Chapter II — On the first article of the Creed

§ 1. On God the Father and on creation

1. What does the first article — "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth" — teach us?

The first article of the Creed teaches us that there is one only God, who is almighty, and who has created heaven, earth, and all things contained in heaven and on earth, that is, the entire universe.

2. How do we know that God exists?

We know that God exists because our reason demonstrates it to us, and faith confirms it.

3. Why is God said to be Father?

God is said to be Father, 1. because He is Father by nature of the second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, namely, of the Son begotten by Him; 2. because God is Father of all men, whom He has created, preserves, and governs; 3. because, finally, He is Father by grace of all good Christians, who are therefore called the adopted children of God.

4. Why is the Father the first Person of the Most Holy Trinity?

The Father is the first Person of the Most Holy Trinity because He does not proceed from any other person, but is the principle of the other two persons, namely, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

5. What does the word almighty mean?

The word almighty means that God can do all that He wills.

6. God cannot sin nor die; how then is it said that He can do all things?

It is said that God can do all things, although He can neither sin nor die, because the power to sin or to die is not an effect of power, but of weakness, which cannot be in God, who is most perfect.

7. What does "Creator of heaven and earth" mean?

To create means to make out of nothing; therefore God is called Creator of heaven and earth because He made out of nothing heaven and earth and all things contained in heaven and on earth, that is, the entire universe.

8. Was the world created by the Father alone?

The world was created equally by all three divine persons, because all that one person does with regard to creatures, the others do also by one and the same act.

9. Why, then, is creation attributed particularly to the Father?

Creation is attributed particularly to the Father because creation is an effect of the divine omnipotence, which is especially attributed to the Father, just as wisdom is attributed to the Son and goodness to the Holy Spirit, although all three persons have the same omnipotence, wisdom, and goodness.

10. Does God take care of the world and of all the things He has created?

Yes, God takes care of the world and of all the things He has created; He preserves and governs them with His infinite goodness and wisdom, and nothing happens here below without God willing or permitting it.

11. Why do you say that nothing happens without God willing or permitting it?

It is said that nothing happens here below without God willing or permitting it, because there are things that God wills and commands, and others that He does not prevent, such as sin.

12. Why does God not prevent sin?

God does not prevent sin because even from the abuse that man makes of the freedom granted to him, He knows how to draw forth a good and to make His mercy, or His justice, shine forth ever more.

§ 2. On the Angels

13. Which are the noblest creatures God has created?

The noblest creatures created by God are the Angels.

14. Who are the Angels?

The Angels are intelligent and purely spiritual creatures.

15. For what end did God create the Angels?

God created the Angels to be honored and served by them and to make them eternally happy.

16. What form and figure do the Angels have?

The Angels have neither form nor any sensible figure, because they are pure spirits, created by God to subsist without having to be united to any body.

17. Why, then, are the Angels represented under sensible forms?

The Angels are represented under sensible forms: 1. to aid our imagination; 2. because they have so appeared many times to men, as we read in Sacred Scripture.

18. Were all the Angels faithful to God?

No, not all the Angels were faithful to God; many of them, through pride, claimed to be equal to Him and independent of Him; and for this sin they were excluded forever from heaven and condemned to hell.

19. What are the Angels called who were excluded forever from heaven and condemned to hell?

The Angels excluded forever from heaven and condemned to hell are called demons, and their chief is called Lucifer or Satan.

20. Can the demons do us any harm?

Yes, the demons can do us much harm, both to the soul and to the body, if, however, God gives them permission, chiefly by tempting us to sin.

21. Why do they tempt us?

The demons tempt us out of the envy they bear us, which makes them desire our eternal damnation, and out of hatred of God, whose image shines in us. God permits the temptations so that we, by overcoming them through His grace, may exercise virtue and gain merits for heaven.

22. How can we overcome temptations?

Temptations are overcome by vigilance, by prayer, and by Christian mortification.

23. What are the Angels called who remained faithful to God?

The Angels who remained faithful to God are called good Angels, heavenly Spirits, or simply Angels.

24. What happened to the Angels who remained faithful to God?

The Angels who remained faithful to God were confirmed in grace; they enjoy the sight of God forever, love Him, bless Him, and praise Him eternally.

