The Apostles' Creed

(from the Catechism of St. Pius X)

1. How many articles are there in the Creed?

There are twelve articles in the Creed.

2. Recite them.

1. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

2. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.

3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.

4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried.

5. He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead.

6. He ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.

7. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

8. I believe in the Holy Ghost.

9. The Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints.

10. The forgiveness of sins.

11. The resurrection of the body.

12. Life everlasting. Amen.

3. What does the First Article of the Creed: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, teach us?

The First Article of the Creed teaches us that there is one God, and only one; that He is omnipotent and has created heaven and earth and all things contained in them, that is to say, the whole Universe.

4. Was the world created by the Father alone?

The world was created by all the Three Divine Persons, because whatever one Person does with regard to creatures is done by the other two Persons in one and the selfsame act.

5. Why then is creation specially attributed to the Father?

Creation is specially attributed to the Father because creation is a work of divine omnipotence, which is specially attributed to the Father, just as wisdom is attributed to the Son, and goodness to the Holy Ghost, though all three Persons possess the same omnipotence, wisdom, and goodness.

6. What are we taught in the Second Article: And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord?

The Second Article of the Creed teaches us that the Son of God is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity; that, like the Father, He is God eternal, omnipotent, Creator and Lord; that He became man to save us; and that the Son of God, made man, is called Jesus Christ.

7. What is taught in the Third Article: Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary?

The Third Article of the Creed teaches that by the operation of the Holy Ghost the Son of God took a body and soul like ours, in the chaste womb of the Virgin Mary, and that He was born of that Virgin.

8. In becoming man did the Son of God cease to be God?

No, the Son of God became man without ceasing to be God.

9. Jesus Christ, then, is God and man at the same time?

Yes, the incarnate Son of God, that is, Jesus Christ, is both God and man, perfect God and perfect man.

10. Are there, then, two natures in Jesus Christ?

Yes, in Jesus Christ, who is both God and man, there are two natures, the divine and the human.

11. In Jesus Christ are there also two persons, the divine and the human?

No, in the Son of God made man there is only one Person, namely, the divine.

12. How many wills are there in Jesus Christ?

In Jesus Christ there are two wills, the one divine, the other human.

13. Are the Son of God and the Son of Mary one and the same Person?

Yes, the Son of God and the Son of Mary are one and the same Person, that is, Jesus Christ, true God and true man.

14. Is the Blessed Virgin the Mother of God?

Yes, the Blessed Virgin is the Mother of God, because she is the Mother of Jesus Christ, who is true God.

15. How did Mary become the Mother of Jesus Christ?

Mary became the Mother of Jesus Christ solely through the operation and power of the Holy Ghost.

16. Is it of faith that Mary was always a Virgin?

Yes, it is of faith that the Most Holy Mary was always a Virgin, and she is called the Virgin of virgins.

17. What are we taught in the Fourth Article: Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried?

The Fourth Article of the Creed teaches us that to redeem the world by His Precious Blood Jesus Christ suffered under Pontius Pilate, the Governor of Judea, died on the tree of the Cross, and, on being taken down therefrom, was buried.

18. What does the word suffered denote?

The word suffered denotes all the pains endured by Jesus during His Passion.

19. Did Jesus Christ suffer as God or as man?

Jesus Christ suffered as man alone; as God He could neither suffer nor die.

20. What did Jesus Christ do while on the Cross?

On the Cross Jesus Christ prayed for His enemies; gave His own Most Blessed Mother as a Mother to St. John, and, in his person, to all of us; offered up His death in sacrifice; and satisfied the justice of God for the sins of men.

21. For whom did Jesus Christ die?

Jesus Christ died for the salvation of all men, and made satisfaction for all.

22. If Jesus Christ died for the salvation of all men, why are not all men saved?

Jesus Christ died for all, but not all are saved, because not all will acknowledge Him; all do not observe His Law; all do not avail themselves of the means of salvation He has left us.

