the world; the "hatred God bears to it," from the punishment He
inflicted on the wicked angels and on our first parents for it; and
lastly, the "necessity of satisfying for it," from the fact that God
allowed His dear and only Son to suffer death itself for the sins even
of others.
*85 Q. Whither did Christ's soul go after His death?
A. After Christ's death His soul descended into hell.
*86 Q. Did Christ's soul descend into the hell of the damned?
A. The hell into which Christ's soul descended was not the hell of the
damned, but a place or state of rest called Limbo, where the souls of
the just were waiting for Him.
Hell had many meanings in olden times. The grave was sometimes called
hell. Jacob, when he heard that wild beasts had devoured his son Joseph,
said: "I will go down with sorrow into hell." He meant the grave. Limbo
is not the same as Purgatory. It does not exist now, or, if it does, is
only for little children who have never committed actual sin and who
have died without Baptism. They will never get into Heaven or see God,
but they will not have to suffer pains as they who are in Purgatory or
Hell endure.
*87 Q. Why did Christ descend into Limbo?
A. Christ descended into Limbo to preach to the souls who were in
prison--that is, to announce to them the joyful tidings of their
redemption.
*88 Q. Where was Christ's body while His soul was in Limbo?
A. While Christ's soul was in Limbo His body was in the Holy Sepulchre.
"Sepulchre" is the same as tomb. It is like a little room. In it the
coffin is not covered up with earth as it is in the grave, but is placed
upon a stand. We call such places vaults, and you can see many of them
in any cemetery or burying ground. Sometimes they are cut in the side of
elevated ground with their entrance level with the road, and sometimes
they are built altogether under the ground. The one in which Our Lord
was placed was cut out of the side of a rock, and had for a door a great
stone against the entrance. Our Lord was not placed in a coffin, but was
wrapped in a linen cloth. It was the custom of the Jewish people and of
many other ancient nations to embalm the bodies of the dead, wrap them
in cloths, and cover them with sweet spices. (Matt. 27:59). Thus it was
that Mary Magdalene and other good women came early in the morning to
anoint the body of Our Lord. But you will say, why did they not do it on
Friday evening or night? The reason was this: The day with the Jews
began at sunset--generally about six o'clock--and ended at sunset on the
next evening. We count our twenty-four hours, or day, from twelve at
midnight till twelve the next night. Therefore, with the Jews six
o'clock on Friday evening was the beginning of Saturday. They kept
Saturday, or the Sabbath, instead of Sunday as a day of worship. On that
day, which they kept very strictly, it was not allowable to do work of
any kind; so they could not anoint Our Lord's body till the Sabbath
ended, which was about six o'clock, or sunset on Saturday evening. So,
as the Holy Scripture tells us, they came very early in the morning; for
Mary Magdalene and these good women were Jews, and strictly observed the
Jewish law. You must know that Our Lord Himself, the Blessed Virgin, St.
Joseph, and the Apostles were Jews; and that the Jewish religion was the
true religion up to the coming of Our Lord; but as it was only a figure
and a promise of the Christian religion, it ceased to have any meaning
or to be the true religion when the Christian religion itself was
established by Our Lord.
89 Q. On what day did Christ rise from the dead?
A. Christ rose from the dead, glorious and immortal, on Easter Sunday,
the third day after His death.
"Rose" by His own power. This is the greatest of all Our Lord's
miracles, because all He taught is confirmed by it and depends upon it.
A miracle is a work that can be performed only by God, or by someone to
whom He has given the power. If anyone performs a real miracle to prove
what he says, his words must be true; for God, who is infinite truth,
could not sanction a lie--could not help an impostor to deceive us. Now
Our Lord said He was the Son of God; that He could forgive sins, etc.;
and He performed miracles to prove what He said. Therefore He must have
told the truth. So all those whom God sent to do any great work were
given the power to perform miracles that the people might know they were
really messengers from God. They, on the other hand, who claim--as many
have done from time to time in the world--that they have been sent by
God to do some great work, and can give no convincing proof of their
mission, are not to be believed. Thus, when Martin Luther claimed that
he was sent by God to reform the Catholic Church--which had existed
nearly 1,500 years before he was born--he performed no miracles, nor did
he give any other proof that he had any such commission from God; and he
cannot therefore be believed.
God has established all the laws of nature permanently. They will not
vary or change, so that we can depend upon them. We can always be sure
that the sun will rise and set; that the seasons will come; that fire
will burn, etc. Now, if we see three young men in a great fiery furnace
without being burned (Dan. 3), we say it is a great miracle; because
naturally the fire would burn them up if God did not prevent it. Again,
water will not stand up like a high wall without something keeping it
back; it will always run about and fill every empty spot near it. If,
therefore, we see water standing up like a high wall, as it did in the
Red Sea at the command of Moses, and in the River Jordan, we say it is a
miracle. So in all cases where the laws of nature do not work in the
ordinary manner, we say a miracle is being performed. Now Our Lord
performed many such miracles--many times He suspended the laws of
nature--which God alone can do, since He alone established them. Our
Lord called back the soul to the body after death, thus raising the
dead. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, cured the lame, etc.,
when all medicine and natural means were useless. He did all these
things instantly as a rule, and without remedies. Therefore His miracles
prove His divine power. Since the resurrection was a great miracle, and
Our Lord performed it to prove that He was the true and only Son of God,
He must have been just what He said He was.
"Glorious." Our Lord rose in the same body He had before His death; but
when He rose it had new qualities--it was glorified. The qualities of a
glorified body are four, viz.: brilliancy, agility, subtility, and
impassability. (1) It has brilliancy; that is, it shines like a light;
it gives forth light; the soul shines through the body. You have heard
of the Transfiguration of Our Lord. One day He took three of His
Apostles--Peter, James, and John--unto a high mountain (Matt. 17); and
as He was speaking to them, suddenly His whole body began to shine like
the sun. Then Moses and Elias--two great and holy men of the Old
Law--came and conversed with Him. The Apostles were astonished and
delighted at the sight, and wished to remain there always. Our Lord's
body at that time showed one of the qualities of a glorified body. The
same three Apostles that saw Him thus transfigured and heard the voice
of the Heavenly Father saying, "This is My beloved Son," were present in
the garden during Our Lord's agony. He allowed them to see the
Transfiguration, so that when they should see Him suffering as man, they
would remember that they saw Him on the mountain glorified as God. (2)
Agility; that is, a glorified body can move rapidly from one place to
another, like the lightning itself. After His resurrection Our Lord was
in Jerusalem, and almost immediately He appeared near the village of
Emmaus to two disciples going there. (Luke 24). They had left Jerusalem
after the Crucifixion, probably through fear, and were going along
together talking about what had happened during the days of Our Lord's
Passion. Suddenly Our Lord came and walked and talked with them, but
they did not know Him. They asked Him to stay that night at their house,
for it was growing dark. He did not stop with them, and at supper they
knew Him, and then He vanished from their sight. An ordinary person
would have to get up and walk away; but He vanished, showing on this
occasion the second quality of His glorified body--agility. (3)
Subtility; that is, such a body can go where it pleases and cannot be
resisted by material things. It can pass through closed doors or gates,
and even walls cannot keep it out. It passes through everything, as
light does through glass without breaking it. At one time after Our
Lord's resurrection the Apostles were gathered together in a room, for
they were still afraid of being put to death, and the doors were tightly
closed. Suddenly Our Lord stood in the midst of them and said: "Peace be
to you." (John 20:19). They did not open the door for Him; neither wood
nor stone could keep Him out: and thus He showed that His body had the
third quality. (4) His body had the fourth quality also--impassability,
which means that it can no longer suffer. Before His death, and at it,
Our Lord suffered dreadful torments, as you know; but after His
resurrection nothing could injure or hurt Him. The spear could not hurt
His side, nor the nails His hands, nor the thorns His head. Shortly
after His resurrection Our Lord appeared to His Apostles while Thomas,
one of them, was absent. (John 20:24). When Thomas returned, the other
Apostles told him that they had seen the Lord risen from the dead; but
he would not believe them, saying: "Unless I see the holes where the
nails were in His hands and feet, and put my finger into His side, I
will not believe." Now Our Lord, knowing all things, knew this also; so
He came again when Thomas was present, and said to him: "Now, Thomas,
put your hand into My side." Thomas cried out: "My Lord and my God!" He
believed then, because he saw. Now if this body of Our Lord's had been
an ordinary body, it would have caused Him pain to allow anyone to put
his hand into the wound; but it was impassable. It seems very strange,
does it not, that Thomas would not believe what the other Apostles told
him? God permitted this. Why? Because, if they all believed easily, some
enemies of Our Lord might say the Apostles were simple men that believed
everything without any proof. Now they cannot truly say so, because here
was one of the Apostles, Thomas, who would not believe without the very
strongest kind of proof. Another person, one would think, would have
been satisfied with seeing Our Lord's wounds; but Thomas would not trust
even his eyes--he must also touch before he would believe: showing,
therefore, that the Apostles were not deceived in anything Our Lord did
in their presence, for they had always the most convincing proofs.
