ESSENTIALS OF CATHOLIC FAITH AND
no power on earth can directly will to terminate
LIFE
BIBLICAL FOUNDATION OF HUMAN
DIGNITY
 The dignity of the human person is rooted in
his/her creation in the image and likeness of
God.
 Human beings make their own contribution to
their interior growth; they make their whole
sentient and spiritual lives into means of this
growth. (CCC #1700)
 Man and Woman being created in the image of
God (Gen.1: 27), is placed by the Creator as the
center, summit and the crowning glory of
creation. This divine image that we bear as
humans gives us value, and it invites God's
concern for us.
 “Therefore, ‘being in the image of God the
human individual possesses the dignity of a
person, who is not just something, but
someone’.” (COMPENDIUM OF THE SOCIAL
DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH # 108)
 Jesus Christ said, “Are not two sparrows sold
for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the
ground apart from the will of your father. And
even the very hairs of your head are all
numbered. So, don't be afraid; you are worth
more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-
31).
 Human life is precious for it reflects the
presence of God in the world.
 “Even the life of a sinner or a notorious criminal
is valuable before the eyes of God because
Jesus does not come into the world in order to
seek the righteous but the sinners” (cf.
Matthew 9:13).
HUMAN LIFE IS INVIOLABLE
 “Since life is the most precious gift of God and it
is sacred, it is inviolable. No one can directly
dispose of an innocent human life and justify
it.” (Human Life is Beautiful, p.27)
ALL HUMAN LIVES ARE BASICALLY EQUAL
IN VALUE AND DIGNITY
 “From the Christian point of view, there is no
such thing as valueless, unwanted or useless
life, whether in the beginning or at the end of
earthly existence.” (Human Life is Beautiful, p.
26)
 “No such thing as valueless, unwanted or
useless life, whether in the beginning or at the
end of earthly existence.”
 “The Catholic perspective is this: a fetal human
life or an aged human life is as important as a
full-grown adult life. Once there is human life,
until God Himself withdraws His ‘breath of life,’
it.” (Human Life is Beautiful, p. 26)
 “In poverty, retardation, ‘unwantedness,’
suffering, old age or even in ‘vegetable status,’
human life is still precious. In these conditions,
personhood is never lost.”
 Life is the most central and clearest
manifestation of God among us. It is the
transcendent value and worth of every human
person that comes from God. All of the
Church's work in pursuit of both justice and
peace is designed to protect and promote the
dignity of every person.
MAN POSSESSES SUBLIME DIGNITY
 “Man has been given a sublime dignity, based
on the intimate bond which unites him to his
Creator: in man there shines forth a reflection
of God himself.” (EVANGELIUM VITAE 34)
 “Primacy of man over things; these are made
subject to him and entrusted to his responsible
care, whereas for no reason can be made
subject to other men and almost reduced to
the level of a thing.” (EVANGELIUM VITAE 34)
MAN’S ULTIMATE DESTINY/END IS GOD
 The dignity of human life is not only linked to
its beginning, that it comes from God, but also
to its final end, to its destiny of fellowship with
God in knowledge and love of him.” (EV, 38)
HUMAN DIGNITY ACCORDING TO OUR
CHRISTIAN FAITH
 God created man in his image, in the divine
image he created him, male and female, he
created them (Gen. 1:27).
Implications:
 Humans share in the divine image of God. We
participate in God’s divine Trinitarian nature
and called to belong in the community of the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
 The human person is a conscious, historical,
unique, relational embodied spirit with innate
dignity. The basis of human dignity and
inalienable rights is the origin of the human
person in God’s creative act. The human person
is created in God’s image and likeness and is
therefore called to live human life according to
God’s will.
THE CATHOLIC FAITH
 Faith simply means “believing in God.”
Christian Faith is believing in the God
revealed by Jesus Christ. Catholic Christian
Faith means believing that Christ reveals
God to us in and through the Catholic
 Church, the body of Christ, united in the
Holy Spirit. “Believing” here means realizing
that God is calling us to share His divine life.
Faith is our personal response as “disciples
of Christ” of accepting him “as Lord and
Savior.”
THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH
 To obey (from the Latin ob-audire, to "hear
or listen to") in faith is to submit freely to
the word that has been heard, because its
truth is guaranteed by God, who is Truth
itself. Abraham is the model of such
obedience offered us by Sacred Scripture.
The Virgin Mary is its most perfect
embodiment. (CCC 144)
CHARACTERISTICS OF CHRISTIAN FAITH
 TOTAL AND ABSOLUTE
Already the Old Testament contrasted faith “in
man in whom there is no salvation” with faith in
“the Lord who made heaven and earth . . . who
shall reign forever” (cf. Ps 146:3,5-6,10; Jer 17:5-8).
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.
 FAITH IS A GRACE
When St. Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of the living God, Jesus declared to him
that this revelation did not come "from flesh and
blood", but from "my Father who is in heaven".
