Reasonableness of Catholic Ceremonies and Practices
"Let the children of Israel make the Phase in due time . . . according
to all the ceremonies thereof" (_Num._ ix 2, 3).
Reasonableness of Catholic Ceremonies and Practices
"The priest shall be vested with the tunic" (_Lev._ vi. 10).
"And he made, of violet and purple, scarlet and fine linen, the
vestments for Aaron to wear when he ministered in the holy places, as
the Lord commanded Moses" (_Ex._ xxxix. 1).
"In every place there is sacrifice and there is offered to My name a
clean offering" (_Malach._ i. 11).
"And another Angel came and stood before the altar, having a golden
censer: and there was given to him much incense, that he should offer of
the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar, which is before the
throne of God" (_Apoc._ viii. 3).
The Ceremonies of the Catholic Church
THE Catholic Church in the celebration of Mass and in the administration
of the sacraments employs certain forms and rites. These are called
ceremonies. By these ceremonies the Church wishes to appeal to the heart
as well as to the intellect, and to impress the faithful with sentiments
of faith and piety.
What is more capable of raising the heart and mind of man to God than a
priest celebrating Mass? What more inspiring than some of our sacred
music?
How beneficial and how lasting the impression formed by the ceremonies
of the Church, the following incident will show:
One of our missionaries once went to visit a tribe of Indians who had
been deprived of a priest for nearly half a century. After traveling
through the forest for some days he came near their village.
'Twas Sunday morning. Suddenly the silence was broken by a number of
voices singing in unison. He stopped to listen. To his great
astonishment he distinguished the music of a Mass, and of Catholic hymns
well known to him.
What could be more touching than this simple, savage people endeavoring
to celebrate the Lord's Day as they had been taught by the priest fifty
years before? What more elevating than those sacred songs--the _Stabat
Mater_, the _O Salutaris_, or the _Te Deum_--uttered by pious lips and
resounding through the forest primeval? What better evidence could we
have of the beneficial effects of our ceremonies in raising the heart to
God?
And yet few things connected with our holy religion have been more
frequently subjected to ridicule than her ceremonies. People scoff at
them, laugh at them, call them foolish and unreasonable. Those people do
not stop to consider that by doing so they, themselves, are acting most
unreasonably. For no reasonable person, no judge, will condemn another
without hearing both sides of the question.
These wiseacres, however, flatter themselves that they know all about
the Catholic Church and her ceremonies without hearing her side of the
case. Hence the misunderstandings and misrepresentations regarding her
that exist among well-meaning people.
If people would but learn to speak about that which they knew and
understood; if they would accord to the Catholic Church the same
treatment as to other institutions; if they would examine both sides of
the question before criticising and ridiculing her teachings and her
ceremonies; if they would but treat her with that openness, that
fairness, that candor, that honesty characteristic of the American
citizen when dealing with other questions--what a vast amount of
ignorance, of prejudice, of sin would be avoided!
We claim that ceremonies used in the worship of God are reasonable,
because they were sanctioned by God in the Old Testament and by Jesus
Christ and His apostles in the New Law.
I. Ceremonies Necessary to Divine Worship
THE angels are pure spirits. They have no body. Consequently the worship
they render God is spiritual, interior.
The heavenly bodies are not spiritual, but entirely material substances.
They render God a sort of external worship according to the words of the
prophet Daniel, "Sun and moon bless the Lord, . . . stars of heaven
bless the Lord. Praise and exalt Him forever." Man has a soul, a
spiritual substance similar to the heavenly bodies. He should,
therefore, honor God by the twofold form of worship, interior and
exterior.
"God is a spirit; and they that adore Him must adore Him in spirit and
in truth" (_John_ iv. 24).
From these words of the beloved disciple we are not to conclude that
interior worship is prescribed as the only essential, and exterior
worship condemned. True piety must manifest itself externally. Man
naturally manifests his feelings by outward signs and ceremonies.
The Catholic Church recognizes that man has a heart to be moved as well
as an intellect to be enlightened. She enlightens the intellect by her
good books, sermons, etc.; and she moves the heart by the grandeur of
her ceremonies.
If any one doubts that God considers ceremonies necessary to divine
worship, let him read the books of Leviticus and Exodus. Almost the
whole of these books treats of the rites and ceremonies used by the then
chosen people of God in their public worship.
The 26th, 27th, and 28th chapters of Exodus prescribe the form of the
tabernacle and its appurtenances, the size of the altar and the oil for
the lamps, and the holy vestments which Aaron and his sons were to wear
during the performance of the public ceremonies.
The book of Leviticus treats more particularly of the sacrifices, rites,
and ceremonies of the priests and Levites.
"And the Lord called Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of the
testimony, saying: Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say
to them: The man among you that shall offer to the Lord a sacrifice of
the cattle, that is, offering victims of oxen and sheep, if his offering
be a holocaust and of the herd, he shall offer a male, without blemish,
at the door of the tabernacle of the testimony, to make the Lord
favorable to him. And he shall put his hand upon the head of the victim,
and it shall be acceptable and help to his expiation" (_Lev._ i. 1_ et
seq._).
After enumerating all the sacrifices and ceremonies, the sacred writer
closes the book of Leviticus with the words, "These are the precepts
which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel in Mount
Sinai," thus showing that He considers ceremonies necessary to divine
worship.
The religion instituted by Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is more
spiritual than that of the Old Law. Nevertheless He did not discard
ceremonies. In the Garden of Gethsemani He fell upon His knees in humble
supplication. He went in procession to Jerusalem preceded by a great
multitude strewing palm-branches on the road and singing, "Hosanna to
the Son of David." Before He cured the deaf and dumb man, He put His
fingers into his ears and touched his tongue with spittle, and looking
up to heaven He groaned and said, "Ephpheta," which is, "Be thou
opened."
At the Last Supper He invoked a blessing on the bread and wine, and
after the supper He chanted a hymn with His disciples--ceremonies
similar to those used in the Mass. When He imparted the Holy Ghost to
His apostles, He breathed upon them. In a similar way they and their
successors communicated the Holy Ghost upon others by breathing upon
them, laying their hands upon them and praying over them, when
conferring the sacrament of Holy Orders.
St. James directs that if any man is sick he shall call in a priest of
the Church, who shall anoint him with oil, as is done in the sacrament
of Extreme Unction.
We must, therefore, admit that ceremonies used in the worship of God are
reasonable, since they are sanctioned by God in the Old Law and by Jesus
Christ and His apostles in the New Testament.
All these acts of Our Saviour--the prostration in the Garden, the
procession to Jerusalem, the touching of the deaf man's ears, the
chanting of the hymn, the laying on of hands, the anointing of the
sick--are but so many ceremonies serving as models of the ceremonies
used by the Catholic Church in her public worship and in the
administration of her sacraments.
II. Vestments Used by the Priest at Mass
BEFORE entering upon an explanation of the ceremonies of the Mass, which
is our principal act of public worship, let us examine the meaning of
the vestments worn by the priest during the celebration of that august
sacrifice. First, it is well to remember that these vestments come down
to us from the time of the apostles, and have the weight of antiquity
hanging upon them. Hence, if they did not demand our respect as
memorials of Christ, they are at least deserving of attention on account
of their antiquity.
The 28th chapter of Exodus tells us the sacred vestments God wished the
priests of the Old Law to wear during the public worship. "And these
shall be the vestments which they shall make: a rational and an ephod, a
tunic and a straight linen garment, a mitre and a girdle. They shall
make the holy vestments for thy brother Aaron and his sons, that they
may do the office of priesthood unto Me." As God in the Old Law
prescribed vestments for the priests, so the Church, guided by God,
prescribes sacred vestments to be worn by the priest of the New Law
while engaged in the sacred mysteries.
The long black garment which the priest wears around the church in all
the sacred functions is called a _cassock_. Kings and officers of the
army wear a special uniform when performing their public duties; priests
wear _cassocks_ and other special garments when performing their public
duties. These vestments are used to excite the minds of the faithful to
the contemplation of heavenly things.
Who, for example, can behold the cross on the chasuble the priest wears
without thinking of all Christ suffered for us on the cross? As the
priest in celebrating Mass represents the person of Christ, and the Mass
represents His passion, the vestments he wears represent those with
which Christ was clothed at the time of the passion.
The first vestment the priest puts on over the _cassock_ is called an
_amice_. It is made of linen, and reminds us of the veil that covered
the face of Jesus when His persecutors struck Him. (_Luke_ xxii. 64.)
When the priest puts on the _amice_ he first places it on his head, thus
recalling to mind the crown of thorns that pierced the head of Jesus.
The _alb_ (from _albus_, white) represents the white garment with which
Christ was vested by Herod when sent back to Pilate dressed as a fool.
(_Luke_ xxii. 11.)
White is emblematic of purity. Hence the wearer is reminded of that
purity of mind and body which he should have who serves the altar of the
Most High.
The _cincture_, or girdle, as well as the _maniple_ and _stole_,
represent the cords and bands with which Christ was bound in the
different stages of His passion. St. Matthew says in the 22d verse of
the 27th chapter, "They brought Him _bound_ and delivered Him to Pontius
Pilate, the governor."
The _chasuble_, or outer vestment the priest wears, represents the
purple garment with which Christ was clothed as a mock king. "And they
clothed Him with purple" (_Mark_ xv. 17). Upon the back of the
_chasuble_ you see a cross. This represents the cross Christ bore on His
sacred shoulders to Calvary, and upon which He was crucified.
In these vestments, that is, in the _chasuble_, _stole_, and _maniple_,
the Church uses five colors--white, red, purple, green, and black.
White, which is symbolic of purity and innocence, is used on the feasts
of Our Lord, of the Blessed Virgin, of the angels, and of the saints
that were not martyrs.
Red, the symbol of fortitude, is used on the feast of Pentecost, of the
Exaltation of the Cross, of the apostles and martyrs.
Purple, or violet (the color of penance), is used in Advent and Lent.
Green (the color of hope) is used on all Sundays when no special feast
is celebrated, except the Sundays of Lent and Advent.
Black (the color of mourning) is used on Good Friday and during the
celebration of Mass for the dead.
Thus we see that each vestment and color used has a special
significance.
All are calculated to attract our attention, elevate our minds to God,
and fill us with a desire to do something for Him Who has done so much
for us--to at least keep His commandments.
One word about the use of Latin in the celebration of Mass will perhaps
be appropriate here. History tells us that when Christianity was
established the Roman Empire had control of nearly all of Europe, Asia,
and Africa. Wherever the Roman flag floated to the breeze the Latin
language was spoken, just as English is spoken where the sovereign of
Great Britain or the President of the United States holds sway. The
Church naturally adopted in her liturgy the language spoken by the
people.
In the beginning of the fifth century vast hordes of barbarians began to
come from the north of Europe and spread desolation over the fairest
portions of the Roman Empire. Soon the Empire was broken up. New
kingdoms began to be formed, new languages to be developed. The Latin
finally ceased to be a living language. The Church retained it in her
liturgy, 1st, because, as her doctrine and liturgy are unchangeable, she
wishes the language of her doctrine and liturgy to be unchangeable; 2d,
because, as the Church is spread over the whole world, embracing in her
fold children of all climes, nations, and languages--as she is
universal--she must have a universal language; 3d, because the Catholic
clergy are in constant communication with the Holy See, and this
requires a uniform language.
Besides, when a priest says Mass the people, by their English Missals or
other prayer-books, are able to follow him from beginning to end.
The Mass is a sacrifice. The prayers of the Mass are offered to God.
Hence when the priest says Mass he is speaking not to the people, but to
God, to whom all languages are equally intelligible. Are not these
sufficient reasons for the use of the Latin language? Are not good
Catholics more attentive, more devout at Mass than others at their
prayer-meetings? The good Catholic knows that the Mass represents the
passion and death of Christ; that the passion and death of Christ are
the sinner's only refuge, the just man's only hope; that it can not but
be good and wholesome to turn our minds and our hearts toward this
subject; that frequent meditation on Christ's passion will move us to
avoid sin, which caused it; and that nothing can more efficaciously
cause us to think of Christ's passion and death than the holy sacrifice
of the Mass.
