2083-2094

2133-2134
This means that the faithful must guard and activate the three theological virtues and must avoid sins which are opposed to them. Faith believes in God and rejects everything that is opposed to it, such as, deliberate doubt, unbelief, heresy, apostasy, and schism. Hope trustingly awaits the blessed vision of God and his help, while avoiding despair and presumption. Charity loves God above all things and therefore repudiates indifference, ingratitude, lukewarmness, sloth or spiritual indolence, and that hatred of God which is born of pride.

443. What is the meaning of the words of our Lord, “Adore the Lord your God and worship Him alone” (Matthew 4:10)?

2095-2105

2135-2136
These words mean to adore God as the Lord of everything that exists; to render to him the individual and community worship which is his due; to pray to him with sentiments of praise, of thanks, and of supplication; to offer him sacrifices, above all the spiritual sacrifice of one’s own life, united with the perfect sacrifice of Christ; and to keep the promises and vows made to him.

444. In what way does a person exercise his or her proper right to worship God in truth and in freedom?

2104-2109

2137
Every person has the right and the moral duty to seek the truth, especially in what concerns God and his Church. Once  the truth is known, each person he has the right and moral duty to embrace it, to guard it faithfully and to render God authentic worship. At the same time, the dignity of the human person requires that in religious matters no one may be forced to act against conscience nor be restrained, within the just limits of public order, from acting in conformity with conscience, privately or publicly, alone or in association with others.

445. What does God prohibit by his command, “You shall not have other gods before me” (Exodus 20:2)?

2110-2128

2138-2140
This commandment forbids:
	•	Polytheism and idolatry, which divinizes creatures, power, money, or even demons.
	•	Superstition which is a departure from the worship due to the true God and which also expresses itself in various forms of divination, magic, sorcery and spiritism.
	•	Irreligion which is evidenced: in tempting God by word or deed; in sacrilege, which profanes sacred persons or sacred things, above all the Eucharist; and in simony, which involves the buying or selling of spiritual things.
	•	Atheism which rejects the existence of God, founded often on a false conception of human autonomy.
	•	Agnosticism which affirms that nothing can be known about God, and involves indifferentism and practical atheism.

446. Does the commandment of God, “You shall not make for yourself a graven image” (Exodus 20:3), forbid the cult of images?

2129-2132

2141
In the Old Testament this commandment forbade any representation of God who is absolutely transcendent. The Christian veneration of sacred images, however, is justified by the incarnation of the Son of God (as taught by the Second Council of Nicea in 787AD) because such veneration is founded on the mystery of the Son of God made man, in whom the transcendent God is made visible. This does not mean the adoration of an image, but rather the veneration of the one who is represented in it: for example, Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Angels and the Saints.

THE SECOND COMMANDMENT:

YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN
447. How does one respect the holiness of the Name of God?

2142-2149

2160-2162
One shows respect for the holy Name of God by blessing it, praising it and glorifying it. It is forbidden, therefore, to call on the Name of God to justify a crime. It is also wrong to use the holy Name of God in any improper way as in blasphemy (which by its nature is a grave sin), curses, and unfaithfulness to promises made in the Name of God.

448. Why is a false oath forbidden?

2150-2151

2163-2164
It is forbidden because one calls upon God who is truth itself to be the witness to a lie.
“Do not swear, whether by the Creator or by any creature, except truthfully, of necessity and with reverence.” (Saint Ignatius of Loyola)

449. What is perjury?

2152-2155
Perjury is to make a promise under oath with the intention of not keeping it or to violate a promise made under oath. It is a grave sin against God who is always faithful to his promises.

THE THIRD COMMANDMENT:

REMEMBER TO KEEP HOLY THE LORD’S DAY
450. Why did God “bless the Sabbath day and declare it sacred” (Exodus 20:11)?

2168-2172

2189
God did so because on the Sabbath day one remembers God’s rest on the seventh day of creation, and also the liberation of Israel from slavery in Egypt and the Covenant which God sealed with his people.

451. How did Jesus act in regard to the Sabbath?

2173
Jesus recognized the holiness of the Sabbath day and with divine authority he gave this law its authentic interpretation: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

452. For what reason has the Sabbath been changed to Sunday for Christians?

2174-2176

2190-2191
The reason is because Sunday is the day of the Resurrection of Christ. As “the first day of the week” (Mark 16:2) it recalls the first creation; and as the “eighth day”, which follows the sabbath, it symbolizes the new creation ushered in by the Resurrection of Christ. Thus, it has become for Christians the first of all days and of all feasts. It is the day of the Lord in which he with his Passover fulfilled the spiritual truth of the Jewish Sabbath and proclaimed man’s eternal rest in God.

453. How does one keep Sunday holy?

2177-2185

2192-2193
Christians keep Sunday and other days of obligation holy by participating in the Eucharist of the Lord and by refraining from those activities which impede the worship of God and disturb the joy proper to the day of the Lord or the necessary relaxation of mind and body. Activities are allowed on the Sabbath which are bound up with family needs or with important social service, provided that they do not lead to habits prejudicial to the holiness of Sunday, to family life and to health.

454. Why is the civil recognition of Sunday as a feast day important?

2186-2188

2194-2195
It is important so that all might be given the real possibility of enjoying sufficient rest and leisure to take care of their religious, familial, cultural and social lives. It is important also to have an opportune time for meditation, for reflection, for silence, for study, and a time to dedicate to good works, particularly for the sick and for the elderly.

CHAPTER TWO
“You Shall Love Your Neighbour as Yourself”
THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT: HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER
455. What does the fourth commandment require?

2196-2200

2247-2248
It commands us to honor and respect our parents and those whom God, for our good, has vested with his authority.

456. What is the nature of the family in the plan of God?

2201-2205

2249
A man and a woman united in marriage form a family together with their children. God instituted the family and endowed it with its fundamental constitution. Marriage and the family are ordered to the good of the spouses and to the procreation and education of children. Members of the same family establish among themselves personal relationships and primary responsibilities. In Christ the family becomes the domestic church because it is a community of faith, of hope, and of charity.

457. What place does the family occupy in society?

2207-2208
The family is the original cell of human society and is, therefore, prior to any recognition by public authority. Family values and principles constitute the foundation of social life. Family life is an initiation into the life of society.

458. What are the duties that society has toward the family?

2209-2213

2250
Society, while respecting the principle of subsidiarity, has the duty to support and strengthen marriage and the family. Public authority must respect, protect and foster the true nature of marriage and the family, public morality, the rights of parents, and domestic prosperity.

459. What are the duties of children toward their parents?

2214-2220

2251
Children owe respect (filial piety), gratitude, docility and obedience to their parents. In paying them respect and in fostering good relationships with their brothers and sisters, children contribute to the growth in harmony and holiness in family life in general. Adult children should give their parents material and moral support whenever they find themselves in situations of distress, sickness, loneliness, or old age.

460. What are the duties of parents toward their children?

2221-2231
Parents, in virtue of their participation in the fatherhood of God, have the first responsibility for the education of their children and they are the first heralds of the faith for them. They have the duty to love and respect their children as persons and as children of God and to provide, as far as is possible, for their physical and spiritual needs. They should select for them a suitable school and help them with prudent counsel in the choice of their profession and their state of life. In particular they have the mission of educating their children in the Christian faith.

461. How are parents to educate their children in the Christian faith?

2252-2253
Parents do this mainly by example, prayer, family catechesis and participation in the life of the Church.

462. Are family bonds an absolute good?

2232-2233
Family ties are important but not absolute, because the first vocation of a Christian is to follow Jesus and love him: “He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37). Parents must support with joy their children’s choice to follow Jesus in whatever state of life, even in the consecrated life or the priestly ministry.

463. How should authority be exercised in the various spheres of civil society?

2234-2237

2254
Authority should always be exercised as a service, respecting fundamental human rights, a just hierarchy of values, laws, distributive justice, and the principle of subsidiarity. All those who exercise authority should seek the interests of the community before their own interest and allow their decisions to be inspired by the truth about God, about man and about the world.

464. What are the duties of citizens in regard to civil authorities?

2238-2241

2255
Those subject to authority should regard those in authority as representatives of God and offer their loyal collaboration for the right functioning of public and social life. This collaboration includes love and service of one’s homeland, the right and duty to vote, payment of taxes, the defense of one’s country, and the right to exercise constructive criticism.

465. When is a citizen forbidden to obey civil authorities?

2242-2243

2256
A citizen is obliged in conscience not to obey the laws of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts of the Apostles 5:29).

THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT:

YOU SHALL NOT KILL
466. Why must human life be respected?

2258-2262

2318-2320
Human life must be respected because it is sacred. From its beginning human life involves the creative action of God and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. It is not lawful for anyone directly to destroy an innocent human being. This is gravely contrary to the dignity of the person and the holiness of the Creator. “Do not slay the innocent and the righteous” (Exodus 23:7).

467. Why is the legitimate defense of persons and of society not opposed to this norm?

2263-2265
Because in choosing to legitimately defend oneself one is respecting the right to life (either one’s own right to life or that of another) and not choosing to kill. Indeed, for someone responsible for the life of another, legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty, provided only that disproportionate force is not used.

468. What is the purpose of punishment?

2266
A punishment imposed by legitimate public authority has the aim of redressing the disorder introduced by the offense, of defending public order and people’s safety, and contributing to the correction of the guilty party.

469. What kind of punishment may be imposed?

2267
The punishment imposed must be proportionate to the gravity of the offense. Given the possibilities which the State now has for effectively preventing crime by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm, the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity “are very rare, if not practically non-existent.” (Evangelium Vitae). When non-lethal means are sufficient, authority should limit itself to such means because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good, are more in conformity with the dignity of the human person, and do not remove definitively from the guilty party the possibility of reforming himself.

