571-573
The Paschal Mystery of Jesus, which comprises his passion, death, resurrection, and glorification, stands at the center of the Christian faith because God's saving plan was accomplished once for all by the redemptive death of his Son Jesus Christ.
113. What were the accusations by which Jesus was condemned to death?
574-576
Some of the leaders of Israel accused Jesus of acting against the law, the temple in Jerusalem, and in particular against faith in the one God because he proclaimed himself to be the Son of God. For this reason they handed him over to Pilate so that he might condemn him to death.
114. How did Jesus conduct himself in regard to the Law of Israel?
577-582
592
Jesus did not abolish the Law given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai but he fulfilled it by giving it its definitive interpretation. He himself was the divine Legislator who fully carried out this Law. Furthermore, as the faithful Servant, he offered by means of his expiatory death the only sacrifice capable of making atonement for all the transgressions committed by men under the first Covenant (Hebrews 9:15).
115. What was the attitude of Jesus toward the temple in Jerusalem?
583-586
593
Jesus was accused of hostility to the temple. On the contrary, he venerated it as the house of his Father (John 2:16); and it was there that he imparted an important part of his teaching. However, he also foretold its destruction in connection with his own death and he presented himself as the definitive dwelling place of God among men.
116. Did Jesus contradict Israel's faith in the one God and savior?
587-591
594
Jesus never contradicted faith in the one God, not even when he performed the stupendous divine work which fulfilled the messianic promises and revealed himself as equal to God, namely the pardoning of sins. However, the call of Jesus to believe in him and to be converted makes it possible to understand the tragic misunderstanding of the Sanhedrin which judged Jesus to be worthy of death as a blasphemer.
117. Who is responsible for the death of Jesus?
595-598
The passion and death of Jesus cannot be imputed indiscriminately either to all the Jews that were living at that time or to their descendants. Every single sinner, that is, every human being is really the cause and the instrument of the sufferings of the Redeemer; and the greater blame in this respect falls on those above all who are Christians and who the more often fall into sin or delight in their vices.
118. Why was the death of Jesus part of God's plan?
599-605
619
To reconcile to himself all who were destined to die because of sin God took the loving initiative of sending his Son that he might give himself up for sinners. Proclaimed in the Old Testament, especially as the sacrifice of the Suffering Servant, the death of Jesus came about in accordance with the Scriptures.
119. In what way did Christ offer himself to the Father?
606-609
620
The entire life of Christ was a free offering to the Father to carry out his plan of salvation. He gave his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45) and in this way he reconciled all of humanity with God. His suffering and death showed how his humanity was the free and perfect instrument of that divine love which desires the salvation of all people.
120. How is Jesus offering expressed at the Last Supper?
610-611
621
At the Last Supper with his apostles on the eve of his passion Jesus anticipated, that is, both symbolized his free self-offering and made it really present: This is my Body which is given for you (Luke 22:19), This is my Blood which is poured out... (Matthew 26:28) Thus he both instituted the Eucharist as the memorial (1 Corinthians 11:25) of his sacrifice and instituted his apostles as priests of the new covenant.
121. What happened in the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane?
612
Despite the horror which death represented for the sacred humanity of Jesus who is the Author of Life (Acts 3:15), the human will of the Son of God remained faithful to the will of the Father for our salvation. Jesus accepted the duty to carry our sins in his Body becoming obedient unto death (Philippians 2:8).
122. What are the results of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross?
613-617
622-623
Jesus freely offered his life as an expiatory sacrifice, that is, he made reparation for our sins with the full obedience of his love unto death. This love to the end (John 13:1) of the Son of God reconciled all of humanity with the Father. The paschal sacrifice of Christ, therefore, redeems humanity in a way that is unique, perfect, and definitive; and it opens up for them communion with God.
123. Why does Jesus call upon his disciples to take up their cross?
618
By calling his disciples to take up their cross and follow him Jesus desires to associate with his redeeming sacrifice those who are to be its first beneficiaries.
124. In what condition was the body of Christ while it lay in the tomb?
624-630
Christ underwent a real death and a true burial. However, the power of God preserved his body from corruption.
Jesus Christ descended into hell;
on the third day He rose again from the dead.
125. What is the hell into which Jesus descended?
632-637
This hell was different from the hell of the damned. It was the state of all those, righteous and evil, who died before Christ. With his soul united to his divine Person Jesus went down to the just in hell who were awaiting their Redeemer so they could enter at last into the vision of God. When he had conquered by his death both death and the devil who has the power of death (Hebrews 2:14), he freed the just who looked forward to the Redeemer and opened for them the gates of heaven.
126. What place does the Resurrection of Christ occupy in our faith?
631, 638
The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ and represents along with his cross an essential part of the Paschal Mystery.
