FFC CATECHISM
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MHII.120110
A CATECHISM OF
CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE
No. 3
{For Two Years' Course for
Post-Confirmation Classes}
PREPARED AND ENJOINED
BY ORDER OF THE
THIRD PLENARY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE
(In Accordance with the New Canon Law)
SUPPLEMENTED BY
Rev. THOMAS L. KINKEAD
Author of "An Explanation of the Baltimore
Catechism"
Published by Ecclesiastical Authority
NEW YORK, BOSTON, CINCINNATI, CHICAGO, SAN
FRANCISCO
BENZIGER BROTHERS, INC.
PRINTERS TO THE HOLY APOSTOLIC SEE
Imprimatur:
JOHN CARDINAL McCLOSKEY, Archbishop of New
York.
NEW YORK, April 6, 1885
The Catechism ordered by the Third Plenary
Council of Baltimore, having
been diligently compiled and examined, is
hereby approved.
+ JAMES GIBBONS, Archbishop of Baltimore,
Apostolic Delegate.
BALTIMORE, April 6, 1885.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Nihil obstat:
REV. REMIGIUS LAFORT, S.T.L., Censor Librorum.
Imprimatur:
+ MICHAEL AUGUSTINE, Archbishop of New York.
NEW YORK, February 21, 1901.
Nihil obstat:
ARTHUR J. SCANLAN, S.T.D., Censor Librorum.
Imprimatur:
+ PATRICK J. HAYES, D.D., Archbishop of New
York.
NEW YORK, June 29, 1921.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
{Transcriber's Note: This book is commonly
known as "The Baltimore
Catechism No. 3" and is part of a four
volume e-text collection. See
the author's note below for the background and
purpose of the series.
This e-text collection is substantially based
on files generously
provided by http://www.catholic.net/ with some
missing material
transcribed and added for this release.
Transcriber's notes in this
series are placed within braces, and usually
prefixed "T.N.:".}
NOTE
These Catechisms of the Baltimore Series are arranged
on a progressive
plan. No. 00 gives the Prayers and Acts to be
learned before the study
of the Catechisms begins:--No. 0 contains one
half the questions of No.
1; No. 1 half the questions of No. 2; No. 2
one-third the questions of
No. 3, and No. 4 (an Explanation of the
Baltimore Catechism) furnishes
much additional information with copious
explanations and examples.
The same questions bear the same numbers
throughout the series, and
their wording is identical. The different sizes
of type make the
Catechisms more suitable to their respective
grades, smaller children
usually requiring larger print.
Apart from its educational advantages, the
progressive plan aims at
lessening the expense in providing children
with Catechisms, by
furnishing just what is necessary for each
grade; it aims also at
encouraging the children to learn, by affording
opportunity for
promotion from book to book.
These Catechisms are intended to furnish a
complete course of religious
instruction, when, used as follows:
No. 00 for Prayer classes.
No. 0 for Confession classes and certain
adults.
No. 1 for First Communion classes.
No. 2 for Confirmation classes.
No. 3 for two years' course for
Post-Confirmation classes.
No. 4 for Teachers and Teachers' Training classes.
PREFACE TO NO. 3
I have been requested by several priests to
prepare an abridgment of the
"Explanation of the Baltimore
Catechism" that would be suitable as a
classbook for children who have been confirmed
or who have completed the
study of the Baltimore Catechism No. 2. The
"Explanation" itself
contains more matter than some of these
children can master and it costs
a little more than many of them can afford to
pay. I have, therefore,
selected from the list given in the back of the
"Explanation" a large
number of the more practical and important
questions, to which I have
added others, with answers, as full, brief and
simple as the matter will
permit. These questions and answers are added
to those of the Baltimore
Catechism No. 2, but with such distinction in
type that all may see they
are not a part of the Catechism prepared by the
Council, but only a
development of its meaning.
{T.N.: It is not practical below to mimic
"such distinction in type"
that exists in the original book. To indicate
the questions prepared by
the Council I have added in braces their
corresponding numbers from
Baltimore Catechism No. 2. For example,
question 130 below is question 1
in Baltimore Catechism No. 2. Fr. Kinkead's
supplemental questions lack
this double numbering.}
Whenever questions on the same subject are
repeated in the book their
object is to bring out some new point or to
show their connection with
the subject-matter there explained.
AUTHOR.
CONTENTS
PRAYERS.
The Lord's Prayer
The Angelical Salutation
The Apostles' Creed
The Confiteor
An Act of Faith
An Act of Hope
An Act of Love
An Act of Contrition
The Blessing before Meals
Grace after Meals
The Manner in Which a Lay Person Is to Baptize
in Case of Necessity
CATECHISM.
Lesson FIRST--On the End of Man
Lesson SECOND--On God and His Perfections
Lesson THIRD--On the Unity and Trinity of God
Lesson FOURTH--On Creation
Lesson FIFTH--On Our First Parents and the Fall
Lesson SIXTH--On Sin and Its Kinds
Lesson SEVENTH--On the Incarnation and
Redemption
Lesson EIGHTH--On Our Lord's Passion, Death,
Resurrection and Ascension
Lesson NINTH--On the Holy Ghost and His Descent
Upon the Apostles
Lesson TENTH--On the Effects of the Redemption
Lesson ELEVENTH--On the Church
Lesson TWELFTH--On the Attributes and Marks of
the Church
Lesson THIRTEENTH--On the Sacraments in General
Lesson FOURTEENTH--On Baptism
Lesson FIFTEENTH--On Confirmation
Lesson SIXTEENTH--On the Gifts and Fruits of
the Holy Ghost
Lesson SEVENTEENTH--On the Sacrament of Penance
Lesson EIGHTEENTH--On Contrition
Lesson NINETEENTH--On Confession
Lesson TWENTIETH--On the Manner of Making a
Good Confession
Lesson TWENTY-FIRST--On Indulgences
Lesson TWENTY-SECOND--On the Holy Eucharist
Lesson TWENTY-THIRD--On the Ends for which the
Holy Eucharist was
Instituted
Lesson TWENTY-FOURTH--On the Sacrifice of the
Mass
Lesson TWENTY-FIFTH--On Extreme Unction and
Holy Orders
Lesson TWENTY-SIXTH--On Matrimony
Lesson TWENTY-SEVENTH--On the Sacramentals
Lesson TWENTY-EIGHTH--On Prayer
Lesson TWENTY-NINTH--On the Commandments of God
Lesson THIRTIETH--On the First Commandment
Lesson THIRTY-FIRST--The First Commandment--On
the Honor and Invocation
of the
Saints
Lesson THIRTY-SECOND--From the Second to the
Fourth Commandment
Lesson THIRTY-THIRD--From the Fourth to the
Seventh Commandment
Lesson THIRTY-FOURTH--From the Seventh to the
Tenth Commandment
Lesson THIRTY-FIFTH--On the First and Second
Commandments of the Church
Lesson THIRTY-SIXTH--On the Third, Fourth,
Fifth and Sixth Commandments
of the
Church
Lesson THIRTY-SEVENTH--On the Last Judgment and
Resurrection, Hell,
Purgatory and Heaven
Catechism of Christian
Doctrine
PRAYERS
THE LORD'S PRAYER.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy
name. Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily
bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we
forgive those who trespass
against us; and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
THE ANGELICAL SALUTATION.
Hail Mary, full of grace! the Lord is with
thee: blessed art thou
amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy
womb, Jesus. Holy Mary,
Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at
the hour of our death.
Amen.
THE APOSTLES' CREED.
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator
of heaven and earth; and
in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who
was conceived by the Holy
Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under
Pontius Pilate, was
crucified; died, and was buried. He descended
into hell; the third day
He arose again from the dead; He ascended into
heaven, sitteth at the
right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from
thence He shall come to
judge the living and the dead. I believe in the
Holy Ghost, the Holy
Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the
forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection of the body, and the life
everlasting. Amen.
THE CONFITEOR.
I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary,
ever Virgin, to blessed
Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the
Baptist, to the holy Apostles
Peter and Paul, and to all the Saints, that I
have sinned exceedingly in
thought, word and deed, through my fault,
through my fault, through my
most grievous fault. Therefore, I beseech
blessed Mary, ever Virgin,
blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the
Baptist, the holy
Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the Saints, to
pray to the Lord our God
for me.
May the Almighty God have mercy on me, and
forgive me my sins, and bring
me to everlasting life. Amen.
May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant me
pardon, absolution, and
remission of all my sins. Amen.
AN ACT OF FAITH.
O my God! I firmly believe that Thou art one
God in three Divine
persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; I believe
that Thy Divine Son
became man, and died for our sins, and that he
will come to judge the
living and the dead. I believe these and all
the truths which the Holy
Catholic Church teaches, because Thou hast
revealed them, who canst
neither deceive nor be deceived.
AN ACT OF HOPE.
O my God! relying on Thy infinite goodness and
promises, I hope to
obtain pardon of my sins, the help of Thy
grace, and life everlasting,
through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and
Redeemer.
AN ACT OF LOVE.
O my God! I love Thee above all things, with my
whole heart and soul,
because Thou art all-good and worthy of all love.
I love my neighbor as
myself for the love of Thee. I forgive all who
have injured me, and ask
pardon of all whom I have injured.
AN ACT OF CONTRITION.
O my God! I am heartily sorry for having
offended Thee, and I detest all
my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and
the pains of hell; but
most of all because they offend Thee, my God,
who art all-good and
deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve,
with the help of Thy grace,
to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend
my life.
THE BLESSING BEFORE MEALS.
+ Bless us, O Lord! and these Thy gifts, which
we are about to receive
from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
GRACE AFTER MEALS.
+ We give Thee thanks for all Thy benefits, O
Almighty God, who livest
and reignest for ever; and may the souls of the
faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
THE MANNER IN WHICH A LAY
PERSON IS TO BAPTIZE IN CASE OF NECESSITY:
Pour common water on the head or face of the
person to be baptized and
say while pouring it:
"I baptize thee in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost."
N.B. Any person of either sex who has reached
the use of reason can
baptize in case of necessity.
CATECHISM
THE LORD'S PRAYER.
Q. 1. Say the Lord's Prayer.
A. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be
Thy name; Thy kingdom
come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in
heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as
we forgive those who
trespass against us; and lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us
from evil. Amen.
Q. 2. Who made the Lord's Prayer?
A. Our Lord Himself made the Lord's Prayer for
the use of His disciples
and of all the faithful.
Q. 3. Why is the "Our Father" the
most excellent of all Prayers?
A. The "Our Father" is the most
excellent of all prayers because Our
Lord Himself made it and because its petitions
ask for all we can need
for soul or body.
Q. 4. How is the Lord's Prayer divided?
A. The Lord's Prayer is divided into seven
requests or petitions. Three
of these petitions refer to God's honor and
glory, and the remaining
four to our corporeal or spiritual wants.
Q. 5. Whom do we address as "Our
Father" when we say the Lord's Prayer?
A. When we say "Our Father" in the
Lord's Prayer we address Almighty
God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost united in the
adorable Trinity.
Q. 6. Why do we say "our" and not
"my" Father?
A. We say "our" and not
"my" Father to remind us that through our
creation and redemption, we are all members of the
great human family of
which God is the Father; and that we should
pray for and help one
another.
Q. 7. Why do we call God Father?
A. We call God Father because He does for us
what a good father should
do for his children. He gives us our existence;
He protects us; He
provides for us and teaches us; and because the
name of "Father" fills
us with love and reverence for him, and with
confidence in Him.
Q. 8. Why do we say "Who art in
heaven" if God be everywhere?
A. We say "who art in heaven" to put
us in mind (1) that heaven is our
true home for which we were created; (2) that
in heaven we shall see God
face to face as He is; (3) that heaven is the
place where God will be
for all eternity, with the blessed.
Q. 9. What does "Hallowed be Thy
Name" mean?
A. Hallowed means set apart for a holy or
sacred use, and thus comes to
mean treated or praised as holy or sacred.
"Thy name" means God Himself
and all relating to Him, and by this petition
we ask that God may be
known, loved and served by all.
Q. 10. What do we ask for in the petition:
"Thy kingdom come"?
A. In the petition "Thy kingdom come"
we ask (1) that God may reign in
the souls of all men by His grace, so that they
may attain eternal
salvation; (2) that the true Church--Christ's
kingdom--may spread upon
earth till all men embrace the true religion.
Q. 11. Who do God's Will in heaven?
A. In heaven the Angels and Saints do God's
Will perfectly. They never
disobey, or even wish to disobey Him. In the
petition, "Thy Will be done
on earth as it is in heaven," we pray that
all God's creatures may
imitate the Angels and Saints in heaven by
never offending Him.
Q. 12. What do we ask for by "our daily
bread"?
A. In the petition for "our daily
bread" we ask not merely for bread,
but for all that we need for the good of our
body or soul.
Q. 13. Why do we say "daily"?
A. We say "daily" to teach us that we
are not to be avaricious but only
prudent in providing for our wants; and that we
are to have great
confidence in the providence of God.
Q. 14. What do "trespasses" mean?
A. "Trespasses" mean here injuries
done or offenses given to another,
and when God is the person offended,
"trespasses" mean sins.
Q. 15. What do you mean by "forgive us our
trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against us"?
A. In this petition we declare to God that we
have forgiven all who have
injured or offended us, and ask Him to reward
us by pardoning our sins.
Q. 16. When may we be said to forgive those who
trespass against us?
A. We may be said to forgive our enemies when
we act, and, as far as
possible, feel toward them as if they had never
injured us.
Q. 17. What is temptation?
A. A temptation is anything that incites,
provokes, or urges us to
offend God.
Q. 18. What is the best means of overcoming temptation?
A. The best means of overcoming temptation is
to resist its very
beginning, by turning our attention from it; by
praying for help to
resist it; and by doing the opposite of what we
are tempted to do.
Q. 19. Does God tempt us to sin?
A. God does not tempt us to sin; but He permits
us to be tempted to try
our fidelity or punish our pride; and to give
us an opportunity of
meriting rewards for ourselves by overcoming
the temptations.
Q. 20. Can we always resist temptation?
A. We can always resist temptation if we wish,
for God always gives us
sufficient grace and never permits us to be
tempted above our strength.
Q. 21. Is it a sin to be tempted?
A. It is not a sin to be tempted, because we
cannot prevent it. It is
sinful only to consent or yield to the
temptation or needlessly expose
ourselves to it.
Q. 22. From what do our temptations come?
A. Our temptations come either from the devil,
our spiritual enemy, or
from the world; that is, the wicked persons,
places, or things in the
world; or from the flesh; that is, our body
with its strong passions and
evil inclinations.
Q. 23. Should we seek temptation for the sake
of overcoming it?
A. We must not expose ourselves to temptation,
but, on the contrary,
carefully avoid it, yet resist it bravely when
it assails us.
Q. 24. From what evil do we ask to be
delivered?
A. We ask to be delivered from every evil of
body and mind, but
particularly to be delivered from sin, which is
the greatest of all
evils.
Q. 25. What does "Amen" mean?
A. "Amen" means so be it; and
expresses a desire that the petition may
be granted.
Q. 26. What does Christian mean?
A. A Christian is a baptized person who
professes to believe all that
Christ has taught, and to do all that He has
commanded as necessary for
our salvation.
THE ANGELICAL SALUTATION.
Q. 27. Say the Angelical Salutation.
A. Hail Mary, full of grace! the Lord is with
thee: blessed art thou
amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy
womb, Jesus. Holy Mary,
Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at
the hour of our death.
Amen.
Q. 28. What is a salutation?
A. A salutation is the customary words or
actions by which the people of
a country greet one another.
Q. 29. Why is this salutation called Angelical?
A. This salutation is called Angelical because it
was given by an angel.
Q. 30. What does "hail" mean?
A. "Hail" means, I wish you health.
It is an exclamation of respectful
greeting.
Q. 31. How is the "Hail Mary"
divided?
A. The "Hail Mary" is divided into
two parts. The first part, made by
the Angel Gabriel and St. Elizabeth, contains
the praises of the Mother
of God; and the second part, added by the
Church, begs her intercession
for sinners.
Q. 32. Why is the "Hail Mary" usually
placed after the Lord's Prayer?
A. The "Hail Mary" is usually placed
after the Our Father because it is
an inspired prayer, the most excellent after
the Lord's Prayer, and also
that the Blessed Mother may, by her powerful
intercession, aid us in
obtaining what we ask.
Q. 33. Who was St. Elizabeth?
A. St. Elizabeth was the mother of St. John the
Baptist and the cousin
of the Blessed Virgin.
Q. 34. What answer did the Blessed Virgin make
to the words of St.
Elizabeth?
A. The Blessed Virgin answered St. Elizabeth in
the words of the
beautiful Magnificat.
Q. 35. What is the Magnificat?
A. The Magnificat is the splendid canticle or
hymn in which the Blessed
Virgin praises God and returns Him thanks for
the great things He has
done for her. It is usually sung at Vespers in
the Church.
Q. 36. Why do we address Mary as "full of grace"?
A. We address Mary as "full of grace"
because she was never guilty of
the slightest sin; was endowed with every
virtue, and blessed with a
constant increase of grace in her soul.
Q. 37. Why do we say "the Lord is with
thee"?
A. We say "the Lord is with thee,"
for besides being with her as He is
with all His creatures on account of His
presence everywhere; and as He
is with the good on account of their virtue, He
is with Mary in a very
special manner on account of her dignity as
Mother of His Son.
Q. 38. Why is Mary called "blessed amongst
women"?
A. Mary is called "blessed amongst
women" on account of her personal
holiness, her great dignity as Mother of God,
and her freedom from
original sin.
Q. 39. Why is Mary called "holy"?
A. Mary is called "holy" because one
full of grace and endowed with
every virtue must be holy.
Q. 40. Why do we need Mary's prayers at the
hour of death?
A. We need Mary's prayers at the hour of death
because at that time our
salvation is in greatest danger, and our
spiritual enemies most anxious
to overcome us.
Q. 41. Why do we say the "Hail Mary"?
A. We say the "Hail Mary" to put us
in mind of the Incarnation, and to
show our devotion to the Mother of God, and our
confidence in her
assistance.
Q. 42. In what form of prayer is the "Hail
Mary" most frequently
repeated?
A. The "Hail Mary" is most frequently
repeated in the recitation of the
rosary or beads.
Q. 43. What is the Angelus?
A. The Angelus is a prayer giving a brief
history of the Incarnation.
Q. 44. Say the Angelus.
A. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
And she conceived of the
Holy Ghost. Hail Mary, &c. Behold the
handmaid of the Lord. Be it done
unto me according to Thy Word. Hail Mary,
&c. And the Word was made
flesh. And dwelt among us. Hail Mary, &c.
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of
God! That we may be made worthy of the promises
of Christ.
Let us pray:
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace
into our hearts that we
to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was
made known by the message
of an angel, may, by His Passion and cross, be
brought to the glory of
His resurrection, through the same Christ Our
Lord. Amen.
Q. 45. At what time is the Angelus usually
said?
A. The Angelus is said in the evening, it memory
of the Incarnation; in
the morning, in memory of the Resurrection, and
at noon in memory of the
Passion of Our Lord.
Q. 46. What does "the Word was made
flesh" mean in the Angelus?
A. "The Word" means the second person
of the Blessed Trinity, and "made
flesh" means became man.
Q. 47. What is the Litany of the Blessed
Virgin?
A. The Litany is a form of prayer in which we
address our Blessed Lady
by many beautiful titles, such as Mother of
God, Virgin Most Pure,
Refuge of Sinners, &c., asking her after
each to pray for us.
Q. 48. Are there any other Litanies in use
besides the Litany of the
Blessed Virgin?
A. Besides the Litany of the Blessed Virgin
there are other Litanies in
use, especially the Litany of the Saints, the
Litany of the Holy Name of
Jesus, the Litany of the Sacred Heart, &c.
THE APOSTLES' CREED.
Q. 49. Say the Apostles' Creed.
A. I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord;
who was conceived by the
Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered
under Pontius Pilate, was
crucified; died, and was buried. He descended
into hell: the third day
He arose again from the dead: He ascended into
heaven, sitteth at the
right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from
thence He shall come to
judge the living and the dead. I believe in the
Holy Ghost, the Holy
Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the
forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection of the body, and the life
everlasting. Amen.
Q. 50. What is a creed?
A. A creed is a summary or list of the chief
truths we believe or
profess to believe. It is a compendium of
doctrine.
Q. 51. Why is this creed called the Apostles'?
A. This creed is called the Apostles' because
it came down to us from
the Apostles, and also to distinguish it from
longer creeds in use in
the Church, such as the Nicene Creed, which is
said in the Mass; the
Athanasian Creed, which is said in the priests'
divine Office, and the
Creed of Pope Pius IV, which is used on solemn
occasions.
Q. 52. Do all these creeds teach the same
doctrines?
A. All these creeds teach the same doctrines,
for the longer creeds are
only a fuller explanation of the truths
contained in the Apostles'
Creed.
Q. 53 Who were the Apostles?
A. The Apostles were the twelve men selected by
Our Lord to be the first
bishops of His Church.
Q. 54. How do you know the Apostles were
bishops?
A. I know the Apostles were bishops because
they could administer the
Sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Orders and
make laws for the Church,
as we learn from Holy Scripture, and these
powers belong to bishops
alone.
Q. 55. Who were the disciples of Our Lord?
A. The disciples were the seventy-two chosen
followers of Our Lord, whom
He sent to preach and perform good works in every
city and place whither
He Himself was to come. The Apostles also are
frequently called "the
disciples."
Q. 56. Why did the Apostles leave us a creed?
A. The Apostles left us a creed that all who
wished to become Christians
might have a standard of the truths they must
know and believe before
receiving Baptism.
Q. 57. How many articles or parts in the
Apostles' Creed?
A. There are twelve articles or parts in the
Apostles' Creed. They refer
to God the Father in the works of creation; to
God the Son in the works
of redemption; to God the Holy Ghost in the
works of sanctification; and
each article contradicts one or more false
doctrines on these subjects.
Q. 58. What does Creation mean?
A. To create means to produce out of nothing.
God alone has this power,
and He alone can be called "Creator."
Q. 59. Had Jesus Christ more than one Father?
A. God the Father, the First Person of the
Blessed Trinity, is the only
real and true Father of Jesus Christ, as the
Blessed Virgin is His true
Mother. St. Joseph, whom we also call His
father, was only His
foster-father or guardian upon earth.
Q. 60. By what names is Our Lord called?
A. Our Lord is called by many names, such as
Our Saviour, Our Redeemer,
Jesus Christ, Son of God; Second Person of the Blessed
Trinity, the
Messias, Son of David, Lamb of God and others
to be found in the
litanies. Each name recalls to our mind some
benefit received or
prophesy fulfilled.
Q. 61. Of what religion was Pontius Pilate?
A. Pontius Pilate was a pagan; that is, a
worshiper of false gods.
Q. 62. Why do we say "died" instead
of "was put to death"?
A. We say "died" to show that Our
Lord gave up His life willingly; for
how could He be put to death against His will,
who could always restore
His life as He did at His resurrection?
Q. 63. What is death?
A. Death in man is caused by the separation of
the soul from the body,
for Adam was made a living being by the union
of his soul and body.
Q. 64. Why do we say of Christ "He was
buried"?
A. We say that "He was buried" to
show that He was really dead.
Q. 65. Did "hell" always mean only
that state in which the damned are
punished?
A. The word "hell" was sometimes used
to signify the grave or a low
place. In the Apostles' Creed it means Limbo.
Q. 66. Is Limbo the same place as Purgatory?
A. Limbo is not the same place as Purgatory,
because the souls in
Purgatory suffer, while those in Limbo do not.
Q. 67. Who were in Limbo when Our Lord
descended into it?
A. There were in Limbo when Our Lord descended into
it the souls of all
those who died the friends of God, but could
not enter heaven till the
Ascension of Our Lord.
Q. 68. Name some holy persons who died before
Christ ascended into
heaven.
A. Among the holy persons who died before
Christ ascended into heaven,
we may mention: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses,
David, the Prophets, St.
Ann, St. John the Baptist, and St. Joseph.
Q. 69. What do we mean by "Judge the
living and the dead"?
A. By the "living" we mean all those
who shall be alive upon the earth
at the last day, and by the "dead"
those who have died before that time.
Or the "living" may also mean those
who are in a state of grace; and the
"dead" those who are in mortal sin.
Q. 70. How many branches or parts of the Church
are there?
A. There are three branches or parts of the
Church, called the Church
Militant, the Church Suffering, and the Church
Triumphant.
Q. 71. What do we mean by the "Church
Militant"?
A. By the "Church Militant" or
"fighting Church" we mean all the
faithful who are still upon earth struggling
for their salvation by
warring against their spiritual enemies.
Q. 72. What do we mean by the "Church
Suffering"?
A. By the "Church Suffering" we mean
the faithful in Purgatory, who are
being purified from the last stains and consequences
of their sins.
Q. 73. What do we mean by the "Church
Triumphant"?
A. By the "Church Triumphant" we mean
all the faithful now in heaven,
rejoicing with God that they have defeated
their spiritual enemies and
attained their salvation.
Q. 74 Explain the "Communion of
Saints."
A. The "Communion of Saints" means
that the members of the three
branches of the Church can help one another. We
can assist the souls in
Purgatory by our prayers and good works, while
the Saints in heaven
intercede for us.
Q. 75. Does the "Communion of Saints"
mean anything else?
A. The "Communion of Saints" means
also that we all share in the merits
of Our Lord and in the superabundant
satisfaction of the Blessed Virgin
and of the Saints, as well as in the prayers
and good works of the
Church and of the faithful.
Q. 76. Have the Saints their bodies in heaven?
A. The Saints have not yet their bodies in
heaven, as they will have
them after the resurrection on the last day.
Our Divine Lord and His
blessed Mother are the only persons whose
bodies are now in heaven.
Q. 77. Are there Saints in heaven whose names
we do not know?
A. There are many Saints in heaven whose names
we do not know, because
all who are admitted into heaven are truly
Saints.
Q. 78. To whom do we usually give the name of
"Saints"?
A. We usually apply the name of
"Saints" to those only whom the Church
has Canonized.
Q. 79. What is the Canonization of a Saint?
A. Canonization is a solemn ceremony by which
the Church declares that a
certain person, now dead, was remarkable for
extraordinary holiness
while on earth, and is now in heaven worthy of
our veneration.
Q. 80. How does the Canonization of a Saint
take place?
A. In the Canonization of a Saint (1) the
accounts of the person's holy
life, heroic virtue, and miracles are collected
and sent to the Holy
See; (2) those accounts are examined by the
Holy Father or his
cardinals, and, if found to be true and
sufficient, (3) the Saint is
Canonized or perhaps only beatified.
Q. 81. What is the difference between the
honors conferred on a person
by beatification and Canonization?
A. Beatification limits the honor to be given
to the beatified by
restricting it to certain places or persons;
whereas Canonization is the
highest honor and permits all to venerate the
Saint everywhere.
Q. 82. Why does the Church Canonize Saints?
A. The Church Canonizes Saints (1) to honor
them, and (2) to make us
certain that they are in heaven, and may,
therefore, be invoked in our
prayers.
Q. 83. Can the Church err in the Canonization
of a Saint?
A. The Church cannot err in matters of faith or
morals, and the
Canonization of a Saint is a matter of faith
and morals.
Q. 84. What is the difference between a Saint
and an Angel?
A. The Saints lived upon the earth in bodies
like our own. The Angels
never inhabited the earth, though they visit it
and remain for a time
with us. They have not now and never will have
bodies.
Q. 85. Through what means may we obtain the
"forgiveness of sins"?
A. We may obtain the "forgiveness of
sins" especially through the
Sacraments of Baptism and Penance.
Q. 86. What do we mean by the
"resurrection of the body"?
A. By the "resurrection of the body"
we mean that the bodies of the dead
shall be restored to life, rise again on the
last day, and be united to
the souls from which they were separated by
death.
Q. 87. How is the resurrection possible when
the bodies are reduced to
ashes and mingled with the soil?
A. The resurrection is possible to God, who can
do all things, and who,
having created the bodies out of nothing in the
beginning, can easily
collect and put together their scattered parts
by an act of His
all-powerful will.
Q. 88. What does "life everlasting"
mean?
A. "Life everlasting" means endless
happiness in heaven; as endless
misery in hell may be called "everlasting
death."
Q. 89. Is the Apostles' Creed an act of faith?
A. The Apostles' Creed is an act of faith,
because by it we profess our
belief in the truths it contains.
THE CONFITEOR.
Q. 90. Say the Confiteor and verses after it.
A. I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary,
ever Virgin, to blessed
Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the
Baptist, to the holy Apostles
Peter and Paul, and to all the Saints, that I
have sinned exceedingly in
thought, word and deed, through my fault,
through my fault, through my
most grievous fault. Therefore, I beseech
blessed Mary, ever Virgin,
blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the
Baptist, the holy
Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the Saints, to
pray to the Lord our God
for me.
May the Almighty God have mercy on me, and
forgive me my sins, and bring
me to ever-lasting life. Amen.
May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant me
pardon, absolution, and
remission of all my sins. Amen.
Q. 91. What does "Confiteor" mean?
A. "Confiteor" is the first word of
this prayer in Latin, and means "I
Confess."
Q. 92. How is the Confiteor divided?
A. The Confiteor is divided into two parts. In
the first part we
acknowledge our sins in the presence of God and
of His Saints and
Angels. In the second part we beg the Saints
and Angels to aid us in
obtaining forgiveness.
Q. 93. What should we bear in mind in saying
any prayer, and especially
the Confiteor?
A. While saying any prayer, and especially the Confiteor,
we should bear
in mind that we are in the presence of God, and
of His Saints and
Angels, who see us and hear us, though we can
not see or hear them.
AN ACT OF FAITH.
Q. 94. Say the Act of Faith.
A. O my God! I firmly believe that Thou art one
God in three Divine
persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; I believe
that Thy Divine Son
became man, and died for our sins, and that He
will come to judge the
living and the dead. I believe these and all
the truths which the Holy
Catholic Church teaches, because Thou hast
revealed them, who canst
neither deceive nor be deceived.
Q. 95. Give the substance of an Act of Faith.
A. The substance of an Act of Faith is: I
believe all that God has
revealed and the Catholic Church teaches.
Q. 96. Why do we find Acts of Faith of
different lengths?
A. We find Acts of Faith of different lengths,
because some state more
fully than others what God has revealed and the
Church teaches.
AN ACT OF HOPE.
Q. 97. Say the Act of Hope.
A. O my God! relying on Thy infinite goodness
and promises, I hope to
obtain pardon of my sins, the help of Thy
grace, and life ever-lasting,
through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and
Redeemer.
Q. 98. Give the substance of an Act of Hope.
A. The substance of an Act of Hope is: I hope for
heaven and the means
to obtain it.
AN ACT OF LOVE.
Q. 99. Say the Act of Love.
A. O my God! I love Thee above all things, with
my whole heart and soul,
because Thou art all-good and worthy of all
love. I love my neighbor as
myself for the love of Thee. I forgive all who
have injured me, and ask
pardon of all whom I have injured.
Q. 100. Give the substance of an Act of Love.
A. The substance of an Act of Love is: I love
God above all things for
His own sake, and my neighbor as myself for the
love of God.
Q. 101. How do we show that we love God above
all things?
A. We show that we love God above all things by
keeping His commandments
and by never offending Him for any person or
thing.
Q. 102. What does loving your neighbor as
yourself mean?
A. Loving my neighbor as myself does not mean
that I must love him as
much as myself; but that I must love him with
the same kind of love,
that is, I must never do to my neighbor what I
would not wish my
neighbor to do to me; but, on the contrary, do
unto others as I would
have others do unto me.
Q. 103. Do an "Act of Love" and an
"Act of Charity" mean the same thing?
A. An "Act of Love" and "Act of
Charity" do mean the same thing, because
Charity means love, or it means an act of
kindness that comes from love.
Q. 104. How may all persons show Charity to
their neighbor?
A. All persons may show Charity to their
neighbor by never injuring his
character and by always speaking well of him.
Q. 105. Are we bound to make Acts of Faith,
Hope and Love?
A. We are bound from time to time during our
lives to make Acts of
Faith, Hope and Love; otherwise we risk our
salvation.
AN ACT OF CONTRITION.
Q. 106. What does "Contrition" mean?
A. "Contrition" means a state of
grief or deep sorrow for our sins.
Q. 107. Say the Act of Contrition.
A. O my God! I am heartily sorry for having
offended Thee, and I detest
all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven
and the pains of hell,
but most of all because they offend Thee, my
God, who art all-good and
deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve,
with the help of Thy grace,
to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend
my life.
Q. 108. Give the substance of an Act of
Contrition.
A. The substance of an Act of Contrition is: I
am sorry for my sins,
because they have offended God, and I will
never sin again.
Q. 109. Why do we find Acts of Hope, Love, and
Contrition of different
lengths?
A. We find Acts of Hope, Love, and Contrition
of different lengths,
because some explain more fully than others
what we hope for, why we
love God and why we are sorry for our sins.
THE BLESSING BEFORE MEALS.
Q. 110. Say the Blessing before Meals.
A. Bless us, O Lord! and these Thy gifts, which
we are about to receive
from Thy bounty, through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
GRACE AFTER MEALS.
Q. 111. Say the Grace after Meals.
A. We give Thee thanks for all Thy benefits, O
Almighty God, who livest
and reignest for ever; and may the souls of the
faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Q. 112. What does "Grace" at meals mean?
A. "Grace" at meals means the thanks
we offer God for the food we are
about to receive or have just taken.
Q. 113. Why should we say "Grace" at
meals.
A. We should say "Grace" at meals to
show our gratitude to God, who has
given us all we possess and daily supplies our
wants.
Q. 114. Is it wrong to despise or waste our
food?
A. It is wrong to despise or waste our food,
because we thereby slight
the goodness of God, who owes us nothing.
Q. 115. Is it a sin to neglect
"Grace" at meals?
A. It is not a sin to neglect "Grace"
at meals, but only a mark of our
ingratitude; for if we are to thank God for all
His gifts we should do
so especially at the time they are given.
THE MANNER IN WHICH A LAY
PERSON IS TO BAPTIZE IN CASE OF NECESSITY.
Q. 116. What do you mean here by a "lay
person"?
A. By a "lay person" I mean here any
one who is not a priest.
All such persons and those not dedicated to the
service of the Altar,
taken together, are called the
"laity," as all those who have received
sacred orders or who are dedicated to the
service of the Altar, taken
together, are called the "clergy."
Q. 117. What is meant by "in case of
necessity?"
A. In "case of necessity" means here
that a person not baptized is in
danger of death and there is no priest present
to administer the
Sacrament.
Q. 118. How is Baptism given by a "lay
person"?
A. Whoever baptizes must:--
Pour common water on the head or face of the
person to be baptized, and
say while pouring it:
"I baptize thee, in the name of the Father
and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost."
N.B.--Any person of either sex who has, reached
the use of reason can
baptize in case of necessity.
Q. 119. What else is to be observed?
A. In baptizing: (1) The water must touch the
skin and flow; (2) the
same person who pours the water must say the
words; (3) parents should
not baptize their own children, if there be any
other person present who
knows how to baptize; (4) a man, if he be
present and knows how to
administer the Sacrament, should baptize in preference
to a woman; (5)
the person baptizing must have the intention of
doing what the Church
does; (6) he must not repeat the baptism after
giving it once correctly.
Q. 120. What is this baptism called?
A. The baptism given in case of necessity is
called private baptism to
distinguish it from solemn baptism, which is
given in the church with
all the ceremonies proper to it.
Q. 121. What do you mean by either sex?
A. "Either sex" means man or woman;
boy or girl; any person competent to
baptize.
Q. 122. When may we say one "has reached
the use of reason"?
A. We may say one "has reached the use of
reason" when he knows the
difference between good and bad or right and
wrong. Persons acquire this
knowledge at about the age of seven years.
CATECHISM.
Q. 123. What is a Catechism?
A. A Catechism is a book in the form of
questions and answers treating
of any subject, especially of religion.
Q. 124. Of what subject does our Catechism
treat?
A. Our Catechism treats of religion; that is,
of the truths we must
believe and of the things we must do to serve
God.
Q. 125. Why is it important for us to learn the
Catechism?
A. It is important for us to learn the
Catechism because it teaches us
how to serve God: and unless we serve God in
this world we can not be
saved in the next; therefore, our knowledge of
the Catechism affects our
whole existence.
LESSON FIRST.
ON THE END OF MAN.
Q. 126. What do we mean by the "end of
man"?
A. By the "end of man" we mean the
purpose for which he was created:
namely, to know, love, and serve God.
Q. 127. How do you know that man was created
for God alone?
A. I know that man was created for God alone
because everything in the
world was created for something more perfect
than itself: but there is
nothing in the world more perfect than man;
therefore, he was created
for something outside this world, and since he
was not created for the
Angels, he must have been created for God.
Q. 128. In what respect are all men equal?
A. All men are equal in whatever is necessary for
their nature and end.
They are all composed of a body and soul; they
are all created to the
image and likeness of God; they are all gifted
with understanding and
free will; and they have all been created for
the same end--God.
Q. 129. Do not men differ in many things?
A. Men differ in many things, such as learning,
wealth, power, etc.; but
these things belong to the world and not man's
nature. He came into this
world without them and he will leave it without
them. Only the
consequences of good or evil done in this world
will accompany men to
the next.
Q. 130. {1} Who made the world?
A. God made the world.
Q. 131. What does "world" mean in
this question?
A. In this question "world" means the
universe; that is, the whole
creation; all that we now see or may hereafter
see.
Q. 132. {2} Who is God?
A. God is the Creator of heaven and earth, and
of all things.
Q. 133. {3} What is man?
A. Man is a creature composed of body and soul,
and made to the image
and likeness of God.
Q. 134. Does "man" in the Catechism
mean all human beings?
A. "Man" in the Catechism means all
human beings, either men or women,
boys, girls, or children.
Q. 135. What is a creature?
A. A creature is anything created, whether it
has life or not; body or
no body. Every being, person, or thing except
God Himself may be called
a creature.
Q. 136. {4} Is this likeness in the body or in
the soul?
A. This likeness is chiefly in the soul.
Q. 137. {5} How is the soul like to God?
A. The soul is like to God because it is a
spirit that will never die,
and has understanding and free will.
Q. 138. Is every invisible thing a spirit?
A. Every spirit is invisible--which means can
not be seen; but every
invisible thing is not a spirit. The wind is
invisible, and it is not a
spirit.
Q. 139. Has a spirit any other quality?
A. A spirit is also indivisible; that is, it
can not be divided into
parts, as we divide material things.
Q. 140. What do the words "will never
die" mean?
A. By the words "will never die" we
mean that the soul, when once
created, will never cease to exist, whatever be
its condition in the
next world. Hence we say the soul is immortal
or gifted with
immortality.
Q. 141. Why then do we say a soul is dead while
in a state of mortal
sin?
A. We say a soul is dead while in a state of
mortal sin, because in that
state it is as helpless as a dead body, and can
merit nothing for
itself.
Q. 142. What does our "understanding"
mean?
A. Our "understanding" means the
"gift of reason," by which man is
distinguished from all other animals, and by
which he is enabled to
think and thus acquire knowledge and regulate
his actions.
Q. 143. Can we learn all truths by our reason
alone?
A. We can not learn all truths by our reason
alone, for some truths are
beyond the power of our reason and must be
taught to us by God.
Q. 144. What do we call the truths God teaches
us?
A. Taken together, we call the truths God
teaches us revelation, and we
call the manner by which He teaches them also
revelation.
Q. 145. What is "Free Will"?
A. "Free Will" is that gift of God by
which we are enabled to choose
between one thing and another; and to do good
or evil in spite of reward
or punishment.
Q. 146. Have brute animals
"understanding" and "free will"?
A. Brute animals have not
"understanding" and "free will." They have not
"understanding" because they never
change their habits or better their
condition. They have not "free will"
because they never show it in their
actions.
Q. 147. What gift in animals supplies the place
of reason?
A. In animals the gift of "instinct"
supplies the place of reason in
guiding their actions.
Q. 148. What is instinct?
A. "Instinct" is a gift by which all
animals are impelled to follow the
laws and habits that God has given to their
nature.
Q. 149. Have men as well as brutes
"instinct"?
A. Men have "instinct," and they show
it when placed in sudden danger,
when they have not time to use their reason. A
falling man instantly
grasps for something to support him.
Q. 150. {6} Why did God make you?
A. God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to
serve Him in this world,
and to be happy with Him forever in the next.
Q. 151. Why is it necessary to know God?
A. It is necessary to know God because without
knowing Him we cannot
love Him; and without loving Him we cannot be
saved. We should know Him
because He is infinitely true; love Him because
He is infinitely
beautiful; and serve Him because He is
infinitely good.
Q. 152. {7} Of which must we take more care,
our soul or our body?
A. We must take more care of our soul than of
our body.
Q. 153. {8} Why must we take more care of our
soul than of our body?
A. We must take more care of our soul than of
our body, because in
losing our soul we lose God and everlasting
happiness.
Q. 154. {9} What must we do to save our souls?
A. To save our souls, we must worship God by
faith, hope, and charity;
that is, we must believe in Him, hope in Him,
and love Him with all our
heart.
Q. 155. What does "worship" mean?
A. "Worship" means to give divine
honor by acts such as the offering of
prayer or sacrifice.
Q. 156. {10} How shall we know the things which
we are to believe?
A. We shall know the things which we are to
believe from the Catholic
Church, through which God speaks to us.
Q. 157. What do we mean by the "Church,
through which God speaks to us"?
A. By the "Church, through which God
speaks to us," we mean the
"teaching Church"; that is, the Pope,
Bishops, and priests, whose duty
it is to instruct us in the truths and
practices of our religion.
Q. 158. {11} Where shall we find the chief
truths which the Church
teaches?
A. We shall find the chief truths which the
Church teaches in the
Apostles' Creed.
Q. 159. If we shall find only the "chief
truths" in the Apostles' Creed,
where shall we find the remaining truths?
A. We shall find the remaining truths of our
Faith in the religious
writings and preachings that have been
sanctioned by the authority of
the Church.
Q. 160. Name some sacred truths not mentioned
in the Apostles' Creed.
A. In the Apostles' Creed there is no mention
of the Real Presence of
Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist, nor of the
Infallibility of the Pope,
nor of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, nor of some
other truths that we are bound to believe.
Q. 161. {12} Say the Apostles' Creed.
A. I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord;
who was conceived by the
Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered
under Pontius Pilate, was
crucified; died, and was buried. He descended
into hell: the third day
He arose again from the dead: He ascended into
heaven, sitteth at the
right hand of God, the Father Almighty: from
thence He shall come to
judge the living and the dead. I believe in the
Holy Ghost, the Holy
Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the
forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection of the body, and the life
everlasting. Amen.
LESSON SECOND.
ON GOD AND HIS PERFECTIONS.
Q. 162. What is a perfection?
A. A perfection is any good quality a thing
should have. A thing is
perfect when it has all the good qualities it
should have.
Q. 163. {13} What is God?
A. God is a spirit infinitely perfect.
Q. 164. What do we mean when we say God is
"infinitely perfect"?
A. When we say God is "infinitely
perfect" we mean there is no limit or
bounds to His perfection; for He possesses all
good qualities in the
highest possible degree and He alone is
"infinitely perfect."
Q. 165. {14} Had God a beginning?
A. God had no beginning; He always was and He
always will be.
Q. 166. {15} Where is God?
A. God is everywhere.
Q. 167. How is God everywhere?
A. God is everywhere whole and entire as He is
in any one place. This is
true and we must believe it, though we cannot
understand it.
Q. 168. {16} If God is everywhere, why do we
not see Him?
A. We do not see God, because He is a pure
spirit and cannot be seen
with bodily eyes.
Q. 169. Why do we call God a "pure
spirit"?
A. We call God a pure spirit because He has no
body. Our soul is a
spirit, but not a "pure" spirit,
because it was created for union with
our body.
Q. 170. Why can we not see God with the eyes of
our body?
A. We cannot see God with the eyes of our body
because they are created
to see only material things, and God is not
material but spiritual.
Q. 171. {17} Does God see us?
A. God sees us and watches over us.
Q. 172. Is it necessary for God to watch over
us?
A. It is necessary for God to watch over us,
for without His constant
care we could not exist.
Q. 173. {18} Does God know all things?
A. God knows all things, even our most secret
thoughts, words, and
actions.
Q. 174. {19} Can God do all things?
A. God can do all things, and nothing is hard
or impossible to Him.
Q. 175. When is a thing said to be "impossible"?
A. A thing is said to be "impossible"
when it cannot be done. Many
things that are impossible for creatures are
possible for God.
