Introduction to the Catechism

Traditional Catholic Catechism—Introduction

I. FOR WHAT PURPOSE ARE WE UPON THIS EARTH?

We are upon this earth in order to glorify God, and so to win for ourselves eternal happiness with Him in Heaven.

Man's high destiny is to go to God, because man comes from God, and belongs entirely to God.

Our reason tells us that Someone created us. That Someone is God. Nothing can proceed from nothing. If there had ever been a moment when nothing existed, nothing would ever have existed. Therefore, because we exist, we know Someone Who made us also exists; that Someone is God. "He made us, and not we ourselves." (Psalm 99:3) "All things have been created through and unto Him." (Col. 1:16) Our reason also tells us that God must have made us for some purpose.

The glory of God is the sole end and purpose of all creation.

All creatures on the earth are created for this end, that they may manifest in themselves the Divine perfections, and show God’s dominion over His rational creatures, that is, over angels and men, and that He may be loved and praised by them. Even the material world, and creatures not possessed of reason—animals, trees, plants, stones, metals, etc., all praise God after their own fashion. "The Lord has made all things for Himself." (Prov. 16:4) Man is created for this end, that he should proclaim the dominion, majesty, and power of God:

Every man must do so whether he wills it or not; we do so by our very existence.
The construction of the body of man, the lofty powers of his soul, the rewards of the good, the punishment of the wicked, all proclaim the majesty of God, His omnipotence, wisdom, goodness, justice, and all His perfections.
Even those who are damned will have to contribute to the glory of God. (Prov. 16:4) In the end, the eternal punishments of the reprobate will show how great are the Holiness and Justice of God.
Man, since being endowed with intellect and free will, is through these enabled in an special way to give glory to God, when he knows, loves, and serves Him.

Through glorifying God, man is destined to share His everlasting happiness in Heaven. As the scholar goes to school in order that he may afterwards attain a certain position in life, so man is placed on this earth in order that he may attain to the lofty goal of eternal happiness. As the servant serves his master and so earns his bread, so man must serve God, and through His service attain happiness, inasmuch as it can be had in this life, and in its fullness after death.

Man was created chiefly for the life beyond the grave; this present one is merely a preparation for the life to come in eternity. In this life he is a stranger, a wanderer, and a pilgrim. "We have not here a lasting city, but we seek one that is to come" (Heb. 13:14). In this life we are exiles, wanderers, and pilgrims. Heaven, the home of God, is our true country, our true home. There God wants to share with us His own unmeasured bliss. "For we have no permanent city, but we seek for the city that is to come." (Heb. 13:14) "But, as it is written, eye has not seen or ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love him." (1 Cor. 2:9)

The Beatific Vision is the privilege of the blessed in Heaven, to see God face to face.

Hence, we are not upon this earth merely to collect earthly treasures, to attain earthly honors, to eat and to drink, or to enjoy earthly pleasures.

He who pursues goals like these behaves as foolishly as does a servant who, instead of serving his master, devotes himself to some passing amusement. He stands idle in the market place, instead of working in his master’s vineyard. Or he is like a traveler who, attracted by curiosities along the road, forgets to pursue his journey, and so allows the night to overtake him in the way. We are not made for earth; we are made to look upward toward Heaven. Even the trees and the plants lift their leafy branches upward towards Heaven, as if to remind us that it is our true home.

For this reason Our Divine Lord says: "One thing is necessary" (Luke 10:42), and again "But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things shall be given you besides." (Matt. 6:33)

Unhappily, too many men forget the purpose of their existence, and attach their hearts to money, the admiration of others, their reputation, etc. They are like the foolish virgins who failed to make provision for the future by obtaining vessels of oil for their lamps, and their lamps were extinguished. He who does not think on his last end is not a pilgrim, but rather a vagrant, and falls into the hands of the devil, just as a vagrant falls into the hands of the police. He is like a sailor who does not mind his tiller and so wrecks his ship. Our Lord compares such to the servant who sleeps, instead of faithfully watching for his Master’s coming. (Matt. 24:42)

II. HOW ARE WE TO FULFILL THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH WE
WERE CREATED, AND ATTAIN TO ETERNAL HAPPINESS?

In order to fulfill the purpose for which God created us and to attain to eternal happiness, we must know Him, love Him, and serve Him in this life.

Eternal happiness consists in union with God, through the exercise of the intellect contemplating God, and the will loving Him. If we wish to attain eternal happiness, we must begin to draw near to it in this life. We must seek to know and love God. But love of God consists in keeping His Commandments. (John 14:23) From this it follows that:

We shall attain to eternal happiness by the following means:

We must strive to know God by means of faith in the truths which He has revealed to us. Our Lord says: "Now this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou last sent". (John 17:3) That is to say, the knowledge of God brings man to eternal happiness.

