Know Your Faith

As Christians we are called to know and love God, and to follow Jesus Christ. As members of the Roman Catholic Church we never cease to proclaim our faith in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This faith is a gift of God. Believing is possible only by grace and the interior helps of the Holy Spirit. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “This faith seeks understanding”. It further states: “It is intrinsic to faith that a believer desires to know better the One in whom he has put his faith and to understand better what He has revealed; a more penetrating knowledge will in turn call forth a greater faith, increasingly set afire by love.” In other words, the more we know and understand our faith – the stronger it will be.

St. Augustine said: “I believe in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe.”

We invited you to “brush up” on your faith – to come to a deeper understanding of the faith revealed by Jesus Christ and His Church. This site offers only a beginning in the basics, and we encourage you to search the worldwide web for even more in-depth articles on pertinent topics. Take advantage of our “Ask the Expert” area to receive answers to your specific questions or concerns.

Many blessings on your search for deeper understanding of your faith.

  • Precepts of the Church
  • Sacraments
  • The Beatitudes
  • Marks of the Church
  • The Creed
  • The Ten Commandments
  • Virtues
  • Gifts of the Holy Spirit
  • Fruits of the Holy Spirit
  • Works of Mercy

What are precepts?

The dictionary describes “precepts” as rules or principles prescribing a particular course of action or conduct. People have always instinctively asked “what shall we do?” Throughout the centuries the Catholic Church has provided the guidance and clarified the rules, thereby instructing the people in the faith. Such “rules” have been adapted to respond to the pastoral requirements of the current age without compromising the unchangeable elements of the faith. Currently, the Church has summarized this core response in what is known as the “Precepts of the Church”.

 The Precepts are derived from Catholicism's moral and doctrinal foundations, and are reflected in canon law and liturgical discipline. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states “ The precepts of the Church are set in the context of a moral life bound to and nourished by the liturgical life. The obligatory character of these positive law as decreed by the pastoral authorities is meant to guarantee to the faithful the indispensable minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth of love of God and neighbor.” [CCC 2041]

The official collection of Church laws [canons] is contained in the “Code of Canon Law”. The present code was approved by Pope John Paul II on January 25, 1983. These laws pertain to all aspects of Catholic activity, and in many cases simply state broad norms to be given more detailed definition by the local bishops according to local circumstances. For the purpose of simplicity it has long been customary to summarize certain important canons in a list called the Precepts of the Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church [1994] delineates these basic precepts.

What are they?

 Holy Days of Obligation

Sacraments at Heart of Jesus Family of Parishes

General Information

Baptism

Confirmation

Eucharist

Penance and Reconciliation

Anointing of the Sick

Holy Orders

Matrimony

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven

- Matthew 5:3-12

Supplemental Information

ONE - HOLY - CATHOLIC - APOSTOLIC

The Four Marks of the Church: Part 1
Dr. Scott Hahn

The Four Marks of the Church: Part 2
Dr. Scott Hahn

 The Four Marks of the Church: Part 3
Dr. Scott Hahn
   

A creed is a summary of the principal truths of faith. It is a formal profession of faith. The creed is not simply words; and as the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “We do not believe in formulas, but in those realities they express, which faith allows us to touch.”

“Through the centuries, in so many languages, cultures, peoples, and nations, the Church has constantly confessed this one faith, received from the one Lord, transmitted by one Baptism, and grounded in the conviction that all people have only one God and Father.” [CCC 172]

Two of the most important creeds in the Catholic Church are the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed. 

The Apostles Creed

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

 The Nicene Creed

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

Amen. 

Supplemental Information 

  1. I am the Lord thy God. Thou shall not have strange gods before Me.
  2. Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
  3. Remember to keep holy the Lord's day.
  4. Honor thy father and mother.
  5. Thou shall not kill.
  6. Thou shall not commit adultery.
  7. Thou shall not steal.
  8. Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
  9. Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wife.
  10. Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's goods.

General References

Specifics

 1.) I am the Lord thy God. Thou shall not have strange gods before Me.

  2.) Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

  3.)  Remember to keep holy the Lord's day.

 4.)  Honor thy father and mother.

 5.)  Thou shall not kill.

 6.) Thou shall not commit adultery.

 7.)  Thou shall not steal.

 8.)  Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

 9.)  Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wife.

10.)  Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's goods.

 

The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God.
- St Gregory of Nyssa

A virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but also to give the best of oneself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all sensory and spiritual powers; one who pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions. The virtuous person is one that freely practices the good.

The Christian tradition distinguishes between theological virtues and moral virtues. Theological virtues are those powers given by God with grace, thus allowing the individual to act on a spiritual level. The moral virtues are those acquired through human effort by repeated actions.

General

Cardinal Virtues

Prudence • Justice • Fortitude • Temperance

Theological Virtues

Faith • Hope • Charity

Wisdom
Understanding
Knowledge
Fortitude
Counsel
Piety
Fear of the Lord

Supplemental Information

Charity
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness

 

Generosity
Gentleness
Fidelity
Modesty
Self-Control
Chastity

Supplemental Information

Corporal Works of Mercy

To feed the hungry
To give drink to the thirsty
To clothe the naked
To visit and ransom the captives
To shelter the homeless
To visit the sick
To bury the dead

Spiritual Works of Mercy

To admonish the sinners
To instruct the ignorant
To counsel the doubtful
To comfort the sorrowful
To bear wrongs patiently
To forgive all injuries
To pray for the living and the dead

Supplemental Information