After the Resurrection, at the last day, the bodies of all those who are
to be in Heaven will have the qualities I have mentioned; that is, they
will be glorified bodies.
Speaking of Our Lord's wounds, I might tell you what the stigmata means,
if you should ever hear or read of it. There have been some persons in
the world--saints, of course--who have had upon their hands, feet, and
side wounds just like those Our Lord had, and these wounds caused them
great pain. For example, St. Francis of Assisi (see Butler's Lives of
the Saints, Oct. 4th). Up to 1883--that is, only a few years ago--there
lived in Belgium a young girl named Louise Lateau who had the stigmata.
We have the most positive proof of it, as you may see in the accounts of
her life now published. Her wounds caused her great pain and bled every
Friday for many years. She was a delicate seamstress, and lived with her
mother and sisters in almost continual poverty. She had always been
remarkable for her true piety, patience in suffering, and charity to the
sick. I mention this young girl because she lived in our own time, and
is the latest person we know of who had the stigmata, or wounds of Our
Lord. So if you ever hear of the stigmata of St. Francis or others, you
will know that it means wounds like those of Our Lord impressed on their
bodies in a miraculous manner.
"Immortal"--that is never to die again, as it will be with us also after
the Resurrection.
"The third day." It was not three full days, but the parts of three
days. Suppose someone should ask you on Friday evening how long from now
to Sunday; you would answer: Sunday will be the third day from today.
You would count thus: Friday one, Saturday two, and Sunday itself three.
So it was with Our Lord. He died on Friday at about three in the
afternoon, and remained in the sepulchre till Sunday morning.
*90 Q. How long did Christ stay on earth after His resurrection?
A. Christ stayed on earth forty days after His resurrection, to show
that He was truly risen from the dead, and to instruct His Apostles.
After Our Lord's resurrection He remained on earth forty days: but you
must not think He was visible all that time. No. He did not appear to
everybody, but only to certain persons, and not all the time to them
either. He appeared to His Apostles and others in all about nine times;
at least, we know for certain that He appeared nine times, though He may
have appeared oftener. He showed that "He was truly risen," for He ate
with His Apostles and conversed with them. (Luke 24:42). It was after
the resurrection that He breathed on them and gave them the power to
forgive sins. (John 20).
91 Q. After Christ had remained forty days on earth, whither did He go?
A. After forty days Christ ascended into Heaven, and the day on which He
ascended into Heaven is called Ascension Day.
One day He was on a mountain with His Apostles and disciples; and as He
was talking to them He began to rise up slowly and quietly, just as you
have sometimes seen a balloon soar up into the air without noise. Higher
and higher He ascended; and as they gazed up at Him, the clouds opened
to receive Him, then closed under Him: and that was the last of Our
Lord's mission as man upon earth. The Ascension took place forty days
after the resurrection. (Acts 1).
*92 Q. Where is Christ in Heaven?
A. In Heaven Christ sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
*93 Q. What do you mean by saying that Christ sits at the right hand of
God?
A. When I say that Christ sits at the right hand of God, I mean that
Christ as God is equal to His Father in all things, and that as man He
is in the highest place in Heaven next to God.
Lesson 9
ON THE HOLY GHOST AND HIS DESCENT UPON THE APOSTLES
94 Q. Who is the Holy Ghost?
A. The Holy Ghost is the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity.
*95 Q. From whom does the Holy Ghost proceed?
A. The Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son.
*96 Q. Is the Holy Ghost equal to the Father and the Son?
A. The Holy Ghost is equal to the Father and the Son, being the same
Lord and God as they are.
97 Q. On what day did the Holy Ghost come down upon the Apostles?
A. The Holy Ghost came down upon the Apostles ten days after the
Ascension of Our Lord; and the day on which He came down upon the
Apostles is called Whit-Sunday or Pentecost.
We have seen already that the Apostles fled and were very much afraid
when Our Lord was taken prisoner. Even Peter, the chief of the Apostles,
who said he would die rather than leave Our Lord, shamefully denied Him;
and St. John, the beloved disciple, stood near the Cross, but offered no
resistance to Our Lord's enemies. After the Crucifixion of Our Lord, the
Apostles, afraid of being put to death, shut themselves up in a room.
Ten days after Our Lord's Ascension they were praying as usual in their
room, when suddenly they heard the sound as it were of a great wind, and
then they saw tongues the shape of our own, but all on fire, coming, and
one tongue resting on the head of each Apostle present. (Acts 2).
This was the Holy Ghost coming to them. The Holy Ghost, being a pure
spirit without a body, can take any form He pleases. He sometimes came
in the form of a dove; so when you see a dove painted in a church near
the altar, it is there to represent the Holy Ghost. You could not paint
a spirit, so angels and God Himself are generally represented in
pictures as they at some time appeared to men.
"Whit-Sunday," or White-Sunday; probably so called because in the early
ages of the Church converts were baptized on the day before, and after
their Baptism wore white robes or garments as a mark of the soul's
purity after Baptism.
"Pentecost" means the fiftieth day, because the feast comes fifty days
after the resurrection of Our Lord. After His resurrection He remained
forty days upon earth, and ten days after He ascended into Heaven the
Holy Ghost came, thus making the fifty days.
After the Holy Ghost came down upon the Apostles they were no longer
timid men. They went forth boldly into the streets and preached Christ
crucified, telling the people how the Son of God--the true Messias
promised--had been put to death. Many who heard them believed and were
baptized. The first time St. Peter preached to the people three thousand
were converted (Acts 2:41); so that when all the Apostles preached the
number of Christians increased rapidly, and the Christian religion was
soon carried to distant parts of the world.
