liberated, corrected and forgave their
sins)
b. New Testament or Christian Bible: through His only Son Jesus Christ
- “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in
him might not perish but might have eternal life.” John 3:16
- Jesus Christ “completed and perfected God’s revelation by words and works, signs and
miracles, but above all by his death and glorious resurrection from the dead” (Dei Verbum
4).

3. In the Church → liturgical or ecclesial signs of divine revelation. (CFC 71)

➢ But God’s definitive revelation in Jesus Christ did not stop with Christ’s ascension to his Father.
Jesus himself had gathered around him a group of disciples who would form the nucleus of his
Church.
➢ In this Church, the “Good News” of Jesus Christ would be proclaimed and spread to the ends of
the earth by the power of the Holy Spirit, sent down upon the apostles at Pentecost (cf. Acts 1:8).
➢ God continues to manifest Himself today through the Holy Spirit in the Church. He is present in
the Church’s preaching the truth of Scripture, in its witness of loving service, and through the
celebration of its Christ-given Sacraments. (CFC 72)
- Ecclesial Signs: His continuing presence by the Holy Spirit in His people, the Church;
- Liturgical Signs: The prayer and sacramental worship, doctrine, and moral service of the
Church;

4. In Other Religions
➢ Thus, even non-Christians “who do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who
nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do His will
as they know it through the dictates of their conscience, may achieve eternal salvation” (Lumen
Gentium 16). CFC 74
➢ For whatever is true and holy in non-Christian cultures and religions is accepted by the Catholic
Church since it “often reflect[s] a ray of that truth which enlightens all men.” CFC 75
➢ Filipino Catholics, therefore, should “acknowledge, preserve and encourage the spiritual and moral
truths found among non-Christians, also their social life and culture” (NA 2). CFC 75
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B. JESUS CHRIST: Agent, Content and Goal of Revelation

PCP II says:
“We are followers of Christ, his disciples. We trace his foot steps in our times, to utter his word to others.
To love with his love. To live with his life… To cease following him is to betray our very identity” (PCP
II 34).

1. Jesus as Goal of Revelation

➢ Jesus is “the key, the center and the purpose of the whole of man’s history.” (GS 10)
➢ For it is through the Risen Christ that we shall share the Trinitarian divine life of Father, Son
and Holy Spirit.
➢ Therefore our present earthly life is a challenge to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ,” as St. Paul
admonishes us (cf. Rm 13:14).

2. Jesus as Content of Revelation

➢ Jesus Christ is also the content, the Revealed One.
➢ Jesus reveals both God and ourselves. “Christ, the new Adam, in the very revelation of the
mystery of the Father and of His love, fully revealed man to himself and brings to light his
most high calling,” (GS 22)
➢ Our Faith centers on Christ precisely because we believe we “are called to union with him,
who is the light of the world, from whom we go forth, through whom we live, and towards
whom our whole life is directed” (LG 3).

3. Jesus Christ as Agent of Revelation

➢ Christ is also the agent, the mediator.
➢ “God is one. One also is the mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave
himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2:5-6).
➢ After his resurrection, the Risen Christ continues his revelation by sending us his Holy Spirit,
the Spirit of truth (DV 4).

C. Where We Find God’s Revelation

1. Tradition – the living transmission of the word of God…

➢ Tradition can be taken either as the process by which divine revelation, coming from Jesus
Christ through the apostles, is communicated and unfolded in the community of the Church,
or as the content of the revelation so communicated. (CFC 83)
➢ "The sayings of the holy Fathers are a witness to the life-giving presence of this Tradition,
showing how its riches are poured out in the practice and life of the Church, in her belief and
her prayer." (CCC 78)
➢ Preaching and teaching, rituals and customs, prayers and devotions, feasts and
remembrances…

2. Sacred Scripture – the same proclamation of salvation in written form…

➢ The Sacred Scriptures, collected in the Bible, are the inspired record of how God dealt with
His people, and how they responded to, remembered, and interpreted that experience.
➢ Collectively, the Scriptures form “The Book of the People of God” __ the book of the Church.
➢ The Bible was written by persons from the people of God, for the people of God, about the
God-experience of the people of God” (NCDP 131).

➢ What is the relationship between Tradition and Sacred Scripture?

The Scriptures, then, are never to be separated from the people of God whose life and history
(Tradition) formed the context of their writing and development.

As Sacred Scripture grew from Tradition, so it is interpreted by Tradition __ the life, worship, and teaching
of the Church.
➢ Tradition depends on Scripture as its normative record of Christian origins and identity,
➢ while Scripture requires the living Tradition of the Church to bring its Scriptural message to the
fresh challenges and changing contexts confronting Christians in every age. (e.g. encyclicals,
liturgy, etc…)
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➢ To whom is given the task of authentically interpreting the deposit of faith (Sacred Scripture and
Tradition)?

➢ Magisterium: living teaching authority/office of the Church referring to the Pope (successor of St.
Peter, the Bishop of Rome) and to the bishops in communion with him.
➢ Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what
has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to
this devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully.

