LESSON TWENTY-EIGHTH: On Prayer

A. It is wrong to defer the baptism of an infant, because we thereby expose the child to the danger of dying without the Sacrament.

A. We cannot baptize a child against the wishes of its parents; and if the parents are not Catholics, they must not

only consent to the baptism, but also agree to bring the child up in the Catholic religion. But if a child is surely

dying, we may baptize it without either the consent or permission of its parents.

A. There are three kinds of Baptism:

1.Baptism of water, of desire, and of blood.

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."

A. In the first ages of the Church, baptism of water was given in three ways, namely, by immersion or dipping, by

aspersion or sprinkling, and by infusion or pouring. Although any of these methods would be valid, only the method of infusion or pouring is now allowed in the Church.

A. The chief ceremonies used in solemn baptism are:

1.(1) A profession of faith and renouncement of the devil to signify our worthiness;

2.(2) The placing of salt in the mouth to signify the wisdom imparted by faith;

3.(3) The holding of the priest's stole to signify our reception into the Church;

4.(4) The anointing to signify the strength given by the Sacrament;

5.(5) The giving of the white garment or cloth to signify our sinless state after baptism; and

6.(6) The giving of the lighted candle to signify the light of faith and fire of love that should dwell in our souls.

A. One who, in case of necessity, has been baptized with private baptism should afterwards be brought to the

Church to have the ceremonies of solemn baptism completed, because these ceremonies are commanded by the

Church and bring down blessings upon us.

A. Solemn baptism is given with consecrated water; that is, water mixed with holy oil and blessed for baptism on

Holy Saturday and on the Saturday before Pentecost. It is always kept in the baptismal font in the baptistry -- a

place near the door of the Church set apart for baptism.

A. Baptism of desire is an ardent wish to receive Baptism, and to do all that God has ordained for our salvation.

A. Baptism of blood is the shedding of one's blood for the faith of Christ.

A. The baptism of blood is most commonly called martyrdom, and those who receive it are called martyrs. It is the death one patiently suffers from the enemies of our religion, rather than give up Catholic faith or virtue. We must not seek martyrdom, though we must endure it when it comes.

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.

A. We know that baptism of desire or of blood will save us when it is impossible to receive the baptism of water,

from Holy Scripture, which teaches that love of God and perfect contrition can secure the remission of sins ; and

also that Our Lord promises salvation to those who lay down their life for His sake or for His teaching.

A. In Baptism we promise to renounce the devil, with all his works and pomps.

A. By the pomps of the devil we mean all worldly pride, vanities and vain shows by which people are enticed into

sin, and all foolish or sinful display of ourselves or of what we possess.

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.

A. The saint whose name we bear is called our patron saint -- to whom we should have great devotion.

A. These and similar names should never be given in baptism:

1.(1) The names of noted unbelievers, heretics or enemies of religion and virtue;

2.(2) The names of heathen gods, and

3.(3) Nick-names.

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.

A. Godfathers and godmothers are usually called sponsors. Sponsors are not necessary at private baptism.

A. A person can be sponsor even when absent from the baptism, provided he has been asked and has consented

to be sponsor, and provided also some one answers the questions and touches the person to be baptized in his

name. The absent godfather or godmother is then said to be sponsor by proxy and becomes the real godparent of

the one baptized.

A. Godparents, as well as the one baptizing, contract a spiritual relationship with the person baptized (not with his

parents), and this relationship is an impediment to marriage that must be made known to the priest in case of their

future marriage with one another. The godfather and godmother contract no relationship with each other.

A. Persons who bring a child for baptism should be able to tell:

1.(1) The exact place where the child lives;

2.(2) The full name of its parents, and, in particular, the maiden name, or name before her marriage, of its

mother;

3.(3) The exact day of the month on which it was born;

4.(4) Whether or not it has received private baptism, and

5.(5) Whether its parents be Catholics.

Sponsors must know also the chief truths of our religion.

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.

A. Persons who are not Catholics cannot be sponsors for Catholic children, because they cannot perform the

duties of sponsors; for if they do not know and profess the Catholic religion themselves, how can they teach it to

their godchildren? Moreover, they must answer the questions asked at baptism and declare that they believe in the

Holy Catholic Church and in all it teaches; which would be a falsehood on their part.

A. In the selection of sponsors for their children parents should chiefly consider the good character and virtue of

the sponsors, selecting model Catholics to whom they would be willing at the hour of death to entrust the care and

training of their children.

A. That adults may worthily receive baptism:

1.(1) They must be willing to receive it;

2.(2) They must have faith in Christ;

3.(3) They must have true sorrow for their sins, and

4.(4) They must solemnly renounce the devil and all his works; that is, all sin.

A. The ceremony of churching is a particular blessing which a mother receives at the Altar, as soon as she is able

to present herself in the Church after the birth of her child. In this ceremony the priest invokes God's blessing on

the mother and child, while she on her part returns thanks to God

.

A. Confirmation is a Sacrament through which we receive the Holy Ghost to make us strong and perfect Christians and soldiers of Jesus Christ.

A. The exact time at which Confirmation was instituted is not known. But as this Sacrament was administered by

the Apostles and numbered with the other Sacraments instituted by Our Lord, it is certain that He instituted this

Sacrament also and instructed His Apostles in its use, at some time before His ascension into heaven.

A. Confirmation is so called from its chief effect, which is to strengthen or render us more firm in whatever belongs to our faith and religious duties.

A. We are called soldiers of Jesus Christ to indicate how we must resist the attacks of our spiritual enemies and

secure our victory over them by following and obeying Our Lord.

A. One may and should add a new name to his own at Confirmation, especially when the name of a saint has not

been given in Baptism.

A. The bishop is the ordinary minister of Confirmation.

A. We say the bishop is the ordinary minister of Confirmation because in some foreign missions, where bishops

have not yet been appointed, the Holy Father permits one of the priests to administer Confirmation with the Holy

Oil blessed by the bishop.

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.

A. In Confirmation, the extending of the bishop's hands over us signifies the descent of the Holy Ghost upon us and the special protection of God through the grace of Confirmation.

A. Holy chrism is a mixture of olive-oil and balm, consecrated by the bishop.

A. In Holy Chrism, the oil signifies strength, and the balm signifies the freedom from corruption and the sweetness which virtue must give to our lives.

A. Three holy oils are used in the Church, namely, the oil of the sick, the oil of catechumens, and holy chrism.

A. The form of prayer or blessing alone constitutes the difference between these oils; for they are all olive oil, but in the Holy Chrism, balm is mixed with the oil.

A. The holy oils are blessed at the Mass on Holy Thursday by the bishop, who alone has the right to bless them.

After the blessing they are distributed to the priests of the diocese, who must then burn what remains of the old oils and use the newly blessed oils for the coming year.

A. The holy oils are used as follows: The oil of the sick is used for Extreme Unction and for some blessings; the oil of catechumens is used for Baptism and Holy Orders. Holy Chrism is used at Baptism and for the blessing of some sacred things, such as altars, chalices, church-bells, etc., which are usually blessed by a bishop.

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."

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.

A. We must openly profess and practice our religion as often as we cannot do otherwise without violating some

law of God or of His Church.

A. We have good reason never to be ashamed of the Catholic Faith because it is the Old Faith established by

Christ and taught by His Apostles; it is the Faith for which countless Holy Martyrs suffered and died; it is the Faith that has brought true civilization, with all its benefits, into the world, and it is the only Faith that can truly reform and preserve public and private morals.

A. The bishop gives the person he confirms a slight blow on the cheek, to put him in mind that he must be ready to suffer everything, even death, for the sake of Christ.

A. It is not right to test ourselves through our imagination of what we would be willing to suffer for the sake of

Christ, for such tests may lead us into sin. When a real test comes we are assured God will give to us, as He did to

the Holy Martyrs, sufficient grace to endure it.

A. To receive Confirmation worthily it is necessary to be in the state of grace.

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.

A. We should know the Chief Mysteries of Faith and the duties of a Christian before receiving Confirmation

because as one cannot be a good soldier without knowing the rules of the army to which he belongs and

understanding the commands of his leader, so one cannot be a good Christian without knowing the laws of the

Church and understanding the commands of Christ.

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.

A. By "these evil days" we mean the present age or century in which we are living, surrounded on all sides by

unbelief, false doctrines, bad books, bad example and temptation in every form.

A. Confirmation is not so necessary for salvation that we could not be saved without it, for it is not given to infants even in danger of death; nevertheless, there is a divine command obliging all to receive it, if possible. Persons who have not been confirmed in youth should make every effort to be confirmed later in life.

A. Sponsors are necessary in Confirmation, and they must be of the same good character as those required at

Baptism, for they take upon themselves the same duties and responsibilities. They also contract a spiritual

relationship, which, however, unlike that in Baptism, is not an impediment to marriage.

A. The effects of Confirmation are an increase of sanctifying grace, the strengthening of our faith, and 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.

A. We receive the gift of Fear of the Lord to fill us with a dread of sin.

A. We receive the gift of Piety to make us love God as a Father, and obey Him because we love Him.

A. We receive the gift of Knowledge to enable us to discover the will of God in all things.

A. We receive the gift of Fortitude to strengthen us to do the will of God in all things.

A. We receive the gift of Counsel to warn us of the deceits of the devil, and of the dangers to salvation.

A. It is clear that the devil could easily deceive us if the Holy Ghost did not aid us, for just as our sins do not

deprive us of our knowledge, so the devil's sin did not deprive him of the great intelligence and power which he

possessed as an angel. Moreover, his experience in the world extends over all ages and places, while ours is

confined to a few years and to a limited number of places.

A. We receive the gift of Understanding to enable us to know more clearly the mysteries of faith.

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.

A. The Beatitudes are:

1.1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

2.2. Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the land.

3.3. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

4.4. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice, for they shall be filled.

5.5. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

6.6. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.

7.7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.

8.8. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

A. The Beatitudes are a portion of Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount, and they are so called because each of them

holds out a promised reward to those who practice the virtues they recommend.

A. Our Lord usually preached wherever an opportunity of doing good by His Words presented itself. He preached

at times in the synagogues or meeting-houses but more frequently in the open air -- by the seashore or on the

mountain, and often by the wayside.

A.

1.(1) In general the Beatitudes embrace whatever pertains to the perfection of Christian life, and they invite us

to the practice of the highest Christian virtues.

2.(2) In different forms they all promise the same reward, namely, sanctifying grace in this life and eternal glory

in the next.

3.(3) They offer us encouragement and consolation for every trial and affliction.

A. The first Beatitude means by the "poor in spirit" all persons, rich or poor, who would not offend God to possess or retain anything that this world can give; and who, when necessity or charity requires it, give willingly for the glory of God. It includes also those who humbly submit to their condition in life when it cannot be improved by lawful means.

A. The mourners who deserve the consolation promised in the third Beatitude are they who, out of love for God,

bewail their own sins and those of the world; and they who patiently endure all trials that come from God or for His sake.

A. The other Beatitudes convey these lessons: The meek suppress all feelings of anger and humbly submit to

whatever befalls them by the Will of God; and they never desire to do evil for evil. The justice after which we

should seek is every Christian virtue included under that name, and we are told that if we earnestly desire and seek it we shall obtain it. The persecuted for justice' sake are they who will not abandon their faith or virtue for any cause.

A. The merciful are they who practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and who aid by word or deed

those who need their help for soul or body.

A. The clean of heart, that is, the truly virtuous, whose thoughts, desires, words and works are pure and modest,

are promised so great a reward because the chaste and sinless have always been the most intimate friends of God.

A. It is the duty of a peacemaker to avoid and prevent quarrels, reconcile enemies, and to put an end to all evil

reports of others or evil speaking against them. As peacemakers are called the children of God, disturbers of

peace should be called the children of the devil.

A. Our Lord speaks in particular of poverty, meekness, sorrow, desire for virtue, mercy, purity, peace and

suffering because these are the chief features in His own earthly life; poverty in His birth, life and death; meekness in His teaching; sorrow at all times. He eagerly sought to do good, showed mercy to all, recommended chastity, brought peace, and patiently endured suffering.

A. The twelve fruits of the Holy Ghost are Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Benignity, Goodness, Long-suffering,

Mildness, Faith, Modesty, Continency, and Chastity.

A. Charity, joy, peace, etc., are called fruits of the Holy Ghost because they grow in our souls out of the seven

gifts of the Holy Ghost.

A. Penance is a Sacrament in which the sins committed after Baptism are forgiven.

A. The word Penance has other meanings. It means also those punishments we inflict upon ourselves as a means of atoning for our past sins; it means likewise that disposition of the heart in which we detest and bewail our sins

because they were offensive to God.

A. The institution of the Sacrament of Penance shows the goodness of Our Lord, because having once saved us

through Baptism, He might have left us to perish if we again committed sin.

A. The natural benefits of the Sacrament of Penance are: It gives us in our confessor a true friend, to whom we can go in all our trials and to whom we can confide our secrets with the hope of obtaining advice and relief.

A. The Sacrament of Penance remits sin and restores the friendship of God to the soul by means of the absolution

of the priest.

A. Absolution is the form of prayer or words the priest pronounces over us with uplifted hand when he forgives the sins we have confessed. It is given while we are saying the Act of Contrition after receiving our Penance.

A. The priest must and does refuse absolution to a penitent when he thinks the penitent is not rightly disposed for

the Sacrament. He sometimes postpones the absolution till the next confession, either for the good of the penitent

or for the sake of better preparation -- especially when the person has been a long time from confession.

A. When the priest has refused or postponed absolution, the penitent should humbly submit to his decision, follow

his instructions, and endeavor to remove whatever prevented the giving of the absolution and return to the same

confessor with the necessary dispositions and resolution of amendment.

A. The priest has the power to forgive all sins in the Sacrament of Penance, but he may not have the authority to

forgive all. To forgive sins validly in the Sacrament of Penance, two things are required:

1.(1) The power to forgive sins which every priest receives at his ordination, and

2.(2) The right to use that power which must be given by the bishop, who authorizes the priest to hear

confessions and pass judgment on the sins.

A. The sins which the priest has no authority to absolve are called reserved sins. Absolution from these sins can be obtained only from the bishop, and sometimes only from the Pope, or by his special permission. Persons having a reserved sin to confess cannot be absolved from any of their sins till the priest receives faculties or authority to absolve the reserved sin also.

A. The absolution from some sins is reserved to the Pope or bishop to deter or prevent, by this special restriction,

persons from committing them, either on account of the greatness of the sin itself or on account of its evil

consequences.

A. Any priest can absolve a person in danger of death from reserved sins without the permission of the bishop,

because at the hour of death the Church removes these restrictions in order to save, if possible, the soul of the

dying.

A. I know that the priest has the power of absolving from the sins committed after Baptism, because Jesus Christ

granted that power to the priests of His Church when He said: "Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall

forgive, they are forgiven them; whose sins you shall retain, they are retained."

A. We know that Our Lord, while on earth, had the power to forgive sins:

1.(1) Because He was always God, and;

2.(2) Because He frequently did forgive sins and proved their forgiveness by miracles.

Since He had the power Himself, He could give it to His Apostles.

A. The power to forgive sins was not given to the apostles alone, because it was not given for the benefit merely of those who lived at the time of the apostles, but for all who, having grievously sinned, after Baptism, should need forgiveness. Since, therefore, Baptism will be given till the end of time, and since the danger of sinning after it always remains the power to absolve from such sins must also remain in the Church till the end of time.

A. The Sacrament of Penance was instituted after the resurrection of Our Lord, when He gave to His apostles the

power to forgive sins, which He had promised to them before His death.

A. The enemies of our religion are right when they say man cannot forgive sins if they mean that he cannot forgive them by his own power, but they are certainly wrong if they mean that he cannot forgive them even by the power of God, for man can do anything if God gives him the power. The priest does not forgive sins by his own power as man, but by the authority he receives as the minister of God.

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.

A. The power to forgive sins implies the obligation of going to confession because as sins are usually committed

secretly, the priest could never know what sins to forgive and what not to forgive, unless the sins committed were

made known to him by the persons guilty of them.

A. Certainly, God could forgive our sins if we confessed them to Himself in secret, but He has not promised to do

so; whereas He has promised to pardon them if we confess them to His priests. Since He is free to pardon or not

to pardon, He has the right to establish a Sacrament through which alone He will pardon.

