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Baltimore Catechism

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An

Explanation

Of The

Baltimore Catechism

of Christian Doctrine

 

Also known as

BALTIMORE CATECHISM No. 4

{For The Use of

Sunday-School Teachers and Advanced Classes}

 

by

Rev. Thomas L. Kinkead

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Nihil Obstat:

D. J. McMahon

Censor Librorum

 

Imprimatur:

+ Michael Augustine

Archbishop of New York

New York, September 5, 1891

 

 

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. 4" and is the last part of a four volume e-text

collection. See the author's note to Baltimore Catechism No. 3 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.:".}

 

APPROBATIONS

 

His Eminence Cardinal Gibbons:

"I thank you for the copy of The Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism

which has just reached me. A Religious spoke to me in very high terms of

your book. I regard the opinion as of great value."

 

Most Rev. M. A. Corrigan, D.D., Archbishop of New York:

"I congratulate you on the good which it is likely to do."

 

Most Rev. William Henry Elder, D.D., Archbishop of Cincinnati:

"I think the work will be a very serviceable one. I hope it will meet

with great success."

 

Most Rev. Thomas L. Grace, D.D., Archbishop of Siunia:

"Your book entitled An Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism supplies a

want which is generally felt by the clergy and others engaged in

teaching Catechism. Apart from the very satisfactory development of the

answers to the questions and apt illustrations of the subjects treated,

the additional questions inserted in your book give it a special value."

 

Most Rev. P. J. Ryan, D.D., Archbishop of Philadelphia:

"Your explanation of the Baltimore Catechism is excellent and must be of

very great service to teachers of Sunday schools and to all who desire a

clear exposition of Catholic doctrine, either for themselves or to

communicate it to others. We give the work our cordial approval."

 

Most Rev. William J. Walsh, D.D., Archbishop of Dublin, Primate of

Ireland:

"I have had a copy of your admirable work for some weeks past, and on

several points it has been of very great use to me and to the committee

[a committee of professors of theology, moral as well as dogmatic;

priests of long and of wide experience in the work of instructing

children in the Catechism; experienced examiners of children;

accomplished scholars and writers of English; members both of religious

and of secular collegiate communities; and representatives of the

missionary priesthood, secular and regular, appointed to draft a new

Catechism]."

 

Right Rev. D. M. Bradley, D.D., Bishop of Manchester:

"I am sure this 'Explanation' will be welcomed by the teachers in our

schools and indeed by all whose duty it may be to instruct others in the

teachings of the Church."

 

Right Rev. Thomas F. Brennan, D.D., Bishop of Dallas:

"I like the book very much and will not only recommend it to the priests

and good sisters of my diocese, but will also use it myself at catechism

every Sunday in the Cathedral. The list of questions and general index

render its use very easy."

 

Right Rev. M. E. Burke, D.D., Bishop of Cheyenne:

"Your Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism is excellent, and it

supplies a much needed means of useful and necessary catechetical

instruction for our Sunday schools. It will be found an excellent

textbook for Catholic schools and academies throughout the country and a

most useful manual for all who are engaged in the instruction of our

children."

 

Right Rev. L. De Goesbriand, D.D., Bishop of Burlington:

"I consider your book, the Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism, as an

admirable work. Nothing can be found more clear, more satisfactory."

 

Right Rev. John Foley, D.D., Bishop of Detroit:

"I congratulate you upon producing a work so useful to those having

charge of souls in such clear, concise, and instructive a style. I shall

gladly commend it to the Rev. Clergy."

 

Right Rev. H. Gabriels, D.D., Bishop-elect of Ogdensburg:

"Your book will furnish solid material to priests who wish to preach at

low Masses the catechetical instructions prescribed by the council of

Baltimore. A rapid perusal of some of its pages has convinced me that it

is just what was often looked for in vain in this important branch of

the holy ministry."

 

Right Rev. N. A. Gallagher, D.D., Bishop of Galveston:

"Having read your Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism, I wish to say

that it is in my opinion a very useful book for priests as well as for

teachers; and that it is a valuable book to place in the hands of those

who wish to become acquainted with the teachings of Holy Church. I have

just ordered ten copies from the Publishers for my own distribution."

 

Right Rev. Leo Haid, O.S.B., D.D., Vicar Apostolic of North Carolina:

"I am very glad you gave us such a sensible, simple, and complete

explanation of the Baltimore Catechism. I wish it were in the hands of

every teacher of Christian doctrine. In this Vicariate, where priests

are few, and often obliged to receive converts into the Church without

that thorough instruction which resident pastors can give, your book

will be hailed with joy. I will do my utmost to make it known. Please

send me one dozen copies."

 

Right Rev. John J. Hennessy, D.D. Bishop of Wichita:

"From what I have seen of your book I am delighted with the method which

you have adopted for explanation. It makes the Catechism easy and

interesting to both teacher and pupil. I shall heartily recommend your

book to our clergy for introduction into our schools."

 

Right Rev. A. Junger, D.D., Bishop of Nesqually:

"I am sure your work will not fail to obtain its object. There is not

the least doubt that it will be of the greatest and best use for Sunday

school teachers and advanced classes who will make use of it, and to

whom we highly recommend it. Such a work was needed, as our Baltimore

Catechism does not and cannot contain all the necessary explanations."

 

Right Rev. John J. Keane, D.D., Rector of the Catholic University,

Washington:

"The character of the work speaks for itself."

 

Right Rev. W. G. McCloskey, D.D., Bishop of Louisville:

"What I have already seen of it gives me the impression that it is a

meritorious work which ought to be encouraged."

 

Right Rev. James McGolrick, D.D., Bishop of Duluth:

"I think you have prepared a thoroughly practical work in your

Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism. You have in well selected and

plain English enabled teachers to give useful lessons from the text

itself without the need of resort to other books. Your book will find

its way to the desk of every Catholic teacher, and we hope to the home

of every Catholic family. I am glad you marked the Scripture references,

for the higher classes after Confirmation can unite their Scripture

lessons with such study of your book as to prepare themselves for

teaching. Your series of questions and good index are certainly very

useful."

 

Right Rev. Camillus P. Maes, D.D., Bishop of Covington:

"I have examined your Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism on some of

the most important points of doctrine and morals. I find its teachings

sound, and the manner of presenting them practical. I take pleasure in

commending your book to priests and teachers, and in congratulating you

for having bestowed so much time on the greatest of all pastoral work,

viz: giving children a thorough and sound knowledge of Holy Church and

of her divine teachings."

 

Right Rev. C. E. McDonnell, D.D., Bishop-elect of Brooklyn:

"I beg you to accept my hearty congratulations."

 

Right Rev. R. Manogue, D.D., Bishop of Sacramento:

"We have ponderous works from distinguished authors on the Catechism in

general, but yours--An Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism--is the

simplest, most concise, most natural and instructive I have yet

encountered. It is good not only for advanced pupils, teachers,

preachers and priests, but also for the sacred precincts of every

Catholic family."

 

Right Rev. Tobias Mullen, D.D., Bishop of Erie:

"Your book appears to me a very meritorious production. In your preface

you observe it has been designed for the use of Sunday school teachers

and that it 'should do good in any Catholic family' I think you might

have added that any clergyman having the care of souls, whether giving

private instructions or preparing for the pulpit, would derive great

benefits from its perusal."

 

Right Rev. H. P. Northrop, D.D., Bishop of Charleston:

"The Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism, plain and practical, clear

and comprehensive, was a work very much needed. From a general

examination, I think you have done your work well, and you deserve the

thanks of all teachers of catechism and those who have charge of our

schools. You have simplified the work of the teacher by putting in his

hand such a ready handbook and commentary on the text he is supposed to

explain. If they do what they expect their pupils to do--study the

lesson--with such a help as you have furnished them, the work of the

Sunday school will be much more satisfactory. I hope the hearty

appreciation of those for whom you have labored will crown your work

with abundant success."

 

Right Rev. Henry Joseph Richter, D.D., Bishop of Grand Rapids:

"The aim of your book is excellent. To judge from the portions which I

have read, your labor has been successful. I recommend the book to all

Catholic adults, but especially to teachers and converts, as a

convenient handbook of appropriate, plain, and solid instructions on the

doctrine of the Catholic Church."

 

Right Rev. S. V. Ryan, D.D., Bishop of Buffalo:

"I think your work fully meets all you claim for it. It will serve as a

good textbook for an advanced catechism class, and a very useful

handbook for catechists in instructing converts or our own people what

they should know and what they are bound to believe in regard to our

holy faith. The book will, I think, do good in any Catholic family."

 

Right Rev. L. Scanlan, D.D., Bishop of Salt Lake:

"I consider it a most useful if not necessary book, not only for Sunday

school teachers and for advanced classes, but for all who may desire to

have a clear, definite knowledge of Christian doctrine."

 

 

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 1--On the End of Man

Lesson 2--On God and His Perfections

Lesson 3--On the Unity and Trinity of God

Lesson 4--On Creation

Lesson 5--On Our First Parents and the Fall

Lesson 6--On Sin and Its Kinds

Lesson 7--On the Incarnation and Redemption

Lesson 8--On Our Lord's Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension

Lesson 9--On the Holy Ghost and His Descent upon the Apostles

Lesson 10--On the Effects of the Redemption

Lesson 11--On the Church

Lesson 12--On the Attributes and Marks of the Church

Lesson 13--On the Sacraments in General

Lesson 14--On Baptism

Lesson 15--On Confirmation

Lesson 16--On the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Ghost

Lesson 17--On the Sacrament of Penance

Lesson 18--On Contrition

Lesson 19--On Confession

Lesson 20--On the Manner of Making a Good Confession

Lesson 21--On Indulgences

Lesson 22--On the Holy Eucharist

Lesson 23--On the Ends for which the Holy Eucharist Was Instituted

Lesson 24--On the Sacrifice of the Mass

Lesson 25--On Extreme Unction and Holy Orders

Lesson 26--On Matrimony

Lesson 27--On the Sacramentals

Lesson 28--On Prayer

Lesson 29--On the Commandments of God

Lesson 30--On the First Commandment

Lesson 31--The First Commandment--On the Honor and Invocation of the

           Saints

Lesson 32--From the Second to the Fourth Commandment

Lesson 33--From the Fourth to the Seventh Commandment

Lesson 34--From the Seventh to the Tenth Commandment

Lesson 35--On the First and Second Commandments of the Church

Lesson 36--On the Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Commandments of the

           Church

Lesson 37--On the Last Judgment and Resurrection, Hell, Purgatory and

           Heaven

 

PREFACE

It must be evident to all who have had experience in the work of our

Sunday schools that much time is wasted in the classes. Many teachers do

little more than mark the attendance and hear the lessons; this being

done, time hangs heavily on their hands till the school is dismissed.

They do not or cannot explain what they are teaching, and the children

have no interest in the study.

 

The Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism is intended for their use.

The explanations are full and simple. The examples are taken from Holy

Scripture, from the parables of Our Lord, from incidents in His life,

and from the customs and manners of the people of His time. These are

made applicable to our daily lives in reflections and exhortations.

 

The plan of the book makes it very simple and handy. The Catechism is

complete and distinct in itself, and may be used with or without the

explanations. The teacher is supposed, after hearing the lesson, to read

the explanation of the new lesson as far as time will allow. It may be

read just as it is, or may be learned by the teacher and given to the

children in substance.

 

The Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism will be found very useful

also for the instruction of adults and converts. The priest on the

mission is often called upon to instruct persons who can come to him but

seldom, and only for a short time; and who, moreover, are incapable of

using with profit such books as The Faith of Our Fathers, Catholic

Belief, or works of controversy. They are simply able to use the Child's

Catechism when explained to them. If the Explanation of the Baltimore

Catechism is in their hands, they may read the explanations and study

the Catechism with pleasure.

 

Indeed the book should do good in any Catholic family. The majority of

our people are children as far as their religious knowledge goes. They

may, it is true, have books on particular subjects, such as the Duties

of Parents to Their Children, The Sure Way to a Happy Marriage, etc.;

but a book that explains to them in the simplest manner all the truths

of their religion, and applies the same to their daily lives, ought to

be useful.

 

The chief aim of the book is to be practical, and to teach Catholics

what they should know, and how these truths of their Catechism are

constantly coming up in the performance of their everyday duties. It is

therefore neither a book of devotion nor of controversy, though it

covers the ground of both. As in this book the explanations are

interrupted by the questions and answers of the Catechism proper, it

will, it is hoped, be read with more pleasure than a book giving solid

page after page of instructions.

 

Wherever a fact is mentioned as being taken from Holy Scripture, it will

generally be given in substance and not in the exact text; though the

reference will always be given, so that those wishing may read it as it

is in the Holy Scripture. The children are not supposed to memorize the

explanation as they do the Catechism itself, yet the teacher, having

once read it to them, should ask questions on it. The book may be used

as a textbook or catechism for the more advanced classes, and the

complete list of numbered questions on the explanations--given at the

end--will render it very serviceable for that purpose.

 

As the same subject often occurs in different parts of the Catechism,

explanations already given may sometimes be repeated. This is done

either to show the connection between the different parts of the

Catechism, or to impress the explanation more deeply on the minds of the

children, or to save the teacher the trouble of always turning back to

preceding explanations. The numbering of the questions and answers

throughout the Catechism, and the complete index of subjects and list of

questions at the end, will, it is hoped, make these comparisons and

references easy, and the book itself useful.

 

With the hope, then, that the Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism may

do all the good intended, I commend it to all who desire a fuller

knowledge of their holy religion that they may practice it more

faithfully.

 

Rev. Thomas L. Kinkead

June 21, 1891,

Feast of St. Aloysius

 

AN

EXPLANATION

OF THE

BALTIMORE CATECHISM

OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE

 

Basic Catholic 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.

 

This is the most beautiful and best of all prayers, because Our Lord

Himself made it. (Matt. 6:9; Luke 11:2). One day when He was praying and

explaining to His Apostles the great advantages of prayer, one of them

said to Him: "Lord, teach us to pray." Then Jesus taught them this

prayer. It contains everything we need or could ask for. We cannot see

its full meaning at once. The more we think over it, the more clearly we

understand it. We could write whole pages on almost every word, and

still not say all that could be said about this prayer. It is called

"the Lord's," because He made it, and sometimes the "Our Father," from

the first words.

 

We say "Our," to show that we are all brethren, and that God is the

Father of us all, and therefore we pray not for ourselves alone but for

all God's children.

 

We say "Father," because God really is our Father. We do not mean here

by Father the First Person of the Blessed Trinity, but the Blessed

Trinity itself--one God. What does a father do for his children? He

gives them their natural existence, provides them with food and

clothing, teaches, protects, and loves them, shares with them all that

he has, and when he dies leaves them his possessions. Now, in all these

ways, and in a much truer sense, God is our Father. He created us and

gives us all that is necessary to sustain life. He gives light, heat,

and air, without any one of which we could not live. He provides for us

also food and clothing, and long before we need or even think of these

things God is thinking of them. Did you ever reflect upon just how much

time and trouble it costs to produce for you even one potato, of which

you think so little? About two years before you need that potato, God

puts it into the mind of the farmer to save the seed that he may plant

it the following year. In the proper season he prepares the ground with

great care and plants the seed. Then God sends His sunlight and rain to

make it grow, but the farmer's work is not yet ended: he must continue

to keep the soil in good condition and clear away the weeds. In due time

the potato is taken from the ground, brought to the market, carried to

your house, cooked and placed before you. You take it without even

thinking, perhaps, of all this trouble, or thanking God for His

goodness. This is only one article of food, and the same may be said of

all the rest. Your clothing is provided for you long before you need it.

The little lamb upon whose back the wool is growing, from which your

coat is someday to be made, is even now far away on some mountain,

growing stronger with the food God gives it till you need its wool. The

little pieces of coal, too, that you so carelessly throw upon the fire

were formed deep down in the earth hundreds of years ago. God produces

all you use, because He foresees and knows you will use it. Moreover He

protects us from danger; He teaches us by the voice of our conscience

and the ministers of His Church, our priests and bishops. He loves us

too, as we may learn from all that He does for us, and from the many

times He forgives us our sins. He shares what He possesses with us. He

has given us understanding and a free will resembling His own. He has

given us immortality, i.e., when once He has created us, we shall exist

as long as Himself--that is, forever. When Our Lord died on the Cross,

He left us His many possessions--His graces and merits, the holy

Sacraments, and Heaven itself.

 

It is surely, then, just and right to call God Father. Our natural

fathers give us only what they, themselves, get from God. So even what

they give us also comes from Him.

 

Before the time of Our Lord, the people in prayer did not call God

Father. They feared Him more than they loved Him. When He spoke to

them--as He did when He gave the Commandments to Moses--it was in

thunder, lightning, and smoke. (Ex. 19). They looked upon God as a great

and terrible king who would destroy them for their sins. He sent the

deluge on account of sin, and He destroyed the wicked city of Sodom with

fire from Heaven. (Gen. 7:19). They called Him Jehovah, and were afraid

sometimes even to pronounce His name. But Our Lord taught that God,

besides being a great and powerful king--the Ruler of the universe and

Lord of all things--is also a kind and good Father, who wishes His

children not to offend Him because they love Him rather than because

they fear Him, and therefore He taught His disciples and all Christians

to call God by the sweet name of Father.

 

"Who art in Heaven." The Catechism says God is everywhere. Why then do

we say, "Who art in Heaven," as if He were no place else? We say so to

remind us, first, that Heaven is our true home, and that this world is

only a strange land in which we are staying for a while to do the work

that God wishes us to do here, and then return to our own home; second,

that in Heaven we shall see God face to face and as He is; third, that

Heaven is the place where God will be for all eternity with the blessed.

 

"Hallowed" means made holy or sacred. Halloween is the name given to the

evening before the feast of All Hallows or All Saints.

 

"Thy kingdom come." This petition contains a great deal more than we at

first see in it. In it we ask that God may reign in our hearts and in

the hearts of all men by His grace in this life, and that we and all men

may attain our eternal salvation, and thus be brought to reign forever

with God in Heaven--the kingdom of His glory. As the Church on earth is

frequently called the kingdom of Christ, and as all the labors of the

Church are directed to the salvation of souls, we pray also in this

petition that the Church may be extended upon earth, that the true

religion may be spread over the whole world, that all men may know and

serve the true God and cheerfully obey His holy laws; that the devil may

have no dominion over them. While saying this petition we may have it in

our minds to pray even for particular ways in which the true religion

can be spread; for example, by praying that the missionaries may meet

with success and all the missions prosper; that priests and bishops may

be ordained to preach the Gospel; that the Church may overcome all her

enemies everywhere, and the true religion triumph.

 

"Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." In Heaven all the angels

and saints obey God perfectly; they never offend Him; so we pray that it

may be on earth as it is in Heaven, all men doing God's will, observing

His laws and the laws of His Church, and living without sin.

 

"Give us this day our daily bread." In this petition "bread" means not

merely bread, but everything we need for our daily lives; such as food,

clothing, light, heat, air, and the like; also food for the soul, i.e.,

grace. If a beggar told you that he had not tasted bread for the whole

day, you would never think of asking him if he had eaten any cake,

because you would understand by his word bread all kinds of food. We say

"daily," to teach us not to be greedy or too careful about ourselves,

and not to ask for unnecessary things, but to pray for what we need for

our present wants.

 

"And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against

us." "Trespasses" means here our sins, our offenses against God. When we

trespass we enter places we should not, or where we are forbidden to go.

So when we sin we go where we should not go, viz., out of the path of

virtue that leads to God, and into the way of vice that leads to the

devil.

 

"As we forgive them." We take this to mean: we forgive others who have

offended us, and for that reason, God, You should forgive us who have

offended You. Our Lord told a beautiful parable, i.e., a story by way of

illustration, to explain this. (Matt. 18:23). A very rich man had a

servant who owed him a large sum of money. One day the master asked the

servant for the money, and the poor servant had none to give. Now the

law of the country was, that when anyone could not pay his debts, all

that he had could be sold and the money given to the one to whom it was

due, and if that was not sufficient, he and his wife and his children

could be sold as slaves. The servant, knowing this, fell on his knees

and begged his master to be patient with him, and to give him time and

he would pay all. Then his master was moved to pity, granted not only

what he asked, but freed him from the debt altogether. Afterwards when

this servant, who had just been forgiven the large sum, was going out,

he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a very small sum of

money, and taking hold of him by the throat, demanded payment. Now, this

poor servant, having nothing to give just then, implored his assailant

to be patient with him and he would pay all. But the hard-hearted

servant--though he himself had a little while before asked and obtained

the very same favor from his own master--would not listen to the request

or wait longer, but went and had his fellow servant cast into prison

till he should pay the debt. The other servants, seeing how unforgiving

this man was who had himself been forgiven, went and told all to their

master, and he, being angry at such conduct, had the unforgiving servant

brought back and cast into prison.

 

"And lead us not into temptation." "Temptation" means a trial to see

whether we will do a thing or not. Here it means a trial made by some

person or thing--the devil, the world, or our own flesh--to see whether

we will sin or not. God does not exactly lead us into temptation; but He

allows us to fall into it. He allows others to tempt us. We can overcome

any temptation to sin by the help or grace that God gives us. Therefore

we ask in this petition that God will always give us the grace to

overcome the temptation, and that we may not consent to it. A temptation

is not a sin. It becomes sin only when we are overcome by it. When we

are tempted we are like soldiers fighting a battle: if the soldiers are

conquered by their enemy, they are disgraced; but if they conquer their

enemy, they have great glory and great rewards. So, when we overcome

temptations, God gives us a new glory and reward for every victory.

 

"Deliver us from evil." From every kind of evil, and especially the evil

of being conquered by our spiritual enemies, and thus falling into sin,

and offending God by becoming His enemy ourselves. It would be a sin to

seek temptation, though we have a reward for resisting it when it comes.

 

"Amen" means, be it so. May all we have asked be granted just as we have

asked it.

 

 

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.

 

Next in beauty to the Lord's Prayer comes this prayer. It is made up of

three parts:

 

"Hail, full of grace! the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou amongst

women" was composed by the angel Gabriel, for these are the words he

used when he came to tell the Blessed Virgin that she was selected to be

the Mother of God (Luke 1:28). All her people knew that the Redeemer

promised from the time of Eve down to the time of the Blessed Virgin was

now to be born, and many good women were anxious to be His mother, and

they believed the one who would be selected the most blessed and happy

of all women.

 

"The Lord is with thee" by His grace and favor, since you are the one He

loves best. He is with all His creatures, but He is with you in a very

special manner.

 

After the visit of the angel, the Blessed Virgin went a good distance to

visit her cousin, St. Elizabeth, who was the mother of St. John the

Baptist (Luke 1:39). When St. Elizabeth saw her, she, without being told

by the Blessed Virgin what the angel had done, knew by the inspiration

of the Holy Ghost what had taken place, and said to the Blessed Virgin:

"Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb."

That is "blessed" because, of all the women that have ever lived or ever

shall live, you are the one selected by God to be the mother of His Son

and Our Redeemer, and blessed is that Son Himself. This is the second

part of the prayer. The third part, from "Holy Mary" to the end, was

composed by the Church.

 

"Hail." This was the word used by the people of that country in saluting

one another when they met. We say when meeting anyone we know, "Good

day," or "How do you do?" or some such familiar expression used by all

in salutation. So these people, instead of saying, "Good day," etc.,

said "Hail" i.e., I wish you health, I greet you, etc. The angel did not

say "Mary," because she was the only one present to address.

 

"Full of grace." When anything is full it has no room for more. God's

grace and sin cannot exist in the same place. Therefore when the Blessed

Virgin was full of grace, there was no room for sin. So she was without

any sin and gifted with every virtue.

 

"Holy Mary," because one full of grace must be holy.

 

"Mother of God," because her Son was true God and true man in the one

person of Christ, Our Lord.

 

"Pray for us," because she has more power with her Son than all the

other saints.

 

"Sinners," and therefore we need forgiveness.

 

"At the hour of our death" especially, because that is the most

important time for us. No matter how bad we have been during our lives,

if God gives us the grace to die in His friendship, we shall be His

friends forever. On the other hand, no matter how good we may have been

for a part of our lives, if we become bad before death, and die in that

state, we shall be separated from God forever, and be condemned to

eternal punishment. It would be wrong, therefore, to live in sin, with a

promise that we shall die well, for God may not give us the grace or

opportunity to repent, and we may die in sin if we have lived in sin.

Besides this, the devil knows how much depends upon the state in which

we die, and so he perhaps will tempt us more at death than at any other

time; for if we yield to him and die in sin, we shall be with him

forever--it is his last chance to secure our souls.

 

Besides the Hail Mary there is another beautiful prayer on the same

subject, called the Angelus. It is a little history of the Incarnation,

and is said morning, noon, and evening in honor of Our Lord's

Incarnation, death, and resurrection. It is made up of three parts. The

first part tells what the angel did, viz.: "The angel of the Lord

declared unto Mary. And she conceived of the Holy Ghost." After saying

these words, we say one Hail Mary in honor of the angel's message. The

second part tells what Mary answered, viz.: "Behold the handmaid of the

Lord. Be it done unto me according to thy word." We say another Hail

Mary in honor of Mary's consent. The third part tells how Our Lord

became Man, viz.: "And the Word was made flesh. And dwelt among us." The

"Word" means here the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity; and "made

flesh" means, became man. Then another Hail Mary is said in honor of Our

Lord's goodness in humbling Himself so much for our sake. After these

three parts we say: "Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God! that we may be

made worthy of the promises of Christ"; and, finally, we say a prayer in

honor of Our Lord's Incarnation, Passion, and Resurrection. This

beautiful prayer is said three times a day in all seminaries, convents,

and religious houses. The time for saying it is made known by the

ringing of a bell called the "Angelus bell." In many parishes the church

bell rings out the Angelus. In Catholic countries the people stop

wherever they are and whatever they are doing, and bowing their heads,

say the Angelus when they hear its bell. It is a beautiful practice and

one most pleasing to our Blessed Lord and His holy Mother. Good

Catholics should not neglect it.

 

I might mention here another kind of prayer often said in honor of our

blessed Mother. It is the Litany. In this form of prayer we call Our

Lady many beautiful names which we know are most dear to her, asking her

after each one to pray for us. We address her first by names reminding

her that she is the Mother of God and has therefore great influence with

her divine Son. We say: Mother of Christ, Mother of Our Creator, Mother

of Our Redeemer, etc., pray for us. Next we remind her that she is a

virgin and should take pity on us who are exposed to so many temptations

against holy purity. We call her virgin most pure, virgin most chaste,

etc., and again ask her to pray for us. Lastly we call her all those

names that could induce her to hear us. We say: health of the weak,

refuge of sinners, help of Christians, pray for us.

 

In addition to the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, we have the Litany of

the Holy Name of Jesus, the Litany of the Blessed Sacrament, the Litany

of the Sacred Heart, the Litany of St. Joseph, and many others--all made

up in the same form. We have also the Litany of all the Saints, in which

we beg the help and prayers of the different classes of saints--the

Apostles, martyrs, virgins, etc.

 

 

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.

 

A creed is a definite list or summary of all the things one believes.

The "Apostles' Creed" is therefore a list or collection of all the

truths the Apostles believed. The "Apostles" were the twelve men that

Our Lord selected to be His first bishops. We know they were bishops

because they could ordain priests and consecrate other bishops. They

lived with Our Lord like a little family during the three and a half

years of His public life; they went with Him and learned from Him

wherever He preached. Besides these He had also His disciples, i.e.,

followers who went with Him frequently but did not live with Him. Our

Lord wished His doctrine to be taught to all the people of the world,

and so He told His Apostles that they must go over the whole world and

preach in every country. During the life of Our Lord and for a short

time after His death they preached in only one country, viz.,

Palestine--now called the Holy Land--in which country the Jews, up to

that time God's chosen people, lived. Since the Apostles were to preach

to all nations, the time came when they must separate, one going to one

country, and another to another. In those days there were no steamboats

or railroads, no post offices, telegraph offices, telephones, or

newspapers. If the Apostles wished to communicate with anyone they had

either to go to the place themselves or send a messenger. By walking or

riding it might have taken them months or years in those days to make a

journey that we can make now in a few days; and for an answer to a

message which we can get now by telegraph in a few hours they might have

had to wait months. The Apostles knew of all these inconveniences, and

before leaving the places they were in pointed out the chief truths that

all should know and believe before receiving Baptism, that Christian

teachers who should come after them might neglect nothing--just as we

use catechisms containing the truths of religion, for fear the teachers

might forget to speak of some of them. There are "twelve articles" or

parts in the Apostles' Creed, and each part is meant to refute some

false doctrine taught before the time of the Apostles or while they

lived. Thus there were those--as the Romans--who said there were many

gods; others said not God, but the devil created the earth; others

taught that Our Lord was not the Son of God: and so on for the rest. All

these false doctrines are denied and the truth professed when we say the

Apostles' Creed.

 

Just as in the Lord's Prayer we do not see all its meaning at first, so

in the Apostles' Creed we find many beautiful things only after thinking

carefully over every word it contains.

 

"I believe," without the slightest doubt or suspicion that I might be

wrong.

 

"In God" by the grace that He gives me to believe and have full

confidence in Him.

 

"God," to show that there is only one.

 

"The Father," because He brought everything into existence and keeps it

so (see Explanation of the Lord's Prayer).

 

"Almighty," i.e., having all might or power; because He can do whatever

He wishes. He can make or destroy by merely wishing.

 

"Creator." To create means to make out of nothing. God alone can create.

When a carpenter makes a table, he must have wood; when a tailor makes a

coat, he must have cloth. They are only makers and not creators. God

needs no material or tools. When we make anything, we make it part by

part; but God makes the whole at once. He simply wills and it is made.

Thus He said in the beginning of the world: "Let there be light; and

light was made." For example, suppose I wanted a piano. If I could say,

"Let there be a piano" and it immediately sprang up without any other

effort on my part, although neither the wood, the iron, the wire, the

ivory, nor anything else in it ever existed till I said, "Let there be a

piano," then it could be said I created a piano. No one could do this,

for God alone has such power.

 

"Heaven and earth" and everything we can see or know of.

 

"Jesus Christ." Our Lord is called by many names, but you must not be

confused by them, for they all mean the same person, and are given only

to remind us of some particular thing connected with Our Lord. He is

called "Jesus," which signifies Saviour, and "Christ," which means

anointed. He is called the "Second Person of the Blessed Trinity," and

when we call Him "Our Lord," we mean the Second Person of the Blessed

Trinity after He became man. He is called the "Messias" and the "Son of

David" to show that He is the Redeemer promised to the Jews. Also at the

end of all our litanies He is called the "Lamb of God," because He was

so meek and humble and suffered death so patiently. In the Litany of the

Holy Name of Jesus we will find many other beautiful names of Our Lord,

all having their special signification.

 

"His only Son," to show that God, the First Person of the Blessed

Trinity, was His real Father. We are called God's children, but we are

only His created and adopted children.

 

"Who was conceived," i.e., He began to exist by the power of the Holy

Ghost in the womb of His Mother, the Blessed Virgin.

 

"Suffered." We shall see in the explanation of the Passion what He

suffered.

 

"Under" means here, at the time a man named Pontius Pilate was governor.

If anyone were put to death today in this country, we should say he was

executed under Governor or President so-and-so. "Crucified," i.e.,

nailed to a cross. We say "died," because Our Lord is the Giver of Life,

and no one could take His life away unless He allowed it. Therefore we

say He died, and not that He was killed, to show that He died by His own

free will and not against His will.

 

"Was buried." This we say to show that He was really dead; because if

you bury a man who is not really dead he must die.

 

"Hell" here does not mean the place where the damned are, but a place

called "Limbo." You know that when our first parents sinned, Heaven was

closed against them and us, and no human being could be admitted into it

till after the death of Our Lord; for He by His death would redeem

us--make amends for our fall and once more open for us Heaven. Now from

the time Adam sinned till the time Christ died is about four thousand

years. During that time there were at least some good men, like Abraham,

Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and others, in the world, who tried to serve

God as best they could--keeping all the divine laws known to them, and

believing that the Messias would some day come to redeem them. When,

therefore, they died they could not go to Heaven, because it was closed

against them. They could not go to Hell, because they were good men.

Neither could they go to Purgatory, because they would have to suffer

there. Where could they go? God in His goodness provided a place for

them--Limbo--where they could stay without suffering till Our Lord

reopened Heaven. Therefore, while Our Lord's body lay in the sepulchre,

His soul went down into Limbo, to tell these good men that Heaven was

now opened for them, and that at His Ascension He would take them there

with Him.

 

"The third day." Not three full days, but the parts of three days, viz.,

Friday afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday morning.

 

"He arose" by His own power: and this was the greatest of all Our Lord's

miracles. Some others, like the prophets and Apostles, have, by the

power God gave them, raised the dead to life; but no dead person ever

raised himself. Our Lord is the first and only one to do this, and by so

doing, showed they could not take away His life unless He wished to give

it up; for since He could always take back His life, how could they

destroy it?

 

"He ascended" forty days after His Resurrection.

 

"Right hand of God." We know God is a pure spirit having no body; and if

He has no body He can have no hands. Why then do we say right hand? When

the President of the United States invites anyone to dine at his house,

he makes the invited guest sit at his right hand, and thus shows his

respect by giving him the place of highest honor.

 

When Our Lord ascended into Heaven, He went up in the human body He had

upon earth, and His Father placed Him as man, in His glorified body, in

the place, after His (the Father's) own, the highest in Heaven; but

remember, only as man, because as God He is equal to His Father in all

things.

 

"From thence"--that is, from the right hand of God.

 

"To judge." To examine them, to pronounce sentence upon them; to reward

them in Heaven or punish them in Hell.

 

"The living and the dead." We may take this in a double sense. As the

general judgment will come suddenly and when not expected, all will be

going on in the world as usual--some attending to business, others

taking their ease as they do now, or as they were doing when the deluge

came upon them. Just when the judgment is about to take place, God will

destroy the earth; and then all those living in the world will perish

with its destruction and then be judged. The "dead" means, therefore,

all those who died before the destruction of the world, and the "living"

all those who were on earth when the time of its destruction came. Or

the "living" may mean also those in a state of grace, and the "dead"

those in mortal sin; for God will judge both classes.

 

"Holy Ghost," i.e., the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. Ghost is an

old word meaning spirit. When persons say that a ghost appeared, they

mean that the spirit of some dead person appeared. These stories about

ghosts are told generally to frighten children or timid persons. If

those who thought they saw a ghost always examined what they saw, they

would find that the supposed ghost was something very natural; probably

a bush swayed by the wind, or a stray animal, or perhaps some person

trying to frighten them. Ghost here does not mean the spirit of a dead

person, but the Holy Spirit, which is the proper name for the Third

Person of the Blessed Trinity.

 

"The communion of saints." There are three parts in the Church. We have,

first, the Church Militant, i.e., the fighting Church, made up of all

the faithful upon earth, who are still fighting for their salvation. The

Holy Scripture tells us our life upon earth is a warfare. We have three

enemies to fight. First, the devil, who by every means wishes to keep us

out of Heaven--the place he once enjoyed himself. The devil knows well

the happiness of Heaven, and does not wish us to have what he cannot

have himself; just as you sometimes see persons who, through their own

fault, have lost their situation trying to keep others out of it.

 

Our second enemy is the world. This does not mean the earth with all its

beauty and riches, but the bad people in the world with their false

doctrines; some telling us there is no God, Heaven, or Hell, others that

we should pay no attention to the teaching of the Church or the laws of

God, and advising us by word and example to resist our lawful superiors

in Church or State and give free indulgence to our sinful passions.

 

The third enemy is our own flesh. By this we mean our concupiscence,

that is, our passions, evil inclinations, and propensity to do wrong.

When God first created man, the soul was always master over the body,

and the body obedient to the soul. After Adam sinned, the body rebelled

against the soul and tried to lead it into sin. The body is the part of

our nature that makes us like the brute animals, while the soul makes us

like to God and the angels.

 

When we sin, it is generally to satisfy the body craving for what it has

not, or for that which is forbidden. Why did God leave this

concupiscence in us? He left it, first, to keep us humble, by reminding

us of our former sins, and, secondly, that we might overcome it and have

a reward for the victory.

 

The second branch of the Church is called the Church Suffering. It is

made up of all those who have gone through this world and are now in

Purgatory.

 

Some of them while on earth fought well, but not as well as they could

have done; they yielded to some temptations, fell into some small sins,

received some slight wounds from their spiritual enemies, or they have

not satisfied God entirely for the temporal guilt due to their great

sins; therefore they are in Purgatory till they can be completely

purified from all their sins and admitted into Heaven.

 

The last or third branch of the Church is called the Church Triumphant,

and is made up of the angels and all those who have lived at one time

upon earth and who are now in Heaven with God, enjoying their rewards

for overcoming their spiritual enemies and serving God while upon earth.

They are triumphant or rejoicing because they have reached their

heavenly home.

 

You must not think that those only are saints who have been canonized by

the Church and whose names are known to us; for all in Heaven are

saints, as we also shall be if admitted into that happy eternity. God

wishes all to be saints, for He wishes all to be saved. You know we can

pray to the saints and ask their help and prayers; but how could we know

that certain men or women are really in Heaven? We can know it when the

Church canonizes them, and thus gives proof that they were great

spiritual heroes in the service of God and can be more confidently

appealed to on account of their eminent sanctity and powerful

intercession.

 

Therefore the Church by canonization tells us for certain that such and

such persons are truly in Heaven. But might not the Church be deceived

like ourselves?

 

No! for Christ has promised to be always with His Church, and the Holy

Ghost is ever directing her, so that she cannot err in faith or morals.

If the Church made us pray to persons who are not saints, she would fall

into the worst of errors, and Our Lord would have failed to keep His

promise--a saying that would be blasphemous, for Christ, being God, is

infinitely true and could not deceive or be deceived. To canonize,

therefore, does not mean to make a saint, but to declare to the whole

world that such a one was a saint while upon earth. After death we

cannot merit, so our reward in Heaven will be just what we have secured

up till the moment of our death; hence holiness is acquired in the

Church Militant.

 

How does the Church canonize a saint? Let us suppose some good man dies,

and all his neighbors talk about his holy fife, how much he did for the

poor, how he prayed, fasted, and mortified himself. All these accounts

of his life are collected and sent to Rome, to the Holy Father or to the

cardinals appointed by him to examine such statements. These accounts

must show that the good man practiced virtue in a more than ordinary

manner, that he either performed some miracles while he lived, or that

God granted miracles after his death through his intercession.

 

These accounts are not examined immediately after his death, but

sometimes after a lapse of fifty years or more, so that people might not

exaggerate his good works because they knew him personally.

 

When these accounts are examined, one is appointed to prevent, if he

can, the canonization. He is sometimes called the devil's advocate,

because it is his business to find fault with all the accounts and

miracles, and prove them false if possible. This is done to make certain

that all the accounts are true and the miracles real. If everything is

found as represented, then the good man is declared venerable, later

beatified, i.e., called blessed, and still later canonized, i.e.,

declared a saint. If he is only beatified, he can be honored publicly

only in certain places or by certain persons; but if he is canonized, he

can be honored throughout the whole Church by all the faithful.

 

Thus we understand the three branches of the one true Church--the Church

Militant, i.e., all those who are on earth trying to save their souls;

the Church Suffering, those in Purgatory, having their souls purified

for Heaven; and the Church Triumphant, those already in Heaven.

 

The "communion of saints" means that these three branches of the Church

can help one another. We help the souls in Purgatory by our prayers and

good works, and the saints in Heaven pray for us. But "communion of

saints" means still more. Let us take an example. Suppose there are in a

family, living together, a mother and three sons. The eldest son earns a

large salary, the second son enough to support himself, and the youngest

very little. They give their earnings to their mother, who from the

combined amounts provides for the wants of all and draws from the large

salary of the eldest to supply the needs of the youngest. Thus he who

has too little for his support is--through his mother--aided by the one

who has more than he needs. Now, the Church is our mother, and some of

her children--the great saints--were rich in good works and did more

than was necessary to gain Heaven, while others did not do enough. Then

our mother, the Church, draws from the abundant satisfaction of her rich

children to help those who are poor in merit and good works. The

greatest treasure she has to draw from for that purpose is the more than

abundant merits of Our Lord and the superabundant satisfaction of the

Blessed Virgin and the greatest saints. Our Lord could have redeemed us

all by the least suffering, and yet He suffered dreadful torments, and

even shed His blood and died for us. The Blessed Virgin never sinned,

yet she performed many good works and offered many prayers. Therefore

"communion of saints" means, also, that we all share in the merits of

Christ and in the superabundant satisfaction of the Blessed Virgin and

of the saints; also in the prayers and good works of the Church and of

her faithful and pious children.

 

"The forgiveness of sins," i.e., by the Sacrament of Penance, through

the power that God gave His priests; also by Baptism.

 

"The resurrection of the body," i.e., on the last day (Matt. 24:29; Luke

21:25). When on the last day, at the general judgment, God's angel

sounds the great trumpet, all the dead will arise again and come to

judgment, in the same bodies they had while living. But you will say: If

their bodies are reduced to ashes and mixed with the earth, or if parts

of them are in one place and parts in another, how is this possible?

Very easily, with God. If He in the beginning could make all the parts

out of nothing, with how much ease can He collect them scattered here

and there! When God made man He gave him a body and a soul, and wished

them never to be separated. Man was to live here upon earth for a time,

and then be taken up into Heaven, body and soul, as Our Lord is there

now. But when man sinned, in punishment God commanded that he should

die; i.e., that these two dear friends, the body and the soul, should be

separated for a time. Death is caused by the separation of the soul from

the body. The body and soul together make a man, and neither one alone

can be called a man. A dead body is only part of a man. At the

resurrection every soul will come from Heaven, Purgatory, or Hell, to

seek its own body; they will then be united again as they were in life,

never to be separated--to be happy together in Heaven if they have been

good upon earth, or miserable together in Hell if they have been bad

upon earth.

 

"Life everlasting"--either, as we have said, in Heaven or Hell. There

was a time when we did not exist but it can never be said of us again we

do not exist. When once we have been created, we shall live as long as

God Himself, i.e., forever. When we have lived a thousand years for

every drop of water in the ocean; a thousand years for every grain of

sand on the seashore; a thousand years for every blade of grass and

every leaf on the earth, we shall still be existing. How short a time,

therefore, is a hundred years even if we live so long--and few

do--compared with all these millions of years! And yet it depends upon

the time we live here whether all these millions of years in the next

world will be for us years of happiness or of misery. The whole life of

a man extends through the two worlds, viz., from the moment of his

creation through all eternity; and surely the little while he stays upon

earth must seem very short when, after spending a million of years in

the next world, he looks back to his earthly life. There is a good

example to illustrate this. If you stand on a railroad, and look away

down the track for about a mile, it will seem to you that the rails come

nearer and nearer, till at last they touch. It seems so on account of

the distance, for where they seem to touch they are just as far apart as

where you are standing. So, also, when you look back from eternity, the

day of your birth and the day of your death will seem to coincide, and

your life on earth appear nothing. Then, if you are among the lost souls

you will think, What a fool I was to make myself suffer all this long

eternity for that silly bit of earthly pleasure, which is of no benefit

to me now! And this thought will serve only to make you more miserable.

But, on the other hand, if you look back from a happy eternity, you will

wonder at God's goodness in giving you so much happiness for so short a

service upon earth.

 

 

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, 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.

 

This is another beautiful prayer. In it we can imagine that we are

permitted to enter Heaven. What do we see there? God, the Blessed

Virgin, the thousands of angels, the Apostles, all the saints, martyrs,

confessors, doctors and virgins. They cease singing God's praises, as we

enter, and fix their eyes upon us. Our guardian angel conducts us before

the great throne of God, and we kneel down in the presence of the whole

court of Heaven, to acknowledge our sins and faults, while all listen

attentively. Touched by so sublime a sight and the thought of having

offended a God of so much glory, we begin our accusation of ourselves.

We fix our eyes first upon God, and say: "I confess," i.e., accuse

myself, "to Almighty God." Then we look upon the rest of the blessed,

and say: "to the Blessed Mary ever Virgin," etc. Thus we call the whole

court of Heaven to be a witness of the fact that we "have sinned," not

lightly, but "exceedingly," i.e., very greatly, and in three ways: "in

thought," by thinking of things sinful and forbidden; "in word," by

lies, curses, slanders, etc.; "in deed," by every bad action that we

have committed; and each of us can say: I have done all this "through my

fault," i.e., willingly and deliberately; and it was not a small fault,

but an exceeding great fault, because God was helping me by His grace to

overcome temptations and avoid bad thoughts, words, and actions, and I

would not accept His help, but willingly did what was wrong. What am I

to do, therefore? Will God pardon all these offenses if I alone ask Him,

seeing that all the angels and saints know that I have thus offended

Him? What shall I do? I will ask them to help me by their prayers, and

to beg God's pardon for me. He may grant their prayers, especially those

of the Blessed Mother and of the saints, when He would not grant mine.

"Therefore I beseech the Blessed Mary ever Virgin," etc., "to pray to

the Lord our God for me."

 

When we kneel down to say the Confiteor, if we could imagine what I have

just described to take place, how well we should say it! With what

attention, respect, and sorrow we should ask the prayers of the saints!

When we say the Confiteor, and indeed any prayer, we say it in the

presence of God, and of the whole court of Heaven, though we are not in

Heaven and cannot see God. The angels and saints do hear us and will

pray for us. When, therefore, you are saying the Confiteor, imagine that

you see all I have described, and you will never say it badly.

 

 

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," i.e., a profession, of faith. The whole substance of the act

of faith is contained in this: I believe all that God has revealed and

the Catholic Church teaches. We might mention one by one all the truths

God has revealed, i.e., made known to us, and all the truths the

Catholic Church teaches as revealed by God. For example, we might say, I

believe in the Holy Trinity, in the Incarnation of Our Lord in the Holy

Eucharist, in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin, in the

infallibility of the Pope, and so on, till we write an act of faith

twenty pages long, and yet it would all be contained in the words: I

believe all God has revealed and the Catholic Church teaches. Hence we

find in prayerbooks and catechisms acts of faith differing in length and

words, but they are all the same in substance and have the same meaning.

The act of faith in our Catechism gives a few of the chief truths

revealed, that it may be neither too short nor too long, and that all

may learn the same words.

 

 

AN ACT OF HOPE

O my God! relying on Thy almighty power and 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.

 

The substance of this act is: I hope for Heaven and the means to obtain

it. The means by which I will obtain it are the pardon of my sins by

God, and the grace which He will give me in the reception of the

Sacraments and in prayer, by which grace I will be able to know Him,

love Him, and serve Him, and thus come to be with Him forever. Here

again we could make a long act by mentioning all the things we hope for;

viz., a good death, a favorable judgment, a place in Heaven, etc.

 

 

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.

 

The substance of this act is: I love God above all things for His own

goodness, and my neighbor as myself for the sake of God. An act of love

and an act of charity are the same thing with different names. We are

accustomed to call such things as the giving of alms or help to the

poor, the doing of some good work that we are not bound to do for

another, charity. Surely there are many motives that may induce persons

to help others in their distress; but what is the chief Christian

motive, if it be not the love we bear our brother-man because he is,

like ourselves, a child of God, and the desire we have to obey God, who

wishes us to help the needy? The sufferings of others excite our pity,

and the more we love them the more sorry are we to see them suffer.

Thanks to God for all His mercies to us; He might have made us, instead

of this man, poor and in suffering, but He has spared us and afflicted

him; we know not why God has done so, and therefore we help him, moved

by these considerations even when we feel he is not deserving of the

help, because we know his unworthiness will not prevent God from

rewarding our good intention. We may be charitable to our neighbor by

saying nothing hurtful about him, by never telling his faults without

necessity, etc. Therefore real charity, in its widest sense, and love

are just the same.

 

 

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 substance of this act is: O my God! I am very sorry for all my sins,

because by them I have offended Thee, and with Thy help, I will never

sin again. It is well to know what the acts contain in substance, for we

can use these short forms as aspirations during the day, when we

probably would not think of saying the long forms. A fuller explanation

of the qualities of our contrition will be given in Lesson Eighteen.

 

 

THE BLESSING BEFORE MEALS

Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts which we are 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 forever. And may the souls of the faithful departed, through

the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

 

"Grace" means thanks. We saw in the explanation of the Our Father how

God provides us with all we need, and most frequently with food. It is

the least we can do, therefore, to thank Him for it, when it is just

placed before us. We should thank Him also after we have eaten it and

found it good, pleasing, and refreshing. When God provides us with food

He thereby makes a kind of promise that He will allow us to live awhile

longer and give us strength to serve Him. How shameful it is, then, to

turn God's gifts into a means of offending Him, as some do by the sin of

gluttony! Again, it is very wrong to murmur and be dissatisfied with

what God gives us. He does not owe us anything, and need not give unless

He wishes. What would you think of a beggar of this kind?

He comes to your door hungry, and you, instead of simply giving him some

bread to appease his hunger, take him into your house and give him a

good dinner, new clothing, and some money. Now, instead of being

thankful, suppose he should complain because you did not give him a

better dinner, finer clothing, and more money, and should look cross and

dissatisfied; what would you think of him? Would you not be tempted to

turn the ungrateful fellow out of your house, with an order never to

come again, telling him he deserved to starve for his ingratitude? We

are not quite as ungrateful as the beggar when we neglect grace at

meals, because in saying our daily prayers we thank God for all His

gifts, our food included, and hence it is not a sin to neglect grace at

meals. But do we not show some ingratitude when we murmur, complain, and

are dissatisfied with our food, clothing, or homes? God, even when we

are ungrateful, still gives; hence His wonderful goodness and mercy to

us.

 

 

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

 

Questions marked * are not in No. 1 Catechism.

 

A catechism is any book made up in question and answer form, no matter

what it treats of. We have catechisms of history, of geography, etc. Our

Catechism is a book in the same form treating of religion. It is a

little compendium of the truths of our religion, of all we must believe

and do. It contains, in the simplest form, all that a priest learns

during his many years of study. The theology he learns is only a deeper

and fuller explanation of the Catechism. A whole book might be written

on almost every question. For example, might we not write a book on each

of the first three questions--the World, God, and Man? There is

consequently much meaning in the Catechism, which must be made known to

us by explanation. You should therefore learn the Catechism by heart

now, even when you do not fully understand it; because afterwards, when

you read books on religion or hear sermons, all these questions and

answers will come back to your mind. Sermons will help you to understand

the questions, or the questions will help you to understand the sermons.

 

 

 

Lesson 1

ON THE END OF MAN

 

The end of a thing is the purpose for which it was made. The end of a

watch is to keep time. The end of a pen is to write, etc. A thing is

good only in proportion to the way it fulfills the end for which it was

made. A watch may be very beautifully made, a very rare ornament, but if

it will not keep time it is useless as a watch. The same may be said of

the pen, or of anything else. Now for what purpose was man made? If we

discover that, we know his end. When we look around us in the world, we

see a purpose or end for everything. We see that the soil is made for

the plants and trees to grow in; because if there was no need of things

growing, it would be better to have a nice clean solid rock to walk

upon, and then we would be spared the trouble of making roads, and

paving streets. But things must grow, and so we must have soil. Again,

the vegetables and plants are made for animals to feed upon; while the

animals themselves are made for man, that they may help him in his work

or serve him for food. Thus it is evident everything in the world was

made to serve something else. What then was man made for? Was it for

anything in the world? We see that all classes of beings are created for

something higher than themselves. Thus plants are higher than soil,

because they have life and soil has not. Animals are higher than plants,

because they not only have life, but they can feel and plants cannot.

Man is higher than animals, because he not only has life and can feel,

but he has also reason and intelligence, and can understand, while

animals cannot. Therefore we must look for something higher than man

himself, but there is nothing higher than man in this world, and so we

must look beyond it to find that for which he was made. And looking

beyond it and considering all things, we find that he was made for

God--to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him both in this world and

in the next. Again, we read in the Bible (Gen. 1) that at the creation

of the world all things were made before man, and that he was created

last. Therefore, if all these things could exist without man, we cannot

say he was made for them. The world existed before him and can exist

after him. The world goes along without any particular man, and the same

may be said of all men. Neither was man made to stay here awhile to

become rich, or learned, or powerful, because all do not become

rich--some are very poor; all are not learned--some are very ignorant;

all are not powerful--some are slaves. But since all men are alike and

equal in this, that they have all bodies formed in the same way, and all

souls that are immortal, they should all be made for the same end. For

example, you could not make a pen like a watch if you want it to write.

Although pens differ in size, shape, etc., they have all one general

form which is essential to them. So, although men differ in many things,

they are all alike in the essential thing, viz., that they are composed

of body and soul, and made to the image and likeness of God. Hence, as

pens are made only to write with, so all men must have only one and the

same end, namely, to serve God.

 

1 Q. Who made the world?

A. God made the world.

 

The "world" here means more than the earth--more than is shown on a map

of the world. It means everything that we can see--sun, moon, stars,

etc.; even those things that we can see only with great telescopes.

Everything, too, that we may be able to see in the future, either with

our eyes alone, or aided by instruments, is included in the word

"world." We can call it the universe.

 

2 Q. Who is God?

A. God is the Creator of Heaven and earth, and of all things.

 

3 Q. What is man?

A. Man is a creature composed of a body and soul, and made to the image

and likeness of God.

 

"Creature," i.e., a thing created. Man differs from anything else in

creation. All things else are either entirely matter, or entirely

spirit. An angel, for example, is all spirit, and a stone is all matter;

but man is a combination of both spirit and matter--of soul and of body.

 

*4 Q. Is this likeness in the body or in the soul?

A. This likeness is chiefly in the soul.

 

*5 Q. How is the soul like to God?

A. The soul is like God because it is a spirit that will never die, and

has understanding and free will.

 

My soul is like to God in four things.

 

(1). It is "a spirit." It really exists, but cannot be seen with the

eyes of our body. Every spirit is invisible, but every invisible thing

is not a spirit. We cannot see the wind. We can feel its influence, we

can see its work--for example, the dust flying, trees swaying, ships

sailing, etc.--but the wind itself we never see. Again, we never see

electricity. We see the light or effect it produces, but we never see

the electricity itself. Yet no one denies the existence of the wind or

of electricity on account of their being invisible. Why then should

anyone say there are no spirits--no God, no angels, no souls--simply

because they cannot be seen, when we have other proofs, stronger than

the testimony of our sight, that they really and truly exist?

 

(2). My soul will "never die," i.e., will never cease to exist; it is

immortal. This is a very wonderful thing to think of. It will last as

long as God Himself.

 

(3). My soul "has understanding," i.e., it has the gift of reason. This

gift enables man to reflect upon all his actions--the reasons why he

should do certain things and why he should not do them. By reason he

reflects upon the past, and judges what may happen in the future. He

sees the consequences of his actions. He not only knows what he does,

but why he does it. This is the gift that places man high above the

brute animals in the order of creation; and hence man is not merely an

animal, but he is a rational animal--an animal with the gift of reason.

 

Brute animals have not reason, but only instinct, i.e., they follow

certain impulses or feelings which God gave them at their creation. He

established certain laws for each class or kind of animals, and they,

without knowing it, follow these laws; and when we see them following

their laws, always in the same way, we say it is their nature. Animals

act at times as if they knew just why they were acting; but it is not

so. It is we who reason upon their actions, and see why they do them;

but they do not reason, they only follow their instinct.

 

If animals could reason, they ought to improve in their condition. Men

become more civilized day by day. They invent many things that were

unknown to their forefathers. One man can improve upon the works of

another, etc. But, we never see anything of this kind in the actions of

animals. The same kind of birds, for instance, build the same kind of

nests, generation after generation, without ever making change or

improvement in them. When man teaches an animal any action, it cannot

teach the same to its young. It is clear, therefore, that animals cannot

reason.

 

Though man has the gift of reason by which he can learn a great deal, he

cannot learn all through his reason; for there are many things that God

Himself must teach him. When God teaches, we call the truths He makes

known to us Revelation. How could man ever know about the Trinity

through his reason alone, when, after God has made known to him that It

exists, he cannot understand it? It is the same for all the other

mysteries.

 

(4). My soul has "free will." This is another grand gift of God, by

which I am able to do or not do a thing, just as I please. I can even

sin and refuse to obey God. God Himself--while He leaves me my free

will--could not oblige me to do anything, unless I wished to do it;

neither could the devil. I am free therefore, and I may use this great

gift either to benefit or injure myself. If I were not free I would not

deserve reward or punishment for my actions, for no one is or should be

punished for doing what he cannot help. God would not punish us for sin

if we were not free to commit or avoid it. I turn this freedom to my

benefit if I do what God wishes when I could do the opposite; for He

will be more pleased with my conduct, and grant a greater reward than He

would bestow if I obeyed simply because obliged to do so. Animals have

no free will. If, for example, they suffer from hunger and you place

food before them, they will eat; but man can starve, if he wills to do

so, with a feast before him. For the same reason man can endure more

fatigue than any other animal of the same bodily strength. In traveling,

for instance, animals give up when exhausted, but man may be dying as he

walks, and still, by his strong will-power, force his wearied limbs to

move. But you will say, did not the lions in the den into which Daniel

was cast because he would not act against his conscience, obey the

wicked king and offend God--as we read in Holy Scripture (Dan.

6:16)--refrain from eating him, even when they were starving with

hunger? Yes; but they did not do so of themselves, but by the power of

God preventing them: and that is why the delivery of Daniel from their

mouths was a miracle. It is clear, because the same lions immediately

tore in pieces Daniel's enemies when they were cast into the den.

 

6 Q. 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.

 

"To know" Him, because we must know of a thing before we can love it. A

poor savage in Africa never longs to be at a game or contest going on in

America, because he does not know it and therefore cannot love it. We

see a person and know him; if he pleases us we love him, and if we love

him we will try to serve him; we will not be satisfied with doing merely

what he asks of us, but will do whatever we think might give him

pleasure. So it is in regard to God. We must first know Him--learn who

He is from our catechisms and books of instruction, but especially from

the teaching of God's ministers, the Holy Father, bishops and priests.

When we know Him, we shall love Him. If we knew Him perfectly, we should

love Him perfectly; so the better we know Him the more we shall love

Him. And as it is our chief duty to love Him and serve Him upon earth,

it becomes our strict duty to learn here whatever we can of His nature,

attributes, and holy laws. The saints and angels in Heaven know God so

well that they must love Him, and cannot therefore offend Him.

 

You have all seen some person in the world, or maybe several persons,

whom you have greatly admired; still you did not love them perfectly;

there was always some little thing about them in looks, manners, or

disposition that could be rendered more pleasing; some defect or want

you would like to see supplied; some fault or imperfection you would

like to see corrected. Now suppose you had the power to take all the

good qualities you found in the persons you loved and unite them in one

person, in whom there would be nothing displeasing, but everything

perfect and beautiful. Do you not think you would love such a person

very much indeed?

 

Moreover, suppose you knew that person loved you intensely, would it not

be your greatest delight to be ever with such a friend? Well, then, all

the lovable qualities and beauties you see in created beings come from

God and are bestowed by Him; yet all the good qualities on earth and

those of the angels and saints in Heaven, and even of the Blessed Virgin

and St. Joseph, if united in one person would be nothing compared to the

goodness and beauty of God. How good and how lovable, therefore, must He

be! And what shall we say when we think that He loves us with a greater

love than we could ever love Him, even with our most earnest efforts?

Try then first to know God and you will surely love and serve Him. Do

not be satisfied with the little you learn of Him in the Catechism, but

afterward read good books, and above all hear sermons and instructions.

 

"In this world." Because unless we do what is pleasing to Him in this

world we cannot be with Him in the next. Our condition in the next world

depends entirely upon our conduct in this. Thus we have discovered the

answer to the great question, What is the end of man; for what was he

made?

 

*7 Q. 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.

 

*8 Q. 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.

 

Every sensible person will take most care of that which is most

valuable. If a girl had a hundred dollars in a ten-cent pocket-book, you

would consider her a great fool if she threw away the hundred dollars

for fear of spoiling the pocket-book. Now, he is a greater fool who

throws away his soul in order to save his body some little

inconvenience, or gratify its wicked desires or inclinations. Wherever

the soul will be, there the body will be also; so we should, in a

certain way, try to forget the body and make sure of getting the soul

safely into Heaven. You would not think much of the wisdom of a boy who

allowed his kite to be smashed in pieces by giving his whole attention

to the tail of the kite. If he took care to keep the kite itself high in

air and away from every danger, the tail would follow it; and even if

the tail did get entangled, it would have a good chance of being freed

while the kite was still flying. But of what use is it to save a

worthless piece of rag, if the kite--the valuable thing--is lost? Just

in the same way, of what use is our body if our soul is lost? And

remember we have only one soul. Therefore, make sure to save the soul,

and the body also will be saved--that is, the whole man will be saved;

for we cannot save the soul and lose the body; they will both be saved

or both be lost.

 

9 Q. 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.

 

"Worship," that is, give Him divine honor. We honor persons for their

worth and excellence, and since God is the most excellent, we give Him

the highest honors, differing from others not merely in degrees but in

kind--divine honors that belong to Him alone. And justly so, for the

vilest animal upon the earth is a thousand times more nearly our equal

than the most perfect creature, man or angel, is the equal of God. In

speaking of worship, theologians generally distinguish three kinds,

namely: latria, or that supreme worship due to God alone, which cannot

be transferred to any creature without committing the sin of idolatry;

dulia, or that secondary veneration we give to saints and angels as the

special friends of God; hyperdulia, or that higher veneration which we

give to the Blessed Virgin as the most exalted of all God's creatures.

It is higher than the veneration we give to the other saints, but

infinitely inferior to the worship we give to God Himself. We show God

our special honor by never doubting anything He reveals to us, therefore

by "faith"; by expecting with certainty whatever He promises, therefore

by "hope"; and finally by loving Him more than anyone else in the world,

therefore by "charity."

 

But someone may say, I think I love my parents more than God. Well, let

us see. Suppose your mother should command you to commit a sinful act (a

thing no good mother would do) and you have therefore to choose between

offending her or Almighty God. Now, although you love your mother very

much, if in this instance you prefer to displease her rather than commit

the sin that offends God, you show that you love God more than her.

Again, many who dearly love their parents leave them that they may

consecrate their lives to the special service of God in some religious

community and thus prove their greater love for Him. The love we have

for God is intellectual rather than sentimental; and since it is not

measured by the intensity of our feelings, how are we to know that we

love Him best? By our determination never to offend Him for any person

or thing in the world, however dear to us, and by our readiness to obey

and serve Him before all others.

 

10 Q. 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.

 

"Catholic Church" in this answer means the Pope, councils, bishops, and

priests who teach in the Church.

 

11 Q. Where shall we find the chief truths which the Catholic Church

teaches?

A. We shall find the chief truths which the Catholic Church teaches in

the Apostles' Creed.

 

"Chief," because the Apostles' Creed does not contain in an explicit

manner all the truths we must believe. For example, there is nothing in

the Apostles' Creed about the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, about the

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin, or the infallibility of the

Pope; and yet we must believe these and other articles of faith not in

the Apostles' Creed. It contains only the "chief" and not all the

truths.

 

12 Q. 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, and 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.

 

"Descend" means to go down, and "ascend" to go up.

 

 

 

Lesson 2

ON GOD AND HIS PERFECTIONS

 

A "perfection" means a good quality. We say a thing is perfect when it

has all the good qualities it should have.

 

13 Q. What is God?

A. God is a spirit infinitely perfect.

 

"A spirit" is a living, intelligent, invisible being. It really exists,

though we cannot see it with the eyes of our body. It has intelligence

and can therefore think, understand, etc. It is not because we cannot

see it that we call it a spirit. To be invisible is only one of the

qualities of a spirit. It is also indivisible, that is, it cannot be

divided into parts. God is such a being. He is "infinitely perfect,"

that is, He has every perfection in the highest degree. "Infinite" means

to have without limit. If there were any perfection God did not have, He

would not be infinite. He is unlimited in wisdom, in power, in goodness,

in beauty, etc. But you will tell me persons on earth and the angels and

saints in Heaven have some wisdom and power and beauty, and therefore

God cannot have all, since He has not the portion with which they are

endowed. I still say He is infinite, because what the angels and others

have belongs to God, and He only lends it to them. "Perfect" means to be

without any defect or fault.

 

14 Q. Had God a beginning?

A. God had no beginning; He always was and always will be.

 

Was there ever a time when we could say there was no God? There was a

time when we could say there was no Heaven or earth, no angels, men, or

animals; but there was never a time when there was no God. We may go

back in thought millions and millions of years before the Creation, and

God was then existing. He had no beginning and will never cease to

exist. This is a mystery; and what a mystery is will be explained in the

next lesson.

 

15 Q. Where is God?

A. God is everywhere.

 

"Everywhere"--not spread out like a great cloud, but whole and entire in

every particular place: and yet there is only one God, and not as many

gods as there are places. How this can be we cannot fully understand,

because this also is a mystery. A simile, though it will not be perfect,

may help you to understand. When we speak of God, we can never give a

true and perfect example; for we cannot find anything exactly like Him

to compare to Him. If I discharge a great cannon in a city, every one of

the inhabitants will hear the report; not in such a way that each hearer

gets his share of the sound, but each hears the whole report, just as if

he were the only one to hear it. Now, how is that? There are not as many

reports as there are persons listening; and yet each person hears the

whole report.

 

16 Q. 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.

 

"Pure spirit," that is, not clothed with any material body--spirit

alone.

 

17 Q. Does God see us?

A. God sees us and watches over us.

 

"Watches" to protect, to reward or punish us. He watches continually; He

not only watches, but keeps us alive. God might have created us and then

paid no more attention to us; but if He had done so, we should have

fallen back again into nothingness. Therefore He preserves us every

moment of our lives. We cannot draw a breath without Him. If a steam

engine be required to work ceaselessly, you cannot, after setting it in

motion, leave it henceforth entirely to itself. You must keep up the

supply of water and fire necessary for the generation of steam, you must

oil the machinery, guard against overheating or cooling, and, in a word,

keep a constant watch that nothing may interfere with its motion. So

also God not only watches His creatures, but likewise provides for them.

Since we depend so much upon Him, is it not great folly to sin against

Him, to offend, and tempt Him as it were? There are some birds that

build their nests on the sides of great rocky precipices by the

seacoast. Their eggs are very valuable, and men are let down by long

ropes to take them from the nest. Now while one of these men is hanging

over the fearful precipice, his life is entirely in the hands of those

holding the rope above. While he is in that danger do you not think he

would be very foolish to tempt and insult those on whom his life

depends, when they could dash him to pieces by simply dropping the rope?

While we live here upon earth we are all hanging over a great precipice,

namely, eternity; God holds us by the little thread of our lives, and if

He pleased to drop it we should be hurled into eternity. If we tempt or

insult Him, He might drop or cut the thread while we are in mortal sin,

and then, body and soul, we go down into Hell.

