OFFICIAL CATECHISM:
THE SECOND PART: ON HOPE
Q. What is Christian Hope?
A. The resting of the heart on God, with full trust that He always cares for our salvation, and will give us the happiness He has promised.
Q. What is the Scriptural source of Christian Hope?
A. The Lord Jesus is our hope, or the source of our hope. I Tim. 1:1 Hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you by the revelation of Jesus Christ. I Pet. 1:13
Q What are the means for attaining to a saving hope?
A. The means to this are: first, prayer: second, the Beatitudes, and their practice.
Q. Is there any testimony of God's word, that prayer is a means for attaining a saving hope?
A. Jesus Christ Himself joins the hope of receiving our desire with prayer: Whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 14:13
Q. What is prayer?
A. The lifting up of man's mind and heart and soul to God.
Q. What should Christians do when we they lift up our minds and hearts and souls to God?
A. First, we should glorify Him for His divine perfection; second, give thanks to Him for his mercies; third, seek His forgiveness; and fourth, ask God for what we need, So there are four chief forms of prayer: Praise, Thanksgiving, Contrition, and Petition.
Q. Can a man pray without words?
A. He can; in mind and heart. An example of this may be seen in Moses before the passage through the Red Sea. Exod. 15:15
Q. Is there a prayer which may be termed the common Christian prayer, and pattern of all prayers?
A. Such is the Lord's Prayer.
Q. What is the Lord's Prayer?
A. A prayer which our Lord Jesus Christ taught the Apostles, and which they delivered to all believers:
Q. How may we divide the Lord's Prayer?
A. Into the invocation and seven petitions.
"Our Father, Who art in heaven;
1. Hallowed be Thy name;
2. Thy kingdom come;
3. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
4. Give us this day our daily bread,
5. And for give us our trespasses, as we for give those who
trespass against us.
6. And lead us not into temptation;
7. But deliver us from evil. Amen."
Q. How are we able to call God Father?
A. By faith in Jesus Christ, and by the grace of regeneration. As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on His name; which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but God. John 1:12,13
Q. Why do we say Our Father even when we pray alone?
A. Because Christian charity requires us to call upon God, and ask good things of Him, for all our brethren, no less than for ourselves.
Q. Why in the invocation do we say, Who art in heaven?
A. That entering into prayer we may leave everything earthly and corruptible and raise our minds and hearts to what is heavenly, everlasting, and Divine.
Q. Is God's Name holy?
A. Holy is His Name. Luke 1:49
Q. How then can it yet be made holy?
A. It may be made holy in men; that is, His eternal holiness may be made known in them. Mat. 5:16
Q. What is the kingdom of God, spoken of in the second petition of the Lord's Prayer?
A. The kingdom of grace, which, as St. Paul says, is righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Rom. 14:17
Q. Has not this kingdom come already?
A. To some it has not come in its full sense; while to others it has not yet come at all, inasmuch as sin still reigns in their mortal bodies, that they should obey it in the lusts thereof. Rom. 7:12
Q. How does it come?
A. Secretly and inwardly. The kingdom of God comes not with observation; for behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:20,21
Q. May not the Christian ask for something further under the name of God's kingdom?
A. He may ask for the kingdom of glory, that is, for the perfect bliss of the faithful. Having a desire to depart, and be with Christ. Philipp. 1:23
Q. What does the petition. Thy will be done mean?
A. In this petition we ask God, that all we do, and all that happens to us may be not as we will, but as pleases Him.
Q. Why should we ask this favor?
A. Because we often err in our wishes; but God unerringly, and incomparably more than we ourselves, wishes for us all that is good, and is ever ready to bestow it, unless He be prevented by our willingness and stubbornness.
Unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, unto Him be glory in the Church. Ephes. 3:20,21
Q. Why do we ask that God's will be done in earth as in heaven?
A. Because in heaven the Holy Angels and Saints in bliss, all without exception, always, and in all things, do God's will.
