A Little Guide for Beginners in the CATHOLIC FAITH What to Believe and How to Follow God^s haw MONSIGNOR WILLIAM R. McCANN A SrMMARY OF LECTURES GIVEN TO CONVERTS ON THEIR JOURNEY TO THE CATHOLIC FAITH Nihil Obstat: John M. A. Fearns, S.T.D., Censor Librorum. Imprimatur : ^ Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York. 3rd Printing. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED IN THE U. S. A. BY THE PAULIST PRESS, NEW YORK 19 , N. Y. O@90idiscf RELIGION AND FAITH Religion Is My Link with God. Faith Is the Daily Living of My Religion. RELIGION WITHOUT FAITH IS PLAIN SILLY My Faith Means More Than Just Joining Some Church. My Faith Makes Me Certain That What God Tells Me Is True. — HE IS MY GOD— I AM HIS CREATURE— This Is Faith ----- This Is Religion To Know God — To Love God — To Serve God His Way— Not IHy Way GOD VERY POSITIVELY TELLS ME HOW TO LIVE IN THREE WAYS 1— Bible— The Written Word of God. 2— Tradition— The Teachings of Christ, not Written but handed down to us through the Apostles. 3 — The Catholic Church— The Living Voice of God on earth today. — 1 — LESSON 1 GOD — THERE IS BUT ONE GOD— There are Three Persons in One God— The Father :: The Son :: The Holy Ghost This is called the HOLY TRINITY— Three Persons in One God. God Is Almighty— Supreme God had no beginning. He always was and will be forever and ever. God knows all things and He sees all things that are happening. God made all things out of nothing. He made us out of nothing. He is our CREATOR. We cannot see God because God is a spirit. — GOD CREATED— 1. ANGELS— are spirits. Spirits have no bodies like we have. Good Angels— are in Heaven. God gives each one of us a Guardian Angel to help us be good. Bad Angels— are devils. Devils are in Hell because they disobeyed God. Devils hate God and try to make us do bad things. — 2— —-GOD CREATED 2. MAN— God made the world and created man. Adam and Eve were the first man and woman. God created man to know Him. God created man to love Him. God created man to serve Him. Adam and Eve were our first parents. Adam and Eve at first were good and happy. They did not serve God for very long. They Disobeyed God and Committed the First Sin. Everybody born into this world has the stain of Adam and Eve’s sin on his soul. This stain comes to us from our first parents because we all are children of Adam and Eve. This sin we are born with is called ORIGINAL SIN Mary, the Mother of God is the only human being conceived and born into the world without any trace of original sin. Mary was conceived without Original sin. This is called HER IMMACULATE CONCEPTION — 3— LESSON 2 God Promised a Redeemer God cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Paradise because they disobeyed Him. God promised Adam and Eve He would send into the world Jesus is the Saviour Who will blot out the sins of all men. Jesus will show the way to Heaven. THIS WAS GOD^S GREAT PROMISE TO MA^I^ God picked Abraham to be the father of a great race, the Jewish people. These children of Abraham were to keep alive the promise given by God to Adam and Eve. Through the Jewish Race, God gave His message to the whole world. Of these people would the Saviour be born. God Himself made up the religion for the Jewish people. They must worship Him alone. They must follow His Law. This Law God gave to Moses.— This Law is the Ten Commandments. THESE TEN COMMANDMENTS BIND EVERY HUMAN BEING. — 4— — QUESTIONS— (Pages 1 to 4) 1. Can you make the Sign of the Cross? 2. What is Religion? 3. Where can I find all the truths I must believe? 4. Is there but one God? 5. How many persons are there in God? 6. What is the Holy Trinity? 7. What are angels? 8. Has an angel a body and soul? 9. Who were the first man and woman? 10. What sin did Adam and Eve do against God? 11. What sin did you have on your soul when you were born? 12. Who was the only human being conceived without Original Sin? 13. What is the Immaculate Conception? 14. Whom did God promise Adam and Eve to send into the world to save us? 15. What is the name of the Redeemer? 