470. What is forbidden by the fifth commandment?

2268-2283

2321-2326
The fifth commandment forbids as gravely contrary to the moral law:
	•	direct and intentional murder and cooperation in it;
	•	direct abortion, willed as an end or as means, as well as cooperation in it. Attached to this sin is the penalty of excommunication because, from the moment of his or her conception, the human being must be absolutely respected and protected in his integrity;
	•	direct euthanasia which consists in putting an end to the life of the handicapped, the sick, or those near death by an act or by the omission of a required action;
	•	suicide and voluntary cooperation in it, insofar as it is a grave offense against the just love of God, of self, and of neighbor. One’s responsibility may be aggravated by the scandal given; one who is psychologically disturbed or is experiencing grave fear may have diminished responsibility.

471. What medical procedures are permitted when death is considered imminent?

2278-2279
When death is considered imminent the ordinary care owed to a sick person cannot be legitimately interrupted. However, it is legitimate to use pain-killers which do not aim at in death and to refuse “over-zealous treatment”, that is the utilization of disproportionate medical procedures without reasonable hope of a positive outcome.

472. Why must society protect every embryo?

2273-2274
The inalienable right to life of every human individual from the first moment of conception is a constitutive element of civil society and its legislation. When the State does not place its power at the service of the rights of all and in particular of the more vulnerable, including unborn children, the very foundations of a State based on law are undermined.

473. How does one avoid scandal?

2284-2287
Scandal, which consists in inducing others to do evil, is avoided when we respect the soul and body of the person. Anyone who deliberately leads others to commit serious sins himself commits a grave offense.

474. What duty do we have toward our body?

2288-2291
We must take reasonable care of our own physical health and that of others but avoid the cult of the body and every kind of excess. Also to be avoided are the use of drugs which cause very serious damage to human health and life, as well as the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco and medicine.

475. When are scientific, medical, or psychological experiments on human individuals or groups morally legitimate?

2292-2295
They are morally legitimate when they are at the service of the integral good of the person and of society, without disproportionate risks to the life and physical and psychological integrity of the subjects who must be properly informed and consenting.

476. Are the transplant and donation of organs allowed before and after death?

2296
The transplant of organs is morally acceptable with the consent of the donor and without excessive risks to him or her. Before allowing the noble act of organ donation after death, one must verify that the donor is truly dead.

477. What practices are contrary to respect for the bodily integrity of the human person?

2297-2298
They are: kidnapping and hostage taking, terrorism, torture, violence, and direct sterilization. Amputations and mutilations of a person are morally permissible only for strictly therapeutic medical reasons.

478. What care must be given to the dying?

2299
The dying have a right to live the last moments of their earthly lives with dignity and, above all, to be sustained with prayer and the sacraments that prepare them to meet the living God.

479. How are the bodies of the deceased to be treated?

2300-2301
The bodies of the departed must be treated with love and respect. Their cremation is permitted provided that it does not demonstrate a denial of faith in the resurrection of the body.

480. What does the Lord ask of every person in regard to peace?

2302-2303
The Lord proclaimed “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9). He called for peace of heart and denounced the immorality of anger which is a desire for revenge for some evil suffered. He also denounced hatred which leads one to wish evil on one’s neighbor. These attitudes, if voluntary and consented to in matters of great importance, are mortal sins against charity.

481. What is peace in this world?

2304-2305
Peace in this world, which is required for the respect and development of human life, is not simply the absence of war or a balance of power between adversaries. It is “the tranquility of order” (Saint Augustine), “the work of justice” (Isaiah 32:17) and the effect of charity. Earthly peace is the image and fruit of the peace of Christ.

482. What is required for earthly peace?

2304

2307-2308
Earthly peace requires the equal distribution and safeguarding of the goods of persons, free communication among human beings, respect for the dignity of persons and peoples, and the assiduous practice of justice and fraternity.

483. When is it morally permitted to use military force?

2307-2310
The use of military force is morally justified when the following conditions are simultaneously present:
	•	the suffering inflicted by the aggressor must be lasting, grave and certain;
	•	all other peaceful means must have been shown to be ineffective;
	•	there are well founded prospects of success;
	•	the use of arms, especially given the power of modern weapons of mass destruction, must not produce evils graver than the evil to be eliminated.

484. In danger of war, who has the responsibility for the rigorous evaluation of these conditions?

2309
This responsibility belongs to the prudential judgment of government officials who also have the right to impose on citizens the obligation of national defense. The personal right to conscientious objection makes an exception to this obligation which should then be carried out by another form of service to the human community.

485. In case of war, what does the moral law require?

2312-2314

2328
Even during a war the moral law always remains valid. It requires the humane treatment of noncombatants, wounded soldiers and prisoners of war. Deliberate actions contrary to the law of nations, and the orders that command such actions are crimes, which blind obedience does not excuse. Acts of mass destruction must be condemned and likewise the extermination of peoples or ethnic minorities, which are most grievous sins. One is morally bound to resist the orders that command such acts.

486. What must be done to avoid war?

2315-2317

2327-2330
Because of the evils and injustices that all war brings with it, we must do everything reasonably possible to avoid it. To this end it is particularly important to avoid: the accumulation and sale of arms which are not regulated by the legitimate authorities; all forms of economic and social injustice; ethnic and religious discrimination; envy, mistrust, pride and the spirit of revenge. Everything done to overcome these and other disorders contributes to building up peace and avoiding war.

THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT:

YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY
487. What responsibility do human persons have in regard to their own sexual identity?

2331-2336

2392-2393
God has created human beings as male and female, equal in personal dignity, and has called them to a vocation of love and of communion. Everyone should accept his or her identity as male or female, recognizing its importance for the whole of the person, its specificity and complementarity.

488. What is chastity?

2337-2338
Chastity means the positive integration of sexuality within the person. Sexuality becomes truly human when it is integrated in a correct way into the relationship of one person to another. Chastity is a moral virtue, a gift of God, a grace, and a fruit of the Holy Spirit.

489. What is involved in the virtue of chastity?

2339-2341
The virtue of chastity involves an apprenticeship in self-mastery as an expression of human freedom directed towards self-giving. An integral and continuing formation, which is brought about in stages, is necessary to achieve this goal.

490. What are the means that aid the living of chastity?

2340-2347
There are many means at one’s disposal: the grace of God, the help of the sacraments, prayer, self-knowledge, the practice of an asceticism adapted to various situations, the exercise of the moral virtues, especially the virtue of temperance which seeks to have the passions guided by reason.

491. In what way is everyone called to live chastity?

2348-2350

2394
As followers of Christ, the model of all chastity, all the baptised are called to live chastely in keeping with their particular states of life. Some profess virginity or consecrated celibacy which enables them to give themselves to God alone with an undivided heart in a remarkable manner. Others, if they are married live in conjugal chastity, or if unmarried practise chastity in continence.

492. What are the principal sins against chastity?

2351-2359

2396
Grave sins against chastity differ according to their object: adultery, masturbation, fornication, pornography, prostitution, rape, and homosexual acts. These sins are expressions of the vice of lust. These kinds of acts committed against the physical and moral integrity of minors become even more grave.

493. Although it says only “you shall not commit adultery” why does the sixth commandment forbid all sins against chastity?

2336
Although the biblical text of the Decalogue reads “you shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14), the Tradition of the Church comprehensively follows the moral teachings of the Old and New Testaments and considers the sixth commandment as encompassing all sins against chastity.

494. What is the responsibility of civil authority in regard to chastity?

2354
Insofar as it is bound to promote respect for the dignity of the person, civil authority should seek to create an environment conducive to the practice of chastity. It should also enact suitable legislation to prevent the spread of the grave offenses against chastity mentioned above, especially in order to protect minors and those who are the weakest members of society.

495. What are the goods of conjugal love to which sexuality is ordered?

2360-2361

2397-2398
The goods of conjugal love, which for those who are baptized is sanctified by the sacrament of Matrimony, are unity, fidelity, indissolubility, and an openness to the procreation of life.

496. What is the meaning of the conjugal act?

2362-2367
The conjugal act has a twofold meaning: unitive (the mutual self-giving of the spouses) and procreative (an openness to the transmission of life). No one may break the inseparable connection which God has established between these two meanings of the conjugal act by excluding one or the other of them.

497. When is it moral to regulate births?

2368-2369

2399
The regulation of births, which is an aspect of responsible fatherhood and motherhood, is objectively morally acceptable when it is pursued by the spouses without external pressure; when it is practiced not out of selfishness but for serious reasons; and with methods that conform to the objective criteria of morality, that is, periodic continence and use of the infertile periods.

498. What are immoral means of birth control?

2370-2372
Every action - for example, direct sterilization or contraception - is intrinsically immoral which (either in anticipation of the conjugal act, in its accomplishment or in the development of its natural consequences) proposes, as an end or as a means, to hinder procreation.

499. Why are artificial insemination and artificial fertilization immoral?

2373-2377
They are immoral because they dissociate procreation from the act with which the spouses give themselves to each other and so introduce the domination of technology over the origin and destiny of the human person. Furthermore, heterologous insemination and fertilization with the use of techniques that involve a person other than the married couple infringe upon the right of a child to be born of a father and mother known to him, bound to each other by marriage and having the exclusive right to become parents only through each another.

500. How should children be considered?

2378
A child is a gift of God, the supreme gift of marriage. There is no such thing as a right to have children (e.g. “a child at any cost”). But a child does have the right to be the fruit of the conjugal act of its parents as well as the right to be respected as a person from the moment of conception.