Q. What is our daily bread?
A. The bread which we need in order to subsist or live.
Q. With what thoughts should we ask God for this bread?
A. Agreeably with the instruction of Our Lord Jesus Christ, we should ask no more than bread for subsistence; that is, necessary food, and such clothing and shelter as is likewise necessary for life; but whatever is beyond this, and serves not so much for necessity as for gratification, we should leave to the will of God; and if it be given, return thanks to Him; if it be not given, we should be content without it.
Q. Why are we directed to ask for bread for subsistence only for this day?
A. That we may not be too anxious about the future, trusting God. Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself: sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Mat. 6:34
For your heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these things. ib. 32
Q. May we not ask for something further under the name of bread for subsistence?
A. Since man is made of both bodily and a spiritual substance, and the substance of the soul far excels that of the body, we may and should seek for the soul also that bread of subsistence, without which the inward man must perish of hunger.
Q. What is the bread of subsistence for the soul?
A. The Word of God, and the Body and Blood of Christ. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Matt 4:4
My Flesh is meat indeed, and my Blood is drink indeed. John 6:55
Q. What is meant in the Lord's Prayer by our trespasses?
A. Our sins.
Q. Why are our sins called trespasses?
A. Because we, having received all from God, ought to render all back to Him, that is subject all to His will and law.
Q. Who are those who trespass against us?
A. People who have not rendered us that which they owed us by the law of God; as, for instance, have not shown us love, but malice.
Q. If God is just, how can we be forgiven our trespasses?
A. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ. For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself ransom for all. I Tim. 2:5,6
Q. What will be the consequence if we ask God to forgive us our sins without ourselves forgiving others?
A. In that case we shall not be forgiven.
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses. Mat. 6:14,15
Q. Why will God not forgive us if we do not forgive others?
A. Because we show ourselves unrepentant, and so alienate from us God's goodness and mercy.
Q. What disposition then must we have when we pray we forgive those who trespass against us.
A. These words absolutely require that when we pray we should bear no malice nor hatred, but be in peace and charity with all men.
Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remember that thy brother has aught against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Mat. 5:23,24
Q. But what am I to do if I cannot readily find him who holds malice toward me, or if he is unwilling to be reconciled?
A. In such a case it is enough to be reconciled with him in heart, before the eyes of the all-seeing God. If it be possible, as much as lies in you, live peaceably with all men. Rom. 12:18
Q. What is meant in the Lord's Prayer by temptation?
A. Any circumstance in which there is imminent danger of losing the faith, or falling into great sin.
Q. What are the sources of temptation?
A. From our flesh, from the world, or other people, and from the devil.
Q. What do we ask in these words of the prayer, Lead us not into temptation?
A. That God guide us during times of temptation in the keeping of His laws.
Q. What do we ask in these words of the prayer, deliver us from evil?
A. We ask for deliverance from all evil that can reach us in the world, which since the fall lies in wickedness; I John 5:19; but especially from the evil of sin, and from the evil temptations of the spirit of evil, which is the devil.
Q. What does the word Amen mean?
A. It means so be it.
Q. Why is this word added to the end of prayers?
A. To signify that we offer the prayer in faith, and with out doubting, as we are taught to do by the Apostle James in his Epistle, 1:6.
On the Doctrine of Blessedness:
Q. What must we join with prayer, in order to be grounded in the hope of salvation and blessedness?
A. Our own works for the attainment of blessedness. Of the point the Lord Himself says: Why call ye Me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Luke 6:46
Not every one that says unto Me Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that does the will of my Father, which is in heaven. Mat. 7:21
Q. What doctrine may we take as our guide in these works?
A. The doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is briefly set forth in His Beatitudes, or sentences on blessedness.
Q. How many such sentences are there?
A. The Following nine:
Q. What is to be observed of all these Beatitudes?
A. That the Lord proposed in these sentences a doctrine for the attainment of blessedness, as is expressly said in the Gospel; He opened His mouth, and taught; but, being meek and lowly of heart, He proposed His doctrine not in the form of a commandment, but a blessing to those, who should of their own free will receive and fulfill it. Consequently in each sentence or Beatitude we must consider, first, the doctrine or precept, and second, the blessing or promise of reward.
