Core Catholic Beliefs

The following list is meant to give you a glimpse of the core beliefs of Catholics.

• God created human beings to be in perfect union with him and one another. However, the sin of our first parents, called Original Sin, deprived the human race of our original holiness and justice.

• Throughout human history, God worked to restore the relationship of love and trust that was lost through Original Sin. He did this by entering into covenant (special relationships based on mutual promises) with Noah, Abraham, and the people of Israel. But the people often broke their covenant promises.

• Ultimately, God sent his only begotten son,  Jesus Christ, as savior for the human race. Christ is both true God and true man. He became the perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins and the restoration of the relationship of love and trust between God and humankind.

• Following his death, Jesus was brought back to life in the Resurrection! Christ overcame death and opened Heaven’s gates for all the just.

• The Holy Spirit has been at work in the world from the beginning of Creation to the present day. The Holy Spirit is one with the Father and the Son, and is also called the Advocate (Paraclete) and the Spirit of Truth.

• God has revealed himself to be Trinity, that is, the mystery of one God in three Divine Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This was revealed by Jesus Christ.

• Christ established the Catholic Church on the foundation of the Apostles. Christ and the Holy Spirit revealed the fullness of religious truth to the Apostles. The fullness of God’s revealed truth is called Sacred Tradition, and is entrusted to the Apostles’ successors, the Pope and all the bishops of the Church.

• The Bible, or Sacred Scripture, is another source of God’s revealed truth for Catholics. The Bible is closely connected to Sacred Tradition. The Holy Spirit inspired the authors of the Bible to write what God wants us to know for our salvation.

• All people are destined for eternal life after death. The baptized who have put their faith in Jesus Christ as their savior will find their eternal reward in Heaven.  Salvation through Christ is also possible for those who seek God with a sincere heart and try to do his will but who do not know Christ, the Gospel, or the Church through no fault of their own. Those who willfully and persistently reject God in this life will suffer eternal separation from God in Hell.