 

18 Q. Does God know all things?

A. God knows all things, even our most secret thoughts, words, and

actions.

 

Certainly God "knows all things." First, because He is infinitely wise,

and if He were ignorant of anything He would not be so. Secondly,

because He is everywhere and sees and hears all. Darkness does not hide

from His view, nor noise prevent Him from hearing. How could we sin if

we thought of this! God is just here, looking at me and listening to me.

Would I do what I am going to do now if I knew my parents, relatives,

and friends were watching me? Would I like them to know that I am

thinking about things sinful, and preparing to do shameful acts? No! Why

then should I feel ashamed to let God see and know of this wicked

thought or action? They might know it and yet be unable to harm me, but

He, all-powerful, could destroy me instantly. Nay, more; not only will

God see and know this evil deed or thought; but, by His gift, the

Blessed Mother, the angels and saints will know of it and be ashamed of

it before God, and, most of all, my guardian angel will deplore it.

Besides, this sin will be revealed to the whole world on the last day,

and my friends, relatives, and neighbors will know that I was guilty of

it.

 

19 Q. Can God do all things?

A. God can do all things, and nothing is hard or impossible to Him.

 

20 Q. Is God just, holy, and merciful?

A. God is all just, all holy, all merciful, as He is infinitely perfect.

 

"All just"--that is, most just. "Just" means to give to everyone what

belongs to him--to reward if it is merited or to punish if it is

deserved. "Holy"--that is, good. "Merciful" means compassionate,

forgiving, less exacting than severe justice demands. In a court a just

judge is one who listens patiently to all the arguments for and against

the prisoner, and then, comparing one with the other, gives the sentence

exactly in accordance with the guilt. If he inflicts more or less

punishment than the prisoner deserves, or for money or anything else

gives an unfair sentence, then he is an unjust judge. The judge might be

merciful in this way. The laws say that for the crime of which this

prisoner is proved guilty he can be sent to prison for a term not longer

than ten years and not shorter than five: that is, for anything between

ten and five years. The judge could give him the full ten years that the

law allows and be just. But suppose he believed that the prisoner did

not know the law and did not intend to be as wicked as he was proved; or

that it was his first offense, or that he heard the prisoner's mother,

who was old and infirm, pleading for him and saying he was her only

support; or other extenuating circumstances that could awaken sympathy:

the judge might be merciful and sentence him for the shortest term the

law allows. But if the judge dismissed every prisoner, no matter how

guilty, without punishment, he would not be a merciful but an unjust

judge, who would soon be forced to leave the court. In the same way, God

is often merciful to sinners and punishes them less than He could in

strict justice. But if He were to allow every sinner to go without any

punishment whatsoever--as unbelievers say He should do, by having no

Hell for the wicked--then He would not be just. For as God is an

Infinite Being, all His perfections must be infinite; that is, He must

be as infinitely just as He is infinitely merciful, true, wise, or

powerful.

 

Now He has promised to punish sin; and since He is infinitely true, He

must keep His promise.

 

 

 

Lesson 3

ON THE UNITY AND TRINITY OF GOD

 

"Unity" means to be one, and "Trinity," three in one.

 

21 Q. Is there but one God?

A. Yes; there is but one God.

 

22 Q. Why can there be but one God?

A. There can be but one God because God, being supreme and infinite,

cannot have an equal.

 

"Supreme," that is, the highest. "Equal," when two are equal one has

everything the other has. You could say one pen is the equal of another

if it is just as nice and will write just as well; one mechanic is the

equal of another if he can do the work equally well. Two boys are equal

in class if they have exactly the same marks at the end of the month or

year. You could not have two persons chief. For example, you could not

have two chief generals in an army; two presidents in the nation, or two

governors in a state, or two mayors in a city, or two principals in a

school, unless they divide equally their power, and then they will be

equals and neither of them chief. God cannot divide His power with

anyone--so as to give it away entirely--because we say He is infinite,

and that means to have all. Others have only the loan of their power

from God. Therefore, all power and authority come from God; so that when

we disobey our parents or superiors who are placed over us, we disobey

God Himself.

 

23 Q. 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.

 

"Distinct," not mingled together. We call the first and second persons

Father and Son, because the second is begotten by the first person, and

not to indicate that there is any difference in their age. We always see

in the world that a father is older than his son, so we get the idea

perhaps that it is the same in the Holy Trinity. But it is not so. God

the Father, and God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost existed from all

eternity, and one did not exist before the other. God the Son is just as

old as God the Father, and this is another great mystery. Even in nature

we see that two things may begin to exist at the same time, and yet one

be the cause of the other. You know that fire is the cause of heat; and

yet the heat and the fire begin at the same time. Though we cannot

understand this mystery of the Father and Son, we must believe it on the

authority of God, who teaches it. First, second, and third person in the

Blessed Trinity does not mean, therefore, that one person was before the

other, or brought into existence by the other.

 

24 Q. Is the Father God?

A. The Father is God and the first Person of the Blessed Trinity.

 

25 Q. Is the Son God?

A. The Son is God and the second Person of the Blessed Trinity.

 

26 Q. Is the Holy Ghost God?

A. The Holy Ghost is God and the third Person of the Blessed Trinity.

 

27 Q. What do you mean by the Blessed Trinity?

A. By the Blessed Trinity I mean one God in three Divine Persons.

 

*28 Q. Are the three Divine Persons equal in all things?

A. The three Divine Persons are equal in all things.

 

29 Q. 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.

 

Though they are one and the same, we sometimes attribute different works

to them. For example, works of creation we attribute to God the Father;

works of mercy to God the Son; and works of love and sanctification to

the Holy Ghost; and you will often find them thus spoken of in pious

books; but all such works are done by all the Persons of the Trinity;

because such works are the works of God, and there is but one God.

 

*30 Q. 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.

 

"Fully"--entirely. We can partly understand it. We know what one God is

and we know what three persons are; but how these two things go together

is the part we do not understand--the mystery.

 

*31 Q. What is a mystery?

A. A mystery is a truth which we cannot fully understand.

 

"A truth," that is, a revealed truth--one made known to us by God or His

Church. It is a truth which we must believe though we cannot understand

it. Let us take an example. When a boy goes to school he is taught that

the earth is round like an orange and revolving in two ways, one causing

day and night and the other producing the seasons: spring, summer,

autumn, winter. The boy goes out into the country where he sees miles of

level land and mountains thousands of feet in height. Again he goes out

on the ocean where sailors tell him it is several miles in depth.

 

Now he may say: how can the earth be round if deep valleys, high

mountains, and level plains prove to my senses the very opposite, and

the countless things at rest upon its surface tell me it is motionless.

Yet he believes even against the testimony of his senses that the earth

is round and moving, because his teacher could have no motive in

deceiving him; knows better than he, having learned more, and besides

has been taught by others who after long years of careful study and

research have discovered these things and know them to be true. If

therefore we have to believe things that we do not understand on the

authority of men, why should we not believe other truths on the

authority of God? Yes, we must believe Him. If a boy knew all his

teacher knew there would be no need of his going to school; he would be

the equal in knowledge of his teacher, and if we knew all that God knows

we would be as great as He. As well might we try to empty the whole

ocean into the tiny holes that children dig in the sand by its shore, as

fully to comprehend the wisdom of God. This is the mistake unbelievers

make when they wish to understand with their limited intelligence the

boundless knowledge and mysterious ways of God, and when they cannot

understand refuse to believe. Are they not extremely foolish? Would you

not ridicule the boy who refuses to believe that the earth is round and

moving because he cannot understand it? As he grows older and learns

more he will comprehend it better; so we, when we leave this world and

come into the presence of God, shall see clearly many things that are

unintelligible now. For the present, we have only to believe them on the

authority of God teaching us. Another example. We take two little black

seeds that look just alike and place them in the same kind of soil; we

put the same kind of water upon them; they have the same sunlight and

air, and yet when they grow up one has a red flower and one a blue.

Where did the red and where did the blue come from? From the black seed,

or the brown soil, or the pure water, air and sunlight? We do not know.

It is there, and that is all. We see it and believe it, though we do not

understand it.

 

So if we refuse to believe everything we do not understand, we shall

soon believe very little and make ourselves ridiculous.

 

 

 

Lesson 4

ON CREATION

 

This lesson treats of God bringing everything into existence. The chief

things created may be classed as follows: (1) The things that simply

exist, as rocks, and minerals--gold, silver, iron, etc. (2) Things that

exist, grow, and live like plants and trees. (3) Things that grow, live,

and feel, like animals. (4) Things that grow, live, feel, and

understand, like men. Besides these we have the sun, moon, stars, etc.;

all things too that we can see, and also Heaven, Purgatory, Hell, and

good and bad angels. All these are the works of God's creation. All

these He has called into existence by merely wishing for them.

 

*32 Q. Who created Heaven and earth, and all things?

A. God created Heaven and earth, and all things.

 

"Heaven," where God is and will always be. It means, too, everything we

see in the sky above us. "Earth," the globe on which we live.

 

*33 Q. 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.

 

34 Q. Which are the chief creatures of God?

A. The chief creatures of God are angels and men.

 

35 Q. What are angels?

A. Angels are pure spirits without a body, created to adore and enjoy

God in Heaven.

 

"Angels" are not the same as saints. Saints are those who at one time

lived upon the earth as we do, and who on account of their very good

lives are now in Heaven. They had bodies as we have. The angels, on the

contrary, never lived visibly upon the earth. In the beginning God was

alone. We take great pleasure in looking at beautiful things. God,

seeing His own beauty, and knowing that others would have very great

pleasure and happiness in seeing Him, determined to create some beings

who could enjoy this happiness; and thus He wished to share with them

the happiness which He Himself derived from seeing His own beauty.

Therefore He created angels who were to be in Heaven with Him, singing

His praises and worshipping before His throne.

 

The angels are not all equal in dignity, but are divided into nine

classes, or choirs, according to their rank or office, and, as

theologians tell us, arranged from the lowest to the highest and named

as follows; angels, archangels, virtues, powers, principalities,

dominations, thrones, cherubim, and seraphim. Archangels are higher than

angels and are so called because sent to do the most important works. It

was the Archangel Michael who drove Lucifer from Heaven and the

Archangel Gabriel who announced to the Blessed Virgin that she was to be

the Mother of God. The angels receive their names from the duties they

perform. The word angel signifies messenger.

 

*36 Q. 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.

 

The duties of the angels are many. Some remain always in Heaven with

God; some are sent to earth to be our guardians and to remain with us.

Each of us has an angel to take care of us. He is with us night and day,

and offers our prayers and good works to God. He prays for us, exhorts

us to do good and avoid evil; and he protects us from dangers spiritual

and temporal. How unfortunate then must one be to cause him to return to

Heaven with sad complaints to God; such as: "The one whom I have in

charge will not obey Thy laws or use the grace Thou sendest him: with

all my efforts to save him, he continues to do wrong." He will be doubly

sad when he sees other angels returning with good reports and receiving

new graces for those whom God has committed to their care. If you love

your guardian angel, never impose on him the painful duty of bringing to

God the report of your evil doings.

 

Now, how do we know that the angels offer our prayers and good works to

God? We know it from the beautiful story of Tobias, told in the Holy

Scripture. (Tobias). This holy man loved and feared God. He lived at a

time when his people were persecuted by a most cruel king, who wished to

force them to give up the true God and worship idols, but many of these

good people suffered death rather than deny God and obey the wicked

king. When they were put to death, their bodies were left lying on the

ground, to be devoured by birds of prey or wild animals. Anyone caught

burying them was to be put to death by the king's servants. Tobias used

to carry the dead bodies of these holy martyrs into his house and bury

them at night.

 

One day when he returned very tired he lay down by the wall of his house

to rest, and, while lying there, some dirt fell into his eyes and he

became blind. This Tobias had a young son whose name was also Tobias;

and as he himself was now blind and poor, he wished to send his son into

a certain city, at a good distance off, to collect some money that he

had formerly loaned to a friend. As the young man did not know the way,

his father sent him out to look for a guide. Young Tobias went out and

found a beautiful young man to be his guide and he consented, and he

brought Tobias to the distant city. As they were on their way they sat

down by the bank of a river. Tobias went into the water near the edge,

and soon a great fish rushed at him. Tobias called to his guide. The

guide told him to take hold of the fish and drag it out upon the shore.

There they killed it, and kept part of its flesh for food and part for

medicine. Then they went on to the city, got the money and returned. The

guide told young Tobias to rub the part of the fish he had taken for

medicine upon his father's eyes. He did so, and immediately his father's

eyes were cured and he saw. Then both the father and son were so

delighted with this young guide, that they offered to give him half of

all they had. He refused to take it and then told them he was the angel

Raphael sent from God to be the guide of this good man's son. He told

the old Tobias how he (the angel) had carried up to God his prayers and

good works while he was burying the dead. When they heard he was an

angel they fell down and reverenced him, being very much afraid. From

this beautiful history we know that the angels carry our prayers and

good works to God. Again we learn from the Holy Scripture (Gen. 28) in

the history of another good man almost the same thing. The patriarch

Jacob was on a journey, and being tired, he lay down to rest with his

head upon a stone. As he lay there he had a vision in which he saw a

great ladder reaching up from earth to Heaven. At the top he saw

Almighty God standing, and on the ladder itself angels ascending and

descending. Now the holy Fathers of the Church tell us this is what is

really taking place; the angels are always going down and up from God to

man, though not on a ladder and not visibly as they appeared to Jacob.

Besides the guardian angel for each person, there are also guardian

angels for each city and for each nation.

 

Again (Gen. 19) angels appeared to Lot to warn him about the destruction

of the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrha. Angels appeared also to the

shepherds on the night Our Lord was born (Luke 2). The catechism says

angels have no bodies--how, then, could they appear? They took bodies

made of some very light substance which would make them visible, and

appeared just like beautiful young men, clad in flowing garments, as you

frequently see them represented in pictures. Angels were sometimes sent

to punish men for their sins, as the angel who killed in one night

185,000 men in the army of the wicked king, Sennacherib, who blasphemed

God, and was endeavoring to destroy Jerusalem, God's city. (4 Kgs. 19).

 

But here is a difficulty. If God Himself watches over us and sees all

things, why should the angels guard us? It is on account of God's

goodness to us; though it is not necessary. He does not wish us to have

any excuse for being bad, so He gives us each a special heavenly servant

to watch and assist us by his prayers. If a friend received us into his

house and did all he could for us himself, we should certainly be

satisfied, but if he gave us a special servant, though it would not be

necessary, he would show us great respect and kindness. Moreover

whatever the angels do for us, we might say God Himself does, for the

angels are only obeying His commands.

 

*37 Q. Were the angels, as God created them, good and happy?

A. The angels as God created them were good and happy.

 

*38 Q. 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.

 

God did not admit the angels into His presence at once. He placed them

for awhile on probation, as He did our first parents.

 

One of these angels was most beautiful, and was named Lucifer, which

means light-bearer. He was so perfect that he seems to have forgotten

that he received all his beauty and intelligence from God, and not

content with what he had, became sinfully proud and wished to be equal

to God Himself. For his sin he and all his followers were driven out of

Heaven, and God then created Hell, in which they were to suffer for all

eternity. This same Lucifer is now called Satan, and more commonly the

devil, and those who accompanied him in his fall, devils, or fallen

angels.

 

 

 

Lesson 5

ON OUR FIRST PARENTS AND THEIR FALL

 

39 Q. Who were the first man and woman?

A. The first man and woman were Adam and Eve.

 

In the beginning God created all things; something particular on each of

the six days of Creation. (Gen. 1). On the first day He made light, on

the second, the firmament, or the heavens, and on the sixth day He

created man and called him Adam. God wished Adam to have a companion; so

one day He caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep, and then took from his

side a rib, out of which he formed Eve. Now God could have made Eve as

He made Adam, by forming her body out of the clay of the earth and

breathing into it a soul, but He made Eve out of Adam's rib to show that

they were to be husband and wife, and to impress upon their minds the

nature and sacredness of the love and union that should exist between

them.

 

40 Q. 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.

 

God placed Adam and Eve in Paradise, a large, beautiful garden, and gave

them power over all the other creatures. Adam gave all the animals their

appropriate names and they were obedient to him. Even lions, tigers, and

other animals that we now fear so much, came and played about him. Our

first parents, in their state of original innocence, were the happy

friends of God, without sorrow or suffering of any kind.

 

*41 Q. 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.

 

He told them (Gen. 2) they could take of all the fruits in the garden

except the fruit of one tree, and if they disobeyed Him by eating the

fruit of that tree, they should surely die. God might have pointed out

any tree, because it was simply a test of obedience. He gave them a very

simple command, for if we are faithful in little things we shall surely

be faithful in greater. Moreover, it is not precisely the consideration

of what is forbidden, but of the authority by which it is forbidden that

should deter us from violating the command and prove our fidelity. Thus

disobedience to our parents and superiors, even in little things,

becomes sinful. Someone might say: "Why did God not try their obedience

by one of the Ten Commandments?" Let us examine them. "Remember the

Sabbath." That one would be unnecessary: for every day was Sabbath with

them; the only work was to praise and serve God. "Thou shalt not steal."

They could not; everything was theirs; and so for the other

Commandments. Therefore, God gave them a simple command telling them: If

you obey, you and all your posterity will be happy; every wish will be

gratified, neither sorrow nor affliction shall come upon you and you

shall never die; but if, on the contrary, you disobey, countless evils,

misery and death will be your punishment. The earth, now so fruitful,

shall bring forth no crops without cultivation, and after years of toil

the dead bodies of yourselves and children must lie buried in its soil.

So having the gift of free will they could take their choice, and either

keep His command and be happy, or disobey Him and be miserable.

 

*42 Q. 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.

 

Our first parents and their children were not to remain in the garden of

Paradise forever, but were, after spending their allotted time of trial

or probation upon earth, to be taken body and soul into Heaven without

being obliged to die.

 

43 Q. Did Adam and Eve remain faithful to God?

A. Adam and Eve did not remain faithful to God, but broke His

commandment by eating the forbidden fruit.

 

As it is told in the Bible (Gen. 3), Eve went to the forbidden tree and

was standing looking at it, when the devil came in the form of a serpent

and, tempting, told her to take some of the fruit and eat. It does not

appear that she went and tasted the fruit of all the other trees and

finally came to this one, but rather that she went directly to the

forbidden tree first. Do we not sometimes imitate Eve's conduct? As soon

as we know a certain thing is forbidden we are more strongly tempted to

try it.

 

See, then, what caused Eve's sin. She went into the dangerous occasion,

and was admiring the forbidden fruit when the tempter came. She listened

to him, yielded to his wicked suggestions, and sinned. So will it be

with us if through curiosity we desire to see or hear things forbidden;

for once in the danger the devil will soon be on hand to tempt us--not

visibly indeed, for that would alarm us and defeat his purpose, but

invisibly, like our guardian angels; for the devil is a fallen angel who

still possesses all the characteristics of an angel except goodness. But

this is not all. Eve not only took and ate the fruit herself, but

induced Adam to do likewise. Most sinners imitate Eve in that respect.

Not satisfied with offending God themselves, they lead others into sin.

 

Why should the devil tempt us? God created man to be in Heaven, but the

fallen angels were jealous of man, and tempted him to sin so that he too

should be kept out of Heaven and might never enjoy what they lost; just

as envious people do not wish others to have what they cannot have

themselves.

 

44 Q. 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.

 

They were innocent and holy because they were the friends of God and in

a state of grace, but by their sin they lost His grace and friendship.

"Doomed" means sentenced or condemned. The first evil result, then, of

Adam's sin was that he lost innocence and made his body a rebel against

his soul. Then he was to suffer poverty, hunger, cold, sickness, death,

and every kind of ill; but the worst consequence of all was that God

closed Heaven against him. After a few years' trial, as we said, God was

to take him into Heaven; but now He has closed it against Adam and his

posterity. All the people in the world could never induce God to open it

again; for He closed it in accordance with His promise, and man was an

exile and outcast from his heavenly home.

 

45 Q. 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.

 

Does it not seem strange that we should suffer for the sin of our first

parents, when we had nothing to do with it? No. It happens every day

that children suffer for the faults of their parents and we do not

wonder at it. Let us suppose a man's father leaves him a large

fortune--houses, land, and money--and that he and his children are happy

in the enjoyment of their inheritance. The children are sent to the best

schools, have everything they desire now, and bright hopes of happiness

and prosperity in the future. But alas! their hopes are vain. The father

begins to drink or gamble, and soon the great fortune is squandered.

House after house is sold and dollar after dollar spent, till absolute

poverty comes upon the children, and the sad condition of their home

tells of their distress. Do they not suffer for the sins of their

father, though they had nothing to do with them? Indeed, many families

in the world suffer thus through the faults of others, and most

frequently of some of their members. Could you blame the grandfather for

leaving the estate? Certainly not; for it was goodness on his part that

made him give. Let us apply this example. What God gave Adam was to be

ours also, and he squandered and misused it because he had free will,

which God could not take from him without changing his nature; for it is

our free will and intelligence that make us men, distinct from and

superior to all other animals. They can live, grow, feel, hear, see,

etc., as we can, but the want of intelligence and free will leaves them

mere brutes. Therefore, if God took away Adam's intelligence and free

will, He would have made him a mere animal--though the most perfect.

 

When a man becomes insane or loses the use of his intelligence and free

will, we place him in an asylum and take care of him as we would a tame

animal, seldom allowing him to go about without being watched and

guarded.

 

Let us take another example. Suppose I have a friend who is addicted to

the excessive drinking of strong liquor, and I say to him: "If you give

up that detestable habit for one year, I will make you a present of this

beautiful house worth several thousand dollars. It will be yours as long

as you live, and at your death you may leave it to your children. I do

not owe you anything, but offer this as a free gift if you comply with

my request." My friend accepts the offer on these conditions, but the

very next day deliberately breaks his promise. I do not give him the

house, because he did not keep his agreement; and can anyone say on that

account that I am unjust or unkind to him or his children? Certainly

not. Well, God acted in the same manner with Adam. He promised him

Heaven, a home more beautiful than any earthly palace--the place Our

Lord calls His father's house (John 14:2) and says there are many

mansions, that is, dwelling places, in it. God promised this home to

Adam on condition that he would observe one simple command. He had no

right to Heaven, but was to receive it, according to the promise, as a

free gift from God, and therefore God, who offered it conditionally, was

not obliged to give it when Adam violated his part of the agreement.

 

The example is not a perfect one, for there is this difference in the

cases between Adam and my friend: when my friend does not get the house,

he sustains a loss, it is true; but he might still be my friend as he

was before, and live in my house; but when Adam lost Heaven, he lost

God's friendship and grace, and the loss of all grace is to be in sin.

So that Adam by breaking the command was left in sin; and as all his

children sustain the same loss, they too are all left in sin till they

are baptized.

 

*46 Q. 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 us a strong

inclination to evil.

 

Our "nature was corrupted" is what I have said of the body rebelling

against the soul. Our "understanding darkened." Adam knew much more

without study than the most intelligent men could learn now with

constant application. Before his fall he saw things clearly and

understood them well, but after his sin everything had to be learned by

the slow process of study. Then the "will was weakened." Before he fell

he could easily resist temptation, for his will was strong. You know we

sin by the will, because unless we wish to do the evil we commit no sin;

and if absolutely forced by others to do wrong, we are free from the

guilt as long as our will despises and protests against the action. If

forced, for example, to break my neighbor's window, I have not to answer

in my conscience for the unjust act, because my will did not consent.

So, on every occasion on which we sin, it is the will that yields to the

temptation. After Adam's sin his will became weak and less able to

resist temptation; and as we are sharers in his misfortune, we find

great difficulty at times in overcoming sinful inclinations. But no

matter how violent the temptation or how prolonged and fierce the

struggle against it, we can always be victorious if determined not to

yield; for God gives us sufficient grace to resist every temptation; and

if anyone should excuse his fall by saying he could not help sinning, he

would be guilty of falsehood.

 

"A strong inclination" to do wrong--that is, unless always on our guard

against it. Our Lord once cautioned His Apostles (Matt. 26:41) to watch

and pray lest they fall into temptation; teaching us also by the same

warning that, besides praying against our spiritual enemies, we must

watch their maneuvers and be ever ready to repel their attacks.

 

47 Q. 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.

 

*48 Q. 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

souls.

 

*49 Q. 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.

 

It remains that we may merit by overcoming its temptations; and also

that we may be kept humble by remembering our former sinful and unhappy

state.

 

50 Q. Was anyone 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.

 

The Blessed Virgin was to be the Mother of the Son of God. Now it would

not be proper for the Mother of God to be even for one moment the

servant of the devil, or under his power. If the Blessed Virgin had been

in Original Sin, she would have been in the service of the devil.

Whatever disgraces a mother disgraces also her son; so Our Lord would

never permit His dear Mother to be subject to the devil, and

consequently He, through His merits, saved her from Original Sin. She is

the only one of the whole human race who enjoys this great privilege,

and it is called her "Immaculate Conception," that is, she was

conceived--brought into existence by her mother--without having any spot

or stain of sin upon her soul, and hence without Original Sin.

 

Our Lord came into the world to crush the power which the devil had

exercised over men from the fall of Adam. This He did by meriting grace

for them and giving them this spiritual help to withstand the devil in

all his attacks upon them. As the Blessed Mother was never under the

devil's power, next to God she has the greatest strength against him,

and she will help us to resist him if we seek her aid. The devil himself

knows her power and fears her, and if he sees her coming to our

assistance will quickly fly. Never fail, then, in time of temptation to

call upon our Blessed Mother; she will hear and help you and pray to God

for you.

 

 

 

Lesson 6

ON SIN AND ITS KINDS

 

51 Q. 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.

 

Sin is first or chiefly divided into original and actual; that is, into

the sin we inherit from our first parents and the sin we commit

ourselves. We may commit "actual" sin in two ways; either by doing what

we should not do--stealing, for example--and thus we have a sin of

commission, that is, a bad act committed; or by not doing what we should

do--not hearing Mass on Sunday, for example--and thus we have a sin of

omission, that is, a good act omitted. So it is not enough to simply do

no harm, we must also do some good. Heaven is a reward, and we must do

something to merit it. Suppose a man employed a boy to do the work of

his office, and when he came in the morning found that the boy had

neglected the work assigned to him, and when spoken to about it simply

answered: "Sir, I did no harm"; do you think he would be entitled to his

wages? Of course he did not and should do no harm; but is his employer

to pay him wages for that? Certainly not. In like manner, God is not

going to reward us for doing no harm; but on the contrary, He will

punish us if we do wrong, and give no reward unless we perform the work

He has marked out for us. Neither would the office boy deserve any wages

if he did only what pleases himself, and not the work assigned by his

master. In the same way, God will not accept any worship or religion but

the one He has revealed. He tells us Himself how He wishes to be

worshipped, and our own invented methods will not please Him. Hence we

see the folly of those who say that all religions are equally good, and

that we can be saved by practicing any of them. We can be saved only in

the one religion which God Himself has instituted, and by which He

wishes to be honored. Many also foolishly believe, or say they believe,

that if they are honest, sober, and the like, doing no injury to anyone,

they shall be saved without the practice of any form of religious

worship. But how about God's laws and commands? Are they to be despised,

disregarded, and neglected entirely, without any fear of punishment?

Surely not! And persons who thus think they are doing no harm are

neglecting to serve God--the greatest harm they can do, and for which

they will lose Heaven. God, we are told, assigned to everyone in this

world a certain work to perform in a particular state of life, and this

work is called "vocation." One, for instance, is to be a priest;

another, a layman; one married; another single, etc. It is important for

us to discover our true vocation; for if we are in the state of life to

which God has called us, we shall be happy; but if we select our own

work, our own state of life without consulting Him, we shall seldom be

happy in it. How are we to know our vocation? Chiefly by praying to God

and asking Him to make it known to us. Then if He gives us a strong

inclination--constant, or nearly constant--for a certain state of life,

and the ability to fulfill its duties, we may well believe that God

wishes us to be in that state.

 

After we have begged God's assistance, we must ask our confessor's

advice in the matter, and listen attentively to what the Holy Ghost

inspires him to say. The signs of our vocation are, therefore, as

stated: first, a strong desire, and second, an aptitude for the state to

which we believe we are called. For example, a young man might be very

holy, but if unable to learn, he could never be a priest. Another might

be very learned and holy, but if too sickly to perform a priest's

duties, he could not, or at least would not, be ordained. Another might

be learned and healthy, but not virtuous, and so he could never be a

priest. Aptitude, therefore, means all the qualities necessary, whether

of mind, or soul, or body. The same is true for a young girl who wishes

to become a religious; and the same, indeed, for any person's vocation.

We should never enter a state of life to which we are not called, simply

to please parents or others. Neither should we be persuaded by them to

give up a state to which we are called; for we should embrace our true

vocation at any sacrifice, that in it we may serve God better, and be

more certain of saving our souls. Thus, parents and guardians who

prevent their children from entering the state to which they are called

may sin grievously by exposing them to eternal loss of salvation. Their

sin is all the greater when they try to influence their children in this

matter for selfish or worldly motives. As they may be selfish and

prejudiced without knowing it, they too, should ask the advice of their

confessor, and good persons of experience. Oh! how many children, sons

and daughters, are made unhappy all the days of their life by parents or

superiors forcing them into some state to which they were not called, or

by keeping them from one to which they were called. This matter of your

vocation rests with yourselves and Almighty God, and you are free to do

what He directs without consideration for anyone.

 

52 Q. What is actual sin?

A. Actual sin is any willful thought, word, deed, or omission contrary

to the law of God.

 

Three ways we may sin, by "thought"--allowing our minds to dwell on

sinful things; "word"--by cursing, telling lies, etc.; "deed"--by any

kind of bad action. But to be sins, these thoughts, words and deeds must

be willful; that is, we must fully know what we are doing, and be free

in doing it. Then they must be "contrary to the law of God"; that is,

violate some law He commands us to obey, whether it be a law He gave

directly Himself, or through His Church. We can also violate God's law

by neglecting to observe it, and thus sin, provided the neglect be

willful, and the thing neglected commanded by God or by His Church.

 

53 Q. How many kinds of actual sin are there?

A. There are two kinds of actual sin--mortal and venial.

 

"Mortal," that is, the sin which kills the soul. When a man receives a

very severe wound, we say he is mortally wounded; that is, he will die

from the wound. As breath shows there is life in the body, so grace is

the life of the soul; when all the breath is out of the body, we say the

man is dead. He can perform no action to help himself or others. So when

all grace is out of the soul we say it is dead, because it is reduced to

the condition of a dead body. It can do no action worthy of merit, such

as a soul should do; that is, it can do no action that God is bound to

reward--it is dead. But you will say the soul never dies. You mean it

will never cease to exist; but we call it dead when it has lost all its

power to do supernatural good.

 

"Venial" sin does not drive out all the grace; it wounds the soul, it

weakens it just as slight wounds weaken the body. If it falls very

frequently into venial sin, it will fall very soon into mortal sin also;

for the Holy Scripture says that he that contemneth small things shall

fall by little and little. (Ecclus. 19:1). A venial sin seems a little

thing, but if we do not avoid it we shall by degrees fall into greater,

or mortal, sin. Venial sin makes God less friendly to us and displeases

Him. Now if we really love God, we will not displease Him even in the

most trifling things.

 

54 Q. What is mortal sin?

A. Mortal sin is a grievous offense against the law of God.

 

"Grievous"--that is, very great or serious. "Against the law." If we are

in doubt whether anything is sinful or not, we must ask ourselves: is it

forbidden by God or His Church? and if we do not know of any law

forbidding it, it cannot be a sin, at least for us.

 

Suppose, for example, a boy should doubt whether it is sinful or not to

fly a kite. Well, is there any law of God or of His Church saying it is

sinful to fly a kite? If not, then it cannot be a sin. But it might be

sinful for another reason, namely, his parents or superiors might forbid

it, and there is a law of God saying you must not disobey your parents

or superiors. Therefore a thing not sinful in itself, that is, not

directly forbidden by God or His Church, may become sinful for some

other reason well known to us.

 

We must not, however, doubt concerning the sinfulness or lawfulness of

everything we do; for that would be foolish and lead us to be

scrupulous. If we doubt at all we should have some good reason for

doubting, that is, for believing that the thing we are about to do is or

is not forbidden. When, therefore, we have such a doubt we must seek

information from those who can enlighten us on the subject, so that we

may act without the danger of sinning. It is our intention that makes

the act we perform sinful or not. Let me explain. Suppose during Lent a

person should mistake Friday for Thursday and should eat meat--that

person would not commit a real sin, because it is not a sin to eat meat

on an ordinary Thursday. He would commit what we call a material sin;

that is, his action would be a sin if he really knew what he was doing.

On the other hand, if the person, thinking it was Friday when it was

really Thursday, ate meat, knowing it to be forbidden, that person would

commit a mortal sin, because he intended to do so. Therefore, if what we

do is not known to be a sin while we do it, it is no sin for us and

cannot become a sin afterwards. But as soon as we know or learn that

what we did was wrong, it would be a sin if we did the same thing again.

In the same way, everything we do thinking it to be wrong or sinful is

wrong and sinful for us, though it may not be wrong for those who know

better. Again, it is sinful to judge others for doing wrong, because

they may not know that what they do is sinful. It would be better for us

to instruct than to blame them. The best we can do, therefore, is to

learn well all God's laws and the laws of His Church as they are taught

in the catechism, so that we may know when we are violating them or when

we are not, i.e., when we are sinning and when we are not.

 

*55 Q. 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.

 

When the soul is sent to Hell it is dead forever, because never again

will it be able to do a single meritorious act.

 

*56 Q. 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.

 

"Grievous matter." To steal is a sin. Now, if you steal only a pin the

act of stealing in that case could not be a mortal sin, because the

"matter," namely, the stealing of an ordinary pin, is not grievous. But

suppose it was a diamond pin of great value, then it would surely be

"grievous matter." "Sufficient reflection," that is, you must know what

you are doing at the time you do it. For example, suppose while you

stole the diamond pin you thought you were stealing a pin with a small

piece of glass, of little value, you would not have sufficient

reflection and would not commit a mortal sin till you found out that

what you had stolen was a valuable diamond; if you continued to keep it

after learning your mistake, you would surely commit a mortal sin. "Full

consent." Suppose you were shooting at a target and accidentally killed

a man: you would not have the sin of murder, because you did not will or

wish to kill a man.

 

Therefore three things are necessary that your act may be a mortal sin:

(1) The act you do must be bad, and sufficiently important; (2) You must

reflect that you are doing it, and know that it is wrong; (3) You must

do it freely, deliberately, and willfully.

 

57 Q. 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.

 

"Slight," that is, a small offense or fault; called "venial," not

because it is not a sin, but because God pardons it more willingly or

easily than He does a mortal sin. "Less importance," like stealing an

ordinary, common pin. "Great importance," like stealing a diamond pin.

Without "reflection" or "consent," when you did not know it was a

diamond and did not intend to steal a diamond.

 

*58 Q. 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.

 

"Lessening of the love," because it lessens grace, and grace increases

the love of God in us. It displeases God, and though we do not offend

Him very greatly, we still offend Him. "Weakening of the power to

resist." If a man is wounded, it will be easier to kill him than if he

is in perfect health. So mortal sin will more easily kill a soul already

weakened by the wounds of venial sin.

 

59 Q. 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.

 

A "source" is that from which anything else comes. The source of a river

is the little spring on the Mountainside where the river first begins.

This little stream runs down the mountain, and as it goes along gathers

strength and size from other little streams running into it. It cuts its

way through the meadows, and marks the course and is the beginning of a

great river, sweeping all things before it and carrying them off to the

ocean. Now, if someone in the beginning had stopped up the little spring

on the mountain--the first source of the river--there would have been no

river in that particular place. It is just the same with sin. There is

one sin that is the source, and as it goes along like the stream it

gathers strength; other sins follow it and are united with it. Again:

each of these "capital sins," as they are called, is like a leader or a

captain in an army, with so many others under him and following him.

Now, if you take away the head, the other members of the body will

perish; so if you destroy the capital sin, the other sins that follow it

will disappear also. Very few persons have all the capital sins: some

are guilty of one of them, some of two, some of three, but few if any

are guilty of them all. The one we are guilty of, and which is the cause

of all our other sins, is called our predominant sin or our ruling

passion. We should try to find it out, and labor to overcome it.

 

Every one of these capital sins has a great many other sins following

it.

 

"Pride" is an inordinate self-esteem. Pride comes under the First

Commandment; because by thinking too much of ourselves we neglect God,

and give to ourselves the honor due to Him. Of what have we to be proud?

Of our personal appearance? Disease may efface in one night every trace

of beauty. Of our clothing? It is not ours; we have not produced it;

most of it is taken from the lower animals--wool from the sheep, leather

from the ox, feathers from the bird, etc. Are we proud of our wealth,

money or property? These may be stolen or destroyed by fire. The learned

may become insane, and so we have nothing to be proud of but our good

works. All that we have is from God, and we can have it only as long as

He wishes. We had nothing coming into the world, and we leave it with

nothing but the shroud in which we are buried; and even this does not go

with the soul, but remains with the body to rot in the earth. Soon after

death our bodies become so offensive that even our dearest friends

hasten to place them under ground, where they become the food of worms,

a mass of corruption loathsome to sight and smell. Why, then, should we

be so proud of this body, and commit so much sin for it, pamper it with

every delicacy, only to be the food of worms? This does not mean,

however, that we are not to keep our bodies clean, and take good care of

them. We are bound to do so, and could not neglect it without committing

sin. The one thing to be avoided is taking too much care of them, and

neglecting our soul and God on their account. The followers of pride

are: conceit, hypocrisy, foolish display in dress or conduct, harshness

to others, waste of time on ourselves, etc.

 

"Covetousness," the same as avarice, greed, etc., is an inordinate

desire for worldly goods. "Inordinate," because it is not avarice to

prudently provide for the future either for ourselves or others.

Covetousness comes under the Tenth Commandment, and is forbidden by it.

We must be content with what we have or can get honestly. The followers

of covetousness are: Want of charity, dishonest dealing, theft, etc.

 

"Lust" is the desire for sins of the flesh; for impure thoughts, words,

or actions. It comes under the Sixth and Ninth Commandments, and

includes all that is forbidden by those Commandments. It is the habit of

always violating, or of desiring to violate, the Sixth and Ninth

Commandments. Lust and impurity mean the same thing. The followers of

lust are, generally, neglect of prayer, neglect of the Sacraments, and

final loss of faith.

 

"Anger" comes under the Fifth Commandment. It is followed by hatred, the

desire of revenge, etc.

 

"Gluttony" is the sin of eating or drinking too much. With regard to

eating, it is committed by eating too often; by being too particular

about what we eat, by being too extravagant in always looking for the

most costly things, that we think others cannot have. With regard to

drinking, it is generally committed by taking too much of intoxicating

liquors. The drunkard is a glutton and commits the sin of gluttony every

time he becomes intoxicated. Gluttony, especially in drink, comes in a

manner under the First Commandment, because by depriving ourselves of

our reason we cannot give God the honor and respect which is His due.

Think of how many sins the drunkard commits. He becomes intoxicated,

which in itself is a sin. He deprives himself of the use of reason,

abuses God's great gift, and becomes like a brute beast. Indeed in a way

he becomes worse than a beast; for beasts always follow the laws that

God has given to their nature, and never drink to excess. They obey God,

and man is the only one of God's creatures that does not always keep His

laws. Think too of the number of insane persons confined in asylums, who

would give all in this world for the use of their reason, if they could

only understand their miserable condition. Yet the drunkard abuses the

gift that would make these poor unfortunate lunatics happy. Again, the

drunkard injures his health and thus violates the Fifth Commandment by

committing a kind of slow suicide. He loses self-respect, makes use of

sinful language; frequently neglects Mass and all his religious duties,

exposes himself to the danger of death while in a state of sin, gives

scandal to his family and neighbors, and by his bad example causes some

to leave or remain out of the true Church. By continued intemperance, he

may become insane and remain in that condition till death puts an end to

his career and he goes unprepared before the judgment seat of God.

Besides all this he squanders the money he should put to a better use

and turns God's gifts into a means of offending Him. If a father, he

neglects the children and wife for whom he has promised to provide;

leaves them cold and hungry while he commits sin with the means that

would make them comfortable. Drunkenness therefore is a sin accompanied

by many deplorable evils. There are three great sins you should always

be on your guard against during your whole lives, namely, drunkenness,

dishonesty, and impurity. If you avoid these you will almost surely

avoid all other sins; for nearly all sins can be traced back to these

three. They are the most dangerous, first, because they have most

followers, and secondly, because they grow upon us almost without our

knowing it. The drunkard begins perhaps as a boy by taking a little,

even very little; the second time he takes a little more; the next time

still more, then he begins to be fond of strong drink and can scarcely

do without it; finally he becomes the slave of intemperance and sells

his soul and body for it. The passions of dishonesty and impurity grow

by degrees in the same manner. Therefore avoid them in the beginning and

resist them while they are under your power. If you find yourself

inclined to any of these sins in your youth, stop them at once.

 

"Envy" is the desire to see another meet with misfortune that we may be

benefited by it. We are glad when he does not succeed in his business,

we are sorry when anyone speaks well of him, etc. Envy comes under the

Eighth Commandment.

 

"Sloth" is committed when we idle our time, and are lazy; when we are

indifferent about serving God; when we do anything slowly and poorly and

in a way that shows we would rather not do it. They are slothful who lie

in bed late in the morning and neglect their duty. Slothful people are

often untidy in their personal appearance; and they are nearly always in

misery and want, unless somebody else takes care of them. Sloth comes

under the First Commandment, because it has reference in a special

manner to the way in which we serve God. How, then, shall we best

destroy sin in our souls? By finding out our chief capital sin and

rooting it out. If a strong oak tree is deeply rooted in the ground, how

will you best destroy its life? By cutting off the branches? No. For

with each returning spring new branches will grow. How then? By cutting

the root and then the great oak with all its branches will die. In the

same way our capital sin is the root, and as long as we leave it in our

souls other sins will grow out of it. While we are trying to destroy our

sins without touching our capital sin--our chief sin--we are only

cutting off branches that will grow again. Indeed a great many people

are only cutting off branches all the time and that is why they are not

benefited as much as they could be by the prayers they say, Masses they

hear, Sacraments they receive, and sermons they listen to. But do not

imagine that because you are not becoming better, when you pray, hear

Mass, and receive the Sacraments, you are doing no good at all. That

would be a great mistake, and just such a thing as the devil would

suggest to make persons give up their devotions. What is the use, he

might say, of your trying to be good? You are just as bad as you were a

year ago. Do not listen to that temptation. Were it not for your prayers

and your reception of the Sacraments, you would become a great deal

worse than you are. Suppose a man is rowing on the river against a very

strong tide. He is rowing as hard as he can and yet he is not advancing

one foot up the stream. Is he doing nothing therefore? Ah! he is doing a

great deal: he is preventing himself from being carried with the current

out into the ocean. He is keeping himself where he is till the force of

the tide diminishes, and then he can advance. So they who are trying to

be good are struggling against the strong tide of temptation. If they

cease to struggle against it, they will be carried out into the great

ocean of sin and lost forever. Someday the temptation will grow weaker

and then they will be able to advance towards Heaven. We feel

temptations most when we are trying to resist them and lead good lives,

because we are working against our evil inclinations--the strong tide of

our passions. We have no trouble going with them.

 

 

 

Lesson 7

ON THE INCARNATION AND REDEMPTION

 

"Incarnation" means to take flesh, as a body. Here it means Our Lord's

taking flesh, that is, taking a body like ours, when He became man.

"Redemption" means to buy back. Let us take an example. Slaves are men

or women that belong entirely to their masters, just as horses, cows, or

other animals do. Slaves are bought and sold, never receive any wages

for their work, get their food and clothing and no more. As they never

earn money for themselves, they can never purchase their own liberty. If

ever they are to be free, someone else must procure their liberty. Now,

suppose I am in some country where slavery exists. I am free, but I want

one hundred dollars; so I go to a slave owner and say: I want to sell

myself for one hundred dollars. He buys me and I soon squander the one

hundred dollars. Now I am his property, his slave; I shall never earn

any wages and shall never be able to buy my freedom. No other slave can

help me, for he is just in the same condition as I myself am. If I am to

be free, a free man who has the money must pay for my liberty. This is

exactly the condition in which all men were before Our Lord redeemed

them. Adam sold himself and all his children to the devil by committing

sin. He and they therefore became slaves. They could not earn any

spiritual wages, that is, grace of God to purchase their liberty; and as

all men were slaves one could not help another in this matter. Then Our

Lord Himself came and purchased our freedom. He bought us back again,

and the price He paid was His own life and blood given up upon the

Cross. In His goodness, He did more than redeem us; He gave us also the

means of redeeming ourselves in case we should ever have the misfortune

of falling again into the slavery of the devil--into sin. He left us the

Sacrament of Penance to which we can go as to a bank, and draw out

enough of Our Lord's grace--merited for us and deposited in the power of

His Church--to purchase our redemption from sin.

 

60 Q. 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.

 

"Abandon" means to leave to one's self. Adam and his posterity were

slaves, but God took pity on them. He did not leave them to themselves,

but promised to help them.

 

"Gates of Heaven." Heaven has no gates, because it is not built of

material--of stone, or iron, or wood. It is only our way of speaking;

just as we say "hand of God," although He has no hands. Heaven is the

magnificent home God has prepared for us, and its gates are His power by

which He keeps us out or lets us in as He pleases. Our Lord, therefore,

obtained admittance for us.

 

61 Q. Who is the Redeemer?

A. Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of mankind.

 

62 Q. 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.

 

"True God." He was true God equal to His Father from all eternity. He

became man when He came upon the earth about 2,000 years ago, and was

born on Christmas Day. Now He is in Heaven as God and man. Therefore, He

was God always, but man only from the time of His Incarnation.

 

*63 Q. Why is Jesus Christ true God?

A. Jesus Christ is true God because He is the true and only Son of God

the Father.

 

God the Father, first Person of the Blessed Trinity, is His real Father,

and St. Joseph was His foster-father, selected by the Heavenly Father to

take care of Our Lord and watch over Him while on earth. A foster-father

is not the same as a stepfather. A stepfather is a second father that

one gets when his real father dies. A foster-father is one who takes a

person, whether a relative or a stranger, and adopts him as his son. It

was a very great honor for St. Joseph to be selected from among all men

to take care of the Son of God; to carry in his arms the great One of

whom the prophets spoke; the One for whom the whole world longed during

so many thousand years; so that next to our Blessed Mother St. Joseph

deserves our greatest honor.

 

*64 Q. 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.

 

He has all that we have by nature, but not the things we have acquired

such as deformities, imperfections, and the like. Everything in Our Lord

was perfect. Above all, He had no sin of any kind; nor even inclination

to sin. He could be hungry, as He was when He fasted forty days in the

desert. (Matt. 4:2). He was thirsty, as He said on the Cross. (John

19:28). He could be wearied; as we read in the Holy Scripture (John 4:6)

that He sat down by a well to rest, while His disciples went into the

city to buy food. All these sufferings come from our very nature. We say

a thing comes from our very nature when everybody has it. Now, everyone

in the world may at times be hungry, thirsty, or tired; but everybody in

the world need not have a toothache or headache, because such things are

not common to human nature, but due to some defect in our body; and such

defects Our Lord did not have, because He was a perfect man. Therefore,

Our Lord had a body like ours, not as it usually is with defects, but as

it should be, perfect in all things that belong to its nature, as Adam's

was before he sinned.

 

*65 Q. 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.

 

He was perfect God and perfect man. His human nature was under the full

power of His divine nature, and could not do anything contrary to His

divine will. You cannot understand how there can be two natures and two

wills in one person, because it is another of the great mysteries; but

you must believe it, just as you believe there are three Persons in one

God, though you do not understand it. Those who learn theology and study

a great deal may understand it better than you, but never fully. It will

be enough, therefore, for you to remember and believe that there are two

natures--the divine nature and the human nature--in the one person of

Our Lord.

 

*66 Q. Is Jesus Christ more than one person?

A. No, Jesus Christ is but one Divine Person.

 

"But one," so that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Son of

God, the Messias, Christ, Jesus, Our Lord, Our Saviour, Our Redeemer,

etc., are all names for the one Person; and, besides these, there are

many other names given to Our Lord in the Holy Scripture, both in the

Old and the New Testaments.

 

*67 Q. 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.

 

*68 Q. Was Jesus Christ always man?

A. Jesus Christ was not always man, but became man at the time of His

Incarnation.

 

69 Q. What do you mean by the Incarnation?

A. By the Incarnation I mean that the Son of God was made man.

 

70 Q. 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.

 

*71 Q. 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.

 

*72 Q. 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 He was promised to them as a Redeemer.

 

God did not say to Adam when He would send the Redeemer, and so the

Redeemer did not come for about 4,000 years after He was first promised.

God permitted this long time to elapse in order that mankind might feel

and know how great an evil sin is, and what misery it brought upon the

world. During these 4,000 years men were becoming gradually worse. At

one time--about 1,600 years after Adam's sin--they became so bad that

God destroyed by a deluge, or great flood of water, all persons and

living things upon the earth, except Noe, his wife, his three sons and

their wives, and the animals they had in the ark with them. (Gen. 6).

Let me now give you more particulars about this terrible punishment.

After God determined to destroy all living things on account of the

wickedness of men, He told Noe, who was a good man, to build a great

ark, or ship, for himself and his family, and for some of all the living

creatures upon the earth. (Gen. 6). When the ark was ready, Noe and his

family went into it, and the animals that were to be saved came by God's

power, and two by two were taken into the ark. Besides the two of each

kind of animals, Noe was required to take with him five more of each

kind of clean animals. Clean animals were certain animals which,

according to God's law, could be offered in sacrifice or eaten; they

were such animals as the ox, the sheep, the goat, etc. Therefore, seven

of each of the clean animals, and two of each of the other kinds. Why

did He have seven clean animals? Two were to be set free upon the dry

earth with the other animals, and the other five were for food and

sacrifice. Noe spent a hundred years in making the ark. At that time men

lived much longer than they do now. Adam lived over 900 years and

Mathusala, the oldest man, lived to be 969 years old. There are many

reasons why men live a shorter time now than then. When the door of the

ark was closed, God sent a great rain that lasted for forty days and

forty nights. All the springs of water broke forth, and all the rivers

and lakes overflowed their banks. Men ran here and there to high places,

while the water rose higher and higher till it covered the tops of the

mountains, and all not in the ark were drowned. The big ark floated

about for about a year; for although it stopped raining after forty

days, just think of the quantity of water that must have fallen! Think

of the rain what would fall during the whole of Lent from Ash Wednesday

to Easter Sunday--forty days. It took a long time, therefore, for the

waters to go down and finally disappear. When the waters began to go

down, Noe, wishing to know if any land was as yet above the water,

opened the little window, and sent out a raven or crow over the waters.

The raven did not come back, because it is a bird that eats flesh, and

it found plenty of dead bodies to feed upon. Then Noe sent out a dove,

and the dove came back with the bough of an olive tree in its mouth.

From this Noe knew that the earth was becoming dry again. After some

days, the ark rested on the top of a mountain named Ararat. When all the

waters had dried up, Noe and his family and all the animals passed out

of the ark. He offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and he and his

family settled once more upon the earth. For a while, the descendants of

Noe were good, but when they became numerous they soon forgot the deluge

and its punishments, and became very wicked. Many forgot the true God

altogether, and began to worship the sun, moon, and stars. Some

worshipped animals, and others idols of wood or stone. They offered up

human victims and committed all kinds of sins most displeasing to God.

Many were in slavery; masters were cruel; and things were becoming daily

worse, till just before the coming of Our Lord the world was in a

terrible condition of misery and sin. The lawmakers tried to remedy

these evils by their laws, and the teachers and professors by their

teaching; but all was of no avail. God Himself must save the world.

 

God gave many promises of the Redeemer. The first one was given in the

garden to our first parents. God said (Gen. 3:15) to the serpent: I will

put enmities, that is hatred, between thee and the woman; that is,

between the devil and the Blessed Virgin--whom the holy writers call the

second Eve; because as the first Eve caused our fall, the second Eve

helped us to rise again. I will put also a great hatred between the

devil and your Redeemer. The next promise of the Redeemer was made to

Abraham. (Gen. 15). Another was made to Isaac, and another to Jacob; and

later these promises were frequently renewed through the prophets; so

that during the four thousand years God encouraged the good people, by

promising from time to time the Redeemer.

 

Some of the prophets foretold to what family He would belong, and when

He would be born, and when and what He would suffer, and how He would

die. They also foretold signs or things that would come to pass just

before the advent or coming of the Messias (Gen. 49:10); so that when

the people saw these things coming to pass, they could know that the

time of the Messias was at hand. Thus when Our Lord came, the whole

world was waiting and looking for the promised Redeemer, because the

signs foretold had appeared or were taking place. But the majority did

not recognize Our Lord when He came, on account of the quiet, humble,

and poor way in which He came. They were expecting to see the Redeemer

come as a great and powerful king, with mighty armies conquering the

world; and in this they were mistaken. If they had studied the Holy

Scriptures they would have learned how He was to come--poor and humble.

 

*73 Q. 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 the Redeemer to come, and by keeping the Commandments.

 

We have seen that God promised the Redeemer during four thousand years.

Now, those who believed these promises and kept all God's Commandments,

and observed all His laws as they knew them, could be saved. They could

not, it is true, enter into Heaven after their death, but they could

wait in Limbo without suffering till Our Lord opened Heaven for them.

They were saved only through the merits of Our Lord. And how could this

be when Our Lord was not yet born? Do you know what a promissory note

is? It is this. When a man is not able to pay his debts just now but

will be able afterwards, he gives those to whom he owes the money a

promissory note, that is, a written promise that he will pay at a

certain time. Now, those who died before Our Lord was born had the Holy

Scripture promising that Christ would pay for them and for their sins

when He would come. So God saved them on account of this promise and

kept them free from suffering till Our Lord came. If any died when they

were little infants, their parents answered for them as godfathers and

godmothers do now for infants at Baptism.

 

74 Q. 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.

 

"Annunciation Day" is the 25th of March. You can easily remember that

feast. Everybody knows that St. Patrick's Day is on the 17th of March,

and therefore eight days after it comes Annunciation day. There is

another feast coming in between them, the feast of St. Joseph, on the

19th of March. Therefore it is easy to remember these three feasts

coming all in March and almost together. Annunciation is the name given

to that day after the angel came, but it was not called so before.

Annunciation means to tell or make known, and this is the day the angel

made known to the Blessed Virgin that she was selected for the high

office of Mother of God. The Blessed Virgin was expecting the Messias,

and was probably praying for His speedy arrival, as were the rest of her

people, when suddenly the angel came and said: Hail, full of grace. (See

Hail Mary Expl.).

 

75 Q. On what day was Christ born?

A. Christ was born on Christmas Day in a stable at Bethlehem, over

nineteen hundred years ago.

 

"Christmas Day" is the 25th of December, one week before the New Year.

It is called Christmas Day since the time Our Lord was born, over

nineteen hundred years ago. "In a stable at Bethlehem." The story of Our

Lord's birth is in every way a very sad one. The Blessed Virgin and St.

Joseph lived in Palestine--called also the Holy Land since Our Lord

lived there. Palestine was the country where God's people, the Jews,

lived, and at the time we are speaking of, it was under the power of the

Roman Emperor, who had his soldiers and governor there. He wished to

find out how many people were there, and so he ordered a census or count

of the people to be made. (Luke 2). We take the census very differently

now from what they did then. We in the United States, by order of the

government, send men around from house to house to write down the names;

but in Palestine, when they wanted the number of the people, everyone,

no matter where he lived, had to go to the city or town where his

forefathers had lived and there register his name with all the others

who belonged to the same tribe or family. Now, the forefathers of St.

Joseph and the Blessed Virgin belonged to the little town of Bethlehem

(Luke 2); so they had to leave Nazareth where they were then living and

go to Bethlehem. This was shortly before Christmas. When they got to

Bethlehem, they found the place crowded with people who also came to

enroll their names. They went to the inn or hotel to seek for lodging

for the night. The hotels there were not like ours. They were simply

large buildings with small rooms and no furniture; they were called

caravansaries. A man was in charge of the building, and by paying him

something persons were allowed the use of a room. No food was sold

there, so travelers had to do their cooking at home and bring whatever

they needed with them. When the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph went to

the inn they found all the rooms occupied. Then they went up and down

the streets looking for some house where they might stay. Nobody would

take them in, because St. Joseph was old and poor and had no money, or

little, to give. They were refused at every door, a very sad thing

indeed. What were they to do? It was growing dark, and the lights most

likely were being lighted here and there in the houses. The old towns

were not built as ours are, with houses on the outskirts growing fewer

as we advance into the country. They were surrounded by great walls to

keep out their enemies. There were several large gates in these walls,

through which the people entered or left the city. At night these gates

were closed and guarded. Nearly all the people lived within the walls

and the country was lonely and almost deserted. Only shepherds were to

be found in the country, and they lived in tents, which they carried

about from place to place, as soldiers do in time of war. Such was the

country about Bethlehem. As St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin could not

find anyplace to stay in the town they were forced to go into the

country. They must have suffered also from fear because the country was

infested with wolves and wild dogs, so fierce that they sometimes came

into the towns and attacked the people in the streets. Besides, many

robbers were wandering about waiting for victims. Palestine is a hilly

country and there were on the sides of some of the hills large caves in

which these robbers frequently took refuge or divided their spoils.

Because the shepherds at times, especially in bad weather, brought their

animals into these caves, they are often called stables. The Blessed

Virgin and St. Joseph found, we are told, one of these cold, dark

places, went into it for the night, and there Our Lord was born.

 

It was the month of December and must have been quite cold, so the

little Infant Jesus must have suffered greatly from the cold. If it had

been a stable such as we see in our days it would have been bad enough;

but think of this cold, dark, miserable cave, and yet it was Our Lord,

the King of Heaven and earth, who was born there. There are few people

so poor that they have to live in a cave. What wonderful humility, then,

on the part of Our Lord. He could have been born, if He wished, in the

grandest palace man could construct and have had thousands of angels to

bring Him whatever He needed, for they are His servants in Heaven. But

Our Lord became so humble to teach us. What impression should this make

on those who are too fond of dress and too vain about their homes.

 

It was foretold by the prophets that Our Lord would be born in

Bethlehem, and when the time was near at hand His parents were living in

Nazareth; then the Roman Emperor gave the decree that the census be

taken, which obliged Our Lord's parents to go to Bethlehem, and thus Our

Lord was born there, and the words of the prophets fulfilled. See how

God moves the whole world, if necessary, to accomplish what He desires.

But how naturally He does everything. Nobody knew--not even the Roman

Emperor himself--that he was giving an edict to fulfill the prophecies

and the promises of God. So, at times, people do many things to carry

out the designs of God, though they know it not. We should never

complain therefore to do unwillingly whatever work we have to perform,

because it may be something that God wishes us to do for some very

special end. If you look back upon your lives, you can see that God

guided and directed you upon many occasions.

 

*76 Q. 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.

 

The life of Our Lord was spent in the following manner. At the time Our

Lord was born in Bethlehem wise men or kings, called Magi, came from the

East--perhaps from Persia or Arabia--to adore Him. They saw a strange

star, and leaving their own country came to Palestine. When they came as

far as Jerusalem, they went to King Herod and asked him where the young

King was born. Herod was troubled, for he was afraid the new King would

deprive him of his throne. He called together all the priests and asked

them about this royal child. They told him and the Magi that, according

to the prophecies, the Saviour should be born in Bethlehem. The Wise Men

saw the star once more, and followed it to Bethlehem, where it stood

over the stable in which Our Lord lay. They entered, and adored the

Infant Jesus, and offered Him presents. Now, Herod told them to come

back after they had found the newborn King, and tell him where He was,

that he too might go and adore Him. But such was not Herod's real

intention. He wished not to adore but to kill Him. See, then, how the

wicked pretend at times to do good, that they may deceive us and lead us

astray. Be always on your guard against a person if you suspect his

goodness. But Herod could not deceive God, who, knowing his heart,

warned the Wise Men not to return to Herod, but to go back to their own

country by another way, which they did. We celebrate the day on which

the Wise Men adored the Infant Jesus on the feast of the Epiphany (six

days after New Year's Day). When the Magi did not return, Herod knew

that they had avoided him. He was very angry indeed, and in order to be

sure of killing the poor little Infant Jesus, he had all the infants or

children in or near Bethlehem who were not over two years old put to

death. We honor these first little martyrs who suffered for Christ on

the feast of Holy Innocents--three days after Christmas.

 

After the departure of the Wise Men, God sent an angel to St. Joseph

warning him of Herod's evil designs, and telling him to fly with Jesus

and Mary into Egypt. Then St. Joseph, with the Blessed Virgin and the

Infant, set out for Egypt. St. Joseph did not ask the angel how long he

would have to stay there; nor did he ask to be allowed to wait till

morning. He obeyed promptly; he arose in the night, and started at once.

What an example of obedience for us! They must have had many hardships

on the way. They must have suffered much from hunger, cold, and fear.

They dare not go on the best roads, for we may well suppose that Herod

had his spies out watching for any that might escape. So they went by

the roughest roads and longest way. In Egypt they were among strangers,

and how could a poor old carpenter like St. Joseph find enough work

there! The Holy Family must at times have suffered greatly from want.

They remained in Egypt for some time. Afterwards, when Herod died, they

returned to Nazareth. (Matt. 2).

 

At twelve years of age Our Lord went to the Temple of Jerusalem to offer

sacrifice with His parents. (Luke 2:42). He afterwards returned to

Nazareth, and then for eighteen years--called His hidden life--we do not

hear anything of Him. Most likely He worked in the carpenter shop with

His foster-father, St. Joseph.

 

At the age of thirty (Luke 3:23), Our Lord began His public life; that

is, His preaching, miracles, etc. His public life lasted a little over

three years, and then He was put to death on the Cross.

 

*77 Q. Why did Christ live so long on earth?

A. Christ lived so long on earth to show us the way to Heaven by His

teaching and example.

 

Christ went through all the stages of life that each might have an

example. He was an infant: then a child; then a young man, and finally a

man. He did not become an old man to set an example to the old, because

if men follow His example in their youth and manhood they will be good

in old age. Youth is the all-important time to learn. If you want a tree

to grow straight, you must keep it straight while it is only a little

twig. You cannot straighten an old oak tree that has grown up crooked.

So you must be taught to do right in your youth, that you may do the

same when old. Of the hidden or private life of Our Lord we, as I have

said, know nothing, except that He was obedient to His parents; for He

wished to give an example also to those holy persons who lead a life

hidden from the world. Some books have given stories about what Our Lord

did in school, etc., but these stories are not true. The only true

things we know of Our Lord are those told in the Holy Scripture, or

handed down to us by the Church in her teachings, or those certainly

revealed to God's saints. Remember, then, that others are taught best by

example, and be careful of the example you give.

 

 

 

Lesson 8

ON OUR LORD'S PASSION, DEATH, RESURRECTION, AND ASCENSION

 

The Passion, that is, the terrible sufferings of Our Lord, began after

the Last Supper, and ended at His death. On Thursday evening, Our Lord

sat down for the last time with His dear Apostles. He had been talking,

eating, and living with them for over three years; and now He is going

to take His last meal with them before His death. He told them then how

He was to suffer, and that one of them was going to betray Him. They

were very much troubled, for only Judas himself knew what he was about

to do.

 

78 Q. What did Jesus Christ suffer?

A. Jesus Christ suffered a bloody sweat, a cruel scourging, was crowned

with thorns, and was crucified.

 

After the Supper, Our Lord went with His Apostles to a little country

place just outside Jerusalem, and separated from it by a small stream.

He told the three Apostles, Peter, James, and John, to stay near the

entrance, and to watch and pray, while He Himself went further into the

Garden of Olives, or Gethsemani, as this place was called, and throwing

Himself upon His face, prayed long and earnestly, but the Apostles fell

asleep.

 

We often find persons who are in great anguish or dread covered with a

cold perspiration. Now, Our Lord's agony in the garden was so intense

that great drops, not of sweat, but of blood, oozed from every pore, and

trickled to the ground. There are three reasons given for this dreadful

agony.

 

(1) The clear, certain knowledge of the sufferings so soon to be

endured. If we were to be put to death tomorrow and knew exactly the

manner of our death and the pain it would inflict, how great would be

our fear! Our Lord, knowing all things, knew in every particular what He

would have to undergo. Moreover, His sufferings were greater than ours

could be, even if we suffered the same kind of death; because His body

was most perfect, and therefore more susceptible of pain than ours. A

wound in the eye, because the most sensitive and delicate part of the

body, would cause us greater pain than a wound on the foot or hand.

Thus, all the parts of Our Lord's body being so perfect and sensitive,

we can scarcely imagine His dreadful torments, the very thought of which

caused Him such agony.

 

(2) The sins, past, present, and future of all men. He knew all things,

as we have said, and looking back upon the world He saw all the sins

committed, of thought, word, and deed, from the time of Adam down to His

own; and seeing all these offenses against His Father, He was very much

grieved.

 

(3) The third reason why He grieved. He looked forward and saw how

little many persons would profit by all the sufferings He was about to

endure. He saw all the sins that would be committed from the time of His

death down to the end of the world. He saw us also sinning with the

rest. No wonder then that He suffered so much in the garden. This

suffering on that night is called "Our Lord's Agony in the Garden." That

night Judas, who had betrayed Him to His enemies, came with a great band

of soldiers and people, with swords and clubs, to make Our Lord a

prisoner. He did not try to escape, but stood waiting for them, though

all His Apostles, who had promised to stay with Him, ran away. Then the

soldiers led Our Lord to the house of the Chief Priest. Then they

gathered the priests, and gave Him a kind of trial, and said He was

guilty of death. But at that time the Jews had no power to put persons

to death according to the law; so they had to send Our Lord to Pontius

Pilate, the Roman Governor, to be condemned, because they were under the

power of the Romans. The Jews acted against their laws in the trial of

Our Lord.

 

(1) They tried Him at night; and (2) they allowed Him no witnesses in

His defense, but even employed false witnesses to testify against Him,

and thus acted against all law and justice. Early in the morning they

led Him to Pilate, who commanded that He should be scourged. Then they

stripped Our Lord of His garments, fastened His hands to a low stone

pillar, and there He was "scourged" by the Roman soldiers. The lashes

used by the Romans were made of leather, with pieces of bone, iron, or

steel fastened into it, so that every stroke would lay open the flesh.

It is most likely these were the lashes used upon Our Lord till every

portion of His body was bruised and bleeding, and they replaced His

garments upon Him. Now, you know if you put a cloth upon a fresh wound

the blood will soak into it and cause it to adhere to the mangled flesh.

Our Blessed Lord's garment, thus saturated with His blood, adhered to

His wounded body, and when again removed caused Him unspeakable pain.

