The Alpha Course was designed to introduce to newcomers (and to review for practicing believers) the basic beliefs and practices of the Christian faith.  Nothing in the Alpha course contradicts Catholic belief and practice, but the course itself does not try to explain in particular how Catholic Christians understand or express these basic Christian tenets.  This guide provides a basic Catholic perspective on the topics covered in the Alpha sessions using references from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults.

Session 1.  Is There More to Life Than This?
Alpha Lesson:  This Alpha session explains how Christians believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (cf. John 14.6). The truth that Jesus reveals to us gives meaning and direction to our lives.

Catholic Perspective:  The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults emphasizes that Jesus is the source of both truth and hope.  In a culture of relativism, the church teaches that Jesus reveals to us certain objective truths based on divine (or supernatural) truth.  For that reason, "the church…calls people back to the reality of objective truth and to the link between doctrinal truth and everyday life."[1]  Moreover, the Catechism says, "No one can live without the hope that life has ultimate and lasting meaning beyond the concerns and struggles, the joys and satisfactions of each day.  …[T]he Catholic Church offers a message that is not its own but comes from God's self-revelation in Jesus Christ two thousand years ago, yet is ever new and renewing as it is received, celebrated, lived and contemplated today.  The Church offers to all people the possibility of encountering the living God today and finding in him lasting meaning and hope."[2]
Catholic faith and life are particularly hopeful because they are rooted in the redeeming power of a merciful God revealed to us in Jesus Christ.  Because God created human beings in the Divine image, the Catechism says, "each of us is capable of self-knowledge and of entering into communion with other persons through self-giving;" it also unites us "as God's stewards in the care of the earth and of all God's other creatures." Even though the harmony of creation was disrupted by human weakness (what the Christian tradition calls Original Sin), that harmony is restored in Jesus Christ.  "Though Original Sin has had far-reaching consequences," the Catechism assures us, "of greater consequence has been God's mercy to us through the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ."[3]
Unless otherwise indicated, all references are to the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults.
[1] Chapter 32, p. 431.
[2] Conclusion, p. 499.
[3] Chapter 6, pp. 67-70.

Session 2.  Who Is Jesus?
Alpha Lesson:  This Alpha session stresses that there is convincing historical evidence that Jesus existed as a fully human person.  However, what he said and did convinced those who followed him that he was also divine.

Catholic Perspective:   According to the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, Catholics believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of God, and the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.  His earthly life reveals his divinity and God's plan for our salvation; "his parables, miracles, sermons and wisdom sayings help us 'to see our God made visible, and so [be] caught up in love for the God we cannot see.'"[1]  In the Gospels we see how Jesus summoned others to accept, live and share the Kingdom of God, "his presence among human beings calling them to a new way of life as individuals and as a community."  "This is a Kingdom of salvation from sin and a sharing in divine life," the Catechism says.  "It is the Good News that results in love, justice and mercy for the whole world."[2]
> Incarnation.  Catholics, like all Christians, believe that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine.  The Catechism says, "'The unique and altogether singular event of the Incarnation … does not mean that Jesus Christ is part God and part man….  He became truly man while remaining truly God….'"  "'As the Son of God, [he] "worked with human hands; he thought with a human mind.  He acted with a human will, and with a human heart he loved.  Born of the Virgin Mary, he has truly been made one of us, like us in all things except sin.'"[3]. The Church has defended this doctrine against various efforts to either divide or diminish the unity of the fully divine and fully human of Jesus Christ.[4]  The truth of the Incarnation is expressed succinctly in the Prologue to the Gospel of John: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God."  At the appointed time, "the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth." [5]
> Sacraments.  Catholic Christians continue to encounter the Incarnate Lord present in the community of believers, called the “Mystical Body of Christ,” and in the Sacraments, which signify and celebrate his presence.  The Catholic Church defines sacraments as "'efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us' through the work of the Holy Spirit." The Catechism explains that "efficacious signs" means that the sacraments reveal and make present the reality which they signify because Jesus Christ is at work through them; they are rooted in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and they were entrusted to his disciples and the Church.  "Sacraments confer the grace that comes forth from Jesus Christ and that appears in the life of the Church by the power of the Holy Spirit….  The saving grace of the dying and rising of Christ are communicated to us in the Sacraments so that we might live more perfectly Christ's truth and virtues such as love, justice, mercy and compassion."[6]  Reception of the Sacraments presupposes the faith of the individual, which is rooted in the faith and the life of the Church.  Since the 16th century, the Catholic Church has celebrated seven Sacraments, identified as "Sacraments of Initiation" (Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist); "Sacraments of Healing" (Penance or Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick); and "Sacraments at the Service of Communion" (Matrimony and Holy Orders).[7]
> Eucharist. According to the Catechism, the Sacrament of the Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of the communion and unity of the People of God.[8]  It is a memorial of Christ's saving life, death and resurrection and has its origins in the Last Supper which Jesus celebrated with his disciples before his death.[9]  For Catholics, the Eucharist is the "summit and source" of Christian life.[10]   It is so significant that it is described by various terms: "the Breaking of the Bread," "the Lord's Supper," "the Eucharistic Assembly," "the memorial of Christ's Passion, Death and Resurrection," "the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass," "the Holy and Divine Liturgy," "Holy Communion" and "Holy Mass." [11]
> "Real Presence".  By the power of the Holy Spirit, the Catechism says, "Christ is present in the proclamation of God's Word, in the Eucharistic assembly, in the person of the priest, but above all and in a wholly unique manner in the Eucharist."  This is the effect of the Eucharistic Prayer, during which the priest proclaims Jesus' words at the Last Supper over the bread and wine.  "'The power of the words and the action of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, make sacramentally present, under the species of bread and wine, Christ's Body and Blood….'"[12]  This presence is called "real", the Catechism explains, "'because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present.'"[13]   Since the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church has described this as a process of transubstantiation; "this means that the substance of the bread and wine is changed into the substance of the Body and Blood of Christ.  The appearance of bread and wine remain,…but the underlying reality--that is, the substance--is now the Body and Blood of Christ."[14]  Catholics are not required to accept the doctrine of transubstantiation itself as irreformable.
[1] Chapter 7, p. 79 (quoting the First Preface for Christmas).
[2] Chapter 7, p.79.
[3] Chapter 7, p. 79, 81 (quoting Catechism of the Catholic Church, #464 and the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, #22).
[4] cf. "Christological Teaching of the Early Councils", p.82.
[5] John 1.1, 14
[6] Chapter 14, p. 169 (quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1131) and p. 176.
[7] Chapter 14, pp. 168-69.
[8] Chapter 17, p. 215 (quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, # 1322 and1325)
[9 ] Chapter 17, pp. 228 and 215.
[10] Chapter 17, p. 228.
[11] Chapter 17, p. 215 (quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1328-32)  cf. Chapter 17, pp. 215-229.
[12] Chapter 17, p. 223 and pp. 219-20 (quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1353).
[13] Chapter 17, p. 223 (quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1374). 
[14] Chapter 17, p.223. Cf. pp.223-24.