At the time Our Lord was put to death the Jews were celebrating a great
feast in Jerusalem. The Jews were not like us in this respect. We have
many churches, and in all of them sacrifice, that is, the Holy Mass, is
offered. The Jews had only one temple where sacrifice could be offered,
and that was in Jerusalem. They had synagogues or meeting houses
throughout the land in which they assembled to pray and hear the Holy
Scriptures read; but they could not offer sacrifice in them. Three times
a year they went to Jerusalem to celebrate their great feasts. One of
these feasts was called the Pasch, or Passover, and it was during the
celebration of that feast that Our Lord was put to death; so that there
were many persons from all parts of the nation present at the sad
execution. I must now tell you why they celebrated the Pasch. We
generally celebrate a feast to commemorate--to remind us of--some great
event; and the Jews celebrated this feast to remind them of their
deliverance from the slavery of the Egyptians, in which their ancestors
had been suffering for about two hundred years. At the end of that time
God sent Moses to deliver them. You should know, then, who Moses was and
what he did to deliver his people, and you should know also something of
the history of his people--the Israelites--and how they came to be in
Egypt.
At the time I am now going to speak of the old patriarch Jacob,
Abraham's grandson, had eleven sons--for Benjamin, the twelfth son, was
born afterwards--and the youngest was called Joseph. Joseph was the
favorite of his father, and his brothers were jealous of him. The
brothers were shepherds, and used to take their flocks to feed at a
great distance from home, and did not return for a long time. One day
the father sent Joseph to his brothers to see if all were well. They
hated Joseph because his father loved him best; and when they saw him
coming they agreed never to let him return to his father. (Gen. 37).
They intended to kill him. While they were debating about how they
should put him to death--he was then only sixteen years old--some
merchants passed on their way to Egypt; so, instead of killing him, they
sold him as a slave to the merchants. Then they took Joseph's coat and
dipped it in the blood of a kid, and sent it to their poor old father,
saying they had found it, and making him believe that some wild beast on
the way had eaten Joseph. When the merchants arrived in Egypt, Potiphar,
one of the king's officers, bought Joseph, and brought him as a slave to
his own house. While there, Joseph was falsely accused of a great crime,
and cast into prison. While Joseph was in prison the king had a dream.
(Gen. 41). He saw in the dream seven fat cows coming up out of a river,
followed by seven lean cows; and the lean cows ate up the fat cows. He
saw also seven fat ears of corn and seven lean ears of corn; and the
seven lean ears ate up the seven fat ears. The king was very much
troubled, and called together all his wise men to tell him what the
dream meant, but they could not. Then the king heard of Joseph, and sent
for him. Now Joseph was a very good young man, and God showed him the
meaning; so he told the king that the seven fat ears of corn and the
seven fat cows meant seven years of great abundance in Egypt, and that
the seven lean ears and the seven lean cows meant seven years of famine
that would follow, and all the abundance of the previous seven years
would be consumed. So he advised the king to build great barns during
the years of plenty, and gather up all the corn everywhere to save it
for the years of famine. The king was delighted at Joseph's wisdom, and
made him after himself the most powerful in the kingdom, giving him
charge of everything, so that Joseph himself might do what he had
advised. Now it happened years after this that there was a famine in the
country where Joseph's father lived, and he sent all his sons down into
Egypt to buy corn. (Gen. 42). They did not know their brother Joseph,
but he knew them; and after forgiving them for what they had done to
him, he sent them home with an abundance of corn. Afterwards Joseph's
father and brothers left their own country and came to live near Joseph
in Egypt. The king gave them good land (Gen. 47), and they lived there
in peace and happiness. Learn from this beautiful history of Joseph how
God protects those that love and serve Him no matter where they are or
in what danger they may be placed; and how He even turns the evil deeds
of their enemies into blessings for them.
After the death of Joseph and his brothers, their descendants became
very numerous, and the new king of the Egyptians began to persecute
them. (Ex. 2). He imposed upon them the hardest works, and treated them
most cruelly. He ordered that all their male infants should, as soon as
born, be thrown into the River Nile. Now about that time Moses was born.
(Ex. 2). His mother did not obey the king's order, but hid him for about
three months. When she could conceal him no longer she made a little
cradle of rushes, and covering it over with pitch or tar to keep out the
water, placed him in it, and then laid it in the tall grass by the edge
of the river, sending his little sister to watch what would become of
him. Just then the king's daughter came down to bathe, and seeing the
little child, ordered one of her servants to bring him to her. At that
moment Moses' little sister, pretending not to know him, ran up and
asked the king's daughter if she wished to procure a nurse for him. The
king's daughter replied in the affirmative and permitted her to bring
one; so Moses' own mother was brought and engaged to be his nurse: but
he was not known as her son, but as the adopted son of the king's
daughter. When Moses grew up he was an officer in the king's army; but
because he took the part of his persecuted countrymen he offended the
king, and had to fly from the palace. He then went into another country
and became a shepherd.
During all this time the persecuted Israelites were praying to the true
God to be delivered from the slavery of the Egyptians, who were
idolaters. One day Moses saw a bush burning; and as he came near to look
at it, he heard a voice telling him not to come too near, and bidding
him take off his shoes, for he was on holy ground. (Ex. 3). It was God
who thus appeared and spoke to him, and He ordered him to take off his
shoes as a mark of respect and reverence. When we want to show our
respect for any person or place, we take off our hats; but the people of
that country, instead of their hats, took off their shoes. It was the
custom of the country and did not seem strange to them.
Then God told Moses that He was going to send him to deliver His people
from the Egyptians and lead them back to their own country; and He sent
Aaron, the brother of Moses, with him. Then Moses said to God, the king
of Egypt will not let the people go, and what can I do? God gave Moses
two signs or miracles to show the king, so that he could know that Moses
was really sent by Him. He gave him power to change a rod into a
serpent, and back again into a rod; power also to bring a disease
instantly upon his hand, and to heal it instantly. (Ex. 4). Do these,
said Almighty God, in the presence of the king. Then Moses and Aaron
went to the king and did as God commanded them; and when the rod of
Aaron became a serpent, the king's magicians--that is, men who do
apparently wonderful things by sleight of hand or the power of the
devil--cast their rods upon the ground, and they also became
serpents--not that their rods were changed into serpents, but the devil,
who was helping them, took away instantly their rods and put real
serpents in their place--but Aaron's serpent swallowed them up. (Ex. 7).
After these signs the king would not let the people go with Moses; for
God permitted the king's heart to be hardened, so that all the Egyptians
might see the great work God was going to do for His people.
Then God sent the ten plagues upon the Egyptians, while the
Israelites--God's people--suffered nothing from these plagues.
The first plague was blood. All the water in the land was converted into
blood. (Ex. 7). The king then sent for Moses and promised that if he
would take away the plague he would allow all the people to depart.
Moses prayed to God, and the plague was removed. But after it was taken
away the king's heart was hardened again and he would not keep his
promise. Just as people in sickness, distress, or danger sometimes
promise God they will lead better lives if only He will help them, and
when they are saved they do not keep their promises, so did Pharao; and
therefore God sent another plague. The second plague was frogs. Great
numbers of them came out of the rivers and lakes, and filled all the
houses of the Egyptians, and crawled into their food, beds, etc. Again
the king sent for Moses and did as before; and again Moses prayed, and
all the frogs went back into the waters or died. (Ex. 8). But the king
again hardened his heart and did not keep his promise. The third plague
was sciniphs (Ex. 8)--very small flies, that filled the land. Imagine
our country filled with mosquitoes so numerous that you could scarcely
walk through them; it would be a dreadful plague. As it is, two or three
might cause you considerable annoyance, and pain: what then if there
were millions doubly venomous, because sent to punish you? So these
little flies must have greatly punished the Egyptians. The fourth plague
was flies that filled the land and covered everything, to the great
disgust of the people. The fifth plague was murrain--a disease that
broke out among the cattle. The sixth plague was a disease--boils--that
broke out on men and beasts, so that scarcely anyone could move on
account of the pains and suffering. The seventh plague was hail, that
fell in large pieces and destroyed all their crops. The eighth plague
was locusts. These are very destructive little animals. They look
something like our grasshoppers, but are about two or three times their
size. They fly and come in millions. They come to this country in great
numbers--almost a plague--every fifteen or twenty-five years, and the
farmers fear them very much. They eat up every green blade or leaf, and
thus destroy all the crops and trees. When the locusts came upon Egypt,
Moses, at the king's request, prayed, and God sent a strong wind that
swept them into the sea, where they perished in the water. The ninth
plague was a horrible darkness for three days in all the land of Egypt.