16. What laws of God must every human being obey? — 5— LESSON 3 God’s Law—His Commandments God made Laws for all men to follow. I must obey these Laws God has made. If I disobey any of His Laws, I commit a sin. Original Sin comes to us from Adam and Eve. Actual Sin I do myself. It is any thought—word—act—or omission against the law of God. There Are Two Kinds of Sin MORTAL SIN— is a big sin which destroys the life of God in the soul. To Commit a mortal Sin 1st. I must do something very bad against God’s Law-or- I must neglect to do something very important that God commands me to do. 2nd. I must know it is bad when I am doing it. 3rd. I must be willing to do it and not forced to do it. If I commit a big sin and die with that sin on my soul I wLU go to Hell after my death. 2nd. VENIAL SIN is a little wrong I do against the Law of God. When I do a little wrong, I displease God. If I die with venial sin on my sonl I will not go to Hell but to Purgatory, where I will suffer for a time. The only sin I do not commit myself is called Original Sin. — 6— LESSON 4 The Commandments of God The Law of God is told me chiefly in the Ten Commandments. — THE FIRST COHMANDHENT— am the Lord thy God: thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.^^ I must adore God alone. I must believe in Him— His Truth— I must follow His way. (Faith.) I must trust in Him. (Hope.) I must love Him above all things. (Charity.) I must not go to false churches— nor take any part in their services. I must not go to fortune tellers— spiritualists; use charms, etc. — THE SECOND COHHANDHENT— ^^Thou shalt not tahe the Name of the Lord^ thy Godf in vain.^^ I must speak of God— His Saints— Holy Things— with respect and reverence. I must never use His Holy Name in anger or fun. I must never wish harm to anybody. (Cursing.) I must never take a false oath. — 7— LESSON 4 {Continued) — THE THIRD COHMA^HENT— ^^Rememher thou keep holy the Lord^s Day.^^ I must keep Sunday holy. I must go to Mass on Sundays and Holydays. I must be in church for the start of Mass. I must not do unnecessary work on Sunday. — THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT— ^^Honor thy father and thy mother.^^ I must respect and obey my parents and my lawful superiors. I must not disobey my superiors, provided that what they tell me to do is not a sin. Parents also have a serious duty— they must be a good example to their children and bring them up properly and see that they go to Mass and the Sacraments. — 8— LESSON 5 Fifth, Sixth, Ninth Commandments — THE FIFTH COIHIHANDIHENT— ^^Thou shalt not I must take care of my own health. I must respect my neighbor’s health, not hurting him by blows— fighting— anger or hatred. I must not injure my neighbor’s soul by bad example—nor—by teaching him to do bad things. It is a sin to take dope except on doctor’s advice. Abortion is a sin of murder. If I help or advise anyone to have an abortion, I commit a Mortal Sin. — THE SIXTH AXD XIXTH COMMANDMENTS— ^^Thou shalt not commit adultery.^^ ^^Thou shalt not covet thy neighhor^s teife/’ Purity is the proper use of sex. I must be pure in my mind and in my body. I must be faithful to the person I have married. I must not keep a bad thought in my mind. I must not do any act which is impure or immodest— either with myself or with others. I must not read dirty books— look at dirty pictures— talk about impure things nor keep bad company. Birth Control is to do anything to avoid having children either before, during, or after intercourse. To do this is always a mortal sin. — 9— LESSON 6 Seventh and Tenth Commandments ^^Thou shalt not steah^^ ‘^Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods.^^ I must respect what belongs to another. I must not take what rightfully belongs to another. I must not damage nor destroy another’s property. I do not own what I borrow. I must return what I have stolen or borrowed or destroyed. The Eighth Commandment “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor*** I must always tell the truth. I must be careful of another’s good name. I must not tell lies nor teU stories about others which might hurt them, EVEN THOUGH THESE STORIES BE TRUE. I must not be the judge of my neighbor’s actions. I should mind my own business and save my own soul. — 10— LESSON 7 The Last Things — DEATH— I have a body that some day will die. My soul will never die. My soul, at death, leaves my body and goes to be judged by God. Judgment If I have been bad and die that way, God will punish me. If I have lived a good life, God will reward me. At death, my soul will go to Hell, Purgatory or Heaven. — HELL— Hell is the place where the devils are. All bad people at death will be sent to Hell. Bad people will never see God and will suffer FOREVER in the fires of Hell. — PURGATORY— Purgatory is the place where good people, who die with little sins, or some stain of past sin on their souls, suffer for a time. In Purgatory all the scars left by the sins of my life on earth will be washed away. The souls in Purgatory will suffer until they are holy enough to go to Heaven. — 11 — The Last Things (continued) — HEAVEN— Heaven is the place of greatest happiness. In Heaven God is in all His glory with the Angels and Saints. In Heaven the blessed see God face to face and possess Him. This great happiness of Heaven will NEVER end. — GENERAL JUDGMENT— General Judgment will come at the end of the world. At the end of the world my body will be j oined to my soul. Every person who ever lived on earth will then be present, body and soul, to be judged by God. INDULGENCES How to lessen our sufferings in Purgatory after death. An indulgence is the taking away, NOT OF SIN, but of PUNISHMENT due to sin. Every sin I commit against God, deserves God’s punishment. When God wipes away my sins, even after a good Confession, there are always scars left on my soul. These scars, I personally have to heal. I have to completely and personally heal these scars after I die by my suffering in Purgatory. I can wipe out these scars before I die by gaining indulgences. I can gain indulgences by saying certain prayers or doing certain acts the Church tells me to do. To gain an indulgence, I must be without Mortal Sin. — 12— LESSON 8 The Promised Redeemer Our Saviour Jesus Christ The Son of God Jesus Christ is truly God— Jesus Christ is truly man. — Jesus Christ is God— The mother of Jesus is the Blessed Virgin Mary. Joseph was the guardian of Jesus, and NOT His father. God is the Father of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was born in a stable of BETHLEHEM on the first Christmas morning. Jesus Christ lived in the town of NAZARETH until He was thirty years old. — 13— LESSON 9 — HIS TEACHING— During the last three years of His life, JESUS taught the people— TO LOVE GOD and TO LOVE THEIR NEIGHBOR. JESUS showed them how to follow Him and get to Heaven. JESUS told many stories. These stories are called Parables. LESSON 10 Jesus Shows He Is God JESES proved that He is God by doing works that ONEY GOD COVED DO. He met a blind man and made him see. He made a deaf man to hear, and a dead man come back to life. THESE ARE CALLED MIRACLES. ONLY GOD CAN DO A MIRACLE. He told the people of things that would certainly happen. Only God can see and foretell the future with sureness. — 14— LESSON 11 After Jesus had taught the people for three years, His enemies tortured Him and put Him to death. — JESUS DIED ON GOOD FRIDAY— Jesus died to save us and to open Heaven for us. He saved ns fey His death on the Cross. After Jesus died, His Body was placed in the tomb. His soul went to Limbo. Limbo was the place where the good souls were waiting for the Redeemer to come for them. These good souls who had lived on earth, since the time of Adam and Eve, could not enter Heaven until Jesns opened Heaven for them and for ns by HIS DEATH OBT THE CROSS. — 15— LESSON 12 Easter to Pentecost ON EASTER SUNDAY MORNING, JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD, RODY AND SOUL. This was the third day after He died on the cross. During the next forty days. He remained on earth to visit His Apostles. His Apostles were His chosen friends. They were the officers of His Church. They were frightened and needed Him to comfort them. They needed more teaching and courage in order to carry His message to the whole world. Forty days after His Resarrection, He ascended into Heaven. This is called Ascension Thnrsday. On Pentecost Sunday, Jesus sent the Holy Ghost down on His Apostles. Pentecost was the fiftieth day after He arose from the Dead. The Holy Ghost Gave to the Apostles the power and the strength to Spread His Chnrch. 