Catechism for Filipino Catholics pp. 32-38

Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church pp. 16-19

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Christian Faith: Our Response to God’s Revelation

A. Meaning / Definition of Faith

➢ Etymology: comes from the Latin word “fides” which means to trust.
➢ Usual understanding: Faith is believing in God.
➢ Faith in general is: “The way we know, accept, and relate positively to others, especially the mutual
trust, love, and fidelity we experience in family and friendships.” (CFC 162)
➢ Faith includes:
1. Believing acceptance
2. Obedient action
3. Personal Entrusting
➢ Christian Faith is believing in the God revealed by Jesus Christ.
➢ Catholic Christian Faith is “believing that Christ reveals God to us in and through the Catholic Church,
the body of Christ, united in the Holy Spirit.” (CFC 114)
➢ The Importance of Faith:
“Faith is necessary to become our true selves and thus gain our salvation, that is union with God:
Father, Son and Holy Spirit” (CFC 166). This means that…
- Faith makes us become fully human. That is developing our human potentials for
knowledge, freedom, love and other virtues such as charity, forgiveness, peace.
- When we become what God intends us to be and follow the will of God for us, we
become united with him, (away from sinfulness).

B. Three Essential Dimensions of Faith

1. Faith as BELIEVING
➢ Faith involves knowing Jesus and the truth He teaches. It involves “assenting to, meditating on, and
living out the truths which Christ has exemplified and taught.” (NCDP 147) It requires us to deepen
our knowledge of Him and His teachings.
➢ Faith involves our basic convictions as Christians:
- “For if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised
him from the dead; you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9).
- “These things have been recorded to help you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of
God, so that through this faith you may have life in his name” (Jn. 20:31).
➢ Christian Faith is personal knowledge of Jesus Christ as “my Lord and my God” (Jn 20:28).

2. Faith as DOING
➢ Faith entails the acceptance of our mission to spread the Good News and render loving service to our
neighbor.
➢ “My brothers, what good is it to profess faith without practicing it?” (Jas 2:14).
➢ “None of those who cry out ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of God, but only the one who does
the will of my Father in heaven” (Mt 7:21).
➢ Faith, then, is a commitment to follow (obey) God’s will for us. This we see exemplified in Mary’s
“I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me as you say” (Lk 1:38).

3. Faith is ENTRUSTING/WORSHIPPING
➢ Faith is allowing God to take charge of our lives, trusting that He will not abandon us.
➢ Jesus worked signs and cures only with those who trusted in him. He promised the possessed boy’s
father: “Everything is possible to a man who trusts” (Mk 9:23).
➢ This trusting Faith “lives and grows through prayer and worship” - personal heartfelt conversation
with God that is the opposite of mindless, mechanical repetition of memorized formulas.
➢ Genuine personal prayer and group prayer find both their inspirational source and summit of perfection
in the Liturgy, the Catholic community’s official public Trinitarian worship of the Father, through
Jesus Christ our Lord, in the Holy Spirit (cf. PCP II 74-77).
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C. Characteristics of Christian Faith

1. Total and Absolute

➢ Only Faith in God calls for a total and absolute adherence (cf. CCC 150).
➢ Christ himself provides, especially in his Passion, Death and Resurrection, the best example of this
total and absolute commitment to God.

2. Trinitarian
➢ For us Christians, Faith is our adherence to the Triune God revealed through Jesus Christ our Lord. It
is our friendship with Christ and through Christ with the Father, in their Holy Spirit.
➢ Our Faith as Catholics, then, consists in our personal conviction and belief in God our Father, revealed
by Jesus Christ, His own divine Son-made-man, and their presence to us through the Holy Spirit, in
the Church (cf. PCP II 64; CCC 151-52).

3. Loving, Maturing and Missionary

➢ Our Christian Faith is truly life-giving and mature only through love, for “the man without love has
known nothing of God, for God is love” (1 Jn 4:8). And to be Christian, this love must be inseparably
love of God and love of neighbor, like Christ’s.
➢ It thus impels us to mission, to evangelize, by bringing others the Good News (cf. 1 Cor 9:16).

4. Informed and Communitarian

➢ Catholic Faith must be “informed,” that is “believing Jesus’ words, and accepting his teachings,
trusting that he has “the words of eternal life” (cf. Jn 6:68; NCDP 147).
➢ It must be “communitarian” since it is the Church that transmits to us Christ’s revelation through
Sacred Scripture and its living Tradition.

5. Inculturated
➢ This Catholic faith in God and in Jesus Christ is never separated from the typical Filipino faith in
family and friends.
➢ On the one hand, we live out our faith in God precisely in our daily relationships with family, friends,
fellow workers, etc.

D. Paradoxical Characteristics of Faith

• Paradoxical: A seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true.

