Compendium - Main Content

Question 1

1. What is the plan of God for man?

Answer 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. In the fullness of time, God the Father sent his Son as the Redeemer and Savior of mankind, fallen into sin, thus calling all into his Church and, through the work of the Holy Spirit, making them adopted children and heirs of his eternal happiness. (1-25)

Question 2

“You are great, O Lord, and greatly to be praised[…] You have made us for yourself and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” (Saint Augustine) (30)

2. Why does man have a desire for God?

Answer 2

God himself, in creating man in his own image, has written upon his heart the desire to see him. Even if this desire is often ignored, God never ceases to draw man to himself because only in God will he find and live the fullness of truth and happiness for which he never stops searching. By nature and by vocation, therefore, man is a religious being, capable of entering into communion with God. This intimate and vital bond with God confers on man his fundamental dignity. (27-30, 44-45)

Question 3

3. How is it possible to know God with only the light of human reason?

Answer 3

Starting from creation, that is from the world and from the human person, through reason alone one can know God with certainty as the origin and end of the universe, as the highest good and as infinite truth and beauty. (31-36, 46-47)

Question 4

4. Is the light of reason alone sufficient to know the mystery of God?

Answer 4

In coming to a knowledge of God by the light of reason alone man experiences many difficulties. Indeed, on his own he is unable to enter into the intimacy of the divine mystery. This is why he stands in need of being enlightened by God’s revelation, not only about those things that exceed his understanding, but also about those religious and moral truths which of themselves are not beyond the grasp of human reason, so that even in the present condition of the human race they can be known by all with ease, with firm certainty and with no admixture of error. (37-38)

Question 5

5. How can we speak about God?

Answer 5

By taking as our starting point the perfections of man and of the other creatures which are a reflection, albeit a limited one, of the infinite perfection of God, we are able to speak about God with all people. We must, however, continually purify our language insofar as it is image-bound and imperfect, realizing that we can never fully express the infinite mystery of God. (39-43, 48-49)

Question 6

6. What does God reveal to man?

Answer 6

God in his goodness and wisdom reveals himself. With deeds and words, he reveals himself and his plan of loving goodness which he decreed from all eternity in Christ. According to this plan, all people by the grace of the Holy Spirit are to share in the divine life as adopted “sons” in the only begotten Son of God. (50-53, 68-69)

Question 7

7. What are the first stages of God’s revelation?

Answer 7

From the very beginning, God manifested himself to our first parents, Adam and Eve, and invited them to intimate communion with himself. After their fall, he did not cease his revelation to them but promised salvation for all their descendants. After the flood, he made a covenant with Noah, a covenant between himself and all living beings. (54-58, 70-71)

Question 8

8. What are the next stages of God’s revelation?

Answer 8

God chose Abram, calling him out of his country, making him “the father of a multitude of nations” Genesis 17:5), and promising to bless in him “all the families of the earth” (Genesis 12:3). The people descended from Abraham would be the trustee of the divine promise made to the patriarchs. God formed Israel as his chosen people, freeing them from slavery in Egypt, establishing with them the covenant of Mount Sinai, and, through Moses, giving them his law. The prophets proclaimed a radical redemption of the people and a salvation which would include all nations in a new and everlasting covenant. From the people of Israel and from the house of King David, would be born the Messiah, Jesus. (59-64, 72)

Question 9

9. What is the full and definitive stage of God’s revelation?

Answer 9

The full and definitive stage of God’s revelation is accomplished in his Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, the mediator and fullness of revelation. He, being the only begotten Son of God made man, is the perfect and definitive Word of the Father. In the sending of the Son and the gift of the Spirit, revelation is now fully complete, although the faith of the Church must gradually grasp its full significance over the course of the centuries. (65-66, 73)

“In giving us his Son, his only and definitive Word, God spoke everything to us at once in this sole Word, and he has no more to say.” (Saint John of the Cross)

Question 10

10. What is the value of private revelations?

Answer 10

While not belonging to the deposit of faith, private revelations may help a person live the faith as long as they lead us to Christ. The Magisterium of the Church, which has the duty of evaluating such private revelations, cannot accept those which claim to surpass or correct that definitive Revelation which is Christ. (67)

