Baltimore Catechism Volume Iii Part 12

Q. 320. What do we mean by the "gates of heaven"?

A. By the "gates of heaven" we mean the divine power by which G.o.d keeps us out of heaven or admits us into it, at His pleasure.

Q. 321. {61} Who is the Redeemer?

A. Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of mankind.

Q. 322. What does the name "Jesus" signify and how was this name given to Our Lord?

A. The name "Jesus" signifies Saviour or Redeemer, and this name was given to Our Lord by an Angel who appeared to Joseph and said: "Mary shall bring forth a Son; and thou shalt call His name Jesus."

Q. 323. What does the name "Christ" signify?

A. The name "Christ" means the same as Messias, and signifies Anointed; because, as in the Old Law, Prophets, High Priests and Kings were anointed with oil; so Jesus, the Great Prophet, High Priest and King of the New Law, was anointed as man with the fullness of divine power.

Q. 324. How did Christ show and prove His divine power?

A. Christ showed and proved His divine power chiefly by His miracles, which are extraordinary works that can be performed only by power received from G.o.d, and which have, therefore, His sanction and authority.

Q. 325. What, then, did the miracles of Jesus Christ prove?

A. The miracles of Jesus Christ proved that whatever He said was true, and that when He declared Himself to be the Son of G.o.d He really was what He claimed to be.

Q. 326. Could not men have been deceived in the miracles of Christ?

A. Men could not have been deceived in the miracles of Christ because they were performed in the most open manner and usually in the presence of great mult.i.tudes of people, among whom were many of Christ's enemies, ever ready to expose any deceit. And if Christ performed no real miracles, how, then, could He have converted the world and have persuaded sinful men to give up what they loved and do the difficult things that the Christian religion imposes?

Q. 327. Could not false accounts of these miracles have been written after the death of Our Lord?

A. False accounts of these miracles could not have been written after the death of Our Lord; for then neither His friends nor His enemies would have believed them without proof. Moreover, the enemies of Christ did not deny the miracles, but tried to explain them by attributing them to the power of the devil or other causes. Again, the Apostles and the Evangelists who wrote the accounts suffered death to testify their belief in the words and works of Our Lord.

Q. 328. Did Jesus Christ die to redeem all men of every age and race without exception?

A. Jesus Christ died to redeem all men of every age and race without exception; and every person born into the world should share in His merits, without which no one can be saved.

Q. 329. How are the merits of Jesus Christ applied to our souls?

A. The merits of Jesus Christ are applied to our souls through the Sacraments, and especially through Baptism and Penance, which restore us to the friendship of G.o.d.

Q. 330. {62} What do you believe of Jesus Christ?

A. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of G.o.d, the second Person of the Blessed Trinity, true G.o.d and true man.

Q. 331. Cannot we also be called the Children of G.o.d, and therefore His sons and daughters?

A. We can be called the Children of G.o.d because He has adopted us by His grace or because He is the Father who has created us; but we are not, therefore, His real Children; whereas, Jesus Christ, His only real and true Son, was neither adopted nor created, but was begotten of His Father from all eternity.

Q. 332. {63} Why is Jesus Christ true G.o.d?

A. Jesus Christ is true G.o.d because He is the true and only Son of G.o.d the Father.

Q. 333. {64} Why is Jesus Christ true man?

A. Jesus Christ is true man because He is the Son of the Blessed Virgin Mary and has a body and soul like ours.

Q. 334. Who was the foster father or guardian of Our Lord while on earth?

A. St. Joseph, the husband of the Blessed Virgin, was the foster-father or guardian of Our Lord while on earth.

Q. 335. Is Jesus Christ in heaven as G.o.d or as man?

A. Since His Ascension Jesus Christ is in heaven both as G.o.d and as man.

Q. 336. {65} How many natures are there in Jesus Christ?

A. In Jesus Christ there are two natures, the nature of G.o.d and the nature of man.

Q. 337. {66} Is Jesus Christ more than one person?

A. No. Jesus Christ is but one Divine Person.

Q. 338. From what do we learn that Jesus Christ is but one person?

A. We learn that Jesus Christ is but one person from Holy Scripture and from the constant teaching of the Church, which has condemned all those who teach the contrary.

Q. 339. {67} Was Jesus Christ always G.o.d?

A. Jesus Christ was always G.o.d, as He is the second person of the Blessed Trinity, equal to His Father from all eternity.

Q. 340. {68} Was Jesus Christ always man?

A. Jesus Christ was not always man, but became man at the time of His Incarnation.

Q. 341. {69} What do you mean by the Incarnation?

A. By the Incarnation I mean that the Son of G.o.d was made man.

Q. 342. {70} How was the Son of G.o.d made man?

A. The Son of G.o.d was conceived and made man by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Q. 343. {71} Is the Blessed Virgin Mary truly the Mother of G.o.d?

A. The Blessed Virgin Mary is truly the Mother of G.o.d, because the same Divine Person who is the Son of G.o.d is also the Son of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Q. 344. {72} Did the Son of G.o.d become man immediately after the sin of our first parents?

A. The Son of G.o.d did not become man immediately after the sin of our first parents, but was promised to them as a Redeemer.

Q. 345. How many years pa.s.sed from the time Adam sinned till the time the Redeemer came?

A. About 4,000 years pa.s.sed from the time Adam sinned till the time the Redeemer came.

Q. 346. What was the moral condition of the world just before the coming of Our Lord?

A. Just before the coming of Our Lord the moral condition of the world was very bad. Idolatry, injustice, cruelty, immorality and horrid vices were common almost everywhere.

Q. 347. Why was the coming of the Redeemer so long delayed?

A. The coming of the Redeemer was so long delayed that the world--suffering from every misery--might learn the great evil of sin and know that G.o.d alone could help fallen man.

Q. 348. When was the Redeemer promised to mankind?

A. The Redeemer was first promised to mankind in the Garden of Paradise, and often afterward through Abraham and his descendants, the patriarchs, and through numerous prophets.

Q. 349. Who were the prophets?

A. The prophets were inspired men to whom G.o.d revealed the future, that they might with absolute certainty make it known to the people.

Q. 350. What did the prophets foretell concerning the Redeemer?

A. The prophets, taken together, foretold so accurately all the circ.u.mstances of the birth, life, death, resurrection and glory of the Redeemer that no one who carefully studied their writings could fail to recognize Him when He came.

Q. 351. Have all these prophecies concerning the Redeemer been fulfilled?

A. All the prophecies concerning the Redeemer have been fulfilled in every point by the circ.u.mstances of Christ's birth, life, death, resurrection and glory; and He is, therefore, the Redeemer promised to mankind from the time of Adam.

Q. 352. Where shall we find these prophecies concerning the Redeemer?

A. We shall find these prophecies concerning the Redeemer in the prophetic books of the Bible or Holy Scripture.