Faith is a gift of God, a supernatural virtue infused
by him. "Before this faith can be exercised, man
must have the grace of God to move and assist
him; he must have the interior helps of the Holy
Spirit, who moves the heart and converts it to God,
who opens the eyes of the mind and 'makes it easy
for all to accept and believe the truth.'" (CCC 153)
 FAITH AND UNDERSTANDING
What moves us to believe is not the fact that
revealed truths appear as true and intelligible in
the light of our natural reason: we believe
"because of the authority of God himself who
reveals them, who can neither deceive nor be
deceived". So "that the submission of our faith
might nevertheless be in accordance with reason,
God willed that external proofs of his Revelation
should be joined to the internal helps of the Holy
Spirit." Thus the miracles of Christ and the saints,
prophecies, the Church's growth and holiness, and
her fruitfulness and stability "are the most certain
signs of divine Revelation, adapted to the
intelligence of all"; they are "motives of credibility"
(motiva credibilitatis), which show that the assent
of faith is "by no means a blind impulse of the
mind" (CCC 156)
 FAITH IS CERTAIN
It is more certain than all human knowledge
because it is founded on the very word of God who
cannot lie. To be sure, revealed truths can seem
obscure to human reason and experience, but "the
certainty that the divine light gives is greater than
that which the light of natural reason gives." "Ten
thousand difficulties do not make one doubt." (CCC
157)
 FREEDOM OF FAITH
To be human, "man's response to God by faith
must be free, and... therefore nobody is to be
forced to embrace the faith against his will. The act
of faith is of its very nature a free act." "God calls
men to serve him in spirit and in truth.
Consequently they are bound to him in conscience,
but not coerced. . . This fact received its fullest
manifestation in Christ Jesus." Indeed, Christ
invited people to faith and conversion, but never
coerced them. "For he bore witness to the truth
but refused to use force to impose it on those who
spoke against it. His kingdom... grows by the love
with which Christ, lifted up on the cross, draws
men to himself." (CCC 160)
 THE NECESSITY OF FAITH
Believing in Jesus Christ and in the One who sent
him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that
salvation. "Since "without faith it is impossible to
please (God) " and to attain to the fellowship of his
sons, therefore without faith no one has ever
attained justification, nor will anyone obtain
eternal life 'But he who endures to the end.” (CCC
161)
 PERSEVERANCE OF FAITH
Faith is an entirely free gift that God makes to man.
We can lose this priceless gift, as St. Paul indicated
to St. Timothy: "Wage the good warfare, holding
faith and a good conscience. By rejecting
conscience, certain persons have made a shipwreck
of their faith." To live, grow and persevere in the
faith until the end we must nourish it with the
word of God; we must beg the Lord to increase our
faith; it must be "working through charity,"
abounding in hope, and rooted in the faith of the
Church. (CCC 162)
 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. Through
Christ’s witness to his Father in his teaching,
preaching, miracles, and especially in his Passion,
Death and Resurrection, we come to believe in
Christ our Savior, in the Father, and in the Holy
Spirit sent into our hearts. 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).
 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).
Such a missionary spirit is the test of authentic
Faith because it is unthinkable that a person should
believe in Christ’s Word and Kingdom without
bearing witness and proclaiming it in his turn (cf.
EN 24; PCP II 67-71, 402). This means we are all
called to share in Christ’s own three-fold mission as
priest, prophet and king (cf. PCP II 11621; LG 10-
13).
 INFORMED AND COMMUNITARIAN
The Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP
II) insists that 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, and alone makes
possible for us an adequate faith-response (cf. PCP
II 65).
 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. On the
other hand, each of these is radically affected by
our Catholic Faith in God our Father, in Jesus Christ
His only begotten Son, our Savior, and in their Holy
Spirit dwelling within us in grace. “This is how all
will know you for my disciples: your love for one
another” (Jn 13:35; cf. PCP II 72-73, 162, 202-11).
THE THREE DIMENSIONS OF FAITH
 BELIEVING
Faith, then, is knowing, but not mere “head
knowledge” of some abstract truths. It is like the
deep knowledge we have of our parents, or of
anyone we love dearly. Christian Faith, then, is
personal knowledge of Jesus Christ as “my Lord and
my God” (Jn 20:28). Christ solemnly assures each of
us: “Here I stand knocking at the door. If anyone
hears me calling and opens the door, I will enter his
house, and have supper with him, and he with me”
(Rv 3:20)
 DOING
But besides believing, faith is also doing. As St.
James writes: “My brothers, what good is it to
profess faith without practicing it?” (Jas 2:14).
Christ himself taught: “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).
PCP II brings out this “doing” dimension of faith as
“witnessing” through “loving service” of our needy
neighbors. In our concrete situation, particularly
urgent is the call for: 1) deeds of justice and love;
and 2) for protecting and caring for our
endangered earth’s environment (cf. PCP II 78-80).
 ENTRUSTING/WORSHIPING
 Beyond believing and doing, faith is also
entrusting oneself into God’s hands.
Abraham, our father in faith, at God’s
command left everything to set out for a
foreign land. Against all human odds Moses
trusted Yahweh to free the Hebrews from
their slavery in Egypt. In the New
Testament, 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).
