320.  Q. Are sins against faith, hope and charity also sins against the first Commandment?  A. Sins against faith, hope, and charity are also sins against the first Commandment.

321.  Q. How does a person sin against faith?  A. A person sins against faith:  1st, by not trying to know what God has taught; 2d, by refusing to believe all that God has taught; 3d, by neglecting to profess his belief in what God has taught.

322.  Q. How do we fail to try to know what God has taught?  A. We fail to try to know what God has taught by neglecting to learn the Christian doctrine.

323.  Q. Who are they who do not believe all that God has taught?  A. They who do not believe all that God has taught are the heretics and infidels.

324.  Q. Who are they who neglect to profess their belief in what God has taught?  A. They who neglect to profess their belief in what God has taught are all those who fail to acknowledge the true Church in which they really believe.

325.  Q. Can they who fail to profess their faith in the true Church in which they believe expect to be saved while in that state?  A. They who fail to profess their faith in the true Church in which they believe cannot expect to be saved while in that state, for Christ has said:  “Whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”

326.  Q. Are we obliged to make open profession of our faith?  A. We are obliged to make open profession of our faith as often as God’s honor, our neighbor’s spiritual good, or our own requires it.  “Whosoever,” says Christ, “shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.”

327.  Q. Which are the sins against hope?  A. The sins against hope are presumption and despair.

328.  Q. What is presumption?  A. Presumption is a rash expectation of salvation without making proper use of the necessary means to obtain it.

329.  Q. What is despair?  A. Despair is the loss of hope in God’s mercy.

330.  Q. How do we sin against the love of God?  A. We sin against the love of God by all sin, but particularly by mortal sin.

LESSON THIRTY-FIRST THE FIRST COMMANDMENT—­ON THE HONOR AND INVOCATION OF SAINTS

331.  Q. Does the first Commandment forbid the honoring of the saints?  A. The first Commandment does not forbid the honoring of the saints, but rather approves of it; because by honoring the saints, who are the chosen friends of God, we honor God Himself.

332.  Q. Does the first Commandment forbid us to pray to the saints?  A. The first Commandment does not forbid us to pray to the saints.

333.  Q. What do we mean by praying to the saints?  A. By praying to the saints we mean the asking of their help and prayers.

334.  Q. How do we know that the saints hear us?  A. We know that the saints hear us, because they are with God, who makes our prayers known to them.