The tenth plague, the last, was the most terrible of all--the killing of
the firstborn in all the land of Egypt. (Ex. 12). God instructed Moses
to tell the Israelites in the land that on a certain night they were to
take a lamb in each family, kill it, and sprinkle its blood on the
doorposts of their houses. They were then to cook the lamb and eat it
standing, with their garments ready as for a journey. (Ex. 12). The lamb
was called the paschal lamb, and was, after that, to be eaten every
year, at about what is with us Easter-time, in commemoration of this
event. That night God sent an angel through all the land, and he killed
the firstborn of man and beast in all the houses of the Egyptians. That
is, he killed the eldest son in the house; and if the father was the
firstborn in his father's family, he was killed also; and the same for
the beasts. This was a terrible punishment. In the house of every
Egyptian there were some dead but not one in the houses of the
Israelites; for when the angel saw the blood of the lamb on the
doorposts, he passed over and did not enter into their houses, so that
this event, called Passover or Pasch, was kept always as a great feast
by God's people. This paschal lamb was a figure of our blessed Lord, for
as its blood saved the Israelites from death, so Our Lord's blood saved
and still saves us from eternal death in Hell.
After that dreadful night Pharao allowed the people to depart with
Moses; but when they had gone as far as the Red Sea, he was sorry he let
them go, and set out with a great army to bring them back. There the
people stood, with the sea before them and Pharao and his army coming
behind them; but God provided for them a means of escape. At God's
command, Moses stretched his rod over the sea, and the waters divided
and stood like great walls on either side and all the people passed
through the opening in the waters, on the dry bed of the sea. (Ex. 14).
Pharao attempted to follow them, but when he and his army were on the
dry bed of the sea, between the two walls of water, God allowed the
waters to close over them, and they were all drowned. Then the
Israelites began the great journey through the desert, in which they
travelled for forty years. During all that time God fed them with manna.
He Himself, as a guide, went with them in a cloud, that shaded them from
the heat of the sun during the day and was a light for them at night.
But you will ask: Was the desert so large that it took forty years to
cross it? No, but these people, notwithstanding all God had done for
them, sinned against Him in the desert; so He permitted them to wander
about through it till a new generation of people grew up, who were to be
led into the promised land by Josue, the successor of Moses. From this
we may learn a lesson for ourselves: God will always punish those who
deserve it, even though He loves them and may often have done great
things to save them; but He will wait for His own time to punish.
The Israelites then, as I have said, went from every part of the land up
to the Temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the Pasch each year. It was
during one of these celebrations that Our Lord was put to death, and
during another feast that St. Peter preached to the people after Our
Lord's death. He spoke only in one language, and yet all his hearers
understood, for each heard his own language spoken. (Acts 2:6). This was
called the gift of tongues, and was given to the Apostles when the Holy
Ghost came upon them. For example, if each of you came from a different
country and understood the language only of the country from which you
came, and I gave the instructions only in English, then if everyone
thought I was speaking his language--German, French, Spanish, Italian,
etc.--and understood me, I would have what is called the gift of
tongues, and it would be a great miracle, as it was when bestowed upon
the Apostles.
In the first ages of the Church God performed more miracles than He does
now, because they are not now so necessary. These miracles were
performed only to make the Church better known, and to prove that she
was the true Church, with her power and authority from God. That can now
be known and seen in Christian countries without miracles. These special
gifts, like the gift of tongues, were given also to some of the early
Christians by the Holy Ghost, when they received Confirmation; but they
were not a part of or necessary for Confirmation, but only to show the
power of the true religion. Those who heard St. Peter preach, when they
went back to their own countries told what they had seen and heard, and
thus their countrymen were prepared to receive the Gospel when the
Apostles came to preach it.
*98 Q. How did the Holy Ghost come down upon the Apostles?
A. The Holy Ghost came down upon the Apostles in the form of tongues of
fire.
99 Q. Who sent the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles?
A. Our Lord Jesus Christ sent the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles.
100 Q. Why did Christ send the Holy Ghost?
A. Christ sent the Holy Ghost to sanctify His Church, to enlighten and
strengthen the Apostles, and to enable them to preach the Gospel.
"Sanctify," to make more holy by the grace which He would give to the
members of the Church. "To enlighten." The Apostles did not understand
very well everything Our Lord taught while He was with them; but after
the Holy Ghost came upon them they understood perfectly, and remembered
many things which Our Lord said to them, and understood the true meaning
of all. The prophets foretold that when the Messias, Christ, would come,
He would bring all the world under His power. The prophets meant in a
spiritual sense; but most of the people understood that He was to be a
great general, with powerful armies, who would subdue all the nations of
the earth, and bring them under the authority of the Jews. We know they
thought that the great kingdom He was to establish upon earth would be a
temporal kingdom, from many of their sayings and actions. One day the
mother of two of Our Lord's Apostles came to ask Him if, when He had
established His kingdom upon the earth, He would give her sons honorable
positions in it, and place them high in authority. (Matt. 20:20). Our
Lord told her she did not understand what she was asking. This shows
that even some of the Apostles--much less the people--did not understand
the full nature of Our Lord's mission upon earth, nor of His kingdom,
the Church. Often too, when He preached to the people, the Apostles
asked Him on His return what His sermon meant (Luke 8:9). But after the
Holy Ghost came, they were enlightened, and understood all without
difficulty. "Strengthen." I told you already that before the Holy Ghost
came they were timid and afraid of being arrested, but that afterwards
they went out boldly, and taught all they had learned from Our Lord.
They were often taken prisoners and scourged, but it mattered not--they
were firm in their faith, and could suffer anything for Christ after
they had been enlightened and strengthened by the Holy Ghost. Finally,
they were all, with the exception of St. John, put to death for their
holy faith. St. Peter and St. Paul were crucified at Rome about the year
65, that is, about thirty-two years after the death of Our Lord. St.
James was beheaded by order of King Herod. St. John lived the longest,
and was the only one of the Apostles who was not put to death, though he
was cast into a large vessel of boiling oil, but was miraculously saved.
Certainly by dying for their faith the Apostles showed that they were
not impostors or hypocrites. They must really have believed what they
taught, otherwise they would not have laid down their lives for it. They
were certain of what they taught, as we saw when speaking of St. Thomas.
*101 Q. Will the Holy Ghost abide with the Church forever?
A. The Holy Ghost will abide with the Church forever, and guide it in
the way of holiness and truth.
"Abide" means to stay with us.
Lesson 10
ON THE EFFECTS OF THE REDEMPTION
102 Q. Which are the chief effects of the redemption?
A. The chief effects of the redemption are two: the satisfaction of
God's justice by Christ's sufferings and death, and the gaining of grace
for men.