 Faith, then, is from the heart - the loving,
trusting, and hoping in the Lord that comes
from God’s own love flooding our hearts.
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)
  Faith enlightens human reason; inspires
moral life
 Faith is our response to God’s revelation. It
is not in conflict with human reason. Both
faith and reason are gifts of God to us. Faith
is a grace that enlightens our minds. Our
faith involves our mind, heart and will. Faith
entails expressions in life and practical
conduct. Our Catholic faith informs and
inspires our moral life.
PROFFESSION OF CHRISTIAN FAITH
Etymology of the word “Creed”
 Derived from the Latin word, “CREDO”
which means, “I BELIEVE”. It refers to a
formula of the Church’s profession of Faith,
in which the essential contents of the faith
are authoritatively summarized.
Development of the Creed
How did it come about?
 The creed goes back to Jesus himself who
commanded his disciples to baptize. In
doing so, they were to require the people
who seek for baptism of the definite faith
namely: FAITH IN THE FATHER, THE SON, &
THE HOLY SPIRIT. “Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit (Mt. 28:19-20). THUS, THE
CREEDS ARE THE ELABORATIONS OF FAITH
IN THIS TRIUNE GOD:
 It begins with the profession of faith in the
FATHER (creator and preserver of the
world). Then refers to the SON (through
whom the world and we ourselves have
found redemption). Then concludes with a
profession of faith in the HOLY SPIRIT (the
presence of God in the Church and in the
world). Hence, the creed is structured
according to the TRINITY.
HISTORY OF THE CREED
It is also called the Niceno-Constantinopolitan
Creed, because it was defined at the Councils of
Nicaea (325 A.D.) and Constantinople (381 A.D.).
The Nicene Creed explains the Church's teachings
about the Trinity and affirms historical realities of
Jesus' life. The creed does not directly quote
Scripture, but it is based on biblical truths.
THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA
The Council of Nicaea was the first general council
of the Church since the Apostolic Council of
Jerusalem, which set conditions for Gentiles to join
the Church.
CONTEXT: Roman persecution of Christians had just
ended 12 years earlier, but now the Church was
divided over the question of Jesus' divinity.
Heretics led by a priest named Arius in Alexandria,
Egypt, claimed that if Jesus was begotten by God,
He must have had a beginning like every other part
of God's creation – therefore, Jesus was not fully
God.
HERESY - Commonly refers to a doctrinal belief
held in opposition to the recognized standards of
an established system of thought.
The theological dispute threatened the peace of
the Roman empire, so Emperor Constantine – at
the request of several concerned bishops – called
for a meeting of all the Church's bishops in the
easily accessible town of Nicaea (present-day Iznik,
Turkey), organized like the Roman Senate with
himself as a non-voting observer.
An estimated 318 bishops came from Rome,
Jerusalem and Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Greece, Asia
Minor, Persia, Georgia, Armenia, Gaul, Hispania
and the Danube. Among them were Pope St.
Silvester, St. Nicholas of Myra, St. Eusebius of
Caesarea (considered the Church's first historian),
St. Athanasius and St. Alexander of Alexandria.
Each bishop could bring up to two priests and three
deacons, so the total attendance could have been
as many as 1,800.
PURPOSE OF THE CONVENTION
To quash the Arian heresy and settle the doctrine
of the Trinity – that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit
were three divine persons in complete union.
On May 20, 325, the council opened. It is likely they
had a draft from Bishop Hosius of Cordova to
consider, as several creeds were already in use by
Christians to identify themselves, and as a means
of inclusion and recognition, especially at baptism.
After being in session for an entire month, the
council promulgated on June 19 the original Nicene
Creed, written in Greek. All but two of the bishops,
who were Arian sympathizers, approved the text.
Those two bishops, as well as Arius, were
excommunicated and exiled.The long-term effects
of the Council of Nicaea were significant. For the
first time, leaders of the Church convened to agree
on a doctrinal statement. In the short term,
however, the council did not stamp out the heresy
it was convened to discuss, and upheaval
continued for some time even after Arius himself
died.
It was only a few years after the Council of Nicaea
that Arius returned to Constantinople and asked to
be readmitted to the Church. But Arius did not
renounce his heresy, so the Church refused.
Emperor Constantine intervened in the dispute,
setting a date for Arius to attend Mass and be
forcibly readmitted to Communion. While he was
waiting for Constantine to arrive so he could go
into Mass, Arius stopped to relieve himself. His
bowels burst out of his body, and he died instantly.
ARTICLES OF FAITH #4-8
Intro:
The whole earthly life of Christ came to its climax in
his Paschal Mystery, his suffering, Death and
Resurrection (cf. CCC 571f; PCP II 55, 85, 413). For
even the Cross is uplifting. In a secular sense, it was
the means of the most painful and degrading
death. But for us Christians, the Cross of Christ is
the symbol of salvation. At Baptism we are marked
with the sign of the Cross. Throughout life we are
blessed with this sign, and sign ourselves with it in
prayer. St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that he
“would speak of nothing but Jesus Christ and him
crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). The Cross is the symbol not
only of Christ’s saving power, but also of our true
selves. For it is the exemplar for all time of Jesus’
great “Paradox,” recorded in all four Gospels:
“Whoever would preserve his life will lose it, but
whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the
Gospel will save it” (Mk 8:35; cf. Mt 10:39; Lk 9:24;
Jn 12:25; PCP II 86).