• Christian Faith presents us with a number of paradoxes that help us grasp its complex reality…

1. Certain yet Obscure

➢ Faith is certain because…
- Faith is certain because it rests on God who reveals Himself in the person of Jesus Christ,
present to us in His Spirit.
- …it is personally committed loving knowledge based on the convincing signs God revealing
Himself in Jesus Christ, and present to us in His Church through word, service, fellowship and
sacrament.
➢ But faith is also obscure because…
- But this certainty of Faith does not mean everything is clear and obvious.
- We believe God is “Mystery”, that is, He is always more than we can ever fully comprehend.
- We instinctively recognize that persons, and especially the all-personal God, can never be
reduced to being “proven” by scientific experiment.

2. Free yet Morally Binding

➢ Faith is free because…
Our Christian Faith is a free response. No one, not even God, forces us to believe…“God calls men to
serve Him in Spirit and in truth. Consequently they are bound to Him in conscience but not coerced.
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God has regard for the dignity of the human person which He himself created: the human person is to
be guided by his own judgment and to enjoy freedom” (Dignitatis Humanae 11).
➢ But faith is also morally binding because…
- Accompanying this faith is the obligation to do God’s will for us…
- We Filipinos experience this paradoxical combination of freedom and obligation in our family
relationships and friendships. Persons who love us the most have the most claim on us, yet
force us the least. We naturally respond to them in love. God, who by loving us the most has
the greatest claim on us, leaves and keeps us most free.

3. Reasonable yet Beyond Natural Reason

➢ Faith is reasonable because…
Christian Faith is in no conflict with our reason. On the contrary, only rational creatures can believe.
➢ But faith is also beyond natural reason because…
Faith itself is a grace that enlightens our minds. “Unless you believe, you will not understand”
(Augustine’s quote of Is 7:9).

4. An Act, Yet a Process

➢ Faith is an act because…
Faith starts with a decision to accept the gift God has given us. A personal decision to a accept Christ
in your life….
➢ But faith is a process because…
- But this faith in Christ is much more than a single, personal decision for Christ. It is an
enduring way of life within the Christian community, the Church.
- Faith as “following Christ” must be gradually and perseveringly developed so that it comes to
touch every aspect of our lives, throughout our whole lives.

5. A Gift, Yet Our Doing

➢ Faith is a gift because…
- It is a gift because “No one can come to me,” Jesus said, “unless the Father who sent me draws
him” (Jn 6:44). St. Paul confirms this: “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except in the Holy
Spirit” (1 Cor 12:3).
- Believing is possible only by grace and the interior helps of the Holy Spirit.
➢ But faith is also our doing because…
- God’s “gift” of faith demands our free cooperation with others. St. Paul explains this: “Faith,
then,comes through hearing, and what is heard is the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17).
- Faith is also our active response to the witness to Christ and the Gospel given us by others.
This active response is motivated and inspired by the prayer and worship we share with our
fellow members of Christ’s Church.

6. Personal, yet Ecclesial

➢ Faith is personal because…
- “It is my faith in God…”
- We received the grace of faith when we were baptized and received into the Christian
community, the Church.
- It is first of all the Church who believes and thus supports and nourishes our faith (cf. CCC
168-69).
➢ Faith is ecclesial because…
- Our personal faith in Christ is supported and intensified by our fellow members in the parish
or BCC, according to God’s own plan.
- “He has willed to make men holy and save them, not as individuals without any bond or link
between them, but rather to make them into a people” (LG 9).
- Faith is never just something private or individualistic, but a sharing in the Christian
community’s faith.
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E. Obstacles to Faith

• Denial that God exists or that Jesus is Lord the only begotten Son. This is usually caused by erroneous
ideas about human beings and God.
• Seeking for “special knowledge” into one’s fate and future. Divination, sorcery and magic have always
been condemned.
• Natural self-centeredness or pride that tempts everyone to see any dependence on God is against human
freedom and self-fulfillment.
• Practical Atheism: those who live their lives as if God does not exists.
• Pragmatic, Secularistic Mentality measures all human success in terms of “economic and social
emancipation: speaks of prevailing consumerism in our society.
• Poverty and Injustice among us. Such injustice is a major cause of unbelief not only in the exploited and
the oppressed, but also in those who commit the injustices.
• Discouragement and despair as a result of the attack to Christian hope saying God is only an illusion.

Catechism for Filipino Catholics pp. 44-49, 54-56

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Contents of the Faith: The Creed

A. Meaning
• Creed comes from the Latin word “Credo” which means “I believe”. It presents the essential truths of
Christian Faith.
• Two principal Catholic Creeds:
1. Apostles’ Creed – an elaboration of the early “Roman Creed” of the third century

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was
conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and seated at the right hand
of the Father; He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the
communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.

2. Nicene Creed – was promulgated by the First Council of Constantinople in 381; confirmed the faith
of Nicea, the first Ecumenical Council held in 325.
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one
Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true
God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men
and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became
man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third
day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will
come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the
Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the
forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

B. Functions of the Creed

1. Summary of Beliefs
➢ As a summary of basic Catholic beliefs, the Creed has been an indispensable means of Faith for both
the Church and the individual Catholics.
➢ For the Church, the Creed was created: 1) for communicating the Christian message to the world; 2)
for grounding its own ever deepening insight into Christ’s truth; 3) for uniting Catholics in their
common commitment to Christ; and 4) for interreligious dialogue with non-Christians (cf. NCDP 169).