127. What are the signs that bear witness to the Resurrection of Jesus?
639-644
656-657
Along with the essential sign of the empty tomb, the Resurrection of Jesus is witnessed to by the women who first encountered Christ and proclaimed him to the apostles. Jesus then appeared to Cephas (Peter) and then to the Twelve. Following that he appeared to more than five hundred of the brethren at one time (1 Corinthians 15:5-6) and to others as well. The apostles could not have invented the story of the resurrection since it seemed impossible to them. As a matter of fact, Jesus himself upbraided them for their unbelief.
128. Why is the Resurrection at the same time a transcendent occurrence?
647
656-657
While being an historical event, verifiable and attested by signs and testimonies, the Resurrection, insofar as it is the entrance of Christ's humanity into the glory of God, transcends and surpasses history as a mystery of faith. For this reason the risen Christ did not manifest himself to the world but to his disciples, making them his witnesses to the people.
129. What is the condition of the risen body of Jesus?
645-646
The Resurrection of Christ was not a return to earthly life. His risen body is that which was crucified and bears the marks of his passion. However it also participates in the divine life, with the characteristics of a glorified body. Because of this the risen Jesus was utterly free to appear to his disciples how and where he wished and under various aspects.
130. How is the Resurrection the work of the Most Holy Trinity?
648-650
The Resurrection of Christ is a transcendent work of God. The three Persons act together according to what is proper to them: the Father manifests his power; the Son takes again the life wh
ich he freely offered (John 10:17), reuniting his soul and his body which the Spirit brings to life and glorifies.
131. What is the saving meaning of the Resurrection?
651-655
658
The Resurrection is the climax of the Incarnation. It confirms the divinity of Christ and all the things which he did and taught. It fulfills all the divine promises made for us. Furthermore the risen Christ, the conqueror of sin and death, is the principle of our justification and our Resurrection. It procures for us now the grace of filial adoption which is a real share in the life of the only begotten Son. At the end of time he will raise up our bodies.
Jesus Ascended into Heaven
and Is Seated at the Right Hand of
God the Father Almighty
132. What does the Ascension mean?
659-667
After forty days during which Jesus showed himself to the apostles with ordinary human features which veiled his glory as the Risen One, Christ ascended into heaven and was seated at the right hand of the Father. He is the Lord who now in his humanity reigns in the everlasting glory of the Son of God and constantly intercedes for us before the Father. He sends us his Spirit and he gives us the hope of one day reaching the place he has prepared for us.
From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead
133. How does the Lord Jesus now reign?
668-674
680
As the Lord of the cosmos and of history, the Head of his Church, the glorified Christ mysteriously remains on earth where his kingdom is already present in seed and in its beginning in the Church. One day he will return in glory but we do not know the time. Because of this we live in watchful anticipation, praying Come, Lord (Revelation 22:20).
134. How will the coming of the Lord in glory happen?
675-677
680
After the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world the glorious coming of Christ will take place. Then will come the definitive triumph of God in the parousia and the Last Judgment. Thus the Kingdom of God will be realized.
135. How will Christ judge the living and the dead?
678-679
681-682
Christ will judge with the power he has gained as the Redeemer of the world who came to bring salvation to all. The secrets of hearts will be brought to light as well as the conduct of each one toward God and toward his neighbor. Everyone, according to how he has lived, will either be filled with life or damned for eternity. In this way, the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13) will come about in which God will be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:28).
CHAPTER THREE
I Believe in the Holy Spirit
136. What does the Church mean when she confesses: I believe in the Holy Spirit?
683-686
To believe in the Holy Spirit is to profess faith in the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity who proceeds from the Father and the Son and is worshipped and glorified with the Father and the Son. The Spirit is sent into our hearts (Galatians 4:6) so that we might receive new life as sons of God.
137. Why are the missions of the Son and the Holy Spirit inseparable?
687-690
742-743
In the indivisible Trinity, the Son and the Spirit are distinct but inseparable. From the very beginning until the end of time, when the Father sends his Son he also sends his Spirit who unites us to Christ in faith so that as adopted sons we can call God Father (Romans 8:15). The Spirit is invisible but we know him through his actions, when he reveals the Word to us and when he acts in the Church.
138. What are the names of the Holy Spirit?
691-693
The Holy Spirit is the proper name of the third Person of the Most Holy Trinity. Jesus also called him the Paraclete (Consoler or Advocate) and the Spirit of Truth. The New Testament also refers to him as the Spirit of Christ, of the Lord, of God - the Spirit of Glory and the Spirit of the Promise.
