Things Every Catholic Must Know contains truths every Catholic has to believe, memorize, practice, remember, and proclaim to the world.
“What really matters in life is that we are loved by Christ and that we love Him in return. In
comparison to the love of Jesus, everything else is secondary. And, without the love of Jesus,
everything is useless.” – Pope Saint John Paul II
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).
THE GREAT COMMANDMENT
“You shall love…God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:30-31)
THE NEW COMMANDMENT
“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (John 13:34).
ON THE HOLY EUCHARIST
- The bread and wine of the Eucharist become the true transubstantiated body and blood
of Christ. It is not a mere symbol. - The Eucharist is the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ Jesus.
- The reception of Holy Communion is the center of the Catholic Faith.
- Communion is by definition to be in union with God and with His Church, to be one in
faith. - To receive Communion, a person must be a practicing Catholic in the state of grace.
- Only an ordained Catholic priest, in the person of Jesus Christ, the High Priest, can
transform bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ.
TRUTHS THAT MUST BE BELIEVED
- There is one God, who created, who preserves and governs all things.
- God is a just Judge, who rewards the good and punishes the wicked.
- In God, there are three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
- The Second Person, Jesus Christ, became man and died on the cross to save us.
- The soul of man is immortal.
- Grace is necessary for salvation.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF GOD
- I am the Lord thy God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
bondage. Thou shalt not have strange gods before Me. Thou shalt not make to yourself a
graven thing, not the likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor of
those things that are in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not adore them nor serve them. - Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
- Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath – day.
- Honor thy father and thy mother.
- Thou shalt not kill.
- Thou shalt not commit adultery.
- Thou shalt not steal.
- Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.
- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.
THE BEATITUDES
- Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs, is the kingdom of heaven.
- Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the land
- Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.
- Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice, for they shall be filled.
- Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
- Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.
- Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
PRECEPTS OF THE CHURCH
- Attend Mass on Sundays and Holy days of obligation.
- Fast and abstain on the days appointed.
- Confess at least once a year.
- Receive the Most Blessed Sacrament during Easter time.
- Contribute to the support of our pastors.
- Matrimony is a Sacrament between one Man and one Woman.
HOLY DAYS OF OBLIGATION
- January 1 – Mary, Mother of God.
- Ascension – 40 days after Easter
- August 15 – The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
- November 1 – The feast of All Saints.
- December 8 – The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin.
- December 25 – Christmas
(Some exceptions depending on country, check yours online)
THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- Holy Eucharist
- Penance
- Anointing of the Sick
- Holy Order.
- Matrimony
THE CARDINAL VIRTUES
- Prudence
- Justice
- Fortitude
- Temperance
EMINENT SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
- Prayer
- Fasting
- Alms-giving
THE EVANGELICAL COUNSELS.
- Voluntary Poverty
- Perpetual Chastity
- Obedience
CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY
- Feeding the hungry
- Giving drink to the thirsty
- Clothing the naked
- Rescuing the captive
- Sheltering the homeless
- Visiting the sick
- Burying the dead
SPIRITUAL WORKS OF MERCY
- Admonishing the sinners
- Instructing the ignorant
- Counseling the doubtful
- Comforting the sorrowful
- Bearing wrongs patiently
- Forgiving injuries
- Praying for the living and the dead
THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
- Wisdom
- Understanding
- Counsel
- Fortitude
- Knowledge
- Piety
- Fear of the Lord
THE FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
- Charity
- Joy
- Peace
- Patience
- Benignity
- Goodness
- Long-Suffering
- Mildness
- Faith
- Modesty
- Continence
- Chastity
From The Catechism of the Catholic Church
1854:
Sins are rightly evaluated according to their gravity. The distinction between mortal
and venial sin, already evident in Scripture,129 became part of the tradition of the
Church. It is corroborated by human experience.
1855:
Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God’s law; it
turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an
inferior good to him. Venial sin allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and
wounds it.
1856:
Mortal sin, by attacking the vital principle within us – that is, charity – necessitates anew initiative of God’s mercy and a conversion of heart which is normally accomplished
within the setting of the sacrament of reconciliation.
1857:
For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: “Mortal sin is sin
whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and
deliberate consent.”
BAPTISMAL VOWS
“I renounce Satan. I renounce all his works. I renounce all his pomps.”
By these words, we renounce all suggestions and snares of the evil one, all deliberate sins, all
the follies and vanities of worldly-minded men and women.
THE CAPITAL SINS AND THEIR OPPOSING VIRTUES
- Pride – Humility
- Covetousness – Liberality
- Lust – Chastity
- Anger – Meekness
- Gluttony – Temperance
- Envy – Brotherly Love
- Sloth – Diligence
CONDITIONS FOR FORGIVENESS OF SIN
- Contrition
- Confession (and Absolution by a priest)
- Satisfaction.
SINS AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT
- Presumption of God’s mercy
- Despair
- Resisting the known truth
- Envy of another’s spiritual good
- Obstinacy in sin
- Final Impenitence
WAYS OF BEING AN ACCESSORY TO ANOTHER’S SINS
- By Counsel
- By Command
- By Consent
- By Provocation
- Praise or Flattery
- By Concealment
- By Taking Part in the sin
- By Silence
- By Defending the evil
