Becoming Catholic

What you need to know to be Catholic

 THE BEATITUDES

• Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
• Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land.
• Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted.
• Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have  their fill.
• Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
• Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.
• Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
• Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

1. I, the Lord, am your God. You shall not have other gods besides me.
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord God in vain
3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day
4. Honor your father and your mother
5. You shall not kill
6. You shall not commit adultery
7. You shall not steal
8. You shall not bear false witness
9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods

 The Two Great Commandments of Jesus. 

1. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
2. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 

The Five Precepts of the Church

1. You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor
2. You shall confess your sins at least once a year
3. You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season
4. You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church
5. You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church

 .The Four Marks of the True Church

The Church must be:

1. One (Romans 12:5)
2. Holy (Ephesians 5:25-27)
3. Catholic (Matthew 28:19-20)
4. Apostolic (Ephesians 2:19-20)

.The Seven Sacraments

1. Baptism
2. Confirmation
3. Holy Communion
4. Confession
5. Marriage
6. Holy Orders
7. Anointing of the Sick

 The Seven Deadly Sins

1. Pride: Unrestrained appreciation of our own worth.
2. Greed: Immoderate desire for earthly goods.
3. Lust: Hankering for impure pleasures.
4. Anger: Inordinate desire for revenge.
5. Gluttony: Unrestrained use of food and drink.
6. Envy: Sorrow over another’s good fortune.
7. Sloth: Laxity in keeping the Faith and the practice of virtue, due to the effort involved.

 .The Seven Capital Virtues to Overcome the 7 Deadly Sins

1. Humility (overcomes pride)
2. Generosity (Overcomes greed)
3. Chastity (Overcomes Lust)
4. Meekness (Overcomes Anger)
5. Temperance (Overcomes Gluttony)
6. Brotherly Love (Overcomes Envy)
7. Diligence (Overcomes Sloth)

 The Three Theological Virtues

1. Faith
2. Hope
3. Charity

The Four Cardinal Virtues .

1. Justice
2. Prudence
3. Fortitude
4. Temperance

 The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

1. Wisdom
2. Understanding
3. Fortitude
4. Counsel
5. Knowledge
6. Piety
7. Fear of the Lord

  The Twelve Fruits of the Holy Spirit

1. Charity
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Long Suffering
8. Mildness
9. Faith
10. Modesty
11. Continence
12. Chastity

 The Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy

1. To admonish the sinner: “…there will be more joy in Heaven at the repentance of one sinner than at ninety-nine of the righteous who had no need of repentance.” Lk. 15:7
2. To instruct the ignorant: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to all creation.” Mk. 16:1
3. To counsel the doubtful: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you…Let not your hearts be troubled…” Jn. 14:27
4. To comfort the sorrowful: “Come to me, all you grown weary and burdened, and I will refresh you.” Mt. 11:28
5. To bear wrongs patiently: “…Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you.” Lk. 6:27-28
6. To forgive all injuries: “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Mt. 6:12
7. To pray for the living and the dead: “Father, I desire that they, too, may be with me where I am…” Jn. 17:24

The Seven Corporal Works of Mercy.

1. To feed the hungry: “For I was hungry and you gave me to eat.” Mt. 25:35
2. To give drink to the thirsty: “…I was thirsty and you gave me to drink…” Mt. 25:35
3. To clothe the naked: “I was…naked and you clothed me…” Mt. 25:36
4. To visit the imprisoned: “I was in prison and you came to me.” Mt. 25:36
5. To shelter the homeless: “…I was a stranger and you took me in…” Mt. 25:35
6. To visit the sick: “…I was sick and you cared for me…” Mt. 25:36
7. To bury the dead: “Amen, I say to you, insofar as you did it for one of these least of my brothers, you did it for me.” Mt. 25:40

 THE FOUR SINS CRYING TO HEAVEN FOR VENGEANCE

1. Willful murder (including abortion) : And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.” (Genesis 4:10).
2. The sin of Sodom: Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry which has come to me.” (Genesis 18:20-21).
3. Oppression of the poor: “You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. If you do afflict them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry.” (Exodus 21-23)
4. Defrauding laborers of their wages: “You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brethren or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns; you shall give him his hire on the day he earns it, before the sun goes down (for he is poor, and sets his heart upon it); lest he cry against you to the Lord, and it be a sin in you.” (Deuteronomy 24:14-15).

 THE SIX SINS AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT

1. Presumption of God’s mercy.
2. Despair.
3. Impugning the known truth.
4. Envy at another’s spiritual good.
5. Obstinacy in sin.
6. Final impenitence

NINE WAYS OF BEING ACCESSORY TO ANOTHER’S SIN

1. By counsel.
2. By command.
3. By consent.
4. By provocation.
5. By praise or flattery.
6. By concealment.
7. By partaking.
8. By silence.
9. By defense of the ill done