Catechism of the Catholic Church · Part One › Section One › Chapter Two · Article 1 (§§51–73)
Paragraphs · 23
The Catechism's text is under copyright, so each paragraph is quoted briefly here with a link to the full text at vatican.va.
I. God Reveals His "Plan of Loving Goodness"
- §51 — "It pleased God, in his goodness and wisdom, to reveal himself and to make known the mystery of his will. His will was that men should have access to the Father, through Christ, the Word made flesh, in the Holy Spirit, and thus become sharers in the divine nature."vatican.va
- §52 — God, who "dwells in unapproachable light", wants to communicate his own divine life to the men he freely created, in order to adopt them as his sons in his only-begotten Son.vatican.va
- §53 — The divine plan of Revelation is realized simultaneously "by deeds and words which are intrinsically bound up with each other" and shed light on each another.vatican.va
In the beginning God makes himself known
- §54 — "God, who creates and conserves all things by his Word, provides men with constant evidence of himself in created realities. and furthermore, wishing to open up the way to heavenly salvation - he manifested himself to our first parents from the very beginning."vatican.va
- §55 — This revelation was not broken off by our first parents' sin. "After the fall, (God) buoyed them up with the hope of salvation, by promising redemption; and he has never ceased to show his solicitude for the human race.vatican.va
- §56 — After the unity of the human race was shattered by sin God at once sought to save humanity part by part. the covenant with Noah after the flood gives expression to the principle of the divine economy toward the "nations", in other words, towards men…vatican.va
- §57 — This state of division into many nations, each entrusted by divine providence to the guardianship of angels, is at once cosmic, social and religious. It is intended to limit the pride of fallen humanity united only in its perverse ambition to forge its own unity as at Babel.vatican.va
- §58 — The covenant with Noah remains in force during the times of the Gentiles, until the universal proclamation of the Gospel. The Bible venerates several great figures among the Gentiles: Abel the just, the king-priest Melchisedek - a figure of Christ - and the upright "Noah, Daniel, and Job".vatican.va
- §59 — In order to gather together scattered humanity God calls Abram from his country, his kindred and his father's house, and makes him Abraham, that is, "the father of a multitude of nations".vatican.va
- §60 — The people descended from Abraham would be the trustee of the promise made to the patriarchs, the chosen people, called to prepare for that day when God would gather all his children into the unity of the Church.vatican.va
- §61 — The patriarchs, prophets and certain other Old Testament figures have been and always will be honoured as saints in all the Church's liturgical traditions.vatican.va
- §62 — After the patriarchs, God formed Israel as his people by freeing them from slavery in Egypt. He established with them the covenant of Mount Sinai and, through Moses, gave them his law so that they would recognize him and serve him as the one living…vatican.va
- §63 — Israel is the priestly people of God, "called by the name of the LORD", and "the first to hear the word of God", The people of "elder brethren" in the faith of Abraham.vatican.va
- §64 — Through the prophets, God forms his people in the hope of salvation, in the expectation of a new and everlasting Covenant intended for all, to be written on their hearts.vatican.va
God has said everything in his Word
- §65 — "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son."vatican.va
- §66 — "The Christian economy, therefore, since it is the new and definitive Covenant, will never pass away; and no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ."vatican.va
- §67 — Throughout the ages, there have been so-called "private" revelations, some of which have been recognized by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith.vatican.va
In Brief
- §68 — By love, God has revealed himself and given himself to man. He has thus provided the definitive, superabundant answer to the questions that man asks himself about the meaning and purpose of his life.vatican.va
- §69 — God has revealed himself to man by gradually communicating his own mystery in deeds and in words.vatican.va
- §70 — Beyond the witness to himself that God gives in created things, he manifested himself to our first parents, spoke to them and, after the fall, promised them salvation (cf Gen 3:15) and offered them his covenant.vatican.va
- §71 — God made an everlasting covenant with Noah and with all living beings (cf Gen 9:16). It will remain in force as long as the world lasts.vatican.va
- §72 — God chose Abraham and made a covenant with him and his descendants. By the covenant God formed his people and revealed his law to them through Moses.vatican.va
- §73 — God has revealed himself fully by sending his own Son, in whom he has established his covenant for ever. the Son is his Father's definitive Word; so there will be no further Revelation after him.vatican.va
Scripture cited · 75 verses
Genesis 3:15 · Genesis 9:9 · Genesis 9:10 · Genesis 9:16 · Genesis 10:5 · Genesis 10:20 · Genesis 10:21 · Genesis 10:22 · Genesis 10:23 · Genesis 10:24 · Genesis 10:25 · Genesis 10:26 · Genesis 10:27 · Genesis 10:28 · Genesis 10:29 · Genesis 10:30 · Genesis 10:31 · Genesis 11:4 · Genesis 11:5 · Genesis 11:6 · Genesis 12:1 · Genesis 12:3 · Genesis 14:18 · Genesis 17:5 · Exodus 19:6 · Deuteronomy 4:19 · Deuteronomy 28:10 · Deuteronomy 32:8 · Wisdom 10:5 · Isaiah 2:2 · Isaiah 2:3 · Isaiah 2:4 · Isaiah 49:5 · Isaiah 49:6 · Isaiah 53:11 · Jeremiah 31:31 · Jeremiah 31:32 · Jeremiah 31:33 · Jeremiah 31:34 · Ezekiel 2:3 · Ezekiel 14:14 · Luke 1:38 · Luke 21:24 · John 1:3 · John 10:16 · John 11:52 · Acts 17:26 · Acts 17:27 · Romans 1:18 · Romans 1:19 · Romans 1:20 · Romans 1:21 · Romans 1:22 · Romans 1:23 · Romans 1:24 · Romans 1:25 · Romans 2:6 · Romans 2:7 · Romans 11:17 · Romans 11:18 · Romans 11:24 · Romans 11:28 · Galatians 3:8 · Ephesians 1:4 · Ephesians 1:5 · Ephesians 1:9 · Ephesians 2:18 · 1 Timothy 6:14 · 1 Timothy 6:16 · Titus 2:13 · Hebrews 1:1 · Hebrews 1:2 · Hebrews 7:3 · Hebrews 10:16 · 2 Peter 1:4