139. What symbols are used to represent the Holy Spirit?
694-701
There are many symbols of the Holy Spirit: living water which springs from the wounded Heart of Christ and which quenches the thirst of the baptized; anointing with oil, which is the sacramental sign of Confirmation; fire which transforms what it touches; the cloud, dark or luminous, in which the divine glory is revealed; the imposition of hands by which the Holy Spirit is given; the dove which descended on Christ at his baptism and remained with him.
140. What does it mean that the Spirit has spoken through the prophets?
687-688
702-716
743
The term prophets means those who were inspired by the Holy Spirit to speak in the name of God. The Spirit brings the prophecies of the Old Testament to their complete fulfillment in Christ whose mystery he reveals in the New Testament.
141. What did the Holy Spirit accomplish in John the Baptist?
717-720
The Spirit filled John the Baptist, who was the last prophet of the Old Testament. Under his inspiration John was sent to prepare for the Lord a people well disposed (Luke 1:17). He was to proclaim the coming of Christ, the Son of God, upon whom he saw the Spirit descend and remain, the one who baptizes with the Spirit (John 1:33).
142. What is the work of the Spirit in Mary?
721-726
744
The Holy Spirit brought to fulfillment in Mary all the waiting and the preparation of the Old Testament for the coming of Christ. In a singular way he filled her with grace and made her virginity fruitful so that she could give birth to the Son of God made flesh. He made her the Mother of the whole Christ, that is, of Jesus the Head and of the Church his body. Mary was present with the twelve on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit inaugurated the last days with the manifestation of the Church.
143. What is the relationship between the Spirit and Christ Jesus in his earthly mission?
727-730
745-746
Beginning with his Incarnation, the Son of God was consecrated in his humanity as the Messiah by means of the anointing of the Spirit. He revealed the Spirit in his teaching, fulfilled the promises made to the Fathers, and bestowed him upon the Church at its birth when he breathed on the apostles after the Resurrection.
144. What happened at Pentecost?
731-732
738
Fifty days after the Resurrection at Pentecost the glorified Jesus Christ poured out the Spirit in abundance and revealed him as a divine Person so that the Holy Trinity was fully manifest. The mission of Christ and of the Spirit became the mission of the Church which is sent to proclaim and spread the mystery of the communion of the Holy Trinity.
We have seen the true Light, we have received the heavenly Spirit, we have found the true faith: we adore the indivisible Trinity, who has saved us. (Byzantine Liturgy, Troparion of Vespers of Pentecost)
145. What does the Spirit do in the Church?
733-741
747
The Spirit builds, animates and sanctifies the Church. As the Spirit of Love, he restores to the baptized the divine likeness that was lost through sin and causes them to live in Christ the very life of the Holy Trinity. He sends them forth to bear witness to the Truth of Christ and he organizes them in their respective functions so that all might bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).
146. How do Christ and his Spirit act in the hearts of the faithful?
738-741
Christ communicates his Spirit and the grace of God through the sacraments to all the members of the Church, who thus bear the fruits of the new life of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is also the Master of prayer.
I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH
The Church in the Plan of God
147. What does the word Church mean?
751-752
777,804
The word Church refers to the people whom God calls and gathers together from every
part of the earth. They form the assembly of those who through faith and Baptism have become children of God, members of Christ, and temples of the Holy Spirit.
148. Are there other names and images with which the Bible speaks about the Church?
753-757
In Sacred Scripture we find many images which bring out various complementary aspects of the mystery of the Church. The Old Testament favors those images that are bound to the people of God. The New Testament offers images that are linked to Christ as the Head of this people which is his Body. Other images are drawn from pastoral life (sheepfold, flock, sheep), from agriculture (field, olive grove, vineyard), from construction (dwelling place, stone, temple), and from family life (spouse, mother, family).
149. What is the origin and the fulfillment of the Church?
758-766
778
The Church finds her origin and fulfillment in the eternal plan of God. She was prepared for in the Old Covenant with the election of Israel, the sign of the future gathering of all the nations. Founded by the words and actions of Jesus Christ, fulfilled by his redeeming death and Resurrection, the Church has been manifested as the mystery of salvation by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. She will be perfected in the glory of heaven as the assembly of all the redeemed of the earth.
150. What is the mission of the Church?
767-769
The mission of the Church is to proclaim and establish the Kingdom of God begun by Jesus Christ among all peoples. The Church constitutes on earth the seed and beginning of this salvific Kingdom.
151. In what way is the Church a mystery?
770-773
779
The Church is a mystery in as much as in her visible reality there is present and active a divine spiritual reality which can only be seen with the eyes of faith.
152. What does it mean to say that the Church is the universal sacrament of salvation?
774-776
780
This means that she is the sign and instrument both of the reconciliation and communion of all of humanity with God and of the unity of the entire human race.
The Church: people of God,
body of Christ, temple of the Spirit
153. Why is the Church the people of God?
Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church Page 5