Preliminary Lesson — On Christian Doctrine and its principal parts

ON CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE AND ITS PRINCIPAL PARTS

1. Are you a Christian?

Yes, I am a Christian by the grace of God.

2. Why do you say: by the grace of God?

I say: by the grace of God, because to be a Christian is a wholly free gift of God, which we could not have merited.

3. Who is a true Christian?

A true Christian is one who is baptized, who believes and professes Christian doctrine, and who obeys the lawful Pastors of the Church.

4. What is Christian doctrine?

Christian doctrine is the doctrine that Jesus Christ our Lord taught us in order to show us the way of salvation.

5. Is it necessary to learn the doctrine taught by Jesus Christ?

It is certainly necessary to learn the doctrine taught by Jesus Christ, and those who neglect to do so fail gravely.

6. Are parents and masters obliged to send their children and dependents to catechism?

Parents and masters are obliged to see that their children and dependents learn Christian doctrine, and they make themselves guilty before God if they neglect this obligation.

7. From whom must we receive and learn Christian doctrine?

We must receive and learn Christian doctrine from the holy Catholic Church.

8. How are we sure that the Christian doctrine we receive from the holy Catholic Church is truly true?

We are sure that the Christian doctrine we receive from the Catholic Church is true, because Jesus Christ, the divine author of this doctrine, entrusted it through His Apostles to the Church founded by Him and constituted by Him the infallible teacher of all men, promising her His divine assistance to the end of the ages.

9. Are there other proofs of the truth of Christian doctrine?

The truth of Christian doctrine is shown also by the eminent holiness of so many who have professed and still profess it, by the heroic fortitude of the martyrs, by its rapid and wonderful spread throughout the world, and by its full preservation through so many centuries of varied and continual struggles.

10. How many and which are the principal and most necessary parts of Christian doctrine?

The principal and most necessary parts of Christian doctrine are four: the Creed, the Pater Noster, the Commandments, and the Sacraments.

11. What does the Creed teach us?

The Creed teaches us the principal articles of our holy faith.

12. What does the Pater Noster teach us?

The Pater Noster teaches us all that we must hope for from God and all that we must ask of Him.

13. What do the Commandments teach us?

The Commandments teach us all that we must do to please God; which is all summed up in loving God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves, for love of God.

14. What does the doctrine of the Sacraments teach us?

The doctrine of the Sacraments makes known to us the nature and right use of those means which Jesus Christ instituted in order to forgive our sins, to communicate His grace to us, and to infuse and increase in us the virtues of faith, hope, and charity.