501. What can spouses do when they do not have children?

2379
Should the gift of a child not be given to them, after exhausting all legitimate medical options, spouses can show their generosity by way of foster care or adoption or by performing meaningful services for others. In this way they realize a precious spiritual fruitfulness.

502. What are the offenses against the dignity of marriage?

2380-2391

2400
These are: adultery, divorce, polygamy, incest, free unions (cohabitation, concubinage), and sexual acts before or outside of marriage.

THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT:

YOU SHALL NOT STEAL
503. What is set forth by the seventh commandment?

2401-2402
The seventh commandment requires respect for the universal destination and distribution of goods and the private ownership of them, as well as respect for persons, their property, and the integrity of creation. The Church also finds in this Commandment the basis for her social doctrine which involves the correct way of acting in economic, social and political life, the right and the duty of human labor, justice and solidarity among nations, and love for the poor.

504. Under what conditions does the right to private property exist?

2403
The right to private property exists provided the property is acquired or received in a just way and that the universal destination of goods for the satisfaction of the basic needs of all takes precedence.

505. What is the purpose of private property?

2404-2406
The purpose of private property is to guarantee the freedom and dignity of individual persons by helping them to meet the basic needs of those in their charge and also of others who are in need.

506. What does the seventh commandment require?

2407

2450-2451
The seventh commandment requires respect for the goods of others through the practice of justice and charity, temperance and solidarity. In particular it requires respect for promises made and contracts agreed to, reparation for injustice committed and restitution of stolen goods, and respect for the integrity of creation by the prudent and moderate use of the mineral, vegetable, and animal resources of the universe with special attention to those species which are in danger of extinction.

507. What attitude should people have toward animals?

2416-2418

2457
People must treat animals with kindness as creatures of God and avoid both excessive love for them and an indiscriminate use of them especially by scientific experiments that go beyond reasonable limits and entail needless suffering for the animals.

508. What is forbidden by the seventh commandment?

2408-2413

2453-2455
Above all, the seventh commandment forbids theft, which is the taking or using of another’s property against the reasonable will of the owner. This can be done also by paying unjust wages; by speculation on the value of goods in order to gain an advantage to the detriment of others; or by the forgery of checks or invoices. Also forbidden is tax evasion or business fraud; willfully damaging private or public property ; usury; corruption; the private abuse of common goods; work deliberately done poorly; and waste.

509. What is the content of the social doctrine of the Church?

2419-2423
The social doctrine of the Church is an organic development of the truth of the Gospel about the dignity of the human person and his social dimension offering principles for reflection, criteria for judgment, and norms and guidelines for action.

510. When does the Church intervene in social areas?

2420

2458
The Church intervenes by making a moral judgment about economic and social matters when the fundamental rights of the person, the common good, or the salvation of souls requires it.

511. How should social and economic life be pursued?

2459
It should be pursued according to its own proper methods within the sphere of the moral order, at the service of the whole human being and of the entire human community in keeping with social justice. Social and economic life should have the human person as its author, center, and goal.

512. What would be opposed to the social doctrine of the Church?

2424-2425
Opposed to the social doctrine of the Church are economic and social systems that sacrifice the basic rights of persons or that make profit their exclusive norm or ultimate end. For this reason the Church rejects the ideologies associated in modern times with Communism or with atheistic and totalitarian forms of socialism. But in the practice of capitalism the Church also rejects self centered individualism and an absolute primacy of the laws of the marketplace over human labor.

513. What is the meaning of work?

2426-2428

2460-2461
Work is both a duty and a right through which human beings collaborate with God the Creator. Indeed, by working with commitment and competence we fulfil the potential inscribed in our nature, honor the Creator’s gifts and the talents received from him, provide for ourselves and for our families, and serve the human community. Furthermore, by the grace of God, work can be a means of sanctification and collaboration with Christ for the salvation of others.

514. To what type of work does every person have a right?

2429

2433-2434
Access to secure and honest employment must be open to all without unjust discrimination and with respect for free economic initiative and fair compensation.

515. What responsibility does the State have in regard to labor?

2431
It is the role of the State to guarantee individual freedom and private property, as well as a stable currency and efficient public services. It is also the State’s responsibility to oversee and direct the exercise of human rights in the economic sector. According to circumstances, society must help citizens to find work.

516. What is the task of business management?

2432
Business managers are responsible for the economic and ecological effects of their operations. They must consider the good of persons and not only the increase of profits, even though profits are necessary to assure investments, the future of the business, employment, and the good progress of economic life.

517. What are the duties of workers?

2435
They must carry out their work in a conscientious way with competence and dedication, seeking to resolve any controversies with dialogue. Recourse to a non-violent strike is morally legitimate when it appears to be the necessary way to obtain a proportionate benefit and it takes into account the common good.

518. How is justice and solidarity among nations brought about?

2437-2441
On the international level, all nations and institutions must carry out their work in solidarity and subsidiarity for the purpose of eliminating or at least reducing poverty, the inequality of resources and economic potential, economic and social injustices, the exploitation of persons, the accumulation of debts by poor countries, and the perverse mechanisms that impede the development of the less advanced countries.

519. In what way do Christians participate in political and social life?

2442
The lay faithful take part directly in political and social life by animating temporal realities with a Christian spirit and collaborating with all as authentic witnesses of the Gospel and agents of peace and justice.

520. By what is love for the poor inspired?

2443-2449

2462-2463
Love for the poor is inspired by the Gospel of the Beatitudes and by the example of Jesus in his constant concern for the poor. Jesus said, “Whatever you have done to the least of my brethren, you have done to me” (Matthew 25:40). Love for the poor shows itself through the struggle against material poverty and also against the many forms of cultural, moral, and religious poverty. The spiritual and corporal works of mercy and the many charitable institutions formed throughout the centuries are a concrete witness to the preferential love for the poor which characterizes the disciples of Jesus.

THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT:

YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST YOUR NEIGHBOR
521. What is one’s duty toward the truth?

2464-2470

2504
Every person is called to sincerity and truthfulness in acting and speaking. Everyone has the duty to seek the truth, to adhere to it and to order one’s whole life in accordance with its demands. In Jesus Christ the whole of God’s truth has been made manifest. He is “the truth”. Those who follow him live in the Spirit of truth and guard against duplicity, dissimulation, and hypocrisy.

522. How does one bear witness to the truth?

2471-2474

2505-2506
A Christian must bear witness to the truth of the Gospel in every field of his activity, both public and private, and also if necessary, with the sacrifice of his very life. Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith.

523. What is forbidden by the eighth commandment?

2475-2487

2507-2509
The eighth commandment forbids:
	•	false witness, perjury, and lying, the gravity of which is measured by the truth it deforms, the circumstances, the intentions of the one who lies, and the harm suffered by its victims;
	•	rash judgment, slander, defamation and calumny which diminish or destroy the good reputation and honor to which every person has a right;
	•	flattery, adulation, or complaisance, especially if directed to serious sins or toward the achievement of illicit advantages.
A sin committed against truth demands reparation if it has caused harm to others.

524. What is required by the eighth commandment?

2488-2492

2510-2511
The eighth commandment requires respect for the truth accompanied by the discretion of charity in the field of communication and the imparting of information, where the personal and common good, the protection of privacy and the danger of scandal must all be taken into account; in respecting professional secrets which must be kept, save in exceptional cases for grave and proportionate reasons; and also in respecting confidences given under the seal of secrecy.

525. How is one to use the means of social communication?

2493-2499

2512
The information provided by the media must be at the service of the common good. Its content must be true and – within the limits of justice and charity – also complete. Furthermore, information must be communicated honestly and properly with scrupulous respect for moral laws and the legitimate rights and dignity of the person.

526. What relationship exists between truth, beauty and sacred art?

2500-2503

2513
The truth is beautiful, carrying in itself the splendour of spiritual beauty. In addition to the expression of the truth in words there are other complementary expressions of the truth, most specifically in the beauty of artistic works. These are the fruit both of talents given by God and of human effort. Sacred art by being true and beautiful should evoke and glorify the mystery of God made visible in Christ, and lead to the adoration and love of God, the Creator and Savior, who is the surpassing, invisible Beauty of Truth and Love.

THE NINTH COMMANDMENT:

YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBOR’S WIFE
527. What is required by the ninth commandment?

2514-2516

2528-2530
The ninth commandment requires that one overcome carnal concupiscence in thought and in desire. The struggle against such concupiscence entails purifying the heart and practicing the virtue of temperance.

528. What is forbidden by the ninth commandment?

2517-2519

2531-2532
The ninth commandment forbids cultivating thoughts and desires connected to actions forbidden by the sixth commandment.

529. How does one reach purity of heart?

2520
In the battle against disordered desires the baptised person is able, by the grace of God, to achieve purity of heart through the virtue and gift of chastity, through purity of intention, purity of vision (both exterior and interior), discipline of the imagination and of feelings and by prayer.

530. What are the other requirements for purity?

2521-2527

2533
Purity requires modesty which, while protecting the intimate center of the person, expresses the sensitivity of chastity. It guides how one looks at others and behaves toward them in conformity with the dignity of persons and their communion. Purity frees one from wide-spread eroticism and avoids those things which foster morbid curiosity. Purity also requires a purification of the social climate by means of a constant struggle against moral permissiveness which is founded on an erroneous conception of human freedom.

THE TENTH COMMANDMENT:

YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBOR’S POSSESSIONS
531. What is required and what is forbidden by the tenth commandment?