FOURTH ARTICLE OF FAITH
“JESUS CHRIST SUFFERED UNDER PONTIUS PILATE,
WAS CRUCIFIED, DIED, AND WAS BURIED”
 MEANING OF THE CROSS
The whole earthly life of Christ came to its
climax in his Paschal Mystery, his suffering, death,
and resurrection (CCC 517, PCP II 55, 85, 413). IN
ANTIQUITY, CRUCIFIXION was the most shameful
and horrible method of execution for the criminals.
In secular sense, the cross was the means of the
most painful and degrading death. IN JESUS’
CRUCIFIXION, the CROSS connotes positively
especially for Christians: It becomes the SYMBOL
OF GOD’S UNIVERSAL SAVING LOVE. Throughout
life we are blessed with this sign, and sign
ourselves with it in prayer.
NOTE: It is not the very suffering and death of Jesus
Christ that saves us. (for this makes his torturers
and executioners our savior). We are saved by
Jesus’ perfect self-giving love for his Father and for
us, a love lived out to the death.
CHARACTERISTICS OF JESUS SUFFERING & DEATH
 REDEMPTIVE
That his free and loving act of allowing himself
to be crucified and died on the cross is always
oriented to his mission, ie. for the SALVATION OF
ALL. “The son of man has not come to be served
but to serve…to give his life in ransom for many
(Mk. 10:45)”. “Christ is the new paschal lamb,
sacrificed to redeem the people (Jn 19:36).”
EXPIATION OF SINS:
(Gal 1:4)
“He gave himself for our sins, to rescue us from the
present evil age”
(Jesus Christ is the Lamb of Sacrifice)
Explain the context
“His suffering is the definitive sacrifice ONCE & FOR
ALL”
(Jesus is the New Adam)
“He atones for our faults and make satisfactions of
our sins to the father”
 UNIVERSAL
Jesus died not only for our sins alone, but for
those of the whole world (1 Jn 2:2). St. Paul
proclaims: “He indeed DIED FOR ALL, so that those
who live might no longer live for themselves, but
for him who for their sakes died and was raised up”
(2 Cor 5:14-15). Christ’s Cross on Calvary stands as
a symbol of his universal redeeming love. The
horizontal bar stretches Christ’s arms to embrace
the whole world of human suffering. The vertical
column points him toward his heavenly Father,
beyond the bound of time and space.
 ESCHATOLOGICAL
Jesus died so that those who follow Him will
receive eternal life in the age to come (Mk. 10:30).
 EMPOWERING
Jesus died so that all our actions can have saving
power. He wants us to share in his redemptive
works.
SUMMARY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT THEOLOGY
OF SALVATION (4 TRUTHS)
1. JESUS CHRIST is the Savior of the World; there is
no salvation apart from Jesus.
2. Through his suffering and death he won for us
sinners “OBJECTIVE REDEMPTION”: that is,
reconciled all with the Father.
3. He did this in LOVING OBEDIENCE TO HIS
FATHER’S WILL & LOVE FOR US.
4. Finally, He calls us to personal repentance for
our sins & a life of loving service, that is,
“SUBJECTIVE REDEMPTION.”

Are the Jews guilty of Jesus’ death?
NO ONE CAN ASSIGN COLLECTIVE GUILT FOR THE
DEATH OF JESUS TO THE JEWS. INSTEAD, THE
CHURCH PROFESSES WITH CERTAINTY THAT ALL
SINNERS SHARE IN THE GUILT FOR JESUS’ DEATH!
FIFTH ARTICLE OF FAITH
“HE DESCENDED TO THE DEAD. ON THE THIRD
DAY HE ROSE AGAIN”
 MEANING OF CHRIST DESCENDED TO THE
DEAD
It means that Christ really and fully entered
into the human experience of death. It implies the
universality of his salvific ministry: w/c extends to
all who have died before him and that he is truly
the savior of all.
 MEANING OF RESURRECTION
Resurrection was basically Jesus’ passage
from death to new, definitive glorified life. Christ
Rising from the Dead was the real starting point
and foundation for the beginning of Christian faith.
Simply, without Christ risen from the dead, there
would be no Christian Faith. As the scripture says
“If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is
in vain and your faith is in vain. (1 Cor. 15:14)”
Note: Christ Resurrection did not mean a return to
earthly life. Christ arose to an entirely new
Glorified existence.