A. To receive the Sacrament of Penance worthily we must do five things:

1.1. We must examine our conscience.

2.2. We must have sorrow for our sins.

3.3. We must make a firm resolution never more to offend God.

4.4. We must confess our sins to the priest.

5.5. We must accept the penance which the priest gives us.

A. In preparing for confession we should pray to the Holy Ghost to give us light to know our sins and to

understand their guilt; for grace to detest them; for courage to confess them and for strength to keep our

resolutions.

A. In preparing for confession many commit the faults:

1.(1) Of giving too much time to the examination of conscience and little or none in exciting themselves to true

sorrow for the sins discovered;

2.(2) Of trying to recall every trifling circumstance, instead of thinking of the means by which they will avoid

their sins for the future.

A. The most important part of the preparation for confession is sincere sorrow for the sins committed and the firm

determination to avoid them for the future.

A. The chief reason that our confessions do not always amend our way of living is our want of real earnest

preparation for them and the fact that we have not truly convinced ourselves of the need of amendment. We often

confess our sins more from habit, necessity or fear than from a real desire of receiving grace and of being restored

to the friendship of God.

A. In making our confession we are to avoid:

1.(1) Telling useless details, the sins of others, or the name of any person;

2.(2) Confessing sins we are not sure of having committed; exaggerating our sins or their number; multiplying

the number of times a day by the number of days to get the exact number of habitual sins;

3.(3) Giving a vague answer, such as "sometimes," when asked how often; waiting after each sin to be asked

for the next;

4.(4) Hesitating over sins through pretented modesty and thus delaying the priests and others; telling the exact

words in each when we have committed several sins of the same kind, cursing, for example; and, lastly,

leaving the confessional before the priest gives us a sign to go.

A. It is wrong to go to confession out of our turn against the will of others waiting with us, because:

1.(1) It causes disorder, quarreling and scandalous conduct in the Church;

2.(2) It is unjust, makes others angry and lessens their good dispositions for confession;

3.(3) It annoys and distracts the priest by the confusion and disorder it creates.

It is better to wait than go to confession in an excited and disorderly manner.

A. A penitent who knows he cannot perform the penance given should ask the priest for one that he can perform.

When we forget the penance given we must ask for it again, for we cannot fulfill our duty by giving ourselves a

penance. The penance must be performed at the time and in the manner the confessor directs.

A. The examination of conscience is an earnest effort to recall to mind all the sins we have committed since our last worthy confession.

A. Our confession is worthy when we have done all that is required for a good confession, and when, through the

absolution, our sins are really forgiven.

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.

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.

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.

A. We should hate and avoid sin as one hates and avoids a poison that almost caused his death. We may not

grieve over the death of our soul as we do over the death of a friend, and yet our sorrow may be true; because the

sorrow for sin comes more from our reason than from our feelings.

A. The sorrow we should have for our sins should be interior, supernatural, universal, and sovereign.

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.

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.

A. By sorrow for sin from "motives that spring from faith," we mean sorrow for reasons that God has made known to us, such as the loss of heaven, the fear of hell or purgatory, or the dread of afflictions that come from God in punishment for sin. By "merely natural motives" we mean sorrow for reasons made known to us by our own experience or by the experience of others, such as loss of character, goods or health. A motive is whatever moves our will to do or avoid anything.

A. When I say that our sorrow should be universal, I mean that we should be sorry for all our mortal sins without

exception.

A. It is impossible for any of our mortal sins to be forgiven unless they are all forgiven, because as light and

darkness cannot be together in the same place, so sanctifying grace and mortal sin cannot dwell together. If there

be grace in the soul, there can be no mortal sin, and if there be mortal sin, there can be no grace, for one mortal sin expels all grace.

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.

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.

A. We show that sin is the greatest of evils because its effects last the longest and have the most terrible

consequences. All the misfortunes of this world can last only for a time, and we escape them at death, whereas the

evils caused by sin keep with us for all eternity and are only increased at death.

A. There are two kinds of contrition; perfect contrition and imperfect 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.

A. Perfect contrition will obtain pardon for mortal sin without the Sacrament of Penance when we cannot go to

confession, but with the perfect contrition we must have the intention of going to confession as soon as possible, if we again have the opportunity.

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.

A. Imperfect contrition is called attrition. It is called imperfect only because it is less perfect than the highest grade of contrition by which we are sorry for sin out of pure love of God's own goodness and without any consideration of what befalls ourselves.

A. Imperfect contrition is sufficient for a worthy confession, but we should endeavor to have perfect contrition.

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.

A. By the near occasions of sin I mean all the persons, places and things that may easily lead us into sin.

A. We are bound to avoid occasions of sin because Our Lord has said: "He who loves the danger will perish in it"; and as we are bound to avoid the loss of our souls, so we are bound to avoid the danger of their loss. The

occasion is the cause of sin, and you cannot take away the evil without removing its cause.

A. A person who is determined to avoid the sin, but who is unwilling to give up its near occasion when it is possible to do so, is not rightly disposed for confession, and he will not be absolved if he makes known to the priest the true state of his conscience.

A. There are four kinds of occasions of sin:

1.(1) Near occasions, through which we always fall;

2.(2) Remote occasions, through which we sometimes fall;

3.(3) Voluntary occasions or those we can avoid; and

4.(4) Involuntary occasions or those we cannot avoid.

A person who lives in a near and voluntary occasion of sin need not expect forgiveness while he continues in that

state.

A.

1.(1) The persons who are occasions of sin are all those in whose company we sin, whether they be bad of

themselves or bad only while in our company, in which case we also become occasions of sin for them;

2.(2) The places are usually liquor saloons, low theaters, indecent dances, entertainments, amusements,

exhibitions, and all immoral resorts of any kind, whether we sin in them or not;

3.(3) The things are all bad books, indecent pictures, songs, jokes and the like, even when they are tolerated

by public opinion and found in public places.

A. Confession is the telling of our sins to a duly authorized priest, for the purpose of obtaining forgiveness.

A. A duly authorized priest is one sent to hear confessions by the lawful bishop of the diocese in which we are at

the time of our confession.

A. It is allowed, when necessary, to write our sins and read them to the priest, as persons do who have almost

entirely lost their memory. It is also allowed to give the paper to the priest, as persons do who have lost the use of

their speech. In such cases the paper must, after the confession, be carefully destroyed either by the priest or the

penitent.

A. Persons who must make their confession and who cannot find a priest who understands their language, must

confess as best they can by some signs, showing what sins they wish to confess and how they are sorry for them.

A. We are bound to confess all our mortal sins, but it is well also to confess our venial sins.

A. It is well to confess also the venial sins we remember:

1.(1) Because it shows our hatred of all sin, and

2.(2) Because it is sometimes difficult to determine just when a sin is venial and when mortal.

A. One who has only venial sins to confess should tell also some sin already confessed in his past life for which he knows he is truly sorry; because it is not easy to be truly sorry for slight sins and imperfections, and yet we must be sorry for the sins confessed that our confession may be valid -- hence we add some past sin for which we are truly sorry to those for which we may not be sufficiently sorry.

A. A person should not stay from confession because he thinks he has no sin to confess, for the Sacrament of

Penance, besides forgiving sin, gives an increase of sanctifying grace, and of this we have always need, especially

to resist temptation. The Saints, who were almost without imperfection, went to confession frequently.

A. A person should go to Communion after confession even when the confessor does not bid him go, because the

confessor so intends unless he positively forbids his penitent to receive Communion. However, one who has not

yet received his first Communion should not go to Communion after confession, even if the confessor by mistake

should bid him go.

A. The chief qualities of a good Confession are three: it must be humble, sincere, and entire.

A. Our Confession is humble when we accuse ourselves of our sins, with a deep sense of shame and sorrow for

having offended God.

A. Our Confession is sincere when we tell our sins honestly and truthfully, neither exaggerating nor excusing them.

A. It is wrong to accuse ourselves of sins we have not committed, because, by our so doing, the priest cannot

know the true state of our souls, as he must do before giving us absolution.

A. Our Confession is entire when we tell the number and kinds of our sins and the circumstances which change

their nature.

A. By the "kinds of sin," we mean the particular division or class to which the sins belong; that is, whether they be sins of blasphemy, disobedience, anger, impurity, dishonesty, etc. We can determine the kind of sin by discovering the commandment or precept of the Church we have broken or the virtue against which we have acted.

A. By "circumstances which change the nature of sins" we mean anything that makes it another kind of sin. Thus to steal is a sin, but to steal from the Church makes our theft sacrilegious. Again, impure actions are sins, but a person must say whether they were committed alone or with others, with relatives or strangers, with persons married or single, etc., because these circumstances change them from one kind of impurity to another.

A. If we cannot remember the number of our sins, we should tell the number as nearly as possible, and say how

often we may have sinned in a day, a week, or a month, and how long the habit or practice has lasted.

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.

A. A person who has forgotten to tell a mortal sin in confession may go to communion before again going to

confession, because the forgotten sin was forgiven with those confessed, and the confession was good and worthy.

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. Concealing a sin is telling a lie to the Holy Ghost, because he who conceals the sin declares in confession to

God and the priest that he committed no sins but what he has confessed, while the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Truth,

saw him committing the sin he now conceals and still sees it in his soul while he denies it.

A. It is foolish to conceal sins in confession:

1.(1) Because we thereby make our spiritual condition worse;

2.(2) We must tell the sin sometime if we ever hope to be saved;

3.(3) It will be made known on the day of judgment, before the world, whether we conceal it now or confess

it.

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.

A. One who has willfully concealed a mortal sin in confession must, besides repeating all the sins he has committed since his last worthy confession, tell also how often he has unworthily received absolution and Holy Communion during the same time.

A. The priest gives us a penance after Confession, that we may satisfy God for the temporal punishment due to our sins.

A. Christ has fully satisfied for our sins and after our baptism we were free from all guilt and had no satisfaction to make. But when we willfully sinned after baptism, it is but just that we should be obliged to make some satisfaction.

A. The slight penance the priest gives us is not sufficient to satisfy for all the sins confessed:

1.(1) Because there is no real equality between the slight penance given and the punishment deserved for sin;

2.(2) Because we are all obliged to do penance for sins committed, and this would not be necessary if the

penance given in confession satisfied for all.

The penance is given and accepted in confession chiefly to show our willingness to do penance and make amends

for our sins.

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.

A. God requires a temporal punishment as a satisfaction for sin to teach us the great evil of sin and to prevent us

from falling again.

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.

A. The fasting imposed by the Church on certain days of the year, and particularly during Lent, has the greatest

merit.

A. Lent is the forty days before Easter Sunday, during which we do penance, fast and pray to prepare ourselves

for the resurrection of Our Lord; and also to remind us of His own fast of forty days before His Passion.

A. By almsgiving we mean money, goods, or assistance given to the poor or to charitable purposes. The law of

God requires all persons to give alms in proportion to their means.

A. The ills of life that help to satisfy God for sin are sickness, poverty, misfortune, trial, affliction, etc., especially,

when we have not brought them upon ourselves by sin.

A. The Christians in the first ages of the Church did public penance, especially for the sins of which they were

publicly known to be guilty. Penitents were excluded for a certain time from Mass or the Sacrament, and some

were obliged to stand at the door of the Church begging the prayers of those who entered.

A. These severe penances of the first ages of the Church were called canonical penances, because their kind and

duration were regulated by the Canons or laws of the Church.

A. We can know spiritual from corporal works of mercy, for whatever we do for the soul is a spiritual work, and

whatever we do for the body is a corporal work.

A. The chief spiritual works of mercy are seven:

1.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.

A. We are bound to admonish the sinner when the following conditions are fulfilled:

1.(1) When his fault is a mortal sin;

2.(2) When we have authority or influence over him, and

3.(3) When there is reason to believe that our warning will not make him worse instead of better.

A. By the ignorant we are to instruct and the doubtful we are to counsel, are meant those particularly who are

ignorant of the truths of religion and those who are in doubt about matters of faith. We must aid such persons as far as we can to know and believe the truths necessary for salvation.

A. We are advised to bear wrongs patiently and to forgive all injuries, because, being Christians, we should imitate the example of Our Divine Lord, who endured wrongs patiently and who not only pardoned but prayed for those who injured Him.

prisons to punish wrongdoers?

A. Christians establish courts and prisons to punish wrongdoers, because the preservation of lawful authority, good order in society, the protection of others, and sometimes even the good of the guilty one himself, require that crimes be justly punished. As God Himself punishes crime and as lawful authority comes from Him, such authority has the right to punish, though individuals should forgive the injuries done to themselves personally.

A. It is a work of mercy to aid those who are unable to aid themselves. The living are exposed to temptations, and

while in mortal sin they are deprived of the merit of their good works and need our prayers. The dead can in no

way help themselves and depend on us for assistance.

A. The chief corporal works of mercy are seven:

1.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.

A. We may briefly state the corporal works of mercy by saying that we are obliged to help the poor in all their

forms of want.

A. Christians are aided in the performance of works of mercy through the establishment of charitable institutions

where religious communities of holy men or women perform these duties for us, provided we supply the necessary means by our almsgiving and good works.

A. Religious are self-sacrificing men and women who, wishing to follow more closely the teachings of Our Lord,

dedicate their lives to the service of God and religion. They live together in societies approved by the Church,

under a rule and guidance of a superior. They keep the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, and divide their

time between prayer and good works. The houses in which they dwell are called convents or monasteries, and the

societies in which they live are called religious orders, communities or congregations.

A. There are many religious communities of priests, who, besides living according to the general laws of the

Church, as all priests do, follow certain rules laid down for their community. Such priests are called the regular

clergy, because living by rules to distinguish them from the secular clergy who live in their parishes under no special rule. The chief work of the regular clergy is to teach in colleges and give missions and retreats.

A. There are many different religious communities:

1.(1) Because all religious are not fitted for the same work, and

2.(2) Because they desire to imitate Our Lord's life on earth as perfectly as possible; and when each

community takes one of Christ's works and seeks to become perfect in it, the union of all their works

continues as perfectly as we can the works He began upon earth.

LESSON TWENTIETH: On the Manner of Making a Good Confession

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."

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.

A. In connection with our last confession we should tell also what restrictions -- if any -- were placed upon us with regard to our occasions of sin, and what obligations with regard to the payment of debts, restitution, injuries done to others and the like, we were commanded to fulfill.

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.

A. A general confession is the telling of the sins of our whole life or a great part of it. It is made in the same manner as an ordinary confession, except that it requires more time and longer preparation.

A. A general confession:

1.(1) Is necessary when we are certain that our past confessions were bad;

2.(2) It is useful on special occasions in our lives when some change in our way of living is about to take place;

3.(3) It is hurtful and must not be made when persons are scrupulous.

A. The signs of scruples are chiefly:

1.(1) To be always dissatisfied with our confessions;

2.(2) To be self-willed in deciding what is sinful and what is not.

The chief remedy against them is to follow exactly the advice of the confessor without questioning the reason or

utility of his advice.

A. When the confessor asks us questions we must answer them truthfully and clearly.

A. After telling our sins we should listen with attention to the advice which the confessor may think proper to give.

A. In the confessional the priest performs the duties:

1.(1) Of a judge, by listening to our self-accusations and passing sentence upon our guilt or innocence;

2.(2) Of a father, by the good advice and encouragement he gives us;

3.(3) Of a teacher, by his instructions, and

4.(4) Of a physician, by discovering the afflictions of our soul and giving us the remedies to restore it to

spiritual health.

A. It is beneficial to go always, if possible, to the same confessor, because our continued confessions enable him to see more clearly the true state of our soul and to understand better our occasions of sin.

A. We should not remain away from confession because we cannot go to our usual confessor, for though it is well

to confess to the same priest, it is not necessary to do so. One should never become so attached to a confessor

that his absence or the great inconvenience of going to him would become an excuse for neglecting the Sacraments.

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.

A. While the priest is giving us absolution we should from our heart renew the Act of Contrition.

A. An Indulgence is the remission in whole or in part of the temporal punishment due to sin.

A. The word indulgence means a favor or concession. An indulgence obtains by a very slight penance the

remission of penalties that would otherwise be severe.

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.

A. Good works done in mortal sin profit us by obtaining for us the grace to repent and sometimes temporal

blessings. Mortal sin deprives us of all our merit, nevertheless God will bestow gifts for every good deed as He will punish every evil deed.