An effect is that which is caused by something else. If you place a
danger signal on a broken railroad track the effect will be preventing
the wreck of the train, and the cause will be your placing the signal.
Many effects may flow from one cause. In our example, see all the good
effects that may follow your placing the signal--the cars are not
broken, the passengers are not killed, the rails are not torn out of
their places, etc. Thus the redemption had two effects, namely, to
satisfy God for the offense offered Him by the sins of men, and to merit
grace to be used for our benefit.
103 Q. What do you mean by grace?
A. By grace I mean a supernatural gift of God bestowed on us, through
the merits of Jesus Christ, for our salvation.
"Supernatural," that is, above nature. "A gift"; something, therefore,
that God does not owe us. He owes us nothing, strictly speaking. Health,
talents, and such things are natural gifts, and belong to our nature as
men; but grace is something above our nature, given to our soul. God
gives it to us on account of the love He has for His Son, Our Lord, who
merited it for us by dying for us. "Merits." A merit is some excellence
or goodness which entitles one to honor or reward. Grace is a help we
get to do something that will be pleasing to God. When there is anything
in our daily works that we cannot do alone, we naturally look for help;
for example, to lift some heavy weight is only a natural act, not a
supernatural act, and the help we need for it is only natural help. But
if we are going to do something above and beyond our nature, and cannot
do it alone, we must not look for natural, but for supernatural help;
that is, the help must always be like the work to be done. Therefore all
spiritual works need spiritual help, and spiritual help is grace.
104 Q. How many kinds of grace are there?
A. There are two kinds of grace: sanctifying grace and actual grace.
105 Q. What is sanctifying grace?
A. Sanctifying grace is that grace which makes the soul holy and
pleasing to God.
"Sanctifying," that is, making us holy by cleansing, purifying our
souls. Sin renders the soul ugly and displeasing to God, and grace
purifies it. Suppose I have something bright and beautiful given to me,
and take no care of it, but let it lie around in dusty places until it
becomes tarnished and soiled, loses all its beauty, and appears black
and ugly. To restore its beauty I must clean and polish it. Thus the
soul blackened by sin must be cleaned by God's grace. If the soul is in
mortal sin--altogether blackened--then sanctifying grace brings back its
brightness and makes it pleasing to God; but if the soul is already
bright, though stained or darkened a little by venial sin, then grace
makes it still brighter.
*106 Q. What do you call those graces or gifts of God by which we
believe in Him, hope in Him, and love Him?
A. Those graces or gifts of God by which we believe in Him, and hope in
Him, and love Him, are called the divine virtues of faith, hope, and
charity.
"Virtues." Virtue is the habit of doing good. The opposite to virtue is
vice, which is the habit of doing evil. We acquire a habit bad or good
when we do the same thing very frequently. We then do it easily and
almost without thinking; as a man, for instance, who has the habit of
cursing curses almost without knowing it, though that does not excuse
him, but makes his case worse, by showing that he must have cursed very
often to acquire the habit. If, however, he is striving to overcome the
bad habit, and should unintentionally curse now and then, it would not
be a sin, since he did not wish to curse, and was trying to overcome the
vice. One act does not make a virtue or a vice. A person who gives alms
only once cannot be said to have the virtue of charity. A man who curses
only once a year cannot be said to have the vice of cursing. Faith,
hope, and charity are infused by God into our souls, and are therefore
called infused virtues, to distinguish them from the virtues we acquire.
107 Q. What is faith?
A. Faith is a divine virtue by which we firmly believe the truths which
God has revealed.
"A divine virtue" is one that is heavenly or holy. Faith is the habit of
always believing all that God has revealed and the Church teaches.
"Firmly," that is, without the slightest doubt. "Revealed," that is,
made known to us. Revelation is the collection of all the truths that
God has made known to us. But why do we believe? Because we clearly see
and know the truth of what is revealed? No, but because God reveals it;
we believe it though we cannot see it or even understand it. If we see
it plainly, then we believe it rather because we see it than because God
makes it known to us. Suppose a friend should come and tell you the
church is on fire. If he never told you lies, and had no reason for
telling you any now, you would believe him--not because you know of the
fire, but because he tells you; but afterwards, when you see the church
or read of the fire in the papers, you have proof of what he told you,
but you believed it just as firmly when he told you as you do
afterwards. In the same way God tells us His great truths and we believe
them; because we know that since God is infinitely true He cannot
deceive us or be deceived. But if afterwards by studying and thinking we
find proof that God told us the truth, we do not believe with any
greater faith, for we always believed without doubting, and we study
chiefly that we may have arguments to prove the truth of God's
revelations to others who do not believe. Suppose some person was
present when your friend came and said the church is burning, and that
that person would not believe your friend. What would you do? Why,
convince him that what your friend said was true by showing him the
account of the fire in the papers. Thus learning does not change our
faith, which, as I have said, is not acquired by study, but is infused
into our souls by God. The little boy who hears what God taught, and
believes it firmly because God taught it, has as good a faith as his
teacher who has studied all the reasons why he should believe.
108 Q. What is hope?
A. Hope is a divine virtue by which we firmly trust that God will give
us eternal life and the means to obtain it.
"Eternal"--that is, everlastings life--life without end. "Means"--that
is, His grace, because without God's grace we cannot do any supernatural
thing.
109 Q. What is charity?
A. Charity is a divine virtue by which we love God above all things for
His own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.
The virtue of charity makes us "love God," because He is so good and
beautiful, wise and powerful in Himself; therefore for His own sake and
without any other consideration. "Above all things," in such a way that
we would rather lose anything than offend Him. But someone may say, he
thinks he loves his parents more than God. Well, let us see. To repeat
an example already given, suppose his parents told him to steal, and he
knew stealing to be a sin; if he would not steal, that would show, would
it not, that he loved God more than his parents, for he would rather
offend his parents than God. That is the kind of love we must have for
God; not mere feeling, but the firm belief that God is the best of all,
and when we have to choose between offending God and losing something,
be it goods or friends, we would rather lose anything than offend God.
"Neighbor." Not merely the person living near us, but all men of every
kind and nation--even our enemies. The people who lived at the time of
Our Lord in His country used to dispute about just what persons were to
be considered their neighbors; so one day they asked Our Lord, and He
answered them by telling them the following. Said He: (Luke 10:30) A man
was once going down from Jerusalem, and on the way robbers beat him,
robbed him, and left him on the wayside dying. First one man came by,
looked at the wounded man, and passed on; then another came and did the
same; finally a third man came, who was of a different religion and
nationality from the wounded man. But he did not consider these things.
He dressed the poor man's wounds, placed him upon his horse and brought
him to an inn or hotel, and paid the innkeeper to take care of him.
"Now," said Our Lord, "which of these three was neighbor to the wounded
man?" And they answered rightly, "The man that helped him." Our Lord, by
this example, wished to teach them and us that everybody is our neighbor
who is in distress of any kind and needs our help. Neighbor, therefore,
means every human being, no matter where he lives or what his color,
learning, manners, etc., for every human being in the world is a child
of God and has been redeemed by Our Lord. Therefore every child of God
is my neighbor, and even more--he is my brother; for God is his father
and mine also, and if he is good enough for God to love, he should be
good enough for me.