2534-2540

2551-2554
This commandment, which completes the preceding commandment, requires an interior attitude of respect for the property of others and forbids greed, unbridled covetousness for the goods of others, and envy which is the sadness one experiences at the sight of another’s goods and the immoderate desire to acquire them for oneself.

532. What does Jesus call for in poverty of spirit?

2544-2547

2556
Jesus calls his disciples to prefer him to everything and everyone. Detachment from riches – in the spirit of evangelical poverty – and self-abandonment to divine providence free us from anxiety about the future and prepare us for the blessedness of the “poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mathew 5:3).

533. What is the greatest human desire?

2548-2550

2557
The greatest desire of the human person is to see God. “I want to see God” is the cry of our whole being. We realize our true and full happiness in the vision and beatitude of the One who created us out of love and draws us to himself with infinite love.
“Whoever sees God has obtained all the goods of which he can conceive.” (Saint Gregory of Nyssa)

Part Four
Christian Prayer
Section One

Prayer in the Christian Life
534. What is prayer?

2558-2565

2590
Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God, or the petition of good things from him in accord with his will. It is always the gift of God who comes to encounter man. Christian prayer is the personal and living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is infinitely good, with his Son Jesus Christ, and with the Holy Spirit who dwells in their hearts.

CHAPTER ONE
The Revelation of Prayer
535. Why is there a universal call to prayer?

2566-2567
Because through creation God first calls every being from nothingness. Even after the Fall man continues to be capable of recognizing his Creator and retains a desire for the One who has called him into existence. All religions, and the whole history of salvation in particular, bear witness to this human desire for God. It is God first of all, however, who ceaselessly draws every person to the mysterious encounter known as prayer.

THE REVELATION OF PRAYER

IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
536. How is Abraham a model of prayer?

2570-2573

2592
Abraham is a model of prayer because he walked in the presence of God, heard and obeyed him. His prayer was a battle of faith because he continued to believe in the fidelity of God even in times of trial. Besides, after having received in his own tent the visit of the Lord who confided his plan to him, Abraham dared to intercede for sinners with bold confidence.

537. How did Moses pray?

2574-2577

2593
The prayer of Moses was typical of contemplative prayer. God, who called to Moses from the burning bush, lingered in conversation with him often and at length, “face to face, like a man with his friend” (Exodus 33:11). In this intimacy with God, Moses attained the strength to intercede tenaciously for his people: his prayer thus prefigured the intercession of the one mediator, Christ Jesus.

538. In the Old Testament, what relationship do the king and the temple have to prayer?

2578-2580

2594
The prayer of the People of God developed in the shadow of the dwelling place of God – the Ark of the Covenant, then the Temple – under the guidance of their shepherds. Among them there was David, the King “after God’s own heart,” the shepherd who prayed for his people. His prayer was a model for the prayer of the people because it involved clinging to the divine promise and a trust filled with love for the One who is the only King and Lord.

539. What is the role of prayer in the mission of the prophets?

2581-2584
The prophets drew from prayer the light and strength to exhort the people to faith and to conversion of heart. They entered into great intimacy with God and interceded for their brothers and sisters to whom they proclaimed what they had seen and heard from the Lord. Elijah was the father of the prophets, of those who sought the face of God. On Mount Carmel he achieved the return of the people to the faith, thanks to the intervention of God to whom he prayed: “Answer me, O Lord, answer me!” (1 Kings 18:37).

540. What is the importance of the Psalms in prayer?

2579

2585-2589

2596-2597
The Psalms are the summit of prayer in the Old Testament: the Word of God become the prayer of man. Inseparably both personal and communal, and inspired by the Holy Spirit, this prayer sings of God’s marvelous deeds in creation and in the history of salvation. Christ prayed the Psalms and brought them to fulfillment. Thus they remain an essential and permanent element of the prayer of the Church suited to people of every condition and time.

PRAYER IS FULLY REVEALED AND REALIZED IN JESUS
541. From whom did Jesus learn how to pray?

2599

2620
Jesus, with his human heart, learned how to pray from his mother and from the Jewish tradition. But his prayer sprang from a more secret source because he is the eternal Son of God who in his holy humanity offers his perfect filial prayer to his Father.

542. When did Jesus pray?

2600-2604

2620
The Gospel often shows Jesus at prayer. We see him draw apart to pray in solitude, even at night. He prays before the decisive moments of his mission or that of his apostles. In fact, all his life is a prayer because he is in a constant communion of love with the Father.

543. How did Jesus pray during his passion?

2605-2606

2620
The prayer of Jesus during his agony in the garden of Gethsemani and his last words on the cross reveal the depth of his filial prayer. Jesus brings to completion the loving plan of the Father and takes upon himself all the anguish of humanity and all the petitions and intercessions of the history of salvation. He presents them to the Father who accepts them and answers them beyond all hope by raising his Son from the dead.

544. How does Jesus teach us to pray?

2608-2614

2621
Jesus teaches us to pray not only with the Our Father but also when he prays. In this way he teaches us, in addition to the content, the dispositions necessary for every true prayer: purity of heart that seeks the Kingdom and forgives one’s enemies, bold and filial faith that goes beyond what we feel and understand, and watchfulness that protects the disciple from temptation.

545. Why is our prayer efficacious?

2615-2616
Our prayer is efficacious because it is united in faith with the prayer of Jesus. In him Christian prayer becomes a communion of love with the Father. In this way we can present our petitions to God and be heard: “Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full” (John 16:24).

546. How did the Virgin Mary pray?

2617, 2618

2622, 2674

2679
Mary’s prayer was characterized by faith and by the generous offering of her whole being to God. The Mother of Jesus is also the new Eve, the “Mother of all the living”. She prays to Jesus for the needs of all people.

547. Is there a prayer of Mary in the Gospel?

2619
Along with the prayer of Mary at Cana in Galilee, the Gospel gives us the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) which is the song both of the Mother of God and of the Church, the joyous thanksgiving that rises from the hearts of the poor because their hope is met by the fulfillment of the divine promises.

PRAYER IN THE AGE OF THE CHURCH
548. How did the first Christian community in Jerusalem pray?

2623-2624
At the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles it is written that in the first community of Jerusalem, educated in the life of prayer by the Holy Spirit, the faithful “devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread, and to the prayers” (Acts 2:42).

549. How does the Holy Spirit intervene in the Church’s prayer?

2623

2625
The Holy Spirit, the interior Master of Christian prayer, forms the Church in the life of prayer and allows her to enter ever more deeply into contemplation of and union with the unfathomable mystery of Christ. The forms of prayer expressed in the apostolic and canonical writings remain normative for Christian prayer.

550. What are the essential forms of Christian prayer?

2643-2644
They are blessing and adoration, the prayer of petition and intercession, thanksgiving and praise. The Eucharist contains and expresses all the forms of prayer.

551. What is “blessing”?

2626-2627

2645
The prayer of blessing is man’s response to God’s gifts: we bless the Almighty who first blesses us and fills us with his gifts.

552. How can adoration be defined?

2628
Adoration is the humble acknowledgement by human beings that they are creatures of the thrice-holy Creator.

553. What are the different forms of the prayer of petition?

2629-2633

2646
It can be a petition for pardon or also a humble and trusting petition for all our needs either spiritual or material. The first thing to ask for, however, is the coming of the Kingdom.

554. In what does the prayer of intercession consist?

2634-2636

2647
Intercession consists in asking on behalf of another. It conforms us and unites us to the prayer of Jesus who intercedes with the Father for all, especially sinners. Intercession must extend even to one’s enemies.

555. When is thanksgiving given to God?

2637-2638

2648
The Church gives thanks to God unceasingly, above all in celebrating the Eucharist in which Christ allows her to participate in his own thanksgiving to the Father. For the Christian every event becomes a reason for giving thanks.

556. What is the prayer of praise?

2639-2643

2649
Praise is that form of prayer which recognizes most immediately that God is God. It is a completely disinterested prayer: it sings God’s praise for his own sake and gives him glory simply because he is.

CHAPTER TWO
The Tradition of Prayer
557. What is the importance of Tradition in regard to prayer?

2650-2651
In the Church it is through living Tradition that the Holy Spirit teaches the children of God how to pray. In fact prayer cannot be reduced to the spontaneous outpouring of an interior impulse; rather it implies contemplation, study and a grasp of the spiritual realities one experiences.

AT THE WELLSPRINGS OF PRAYER
558. What are the sources of Christian prayer?

2652-2662
They are: the Word of God which gives us “the surpassing knowledge” of Christ (Philippians 3:8); the Liturgy of the Church that proclaims, makes present and communicates the mystery of salvation; the theological virtues; and everyday situations because in them we can encounter God.
“I love you, Lord, and the only grace I ask is to love you eternally. … My God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love you, I want my heart to repeat it to you as often as I draw breath.” (The Curé of Ars, Saint John Mary Vianney)

THE WAY OF PRAYER
559. In the Church are there different ways of praying?

2663
In the Church there are various ways of praying that are tied to different historical, social and cultural contexts. The Magisterium of the Church has the task of discerning the fidelity of these ways of praying to the tradition of apostolic faith. It is for pastors and catechists to explain their meaning which is always related to Jesus Christ.

560. What is the way of our prayer?

2664

2680-2681
The way of our prayer is Christ because prayer is directed to God our Father but reaches him only if we pray – at least implicitly – in the name of Jesus. His humanity is in effect the only way by which the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray to our Father. Therefore liturgical prayers conclude with the formula: “Through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

561. What is the role of the Holy Spirit in prayer?

2670-2672

2680-2681
Since the Holy Spirit is the interior Master of Christian prayer and “we do not know how to pray as we ought” (Romans 8:26), the Church exhorts us to invoke him and implore him on every occasion: “Come, Holy Spirit!”