2. Pledge of Loyalty
➢ The Creeds are public confessions of Christian faith in the Triune God. It offers praise and
thanksgiving since it proclaims the truth of Christ.
➢ Besides praising God, the Creed also professes loyalty to the “Church of the living God, the pillar and
bulwark of truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). In this sense the Creed becomes an apologetic for the Church’s faith,
giving “reason for this hope” (1 Pt. 3:15) and defending the faith against all who would ‘oppose the
truth, and with perverted minds falsify the faith” (2 Tim. 3:8).

3. Proclamation of Identity
➢ The Creed helps ground the Catholic believer’s self-identity. In proclaiming the Creed, we Filipino
Catholics acknowledge that our basic personal identity is drawn from God’s initiative in recreating us
through Christ and the Holy Spirit into one community.
➢ For individual Catholics, the Creed identifies who we are and what we stand for as disciples of Christ,
united in his Church.

C. The Articles of the Apostle’s Creed

1. “I Believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth.”

➢ Who is God? God is a Supreme Being who exists of his power and is infinitely perfect. He can
accomplish all things: in him nothing is impossible. There is only one God and there can be never
be another.
 13

➢ How did God create? - God made all things out of nothing.
➢ What is the Holy Trinity or the Blessed Trinity? - Christians believe that God is as a Trinity of
persons- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
a. God the Father creates all things and continues to give life and being to everything in creation.
b. God the Son lived among us, taught us of the Father’s love, and won for us eternal salvation.
c. God the Holy Spirit is the Love of God who dwells in us and in the Church as the source of
unity, courage, truth and love for all humanity.
The Blessed Trinity is a communion, a perfect unity of love. Each is distinct but does not act
separately with others. One manifestation of the Trinity in the Scriptures was during the Baptism
of Jesus (Matthew 3:13-17)
➢ What is an Atheist? Someone who does not believe in God.
➢ Did God create evil? God does not create evil; evil is the absence of good. Rather, God permits
evil. Evil enters the picture when free, intelligent creatures turn from God’s love.

2. “I Believe in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, Our Lord.”

➢ What is the meaning of the name Jesus Christ? The name Jesus means savior and the name
Christ means Anointed.
➢ Who is Jesus? Jesus is the second person of the Blessed Trinity. He is the Son of God.
➢ What are the two natures of Jesus? Jesus is both Divine and Human.
a. Jesus is Divine because he is God having one and the same nature with the Father
b. Jesus is Human because he has the nature of all men having a body and soul like ours.
➢ What is Incarnation? The time when Jesus became man or took human form.

3. “He was Conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary.”

➢ Is St. Joseph Jesus’ real Father? Jesus had no human father. St. Joseph was only his guardian
or foster-father.
➢ What is the Annunciation? The moment when the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she
will conceive Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Luke 1:26-28)
➢ When and where Jesus was born? Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary in a stable in Bethlehem
on Christmas day.
➢ Why do Catholics have special veneration to Mary? Catholics venerate Mary because she is
the Mother of God and Mother of the Church. By praying to and honoring Mary in a special way,
we are led to love her and to imitate her many virtues, especially her total commitment to God’s
will and her single-hearted faith in God’s work.
➢ What is the Immaculate Conception? From the first moment of her existence Mary was full of
grace – that is, free of any alienation from God caused by original sin. Because of Mary’s special
role in God’s saving plan, she was graced with this divine favor in anticipation of her son’s death
and resurrection.
➢ What is the Assumption of Mary? In 1950, Pope Pius XII officially proclaimed the doctrine of
the assumption: “The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the
course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul in to heavenly glory.”

4. “He Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was Crucified, Died, and was Buried.”

➢ Why did Jesus suffered and died on the cross? Jesus suffered and died on the cross to atone us
for our sins and to purchase for us the merits of heaven.
➢ What is the Passion of Jesus Christ? The Passion refers to the chief sufferings of Jesus.
➢ Why do Catholics make the Sign of the Cross? This is to invoke the presence of the Blessed
Trinity and honor the Sacred Passion of Jesus.

5. “He Descended to the Dead. On the Third Day He Rose Again.”

➢ What is the Resurrection? It is where Jesus rose from the dead on the third day.
 14

➢ What is the importance of the Resurrection? Jesus’ resurrection confirmed his teachings, life,
and promises; underscored his divinity; opened a new life for us; brought about our adoption into
God’s family; and laid the foundation for our own future resurrection.
➢ What is Easter Sunday? The day Christ rose from the dead.
➢ Why is the Holy Day of Obligation for Christians fall on a Sunday? Sabbath day for Christians
is celebrated in the light of the Easter Event.

6. “He Ascended into Heaven; and is Seated at the Right Hand of the Father.”

➢ What is the Ascension? Jesus, both body and soul, ascended into heaven forty days after Easter.