"As ourselves." Not with as much love, but with the same kind of love;
that is, we are to follow the rule laid down by Our Lord: "Do unto
others as you would have others do unto you." Never do to anyone what
you would not like to have done to yourself; and always do for another
just what you would wish another to do for you, if you were in the same
position. Our neighbor is our equal and gifted with all the gifts that
we ourselves have. When we come into the world we are all equal. We have
a body and a soul, with the power to develop them. Money, learning,
wealth, fame, and all else that makes up the difference between men in
the world are acquired in the world; and when men die, they go out of
the world without any of these things, just as they came into it. The
real difference between them in the next world will depend upon the
things they have done, good or bad, while here. We should love our
neighbor also on another account: namely, that he is one day to be in
Heaven with us; and if he is to be with us for all eternity, why should
we hate him now? On the other hand, if our neighbor is to be in Hell on
account of his bad life, why should we hate him? We should rather pity
him, for he will have enough to suffer without our hatred.
110 Q. What is actual grace?
A. Actual grace is that help of God which enlightens our mind and moves
our will to shun evil and do good.
"Actual." Sanctifying grace continues with us, but when grace is given
just so that we may do a good act or avoid a bad one, it is called
actual grace. Suppose, for example, I see a poor man and am able to aid
him. When my conscience tells me to give him assistance, I am just then
receiving an actual grace, which moves me and helps me to do that good
act; and just as soon as I give the help, the actual grace ceases,
because no longer needed. It was given for that one good act, and now
that the act is done, the actual grace has produced its effect. Again, a
boy is going to Mass on Sunday and meets other boys who try to persuade
him to remain away from Mass and go to some other place. When he hears
his conscience telling him to go to Mass by all means, he is receiving
just then an actual grace to avoid the mortal sin of missing Mass, and
the grace lasts just as long as the temptation. Sacramental grace is
sanctifying grace--given in the Sacraments--which contains for us a
right to actual graces when we need them. These actual graces are given
to help us to fulfill the end for which each of the Sacraments was
instituted. They are different for each Sacrament, and are given just
when we need them; that is, just when we are tempted against the object
or end for which the Sacrament was instituted.
*111 Q. Is grace necessary for salvation?
A. Grace is necessary for salvation, because without grace we can do
nothing to merit Heaven.
*112 Q. Can we resist the grace of God?
A. We can and unfortunately often do resist the grace of God.
Grace is a gift, and no one is obliged to take a gift; but if God offers
a gift and we refuse to take it, we offend and insult Him. To insult God
is to sin. Therefore to refuse to accept, or to make bad use of the
grace God gives us, is to sin.
*113 Q. What is the grace of perseverance?
A. The grace of perseverance is a particular gift of God which enables
us to continue in the state of grace till death.
"Perseverance" here does not mean perseverance in our undertakings, but
perseverance in grace--never in mortal sin, always a friend of God. Now,
if God keeps us from all sin till the day of our death and takes us
while we are His friends, then He gives us what we call the gift of
final perseverance. We cannot, strictly speaking, merit this great
grace, but only pray for it; so anyone who commits mortal sin may be
taken just in that state and be lost for all eternity.
Lesson 11
ON THE CHURCH
Before speaking of the Church I wish to give you a short account of the
true religion before the coming of Our Lord. When Adam was created in a
state of grace, God communicated with him freely; he knew God even
better than we do now. But after their sin our parents fell from the
friendship of God. Cain--one of Adam's sons--murdered his brother Abel,
and for this he and his posterity were cursed by God, and all his
descendants became very wicked. (Gen. 4:11). The other children of Adam
remained faithful to God as long as they kept away from the children of
Cain; but just as soon as they associated and intermarried with them,
they also became wicked. This should teach us to avoid evil company, for
there is always more likelihood that the good will become bad than that
the bad will be converted by the good. You know the old saying, that if
you take a basket of good apples and place a bad one among them, in a
short time they will be spoiled.
After the deluge Noe and his family settled once more upon the land, and
for a time their descendants remained faithful to God; but later they
became wicked and undertook to build a great tower (Gen. 11), which they
thought would reach up to Heaven. They believed, perhaps, that if ever
there should be another deluge upon the earth, they could take refuge in
the tower. But God was displeased with their conduct and prevented them
from completing the tower by confusing their tongues or language so that
they could not understand one another. Then those who spoke the same
language went to live in the same part of the country, and thus the
human race was scattered over the earth, and the different nations had
different languages.
After a time they were all losing the knowledge of the true God and
beginning to worship idols. God did not wish that the whole human race
should forget Him, so He selected Abraham to be the father and head of
one chosen people who should always worship the true God. He sent
Abraham from his own country into another, and promised him great
things, and renewed to him the promises of the Redeemer first made to
Adam and Eve. After the death of Abraham, God raised up, from time to
time, prophets to tell the people His holy will, to warn them of their
sins and the punishment they would receive, and to remind them of the
promised Messias. Prophets are men that God inspires to tell the future.
They tell what will happen often hundreds of years after their own
death. They do not guess at these things, but tell them with certainty.
At times, statesmen can foresee that there will be a war in a country at
a certain time; but they are not prophets, because they only guess at
such things, or know them by natural signs; and very often things thus
foretold do not occur. True prophecy is the foretelling of something
which could not be known by any means but inspiration from God.
Neither are persons who call themselves fortune-tellers prophets, but
only sinful people, who for money tell lies or guess at the future. It
is a great sin to go to them or listen to them, as we shall see later in
another question.
At the time promised, God sent His Son--Our Lord--to redeem the world
and save all men. He came to save all men, and yet He remained upon
earth only thirty-three years. We can easily understand that by His
death He could save all those who lived before He did; but how were they
to be saved who should live after Him, down to the end of the world? How
was His grace to be given to them? How were they to know of Him, or of
what He taught? All this was to be accomplished by His Church.
114 Q. Which are the means instituted by Our Lord to enable men at all
times to share in the fruits of the Redemption?
A. The means instituted by Our Lord to enable men at all times to share
in the fruits of the Redemption are the Church and the Sacraments.
Our Lord instituted the Church to carry on the work He Himself was doing
upon the earth--teaching the ignorant, visiting the sick, helping the
poor, forgiving sins, etc. He commanded all men to hear the Church
teaching, just as they would hear Himself. But suppose some persons
should establish a false Church and claim that it was the true Church of
Our Lord, how could people know the true Church from false churches?
When a man invents anything to be sold, what does he do that people may
know the true article--say a pen? Why, he puts his trademark upon it.
Now the trademark is a certain sign which shows that the article bearing
it is the genuine article; and if others use the trademark on imitation
articles, they are liable to be punished by law. Now Our Lord did the
same. He gave His Church four marks or characteristics to distinguish it
from all false churches. He said, "My Church will be one; it will be
holy; it will be catholic; it will be apostolic; and if any church has
not these four marks, you may be sure it is not My Church." Some false
church may seem to have one or two, but never all the marks; so when you
find even one of the marks wanting, you will know it is not the true
Church established by Christ. Therefore, all the religions that claim to
be the true religion cannot be so. If one man says a thing is white and
another says it is black, or if one says a thing is true and another
says it is false, they cannot both be right. Only one can be right, and
if we wish to know the truth we have to find out which one it is. So
when one religion says a thing is true and another religion says the
same thing is false, one of them must be wrong, and it is our duty to
find out the one that is right. Therefore, of all the religions claiming
to be the true religion of Our Lord, only one can be telling the truth,
and that one is the religion or Church that can show the four given
marks. The Roman Catholic Church is the only one that can show these
marks, and is, therefore, the only true Church, as we shall see in the
next lesson.
"Fruits of His redemption"--that is, to receive the grace merited by Our
Lord when He redeemed us by His death.
115 Q. What is the Church?
A. The Church is the congregation of all those who profess the faith of
Christ, partake of the same Sacraments, and are governed by their lawful
pastors under one visible head.