562. How is Christian prayer Marian?

2673-2679

2682
Because of her singular cooperation with the action of the Holy Spirit, the Church loves to pray to Mary and with Mary, the perfect ‘pray-er’, and to “magnify” and invoke the Lord with her. Mary in effect shows us the “Way” who is her Son, the one and only Mediator.

563. How does the Church pray to Mary?

2676-2678

2682
Above all with the Hail Mary, the prayer with which the Church asks the intercession of the Virgin. Other Marian prayers are the Rosary, the Akathistos hymn, the Paraclesis, and the hymns and canticles of diverse Christian traditions.

GUIDES FOR PRAYER
564. How are the saints guides for prayer?

2683-2684

2692-2693
The saints are our models of prayer. We also ask them to intercede before the Holy Trinity for us and for the whole world. Their intercession is their most exalted service to God’s plan. In the communion of saints, throughout the history of the Church, there have developed different types of spiritualities that teach us how to live and to practice the way of prayer.

565. Who can educate us in prayer?

2685-2690

2694-2695
The Christian family is the first place of education in prayer. Daily family prayer is particularly recommended because it is the first witness to the life of prayer in the Church. Catechesis, prayer groups, and “spiritual direction” constitute a school of and a help to prayer.

566. What places are conducive to prayer?

2691

2696
One can pray anywhere but the choice of an appropriate place is not a matter of indifference when it comes to prayer. The church is the proper place for liturgical prayer and Eucharistic adoration. Other places also help one to pray, such as a “prayer corner” at home, a monastery or a shrine.

CHAPTER THREE
The Life of Prayer
567. What times are more suitable for prayer?

2697-2698

2720
Any time is suitable for prayer but the Church proposes to the faithful certain rhythms of praying intended to nourish continual prayer: morning and evening prayer, prayer before and after meals, the Liturgy of the Hours, Sunday Eucharist, the Rosary, and feasts of the liturgical year.
“We must remember God more often than we draw breath.” (Saint Gregory of Nazianzus)

568. What are the expressions of the life of prayer?
2697-2699
Christian tradition has preserved three forms for expressing and living prayer: vocal prayer, meditation, and contemplative prayer. The feature common to all of them is the recollection of the heart.

EXPRESSIONS OF PRAYER
569. How can vocal prayer be described?

2700-2704

2722
Vocal prayer associates the body with the interior prayer of the heart. Even the most interior prayer, however, cannot dispense with vocal prayer. In any case it must always spring from a personal faith. With the Our Father Jesus has taught us a perfect form of vocal prayer.

570. What is meditation?

2705-2708

2723
Meditation is a prayerful reflection that begins above all in the Word of God in the Bible. Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion and desire in order to deepen our faith, convert our heart and fortify our will to follow Christ. It is a first step toward the union of love with our Lord.

571. What is contemplative prayer?

2709-2719

2724

2739-2741
Contemplative prayer is a simple gaze upon God in silence and love. It is a gift of God, a moment of pure faith during which the one praying seeks Christ, surrenders himself to the loving will of the Father, and places his being under the action of the Holy Spirit. Saint Teresa of Avila defines contemplative prayer as the intimate sharing of friendship, “in which time is frequently taken to be alone with God who we know loves us.”

THE BATTLE OF PRAYER
572. Why is prayer a “battle”?

2725
Prayer is a gift of grace but it always presupposes a determined response on our part because those who pray “battle” against themselves, their surroundings, and especially the Tempter who does all he can to turn them away from prayer. The battle of prayer is inseparable from progress in the spiritual life. We pray as we live because we live as we pray.

573. Are there objections to prayer?

2726-2728

2752-2753
Along with erroneous notions of prayer, many think they do not have the time to pray or that praying is useless. Those who pray can be discouraged in the face of difficulties and apparent lack of success. Humility, trust and perseverance are necessary to overcome these obstacles.

574. What are the difficulties in prayer?

2729-2733

2754-2755
Distraction is a habitual difficulty in our prayer. It takes our attention away from God and can also reveal what we are attached to. Our heart therefore must humbly turn to the Lord. Prayer is often affected by dryness. Overcoming this difficulty allows us to cling to the Lord in faith, even without any feeling of consolation. Acedia is a form of spiritual laziness due to relaxed vigilance and a lack of custody of the heart.

575. How may we strengthen our filial trust?

2734-2741

2756
Filial trust is tested when we think we are not heard. We must therefore ask ourselves if we think God is truly a Father whose will we seek to fulfill, or simply a means to obtain what we want. If our prayer is united to that of Jesus, we know that he gives us much more than this or that gift. We receive the Holy Spirit who transforms our heart.

576. Is it possible to pray always?

2742-2745

2757
Praying is always possible because the time of the Christian is the time of the risen Christ who remains “with us always” (Matthew 28:20). Prayer and Christian life are therefore inseparable:
“It is possible to offer frequent and fervent prayer even at the market place or strolling alone. It is possible also in your place of business, while buying or selling, or even while cooking.” (Saint John Chrysostom)

577. What is the prayer of the Hour of Jesus?

2604

2746-2751

2758
It is called the priestly prayer of Jesus at the Last Supper. Jesus, the High Priest of the New Covenant, addresses it to his Father when the hour of his sacrifice, the hour of his “passing over” to him is approaching.

Section Two

The Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father”
Our Father
Our Father who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done

on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day

our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Pater Noster
Pater noster, qui es in cælis:

sanctificétur Nomen Tuum:

advéniat Regnum Tuum:

fiat volúntas Tua,

sicut in cælo, et in terra.

Panem nostrum

cotidiánum da nobis hódie,

et dimítte nobis débita nostra,

sicut et nos

dimíttimus debitóribus nostris.

et ne nos indúcas in tentatiónem;

sed líbera nos a Malo.

578. What is the origin of the Our Father?

2759-2760

2773
Jesus taught us this Christian prayer for which there is no substitute, the Our Father, on the day on which one of his disciples saw him praying and asked him, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). The Church’s liturgical tradition has always used the text of Saint Matthew (6:9-13).

“THE SUMMARY OF THE WHOLE GOSPEL”
579. What is the place of the Our Father in the Scriptures?

2761-2764

2774
The Our Father is the “summary of the whole Gospel” (Tertullian), “the perfect prayer” (Saint Thomas Aquinas). Found in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), it presents in the form of prayer the essential content of the Gospel.

580. Why is it called the “Lord’s Prayer”?

2765-2766

2775
The Our Father is called the “Oratio Dominica”, that is, the Lord’s Prayer because it was taught to us by the Lord Jesus himself.

581. What place does the Our Father have in the prayer of the Church?

2767-2772

2776
The Lord’s Prayer is the prayer of the Church par excellence. It is “handed on” in Baptism to signify the new birth of the children of God into the divine life. The full meaning of the Our Father is revealed in the eucharist since its petitions are based on the mystery of salvation already accomplished, petitions that will be fully heard at the coming of the Lord. The Our Father is an integral part of the Liturgy of the Hours.

“OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN”
582. Why can we dare to draw near to God in full confidence?

2777-2778

2797
Because Jesus, our Redeemer, brings us into the Father’s presence and his Spirit makes us his children. We are thus able to pray the Our Father with simple and filial trust, with joyful assurance and humble boldness, with the certainty of being loved and heard.

583. How is it possible to address God as “Father”?

2779-2785

2789

2798-2800
We can invoke the “Father” because the Son of God made man has revealed him to us and because his Spirit makes him known to us. The invocation, Father, lets us enter into his mystery with an ever new sense of wonder and awakens in us the desire to act as his children. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we are therefore aware of our being sons of the Father in the Son.

584. Why do we say “our” Father?

2786-2790

2801
 “Our” expresses a totally new relationship with God. When we pray to the Father, we adore and glorify him with the Son and the Holy Spirit. In Christ we are “his” people and he is “our” God now and for eternity. In fact, we also say “our” Father because the Church of Christ is the communion of a multitude of brothers and sisters who have but “one heart and mind” (Acts 4:32).

585. With what spirit of communion and mission do we pray to God as “our” Father?

2791-2793

2801
Since praying to “our” Father is a common blessing for the baptized, we feel an urgent summons to join in Jesus’ prayer for the unity of his disciples. To pray the “Our Father” is to pray with all people and for all people that they may know the one true God and be gathered into unity.

586. What does the phrase “Who art in heaven” mean?

2794-2796

2802
This biblical expression does not indicate a place but a way of being: God transcends everything. The expression refers to the majesty, the holiness of God, and also to his presence in the hearts of the just. Heaven, or the Father’s house, constitutes our true homeland toward which we are moving in hope while we are still on earth. “Hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3), we live already in this homeland.

THE SEVEN PETITIONS
587. What is the structure of the Lord’s Prayer?

2803-2806

2857
It contains seven petitions made to God the Father. The first three, more God-centered, draw us toward him for his glory; it is characteristic of love to think first of the beloved. These petitions suggest in particular what we ought to ask of him: the sanctification of his Name, the coming of his Kingdom, and the fulfillment of his will. The last four petitions present to the Father of mercies our wretchedness and our expectations. They ask him to feed us, to forgive us, to sustain us in temptations, and to free us from the Evil One.

588. What does “Hallowed be thy Name” mean?

2807-2812

2858
To hallow or make holy the Name of God is above all a prayer of praise that acknowledges God as holy. In fact, God revealed his holy Name to Moses and wanted his people to be consecrated for him as a holy nation in which he would dwell.

589. How is the Name of God made holy in us and in the world?

2813-2815
To make holy the Name of God, who calls us “to holiness” (1 Thessalonians 4:7) is to desire that our baptismal consecration animate our whole life. In addition, it is to ask –with our lives and our prayers – that the Name of God be known and blessed by every man.