A. There are two kinds of Indulgences -- Plenary and Partial.

A. A Plenary Indulgence is the full remission of the temporal punishment due to sin.

A. It is not easy to gain a Plenary Indulgence, as we may understand from its great privilege. To gain a Plenary

Indulgence, we must hate sin, be heartily sorry for even our venial sins, and have no desire for even the slightest sin. Though we may not gain entirely each Plenary Indulgence we seek, we always gain a part of each; that is, a partial indulgence, greater or less in proportion to our good dispositions.

A. The most important Plenary Indulgences granted by the Church are:

1.(1) The Indulgences of a jubilee which the Pope grants every twenty-five years or on great occasions by

which he gives special faculties to confessors for the absolution of reserved sins;

2.(2) The Indulgence granted to the dying in their last agony.

A. A Partial Indulgence is the remission of part of the temporal punishment due to sin.

A. The practice of granting Indulgences has been in use in the Church since the time of the apostles. It had its origin in the earnest prayers of holy persons, and especially of the martyrs begging the Church for their sake to shorten the severe penances of sinners, or to change them into lighter penances. The request was frequently granted and the penance remitted, shortened or changed, and with the penance remitted the temporal punishment

corresponding to it was blotted out.

A. We show that the Church has the power to grant Indulgences, because Christ has given it power to remit all

guilt without restriction, and if the Church has power, in the Sacrament of penance, to remit the eternal punishment -- which is the greatest -- it must have power to remit the temporal or lesser punishment, even outside the Sacrament of Penance.

A. We know that these Indulgences have their effect, because the Church, through her councils, declares

Indulgences useful, and if they have no effect they would be useless, and the Church would teach error in spite of

Christ's promise to guide it.

A. There have existed, in past ages, some abuses among the faithful in the manner of using Indulgences, and the

Church has always labored to correct such abuses as soon as possible. In the use of pious practices we must be

always guided by our lawful superiors.

A. The enemies of the Church have made use of the abuse of Indulgences to deny the doctrine of Indulgences, and to break down the teaching and limit the power of the Church. Not to be deceived in matters of faith, we must

always distinguish very carefully between the abuses to which a devotion may lead and the truths upon which the

devotion rests.

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.

A. By the superabundant satisfaction of the Blessed Virgin and the saints, we mean all the satisfaction over and

above what was necessary to satisfy for their own sins. As their good works were many and their sins few -- the

Blessed Virgin being sinless -- the satisfaction not needed for themselves is kept by the Church in a spiritual

treasury to be used for our benefit.

A. The Church, by granting Indulgences, does not free us from doing penance, but simply makes our penance

lighter that we may more easily satisfy for our sins and escape the punishments they deserve.

A. The Pope alone has the power to grant Indulgences for the whole Church; but the bishops have power to grant

partial Indulgences in their own diocese. Cardinals and some others, by the special permission of the Pope, have

the right to grant certain Indulgences.

A. We shall find the Indulgences granted by the Church in the declarations of the Pope and of the Sacred

Congregation of Cardinals. These declarations are usually put into prayer books and books of devotion or

instruction.

A. To gain an Indulgence we must be in the state of grace and perform the works enjoined.

A. Besides being in a state of grace and performing the works enjoined, it is necessary for the gaining of an

Indulgence to have at least the general intention of gaining it.

A. We should make a general intention at our morning prayers to gain all possible Indulgences each day, because

several of the prayers we say and good works we perform may have Indulgences attached to them, though we are

not aware of it.

A. The works generally enjoined for the gaining of Indulgences are: The saying of certain prayers, fasting, and the use of certain articles of devotion; visits to Churches or altars, and the giving of alms. For the gaining of Plenary Indulgences it is generally required to go to confession and Holy Communion and pray for the intention of the Pope.

A. Praying for a person's intention means praying for whatever he prays for or desires to obtain through prayer --

some spiritual or temporal favors.

A. An Indulgence of forty days means that for the prayer or work to which an Indulgence of forty days is attached, God remits as much of our temporal punishment as He remitted for forty days' canonical penance. We do not know just how much temporal punishment God remitted for forty days' public penance, but whatever it was, He remits the same now when we gain an Indulgence of forty days. The same rule applies to Indulgences of a year or any length of time.

A. The Church moderated its severe penances, because when Christians -- terrified by persecution -- grew

weaker in their faith, there was danger of some abandoning their religion rather than submit to the penances

imposed. The Church, therefore, wishing to save as many as possible, made the sinner's penance as light as

possible.

A. Plenary or Partial Indulgences may be attached to prayers and solid articles of devotion; to places such as

churches, altars, shrines, etc., to be visited; and by a special privilege they are sometimes attached to the good

works of certain persons.

A. Things lose the Indulgences attached to them:

1.(1) When they are so changed at once as to be no longer what they were;

2.(2) When they are sold.

Rosaries and other indulgenced articles do not lose their indulgences, when they are loaned or given away, for the

indulgence is not personal but attached to the article itself.

A Weekly confession will suffice to gain during the week all Indulgences to which confession is enjoined as one of the works, provided we continue in a state of grace, perform the other works enjoined and have the intention of gaining these Indulgences.

A. We may apply Indulgences for the benefit of the souls in Purgatory by way of intercession; whenever this

application is mentioned and permitted by the Church in granting the Indulgence; that is, when the Church declares that the Indulgence granted is applicable to the souls of the living or the souls in Purgatory; so that we may gain it for the benefit of either.

A. The word Eucharist strictly means pleasing, and this Sacrament is so called because it renders us most pleasing

to God by the grace it imparts, and it gives us the best means of thanking Him for all His blessings.

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.

A. When we say the Sacrament which contains the Body and Blood, we mean the Sacrament which is the Body

and Blood, for after the Consecration there is no other substance present in the Eucharist.

A. The Holy Eucharist is a Sacrament when we receive it in Holy Communion and when it remains in the

Tabernacle of the Altar. It is a sacrifice when it is offered up at Mass by the separate Consecration of the bread

and wine, which signifies the separation of Our Lord's blood from His body when He died on the Cross.

A. Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, the night before He died.

A. When Our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist, the twelve Apostles were present.

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."

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.

A. We prove the Real Presence -- that is, that Our Lord is really and truly present in the Holy Eucharist:

1.(1) By showing that it is possible to change one substance into another;

2.(2) By showing that Christ did change the substance of bread and wine into the substance of His body and

blood;

3.(3) By showing that He gave this power also to His Apostles and to the priests of His Church.

A. We know that it is possible to change one substance into another, because:

1.(1) God changed water into blood during the plagues of Egypt.

2.(2) Christ changed water into wine at the marriage of Cana.

3.(3) Our own food is daily changed into the substance of our flesh and blood; and what God does gradually,

He can also do instantly by an act of His will.

A. These changes are not exactly the same as the changes that take place in the Holy Eucharist, for in these

changes the appearance also is changed, but in the Holy Eucharist only the substance is changed while the

appearance remains the same.

A. We show that Christ did change bread and wine into the substance of His body and blood:

1.(1) From the words by which He promised the Holy Eucharist;

2.(2) From the words by which He instituted the Holy Eucharist;

3.(3) From the constant use of the Holy Eucharist in the Church since the time of the Apostles;

4.(4) From the impossibility of denying the Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist, without likewise denying all

that Christ has taught and done; for we have stronger proofs for the Holy Eucharist than for any other

Christian truth.

A. Jesus Christ is whole and entire both under the form of bread and under the form of wine.

A. We know that under the appearance of bread we receive also Christ's blood, and under the appearance of

wine we receive also Christ's body; because in the Holy Eucharist we receive the living body of Our Lord, and a

living body cannot exist without blood, nor can living blood exist without a body.

A. Jesus Christ is present whole and entire in the smallest portion of the Holy Eucharist under the form of either

bread or wine; for His body in the Eucharist is in a glorified state, and as it partakes of the character of a spiritual

substance, it requires no definite size or shape.

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.

A. By the appearances of bread and wine I mean the figure, the color, the taste, and whatever appears to the

senses.

A. This change of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Our Lord is called Transubstantiation.

A. The second great miracle in the Holy Eucharist is the multiplication of the presence of Our Lord's body in so

many places at the same time, while the body itself is not multiplied -- for there is but one body of Christ.

A. There are not as many bodies of Christ as there are tabernacles in the world, or as there are Masses being said

at the same time; but only one body of Christ, which is everywhere present whole and entire in the Holy Eucharist, as God is everywhere present, while He is but one God.

A. The substance of the bread and wine was changed into the substance of the body and blood of Christ by His

almighty power.

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.

A. Christ gave His priests the power to change bread and wine into His body and blood when He said to the

Apostles, "Do this in commemoration of Me."

A. The words "Do this in commemoration of Me" mean: Do what I, Christ, am doing at My last supper, namely,

changing the substance of bread and wine into the substance of My body and blood; and do it in remembrance of

Me.

A. The priests exercise this power of changing bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ through the

words of consecration in the Mass, which are words of Christ: "This is my body; this is my blood."

A. The Consecration in the Mass takes place immediately before the elevation of the Host and Chalice, which are

raised above the head of the priest that the people may adore Our Lord who has just come to the altar at the

words of Consecration.

A. Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist:

1.To unite us to Himself and to nourish our soul with His divine life.

2.To increase sanctifying grace and all virtues in our soul.

3.To lessen our evil inclinations.

4.To be a pledge of everlasting life.

5.To fit our bodies for a glorious resurrection.

6.To continue the sacrifice of the Cross in His Church.

A. The Holy Eucharist remits venial sins by disposing us to perform acts of love and contrition. It preserves us from mortal sin by exciting us to greater fervor and strengthening us against temptation.

A. We are united to Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist by means of Holy Communion.

A. Holy Communion is the receiving of the body and blood of Christ.

A. It is not beneath the dignity of Our Lord to enter our bodies under the appearance of ordinary food any more

than it was beneath His dignity to enter the body of His Blessed Mother and remain there as an ordinary child for

nine months. Christ's dignity, being infinite, can never be diminished by any act on His own or on our part.

A. The Church does not give Holy Communion to the people as it does to the priest under the appearance of wine

also, to avoid the danger of spilling the Precious Blood; to prevent the irreverence some might show if compelled

to drink out of a chalice used by all, and lastly, to refute those who denied that Our Lord's blood is present under

the appearance of bread also.

A. To make a good Communion it is necessary to be in the state of sanctifying grace and to fast according to the

laws of the Church.

A. A person who through forgetfulness or any other cause has broken the fast necessary for Holy Communion,

should again fast and receive Holy Communion the following morning if possible, without returning to confession. It is not a sin to break one's fast, but it would be a mortal sin to receive Holy Communion after knowingly breaking the fast necessary for it.

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.

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.

A. The fast necessary for Holy Communion is the abstaining from food, alcoholic drinks and non-alcoholic drinks

for one hour before Holy Communion. Water does not break the fast.

A. Medicine does not break the fast; food taken by accident within one hour before Communion breaks the fast.

A. To protect the Blessed Sacrament from insult or injury, or when in danger of death, Holy Communion may be

received without fasting.

A. When the Holy Communion is given to one in danger of death, it is called Viaticum, and is given with its own

form of prayer. In giving Holy Communion the priest says: "May the body of Our Lord Jesus Christ guard your

soul to eternal life." In giving Holy Viaticum he says: "Receive, brother (or sister), the Viaticum of the body of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which will guard you from the wicked enemy and lead you into eternal life."

A. We are bound to receive Holy Communion, under pain of mortal sin, during the Easter time and when in danger of death.

A. It is well to receive Holy Communion often, as nothing is a greater aid to a holy life than often to receive the

Author of all grace and the Source of all good.

A. We shall know how often we shall receive Holy Communion only from the advice of our confessor, by whom

we must be guided, and whom we must strictly obey in this as well as in all matters concerning the state of our soul.

A. A spiritual communion is an earnest desire to receive Communion in reality, by which desire we make all

preparations and thanksgivings that we would make in case we really received the Holy Eucharist. Spiritual

Communion is an act of devotion that must be pleasing to God and bring us blessings from Him.

A. After Holy Communion we should spend some time in adoring Our Lord, in thanking Him for the grace we

have received, and in asking Him for the blessings we need.

A. We should spend sufficient time in Thanksgiving after Holy Communion to show due reverence to the Blessed

Sacrament; for Our Lord is personally with us as long as the appearance of bread and wine remains.

A. When receiving Holy Communion we should be particular:

1.(1) About the respectful manner in which we approach and return from the altar;

2.(2) About our personal appearance, especially neatness and cleanliness;

3.(3) About raising our head, opening our mouth and putting forth the tongue in the proper manner;

4.(4) About swallowing the Sacred Host;

5.(5) About removing it carefully with the tongue, in case it should stick to the mouth, but never with the finger

under any circumstances.

A. The bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ at the Consecration in the Mass.

A. The Mass is the unbloody sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ.

A. This Sacrifice is called the "Mass" very probably from the words "Ite Missa est," used by the priest as he tells

the people to depart when the Holy Sacrifice is ended.

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.

A. The Mass is 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.

A. The ends for which the sacrifice of the Cross was offered were:

1.1st. To honor and glorify God;

2.2nd. To thank Him for all the graces bestowed on the whole world;

3.3rd. To satisfy God's justice for the sins of men;

4.4th. To obtain all graces and blessings.

A. The fruits of the Mass are distributed thus:

1.The first benefit is bestowed on the priest who says the Mass;

2.The second on the person for whom the Mass is said, or for the intention for which it is said;

3.The third on those who are present at the Mass, and particularly on those who serve it, and

4.The fourth on all the faithful who are in communion with the Church.

A. All Masses are equal in value in themselves and do not differ in worth, but only in the solemnity with which they are celebrated or in the end for which they are offered.

A. Masses are distinguished thus:

1.(1) When the Mass is sung by a bishop, assisted by a deacon and sub-deacon, it is called a Pontifical Mass;

2.(2) When it is sung by a priest, assisted by a deacon and sub-deacon, it is called a Solemn Mass;

3.(3) When sung by a priest without deacon and sub-deacon, it is called a Missa Cantata or High Mass;

4.(4) When the Mass is only read in a low tone it is called a low or private Mass.

A. Mass may be offered for any end or intention that tends to the honor and glory of God, to the good of the

Church or the welfare of man; but never for any object that is bad in itself, or in its aims; neither can it be offered

publicly for persons who are not members of the true Church.

A. A Requiem Mass is one said in black vestments and with special prayers for the dead. A Nuptial Mass is one

said at the marriage of two Catholics, and it has special prayers for their benefit. A Votive Mass is one said in

honor of some particular mystery or saint, on a day not set apart by the Church for the honor of that mystery or

saint.

A. We may learn that we are to offer up the Holy Sacrifice with the priest from the words used in the Mass itself;

for the priest, after offering up the bread and wine for the Sacrifice, turns to the people and says: "Orate Fratres,"

etc., which means: "Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God the Father Almighty,"

and the server answers in our name: "May the Lord receive the sacrifice from thy hands to the praise and glory of

His own name, and to our benefit and that of all His Holy Church."

A. The custom of making an offering to the priest for saying Mass arose from the old custom of bringing to the

priest the bread and wine necessary for the celebration of Mass.

A. It is not simony, or the buying of a sacred thing, to offer the priest money for saying Mass for our intention,

because the priest does not take the money for the Mass itself, but for the purpose of supplying the things

necessary for Mass and for his own support.

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.

A. The chief parts of the Mass are:

1.(1) The Offertory, at which the priests offers to God the bread and wine to be changed at the Consecration;

2.(2) The Consecration, at which the substance of the bread and wine are changed into the substance of

Christ's body and blood;

3.(3) The Communion, at which the priest receives into his own body the Holy Eucharist under the

appearance of both bread and wine.

A. The Offertory takes place immediately after the uncovering of the chalice. The parts of the Mass said before it

are: The Introit, Kyrie, Gloria, Prayers, Epistle, Gospel and Creed. The Introit, Prayers, Epistle and Gospel change in each Mass to correspond with the feast celebrated.

A. The part of the Mass in which the words of Consecration are found is called the Canon. This is the most solemn part of the Mass, and is rarely and but slightly changed in any Mass.

A. Following the Communion of Mass, there are prayers of thanksgiving, the blessing of the people, and the saying of the last Gospel.

A. The things necessary for Mass are:

1.(1) An altar with linen covers, candles, crucifix, altar stone and Mass book;

2.(2) A Chalice with all needed in its use, and bread of flour from wheat and wine from the grape;

3.(3) Vestments for the priest, and

4.(4) An acolyte or server.