Next, the soldiers, because Our Lord had said He was a king--meaning a

spiritual king--led Him into a large hall and mocked Him. They made a

crown of long, sharp thorns, and forced it down upon His brow with a

heavy rod or reed; every stroke driving the thorns into His head, and

causing the blood to roll down His sacred face. They again took off His

garments, and opened anew the painful wounds. Because kings wore purple,

they put an old purple garment upon Him, and made Him a mock king,

genuflecting in ridicule as they passed before Him. They struck Him in

the face and spat upon Him; and yet it seems our patient Lord said not a

word in complaint. Then they put His garments upon Him, and Pilate asked

the people what he should do with Him, and they cried, "Crucify Him." It

was then Friday morning, and probably about ten or eleven o'clock. They

made a cross of heavy beams, and laying it upon His shoulders, forced

Him to carry it to Calvary--the place of execution, just outside the

city; for it was not allowed to execute anyone in the city. Our Lord had

not eaten anything from Thursday evening, and then with all He suffered

and the loss of blood, He must have been very weak at eleven o'clock on

Friday morning. He was weak, and fell many times under the Cross. His

suffering was increased by seeing His Blessed Mother looking at Him.

When He arrived at Calvary they tore off His garments and nailed Him to

the Cross, driving the rough nails through His hands and feet. It was

then about twelve o'clock. From twelve to three in the afternoon Our

Blessed Saviour was hanging on the Cross, with a great multitude of His

enemies about Him mocking and saying cruel things. Even the two thieves

that were crucified with Him reviled Him, though one of them repented

and was pardoned before death. Our Lord's poor Mother and His few

friends stood at a little distance witnessing all that was going on.

When Our Lord was thirsty His executioners gave Him gall to drink. At

three o'clock He died, and there was an earthquake and darkness, and the

people were sorely afraid.

 

But you will ask, how could these soldiers be so cruel? They were

Romans; and in those days men called gladiators used to fight with

swords before the Roman Emperor and all the people--just as actors play

now for the amusement of their audience. People who could enjoy such

scenes as men slaying one another in deadly conflict would scarcely be

moved to pity by seeing a man scourged. Again, in the early ages of the

Church, during the persecutions, the Emperors used to order the

Christians to be thrown to wild beasts to be torn to pieces in the

presence of the people--who applauded these horrible sights. They who

could see so many put to death would not mind putting one to death, even

in the most terrible manner.

 

79 Q. On what day did Christ die?

A. Christ died on Good Friday.

 

"Good Friday," so called since that time.

 

*80 Q. Why do you call that day "good" on which Christ suffered 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.

 

*81 Q. Where did Christ die?

A. Christ died on Mount Calvary.

 

"Mount Calvary," a little hill just outside the city of Jerusalem. For

every city they have a special prison or place where all their criminals

are executed. Now, as the great Temple of God was in Jerusalem, the city

itself was called the City of God, because in the Temple God spoke to

the priests in the Holy of Holies. The Temple was divided into two

parts: one part, something like the body of our churches, called the

Holy, and the other part, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, called

the Holy of Holies. It had about the same relation to the Temple as our

altar and sanctuary have to our churches. The Ark of the Covenant was a

box about four feet long, two and a half feet high, and two and a half

feet wide, made of the finest wood, and ornamented with gold in the most

beautiful manner. In it were the tables of stone, on which were written

the Commandments of God; also the rod that Aaron--Moses'

brother--changed into a serpent before King Pharaoh; also some of the

manna with which the people were miraculously fed during their forty

years' journey in the desert when they fled out of Egypt. All these

things were figures of the true religion. The Ark itself was a figure of

the tabernacle, and the manna of the Holy Eucharist. The Holy of Holies

was hidden from the people by a veil. Only the Chief Priest was allowed

into that sacred place, and but once a year. The veil--called the veil

of the Temple--hiding that Holy of Holies, though the things mentioned

above were no longer in it, was torn asunder when Our Lord died on the

Cross (Matt. 27:51); because after His death there was no need any

longer of figures; for after His death we have the tabernacle itself and

the real manna, the real bread from Heaven, viz., the body of Our Lord.

The veil was rent to show also that God would not remain any longer in

the Temple, but would be for the future only in the Christian Church. On

account of all these things, therefore, Jerusalem was called the Holy

City, and no criminals were put to death in it, but were conducted to

Calvary--which means the place of skulls--and were there put to death. I

now call your attention to one thing. If the Jews showed such great

respect and reverence for the Ark containing only figures of the Blessed

Sacrament, how should we behave in the presence of the tabernacle on the

altar containing the Blessed Sacrament itself!

 

*82 Q. How did Christ die?

A. Christ was nailed to a cross and died on it, between two thieves.

 

"Two thieves," because they thought this would make His death more

disgraceful--making Him equal to common criminals. One of these thieves,

called the penitent thief, repented of his sins and received Our Lord's

pardon before his death. The other thief died in his sins. Holy writers

tell us that one of these thieves was saved to give poor sinners hope,

and to teach them that they may save their souls at the very last moment

of their lives if only they are heartily sorry for their sins and

implore God's pardon for them. The other thief remained and died

impenitent, that sinners may fear to put off their conversion to the

hour of death, thus rashly presuming on God's mercy. Persons who

willfully delay their conversion and put off their repentance to the

last moment, living bad lives with the hope of dying well, may not

accept the grace to repent at the last moment, but may, like the

unfortunate, impenitent thief, die as they lived, in a state of sin.

 

83 Q. Why did Christ suffer and die?

A. Christ suffered and died for our sins.

 

It was not necessary for Our Lord to suffer so much, but He did it to

show how much He loved us and valued our souls, and how much He was

willing to give for them. We, alas! do not value our souls as Christ

did; we sometimes sell them for the merest trifle--a moment's

gratification. How sinful!

 

*84 Q. 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.

 

We learn "the great evil of sin" also from the misery it brought into

the world; the "hatred God bears to it," from the punishment He

inflicted on the wicked angels and on our first parents for it; and

lastly, the "necessity of satisfying for it," from the fact that God

allowed His dear and only Son to suffer death itself for the sins even

of others.

 

*85 Q. Whither did Christ's soul go after His death?

A. After Christ's death His soul descended into hell.

 

*86 Q. 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

damned, but a place or state of rest called Limbo, where the souls of

the just were waiting for Him.

 

Hell had many meanings in olden times. The grave was sometimes called

hell. Jacob, when he heard that wild beasts had devoured his son Joseph,

said: "I will go down with sorrow into hell." He meant the grave. Limbo

is not the same as Purgatory. It does not exist now, or, if it does, is

only for little children who have never committed actual sin and who

have died without Baptism. They will never get into Heaven or see God,

but they will not have to suffer pains as they who are in Purgatory or

Hell endure.

 

*87 Q. 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.

 

*88 Q. 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.

 

"Sepulchre" is the same as tomb. It is like a little room. In it the

coffin is not covered up with earth as it is in the grave, but is placed

upon a stand. We call such places vaults, and you can see many of them

in any cemetery or burying ground. Sometimes they are cut in the side of

elevated ground with their entrance level with the road, and sometimes

they are built altogether under the ground. The one in which Our Lord

was placed was cut out of the side of a rock, and had for a door a great

stone against the entrance. Our Lord was not placed in a coffin, but was

wrapped in a linen cloth. It was the custom of the Jewish people and of

many other ancient nations to embalm the bodies of the dead, wrap them

in cloths, and cover them with sweet spices. (Matt. 27:59). Thus it was

that Mary Magdalene and other good women came early in the morning to

anoint the body of Our Lord. But you will say, why did they not do it on

Friday evening or night? The reason was this: The day with the Jews

began at sunset--generally about six o'clock--and ended at sunset on the

next evening. We count our twenty-four hours, or day, from twelve at

midnight till twelve the next night. Therefore, with the Jews six

o'clock on Friday evening was the beginning of Saturday. They kept

Saturday, or the Sabbath, instead of Sunday as a day of worship. On that

day, which they kept very strictly, it was not allowable to do work of

any kind; so they could not anoint Our Lord's body till the Sabbath

ended, which was about six o'clock, or sunset on Saturday evening. So,

as the Holy Scripture tells us, they came very early in the morning; for

Mary Magdalene and these good women were Jews, and strictly observed the

Jewish law. You must know that Our Lord Himself, the Blessed Virgin, St.

Joseph, and the Apostles were Jews; and that the Jewish religion was the

true religion up to the coming of Our Lord; but as it was only a figure

and a promise of the Christian religion, it ceased to have any meaning

or to be the true religion when the Christian religion itself was

established by Our Lord.

 

89 Q. 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.

 

"Rose" by His own power. This is the greatest of all Our Lord's

miracles, because all He taught is confirmed by it and depends upon it.

A miracle is a work that can be performed only by God, or by someone to

whom He has given the power. If anyone performs a real miracle to prove

what he says, his words must be true; for God, who is infinite truth,

could not sanction a lie--could not help an impostor to deceive us. Now

Our Lord said He was the Son of God; that He could forgive sins, etc.;

and He performed miracles to prove what He said. Therefore He must have

told the truth. So all those whom God sent to do any great work were

given the power to perform miracles that the people might know they were

really messengers from God. They, on the other hand, who claim--as many

have done from time to time in the world--that they have been sent by

God to do some great work, and can give no convincing proof of their

mission, are not to be believed. Thus, when Martin Luther claimed that

he was sent by God to reform the Catholic Church--which had existed

nearly 1,500 years before he was born--he performed no miracles, nor did

he give any other proof that he had any such commission from God; and he

cannot therefore be believed.

 

God has established all the laws of nature permanently. They will not

vary or change, so that we can depend upon them. We can always be sure

that the sun will rise and set; that the seasons will come; that fire

will burn, etc. Now, if we see three young men in a great fiery furnace

without being burned (Dan. 3), we say it is a great miracle; because

naturally the fire would burn them up if God did not prevent it. Again,

water will not stand up like a high wall without something keeping it

back; it will always run about and fill every empty spot near it. If,

therefore, we see water standing up like a high wall, as it did in the

Red Sea at the command of Moses, and in the River Jordan, we say it is a

miracle. So in all cases where the laws of nature do not work in the

ordinary manner, we say a miracle is being performed. Now Our Lord

performed many such miracles--many times He suspended the laws of

nature--which God alone can do, since He alone established them. Our

Lord called back the soul to the body after death, thus raising the

dead. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, cured the lame, etc.,

when all medicine and natural means were useless. He did all these

things instantly as a rule, and without remedies. Therefore His miracles

prove His divine power. Since the resurrection was a great miracle, and

Our Lord performed it to prove that He was the true and only Son of God,

He must have been just what He said He was.

 

"Glorious." Our Lord rose in the same body He had before His death; but

when He rose it had new qualities--it was glorified. The qualities of a

glorified body are four, viz.: brilliancy, agility, subtility, and

impassability. (1) It has brilliancy; that is, it shines like a light;

it gives forth light; the soul shines through the body. You have heard

of the Transfiguration of Our Lord. One day He took three of His

Apostles--Peter, James, and John--unto a high mountain (Matt. 17); and

as He was speaking to them, suddenly His whole body began to shine like

the sun. Then Moses and Elias--two great and holy men of the Old

Law--came and conversed with Him. The Apostles were astonished and

delighted at the sight, and wished to remain there always. Our Lord's

body at that time showed one of the qualities of a glorified body. The

same three Apostles that saw Him thus transfigured and heard the voice

of the Heavenly Father saying, "This is My beloved Son," were present in

the garden during Our Lord's agony. He allowed them to see the

Transfiguration, so that when they should see Him suffering as man, they

would remember that they saw Him on the mountain glorified as God. (2)

Agility; that is, a glorified body can move rapidly from one place to

another, like the lightning itself. After His resurrection Our Lord was

in Jerusalem, and almost immediately He appeared near the village of

Emmaus to two disciples going there. (Luke 24). They had left Jerusalem

after the Crucifixion, probably through fear, and were going along

together talking about what had happened during the days of Our Lord's

Passion. Suddenly Our Lord came and walked and talked with them, but

they did not know Him. They asked Him to stay that night at their house,

for it was growing dark. He did not stop with them, and at supper they

knew Him, and then He vanished from their sight. An ordinary person

would have to get up and walk away; but He vanished, showing on this

occasion the second quality of His glorified body--agility. (3)

Subtility; that is, such a body can go where it pleases and cannot be

resisted by material things. It can pass through closed doors or gates,

and even walls cannot keep it out. It passes through everything, as

light does through glass without breaking it. At one time after Our

Lord's resurrection the Apostles were gathered together in a room, for

they were still afraid of being put to death, and the doors were tightly

closed. Suddenly Our Lord stood in the midst of them and said: "Peace be

to you." (John 20:19). They did not open the door for Him; neither wood

nor stone could keep Him out: and thus He showed that His body had the

third quality. (4) His body had the fourth quality also--impassability,

which means that it can no longer suffer. Before His death, and at it,

Our Lord suffered dreadful torments, as you know; but after His

resurrection nothing could injure or hurt Him. The spear could not hurt

His side, nor the nails His hands, nor the thorns His head. Shortly

after His resurrection Our Lord appeared to His Apostles while Thomas,

one of them, was absent. (John 20:24). When Thomas returned, the other

Apostles told him that they had seen the Lord risen from the dead; but

he would not believe them, saying: "Unless I see the holes where the

nails were in His hands and feet, and put my finger into His side, I

will not believe." Now Our Lord, knowing all things, knew this also; so

He came again when Thomas was present, and said to him: "Now, Thomas,

put your hand into My side." Thomas cried out: "My Lord and my God!" He

believed then, because he saw. Now if this body of Our Lord's had been

an ordinary body, it would have caused Him pain to allow anyone to put

his hand into the wound; but it was impassable. It seems very strange,

does it not, that Thomas would not believe what the other Apostles told

him? God permitted this. Why? Because, if they all believed easily, some

enemies of Our Lord might say the Apostles were simple men that believed

everything without any proof. Now they cannot truly say so, because here

was one of the Apostles, Thomas, who would not believe without the very

strongest kind of proof. Another person, one would think, would have

been satisfied with seeing Our Lord's wounds; but Thomas would not trust

even his eyes--he must also touch before he would believe: showing,

therefore, that the Apostles were not deceived in anything Our Lord did

in their presence, for they had always the most convincing proofs.

 

After the Resurrection, at the last day, the bodies of all those who are

to be in Heaven will have the qualities I have mentioned; that is, they

will be glorified bodies.

 

Speaking of Our Lord's wounds, I might tell you what the stigmata means,

if you should ever hear or read of it. There have been some persons in

the world--saints, of course--who have had upon their hands, feet, and

side wounds just like those Our Lord had, and these wounds caused them

great pain. For example, St. Francis of Assisi (see Butler's Lives of

the Saints, Oct. 4th). Up to 1883--that is, only a few years ago--there

lived in Belgium a young girl named Louise Lateau who had the stigmata.

We have the most positive proof of it, as you may see in the accounts of

her life now published. Her wounds caused her great pain and bled every

Friday for many years. She was a delicate seamstress, and lived with her

mother and sisters in almost continual poverty. She had always been

remarkable for her true piety, patience in suffering, and charity to the

sick. I mention this young girl because she lived in our own time, and

is the latest person we know of who had the stigmata, or wounds of Our

Lord. So if you ever hear of the stigmata of St. Francis or others, you

will know that it means wounds like those of Our Lord impressed on their

bodies in a miraculous manner.

 

"Immortal"--that is never to die again, as it will be with us also after

the Resurrection.

 

"The third day." It was not three full days, but the parts of three

days. Suppose someone should ask you on Friday evening how long from now

to Sunday; you would answer: Sunday will be the third day from today.

You would count thus: Friday one, Saturday two, and Sunday itself three.

So it was with Our Lord. He died on Friday at about three in the

afternoon, and remained in the sepulchre till Sunday morning.

 

*90 Q. 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.

 

After Our Lord's resurrection He remained on earth forty days: but you

must not think He was visible all that time. No. He did not appear to

everybody, but only to certain persons, and not all the time to them

either. He appeared to His Apostles and others in all about nine times;

at least, we know for certain that He appeared nine times, though He may

have appeared oftener. He showed that "He was truly risen," for He ate

with His Apostles and conversed with them. (Luke 24:42). It was after

the resurrection that He breathed on them and gave them the power to

forgive sins. (John 20).

 

91 Q. 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.

 

One day He was on a mountain with His Apostles and disciples; and as He

was talking to them He began to rise up slowly and quietly, just as you

have sometimes seen a balloon soar up into the air without noise. Higher

and higher He ascended; and as they gazed up at Him, the clouds opened

to receive Him, then closed under Him: and that was the last of Our

Lord's mission as man upon earth. The Ascension took place forty days

after the resurrection. (Acts 1).

 

*92 Q. Where is Christ in Heaven?

A. In Heaven Christ sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

 

*93 Q. 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 9

ON THE HOLY GHOST AND HIS DESCENT UPON THE APOSTLES

 

94 Q. Who is the Holy Ghost?

A. The Holy Ghost is the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity.

 

*95 Q. From whom does the Holy Ghost proceed?

A. The Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son.

 

*96 Q. 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.

 

97 Q. 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 Whit-Sunday or Pentecost.

 

We have seen already that the Apostles fled and were very much afraid

when Our Lord was taken prisoner. Even Peter, the chief of the Apostles,

who said he would die rather than leave Our Lord, shamefully denied Him;

and St. John, the beloved disciple, stood near the Cross, but offered no

resistance to Our Lord's enemies. After the Crucifixion of Our Lord, the

Apostles, afraid of being put to death, shut themselves up in a room.

Ten days after Our Lord's Ascension they were praying as usual in their

room, when suddenly they heard the sound as it were of a great wind, and

then they saw tongues the shape of our own, but all on fire, coming, and

one tongue resting on the head of each Apostle present. (Acts 2).

 

This was the Holy Ghost coming to them. The Holy Ghost, being a pure

spirit without a body, can take any form He pleases. He sometimes came

in the form of a dove; so when you see a dove painted in a church near

the altar, it is there to represent the Holy Ghost. You could not paint

a spirit, so angels and God Himself are generally represented in

pictures as they at some time appeared to men.

 

"Whit-Sunday," or White-Sunday; probably so called because in the early

ages of the Church converts were baptized on the day before, and after

their Baptism wore white robes or garments as a mark of the soul's

purity after Baptism.

 

"Pentecost" means the fiftieth day, because the feast comes fifty days

after the resurrection of Our Lord. After His resurrection He remained

forty days upon earth, and ten days after He ascended into Heaven the

Holy Ghost came, thus making the fifty days.

 

After the Holy Ghost came down upon the Apostles they were no longer

timid men. They went forth boldly into the streets and preached Christ

crucified, telling the people how the Son of God--the true Messias

promised--had been put to death. Many who heard them believed and were

baptized. The first time St. Peter preached to the people three thousand

were converted (Acts 2:41); so that when all the Apostles preached the

number of Christians increased rapidly, and the Christian religion was

soon carried to distant parts of the world.

 

At the time Our Lord was put to death the Jews were celebrating a great

feast in Jerusalem. The Jews were not like us in this respect. We have

many churches, and in all of them sacrifice, that is, the Holy Mass, is

offered. The Jews had only one temple where sacrifice could be offered,

and that was in Jerusalem. They had synagogues or meeting houses

throughout the land in which they assembled to pray and hear the Holy

Scriptures read; but they could not offer sacrifice in them. Three times

a year they went to Jerusalem to celebrate their great feasts. One of

these feasts was called the Pasch, or Passover, and it was during the

celebration of that feast that Our Lord was put to death; so that there

were many persons from all parts of the nation present at the sad

execution. I must now tell you why they celebrated the Pasch. We

generally celebrate a feast to commemorate--to remind us of--some great

event; and the Jews celebrated this feast to remind them of their

deliverance from the slavery of the Egyptians, in which their ancestors

had been suffering for about two hundred years. At the end of that time

God sent Moses to deliver them. You should know, then, who Moses was and

what he did to deliver his people, and you should know also something of

the history of his people--the Israelites--and how they came to be in

Egypt.

 

At the time I am now going to speak of the old patriarch Jacob,

Abraham's grandson, had eleven sons--for Benjamin, the twelfth son, was

born afterwards--and the youngest was called Joseph. Joseph was the

favorite of his father, and his brothers were jealous of him. The

brothers were shepherds, and used to take their flocks to feed at a

great distance from home, and did not return for a long time. One day

the father sent Joseph to his brothers to see if all were well. They

hated Joseph because his father loved him best; and when they saw him

coming they agreed never to let him return to his father. (Gen. 37).

They intended to kill him. While they were debating about how they

should put him to death--he was then only sixteen years old--some

merchants passed on their way to Egypt; so, instead of killing him, they

sold him as a slave to the merchants. Then they took Joseph's coat and

dipped it in the blood of a kid, and sent it to their poor old father,

saying they had found it, and making him believe that some wild beast on

the way had eaten Joseph. When the merchants arrived in Egypt, Potiphar,

one of the king's officers, bought Joseph, and brought him as a slave to

his own house. While there, Joseph was falsely accused of a great crime,

and cast into prison. While Joseph was in prison the king had a dream.

(Gen. 41). He saw in the dream seven fat cows coming up out of a river,

followed by seven lean cows; and the lean cows ate up the fat cows. He

saw also seven fat ears of corn and seven lean ears of corn; and the

seven lean ears ate up the seven fat ears. The king was very much

troubled, and called together all his wise men to tell him what the

dream meant, but they could not. Then the king heard of Joseph, and sent

for him. Now Joseph was a very good young man, and God showed him the

meaning; so he told the king that the seven fat ears of corn and the

seven fat cows meant seven years of great abundance in Egypt, and that

the seven lean ears and the seven lean cows meant seven years of famine

that would follow, and all the abundance of the previous seven years

would be consumed. So he advised the king to build great barns during

the years of plenty, and gather up all the corn everywhere to save it

for the years of famine. The king was delighted at Joseph's wisdom, and

made him after himself the most powerful in the kingdom, giving him

charge of everything, so that Joseph himself might do what he had

advised. Now it happened years after this that there was a famine in the

country where Joseph's father lived, and he sent all his sons down into

Egypt to buy corn. (Gen. 42). They did not know their brother Joseph,

but he knew them; and after forgiving them for what they had done to

him, he sent them home with an abundance of corn. Afterwards Joseph's

father and brothers left their own country and came to live near Joseph

in Egypt. The king gave them good land (Gen. 47), and they lived there

in peace and happiness. Learn from this beautiful history of Joseph how

God protects those that love and serve Him no matter where they are or

in what danger they may be placed; and how He even turns the evil deeds

of their enemies into blessings for them.

 

After the death of Joseph and his brothers, their descendants became

very numerous, and the new king of the Egyptians began to persecute

them. (Ex. 2). He imposed upon them the hardest works, and treated them

most cruelly. He ordered that all their male infants should, as soon as

born, be thrown into the River Nile. Now about that time Moses was born.

(Ex. 2). His mother did not obey the king's order, but hid him for about

three months. When she could conceal him no longer she made a little

cradle of rushes, and covering it over with pitch or tar to keep out the

water, placed him in it, and then laid it in the tall grass by the edge

of the river, sending his little sister to watch what would become of

him. Just then the king's daughter came down to bathe, and seeing the

little child, ordered one of her servants to bring him to her. At that

moment Moses' little sister, pretending not to know him, ran up and

asked the king's daughter if she wished to procure a nurse for him. The

king's daughter replied in the affirmative and permitted her to bring

one; so Moses' own mother was brought and engaged to be his nurse: but

he was not known as her son, but as the adopted son of the king's

daughter. When Moses grew up he was an officer in the king's army; but

because he took the part of his persecuted countrymen he offended the

king, and had to fly from the palace. He then went into another country

and became a shepherd.

 

During all this time the persecuted Israelites were praying to the true

God to be delivered from the slavery of the Egyptians, who were

idolaters. One day Moses saw a bush burning; and as he came near to look

at it, he heard a voice telling him not to come too near, and bidding

him take off his shoes, for he was on holy ground. (Ex. 3). It was God

who thus appeared and spoke to him, and He ordered him to take off his

shoes as a mark of respect and reverence. When we want to show our

respect for any person or place, we take off our hats; but the people of

that country, instead of their hats, took off their shoes. It was the

custom of the country and did not seem strange to them.

 

Then God told Moses that He was going to send him to deliver His people

from the Egyptians and lead them back to their own country; and He sent

Aaron, the brother of Moses, with him. Then Moses said to God, the king

of Egypt will not let the people go, and what can I do? God gave Moses

two signs or miracles to show the king, so that he could know that Moses

was really sent by Him. He gave him power to change a rod into a

serpent, and back again into a rod; power also to bring a disease

instantly upon his hand, and to heal it instantly. (Ex. 4). Do these,

said Almighty God, in the presence of the king. Then Moses and Aaron

went to the king and did as God commanded them; and when the rod of

Aaron became a serpent, the king's magicians--that is, men who do

apparently wonderful things by sleight of hand or the power of the

devil--cast their rods upon the ground, and they also became

serpents--not that their rods were changed into serpents, but the devil,

who was helping them, took away instantly their rods and put real

serpents in their place--but Aaron's serpent swallowed them up. (Ex. 7).

After these signs the king would not let the people go with Moses; for

God permitted the king's heart to be hardened, so that all the Egyptians

might see the great work God was going to do for His people.

 

Then God sent the ten plagues upon the Egyptians, while the

Israelites--God's people--suffered nothing from these plagues.

 

The first plague was blood. All the water in the land was converted into

blood. (Ex. 7). The king then sent for Moses and promised that if he

would take away the plague he would allow all the people to depart.

Moses prayed to God, and the plague was removed. But after it was taken

away the king's heart was hardened again and he would not keep his

promise. Just as people in sickness, distress, or danger sometimes

promise God they will lead better lives if only He will help them, and

when they are saved they do not keep their promises, so did Pharao; and

therefore God sent another plague. The second plague was frogs. Great

numbers of them came out of the rivers and lakes, and filled all the

houses of the Egyptians, and crawled into their food, beds, etc. Again

the king sent for Moses and did as before; and again Moses prayed, and

all the frogs went back into the waters or died. (Ex. 8). But the king

again hardened his heart and did not keep his promise. The third plague

was sciniphs (Ex. 8)--very small flies, that filled the land. Imagine

our country filled with mosquitoes so numerous that you could scarcely

walk through them; it would be a dreadful plague. As it is, two or three

might cause you considerable annoyance, and pain: what then if there

were millions doubly venomous, because sent to punish you? So these

little flies must have greatly punished the Egyptians. The fourth plague

was flies that filled the land and covered everything, to the great

disgust of the people. The fifth plague was murrain--a disease that

broke out among the cattle. The sixth plague was a disease--boils--that

broke out on men and beasts, so that scarcely anyone could move on

account of the pains and suffering. The seventh plague was hail, that

fell in large pieces and destroyed all their crops. The eighth plague

was locusts. These are very destructive little animals. They look

something like our grasshoppers, but are about two or three times their

size. They fly and come in millions. They come to this country in great

numbers--almost a plague--every fifteen or twenty-five years, and the

farmers fear them very much. They eat up every green blade or leaf, and

thus destroy all the crops and trees. When the locusts came upon Egypt,

Moses, at the king's request, prayed, and God sent a strong wind that

swept them into the sea, where they perished in the water. The ninth

plague was a horrible darkness for three days in all the land of Egypt.

The tenth plague, the last, was the most terrible of all--the killing of

the firstborn in all the land of Egypt. (Ex. 12). God instructed Moses

to tell the Israelites in the land that on a certain night they were to

take a lamb in each family, kill it, and sprinkle its blood on the

doorposts of their houses. They were then to cook the lamb and eat it

standing, with their garments ready as for a journey. (Ex. 12). The lamb

was called the paschal lamb, and was, after that, to be eaten every

year, at about what is with us Easter-time, in commemoration of this

event. That night God sent an angel through all the land, and he killed

the firstborn of man and beast in all the houses of the Egyptians. That

is, he killed the eldest son in the house; and if the father was the

firstborn in his father's family, he was killed also; and the same for

the beasts. This was a terrible punishment. In the house of every

Egyptian there were some dead but not one in the houses of the

Israelites; for when the angel saw the blood of the lamb on the

doorposts, he passed over and did not enter into their houses, so that

this event, called Passover or Pasch, was kept always as a great feast

by God's people. This paschal lamb was a figure of our blessed Lord, for

as its blood saved the Israelites from death, so Our Lord's blood saved

and still saves us from eternal death in Hell.

 

After that dreadful night Pharao allowed the people to depart with

Moses; but when they had gone as far as the Red Sea, he was sorry he let

them go, and set out with a great army to bring them back. There the

people stood, with the sea before them and Pharao and his army coming

behind them; but God provided for them a means of escape. At God's

command, Moses stretched his rod over the sea, and the waters divided

and stood like great walls on either side and all the people passed

through the opening in the waters, on the dry bed of the sea. (Ex. 14).

 

Pharao attempted to follow them, but when he and his army were on the

dry bed of the sea, between the two walls of water, God allowed the

waters to close over them, and they were all drowned. Then the

Israelites began the great journey through the desert, in which they

travelled for forty years. During all that time God fed them with manna.

He Himself, as a guide, went with them in a cloud, that shaded them from

the heat of the sun during the day and was a light for them at night.

But you will ask: Was the desert so large that it took forty years to

cross it? No, but these people, notwithstanding all God had done for

them, sinned against Him in the desert; so He permitted them to wander

about through it till a new generation of people grew up, who were to be

led into the promised land by Josue, the successor of Moses. From this

we may learn a lesson for ourselves: God will always punish those who

deserve it, even though He loves them and may often have done great

things to save them; but He will wait for His own time to punish.

 

The Israelites then, as I have said, went from every part of the land up

to the Temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the Pasch each year. It was

during one of these celebrations that Our Lord was put to death, and

during another feast that St. Peter preached to the people after Our

Lord's death. He spoke only in one language, and yet all his hearers

understood, for each heard his own language spoken. (Acts 2:6). This was

called the gift of tongues, and was given to the Apostles when the Holy

Ghost came upon them. For example, if each of you came from a different

country and understood the language only of the country from which you

came, and I gave the instructions only in English, then if everyone

thought I was speaking his language--German, French, Spanish, Italian,

etc.--and understood me, I would have what is called the gift of

tongues, and it would be a great miracle, as it was when bestowed upon

the Apostles.

 

In the first ages of the Church God performed more miracles than He does

now, because they are not now so necessary. These miracles were

performed only to make the Church better known, and to prove that she

was the true Church, with her power and authority from God. That can now

be known and seen in Christian countries without miracles. These special

gifts, like the gift of tongues, were given also to some of the early

Christians by the Holy Ghost, when they received Confirmation; but they

were not a part of or necessary for Confirmation, but only to show the

power of the true religion. Those who heard St. Peter preach, when they

went back to their own countries told what they had seen and heard, and

thus their countrymen were prepared to receive the Gospel when the

Apostles came to preach it.

 

*98 Q. 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.

 

99 Q. Who sent the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles?

A. Our Lord Jesus Christ sent the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles.

 

100 Q. 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.

 

"Sanctify," to make more holy by the grace which He would give to the

members of the Church. "To enlighten." The Apostles did not understand

very well everything Our Lord taught while He was with them; but after

the Holy Ghost came upon them they understood perfectly, and remembered

many things which Our Lord said to them, and understood the true meaning

of all. The prophets foretold that when the Messias, Christ, would come,

He would bring all the world under His power. The prophets meant in a

spiritual sense; but most of the people understood that He was to be a

great general, with powerful armies, who would subdue all the nations of

the earth, and bring them under the authority of the Jews. We know they

thought that the great kingdom He was to establish upon earth would be a

temporal kingdom, from many of their sayings and actions. One day the

mother of two of Our Lord's Apostles came to ask Him if, when He had

established His kingdom upon the earth, He would give her sons honorable

positions in it, and place them high in authority. (Matt. 20:20). Our

Lord told her she did not understand what she was asking. This shows

that even some of the Apostles--much less the people--did not understand

the full nature of Our Lord's mission upon earth, nor of His kingdom,

the Church. Often too, when He preached to the people, the Apostles

asked Him on His return what His sermon meant (Luke 8:9). But after the

Holy Ghost came, they were enlightened, and understood all without

difficulty. "Strengthen." I told you already that before the Holy Ghost

came they were timid and afraid of being arrested, but that afterwards

they went out boldly, and taught all they had learned from Our Lord.

They were often taken prisoners and scourged, but it mattered not--they

were firm in their faith, and could suffer anything for Christ after

they had been enlightened and strengthened by the Holy Ghost. Finally,

they were all, with the exception of St. John, put to death for their

holy faith. St. Peter and St. Paul were crucified at Rome about the year

65, that is, about thirty-two years after the death of Our Lord. St.

James was beheaded by order of King Herod. St. John lived the longest,

and was the only one of the Apostles who was not put to death, though he

was cast into a large vessel of boiling oil, but was miraculously saved.

 

Certainly by dying for their faith the Apostles showed that they were

not impostors or hypocrites. They must really have believed what they

taught, otherwise they would not have laid down their lives for it. They

were certain of what they taught, as we saw when speaking of St. Thomas.

 

*101 Q. 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.

 

"Abide" means to stay with us.

 

 

 

Lesson 10

ON THE EFFECTS OF THE REDEMPTION

 

102 Q. 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.

 

An effect is that which is caused by something else. If you place a

danger signal on a broken railroad track the effect will be preventing

the wreck of the train, and the cause will be your placing the signal.

Many effects may flow from one cause. In our example, see all the good

effects that may follow your placing the signal--the cars are not

broken, the passengers are not killed, the rails are not torn out of

their places, etc. Thus the redemption had two effects, namely, to

satisfy God for the offense offered Him by the sins of men, and to merit

grace to be used for our benefit.

 

103 Q. 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.

 

"Supernatural," that is, above nature. "A gift"; something, therefore,

that God does not owe us. He owes us nothing, strictly speaking. Health,

talents, and such things are natural gifts, and belong to our nature as

men; but grace is something above our nature, given to our soul. God

gives it to us on account of the love He has for His Son, Our Lord, who

merited it for us by dying for us. "Merits." A merit is some excellence

or goodness which entitles one to honor or reward. Grace is a help we

get to do something that will be pleasing to God. When there is anything

in our daily works that we cannot do alone, we naturally look for help;

for example, to lift some heavy weight is only a natural act, not a

supernatural act, and the help we need for it is only natural help. But

if we are going to do something above and beyond our nature, and cannot

do it alone, we must not look for natural, but for supernatural help;

that is, the help must always be like the work to be done. Therefore all

spiritual works need spiritual help, and spiritual help is grace.

 

104 Q. How many kinds of grace are there?

A. There are two kinds of grace: sanctifying grace and actual grace.

 

105 Q. What is sanctifying grace?

A. Sanctifying grace is that grace which makes the soul holy and

pleasing to God.

 

"Sanctifying," that is, making us holy by cleansing, purifying our

souls. Sin renders the soul ugly and displeasing to God, and grace

purifies it. Suppose I have something bright and beautiful given to me,

and take no care of it, but let it lie around in dusty places until it

becomes tarnished and soiled, loses all its beauty, and appears black

and ugly. To restore its beauty I must clean and polish it. Thus the

soul blackened by sin must be cleaned by God's grace. If the soul is in

mortal sin--altogether blackened--then sanctifying grace brings back its

brightness and makes it pleasing to God; but if the soul is already

bright, though stained or darkened a little by venial sin, then grace

makes it still brighter.

 

*106 Q. 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.

 

"Virtues." Virtue is the habit of doing good. The opposite to virtue is

vice, which is the habit of doing evil. We acquire a habit bad or good

when we do the same thing very frequently. We then do it easily and

almost without thinking; as a man, for instance, who has the habit of

cursing curses almost without knowing it, though that does not excuse

him, but makes his case worse, by showing that he must have cursed very

often to acquire the habit. If, however, he is striving to overcome the

bad habit, and should unintentionally curse now and then, it would not

be a sin, since he did not wish to curse, and was trying to overcome the

vice. One act does not make a virtue or a vice. A person who gives alms

only once cannot be said to have the virtue of charity. A man who curses

only once a year cannot be said to have the vice of cursing. Faith,

hope, and charity are infused by God into our souls, and are therefore

called infused virtues, to distinguish them from the virtues we acquire.

 

107 Q. What is faith?

A. Faith is a divine virtue by which we firmly believe the truths which

God has revealed.

 

"A divine virtue" is one that is heavenly or holy. Faith is the habit of

always believing all that God has revealed and the Church teaches.

"Firmly," that is, without the slightest doubt. "Revealed," that is,

made known to us. Revelation is the collection of all the truths that

God has made known to us. But why do we believe? Because we clearly see

and know the truth of what is revealed? No, but because God reveals it;

we believe it though we cannot see it or even understand it. If we see

it plainly, then we believe it rather because we see it than because God

makes it known to us. Suppose a friend should come and tell you the

church is on fire. If he never told you lies, and had no reason for

telling you any now, you would believe him--not because you know of the

fire, but because he tells you; but afterwards, when you see the church

or read of the fire in the papers, you have proof of what he told you,

but you believed it just as firmly when he told you as you do

afterwards. In the same way God tells us His great truths and we believe

them; because we know that since God is infinitely true He cannot

deceive us or be deceived. But if afterwards by studying and thinking we

find proof that God told us the truth, we do not believe with any

greater faith, for we always believed without doubting, and we study

chiefly that we may have arguments to prove the truth of God's

revelations to others who do not believe. Suppose some person was

present when your friend came and said the church is burning, and that

that person would not believe your friend. What would you do? Why,

convince him that what your friend said was true by showing him the

account of the fire in the papers. Thus learning does not change our

faith, which, as I have said, is not acquired by study, but is infused

into our souls by God. The little boy who hears what God taught, and

believes it firmly because God taught it, has as good a faith as his

teacher who has studied all the reasons why he should believe.

 

108 Q. 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.

 

"Eternal"--that is, everlastings life--life without end. "Means"--that

is, His grace, because without God's grace we cannot do any supernatural

thing.

 

109 Q. 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.

 

The virtue of charity makes us "love God," because He is so good and

beautiful, wise and powerful in Himself; therefore for His own sake and

without any other consideration. "Above all things," in such a way that

we would rather lose anything than offend Him. But someone may say, he

thinks he loves his parents more than God. Well, let us see. To repeat

an example already given, suppose his parents told him to steal, and he

knew stealing to be a sin; if he would not steal, that would show, would

it not, that he loved God more than his parents, for he would rather

offend his parents than God. That is the kind of love we must have for

God; not mere feeling, but the firm belief that God is the best of all,

and when we have to choose between offending God and losing something,

be it goods or friends, we would rather lose anything than offend God.

 

"Neighbor." Not merely the person living near us, but all men of every

kind and nation--even our enemies. The people who lived at the time of

Our Lord in His country used to dispute about just what persons were to

be considered their neighbors; so one day they asked Our Lord, and He

answered them by telling them the following. Said He: (Luke 10:30) A man

was once going down from Jerusalem, and on the way robbers beat him,

robbed him, and left him on the wayside dying. First one man came by,

looked at the wounded man, and passed on; then another came and did the

same; finally a third man came, who was of a different religion and

nationality from the wounded man. But he did not consider these things.

He dressed the poor man's wounds, placed him upon his horse and brought

him to an inn or hotel, and paid the innkeeper to take care of him.

"Now," said Our Lord, "which of these three was neighbor to the wounded

man?" And they answered rightly, "The man that helped him." Our Lord, by

this example, wished to teach them and us that everybody is our neighbor

who is in distress of any kind and needs our help. Neighbor, therefore,

means every human being, no matter where he lives or what his color,

learning, manners, etc., for every human being in the world is a child

of God and has been redeemed by Our Lord. Therefore every child of God

is my neighbor, and even more--he is my brother; for God is his father

and mine also, and if he is good enough for God to love, he should be

good enough for me.

 

"As ourselves." Not with as much love, but with the same kind of love;

that is, we are to follow the rule laid down by Our Lord: "Do unto

others as you would have others do unto you." Never do to anyone what

you would not like to have done to yourself; and always do for another

just what you would wish another to do for you, if you were in the same

position. Our neighbor is our equal and gifted with all the gifts that

we ourselves have. When we come into the world we are all equal. We have

a body and a soul, with the power to develop them. Money, learning,

wealth, fame, and all else that makes up the difference between men in

the world are acquired in the world; and when men die, they go out of

the world without any of these things, just as they came into it. The

real difference between them in the next world will depend upon the

things they have done, good or bad, while here. We should love our

neighbor also on another account: namely, that he is one day to be in

Heaven with us; and if he is to be with us for all eternity, why should

we hate him now? On the other hand, if our neighbor is to be in Hell on

account of his bad life, why should we hate him? We should rather pity

him, for he will have enough to suffer without our hatred.

 

110 Q. 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.

 

"Actual." Sanctifying grace continues with us, but when grace is given

just so that we may do a good act or avoid a bad one, it is called

actual grace. Suppose, for example, I see a poor man and am able to aid

him. When my conscience tells me to give him assistance, I am just then

receiving an actual grace, which moves me and helps me to do that good

act; and just as soon as I give the help, the actual grace ceases,

because no longer needed. It was given for that one good act, and now

that the act is done, the actual grace has produced its effect. Again, a

boy is going to Mass on Sunday and meets other boys who try to persuade

him to remain away from Mass and go to some other place. When he hears

his conscience telling him to go to Mass by all means, he is receiving

just then an actual grace to avoid the mortal sin of missing Mass, and

the grace lasts just as long as the temptation. Sacramental grace is

sanctifying grace--given in the Sacraments--which contains for us a

right to actual graces when we need them. These actual graces are given

to help us to fulfill the end for which each of the Sacraments was

instituted. They are different for each Sacrament, and are given just

when we need them; that is, just when we are tempted against the object

or end for which the Sacrament was instituted.

 

*111 Q. Is grace necessary for salvation?

A. Grace is necessary for salvation, because without grace we can do

nothing to merit Heaven.

 

*112 Q. Can we resist the grace of God?

A. We can and unfortunately often do resist the grace of God.

 

Grace is a gift, and no one is obliged to take a gift; but if God offers

a gift and we refuse to take it, we offend and insult Him. To insult God

is to sin. Therefore to refuse to accept, or to make bad use of the

grace God gives us, is to sin.

 

*113 Q. 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.

 

"Perseverance" here does not mean perseverance in our undertakings, but

perseverance in grace--never in mortal sin, always a friend of God. Now,

if God keeps us from all sin till the day of our death and takes us

while we are His friends, then He gives us what we call the gift of

final perseverance. We cannot, strictly speaking, merit this great

grace, but only pray for it; so anyone who commits mortal sin may be

taken just in that state and be lost for all eternity.

 

 

 

Lesson 11

ON THE CHURCH

 

Before speaking of the Church I wish to give you a short account of the

true religion before the coming of Our Lord. When Adam was created in a

state of grace, God communicated with him freely; he knew God even

better than we do now. But after their sin our parents fell from the

friendship of God. Cain--one of Adam's sons--murdered his brother Abel,

and for this he and his posterity were cursed by God, and all his

descendants became very wicked. (Gen. 4:11). The other children of Adam

remained faithful to God as long as they kept away from the children of

Cain; but just as soon as they associated and intermarried with them,

they also became wicked. This should teach us to avoid evil company, for

there is always more likelihood that the good will become bad than that

the bad will be converted by the good. You know the old saying, that if

you take a basket of good apples and place a bad one among them, in a

short time they will be spoiled.

 

After the deluge Noe and his family settled once more upon the land, and

for a time their descendants remained faithful to God; but later they

became wicked and undertook to build a great tower (Gen. 11), which they

thought would reach up to Heaven. They believed, perhaps, that if ever

there should be another deluge upon the earth, they could take refuge in

the tower. But God was displeased with their conduct and prevented them

from completing the tower by confusing their tongues or language so that

they could not understand one another. Then those who spoke the same

language went to live in the same part of the country, and thus the

human race was scattered over the earth, and the different nations had

different languages.

 

After a time they were all losing the knowledge of the true God and

beginning to worship idols. God did not wish that the whole human race

should forget Him, so He selected Abraham to be the father and head of

one chosen people who should always worship the true God. He sent

Abraham from his own country into another, and promised him great

things, and renewed to him the promises of the Redeemer first made to

Adam and Eve. After the death of Abraham, God raised up, from time to

time, prophets to tell the people His holy will, to warn them of their

sins and the punishment they would receive, and to remind them of the

promised Messias. Prophets are men that God inspires to tell the future.

They tell what will happen often hundreds of years after their own

death. They do not guess at these things, but tell them with certainty.

At times, statesmen can foresee that there will be a war in a country at

a certain time; but they are not prophets, because they only guess at

such things, or know them by natural signs; and very often things thus

foretold do not occur. True prophecy is the foretelling of something

which could not be known by any means but inspiration from God.

 

Neither are persons who call themselves fortune-tellers prophets, but

only sinful people, who for money tell lies or guess at the future. It

is a great sin to go to them or listen to them, as we shall see later in

another question.

 

At the time promised, God sent His Son--Our Lord--to redeem the world

and save all men. He came to save all men, and yet He remained upon

earth only thirty-three years. We can easily understand that by His

death He could save all those who lived before He did; but how were they

to be saved who should live after Him, down to the end of the world? How

was His grace to be given to them? How were they to know of Him, or of

what He taught? All this was to be accomplished by His Church.

 

114 Q. 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 the Redemption are the Church and the Sacraments.

 

Our Lord instituted the Church to carry on the work He Himself was doing

upon the earth--teaching the ignorant, visiting the sick, helping the

poor, forgiving sins, etc. He commanded all men to hear the Church

teaching, just as they would hear Himself. But suppose some persons

should establish a false Church and claim that it was the true Church of

Our Lord, how could people know the true Church from false churches?

When a man invents anything to be sold, what does he do that people may

know the true article--say a pen? Why, he puts his trademark upon it.

Now the trademark is a certain sign which shows that the article bearing

it is the genuine article; and if others use the trademark on imitation

articles, they are liable to be punished by law. Now Our Lord did the

same. He gave His Church four marks or characteristics to distinguish it

from all false churches. He said, "My Church will be one; it will be

holy; it will be catholic; it will be apostolic; and if any church has

not these four marks, you may be sure it is not My Church." Some false

church may seem to have one or two, but never all the marks; so when you

find even one of the marks wanting, you will know it is not the true

Church established by Christ. Therefore, all the religions that claim to

be the true religion cannot be so. If one man says a thing is white and

another says it is black, or if one says a thing is true and another

says it is false, they cannot both be right. Only one can be right, and

if we wish to know the truth we have to find out which one it is. So

when one religion says a thing is true and another religion says the

same thing is false, one of them must be wrong, and it is our duty to

find out the one that is right. Therefore, of all the religions claiming

to be the true religion of Our Lord, only one can be telling the truth,

and that one is the religion or Church that can show the four given

marks. The Roman Catholic Church is the only one that can show these

marks, and is, therefore, the only true Church, as we shall see in the

next lesson.

 

"Fruits of His redemption"--that is, to receive the grace merited by Our

Lord when He redeemed us by His death.

 

115 Q. 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.

 

"Congregation." Not the building, therefore; because if Mass was offered

up in an open field, with the people kneeling about, it would still be

the church of that place. The buildings that we use for churches might

have been used for anything else--a public hall, theater, or school, for

example; but when these buildings we call churches are blessed or

consecrated, they become holy. They are holy also because the Gospel is

preached in them, the Sacraments are administered in them, and the Holy

Sacrifice of the Mass is offered in them. But they are holy especially

because Our Lord dwells in them in the tabernacle, where He lives and

sees and hears just as truly as He did when He was man upon earth.

 

In the early ages the Christians had no churches--they met secretly in

private houses. Later, when the cruel pagan emperors began to persecute

and put to death the Christians, they made large tunnels under ground

and in these places they heard Mass and received the Sacraments. These

underground churches were called the catacombs, and some of them may

still be seen at Rome. In these catacombs, too, the Christians buried

their dead, especially the bodies of the holy martyrs. On their

tombs--generally of stone--Mass was celebrated.

 

In every altar the table, or flat part on which the priest celebrates

Mass, should be of stone; but if the altar is made of wood, then at

least the part just in front of the tabernacle must be of stone and

large enough to hold say two chalices--that is, about ten or twelve

inches square. In this stone are placed some relics of the holy martyrs.

A piece is cut out of the stone and the relic placed in the opening.

Then the bishop puts the little piece of stone back into its place over

the relic, seals the opening, blesses the stone, and gives it to the

Church. This is called the altar stone. You cannot see it because it is

covered with the altar cloth; but unless it is in the altar the priest

cannot say Mass. This stone reminds us of the stone tombs of the saints

upon which Mass was celebrated.

 

The Church--that is, the Christians--was persecuted for about three

hundred years after the death of Our Lord. These persecutions took place

at ten different times and under ten different Roman emperors. Orders

were given to put to death all the Christians wherever they could be

found. Some were cast into prison, some exiled, some taken to the Roman

Coliseum--an immense building constructed for public amusements--where

they were put to death in the most terrible manner in the presence of

the emperor and people assembled to witness these fearful scenes. Some

were stripped of their clothing and left standing alone while savage

beasts, wild with hunger, were let loose upon them. Sometimes by a

miracle of God the animals would not harm them, and then the Christians

were either put to death by the sword, mangled by some terrible machine,

or burned. In these dreadful sufferings the Christians remained faithful

and firm, though they could have saved their lives by denying Our Lord

or offering sacrifice to idols. The few who through fear did deny their

faith are now forgotten and unknown; while those who remained steadfast

are honored as saints in Heaven and upon earth; the Church sings their

praises and tells every year of their holy lives and triumph over all

their enemies.

 

Even some pagans who came to see the Christians put to death were so

touched by their patience, fortitude, courage, and constancy, that they

also declared themselves anxious to become Christians, and were put to

death, thus becoming martyrs baptized in their own blood. How many

lessons we may learn from all this: (1) How very respectful we should be

in the Church, which is holy for all the reasons I have given. (2) What

a shame it is for us not to hear Mass when we can do so easily. Our

churches are never very far from us, and generally well lighted,

ventilated, furnished with seats and every convenience, and in these

respects unlike the dark, damp, underground churches of the early

Christians. Moreover, we may attend our churches freely and without the

least danger to our lives; while the Christians of the early ages were

constantly in dread and danger of being seized and put to death. Even at

the present day, in many countries where holy missionaries are trying to

teach the true religion, their converts sometimes have to go great

distances to hear Mass, and even then it is not celebrated in

comfortable churches, but probably on the slope of a rugged mountain or

in some lonely valley or wood where they may not be seen, for they fear

if they are captured--as often happens--both they and their priest will

be put to death. You can read in the account of foreign missions that

almost every year some priests and many people are martyred for their

faith. Is it not disgraceful, then, to see some Catholics giving up

their holy faith and the practice of their religion so easily--sometimes

for a little money, property, or gain; or even for a bad habit, or for

irreligious companions and friends? What answer will they make on the

day of judgment when they stand side by side with those who died for the

faith?

 

"All those who profess the faith," etc. The Pope, bishops, priests, and

people all taken together are the Church, and each congregation or

parish is only a part of the Church.

 

"Partake"--that is, receive. "Lawful pastors"--that is, each priest in

his own parish, each bishop in his own diocese, and the Pope throughout

the world. "Visible head"--that is, one who can be seen, for invisible

means cannot be seen.

 

116 Q. Who is the invisible head of the Church?

A. Jesus Christ is the invisible head of the Church.

 

"Invisible head." If, for example, a merchant of one country wishes to

establish a branch of his business in another, he remains in the new

country long enough to establish the branch business, and then

appointing someone to take his place, returns to his own country. He is

still the head of the new establishment, but its invisible head for the

people of that country, while its visible head is the agent or

representative he has placed in charge to carry on the business in his

name and interest. When Our Lord wished to establish His Church He came

from Heaven; and when about to return to Heaven appointed St. Peter to

take His place upon earth and rule the Church as directed. You see,

therefore, that Our Lord, though not on earth, is still the real head

and owner of the Church, and whatever His agent or vicar--that is, our

Holy Father, the Pope--does in the Church, he does it with the authority

of Our Lord Himself.

 

117 Q. 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.

 

The "Bishop of Rome" is always Pope. If the Bishop of New York, or of

Baltimore, or of Boston, became Pope, he would become the Bishop of Rome

and cease to be the Bishop of New York, Baltimore, or Boston, because

St. Peter, the first Pope, was Bishop of Rome; and therefore only the

bishops of Rome are his lawful successors--the true Popes--the true

visible heads of the Church. The bishops of the other dioceses of the

world are the lawful successors of the other Apostles who taught and

established churches throughout the world. The bishops of the world are

subject to the Pope, just as the other Apostles were subject to St.

Peter, who was appointed their chief, by Our Lord Himself.

 

"Vicar"--that is, one who holds another's place and acts in his name.

 

*118 Q. 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.

 

"Of Rome." That is why we are called Roman Catholics; to show that we

are united to the real successor of St. Peter, and are therefore members

of the true apostolic Church.

 

*119 Q. Who are the successors of the other Apostles?

A. The successors of the other Apostles are the bishops of the holy

Catholic Church.

 

We know the Apostles were bishops, because they could make laws for the

Church, consecrate other bishops, ordain priests, and give

Confirmation--powers that belong only to bishops, and are still

exercised by them.

 

*120 Q. Why did Christ found the Church?

A. Christ founded the Church to teach, govern, sanctify, and save all

men.

 

"Teach" religion. "Govern" in things that regard salvation. "Sanctify,"

make good. "Save" all who wish to be saved.

 

*121 Q. 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.

 

Anyone who knows the Catholic religion to be the true religion and will

not embrace it cannot enter into Heaven. If one not a Catholic doubts

whether the church to which he belongs is the true Church, he must

settle his doubt, seek the true Church, and enter it; for if he

continues to live in doubt, he becomes like the one who knows the true

Church and is deterred by worldly considerations from entering it.

 

In like manner one who, doubting, fears to examine the religion he

professes lest he should discover its falsity and be convinced of the

truth of the Catholic faith, cannot be saved.

 

Suppose, however, that there is a non-Catholic who firmly believes that

the church to which he belongs is the true Church, and who has

never--even in the past--had the slightest doubt of that fact--what will

become of him?

 

If he was validly baptized and never committed a mortal sin, he will be

saved; because, believing himself a member of the true Church, he was

doing all he could to serve God according to his knowledge and the

dictates of his conscience. But if ever he committed a mortal sin, his

salvation would be very much more difficult. A mortal sin once committed

remains on the soul till it is forgiven. Now, how could his mortal sin

be forgiven? Not in the Sacrament of Penance, for the Protestant does

not go to confession; and if he does, his minister--not being a true

priest--has no power to forgive sins. Does he know that without

confession it requires an act of perfect contrition to blot out mortal

sin, and can he easily make such an act? What we call contrition is

often only imperfect contrition--that is, sorrow for our sins because we

fear their punishment in Hell or dread the loss of Heaven. If a

Catholic--with all the instruction he has received about how to make an

act of perfect contrition and all the practice he has had in making such

acts--might find it difficult to make an act of perfect contrition after

having committed a mortal sin, how much difficulty will not a Protestant

have in making an act of perfect contrition, who does not know about

this requirement and who has not been taught to make continued acts of

perfect contrition all his life. It is to be feared either he would not

know of this necessary means of regaining God's friendship, or he would

be unable to elicit the necessary act of perfect contrition, and thus

the mortal sin would remain upon his soul and he would die an enemy of

God.

 

If, then, we found a Protestant who never committed a mortal sin after

Baptism, and who never had the slightest doubt about the truth of his

religion, that person would be saved; because, being baptized, he is a

member of the Church, and being free from mortal sin he is a friend of

God and could not in justice be condemned to Hell. Such a person would

attend Mass and receive the Sacraments if he knew the Catholic Church to

be the only true Church.

 

I am giving you an example, however, that is rarely found, except in the

case of infants or very small children baptized in Protestant sects. All

infants rightly baptized by anyone are really children of the Church, no

matter what religion their parents may profess. Indeed, all persons who

are baptized are children of the Church; but those among them who deny

its teaching, reject its Sacraments, and refuse to submit to its lawful

pastors, are rebellious children known as heretics.

 

I said I gave you an example that can scarcely be found, namely, of a

person not a Catholic, who really never doubted the truth of his

religion, and who, moreover, never committed during his whole life a

mortal sin. There are so few such persons that we can practically say

for all those who are not visibly members of the Catholic Church,

believing its doctrines, receiving its Sacraments, and being governed by

its visible head, our Holy Father, the Pope, salvation is an extremely

difficult matter.

 

I do not speak here of pagans who have never heard of Our Lord or His

holy religion, but of those outside the Church who claim to be good

Christians without being members of the Catholic Church.

 

 

 

Lesson 12

ON THE ATTRIBUTES AND MARKS OF THE CHURCH

 

An attribute is any characteristic or quality that a person or thing may

be said to have. All good qualities are good attributes, and all bad

qualities are bad attributes. All perfections or imperfections are

attributes. If I can say of you that you are good, then goodness is one

of your attributes. If I can say you are beautiful, then beauty is one

of your attributes. We have seen already that the Church has four marks;

but besides these it has three attributes, which flow from its marks. It

is easier to see the marks of the Church than its attributes. It is

easier to see, for instance, that the Church is one than that it is

indefectible.

 

*122 Q. Which are the attributes of the Church?

A. The attributes of the Church are three: authority, infallibility, and

indefectibility.

 

*123 Q. 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 govern the faithful.

 

Authority is the power which one person has over another, so as to be

able to exact obedience. A teacher has authority over his scholars,

because they must obey him; but the teacher need not obey the scholars,

because they have no authority over him. God alone has authority of

Himself and from Himself All others who have authority receive it from

God, either directly or through someone else. The Pope has authority

from God Himself, and the priests get theirs through their bishops.

Therefore, to resist or disobey lawful authority is to resist and

disobey God Himself. If one of you were placed in charge of the class in

my absence, he would have lawful authority, and the rest of you should

obey him--not on account of himself, but on account of the authority he

has. Thus the President of the United States, the governor, the mayor,

etc., are only ordinary citizens before their election; but after they

have been elected and placed in office they exercise lawful authority

over us, and we are bound as good citizens and as good Catholics to

respect and obey them.

 

*124 Q. What do you mean by the infallibility of the Church?

A. By the infallibility of the Church I mean that the Church cannot err

when it teaches a doctrine of faith or morals.

 

"Infallibility." When we say Church is infallible, we mean that it

cannot make a mistake or err in what it teaches; that the Pope, the head

of the Church, is infallible when he teaches ex cathedra--that is, as

the successor of St. Peter, the vicar of Christ. Cathedra signifies a

seat, ex stands for "out of"; therefore, ex cathedra means out of the

chair or office of St. Peter, because chair is sometimes used for

office. Thus we say the presidential chair is opposed to this or that,

when we intend to say the president, or the one in that office, is

opposed to it. The cathedral is the church in which the bishop usually

officiates, so called on account of the bishop's cathedra, or throne,

being in it.

 

*125 Q. 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.

 

But how will we know when the Pope speaks ex cathedra, when he is

speaking daily to people from all parts of the world? To speak ex

cathedra or infallibly, three things are required:

 

(1) He must speak as the head of the whole Church, not as a private

person; and in certain forms of words by which we know he is speaking ex

cathedra.

 

(2) What he says must hold good for the whole Church--that is, for all

the faithful, and not merely for this or that particular person or

country.

 

(3) He must speak on matters of faith or morals--that is, when the Holy

Father tells all the faithful that they are to believe a certain thing

as a part of their faith; or when he tells them that certain things are

sins, they must believe him and avoid what he declares to be sin. He

could not make a mistake in such things. He could not say that Our Lord

taught us to believe and do such and such, if Our Lord did not so teach,

because Our Lord promised to be with His Church for all time, and to

send the Holy Ghost, who would teach it all truth and abide with it

forever. If then the Church could make mistakes in teaching faith and

morals, the Holy Ghost could not be with it, and Our Lord did not tell

the truth--to say which would be blasphemy. But remember, the Pope is

not infallible unless he is teaching faith or morals; that is, what we

believe or do in order to save our souls. If the Holy Father wrote a

book on astronomy, mathematics, grammar, or even theology, he could make

mistakes as other men do, because the Holy Ghost has not promised to

guide him in such things. Nevertheless, whatever the Pope teaches on

anything you may be pretty sure is right. The Pope is nearly always a

very learned man of many years' experience. He has with him at Rome

learned men from every part of the world, so that we may say he has the

experience of the whole world. Other rulers cannot and need not know as

much as the Holy Father, because they have not to govern the world, but

only their own country. Moreover, there is no government in the whole

world as old as the Church, no nation that can show as many rulers

without change; so we may say the Pope has also the experience of all

the Popes who preceded him, from St. Peter down to our present Holy

Father, Pius XI--two hundred and sixty-one popes. Therefore, considering

all this, we should have the very greatest respect for the opinions and

advice of the Holy Father on any subject. We should not set up our

limited knowledge and experience against his, even if we think that we

know better than he does about certain political events taking place in

our country, for we are not sure that we do. The Holy Father knows the

past history of nations; he knows the nature of mankind; he knows that

what takes place in one nation may, and sometimes does, take place in

another under the same circumstances. Thus the Holy Father has greater

foresight than we have, and we should be thankful when he warns us

against certain dangers in politics or other things. He does not teach

politics; but as everything we do is either good or bad, every statesman

or politician must consider whether what he is about to do be right or

wrong, just or unjust. It is the business and duty of the Holy Father to

declare against the evil or unjust actions of either individuals or

nations, and for that reason he seems at times to interfere in politics

when he is really teaching morals. At times, too, governments try to

deprive the Church or the Holy Father of their rights; and when he

defends himself against such injustice and protests against it, his

enemies cry out that he is interfering with the government.

 

You understand now what the infallibility of the Pope implies, and that

it does not mean, as the enemies of the Church say, that the Pope cannot

sin, cannot be mistaken in anything. The Pope can sin just the same as

anyone else; he could be a very bad man if he wanted to be so, and take

the punishment God would inflict for his sins. Could he not be very

angry, entirely neglect prayer, or pray with willful distraction; could

he not be proud, covetous, etc.? And these are sins. Therefore he could

sin; and hence he has to go to confession and seek forgiveness just as

we do. Therefore remember this: whether the Pope be a bad man or a good

man in his private life, he must always tell the truth when he speaks ex

cathedra, because the Holy Ghost is guiding him and will not permit him

to err or teach falsehood in faith or morals.

 

We have examples in the Bible (Numbers 22, 23) where God sometimes makes

even bad men foretell the truth. Once He gave an ass the power to speak,

that it might protest against the wrongdoing of its wicked and cruel

rider.

 

We have seen how governments interfere with the rights of the Holy

Father, and thus he has need of his temporal power that he may be

altogether independent of any government. Now let me explain to you what

is meant by the Temporal Power of the Pope. Well, then, the Holy Father

should have some city or states, not belonging to any government, in

which he would be the chief and only ruler. Up to the year 1870 the Holy

Father did have such states: they were called the Papal States, and the

power he had over them--just like that of any other ruler--was called

the temporal power. Now how did he get those states and how did he lose

them? He got them in the most just manner, and held possession of them

for about a thousand years.

 

Hundreds of years ago the people of Rome and the surrounding countries

elected the Pope their sole ruler. He was already their spiritual ruler,

and they made him also their temporal ruler. Then the Pope protected and

governed them as other rulers do. Later, kings and princes added other

lands, and thus by degrees the possessions of the Pope became quite

extended.

 

How did he lose these possessions? The Italian government took them from

him in the most unjust manner. Besides the lands, they deprived the

Church of other property donated to it by its faithful children. No

ruler in the world had a more just claim or better right to his

possessions than the Holy Father, and a government robbed him of them as

a thief might take forcibly from you whatever had been justly given to

you, when he found you were unable to defend yourself against him.

 

But has the Holy Father need of his temporal power? Yes, the Holy Father

has need of some temporal power. He must be free and independent in

governing the Church. He must be free to say what he wishes to all

Catholics throughout the world, and free to hear whatever they have to

say to him. But if the Pope is under another ruler he cannot be free.

That ruler may cast him into prison, and not allow him to communicate

with the bishops of the world. At least, he can say nothing about the

injustice of the ruler who is over him. Therefore the Pope must have

some possessions of his own, that he may not be afraid of the injustice

of any ruler, and may speak out the truth boldly to the whole world,

denouncing bad rulers and praising good ones as they deserve.

 

Mind, I do not say what possessions the Holy Father should have but

simply that he should have some, in which he would be altogether

independent. In justice he should have all that was taken from him. We

have a good example here in the United States to illustrate the need of

the independence of the Pope. You know every State in the United States

is a little government in itself, with its own governor, legislature,

laws, etc. Now over all these little governments or States we have the

government of the United States, with the President at its head. In the

beginning the members of the United States Government assembled to

transact the business of the nation sometimes in one State and sometimes

in another--sometimes in New York and sometimes in Pennsylvania, etc.

But they soon found that in order to be independent of every State and

just to all, they must have some territory or possessions of their own

not under the power of any State. So some of the States granted them

Washington and the country about it for ten miles square--now called the

District of Columbia--which the United States government could freely

perform its duties. In a similar manner the Holy Father is over all the

governments of the world in matters of religion--in matters of justice

and right; and just as the United States government has to decide

between the rights of one State and the rights of another, so the Holy

Father has sometimes to decide between the rights of one government and

the rights of another, and must, in order to be just with all, be free

and independent of all.

 

Again, the temporal power of the Pope is very useful to the Church; for

with the money and goods received from his possessions the Holy Father

can educate priests and teachers, print books, etc., for the foreign

missions. He can also support churches, school, and institutions in poor

countries, and especially where the missionaries are laboring for the

conversion of the native heathens.

 

When the Holy Father had his own possessions he could do much that he

cannot now do for the conversion of pagan nations. At present he must

depend entirely upon the charitable offerings of the faithful for all

good works, even for his own support. The offering we make once a year

for the support of the Holy Father is called "Peter's pence," because it

began by everyone sending yearly a penny to the Pope, the successor of

St. Peter.

 

*126 Q. 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.

 

Therefore indefectibility means that the Church can never change any of

the doctrines that Our Lord taught, nor ever cease to exist. When we say

it is infallible, we mean that it cannot teach error while it lasts; but

when we say it is indefectible, we mean that it will last forever and be

infallible forever, and also that it will always remain the same as Our

Lord founded it. There are two things that you must clearly understand

and not confound, namely, the two kinds of laws in the Church--those

which Our Lord gave it and those which it made itself. The laws that Our

Lord gave it can never change. For example, the Church could not abolish

one of the Sacraments, leaving only six; neither could it add a new one,

making eight. But when, for example, the Church declares that on a

certain day we cannot eat flesh meat, it makes the law itself, and can

change it when it wishes. Our Lord left His Church free to make certain

laws, just as they would be needed. It has always exercised this power,

and made laws to suit the circumstances of the place or times. Even now

it does away with some of its old laws that are no longer useful, and

makes new ones that are more necessary. But the doctrines, the truths of

faith or morals, the things we must believe and do to save our souls, it

never changes and never can change: it may regulate some things in the

application of the divine laws, but the laws themselves can never change

in substance.

