I BELIEVE IN THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS

The Creed links “the forgiveness of sins” with the profession of faith in the Holy

Spirit, for the risen Christ entrusted to the apostles the power to forgive sins when he

gave them the Holy Spirit.

There is no

one who may

not

confidently

hope for

forgiveness,

provided his

repentance

is honest.

ONE BAPTISM FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS

• Baptism is the first and chief sacrament of forgiveness of sins because it unites us with Christ.

• It is through the sacrament of Penance that the baptized can be reconciled with God and with the Church.

“The Sacrament of Penance is necessary for salvation for those who have fallen after Baptism, just as Baptism is necessary for salvation for

those who have not yet been reborn.”

- Council of Trent 1551

The Power of the Keys

THE POWER OF THE KEYS• The Lord wills that his disciples possess a tremendous power; that his lowly servants accomplish in his name all that He did when on earth.

• Priests have received from God a power that He has given neither to angels or archangels. God above confirms what priests do here below.

• Were there no forgiveness of sins in the Church, there would be no hope of life to come or eternal liberation.

I BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY

If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He will give life to

your mortal bodies through His Spirit.

“The flesh is the hinge of salvation” - Tertullian• We believe in God who is creator of the flesh;

• We believe in the Word made flesh in order to redeem the flesh;

• We believe in the resurrection of the flesh, the fulfillment of both the creation and the redemption of the flesh.

How do the dead rise?

1. What is “rising”?

In death, the separation of the soul from the body, the human body decays and the soul goes to meet God, who in his almighty power, will definitively grant incorruptible life to our bodies by reuniting them with our souls, through the power of Jesus' Resurrection.

How do the dead rise?

2. Who will rise?

All the dead will rise, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.

How do the dead rise?

3. How?

Christ is raised with his own body: "See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself"; but he did not return to an earthly life. So, all of us will rise again with their own bodies which we now bear, but Christ will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, into a "spiritual body“.

“Just as bread that comes from the earth, after God's blessing has been invoked

upon it, is no longer ordinary bread, but Eucharist, formed of two things, the one earthly and the other heavenly: so too our bodies, which partake of the Eucharist, are no longer corruptible, but possess the

hope of resurrection.”

- St. Irenaeus

How do the dead rise?

4. When?

Definitively at the last day, at the end of the world. Indeed, the resurrection of the dead is closely associated with Christ's Parousia (second coming).

“Every action of yours, every thought, should be those of

one who expects to die before the day is out. Death would

have no great terrors for you if you had a quiet

conscience. . . . Then why not keep clear of sin instead of running away from death?

If you aren't fit to face death today, it's very unlikely you

will be tomorrow.”

- Thomas A Kempis