III. Ceremonies of the Mass
THE Mass is the great sacrifice of the New Law. It was foreshadowed by
all the sacrifices ordained by God in the Old Law. They were shadows; it
is the substance.
We learn from Genesis of the fall of man. Universal tradition, as well
as Scripture, informs us that the creature formerly became guilty in the
eyes of the Creator. All nations, all peoples, endeavored to appease the
anger of Heaven and believed that a victim was necessary for this
purpose. Hence sacrifices have been offered from the beginning of the
human race.
Cain and Abel offered victims; the one the first fruits of the earth,
the other the firstlings of the flock. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and
Melchisedech worshiped this way, and their worship was acceptable to
God. Everywhere, even among the heathen, you find the altar, the priest,
and the sacrifice. As we learn from Leviticus and other portions of the
Old Testament, God Himself carefully prescribed the quality, manner,
number, and place of the various sacrifices which He was pleased to
accept from the hands of His chosen people. From this fact that
sacrifice has ever formed a prominent feature in the worship of all
people, we conclude that it belongs to the essentials of religion, and
that Christians to-day should have an altar of which, as St. Paul says,
"they can not eat who serve the tabernacle."
The sacrifices of the Old Law were provisional and prefigured the great
sacrifice of the New Law foretold by the prophet Malachy. This glorious
prophecy of Malachy, "From the rising of the sun even to the going down
My name is great among the Gentiles; in every place there is sacrifice,
and there is offered to My name a clean offering; for My name is great
among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of Hosts"--this glorious prophecy is
fulfilled only by the great sacrifice of the Catholic Church. We alone
can say with St. Paul, "_Habemus altare_" "We have an altar" and a true
sacrifice. Of all the blessings bequeathed by Jesus Christ to His
Church, there is none better, none greater, none holier than the holy
sacrifice of the Mass. It is the sacrifice of His own body and blood
offered to the heavenly Father under the appearances of bread and wine.
It was instituted by Our Lord at the Last Supper, when He took bread and
wine in His sacred hands and blessed them, saying, "This is My body. . .
. This is My blood. . . . Do this for a remembrance of Me."
He instituted the holy Mass in order to represent and continue the
sacrifice of Calvary. St Paul says, in his first epistle to the
Corinthians, xi. 26, that it was instituted to show the death of the
Lord until His second coming. After the consecration, which the priest
effects by saying over the bread and wine the same words which Jesus
Christ said at the Last Supper, there is no longer bread and wine, but
the true and living Jesus Christ, God and man, hidden under the
appearances of bread and wine, just as in the manger He was hidden under
the appearance of an infant. The priest offers Him up to His heavenly
Father in the name of the Catholic Church, or rather He offers Himself
up, and we can confidently hope that we will obtain more through prayers
at the holy Mass than through our own unaided prayers. In order to have
part in the holy sacrifice of the Mass a person should follow the
actions and prayers of the priest, especially at the offertory,
consecration, and communion; meditate on the passion of Christ; say the
rosary or the prayers in the prayer-books, at the same time uniting his
intention with the intention of the sacrificing priest.
The sacrifice of the Mass is a true sacrifice, because it is the
oblation of a victim to God to represent by its destruction or change
His supreme dominion over life and death. It is offered to satisfy our
four great debts and wants in adoration to God on account of His
omnipotence, in thanksgiving for His benefits, in atonement for our
sins, and to obtain His assistance in difficulties and temptations. The
holy Mass obtains for us all graces and blessings, temporal and
spiritual.
Since the Mass is the highest act of public worship, it is proper that
it should be celebrated with fitting sacred ceremonies. Every ceremony
which the Church prescribes has its deep significance. All tend to bring
before our minds the mystery of the passion.
The _altar_, which is reached by means of steps, represents Mount
Calvary, upon which Christ died with His arms extended as if to enfold
all men as brothers. The _crucifix_ recalls Jesus dying on the cross.
The _lighted candles_ are symbols of the faith and devotion which ought
to burn in the hearts of the faithful when present at Mass. The _sacred
vestments_, embroidered with the sign of the cross, indicate that the
priest is the minister and visible representative of Jesus Christ, the
invisible priest. The sign of the cross made many times by the priest
over the host and chalice reminds us that we offer to God the divine
Victim of the cross, and that we ought to unite ourselves to Him by
loving the cross, by patience and Christian penance. We genuflect
because Our Lord is really present. If we know He is not present on the
altar we bow in honor of the place where He sometimes reposes. _Holy
water_ is used to signify that our souls must be pure if we wish God to
answer our prayers. _Incense_ is used at solemn High Mass and at
Vespers. It is symbolic of prayer, agreeably to the words of the 140th
psalm: "Let my prayer, O Lord, be directed as incense in Thy sight." And
St. John, describing the heavenly Jerusalem in the 8th chapter of the
Apocalypse, says: "Another angel came, and stood before the altar,
having a golden censer; and there was given him much incense, that he
should offer of the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which is
before the throne of God."
The sacrifice of the Mass, then, is the sacrifice of Calvary, since the
same Victim is offered up and by the same High Priest, Jesus Christ. The
Emanuel, the God with us, the thought of whom made the prophets tremble
centuries before He came, that divine Teacher who loves to dwell with
the children of men, the Catholic Church beholds dwelling in the midst
of us on our altars. If you have visited some of our ancient cathedrals,
or any of our magnificent modern churches, and admired the varied
ornaments or artistic wonders therein; if you have ever been present at
our religious solemnities and witnessed the gravity of our ceremonies,
the beauty of the chants, the piety of the adorers; if you have
reflected upon the spirit of sacrifice and self-forgetfulness so common
to Catholicism and so unknown elsewhere--that spirit which moves
thousands of the young of both sexes to forsake the world and devote
themselves to the care of the sick, the education of the young, and to
other works of charity--if you have witnessed these things and reflected
upon them, you can not but have asked yourself why are such gorgeous
temples built; why such magnificent works of art as displayed on the
altar, the sacred vessels, paintings, and other things in the church?
What prompts such sacrifices? And the answer will be, because the church
is the edifice where God in the holy Mass daily renews the prodigies of
His mercy, and it can never be worthy of His love; because God, who
sacrificed Himself for us, is ever with us in the Blessed Sacrament of
the altar, to soothe our cares and answer our prayers. Yes, the grand
feature of the Catholic Church is the holy altar. On the altar is the
tabernacle for the residence of the Lord of Hosts.
There our "hidden God," Jesus in the Eucharist, dwells night and day in
the midst of His people, saying to them with words of love, "Come to me
all you that are burdened and heavy laden, and I will refresh you."
The Mass, independent of its sacrificial aspect, consists of the best
prayers ever uttered. The priest begins by making the sign of the cross,
"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." This
sign is an epitome of the Christian's belief in the unity and trinity of
God and in the incarnation and death of Jesus Christ. After making the
sign of the cross he repeats the 42d psalm, "Judge me, O God," and then
makes an humble confession of his sins to God. He ascends the altar and
nine times asks God to have mercy on him, _Kyrie Eleison_; then follows
the beautiful hymn the shepherds heard the angels singing at the birth
of the Saviour, _Gloria in Excelsis Deo_.
The prayer of the feast, the epistle and gospel follow, and then the
sermon in the vernacular is usually preached. After the Nicene Creed,
_Credo in Unum Deum_, the priest makes the offering of bread and wine.
He then washes the tips of his fingers, saying: "I will wash my hands
among the innocent," by which he is reminded to be free from stain to
offer worthily the Holy Sacrifice.
The preface, canon, and solemn words of consecration follow, during
which the bread and wine are changed by the power of Jesus Christ into
His body and blood. In a short time he comes to the best of all prayers,
the prayer taught us by Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Our
Father, _Pater Noster_. The _Agnus Dei_ follows, then the communion,
when he partakes of the consecrated bread and wine, and afterward gives
holy communion to the faithful. He then continues the Mass, gives his
blessing, and finishes the Mass with the beginning of the Gospel of St.
John. Hence you see that, besides the great sacrifice which makes it an
act worthy of God, the Mass consists of the best of all prayers.
From what has been said it is evident that ceremonies in the worship of
God are reasonable, being sanctioned by God in the Old and New
Testaments; that the holy sacrifice of the Mass is the greatest of all
acts of worship; and that the Catholic Church in using ceremonies is but
following the example of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and His
apostles. St. John in the Book of Revelations tells us that before the
throne of God angels stand with golden censers, multitudes from all
nations follow and adore the Lamb, while virgins sing the new song which
they alone can utter. So, too, before the throne of God on earth we
swing our censers, multitudes from all nations prostrate themselves in
adoration, the sweet incense of their praise and prayer ascends to the
throne of grace, their minds are enlightened by God's word, while their
hearts are raised to God by the grandeur of our ceremonies.
The Son of God, after having taught us by His word, shown us by His
example, and merited for us by His grace the virtues necessary for
salvation, wished to institute the holy sacrifice of the Mass, that He
might come Himself in the Holy Sacrament and imprint them upon us. Of
these virtues, the most important are _humility_, _purity_, _obedience_,
_patience_, and _charity_.
Let us always ask God when present at the holy Mass for a lively faith
in His _Real Presence_, an ardent love for Him in the Blessed Sacrament
of the altar, and the grace to imitate His humility, His purity, His
meekness, obedience, patience, and charity _here_, and enjoy His
presence forever _hereafter_.
The following beautiful words of Cardinal Newman show that the Mass is
something more than a mere form of words, and that ceremonies are
reasonable as well as necessary in its celebration:
"To me nothing is so consoling, so piercing, so thrilling, so
overcoming, as the Mass said as it is among us. I could attend Masses
forever and not be tired. It is not a mere form of words--it is a great
action, the greatest action that can be on earth. It is not the
invocation merely, but, if I dare use the word, the evocation of the
Eternal. He becomes present on the altar in flesh and blood, before Whom
angels bow and devils tremble. This is that awful event which is the
scope and the interpretation of every part of the solemnity. Words are
necessary, but as means, not as ends; they are not mere addresses to the
throne of grace, they are instruments of what is far higher, of
consecration, of sacrifice.
"They hurry on as if impatient to fulfil their mission. Quickly they go,
for they are awful words of sacrifice; they are a work too great to
delay upon, as when it was said in the beginning, 'What thou doest, do
quickly.' Quickly they pass, for the Lord Jesus goes with them, as He
passed along the lake in the days of His flesh, quickly calling first
one and then another; quickly they pass, because as the lightning which
shineth from one part of the heaven unto the other, so is the coming of
the Son of Man.
"Quickly they pass, for they are as the words of Moses, when the Lord
came down in the cloud, calling on the name of the Lord as He passed by,
'The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and generous, long suffering, and
abundant in goodness and truth.' And as Moses on the mountain, so we,
too, make haste and bow our heads to the earth and adore.
"So we, all around, each in his place, look for the great Advent
'waiting for the moving of the water,' each in his place, with his own
heart, with his own wants, with his own prayers, separate but
concordant, watching what is going on, watching its progress, uniting in
its consummation; not painfully, and hopelessly following a hard form of
prayer from beginning to end, but like a concert of musical instruments
each different, but concurring in sweet harmony, we take our post with
God's priest, supporting him, yet guided by him. There are little
children there, and old men, and simple laborers, and students in
seminaries, priests preparing for Mass, priests making their
thanksgiving, there are innocent maidens, and there are penitent
sinners; but out of these many minds rises one Eucharistic hymn, and the
great action is the measure and the scope of it."
The Practices of the Catholic Church
I. Vespers and Benediction
"Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day" (_Ex_. xx. 8).
THIS commandment teaches us that God wills the whole Sunday to be spent
in His honor. We should sanctify it by good works, and by assisting at
divine service. On that day servile works and improper amusements are
forbidden. A salutary rest and moderate recreation are allowed, but
never at the expense of duties of obligation. After hearing Mass on
Sunday morning, which is obligatory on all Catholics, there is no better
way of sanctifying the remainder of the day than by attending Vespers
and Benediction.