 

*127 Q. 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.

 

128 Q. 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.

 

*129 Q. 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.

 

The Catholic Church is "one," first in government and second in

doctrine. In government every pastor has a certain parish or territory

in which all the people belong to his congregation--they form his flock.

He has to take care only of these, to teach them, give them the

Sacraments, etc. He has not to be responsible for those outside his

parish. Then over the pastor we have the bishop, who looks after a

certain number of pastors; then comes the archbishop over a certain

number of bishops; next comes the primate, who is head of all the

archbishops in the country; and over all the primates of the world we

have the Holy Father. Thus, when the Holy Father speaks to the bishops,

the bishops speak to the priests, and the priests to the people. The

Church is therefore one in government, like a great army spread over the

world. We can go up step by step from the lowest member of the Church to

the highest--the Holy Father; and from him to Our Lord Himself, who is

the invisible head of all. This regular body of priests, bishops,

archbishops, etc., so arranged, one superior to the other, is called the

hierarchy of the Church.

 

The Church is one also in doctrine--that is, every one of the three

hundred million of Catholics in the world believes exactly the same

truths. If any Catholic denies only one article of faith, though he

believes all the rest, he ceases to be a Catholic, and is cut off from

the Church. If, for example, you would not believe Matrimony or Holy

Orders a Sacrament, or that Our Lord is present in the Holy Eucharist,

you would not be a Catholic, though you believed all the other teachings

of the Church.

 

Therefore the Church is one both in government and teaching or doctrine.

Now, has any other Church claiming to be Christ's Church that mark? No.

The Protestant religions are not one either in government or belief. The

Protestants of England have no authority over the Protestants of

America, and those of America have nothing to say over those of Germany

or France. So every country is independent, and they have no chief head.

Neither are they one in belief. In the same country there are many kinds

of Protestants--Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists, etc., who do

not believe the same thing. Even those who attend the same church and

profess the same religion do not all believe the same. Everyone, they

say, has a right to interpret the Holy Scriptures according to his own

views, so they take many different meanings out of the very same words.

There must be some chief person to tell the true meaning of the Holy

Scriptures when there is a dispute about it; but they have no such

chief, and the result is they are never done disputing.

 

The United States has a constitution and laws. Now, suppose every

citizen was allowed to construe the laws to suit himself, without any

regard for the rights of others, what a fine state of affairs we should

soon have. But the wise makers of the constitution and laws of the

United States did not leave us in such danger. They appointed judges to

interpret or explain the laws and give the correct meaning when disputes

arise. Then in Washington there is a chief judge for the whole United

States; and when he says the words of the law mean this or that, every

citizen must abide by his decision, and there is no appeal from it. Just

in the same way Our Lord made laws for all men, and while He was upon

earth He explained them Himself. He never left all men free to take

their own meaning out of them. He appointed judges--the bishops; and a

chief judge for the whole world--the Pope. The Holy Ghost guides him, as

we have seen above, so that he cannot make mistakes in the meaning of

Christ's laws; and when he says, this is what the words of Our Lord in

His law signify, no one who is a true Christian can refuse to believe,

or can appeal from his decision.

 

*130 Q. 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.

 

Protestant religions have not holy doctrines if we examine them closely.

They teach, for example, that faith without good works will save us, and

thus take away the motives for doing good; that marriage is not binding

for life--the husband and wife may for some causes separate, or get a

divorce, and marry again. This would leave the children without the care

of their proper parents, sometimes without a home, and nearly always

without religious instruction. The same persons might separate again and

marry another time, and thus there would be nothing but confusion and

immorality in society. Again, some of their doctrines teach that we

cannot help sinning; so everyone could excuse himself for his sins by

saying he could not help them, which you can easily see would lead to

the worst of consequences. Lastly, their doctrines have never made one

saint--acknowledged as such from miracles performed. Protestants are so

called because, when their ancestors rebelled against the Church about

three hundred years ago, the Church made certain laws and they protested

against them, separated from the Church, and formed a new religion of

their own.

 

*131 Q. 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.

 

"Subsists" means to have existence.

 

"Catholic." The word catholic signifies universal. The Church is

universal in three ways, viz.: in time, in place, and in doctrine. It is

universal in time; for from the day Our Lord commissioned His Apostles

to preach to the whole world down to the present, it has existed,

taught, and labored in every age. It is universal in place; that is, it

is not confined to one part of the world, but teaches throughout the

entire world. It is universal in doctrine, for it teaches the same

doctrines and administers the same Sacraments everywhere; and its

doctrines are suited to all classes of men--to the ignorant as well as

the learned, to the poor as well as the rich. It teaches by the voice of

its priests and bishops, and all, civilized or uncivilized, to whom its

voice reaches, can learn its doctrines, receive its Sacraments, and

practice its devotions.

 

It has converted all the pagan nations that have ever been converted,

and the title catholic belongs to the Roman Catholic Church alone. All

Protestant churches that claim this title do so unjustly. They are not

universal in time, and cannot be called the Church of all ages, because

they were established only three hundred or four hundred or less years

ago. They are not catholic in place, because they are mostly confined to

particular countries. They are not universal in doctrine, because what

they teach in one country they reject in another; and even in the same

country, what they teach at one time they reject at another. Wherever it

is possible for civilized people to go, there you will find a priest

saying Mass in just the same way you see him saying it here. It is a

great consolation for one in a strange country to enter a church and

hear Mass, perceiving no difference in the vestments, ceremonies, or

language of the priest. A little altar boy from the United States could

serve Mass in any part of the world. See, therefore, the great advantage

the Church has in using the Latin language instead of the vernacular or

ordinary language of the people. If the Church used the usual language

of the people, the Mass would seem different in every country; while

natives would understand the words of the priest, strangers would not.

 

The Latin language is now what we call a dead language; that is, it is

not the common language of any country; and because it is a dead

language does not change: another reason why the Church uses it, that

nothing may change in its divine service. The prayers used in the Church

are exactly the same today as they were when they were written many

centuries ago. The living languages--that is, those in use, such as

English, French, German, etc., are always changing a little--new words

are being added, and the meaning of old ones changed. The Church uses

the same language all over the world to show that it is not the Church

of any particular country, but the true Church of all men everywhere.

 

Again, using only one language, the Church can hold its great councils,

call together all the bishops of the world, that they may condemn errors

or make wise laws. When the Holy Father addresses them in Latin they can

all understand and answer him. If, therefore, the Church did not use the

same language everywhere how could this be done, unless everyone present

understood all the languages of the world--which is a thing nearly

impossible. But someone might say, if the Mass was said in English we

could follow it better. You can follow just as well in Latin, for in

nearly all prayerbooks you have besides the Latin said by the priest the

meaning of it in English on the same page, or you have the English

alone.

 

*132 Q. 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.

 

"Apostolic," which means that the Church was founded at the time of the

Apostles, and has been the same ever since. Since the time of St. Peter,

the first Pope, there have been 261 Popes. You can go back from our

present Holy Father, Pius XI, to Benedict XV, who was before him, to

Pius X, who was before him, to Leo XIII, before him, and so on one by

one till you come to St. Peter himself, who lived at the time of Our

Lord. Thus the Church is apostolic in its origin or beginning.

 

It is also apostolic in its teaching; for all the doctrines it teaches

now were taught by the Apostles. The Church does not make new doctrines,

but it teaches its truths more clearly and distinctly when someone

denies them. For example it would not be necessary for you to prove

yourself good and honest till somebody said you were bad and dishonest.

You prove your honesty when it is denied, but both you and your friends

believed it always, though you did not declare it till it was denied. In

just the same way the Church always believed that Our Lord is the Son of

God; that there are seven Sacraments; that the Pope is infallible, etc.

These truths and all the others were believed by the Apostles, and the

Church proclaimed them in a special manner when they were denied. Then

it called together in council all its bishops, and they, with the Holy

Father, proclaimed these truths--not as new doctrines, but as truths

always believed by the Church, and now defined because denied.

 

Protestants have not for their churches the mark apostolic. How could

their churches be founded by the Apostles, when the Apostles were dead

more than fourteen hundred years before there were any Protestant

churches? What is more, they have changed the teachings of the Apostles;

and so they have not the mark apostolic either in their origin or

teaching.

 

But they say the Catholic Church fell into error and made mistakes, and

that God wished reformers to correct these errors. How could the Church

fall into error when Our Lord promised to remain always with it, and to

send the Holy Ghost to guide and teach it forever? And, secondly, if God

sent the Protestants to correct the mistakes of the Catholic Church,

what proof do they give us that they have such power from God? When, as

we have seen, God sends anyone to do a special work, He always gives him

power to prove his mission. When He sent Moses, He gave him signs--the

plagues of Egypt. When He sent His prophets, they called down fire and

rain from Heaven. (3 Kings 18). But Protestants have shown us no signs

and performed no miracles; therefore we cannot believe their assertion

that God sent them to correct the Catholic Church. Neither can we

believe that Our Lord broke His promise to stay with the Church. We

shall see the whole truth of the matter if we go back to the

establishment of the Protestant religion and consider the life of Luther

and the others who founded it.

 

Luther, then a young man, while out one day saw his friend killed at his

side by a stroke of lightning. Much affected by that sad event, Luther

became a priest in the order of the Augustinians. He was a learned man

and a great preacher, but very proud. The Holy Father was completing St.

Peter's Church in Rome, and about that time granted an indulgence to

those giving alms for the purpose, just as pastors now offer Masses for

those who contribute means to build a new church, or hospital, asylum,

etc.

 

The Holy Father sent Dominican priests to preach about this indulgence

and collect this money. Then Luther, when he found that he, a great

preacher, was not appointed, was probably jealous. He first began to

preach against the abuses of indulgences: but pride made him go further,

and soon he began to preach against the doctrine of indulgences, and

thus became a heretic. Then he was condemned by the Pope, and cut off

from the Church. Being proud, he would not submit, but began to form a

new religion, now called Protestant. But how did he get the people to

follow him? Oh, very easily. Then, as now, there were plenty of bad and

indifferent Catholics. At that time the Church was rich and had much

property and lands; because when rich Catholics died they often left to

the Church property for its own support and the support of its

institutions. Even during their lifetime kings and princes sometimes

gave the Church large donations of lands and money. The Church then was

supported by these gifts and the income or rents of the lands, and did

not need to look for collections from the people, as it has to do now.

Here, then, is how Luther got many to follow him. He told greedy princes

that if they came with him they could become rich by seizing the

property of all the churches, and the greedy princes, glad of an excuse,

went with him. Then he told the people--the bad Catholics--that fasting

was too severe; going to confession too hard; hearing Mass every Sunday

too difficult; and if they renounced their faith and embraced his new

religion he would do away with all these things: so they also followed

him. He himself broke his solemn vows made to God, and the people easily

followed his example.

 

Those attending the Protestant churches in our times are generally rich

and refined people, but you must not think that the first Protestants of

three hundred years ago were just like them. No. Many of them were from

the lowest and worst--I do not say poorest--classes in society; and when

they got an excuse, they went about destroying churches and

institutions, burning beautiful statues, paintings, music, books, and

works of art that the Church had collected and preserved for centuries.

This you may read in any of the histories of the Church and times. The

Protestants of the present day praise all these works of art now; but if

their ancestors had had their way every beautiful work of art would have

been destroyed.

 

Some persons say they would not be members of the Catholic Church

because so many poor people attend it. Then they do not want to belong

to the Church of Our Lord, because His Church is the Church of both poor

and rich. When St. John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Our Lord

if He were really the Messias, Our Lord did not say yes or no, but told

them to relate to John what they had heard and seen (Matt. 11:5),

namely, that He (Christ) cured the blind, the lame, and the deaf, and

preached to the poor. Therefore Our Lord gave preaching to the poor as a

proof that He is the true Redeemer; and since Our Lord Himself had the

poor in His congregation, the Church everywhere must have the poor among

its members, for it must do what Our Lord did. So if you see a church to

which the poor people never go, in which they are not welcome, you have

good reason to suspect it is not the Church of Our Lord--not the true

Church. Again, poverty and riches belong only to this world and make a

distinction only here. The one who is poorest in this world's goods may

be richest in God's grace. Indeed, if most Protestants studied the early

history of their religion they would not be proud, but ashamed of it.

How little they would think of their ancestors who gave up God for some

worldly gain, while the Catholic martyrs gave up everything, even their

lives, rather than forsake God and the true religion.

 

133 Q. In which church are these attributes and marks found?

A. These attributes and marks are found in the Holy Roman Catholic

Church alone.

 

We have seen that some religions may seem to have one or two of the

marks; but the Catholic Church alone has them all, and is consequently

the only true Church of Christ. The other religions are not one--that

is, united over the world; they give no proof of holiness, never having

had any great saints whom God acknowledged as such by performing

miracles for them. They are not catholic, because they have not taught

in all ages and nations. They are not apostolic, because established

hundreds of years after the Apostles. They are not infallible, for they

have now declared things to be false which they formerly declared to be

true; they are not indefectible--they are not as Our Lord founded them,

for He never founded them; and they are constantly making changes in

their beliefs and practices.

 

The marks of the Church are necessary also because the Church must be a

visible Church, that all men may be able to see and know it; for Our

Lord said, "He that will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as the

heathen and the publican." (Matt. 18:17). Heathens were those who

worshipped false gods. Publicans were men who gathered the taxes from

the Jews for the Romans; they were generally very cruel to the people,

and were much hated and despised by them. Therefore Our Lord meant: if

anyone will not obey the Church, you should avoid him as you avoid the

heathens and the publicans, whom you despise. Now no one can be blamed

for not obeying a church that is invisible and unknown. Therefore the

true Church must be a visible body and easily known to all who earnestly

seek it as the Church of Christ. But if some shut their eyes and refuse

to look at the light of truth, ignorance will not excuse them; they must

be blamed and fall under the sentence of Our Lord.

 

*134 Q. 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.

 

*135 Q. 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 13

ON THE SACRAMENTS IN GENERAL

 

This lesson does not speak of any Sacrament in particular, but upon all

the Sacraments taken together. It explains what we find in all the

Sacraments.

 

136 Q. What is a Sacrament?

A. A Sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace.

 

Three things are necessary to make a Sacrament. There must be: (1) "An

outward," that is, a visible, "sign"; (2) this sign must have been

instituted or given by Our Lord; (3) it must give grace. Now, a sign is

that which tells us that something else exists. Smoke indicates the

presence of fire.

 

A red light on a railroad tells that there is danger at the spot.

Therefore, the outward signs in the Sacraments tell us that there is in

the Sacraments something we do not see and which they signify and

impart. For example, the outward sign in Baptism is the pouring of the

water on the head of the person to be baptized, and the saying of the

words. Water is generally used for cleaning purposes. Water, therefore,

is used in Baptism as an outward sign to show that as the water cleans

the body, so the grace given in Baptism cleans the soul. It is not a

mere sign, for at the very moment that the priest pours the water and

says the words of Baptism, by the pouring of the water and saying of the

words with the proper intention the soul is cleansed from Original Sin;

that is, the inward grace is given by the application of the outward

sign. Again, in Confirmation the outward sign is the anointing with oil,

the Bishop's prayer, and the placing of his hands upon us. Now what

inward grace is given in Confirmation? A grace which strengthens us in

our faith. Oil, therefore, is used for the outward sign in this

Sacrament, because oil gives strength and light.

 

In olden times the gladiators--men who fought with swords as

prize-fighters do now with their hands--used oil upon their bodies to

make them strong. Oil was used also to heal wounds. Thus in Confirmation

the application of this outward sign of strength gives the inward grace

of light and strength. Moreover, oil easily spreads itself over anything

and remains on it. A drop of water falling on paper dries up quickly;

but a drop of oil soaks in and spreads over it. So oil is used to show

also that the grace of Confirmation spreads out over our whole lives,

and strengthens us in our faith at all times.

 

Again, in Penance we have the outward sign when the priest raises his

hand and pronounces over us the words of absolution.

 

If we did not have these outward signs how could anyone know just at

what time the graces are given? We can know now, for at the very moment

the outward sign is applied the grace is given; because it is the

application of the sign that by divine institution gives the grace, and

thus the two must take place together.

 

"Institution by Christ" is absolutely necessary because He gives all

grace, and He alone can determine the manner in which He wishes it

distributed. The Church can distribute His grace, but only in the way He

wishes. Hence it cannot make new Sacraments or abolish old ones.

 

137 Q. How many Sacraments are there?

A. There are seven Sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist,

Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.

 

The life of our soul is in many ways similar to the life of our body.

Our bodies must first be born, then strengthened, then fed. When sick,

we must be cured: and when about to die, we must be taken care of. Then

there must be someone to rule others, and there must be persons to be

governed. In like manner, we are spiritually born into a new life by

Baptism, we are strengthened by Confirmation, fed with the Holy

Eucharist, and cured of the maladies of our souls by Penance. By Extreme

Unction we are helped at the hour of death; by Holy Orders our spiritual

rulers are appointed by God; and by Matrimony families, with a father at

the head and children to be ruled, are established. Thus we have our

spiritual life similar in many things to our physical or bodily life.

 

138 Q. Whence have the Sacraments the power of giving grace?

A. The Sacraments have the power of giving grace from the merits of

Jesus Christ.

 

Our Lord died to merit grace for us, and appointed the Sacraments as the

chief means by which it was to be given.

 

*139 Q. What grace do the Sacraments give?

A. Some of the Sacraments give sanctifying grace, and others increase it

in our souls.

 

Baptism and Penance give this sanctifying grace when there is not any of

it in the soul. But the other Sacraments are received while we are in a

state of grace, and they therefore increase the quantity of it in our

souls.

 

*140 Q. 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.

 

"Of the dead." Not of a dead person; for when a person is dead he cannot

receive any of the Sacraments. It is only while we live upon earth that

we are on trial, and can do good or evil, and merit grace. At death we

receive simply our reward or punishment for what we have done while

living. Therefore, Sacraments of the dead mean Sacraments given to a

dead soul, that is, to a soul in mortal sin. When grace--its life--is

all out of the soul it can do nothing to merit Heaven; and we say it is

dead, because the dead can do nothing for themselves. If a person

receives--as many do--the Sacrament of Penance while his soul is not in

a state of mortal sin, what then? Then the soul--already

living--receives an increase of sanctifying grace, that is, greater

spiritual life and strength.

 

*141 Q. 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.

 

*142 Q. Which are the Sacraments that increase sanctifying grace in the

soul?

A. The Sacraments that increase sanctifying grace in the soul are:

Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and

Matrimony; and they are called Sacraments of the living.

 

*143 Q. 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 the Sacraments of the living because those who

receive them worthily are already living the life of grace.

 

*144 Q. 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.

 

"Sacrilege." There are other ways besides the unworthy reception of the

Sacraments in which a person may commit sacrilege. You could commit it

by treating any sacred thing with great disrespect. For example, by

making common use of the sacred vessels used at the altar; by stealing

from the church; by turning the church into a market, etc. You could

commit it also by willfully killing or wounding persons consecrated to

God, such as nuns, priests, bishops, etc. Therefore sacrilege can be

committed by willfully abusing or treating with great irreverence any

sacred person, sacred place, or sacred thing.

 

*145 Q. Besides sanctifying grace, do the Sacraments give any other

grace?

A. Besides sanctifying grace, the Sacraments give another grace, called

sacramental.

 

*146 Q. What is sacramental grace?

A. Sacramental grace is a special help which God gives to attain the end

for which He instituted each Sacrament.

 

For example, what was the end for which Penance was instituted? To

forgive sins and keep us out of sin. Therefore the sacramental grace

given in Penance is a grace that will enable us to overcome temptation

and avoid the sins we have been in the habit of committing. When a

person is ill the doctor's medicine generally produces two effects: one

is to cure the disease and the other to strengthen the person so that he

may not fall back into the old condition. Well, it is just the same in

the Sacraments; the grace given produces two effects: one is to sanctify

us and the other to prevent us from falling into the same sins. Again,

Confirmation was instituted that we might become more perfect

Christians, stronger in our faith. Therefore the sacramental grace of

Confirmation will strengthen us to profess our faith when circumstances

require it; or when we are tempted to doubt any revealed truth, it will

help us to overcome the temptation. So in all the Sacraments we receive

the sacramental grace or special help given to attain the end for which

the Sacraments were separately instituted.

 

147 Q. Do the Sacraments always give grace?

A. The Sacraments always give grace, if we receive them with the right

dispositions.

 

"Right dispositions"; that is, if we do all that God and the Church

require us to do when we receive them. For instance, in Penance the

right disposition is to confess all our mortal sins as we know them, to

be sorry for them, and have the determination never to commit them

again. The right disposition for the Holy Eucharist is to be in a state

of grace, and--except in special cases of sickness--fasting for one

hour.

 

148 Q. Can we receive the Sacraments more than once?

A. We can receive the Sacraments more than once, except Baptism,

Confirmation, and Holy Orders.

 

Baptism is so important that if we do not receive it we cannot receive

any other of the Sacraments. Now, to administer Baptism validly, that

is, properly, everything must be done exactly as Our Lord intended and

the Church teaches. The proper kind of water and all the exact words

must be used. Also, the water must touch the body, that is, the head if

possible. Now persons not knowing well how to baptize might neglect some

of these things, and thus the person would not be baptized. The Church

wishes to be certain that all its children are baptized; so when there

is any doubt about the first Baptism, it baptizes again conditionally,

that is, the priest says in giving the Baptism over again: If you are

not baptized already, I baptize you now. Therefore if the person was

rightly baptized the first time, the second ceremony has no effect,

because the priest does not intend to give Baptism a second time. But if

the first Baptism was not rightly given, then the second takes effect.

In either case Baptism is given only once; for if the first was valid,

the second is not given; and if the first was invalid, the second is

given.

 

Converts to the Church are generally baptized conditionally, because

there is doubt about the validity of the Baptism they received.

 

The Sacraments may be given conditionally when we doubt if they were or

can be validly given.

 

*149 Q. 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.

 

"A character." It is a spiritual character, and remains forever, so that

whether the person is in Heaven or Hell this mark will be seen. It will

show that those having it were Christians, who received Baptism,

Confirmation, or Holy Orders. If they are in Heaven, these characters

will shine out to their honor, and will show how well they used the

grace God gave them. If they are in Hell, these characters will be to

their disgrace, and show how many gifts and graces God bestowed upon

them, and how shamefully they abused all.

 

*150 Q. 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.

 

*151 Q. 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.

 

 

 

Lesson 14

ON BAPTISM

 

152 Q. What is Baptism?

A. Baptism is a Sacrament which cleanses us from Original Sin, makes us

Christians, children of God, and heirs of Heaven.

 

"Christians," that is, members of the Church of Christ. "Children of

God," that is, adopted children. All men are children of God by their

creation, but Christians are children of God, not merely by creation,

but also by grace and union with Our Lord. "Heirs of Heaven." An heir is

one who inherits property, money, or goods at the death of another.

These things are left by a will or given by the laws of the State, when

the person dies without making a will. A will is a written statement in

which a person declares what he wishes to have done, at his death, with

whatever he possesses--the charitable objects or the persons to whom he

wishes to leave his goods. This will is called also the last testament.

It is signed by witnesses, and after the death of the testator is

committed to the care of a person--called the executor--whose business

it is to see that all stated in the will or testament is carried out.

There is an officer in the State to take these things in hand and settle

them according to law, when the amount left is large, and there is a

dispute about it. You can understand better now why we call the Bible

the Old and the New Testament. When Our Lord died we were left an

inheritance and spiritual property. The inheritance was Heaven, which we

had lost through the sin of Adam and regained by the death of Our Lord.

The spiritual property was God's grace, which He merited for us. The Old

Testament contains the promise of what Our Lord would leave us at His

death, and the New Testament shows that He kept His promise and did

leave what He said. The Old Testament was written before He died, and

the New Testament after His death. The witnesses of these testaments

were the patriarchs, prophets, Apostles, and evangelists, who heard God

making the promises through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. The

Church is the executor of Christ's will, and it is its business to see

that all men receive what Christ left them, namely, God's grace and

Heaven. It must also see that they are not cheated out of it by their

enemies--the devil, the world, and the flesh.

 

153 Q. 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.

 

We know that Baptism remits Original Sin. But suppose a person is not

baptized till he is twenty-five or thirty years old; he has surely

committed some sins since he was seven years of age--the time at which

he received the use of reason. Now the question asks, Are all his sins,

those he committed himself as well as the Original Sin, forgiven by

Baptism? The answer is, Yes. All his sins are forgiven, so that he has

not to confess them. But he must be heartily sorry for them and have the

firm determination of never committing them again, just as in

confession. Moreover, that he may not have to confess these sins, we

must be absolutely certain that he was never baptized before. Besides

remitting the sins themselves, Baptism remits all the temporal

punishment due to them.

 

In the Sacrament of Penance the sinner is saved from the eternal

punishment--that is, Hell--and from part of the temporal punishment. But

although the sins have been forgiven, the sinner must make satisfaction

to God for the insult offered by his sins.

 

Therefore, he must suffer punishment in this world or in Purgatory. We

call this punishment temporal, because it will not last forever. You can

make this satisfaction to God while on earth, and thus avoid much of the

temporal punishment by prayers, fasting, gaining indulgences, alms, and

good works; and even by bearing your sufferings, trials, and afflictions

patiently, and offering them up to God in satisfaction for your sins.

 

In Baptism both the eternal and temporal debt are washed away; so that

if a person just baptized died immediately, he would go directly to

Heaven, not to Purgatory: because persons go to Purgatory to pay off the

temporal debt. Neither could that person gain an indulgence, because

indulgences are only to help us to pay the temporal debt. Neither could

that person receive the Sacrament of Penance, because Penance remits

only sin committed after Baptism, and that person had no sins to remit,

because he died just after receiving Baptism. See, then, the goodness of

Our Lord in instituting Baptism, to forgive everything and leave us as

free from guilt as our first parents were when God created them.

 

154 Q. Is Baptism necessary to salvation?

A. Baptism is necessary to salvation, because without it we cannot enter

into the kingdom of Heaven.

 

Those who through no fault of theirs die without Baptism, though they

have never committed sin, cannot enter Heaven--neither will they go to

Hell. After the Last Judgment there will be no Purgatory. Where, then,

will they go? God in His goodness will provide a place of rest for them,

where they will not suffer and will be in a state of natural peace; but

they will never see God or Heaven. God might have created us for a

purely natural and material end, so that we would live forever upon the

earth and be naturally happy with the good things God would give us. But

then we would never have known of Heaven or God as we do now. Such

happiness on earth would be nothing compared to the delights of Heaven

and the presence of God; so that, now, since God has given us, through

His holy revelations, a knowledge of Himself and Heaven, we would be

miserable if left always upon the earth. Those, then, who die without

Baptism do not know what they have lost, and are naturally happy; but we

who know all they have lost for want of Baptism know how very

unfortunate they are.

 

Think, then, what a terrible crime it is to willfully allow anyone to

die without Baptism, or to deprive a little child of life before it can

be baptized! Suppose all the members of a family but one little infant

have been baptized; when the Day of Judgment comes, while all the other

members of a family--father, mother, and children--may go into Heaven,

that little one will have to remain out; that little brother or sister

will be separated from its family forever, and never, never see God or

Heaven. How heartless and cruel, then, must a person be who would

deprive that little infant of happiness for all eternity--just that its

mother or someone else might have a little less trouble or suffering

here upon earth.

 

155 Q. Who can administer Baptism?

A. The priest is the ordinary minister of Baptism; but in case of

necessity anyone who has the use of reason may baptize.

 

"Ordinary"--that is, the one who has a right to baptize and generally

does; others can baptize only in case of necessity.

 

"Priest" and all above him--bishops, and the Pope; for they have all the

power the priest has, and more besides. "Minister" is the name given

here to one who performs any of the sacred rites or ceremonies of the

Church. "Necessity." When the ordinary minister cannot be had and when

Baptism must be given; for if it is not absolutely necessary to give the

Baptism, then you must wait for the ordinary minister.

 

"Anyone." Even persons not Catholics or not Christians may, in case of

necessity, baptize a person wishing to receive Baptism, if they know how

to baptize and seriously wish to do what the Church of Christ does when

it baptizes. You cannot baptize a person against his will. Neither can

you baptize an infant whose parents are unwilling to have the child

baptized, or when the child will not be brought up in the Catholic

religion. But if the child is dying, it can and should be baptized, even

without the consent of the parents.

 

"Use of reason." Because the person must intend to do what Our Lord

ordered to be done in giving Baptism; and a little child could not

understand, and could not therefore baptize.

 

156 Q. 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.

 

When the priest baptizes in the church, he uses consecrated water--that

is, water blessed for that purpose on Holy Saturday, and mixed with holy

oil. When he or any other, in case of necessity, baptizes in a private

house, he may use plain, clean water, and he baptizes without the other

ceremonies used in the church. Remember, in Baptism you can use ordinary

clean water, warm or cold. When the priest or anyone baptizes by simply

pouring the water and pronouncing the words of Baptism, we call it

private Baptism. The Baptism given in church with all the ceremonies is

called solemn Baptism. Any person baptized privately should be brought

to the church afterwards to have the rest of the ceremonies performed.

 

It will increase your respect for the Sacrament to know what ceremonies

are used in solemn Baptism, and what they signify. The following things

must be prepared: the holy oils, a little salt, a little pitcher or

something similar to pour the water from, a vessel to receive the water

when poured, some cotton, two stoles, one white and one purple, towels,

a white cloth, candle, and candlestick.

 

All being ready, the person holding the infant takes it on the right

arm, face up, and the priest, having learned the name it is to be given,

begins by asking the one to be baptized, "What do you ask of the Church

of God?" And the godparents answer for the child, "Faith." If the person

receiving Baptism is capable of answering for himself, he must do so.

Then the priest exhorts the child to keep the Commandments and love God;

then he breathes three times upon it and bids the evil spirit depart. He

next prays for the child and puts a little salt into its mouth, as a

sign of the wisdom that Faith gives, and again prays for the child. Then

he places the end of his stole over it as a sign that it is led into the

Church; for Baptism is given in a place called the baptistery, railed

off from the church and near the door, because formerly the ceremony up

to this point was performed outside the church, and at this part of the

ceremony the person was led in to be baptized. Then before Baptism the

person says the Creed and the Our Father; for when a grown person is to

be baptized he must first be instructed in all the truths of religion,

and he must say the Creed to show that he believes them. Again the

priest prays and places a little spittle on the ears and nose of the

child, using at the same time the words used by Our Lord when He spit

upon the ground, and rubbing the spittle and clay upon the eyes of the

blind man, healed him. (John 9:6). The priest next asks the child if it

renounces the devil and all his works and pomps--that is, vanities and

empty shows; and having received the answer anoints it with holy oil on

the breast and back. Then he again asks for a profession of faith, and

finally baptizes it. After Baptism he anoints its head with holy chrism,

places a white cloth upon it to signify the purity it received in

Baptism, and as a sign that it must keep its soul free from sin. Then he

places in its hand a lighted candle, to signify the light of faith it

has received in Baptism. We are baptized at the door of the church to

show that without Baptism we are out of the Church. We are often signed

with the Sign of the Cross to remind us that our salvation is due to the

Cross and Passion of Our Lord. The priest's stole is placed over us to

show that the Church takes us under its protection and shields us from

the power of the devil. We are anointed as a sign that we are freed from

our sins and strengthened to fight for Christ. The white cloth or

garment is placed upon us to remind us of the glory of the Resurrection;

the light is placed in our hand to show that we should burn with

Christian charity.

 

*157 Q. How many kinds of Baptism are there?

A. There are three kinds of Baptism: Baptism of water, of desire, and of

blood.

 

*158 Q. 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.

 

*159 Q. 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.

 

"Ardent wish" by one who has no opportunity of being baptized--for no

one can baptize himself. He must be sorry for his sins and have the

desire of receiving the Baptism of water as soon as he can; just as a

person in mortal sin and without a priest to absolve him may, when in

danger of death, save his soul from Hell by an act of perfect contrition

and the firm resolution of going to confession as soon as possible.

Baptism of desire would be useful and necessary if there was no water at

hand or no person to baptize; or if the one wishing to be baptized and

those about him did not know exactly how Baptism was to be given--which

might easily happen in pagan lands. One thing you must especially

remember in giving Baptism in case of necessity: namely, that it would

not do for one person to pour the water and another to say the words.

The same person must do both, or the Baptism will not be valid. If you

are called to baptize in case of necessity, be very careful to observe

the following points, otherwise the Baptism will not be valid: use clean

water and nothing but water--no other liquid would do. Say every one of

the exact words: "I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the

Son, and of the Holy Ghost." It would not do to say, "I baptize thee in

the name of God"; or, "I baptize thee in the name of the Blessed

Trinity"; nor would it do to say simply, "In the name of the Father, and

of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," without saying, "I baptize thee."

Say the words at the same time you pour the water, and be sure the water

touches the skin. It would not do to pour the water simply on the hair.

You must not sprinkle the water, but pour it upon the head.

 

When you have followed the above instructions carefully and are sure you

have baptized properly, never under any circumstance repeat the Baptism

on the same person. It is a sin to try to baptize more than once when

you know Baptism can be given only once. The sight of the person dying

and the fact that you are called for the first time may cause you to be

somewhat excited; but be calm, remember the importance of the Sacrament,

and you will administer it as directed. Parents should not baptize their

own children in case of necessity, if there is any other person present

who can validly do it. Remember those who administer Baptism contract a

spiritual relationship with the person they baptize (not with his

parents). If they wished, years afterwards, to marry the person they

baptized, they must make this relationship known to the priest.

 

Sponsors are not necessary in private Baptism. A person may be sponsor

for a child in Baptism without being present at the Baptism, provided

someone else holds the child in his name and answers the questions he

himself would answer if he were present. Such a sponsor is said to stand

for the child by proxy, and he, and not the one who holds the child, is

then the real godparent when, at the request of the parents or priest he

has consented to be sponsor.

 

*160 Q. What is Baptism of blood?

A. Baptism of blood is the shedding of one's blood for the faith of

Christ.

 

Baptism of blood, called martyrdom, is received by those who were not

baptized with water, but were put to death for their Catholic faith.

This takes place even nowadays in pagan countries where the missionaries

are trying to convert the poor natives. These pagans have to be

instructed before they are baptized. They do everything required of

them, let us suppose, and are waiting for the day of Baptism. Those who

are being thus instructed are called Catechumens. Someday, while they

are attending their instructions, the enemies of religion rush down upon

them and put them to death. They do not resist, but willingly suffer

death for the sake of the true religion. They are martyrs then and are

baptized in their own blood; although, as we said above, blood would not

do for an ordinary Baptism even when we could not get water; so that if

a person drew blood from his own body and asked to be baptized with it,

the Baptism would not be valid. Neither would they be martyrs if put to

death not for religion or virtue but for some other reason--say

political.

 

*161 Q. Is Baptism of desire or 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.

 

*162 Q. What do we promise in Baptism?

A. In Baptism we promise to renounce the devil with all his works and

pomps.

 

*163 Q. 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.

 

The saint whose name we bear is called our patron saint. This saint has

a special love for us and a special care over us. People take the names

of great men because they admire their good qualities or their great

deeds. So we take saints' names because we admire their Christian

virtues and great Christian deeds. We should, therefore, read the life

of our patron saint and try to imitate his virtues, and the day on which

the Church celebrates the feast of our patron saint should be a great

day for us also. The Church generally celebrates the saint's feast on

the day on which he died, that is, as we believe, the day on which he

entered into Heaven.

 

*164 Q. 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.

 

*165 Q. 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.

 

This is a very important obligation, and we should be faithful in the

fulfillment of it before God. Godfathers and godmothers are also called

sponsors. The following persons cannot be sponsors: (1) All persons not

Catholics, because they cannot teach the child the Catholic religion if

they do not know it themselves. (2) All persons who are publicly leading

bad lives; for how can they give good examples and teach their godchild

to be good when they themselves are public sinners? (3) All persons who

are ignorant of their religion should not take upon themselves the

duties of godparents. Therefore parents should select as sponsors for

their children only good, practical Catholics--not Catholics merely in

name, but those who live up to their faith, and who will be an example

for their children. To repeat what has already been said, godparents

contract a spiritual relationship with their godchild, and in the event

of marriage, they must make known this relationship to the priest. The

godfather and the godmother do not contract a relationship between

themselves, or with the child's parents, but only with the child so that

neither the godfather nor the godmother could later marry their godchild

without first obtaining proper dispensation; that is, permission from

the Church granted by the bishop or Pope. With regard to names, parents

should never be induced by any motive to give their child some foolish

or fancy name taken from books, places, or things. Above all, they

should never select the name of any enemy of the Church or unbeliever,

but the name of one of God's saints who will be a model for the child.

Whatever name is taken, if it be not a saint's name, the name of some

saint should be given as a middle name. If this has been omitted in

Baptism, it should be supplied in Confirmation, at which time a new name

can be added. Again, if a saint's name has been taken in Baptism it

should not be shortened or changed so as to mean nothing; as, for

example, Mazie, Miz, etc., for Mary. When your correct name is mentioned

your saint is honored, and I might say invoked, because it should remind

you of him. For that reason you should not have meaningless or foolish

pet names, known only to your family or your friends.

 

 

 

Lesson 15

ON CONFIRMATION

 

166 Q. 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.

 

In Baptism we are made Christians, but we are not very strong in our

faith till the Holy Ghost comes in Confirmation. You remember how timid

the Apostles were before the coming of the Holy Ghost, and how firm and

determined in their faith they were afterwards; and how fearlessly they

preached even to those who crucified Our Lord. "Soldiers," because we

must fight for our salvation against our three enemies, the devil, the

world, and the flesh. Our Lord is our great leader in this warfare, and

we must follow Him and fight as He directs. A soldier that fights as he

pleases and not as his general commands, will surely be beaten.

 

167 Q. Who can administer Confirmation?

A. The bishop is the ordinary minister of Confirmation.

 

"Ordinary," because in some very distant countries where on account of

the small number of Christians they have as yet no bishops, the Pope

allows some priest to give Confirmation; but then he must use the holy

oil consecrated by a bishop, and cannot consecrate oil himself.

 

168 Q. 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.

 

*169 Q. What is holy chrism?

A. Holy chrism is a mixture of olive oil and balm, consecrated by the

bishop.

 

The oil signifies the strength we receive, and the balm that we should

be free from the corruption of sin, and give forth the sweetness of

virtue.

 

170 Q. 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.

 

*171 Q. 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.

 

"Openly profess"--that is, acknowledge that he is a Catholic when it is

necessary to do so. He need not proclaim it in the streets. "Practice"

it without regard for what other people think, say, or do. "Ashamed" of

a religion so glorious as the Catholic religion? Would we not be proud

to belong to a society of which kings and princes were members? Well, a

few centuries ago nearly all the kings, princes, and great men of the

earth were Catholics. All the saints were Catholics. All the Popes were

Catholics. At present over three hundred million people in the world are

Catholics. This Church was founded when Christ Our Lord was on earth,

and is nearly two thousand years old. All the other churches are only a

few hundred years old. We ought, therefore, to be proud of our religion,

for which and in which so many noble persons died. We should feel proud

that we are Catholics; while Protestants should feel ashamed in our

presence, for they have deserted the true standard of Christ, and

followed some other leader who set up a religion of his own in

opposition to the true Church of Our Lord. They will not have the cross

or crucifix, the standard of Christ, in their churches or houses or

about their persons, and yet they claim to be Christians redeemed by the

Cross. We are called upon to defend or profess our religion when we have

to do what the Church and God require us to do: for example, hear Mass

on Sundays and holy days; abstain from the use of fleshmeat on Ash

Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent, fast on fast-days, and the like, when

we are among persons not Catholics.

 

*172 Q. 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 anything, even death,

for the sake of Christ.

 

173 Q. 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.

 

*174 Q. 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.

 

How can one be a good soldier who does not know the rules and

regulations of the army nor understand the commands of his general? How

can one be a good Christian who does not understand the laws of the

Church and the teachings of Christ? The "nature"--that is, understand

the Sacrament itself. "Effects"--that is, what it does in our souls.

 

175 Q. 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.

 

"Temptations"--from the sayings and writings of the enemies of religion.

To neglect it when we have an opportunity of receiving it without any

very great difficulty would be a sin. When persons have been unfortunate

enough to grow up without Confirmation, they should come at any time in

their lives to receive it, and not be ashamed to do so on account of

their age or condition in life.

 

 

 

Lesson 16

ON THE GIFTS AND FRUITS OF THE HOLY GHOST

 

*176 Q. What 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.

 

"Increase," because we must be in a state of grace, that is, having

already sanctifying grace in our souls when we receive Confirmation.

"Strengthening," so that we have no doubt about the doctrines we

believe.

 

*177 Q. What 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.

 

*178 Q. 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.

 

On account of the goodness of God and the punishment He can inflict.

 

*179 Q. 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.

 

*180 Q. 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.

 

*181 Q. 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.

 

Some know the will of God--what they should do--but they have not the

courage to follow the dictates of their conscience. For example, a

person goes with bad company: the gift of knowledge will teach him that

he should give it up; but the gift of fortitude will enable him to do

what his conscience shows him to be right.

 

*182 Q. 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.

 

The devil is much wiser than we are, and has much more experience, being

among the people of the world ever since the time of Adam--about 6,000

years. He could therefore easily deceive and overcome us if God Himself

by the gift of counsel did not enable us to discover his tricks and

expose his plots. When at times we are tempted, our conscience warns us,

and if we follow the warning we shall escape the sin. Counsel tells us

when persons or places are dangerous for our salvation.

 

*183 Q. 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.

 

"Mysteries," truths we could never know by reason, but only by the

teaching of God; and the gift of understanding enables us to know better

what His teaching means. The Apostles heard and knew what Our Lord

taught, but they did not fully understand the whole meaning till the

Holy Ghost had come.

 

*184 Q. 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.

 

"Relish," a liking for, a desire for.

 

*185 Q. 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.

 

The beatitudes are part of a sermon Our Lord once preached to the people

on the Mount. (Matt. 5). When Our Lord wished to preach, the Jews would

not always allow Him to enter their synagogues or meeting houses; so He

preached to the people in the open air. Sometimes He stood in a boat by

the seashore; sometimes on a little hill, with the people standing or

sitting near Him. Did you ever think how you would have acted if you

lived at that time and were present when Our Lord preached? How anxious

you would have been to get near to Him? How you would have pushed your

way through the crowd and listened to every word? Why, then, do you

sometimes pay so little attention in church or at instructions when the

words of Our Lord are repeated to you? Our Lord instituted a Church

which, as we know, is sometimes called the kingdom of Heaven. In this

sermon He laid down the condition for being good subjects of His

kingdom; that is, He gives the virtues we should practice to be good

children of the Church. He tells us what rewards we shall have for

practicing these virtues and leading a holy life: namely, God's grace

and blessing in this world and everlasting glory in Heaven.

 

(1) "Poor in spirit." One is poor in spirit if he does not set his heart

upon riches and the goods of this world in such a way that he would be

willing to offend God in order to possess them, or rather than part with

them. Thus one who has no money but who would do anything to get it,

would be poor, but not poor in spirit, and therefore not among those Our

Lord calls blessed. If we are really poor and wish to be poor in spirit

also, we must be contented with our lot--with what God gives us--and

never complain against Him. No matter how poor, miserable, or afflicted

we may be, we could still be worse, since we can find others in a worse

condition than we are. We do not endure every species of misery, but

only this or that particular kind; and if the rest were added, how much

worse our condition would be! The very greatest misery is to be in a

state of sin. If we are poor and in sin, our condition is indeed

pitiable, for we have no consolation; but if we are virtuous in poverty,

bearing our trials in patience and resignation for the love of God, we

have the rich treasures of His grace and every assurance of future

happiness. On the other hand, if one is very rich and gives freely and

plentifully to the poor and works of charity, and is willing to part

with riches rather than offend God, such a one is poor in spirit and can

be called blessed. It is a great mistake to risk our souls for things we

must leave to others at our death. Sometimes those who leave the

greatest inheritance are soonest forgotten and despised, because the

money or property bequeathed gives rise to numerous lawsuits, quarrels

and jealousies among the relatives, and thus becomes a very curse to

that family, whose members hate one another on its account. Or it may

happen that the heirs thoughtlessly enjoy and foolishly squander the

wealth the man, now dead, has labored so hard to accumulate, while he,

perhaps, is suffering in Hell for sins committed in securing it. Again,

how many children have been ruined through the wealth left them by their

parents! Instead of using it for good purposes they have made it a means

of sin; often lose their faith and souls on account of it; and in their

ingratitude never offer a prayer or give an alms for the soul of the

parent, who in his anxiety to leave all to them left nothing in charity

to the Church or the poor. Surely it is the greatest folly to set our

hearts upon that which can be of no value to us after death. When a

person dies men ask: What wealth has he left behind? But God and the

angels ask, What merits has he sent before him?

 

(2) "Possess the land"--that is, the promised or holy land, which was a

figure of the Church. Therefore it means the meek shall be true members

of Our Lord's Church here on earth and hereafter in Heaven, and be

beloved by all.

 

(3) "That mourn." Suffering is good for us if we bear it patiently. It

makes us more like Our Blessed Lord, who was called the Man of Sorrows.

 

(4) "Justice"--that is, all kinds of virtue. "Filled"--that is, with

goodness and grace. In other words,

if we ask and really wish to become virtuous, we shall become so. St.

Joseph is called in Holy Scripture "a just man," to show that he

practiced every virtue.

 

(5) If we are "merciful" to others, God will be merciful to us.

 

(6) "Clean of heart"--that is, pure in thoughts, words, deeds, and

looks.

 

(7) "Peacemakers." If persons who try to make peace and settle disputes

are called the children of God, those who, on the contrary, try to stir

up dissensions should be called the children of the devil. Never tell

the evil you may hear of another, especially to the one of whom it was

spoken; and never carry stories from one to another: it is contemptible,

and sinful as well. If you have nothing good to say of the character of

another, be silent, unless your duty compels you to speak. Never be a

child of the devil by exciting jealousy, hatred, or revenge in anyone;

but on the contrary, make peace wherever you can, and be one of the

children of God.

 

(8) "Suffer persecution." Therefore, when you are badly treated on

account of your piety or religion, remember you are like the martyrs of

your holy faith, suffering for virtue and truth, and that you will

receive your reward.

 

*186 Q. 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.

 

"Fruits," the things that grow from the gifts of the Holy Ghost.

"Charity," love of God and our neighbor, "Peace" with God and man and

ourselves. With God, because we are His friends. With man, because we

deal justly with all and are kind to all. With ourselves, because we

have a good conscience, that does not accuse us of sin. "Benignity,"

disposition to do good and show kindness. "Long-suffering"--same as

patience. "Modesty, continency, and chastity" refer to purity in

thoughts, words, looks, and actions.

 

 

 

Lesson 17

ON THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

 

When Our Blessed Lord redeemed us, He applied the benefits of the

Redemption in the Sacrament of Baptism. By this Baptism He freed us from

sin and the slavery of the devil; He restored us to God's grace; He

reopened for us Heaven; made us once more children of God: in a word, He

placed us in the condition in which we were before our fall through the

sin of our first parents. This was certainly a great kindness bestowed

upon us, and one would think we would never forget it, and never more

lose God's friendship by any fault of ours; especially when we had seen

the great miseries brought upon the world by sin, and had learned

something of Hell where we would have been, and of Heaven which we would

have lost, if Our Lord had not redeemed us. Our Blessed Lord saw,

however, that we would forget His benefits, and again, even after

Baptism, go freely into the slavery of the devil. How, then, could we be

saved? We could not be baptized again, because Baptism can be given only

once. Our good Lord in His kindness instituted another Sacrament, by

which we could once more be freed from sin if we had the misfortune to

fall into it after Baptism--it is the Sacrament of Penance. It is called

the plank in a shipwreck. When sailors are shipwrecked and thrown

helplessly into the ocean, their only hope is some floating plank that

may bear them to the shore. So when we fall after Baptism we are thrown

into the great ocean of sin, where we must perish if we do not rest upon

the Sacrament of Penance, which will bring us once more in safety to the

friendship of God. How very thankful the poor shipwrecked sailors would

be to anyone who would offer them a plank while they are in danger! Do

you think they would refuse to use it? In like manner how thankful we

should be for the Sacrament of Penance, and how anxious we should be to

use it when we arc in danger of losing our souls!

 

The Sacrament of Penance shows the very great kindness of Our Lord. He

might have said: I saved them once, and I will not trouble Myself more

about them; if they want to sin again, let them perish. But no, He

forgives us and saves us as often as we sincerely call on Him for help,

being truly sorry for our sins. He left this power also to His Apostles,

saying to them: As often as any poor sinner shall come to you and show

that he is truly sorry for his sins, and has the determination not to

commit them again, and confesses them to you, I give you the power to

pardon his sins in the Sacrament of Penance. The forgiveness of your

sins is the chief though not the only blessing you receive in the

reception of this Sacrament, through which you derive so many and great

advantages from the exhortation, instruction, or advice of your

confessor.

 

Is it not a great benefit to have a friend to whom you can go with the

trials of your mind and soul, your troubles, temptations, sins, and

secrets? You have that friend--the priest in the confessional. He is

willing to help you, for he consecrated his life to God to help men to

save their souls. He is able to help you, for he understands your

difficulties, sins, and temptations, and the means of overcoming them.

He has made these things the study of his life, and derives still

greater knowledge of them from hearing the sad complaints of so many

relating their secret sorrows or afflictions, and begging his advice.

 

Then you are sure that whatever you tell him in the confessional will

never be made known to others, even if the priest has to die to conceal

it. You might tell your secrets to a friend, and if you afterwards

offended him he would probably reveal all you told him. The priest asks

no reward for the service he gives you in the confessional, but loves to

help you, because he has pledged himself to God to do so, and would sin

if he did not. Some enemies of our holy religion have tried to make

people believe that Catholics have to pay the priest in confession for

forgiving their sins; but every Catholic, even the youngest child who

has been to confession, knows this to be untrue, and a base calumny

against our holy religion; even those who assert it do not believe it

themselves. The good done in the confessional will never be known in

this world. How many persons have been saved from sin, suicide, death,

and other evils by the advice and encouragement received in confession!

How many persons who have fallen into the lowest depths of sin have by

the Sacrament of Penance been raised up and made to lead good,

respectable lives--a blessing to themselves, their families, and

society!

 

187 Q. What is the Sacrament of Penance?

A. Penance is a Sacrament in which the sins committed after Baptism are

forgiven.

 

One who has never been baptized could not go to confession and receive

absolution, nor indeed any of the Sacraments.

 

*188 Q. How does the Sacrament of Penance remit sin, and restore the

soul to 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.

 

"Absolution" means the words the priest says at the time he forgives the

sins. Absolve means to loose or free. When ministers or ambassadors are

sent by our government to represent the United States in England,

France, Germany, or other countries, whatever they do there officially

is done by the United States. If they make an agreement with the

governments to which they are sent, the United States sanctions it, and

the very moment they sign the agreement it is signed and sanctioned by

the authority of our government whose representatives they are, and

their official action becomes the action of the United States itself.

But when their term of office expires, though they remain in the foreign

countries, they have no longer any power to sign agreements in the name

and with the authority of the United States.

 

You see, therefore, that it is the power that is given them, and not

their own, that they exercise. In like manner Our Lord commissioned His

priests and gave them the power to forgive sins, and whatever they do in

the Sacrament of Penance He Himself does. At the very moment the priest

pronounces the words of absolution on earth his sentence is ratified in

Heaven and the sins of the penitent are blotted out.

 

It may increase your veneration for the Sacrament to know the precise

manner in which absolution is given. After the confession and giving of

the penance, the priest first prays for the sinner, saying: "May

Almighty God have mercy on you, and, your sins being forgiven, bring you

to life everlasting. Amen." Then, raising his right hand over the

penitent, he says: "May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant you pardon,

absolution, and remission of your sins. Amen." Then he continues: "May

Our Lord Jesus Christ absolve you, and I, by His authority, absolve you

from every bond of excommunication and interdict, as far as I have power

and you stand in need. Then I absolve you from your sins, in the name of

the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." At these last

words he makes the Sign of the Cross over the penitent. In conclusion he

directs to God a prayer in behalf of the penitent in the following

words: "May the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the merits of the

Blessed Virgin Mary and of all the saints, and whatsoever good you may

have done or evil you may have suffered, be to you unto the remission of

your sins, the increase of grace, and the recompense of everlasting

life. Amen." Then the priest says, "God bless you," "Go in peace," or

some other expression showing his delight at your reconciliation with

God.

 

*189 Q. 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 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."

 

Every Christian knows Our Lord Himself had power to forgive sins:--(1)

because He was God, and (2) because He often did forgive them while on

earth, and proved that He did by performing some miracle; as, for

example (Mark 2; John 5), when He cured the poor men who had been sick

and suffering for many years, He said to them, "Thy sins are forgiven

thee; arise, take up thy bed, and walk," and the men did so. Since Our

Lord had the power Himself, He could give it to His Apostles if He

wished, and He did give it to them and their successors. For if He did

not, how could we and all others who, after Baptism, have fallen into

sin be cleansed from it? This Sacrament of Penance was for all time, and

so He left the power with His Church, which is to last as long as there

is a living human being upon the earth. Our Lord promised to His

Apostles before His death this power to forgive sins (Matt. 18:18), and

He gave it to them after His resurrection (John 20:23), when He appeared

to them and breathed on them, and said: "Whose sins you shall forgive,

they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are

retained."

 

*190 Q. 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.

 

The power to forgive sins implies the obligation of going to confession;

because, as most sins are secret, how could the Apostles know what sins

to forgive and what sins to retain--that is, not to forgive--unless they

were told by the sinner what sins he had committed? They could not see

into his heart as God can, and know his sins; and so if the sinner

wished his sins forgiven, he had to confess them to the Apostles or

their successors. Therefore, since we have the Sacrament of Penance, we

must also have confession.

 

191 Q. 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.

 

When we are about to go to confession the first thing we should do is to

pray to the Holy Ghost to give us light to know and remember all our

sins; to fully understand how displeasing they are to God, and to have a

great sorrow for them, which includes the resolution of never committing

them again. The next thing we should do is:

 

(1) "Examine our conscience"; and first of all we find out how long a

time it is since our last confession, and whether we made a good

confession then and received Holy Communion and performed our penance.

The best method of examining is to take the Commandments and go over

each one in our mind, seeing if we have broken it, and in what way; for

example: First. "I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt not have strange gods

before Me." Have I honored God? Have I said my prayers morning and

night; have I said them with attention and devotion? Have I thanked God

for all His blessings? Have I been more anxious to please others than to

please God, or offended Him for the sake of others? Second "Thou shalt

not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." Have I cursed? Have I

taken God's name in vain or spoken without reverence of holy things?

Third. "Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day." Have I neglected to

hear Mass through my own fault on Sundays and holy days of obligation?

Have I kept others from Mass? Have I been late, and at what part of the

Mass did I come in? Have I been willfully distracted at Mass or have I

distracted others? Have I done servile work without necessity? Fourth.

"Honor thy father and thy mother." Have I been disobedient to parents or

others who have authority over me--to spiritual or temporal superiors,

teachers, etc.? Have I slighted or been ashamed of parents because they

were poor or uneducated? Have I neglected to give them what help I could

when they were in need of it? Have I spoken of them with disrespect or

called them names that were not proper? Fifth. "Thou shalt not kill."

Have I done anything that might lead to killing? Have I been angry or

have I tried to take revenge? Have I borne hatred or tried to injure

others? Have I given scandal? Sixth. "Thou shalt not commit adultery."

Have I indulged in any bad thoughts, looked at any bad pictures or

objects, listened to any bad conversation, told or listened to bad or

immodest jokes or stories, or, in general, spoken of bad things? Have I

done any bad actions or desired to do any while alone or with others?

Seventh. "Thou shalt not steal." Have I stolen anything myself or helped

or advised others to steal? Have I received anything or part of anything

that I knew to be stolen? Do I owe money and not pay it when I can? Have

I bought anything with the intention of never paying for it or at least

knowing I never could pay for it? Have I made restitution when told to

do so by my confessor; or have I put it off from time to time? Have I

failed to give back what belonged to another? Have I found anything and

not tried to discover its owner, or have I kept it in my possession

after I knew to whom it belonged? Have I cheated in business or at

games? Eighth. "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."

Have I told lies or injured anyone by my talk? Have I told the faults of

others without any necessity? It is not allowed to tell the faults of

others--even when you tell the truth about them--unless some good comes

of the telling. Ninth. "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife." This

can come into our examination on the Sixth Commandment. Tenth. "Thou

shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods." This can come into our

examination on the Seventh Commandment.

 

After examining yourself on the Commandments of God, examine yourself on

the Commandments of the Church.

 

First. "To hear Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation." This has

been considered in the examination on the Third Commandment. Second "To

fast and abstain on the days appointed." Have I knowingly eaten meat on

Ash Wednesday or the Fridays of Lent, or not done some chosen penance on

the other Fridays of the year, or not fasted on Ash Wednesday or Good

Friday, unless I had good reason not to do so on account of poor health

or other reason? Third. "To confess at least once a year." Is it over a

year, and how much over it, since I have been to confession? Fourth. "To

receive Holy Eucharist during the Easter time." Did I go to Holy

Communion between the first Sunday of Lent and Trinity Sunday? If not, I

have committed a mortal sin. Fifth. "To contribute to the support of our

pastors." Have I helped the church and reasonably paid my share of its

expenses--given to charity and the like, or have I made others pay for

the light, heat, and other things that cost money in the church, and

shared in their benefits without giving according to my means? Have I

kept what was given me for the church or other charity, or stolen from

the church and not stated that circumstance when I confessed that I

stole? Sixth. "Not to marry persons who are not Catholics, or who are

related to us within the third degree of kindred, or privately without

witnesses, nor to solemnize marriage at forbidden times." Have I

anything to tell on this Commandment?

 

After examining yourself on the Commandments of God and of His Church,

examine yourself on the capital sins, especially on "Pride." Have I been

impudent and stubborn, vain about my dress, and the like? Have I

despised others simply on account of poverty or something they could not

help? "Gluttony." Have I ever taken intoxicating drink to excess or

broken a promise not to take it? Have I knowingly caused others to be

intoxicated? "Sloth." Have I wasted my time willfully and neglected to

do my duty at school or elsewhere? After examining yourself on the

Commandments and capital sins, examine yourself on the duties of your

state of life. If you are at school, how have you studied? You should

study not alone to please your parents or teachers, but for the sake of

learning. If you are at work, have you been faithful to your employer,

and done your work well and honestly?

 

The above method is generally recommended as the best in the examination

of conscience. But you need not follow these exact questions; you can

ask yourself any questions you please: the above questions are given

only as examples of what you might ask, and to show you how to question

yourself. It is useless to take any list of sins in a prayerbook and

examine yourself by it, confessing the sins just as they are given. If

you do take such a list and find in it some questions or sins that you

do not understand, do not trouble yourself about them. In asking

yourself the questions, if you find you have sinned against a

Commandment, stop and consider how many times. There are few persons who

sin against all the Commandments. Some sin against one and some against

another. Find out the worst sin you have and the one you have most

frequently committed, and be sure of telling it.

 

(2) "Have sorrow for our sins." After examining your conscience and

finding out the sins you have committed, the next thing is to be sorry

for them. The sorrow is the most essential part in the whole Sacrament

of Penance. In this Sacrament there are, as you know, three parts:

contrition, confession, and satisfaction--and contrition is the most

important part. When, therefore, we are preparing for confession, we

should spend just as much time, and even more, in exciting ourselves to

sorrow for our sins as in the examination of our conscience. Some

persons forget this and spend all their time examining their conscience.

We should pray for sorrow if we think we have none. Remember the act of

contrition made at confession is not the sorrow, but only an outward

sign by which we make known to the priest that we have the sorrow in our

hearts, and therefore we must have the sorrow before making the

confession--or at least, before receiving the absolution. Now what kind

of sorrow must we have? Someone might say, I am not truly sorry because

I cannot cry. If some of my friends died, I would be more sorry for that

than for my sins. Do not make any such mistakes. The true and necessary

kind of sorrow for sin is to know that by sin you have offended God, and

now feel that it was very wrong, and that you have from this moment the

firm determination never to offend Him more. If God adds to this a

feeling that brings tears to your eyes, it is good, but not necessary.

 

(3) Remember real sorrow for sin supposes and contains "a firm

resolution" never to sin again. How can you say to God, "O my God, I am

heartily sorry," etc., if you are waiting only for the next opportunity

to sin? How can we be sorry for the past if we are going to do the same

in the future? Do you think the thief would be sorry for his past thefts

if he had his mind made up to steal again as soon as he had the chance?

Ah, but you will say, nearly all persons sin again after confession. I

know that; but when they were making their confession they thought they

never would, and really meant never to sin again; but when temptation

came, they forgot the good resolution, did not use God's help, and fell

into sin again. I mean, therefore, that at the time you make the act of

contrition you must really mean what you say and promise never to sin,

and take every means you can to keep that promise. If you do fall

afterwards, renew your promise as quickly as possible and make a greater

effort than before. Be on your guard against those things that make you

break your promise, and then your act of contrition will be a good one.

A person may be afraid that he will fall again, but being afraid does

not make his contrition worthless as long as he wishes, hopes, and

intends never to sin again. We should always be afraid of falling into

sin, and we will fall into it if we depend upon ourselves alone, and not

on the help which God gives us in His grace.

 

(4) "Confess our sins." Having made the necessary preparation, you will

next go into the confessional; and while you are waiting for the priest

to hear you, you should say the Confiteor. When the priest turns to you,

bless yourself and say: "Bless me, father, for I have sinned. It is a

month or a week (or whatever time it may be) since my last confession,

and I have since committed these sins." Then tell your sins as you found

them in examining yourself. In confession you must tell only such things

as are sins. You must not tell all the details and a long story with

every sin. For example, if a boy should confess that he went to see a

friend, and after that met another friend, and when he came home he was

asked what had kept him, and he told a lie. Now, the going to see the

friend and the meeting of the other friend, and all the rest, was not a

sin: the sin was telling the lie, and that was all that should have been

confessed. Therefore, tell only the sins. Then tell only your own sins,

and be very careful not to mention anyone's name--even your own--in

confession. Be brief, and do not say, I broke the First Commandment or

the Second by doing so and so; tell the sin simply as it is, and the

priest himself will know what Commandment you violated. Again, when you

have committed a sin several times a day do not multiply that by the

number of days since your last confession and say to the priest, I have

told lies, for example, four hundred and forty-two times. Such things

only confuse you and make you forget your sins. Simply say, I am in the

habit of telling lies, about so many, three or four--or whatever number

it may be--times a day. Never say "sometimes" or "often" when you are

telling the number of your sins. Sometimes might mean ten or it might

mean twenty times. How then can the priest know the number by that

expression? Give the number as nearly as you can, and if you do not know

the whole number give the number of times a day, etc. Never say "maybe"

I did so and so; because maybe you did not, and the priest cannot judge.

Tell what you consider your worst sin first, then if there be any sin

you are ashamed to tell or do not know how to tell, say to the priest:

"Father, I have a sin I am ashamed to tell, or a sin I do not know how

to tell"; and then the priest will ask you some questions and help you

to tell it. But never think of going away from the confessional with

some sin that you did not tell. The devil sometimes tempts people to do

this, because he does not like to see them in a state of grace and

friends of God. When you are committing the sin, he makes you believe it

is not a great sin, and that you can tell it in confession; but after

you have committed it he makes you believe that it is a most terrible

sin, and that if you tell it, the priest will scold you severely. So it

is concealed and the person leaves the confessional with a new sin upon

his soul--that of sacrilege. When Judas was tempted to betray Our Lord,

he thought thirty pieces of silver a great deal of money; and then,

after he had committed the sin, he cared nothing for the money, but went

and threw it away, and thought his sin so dreadful that he hanged

himself, dying in despair.

 

It is not necessary to tell the priest the exact words you said in

cursing or in bad conversation, unless he asks you; but simply say,

Father, I cursed so many times. Do not speak too loud in the

confessional, but loud enough for the priest to hear you. If you are

deaf, do not go into the confessional while others are near, but wait

till all have been heard and then go in last, or ask the priest to hear

you someplace else.

 

(5) Listen attentively to hear what "penance" the priest gives you, and

say the act of contrition while he pronounces the words of absolution;

and above all, never leave the confessional till the priest closes the

little door or tells you to go. If the priest does not say at what

particular time you are to say your penance, say it as soon as you can.

 

When you have, told all your sins, you will say: "For these and all the

sins of my whole life, especially any I have forgotten, I am heartily

sorry, and ask pardon and penance." Listen to the priest's advice, and

answer simply any question he may ask you. If you should forget a mortal

sin in confession and remember it the same day or evening, or while you

are still in the church, it will not be necessary to wait and go to

confession again. It is forgiven already, because it was included in

your forgotten sins; but you must tell it the next time you go to

confession, saying before your regular confession: In my last confession

I forgot this sin. Of course if you tried to forget your sins your

confession would be invalid. It is only when you examine your conscience

with all reasonable care, and then after all forget some sins, that such

forgotten sins are forgiven.

 

Never talk or quarrel for places while waiting for confession, and never

cheat another out of his turn in going to confession. It is unjust, it

makes the person angry, and lessens his good disposition for confession.

It creates confusion, and annoys the priest who hears the noise. If you

are in a hurry, ask the others to allow you to go first; and if they

will not be contented and wait, and if you cannot wait, go some other

time, unless you are in the state of mortal sin. In this case you should

go to confession that day, no matter what the inconvenience. Spend your

time while waiting in praying for pardon and sorrow. Never keep the

priest waiting for you in the confessional; pass in as soon as he is

prepared to hear you.

 

192 Q. 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.

 

"Worthy confession," because if we made bad confessions we must tell how

often we made them, and whether we received Holy Communion after them or

not, and also all the sins we told in the bad confessions, and all

others committed since the good confession. If, for example, a boy made

a good confession in January, and in confession in February concealed a

mortal sin and went to confession after that every month to December, he

would have to go back to his last good confession, and repeat all the

sins committed since January, and also say that he had gone to

confession once a month and made bad confessions all these times.

 

*193 Q. 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.

 

*194 Q. 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 18

ON CONTRITION

 

195 Q. 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.

 

"Offended"--that is, done something to displease Him.