23. To be saved is it enough that Jesus Christ has died for us?

No, it is not enough for our salvation that Jesus Christ has died for us; it is also necessary that the fruit of His Passion and death be applied to each one of us, which is accomplished especially by means of the Sacraments instituted for this end by Jesus Christ Himself; and as many either do not receive the Sacraments at all, or do not receive them well, they thus render the death of Jesus Christ useless in their regard.

24. What are we taught in the Fifth Article: He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead?

The Fifth Article of the Creed teaches us that the Soul of Jesus Christ, on being separated from His Body, descended to the Limbo of the holy Fathers, and that on the third day it became united once more to His Body, never to be parted from it again.

25. What are we taught in the Sixth Article: He ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty?

The Sixth Article of the Creed teaches us that Jesus Christ, forty days after His resurrection, ascended of Himself into heaven in the sight of His Apostles; and that while as God He was equal to His Father in glory, as man He has been raised above all the Angels and Saints, and constituted Lord of all things.

26. Why is it said of Jesus Christ that He ascended, and of His Most Holy Mother that she was assumed, into heaven?

It is said of Jesus Christ that He ascended into heaven, and of His Most Holy Mother that she was assumed, because, Jesus Christ, being Man-God, ascended into heaven by His own power; but His Mother, being a creature, even though the greatest of all creatures, was taken up into heaven by the power of God.

27. Explain the words: Sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.

The word sitteth signifies the peaceful possession which Jesus Christ has of His glory; and the words: At the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, denote that He has a place of honor above all creatures.

28. What are we taught in the Seventh Article: From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead?

The Seventh Article of the Creed teaches us that at the end of the world Jesus Christ, in all His glory and majesty, will come from heaven to judge all men, both good and bad, and to give to each of them the reward or the punishment he shall have merited.

29. If every one has to be judged by Jesus Christ in particular judgment immediately after death, why must all be judged in the general judgment?

We must all be judged in the general judgment for several reasons: 1. That God may be glorified; 2. That Jesus Christ may be glorified; 3. That the Saints may be glorified; 4. That the wicked may be confounded; 5. That along with the soul the body may receive its sentence of reward or punishment.

30. What are we taught in the Eighth Article: I believe in the Holy Ghost?

The Eighth Article of the Creed teaches us that there is a Holy Ghost, the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity; and that, like the Father and the Son, He is God eternal, infinite, omnipotent, Creator and Lord of all things.

31. What does the Ninth article: The Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, teach us?

The Ninth Article of the Creed teaches us that Jesus Christ founded a visible society on earth called the Catholic Church, and that all those who belong to this Church are in communion with one another.

32. Where are the members of the Church to be found?

The members of the Church are found partly in heaven, forming the Church Triumphant; partly in purgatory, forming the Church Suffering; partly on earth, forming the Church Militant.

33. Do these various parts of the Church constitute one sole Church?

Yes, these various parts of the Church constitute one sole Church and one sole body for they have the same Head, Jesus Christ, the same Spirit animating and uniting them, and the same end, eternal happiness, which some already enjoy and the rest hope for.

34. To which part of the Church does this Ninth Article principally refer?

This Ninth Article of the Creed principally refers to the Church Militant, which is the Church we actually belong to.

35. What are we taught by these words of the Ninth Article: The Communion of Saints?

In the words The Communion of Saints, the Ninth Article of the Creed teaches us that the Church's spiritual goods, both internal and external, are common to all her members because of the intimate union that exists between them.

36. Which are the internal goods that are common in the Church?

The internal goods that are common in the Church are: the graces received through the Sacraments; faith, hope and charity; the infinite merits of Jesus Christ; the superabundant merits of the Blessed Virgin and of the Saints; and the fruit of all the good works done in the same Church.

37. Which are the external goods that are common in the Church?

The external goods that are common in the Church are: the Sacraments, the Sacrifice of the Mass, public prayers, religious functions, and all the other outward practices that unite the faithful.

38. Do all the children of the Church share in this communion of goods?

All Christians who are in the grace of God share in the communion of internal goods, while those who are in mortal sin do not participate in these goods.