Question 11

11. Why and in what way is divine revelation transmitted?

Answer 11

God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4), that is, of Jesus Christ. For this reason Christ must be proclaimed to all according to his own command, “Go forth and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19). And this is brought about by Apostolic Tradition. (74)

Question 12

12. What is Apostolic Tradition?

Answer 12

Apostolic Tradition is the transmission of the message of Christ, brought about from the very beginnings of Christianity, by means of preaching, bearing witness, institutions, worship, and inspired writings. The Apostles transmitted all they received from Christ and learned from the Holy Spirit to their successors, the bishops, and through them to all generations until the end of the world. (75-79, 83, 96, 98)

Question 13

13. In what ways does Apostolic Tradition occur?

Answer 13

Apostolic Tradition occurs in two ways: through the living transmission of the word of God (also simply called Tradition) and through Sacred Scripture which is the same proclamation of salvation in written form. (76)

Question 14

14. What is the relationship between Tradition and Sacred Scripture?

Answer 14

Tradition and Sacred Scripture are bound closely together and communicate one with the other. Each of them makes present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of Christ. They flow out of the same divine well-spring and together make up one sacred deposit of faith from which the Church derives her certainty about revelation. (80-82, 97)

Question 15

15. To whom is the deposit of faith entrusted?

Answer 15

The Apostles entrusted the deposit of faith to the whole of the Church. Thanks to its supernatural sense of faith the people of God as a whole, assisted by the Holy Spirit and guided by the Magisterium of the Church, never ceases to welcome, to penetrate more deeply and to live more fully from the gift of divine revelation. (84, 91, 94, 99)

Question 16

16. To whom is given the task of authentically interpreting the deposit of faith?

Answer 16

The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the deposit of faith has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone, that is, to the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome, and to the bishops in communion with him. To this Magisterium, which in the service of the Word of God enjoys the certain charism of truth, belongs also the task of defining dogmas which are formulations of the truths contained in divine Revelation. This authority of the Magisterium also extends to those truths necessarily connected with Revelation. (85-90, 100)

Question 17

17. What is the relationship between Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium?

Answer 17

Scripture, Tradition and the magisterium are so closely united with each other that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls. (95)

Question 18

18. Why does Sacred Scripture teach the truth?

Answer 18

Because God himself is the author of Sacred Scripture. For this reason it is said to be inspired and to teach without error those truths which are necessary for our salvation. The Holy Spirit inspired the human authors who wrote what he wanted to teach us. The Christian faith, however, is not a “religion of the book,” but of the Word of God— “not a written and mute word, but incarnate and living” (Saint Bernard of Clairvaux). (105-10, 135-13)

Question 19

19. How is Sacred Scripture to be read?

Answer 19

Sacred Scripture must be read and interpreted with the help of the Holy Spirit and under the guidance of the Magisterium of the Church according to three criteria: (1) it must be read with attention to the content and unity of the whole of Scripture; (2) it must be read within the living Tradition of the Church; (3) it must be read with attention to the analogy of faith, that is, the inner harmony which exists among the truths of the faith themselves. (109-11, 137)

Question 20

20. What is the Canon of Scripture?

Answer 20

The Canon of Scripture is the complete list of the sacred writings which the Church has come to recognize through Apostolic Tradition. The Canon consists of 46 books of the Old Testament and 27 of the New. (120, 138)

Question 21

21. What is the importance of the Old Testament for Christians?

Answer 21

Christians venerate the Old Testament as the true word of God. All of the books of the Old Testament are divinely inspired and retain a permanent value. They best witness to the divine pedagogy of God’s saving love. They are written, above all, to prepare for the coming of Christ, the Savior of the universe. (121-123)

Question 22

22. What importance does the New Testament have for Christians?

Answer 22

The New Testament, whose central object is Jesus Christ, conveys to us the ultimate truth of divine Revelation. Within the New Testament the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the heart of all the Scriptures because they are the principal witness to the life and teachings of Jesus. As such, they hold a unique place in the Church. (124-127, 139)