16— LESSON 13 The Church of Christ Jesus Christ told His Apostles to preach HIS TRUTH to the whole world.— Jesus left us a Church to carry on His teaching and His work. This is His one and only Church. This Church is the Roman Catholic Church. This Church speaks for Him to ns. His Church teaches us all His truths and shows us how to live as He wants us to live. There is only ONE Church of Christ. That Church is the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. God made St. Peter the first Head of this Church. The present Pope who takes the place of St. Peter, is now the Head of Christ’s Church. The Pope like St. Peter, cannot make a mistake when he speaks about our salva- tion. God speaks through the Pope to us. Under the Pope, there are Bishops and Priests. Bishops and Priests are officers in God’s Kingdom. They preach HIS truth, offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and make the people holy by bringing Christ’s Sacraments to them. The Catholic Church cannot die. It will he here until the end of the world. — 17— LESSON 14 The Commandments of the Church God gave to His Church the power to make Laws for THE MEMBERS OF HIS CHURCH These Laws do not bind Non-Catholics. There are Six Chief Commandments of the Church: 1 — Go to Mass on every Sunday and on Six other special days during the year. These six days are called Holydays. 2— Do not eat Meat on Friday. Also Fast, and abstain from meat on certain other days. 3— Go to Confession at least once a year. 4— Receive Holy Communion during the Easter Time. 5— Support your Church. 6— To be rightly married— follow the laws of the Church. A Catholic has to be married before a Priest. A Catholic who is married before a Protestant minister or a Justice of the Peace is not truly married in the eyes of God. — 18— LESSON 15 Visit to a Catholic Church A Catholic Church Is the House of God. God is really and truly (bodily) present in all Catholic Churches. When we enter and when we leave a Catholic Church, we should— 1. Bless ourselves with Holy Water; 2. Bend our right knee to the ground; 3. Adore our God Who is present on the altar. Windows and Pictures are placed in the church to keep our minds on HOLY THINGS. We will see statues of the Saints there, too. We pray to them, not to the statues, but to the Saints they represent. They in return pray to God for us. We Call These Prayers, Devotions to the Saints. The most popular devotion is to Mary, the Mother of God. It is called — THE ROSARY— — 19— LESSON 16 The Rosary The Rosary is a prayer to honor the Mother of God. There are Five Parts to the Rosary Reads— 1. Make the Sign of the Cross and say the “Apostles Creed.” 2. Say the “Our Father.” 3. Say three “Hail Marys.” 4. Say the “Glory be to the Father.” 5. Announce the First Mystery; then, say the “Our Father.” 6. Say the “Hail Mary” ten times. 7. Say the “Glory be to the Father.” 8. Announce the Second Mystery; then, say the “Our Father.” Repeat 6 and 7. — 20— THE ROSARY (continued) The Mysteries are divided into three sets: 1. THE JOYFUL, 2. THE SORROWFUL, 3. THE GLORIOUS. The Joyful Mysteries are said on MONDAY and THURSDAY. The Sorrowful Mysteries are said on TUESDAY and FRIDAY. The Glorious Mysteries are said on WEDNESDAY, SATURDAY and SUNDAY. The Joyful Mysteries 1. The Annunciation. 2. The Visitation of Our Lady to her cousin, St. Elizabeth. 3. The Birth of Our Lord. 4. The Presentation in the Temple. 5. The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple, The Sorrowful Mysteries 1. The Agony in the Garden. 2. The Scourging at the Pillar. 3. The Crowning with Thorns. 4. The Carrying of the Cross. 5. The Crucifixion. The Glorious Mysteries 1. The Resurrection of Our Lord. 2. The Ascension of Our Lord. 3. The Descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles. 4. The Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven. 5. The Coronation of Our Lady in Heaven. — 21 — — QUESTIONS— (Pages 6 to 12) 1. What is sin? 2. What is a big sin (Mortal Sin) ? 