"Congregation." Not the building, therefore; because if Mass was offered
up in an open field, with the people kneeling about, it would still be
the church of that place. The buildings that we use for churches might
have been used for anything else--a public hall, theater, or school, for
example; but when these buildings we call churches are blessed or
consecrated, they become holy. They are holy also because the Gospel is
preached in them, the Sacraments are administered in them, and the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass is offered in them. But they are holy especially
because Our Lord dwells in them in the tabernacle, where He lives and
sees and hears just as truly as He did when He was man upon earth.
In the early ages the Christians had no churches--they met secretly in
private houses. Later, when the cruel pagan emperors began to persecute
and put to death the Christians, they made large tunnels under ground
and in these places they heard Mass and received the Sacraments. These
underground churches were called the catacombs, and some of them may
still be seen at Rome. In these catacombs, too, the Christians buried
their dead, especially the bodies of the holy martyrs. On their
tombs--generally of stone--Mass was celebrated.
In every altar the table, or flat part on which the priest celebrates
Mass, should be of stone; but if the altar is made of wood, then at
least the part just in front of the tabernacle must be of stone and
large enough to hold say two chalices--that is, about ten or twelve
inches square. In this stone are placed some relics of the holy martyrs.
A piece is cut out of the stone and the relic placed in the opening.
Then the bishop puts the little piece of stone back into its place over
the relic, seals the opening, blesses the stone, and gives it to the
Church. This is called the altar stone. You cannot see it because it is
covered with the altar cloth; but unless it is in the altar the priest
cannot say Mass. This stone reminds us of the stone tombs of the saints
upon which Mass was celebrated.
The Church--that is, the Christians--was persecuted for about three
hundred years after the death of Our Lord. These persecutions took place
at ten different times and under ten different Roman emperors. Orders
were given to put to death all the Christians wherever they could be
found. Some were cast into prison, some exiled, some taken to the Roman
Coliseum--an immense building constructed for public amusements--where
they were put to death in the most terrible manner in the presence of
the emperor and people assembled to witness these fearful scenes. Some
were stripped of their clothing and left standing alone while savage
beasts, wild with hunger, were let loose upon them. Sometimes by a
miracle of God the animals would not harm them, and then the Christians
were either put to death by the sword, mangled by some terrible machine,
or burned. In these dreadful sufferings the Christians remained faithful
and firm, though they could have saved their lives by denying Our Lord
or offering sacrifice to idols. The few who through fear did deny their
faith are now forgotten and unknown; while those who remained steadfast
are honored as saints in Heaven and upon earth; the Church sings their
praises and tells every year of their holy lives and triumph over all
their enemies.
Even some pagans who came to see the Christians put to death were so
touched by their patience, fortitude, courage, and constancy, that they
also declared themselves anxious to become Christians, and were put to
death, thus becoming martyrs baptized in their own blood. How many
lessons we may learn from all this: (1) How very respectful we should be
in the Church, which is holy for all the reasons I have given. (2) What
a shame it is for us not to hear Mass when we can do so easily. Our
churches are never very far from us, and generally well lighted,
ventilated, furnished with seats and every convenience, and in these
respects unlike the dark, damp, underground churches of the early
Christians. Moreover, we may attend our churches freely and without the
least danger to our lives; while the Christians of the early ages were
constantly in dread and danger of being seized and put to death. Even at
the present day, in many countries where holy missionaries are trying to
teach the true religion, their converts sometimes have to go great
distances to hear Mass, and even then it is not celebrated in
comfortable churches, but probably on the slope of a rugged mountain or
in some lonely valley or wood where they may not be seen, for they fear
if they are captured--as often happens--both they and their priest will
be put to death. You can read in the account of foreign missions that
almost every year some priests and many people are martyred for their
faith. Is it not disgraceful, then, to see some Catholics giving up
their holy faith and the practice of their religion so easily--sometimes
for a little money, property, or gain; or even for a bad habit, or for
irreligious companions and friends? What answer will they make on the
day of judgment when they stand side by side with those who died for the
faith?
"All those who profess the faith," etc. The Pope, bishops, priests, and
people all taken together are the Church, and each congregation or
parish is only a part of the Church.
"Partake"--that is, receive. "Lawful pastors"--that is, each priest in
his own parish, each bishop in his own diocese, and the Pope throughout
the world. "Visible head"--that is, one who can be seen, for invisible
means cannot be seen.
116 Q. Who is the invisible head of the Church?
A. Jesus Christ is the invisible head of the Church.
"Invisible head." If, for example, a merchant of one country wishes to
establish a branch of his business in another, he remains in the new
country long enough to establish the branch business, and then
appointing someone to take his place, returns to his own country. He is
still the head of the new establishment, but its invisible head for the
people of that country, while its visible head is the agent or
representative he has placed in charge to carry on the business in his
name and interest. When Our Lord wished to establish His Church He came
from Heaven; and when about to return to Heaven appointed St. Peter to
take His place upon earth and rule the Church as directed. You see,
therefore, that Our Lord, though not on earth, is still the real head
and owner of the Church, and whatever His agent or vicar--that is, our
Holy Father, the Pope--does in the Church, he does it with the authority
of Our Lord Himself.
117 Q. Who is the visible head of the Church?
A. Our Holy Father the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, is the vicar of Christ
on earth and the visible head of the Church.
The "Bishop of Rome" is always Pope. If the Bishop of New York, or of
Baltimore, or of Boston, became Pope, he would become the Bishop of Rome
and cease to be the Bishop of New York, Baltimore, or Boston, because
St. Peter, the first Pope, was Bishop of Rome; and therefore only the
bishops of Rome are his lawful successors--the true Popes--the true
visible heads of the Church. The bishops of the other dioceses of the
world are the lawful successors of the other Apostles who taught and
established churches throughout the world. The bishops of the world are
subject to the Pope, just as the other Apostles were subject to St.
Peter, who was appointed their chief, by Our Lord Himself.
"Vicar"--that is, one who holds another's place and acts in his name.
*118 Q. Why is the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, the visible head of the
Church?
A. The Pope, the Bishop of Rome, is the visible head of the Church
because he is the successor of St. Peter, whom Christ made the chief of
the Apostles and the visible head of the Church.
"Of Rome." That is why we are called Roman Catholics; to show that we
are united to the real successor of St. Peter, and are therefore members
of the true apostolic Church.
*119 Q. Who are the successors of the other Apostles?
A. The successors of the other Apostles are the bishops of the holy
Catholic Church.
We know the Apostles were bishops, because they could make laws for the
Church, consecrate other bishops, ordain priests, and give
Confirmation--powers that belong only to bishops, and are still
exercised by them.
*120 Q. Why did Christ found the Church?
A. Christ founded the Church to teach, govern, sanctify, and save all
men.
"Teach" religion. "Govern" in things that regard salvation. "Sanctify,"
make good. "Save" all who wish to be saved.
*121 Q. Are all bound to belong to the Church?
A. All are bound to belong to the Church, and he who knows the Church to
be the true Church and remains out of it, cannot be saved.
Anyone who knows the Catholic religion to be the true religion and will
not embrace it cannot enter into Heaven. If one not a Catholic doubts
whether the church to which he belongs is the true Church, he must
settle his doubt, seek the true Church, and enter it; for if he
continues to live in doubt, he becomes like the one who knows the true
Church and is deterred by worldly considerations from entering it.