SALVIFIC IMPORTANCE OF RESURRECTION
1. His Resurrection confirmed everything Christ had
done and taught. (Mk. 8:31; Jn 8:28)
2. Through His resurrection, X’t fulfilled the Old
Testament prophecies promising a Savior for all the
world. (Ps 110; Dn 7:14)
3. The Resurrection confirmed the Divinity of Jesus.
(Rm 1:4; Jn 20:28)
4. Resurrection brought us a share in the new life.
(Rm 6:8)
SIXTH ARTICLE OF FAITH
“HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN AND IS SEATED AT
THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER”
 MEANING OF CHRIST’S ASCENSION
It simply means that Jesus is no longer
visible on earth yet is still present. It marks Jesus’
Exaltation into the Heavenly realm of his Father. He
is not separated from us because as He promised,
from heaven “he draws everyone to himself” (Jn
13:32) and since he lives forever to make
intercession, he might now appear before God on
our behalf (Hb. 7:25).
SEVENTH ARTICLE OF FAITH
“FROM THEN HE WILL COME AGAIN TO JUDGE
THE LIVING AND THE DEAD”
 The traditional term for the second coming
of Christ as divine Judge is: PAROUSIA. It is
an ancient Greek word which means
“coming” or “presence”
 “The Son of Man will come with his Father’s
glory accompanied by his angels. When he
does, he will repay each man according to
his conduct” Mt. 16:27-28)
 Regarding when the PAROUSIA will take
place, The Gospel is very clear: (Mt 24:36).
“As for the exact day or hour, NO ONE
KNOWS IT, neither the angels in heaven nor
the son, but the Father only.” As (1 Thes
5:2) says, because it will come
unexpectedly, “like a thief at night”
ARTICLES OF FAITH #9-12
Intro:
In the Nicene Creed we proclaim our firm
Catholic belief in the Holy Spirit, who together
with the Father and the Son is the living God,
the Blessed Trinity. Now, just as the third part
of the Creed treats the Holy Spirit and His
activities, so too does this final, third part of the
Catechism. For, as the “Giver of Life,” the Holy
Spirit gives life and empowers the Church, its
sacramental life, and resurrection to life
everlasting. These three form the final part of
both the Creed and this Catechism. (CFC 1265)
The first great “living” work of the Holy
Spirit, the “Giver of Life,” is the Church. The
word “Church” means “that which pertains to
the Lord.” Therefore, the best way to introduce
the Church’s nature and mission is to focus on
Christ. “Christ is the light of all nations, and it is
by proclaiming his Gospel to every creature
that the light of Christ, which shines out visibly
from the Church, may be brought to all men”
(LG 1). For the Church is none other than that
community of men and women “who, united in
Christ, and guided by the Holy Spirit, press
onwards towards the Kingdom of the Father
and are bearers of a message of salvation
intended for all men” (GS 1)
Faith: Strong faith in God
“But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will
guide you to all truth. (Jn. 16:13)
EIGHTH ARTICLE OF FAITH: “I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY
SPIRIT.”
 ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD
The “Holy Spirit” is the proper name of
the one whom we adore and glorify with the
Father and the Son. The term “Spirit” translates
the Hebrew word: “RUAH” which means,
“breath, air, wind” the Holy Spirit is the breath
of the Father and the Son that gives life.
 TITLES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
 In Nicene Creed: The Holy Spirit is identified
as “Lord, the Giver of Life.” The Life which the
Spirit shares with us is the Divine Life, the Life
of God who is Love. In John’s Gospel: The
Holy Spirit is called by Jesus as the
“PARACLETE” literally means “He Who is
Called to Help” or simply the Holy Spirit is our
Advocate, Helper, Counsellor, Consoler. For
St. Paul: The Holy Spirit is identified as“The
Spirit of the Promise”, (Eph 1:13) “the Spirit
of Adoption”, (Rm 8:15) “The Spirit of Christ”,
(Rm. 8:9) “the Spirit of God” (Rm. 15:19)
 For St. Peter: The Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of
Glory” (1Pt. 4:14). For St. Paul: the Holy Spirit
is identified as: “The Spirit of the Promise”,
(Eph 1:13) “the Spirit of Adoption”, (Rm 8:15)
“The Spirit of Christ”, (Rm. 8:9) “the Spirit of
God” (Rm. 15:19)
 For St. Peter: The Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of
Glory” (1Pt. 4:14)
 SYMBOLS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
 Water. The symbolism of water signifies the
Holy Spirit's action in Baptism, since after the
invocation of the Holy Spirit it becomes the
efficacious sacramental sign of new birth.
 Anointing. The symbolism of anointing with
oil also signifies the Holy Spirit, to the point of
becoming a synonym for the Holy Spirit. {e.g
Kings, Priest, Leaders,}
 Fire. While water signifies birth and the
fruitfulness of life given in the Holy Spirit, fire
symbolizes the transforming energy of the
Holy Spirit's actions. {On the day of
Pentecost)
 The hand. Jesus heals the sick and blesses
little children by laying hands on them. In his
name the apostles will do the same. Even
more pointedly, it is by the Apostles'
imposition of hands that the Holy Spirit is
given.