7. “He will come again to Judge the Living and the Dead.”

➢ What is Particular Judgment and General Judgment?

a. Particular Judgment – Christ will judge every person at the time of his death.
b. General Judgment – At the end of the world, He will judge all mankind.
➢ What is heaven and hell?
a. Heaven is the state of eternal life in union with God and all those who share in his life. It is
the final, perfect human fulfillment, a state of being that makes us wholly what we are meant
to be- eternally filled with joy.
b. Hell is eternal separation from God. The Church teaches that there is a hell, but that the images
employed by the scripture to describe it are symbolic. They are attempts to describe the horror
of an eternal life alienated from God and his love.
➢ Is it within the authority of the Church to judge who will go to heaven and hell? No. Only
God can give this judgment.

8. “I Believe in the Holy Spirit.”

➢ Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Blessed Trinity. The Holy
Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, and together with them is one God. The Holy Spirit
is equal to the Father and the Son.
➢ What is the Pentecost? The event where the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles in the form
of tongues as of fire. It is also considered as the birth of the Church because after the Pentecost,
the sanctified Apostles proclaimed the Gospel to all nations.

9. “The Holy Catholic Church: The Communion of Saints.”

➢ What is the Catholic Church? The Church is referred to as the people of God… It is the union
of all faithful people of God under one head who is Jesus Christ.
➢ What is the meaning of “Catholic”? The word “catholic” means “universal”. The Church is
universal because of Christ, who came to save all of humanity.
➢ Who is the Pope? The Pope is the visible head of the Church on earth. He is also called as the
Bishop of Rome, Holy Father and the Roman Pontiff. The Pope is the successor of St. Peter whom
Christ was appointed as the first visible head of the Church.
➢ Is Salvation only possible in the Catholic Church? Thus, even non-Christians “who do not
know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and,
moved by grace, try in their actions to do His will as they know it through the dictates of their
conscience, may achieve eternal salvation” (Lumen Gentium 16). CFC 74
➢ What is the Communion of Saints? The Communion of Saints, that is, the communion of the
holy – includes those who are now living on earth (the Pilgrim Church), those being purified in
purgatory (The Church Suffering) and those who are blessed in heaven (the Church in glory).
➢ Why do Catholics pray to the saints? Devotion to the saints is a traditional means to holiness.
We do not pray to the saints as though they were God. Rather, we petition them to pray and
intercede for us with our heavenly Father. They are living a deep, personal, and loving relationship
with God and have proven their friendship by extraordinary goodness in their lives while on
earth… We ask the saints to take our petitions to God on our behalf.
 15

➢ Do Catholics worship graven images? Catholics do not worship paintings, or statues. They are
just a way of conveying something about God, and are not God themselves. They are valuable
help in prayer.
Indeed, 'the honor rendered to an image passes to its prototype,' and 'whoever venerates an
image venerates the person portrayed in it.' The honor paid to a sacred image is a 'respectful
veneration,' not the adoration due to God alone: 'Religious worship is not directed to images in
themselves, considered as mere things, but under their distinctive aspect as images leading us
on to God incarnate...' CCC 2132
➢ What is Purgatory? Purgatory is the state of those who die in God’s friendship, assured of their
eternal salvation, but who still have need of purification to enter the happiness of heaven.
Purgatory means “purification, cleansing”… The Church encourages us to pray, give alms, and do
works of penance on behalf of those in purgatory. “Thus he made atonement for the dead that they
might be freed from sin.” (2 Maccabees 12:46)

10. “The Forgiveness of Sins.”

➢ What is sin? Sin is an offense against God in thought, word, desire, deed or neglect.
➢ What are the two kinds of sin? There are two kinds of sin: Original and Actual Sin.
a. Original Sin is the guilt of the sin of Adam and Eve in their disobedience to God.
b. Actual Sins are sins committed by a person and are either Mortal or Venial:
- Mortal sin is a serious offense against God. It kills the soul and merits eternal
damnation.
- Venial sin is less a serious violation of God’s law.
➢ What is Confession? Confession is an external sign of interior sorrow. Through it, we meet the
Christian community in the person of the priest and face our own sinful condition in the eyes of
God. The Church requires us to confess the serious sins of which we are aware by number and
kind at least once a year.
➢ Why confess to a priest? The practice of Confession arises from the example and command of
Jesus, who showed that human nature could be used by God as an instrument of grace and
forgiveness. He said "That you may know that the Son of Man has the power to forgive sin..." (Mt.
9:6; Mk 2:7-10; Lk 5:21-24). He communicated this authority to His Apostles on Easter night,
"Whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven, whose sins you shall retain they are retained" (Jn
20:19-23). In this way He gave the Apostles the power to give "Peace" (v.21), which is nothing
less than the reconciliation of man with God. - Clearly he gave that authority to his Apostles and
the apostles gave and they in turn "layed hands" (an ordination to God's service) on other good
men (sacrament of holy orders) and hence ordained men are used by God to give assurance of
forgiveness of sins.

11. “The Resurrection of the Body and Life Everlasting.”

