Splendor of Truth - What We Believe WHAT WE BELIEVE Questions and Answers on the Tenets of Our Faith by SCTJM KNOWING GOD... Is it possible to know God? Does God want me to know Him? How do I know what God has revealed to man? Who decides what Scripture and Tradition really mean? Don’t many people believe different things about God? How do I know who is right? If God chooses to reveal Himself to us, does man now have a responsibility to respond to God? Do all Catholics have to believe the same thing? GOD THE FATHER... What is the Trinity? Why is God a Trinity and not simply one Person in one God? What did God mean when He said His name is “I AM”? Why do we call God a Father and not a mother? Does this mean that God is a man? Who is God? CREATION... Who created the world? Why did God create the world? Was he obligated to do so? If God is all-powerful and all-loving, why is there evil in the world? Are Catholics allowed to believe in evolution? Do angels really exist, and if so, what is their purpose? Does everyone have their own guardian angel? If God is really perfect, why did He need to rest on the seventh day? What do we mean when we say man was created in the “image and likeness” of God? Does this mean we are just like Him? Do we have a soul? If so, is it immortal? Do animals have souls? Why did God create us male and female? Does this have a significant meaning? Is one gender superior to the other? What was the condition of man before the Fall? THE FALL, MAN’S FIRST SIN... If everything God created was good, how was there an evil serpent in the garden with Adam and Eve? Why did God put the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the Garden? Wouldn’t it have been better if there was no opportunity for Adam and Eve to sin? Did Adam and Eve really eat an apple or is this story meant to be a myth? What were the consequences of Adam’s sin? Are we born sinners? Why do we inherit Adam’s sin even if we never sinned ourselves before we are born? Why did God create us if He knew we were going to sin and cause all this suffering? Wouldn’t it have been better if He never created us in the first place? JESUS CHRIST THE SON... Why did Jesus become man? Was Jesus fully human, or did He just appear to be human? How was Jesus conceived? Is St. Joseph His biological Father? Did Jesus really die? Why did God send Jesus to suffer and die? Who killed Jesus? What does it mean when we say that “Christ descended into hell”? Did Jesus rise from the dead? Was His body after the Resurrection different than it was before He died? What did Jesus do after He rose from the dead? Where is Jesus now? Does Jesus have a body in Heaven? THE HOLY SPIRIT... Who is the Holy Spirit? When do we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit? What is the mission of the Holy Spirit? When did God give the gift of the Holy Spirit to man? THE VIRGIN MARY... Was Mary a virgin when she conceived Jesus? Did Mary remain a virgin after she had Jesus? If so, doesn’t the Bible say Jesus had brothers and sisters? What does is mean to say that Mary is the Immaculate Conception? Did Mary ever sin? Does Mary have her body in Heaven? Why is Mary considered the Mother of the Church? What is the Rosary? What do we mean when we call Mary “Mediatrix”? Doesn’t Scripture say that there is only one Mediator who is Christ? THE CATHOLIC CHURCH... What is a mystery? Why is the Church important? Is the Church a physical or spiritual reality? Is there more than one true Church? Is the Church perfect and without faults? What does “catholic” mean? Who belongs to the Catholic Church? What does the Church think about non-Christian religions? Can a person go to Heaven if they are not part of the Church, in other words, if they are not Catholic? How does the Church want us to act toward those who are non-Catholics? What does it mean to say that the Church is “apostolic”? Who are considered to be the successors of the Apostles? What are the different roles to play in the life of the Church? Is one more important than the others? Who are the members of the hierarchy of the Church? Why do we need a hierarchy in the Church? Is the office of the Pope a human invention or is it an office that Christ mandated? Is it possible for any one person or group of people to contradict or overturn a decision of the Pope? Should we really put so much trust in the infallibility of the Pope? Doesn’t this put too much power into the hands of one man? What does it mean to be infallible? What people in the Church are infallible? Does infallibility mean that the Pope is sinless? What are the responsibilities of the bishops and priests? Who makes up the laity? What are the primary duties of the laity? What are the evangelical counsels and who professes them? What do we mean when we profess belief in the “communion of saints”? Are those who have died also a part of the Church? AFTER DEATH... What happens to people when they die? What is Heaven? How do I make to Heaven? What is hell? Why would someone ever choose hell? What is Purgatory? Why is Purgatory necessary? Why can’t souls go straight to heaven if they have died in God’s friendship and grace? How long do people spend in Purgatory? Can a person spend eternity in Purgatory? What do the souls in Purgatory do? Is the suffering in Purgatory similar to the suffering in Hell? Is it better to suffer on earth or in Purgatory? Can we on earth help souls get out of Purgatory? When we die, do we automatically go to heaven, hell or purgatory, or is there someplace where we wait for a while? Do we still have our bodies when we die? Will Jesus ever come again to earth? Will the world still exist after the Second Coming? Return to main page www.piercedhearts.org This page is the work of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary
Splendor of Truth - What We Believe
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Questions and Answers on the Tenets of Our Faith by SCTJM
KNOWING GOD... Is it possible to know God? Does God want me to know Him? How do I know what God has revealed to man? Who decides what Scripture and Tradition really mean? Don’t many people believe different things about God? How do I know who is right? If God chooses to reveal Himself to us, does man now have a responsibility to respond to God? Do all Catholics have to believe the same thing? GOD THE FATHER... What is the Trinity? Why is God a Trinity and not simply one Person in one God? What did God mean when He said His name is “I AM”? Why do we call God a Father and not a mother? Does this mean that God is a man? Who is God? CREATION... Who created the world? Why did God create the world? Was he obligated to do so? If God is all-powerful and all-loving, why is there evil in the world? Are Catholics allowed to believe in evolution? Do angels really exist, and if so, what is their purpose? Does everyone have their own guardian angel? If God is really perfect, why did He need to rest on the seventh day? What do we mean when we say man was created in the “image and likeness” of God? Does this mean we are just like Him? Do we have a soul? If so, is it immortal? Do animals have souls? Why did God create us male and female? Does this have a significant meaning? Is one gender superior to the other? What was the condition of man before the Fall? THE FALL, MAN’S FIRST SIN... If everything God created was good, how was there an evil serpent in the garden with Adam and Eve? Why did God put the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the Garden? Wouldn’t it have been better if there was no opportunity for Adam and Eve to sin? Did Adam and Eve really eat an apple or is this story meant to be a myth? What were the consequences of Adam’s sin? Are we born sinners? Why do we inherit Adam’s sin even if we never sinned ourselves before we are born? Why did God create us if He knew we were going to sin and cause all this suffering? Wouldn’t it have been better if He never created us in the first place? JESUS CHRIST THE SON... Why did Jesus become man? Was Jesus fully human, or did He just appear to be human? How was Jesus conceived? Is St. Joseph His biological Father? Did Jesus really die? Why did God send Jesus to suffer and die? Who killed Jesus? What does it mean when we say that “Christ descended into hell”? Did Jesus rise from the dead? Was His body after the Resurrection different than it was before He died? What did Jesus do after He rose from the dead? Where is Jesus now? Does Jesus have a body in Heaven? THE HOLY SPIRIT... Who is the Holy Spirit? When do we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit? What is the mission of the Holy Spirit? When did God give the gift of the Holy Spirit to man? THE VIRGIN MARY... Was Mary a virgin when she conceived Jesus? Did Mary remain a virgin after she had Jesus? If so, doesn’t the Bible say Jesus had brothers and sisters? What does is mean to say that Mary is the Immaculate Conception? Did Mary ever sin? Does Mary have her body in Heaven? Why is Mary considered the Mother of the Church? What is the Rosary? What do we mean when we call Mary “Mediatrix”? Doesn’t Scripture say that there is only one Mediator who is Christ? THE CATHOLIC CHURCH... What is a mystery? Why is the Church important? Is the Church a physical or spiritual reality? Is there more than one true Church? Is the Church perfect and without faults? What does “catholic” mean? Who belongs to the Catholic Church? What does the Church think about non-Christian religions? Can a person go to Heaven if they are not part of the Church, in other words, if they are not Catholic? How does the Church want us to act toward those who are non-Catholics? What does it mean to say that the Church is “apostolic”? Who are considered to be the successors of the Apostles? What are the different roles to play in the life of the Church? Is one more important than the others? Who are the members of the hierarchy of the Church? Why do we need a hierarchy in the Church? Is the office of the Pope a human invention or is it an office that Christ mandated? Is it possible for any one person or group of people to contradict or overturn a decision of the Pope? Should we really put so much trust in the infallibility of the Pope? Doesn’t this put too much power into the hands of one man? What does it mean to be infallible? What people in the Church are infallible? Does infallibility mean that the Pope is sinless? What are the responsibilities of the bishops and priests? Who makes up the laity? What are the primary duties of the laity? What are the evangelical counsels and who professes them? What do we mean when we profess belief in the “communion of saints”? Are those who have died also a part of the Church? AFTER DEATH... What happens to people when they die? What is Heaven? How do I make to Heaven? What is hell? Why would someone ever choose hell? What is Purgatory? Why is Purgatory necessary? Why can’t souls go straight to heaven if they have died in God’s friendship and grace? How long do people spend in Purgatory? Can a person spend eternity in Purgatory? What do the souls in Purgatory do? Is the suffering in Purgatory similar to the suffering in Hell? Is it better to suffer on earth or in Purgatory? Can we on earth help souls get out of Purgatory? When we die, do we automatically go to heaven, hell or purgatory, or is there someplace where we wait for a while? Do we still have our bodies when we die? Will Jesus ever come again to earth? Will the world still exist after the Second Coming?