The Vesper service is a small portion of the divine office, which
priests must recite daily, for God's honor and glory. It consists of
five of the psalms of David (Dixit Dominus, Ps. 109; Confitebor tibi,
Ps. 110; Beatus vir, Ps. 111; Laudate pueri, Ps. 112; In exitu Israel,
Ps. 113, or Laudate Dominum, Ps. 116), a hymn, the Magnificat, or
canticle of the Virgin Mary, from the first chapter of St. Luke, and
some prayers. Is it not reasonable thus to praise God in psalms and
hymns and spiritual canticles?
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament usually follows Vespers. The
Catholic Church teaches that Jesus Christ is really present in the
Blessed Sacrament. The reasonableness of this teaching will be seen in
the following article.
Since Jesus Christ is present, He ought to be adored by the faithful.
Faithful adorers frequently visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament and
worship Him in "spirit and in truth." Hence, the Blessed Sacrament is
kept in the Tabernacle on our altars to soothe our cares, answer our
prayers, and be ready at any time to be administered to the sick and
dying.
Besides our private devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, the Church has
appointed solemn rites to show publicly our faith and devotion toward
the Real Presence of Jesus Christ. These rites are processions on Corpus
Christi, the Forty Hours' devotion, and, especially, the rite called
Benediction.
When it is time for Benediction many candles are lighted on the altar.
This is done to show our faith in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ. If
He were not present, this display would be unreasonable, unnecessary,
and meaningless. But the candles we light, the incense we burn, the
flowers and other ornaments we use to decorate the altar, and all that
we do for Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ can not be too much.
Everything being prepared, the priest takes the Blessed Sacrament out of
the tabernacle, and, placing it in the ostensorium, exposes it on an
elevated throne, while the choir sings in honor of the Blessed Sacrament
the hymn "O Salutaris Hostia," "O Saving Host." The priest incenses Our
Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, as, according to the Apocalypse, angels
do in heaven. Another hymn or a litany follows; after which is sung the
"Tantum Ergo," "Down in adoration falling," followed by a prayer by the
priest. Then in the midst of a solemn silence (except that a small bell
is tinkled) the priest takes the monstrance, or ostensorium, containing
the Blessed Sacrament, and, turning toward the people, makes with it the
sign of the cross over them, thus blessing the faithful with the Most
Holy One.
This is certainly a most touching and impressive rite even to those who
do not believe in it. Cardinal Newman calls it one of the most
beautiful, natural, and soothing practices of the Church. No one will
deny that this practice, or rite of the Church, is reasonable, if Jesus
Christ is really present in the Blessed Sacrament. That He is really
present is our belief. This being our belief, is it not reasonable to
light candles as a sign of spiritual joy, and thus to show our faith in
Him who is the light of the world? He gave us all that we have. He gave
us the beautiful world we dwell upon with its variety of scenery--with
its snow-capped mountains, its green-carpeted hills, and its blooming
valleys. He has no need of our gifts; for the earth is His "and the
fulness thereof." Yet as He was pleased to receive the gifts of the Magi
and the precious ointment of Mary, so, too, is He pleased to receive our
offerings. And is anything too good, too beautiful, too precious, for
Him? Can the altar on which He dwells be too richly adorned? Are the
pure candles we light, the sweet incense we burn, the choice flowers and
costly ornaments with which we decorate the altar, too much to use in
honor of Our Lord and our God? Yes, the Catholic practice or rite of
Benediction is dictated by right reason. Everything connected with
Benediction is reasonable, beautiful, and suggestive of the _noblest
sentiments of the heart of man_.
[Illustration: Mary, Star of the Sea.]
II. Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament
"And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and
broke, and gave to His disciples, and said: take ye and eat. This is My
body" (_Matt_. xxvi. 26).
PERHAPS no mystery of revelation has been so universally attacked as the
Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.
By the Real Presence is meant that Jesus Christ is really and truly,
body and blood, soul and divinity, present in the Blessed Sacrament,
under the form and appearance of bread and wine.
This teaching of the Church is in perfect agreement with Scripture,
tradition, and reason.
If the reader will take up his Bible and read carefully the 6th chapter
of the Gospel according to St. John; the 26th chapter, 26th, 27th, and
28th verses of St. Matthew; the 14th chapter, 22d verse of St. Mark; the
First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, 10th chapter, 16th verse,
as well as other portions of the New Testament, he will certainly see
that the Catholic teaching and practice concerning the Real Presence of
Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament are founded on Scripture. In this
6th chapter of St. John, we learn that before instituting the Blessed
Sacrament Our Saviour wished to announce or promise it to His disciples
in order to prepare them for it. He first gave them a figure of the
Blessed Sacrament in the multiplication of the five loaves of bread by
which He fed five thousand persons. After this miracle He told them that
He would give them bread superior to that which they had eaten, and that
this bread was His own flesh and blood. "The bread that I will give is
My flesh, for the life of the world." It is almost impossible to
understand these words of Our Lord in any other than a literal sense. He
was so understood by those who heard Him. "How can this man give us his
flesh to eat?" they said, and many withdrew from Him. It is but
reasonable to believe that if He did not wish to be understood in a
literal sense He would have told His hearers so, rather than have them
leave Him.
This promise of a doctrine so difficult to understand was fulfilled at
the Last Supper.
Then Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke, and gave to His
disciples, and said: "Take ye and eat. This is My body." And taking the
chalice He gave thanks; and gave to them, saying: "Drink ye all of this.
For this is My blood of the new testament which shall be shed for many
for the remission of sins."
"Do this for a commemoration of Me."
These are substantially the words of SS. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and of the
apostle Paul.
In the 10th chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, St. Paul
says: "The chalice of benediction which we bless, is it not the
communion of the blood of Christ? And the bread which we break, is it
not the partaking of the body of the Lord?"
Any one of these texts abundantly proves the Catholic doctrine of the
Real Presence, and shows the reasonableness of the Catholic practice
regarding the Blessed Sacrament. Reflect upon them. Reflect especially
upon the words of Christ, "This is My body." Think what an insult it is
to the divinity and veracity of Christ to doubt His word, because you
can not understand how what appears to be bread is in reality His own
body and blood.
If you remember that Jesus Christ is God, that He had the power to make
this change, that He could confer this power on others, as the apostles
and their successors, that He did so when He said: "Do this in
commemoration of Me," and that this change at the present time as at the
time of the apostles is made by His almighty power, you will have no
difficulty in believing it.
The belief and practice of the Catholic Church of to-day regarding the
Blessed Sacrament is the same as it was in every age since the time of
Christ. The history of every century tells us this. The Fathers,
Doctors, and Church writers of every age say the same. If it were not
so, some one ought to be able to find the time when the doctrine was
invented, and the person who invented it. But, since no one has been
able to find the inventor of this doctrine and practice, the time or
place of the invention, we rightly conclude that they came down to us
from the time of Christ, and had Christ for an author. (Berengarius, in
the eleventh century, was the first who denied this doctrine.) If, then,
Christ is the author, is not the Catholic practice reasonable?
But I don't understand the Catholic doctrine regarding the Blessed
Sacrament, some one may say; therefore it is contrary to reason. Dear
reader, did the consummate puerility, silliness, foolishness of such an
objection ever present itself to you? Do you understand the Blessed
Trinity? And is it contrary to reason? No. Although above reason, it is
not against it. Do you understand how Jesus Christ is both God and man?
Do you understand any mystery? No. If you did it would no longer be a
mystery. For a mystery is something above human intelligence. It is
something incomprehensible to us, for it pertains to the divine
intelligence. And as well might you attempt to pour the mighty ocean
into a small hole on the shore, as attempt to hold with your limited
capacity the illimitable ocean of divinity. The proper office of reason
is to examine the evidences of revelation, and see if God has spoken.
But it constitutes no part of its office to dispute the word of God.
That God has spoken is evident from the fulfilment of many prophecies
and the authority of many miracles. That these prophecies have been
fulfilled, and these miracles performed, is as certain as is any
historical fact. Reason teaches us this. It teaches us, too, that no one
but God (or by the power of God) can prophesy; no one but God can
derogate from the order of nature, by the performance of a miracle.
Reason teaches us, then, that God has spoken. When we know God speaks,
genuine reason will dictate that we humbly believe His holy word. Thus
will true reason ever act. And when God says, "This is My body," it will
not hesitate to believe.
We all believe that at the baptism of Our Saviour by St. John Baptist,
the Holy Ghost appeared in the form of a dove. Now, is it not as
reasonable for Jesus Christ, the second person of the Blessed Trinity,
to appear in the form of bread as it was for the Holy Ghost, the third
person of the Trinity, to appear in the form of a dove? We must
therefore admit that the Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence of Jesus
Christ in the Blessed Sacrament is reasonable; that it has been believed
by the Christian Church of every age from the time of Christ until the
present time; and that it is taught by SS. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and
John, and by St. Paul in clear and unmistakable terms.
Now, dear reader, since Jesus Christ is really present, is not the
Catholic practice regarding the Blessed Sacrament reasonable? Should we
not honor Our Lord and Our God? Should we not adore Him as really
present in the Blessed Sacrament? Should we not frequently receive Him
with pure and contrite hearts? Should we not, when we enter the church,
genuflect, bend the knee in His honor? Should we not show Him every mark
of respect and devotion? Can we do too much in His honor? Let us, then,
adore Our Lord and Our God, for we are His people and the sheep of His
pasture. Let us return love for love to the great King of suffering, who
was born for love of us, who died for love of us, and who, for love of
us, remains ever with us in the Blessed Sacrament. Let us ask that our
faith and love may persevere to the end; that loving and adoring Him
here in the Blessed Sacrament of His love, _we may be united with Him
forever hereafter_.
III. Holy Communion
"He that eateth this bread shall live forever" (_John_ vi. 59)
HOLY communion is receiving the body and blood of Christ in the Blessed
Sacrament. The clergy when saying Mass, except on Good Friday, receive
under both forms. When not celebrating Mass, they receive only the one
kind, the consecrated bread. In the early ages of the Church communion
was given to the people under both forms.
The faithful, however, could, if they wished, dispense with one form and
receive under the form of bread. This shows that the Church always
taught that Christ is entire both under the form of bread and under the
form of wine. At one time the faithful received under both forms; now
they receive under one form, the form of bread. It is merely a matter of
discipline, which the Church could change, if circumstances demanded it.
Whether you receive under one form or both, you receive whole and entire
the body and blood of Christ. This is clearly taught by St. Paul in the
11th chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, where he says:
"Whosoever shall eat this bread, _or_ drink the chalice of the Lord
_unworthily_, shall be guilty of the body _and_ blood of the Lord."
How could a person eating that bread unworthily be guilty of the body
and blood of the Lord, unless the body and blood of the Lord were there
under the form of bread?
Since Jesus Christ is whole and entire under the form of bread, as well
as under the form of wine, the practice of the Catholic Church of giving
holy communion under one form is reasonable.
Good Christians frequently receive their Lord and their God in holy
communion. He inspires them with feelings of love, gratitude, and
adoration. He reminds them to think frequently of their Creator--to give
Him their first thoughts in the morning and their last in the evening.
He gives them strength to restrain their guilty passions.
Holy Communion is the seed of immortality. "He that eateth this bread
_shall live forever_."
IV. Confirmation
"Then they laid their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Ghost"
(_Acts_ viii. 17).
BEFORE the coming of the Holy Ghost on Pentecost, the apostles were weak
and vacillating. One of them betrayed his Master for thirty pieces of
silver; another--the Prince of the Apostles, he whom Christ afterward
made head of His Church--thrice denied his Lord and his God.
After the descent of the Holy Ghost, what a change! What a wonderful
transformation! They who before had been as timid as the lamb, as
changeable as the chameleon's hue, became now as bold as the lion, as
firm as Gibraltar's rock.
