Catechism of the Catholic Church

Sections

• Apostolic Letter Laetamur Magnopere in Which the Latin Typical Edition is Promulgated
• Apostolic Constitution Fidei Depositum on the Publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
• Prologue
• 1 The Life of Man- To Know and Love God
• 2 Handing on the Faith: Catechesis
• 3 The Aim and Intended Readership of This Catechism
• 4 Structure of This Catechism
• 5 Practical Directions for Using This Catechism
• 6 Necessary Adaptations
• Part One: The Profession of Faith
• Section One: "I Believe" - "We Believe"
• Chapter One: Man's Capacity for God
• 1 The Desire for God
• 2 Ways of Coming to Know God
• 3 The Knowledge of God according to the Church
• 4 How Can We Speak about God?
• In Brief
• Chapter Two: God Comes to Meet Man
• Article 1: The Revelation of God
• 1 God Reveals His "Plan of Loving Goodness"
• 2 The Stages of Revelation
• 3 Christ Jesus- "Mediator and Fullness of All Revelation"
• In Brief
• Article 2: The Transmission of Divine Revelation
• 1 The Apostolic Tradition
• 2 The Relationship between Tradition and Sacred Scripture
• 3 The Interpretation of the Heritage of Faith
• In Brief
• Article 3: Sacred Scripture
• 1 Christ- The Unique Word of Sacred Scripture
• 2 Inspiration and Truth of Sacred Scripture
• 3 The Holy Spirit, Interpreter of Sacred Scripture
• 4 The Canon of Scripture
• 5 Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church
• In Brief
• Chapter Three: Man's Response to God
• Article 1: I Believe
• 1 The Obedience of Faith
• 2 "I Know Whom I Have Believed"
• 3 The Characteristics of Faith
• Article 2: We Believe
• 1 "Lord, Look upon the Faith of Your Church"
• 2 The Language of Faith
• 3 Only One Faith
• In Brief
• The Credo
• Section Two: The Profession of the Christian Faith
• The Creeds
• Chapter One: I Believe in God The Father
• Article 1: "I Believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth"
• Paragraph 1. I Believe in God
• 1 "I Believe in One God"
• 2 God Reveals His Name
• 3 God, "He Who Is," Is Truth and Love
• 4 The Implications of Faith in One God
• In Brief
• Paragraph 2. The Father
• 1 "In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"
• 2 The Revelation of God as Trinity
• 3 The Holy Trinity in the Teaching of the Faith
• 4 The Divine Works and the Trinitarian Missions
• In Brief
• Paragraph 3. The Almighty
• In Brief
• Paragraph 4. The Creator
• 1 Catechesis on Creation
• 2 Creation- Work of the Holy Trinity
• 3 "The World Was Created for the Glory of God"
• 4 The Mystery of Creation
• 5 God Carries Out His Plan: Divine Providence
• In Brief
• Paragraph 5. Heaven and Earth
• 1 The Angels
• 2 The Visible World
• Paragraph 6. Man
• 1 "In the Image of God
• 2 "Body and Soul but Truly One"
• 3 "Male and Female He Created Them"
• 4 Man in Paradise
• In Brief
• Paragraph 7. The Fall
• 1 Where Sin Abounded, Grace Abounded All the More
• 2 The Fall of the Angels
• 3 Original Sin
• 4 "You Did Not Abandon Him to the Power of Death"
• In Brief
• Chapter Two: I Believe in Jesus Christ, the Only Son of God
• Article 2: "And in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, Our Lord"
• 1 Jesus
• 2 Christ
• 3 The Only Son of God
• 4 Lord
• In Brief
• Article 3: "He Was Conceived by the Power of the Holy Spirit, and was Born of the Virgin Mary"
• Paragraph 1. The Son of God Became Man
• 1 Why Did the Word Become Flesh?
• 2 The Incarnation
• 3 True God and True Man
• 4 How Is the Son of God Man?