Q. What is the Lord's first precept of blessedness?
A. They who would be blessed must be poor in spirit.
Q. What does it mean to be poor in spirit?
A. It is to have a spiritual conviction that we have nothing of our own, nothing but what God bestows upon us, and that we can do nothing good without God's help and grace, thus counting ourselves as nothing, and in all things, throwing ourselves upon the mercy of God: in brief, as St. John Chrysostom explains it, spiritual poverty is humility. Hom. on Mat. 15
Q. Can the rich too be poor in spirit?
A. Most certainly, if they in a manner that shows that visible riches are corruptible and soon pass away, and can never compensate for the want of spiritual goods. What is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Mat. 16:26
Q. Can bodily poverty aid in spiritual perfection?
A. It can if the Christian chooses it voluntarily for God's sake. Of this, Jesus Christ Himself said to the rich man: If thou will be perfect, go, sell that thou has, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come follow Me. Mat. 19:21
Q. What does our Lord promise to the poor in spirit?
A. The kingdom of heaven.
Q. How is the kingdom of heaven theirs?
A. In the present life inwardly through faith and hope; but in the life to come perfectly, by their being made partakers of everlasting blessedness.
Q. What is the Lord's second precept for blessedness?
A. They who would be blessed must mourn.
Q. What is meant in this precept by the word mourn?
A. Sorrow and change of heart for unworthy serving the Lord, or even rather for deserving His anger by our sins. For godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation not to be repented of; but the sorrow of this world works death. II Cor. 7:10
Q. What special promise does the Lord make to mourners?
A. They shall be comforted.
Q. What comfort is here to be understood?
A. That of grace, consisting in the pardon of sins and in peace of conscience.
Q. Why is this promise joined with a precept for mourning?
A. In order that sorrow for sin may not reach to despair.
Q. What is the Lord's third precept of blessedness?
A. They who would be blessed must be meek.
Q. What is meekness?
A. A quiet attitude of spirit, joined with the care neither to offend any man, nor be offended at anything.
Q. What are the special effects of Christian meekness?
A. That we never speak against God, nor against men, nor give way to anger.
Q. What is promised by the Lord to the meek?
A. That they shall inherit the earth.
Q. How are we to understand this promise?
A As regards Christ's followers generally it is a prediction which is being literally fulfilled; for the ever-meek Christians instead of being destroyed by the anger of unbelievers, will inherit the universe. But the further sense of the promise, as regards Christians both generally and individually, is this that they shall receive an inheritance, as the Psalmist says, in the land of the living: that is, where men live and never die; in other words, that they shall receive everlasting blessedness. See Psalm 27:15.
Q. What is the Lord's fourth precept for blessedness?
A. They who would be blessed must hunger and thirst after righteousness.
Q. What is meant here by the word righteousness?
A. Though this word may well stand for every virtue, which the Christian ought to desire, yet we should especially understand it to mean the justification of guilty man through grace and faith in Jesus Christ. Dan. 9:24
The Apostle Paul speaks thus: The righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past. Rom. 3:22-25
Q. Who are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness?
A. They who, while they love to do good, do not become proud, nor rest on their own good works, but admit that they are sinners and guilty before God; and who, through the prayer of faith, seek after justification of grace through Jesus Christ.
Q. What does the Lord promise to them who hunger and thirst after righteousness?
A. That they shall be filled.
Q. What is meant here by filled?
A. As the filling or satisfying of the body produces, first, an end to the sense of hunger and thirst, and second, the strengthening of the body by food; so the filling of the soul means, first, the inward peace of the pardoned sinner, and second, the ability to do good, given through justifying grace. The perfect filling, however, of the soul created for the enjoyment of eternal good, is to follow in the life eternal, according to the words of the Psalmist: When I awake up after Thy likeness, I shall be satisfied with it. Ps. 17:15
Q. What is the Lord's fifth precept of blessedness?
A. They who would be blessed must be merciful.
Q. How are we to fulfill this precept?
A. By works of mercy, corporal and spiritual; for as St. John Chrysostom says, the forms of mercy are manifold, and this commandment broad. Hom. on Mat. 15
Q. Which are the corporal works of mercy?
A. 1. To feed the hungry.
2. To give drink to the thirsty.
3. To clothe the naked, or such as have not necessary and
decent clothing.