Question 23

23. What is the unity that exists between the Old and the New Testaments?

Answer 23

Scripture is one insofar as the Word of God is one. God’s plan of salvation is one, and the divine inspiration of both Testaments is one. The Old Testament prepares for the New and the New Testament fulfills the Old; the two shed light on each other. (128-130, 140)

Question 24

24. What role does Sacred Scripture play in the life of the Church?

Answer 24

Sacred Scripture gives support and vigor to the life of the Church. For the children of the Church, it is a confirmation of the faith, food for the soul and the fount of the spiritual life. Sacred Scripture is the soul of theology and of pastoral preaching. The Psalmist says that it is “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). The Church, therefore, exhorts all to read Sacred Scripture frequently because “ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ” (Saint Jerome). (131-133, 141-142)

Question 25

25. How does man respond to God who reveals himself?

Answer 25

Sustained by divine grace, we respond to God with the obedience of faith, which means the full surrender of ourselves to God and the acceptance of his truth insofar as it is guaranteed by the One who is Truth itself. (142-143)

Question 26

26. Who are the principal witnesses of the obedience of faith in the Sacred Scriptures?

Answer 26

There are many such witnesses, two in particular: one is Abraham who when put to the test “believed God” (Romans 4:3) and always obeyed his call. For this reason he is called “the father of all who believe” (Romans 4:11). The other is the Virgin Mary who, throughout her entire life, embodied in a perfect way the obedience of faith: “Let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). (144-149)

Question 27

27. What does it mean in practice for a person to believe in God?

Answer 27

It means to adhere to God himself, entrusting oneself to him and giving assent to all the truths which God has revealed because God is truth. It means to believe in one God in three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (150-152, 176-178)

Question 28

28. What are the characteristics of faith?

Answer 28

Faith is the supernatural virtue which is necessary for salvation. It is a free gift of God and is accessible to all who humbly seek it. The act of faith is a human act, that is, an act of the intellect of a person—prompted by the will moved by God—who freely assents to divine truth. Faith is also certain because it is founded on the Word of God; it works “through charity” (Galatians 5:6); and it continually grows through listening to the Word of God and through prayer. It is, even now, a foretaste of the joys of heaven. (153-165, 179-180, 183-184)

Question 29

29. Why is there no contradiction between faith and science?

Answer 29

Though faith is above reason, there can never be a contradiction between faith and science because both originate in God. It is God himself who gives to us the light both of reason and of faith. (159)

“I believe, in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe.” (Saint Augustine)

Question 30

30. Why is faith a personal act, and at the same time ecclesial?

Answer 30

Faith is a personal act insofar as it is the free response of the human person to God who reveals himself. But at the same time it is ah ecclesial act which expresses itself in the proclamation, “We believe.” It is in fact the Church that believes: and thus by the grace of the Holy Spirit precedes, engenders and nourishes the faith of each Christian. For this reason the Church is mother and teacher. (166-169, 181)

“No one can have God as Father who does not have the Church as Mother.” (Saint Cyprian)

Question 31

31. Why are the formulas of Faith important?

Answer 31

The formulas of faith are important because they permit one to express, assimilate, celebrate, and share together with others the truths of the faith through a common language. (170-171)

Question 32

32. In what way is the faith of the Church one faith alone?

Answer 32

The Church, although made up of persons who have diverse languages, cultures, and rites, nonetheless professes with a united voice the one faith that was received from the one Lord and that was passed on by the one Apostolic Tradition. She confesses one God alone, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and points to one way of salvation. Therefore we believe with one heart and one soul all that is contained in the Word of God, handed down or written, and which is proposed by the Church as divinely revealed. (172-175, 182)

Question 33

33. What are the symbols of faith?

Answer 33

The symbols of faith are composite formulas, also called “professions of faith” or “Creeds,” with which the Church from her very beginning has set forth synthetically and handed on her own faith in a language that is normative and common to all the faithful. (185-188, 192, 197)

