III. Faith
a. “I believe.”
Faith comes from God and is placed in God alone. Everything a Catholic believes is based on his or her faith in God, who has revealed himself to us. In this way faith is an act of obedience to him, admitting that he knows everything. To believe contrary to what he has said is foolishness and ends in ruin. If our faith is in him alone, then it follows that our faith ought to be unshakeable for he doesn't deceive. Of course, even the most devout souls have doubts from time to time, but by placing one's trust completely in Christ and his Catholic Church and persevering in prayer, the doubts will pass. When we're in heaven, there won't be any more doubts and faith will pass away for we will see God face-to-face. Faith is necessary for salvation, as our Lord, his apostles, and the whole church has always proclaimed (cf. Mk 16:16). It is by believing his promise given to us in the covenant of the Blood of Jesus Christ that we are saved, have our sins forgiven, are reborn as his adopted children, and receive his Spirit. However, as the Epistle of James teaches, we are not saved by faith alone, but by a faith which works in hope and in love, the two other theological virtues along with faith (cf. Jas 2:14-26). These works of love come naturally in the life of a true believer. Whoever puts his or her faith in God will be inspired by his love and empowered by his Holy Spirit to do acts of righteousness, both corporal and spiritual. If a person does not do good works, then it proves that he or she has no faith, he or she doesn't know the Lord, and will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. If we understand faith as the total obedience and submission of a person's will to God's will, then we can say that it is by faith alone that we are saved, but simply acknowledging a creed or even that Jesus Christ is Lord is insufficient in itself.
b. “We believe.”
A person cannot be a believer all by him or herself. One needs the church because one needs Christ and the church is his Body. The faith of the church was given once and for all by him. It has grown from a mustard seed into the beautiful thing which today we call the Catholic Faith, but it is the same “faith that was once for all handed down to the holy ones” (Jude 3). Because this communal faith has been given by God and is constantly protected and sustained by his Spirit working in his church, it is infallible. There is no reason to doubt any tenet of the faith, for the whole comes from him, and he gives sufficient grace to all to believe, if only we ask. The Catholic Faith is composed of all that is professed in the ancient creeds, the 21 ecumenical councils of the church from Nicaea to Vatican II, dogmatic proclamations made by popes speaking as supreme pastors of the universal church (ex cathedra), and the ordinary and universal teachings of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, that is, any teaching on which the pope and bishops agree without a formal conciliar meeting. Each and every tenet of the faith proclaimed and taught through history is based upon the Bible and the sacred traditions given to the apostles directly by our Lord. The most important summaries of the faith are the ancient creeds, the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed, which Catholics recite at every mass. Here is the Apostles' Creed, which is recited when saying the rosary:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,The holy catholic Church, the communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body,
And the life everlasting. Amen.
A much more detailed summary of everything which Catholics believe can be found in The Credo of the People of God, composed by Pope Paul VI and published in The Acts of the Apostolic See, August 10, 1968. Besides dogmatic definitions, which by no means contain or exhaust it, the Catholic Faith finds its expression in the life of the church, especially her sacraments, and especially in the mass, which is its epitome. The spiritual writings of the saints, but even more importantly their holy and inspiring lives, also give expression to this one, holy, catholic, and apostolic faith in which we have absolute confidence (Nicene Creed).
Filled with God's Holy Spirit, the apostles fearlessly teach the faith