 

*196 Q. 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.

 

*197 Q. 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.

 

"Interior"--that is, we must really have the sorrow in our hearts. A

boy, for example, might cry in the confessional and pretend to the

priest to be very sorry, and the priest might be deceived and absolve

him; but God, who sees into our hearts, would know that he was not

really sorry, but only pretending, that his sorrow was not interior, but

exterior; and God therefore would withhold His forgiveness and would not

blot out the sins, and the boy would have a new sin of sacrilege upon

his soul; because it is a sacrilege to allow the priest to give you

absolution if you know you have not the right disposition, and you are

not trying to do all that is required for a good confession. So you

understand you might deceive the priest and receive absolution, but God

would not allow the absolution to take effect, and the sins would

remain; for if the priest knew your dispositions as God did, or as you

know them, he would not give you absolution till your dispositions

changed.

 

*198 Q. 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.

 

"Supernatural"--that is, we must be sorry for the sin on account of some

reason that God has made known to us. For example, either because our

sin is displeasing to God, or because we have lost Heaven by it, or

because we fear to be punished for it in Hell or Purgatory. But if we

are sorry for our sin only on account of some natural motive, then our

sorrow is not of the right kind. If a man was sorry for stealing only

because he was caught and had to go to prison for it, his sorrow would

only be natural. Or if a boy was sorry for telling lies only because he

got a whipping for it, his sorrow would only be natural. Or if a man was

sorry for being intoxicated because he lost his situation and injured

his health, he would not have the necessary kind of sorrow. These

persons must be sorry for stealing, lying, or being intoxicated because

all these are sins against God--things forbidden by Him and worthy of

His punishment. If we are sorry for having offended God on account of

His own goodness, our contrition is said to be perfect. If we are sorry

for the sins because by them we are in great danger of being punished by

God, or because we have lost Heaven by them, and without any regard for

God's own goodness, then our contrition is said to be imperfect.

Imperfect contrition is called attrition.

 

*199 Q. 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 our mortal sins without exception.

 

"Universal." If a person committed ten mortal sins, and was sorry for

nine, but not for the tenth, then none of the sins would be forgiven. If

you committed a thousand mortal sins, and were sorry for all but one,

none would be forgiven. Why? Because you can never have God's grace and

mortal sin in the soul at the same time. Now this mortal sin will be on

your soul till you are sorry for it, and while it is on your soul God's

grace will not come to you. Again, you cannot be half sorry for having

offended God; either you must be entirely sorry, or not sorry at all.

Therefore you cannot be sorry for only part of your mortal sins.

 

*200 Q. 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.

 

201 Q. 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.

 

We consider an evil great in proportion to the length of time we have to

bear it. To be blind is certainly a misfortune; but it is a greater

misfortune to be blind for our whole life than for one day. Sin,

therefore, is the greatest of all evils; because the misfortune it

brings upon us lasts not merely for a great many years, but for all

eternity. Even slight sufferings would be terrible if they lasted

forever, but the sufferings for mortal sin are worse than we can

describe or imagine, and they are forever. The greatest evils in this

world will not last forever, and are small when compared with sin. Sin

makes us ungrateful to God, who gives us our existence.

 

"Our Preserver," because if God ceased to watch over us and provide for

us, even for a short time, we would cease to exist.

 

"Our Redeemer," who suffered so much for us.

 

*202 Q. How many kinds of contrition are there?

A. There are two kinds of contrition: perfect contrition and imperfect

contrition.

 

*203 Q. 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.

 

It can be a very hard thing to have perfect contrition, but we should

always try to have it, so that our contrition may be as perfect as

possible. This perfect contrition is the kind of contrition we must have

if our mortal sins are to be forgiven if we are in danger of death and

cannot go to confession. Imperfect contrition with the priest's

absolution will blot out our mortal sins.

 

*204 Q. 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.

 

*205 Q. 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.

 

206 Q. 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.

 

"Fixed." Not for a certain time, but for all the future.

 

207 Q. 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.

 

"Occasions." There are many kinds of occasions of sin. First, we have

voluntary and necessary occasions, or those we can avoid and those we

cannot avoid. For example: if a companion uses immodest conversation we

can avoid that occasion, because we can keep away from him; but if the

one who sins is a member of our own family, always living with us, we

cannot so easily avoid that occasion. Second, near and remote occasions.

An occasion is said to be "near" when we usually fall into sin by it.

For instance, if a man gets intoxicated almost every time he visits a

certain place, then that place is a "near occasion" of sin for him; but

if he gets intoxicated only once out of every fifty times or so that he

goes there, then it is said to be a "remote occasion." Now, it is not

enough to avoid the sins: we must also avoid the occasions. If we have a

firm purpose of amendment, if we desire to do better, we must be

resolved to avoid everything that will lead us to sin. It is not enough

to say, I will go to that place or with that person, but I will never

again commit the same sins. No matter what you think now, if you go into

the occasion, you will fall again; because Our Lord, who cannot speak

falsely, says: "He who loves the danger will perish in it." Now the

occasion of sin is always "the danger"; and if you go into it, Our

Lord's words will come true, and you will fall miserably. Take away the

cause, take away the occasion, and then the sin will cease of itself.

Let us suppose the plaster in your house fell down, and you found that

it fell because there was a leak in the water-pipe above, and the water

coming through wet the plaster and made it fall. What is the first thing

your father would do in that case? Why, get a plumber and stop up the

leak in the pipe before putting up the plaster again. Would it not be

foolish to engage a plasterer to repair the ceiling while the pipe was

still leaking? Everyone would say that man must be out of his mind: the

plaster will fall down as often as he puts it up, and it matters not

either how well he puts it up. If he wants it to stay up, he must first

mend the pipe--take away the cause of its falling. Now the occasion of

sin is like the leak in the pipe--in the case of sin, it will very

likely cause you to fall every time. Stop up the leak, take away the

occasion, and then you will not fall into sin--at least not so

frequently.

 

"The persons" are generally bad companions, and though they may not be

bad when alone, they are bad when with us, and thus we become also bad

companions for them, and occasions of sin.

 

"The places." Liquor saloons, low theaters, dance halls, and all places

where we may see or hear anything against faith or morals.

 

"Things." Bad books, pictures, and the like.

 

 

 

Lesson 19

ON CONFESSION

 

208 Q. What is Confession?

A. Confession is the telling of our sins to a duly authorized priest,

for the purpose of obtaining forgiveness.

 

"Duly authorized"--one sent by the bishop of the diocese in which you

are.

 

"Forgiveness." You might tell a priest all your sins while in ordinary

conversation with him, but that would not be confession, because you

would not be telling them to have them pardoned. If a person has lost

the use of his speech, he can make his confession by writing his sins on

a paper and giving it to the priest in the confessional. If the priest

returns the paper the penitent must be careful to destroy it afterwards.

Also, if you have a poor memory you may write down the sins you wish to

confess, and read them from the paper in the confessional; then you also

must be careful to destroy the paper after confession. If a person whose

language the priest does not understand is dying, or is obliged to make

his yearly confession, he must tell what he can by signs, show that he

is sorry for his sins, and thus receive absolution. In a word, the

priest would act with him as he would with one who had lost the use of

his speech and power to write.

 

209 Q. 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.

 

"Bound"--obliged in such a way that our confession would be bad if we

did not tell them.

 

"Well," because we should tell all the sins we can remember; but if we

did not tell a venial sin after we had told a mortal sin, our confession

would not be bad. Or if we committed a little venial sin after

confession, that should not keep us from Holy Communion; because the

Holy Communion itself would blot out that and any other venial sin we

might have upon our souls: so that you should never let anything keep

you away, unless you are certain you have committed a mortal sin after

the confession, or have broken your fast.

 

*210 Q. What 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.

 

*211 Q. 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.

 

*212 Q. When is our confession sincere?

A. Our confession is sincere when we tell our sins honestly and

truthfully, neither exaggerating nor excusing them.

 

"Exaggerating." You must never tell in confession a sin you did not

commit, any more than conceal one you did commit. You must tell just the

sins committed, and no more or less; and if you are in doubt whether you

have committed the sin, or whether the thing done was a sin, then you

must tell your doubts to the priest: but do not say you committed such

and such sins when you do not know whether you did or not, or only

because you think it likely that you did.

 

*213 Q. 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.

 

"Number"--the exact number, if you know it; as, for example, when we

miss Mass we can generally tell exactly the number of times. But when we

tell lies, for instance, we may not know the exact number: then we say

how often in the day, or that it is a habit with us, etc.

 

"Kinds"--whether they are cursing, or stealing, or lying, etc.

 

"Circumstances which change their nature." In the case of stealing, for

example, you need not tell whether it was from a grocery, a bakery, or

dry-goods store you stole, for that circumstance does not change the

nature of the sin: you have simply to tell the amount you took. But if

you stole from a church you would have to tell that, because that is a

circumstance that gives the sin of stealing a new character, and makes

it sacrilegious stealing. Or if you stole from a poor beggar all he

possessed in the world, so that you left him starving, that would be a

circumstance making your sin worse, and so you would have to tell it.

Therefore you have to tell any circumstance that really makes your sin

much worse or less than it seems; all other circumstances you need not

tell: they will only confuse you, and make you forget your sins and

waste the priest's time.

 

214 Q. 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 have sinned in a day,

a week, or a month and how long the habit or practice has lasted.

 

*215 Q. 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.

 

216 Q. Is it a grievous offense willfully to conceal a mortal sin in

confession?

A. It is a grievous offense willfully to conceal a mortal sin in

confession, because we thereby tell a lie to the Holy Ghost, and make

our confession worthless.

 

"A lie to the Holy Ghost." God sees every sin we commit, and in His

presence we present ourselves to the priest in the confessional, and

declare that we are confessing all. If, then, we willfully conceal a sin

that we are bound to confess, God is a witness to our sacrilegious lie.

If I see you in some place to which you were forbidden to go, and you,

knowing that I saw you, positively deny that you were there, your guilt

would be doubly great, for, besides the sin of disobedience committed by

going to the forbidden place, you also resist the known truth, and

endeavor to prove that I, when I declare I saw you, am telling what is

untrue. In a similar manner, concealing a sin in confession is

equivalent to denying before God that we are guilty of it. Besides, it

is a great folly to conceal a sin, because it must be confessed sooner

or later, and the longer we conceal it the deeper will be our sense of

shame for the sacrileges committed. Again, why should one be ashamed to

confess to the priest what he has not been ashamed to do before God,

unless he has greater respect for the priest than he has for the

Almighty God--an absurdity we cannot believe. Moreover, the shame you

experience in telling your sins is a kind of penance for them. Do you

not suppose Our Lord knew, when He instituted the Sacrament of Penance,

that people would be ashamed to confess? Certainly He did; and that act

of humility is pleasing to God, and is a kind of punishment for your

sins, and probably takes away some of the punishment you would have to

suffer for them. Often, too, the thought of having to confess will keep

you from committing the sin. There is another thought that should

encourage us to gladly make a full confession of all our sins, and it is

this: it is easier to tell them to the priest alone than to have them

exposed, unforgiven, before the whole world on the Day of Judgment. Do

not imagine that your confessor will think less of you on account of

your sins. The confessor does not think of your sins after he leaves the

confessional. How could he remember all the confessions he hears--often

hundreds in a single month? And what is more--he does not even wish to

recall the sinful things heard in the confessional, because he wishes to

keep his own mind pure, and his soul free from every stain. The priest

is always better pleased to hear the confession of a great sinner or of

one who has been a long time from the Sacraments, than of one who goes

frequently or who has little to tell. He is not glad, of course, that

the sinner has committed great sins, but he is glad that since he has

had the misfortune to sin so much, he has now the grace and courage to

seek forgiveness. Our Lord once said (Luke 15:7) while preaching, that

the angels and saints in Heaven rejoice more at seeing one sinner doing

penance than they do over ninety-nine good persons who did not need to

do penance. The greater the danger to which a person has been exposed,

the more thankful he and his friends are for escape or recovery from it.

If your brother fell into the ocean and was rescued just as he was going

down for the last time, you would feel more grateful than if he was

rescued from some little pond into which he had slipped, and in which

there was scarcely any danger of his being drowned. So, also, the nearer

we are to losing our, souls and going to Hell, the more delighted the

angels and saints are when we are saved. One who has escaped great

danger will more carefully avoid similar accidents in the future: in

like manner, the sinner, after having escaped the danger of eternal

death by the pardon of his sins, should never again risk his salvation.

 

217 Q. What must he do who has willfully concealed a mortal sin in

confession?

A. He who has willfully 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.

 

"Willfully." Remember, forgetting is not the same as concealing; but if

you should willfully neglect to examine your conscience or make any

effort to know your sins before going to confession, then forgetting

would be equivalent to concealing. Without any preparation your

confession could hardly be a good one. When you are in doubt whether an

action is sinful or not, or whether you have confessed it before, you

should not leave the confessional with the doubt upon your mind.

 

It is a foolish practice, however, to be always disturbing your

conscience by thinking of past sins, especially of those that occurred

very early in your life. Sometimes it is dangerous; because if, while

thinking of your past sins, you should take pleasure in them, you would

commit a new sin similar to the past sins in which you take delight.

 

It is best, therefore, not to dwell in thought upon any particular past

sin with the time, place, and circumstances of its commission; but

simply to remember in general that you have in the past sinned against

this or that Commandment or virtue.

 

The past is no longer under our control, while the future is, and

becomes for us, therefore, the all-important portion of our lives. Not

unfrequently it may be an artifice of the devil to keep us so occupied

with past deeds that we may not attend to the dangers of the future. Do

not, then, after your confession spend your time in thinking of the sins

you confessed, but of how you will avoid them in the future. When a

wound is healed up, nobody thinks of opening it again to see if it has

healed properly; so when the wounds made in our souls by sin are healed

up by the absolution, we should not open them again.

 

This is the rule with regard to our ordinary confessions; but we should

sometimes make a general confession. What is a general confession? It is

the confession of the sins of our whole life or of a portion--say one,

two or five, etc., years--of our life. A general confession may be

necessary, useful, or hurtful. It is necessary, as you know, when our

past confessions were bad. It is useful, though not necessary, on

special occasions in our lives; for example, in the time of a retreat or

mission; in the time of preparation for First Communion, Confirmation,

Matrimony, etc., or in preparing for death. It is very useful also for

persons about to change their state of life; for such as are about to

become priests or religious, etc. It is useful because it gives us a

better knowledge of the state of our souls, as we see their condition

not merely for a month or two, but for our whole lifetime. We are

looking at them as God will look at them in the Last Judgment,

considering all the good and evil we have ever done, and comparing the

amount of the one with the amount of the other. We resolve to increase

the good and diminish the evil in our future lives. We promise to do

penance for the past and to avoid sin for the future; and thus we are

benefited in general confession by this judgment of ourselves, as we may

call it.

 

General confession is hurtful to scrupulous persons. Scrupulous persons

are those who think almost everything they do is a sin. They are always

dissatisfied with their confessions, and fear to approach the

Sacraments. Their conscience is never at ease, and they are forever

unhappy. It is very wrong for them to think and act in this manner, and

they must use every means in their power to overcome their scruples.

 

Our Lord in His goodness never intended to make us unhappy by

instituting the Sacraments, but on the contrary to make us happy, and

set our minds and consciences at ease in the reception of His grace.

Scrupulous persons must do exactly whatever their confessor advises, no

matter what they themselves may think. Such persons, as you can plainly

see, should not make general confessions, because their consciences

would be more disturbed than pacified by them.

 

You prepare for general confession as you would for any other, except

that you take a longer time for it, and do not pay so much attention to

your more trifling sins.

 

218 Q. 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.

 

"Penance." The little penance the priest gives may not fully satisfy

God, but shows by our accepting it that we are willing to do penance.

What, for example, is a penance of five "Our Fathers" compared with the

guilt of one mortal sin, for which we would have to suffer in Hell for

all eternity? Then think of the penances performed by the Christians

many centuries ago, in the early ages of the Church. There were four

stages of penance. The churches were divided into four parts by railings

and gates. The first railing across the church was at some distance from

the altar, the second was a little below the middle of the church, and

the third was near the door. Those who committed great sins had to stand

clad in coarse garments near the entrance of the church, and beg the

prayers of those who entered. After they had done this kind of penance

for a certain time, they were allowed to come into the church as far as

the second railing. They were allowed to hear the sermon, but were not

permitted to be present at the Mass. After doing sufficient penance,

they were allowed to remain for Mass, but could not receive Holy

Communion. When they had performed all the penance imposed upon them,

they were allowed to receive the Sacraments and enjoy all the rights and

privileges of faithful children of the Church. These penances lasted for

many days and sometimes for years, according to the gravity of the sins

committed. The sins for which these severe penances were performed were

generally sins that had been committed publicly, and hence the penance,

amendment, and reparation had also to be public.

 

"Temporal Punishment." Every sin has two punishments attached to it, one

called the eternal and the other the temporal. Let me explain by an

example. If I, turning highway robber, waylay a man, beat him and steal

his watch, I do him, as you see, a double injury, and deserve a double

punishment for the twofold crime of beating and robbing him. He might

pardon me for the injuries caused by the beating, but that would not

free me from the obligation of restoring to him his watch or its value,

for the fact that he forgives me for the act of stealing does not give

me the right to keep what justly belongs to him. Now, when we sin

against God we in the first place insult Him, and secondly rob Him of

what is deservedly His due; namely, the worship, respect, obedience,

love, etc., that we owe Him as our Creator, Preserver, and Redeemer.

 

In the Sacrament of Penance God forgives the insult offered by sinning,

but requires us to make restitution for that of which the sin has

deprived Him. In every sin there is an act of turning away from God and

an act of turning to some creature in His stead. If a soldier pledged to

defend his country deserts his army in time of war, he is guilty of a

dishonorable, contemptible act; but if, besides deserting his own army,

he goes over to aid the enemy, he becomes guilty of another and still

greater crime--he becomes a traitor for whom the laws of nations reserve

their severest penalties. By sin we, who in Baptism and Confirmation

have promised to serve God and war against His enemies, desert Him and

go over to them; for Our Blessed Lord has said: He that is not with Me

is against Me.

 

We pay the temporal debt due to our sins, that is, make the restitution,

by our penances upon earth, or by our suffering in Purgatory, or by both

combined.

 

The penances performed upon earth are very acceptable and pleasing to

God; and hence we should be most anxious to do penance here that we may

have less to suffer in Purgatory. St. Augustine, who had been a great

sinner, often prayed that God might send him many tribulations while on

earth, that he might have less to endure in Purgatory. Therefore, after

performing the penance the priest gives you in the confessional, it is

wise to impose upon yourself other light penances in keeping with your

age and condition, but never undertake severe penances or make religious

vows and promises without consulting your confessor. In every case be

careful first of all to perform the penance imposed upon you in the

reception of the Sacrament. The penance given in confession has a

special value, which none of the penances selected by yourself could

have.

 

If you forget to say your penance, your confession is not on that

account worthless; but as the penance is one of the parts of the

Sacrament, namely, the satisfaction, you should say it as soon as

possible, and in the manner your confessor directs. If you cannot

perform the penance imposed by your confessor, you should inform him of

that fact, and ask him to give you another in its stead.

 

Indulgences also are a means of satisfying for this temporal punishment.

Sometimes God inflicts the temporal punishment in this world by sending

us misfortunes or sufferings, especially such as are brought on by the

sins committed.

 

*219 Q. 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.

 

Remember that Baptism differs from Penance in this respect, that

although they both remit sin, Penance does not take away all the

temporal punishment, while Baptism takes away all the punishment, both

eternal and temporal; so that if we died immediately after Baptism we

would go directly to Heaven, while if we died immediately after Penance

we would generally go to Purgatory to make satisfaction for the temporal

debt.

 

*220 Q. 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 failing again.

 

*221 Q. 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.

 

"Chief," but not the only means. "Fasting," especially the fasts imposed

by the Church--in Lent for instance. Lent is the forty days before

Easter Sunday during which we 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. "Almsgiving"--that is, money or goods given to

the poor. "Spiritual" works of mercy are those good works we do for

persons' souls. "Corporal" works of mercy are those we do for their

bodies. "Ills of life"--sickness or poverty or misfortune, especially

when we have not brought them upon ourselves by sin.

 

*222 Q. 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.

 

"To admonish the sinner." If we love our neighbor we should help him in

his distress, even when it is an inconvenience to us. We should help him

also to correct his faults, we should point them out and warn him of

them. We are obliged to do so in the following circumstances: First.

When his fault is a mortal sin. Second. When we have some authority or

influence over him. Third. When there is reason to believe that our

warning will make him better instead of worse. If our advice only makes

him worse, then we should not say anything to him about his fault, but

keep out of his company ourselves. "Ignorant" especially in their

religion. "Doubtful" about something in religion which you can explain

and make clear to them. "Comfort," saying kind words of encouragement to

them. "Wrongs," things not deserved; for example, persons talking ill

about us, accusing us falsely, etc.; but if the false accusations, etc.,

are going to give scandal, then we must defend ourselves against them.

If, for instance, lies were told about the father of a family, and it

were likely all his children would believe them and lose their respect

for his authority, then he must let them know the truth. But when we

patiently suffer wrongs that injure only ourselves, and that are known

only to God and ourselves, God sees our sufferings and rewards us. What

matters it what people think we are if God knows all our doings and is

pleased with them? "Living"--especially for the conversion of sinners,

or for those who are on their deathbed. "The dead"--those suffering in

Purgatory, especially if we have ever caused them to sin.

 

*223 Q. 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.

 

"Ransom the captive"--that is, chiefly those who while teaching or

defending the true religion in pagan lands are taken prisoners by the

enemies of our faith. You have perhaps heard of the Crusades or read

about them in your history. Now let me briefly tell you what they were

and why they were commenced. About the year 570, that is, about thirteen

hundred years ago, when the Christian religion was spread over nearly

the whole world, a man named Mahomet was born in Arabia. He pretended to

be a great prophet sent from God, and gathered many followers about him.

He told them his religion must be spread by the sword. He plundered

cities and towns, and divided the spoils with his followers. He told

them that all who died fighting for him would certainly go to Heaven. In

a short time his followers became very numerous; for his religion was an

easy and profitable one, allowing them to commit sin without fear of

punishment, and giving them share of his plunder. Many others not

influenced by these motives joined his religion for fear of being put to

death. His followers were afterwards called by the general name of

Saracens. They took possession of the Holy Land, of the City of

Jerusalem, of the tomb of Our Lord, and of every spot rendered dear to

Christians by Our Saviour's life and labors there. They persecuted the

Christians who went to visit the Holy Land, and put many of them to

death. When the news of these dreadful crimes reached Europe, the

Christian kings and princes, at the request of the Pope, raised large

armies and set out for the East to war against the Saracens and recover

the Holy Land. Eight of these expeditions, or Crusades, as they are

called, went out during two hundred years, that is, from 1095 to 1272.

Those who took part in them are called Crusaders, from the word cross,

because every soldier wore a red cross upon his shoulder.

 

Some of these expeditions were successful, and some were not; but, on

the whole, they prevented the Saracens from coming to Europe and taking

possession of it. Many of the Christian soldiers and many of the

pilgrims who visited the Holy Land were taken prisoners by the Saracens

and held, threatened with death, till the Christians in Europe paid

large sums of money as a ransom for their liberty. To free these

captives was a great act of charity, and is one of the corporal works of

mercy. Ransom means to pay money for another's freedom. Even now there

are sometimes captives in pagan lands.

 

A pilgrim is one who goes on a journey to visit some holy place for the

purpose of thus honoring God. He would not be a pilgrim if he went

merely through curiosity. He must go with the holy intention of making

his visit an act of worship. In our time pilgrimages to the Holy Land,

to Rome, and other places are quite frequent. "To harbor"--that is, to

give one who has no home a place of rest. A harbor is an inlet of the

ocean where ships can rest and be out of danger; so we can also call the

home or place of rest given to the homeless a harbor. "Sick," especially

the sick poor and those who have no friends. "To bury" those who are

strangers and have no friends. All Christians are bound to perform these

works of mercy in one way or another. We have been relieved to some

extent of doing the work ourselves by the establishment of institutions

where these things are attended to by communities of holy men or women

called religious. They take charge of asylums for the orphans, homes for

the aged and poor, hospitals for the sick, etc., while many devote

themselves to teaching in colleges, academies, and schools. But if these

good religious do the work for us, we are obliged on our part to give

them the means to carry it on. Therefore we should contribute according

to our means to charitable institutions, and indeed to all institutions

that promote the glory of God and the good of our religion. To explain

more fully, religious are self-sacrificing men and women who, wishing to

follow the evangelical counsels, dedicate their lives to the service of

God. They live together in communities approved by the Church, under the

rule and guidance of their superiors. Their day is divided between

prayer, labor, and good works, more time being given to one or other of

these according to the special end or aim of the community. The houses

in which they live are called convents or monasteries, and the societies

of which they are members are called religious orders, communities, or

congregations. In some of these religious communities of men all the

members are priests, in others some are priests and some are brothers,

and in others still all are brothers. Priests belonging to the religious

orders are called the regular clergy, to distinguish them from the

secular clergy or priests who live and labor in the parishes to which

they are assigned by their bishops. Sisters and nuns mean almost the

same thing, but we generally call those nuns who live under a more

severe rule and never leave the boundaries of their convent. In like

manner friars, monks, and brothers lead almost the same kind of life,

except that the monks practice greater penances and live under stricter

rules. A hermit is a holy man who lives alone in some desert or lonely

place, and spends his life in prayer and mortification. In the early

ages of the Church there were many of these hermits, or Fathers of the

desert, but now religious live together in communities.

 

The members of religious orders of men or women take three vows, namely,

of poverty, chastity, and obedience. These orders were founded by holy

persons for some special work approved of by the Church. Thus the

Dominicans were founded by St. Dominic, and their special work was to

preach the Gospel and convert heretics or persons who had fallen away

from the Faith. The Jesuit Fathers were organized by St. Ignatius

Loyola, and their work is chiefly teaching in colleges, and giving

retreats and missions. So also have the Redemptorists, Franciscans,

Passionists, etc., their special works, chiefly the giving of missions.

In a word, every community, of either men or women, must perform the

particular work for which it was instituted.

 

But why, you will ask, are there different religious orders? In the

first place, all persons are not fitted for the same kind of work: some

can teach, others cannot; some can bear the fatigue of nursing the sick,

and others cannot. Secondly, when Our Lord was on earth He performed

every good work and practiced every virtue perfectly. He fasted, prayed,

helped the needy, comforted the sorrowful, healed the sick, taught the

ignorant, defended the oppressed, admonished sinners, etc. It would be

impossible for any one community to imitate Our Lord in all His works,

so each community takes one or more particular works of Our Lord, and

tries to imitate Him as perfectly as possible in these at least. Some

communities devote their time to prayer; others attend the sick; others

teach, etc.; and thus when all unite their different works the combined

result is a more perfect imitation of Our Lord's life upon earth.

 

 

 

Lesson 20

ON THE MANNER OF MAKING A GOOD CONFESSION

 

*224 Q. 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."

 

*225 Q. 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.

 

*226 Q. 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.

 

"We may wish." We should tell every real sin we have never confessed. If

we have no mortal sin to confess, it is well to tell some kind of mortal

sin we have committed in our past life, though confessed before. We

should do this because when we have only very small sins to confess

there is always danger that we may not be truly sorry for them, and

without sorrow there is no forgiveness. But when we add to our

confession some mortal sin that we know we are sorry for, then our

sorrow extends to all our sins, and makes us certain that our confession

is a good one. If you should hear the sin of another person while you

are waiting to make your own confession, you must keep that sin secret

forever. If the person in the confessional is speaking too loud, you

should move away so as not to hear; and if you cannot move, hold your

hands on your ears so that you may not hear what is being said.

 

*227 Q. What must we do when the confessor asks us questions?

A. When the confessor asks us questions, we must answer them truthfully

and clearly.

 

*228 Q. 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.

 

The priest in the confessional acts as judge, father, teacher, and

physician. As judge he listens to your accusations against yourself, and

passes sentence according to your guilt or innocence. As a father and

teacher he loves you, and tries to protect you from your enemies by

warning you against them, and teaching you the means to overcome them.

But above all, he is a physician, who will treat your soul for its ills

and restore it to spiritual health. He examines the sins you have

committed, discovers their causes, and then prescribes the remedies to

be used in overcoming them. When anything goes amiss with our bodily

health we speedily have recourse to the physician, listen anxiously to

what he has to say, and use the remedies prescribed. In the very same

way we must follow the priest's advice if we wish our souls to be cured

of their maladies. Just as a person who is unwell would not go one day

to one physician and the next day to another, so a penitent should not

change confessors without a good reason; and if you have any choice to

make let it be made in the beginning, and let it rest on worthy motives.

In a short time your confessor will understand the state of your soul,

as the physician who frequently examines you does the state of your

body. He will know all the temptations, trials, and difficulties with

which you have to contend. He will see whether you are becoming better

or worse; whether you are resisting your bad habits or falling more

deeply into them; also, whether the remedies given are suited to you,

and whether you are using them properly. All this your confessor will

know, and it will save you the trouble of always repeating, and him the

trouble of always asking. Thus the better your confessor knows you and

all the circumstances of your life, the more will he be able to help

you; for besides the forgiveness of your sins there are many other

benefits derived from the Sacrament of Penance.

 

But if at any time there should be danger of your making a bad

confession to your own confessor--on account of some feeling of false

shame--then go to any confessor you please; for it is a thousand times

better to seek another confessor than run the risk of making a

sacrilegious confession.

 

Never be so much attached to any one confessor that you would remain

away from the Sacraments a long time rather than go to another in his

absence.

 

You should not consider the person in the confessional, but the power he

exercises. You should be anxious concerning only this fact: Is there a

priest there who was sent by Our Lord? Is there a minister of Christ

there who has power to pardon my sins? If so, I will humbly go to him,

no matter who he is or what his dispositions.

 

*229 Q. 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.

 

*230 Q. 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.

 

All, especially children, should know this act well before going to

confession.

 

 

 

Lesson 21

ON INDULGENCES

 

231 Q. What is an indulgence?

A. An indulgence is the remission in whole or in part of the temporal

punishment due to sin.

 

I have explained before what the temporal punishment is; namely, the

debt which we owe to God after He has forgiven our sins, and which we

must pay in order that satisfaction be made. It is, as I said, the value

of the watch we must return after we have been pardoned for the act of

stealing. I said this punishment must be blotted out by our penance.

Now, the Church gives us an easy means of so doing, by granting us

indulgences. She helps us by giving us a share in the merits of the

Blessed Virgin and of the saints. All this we have explained when

speaking in the Creed of the communion of saints.

 

*232 Q. 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.

 

If you are in a state of mortal sin you lose the merit of any good works

you perform. God promises to reward us for good works, and if we are in

the state of grace when we do the good works, God will keep His promise

and give us the reward; but if we are in mortal sin, we have no right or

claim to any reward for good works, because we are enemies of God. For

this reason alone we should never remain even for a short time in mortal

sin, since it is important for us to have all the merit we can. Even

when we will not repent and return to Him, God rewards us for good works

done by giving us some temporal blessings or benefits here upon earth.

He never allows any good work to go unrewarded any more than He allows

an evil deed to go unpunished. Although God is so good to us we

nevertheless lose very much by being in a state of mortal sin; for God's

grace is in some respects like the money in a bank: the more grace we

receive and the better we use it, the more He will bestow upon us. When

you deposit money in a savings bank, you get interest for it; and when

you leave the interest also in the bank, it is added to your capital,

and thus you get interest for the interest. So God not only gives us

grace to do good, but also grace for doing the good, or, in other words,

He gives us grace for using His grace.

 

233 Q. How many kinds of indulgences are there?

A. There are two kinds of indulgences--plenary and partial.

 

234 Q. What is a plenary indulgence?

A. A plenary indulgence is the full remission of the temporal punishment

due to sin.

 

"Full remission"; so that if you gained a plenary indulgence and died

immediately afterwards, you would go at once to Heaven. Persons go to

Purgatory, as you know, to have the temporal punishment blotted out; but

if you have no temporal punishment to make satisfaction for, there is no

Purgatory for you. Gaining a plenary indulgence requires proper

dispositions, as you may understand from its very great advantages. To

gain it we must not only hate sin and be heartily sorry even for our

venial sins, but we must not have a desire for even venial sin. We

should always try to gain a plenary indulgence, for in so doing we

always gain at least part of it, or a partial indulgence, greater or

less according to our dispositions.

 

235 Q. What is a partial indulgence?

A. A partial indulgence is the remission of a part of the temporal

punishment due to sin.

 

*236 Q. How does the Church by means of indulgences remit the temporal

punishment due to sins?

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.

 

"Superabundant" means more than was necessary. (See explanation of

communion of saints in the "Creed.")

 

237 Q. What must we do to gain an indulgence?

A. To gain an indulgence we must be in a state of grace and perform the

works enjoined.

 

"Works"--to visit certain churches or altars; to give alms; to say

certain prayers, etc. For a plenary indulgence it is required in

addition to go to confession and Holy Communion, and to pray for the

intention of our Holy Father the Pope; for this last requirement it is

sufficient to recite one Our Father and one Hail Mary. Now, what does

praying for the intention of the Pope or bishop or anyone else mean? It

does not mean that you are to pray for the Pope himself, but for

whatever he is praying for or wishes you to pray for. For instance, on

one day the Holy Father may be praying for the success of some missions

that he is establishing in pagan lands; on another, he may be praying

that the enemies of the Church may not succeed in their plans against

it; on another, he may be praying for the conversion of some nation, and

so on; whatever he is praying for or wishes you to pray for is called

his intention.

 

There are three basic ways of gaining a partial indulgence. A partial

indulgence can be gained by: 1) raising one's heart to God amidst the

duties and trials of life and making a pious invocation, even only

mentally; 2) giving of oneself or one's goods to those in need; 3)

voluntarily depriving oneself of something pleasing, in a spirit of

penance.

 

A partial indulgence is also granted for reciting various well-known

prayers, such as the acts of faith, hope, charity and contrition, and

for performing certain acts of devotion, such as making a Spiritual

Communion.

 

To gain an indulgence you must also have the intention of gaining it.

There are many prayers that we sometimes say to which indulgences are

attached, and we do not know it. How can we gain them? By making a

general intention every morning while saying our prayers to gain all the

indulgences we can during the day, whether we know them or not. For

example, there is a partial indulgence granted us every time we devoutly

make the Sign of the Cross or devoutly use an article of devotion, such

as a crucifix or scapular, properly blessed by any priest. Many may not

know of these indulgences; but if they have the general intention

mentioned above, they will gain the indulgence every time they perform

the work. In the same way, by having this intention all those who are in

the habit of going to confession every two weeks are able to gain a

plenary indulgence when they fulfill the other prescribed conditions for

gaining a plenary indulgence, even when they do not know that they are

gaining the indulgence.

 

Since partial indulgences were formerly designated by specific amounts

of time, you sometimes see printed after a little prayer: An indulgence

of forty days, or, an indulgence of one hundred days, or of a year, etc.

What does that mean? Does it mean that a person who said that prayer

would get out of Purgatory forty days sooner than he would have if he

had not said it? No. I told you how the early Christians were obliged to

do public penance for their sins; to stand at the door of the church and

beg the prayers of those entering. Sometimes their penance lasted for

forty days, sometimes for one hundred days, and sometimes for a longer

period. By an indulgence of forty days the Church granted the remission

of as much of the temporal punishment as the early Christians would have

received for doing forty days' public penance. Just how much of the

temporal punishment God blotted out for forty days' public penance we do

not know; but whatever it was, God blotted out just the same for one who

gained an indulgence of forty days by saying a little prayer to which

the indulgence was attached. But why, you may wonder, did the early

Christians do such penances? Because in those days their faith was

stronger than ours, and they understood better than we do the malice of

sin and the punishment it deserves. Later the Christians grew more

careless about their religion and the service of God. The Church,

therefore, wishing to save its children, made it easier for them to do

penance. If it had continued to impose the public penances, many would

not have performed them, and thus would have lost their souls.

 

 

 

Lesson 22

ON THE HOLY EUCHARIST

 

238 Q. 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.

 

When we say "contains," we mean the Sacrament which is the body and

blood, etc. The Holy Eucharist is the same living body of Our Lord which

He had upon earth; but it is in a new form, under the appearances of

bread and wine. Therefore Our Lord in the tabernacle can see and hear

us.

 

*239 Q. When did Christ institute the Holy Eucharist?

A. Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, the night

before He died.

 

"Last Supper," on Holy Thursday night. (See Explanation of the Passion,

Lesson 8, Question 78.)

 

*240 Q. Who were present when Our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist?

A. When Our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist the twelve Apostles were

present.

 

*241 Q. 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."

 

"Eucharist" means thanks. Hence this Sacrament is called Eucharist,

because Our Lord gave thanks before changing the bread and wine into His

body and blood, and because the offering of it to God is the most solemn

act of thanksgiving. "Do this"--that is, the same thing I am doing,

namely, changing bread and wine into My body and blood.

"Commemoration"--that is, to remind you of Me, that you may continue to

do the same till the end of time.

 

*242 Q. 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.

 

"Substance" literally means that which stands underneath. Underneath

what? Underneath the outward appearances or qualities--such as color,

taste, figure, smell, etc.--that are perceptible to our senses.

Therefore we never see the substance of anything. Of this seat, for

instance, I see the color, size, and shape; I feel the hardness, etc.;

but I do not see the substance, namely, the wood of which it is made.

When the substance of anything is changed, the outward appearances

change with it. But not so in the Holy Eucharist; for by a miracle the

appearances of bread and wine remain the same after the substance has

been changed as they were before. As the substance alone is changed in

the Holy Eucharist, and as I cannot see the substance, I cannot see the

change. I am absolutely certain, however, that the change takes place,

because Our Lord said so; and I believe Him, because He could not

deceive me. He is God, and God could not tell a lie, because He is

infinite truth. This change is a great miracle, and that is the reason

we cannot understand it, though we believe it. Once at a marriage in

Cana of Galilee (John 2) Our Lord changed water into wine. The people

were poor, and Our Lord, His Blessed Mother, and the Apostles were

present at the wedding when the wine ran short; and our Blessed Lady,

always so kind to everyone, wishing to spare these poor people from

being shamed before their friends, asked Our Lord to perform the

miracle, and at her request He did so, and changed many vessels of water

into the best of wine. In that miracle Our Lord changed the substance of

the water into the substance of the wine. Why, then, could He not change

in the same way and by the same power the substance of bread and wine

into the substance of His own body and blood? When He changed the water

into wine, besides changing the substance, He changed everything else

about it; so that it had no longer the appearance of water, but everyone

could see that it was wine. But in changing the bread and wine into His

body and blood He changes only the substance, and leaves everything else

unchanged so that it still looks and tastes like bread and wine; even

after the change has taken place and you could not tell by looking at it

that it was changed. You know it only from your faith in the words of

our divine Lord, when He tells you it is changed.

 

Again, it is much easier to change one thing into another than to make

it entirely out of nothing. Anyone who can create out of nothing can

surely change one thing into another. Now Our Lord, being God, created

the world out of nothing; and He could therefore easily change the

substance of bread into the substance of flesh. I have said Our Lord's

body in the Holy Eucharist is a living body, and every living body

contains blood; and that is why we receive both the body and the blood

of Our Lord under the appearance of the bread alone. The priest receives

the body and blood of Our Lord under the appearance of both bread and

wine, while the people receive it only under the appearance of bread.

The early Christians used to receive it as the priest does--under the

appearance of bread and under the appearance of wine; but the Church had

to make a change on account of circumstances. First, all the people had

to drink from the same chalice or cup, and some would not like that, and

show disrespect for the Blessed Sacrament by refusing it. Then there was

great danger of spilling the precious blood, passing it from one to

another; and finally, some said that Christ's blood was not in His body

under the appearance of bread. This was false; and to show that it was

false, and for the other reasons, the Church after that gave Holy

Communion to the people under the appearance of bread alone. The Church

always believes and teaches the same truths. It always believed that the

Holy Eucharist under the appearance of bread contained also Our Lord's

blood; but it taught it more clearly when it was denied.

 

*243 Q. 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.

 

*244 Q. 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.

 

245 Q. 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.

 

"Senses"--that is, eyes, ears, etc. Thus we have the sense of seeing,

the sense of hearing, the sense of tasting, the sense of smelling, the

sense of feeling.

 

The Holy Eucharist is the body of Our Lord just as long as the

appearances of bread and wine remain, and when they go away Our Lord's

body goes also. For example, if a church, tabernacle and all, was buried

by a great earthquake, and after many years the people succeeded in

getting at the tabernacle and opening it, and then found in the

ciborium--that is, the vessel in which the Blessed Sacrament is kept in

the tabernacle--only black dust, Our Lord would not be there, although

He was there when the church was buried. He would not be there, because

there was no longer the appearance of bread there: it had all been

changed into ashes by time, and Our Lord left it when the change took

place. But if the appearance of bread had remained unchanged, He would

be there even after so many years.

 

When we receive Holy Communion, the appearance of bread remains for

about fifteen or twenty minutes after we receive, and then it changes or

disappears. Therefore during these fifteen or twenty minutes that the

appearance remains Our Lord Himself is really with us; and for that

reason we should remain about twenty minutes after Mass on the day we

receive, making a thanksgiving, speaking to Our Lord, and listening to

Him speaking to our conscience. What disrespect some people show Our

Lord by rushing out of the church immediately after Mass and Holy

Communion, sometimes beginning to talk or look around before making any

thanksgiving! When you receive Holy Communion, after returning to your

seat you need not immediately begin to read your prayerbook, but may bow

your head and speak to Our Lord while He is present with you. After the

appearances of bread vanish, Our Lord's bodily presence goes also, but

He remains with us by His grace as long as we do not fall into mortal

sin.

 

*246 Q. 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.

 

"Transubstantiation"--that is, the changing of one substance into

another substance; for example, the changing of the wood in a seat into

stone.

 

*247 Q. 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.

 

*248 Q. 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.

 

249 Q. 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 His Apostles, "Do this in commemoration

of Me."

 

250 Q. 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 the words of Christ: "This is My body; this is My blood."

 

"Consecration." At what part of the Mass are the words of consecration

pronounced? Just before the Elevation; that is, just before the priest

holds up the Host and the chalice, while the altar boy rings the bell.

 

When the priest is going to say Mass he prepares everything necessary in

the sacristy--the place or room near the altar where the sacred vessels

and vestments are kept, and where the priest vests. He takes the

chalice--that is, the long silver or gold goblet--out of its case; then

he covers it with a long, narrow, white linen cloth called a

purificator. Over this he places a small silver or gold plate called the

paten, on which he places a host--that is, a thin piece of white bread

prepared for Mass, perfectly round, and about the size of the bottom of

a small drinking glass. He then covers this host with a white card,

called a pall, after which he covers the chalice and all with a square

cloth or veil that matches the vestments. Then he puts on his own

vestments as follows: Over his shoulders the amice, a square, white

cloth. Next the alb, a long white garment reaching down to his feet. He

draws it about his waist with the cincture, or white cord. He places on

his left arm the maniple, a short, narrow vestment. Around his neck he

places the stole, a long, narrow vestment with a cross on each end. Over

all he places the chasuble, or large vestment with the cross on the

back. Lastly, he puts on his cap or biretta. Before going further I must

say something about the color and signification of the vestments. There

are five colors used, namely, white, red, green, violet, and black.

White signifies innocence, and is used on the feasts of Our Lord, of the

Blessed Virgin, and of some saints. Red signifies love, and is used on

the feasts of the Holy Ghost and of the martyrs. Green signifies hope,

and is used on Sundays from the Epiphany to Pentecost, unless some feast

requiring another color falls on Sunday. Violet signifies penance, and

is used in Advent and Lent. Black signifies sorrow, and is used on Good

Friday and in Masses for the dead. As regards the vestments themselves:

the amice signifies preparation to resist the attacks of the devil; the

alb is the symbol of innocence; the cincture of charity; the maniple of

penance; the stole of immortality; and the chasuble of love, by which we

are enabled to bear the light burden Our Lord is pleased to lay upon us.

 

Vested as described, when the candles have been lighted on the altar,

the priest takes the covered chalice in his hand and goes to the altar,

where, after arranging everything, he begins Mass. After saying many

prayers, he uncovers the chalice, and the acolyte or altar boy brings up

wine and water, and the priest puts some into the chalice. Then he says

a prayer, and offers to God the bread and wine to be consecrated. This

is called the offertory of the Mass, and takes place after the boy

presents the wine and water. Immediately after the Sanctus the priest

begins what is called the Canon of the Mass, and soon after comes to the

time of consecration, and has before him on the paten the white bread,

or host, and in the chalice wine. Remember, it is only bread and wine as

yet. After saying some prayers the priest bends down over the altar and

pronounces the words of consecration, namely, "This is My body," over

the bread; and "This is My blood," over the wine. Then there is no

longer the bread the priest brought out and the wine the boy gave, upon

the altar, but instead of both the body and blood of Our Lord. After the

words of consecration, the priest genuflects or kneels before the altar

to adore Our Lord, who just came there at the words of consecration; he

next holds up the body of Our Lord--the Host--for the people also to see

and adore it; he then replaces it on the altar and again genuflects. He

does just the same with the chalice. This is called the Elevation. The

altar boy then rings the bell to call the people's attention to it, for

it is the most solemn part of the Mass. After more prayers the priest

takes and consumes, that is, swallows, the sacred Host and drinks the

precious blood from the chalice. Then the people come up to the altar to

receive Holy Communion. But where does the priest get Holy Communion for

them if he himself took all he consecrated? He opens the tabernacle, and

there, in a large, beautiful vessel he has small Hosts. He consecrates a

large number of these small hosts sometimes while he is consecrating the

larger one for himself. When they are consecrated, he places them in the

tabernacle, where they are kept with the sanctuary lamp burning before

them, till at the different Masses they have all been given out to the

people. Then he consecrates others at the next Mass, and does as before.

The size of the Host does not make the slightest difference, as Our Lord

is present whole and entire in the smallest particle of the Host. A

little piece that you could scarcely see would be the body of Our Lord.

However, the particle that is given to the people is about the size of a

twenty-five-cent piece, so that they can swallow it before it melts. In

receiving Holy Communion you must never let it entirely dissolve in your

mouth, for if you do not swallow it you will not receive Holy Communion

at all.

 

Here I might tell you what Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is. The

priest sometimes consecrates at the Mass two large hosts, one he

consumes himself, as I have told you, and the other he places in the

tabernacle in a little gold case. When it is time for Benediction, he

places this little case--made of glass and gold, about the size of a

watch--in the gold or silver monstrance which you see on the altar at

Benediction. It is made to represent rays of light coming from the

Blessed Sacrament. After the choir sings, the priest says the prayer and

goes up and blesses the people with the Blessed Sacrament; that is, when

he holds up the monstrance over the people Our Lord Himself blesses

them. Should we not be very anxious, therefore, to go to Benediction? If

the bishop came to the church, we would all be anxious to receive his

blessing; and if our Holy Father the Pope came, everybody would rush to

the church. But what are they compared to Our Lord Himself? And yet when

He comes to give His blessing, many seem to care little about it.

Because Our Lord in His goodness is pleased to give us His blessing

often, we are indifferent about it. The holy teachers and fathers of the

Church tell us that if we could see the sanctuary at Mass and

Benediction as it really is, we would see it filled with angels all

bowed down, adoring Our Lord. These good angels must be very much

displeased at those who are so indifferent at Mass or Benediction as not

to pay any attention; and above all, at those who stay away. The large

silk cloak the priest wears at Benediction is called the cope, and the

long scarf that is placed over his shoulders the humeral, or Benediction

veil. At the words of consecration, you must know, the priest does not

say "This is Christ's body," but "This is My body"; for at the altar the

priest is there in the place of Our Lord Himself. It is Our Lord who

offers up the sacrifice, and the priest is His instrument. That is why

the priest wears vestments while saying Mass or performing his sacred

duties, to remind him that he is, as it were, another person; that he is

not acting in his own name or right, but in the name and place of our

Blessed Lord.

 

I have given you in a general way a description of the Mass: let me now

mention its particular parts by their proper names, and tell you what

they are. At the foot of the altar the priest says the Confiteor, a

psalm, and other prayers as a preparation. Then he ascends the altar

steps--praying as he goes--and says the Introit, which is some portion

of the Holy Scripture suitable to the feast of the day. He next says the

Kyrie Eleison, which means: Lord, have mercy on us. He then says the

Gloria, or hymn of praise, though not in all Masses. After the Gloria he

says the Collect, which is a collection of prayers in which the priest

prays for the needs of the Church and of its children. This is followed

by the Epistle, which is a part of the Holy Scripture. Then the

Mass-book is removed to the other side of the altar, and the priest

reads the Gospel--that is, some portion of the Gospel written by the

evangelists. After the Gospel the priest, except in some Masses, says

the Creed, which is a profession of his faith in the mysteries of our

religion. After this the priest uncovers the chalice, and offers up the

bread and wine which is to be consecrated. This is called the Offertory

of the Mass. The offertory is followed by the Lavabo, or washing of the

priest's hands: first, that the priest's hands may be purified to touch

the Sacred Host; and, second, to signify the purity of soul he must have

to offer the Holy Sacrifice. After saying some prayers in secret he says

the Preface, which is a solemn hymn of praise and thanksgiving. The

Preface ends with the Sanctus. The Sanctus is followed by the Canon of

the Mass. Canon means a rule; so this part of the Mass is called the

Canon, because it never changes. The Epistle, Gospel, prayers, etc., are

different on the different feasts, but the Canon of the Mass is always

the same. The Canon is the part of the Mass from the Sanctus down to the

time the priest again covers the chalice. After the Canon the priest

says the Post-Communion, or prayer after Communion; then he gives the

blessing and goes to the other side of the altar, and ends Mass by

saying the last Gospel.

 

During the Mass the priest frequently makes the Sign of the Cross,

genuflects or bends the knee before the altar, strikes his breast, etc.

What do all these ceremonies mean? By the cross the priest is reminded

of the death of Our Lord; he genuflects as an act of humility, and he

strikes his breast to show his own unworthiness. You will understand all

the ceremonies of the altar if you remember that Our Lord--the King of

kings--is present on it, and the priest acts in His presence as the

servants in a king's palace would act when approaching their king or in

his presence, showing their respect by bowing, kneeling, etc. You will

see this more clearly if you watch the movements of the priest at the

altar while the Blessed Sacrament is exposed.

 

 

 

Lesson 23

ON THE END FOR WHICH THE HOLY EUCHARIST WAS INSTITUTED

 

251 Q. Why did Christ institute the Holy Eucharist?

A. Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist:

 

(1) To unite us to Himself and to nourish our souls with His divine

    life.

(2) To increase sanctifying grace and all the virtues in our souls.

(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.

 

"To nourish." The Holy Eucharist does to our souls what natural food

does to our bodies. It strengthens them and makes up for the losses we

have sustained by sin, etc. "A pledge," because it does not seem

probable that a person who all during life had been fed and nourished

with the sacred body of Our Lord should after death be buried in Hell.

"To fit our bodies," because Our Lord has promised that if we eat His

flesh and drink His blood, that is, receive the Holy Eucharist, He will

raise us up on the last day, or Day of Judgment. (John 6:55).

 

*252 Q. 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.

 

253 Q. What is Holy Communion?

A. Holy Communion is the receiving of the body and blood of Christ.

 

Holy Communion is therefore the receiving of the Sacrament of Holy

Eucharist.

 

254 Q. What is necessary to make a good Communion?

A. To make a good Communion it is necessary to be in a state of

sanctifying grace, to be fasting for one hour, and to have a right

intention.

 

"Fasting"--that is, not having taken any food or drink for one hour

before the time of Communion. (Water and true medicine do not break the

fast and may be taken at any time.) What, then, are you to do, if,

without thinking, you break your fast? Do not go to Communion at that

Mass; you can remain in church and receive Communion at the following

Mass. Never, never, on any account, go to Holy Communion when you have

broken your fast. Never let fear or shame or anything else make you do

such a thing. It is no shame to break your fast by mistake; but it is a

great sin to knowingly go to Communion after breaking your fast.

 

"A right intention"--holy and spiritual motive, such as, to obey Our

Lord's command, to receive strength to resist temptation, or to be

united with Our Lord.

 

255 Q. 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.

 

"The body and blood," because the appearance of bread and wine is there

after consecration, and he receives it. He who receives the Holy

Eucharist in mortal sin receives Our Lord into a filthy soul. If a great

and highly-esteemed friend was coming to visit your house, would you not

take care to have everything clean and neat, and pleasing to him? And

the greater the dignity of the person coming, the more careful you would

be. But what are all the persons of dignity in the world--kings or

popes--compared with Our Lord, who leaves the beauties of Heaven to come

to visit our soul? and the purest we can make it is not pure enough for

Him. But He is kind to us, and is satisfied with our poor preparation if

He sees we are doing our very best. But oh, what a shame to receive Him

into our soul without any preparation! and more horrible still, to fill

it with vile sins, that we know are most disgusting to Him! No wonder,

therefore, that receiving Holy Communion unworthily is so great a crime,

and so deserving of God's punishment. Why should not the heavenly Father

punish us for treating His beloved Son with such shameful disrespect and

contempt?

 

*256 Q. 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.

 

*257 Q. What is the fast necessary for Holy Communion?

A. The fast necessary for Holy Communion is the abstaining for one hour

from everything which is taken as food or drink.

 

{T.N.: The reprint book, upon which this e-text is based, contains the

statement, "published . . . with minor revisions to conform with the new

regulations on fasting and indulgences, etc."}

 

"Food or drink." If you swallowed a button, for example, it would not

break your fast, because it is not food or drink.

 

*258 Q. Is anyone ever allowed to receive Holy Communion when not

fasting?

A. Anyone in danger of death is allowed to receive Communion when not

fasting.

 

"Not fasting." But then the Holy Communion is called by another name; it

is called the Viaticum, and the priest uses a different prayer in giving

it to the sick person. When a person dies, he goes, as it were, on a

journey from this world to the next. Now, when persons are going on a

journey they must have food to strengthen them. Our Lord wished,

therefore, that all His children who had to go on this most important of

all journeys--from this world to the next--should be first strengthened

by this sacred food, His own body and blood. The Latin word for road or

way is via, and Viaticum therefore means food for the way. Not only are

persons in danger of death allowed to receive when not fasting, but they

are obliged to receive; and the priest is obliged under pain of sin to

bring Holy Communion to the dying at any hour of the day or night.

 

When I speak of a great journey from this world to the next, from earth

to Heaven, you must not understand me to mean that it is a great many

miles from earth to Heaven, or that it takes a long time to go to the

next world. No. We cannot measure the distance, nor does it take time to

get there. The instant we die, no matter where that happens, our soul is

in the next world, and judged by God.

 

*259 Q. 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.

 

*260 Q. 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 graces and

the Source of all good.

 

*261 Q. 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 graces we have received and in asking Him for

the blessings we need.

 

 

 

Lesson 24

ON THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS

 

262 Q. 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.

 

263 Q. What is the Mass?

A. The Mass is the unbloody sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ.

 

The Holy Sacrifice is called Mass probably from the words the priest

says at the end when he turns to the people and says, "Ite Missa est";

that is, when he tells them the Holy Sacrifice is over.

 

*264 Q. 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.

 

"Sacrifice." From the very earliest history of man we find people--for

example, Abel, Noe, etc.--offering up sacrifice to God; that is, taking

something and offering it to God, and then destroying it to show that

they believed God to be the Master of life and death, and the Supreme

Lord of all things. These offerings were sometimes plants or fruits, but

most frequently animals.

 

When men lost the knowledge of the true God and began to worship idols

of wood and stone, they began or continued to offer sacrifice to these

false gods. Very often, too, they sacrificed human beings to please, as

they imagined, these gods. They believed there was a god for

everything--a god for the ocean, a god for thunder, a god for wind, for

war, etc.; and when anything happened that frightened or injured the

people, they believed that some of these gods were offended, and offered

up sacrifice to pacify them. They had a temple in Rome called the

Pantheon, or temple of all the gods, and here they kept the idols of all

the gods they could think of or know. At Athens, they were afraid of

neglecting any god whom they might thus give offense, and so they had an

altar for the unknown god. When St. Paul came to preach, he saw this

altar to the unknown god, and told them that was the God he came to

preach about. (Acts 17). He preached to them the existence of the true

God, and showed them that there is only one God and not many gods.

 

They did not have these idols of wood and stone in their temples for the

same reason that we have images in our churches, because they believed

that the idols were really gods, and offered sacrifice to them, whereas

we know that our images are the works of men. Near the city of Jerusalem

there was a great idol named Molech, to which parents offered their

infants in sacrifice. We know, too, from the history of this country

that the Indians used to send a beautiful young girl in a white canoe

over the falls of Niagara every year, as a sacrifice offered to the god

of the falls. Even yet human sacrifices are offered up on savage

islands. Sometimes certain animals were selected to be heathen gods. The

people who worship idols, animals, or other things of that kind as gods

are called pagans, idolaters, or heathens.

 

The Israelites, who worshipped the true God and offered Him sacrifices

because He made known to them by revelation that they should do so, had

four kinds of sacrifice. They offered one for sin, another in

thanksgiving for benefits received, another as an act of worship, and

another to beg God's blessing. It is just for these four ends or objects

we offer up the one Christian sacrifice of the holy Mass. In the

beginning the head of the family offered sacrifice--as Noe did when he

came out of the Ark--but after God gave His laws to Moses He appointed

priests to offer up the sacrifices. Aaron, the brother of Moses, was the

first priest appointed, and after him his descendants were priests. When

Our Lord came and instituted a new sacrifice He established the

priesthood of the New Law, and appointed His own priests, namely, the

Apostles, with St. Peter as their chief, and after them their lawfully

appointed successors, the bishops of the world, with the Pope as their

chief. The sacrifices of the Old Law were figures of the sacrifice of

the New Law, and were to cease at its institution; and when the ancient

sacrifices ceased the ancient priesthood was at an end.

 

265 Q. Is the Mass the same sacrifice as that of the Cross?

A. The Mass is the same sacrifice as that of the Cross.

 

But how is the Mass a sacrifice? It is a sacrifice because at the Mass

the body and blood of Our Lord are offered to His heavenly Father at the

consecration, and afterwards consumed by the priest. In offering up the

body and blood of Our Lord the bread and wine are consecrated

separately, and kept separate on the altar at Mass to signify their

separation at Our Lord's death in the sacrifice of the Cross, when His

sacred blood flowed from His body. The Holy Eucharist is also a

Sacrament, because it has the three things necessary to constitute a

Sacrament; namely, (1) The outward sign--that is, the appearance of

bread and wine. (2) The inward grace; for it is Jesus Christ Himself,

the Author and Dispenser of all graces. (3) It was instituted by Our

Lord.

 

The Holy Eucharist is therefore both a sacrifice and a Sacrament. It is

a sacrifice when offered at Mass, and a Sacrament when we receive it and

when it is reserved in the tabernacle.

 

*266 Q. 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.

 

On the Cross the offering was the body and blood of Our Lord; the one

who offered it was Our Lord; the reason for which He offered it was that

He might atone for sin; the one to whom He offered it was His heavenly

Father. Now, at Mass it is the same. The object offered is Our Lord's

body and blood, the one suffering is Our Lord Himself, through the

priest; it is offered for sin, and it is offered to the heavenly Father.

All things are the same, except that the blood of Our Lord is not shed,

and Our Lord does not die again.

 

*267 Q. What are the ends for which the sacrifice of the Cross was

offered?

A. The ends for which the sacrifice of the Cross was offered were:

first, to honor and glorify God; second, to thank Him for all the graces

bestowed on the whole world; third, to satisfy God's justice for the

sins of men; fourth, to obtain all graces and blessings.

 

*268 Q. 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.

 

269 Q. 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.

 

If you were admitted into the presence of a king or of the Holy Father

you would be careful not to show any indifference or disrespect in his

presence. You would not be guilty of looking around or of talking idly

to those near you. Your eyes would be constantly fixed on the great

person present. So should you be at Mass, for there you are admitted

into the presence of the King of kings, our divine Lord. Your whole

attention, therefore, should be reverently given to Him, and to no

other. How displeasing it must be to Him to have some in His presence

who care so little for Him and who insult Him without thought or regard!

If we acted in the presence of any prince as we sometimes act in the

presence of Our Lord on the altar, we should be turned out of his house,

with orders not to come again. But Our Lord suffers all patiently and

meekly, though He will not allow any of this disrespect to go unpunished

in this world or in the next. Knowing this, some holy persons offer up

their prayers and Holy Communions in reparation for these insults, and

try to atone for all the insults offered to Our Lord in the Blessed

Sacrament. They have united in holy society for this purpose, called the

Apostleship of Prayer, or League of the Sacred Heart, now established in

many parishes. If you do not belong to such a society, you should make

such an offering yourself privately.

 

In the Old Law the people brought to the temple whatever they wished the

priests to offer up for them--sometimes a lamb, sometimes a dove,

sometimes fruit, etc. The offering or sacrifice was theirs, and they

offered it up by the hands of the priests. In the early ages of the

Church the Christians brought to the priests the bread and wine to be

consecrated and offered up at Mass. Now as the bread and wine used at

the Mass must be of a particular kind, namely, wheaten bread and wine of

the grape, there was some danger of the people not bringing the proper

kind: so instead of the people bringing these things themselves, the

priests began to buy them, and the people gave him money for his own

support; and thus you have the origin of offering money to the priest

for celebrating Mass for your intention. The money is not to pay for the

Mass, because you could not buy any sacred thing without committing sin.

The priest may use the money also for the candles burned, the vestments

and sacred vessels, etc., used at the Mass. To buy a holy thing for

money is the sin of simony--so called after Simon, a magician, who tried

to bribe the Apostles to give him Confirmation when he was unworthy of

it. To buy religious articles before they are blessed is not simony, nor

even after they are blessed, if you pay only for the material of which

they are made; but if you tried to buy the blessing, it would be simony.

When the Holy Mass is offered, the fruits or benefits of it are divided

into four classes. The first benefit comes to the priest who celebrates

the Mass; the second, to the one for whom he offers the Mass; the third

benefit to those who are present at it; and the fourth to all the

faithful throughout the world.

 

*270 Q. 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.

 

That is, to offer it up for whatever intention the priest is offering

it--for the dead, for the conversion of sinners, for the good of others,

etc.; but especially for the four ends of which I have already

spoken--to worship God, thank Him, etc. "Christ's death," of which it

reminds us. "Holy Communion," if we are in a state of grace, and have

prepared to receive Communion.

 

You should go to Holy Communion as often as possible, and you should try

every day to make yourself more worthy of that great Sacrament. Think of

it! To receive your God and Saviour into your soul, and to be united

with Him, as the word communion means! The early Christians used to go

to Communion very frequently. The Church requires us to go to Holy

Communion at least once a year, but we should not be satisfied with

doing merely what is necessary to avoid mortal sin. Do we try to keep

away from persons we love? Then if we really love Our Lord should we not

desire to receive Him? All good Catholics should go to Holy Communion at

least once a week, on Sunday. Persons wishing to lead truly holy lives

should go to Communion more often, or even every day.

 

When we cannot go really to Communion we can merit God's grace by making

a spiritual Communion. What is a spiritual Communion? It is an earnest

desire to receive Communion. You prepare yourself as if you were really

going to Communion; you try to imagine yourself going up, receiving the

Blessed Sacrament, and returning to your place. Then you thank God for

all His blessings to you as you would have done had you received. This

is an act of devotion, and one very pleasing to God, as many holy

writers tell us.

 

I cannot leave this lesson on the Holy Eucharist without telling you

something of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, now so

universally practiced and so closely connected with the devotion to the

Blessed Sacrament. The Church grants many indulgences, and Our Lord

Himself promises many rewards to those who honor the Sacred Heart. But

what do we mean by the Sacred Heart? We mean the real natural heart of

Our Lord, to which His divinity is united as it is to His whole body.

But why do we adore this real, natural heart of Our Lord? We adore it

because love is said to be in the heart, and we wish to return Our Lord

love, and gratitude for the great love He has shown to us in dying for

us, and in instituting the Sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, by

which He can remain with us in His sacred humanity. When Our Lord

appeared to Saint Margaret Mary He said: "Behold this Heart, that has

loved men so ardently, and is so little loved in return." The first

Friday of every month and the whole month of June are dedicated to the

Sacred Heart.

 

 

 

Lesson 25

ON EXTREME UNCTION AND HOLY ORDERS

 

"Unction" means the anointing or rubbing with oil or ointment. "Extreme"

means last. Therefore Extreme Unction means the last anointing. It is

called the "last" because other unctions or anointings are received

before it. We are anointed at Baptism on three parts of the body--on the

breast, the back, and the head. We are anointed on the forehead at

Confirmation; and when priests are ordained they are anointed on the

hands. The last time we are anointed is just before death, and it is

therefore very properly called the last anointing, or Extreme Unction.

But if the person should not die after being anointed would it still be

called Extreme Unction? Yes; because at the time it was given it was

thought to be the last. It sometimes happens that persons receive

Extreme Unction several times in their lives, because they could receive

it every time they were in danger of death by sickness. Suppose a person

should die immediately after being anointed in Baptism or Confirmation,

would the anointing in Baptism or Confirmation then become Extreme

Unction? No. Because Extreme Unction is in itself a separate and

distinct Sacrament--a special anointing with prayers for the sick. Oil

is used in Extreme Unction--as in Confirmation--as a sign of strength;

for as the priest applies the holy oil in the Sacrament, the grace of

the Sacrament is taking effect upon the soul. This Sacrament was

instituted as much for the body as for the soul, as all the prayers said

by the priest while administering it indicate. It is given generally

after a person has made his confession and received the Viaticum, and

when his soul is already in a state of grace; showing that it is in a

special way intended for the body. It must be given only in sickness;

for although one might be in danger of death if the danger did not come

from within, but from without, he could not be anointed. A soldier in

battle, persons being shipwrecked, firemen working at a great fire,

etc., could not be anointed, although they are in very great danger of

death; because the danger is not from within themselves, but from

without. If, however, these persons were so frightened that there was

danger of their dying from the fright, they could then be anointed.

 

271 Q. 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.

 

"Anointing." In this Sacrament the priest anoints all our senses--the

eyes, the ears, the nose, the mouth, the hands, and the feet--and at the

same time prays God to forgive the poor sick person all the sins he has

committed by any of these. The eyes, by looking at bad objects or

pictures; the ears, by listening to bad conversation; the nose, by

indulging too much in sensual pleasures; the mouth, by cursing, lying,

bad conversation, backbiting, etc.; the hands, by stealing, fighting, or

doing sinful things; the feet, by carrying us to do wrong or to bad

places. I told you already most of our sins are committed for our body,

and the senses are the chief instruments. "Strength to the body," if it

is for our spiritual welfare. If God foresees, as He foresees all

things, that after our sickness we shall lead better lives and do

penance for our sins, then He may be pleased to restore us to health,

and give us an opportunity of making up for our past faults. But if He

foresees that after our sickness we would again lead bad lives, and fall

perhaps into greater sins, then He will likely take us when we are

prepared, and will not restore us again to health. As He always knows

and does what is best for His children, we must in sickness always be

resigned to His holy will, and be satisfied with what He sees fit to do

with us.

