2.
INFALLIBILITY of the Catholic Church is
MARKS OF THE CHURCH
The Nicene Creed was written centuries ago to
help Christians remember the important beliefs of
the faith. In the Nicene Creed we identify the four
marks of the Church. The four marks of the Church
are not characteristics that the Church creates or
develops or learns. They are qualities that Jesus
Christ shares with his Church through the Holy
Spirit. The four marks of the Church are that it is
one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.
The Church Is One
Just as God is one in the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, so also is the Church one. The founder of
the Church is Jesus Christ, who brought us back to
God and made us into the family of God. The
Church is one in the Holy Spirit, who dwells in
those who believe.
The Church Is Holy
The Church is holy because the Church lives in
union with Jesus Christ, the source of holiness.
Through the Holy Spirit the Church leads others to
holiness. The holiness of the Church is seen in the
love that the members of the Church have toward
one another and the many sacrifices they make for
the sake of the world.
The Church Is Catholic
Catholic means universal. The Church is
universal in two ways. First, the Church is catholic
because all baptized people are part of the Church
and the Church possesses the means of salvation.
Second, the mission of the Church is universal
because the Church has been sent to proclaim
Christ to the entire human race.
The Church Is Apostolic
The Church traces its tradition directly from the
apostles; therefore, the Church is considered
apostolic. With the Holy Spirit the Church
preserves and continues the teaching of the
apostles. The pope and bishops are the successors
of the apostles.
THE ATTRIBUTES OF THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH
They are called attributes because they are
qualities perfecting the nature of the Church.
1. AUTHORITY of the Catholic Church is meant
that the Pope and Bishops, as the lawful successors of
the Apostles, have power from Christ Himself to
teach, to sanctify, and to govern the faithful in
spiritual matters.
Authority is the power to command others. All
authority is from God, and He gives it to the Church
in spiritual matters. To refuse to obey the authority of
the Church is to refuse to Obey Christ. He Himself
said to His Disciples "He who hears you Hears Me;
he who rejects you rejects Me." SEE Luke 10:16
meant that the Church, by special assistance of the
Holy Spirit, cannot err when it teaches or believes a
Doctrine of Faith or morals. Infallibility does not
mean that the Pope cannot commit a sin, but that in
teaching a Doctrine of Faith or Morals, he is
prevented by the Holy Spirit from making a mistake.
The Church teaches Only Truth. The Church teaches
infallibly when it defines, through the Pope alone, as
the teacher of all Christians, or through the Pope and
Bishops, a Doctrine of Faith or Morals to be held by
all the faithful.
3. INDEFECTIBILITY of the Catholic Church is
meant that the Church, as Christ founded it, will last
until the end of time. Nations will rise and fall. False
religions will come and go, but the Church will last
forever. The Catholic Church is called the Mystical
Body of Christ because its members are united by
supernatural bonds with one another and with Christ,
their Head, thus resembling the members and head of
the living human body.
STATES OF THE CHURCH
The church triumphant describes the Church
in heaven. In the kingdom of God -- the realm in
which the holy Trinity, the angels and saints, and
the abode of all those who have reached the
fullness of salvation in Christ -- the Church already
exists. But it will have its fullest being at the end of
time, when all of creation and (we hope) all
human beings will be conformed to Christ and all
reality will be one of divine praise and glory. The
term "church triumphant" underlines the truth
that in the glory of heaven all human sin will have
been transformed, death and suffering will be no
more, and the glory of God will have triumphed
over all the imperfections of human history.
The church militant refers to the Church on
earth. The term "militant" can suggest an
antagonistic relationship between the Church and
the world. Nevertheless, it refers to an authentic
reality: that the Church on earth works to
overcome the imperfect and sinful dimensions of
human existence. The Church's mission is not to
oppose the world and society, but to work for
their transformation by the convincing preaching
of the Gospel and by the edifying power of the
good works and example of those who are
baptized into Christ. The Church's best asset is the
saintly activity and example of those who have
chosen the Christian way of life.
The church suffering refers to the church in
purgatory. Purgatory is not a kind of temporary
hell. It is rather the threshold, the antechamber of
heaven. In purgatory, all those -- whether
Christian or not -- who have reached the gates of
death without reaching the full perfection of life
represented in Christ are cleansed in a kind of
ongoing baptism and are purified by the
enlightening fire of the Holy Spirit. The suffering
of purgatory is not one of destruction, but the
suffering that comes from leaving the old self
behind and taking on the new.
PILLARS OF THE

CATHOLIC FAITH
The Catholic faith is what those who profess to Holy Orders
belong to the Church are to believe: There are certain In the Sacrament of Holy Orders, or Ordination, the
truths that the mind is to accept on the word of God. priest being ordained vows to lead other Catholics
These truths are contained in concentrated form in by bringing them the sacraments (especially the
the Apostles' Creed. Eucharist), by proclaiming the Gospel, and by
providing other means to holiness.

Anointing of the Sick

The Catholic Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick,
formerly known as Last Rites or Extreme Unction, is
a ritual of healing appropriate not only for physical
but also for mental and spiritual sickness.

The Ten Commandments are the main demands

that God makes on our obedience to His will. They
were first given to Moses on Mount Sinai, then
confirmed and completed by Jesus Christ in His
Sermon on the Mount. They are the conditions that
God sets down for our sometimes painful submission
to Him as our Creator, so we might return to Him as
the eternal Destiny who will satisfy all our desires.

The Catholic sacraments are the means that Christ

provided for His followers in order to share in His
own divine life, to grow in His life during their stay
in this world, and, if necessary, to regain the divine
life if it has been lost through sin.

Baptism
For Catholics, the Sacrament of Baptism is the first
step in a lifelong journey of commitment and
discipleship. Whether we are baptized as infants or
adults, Baptism is the Church's way of celebrating
and enacting the embrace of God.

Eucharist
The Lord's Prayer is at once a summary and a
Catholics believe the Eucharist, or Communion, is
guide. It summarizes all the ways we are to approach
both a sacrifice and a meal. We believe in the real
God as our loving Father in prayer. It also guides us
presence of Jesus, who died for our sins. As we
in our conversation with Him, here on earth, as a
receive Christ's Body and Blood, we also are
preparation for our eternal communication with Him
nourished spiritually and brought closer to God.
in heaven.

Reconciliation
The Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation (also
known as Penance, or Penance and Reconciliation)
has three elements: conversion, confession and
celebration. In it we find God's unconditional
forgiveness; as a result we are called to forgive
others.

Confirmation
Confirmation is a Catholic Sacrament of mature
Christian commitment and a deepening of baptismal
gifts. It is one of the three Sacraments of Initiation
for Catholics. It is most often associated with the
gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Marriage
For Catholics, the Sacrament of Marriage, or Holy
Matrimony, is a public sign that one gives oneself
totally to this other person. It is also a public
statement about God: the loving union of husband
and wife speaks of family values and also God's
values.