In a similar way does Confirmation act on the receiver. Confirmation is
that sacrament in which, by the imposition of the bishop's hands, we
receive the Holy Ghost to make us strong and perfect Christians and
soldiers of Jesus Christ. It is the second in the order of the
sacraments, because the early Christians were accustomed to receive it
immediately after Baptism. In the 8th chapter of the Acts of the
Apostles we find the first recorded instance of the administering of
Confirmation by the apostles. Here we are told that St. Peter and St.
John confirmed the Samaritans who had been baptized by Philip. "They
prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost. . . . Then they
laid their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Ghost." In a
similar way does the bishop, the successor of the apostles, administer
Confirmation at the present day. First, he turns toward those to be
confirmed and says: "May the Holy Ghost come down upon you and the power
of the Most High keep you from sin." Then extending his hands over them
he prays that they may receive the Holy Ghost.
In the 6th verse of the 19th chapter of the Acts the sacred writer,
after telling about the baptism of the disciples at Ephesus, adds: "And
when Paul had laid his hands upon them the Holy Ghost came on them." In
the 6th chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews St. Paul mentions
Confirmation, the laying on of hands, with Baptism and Penance, as among
the principal practices of Christianity.
The sacrament of Confirmation has been administered to the faithful of
every age from the time of Christ until the present. We learn this from
the Fathers and writers of the various ages. Among them St. Clement
says: "All must make haste to be confirmed by a bishop, and receive the
sevenfold grace of the Holy Ghost." The practice of administering
Confirmation is founded on tradition, then, as well as on Scripture. Is
it not reasonable to believe and practise that which the Christian
Church of every age believed and practised?
The apostles of Christ administered Confirmation by praying that the
faithful may receive the Holy Ghost and laying their hands upon them.
The successors of the apostles do likewise. Who will say that this
practice is not reasonable? Baptism gives spiritual life; Confirmation
increases it. Baptism makes persons children of God; Confirmation
strengthens them, causes them to grow, and makes them strong men and
soldiers of Jesus Christ.
All the morality of life is implied in the sacrament of Confirmation. It
strengthens man, it gives him courage to confess God; and as sin is the
denial of God, whoever has courage to confess _God will practise
virtue_.
V. Honoring the Blessed Virgin
"The angel Gabriel was sent from God . . . to a Virgin . . . and the
Virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in said to her: Hail,
full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women"
(_Luke_ i. 26, 28).
"From henceforth all generations shall call me blessed" (_Luke_ i. 48).
THESE words from St. Luke show that the Catholic practice of honoring
Mary is scriptural. We alone fulfil the prophecy, "From henceforth all
generations shall call me blessed." If Mary was so pure that the
archangel Gabriel could salute her as full of grace; if she was so
perfect as to be honored, respected, and loved by her divine Son, Jesus
Christ, is it not reasonable that we, too, should honor, respect, and
love her?
How we honor the sword of Washington! What a cluster of tender
recollections clings to the staff of Franklin! Is there a loyal American
citizen who does not think with feelings of love and respect of the
mother of our Revolutionary hero, or who would not doff his hat at the
unveiling of a statue of the sage of Monticello? And why? Is it on
account of their intrinsic merit? No. We honor them principally on
account of the relation they bear to those three brightest stars in the
American firmament. So it is with the honor we show to Mary, the Mother
of God. Although she was an example of all virtues, we honor her
principally because it was through her instrumentality He was born by
whom we achieved not civil liberty, but the liberty of the children of
God. She did not draw lightning from heaven, nor the scepter from kings;
but she brought forth Him who is the Lord of heaven and King of kings.
The principal reason, then, why we honor Mary is because she is the
Mother of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This honor consists of
love, respect, and veneration. We love her with an interior love, a love
proceeding from the heart; nor should we fear to let this love appear
outwardly. When others revile her, speak disrespectfully of her, we
should shrink from the very idea of acting similarly toward her. We
should then remember that she is the Mother of Our Saviour, and should
ask ourselves how we would have acted toward her had we lived in her day
and been witnesses of the honor shown her by her divine Son. By so doing
we will show her that love which is her due. Our respect, our veneration
for her, should be affectionate and deep. When we remember that it was
her hand that first lifted from the ground and received in maternal
embrace the sacred body of Jesus, just born and just dead; when we think
how respectfully Elizabeth greeted her; when we recall to mind the
reverent salutation of the archangel; when we consider the honor shown
her by the apostles and by her own divine Son, can we help feeling a
deep love, respect, and veneration for her? You see, dear reader,
honoring Mary is scriptural and reasonable.
But if we should honor her principally because she is the Mother of God,
we should also honor her because she is the peerless glory, the
matchless jewel of her sex. She constitutes a sole exception to a
general law. Sin never contaminated, never touched her fair soul. This
is what we mean by the Immaculate Conception.
God created the first man free from sin. But he transgressed the law of
God, and, by his transgression, all his posterity are born in sin and
conceived in iniquity. For St. Paul says: "By one man sin entered into
this world, and by sin death; and so death passed upon all men, in whom
all have sinned" (_Rom._ v. 12). But God promised that the woman, Mary,
should crush the head of the serpent. Now if she was to crush the head
of the serpent, it was fit that she should never be under his power,
that she should be pure, free from sin of every kind.
There have been exceptions to all general laws. At the time of the
deluge Noe was saved. Lot was saved from the destruction of Sodom. In
like manner, the Blessed Virgin is an exception to the general law that
all sinned in Adam. Isaias and St. John Baptist were sanctified in their
mother's womb. Was it any more difficult for God to sanctify Mary at the
moment of her conception, at the moment of the union of her soul with
her body? God chose His own Mother. If He had the power to choose her
did He not also have the power to preserve her from original sin? And
does it not appear to you most fitting that God, the Holy Ghost, should
preserve His spouse, and God, the Son, His Mother, from sin of every
kind?
"Hail, full of grace," the angel said to her. If she was full of grace,
no vacancy was left for sin. Grace denotes the absence of sin, as light
denotes the absence of darkness. Hence if Mary was full of grace, she
was never subject to sin; she was always pure and her conception
immaculate. It is but natural, then, that we arrive at the belief in the
Immaculate Conception, at the belief in the sinlessness, the
spotlessness of the Blessed Virgin from the very beginning of her
existence. If we honor Mary principally because the angel honored her,
because God honored her, we honor her, also, because of her immaculate
conception and total freedom from sin. She was a model of all virtues.
Is it not reasonable, then, to honor Mary, to love her, and to believe
that she loves us? If we honor the good and virtuous, where can we find
a nobler example of virtue than Mary? What a beautiful model Mary is for
Christians, and especially for Christian women! Good Catholic mothers
are continually urging upon their daughters the necessity of choosing as
a model Mary, the true type of female excellence. In Mary you find all
that is tender, loving, constant, and true. In her you find all virtues.
In her humility she refused the highest honors; while in patience she
endured more anguish and agony than any other creature on earth.
Mary is a creature of God. As the praise we bestow on a beautiful
picture redounds to the glory of the artist, so the honor we give Mary
redounds to God, since we honor her for His sake. Let us honor her. That
person who honors the Blessed Virgin; who loves, respects, and venerates
her as the Mother of God; who takes her as a model and imitates her
virtues; who prays to her in trials and afflictions and asks her
intercession with her divine Son, does not only act in a reasonable
manner, but such action is certain to make the path through this world
smooth and easy and at the same time safe to a life of _eternal
happiness_.
VI. Confession of Sin
"Whom when He saw He said: Go, show yourselves to the priests" (_Luke_
xvii. 14).
"Receive ye the Holy Ghost; whose sins ye shall forgive, they are
forgiven them, and whose sins ye shall retain, they are retained"
(_John_ xx. 23).
THE whole of the life of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ may be summed
up in these words of the Acts: "He went about doing good." He healed the
sick, gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and raised the dead
to life.
The healing of the body, however, was to Him a secondary object. The
healing of the soul was His mission on earth. He frequently called the
attention of His followers to this. For example, He cured the man of the
palsy to prove that as man He had the power to forgive sins. Another
example is when He gives us in the cure of the lepers a figure of sin
and its cure.
Leprosy has always been considered a figure of sin. As leprosy covers
the body and makes it disgusting and frightful to behold, so sin covers
the soul and makes it hideous in the sight of God. The Old Law required
lepers to separate themselves from society until their cure was
certified to by the priests who were appointed for this purpose. Our
Lord has been pleased, in the New Law, to institute a similar method for
the cure of the more fatal leprosy of sin. The spiritual leper, the
sinner, is to show himself to the priest, make known the diseased state
of his soul, and submit to the inspection and treatment of the priest,
who is the divinely appointed physician of the soul. But should we not
go directly to God, since God alone has power to justify us? It is true,
God alone can effect our justification; but He has appointed the priest
to judge in His place and pass sentence in His name. To the priests He
has said: "Whatsoever you shall bind upon earth shall be bound in
heaven, and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth shall be loosed also
in heaven" (_Matt._ xviii. 18); and again: "Whose sins you shall
forgive, they are forgiven, and whose sins you shall retain, they are
retained" (_John_ xx. 23). These two texts clearly show that auricular
confession as practised in the Catholic Church was taught by Christ. For
how could the apostles and their successors, the pastors of the Church,
know what sins to bind and retain and what sins to loose and forgive
unless the sins were confessed to them and they were allowed to judge?
No matter how numerous or how great these are, provided they are
confessed with a sincere repentance, they will be forgiven. And they
will be forgiven by the power of the priest. Properly speaking, God
alone has power to forgive sins. But no one will deny that He has power
to confer this power on others. He communicated this power to His
apostles and commanded them, in turn, to communicate it to others by
means of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
That Our Saviour communicated this power to His apostles is evident from
the words of St. John: "As the Father hath sent Me I also send you.
Receive ye the Holy Ghost; whose sins you shall forgive, they are
forgiven." But sin was to continue till the end of the world. Hence the
necessity of the means of forgiving sin being coextensive with sin. As
the people receive from the priests the Word of God and the cleansing
from sin in Baptism, so also do they receive from them the cleansing
from sin in confession.
It is certain that the apostles conferred the power of forgiving sins
upon others, if we find that those whom the apostles ordained this
power. But we find this to be the case.
From the time of Christ until the present the writers of every age tell
us that confession of sins was practised. St. John, who lived until the
beginning of the second century, says in the 1st chapter of his First
Epistle: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from all iniquity."
St. Cyprian, who wrote in the third century, says: "Let each of you
confess his faults, and the pardon imparted by the priest is acceptable
before God."
St. Ambrose, in the fourth century, wrote: "The poison is sin; the
remedy, the accusation of one's crime. The poison is iniquity:
confession is the remedy."
St. Augustine, who lived in the fifth century, seems to be talking to
some people of the present day, who say they confess in private to God,
when he says: "Let no one say to himself, I do penance to God in
private, I do it before God. Is it then in vain that Christ hath said:
'Whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven'? Is it
in vain that the keys have been given to the Church? Do we make void the
Gospel? void the words of Christ?"
These first five centuries were the golden age of Christianity. All
admit that the doctrines and practices of those early centuries were
pure and undefiled, as they came from Christ. But among the practices of
the time we find confession. Hence it is a reasonable practice, because
conformable to Christ's teaching. We might continue quotations from
writers of every century from the sixth to the nineteenth, showing that
the teaching and practice of confession did not vary through the lapse
of ages from the time of Christ until the present day. But this is
unnecessary. The quotations from the first five centuries show that the
power of forgiving sin was not only communicated by Christ to His
apostles, but by them to their successors by means of the sacrament of
Holy Orders. What would be the necessity of this power if they could not
exercise it in confession? If, as some say, priests invented confession,
some one ought to find out and tell us when and where it was invented,
and why they did not exempt themselves from such a humiliating practice.
Confession alone, however, will be of no avail without contrition.
Contrition is a sincere sorrow and detestation for sin with a firm
determination to sin no more. To the truly humble and sorrowful sinner
confession is not a punishment, but a remedy for a tortured conscience.
