Core Theology

The Nature of God and Creation

1. The existence of God is not self-evident to the human, worldly mind but can be demonstrated through observable effects in the world.
2. God is the first unmoved mover who initiates all motion without being moved by another.
3. God is the first efficient cause because nothing can be the cause of itself.
4. Perfection exists in God to the highest degree because he is the source of all being.
5. God is infinite and omnipresent, existing in all things by power, presence, and essence.
6. The divine will is the cause of all created things.
7. God created the universe out of nothing rather than from pre-existing matter.
8. Humans are composed of a material body, an incorporeal, intellectual soul, and a heavenly, divine spirit.

Human Acts and the Pursuit of Happiness

10. Every human action is performed for the sake of an end, and the ultimate end of all humans is happiness.
11. Perfect happiness cannot be found in wealth, honor, fame, power, or bodily goods.
12. True beatitude consists only in the vision of the divine essence in the afterlife.
13. Human acts are those which proceed from a deliberate will.
14. The morality of an act is determined by its object, its circumstances, and its intended end.
15. Passions are movements of the sensitive appetite and are not inherently evil unless they lack the order of reason.
16. Virtue is a stable disposition of the soul that enables a person to perform good works.

The Framework of Law and Grace

17. Law is an ordinance of reason for the common good, made by him who has care of the community, and promulgated.
18. Eternal law is the type of divine wisdom that directs all actions and movements in the universe.
19. Natural law is the participation of rational creatures in the eternal law through the light of natural reason.
20. The primary precept of natural law is that good is to be done and pursued, and evil is to be avoided.
21. Human law is derived from natural law and must be just to bind the conscience.
22. Divine law is necessary to direct humans toward their supernatural end which exceeds natural ability.
23. Grace is a supernatural gift of God that justifies and heals the soul.

The Virtues of Social and Spiritual Life

24. Faith is the habit of the mind whereby eternal life is begun in us, making the intellect assent to things not seen.
25. Hope is a divinely infused virtue by which we trust with certainty to obtain eternal life.
26. Charity is the friendship of man for God and is the most excellent of all virtues.
27. Prudence is the virtue of right reason applied to the choices humans make.
28. Justice is the constant and perpetual will to render to each person their due right.
29. Fortitude is the firmness of mind required to face dangers and endure difficulties for the sake of the good.
30. Temperance is the moderate regulation of the desires for pleasures of the body.

Christ and the Sacraments

31. The Word became incarnate to achieve the restoration of human nature and the salvation of mankind.
32. Christ possesses two distinct natures, divine and human, united in one person.
33. The passion of Christ was a voluntary sacrifice that satisfied the debt of human sin.
34. Sacraments are sensible signs that produce an invisible grace in the recipient.
35. Baptism is the necessary rebirth that incorporates a person into the mystical body of Christ.
36. The Eucharist is the greatest of the sacraments because it contains the real presence of Christ.
37. Penance is the means of restoring grace to those who have fallen after baptism.