Just before the ascension of Jesus Christ, he commanded the apostles to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20).
It was this trinitarian baptismal formula that set in place an early creed: “I believe in God the Father, in Jesus Christ his Son and in the Holy Spirit.” This was the foundation of what we call the Apostles Creed – “I Believe…” And every convert gave this witness at their baptism that they believed God who was three in one.
The mission of the Church, since that time, has been to fulfill the great commission:
To BAPTIZE and To TEACH.
Early on, the Church developed teaching content and methods that would help both new and old disciples better understand the Catholic faith. These catechisms were not written and taught just so that Christians might intellectually understand their faith, but more importantly that they would embrace the faith and live it.
This book is written with this purpose in mind.
Know What You Believe – A Dynamic Catechism, is only the skeleton of Catholic truth and based on the Apostles Creed. Later on, you will want to add more flesh.
This catechism will help you grasp the foundation of your faith in a very vivid way and empower you to live it more fully.
Know What You Believe – A Dynamic Catechism is designed to be easy to learn and comprehend. Within a matter of a few hours, you will be able to grasp a full range of Catholic truth and then pass it on to others, your family, work associates as well as people in your Church.
You are also encouraged to read and digest the official Catechism of the Catholic Church as you continue to allow the Church to teach you and thus become a better disciple of Jesus Christ. References to the Catechism have been added to help you better connect what you learn in this course to the official Churches Catechism.