• In Brief
• Paragraph 2. "Conceived by the Power of the Holy Spirit and Born of the Virgin Mary"
• 1 Conceived by the Power of the Holy Spirit
• 2 ... Born of the Virgin Mary
• In Brief
• Paragraph 3. The Mysteries of Christ's Life
• 1 Christ's Whole Life Is Mystery
• 2 The Mysteries of Jesus' Infancy and Hidden Life
• 3 The Mysteries of Jesus' Public Life
• In Brief
• Article 4: "Jesus Christ Suffered Under Pontius Pilate, Was Crucified, Died, and was Buried"
• Paragraph 1. Jesus and Isreal
• 1 Jesus and the Law
• 2 Jesus and the Temple
• 3 Jesus and Israel's Faith in the One God and Savior
• In Brief
• Paragraph 2. Jesus Died Crucified
• 1 The Trial of Jesus
• 2 Christ's Redemptive Death in God's Plan of Salvation
• 3 Christ Offered Himself to His Father for Our Sins
• In Brief
• Paragraph 3. Jesus Christ was Buried
• In Brief
• Article 5: "He Descended Into Hell On the Third Day He Rose Again"
• Paragraph 1. Christ Descended into Hell
• In Brief
• Paragraph 2. On the Third Day He Rose from the Dead
• 1 The Historical and Transcendent Event
• 2 The Resurrection- A Work of the Holy Trinity
• 3 The Meaning and Saving Significance of the Resurrection
• In Brief
• Article 6: "He Ascended into Heaven and is Seated at the Right Hand of the Father
• In Brief
• Article 7: "From Thence He Will Come Again to Judge the Living and the Dead
• 1 He Will Come Again in Glory
• 2 To Judge the Living and the Dead
• In Brief
• Chapter Three: I Believe in the Holy Spirit
• Article 8: "I Believe in the Holy Spirit"
• 1 The Joint Mission of the Son and the Spirit
• 2 The Name Titles, and Symbols of the Holy Spirit
• 3 God's Spirit and Word in the Time of the Promises
• 4 The Spirit of Christ in the Fullness of Time
• 5 The Spirit and the Church in the Last Days
• In Brief
• Article 9: "I Believe in the Holy Catholic Church"
• Paragraph 1. The Church in God's Plan
• 1 Names and Images of the Church
• 2 The Church's Origin, Foundation, and Mission
• 3 The Mystery of the Church
• In Brief
• Paragraph 2. The Church- People of God, Body of Christ, Temple of the Holy Spirit
• 1 The Church- People of God
• 2 The Church- Body of Christ
• 3 The Church- Temple of the Holy Spirit
• In Brief
• Paragraph 3. The Church Is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic
• 1 The Church is One
• 2 The Church is Holy
• 3 The Church is Catholic
• 4 The Church is Apostolic
• In Brief
• Paragraph 4. Christ's Faithful- Hierarchy, Laity, Consecrated Life
• 1 The Hierarchical Constitution of the Church
• 2 The Lay Faithful
• 3 The Consecrated Life
• In Brief
• Paragraph 5. The Communion of Saints
• 1 Communion in Spiritual Goods
• 2 The Communion of the Church of Heaven and Earth
• In Brief
• Paragraph 6. Mary- Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church
• 1 Mary's Motherhood with Regard to the Church
• 2 Devotion to the Blessed Virgin
• 3 Mary- Eschatological Icon of the Church
• In Brief
• Article 10: "I Believe in the Forgiveness of Sins"
• 1 One Baptism for the Forgiveness of Sins
• 2 The Power of the Keys
• In Brief
• Article 11: "I Believe in the Resurrection of the Body"
• 1 Christ's Resurrection and Ours
• 2 Dying in Christ Jesus
• In Brief
• Article 12: "I Believe in Life Everlasting"
• 1 The Particular Judgement
• 2 Heaven
• 3 The Final Purification, or Purgatory
• 4 Hell
• 5 The Last Judgement
• 6 The Hope of the New Heaven and the New Earth
• In Brief
• "Amen"
• Part Two: The Celebration of the Christian Mystery
• Section One: The Sacramental Economy
• Chapter One: The Paschal Mystery in the Age of the Church
• Article 1: The Liturgy- Work of the Holy Trinity
• 1 The Father- Source and Goal of the Liturgy
• 2 Christ's Work in the Liturgy
• 3 The Holy Spirit and the Church in the Liturgy
• In Brief
• Article 2: The Paschal Mystery in the Church's Sacraments
• 1 The Sacraments of Christ
• 2 The Sacraments of the Church
• 3 The Sacraments of Faith
• 4 The Sacraments of Salvation
• 5 The Sacraments of Eternal Life
• In Brief
• Chapter Two: The Sacramental Celebration of the Paschal Mystery
• Article 1: Celebrating the Church's Liturgy
• 1 Who Celebrates?
• 2 How Is the Liturgy Celebrated?
• 3 When Is the Liturgy Celebrated?
• 4 Where Is the Liturgy Celebrated?
• In Brief
• Article 2: Liturgical Diversity and the Unity of the Mystery
• In Brief
• Section Two: The Seven Sacraments of the Church
• Chapter One: The Sacraments of Christian Initiation
• Article 1: The Sacrament of Baptism
• 1 What Is This Sacrament Called?
• 2 Baptism in the Economy of Salvation
• 3 How Is the Sacrament of Baptism Celebrated?
• 4 Who Can Receive Baptism?
• 5 Who Can Baptize?