Session 3.  Why Did Jesus Die?
Alpha Lesson:  This Alpha session explores how, by his life, death and resurrection Jesus Christ overcame the pollution, power, penalty and separation caused by human sin.  His self-sacrifice in life and death conquered sin and death.

Catholic Perspective:   The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults explains that "Jesus, Son of God, was sent by the Father to restore the harmony between himself and humanity that had been disrupted by sin.  He came to teach and show us love….  On the cross, Jesus freely gave his life as a sacrifice.  His sacrifice was an act of atonement; that is, it makes us one again with God by the power of divine mercy extending to us the Father's forgiveness….  Jesus' sacrifice merits salvation for us because it retains forever the power to draw us to him and to the Father."[1]  Because he was both human and divine, Jesus' sacrifice represents God's own sacrifice on behalf of God's people -- an expression of divine mercy and love, not paid to God but paid by God.  It is important to realize that God does not love us because Jesus died on the cross; Jesus died on the cross so that we would know that God loves us and always has -- fully, totally and unconditionally.
> The Jewish People.  Although throughout much of history, Christians blamed the Jewish people for the death of Jesus, the Catechism states categorically that "It is wrong to blame the Jewish people for the death of Christ…."[2]
> See also: "Sin" under Session 12.
[1] Chapter 8, pp. 91-92.
[2] Chapter 8, p. 92.

Session 4.  How Can I Have Faith?
Alpha Lesson:  This Alpha session defines a Christian as a person who puts their faith in Jesus Christ.  This inner conviction arises from the Word of God, the work of Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Catholic Perspective:   According to the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, "faith is a grace or a gift that brings us into a personal, loving union with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  This grace enables us both to hear the Word of God and to keep it…."  For Catholic Christians, faith is rooted in the faith community; it is "a personal and communal relationship…not just a private act," the Catechism says.  For Catholics, faith and reason complement each other.  "Faith seeks understanding….  Faith and reason work together to discover truth…."  Faith is always a free, human act: "through the help of the Holy Spirit we are able to make a decision to respond to divine Revelation and to follow through in living out our response…." In the end, "Faith is therefore both a relationship with God as well as an engagement with the truths that he reveals."[1]
> Justification by Faith.  According to the Catechism, God assists us in living a faithful life through the divine gift of grace and justification, first bestowed in Baptism.  "We are justified--cleansed from our sins and reconciled to God--through the power of the Holy Spirit"; this grace "is the free and undeserved assistance God offers us so that we might respond to his call to share in his divine life…."   This justification has two components: 1) reconciliation with God and 2) our acceptance or reception of this grace, which Catholics call sanctification.[2]  Catholics and Protestants both believe that from the beginning we are justified by God's grace, which is a total, free and unmerited gift.  Catholics and most Protestants also agree that in response to that gift of justification an individual grows in sanctification by cooperating with God's grace.  This growth can be observed in the individual's behavior (or, "good works"), but it is the result of and a response to justification, not its cause.  Although this has often been misinterpreted by both Catholics and non-Catholics, the Catholic Church does not teach that we can "earn" salvation by our good works. 
> Seasons of Faith.  In their Pastoral Letter Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us, the U.S. bishops explained that faith is living and active, "sharing many of the qualities of living things: it grows and develops over time; it learns from experience; it adapts to changing conditions while maintaining its essential identity; it goes through seasons, some apparently dormant, others fruitful"[3]. Understanding these stages or seasons of faith is important because often adults fear they are losing their faith when in fact they are growing and maturing.
[1] Chapter 4, pp. 37-39.
[2] cf. Chapter 24, pp.328-29.
[3] Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us, #80.