A. The altar stone is that part of the altar upon which the priest rests the Chalice during Mass. This stone contains

some holy relics sealed up in it by the bishop, and if the altar is of wood this stone is inserted just in front of the

Tabernacle. The altar stone reminds us of the early history of the Church, when the martyrs' tombs were used for

altars by the persecuted Christians.

A. From the practice of using martyrs' tombs for altars we learn the inconvenience, sufferings and dangers the early Christians willingly underwent for the sake of hearing Mass. Since the Mass is the same now as it was then, we should suffer every inconvenience rather than be absent from Mass on Sundays or holy days.

A. The things used with the chalice during Mass are:

1.(1) The purificator or cloth for wiping the inside;

2.(2) The paten or small silver plate used in handling the host;

3.(3) The pall or white card used for covering the chalice at Mass;

4.(4) The corporal or linen cloth on which the chalice and host rest.

A. The host is the name given to the thin wafer of bread used at Mass. This name is generally applied before and

after Consecration to the large particle of bread used by the priest, though the small particles given to the people

are also called by the same name.

A. A large host is consecrated at every Mass, but small hosts are consecrated only at some Masses at which they

are to be given to the people or placed in the Tabernacle for the Holy Communion of the faithful.

A. The vestments used by the priest at Mass are:

1.(1) The Amice, a white cloth around the shoulders to signify resistance to temptation;

2.(2) The Alb, a long white garment to signify innocence;

3.(3) The Cincture, a cord about the waist, to signify chastity;

4.(4) The Maniple or hanging vestment on the left arm, to signify penance;

5.(5) The Stole or long vestment about the neck, to signify immortality;

6.(6) The Chasuble or long vestment over all, to signify love and remind the priest, by its cross on front and

back, of the Passion of Our Lord.

A. Five colors of vestments are used, namely, white, red, green, violet or purple, and black. White signifies

innocence and is used on the feasts of Our Blessed Lord, of the Blessed Virgin, and of some saints. Red signifies

love, and is used on the feasts of the Holy Ghost, and of martyrs. Green signifies hope, and is generally used on

Sundays from Epiphany to Pentecost. Violet signifies penance, and is used in Lent and Advent. Black signifies

sorrow, and is used on Good Friday and at Masses for the dead. Gold is often used for white on great feasts.

A. The Tabernacle is the house-shaped part of the altar where the sacred vessels containing the Blessed

Sacrament are kept. The Ciborium is the large silver or gold vessel which contains the Blessed Sacrament while in the Tabernacle, and from which the priest gives Holy Communion to the people.

A. The Ostensorium or Monstrance is the beautiful wheel-like vessel in which the Blessed Sacrament is exposed

and kept during the Benediction.

A. We should assist at Mass with great interior recollection and piety and with every outward mark of respect and

devotion.

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.

A. For the proper and respectful hearing of Mass it is important to be in our place before the priest comes to the

altar and not to leave it before the priest leaves the altar. Thus we prevent the confusion and distraction caused by

late coming and too early leaving. Standing in the doorways, blocking up passages and disputing about places

should, out of respect for the Holy Sacrifice, be most carefully avoided.

A. Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is an act of divine worship in which the Blessed Sacrament, placed in the ostensorium, is exposed for the adoration of the people and is lifted up to bless them. The vestments used at

Benediction are: A cope or large silk cloak and a humeral or shoulder veil.

A. The priest wears special vestments and uses certain ceremonies while performing his sacred duties:

1.(1) To give greater solemnity and to command more attention and respect at divine worship;

2.(2) To instruct the people in the things that these vestments and ceremonies signify;

3.(3) To remind the priest himself of the importance and sacred character of the work in which he is the

representative of Our Lord Himself.

Hence we should learn the meaning of the ceremonies of the Church.

A. We show that the ceremonies of the Church are reasonable and proper from the fact that all persons in

authority, rulers, judges and masters, require certain acts of respect from their subjects, and as we know Our Lord

is present on the altar, the Church requires definite acts of reverence and respect at the services held in His honor

and in His presence.

A. There are other reasons for the use of ceremonies:

1.(1) God commanded ceremonies to be used in the old law, and

2.(2) Our Blessed Lord Himself made use of ceremonies in performing some of His miracles.

A. The persons who take part in a Solemn Mass or Vespers are named as follows: The priest who says or

celebrates the Mass is called the celebrant; those who assist him as deacon and sub-deacon are called the

ministers; those who serve are called acolytes, and the one who directs the ceremonies is called the master of

ceremonies. If the celebrant be a bishop, the Mass or Vespers is called Pontifical Mass or Pontifical Vespers.

A. Vespers is a portion of the divine office or daily prayer of the Church. It is sung in Churches generally on

Sunday afternoon or evening, and is usually followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

A. One cannot satisfy for neglecting Mass on Sunday by hearing Vespers on the same day, because there is no law of the Church obliging us under pain of sin to attend Vespers, while there is a law obliging us under pain of mortal sin to hear Mass.

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.

A. Extreme means last, and Unction means an anointing or rubbing with oil, and because Catholics are anointed

with oil at Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders, the last Sacrament in ,which oil is used is called Extreme

Unction, or the last Unction or anointing.

A. This Sacrament is always called Extreme Unction, even if it must be given several times to the same person, for Extreme Unction is the proper name of the Sacrament, and it may be given as often as a person recovering from one attack of sickness is in danger of death by another. In a lingering illness it may be repeated after a month or six weeks, if the person slightly recovers and again relapses into a dangerous condition.

A. Extreme Unction may be given to all Christians dangerously ill, who have ever been capable of committing sin

after baptism and who have the right dispositions for the Sacrament. Hence it is never given to children who have

not reached the use of reason, nor to persons who have always been insane.

A. The right dispositions for Extreme Unction are:

1.

2.(1) Resignation to the Will of God with regard to our recovery;

3.(2) A state of grace or at least contrition for sins committed, and

4.(3) A general intention or desire to receive the Sacrament.

This Sacrament is never given to heretics in danger of death, because they cannot be supposed to have the

intention necessary for receiving it, nor the desire to make use of the Sacrament of Penance in putting themselves in a state of grace.

A. Extreme Unction was instituted at the time of the apostles, for James the Apostle exhorts the sick to receive it.

It was instituted by Our Lord Himself -- though we do not know at what particular time -- for He alone can make

a visible act a means of grace, and the apostles and their successors could never have believed Extreme Unction a

Sacrament and used it as such unless they had Our Lord's authority for so doing.

A. We should receive Extreme Unction when we are in danger of death from sickness, or from a wound or

accident.

A. The parts of the body anointed in Extreme Unction are: The eyes, the ears, the nose or nostrils, the lips, the

hands and the feet, because these represent our senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch, which are the

means through which we have committed most of our sins.

A. When the priest is coming to give the last Sacraments, the following things should be prepared:

1.A table covered with a white cloth; a crucifix; two lighted candles in candlesticks; holy water in a small

vessel, with a small piece of palm for a sprinkler; a glass of clean water; a tablespoon and a napkin or cloth,

to be placed under the chin of the one receiving the Viaticum.

Besides these, if Extreme Unction also is to be given, there should be some cotton and a small piece of bread or

lemon to purify the priest's fingers.

A. It seems most proper that the things necessary for the last Sacraments should be carefully kept in every Catholic family, and should never, if possible, be used for any other purpose.

A. The further preparation for the administration of the last Sacraments requires that out of respect for the

Sacraments, and in particular for the presence of Our Lord, everything about the sick-room, the sick person and

even the attendants, should be made as neat and clean as possible. Especially should the face, hands and feet of

the one to be anointed be thoroughly clean.

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.

A. In case of serious illness, if the sick person will not consent, or is afraid to receive the Sacraments, or, at least,

wishes to put off their reception, we should send for the priest at once and let him do what he thinks best in the

case, and thus we will free ourselves from the responsibility of letting a Catholic die without the last Sacraments.

A. The effects of Extreme Unction are:

1.1st. To comfort us in the pains of sickness and to strengthen us against temptations;

2.2nd. To remit venial sins and to cleanse our soul from the remains of sin;

3.3rd. To restore us to health, when God sees fit.

A. Extreme Unction will take away mortal sin if the dying person is no longer able to confess, provided he has the

sorrow for his sins that would bee necessary for the worthy reception of the Sacrament of Penance.

A. We know that this Sacrament more than any other was instituted to benefit the body:

1.(1) From the words of St. James exhorting us to receive it;

2.(2) It is given when the soul is already purified by the graces of Penance and Holy Viaticum;

3.(3) One of its chief objects is to restore us to health if it be for our spiritual good, as most of the prayers said

in giving this Sacrament indicate.

A. Since Extreme Unction may restore us to health. we should be glad to receive it, and we should not delay its

reception till we are so near death that God could restore us only by a miracle. Again, this Sacrament, like the

others, gives sanctifying and sacramental grace, which we should be eager to obtain as soon as our sickness is

sufficient to give us the privilege of receiving the last Sacraments.

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.

A. We should receive the Sacrament of Extreme Unction in the state of grace, and with lively faith and resignation to the will of God.

A. The priest is the minister of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction.

A. The final preparation we should make for the reception of the last Sacraments consists in an earnest effort to be resigned to God's Holy Will, to excite ourselves to true sorrow for our sins, to profit by the graces given us, to

keep worldly thoughts from the mind, and to dispose ourselves as best we can for the worthy reception of the

Sacraments and the blessings of a good death.

A. Persons dangerously ill should attend to the final arrangement of their temporal or worldly affairs at the very

beginning of their illness, that these things may not distract them at the hour of death, and that they may give the last hours of their life entirely to the care of their soul.

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.

A. Besides bishops and priests, the other ministers of the Church are deacons and subdeacons, who, while

preparing for the priesthood, have received some of the Holy Orders, but who have not been ordained to the full

powers of the priest.

A. This Sacrament is called Holy Orders because it is conferred by seven different grades or steps following one

another in fixed order by which the sacred powers of the priesthood are gradually given to the one admitted to that holy state.

A. The grades by which one ascends to the priesthood are:

1.(1) Tonsure, or the clipping of the hair by the bishop, by which the candidate for priesthood dedicates

himself to the service of the altar;

2.(2) The four minor orders, Porter, Reader, Exorcist, and Acolyte, by which he is permitted to perform

certain duties that laymen should not perform;

3.(3) Sub-deaconship, by which he takes upon himself the obligation of leading a life of perpetual chastity and

of saying daily the divine office;

4.(4) Deaconship, by which be receives power to preach, baptize, and give Holy Communion.

The next step, priesthood, gives him power to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and forgive sins. These orders

are not all given at once, but at times fixed by the laws of the Church.

A. These different orders are not separate Sacraments. Taken all together, some are a preparation for the

Sacrament and the rest are but the one Sacrament of Holy Orders; as the roots, trunk and branches form but one

tree.

A. Sub-deaconship, deaconship and priesthood are called major or greater orders, because those who receive

them are bound for life to the service of the altar and they cannot return to the service of the world to live as

ordinary laymen.

A. The Church possesses and confers on her pastor, the power of orders and the power of jurisdiction; that is, the

power to administer the Sacraments and sanctify the faithful, and the power to teach and make laws that direct the

faithful to their spiritual good. A bishop has the full power of orders and the Pope alone has the full power of

jurisdiction.

A. The pastors of the Church rank according to authority as follows:

1.(1) Priests, who govern parishes or congregations in the name of their bishop;

2.(2) Bishops, who rule over a number of parishes or a diocese;

3.(3) Archbishops, who have authority over a number of dioceses or a province;

4.(4) Primates, who have authority over the ecclesiastical or Church provinces of a nation;

5.(5) Patriarchs, who have authority over a whole country;

6.and last and highest, the Pope, who rules the Church throughout the world.

A. The prelates or higher officers of the Church rank in dignity as they rank in authority, except that in dignity

Cardinals are next to the Pope, and Vicars Apostolic, Monsignori, and others having titles follow bishops. Papal

delegates and those specially appointed by the Pope rank according to the powers he has given them.

A. Cardinals are the members of the Supreme Council or Senate of the Church. Their duties are to advise and aid

the Pope in the government of the Church, and to elect a new Pope when the reigning Pope dies. They are divided

into committees called sacred congregations, each having, its special work to perform. All these congregations

taken together are called the Sacred College of Cardinals, of which the whole number is seventy.

A. A Monsignor is a worthy priest upon whom the Pope confers this title as a mark of esteem. It gives certain

privileges and the right to wear purple like a bishop.

A. A Vicar-General is one who is appointed by the bishop to aid him in the government of his diocese. He shares

the bishop's power and in the bishop's absence he acts for the bishop and with his authority.

A. An Abbot is one who exercises over a religious community of men authority similar in many things to that

exercised by a bishop over his diocese. He has also certain privileges usually granted to bishops.

A. The pallium is a white woolen vestment worn by the Pope and sent by him to patriarchs, primates and

archbishops. It is the symbol of the fullness of pastoral power, and reminds the wearer of the Good Shepherd,

whose example he must follow.

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.

A. This divine call is named a vocation to the priestly or religious life. We can discover it in our constant inclination to such a life from the pure and holy motive of serving God better in it, together with our fitness for it, or, at least, our ability to prepare for it, also in our true piety and mastery over our sinful passions and unlawful desires.

A. We should finally determine our vocation:

1.(1) By leading a holy life that we may be more worthy of it;

2.(2) By praying to the Holy Ghost for light on the subject;

3.(3) By seeking the advice of holy and prudent persons and above all of our confessor.

A. Parents and guardians should bear in mind with regard to their children's vocations:

1.(1)That it is their duty to aid their children to discover their vocation;

2.(2) That it is sinful for them to resist the Will of God by endeavoring to turn their children from their true

vocation or to prevent them from following it by placing obstacles in their way, and, worst of all, to urge

them to enter a state of life to which they have not been divinely called;

3.(3) That in giving their advice they should be guided only by the future good and happiness of their children

and not by any selfish or worldly motive which may lead to the loss of souls.

A. Christians should look upon the priests of the Church as the messengers of God and the dispensers of His

mysteries.

A. We know that the priests of the Church are the messengers of God, because Christ said to His apostles, and

through them to their successors: "As the Father hath sent Me, I also send you"; that is to say, to preach the true

religion, to administer the Sacraments, to offer Sacrifice, and to do all manner of good for the salvation of souls.

A. The priests of the Church received this three-fold power to preach, to forgive sins and to consecrate bread and

wine, when Christ said to them, through the apostles: "Go teach all nations"; "Whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven," and "Do this for a commemoration of Me."

A. We should show great respect to the priests and bishops of the Church:

1.(1) Because they are the representatives of Christ upon earth, and

2.(2) Because they administer the Sacraments without which we cannot be saved.

Therefore, we should be most careful in what we do, say or think concerning God's ministers. To show our respect in proportion to their dignity, we address the priest as Reverend, the bishop as Right Reverend, the archbishop as Most Reverend, and the Pope as Holy Father.

A. We should do more than merely respect the ministers of God. We should earnestly and frequently pray for

them, that they may be enabled to perform the difficult and important duties of their holy state in a manner pleasing to God.

A. Bishops can confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

A. We know that there is a true priesthood in the Church:

1.(1) Because in the Jewish religion, which was only a figure of the Christian religion, there was a true

priesthood established by God;

2.(2) Because Christ conferred on His apostles and not on all the faithful the power to offer Sacrifice,

distribute the Holy Eucharist and forgive sins.

A. There is need of a special Sacrament of Holy Orders to confer these powers:

1.(1) Because the priesthood which is to continue the work of the apostles must be visible in the Church, and

it must therefore be conferred by some visible ceremony or outward sign;

2.(2) Because this outward sign called Holy Orders gives not only power but grace and was instituted by

Christ, Holy Orders must be a Sacrament.

A. Bishops, priests and other ministers of the Church cannot exercise the power they have received in Holy Orders unless authorized and sent to do so by their lawful superiors. The power can never be taken from them, but the right to use it may be withdrawn for causes laid down in the laws of the Church, or for reasons that seem good to those in authority over them. Any use of sacred power without authority is sinful, and all who take part in such

ceremonies are guilty of sin.