• 6 The Necessity of Baptism
• 7 The Grace of Baptism
• In Brief
• Article 2: The Sacrament of Confirmation
• 1 Confirmation in the Economy of Salvation
• 2 The Signs and the Rite of Confirmation
• 3 The Effects of Confirmation
• 4 Who Can Receive This Sacrament?
• 5 The Minister of Confirmation
• In Brief
• Article 3: The Sacrament of the Eucharist
• 1 The Eucharist- Source and Summit of Ecclesial Life
• 2 What Is This Sacrament Called?
• 3 The Eucharist in the Economy of Salvation
• 4 The Liturgical Celebration of the Eucharist
• 5 The Sacramental Sacrifice: Thanksgiving, Memorial, Presence
• 6 The Paschal Banquet
• 7 The Eucharist- "Pledge of the Glory to Come"
• In Brief
• Chapter Two: The Sacraments of Healing
• Article 4: The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation
• 1 What Is This Sacrament Called?
• 2 Why a Sacrament of Reconciliation after Baptism?
• 3 The Conversion of the Baptized
• 4 Interior Penance
• 5 The Many Forms of Penance in Christian Life
• 6 The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation
• 7 The Acts of the Penitent
• 8 The Minister of This Sacrament
• 9 The Effects of This Sacrament
• 10 Indulgences
• 11 The Celebration of the Sacrament of Penance
• In Brief
• Article 5: The Anointing of the Sick
• 1 Its Foundations in the Economy of Salvation
• 2 Who Receives and Who Administers This Sacrament?
• 3 How Is This Sacrament Celebrated?
• 4 The Effects of the Celebration of This Sacrament
• 5 Viaticum, the Last Sacrament of the Christian
• In Brief
• Chapter Three: The Sacraments at the Service of Communion
• Article 6: The Sacrament of Holy Orders
• 1 Why Is This Sacrament Called "Orders"?
• 2 The Sacrament of Holy Orders in the Economy of Salvation
• 3 The Three Degrees of the Sacrament of Holy Orders
• 4 The Celebration of This Sacrament
• 5 Who Can Confer This Sacrament?
• 6 Who Can Receive This Sacrament?
• 7 The Effects of the Sacrament of Holy Orders
• In Brief
• Article 7: The Sacrament of Matrimony
• 1 Marriage in God's Plan
• 2 The Celebration of Marriage
• 3 Matrimonial Consent
• 4 The Effects of the Sacrament of Matrimony
• 5 The Goods and Requirements of Conjugal Love
• 6 The Domestic Church
• In Brief
• Chapter Four: Other Liturgical Celebrations
• Article 1: Sacramentals
• In Brief
• Article 2: Christian Funerals
• 1 The Christian's Last Passover
• 2 The Celebration of Funderals
• Part Three: Life in Christ
• Section One: Man's Vocation: Life in the Spirit
• Chapter One: The Dignity of the Human Person
• Article 1: Man: The Image of God
• In Brief
• Article 2: Our Vocation to Beatitude
• 1 The Beatitudes
• 2 The Desire for Happiness
• 3 Christian Beatitude
• In Brief
• Article 3: Man's Freedom
• 1 Freedom and Responsibility
• 2 Human Freedom in the Economy of Salvation
• In Brief
• Article 4: The Morality of Human Acts
• 1 The Sources of Morality
• 2 Good Acts and Evil Acts
• In Brief
• Article 5: The Morality of the Passions
• 1 Passions
• 2 Passions and Moral Life
• In Brief
• Article 6: Moral Conscience
• 1 The Judgement of Conscience
• 2 The Formation of Conscience
• 3 To Choose in Accord with Conscience
• 4 Erroneous Judgement
• In Brief
• Article 7: The Virtues
• 1 The Human Virtues
• 2 The Theological Virtues
• 3 The Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit
• In Brief
• Article 8: Sin
• 1 Mercy and Sin
• 2 The Definition of Sin
• 3 The Different Kinds of Sin
• 4 The Gravity of Sin: Mortal and Venial Sin
• 5 The Proliferation of Sin
• In Brief
• Chapter Two: The Human Community
• Article 1: The Person and Society
• 1 The Communal Character of the Human Vocation
• 2 Conversion and Society
• In Brief
• Article 2: Participation in Social Life
• 1 Authority
• 2 The Common Good
• 3 Responsibility and Participation
• In Brief
• Article 3: Social Justice
• 1 Respect for the Human Person
• 2 Equality and Differences among Men
• 3 Human Solidarity
• In Brief
• Chapter Three: God's Salvation: Law and Grace
• Article 1: The Moral Law
• 1 The Natural Moral Law
• 2 The Old Law
• 3 The New Law of the Law of the Gospel