Session 5. Why and How Do I Pray?
Alpha Lesson:  This Alpha session explains how prayer expresses our relationship to the Father, through the Son, and by the Holy Spirit. We can pray anytime and anywhere, alone or with others, to express gratitude or sorrow and ask for help.

Catholic Perspective:   The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults calls prayer a "'vital and personal relationship with the living and true God'" which is "attentive to the presence of God and seeks ways to be of greater service to God and others." For Catholic Christians, all forms of prayer, personal or private, are "essentially related to liturgical prayer [the Sacraments and the Liturgy of the Hours] and a basic complement to it."  The basic types of prayer are adoration, thanksgiving, praise, petition (for our own needs) and intercession (for the needs of others). There are three forms of prayer: vocal prayer, meditative prayer and contemplative prayer.  Common forms of prayer among Catholics are lectio divina, Eucharistic adoration, the rosary and a variety of other popular prayers and devotions to Mary and the saints.[1]
> Blessed Virgin Mary. The Catechism notes that "'Because of Mary's singular cooperation with the action of the Holy Spirit, the Church loves to pray in communion with the Virgin Mary, to magnify with her the great things the Lord has done for her, and to entrust supplications and praises to her.'  This twofold movement of joining Mary in praising God…and seeking her intercession has found a privileged expression in the Hail Mary."[2]  Recitation of the Hail Mary ten times constitutes the body of each "decade" of the Rosary, a popular form of prayer used by Catholics to meditate on the mysteries of Christ's life and death.  The repetition of the Hail Mary "is meant to lead us to restful and contemplative prayer," the Catechism explains.  "The gentle repetition of the words helps us to enter the silence of our hearts where Christ's Spirit dwells."[3]
> Sacramentals and Devotions.  In Catholic tradition, Sacramentals "are sacred signs that resemble the Sacraments in the sense that they signify spiritual effects that are obtained through the intercession of the Church"; these include blessings, processions, prayers like the Rosary, and objects such as holy water, palms, ashes, candles and medals.  Devotions are expressions of popular piety which originate in the religious instincts of the faithful; these include Stations of the Cross, pilgrimages to holy places, shrines, vigil candles, blessing of throats, processions, medals or scapulars, relics, litanies, icons, holy pictures, and statues. [4]  The Catechism reminds us that these expressions of piety "extend the liturgical life of the Church, but do not replace it"; they should always harmonize with the sacred liturgy, being "'in some way derived from [the liturgy] and lead the people to it, since in fact the liturgy…is far superior to any of them.'"[5]
[1] Chapter 35, pp. 463ff (quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2558).
[2] Chapter 35, p. 470 (quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2682).
[3] Chapter 22, pp. 298-300.
[2] Chapter 35, p. 470 (quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2682).
[4] Chapter 22, pp. 295, 297.
[5] Chapter 22, p. 302 (quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1675).

Session 6. How and Why Should I Read the Bible?
Alpha Lesson:  This Alpha session explains that the Bible is a collection of books by various authors inspired by God.  It is like a love letter from God which provides practical wisdom for living and making good decisions. 

Catholic Perspective:   The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults teaches that "Sacred Scripture is inspired by God and is the Word of God."  In other words, God is the author of Sacred Scripture, which means that he inspired the human authors, acting in and through them.   In that way, the Catechism says, "God ensured that the authors taught, without error, those truths necessary for our salvation."  The word "inspiration" is used to explain the divine assistance which the authors received, enabling them to make full use of their talents and abilities while, at the same time, communicating the truth that God intended.  When interpreting Scripture, the Catechism explains, "we should be attentive to what God wanted to reveal….  We need to see Scripture as a unified whole with Jesus Christ at the center.  We must also read Scripture within the living Tradition of the whole Church."  The Church recognizes two senses of Scripture, the literal and the spiritual; in addition, the Catholic Church recognizes three spiritual senses of Scripture: the allegorical sense, the moral sense, and the analogical sense.[1]
> Fundamentalism.  The Catechism points out that some Christians, sometimes described as "Fundamentalists", "approach Scripture…in the strictest literal sense, without appreciation of the various literary forms that the biblical authors used…."  In response to this kind of biblical literalism, the Catholic Church teaches that "the interpretation of Scripture needs to attend to the literary forms…in which the Bible is written.  The interpreter 'must look for that meaning which the sacred writer…intended to express…through the medium of a contemporary literary form.'"[2]  In other words, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains, the truth contained in scripture or doctrine is not contained in the words but in the reality or experience which they express. [3]
> Books of the Bible.  Catholic bibles traditionally include seven books of the Old Testament called the "Deuterocanonical Books".  These are Jewish texts written in Greek, not Hebrew;  the divine inspiration of these books was questioned by the Protestant reformers and they were originally omitted from Protestant bibles.  Today they are often included in non-Catholic bibles as "Apocrypha" books.[3]
[1] Chapter 3, pp. 26-28.
[2] Chapter 3, pp. 29-30 (quoting the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, #12).
[3] cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church #170.
[4] Chapter 3, p. 24.

