Test 1 Prep: Lessons 1 - 8

Question 1

What is God?

Answer 1

God is a pure spirit, eternal, infinitely perfect, Creator of heaven and earth, and Sovereign Master of all things.

Question 2

What do we mean by the Blessed Trinity?

Answer 2

By the Blessed Trinity we mean one God in three divine Persons, really distinct and equal in all things: The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Question 3

How is supernatural life given to us?

Answer 3

The supernatural life is ordinarily given to us through Baptism which is like a second birth for us.

Question 4

If supernatural life is lost, how can it be recovered?

Answer 4

If the supernatural life is lost, it can be recovered by perfect contrition and especially by the sacrament of Penance.

Question 5

What is man?

Answer 5

Man is a creature composed of body and soul and made to the image and likeness of God.

Question 6

What is the soul?

Answer 6

The soul is an immortal spirit which God created to His likeness to be united with a body.

Question 7

How many kinds of life did God give to Adam and Eve?

Answer 7

God gave two kinds of life to Adam and Eve:
Natural life, which consists in the union of soul and body;
Supernatural life, which consists in the union of the soul with the three divine Persons.

Question 8

What is grace?

Answer 8

Grace is a supernatural gift of God bestowed on us through the merits of Jesus Christ for our salvation.

Question 9

How many kinds of grace are there?

Answer 9

There are two kinds of grace: sanctifying grace and actual grace.

Question 10

What is sanctifying grace?

Answer 10

Sanctifying grace is that grace which confers on our souls a new life, that is, a sharing in the life of God Himself.

Question 11

What are the chief effects of sanctifying grace?

Answer 11

The chief effects of sanctifying grace are:
- first, it makes us holy and pleasing to God;
- second, it makes us adopted children of God;
- third, it makes us temples of the Holy Ghost;
- fourth, it gives us the right to heaven.

Question 12

Does one in sanctifying grace merit by his good deeds?

Answer 12

Yes, one in sanctifying grace merits by his good deeds that is, he earns a supernatural reward for them.

Question 13

Why did God make us?

Answer 13

God made us to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in the next.

Question 14

What is the mystery of the Redemption?

Answer 14

The mystery of the Redemption is the mystery of Jesus Christ dying on the cross for the salvation of all men.

Question 15

Why is grace said to be given to us through the merits of Jesus Christ?

Answer 15

Grace is said to be given to us through the merits of Jesus Christ because it is in consideration of the merits of Our Lord dying on the cross for us that God restored to man the grace of which he had been deprived by sin.

Question 16

What is actual grace?

Answer 16

Actual grace is a supernatural help from God which enlightens our mind and strengthens our will to do good and avoid evil.

Question 17

Why is sanctifying grace necessary for salvation?

Answer 17

Sanctifying grace is necessary for salvation because it is the supernatural life, which alone enables us to attain the supernatural happiness of heaven.

Question 18

Is actual grace necessary for all who have attained the use of reason?

Answer 18

Actual grace is necessary for all who have attained the use of reason, because without it we cannot longer resist the power of temptation or perform good actions which merit a reward for heaven.

Question 19

Does God give His grace to everyone?

Answer 19

God gives to everyone sufficient grace to save his soul; and if persons do not save their souls, it is because they have not used the grace given.

Question 20

Can we resist actual grace?

Answer 20

Yes, we can resist actual grace by not following the good thoughts or desires that God gives us.

Question 21

What happens to those who frequently resist grace?

Answer 21

Those who frequently resist grace risk forming a habit of sin and losing heaven.

Question 22

What are the principal means of obtaining grace?

Answer 22

The principal means of obtaining grace are prayer, the sacraments, and above all, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Question 23

What is prayer?

Answer 23

Prayer is the lifting up of our minds and hearts to God, to adore Him, to thank Him for His benefits, to ask His forgiveness, and to beg of Him all the graces we need whether for soul or body.

Question 24

At what particular times should we pray?

Answer 24

We should pray particularly on Sundays and holydays, every morning and night, in all dangers, temptations, and afflictions.

Question 25

How should we pray?

Answer 25

We should pray with attention, humility, confidence, and perseverance.

Question 26

Why do we not always obtain what we pray for?

Answer 26

We do not always obtain what we pray for, either because God sees that what we are asking would not be for our good or because we have not prayed properly.

Question 27

For whom should we pray?

Answer 27

We should pray especially for ourselves, for our parents, relatives, friends, and enemies, for sinners, for the souls in purgatory, for the pope, bishops, and priests of the Church, and for the officials of our country.

Question 28

Is it recommended to pray in common?