 

*272 Q. 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.

 

*273 Q. 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.

 

We should always be glad to receive the grace of the Sacraments. When,

therefore, we are sufficiently ill to be anointed--when there is any

danger of death--we should send for the priest at once. If the sick

person has any chance of recovering, the Sacrament will help him and

hasten the recovery; but if the priest is sent for just when the person

is in the last agony of death, the person could not recover except by a

miracle, and God does not perform miracles for ordinary reasons. If you

are in doubt whether the person is sick enough to receive the last

Sacraments, do not be the judge yourself, send for the priest and let

him judge; and then all the responsibility is removed from you in case

the person should die without the Sacraments. Very often persons are

near death, and their relatives do not know it. The priest, like the

doctor, has experience in these cases, and can judge of the danger.

Again, do not foolishly believe, as some seem to do, that if the priest

comes to anoint the sick person it will frighten him by making him think

he is going to die. It has never been known that the priest killed

anyone by coming to see him; and if these same persons who are now sick

receive the Sacraments in the church from the very same priest, why

should they be afraid to receive them from him in their house? And if

they are so near death that a little fright would kill them, then they

are surely sick enough to receive the Sacraments. The sick person who is

afraid that Extreme Unction will kill him or hasten his death shows that

he has not the proper faith and confidence in God's grace. They who do

not wish to receive Holy Communion or the Holy Viaticum in their houses

do not want Our Lord to visit them. How ungrateful they are! When Our

Lord was on earth the people carried the sick out into the streets to

lay them near Him that He might cure them. Now, He does not require us

to do that, but comes Himself to the sick in the most humble manner, and

they refuse to receive Him. See how ungrateful, therefore, and how

wanting in faith and devotion such persons are! If the sick person is

one who has been careless about his religion, and has for some time

neglected to receive the Sacraments, do not wait for him to ask for the

priest or for his consent to send for him. Few persons ever believe they

are so near death as they really are: they are afraid to think of their

past lives, and do not like to send for the priest, or at least they put

off doing so, frequently till it is too late. The devil tempts them to

put off the reception of the Sacraments, in hopes that they may die

without them, and be his forever. In these cases speak to the sick man

quietly and gently, and ask him if he would not like to have the priest

come and say a few prayers for his recovery. Do not say anything about

the Sacraments if you are afraid he will refuse. Simply bring the priest

to the sick man, and he will attend to all the rest. Even if the person

should refuse--if he has been baptized in the Catholic religion--send

for the priest and explain to him the circumstances and dispositions of

the sick man. It would be terrible to let such persons die without the

Sacraments if there is any possibility of their receiving them. Even

when they refuse to see the priest it generally happens that after he

has once visited them, talked to them, and explained the benefits of the

Sacraments, they are better pleased than anyone else to see him coming

again.

 

Sometimes it is God's goodness that sends sickness to such persons, to

bring them back to His worship and the practice of their religion. What

does a good father generally do with an unruly child? He advises and

warns it, and when words have no effect, punishes it with the rod, not

because he wishes to see it suffer, but for its good, that it may give

up its evil habits and become an obedient, loving child. In like manner

God warns sinners by their conscience, by sermons they hear, by

accidents or deaths around about them, etc.; and when none of these

things have any effect on them, He sends them some affliction--He brings

them to a bed of sickness. He punishes them, as it were, with a rod.

This He does, not that He may see them suffer, but for their good; that

they may understand He is their Master, the only one who can give them

health; that all the doctors and all the friends and money in the world

could not save them if He determined that they should die. Then they

come to know that the world is not their friend; then they see things as

they really are, and begin to think of the next world, of eternity, etc.

Thus they again turn to God and to the practices of religion. Many

persons who reform and begin to lead good lives in sickness would never

have changed if God had left them always in good health. But you must

not think that all who are sick are so on account of sin. Sometimes very

holy persons are in a state of sickness, and then it is sent them that

they may bear it patiently, and have great merit before God for their

sufferings, and thus become more holy. Again, very small children who

have never sinned are sick, and then it is perhaps that their parents

may have merit for patiently taking care of them. I say that God

sometimes sends sickness to persons living in sin for the purpose of

bringing them back to a better way of living, and in that case their

sickness is for them a great mercy from God, who might have allowed them

to continue in sin till His judgments and condemnation came suddenly

upon them.

 

274 Q. Which are the effects of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction?

A. The effects of Extreme Unction are: first, to comfort us in the pains

of sickness and to strengthen us against temptations; second, to remit

venial sins and to cleanse our soul from the remains of sin; third, to

restore us to health when God sees fit.

 

*275 Q. 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.

 

"Remains of sin"--that is, chiefly the bad habits we have acquired by

sin. If a person does a thing very often, he soon begins to do it very

easily, and it becomes, as we say, a habit. So, too, a person who sins

very much soon begins to sin easily. This Sacrament therefore takes away

the ease in sinning and the desire for past sins acquired by frequently

committing them.

 

*276 Q. How should we receive the Sacrament of Extreme Unction?

A. We should receive the Sacrament of Extreme Unction in a state of

grace and with lively faith and resignation to the will of God.

 

*277 Q. Who is the minister of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction?

A. The priest is the minister of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction.

 

The Sacraments that the priest administers in the house are the

Sacraments for the sick; namely, Penance, Viaticum, or Holy Communion,

and Extreme Unction. The other Sacraments may be administered there in

special cases of necessity. You should know what things are to be

prepared when the priest comes to administer the Sacraments in your

house. They are as follows: A small table covered with a clean white

cloth, and on it a crucifix and one or two lighted candles in

candlesticks; some holy water in a small vessel, with a sprinkler which

you can make by tying together a few leaves or small pieces of palm; a

glass of clean water, a tablespoon, and a napkin for the sick person to

hold under the chin while receiving; also a piece of white cotton

wadding, if the priest should ask for it.

 

Then you may have ready in another place near at hand some water, a

towel, and a piece of bread or lemon for purifying the priest's fingers;

but these things are not always necessary: still, it would be better to

have them ready in case the priest should require them, so as not to

keep him waiting. Every good Catholic family should have all these

things put away carefully in the house. It would be well, though it is

not necessary, to keep a special spoon, napkin, etc., for that purpose

alone. Sometimes persons are taken ill very suddenly in the night, and

when the priest comes they have none of the things they should have; and

if their neighbors are as careless as themselves, they will not have

them either: so the priest is delayed in giving the Sacraments, or is

obliged to administer them in a way that is always disrespectful to Our

Lord. If we would make such preparations for the coming of a friend to

our house, why should we be so careless when Our Lord comes? If a friend

comes when we are not prepared to receive him, we feel very much

ashamed, and make a thousand excuses for our want of thought. Therefore

provide the things necessary for the administration of these Sacraments

in your house, and keep them though they may be seldom if ever required

in your family.

 

When Our Lord comes to visit your house receive Him with all possible

respect and reverence. Some good Catholics have the very praiseworthy

practice of meeting the priest at the door with a lighted candle when he

carries the Blessed Sacrament, and of going before him to the sickroom.

This can be done where there is only one family living in the house, or

at least in the apartment. All who can do this should do it, because it

is in keeping with the wish of the Church. In olden times, and even now

in Catholic countries, the priest brings the Blessed Sacrament in

procession to the sick. He goes vested as for Benediction, accompanied

by altar boys with lighted candles and bells. The people kneel by the

way as Our Lord passes. Our Lord is carried in procession always in the

church and on the feast of Corpus Christi, on Holy Thursday, and during

the Devotion of Forty Hours. The Church would like to have this solemn

procession in honor of Our Lord every time the Blessed Sacrament is

brought from one place to another. But this cannot always be done in the

streets, because there are many persons not Catholics who would insult

Our Lord while passing along; and in order to prevent this, the priest

brings the Blessed Sacrament to the dying without any outward display.

But we should always remember the very great respect due to Our Lord,

and do all we can to show it when possible.

 

278 Q. 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.

 

"Other ministers," means deacons and subdeacons, properly so-called.

When a young man goes to study for the priesthood--after he has

discovered that God has called him to that sacred office--he passes

several years in learning what is necessary, and in fitting himself for

his sacred duties. After some time he receives what is called tonsure;

that is, on the day of ordination the bishop cuts a little hair from

five places on his head, to show that this young man is giving himself

up to God. The tonsure is a mark of the clerical state, and in Catholic

countries it is made manifest by keeping a small circular spot on the

crown of the head shaved perfectly clean. It reminds the cleric or

priest of having dedicated himself to God, and also of the crown of

thorns worn by Our Blessed Saviour. For this reason some of the holy

monks shaved all the hair from their head, with the exception of a

little ring, which resembles very much a wreath or crown of hair

encircling the head. You often see them thus represented in holy

pictures.

 

After the young student has received the tonsure and studied for a

longer time, he receives the four Minor Orders, by which he is permitted

to touch the sacred vessels of the altar, and do certain things about

the church which laymen have not the right to do, especially to serve

Mass. After more preparation he becomes a subdeacon, and then he may

wear vestments and assist the celebrant at Solemn Mass. At a Solemn Mass

there are three priests in vestments. The priest standing on the

platform of the altar and celebrating Mass is called the celebrant; the

one who stands just behind him, generally one step lower, is called the

deacon, and the one who stands behind the deacon and on the lower step

is called the subdeacon. The one who directs the whole ceremony, and

gives signs to the others when to stand, sit down, or kneel, is called

the Master of Ceremonies.

 

When speaking of the Mass, I forgot to tell you something about the

different kinds of Masses--that is, different as far as the ceremonies

are concerned, for they are all alike in value. First we have the Low

Mass, such as the priest says every day and at the early hours on

Sundays. It is called low, because there is no display in ceremony about

it. Next we have the High Mass--called Missa Cantata (sung)--at which

the priest and choir sing in turn. Lastly, we have the Solemn High Mass,

at which we have three ministers or priests, and singing by both

ministers and choir, as well as all the ceremonies prescribed by the

Church. When any of these Masses are said in black vestments they are

called Requiem Masses, because the priest offers them for the rest or

happy repose of the soul of some dead person or persons, and the word

requiem means rest. Vespers is a portion of the Divine Office of the

Church. It is sung generally on Sunday afternoon or evening in the

church, and is usually followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

It is not a mortal sin to stay from Vespers on Sundays, even willfully,

because there is no law of the Church obliging you to attend.

Nevertheless all good Catholics will attend Vespers when possible.

 

To continue about the ministers of the Church: When the subdeacon is

ordained a deacon, he can wear still more of the priestly vestments, and

also baptize solemnly, preach, and give Holy Communion. After a time the

deacon is ordained a priest, and receives power to celebrate Mass and

forgive sins. If afterwards the priest should be selected by the Holy

Father to be a bishop, he is consecrated; and then he has power to

administer Confirmation and Holy Orders, ordaining priests and

consecrating bishops. Thus you see there are grades through which the

ministers of the Church must pass. First the tonsure, then Minor Orders,

then subdeaconship, then deaconship, then priesthood. Nuns, Sisters,

Brothers, etc., are not, as some might think, ministers of the Church,

because they have never received any of the Holy Orders.

 

The ordained ministers of the Church can perform the duties of any

office for which they have ever been ordained, but not the duties of any

office above that to which they have been ordained. For example, a

subdeacon cannot take the place of a deacon at Mass, nor a deacon the

place of a priest; but a priest may take either of their places, because

he has, at one time, been ordained to both these offices.

 

Altar boys should never forget that they are enjoying a very great

privilege in being allowed to take the place of an ordained minister of

the Church, and serve Mass without being ordained acolytes.

 

In olden times princes and noblemen used to seek for this wonderful

favor, and count themselves happy if they secured it. Think of it! To

stand so near our Blessed Lord that they are able to see His sacred body

resting upon the altar, and to offer the wine, which a few minutes later

is changed into His very blood!

 

*279 Q. 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.

 

"Knowledge"--that is, to be able to learn and to have learned all that a

priest should know.

 

"Divine call," explained before in the explanation of vocation, a word

that means call. (See Lesson 6, Q. 51.)

 

*280 Q. 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.

 

"Messengers." Our Lord said to His Apostles: "As the Father sent Me, I

also send you." That is, as the heavenly Father sent His Beloved Son,

Our Lord, into the world to save men's souls, so Our Lord sends His

Apostles and their successors through the world to save souls. God told

the priests of the Old Law that if they did not warn the people of

coming dangers they would be held responsible for the people; but if

they warned the people and the people did not heed, then the people

would be responsible for their own destruction. So, too, in the New Law

the priests warn you against sin, and if you do not heed the warning the

loss of your soul will be upon yourself. Therefore you should take every

warning coming from the ministers of God as you would from Himself, for

it is really God that warns you against sin, and the priests are only

His agents or instruments. "Dispensers"--that is, those who administer

the Sacraments.

 

*281 Q. Who can confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders?

A. Bishops can confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

 

"Confer"--that is, give or administer. So can a cardinal, if he be a

bishop, and so can the Holy Father, who is always a bishop, and called

bishop of Rome, while Pope of the whole Church. It will be well here to

give some explanation about cardinals--who they are, and what they do.

In the United States the President has about him ten prominent men

selected by himself, and called his Cabinet. They are his advisers; he

consults them on all important matters, and assigns to them various

duties. The Holy Father, who is also a ruler--a spiritual ruler--not of

one country, but of the whole world, has also a Cabinet, but it is not

called by that name: it is called the Sacred College of Cardinals. There

are seventy cardinals, to whom the Pope assigns various works in helping

him to govern the Church. Some of these cardinals are in different parts

of the world, as our own cardinals right here in America. There are

cardinals in England, France, Germany, Canada, Spain, etc., but a

certain number always remain in Rome with the Holy Father. When a bishop

is made cardinal he is raised in dignity in the Church, but he does not

receive any greater spiritual power than he had when only a bishop. The

cardinals, owing to their high dignity, have many privileges which

bishops have not. Their greatest privilege is to take part in the

election of a new Pope when the reigning Pope dies.

 

The Pope dresses in white, the cardinals in red, the bishops in purple,

and the priests and other ministers in black. A "Monsignor" is also a

title of dignity granted by our Holy Father to some worthy priests. It

gives them certain privileges, and the right to wear purple like a

bishop. The "Vicar General" is one who is appointed by the bishop in the

diocese, and shares his power. In the bishop's absence he acts as bishop

in all temporal and worldly matters and also in some spiritual things,

concerning the diocese. A diocese is the extent of country over which a

bishop is appointed to rule, as a parish is the extent over which a

pastor is appointed to administer the Sacraments and rule under the

direction of the bishop. Pastors are also called rectors. Pastor means a

shepherd, and rector means a ruler; and as all pastors rule their

flocks, pastor and rector mean about the same.

 

An archbishop is higher than a bishop, though he has no more spiritual

power than a bishop. The district over which an archbishop rules

contains several dioceses with their bishops, and is called an

ecclesiastical province. The bishops in the province are called

suffragan bishops, because subject in some things to the authority of

the archbishop, who is also called the metropolitan, because bishop of a

metropolis or chief city of the province over which he presides.

 

The archbishop can wear the pallium, a garment worn by the Pope, and

sent by him to patriarchs, primates, and archbishops. It is a band of

white wool, worn over the shoulders and around the neck after the manner

of a stole. It has two strings of the same material and four black or

purple crosses worked upon it. It is the symbol of the plenitude of

pastoral jurisdiction conferred by the Holy See. Morally speaking, it

reminds the wearer how the good shepherd seeks the lost sheep and brings

it home upon his shoulders, and how the loving pastor of souls should

seek those spiritually lost and bring them back to the Church, the true

fold of Christ.

 

 

 

Lesson 26

ON MATRIMONY

 

282 Q. What is the Sacrament of Matrimony?

A. The Sacrament of Matrimony is the Sacrament which unites a Christian

man and woman in lawful marriage.

 

"Christian," because if they are not Christians they do not receive the

grace of the Sacrament.

 

*283 Q. 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.

 

"Lawful." 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, in which the persons must remain till the sin is

forgiven. "Sacrament." Before the coming of Our Lord persons were

married as they are now, and even lawfully according to the laws of the

Old Testament or old religion; but marriage did not give them any grace.

Now it does give grace, because it is a Sacrament, and has been so since

the time of Our Lord. Before His coming it was only a contract, and when

He added grace to the contract it became a Sacrament.

 

*284 Q. 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.

 

"Dissolved"--that is, can married persons ever--for any cause--separate

and marry again; that is, take another husband or wife while the first

husband or wife is living? Never, if they were really married.

Sometimes, for good reason, the Church permits husband and wife to

separate and live in different places; but they are still married.

Sometimes it happens, too, that persons are not really married although

they have gone through the ceremony and people think they are married,

and they may think so themselves. The Church, however, makes them

separate, because it finds they are not really married at all--on

account of some impeding circumstance that existed at the time they

performed the ceremony. These circumstances or facts that prevent the

marriage from being valid are called "Impediments to Marriage." Some of

them render the marriage altogether null, and some only make it

unlawful. When persons make arrangements about getting married they

should tell the priest every circumstance that they think might be an

impediment. Here are the chief things they should tell the

priest--privately, if possible. Whether both are Christians and

Catholics; whether either has ever been solemnly engaged to another

person; whether they have ever made any vow to God with regard to

chastity, the religious life, or the like; whether they are related and

in what degree; whether either was ever married to any member of the

other's family--say sister, brother, or cousin, etc.; whether either

ever was a godparent in Baptism for the other or for any of the other's

children; whether either was married before, and what proof can be given

of the death of the first husband or wife; whether they really intend to

get married; whether they are of lawful age; whether they are in good

health or suffering from some sickness that might prevent their

marriage, etc. They should also state whether they live in the parish,

and how long they have lived in it. They should give at least three

weeks' notice before their marriage, except in special cases of

necessity. They should not presume to make final arrangements and invite

friends before they have made arrangements with their pastor; because if

there should be any delay on account of impediments it would cause them

great inconvenience. Let me take an example of a fact that would render

the marriage invalid or null though the persons performing the ceremony

might not be aware of it. Suppose a woman's husband went to the war, and

she heard after a great many years that he had been killed in battle,

and she, believing her first husband to be dead, married another man.

But the report of the first husband's death turns out to be false, and

after a time he returns. Then the Church tells the woman--and she knows

it now herself--that the second marriage was invalid, that is, no

marriage, because it was performed while the first husband was still

living. She must leave the second man and go back to her husband. You

see in that case the Church was not dissolving or breaking the marriage

bond, but only declaring that the woman and second man were not married

from the very beginning, although they thought they were, being ignorant

of the existing impediment, and the priest also being deceived performed

the ceremony in the usual manner. If it ever happens, therefore, that

you hear of the Church permitting persons, already apparently married,

to separate and marry others, it is only when it discovers that their

first marriage was invalid, and by its action it does not dissolve the

bond of marriage, but simply declares that the marriage was null and

void from the beginning, as you now easily understand. Thus persons

might unwittingly marry with existing impediments that would render

their marriage invalid or illicit. Such things, however, happen very

rarely, for the priest would discover the impediments in questioning the

persons about to marry.

 

Protestants and persons outside the Catholic Church teach that the

marriage bond can at times be dissolved, but such doctrines bring great

evil upon society. When the father and mother separate and marry again,

the children of the first marriage are left to take care of themselves,

or receive only such care as the law gives them. They are left without

Christian instruction and the good influence of home. Then persons who

are divorced once may be divorced a second or third time, and thus all

society would be thrown into a state of confusion, and there would be

scarcely any such thing as a family to be found. It is bad enough at

present, on account of divorces granted by the laws and upheld by

Protestants; and only for the influence and good public opinion created

by the teaching and opposition of the Catholic Church, it would be much

worse. Again, if husbands and wives could separate for this or that

fault, they would not be careful in making their choice of the person

they wish to marry, nor would their motives be always holy and worthy of

the Sacrament.

 

285 Q. Which are the effects of the Sacrament of Matrimony?

A. The effects of the Sacrament of Matrimony are: first, to sanctify the

love of husband and wife; second, to give them grace to bear with each

other's weaknesses; third, to enable them to bring up their children in

the fear and love of God.

 

The union and love existing between a husband and wife should be like

the union and love existing between Our Lord and His Church. The grace

of the Sacrament helps them to have such a love. "Weaknesses"--that is,

their faults, bad dispositions, etc. "Bring up their children." This is

their most important duty, and parents receive grace to perform it, and

woe be to them if they abuse that grace! Children should remember that

their parents have received this special grace from God to advise,

direct, and warn them of sin; and if they refuse to obey their parents

or despise their direction, they are despising God's grace. Remember

that nothing teaches us so well as experience. Now your parents, even if

God gave them no special grace, have experience. They have been children

as you are; they have been young persons as you are; they have received

advice from their parents and teachers as you do. If your parents are

bad, it is because they have not heeded the advice given them. If they

are good, it is because they have heeded and followed it. The years of

your youth quickly pass, and you will soon be thrown out into the world,

among strangers to provide for yourselves, and will perhaps have no one

to advise you. If you neglect to learn while you have the opportunity

you will be sorry for it in after life. If you waste your time in

school, you will leave it knowing very little, and an ignorant man can

never take any good position in the world; he can seldom be his own

master and independent; he must always toil for others as a servant. God

gives us our talents and opportunities that we may use them to the best

of our ability, and He will hold us accountable for these. It is good

and praiseworthy to raise ourselves and others in the world if we do so

by lawful and proper means. You may have the opportunity of getting a

good position, and will not be able to take it because you are not

sufficiently educated. Many young men live to be sorry for wasting time

in school, and try to make up for it by studying at night. You cannot

really make up for lost time. Every moment God gives you He gives for

some particular work, and He will require an account from you, at the

last day, for the use you made of your time. Besides, you can learn with

greater ease while you are young. But what shall I say of neglecting to

learn your holy religion? If you neglect your school lessons you will

not be successful in the world as businessmen or professional men; but

if you neglect your religious lessons, you will be miserable, not merely

in this world, but in the next, and that for all eternity. Again, will

you not feel ashamed to say you are a Catholic when persons who are not

Catholics ask you the meaning of something you believe or do, and you

will not be able to answer? When they tell falsehoods against your

religion, you will not, on account of your ignorance, be able to refute

them. Almost the only time you have to learn the truths and practices of

your holy religion is during the instructions at Sunday school or day

school, and after a few years you will not have this advantage. When you

grow up you may hear a sermon, and if you attend early Mass, only a

short instruction, on Sundays; and if you do not know your Catechism,

you will be less able to profit by the instructions given. Therefore the

time to learn is while you are young, have sufficient leisure, and good,

willing teachers to explain whatever you do not understand.

 

When you attend Sunday school, bear in mind that your teachers have

frequently to sacrifice their time or pleasure for your sake, and that

you should not repay them for their kindness by acts of disobedience,

disrespect, and stubbornness. By spending your time in idleness, in

giving annoyance to your teacher, and in distracting others who are

willing to learn, you show a want of appreciation and gratitude for the

blessings God has bestowed upon you, and please the devil exceedingly;

and as God will hold you accountable for all His gifts, this one--the

opportunity of learning your religion--will be no exception.

 

286 Q. 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.

 

"The laws," laws concerning marriage. Laws forbidding the solemnizing of

marriage at certain times, namely, Advent and Lent; laws forbidding

marriage with relatives, or with persons of a different religion or of

no religion; laws with regard to age, etc.

 

*287 Q. 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.

 

"Civil effects"--that is, laws with regard to the property of persons

marrying, with regard to the inheritance of the children, with regard to

the debts of husband and wife, etc.

 

*288 Q. 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.

 

*289 Q. 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.

 

We know that nothing has so bad an influence upon people as bad company.

Now, when a Catholic marries one who is not a Catholic, he or she is

continually associated with one who in most cases ignores the true

religion, or speaks at least with levity of its devotions and practices.

The Catholic party may resist this evil influence for a time, but will,

if not very steadfast in the faith, finally yield to it, and, tired of

numerous disputes in defense of religious rights, will become more and

more indifferent, gradually give up the practice of religion, and

probably terminate with complete loss of faith or apostasy from the true

religion. We know that the children of Seth were good till they married

the children of Cain, and then they also became wicked; for, remember,

there is always more likelihood that the bad will pervert the good, than

that the good will convert the bad. Besides the disputes occasioned

between husband and wife by the diversity of their religion, their

families and relatives, being also of different religions, will seldom

be at peace or on friendly terms with one another. Then the children can

scarcely be brought up in the true religion; for the father may wish

them to attend one church, and the mother another, and to settle the

dispute they will attend neither. Besides, if they have before them the

evil example of a father or mother speaking disparagingly of the true

religion, or perhaps ridiculing all religion, it is not likely they will

be imbued with great respect and veneration for holy things. There is

still another reason why Catholics should dread mixed marriages. If the

one who is not a Catholic loses regard for his or her obligations,

becomes addicted to any vice, and is leading a bad life, the Catholic

party has no means of reaching the root of the evil, no hope that the

person may take the advice of the priest, or go to confession or do any

of those things that could effect a change in the heart and life of a

Catholic. For all these very good reasons and others besides, the Church

opposes mixed marriages, as they are called when one of the persons is

not a Catholic. Neither does the Church want persons to become converts

simply for the sake of marrying a Catholic. Such conversions would not

be sincere, and would do no good, but rather make such converts

hypocrites, and guilty of greater sin.

 

*290 Q. Why do many marriages prove unhappy?

A. Many marriages prove unhappy because they are entered into hastily

and without worthy motives.

 

"Hastily"--without knowing the person well or considering their

character or dispositions; without trying to discover whether they are

sober, industrious, virtuous, and the like; whether they know and

practice their religion, or whether, on the contrary, they are given to

vices forbidden by good morals, and totally forgetful of their religious

duties. In a word, those wishing to marry should look for enduring

qualities in their lifelong companions, and not for characteristics that

please the fancy for the time being. They should, besides, truly love

each other. Again, the persons should be nearly equals in education,

social standing, etc., for it helps greatly to secure harmony between

families and unity of thought and action between themselves.

 

"Worthy motives." The motives are worthy when persons marry to fulfill

the end for which God instituted marriage. It would, for example, be an

unworthy motive to marry solely for money, property, or other advantage,

without any regard for the holiness and end of the Sacrament. There are

many motives that may present themselves to the minds of persons wishing

to marry, and they will know whether they are worthy or unworthy, good

or bad, if by serious consideration they weigh them well and value them

by their desire to please God and lead a good life.

 

Every person's motive in getting married or in entering into any new

state of life should be that he may be able to serve God better in that

state than in any other.

 

*291 Q. 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.

 

They should pray for a long time that they may make a good choice. They

would do well to read in the Holy Scripture, in the Book of Tobias (8),

of the happy marriage of Tobias and Sara, and how they spent their time

in prayer both before and after their marriage, and how God rewarded

them. Advice is very necessary, as marriage is to last for life, and is

to make persons either happy or miserable. They should ask advice from

prudent persons, and should try to learn something of the former life of

the one they wish to marry. They should know something about the family,

whether its members are respectable or not, etc. It is an injustice to

parents for sons or daughters to marry into families that may have been

disgraced, or that may bring disgrace upon them. Sometimes, however,

parents are unreasonable in this matter: they are proud or vain, and

want to suit themselves rather than their children. Sometimes, too, they

force marriage upon their children, or forbid it for purely worldly or

selfish motives. In such cases, and indeed in all cases, the best one to

consult and ask advice from is your confessor. He has only your

spiritual interests at heart, and will set aside all worldly motives. If

your parents are unreasonable, he will be a just judge in the matter,

and tell you how to act.

 

I have now explained all the Sacraments, but before finishing I must say

a word about the Holy Oils. We have seen that oil is used in the

administration of some Sacraments. There are three kinds of oil blessed

by the bishop on Holy Thursday, namely, oil for anointing the sick,

called "oil of the infirm"; oil to be used in Baptism and in the

ordination of priests, called "oil of catechumens" (catechumens are

those who are being instructed for Baptism); the third kind of oil is

used also in Baptism, in Confirmation, and when the bishop blesses the

sacred vessels, altars, etc.; it is called "holy chrism." Therefore the

Sacraments in which oil is used are: Baptism, in which two kinds are

used; Confirmation, Extreme Unction, and Holy Orders.

 

 

 

Lesson 27

ON THE SACRAMENTALS

 

292 Q. 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.

 

It is not the sacramental itself that gives grace, but the devotion, the

love of God, or sorrow for sin that it inspires. For example, a person

comes into the church and goes around the Stations of the Cross. The

stations are a sacramental. In looking at one station he sees Our Lord

on trial before Pilate; in another he sees Him crowned with thorns; in

another, scourged; in another, carrying His Cross; in another,

crucified; in another, dead and laid in the tomb. Before all these

pictures he reflects on the sufferings of Our Saviour, and begins to

hate sin, that caused them. Then he thinks, of his own sins, and begins

to be sorry for them. This sorrow, caused by going around the stations,

brings him grace that remits venial sins. When we receive the Sacraments

we always get the grace of the Sacraments when we are rightly disposed;

but in using the sacramentals, the more devotion we have the more grace

we receive.

 

"Increase devotion." If we knelt down before a plain white wall we could

not pray with the devotion we would have kneeling before a crucifix. We

see the representation of the nails in the hands and feet, the blood on

the side, the thorns on the head; and all these must make us think of

Our Lord's terrible sufferings. The picture of a friend hanging before

us will often make us think of him when we would otherwise forget him.

So also will the pictures of Our Lord and of the saints keep them often

in our minds.

 

*293 Q. What is the difference between the Sacraments and the

sacramentals?

A. The difference between the Sacraments and the sacramentals is: first,

the Sacraments were instituted by Jesus Christ and the sacramentals were

instituted by the Church; second, 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.

 

The Church can increase or diminish the number of the sacramentals, but

not the number of the Sacraments.

 

294 Q. Which is the chief sacramental used in the Church?

A. The chief sacramental used in the Church is the Sign of the Cross.

 

295 Q. 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.

 

It is important to make an exact cross, and to say all the words

distinctly. From carelessness and habit some persons do not make the

Sign of the Cross, though they often intend to bless themselves. They

put the hand only to the forehead and breast, or forehead and chin, or

forehead and shoulders, etc. Some do not even touch the forehead. All

these, it is true, are some signs and movements of the hand, but they

are not the Sign of the Cross. Therefore, from childhood form the good

habit of blessing yourself correctly, and you will continue to do it

properly all your life.

 

296 Q. 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.

 

The cross is the banner or standard of Christianity, just as the stars

and stripes--the flag of the United States--is our civil standard, and

shows to what nation we belong.

 

*297 Q. 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.

 

*298 Q. 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.

 

*299 Q. 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.

 

Besides these chief mysteries, we will find, if we think a little, that

the Sign of the Cross reminds us of many other things. It reminds us of

the sin of our first parents, which made the Cross necessary; it reminds

us of the hatred God bears to sin, when such sufferings were endured to

make satisfaction for it; it reminds us of Christ's love, etc.

 

300 Q. What other sacramental is in very frequent use?

A. Another sacramental in very frequent use is holy water.

 

301 Q. 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 power of

darkness.

 

The priest prays that those who use this water may not fall into sin;

may be free from the power of the devil and from bodily diseases, etc.

Therefore when they do use the water they get the benefit of all these

prayers, because the priest says: "If they use it, God grant them all

these things."

 

302 Q. Are there any other sacramentals besides the Sign of the Cross

and holy water?

A. Besides 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.

 

"Candles," blessed on the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed

Virgin (see Butler's Lives of the Saints, Feb. 2, Feast of the

Purification). The Church blesses whatever it uses. Some say beautifully

that the wax of the candle gathered by the bees from sweet flowers

reminds us of Our Lord's pure, human body, and that the flame reminds us

of His divinity. Again, candles about the altar remind us of the angels,

those bright spirits ever about God's throne; they remind us, too, of

the persecution of the Christians in the first ages of the Church, when

they had to hear Mass and receive the Sacraments in dark places, where

lights were necessary that priests and people might see. Again, lights

are a beautiful ornament for the altar, and in keeping with holy things.

Lights are a sign of joy: hence the very old custom of lighting bonfires

to express joy. So we have lights to express our joy at the celebration

of the Holy Mass. Again, if we wish to honor any great person in the

Church or State, we illuminate the city for his reception. So, too, we

illuminate our altars and churches for the reception of Our Lord, that

we may honor Him when He comes in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and is

present at Benediction.

 

"Ashes" are placed on our heads by the priest on Ash Wednesday, while he

says: "Remember, man, thou art but dust and unto dust thou shalt

return." They are a sign of penance, and so we use them at the beginning

of Lent.

 

"Palms," to remind us of Our Lord's coming in triumph into Jerusalem,

when the people out of respect for Him threw palms, and even their

garments, beneath His feet on the way, singing His praises and wishing

to make Him king. Yet these same people only one week later were among

those who crucified Him. Do we not also at times honor Our Lord, call

Him our king, and shortly afterwards insult and, as far as we can,

injure Him by sin? Do we not say in the Our Father, "Hallowed, or

praised, be His name," and blaspheme it ourselves?

 

"Crucifix," if it has an image of Our Lord upon it; if not it is simply

a cross, because crucifix means fixed to the cross.

 

"Images"--that is, statues, pictures, etc.

 

"Rosaries," called also the beads. The rosary or beads is a very old and

very beautiful form of prayer. In the beginning pious people, we are

told, used to say a certain number of prayers, and keep count of them on

a string with knots or beads. However that may be, the Rosary, as we now

have it, comes down to us from St. Dominic. He instructed the people by

it, and converted many heretics. In the rosary beads here are

fifty-three small beads on which we say the "Hail Mary" and six large

beads on which we say the "Our Father." In saying the Rosary, before

saying the "Our Father" on the large beads, we think or meditate for a

while on some event in the life of Our Lord, and these events we call

Mysteries of the Rosary. There are fifteen of these events taken in the

order in which they occurred in the life of Our Lord; and hence there

are fifteen Mysteries in the whole Rosary. First we have the five Joyful

Mysteries. (1) The Annunciation--that is, the angel Gabriel coming to

tell the Blessed Virgin that she is to be the Mother of God. (2) The

Visitation, when the Blessed Virgin went to visit her cousin St.

Elizabeth--the mother of St. John the Baptist, who was six months older

than Our Lord. Elizabeth said to her, "Blessed art thou amongst women,

and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb"; and the Blessed Virgin answered

her in the beautiful words of the Magnificat, that we sing at Vespers

while the priest incenses the altar. (3) The Nativity, or birth of Our

Lord, which reminds us how He was born in a stable, in poverty and

lowliness. (4) The Presentation of the child Jesus in the Temple.

According to the law of Moses, the people were obliged to bring the

first boy born in every family to the temple in Jerusalem and offer him

to God. Then they gave some offering to buy him back, as it were, from

God. The Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph, who kept all the laws, took Our

Lord and offered Him in the temple--although He Himself was the Lord of

the temple. Nevertheless others did not know this, and the Blessed

Virgin and St. Joseph observed the laws, though not bound to do so, that

their neighbors might not be scandalized in seeing them neglect these

things. They did not know, as she did, that the little Infant was the

Son of God, and need not keep the law of Moses or any law, because He

was the maker of the laws. We should learn from this never to give

scandal; and even when we have good excuse for not observing the law, we

should observe it for the sake of good example to others; or at least,

when we can, we should explain why we do not observe the law. (5) The

fifth Joyful Mystery is the finding of the child Jesus in the temple.

All the men and boys, from twelve years of age upward, were obliged,

according to the Old Law, to go up to Jerusalem and offer sacrifice on

the great feasts. On one of these feasts the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph,

and Our Lord went to Jerusalem. When His parents and their friends were

returning home Our Lord was missing. He had not accompanied them from

the city. Then the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph went back to Jerusalem

and sought Him with great sorrow for three days. At the end of that time

they found Him in the temple sitting with the doctors of the law asking

them questions. Our Lord obediently returned with His parents to

Nazareth. At thirty years of age He was baptized by John the Baptist in

the River Jordan. The baptism of John was not a Sacrament, did not give

grace of itself; but, like a sacramental, it disposed those who received

it to be sorry for their sins and to receive the gift of faith and

Baptism of Christ. The eighteen years from the time Our Lord went down

to Nazareth after being found in the temple till His baptism is called

His hidden life, while all that follows His baptism is called His public

life. It is very strange that not a single word should be given in the

Holy Scriptures about Our Lord during His youth--the very time young men

are most anxious to be seen and heard. Our Lord knew all things and

could do all things when a young man, and yet for the sake of example He

remained silent, living quietly with His parents and doing His daily

work for them. Thus you understand what is meant by the five Joyful

Mysteries of the Rosary: the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity

of Our Lord, the Presentation of the child Jesus in the temple, and the

finding of the child Jesus in the temple. You meditate on one of these

before each decade (ten) of the beads.

 

Next in order in the life of Our Lord come the five events called the

Sorrowful Mysteries, namely: (1) The agony in the garden, when Our Lord

went there to pray on Holy Thursday night, before He was taken prisoner.

There the blood came out through His body as perspiration does through

ours, and He was in dreadful anguish. The reason of His sorrow and

anguish has already been given in the explanation of the Passion. (2)

The scourging of Our Lord at the pillar. This also has been explained.

What terrible cruelty existed in the world before Christianity! In our

times the brute beasts have more protection from cruel treatment than

the pagan slaves had then. The Church came to their assistance. It

taught that all men are God's children, that slaves as well as masters

were redeemed by Jesus Christ, and that masters must be kind and just to

their slaves. Many converts from paganism through love for Our Lord and

this teaching of the Church, granted liberty to their slaves; and thus

as civilization spread with the teaching of Christianity, slavery ceased

to exist. It was not in the power of the Church, however, to abolish

slavery everywhere, but she did it as soon as she could. Even at present

she is fighting hard to protect the poor Negroes of Africa against it,

or at least to moderate its cruelty. (3) The third Sorrowful Mystery is

the crowning with thorns. (4) The carriage of the Cross to Calvary. It

was the common practice to make the prisoner at times carry his cross to

the place of execution, and over the cross they printed what he was put

to death for. That is the reason they placed over Our Lord's cross

I.N.R.I., which are the first letters of four Latin words meaning,

"Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." They pretended by this sign that

Our Lord was put to death for calling Himself King of the Jews, and was

thus a disturber of the public peace, and an enemy of the Roman emperor

under whose power they were. Our Lord did say that He was King of the

Jews, but He also said that He was not their earthly but their heavenly

king. The real cause of their putting Our Lord to death was the jealousy

of the Jewish priests and Pharisees. He rebuked them for their faults,

and showed the good, sincere people what hypocrites these men were. (5)

The last of the Sorrowful Mysteries is the Crucifixion. At the foot of

the Cross our blessed Mother stood on the day of Crucifixion, and it

must have been a very sad sight for Our Lord. She was without anyone to

take care of her; for St. Joseph was dead, and her Son was soon to die.

Our Lord asked St. John, one of His Apostles, to take care of her. St.

John was dear to Christ, and on that account is called the beloved

disciple. He is known to us as St. John the Evangelist. He was the last

of the Apostles to die. At one time he was cast into a cauldron of

boiling oil, but was miraculously saved by God (see Butler's Lives of

the Saints, Dec. 27). He lived to be over a hundred years old, and while

on the island of Patmos wrote the Apocalypse or Revelations--the last

book of the New Testament--containing prophecies of what will happen at

the end of the world. The Blessed Virgin lived on earth about eleven

years after the Ascension of Our Lord. They buried her in a tomb, and

tradition tells us that after her burial the angels carried her body to

Heaven, where she now sits beside her Divine Son. This taking of her

body to Heaven is called the Assumption. This feast was celebrated in

the Church from a very early age. A very strong proof of the Assumption

is that no persons ever claimed to have any part of the body of the

Blessed Virgin as a relic. We have the bodies of some of the Apostles,

especially St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. James transmitted to us; and

certainly if it had been possible the first Christians would have

endeavored to get some portion, at least, of the Blessed Virgin's body.

Surely St. John, who knew her so well, would have given to the church he

established some part of her body as a relic; but since her entire body

was taken to Heaven, it was never possible.

 

After the Sorrowful Mysteries come the five Glorious Mysteries, and they

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; and (5) The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin in

Heaven. All but the last have been explained in foregoing parts of the

Catechism. In this last Mystery we consider our Blessed Lady just after

her entrance into Heaven, being received by her Divine Son, our Blessed

Lord, and being crowned Queen of Heaven over all the angels and saints.

In saying the Rosary we are, as I have told you before, to stop after

mentioning the Mystery and think over the lesson it teaches, and thus

excite ourselves to love and devotion before saying the "Our Father" and

"Hail Marys" in honor of it. Generally what we call the beads is only

one third of the Rosary; that is, we can only say five mysteries on the

beads unless we go over them three times. If you say your beads every

day you will say the whole Rosary twice a week and have one day to

spare.

 

On Sundays, except the Sundays of Advent and Lent, we should say always

the Glorious Mysteries. You see, the Mysteries run in the order in which

they happen in Our Lord's life. So on Monday we say the Joyful

Mysteries, on Tuesday the Sorrowful, and on Wednesday the Glorious. Then

we begin again on Thursday the Joyful, on Friday the Sorrowful, on

Saturday the Glorious. In Advent we say the Joyful, and in Lent the

Sorrowful Mysteries on every day. In Eastertime we always say the

Glorious mysteries.

 

I have told you what the letters I.N.R.I. mean; now let me tell you what

I.H.S. with a cross over them mean. You often see these letters on

altars and on holy things. They are simply an abbreviation for Our

Lord's name, "Jesus," as it was first written in Greek letters. Some

also take these letters for the first letters of the Latin words that

mean: Jesus, Saviour of men. And as the cross is placed over these

letters it can signify that He saved them by His death on the Cross.

 

"Scapulars." The scapular is a large broad piece of cloth worn by the

monks and priests of some of the religious orders. It extends from the

toes in front to the heels behind, and is wide enough to cover the

shoulders. It is worn over the cassock or habit. It is called scapular

because it rests on the shoulders. The scapular as we wear it is two

small pieces of cloth fastened together by two pieces of braid or cord

resting on the shoulders. It is made thus in imitation of the large

scapular, and is to be worn under our ordinary garments. The brown

scapular is called the Scapular of Mount Carmel. It was given, we are

told on good authority, to blessed Simon Stock by the Blessed Virgin

herself, with wonderful promises in favor of those who wear it. The

Church grants many privileges and indulgences to those who wear the

scapular.

 

We wear the scapular to indicate that we place ourselves under the

special protection of the Blessed Virgin. We can tell to what army or

nation a soldier belongs by the uniform he wears; so we can consider the

scapular as the particular uniform of those who desire to serve the

Blessed Virgin in some special manner. This wearing of the brown

scapular is therefore a mark of special devotion to the Blessed Virgin

Mary. As it was first introduced among people by the Carmelite Fathers,

or priests of the Order of Mount Carmel, this Scapular is called the

Scapular of Mount Carmel. We have also a red scapular in honor of Our

Lord's Passion; a white one in honor of the Holy Trinity; a blue one in

honor of the Immaculate Conception; and a black one in honor of the

seven dolors of sorrows of the Blessed Virgin. When all these are joined

together (not in one piece, but at the top only) and worn as one, they

are called the five scapulars.

 

The seven dolors are seven chief occasions of sorrow 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 little Infant Jesus when Herod was seeking to kill Him. (3)

The three days she lost Him in Jerusalem. (4) When she saw Christ

carrying His Cross. (5) His death. (6) When He was taken down from the

Cross. (7) When He was laid in the sepulchre. There are beads called

seven dolor beads constructed with seven medals bearing representations

of these sorrows, and seven beads between each medal and the next. At

the medals we meditate on the dolor, and then in its honor say "Hail

Marys" on the beads.

 

 

 

Lesson 28

ON PRAYER

 

303 Q. 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.

 

304 Q. 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.

 

"Hearts," because the mere lifting up of the mind would not be prayer.

One who blasphemes Him might also lift up his mind. We lift up the mind

to know God and the heart to love Him, and in so doing we serve Him--the

three things for which we were created. If we do not think of God we do

not pray. A parrot might be taught to say the "Our Father," but it could

never pray, because it has no mind to lift up. A phonograph can be made

to say the prayers, but not to pray, for it has neither mind nor heart.

So praying does not depend upon the words we say, but upon the way in

which we say them. Indeed the best prayer, called meditation, is made

when we do not speak at all, but simply think of God; of His goodness to

us; of our sins against Him; of Hell, Purgatory, Heaven, death,

judgment, of the end for which we were created, etc. This is the kind of

prayer that priests and religious use most frequently. As you might like

to meditate--for all who know how may meditate--let me explain to you

the method. First you try to remember that you are in the presence of

God. Then you take some subject, say the Crucifixion, to think about.

You try to make a picture of the scene in your own mind. You see Our

Lord on the Cross; two thieves, one on each side of Him, the one praying

to Our Lord and the other cursing Him. You see the multitude of His

enemies mocking Him. Over at some distance you behold our Blessed Mother

standing sorrowful with St. John and Mary Magdalen. Then you ask

yourself--for you must imagine yourself there--to which side would you

go. Over to our Blessed Mother to try and console her, or over to the

enemies to help them to mock? Then you think how sin was the cause of

all this suffering, and how often you yourself have sinned; how you have

many a time gone over to the crowd and left the Blessed Mother. These

thoughts will make you sorry for your sins, and you will form the good

resolution never to sin again. You will thank God for these good

thoughts and this resolution, and your meditation is ended. You can

spend fifteen minutes, or longer if you wish, in such a meditation. The

Crucifixion is only one of the many subjects you may select for

meditation. You could take any part of the "Our Father," "Hail Mary," or

"Creed," and even the questions in your Catechism. Mental prayer,

therefore, is the best, because in it we must think; we must pay

attention to what we are doing, and lift up our minds and hearts to God;

while in vocal prayer--that is, the prayer we say aloud--we may repeat

the words from pure habit, without any attention or lifting up of the

mind or heart.

 

305 Q. Is prayer necessary to salvation?

A. Prayer is necessary to salvation, and without it no one having the

use of reason can be saved.

 

We mean here those who never pray during their whole lives, and not

those who sometimes neglect their prayers through a kind of

forgetfulness.

 

306 Q. 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.

 

"Sundays and holy days," because these are special days set apart by the

Church for the worship of God. In the "morning" we ask God's grace that

we may not sin during the day. At "night" we thank Him for all the

benefits received during the day, and also that we may be protected

while asleep from every danger and accident. We should never, if

possible, go to sleep in mortal sin; and if we have the misfortune to be

in that state, we should make as perfect an act of contrition as we can,

and promise to go to confession as soon as possible. So many accidents

happen that we are never safe, even in good health; fires, earthquakes,

floods, lightning, etc., might take us off at any moment. If you saw a

man hanging by a very slender thread over a great precipice where he

would surely be dashed to pieces if the thread broke, and if you saw him

thus risking his life willfully and without necessity, you would

pronounce him the greatest fool in the world. One who commits sin is a

greater fool. He suspends himself, as I have told you once before, over

an abyss of eternal torments on the slender thread of his own life, that

may break at any moment. Do we tempt God and do to Him what we dare not

to do to our fellowman because He is so merciful? Let us be careful. He

is as just as He is merciful, and some sin will be our last, and then He

will cut the thread of life and allow us to fall into an eternity of

sufferings. "Dangers," whether of soul or body. "Afflictions,"

sufferings or misfortunes of any kind; such as loss of health, death in

the family, etc.

 

*307 Q. How should we pray?

A. We should pray: first, with attention; second, with a sense of our

own helplessness and dependence upon God; third, with a great desire for

the graces we beg of God; fourth, with trust in God's goodness; fifth,

with perseverance.

 

"Attention," thinking of what we are going to do. Before praying we

should think for a moment what prayer is. In it we are about to address

Almighty God, our Creator, and we are going to ask Him for

something--and what is the particular thing we need and seek for? No one

would think of going to a store without first considering what he wanted

to buy. He would make, too, all the necessary preparations for getting

it. He would find out how much he wanted, and what it would cost, and

bring with him sufficient money. He would never think of going in and

telling the storekeeper to give him anything. Now it is the same in

prayer. When we have thought of what we want of God, from whom we can

obtain it, and of the reasons why we need it and why God might be

pleased to grant it, we can then kneel down and pray for it. We should

pray to God just as a child begs favors from its parents. We should talk

to Him in our own simple words, and tell Him the reasons why we ask and

why we think He should grant our request. We should, however, be humble

and patient in all our prayers. God does not owe us anything, and

whatever He gives is a free gift. We should not always read prayers at

Almighty God. If you wanted anything very badly from a friend, you would

know how to ask for it. You would never ask another to write out your

request on paper, and then go and read it to your friend. Now, that is

just what we do when we read the prayers that somebody else has written

in a prayerbook. Try, therefore, to pray with your own prayers. Of

course when the Church gives you certain prayers to say--as it does to

its priests in the divine office--or recommends to you such prayers as

the "Our Father," "Hail Mary," and "Creed," you should say them in

preference to your own, because then the Church adds its petition to

yours, and God is more likely to grant such prayers. I mean, therefore,

that we should not always pray from prayerbooks, and hurry through the

"Our Father" that we may give more time to some printed prayer that

pleases us. Our prayer should be a conversation with God. We should,

after speaking to Him, listen to what He has to say to us, by our

conscience, good thoughts, etc.

 

I must warn you against some prayers that have been circulated by

impostors for the purpose of making money. They pretend that these

prayers were found in some remarkable place or manner; that those who

carry them or say them will have most wonderful advantages--they will

never meet with accident; they will be warned of their death; they will

go directly to Heaven after death, etc. If there were any such wonderful

prayers the Church would surely know of them and commend them to its

children. When you find any prayers of the kind I mention, bring them to

the priest and ask his opinion before you use them yourself or give them

to others. Never buy prayers or articles said to be blessed from persons

unknown to you. Persons selling such things are frequently impostors,

who by suave manners and pious speeches unfortunately find Catholics who

believe them. These persons--sometimes not Catholics themselves, or at

least very bad ones--laugh at the superstition and foolish practices of

Catholics who believe everything they hear about pious books, prayers,

or articles.

 

In the early ages of the Church, when the enemies of Christ found that

they could not refute His teaching, they began to circulate foolish

doctrines, pretending that they were taught by Christ, and thus they

hoped to bring ridicule upon Christianity. So also in our time many

things are circulated as the teaching of the Catholic Church by the

enemies of the Church, in hopes that by these falsehoods and foolish

doctrines they may bring disgrace and ridicule upon the true religion.

Be on your guard against all impostors, remembering it is a safe rule

never to buy a religious article from or give money to persons going

about from door to door. If you have anything to give in alms, give it

to some charitable institution or society connected with the Church, or

put it in the poor-box, and then you will be sure it will do the good

you intend. Remember, too, that all the religious articles carried about

for sale do not come from Rome or the Holy Land, and you are deceived if

you think so, notwithstanding the assurance of their owners.

 

"A trust"--with full confidence that God will grant our petitions if we

really need or deserve what we pray for. It is a fault with a great many

to pray without the belief that their prayers will be answered. We

should pray with such faith and confidence that we would really be

disappointed if our prayer was not granted. Once when Our Lord was going

about doing good, a poor woman who had been suffering for twelve years

with a disease, and who, wishing to be healed, had uselessly spent all

her money in seeking medical aid, came to follow Him. (Mark 5:25). She

did not ask Him to cure her, but said within herself, "If I can but

touch the hem of His garment I know I shall be healed." So she made her

way through the throng and followed Our Lord till she could touch His

garment without being seen. She succeeded in accomplishing her wishes,

touched His garment, and was instantly cured. Our Lord knew her desires

and what she had done, and turning around told the people, praising her

great faith and confidence, on account of which He had healed her. Such

also should be our confidence and trust when we pray to God for our

needs.

 

"Perseverance." We should continue to pray though God does not grant our

request. Have you ever noticed a little child begging favors from its

mother? See its persistence! Though often refused, it will return again

and again with the same request, till the mother, weary of its

importunity, finally grants what it asks.

 

St. Monica prayed seventeen years for the conversion of her son St.

Augustine. St. Augustine's father was a pagan, and Monica, his wife,

prayed seventeen years for his conversion, and he became a Christian.

Just about that time her son Augustine, who was attending school, fell

in with bad companions and became a great sinner. She prayed seventeen

years more for him, and he reformed, became a great saint and learned

bishop in the Church. See, then, the result of thirty-four years'

prayer: Monica herself became a saint, her son became a saint, and her

husband died a Christian. If St. Monica had ceased praying after ten

years, Augustine might not have reformed. We never know when God is

about to grant our petition, and we may cease to pray just when another

appeal would obtain the object of our prayer. So we should continue to

pray till God is pleased to grant our request. Some say their prayers

are not heard when they mean to say their prayers are not granted; for

God always hears us. But why does He not always grant our request? There

are many reasons: (1) We may not pray in the proper manner, namely, with

attention, reverence, humility, patience, and perseverance; (2) We may

ask for things that God foresees will not be for our spiritual good.

This is true even for things that seem good to us, such as the removal

of an affliction, temptation, or the like. It often happens that God

shows us His greatest mercy in not granting our prayers. Suppose, for

example, a father held in his hand a bright and beautiful but very sharp

instrument, for which his child continually asked. Do you believe the

father would give it if he loved the child? Certainly not. The child

thinks, no doubt, it would be benefitted by the possession of the

instrument, but the father sees the danger. As God is our loving Father,

He acts with us in the same manner. (3) Our prayers are not granted

sometimes that we may learn to pray with proper dispositions, and God

withholds what He intends finally to give, that we may persevere in

prayer and have greater merit. Have you ever observed a mother teaching

her child to walk? What does she do? She goes at some distance from the

child and holds out an object that she knows will be pleasing to it, and

thus tempts it to walk to her. When the child draws near she moves still

farther away, and keeps it walking for some time before giving the

object. This she does, not through unwillingness to give the article,

but in order to teach the child to walk, for she loves to see its

efforts. When it falls, she lifts it up and makes it try again. So, too,

God teaches us to pray; and though He loves us, He withholds His gifts,

that we may pray the longer, and thereby afford Him greater pleasure.

 

308 Q. 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.

 

309 Q. Are prayers said with distractions of any avail?

A. Prayers said with willful distractions are of no avail.

 

"Distraction"--that is, when we willingly and knowingly think of

something else while saying our prayers. It would be better not to pray

than to pray with disrespect. If there is any time at which we cannot

pray well, we should postpone our prayer: for God does not require us to

say our prayers just at a particular time; but when we do pray, He

requires us to pray with reverence and respect. We would pray well

always if we reflected on the great privilege we enjoy in being allowed

to pray.

 

 

 

Lesson 29

ON THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD

 

310 Q. 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.

 

We call some commandments the Commandments of God and others the

commandments of the Church. We do so only to distinguish the

Commandments that God gave to Moses from those that the Church made

afterwards. They are all the commandments of God, for whatever laws or

commandments the Church makes, it makes them under the inspiration of

the Holy Ghost, and by God's authority. It would be a mortal sin to

break the commandments of the Church, just as it would be to break the

Commandments of God. You must remember that the Ten Commandments always

existed from the time of Adam, but they were not written till God gave

them to Moses. You know that it was always a sin to worship false gods,

to blaspheme, to disobey parents, to kill, etc.; for you know Cain was

punished by God for the murder of his brother Abel (Gen. 5), and that

took place while Adam was still alive.

 

Before the coming of Our Lord the Israelites, or God's chosen people,

had three kinds of laws. They had the civil laws for the government of

their nation--just as we have our laws for the people of the United

States. They had their ceremonial laws for their services in the

temple--as we have our ceremonies for the Church. They had their moral

laws--such as the Commandments--teaching them what they must do to save

their souls. Their civil laws were done away with when they ceased to be

a nation having a government of their own. Their ceremonial laws were

done away with when Our Lord came and established His Church; because

their ceremonies were only the figures of ours. Their moral laws

remained, and Our Lord explained them and made them more perfect.

Therefore we keep the Commandments and moral laws as they were always

kept by man. Fifty days after the Israelites left Egypt they came to the

foot of Mount Sinai. (Ex. 19). Here God commanded Moses to come up into

the mountain, and in the midst of fire and smoke, thunder and lightning,

God spoke to him and delivered into his hands the Ten Commandments

written on two tablets of stone.

 

Every day while the Israelites were traveling in the desert God sent

them manna--a miraculous food that fell every morning. It was white, and

looked something like fine rice. It had any taste they wished it to

have. For instance, if they wished it to taste like fruit, it did taste

so to them; but its usual taste was like that of flour and honey. (Ex.

16).

 

I said there is no difference between the Ten Commandments of God and

the six commandments of the Church; and there is no difference as far as

the sin of violating them is concerned. But they differ in this: the

Church can change the commandments it made itself, while it cannot

change those that God Himself gave directly.

 

*311 Q. Which are the Commandments that contain the whole law of God?

A. The Commandments which contain the whole law of God are these two:

first, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, with thy

whole soul, with thy whole strength, and with thy whole mind; second,

thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

 

"As thyself"--that is, as explained elsewhere, with the same kind,

though not necessarily with the same degree, of love. First we must love

ourselves and do what is essential for our own salvation, because

without our cooperation others cannot save us, though they may help us

by their prayers and good works. Next to ourselves nature demands that

we love those who are related to us in the order of parents, children,

husbands, wives, brothers, etc., and help them in proportion to their

needs, and before helping strangers who are in no greater distress.

 

*312 Q. 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.

 

Of the Ten Commandments the first three refer to Almighty God and the

other seven to our neighbor. Thus all the Commandments may be reduced to

the two of the love of God and of the love of our neighbor. The First

Commandment says you shall worship only the true God; the Second says

you shall respect His holy name; and the Third says you shall worship

Him on a certain day. All these are contained therefore in this: Love

God all you possibly can, for if you do you will keep the first three of

the Commandments. The Fourth says: Honor your father--who in the sense

of the Commandment can also be called your neighbor--that is, respect

him, help him in his needs. The Fifth says do not kill him; namely, your

neighbor. The others say do not rob him of his goods; do not tell lies

about him; do not wish unjustly to possess his goods and do not covet

his wife. Thus it is clear that the last seven are all contained in

this: Love your neighbor, for if you do you will keep the last seven

Commandments that refer to him.

 

313 Q. 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.

 

*314 Q. Who gave the Ten Commandments?

A. God Himself gave the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai, and

Christ Our Lord confirmed them.

 

 

 

Lesson 30

ON THE FIRST COMMANDMENT

 

315 Q. What is the First Commandment?

A. The First Commandment is: "I am the Lord thy God: thou shalt not have

strange gods before Me."

 

"Strange gods." The Israelites were surrounded on all sides by pagan

nations who worshipped idols and false gods, and sometimes by mingling

with these people they fell into sin, and, forgetting the true God,

worshipped their idols. Sometimes, too, they were at war with these

pagan nations, and when defeated were led captive into pagan countries

and there fell into the sin of worshipping false gods. It was against

this sin that God cautioned His people in the First Commandment. From

this sin of idolatry among the Israelites we have an example of the evil

results of associating with persons not of the true religion. One would

think that the Israelites, knowing the true God, might have converted

their pagan neighbors to the true religion by the influence of their

teaching and example; but, on the contrary, they lost the true faith

themselves, as nearly always happens in such cases. How do we sometimes

worship false or strange gods? By making dress, money, honor, society,

company, or pleasure our god--that is, by giving up the worship of God

and sinning for their sake, and thus making them god, at least for the

time being, by giving them our heart, mind, and service.

 

*316 Q. 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.

 

317 Q. How do we adore God?

A. We adore God by faith, hope, and charity, by prayer and sacrifice.

 

318 Q. How may the First Commandment be broken?

A. The First Commandment may 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.

 

"Creature"--that is, anything created; anything but God Himself, for all

other persons and things have been created. If one knelt before a king

and adored him, he would be giving to a creature the honor due to God

alone. "False worship"--that is, worshipping God not as He directs us by

His Church, but in some ways pleasing to ourselves. For example, to

sacrifice animals to God would now be false worship; to offer now any of

the sacrifices commanded in the Old Law would be false worship, because

all these were figures of the real sacrifice of the Cross and Mass, and

were to put the people in mind that one day Christ the promised Redeemer

would offer up the one great sacrifice of His own body and blood to blot

out all the sins of the world. And now that we have the real sacrifice

it would be sinful to use only figures, and it would be a false worship

displeasing to God. So, too, all those who leave the true Church to

practice a religion of their own have a false worship, for they worship

God not as He wishes, but as they wish.

 

Heaven is a reward, and when we see how the saints labored to secure it

we must be ashamed of the little we do for God. Take out of a whole

year--that is, 365 days or 8,760 hours--the time you give to the service

of God, and you will find it very little. Even the time you spent at

Mass and prayers was filled with distraction and little of it entirely

given to God. Since this is true for one year, what will it be for all

the years of your life? Think of them all and you will perceive that

God, who gave you all the time you had, and who on the last day will

demand an exact account of it, will find very little of it spent in His

honor or in His service. Even the time wasted in school and instructions

will all stand against you. Time lost is lost forever, and you can never

make it up. Next to grace, time is the most valuable thing God gives us,

and we should use it well. "Attributing to a creature a perfection" etc.

Persons who go to fortune tellers do this. Fortune tellers are persons

who pretend to know what is going to happen in the future. We know from

our religion that only God Himself knows the future. Neither the angels

nor saints, nor even the Blessed Virgin, know the future. Even they

could not tell your fortune unless God revealed it to them. So when you

go to a fortune teller you place the poor sinful person who is doing the

devil's work above the Blessed Virgin and all the saints and angels, and

make that wretch equal to God Himself. Surely this is a sin, even if you

do not believe these so-called fortune tellers, but go to them merely

through curiosity or with others. Again, we pay these persons for

telling us some foolish nonsense, and thus encourage them to continue

their sinful business. They doubtless laugh at the foolishness of those

who go to them or believe what they say and pay them generously. You

might with as much sense stop a man on the street, ask him to tell your

fortune, and hand him your money, for he would know as much about it as

so-called fortune tellers do. Rarely these sinful people might tell you

something that has happened in your life; but if they do, they merely

guess at it or are aided by the devil. The devil did not lose his

intelligence when driven out of Heaven, and he uses it now for doing

evil. He has vast experience, for he is as old as Adam, or older, and

has seen and known all the men that have lived in the world. He can move

rapidly through the world and easily know what is visibly taking place,

so that, strictly speaking, he could make known to his sinful agents

what is present or past, but never the future. Thus some fortune

tellers, clairvoyants, mindreaders, mediums, or whatever else they call

themselves, who are truly in league with the devil, may by his power

tell you the past of your life to make you believe that they know also

the future. The past and present in your life you already know, and the

future they cannot tell; therefore it is useless as well as sinful to go

to them. I say only it is possible for some fortune tellers to employ

the assistance of the devil, for all of them, with very rare exception,

are clever impostors who take your money for guessing at what they

suspect you will be most pleased to hear.

 

*319 Q. 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.

 

"Spells" are certain words, the saying of which persons believe will

effect for them something wonderful--a miraculous cure, for instance, or

protection from some evil. "Charms" are articles worn about the body for

the same purpose. They may be little black beans, little stones of a

certain shape, the teeth of animals, etc. In uncivilized countries the

inhabitants use many of these charms. But you may ask, Are not these

medals, scapulars, etc., that we wear, also charms? No. These things are

blessed and worn in honor of God, of His Blessed Mother, or of the

saints. We do not expect any help from the little piece of brass or

cloth we wear, but from those in whose honor we wear it, and from the

prayers said in the blessing for those who wear it. But they who wear

charms expect the help from the thing itself, which makes their conduct

foolish and sinful, since God alone can protect from evil. Again, such

things as medals, crosses, and scapulars are blessed by the Church and

worn by its consent, and it could never allow all its children to do a

sinful thing. It is good and praiseworthy, therefore, to wear the

blessed sacramentals in God's honor; but even with these holy things we

must be careful not to go too far. It is true the Blessed Virgin will

protect those who wear her scapular; but it would be sinful willfully to

expose ourselves to danger without any necessity, because we wear a

scapular. Thus it would be suicide for a boy who could not swim to

plunge into deep water because, having his scapulars on, the Blessed

Virgin ought to save him by a miracle. Again, it is wrong to look for

miracles from God when natural help will answer. Thus it would be wrong

for a man who broke his leg to refuse to have the doctors set it,

because he wanted God alone to heal it. "Dreams" are caused by the mind

being at work while the body is sleeping or at rest. The mind never

sleeps; it is always awake and working. Thus when we are asleep the

imagination, without the reason to guide it, mixes together a number of

things we have seen, heard, or thought of, and gives us strange scenes

and pictures. Sometimes what we dream of seems to happen; but that is

only because we dream so much that it would be strange if none of the

things ever happened. We will generally dream about whatever was on our

mind shortly before. We read in the Holy Scriptures that God at times

made known His will to certain persons by dreams; as when the king of

Egypt dreamt of the great famine that was to come; or when the angel

appeared in sleep to St. Joseph, telling him to take Our Lord into

Egypt, where Herod the king could not kill him. (Matt. 2).

 

The dreams mentioned in the Holy Scripture were more frequently visions

than dreams. In a vision the things we see are really present, whereas

in dreams they are not, but we imagine they are. God no longer makes use

of dreams as a means of communicating with His creatures, because His

Church will make known to us His will. He sometimes, however, makes

known certain things to His holy servants on earth in a very special and

private manner: as, for example, when Our Lord appeared to Saint

Margaret Mary and told her He would like to have the devotion to the

Sacred Heart established. We must always believe what the Church tells

us God has made known to it; but when holy people tell us that God

revealed special things to them, we are not obliged to believe what they

say, unless the Church confirms it. I say we are not obliged--that is,

we may if we please; but we would not be heretics and commit sin if we

did not believe all the revelations and wonderful things we find

recorded in the lives of saints, though they may all be true.

 

"Mediums and spiritists" are persons who pretend they can talk with the

dead in the other world, and learn where they are and what they are

doing. They have figures to move and apparently speak, and other

contrivances to deceive those who confide in them. Their work is all

deception and very sinful. If any of these things could be done, or if

God wished them to be known, He would give the power to the Church

founded by His divine Son, and not to a few sinful men or women here and

there. After a soul leaves the body its fate is hidden from us, and we

can say nothing with absolute certainty of its reward or punishment. No

one ever came back from the other world to give a minute account of its

general appearance or of what takes place there. All that is known about

it the Church knows and tells us, and all over and above that is false

or doubtful. By thinking a little you can see how all these dealings

with fortune tellers, etc., are giving to creatures what belongs to God

alone.