➢ What is Parousia? Parousia refers to the second coming of Jesus.

➢ What will happen during the Parousia? The bodies of all people shall be raised to life and again
become united to their souls. The bodies of the just, with their souls, will dwell in Heaven forever.
While the bodies of the wicked, united with their souls, will be sent to Hell for all eternity.
“AMEN” – So it is, so be it. Expresses our assent and acceptance…

Sources:
The Leaflet Missal. Outlines of the Catholic Faith: Teachings, Beliefs, Practices and Prayers. Minnesota: The
Leaflet Missal Company. 1980. Pp. 5-15
Michael Pennock. The Seeker’s Catechism: The Basics of Catholicism. Indiana: Ave. Maria Press. Inc. 2012.
Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. pp. 25-72
Catechism for Filipino Catholics. pp. 65-182
 16

Contents of the Faith: The 10 Commandments

A. Introduction

WHERE ARE THE LAWS OF GOD CONTAINED?

The laws of God are contained in the COMMANDMENTS OF GOD and the PRECEPTS OF THE
CHURCH. It also called the Decalogue.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE 10 COMMANDMENTS?

The Ten Commandments serve as a guide for Christian Moral living and to lead us to a personal
relationship with God

WHAT ARE THE TWO GREATEST COMMANDMENTS?

The two GREAT COMMANDMENTS that contain the whole law of God are:

1. You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, and with your whole soul, and with all
your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. (This commandment relates to the first
three of God’s Ten Commandments.) (See Mt.22:34-39; Mk.12: 28-34; Lk.10:25-28. See also
Deut. 6:5.)

2. The second is like the first: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. (This relates to the last
seven commandments of God.) (See above scripture and also Lev. 19:18)

B. The 10 Commandments

1. “I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD, YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME.”

1.1.WHAT DOES THIS COMMANDMENT MEAN? We must adore and worship only the one true
God.
1.2.WHAT IS THE VALUE KEPT BY THIS COMMANDMENT? Faith in God
1.3.WHY IS THIS COMMANDMENT ALWAYS THE FIRST? It is the basis of all the other
commandments: God is the foundation of Moral Life.
1.4.WHAT ARE THE VIOLATIONS OF THIS COMMANDMENT? Idolatry (Mistaking a creature
for the Creator; Worship of Modern Idols); Satanism, sorcery and witchcraft ; Actions against the
dignity of persons.

2. “YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN.”

2.1.WHAT IS THE VALUE PROTECTED BY THIS COMMANDMENT? Respect for God’s Name
2.2.HOW MUST WE USE THE NAME OF GOD? We must always use the name of god and of Jesus
Christ with reverence. It is wrong to curse, blaspheme or to use profane words.
2.3.WHAT ARE THE VIOLATIONS OF THIS COMMANDMENT? Blasphemy and Cursing,
Profanity, False Oath
- Cursing: using God’s name to wish evil to others
- Blasphemy: an expression or action insulting to God or religion.
- Profanity: using the name of God, or other holy names or words in an abusive, disrespectful
manner.
- False Oath/Perjury : calling upon God to witness the truth of something we know to be
false.

3. “REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY, TO KEEP IT HOLY.”

3.1.WHAT IS THE VALUE PROTECTED BY THE COMMANDMENT? Worship of God

3.2.WHY IS SUNDAY THE HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION FOR CHRISTIANS? The Sabbath
Day is celebrated in the light of the Easter Event or Christ’s resurrection.
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3.3.HOW DO WE KEEP SUNDAYS AND HOLY DAYS HOLY? Catholics observe Sundays and
Holy Days of Obligation by participating in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

4. “HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER.”

4.1.WHAT IS THE VALUE PROTECTED BY THE COMMANDMENT? The Family

4.2.HOW DO CHILDREN OBSERVE THIS COMMANDMENT? For Children: Children are
obliged to love and respect their parents. Children must obey their parents in all things except sin.
As children mature into adults, they have an obligation to help their parents in their old age, or
when they are sick and helpless. Children always have an obligation to pray for their parents.
Children must honor and obey teachers and other in authority while they are under their care.
4.3.HOW DO PARENTS OBSERVE THIS COMMANDMENT? For Parents: Parents must look
after the spiritual and temporal welfare of their children; teach them Christian virtues by word and
example; be patient with them, correct them wisely; demand their respect and obedience. All
Catholics are obliged to honor and obey the authorities of the Church. All are obliged to obey the
civil authorities and the civil laws that are not in conflict with the law of God.

5. “YOU SHALL NOT KILL.”

5.1.WHAT IS THE VALUE PROTECTED BY THE COMMANDMENT? Life and Dignity

5.2.WHY IS HUMAN LIFE VALUABLE? “All human life has its basic value and dignity
therefore, because we are all created in God’s image and likeness.” Catechism for Filipino
Catholics, 1029
5.3.WHAT ARE THE SERIOUS VIOLATIONS AGAINST THIS COMMANDMENT?
- Murder: the unjust killing of an innocent person.
- Abortion: deliberately causing the death of an unborn baby. Suicide: taking one’s own life.
- Euthanasia or mercy killing: taking the life of a person who is dying or suffering from an
incurable illness.
- Serious abuse of alcohol or other drugs.
- Serious acts of anger and hatred.