Q. 176. {20} Is God just, holy, and merciful?
A. God is all just, all holy, all merciful, as
He is infinitely perfect.
Q. 177. Why must God be "just" as
well as "merciful"?
A. God must be just as well as merciful because
He must fulfill His
promise to punish those who merit punishment,
and because He cannot be
infinite in one perfection without being
infinite in all.
Q. 178. Into what sins will the forgetfulness
of God's justice lead us?
A. The forgetfulness of God's justice will lead
us into sins of
presumption.
Q. 179. Into what sins will the forgetfulness
of God's mercy lead us?
A. The forgetfulness of God's mercy will lead
us into sins of despair.
LESSON THIRD.
ON THE UNITY AND TRINITY OF
GOD.
Q. 180. What does "unity," and what
does "trinity" mean?
A. "Unity" means being one, and
"trinity" means three-fold or three in
one.
Q. 181. Can we find an example to fully
illustrate the mystery of the
Blessed Trinity?
A. We cannot find an example to fully
illustrate the mystery of the
Blessed Trinity, because the mysteries of our
holy religion are beyond
comparison.
Q. 182. {21} Is there but one God?
A. Yes; there is but one God.
Q. 183. {22} Why can there be but one God?
A. There can be but one God because God, being
supreme and infinite,
cannot have an equal.
Q. 184. What does "supreme" mean?
A. "Supreme" means the highest in
authority; also the most excellent or
greatest possible in anything. Thus in all
things God is supreme, and in
the Church the Pope is supreme.
Q. 185. When are two persons said to be equal?
A. Two persons are said to be equal when one is
in no way greater than
or inferior to the other.
Q. 186. {23} How many persons are there in God?
A. In God there are three Divine persons,
really distinct, and equal in
all things--the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Ghost.
Q. 187. What do "divine" and
"distinct" mean?
A. "Divine" means pertaining to God,
and "distinct" means separate; that
is, not confounded or mixed with any other
thing.
Q. 188. {24} Is the Father God?
A. The Father is God and the first Person of
the Blessed Trinity.
Q. 189. {25} Is the Son God?
A. The Son is God and the second Person of the
Blessed Trinity.
Q. 190. {26} Is the Holy Ghost God?
A. The Holy Ghost is God and the third Person
of the Blessed Trinity.
Q. 191. Do "first,"
"second," and "third" with regard to the persons of
the Blessed Trinity mean that one person
existed before the other or
that one is greater than the other?
A. "First," "second," and
"third" with regard to the persons of the
Blessed Trinity do not mean that one person was
before the other or that
one is greater than the other; for all the
persons of the Trinity are
eternal and equal in every respect. These
numbers are used to mark the
distinction between the persons, and they show
the order in which the
one proceeded from the other.
Q. 192. {27} What do you mean by the Blessed Trinity?
A. By the Blessed Trinity I mean one God in
three Divine Persons.
Q. 193. {28} Are the three Divine Persons equal
in all things?
A. The three Divine Persons are equal in all
things.
Q. 194. {29} Are the three Divine Persons one
and the same God?
A. The three Divine Persons are one and the
same God, having one and the
same Divine nature and substance.
Q. 195. What do we mean by the
"nature" and "substance" of a thing?
A. By the "nature" of a thing we mean
the combination of all the
qualities that make the thing what it is. By
the "substance" of a thing
we mean the part that never changes, and which
cannot be changed without
destroying the nature of the thing.
Q. 196. {30} Can we fully understand how the
three Divine Persons are
one and the same God?
A. We cannot fully understand how the three
Divine Persons are one and
the same God, because this is a mystery.
Q. 197. {31} What is a mystery?
A. A mystery is a truth which we cannot fully
understand.
Q. 198. Is every truth which we cannot
understand a mystery?
A. Every truth which we cannot understand is
not a mystery; but every
revealed truth which no one can understand is a
mystery.
Q. 199. Should we believe truths which we
cannot understand?
A. We should and often do believe truths which we
cannot understand when
we have proof of their existence.
Q. 200. Give an example of truths which all
believe, though many do not
understand them.
A. All believe that the earth is round and
moving, though many do not
understand it. All believe that a seed planted
in the ground will
produce a flower or tree often with more than a
thousand other seeds
equal to itself, though many cannot understand
how this is done.
Q. 201. Why must a divine religion have
mysteries?
A. A divine religion must have mysteries
because it must have
supernatural truths and God Himself must teach
them. A religion that has
only natural truths, such as man can know by
reason alone, fully
understand and teach, is only a human religion.
Q. 202. Why does God require us to believe mysteries?
A. God requires us to believe mysteries that we
may submit our
understanding to Him.
Q. 203. By what form of prayer do we praise the
Holy Trinity?
A. We praise the Holy Trinity by a form of
prayer called the Doxology,
which has come down to us almost from the time
of the Apostles.
Q. 204. Say the Doxology.
A. The Doxology is: "Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the
Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be, world
without end. Amen."
Q. 205. Is there any other form of the
Doxology?
A. There is another form of the Doxology, which
is said in the
celebration of the Mass. It is called the
"Gloria in excelsis" or "Glory
be to God on high," &c., the words
sung by the Angels at the birth of
Our Lord.
LESSON FOURTH.
ON CREATION.
Q. 206. What is the difference between making
and creating?
A. "Making" means bringing forth or
forming out of some material already
existing, as workmen do. "Creating"
means bringing forth out of nothing,
as God alone can do.
Q. 207. Has everything that exists been
created?
A. Everything that exists except God Himself
has been created.
Q. 208. {32} Who created heaven and earth, and
all things?
A. God created heaven and earth, and all
things.
Q. 209. From what do we learn that God created
heaven and earth and all
things?
A. We learn that God created heaven and earth
and all things from the
Bible or Holy Scripture, in which the account
of the Creation is given.
Q. 210. Why did God create all things?
A. God created all things for His own glory and
for their or our good.
Q. 211. Did God leave all things to themselves
after He had created
them?
A. God did not leave all things to themselves
after He had created them;
He continues to preserve and govern them.
Q. 212. What do we call the care by which God
preserves and governs the
world and all it contains?
A. We call the care by which God preserves and
governs the world and all
it contains His providence.
Q. 213. {33} How did God create heaven and
earth?
A. God created heaven and earth from nothing by
His word only; that is,
by a single act of His all-powerful will.
Q. 214. {34} Which are the chief creatures of
God?
A. The chief creatures of God are angels and
men.
Q. 215. How may God's creatures on earth be divided?
A. God's creatures on earth may be divided into
four classes: (1) Things
that exist, as air; (2) Things that exist, grow
and live, as plants and
trees; (3) Things that exist, grow, live and
feel, as animals; (4)
Things that exist, grow, live, feel and
understand, as man.
Q. 216. {35} What are angels?
A. Angels are pure spirits without a body,
created to adore and enjoy
God in heaven.
Q. 217. If Angels have no bodies, how could
they appear?
A. Angels could appear by taking bodies to
render themselves visible for
a time; just as the Holy Ghost took the form of
a dove and the devil
took the form of a serpent.
Q. 218. Name some persons to whom Angels
appeared.
A. Angels appeared to the Blessed Virgin and
St. Joseph; also to
Abraham, Lot, Jacob, Tobias and others.
Q. 219. {36} Were the angels created for any
other purpose?
A. The angels were also created to assist
before the throne of God and
to minister unto Him; they have often been sent
as messengers from God
to man; and are also appointed our guardians.
Q. 220. Are all the Angels equal in dignity?
A. All the Angels are not equal in dignity.
There are nine choirs or
classes mentioned in the Holy Scripture. The
highest are called Seraphim
and the lowest simply Angels. The Archangels
are one class higher than
ordinary Angels.
Q. 221. Mention some Archangels and tell what
they did.
A. The Archangel Michael drove Satan out of
heaven; the Archangel
Gabriel announced to the Blessed Virgin that
she was to become the
Mother of God. The Archangel Raphael guided and
protected Tobias.
Q. 222. Were Angels ever sent to punish men?
A. Angels were sometimes sent to punish men. An
Angel killed 185,000 men
in the army of a wicked king who had blasphemed
God; an Angel also slew
the first-born in the families of the Egyptians
who had persecuted God's
people.
Q. 223. What do our guardian Angels do for us?
A. Our guardian Angels pray for us, protect and
guide us, and offer our
prayers, good works and desires to God.
Q. 224. How do we know that Angels offer our
prayers and good works to
God?
A. We know that Angels offer our prayers and
good works to God because
it is so stated in Holy Scripture, and Holy
Scripture is the Word of
God.
Q. 225. Why did God appoint guardian Angels if
He watches over us
Himself?
A. God appointed guardian Angels to secure for
us their help and
prayers, and also to show His great love for us
in giving us these
special servants and faithful friends.
Q. 226. {37} Were the angels, as God created
them, good and happy?
A. The angels, as God created them, were good
and happy.
Q. 227. {38} Did all the angels remain good and
happy?
A. All the angels did not remain good and
happy; many of them sinned and
were cast into hell, and these are called devils
or bad angels.
Q. 228. Do we know the number of good and bad
Angels?
A. We do not know the number of the good or bad
Angels, but we know it
is very great.
Q. 229. What was the devil's name before he
fell, and why was he cast
out of heaven?
A. Before he fell, Satan, or the devil, was
called Lucifer, or
light-bearer, a name which indicates great
beauty. He was cast out of
heaven because through pride he rebelled
against God.
Q. 230. How do the bad Angels act toward us?
A. The bad Angels try by every means to lead us
into sin. The efforts
they make are called temptations of the devil.
Q. 231. Why does the devil tempt us?
A. The devil tempts us because he hates
goodness, and does not wish us
to enjoy the happiness which he himself has
lost.
Q. 232. Can we by our own power overcome the
temptations of the devil?
A. We cannot by our own power overcome the
temptations of the devil,
because the devil is wiser than we are; for,
being an Angel, he is more
intelligent, and he did not lose his
intelligence by falling into sin
any more than we do now. Therefore, to overcome
his temptations we need
the help of God.
LESSON FIFTH.
ON OUR FIRST PARENTS AND THE
FALL.
Q. 233. {39} Who were the first man and woman?
A. The first man and woman were Adam and Eve.
Q. 234. Are there any persons in the world who
are not the descendants
of Adam and Eve?
A. There are no persons in the world now, and
there never have been any,
who are not the descendants of Adam and Eve,
because the whole human
race had but one origin.
Q. 235. Do not the differences in color,
figure, &c., which we find in
distinct races indicate a difference in first
parents?
A. The differences in color, figure, &c.,
which we find in distinct
races do not indicate a difference in first
parents, for these
differences have been brought about in the
lapse of time by other
causes, such as climate, habits, etc.
Q. 236. {40} Were Adam and Eve innocent and
holy when they came from the
hand of God?
A. Adam and Eve were innocent and holy when
they came from the hand of
God.
Q. 237. What do we mean by saying Adam and Eve
"were innocent" when they
came from the hand of God?
A. When we say Adam and Eve "were
innocent" when they came from the hand
of God we mean they were in the state of
original justice; that is, they
were gifted with every virtue and free from
every sin.
Q. 238. How was Adam's body formed?
A. God formed Adam's body out of the clay of
the earth and then breathed
into it a living soul.
Q. 239. How was Eve's body formed?
A. Eve's body was formed from a rib taken from
Adam's side during a deep
sleep which God caused to come upon him.
Q. 240. Why did God make Eve from one of Adam's
ribs?
A. God made Eve from one of Adam's ribs to show
the close relationship
existing between husband and wife in their
marriage union which God then
instituted.
Q. 241. Could man's body be developed from the
body of an inferior
animal?
A. Man's body could be developed from the body
of an inferior animal if
God so willed; but science does not prove that
man's body was thus
formed, while revelation teaches that it was
formed directly by God from
the clay of the earth.
Q. 242. Could man's soul and intelligence be
formed by the development
of animal life and instinct?
A. Man's soul could not be formed by the
development of animal instinct;
for, being entirely spiritual, it must be
created by God, and it is
united to the body as soon as the body is
prepared to receive it.
Q. 243. {41} Did God give any command to Adam
and Eve?
A. To try their obedience, God commanded Adam
and Eve not to eat of a
certain fruit which grew in the garden of
Paradise.
Q. 244. What was the Garden of Paradise?
A. The Garden of Paradise was a large and
beautiful place prepared for
man's habitation upon earth. It was supplied
with every species of plant
and animal and with everything that could
contribute to man's happiness.
Q. 245. Where was the Garden of Paradise
situated?
A. The exact place in which the Garden of
Paradise--called also the
Garden of Eden--was situated is not known, for
the deluge may have so
changed the surface of the earth that old
landmarks were wiped out. It
was probably some place in Asia, not far from
the river Euphrates.
Q. 246. What was the tree bearing the forbidden
fruit called?
A. The tree bearing the forbidden fruit was
called "the tree of
knowledge of good and evil."
Q. 247. Do we know the name of any other tree
in the garden?
A. We know the name of another tree in the
Garden called the "tree of
life." Its fruit kept the bodies of our
first parents in a state of
perfect health.
Q. 248. {42} Which were the chief blessings
intended for Adam and Eve
had they remained faithful to God?
A. The chief blessings intended for Adam and
Eve, had they remained
faithful to God, were a constant state of
happiness in this life and
everlasting glory in the next.
Q. 249. {43} Did Adam and Eve remain faithful
to God?
A. Adam and Eve did not remain faithful to God,
but broke His command by
eating the forbidden fruit.
Q. 250. Who was the first to disobey God?
A. Eve was the first to disobey God, and she
induced Adam to do
likewise.
Q. 251. How was Eve tempted to sin?
A. Eve was tempted to sin by the devil, who
came in the form of a
serpent and persuaded her to break God's
command.
Q. 252. Which were the chief causes that led
Eve into sin?
A. The chief causes that led Eve into sin were:
(1) She went into the
danger of sinning by admiring what was
forbidden, instead of avoiding
it; (2) She did not fly from the temptation at
once, but debated about
yielding to it. Similar conduct on our part
will lead us also into sin.
Q. 253. {44} What befell Adam and Eve on
account of their sin?
A. Adam and Eve, on account of their sin, lost
innocence and holiness,
and were doomed to sickness and death.
Q. 254. What other evils befell Adam and Eve on
account of their sin?
A. Many other evils befell Adam and Eve on
account of their sin. They
were driven out of Paradise and condemned to
toil. God also ordained
that henceforth the earth should yield no crops
without cultivation, and
that the beasts, man's former friends, should
become his savage enemies.
Q. 255. Were we to remain in the Garden of
Paradise forever if Adam had
not sinned?
A. We were not to remain in the Garden of
Paradise forever even if Adam
had not sinned, but after passing through the
years of our probation or
trial upon earth we were to be taken, body and
soul, into heaven without
suffering death.
Q. 256. {45} What evil befell us on account of
the disobedience of our
first parents?
A. On account of the disobedience of our first
parents, we all share in
their sin and punishment, as we should have
shared in their happiness if
they had remained faithful.
Q. 257. Is it not unjust to punish us for the
sin of our first parents?
A. It is not unjust to punish us for the sin of
our first parents,
because their punishment consisted in being
deprived of a free gift of
God; that is, of the gift of original justice to
which they had no
strict right and which they wilfully forfeited
by their act of
disobedience.
Q. 258. But how did the loss of the gift of
original justice leave our
first parents and us in mortal sin?
A. The loss of the gift of original justice
left our first parents and
us in mortal sin because it deprived them of
the Grace of God, and to be
without this gift of Grace which they should
have had was to be in
mortal sin. As all their children are deprived
of the same gift, they,
too, come into the world in a state of mortal
sin.
Q. 259. {46} What other effects followed from
the sin of our first
parents?
A. Our nature was corrupted by the sin of our
first parents, which
darkened our understanding, weakened our will,
and left in us a strong
inclination to evil.
Q. 260. What do we mean by "our nature was
corrupted"?
A. When we say "our nature was
corrupted" we mean that our whole being,
body and soul, was injured in all its parts and
powers.
Q. 261. Why do we say our understanding was
darkened?
A. We say our understanding was darkened
because even with much learning
we have not the clear knowledge, quick
perception and retentive memory
that Adam had before his fall from grace.
Q. 262. Why do we say our will was weakened?
A. We say our will was weakened to show that
our free will was not
entirely taken away by Adam's sin, and that we
have it still in our
power to use our free will in doing good or
evil.
Q. 263. In what does the strong inclination to
evil that is left in us
consist?
A. This strong inclination to evil that is left
in us consists in the
continual efforts our senses and appetites make
to lead our souls into
sin. The body is inclined to rebel against the
soul, and the soul itself
to rebel against God.
Q. 264. What is this strong inclination to evil
called, and why did God
permit it to remain in us?
A. This strong inclination to evil is called
concupiscence, and God
permits it to remain in us that by His grace we
may resist it and thus
increase our merits.
Q. 265. {47} What is the sin called which we
inherit from our first
parents?
A. The sin which we inherit from our first
parents is called original
sin.
Q. 266. {48} Why is this sin called original?
A. This sin is called original because it comes
down to us from our
first parents, and we are brought into the
world with its guilt on our
soul.
Q. 267. {49} Does this corruption of our nature
remain in us after
original sin is forgiven?
A. This corruption of our nature and other
punishments remain in us
after original sin is forgiven.
Q. 268. {50} Was any one ever preserved from
original sin?
A. The Blessed Virgin Mary, through the merits
of her Divine Son, was
preserved free from the guilt of original sin,
and this privilege is
called her Immaculate Conception.
Q. 269. Why was the Blessed Virgin preserved
from original sin?
A. The Blessed Virgin was preserved from
original sin because it would
not be consistent with the dignity of the Son
of God to have His Mother,
even for an instant, in the power of the devil
and an enemy of God.
Q. 270. How could the Blessed Virgin be
preserved from sin by her Divine
Son, before her Son was born?
A. The Blessed Virgin could be preserved from
sin by her Divine Son
before He was born as man, for He always
existed as God and foresaw His
own future merits and the dignity of His
Mother. He therefore by His
future merits provided for her privilege of
exemption from original sin.
Q. 271. What does the "Immaculate
Conception" mean?
A. The Immaculate Conception means the Blessed
Virgin's own exclusive
privilege of coming into existence, through the
merits of Jesus Christ,
without the stain of original sin. It does not
mean, therefore, her
sinless life, perpetual virginity or the
miraculous conception of Our
Divine Lord by the power of the Holy Ghost.
Q. 272. What has always been the belief of the
Church concerning this
truth?
A. The Church has always believed in the
Immaculate Conception of the
Blessed Virgin and to place this truth beyond
doubt has declared it an
Article of Faith.
Q. 273. To what should the thoughts of the
Immaculate Conception lead
us?
A. The thoughts of the Immaculate Conception
should lead us to a great
love of purity and to a desire of imitating the
Blessed Virgin in the
practice of that holy virtue.
LESSON SIXTH.
ON SIN AND ITS KINDS.
Q. 274. How is sin divided?
A. (1) Sin is divided into the sin we inherit
called original sin, and
the sin we commit ourselves, called actual sin.
(2) Actual sin is
sub-divided into greater sins, called mortal,
and lesser sins, called
venial.
Q. 275. In how many ways may actual sin be
committed?
A. Actual sin may be committed in two ways:
namely, by wilfully doing
things forbidden, or by wilfully neglecting
things commanded.
Q. 276. What is our sin called when we neglect
things commanded?
A. When we neglect things commanded our sin is
called a sin of omission.
Such sins as wilfully neglecting to hear Mass
on Sundays, or neglecting
to go to Confession at least once a year, are
sins of omission.
Q. 277. {51} Is original sin the only kind of
sin?
A. Original sin is not the only kind of sin;
there is another kind of
sin, which we commit ourselves, called actual
sin.
Q. 278. {52} What is actual sin?
A. Actual sin is any wilful thought, word,
deed, or omission contrary to
the law of God.
Q. 279. {53} How many kinds of actual sin are
there?
A. There are two kinds of actual sin--mortal
and venial.
Q. 280. {54} What is mortal sin?
A. Mortal sin is a grievous offense against the
law of God.
Q. 281. {55} Why is this sin called mortal?
A. This sin is called mortal because it
deprives us of spiritual life,
which is sanctifying grace, and brings
everlasting death and damnation
on the soul.
Q. 282. {56} How many things are necessary to
make a sin mortal?
A. To make a sin mortal, three things are
necessary: a grievous matter,
sufficient reflection, and full consent of the
will.
Q. 283. What do we mean by "grievous
matter" with regard to sin?
A. By "grievous matter" with regard
to sin we mean that the thought,
word or deed by which mortal sin is committed
must be either very bad in
itself or severely prohibited, and therefore
sufficient to make a mortal
sin if we deliberately yield to it.
Q. 284. What does "sufficient reflection
and full consent of the will"
mean?
A. "Sufficient reflection" means that
we must know the thought, word or
deed to be sinful at the time we are guilty of
it; and "full consent of
the will" means that we must fully and
wilfully yield to it.
Q. 285. What are sins committed without reflection
or consent called?
A. Sins committed without reflection or consent
are called material
sins; that is, they would be formal or real
sins if we knew their
sinfulness at the time we committed them. Thus
to eat flesh meat on a
day of abstinence without knowing it to be a
day of abstinence or
without thinking of the prohibition, would be a
material sin.
Q. 286. Do past material sins become real sins
as soon as we discover
their sinfulness?
A. Past material sins do not become real sins
as soon as we discover
their sinfulness, unless we again repeat them
with full knowledge and
consent.
Q. 287. How can we know what sins are
considered mortal?
A. We can know what sins are considered mortal
from Holy Scripture; from
the teaching of the Church, and from the writings
of the Fathers and
Doctors of the Church.
Q. 288. Why is it wrong to judge others guilty
of sin?
A. It is wrong to judge others guilty of sin
because we cannot know for
certain that their sinful act was committed
with sufficient reflection
and full consent of the will.
Q. 289. What sin does he commit who without
sufficient reason believes
another guilty of sin?
A. He who without sufficient reason believes
another guilty of sin
commits a sin of rash judgment.
Q. 290. {57} What is venial sin?
A. Venial sin is a slight offense against the
law of God in matters of
less importance, or in matters of great
importance it is an offense
committed without sufficient reflection or full
consent of the will.
Q. 291. Can we always distinguish venial from mortal
sin?
A. We cannot always distinguish venial from
mortal sin, and in such
cases we must leave the decision to our
confessor.
Q. 292. Can slight offenses ever become mortal
sins?
A. Slight offenses can become mortal sins if we
commit them through
defiant contempt for God or His law; and also
when they are followed by
very evil consequences, which we foresee in
committing them.
Q. 293. {58} Which are the effects of venial
sin?
A. The effects of venial sin are the lessening
of the love of God in our
heart, the making us less worthy of His help,
and the weakening of the
power to resist mortal sin.
Q. 294. How can we know a thought, word or deed
to be sinful?
A. We can know a thought, word or deed to be
sinful if it, or the
neglect of it, is forbidden by any law of God
or of His Church, or if it
is opposed to any supernatural virtue.
Q. 295. {59} Which are the chief sources of
sin?
A. The chief sources of sin are seven: Pride,
Covetousness, Lust, Anger,
Gluttony, Envy, and Sloth, and they are commonly
called capital sins.
Q. 296. What is pride?
A. Pride is an excessive love of our own
ability; so that we would
rather sinfully disobey than humble ourselves.
Q. 297. What effect has pride on our souls?
A. Pride begets in our souls sinful ambition,
vainglory, presumption and
hypocrisy.
Q. 298. What is covetousness?
A. Covetousness is an excessive desire for
worldly things.
Q. 299. What effect has covetousness on our
souls?
A. Covetousness begets in our souls unkindness,
dishonesty, deceit and
want of charity.
Q. 300. What is lust?
A. Lust is an excessive desire for the sinful
pleasures forbidden by the
Sixth Commandment.
Q. 301. What effect has lust on our souls?
A. Lust begets in our souls a distaste for holy
things, a perverted
conscience, a hatred for God, and it very
frequently leads to a complete
loss of faith.
Q. 302. What is anger?
A. Anger is an excessive emotion of the mind
excited against any person
or thing, or it is an excessive desire for
revenge.
Q. 303. What effect has anger on our soul?
A. Anger begets in our souls impatience,
hatred, irreverence, and too
often the habit of cursing.
Q. 304. What is gluttony?
A. Gluttony is an excessive desire for food or
drink.
Q. 305. What kind of a sin is drunkenness?
A. Drunkenness is a sin of gluttony by which a
person deprives himself
of the use of his reason by the excessive
taking of intoxicating drink.
Q. 306. Is drunkenness always a mortal sin?
A. Deliberate drunkenness is always a mortal
sin if the person be
completely deprived of the use of reason by it,
but drunkenness that is
not intended or desired may be excused from
mortal sin.
Q. 307. What are the chief effects of habitual
drunkenness?
A. Habitual drunkenness injures the body,
weakens the mind, leads its
victim into many vices and exposes him to the
danger of dying in a state
of mortal sin.
Q. 308. What three sins seem to cause most evil
in the world?
A. Drunkenness, dishonesty and impurity seem to
cause most evil in the
world, and they are therefore to be carefully
avoided at all times.
Q. 309. What is envy?
A. Envy is a feeling of sorrow at another's
good fortune and joy at the
evil which befalls him; as if we ourselves were
injured by the good and
benefited by the evil that comes to him.
Q. 310. What effect has envy on the soul?
A. Envy begets in the soul a want of charity
for our neighbor and
produces a spirit of detraction, back-biting
and slander.
Q. 311. What is sloth?
A. Sloth is a laziness of the mind and body,
through which we neglect
our duties on account of the labor they
require.
Q. 312. What effect has sloth upon the soul?
A. Sloth begets in the soul a spirit of
indifference in our spiritual
duties and a disgust for prayer.
Q. 313. Why are the seven sources of sin called
capital sins?
A. The seven sources of sin are called capital
sins because they rule
over our other sins and are the causes of them.
Q. 314. What do we mean by our predominant sin
or ruling passion?
A. By our predominant sin, or ruling passion,
we mean the sin into which
we fall most frequently and which we find it
hardest to resist.
Q. 315. How can we best overcome our sins?
A. We can best overcome our sins by guarding
against our predominant or
ruling sin.
Q. 316. Should we give up trying to be good when
we seem not to succeed
in overcoming our faults?
A. We should not give up trying to be good when
we seem not to succeed
in overcoming our faults, because our efforts
to be good will keep us
from becoming worse than we are.
Q. 317. What virtues are opposed to the seven
capital sins?
A. Humility is opposed to pride; generosity to
covetousness; chastity to
lust; meekness to anger; temperance to
gluttony; brotherly love to envy,
and diligence to sloth.
LESSON SEVENTH.
ON THE INCARNATION AND
REDEMPTION.
Q. 318. What does "incarnation" mean,
and what does "redemption" mean?
A. "Incarnation" means the act of
clothing with flesh. Thus Our Lord
clothed His divinity with a human body.
"Redemption" means to buy back
again.
Q. 319. {60} Did God abandon man after he fell
into sin?
A. God did not abandon man after he fell into
sin, but promised him a
Redeemer, who was to satisfy for man's sin and
reopen to him the gates
of heaven.
Q. 320. What do we mean by the "gates of
heaven"?
A. By the "gates of heaven" we mean
the divine power by which God keeps
us out of heaven or admits us into it, at His
pleasure.
Q. 321. {61} Who is the Redeemer?
A. Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is
the Redeemer of mankind.
Q. 322. What does the name "Jesus" signify
and how was this name given
to Our Lord?
A. The name "Jesus" signifies Saviour
or Redeemer, and this name was
given to Our Lord by an Angel who appeared to
Joseph and said: "Mary
shall bring forth a Son; and thou shalt call
His name Jesus."
Q. 323. What does the name "Christ"
signify?
A. The name "Christ" means the same
as Messias, and signifies Anointed;
because, as in the Old Law, Prophets, High
Priests and Kings were
anointed with oil; so Jesus, the Great Prophet,
High Priest and King of
the New Law, was anointed as man with the
fullness of divine power.
Q. 324. How did Christ show and prove His
divine power?
A. Christ showed and proved His divine power
chiefly by His miracles,
which are extraordinary works that can be
performed only by power
received from God, and which have, therefore,
His sanction and
authority.
Q. 325. What, then, did the miracles of Jesus
Christ prove?
A. The miracles of Jesus Christ proved that
whatever He said was true,
and that when He declared Himself to be the Son
of God He really was
what He claimed to be.
Q. 326. Could not men have been deceived in the
miracles of Christ?
A. Men could not have been deceived in the
miracles of Christ because
they were performed in the most open manner and
usually in the presence
of great multitudes of people, among whom were
many of Christ's enemies,
ever ready to expose any deceit. And if Christ
performed no real
miracles, how, then, could He have converted
the world and have
persuaded sinful men to give up what they loved
and do the difficult
things that the Christian religion imposes?
Q. 327. Could not false accounts of these
miracles have been written
after the death of Our Lord?
A. False accounts of these miracles could not
have been written after
the death of Our Lord; for then neither His
friends nor His enemies
would have believed them without proof.
Moreover, the enemies of Christ
did not deny the miracles, but tried to explain
them by attributing them
to the power of the devil or other causes.
Again, the Apostles and the
Evangelists who wrote the accounts suffered
death to testify their
belief in the words and works of Our Lord.
Q. 328. Did Jesus Christ die to redeem all men
of every age and race
without exception?
A. Jesus Christ died to redeem all men of every
age and race without
exception; and every person born into the world
should share in His
merits, without which no one can be saved.
Q. 329. How are the merits of Jesus Christ
applied to our souls?
A. The merits of Jesus Christ are applied to
our souls through the
Sacraments, and especially through Baptism and
Penance, which restore us
to the friendship of God.
Q. 330. {62} What do you believe of Jesus
Christ?
A. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God, the second Person of
the Blessed Trinity, true God and true man.
Q. 331. Cannot we also be called the Children
of God, and therefore His
sons and daughters?
A. We can be called the Children of God because
He has adopted us by His
grace or because He is the Father who has
created us; but we are not,
therefore, His real Children; whereas, Jesus
Christ, His only real and
true Son, was neither adopted nor created, but
was begotten of His
Father from all eternity.
Q. 332. {63} Why is Jesus Christ true God?
A. Jesus Christ is true God because He is the
true and only Son of God
the Father.
Q. 333. {64} Why is Jesus Christ true man?
A. Jesus Christ is true man because He is the
Son of the Blessed Virgin
Mary and has a body and soul like ours.
Q. 334. Who was the foster father or guardian
of Our Lord while on
earth?
A. St. Joseph, the husband of the Blessed
Virgin, was the foster-father
or guardian of Our Lord while on earth.
Q. 335. Is Jesus Christ in heaven as God or as
man?
A. Since His Ascension Jesus Christ is in
heaven both as God and as man.
Q. 336. {65} How many natures are there in
Jesus Christ?
A. In Jesus Christ there are two natures, the
nature of God and the
nature of man.
Q. 337. {66} Is Jesus Christ more than one
person?
A. No. Jesus Christ is but one Divine Person.
Q. 338. From what do we learn that Jesus Christ
is but one person?
A. We learn that Jesus Christ is but one person
from Holy Scripture and
from the constant teaching of the Church, which
has condemned all those
who teach the contrary.
Q. 339. {67} Was Jesus Christ always God?
A. Jesus Christ was always God, as He is the
second person of the
Blessed Trinity, equal to His Father from all
eternity.
Q. 340. {68} Was Jesus Christ always man?
A. Jesus Christ was not always man, but became
man at the time of His
Incarnation.
Q. 341. {69} What do you mean by the
Incarnation?
A. By the Incarnation I mean that the Son of
God was made man.
Q. 342. {70} How was the Son of God made man?
A. The Son of God was conceived and made man by
the power of the Holy
Ghost, in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Q. 343. {71} Is the Blessed Virgin Mary truly
the Mother of God?
A. The Blessed Virgin Mary is truly the Mother
of God, because the same
Divine Person who is the Son of God is also the
Son of the Blessed
Virgin Mary.
Q. 344. {72} Did the Son of God become man
immediately after the sin of
our first parents?
A. The Son of God did not become man
immediately after the sin of our
first parents, but was promised to them as a
Redeemer.
Q. 345. How many years passed from the time
Adam sinned till the time
the Redeemer came?
A. About 4,000 years passed from the time Adam
sinned till the time the
Redeemer came.
Q. 346. What was the moral condition of the
world just before the coming
of Our Lord?
A. Just before the coming of Our Lord the moral
condition of the world
was very bad. Idolatry, injustice, cruelty,
immorality and horrid vices
were common almost everywhere.
Q. 347. Why was the coming of the Redeemer so
long delayed?
A. The coming of the Redeemer was so long
delayed that the
world--suffering from every misery--might learn
the great evil of sin
and know that God alone could help fallen man.
Q. 348. When was the Redeemer promised to
mankind?
A. The Redeemer was first promised to mankind
in the Garden of Paradise,
and often afterward through Abraham and his
descendants, the patriarchs,
and through numerous prophets.
Q. 349. Who were the prophets?
A. The prophets were inspired men to whom God
revealed the future, that
they might with absolute certainty make it
known to the people.
Q. 350. What did the prophets foretell
concerning the Redeemer?
A. The prophets, taken together, foretold so
accurately all the
circumstances of the birth, life, death,
resurrection and glory of the
Redeemer that no one who carefully studied
their writings could fail to
recognize Him when He came.
Q. 351. Have all these prophecies concerning
the Redeemer been
fulfilled?
A. All the prophecies concerning the Redeemer
have been fulfilled in
every point by the circumstances of Christ's
birth, life, death,
resurrection and glory; and He is, therefore,
the Redeemer promised to
mankind from the time of Adam.
Q. 352. Where shall we find these prophecies
concerning the Redeemer?
A. We shall find these prophecies concerning
the Redeemer in the
prophetic books of the Bible or Holy Scripture.
Q. 353. If the Redeemer's coming was so clearly
foretold, why did not
all recognize Him when He came?
A. All did not recognize the Redeemer when He
came, because many knew
only part of the prophecies; and taking those
concerning His glory and
omitting those concerning His suffering, they
could not understand His
life.
Q. 354. {73} How could they be saved who lived
before the Son of God
became man?
A. They who lived before the Son of God became
man could be saved by
believing in a Redeemer to come, and by keeping
the Commandments.
Q. 355. {74} On what day was the Son of God
conceived and made man?
A. The Son of God was conceived and made man on
Annunciation Day--the
day on which the Angel Gabriel announced to the
Blessed Virgin Mary that
she was to be the Mother of God.
Q. 356. {75} On what day was Christ born?
A. Christ was born on Christmas Day, in a
stable at Bethlehem, over
nineteen hundred years ago.
Q. 357. Why did the Blessed Virgin and St.
Joseph go to Bethlehem just
before the birth of Our Lord?
A. The Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph went to
Bethlehem in obedience to
the Roman Emperor, who ordered all his subjects
to register their names
in the towns or cities of their ancestors.
Bethlehem was the City of
David, the royal ancestor of Mary and Joseph,
hence they had to register
there. All this was done by the Will of God,
that the prophecies
concerning the birth of His Divine Son might be
fulfilled.
Q. 358. Why was Christ born in a stable?
A. Christ was born in a stable because Joseph
and Mary were poor and
strangers in Bethlehem, and without money they
could find no other
shelter. This was permitted by Our Lord that we
might learn a lesson
from His great humility.
Q. 359. In giving the ancestors or forefathers
of Our Lord, why do the
Gospels give the ancestors of Joseph, who was
only Christ's
foster-father, and not the ancestors of Mary,
who was Christ's real
parent?
A. In giving the ancestors of Our Lord, the Gospels
give the ancestors
of Joseph: (1) Because the ancestors of women
were not usually recorded
by the Jews; and (2) Because Mary and Joseph
were members of the same
tribe, and had, therefore, the same ancestors;
so that, in giving the
ancestors of Joseph, the Gospels give also
those of Mary; and this was
understood by those for whom the Gospels were
intended.
Q. 360. Had Our Lord any brothers or sisters?
A. Our Lord had no brothers or sisters. When
the Gospels speak of His
brethren they mean only His near relations. His
Blessed Mother Mary was
always a Virgin as well before and at His birth
as after it.
Q. 361. Who were among the first to adore the
Infant Jesus?
A. The shepherds of Bethlehem, to whom His
birth was announced by
Angels; and the Magi or three wise men, who
were guided to His crib by a
miraculous star, were among the first to adore
the Infant Jesus. We
recall the adoration of the Magi on the feast
of the Epiphany, which
means appearance or manifestation, namely, of
Our Saviour.
Q. 362. Who sought to kill the Infant Jesus?
A. Herod sought to kill the Infant Jesus
because he thought the
influence of Christ--the new-born King--would
deprive him of his throne.
Q. 363. How was the Holy Infant rescued from
the power of Herod?
A. The Holy Infant was rescued from the power
of Herod by the flight
into Egypt, when St. Joseph--warned by an
Angel--fled hastily into that
country with Jesus and Mary.
Q. 364. How did Herod hope to accomplish his
wicked designs?
A. Herod hoped to accomplish his wicked designs
by murdering all the
infants in and near Bethlehem. The day on which
we commemorate the death
of these first little martyrs, who shed their
blood for Christ's sake,
is called the feast of Holy Innocents.
Q. 365. How may the years of Christ's life be
divided?
A. The years of Christ's life may be divided
into three parts: (1) His
childhood, extending from His birth to His
twelfth year, when He went
with his parents to worship in the Temple of
Jerusalem. (2) His hidden
life, which extends from His twelfth to His
thirtieth year, during which
time He dwelt with His parents at Nazareth. (3)
His public life,
extending from His thirtieth year--or from His
baptism by St. John the
Baptist to His death; during which time He
taught His doctrines and
established His Church.
Q. 366. Why is Christ's life thus divided?
A. Christ's life is thus divided to show that
all classes find in Him
their model. In childhood He gave an example to
the young; in His hidden
life an example to those who consecrate
themselves to the service of God
in a religious state; and in His public life an
example to all
Christians without exception.
Q. 367. {76} How long did Christ live on earth?
A. Christ lived on earth about thirty-three
years, and led a most holy
life in poverty and suffering.
Q. 368. {77} Why did Christ live so long on
earth?
A. Christ lived so long on earth to show us the
way to heaven by His
teachings and example.
LESSON EIGHTH.
ON OUR LORD'S PASSION, DEATH, RESURRECTION,
AND ASCENSION.
Q. 369. What do we mean by Our Lord's Passion?
A. By Our Lord's Passion we mean His dreadful
sufferings from His agony
in the garden till the moment of His death.
Q. 370. {78} What did Jesus Christ suffer?
A. Jesus Christ suffered a bloody sweat, a
cruel scourging, was crowned
with thorns, and was crucified.
Q. 371. When did Our Lord suffer the
"bloody sweat"?
A. Our Lord suffered the "bloody
sweat" while drops of blood came forth
from every pore of His body, during His agony
in the Garden of Olives,
near Jerusalem, where He went to pray on the
night His Passion began.
Q. 372. Who accompanied Our Lord to the Garden
of Olives on the night of
His Agony?
A. The Apostles Peter, James and John, the same
who had witnessed His
transfiguration on the mount, accompanied Our
Lord to the Garden of
Olives, to watch and pray with Him on the night
of His agony.
Q. 373. What do we mean by the transfiguration
of Our Lord?
A. By the transfiguration of Our Lord we mean
the supernatural change in
His appearance when He showed Himself to His
Apostles in great glory and
brilliancy in which "His face did shine as
the sun and His garments
became white as snow."
Q. 374. Who were present at the
transfiguration?
A. There were present at the transfiguration--besides
the Apostles
Peter, James and John, who witnessed it--the
two great and holy men of
the Old Law, Moses and Elias, talking with Our
Lord.
Q. 375. What caused Our Lord's agony in the
garden?
A. It is believed Our Lord's agony in the
garden was caused: (1) By his
clear knowledge of all He was soon to endure;
(2) by the sight of the
many offenses committed against His Father by
the sins of the whole
world; (3) by His knowledge of men's
ingratitude for the blessings of
redemption.
Q. 376. Why was Christ cruelly scourged?
A. Christ was cruelly scourged by Pilate's
orders, that the sight of His
bleeding body might move His enemies to spare
His life.
Q. 377. Why was Christ crowned with thorns?
A. Christ was crowned with thorns in mockery because
He had said He was
a King.
Q. 378. Could Christ, if He pleased, have
escaped the tortures of His
Passion?
A. Christ could, if He pleased, have escaped
the tortures of His
Passion, because He foresaw them and had it in
His power to overcome His
enemies.
Q. 379. Was it necessary for Christ to suffer
so much in order to redeem
us?
A. It was not necessary for Christ to suffer so
much in order to redeem
us, for the least of His sufferings was more
than sufficient to atone
for all the sins of mankind. By suffering so
much He showed His great
love for us.
Q. 380. Who betrayed Our Lord?
A. Judas, one of His Apostles, betrayed Our
Lord, and from His sin we
may learn that even the good may become very
wicked by the abuse of
their free will.
Q. 381. How was Christ condemned to death?
A. Through the influence of those who hated
Him, Christ was condemned to
death, after an unjust trial, at which false
witnesses were induced to
testify against Him.
Q. 382. {79} On what day did Christ die?
A. Christ died on Good Friday.
Q. 383. {80} Why do you call that day
"good" on which Christ died so
sorrowful a death?
A. We call that day good on which Christ died
because by His death He
showed His great love for man, and purchased
for him every blessing.
Q. 384. How long was Our Lord hanging on the
cross before He died?
A. Our Lord was hanging on the Cross about
three hours before He died.
While thus suffering, His enemies stood around
blaspheming and mocking
Him. By His death He proved Himself a real
mortal man, for He could not
die in His divine nature.
Q. 385. What do we call the words Christ spoke
while hanging on the
Cross?
A. We call the words Christ spoke while hanging
on the Cross "the seven
last words of Jesus on the Cross." They teach
us the dispositions we
should have at the hour of death.
Q. 386. Repeat the seven last words or sayings
of Jesus on the Cross.
A. The seven last words or sayings of Jesus on
the Cross are: (1)
"Father, forgive them, for they know not
what they do," in which He
forgives and prays for His enemies. (2)
"Amen, I say to thee, this day
thou shalt be with Me in Paradise," in
which He pardons the penitent
sinner. (3) "Woman, behold thy
Son"--"Behold thy Mother," in which He
gave up what was dearest to Him on earth, and
gave us Mary for our
Mother. (4) "My God, my God, why hast Thou
forsaken Me?" from which we
learn the suffering of His mind. (5) "I
thirst," from which we learn the
suffering of His body. (6) "All is
consummated," by which He showed the
fulfillment of all the prophecies concerning
Him and the completion of
the work of our redemption. (7) "Father,
into Thy hands I commend my
spirit," by which He showed His perfect
resignation to the Will of His
Eternal Father.
Q. 387. What happened at the death of Our Lord?
A. At the death of Our Lord there were darkness
and earthquake; many
holy dead came forth from their graves, and the
veil concealing the Holy
of Holies, in the Temple of Jerusalem, was torn
asunder.
Q. 388. What was the Holy of Holies in the temple?
A. The Holy of Holies was the sacred part of
the Temple, in which the
Ark of the Covenant was kept, and where the
high priest consulted the
Will of God.
Q. 389. What was the "Ark of the
Covenant"?
A. The Ark of the Covenant was a precious box in
which were kept the
tablets of stone bearing the written
Commandments of God, the rod which
Aaron changed into a serpent before King
Pharao, and a portion of the
manna with which the Israelites were
miraculously fed in the desert. The
Ark of the Covenant was a figure of the
Tabernacle in which we keep the
Holy Eucharist.
Q. 390. Why was the veil of the Temple torn
asunder at the death of
Christ?
A. The veil of the Temple was torn asunder at
the death of Christ
because at His death the Jewish religion ceased
to be the true religion,
and God no longer manifested His presence in
the Temple.
Q. 391. Why did the Jewish religion, which up
to the death of Christ had
been the true religion, cease at that time to
be the true religion?
A. The Jewish religion, which, up to the death
of Christ, had been the
true religion, ceased at that time to be the
true religion, because it
was only a promise of the redemption and figure
of the Christian
religion, and when the redemption was
accomplished and the Christian
religion established by the death of Christ,
the promise and the figure
were no longer necessary.
Q. 392. Were all the laws of the Jewish
religion abolished by the
establishment of Christianity?
A. The moral laws of the Jewish religion were
not abolished by the
establishment of Christianity, for Christ came
not to destroy these
laws, but to make them more perfect. Its
ceremonial laws were abolished
when the Temple of Jerusalem ceased to be the
House of God.
