This Church has been described as “catholic” for two thousand years.  This word, coming from the Greek word for “all, whole, or full,” means that the Church, which possesses all the means of grace, is entrusted to bring the whole truth to the whole world.  The Catholic Faith is not something different from Christianity. It is simply Christianity with nothing left out.

God revealed himself to his people and to us because he desires a relationship with us.  Our response—our yes—to his invitation is what is meant by faith.  Thus, while revelation is God reaching out to us, faith is our response to this revelation, which moves us closer to him.

God is rightfully called “Father,” first and foremost because of the relationship that he, as the first Person of the Blessed Trinity, has with the Son, Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Blessed Trinity. However, it also describes his creative action in making all things. And, as Jesus reveals to us, “Father” also refers to the relationship that he desires with us, his sons and daughters.

The moment Jesus—God the Son, the second Person of the Blessed Trinity—became man is known to as the Incarnation. The Incarnation is a mystery of the Faith with incredible implications. As true God and true man, Jesus is the perfect mediator—the only one who can reconcile fallen man to God the Father. The events of Christ’s passion, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven are known as the paschal mystery—salvific events that are made present in every Mass and bring about Christ’s work of redemption in our lives.

It can be difficult to imagine the Holy Spirit—who came down from heaven as a dove or in tongues of fire or as a strong wind—as a Person. Because of this, we may find it hard to relate to the Holy Spirit in prayer or to have a loving relationship with him. In fact, it is sometimes said that the Holy Spirit is the least understood Person of the Blessed Trinity. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit plays an indispensable role in the Church and in the Christian life as the "Breath of God.”

The Church is not merely a human institution. God’s invisible grace is at work through the Church’s visible structures—and weak human members. Christ established the Church as the “‘universal sacrament of salvation’ … the sacrament of the inner union of men with God” (CCC 775–776).  Therefore, the Church is an essential part of God’s plan for salvation.

The sacraments are more than symbolic rituals; they really bring about the things they signify. God’s life—his love and his grace—is communicated to the faithful in the Liturgy and the sacraments. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the graces of the paschal mystery—Christ’s life, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension—are communicated to us in the Liturgy and the sacraments. They recall the past, yes, but they also make it present. They also make the future eternal life present here and now. Beginning with the sacrament of Baptism, we literally partake of the divine life that God has so graciously willed us to share in (see 1 Peter 1:3–4).

Prayer is a conversation with God in which we raise our hearts and minds to him (see CCC 2559). The tradition of the Church contains a wealth of personal prayers and devotions, such as the Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours, and Eucharist Adoration. Other traditional prayers and devotions include the Rosary, pilgrimages, chaplets, litanies, devotions to saints, and blessed devotional aids such as holy water, scapulars, and medals. The rich tradition of the Church offers us many opportunities to pray throughout the day and throughout the year.

Prayer connects us to the risen Christ—our life. In fasting, we share in his death.  Fasting is the sacrifice of our desire for bodily pleasure.  We do it so that we may run the race of the Christian life and ultimately win the prize.  Fasting is one of the key disciplines of Christian discipleship.  It is a sign of humbling ourselves before God in repentance.  It is training in temperance and self-control. It is a tool to break attachments to creatures and refocus on the Creator.  But the fundamental purpose of fasting is to make greater room for God in our lives. It is a reminder to ourselves that “man does not live by bread alone, but … by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3).

If God is love, his sons and daughters must become people who love.  Christ working through us means Christ giving through us.  This session will discuss the spiritual discipline often called almsgiving.  But this really means more than giving dollars. It means giving of oneself.

Another important name for this discipline is mercy, which really describes what love does when it encounters suffering.  The works of mercy are innumerable because there are many kinds of suffering.  By the corporal works of mercy, we fulfill the bodily needs of others, such as for food and drink.  And, by the spiritual works of mercy, we help those who are in desperate need of company, guidance, and truth.  In heaven, the love we practiced on earth will blossom into a joyful intimacy with God and one another that will be the satisfaction of all desire.