25 Key Paragraphs from the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Published in 1992, the Catechism of the Catholic Church is a unique reference work that summarizes the faith, teaching, and morality of the Catholic Church. Comprising a total of 2,865 paragraphs, Hozana invites you in this article to discover twenty-five essential paragraphs that can transform your life. Learn how to use the Catechism of the Catholic Church to deepen your understanding. After reading this, we invite you to check out our other articles on the subject.
On God and the Holy Trinity
"The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the 'hierarchy of the truths of faith'." (no. 234)
“God has revealed himself fully by sending his own Son, in whom he has established his covenant for ever. the Son is his Father's definitive Word; so there will be no further Revelation after him.” (No. 73)
On the Resurrection
“The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ, a faith believed and lived as the central truth by the first Christian community; handed on as fundamental by Tradition; established by the documents of the New Testament; and preached as an essential part of the Paschal mystery along with the cross” (no. 638).
“The 'resurrection of the flesh' (the literal formulation of the Apostles' Creed) means not only that the immortal soul will live on after death, but that even our 'mortal body' will come to life again.” (No. 990).
On Satan
“...evil...refers to a person, Satan” (No. 2851)
On Life After Death
On Death
“Death is the end of man's earthly pilgrimage, of the time of grace and mercy which God offers him so as to work out his earthly life in keeping with the divine plan, and to decide his ultimate destiny. When 'the single course of our earthly life' is completed, we shall not return to other earthly lives: 'It is appointed for men to die once.' There is no 'reincarnation' after death.” (No. 1013)
On the Particular Judgment
“Every man receives his eternal recompense in his immortal soul from the moment of his death in a particular judgment by Christ, the judge of the living and the dead.” (No. 1051)
On Purgatory
“All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” (No. 1030).
On Heaven (or Paradise)
“Those who die in God's grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live for ever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they 'see him as he is,' face to face” (No. 1023)
On Hell
“The souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, 'eternal fire.'” (No. 1035).
On the Sacraments
“For believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation” (No. 1129).
On Baptism
“The fruit of Baptism, or baptismal grace, is a rich reality that includes forgiveness of original sin and all personal sins, birth into the new life by which man becomes an adoptive son of the Father, a member of Christ and a temple of the Holy Spirit. By this very fact the person baptized is incorporated into the Church, the Body of Christ, and made a sharer in the priesthood of Christ.” (no. 1279).
Find out everything you need to know about this sacrament here
On the Eucharist
“The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life’” (no. 1324)
Learn more about this sacrament.
On Reconciliation
"According to the Church's command, 'after having attained the age of discretion, each of the faithful is bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year.' Anyone who is aware of having committed a mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion, even if he experiences deep contrition, without having first received sacramental absolution, unless he has a grave reason for receiving Communion and there is no possibility of going to confession." (No. 1457)
Read our article on the sacrament of forgiveness.
On Prayer
“Prayer presupposes an effort, a fight against ourselves and the wiles of the Tempter. the battle of prayer is inseparable from the necessary 'spiritual battle' to act habitually according to the Spirit of Christ: we pray as we live, because we live as we pray.” (No. 2752).
“Christian prayer is a covenant relationship between God and man in Christ. It is the action of God and of man, springing forth from both the Holy Spirit and ourselves, wholly directed to the Father, in union with the human will of the Son of God made man.” (No. 2564).
On forgiveness
“Christian prayer extends to the forgiveness of enemies… Forgiveness is the fundamental condition of the reconciliation of the children of God with their Father and of men with one another.” (no. 2844).
On Sin
“For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: 'Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent.'” (No. 1857).
“One commits venial sin when, in a less serious matter, he does not observe the standard prescribed by the moral law, or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but without full knowledge or without complete consent.” (no. 1862).
Discover what the Catechism says about sin.
On Hope
“Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.” (No. 1817)
On the Vocation of Man
“Man is by nature and vocation a religious being. Coming from God, going toward God, man lives a fully human life only if he freely lives by his bond with God.” (No. 44)
“Man is made to live in communion with God in whom he finds happiness” (No. 45)
On the Christian Life
On Freedom
“The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just. the choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to 'the slavery of sin.'” (No. 1733)
On Conscience
“'Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment.... For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God.... His conscience is man's most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths.'” (No. 1776)
On evangelization
“Through their prophetic mission, the laity ‘are also called to be, in every circumstance and at the very heart of the human community, witnesses to Christ’” (no. 942)
Let’s pray with Hozana!
Reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church can help us better understand and integrate our faith so that we may live out our vocation as children of God and remain faithful to the promises of our baptism. Throughout the year, Hozana offers many communities, such as:
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