Q. 393. What do we mean by moral and ceremonial
laws?
A. By "moral" laws we mean laws
regarding good and evil. By "ceremonial"
laws we mean laws regulating the manner of
worshipping God in Temple or
Church.
Q. 394. {81} Where did Christ die?
A. Christ died on Mount Calvary.
Q. 395. Where was Mount Calvary, and what does
the name signify?
A. Mount Calvary was the place of execution,
not far from Jerusalem; and
the name signifies the "place of
skulls."
Q. 396. {82} How did Christ die?
A. Christ was nailed to the Cross, and died on
it between two thieves.
Q. 397. Why was Our Lord crucified between
thieves?
A. Our Lord was crucified between thieves that
His enemies might thus
add to His disgrace by making Him equal to the
worst criminals.
Q. 398. {83} Why did Christ suffer and die?
A. Christ suffered and died for our sins.
Q. 399. How was Our Lord's body buried?
A. Our Lord's body was wrapped in a clean linen
cloth and laid in a new
sepulchre or tomb cut in a rock, by Joseph of
Arimathea and other pious
persons who believed in Our Divine Lord.
Q. 400. {84} What lessons do we learn from the
sufferings and death of
Christ?
A. From the sufferings and death of Christ we
learn the great evil of
sin, the hatred God bears to it, and the
necessity of satisfying for it.
Q. 401. {85} Whither did Christ's soul go after
His death?
A. After Christ's death His soul descended into
hell.
Q. 402. {86} Did Christ's soul descend into the
hell of the damned?
A. The hell into which Christ's soul descended
was not the hell of the
dammed, but a place or state of rest called
Limbo, where the souls of
the just were waiting for Him.
Q. 403. {87} Why did Christ descend into Limbo?
A. Christ descended into Limbo to preach to the
souls who were in
prison--that is, to announce to them the joyful
tidings of their
redemption.
Q. 404. {88} Where was Christ's body while His
soul was in Limbo?
A. While Christ's soul was in Limbo His body
was in the holy sepulchre.
Q. 405. {89} On what day did Christ rise from
the dead?
A. Christ rose from the dead, glorious and
immortal, on Easter Sunday,
the third day after His death.
Q. 406. Why is the Resurrection the greatest of
Christ's miracles?
A. The Resurrection is the greatest of Christ's
miracles because all He
taught and did is confirmed by it and depends
upon it. He promised to
rise from the dead and without the fulfillment
of that promise we could
not believe in Him.
Q. 407. Has any one ever tried to disprove the
miracle of the
resurrection?
A. Unbelievers in Christ have tried to disprove
the miracle of the
resurrection as they have tried to disprove all
His other miracles; but
the explanations they give to prove Christ's
miracles false are far more
unlikely and harder to believe than the
miracles themselves.
Q. 408. What do we mean when we say Christ rose
"glorious" from the
dead?
A. When we say Christ rose "glorious"
from the dead we mean that His
body was in a glorified state; that is, gifted
with the qualities of a
glorified body.
Q. 409. What are the qualities of a glorified
body?
A. The qualities of a glorified body are: (1)
Brilliancy, by which it
gives forth light; (2) Agility, by which it
moves from place to place as
rapidly as an angel; (3) Subtility, by which
material things cannot shut
it out; (4) Impassibility, by which it is made
incapable of suffering.
Q. 410. Was Christ three full days in the tomb?
A. Christ was not three full days, but only
parts of three days in the
tomb.
Q. 411. {90} How long did Christ stay on earth
after His resurrection?
A. Christ stayed on earth forty days after His
resurrection, to show
that He was truly risen from the dead, and to
instruct His apostles.
Q. 412. Was Christ visible to all and at all
times during the forty days
He remained on earth after His resurrection?
A. Christ was not visible to all nor at all times
during the forty days
He remained on earth after His resurrection. We
know that He appeared to
His apostles and others at least nine times,
though He may have appeared
oftener.
Q. 413. How did Christ show that He was truly
risen from the dead?
A. Christ showed that He was truly risen from
the dead by eating and
conversing with His Apostles and others to whom
He appeared. He showed
the wounds in His hands, feet and side, and it
was after His
resurrection that He gave to His Apostles the
power to forgive sins.
Q. 414. {91} After Christ had remained forty
days on earth, whither did
He go?
A. After forty days Christ ascended into
heaven, and the day on which he
ascended into heaven is called Ascension Day.
Q. 415. Where did the ascension of Our Lord take
place?
A. Christ ascended into heaven from Mount
Olivet, the place made sacred
by His agony on the night before His death.
Q. 416. Who were present at the ascension and
who ascended with Christ?
A. From various parts of Scripture we may
conclude there were about 125
persons--though traditions tell us there was a
greater number--present
at the Ascension. They were the Apostles, the
Disciples, the pious women
and others who had followed Our Blessed Lord.
The souls of the just who
were waiting in Limbo for the redemption
ascended with Christ.
Q. 417. Why is the paschal candle which is
lighted on Easter morning
extinguished at the Mass on Ascension Day?
A. The paschal candle which is lighted on
Easter morning signifies
Christ's visible presence on earth, and it is
extinguished on Ascension
Day to show that He, having fulfilled all the
prophecies concerning
Himself and having accomplished the work of
redemption, has transferred
the visible care of His Church to His Apostles
and returned in His body
to heaven.
Q. 418. {92} Where is Christ in heaven?
A. In heaven Christ sits at the right hand of
God the Father Almighty.
Q. 419. {93} What do you mean by saying that
Christ sits at the right
hand of God?
A. When I say that Christ sits at the right
hand of God I mean that
Christ as God is equal to His Father in all
things, and that as man He
is in the highest place in heaven next to God.
LESSON NINTH.
ON THE HOLY GHOST AND HIS
DESCENT UPON THE APOSTLES.
Q. 420. {94} Who is the Holy Ghost?
A. The Holy Ghost is the third Person of the
Blessed Trinity.
Q. 421. Did the Holy Ghost ever appear?
A. The Holy Ghost appeared at times under the
form of a dove, and again
under the form of tongues of fire; for, being a
pure spirit without a
body, He can take any form.
Q. 422. Is the Holy Ghost called by other
names?
A. The Holy Ghost is called also the Holy
Spirit, the Paraclete, the
Spirit of Truth and other names given in Holy
Scripture.
Q. 423. {95} From whom does the Holy Ghost proceed?
A. The Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and
the Son.
Q. 424. {96} Is the Holy Ghost equal to the
Father and the Son?
A. The Holy Ghost is equal to the Father and
the Son, being the same
Lord and God as they are.
Q. 425. {97} On what day did the Holy Ghost
come down upon the Apostles?
A. The Holy Ghost came down upon the Apostles
ten days after the
Ascension of our Lord; and the day on which He
came down upon the
Apostles is called Whitsunday, or Pentecost.
Q. 426. Why is the day on which the Holy Ghost
came down upon the
Apostles called Whitsunday?
A. The day on which the Holy Ghost came down
upon the Apostles is called
Whitsunday or White Sunday, probably because
the Christians who were
baptized on the eve of Pentecost wore white
garments for some time
afterward, as a mark of the purity bestowed
upon their souls by the
Sacrament of Baptism.
Q. 427. Why is this feast called also
Pentecost?
A. This feast is called also Pentecost because
Pentecost means the
fiftieth; and the Holy Ghost came down upon the
Apostles fifty days
after the resurrection of Our Lord.
Q. 428. {98} How did the Holy Ghost come down
upon the Apostles?
A. The Holy Ghost came down upon the Apostles
in the form of tongues of
fire.
Q. 429. What did the form of tongues of fire denote?
A. The form of tongues of fire denoted the
sacred character and divine
authority of the preaching and teaching of the
Apostles, by whose words
and fervor all men were to be converted to the
love of God.
Q. 430. {99} Who sent the Holy Ghost upon the
Apostles?
A. Our Lord Jesus Christ sent the Holy Ghost
upon the Apostles.
Q. 431. Did the Apostles know that the Holy
Ghost would come down upon
them?
A. The Apostles knew that the Holy Ghost would
come down upon them; for
Christ promised His Apostles that after His
Ascension He would send the
Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Truth, to teach them
all truths and to abide
with them forever.
Q. 432. Has any one ever denied the existence
of the Holy Ghost?
A. Some persons have denied the existence of
the Holy Ghost; others have
denied that He is a real person equal to the
Father and the Son; but all
these assertions are shown to be false by the
words of Holy Scripture
and the infallible teaching of the Church.
Q. 433. What are the sins against the Holy
Ghost which Our Lord said
will not be forgiven either in this world or in
the next?
A. The sins against the Holy Ghost which Our
Lord said will not be
forgiven either in this world or in the next,
are sins committed out of
pure malice, and greatly opposed to the mercy
of God, and are,
therefore, seldom forgiven.
Q. 434. {100} Why did Christ send the Holy
Ghost?
A. Christ sent the Holy Ghost to sanctify His
Church, to enlighten and
strengthen the Apostles, and to enable them to
preach the Gospel.
Q. 435. How was the Church sanctified through
the coming of the Holy
Ghost?
A. The Church was sanctified through the coming
of the Holy Ghost by
receiving those graces which Christ had merited
for His ministers, the
bishops and priests, and for the souls of all
those committed to their
care.
Q. 436. How were the Apostles enlightened
through the coming of the Holy
Ghost?
A. The Apostles were enlightened through the
coming of the Holy Ghost by
receiving the grace to remember and understand
in its true meaning all
that Christ had said and done in their
presence.
Q. 437. How were the Apostles strengthened
through the coming of the
Holy Ghost?
A. The Apostles were strengthened through the
coming of the Holy Ghost
by receiving the grace to brave every danger,
even death itself, in the
performance of their sacred duties.
Q. 438. What does "Apostle," and what
does "Gospel" mean?
A. "Apostle" means a person sent, and
"Gospel" means good tidings or
news. Hence the name "Gospel" is
given to the inspired history of Our
Lord's life and works upon earth.
Q. 439. Name the Apostles.
A. The Apostles were: Peter, Andrew, James,
John, Philip, Bartholomew,
Thomas, Matthew, James, Thaddeus, Simon, and
Judas Iscariot, in whose
place Mathias was chosen.
Q. 440. Was St. Paul an Apostle?
A. St. Paul was an Apostle, but as he was not
called till after the
Ascension of Our Lord he is not numbered among
the twelve. He is called
the Apostle of the Gentiles; that is, of all
those who were not of the
Jewish religion or members of the Church of the
Old Law.
Q. 441. How did St. Paul become an Apostle?
A. While on his way to persecute the Christians
St. Paul was
miraculously converted and called to be an
Apostle by Our Lord Himself,
who spoke to him. St. Paul was called Saul
before his conversion.
Q. 442. Who were the Evangelists?
A. St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke and St. John
are called Evangelists,
because they wrote the four Gospels bearing
their names, and Evangelia
is the Latin name for Gospels. St. Mark and St.
Luke were not Apostles,
but St. Matthew and St. John were both Apostles
and Evangelists.
Q. 443. Why did not the Apostles fully
understand when Christ Himself
taught them?
A. The Apostles did not fully understand when
Christ Himself taught them
because during His stay with them on earth they
were only preparing to
become Apostles; and their minds were yet
filled with many worldly
thoughts and desires that were to be removed at
the coming of the Holy
Ghost.
Q. 444. {101} Will the Holy Ghost abide with the
Church forever?
A. The Holy Ghost will abide with the Church
forever, and guide it in
the way of holiness and truth.
Q. 445. What benefit do we derive from the
knowledge that the Holy Ghost
will abide with the Church forever?
A. From the knowledge that the Holy Ghost will
abide with the Church
forever we are made certain that the Church can
never teach us
falsehood, and can never be destroyed by the
enemies of Our Faith.
Q. 446. What visible power was given to the
Apostles through the coming
of the Holy Ghost?
A. Through the coming of the Holy Ghost the
Apostles received the "gift
of tongues," by which they could be
understood in every language, though
they preached in only one.
Q. 447. Why did such wonderful gifts accompany
Confirmation, or the
coming of the Holy Ghost, in the first ages of
the Church?
A. Such wonderful gifts accompanied
Confirmation in the first ages of
the Church to prove the power, truth and divine
character of
Christianity to those who otherwise might not
believe, and to draw the
attention of all to the establishment of the
Christian Church.
Q. 448. Why are these signs not continued
everywhere at the present
time?
A. These signs are not continued everywhere at
the present time, because
now that the Church is fully established and its
divine character and
power proved in other ways, such signs are no
longer necessary.
Q. 449. Were such powers as the "gift of
tongues" a part of the
Sacrament of Confirmation?
A. Such powers as the "gift of
tongues" were not a part of the Sacrament
of Confirmation, but they were added to it by
the Holy Ghost when
necessary for the good of the Church.
LESSON TENTH.
ON THE EFFECTS OF THE
REDEMPTION.
Q. 450. What is an effect?
A. An effect is that which is caused by
something else, as smoke, for
example, is an effect of fire.
Q. 451. What does redemption mean?
A. Redemption means the buying back of a thing
that was given away or
sold.
Q. 452. What did Adam give away by his sin, and
what did Our Lord buy
back for him and us?
A. By his sin Adam gave away all right to God's
promised gifts of grace
in this world and of glory in the next, and Our
Lord bought back the
right that Adam threw away.
Q. 453. {102} Which are the chief effects of
the Redemption?
A. The chief effects of the Redemption are two:
The satisfaction of
God's justice by Christ's sufferings and death,
and the gaining of grace
for men.
Q. 454. Why do we say "chief
effects"?
A. We say "chief effects" to show
that these are the most important but
not the only effects of the Redemption--for all
the benefits of our holy
religion and of its influence upon the world
are the effects of the
redemption.
Q. 455. Why did God's justice require
satisfaction?
A. God's justice required satisfaction because
it is infinite and
demands reparation for every fault. Man in his
state of sin could not
make the necessary reparation, so Christ became
man and made it for him.
Q. 456. {103} What do you mean by grace?
A. By grace I mean a supernatural gift of God
bestowed on us, through
the merits of Jesus Christ, for our salvation.
Q. 457. What does "supernatural"
mean?
A. Supernatural means above or greater than
nature. All gifts such as
health, learning or the comforts of life, that
affect our happiness
chiefly in this world, are called natural
gifts, and all gifts such as
blessings that affect our happiness chiefly in
the next world are called
supernatural or spiritual gifts.
Q. 458. What do you mean by "merit"?
A. Merit means the quality of deserving well or
ill for our actions. In
the question above it means a right to reward
for good deeds done.
Q. 459. {104} How many kinds of grace are
there?
A. There are two kinds of grace, sanctifying
grace and actual grace.
Q. 460. What is the difference between sanctifying
grace and actual
grace?
A. Sanctifying grace remains with us as long as
we are not guilty of
mortal sin; and hence, it is often called
habitual grace; but actual
grace comes to us only when we need its help in
doing or avoiding an
action, and it remains with us only while we
are doing or avoiding the
action.
Q. 461. {105} What is sanctifying grace?
A. Sanctifying grace is that grace which makes
the soul holy and
pleasing to God.
Q. 462. {106} What do you call those graces or
gifts of God by which we
believe in Him, hope in Him, and love Him?
A. Those graces or gifts of God by which we
believe in Him, and hope in
Him, and love Him, are called the Divine
virtues of Faith, Hope, and
Charity.
Q. 463. What do you mean by virtue and vice?
A. Virtue is the habit of doing good, and vice
is the habit of doing
evil. An act, good or bad, does not form a
habit; and hence, a virtue or
a vice is the result of repeated acts of the
same kind.
Q. 464. Does habit excuse us from the sins
committed through it?
A. Habit does not excuse us from the sins
committed through it, but
rather makes us more guilty by showing how
often we must have committed
the sin to acquire the habit. If, however, we
are seriously trying to
overcome a bad habit, and through forgetfulness
yield to it, the habit
may sometimes excuse us from the sin.
Q. 465. {107} What is Faith?
A. Faith is a Divine virtue by which we firmly
believe the truths which
God has revealed.
Q. 466. {108} What is Hope?
A. Hope is a Divine virtue by which we firmly trust
that God will give
us eternal life and the means to obtain it.
Q. 467. {109} What is Charity?
A. Charity is a Divine virtue by which we love
God above all things for
His own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for
the love of God.
Q. 468. Why are Faith, Hope and Charity called
virtues?
A. Faith, Hope and Charity are called virtues
because they are not mere
acts, but habits by which we always and in all
things believe God, hope
in Him, and love Him.
Q. 469. What kind of virtues are Faith, Hope
and Charity?
A. Faith, Hope and Charity are called infused
theological virtues to
distinguish them from the four moral
virtues--Prudence, Justice,
Fortitude and Temperance.
Q. 470. Why do we say the three theological
virtues are infused and the
four moral virtues acquired?
A. We say the three theological virtues are
infused; that is, poured
into our souls, because they are strictly gifts
of God and do not depend
upon our efforts to obtain them, while the four
moral virtues--Prudence,
Justice, Fortitude and Temperance--though also
gifts of God, may, as
natural virtues, be acquired by our own
efforts.
Q. 471. Why do we believe God, hope in Him, and
love Him?
A. We believe God and hope in Him because He is
infinitely true and
cannot deceive us. We love Him because He is
infinitely good and
beautiful and worthy of all love.
Q. 472. What mortal sins are opposed to Faith?
A. Atheism, which is a denial of all revealed
truths, and heresy, which
is a denial of some revealed truths, and
superstition, which is a misuse
of religion, are opposed to Faith.
Q. 473. Who is our neighbor?
A. Every human being capable of salvation of
every age, country, race or
condition, especially if he needs our help, is
our neighbor in the sense
of the Catechism.
Q. 474. Why should we love our neighbor?
A. We should love our neighbor because he is a
child of God, redeemed by
Jesus Christ, and because he is our brother
created to dwell in heaven
with us.
Q. 475. {110} What is actual grace?
A. Actual grace is that help of God which
enlightens our mind and moves
our will to shun evil and do good.
Q. 476. {111} Is grace necessary to salvation?
A. Grace is necessary to salvation, because
without grace we can do
nothing to merit heaven.
Q. 477. {112} Can we resist the grace of God?
A. We can, and unfortunately often do, resist
the grace of God.
Q. 478. Is it a sin knowingly to resist the
grace of God?
A. It is a sin, knowingly, to resist the grace
of God, because we
thereby insult Him and reject His gifts without
which we cannot be
saved.
Q. 479. Does God give His grace to every one?
A. God gives to everyone He creates sufficient
grace to save his soul;
and if persons do not save their souls, it is
because they have not used
the grace given.
Q. 480. {113} What is the grace of
perseverance?
A. The grace of perseverance is a particular
gift of God which enables
us to continue in the state of grace till
death.
Q. 481. Can we merit the grace of final
perseverance or know when we
possess it?
A. We cannot merit the grace of final
perseverance, or know when we
possess it, because it depends entirely upon
God's mercy and not upon
our actions. To imagine we possess it would
lead us into the sin of
presumption.
Q. 482. Can a person merit any supernatural
reward for good deeds
performed while he is in mortal sin?
A. A person cannot merit any supernatural
reward for good deeds
performed while he is in mortal sin;
nevertheless, God rewards such good
deeds by giving the grace of repentance; and, therefore,
all persons,
even those in mortal sin, should ever strive to
do good.
Q. 483. Does God reward anything but our good
works?
A. God rewards our good intention and desire to
serve Him, even when our
works are not successful. We should make this
good intention often
during the day, and especially in the morning.
LESSON ELEVENTH.
ON THE CHURCH.
Q. 484. How was the true religion preserved
from Adam till the coming of
Christ?
A. The true religion was preserved from Adam
till the coming of Christ
by the patriarchs, prophets and other holy men
whom God appointed and
inspired to teach His Will and Revelations to
the people, and to remind
them of the promised Redeemer.
Q. 485. Who were the prophets, and what was
their chief duty?
A. The prophets were men to whom God gave a
knowledge of future events
connected with religion, that they might
foretell them to His people and
thus give proof that the message came from God.
Their chief duty was to
foretell the time, place and circumstances of
Our Saviour's coming into
the world, that men might know when and where
to look for Him, and might
recognize Him when He came.
Q. 486. How could they be saved who lived
before Christ became man?
A. They who lived before Christ became man
could be saved by belief in
the Redeemer to come and by keeping the
Commandments of God.
Q. 487. Was the true religion universal before
the coming of Christ?
A. The true religion was not universal before
the coming of Christ. It
was confined to one people--the descendants of
Abraham. All other
nations worshipped false gods.
Q. 488. {114} Which are the means instituted by
Our Lord to enable men
at all times to share in the fruits of the
Redemption?
A. The means instituted by Our Lord to enable
men at all times to share
in the fruits of His Redemption are the Church
and the Sacraments.
Q. 489. {115} What is the Church?
A. The Church is the congregation of all those
who profess the faith of
Christ, partake of the same Sacraments, and are
governed by their lawful
pastors under one visible Head.
Q. 490. How may the members of the Church on
earth be divided?
A. The members of the Church on earth may be
divided into those who
teach and those who are taught. Those who
teach, namely, the Pope,
bishops and priests, are called the Teaching
Church, or simply the
Church. Those who are taught are called the
Believing Church, or simply
the faithful.
Q. 491. What is the duty of the Teaching
Church?
A. The duty of the Teaching Church is to
continue the work Our Lord
began upon earth, namely, to teach revealed
truth, to administer the
Sacraments and to labor for the salvation of
souls.
Q. 492. What is the duty of the faithful?
A. The duty of the faithful is to learn the
revealed truths taught; to
receive the Sacraments, and to aid in saving souls
by their prayers,
good works and alms.
Q. 493. What do you mean by "profess the
faith of Christ"?
A. By "profess the faith of Christ"
we mean, believe all the truths and
practice the religion He has taught.
Q. 494. What do we mean by "lawful pastors"?
A. By "lawful pastors" we mean those
in the Church who have been
appointed by lawful authority and who have,
therefore, a right to rule
us. The lawful pastors in the Church are: Every
priest in his own
parish; every bishop in his own diocese, and
the Pope in the whole
Church.
Q. 495. {116} Who is the invisible Head of the
Church?
A. Jesus Christ is the invisible Head of the
Church.
Q. 496. {117} Who is the visible Head of the
Church?
A. Our Holy Father the Pope, the Bishop of
Rome, is the Vicar of Christ
on earth and the visible Head of the Church.
Q. 497. What does "vicar" mean?
A. Vicar is a name used in the Church to
designate a person who acts in
the name and authority of another. Thus a Vicar
Apostolic is one who
acts in the name of the Pope, and a Vicar
General is one who acts in the
name of the bishop.
Q. 498. Could any one be Pope without being
Bishop of Rome?
A. One could not be Pope without being Bishop
of Rome, and whoever is
elected Pope must give up his title to any other
diocese and take the
title of Bishop of Rome.
Q. 499. {118} Why is the Pope, the Bishop of
Rome, the visible Head of
the Church?
A. The Pope, the Bishop of Rome, is the visible
Head of the Church
because he is the successor of St. Peter, whom
Christ made the chief of
the Apostles and the visible Head of the
Church.
Q. 500. Why are Catholics called
"Roman"?
A. Catholics are called Roman to show that they
are in union with the
true Church founded by Christ and governed by
the Apostles under the
direction of St. Peter, by divine appointment
the Chief of the Apostles,
who founded the Church of Rome and was its
first bishop.
Q. 501. By what name is a bishop's diocese
sometimes called?
A. A bishop's diocese is sometimes called his
see. The diocese of Rome,
on account of its authority and dignity, is
called the Holy See, and its
bishop is called the Holy Father or Pope. Pope
means father.
Q. 502. What do we call the right by which St.
Peter or his successor
has always been the head of the Church and of
all its bishops?
A. We call the right by which St. Peter or his
successor has always been
the head of the Church, and of all its bishops,
the Primacy of St. Peter
or of the Pope. Primacy means holding first
place.
Q. 503. How is it shown that St. Peter or his
successor has always been
the head of the Church?
A. It is shown that St. Peter or his successor
has always been the head
of the Church: (1) From the words of Holy
Scripture, which tell how
Christ appointed Peter Chief of the Apostles and
head of the Church. (2)
From the history of the Church, which shows
that Peter and his
successors have always acted and have always
been recognized as the head
of the Church.
Q. 504. How do we know that the rights and
privileges bestowed on St.
Peter were given also to his successors--the
Popes?
A. We know that the rights and privileges
bestowed on St. Peter were
given also to his successors, the Popes,
because the promises made to
St. Peter by Our Lord were to be fulfilled in
the Church till the end of
time, and as Peter was not to live till the end
of time, they are
fulfilled in his successors.
Q. 505. Did St. Peter establish any Church
before he came to Rome?
A. Before he came to Rome, St. Peter
established a Church at Antioch and
ruled over it for several years.
Q. 506. {119} Who are the successors of the
other Apostles?
A. The successors of the other Apostles are the
Bishops of the Holy
Catholic Church.
Q. 507. How do we know that the bishops of the
Church are the successors
of the Apostles?
A. We know that the bishops of the Church are
the successors of the
Apostles because they continue the work of the
Apostles and give proof
of the same authority. They have always
exercised the rights and powers
that belonged to the Apostles in making laws for
the Church, in
consecrating bishops and ordaining priests.
Q. 508. {120} Why did Christ found the Church?
A. Christ founded the Church to teach, govern,
sanctify, and save all
men.
Q. 509. {121} Are all bound to belong to the
Church?
A. All are bound to belong to the Church, and
he who knows the Church to
be the true Church and remains out of it cannot
be saved.
Q. 510. Is it ever possible for one to be saved
who does not know the
Catholic Church to be the true Church?
A. It is possible for one to be saved who does
not know the Catholic
Church to be the true Church, provided that
person: (1) has been validly
baptized; (2) firmly believes the religion he
professes and practices to
be the true religion, and (3) dies without the
guilt of mortal sin on
his soul.
Q. 511. Why do we say it is only possible for a
person to be saved who
does not know the Catholic Church to be the
true Church?
A. We say it is only possible for a person to
be saved who does not know
the Catholic Church to be the true Church, because
the necessary
conditions are not often found, especially that
of dying in a state of
grace without making use of the Sacrament of
Penance.
Q. 512. How are such persons said to belong to
the Church?
A. Such persons are said to belong to the
"soul of the church"; that is,
they are really members of the Church without
knowing it. Those who
share in its Sacraments and worship are said to
belong to the body or
visible part of the Church.
Q. 513. Why must the true Church be visible?
A. The true Church must be visible because its
founder, Jesus Christ,
commanded us under pain of condemnation to hear
the Church; and He could
not in justice command us to hear a Church that
could not be seen and
known.
Q. 514. What excuses do some give for not
becoming members of the true
Church?
A. The excuses some give for not becoming
members of the true church
are: (1) They do not wish to leave the religion
in which they were born;
(2) There are too many poor and ignorant people
in the Catholic Church;
(3) One religion is as good as another if we
try to serve God in it, and
be upright and honest in our lives.
Q. 515. How do you answer such excuses?
A. (1) To say that we should remain in a false
religion because we were
born in it is as untrue as to say we should not
heal our bodily diseases
because we were born with them; (2) To say
there are too many poor and
ignorant in the Catholic Church is to declare
that it is Christ's
Church; for He always taught the poor and
ignorant and instructed His
Church to continue the work; (3) To say that
one religion is as good as
another is to assert that Christ labored
uselessly and taught falsely;
for He came to abolish the old religion and
found the new in which alone
we can be saved as He Himself declared.
Q. 516. Why can there be only one true
religion?
A. There can be only one true religion, because
a thing cannot be false
and true at the same time, and, therefore, all
religions that contradict
the teaching of the true Church must teach falsehood.
If all religions
in which men seek to serve God are equally good
and true, why did Christ
disturb the Jewish religion and the Apostles
condemn heretics?
LESSON TWELFTH.
ON THE ATTRIBUTES AND MARKS OF
THE CHURCH.
Q. 517. What is an attribute?
A. An attribute is any characteristic or
quality that a person or thing
may be said to have. All perfections or
imperfections are attributes.
Q. 518. What is a mark?
A. A mark is a given and known sign by which a
thing can be
distinguished from all others of its kind. Thus
a trademark is used to
distinguish the article bearing it from all
imitations of the same
article.
Q. 519. How do we know that the Church must
have the four marks and
three attributes usually ascribed or given to
it?
A. We know that the Church must have the four
marks and three attributes
usually ascribed or given to it from the words
of Christ given in the
Holy Scripture and in the teaching of the
Church from its beginning.
Q. 520. Can the Church have the four marks
without the three attributes?
A. The Church cannot have the four marks
without the three attributes,
because the three attributes necessarily come
with the marks and without
them the marks could not exist.
Q. 521. Why are both marks and attributes
necessary in the Church?
A. Both marks and attributes are necessary in
the Church, for the marks
teach us its external or visible qualities,
while the attributes teach
us its internal or invisible qualities. It is
easier to discover the
marks than the attributes; for it is easier to
see that the Church is
one than that it is infallible.
Q. 522. {122} Which are the attributes of the
Church?
A. The attributes of the Church are three:
authority, infallibility, and
indefectibility.
Q. 523. What is authority?
A. Authority is the power which one person has
over another so as to be
able to justly exact obedience. Rulers have
authority over their
subjects, parents over their children, and
teachers over their scholars.
Q. 524. From whom must all persons derive
whatever lawful authority they
possess?
A. All persons must derive whatever lawful
authority they possess from
God Himself, from whom they receive it directly
or indirectly.
Therefore, to disobey our lawful superiors is
to disobey God Himself,
and hence such disobedience is always sinful.
Q. 525. {123} What do you mean by the authority
of the Church?
A. By the authority of the Church I mean the
right and power which the
Pope and the Bishops, as the successors of the
Apostles, have to teach
and to govern the faithful.
Q. 526. {124} What do you mean by the
infallibility of the Church?
A. By the infallibility of the Church I mean
that the Church can not err
when it teaches a doctrine of faith or morals.
Q. 527. What do we mean by a "doctrine of
faith or morals"?
A. By a doctrine of faith or morals we mean the
revealed teaching that
refers to whatever we must believe and do in
order to be saved.
Q. 528. How do you know that the Church can not
err?
A. I know that the Church can not err because
Christ promised that the
Holy Ghost would remain with it forever and
save it from error. If,
therefore, the Church has erred, the Holy Ghost
must have abandoned it
and Christ has failed to keep His promise,
which is a thing impossible.
Q. 529. Since the Church can not err, could it
ever be reformed in its
teaching of faith or morals?
A. Since the Church can not err, it could never
be reformed in its
teaching of faith or morals. Those who say the
Church needed reformation
in faith or morals accuse Our Lord of falsehood
and deception.
Q. 530. {125} When does the Church teach
infallibly?
A. The Church teaches infallibly when it speaks
through the Pope and
Bishops united in general council, or through
the Pope alone when he
proclaims to all the faithful a doctrine of
faith or morals.
Q. 531. What is necessary that the Pope may
speak infallibly or
ex-cathedra?
A. That the Pope may speak infallibly, or
ex-cathedra, (1) He must speak
on a subject of faith or morals; (2) He must
speak as the Vicar of
Christ and to the whole Church; (3) He must
indicate by certain words,
such as, we define, we proclaim, &c., that
he intends to speak
infallibly.
Q. 532. Is the Pope infallible in everything he
says and does?
A. The Pope is not infallible in everything he
says and does, because
the Holy Ghost was not promised to make him
infallible in everything,
but only in matters of faith and morals for the
whole Church.
Nevertheless, the Pope's opinion on any subject
deserves our greatest
respect on account of his learning, experience
and dignity.
Q. 533. Can the Pope commit sin?
A. The Pope can commit sin and he must seek
forgiveness in the Sacrament
of Penance as others do. Infallibility does not
prevent him from
sinning, but from teaching falsehood when he
speaks ex-cathedra.
Q. 534. What does ex-cathedra mean?
A. "Cathedra" means a seat, and
"ex" means out of. Therefore,
ex-cathedra means speaking from the seat or
official place held by St.
Peter and his successors as the head of the
whole Church.
Q. 535. Why is the chief Church in a diocese
called a Cathedral?
A. The chief Church in a diocese is called a
Cathedral because the
bishop's cathedra, that is, his seat or throne,
is erected in it, and
because he celebrates all important feasts and
performs all his special
duties in it.
Q. 536. How many Popes have governed the Church
from St. Peter to
Pius XI.?
A. From St. Peter to Pius XI., 261 Popes have
governed the Church; and
many of them have been remarkable for their
zeal, prudence, learning and
sanctity.
Q. 537. What does anti-pope mean, and who were
the anti-popes?
A. Anti-pope means a pretended pope. The
anti-popes were men who by the
aid of faithless Christians or others
unlawfully seized and claimed the
papal power while the lawful pope was in prison
or exile.
Q. 538. Why must the Pope sometimes warn us on
political and other
matters?
A. The Pope must sometimes warn us on political
and other matters,
because whatever nations or men do is either
good or bad, just or
unjust, and wherever the Pope discovers
falsehood, wickedness or
injustice he must speak against it and defend
the truths of faith and
morals. He must protect also the temporal
rights and property of the
Church committed to his care.
Q. 539. What do we mean by the "temporal
power" of the Pope?
A. By the temporal power of the Pope we mean
the right which the Pope
has as a temporal or ordinary ruler to govern
the states and manage the
properties that have rightfully come into the
possession of the Church.
Q. 540. How did the Pope acquire and how was he
deprived of the temporal
power?
A. The Pope acquired the temporal power in a
just manner by the consent
of those who had a right to bestow it. He was
deprived of it in an
unjust manner by political changes.
Q. 541. How was the temporal power useful to
the Church?
A. The temporal power was useful to the Church
(1) because it gave the
Pope the complete independence necessary for
the government of the
Church and for the defense of truth and virtue.
(2) It enabled him to do
much for the spread of the true religion by
giving alms for the
establishment and support of Churches and
schools in poor or pagan
countries.
Q. 542. What name do we give to the offerings
made yearly by the
faithful for the support of the Pope and the
government of the Church?
A. We call the offerings made yearly by the
faithful for the support of
the Pope and government of the Church
"Peter's pence." It derives its
name from the early custom of sending yearly a
penny from every house to
the successor of St. Peter, as a mark of
respect or as an alms for some
charity.
Q. 543. {126} What do you mean by the
indefectibility of the Church?
A. By the indefectibility of the Church I mean
that the Church, as
Christ founded it, will last till the end of
time.
Q. 544. What is the difference between the
infallibility and
indefectibility of the Church?
A. When we say the Church is infallible we mean
that it can never teach
error while it lasts; but when we say the
Church is indefectible, we
mean that it will last forever and be
infallible forever; that it will
always remain as Our Lord founded it and never
change the doctrines He
taught.
Q. 545. Did Our Lord Himself make all the laws
of the Church?
A. Our Lord Himself did not make all the laws of
the Church. He gave the
Church also power to make laws to suit the
needs of the times, places or
persons as it judged necessary.
Q. 546. Can the Church change its laws?
A. The Church can, when necessary, change the
laws it has itself made,
but it cannot change the laws that Christ has
made. Neither can the
Church change any doctrine of faith or morals.
Q. 547. {127} In whom are these attributes
found in their fullness?
A. These attributes are found in their fullness
in the Pope, the visible
Head of the Church, whose infallible authority
to teach bishops,
priests, and people in matters of faith or
morals will last to the end
of the world.
Q. 548. {128} Has the Church any marks by which
it may be known?
A. The Church has four marks by which it may be
known: it is One; it is
Holy; it is Catholic; it is Apostolic.
Q. 549. {129} How is the Church One?
A. The Church is One because all its members
agree in one faith, are all
in one communion, and are all under one head.
Q. 550. How is it evident that the Church is
one in government?
A. It is evident that the Church is one in
government, for the faithful
in a parish are subject to their pastors, the
pastors are subject to the
bishops of their dioceses, and the bishops of
the world are subject to
the Pope.
Q. 551. What is meant by the Hierarchy of the
Church?
A. By the Hierarchy of the Church is meant the
sacred body of clerical
rules who govern the Church.
Q. 552. How is it evident that the Church is
one in worship?
A. It is evident that the Church is one in
worship because all its
members make use of the same sacrifice and
receive the same Sacraments.
Q. 553. How is it evident that the Church is
one in faith?
A. It is evident the Church is one in faith
because all Catholics
throughout the world believe each and every
article of faith proposed by
the Church.
Q. 554. Could a person who denies only one
article of our faith be a
Catholic?
A. A person who denies even one article of our
faith could not be a
Catholic; for truth is one and we must accept
it whole and entire or not
at all.
Q. 555. Are there any pious beliefs and
practices in the Church that are
not articles of faith?
A. There are many pious beliefs and practices
in the Church that are not
articles of faith; that is, we are not bound
under pain of sin to
believe in them; yet we will often find them
useful aids to holiness,
and hence they are recommended by our pastors.
Q. 556. Of what sin are persons guilty who put
firm belief in religious
or other practices that are either forbidden or
useless?
A. Persons who put a firm belief in religious
or other practices that
are forbidden or useless are guilty of the sin
of superstition.
Q. 557. Where does the Church find the revealed
truths it is bound to
teach?
A. The Church finds the revealed truths it is bound
to teach in the Holy
Scripture and revealed traditions.
Q. 558. What is the Holy Scripture or Bible?
A. The Holy Scripture or Bible is the
collection of sacred, inspired
writings through which God has made known to us
many revealed truths.
Some call them letters from Heaven to earth,
that is, from God to man.
Q. 559. What is meant by the Canon of the
Sacred Scriptures?
A. The Canon of Sacred Scriptures means the
list the Church has prepared
to teach us what sacred writings are Holy
Scripture and contain the
inspired word of God.
Q. 560. Where does the Church find the revealed
traditions?
A. The Church finds the revealed traditions in
the decrees of its
councils; in its books of worship; in its
paintings and inscriptions on
tombs and monuments; in the lives of its
Saints; the writings of its
Fathers, and in its own history.
Q. 561. Must we ourselves seek in the
Scriptures and traditions for what
we are to believe?
A. We ourselves need not seek in the Scriptures
and traditions for what
we are to believe. God has appointed the Church
to be our guide to
salvation and we must accept its teaching us
our infallible rule of
faith.
Q. 562. How do we show that the Holy Scriptures
alone could not be our
guide to salvation and infallible rule of
faith?
A. We show that the Holy Scripture alone could
not be our guide to
salvation and infallible rule of faith: (1)
Because all men cannot
examine or understand the Holy Scripture; but
all can listen to the
teaching of the Church; (2) Because the New
Testament or Christian part
of the Scripture was not written at the
beginning of the Church's
existence, and, therefore, could not have been
used as the rule of faith
by the first Christians; (3) Because there are
many things in the Holy
Scripture that cannot be understood without the
explanation given by
tradition, and hence those who take the
Scripture alone for their rule
of faith are constantly disputing about its
meaning and what they are to
believe.
Q. 563. {130} How is the Church Holy?
A. The Church is Holy because its founder,
Jesus Christ, is holy;
because it teaches a holy doctrine; invites all
to a holy life; and
because of the eminent holiness of so many
thousands of its children.
Q. 564. {131} How is the Church Catholic or
universal?
A. The Church is Catholic or universal because
it subsists in all ages,
teaches all nations, and maintains all truth.
Q. 565. How do you show that the Catholic
Church is universal in time,
in place, and in doctrine?
A. (1) The Catholic Church is universal in
time, for from the time of
the Apostles to the present it has existed,
taught and labored in every
age; (2) It is universal in place, for it has
taught throughout the
whole world; (3) It is universal in doctrine,
for it teaches the same
everywhere, and its doctrines are suited to all
classes of persons. It
has converted all the pagan nations that have
ever been converted.
Q. 566. Why does the Church use the Latin
language instead of the
national language of its children?
A. The Church uses the Latin language instead
of the national language
of its children: (1) To avoid the danger of
changing any part of its
teaching in using different languages; (2) That
all its rulers may be
perfectly united and understood in their
communications; (3) To show
that the Church is not an institute of any
particular nation, but the
guide of all nations.
Q. 567. {132} How is the Church Apostolic?
A. The Church is Apostolic because it was
founded by Christ on His
Apostles, and is governed by their lawful successors,
and because it has
never ceased, and never will cease, to teach
their doctrine.
Q. 568. Does the Church, by defining certain
truths, thereby make new
doctrines?
A. The Church, by defining, that is, by
proclaiming certain truths,
articles of faith, does not make new doctrines,
but simply teaches more
clearly and with greater effort truths that
have always been believed
and held by the Church.
Q. 569. What, then, is the use of defining or
declaring a truth an
article of faith if it has always been believed?
A. The use of defining or declaring a truth an
article of faith, even
when it has always been believed, is: (1) To
clearly contradict those
who deny it and show their teaching false; (2)
To remove all doubt about
the exact teaching of the Church, and to put an
end to all discussion
about the truth defined.
Q. 570. {133} In which Church are these
attributes and marks found?
A. These attributes and marks are found in the
Holy Roman Catholic
Church alone.
Q. 571. How do you show that Protestant
Churches have not the marks of
the true Church?
A. Protestant Churches have not the marks of
the true Church, because:
(1) They are not one either in government or
faith; for they have no
chief head, and they profess different beliefs;
(2) They are not holy,
because their doctrines are founded on error
and lead to evil
consequences; (3) They are not catholic or
universal in time, place or
doctrine. They have not existed in all ages nor
in all places, and their
doctrines do not suit all classes; (4) They are
not apostolic, for they
were not established for hundreds of years
after the Apostles, and they
do not teach the doctrines of the Apostles.
Q. 572. {134} From whom does the Church derive
its undying life and
infallible authority?
A. The Church derives its undying life and
infallible authority from the
Holy Ghost, the spirit of truth, who abides
with it forever.
Q. 573. {135} By whom is the Church made and
kept One, Holy, and
Catholic?
A. The Church is made and kept One, Holy, and
Catholic by the Holy
Ghost, the spirit of love and holiness, who
unites and sanctifies its
members throughout the world.
LESSON THIRTEENTH.
ON THE SACRAMENTS IN GENERAL.
Q. 574. {136} What is a Sacrament?
A. A Sacrament is an outward sign instituted by
Christ to give grace.
Q. 575. Are these three things, namely: An
outward or visible sign, the
institution of that sign by Christ, and the
giving of grace through the
use of that sign, always necessary for the
existence of a Sacrament?
A. These three things, namely: An outward or
visible sign, the
institution of that sign by Christ, and the
giving of grace through the
use of that sign, are always necessary for the
existence of a Sacrament,
and if any of the three be wanting there can be
no Sacrament.
Q. 576. Why does the Church use numerous
ceremonies or actions in
applying the outward signs of the Sacraments?
A. The Church uses numerous ceremonies or
actions in applying the
outward signs of the Sacraments to increase our
reverence and devotion
for the Sacraments, and to explain their
meaning and effects.
Q. 577. {137} How many Sacraments are there?
A. There are seven Sacraments: Baptism,
Confirmation, Holy Eucharist,
Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and
Matrimony.
Q. 578. Were all the Sacraments instituted by
Our Lord?
A. All the Sacraments were instituted by Our
Lord, for God alone has
power to attach the gift of grace to the use of
an outward or visible
sign. The Church, however, can institute the ceremonies
to be used in
administering or giving the Sacraments.
Q. 579. How do we know there are seven
Sacraments and no more or less?
A. We know there are seven Sacraments and no
more or less because the
Church always taught that truth. The number of
the Sacraments is a
matter of faith, and the Church cannot be
mistaken in matters of faith.
Q. 580. Why have the Sacraments been
instituted?
A. The Sacraments have been instituted as a
special means through which
we are to receive the grace merited for us by
Christ. As Christ is the
giver of the grace, He has the right to
determine the manner in which it
shall be given, and one who refuses to make use
of the Sacraments will
not receive God's grace.
Q. 581. Do the Sacraments recall in any way the
means by which Our Lord
merited the graces we receive through them?
A. The Sacraments recall in many ways the means
by which Our Lord
merited the graces we receive through them.
Baptism recalls His profound
humility; Confirmation His ceaseless prayer;
Holy Eucharist His care of
the needy; Penance His mortified life; Extreme
Unction His model death;
Holy Orders His establishment of the
priesthood, and Matrimony His close
union with the Church.
Q. 582. Give, for example, the outward sign in
Baptism and Confirmation.
A. The outward sign in Baptism is the pouring
of the water and the
saying of the words of Baptism. The outward
sign in Confirmation is the
anointing with oil, the saying of the words of
Confirmation and the
placing of the bishop's hands over the person he
confirms.
Q. 583. What is the use of the outward signs in
the Sacraments?
A. Without the outward signs in the Sacraments
we could not know when or
with what effect the grace of the Sacraments
enters into our souls.