Session 7. How Does God Guide Us?
Alpha Lesson:  This Alpha session examines how God continues to guide our lives as Christians.  The lesson examines three ways: through Sacred Scripture, through the Holy Spirit in prayer, and through the example of the saints.

Catholic Perspective:   According to the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, there are three ways in which we can come to know God and God's desire for us: through creation, the human person, and Revelation (ie, Sacred Scripture).[1]  "We are assisted to know God's plan for our salvation through his law written in our human nature and revealed to us in his word," the Catechism says.  "…[T]he physical world acts according to his plan found in the physical laws of nature;" human beings "are also directed according to God's created plan, written in their hearts and implanted in their human nature….  The natural law is thus our rational apprehension of the divine plan."[2]  Although we can learn much about God and God's desire for us through the use of human reason, the Catechism says, Revelation (imparted in Sacred Scripture) enables us to learn more.  "No amount of unaided thinking could penetrate such a mystery.  God freely chose to share this hidden mystery with us."  This process of revelation "reached its magnificent fulfillment in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ."[3] 
> The Magisterium. The task of giving an authentic interpretation of Revelation has been entrusted to the living, teaching office of the Church, which consists of the bishops in union with the Bishop of Rome; it is called the Magisterium.  What the Church calls Tradition "is the living transmission of the message of the Gospel in the Church...."  In other words, through the ages the Magisterium helps Catholics understand and apply the truths revealed in Scripture to changing times and circumstances.  Although critics have sometimes feared that the Tradition represents a teaching that is independent of Scripture, the Catechism explains that this cannot be the case: “…[B]oth the living Tradition and the written Scriptures have their common source in the revelation of God in Jesus Christ."[4]  The Holy Spirit insures that the entire Church as a body cannot error in matters of faith and morals.  “…[T]his infalibility is exercised in a special way by the Pope and the bishops when together they teach what has been divinely revealed, either in the ordinary way of their day-to-day teaching or the extraordinary way of an Ecumenical Council, or the Pope himself.”[5]
[1] cf. Chapter 1, p.3.
[2] Chapter 24, p. 327.
[3] Chapter 2, pp.12-13.
[4] cf. Chapter 3, p.25.
[5] Chapter 11, p. 134.

Retreat/Session 8.  Who Is the Holy Spirit?
Alpha Lesson:  This Alpha session (the first session of the retreat day) examines the third person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit.  Although the Holy Spirit has often been ignored, misunderstood, or resisted in Christian tradition, the Spirit has been active since the beginning of creation.

Catholic Perspective:   The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults explains that before his passion and death, "Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit as teacher, guide and consoler.  The Spirit's appearance at Pentecost and in other events in the New Testament gives ample evidence of the Holy Spirit as the third Person of the Trinity."[1]  As such, "the Holy Spirit is God--equal in being with the Father and the Son, of the same divine nature as they are" (ie, consubstantial with them, as the Creed says).  In response to those who denied the divinity of the Spirit, the First Council of Constantinople (AD 381) declared the divinity of the Holy Spirit as the constant faith of the Church. "…[F]rom the beginning, he is a part of the loving plan of our salvation" and "has the same mission as the Son in the cause of our salvation…."[2]  In Catholic tradition, the Spirit is variously referred to as advocate, consoler, giver of life, guide, Paraclete, Spirit of Truth, and teacher.
> The Holy Trinity. According to the Catechism, "the mystery of the Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith and life.  God reveals himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."  The doctrine of the Trinity consists of three propositions: 1) "The Trinity is One.  We do not speak of three gods, but of one…. Each of the persons is fully God.  They are a unity of persons in one divine nature." 2) "The Divine Persons are distinct from each other.  Father, Son and Spirit are not three appearances or modes of God, but three identifiable persons, each fully God in a way distinct from the others."  3) "The Divine Persons are in relation to each other.  The distinction of each is understood only in reference to the others. The Father cannot be the Father without the Son, nor can the Son be the Son without the Father.  The Holy Spirit is related to the Father and the Son who both send him forth."[3]  Although there is always the possibility that we will over-emphasize the singularity of the triune God, the more common mistake is to over-emphasize the individuality of the three "Persons," leaving the impression that there are three "gods" in one.
[1] Chapter 5, p.52.
[2] Chapter 9, pp.104-05.
[3] Chapter 5, pp. 52-3.