We must serve God by fulfilling His Holy Will, in which our love of God consists. Our Lord said to the rich young man: "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments". (Matt. 19:17) True love God consists in serving God through obedience to the Commandments He has revealed to us. "He who has My Commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me." (John 14:21) Only those who keep His Commandments, truly love and serve God. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven shall enter the kingdom of Heaven." (Matt. 7:21) "If you love me, keep My commandments." (John 14:15)

We must avail ourselves of the grace of God through the means of grace instituted by Jesus Christ, the chief of which are the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Sacraments, and Prayer. The means of grace are a channel through which the grace of God flows into our soul. Faith is the like the road which leads to Heaven, the Commandments are like the road signs which keep us safely on that narrow road, and the means of grace are like the money and provisions for the journey. "Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who enter therein. How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it! (Matt. 7:13-14)

By means of our own strength we can neither believe nor keep the Commandments; for this we need the grace of God.

Even Adam and Eve, when they were in a state of innocence needed the help of grace. He who travels to a distant country, besides his own exertions, needs money for the journey. The farmer cannot cultivate his crops without the aid of sunshine and of rain. Man, too, has a special weakness by reason of original sin. This makes grace all the more necessary for him. A blind man needs a guide, and a sick man needs food to strengthen him. We are like a man who through weakness has fallen to the ground, and has no power, of himself, to rise. He must look around for one to aid him. Thus Our Lord tells us: "Without Me you can do nothing". (John 15:5) As the sun is necessary to the earth, for light and warmth, so is grace necessary to our soul.

God requires us—

To know Him, because He is the eternal Truth;

To love Him because He is the most bountiful and lovable God; and

To serve Him, because He is the sovereign Lord.

We belong to God. Since we are His creatures, we have certain duties towards God that we must fulfill. Religion teaches us what these duties are.

Religion is the virtue by which we give to God the honor and service due to Him alone as our Creator, Master, and Supreme Lord.

It is by Religion that we know, love, and serve God in the way that He commands us to know, love, and serve Him. It is by Religion, then, that we fulfill the purpose for which we were created, and so save our souls.

In order to practice the virtue of Religion:

We must have a right knowledge of God and believe all that He has revealed. In Religion we learn about God and His perfections. We learn of His great love for us. We learn what is God's holy Will, what He commands and forbids us to do. We learn about the future that He has prepared for us. All of this is contained in the Christian Doctrine,

We must perform our duty to God in our daily lives as we have learned it from His Revelation and His Commandments. Mere knowledge is not Religion, and will avail us nothing. The Devil has knowledge, but he has not the virtue of Religion. Religion includes serving God through obedience to His Holy Will. Religion is not a feeling; it is a matter of will and action, and consists in following out the principles that God has laid down. Our Lord says: "Blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it." (Luke 11:28) And Apostle St. James said: "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." (James 1)

It is also true that he who desires to be happy must strive to be like to God, in imitation of Jesus Christ, God-made-Man. Man becomes like unto God when all his thoughts and actions resemble the Divine thought and action. The commandments of God are like a mirror, in which we recognize whether our actions are like or unlike those of God. The Life of Our Divine Lord is the perfect model for our imitation. Thus to know God in the true sense of the word (cognosco, cognoscere) is to become acquainted with, or get to know, Jesus Christ, and Him Crucified. How well do you know Him?

It is absolutely necessary for us to practice Religion; God gives us no choice in the matter.

Our chief business in life, the business that God commands us to attend to, is to go to God. And this depends upon our practice of Religion. It is by Religion that we fulfill the purpose for which we were created. By believing what God has revealed, we know God and His ineffable love for us.

Those who refuse to know, love, and serve God; He will cast them from Him forever into the flames of Hell. "But as for the unprofitable servant, cast him forth into the darkness outside, where there will be the weeping, and the gnashing of teeth." (Matt. 25:30)

In this life, therefore, the most necessary thing is that we should know, love and serve God, and thereby obtain eternal life. "For what does it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, but suffer the loss of his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt. 16:26)

III. CAN WE ATTAIN PERFECT HAPPINESS ON THIS EARTH?

Earthly goods, such as riches, honors, and pleasures, cannot by themselves make us happy, for they cannot satisfy our soul, even though we should possess them all, because man is made for God and for everlasting happiness in Heaven.

The things of this world also cannot make us happy because all earthly things are vain and perishable, and they often only make life more bitter. Besides, they must be left behind when the hour of death comes. "For when he shall die, he shall take nothing away: nor shall his glory descend with him." (Ps. 48:18)

Earthly goods deceive us; they are like soap bubbles, which reflect all the colors of the rainbow but are really only drops of water.

Earthly joys are like artificial fruit, beautiful to behold, but disappointing to the taste.

Earthly pleasures are like drops of water; they do not quench the fire of the passions, but only make it burn more fiercely.

Man can no more be happy without God than a fish can live out of the water. Hence St. Augustine says: "For Thyself, O God, Thou hast made us; therefore our heart will be restless until it rests in Thee."