 The finger. "It is by the finger of God that
[Jesus] cast out demons." If God's law was
written on tablets of stone "by the finger of
God," then the "letter from Christ" entrusted
to the care of the apostles, is written "with
the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of
stone, but on tablets of human hearts.
 The dove. At the end of the flood, whose
symbolism refers to Baptism, a dove released
by Noah returns with a fresh olive-tree
branch in its beak as a sign that the earth was
again habitable. {e.g Jesus’ Baptism by John}
WHERE IS THE HOLY SPIRIT ACTIVE?
 God’s Holy Spirit is Active in: Creating and
Sustaining everything in existence. In
Salvation History by drawing all to the
Father. In Jesus Christ, the savior of the
world. In the Church by giving her life, unity
and inspiration. Christians by sanctifying,
uniting, and empowering them to follow
Christ in word & deed. All people of
Goodwill who follow their conscience, and
try to serve God.
THE SPIRIT’S ACTION
 The Spirit Adopts Us. The Spirit is first of all
“the Spirit of Adoption” by which we
become “the children of God”. Jesus is the
only begotten, God’s own Son, but through
him and his Spirit, we are adopted by the
Father and are called, “children of God– for
that is what we are.”
 The Spirit Empowers us to Love. The Spirit
thus enables us to love God, and love
everybody else through His Spirit. “If God
has loved us so, we must have the same
love for one another… if we love one
another, God dwells in us and his love is
brought to perfection in us(1 Jn 4:11-12)”
 The Spirit Empowers Us to Know the Truth.
To know the truth is a further power which
the Holy Spirit inspires in us. (especially in
Religious matters). “Jesus promised his
Apostles the spirit of truth who will teach
you everything and remind you of all that I
told you and guide you in all truth (Jn 14:26;
16:13)”
NINTH ARTICLE OF FAITH: “I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY
CATHOLIC CHURCH.”
The Church: https://www.youtube.com/results?
search_query=faith+exposed+church
ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD
There are actually two Greek words which can be
translated into the word church in English, namely:
kuriakos and ekklesia.
 KURIAKOS
It means “belonging to the Lord”.
This term is referring to the building in
which the Christians meet for prayer and
worship.
 EKKLESIA
 In Latin, “Ecclesia”. It is derived from
the word, “EKKALEO”, which means “to
summon” or “to call out”. The meaning of
this term is consistent with the Hebrew
word, “QAHAL” which has much the same
meaning of a “convoked assembly”
IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
The primary reference of ekklesia in the New
Testament is to the actual assembly meeting for
worship (1 Cor 11:18, 14:19), the usage which is
immediately extended to refer to the community
of the faithful in any given place or the local
community (Acts 5:11, 8:1,3; 15:22; Rom 16:1; 1
Cor 4:17; Col 4:16, etc.)
THUS, THE “CHURCH” means “CONVOCATION”. It
designates the assembly of those whom God’s
word “convokes” gathers together to form the
People of God, and who themselves, nourished
with the Body of Christ, become the Body of Christ.
IDENTITY OF THE CHURCH
The Church is the Universal Sacrament of Salvation.
Church as the community composed of men (and
women) who, united in Christ and guided by the
Holy Spirit, presses onwards towards the kingdom
of the Father and communicates the message of
salvation intended for all. The Church, not
motivated by any earthly motivation, is interested
in one thing only: To carry on the work of Christ
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Thus,
inasmuch as the Church is the Universal Sacrament
of Salvation, it follows then that the CHURCH IS
MISSIONARY BY NATURE.
FOUR ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
CHURCH
Marks of the Church:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=iU_57BNaOQ4
 THE CHURCH IS ONE
In the face of the numerous sects and
Churches, we boldly affirm in faith that: THE
CHURCH IS ONE!
NOTE: SHE IS ONE BECAUSE OF HER SOURCE, THE
LIVING GOD IN THREE PERSONS.
The Church shines forth as a people made one with
the unity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Biblical Foundations: (1 Cor. 12:12) “As the Body is
One, having many members, while being many
form One Body, so it is with Christ” (Jn 17:11) “I am
no longer in the world, but they are in the world
whereas I am going to you. Holy Father keep them
in your name (that you have given me, so that
THEY MAY BE ONE, just as we are).” It is one
because the unity of the Church comes from the
Trinity. This means that just as the Trinity is one, so
also the Church is one “There is but one God and
Father of us all; one Lord and one Mediator, Jesus
Christ; and one Spirit, who works in all and unites
all: therefore, there is one faith and one baptism,
one body and one common hope.” (Eph. 4:4-6)
 THE CHURCH IS HOLY
Holiness means “set apart to a special
purpose by God and for God”. NOTE: SHE IS
HELD, as a matter of faith, TO BE UNFAILINGLY
HOLY. It does not mean that all the members of
the Church is free from sin and selfishness. THE
HOLINESS OF THE CHURCH is not derived from
the Holiness of its members. Rather, from the
Holiness of Jesus, founder. The purpose of the
Church is to continue Jesus’ REDEMPTIVE &
SANCTIFIED works in the World.
