The Church
The Church is not just a building where Catholics go on Sundays; it is the living family of all the people who follow Jesus Christ together.
Read the explanation →THE ANSWER LIBRARY
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Accessible introductions from the “Explained Like You’re Five” collection. A starting point for readers of any age.
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Pentecost
Pentecost is the day the Holy Spirit came down from heaven to fill the hearts of Jesus’s friends, and Catholics celebrate it fifty days after Easter.
Read the explanation →The Ascension
After rising from the dead on Easter Sunday, Jesus stayed on earth for forty days and then rose up into heaven in front of his disciples.
Read the explanation →The Resurrection of Jesus
Jesus truly died on the cross and was placed in a sealed tomb, but three days later He rose from the dead in a real, glorified body.
Read the explanation →The Crucifixion
Jesus, the Son of God, died on a wooden cross because He chose to take the punishment that our sins deserved, so that we could be forgiven and live with God forever.
Read the explanation →The Last Supper
The Last Supper was the final meal Jesus shared with His twelve apostles on the night before He died, and He used that meal to give the Church the greatest gift she has ever received.
Read the explanation →The Transfiguration
One day, Jesus took three of His closest friends up a mountain, and His whole body became brilliantly bright, shining like the sun.
Read the explanation →The Parable of the Ten Virgins
Jesus told a story about ten young women who waited for a bridegroom to arrive, and only five of them were truly ready when he finally came.
Read the explanation →The Lost Sheep
Jesus told a story about a shepherd who had one hundred sheep and left the ninety-nine behind to find the one sheep that wandered away.
Read the explanation →The Mustard Seed
Jesus told a story about a tiny mustard seed that grows into a big tree, and he used it to show us what God’s kingdom is like.
Read the explanation →The Prodigal Son
God is like a loving Father who never stops watching for us to come home, no matter how far away we have gone.
Read the explanation →The Good Samaritan
Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan to teach us that our neighbor is anyone who needs our help, no matter who they are.
Read the explanation →The Parables of Jesus
Jesus told special stories called parables to help ordinary people understand what God and His Kingdom are really like.
Read the explanation →The Miracles of Jesus
Jesus performed miracles to show that God’s power was truly present and active in the world through Him.
Read the explanation →The Baptism of Jesus
Jesus went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist, even though He had no sins to wash away.
Read the explanation →The Communion of Saints
The Communion of Saints is the great family of all God’s people, including those living on earth, those being purified after death, and those already with God in heaven.
Read the explanation →Indulgences
When you sin, two things happen: you hurt your friendship with God, and you leave a kind of mess behind that still needs to be cleaned up even after God forgives you.
Read the explanation →Relics
A relic is a physical object connected to a saint or to Jesus Christ himself, such as a bone, a piece of clothing, or something the saint touched during their life.
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