The first component of the Catholic understanding of God as Trinity is the Father, that is, the beginning of everything. The Earth was created by the Father, “For the Father is the most divine person of the most Holy Trinity”. God is unique and one and the components of the Holy Trinity are inseparable. Jesus as part of the Trinity affirms that he is God, which does not, however, go against the belief in one God. It rather confirms that the three essences are all parts of the Lord: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Baptism happens in the name of the three, and the Christian belief relies on the three. The Most Holy Trinity is a mystery, and it is a mystery that “was revealed by Jesus Christ and it is the source of all the other mysteries”. The three are united in their substance and in their actions.
Salvation is Achieved through the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ
The saving plan was realized through the Resurrection of Jesus. Before the Passion Jesus indicated the Temple as “the privileged place of Encounter with God” and announced its coming destruction as the beginning of salvation era. The Temple was not destroyed, however Jesus associated himself with the Temple, thus, the death of Christ meant the inception of a new age. The acts of Christ prior to his crucifixion proved that he was the Savior. His death was not a coincidence but rather the culmination of the Father’s salvation plan. This mystery, which includes Christ’s “passion, death, resurrection, and glorification”, is another pillar of Christianity alongside the Holy Trinity.
Eschatology – Death and the Afterlife
Death is perceived positively by Christianity. All Christians, when baptized, accept that they had already died with Jesus in his crucifixion and that when they die on Earth they will become reunited with him. “To rise with Christ, we must die with Christ: we must “be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” It is also stated, however, that the resurrection will come for all, and the resurrection has a literal meaning, that is that all those who lived in virtue will reappear in flesh. “Those who have done good will rise to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation.” It is beyond our comprehension, however, how it will happen. After the moment of death, one begins an everlasting afterlife, and only the last judgement of the Lord will determine what this afterlife of each person will look like.
Freedom
Man was granted free will and rationality by God so that he can come to God by his own actions and conclusions. “God willed that man should be ‘left in the hand of his own counsel’ so that he might of his own accord seek his Creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him.” A man attains more freedom each time he commits good deeds. Committing sins, however, is the contrary of freedom; one who commits bad deeds becomes a slave to their sins. When one is born, their freedom is not complete, it is weakened. The more one sins, the weaker the freedom becomes throughout life. The freedom of the spirit is the most important goal, and it is achieved through following the Lord: “With his grace, the Holy Spirit leads us to spiritual freedom to make us free co-workers with him in the Church and in the world.” A man also possesses a moral consciousness in order to determine whether his deeds are good or bad.
Virtues
A man who is willing to commit good deeds throughout his path to get reunited with God is virtuous. A virtuous man must be determined in his good intentions, the actions need to be consistent in order to possess virtue. The virtues of the man are “the fruit and seed of morally good acts; they dispose all the powers of the human being for communion with divine love”. The most important human virtues are “prudence justice, fortitude, and temperance”, while the most important theological virtues are faith, hope and charity. A path to god is determined by the compliance with these virtues.
Sin
Sin goes against man’s freedom and human nature. It is “failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods”. Sinning goes against salvation and against God himself, as by sinning one tries to resemble the Lord. There are mortal and venial sins, the difference is when committing venial sins one is not fully conscious of that. With each sin committed one becomes more inclined to continue committing them: “Sin creates a proclivity to sin”. If we are somehow involved in the sins of others, we are held accountable.