RELIGIOUS INSTRUCCTION
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Warnings
The highest personalities have given this book the highest praise and highly recommend it.
In the diffusion of this book only the propagation of good is intended.
To spread it is a work of Catholic propaganda, very pleasing to God and profitable for souls.
It is one of the best gifts that can be given.
Would that there were a copy in every home!
RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION
CHRISTIANITY, ITS DOGMAS, PRAYERS, COMMANDMENTS AND SACRAMENTS.
In accordance with Canon Law and the latest prescriptions of the Holy See.
Thirty-second edition
Editorial Don Bosco
Buenos Aires December 3, 1941
Nihil Obstat - Domingo Martínez, S.D.E.
Buenos Aires September 3, 1941 - May be printed - Antonio Rocca, Bishop of Augusta and Vic. Gen
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Copy right Institución Salesiana. Buenos Aires, 1964
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INTRODUCTION TO THE CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE
1- I am a Christian by the grace of God.
To be a Christian is one of the greatest benefits that the Lord has given us, for which we should give many thanks to God every day.
2.- To be a Christian means to have the faith of Jesus Christ that was professed in Baptism, and to be offered to His holy service.
The word “Christian” comes from Christ, our Lord.
Everyone is a Christian who has received the true baptism, and professes the faith and law of Jesus Christ.
The faith and the law of Jesus Christ are holy; therefore, all who truly profess this faith and this law will also be virtuous and holy.
There are true Christians and false Christians
True Christians are those who fulfill what the Christian religion commands; false Christians are those who do not fulfill it.
3.- We become Christians by means of the Holy Baptism.
When the soldier joins the ranks, he receives a badge, the uniform or another sign that distinguishes him from the civilians; in the same way God imposes on His children, the Christians, a badge that distinguishes them from those who practice another religion.
This spiritual badge is Holy Baptism.
Whoever does not receive it, with or without guilt, is not part of the Church, which is the kingdom of God in this world, and will not have the right to Paradise, which is the kingdom of God in the next life. [later they explain the limbo of the children].
4.- The sign of the Christian is the Holy Cross
The sign of the Cross is an exterior sign of the Christian; Baptism is an interior and spiritual sign.
5.- The Holy Cross is the sign of the Christian, because it reminds us of Jesus Crucified, who in it redeemed us.
6.- The Christian uses the sign of the Cross in two ways, which are: to make the sign of the cross 3 times: in the forehead, the mouth and the chest [“persignarse” in Spanish] or to cross oneself [“santiguarse” in Spanish]
7. I cross myself [persignarse] by making three crosses with the thumb of the right hand; the first on the forehead, the second on the mouth, the third on the chest, speaking with our Lord God.
8. By the sign of the Holy Cross, [a drawing of the cross] from our enemies [a drawing of a cross] deliver us, O Lord our God. [a drawing of a cross].
9. I cross myself on my forehead so that God may deliver me from evil thoughts.
10.- I cross myself on my mouth so that God will deliver me from evil words.
11.- I cross myself on my chest so that God will deliver me from evil deeds and desires.
12.- I cross myself [santiguarse] by bringing my right hand to my forehead, and saying: ‘In the Name of the Father’; then to my chest, saying: ‘and of the Son’, and from here to my left and right shoulder, saying: ‘and of the Holy Spirit’, and finally I say: ‘Amen’.
13. The sign of the Cross signifies the two principal mysteries of our faith.
14. The two principal mysteries of our Holy Faith are: the first, the Unity and Trinity of God; the second, the Incarnation, Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
15. Unity of God means that God is one.
16. Trinity of God means that in God there are three equal and distinct Persons, who are called Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
17. By means of the Sign of the Cross we express the mystery of the Unity and Trinity of God, because by saying “in the Name” we affirm that there is only one God, and by saying “of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” we affirm that in God there are three really distinct Persons.
To better indicate this distinction, the particle “and” is interposed between the names of the three Persons, to separate one from the other.
18. Incarnation, Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ means that the Son of God became man, suffered and died on the cross to save us.
19. By the sign of the Cross we represent the mystery of the Incarnation, Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ, because this sign reminds us that the Son of God made man suffered and died on the Cross.
20. The word “Amen” means: “so it is” or “so be it”.
21. It is convenient to use the Sign of the Cross whenever we begin any good work or find ourselves in any difficulty, temptation or danger, and when we get up, when we go to bed, when we leave the house, when we enter and leave the church, when we begin prayer and at the beginning and end of meals and work.
22. It is convenient to use so many times the sign of the cross, because at all times and in all places our enemies fight and persecute us.
23. Our enemies are: the devil, the world and the flesh.
The world is the evil and perverse people.
With its bad examples, advice and false maxims, it tries to turn us away from the service of God.
The devil is the condemned angel.
Because of his envy of us, seeing that we must occupy the throne of glory which he has lost, he continually tries to tempt us; he deceived Eve, and even tried to deceive Jesus Christ himself.
The flesh is our own body with its evil inclinations.
It is the worst of enemies because it always accompanies us and we cannot cast it out of us; the devil and the world we can avoid by casting them out or turning away from them.
24. The Cross has virtue [power] against these enemies, because Jesus Christ defeated them in it by His death.
In human battles, dying is considered a defeat; on the other hand, in this other battle that Jesus Christ fought against His enemies, He won by dying, because death was the condition demanded by God for our rescue.
25. The Christian, when he comes to the use of reason, is obliged to know and understand four things: 1) what he is to believe; 2) what he is to act; 3) what he is to receive; and 4) what he is to pray.
26. The Christian will know what is to be believed by knowing the Creed and the Articles of Faith.
27. The Christian will know what to do, knowing the commandments of the law of God, of Holy Mother Church, and the Works of Mercy.
28. The Christian shall know what he is to receive by knowing the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church.
29. A Christian shall know what to pray, knowing the Our Father and the other prayers of the Church.
30. Christian Doctrine is that which Our Lord Jesus Christ taught us, to show us the way to eternal salvation.
31. To be a true Christian it is necessary to know and practice Christian doctrine.
The first and principal obligation of every Christian who has reached the use of reason is to learn Christian doctrine well.
The Christian who does not practice the doctrine of Jesus Christ does not go to heaven, and to practice it, it is necessary to know it.
It is not enough to know the catechism in a routine way: it is necessary to understand it.
The catechism teaches us the way to Heaven.
The other sciences teach us the knowledge useful for our well-being on earth.
The study of the catechism is much more important than the study of all other sciences.
Heaven and the salvation of the soul are worth infinitely more than the earth and all temporal goods.
31. The principal parts of Christian Doctrine are four, namely: 1) The Creed; 2) The Commandments; 3) The Sacraments; 4) The Lord's Prayer.