590. What does the Church ask for when she prays “Thy Kingdom come”?

2816-2821

2859
The Church prays for the final coming of the Kingdom of God through Christ’s return in glory. The Church prays also that the Kingdom of God increase from now on through people’s sanctification in the Spirit and through their commitment to the service of justice and peace in keeping with the Beatitudes. This petition is the cry of the Spirit and the Bride: “Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

591. Why pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”?

2822-2827

2860
The will of the Father is that “all men be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4). For this Jesus came: to perfectly fulfill the saving will of his Father. We pray God our Father to unite our will to that of his Son after the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints. We ask that this loving plan be fully realized on earth as it is already in heaven. It is through prayer that we can discern “what is the will of God” (Romans 12:2) and have the “steadfastness to do it” (Hebrews 10:36).

592. What is the sense of the petition “Give us this day our daily bread”?

2828-2834

2861
Asking God with the filial trust of children for the daily nourishment which is necessary for us all we recognize how good God is, beyond all goodness. We ask also for the grace to know how to act so that justice and solidarity may allow the abundance of some to remedy the needs of others.

593. What is the specifically Christian sense of this petition?

2835-2837

2861
Since “man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4), this petition equally applies to hunger for the Word of God and for the Body of Christ received in the Eucharist as well as hunger for the Holy Spirit. We ask this with complete confidence for this day – God’s “today” – and this is given to us above all in the Eucharist which anticipates the banquet of the Kingdom to come.

594. Why do we say “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”?

2838-2839

2862
By asking God the Father to pardon us, we acknowledge before him that we are sinners. At the same time we proclaim his mercy because in his Son and through the sacraments “we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14). Still our petition will be answered only if we for our part have forgiven first.

595. How is forgiveness possible?

2840-2845

2862
Mercy can penetrate our hearts only if we ourselves learn how to forgive – even our enemies. Now even if it seems impossible for us to satisfy this requirement, the heart that offers itself to the Holy Spirit can, like Christ, love even to love’s extreme; it can turn injury into compassion and transform hurt into intercession. Forgiveness participates in the divine mercy and is a high-point of Christian prayer.

596. What does “Lead us not into temptation” mean?

2846-2849

2863
We ask God our Father not to leave us alone and in the power of temptation. We ask the Holy Spirit to help us know how to discern, on the one hand, between a trial that makes us grow in goodness and a temptation that leads to sin and death and, on the other hand, between being tempted and consenting to temptation. This petition unites us to Jesus who overcame temptation by his prayer. It requests the grace of vigilance and of final perseverance.

597. Why do we conclude by asking “But deliver us from evil”?

2850-2854

2864
“Evil” indicates the person of Satan who opposes God and is “the deceiver of the whole world” (Revelation 12:9). Victory over the devil has already been won by Christ. We pray, however, that the human family be freed from Satan and his works. We also ask for the precious gift of peace and the grace of perseverance as we wait for the coming of Christ who will free us definitively from the Evil One.

598. What is the meaning of the final Amen?

2855-2856

2865
“At the end of the prayer, you say ‘Amen’ and thus you ratify by this word that means ‘so be it’ all that is contained in this prayer that God has taught us.” (Saint Cyril of Jerusalem)

APPENDIX
A) COMMON PRAYERS
The Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father

and of the Son

and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Signum Crucis
In nómine Patris

et Fílii

et Spíritus Sancti. Amen.

Glory be to the Father
Glory be to the Father

and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning

is now, and ever shall be

world without end. Amen.

Gloria Patri
Glória Patri

et Fílio

et Spirítui Sancto.

Sicut erat in princípio,

et nunc et semper

et in sæ´cula sæculórum. Amen.

The Hail Mary
Hail, Mary, full of grace,

the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Ave, Maria
Ave, María, grátia plena,

Dóminus tecum.

Benedícta tu in muliéribus,

et benedíctus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.

Sancta María, Mater Dei,

ora pro nobis peccatóribus,

nunc et in hora mortis nostræ.

Amen.

Angel of God
Angel of God,

my guardian dear,

to whom God’s love commits me here,

ever this day be at my side,

to light and guard, to rule and guide.

Amen.

Angele Dei
Ángele Dei,

qui custos es mei,

me, tibi commíssum pietáte supérna,

illúmina, custódi,

rege et gubérna.

Amen.

Eternal Rest
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace. Amen.

Requiem Æternam
Réquiem ætérnam dona eis, Dómine,

et lux perpétua lúceat eis.

Requiéscant in pace. Amen.

The Angelus
V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.

R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women,

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.

R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.

Hail Mary.
V. And the Word was made flesh.

R. And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray;
Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by his Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of his Resurrection. Through the same Christ, our Lord.

Amen.
Glory be to the Father...

Angelus Domini
Ángelus Dómini nuntiávit Maríæ.

Et concépit de Spíritu Sancto.
Ave, María...
Ecce ancílla Dómini.

Fiat mihi secúndum verbum tuum.
Ave, María...
Et Verbum caro factum est.

Et habitávit in nobis.
Ave, María...
Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei génetrix.

Ut digni efficiámur promissiónibus Christi.
Orémus.
Grátiam tuam, quæsumus,

Dómine, méntibus nostris infúnde;

ut qui, Ángelo nuntiánte,

Christi Fílii tui incarnatiónem cognóvimus,

per passiónem eius et crucem,

ad resurrectiónis glóriam perducámur.
Per eúndem Christum Dóminum nostrum. Amen.
Glória Patri...

The Regina Caeli
UK VERSION
Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia!

for he whom you were worthy to bear, alleluia!

has risen as he said, alleluia!

Pray for us to God, alleluia!
USA VERSION
Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia.

The Son whom you merited to bear, alleluia,

has risen as he said, alleluia.

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia!

For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
THEN FOR BOTH VERSIONS
Let us pray;
O God, who through the resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, did vouchsafe to give joy to the world; grant, we beseech you, that through his Mother, the Virgin Mary, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Regina Cæli
Regína cæli lætáre, allelúia.

Quia quem meruísti portáre, allelúia.
Resurréxit, sicut dixit, allelúia.

Ora pro nobis Deum, allelúia.
Gaude et lætáre, Virgo María, allelúia.

Quia surréxit Dóminus vere, allelúia.
Orémus.
Deus, qui per resurrectiónem Fílii tui Dómini nostri Iesu Christi mundum lætificáre dignátus es, præsta, quæsumus, ut per eius Genetrícem Vírginem Maríam perpétuæ capiámus gáudia vitæ.

Per Christum Dóminum nostrum. Amen.

Hail Holy Queen
UK VERSION
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,

Hail our life, our sweetness and our hope!

To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve.

To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears! Turn, then, most gracious Advocate,

thine eyes of mercy toward us,

and after this, our exile,

show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving,

O sweet Virgin Mary.
USA VERSION
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,

our life, our sweetness and our hope.

To you do we cry,

poor banished children of Eve.

To you do we send up our sighs,

mourning and weeping in this valley of tears

Turn then, most gracious advocate,

your eyes of mercy toward us,

and after this exile

show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb,

Jesus.

O clement, O loving,

O sweet Virgin Mary.

Salve, Regina
Salve, Regína,

Mater misericórdiæ,

vita, dulcédo et spes nostra, salve.

Ad te clamámus,

éxsules fílii Evæ.

Ad te suspirámus geméntes et flentes

in hac lacrimárum valle.

Eia ergo, advocáta nostra,

illos tuos misericórdes óculos

ad nos convérte.

Et Iesum benedíctum fructum ventris tui,

nobis, post hoc exsílium, osténde.

O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo María!

The Magnificat
UK VERSION
My soul glorifies the Lord,

My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.

He looks on his servant in her lowliness;

Henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

The Almighty works marvels for me.

Holy his name!

His mercy is from age to age,

on those who fear him.

He puts forth his arm in strength

And scatters the proud hearted.

He casts the mighty from their thrones

And raises the lowly.

He fills the starving with good things,

Sends the rich away empty.

He protects Israel, his servant,

remembering his mercy,

the mercy promised to our fathers,

to Abraham and his sons for ever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
USA VERSION
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children forever.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Magnificat
Magníficat ánima mea Dóminum,

et exsultávit spíritus meus

in Deo salvatóre meo,

quia respéxit humilitátem

ancíllæ suæ.

Ecce enim ex hoc beátam

me dicent omnes generatiónes,

quia fecit mihi magna,

qui potens est,

et sanctum nomen eius,

et misericórdia eius in progénies

et progénies timéntibus eum.

Fecit poténtiam in bráchio suo,

dispérsit supérbos mente cordis sui;

depósuit poténtes de sede

et exaltávit húmiles.

Esuriéntes implévit bonis

et dívites dimísit inánes.

Suscépit Ísrael púerum suum,

recordátus misericórdiæ,

sicut locútus est ad patres nostros,

Ábraham et sémini eius in sæcula.

Glória Patri et Fílio

et Spirítui Sancto.

Sicut erat in princípio,

et nunc et semper,

et in sæcula sæculórum.

Amen.

Under Your Protection
We fly to thy protection,

O holy Mother of God.

Despise not our petitions

in our necessities,

but deliver us always

from all dangers

O glorious and blessed Virgin.

Sub tuum præsidium
Sub tuum præsídium confúgimus,

sancta Dei Génetrix;

nostras deprecatiónes ne despícias

in necessitátibus;

sed a perículis cunctis

líbera nos semper,

Virgo gloriósa et benedícta.

The Benedictus
UK VERSION
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel!

