CATECHISM

Q. Which are the Theological Virtues?
A. The Theological Virtues are ‘Faith, Hope, and Charity’. 1 Cor. 13:13
Theological. Belonging or relating to God. Faith, Hope, and Charity have God for their
direct object and motive. The matter on which our faith is exercised is called the object;
why we believe is termed the motive.
Virtue. A habitual tendency to act rightly; the opposite to vice, which is a blemish or
fault.

Q. Why are they called Theological Virtues?
A. They are called Theological Virtues because they relate immediately to God.

Q. What are the chief mysteries of Faith which every Christian is bound to know?
A. The chief mysteries of Faith which every Christian is bound to know are the Unity and Trinity
of God, who will render to every man according to his works, and the Incarnation, Death, and
Resurrection of our Saviour.

Q. Which are the Cardinal Virtues?
A. The Cardinal Virtues are ‘Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance’. Wisdom 8:7
Cardinal. Principal or chief, from Latin Cardo, a hinge. All other virtues either depend or
spring from them.
Prudence. This virtue enlightens our mind, and leads us to take proper and effectual
means for securing our salvation.
Justice. Giving what is due to God, our neighbours, and ourselves.
Fortitude. Having courage to resist anything which may hinder our salvation, and to bear
bravely all trials for the love of God.
Temperance. Being moderate in all things. ‘He that is temperate’, saith the wise man,
‘shall prolong life’ (Ecclus. 37:34)

Q. Why are they called Cardinal Virtues?
A. They are called Cardinal Virtues because they are, as it were, the hinges on which all other
moral virtues turn.

Q. Which are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit?
A. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are:
1. Wisdom
2. Understanding
3. Counsel
4. Fortitude
5. Knowledge
6. Piety
7. Fear of the Lord
Is. 11:2,3

Q. Which are the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit?
A. They are:
1. Charity
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Generosity
8. Gentleness
9. Faith
10. Modesty
11. Self-control
12. Chastity
Gal. 5:22

Q. Which are the two great precepts of Charity?
A. The two great precepts of Charity are:
1. ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with
thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength’.
2. ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself’.
Mark 12:30,31

Q. Which are the seven Corporal Works of Mercy? ★
A. The seven Corporal Works of Mercy are:
1. To feed the hungry
2. To give drink to the thirsty.
3. To clothe the naked
4. To shelter the homeless.
5. To visit the sick
6. To visit the imprisoned
7. To bury the dead
Matt. 25; Tobias 12
Corporal works. Those done for the benefit of the body.

Q. Which are the seven Spiritual Works of Mercy?  
A. The seven Spiritual Works of Mercy are:
1. To convert the sinner
2. To instruct the ignorant
3. To counsel the doubtful
4. To comfort the sorrowful
5. To bear wrongs patiently
6. To forgive injuries
7. To pray for the living and the dead
Spiritual works. Those done for the benefit of the soul.

Q. Which are the eight Beatitudes? ★
A. The eight Beatitudes are:
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
2. Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.
3. Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.
4. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice; for they shall have their fill.
5. Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.
6. Blessed are the clean of heart; for they shall see God.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.
8. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matt. 5:3-10
Eight Beatitudes. Eight blessings. The virtues pronounced blessed by our Lord in His
Sermon on the Mount.

Q. Which are the seven capital sins or vices and their contrary virtues? ★
A. The seven capital sins or vices and their contrary virtues are:
Capital Sins Contrary Virtues
1. Pride
2. Greed
3. Lust
4. Anger
5. Gluttony
6. Envy
7. Sloth
1. Humility
2. Generosity
3. Chastity
4. Meekness
5. Temperance
6. Brotherly Love
7. Diligence
Lust. Impurity and sensual appetites in unlawful circumstances.
Sloth. Idleness and laziness.

Q. Why are they called capital sins?
A. They are called capital sins because they are the sources from which all other sins take their rise.

Q. Which are the six sins against the Holy Spirit?
A. The six sins against the Holy Spirit are:
1. Presumption
2. Despair
3. Resisting the known truth
4. Envy of another’s spiritual good
5. Obstinacy in sin
6. Final impenitence
Obstinacy in sin. Being determined to go on living in sin.
Final impenitence. Not repenting even at the hour of death.