A. The Sacrament of Matrimony is the Sacrament which unites a Christian man and woman in lawful marriage.

A. Persons are lawfully married when they comply with all the laws of God and of the Church relating to marriage. To marry unlawfully is a mortal sin, and it deprives the souls of the grace of the Sacrament.

A. Marriage was first instituted in the Garden of Eden, when God created Adam and Eve and made them husband and wife, but it was not then a Sacrament, for their union did not confer any special grace.

A. The exact time at which the contract of marriages was raised to the dignity of a Sacrament is not known, but the fact that it was thus raised is certain from passages in the New Testament and from the constant teaching of the Church ever since the time of the apostles. Our Lord did not merely add grace to the contract, but He made the very contract a Sacrament, so that Christians cannot make this contract without receiving the Sacrament.

A. The outward sign in the Sacrament of matrimony is the mutual consent of the persons, expressed by words or signs in accordance with the laws of the Church. The whole essence of the marriage contract consists in the surrender by the persons of their bodies to each other and in declaring by word or sign that they make this surrender and take each other for husband and wife now and for life.

A. The chief ends of the Sacrament of matrimony are:

1.(1) To enable the husband and wife to aid each other in securing the salvation of their souls; 2.(2) To propagate or keep up the existence of the human race by bringing children into the world to serve God; 3.(3) To prevent sins against the holy virtue of purity by faithfully obeying the laws of the marriage state.

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.

A. All marriages before the coming of Christ were not unlawful and invalid. They were both lawful and valid when the persons contracting them followed the dictates of their conscience and the laws of God as they knew them; but such marriages were only contracts. Through their evil inclinations many forgot or neglected the true character of marriage till Our Lord restored it to its former unity and purity.

A. By impediments to marriage we mean certain restrictions, imposed by the law of God or of the Church, that render the marriage invalid or unlawful when they are violated in entering into it. These restrictions regard age, health, relationship, intention, religion and other matters affecting the good of the Sacrament.

A. The Church can dispense from or remove the impediments to marriage that arise from its own laws; but it cannot dispense from impediments that arise from the laws of God and nature. Every lawmaker can change or excuse from the laws made by himself or his equals, but he cannot, of his own authority, change or excuse from laws made by a higher power.

A. That the Church may grant dispensations from the impediments to marriage or from other laws, there must be a good and urgent reason for granting such dispensations. The Church does not grant dispensations without cause and merely to satisfy the wishes of those who ask for them.

A. The Church sometimes requires the persons to whom dispensations are granted to pay a tax or fee for the privilege:

1.(1) That persons on account of this tax be restrained from asking for dispensations and may comply with the general laws; 2.(2) That the Church may not have to bear the expense of supporting an office for granting privileges to a few.

A. Persons who are about to get married should give their pastor timely notice of their intention, make known to him privately whatever they suspect might be an impediment to the marriage, and make sure of all arrangements before inviting their friends.

A. At least three weeks notice of marriage should be given to the priest, because, according to the laws of the Church, the names of the persons about to get married must be announced and their intended marriage published at the principal Mass in their parish for three successive Sundays.

A. The banns of matrimony are published in the Church that any person who might know of any impediment to the marriage may have an opportunity to declare it privately to the priest before the marriage takes place and thus prevent an invalid or unlawful marriage. Persons who know of such impediments and fail to declare them in due time are guilty of sin

A. Persons arranging for their marriage should make known to the priest whether both are Christians and Catholics; whether either has been solemnly engaged to another person; whether they have ever made any vow to God with regard to chastity or the like; whether they are related and in what degree; whether either was ever married to any member of the other's family and whether either was ever godparent in baptism for the other.

A. They must also make known whether either was married before and what proof can be given of the death of the former husband or wife; whether they really intend to get married, and do so of their own will; whether they are of lawful age; whether they are sound in body or suffering from any deformity that might prevent their marriage, and lastly, whether they live in the parish in which they ask to be married, and if so, how long they have lived in it.

A. That persons may do their duty in the marriage state, it is particularly necessary that they should be well instructed, before entering it, in the truths and duties of their religion for how will they teach their children these things if they are ignorant of them themselves?

A. The bond of Christian marriage cannot be dissolved by any human power.

A. Divorce granted by courts of justice or by any human power does not break the bond of marriage, and one who makes use of such a divorce to marry again while the former husband or wife lives commits a sacrilege and Iives in the sin of adultery. A civil divorce may give a sufficient reason for the persons to live apart and it may determine their rights with regard to support, the control of the children and other temporal things, but it has no effect whatever upon the bond and spiritual nature of the Sacrament.

A. The Church sometimes, for very good reasons, does allow husband and wife to separate and live apart; but that is not dissolving the bond of marriage, or divorce as it is called, for though separated they are still husband and wife, and neither can marry again till the other dies.

A. The Church has never allowed Catholics once really married to separate and marry again, but it has sometimes declared persons apparently married free to marry again, because their first marriage was null; that is, no marriage on account of some impediment not discovered till after the ceremony.

A. The evils that follow divorce so commonly claimed by those outside the true Church and granted by civil authority are very many; but chiefly:

1.(1) A disregard for the sacred character of the Sacrament and for the spiritual welfare of the children; 2.(2) The loss of the true idea of home and family followed by bad morals and sinful living.

A. The effects of the Sacrament of Matrimony are:

1.1st. To sanctify the love of husband and wife; 2.2nd. To give them grace to bear with each other's weaknesses; 3.3rd. To enable them to bring up their children in the fear and love of God.

A. By bearing with each other's weaknesses we mean that the husband and wife must be patient with each other's faults, bad habits or dispositions, pardon them easily, and aid each other in overcoming them.

A. Parents are specially fitted to bring up their children in the fear and love of God:

1.(1) By the special grace they receive to advise and direct their children and to warn them against evil; 2.(2) By the experience they have acquired in passing through life from childhood to the position of parents.

Children should, therefore, conscientiously seek and accept the direction of good parents.

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.

A. In receiving the Sacrament of matrimony we are bound to comply with whatever laws of the Church concern Matrimony; such as laws forbidding solemn marriage in Lent and Advent; or marriage with relatives or with persons of a different religion, and in general all laws that refer to any impediment to marriage.

A. Persons may be related in four ways. When they are related by blood their relationship is called consanguinity; when they are related by marriage it is called affinity; when they are related by being god-parents in Baptism or Confirmation, it is called spiritual affinity; when they are related by adoption, it is called legal affinity.

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.

A. By laws concerning the civil effects of the marriage contract we mean laws with regard to the property or debts of the husband and wife, the inheritance of their children, or whatever pertains to their temporal affairs. All persons are bound to obey the laws of their country when these laws are not opposed to the laws of God.

A. The Church does 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.

A. The marriages of Catholics with persons of a different religion are called mixed marriages. The Church permits them by dispensation only under certain conditions and for urgent reasons; chiefly to prevent a greater evil.

A. The conditions upon which the Church will permit a Catholic to marry one who is not a Catholic are:

1.(1) That the Catholic be allowed the free exercise of his or her religion ; 2.(2) That the Catholic shall try by teaching and good example to lead the one who is not a Catholic to embrace the true faith; 3.(3) That all the children born of the marriage shall be brought up in the Catholic religion.

The marriage ceremony must not be repeated before a heretical minister. Without these promises, the Church will not consent to a mixed marriage, and if the Church does not consent the marriage is unlawful.

A. Catholics who marry before a Protestant minister incur excommunication; that is, a censure of the Church or spiritual penalty which prevents them from receiving the Sacrament of Penance till the priest who hears their confession gets special faculties or permission from the bishop; because by such a marriage they make profession of a false religion in acknowledging as a priest one who has neither sacred power nor authority.

A. The Church shows its displeasure at mixed marriages by the coldness with which it sanctions them, prohibiting all religious ceremony at them by forbidding the priest to use any sacred vestments, holy water or blessing of the ring at such marriages; by prohibiting them also from taking place in the Church or even in the sacristy. On the other hand, the Church shows its joy and approval at a true Catholic marriage by the Nuptial Mass and solemn ceremonies.

A. Catholics should avoid mixed marriages:

1.(1) Because they are displeasing to the Church and cannot bring with them the full measure of God's grace and blessing; 2.(2) Because the children should have the good example of both parents in the practice of their religion; 3.(3) Because such marriages give rise to frequent disputes on religious questions between husband and wife and between their relatives; 4.(4) Because the one not a Catholic, disregarding the sacred character of the Sacrament, may claim a divorce and marry again, leaving the Catholic married and abandoned.

A. The Church does not seek to make converts by its laws concerning mixed marriages, but seeks only to keep its children from losing their faith and becoming perverts by constant company with persons not Catholics. The Church does not wish persons to become Catholics merely for the sake of marrying Catholics. Such conversions are, as a rule, not sincere, do no good, but rather make such converts hypocrites and guilty of greater sins, especially sins of sacrilege.

A. Many marriages prove unhappy because they are entered into hastily and without worthy motives.

A. Marriages are entered into hastily when persons do not sufficiently consider and investigate the character, habits and dispositions of the one they intend to marry. It is wise to look for lasting qualities and solid virtues in a life-long companion and not to be carried away with characteristics that please only for a time.

A. Motives for marriage are worthy when persons enter it for the sake of doing God's will and fulfilling the end for which He instituted the Sacrament. Whatever is opposed to the true object of the Sacrament and the sanctification of the husband and wife must be an unworthy motive.

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.

A. Parents may be guilty of great injustice to their children in case of marriage by seeking the gratification of their own aims and desires, rather than the good of their children, and thus for selfish and unreasonable motives forcing their children to marry persons they dislike or preventing them from marrying the persons chosen by the dictates of their conscience, or compelling them to marry when they have no vocation for such a life or no true knowledge of its obligations.

A. Persons may receive the sacrament of Matrimony more than once, provided they are certain of the death of the former husband or wife and comply with the laws of the Church.

A. Catholics should be married before the altar in the Church. They should be married in the morning, and with a Nuptial Mass if possible.

A. They who attend a marriage ceremony in the Church must never forget the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, and that all laughing, talking, or irreverence is forbidden then as at other times. Women must never enter into the presence of the Blessed Sacrament with uncovered heads, and their dress must be in keeping with the strict modesty that Our Lord's presence demands, no matter what worldly vanity or social manners may require.

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.

A. The Sacramentals excite good thoughts by recalling to our minds some special reason for doing good and avoiding evil; especially by reminding us of some holy person, event or thing through which blessings have come to us. They increase devotion by fixing our minds on particular virtues and by helping us to understand and desire them.

A. The Sacramentals of themselves do not remit venial sins, but they move us to truer devotion, to greater love for God and greater sorrow for our sins, and this devotion, love and sorrow bring us grace, and the grace remits venial sins.

A. The Church uses Sacramentals to teach the faithful of every class the truths of religion, which they may learn as well by their sight as by their hearing; for God wishes us to learn His laws by every possible means, by every power of soul and body.

A. Sacramentals aid the ignorant in learning the truths of faith as children learn from pictures before they are able to read. Thus one who cannot read the account of Our Lord's passion may learn it from the Stations of the Cross, and one who kneels before a crucifix and looks on the bleeding head, pierced hands and wounded side, is better able to understand Christ's sufferings than one without a crucifix before him.

A. The Stations or Way of the Cross is a devotion instituted by the Church to aid us in meditating on Christ's passion and death. Fourteen crosses or stations, each with a picture of some scene in the passion, are arranged at distances apart. By passing from one station to another and praying before each while we meditate upon the scene it represents, we make the Way of the Cross in memory of Christ's painful journey during His passion, and we gain the indulgence granted for this pious exercise.

A. Prayers and ceremonies of the Church are also Sacramentals because they excite good thoughts and increase devotion. Whatever the Church dedicates to a pious use or devotes to the worship of God may be called a Sacramental.

A. The Church makes use of ceremonies:

1.(1) After the example of the Old Law, in which God described and commanded ceremonies; 2.(2) After the example of Our Lord, who rubbed clay on the eyes of the blind to whom He wished to restore sight, though He might have performed the miracle without any external act; 3.(3) On the authority of the Church itself, to whom Christ gave power to do whatever was necessary for the instruction of all men; 4.(4) To add solemnity to religious acts.

A. Persons may sin in using Sacramentals by using them in a way or for a purpose prohibited by the Church; also by believing that the use of Sacramentals will save us in spite of our sinful lives. We must remember that Sacramentals can aid us only through the blessing the Church gives them and through the good dispositions they excite in us. They have, therefore, no power in themselves, and to put too much confidence in their use leads to superstition.

A. The difference between the Sacraments and the sacramentals is:

1.1st. The Sacraments were instituted by Jesus Christ and the sacramentals were instituted by the Church; 2.2nd. The Sacraments give grace of themselves when we place no obstacle in the way; 3.3rd. The sacramentals excite in us pious dispositions, by means of which we may obtain grace.

A. The Church can never increase nor diminish the number of Sacraments, for as Christ Himself instituted them, He alone has power to change their number; but the Church may increase or diminish the number of the Sacramentals as the devotion of its people or the circumstances of the time and place require, for since the Church instituted them they must depend entirely upon its laws.

A. The chief sacramental used in the Church is 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."

A. A common fault with many in blessing themselves is to make a hurried motion with the hand which is in no way a sign of the cross. They perform this act of devotion without thought or intention, forgetting that the Church grants an indulgence to all who bless themselves properly while they have sorrow for their sins.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A. Another sacramental in very frequent use is holy water.

A. Holy water is water blessed by the priest with solemn prayer to beg God's blessing on those who use it, and protection from the powers of darkness.

A. The water blessed on Holy Saturday, or Easter Water, as it is called, differs from the holy water blessed at other times in this, that the Easter water is blessed with greater solemnity, the paschal candle, which represents Our Lord risen from the dead, having been dipped into it with a special prayer.

A. Water is sometimes blessed in honor of certain saints and for special purposes. The form of prayer to be used in such blessings is found in the Roman Ritual -- the book containing prayers and ceremonies for the administration of the Sacraments and of blessings authorized by the Church.

A. Beside the sign of the cross and holy water there are many other sacramentals, such as blessed candles, ashes, palms, crucifixes, images of the Blessed Virgin and of the saints, rosaries, and scapulars.

A. Candles are blessed in the Church on the feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin -- February 2nd. They are used chiefly to illuminate and ornament our altars, as a mark of reverence for the presence of Our Lord and of joy at His coming.

A. A praiseworthy custom now in use in many places is the offering by the faithful on the feast of the Purification of candles for the use of the altar during the year. It is pleasing to think we have candles burning in our name on the altar of God, and if the Jewish people yearly made offerings to their temple, faithful Christians should not neglect their altars and churches where God Himself dwells.

A. Ashes are blessed in the Church on Ash Wednesday. They are used to keep us in mind of our humble origin, and of how the body of Adam, our forefather, was formed out of the slime or clay of the earth; also to remind us of death, when our bodies will return to dust, and of the necessity of doing penance for our sins. These ashes are obtained by burning the blessed palms of the previous year.

A. Palms are blessed on Palm Sunday. They remind us of Our Lord's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when the people, wishing to honor Him and make Him king, strewed palm branches and even their own garments in His path, singing: Hosanna to the Son of David.

A. A cross has no figure on it and a crucifix has a figure of Our Lord. The word crucifix means fixed or nailed to the cross.

A. The Rosary is a form of prayer in which we say a certain number of Our Fathers and Hail Marys, meditating or thinking for a short time before each decade; that is, before each Our Father and ten Hail Marys, on some particular event in the life of Our Lord. These events are called mysteries of the Rosary. The string of beads on which these prayers are said is also called a Rosary. The ordinary beads are of five decades, or one-third of the whole Rosary.

A. St. Dominic taught the use of the Rosary in its present form. By it he instructed his hearers in the chief truths of our holy religion and converted many to the true faith.

A. To say the Rosary or beads we bless ourselves with the cross, then say the Apostles' Creed and the Our Father on the first large bead, then the Hail Mary on each of the three small beads, and then Glory be to the Father, etc. Then we mention or think of the first mystery we wish to honor, and say an Our Father on the large bead and a Hail Mary on each small bead of the ten that follow. At the end of every decade, or ten Hail Marys, we say "Glory be to the Father;" etc. Then we mention the next mystery and do as before, and so on to the end.

A. There are fifteen mysteries of the Rosary arranged in the order in which these events occurred in the life of Our Lord, and divided into five joyful, five sorrowful, and five glorious mysteries.