Q. 584. Does the outward sign merely indicate
that grace has been given,
or does the use of the outward sign with the
proper intention also give
the grace of the Sacrament?
A. The outward sign is not used merely to
indicate that grace has been
given, for the use of the outward sign with the
proper intention also
gives the grace of the Sacrament. Hence the
right application of the
outward sign is always followed by the gift of
internal grace if the
Sacrament be administered with the right
intention and received with the
right dispositions.
Q. 585. What do we mean by the "right
intention" for the administration
of the Sacraments?
A. By the right intention for the
administration of the Sacraments we
mean that whoever administers a Sacrament must
have the intention of
doing what Christ intended when He instituted
the Sacrament and what the
Church intends when it administers the
Sacrament.
Q. 586. Is there any likeness between the thing
used in the outward sign
and the grace given in each Sacrament?
A. There is a great likeness between the thing
used in the outward sign
and the grace given in each Sacrament; thus
water is used for cleansing;
Baptism cleanses the soul; Oil gives strength
and light; Confirmation
strengthens and enlightens the soul; Bread and
wine nourish; the Holy
Eucharist nourishes the soul.
Q. 587. What do we mean by the "matter and
form" of the Sacraments?
A. By the "matter" of the Sacraments
we mean the visible things, such as
water, oil, bread, wine, &c., used for the
Sacraments. By the "form" we
mean the words, such as "I baptize
thee," "I confirm thee," &c., used in
giving or administering the Sacraments.
Q. 588. Do the needs of the soul resemble the
needs of the body?
A. The needs of the soul do resemble the needs
of the body; for the body
must be born, strengthened, nourished, healed
in affliction, helped at
the hour of death, guided by authority, and
given a place in which to
dwell. The soul is brought into spiritual life
by Baptism; it is
strengthened by Confirmation; nourished by the
Holy Eucharist; healed by
Penance; helped at the hour of our death by
Extreme Unction; guided by
God's ministers through the Sacrament of Holy
Orders, and it is given a
body in which to dwell by the Sacrament of
Matrimony.
Q. 589. {138} Whence have the Sacraments the
power of giving grace?
A. The Sacraments have the power of giving
grace from the merits of
Jesus Christ.
Q. 590. Does the effect of the Sacraments
depend on the worthiness or
unworthiness of the one who administers them?
A. The effect of the Sacraments does not depend
on the worthiness or
unworthiness of the one who administers them,
but on the merits of Jesus
Christ, who instituted them, and on the worthy
dispositions of those who
receive them.
Q. 591. {139} What grace do the Sacraments
give?
A. Some of the Sacraments give sanctifying
grace, and others increase it
in our souls.
Q. 592. When is a Sacrament said to give, and
when is it said to
increase, grace in our souls?
A. A Sacrament is said to give grace when there
is no grace whatever in
the soul, or in other words, when the soul is
in mortal sin. A Sacrament
is said to increase grace when there is already
grace in the soul, to
which more is added by the Sacrament received.
Q. 593. {140} Which are the Sacraments that
give sanctifying grace?
A. The Sacraments that give sanctifying grace
are Baptism and Penance;
and they are called Sacraments of the dead.
Q. 594. {141} Why are Baptism and Penance
called Sacraments of the dead?
A. Baptism and Penance are called Sacraments of
the dead because they
take away sin, which is the death of the soul,
and give grace, which is
its life.
Q. 595. May not the Sacrament of Penance be
received by one who is in a
state of grace?
A. The Sacrament of Penance may be and very
often is received by one who
is in a state of grace, and when thus received
it increases--as the
Sacraments of the living do--the grace already
in the soul.
Q. 596. {142} Which are the Sacraments that
increase sanctifying grace
in our soul?
A. The Sacraments that increase sanctifying
grace in our souls are:
Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Extreme Unction,
Holy Orders, and
Matrimony; and they are called Sacraments of
the living.
Q. 597. What do we mean by Sacraments of the
dead and Sacraments of the
living?
A. By the Sacraments of the dead we mean those
Sacraments that may be
lawfully received while the soul is in a state
of mortal sin. By the
Sacraments of the living we mean those
Sacraments that can be lawfully
received only while the soul is in a state of grace--i.e.,
free from
mortal sin. Living and dead do not refer here
to the persons, but to the
condition of the souls; for none of the
Sacraments can be given to a
dead person.
Q. 598. {143} Why are Confirmation, Holy
Eucharist, Extreme Unction,
Holy Orders, and Matrimony called Sacraments of
the living?
A. Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Extreme
Unction, Holy Orders, and
Matrimony are called Sacraments of the living
because those who receive
them worthily are already living the life of
grace.
Q. 599. {144} What sin does he commit who
receives the Sacraments of the
living in mortal sin?
A. He who receives the Sacraments of the living
in mortal sin commits a
sacrilege, which is a great sin, because it is
an abuse of a sacred
thing.
Q. 600. In what other ways besides the unworthy
reception of the
Sacraments may persons commit sacrilege?
A. Besides the unworthy reception of the
Sacraments, persons may commit
sacrilege by the abuse of a sacred person,
place or thing; for example,
by wilfully wounding a person consecrated to
God; by robbing or
destroying a Church; by using the sacred
vessels of the Altar for
unlawful purposes, &c.
Q. 601. {145} Besides sanctifying grace do the
Sacraments give any other
grace?
A. Besides sanctifying grace the Sacraments
give another grace, called
sacramental grace.
Q. 602. {146} What is sacramental grace?
A. Sacramental grace is a special help which
God gives, to attain the
end for which He instituted each Sacrament.
Q. 603. Is the Sacramental grace independent of
the sanctifying grace
given in the Sacraments?
A. The Sacramental grace is not independent of
the sanctifying grace
given in the Sacraments; for it is the
sanctifying grace that gives us a
certain right to special helps--called
Sacramental grace--in each
Sacrament, as often as we have to fulfill the
end of the Sacrament or
are tempted against it.
Q. 604. Give an example of how the Sacramental
grace aids us, for
instance, in Confirmation and Penance.
A. The end of Confirmation is to strengthen us
in our faith. When we are
tempted to deny our religion by word or deed,
the Sacramental Grace of
Confirmation is given to us and helps us to
cling to our faith and
firmly profess it. The end of Penance is to
destroy actual sin. When we
are tempted to sin, the Sacramental Grace of
Penance is given to us and
helps us to overcome the temptation and
persevere in a state of grace.
The sacramental grace in each of the other
Sacraments is given in the
same manner, and aids us in attaining the end for
which each Sacrament
was instituted and for which we receive it.
Q. 605. {147} Do the Sacraments always give
grace?
A. The Sacraments always give grace, if we
receive them with the right
dispositions.
Q. 606. What do we mean by the "right
dispositions" for the reception of
the Sacraments?
A. By the right dispositions for the reception
of the Sacraments we mean
the proper motives and the fulfillment of all
the conditions required by
God and the Church for the worthy reception of
the Sacraments.
Q. 607. Give an example of the "right
dispositions" for Penance and for
the Holy Eucharist.
A. The right dispositions for Penance are: (1)
To confess all our mortal
sins as we know them; (2) To be sorry for them,
and (3) To have the
determination never to commit them or others
again. The right
dispositions for the Holy Eucharist are: (1) To
know what the Holy
Eucharist is; (2) To be in a state of grace,
and (3)--except in special
cases of sickness--to be fasting from midnight.
Q. 608. {148} Can we receive the Sacraments
more than once?
A. We can receive the Sacraments more than
once, except Baptism,
Confirmation, and Holy Orders.
Q. 609. {149} Why can we not receive Baptism,
Confirmation, and Holy
Orders more than once?
A. We cannot receive Baptism, Confirmation, and
Holy Orders more than
once, because they imprint a character in the
soul.
Q. 610. {150} What is the character which these
Sacraments imprint in
the soul?
A. The character which these Sacraments imprint
in the soul is a
spiritual mark which remains forever.
Q. 611. {151} Does this character remain in the
soul even after death?
A. This character remains in the soul even
after death; for the honor
and glory of those who are saved; for the shame
and punishment of those
who are lost.
Q. 612. Can the Sacraments be given
conditionally?
A. The Sacraments can be given conditionally as
often as we doubt
whether they were properly given before, or
whether they can be validly
given now.
Q. 613. What do we mean by giving a Sacrament
conditionally?
A. By giving a Sacrament conditionally we mean
that the person
administering the Sacrament intends to give it
only in case it has not
been given already or in case the person has
the right dispositions for
receiving it, though the dispositions cannot be
discovered.
Q. 614. Give an example of how a Sacrament is
given conditionally.
A. In giving Baptism, for instance,
conditionally--or what we call
conditional Baptism--the priest, instead of
saying absolutely, as he
does in ordinary Baptism: "I baptize
thee," &c., says: "If you are not
already baptized, or if you are capable of
being baptized, I baptize
thee," &c., thus stating the sole
condition on which he intends to
administer the Sacrament.
Q. 615. Which of the Sacraments are most
frequently given conditionally?
A. The Sacraments most frequently given
conditionally are Baptism,
Penance and Extreme Unction; because in some
cases it is difficult to
ascertain whether these Sacraments have been given
before or whether
they have been validly given, or whether the
person about to receive
them has the right dispositions for them.
Q. 616. Name some of the more common
circumstances in which a priest is
obliged to administer the Sacraments
conditionally.
A. Some of the more common circumstances in
which a priest is obliged to
administer the Sacraments conditionally are:
(1) When he receives
converts into the Church and is not certain of
their previous baptism,
he must baptize them conditionally. (2) When he
is called--as in cases
of accident or sudden illness--and doubts
whether the person be alive or
dead, or whether he should be given the
Sacraments, he must give
absolution and administer Extreme Unction
conditionally.
Q. 617. What is the use and effect of giving
the Sacraments
conditionally?
A. The use of giving the Sacraments
conditionally is that there may be
no irreverence to the Sacraments in giving them
to persons incapable or
unworthy of receiving them; and yet that no one
who is capable or worthy
may be deprived of them. The effect is to
supply the Sacrament where it
is needed or can be given, and to withhold it
where it is not needed or
cannot be given.
Q. 618. What is the difference between the
powers of a bishop and of a
priest with regard to the administration of the
Sacraments?
A. The difference between the powers of a
bishop and of a priest with
regard to the administration of the Sacraments
is that a bishop can give
all the Sacraments, while a priest cannot give
Confirmation or Holy
Orders.
Q. 619. Can a person receive all the
Sacraments?
A. A person cannot, as a rule, receive all the
Sacraments; for a woman
cannot receive Holy Orders, and a man who
receives priesthood is
forbidden to receive the Sacrament of Matrimony.
LESSON FOURTEENTH.
ON BAPTISM.
Q. 620. When was baptism instituted?
A. Baptism was instituted, very probably, about
the time Our Lord was
baptized by St. John, and its reception was
commanded when after His
resurrection Our Lord said to His Apostles:
"All power is given to Me in
heaven and in earth. Going, therefore, teach
all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost."
Q. 621. {152} What is Baptism?
A. Baptism is a Sacrament which cleanses us
from original sin, makes us
Christians, children of God, and heirs of
heaven.
Q. 622. What were persons called in the first
ages of the Church who
were being instructed and prepared for baptism?
A. Persons who were being instructed and
prepared for baptism, in the
first ages of the Church, were called
catechumens, and they are
frequently mentioned in Church history.
Q. 623. What persons are called heirs?
A. All persons who inherit or come lawfully
into the possession of
property or goods at the death of another, are
called heirs.
Q. 624. Why, then, are we the heirs of Christ?
A. We are the heirs of Christ because at His
death we came into the
possession of God's friendship, of grace, and
of the right to enter
heaven, provided we comply with the conditions
Our Lord has laid down
for the gaining of this inheritance.
Q. 625. What conditions has Our Lord laid down
for the gaining of this
inheritance?
A. The conditions Our Lord has laid down for
the gaining of this
inheritance are: (1) That we receive, when
possible, the Sacraments He
has instituted; and (2) That we believe and
practice all He has taught.
Q. 626. Did not St. John the Baptist institute
the Sacrament of Baptism?
A. St. John the Baptist did not institute the
Sacrament of Baptism, for
Christ alone could institute a Sacrament. The
baptism given by St. John
had the effect of a Sacramental; that is, it
did not of itself give
grace, but prepared the way for it.
Q. 627. {153} Are actual sins ever remitted by
Baptism?
A. Actual sins and all the punishment due to them
are remitted by
Baptism, if the person baptized be guilty of
any.
Q. 628. That actual sins may be remitted by
baptism, is it necessary to
be sorry for them?
A. That actual sins may be remitted by baptism
it is necessary to be
sorry for them, just as we must be when they
are remitted by the
Sacrament of Penance.
Q. 629. What punishments are due to actual
sins?
A. Two punishments are due to actual sins: one,
called the eternal, is
inflicted in hell; and the other, called the
temporal, is inflicted in
this world or in purgatory. The Sacrament of
Penance remits or frees us
from the eternal punishment and generally only
from part of the
temporal. Prayer, good works and indulgences in
this world and the
sufferings of purgatory in the next remit the
remainder of the temporal
punishment.
Q. 630. Why is there a double punishment
attached to actual sins?
There is a double punishment attached to actual
sins, because in their
commission there is a double guilt: (1) Of
insulting God and of turning
away from Him; (2) Of depriving Him of the
honor we owe Him, and of
turning to His enemies.
Q. 631. {154} Is Baptism necessary to
salvation?
A. Baptism is necessary to salvation, because
without it we cannot enter
into the kingdom of heaven.
Q. 632. Where will persons go who--such as
infants--have not committed
actual sin and who, through no fault of theirs,
die without baptism?
A. Persons, such as infants, who have not
committed actual sin and who,
through no fault of theirs, die without
baptism, cannot enter heaven;
but it is the common belief they will go to
some place similar to Limbo,
where they will be free from suffering, though
deprived of the happiness
of heaven.
Q. 633. {155} Who can administer Baptism?
A. A priest is the ordinary minister of
baptism; but in case of
necessity anyone who has the use of reason may
baptize.
Q. 634. What do we mean by the "ordinary
minister" of a Sacrament?
A. By the "ordinary minister" of a
Sacrament we mean the one who usually
does administer the Sacrament, and who has
always the right to do so.
Q. 635. Can a person who has not himself been
baptized, and who does not
even believe in the Sacrament of baptism, give
it validly to another in
case of necessity?
A. A person who has not himself been baptized,
and who does not even
believe in the Sacrament of baptism, can give
it validly to another in
case of necessity, provided: (1) He has the use
of reason; (2) Knows how
to give baptism, and (3) Intends to do what the
Church intends in the
giving of the Sacrament. Baptism is so
necessary that God affords every
opportunity for its reception.
Q. 636. Why do the consequences of original
sin, such as suffering,
temptation, sickness, and death, remain after
the sin has been forgiven
in baptism?
A. The consequences of original sin, such as
suffering, temptation,
sickness and death, remain after the sin has
been forgiven in baptism:
(1) To remind us of the misery that always
follows sin; and (2) To
afford us an opportunity of increasing our
merit by bearing these
hardships patiently.
Q. 637. Can a person ever receive any of the
other Sacraments without
first receiving baptism?
A. A person can never receive any of the other
Sacraments without first
receiving baptism, because baptism makes us
members of Christ's Church,
and unless we are members of His Church we
cannot receive His
Sacraments.
Q. 638. {156} How is Baptism given?
A. Whoever baptizes should pour water on the
head of the person to be
baptized, and say, while pouring the water:
"I baptize thee in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost."
Q. 639. If water cannot be had, in case of
necessity, may any other
liquid be used for baptism?
A. If water cannot be had, in case of necessity
or in any case, no other
liquid can be used, and the baptism cannot be
given.
Q. 640. If it is impossible, in case of
necessity, to reach the head,
may the water be poured on any other part of
the body?
A. If it is impossible, in case of necessity,
to reach the head, the
water should be poured on whatever part of the
body can be reached; but
then the baptism must be given conditionally;
that is, before
pronouncing the words of baptism, you must say:
"If I can baptize thee
in this way, I baptize thee in the name of the
Father," &c. If the head
can afterward be reached, the water must be
poured on the head and the
baptism repeated conditionally by saying:
"If you are not already
baptized, I baptize thee in the name,"
&c.
Q. 641. Is the baptism valid if we say: "I
baptize thee in the name of
the Holy Trinity," without naming the
Persons of the Trinity?
A. The baptism is not valid if we say: "I
baptize thee in the name of
the Holy Trinity," without naming the
Persons of the Trinity; for we
must use the exact words instituted by Christ.
Q. 642. Is it wrong to defer the baptism of an
infant?
A. It is wrong to defer the baptism of an
infant, because we thereby
expose the child to the danger of dying without
the Sacrament.
Q. 643. Can we baptize a child against the
wishes of its parents?
A. We cannot baptize a child against the wishes
of its parents; and if
the parents are not Catholics, they must not
only consent to the
baptism, but also agree to bring the child up
in the Catholic religion.
But if a child is surely dying, we may baptize
it without either the
consent or permission of its parents.
Q. 644. {157} How many kinds of Baptism are
there?
A. There are three kinds of Baptism: Baptism of
water, of desire, and of
blood.
Q. 645. {158} What is Baptism of water?
A. Baptism of water is that which is given by
pouring water on the head
of the person to be baptized, and saying at the
same time, "I baptize
thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost."
Q. 646. In how many ways was the baptism of
water given in the first
ages of the Church?
A. In the first ages of the Church, baptism of
water was given in three
ways, namely, by immersion or dipping, by
aspersion or sprinkling, and
by infusion or pouring. Although any of these
methods would be valid,
only the method of infusion or pouring is now
allowed in the Church.
Q. 647. What are the chief ceremonies used in
solemn baptism, and what
do they signify?
A. The chief ceremonies used in solemn baptism
are: (1) A profession of
faith and renouncement of the devil to signify
our worthiness; (2) The
placing of salt in the mouth to signify the
wisdom imparted by faith;
(3) The holding of the priest's stole to
signify our reception into the
Church; (4) The anointing to signify the
strength given by the
Sacrament; (5) The giving of the white garment
or cloth to signify our
sinless state after baptism; and (6) The giving
of the lighted candle to
signify the light of faith and fire of love
that should dwell in our
souls.
Q. 648. Should one who, in case of necessity,
has been baptized with
private baptism, be afterwards brought to the
Church to have the
ceremonies of solemn baptism completed?
A. One who, in case of necessity, has been
baptized with private baptism
should afterwards be brought to the Church to
have the ceremonies of
solemn baptism completed, because these
ceremonies are commanded by the
Church and bring down blessings upon us.
Q. 649. Is solemn baptism given with any
special kind of water?
A. Solemn baptism is given with consecrated
water; that is, water mixed
with holy oil and blessed for baptism on Holy
Saturday and on the
Saturday before Pentecost. It is always kept in
the baptismal font in
the baptistry--a place near the door of the
Church set apart for
baptism.
Q. 650. {159} What is Baptism of desire?
A. Baptism of desire is an ardent wish to
receive Baptism, and to do all
that God has ordained for our salvation.
Q. 651. {160} What is Baptism of blood?
A. Baptism of blood is the shedding of one's
blood for the faith of
Christ.
Q. 652. What is the baptism of blood most
commonly called?
A. The baptism of blood is most commonly called
martyrdom, and those who
receive it are called martyrs. It is the death
one patiently suffers
from the enemies of our religion, rather than
give up Catholic faith or
virtue. We must not seek martyrdom, though we
must endure it when it
comes.
Q. 653. {161} Is Baptism of desire or of blood
sufficient to produce the
effects of Baptism of water?
A. Baptism of desire or of blood is sufficient
to produce the effects of
the Baptism of water, if it is impossible to
receive the Baptism of
water.
Q. 654. How do we know that the baptism of
desire or of blood will save
us when it is impossible to receive the baptism
of water?
A. We know that baptism of desire or of blood
will save us when it is
impossible to receive the baptism of water,
from Holy Scripture, which
teaches that love of God and perfect contrition
can secure the remission
of sins; and also that Our Lord promises
salvation to those who lay down
their life for His sake or for His teaching.
Q. 655. {162} What do we promise in Baptism?
A. In Baptism we promise to renounce the devil,
with all his works and
pomps.
Q. 656. What do we mean by the
"pomps" of the devil?
A. By the pomps of the devil we mean all
worldly pride, vanities and
vain shows by which people are enticed into
sin, and all foolish or
sinful display of ourselves or of what we
possess.
Q. 657. {163} Why is the name of a saint given
in Baptism?
A. The name of a saint is given in Baptism in
order that the person
baptized may imitate his virtues and have him
for a protector.
Q. 658. What is the Saint whose name we bear
called?
A. The saint whose name we bear is called our
patron saint--to whom we
should have great devotion.
Q. 659. What names should never be given in
baptism?
A. These and similar names should never be
given in baptism: (1) The
names of noted unbelievers, heretics or enemies
of religion and virtue;
(2) the names of heathen gods, and (3)
nick-names.
Q. 660. {164} Why are godfathers and godmothers
given in Baptism?
A. Godfathers and godmothers are given in
Baptism in order that they may
promise, in the name of the child, what the
child itself would promise
if it had the use of reason.
Q. 661. By what other name are godfathers and
godmothers called?
A. Godfathers and godmothers are usually called
sponsors. Sponsors are
not necessary at private baptism.
Q. 662. Can a person ever be sponsor when absent
from the baptism?
A. A person can be sponsor even when absent
from the baptism, provided
he has been asked and has consented to be
sponsor, and provided also
some one answers the questions and touches the
person to be baptized in
his name. The absent godfather or godmother is
then said to be sponsor
by proxy and becomes the real godparent of the
one baptized.
Q. 663. With whom do godparents, as well as the
one baptizing, contract
a relationship?
A. Godparents, as well as the one baptizing,
contract a spiritual
relationship with the person baptized (not with
his parents), and this
relationship is an impediment to marriage that
must be made known to the
priest in case of their future marriage with
one another. The godfather
and godmother contract no relationship with
each other.
Q. 664. What questions should persons who bring
a child for baptism be
able to answer?
A. Persons who bring a child for baptism should
be able to tell: (1) The
exact place where the child lives; (2) The full
name of its parents,
and, in particular, the maiden name, or name
before her marriage, of its
mother; (3) The exact day of the month on which
it was born; (4) Whether
or not it has received private baptism, and (5)
Whether its parents be
Catholics. Sponsors must know also the chief
truths of our religion.
Q. 665. {165} What is the obligation of a
godfather and a godmother?
A. The obligation of a godfather and a
godmother is to instruct the
child in its religious duties, if the parents
neglect to do so or die.
Q. 666. Can persons who are not Catholics be
sponsors for Catholic
children?
A. Persons who are not Catholics cannot be
sponsors for Catholic
children, because they cannot perform the
duties of sponsors; for if
they do not know and profess the Catholic religion
themselves, how can
they teach it to their godchildren? Moreover,
they must answer the
questions asked at baptism and declare that
they believe in the Holy
Catholic Church and in all it teaches; which
would be a falsehood on
their part.
Q. 667. What should parents chiefly consider in
the selection of
sponsors for their children?
A. In the selection of sponsors for their
children parents should
chiefly consider the good character and virtue
of the sponsors,
selecting model Catholics to whom they would be
willing at the hour of
death to entrust the care and training of their
children.
Q. 668. What dispositions must adults or grown
persons, have that they
may worthily receive baptism?
A. That adults may worthily receive baptism:
(1) They must be willing to
receive it; (2) they must have faith in Christ;
(3) they must have true
sorrow for their sins, and (4) they must
solemnly renounce the devil and
all his works; that is, all sin.
Q. 669. What is the ceremony of churching?
A. The ceremony of churching is a particular
blessing which a mother
receives at the Altar, as soon as she is able
to present herself in the
Church after the birth of her child. In this
ceremony the priest invokes
God's blessing on the mother and child, while
she on her part returns
thanks to God.
LESSON FIFTEENTH.
ON CONFIRMATION.
Q. 670. {166} What is Confirmation?
A. Confirmation is a Sacrament through which we
receive the Holy Ghost
to make us strong and perfect Christians and
soldiers of Jesus Christ.
Q. 671. When was Confirmation instituted?
A. The exact time at which Confirmation was
instituted is not known. But
as this Sacrament was administered by the
Apostles and numbered with the
other Sacraments instituted by Our Lord, it is
certain that He
instituted this Sacrament also and instructed
His Apostles in its use,
at some time before His ascension into heaven.
Q. 672. Why is Confirmation so called?
A. Confirmation is so called from its chief
effect, which is to
strengthen or render us more firm in whatever
belongs to our faith and
religious duties.
Q. 673. Why are we called soldiers of Jesus
Christ?
A. We are called soldiers of Jesus Christ to
indicate how we must resist
the attacks of our spiritual enemies and secure
our victory over them by
following and obeying Our Lord.
Q. 674. May one add a new name to his own at
Confirmation?
A. One may and should add a new name to his own
at Confirmation,
especially when the name of a saint has not
been given in Baptism.
Q. 675. {167} Who administers Confirmation?
A. The bishop is the ordinary minister of
Confirmation.
Q. 676. Why do we say the bishop is the
"ordinary minister" of
Confirmation?
A. We say the bishop is the ordinary minister
of Confirmation because in
some foreign missions, where bishops have not
yet been appointed, the
Holy Father permits one of the priests to
administer Confirmation with
the Holy Oil blessed by the bishop.
Q. 677. {168} How does the bishop give
Confirmation?
A. The bishop extends his hands over those who
are to be confirmed,
prays that they may receive the Holy Ghost, and
anoints the forehead of
each with holy chrism in the form of a cross.
Q. 678. In Confirmation, what does the
extending of the bishop's hands
over us signify?
A. In Confirmation, the extending of the
bishop's hands over us
signifies the descent of the Holy Ghost upon us
and the special
protection of God through the grace of
Confirmation.
Q. 679. {169} What is holy chrism?
A. Holy chrism is a mixture of olive-oil and
balm, consecrated by the
bishop.
Q. 680. What do the oil and balm in Holy Chrism
signify?
A. In Holy Chrism, the oil signifies strength,
and the balm signifies
the freedom from corruption and the sweetness
which virtue must give to
our lives.
Q. 681. How many holy oils are used in the
Church?
A. Three holy oils are used in the Church,
namely, the oil of the sick,
the oil of catechumens, and holy chrism.
Q. 682. What constitutes the difference between
these oils?
A. The form of prayer or blessing alone
constitutes the difference
between these oils; for they are all olive oil,
but in the Holy Chrism,
balm is mixed with the oil.
Q. 683. When and by whom are the holy oils
blessed?
A. The holy oils are blessed at the Mass on
Holy Thursday by the bishop,
who alone has the right to bless them. After
the blessing they are
distributed to the priests of the diocese, who
must then burn what
remains of the old oils and use the newly
blessed oils for the coming
year.
Q. 684. For what are the holy oils used?
A. The holy oils are used as follows: The oil
of the sick is used for
Extreme Unction and for some blessings; the oil
of catechumens is used
for Baptism and Holy Orders. Holy Chrism is
used at Baptism and for the
blessing of some sacred things, such as altars,
chalices, church-bells,
&c., which are usually blessed by a bishop.
{T.N.: The above answer omits that Holy Chrism
is used also at
Confirmation. See Q. 677.}
Q. 685. {170} What does the bishop say in
anointing the person he
confirms?
A. In anointing the person he confirms the
bishop says: "I sign thee
with the sign of the cross, and I confirm thee
with the chrism of
salvation, in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost."
Q. 686. {171} What is meant by anointing the
forehead with chrism in the
form of a cross?
A. By anointing the forehead with chrism in the
form of a cross is meant
that the Christian who is confirmed must openly
profess and practice his
faith, never be ashamed of it; and rather die
than deny it.
Q. 687. When must we openly profess and
practice our religion?
A. We must openly profess and practice our
religion as often as we
cannot do otherwise without violating some law
of God or of His Church.
Q. 688. Why have we good reason never to be
ashamed of the Catholic
faith?
A. We have good reason never to be ashamed of
the Catholic Faith because
it is the Old Faith established by Christ and
taught by His Apostles; it
is the Faith for which countless Holy Martyrs
suffered and died; it is
the Faith that has brought true civilization,
with all its benefits,
into the world, and it is the only Faith that
can truly reform and
preserve public and private morals.
Q. 689. {172} Why does the bishop give the
person he confirms a slight
blow on the cheek?
A. The bishop gives the person he confirms a
slight blow on the cheek,
to put him in mind that he must be ready to
suffer everything, even
death, for the sake of Christ.
Q. 690. Is it right to test ourselves through
our imagination of what we
would be willing to suffer for the sake of
Christ?
A. It is not right to test ourselves through
our imagination of what we
would be willing to suffer for the sake of
Christ, for such tests may
lead us into sin. When a real test comes we are
assured God will give to
us, as He did to the Holy Martyrs, sufficient
grace to endure it.
Q. 691. {173} To receive Confirmation worthily
is it necessary to be in
the state of grace?
A. To receive Confirmation worthily it is
necessary to be in the state
of grace.
Q. 692. {174} What special preparation should
be made to receive
Confirmation?
A. Persons of an age to learn should know the
chief mysteries of faith
and the duties of a Christian, and be
instructed in the nature and
effects of this Sacrament.
Q. 693. Why should we know the chief mysteries
of faith and the duties
of a Christian before receiving Confirmation?
A. We should know the Chief Mysteries of Faith
and the duties of a
Christian before receiving Confirmation because
as one cannot be a good
soldier without knowing the rules of the army
to which he belongs and
understanding the commands of his leader, so
one cannot be a good
Christian without knowing the laws of the
Church and understanding the
commands of Christ.
Q. 694. {175} Is it a sin to neglect
Confirmation?
A. It is a sin to neglect Confirmation,
especially in these evil days
when faith and morals are exposed to so many
and such violent
temptations.
Q. 695. What do we mean by "these evil
days"?
A. By "these evil days" we mean the
present age or century in which we
are living, surrounded on all sides by
unbelief, false doctrines, bad
books, bad example and temptation in every
form.
Q. 696. Is Confirmation necessary for
salvation?
A. Confirmation is not so necessary for
salvation that we could not be
saved without it, for it is not given to
infants even in danger of
death; nevertheless, there is a divine command
obliging all to receive
it, if possible. Persons who have not been
confirmed in youth should
make every effort to be confirmed later in
life.
Q. 697. Are sponsors necessary in Confirmation?
A. Sponsors are necessary in Confirmation, and
they must be of the same
good character as those required at Baptism,
for they take upon
themselves the same duties and
responsibilities. They also contract a
spiritual relationship, which, however, unlike
that in Baptism, is not
an impediment to marriage.
LESSON SIXTEENTH.
ON THE GIFTS AND FRUITS OF THE
HOLY GHOST.
Q. 698. {176} Which are the effects of
Confirmation?
A. The effects of Confirmation are an increase of
sanctifying grace, the
strengthening of our faith, and the gifts of
the Holy Ghost.
Q. 699. {177} Which are the gifts of the Holy
Ghost?
A. The gifts of the Holy Ghost are Wisdom,
Understanding, Counsel,
Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the
Lord.
Q. 700. {178} Why do we receive the gift of
Fear of the Lord?
A. We receive the gift of Fear of the Lord to
fill us with a dread of
sin.
Q. 701. {179} Why do we receive the gift of
Piety?
A. We receive the gift of Piety to make us love
God as a Father, and
obey Him because we love Him.
Q. 702. {180} Why do we receive the gift of
Knowledge?
A. We receive the gift of Knowledge to enable
us to discover the will of
God in all things.
Q. 703. {181} Why do we receive the gift of
Fortitude?
A. We receive the gift of Fortitude to
strengthen us to do the will of
God in all things.
Q. 704. {182} Why do we receive the gift of
Counsel?
A. We receive the gift of Counsel to warn us of
the deceits of the
devil, and of the dangers to salvation.
Q. 705. How is it clear that the devil could
easily deceive us if the
Holy Ghost did not aid us?
A. It is clear that the devil could easily
deceive us if the Holy Ghost
did not aid us, for just as our sins do not
deprive us of our knowledge,
so the devil's sin did not deprive him of the
great intelligence and
power which he possessed as an angel. Moreover,
his experience in the
world extends over all ages and places, while
ours is confined to a few
years and to a limited number of places.
Q. 706. {183} Why do we receive the gift of
Understanding?
A. We receive the gift of Understanding to
enable us to know more
clearly the mysteries of faith.
Q. 707. {184} Why do we receive the gift of
Wisdom?
A. We receive the gift of Wisdom to give us a
relish for the things of
God, and to direct our whole life and all our
actions to His honor and
glory.
Q. 708. {185} Which are the Beatitudes?
A. The Beatitudes are:
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven.
2. Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess
the land.
3. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall
be comforted.
4. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst
after justice, for they shall
be
filled.
5. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall
obtain mercy.
6. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they
shall see God.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall
be called the children of
God.
8. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for
justice' sake, for
theirs
is the kingdom of heaven.
Q. 709. What are the Beatitudes and why are
they so called?
A. The Beatitudes are a portion of Our Lord's
Sermon on the Mount, and
they are so called because each of them holds
out a promised reward to
those who practice the virtues they recommend.
Q. 710. Where did Our Lord usually preach?
A. Our Lord usually preached wherever an
opportunity of doing good by
His Words presented itself. He preached at
times in the synagogues or
meeting-houses but more frequently in the open
air--by the seashore or
on the mountain, and often by the wayside.
Q. 711. What is the meaning and use of the
Beatitudes in general?
A. (1) In general the Beatitudes embrace
whatever pertains to the
perfection of Christian life, and they invite
us to the practice of the
highest Christian virtues; (2) In different
forms they all promise the
same reward, namely, sanctifying grace in this
life and eternal glory in
the next; (3) They offer us encouragement and
consolation for every
trial and affliction.
Q. 712. What does the first Beatitude mean by
the "poor in spirit"?
A. The first Beatitude means by the "poor
in spirit" all persons, rich
or poor, who would not offend God to possess or
retain anything that
this world can give; and who, when necessity or
charity requires it,
give willingly for the glory of God. It
includes also those who humbly
submit to their condition in life when it
cannot be improved by lawful
means.
Q. 713. Who are the mourners who deserve the
consolation promised in the
third Beatitude?
A. The mourners who deserve the consolation
promised in the third
Beatitude are they who, out of love for God,
bewail their own sins and
those of the world; and they who patiently
endure all trials that come
from God or for His sake.
Q. 714. What lessons do the other Beatitudes
convey?
A. The other Beatitudes convey these lessons:
The meek suppress all
feelings of anger and humbly submit to whatever
befalls them by the Will
of God; and they never desire to do evil for
evil. The justice after
which we should seek is every Christian virtue
included under that name,
and we are told that if we earnestly desire and
seek it we shall obtain
it. The persecuted for justice' sake are they
who will not abandon their
faith or virtue for any cause.
Q. 715. Who may be rightly called merciful?
A. The merciful are they who practice the
corporal and spiritual works
of mercy, and who aid by word or deed those who
need their help for soul
or body.
Q. 716. Why are the clean of heart promised so
great a reward?
A. The clean of heart, that is, the truly
virtuous, whose thoughts,
desires, words and works are pure and modest,
are promised so great a
reward because the chaste and sinless have
always been the most intimate
friends of God.
Q. 717. What is the duty of a peacemaker?
A. It is the duty of a peacemaker to avoid and
prevent quarrels,
reconcile enemies, and to put an end to all
evil reports of others or
evil speaking against them. As peacemakers are
called the children of
God, disturbers of peace should be called the
children of the devil.
Q. 718. Why does Our Lord speak in particular
of poverty, meekness,
sorrow, desire for virtue, mercy, purity, peace
and suffering?
A. Our Lord speaks in particular of poverty,
meekness, sorrow, desire
for virtue, mercy, purity, peace and suffering
because these are the
chief features in His own earthly life; poverty
in His birth, life and
death; meekness in His teaching; sorrow at all
times. He eagerly sought
to do good, showed mercy to all, recommended
chastity, brought peace,
and patiently endured suffering.
Q. 719. {186} Which are the twelve fruits of
the Holy Ghost?
A. The twelve fruits of the Holy Ghost are
Charity, Joy, Peace,
Patience, Benignity, Goodness, Long-suffering,
Mildness, Faith, Modesty,
Continency, and Chastity.
Q. 720. Why are charity, joy, peace, &c.,
called fruits of the Holy
Ghost?
A. Charity, joy, peace, &c., are called
fruits of the Holy Ghost because
they grow in our souls out of the seven gifts
of the Holy Ghost.
LESSON SEVENTEENTH.
ON THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE.
Q. 721. {187} What is the Sacrament of Penance?
A. Penance is a Sacrament in which the sins
committed after Baptism are
forgiven.
Q. 722. Has the word Penance any other meaning?
A. The word Penance has other meanings. It
means also those punishments
we inflict upon ourselves as a means of atoning
for our past sins; it
means likewise that disposition of the heart in
which we detest and
bewail our sins because they were offensive to
God.
Q. 723. How does the institution of the
Sacrament of Penance show the
goodness of Our Lord?
A. The institution of the Sacrament of Penance
shows the goodness of Our
Lord, because having once saved us through
Baptism, He might have left
us to perish if we again committed sin.
Q. 724. What are the natural benefits of the
Sacrament of Penance?
A. The natural benefits of the Sacrament of
Penance are: It gives us in
our confessor a true friend, to whom we can go
in all our trials and to
whom we can confide our secrets with the hope
of obtaining advice and
relief.
Q. 725. {188} How does the Sacrament of Penance
remit sin, and restore
to the soul the friendship of God?
A. The Sacrament of Penance remits sin and
restores the friendship of
God to the soul by means of the absolution of
the priest.
Q. 726. What is Absolution?
A. Absolution is the form of prayer or words
the priest pronounces over
us with uplifted hand when he forgives the sins
we have confessed. It is
given while we are saying the Act of Contrition
after receiving our
Penance.
Q. 727. Does the priest ever refuse absolution
to a penitent?
A. The priest must and does refuse absolution
to a penitent when he
thinks the penitent is not rightly disposed for
the Sacrament. He
sometimes postpones the absolution till the
next confession, either for
the good of the penitent or for the sake of
better
preparation--especially when the person has
been a long time from
confession.
Q. 728. What should a person do when the priest
has refused or postponed
absolution?
A. When the priest has refused or postponed
absolution, the penitent
should humbly submit to his decision, follow
his instructions, and
endeavor to remove whatever prevented the
giving of the absolution and
return to the same confessor with the necessary
dispositions and
resolution of amendment.
Q. 729. Can the priest forgive all sins in the
Sacrament of Penance?
A. The priest has the power to forgive all sins
in the Sacrament of
Penance, but he may not have the authority to
forgive all. To forgive
sins validly in the Sacrament of Penance, two
things are required: (1)
The power to forgive sins which every priest
receives at his ordination,
and (2) the right to use that power which must
be given by the bishop,
who authorizes the priest to hear confessions
and pass judgment on the
sins.
Q. 730. What are the sins called which the
priest has no authority to
absolve?
A. The sins which the priest has no authority
to absolve are called
reserved sins. Absolution from these sins can
be obtained only from the
bishop, and sometimes only from the Pope, or by
his special permission.
Persons having a reserved sin to confess cannot
be absolved from any of
their sins till the priest receives faculties
or authority to absolve
the reserved sin also.
Q. 731. Why is the absolution from some sins
reserved to the Pope or
bishop?
A. The absolution from some sins is reserved to
the Pope or bishop to
deter or prevent, by this special restriction,
persons from committing
them, either on account of the greatness of the
sin itself or on account
of its evil consequences.
Q. 732. Can any priest absolve a person in
danger of death from reserved
sins without the permission of the bishop?
A. Any priest can absolve a person in danger of
death from reserved sins
without the permission of the bishop, because
at the hour of death the
Church removes these restrictions in order to
save, if possible, the
soul of the dying.
Q. 733. {189} How do you know that the priest
has the power of absolving
from the sins committed after Baptism?
A. I know that the priest has the power of
absolving from the sins
committed after Baptism, because Jesus Christ
granted that power to the
priests of His Church when He said:
"Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose
sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them;
whose sins you shall
retain, they are retained."
Q. 734. How do we know that Our Lord, while on
earth, had the power to
forgive sins?
A. We know that Our Lord, while on earth, had
the power to forgive sins:
(1) because He was always God, and; (2) because
He frequently did
forgive sins and proved their forgiveness by
miracles. Since He had the
power Himself, He could give it to His
Apostles.
Q. 735. Was the power to forgive sins given to
the apostles alone?
A. The power to forgive sins was not given to
the apostles alone,
because it was not given for the benefit merely
of those who lived at
the time of the apostles, but for all who,
having grievously sinned,
after Baptism, should need forgiveness. Since,
therefore, Baptism will
be given till the end of time, and since the
danger of sinning after it
always remains the power to absolve from such
sins must also remain in
the Church till the end of time.
Q. 736. When was the Sacrament of Penance
instituted?
A. The Sacrament of Penance was instituted
after the resurrection of Our
Lord, when He gave to His apostles the power to
forgive sins, which He
had promised to them before His death.
Q. 737. Are the enemies of our religion right
when they say man cannot
forgive sins?
A. The enemies of our religion are right when
they say man cannot
forgive sins if they mean that he cannot
forgive them by his own power,
but they are certainly wrong if they mean that
he cannot forgive them
even by the power of God, for man can do
anything if God gives him the
power. The priest does not forgive sins by his
own power as man, but by
the authority he receives as the minister of
God.
Q. 738. {190} How do the priests of the Church
exercise the power of
forgiving sins?
A. The priests of the Church exercise the power
of forgiving sins by
hearing the confession of sins, and granting
pardon for them as
ministers of God and in His name.
Q. 739. How does the power to forgive sins
imply the obligation of going
to confession?
A. The power to forgive sins implies the
obligation of going to
confession because as sins are usually
committed secretly, the priest
could never know what sins to forgive and what
not to forgive, unless
the sins committed were made known to him by
the persons guilty of them.
Q. 740. Could God not forgive our sins if we
confessed them to Himself
in secret?
A. Certainly, God could forgive our sins if we
confessed them to Himself
in secret, but He has not promised to do so;
whereas He has promised to
pardon them if we confess them to His priests.
Since He is free to
pardon or not to pardon, He has the right to
establish a Sacrament
through which alone He will pardon.
Q. 741. {191} What must we do to receive the
Sacrament of Penance
worthily?
A. To receive the Sacrament of Penance worthily
we must do five things:
1. We must examine our conscience.
2. We must have sorrow for our sins.
3. We must make a firm resolution never more to
offend God.
4. We must confess our sins to the priest.
5. We must accept the penance which the priest
gives us.
Q. 742. What should we pray for in preparing
for confession?
A. In preparing for confession we should pray
to the Holy Ghost to give
us light to know our sins and to understand
their guilt; for grace to
detest them; for courage to confess them and
for strength to keep our
resolutions.
Q. 743. What faults do many commit in preparing
for confession?
A. In preparing for confession many commit the
faults: (1) of giving too
much time to the examination of conscience and
little or none in
exciting themselves to true sorrow for the sins
discovered; (2) of
trying to recall every trifling circumstance,
instead of thinking of the
means by which they will avoid their sins for
the future.
Q. 744. What, then, is the most important part
of the preparation for
confession?
A. The most important part of the preparation
for confession is sincere
sorrow for the sins committed and the firm
determination to avoid them
for the future.
Q. 745. What is the chief reason that our
confessions do not always
amend our way of living?
A. The chief reason that our confessions do not
always amend our way of
living is our want of real earnest preparation
for them and the fact
that we have not truly convinced ourselves of
the need of amendment. We
often confess our sins more from habit,
necessity or fear than from a
real desire of receiving grace and of being
restored to the friendship
of God.
Q. 746. What faults are to be avoided in making
our confession?
A. In making our confession we are to avoid:
(1) Telling useless
details, the sins of others, or the name of any
person; (2) Confessing
sins we are not sure of having committed;
exaggerating our sins or their
number; multiplying the number of times a day
by the number of days to
get the exact number of habitual sins; (3)
Giving a vague answer, such
as "sometimes," when asked how often;
waiting after each sin to be asked
for the next; (4) Hesitating over sins through
pretented modesty and
thus delaying the priests and others; telling
the exact words in each
when we have committed several sins of the same
kind, cursing, for
example; and, lastly, leaving the confessional
before the priest gives
us a sign to go.
Q. 747. Is it wrong to go to confession out of
your turn against the
will of others waiting with you?