THUS, the Church is Holy because Christ, the Son of
God, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit is
hailed as HOLY. “CHURCH IS HOLY BECAUSE JESUS
CHRIST IS HOLY”
 THE CHURCH IS CATHOLIC
The term “Catholic” means “universal,
complete, & all-embracing”. This term applies
to the Church in two ways: FIRST: The Church is
catholic because Christ is in her. “Wherever,
Christ Jesus, there is the Catholic Church.” In
her, subsists the fullness of Christ's body united
with its head; this implies that she receives
from him the “FULLNESS OF THE MEANS OF
SALVATION”. SECOND, the Church is catholic
because she has been sent out by Christ on a
mission to the whole of the human race.
 THE CHURCH IS APOSTOLIC
IT IS APOSTOLIC in three basic ways: FIRST,
because JESUS CHRIST grounded her permanently
on the foundation of the Apostles (Eph. 2:20).
SECOND, because She guards and transmits the
teaching and witness (Mt. 28:19-20). THIRD
because She continues to be instructed, sanctified
and guided by the APOSTLES through their
SUCCESSORS.
WHAT MAKES THE CHURCH BEAUTIFUL?
It is because of the APOSTOLIC
SUCCESSION: ie. Only in the Catholic Church can we
trace the direct lines from our Pope today to St.
Peter, who is the first pope of the Church that was
willed by Jesus. POPE FRANCIS: is the 266th Pope of
the Catholic Church. The Pope / Roman Pontiff: is
the visible sign of unity of the Church
The Communion of Saints
 The term “communion of saints” therefore
has two closely linked meanings:
communion “in holy things (sancta)” and
“among holy persons (sancti).”
 Sancta sanctis! (“God’s holy gifts for God’s
holy people”) is proclaimed by the
celebrant in most Eastern liturgies during
the elevation of the holy Gifts before the
distribution of communion. The faithful
(sancti) are fed by Christ’s holy body and
blood (sancta) to grow in the communion of
the Holy Spirit (koinonia) and to
communicate it to the world. (CCC 948)
 In the primitive community of Jerusalem,
the disciples “devoted themselves to the
apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the
breaking of the bread and the prayers.”
 Communion in the faith. The faith of the
faithful is the faith of the Church, received
from the apostles. Faith is a treasure of life
which is enriched by being shared. (CCC
949)
 Communion of the sacraments. “The fruit of
all the sacraments belongs to all the
faithful. All the sacraments are sacred links
uniting the faithful with one another and
binding them to Jesus Christ, and above all
Baptism, the gate by which we enter into
the Church. The communion of saints must
be understood as the communion of the
sacraments. .. The name ‘communion’ can
be applied to all of them, for they unite us
to God. .. But this name is better suited to
the Eucharist than to any other, because it
is primarily the Eucharist that brings this
communion about.” (CCC 950)
 Communion of charisms. Within the
communion of the Church, the Holy Spirit
“distributes special graces among the
faithful of every rank” for the building up of
the Church. Now, “to each is given the
manifestation of the Spirit for the common
good.” (CCC 951)
 “They had everything in common.”
“Everything the true Christian has is to be
regarded as a good possessed in common
with everyone else. All Christians should be
ready and eager to come to the help of the
needy. .. and of their neighbors in want.” A
Christian is a steward of the Lord’s goods.”
(CCC 952)
 Communion in charity. In the sanctorum
communio, “None of us lives to himself, and
none of us dies to himself.” “If one member
suffers, all suffer together; if one member is
honored, all rejoice together. Now you are
the body of Christ and individually members
of it.” “Charity does not insist on its own
way.” In this solidarity with all men, living or
dead, which is founded on the communion
of saints, the least of our acts done in
charity redounds to the profit of all. Every
sin harms this communion. (CCC 953)
 "We believe in the communion of all the
faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on
earth, the dead who are being purified, and
the blessed in heaven, all together forming
one Church; and we believe that in this
communion, the merciful love of God and
his saints is always [attentive] to our
prayers" (CCC 962)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=wb1M37mQuIs
TENTH ARTICLE OF FAITH: “I BELIEVE IN THE
FORGIVENESS OF SINS”
FORGIVENESS OF SINS
Our Lord Jesus Christ tied the forgiveness of
sins to faith and Baptism: “Go into all the world and
preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who
believes and is baptized will be saved (Mk. 16:15-
16) BAPTISM: Is the first and chief sacrament of
forgiveness of sins because it unites us with Christ
who died for our sins and rose for our justification.
The forgiveness that we received from Baptism was
so full & complete that effaced the original sin that
we inherited and even the offences committed by
our own will (ADULT Baptism). Since the Catholic
Church is Apostolic, Christ gifted the Church: The
Mission and the POWER TO FORGIVE SINS through
the Ministry of the Apostles and their Successors:
Christ sent his Apostles, “so that the repentance &
forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name
to all nations (Mk. 24:47).” (2 Cor. 5:18-2)“All this is
from God, who reconciled us to himself through
Christ, an as given us the ministry of reconciliation;
that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to
himself, not counting their trespasses against
them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation
to us. So we are Ambassadors of Christ, be
reconciled to God.”By Virtue of the Lord’s
Mandate, the Church: continued the Ministry of
reconciliation through the sacrament of
Penance/Reconciliation which was first entrusted
to the Apostles
NOTE: through this sacrament, we confess our sins
and receive forgiveness from God through the
instrumentality of the priest, as Christ ambassador.
