Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Part I, Chapter IV. Man and the Purpose of his Ceation.

34. What is man?
Man is a creature composed of body and soul, and made by God to His own likeness.
35. In what is man made like to God?
Man is made like to God in his soul.
36. How is man's soul like to God?
Man's soul is like to God, because it is a spirit, capable of knowing and loving God.
37. How do we know that the soul is a spirit?
We know that the soul is a spirit, because man thinks, reasons and freely wills.
38. Is man's soul immortal?
Man's soul is immortal, that is, it can never die.
39. Why did God make us?
God made us to know, love and serve Him here on earth, and, by this means, to be happy with Him forever in heaven.
40. How can we know God?
We can know God by our reason and from divine revelation.
41. How can we know God by our reason?
We can know God by our reason from the existence, order and beauty of the world which He has made.
42. What do we mean by divine revelation?
By divine revelation we mean that God has made known to us certain truths about Himself and our duties to Him.
43. How has God made known these truths?
God has made known these truths through His chosen messengers, and especially through his Divine Son, Jesus Christ.
44. Where are the truths of revelation to be found?
The truths of revelation are to be found in Sacred Scripture and Tradition.
45. What do we mean by Sacred Scripture?
By Sacred Scripture we mean the books of the Bible, which were all so written under the inspiration of God that he is truly their author.
46. What do we mean by Tradition?
By Tradition we mean those revealed truths not written in the Bible, but handed down to us by the Church.
47. Which prayer contains the principal truths that God has revealed?
The principal truths that God has revealed are contained in the Apostles' Creed.
48. Are there some truths revealed by God that we cannot fully understand?
There are some truths revealed by God that we cannot fully understand; these truths are called mysteries of religion.
49. Why do we believe mysteries of religion?
We believe mysteries of religion because they were made known to us by God, who can neither deceive nor be deceived.

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