Q. Which are the four sins crying to heaven for vengeance?
A. They are
1. Wilful murder (Gen. 4)
2. The sin of Sodom (Gen. 18)
3. Oppression of the poor (Exod. 2)
4. Defrauding labourers of their wages (James 5)
Oppression. Being very unjust or cruel, harming a person.
Defrauding. Taking away by deceit or by cheating.
 
Q. When are we answerable for the sins of others?
A. We are answerable for the sins of others whenever we either cause them, or share in them,
through our own fault.

Q. In how many ways may we either cause or share the guilt of another’s sin?
A. We may either cause or share the guilt of another’s sin in nine ways:
1. By counsel
2. By command
3. By consent
4. By provocation
5. By Praise or Flattery
6. By concealment
7. By being a partner in sin
8. By silence
9. By defending the ill done.
Counsel. To give advice or direction to a person.
Provocation. To incite another to do something.
Defence of the ill done. Taking the part of a bad person or of his wicked actions, and
trying to justify them.

Q. Which are the three eminent Good Works?
A. The three eminent Good Works are Prayer, Fasting, and Almsdeeds.
Eminent. Remarkable, being above others.
Almsdeeds. Works of charity.

Q. Which are the Evangelical Councils?
A. The Evangelical Councils are voluntary Poverty, perpetual Chastity and entire Obedience.
Evangelical. Being in accordance with the doctrine of the Gospel. The writers of the
Gospels are called Evangelists; they are SS. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Voluntary. Of one’s own free will or choice.
Perpetual. Going on without ceasing.
Entire Obedience. Being obedient in everything that is not sin.

Q. What are the four last things to be ever remembered?
A. The four last things to be ever remembered are Death, Judgment, Hell, and Heaven. Ecclus 7:40
Rule of Life

Q. What rule of life must we follow if we hope to be saved?
A. If we hope to be saved, we must follow the rule of life taught by Jesus Christ.

Q. What are we bound to do by the rule of life taught by Jesus Christ?
A. By the rule of life taught by Jesus Christ we are bound always to hate sin and to love God.

Q. How must we hate sin?
A. We must hate sin above all other evils, so as to be resolved never to commit a wilful sin, for the
love or fear of anything whatsoever.

Q. How must be love God?
A. We must love God above all things, and with our whole heart.

Q. How must we learn to love God?
A. We must learn to love God by begging of God to teach us to love him: ‘O my God, teach me to
love you’.

Q. What will the love of God lead us to do?
A. The love of God will lead us often to think how good God is; often to speak to him in our
hearts; and always to seek to please him.

Q. Does Jesus Christ also command us to love one another?
A. Jesus Christ also commands us to love one another - that is, all persons without exception - for
his sake.
Without exception. Not leaving out one.

Q. How are we to love one another?
A. We are to love one another by wishing well to one another, and praying for one another; and by
never allowing ourselves any thought, word or deed to the injury of anyone.

Q. Are we also bound to love our enemies?
A. We are also bound to love our enemies; not only by forgiving them from our hearts, but also by
wishing them well, and praying for them.

Q. Has Jesus Christ given us another great rule?
A. Jesus Christ has given us another great rule in these words ‘if any man will come after me, let
him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me’. Luke 9:23

Q. How are we to deny ourselves?
A. We are to deny ourselves by giving up our own will, and by going against our own humours,
inclinations, and passions.
Humours. Our own dispositions.

Q. Why are we bound to deny ourselves?
A. We are bound to deny ourselves because our natural inclinations are prone to evil from our
very childhood; and, if not corrected by self-denial, they will certainly carry us to hell.
Prone. Inclined or disposed to do a thing.

Q. How are we to take up our cross daily?
A. We are to take up our cross daily by submitting daily with patience to the labours and
sufferings of this short life, and by bearing them willingly for the love of God.
Submit. To resign or to yield, to give way.

Q. How are we to follow our Blessed Lord?
A. We are to follow our Blessed Lord by walking in his footsteps and imitating his virtues.

Q. What are the principal virtues we are to learn of our Blessed Lord?
A. The principal virtues we are to learn of our Blessed Lord are meekness, humility, and
obedience.

Q. Which are the enemies we must fight against all the days of our life?
A. The enemies which we must fight against all the days of our life are the devil, the world, and
the flesh.