• In Brief
• Article 2: Grace and Justification
• 1 Justification
• 2 Grace
• 3 Merit
• 4 Christian Holiness
• In Brief
• Article 3: The Church, Mother and Teacher
• 1 Moral Life and the Magisterium of the Church
• 2 The Precepts of the Church
• 3 Moral Life and Missionary Witness
• In Brief
• The Ten Commandments
• Section Two: The Ten Commandments
• In Brief
• Chapter One: "You Shall Love the Lord Your God with All Your Heart, and with All Your Soul, and with All Your Mind"
• Article 1: The First Commandment
• 1 "You Shall Worship the Lord Your God and Him Only Shall You Serve"
• 2 "Him Only Shall You Serve"
• 3 "You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me"
• 4 "You Shall Not Make for Yourself a Graven Image"
• In Brief
• Article 2: The Second Commandment
• 1 The Name of the Lord Is Holy
• 2 Taking the Name of the Lord in Vain
• 3 The Christian Name
• In Brief
• Article 3: The Third Commandment
• 1 The Sabbath Day
• 2 The Lord's Day
• In Brief
• Chapter Two: "You Shall Love Your Neighbor As Yourself"
• Article 4: The Fourth Commandment
• 1 The Family in God's Plan
• 2 The Family and Society
• 3 The Duties of Family Members
• 4 The Family and the Kingdom
• 5 The Authorities in Civil Society
• In Brief
• Article 5: The Fifth Commandment
• 1 Respect for Human Life
• 2 Respect for the Dignity of Persons
• 3 Safeguarding Peace
• In Brief
• Article 6: The Sixth Commandment
• 1 "Male and Female He Created Them"
• 2 The Vocation to Chastity
• 3 The Love of Husband and Wife
• 4 Offenses against the Dignity of Marriage
• In Brief
• Article 7: The Seventh Commandment
• 1 The Universal Destination and the Private Ownership of Goods
• 2 Respect for Persons and Their Goods
• 3 The Social Doctrine of the Church
• 4 Economic Activity and Social Justice
• 5 Justice and Solidarity among Nations
• 6 Love for the Poor
• In Brief
• Article 8: The Eighth Commandment
• 1 Living in the Truth
• 2 To Bear Witness to the Truth
• 3 Offenses against Truth
• 4 Respect for the Truth
• 5 The Use of Social Communications Media
• 6 Truth, Beauty, and Sacred Art
• In Brief
• Article 9: The Ninth Commandment
• 1 Purification of the Heart
• 2 The Battle for Purity
• In Brief
• Article 10: The Tenth Commandment
• 1 The Disorder of Covetous Desires
• 2 The Desires of the Spirit
• 3 Poverty of Heart
• 4 "I Want to See God"
• In Brief
• Part Four: Christian Prayer
• Section One: Prayer in the Christian Life
• What Is Prayer
• Chapter One: The Revelation of Prayer
• The Universal Call to Prayer
• Article 1: In the Old Testament
• In Brief
• Article 2: In the Fullness of Time
• In Brief
• Article 3: In the Age of the Church
• 1 Blessing and Adoration
• 2 Prayer of Petition
• 3 Prayer of Intercession
• 4 Prayer of Thanksgiving
• 5 Prayer of Praise
• In Brief
• Chapter Two: The Tradition of Prayer
• Article 1: At the Wellsprings of Prayer
• In Brief
• Article 2: The Way of Prayer
• In Brief
• Article 3: Guides for Prayer
• In Brief
• Chapter Three: The Life of Prayer
• Article 1: Expressions of Prayer
• 1 Vocal Prayer
• 2 Meditation
• 3 Contemplative Prayer
• In Brief
• Article 2: The Battle of Prayer
• 1 Objections to Prayer
• 2 Humble Vigilance of Heart
• 3 Final Trust
• 4 Persevering in Love
• Article 3: The Prayer of the Hour of Jesus
• In Brief
• Section Two: The Lord's Prayer: "Our Father"
• Article 1: "The Summary of the Whole Gospel"
• 1 At the Center of the Scriptures
• 2 "The Lord's Prayer"
• 3 The Prayer of the Church
• In Brief
• Article 2: "Our Father Who Art in Heaven"
• 1 "We Dare to Say"
• 2 "Father!"
• 3 "Our" Father
• 4 "Who Art in Heaven"
• In Brief
• Article 3: The Seven Petitions
• 1 "Hallowed Be Thy Name"
• 2 "Thy Kingdom Come"
• 3 "They Will Be Done on Earth as It Is in Heaven"
• 4 "Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread"
• 5 "And Forgives Us Our Trespasses, as We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us"
• 6 "And Lead Us Not Into Temptation"
• 7 "But Deliver Us from Evil"
• Article 4: The Final Doxology
• In Brief
• Index of Citations
• Index
• Abbreviations
• Glossary