A. It is wrong to go to confession out of our
turn against the will of
others waiting with us, because (1) it causes
disorder, quarreling and
scandalous conduct in the Church; (2) it is
unjust, makes others angry
and lessens their good dispositions for
confession; (3) it annoys and
distracts the priest by the confusion and
disorder it creates. It is
better to wait than go to confession in an
excited and disorderly
manner.
Q. 748. What should a penitent do who knows he
cannot perform the
penance given?
A. A penitent who knows he cannot perform the
penance given should ask
the priest for one that he can perform. When we
forget the penance given
we must ask for it again, for we cannot fulfill
our duty by giving
ourselves a penance. The penance must be
performed at the time and in
the manner the confessor directs.
Q. 749. {192} What is the examination of
conscience?
A. The examination of conscience is an earnest
effort to recall to mind
all the sins we have committed since our last
worthy confession.
Q. 750. When is our confession worthy?
A. Our confession is worthy when we have done
all that is required for a
good confession, and when, through the
absolution, our sins are really
forgiven.
Q. 751. {193} How can we make a good
examination of conscience?
A. We can make a good examination of conscience
by calling to memory the
commandments of God, the precepts of the
Church, the seven capital sins,
and the particular duties of our state in life,
to find out the sins we
have committed.
Q. 752. {194} What should we do before
beginning the examination of
conscience?
A. Before beginning the examination of
conscience we should pray to God
to give us light to know our sins and grace to
detest them.
LESSON EIGHTEENTH.
ON CONTRITION.
Q. 753. {195} What is contrition, or sorrow for
sin?
A. Contrition, or sorrow for sin, is a hatred
of sin and a true grief of
the soul for having offended God, with a firm
purpose of sinning no
more.
Q. 754. Give an example of how we should hate
and avoid sin.
A. We should hate and avoid sin as one hates
and avoids a poison that
almost caused his death. We may not grieve over
the death of our soul as
we do over the death of a friend, and yet our
sorrow may be true;
because the sorrow for sin comes more from our
reason than from our
feelings.
Q. 755. {196} What kind of sorrow should we
have for our sins?
A. The sorrow we should have for our sins
should be interior,
supernatural, universal, and sovereign.
Q. 756. {197} What do you mean by saying that
our sorrow should be
interior?
A. When I say that our sorrow should be
interior, I mean that it should
come from the heart, and not merely from the
lips.
Q. 757. {198} What do you mean by saying that
our sorrow should be
supernatural?
A. When I say that our sorrow should be
supernatural, I mean that it
should be prompted by the grace of God, and
excited by motives which
spring from faith, and not by merely natural
motives.
Q. 758. What do we mean by "motives that
spring from faith" and by
"merely natural motives" with regard
to sorrow for sin?
A. By sorrow for sin from "motives that
spring from faith," we mean
sorrow for reasons that God has made known to
us, such as the loss of
heaven, the fear of hell or purgatory, or the
dread of afflictions that
come from God in punishment for sin. By
"merely natural motives" we mean
sorrow for reasons made known to us by our own
experience or by the
experience of others, such as loss of character,
goods or health. A
motive is whatever moves our will to do or
avoid anything.
Q. 759. {199} What do you mean by saying that
our sorrow should be
universal?
A. When I say that our sorrow should be
universal, I mean that we should
be sorry for all our mortal sins without
exception.
Q. 760. Why cannot some of our mortal sins be
forgiven while the rest
remain on our souls?
A. It is impossible for any of our mortal sins
to be forgiven unless
they are all forgiven, because as light and
darkness cannot be together
in the same place, so sanctifying grace and
mortal sin cannot dwell
together. If there be grace in the soul, there
can be no mortal sin, and
if there be mortal sin, there can be no grace,
for one mortal sin expels
all grace.
Q. 761. {200} What do you mean when you say
that our sorrow should be
sovereign?
A. When I say that our sorrow should be
sovereign, I mean that we should
grieve more for having offended God than for
any other evil that can
befall us.
Q. 762. {201} Why should we be sorry for our
sins?
A. We should be sorry for our sins because sin
is the greatest of evils
and an offense against God our Creator,
Preserver, and Redeemer, and
because it shuts us out of heaven and condemns
us to the eternal pains
of hell.
Q. 763. How do we show that sin is the greatest
of all evils?
A. We show that sin is the greatest of evils
because its effects last
the longest and have the most terrible
consequences. All the misfortunes
of this world can last only for a time, and we
escape them at death,
whereas the evils caused by sin keep with us
for all eternity and are
only increased at death.
Q. 764. {202} How many kinds of contrition are
there?
A. There are two kinds of contrition; perfect
contrition and imperfect
contrition.
Q. 765. {203} What is perfect contrition?
A. Perfect contrition is that which fills us
with sorrow and hatred for
sin, because it offends God, who is infinitely
good in Himself and
worthy of all love.
Q. 766. When will perfect contrition obtain
pardon for mortal sin
without the Sacrament of Penance?
A. Perfect contrition will obtain pardon for
mortal sin without the
Sacrament of Penance when we cannot go to
confession, but with the
perfect contrition we must have the intention
of going to confession as
soon as possible, if we again have the
opportunity.
Q. 767. {204} What is imperfect contrition?
A. Imperfect contrition is that by which we
hate what offends God
because by it we lose heaven and deserve hell;
or because sin is so
hateful in itself.
Q. 768. What other name is given to imperfect
contrition and why is it
called imperfect?
A. Imperfect contrition is called attrition. It
is called imperfect only
because it is less perfect than the highest
grade of contrition by which
we are sorry for sin out of pure love of God's
own goodness and without
any consideration of what befalls ourselves.
Q. 769. {205} Is imperfect contrition
sufficient for a worthy
confession?
A. Imperfect contrition is sufficient for a
worthy confession, but we
should endeavor to have perfect contrition.
Q. 770. {206} What do you mean by a firm
purpose of sinning no more?
A. By a firm purpose of sinning no more I mean
a fixed resolve not only
to avoid all mortal sin, but also its near
occasions.
Q. 771. {207} What do you mean by the near
occasions of sin?
A. By the near occasions of sin I mean all the
persons, places and
things that may easily lead us into sin.
Q. 772. Why are we bound to avoid occasions of
sin?
A. We are bound to avoid occasions of sin
because Our Lord has said: "He
who loves the danger will perish in it";
and as we are bound to avoid
the loss of our souls, so we are bound to avoid
the danger of their
loss. The occasion is the cause of sin, and you
cannot take away the
evil without removing its cause.
Q. 773. Is a person who is determined to avoid
the sin, but who is
unwilling to give up its near occasion when it
is possible to do so,
rightly disposed for confession?
A. A person who is determined to avoid the sin,
but who is unwilling to
give up its near occasion when it is possible
to do so, is not rightly
disposed for confession, and he will not be
absolved if he makes known
to the priest the true state of his conscience.
Q. 774. How many kinds of occasions of sin are
there?
A. There are four kinds of occasions of sin:
(1) Near occasions, through
which we always fall; (2) remote occasions,
through which we sometimes
fall; (3) voluntary occasions or those we can
avoid; and (4) involuntary
occasions or those we cannot avoid. A person
who lives in a near and
voluntary occasion of sin need not expect
forgiveness while he continues
in that state.
Q. 775. What persons, places and things are
usually occasions of sin?
A. (1) The persons who are occasions of sin are
all those in whose
company we sin, whether they be bad of
themselves or bad only while in
our company, in which case we also become
occasions of sin for them; (2)
the places are usually liquor saloons, low
theaters, indecent dances,
entertainments, amusements, exhibitions, and
all immoral resorts of any
kind, whether we sin in them or not; (3) the
things are all bad books,
indecent pictures, songs, jokes and the like,
even when they are
tolerated by public opinion and found in public
places.
LESSON NINETEENTH.
ON CONFESSION.
Q. 776. {208} What is Confession?
A. Confession is the telling of our sins to a
duly authorized priest,
for the purpose of obtaining forgiveness.
Q. 777. Who is a duly authorized priest?
A. A duly authorized priest is one sent to hear
confessions by the
lawful bishop of the diocese in which we are at
the time of our
confession.
Q. 778. Is it ever allowed to write our sins
and read them to the priest
in the confessional or give them to him to
read?
A. It is allowed, when necessary, to write our
sins and read them to the
priest, as persons do who have almost entirely
lost their memory. It is
also allowed to give the paper to the priest,
as persons do who have
lost the use of their speech. In such cases the
paper must, after the
confession, be carefully destroyed either by
the priest or the penitent.
Q. 779. What is to be done when persons must
make their confession and
cannot find a priest who understands their
language?
A. Persons who must make their confession and
who cannot find a priest
who understands their language, must confess as
best they can by some
signs, showing what sins they wish to confess
and how they are sorry for
them.
Q. 780. {209} What sins are we bound to
confess?
A. We are bound to confess all our mortal sins,
but it is well also to
confess our venial sins.
Q. 781. Why is it well to confess also the
venial sins we remember?
A. It is well to confess also the venial sins
we remember (1) because it
shows our hatred of all sin, and (2) because it
is sometimes difficult
to determine just when a sin is venial and when
mortal.
Q. 782. What should one do who has only venial
sins to confess?
A. One who has only venial sins to confess
should tell also some sin
already confessed in his past life for which he
knows he is truly sorry;
because it is not easy to be truly sorry for
slight sins and
imperfections, and yet we must be sorry for the
sins confessed that our
confession may be valid--hence we add some past
sin for which we are
truly sorry to those for which we may not be sufficiently
sorry.
Q. 783. Should a person stay from confession
because he thinks he has no
sin to confess?
A. A person should not stay from confession
because he thinks he has no
sin to confess, for the Sacrament of Penance,
besides forgiving sin,
gives an increase of sanctifying grace, and of
this we have always need,
especially to resist temptation. The Saints,
who were almost without
imperfection, went to confession frequently.
Q. 784. Should a person go to Communion after
confession even when the
confessor does not bid him go?
A. A person should go to Communion after
confession even when the
confessor does not bid him go, because the
confessor so intends unless
he positively forbids his penitent to receive
Communion. However, one
who has not yet received his first Communion
should not go to Communion
after confession, even if the confessor by
mistake should bid him go.
Q. 785. {210} Which are the chief qualities of
a good Confession?
A. The chief qualities of a good Confession are
three: it must be
humble, sincere, and entire.
Q. 786. {211} When is our Confession humble?
A. Our Confession is humble when we accuse
ourselves of our sins, with a
deep sense of shame and sorrow for having
offended God.
Q. 787. {212} When is our Confession sincere?
A. Our Confession is sincere when we tell our
sins honestly and
truthfully, neither exaggerating nor excusing
them.
Q. 788. Why is it wrong to accuse ourselves of
sins we have not
committed?
A. It is wrong to accuse ourselves of sins we
have not committed,
because, by our so doing, the priest cannot
know the true state of our
souls, as he must do before giving us
absolution.
Q. 789. {213} When is our Confession entire?
A. Our Confession is entire when we tell the
number and kinds of our
sins and the circumstances which change their
nature.
Q. 790. What do you mean by the "kinds of
sin?"
A. By the "kinds of sin," we mean the
particular division or class to
which the sins belong; that is, whether they be
sins of blasphemy,
disobedience, anger, impurity, dishonesty,
&c. We can determine the kind
of sin by discovering the commandment or
precept of the Church we have
broken or the virtue against which we have
acted.
Q. 791. What do we mean by "circumstances
which change the nature of
sins?"
A. By "circumstances which change the
nature of sins" we mean anything
that makes it another kind of sin. Thus to
steal is a sin, but to steal
from the Church makes our theft sacrilegious.
Again, impure actions are
sins, but a person must say whether they were
committed alone or with
others, with relatives or strangers, with
persons married or single,
&c., because these circumstances change
them from one kind of impurity
to another.
Q. 792. {214} What should we do if we cannot
remember the number of our
sins?
A. If we cannot remember the number of our
sins, we should tell the
number as nearly as possible, and say how often
we may have sinned in a
day, a week, or a month, and how long the habit
or practice has lasted.
Q. 793. {215} Is our Confession worthy if, without
our fault, we forget
to confess a mortal sin?
A. If without our fault we forget to confess a
mortal sin, our
Confession is worthy, and the sin is forgiven;
but it must be told in
Confession if it again comes to our mind.
Q. 794. May a person who has forgotten to tell
a mortal sin in
confession go to Holy Communion before going
again to confession?
A. A person who has forgotten to tell a mortal
sin in confession may go
to communion before again going to confession,
because the forgotten sin
was forgiven with those confessed, and the
confession was good and
worthy.
Q. 795. {216} Is it a grievous offense wilfully
to conceal a mortal sin
in Confession?
A. It is a grievous offense wilfully to conceal
a mortal sin in
Confession, because we thereby tell a lie to
the Holy Ghost, and make
our Confession worthless.
Q. 796. How is concealing a sin telling a lie
to the Holy Ghost?
A. Concealing a sin is telling a lie to the
Holy Ghost, because he who
conceals the sin declares in confession to God
and the priest that he
committed no sins but what he has confessed,
while the Holy Ghost, the
Spirit of Truth, saw him committing the sin he
now conceals and still
sees it in his soul while he denies it.
Q. 797. Why is it foolish to conceal sins in
confession?
A. It is foolish to conceal sins in confession:
(1) Because we thereby
make our spiritual condition worse; (2) We must
tell the sin sometime if
we ever hope to be saved; (3) It will be made
known on the day of
judgment, before the world, whether we conceal
it now or confess it.
Q. 798. {217} What must he do who has wilfully
concealed a mortal sin
in Confession?
A. He who has wilfully concealed a mortal sin
in Confession must not
only confess it, but must also repeat all the
sins he has committed
since his last worthy Confession.
Q. 799. Must one who has wilfully concealed a
mortal sin in confession
do more than repeat the sins committed since
his last worthy confession?
A. One who has wilfully concealed a mortal sin
in confession must,
besides repeating all the sins he has committed
since his last worthy
confession, tell also how often he has
unworthily received absolution
and Holy Communion during the same time.
Q. 800. {218} Why does the priest give us a penance
after Confession?
A. The priest gives us a penance after
Confession, that we may satisfy
God for the temporal punishment due to our
sins.
Q. 801. Why should we have to satisfy for our
sins if Christ has fully
satisfied for them?
A. Christ has fully satisfied for our sins and
after our baptism we were
free from all guilt and had no satisfaction to
make. But when we
wilfully sinned after baptism, it is but just
that we should be obliged
to make some satisfaction.
Q. 802. Is the slight penance the priest gives
us sufficient to satisfy
for all the sins confessed?
A. The slight penance the priest gives us is
not sufficient to satisfy
for all the sins confessed: (1) Because there
is no real equality
between the slight penance given and the
punishment deserved for sin;
(2) Because we are all obliged to do penance
for sins committed, and
this would not be necessary if the penance
given in confession satisfied
for all. The penance is given and accepted in
confession chiefly to show
our willingness to do penance and make amends
for our sins.
Q. 803. {219} Does not the Sacrament of Penance
remit all punishment due
to sin?
A. The Sacrament of Penance remits the eternal
punishment due to sin,
but it does not always remit the temporal
punishment which God requires
as satisfaction for our sins.
Q. 804. {220} Why does God require a temporal
punishment as a
satisfaction for sin?
A. God requires a temporal punishment as a
satisfaction for sin to teach
us the great evil of sin and to prevent us from
falling again.
Q. 805. {221} Which are the chief means by
which we satisfy God for the
temporal punishment due to sin?
A. The chief means by which we satisfy God for
the temporal punishment
due to sin are: Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving;
all spiritual and corporal
works of mercy, and the patient suffering of
the ills of life.
Q. 806. What fasting has the greatest merit?
A. The fasting imposed by the Church on certain
days of the year, and
particularly during Lent, has the greatest
merit.
Q. 807. What is Lent?
A. Lent is the forty days before Easter Sunday,
during which we do
penance, fast and pray to prepare ourselves for
the resurrection of Our
Lord; and also to remind us of His own fast of
forty days before His
Passion.
Q. 808. What do we mean by
"almsgiving"?
A. By almsgiving we mean money, goods, or
assistance given to the poor
or to charitable purposes. The law of God
requires all persons to give
alms in proportion to their means.
Q. 809. What "ills of life" help to
satisfy God for sin?
A. The ills of life that help to satisfy God
for sin are sickness,
poverty, misfortune, trial, affliction,
&c., especially, when we have
not brought them upon ourselves by sin.
Q. 810. How did the Christians in the first
ages of the Church do
Penance?
A. The Christians in the first ages of the
Church did public penance,
especially for the sins of which they were
publicly known to be guilty.
Penitents were excluded for a certain time from
Mass or the Sacrament,
and some were obliged to stand at the door of the
Church begging the
prayers of those who entered.
Q. 811. What were these severe Penances of the
First Ages of the Church
called?
A. These severe penances of the first ages of
the Church were called
canonical penances, because their kind and
duration were regulated by
the Canons or laws of the Church.
Q. 812. How can we know spiritual from corporal
works of mercy?
A. We can know spiritual from corporal works of
mercy, for whatever we
do for the soul is a spiritual work, and
whatever we do for the body is
a corporal work.
Q. 813. {222} Which are the chief spiritual
works of mercy?
A. The chief spiritual works of mercy are
seven: To admonish the sinner,
to instruct the ignorant, to counsel the
doubtful, to comfort the
sorrowful, to bear wrongs patiently, to forgive
all injuries, and to
pray for the living and the dead.
Q. 814. When are we bound to admonish the
sinner?
A. We are bound to admonish the sinner when the
following conditions are
fulfilled: (1) When his fault is a mortal sin;
(2) When we have
authority or influence over him, and (3) When
there is reason to believe
that our warning will not make him worse
instead of better.
Q. 815. Who are meant by the
"ignorant" we are to instruct, and the
"doubtful" we are to counsel?
A. By the ignorant we are to instruct and the
doubtful we are to
counsel, are meant those particularly who are
ignorant of the truths of
religion and those who are in doubt about
matters of faith. We must aid
such persons as far as we can to know and
believe the truths necessary
for salvation.
Q. 816. Why are we advised to bear wrong
patiently and to forgive all
injuries?
A. We are advised to bear wrongs patiently and
to forgive all injuries,
because, being Christians, we should imitate
the example of Our Divine
Lord, who endured wrongs patiently and who not
only pardoned but prayed
for those who injured Him.
Q. 817. If, then, it be a Christian virtue to
forgive all injuries, why
do Christians establish courts and prisons to
punish wrongdoers?
A. Christians establish courts and prisons to
punish wrongdoers, because
the preservation of lawful authority, good
order in society, the
protection of others, and sometimes even the
good of the guilty one
himself, require that crimes be justly
punished. As God Himself punishes
crime and as lawful authority comes from Him,
such authority has the
right to punish, though individuals should
forgive the injuries done to
themselves personally.
Q. 818. Why is it a work of mercy to pray for
the living and the dead?
A. It is a work of mercy to aid those who are
unable to aid themselves.
The living are exposed to temptations, and
while in mortal sin they are
deprived of the merit of their good works and
need our prayers. The dead
can in no way help themselves and depend on us
for assistance.
Q. 819. {223} Which are the chief corporal
works of mercy?
A. The chief corporal works of mercy are seven:
To feed the hungry, to
give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked,
to ransom the captive,
to harbor the harborless, to visit the sick,
and to bury the dead.
Q. 820. How may we briefly state the corporal
works of mercy?
A. We may briefly state the corporal works of
mercy by saying that we
are obliged to help the poor in all their forms
of want.
Q. 821. How are Christians aided in the
performance of works of mercy?
A. Christians are aided in the performance of
works of mercy through the
establishment of charitable institutions where
religious communities of
holy men or women perform these duties for us,
provided we supply the
necessary means by our almsgiving and good
works.
Q. 822. Who are religious?
A. Religious are self-sacrificing men and women
who, wishing to follow
more closely the teachings of Our Lord,
dedicate their lives to the
service of God and religion. They live together
in societies approved by
the Church, under a rule and guidance of a
superior. They keep the vows
of chastity, poverty and obedience, and divide
their time between prayer
and good works. The houses in which they dwell
are called convents or
monasteries, and the societies in which they
live are called religious
orders, communities or congregations.
Q. 823. Are there any religious communities of
priests?
A. There are many religious communities of
priests, who, besides living
according to the general laws of the Church, as
all priests do, follow
certain rules laid down for their community.
Such priests are called the
regular clergy, because living by rules to
distinguish them from the
secular clergy who live in their parishes under
no special rule. The
chief work of the regular clergy is to teach in
colleges and give
missions and retreats.
Q. 824. Why are there so many different
religious communities?
A. There are many different religious
communities (1) because all
religious are not fitted for the same work, and
(2) because they desire
to imitate Our Lord's life on earth as
perfectly as possible; and when
each community takes one of Christ's works and
seeks to become perfect
in it, the union of all their works continues
as perfectly as we can the
works He began upon earth.
LESSON TWENTIETH.
ON THE MANNER OF MAKING A GOOD
CONFESSION.
Q. 825. {224} What should we do on entering the
confessional?
A. On entering the confessional we should
kneel, make the sign of the
Cross, and say to the priest, "Bless me,
father"; then add, "I confess
to Almighty God and to you, father, that I have
sinned."
Q. 826. {225} Which are the first things we
should tell the priest in
Confession?
A. The first things we should tell the priest
in Confession are the time
of our last Confession, and whether we said the
penance and went to Holy
Communion.
Q. 827. Should we tell anything else in
connection with our last
confession?
A. In connection with our last confession we
should tell also what
restrictions--if any--were placed upon us with
regard to our occasions
of sin, and what obligations with regard to the
payment of debts,
restitution, injuries done to others and the
like, we were commanded to
fulfill.
Q. 828. {226} After telling the time of our
last Confession and
Communion what should we do?
A. After telling the time of our last
Confession and Communion we should
confess all the mortal sins we have since
committed, and all the venial
sins we may wish to mention.
Q. 829. What is a general confession?
A. A general confession is the telling of the
sins of our whole life or
a great part of it. It is made in the same
manner as an ordinary
confession, except that it requires more time
and longer preparation.
Q. 830. When should a General Confession be
made?
A. A general confession (1) is necessary when
we are certain that our
past confessions were bad; (2) it is useful on
special occasions in our
lives when some change in our way of living is
about to take place; (3)
it is hurtful and must not be made when persons
are scrupulous.
Q. 831. What are the signs of scruples and the
remedy against them?
A. The signs of scruples are chiefly: (1) To be
always dissatisfied with
our confessions; (2) To be self-willed in
deciding what is sinful and
what is not. The chief remedy against them is
to follow exactly the
advice of the confessor without questioning the
reason or utility of his
advice.
Q. 832. {227} What must we do when the
confessor asks us questions?
A. When the confessor asks us questions we must
answer them truthfully
and clearly.
Q. 833. {228} What should we do after telling
our sins?
A. After telling our sins we should listen with
attention to the advice
which the confessor may think proper to give.
Q. 834. What duties does the priest perform in
the confessional?
A. In the confessional the priest performs the
duties (1) of a judge, by
listening to our self-accusations and passing
sentence upon our guilt or
innocence; (2) Of a father, by the good advice
and encouragement he
gives us;
(3) Of a teacher, by his instructions, and (4)
Of a physician, by
discovering the afflictions of our soul and
giving us the remedies to
restore it to spiritual health.
Q. 835. Why is it beneficial to go always if
possible to the same
confessor?
A. It is beneficial to go always, if possible,
to the same confessor,
because our continued confessions enable him to
see more clearly the
true state of our soul and to understand better
our occasions of sin.
Q. 836. Should we remain away from confession
because we cannot go to
our usual confessor?
A. We should not remain away from confession
because we cannot go to our
usual confessor, for though it is well to
confess to the same priest, it
is not necessary to do so. One should never
become so attached to a
confessor that his absence or the great
inconvenience of going to him
would become an excuse for neglecting the
Sacraments.
Q. 837. {229} How should we end our Confession?
A. We should end our Confession by saying,
"I also accuse myself of all
the sins of my past life," telling, if we
choose, one or several of our
past sins.
Q. 838. {230} What should we do while the
priest is giving us
absolution?
A. While the priest is giving us absolution we
should from our heart
renew the Act of Contrition.
LESSON TWENTY-FIRST.
ON INDULGENCES.
Q. 839. {231} What is an Indulgence?
A. An Indulgence is the remission in whole or
in part of the temporal
punishment due to sin.
Q. 840. What does the word
"indulgence" mean?
A. The word indulgence means a favor or
concession. An indulgence
obtains by a very slight penance the remission
of penalties that would
otherwise be severe.
Q. 841. {232} Is an Indulgence a pardon of sin,
or a license to commit
sin?
A. An Indulgence is not a pardon of sin, nor a
license to commit sin,
and one who is in a state of mortal sin cannot
gain an Indulgence.
Q. 842. How do good works done in mortal sin
profit us?
A. Good works done in mortal sin profit us by
obtaining for us the grace
to repent and sometimes temporal blessings.
Mortal sin deprives us of
all our merit, nevertheless God will bestow
gifts for every good deed as
He will punish every evil deed.
Q. 843. {233} How many kinds of Indulgences are
there?
A. There are two kinds of Indulgences--Plenary
and Partial.
Q. 844. {234} What is Plenary Indulgence?
A. A Plenary Indulgence is the full remission
of the temporal punishment
due to sin.
Q. 845. Is it easy to gain a Plenary
Indulgence?
A. It is not easy to gain a Plenary Indulgence,
as we may understand
from its great privilege. To gain a Plenary
Indulgence, we must hate
sin, be heartily sorry for even our venial
sins, and have no desire for
even the slightest sin. Though we may not gain
entirely each Plenary
Indulgence we seek, we always gain a part of
each; that is, a partial
indulgence, greater or less in proportion to
our good dispositions.
Q. 846. Which are the most important Plenary
Indulgences granted by the
Church?
A. The most important Plenary Indulgences
granted by the Church are (1)
The Indulgences of a jubilee which the Pope grants
every twenty-five
years or on great occasions by which he gives
special faculties to
confessors for the absolution of reserved sins;
(2) The Indulgence
granted to the dying in their last agony.
Q. 847. {235} What is a Partial Indulgence?
A. A Partial Indulgence is the remission of
part of the temporal
punishment due to sin.
Q. 848. How long has the practice of granting
Indulgences been in use in
the Church, and what was its origin?
A. The practice of granting Indulgences has
been in use in the Church
since the time of the apostles. It had its
origin in the earnest prayers
of holy persons, and especially of the martyrs
begging the Church for
their sake to shorten the severe penances of
sinners, or to change them
into lighter penances. The request was
frequently granted and the
penance remitted, shortened or changed, and
with the penance remitted
the temporal punishment corresponding to it was
blotted out.
Q. 849. How do we show that the Church has the
power to grant
Indulgences?
A. We show that the Church has the power to
grant Indulgences, because
Christ has given it power to remit all guilt
without restriction, and if
the Church has power, in the Sacrament of
penance, to remit the eternal
punishment--which is the greatest--it must have
power to remit the
temporal or lesser punishment, even outside the
Sacrament of Penance.
Q. 850. How do we know that these Indulgences
have their effect?
A. We know that these Indulgences have their
effect, because the Church,
through her councils, declares Indulgences
useful, and if they have no
effect they would be useless, and the Church
would teach error in spite
of Christ's promise to guide it.
Q. 851. Have there ever existed abuses among
the faithful in the manner
of using Indulgences?
A. There have existed, in past ages, some
abuses among the faithful in
the manner of using Indulgences, and the Church
has always labored to
correct such abuses as soon as possible. In the
use of pious practices
we must be always guided by our lawful
superiors.
Q. 852. How have the enemies of the Church made
use of the abuse of
Indulgences?
A. The enemies of the Church have made use of
the abuse of Indulgences
to deny the doctrine of Indulgences, and to
break down the teaching and
limit the power of the Church. Not to be
deceived in matters of faith,
we must always distinguish very carefully
between the abuses to which a
devotion may lead and the truths upon which the
devotion rests.
Q. 853. {236} How does the Church by means of
Indulgences remit the
temporal punishment due to sin?
A. The Church, by means of Indulgences, remits
the temporal punishment
due to sin by applying to us the merits of
Jesus Christ, and the
superabundant satisfactions of the Blessed
Virgin Mary and of the
saints; which merits and satisfactions are its
spiritual treasury.
Q. 854. What do we mean by the
"superabundant satisfaction of the
Blessed Virgin and the Saints"?
A. By the superabundant satisfaction of the
Blessed Virgin and the
saints, we mean all the satisfaction over and
above what was necessary
to satisfy for their own sins. As their good
works were many and their
sins few--the Blessed Virgin being sinless--the
satisfaction not needed
for themselves is kept by the Church in a spiritual
treasury to be used
for our benefit.
Q. 855. Does the Church, by granting
Indulgences, free us from doing
Penance?
A. The Church, by granting Indulgences, does
not free us from doing
penance, but simply makes our penance lighter
that we may more easily
satisfy for our sins and escape the punishments
they deserve.
Q. 856. Who has the power to grant Indulgences?
A. The Pope alone has the power to grant
Indulgences for the whole
Church; but the bishops have power to grant
partial Indulgences in their
own diocese. Cardinals and some others, by the
special permission of the
Pope, have the right to grant certain
Indulgences.
Q. 857. Where shall we find the Indulgences
granted by the Church?
A. We shall find the Indulgences granted by the
Church in the
declarations of the Pope and of the Sacred
Congregation of Cardinals.
These declarations are usually put into prayer
books and books of
devotion or instruction.
Q. 858. {237} What must we do to gain an
Indulgence?
A. To gain an Indulgence we must be in the
state of grace and perform
the works enjoined.
Q. 859. Besides being in a state of grace and
performing the works
enjoined, what else is necessary for the
gaining of an Indulgence?
A. Besides being in a state of grace and
performing the works enjoined,
it is necessary for the gaining of an
Indulgence to have at least the
general intention of gaining it.
Q. 860. How and why should we make a general
intention to gain all
possible Indulgences each day?
A. We should make a general intention at our
morning prayers to gain all
possible Indulgences each day, because several
of the prayers we say and
good works we perform may have Indulgences
attached to them, though we
are not aware of it.
Q. 861. What works are generally enjoined for
the gaining of
Indulgences?
A. The works generally enjoined for the gaining
of Indulgences are: The
saying of certain prayers, fasting, and the use
of certain articles of
devotion; visits to Churches or altars, and the
giving of alms. For the
gaining of Plenary Indulgences it is generally
required to go to
confession and Holy Communion and pray for the
intention of the Pope.
Q. 862. What does praying for a person's
intention mean?
A. Praying for a person's intention means
praying for whatever he prays
for or desires to obtain through prayer--some
spiritual or temporal
favors.
Q. 863. What does an Indulgence of forty days
mean?
A. An Indulgence of forty days means that for
the prayer or work to
which an Indulgence of forty days is attached, God
remits as much of our
temporal punishment as He remitted for forty
days' canonical penance. We
do not know just how much temporal punishment
God remitted for forty
days' public penance, but whatever it was, He
remits the same now when
we gain an Indulgence of forty days. The same
rule applies to
Indulgences of a year or any length of time.
Q. 864. Why did the Church moderate its severe
penances?
A. The Church moderated its severe penances,
because when
Christians--terrified by persecution--grew
weaker in their faith, there
was danger of some abandoning their religion
rather than submit to the
penances imposed. The Church, therefore,
wishing to save as many as
possible, made the sinner's penance as light as
possible.
Q. 865. To what things may Indulgences be
attached?
A. Plenary or Partial Indulgences may be
attached to prayers and solid
articles of devotion; to places such as
churches, altars, shrines, &c.,
to be visited; and by a special privilege they
are sometimes attached to
the good works of certain persons.
Q. 866. When do things lose the Indulgences
attached to them?
A. Things lose the Indulgences attached to
them: (1) When they are so
changed at once as to be no longer what they
were; (2) When they are
sold. Rosaries and other indulgenced articles
do not lose their
indulgences, when they are loaned or given
away, for the indulgence is
not personal but attached to the article
itself.
Q. 867. Will a weekly Confession suffice to
gain during the week all
Indulgences to which Confession is enjoined as
one of the works?
A. Weekly confession will suffice to gain
during the week all
Indulgences to which confession is enjoined as
one of the works,
provided we continue in a state of grace,
perform the other works
enjoined and have the intention of gaining
these Indulgences.
Q. 868. How and when may we apply Indulgences
for the benefit of the
souls in Purgatory?
A. We may apply Indulgences for the benefit of
the souls in Purgatory by
way of intercession; whenever this application
is mentioned and
permitted by the Church in granting the
Indulgence; that is, when the
Church declares that the Indulgence granted is
applicable to the souls
of the living or the souls in Purgatory; so
that we may gain it for the
benefit of either.
LESSON TWENTY-SECOND.
ON THE HOLY EUCHARIST.
Q. 869. What does the word Eucharist strictly
mean?
A. The word Eucharist strictly means pleasing,
and this Sacrament is so
called because it renders us most pleasing to
God by the grace it
imparts, and it gives us the best means of
thanking Him for all His
blessings.
Q. 870. {238} What is the Holy Eucharist?
A. The Holy Eucharist is the Sacrament which
contains the body and
blood, soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus
Christ under the appearances
of bread and wine.
Q. 871. What do we mean when we say the
Sacrament which contains the
Body and Blood?
A. When we say the Sacrament which contains the
Body and Blood, we mean
the Sacrament which is the Body and Blood, for
after the Consecration
there is no other substance present in the
Eucharist.
Q. 872. When is the Holy Eucharist a Sacrament,
and when is it a
sacrifice?
A. The Holy Eucharist is a Sacrament when we
receive it in Holy
Communion and when it remains in the Tabernacle
of the Altar. It is a
sacrifice when it is offered up at Mass by the
separate Consecration of
the bread and wine, which signifies the
separation of Our Lord's blood
from His body when He died on the Cross.
Q. 873. {239} When did Christ institute the
Holy Eucharist?
A. Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist at the
Last Supper, the night
before He died.
Q. 874. {240} Who were present when our Lord
instituted the Holy
Eucharist?
A. When Our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist,
the twelve Apostles were
present.
Q. 875. {241} How did our Lord institute the
Holy Eucharist?
A. Our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist by
taking bread, blessing,
breaking, and giving to His Apostles, saying:
"Take ye and eat. This is
my body"; and then, by taking the cup of
wine, blessing and giving it,
saying to them: "Drink ye all of this.
This is my blood which shall be
shed for the remission of sins. Do this for a
commemoration of me."
Q. 876. {242} What happened when our Lord said,
"This is my body; this
is my blood"?
A. When Our Lord said, "This is my
body," the substance of the bread was
changed into the substance of His body; when He
said, "This is my
blood," the substance of the wine was
changed into the substance of His
blood.
Q. 877. How do we prove the Real Presence, that
is, that Our Lord is
really and truly present in the Holy Eucharist?
A. We prove the Real Presence--that is, that
Our Lord is really and
truly present in the Holy Eucharist--(1) By
showing that it is possible
to change one substance into another; (2) By
showing that Christ did
change the substance of bread and wine into the
substance of His body
and blood; (3) By showing that He gave this
power also to His Apostles
and to the priests of His Church.
Q. 878. How do we know that it is possible to
change one substance into
another?
A. We know that it is possible to change one
substance into another,
because (1) God changed water into blood during
the plagues of Egypt;
(2) Christ changed water into wine at the
marriage of Cana; (3) Our own
food is daily changed into the substance of our
flesh and blood; and
what God does gradually, He can also do
instantly by an act of His will.
Q. 879. Are these changes exactly the same as
the changes that take
place in the Holy Eucharist?
A. These changes are not exactly the same as
the changes that take place
in the Holy Eucharist, for in these changes the
appearance also is
changed, but in the Holy Eucharist only the
substance is changed while
the appearance remains the same.
Q. 880. How do we show that Christ did change bread
and wine into the
substance of His body and blood?
A. We show that Christ did change bread and
wine into the substance of
His body and blood: (1) From the words by which
He promised the Holy
Eucharist; (2) From the words by which He
instituted the Holy Eucharist;
(3) From the constant use of the Holy Eucharist
in the Church since the
time of the Apostles; (4) From the
impossibility of denying the Real
Presence in the Holy Eucharist, without
likewise denying all that Christ
has taught and done; for we have stronger
proofs for the Holy Eucharist
than for any other Christian truth.
Q. 881. {243} Is Jesus Christ whole and entire
both under the form of
bread and under the form of wine?
A. Jesus Christ is whole and entire both under
the form of bread and
under the form of wine.
Q. 882. How do we know that under the
appearance of bread we receive
also Christ's blood; and under the appearance
of wine we receive also
Christ's body?
A. We know that under the appearance of bread
we receive also Christ's
blood, and under the appearance of wine we
receive also Christ's body;
because in the Holy Eucharist we receive the
living body of Our Lord,
and a living body cannot exist without blood,
nor can living blood exist
without a body.
Q. 883. Is Jesus Christ present whole and
entire in the smallest portion
of the Holy Eucharist, under the form of either
bread or wine?
A. Jesus Christ is present whole and entire in
the smallest portion of
the Holy Eucharist under the form of either
bread or wine; for His body
in the Eucharist is in a glorified state, and
as it partakes of the
character of a spiritual substance, it requires
no definite size or
shape.
Q. 884. {244} Did anything remain of the bread
and wine after their
substance had been changed into the substance
of the body and blood of
our Lord?
A. After the substance of the bread and wine
had been changed into the
substance of the body and blood of Our Lord,
there remained only the
appearances of bread and wine.
Q. 885. {245} What do you mean by the
appearances of bread and wine?
A. By the appearances of bread and wine I mean
the figure, the color,
the taste, and whatever appears to the senses.
Q. 886. {246} What is this change of the bread
and wine into the body
and blood of our Lord called?
A. This change of the bread and wine into the
body and blood of Our Lord
is called Transubstantiation.
Q. 887. What is the second great miracle in the
Holy Eucharist?
A. The second great miracle in the Holy
Eucharist is the multiplication
of the presence of Our Lord's body in so many
places at the same time,
while the body itself is not multiplied--for
there is but one body of
Christ.
Q. 888. Are there not, then, as many bodies of
Christ as there are
tabernacles in the world, or as there are Masses
being said at the same
time?
A. There are not as many bodies of Christ as
there are tabernacles in
the world, or as there are Masses being said at
the same time; but only
one body of Christ, which is everywhere present
whole and entire in the
Holy Eucharist, as God is everywhere present,
while He is but one God.
Q. 889. {247} How was the substance of the
bread and wine changed into
the substance of the body and blood of Christ?
A. The substance of the bread and wine was
changed into the substance of
the body and blood of Christ by His almighty
power.
Q. 890. {248} Does this change of bread and
wine into the body and blood
of Christ continue to be made in the Church?
A. This change of bread and wine into the body
and blood of Christ
continues to be made in the Church by Jesus
Christ through the ministry
of His priests.
Q. 891. {249} When did Christ give His priests
the power to change bread
and wine into His body and blood?
A. Christ gave His priests the power to change
bread and wine into His
body and blood when He said to the Apostles,
"Do this in commemoration
of Me."
Q. 892. What do the words "Do this in
commemoration of Me" mean?
A. The words "Do this in commemoration of
Me" mean: Do what I, Christ,
am doing at My last supper, namely, changing the
substance of bread and
wine into the substance of My body and blood;
and do it in remembrance
of Me.
Q. 893. {250} How do the priests exercise this
power of changing bread
and wine into the body and blood of Christ?
A. The priests exercise this power of changing
bread and wine into the
body and blood of Christ through the words of
consecration in the Mass,
which are words of Christ: "This is my
body; this is my blood."
Q. 894. At what part of the Mass does the
Consecration take place?
A. The Consecration in the Mass takes place
immediately before the
elevation of the Host and Chalice, which are
raised above the head of
the priest that the people may adore Our Lord
who has just come to the
altar at the words of Consecration.
LESSON TWENTY-THIRD.
ON THE ENDS FOR WHICH THE HOLY
EUCHARIST WAS INSTITUTED.
Q. 895. {251} Why did Christ institute the Holy
Eucharist?
A. Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist--
1. To unite us to Himself and to nourish our
soul with His divine life.
2. To increase sanctifying grace and all
virtues in our soul.
3. To lessen our evil inclinations.
4. To be a pledge of everlasting life.
5. To fit our bodies for a glorious
resurrection.
6. To continue the sacrifice of the Cross in
His Church.
Q. 896. Has the Holy Eucharist any other
effect?
A. The Holy Eucharist remits venial sins by
disposing us to perform acts
of love and contrition. It preserves us from
mortal sin by exciting us
to greater fervor and strengthening us against
temptation.
Q. 897. {252} How are we united to Jesus Christ
in the Holy Eucharist?
A. We are united to Jesus Christ in the Holy
Eucharist by means of Holy
Communion.
Q. 898. {253} What is Holy Communion?
A. Holy Communion is the receiving of the body
and blood of Christ.
Q. 899. Is it not beneath the dignity of Our
Lord to enter our bodies
under the appearance of ordinary food?
A. It is not beneath the dignity of Our Lord to
enter our bodies under
the appearance of ordinary food any more than
it was beneath His dignity
to enter the body of His Blessed Mother and
remain there as an ordinary
child for nine months. Christ's dignity, being
infinite, can never be
diminished by any act on His own or on our
part.
Q. 900. Why does not the Church give Holy
Communion to the people as it
does to the priest under the appearance of wine
also?
A. The Church does not give Holy Communion to
the people as it does to
the priest under the appearance of wine also,
to avoid the danger of
spilling the Precious Blood; to prevent the
irreverence some might show
if compelled to drink out of a chalice used by
all, and lastly, to
refute those who denied that Our Lord's blood
is present under the
appearance of bread also.
Q. 901. {254} What is necessary to make a good
Communion?
A. To make a good Communion it is necessary to
be in the state of
sanctifying grace and to fast according to the
laws of the Church.
Q. 902. What should a person do who, through
forgetfulness or any other
cause, has broken the fast necessary for Holy
Communion?
A. A person who through forgetfulness or any
other cause has broken the
fast necessary for Holy Communion, should again
fast and receive Holy
Communion the following morning if possible,
without returning to
confession. It is not a sin to break one's
fast, but it would be a
mortal sin to receive Holy Communion after
knowingly breaking the fast
necessary for it.
Q. 903. {255} Does he who receives Communion in
mortal sin receive the
body and blood of Christ?
A. He who receives Communion in mortal sin receives
the body and blood
of Christ, but does not receive His grace, and
he commits a great
sacrilege.
Q. 904. {256} Is it enough to be free from
mortal sin to receive
plentifully the graces of Holy Communion?
A. To receive plentifully the graces of Holy
Communion it is not enough
to be free from mortal sin, but we should be
free from all affection to
venial sin, and should make acts of lively
faith, of firm hope, and
ardent love.
Q. 905. {257} What is the fast necessary for
Holy Communion?
A. The fast necessary for Holy Communion is the
abstaining from food,
alcoholic drinks and non-alcoholic drinks for
one hour before Holy
Communion. Water does not break the fast.
{T.N.: The reprint book, upon which this e-text
is based, contains the
statement, "Complete and unabridged,
except for the rules governing
reception of Holy Communion."}
Q. 906. Does medicine taken by necessity or
food taken by accident break
the fast for Holy Communion?
A. Medicine does not break the fast; food taken
by accident within one
hour before Communion breaks the fast.
Q. 907. {258} Is any one ever allowed to
receive Holy Communion when not
fasting?
A. To protect the Blessed Sacrament from insult
or injury, or when in
danger of death, Holy Communion may be received
without fasting.
Q. 908. Is the Holy Communion called by any
other name when given to one
in danger of death?
A. When the Holy Communion is given to one in
danger of death, it is
called Viaticum, and is given with its own form
of prayer. In giving
Holy Communion the priest says: "May the
body of Our Lord Jesus Christ
guard your soul to eternal life." In
giving Holy Viaticum he says:
"Receive, brother (or sister), the
Viaticum of the body of Our Lord
Jesus Christ, which will guard you from the
wicked enemy and lead you
into eternal life."
Q. 909. {259} When are we bound to receive Holy
Communion?
A. We are bound to receive Holy Communion,
under pain of mortal sin,
during the Easter time and when in danger of
death.
Q. 910. {260} Is it well to receive Holy Communion
often?
A. It is well to receive Holy Communion often,
as nothing is a greater
aid to a holy life than often to receive the
Author of all grace and the
Source of all good.
Q. 911. How shall we know how often we should
receive Holy Communion?
A. We shall know how often we shall receive
Holy Communion only from the
advice of our confessor, by whom we must be
guided, and whom we must
strictly obey in this as well as in all matters
concerning the state of
our soul.
Q. 912. What is a spiritual Communion?
A. A spiritual communion is an earnest desire
to receive Communion in
reality, by which desire we make all
preparations and thanksgivings that
we would make in case we really received the
Holy Eucharist. Spiritual
Communion is an act of devotion that must be
pleasing to God and bring
us blessings from Him.