A. The five joyful mysteries of the Rosary are:

1.(1) The Annunciation -- the Angel Gabriel telling the Blessed Virgin that she is to be the Mother of God; 2.(2) The Visitation -- the Blessed Virgin goes to visit her cousin, St. Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Baptist; 3.(3) The Nativity, or birth, of Our Lord; 4.(4) The Presentation of the Child Jesus in the temple -- His parents offered Him to God; 5.(5) The finding of the Child Jesus in the temple -- His parents had lost Him in Jerusalem for three days.

A. The five sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary are:

1.(1) The Agony in the Garden -- Our Lord was in dreadful anguish and bathed in a bloody sweat; 2.(2) The Scourging at the Pillar -- Christ was stripped of His garments and lashed in a cruel manner; 3.(3) The Crowning with Thorns -- He was mocked as a king by heartless men; 4.(4) The Carriage of the Cross -- from the place He was condemned to Calvary, the place of Crucifixion; 5.(5) The Crucifixion -- He was nailed to the cross amid the jeers and blasphemies of His enemies.

A. The five glorious mysteries of the Rosary are:

1.(1) The Resurrection of Our Lord; 2.(2) The Ascension of Our Lord; 3.(3) The Coming of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles; 4.(4) The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin -- after death she was taken body and soul into heaven; 5.(5) The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin -- on entering heaven she was made queen of all the Angels and Saints and placed in dignity next to her Divine Son, Our Blessed Lord.

A. According to the pious custom of the faithful, the different mysteries of the Rosary are usually said on the following days, namely: the joyful on Mondays and Thursdays, the sorrowful on Tuesdays and Fridays, and the glorious on Sundays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

A. The letters I. N. R. I. over the crucifix are the first letters of four Latin words that mean Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. Our Lord did say He was king of the Jews, but He also said that He was not their temporal or earthly king, but their spiritual and heavenly king.

A. We may attribute the desire of the Jews to put Christ to death to the jealously, hatred and ill-will of their priests and the Pharisees, whose faults He rebuked and whose hypocrisy He exposed. By their slanders and lies they induced the people to follow them in demanding Our Lord's crucifixion.

A. After the death of Our Lord the Blessed Virgin lived for about eleven years with the Apostle St. John the Evangelist, called also the Beloved Disciple. He wrote one of the four Gospels, three Epistles, and the Apocalypse, or Book of Revelations -- the last book of the Bible. He lived to the age of a hundred years or more and died last of all the apostles.

A. By the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin we mean that her body was taken up into heaven after her death. We believe in it:

1.(1) Because the Church cannot teach error, and yet from an early age the Church has celebrated the Feast of the Assumption; 2.(2) Because no one ever claimed to have a relic of our Blessed Mother's body, and surely the apostles, who knew and loved her, would have secured some relic had her body remained upon earth.

A. The letters I. H. S. on an altar or sacred things means the name Jesus; for it is in that way the Holy Name is written in the Greek language when some of the letters are left out.

A. The scapular is a long, broad piece of woolen cloth forming a part of the religious dress of monks, priests and sisters of some religious orders. It is worn over the shoulders and extends from the shoulders to the feet. The small scapular made in imitation of it, and consisting of two small pieces of cloth fastened together by strings, is worn by the faithful as a promise or proof of their willingness to practice some particular devotion, indicated by the kind of scapular they wear.

A. Among the faithful there are many kinds of scapulars in use, such as the brown scapular or scapular of Mount Carmel worn in honor of Our Lord's passion; the white, in honor of the Holy Trinity; the blue, in honor of the Immaculate Conception; and the black, in honor of the seven dolors of the Blessed Virgin. When these are joined together and worn as one they are called the five scapulars. The brown scapular is best known and entitles its wearer to the greatest privileges and indulgences.

A. The seven dolors of the Blessed Virgin are the chief sorrowful events in the life of Our Blessed Lady. They are:

1.(1) The circumcision of our Lord -- when she saw his blood shed for the first time; 2.(2) Her flight into Egypt -- to save the life of the Infant Jesus, when Herod sought to kill Him; 3.(3) The three days she lost her Son in Jerusalem; 4.(4) When she saw him carrying the cross; 5.(5) When she saw him die; 6.(6) When His dead body was taken down from the cross; 7.(7) When it was laid in the sepulchre or tomb.

A. Seven dolor beads are beads constructed with seven medals, each bearing a representation of one of the seven dolors, and seven beads between each medal and the next. At each medal we meditate on the proper dolor and the say a Hail Mary on each of the bead following it.

A. An Agnus Dei is a small piece of beeswax stamped with the image of a lamb and cross. It is solemnly blessed by the Pope with special prayers for those who carry it about their person in honor of Our Blessed Redeemer, whom we call the Lamb of God, Who taketh away the sins of the world. The wax is usually covered with silk or some fine material.

Q. 1098. Is there any other means of obtaining God's grace than the Sacraments?

A. There is another means of obtaining God's grace, and it is prayer.

Q. 1099. What is prayer?

A. Prayer is the lifting up of our minds and hearts to God, to adore Him, to thank Him for His benefits, to ask His forgiveness, and to beg of Him all the graces we need whether for soul or body.

Q. 1100. How many kinds of prayer are there?

A. There are two kinds of prayer:

Q. 1101. Why is mental prayer most useful to us?

A. Mental prayer is most useful to us because it compels us, while we are engaged in it, to keep our attention fixed on God and His holy laws and to keep our hearts and minds lifted up to Him.

Q. 1102. How can we make a meditation?

A. We can make a meditation:

Q. 1103. Where may we find subjects or points for meditation?

A. We may find the subjects or points for meditation in the words of the Our Father, Hail Mary or Apostles' Creed; also in the questions and answers of our Catechism, in the Holy Bible, and in books of meditation.

Q. 1104. Is prayer necessary to salvation?

A. Prayer is necessary to salvation, and without it no one having the use of reason can be saved.

Q. 1105. At what particular times should we pray?

A. We should pray particularly on Sundays and holy days, every morning and night, in all dangers, temptations, and afflictions.

Q. 1106. How should we pray?

A. We should pray:

Q. 1107. What should our attention at prayer be?

A. Our attention at prayer should be threefold, namely, attention to the words, that we may say them correctly and distinctly; attention to their meaning, if we understand it, and attention to God, to whom the words are addressed.

Q. 1108. What should be the position of the body when we pray?

A. At prayer the most becoming position of the body is kneeling upright, but whether we pray kneeling, standing or sitting, the position of the body should always be one indicating reverence, respect and devotion. We may pray even lying down or walking, for Our Lord Himself says we should pray at all times.

Q. 1109. What should we do that we may pray well?

A. That we may pray well we should make a preparation before prayer:

Q. 1110. Why does God not always grant our prayers?

A. God does not always grant our prayers for these and other reasons:

Prudent persons do not grant every request; why, then, should God do so?

Q. 1111. What assurance have we that God always hears and rewards our prayers, though He may not grant what we ask?

A. We have the assurance of Our Lord Himself that God always hears and rewards our prayers, though He may not grant what we ask; for Christ said: "Ask and it shall be given you," and "if you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you."

Q. 1112. Which are the prayers most recommended to us?

A. The prayers most recommended to us are the Lord's Prayer, the Hail Mary, the Apostles' Creed, the Confiteor, and the Acts of Faith, Hope, Love, and Contrition.

Q. 1113. Are prayers said with distractions of any avail?

A. Prayers said with willful distraction are of no avail.

Q. 1114. Why are prayers said with willful distraction of no avail?

A. Prayers said with willful distraction are of no avail because they are mere words, such as a machine might utter, and since there is no lifting up of the mind or heart with them they cannot be prayer.

Q. 1115. Do, then, the distractions which we often have at prayer deprive our prayers of all merit?

A. The distractions which we often have at prayer do not deprive our prayers of all merit, because they are not willful when we try to keep them away, for God rewards our good intentions and the efforts we make to pray well.

Q. 1116. What, then, is a distraction?

A. A distraction is any thought that, during prayer, enters our mind to turn our thoughts and hearts from God and from the sacred duty we are performing.

Q. 1117. What are the fruits of prayer?

A. The fruits of prayer are:

Q. 1118. Why should we pray when God knows our needs?

A. We pray not to remind God or tell Him of what we need, but to acknowledge that He is the Supreme Giver, to adore and worship Him by showing our entire dependence upon Him for every gift to soul or body.

Q. 1119. What little prayers may we say even at work?

A. Even at work we may say little aspirations such as "My God, pardon my sins; Blessed be the Holy Name of Jesus; Holy Spirit, enlighten me; Holy Mary, pray for me," etc.

Q. 1120. Did Our Lord Himself pray, and why?

A. Our Lord Himself very frequently prayed, often spending the whole night in prayer. He prayed before every important action, not that He needed to pray, but to set us an example of how and when we should pray.

Q. 1121. Why does the Church conclude most of its prayers with the words "through Jesus Christ Our Lord"?

A. The Church concludes most of its prayers with the words "through Jesus Christ Our Lord" because it is only through His merits that we can obtain grace, and because "there is no other name given to men whereby we must be saved."

Q. 1122. Was any special promise made in favor of the united prayers of two or more persons?

A. A special promise was made in favor of the united prayers of two or more persons when Our Lord said: "Where there are two or three gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them." Therefore, the united prayers of a congregation, sodality or family, and, above all, the public prayers of the whole Church, have great influence with God. We should join in public prayers out of true devotion, and not from habit, or, worse, to display our piety.

Q. 1123. What is the most suitable place for prayer?

A. The most suitable place for prayer is in the Church -- the house of prayer -- made holy by special blessings and, above all, by the Real Presence of Jesus dwelling in the Tabernacle. Still, Our Lord exhorts us to pray also in secret, for His Father, who seeth in secret, will repay us.

Q. 1124. For what should we pray?

A. We should pray:

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.

A. The commandments of the Church are also commandments of God, for they are made by His authority and under the guidance of the Holy Ghost; nevertheless, the Church can change or abolish its own commandments, while it cannot change or abolish the commandments given directly by God Himself.

A. The Commandments which contain the whole law of God are these two:

1.1st. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, with thy whole soul, with thy whole strength, and with thy whole mind; 2.2nd. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

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.

A. The two commandments of the love of God and of our neighbor contain the teaching of the whole ten commandments because the first three of the ten commandments refer to God and oblige us to worship Him alone, respect His name and serve Him as He wills, and these things we will do if we love Him; secondly, the last seven of the ten commandments refer to our neighbor and forbid us to injure him in body, soul, goods or reputation, and if we love him we will do him no injury in any of these, but, on the contrary, aid him as far as we can.

A. The Commandments of God are these ten:

1.1. 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. 2.2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. 3.3. Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day. 4.4. Honor thy father and thy mother. 5.5. Thou shalt not kill. 6.6. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 7.7. Thou shalt not steal. 8.8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 9.9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. 10.10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods.

A. The first commandment means by a "graven thing" or "the likeness of anything" in heaven, in the earth or in the waters, the statue, picture or image of any creature in heaven or of any animal on land or in water intended for an idol and to be worshipped as a god.

A. God Himself gave the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai, and Christ our Lord confirmed them.

A. The Commandments, written on two tables of stone, were given to Moses in the midst of fire and smoke, thunder and lightning, from which God spoke to him on the mountain, about fifty days after the Israelites were delivered from the bondage of Egypt and while they were on their journey through the desert to the Promised Land.

A. When we say Christ confirmed the Commandments we mean that He strongly approved them, and gave us by His teaching a fuller and clearer knowledge of their meaning and importance.

A. All persons, from the beginning of the world, were obliged to keep the Commandments, for it was always sinful to blaspheme God, murder, steal or violate any of the Commandments, though they were not written till the time of Moses.

A. Before the coming of Our Lord the Jews had three kinds of laws:

1.(1) Civil laws, regulating the affairs of their nation; 2.(2) Ceremonial laws, governing their worship in the temple; 3.(3) Moral laws, guiding their religious belief and actions.

A. The Ten Commandments belong to the moral law, because they are a compendium or short account of what we must do in order to save our souls; just as the Apostles' Creed is a compendium of what we must believe.

A. The civil laws of the Jews ceased to exist when the Jewish people, shortly before the coming of Christ, ceased to be an independent nation. The ceremonial laws ceased to exist when the Jewish religion ceased to be the true religion; that is, when Christ established the Christian religion, of which the Jewish religion was only a figure or promise.

A. The moral laws of the Jews could not be abolished by the establishment of the Christian religion because they regard truth and virtue and have been revealed by God, and whatever God has revealed as true must be always true, and whatever He has condemned as bad in itself must be always bad.

A. The first Commandment is: I am the Lord thy God: thou shalt not have strange gods before me.

A. By strange gods the commandment means idols or false gods, which the Israelites frequently worshipped when, through their sins, they had abandoned the true God.

A. We, in a sense, may worship strange gods by giving up the salvation of our souls for wealth, honors, society, worldly pleasures, etc., so that we would offend God, renounce our faith or give up the practice of our religion for their sake.

A. The first Commandment helps us to keep the great Commandment of the love of God because it commands us to adore God alone.

A. We adore God by faith, hope, and charity, by prayer and sacrifice.

A. We adore God by all our prayers, but in particular by the public prayers of the Church, and, above all, by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

A. The first Commandment make be broken by giving to a creature the honor which belongs to God alone; by false worship; and by attributing to a creature a perfection which belongs to God alone.

A. The honor which belongs to God alone is a divine honor, in which we offer Him sacrifice, incense or prayer, solely for His own sake and for His own glory. To give such honor to any creature, however holy, would be idolatry.

A. We offer God false worship by rejecting the religion He has instituted and following one pleasing to ourselves, with a form of worship He has never authorized, approved or sanctioned.

A. We must serve God in the form of religion He has instituted and in no other, because heaven is not a right, but a promised reward, a free gift of God, which we must merit in the manner He directs and pleases.

A. We attribute to a creature a perfection which belongs to God alone when we believe it possesses knowledge or power independently of God, so that it may, without His aid, make known the future or perform miracles.

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.

A. Spells and charms are certain words, by the saying of which superstitious persons believe they can avert evil, bring good fortune or produce some supernatural or wonderful effect. They may be also objects or articles worn about the body for the same purpose.

A. Agnus Deis, medals, scapulars, etc., which we wear about our bodies, are not charms, for we do not expect any help from these things themselves, but, through the blessing they have received from the Church, we expect help from God, the Blessed Mother, or the Saint in whose honor we wear them. On the contrary, they who wear charms expect help from the charms themselves, or from some evil spirit.

A. In all our devotions and religious practices we must carefully guard against expecting God to perform miracles when natural causes may bring about what we hope for. God will sometimes miraculously help us, but, as a rule, only when all natural means have failed.

A. Dreams are the thoughts we have in sleep, when our will is unable to guide them. It is forbidden to believe in them, because they are often ridiculous, unreasonable, or wicked, and are not governed by either reason or faith.

A. Bad dreams are not sinful in themselves, because we cannot prevent them, but we may make them sinful:

1.(1) By taking pleasure in them when we awake, and 2.(2) By bad reading or immodest looks, thoughts, word or actions before going to sleep;

for by any of these things we may make ourselves responsible for the bad dreams.

A. God did frequently in the Old Law make use of dreams as a means of making known His Will; but on such occasions He always gave proof that what He made known was not a mere dream, but rather a revelation or inspiration. He no longer makes use of such means, for He now makes known His will through the inspiration of His Church.

A. Mediums and spiritists are persons who pretend to converse with the dead or with spirits of the other world. They pretend also to give this power to others, that they may know what is going on in heaven, purgatory or hell.

A. Another practice very dangerous to faith and morals is the use of mesmerism or hypnotism, because it is liable to sinful abuses, for it deprives a person for a time of the control of his reason and will and places his body and mind entirely in the power of another.

A. Fortune tellers are imposters who, learning the past, or guessing at it, pretend to know also the future and to be able to reveal it to anyone who pays for the knowledge. They pretend also to know whatever concerns things lost or stolen, and the secret thoughts, actions or intentions of others.

A. By believing in spells, charms, mediums, spiritists and fortune tellers we attribute to creatures the perfections of God because we expect these creatures to perform miracles, reveal the hidden judgments of God, and make known His designs for the future with regard to His creatures, things that only God Himself may do.