He has visited his people and redeemed them.

He has raised up for us a mighty saviour

In the house of David his servant,

As he promised by the lips of holy men,

Those who were his prophets from of old.

A saviour who would free us from our foes,

From the hands of all who hate us.

So his love for our fathers is fulfilled

And his holy covenant remembered.

He swore to Abraham our father to grant us,

that free from fear, and saved from the hands of our foes,

we might serve him in holiness and justice

all the days of our life in his presence.

As for you, little child, you shall be called a prophet of God, the Most High.

You shall go ahead of the Lord

To prepare his ways before him.

To make known to his people their salvation

Through forgiveness of all their sins,

The loving-kindness of the heart of our God

Who visits us like the dawn from on high.

He will give light to those in darkness,

Those who dwell in the shadow of death,

And guide us into the way of peace.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
USA VERSION
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;

he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior,

born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old

that he would save us from our enemies,

from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers

and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father

Abraham:

to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

free to worship him without fear,

holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High;

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

to give his people knowledge of salvation

by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God

the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,

and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Benedictus
Benedíctus Dóminus, Deus Ísrael,

quia visitávit

et fecit redemptiónem plebi suæ,

et eréxit cornu salútis nobis

in domo David púeri sui,

sicut locútus est per os sanctórum,

qui a sæculo sunt, prophetárum eius,

salútem ex inimícis nostris

et de manu ómnium,

qui odérunt nos;

ad faciéndam misericórdiam

cum pátribus nostris

et memorári testaménti sui sancti,

iusiurándum, quod iurávit

ad Ábraham patrem nostrum,

datúrum se nobis,

ut sine timóre,

de manu inimicórum liberáti,

serviámus illi

in sanctitáte et iustítia coram ipso

ómnibus diébus nostris.

Et tu, puer,

prophéta Altíssimi vocáberis:

præíbis enim ante fáciem Dómini

paráre vias eius,

ad dandam sciéntiam salútis

plebi eius

in remissiónem peccatórum eórum,

per víscera misericórdiæ Dei nostri,

in quibus visitábit nos óriens ex alto,

illumináre his, qui in ténebris

et in umbra mortis sedent,

ad dirigéndos pedes nostros

in viam pacis.

Glória Patri et Fílio

et Spirítui Sancto.

Sicut erat in princípio,

et nunc

et semper,

et in sæcula sæculórum. Amen.

The Te Deum
UK VERSION
We praise you, O God:

We acclaim you as Lord.

Everlasting Father,

All the world bows down before you.

All the angels sing your praise,

The hosts of heaven and all the angelic powers,

All the cherubim and seraphim

Call out to you in unending song:

Holy, Holy, Holy,

Is the Lord God of angel hosts!

The heavens and the earth are filled

With your majesty and glory.

The glorious band of apostles,

The noble company of prophets,

The white-robed army who shed their blood for Christ,

All sing your praise.

And to the ends of the earth

Your holy Church proclaims her faith in you:

Father, whose majesty is boundless,

Your true and only son, who is to be adored,

The Holy Spirit sent to be our Advocate.

You, Christ, are the king of glory,

Son of the eternal Father.

When you took our nature to save mankind

You did not shrink from birth in the Virgin’s womb.

You overcame the power of death

Opening the Father’s kingdom to all who believe in you.

Enthroned at God’s right hand in the glory of the Father,

You will come in judgement according to your promise.

You redeemed your people by your precious blood.

Coe, we implore you, to our aid.

Grant us with the saints

a place in eternal glory.

Lord, save your people

And bless your inheritance.

Rule them and uphold them

For ever and ever.

Day by day we praise you:

We acclaim you now and to all eternity.

In your goodness, Lord, keep us free from sin.

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.

May your mercy always be with us, Lord,

For we have hoped in you.

In you, Lord, we put our trust:

We shall not be put to shame.
USA VERSION
You are God: we praise you;

You are God: we acclaim you;

You are the eternal Father:

All creation worships you.

To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,

Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:

Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might,

Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise you.

The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.

The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.

Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:

Father, of majesty unbounded,

Your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,

And the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the king of glory,

The eternal Son of the Father.

When you became man to set us free

You did not spurn the Virgin’s womb.

You overcame the sting of death,

And opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.

We believe that you will come, and be our judge.

Come then, Lord, and help your people,

Bought with the price of your own blood,

And bring us with your saints

To glory everlasting.

Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance.

Govern and uphold them now and always.

Day by day we bless you.

We praise your name forever.

Keep us today, Lord, from all sin.

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.

Lord, show us your love and mercy;

For we put our trust in you.

In you, Lord, is our hope:

And we shall never hope in vain.

Te Deum
Te Deum laudámus:

te Dóminum confitémur.

Te ætérnum Patrem,

omnis terra venerátur.

tibi omnes ángeli,

tibi cæli et univérsæ potestátes:

tibi chérubim et séraphim

incessábili voce proclámant:

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,

Dóminus Deus Sábaoth.

Pleni sunt cæli et terra

maiestátis glóriæ tuæ.

Te gloriósus

apostolórum chorus,

te prophetárum

laudábilis númerus,

te mártyrum candidátus

laudat exércitus.

Te per orbem terrárum

sancta confitétur Ecclésia,

Patrem imménsæ maiestátis;

venerándum tuum verum

et únicum Fílium;

Sanctum quoque

Paráclitum Spíritum.

Tu rex glóriæ, Christe.

Tu Patris sempitérnus es Fílius.

Tu, ad liberándum susceptúrus

hóminem,

non horruísti Vírginis úterum.

Tu, devícto mortis acúleo,

aperuísti credéntibus regna cælórum.

Tu ad déxteram Dei sedes,

in glória Patris.

Iudex créderis esse ventúrus.

Te ergo quæsumus,

tuis fámulis súbveni,

quos pretióso sánguine redemísti.

Ætérna fac cum sanctis tuis

in glória numerári.

Salvum fac pópulum tuum, Dómine,

et bénedic hereditáti tuæ.

Et rege eos, et extólle illos

usque in ætérnum.

Per síngulos dies benedícimus te;

et laudámus nomen tuum

in sæculum, et in sæculum sæculi.

Dignáre, Dómine,

die isto sine peccáto nos custodíre.

Miserére nostri, Dómine, miserére nostri.

Fiat misericórdia tua,

Dómine, super nos,

quemádmodum sperávimus in te.

In te, Dómine, sperávi:

non confúndar in ætérnum.

Come, Creator Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit, Creator come,

From your bright heavenly throne!

Come, take possession of our souls,

And make them all your own.

You who are called the Paraclete,

Best gift of God above,

The living spring, the living fire,

Sweet unction, and true love!

You who are sevenfold in your grace,

Finger of God’s right hand,

His promise, teaching little ones

To speak and understand!

O guide our minds with your blessed light,

With love our hearts inflame,

And with your strength which never decays

Confirm our mortal frame.

Far from us drive our hellish foe

True peace unto us bring,

And through all perils guide us safe

Beneath your sacred wing.

Through you may we the Father know,

Through you the eternal Son

And you the Spirit of them both

Thrice-blessed three in one.

All glory to the Father be,

And to the risen Son;

The same to you, O Paraclete,

While endless ages run. Amen.

Veni, Creator Spiritus
Veni, creátor Spíritus,

mentes tuórum vísita,

imple supérna grátia,

quæ tu creásti péctora.

Qui díceris Paráclitus,

altíssimi donum Dei,

fons vivus, ignis, cáritas,

et spiritális únctio.

Tu septifórmis múnere,

dígitus patérnæ déxteræ,

tu rite promíssum Patris,

sermóne ditans gúttura.

Accénde lumen sénsibus,

infúnde amórem córdibus,

infírma nostri córporis

virtúte firmans pérpeti.

Hostem repéllas lóngius

pacémque dones prótinus;

ductóre sic te prævio

vitémus omne nóxium.

Per Te sciámus da Patrem

noscámus atque Fílium,

teque utriúsque Spíritum

credámus omni témpore.

Deo Patri sit glória,

et Fílio, qui a mórtuis

surréxit, ac Paráclito,

in sæculórum sæcula. Amen.

Come, Holy Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit, come!

And from your celestial home

Shed a ray of light divine!

Come, Father of the poor!

Come, source of all our store!

Come, within our bosoms shine.

You, of comforters the best;

You, the soul’s most welcome guest;

Sweet refreshment here below;

In our labor, rest most sweet;

Grateful coolness in the heat;

Solace in the midst of woe.

O most blessed Light divine,

Shine within these hearts of yours,

And our inmost being fill!

Where you are not, we have naught,

Nothing good in deed or thought,

Nothing free from taint of ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew;

On our dryness pour your dew;

Wash the stains of guilt away:

Bend the stubborn heart and will;

Melt the frozen, warm the chill;

Guide the steps that go astray.

On the faithful, who adore

And confess you, evermore

In your sevenfold gift descend:

Give them virtue’s sure reward;

Give them your salvation, Lord;

Give them joys that never end.

Veni, Sancte Spiritus
Veni, Sancte Spíritus,

et emítte cælitus

lucis tuæ rádium.

Veni, pater páuperum,

veni, dator múnerum,

veni, lumen córdium.

Consolátor óptime,

dulcis hospes ánimæ,

dulce refrigérium.

In labóre réquies,

in æstu tempéries,

in fletu solácium.

O lux beatíssima,

reple cordis íntima

tuórum fidélium.

Sine tuo númine,

nihil est in hómine

nihil est innóxium.

Lava quod est sórdidum,

riga quod est áridum,

sana quod est sáucium.

Flecte quod est rígidum,

fove quod est frígidum,

rege quod est dévium.