Q. 913. {261} What should we do after Holy
Communion?
A. After Holy Communion we should spend some
time in adoring Our Lord,
in thanking Him for the grace we have received,
and in asking Him for
the blessings we need.
Q. 914. What length of time should we spend in
thanksgiving after Holy
Communion?
A. We should spend sufficient time in
Thanksgiving after Holy Communion
to show due reverence to the Blessed Sacrament;
for Our Lord is
personally with us as long as the appearance of
bread and wine remains.
Q. 915. What should we be particular about when
receiving Holy
Communion?
A. When receiving Holy Communion we should be
particular: (1) About the
respectful manner in which we approach and return
from the altar; (2)
About our personal appearance, especially
neatness and cleanliness; (3)
About raising our head, opening our mouth and
putting forth the tongue
in the proper manner; (4) About swallowing the
Sacred Host; (5) About
removing it carefully with the tongue, in case
it should stick to the
mouth, but never with the finger under any
circumstances.
LESSON TWENTY-FOURTH.
ON THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.
Q. 916. {262} When and where are the bread and
wine changed into the
body and blood of Christ?
A. The bread and wine are changed into the body
and blood of Christ at
the Consecration in the Mass.
Q. 917. {263} What is the Mass?
A. The Mass is the unbloody sacrifice of the
body and blood of Christ.
Q. 918. Why is this Sacrifice called the Mass?
A. This Sacrifice is called the
"Mass" very probably from the words "Ite
Missa est," used by the priest as he tells
the people to depart when the
Holy Sacrifice is ended.
Q. 919. {264} What is a sacrifice?
A. A sacrifice is the offering of an object by a
priest to God alone,
and the consuming of it to acknowledge that He
is the Creator and Lord
of all things.
Q. 920. {265} Is the Mass the same sacrifice as
that of the Cross?
A. The Mass is the same sacrifice as that of
the Cross.
Q. 921. {266} How is the Mass the same
sacrifice as that of the Cross?
A. The Mass is the same sacrifice as that of
the Cross because the
offering and the priest are the same--Christ
our Blessed Lord; and the
ends for which the sacrifice of the Mass is offered
are the same as
those of the sacrifice of the Cross.
Q. 922. {267} What were the ends for which the
sacrifice of the Cross
was offered?
A. The ends for which the sacrifice of the
Cross was offered were: 1st,
To honor and glorify God; 2nd, To thank Him for
all the graces bestowed
on the whole world; 3rd, To satisfy God's
justice for the sins of men;
4th, To obtain all graces and blessings.
Q. 923. How are the fruits of the Mass
distributed?
A. The fruits of the Mass are distributed thus:
The first benefit is
bestowed on the priest who says the Mass; the
second on the person for
whom the Mass is said, or for the intention for
which it is said; the
third on those who are present at the Mass, and
particularly on those
who serve it, and the fourth on all the
faithful who are in communion
with the Church.
Q. 924. Are all Masses of equal value in
themselves or do they differ in
worth?
A. All Masses are equal in value in themselves
and do not differ in
worth, but only in the solemnity with which they
are celebrated or in
the end for which they are offered.
Q. 925. How are Masses distinguished?
A. Masses are distinguished thus: (1) When the
Mass is sung by a bishop,
assisted by a deacon and sub-deacon, it is
called a Pontifical Mass; (2)
When it is sung by a priest, assisted by a
deacon and sub-deacon, it is
called a Solemn Mass; (3) When sung by a priest
without deacon and
sub-deacon, it is called a Missa Cantata or
High Mass; (4) When the Mass
is only read in a low tone it is called a low
or private Mass.
Q. 926. For what end or intention may Mass be
offered?
A. Mass may be offered for any end or intention
that tends to the honor
and glory of God, to the good of the Church or
the welfare of man; but
never for any object that is bad in itself, or in
its aims; neither can
it be offered publicly for persons who are not
members of the true
Church.
Q. 927. Explain what is meant by Requiem,
Nuptial and Votive Masses.
A. A Requiem Mass is one said in black
vestments and with special
prayers for the dead. A Nuptial Mass is one
said at the marriage of two
Catholics, and it has special prayers for their
benefit. A Votive Mass
is one said in honor of some particular mystery
or saint, on a day not
set apart by the Church for the honor of that
mystery or saint.
Q. 928. From what may we learn that we are to
offer up the Holy
Sacrifice with the priest?
A. We may learn that we are to offer up the
Holy Sacrifice with the
priest from the words used in the Mass itself;
for the priest, after
offering up the bread and wine for the
Sacrifice, turns to the people
and says: "Orate Fratres," &c.,
which means: "Pray, brethren, that my
sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God
the Father Almighty," and
the server answers in our name: "May the
Lord receive the sacrifice from
thy hands to the praise and glory of His own
name, and to our benefit
and that of all His Holy Church."
Q. 929. From what did the custom of making an
offering to the priest for
saying Mass arise?
A. The custom of making an offering to the
priest for saying Mass arose
from the old custom of bringing to the priest
the bread and wine
necessary for the celebration of Mass.
Q. 930. Is it not simony, or the buying of a
sacred thing, to offer the
priest money for saying Mass for your intention?
A. It is not simony, or the buying of a sacred
thing, to offer the
priest money for saying Mass for our intention,
because the priest does
not take the money for the Mass itself, but for
the purpose of supplying
the things necessary for Mass and for his own
support.
Q. 931. {268} Is there any difference between
the sacrifice of the Cross
and the sacrifice of the Mass?
A. Yes; the manner in which the sacrifice is
offered is different. On
the Cross Christ really shed His blood and was
really slain; in the Mass
there is no real shedding of blood nor real
death, because Christ can
die no more; but the sacrifice of the Mass,
through the separate
consecration of the bread and the wine,
represents His death on the
Cross.
Q. 932. What are the chief parts of the Mass?
A. The chief parts of the Mass are: (1) The
Offertory, at which the
priests offers to God the bread and wine to be
changed at the
Consecration; (2) The Consecration, at which
the substance of the bread
and wine are changed into the substance of
Christ's body and blood; (3)
The Communion, at which the priest receives
into his own body the Holy
Eucharist under the appearance of both bread
and wine.
Q. 933. At what part of the Mass does the
Offertory take place, and what
parts of the Mass are said before it?
A. The Offertory takes place immediately after
the uncovering of the
chalice. The parts of the Mass said before it
are: The Introit, Kyrie,
Gloria, Prayers, Epistle, Gospel and Creed. The
Introit, Prayers,
Epistle and Gospel change in each Mass to
correspond with the feast
celebrated.
Q. 934. What is the part of the Mass called in
which the Words of
Consecration are found?
A. The part of the Mass in which the words of
Consecration are found is
called the Canon. This is the most solemn part
of the Mass, and is
rarely and but slightly changed in any Mass.
Q. 935. What follows the Communion of the Mass?
A. Following the Communion of Mass, there are
prayers of thanksgiving,
the blessing of the people, and the saying of
the last Gospel.
Q. 936. What things are necessary for Mass?
A. The things necessary for Mass are: (1) An
altar with linen covers,
candles, crucifix, altar stone and Mass book;
(2) A Chalice with all
needed in its use, and bread of flour from wheat
and wine from the
grape; (3) Vestments for the priest, and (4) An
acolyte or server.
Q. 937. What is the altar stone, and of what
does it remind us?
A. The altar stone is that part of the altar
upon which the priest rests
the Chalice during Mass. This stone contains
some holy relics sealed up
in it by the bishop, and if the altar is of
wood this stone is inserted
just in front of the Tabernacle. The altar
stone reminds us of the early
history of the Church, when the martyrs' tombs
were used for altars by
the persecuted Christians.
Q. 938. What lesson do we learn from the
practice of using martyrs'
tombs for altars?
A. From the practice of using martyrs' tombs
for altars we learn the
inconvenience, sufferings and dangers the early
Christians willingly
underwent for the sake of hearing Mass. Since
the Mass is the same now
as it was then, we should suffer every
inconvenience rather than be
absent from Mass on Sundays or holy days.
Q. 939. What things are used with the chalice
during Mass?
A. The things used with the chalice during Mass
are: (1) The purificator
or cloth for wiping the inside; (2) The paten
or small silver plate used
in handling the host; (3) The pall or white
card used for covering the
chalice at Mass; (4) The corporal or linen
cloth on which the chalice
and host rest.
Q. 940. What is the host?
A. The host is the name given to the thin wafer
of bread used at Mass.
This name is generally applied before and after
Consecration to the
large particle of bread used by the priest, though
the small particles
given to the people are also called by the same
name.
Q. 941. Are large and small hosts consecrated
at every Mass?
A. A large host is consecrated at every Mass,
but small hosts are
consecrated only at some Masses at which they are
to be given to the
people or placed in the Tabernacle for the Holy
Communion of the
faithful.
Q. 942. What vestments does the priest use at
Mass and what do they
signify?
A. The vestments used by the priest at Mass
are: (1) The Amice, a white
cloth around the shoulders to signify
resistance to temptation; (2) The
Alb, a long white garment to signify innocence;
(3) The Cincture, a cord
about the waist, to signify chastity; (4) The
Maniple or hanging
vestment on the left arm, to signify penance;
(5) The Stole or long
vestment about the neck, to signify
immortality; (6) The Chasuble or
long vestment over all, to signify love and
remind the priest, by its
cross on front and back, of the Passion of Our
Lord.
Q. 943. How many colors of vestments are used,
and what do the colors
signify?
A. Five colors of vestments are used, namely,
white, red, green, violet
or purple, and black. White signifies innocence
and is used on the
feasts of Our Blessed Lord, of the Blessed
Virgin, and of some saints.
Red signifies love, and is used on the feasts
of the Holy Ghost, and of
martyrs. Green signifies hope, and is generally
used on Sundays from
Epiphany to Pentecost. Violet signifies
penance, and is used in Lent and
Advent. Black signifies sorrow, and is used on
Good Friday and at Masses
for the dead. Gold is often used for white on
great feasts.
Q. 944. What is the Tabernacle and what is the
Ciborium?
A. The Tabernacle is the house-shaped part of
the altar where the sacred
vessels containing the Blessed Sacrament are kept.
The Ciborium is the
large silver or gold vessel which contains the
Blessed Sacrament while
in the Tabernacle, and from which the priest
gives Holy Communion to the
people.
Q. 945. What is the Ostensorium or Monstrance?
A. The Ostensorium or Monstrance is the
beautiful wheel-like vessel in
which the Blessed Sacrament is exposed and kept
during the Benediction.
Q. 946. {269} How should we assist at Mass?
A. We should assist at Mass with great interior
recollection and piety
and with every outward mark of respect and
devotion.
Q. 947. {270} Which is the best manner of
hearing Mass?
A. The best manner of hearing Mass is to offer
it to God with the priest
for the same purpose for which it is said, to
meditate on Christ's
sufferings and death, and to go to Holy
Communion.
Q. 948. What is important for the proper and
respectful hearing of Mass?
A. For the proper and respectful hearing of
Mass it is important to be
in our place before the priest comes to the
altar and not to leave it
before the priest leaves the altar. Thus we
prevent the confusion and
distraction caused by late coming and too early
leaving. Standing in the
doorways, blocking up passages and disputing
about places should, out of
respect for the Holy Sacrifice, be most
carefully avoided.
Q. 949. What is Benediction of the Blessed
Sacrament, and what vestments
are used at it?
A. Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is an
act of divine worship in
which the Blessed Sacrament, placed in the
ostensorium, is exposed for
the adoration of the people and is lifted up to
bless them. The
vestments used at Benediction are: A cope or
large silk cloak and a
humeral or shoulder veil.
Q. 950. Why does the priest wear special
vestments and use certain
ceremonies while performing his sacred duties?
A. The priest wears special vestments and uses
certain ceremonies while
performing his sacred duties: (1) To give
greater solemnity and to
command more attention and respect at divine
worship; (2) To instruct
the people in the things that these vestments
and ceremonies signify;
(3) To remind the priest himself of the
importance and sacred character
of the work in which he is the representative
of Our Lord Himself. Hence
we should learn the meaning of the ceremonies
of the Church.
Q. 951. How do we show that the ceremonies of
the Church are reasonable
and proper?
A. We show that the ceremonies of the Church
are reasonable and proper
from the fact that all persons in authority,
rulers, judges and masters,
require certain acts of respect from their
subjects, and as we know Our
Lord is present on the altar, the Church
requires definite acts of
reverence and respect at the services held in
His honor and in His
presence.
Q. 952. Are there other reasons for the use of
ceremonies?
A. There are other reasons for the use of ceremonies:
(1) God commanded
ceremonies to be used in the old law, and (2)
Our Blessed Lord Himself
made use of ceremonies in performing some of
His miracles.
Q. 953. How are the persons who take part in a
Solemn Mass or Vespers
named?
A. The persons who take part in a Solemn Mass
or Vespers are named as
follows: The priest who says or celebrates the
Mass is called the
celebrant; those who assist him as deacon and
sub-deacon are called the
ministers; those who serve are called acolytes,
and the one who directs
the ceremonies is called the master of
ceremonies. If the celebrant be a
bishop, the Mass or Vespers is called
Pontifical Mass or Pontifical
Vespers.
Q. 954. What is Vespers?
A. Vespers is a portion of the divine office or
daily prayer of the
Church. It is sung in Churches generally on
Sunday afternoon or evening,
and is usually followed by Benediction of the
Blessed Sacrament.
Q. 955. Can one satisfy for neglecting Mass on
Sunday by hearing Vespers
on the same day?
A. One cannot satisfy for neglecting Mass on
Sunday by hearing Vespers
on the same day, because there is no law of the
Church obliging us under
pain of sin to attend Vespers, while there is a
law obliging us under
pain of mortal sin to hear Mass.
LESSON TWENTY-FIFTH.
ON EXTREME UNCTION AND HOLY
ORDERS.
Q. 956. {271} What is the Sacrament of Extreme
Unction?
A. Extreme Unction is the Sacrament which,
through the anointing and
prayer of the priest, gives health and strength
to the soul, and
sometimes to the body, when we are in danger of
death from sickness.
Q. 957. Why is this Sacrament called Extreme
Unction?
A. Extreme means last, and Unction means an
anointing or rubbing with
oil, and because Catholics are anointed with
oil at Baptism,
Confirmation and Holy Orders, the last
Sacrament in, which oil is used
is called Extreme Unction, or the last Unction
or anointing.
Q. 958. Is this Sacrament called Extreme
Unction if the person recovers
after receiving it?
A. This Sacrament is always called Extreme
Unction, even if it must be
given several times to the same person, for
Extreme Unction is the
proper name of the Sacrament, and it may be
given as often as a person
recovering from one attack of sickness is in
danger of death by another.
In a lingering illness it may be repeated after
a month or six weeks, if
the person slightly recovers and again relapses
into a dangerous
condition.
Q. 959. To whom may Extreme Unction be given?
A. Extreme Unction may be given to all
Christians dangerously ill, who
have ever been capable of committing sin after
baptism and who have the
right dispositions for the Sacrament. Hence it
is never given to
children who have not reached the use of
reason, nor to persons who have
always been insane.
Q. 960. What are the right dispositions for
Extreme Unction?
A. The right dispositions for Extreme Unction
are: (1) Resignation to
the Will of God with regard to our recovery;
(2) A state of grace or at
least contrition for sins committed, and (3) A
general intention or
desire to receive the Sacrament. This Sacrament
is never given to
heretics in danger of death, because they
cannot be supposed to have the
intention necessary for receiving it, nor the
desire to make use of the
Sacrament of Penance in putting themselves in a
state of grace.
Q. 961. When and by whom was Extreme Unction
instituted?
A. Extreme Unction was instituted at the time
of the apostles, for James
the Apostle exhorts the sick to receive it. It
was instituted by Our
Lord Himself--though we do not know at what
particular time--for He
alone can make a visible act a means of grace,
and the apostles and
their successors could never have believed
Extreme Unction a Sacrament
and used it as such unless they had Our Lord's
authority for so doing.
Q. 962. {272} When should we receive Extreme
Unction?
A. We should receive Extreme Unction when we
are in danger of death from
sickness, or from a wound or accident.
Q. 963. What parts of the body are anointed in
Extreme Unction?
A. The parts of the body anointed in Extreme
Unction are: The eyes, the
ears, the nose or nostrils, the lips, the hands
and the feet, because
these represent our senses of sight, hearing,
smell, taste and touch,
which are the means through which we have
committed most of our sins.
Q. 964. What things should be prepared in the
sick-room when the priest
is coming to give the last Sacraments?
A. When the priest is coming to give the last
Sacraments, the following
things should be prepared: A table covered with
a white cloth; a
crucifix; two lighted candles in candlesticks; holy
water in a small
vessel, with a small piece of palm for a
sprinkler; a glass of clean
water; a tablespoon and a napkin or cloth, to
be placed under the chin
of the one receiving the Viaticum. Besides
these, if Extreme Unction
also is to be given, there should be some
cotton and a small piece of
bread or lemon to purify the priest's fingers.
Q. 965. What seems most proper with regard to
the things necessary for
the last Sacraments?
A. It seems most proper that the things
necessary for the last
Sacraments should be carefully kept in every
Catholic family, and should
never, if possible, be used for any other
purpose.
Q. 966. What else is to be observed about the
preparation for the
administration of the last Sacraments?
A. The further preparation for the
administration of the last Sacraments
requires that out of respect for the
Sacraments, and in particular for
the presence of Our Lord, everything about the
sick-room, the sick
person and even the attendants, should be made
as neat and clean as
possible. Especially should the face, hands and
feet of the one to be
anointed be thoroughly clean.
Q. 967. {273} Should we wait until we are in
extreme danger before we
receive Extreme Unction?
A. We should not wait until we are in extreme
danger before we receive
Extreme Unction, but if possible we should
receive it whilst we have the
use of our senses.
Q. 968. What should we do in case of serious
illness if the sick person
will not consent or is afraid to receive the
Sacraments, or, at least,
wishes to put off their reception?
A. In case of serious illness, if the sick
person will not consent, or
is afraid to receive the Sacraments, or, at
least, wishes to put off
their reception, we should send for the priest
at once and let him do
what he thinks best in the case, and thus we
will free ourselves from
the responsibility of letting a Catholic die
without the last
Sacraments.
Q. 969. {274} Which are the effects of the
Sacrament of Extreme Unction?
A. The effects of Extreme Unction are: 1st, To
comfort us in the pains
of sickness and to strengthen us against
temptations; 2d, To remit
venial sins and to cleanse our soul from the
remains of sin; 3d, To
restore us to health, when God sees fit.
Q. 970. Will Extreme Unction take away mortal
sin if the dying person is
no longer able to confess?
A. Extreme Unction will take away mortal sin if
the dying person is no
longer able to confess, provided he has the
sorrow for his sins that
would be necessary for the worthy reception of
the Sacrament of Penance.
Q. 971. How do we know that this Sacrament,
more than any other, was
instituted to benefit the body?
A. We know that this Sacrament more than any
other was instituted to
benefit the body (1) From the words of St.
James exhorting us to receive
it; (2) It is given when the soul is already
purified by the graces of
Penance and Holy Viaticum; (3) One of its chief
objects is to restore us
to health if it be for our spiritual good, as
most of the prayers said
in giving this Sacrament indicate.
Q. 972. Since Extreme Unction may restore us to
health, should we not be
glad to receive it?
A. Since Extreme Unction may restore us to
health, we should be glad to
receive it, and we should not delay its
reception till we are so near
death that God could restore us only by a
miracle. Again, this
Sacrament, like the others, gives sanctifying
and sacramental grace,
which we should be eager to obtain as soon as
our sickness is sufficient
to give us the privilege of receiving the last
Sacraments.
Q. 973. {275} What do you mean by the remains
of sin?
A. By the remains of sin I mean the inclination
to evil and the weakness
of the will which are the result of our sins,
and which remain after our
sins have been forgiven.
Q. 974. {276} How should we receive the Sacrament
of Extreme Unction?
A. We should receive the Sacrament of Extreme
Unction in the state of
grace, and with lively faith and resignation to
the will of God.
Q. 975. {277} Who is the minister of the
Sacrament of Extreme Unction?
A. The priest is the minister of the Sacrament
of Extreme Unction.
Q. 976. What is the final preparation we should
make for the reception
of the last Sacraments?
A. The final preparation we should make for the
reception of the last
Sacraments consists in an earnest effort to be
resigned to God's Holy
Will, to excite ourselves to true sorrow for
our sins, to profit by the
graces given us, to keep worldly thoughts from
the mind, and to dispose
ourselves as best we can for the worthy
reception of the Sacraments and
the blessings of a good death.
Q. 977. At what time should persons dangerously
ill attend to the final
arrangement of their temporal or worldly
affairs?
A. Persons dangerously ill should attend to the
final arrangement of
their temporal or worldly affairs at the very
beginning of their
illness, that these things may not distract
them at the hour of death,
and that they may give the last hours of their
life entirely to the care
of their soul.
Q. 978. {278} What is the Sacrament of Holy
Orders?
A. Holy Orders is a Sacrament by which bishops,
priests, and other
ministers of the Church are ordained and
receive the power and grace to
perform their sacred duties.
Q. 979. Besides bishops and priests, who are
the other ministers of the
Church?
A. Besides bishops and priests, the other
ministers of the Church are
deacons and sub-deacons, who, while preparing
for the priesthood, have
received some of the Holy Orders, but who have
not been ordained to the
full powers of the priest.
Q. 980. Why is this Sacrament called Holy
Orders?
A. This Sacrament is called Holy Orders because
it is conferred by seven
different grades or steps following one another
in fixed order by which
the sacred powers of the priesthood are
gradually given to the one
admitted to that holy state.
Q. 981. What are the grades by which one
ascends to the priesthood?
A. The grades by which one ascends to the
priesthood are (1) Tonsure, or
the clipping of the hair by the bishop, by
which the candidate for
priesthood dedicates himself to the service of
the altar; (2) The four
minor orders, Porter, Reader, Exorcist, and
Acolyte, by which he is
permitted to perform certain duties that laymen
should not perform; (3)
Sub-deaconship, by which he takes upon himself
the obligation of leading
a life of perpetual chastity and of saying
daily the divine office; (4)
Deaconship, by which he receives power to
preach, baptize, and give Holy
Communion. The next step, priesthood, gives him
power to offer the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass and forgive sins. These
orders are not all given
at once, but at times fixed by the laws of the
Church.
Q. 982. Are not the different orders separate
Sacraments?
A. These different orders are not separate
Sacraments. Taken all
together, some are a preparation for the
Sacrament and the rest are but
the one Sacrament of Holy Orders; as the roots,
trunk and branches form
but one tree.
Q. 983. What name is given to sub-deaconship,
deaconship and priesthood?
A. Sub-deaconship, deaconship and priesthood
are called major or greater
orders, because those who receive them are
bound for life to the service
of the altar and they cannot return to the
service of the world to live
as ordinary laymen.
Q. 984. What double power does the Church
possess and confer on her
pastors?
A. The Church possesses and confers on her
pastor, the power of orders
and the power of jurisdiction; that is, the
power to administer the
Sacraments and sanctify the faithful, and the
power to teach and make
laws that direct the faithful to their
spiritual good. A bishop has the
full power of orders and the Pope alone has the
full power of
jurisdiction.
Q. 985. How do the pastors of the Church rank
according to authority?
A. The pastors of the Church rank according to
authority as follows: (1)
Priests, who govern parishes or congregations
in the name of their
bishop; (2) Bishops, who rule over a number of
parishes or a diocese;
(3) Archbishops, who have authority over a
number of dioceses or a
province; (4) Primates, who have authority over
the ecclesiastical or
Church provinces of a nation; (5) Patriarchs,
who have authority over a
whole country; and last and highest, the Pope,
who rules the Church
throughout the world.
Q. 986. How do the prelates or higher officers
of the Church rank in
dignity?
A. The prelates or higher officers of the
Church rank in dignity as they
rank in authority, except that in dignity
Cardinals are next to the
Pope, and Vicars Apostolic, Monsignori, and
others having titles follow
bishops. Papal delegates and those specially
appointed by the Pope rank
according to the powers he has given them.
Q. 987. Who are Cardinals, what are their
duties and how are they
divided?
A. Cardinals are the members of the Supreme
Council or Senate of the
Church. Their duties are to advise and aid the
Pope in the government of
the Church, and to elect a new Pope when the
reigning Pope dies. They
are divided into committees called sacred
congregations, each having,
its special work to perform. All these
congregations taken together are
called the Sacred College of Cardinals, of which
the whole number is
seventy.
Q. 988. Who is a Monsignor?
A. A Monsignor is a worthy priest upon whom the
Pope confers this title
as a mark of esteem. It gives certain
privileges and the right to wear
purple like a bishop.
Q. 989. Who is a Vicar-General?
A. A Vicar-General is one who is appointed by
the bishop to aid him in
the government of his diocese. He shares the
bishop's power and in the
bishop's absence he acts for the bishop and
with his authority.
Q. 990. Who is an Abbot?
A. An Abbot is one who exercises over a
religious community of men
authority similar in many things to that
exercised by a bishop over his
diocese. He has also certain privileges usually
granted to bishops.
Q. 991. What is the pallium?
A. The pallium is a white woolen vestment worn
by the Pope and sent by
him to patriarchs, primates and archbishops. It
is the symbol of the
fullness of pastoral power, and reminds the
wearer of the Good Shepherd,
whose example he must follow.
Q. 992. {279} What is necessary to receive Holy
Orders worthily?
A. To receive Holy Orders worthily it is
necessary to be in the state of
grace, to have the necessary knowledge and a
divine call to this sacred
office.
Q. 993. What name is given to this divine call
and how can we discover
this call?
A. This divine call is named a vocation to the
priestly or religious
life. We can discover it in our constant
inclination to such a life from
the pure and holy motive of serving God better
in it, together with our
fitness for it, or, at least, our ability to
prepare for it, also in our
true piety and mastery over our sinful passions
and unlawful desires.
Q. 994. How should we finally determine our
vocation?
A. We should finally determine our vocation:
(1) By leading a holy life
that we may be more worthy of it; (2) By
praying to the Holy Ghost for
light on the subject; (3) By seeking the advice
of holy and prudent
persons and above all of our confessor.
Q. 995. What should parents and guardians bear
in mind with regard to
their children's vocations?
A. Parents and guardians should bear in mind
with regard to their
children's vocations: (1) That it is their duty
to aid their children to
discover their vocation; (2) That it is sinful
for them to resist the
Will of God by endeavoring to turn their
children from their true
vocation or to prevent them from following it
by placing obstacles in
their way, and, worst of all, to urge them to
enter a state of life to
which they have not been divinely called; (3)
That in giving their
advice they should be guided only by the future
good and happiness of
their children and not by any selfish or
worldly motive which may lead
to the loss of souls.
Q. 996. {280} How should Christians look upon
the priests of the Church?
A. Christians should look upon the priests of the
Church as the
messengers of God and the dispensers of His
mysteries.
Q. 997. How do we know that the priests of the
Church are the messengers
of God?
A. We know that the priests of the Church are
the messengers of God,
because Christ said to His apostles, and
through them to their
successors: "As the Father hath sent Me, I
also send you"; that is to
say, to preach the true religion, to administer
the Sacraments, to offer
Sacrifice, and to do all manner of good for the
salvation of souls.
Q. 998. When did the priests of the Church
receive this threefold power
to preach, to forgive sins and to consecrate
bread and wine?
A. The priests of the Church received this
three-fold power to preach,
to forgive sins and to consecrate bread and
wine, when Christ said to
them, through the apostles: "Go teach all
nations"; "Whose sins you
shall forgive they are forgiven," and
"Do this for a commemoration of
Me."
Q. 999. Why should we show great respect to the
priests and bishops of
the Church?
A. We should show great respect to the priests
and bishops of the
Church: (1) Because they are the
representatives of Christ upon earth,
and (2) Because they administer the Sacraments
without which we cannot
be saved. Therefore, we should be most careful
in what we do, say or
think concerning God's ministers. To show our
respect in proportion to
their dignity, we address the priest as
Reverend, the bishop as Right
Reverend, the archbishop as Most Reverend, and
the Pope as Holy Father.
Q. 1000. Should we do more than merely respect
the ministers of God?
A. We should do more than merely respect the
ministers of God. We should
earnestly and frequently pray for them, that
they may be enabled to
perform the difficult and important duties of their
holy state in a
manner pleasing to God.
Q. 1001. {281} Who can confer the Sacrament of
Holy Orders?
A. Bishops can confer the Sacrament of Holy
Orders.
Q. 1002. How do we know that there is a true
priesthood in the Church?
A. We know that there is a true priesthood in
the Church: (1) Because in
the Jewish religion, which was only a figure of
the Christian religion,
there was a true priesthood established by God;
(2) Because Christ
conferred on His apostles and not on all the
faithful the power to offer
Sacrifice, distribute the Holy Eucharist and
forgive sins.
Q. 1003. But is there need of a special
Sacrament of Holy Orders to
confer these powers?
A. There is need of a special Sacrament of Holy
Orders to confer these
powers: (1) Because the priesthood which is to
continue the work of the
apostles must be visible in the Church, and it
must therefore be
conferred by some visible ceremony or outward
sign; (2) because this
outward sign called Holy Orders gives not only
power but grace and was
instituted by Christ, Holy Orders must be a
Sacrament.
Q. 1004. Can bishops, priests and other
ministers of the Church always
exercise the power they have received in Holy
Orders?
A. Bishops, priests and other ministers of the
Church cannot exercise
the power they have received in Holy Orders
unless authorized and sent
to do so by their lawful superiors. The power
can never be taken from
them, but the right to use it may be withdrawn
for causes laid down in
the laws of the Church, or for reasons that seem
good to those in
authority over them. Any use of sacred power
without authority is
sinful, and all who take part in such
ceremonies are guilty of sin.
LESSON TWENTY-SIXTH.
ON MATRIMONY.
Q. 1005. {282} What is the Sacrament of
Matrimony?
A. The Sacrament of Matrimony is the Sacrament
which unites a Christian
man and woman in lawful marriage.
Q. 1006. When are persons lawfully married?
A. Persons are lawfully married when they
comply with all the laws of
God and of the Church relating to marriage. To marry
unlawfully is a
mortal sin, and it deprives the souls of the
grace of the Sacrament.
Q. 1007. When was marriage first instituted?
A. Marriage was first instituted in the Garden
of Eden, when God created
Adam and Eve and made them husband and wife, but
it was not then a
Sacrament, for their union did not confer any
special grace.
Q. 1008. When was the contract of marriage
raised to the dignity of a
Sacrament?
A. The exact time at which the contract of
marriages was raised to the
dignity of a Sacrament is not known, but the
fact that it was thus
raised is certain from passages in the New
Testament and from the
constant teaching of the Church ever since the
time of the apostles. Our
Lord did not merely add grace to the contract,
but He made the very
contract a Sacrament, so that Christians cannot
make this contract
without receiving the Sacrament.
Q. 1009. What is the outward sign in the
Sacrament of Matrimony, and in
what does the whole essence of the marriage
contract consist?
A. The outward sign in the Sacrament of
matrimony is the mutual consent
of the persons, expressed by words or signs in
accordance with the laws
of the Church. The whole essence of the
marriage contract consists in
the surrender by the persons of their bodies to
each other and in
declaring by word or sign that they make this
surrender and take each
other for husband and wife now and for life.
Q. 1010. What are the chief ends of the
Sacrament of Matrimony?
A. The chief ends of the Sacrament of matrimony
are: (1) To enable the
husband and wife to aid each other in securing
the salvation of their
souls; (2) To propagate or keep up the
existence of the human race by
bringing children into the world to serve God;
(3) To prevent sins
against the holy virtue of purity by faithfully
obeying the laws of the
marriage state.
Q. 1011. {283} Can a Christian man and woman be
united in lawful
marriage in any other way than by the Sacrament
of Matrimony?
A. A Christian man and woman cannot be united
in lawful marriage in any
other way than by the Sacrament of Matrimony,
because Christ raised
marriage to the dignity of a sacrament.
Q. 1012. Were, then, all marriages before the
coming of Christ unlawful
and invalid?
A. All marriages before the coming of Christ
were not unlawful and
invalid. They were both lawful and valid when
the persons contracting
them followed the dictates of their conscience
and the laws of God as
they knew them; but such marriages were only
contracts. Through their
evil inclinations many forgot or neglected the
true character of
marriage till Our Lord restored it to its
former unity and purity.
Q. 1013. What do we mean by impediments to
marriage?
A. By impediments to marriage we mean certain
restrictions, imposed by
the law of God or of the Church, that render the
marriage invalid or
unlawful when they are violated in entering
into it. These restrictions
regard age, health, relationship, intention,
religion and other matters
affecting the good of the Sacrament.
Q. 1014. Can the Church dispense from or remove
these impediments to
marriage?
A. The Church can dispense from or remove the
impediments to marriage
that arise from its own laws; but it cannot
dispense from impediments
that arise from the laws of God and nature.
Every lawmaker can change or
excuse from the laws made by himself or his
equals, but he cannot, of
his own authority, change or excuse from laws
made by a higher power.
Q. 1015. What is required that the Church may
grant, when it is able,
dispensations from the impediments to marriage
or from other laws?
A. That the Church may grant dispensations from
the impediments to
marriage or from other laws, there must be a
good and urgent reason for
granting such dispensations. The Church does
not grant dispensations
without cause and merely to satisfy the wishes
of those who ask for
them.
Q. 1016. Why does the Church sometimes require
the persons to whom
dispensations are granted to pay a tax or fee
for the privilege?
A. The Church sometimes requires the persons to
whom dispensations are
granted to pay a tax or fee for the privilege:
(1) That persons on
account of this tax be restrained from asking
for dispensations and may
comply with the general laws; (2) That the
Church may not have to bear
the expense of supporting an office for granting
privileges to a few.
Q. 1017. What should persons who are about to
get married do?
A. Persons who are about to get married should
give their pastor timely
notice of their intention, make known to him
privately whatever they
suspect might be an impediment to the marriage,
and make sure of all
arrangements before inviting their friends.
Q. 1018. What timely notice of marriage should
be given to the priest,
and why?
A. At least three weeks notice of marriage
should be given to the
priest, because, according to the laws of the
Church, the names of the
persons about to get married must be announced
and their intended
marriage published at the principal Mass in
their parish for three
successive Sundays.
Q. 1019. Why are the banns of matrimony
published in the Church?
A. The banns of matrimony are published in the
Church that any person
who might know of any impediment to the
marriage may have an opportunity
to declare it privately to the priest before
the marriage takes place
and thus prevent an invalid or unlawful
marriage. Persons who know of
such impediments and fail to declare them in
due time are guilty of sin.
Q. 1020. What things in particular should
persons arranging for their
marriage make known to the priest?
A. Persons arranging for their marriage should
make known to the priest
whether both are Christians and Catholics;
whether either has been
solemnly engaged to another person; whether
they have ever made any vow
to God with regard to chastity or the like; whether
they are related and
in what degree; whether either was ever married
to any member of the
other's family and whether either was ever
godparent in baptism for the
other.
Q. 1021. What else must they make known?
A. They must also make known whether either was
married before and what
proof can be given of the death of the former
husband or wife; whether
they really intend to get married, and do so of
their own will; whether
they are of lawful age; whether they are sound
in body or suffering from
any deformity that might prevent their
marriage, and lastly, whether
they live in the parish in which they ask to be
married, and if so, how
long they have lived in it.
Q. 1022. What is particularly necessary that
persons may do their duty
in the marriage state?
A. That persons may do their duty in the
marriage state, it is
particularly necessary that they should be well
instructed, before
entering it, in the truths and duties of their
religion for how will
they teach their children these things if they
are ignorant of them
themselves?
Q. 1023. {284} Can the bond of Christian
marriage be dissolved by any
human power?
A. The bond of Christian marriage cannot be
dissolved by any human
power.
Q. 1024. Does not a divorce granted by courts
of justice break the bond
of marriage?
A. Divorce granted by courts of justice or by
any human power does not
break the bond of marriage, and one who makes
use of such a divorce to
marry again while the former husband or wife
lives commits a sacrilege
and lives in the sin of adultery. A civil
divorce may give a sufficient
reason for the persons to live apart and it may
determine their rights
with regard to support, the control of the
children and other temporal
things, but it has no effect whatever upon the
bond and spiritual nature
of the Sacrament.
Q. 1025. Does not the Church sometimes allow
husband and wife to
separate and live apart?
A. The Church sometimes, for very good reasons,
does allow husband and
wife to separate and live apart; but that is
not dissolving the bond of
marriage, or divorce as it is called, for
though separated they are
still husband and wife, and neither can marry
again till the other dies.
Q. 1026. Has not the Church sometimes allowed
Catholics once married to
separate and marry again?
A. The Church has never allowed Catholics once
really married to
separate and marry again, but it has sometimes
declared persons
apparently married free to marry again, because
their first marriage was
null; that is, no marriage on account of some
impediment not discovered
till after the ceremony.
Q. 1027. What evils follow divorce so commonly
claimed by those outside
the true Church and granted by civil authority?
A. The evils that follow divorce so commonly
claimed by those outside
the true Church and granted by civil authority
are very many; but
chiefly (1) A disregard for the sacred
character of the Sacrament and
for the spiritual welfare of the children; (2)
The loss of the true idea
of home and family followed by bad morals and sinful
living.
Q. 1028. {285} Which are the effects of the
Sacrament of Matrimony?
A. The effects of the Sacrament of Matrimony
are 1st, To sanctify the
love of husband and wife; 2nd, To give them
grace to bear with each
other's weaknesses; 3d, To enable them to bring
up their children in the
fear and love of God.
Q. 1029. What do we mean by bearing with each
other's weaknesses?
A. By bearing with each other's weaknesses we
mean that the husband and
wife must be patient with each other's faults,
bad habits or
dispositions, pardon them easily, and aid each
other in overcoming them.
Q. 1030. How are parents specially fitted to
bring up their children in
the fear and love of God?
A. Parents are specially fitted to bring up
their children in the fear
and love of God (1) By the special grace they
receive to advise and
direct their children and to warn them against
evil; (2) By the
experience they have acquired in passing
through life from childhood to
the position of parents. Children should,
therefore, conscientiously
seek and accept the direction of good parents.
Q. 1031. {286} To receive the Sacrament of
Matrimony worthily is it
necessary to be in the state of grace?
A. To receive the Sacrament of Matrimony
worthily it is necessary to be
in the state of grace, and it is necessary also
to comply with the laws
of the Church.
Q. 1032. With what laws of the Church are we
bound to comply in
receiving the Sacrament of Matrimony?
A. In receiving the Sacrament of matrimony we
are bound to comply with
whatever laws of the Church concern Matrimony;
such as laws forbidding
solemn marriage in Lent and Advent; or marriage
with relatives or with
persons of a different religion, and in general
all laws that refer to
any impediment to marriage.
Q. 1033. In how many ways may persons be
related?
A. Persons may be related in four ways. When
they are related by blood
their relationship is called consanguinity;
when they are related by
marriage it is called affinity; when they are
related by being
god-parents in Baptism or Confirmation, it is
called spiritual affinity;
when they are related by adoption, it is called
legal affinity.
Q. 1034. {287} Who has the right to make laws
concerning the Sacrament
of marriage?
A. The Church alone has the right to make laws
concerning the Sacrament
of marriage, though the state also has the
right to make laws concerning
the civil effects of the marriage contract.
Q. 1035. What do we mean by laws concerning the
civil effects of the
marriage contract?
A. By laws concerning the civil effects of the
marriage contract we mean
laws with regard to the property or debts of
the husband and wife, the
inheritance of their children, or whatever
pertains to their temporal
affairs. All persons are bound to obey the laws
of their country when
these laws are not opposed to the laws of God.
Q. 1036. {288} Does the Church forbid the
marriage of Catholics with
persons who have a different religion or no
religion at all?
A. The Church does forbid the marriage of
Catholics with persons who
have a different religion or no religion at
all.
Q. 1037. {289} Why does the Church forbid the
marriage of Catholics with
persons who have a different religion or no
religion at all?
A. The Church forbids the marriage of Catholics
with persons who have a
different religion, or no religion at all,
because such marriages
generally lead to indifference, loss of faith,
and to the neglect of the
religious education of the children.
Q. 1038. What are the marriages of Catholics
with persons of a different
religion called, and when does the Church
permit them by dispensation?
A. The marriages of Catholics with persons of a
different religion are
called mixed marriages. The Church permits them
by dispensation only
under certain conditions and for urgent
reasons; chiefly to prevent a
greater evil.
Q. 1039. What are the conditions upon which the
Church will permit a
Catholic to marry one who is not a Catholic?
A. The conditions upon which the Church will
permit a Catholic to marry
one who is not a Catholic are: (1) That the
Catholic be allowed the free
exercise of his or her religion; (2) that the
Catholic shall try by
teaching and good example to lead the one who
is not a Catholic to
embrace the true faith; (3) that all the children
born of the marriage
shall be brought up in the Catholic religion.
The marriage ceremony must
not be repeated before a heretical minister.
Without these promises, the
Church will not consent to a mixed marriage,
and if the Church does not
consent the marriage is unlawful.
Q. 1040. What penalty does the Church impose on
Catholics who marry
before a Protestant minister?
A. Catholics who marry before a Protestant
minister incur
excommunication; that is, a censure of the
Church or spiritual penalty
which prevents them from receiving the
Sacrament of Penance till the
priest who hears their confession gets special
faculties or permission
from the bishop; because by such a marriage
they make profession of a
false religion in acknowledging as a priest one
who has neither sacred
power nor authority.
Q. 1041. How does the Church show its
displeasure at mixed marriages?
A. The Church shows its displeasure at mixed
marriages by the coldness
with which it sanctions them, prohibiting all
religious ceremony at them
by forbidding the priest to use any sacred
vestments, holy water or
blessing of the ring at such marriages; by
prohibiting them also from
taking place in the Church or even in the
sacristy. On the other hand,
the Church shows its joy and approval at a true
Catholic marriage by the
Nuptial Mass and solemn ceremonies.
Q. 1042. Why should Catholics avoid mixed
marriages?
A. Catholics should avoid mixed marriages (1)
Because they are
displeasing to the Church and cannot bring with
them the full measure of
God's grace and blessing; (2) because the
children should have the good
example of both parents in the practice of
their religion; (3) because
such marriages give rise to frequent disputes
on religious questions
between husband and wife and between their relatives;
(4) because the
one not a Catholic, disregarding the sacred
character of the Sacrament,
may claim a divorce and marry again, leaving
the Catholic married and
abandoned.
Q. 1043. Does the Church seek to make converts
by its laws concerning
mixed marriages?
A. The Church does not seek to make converts by
its laws concerning
mixed marriages, but seeks only to keep its
children from losing their
faith and becoming perverts by constant company
with persons not
Catholics. The Church does not wish persons to
become Catholics merely
for the sake of marrying Catholics. Such
conversions are, as a rule, not
sincere, do no good, but rather make such
converts hypocrites and guilty
of greater sins, especially sins of sacrilege.
Q. 1044. {290} Why do many marriages prove
unhappy?
A. Many marriages prove unhappy because they
are entered into hastily
and without worthy motives.
Q. 1045. When are marriages entered into
hastily?
A. Marriages are entered into hastily when
persons do not sufficiently
consider and investigate the character, habits
and dispositions of the
one they intend to marry. It is wise to look
for lasting qualities and
solid virtues in a life-long companion and not
to be carried away with
characteristics that please only for a time.
Q. 1046. When are motives for marriage worthy?
A. Motives for marriage are worthy when persons
enter it for the sake of
doing God's will and fulfilling the end for
which He instituted the
Sacrament. Whatever is opposed to the true
object of the Sacrament and
the sanctification of the husband and wife must
be an unworthy motive.
Q. 1047. {291} How should Christians prepare
for a holy and happy
marriage?
A. Christians should prepare for a holy and
happy marriage by receiving
the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Eucharist;
by begging God to grant
them a pure intention and to direct their
choice; and by seeking the
advice of their parents and the blessing of
their pastors.
Q. 1048. How may parents be guilty of great
injustice to their children
in case of marriage?
A. Parents may be guilty of great injustice to
their children in case of
marriage by seeking the gratification of their
own aims and desires,
rather than the good of their children, and
thus for selfish and
unreasonable motives forcing their children to
marry persons they
dislike or preventing them from marrying the
persons chosen by the
dictates of their conscience, or compelling
them to marry when they have
no vocation for such a life or no true
knowledge of its obligations.
Q. 1049. May persons receive the Sacrament of
Matrimony more than once?
