Baltimore Catechism No. 2 (of 4) | Page 6

What is sanctifying grace? A. Sanctifying grace is that grace which makes the soul holy and pleasing to God.
106. Q. What do you call those graces or gifts of God by which we believe in Him, hope in Him, and love Him? A. Those graces or gifts of God by which we believe in Him, and hope in Him, and love Him, are called the Divine virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity.
107. Q. What is Faith? A. Faith is a Divine virtue by which we firmly believe the truths which God has revealed.
108. Q. What is Hope? A. Hope is a Divine virtue by which we firmly trust that God will give us eternal life and the means to obtain it.
109. Q. What is Charity? A. Charity is a Divine virtue by which we love God above all things for His own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.
110. Q. What is actual grace? A. Actual grace is that help of God which enlightens our mind and moves our will to shun evil and do good.
111. Q. Is grace necessary to salvation? A. Grace is necessary to salvation, because without grace we can do nothing to merit heaven.
112. Q. Can we resist the grace of God? A. We can and unfortunately often do resist the grace of God.
113. Q. What is the grace of perseverance? A. The grace of perseverance is a particular gift of God which enables us to continue in the state of grace till death.

LESSON ELEVENTH ON THE CHURCH
114. Q. Which are the means instituted by our Lord to enable men at all times to share in the fruits of the Redemption? A. The means instituted by our Lord to enable men at all times to share in the fruits of His Redemption are the Church and the Sacraments.
115. Q. What is the Church? A. The Church is the congregation of all those who profess the faith of Christ, partake of the same Sacraments, and are governed by their lawful pastors under one visible head.
116. Q. Who is the invisible Head of the Church? A. Jesus Christ is the invisible Head of the Church.
117. Q. Who is the visible Head of the Church? A. Our Holy Father the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, is the Vicar of Christ on earth and the visible Head of the Church.
118. Q. Why is the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, the visible Head of the Church? A. The Pope, the Bishop of Rome, is the visible Head of the Church because he is the successor of St. Peter, whom Christ made the chief of the Apostles and the visible Head of the Church.
119. Q. Who are the successors of the other Apostles? A. The successors of the other Apostles are the bishops of the Holy Catholic Church.
120. Q. Why did Christ found the Church? A. Christ founded the Church to teach, govern, sanctify, and save all men.
121. Q. Are all bound to belong to the Church? A. All are bound to belong to the Church, and he who knows the Church to be the true Church and remains out of it cannot be saved.

LESSON TWELFTH ON THE ATTRIBUTES AND MARKS OF THE CHURCH
122. Q. Which are the attributes of the Church? A. The attributes of the Church are three: authority infallibility, and indefectibility.
123. Q. What do you mean by the authority of the Church? A. By the authority of the Church I mean the right and power which the Pope and the bishops, as the successors of the Apostles, have to teach and to govern the faithful.
124. Q. What do you mean by the infallibility of the Church? A. By the infallibility of the Church I mean that the Church cannot err when it teaches a doctrine of faith or morals.
125. Q. When does the Church teach infallibly? A. The Church teaches infallibly when it speaks through the Pope and the bishops, united in general council, or through the Pope alone when he proclaims to all the faithful a doctrine of faith or morals.
126. Q. What do you mean by the indefectibility of the Church? A. By the indefectibility of the Church I mean that the Church, as Christ founded it, will last till the end of time.
127. Q. In whom are these attributes found in their fullness? A. These attributes are found in their fullness in the Pope, the visible Head of the Church, whose infallible authority to teach bishops, priests, and people in matters of faith or morals will last till the end of the world.
128. Q. Has the Church any marks by which it may be known? A. The Church has four marks by which it may be known: it is One; it is Holy; it is Catholic; it is Apostolic.
129. Q. How is