Retreat/Session 9.  What Does the Holy Spirit Do?
Alpha Lesson:  This Alpha session (the second session of the retreat day) examines the work of the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit provides gifts for the well being of the community and empowers us to give witness and service to the world.

Catholic Perspective:   According to the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, "The Holy Spirit builds up, animates, and sanctifies the Church.  He prepares us to go out and bring others to Christ.  He opens our minds to understand Christ's death and Resurrection.  He makes present for us the mystery of Christ, especially in the Eucharist, and brings us to communion with God that we may bear much fruit."[1]  "Confirmation, together with Baptism and Eucharist, form the Sacraments of Initiation….  In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the baptized person is 'sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit' and is strengthened for service to the Body of Christ….  Confirmation deepens our baptismal life that calls us to be missionary witnesses of Jesus Christ in our families, neighborhoods, society and the world…."[2]  The Holy Spirit bestows seven gifts to assist us in our mission: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, fortitude, counsel, piety and fear of the Lord.[3]
[1] Chapter 9, p. 109 (citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #737).
[2] Chapter 16, pp. 203.
[3] Chapter 16, pp. 207-09.

Retreat/Session 10.  How Can I Be Filled With the Holy Spirit?
Alpha Lesson:  This Alpha session (the third session of the retreat day) explores how people experience the Holy Spirit as God's love being poured out into our hearts.  This may differ from person to person; some will receive the gift of "tongues."

Catholic Perspective:   "The Holy Spirit is essentially love," the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults explains; with this love or Spirit we "can change those we meet and change ourselves."[1]  We grow in our experience God's love and presence through the Holy Spirit in various ways: when we pray and study Scripture, read the lives of the saints, study the teachings of the Church, participate in the liturgy and Sacraments, give ourselves to prayer, offer ourselves to the missionary activity of the Church, recognize the charisms and ministries which serve the Church, and when we dwell on the great Tradition and history of the Church.[2]  Devotion to the Holy Spirit in the Catholic church, the Catechism notes, is also embodied in various movements such as Charismatic Renewal, Marriage Encounter, Cursillo (CEW), and Teens Encounter Christ (TEC).[3]
[1] Chapter 9, p.103.
[2] Chapter 9, p.106 (citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #688).
[3] Chapter 9, p.107.

Retreat/Session 11.  How Can I Make the Most of the Rest of My Life?
Alpha Lesson:  This Alpha session (the fourth session of the retreat day) explores how we can change our lives in response to God's love, imparted by the Holy Spirit.  This includes reorienting our time, priorities, ambitions, money, senses, and sexuality so as to become "a living sacrifice" or "a living gift".