4. To visit those who are in prison.
5. To visit the sick, minister to them, or aid them in
Christian preparation for death.
6. To show hospitality to strangers.
7. To bury those who have died in poverty.
Q. Which are the spiritual works of mercy?
A. 1. By exhortation to convert the sinner from the error of his way. James
5: 20
2. To instruct the ignorant in
truth and virtue.
3. To counsel our neighbor in times of difficulty.
4. To pray for others to God.
5. To comfort the afflicted.
6. Not to return the evil which others may have done to us.
7. To forgive injuries from our heart.
Q. Is it not contrary to the precept of mercy for civil justice to punish criminals?
A. Not in the least; if this be done as a duty, and with a good intent, that is, in order to correct them, or to preserve the innocent from their crimes.
Q. What does the Lord promise to the merciful?
A. That they shall obtain mercy.
Q. What specific kind of mercy is to be understood?
A. That of being delivered from everlasting condemnation for sin at God's Judgement.
Q. What is the Lord's sixth precept for blessedness?
A. They who would be blessed must be pure in heart.
Q. Is not purity of heart the same thing as sincerity?
A. Sincerity which shows the really good disposition of the heart through good deeds is only the lowest degree of purity of heart. The greater form is attained by a constant and strict watchfulness over oneself, driving away from one's heart every unlawful wish and thought, and every attachment for earthly things, and ever preserving the remembrance of God and our Lord Jesus Christ with faith and charity.
Q. What does the Lord promise to the pure in heart?
A. That they shall see God.
Q. How are we to understand this promise?
A. The word of God compares the heart of man to the eye, and ascribed to perfect Christians enlightened eyes of the heart. Ephes. 1:18 As the eye that is perceptive can see the light, so the heart that is pure can behold God. But since the sight of God's countenance is the very source of everlasting blessedness, the promise of seeing God is the promise of the highest degree of everlasting blessedness.
Q. What is the Lord's seventh precept for blessedness?
A. They who would be blessed must be peace-makers.
Q. How are we to fulfill this commandment?
A. We must live peaceably with all men; if quarrels arise, we must try all possible ways to put a stop to it, even by yielding our own right, unless this be against duty, or hurtful to any other; if others are at odds, we must do all that we can to reconcile them, and if we fail, we must pray to God for their reconciliation.
Q. What does the Lord promise to the peace-makers?
A. That they shall be called the Sons of God.
Q. What is signified by this promise?
A. The sublimity both of their office and of their reward. Since in what they do they imitate the only-begotten Son of God, who came upon earth to reconcile fallen man with God's justice, they are for this act promised the gracious name of Sons of God, and without doubt a high degree of blessedness.
Q. What is the Lord's eighth precept for blessedness?
A. They who would be blessed must be ready to endure persecution for righteousness' sake, without betraying it.
Q. What qualities are required by this precept?
A. Love of what is right, constancy and firmness in virtue, fortitude and patience when one is subjected to danger for refusing to betray truth and virtue.
Q. What does the Lord promise to those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake?
A. The Kingdom of heaven. In like manner the same is promised to the poor in spirit, to make up for the feeling of want and privation.
Q. What is the Lord's ninth precept of blessedness?
A. They who would be blessed must be ready to take with joy reproach, persecution, suffering, and death itself, for the name of Christ, and for the true Christian faith.
Q. What is the name for the state required by this precept?
A. The state of Martyrdom.
Q. What does the Lord promise for this course?
A. A great reward in heaven; that is, a special and high degree of blessedness.
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