A. Persons may receive the sacrament of
Matrimony more than once,
provided they are certain of the death of the
former husband or wife and
comply with the laws of the Church.
Q. 1050. Where and at what time of the day
should Catholics be married?
A. Catholics should be married before the altar
in the Church. They
should be married in the morning, and with a
Nuptial Mass if possible.
Q. 1051. What must never be forgotten by those
who attend a marriage
ceremony in the Church?
A. They who attend a marriage ceremony in the
Church must never forget
the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, and that
all laughing, talking,
or irreverence is forbidden then as at other
times. Women must never
enter into the presence of the Blessed
Sacrament with uncovered heads,
and their dress must be in keeping with the
strict modesty that Our
Lord's presence demands, no matter what worldly
vanity or social manners
may require.
LESSON TWENTY-SEVENTH.
ON THE SACRAMENTALS.
Q. 1052. {292} What is a sacramental?
A. A sacramental is anything set apart or
blessed by the Church to
excite good thoughts and to increase devotion,
and through these
movements of the heart to remit venial sin.
Q. 1053. How do the Sacramentals excite good
thoughts and increase
devotion?
A. The Sacramentals excite good thoughts by
recalling to our minds some
special reason for doing good and avoiding
evil; especially by reminding
us of some holy person, event or thing through
which blessings have come
to us. They increase devotion by fixing our
minds on particular virtues
and by helping us to understand and desire
them.
Q. 1054. Do the Sacramentals of themselves
remit venial sins?
A. The Sacramentals of themselves do not remit
venial sins, but they
move us to truer devotion, to greater love for
God and greater sorrow
for our sins, and this devotion, love and
sorrow bring us grace, and the
grace remits venial sins.
Q. 1055. Why does the Church use Sacramentals?
A. The Church uses Sacramentals to teach the
faithful of every class the
truths of religion, which they may learn as
well by their sight as by
their hearing; for God wishes us to learn His
laws by every possible
means, by every power of soul and body.
Q. 1056. Show by an example how Sacramentals
aid the ignorant in
learning the truths of faith.
A. Sacramentals aid the ignorant in learning
the truths of faith as
children learn from pictures before they are
able to read. Thus one who
cannot read the account of Our Lord's passion
may learn it from the
Stations of the Cross, and one who kneels
before a crucifix and looks on
the bleeding head, pierced hands and wounded
side, is better able to
understand Christ's sufferings than one without
a crucifix before him.
Q. 1057. What are the Stations or Way of the
Cross?
A. The Stations or Way of the Cross is a
devotion instituted by the
Church to aid us in meditating on Christ's
passion and death. Fourteen
crosses or stations, each with a picture of
some scene in the passion,
are arranged at distances apart. By passing
from one station to another
and praying before each while we meditate upon
the scene it represents,
we make the Way of the Cross in memory of
Christ's painful journey
during His passion, and we gain the indulgence
granted for this pious
exercise.
Q. 1058. Are prayers and ceremonies of the
Church also Sacramentals?
A. Prayers and ceremonies of the Church are
also Sacramentals because
they excite good thoughts and increase
devotion. Whatever the Church
dedicates to a pious use or devotes to the
worship of God may be called
a Sacramental.
Q. 1059. On what ground does the Church make
use of ceremonies?
A. The Church makes use of ceremonies (1) After
the example of the Old
Law, in which God described and commanded
ceremonies; (2) after the
example of Our Lord, who rubbed clay on the
eyes of the blind to whom He
wished to restore sight, though He might have
performed the miracle
without any external act; (3) on the authority of
the Church itself, to
whom Christ gave power to do whatever was
necessary for the instruction
of all men; (4) to add solemnity to religious
acts.
Q. 1060. How may persons sin in using
Sacramentals?
A. Persons may sin in using Sacramentals by
using them in a way or for a
purpose prohibited by the Church; also by
believing that the use of
Sacramentals will save us in spite of our
sinful lives. We must remember
that Sacramentals can aid us only through the
blessing the Church gives
them and through the good dispositions they
excite in us. They have,
therefore, no power in themselves, and to put
too much confidence in
their use leads to superstition.
Q. 1061. {293} What is the difference between
the Sacraments and the
sacramentals?
A. The difference between the Sacraments and
the sacramentals is: 1st.
The Sacraments were instituted by Jesus Christ
and the sacramentals were
instituted by the Church; 2d. The Sacraments
give grace of themselves
when we place no obstacle in the way; the sacramentals
excite in us
pious dispositions, by means of which we may
obtain grace.
Q. 1062. May the Church increase or diminish
the number of Sacraments
and Sacramentals?
A. The Church can never increase nor diminish
the number of Sacraments,
for as Christ Himself instituted them, He alone
has power to change
their number; but the Church may increase or
diminish the number of the
Sacramentals as the devotion of its people or
the circumstances of the
time and place require, for since the Church
instituted them they must
depend entirely upon its laws.
Q. 1063. {294} Which is the chief sacramental
used in the Church?
A. The chief sacramental used in the Church is
the sign of the cross.
Q. 1064. {295} How do we make the sign of the
cross?
A. We make the sign of the cross by putting the
right hand to the
forehead, then on the breast, and then to the
left and right shoulders,
saying, "In the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost, Amen."
Q. 1065. What is a common fault with many in
blessing themselves?
A. A common fault with many in blessing
themselves is to make a hurried
motion with the hand which is in no way a sign
of the cross. They
perform this act of devotion without thought or
intention, forgetting
that the Church grants an indulgence to all who
bless themselves
properly while they have sorrow for their sins.
Q. 1066. {296} Why do we make the sign of the
cross?
A. We make the sign of the cross to show that
we are Christians and to
profess our belief in the chief mysteries of our
religion.
Q. 1067. {297} How is the sign of the cross a
profession of faith in the
chief mysteries of our religion?
A. The sign of the cross is a profession of
faith in the chief mysteries
of our religion because it expresses the
mysteries of the Unity and
Trinity of God and of the Incarnation and death
of our Lord.
Q. 1068. {298} How does the sign of the cross
express the mystery of the
Unity and Trinity of God?
A. The words, "In the name," express
the Unity of God; the words that
follow, "of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost," express
the mystery of the Trinity.
Q. 1069. {299} How does the sign of the cross
express the mystery of the
Incarnation and death of our Lord?
A. The sign of the cross expresses the mystery
of the Incarnation by
reminding us that the Son of God, having become
man, suffered death on
the cross.
Q. 1070. {300} What other sacramental is in
very frequent use?
A. Another sacramental in very frequent use is
holy water.
Q. 1071. {301} What is holy water?
A. Holy water is water blessed by the priest
with solemn prayer to beg
God's blessing on those who use it, and
protection from the powers of
darkness.
Q. 1072. How does the water blessed on Holy
Saturday, or Easter Water,
as it is called, differ from the holy water blessed
at other times?
A. The water blessed on Holy Saturday, or
Easter Water, as it is called,
differs from the holy water blessed at other
times in this, that the
Easter water is blessed with greater solemnity,
the paschal candle,
which represents Our Lord risen from the dead,
having been dipped into
it with a special prayer.
Q. 1073. Is water ever blessed in honor of
certain saints?
A. Water is sometimes blessed in honor of
certain saints and for special
purposes. The form of prayer to be used in such
blessings is found in
the Roman Ritual--the book containing prayers
and ceremonies for the
administration of the Sacraments and of
blessings authorized by the
Church.
Q. 1074. {302} Are there other sacramentals
besides the sign of the
cross and holy water?
A. Beside the sign of the cross and holy water
there are many other
sacramentals, such as blessed candles, ashes,
palms, crucifixes, images
of the Blessed Virgin and of the saints,
rosaries, and scapulars.
Q. 1075. When are candles blessed in the Church
and why are they used?
A. Candles are blessed in the Church on the
feast of the Purification of
the Blessed Virgin--February 2nd. They are used
chiefly to illuminate
and ornament our altars, as a mark of reverence
for the presence of Our
Lord and of joy at His coming.
Q. 1076. What praiseworthy custom is now in use
in many places?
A. A praiseworthy custom now in use in many
places is the offering by
the faithful on the feast of the Purification
of candles for the use of
the altar during the year. It is pleasing to
think we have candles
burning in our name on the altar of God, and if
the Jewish people yearly
made offerings to their temple, faithful
Christians should not neglect
their altars and churches where God Himself dwells.
Q. 1077. When are ashes blessed in the Church
and why are they used?
A. Ashes are blessed in the Church on Ash
Wednesday. They are used to
keep us in mind of our humble origin, and of
how the body of Adam, our
forefather, was formed out of the slime or clay
of the earth; also to
remind us of death, when our bodies will return
to dust, and of the
necessity of doing penance for our sins. These
ashes are obtained by
burning the blessed palms of the previous year.
Q. 1078. When are palms blessed and of what do
they remind us?
A. Palms are blessed on Palm Sunday. They
remind us of Our Lord's
triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when the
people, wishing to honor Him
and make Him king, strewed palm branches and
even their own garments in
His path, singing: Hosanna to the Son of David.
Q. 1079. What is the difference between a cross
and a crucifix?
A. A cross has no figure on it and a crucifix
has a figure of Our Lord.
The word crucifix means fixed or nailed to the
cross.
Q. 1080. What is the Rosary?
A. The Rosary is a form of prayer in which we
say a certain number of
Our Fathers and Hail Marys, meditating or
thinking for a short time
before each decade; that is, before each Our
Father and ten Hail Marys,
on some particular event in the life of Our Lord.
These events are
called mysteries of the Rosary. The string of
beads on which these
prayers are said is also called a Rosary. The
ordinary beads are of five
decades, or one-third of the whole Rosary.
Q. 1081. Who taught the use of the Rosary in
its present form?
A. St. Dominic taught the use of the Rosary in
its present form. By it
he instructed his hearers in the chief truths
of our holy religion and
converted many to the true faith.
Q. 1082. How do we say the Rosary, or beads?
A. To say the Rosary or beads we bless
ourselves with the cross, then
say the Apostles' Creed and the Our Father on
the first large bead, then
the Hail Mary on each of the three small beads,
and then Glory be to the
Father, &c. Then we mention or think of the
first mystery we wish to
honor, and say an Our Father on the large bead
and a Hail Mary on each
small bead of the ten that follow. At the end
of every decade, or ten
Hail Marys, we say "Glory be to the
Father;" &c. Then we mention the
next mystery and do as before, and so on to the
end.
Q. 1083. How many mysteries of the Rosary are
there?
A. There are fifteen mysteries of the Rosary
arranged in the order in
which these events occurred in the life of Our
Lord, and divided into
five joyful, five sorrowful, and five glorious
mysteries.
Q. 1084. Say the five joyful mysteries of the
Rosary.
A. The five joyful mysteries of the Rosary are:
(1) The
Annunciation--the Angel Gabriel telling the
Blessed Virgin that she is
to be the Mother of God; (2) the Visitation--the
Blessed Virgin goes to
visit her cousin, St. Elizabeth, the mother of
St. John the Baptist; (3)
the Nativity, or birth, of Our Lord; (4) the
Presentation of the Child
Jesus in the temple--His parents offered Him to
God; (5) the finding of
the Child Jesus in the temple--His parents had
lost Him in Jerusalem for
three days.
Q. 1085. Say the five sorrowful mysteries of
the Rosary.
A. The five sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary
are: (1) The Agony in the
Garden--Our Lord was in dreadful anguish and
bathed in a bloody sweat;
(2) the Scourging at the Pillar--Christ was
stripped of His garments and
lashed in a cruel manner; (3) the Crowning with
Thorns--He was mocked as
a king by heartless men; (4) the Carriage of
the Cross--from the place
He was condemned to Calvary, the place of
Crucifixion; (5) the
Crucifixion--He was nailed to the cross amid
the jeers and blasphemies
of His enemies.
Q. 1086. Say the five glorious mysteries of the
Rosary.
A. The five glorious mysteries of the Rosary
are: (1) The Resurrection
of Our Lord; (2) the Ascension of Our Lord; (3)
The Coming of the Holy
Ghost upon the Apostles; (4) the Assumption of
the Blessed Virgin--after
death she was taken body and soul into heaven;
(5) the Coronation of the
Blessed Virgin--on entering heaven she was made
queen of all the Angels
and Saints and placed in dignity next to her
Divine Son, Our Blessed
Lord.
Q. 1087. On what days, according to the pious
custom of the faithful,
are the different mysteries of the Rosary
usually said?
A. According to the pious custom of the
faithful, the different
mysteries of the Rosary are usually said on the
following days, namely:
the joyful on Mondays and Thursdays, the
sorrowful on Tuesdays and
Fridays, and the glorious on Sundays,
Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Q. 1088. What do the letters I.N.R.I. over the
crucifix mean?
A. The letters I.N.R.I. over the crucifix are
the first letters of four
Latin words that mean Jesus of Nazareth, King
of the Jews. Our Lord did
say He was king of the Jews, but He also said
that He was not their
temporal or earthly king, but their spiritual
and heavenly king.
Q. 1089. To what may we attribute the desire of
the Jews to put Christ
to death?
A. We may attribute the desire of the Jews to
put Christ to death to the
jealously, hatred and ill-will of their priests
and the Pharisees, whose
faults He rebuked and whose hypocrisy He
exposed. By their slanders and
lies they induced the people to follow them in
demanding Our Lord's
crucifixion.
Q. 1090. With whom did the Blessed Virgin live
after the death of Our
Lord?
A. After the death of Our Lord the Blessed
Virgin lived for about eleven
years with the Apostle St. John the Evangelist,
called also the Beloved
Disciple. He wrote one of the four Gospels,
three Epistles, and the
Apocalypse, or Book of Revelations--the last
book of the Bible. He lived
to the age of a hundred years or more and died
last of all the apostles.
Q. 1091. What do we mean by the Assumption of
the Blessed Virgin, and
why do we believe in it?
A. By the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin we
mean that her body was
taken up into heaven after her death. We
believe in it: (1) Because the
Church cannot teach error, and yet from an
early age the Church has
celebrated the Feast of the Assumption; (2) because
no one ever claimed
to have a relic of our Blessed Mother's body,
and surely the apostles,
who knew and loved her, would have secured some
relic had her body
remained upon earth.
Q. 1092. What do the letters I.H.S. on an altar
or sacred things mean?
A. The letters I.H.S. on an altar or sacred
things mean the name Jesus;
for it is in that way the Holy Name is written
in the Greek language
when some of the letters are left out.
Q. 1093. What is the scapular, and why is it
worn?
A. The scapular is a long, broad piece of
woolen cloth forming a part of
the religious dress of monks, priests and
sisters of some religious
orders. It is worn over the shoulders and
extends from the shoulders to
the feet. The small scapular made in imitation
of it, and consisting of
two small pieces of cloth fastened together by
strings, is worn by the
faithful as a promise or proof of their
willingness to practice some
particular devotion, indicated by the kind of
scapular they wear.
Q. 1094. How many kinds of scapulars are there
in use among the
faithful?
A. Among the faithful there are many kinds of
scapulars in use, such as
the brown scapular or scapular of Mount Carmel
worn in honor of Our
Lord's passion; the white, in honor of the Holy
Trinity; the blue, in
honor of the Immaculate Conception; and the
black, in honor of the seven
dolors of the Blessed Virgin. When these are
joined together and worn as
one they are called the five scapulars. The
brown scapular is best known
and entitles its wearer to the greatest privileges
and indulgences.
Q. 1095. What are the seven dolors of the
Blessed Virgin?
A. The seven dolors of the Blessed Virgin are
the chief sorrowful events
in the life of Our Blessed Lady. They are (1)
The Circumcision of Our
Lord--when she saw His blood shed for the first
time; (2) her flight
into Egypt--to save the life of the Infant
Jesus, when Herod sought to
kill Him; (3) the three days she lost her Son
in Jerusalem; (4) when she
saw Him carrying the cross; (5) when she saw
Him die; (6) when His dead
body was taken down from the cross; (7) when it
was laid in the
sepulchre or tomb.
Q. 1096. What are the seven dolor beads, and
how do we say them?
A. Seven dolor beads are beads constructed with
seven medals, each
bearing a representation of one of the seven
dolors, and seven beads
between each medal and the next. At each medal
we meditate on the proper
dolor and the say a Hail Mary on each of the
bead following it.
Q. 1097. What is an Agnus Dei?
A. An Agnus Dei is a small piece of beeswax
stamped with the image of a
lamb and cross. It is solemnly blessed by the
Pope with special prayers
for those who carry it about their person in
honor of Our Blessed
Redeemer, whom we call the Lamb of God, Who
taketh away the sins of the
world. The wax is usually covered with silk or
some fine material.
LESSON TWENTY-EIGHTH.
ON PRAYER.
Q. 1098. {303} Is there any other means of
obtaining God's grace than
the Sacraments?
A. There is another means of obtaining God's
grace, and it is prayer.
Q. 1099. {304} What is prayer?
A. Prayer is the lifting up of our minds and
hearts to God, to adore
Him, to thank Him for His benefits, to ask His
forgiveness, and to beg
of Him all the graces we need whether for soul
or body.
Q. 1100. How many kinds of prayer are there?
A. There are two kinds of prayer: (1) Mental
prayer, called meditation,
in which we spend the time thinking of God or
of one or more of the
truths He has revealed, that by these thoughts
we may be persuaded to
lead holier lives; (2) vocal prayer, in which
we express these pious
thoughts in words.
Q. 1101. Why is mental prayer most useful to
us?
A. Mental prayer is most useful to us because
it compels us, while we
are engaged in it, to keep our attention fixed
on God and His holy laws
and to keep our hearts and minds lifted up to
Him.
Q. 1102. How can we make a meditation?
A. We can make a meditation (1) By remembering
that we are in the
presence of God; (2) by asking the Holy Ghost
to give us grace to
benefit by the meditation; (3) by reflecting
seriously on some sacred
truth regarding our salvation; (4) by drawing
some good resolution from
the thoughts we have had; and (5) by thanking
God for the knowledge and
grace bestowed on us through the meditation.
Q. 1103. Where may we find subjects or points
for meditation?
A. We may find the subjects or points for
meditation in the words of the
Our Father, Hail Mary or Apostles' Creed; also
in the questions and
answers of our Catechism, in the Holy Bible,
and in books of meditation.
Q. 1104. {305} Is prayer necessary to
salvation?
A. Prayer is necessary to salvation, and
without it no one having the
use of reason can be saved.
Q. 1105. {306} At what particular times should
we pray?
A. We should pray particularly on Sundays and
holy days, every morning
and night, in all dangers, temptations, and
afflictions.
Q. 1106. {307} How should we pray?
A. We should pray: 1st. With attention; 2d.
With a sense of our own
helplessness and dependence upon God; 3d. With
a great desire for the
graces we beg of God; 4th. With trust in God's
goodness; 5th. With
perseverance.
Q. 1107. What should our attention at prayer
be?
A. Our attention at prayer should be threefold,
namely, attention to the
words, that we may say them correctly and
distinctly; attention to their
meaning, if we understand it, and attention to
God, to whom the words
are addressed.
Q. 1108. What should be the position of the
body when we pray?
A. At prayer the most becoming position of the
body is kneeling upright,
but whether we pray kneeling, standing or
sitting, the position of the
body should always be one indicating reverence,
respect and devotion. We
may pray even lying down or walking, for Our
Lord Himself says we should
pray at all times.
Q. 1109. What should we do that we may pray
well?
A. That we may pray well we should make a
preparation before prayer: (1)
By calling to mind the dignity of God, to whom
we are about to speak,
and our own unworthiness to appear in His
presence; (2) by fixing upon
the precise grace or blessing for which we
intend to ask; (3) by
remembering God's power and willingness to give
if we truly need and
earnestly, humbly and confidently ask.
Q. 1110. Why does God not always grant our
prayers?
A. God does not always grant our prayers for
these and other reasons:
(1) Because we may not pray in the proper
manner; (2) that we may learn
our dependence on Him, prove our confidence in
Him, and merit rewards by
our patience and perseverance in prayer.
Prudent persons do not grant
every request; why, then, should God do so?
Q. 1111. What assurance have we that God always
hears and rewards our
prayers, though He may not grant what we ask?
A. We have the assurance of Our Lord Himself
that God always hears and
rewards our prayers, though He may not grant
what we ask; for Christ
said: "Ask and it shall be given
you," and "if you ask the Father
anything in My name, He will give it to
you."
Q. 1112. {308} Which are the prayers most
recommended to us?
A. The prayers most recommended to us are the
Lord's Prayer, the Hail
Mary, the Apostles' Creed, the Confiteor, and
the Acts of Faith, Hope,
Love, and Contrition.
Q. 1113. {309} Are prayers said with
distractions of any avail?
A. Prayers said with wilful distraction are of
no avail.
Q. 1114. Why are prayers said with wilful
distraction of no avail?
A. Prayers said with wilful distraction are of
no avail because they are
mere words, such as a machine might utter, and
since there is no lifting
up of the mind or heart with them they cannot
be prayer.
Q. 1115. Do, then, the distractions which we
often have at prayer
deprive our prayers of all merit?
A. The distractions which we often have at
prayer do not deprive our
prayers of all merit, because they are not
wilful when we try to keep
them away, for God rewards our good intentions
and the efforts we make
to pray well.
Q. 1116. What, then, is a distraction?
A. A distraction is any thought that, during
prayer, enters our mind to
turn our thoughts and hearts from God and from
the sacred duty we are
performing.
Q. 1117. What are the fruits of prayer?
A. The fruits of prayer are: It strengthens our
faith, nourishes our
hope, increases our love for God, keeps us
humble, merits grace and
atones for sin.
Q. 1118. Why should we pray when God knows our
needs?
A. We pray not to remind God or tell Him of
what we need, but to
acknowledge that He is the Supreme Giver, to
adore and worship Him by
showing our entire dependence upon Him for
every gift to soul or body.
Q. 1119. What little prayers may we say even at
work?
A. Even at work we may say little aspirations
such as "My God, pardon my
sins; Blessed be the Holy Name of Jesus; Holy
Spirit, enlighten me; Holy
Mary, pray for me," &c.
Q. 1120. Did Our Lord Himself pray, and why?
A. Our Lord Himself very frequently prayed,
often spending the whole
night in prayer. He prayed before every
important action, not that He
needed to pray, but to set us an example of how
and when we should pray.
Q. 1121. Why does the Church conclude most of
its prayers with the words
"through Jesus Christ Our Lord"?
A. The Church concludes most of its prayers
with the words "through
Jesus Christ Our Lord" because it is only
through His merits that we can
obtain grace, and because "there is no
other name given to men whereby
we must be saved."
Q. 1122. Was any special promise made in favor
of the united prayers of
two or more persons?
A. A special promise was made in favor of the
united prayers of two or
more persons when Our Lord said: "Where
there are two or three gathered
together in My name, there am I in the midst of
them." Therefore, the
united prayers of a congregation, sodality or
family, and, above all,
the public prayers of the whole Church, have
great influence with God.
We should join in public prayers out of true
devotion, and not from
habit, or, worse, to display our piety.
Q. 1123. What is the most suitable place for
prayer?
A. The most suitable place for prayer is in the
Church--the house of
prayer--made holy by special blessings and,
above all, by the Real
Presence of Jesus dwelling in the Tabernacle.
Still, Our Lord exhorts us
to pray also in secret, for His Father, who
seeth in secret, will repay
us.
Q. 1124. For what should we pray?
A. We should pray (1) For ourselves, for the
blessings of soul and body
that we may be devoted servants of God; (2) for
the Church, for all
spiritual and temporal wants, that the true
faith may be everywhere
known and professed; (3) for our relatives,
friends and benefactors,
particularly for those we may in any way have
injured; (4) for all men,
for the protection of the good and conversion
of the wicked, that virtue
may flourish and vice disappear; (5) for our
spiritual rulers, the Pope,
our bishops, priests and religious communities,
that they may faithfully
perform their sacred duties; (6) for our
country and temporal rulers,
that they may use their power for the good of
their subjects and for the
honor and glory of God.
LESSON TWENTY-NINTH.
ON THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD.
Q. 1125. {310} Is it enough to belong to God's
Church in order to be
saved?
A. It is not enough to belong to the Church in
order to be saved, but we
must also keep the Commandments of God and of
the Church.
Q. 1126. Are not the commandments of the Church
also commandments of
God?
A. The commandments of the Church are also
commandments of God, for they
are made by His authority and under the
guidance of the Holy Ghost;
nevertheless, the Church can change or abolish
its own commandments,
while it cannot change or abolish the
commandments given directly by God
Himself.
Q. 1127. {311} Which are the Commandments that
contain the whole law of
God?
A. The Commandments which contain the whole law
of God are these two:
1st. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy
whole heart, with thy
whole soul, with thy whole strength, and with
thy whole mind; 2. Thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
Q. 1128. {312} Why do these two Commandments of
the love of God and of
our neighbor contain the whole law of God?
A. These two Commandments of the love of God
and of our neighbor contain
the whole law of God because all the other
Commandments are given either
to help us to keep these two, or to direct us
how to shun what is
opposed to them.
Q. 1129. Explain further how the two
commandments of the love of God and
of our neighbor contain the teaching of the
whole ten commandments.
A. The two commandments of the love of God and
of our neighbor contain
the teaching of the whole ten commandments
because the first three of
the ten commandments refer to God and oblige us
to worship Him alone,
respect His name and serve Him as He wills, and
these things we will do
if we love Him; secondly, the last seven of the
ten commandments refer
to our neighbor and forbid us to injure him in
body, soul, goods or
reputation, and if we love him we will do him
no injury in any of these,
but, on the contrary, aid him as far as we can.
Q. 1130. {313} Which are the Commandments of
God?
A. The Commandments of God are these ten:
1. I am
the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt,
out
of the house of bondage. Thou shalt not have strange gods before
me.
Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness
of
any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor
of
those things that are in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt
not
adore them, nor serve them.
2. Thou
shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
3.
Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day.
4. Honor
thy father and thy mother.
5. Thou
shalt not kill.
6. Thou
shalt not commit adultery.
7. Thou
shalt not steal.
8. Thou
shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
9. Thou
shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods.
Q. 1131. What does the first commandment mean
by a "graven thing" or
"the likeness of anything" in heaven,
in the earth or in the waters?
A. The first commandment means by a
"graven thing" or "the likeness of
anything" in heaven, in the earth or in
the waters, the statue, picture
or image of any creature in heaven or of any
animal on land or in water
intended for an idol and to be worshipped as a
god.
Q. 1132. {314} Who gave the Ten Commandments?
A. God Himself gave the Ten Commandments to Moses
on Mount Sinai, and
Christ our Lord confirmed them.
Q. 1133. How and when were the Commandments
given to Moses?
A. The Commandments, written on two tables of
stone, were given to Moses
in the midst of fire and smoke, thunder and
lightning, from which God
spoke to him on the mountain, about fifty days
after the Israelites were
delivered from the bondage of Egypt and while
they were on their journey
through the desert to the Promised Land.
Q. 1134. What do we mean when we say Christ
confirmed the Commandments?
A. When we say Christ confirmed the
Commandments we mean that He
strongly approved them, and gave us by His
teaching a fuller and clearer
knowledge of their meaning and importance.
Q. 1135. Was anyone obliged to keep the
Commandments before they were
given to Moses?
A. All persons, from the beginning of the
world, were obliged to keep
the Commandments, for it was always sinful to
blaspheme God, murder,
steal or violate any of the Commandments,
though they were not written
till the time of Moses.
Q. 1136. How many kinds of laws had the Jews
before the coming of Our
Lord?
A. Before the coming of Our Lord the Jews had
three kinds of laws: (1)
Civil laws, regulating the affairs of their
nation; (2) ceremonial laws,
governing their worship in the temple; (3)
moral laws, guiding their
religious belief and actions.
Q. 1137. To which of these laws did the Ten
Commandments belong?
A. The Ten Commandments belong to the moral
law, because they are a
compendium or short account of what we must do in
order to save our
souls; just as the Apostles' Creed is a
compendium of what we must
believe.
Q. 1138. When did the civil and ceremonial laws
of the Jews cease to
exist?
A. The civil laws of the Jews ceased to exist
when the Jewish people,
shortly before the coming of Christ, ceased to
be an independent nation.
The ceremonial laws ceased to exist when the
Jewish religion ceased to
be the true religion; that is, when Christ
established the Christian
religion, of which the Jewish religion was only
a figure or promise.
Q. 1139. Why were not also the moral laws of
the Jews abolished when the
Christian religion was established?
A. The moral laws of the Jews could not be
abolished by the
establishment of the Christian religion because
they regard truth and
virtue and have been revealed by God, and
whatever God has revealed as
true must be always true, and whatever He has
condemned as bad in itself
must be always bad.
LESSON THIRTIETH.
ON THE FIRST COMMANDMENT.
Q. 1140. {315} What is the first Commandment?
A. The first Commandment is: I am the Lord thy
God: thou shalt not have
strange gods before me.
Q. 1141. What does the commandment mean by
"strange gods"?
A. By strange gods the commandment means idols
or false gods, which the
Israelites frequently worshipped when, through
their sins, they had
abandoned the true God.
Q. 1142. How may we, in a sense, worship
strange gods?
A. We, in a sense, may worship strange gods by
giving up the salvation
of our souls for wealth, honors, society,
worldly pleasures, &c., so
that we would offend God, renounce our faith or
give up the practice of
our religion for their sake.
Q. 1143. {316} How does the first Commandment
help us to keep the great
Commandment of the love of God?
A. The first Commandment helps us to keep the
great Commandment of the
love of God because it commands us to adore God
alone.
Q. 1144. {317} How do we adore God?
A. We adore God by faith, hope, and charity, by
prayer and sacrifice.
Q. 1145. By what prayers do we adore God?
A. We adore God by all our prayers, but in
particular by the public
prayers of the Church, and, above all, by the
Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass.
Q. 1146. {318} How may the first Commandment be
broken?
A. The first Commandment make be broken by
giving to a creature the
honor which belongs to God alone; by false
worship; and by attributing
to a creature a perfection which belongs to God
alone.
Q. 1147. What is the honor which belongs to God
alone?
A. The honor which belongs to God alone is a
divine honor, in which we
offer Him sacrifice, incense or prayer, solely
for His own sake and for
His own glory. To give such honor to any
creature, however holy, would
be idolatry.
Q. 1148. How do we offer God false worship?
A. We offer God false worship by rejecting the
religion He has
instituted and following one pleasing to
ourselves, with a form of
worship He has never authorized, approved or
sanctioned.
Q. 1149. Why must we serve God in the form of
religion He has instituted
and in no other?
A. We must serve God in the form of religion He
has instituted and in no
other, because heaven is not a right, but a
promised reward, a free gift
of God, which we must merit in the manner He
directs and pleases.
Q. 1150. When do we attribute to a creature a
perfection which belongs
to God alone?
A. We attribute to a creature a perfection
which belongs to God alone
when we believe it possesses knowledge or power
independently of God, so
that it may, without His aid, make known the
future or perform miracles.
Q. 1151. {319} Do those who make use of spells
and charms, or who
believe in dreams, in mediums, spiritists,
fortune-tellers, and the
like, sin against the first Commandment?
A. Those who make use of spells and charms, or
who believe in dreams, in
mediums, spiritists, fortune-tellers, and the
like, sin against the
first Commandment, because they attribute to
creatures perfections which
belong to God alone.
Q. 1152. What are spells and charms?
A. Spells and charms are certain words, by the
saying of which
superstitious persons believe they can avert
evil, bring good fortune or
produce some supernatural or wonderful effect.
They may be also objects
or articles worn about the body for the same
purpose.
Q. 1153. Are not Agnus Deis, medals, scapulars,
&c., which we wear about
our bodies also charms?
A. Agnus Deis, medals, scapulars, &c.,
which we wear about our bodies,
are not charms, for we do not expect any help
from these things
themselves, but, through the blessing they have
received from the
Church, we expect help from God, the Blessed
Mother, or the Saint in
whose honor we wear them. On the contrary, they
who wear charms expect
help from the charms themselves, or from some
evil spirit.
Q. 1154. What must we carefully guard against
in all our devotions and
religious practices?
A. In all our devotions and religious practices
we must carefully guard
against expecting God to perform miracles when
natural causes may bring
about what we hope for. God will sometimes
miraculously help us, but, as
a rule, only when all natural means have
failed.
Q. 1155. What are dreams and why is it
forbidden to believe in them?
A. Dreams are the thoughts we have in sleep,
when our will is unable to
guide them. It is forbidden to believe in them,
because they are often
ridiculous, unreasonable, or wicked, and are
not governed by either
reason or faith.
Q. 1156. Are bad dreams sinful in themselves?
A. Bad dreams are not sinful in themselves,
because we cannot prevent
them, but we may make them sinful (1) By taking
pleasure in them when we
awake, and (2) by bad reading or immodest
books, thoughts, word or
actions before going to sleep; for by any of
these things we may make
ourselves responsible for the bad dreams.
Q. 1157. Did not God frequently in the Old Law
make use of dreams as a
means of making known His will?
A. God did frequently in the Old Law make use
of dreams as a means of
making known His Will; but on such occasions He
always gave proof that
what He made known was not a mere dream, but
rather a revelation or
inspiration. He no longer makes use of such
means, for He now makes
known His will through the inspiration of His
Church.
Q. 1158. What are mediums and spiritists?
A. Mediums and spiritists are persons who
pretend to converse with the
dead or with spirits of the other world. They
pretend also to give this
power to others, that they may know what is
going on in heaven,
purgatory or hell.
Q. 1159. What other practice is very dangerous
to faith and morals?
A. Another practice very dangerous to faith and
morals is the use of
mesmerism or hypnotism, because it is liable to
sinful abuses, for it
deprives a person for a time of the control of
his reason and will and
places his body and mind entirely in the power
of another.
Q. 1160. What are fortune tellers?
A. Fortune tellers are imposters who, learning
the past, or guessing at
it, pretend to know also the future and to be
able to reveal it to
anyone who pays for the knowledge. They pretend
also to know whatever
concerns things lost or stolen, and the secret
thoughts, actions or
intentions of others.
Q. 1161. How do we, by believing in spells,
charms, mediums, spiritists
and fortune tellers, attribute to creatures the
perfections of God?
A. By believing in spells, charms, mediums,
spiritists and fortune
tellers we attribute to creatures the
perfections of God because we
expect these creatures to perform miracles,
reveal the hidden judgments
of God, and make known His designs for the
future with regard to His
creatures, things that only God Himself may do.
Q. 1162. Is it sinful to consult mediums,
spiritists, fortune tellers
and the like when we do not believe in them,
but through mere curiosity
to hear what they may say?
A. It is sinful to consult mediums, spiritists,
fortune tellers and the
like even when we do not believe in them, but
through mere curiosity, to
hear what they may say, (1) Because it is wrong
to expose ourselves to
the danger of sinning even though we do not
sin; (2) because we may give
scandal to others who are not certain that we
go through mere curiosity;
(3) because by our pretended belief we
encourage these impostors to
continue their wicked practices.
Q. 1163. {320} 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.
Q. 1164. {321} 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.
Q. 1165. {322} 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.
Q. 1166. What means have we of learning the
Christian doctrine?
A. We have many means of learning the Christian
doctrine: In youth we
have Catechism and special instructions suited
to our age; later we have
sermons, missions, retreats, religious
sodalities and societies through
which we may learn. At all times, we have books
of instruction, and,
above all, the priests of the Church, ever
ready to teach us. God will
not excuse our ignorance if we neglect to learn
our religion when He has
given us the means.
Q. 1167. Should we learn the Christian doctrine
merely for our own sake?
A. We should learn the Christian doctrine not
merely for our own sake,
but for the sake also of others who may
sincerely wish to learn from us
the truths of our holy faith.
Q. 1168. How should such instruction be given
to those who ask it of us?
A. Such instruction should be given to those
who ask it of us in a kind
and Christian spirit, without dispute or
bitterness. We should never
attempt to explain the truths of our religion
unless we are certain of
what we say. When we are unable to answer what
is asked we should send
those who inquire to the priest or to others
better instructed than
ourselves.
Q. 1169. {323} 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.
Q. 1170. Name the different classes of
unbelievers and tell what they
are.
A. The different classes of unbelievers are (1)
Atheists, who deny there
is a God; (2) Deists, who admit there is a God,
but deny that He
revealed a religion; (3) Agnostics, who will
neither admit nor deny the
existence of God; (4) Infidels, who have never
been baptized, and who,
through want of faith, refuse to be baptized;
(5) Heretics, who have
been baptized Christians, but do not believe
all the articles of faith;
(6) Schismatics, who have been baptized and
believe all the articles of
faith, but do not submit to the authority of
the Pope; (7) Apostates,
who have rejected the true religion, in which they
formerly believed, to
join a false religion; (8) Rationalists and
Materialists, who believe
only in material things.
Q. 1171. Will the denial of only one article of
faith make a person a
heretic?
A. The denial of only one article of faith will
make a person a heretic
and guilty of mortal sin, because the Holy
Scripture says: "Whosoever
shall keep the whole law but offend in one
point is become guilty of
all."
Q. 1172. What is an article of faith?
A. An article of faith is a revealed truth so important
and so certain
that no one can deny or doubt it without
rejecting the testimony of God.
The Church very clearly points out what truths
are articles of faith
that we may distinguish them from pious beliefs
and traditions, so that
no one can be guilty of the sin of heresy
without knowing it.
Q. 1173. {324} 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.
Q. 1174. How do persons who are members of the
Church neglect to profess
their belief?
A. Persons who are members of the Church
neglect to profess their belief
by living contrary to the teachings of the
Church: that is, by
neglecting Mass or the Sacraments, doing injury
to their neighbor, and
disgracing their religion by sinful and
scandalous lives.
Q. 1175. What chiefly prevents persons who
believe in the Church from
becoming members of it?
A. A want of Christian courage chiefly prevents
persons who believe in
the Church from becoming members of it. They
fear too much the opinion
or displeasure of others, the loss of position
or wealth, and, in
general, the trials they may have to suffer for
the sake of the true
faith.
Q. 1176. What does Our Lord say of those who
neglect the true religion
for the sake of relatives or friends, or from
fear of suffering?
A. Our Lord says of those who neglect the true
religion for the sake of
relatives or friends, or from fear of
suffering: "He that loveth father
or mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me;
and he that loveth son or
daughter more than Me, is not worthy of
Me"; also: "And whosoever does
not carry his cross and come after Me cannot be
My disciple."
Q. 1177. What excuse do some give for
neglecting to seek and embrace the
true religion?
A. Some give as an excuse for neglecting to
seek and embrace the true
religion that we should live in the religion in
which we were born, and
that one religion is as good as another if we
believe we are serving
God.
Q. 1178. How do we show that such an excuse is
false and absurd?
A. We show that such an excuse is false and
absurd because (1) It is
false and absurd to say that we should remain
in error after we have
discovered it; (2) because if one religion is
as good as another, Our
Lord would not have abolished the Jewish
religion, nor the apostles have
preached against heresy.
Q. 1179. {325} 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: "Whosoever shall deny me before men,
I will also deny him before
my Father who is in heaven."
Q. 1180. {326} 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."
Q. 1181. When does God's honor, our neighbor's
spiritual good, or our
own good require us to make an open profession
of our faith?
A. God's honor, our neighbor's spiritual good,
or our own good requires
us to make an open profession of our faith as
often as we cannot conceal
our religion without violating some law of God
or of His Church, or
without giving scandal to others or exposing
ourselves to the danger of
sinning. Pious practices not commanded may
often be omitted without any
denial of faith.
Q. 1182. {327} Which are the sins against hope?
A. The sins against hope are presumption and
despair.
Q. 1183. {328} What is presumption?
A. Presumption is a rash expectation of
salvation without making proper
use of the necessary means to obtain it.
Q. 1184. How may we be guilty of presumption?
A. We may be guilty of presumption (1) By
putting off confession when in
a state of mortal sin; (2) by delaying the
amendment of our lives and
repentance for past sins; (3) by being
indifferent about the number of
times we yield to any temptation after we have
once yielded and broken
our resolution to resist it; (4) by thinking we
can avoid sin without
avoiding its near occasion; (5) by relying too
much on ourselves and
neglecting to follow the advice of our
confessor in regard to the sins
we confess.
Q. 1185. {329} What is despair?
A. Despair is the loss of hope in God's mercy.
Q. 1186. How may we be guilty of despair?
A. We may be guilty of despair by believing
that we cannot resist
certain temptations, overcome certain sins or
amend our lives so as to
be pleasing to God.
Q. 1187. Are all sins of presumption and
despair equally great?
A. All sins of presumption and despair are not
equally great. They may
be very slight or very great in proportion to
the degree in which we
deny the justice or mercy of God.
Q. 1188. {330} 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 THE SAINTS.
Q. 1189. {331} 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.
Q. 1190. What does "invocation" mean?
A. Invocation means calling upon another for
help or protection,
particularly when we are in need or danger. It
is used specially with
regard to calling upon God or the saints, and
hence it means prayer.
Q. 1191. How do we show that by honoring the
Saints we honor God
Himself?
A. We honor the Saints because they honor God.
Therefore, it is for His
sake that we honor them, and hence by honoring
them we honor Him.
Q. 1192. Give another reason why we honor God
by honoring the Saints.
A. Another reason why we honor God by honoring
the Saints is this: As we
honor our country by honoring its heroes, so do
we honor our religion by
honoring its Saints. By honoring our religion
we honor God, who taught
it. Therefore, by honoring the Saints we honor
God, for love of whom
they became religious heroes in their faith.
Q. 1193. {332} Does the first Commandment
forbid us to pray to the
saints?
A. The first Commandment does not forbid us to
pray to the saints.
Q. 1194. Why does the first commandment not
forbid us to pray to the
Saints?
A. The first commandment does not forbid us to
pray to the Saints,
because if we are allowed to ask the prayers of
our fellow-creatures
upon earth we should be allowed also to ask the
prayers of our
fellow-creatures in heaven. Moreover, the
Saints must have an interest
in our welfare, because whatever tends to make
us good, tends also to
the glory of God.
Q. 1195. {333} What do we mean by praying to
the saints?
A. By praying to the saints we mean the asking
of their help and
prayers.
Q. 1196. Do we not slight God Himself by
addressing our prayers to
saints?
A. We do not slight God Himself by addressing
our prayers to saints,
but, on the contrary, show a greater respect
for His majesty and
sanctity, acknowledging, by our prayers to the
saints, that we are
unworthy to address Him for ourselves, and that
we, therefore, ask His
holy friends to obtain for us what we ourselves
are not worthy to ask.
Q. 1197. {334} 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.
Q. 1198. {335} Why do we believe that the
saints will help us?
A. We believe that the saints will help us
because both they and we are
members of the same Church, and they love us as
their brethren.
Q. 1199. {336} How are the saints and we
members of the same Church?
A. The saints and we are members of the same
Church, because the Church
in heaven and the Church on earth are one and
the same Church, and all
its members are in communion with one another.
Q. 1200. {337} What is the communion of the
members of the Church
called?
A. The communion of the members of the Church
is called the Communion of
Saints.
Q. 1201. {338} What does the communion of
saints mean?
A. The communion of saints means the union
which exists between the
members of the Church on earth with one
another, and with the blessed in
Heaven, and with the suffering souls in
Purgatory.
Q. 1202. {339} What benefits are derived from
the communion of saints?
A. The following benefits are derived from the
communion of saints: the
faithful on earth assist one another by their
prayers and good works,
and they are aided by the intercession of the
saints in Heaven, while
both the saints in Heaven and the faithful on
earth help the souls in
Purgatory.
Q. 1203. How can we best honor the Saints, and
where shall we learn
their virtues?
A. We can best honor the Saints by imitating
their virtues, and we shall
learn their virtues from the written accounts
of their lives. Among the
Saints we shall find models for every age,
condition or state of life.
Q. 1204. {340} Does the first Commandment
forbid us to honor relics?
A. The first Commandment does not forbid us to
honor relics, because
relics are the bodies of the saints or objects
directly connected with
them or with our Lord.
Q. 1205. How many kinds or classes of relics
are there?
A. There are three kinds or classes of relics:
(1) The body or part of
the body of a saint; (2) articles, such as
clothing or books, used by
the saint; (3) articles that have touched a
relic of the body or other
relic.
Q. 1206. What is there special about a relic of
the true cross on which
Our Lord Died, and also about the instruments
of His Passion?
A. The relics of the true Cross and relics of
the thorns, nails, &c.,
used in the Passion are entitled to a very
special veneration, and they
have certain privileges with regard to their
use and the manner of
keeping them that other relics have not. A
relic of the true Cross is
never kept or carried with other relics.
Q. 1207. What veneration does the Church permit
us to give to relics?