3. If I die with a big sin on my soul, where will I go? 4. If I die with little sin on my soul, where will I go? 5. How long do bad people stay in Hell? 6. Is it a big sin for a Catholic to miss Mass on Sunday? Can you ever be excused? 7. What is abortion? 8. Can I ever practice Birth Control? 9. What is an indulgence? (Pages 13 to 22) 1. Who is Jesus Christ? 2. Who is the Father of Jesus Christ? 3. Who is the Mother of Jesus Christ? 4. Who is St. Joseph? 5. Where was Jesus born? 6. How long did Jesus live on this earth? 7. On what day did Jesus die? 8. How many days did Jesus stay on earth after He arose from the dead? 9. On what day did Jesus send the Holy Ghost on the Apostles? 10. Am I sure Jesus Christ started only one Church? 11. Did Man or God start the Protestant Churches? 12. Do you know how to say the Rosary? 13. Name the five Joyful Mysteries. — 22— LESSON 17 Grace— Prayer—Sacraments — GRACE— GRACE is the help of God. We need God’s help to get to Heaven. We get this help of God— or Grace— in two ways— 1st.— By Prayer Prayer is talking to God. We talk to God: To worship Him. To thank Him. To ask His forgiveness. To seek His help which we always need. We should pray every morning and every night. 2nd.— By Sacraments There are Seven Sacraments. Jesus Christ started the Seven Sacraments. The Sacraments are the helps God gives us on our journey through life. The Sacraments bring LIFE and STRENGTH to our souls. BAPTISM and PENANCE bring LIFE to our souls. CONFIRMATION— HOLY EUCHARIST— HOLY ORDERS — MATRIMONY and EXTREME UNCTION bring STRENGTH to our souls. — 23— LESSON 18 Baptism BAPTISM is a Sacrament which takes away Original Sin. BAPTISM stamps us as CHILDREN of GOD. BAPTISM gives us a RIGHT to enter HEAVEN. We cannot get to Heaven unless we are rightly baptized. We cannot receive any of the other Sacraments nntil we are baptized as Catholics. Confirmation CONFIRMATION is a Sacrament which: 1. Makes us STRONG in our FAITH. 2. Gives us the HOLY GHOST and HIS GIFTS. 3. Makes us soldiers in the Army of Christ. It is a sin if we neglect to be confirmed. — 24— LESSON 19 Holy Eucharist The HOLY EUCHARIST is the BODY and BLOOD of JESUS CHRIST. The Priest CHANGES BREAD and WINE into the BODY and BLOOD of JESUS in the MASS, HOLY COMHUNIOIV is the RECEIVING of the BODY and BLOOD of JESUS. To receive Holy Communion we must: 1. Be baptized as Catholics. 2. Have no BIG sins on our souls (go to Confession before going to Holy Communion) . 3. Take nothing to EAT from midnight the night before we are to receive Holy Communion. We are allowed to drink water and may be allowed other liquids (but not alcohol) IF WE CONSULT THE PRIEST. We MUST go to Communion at least once a year (Easter Time) . We SHOULD go to Communion at least once a month. We MAY go to Communion every day. — 25— LESSON 20 The Sacrifice of the Mass The MASS is the OFFERING to God of the BODY and BLOOD of JESUS CHRIST. The Mass is a Sacrifice. SACRIFICE means that something is slain and offered to GOD. On the Cross on Calvary, Jesus was slain and in dying He offered Himself up to His Father for our sins. Every time the Priest offers Mass, Christ RENEWS His death and offers Himself and us to His Father as He did on Calvary. The Mass is an Unbloody sacrifice for Christ cannot now die again. The CONSECRATION is the most important part of the Mass. This is when the Priest changes BREAD and WINE into the BODY and BLOOD of JESUS CHRIST. This is just what Our Lord did on Holy Thursday night. At the Consecration of the Mass, the bell rings six times. We should come to Mass ON TIME.— Before the Priest comes to the Altar. We have to go to MASS every SUNDAY and HOLYDAY. MAY go to Mass every morning. — 26— LESSON 21 Penance PEIVAIVCE (called Confession) takes away the sins I do after I am baptized. To have my sins taken away: 1* I must TELL my sins to the Priest in Confession. I have to tell all my BIG SINS (Mortal Sins) , and the NUMBER of TIMES I did them as close as I can remember. It is well to tell my little sins. 2. I must be SORRY for ALL my sins BECAUSE they offend GOD. If I am not sorry, my sins CANNOT BE FORGIVEN. 3. 