6. “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.”

6.1.WHAT IS THE VALUE PROTECTED BY THE COMMANDMENT? Sanctity of Marriage

6.2.WHAT IS MEANT BY THIS COMMANDMENT? Human sexuality is a sacred power we
receive from God and must be treated with dignity and respect. Only husbands and wives who are
validly married and are acting according to God’s holy plans and laws may engage in acts and
pleasures of sex. We are commanded to be pure in our thoughts, words and actions.
6.3.WHAT ARE THE VIOLATIONS OF THIS COMMANDMENT? Adultery, Trial Marriage,
Divorce

7. “YOU SHALL NOT STEAL”

7.1.WHAT IS THE VALUE PROTECTED BY THE COMMANDMENT? Social Justice

7.2.WHAT IS MEANT BY THIS COMMANDMENT? We must respect the private property of
others. We are forbidden to take what rightly belongs to another.
7.3.WHAT ARE VIOLATIONS OF THIS COMMANDMENT? Theft, burglary and fraud.
Deliberately damaging another’s property. Failure to pay a just debt or obligation. Failure to return
what has been found or borrowed. The wasting of time, money or property of an employer.

8. “YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST YOUR NEIGHBOR.”

8.1.WHAT IS THE VALUE PROTECTED BY THE COMMANDMENT? The Truth

8.2.WHAT IS MEANT BY THIS COMMANDMENT? We are commanded always to tell the truth.
Care must be taken not to say anything to damage another’s reputation. It is wrong to judge another
 18

person without sufficient evidence. Gossip, insults and unjust criticism are some wrongs we can
commit against our neighbor.
8.3.WHAT ARE THE VIOLATIONS OF THIS COMMANDMENT? Lying (intentional
misinterpretation of the truth by word, gesture or even silence); False Witness and Perjury;
Detraction and Slander

9. “YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBOR’S WIFE.”

9.1.WHAT IS THE VALUE PROTECTED BY THE COMMANDMENT? Chastity (Purity of the

Heart)
9.2.WHAT IS MEANT BY THE NINTH COMMANDMENT? The ninth commandment, like the
sixth, concerns the virtue of chastity. Willful consent to impure thoughts or desires of the flesh is
forbidden. A wife is a man’s equal partner in the sacred union of marriage.
9.3.WHAT ARE THE VIOLATIONS OF THIS COMMANDMENT? Covetousness (the hidden
impulses of the heart and the desire for possession and power, which leads to the selfish taking of
what rightfully belongs to another); Lust, Masturbation, Fornication, Homosexual Acts,
Pornography and Prostitution

10. “YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBOR’S GOODS.”

10.1. WHAT IS THE VALUE PROTECTED BY THE COMMANDMENT? Poverty of the Heart
10.2. WHAT IS MEANT BY THIS COMMANDMENT? The tenth commandment, like the seventh,
concerns respect for the property of others. We must not desire things that belong to others. It is
wrong to be envious of the success and good fortune of others.
10.3. WHAT ARE THE VIOLATIONS OF THIS COMMANDMENT? Covetousness; Envy (a
feeling of discontented or resentful longing over someone else's possessions, qualities, or
luck); Greed (intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food);
Avarice (extreme greed for wealth or material gain)

Sources:
The Leaflet Missal. Outlines of the Catholic Faith: Teachings, Beliefs, Practices and Prayers. Minnesota: The
Leaflet Missal Company. 1980. Pp. 17-27
Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. pp. 137-163
Catechism for Filipino Catholics. pp. 241-350
 19

Contents of the Faith: The 7 Ritual Sacraments

A. Meaning of Sacrament

• A SACRAMENT IS AN OUTWARD SIGN THAT POINTS TO AN INVISIBLE REALITY GIVEN TO

US BY CHRIST TO GIVE GRACE.
• Sacraments are symbolic actions that help express our inner experience of God; seven important ways
(avenues) by which GOD expresses his love for us and we respond with our love for him. Sacraments
reflect Christ’s actions of blessing, healing, nourishing serving and giving his life to his people. A
sacrament is an intimate encounter with God’s love.
• A sacrament has two symbolic actions:
a. The outward sign, which helps to deepen and explain the inner experience.
b. The inner, invisible reality, is the giving of God’s Life (grace) to his people. The purpose of the
sacraments is to sanctify his people. God gives us his life to make us holy as he is holy.

