Q25 Why does the faith require definitions and formulas?
Faith is not about empty words but about reality. In the CHURCH, condensed formulas of faith developed over the course of time; with their help we can contemplate, express, learn, hand on, celebrate, and live out this reality. Without fixed forms, the content of the faith would dissipate. That isContinue Reading
Q24 What does my faith have to do with the Church?
No one can believe alone and by himself, just as no one can live alone and by himself. We receive the faith from the Church and live it out in fellowship with the people with whom we share our faith. Faith is the most personal thing a person has, yetContinue Reading
Q23 Is there a contradiction between faith and science?
There is no insoluble contradiction between faith and science, because there cannot be two kinds of truth. There is not one truth of faith that is in competition with another truth of science. There is only one truth, to which both faith and scientific reason refer. God intended reason, withContinue Reading
Q22 How does one go about believing?
Someone who believes is seeking a personal union with God and is ready to believe God in everything that he shows (reveals) about himself. At the beginning of faith, there is often an emotional disturbance or uneasiness. The person senses that the visible world and the normal course of thingsContinue Reading
Q21 Faith—what is it?
Faith is knowledge and trust. It has seven characteristics: Faith is a sheer gift of God, which we receive when we fervently ask for it. Faith is the supernatural power that is absolutely necessary if we are to attain salvation. Faith requires the free will and clear understanding of aContinue Reading
Prayer for the Sick
Father of goodness and love, hear our prayers for the sick members of our community and for all who are in need. Amid mental and physical suffering may they find consolation in your healing presence. Show your mercy as you close wounds, cure illness, make broken bodies whole and freeContinue Reading
Q20 How can we respond to God when he speaks to us?
To respond to God means to believe him. Anyone who wants to believe needs a heart that is ready to listen (see 1 Kings 3:9). In many ways God seeks contact with us. In every human encounter, in every moving experience of nature, in every apparent coincidence, in every challenge,Continue Reading
Q19 What role does Sacred Scripture play in the Church?
The Church draws her life and strength from Sacred Scripture. Besides the presence of Christ in the Holy EUCHARIST, there is nothing that the Church honors more reverently than Christ’s presence in Sacred Scripture. At Holy Mass we receive the Gospel standing, because in the human words we hear, GodContinue Reading
Q18 What significance does the New Testament have for Christians?
In the NEW TESTAMENT God’s REVELATION is completed. The four Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the centerpiece of Sacred Scripture and the most precious treasure of the Church. In them the Son of God shows himself as he is and encounters us. In the Acts ofContinue Reading
Q17 What significance does the Old Testament have for Christians?
In the OLD TESTAMENT God reveals himself as the Creator and preserver of the world and as the leader and instructor of mankind. The Old Testament books are also God’s Word and Sacred Scripture. Without the Old Testament, we cannot understand Jesus. In the OLD TESTAMENT a great history ofContinue Reading