The most painful secret to be kept by a heart not yet corrupted by
disease is the secret of sin and crime. The soul that loves God hates
sin and desires to separate herself from it. To this desire is
associated the desire of expiating it. All, from the mother who
questions her child about wrongdoing to the judge who interrogates the
criminal, recognize in spontaneous confession an expiatory power.
Confession, it is true, is necessarily accompanied by shame and
humiliation. This humiliation is diminished by the knowledge that it is
of divine origin and that eternal silence is divinely imposed upon him
who receives it. Priests never divulge what they know from the
confessional. They have been ill-treated, as was Father Kohlmann in this
country; have even been tortured and cruelly put to death, as was St.
John Nepomucene, in order to extort from them knowledge they gained in
the confessional, but without avail. For what they knew through the
tribunal of penance, they knew as ministers of God. And as it is better
to obey God than man, no minister of state could force them to divulge
that which the laws of God forbid.
Only sinners, who after a thorough preparation, a sincere sorrow, and a
good confession, can realize the soothing and beneficial effects of
confession, and feel with David, "Blessed are they whose sins are
forgiven." If you have ever noticed such after leaving the confessional
you could see joy beaming on their countenances, as if a heavy burden
had been removed.
Confession quiets the conscience. But this is only one of the benefits
it confers upon those who practise going to confession. It has also a
salutary influence upon their morals; for one of its necessary
conditions is promise of amendment.
The pagans of the first centuries were aware of the guiding and
reforming power of the confessional. Voltaire, the leading infidel of
the last century, one who made sport of everything Christian, says that
"there is, perhaps, no wiser institution, and that confession is an
excellent thing, a restraint upon inveterate crime, a very good practice
to prevent the guilty from falling into despair and relapsing into sin,
to influence hearts full of hate to forgive and robbers to make
restitution--that the enemies of the _Romish_ Church who have opposed so
beneficial an institution have taken from man the greatest restraint
that can be put upon crime." While his everyday experience forced these
words of praise from the arch-infidel, his hatred of the Church creeps
out in the word "Romish."
Confession of sin, as we have seen, is a _reasonable practice_, because
it was taught by Jesus Christ, and by His apostles and their successors
from Christ's time until the present; but _especially_ because it has
the power of soothing and pacifying the conscience by freeing it from
the torture of sin, the poison of crime. It is not strange, then, that
it is so dear to virtuous souls. It is offensive only to those whose
hearts are so hardened as to blunt the sting of remorse. Confession is
Christianity using its moral power to correct and perfect the
individual. In the confessional the minister of God is continually
coming in contact with hearts in which reigns an idol that he
overthrows, a bad practice that he causes to cease, or some injustice
that he has repaired.
Confession is one of the gates by which Christianity penetrates the
interior man, wipes away stains, heals diseases, and sows therein the
seeds of virtue. The lives and experience of millions are witness of the
truth of this. Is it not, then, a reasonable, a beneficial practice? It
is only the malicious or the ignorant who calumniate the practice and
the consecrated minister who sits in judgment in the sacred tribunal.
Those who lay aside their prejudice and study the question soon become
convinced of its divine origin. A little study and reflection will show
them that confession of sin benefits society by preventing crimes that
would destroy government, cause riots, and fill prisons; that it
promotes human justice, makes men better, nobler, purer, higher, and
more Godlike; that it soothes the sorrowful heart whose crime might make
the despairing suicide; and that individuals and families who
frequently, intelligently, and properly approach this fountain of God's
grace will receive His blessing here _and a pledge of His union
hereafter_.
VII. Granting Indulgences
"Whatsoever you shall bind upon earth shall be bound in heaven, and
whatsoever you shall loose upon earth shall be loosed also in heaven"
(Matt xviii. 18).
OF THE many practices of the Church, few have been the cause of more
controversy than that of granting indulgences. Though not the cause, the
granting of an indulgence furnished a pretext for Luther's apostasy. Leo
X, who was Pope at that time, desiring to complete St. Peter's at Rome,
appealed to all Catholics for financial aid. There was certainly nothing
wrong in this. With these alms it was intended that the most magnificent
Christian temple in the world would be completed.
"Majesty, Power, Glory, Strength, and Beauty, all are aisled
In this eternal ark of worship undefiled."
All who contributed toward the completion of St. Peter's and complied
with the necessary conditions were granted an indulgence.
The alms were not one of the indispensable conditions. Those conditions
were a sincere repentance and confession. Hence, those who did not
contribute could gain the indulgence. Perhaps the Dominican Tetzel, who
was chosen to announce the indulgence, exceeded his powers and made them
serve his own ends.
His action in the affair was not approved by Rome. If it is certain that
the Pope did nothing wrong in asking for aid to build that beautiful
monument to religion, it is equally certain that he did nothing wrong,
that he did not exceed the limits of his powers when he granted the
indulgence. In order to understand this, we must have a clear idea of
what is meant by an indulgence.
You frequently hear it said that it is the forgiveness of sin, or that
it is a permission given to commit sin. It is neither the one nor the
other. An indulgence is not the forgiveness of sin. In fact, an
indulgence can not be gained until sin has been forgiven. One of the
necessary conditions for gaining an indulgence is confession.
Neither is an indulgence a license, a permission to commit sin. No one,
not even God Himself, could give permission to commit sin. For God is
all good, and although all powerful He can not sanction that which is
evil in itself. It would be contrary to His very nature. An indulgence,
then, is not what it has been painted. Having seen what an indulgence is
not, let us see what it is. It is a remission of the whole or a part of
the debt of temporal punishment due to sin after the guilt and eternal
punishment have been forgiven in the sacrament of Penance.
In the early ages of the Church notorious sinners, after being absolved,
were sentenced to long public penances. By sincere sorrow, an indulgence
or remission of some of the time was granted them. Public confession and
public penances have passed away. These public penances are replaced by
pious devotions. Upon the performance of certain pious devotions the
Church at times grants an indulgence; that is, a remission of such
temporal punishment as is equivalent to the canonical penances
corresponding to the sins committed.
Attached to every mortal sin, besides the guilt, is the punishment
incurred. This punishment is eternal and temporal. That there is this
twofold punishment we learn from various places in the Bible. We have an
example in the sin of David. God sent the prophet Nathan to warn him of
his guilt. When Nathan rebuked the king, he confessed his sin with signs
of true contrition. Then Nathan told him that God had forgiven his sin,
but that many temporal punishments would follow. When God forgave the
sin, the guilt and eternal punishment were taken away; but temporal
punishment remained. Other examples could be cited, but this is
sufficient to show that there is a twofold kind of punishment--eternal
and temporal. In confession the guilt and eternal punishment are taken
away, but not always the temporal punishment. This temporal punishment
is what is taken away in whole by a plenary and in part by a partial
indulgence.
In a similar manner we have a twofold punishment attached to crime in
this world. A man commits a crime. He is sentenced to a term in the
penitentiary. After spending his time of punishment he comes back to
society, but finds he has another punishment to undergo in being avoided
by his friends and others.
The practice of granting indulgences was founded on many passages of
Scripture, both of the Old and New Testament. In the 12th chapter of the
book of Numbers we learn that Mary, the sister of Moses, was forgiven a
sin which she had committed. But God inflicted upon her the penalty of
leprosy. This was a temporal punishment. By the prayer of Moses an
indulgence was granted; for God took away the temporal punishment.
Our divine Lord left with His Church the power of granting indulgences,
as we learn from His words taken from St. Matthew: "Whatsoever you shall
loose upon earth shall be loosed also in heaven." This promise implies
the power of loosing not only from sin and its eternal punishment, but
also the power of releasing the bond of temporal punishment, of freeing
from everything that would prevent the soul from entering the kingdom of
heaven. St. Paul granted an indulgence to the incestuous Corinthian, as
we learn from the 2d chapter of his Second Epistle to the Corinthians.
By the power and authority which he received from Christ, he granted the
Corinthian pardon from performing a certain penance. This penance was a
temporal punishment. The apostle took away the temporal punishment. That
is an indulgence.
Non-Catholics grant a kind of plenary indulgence to every one by saying
that works of penance are unnecessary. The practice of the Catholic
Church of granting an indulgence only to the deserving is certainly more
conformable to Scripture as well as more reasonable.
Experience teaches us the utility of indulgences. They encourage the
faithful to frequent the sacraments, to repent, to do acts of penance,
and perform works of piety, charity, and devotion.
A practice productive of such beneficial results is reasonable; it is
also reasonable because it is sanctioned by Scripture and the Church of
every age. For God would not sanction it nor could the Church practise
it if it were _not conformable to reason_.
VIII. The Last Sacraments
"Is any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests of the Church,
and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the
Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick man, and the Lord
shall raise him up, and if he be in sins they shall be forgiven him"
(_James_ v. 14, 15).
BY THESE words St. James admonishes Christians when sick to do that
which Our Saviour had previously directed to be done. This you will
learn from the 6th chapter of St. Mark: "And [the apostles] anointed
with oil many that were sick."
The historians of the first centuries tell us that the early Christians
were as anxious to receive the last sacraments as are the Catholics of
our own day. St. Cesarius, in the fifth century, writes: "As soon as a
person falls dangerously sick, he receives the body and blood of Jesus
Christ. Then his body is anointed, and thus is fulfilled what stands
written: 'Is any man sick among you? Let him call in the priests of the
Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil.'" What the
Christians of the first centuries did, we do; and we do it by the
direction of Jesus Christ and of St. James.
Penance, Holy Eucharist, and Extreme Unction are administered to the
sick and are known as the last sacraments. The priest first hears the
sick person's confession, then he administers holy communion. Afterward
he administers the sacrament of Extreme Unction--last anointing.
This sacrament aids the sick to bear their sufferings with patience. It
wipes away sin, even mortal sin if the person is unable to confess; and
it purifies the soul for its entrance into heaven. The other sacraments
assist us in making our lives holy like the life of our divine Model.
This sacrament assists in making our death holy, like the death of
Jesus. The sacrament of Baptism met us at our entrance into this world;
the sacrament of Extreme Unction will be our guide at our departure to
the other world. Religion, which rocked us in the cradle of life, will
lull us to sleep in the cradle of death.
Go to the bedside of the dying Catholic and you will see the
reasonableness of the practice of calling the priest to administer the
last sacraments. After the sacraments have been administered, peace and
joy and contentment are visible on the countenance of the sick person.
He clings no more to the things of earth. His thoughts are centered in
heaven. The minister of God consoles him with the thought of immortality
and the resurrection of the body. He soon hears the singing of the
angelic choir; and breathing the sweet names of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,
his soul takes its flight to the _regions of eternal bliss_.
IX. Praying for the Dead
"It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that
they may be loosed from their sins" (_2 Mach_. xii. 46).
NO ONE will deny that the practice of praying for the dead is
reasonable, if the dead are benefited by our prayers. That our prayers
are beneficial to the departed we will endeavor to show. We are taught
by revelation that besides heaven and hell, a state of everlasting
pleasure and a state of eternal pain, there also exists a middle state
of punishment for those who die in venial sin, or who have not
sufficiently satisfied the justice of God for mortal sins already
forgiven.
The people of God in the Old Law believed, and Jesus Christ and His
apostles in the New Law taught, the existence of this middle state. In
the Second Book of Machabees, quoted above, we read that the pious
general Judas Machabeus having made a collection, "sent twelve thousand
drachmas of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifices to be offered for the
dead [soldiers], thinking well and religiously concerning the
resurrection [for if he had not hoped that they that were slain should
rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the
dead], and because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with
godliness had great grace laid up for them. It is, therefore, a holy and
wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from
their sins." If prayers were not beneficial to the dead, God would not
have sanctioned them.
This is exactly the practice of the Catholic Church. We pray and offer
sacrifices for the souls in purgatory, just as Judas Machabeus did. Even
if the Books of Machabees were not inspired, it is historically true
that the Jews and almost all nations of antiquity believed in the
existence of purgatory and the utility of prayers for the souls detained
there. This universal consent is the voice of nature and of God. Hence
we see that the practice of praying for the dead is reasonable.