Q. What do you mean by the devil?
A. By the devil I mean Satan and all his wicked angels, who are ever seeking to draw us into sin,
that we may be damned with them.

Q. What do you mean by the world?
A. By the world I mean the false maxims of the world and the society of those who love the
vanities, riches and pleasures of this world better than God.

Q. Why do you number the devil and the world amongst the enemies of the soul?
A. I number the devil and the world amongst the enemies of the soul because they are always
seeking, by temptation and by work or example, to carry us along with them in the broad road
that leads to damnation.

Q. What do you mean by the flesh?
A. By the flesh I mean our own corrupt inclinations and passions, which are the most dangerous of
all our enemies.
Most dangerous of all our enemies. Because we always carry them in our hearts, and can
never get rid of them. The Sacraments cleanse our souls from sin itself, but the inclination
to commit sin, or concupiscence, as it is called, always remains.

Q. What must we do to hinder the enemies of our soul from drawing us into sin?
A. To hinder the enemies of our soul from drawing us into sin, we must watch, pray, and fight
against all their suggestions and temptations.
Suggestion. Something proposed or hinted.

Q. In the warfare against the devil, the world, and the flesh, on whom must we depend?
A. In the warfare against the devil, the world, and the flesh we must depend not on ourselves but
on God only; ‘I can do all things in him who strengtheneth me’. Philip. 4:13
Daily Exercise

Q. How should you begin the day?
A. I should begin the day by making the sign of the cross as soon as I awake in the morning, and
by saying some short prayer, such as, ‘O my God, I offer my heart and soul to you’.

Q. How should you rise in the morning?
A. I should rise in the morning diligently, dress myself modestly, and then kneel down and say
my morning prayers.
Diligently. Attentively, industriously.
Modestly. With decency.

Q. Should you also attend Mass if you have time and opportunity?
A. I should also attend Mass if I have time and opportunity, for to attend Mass is by far the best
and most profitable of all devotions.

Q. Is it useful to make daily meditation?
A. It is useful to make daily meditation, for such was the practice of all the Saints.
Meditation. To consider thoughtfully.

Q. On what ought we to meditate?
A. We ought to meditate especially on the four last things, and the Life and Passion of our Blessed
Lord.

Q. Ought we frequently to read good books?
A. We ought frequently to read good books, such as the Holy Gospels, the Lives of the Saints, and
other spiritual works, which nourish our faith and piety, and arm us against the false maxims of
the world.

Q. And what should you do as to your eating, drinking, sleeping, and amusements?
A. As to my eating, drinking, sleeping, and amusements, I should use all these things with
moderation, and with a desire to please God.

Q. Say the grace before meals?
A. “Bless us, O Lord, and these your gifts, which we are about to receive from your bounty,
through Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Q. Say the grace after meals?
A. “We give you thanks, almighty God, for all your benefits, who live and reign, world without
end. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.”

Q. How should you sanctify your ordinary actions and employments of the day?
A. I should sanctify my ordinary actions and employments of the day by often raising up my heart
to God whilst I am about them, and saying some short prayer to him.

Q. What should you do when you find yourself tempted to sin?
A. When I find myself tempted to sin I should make the sign of the cross on my heart and call on
God as earnestly as I can, saying, ‘Lord, save me, or I perish.’

Q. If you have fallen into sin, what should you do?
A. If I have fallen into sin I should cast myself in spirit at the feet of Christ, and humbly beg his
pardon by a sincere act of contrition.

Q. When God send you any cross, or sickness, or pain, what should you say?
A. God sends me any cross, or sickness, or pain, I should say, ‘Lord, your will be done. I
take this for my sins’.

Q. What prayers would you do well to say often to yourself during the day? ★
A. I should do well to say often to myself during the day such prayers as:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now
and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
In all things may the most holy, the most just, and the most lovable Will of God be done,
praised, and exalted above all forever.
O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment
thine.
Praised be Jesus Christ, praised for evermore. My Jesus, mercy; Mary, help.

Q. How should you finish the day?
A. I should finish the day by kneeling down and saying my night prayers.

Q. After your night prayers what should you do?
A. After my night prayers I should observe due modesty in going to bed; occupy myself with the
thoughts of death; and endeavour to compose myself to rest at the foot of the Cross, and give
my last thoughts to my crucified Saviour.
Thoughts of death. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew
6:21). See also QQ. 359 & 332.