GOD’S HOLY TRUTH CLEARLY AND SIMPLY TOLD A Short and Easy Method of Religious Instruction By FATHER RICHARD POWER Of The Diocese of Springfield | O God, who art Truth, make me one with Thee in everlasting love. Imitation of Christ—Bk. I, Ch. 3 OUR SUNDAY VISITOR PRESS Huntington, Indiana PRAYERS 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 Angel's Greeting Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou amongst 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. The Prayer of Praise 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 Al- mighty: from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. An Act of Contrition 0 my God, I am sorry that I have ever done anything to displease Thee, because Thou art all- good. I promise that I will never do anything bad again. Give me Thy help and Thy blessing: through Christ our Lord. Amen. ( 1 ) Besomed I. GOD MADE US 1. Who made all things? God made all things. 2. Where is God? God is everywhere. 3. Does God see us? Yes; God sees us and takes care of us. 4. Does God know everything? Yes; God knows even what we think about—and He will never forget. 5. How many persons are you ? I am one human person. 7. How many persons is God? God is three divine Persons. 8. Who are the three divine Persons? God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. 9. Are not the three divine Persons three Gods? No; they are only one and the same God. 10. How can one God be three Persons? No one but God knows that. ( 2 ) II. GOD OWNS US 1. Why did God make you? God made me to know Him and love Him and serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in the next. 2. What is a sin? A sin is a bad thought, a bad word, or a bad action. 3. Why do we say a sin is bad? Because God doesn’t like it. 4. When do we commit a sin? When we know a thing is bad, and are willing to do it. 5. Who is guilty of mortal sin? One who knows a thing is very bad, and is willing to do it. 6. What must we say about mortal sin? Mortal sin would make one bad enough to be thrown into hell. 7. Who are in the fire of hell ? Those who knew they were very bad, and were not sorroy for it. 8. How long must they stay in the fire of hell? (3 ) Forever and ever; they will never get out. 9. When do we commit venial sin? When we do what is wrong, but hon- estly think it is not very bad. 10. Will God punish us for our venial sins? Yes; He will, but not forever. III. GOD’S HOLY WILL What does the Law of God tell us ? 1. We must pray to God, and love Him above all things. 2. We must not curse or swear with God’s name. 3. We must go to Mass on Sundays and Holydays, and do no unnecessary work on those days. 4. We must be nice to all who have charge of us and do as they say. 5 We must not be greedy, nor fight, nor wish bad to anyone. 6. We must not do anything nasty, nor talk about such things. 7. We must not take, nor keep, nor spoil what belongs to another. (4 ) 8. We must not tell lies, nor be dishonest. 9. We must not think of doing nasty things. 10. We must not wish to cheat or steal. IV. GOD SAVES US 1. What will God do if we are good when we die ? He will take us up to heaven to be happy with Him forever. 2. What must we do if we want to live with God in heaven? We must do what is good, and if we do anything bad we must make a good Confession. 3. How can we make a good Confession? 1. We must find out our sins. 2. We must be sorry for them. 3. We must tell them all to the Priest. 4. We must promise God we will not do anything bad again. 5. We must do as the Priest tells us. 4. Can we be good and go to heaven without God’s help? No; we can not be good, nor go to heaven, without God’s help. (5) 5. What must we do to get God’s help? We must ask for it, mostly by praying well and going to Communion. 6. What is prayer? Prayer is talking piously with God. 7. Why should we pray? Because we owe honor to God, and we need His help always. 8. Why is God willing to forgive our sins, and to help us? Because our Lord Jesus Christ has suffered and died for us. 9. Who is our Lord Jesus Christ? Our Lord Jesus Christ is God the Son; He is true God and true Man. 10. How did our Lord die for us? He was nailed to a cross. 11. Why did our Lord die like that for us? To make up for our sins, and to get God’s help and blessing for us. V. GOD IS WITH US 1. What did our Lord do the night before He died? The night before He died, Our Lord changed bread and wine into His Body (6 ) and Blood, and said that His Priests should do the same, 2. How did our Lord change bread and wine into His Body and Blood? He said over the bread: This is my Body, and over the wine, This is my Blood. 3. When does the Priest change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of our Lord? At the middle of the Mass ; the Conse- cration. 4. What is the Mass? The Mass is that public prayer of the Church in which our Lord offers His Body and Blood for us. 5. Why do we say that our Lord offers Himself for us in the Mass? Because His coming in the Mass is to save us just like His dying on the Cross. 6. What should we do when we are at Mass? We should offer ourselves to God to- gether with our Lord. (7) 7. How can we do that best? By saying the same kind of prayers as the Priest, and going to Holy Com- munion. VI. GOD LIVES IN US 1. What is Holy Communion? Holy Communion is receiving the Body and Blood of our Lord. 2. Is our Lord dead when we receive Him? No ; He is alive with all the power ol God. S. Can we see our Lord when we receive Him? No; He is in something that looks like bread. 4. How do we know our Lord is there? We know our Lord is there because He said : The Bread that I will give is My Flesh. 