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500 • Conclusion and Appendices
life-giving power of the Holy Spirit. In the first part of this
United States
Catholic Catechism for Adults
, we have studied the summary of faith in
the Apostles’ Creed and have learned how the Gospel of Jesus Christ is
transmitted faithfully from generation to generation, continuing to be
heard by countless believers in a way that leads them to an ever greater
understanding of God’s love and their destiny.
God continues to be present in his Church as her members are
brought together by the Holy Spirit to celebrate the Seven Sacraments,
most especially the Eucharist. In Part Two of this
Catechism
, we have
learned how Jesus Christ continues to endow his people with his gifts of
salvation. Through Baptism, he makes them children of the Father, his
disciples, and members of the Church. Through Confirmation, he deep-
ens within them the presence of the Holy Spirit. Through the sacrifice
of the Eucharist, he nourishes them with his Body and Blood. Through
Penance and Reconciliation, he brings them from sin to grace. Through
the Anointing of the Sick, he helps them bear—and sometimes lifts from
them—the burdens of serious illness. Through Marriage, he reveals the
absoluteness of love and its life-giving creativity. Through Holy Orders,
he establishes bishops, priests, and deacons to ensure his continuous
shepherding of the Church.
God continues to be present in the Church as her members strive
to live according to the example and teaching of Jesus Christ. In Part
Three of this
Catechism
, we have learned how the Beatitudes and the
Ten Commandments guide the consciences and lives of the members of
the Church so that they make alive, in the midst of humanity, the power
of God’s love to transform society by the wisdom, compassion, justice,
and fidelity that flow from God himself. The Holy Spirit is the dynamic
presence of God, enabling the members of the Church to live a truly
Christian life.
God continues to be present in the Church as her members contem-
plate the great things God has done through his Son by the power of the
Holy Spirit for the salvation of all people. In Part Four of this
Catechism
,
we have learned about the significance of prayer and popular piety as
ways in which the members of the Church continue to encounter the
living God within their own hearts and within their own communities.