 

320 Q. Are sins against faith, hope, and charity also sins against the

First Commandment?

A. Sins against faith, hope, and charity are also sins against the First

Commandment.

 

321 Q. How does a person sin against faith?

A. A person sins against faith, first, by not trying to know what God

has taught; second, by refusing to believe all that God has taught;

third, by neglecting to profess his belief in what God has taught.

 

"Not trying to know." Thus children who idle their time at Sunday school

or religious instruction, and do not learn their Catechism, sin against

faith in the first way. In like manner grown persons who do not sometime

or other endeavor to hear sermons or instructions, to attend missions or

learn from good books, sin against faith. "Refusing to believe," as all

those do who leave the true religion, or who, knowing it, do not embrace

it. "Neglecting to profess." We may do this by not living up to the

practice of our holy religion. We believe, for example, we should hear

Mass every Sunday and holy day; we should receive the Sacraments at

certain times in the year; but if we only believe these things and do

not do them, we neglect to profess our faith, neglect to show others

that we really believe all the Church teaches, and are anxious to

practice it. Many know and believe what they should do, but never

practice it. Such persons do great injury to the Church, for persons who

do not live up to their holy religion but act contrary to its teaching

give scandal to their neighbor. How many persons at present not

Catholics would be induced to enter the true Church if they saw all

Catholics virtuous, truthful, sober, honest, upright, and industrious!

But when they see Catholics--be they ever so few--cursing, quarrelling,

backbiting, drinking, lying, stealing, cheating, etc.--in a word,

indulging in the same vices as those who claim to have no religion, what

must they think of the moral influence of Catholic faith? Thus they do

great injustice to the Church and the cause of religion, and are working

against our Blessed Lord when they should be working for Him.

 

The Christian religion spread very rapidly through the world in the

first ages of its existence; and one of the chief reasons was the good

example given by the Christians; for pagans seeing the holy lives, the

kindness and charity of their Christian neighbors, could not help

admiring and loving them, and wishing to be members of the Church that

made them so good and amiable. How many pagans do you think would be

converted nowadays by the lives of some who call themselves Catholics?

Not many, I think. Besides this, the early Christians really labored to

instruct others in the Christian religion, and to make them converts.

Often we find servants--even slaves--by their instructions converting

their pagan masters and mistresses. They all felt that they were

missionaries working for Jesus Christ, and their influence reached where

the priest's influence could not reach, because they came in contact

with persons the priests never had an opportunity of seeing. If all

Catholics had the same spirit, what good they could do! Their business

or duty may often bring them into daily intercourse with persons not of

their faith, and who never knew or perhaps heard any of the beautiful

truths of our holy religion. Yes, Catholics could do much good if they

had only the good will and knew their religion well. I do not mean that

they should be always discussing religion with everyone they meet. Let

them preach chiefly by the example of their own good lives, and when

questioned explain modestly and sincerely the truths they believe.

 

If you should be asked, for instance: Why do you not eat flesh-meat on

Friday? you should be able to answer: "Because I am a Christian and wish

to keep always before my mind how our Blessed Lord suffered for me in

His holy flesh on that day; and anyone who claims to be a Christian,

ought, I think, to be glad to do what reminds him so regularly and well

of Our Lord's Passion." Such an answer if given kindly and mildly would

silence and instruct your adversary; it might make him reflect, and

might, in time, bring him to the true religion. Sometimes a few words

make a great impression and bring about conversion. St. Francis Xavier

was a worldly young man, learned and ambitious, and he heard from St.

Ignatius these words of Our Lord: "What doth it profit a man if he gain

the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul?" He went home and

kept thinking of them till they impressed him so strongly that he gave

up the world, became a priest and by his labors and preaching in India,

converted to the true religion many thousand pagans. In the lives of the

saints there are many examples of a few words, by God's grace, bringing

men from a life of sin to a life of great holiness.

 

*322 Q. How do we fail to try to know what God has taught?

A. We fail to try to know what God has taught by neglecting to learn the

Christian doctrine.

 

*323 Q. Who are they who do not believe all that God has taught?

A. They who do not believe all that God has taught are the heretics and

infidels.

 

There are many kinds of unbelievers: atheists, deists, infidels,

heretics, apostates, and schismatics. An atheist is one who denies the

existence of God, saying there is no God. A deist is one who says he

believes God exists, but denies that God ever revealed any religion.

These are also called freethinkers. An infidel properly means one who

has never been baptized--one who is not of the number of the faithful;

that is, those believing in Christ. Sometimes atheists are called

infidels. Heretics are those who were baptized and who claim to be

Christians, but do not believe all the truths that Our Lord has taught.

They accept only a portion of the doctrine of Christ and reject the

remainder, and hence they become rebellious children of the Church. They

belong to the true Church by being baptized, but do not submit to its

teaching and are therefore outcast children, disinherited till they

return to the true faith. A schismatic is one who believes everything

the Church teaches, but will not submit to the authority of its

head--the Holy Father. Such persons do not long remain only schismatics;

for once they rise up against the authority of the Church, they soon

reject some of its doctrines and thus become heretics; and indeed, since

Vatican Council I, all schismatics are heretics.

 

*324 Q. Who are they who neglect to profess their belief in what God has

taught?

A. They who neglect to profess their belief in what God has taught are

all those who fail to acknowledge the true Church in which they really

believe.

 

There are some outside the Church who feel and believe that the Catholic

Church is the true Church, and yet they do not become Catholics, because

there are so many difficulties in the way. For example, they have been

brought up in another religion, and all their friends, relatives, or

associates are opposed to the Catholic religion. Their business, their

social life, their worldly interests will all suffer if they become

Catholics. So, although they feel they should at once embrace the true

religion, they keep putting off till death comes and finds them outside

the Church--and most probably guilty of other mortal sins. Such persons

cannot be saved, for they reject all the graces God bestows upon them. A

very common fault with such people is to excuse this conduct by saying:

Oh! I was brought up in the Protestant religion, and everyone ought to

live in the religion in which he was brought up. Let me ask: If persons

were brought up with some bodily deformity that their parents neglected

to have remedied while they were young, would they not use every means

themselves to have the deformity removed as soon as they became old

enough to see and understand their misfortune? In like manner, if

unfortunately parents bring up their children in a false religion--that

is, with spiritual deformities, it is the duty of the children to

embrace the true religion as soon as they know it. Again persons will

say: Oh, I believe one religion as good as another; we are all

Christians, and all trying to serve God. If one religion is as good as

another, why did not Our Lord allow the old religions--false or true--to

remain? If one man says a thing is black and another says it is white,

they cannot both be right, for a thing cannot be black and white at the

same time. Only one can be right; and, if we are anxious about the color

of the object, we must try to find which one is right. Just in the same

way all the religions that claim to be Christian contradict one another;

one says a thing is false and another says it is true: one says Our Lord

taught so and so and another says He did not. Now since it is very

important for us to know which is right, we must find out which is

really the Church Our Lord established; and when we have found it we

will know that all the other pretended Christian religions must be

false. Our Lord has given us marks by which we can know His Church, as

we saw while speaking of the marks of the Church; and the Roman Catholic

Church is the only Church that has all these marks. We say that we are

Roman Catholics to show that we are in communion with the Church of

Rome, established by St. Peter, the chief of the Apostles.

 

*325 Q. Can they who fail to profess their faith in the true Church in

which they believe expect to be saved while in that state?

A. They who fail to profess their faith in the true Church in which they

believe cannot expect to be saved while in that state, for Christ has

said: "Whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My

Father who is in Heaven."

 

326 Q. Are we obliged to make open profession of our faith?

A. We are obliged to make open profession of our faith as often as God's

honor, our neighbor's spiritual good, or our own requires it.

"Whosoever," says Christ, "shall confess Me before men, I will also

confess him before My Father who is in Heaven."

 

It is not necessary for us to proclaim in the streets that we are

Catholics; neither need we tell our religion to impudent people that may

ask us only to insult us; but when a real need of professing our faith

presents itself, then we must profess it. Suppose you are stopping in a

hotel in which you are the only Catholic. If flesh-meat is placed before

you on a Friday in Lent you must quietly push it aside and ask for fish

or other food; although by so doing you will show that you are a

Catholic and make a silent profession of your faith. God's honor and

your own good require it, for you must keep the laws of God and of His

Church on every possible occasion. Suppose again there were in the same

hotel some indifferent Catholics, socially your equals or inferiors, who

through human respect were ashamed to go to Mass on Sunday; then you

should publicly go to Mass and even declare that you must go, for by so

doing you would encourage these indifferent Catholics to follow your

example. In that case your neighbor's good requires that you profess

your faith. In a word, you must keep up the practice of your religion

even if by so doing you have to make an open profession of your faith

and suffer for it. But suppose it is something that God or the Church

does not command you to do but only recommends, such as blessing

yourself before meals or some pious practice, you could in public omit

such an action if you pleased without any sin or denial of faith,

because you violate no law.

 

327 Q. Which are the sins against hope?

A. The sins against hope are presumption and despair.

 

328 Q. What is presumption?

A. Presumption is a rash expectation of salvation without making proper

use of the necessary means to obtain it.

 

A person who goes on leading a bad life, and says when warned of his

danger that he is in no hurry to reform, that he will repent some day

before he dies, is always living in and committing the sin of

presumption. It is a great sin, for it is living in open defiance of

Almighty God. Such persons are very seldom given the opportunity to

repent at the last moment, and are, in most cases, called to judgment

when they least expect it. We are all presumptuous sometimes. Do we not

often, when we have fallen into a certain sin, easily repeat the act,

saying to ourselves, now that we will have to confess the sin committed,

the mention of the number of times will not make such difference for it

will not increase our shame and confusion? This is presumption; for we

do not know whether God will ever give us the opportunity of making a

confession. Again, one mortal sin is sufficient to keep our souls in

Hell for all eternity; what then will be our punishment for many mortal

sins? Then there is another thing you should remember: God has fixed a

certain number of sins that He will suffer you to commit before He sends

His punishment. You do not know which sin will complete the number and

be the last. The very sin you are now about to commit may be that one,

and the moment you have committed it, God will call you to judgment,

whether it be night or day, whether you are at home or in the

streets--though perhaps not immediately, but before you commit another

sin. Such a thought alone should keep you from sinning. Moreover, after

confession you strongly resist the first temptation to mortal sin, but

after you have yielded to the first you scarcely make any more

resistance, but easily yield again and again. You should therefore, to

prevent this, go to confession just as soon as you possibly can after

falling into mortal sin. It is bad enough to commit mortal sin, but it

is terrible to be living in that state day and night--always an enemy of

God--losing the merit of all the works you do and yet you must stay in

that state of sin till you go to confession and receive absolution.

Peter the Apostle committed the sin of presumption. (Matt. 26). Our Lord

told him to watch and pray for he would be tempted and yield that night,

but Peter said: "No Lord, I will never deny Thee." Instead of begging

Our Lord's help and grace, he trusted to himself and fell miserably into

sin. He went into dangerous company and that was another cause of his

fall. But afterwards he saw his sin and folly and never ceased to repent

of it.

 

329 Q. What is despair?

A. Despair is the loss of hope in God's mercy.

 

Despair is a sin because by it you deny that God is infinitely

merciful--that He is merciful enough to forgive even your many and great

sins if you are truly sorry for them. Judas committed the sin of

despair. After he had betrayed Our Lord, he went and hanged himself,

thus committing, besides the sin of betraying his divine Master, two

other great sins; namely, despair in God's mercy and suicide. If he had

gone to Our Lord and confessed his sin, and implored pardon and promised

penance, can we doubt that He would have forgiven even Judas, as He

forgave Peter, and those that crucified Him, praying that His Father

might not punish them for their sins? Therefore, no matter what sins you

have committed, never lose confidence in God's mercy. See how Our Lord

pardoned the thief on the cross and Mary Magdalen and other sinners. Be

sorry for your sins, and God will hear your prayers. Call upon the

Blessed Virgin, your patron saint, and guardian angel to help you, and

ask others, especially good persons, to pray for you.

 

*330 Q. How do we sin against the love of God?

A. We sin against the love of God by all sin, but particularly by mortal

sin.

 

 

 

Lesson 31

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT--ON THE HONOR AND INVOCATION OF SAINTS

 

331 Q. Does the First Commandment forbid the honoring of the saints?

A. The First Commandment does not forbid the honoring of the saints, but

rather approves of it; because by honoring the saints, who are the

chosen friends of God, we honor God Himself.

 

Think of the many helps God gives us to save our souls: an angel to be

always with us upon earth; a saint always praying for us in Heaven, and

besides these all the graces, the Sacraments, the Masses, the prayers,

etc. If then we lose our soul, surely we cannot say, God did not give us

sufficient help. "Invocation" means calling upon them to help us.

Everyone is pleased when his friends are honored. Who is not glad to

hear his parents praised or see them respected? By praying to the

saints, instead of dishonoring God--as Protestants say we do--we really

honor Him more than by praying directly to Himself We show that we

believe in His great dignity, His awful majesty and our own nothingness.

If a poor person wanted to obtain a favor from the President of the

United States, would he go directly to the President himself? No. He

would find someone who had influence with the President, and ask him to

obtain the favor. Why, the very persons that say we should not use the

influence of saints do themselves use the influence of others to obtain

favors. They never go to an enemy of the one from whom they desire the

favor, but to some of his friends, knowing that a person will often

grant a favor for a friend's sake that he would not grant for the sake

of others. Now we do exactly the same when we pray to the saints. They

are the special friends of God. They fasted, prayed, preached, labored,

or suffered death for His honor and glory. He showed them great favors

while they were upon earth. He performed miracles at their request. Will

He deny them now, when they are always present with Him in Heaven--where

they could not possibly sin? He loves to grant them favors; and, as they

do not need any for themselves, He grants them for others through their

intercession. Again men are honored by the praises of their fellowman. A

great general is honored by having all his countrymen praise him; so,

too, God wants His saints honored, for their great spiritual deeds, by

the praise of the children of the Church. God is not annoyed by being

asked for favors. Nothing can trouble Him, for all is done by an act of

His will. He loses nothing by giving, for He is infinite. By praying to

the saints for help we confess that we are too unworthy to present

ourselves to God and address Him--to come before His awful Majesty, and

that we will wait here in the humble attitude of prayer while you, holy

saints, His dearest friends, go into His presence and ask for us the

favors and graces we require.

 

332 Q. Does the First Commandment forbid us to pray to the saints?

A. The First Commandment does not forbid us to pray to the saints.

 

We do not pray to them as to God. We never say to them, "Give us this or

that," but always, "Obtain it for us." In all the litanies you cannot

find one petition where we say, even to the Blessed Virgin: "Have mercy

on us," but, "Pray for us," or, "Intercede for us."

 

333 Q. What do we mean by praying to the saints?

A. By praying to the saints we mean the asking of their help and

prayers.

 

*334 Q. How do we know that the saints hear us?

A. We know that the saints hear us, because they are with God, who makes

our prayers known to them.

 

*335 Q. 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.

 

*336 Q. 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.

 

*337 Q. 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.

 

*338 Q. 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.

 

*339 Q. 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.

 

340 Q. 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.

 

"Relic" means a thing left. Relics are pieces of the body--bones, etc.

Pieces of saints' clothing, writing, etc., are also called relics.

Pieces of the True Cross, the nails that pierced Christ's hands, etc.,

are relics of Our Lord's Passion. We have no relic of Our Lord's Body

because He took it into Heaven with Him when He ascended. All relics of

the saints must be examined at Rome, by those whom the Holy Father has

appointed for that work. They must be marked and accompanied by the

testimony of the Cardinals, or others who examined them, to show that

they are true relics. It would be superstitious to use anything as a

relic unless we were sure of its being genuine.

 

341 Q. 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.

 

Protestants and others say that Catholics break the First Commandment by

having images in their churches, because the First Commandment says:

"Thou shalt not make graven images or the likeness of anything upon the

earth," etc. Now, if that is exactly what the Commandment means, then

they break it also, because they make the images of generals, statesmen,

writers, etc., and place them in their parks. They also take photographs

of their relatives and friends and hang them on the walls of their

homes. They do this, they say, and we believe them, to show their

respect and veneration for the persons represented, and not to worship

their images. Now we do no more. We simply place in our churches the

images of saints to show our respect and veneration for the persons they

represent, and not to worship the images themselves. So if we break the

First Commandment, they who make any picture or statue break it also.

Can our accusers not see that they and every citizen do the very thing

for which they reproach us? On Decoration Day they place flowers around

the statue of Washington and other great men. Does anyone believe that

they are trying to honor the piece of metal or stone, or that the metal

or stone statue knows that it is being honored? Certainly not. They do

so to honor Washington or whomsoever the statue represents; and for the

same reason Catholics place flowers and lights around the statues and

images of saints. Every child knows that the wood in the statue might as

well have been a pillar in the Church, and that its selection for a

statue was merely accidental, and hence he knows that the statue cannot

hear or see him, and so he prays not to the statue but to the person it

represents. Again if you can offer a person insult by dishonoring his

image, may we not honor him by treating it with respect? What greater

insult, for instance, could be offered to your deceased father and

yourself than to burn him in effigy, or contemptuously trample his

picture under foot in your presence? Thus they who treat the images of

Christ or His saints with disrespect dishonor Christ and His saints.

 

Again we may learn our religion by our sight as well as by our hearing,

and may be led by these visible objects to a knowledge of the invisible

things they represent. Let us take an example. A poor ignorant man

enters a Catholic church, and sees hanging there a picture of St.

Vincent de Paul. He can learn the life of the saint from that picture

almost as well as if he read it in a book. He sees the saint dressed in

a cassock, and that tells him St. Vincent was a priest. He sees him

surrounded by little ragged children and holding some of them in his

arms; that tells him the saint took care of poor children and orphans,

and founded homes and asylums for them. He sees on the saint's table a

human skull, and that tells him St. Vincent frequently meditated upon

death and what follows it. He sees beside the skull a little lash or

whip, and that tells him the saint was a man who practiced penance and

mortification. Thus you have another reason why the true Church is very

properly called Catholic; because its teaching suits all classes of

persons. The ignorant can know what it teaches as well as the learned;

for if they cannot read they can listen to its priests, watch its

ceremonies, and study its pictures, by all of which it teaches. The

Protestant religion, on the contrary, is not adapted to the needs of

every class, for it teaches that all must find their doctrines in the

Bible, and understand them according to their lights, giving their own

interpretation to the passages of the sacred text; and thus we come to

have a variety of Protestant denominations, all claiming the Bible for

their guide, though following different paths. If every Protestant has

the right to take his own meaning out of the Holy Scripture, what right

have Protestant ministers to preach the meaning they have found, and

compel others to accept it? The Bible alone is not sufficient. It must

be explained by the Church that teaches us also the traditions that have

come down to us from the Apostles. If the Bible alone were the rule of

our faith, what would become of all those who could not read the Bible?

What would become of those who lived before the Apostles wrote the New

Testament? for they did not write in the first years of their ministry,

neither did they commit to writing all the truths they taught, because

Our Lord did not command them to write, but to preach; and He Himself

never wrote any of His doctrines. Again Catholics are accused of

superstition for keeping the relics of saints. Yet when General Grant

died and was buried in New York, many citizens of every denomination,

anxious to have a relic of the great man they loved and admired,

secured, even at a cost, small pieces of wood from his house, of cloth

from his funeral car, a few leaves or a little sand from his tomb. Now,

if it was not superstition to keep these relics, why should it be

superstition to keep the relics of the saints?

 

Even God Himself honored the relics of saints, for He has often

performed or granted miracles through their use. We read in the Bible (4

Kings 13:21)--and it is the word of God--that once some persons who were

burying a dead man, seeing their enemies coming upon them, hastily cast

the body into a tomb and fled. It was the tomb of the holy prophet

Eliseus, and when the dead body touched the bones of this great servant

of God, the dead man came to life and stood erect. Here is at least one

miracle that God performed through the relics of a saint.

 

God does not forbid the mere making of images, but only the making of

them as gods. He gave the Commandments to Moses and afterwards told him

to make images; namely, angels of gold for the temple. (Ex. 25:18). Now,

God does not change His mind or contradict Himself as men do. Whatever

He does is done forever. Therefore if He commanded Moses by the First

Commandment not to make any images, He could not tell him later to make

some. It is not the mere making, therefore, that God forbids, but the

adoring. What He insists upon is: "You shall not adore or serve the

images you make." This is very clear if we consider the history of the

Israelites, to whom God first gave the law. They were the only nation in

the whole world that knew and worshipped the true God, and often, as I

told you, they fell into idolatry and really worshipped images. When

Moses delayed on the mountain with God, and they thought he was not

coming back, they made a golden calf and adored it as a god. (Ex. 32).

 

The Israelites fell into idolatry chiefly by associating with persons

not of the true religion. Let us learn from their sins never to run the

risk of weakening or losing our faith by making bosom friends and steady

companions of those not of the true religion or of no religion at all.

You are not, however, to treat any person with contempt or to despise

anyone, but to look upon all as the children of God, and pray for those

not of the true religion, that they may be converted and saved.

 

342 Q. 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.

 

343 Q. 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.

 

344 Q. 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 32

FROM THE SECOND TO THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT

 

345 Q. What is the Second Commandment?

A. The Second Commandment is: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord

thy God in vain.

 

"In vain"--that is, without necessity.

 

346 Q. 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.

 

A very common sin against this Commandment is to use the words and

sayings of Holy Scripture in a worldly or bad sense. The Church forbids

us to use the words and sayings of Holy Scripture to convey any meaning

but the one God intended them to convey, or at least to use them in any

but a sacred sense.

 

347 Q. What is an oath?

A. An oath is the calling upon God to witness the truth of what we say.

 

We declare a thing to be so or not, and call God to be our witness that

we are speaking truly. This is one of the most solemn acts that men can

perform in the presence of their fellowman. All the nations of the earth

regard an oath as a most sacred thing, and one who swears falsely is the

vilest of men--a perjurer. God is infinite truth and hates lies. What a

frightful thing then to call Him to sanction a lie!

 

*348 Q. 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.

 

An oath is generally taken in a court of law when the judge wishes to

find out the truth of the case. We may be a witness against one who is

guilty, or in defense of an innocent person, and in such cases a lie

would have most evil consequences. The judge has a right, therefore, to

make us take an oath that we will testify truly. Officers of the law,

magistrates, judges, etc., take an oath when entering upon their duties

that they will perform them faithfully.

 

*349 Q. What is necessary to make an oath lawful?

A. To make an oath lawful it is necessary that what we swear be true,

and that there be a sufficient cause for taking an oath.

 

350 Q. What is a vow?

A. A vow is a deliberate promise made to God to do something that is

pleasing to Him.

 

"Deliberate"--that is, with full consent and freedom. If we are forced

to make it, it is not valid. "To God," not to another; though we may vow

to God that we will do something in honor of the Blessed Virgin, or of

the saints, or for another. "Something pleasing," because if we promise

something that is forbidden by God or displeasing to Him, it is not a

vow. A solemn promise, for instance, to kill your neighbor or steal his

goods could not be a vow. You would commit a sin by making such a vow,

and another by keeping it, for if you promise something you cannot do

without committing sin then you must not keep that promise. We have an

example in the life of St. John the Baptist. King Herod was leading a

sinful life, and St. John rebuked him for it. The wife of the king's

brother--Herodias was her name--hated St. John for this, and she sought

to have him killed. Once when the king had a great feast and all his

notables were assembled, this woman's daughter danced before them, and

the king was so pleased with her that he vowed to give her whatever she

asked. He should have said, if it is something pleasing to God, but he

did not. Her mother made her ask for the head of John the Baptist. The

king was sad, but because he had made the vow or promise he thought he

had to keep it, and ordered St. John to be beheaded and his head brought

to her. (Matt. 14). He was not bound to keep any such vow, and sinned by

doing so.

 

Again, they also commit sin who become members of such secret societies

as the freemasons or similar organizations, promising to do whatever

they are ordered without knowing what may be ordered; for they sin not

only by obeying sinful commands, but by the very fact of being in a

society in which they are exposed to the danger of being forced to sin.

Such secret societies are forbidden by the Church because they strive to

undermine its authority, and make their rules superior to its teaching.

They also influence those in authority to persecute the Church and its

ministers, and do not hesitate to recommend even assassination at times

for the accomplishment of their ends. Therefore the Church forbids

Catholics to join societies of which (1) the objects are unlawful, (2)

where the means used are sinful, or (3) where the rights of our

conscience and liberty are violated by rash or dangerous oaths.

 

The Church does not oppose associations founded on law and justice; but

on the contrary, has always encouraged and still encourages every

organization that tends to benefit its members spiritually and

temporally, and opposes only societies that have not a legitimate end.

Therefore you may understand that labor unions and benefit societies in

which persons are leagued together for their own protection or the

protection of their interests are not secret societies, though they may

conduct their meetings in secret.

 

351 Q. 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.

 

"Vows"--that is, lawful vows. When a man who is in the habit of getting

intoxicated vows not to take liquor for a certain time, he generally

intends to bind himself only under venial sin; that is, if he breaks

that pledge or promise it will be a venial and not a mortal sin; but he

can make it a mortal sin by intending, when he takes the pledge, that if

he breaks it he will be guilty of mortal sin.

 

352 Q. What is forbidden by the Second Commandment?

A. The Second Commandment forbids all false, rash, unjust, and

unnecessary oaths, blasphemy, cursing, and profane words.

 

"Rash"--swearing a thing is true or false without knowing for certain

whether it is or not. "Blasphemy" is not the same as cursing or taking

God's name in vain. It is worse. It is to say or do something very

disrespectful to God. To say that He is unjust, cruel or the like, is to

blaspheme. We can blaspheme also by actions. To defy God by a sign or

action, to dare Him to strike us dead, etc., would be blasphemy. We have

a terrible example of blasphemy related in the life of Julian the

Apostate. An apostate is one who renounces and gives up his religion,

not one who merely neglects it. Julian was a Roman emperor and had been

a Catholic, but apostatized. Then in his great hatred for Our Lord he

wished to falsify His prophecies and prove them untrue. Our Lord had

said that of the temple of Jerusalem there would not be left a stone

upon a stone. To make this false Julian began to rebuild the temple. In

making the preparation he cleared away the ruins of the old building,

not leaving a single stone upon a stone, and thus was instrumental

himself in verifying the words of Our Lord; for while the ruins remained

there were stones upon stones. He wished to defy God, but when he began

to build, fire came forth from the earth and drove back the workmen, and

a strong wind scattered the materials. Afterwards Julian was wounded in

battle, an arrow having pierced his breast. He drew it out, and throwing

a handful of his blood toward heaven, said: "Thou hast conquered, O

Galilean," meaning Our Lord. This was a horrible blasphemy--throwing his

blood in defiance, and calling the Son of God a name which he thought

would be insulting (see Fredet's Modern History, Life of Julian).

Therefore we can blaspheme by actions or words, doing or saying things

intended to insult Almighty God. "Profane words"--that is, bad, but

especially irreverent and irreligious words.

 

353 Q. What is the Third Commandment?

A. The Third Commandment is: Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day.

 

*354 Q. 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 holy days of obligation, on which we are to give our time to the

service and worship of God.

 

"Holy days" we are bound to keep holy just in the same manner we do

Sundays--that is, by hearing Mass and refraining from servile works.

Those who after hearing Mass must attend to business or work on those

days should make this known to their confessor, that he may judge if

they have a sufficient excuse for engaging in servile works, and thus

they will avoid the danger of sinfully violating an important law. There

must always be a good reason for working on a holy day. Those who are so

situated that they can readily refrain from servile work on holy days

must do so. And, where it is possible, the same opportunity must be

afforded to their servants.

 

"Of obligation," because there are some holy days not of obligation. We

celebrate them, but we are not bound under pain of mortal sin to hear

Mass or keep from servile works on such days. For example, St. Patrick's

Day is not a holy day of obligation. The great feast of Corpus Christi

is not a holy day of obligation. Not satisfied with doing only what the

Church obliges us to do on Sundays and holy days, those who really love

God will endeavor to do more than the bare works commanded. Sunday is a

day of rest and prayer. While we may take innocent and useful amusement,

we should not join in any public or noisy entertainments. We may rest

and recreate ourselves, but we should avoid every place where vulgar and

sometimes sinful amusements, scenes, or plays are presented. Even in

taking lawful recreation we may serve God and please Him if we take it

to strengthen our bodies that we may be enabled to do the work He has

assigned to us in this world.

 

Sunday is well spent by those who, after hearing Mass, devote some part

of the day to good works, such as pious reading, teaching in Sunday

school, bringing relief to the poor and sick, visiting the Blessed

Sacrament, attending Vespers, Rosary, etc. Not that I mean they should

do nothing but pray on Sundays; but they should not give the whole day

to useless enjoyment or idleness, and forget God. Some begrudge God even

the half-hour they are obliged to give to Mass on Sundays: they stand

near the door, ready to be the first out, and perhaps were the last in;

or they come late, and do not give the full time necessary to hear the

entire Mass. Others spend the whole day in reading newspapers,

magazines, or useless--I will not say sinful--books. It is not a sin to

read newspapers, etc., on Sunday; but to give the whole time to them,

and never read anything good and instructive, is a willful waste of

time--and waste of time is sinful. There should be in every family,

according to its means, one or more good Catholic newspapers or

magazines. Not all papers that bear the name of Catholic are worthy of

it. A truly Catholic paper is one that teaches or defends Catholic

truth, and warns us against its enemies, their snares, deceptions, etc.;

one, too, that tells us what is being done in the interests of religion,

education, etc. Besides such a paper there should be a few standard good

books in every family such as the New Testament, the Imitation of

Christ, a large and full catechism of Christian doctrine, etc. On the

other hand, all the books in your house need not be books treating of

religion or piety. Any book that is not against faith or morals may be

kept and read. A book may not be bad in itself, but it may be bad for

you, either because it is suggestive of evil, or you misunderstand it,

and take evil out of it. In such a case you should not read it. At the

present time there are so many bad books that persons should be very

careful as to what they read.

 

Not only should we keep Sunday well ourselves, but we should endeavor to

have it so kept by others. We must be careful, however, not to fall into

the mistake of some who wish the Sunday to be kept as the Pharisees of

old kept the Sabbath, telling us we must not walk, ride, sail, or take

any exercise or enjoyment on that day. This is not true, for Our Lord

rebuked the Pharisees for such excessive rigor; God made the Sunday for

our benefit, and if we had to keep it as they say we must, it would be

more of a punishment than a benefit.

 

355 Q. How are we to worship God on Sundays and holy days of obligation?

A. We are to worship God on Sundays and holy days of obligation by

hearing Mass, by prayer, and by other good works.

 

*356 Q. 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.

 

"Old Law" means the law that God gave to the Jews, the New Law, the law

that Our Lord gave to Christians.

 

*357 Q. 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.

 

We keep Sunday instead of Saturday 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.

 

358 Q. 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.

 

359 Q. What are servile works?

A. Servile works are those which require labor rather of body than of

mind.

 

"Servile"--that is, work which was formerly done by the slaves.

Therefore writing, reading, studying, etc., are not servile, because

they were not the works of slaves.

 

360 Q. Are servile works on Sunday ever lawful?

A. Servile works are lawful on Sunday when the honor of God, the good of

our neighbor, or necessity requires them.

 

"Honor of God"; for example, erecting an altar that could not be erected

at another time, so that the people may hear Mass on that day.

 

"Good of our neighbor"--such as reconstructing a broken bridge that must

be used every day; or clearing away obstacles after a railroad accident,

that trains may not be delayed. "Necessity"--firemen endeavoring to

extinguish a fire, sailors working on a ship at sea, etc.

 

 

 

Lesson 33

FROM THE FOURTH TO THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT

 

361 Q. What is the Fourth Commandment?

A. The Fourth Commandment is: Honor thy father and thy mother.

 

362 Q. 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.

 

"In all that is not sin," because if our parents or superiors, being

wicked, bid us do things that we know to be certainly sinful, then we

must not obey them under any circumstances. God will not excuse us for

doing wrong because we were commanded. But if, on the contrary, we are

forced in spite of our resistance to do the sinful act, then not we but

they have to answer for the sin. If, however, you simply doubt about the

sinfulness of the act, then you must obey; because you must always

suppose that your superiors know better than you the things that concern

their duty. Even if they should be mistaken in the exercise of their

authority, God will reward your obedience. Besides obeying them, you

must also help and support your parents if they need your assistance.

You must not scoff at or despise them for their want of learning or

refinement, because they perhaps have made many sacrifices to give you

the advantages of which they in their youth were deprived. Do we not

sometimes find persons of pretended culture ignorantly slighting their

plain-mannered parents, or showing that they are ashamed of them or

unwilling to recognize them before others, ungratefully forgetting that

whatever wealth or learning they themselves have came through the love

and kindness of these same parents? Again, is it not sinful for the

children, especially of such parents, to waste their time in school,

knowing that they are being supported in idleness by the hard toil and

many sacrifices of a poor father? Never, then, be guilty of an unkind or

ungrateful act. No matter who they are or what their condition, never

forget those who have helped you and been your temporal or spiritual

benefactors. If you cannot return the kindness to the one who helped

you, at least be as ready as he was to do good to another. It is told of

a great man that, wishing always to do good, he made it a rule never to

stand looking at the effects of a disturbance, disaster, or accident

unless he could do some good by being there.

 

Wherever you are, ask yourselves now and then, Why am I in this

particular place; what good am I doing here? etc. St. Aloysius when

about to perform any action used to ask himself, it is said, What has

this action to do with my eternal salvation? and St. Alphonsus de

Liguori made a vow never to waste a moment of his time. These were some

of the great heroes of the Church, and this is one of the reasons why

they could accomplish so much for God.

 

363 Q. Are we bound to honor and obey others than our parents?

A. We are bound to honor and obey our bishops, pastors, magistrates,

teachers, and other lawful superiors.

 

"Magistrates"--that is, civil rulers, like the president, governor,

mayor, judges, etc.

 

*364 Q. Have parents and superiors any duties towards 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.

 

It is so much their duty that God will hold them responsible for it, and

punish them for neglecting it; so that your parents are not free to give

you your own way. They have to do God's work, and, as His agents, punish

you when you deserve it. You should take their punishment as coming from

God Himself. They do not punish you because they wish to see you suffer,

but for your good. Think of the terrible responsibility of parents. Let

us suppose that the parents of a family give bad example; their children

follow their example, and when they become heads of families their

children also will grow up in wickedness: and thus we can go on for

generations, and all those sins will be traced back to the first bad

parents. What is true for bad example is true also for good example;

that is, the good done by the children will all be traced back to the

parents. Sometimes you may be punished when you are not guilty; then

think of the times you were guilty and were not punished. Remember also

how Our Lord was falsely accused before Herod and Pilate, and yet He

never opened His lips to defend Himself, but suffered patiently. God

sees your innocence and will reward you if you bear your trial

patiently. Indeed, we are foolish not to bear all our sufferings

patiently, for we have to bear them anyway, and we might just as well

have the reward that patient suffering will bring us. Those who suffer

should find comfort in this: by suffering they are made more like Our

Lord and His blessed Mother. She lived on earth over sixty years, and

during all that time she seems never to have had any of those things

that bring worldly pleasure and happiness. She was left an orphan when

quite young, and spent her early life in the temple, which was for her a

kind of school; then she was married to a poor old carpenter, and must

have found it very hard at times to get a living. Our Lord was born

while she was away from home in a strange place. After she had returned

and had just settled down in her little dwelling, she had to fly with

St. Joseph into Egypt to save the life of the little Infant Jesus, whom

the king's officers were seeking to kill. In Egypt they were strangers,

among people not of their own nationality or religion, and St. Joseph

must have found great difficulty in providing for them; yet they had to

remain there for some time. Then when our divine Lord was grown to

manhood and could be a great comfort to His Mother, He was seized and

put to death in her presence. Her most beloved and innocent Son put to

death publicly as a criminal before all her neighbors! The same persons

who insulted Our Lord would not hesitate to insult and cruelly treat His

blessed Mother also. At His death He left her no money or property for

her support, but asked a friend, St. John, to receive her into his house

and do Him the favor of taking care of her. She must have often felt

that she was a burden in that man's house; that she had no home of her

own, but was living like a poor woman on the charity of kind friends,

for St. Joseph died before Our Lord's public life began. The Blessed

Mother was, however, obliged to remain upon earth for about eleven years

after Our Lord's Ascension. Thus we see her whole life was one of trials

and sorrows. Now certainly Our Lord loved His Mother more than any other

son could; and certainly also He, being God, could have made His blessed

Mother a queen upon the earth, rich and powerful among men, and free

from every suffering or inconvenience. If, then, He sent her sorrows and

trials, it must have been because these were best for her, and because

He knew that for this suffering here upon earth her happiness and glory

in Heaven would be much increased; and as He wished her to have all the

happiness and glory she was capable of possessing, He permitted her to

suffer. If, then, suffering was good for Our Lord's Mother, it is good

also for us; and when it comes we ought not to complain, but bear it

patiently, as she did, and ask Our Lord to give us that grace.

 

365 Q. What is forbidden by the Fourth Commandment?

A. The Fourth Commandment forbids all disobedience, contempt, and

stubbornness towards our parents or lawful superiors.

 

"Contempt." Showing by our words or actions that we disregard or despise

those placed over us. A man who is summoned to appear in court and does

not come is punished for "contempt of court," because he shows that he

disregards the authority of the judge. A thing not very bad in itself

may become very bad if done out of contempt. For example, there would be

a great difference between eating a little more than the Church allows

on a fast-day, simply because you were hungry, and eating it because you

wanted to show that you despised the law of fasting and the authority of

the Church. The first would be only a venial sin, but the latter mortal.

So for all your actions. An act which in itself might be a venial sin

could easily become a mortal sin if you did it through contempt.

"Stubbornness"--that is, unwillingness to give in, even when you know

you are wrong and should yield. Those who obey slowly and do what they

are ordered in a sulky manner are also guilty of stubbornness.

 

366 Q. What is the Fifth Commandment?

A. The Fifth Commandment is: Thou shalt not kill.

 

367 Q. 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.

 

"Proper care of our own life." It is not our property, but God's. He

lends it to us and leaves it with us as long as He pleases: nor does He

tell us how long He will let us have the use of it. Thus suicide, or the

taking of one's own life, is a mortal sin, for by it we resist the will

of God. One who in sound mind and full possession of reason causes his

own death is guilty of suicide. But it is sometimes very difficult to

determine whether the person was really sane at the time he committed

the act; hence, when there is any reasonable doubt on that point, the

unfortunate suicide is usually given the benefit of it. It is also a sin

to risk our lives uselessly or to continue in any habit that we are sure

is injuring our health and shortening our lives.

 

Thus an habitual drunkard is guilty of sin against the Fifth

Commandment, for besides his sin of drunkenness, he is hastening his own

death. So, too, boys or girls who indulge in habits which their parents

forbid are guilty of sin. For example, a boy is forbidden to smoke, and

he does smoke. Now to smoke is not in itself a sin, but it becomes a sin

for that boy, because in the first place he is disobedient, and secondly

is injuring his health. Thus persons who indulge in sinful habits may

commit more than one kind of sin, for besides the sins committed by the

habits themselves, these vices may injure their health and bring

sickness and disease upon their bodies.

 

368 Q. What is forbidden by the Fifth Commandment?

A. The Fifth Commandment forbids all willful murder, fighting, anger,

hatred, revenge, and bad example.

 

Therefore it forbids all that might lead to murder. So we can violate

any of the Commandments by doing anything that leads to breaking them.

"Revenge" is a desire to injure others because they injured you.

 

369 Q. What is the Sixth Commandment?

A. The Sixth Commandment is: Thou shalt not commit adultery.

 

370 Q. 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.

 

We should be most careful about this Commandment, because almost every

violation of it is a mortal sin. For example, if you steal only a

little, it is a venial sin; for in stealing the greatness of the sin

will depend upon the amount you steal; but if you do a real bad action,

or think a real bad thought against the Sixth Commandment, it will be a

mortal sin, no matter how short the time. Again, we have more

temptations against this Commandment, for we are tempted by our own

bodies and we cannot avoid them: hence the necessity of being always

guarded against this sin. It enters into our soul through our senses;

they are, as it were, the doors of our soul. It enters by our eyes

looking at bad objects or pictures; by our ears listening to bad

conversation; by our tongue saying and repeating immodest words, etc. If

then, we guard all the doors of our soul, sin cannot enter. It would be

foolish to lock all the doors in your house but one, for one will

suffice to admit a thief, and we might as well leave them all open as

one. So, too, we must guard all the senses; for sin can enter by one

only as well as by all.

 

371 Q. 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, or actions.

 

372 Q. 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.

 

Reading brings us into the company of those who wrote the book. Now we

should be just as careful to avoid a bad book as a bad man, and even

more so; for while we read we can stop to think, and read over again, so

that bad words read will often make more impression upon us than bad

words spoken to us. You should avoid not only bad, but useless books.

You could not waste all your time with an idle man without becoming like

him--an idler. So if you waste your time on useless books, your

knowledge will be just like the books--useless. Many authors write only

for the sake of money, and care little whether their book is good or

bad, provided it sells well. How many young people have been ruined by

bad books, and how many more by foolish books! Boys, for example, read

in some worthless book of desperate deeds of highway robbery or piracy,

and are at once filled with the desire to imitate the hero of the tale.

Young girls, on the other hand, are equally infatuated by the wonderful

fortunes and adventures of some young woman whose life has been so

vividly described in a trashy novel. As the result of such reading,

young persons lose the true idea of virtue and valor of true, noble

manhood and womanhood, and with their hearts and minds corrupted set up

vice for their model.

 

Again, these books are filled with such terrible lies and unlikely

things that any sensible boy or girl should see their foolishness at

once. Think, for example, of a book relating how two boys defeated and

killed or captured several hundred Indians! Is that likely? The truth

is, if two Indians shook their tomahawks at as many boys as you could

crowd into this building, every single one of them would run for his

life.

 

Let me give you still another reason for not reading trashy books. Your

minds can hold just so much good or evil information, and if you fill

them full of lies and nonsense you leave no room for true knowledge.

 

Do not, therefore, get into the habit of reading foolish story-papers

and cheap novels. Read good books in which you can find information that

will be useful to you all through your life.

 

If now and then you read story-books for amusement or rest from study,

let them be good story-books, written by good authors. Ask someone's

advice about the books you read--someone who is capable of giving such

advice: your pastor, your teachers, and frequently your parents and

friends. Learn all through your life to ask advice on every important

matter. How many mistakes in life would have been prevented if those

making them had only asked advice from the proper persons and followed

it. Your parents have traveled the road of life before you. Now it is

known to them and they can point out its dangers. To you the road is

entirely new, and it will be only after you have traveled it and arrived

nearly at its end in the latter days of your life that you also will be

able to advise others how to pass through it in safety. This road can be

traveled only once, so be advised by those who have learned its many

dangers by their own experience. You should be very glad that those of

experience are willing to teach you, and if you neglect their warnings

you will be very sorry for it someday.

 

 

 

Lesson 34

FROM THE SEVENTH TO THE END OF THE TENTH COMMANDMENT

 

373 Q. What is the Seventh Commandment?

A. The Seventh Commandment is: Thou shalt not steal.

 

Stealing is one of those vices of which you have to be most careful.

Children should learn to have honest hearts, and never to take unjustly

even the smallest thing; for some begin a life of dishonesty by stealing

little things from their own house or from stores to which they are sent

for goods. A nut, a cake, an apple, a cent, etc., do not seem much, but

nevertheless to take any of them dishonestly is stealing. Children who

indulge in this trifling thievery seldom correct the habit in after life

and grow up to be dishonest men and women. How do you suppose all the

thieves now spending their miserable lives in prison began? Do you

believe they were very honest--never having stolen even the slightest

thing--up to a certain day, and at once became thieves by committing a

highway robbery? No; they began by stealing little things, then greater,

and kept on till they made stealing their business and thus became

professional thieves. Again, the little you steal each day does not seem

much at the time, but if you put all the "littles" together you may soon

have something big, and almost before you know it--if you intend to

continue stealing--you may have taken enough to make you guilty of

mortal sin. If you intended to steal, for instance, only a small amount

every day for the whole year, you would at the end have stolen a large

amount and committed a mortal sin. There are many ways of violating the

Seventh Commandment. Workmen who do not do a just day's work, or

employers who cheat their workmen out of wages earned; merchants who

charge unjust prices and seek unjust profits; dealers who give light

weight or short measure or who misrepresent goods; those who speculate

rashly or gamble with the money of others, and those who borrow with no

intention or only slight hope of being able to pay back, all violate

this Commandment. You violate it also by not paying your just debts or

by purchasing goods that you know you will never be able to pay for.

Moreover, besides the injustice, it is base ingratitude not to pay your

debts when in your power to do so. The one who trusted or lent you

helped you in your need and did you a great favor, and yet when you can

you will not pay, and what is worse, frequently abuse and insult him for

asking his own. Though such dishonest and ungrateful persons may escape

in this world, they will not escape in the next, for Almighty God will

make them suffer for the smallest debt they owe.

 

Again, others often suffer for the dishonesty of those I have mentioned,

for when some good person who really intends to pay is in great need and

wishes to borrow or be trusted, he is refused because others have been

dishonest. Everyone should pay his debts, and even keep from buying

things that are not really necessary till he is thus enabled to pay what

he owes. You must pay your just debts even before you can give anything

in charity.

 

374 Q. 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.

 

"Respect their property"--that is, acknowledge and respect their rights

to their property and do nothing to violate these rights.

 

375 Q. What is forbidden by the Seventh Commandment?

A. The Seventh Commandment forbids all unjust taking or keeping what

belongs to another.

 

"Taking," either with your own hands or from the hands of another; for

the one who willingly and knowingly receives from a thief the whole or

part of anything stolen becomes as bad as the thief. Even if you only

help another to steal, and receive none of the stolen goods, you are

guilty. There are several ways of sharing in the sin of another; namely,

by ordering or advising him to do wrong; by praising him for doing wrong

and thus encouraging him; by consenting to wrong when you should oppose

it--for instance, a member of a society allowing an evil act to be done

by the society when his vote would prevent it; again, by affording

wrongdoers protection and means of escape from punishment for their evil

deeds. This does not mean that we should not defend the guilty. We

should defend them, but should not encourage them to do wrong by

offering them a means of escape from just punishment. We share in

another's sin also by neglecting to prevent his bad action when it is

our duty to do so. For example, if a police officer paid for guarding

your property should see a thief stealing it and not prevent him, he

would be as guilty as the thief. Your neighbor indeed might warn you

that the thief was stealing your goods, but he would not be bound in

justice to do so, as the officer is, but only in charity, because it is

not his duty to guard your property. Parents who know that their

children steal and do not prevent them or compel them to bring back what

they stole, but rather encourage them by being indifferent, are guilty

of dishonesty as well as the children, and share in their sins of theft.

But suppose you did not know the thing was stolen when you received it,

but learned afterward that it was, must you then return it to the proper

owner? Yes; just as soon as you know to whom it belongs you begin to sin

by keeping it. But suppose you bought it not knowing that it was stolen,

would you still have to restore it? Yes, when the owner asks for it,

because it belongs to him till he sells it or gives it away. If you have

bought from a thief you have been cheated and must suffer the loss. Your

mistake will make you more careful on the next occasion. Suppose you

find a thing, what must you do? Try to find its owner, and if you find

him give him what is his, and that without any reward for restoring it,

unless he pleases to give you something, or unless you have been put to

an expense by keeping it. If you cannot find the owner after sincerely

seeking for him, then you may keep the thing found. But suppose you kept

the article so long before looking for the owner that it became

impossible for you to restore it to him, either because he had died or

removed to parts unknown during your delay--what then? Then you must

give the article or its value to his children or others who have a right

to his goods; and if no one who has such a right can be found, you must

give it to the poor, for you have it unjustly--since you did not look

for the owner when it was possible to find him--and therefore cannot

keep it.

 

376 Q. 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.

 

"Ill-gotten"--that is, unjustly gotten. "Value." It sometimes happens

that persons lose or destroy the article stolen, and therefore cannot

return it. What must be done in such cases? They must give the owner the

value of it. However, when you have stolen anything and have to restore

it, you need not go to the owner and say, "Here is what I stole from

you." It is only necessary that he gets what is his own or its value. He

need not even know that it is being restored to him, unless he knows you

stole it; and then it would be better for your own good name to let him

know that you are making amends for the injustice done. Therefore, no

one need have any excuse for not restoring what he has unjustly, because

he has only to see that it is returned in some way to its owner, or to

those who have the next right to it, or to the poor. But you must

remember you cannot make restitution by giving to the poor if you can

restore to the proper owner. You must restore by giving to the poor only

when the owner cannot be found or reached. Some persons do not like the

duty of restoring to the proper owner, and think they satisfy their

obligation by giving the ill-gotten goods to the poor; but they do not.

You cannot give even in charity the goods of another without being

guilty of dishonesty. If you wish to be charitable, give from your own

goods. It is a sin to delay making restitution after you are able to

restore. You must restore just as soon as you can, because the longer

you keep the owner out of his property and its benefits, the greater the

injury you do him and the greater the sin. One who, after being told by

his confessor to make restitution, and promising to do so, still delays

or keeps putting off, runs the risk of being guilty of sacrilege by

receiving the Sacraments without proper dispositions. But suppose a

person cannot restore; suppose he lost the thing stolen and has not the

value of it. What must he do? He must have the firm resolution of

restoring as soon as he possibly can; and without this good resolution

he could not be absolved from his sins--even if he had not the real

means of restoring. The good intention and resolution will suffice till

he has really the means; but this intention must be serious, otherwise

there will be no forgiveness.

 

377 Q. Are we obliged to repair the damage we have unjustly caused?

A. We are bound to repair the damage we have unjustly caused.

 

378 Q. What is the Eighth Commandment?

A. The Eighth Commandment is: Thou shalt not bear false witness against

thy neighbor.

 

Either in a court, while we are acting as witnesses, or by telling lies

about him at any other time.

 

379 Q. 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 everyone.

 

"Reputation." If it be a sin to steal a man's money, which we can

restore to him, it is certainly a much greater sin to steal his good

name, which we can never restore, and especially as we have nothing to

gain from injuring his character. It is a sin to tell evil things about

another--his sins, vices, etc.--even when they are true. The only thing

that will excuse us from telling another's fault is the necessity to do

so in which we are placed, or the good we can do to the person himself

or others by exposing faults. How shall you know when you have injured

the character of another? You have injured another's character if you

made others think less of him than they did before. If you have exposed

some crime that he really committed, your sin is called detraction; if

you accuse him of one he did not commit, your sin is calumny; and if you

maliciously circulate these reports to injure his character, your sin is

slander. But how shall you make reparation for injuring the character of

another? If you have told lies about him, you must acknowledge to those

with whom you have talked that you have told what was untrue about him,

and you must even compensate him for whatever loss he has suffered by

your lies: for example, the loss of his situation by your accusing him

of dishonesty. But if what you said of him was true, how are you to act?

At every opportunity say whatever good you can of him in the presence of

those before whom you have spoken the evil.

 

380 Q. What is forbidden by the Eighth Commandment?

A. The Eighth Commandment forbids all rash judgments, backbiting,

slanders, and lies.

 

"Rash judgment"--that is, having in your mind and really believing that

a person is guilty of a certain sin when you have no reason for thinking

so, and no evidence that he is guilty. "Backbiting"--that is, talking

evil of persons behind their backs. You would not like your neighbor to

backbite you, and you have no right to do to him what you would not wish

him to do to you. Besides, everyone hates and fears a backbiter; because

as he brings to you a bad story about another, he will in the same

manner bring to someone else a bad story about you. It is certainly an

honor to be able to say of a person: "He never has a bad word of

anyone"; while on the other hand, he must be a despicable creature who

never speaks of others except to censure or revile them. Never listen to

a backbiter, detractor, or slanderer--it is sinful. Another way of

injuring your neighbor is revealing the secrets he has confided to you.

You will tell one friend perhaps and caution him not to repeat it to

another; but if you cannot keep the secret yourself, how can you expect

others to keep it? Again you may injure your neighbor by reading his

letters without his consent when you have no authority to do so. This is

considered a crime in the eyes even of the civil law, and anyone who

opens and reads the letters of another can be punished by imprisonment.

It is a kind of theft, for it is stealing secrets and information that

you have no right to know. It is dishonorable to read another's letter

without his consent, even when you find it open. To carry to persons the

evil things said about them by others so as to bring about disputes

between them is very sinful. The Holy Scripture (Rom. 1:29) calls this

class of sinners whisperers, and says that they will not enter into

Heaven--that is, as long as they continue in the habit. If ever, then,

you hear one person saying anything bad about another, never go and tell

it to the person of whom it was said. If you do, you will be the cause

of all the sin that follows from it--of the anger, hatred, revenge, and

probably murder itself, as sometimes happens.

 

*381 Q. 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.

 

382 Q. What is the Ninth Commandment?

A. The Ninth Commandment is: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.

 

383 Q. What are we commanded by the Ninth Commandment?

A. We are commanded by the Ninth Commandment to keep ourselves pure in

thought and desire.

 

384 Q. 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.

 

*385 Q. 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.

 

386 Q. What is the Tenth Commandment?

A. The Tenth Commandment is: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods.

 

"Covet" means to long for or desire inordinately or unlawfully. If I

should desire, for example, my friend to be killed by an accident, in

order that I might become the owner of his gold watch, I would be

coveting it. But if I desired to have it justly--that is, to be able to

purchase it, or another similar to it, that would not be covetousness.

 

387 Q. 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.

 

388 Q. What is forbidden by the Tenth Commandment?

A. The Tenth Commandment forbids all desires to take or keep wrongfully

what belongs to another.

 

 

 

Lesson 35

ON THE FIRST AND SECOND COMMANDMENTS OF THE CHURCH

 

389 Q. Which are the chief commandments of the Church?

A. The chief commandments of the Church are six:

 

1. To hear Mass on Sundays and holy days 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.

 

390 Q. Is it a mortal sin not to hear Mass on a Sunday or a holy day of

obligation?

A. It is a mortal sin not to hear Mass on a Sunday or a holy day 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.

 

"Serious reason"--that is, a very good reason, such as sickness,

necessity of taking care of the sick, great danger of death, etc. Some

persons when they go to the country in the summer believe themselves

excused from hearing Mass because the church is a little further from

them or the Mass at more inconvenient times than in the city. When they

are in the country they are bound by the same obligations as the

Catholics who live in that parish the whole year round, and they must go

to Mass as these do, even if it is more inconvenient than in the city.

Persons who have it in their power to select their own summer resort,

should not, without great necessity, select a place where there is no

Catholic church, and where they will be deprived of Mass and the

Sacraments for several months, and where there is danger of their dying

without the Sacraments. Some excuse themselves from going to Mass

because they are too tired to rise in the morning. They should be

ashamed to give such an excuse. Was our Blessed Lord not tired when He

carried His Cross? He was tired, for He fell under it several times. And

where was He going? To Calvary, to offer up the bloody sacrifice of the

Cross for you. Will you plead fatigue as an excuse when you come to be

judged by Him? Others again have a great habit of coming late for Mass.

No matter at what hour the Mass may be, they will always be late; and I

am afraid these persons will also be too late to enter Heaven. By coming

late they show disrespect to Our Lord and distract others; and to avoid

doing so, they should, when late, take a place in the rear of the

church. When you are very late for one Mass, you should wait for the

next--at least, for as much of the next as you did not hear in the

first. You should not, however, begrudge a little extra time to God. To

hear Mass properly, you should be in your place a few minutes before the

priest comes out, and make up your mind what blessing you will ask, or

for what intention you desire to hear the Mass.

 

"Having others under their charge." Some parents are very careless about

their children attending Mass, especially on holy days. Now, they must

remember that in such neglect the sin will be theirs as well as the

children's. Again, masters and mistresses do not at times give their

workmen and servants sufficient opportunity to hear Mass, above all on

holy days. All masters and mistresses must remember that they are bound

not only to give their servants an opportunity to hear Mass, but they

are bound as far as they conveniently can to see that they embrace the

opportunity, just as they should see to their children in such matters.

Catholics having in their employ others, such as engineers, drivers,

conductors, etc., must make some arrangement between their men by which

they will be able to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days. The same

holds good for companies and corporations having under their charge a

large force of men who are obliged by circumstances to work on Sundays.

 

*391 Q. Why were holy days instituted by the Church?

A. Holy days were instituted by the Church to recall to our minds the

great mysteries of religion and the virtues and rewards of the saints.

 

For just the same reason that the government has legal holidays. What

would the people of this country know or think at the present time about

the Declaration of Independence, and all connected with it, if they did

not celebrate from childhood every year, on the Fourth of July, the

great day on which their forefathers claimed to be free and independent

from the nation that was persecuting them? The Fourth of July keeps

alive in our memory the struggles of our ancestors of one hundred years

or more ago--their great battles, their sufferings and triumph, the

blessings they secured for us, and for which we praise them. In like

manner, the feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord keeps us in mind of

the sad condition in which we were before Our Lord redeemed us, and how

He liberated us from the slavery of the devil and secured for us so many

wonderful blessings. Again, what would we remember about George

Washington if we did not celebrate his birthday? That holiday keeps

before our minds the life and actions of that great man and all he did

for our benefit. So, too, when we celebrate every year the feast of a

saint in the Church, it keeps before our minds his works and all that he

did for God and the Church, and makes us anxious to imitate his virtues.

On every day in the year the Church honors some mystery of our holy

faith or some saint by saying Mass all over the world in honor of the

feast, and by obliging the priests and bishops to say the divine office

for the same purpose. The feast-day of a saint is generally the day on

which he died; because that is considered the day on which he entered

into Heaven--the day on which he was born into the new world.

 

The "divine office" is a collection of prayers, hymns, lessons, and

psalms which every priest and bishop must read every day of his life. As

it is said each day in honor of some particular mystery or saint, the

greater part of it differs for each day. The prayers are to God, asking

some grace or blessing in honor of the saint--generally such graces as

were granted to the saint. The hymns are in the saint's honor; the

lessons are parts of the Holy Scripture, or an account of the saint's

life; and the psalms are those beautiful poems that King David composed

and sang to God. The divine office is the prayer of the universal Church

for its children, and if a priest neglects to say it he commits a mortal

sin. It takes about an hour to say the whole divine office, but it is

not intended to be said all at once. It is so divided that it is said at

three times in the day. The part called "Matins" and "Lauds" is said

very early in the morning and before Mass. The part called "Little

Hours" is said later in the day; and the part called "Vespers" and

"Compline" is said in the afternoon. See, therefore, how anxious the

Church is for the good of its children, when it makes its bishops,

priests, and religious pray daily for all the faithful, and send up in

one voice the same prayer to the throne of God.

 

*392 Q. How should we keep the holy days of obligation?

A. We should keep the holy days of obligation as we should keep the

Sunday.

 

393 Q. What do you mean by fast-days?

A. By fast-days I mean days on which we are allowed but one full meal.

 

According to the traditional Catholic method of fasting, one may eat

"one full meal" each day with meat included, plus two smaller meatless

meals, both of which together do not equal the one full meal. No eating

between meals is allowed, although drinking beverages such as coffee and

tea are allowed and are not considered to break the fast. (Milk, juice,

and soft drinks are also considered not to break the fast, although they

are in fact foods and mitigate the effects of the fast and work contrary

to its intent because they satisfy one's hunger to some extent, since

they have food value.) They, therefore, who follow the above regulations

obey the Catholic method of fasting. Today the prescribed days of fast

for the whole Church are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday (these are also

days of abstinence). However the Church today says that the meaning of

the law of fasting during Lent remains, although the extent of the

obligation has been changed. In other words, Lent remains as a season of

penance in the Church, but how it is to be observed is greatly up to the

individual, though no one may think himself excused from all penance

whatsoever, and those who are in the fasting age group should still

practice the Church's form of fasting, since fasting is a primary and

very efficacious form of penance.

 

Those who, for sufficient reasons, are excused from the obligation of

fasting, are not on that account freed from the law of abstinence, for

all who have reached their fourteenth birthday are bound to abstain from

flesh-meat on days when it is forbidden--Ash Wednesday and the Fridays

of Lent. The following persons are excused from fasting: (1) those who

are not yet twenty-one or who have begun their sixtieth year (from their

59th birthday onward); (2) those whose infirmity, condition, or

occupation renders it impossible or dangerous for them to fast. If you

think you should be excused from fasting or abstaining, state your

reasons to your confessor and ask his advice. On a fast-day, therefore,

you have to look both to the quantity and the kind of food, while on a

day of abstinence--as the Fridays in Lent other than Good Friday--you

have to look only to the kind.

 

394 Q. What do you mean by days of abstinence?

A. By days of abstinence I mean days on which we are forbidden to eat

flesh-meat, but are allowed the usual amount of food.

 

395 Q. 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.

 

"Mortify our passions," keep our bodies under control, do bodily

penance. Remember it is our bodies that generally lead us into sin; if

therefore we punish the body by fasting and mortification, we atone for

the sin, and thus God wipes out a part of the temporal punishment due to

it.

 

*396 Q. Why does the Church command us to abstain from flesh-meat on Ash

Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent and to abstain from flesh-meat or do

some other chosen penance on the other Fridays of the year?

A. The Church commands us to abstain, from flesh-meat on Ash Wednesday

and the Fridays of Lent and to abstain from flesh-meat or do some other

chosen penance on the other Fridays of the year in honor of the day on

which Our Saviour died.

 

 

 

Lesson 36

ON THE THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH, AND SIXTH COMMANDMENTS OF THE CHURCH

 

397 Q. 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.

 

"Within the year"--that is, the time between your confessions must never

be longer than a year, or, at least not longer than the period between

the beginning of one Eastertime and the end of the next. All persons who

have attained the age of reason are bound to comply with this precept,

and parents should remind their children of it.

 

*398 Q. Should we confess only once a year?

A. We should confess frequently, if we wish to lead a good life.

 

Some seem to think that they need not go to confession if they have not

committed sin since their last confession. Two graces are given in

penance, as you already know: one, to take away the sins confessed, and

the other, to strengthen us against temptation and enable us to keep our

good resolutions. Now, as we are always tempted, we should go frequently

to confession to get the grace to resist. The saints used to go to

confession very frequently, sometimes every day. They used to go when

tempted, to obtain the grace to resist and to expose their temptations

to their confessor and ask his advice. Again the Holy Scripture tells us

that the just man falls seven times; and "just man" in Holy Scripture

means a very good man, that is, one doing for God, his neighbor, and

himself what he ought to do. St. Joseph is called in the Scripture a

"just man," and he was the foster-father of Our Lord. Now, if the good

man falls seven times, he must arise after each fall; for if he did not

get up after the first fall, he could not fall the second time. This

teaches us that we all commit some kind of sin, at least, and have

always something to confess if we only examine our conscience closely.

It teaches us also that when we have the misfortune to fall into sin, we

should rise as quickly as possible.

 

*399 Q. 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.

 

"To commit sin"--that is, when they know the difference between good and

evil.

 

400 Q. 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.

 

401 Q. What is the Easter time?

A. The Easter time is, in this country, the time between the first

Sunday of Lent and Trinity Sunday, inclusive.

 

Trinity Sunday is the eighth Sunday after Easter. Therefore the whole

Easter-time is from the first Sunday of Lent--that is, seven weeks

before Easter--to Trinity Sunday, eight weeks after it, or fifteen weeks

in all; and anyone who does not go to Holy Communion sometime during

these fifteen weeks commits mortal sin.

 

402 Q. 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 expenses of the Church and school.

 

And any charitable institution connected with the Church. The Holy Land

was divided among the tribes of Israel, who were the descendants of the

twelve sons of Jacob. Now, one of these twelve tribes was made up

entirely of priests and persons who served in the temple of God, called

Levites. They received none of the land, but were to be supported by the

other eleven tribes. All the people were obliged by the law to give what

they called first-fruits, and tithes--that is, one tenth of their income

in goods or money each year to the temple for its support and the

support of those who served it. In the New Law no definite amount is

assigned, but every Christian is left free to give what he can to God's

Church according to his generosity. But if God left you free, should you

therefore be stingy with Him? Moreover, all that we have comes from God,

and should we return Him the least and the worst? For every alms you

give for God's sake He can send you a hundred blessings; and what you

refuse to give to His Church or poor He can take from you in a thousand

ways, by sending misfortunes. We read in the Bible (Gen. 4) that Adam's

sons, Cain and Abel, both offered sacrifice to God. Abel's sacrifice was

pleasing, but Cain's was not. Why? Because, as we are told, Cain did not

offer to God the best he had, but likely the worst; or at least, he

offered his sacrifice with a bad disposition. Then when he saw that his

brother's sacrifice was pleasing to God, being filled with jealousy, he

killed him; and in punishment God marked him and condemned him to be a

wanderer on the face of the earth. We are told he was always afraid of

being killed by everyone he saw. See, then, what comes of being

unwilling to be generous with God. What we give Him He does not need,

but by giving, we worship and thank Him. Do not people in the world

often give presents to those who have done them a favor, that they may

thus show their gratitude? Now, God is always doing us favors, and why

should we not show our gratitude to Him by giving generously in His

honor? When we give to the orphans, etc., we give to Him; for He says:

"Whatsoever you give to these little ones you give to Me." Again, when

Our Lord tells what will happen on the Day of Judgment (Matt. 25:31,

etc.), He says, the Judge will divide all the people of the world into

two bodies; the good He will place on His right hand and the wicked on

His left. Then He will praise the good for what they did and welcome

them to Heaven; but to the wicked He will say, "Depart from Me, because

when I was hungry you gave Me not to eat; when I was thirsty you gave Me

not to drink; you clothed Me not," etc. And then the wicked shall ask,

when did we see You in want and not relieve You? He will tell them that

He considered the poor just the same as Himself; and as they did nothing

for His poor, they did nothing for Him.

 

*403 Q. 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.

 

"Third Degree." What relatives are in the third degree? Brother and

sister are in the first degree; first cousins are in the second degree;

second cousins are in the third degree. Therefore all who are second

cousins or in nearer relationship cannot be married without a

dispensation from the Church allowing them to do so. A dispensation

granted by the Church is a permission to do something which its law

forbids. Since it made the law, it can also dispense from the observance

of it. The Church could not give permission to do anything that God's

law forbids. It could not, for example, give permission to a brother and

sister to marry, because it is not alone the law of the Church but God's

law also that forbids that. But God's law does not forbid first or

second cousins to get married; but the Church's law forbids it, and thus

it can in special cases dispense from such laws. God's law is called

also the natural law. You must be very careful not to confound the

marriage laws that the Church makes with the marriage laws that the

State makes. When the State makes laws contrary to the laws of God or of

the Church, you cannot obey such laws without committing grievous sin.