No sensible or material goods will nourish or satisfy the soul. Hence Our Lord says to the Samaritan woman: "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again". (John 4:13) Riches will no more satisfy the soul than salt water will quench thirst. In the days of the ancient empires of Greece and Rome, when riches and sensual pleasures abounded, suicide was widely prevalent.

Earthly possessions are a continual source of anxiety; they torment him who seeks happiness in them, like a man who reposes on thorns.

As the fresh waters of the rivers are changed into the salt waters of the sea, so all earthly pleasures sooner or later turn to bitterness.

Forbidden pleasures soon bring misery after them, as did the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Paradise. They are like bait that has a hook concealed within it.

Earthly goods all forsake us when we die: "We brought nothing into the world, and certainly we cannot carry anything out of it". (1 Tim. 6:7)

Many people spend their entire lives in a vain pursuit of riches, honors, and pleasures. As the spider spins a web out of its own bowels and in a moment the broom sweeps it all away, so man labors for long years to obtain some honor, or possession, or office. Some obstacle comes in the way, death or sickness visits him, and all the labor is gone for naught. "Thus passes the glory of the world."

As the glow-worm shines in the night, but in the light of day is but an ugly insect, so the delights of earth are brilliant during the night of life on this earth, but under the light of the Day of Judgment will be seen to be worthless, vain, and repulsive.

The things of this world were given to us that through them we may attain to eternal happiness, by using them for the purpose of knowing, loving, and serving God. "But seek first the Kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things shall be given you besides." (Matt. 6:33)

Every creature on earth is intended as a step to bring us nearer to God. As in the workshop of the painter, brushes, colors, oils, are all destined to assist in the completion of the picture, so all things in this world are intended to contribute to our eternal happiness in Heaven.

By failing to use earthly things for this purpose, we lose all hope of eternal happiness.

To make earthly things our goal in this life, and to be dependent on them, will no less deprive us of the end for which we were created. Earthly goods are like the surgeon’s instruments; if they are misused, they harm the patient instead of healing him.

We must therefore use them only insofar as they help us towards the attainment of our last end. When they hinder us we must cut ourselves free from them. We must not serve them; they must serve us.

Only the Gospel of Christ is capable of giving us a partial happiness amidst the trials of this life on earth, for he who follows the teaching of Christ is certain to have peace in his soul.

This is why Our Divine Lord said to the Samaritan woman: "…he that shall drink of the water that I will give him shall not thirst forever. But the water that I will give him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into life everlasting." (John 4:13) Again: "And Jesus said to them: I am the Bread of Life. He that cometh to Me shall not hunger: and he that believeth in Me shall never thirst." (John 6:35) The teaching of Christ can alone satisfy the heart of man, because he who follows Christ cannot be made unhappy by the trials of this life and by earthly sufferings.

He who follows Christ will suffer persecution; but these persecutions can do him no harm.

St. Paul tells us that "All who will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution". (2 Tim. 3:12)

The whole life of the Christian is a Way of the Cross, and an endurance of persecution. Christ Himself says: "The servant is not above his master". (Matt. 10:24) That is, the servant of Christ has no claim to a better lot than his Master, Jesus Christ Crucified.

We must expect opposition from the men of the world, that is, those who seek their happiness in this life, and who do not care for the supernatural life of grace which leads to eternal happiness in Heaven.

We should not be surprised that they look upon us as erratic and unbalanced persons—as fools—or that they condemn us and hate us (1 Cor. 4:3,10; John 17:14; 15:20), for they do not understand the things of God.

Thus, to be loved and praised by the world is to be the enemy of Christ. The principles of the world are in contradiction with those of Christ, and the world regards as a fool him whom Christ declares blessed. (Matt. 5:3,10)

Yet Christ tells us: "Every one that heareth My words and doeth them, shall be likened to a wise man, that built his house upon a rock". (Matt. 7:24)

He who trusts in God builds on solid ground; that is, he rests securely in the Hands of the Eternal Father, and does not fear his enemies.

The Patriarch Joseph, son of Jacob, derived advantage, not harm, from being persecuted. The pious King David was persecuted, first by Saul, and then by his own son, Absalom. From his own experience he was able to declare: "Many are the afflictions of the just; but out of them all, the Lord will deliver them" (Ps. 33:20).

All the saints of Christ have been persecuted, but God has turned to good the evil that their enemies thought to do them. "If God is with us, who dare be against us?"

Hence perfect happiness is impossible on earth, for no man can entirely avoid suffering.

The last end of the worldling is eternal misery as we have seen, and even the just man suffers persecution in this life.

There is no one who can escape sickness, suffering, and death. The world is a vale of tears; it is a big hospital, containing as many sick men as there are human beings.

The world is a place of banishment, where we are far from our true country.

In this world good and bad fortune succeed each other like sunshine and storm. Prosperity is the sure forerunner of adversity. In life we are, as it were, on a sea, now lifted up to Heaven, now cast down to Hell.

Society will always be full of all kinds of miseries, whatever efforts may be made to improve the condition of mankind. The goal of modern social democrats who dream of gradually abolishing all evil and misery from the world is vain.

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