This practice is in accordance with the teaching of Christ. In the 12th
chapter, 32d verse, of St. Matthew, He says: "He that shall speak
against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this
world nor in the world to come."
These words teach us that some sins will be pardoned in the life to
come. They can not be pardoned in heaven, since nothing defiled can
enter heaven; nor can they be pardoned in hell, out of which there is no
redemption, for "their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be
quenched." Therefore, there must be a state in the next world where sins
will be forgiven, and we call that place or state purgatory. And the
existence of purgatory implies the necessity of praying for those
detained there. The belief in the existence of purgatory and the
practice of praying for the faithful departed have existed in the Church
from the time of its foundation.
Tertullian, who lived in the second century, considered it a solemn
duty, whose obligation came down from the apostles, to offer sacrifices
and prayers for the faithful departed. St. Augustine says: "The whole
Church received from the tradition of the Fathers to pray for those who
died in the communion of the body and blood of Christ." The dying
request of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, is well known. "I
request you," she said, "that wherever you may be, you will remember me
at the altar of the Lord." And he assures us that he frequently and
fervently prayed for her soul.
The teaching of the Church of every age confirms the teaching of the Old
and New Testament regarding purgatory and praying for the dead. To one
who believes in heaven and hell, a place of eternal pleasure and of
eternal punishment, the doctrine of purgatory must appear as a
necessity, and the practice of praying for the dead reasonable. For it
is certain that nothing defiled can enter heaven. But it is possible
that many die guilty of but slight sins. Therefore, it must be said that
these are damned, which is impious and absurd; that what is defiled can
enter heaven, which is unscriptural; or that there is a purgatory, a
state in which such souls are made pure as the driven snow, so that they
can enter into the presence of their Maker. For an infinitely just God
can not condemn to the same eternal punishment the child who dies guilty
of a slight fault and the hardened murderer. No. He will render to every
one according to his works.
The doctrine of purgatory, then, is reasonable as well as scriptural and
traditional. Reasonable, too, is the practice of praying for the dead,
for they are still members of the Church. All the members of the Church,
consisting of the church militant on earth, the church triumphant in
heaven, and the church suffering in purgatory, are one family bound
together by the bond of charity. The members of the Church on earth pray
to those in heaven, who love us and pray for us; and we pray for those
in purgatory. They are God's friends deprived of heaven for a time. As
those in heaven rejoice when one sinner does penance, so those in
purgatory hear us, see us, love us, and are helped by our prayers. We
love them and never cease to pray for them and offer the Holy Sacrifice
for them. Even the unbeliever will stand or kneel by the remains of his
departed friend and offer a prayer for him, thus showing that praying
for the dead is reasonable and the natural dictate of the human heart.
X. Praying to the Saints
"And may the angel that delivereth me from all evils bless these boys"
(_Gen_. xlviii. 16).
"So I say to you there shall be joy before the angels of God upon one
sinner doing penance" (_Luke_ xv. 10).
"For in the resurrection they [the saints] shall be as the angels of God
in heaven" (_Matt_. xxii. 10).
THE saints are friends of God. They are like the angels in heaven. We
honor them, not as we honor God, but on account of the relation they
bear to God. They are creatures of God, the work of His hands. When we
honor them, we honor God; as when we praise a beautiful painting, we
praise the artist.
We do not believe that the saints can help us of themselves. But we ask
them to "pray for us." We believe that everything comes to us "through
Our Lord Jesus Christ." With these words all our prayers end. It is
useful, salutary, and reasonable to pray to the saints and ask them to
pray for us. No doubt all will admit the reasonableness of this practice
if the saints can hear and help us.
That they hear and help us is evident from many passages of Scripture.
The patriarch Jacob would not have prayed to the angel to bless his
grandchildren Manasses and Ephraim (as we learn he did from _Gen_.
xlviii.), unless he knew the angel could do so.
We are informed (_Luke_ xv.) that the angels rejoice when one sinner
does penance. We are also informed (_Matt_ xxii.) that the saints are
like the angels--_i.e._, have the same happiness and knowledge.
Hence the saints, as well as the angels, can hear us, can help us, and
are acquainted with our actions, words, and thoughts.
It is generally conceded that it is reasonable to ask pious persons on
earth to pray for us. St. Paul, in his epistles, frequently asks the
Christians to pray for him. "Brethren," he says, "pray for us." It is
well known that God was pleased to answer the prayer of Abraham in favor
of Abimelech. "More things are wrought by prayer than this world knows
of." Now, if we poor sinners here on earth do not pray in vain for one
another, will the saints in heaven, the friends of God, who rejoice when
a sinner does penance, pray in vain for us? No. We have hosts of friends
in heaven to speak a good word for us. And as a child who has disobeyed
his parents wisely asks a better brother or sister to intercede with his
parents for mercy, so, too, having disobeyed our heavenly Father by sin,
we have recourse to others better than ourselves, to our better brothers
and sisters, the Blessed Virgin and saints, to intercede with God for
us.
Is not this a reasonable practice?
If your mother or sister crosses the sea she will continue to pray for
you. And if she crosses the sea of death will she forget you? No. The
love she bore you here will continue in heaven. She will pray for you,
and the "Lord will hear the prayers of the just." Ask the saints to pray
to your God and their God for you. Honor God by honoring His friends and
asking their intercession. And all your friends in heaven will unite in
praying to the Father of us all that one day all who love God and His
friends, the saints, may be admitted with them into the _company of the
Saint of saints, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ._
XI. Crucifixes, Relics, and Images
"Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of
anything that is in the 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" (_Ex_. xx. 4, 5).
THIS first commandment teaches us to adore God alone. It does not forbid
the making of images, but it forbids the adoring of them, worshiping
them as gods. This would be idolatry. If the making of images were
forbidden, it would be improper to have images or pictures of our
friends.
It has frequently been said that Catholics ate idolaters, because they
have in their churches crucifixes, relics, and images of the saints,
which they honor. Perhaps many of those who accuse us of idolatry, if
asked, could not tell what idolatry is. Idolatry is giving to a creature
(whether a crucifix, an image, or any created thing) that honor which
belongs to God.
The honor we give those sacred things is a relative honor. We honor them
on account of the relation they bear to God and His friends, the saints.
Every Catholic, even the child, is taught the difference between the
idol of the pagan and a Catholic image. Pagans looked upon their idols
as gods. They thought these senseless objects had power, intelligence,
and other attributes of the Deity. They worshiped them as gods and
thought they could assist them. Hence they were image-worshipers or
idolaters.
Catholics know full well that images have no intelligence to understand,
no power to assist them. They do not adore nor serve them. That would be
idolatry. It would be breaking the first commandment. They do not say
when praying before the crucifix or image of a saint, "I adore thee, O
Crucifix"; nor "Help me, O Image," But they say, "I adore thee, O God,
whose cruel death is represented by this crucifix," or "Pray for me, O
saint represented by this image."
We have images, pictures, and relics of Our Lord, His Blessed Mother,
and the saints, for the same reason that we have relics and portraits of
George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, or of our relatives and friends.
They remind us of the original. Who can look upon the crucifix or upon a
picture of the Crucifixion without being reminded of all the sufferings
of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?
And who can seriously contemplate those sufferings, borne for us so
patiently, without being moved to pity and to repentance? Such a person
will be moved to say with the heart if not with the lips: "Oh, my God, I
am sorry for having offended Thee and caused Thee such suffering. Grant
that I may love Thee with my whole heart and never more offend Thee."
Catholics, as we have seen, adore God alone. They honor the Blessed
Virgin and saints represented by images. They use these holy pictures
and statues to beautify the house of God. These pictures are also a
source of instruction. They are a profession of our faith. If you enter
a house and see on one side of the room a picture of the Blessed Virgin,
Cardinal Gibbons, or of Pope Leo XIII, and on the other a picture of
Lincoln, Cleveland, or Washington, you will at once know the religious
faith as well as the political belief or patriotism of the occupant.
By the aid of the relics of the martyrs we are reminded of all they
suffered for the faith. By the use of religious pictures, our devotion
is increased and we are stimulated to imitate the virtues of the saints
represented.
If it is reasonable to have pictures of our martyred President and
relics of our Revolutionary heroes that we may be reminded of their
patriotism, it is none the less reasonable to have pictures and relics
of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin, and the saints, that we may be reminded
of their virtues. By imitating their virtues here, we may be _happy with
them hereafter_.
XII. Some Sacramentals
"Pray without ceasing" (_2 Thess_. v. 17).
"Every creature is sanctified by the word of God and prayer" (_1 Tim_.
4, 5).
BY SACRAMENTALS we mean the various prayers, blessings, ceremonies and
pious practices of the Church. Here mention will be made of some of the
most common of the sacramentals that have not already been treated.
Sacramentals, like sacraments, have an outward sign; the latter,
however, were instituted by Christ, the former by the Church, and while
the latter always give grace if we place no obstacle in the way, the
former do not give grace, but excite good thoughts, increase devotion,
and raise the mind to God.
The chief sacramentals that have not been mentioned are the books used
by the priest in the performance of his sacred duties, the sign of the
cross, holy water, blessed candles, blessed palm and ashes, holy oils,
scapulars, medals, Agnus Dei, prayers, litanies, rosary, the Angelus,
stations, the funeral service, and various blessings.
The books used by the priest in the performance of his sacred duties are
the _Missal_, which contains the Masses for the various feasts of the
ecclesiastical year; the _Breviary_, in which is the office recited by
the priest every day; and the _Ritual_, where is to be found the form of
administering the different sacraments, the funeral service, and the
various benedictions.
The sacramental of most frequent use in the Church is the _sign of the
cross_. It is used to remind us of the Passion and Death of Our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ on the cross. The cross is the emblem of the
Christian, the "sign of the Son of Man." It is an act of faith in the
principal truths of Christianity. When we say the words, "In the name,"
we profess our faith in the unity of God, which means that there is but
one God; "of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost," are a
profession of faith in the Trinity--_i.e._, that there are three divine
persons in one God. The form of the cross which we trace with our right
hand from our forehead to our breast, and then from the left to the
right shoulder, is a profession of faith in the Incarnation of the Son
of God, who became man and died on the cross for our redemption.
Tertullian and other writers of the early ages of the Church tell us
that before every action, before rising or retiring, before meals, at
every step, "we impress on our forehead the sign of the cross." The
Catholic Church of to-day, in accordance with the teachings of Christ,
His apostles, and their successors of all time, teaches her children to
put their trust in the merits of Jesus Christ's sufferings on the cross,
and to do everything "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Ghost."
_Holy water_ is water blessed by a priest. During the blessing beautiful
prayers are recited. These prayers express the spiritual blessings the
Church wishes to follow all who use it. The Church uses holy water in
all the benedictions and some of her sacraments. It is placed at the
doors of her churches, that all who enter may use it and be reminded of
that purity of heart which it symbolizes. Holy water is also kept in the
houses of Catholics, to be used in times of trial and when the priest
comes to administer the sacraments.
The _blessed candles_ used in the service of the Church receive their
special blessing on Candlemas Day. We use these lighted candles at
different times to remind us of Jesus, who is the "Light of the world."
Catholics always keep a blessed candle in the house. The Church puts a
lighted candle in our hand at our baptism, and wishes us to die with one
in our hand, to remind us to hope in Him who is our Light and the light
of the world.
On Ash Wednesday _ashes_ are blessed and put on the forehead of the
faithful in the form of a cross, with the words, "Remember, man, that
thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return," to remind them that they
are only dust and ashes. These are the ashes of burnt _palms_ blessed
the Palm Sunday of the previous year. These palms are blessed in memory
of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, when the people spread
palm branches along the way. This palm should remind us to perform
faithfully our duty if we wish to enjoy the palm of victory.
The _holy oils_ are blessed by the bishop on Holy Thursday of each year.