For instance, the State allows divorce; it allows persons to marry again

if the husband or wife has been sentenced to imprisonment for life; it

does not recognize all the impediments to marriage laid down by the

Church. Such laws as these Catholics cannot comply with; but when the

State makes laws which regard only the civil effects of marriage, such

as refer to the property of the husband or wife, the inheritance of the

children, etc., laws, in a word, which are not opposed either to the

laws of God or of His Church, then you may and must obey them; for the

authorities of the government are our lawful superiors, and must be

obeyed in all that is not sin. What we have said with regard to the

marriage laws is true for all the rest. Thus the civil court might, on

account of some technicality, free you legally from the payment of a

debt; but that would not free you in conscience from paying what you

justly owe. Again, the court might legally decide in your favor in an

unjust suit; but that would not give you the right in conscience to keep

what you have thus fraudulently or unjustly obtained.

 

*404 Q. 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.

 

If persons wishing to be married suspect that there is any impediment

existing between them, they should express their doubts and the reasons

for them to the priest.

 

Here it is well for you to know that if any Catholic goes to be married

before a Protestant minister, he is, by the laws of the Church in the

United States, excommunicated. [In 1966 the penalty of excommunication

for this offense was lifted by the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine

of the Faith. Yet it remains a mortal sin for a Catholic to attempt to

marry outside the Catholic Church, and such a "marriage" will be

invalid.] You must know excommunication means cut off from the communion

of the Church and the body of the faithful; cut off from the Sacraments

and from a share in all the holy Masses and public prayers offered by

the Church throughout the world. It is a punishment the Church inflicts

upon its disobedient children who will not repent but persist in

wrongdoing. If they die willfully excommunicated, they die in mortal

sin, and no Mass or funeral prayers can be publicly offered for them;

nor can they be buried in consecrated ground. Besides the

excommunicated, there are others who cannot be buried in consecrated

ground: namely, infants or others who have not been baptized; those who

deliberately committed suicide; those who have publicly lived sinful

lives and evidently died in that public sin; and all persons who are not

Catholics. If a Catholic who is not publicly a sinner dies suddenly, we

cannot judge that he is in mortal sin; and hence such a one may be

buried in consecrated ground.

 

It is the desire of the Church that all its faithful children should be

buried in the ground which it has blessed for their remains; and

wherever it is possible Catholics must have their own burying ground.

 

*405 Q. 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.

 

Persons may be married at these times quietly, wherever it is not

positively forbidden by the laws of the diocese.

 

*406 Q. 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.

 

It is a Mass especially for them and cannot be said for anyone else. At

the most solemn parts of the Mass the priest turns to them and prays

that God may bless their union.

 

*407 Q. 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.

 

The Church wishes to give to the marriage of its children observing its

laws all the solemnity possible, and to impress its dignity and sanctity

so deeply upon their minds that they may never forget the solemn promise

made at the altar of God. The thought of that day will keep them from

sin. On the other hand, the Church shows its great displeasure when

Catholics do not keep its laws, but marry persons not of their own

religion. At a mixed marriage the couple cannot be married in the

church, nor even in the sacristy; the priest cannot wear a surplice or

stole or any of the sacred vestments of the Church; he cannot use holy

water, or the Sign of the Cross; he cannot bless the ring or even use

the Church's language--Latin. Everything is done in the coldest manner,

to remind Catholics that they are doing what is displeasing to their

mother the Church.

 

Again the Church wishes its children to prepare for the Sacrament of

Matrimony just as they would prepare for any other Sacrament--Penance,

Holy Eucharist, Holy Orders, etc. Imagine a boy going up for First

Communion laughing, talking, or gazing about him, without any thought of

the great Sacrament he is about to receive; thinking only of how he

appears in his new clothing, of those who are present, etc., and

spending all his time of preparation not in purifying his soul, but in

adorning his body! Think of him returning from Holy Communion and

immediately forgetting Our Lord! Now, Matrimony is deserving of all the

respect due to a Sacrament, and hence the Church wishes all its children

to be married at Mass; or at least in the morning. It does not like them

to marry in the evening, and go to the reception of the Sacrament as

they would to a place of vain amusement. For on such occasions they

cannot show the proper respect in the church, and possibly turn the

ceremony into an occasion of sin for all who attend; for they often seem

to forget the holiness of the place and the respect due to the presence

of Our Lord upon the altar. Indeed it should be remembered, at whatever

time the marriage takes place, that conduct, dress, and all else must be

in keeping with the dignity of the place and the holiness of the

Sacrament, and the women should not come into the Church with uncovered

heads.

 

 

 

Lesson 37

ON THE LAST JUDGMENT AND THE RESURRECTION, HELL, PURGATORY, AND HEAVEN

 

408 Q. When will Christ judge us?

A. Christ will judge us immediately after our death, and on the last

day.

 

"Immediately." In the very room and on the very spot where we die, we

shall be judged in an instant, and even before those around us are sure

that we are really dead. When we have a trial or judgment in one of our

courts, we see the judge listening, the lawyers defending or trying to

condemn, and the witnesses for or against the person accused. We are in

the habit of imagining something of the same kind to take place in the

judgment of God. We see Almighty God seated on His throne; our angel and

patron saint giving their testimony about us--good or bad--and then we

hear the Judge pronounce sentence. This takes place, but not in the way

we imagine, for God needs no witnesses: He knows all. An example will

probably make you understand better what really takes place. If you are

walking over a very muddy road on a dark night, you cannot see the

spattered condition of your clothing; but if you come suddenly into a

strong light you will see at a glance the state in which you are. In the

same way the soul during our earthly life does not see its own

condition; but when it comes into the bright light of God's presence, it

sees in an instant its own state and knows what its sentence will be. It

goes immediately to its reward or punishment. This judgment at the

moment of our death will settle our fate forever. The general judgment

will not change, but only repeat, the sentence before the whole world.

Oh, how we should prepare for that awful moment! See that poor sick man

slowly breathing away his life. All his friends are kneeling around him

praying; now he becomes unconscious; now the death rattle sounds in his

throat; now the eyes are fixed and glassy. A few minutes more and that

poor soul will stand in the awful presence of God, to give an account of

that man's whole life--of every thought, word, and deed. All he has done

on earth will be spread out before him like a great picture. He will,

towards the end of his life, have altogether forgotten perhaps what he

thought, said, or did on a certain day and hour--the place he was in and

the sin committed, etc.; but at that moment of judgment he will remember

all. How he will wish he had been good! How, then, can we be so careless

now about a matter of such importance, when we are absolutely certain

that we too shall be judged, and how soon we know not. When you are

about to be examined on what you have learned in school or instructions

in six months or a year, how anxious you are in making the necessary

preparation, and how you fear you might not pass, but be kept back for a

while! How delighted you would be to hear that a very dear friend, and

one who knew you well, was to be your examiner! Prepare in the same way

for the examination you have to stand at the end of your life. Every day

you can make a preparation by examining your conscience on the sins you

have committed; by making an act of contrition for them, and resolving

to avoid them for the future. You should never go to sleep without some

preparation for judgment. But above all, try to become better acquainted

with your Examiner--Our Lord Jesus Christ; try by your prayers and good

works to become His special friend, and when your judgment comes you

will be pleased rather than afraid to meet Him.

 

409 Q. 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.

 

"Particular," because one particular person is judged.

 

410 Q. 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.

 

"General," because every creature gifted with intelligence will be

judged on that day--the angels of Heaven, the devils of Hell, and all

men, women, and children that have ever lived upon the earth. The Holy

Scripture gives us a terrible account of that awful day. (Matt. 24-25).

On some day--we know not when, it might be tomorrow for all we know--the

world will be going on as usual, some going to school, others to

business; some seeking pleasure, others suffering pain; some in health,

others in sickness, etc. Suddenly they will feel the earth beginning to

quake and tremble; they will see the ocean in great fury, and will be

terrified at its roar as, surging and foaming, it throws its mighty

waves high in the air. Then the sun will grow red and begin to darken; a

horrid glare will spread over the earth, beginning to burn up. Then,

says the Holy Scripture, men will wither away for fear of what is

coming; they will call upon the mountains to fall and hide them; they

will be rushing here and there, not knowing what to do. Money will be of

no value then; dress, wealth, fame, power, learning, and all else will

be useless, for at that moment all men will be equal. Then shall be

heard the sound of the angel's great trumpet calling all to judgment.

The dead shall come forth from their graves, and the demons rush from

Hell. Then all shall see our Blessed Lord coming in the clouds of Heaven

in great power and majesty surrounded by countless angels bearing His

shining Cross before Him. He will separate the good from the wicked; He

will welcome the good to Heaven and condemn the wicked to Hell. The sins

committed shall be made public before all present. Imagine your feelings

while you are standing in that great multitude, waiting for the

separation of the good from the bad. To which side will you be sent? Our

Lord is coming, not with the mild countenance of a saviour, but with the

severe look of a judge. As He draws nearer and nearer to you, you see

some of your dear friends, whom you thought good enough upon earth, sent

over to the side of the wicked; you see others that you deemed foolish

sent with the good, and you become more anxious every instant about the

uncertainty of your own fate. You see fathers and mothers sent to

opposite sides, brothers and sisters, parents and children, separated

forever. Oh, what a terrible moment of suspense! How you will wish you

had been better and always lived a friend of God! The side you will be

on depends upon what you do now, and you can be on the better side if

you wish. Do, then, in your life what you would wish to have done at

that terrible moment. Learn to judge yourself frequently. Say this, or

something similar, to yourself. "Now I have lived twelve, fifteen,

twenty, or more years; if that judgment came today, on which side should

I be? Probably on the side of the wicked. If then I spend the rest of my

life as I have lived in the past, on the last day I shall surely be with

the wicked. If my good deeds and bad deeds were counted today, which

would be more numerous? What, then, must I do? It will not be enough for

me simply to be better for the future--I must try also to make amends

for the past. If a man wishing to complete a journey on a certain time,

by walking a fixed number of miles each day, falls behind a great deal

on one day, he must not only walk the usual number of miles the next,

but must make up for the distance lost on the previous day. So in our

journey through this life we must do our duty each day for the future,

and, as far as we can, make up for what we have neglected in the past.

 

*411 Q. Why does Christ judge men immediately after death?

A. Christ judges men immediately after death to reward or punish them

according to their deeds.

 

412 Q. 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.

 

413 Q. 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.

 

"Deprived of the sight of God." This is called the pain of loss, while

the other sufferings the damned endure are called the pain of

sense--that is, of the senses. The pain of loss causes the unfortunate

souls more torment than all their other sufferings; for as we are

created for God alone, the loss of Him--our last end--is the most

dreadful evil that can befall us. This the damned realize, and know that

their souls will be tortured by a perpetual yearning never to be

satisfied. This is aggravated by the thought of how easily they might

have been saved, and how foolishly they threw away their happiness and

lost all for some miserable pleasure or gratification, so quickly ended.

 

Besides this remorse, they suffer most frightful torments in all their

senses. The worst sufferings you could imagine would not be as bad as

the sufferings of the damned really are; for Hell must be the opposite

of Heaven, and since we cannot, as St. Paul says, imagine the happiness

of Heaven, neither can we imagine the misery of Hell. Sometimes you will

find frightful descriptions of Hell in religious books that tell of the

horrible sights, awful sounds, disgusting stenches, and excruciating

pains the lost souls endure. Now, all these descriptions are given

rather to make people think of the torments of Hell than as an accurate

account of them. No matter how terrible the description may be, it is

never as bad as the reality. We know that the damned are continually

tormented in all their senses, but just in what way we do not know. We

know that there is fire in Hell, but it is entirely different from our

fire; it neither gives light nor consumes what it burns, and it causes

greater pain than the fire of earth, for it affects both body and soul.

We know that the damned will never see God and there will never be an

end to their torments. Now, all this is contained in the following: Hell

is the absence of everything good and the presence of everything evil,

and it will last forever. Now, a priest coming out to preach on Hell

would not say to the people: "Hell is the absence of everything good and

the presence of everything evil, and it will last forever," and then

step down from the altar and say no more. He must give a fuller

explanation to those who are unable to think for themselves. He must

point out some of the evils present in Hell and some of the good things

absent, and thus teach the people how to meditate on these dreadful

truths. If, then, you bear in mind that there is nothing good in Hell

and it will last forever, and often think of these two points, you will

have a holy fear of the woeful place and a deep sorrow for your sins

which expose you to the danger of suffering its torments.

 

It should be enough, therefore, for you to remember: there is nothing

good in Hell, and it will last forever. Think of anything good you

please and it cannot be found in Hell. Is light good? Yes. Then it is

not in Hell. Is hope good? Yes. Then it is not in Hell. Is true

friendship good? Yes. Then it is not in Hell. There the damned hate one

another. There the poor sufferers curse forever those who led them into

sin. Hence, persons should try to bring back to a good life everyone

they may have led into sin or scandalized by bad example.

 

414 Q. 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.

 

"Punishment"--that is, temporal punishment, already explained to you.

After the general judgment there will be Heaven and Hell, but no

Purgatory, for there will be no men living or dying upon the earth in

its present condition to go there. All will be dead and judged and sent

to their final abodes. Those in Purgatory are the friends of God; and

knowing Him as they do now, they would not go into His holy presence

with the slightest stain upon their souls; still they are anxious for

their Purgatory to be ended that they may be with God. They suffer, we

are told, the same pains of sense as the damned; but they suffer

willingly, for they know that it is making them more pleasing to God,

and that one day it will all be over and He will receive them into

Heaven. Their salvation is sure, and that thought makes them happy. If,

therefore, you believe any of your friends are in Purgatory, you should

help them all you can, and try by your prayers and good works to shorten

their time of suffering. They will help you--though they cannot help

themselves--by their prayers. And oh, when they are admitted into

Heaven, how they will pray for those that have helped them out of

Purgatory! If you do this great charity, God will, when you die, put in

some good person's heart to pray for you while you suffer in Purgatory.

There must be a Purgatory, for one who dies with the slightest stain of

sin upon his soul cannot enter Heaven, and yet God would not send him to

Hell for so small a sin. But why does God punish those He loves? Why

does He not forgive everything? He punishes because He is infinitely

just and true. He warned them that if they did certain things they would

be punished; and they did them, and God must keep His promise. Moreover

He is just, and must give to everyone exactly what he deserves.

 

*415 Q. 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, almsdeeds; by indulgences, and by having Masses said for

them.

 

*416 Q. If everyone is judged immediately after death, what need is

there of a general judgment?

A. There is need of a general judgment, though everyone 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.

 

"Providence of God." Sometimes here on earth we see a good man always in

want, out of employment, sickly, unsuccessful in all his undertakings,

while his neighbor, who is a very bad man, is wealthy and prosperous,

and seems to have every pleasure. Why this is so we cannot understand

now, but God's reason for it will be made known to us on the Day of

Judgment. Sometimes the wicked do good actions here on earth--help the

poor, or contribute to some charity, for instance; and as God on account

of their wickedness cannot reward them in the next world, He rewards

them chiefly in this world by temporal goods and pleasures. For all

their good deeds they get their reward in this world, and for the evil

their punishment in the next. The good man who suffers gets all his

reward in the next world, that even his sufferings here atone partly for

the evil he has done.

 

A second reason for a general judgment is to show the crimes of sinners

and the justice of their punishment; also that the saints may have all

their good works made known before the world and receive the glory they

deserve. On earth these saints were sometimes considered fools and

treated as criminals, falsely accused, etc., and now the whole truth

will stand out before the world. But above all, the general judgment is

for the honor and glory of Our Lord. At His first coming into the world

He was poor and weak; many would not believe Him the Son of God, and

insulted Him as an impostor. He was falsely accused, treated shamefully,

and was put to death, many believing Him guilty of some crime. Now He

will appear before all as He really is--their Lord and Master, their

Creator and Judge. How they will tremble to look upon Him whom they have

crucified! How all those who have denied Him, blasphemed Him, persecuted

His Church, and the like, will fear when they see Him there as Judge!

How they will realize the terrible mistake worldlings made!

 

417 Q. 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.

 

*418 Q. In what state will the bodies of the just rise?

A. The bodies of the just will rise glorious and immortal.

 

We honor the dead body and treat it with great respect because it was

the dwelling place of the soul and was often nourished with the

Sacraments; also because it will rise in glory and be united with the

soul in the presence of God forever. For these reasons we use incense

and holy water when the body is to be buried, and even bless the ground

in which it is laid. "Faithful departed" means all those who died in a

state of grace and who are in Heaven or Purgatory. They may be in

Purgatory, and so we pray for them. We pray that they may "rest in

peace"--that is be in Heaven, where they will have no sufferings.

 

*419 Q. 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.

 

420 Q. 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.

 

The most delightful place we could possibly imagine as Heaven would not

be near what it really is. Everything that is good is there and forever,

and we shall never tire of its joys. All the pleasures and beauties of

earth are as nothing compared with Heaven; and though we think we can

imagine its beauty and happiness now, we shall see how far we have been

from the real truth if ever we reach this heavenly home.

 

"God face to face"--that is, as He is. We shall not see Him with the

eyes of the body, but of the soul. That we may see with our natural

eyes, two things are necessary: first, an object to look at, and

secondly, light to see it. Now, to see God in Heaven we need a special

light, which is called the "light of glory." God Himself gives us this

light and thus enables us to see Him as He is. This beautiful vision of

God in Heaven is called the "beatific vision," and thus our whole life

in Heaven--our joy and happiness--consists in the enjoyment of the

beatific vision.

 

*421 Q. 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."

 

What does it benefit the poor creatures in Hell to have been rich, or

beautiful, or learned, or powerful? If they had been good, it was all

that was necessary to escape all their sufferings. Is there anything on

earth that they would not give to be released? Why, then, did they sell

their souls for so little while on earth? The present is the only time

you have to merit Heaven and escape Hell. The past you cannot recall,

and of the future you are not sure. Then use the present well and decide

daily whether you wish to be in Heaven or in Hell.

 

 

NOTE--Wherever in the foregoing pages explanations have been omitted

after certain questions or answers it is because the matter they contain

has been explained in some preceding question, or is to be explained in

some following question, or is clear enough in itself without

explanation. The explanations of such questions or answers can be easily

found by referring to the index.

 

 

 

 

QUESTIONS ON THE EXPLANATIONS

 

The Lord's Prayer

  1. Who made the Lord's Prayer?

  2. Why do we say "our" and not "my" Father?

  3. Why do we call God "Father"?

  4. What person of the Blessed Trinity is meant by "Father" in the

     Lord's Prayer?

  5. Was God called "Father" before the time of Our Lord? Why?

  6. Why do we say "Who art in Heaven," if God is everywhere?

  7. What does "hallowed" mean?

  8. What do we ask for by "Thy kingdom come"?

  9. What does "Thy kingdom" mean here?

 10. Who do God's will in Heaven?

 11. What do we ask for by "our daily bread"?

 12. Why do we say "daily"?

 13. What do "trespasses" mean?

 14. What do we mean by "as we forgive those who trespass against us"?

 15. What example did Our Lord give?

 16. What is temptation?

 17. Does God tempt us to sin?

 18. Is it a sin to be tempted?

 19. Are there any tempters besides the devil?

 20. Should we seek temptation?

 21. What does "Amen" mean?

 22. What does "Christian" mean?

 23. What makes us Christian?

 24. What does "doctrine" mean?

 

 

The Angelical Salutation

 25. How many parts in the Hail Mary?

 26. What part did the Angel Gabriel make?

 27. When did he make it?

 28. How did Mary know what the angel's words meant?

 29. What part of the Hail Mary did St. Elizabeth make?

 30. Who was St. Elizabeth's son?

 31. Why is Mary called "blessed amongst women"?

 32. What part of the Hail Mary did the Church make?

 33. What does "hail" mean?

 34. Why do we say "full of grace"?

 35. Why is Mary called "holy"?

 36. Why do we need Mary's prayer at the hour of death?

 37. What is the Angelus?

 38. What does "the Word" mean?

 39. What does "made flesh" mean in the third part of the Angelus?

 40. What is the Litany of the Blessed Virgin?

 41. Are there other litanies besides the Litany of the Blessed Virgin?

 

 

The Apostles' Creed

 42. What is a creed?

 43. Who were the Apostles?

 44. Were the Apostles bishops or priests?

 45. How do you know?

 46. Who were the disciples of Our Lord?

 47. Why did the Apostles make the creed?

 48. How many articles or parts in the Apostles' Creed?

 49. What does "Creator" mean?

 50. By what names is Our Lord called?

 51. How many sons had God the Father?

 52. Why do we say "died" instead of "was killed"?

 53. Why do we say "He was buried"?

 54. Is Limbo the same as Purgatory? Why?

 55. Who were in Limbo at the time Our Lord was crucified?

 56. Name some good men who lived before Christ.

 57. Did Our Lord's body descend into Limbo?

 58. Was Our Lord three full days in the holy sepulchre?

 59. How can you prove they could not put Our Lord to death unless He

     permitted it?

 60. Why do we say "right hand of God" when God has no hands?

 61. What do you mean by "judge the living and the dead"?

 62. Who are "the living"?

 63. Who are "the dead" mentioned here?

 64. What are ghosts?

 65. Are there any?

 66. What do you mean by the "Church Militant"?

 67. Who are its members?

 68. Who are the enemies of our salvation?

 69. Why does the devil wish to keep us out of Heaven?

 70. What do we mean when we say "the world" is one of our spiritual

     enemies?

 71. Have all the saints their bodies in Heaven?

 72. Who are in Heaven in their bodies at present?

 73. What is meant by our "concupiscence"?

 74. Which tempts us most to sin, our soul or our body? Why?

 75. Why did God leave concupiscence in us?

 76. What do we mean by "the Church Suffering"?

 77. Who are its members?

 78. Why are souls in Purgatory?

 79. What do you mean by "the Church Triumphant"?

 80. Who are its members?

 81. Are there any saints in Heaven whose names we do not know?

 82. Who are saints?

 83. What is the difference between a saint and an angel?

 84. Why does the Church canonize holy persons?

 85. Does canonization make the person a saint?

 86. How does the Church canonize a saint?

 87. Explain the "communion of saints."

 88. What is the difference between beatification and canonization?

 89. How is the resurrection of the body possible?

 90. What is death?

 91. What does "life everlasting" mean?

 92. How many fathers had Our Lord? Who were they?

 93. How many mothers had He?

 94. Of what religion was Pontius Pilate?

 95. Are all in Heaven saints?

 

 

The Confiteor and Acts

 96. In how many ways can we sin?

 97. What should we think of when we say the Confiteor?

 98. What is the substance of the "act of faith"?

 99. Why do we find different acts of faith?

100. What is the substance of the "act of hope"?

101. What is the substance of the "act of love"?

102. Do an "act of love" and an "act of charity" mean the same?

103. How do you show that they are the same?

104. What makes us help others?

105. How may we be charitable to our neighbor?

106. What is the substance of the "act of contrition"?

107. What does "grace" at meals mean?

108. Why should we say grace at meals?

109. Why should we be content with our food?

110. Is the Apostles' Creed an act of faith?

111. Did John the Baptist institute the Sacrament of Baptism?

112. In giving Baptism, can one pour the water and another say the

     words?

 

 

CATECHISM

 

Lesson 1

113. What is a catechism?

114. What does our Catechism contain?

115. Why should we learn the Catechism?

116. What do we mean by the "end of man"?

117. For what end was man created?

118. In what respect are all men equal?

119. What is "woman"?

120. In the first question, what does "world" mean?

121. What is a creature?

122. Is every invisible thing a spirit?

123. Of what use is reason to us?

124. What makes man different from all other animals?

125. Have any brute animals reason?

126. How do you know brute animals have not reason?

127. Can we learn all truths by our reason alone?

128. What is revelation?

129. What is "free will" in man?

130. Have brute animals "free will"?

131. Why is it necessary for us to know God?

132. What does "worship" mean?

133. How do we know when we love God above all?

134. Does the Apostles' Creed contain all the truths we must believe?

135. Name some truths not mentioned in it.

136. Is a tree a creature?

 

 

Lesson 2

137. What is a spirit?

138. What does "infinite" mean?

139. Why does God watch over us?

140. Why is it necessary for God to watch over us?

141. Why must God be "just" as well as "merciful"?

 

 

Lesson 3

142. What does "supreme" mean?

143. When are two persons said to be equal?

144. From whom does authority come?

145. Is there any difference in the ages of God the Father and God the

     Son?

146. Do first, second, and third in the Blessed Trinity mean that one

     person was before the other?

147. Why must we believe mysteries?

148. Must we understand everything we believe?

 

 

Lesson 4

149. How may the things God created be classed?

150. Why did God create angels?

151. If angels have no bodies, how can they appear?

152. Are the angels all equal in dignity?

153. How many classes of angels are there?

154. What did the Archangel Michael do?

155. What did the Archangel Gabriel do?

156. Who gave the angels their names?

157. What are the duties of the angels?

158. What does our angel guardian do for us?

159. How do you know that the angels offer our prayers and good works to

     God?

160. Give a short history of Tobias.

161. What do we mean by "Jacob's ladder"?

162. Are there other guardian angels besides the guardian angels of

     persons?

163. Name some persons to whom angels appeared.

164. Were angels ever sent to punish men?

165. If God watches over us, why should angels guard us?

166. What was the devil's name before he was cast out of Heaven?

167. Why was he cast out?

168. Is the Blessed Virgin only a creature? Why?

 

 

Lesson 5

169. How did God create Eve?

170. What relation was Eve to Adam?

171. Were Adam and Eve created at the same time?

172. What was the "Garden of Paradise"?

173. How did Adam commit his first sin?

174. How was Eve tempted to disobey God?

175. In what way do we sometimes imitate Eve's conduct?

176. Why does the devil tempt us?

177. What were the effects of Adam's sin?

178. Why do we suffer for the sin of our first parents?

179. What did Adam lose by his sin?

180. What do you mean when you say Adam's will was weakened by sin?

181. Can we always overcome temptation if we wish?

182. Why was the Blessed Virgin preserved from Original Sin?

 

 

Lesson 6

183. How is sin divided?

184. In what ways can we commit actual sin?

185. What is a sin of omission? Give an example.

186. How is Heaven a reward?

187. How can we merit it?

188. Are all religions equally good? Why?

189. What do you mean by a person's "vocation"?

190. How are we to know our vocation?

191. How should parents act with regard to their children's vocation?

192. When is a soul said to be dead?

193. How can we judge whether a thing is sinful or not?

194. What is a material sin?

195. Why is it wrong to judge others guilty of sin?

196. Why does venial sin lessen the love of God in our hearts?

197. Why are pride, covetousness, etc., called "capital sins"?

198. What is meant by our "predominant" or "ruling" sin?

199. What is pride?

200. Why should we take care of our bodies?

201. What sins follow pride?

202. What is covetousness?

203. What sins follow covetousness?

204. What is lust?

205. What sins follow lust?

206. What is gluttony?

207. What kind of sin is drunkenness?

208. How can we commit gluttony by eating?

209. How can we commit gluttony by drinking?

210. What sins does the drunkard commit?

211. What three great sins should you always guard against?

212. Why are drunkenness, dishonesty, and impurity so dangerous?

213. What is envy?

214. How do we commit the sin of sloth?

215. How can we best destroy sin in our souls?

216. Should we cease striving to be good, if we seem to be making no

     improvement? Why?

 

 

Lesson 7

217. What does "incarnation" mean?

218. What does "redemption" mean?

219. Who are slaves?

220. How were we in slavery by the sin of Adam?

221. What price did Our Lord pay to redeem us?

222. Did Our Lord leave us any means of being redeemed more than once?

223. What does "abandon" mean?

224. Has Heaven really gates?

225. What are the "gates of Heaven"?

226. Is Our Lord now in Heaven as God or as man?

227. Who was Our Lord's foster-father?

228. What is a foster-father?

229. How many years from the time Adam sinned till the Redeemer came?

230. Why did God allow so long a time to pass before redeeming us?

231. What was the Deluge?

232. When and why did God send it?

233. Who were saved from the Deluge? How?

234. What animals did Noe have in the Ark?

235. What were the "clean animals"? Name some.

236. Why did he have more "clean" than "unclean" animals?

237. How long did Noe spend in making the Ark?

238. How old was Adam when he died?

239. Who was the oldest man?

240. What was his age?

241. How did the Deluge come upon the earth?

242. How long did the Ark float upon the waters?

243. How did Noe learn that the waters were going down?

244. What was the condition of men before the coming of Our Lord?

245. When and to whom did God promise the Redeemer?

246. What did the prophets foretell about Christ?

247. Why was the Redeemer not welcomed by all when He came?

248. What day of the year is Annunciation Day?

249. How could the good people of the Old Law be saved by the merits of

     Christ, when Christ was not yet born?

250. In what kind of a stable was Our Lord born?

251. Why did the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph go to Bethlehem before

     the birth of Our Lord?

252. Who were the Magi?

253. What brought them to Bethlehem?

254. Why did King Herod wish to find the Infant Jesus?

255. On what feast do we commemorate the adoration of the Magi?

256. At what time of the year is the Epiphany?

257. What is the feast of "Holy Innocents"?

258. When does it come?

259. Give a short history of Our Lord's life.

260. What do we mean by His "hidden life"?

261. What do we mean by His "public life"?

262. How old was Our Lord when He began His public life?

263. What do we know of Our Lord's hidden life?

264. Why did He lead a hidden life for so many years?

265. Does "mankind" mean men or women?

266. Had Our Lord any brothers or sisters?

267. What did the Angel Gabriel say at the Annunciation?

 

 

Lesson 8

268. What do you mean by Our Lord's "Passion"?

269. When did it begin and when did it end?

270. Give an account of Our Lord's Passion.

271. Where was Gethsemani or the Garden of Olives?

272. Who went into it with Our Lord?

273. What did Our Lord do in this garden?

274. What else happened there?

275. What caused Our Lord's sufferings in the garden?

276. Why could Christ's body suffer greater pain than ours?

277. What do we mean by the "agony in the garden"?

278. Who betrayed Our Lord?

279. How did the Jews act unjustly in the trial of Our Lord?

280. What was the "scourging at the pillar"?

281. What was the "crowning with thorns"?

282. What happened at the death of Our Lord?

283. Where was Calvary?

284. Why were no criminals put to death in Jerusalem?

285. How was the temple of Jerusalem divided?

286. What was the "Holy of Holies"?

287. What was the "Ark of the Covenant," and what did it contain?

288. Of what were the ark and its contents figures?

289. What was the veil of the temple?

290. Why was this veil rent asunder at the death of Our Lord?

291. What does Calvary mean?

292. Why was Our Lord crucified between thieves?

293. Why do we call one of these the "penitent thief"?

294. Why did Christ suffer more than was necessary?

295. What is a sepulchre?

296. How was Our Lord buried?

297. What did the Jews count the beginning and the end of their day?

298. Was the Jewish religion ever the true religion?

299. What is a miracle?

300. What does a miracle prove?

301. What miracles did Our Lord perform?

302. What was His greatest?

303. What are the qualities of a glorified body?

304. Show that Our Lord's body had all these qualities.

305. What was the "Transfiguration of Our Lord"? Describe it.

306. Who were present at it?

307. What happened on the way to Emmaus?

308. What benefit is derived from Thomas the Apostle doubting the

     resurrection of Our Lord?

309. Will all who rise on the last day have glorified bodies?

310. What does the "stigmata of Our Lord" mean?

311. Did anyone ever have it?

312. Was Our Lord visible to everyone during the forty days after His

     resurrection?

313. About how many times and to whom did He appear during the forty

     days?

314. Describe Our Lord's Ascension.

315. Did Christ always live at Bethlehem?

 

 

Lesson 9

316. Did the Holy Ghost ever appear?

317. When and under what forms?

318. What does Whitsunday mean?

319. What does Pentecost mean?

320. What effect did the coming of the Holy Ghost have upon the

     Apostles?

321. How many temples had the Jews?

322. What was a "synagogue"?

323. What was done in the synagogues?

324. How did the synagogues differ from the temple?

325. What did the feast of the Pasch or Passover commemorate?

326. Give a short history of Moses.

327. How did the Israelites come to be in Egypt?

328. Give an account of their sufferings in Egypt.

329. How were they delivered or liberated?

330. Give a short account of Joseph and his family.

331. Why did Joseph's brothers wish to put him to death?

332. What did they do to hide their crime?

333. What did the King of Egypt dream?

334. What did his dream mean?

335. What do we learn from the life of Joseph in Egypt?

336. How was Moses saved on the bank of the Nile?

337. What was the "burning bush" that Moses saw?

338. Why did God command Moses to remove his shoes before coming to the

     "burning bush"?

339. Who went with Moses to deliver the Israelites?

340. What signs did God give to Moses to show King Pharao?

341. What did the king's magicians do?

342. What were "the ten plagues of Egypt"?

343. Describe each plague.

344. Why did God send them?

345. What was the "Paschal Lamb"?

346. Of what was it a figure?

347. What happened to the Israelites and Egyptians at the Red Sea?

348. How long were the Israelites in the desert?

349. What was the "manna"?

350. Why were the Israelites so long in the desert?

351. What do you mean by the "gift of tongues"?

352. Why did God perform more miracles in the first ages of the Church

     than now?

353. How and where was St. Peter put to death?

354. How did the other Apostles die?

355. St. Paul?

356. What did the Apostles prove by suffering death for their faith?

 

 

Lesson 10

357. What do we mean by an effect?

358. What does "supernatural" mean?

359. What is merit?

360. What is a virtue?

361. What is a vice?

362. Does habit excuse us for the sins committed through it?

363. When will habit excuse us for the sin?

364. Why do we believe revealed truths?

365. Who is our neighbor?

366. What example did Our Lord give to explain this?

367. How do we love our neighbor as ourselves?

368. Why should we love our neighbor?

369. Can we merit the grace of perseverance?

 

 

Lesson 11

370. When did men begin to speak different languages?

371. Who were the prophets?

372. Give a short history of religion before the time of Christ.

373. What are the chief works of the Church?

374. Why are our churches holy?

375. What are the catacombs, and why were they made?

376. What are altar stones?

377. Why are relics placed in them?

378. How many general persecutions of the Church were there?

379. Tell what you know of these persecutions.

380. What lessons do we learn from the sufferings of the early

     Christians?

381. Who are "lawful pastors"?

382. Could anyone be Pope without being Bishop of Rome?

383. What does "vicar" mean?

384. Why are Catholics called Roman?

385. How could a Protestant be saved?

 

 

Lesson 12

386. What is an attribute?

387. What is authority?

388. Why is it sinful to resist lawful authority?

389. What does "cathedra" mean?

390. Why is the bishop's church called cathedral?

391. How do we know when the Pope speaks "ex cathedra"?

392. What is required that the Pope may so speak?

393. Is the Pope infallible in everything he says?

394. What do you mean by "faith and morals"?

395. How many Popes from St. Peter to Pius XI?

396. Why should we have the greatest respect for the opinions of the

     Holy Father on any subject?

397. Why must the Pope sometimes speak on political matters?

398. Can the Pope commit sin?

399. What do we mean by the "temporal power" of the Pope?

400. How did he acquire it, and how did he lose it?

401. Why has he need of it?

402. How is the "temporal power" useful to the Church?

403. What is "Peter's pence"?

404. Does the Church change its doctrines?

405. How can you show that the Church is one in government and doctrine?

406. What is the hierarchy of the Church?

407. Could a person be a Catholic and not believe all the Church

     teaches?

408. Why are Protestants so called?

409. Why does the Church use Latin as its language?

410. Why does the Church define some truths?

411. Does the Church by defining truths make new doctrines?

412. Give a short history of Luther.

413. Why was he cut off from the true Church?

414. Why did many follow him?

415. How did the first Protestants act towards the Church?

416. What foolish excuses do some give for not becoming Catholics?

417. Why must the true Church be visible?

418. Who are heathens?

419. Who were the "publicans" mentioned by Our Lord?

 

 

Lesson 13

420. What three things are necessary to make a Sacrament?

421. What is the outward sign in Baptism?

422. Why is water used in Baptism?

423. What is the outward sign in Confirmation?

424. Why is oil used in Confirmation?

425. What is the use of the outward sign in the Sacraments?

426. In what ways does the life of the soul resemble the life of the

     body?

427. What does a "Sacrament of the dead" mean?

428. In what ways can we commit sacrilege?

429. What is the sacramental grace given in Penance?

430. What are the "right dispositions" for Penance, for Holy Eucharist?

431. What is conditional Baptism, and when is it given?

432. Can all the Sacraments be given conditionally?

433. What is the outward sign in Matrimony?

434. Can a bishop give all the Sacraments?

435. Can a priest?

436. Can a person receive all the Sacraments?

437. Can any of the Sacraments be given to the dead?

 

 

Lesson 14

438. What is an heir?

439. Why is the Bible called the Old and New Testament?

440. What does the Old Testament contain?

441. What does the New Testament show?

442. What is the difference between Baptism and Penance in the remission

     of the guilt and punishment?

443. Could a person gain an indulgence immediately after Baptism? Why?

444. What does the "temporal punishment" for sin mean?

445. Where will persons go who have never sinned and who die without

     Baptism?

446. What do we mean by "the ordinary minister" of a Sacrament?

447. Can you baptize an infant when its parents are unwilling?

448. What is private Baptism?

449. How is it given?

450. What ceremonies are used in solemn Baptism?

451. What do they signify?

452. What is the baptistery?

453. What do we mean by the "pomps" of the devil?

454. What is martyrdom?

455. Who are catechumens?

456. What is necessary that persons may be really martyrs?

457. What is meant by "patron saint"?

458. On what day is a saint's feast kept by the Church?

459. What does "sponsors" mean? Who are sponsors by proxy?

460. With whom do godparents contract relationship?

461. What names should be given in Baptism?

 

 

Lesson 15

462. What does balm in the chrism signify?

463. Why should we be proud of the Catholic religion?

464. When are we required to profess our religion?

 

 

Lesson 16

465. Why is the devil wiser than we are?

466. Who made the Beatitudes?

467. Where did Our Lord generally preach?

468. What do the Beatitudes teach?

469. How is a person "poor in spirit"?

470. How can the rich be "poor in spirit"?

471. Explain the other Beatitudes.

 

 

Lesson 17

472. How does the institution of Penance show the goodness of Our Lord?

473. What is absolution?

474. How do you know Our Lord could forgive sins?

475. How does the power to forgive sins imply the obligation of going to

     confession?

476. How do we prepare for confession?

477. What is the best method of examining our conscience?

478. What is the most important part of the Sacrament of Penance?

479. What kind of sorrow should we have for our sins?

480. When should you say the penance given in confession?

 

 

Lesson 18

481. When is our contrition perfect?

482. What is attrition?

483. How many kinds of occasions of sin are there?

484. Why must we avoid occasions of sin?

 

 

Lesson 19

485. Who is a "duly authorized" priest?

486. How can a dumb man make his confession?

487. What can one do who cannot remember his sins in confession?

488. How can persons whose language the priest cannot understand confess

     if they are in danger of death?

489. Is it wrong to accuse ourselves of sins we have not committed?

490. Why is it foolish to conceal sins in confession?

491. How were the ancient Christian churches divided?

492. How did the early Christians do penance?

493. Explain the temporal and eternal punishment for sin.

494. Is your confession worthless if you forget to say your penance?

495. What is Lent?

496. What is almsgiving?

497. How can we distinguish between spiritual and corporal works of

     mercy?

498. When are we obliged to admonish the sinner?

499. What were the Crusades?

500. Why were they commenced?

501. How many Crusades were there?

502. How long did they last?

503. Why were those who took part in these expeditions called Crusaders?

504. What is a pilgrim?

505. How have we been relieved from doing many of the works of mercy

     ourselves?

506. Who are religious?

507. What is a hermit?

508. What is a general confession?

509. When and why should we make it?

510. Who are scrupulous persons?

 

 

Lesson 20

511. When is it well to add to our confession a sin of our past life?

512. What duties does the priest perform in the confessional?

513. Show how he is judge, father, teacher, and physician.

514. Why is it well to confess always to the same priest?

515. Can you have half your sins forgiven?

516. When will perfect contrition blot out mortal sin?

 

 

Lesson 21

517. How does God reward us for good works done in a state of mortal

     sin?

518. Is it easy to gain a plenary indulgence? Why?

519. What works are generally enjoined for indulgences?

520. What does praying for a "person's intention" mean?

521. How can we have the intention of gaining an indulgence?

522. What does "an indulgence of 40 days," etc., mean?

523. Why did the early Christians do more severe penance than we do?

524. Are indulgences attached to anything but prayers?

 

 

Lesson 22

525. What does "Eucharist" mean?

526. What is the difference between Holy Eucharist and Holy Communion?

527. What did Our Lord do at the marriage in Cana?

528. Is Our Lord's body in the Holy Eucharist living or dead?

529. How do you know you receive both the body and the blood of Our Lord

     under the appearance of bread alone?

530. Why does the Church not give the Holy Eucharist to the people under

     the appearance of wine also?

531. Could it do so? Did it ever do it?

532. How long does Our Lord remain in the Holy Communion?

533. What is the ciborium?

534. At what part of the Mass are the words of consecration said?

535. What are the parts of the Mass?

536. What is the sacristy?

537. What does the priest prepare for Mass?

538. What is the chalice?

539. What is the paten?

540. What is the purificator?

541. What is the pall?

542. What is the host?

543. Where does the priest get the host?

544. What are the different vestments used at Mass called?

545. What do they signify?

546. What is the "Offertory" in the Mass?

547. When does the "Canon" of the Mass begin?

548. What is the "Elevation" in the Mass?

549. Where does the priest get the Blessed Sacrament he gives to the

     people?

550. What is the tabernacle?

551. What is Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament?

552. What is the monstrance used at Benediction?

553. Why should we be anxious to attend Benediction?

554. What is the cope?

555. What is the humeral, or Benediction veil?

556. Why does the priest wear vestments?

557. What do their colors signify?

558. Can Holy Communion be given in the afternoon?

559. What is the Holy Eucharist called when received by a person who is

     not fasting?

560. Can the priest say Mass in the evening? Why?

561. Why does the priest genuflect, etc., during Mass?

 

 

Lesson 23

562. What should we do if we break our fast before Holy Communion?

563. When is Holy Communion called the "Viaticum"?

564. Who offered the first Sacrifice of the Holy Mass?

 

 

Lesson 24

565. When is the Holy Eucharist a sacrifice?

566. When a Sacrament?

567. What was the temple of the Pantheon in Rome?

568. Who are pagans, idolaters, heathens?

569. How many kinds of sacrifice had the Israelites?

570. How is the Mass a sacrifice?

571. What is the league of the Sacred Heart?

572. Why was it established?

573. What was the origin of offering the priest money for celebrating

     Mass for your intention?

574. What is the sin of simony?

575. Why is it so called?

576. How are the fruits of the Mass divided?

577. What is a spiritual Communion?

578. How is it made?

 

 

Lesson 25

579. What does "unction" mean?

580. How often in their lives are Catholics anointed?

581. Is it called Extreme Unction even when the person recovers after

     receiving it?

582. What parts of the body are anointed in Extreme Unction?

583. When should the priest be sent for in cases of sickness?

584. What should you do if the sick Catholic does not wish or refuses to

     see the priest?

585. How is sickness a benefit to some?

586. What Sacraments are never given in the Church?

587. What things should you prepare when the priest is coming to give

     the Viaticum or Extreme Unction in your house?

588. How is the Blessed Sacrament carried to the sick in Catholic

     countries?

589. Who are the "other ministers of the Church," besides bishops and

     priests?

590. What is the tonsure?

591. Of what does the tonsure remind the priest?

592. What are the duties and privileges of these other ministers of the

     Church?

593. How many kinds of Masses are there?

594. Do they differ in value, one being better than another?

595. Who is meant by the "celebrant" of the Mass?

596. What does the "master of ceremonies" do?

597. What is a Requiem Mass?

598. Why is it so called?

599. What is Vespers?

600. Is it a mortal sin to be willingly absent from Vespers?

601. Will Vespers take the place of Mass on Sundays for those who do not

     attend Mass?

602. Who are cardinals?

603. What are their duties?

604. Who is a monsignor?

605. Who is a vicar general?

606. What is a diocese?

607. What is a parish?

608. Does "rector" and "pastor" mean the same?

609. What do we mean by "Suffragan Bishops"?

610. What is the pallium?

611. Who can wear it?

 

 

Lesson 26

612. When are persons lawfully married?

613. When was marriage first instituted?

614. What sin is it to marry unlawfully?

615. What are "impediments to marriage"?

616. What things should persons tell the priest when they are making

     arrangements for marriage?

617. Can persons marry invalidly without knowing it?

618. What evils follow divorce?

619. Why should children study?

620. What is meant by the "civil effects of marriage"?

621. What are the chief evils of "mixed marriage"?

622. What is a "mixed marriage"?

623. When are motives for marriage "worthy"?

624. How should persons make a choice for marriage?

625. How are parents sometimes guilty of injustice to their children in

     case of marriage?

626. What is holy oil?

627. When is it blessed?

628. Can a priest bless it in case of necessity?

629. How many kinds of holy oil are there?

630. For what are they used?

631. In the administration of what Sacraments is oil used?

632. Can persons receive the Sacrament of Matrimony more than once?

633. Where and at what time of the day should Catholics be married?

634. What is balm?

635. Was there any Sacrament of Matrimony before the time of Our Lord?

636. Were the people of the Old Law validly married?

637. How did their marriage differ from Christian marriage?

 

 

Lesson 27

638. Can the Church change the number of sacramentals? Why?

639. Why is it necessary to bless yourself properly?

640. When are candles blessed in the Church?

641. Of what do candles on the altar remind us?

642. When are ashes blessed in the Church?

643. Of what do they remind us?

644. Of what do the palms remind us?

645. What is the difference between a cross and a crucifix?

646. What is the Rosary?

647. How do we say the beads?

648. What is meant by "Mysteries of the Rosary"?

649. How many Mysteries of the Rosary are there?

650. How are they divided?

651. Name the different Mysteries of the Rosary.

652. What is the Magnificat?

653. Who baptized Our Lord?

654. Was the baptism of John the Baptist a Sacrament? Why?

655. To whom did Our Lord give an example by His hidden or private life?

656. What did the Church do for slaves?

657. What do the letters "I.N.R.I." over the Cross mean?

658. Did Our Lord claim to be king of the Jews?

659. Why was Our Lord put to death?

660. With whom did the Blessed Virgin live after the death of Our Lord?

661. Who was St. John the Evangelist?

662. What is the Apocalypse?

663. About how long did the Blessed Virgin live on earth after the

     Ascension of Our Lord?

664. What is meant by the "Assumption" of the Blessed Virgin?

665. What proof have we of it?

666. On what days are the different Mysteries of the Rosary said?

667. What does "I.H.S." with a cross over it mean?

668. What is the scapular, and why do we wear it?

669. What is the brown scapular called?

670. How many kinds of scapular are there?

671. What are the "seven dolors" of the Blessed Virgin? Name them.

672. What are the seven dolor beads?

673. What are "religious orders"?

674. What vows do the members of religious orders take?

675. Why were religious orders founded?

676. Why are there different kinds of religious orders?

 

 

Lesson 28

677. How many kinds of prayer are there?

678. What is "meditation"?

679. What should we do before praying?

680. What do you know of St. Monica?

681. Of St. Augustine?

682. Why does God not always grant our prayers?

683. If prayer is necessary for salvation, how can infants be saved who

     die without having prayed?

 

 

Lesson 29

684. Were people obliged to keep the Commandments before the time of

     Moses?

685. How many kinds of laws had the Israelites?

686. When were these laws abolished?

687. How were the Commandments given to Moses?

688. What was manna?

689. What is the difference between the Commandments of God and the

     commandments of the Church?

690. What does "love thy neighbor as thyself" mean?

 

 

Lesson 30

691. How did the Israelites come to worship false gods?

692. How do we sometimes worship strange gods?

693. What are "fortune tellers"?

694. Why is going to fortune tellers a sin?

695. What are spells, charms?

696. Are medals, scapulars, etc., worn about us charms?

697. What are dreams?

698. Did God ever use them to make known His will?

699. Why does He not use them now?

700. What are mediums and spiritists?

701. How do bad Catholics do injury to the Church?

702. Why did the Christian religion spread so rapidly?

703. Who are atheists, deists, infidels, heretics, apostates, and

     schismatics?

704. Are all religions equally true?

705. Why is presumption a great sin?

706. How are we frequently presumptuous?

707. Are heretics Christians?

 

 

Lesson 31

708. What help does God give us to save our souls?

709. How do we honor God by praying to the saints?

710. What is a relic?

711. Have we any relics of Our Lord's body? Why?

712. Why does the Catholic religion suit all classes of persons?

713. Why are there so many kinds of Protestants?

714. Does the Bible contain all the truths of our religion?

715. How did God honor the relics of saints? Give an example.

716. When did the Jewish religion cease to be the true religion?

 

 

Lesson 32

717. Is it a sin to use the words of Scripture in a bad sense?

718. What is a perjurer?

719. Why was John the Baptist put to death?

720. Why is it sinful to be a member of a secret society?

721. When is an oath rash?

722. What is the difference between blasphemy and cursing?

723. Can we blaspheme by action?

724. Tell what happened to Julian the Apostate.

725. Are there any holy days not of obligation?

726. How is the Sunday well kept?

727. What is a real Catholic newspaper?

728. What books should be found in every Catholic family?

729. What is meant by the Old Law?

730. What by the New?

731. Are we bound to keep an unlawful oath?

 

 

Lesson 33

732. What do we mean by "magistrates"?

733. What should we remember when we are unjustly punished?

734. How does suffering make us more like to Our Lord and His Blessed

     Mother?

735. Why did the Blessed Virgin suffer so many trials upon earth?

736. What is contempt?

737. What is stubbornness?

738. Why is suicide a mortal sin?

739. What is revenge?

740. Why should we be most careful about the Sixth Commandment?

741. Why should we guard against bad reading?

742. Why should we seek advice?

 

 

Lesson 34

743. In how many ways may we violate the Seventh Commandment?

744. Why is it unkind and ungrateful not to pay our debts?

745. Is the receiver of stolen goods as bad as the thief?

746. In how many ways may we share in the sin of another?

747. If you bought an article not knowing that it was stolen, would you

     be obliged to give it up to its owner?

748. What must you do with anything you find?

749. What must you do if you have lost or destroyed the article you

     stole?

750. Can we always make restitution by giving to the poor?

751. Is it a sin to delay making restitution?

752. What must a person do who cannot restore?

753. What will excuse us for telling another's faults?

754. How can you know when you have injured the character of another?

755. What is detraction?

756. What is calumny?

757. What is slander?

758. How can you make reparation for injuring another's character?

759. Are you bound to do so?

760. What is "rash judgment"?

761. What is backbiting?

762. Is it sinful to listen to backbiting, slander, etc?

763. Why is it wrong to tell another's secrets or read another's

     letters?

764. What does "covet" mean?

 

 

Lesson 35

765. What is meant by a "serious reason" for missing Mass?

766. What excuse do some give for not hearing Mass?

767. Why is it wrong to come late for Mass?

768. On what day do we keep a saint's feast?

769. What is the "divine office"?

770. How is it divided?

771. Who are excused from fasting?

772. Who are obliged to abstain from flesh-meat on fast-days and days of

     abstinence?

773. Is every fast-day a day of abstinence?

 

 

Lesson 36

774. Why should we go to confession even when we have not committed sin

     since our last confession?

775. When is Trinity Sunday?

776. How was the Holy Land divided?

777. Who were the "Levites" in the Old Law?

778. What were "first fruits" and tithes in the Old Law?

779. Why was Cain's sacrifice displeasing to God?

780. What relations are within the third degree of kindred?

781. What is a "dispensation" granted by the Church?

782. What is meant by the "natural law"?

783. When can we obey the laws that the State makes with regard to

     marriage?

784. What is "excommunication"?

785. What effect has it?

786. Who are excluded from Christian burial?

787. How does the Church show its displeasure when Catholics marry

     persons not Catholics?

788. How should persons prepare for marriage?

789. Are women ever allowed in the Church with their heads uncovered?

790. Can the priest say a "nuptial Mass" for a husband or wife after

     their death?

 

 

Lesson 37

791. Where will the particular judgment be held?

792. How will it take place?

793. Will the sentence given at the particular judgment be changed at

     the general judgment?

794. How can we daily prepare for judgment?

795. Who will be judged at the general judgment?

796. How will the general judgment take place?

797. What do we mean by the "pain of loss"?

798. What by the "pain of sense" that the damned suffer?

799. Why can we not imagine the sufferings of Hell?

800. How does the fire of Hell differ from our fire?

801. Will there be a Purgatory after the general judgment?

802. Why must there be a Purgatory now?

803. If God loves those in Purgatory, why does He punish them?

804. Why do we show respect to the bodies of the dead?

805. What does "faithful departed" mean?

806. What does "rest in peace" mean?

807. What does "seeing God face to face" mean, if God has no face?

808. What is the beatific vision?

809. Of what does our happiness in Heaven consist?

810. How long will Purgatory last?

 

 

 

 

GENERAL INDEX

 

A

                                                        QUESTION

Absolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Acolyte  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Actual grace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Adoration of the Magi  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  76

Advice necessary and useful  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372

Agony in the garden  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  78

Alb  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Alms to the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402

Almsgiving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

Altar boys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

Altars and altar stones  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Amice  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Ancient Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

Angels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  35

Angelus  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Angelical Salutation

Anger  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  59

Annunciation Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  64

Apocalypse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Apostles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Apostles' Creed

Apostate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

Apostolicity of the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Apparitions of Our Lord  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  90

Archbishop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

Ark of Noe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  72

Ark of the Covenant  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  81

Ascension of Our Lord  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  91

Ashes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Atheist  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

Attributes of the Church . . . . . . . . . . .  Lesson 12, title

Attrition  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Authority  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

 

 

B

 

Backbiting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380

Bad company  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Bad example  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364

Baptism of blood and desire  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Baptism in case of necessity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Baptism of St. John  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Beads  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Bearing wrongs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Beatific vision  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420

Beatification  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Apostles' Creed

Beatitudes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Benefits of the Sacrament of Penance . . . . .  Lesson 17, title

Biretta  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Birth of Christ  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  75

Bishop of Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Blasphemy  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352

Blessed Sacrament carried to the sick  . . . . . . . . . . . 277

Bloody sweat of Our Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  78

Body of Our Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  64

Body of the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Breaking the fast for Communion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

Burial of Our Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  88

Burning bush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  97

 

 

C

 

Cain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Lesson 11, title

Cain's sacrifice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402

Call of Abraham  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Calumny  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379

Calvary  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  81

Candles, why used  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Canonization of saints . . . . . . . . . . . The Apostles' Creed

Canonical penance  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

Capital sins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  59

Caravansary  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  75

Cardinals  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

Carrying stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Catacombs  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Catechumens  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Catechism  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lesson 1, title

Cathedral  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Catholic books and newspapers  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354

Catholicity of the Church  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Causes of unhappy marriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290

Celebrant of Mass  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

Census-taking in olden times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  75

Chalice  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Changing water into wine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Character in Baptism, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Charitable institutions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Charity  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Act of Love

Charms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

Chasuble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Choice of persons in marriage  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291

Church, Militant, Triumphant, Suffering  . . The Apostles' Creed

Church instituted by Christ  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Churches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Ciborium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Cincture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Cities of ancient times  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  75

Color of the vestments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Communion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Communion of saints  . . . . . . . . . . . . The Apostles' Creed

Commandments of God  . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Lesson 29, title

Concealing sins in confession  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Concupiscence  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  40

Condition of the world before Christ . . . . . . . . . . . .  72

Confession necessary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

Confessor's duties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

Confusion of tongues . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Lesson 11, title

Consecrated ground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404

Consecration in the Mass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Contempt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365

Contrition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Converts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289

Cope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Coronation of the Blessed Virgin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Corporal works of mercy  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Covetousness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  59

Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Apostles' Creed

Creation of Adam and Eve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  39

Crowning with thorns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  78

Crucifixion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  78

Crucifix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Cruelty of the Romans  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  78

Crusades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

 

 

D

 

Danger of living in sin  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272

Day of the Jews  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  88

Days of abstinence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394

Deacon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

Dead body  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  59

Dead souls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Death  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Apostles' Creed

Death of St. John the Baptist  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350

Debts  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377

Definition of Dogma of Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Degrees of kindred . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403

Deist  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

Deliverance of the Jews  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  95

Deluge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  72

Descent of the Holy Ghost  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  97

Despair  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329

Detraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379

Devil  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  38

Diocese  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

Disciples  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Apostles' Creed

Disciples on the way to Emmaus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  89

Dishonest persons  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373

Dispensations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402

Disrespect to parents  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362

Distraction at prayer  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309

Divine Office  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391

Division of the Holy Land  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403

Divorce or separation in marriage  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

Doubt of Thomas the Apostle  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  89

Dreams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

Dress at weddings  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407

Dress of the hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

Drunkenness  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  59

Duty to parents  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364

 

 

E

 

Egyptian bondage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  97

Elevation in the Mass  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

End of man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lesson 1, title

Envy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  59

Epiphany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Lesson 36, title

Equality among all men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  22

Eternity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Apostles' Creed

Evils of divorce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

Evil effects of scandal  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

Examination of conscience  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Example of Our Lord  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  76

Ex cathedra  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Excommunication  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404

Excuses for not embracing the true religion  . . . . . . . . 324

Excuses for not attending Mass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390

Extreme Unction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Lesson 25, title

Extreme Unction, to whom it can be given . . .  Lesson 25, title

 

 

F

 

Faith  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Faithful departed  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418

Fall of the angels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  38

Fall of Adam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  43

False worship  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318

Fast-days  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393

Feasts of the Jews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  97

Feasts of the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391

Final perseverance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Finding of Our Lord in the Temple  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

First Protestants  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Flight into Egypt  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  76

Forgiveness of sins  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Forgiveness of injuries  . . . . . . . . . . . The Lord's Prayer

Fortune tellers  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318

Foster-father  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  63

Fraternal correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Free will in man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Frequent Communion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270

Fruits of the Mass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

 

 

G

 

Gates of Heaven  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  60

General confession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Gift of tongues  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  97

Gladiators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Lesson 25, title

Glorified bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  89

Gluttony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  59

God, our Father  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Lord's Prayer

Gods of the pagans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Golden calf  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341

Gratitude to benefactors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362

Guardian angel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  36

 

 

H

 

Hasty marriages  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290

Heaven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420

Heaven a reward  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  51

Heirs of Heaven  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Hell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413

Help to salvation  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331

Heretics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

Herod  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  76

Hidden life of Christ  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  76

Hierarchy  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

History of the Israelites in Egypt . . . . . . . . . . . . .  97

Holy days  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354

Holy Ghost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Apostles' Creed

Holy Innocents' feast  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  76

Holy of holies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  81

Holy oils  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291

Holy Orders  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

Holy Sepulchre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  88

Holy water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292

Holiness of the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Honoring the saints  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331

How to meditate  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304

Human sacrifice  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Humeral, or Benediction veil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

 

 

I

 

"I.H.S." with a cross  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Images in the churches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341

Immaculate Conception  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  50

Impediments to marriage  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

Impurity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370

Incarnation  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lesson 7, title

Indefectibility of the Church  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Indifferentism in religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  51

Indulgences  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Infallibility of the Pope  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Infidel  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

Injuring the character of others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379

"I.N.R.I." on the Cross  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Instinct of animals  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Intention at Mass  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Intention of the Pope  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

Intention to gain indulgences  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Interpretation of the Holy Scriptures  . . . . . . . . . . . 129

 

 

J

 

Jacob, father of the twelve tribes . . . . . . . . . . . . .  97

Jacob's vision and the ladder  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  36

Jehova . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Lord's Prayer

John the Evangelist  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Joseph in Egypt  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  97

Journey of the Israelites in the desert  . . . . . . . . . .  97

Judgment, particular and general . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408

Julian the Apostate  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352

Justice of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  20

 

 

K

 

Kinds of indulgences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

Kinds of Masses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

Kinds of scapulars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Kingdom of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Lord's Prayer

Knowledge of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

 

 

L

 

Late-coming to Mass  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390

Latin language in the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Lawful marriage  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283

Laws made by the Church  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Laws of the Jews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Lesson 29, title

League of the Sacred Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Lent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

Levites  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402

Life of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  76

Life of the Blessed Virgin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364

Limbo  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Apostles' Creed

Litanies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  The Angelical Salutation

Lives of the early Christians  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

Lost time  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285

Louise Lateau  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  89

Love of our neighbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Lucifer or Satan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  38

Lust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  59

Luther . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

 

 

M

 

Magi or Wise Men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  76

Magistrates  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363

Mahomet  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Man  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Apostles' Creed

Maniple  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Manna  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310

Manner of confessing our sins  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Manner of examining our conscience . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Manner of giving absolution  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Marks of the Church  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Marriage at Cana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Marriage before a Protestant minister  . . . . . . . . . . . 404

Master of Ceremonies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

Meaning of forty days' indulgence  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

Meditation or mental prayer  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304

Mercy of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  20

Merit  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Minister of Baptism  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Ministers of the Church  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

Minor Orders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

Miracles, true and false . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  89

Mixed marriages  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289

Molech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Monks  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Monsignor  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

Moses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  97

Murder of infants or abortion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Mystery  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  31

Mysteries of the Rosary  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

 

 

N

 

Names in Baptism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Names of Our Lord  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  66

Natural state of man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Necessary servile works  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360

Necessity of religious instruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285

Neighbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Newspapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354

Noe's Ark  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  72

Nuns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

 

 

O

 

Oath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347

Obedience to parents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

Observance of Sunday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354

Occasion of sin  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Offertory in the Mass  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Offering called "stipend" for Mass . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Ostensorium or monstrance  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Outward signs of the Sacraments  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

 

 

P

 

Palestine  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  75

Pall for the chalice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Pallium  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

Palms  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Pantheon in Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Paradise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  40

Parish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

Parts of the Divine Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391

Parts of the Mass  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Pasch  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  97

Paschal lamb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  97

Passage of the Red Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  97

Passion of Our Lord  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  78

Passover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Lesson 17, title

Pastor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

Paten  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Patron saint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Payment of debts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373

Penance given in confession  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

Penitent thief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  82

Penitents of the early ages  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

Pentecost  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  97

Perfection of God  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Persecution of the Christians  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Persons excluded from Christian burial . . . . . . . . . . . 404

Peter's pence  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Pharao's dream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  97

Pilgrim  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Plagues of Egypt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  97

Pledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351

Plenary indulgence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Poor in the true Church  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Pope in politics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304

Preaching of Our Lord  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Predominant sin  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  59

Preparation for confession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Presence of God at our prayers . . . . . . . . . . . . Confiteor

Presentation in the temple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Preservation of creatures by God . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  17

Presumption  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328

Priests  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Pride  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  59

Promise of the Redeemer  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  60

Proof of the assumption of the Blessed Virgin  . . . . . . . 302

Prophets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Lesson 11, title

Providence of God  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416

Public life of Christ  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  76

Public profession of faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326

Purgatory  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414

Purificator  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Purpose of amendment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

 

 

Q

 

Qualities of a good prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307

 

 

R

 

Rash judgment  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380

Reading bad books or papers  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372

Reading good books or papers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354

Reading the letters of others  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380

Real presence in the Holy Eucharist  . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

Reason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Receiving stolen goods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375

Rector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

Redeemer promised  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  72

Redemption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lesson 7, title

Relics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340

Religious orders and communities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Respect at Mass  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Respect in church  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

"Rest in peace"  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418

Restitution  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375

Resurrection of Our Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  89

Resurrection of the body . . . . . . . . . . The Apostles' Creed

Revelation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Revenge  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368

Rosary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

 

 

S

 

Sabbath of the Jews  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  88

Sacramental grace  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Sacramentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292

Sacraments in which oil is used  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291

Sacraments of the dead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Sacraments of the living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Sacred Heart of Jesus  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270

Sacrifice  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Sacrilege  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Saints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Apostles' Creed

Salvation out of the Catholic Church . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Sanctifying grace  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Saracens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Scandal  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413

Scapulars  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Schismatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

Scourging at the pillar  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  78

Scrupulous persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Secret societies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350

Secrets  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380

Seven dolors of the Blessed Virgin . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Seven dolor beads  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Sickness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

Sign of the Cross  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

Simony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Sin, Original, actual, mortal, venial  . . . . . . . .  Lesson 6

Sins against faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

Slander  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379

Slavery  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lesson 7, title

Sloth  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  59

Soul like to God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Soul, importance of saving one's . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Spiritual Communion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270

Spiritual life resembles bodily life . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Spiritual works of mercy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Sponsors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Sponsors by proxy  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Spread of the Protestant religion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

St. Joseph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  63

St. Joseph's Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  74

St. Monica and St. Augustine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307

St. Patrick's Day  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  74

Stable at Bethlehem  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  75

State laws for marriage  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403

Stealing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375

Stigmata of Our Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  89

Stole  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Strange gods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

Sub-deacon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

Sufferings of the damned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413

Suicide  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367

Supernatural gifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

 

 

T

 

Temple of Jerusalem  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  81

Temporal power of the Pope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Temporal punishment  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

Temptation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Lord's Prayer

Testament, Old and New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Thanksgiving after Communion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Things prepared for Mass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Things prepared for Viaticum and Extreme Unction . . . . . . 277

Time given to God's service  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318

Time valuable in youth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322

Tithes and first-fruits in the Old Law . . . . . . . . . . . 402

Tobias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  36

Tonsure  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

Tower of Babel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Lesson 11, title

Transfiguration of Our Lord  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  89

Transubstantiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Two natures in Christ  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  65

 

 

U

 

Unity of the Church  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Unworthy Communion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

Use of sacramentals  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292

Using the sayings of Holy Scripture in a profane sense . . . 340

 

 

V

 

Veil of the temple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  81

Vespers  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

Vestments, their names and signification . . . . . . . . . . 250

Viaticum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258

Vicar general  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

Vice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Virtue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Visibility of the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Visible and invisible head of the Church . . . . . . . . . . 116

Visitation of the Blessed Virgin . . .  The Angelical Salutation

Vocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  51

Vow  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350

 

 

W

 

Warning against impostors  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307

Ways of sharing in another's sin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375

Whitsunday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  97

Who offered sacrifice in ancient times . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Who cannot be sponsors at Baptism  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Why children should study  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285

Why God does not always grant our prayers  . . . . . . . . . 307

Why holy days were instituted  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391

Why sickness is sometimes sent . . . . . . . .  Lesson 25, title

Why there are different religious orders . . . . . . . . . . 302

Woman with issue of blood  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307

Works necessary to gain indulgences  . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

World  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Worship of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

 

 

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Baltimore Catechism No. 4 (of 4)

by Thomas L. Kinkead

 

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