1 must make a sincere promise NOT to sin again. 4. I must say the penance that the Priest gives me. Penance also gives me strength to help me keep away from sin. I should go to Confession OFTEN.— At least once a month. I have to go to Confession at least once a year. — 27— LESSON 22 How to Go to Confession — FIRST— I pray to God to show me what my sins are. And I EXAMINE my soul. This is called EXAMINATION of CONSCIENCE: For Example: Did I miss my morning or night prayers? Did I curse or swear? Did I miss Mass on Sunday or HolyDay? Did I fight or quarrel? Have I been angry or impatient? Did I take pleasure in impure thoughts, talks or things? Have I been unfaithful to my wife— to my husband ? Did I steal or cheat? Did I tell lies or gossip about others? Did I get drunk? Was I too lazy to do the things I should have done? Did I eat meat on Fridays? Did I do my duty toward my family, my home, my church? — SECOND— After I examine my soul and tell God I am sorry for my sins, I enter the confessional and say: 1. “BLESS ME, FATHER, FOR I HAVE SINNED, IT IS , . . (How long?) SINCE MY LAST CONFESSION.” 2. I tell the Priest my sins and the number of times I did them. 3. I listen to the Priest who tells me to say a penance (some prayers) . 4. The Priest then tells me to say the “Act of Contrition.” 5. When I finish, the Priest dismisses me and I leave the Confessional. 6. I kneel in church and say the penance the Priest gave me. — 28— LESSON 23 Extreme Unction EXTREME VXCTIOX is the sacrament for the SICK and DYING. This Sacrament prepares me for death or it brings me back to health if that be God’s will. I should send for the Priest in any sickness from which I might die. Every Catholic home should have a Crucifix, Blessed Candles, and Holy Water. Holy Orders This Sacrament gives Bishops and Priests power and grace to preach God’s Word and bring His Sacraments to the people. A Priest is a Spiritual Father. Matrimony MATRIMONY is a sacrament hy which God joins together a man and woman as hnshand and wife, until death. A Catholic to be rightly married, must be married before a Priest. Husband and wife— is a life-time job to work together— and help each other and their children to get to Heaven. — 29— — QUESTIONS— Grace and the Sacraments 1. To get to Heaven I need God’s help— what is this help of God called? 2. How many Sacraments are there? 3. What does Baptism take away from my soul? 4. Does Baptism make me a child of God? 5. Is it a big sin if I neglect to be confirmed? 6. Who is present in the Holy Eucharist? 7. Whom do you receive when you go to Holy Communion? 8. When you receive Holy Communion what about— your Stomach— your Soul? 9. When does the Priest change Bread and Wine into Our Lord’s Body and Blood? 10. How often must I go to Holy Communion? 11. If I have done bad things (sin) where do I go to get them taken away? 12. What is the most important thing in my Confession? 13. If I am not sorry for my sins— can they be forgiven? 14. Say the Act of Contrition. 15. If I have any problems about Marriage to whom do I go for the answers? 16. In serious sickness should I send for a Priest? 17. What should I tell my non-Catholic relatives if I get seri- ously sick or in the event of my death? 18. Is it allowed to have two services over my dead body— Catholic and Protestant? 30— The Act of Contrition O MY GOD I AM HEARTILY SORRY FOR HAVING OFFENDED THEE — I DETEST ALL MY SINS — Past Because 1. Of Thy jnst pnnishmeiits. 3. But most of all because they have offended Thee — My God— Who art all good and worthy of all my love. firmly resolve with the help of Thy Grace 1. To sin no more. Future 3. To avoid the near occasions of sin. AMEN A Short Act of Contrition 0 My God, I am very sorry that I have sinned against Yon because You are all good. 1 promise to sin no more. — 31— PRAYERS The Sign of the Cross In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. The Lord^s Prayer 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. 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. Glory Be to the Father Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. The Apostles^ Creed I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.