Catholic Perspective:  The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults reminds us that "Christ's dying and rising offers us new life in the Spirit, whose saving grace delivers us from sin and heals sin's damage within us."  Life in Christ requires a responsible practice of freedom --"the God-given power to become who he created us to be."[1]  Leading a good Christian life means cultivating and practicing virtue--"a habitual and firm disposition to do the good"--which allows a person "not only to perform good acts but to give the best of himself."  The four Cardinal Virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance help us live a good life; they incorporate basic human virtues such as compassion, responsibility, a sense of duty, self-discipline and restraint, honesty, loyalty, friendship, courage and persistence.  The Cardinal Virtues are acquired by frequent repetition of virtuous acts that establish a pattern of virtuous behavior.  The Theological Virtues of faith, hope and charity are gifts from God; "they dispose us to live in relationship to the Holy Spirit" and strengthen human virtues.  Likewise, the Ten Commandments, while they forbid certain behavior at the same time encourage certain virtues, such as generosity, poverty of spirit, gentleness, purity of heart, temperance and fortitude. The bottom line is, "Growth in virtue is an important goal for every Christian" because "the virtues play a valuable role in living a Christian moral life."[2]
> Human Sexuality. According to the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, God created human beings as male and female, and in so doing he gave equal dignity to both man and woman.  "God created both the body and sex as good.  Hence, we do not approach sexuality with fear or with hostility to the flesh."  Sexuality involves the whole person, body and soul, but especially affectivity, "'the capacity to love and to procreate, and in a more general way the appitude for forming bonds of communion with others.'" [3]  Every person -- married, single, religious and ordained -- needs to acquire and practice the virtue of chastity, which is the successful integration of sexuality within the whole human person.  Chastity "enables human beings to temper sexual desires according to God's plan for the appropriate expression of love in the marital relationship of a man and a woman."[4] [5]
> Sex in Marriage.  The marital bond between husband and wife is both unitive and procreative; in other words, it unites the couple in a way that encompasses the minds, hearts, emotions, bodies, souls and aspirations of the couple and at the same time invites the couple to be open to children, sharing the creative power and parenthood of God.  "Marital love by its nature is fruitful," according to the Catechism.  "The marriage act, while deepening spousal love, is meant to overflow into new life." The Catholic Church teaches that the unitive and procreative dimensions of marital love cannot be separated. [6]
> Birth Control.  Because there is an inseparable connection between the unitive and procreative aspects of marriage, the Church teaches that every sexual act in marriage must be open to the possibility of conceiving a child except during the natural cycles when the woman is unable to conceive.  Artificial contraception and other efforts to achieve pregnancy outside of the act of sexual intercourse are morally wrong because they separate the unitive and procreative aspects of marital love.[7]  Nonetheless, the Church recognizes that "in the course of their marriage, couples may, for serious reasons, decide to avoid a new birth for the time being or even for an indeterminate period, but they must not use immoral means to prevent conception.  Couples should also be mindful of the fact that their love is expressed in more ways than just the conjugal act.  Abstaining from intercourse at certain times can be an act of sacrifice which gives rise to a deeper relationship." [8]
> Same-Sex Attraction.  The Church considers a homosexual inclination or orientation objectively disordered but not immoral. "Generally, homosexual orientation is experienced as a given, not as something freely chosen. By itself, therefore, a homosexual orientation cannot be considered sinful, for
morality presumes the freedom to choose."[9]  However, homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered and immoral because they are contrary to the natural law and close the sexual act to the gift of new life.  The Church recognizes that "the number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible" and insists that "they must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity.  Every sign of unjust discrimination [toward them] should be avoided."  Persons with a homosexual orientation "are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition." [10]
[1] Chapter 23, pp. 310-11.
[2] Chapter 23, pp. 315-17.
[3] Chapter 30, p. 404-05. Quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2332.
[4] Chapter 30, p. 405.
[5] Cf. offenses against chastity, pp. 406-07.
[6] Chapter 30, pp. 408-09.
[7] Chapter 30, p. 409.
[8] Chapter 30, pp. 409-10.
[9] U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Always Our Children.
[10] Chapter 30, p. 407.  Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2358.

Session 12.  How Can I Resist Evil?
Alpha Lesson:  This Alpha session examines the source of evil -- the "world", the flesh and the Devil, which the Bible presents as a personal, spiritual being in rebellion against God.  The devil seeks to destroy our lives through doubt, temptation, deception and condemnation.

Catholic Perspective:  The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults says "Christian faith, after centuries of reflecting on the answers revealed in the Bible, provides the only comprehensive answer" to the existence of evil.  It explains that "Physical [or natural] evil exists alongside physical good because creation has not reached its ultimate perfection."  Moral evil exists because human beings have not reached a state of perfection either, and have been endowed by God with freewill -- ie, the freedom "to choose between loving God and loving something else."[1]  According to the Catechism, "The best way to grow in freedom [and avoid evil] is to perform good acts.  Good deeds help to make us free and develop good habits" while "sin makes us slaves of evil and reduces our capacity to be free."[2]  "An effective moral life demands the practice of human and theological virtues.  Such virtues train the soul with the habits of mind and will that support moral behavior, control passions, and avoid sin."[3]  In its meditation on the Lord's Prayer, the Catechism notes that Christians entrust themselves to the Holy Spirit "to keep us alert to the dangers of sin and give us the grace to resist temptation."  We do not pray "deliver us from evil" alone, but "in union with the community of believers around the world -- all of us bound by our union with Jesus in the Spirit."[4]
> Moral Acts.  According to the Catechism, outside forces, inner compulsions, social pressures, childhood experiences, or genetic makeup may reduce a person's responsibility for doing evil, but "normally we are still free and responsible for our actions."  The moral status of particular actions are based on three elements:  the act itself, the goal or intention of the actor, and the circumstances in which the action is performed.  Some acts (such as killing an innocent person, torture and rape) are "intrinsically evil," and therefore always wrong, whatever the intention or circumstances of the actor.[5]
> Sin. The Catechism defines sin as "'an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience"--"a failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods.'"  Individual sins are evaluated according to how serious they are and are divided by Catholic tradition into mortal (or serious) and venial (or less serious). Mortal sin destroys one's loving relationship with God; it requires grave matter, full knowledge or understanding, and deliberate and free consent.  The Catechism reminds us that "In considering sin we must always remember that God is rich in mercy….  The very heart of the Gospel is the revelation of the mercy of God in Jesus Christ."[6]  Catholic Christians celebrate God's mercy and the forgiveness of sins in the Sacrament of Penance, also called "Reconciliation" or "Confession."[7]
> Conscience. "'Conscience is a judgment of reason by which the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete [ie, a specific] act.'"  It represents both the general ability humans have to know what is good and the concrete judgments a person makes in particular situations about what to do or not do.  According to the Catechism, "A good conscience requires lifelong formation;" each baptized Christian "is obliged to form his or her conscience according to objective moral standards."  "We must always obey the certain judgments of our conscience" even though "our conscience…can make a mistake about what is truly the good or right thing to do."  However, "since we have the obligation to obey our conscience, we also have the great responsibility to see that it is formed in a way that reflects the true moral good."[8] 
[1] Chapter 5, pp. 56-57.
[2] Chapter 23, p. 311.
[3] Chapter 23, p. 320.
[4] Chapter 36, pp. 488-89.
[5] Chapter 23, p. 311-12.
[6] Chapter 23, pp. 312-13 (quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1849).
[7] cf. Chapter 6, pp. 68-71 and Chapter 18.
[8] Chapter 23, pp. 314-15 (quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1796).

