MCC CCC Doctrinal Content Mastery 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The CCC defines the Church as having four marks. Which mark affirms that the Church was founded by Christ and maintains unbroken succession from the apostles?
- One
- Holy
- Catholic
- Apostolic (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Apostolic
CCC 857-865 explains that 'apostolic' means the Church is built on the apostles' witness and governed by their successors through unbroken episcopal succession.
Question 2: According to the CCC, what distinguishes the 'sensus fidei' (sense of the faith) from the Magisterium?
- Sensus fidei is infallible while the Magisterium is fallible
- Sensus fidei is the instinct of the whole faithful people; the Magisterium is the teaching authority of bishops (Correct answer)
- Sensus fidei refers only to Scripture; the Magisterium interprets Tradition
- Sensus fidei is private revelation; the Magisterium is public revelation
Correct answer: Sensus fidei is the instinct of the whole faithful people; the Magisterium is the teaching authority of bishops
CCC 92-93 describes sensus fidei as the supernatural discernment of the whole Body of Christ, while the Magisterium (bishops in union with the Pope) has the authority to define doctrine.
Question 3: The CCC teaches that human persons are created in the 'image of God' (imago Dei). Which three capacities primarily constitute this image?
- Speech, creativity, and artistic skill
- Intellect, free will, and capacity for moral life (Correct answer)
- Physical beauty, emotional depth, and social bonding
- Language, memory, and scientific reasoning
Correct answer: Intellect, free will, and capacity for moral life
CCC 1704-1706 identifies intellect, free will, and the moral capacity to know and love God as the core of the imago Dei in human persons.
Question 4: Which sacrament does the CCC describe as the 'sacrament of healing' that forgives sins committed after Baptism?
- Anointing of the Sick
- Confirmation
- Penance and Reconciliation (Correct answer)
- Eucharist
Correct answer: Penance and Reconciliation
CCC 1440-1449 identifies Penance and Reconciliation as the primary sacrament of healing for post-baptismal sin, restoring the sinner to communion with God and the Church.
Question 5: The CCC explains that Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition together form one 'sacred deposit of the Word of God.' What term does the CCC use for this deposit?
- The Magisterium
- The Deposit of Faith (depositum fidei) (Correct answer)
- The Apostolic Tradition
- The Rule of Faith
Correct answer: The Deposit of Faith (depositum fidei)
CCC 84-87 uses 'Deposit of Faith' (depositum fidei) for the totality of revelation entrusted to the Church through Scripture and Tradition, to be guarded and interpreted by the Magisterium.
Question 6: According to the CCC, how many sacraments did Christ institute, and which category does Matrimony belong to?
- Five sacraments; sacrament of healing
- Seven sacraments; sacrament at the service of communion (Correct answer)
- Seven sacraments; sacrament of Christian initiation
- Six sacraments; sacrament of healing
Correct answer: Seven sacraments; sacrament at the service of communion
CCC 1210-1211 lists seven sacraments grouped into three categories; Matrimony (along with Holy Orders) falls under 'sacraments at the service of communion.'
Question 7: The CCC teaches about the 'last things' (eschatology). Which event does it identify as the 'particular judgment'?
- The final judgment at the end of time when all humanity is judged together
- The immediate judgment of each soul at the moment of death (Correct answer)
- The purification of souls in purgatory before entering heaven
- The resurrection of the body at the second coming of Christ
Correct answer: The immediate judgment of each soul at the moment of death
CCC 1021-1022 teaches that each person immediately after death faces a particular judgment determining their eternal destiny — heaven, purgatory, or hell — distinct from the final general judgment.
MCC CCC Doctrinal Content Mastery 3
The CCC defines the Church as having four marks.
Which mark affirms that the Church was founded by Christ and maintains unbroken succession from the apostles?