Apostles' Creed Explained: Articles 9-12

Article 9: (I believe in) the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints. Catholics believe that the church is more than just an institution. It's a necessary aspect of Christian life. Christ specifically uses the word (ekklesia in Greek) in Matthew 16, when he says, "I will build My Church."

The Church's role is viewed as a continuation of the three parts of Christ's ministry when he was on earth: teach, sanctify, and govern, which continues Jesus's simultaneous roles as prophet, priest, and king. The Church continues Jesus's prophetic method of teaching through the Magisterium, the Church's teaching authority. The Church also continues the priestly ministry of sanctification by celebrating the seven sacraments. Finally, the Church carries on Jesus's role as shephard and pastor by way of its hierarchy. The phrase communion of saints means that the Church doesn't just consist of the living on earth, but the saints of heaven and the souls of purgatory, as well.

Article 10: (I believe in) the forgiveness of sins. Christ came to the world in order to save mankind from sin. Belief in the forgiveness of sins is absolutely essential to Christian faith. Catholics believe that sins are forgiven in the sacrament of Baptism and the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, also called confession. Catholicism acknowledges that every person on earth is a sinner, and all require God's mercy and forgiveness. Religion and the Church do not exist for perfect people (not that there are any, anyway), but for sinners who require the help that the two provide.

Article 11: (I believe in) the resurrection of the body. From the Catholic perspective, a human being is a union of body and soul. Under this line of thinking, death is only temporary until the end of time when all the dead are resurrected. The just will go, body and soul, into heaven, while the damned go, body and soul, into hell.

So no reincarnation or past lives. Catholics believe that each person is a unique blending of body and soul that cannot be duplicated. This is why Christians don't view death as the final chapter of a person's life. The body and soul will eventually team up again, because the body participated in the good actions that the soul may have performed, or the evil it committed. For this reason, the body is also rewarded or punished, depending on what it did during its existence.

This is why funerals, though sad for humans, are viewed as celebrations. Christians believe that, since humans were made in the likeness of God, their destiny lies in the next world. St. Augustine wrote that humans were not created for this world, but the next.

Article 12: (I believe in) life everlasting. As Christ died, so too will mere mortals. However, as he rose, so will all humans. Death is seen as the only means of transit between this world and the next. When one dies, private judgment occurs; Christ judges the soul. If a person was particularly virtuous or holy while on earth, that soul has the privilege of going directly to heaven. If an individual was particularly evil and dies in the state of moral sin, then that person is condemned straight to hell.

But there is also a third group of souls- those who were not bad enough to go to hell, but not holy enough to make it straight into heaven. Catholics believe that there is a middle ground between the two, called purgatory, where souls are cleansed until they can properly enter heaven.