Session 13.  Why and How Should I Tell Others?
Alpha Lesson:  Christians are called to be salt and light for the world.  This Alpha session explores the ability disciples have to proclaim the Good News by their presence, persuasion, proclamation or witness.  We are enabled to do this by God's power and prayer. 

Catholic Perspective:  In his final words to the Apostles, just before the Ascension, Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would empower them to be his witnesses "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1.8). Evangelizing, then, is the vocation proper to the Church and her deepest identity; "she exists in order to evangelize." [1]  According to the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, Jesus' promise is also made to each believer:  "The Holy Spirit comes to us as a teacher of the meaning and depth of Revelation;" the Spirit fills us with…the grace to understand the Church's teachings and the wisdom to see how they apply to our lives;" the Spirit "puts courage into our hearts so that we can witness what we believe to believer and unbeliever alike."[2]  Like prophets, Christians lead others to faith by teaching and good example, "using words and deeds faithful to the Gospel which infuse society with the Gospel."[3]  While witness is essential to evangelization, the Catechism says, "we should be always aware of opportunities to share our faith verbally with each other and with all those who do not yet profess it."[4]  Dialogue and missionary work, if they respect the other's freedom of conscience, are two ways of making Christ known; "embracing truth, beauty, and goodness wherever it can be found…while at the same time removing falsehood and injustice from our land" are other ways.[5]   The ability to "proclaim what God has done…through his Son in the Holy Spirit and to explain the rich tradition of belief that is our heritage…are essential to the new evangelization to which the Church commits herself today."[6][7]
[1] cf. Pope Paul VI. Evangelii Nuntiandi, #14.
[2] Chapter 9, p.102.
[3] Chapter 10, p. 117 and Chapter 11, p. 135.
[4] Chapter 10, p. 118.
[5] Chapter 11, p. 131 and Chapter 2, p.16.
[6] Conclusion, p. 502.
[7] cf. Practical suggestions for evangelization, Chapter 11, p. 137.

Session 14.  Does God Heal Today?
Alpha Lesson:  This Alpha session examines divine healing in the Old Testament, in the ministry of Jesus, and in the world today.  It suggests a way in which each of us can become agents of God's healing to those around us.

Catholic Perspective:  The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults affirms that "Jesus came to heal the whole person, body and soul" and the Church carries forward Christ's healing ministry in a variety of ways.  For instance, the Catechism points out, families care for family members who are ill; aging spouses personally minister to an ailing partner; individuals serve in the health care professions; and various religious orders and communities have established hospitals, nursing homes and hospice services.  In addition, "Millions of believers journey to shrines like the one at Lourdes, often in search of physical cures, but always to experience a deepening of faith."[1]  Some Catholics, particularly members of the Charismatic movement, celebrate and often experience healing through "Healing Masses" which focus on the Holy Spirit's healing power.
> Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.  In a special way, Catholic Christians celebrate God's healing grace in the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.  This anointing can be administered by an ordained minister in any case where a person suffers from a serious physical or mental illness, is weakened by age or illness, is preparing for surgery, or is close to death.  When the Sacrament is given "the hoped for effect is that, if it be God's will, the person be physically healed….  But even if there is no physical healing, the primary effect of the Sacrament is a spiritual healing by which the sick person receives the Holy Spirit's gift of peace and courage to deal with the difficulties that accompany serious illness or the frailty of old age."[2]
> Miracles.  Due to the mystery of the Incarnation, God is neither disinterested nor removed from the natural order; therefore the Church maintains that it is improper to deny the possibility or the existence of miracles.[3]  St. Thomas Aquinas defined miracles as "works that are done by God outside the usual order assigned to things," "those [works] whereby God does something that nature can do, but not in the same order," and those works in which "God does what is wont to be done by the operation of nature, but without the operation of the natural principles."[4] The church attributes miraculous causes to otherwise inexplicable phenomena on a case-by-case basis and assumes divine intervention only after all other possible explanations prove inadequate.  It does not require belief in extra-Scriptural miracles as an article of faith necessary for salvation.[5]
> Exorcism.  The Catechism explains that the Church has received the power of exorcism from Christ.  Minor exorcisms are part of the rite for Baptism and the Initiation of Adults, by which an individual is freed from sin and its effects.  A major exorcism involves "'the explusion of demons or…liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church;'" it may only be performed with the permission of a bishop and may be reserved to a priest who has been designated as an official exorcist.  The Church cautions that a priest performing an exorcism must first distinguish between demonic possession, which is a spiritual condition, and psychological or mental illnesses, which should be addressed by the medical profession.[6]
[1] Chapter 19, pp. 261-62.
[2] Chapter 19, pp. 262-63. cf. p. 256.
[3] Chapter 3, pp. 30-31.
[4] Contra Gentiles, lib. III cap. 101
[5] cf "Miracle" entry in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia.
[6] Chapter 22, pp. 296-97 (quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1673).