A. It is sinful to consult mediums, spiritists, fortune tellers and the like even when we do not believe in them, but through mere curiosity, to hear what they may say:

1.(1) Because it is wrong to expose ourselves to the danger of sinning even though we do not sin; 2.(2) Because we may give scandal to others who are not certain that we go through mere curiosity; 3.(3) Because by our pretended belief we encourage these impostors to continue their wicked practices.

A. Sins against faith, hope and charity are also sins against the first Commandment.

A. A person sins against faith:

1.1st. By not trying to know what God has taught; 2.2nd. By refusing to believe all that God has taught; 3.3rd. By neglecting to profess his belief in what God has taught.

A. We fail to try to know what God has taught by neglecting to learn the Christian doctrine.

A. We have many means of learning the Christian doctrine: In youth we have Catechism and special instructions suited to our age; later we have sermons, missions, retreats, religious sodalities and societies through which we may learn. At all times, we have books of instruction, and, above all, the priests of the Church, ever ready to teach us. God will not excuse our ignorance if we neglect to learn our religion when He has given us the means.

A. We should learn the Christian doctrine not merely for our own sake, but for the sake also of others who may sincerely wish to learn from us the truths of our holy faith.

A. Such instruction should be given to those who ask it of us in a kind and Christian spirit, without dispute or bitterness. We should never attempt to explain the truths of our religion unless we are certain of what we say. When we are unable to answer what is asked we should send those who inquire to the priest or to others better instructed than ourselves.

A. They who do not believe all that God has taught are the heretics and infidels.

A. The different classes of unbelievers are:

1.(1) Atheists, who deny there is a God; 2.(2) Deists, who admit there is a God, but deny that He revealed a religion; 3.(3) Agnostics, who will neither admit nor deny the existence of God; 4.(4) Infidels, who have never been baptized, and who, through want of faith, refuse to be baptized; 5.(5) Heretics, who have been baptized Christians, but do not believe all the articles of faith; 6.(6) Schismatics, who have been baptized and believe all the articles of faith, but do not submit to the authority of the Pope; 7.(7) Apostates, who have rejected the true religion, in which they formerly believed, to join a false religion; 8.(8) Rationalists and Materialists, who believe only in material things.

A. The denial of only one article of faith will make a person a heretic and guilty of mortal sin, because the Holy Scripture says: "Whosoever shall keep the whole law but offend in one point is become guilty of all."

A. An article of faith is a revealed truth so important and so certain that no one can deny or doubt it without rejecting the testimony of God. The Church very clearly points out what truths are articles of faith that we may distinguish them from pious beliefs and traditions, so that no one can be guilty of the sin of heresy without knowing it.

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.

A. Persons who are members of the Church neglect to profess their belief by living contrary to the teachings of the Church: that is, by neglecting Mass or the Sacraments, doing injury to their neighbor, and disgracing their religion by sinful and scandalous lives.

A. A want of Christian courage chiefly prevents persons who believe in the Church from becoming members of it. They fear too much the opinion or displeasure of others, the loss of position or wealth, and, in general, the trials they may have to suffer for the sake of the true faith.

A. Our Lord says of those who neglect the true religion for the sake of relatives or friends, or from fear of suffering: "He that loveth father or mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me, is not worthy of Me"; also: "And whosoever does not carry his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."

A. Some give as an excuse for neglecting to seek and embrace the true religion that we should live in the religion in which we were born, and that one religion is as good as another if we believe we are serving God.

A. We show that such an excuse is false and absurd because:

1.(1) It is false and absurd to say that we should remain in error after we have discovered it; 2.(2) Because if one religion is as good as another, Our Lord would not have abolished the Jewish religion, nor the apostles have preached against heresy.

A. They who fail to profess their faith in the true Church in which they believe cannot expect to be saved while in that state, for Christ has said: "Whosoever shall deny me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven."

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."

A. God's honor, our neighbor's spiritual good, or our own good requires us to make an open profession of our faith as often as we cannot conceal our religion without violating some law of God or of His Church, or without giving scandal to others or exposing ourselves to the danger of sinning. Pious practices not commanded may often be omitted without any denial of faith.

A. The sins against hope are presumption and despair.

A. Presumption is a rash expectation of salvation without making proper use of the necessary means to obtain it.

A. We may be guilty of presumption:

1.(1) By putting off confession when in a state of mortal sin; 2.(2) By delaying the amendment of our lives and repentance for past sins; 3.(3) By being indifferent about the number of times we yield to any temptation after we have once yielded and broken our resolution to resist it; 4.(4) By thinking we can avoid sin without avoiding its near occasion; 5.(5) By relying too much on ourselves and neglecting to follow the advice of our confessor in regard to the sins we confess.

A. Despair is the loss of hope in God's mercy.

A. We may be guilty of despair by believing that we cannot resist certain temptations, overcome certain sins or amend our lives so as to be pleasing to God.

A. All sins of presumption and despair are not equally great. They may be very slight or very great in proportion to the degree in which we deny the justice or mercy of God.

A. We sin against the love of God by all sin, but particularly by mortal sin.

LESSON THIRTY-FIRST: The First Commandment -- On the Honor and Invocation of the Saints

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.

A. Invocation means calling upon another for help or protection, particularly when we are in need or danger. It is used specially with regard to calling upon God or the saints, and hence it means prayer.

A. We honor the Saints because they honor God. Therefore, it is for His sake that we honor them, and hence by honoring them we honor Him.

A. Another reason why we honor God by honoring the Saints is this: As we honor our country by honoring its heroes, so do we honor our religion by honoring its Saints. By honoring our religion we honor God, who taught it. Therefore, by honoring the Saints we honor God, for love of whom they became religious heroes in their faith.

A. The first Commandment does not forbid us to pray to the saints.

A. The first commandment does not forbid us to pray to the Saints, because if we are allowed to ask the prayers of our fellow-creatures upon earth we should be allowed also to ask the prayers of our fellow-creatures in heaven. Moreover, the Saints must have an interest in our welfare, because whatever tends to make us good, tends also to the glory of God.

A. By praying to the saints we mean the asking of their help and prayers.

A. We do not slight God Himself by addressing our prayers to saints, but, on the contrary, show a greater respect for His majesty and sanctity, acknowledging, by our prayers to the saints, that we are unworthy to address Him for ourselves, and that we, therefore, ask His holy friends to obtain for us what we ourselves are not worthy to ask.

A. We know that the saints hear us, because they are with God, who makes our prayers known to them.

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.

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.

A. The Communion of the members of the Church is called the Communion of Saints.

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.

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.

A. We can best honor the saints by imitating their virtues, and we shall learn their virtues from the written accounts of their lives. Among the Saints we shall find models for every age, condition or state of life.

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.

A. There are three kinds or classes of relics:

1.(1) The body or part of the body of a saint; 2.(2) Articles, such as clothing or books, used by the saint; 3.(3) Articles that have touched a relic of the body or other relic.

A. The relics of the true Cross and relics of the thorns, nails, etc., used in the Passion are entitled to a very special veneration, and they have certain privileges with regard to their use and the manner of keeping them that other relics have not. A relic of the true Cross is never kept or carried with other relics.

A. The Church permits us to give relics a veneration similar to that we give images. We do not venerate the relics for their own sake, but for the sake of the persons they represent. The souls of canonized saints are certainly in heaven, and we are certain that their bodies also will be there. Therefore, we may honor their bodies because they are to be glorified in heaven and were sanctified upon earth.

A. The Church takes the greatest care in the examination and distribution of relics.

1.(1) The canonization or beatification of the person whose relic we receive must be certain. 2.(2) The relics are sent in sealed packets, that must be opened only by the bishop of the diocese to which the relics are sent, and each relic or packet must be accompanied by a document or written paper proving its genuineness. 3.(3) The relics cannot be exposed for public veneration until the bishop examines them and pronounces them authentic; that is, that they are what they are claimed to be.

A. Before using any relic or giving it to another we should be certain that all the requirements of the Church concerning it have been fulfilled, and that the relic really is, as far as it is possible for any one to know, what we believe it to be.

A. God Himself has frequently honored relics by permitting miracles to be wrought through them. There is an example given in the Bible, in the IV Book of Kings, where it is related that a dead man was restored to life when his body touched the bones, that is, the relics of the holy prophet Eliseus.

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.

A. We show that it is only the worship and not the making of images that is forbidden by the first commandment:

1.(1) Because no one thinks it sinful to carve statues or make photographs or paintings of relatives or friends; 2.(2) Because God Himself commanded the making of images for the temple after He had given the first commandment, and God never contradicts Himself.

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.

A. We have, in this country, a civil custom similar to that of honoring pictures and images of saints, for, on Decoration or Memorial Day, patriotic citizens place flowers, flags, or emblems about the statues of our deceased civil heroes, to honor the persons these statues represent; for just as we can dishonor a man by abusing his image, so we can honor him by treating it with respect and reverence.

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.

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.

A. The second Commandment is: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

A. By taking God's name in vain I mean taking it without reverence, as in cursing or using in a light and careless manner, as in exclamation.

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. It is sinful to use the words of Holy Scripture in a bad or worldly sense, to joke in them or ridicule their sacred meaning, or in general to give them any meaning but the one we believe God has intended them to convey.

A. An oath is the calling upon God to witness the truth of what we say.

A. An oath is usually taken by laying the hand on the Bible or by lifting the hand towards heaven as a sign that we call God to witness that what we are saying is under oath and to the best of our knowledge really true.

A. Perjury is the sin one commits who knowingly takes a false oath; that is, swears to the truth of what he knows to be false. Perjury is a crime against the law of our country and a mortal sin before God.

A. All persons to whom the law of our country has given such authority have the right to make us take an oath. They are chiefly judges, magistrates and public officials, whose duty it is to enforce the laws. In religious matters bishops and others to whom authority is given have also the right to make us take an oath.

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.

A. An oath may be required for God's honor or for our own or our neighbor's good when we are called upon to defend our religion against false charges; or to protect our own or our neighbor's property or good name; or when we are required to give testimony that will enable the lawful authorities to discover the guilt or innocence of a person accused.

A. It is never allowed to promise under oath, in secret societies or elsewhere, to obey another in whatever good or evil he commands, for by such an oath we would declare ourselves ready and willing to commit sin, if ordered to do so, while God commands us to avoid even the danger of sinning. Hence the Church forbids us to join any society in which such oaths are taken by its members.

A. In general we are forbidden to join:

1.(1) All societies condemned by the Church; 2.(2) All societies of which the object is unlawful and the means used sinful; 3.(3) Societies in which the rights and freedom of our conscience are violated by rash or dangerous oaths; 4.(4) Societies in which any false religious ceremony or form of worship is used.

A. Trades unions and benefit societies are not in themselves forbidden because they have lawful ends, which they can secure by lawful means. The Church encourages every society that lawfully aids its members spiritually or temporally, and censures or disowns every society that uses sinful or unlawful means to secure even a good end; for the Church can never permit anyone to do evil that good may come of it.

A. It is lawful to vow or promise strict obedience to a religious superior, because such superior can exact obedience only in things that have the sanction of God or of His Church.

A. To make an oath lawful it is necessary that what we swear to be true, and that there be a sufficient cause for taking an oath.

A. A vow is a deliberate promise made to God to do something that is pleasing to Him.

A. The vows most frequently made are the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, taken by persons living in religious communities or consecrated to God. Persons living in the world are sometimes permitted to make such vows privately, but this should never be done without the advice and consent of their confessor.

A. The vows of poverty, chastity and obedience require that those who make them shall not possess or keep any property or goods for themselves alone; that they shall not marry or be guilty of any immodest acts, and that they shall strictly obey their lawful superiors.

A. It has always been a custom with pious Christians to make vows and promises to God; to beg His help for some special end, or to thank Him for some benefit received. They have promised pilgrimages, good works or alms and they have vowed to erect churches, convents, hospitals or schools.

A. A pilgrimage is a journey to a holy place made in a religious manner and for a religious purpose.

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.

A. We are not bound, but, on the contrary, positively forbidden to keep an unlawful oath or vow. We are guilty of sin in taking such an oath or making such a vow, and we would be guilty of still greater sin by keeping them.

A. The second Commandment forbids all false, rash, unjust, and unnecessary oaths, blasphemy, cursing, and profane words.

A. An oath is rash when we are not sure of the truth of what we swear; it is unjust when it injures another unlawfully; and it is unnecessary when there is no good reason for taking it.

A. Blasphemy is any word or action intended as an insult to God. To say He is cruel or find fault with His works is blasphemy. It is a much greater sin than cursing or taking God's name in vain. Profane words mean here bad, irreverent or irreligious words.

A. The third Commandment is: Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day.

A. By the third Commandment we are commanded to keep holy the Lord's day and the holydays of obligation, on which we are to give our time to the service and worship of God.

A. Holydays of obligation are special feasts of the Church on which we are bound, under pain of mortal sin, to hear Mass and to keep from servile or bodily labors when it can be done without great loss or inconvenience. Whoever, on account of their circumstances, cannot give up work on holydays of obligation should make every effort to hear Mass and should also explain in confession the necessity of working on holydays.

A. We are to worship God on Sundays and holydays of obligation by hearing Mass, by prayer, and by other good works.

A. Some of the good works recommended for Sunday are: The reading of religious books or papers, teaching Catechism, bringing relief to the poor or sick, visiting the Blessed Sacrament, attending Vespers, Rosary or other devotions in the Church; also attending the meetings of religious sodalities or societies. It is not necessary to spend the whole Sunday in such good works, but we should give some time to them, that for the love of God we may do a little more than what is strictly commanded.

A. It is not forbidden to seek lawful pleasure or enjoyment on Sunday, especially to those who are occupied during the week, for God did not intend the keeping of the Sunday to be a punishment, but a benefit to us. Therefore, after hearing Mass we may take such recreation as is necessary or useful for us; but we should avoid any vulgar, noisy or disgraceful amusements that turn the day of rest and prayer into a day of scandal and sin.

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.

A. The Old Law means the law or religion given to the Jews; the New Law means the law or religion given to Christians.

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.

A. We keep Sunday instead of Saturday holy also to teach that the Old Law is not now binding upon us, but that we must keep the New Law, which takes its place.

A. The third Commandment forbids all unnecessary servile work and whatever else may hinder the due observance of the Lord's day.

A. Servile works are those which require labor rather of body than of mind.

A. Servile works derive their name from the fact that such works were formerly done by slaves. Therefore, reading, writing, studying and, in general, all works that slaves did not perform are not considered servile works.

A. Servile works are lawful on Sundays when the honor of God, the good of our neighbor, or necessity requires them.

A. The honor of God, the good of our neighbor or necessity may require servile works on Sunday, in such cases as the preparation of a place for Holy Mass, the saving of property in storms or accidents, the cooking of meals and similar works.

A. The fourth Commandment is: Honor thy father and thy mother.

A. The word "honor" in this commandment includes the doing of everything necessary for our parents' spiritual and temporal welfare, the showing of proper respect, and the fulfillment of all our duties to them.

A. We are commanded by the fourth Commandment to honor, love and obey our parents in all that is not sin.

A. We should refuse to obey parents or superiors who command us to sin because they are not then acting with God's authority, but contrary to it and in violation of His laws.

A. We are also bound to honor and obey our bishops, pastors, magistrates, teachers, and other lawful superiors.

A. By magistrates are meant all officials of whatever rank who have a lawful right to rule over us and our temporal possessions or affairs.

A. By lawful superiors are meant all persons to whom we are in any way subject, such as employers or others under whose authority we live or work.

A. The duty of servants or workmen to their employers is to serve them faithfully and honestly, according to their agreement, and to guard against injuring their property or reputation.

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.

A. If parents or superiors neglect their duty or abuse their authority in any particular we should not follow their direction or example in that particular, but follow the dictates of our conscience in the performance of our duty.

A. The duty of employers to their servants or workmen is to see that they are kindly and fairly treated and provided for, according to their agreement, and that they are justly paid their wages at the proper time.

A. The fourth Commandment forbids all disobedience, contempt, and stubbornness towards our parents or lawful superiors.

A. By contempt is meant willful disrespect for lawful authority, and by stubbornness is meant willful determination not to yield to lawful authority.

A. The fifth Commandment is: Thou shalt not kill.

A. This commandment forbids the killing only of human beings.

A. We know that this commandment forbids the killing only of human beings because, after giving this commandment, God commanded that animals be killed for sacrifice in the temple of Jerusalem, and God never contradicts Himself.