Answer 28

Yes, it is recommended to pray in common because Jesus Christ said, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Question 29

Why is the Our Father the most excellent of all prayers?

Answer 29

The Our Father is the most excellent of all prayers because Our Lord Himself composed it and because its petitions ask for all we can need for soul or body.

Question 30

Why do we call God Father?

Answer 30

We call God Father because He created us to His image and likeness and because, having adopted us as His children through Baptism, He loves us more than the best of fathers.

Question 31

Why do we call God “our Father” and not “my Father”?

Answer 31

We call God “our Father” and not “my Father” because we are all His children, and hence we should look on, love, and pray for one another as brothers.

Question 32

What do we ask for in the first 3 petitions of the Our Father?

Answer 32

In the first 3 petitions of the Our Father we ask God that He may be known, adored, and obeyed on earth as He is in heaven.

Question 33

What do we ask for in the last 4 petitions of the Our Father?

Answer 33

In the last 4 petitions of the Our Father, we ask of God food for the body and soul, the forgiveness of our sins, strength in overcoming temptations, and deliverance from all evil.

Question 34

Can we always resist temptations?

Answer 34

We can always resist temptations, because no temptation can force us into sin, and because God will always helps us if we ask Him.

Question 35

Is it a sin to be tempted?

Answer 35

It is not a sin to be tempted, because we cannot prevent it. It is sinful only to consent to other temptations or needlessly expose ourselves to them.

Question 36

Why do we say the Hail Mary?

Answer 36

We say the Hail Mary to recall the Incarnation, and to show our devotion to the Mother of God and our confidence in her assistance.

Question 37

How is the Hail Mary divided?

Answer 37

The Hail Mary is divided into two parts. The first part, made by the Angel Gabriel and St. Elizabeth, contains the praises of the Mother of God; the second part, added by the Church, begs her intercession for sinners.

Question 38

Why do we need The BVM’s prayers at the hour of death?

Answer 38

We need the BVM’s prayers at the hour of death because at that time our salvation is in the greatest danger, and our spiritual enemies the most anxious to overcome us.

Question 39

Why is the Blessed Virgin so powerful?

Answer 39

The Blessed Virgin is so powerful because, being the Mother of God, she cannot but be heard by Him.

Question 40

Was any human person ever preserved from original sin?

Answer 40

The BVM was preserved from original sin in view of the merits of her divine Son, and this privilege is called her Immaculate Conception.

Question 41

What is the mystery of the Incarnation?

Answer 41

The mystery of the Incarnation is the mystery of the Son of God made man.

Question 42

How was the Son of God made man?

Answer 42

The Son of God was made man by taking a body and soul like ours in the pure womb of the BVM

Question 43

What is a sacrament?

Answer 43

A sacrament is an outward sign instrituted by Christ to give grace.

Question 44

Why do we say that a sacrament is a sign?

Answer 44

We say that a sacrament is a sign because it represents the invisible grace that it produces.

Question 45

How many sacraments are there?

Answer 45

There are seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.

Question 46

From whom do the sacraments receive their power to give grace?

Answer 46

The sacraments receive their power to give grace from God, through the merits of Jesus Christ.

Question 47

Do the sacraments always give grace?

Answer 47

The sacraments always give grace if we receive them with the right disposition.

Question 48

What is the greatest of all the sacraments?

Answer 48

The greatest of all the sacraments is the Holy Eucharist because it contains not only grace but also Jesus Christ the Author of grace and the sacraments.

Question 49

What do we mean by the matter and the form of the sacraments?

Answer 49

By the matter of the sacraments we mean the visible things, such as water, oil, bread, and wine used for the sacraments. By the form, we mean the words used in administering the sacraments.

Question 50

Who is the minister of the sacraments?

Answer 50

The minister of the sacraments is the person who confers or administers the sacraments.

Question 51

How many kinds of grace do the sacraments produce?

Answer 51

The sacraments produce two kinds of grace: sanctifying grace which is common to all of them; and sacramental grace which differs with each sacrament.

Question 52

What sin does one commit who knowingly receives a sacrament of the living in mortal sin?

Answer 52

One who knowingly receives a sacrament of living in mortal sin commits the sin of sacrilege because he treats a sacred thing with grave irreverence.

Question 53

Which are the sacraments that can be received only once?

Answer 53

The sacraments that can be received only once are Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders.

Question 54

What is the purpose of the character that these three sacraments imprint on the soul?

Answer 54

The character that these three sacraments imprint on the soul serves to mark us as members of Jesus Christ at Baptism, as His soldiers at Confirmation, and His ministers in Holy Orders.