39. Can those in mortal sin participate in the external goods of the Church?

Those in mortal sin can participate in the external goods of the Church, unless indeed they are cut off from the Church by excommunication.

40. Why are the members of this Communion, taken together, called saints?

The members of this Communion are called saints because all are called to sanctity and have been sanctified by Baptism, and because many of them have really attained perfect sanctity.

41. Does the Communion of Saints extend also to heaven and purgatory?

Yes, the Communion of Saints also extends to heaven and purgatory, because charity unites the three Churches - the Triumphant, the Suffering and the Militant; the Saints pray to God both for us and for the souls in purgatory; while we on our part give honor and glory to the Saints, and are able to relieve the suffering souls in purgatory by applying on their behalf indulgences and other good works.

42. What are we taught by the Tenth Article: The Forgiveness of sins?

The Tenth Article of the Creed teaches us that Jesus Christ has left to His Church the power of forgiving sins.

43. Can the Church forgive every sort of sin?

Yes, the Church can forgive all sins, no matter how many or how grave they may be, because Jesus Christ has given her full power to bind and to loose.

44. Who exercises this power of forgiving sins in the Church?

Those who exercise the power of forgiving sins in the Church are, first of all, the Pope, who alone possesses this power in all its plenitude; then the Bishops, and, dependent upon the Bishops, the priests.

45. How does the Church forgive sins?

The Church forgives sins through the merits of Jesus Christ by conferring the Sacraments instituted by Him for this purpose; especially the sacraments of Baptism and Penance.

46. What are we taught by the Eleventh Article: The Resurrection of the body?

The Eleventh Article of the Creed teaches us that all men will rise again, every soul resuming the body it had in this life.

47. When will the resurrection of the dead take place?

The resurrection of the dead shall take place at the end of the world, and shall be followed by the general judgment.

48. Will all rise in the same way?

No, there will be a vast difference between the bodies of the elect and the bodies of the damned; because only the bodies of the elect shall have, like the risen Christ, the endowments of glorified bodies.

49. What are the endowments that are to adorn the bodies of the elect?

The endowments that shall adorn the bodies of the elect are: 1. Impassability, by which they can never again be subject to evil, nor to any kind of pain, nor to need of food, of rest or the like; 2. Brightness, by which they shall shine as the sun and as so many stars; 3. Agility, by which they shall be able to pass in a moment and without fatigue from one place to another and from earth to heaven; 4. Subtlety, by which without hindrance they shall be able to penetrate any body, as did Jesus Christ when risen from the dead.

50. What are we taught by the Last Article: Life Everlasting?

The Last Article of the Creed teaches us that, after the present life there is another life, eternally happy for the elect in heaven, or eternally miserable for the damned in hell.

51. Can we comprehend the bliss of heaven?

No, we cannot comprehend the bliss of heaven, because it is beyond the scope of our limited minds, and because the goods of heaven cannot be compared with the goods of this world.

52. In what does the happiness of the elect consist?

The happiness of the elect consists in for ever seeing, loving and possessing God, the source of all good.

53. In what does the misery of the damned consist?

The misery of the damned consists in being for ever deprived of the vision of God and punished with eternal torments in hell.

54. Are the happiness of heaven and the miseries of hell for the soul alone?

The happiness of heaven and the miseries of hell at present affect the soul alone, because at present the soul alone is in heaven or in hell; but after the resurrection of the flesh, man in the fullness of his nature, that is, in body and in soul, will be for ever happy or for ever tormented.

55. Shall the bliss of paradise and the miseries of hell be the same for all men?

The bliss of heaven in the case of the blessed, and the miseries of hell in the case of the damned, will be the same in substance and in eternal duration; but in measure, or degree, they will be greater or less according to the extent of each one's merits or demerits.

56. What does the word Amen signify at the end of the Creed?

The word Amen at the end of a prayer signifies so be it; at the end of the Creed it signifies so it is, that is to say, "I believe that all things contained in these twelve Articles are most true, and I am more certain of them than if I had seen them with my eyes."