They are of three kinds: oil of the sick, used in the sacrament of
Extreme Unction; oil of the Catechumens, used in blessing baptismal
water and in the sacrament of Baptism; and Holy Chrism, used in the
preparation of baptismal water in the ceremonies of Baptism,
Confirmation, and at the consecration of a bishop, of churches, altars,
bells and chalices. The olive oil used should remind us of Our Saviour's
_passion_ in the Garden of Olives.
_Agnus Deis_ (blessed by the Pope), _scapulars_, and _medals_ are small
articles worn by Catholics to remind them of Our Lord (the Lamb of God),
of the Blessed Virgin, and of the saints. They are emblems of the
Christian, as the starry banner is the emblem of the American; and as
the flag of our country shows that we are under the protection of the
Government of the United States, so the Agnus Dei, scapulars, and medals
show that we are under the protection of Jesus Christ, His Blessed
Mother, and His saints.
_Prayer_ is the elevation of our mind and heart to God to ask Him for
all blessings, temporal and spiritual. Prayer is necessary to salvation.
We are taught in St. Luke (xviii.) to pray always and faint not. We
should pray with attention and devotion, with confidence and humility.
We are told in the Lord's Prayer to pray for others as well as for
ourselves, and God's choicest blessings will be granted us through Jesus
Christ Our Lord. The best of all prayers is the one God taught us--the
Lord's Prayer. Other prayers common in the Church are Litanies,
Rosaries, the Angelus, Stations, and the Funeral Service for the dead.
The Litanies most in use in the Church are the Litany of All Saints, of
the Blessed Virgin, of the Holy Name of Jesus. In these Litanies we ask
God to have mercy on us and the saints to pray for us; but we ask
everything through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Few practices of the Church
are more widespread than the _Rosary_ of the Blessed Virgin. It consists
of the best of all prayers--the Apostles' Creed, the Our Father, three
Hail Marys, and the Glory be to the Father; then the Our Father and ten
Hail Marys repeated five times. This constitutes the beads, or one-third
part of the Rosary. During the recitation of these prayers the mind
should be occupied meditating on the principal mysteries of the life of
Our Lord. These mysteries are divided into the five joyful mysteries:
the Annunciation by the angel Gabriel, the Visitation of the Blessed
Virgin to St. Elizabeth, the Birth of Our Lord, the Presentation, and
the Finding in the Temple; the five sorrowful mysteries: the Agony in
the Garden, the Scourging, the Crowning with Thorns, the Carrying of the
Cross, and the Crucifixion; and the five glorious mysteries: the
Resurrection, the Ascension, the Descent of the Holy Ghost, the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, and the Crowning of the Blessed Virgin
in heaven. Any one of these mysteries furnishes sufficient material to
occupy the mind of man for hours. These mysteries contain the whole
history of the Redemption. The prayers and meditations of the Rosary
satisfy the minds of the humblest, while they are sufficient to occupy
the attention of the most exalted and most cultivated. The _Angelus_ is
a beautiful prayer, said morning, noon, and night. In Catholic countries
the bell is rung, when all cease their occupations, kneel, and recite:
"The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, and she conceived by the Holy
Ghost"--a Hail Mary. "Behold the handmaid of the Lord--be it done unto
me according to Thy Word"--a Hail Mary. "And the Word was made flesh,
and dwelt amongst us"--a Hail Mary. The prayer: "Pour forth, we beseech
Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the
Incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an
angel, may by His passion and cross be brought to the glory of His
resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen." By this beautiful
practice we show in a special manner our faith in the Incarnation of Our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
The _Stations of the Cross_ are fourteen paintings representing the
various stages of the passion and death of Our Redeemer. The faithful
pass from station to station and meditate upon that feature of the
passion represented by each station. Tradition tells us that from the
beginning pious pilgrims were accustomed to tread the path and bedew
with their tears the way sanctified by our Saviour on that sorrowful
journey from Pilate's tribunal to Calvary's heights. But Jerusalem
falling into the hands of infidels, and many being unable to visit those
holy places, permission was obtained to erect in churches fourteen
crosses and pictures commemorating these sorrowful acts. From these
stations all can meditate upon the sufferings of our Saviour, and learn
from Him submission to God's holy will, patience, charity, and
forgiveness of injuries.
The _funeral service_ of the Catholic Church is beautiful, touching, and
instructive. After blessing, strengthening, and encouraging us through
life with her sacraments; after fortifying our souls for the last great
struggle, she follows us beyond the grave with her blessings, her
prayers, and her sacrifices. "Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord," she
prays; "and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in
peace."
There are various other prayers and blessings used by the Church on
special occasions. In fact, the Church blesses everything she uses. This
blessing of the priest is not such an absurd thing as some imagine it to
be; it is rather a most reasonable practice. It is simply a prayer said
by the priest, asking God to send His blessing upon the person or thing
indicated. People of all denominations say grace before meals, asking
God to bless the food they are about to use. This is precisely what the
priest does when blessing anything. He uses different forms of prayer
ordained by the Church to implore God's blessing upon the water,
candles, and other things before using them. This blessing of churches,
water, candles, and other things has its foundation on Scripture. We
read in the Old Testament of the solemn blessing of the Temple of
Solomon. St. Paul tells us that "every creature is sanctified by the
word of God and prayer." Churches, water, candles, bells, books,
persons, and other things blessed by the Church are creatures. Therefore
we are following St. Paul in blessing them, for every creature is
sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
We do not claim that those articles that are blessed have any efficacy
in themselves; but we hope and pray that God in His infinite goodness
and mercy may render those blessed articles beneficial to those using
them, may protect them and lead them to _His blessed abode above, where
all is peace and light and love._
XIII. The Celebration of Feasts
"Seven days shalt thou celebrate feasts to the Lord thy God, in the
place which the Lord shalt choose" (_Deut_. xvi. 15).
"If he will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as the heathen and
the publican" (_Matt._ xviii. 17).
FROM these texts we learn that besides the Sunday God wishes certain
other days to be observed religiously, and that the Church has the power
of designating these days.
As the State sets aside certain national holidays in commemoration of
its founder or of the Declaration of Independence, so the Church sets
aside these holidays in honor of Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin, and
the saints.
Besides the feasts celebrated on Sundays, there are in this country but
six holidays of obligation. Three of these are commemorative of events
in the life of Our Lord: Christmas, the Circumcision, and the Ascension;
two, the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption, in honor of the
Blessed Virgin; and one in honor of God's saints--the Feast of All
Saints.
The ecclesiastical year begins in Advent. Advent is a period of about
four weeks of penance and prayer preparatory to the great feast of
Christmas and corresponding to the penitential season of Lent before
Easter. During the ecclesiastical year, the first of the feasts of
obligation in the order of time is the feast of the _Immaculate
Conception_.
It is celebrated on the 8th of December. On this day we commemorate the
fact that Mary was immaculate when she first came into being in her
mother's womb; that she was always pure; that sin never touched her fair
soul. Immaculate Conception, as you will see in the article on the
Blessed Virgin, means that she was always free from sin.
The great feast of _Christmas_, in honor of the birth of Jesus Christ,
is celebrated on December 25th. This feast is a time of joy and peace to
all mankind, and is celebrated by the Church with much pomp and
ceremony.
The festival of the _Circumcision_ is kept on the first day of the new
year. It is commemorative of Our Lord's strict observance of the law by
submitting to the Jewish ceremony of circumcision. We solemnly celebrate
the day in honor of our merciful Lord, who is our model in all things.
Next in the order of time is the feast of the _Ascension_. It is kept
forty days after the grand feast of Easter, and is in honor of Our
Lord's glorious ascension into heaven.
The _Assumption_ of the Blessed Virgin, celebrated the 15th of August,
is commemorative of the glorious taking up to heaven of Mary, soul and
body. (This is a pious tradition.)
_All Saints'_ Day is November 1st. Every day is a saint's day. There is
not a day that the Catholic Church does not celebrate a feast in honor
of some special mystery or saint. But as there are more saints in heaven
than could be thus specially honored, she sets aside this one day every
year in honor of all the saints in heaven.
There are various other important feasts, some of which fall on Sunday;
but these we have mentioned being feasts of obligation to be observed as
Sunday, it was thought that it would not be uninteresting to give a
short explanation of them.
On them we honor God and His special friends. Let us always, by faith,
hope, and love, _bear Jesus in our minds and hearts_.
XIV. Infant Baptism
"Amen, amen, I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the
Holy Ghost, he can not enter into the kingdom of God" (_John_ iii 5).
WHILE most Christians admit the necessity of Baptism for adults, the
Catholic Church is alone in insisting upon the practice of infant
Baptism. This practice is in accordance with the teaching of St. John,
quoted above. It is also in accordance with apostolic teaching and
practice.
We read in the 16th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles that St. Paul
baptized Lydia "and her household," and that the keeper of the prison
was converted and "was baptized and presently all his family." Among
these families it is but reasonable to suppose that there were some
infants.
Infant Baptism was the practice of the apostles; it was the practice of
the Christians of the early Church, as Origen tells us. The Church
received the tradition from the apostles to give Baptism to infants, and
it has been the practice of the Church from the time of Christ until the
present.
St. Paul tells us that Adam's sin was transmitted to all his posterity.
"Wherefore as by one man sin entered into this world, and by sin death,
and so death passed unto all men in whom all have sinned" (_Rom_. v.
12). Every infant, according to St. Paul, is born to sin--original sin.
But as Baptism takes away original sin, and as nothing defiled can enter
heaven (_Apoc_. xxi.), Baptism of infants is necessary to open for them
the gates of heaven.
Baptism may be validly administered by dipping, sprinkling, or pouring.
The method practised in this part of Christendom is pouring the water on
the head of the person to be baptized, saying at the same time: "I
baptize thee in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Ghost."
The reasonableness of the practice of baptizing infants will be evident
if we remember that Christ taught the necessity of baptism for all when
He said: "Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he can
not enter into the kingdom of God"; and that He declared little children
capable of entering into the kingdom of God when He said: "Suffer little
children to come unto Me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom
of heaven."
Now, if infants are capable of entering heaven (and Christ so declares),
they must be capable of receiving Baptism, without which Christ says no
one can enter the kingdom of God.
While in adults faith and sorrow for sin are required before receiving
Baptism, no disposition is required in infants.
They contracted original sin without their knowledge; without their
knowledge they are freed from it.
By Baptism they are made heirs of the kingdom of heaven.
They can be made heirs of property, of a kingdom on earth without their
consent; why not also of the kingdom of heaven?
Baptism is the first of the seven sacraments which the Church confers
upon man. It cleanses us from original sin (actual sin also if the
recipient be guilty of any), makes us Christians, children of God, and
heirs of heaven. It prepares us for the reception of the other
sacraments. By Baptism we all contracted the obligation of believing and
practising the doctrines of Jesus Christ as taught us by the true
Church. We fulfil this obligation by _leading a truly Christian life_.
XV. The Marriage Tie--One and Indissoluble
"But I say to you that whosoever shall put away his wife, excepting for
the cause of fornication, maketh her to commit adultery; and he that
shall marry her that is put away committeth adultery" (_Matt_. v. 33).
"What, therefore, God hath joined together, let no man put asunder"
(_Matt_. xix. 5, 6).
FEW practices of the Church have been productive of more good to society
than that concerning Christian marriage. The Christian family is the
foundation of Christian society, and Christian marriage is the basis of
the Christian family. Without marriage neither the family nor society
could exist. Marriage was instituted by God before society existed, and,
as a natural consequence, it is subject not to the laws of society, but
to the laws of God and His Church. The principal law and necessary
condition of Christian marriage is its unity and indissolubility. It is
the union of one man with one woman for the purposes intended by the
Creator, which union is to last as long as both survive. Such was
marriage in the beginning; to such it was restored by our Saviour when
He made it a sacrament of His law and a type of His union with His
Church.
The practice of the Catholic Church in not permitting a divorce that
will allow either party to marry during the life of the other, is
clearly taught by Jesus Christ in the 5th chapter of Matthew: "He who
puts away his wife maketh her to commit adultery, and he that marrieth
her committeth adultery."