Question 34

34. What are the most ancient symbols (professions) of faith?

Answer 34

The most ancient symbols of faith are the baptismal creeds. Because baptism is conferred “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19), the truths of faith professed at baptism are articulated in reference to the three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity. (189-191)

Question 35

35. What are the most important symbols of faith?

Answer 35

They are the Apostles’ Creed which is the ancient baptismal symbol of the Church of Rome and the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed which stems from the first two ecumenical Councils, that of Nicaea (A.D. 325) and that of Constantinople (A.D. 381) and which even to this day are common to all the great Churches of the East and the West. (193-195)

Question 36

36. Why does the Profession of Faith begin with the words, “I believe in God”?

Answer 36

The Profession of Faith begins with these words because the affirmation “I believe in God” is the most important, the source of all the other truths about man and about the world, and about the entire life of everyone who believes in God. (198-199)

Question 37

37. Why does one profess belief that there is only one God?

Answer 37

Belief in the one God is professed because he has revealed himself to the people of Israel as the only one when he said, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4) and “there is no other” (Isaiah 45:22). Jesus himself confirmed that God is “the one Lord” (Mark 12:29). To confess that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are also God and Lord does not introduce any division into the one God. (200-202, 228)

Question 38

38. With what name does God reveal himself?

Answer 38

God revealed himself to Moses as the living God, “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6). God also revealed to Moses his mysterious name “I Am Who I Am (YHWH).” Already in Old Testament times this ineffable name of God was replaced by the divine title Lord. Thus in the New Testament, Jesus who was called Lord is seen as true God.

Question 39

39. Is God the only One who “is”?

Answer 39

Since creatures have received everything they are and have from God, only God in himself is the fullness of being and of every perfection. God is “He who is” without origin and without end. Jesus also reveals that he bears the divine name “I Am” (John 8:28) (212-213)

Question 40

40. Why is the revelation of God’s name important?

Answer 40

In revealing his name, God makes known the riches contained in the ineffable mystery of his being. He alone is from everlasting to everlasting. He is the One who transcends the world and history. It is he who made heaven and earth. He is the faithful God, always close to his people, in order to save them. He is the highest holiness, “rich in mercy” (Ephesians 2:4), always ready to forgive. He is the One who is spiritual, transcendent, omnipotent, eternal, personal and perfect. He is truth and love. (206-213)

“God is the infinitely perfect being who is the most Holy Trinity.” (Saint Turibius Mongrovejo)

Question 41

41. In what way is God the truth?

Answer 41

God is Truth itself and as such he can neither deceive nor be deceived. He is “light, and in him there is no darkness” (1 John 1:5). The eternal Son of God, the incarnation of wisdom, was sent into the world “to bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37). (214-217, 231)

Question 42

42. In what way does God reveal that He is love?

Answer 42

God revealed himself to Israel as the One who has a stronger love than that of parents for their children or of husbands and wives for their spouses. God in himself “is love” (1 John 4:8, 16), who gives himself completely and gratuitously, who “so loved the world that he gave his only Son [so] that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16-17). By sending his Son and the Holy Spirit, God reveals that he himself is an eternal exchange of love. (218-221)

Question 43

43. What does it mean to believe in only one God?

Answer 43

To believe in the one and only God involves coming to know his greatness and majesty. It involves living in thanksgiving and trusting always in him, even in adversity. It involves knowing the unity and true dignity of all human beings, created in his image. It involves making good use of the things which he has created. (222-227, 229)

Question 44

44. What is the central mystery of Christian faith and life?

Answer 44

The central mystery of Christian faith and life is the mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity. Christians are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (232-237)

Question 45

45. Can the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity be known by the light of human reason alone?

Answer 45

God has left some traces of his trinitarian being in creation and in the Old Testament but his inmost being as the Holy Trinity is a mystery which is inaccessible to reason alone or even to Israel’s faith before the incarnation of the Son of God and the sending of the Holy Spirit. This mystery was revealed by Jesus Christ and it is the source of all the other mysteries. (237)