Da tuis fidélibus,

in te confidéntibus,

sacrum septenárium.

Da virtútis méritum,

da salútis éxitum,

da perénne gáudium. Amen.

The Anima Christi
Soul of Christ, be my sanctification.

Body of Christ, be my salvation.

Blood of Christ, fill all my veins.

Water of Christ’s side, wash out my stains.

Passion of Christ, my comfort be.

O good Jesus, listen to me.

In Thy wounds I fain would hide,

N’er to be parted from Thy side,

Guard me, should the foe assail me.

Call me when my life shall fail me.

Bid me come to Thee above,

With Thy saints to sing Thy love,

World without end. Amen.

Anima Christi
Ánima Christi, sanctífica me.

Corpus Christi, salva me.

Sanguis Christi, inébria me.

Aqua láteris Christi, lava me.

Pássio Christi, confórta me.

O bone Iesu, exáudi me.

Intra tua vúlnera abscónde me.

Ne permíttas me separári a te.

Ab hoste malígno defénde me.

In hora mortis meæ voca me.

Et iube me veníre ad te,

ut cum Sanctis tuis laudem te

in sæcula sæculórum. Amen

The Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,

that never was it known

that anyone who fled to thy protection,

implored thy help,

or sought thy intercession,

was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence

I fly unto thee,

O Virgin of virgins, my Mother.

To thee do I come,

before thee I stand,

sinful and sorrowful.

O Mother of the Word Incarnate,

despise not my petitions,

but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Amen.

Memorare
Memoráre, o piíssima Virgo María,

non esse audítum a sæculo,

quemquam ad tua curréntem præsídia,

tua implorántem auxília,

tua peténtem suffrágia, esse derelíctum.

Ego tali animátus confidéntia,

ad te, Virgo Vírginum, Mater,

curro, ad te vénio,

coram te gemens peccátor assísto.

Noli, Mater Verbi, verba mea despícere;

sed áudi propítia et exáudi. Amen.

The Rosary
The Joyful Mysteries

(recited Monday and Saturday)
The Annunciation

The Visitation

The Nativity

The Presentation

The Finding in the Temple
The Mysteries of Light

(recited Thursday)
The Baptism of Jesus

The Wedding Feast of Cana

The Proclamation of the Kingdom, with the call to Conversion

The Transfiguration

The Institution of the Eucharist
The Sorrowful Mysteries

(recited Tuesday and Friday)
The Agony in the Garden

The Scourging at the Pillar

The Crowning with Thorns

The Carrying of the Cross

The Crucifixion
The Glorious Mysteries

(recited Wednesday and Sunday)
The Resurrection

The Ascension

The Descent of the Holy Spirit

The Assumption

The Coronation of Mary Queen of Heaven and Earth
Prayer concluding the Rosary
Hail, Holy Queen, etc. as above
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
O God, whose only-begotten Son,

by his life, death and resurrection,

has purchased for us

the rewards of eternal life,

grant, we beseech thee,

that meditating on these mysteries

of the most holy Rosary of the

Blessed Virgin Mary,

we may imitate what they contain

and obtain what they promise,

through the same Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Rosarium
Mystéria gaudiósa

(in feria secunda et sabbato)
Annuntiátio.

Visitátio.

Natívitas.

Præsentátio.

Invéntio in Templo.
Mystéria luminósa

(in feria quinta)
Baptísma apud Iordánem.

Autorevelátio apud Cananénse matrimónium.

Regni Dei proclamátio coniúncta cum invitaménto

ad conversiónem.

Transfigurátio.

Eucharístiæ Institútio.
Mystéria dolorósa

(in feria tertia et feria sexta)
Agonía in Hortu.

Flagellátio.

Coronátio Spinis.

Baiulátio Crucis.

Crucifíxio et Mors.
Mystéria gloriósa

(in feria quarta et Dominica)
Resurréctio.

Ascénsio.

Descénsus Spíritus Sancti.

Assúmptio.

Coronátio in Cælo.
Oratio ad finem Rosarii dicenda
Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei génetrix.

Ut digni efficiámur promissiónibus Christi.
Orémus.
Deus, cuius Unigénitus per vitam,

mortem et resurrectiónem suam

nobis salútis ætérnæ

præmia comparávit,

concéde, quæsumus:

ut hæc mystéria sacratíssimo

beátæ Maríæ Vírginis

Rosário recoléntes,

et imitémur quod cóntinent,

et quod promíttunt assequámur.

Per Christum Dóminum nostrum.

Amen.

Coptic Incense Prayer
O King of peace, give us your peace and pardon our sins. Dismiss the enemies of the Church and protect her so that she never fail. Emmanuel our God is in our midst in the glory of the Father and of the Holy Spirit. May he bless us and purify our hearts and cure the sicknesses of our soul and body. We adore you, O Christ, with your good Father and the Holy Spirit because you have come and you have saved us.

Syro-Maronite Farewell to the Altar
Remain in peace, O Altar of God. May the offering that I have taken from you be for the remission of my debts and the pardon of my sins and may it obtain for me that I may stand before the tribunal of Christ without condemnation and without confusion. I do not know if I will have the opportunity to return and offer another sacrifice upon you. Protect me, O Lord, and preserve your holy Church as the way to truth and salvation. Amen.

Byzantine Prayer for the Deceased
God of the spirits and of all flesh, who have trampled death and annihilated the devil and given life to your world, may you yourself, O Lord, grant to the soul of your deceased servant N. rest in a place of light, a verdant place, a place of freshness, from where suffering, pain and cries are far removed. Do You, O good and compassionate God forgive every fault committed by him in word, work or thought because there is no man who lives and does not sin. You alone are without sin and your justice is justice throughout the ages and your word is truth. Since you, O Christ our God, are the resurrection, the life and the repose of your deceased servant N., we give you glory together with your un-begotten Father and your most holy, good and life-creating Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.

Act of Faith
O my God, I firmly believe

that you are one God in three divine Persons,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

I believe that your divine Son became man

and died for our sins and that he will come

to judge the living and the dead.

I believe these and all the truths

which the Holy Catholic Church teaches

because you have revealed them

who are eternal truth and wisdom,

who can neither deceive nor be deceived.

In this faith I intend to live and die.

Amen.

Actus fidei
Dómine Deus,

firma fide credo et confíteor

ómnia et síngula quæ

sancta Ecclésia Cathólica propónit,

quia tu, Deus, ea ómnia revelásti,

qui es ætérna véritas et sapiéntia

quæ nec fállere nec falli potest.

In hac fide vívere et mori státuo.

Amen.

Act of Hope
O Lord God,

I hope by your grace for the pardon

of all my sins

and after life here to gain eternal happiness

because you have promised it

who are infinitely powerful, faithful, kind,

and merciful.

In this hope I intend to live and die.

Amen.

Actus spei
Dómine Deus, spero per grátiam tuam

remissiónem ómnium peccatórum,

et post hanc vitam ætérnam felicitátem

me esse consecutúrum:

quia tu promisísti, qui es infiníte

potens, fidélis, benígnus, et miséricors.

In hac spe vívere et mori státuo.

Amen.

Act of Love
O Lord God, I love you above all things

and I love my neighbor for your sake

because you are the highest, infinite and perfect

good, worthy of all my love.

In this love I intend to live and die.

Amen.

Actus caritatis
Dómine Deus,

amo te super ómnia

et próximum meum propter te,

quia tu es summum, infinítum,

et perfectíssimum bonum,

omni dilectióne dignum.

In hac caritáte

vívere et mori státuo.

Amen.

Act of Contrition
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen.

Actus contritionis
Deus meus, ex toto corde pænitet me ómnium meórum peccatórum, éaque detéstor, quia peccándo, non solum pœnas a te iuste statútas proméritus sum, sed præsértim quia offéndi te, summum bonum, ac dignum qui super ómnia diligáris. Ídeo fírmiter propóno, adiuvánte grátia tua, de cétero me non peccatúrum peccandíque occasiónes próximas fugitúrum. Amen.

B) FORMULAS OF CATHOLIC DOCTRINE
The two commandments of love:

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

2. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

The Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12):

Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Source: Compendium Of The Catechism 2005 A.D.)


The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12):

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.

The three theological virtues:

1. Faith

2. Hope

3. Charity

The four cardinal virtues:

1. Prudence

2. Justice

3. Fortitude

4. Temperance

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit:

1. Wisdom

2. Understanding

3. Counsel

4. Fortitude

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. Generosity

8. Gentleness

9. Faithfulness

10. Modesty

11. Self-control

12. Chastity

The five precepts of the Church:

1. You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and remain free from work or activity that could impede the sanctification of such days.

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 seven corporal works of mercy:

1. Feed the hungry.

2. Give drink to the thirsty.

3. Clothe the naked.

4. Shelter the homeless.

5. Visit the sick.

6. Visit the imprisoned.

7. Bury the dead.

The seven spiritual works of mercy:

1. Counsel the doubtful.

2. Instruct the ignorant.

3. Admonish sinners.

4. Comfort the afflicted.

5. Forgive offenses.

6. Bear wrongs patiently.

7. Pray for the living and the dead.

The seven capital sins:

1. Pride

2. Covetousness

3. Lust

4. Anger

5. Gluttony

6. Envy

7. Sloth

The four last things:

1. Death

2. Judgment

3. Hell

4. Heaven (Source: Compendium Of The Catechism 2005 A.D. / AppendiX
A) common PrayerS
The Sign Of The Cross
In The Name Of The Father

and Of The Son

and Of The Holy Spirit. amen. / B) formulas Of Catholic DoctrinE
The Two Commandments Of Love:)