Session 15.  What About the Church?
Alpha Lesson:  This Alpha session describes the church as a fellowship of Jesus' friends; as God's family whose members are marked by Baptism; as the Holy Temple or home where the Spirit dwells; as the body of Christ marked by unity, diversity and mutual dependence; and as the living expression of God's love revealed to us in Jesus Christ.

Catholic Perspective:  According to the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, "The word church means the people gathered by God into one community, guided today by the bishops who are successors of the Apostles and whose head is the Bishop of Rome."  (It also applies to specific geographical communities called dioceses, to the buildings where the faithful gather for worship, and to families, who the Church recognizes as the "domestic church.")[1]   Jesus established the beginnings of a visible structure of the Church through his choice of the Twelve Apostles, with Peter as the head; the Holy Spirit revealed the Church at Pentecost, "coming upon the Apostles and the disciples with a transforming fire, forming them into a visible community, and empowering them to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ."[2]  In the words of the Nicene Creed, professed at Mass, the church is "one", "holy", "catholic" and "apostolic", which means that it is marked or recognized by its unity,  the presence of the Holy Spirit, its universal destiny, and its continuity with the mission and teaching of the Apostles.[3] 
Catholic Christians believe that the Church is a sacrament, which means that, like any sacrament, it is a mystery which is both visible and spiritual. The visible Church is a public institution, with a hierarchical government, laws and customs; at one and the same time, it is also a spiritual reality, with interior bonds of faith and love forged by the Holy Spirit.  The Church is often described as the Mystical Body of Christ--"a living body, sustained by the hidden work of the Holy Spirit."[4]  It is also described as the People of God, whose members share in Christ's role as priest, prophet and king[5]; as a communion, whose members are called "to be a communal witness of the love by which Christ saved the world"; and as a community of love which nonetheless "needs an institutional framework for its stability, continuity, and mission…."[6]   The Catechism cautions: while the Church is made up of sinful persons, it remains holy by the presence of Jesus and the Holy Spirit; "Problems with the institution are not arguments for its removal, but for its renewal."[7]
> Relationship to Other Churches.  The Catholic Church retains the structures of episcopal leadership and sacramental life that originated with Christ and the first Apostles.  At the same time, the Catechism says, "the Catholic Church recognizes that the Holy Spirit uses other churches and ecclesial communities 'as a means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church.'"  Depending on what elements they have retained, these churches and ecclesial communities "have a certain though imperfect communion with the Catholic Church"; for that reason, "'the Church knows that she is joined in many ways to the baptized…who do not profess the Catholic faith in its entirety, or have not preserved unity or communion under the successor of Peter."[8]  The Church "has always been committed to the restoration of unity among all Christians."  This commitment was intensified by the Second Vatican Council, which has led to the Church's participation in ecumenical efforts to restore Christian unity.[9].
> Relationship to Other Religions.  According to the Catechism, "the Catholic Church…acknowledges her special relationship to the Jewish people," who the Church believes "'remain most dear to God.'"  Moreover, "'Remembering…her common heritage with the Jews…[the Church] deplores all hatreds, persecutions, [and] displays of anti-Semitism leveled at any time or from any source against the Jews.'"[10]  "The Church also recognizes that she has a unique relationship to Muslims," because the divine plan of salvation "'also includes those who acknowledge the Creator,'" who "'profess to hold the faith of Abraham'" and "'together with us…adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day.'"[11]  Citing its desire to dialogue with Hindus and Buddhists, the Catechism says the Church "'has a high regard for [their] manner of life and conduct, the precepts and doctrines which…often reflect a ray of that truth which enlightens all men.'"[12]
[1] Chapter 10, p.113.
[2] Chapter 10, p.114.
[3] Chapter 11, 126-33.
[4] Chapter 10, p.115.
[5] Chapter 10, pp. 116-17.
[6] Chapter 10, pp. 118-19.
[7] Chapter 10, pp. 113, 121.
[8] Chapter 11, p.128 (quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #819), and p. 130 (quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church #838).
[9] Chapter 11, pp. 127-28.
[10] Chapter 11, pp. 130-31 (quoting the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, #16 and the Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian
         Religions, #4).
[11] Chapter 11, p. 131 (quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #841).
[12] Chapter 11, p. 131 (quoting the Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, #2).
 

The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults was published by the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops in 2006.  It is available in print and electronic form from Amazon.com
and as a PDF online here.

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