25. Does God make use of the Angels as His ministers?

Yes, God makes use of the Angels as His ministers, and in particular entrusts to many of them the office of being our guardians and protectors.

26. Should we have a special devotion to our Guardian Angel?

Yes, we should have a special devotion to our Guardian Angel, honor him, invoke his help, follow his inspirations, and be grateful to him for the continual assistance he gives us.

§ 3. On man

27. Which is the noblest creature God has placed on the earth?

The noblest creature God has placed on the earth is man.

28. What is man?

Man is a rational creature composed of soul and body.

29. What is the soul?

The soul is the nobler part of man, because it is a spiritual substance, endowed with intellect and will, capable of knowing God and of possessing Him eternally.

30. Can the human soul be seen and touched?

Our soul can neither be seen nor touched because it is a spirit.

31. Does the human soul die with the body?

The human soul never dies: faith and reason itself prove that it is immortal.

32. Is man free in his actions?

Yes, man is free in his actions; and everyone feels within himself that he can do a thing or not do it, or do one thing rather than another.

33. Explain human freedom by an example.

If I voluntarily tell a lie, I feel that I could refrain from telling it and remain silent, and that I could also speak otherwise, telling the truth.

34. Why is it said that man was created in the image and likeness of God?

It is said that man was created in the image and likeness of God because the human soul is spiritual and rational, free in its operations, capable of knowing and loving God and of enjoying Him eternally: perfections that reflect in us a ray of the infinite greatness of the Lord.

35. In what state did God place our first parents Adam and Eve?

God placed Adam and Eve in the state of innocence and grace; but they soon fell from it through sin.

36. Besides innocence and sanctifying grace, did God confer other gifts on our first parents?

Besides innocence and sanctifying grace, God conferred other gifts on our first parents, which they were to transmit together with sanctifying grace to their descendants; and these were: integrity, that is, the perfect subjection of the senses to reason; immortality; immunity from all pain and misery; and knowledge proportioned to their state.

37. What was Adam's sin?

Adam's sin was a sin of pride and of grave disobedience.

38. What was the punishment of the sin of Adam and Eve?

Adam and Eve lost the grace of God and the right they had to heaven; they were driven out of the earthly paradise, subjected to many miseries of soul and body, and condemned to die.

39. If Adam and Eve had not sinned, would they have been exempt from death?

If Adam and Eve had not sinned, but had remained faithful to God, after a happy and peaceful sojourn on this earth, they would have been transferred by God into heaven, without dying, to enjoy an eternal and glorious life.

40. Were these gifts owed to man?

These gifts were in no way owed to man, but were entirely free and supernatural; and therefore, when Adam disobeyed the divine precept, God could without injustice deprive Adam and all his posterity of them.

41. Is this sin Adam's alone?

This sin is not Adam's alone, but is also ours, though in a different way. It is Adam's because he committed it by an act of his own will, and therefore in him it was personal. It is ours because, Adam having sinned as the head and source of the whole human race, it is transmitted by natural generation to all his descendants, and is therefore for us original sin.

42. How is it possible that original sin is transmitted to all men?

Original sin is transmitted to all men because, God having conferred upon the human race in Adam sanctifying grace and the other supernatural gifts on condition that Adam did not disobey, and Adam having disobeyed in his capacity as head and father of the human race, he rendered human nature rebellious against God. Therefore human nature is transmitted to all the descendants of Adam in a state of rebellion against God, deprived of divine grace and of the other gifts.

43. What harm, then, has original sin done us?

The harms of original sin are: the privation of grace, the loss of heaven, ignorance, the inclination to evil, all the miseries of this life, and finally death.

44. Do all men contract original sin?

Yes, all men contract original sin, except the most holy Virgin, who was preserved from it by God by a singular privilege, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ our Savior.

45. After the sin of Adam, would men no longer have been able to save themselves?

After the sin of Adam, men would no longer have been able to save themselves, had God not shown them mercy.

46. What was the mercy God showed the human race?

The mercy God showed the human race was to promise to Adam immediately the divine Redeemer, or Messiah, and then to send Him in due time, to free men from the slavery of the devil and of sin.

47. Who is the promised Messiah?

The promised Messiah is Jesus Christ, as the second article of the Creed teaches us.