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.

A. It is a mortal sin to destroy one's own life or commit suicide, as this act is called, and persons who willfully and knowingly commit such an act die in a state of mortal sin and are deprived of Christian burial. It is also wrong to expose one's self unnecessarily to the danger of death by rash or foolhardy feats of daring.

A. It is never lawful for any cause to deliberately and intentionally take away the life of an innocent person. Such deeds are always murder, and can never be excused for any reason, however important or necessary.

A. Human life may be lawfully taken:

1.(1) In self-defense, when we are unjustly attacked and have no other means of saving our own lives; 2.(2) In a just war, when the safety or rights of the nation require it; 3.(3) By the lawful execution of a criminal, fairly tried and found guilty of a crime punishable by death when the preservation of law and order and the good of the community require such execution.

A. The fifth Commandment forbids all willful murder, fighting, anger, hatred, revenge, and bad example.

A. The fifth commandment can be broken by giving scandal or bad example and inducing others to sin, because such acts may destroy the life of the soul by leading it into mortal sin.

A. Scandal is any sinful word, deed or omission that disposes others to sin, or lessens their respect for God and holy religion.

A. Fighting, anger, hatred and revenge are forbidden by the fifth commandment because they are sinful in themselves and may lead to murder. The commandments forbid not only whatever violates them, but also whatever may lead to their violation.

A. The sixth Commandment is: Thou shalt not commit adultery.

A. We are commanded by the sixth Commandment to be pure in thought and modest in all our looks, words, and actions.

A. It is a sin to listen to immodest conversation, songs or jokes when we can avoid it, or to show in any way that we take pleasure in such things.

A. The sixth Commandment forbids all unchaste freedom with another's wife or husband; also all immodesty with ourselves or others in looks, dress, words, and actions.

A. Sins of impurity are the most dangerous:

1.(1) Because they have the most numerous temptations; 2.(2) Because, if deliberate, they are always mortal, and 3.(3) Because, more than other sins, they lead to the loss of faith.

A. The sixth Commandment does forbid the reading of bad and immodest books and newspapers.

A. Immodest books and newspapers should be destroyed as soon as possible, and if we cannot destroy them ourselves we should induce their owners to do so.

A. The Church considers bad all books containing teaching contrary to faith or morals, or that willfully misrepresent Catholic doctrine and practice.

A. Indecent theaters and similar places of amusement are dangerous to the virtue of purity, because their entertainments are frequently intended to suggest immodest things.

A. The seventh Commandment is: Thou shalt not steal.

A. To steal is a mortal or venial sin, according to the amount stolen either at once or at different times. Circumstances may make the sin greater or less, and they should be explained in confession.

A. Stealing is a sacrilege when the thing stolen belongs to the Church and when the stealing takes place in the Church.

A. All sins of cheating, defrauding or wronging others of their property; also all sins of borrowing or buying with the intention of never repaying are equivalent to stealing.

A. Persons may sin against honesty also by knowingly receiving, buying or sharing in stolen goods; likewise by giving or taking bribes for dishonest purposes.

A. By the seventh Commandment we are commanded to give to all men what belongs to them and to respect their property.

A. Persons working for others may be guilty of dishonesty by idling the time for which they are paid; also by doing bad work or supplying bad material without their employer's knowledge.

A. A person may be guilty of dishonesty in getting money or goods by false pretenses and by using either for purposes for which they were not given.

A. The seventh Commandment forbids all unjust taking or keeping what belongs to another.

A. We must return things found to their lawful owners as soon as possible, and we must also use reasonable means to find the owners if they are unknown to us.

A. If we discover we have bought stolen goods and know their lawful owners we must return the goods to them as soon as possible without demanding compensation from the owner for what we paid for the goods.

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.

A. If we cannot restore all we owe, we must restore as much as we can, and if the person to whom we should restore be dead we must restore to his children or heirs, and if these cannot be found we may give alms to the poor.

A. One who cannot pay his debts and yet wishes to receive the Sacraments must sincerely promise and intend to pay them as soon as possible, and must without delay make every effort to do so.

A. We are bound to repair the damage we have unjustly caused.

A. The eighth Commandment is: Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

A. We are commanded by the eighth Commandment to speak the truth in all things, and to be careful of the honor and reputation of every one.

A. A lie is a sin committed by knowingly saying what is untrue with the intention of deceiving. To swear to a lie makes the sin greater, and such swearing is called perjury. Pretense, hypocrisy, false praise, boasting, etc., are similar to lies.

A. We can know the degree of sinfulness in a lie by the amount of harm it does and from the intention we had in telling it.

A. No reason, however good, will excuse the telling of a lie, because a lie is always bad in itself. It is never allowed, even for a good intention to do a thing that is bad in itself.

A. The eighth Commandment forbids all rash judgments, backbiting, slanders, and lies.

A. Rash judgment is believing a person guilty of sin without a sufficient cause. Backbiting is saying evil things of another in his absence. Slander is telling lies about another with the intention of injuring him. Detraction is revealing the sins of another without necessity.

A. It is allowed to tell the faults of another when it is necessary to make them known to his parents or superiors, that the faults may be corrected and the wrong doer prevented from greater sin.

A. Tale-bearing is the act of telling persons what others have said about them, especially if the things said be evil. It is wrong, because it gives rise to anger, hatred and ill-will, and is often the cause of greater sins.

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.

A. The ninth Commandment is: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.

A. We are commanded by the ninth Commandment to keep ourselves pure in thought and desire.

A. The ninth Commandment forbids unchaste thoughts, desires of another's wife or husband, and all other unlawful impure thoughts and desires.

A. Impure thoughts and desires are always sins, unless they displease us and we try to banish them.

A. The tenth Commandment is: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods.

A. Covet means to wish to get wrongfully what another possesses or to begrudge his own to him.

A. By the tenth Commandment we are commanded to be content with what we have, and to rejoice in our neighbor's welfare.

A. We should try to improve our position in the world, provided we can do so honestly and without exposing ourselves to greater temptation or sin.

A. The tenth Commandment forbids all desires to take or keep wrongfully what belongs to another.

A. The sixth commandment differs from the ninth in this, that the sixth refers chiefly to external acts of impurity, while the ninth refers more to sins of thought against purity. The seventh commandment refers chiefly to external acts of dishonesty, while the tenth refers more to thoughts against honesty.

A. The commandments of the Church are also commandments of God, because they are made by His authority, and we are bound under pain of sin to observe them.

A. The commandments of God were given by God Himself to Moses on Mount Sinai; the commandments of the Church were given on different occasions by the lawful authorities of the Church. The Commandments given by God Himself cannot be changed by the Church; but the commandments made by the Church itself may be changed by its authority as necessity requires.

A. The chief commandments of the Church are six:

1.1. To hear Mass on Sundays and holydays of obligation. 2.2. To fast and abstain on the days appointed. 3.3. To confess at least once a year. 4.4. To receive the Holy Eucharist during the Easter time. 5.5. To contribute to the support of our pastors. 6.6. 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. 7.

A. The Church has made commandments to teach the faithful how to worship God and to guard them from the neglect of their religious duties.

A. It is a mortal sin not to hear Mass on a Sunday or a holyday of obligation, unless we are excused for a serious reason. They also commit a mortal sin who, having others under their charge, hinder them from hearing Mass, without a sufficient reason.

A A "serious reason" excusing one from the obligation of hearing Mass is any reason that makes it impossible or very difficult to attend Mass, such as severe illness, great distance from the Church, or the need of certain works that cannot be neglected or postponed.

A. Children who have reached the use of reason are obliged under pain of mortal sin, the same as grown persons, to hear Mass on Sundays and holydays of obligation; but if they are prevented from so doing by parents, or others, then the sin falls on those who prevent them.

A. Holydays were instituted by the Church to recall to our minds the great mysteries of religion and the virtues and rewards of the saints.

A. In this country there are six holydays of obligation, namely:

1.(1) Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8th);

2.(2) Christmas (Dec. 25th);

3.(3) Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord (Jan. 1st);

4.(4) Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord (forty days after Easter);

5.(5) Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin (Aug. 15th); and

6.(6) Feast of All Saints (Nov. 1st).

A. We should keep the holydays of obligation as we should keep the Sunday.

A. Certain holydays are called holydays of obligation because on such days we are obliged under pain of mortal sin to hear Mass and keep from servile works as we do on Sundays.

A. One who is obliged to work on a holyday of obligation should, if possible, hear Mass before going to work, and should also explain this necessity in confession, so as to obtain the confessor's advice on the subject.

A. By fast-days I mean days on which we are allowed but one full meal.

A. It is permitted on fast days, besides the one full meal, to take two other meatless meals, to maintain strength, according to each one's needs. But together these two meatless meals should not equal another full meal.

A. All persons over 21 and under 59 years of age, and whose health and occupation will permit them to fast.

A. The Church does excuse certain classes of persons from the obligation of fasting on account of their age, the condition of their health, the nature of their work, or the circumstances in which they live. These things are explained in the Regulations for Lent, read publicly in the Churches each year.

A. In doubt concerning fast, a parish priest or confessor should be consulted.

A. Fast days chiefly occur in the year during Lent and Advent, on the Ember days and on the vigils or eves of some great feasts. A vigil falling on a Sunday is not observed.

A. Lent is the seven weeks of penance preceding Easter. Advent is the four weeks of preparation preceding Christmas. Ember days are three days set apart in each of the four seasons of the year as special days of prayer and thanksgiving. Vigils are the days immediately preceding great feasts and spent in spiritual preparation for them.

A. By days of abstinence I mean days on which no meat at all may be taken (complete abstinence) or on which meat may be taken only once a day (partial abstinence). This is explained in the regulations for Lent. All the Fridays of the year are days of abstinence except when a Holyday of obligation falls on a Friday outside of Lent.

A. Children, from the age of seven years, and persons who are unable to fast are bound to abstain on days of abstinence, unless they are excused for sufficient reason.

A. The Church commands us to fast and abstain, in order that we may mortify our passions and satisfy for our sins.

A. By our passions are meant our sinful desires and inclinations. Mortifying them means restraining them and overcoming them so that they have less power to lead us into sin.

A. The Church commands us to abstain from flesh-meat on Fridays in honor of the day on which our Saviour died.

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.

A. We should confess frequently, if we wish to lead a good life.

A. We should go to confession at our usual time even if we think we have not committed sin since our last confession, because the Sacrament of Penance has for its object not only to forgive sins, but also to bestow grace and strengthen the soul against temptation.

A. Children should go to confession when they are old enough to commit sin, which is commonly about the age of seven years.

A. He who neglects to receive Communion during the Easter time commits a mortal sin.

A. The Easter time is, in this country, the time between the first Sunday of Lent and Trinity Sunday.

A. Trinity Sunday is the Sunday after Pentecost, or eight weeks after Easter Sunday; so that there are fourteen weeks in which one may comply with the command of the Church to receive Holy Communion between the first Sunday of Lent and Trinity Sunday.

A. We are obliged to contribute to the support of our pastors, and to bear our share in the expense of the Church and school.

A. The duty of contributing to the support of the Church and clergy originated in the Old Law, when God commanded all the people to contribute to the support of the temple and of its priests.

A. The obligation of supporting the Church and school implies the duty of making use of the Church and school by attending religious worship in the one and by giving Catholic education in the other; because if the Church and school were not necessary for our spiritual welfare we would not be commanded to support them.

A. The fifth commandment of the Church includes the support also of our holy father, the Pope, bishops, priests, missions, religious institutions and religion in general.

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.

A. Second cousins are in the third degree of blood relationship, and persons whose relationship is nearer than second cousins are in closer degrees of kindred. It is unlawful for persons thus related to marry without a dispensation or special permission of the Church.

A. There are other relationships besides blood relationship that render marriage unlawful without a dispensation, namely, the relationships contracted by marriage, which are called degrees of affinity, and the relationship contracted by being sponsors at Baptism, which is called spiritual affinity.

A. Persons about to marry, if they suspect they are related to each other, should make known the facts to the priest, that he may examine the degree of relationship and procure a dispensation if necessary.

A. The command not to marry privately means that none should marry without the blessing of God's priests or without witnesses.

A. It is a mortal sin for Catholics to be married before the minister of another religion, and they who attempt to do so incur excommunication, and absolution from their sin is reserved to the bishop.

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.

A. The nuptial Mass is a Mass appointed by the Church to invoke a special blessing upon the married couple.

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.

A. The Church places several restrictions on the ceremonies of marriage when one of the persons is not a Catholic. The marriage cannot take place in the church; the priest cannot wear his sacred vestments nor use holy water nor bless the ring nor the marriage itself. The Church places these restrictions to show her dislike for such marriages, commonly called mixed marriages.

A. The Church dislikes mixed marriages because such marriages are frequently unhappy, give rise to many disputes, endanger the faith of the Catholic member of the family, and prevent the religious education of the children.

A. Christ will judge us immediately after our death, and on the last day.

A. The judgment we have to undergo immediately after death is called the Particular Judgment.

A. The particular judgment will be held in the place where each person dies, and the soul will go immediately to its reward or punishment.

A. The judgment which all men have to undergo on the last day is called the General Judgment.

A. The sentence given at the particular judgment will not be changed at the general judgment, but it will be repeated and made public to all.

A. Christ judges men immediately after death to reward or punish them according to their deeds.

A. We may daily prepare for our judgment by a good examination of conscience, in which we will discover our sins and learn to fear the punishment they deserve.

A. The rewards or punishments appointed for men's souls after the Particular Judgment are Heaven, Purgatory, and 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.

A. The damned will suffer in both mind and body, because both mind and body had a share in their sins. The mind suffers the "pain of loss" in which it is tortured by the thought of having lost God forever, and the body suffers the "pain of sense" by which it is tortured in all its members and senses.

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.

A. This state is called Purgatory because in it the souls are purged or purified from all their stains; and it is not, therefore, a permanent or lasting state for the soul.

A. The souls in Purgatory are sure of their salvation, and they will enter heaven as soon as they are completely purified and made worthy to enjoy that presence of God which is called the Beatific Vision.

A. We do not know what souls are in Purgatory nor how long they have to remain there; hence we continue to pray for all persons who have died apparently in the true faith and free from mortal sin. They are called the faithful departed.

A. The faithful on earth can help the souls in Purgatory by their prayers, fasts, alms, deeds; by indulgences, and by having Masses said for them.

A. Though God loves the souls in Purgatory, He punishes them because His holiness requires that nothing defiled may enter heaven and His justice requires that everyone be punished or rewarded according to what he deserves.

A. There is need of a general judgment, though every one is judged immediately after death, that the providence of God, which, on earth, often permits the good to suffer and the wicked to prosper, may in the end appear just before all men.

A. By "the Providence of God" is meant the manner in which He preserves, provides for, rules and governs the world and directs all things by His infinite Will.

A. There are other reasons for the general judgment, and especially that Christ Our Lord may receive from the whole world the honor denied Him at His first coming, and that all may be forced to acknowledge Him their God and Redeemer.

A. Our bodies will share in the reward or punishment of our souls, because through the resurrection they will again be united to them.

A. The general resurrection or rising of all the dead will take place at the general judgment, when the same bodies in which we lived on earth will come forth from the grave and be united to our souls and remain united with them forever either in heaven or in hell.

A. The bodies of the just will rise glorious and immortal.

A. The bodies of the damned will also rise, but they will be condemned to eternal punishment.

A. We show respect for the bodies of the dead because they were the dwelling-place of the soul, the medium through which it received the Sacraments, and because they were created to occupy a place in heaven.

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.

A. The happiness in heaven consists in seeing the beauty of God, in knowing Him as He is, and in having every desire fully satisfied.

A. St. Paul says of heaven, "That eye hath not seen. nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man what things God hath prepared for them that love Him." (I. Cor. ii., 9.)

A. The rewards of heaven and the punishments in hell are not the same for all who enter into either of these states, because each one's reward or punishment is in proportion to the amount of good or evil he has done in this world. But as heaven and hell are everlasting, each one will enjoy his reward or suffer his punishment forever.

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."

A. Some of the more essential religious truths we must know and believe are:

1.(1) That there is but one God, and He will reward the good and punish the wicked.

2.(2) That in God there are three Divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and these Divine Persons are called the Blessed Trinity.

3.(3) That Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, became man and died for our redemption.

4.(4) That the grace of God is necessary for our salvation.

5.(5) That the human soul is immortal.