ELEVENTH ARTICLE OF FAITH: “I BELIEVE IN THE
RESURRECTION OF THE BODY”
 DYING IN CHRIST JESUS
 To rise with Christ, we must die with Christ:
we must "be away from the body and at home with
the Lord." In that "departure” which is death the
soul is separated from the body.563 It will be
reunited with the body on the day of resurrection
of the dead.
 DEATH
"It is in regard to death that man's condition
is most shrouded in doubt."565 In a sense bodily
death is natural, but for faith it is in fact "the wages
of sin." For those who die in Christ's grace it is a
participation in the death of the Lord, so that they
can also share his Resurrection
Death is the end of earthly life. Our lives are
measured by time, in the course of which we
change, grow old and, as with all living beings on
earth, death seems like the normal end of life. That
aspect of death lends urgency to our lives:
remembering our mortality helps us realize that we
have only a limited time in which to bring our lives
to fulfillment
Death is a consequence of sin. the Church's
Magisterium, as authentic interpreter of the
affirmations of Scripture and Tradition, teaches
that death entered the world on account of man's
sin. Even though man's nature is mortal God had
destined him not to die. Death was therefore
contrary to the plans of God the Creator and
entered the world as a consequence of sin. "Bodily
death, from which man would have been immune
had he not sinned" is thus "the last enemy" of man
left to be conquered. Death is transformed by
Christ. Jesus, the Son of God, also himself suffered
the death that is part of the human condition. Yet,
despite his anguish as he faced death, he accepted
it in an act of complete and free submission to his
Father's will. The obedience of Jesus has
transformed the curse of death into a blessing.
THE MEANING OF CHRISTIAN DEATH
Because of Christ, Christian death has a
positive meaning: "For to me to live is Christ, and
to die is gain." "The saying is sure: if we have died
with him, we will also live with him. What is
essentially new about Christian death is this:
through Baptism, the Christian has already "died
with Christ" sacramentally, in order to live a new
life; and if we die in Christ's grace, physical death
completes this "dying with Christ" and so
completes our incorporation into him in his
redeeming act:
It is better for me to die in Christ Jesus than
to reign over the ends of the earth. Him it is I seek -
who died for us. Him it is I desire -who rose for us. I
am on the point of giving birth .... Let me receive
pure light; when I shall have arrived there, then
shall I be a man.
We believe in the true resurrection of this
flesh that we now possess" (Council of Lyons II: DS
854). We sow a corruptible body in the tomb, but
he raises up an incorruptible body, a "spiritual
body" (cf 1 Cor 15:42-44). As a consequence of
original sin, man must suffer "bodily death, from
which man would have been immune had he not
sinned" (GS # 18). Jesus, the Son of God, freely
suffered death for us in complete and free
submission to the will of God, his Father. By his
death he has conquered death, and so opened the
possibility of salvation to all men.
After our Earthly Life: Either HEAVEN or HELL Either
ETERNAL LIFE or ETERNAL DAMNATION
TWELFTH ARTICLE OF FAITH: “I BELIEVE IN
EVERLASTING LIFE”
 HEAVEN
It is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the
deepest human longings, the state of the Supreme,
definitive happiness with God.
HEAVEN: is the Blessed community of all who are
perfectly incorporated into Christ. Thus, to live in
heaven is to live in Christ. YET! The mystery of
Heaven is beyond our understanding, “for no eye
has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man
conceived, what God has prepared for those who
loved Him”.
 HELL, or GEHENNA OF UNQUENCHABLE FIRE
It is: The Definitive state of Self-exclusion.
from the communion with God and the blessed. IT
is a state of self- exclusion: because, God
predestined no one to go to hell! rather, because
of our abuse of freedom by committing and living
our lives in MORTAL SIN. There is eternal
damnation for those who die in mortal sin. Chief
punishment of hell is ETERNAL separation from
GOD, in whom alone man can possess life and
happiness.
CHALLENGE FOR US:
It is an URGENT CALL TO CONVERSION. It is a CALL
TO THE RESPONSIBILITY incumbent upon us to
make use of our FREEDOM in view of our ETERNAL
DESTINY.
 PURGATORY
All those who die in God’s grace and
friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are
INDEED ASSURED OF THEIR ETERNAL SALVATION!
BUT, AFTER DEATH THEY UNDERGO PURIFICATION,
SO AS TO ACHIEVE THE HOLINESS NECESSARY TO
ENTER THE JOY OF HEAVEN. The reality of
purgatory gives emphasis on the importance of the
prayers of the dead. The scripture clearly states in
2 Macc 12:46 “therefore (Judas Maccabeus) made
atonement for the dead, that they might be
delivered from their sin.”