No human power can break the bond of marriage. "What God hath joined
together, let no man put asunder." It is the work of God. Let no man
dare meddle with it. St. Paul teaches the same when he says in the 39th
verse of the 7th chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians: "A
woman is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her
husband die, she is at liberty, let her marry whom she will." The
practice of the Catholic Church is conformable to this teaching of
Christ, St. Paul, the apostles, and their successors.
In defence of this practice of forbidding divorce, since marriage is one
and indissoluble, the Catholic Church has had many a severe conflict.
And had she not fought this battle bravely for the sanctity, the unity,
and the indissolubility of the marriage tie, Europe and America would
today be in as degraded a condition as are the Mahometan and other
nations where the laws of marriage are disregarded. For divorces are not
only contrary to Christ's teaching concerning the sanctity, unity, and
indissolubility of the marriage tie, but are also subversive of society.
They sever the marriage tie inasmuch as the law of man can do it. If the
marriage tie is loosened, the family is dissolved; and if the family is
dissolved, society, the state, falls to ruin. Divorce destroys conjugal
love, causes unhappiness, renders the proper education of children
impossible, and often leads to terrible crimes. Is it not reasonable as
well as scriptural to forbid it?
The Christian husband and wife, knowing the sanctity, the unity, and the
indissolubility of the marriage tie, live in love and peace and honor
together; together they rear the issue of their union, teaching them to
be good children, good citizens, and good Christians; together, after a
long, a prosperous, and a happy union, they return to dust; and together
they will meet again beyond the confines of the tomb--_yes, they will
meet to part no more_.
XVI. Respect Shown to Ecclesiastical Superiors
"We are ambassadors for Christ; God, as it were, exhorting by us" (_2
Cor_. v. 20).
"As the Father sent me, I also send you" (_John_ xx. 21).
"Go ye into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature"
(_Mark_ xvi. 15).
THE respect Catholics have for the bishops and priests of the Church is
often a matter of surprise to those not of the Faith. They do not
understand, as Catholics do, that the priests are "ambassadors for
Christ" sent to "preach the Gospel to every creature." For Christ
instituted the priesthood to carry on divine worship, to govern the
Church, to preach His doctrine, and to administer the sacraments.
As in the Old Law God chose His priests from among the family of Aaron,
so in the New Law He chooses them from among those whom His apostles and
their successors see fit to ordain. Priests and other ministers of the
Church receive in the sacrament of Holy Orders the power and grace to
perform their sacred duties. If we would but consider seriously for a
moment the importance of these duties and the great dignity of the
minister of God, we would have no difficulty in understanding the
reasonableness of the Catholic practice of showing profound respect to
God's priesthood.
The priest is the minister of Jesus Christ, who chose him that he might
obtain for himself the greatest good and in return bestow this good upon
his fellow-man. Jesus Christ chose him that he might aid Him in the work
for which He came on earth. What a noble mission! What important duties!
What a great dignity! To aid Jesus Christ in saving souls, to teach them
the truths of salvation, to loose them from their sins, to offer the
eucharistic sacrifice for them, to pray for them, to minister unto them,
and to fill them with Heaven's choice blessings; for such a high
mission, for such important duties did Jesus Christ choose the priest.
If his duties are so important, his dignity must be correspondingly
great.
On the banks of the Lake of Genesareth the Great Teacher chose Peter as
His vicar and head of His Church. As the pontiff could not be
everywhere, Peter and the other apostles imposed hands on others as the
needs of the growing Church demanded. They understood that it was by a
living, teaching ministry this work of salvation was to be carried on.
For we find it recorded in the 14th chapter of the Acts that Paul and
Barnabas ordained priests in Lystra and Iconium.
Paul also consecrated Titus Bishop of Crete, for the express purpose of
ordaining others. Thus we see that as Christ was sent by the Father, the
apostles by Christ, so, too, is the priest invested with the same power
"for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry and for
the edification of the body of Christ" (_Eph_. iv. 12), and that no one
but a priest divinely called, rightly ordained, and legitimately sent
has power from God to teach God's words to the faithful. He is the
ambassador of God, commissioned to do His work with His authority; the
vicar of Christ continuing the work He commenced; and the organ of the
Holy Ghost for the sanctification of souls. He is ever imitating his
model, going "about doing good." He devotes his life to alleviate the
sufferings of men. To spend one's life instructing man is but second in
importance to alleviating his sufferings. This the priest is ever doing.
He rescued us from barbarism; saved for us at the risk of his life the
Holy Scriptures, the classics of Greece and Rome, and the writings of
the Fathers; founded the great universities of Europe; and is to-day, as
in the past, the greatest educator in the world. He does all this for
love of God. Do you wonder, then, that Catholics love and revere their
priests?
Nowhere can there be found a body of men or a series of rulers so
venerable, so renowned for wisdom, justice, charity, and holiness, as
the Popes, bishops, and priests of the Catholic Church in every age,
_from the time of Christ until the present_.
XVII. Celibacy
"He who is unmarried careth about the things of the Lord, how he may
please God" (_i Cor_. vii. 32).
THE Catholic Church recognizes matrimony as a holy state. She recommends
celibacy to those desiring greater perfection, and enjoins it on her
priests because, as St. Paul says, "He who is unmarried careth about the
things of the Lord." It is said that the life of the priest is a hard,
lonely one, and that it is unscriptural. Let us see. That his life is
one of hardships is certain. His path is by no means one of roses; it is
rather one covered with thorns. The young man knows this well before he
enters it. With a full knowledge of its duties and responsibilities, he
willingly enters the priesthood. He knows well that it is a life full of
trials and crosses. He knows, too, that the whole life of Jesus Christ,
from the stable of Bethlehem to the cross on Calvary's heights, was one
continuous trial, cross, mortification; and that the life of every
follower, especially every minister, of Jesus Christ should be fashioned
after that of his divine model. "If any man will come after Me," He says
in the 16th chapter of St. Matthew, "let him deny himself, take up his
cross and follow Me." The disciple, the minister of Christ, is not above
his Master; and it is not becoming that the path of the disciple or
minister should be covered with flowers while that of the Master was
strewn with thorns and sprinkled with His own precious blood.
Yes, the priest's life is one of trials, crosses, and hardships. But the
more trials he has to bear, the more crosses he has to carry, the more
hardships he has to endure, the greater is his resemblance to his model,
Jesus Christ; and if he bears those trials, crosses, and hardships,
which he shares with his Master here, with a proper spirit, the more
certain he is of sharing with Him a happy eternity hereafter.
But is the life of celibacy unscriptural? No. In fact, few questions are
more clearly defined in Holy Scripture than that of religious celibacy.
St. Paul, in the 7th chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians,
says: "I would have you without solicitude. He who is unmarried careth
for the things of the Lord, how he may please God; but he who is married
careth about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and is
divided. And the unmarried woman and virgin thinketh about the things of
the Lord, how she may be holy in body and spirit. But she that is
married thinketh about the things of the world, how she may please her
husband. Therefore," he concludes, "he that giveth his virgin in
marriage doth well; and he who giveth her not doth better." Could
language be clearer? Marriage is good; celibacy is better.
"He that is unmarried careth about the things of the Lord, how he may
please God." This teaching of St. Paul is the teaching of the Church--
that marriage is honorable, is good, but that there is a better, a
holier state for those who are called by the grace of God to embrace it.
Religious celibacy is one of the principal reasons why the Catholic
priest and missionary will risk all dangers, overcome all obstacles,
face all terrors, and in time of plague expose himself to death in its
most disgusting forms for the good of his fellow-man.
All are acquainted with the noble examples of numbers of priests and
Sisters of Charity who, at the risk of their own lives, voluntarily
nursed the sick and dying during the yellow-fever scourge in the South a
few years ago. Do you think they would have done so had they families
depending upon them? No; they would have cared for the things of this
world. Jesus Christ has said: "Greater love than this no man hath, that
a man give up his life for his fellow-man." This the good priest is ever
doing, ever ready to do. Although death stares him in the face, he never
shrinks from his post of duty, never abandons his flock while there is a
wound to heal, a soul to save.
When his duty calls him, he is not afraid of death, because St. Paul
says: "_He who is without a wife is solicitous about the things of the
Lord._"
XVIII. Conclusion
"If thou wilt enter into life keep the commandments" (_Matt_. xix. 17).
WHEN Jesus Christ died on the cross for us, He did so in order to lead
us into life, to open heaven for all mankind. How important our
salvation must be, then, for which Christ shed His precious blood. If it
is important, He must have taught us how to attain it. This, too, He did
by the words, "keep the commandments."
To assist us in keeping the commandments He left a representative on
earth. His Church, whose ministers were to teach all nations, is this
representative. To her He said: "He that hears you, hears Me."
The night before He died He instituted the adorable sacrifice of the
Mass, saying: "This is My body . . . This is My blood which shall be
shed for you." He then gave the apostles and their successors power to
do what He had just done: "Do this in commemoration of Me." He also gave
them power to baptize, to forgive sins, to bless, to be "dispensers of
the mysteries of God." He gave them power to confer these powers on
others. "As the Father sent Me [_i.e._, with the same power] I also send
you." To these apostles and their successors He spoke when He said that
He would remain with them until the consummation of the world. To them
and the Church He said: "He that hears you hears Me." What the Church
teaches, then, Christ teaches.
As, in the natural order, man is born, grows to manhood, is nourished,
and if sick needs proper food and remedies: so, in the supernatural
order, there is a birth, it is Baptism; there is a manly growth, it is
Confirmation; there is a nourishing food, it is the Holy Eucharist, the
Bread of Life; there is a medicinal remedy against death, it is Penance;
and there is a balm to heal the wounds, the scars of sin, it is Extreme
Unction. These are some of the channels through which God's grace flows
into our souls to assist us to keep the commandments.
The practices of the Church naturally flow from her teachings. She
teaches that there is but one God, the creator and Lord of heaven and
earth and all things; that man by his reason alone can find out this
truth; that the order, beauty, and harmony of the works of nature show
God's work; but that there are some truths which the deepest intellect
of man can never fathom. Hence she teaches that God has revealed certain
truths; such as the mysteries of the Holy Trinity, the Incarnation, and
the Blessed Sacrament. When we know that God has revealed these truths
we are acting reasonably not only in believing them, but also in showing
our belief by practices of respect, adoration, and love.
The Church teaches that we must not only believe, but practise our
religion. For faith alone will not save us. "Faith without works is
dead." To have these works we must "keep the commandments." We must love
God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves. All the commandments
are comprised in this. In fact, the essence of Christianity is charity.
Where will you find charity practised in reality except in the Catholic
Church? If you wish to see the truth of this, visit our larger towns and
cities, and you will find hundreds of hospitals, asylums, schools, and
other charitable institutions in which are thousands of the children of
the Catholic Church, who have left everything to alleviate every ill
that flesh is heir to, and follow the meek and humble Jesus in His
mission of love.
The Catholic Church alone teaches, as Jesus taught while on earth, the
duty of penance. "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself,
take up his cross and follow Me." According to Christ's teaching, the
Church sets aside the penitential season of Lent and other times of
mortification.
The Church also teaches that we must not only be faithful in the
observance of the practices of religion, but that we must also live in
peace and justice and charity with all mankind, and die with a hope
beyond the grave. If we love God we will faithfully observe the
practices of the Church; these practices will assist us in keeping the
commandments, by which we will enter into life.
We have seen that the various ceremonies and practices of the Catholic
Church are dictated by right reason; that they are the rational
deduction from Christ's teaching; that they obtain for us divine grace,
excite pious thoughts, and elevate our minds to God; and that a true
Christian is one who not only believes but also practises the teachings
of Christ and His Church. The observance of these pious practices of the
Church makes us Christians in fact as well as in name. They assist us to
keep the commandment and to live in accordance with our faith. By
faithfully observing them, we show that we are not ashamed to be
Christ's followers. And if we follow Him, who is the way, the truth, and
the life, we will not walk in darkness; but will enter by the narrow way
into the presence of truth itself, _in the regions of eternal light_.
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