5. Why does our Lord come to us in Holy Communion? To live in us and make us like Himself. (8) 6. What should we do before receiving Our Lord? Before receiving Our Lord, we should go to Confession if we have any sins, and be sure not to eat or drink any- thing after midnight. 7. When is midnight? Midnight is at twelve o’clock in the night. VII. GOD GUIDES US 1. How do we find out what God wishes us to do? From the Holy Catholic Church, through which God speaks to us. 2. What is the Catholic Church? The Catholic Church is the Church God wishes everyone to belong to. 3. How did the Catholic Church begin ? Our Lord came down from heaven and started it. 4. Whom did our Lord make first head of His Church all over the world? Saint Peter the Apostle, the first Bish- op of Rome. ( 9 ) 5. Who holds Saint Peter’s place today? The Bishop of Rome, our Holy Father the Pope. 6. How long will the Catholic Church last? The Catholic Church will last until the end of the world. VIII. GOD KEEPS US 1. How do we get into the Catholic Church? By being baptized; that is, by receiv- ing the Sacrament of Baptism. 2. What is a Sacrament? A Sacrament is something that is done to us to make us fit for heaven. Note—Water is poured on us when we are are baptized; holy oil is put on us when we are confirmed, and when we are an- ointed; the Blessed Sacrament is given to us when we go to Communion; absolution, is said over us when we go to Confession; those who are being married make prom- ises to each other; and the Bishop lays his hands on the head of the one who is being made a Bishop or a Priest. 3. How many Sacraments are there? There are seven Sacraments : Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Pen- ance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders- and Matrimony. ( 10 ) 4. What is Baptism? Baptism is the Sacrament that makes us children of God and starts us on the way to heaven. 5. What is Confirmation? Confirmation is the Sacrament that makes us willing to suffer and die for God and His Church. 6. What is the Holy Eucharist? The Holy Eucharist is the Sacrament we receive in Holy Communion. 7. What is Penance? Penance is the Sacrament that takes away our sins in Confession. 8. What is Extreme Unction ? Extreme Unction is the Sacrament of anointing for those who are very sick. 9. What is Holy Orders? Holy Orders is the Sacrament that makes men Priests or Bishops of God’s only Church. 10. What is Matrimony? Matrimony is the Sacrament by which Christians are married. ( 11 ) of them would not do as He said. These bad angels were not let into heaven. They were thrown into hell. 3. Then God made our first parents, Adam and Eve. They were the first per- sons on earth. God was very good to them. And He promised that if they would only do as He said, they and every- one after them could live here on earth without any badness or trouble until it was time to go to heaven. No one would have to die. But He told them that, if they would not do as He said, He would surely punish them, and He would never again be so good to anybody on earth as He was to them. 4. Then a bad angel, the devil, came and lied to our first parents. He told them it was better not to do as God said. He told them God was going to be mean to them. They believed the devil, and did what God told them not to do. Then God said that all would have to suffer and to die, and that He could not take anybody on earth up to Heaven. 5. Nobody could ever make up for what our first parents had done. But God made a wonderful promise. He said He would ( 14 ) come down to earth, and live like a man, and suffer and die for all. How could He do that? Nobody knows but God. God can do anything He wishes. But He did not come at once. He made the people wait a long time. He wished them to see how bad they had been, and how much they needed Him. Then He came. He was called our Lord Jesus Christ. He suf- fered and died on the Cross for us all. He was buried, but on the third day He came up out of His grave alive. Forty days la- ter, He went up through the sky to heaven. 6. While He was on earth, our Lord started the Holy Catholic Church. He made twelve men the first Priests. These men He called Apostles. The night before He died, our Lord changed bread and wine into His Body and Blood. He said that was to make us good and bring us to heaven, just the same as his dying on the Cross. And He said, too, that it would al- ways, be like that for us when His Priests would change bread and wine into his Body and Blood in the Holy Mass. Our Lord is willing to keep on doing what He did for us when He was dying. He would not have anyone lose His blessing by being born too late. But we must join in with our Lord at Mass. We must remember ( 15 ) then that we belong to God alone. We must promise to do always what He wish- es us to do. We must ask Him to make everybody good. And we should receive our Lord in Holy Communion to help us keep our good promise. 7. Our Lord said everybody ought to be- long to His Church. And He said He would take up to heaven (after they die) all who do what the Holy Catholic Church tells them to do. After our Lord had gone up to heaven, God the Holy Ghost came down upon the Apostles. He made them wise and holy, and sent them out to do God’s work in all the world. 8. So the Bishops and the Priests of God’s only Church are sent by God to tell us what He wishes us to do. They have power from God to take away our sins, to give us God’s blessing, and to make us ready to live forever with God in heaven. MAY JESUS CHRIST BE PRAISED ( 16 ) Imprimatur: * JOHN FKANCIS NOLL, Bishop of Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne, Indiana, April 2, 1929