A. The Church permits us to give relics a
veneration similar to that we
give images. We do not venerate the relics for
their own sake, but for
the sake of the persons they represent. The
souls of canonized saints
are certainly in heaven, and we are certain
that their bodies also will
be there. Therefore, we may honor their bodies
because they are to be
glorified in heaven and were sanctified upon
earth.
Q. 1208. What care does the Church take in the
examination and
distribution of relics?
A. The Church takes the greatest care in the
examination and
distribution of relics. (1) The canonization or
beatification of the
person whose relic we receive must be certain;
(2) the relics are sent
in sealed packets, that must be opened only by
the bishop of the diocese
to which the relics are sent, and each relic or
packet must be
accompanied by a document or written paper
proving its genuineness; (3)
the relics cannot be exposed for public
veneration until the bishop
examines them and pronounces them authentic;
that is, that they are what
they are claimed to be.
Q. 1209. What should we be certain of before
using any relic or giving
it to another?
A. Before using any relic or giving it to another
we should be certain
that all the requirements of the Church
concerning it have been
fulfilled, and that the relic really is, as far
as it is possible for
any one to know, what we believe it to be.
Q. 1210. Has God Himself honored relics?
A. God Himself has frequently honored relics by
permitting miracles to
be wrought through them. There is an example
given in the Bible, in the
IV Book of Kings, where it is related that a
dead man was restored to
life when his body touched the bones, that is,
the relics of the holy
prophet Eliseus.
Q. 1211. {341} Does the first Commandment
forbid the making of images?
A. The first Commandment does forbid the making
of images if they are
made to be adored as gods, but it does not
forbid the making of them to
put us in mind of Jesus Christ, His Blessed
Mother, and the saints.
Q. 1212. How do we show that it is only the
worship and not the making
of images that is forbidden by the first
commandment?
A. We show that it is only the worship and not
the making of images that
is forbidden by the first commandment, (1)
Because no one thinks it
sinful to carve statues or make photographs or
paintings of relatives or
friends; (2) because God Himself commanded the
making of images for the
temple after He had given the first commandment,
and God never
contradicts Himself.
Q. 1213. {342} Is it right to show respect to
the pictures and images of
Christ and His saints?
A. It is right to show respect to the pictures
and images of Christ and
His saints, because they are the representations
and memorials of them.
Q. 1214. Have we in this country any civil
custom similar to that of
honoring the pictures and images of saints?
A. We have, in this country, a civil custom
similar to that of honoring
pictures and images of saints, for, on
Decoration or Memorial Day,
patriotic citizens place flowers, flags, or
emblems about the statues of
our deceased civil heroes, to honor the persons
these statues represent;
for just as we can dishonor a man by abusing
his image, so we can honor
him by treating it with respect and reverence.
Q. 1215. {343} Is it allowed to pray to the
crucifix or to the images
and relics of the saints?
A. It is not allowed to pray to the crucifix or
images and relics of the
saints, for they have no life, nor power to
help us, nor sense to hear
us.
Q. 1216. {344} Why do we pray before the
crucifix and the images and
relics of the saints?
A. We pray before the crucifix and the images
and relics of the saints
because they enliven our devotion by exciting
pious affections and
desires, and by reminding us of Christ and of
the saints, that we may
imitate their virtues.
LESSON THIRTY-SECOND.
FROM THE SECOND TO THE FOURTH
COMMANDMENT.
Q. 1217. {345} What is the second Commandment?
A. The second Commandment is: Thou shalt not
take the name of the Lord
thy God in vain.
Q. 1218. What do you mean by taking God's name
in vain?
A. By taking God's name in vain I mean taking
it without reverence, as
in cursing or using in a light and careless
manner, as in exclamation.
Q. 1219. {346} What are we commanded by the
second Commandment?
A. We are commanded by the second Commandment
to speak with reverence of
God and of the saints, and of all holy things,
and to keep our lawful
oaths and vows.
Q. 1220. Is it sinful to use the words of Holy
Scripture in a bad or
worldly sense?
A. It is sinful to use the words of Holy
Scripture in a bad or worldly
sense, to joke in them or ridicule their sacred
meaning, or in general
to give them any meaning but the one we believe
God has intended them to
convey.
Q. 1221. {347} What is an oath?
A. An oath is the calling upon God to witness
the truth of what we say.
Q. 1222. How is an oath usually taken?
A. An oath is usually taken by laying the hand
on the Bible or by
lifting the hand towards heaven as a sign that
we call God to witness
that what we are saying is under oath and to
the best of our knowledge
really true.
Q. 1223. What is perjury?
A. Perjury is the sin one commits who knowingly
takes a false oath; that
is, swears to the truth of what he knows to be
false. Perjury is a crime
against the law of our country and a mortal sin
before God.
Q. 1224. Who have the right to make us take an
oath?
A. All persons to whom the law of our country
has given such authority
have the right to make us take an oath. They
are chiefly judges,
magistrates and public officials, whose duty it
is to enforce the laws.
In religious matters bishops and others to whom
authority is given have
also the right to make us take an oath.
Q. 1225. {348} When may we take an oath?
A. We may take an oath when it is ordered by
lawful authority or
required for God's honor or for our own or our
neighbor's good.
Q. 1226. When may an oath be required for God's
honor or for our own or
our neighbor's good?
A. An oath may be required for God's honor or
for our own or our
neighbor's good when we are called upon to
defend our religion against
false charges; or to protect our own or our
neighbor's property or good
name; or when we are required to give testimony
that will enable the
lawful authorities to discover the guilt or
innocence of a person
accused.
Q. 1227. Is it ever allowed to promise under
oath, in secret societies
or elsewhere, to obey another in whatever good
or evil he commands?
A. It is never allowed to promise under oath,
in secret societies or
elsewhere, to obey another in whatever good or
evil he commands, for by
such an oath we would declare ourselves ready
and willing to commit sin,
if ordered to do so, while God commands us to avoid
even the danger of
sinning. Hence the Church forbids us to join
any society in which such
oaths are taken by its members.
Q. 1228. What societies in general are we
forbidden to join?
A. In general we are forbidden to join (1) All
societies condemned by
the Church; (2) all societies of which the
object is unlawful and the
means used sinful; (3) societies in which the
rights and freedom of our
conscience are violated by rash or dangerous
oaths; (4) societies in
which any false religious ceremony or form of
worship is used.
Q. 1229. Are trades unions and benefit
societies forbidden?
A. Trades unions and benefit societies are not
in themselves forbidden
because they have lawful ends, which they can
secure by lawful means.
The Church encourages every society that
lawfully aids its members
spiritually or temporally, and censures or
disowns every society that
uses sinful or unlawful means to secure even a
good end; for the Church
can never permit anyone to do evil that good
may come of it.
Q. 1230. Is it lawful to vow or promise strict
obedience to a religious
superior?
A. It is lawful to vow or promise strict
obedience to a religious
superior, because such superior can exact
obedience only in things that
have the sanction of God or of His Church.
Q. 1231. {349} What is necessary to make an
oath lawful?
A. To make an oath lawful it is necessary that
what we swear to be true,
and that there be a sufficient cause for taking
an oath.
Q. 1232. {350} What is a vow?
A. A vow is a deliberate promise made to God to
do something that is
pleasing to Him.
Q. 1233. Which are the vows most frequently
made?
A. The vows most frequently made are the three
vows of poverty, chastity
and obedience, taken by persons living in
religious communities or
consecrated to God. Persons living in the world
are sometimes permitted
to make such vows privately, but this should
never be done without the
advice and consent of their confessor.
Q. 1234. What do the vows of poverty, chastity
and obedience require?
A. The vows of poverty, chastity and obedience
require that those who
make them shall not possess or keep any
property or goods for themselves
alone; that they shall not marry or be guilty
of any immodest acts, and
that they shall strictly obey their lawful
superiors.
Q. 1235. Has it always been a custom with pious
Christians to make vows
and promises to God?
A. It has always been a custom with pious
Christians to make vows and
promises to God; to beg His help for some
special end, or to thank Him
for some benefit received. They have promised
pilgrimages, good works or
alms and they have vowed to erect churches,
convents, hospitals or
schools.
Q. 1236. What is a pilgrimage?
A. A pilgrimage is a journey to a holy place
made in a religious manner
and for a religious purpose.
Q. 1237. {351} Is it a sin not to fulfill our
vows?
A. Not to fulfill our vows is a sin, mortal or
venial, according to the
nature of the vow and the intention we had in
making it.
Q. 1238. Are we bound to keep an unlawful oath
or vow?
A. We are not bound, but, on the contrary,
positively forbidden to keep
an unlawful oath or vow. We are guilty of sin
in taking such an oath or
making such a vow, and we would be guilty of
still greater sin by
keeping them.
Q. 1239. {352} What is forbidden by the second
Commandment?
A. The second Commandment forbids all false,
rash, unjust, and
unnecessary oaths, blasphemy, cursing, and
profane words.
Q. 1240. When is an oath rash, unjust or
unnecessary?
A. An oath is rash when we are not sure of the
truth of what we swear;
it is unjust when it injures another
unlawfully; and it is unnecessary
when there is no good reason for taking it.
Q. 1241. What is blasphemy, and what are
profane words?
A. Blasphemy is any word or action intended as
an insult to God. To say
He is cruel or find fault with His works is
blasphemy. It is a much
greater sin than cursing or taking God's name
in vain. Profane words
mean here bad, irreverent or irreligious words.
Q. 1242. {353} What is the third Commandment?
A. The third Commandment is: Remember thou keep
holy the Sabbath day.
Q. 1243. {354} What are we commanded by the
third Commandment?
A. By the third Commandment we are commanded to
keep holy the Lord's day
and the holydays of obligation, on which we are
to give our time to the
service and worship of God.
Q. 1244. What are holydays of obligation?
A. Holydays of obligation are special feasts of
the Church on which we
are bound, under pain of mortal sin, to hear
Mass and to keep from
servile or bodily labors when it can be done without
great loss or
inconvenience. Whoever, on account of their
circumstances, cannot give
up work on holydays of obligation should make
every effort to hear Mass
and should also explain in confession the
necessity of working on
holydays.
Q. 1245. {355} How are we to worship God on
Sundays and holydays of
obligation?
A. We are to worship God on Sundays and
holydays of obligation by
hearing Mass, by prayer, and by other good
works.
Q. 1246. Name some of the good works
recommended for Sunday.
A. Some of the good works recommended for
Sunday are: The reading of
religious books or papers, teaching Catechism,
bringing relief to the
poor or sick, visiting the Blessed Sacrament,
attending Vespers, Rosary
or other devotions in the Church; also
attending the meetings of
religious sodalities or societies. It is not
necessary to spend the
whole Sunday in such good works, but we should
give some time to them,
that for the love of God we may do a little
more than what is strictly
commanded.
Q. 1247. Is it forbidden, then, to seek any
pleasure or enjoyment on
Sunday?
A. It is not forbidden to seek lawful pleasure
or enjoyment on Sunday,
especially to those who are occupied during the
week, for God did not
intend the keeping of the Sunday to be a
punishment, but a benefit to
us. Therefore, after hearing Mass we may take
such recreation as is
necessary or useful for us; but we should avoid
any vulgar, noisy or
disgraceful amusements that turn the day of
rest and prayer into a day
of scandal and sin.
Q. 1248. {356} Are the Sabbath day and the
Sunday the same?
A. The Sabbath day and the Sunday are not the
same. The Sabbath is the
seventh day of the week, and is the day which
was kept holy in the old
law; the Sunday is the first day of the week,
and is the day which is
kept holy in the new law.
Q. 1249. What is meant by the Old and New Law?
A. The Old Law means the law or religion given
to the Jews; the New Law
means the law or religion given to Christians.
Q. 1250. {357} Why does the Church command us
to keep the Sunday holy
instead of the Sabbath?
A. The Church commands us to keep the Sunday
holy instead of the Sabbath
because on Sunday Christ rose from the dead,
and on Sunday He sent the
Holy Ghost upon the Apostles.
Q. 1251. Do we keep Sunday instead of Saturday
holy for any other
reason?
A. We keep Sunday instead of Saturday holy also
to teach that the Old
Law is not now binding upon us, but that we
must keep the New Law, which
takes its place.
Q. 1252. {358} What is forbidden by the third Commandment?
A. The third Commandment forbids all
unnecessary servile work and
whatever else may hinder the due observance of
the Lord's day.
Q. 1253. {359} What are servile works?
A. Servile works are those which require labor
rather of body than of
mind.
Q. 1254. From what do servile works derive
their name?
A. Servile works derive their name from the
fact that such works were
formerly done by slaves. Therefore, reading,
writing, studying and, in
general, all works that slaves did not perform
are not considered
servile works.
Q. 1255. {360} Are servile works on Sunday ever
lawful?
A. Servile works are lawful on Sundays when the
honor of God, the good
of our neighbor, or necessity requires them.
Q. 1256. Give some examples of when the honor
of God, the good of our
neighbor or necessity may require servile works
on Sunday.
A. The honor of God, the good of our neighbor
or necessity may require
servile works on Sunday, in such cases as the
preparation of a place for
Holy Mass, the saving of property in storms or
accidents, the cooking of
meals and similar works.
LESSON THIRTY-THIRD.
FROM THE FOURTH TO THE SEVENTH
COMMANDMENT.
Q. 1257. {361} What is the fourth Commandment?
A. The fourth Commandment is: Honor thy father
and thy mother.
Q. 1258. What does the word "honor"
in this commandment include?
A. The word "honor" in this
commandment includes the doing of everything
necessary for our parents' spiritual and
temporal welfare, the showing
of proper respect, and the fulfillment of all our
duties to them.
Q. 1259. {362} What are we commanded by the
fourth Commandment?
A. We are commanded by the fourth Commandment
to honor, love and obey
our parents in all that is not sin.
Q. 1260. Why should we refuse to obey parents
or superiors who command
us to sin?
A. We should refuse to obey parents or
superiors who command us to sin
because they are not then acting with God's
authority, but contrary to
it and in violation of His laws.
Q. 1261. {363} Are we bound to honor and obey
others than our parents?
A. We are also bound to honor and obey our
bishops, pastors,
magistrates, teachers, and other lawful
superiors.
Q. 1262. Who are meant by magistrates?
A. By magistrates are meant all officials of
whatever rank who have a
lawful right to rule over us and our temporal
possessions or affairs.
Q. 1263. Who are meant by lawful superiors?
A. By lawful superiors are meant all persons to
whom we are in any way
subject, such as employers or others under
whose authority we live or
work.
Q. 1264. What is the duty of servants or
workmen to their employers?
A. The duty of servants or workmen to their
employers is to serve them
faithfully and honestly, according to their
agreement, and to guard
against injuring their property or reputation.
Q. 1265. {364} Have parents and superiors any
duties toward those who
are under their charge?
A. It is the duty of parents and superiors to
take good care of all
under their charge and give them proper
direction and example.
Q. 1266. If parents or superiors neglect their
duty or abuse their
authority in any particular, should we follow
their direction and
example in that particular?
A. If parents or superiors neglect their duty
or abuse their authority
in any particular we should not follow their
direction or example in
that particular, but follow the dictates of our
conscience in the
performance of our duty.
Q. 1267. What is the duty of employers to their
servants or workmen?
A. The duty of employers to their servants or
workmen is to see that
they are kindly and fairly treated and provided
for, according to their
agreement, and that they are justly paid their
wages at the proper time.
Q. 1268. {365} What is forbidden by the fourth
Commandment?
A. The fourth Commandment forbids all
disobedience, contempt, and
stubbornness towards our parents or lawful
superiors.
Q. 1269. What is meant by contempt and
stubbornness?
A. By contempt is meant wilful disrespect for
lawful authority, and by
stubbornness is meant wilful determination not
to yield to lawful
authority.
Q. 1270. {366} What is the fifth Commandment?
A. The fifth Commandment is: Thou shalt not
kill.
Q. 1271. What killing does this commandment
forbid?
A. This commandment forbids the killing only of
human beings.
Q. 1272. How do we know that this commandment
forbids the killing only
of human beings?
A. We know that this commandment forbids the
killing only of human
beings because, after giving this commandment,
God commanded that
animals be killed for sacrifice in the temple
of Jerusalem, and God
never contradicts Himself.
Q. 1273. {367} What are we commanded by the
fifth Commandment?
A. We are commanded by the fifth Commandment to
live in peace and union
with our neighbor, to respect his rights, to
seek his spiritual and
bodily welfare, and to take proper care of our
own life and health.
Q. 1274. What sin is it to destroy one's own
life, or commit suicide, as
this act is called?
A. It is a mortal sin to destroy one's own life
or commit suicide, as
this act is called, and persons who wilfully
and knowingly commit such
an act die in a state of mortal sin and are
deprived of Christian
burial. It is also wrong to expose one's self
unnecessarily to the
danger of death by rash or foolhardy feats of
daring.
Q. 1275. Is it ever lawful for any cause to deliberately
and
intentionally take away the life of an innocent
person?
A. It is never lawful for any cause to
deliberately and intentionally
take away the life of an innocent person. Such
deeds are always murder,
and can never be excused for any reason, however
important or necessary.
Q. 1276. Under what circumstances may human
life be lawfully taken?
A. Human life may be lawfully taken (1) In
self-defense, when we are
unjustly attacked and have no other means of
saving our own lives; (2)
in a just war, when the safety or rights of the
nation require it; (3)
by the lawful execution of a criminal, fairly
tried and found guilty of
a crime punishable by death when the
preservation of law and order and
the good of the community require such
execution.
Q. 1277. {368} What is forbidden by the fifth
Commandment?
A. The fifth Commandment forbids all wilful
murder, fighting, anger,
hatred, revenge, and bad example.
Q. 1278. Can the fifth commandment be broken by
giving scandal or bad
example and by inducing others to sin?
A. The fifth commandment can be broken by
giving scandal or bad example
and inducing others to sin, because such acts
may destroy the life of
the soul by leading it into mortal sin.
Q. 1279. What is scandal?
A. Scandal is any sinful word, deed or omission
that disposes others to
sin, or lessens their respect for God and holy
religion.
Q. 1280. Why are fighting, anger, hatred and
revenge forbidden by the
fifth commandment?
A. Fighting, anger, hatred and revenge are
forbidden by the fifth
commandment because they are sinful in
themselves and may lead to
murder. The commandments forbid not only
whatever violates them, but
also whatever may lead to their violation.
Q. 1281. {369} What is the sixth Commandment?
A. The sixth Commandment is: Thou shalt not
commit adultery.
Q. 1282. {370} What are we commanded by the
sixth Commandment?
A. We are commanded by the sixth Commandment to
be pure in thought and
modest in all our looks, words, and actions.
Q. 1283. It is a sin to listen to immodest
conversation, songs or jokes?
A. It is a sin to listen to immodest
conversation, songs or jokes when
we can avoid it, or to show in any way that we
take pleasure in such
things.
Q. 1284. {371} What is forbidden by the sixth
Commandment?
A. The sixth Commandment forbids all unchaste
freedom with another's
wife or husband; also all immodesty with
ourselves or others in looks,
dress, words, and actions.
Q. 1285. Why are sins of impurity the most
dangerous?
A. Sins of impurity are the most dangerous (1)
Because they have the
most numerous temptations; (2) because, if
deliberate, they are always
mortal, and (3) because, more than other sins,
they lead to the loss of
faith.
Q. 1286. {372} Does the sixth Commandment forbid
the reading of bad and
immodest books and newspapers?
A. The sixth Commandment does forbid the
reading of bad and immodest
books and newspapers.
Q. 1287. What should be done with immodest book
and newspapers?
A. Immodest books and newspapers should be
destroyed as soon as
possible, and if we cannot destroy them
ourselves we should induce their
owners to do so.
Q. 1288. What books does the Church consider
bad?
A. The Church considers bad all books
containing teaching contrary to
faith or morals, or that wilfully misrepresent
Catholic doctrine and
practice.
Q. 1289. What places are dangerous to the
virtue of purity?
A. Indecent theaters and similar places of
amusement are dangerous to
the virtue of purity, because their
entertainments are frequently
intended to suggest immodest things.
LESSON THIRTY-FOURTH.
FROM THE SEVENTH TO THE END OF
THE TENTH COMMANDMENT.
Q. 1290. {373} What is the seventh Commandment?
A. The seventh Commandment is: Thou shalt not
steal.
Q. 1291. What sin is it to steal?
A. To steal is a mortal or venial sin,
according to the amount stolen
either at once or at different times.
Circumstances may make the sin
greater or less, and they should be explained
in confession.
Q. 1292. Is stealing ever a sacrilege?
A. Stealing is a sacrilege when the thing
stolen belongs to the Church
and when the stealing takes place in the
Church.
Q. 1293. What sins are equivalent to stealing?
A. All sins of cheating, defrauding or wronging
others of their
property; also all sins of borrowing or buying
with the intention of
never repaying are equivalent to stealing.
Q. 1294. In what other ways may persons sin
against honesty?
A. Persons may sin against honesty also by
knowingly receiving, buying
or sharing in stolen goods; likewise by giving
or taking bribes for
dishonest purposes.
Q. 1295. {374} What are we commanded by the
seventh Commandment?
A. By the seventh Commandment we are commanded
to give to all men what
belongs to them and to respect their property.
Q. 1296. How may persons working for others be
guilty of dishonesty?
A. Persons working for others may be guilty of
dishonesty by idling the
time for which they are paid; also by doing bad
work or supplying bad
material without their employer's knowledge.
Q. 1297. In what other way may a person be
guilty of dishonesty?
A. A person may be guilty of dishonesty in
getting money or goods by
false pretenses and by using either for
purposes for which they were not
given.
Q. 1298. {375} What is forbidden by the seventh
Commandment?
A. The seventh Commandment forbids all unjust
taking or keeping what
belongs to another.
Q. 1299. What must we do with things found?
A. We must return things found to their lawful
owners as soon as
possible, and we must also use reasonable means
to find the owners if
they are unknown to us.
Q. 1300. What must we do if we discover we have
bought stolen goods?
A. If we discover we have bought stolen goods
and know their lawful
owners we must return the goods to them as soon
as possible without
demanding compensation from the owner for what
we paid for the goods.
Q. 1301. {376} Are we bound to restore
ill-gotten goods?
A. We are bound to restore ill-gotten goods, or
the value of them, as
far as we are able; otherwise we cannot be
forgiven.
Q. 1302. What must we do if we cannot restore
all we owe, or if the
person to whom we should restore be dead?
A. If we cannot restore all we owe, we must
restore as much as we can,
and if the person to whom we should restore be
dead we must restore to
his children or heirs, and if these cannot be
found we may give alms to
the poor.
Q. 1303. What must one do who cannot pay his
debts and yet wishes to
receive the Sacraments?
A. One who cannot pay his debts and yet wishes
to receive the Sacraments
must sincerely promise and intend to pay them
as soon as possible, and
must without delay make every effort to do so.
Q. 1304. {377} Are we obliged to repair the
damage we have unjustly
caused?
A. We are bound to repair the damage we have
unjustly caused.
Q. 1305. {378} What is the eighth Commandment?
A. The eighth Commandment is: Thou shalt not
bear false witness against
thy neighbor.
Q. 1306. {379} What are we commanded by the
eighth Commandment?
A. We are commanded by the eighth Commandment
to speak the truth in all
things, and to be careful of the honor and
reputation of every one.
Q. 1307. What is a lie?
A. A lie is a sin committed by knowingly saying
what is untrue with the
intention of deceiving. To swear to a lie makes
the sin greater, and
such swearing is called perjury. Pretense,
hypocrisy, false praise,
boasting, &c., are similar to lies.
Q. 1308. How can we know the degree of
sinfulness in a lie?
A. We can know the degree of sinfulness in a
lie by the amount of harm
it does and from the intention we had in
telling it.
Q. 1309. Will a good reason for telling a lie
excuse it?
A. No reason, however good, will excuse the
telling of a lie, because a
lie is always bad in itself. It is never
allowed, even for a good
intention to do a thing that is bad in itself.
Q. 1310. {380} What is forbidden by the eighth
Commandment?
A. The eighth Commandment forbids all rash
judgments, backbiting,
slanders, and lies.
Q. 1311. What are rash judgment, backbiting,
slander and detraction?
A. Rash judgment is believing a person guilty
of sin without a
sufficient cause. Backbiting is saying evil
things of another in his
absence. Slander is telling lies about another
with the intention of
injuring him. Detraction is revealing the sins of
another without
necessity.
Q. 1312. Is it ever allowed to tell the faults
of another?
A. It is allowed to tell the faults of another
when it is necessary to
make them known to his parents or superiors,
that the faults may be
corrected and the wrong doer prevented from
greater sin.
Q. 1313. What is tale-bearing, and why is it
wrong?
A. Tale-bearing is the act of telling persons
what others have said
about them, especially if the things said be
evil. It is wrong, because
it gives rise to anger, hatred and ill-will,
and is often the cause of
greater sins.
Q. 1314. {381} What must they do who have lied
about their neighbor and
seriously injured his character?
A. They who have lied about their neighbor and
seriously injured his
character must repair the injury done as far as
they are able, otherwise
they will not be forgiven.
Q. 1315. {382} What is the ninth Commandment?
A. The ninth Commandment is: Thou shalt not
covet thy neighbor's wife.
Q. 1316. {383} What are we commanded by the
ninth Commandment?
A. We are commanded by the ninth Commandment to
keep ourselves pure in
thought and desire.
Q. 1317. {384} What is forbidden by the ninth
Commandment?
A. The ninth Commandment forbids unchaste
thoughts, desires of another's
wife or husband, and all other unlawful impure
thoughts and desires.
Q. 1318. {385} Are impure thoughts and desires
always sins?
A. Impure thoughts and desires are always sins,
unless they displease us
and we try to banish them.
Q. 1319. {386} What is the tenth Commandment?
A. The tenth Commandment is: Thou shalt not
covet thy neighbor's goods.
Q. 1320. What does covet mean?
A. Covet means to wish to get wrongfully what
another possesses or to
begrudge his own to him.
Q. 1321. {387} What are we commanded by the
tenth Commandment?
A. By the tenth Commandment we are commanded to
be content with what we
have, and to rejoice in our neighbor's welfare.
Q. 1322. Should we not, then, try to improve
our position in the world?
A. We should try to improve our position in the
world, provided we can
do so honestly and without exposing ourselves
to greater temptation or
sin.
Q. 1323. {388} What is forbidden by the tenth
Commandment?
A. The tenth Commandment forbids all desires to
take or keep wrongfully
what belongs to another.
Q. 1324. In what does the sixth commandment
differ from the ninth, and
the seventh differ from the tenth?
A. The sixth commandment differs from the ninth
in this, that the sixth
refers chiefly to external acts of impurity,
while the ninth refers more
to sins of thought against purity. The seventh
commandment refers
chiefly to external acts of dishonesty, while
the tenth refers more to
thoughts against honesty.
LESSON THIRTY-FIFTH.
ON THE FIRST AND SECOND COMMANDMENTS
OF THE CHURCH.
Q. 1325. Are not the commandments of the Church
also commandments of
God?
A. The commandments of the Church are also
commandments of God, because
they are made by His authority, and we are
bound under pain of sin to
observe them.
Q. 1326. What is the difference between the
commandments of God and the
Commandments of the Church?
A. The commandments of God were given by God
Himself to Moses on Mount
Sinai; the commandments of the Church were
given on different occasions
by the lawful authorities of the Church. The
Commandments given by God
Himself cannot be changed by the Church; but
the commandments made by
the Church itself may be changed by its
authority as necessity requires.
Q. 1327. {389} Which are the chief commandments
of the Church?
A. The chief commandments of the Church are
six:
1. To hear Mass on Sundays and holydays of
obligation.
2. To fast and abstain on the days appointed.
3. To confess at least once a year.
4. To receive the Holy Eucharist during the Easter
time.
5. To contribute to the support of our pastors.
6. Not to marry persons who are not Catholics,
or who are related to us
within
the third degree of kindred, nor privately without witnesses,
nor to
solemnize marriage at forbidden times.
Q. 1328. Why has the Church made commandments?
A. The Church has made commandments to teach
the faithful how to worship
God and to guard them from the neglect of their
religious duties.
Q. 1329. {390} Is it a mortal sin not to hear
Mass on a Sunday or a
holyday of obligation?
A. It is a mortal sin not to hear Mass on a
Sunday or a holyday of
obligation, unless we are excused for a serious
reason. They also commit
a mortal sin who, having others under their
charge, hinder them from
hearing Mass, without a sufficient reason.
Q. 1330. What is a "serious reason"
excusing one from the obligation of
hearing Mass?
A. A "serious reason" excusing one
from the obligation of hearing Mass
is any reason that makes it impossible or very
difficult to attend Mass,
such as severe illness, great distance from the
Church, or the need of
certain works that cannot be neglected or
postponed.
Q. 1331. Are children obliged, under pain of
mortal sin, the same as
grown persons, to hear Mass on Sundays and
holydays of obligation?
A. Children who have reached the use of reason
are obliged under pain of
mortal sin, the same as grown persons, to hear
Mass on Sundays and
holydays of obligation; but if they are
prevented from so doing by
parents, or others, then the sin falls on those
who prevent them.
Q. 1332. {391} Why were holydays instituted by
the church?
A. Holydays were instituted by the Church to
recall to our minds the
great mysteries of religion and the virtues and
rewards of the saints.
Q. 1333. How many holydays of obligation are
there in this country?
A. In this country there are six holydays of
obligation, namely, (1)
Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8th);
(2) Christmas (Dec.
25th); (3) Feast of the Circumcision of Our
Lord (Jan. 1st); (4) Feast
of the Ascension of Our Lord (forty days after
Easter); (5) Feast of the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin (Aug. 15th);
and (6) Feast of All
Saints (Nov. 1st).
Q. 1334. {392} How should we keep the holydays
of obligation?
A. We should keep the holydays of obligation as
we should keep the
Sunday.
Q. 1335. Why are certain holydays called
holydays of obligation?
A. Certain holydays are called holydays of
obligation because on such
days we are obliged under pain of mortal sin to
hear Mass and keep from
servile works as we do on Sundays.
Q. 1336. What should one do who is obliged to
work on a holyday of
obligation?
A. One who is obliged to work on a holyday of
obligation should, if
possible, hear Mass before going to work, and
should also explain this
necessity in confession, so as to obtain the
confessor's advice on the
subject.
Q. 1337. {393} What do you mean by fast-days?
A. By fast-days I mean days on which we are
allowed but one full meal.
Q. 1338. Is it permitted on fast days to take
any food besides the one
full meal?
A. It is permitted on fast days, besides the
one full meal, to take two
other meatless meals, to maintain strength,
according to each one's
needs. But together these two meatless meals
should not equal another
full meal.
Q. 1339. Who are obliged to fast?
A. All persons over 21 and under 59 years of
age, and whose health and
occupation will permit them to fast.
Q. 1340. Does the Church excuse any classes of
persons from the
obligation of fasting?
A. The Church does excuse certain classes of
persons from the obligation
of fasting on account of their age, the
condition of their health, the
nature of their work, or the circumstances in
which they live. These
things are explained in the Regulations for
Lent, read publicly in the
Churches each year.
Q. 1341. What should one do who doubts whether
or not he is obliged to
fast?
A. In doubt concerning fast, a parish priest or
confessor should be
consulted.
Q. 1342. When do fast days chiefly occur in the
year?
A. Fast days chiefly occur in the year during
Lent and Advent, on the
Ember days and on the vigils or eves of some
great feasts. A vigil
falling on a Sunday is not observed.
Q. 1343. What do you mean by Lent, Advent,
Ember days and the vigils of
great feasts?
A. Lent is the seven weeks of penance preceding
Easter. Advent is the
four weeks of preparation preceding Christmas.
Ember days are three days
set apart in each of the four seasons of the
year as special days of
prayer and thanksgiving. Vigils are the days
immediately preceding great
feasts and spent in spiritual preparation for
them.
Q. 1344. {394} What do you mean by days of
abstinence?
A. By days of abstinence I mean days on which
no meat at all may be
taken (complete abstinence) or on which meat
may be taken only once a
day (partial abstinence). This is explained in
the regulations for Lent.
All the Fridays of the year are days of
abstinence except when a Holyday
of obligation falls on a Friday outside of
Lent.
Q. 1345. Are children and persons unable to
fast bound to abstain on
days of abstinence?
A. Children, from the age of seven years, and
persons who are unable to
fast are bound to abstain on days of
abstinence, unless they are excused
for sufficient reason.
Q. 1346. {395} Why does the Church command us
to fast and abstain?
A. The Church commands us to fast and abstain,
in order that we may
mortify our passions and satisfy for our sins.
Q. 1347. What is meant by our passions and what
by mortifying them?
A. By our passions are meant our sinful desires
and inclinations.
Mortifying them means restraining them and
overcoming them so that they
have less power to lead us into sin.
Q. 1348. {396} Why does the Church command us
to abstain from flesh-meat
on Fridays?
A. The Church commands us to abstain from
flesh-meat on Fridays in honor
of the day on which our Saviour died.
LESSON THIRTY-SIXTH.
ON THE THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH,
AND SIXTH COMMANDMENTS OF THE CHURCH.
Q. 1349. {397} What is meant by the command of
confessing at least once
a year?
A. By the command of confessing at least once a
year is meant that we
are obliged, under pain of mortal sin, to go to
confession within the
year.
Q. 1350. {398} Should we confess only once a
year?
A. We should confess frequently, if we wish to
lead a good life.
Q. 1351. Should we go to confession at our
usual time even if we think
we have not committed sin since our last
confession?
A. We should go to confession at our usual time
even if we think we have
not committed sin since our last confession,
because the Sacrament of
Penance has for its object not only to forgive
sins, but also to bestow
grace and strengthen the soul against
temptation.
Q. 1352. {399} Should children go to
confession?
A. Children should go to confession when they
are old enough to commit
sin, which is commonly about the age of seven
years.
Q. 1353. {400} What sin does he commit who
neglects to receive Communion
during the Easter time?
A. He who neglects to receive Communion during
the Easter time commits a
mortal sin.
Q. 1354. {401} What is the Easter time?
A. The Easter time is, in this country, the
time between the first
Sunday of Lent and Trinity Sunday.
Q. 1355. When is Trinity Sunday?
A. Trinity Sunday is the Sunday after
Pentecost, or eight weeks after
Easter Sunday; so that there are fourteen weeks
in which one may comply
with the command of the Church to receive Holy
Communion between the
first Sunday of Lent and Trinity Sunday.
Q. 1356. {402} Are we obliged to contribute to
the support of our
pastors?
A. We are obliged to contribute to the support
of our pastors, and to
bear our share in the expense of the Church and
school.
Q. 1357. Where did the duty of contributing to
the support of the Church
and clergy originate?
A. The duty of contributing to the support of
the Church and clergy
originated in the Old Law, when God commanded
all the people to
contribute to the support of the temple and of
its priests.
Q. 1358. What does the obligation of supporting
the Church and school
imply?
A. The obligation of supporting the Church and
school implies the duty
of making use of the Church and school by
attending religious worship in
the one and by giving Catholic education in the
other; because if the
Church and school were not necessary for our
spiritual welfare we would
not be commanded to support them.
Q. 1359. Does the fifth commandment of the
Church include the support
only of our pastors and the Church and school?
A. The fifth commandment of the Church includes
the support also of our
holy father, the Pope, bishops, priests,
missions, religious
institutions and religion in general.
Q. 1360. {403} What is the meaning of the
commandment not to marry
within the third degree of kindred?
A. The meaning of the commandment not to marry
within the third degree
of kindred is that no one is allowed to marry
another within the third
degree of blood relationship.
Q. 1361. Who are in the third degree of blood
relationship?
A. Second cousins are in the third degree of
blood relationship, and
persons whose relationship is nearer than
second cousins are in closer
degrees of kindred. It is unlawful for persons
thus related to marry
without a dispensation or special permission of
the Church.
Q. 1362. Are there other relationships besides
blood relationship that
render marriage unlawful without a
dispensation?
A. There are other relationships besides blood
relationship that render
marriage unlawful without a dispensation,
namely, the relationships
contracted by marriage, which are called
degrees of affinity, and the
relationship contracted by being sponsors at
Baptism, which is called
spiritual affinity.
Q. 1363. What should persons about to marry do,
if they suspect they are
related to each other?
A. Persons about to marry, if they suspect they
are related to each
other, should make known the facts to the
priest, that he may examine
the degree of relationship and procure a
dispensation if necessary.
Q. 1364. {404} What is the meaning of the
command not to marry
privately?
A. The command not to marry privately means
that none should marry
without the blessing of God's priests or
without witnesses.
Q. 1365. What sin is it for Catholics to be
married before the minister
of another religion?
A. It is a mortal sin for Catholics to be
married before the minister of
another religion, and they who attempt to do so
incur excommunication,
and absolution from their sin is reserved to
the bishop.
Q. 1366. {405} What is the meaning of the
precept not to solemnize
marriage at forbidden times?
A. The meaning of the precept not to solemnize
marriage at forbidden
times is that during Lent and Advent the
marriage ceremony should not be
performed with pomp or a nuptial Mass.
Q. 1367. {406} What is the nuptial Mass?
A. The nuptial Mass is a Mass appointed by the
Church to invoke a
special blessing upon the married couple.
Q. 1368. {407} Should Catholics be married at a
nuptial Mass?
A. Catholics should be married at a nuptial
Mass, because they thereby
show greater reverence for the holy Sacrament
and bring richer blessings
upon their wedded life.
Q. 1369. What restrictions does the Church
place on the ceremonies of
marriage when one of the persons is not a
Catholic?
A. The Church places several restrictions on
the ceremonies of marriage
when one of the persons is not a Catholic. The
marriage cannot take
place in the church; the priest cannot wear his
sacred vestments nor use
holy water nor bless the ring nor the marriage
itself. The Church places
these restrictions to show her dislike for such
marriages, commonly
called mixed marriages.
Q. 1370. Why does the Church dislike mixed
marriages?
A. The Church dislikes mixed marriages because
such marriages are
frequently unhappy, give rise to many disputes,
endanger the faith of
the Catholic member of the family, and prevent
the religious education
of the children.
LESSON THIRTY-SEVENTH.
ON THE LAST JUDGMENT AND THE
RESURRECTION, HELL, PURGATORY, AND HEAVEN.
Q. 1371. {408} When will Christ judge us?
A. Christ will judge us immediately after our
death, and on the last
day.
Q. 1372. {409} What is the judgment called
which we have to undergo
immediately after death?
A. The judgment we have to undergo immediately
after death is called the
Particular Judgment.
Q. 1373. Where will the particular judgment be
held?
A. The particular judgment will be held in the
place where each person
dies, and the soul will go immediately to its
reward or punishment.
Q. 1374. {410} What is the judgment called
which all men have to undergo
on the last day?
A. The judgment which all men have to undergo
on the last day is called
the General Judgment.
Q. 1375. Will the sentence given at the
particular judgment be changed
at the general judgment?
A. The sentence given at the particular
judgment will not be changed at
the general judgment, but it will be repeated
and made public to all.
Q. 1376. {411} Why does Christ judge men
immediately after death?
A. Christ judges men immediately after death to
reward or punish them
according to their deeds.
Q. 1377. How may we daily prepare for our
judgment?
A. We may daily prepare for our judgment by a
good examination of
conscience, in which we will discover our sins
and learn to fear the
punishment they deserve.
Q. 1378. {412} What are the rewards or
punishments appointed for men's
souls after the Particular Judgment?
A. The rewards or punishments appointed for
men's souls after the
Particular Judgment are Heaven, Purgatory, and
Hell.
Q. 1379. {413} What is Hell?
A. Hell is a state to which the wicked are
condemned, and in which they
are deprived of the sight of God for all
eternity, and are in dreadful
torments.
Q. 1380. Will the damned suffer in both mind
and body?
A. The damned will suffer in both mind and
body, because both mind and
body had a share in their sins. The mind
suffers the "pain of loss" in
which it is tortured by the thought of having
lost God forever, and the
body suffers the "pain of sense" by
which it is tortured in all its
members and senses.
Q. 1381. {414} What is Purgatory?
A. Purgatory is the state in which those suffer
for a time who die
guilty of venial sins, or without having
satisfied for the punishment
due to their sins.
Q. 1382. Why is this state called Purgatory?
A. This state is called Purgatory because in it
the souls are purged or
purified from all their stains; and it is not,
therefore, a permanent or
lasting state for the soul.
Q. 1383. Are the souls in Purgatory sure of
their salvation?
A. The souls in Purgatory are sure of their
salvation, and they will
enter heaven as soon as they are completely
purified and made worthy to
enjoy that presence of God which is called the
Beatific Vision.
Q. 1384. Do we know what souls are in
Purgatory, and how long they have
to remain there?
A. We do not know what souls are in Purgatory
nor how long they have to
remain there; hence we continue to pray for all
persons who have died
apparently in the true faith and free from
mortal sin. They are called
the faithful departed.
Q. 1385. {415} Can the faithful on earth help
the souls in Purgatory?
A. The faithful on earth can help the souls in
Purgatory by their
prayers, fasts, alms, deeds; by indulgences,
and by having Masses said
for them.
Q. 1386. Since God loves the souls in Purgatory,
why does He punish
them?
A. Though God loves the souls in Purgatory, He
punishes them because His
holiness requires that nothing defiled may
enter heaven and His justice
requires that everyone be punished or rewarded
according to what he
deserves.
Q. 1387. {416} If every one is judged
immediately after death, what need
is there of a general judgment?
A. There is need of a general judgment, though
every one is judged
immediately after death, that the providence of
God, which, on earth,
often permits the good to suffer and the wicked
to prosper, may in the
end appear just before all men.
Q. 1388. What is meant by "the Providence
of God"?
A. By "the Providence of God" is
meant the manner in which He preserves,
provides for, rules and governs the world and
directs all things by His
infinite Will.
Q. 1389. Are there other reasons for the
general judgment?
A. There are other reasons for the general
judgment, and especially that
Christ Our Lord may receive from the whole
world the honor denied Him at
His first coming, and that all may be forced to
acknowledge Him their
God and Redeemer.
Q. 1390. {417} Will our bodies share in the
reward or punishment of our
souls?
A. Our bodies will share in the reward or
punishment of our souls,
because through the resurrection they will
again be united to them.
Q. 1391. When will the general resurrection or
rising of all the dead
take place?
A. The general resurrection or rising of all
the dead will take place at
the general judgment, when the same bodies in which
we lived on earth
will come forth from the grave and be united to
our souls and remain
united with them forever either in heaven or in
hell.
Q. 1392. {418} In what state will the bodies of
the just rise?
A. The bodies of the just will rise glorious and
immortal.
Q. 1393. {419} Will the bodies of the damned
also rise?
A. The bodies of the damned will also rise, but
they will be condemned
to eternal punishment.
Q. 1394. Why do we show respect for the bodies
of the dead?
A. We show respect for the bodies of the dead
because they were the
dwelling-place of the soul, the medium through
which it received the
Sacraments, and because they were created to
occupy a place in heaven.
Q. 1395. {420} What is Heaven?
A. Heaven is the state of everlasting life in which
we see God face to
face, are made like unto Him in glory, and
enjoy eternal happiness.
Q. 1396. In what does the happiness in heaven
consist?
A. The happiness in heaven consists in seeing
the beauty of God, in
knowing Him as He is, and in having every
desire fully satisfied.
Q. 1397. What does St. Paul say of heaven?
A. St. Paul says of heaven, "That eye hath
not seen, nor ear heard,
neither hath it entered into the heart of man
what things God hath
prepared for them that love Him." (I. Cor.
ii., 9.)
Q. 1398. Are the rewards in heaven and the
punishments in hell the same
for all who enter into either of these states?
A. The rewards of heaven and the punishments in
hell are not the same
for all who enter into either of these states,
because each one's reward
or punishment is in proportion to the amount of
good or evil he has done
in this world. But as heaven and hell are
everlasting, each one will
enjoy his reward or suffer his punishment
forever.
Q. 1399. {421} What words should we bear always
in mind?
A. We should bear always in mind these words of
our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ: "What doth it profit a man
if he gain the whole world and
suffer the loss of his own soul, or what
exchange shall a man give for
his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the
glory of His Father with
His angels; and then will He render to every
man according to his
works."
Q. 1400. Name some of the more essential
religious truths we must know
and believe.
A. Some of the more essential religious truths
we must know and believe
are:
(1) That there is but one God, and He will
reward the good and punish
the
wicked.
(2) That in God there are three Divine Persons:
the Father, the Son, and
the
Holy Ghost, and these Divine Persons are called the Blessed
Trinity.
(3) That Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the
Blessed Trinity, became
man
and died for our redemption.
(4) That the grace of God is necessary for our
salvation.
(5) That the human soul is immortal.
End of Project Gutenberg's Baltimore Catechism No.
3 (of 4), by Anonymous
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