B. The Seven Sacraments

SACRAMENT OF INITIATION:
1. Baptism
2. Confirmation
3. Holy Eucharist
SACRAMENT OF HEALING:
4. Reconciliation
5. Anointing of the Sick
SACRAMENT OF SERVICE:
6. Matrimony
7. Holy Orders

Sacrament Biblical Basis Central Words Central Effects Ministers

Actions
BAPTISM Matt 28:19 - Jesus commissions "I baptize you in The candidate is Becoming a Bishops,
the apostles: "Go and make the name of the immersed in water, member of the Priests,
disciples of all nations, baptizing Father, and of the or water is poured Church of Deacons;
them in the name of the Father and Son, and of the over the candidate's Christ any
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"; Holy Spirit." head. (Christian Christian
John 3:22; 4:1-2 - Jesus' first (the "Trinitarian Initiation); also (in case of
disciples baptize other disciples; Formula," from being forgiven urgent
Acts 2:38-41; 10:47-48 - new Matt 28:19) of one's sins. need)
believers are baptized "in the name
of Jesus" by Peter & others; [Note: Some
(not just Jesus' own baptism: Mark Protestants baptize
1:9-11 & par.) "in the name of
Jesus"; see Acts 2
& 10)
EUCHARIST Mark 14:22-25; Matt 26:26-30; "This is my body... The bread and wine Being Bishops or
Luke 22:14-23; 1 Cor 11:23-25 - This is my blood..." are spiritually Priests
Jesus' "Last Supper" with his (the "Words of blessed/consecrated nourished by
disciples; Institution" from by the minister and Christ's body
John 6: 48-58 - the end of the the Last Supper) received/shared by and blood;
Bread of Life discourse: "eat my the communicants. being united
flesh; drink my blood"; ("in
Luke 24:35; Acts 2:42 - Christians communion")
gather for the "Breaking of the with Christ and
Bread" other believers.
 20

Confirmation John 20:22 - "(Jesus) breathed on "(Name), be sealed Laying on of hands Being Bishops; in
them (the disciples) and said, with the Gift of the (the bishop lays his strengthened by some cases
'Receive the Holy Spirit'"; Holy Spirit." hands on the head the Holy Spirit; also Priests
Acts 8:17; 19:6 - believers receive of the confirmand). being
the Spirit, esp. through laying on of "confirmed" in
the apostle's hands the fullness of
Acts 10:44-48 - the coming of the the Christian
Spirit is closely associated with the faith.
Baptism of new believers
Penance/ John 20:23 - "If you forgive the "I forgive you of all The penitent Begin forgiven Bishops or
Reconciliation sins of any, they are forgiven them; of your sins, in the confesses his sins, of one's sins; Priests
if you retain the sins of any, they name of the Father, expresses being
are retained"; and of the Son, and contrition, and reconciled to
Matt 16:19; 18:18 - more sayings of the Holy Spirit" proposes God the
on "binding and loosing"; (the "Words of amendment; the Church, and
James 5:16 - "confess your sins to Absolution") confessor suggests other people.
one another" a penance and
speaks the words of
absolution.
Anointing of Mark 6:7-13 - Jesus' disciples "Through this holy The minister Being Bishops or
the Sick "anointed with oil many who were anointing may the anointing the sick strengthened in Priests
sick and healed them"; Lord in his love and persons forehead time of illness.
James 5:14-16 - "call for the elders mercy help you and hands with
of the church and have them pray with the grace of blessed oil
over (the sick), anointing them with the Holy Spirit.
oil in the names of the Lord." May the Lord who
frees you from sin
save you and raise
you up."
Matrimony/ Gen 2:24 - "a man leaves his "I, (name), take The husband and Being united the couple
Marriage parents and clings to his wife and you, (name), to be wife make these ("one flesh") in themselves!
they become one flesh"; my husband/wife. I promises to each God's eyes; (clergy are
Mark 10:2-12; Matt 19:1-9 - promise to be true other publicly. becoming a just the
Jesus teaches against divorce; to you in good (Rings are publicly and official
"What God has joined together, let times and in bad, in exchanged as a legally witnesses)
no one separate"; sickness and in visible sign of this recognized
Eph 5:22-33; 1Cor 7:10-16 - Paul health. I will love verbal couple.
stresses the unity of husbands and you and honor you commitment.)
wives; all the days of my
(not simply Jesus' presence at the life."
wedding at Cana, John 2:1-11) (or a similar
formula)
Holy Orders Mark 3:13-19 & par. - Jesus A long "Prayer of The bishop lays his Becoming a Bishops
(Ordination "calls" and "appoints" the 12 Consecration" hands on the member of the only
of Bishops, apostles; ordinand's head; he "ordained"
Priests, and Acts 6:6; 1 Tim 4:14; 5:22; 2 Tim also anoints his clergy, the
Deacons) 1:6 - "laying on of hands" as the hands and performs church's official
"ordaining" or commissioning rite several other leadership
of local Christian leaders symbolic gestures "orders"
Sacrament Biblical Basis Central Words Central Effects Ministers
Actions

Sources:
The Leaflet Missal. Outlines of the Catholic Faith: Teachings, Beliefs, Practices and Prayers. Minnesota: The
Leaflet Missal Company. 1980. Pp. 31-43
Felix Just, S.J. The Seven Sacraments. http://catholic-resources.org/ChurchDocs/Sacraments.htm
Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. pp. 87-107