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A. By the "end of man" we mean the purpose for which he was created: namely, to
know, love, and serve God.
A. I know that man was created for God alone because everything in the world
was created for something more perfect than itself: but there is nothing in the
world more perfect than man; therefore, he was created for something outside
this world, and since he was not created for the Angels, he must have been
created for God.
A. All men are equal in whatever is necessary for their nature and end. They
are all composed of a body and soul; they are all created to the image and
likeness of God; they are all gifted with understanding and free will; and they
have all been created for the same end -- God.
A. Men differ in many things, such as learning, wealth, power, etc.; but these
things belong to the world and not man's nature. He came into this world
without them and he will leave it without them. Only the consequences of good
or evil done in this world will accompany men to the next.
A. God made the world.
A. In this question "world" means the universe; that is, the whole creation;
all that we now see or may hereafter see.
A. God is the Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things.
A. Man is a creature composed of body and soul, and made to the image and
likeness of God.
A. "Man" in the Catechism means all human beings, either men or women, boys,
girls, or children.
A. A creature is anything created, whether it has life or not; body or no body.
Every being, person, or thing except God Himself may be called a creature.
A. This likeness is chiefly in the soul.
A. The soul is like to God because it is a spirit that will never die, and has
understanding and free will.
A. Every spirit is invisible -- which means can not be seen; but every
invisible thing is not a spirit. The wind is invisible, and it is not a
spirit.
A. A spirit is also indivisible; that is, it can not be divided into parts, as
we divide material things.
A. By the words "will never die" we mean that the soul, when once created, will
never cease to exist, whatever be its condition in the next world. Hence we
say the soul is immortal or gifted with immortality.
A. We say a soul is dead while in a state of mortal sin, because in that state
it is as helpless as a dead body, and can merit nothing for itself.
A. Our "understanding" means the "gift of reason," by which man is
distinguished from all other animals, and by which he is enabled to think and
thus acquire knowledge and regulate his actions.
A. We can not learn all truths by our reason alone, for some truths are beyond
the power of our reason and must be taught to us by God.
A. Taken together, we call the truths God teaches us revelation, and we call
the manner by which He teaches them also revelation.
A. "Free Will" is that gift of God by which we are enabled to choose between
one thing and another; and to do good or evil in spite of reward or
punishment.
A. Brute animals have not "understanding" and "free will." They have not
"understanding" because they never change their habits or better their
condition. They have not "free will" because they never show it in their
actions.
A. In animals the gift of "instinct" supplies the place of reason in guiding
their actions.
A. "Instinct" is a gift by which all animals are impelled to follow the laws
and habits that God has given to their nature.
A. Men have "instinct," and they show it when placed in sudden danger, when
they have not time to use their reason. A falling man instantly grasps for
something to support him.
A. God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to
be happy with Him forever in the next.
A. It is necessary to know God because without knowing Him we cannot love Him;
and without loving Him we cannot be saved. We should know Him because He is
infinitely true; love Him because He is infinitely beautiful; and serve Him
because He is infinitely good.
A. We must take more care of our soul than of our body.
A. We must take more care of our soul than of our body, because in losing our
soul we lose God and everlasting happiness.
A. To save our souls, we must worship God by faith, hope, and charity; that is,
we must believe in Him, hope in Him, and love Him with all our heart.
A. "Worship" means to give divine honor by acts such as the offering of prayer
or sacrifice.
A. We shall know the things which we are to believe from the Catholic Church,
through which God speaks to us.
A. By the "Church, through which God speaks to us," we mean the "teaching
Church"; that is, the Pope, Bishops, and priests, whose duty it is to instruct
us in the truths and practices of our religion.
A. We shall find the chief truths which the Church teaches in the Apostles'
Creed.
A. We shall find the remaining truths of our Faith in the religious writings
and preachings that have been sanctioned by the authority of the Church.
A. In the Apostles' Creed there is no mention of the Real Presence of Our Lord
in the Holy Eucharist, nor of the Infallibility of the Pope, nor of the
Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, nor of some other truths that
we are bound to believe.
A. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in
Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born
of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified; died, and was
buried. He descended into hell: the third day He arose again from the dead: He
ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty:
from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the
Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness
of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
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