Baltimore Catechism 1st lesson

I addressed some of this in my answer to challenges posed to me by a dear Protestant friend.  It now occurs to me there is so much I could add to that post, things I wish I’d have addressed there.  I love the readability and the contextual flow of these questions, like one leads to the next.  I had planned to take them a couple or three at a time, but I like it much better taking the whole lesson first in context, then breaking it down if need be.

1. Q. Who made the world?

A. God made the world.

(see Genesis 1 and 2, Psalm 8, Psalm 19, Proverbs 3:19, Romans 1:20—for starters)

2. Q. Who is God?

A. God is the Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things.

(in addition to verses above, see Isaiah 40:28, Isaiah 43:15)

3. Q. What is man?

A. Man is a creature composed of body and soul, and made to the image and likeness of God.

(see Genesis Psalm 8, Isaiah 10:18, Matthew 10:28, 1 Thessalonians 5:23)

4. Q. Is this likeness in the body or in the soul?

A. This likeness is chiefly in the soul.

5. Q. How is the soul like to God?

A. The soul is like God because it is a spirit that will never die, and has understanding and free will.

6. Q. Why did God make you?

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.

7. Q. Of which must we take more care, our soul or our body?

A. We must take more care of our soul than of our body.

8. Q. Why must we 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.

9. Q. What must we do to save our souls?

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.

See Who is Our Redeemer, What Shall we Do, and How Shall we Know?   for my already recorded thoughts and Scriptures on #9 and #10.

10. Q. How shall we know the things which we are to believe?

A. We shall know the things which we are to believe from the Catholic Church, through which God speaks to us.

11. Q. Where shall we find the chief truths which the Church teaches?

A. We shall find the chief truths which the Church teaches in the Apostles’ Creed.

12. Q. Say the Apostles’ Creed.

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, and 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.