In like manner one who, doubting, fears to examine the religion he
professes lest he should discover its falsity and be convinced of the
truth of the Catholic faith, cannot be saved.
Suppose, however, that there is a non-Catholic who firmly believes that
the church to which he belongs is the true Church, and who has
never--even in the past--had the slightest doubt of that fact--what will
become of him?
If he was validly baptized and never committed a mortal sin, he will be
saved; because, believing himself a member of the true Church, he was
doing all he could to serve God according to his knowledge and the
dictates of his conscience. But if ever he committed a mortal sin, his
salvation would be very much more difficult. A mortal sin once committed
remains on the soul till it is forgiven. Now, how could his mortal sin
be forgiven? Not in the Sacrament of Penance, for the Protestant does
not go to confession; and if he does, his minister--not being a true
priest--has no power to forgive sins. Does he know that without
confession it requires an act of perfect contrition to blot out mortal
sin, and can he easily make such an act? What we call contrition is
often only imperfect contrition--that is, sorrow for our sins because we
fear their punishment in Hell or dread the loss of Heaven. If a
Catholic--with all the instruction he has received about how to make an
act of perfect contrition and all the practice he has had in making such
acts--might find it difficult to make an act of perfect contrition after
having committed a mortal sin, how much difficulty will not a Protestant
have in making an act of perfect contrition, who does not know about
this requirement and who has not been taught to make continued acts of
perfect contrition all his life. It is to be feared either he would not
know of this necessary means of regaining God's friendship, or he would
be unable to elicit the necessary act of perfect contrition, and thus
the mortal sin would remain upon his soul and he would die an enemy of
God.
If, then, we found a Protestant who never committed a mortal sin after
Baptism, and who never had the slightest doubt about the truth of his
religion, that person would be saved; because, being baptized, he is a
member of the Church, and being free from mortal sin he is a friend of
God and could not in justice be condemned to Hell. Such a person would
attend Mass and receive the Sacraments if he knew the Catholic Church to
be the only true Church.
I am giving you an example, however, that is rarely found, except in the
case of infants or very small children baptized in Protestant sects. All
infants rightly baptized by anyone are really children of the Church, no
matter what religion their parents may profess. Indeed, all persons who
are baptized are children of the Church; but those among them who deny
its teaching, reject its Sacraments, and refuse to submit to its lawful
pastors, are rebellious children known as heretics.
I said I gave you an example that can scarcely be found, namely, of a
person not a Catholic, who really never doubted the truth of his
religion, and who, moreover, never committed during his whole life a
mortal sin. There are so few such persons that we can practically say
for all those who are not visibly members of the Catholic Church,
believing its doctrines, receiving its Sacraments, and being governed by
its visible head, our Holy Father, the Pope, salvation is an extremely
difficult matter.
I do not speak here of pagans who have never heard of Our Lord or His
holy religion, but of those outside the Church who claim to be good
Christians without being members of the Catholic Church.
Lesson 12
ON THE ATTRIBUTES AND MARKS OF THE CHURCH
An attribute is any characteristic or quality that a person or thing may
be said to have. All good qualities are good attributes, and all bad
qualities are bad attributes. All perfections or imperfections are
attributes. If I can say of you that you are good, then goodness is one
of your attributes. If I can say you are beautiful, then beauty is one
of your attributes. We have seen already that the Church has four marks;
but besides these it has three attributes, which flow from its marks. It
is easier to see the marks of the Church than its attributes. It is
easier to see, for instance, that the Church is one than that it is
indefectible.
*122 Q. Which are the attributes of the Church?
A. The attributes of the Church are three: authority, infallibility, and
indefectibility.
*123 Q. What do you mean by the authority of the Church?
A. By the authority of the Church I mean the right and power which the
Pope and the bishops, as the successors of the Apostles, have to teach
and govern the faithful.
Authority is the power which one person has over another, so as to be
able to exact obedience. A teacher has authority over his scholars,
because they must obey him; but the teacher need not obey the scholars,
because they have no authority over him. God alone has authority of
Himself and from Himself All others who have authority receive it from
God, either directly or through someone else. The Pope has authority
from God Himself, and the priests get theirs through their bishops.
Therefore, to resist or disobey lawful authority is to resist and
disobey God Himself. If one of you were placed in charge of the class in
my absence, he would have lawful authority, and the rest of you should
obey him--not on account of himself, but on account of the authority he
has. Thus the President of the United States, the governor, the mayor,
etc., are only ordinary citizens before their election; but after they
have been elected and placed in office they exercise lawful authority
over us, and we are bound as good citizens and as good Catholics to
respect and obey them.
*124 Q. What do you mean by the infallibility of the Church?
A. By the infallibility of the Church I mean that the Church cannot err
when it teaches a doctrine of faith or morals.
"Infallibility." When we say Church is infallible, we mean that it
cannot make a mistake or err in what it teaches; that the Pope, the head
of the Church, is infallible when he teaches ex cathedra--that is, as
the successor of St. Peter, the vicar of Christ. Cathedra signifies a
seat, ex stands for "out of"; therefore, ex cathedra means out of the
chair or office of St. Peter, because chair is sometimes used for
office. Thus we say the presidential chair is opposed to this or that,
when we intend to say the president, or the one in that office, is
opposed to it. The cathedral is the church in which the bishop usually
officiates, so called on account of the bishop's cathedra, or throne,
being in it.
*125 Q. When does the Church teach infallibly?
A. The Church teaches infallibly when it speaks through the Pope and
bishops united in general council, or through the Pope alone when he
proclaims to all the faithful a doctrine of faith or morals.
But how will we know when the Pope speaks ex cathedra, when he is
speaking daily to people from all parts of the world? To speak ex
cathedra or infallibly, three things are required:
(1) He must speak as the head of the whole Church, not as a private
person; and in certain forms of words by which we know he is speaking ex
cathedra.
(2) What he says must hold good for the whole Church--that is, for all
the faithful, and not merely for this or that particular person or
country.
(3) He must speak on matters of faith or morals--that is, when the Holy
Father tells all the faithful that they are to believe a certain thing
as a part of their faith; or when he tells them that certain things are
sins, they must believe him and avoid what he declares to be sin. He
could not make a mistake in such things. He could not say that Our Lord
taught us to believe and do such and such, if Our Lord did not so teach,
because Our Lord promised to be with His Church for all time, and to
send the Holy Ghost, who would teach it all truth and abide with it
forever. If then the Church could make mistakes in teaching faith and
morals, the Holy Ghost could not be with it, and Our Lord did not tell
the truth--to say which would be blasphemy. But remember, the Pope is
not infallible unless he is teaching faith or morals; that is, what we
believe or do in order to save our souls. If the Holy Father wrote a
book on astronomy, mathematics, grammar, or even theology, he could make
mistakes as other men do, because the Holy Ghost has not promised to
guide him in such things. Nevertheless, whatever the Pope teaches on
anything you may be pretty sure is right. The Pope is nearly always a
very learned man of many years' experience. He has with him at Rome
learned men from every part of the world, so that we may say he has the
experience of the whole world. Other rulers cannot and need not know as
much as the Holy Father, because they have not to govern the world, but
only their own country. Moreover, there is no government in the whole
world as old as the Church, no nation that can show as many rulers
without change; so we may say the Pope has also the experience of all
the Popes who preceded him, from St. Peter down to our present Holy
Father, Pius XI--two hundred and sixty-one popes. Therefore, considering
all this, we should have the very greatest respect for the opinions and
advice of the Holy Father on any subject. We should not set up our
limited knowledge and experience against his, even if we think that we
know better than he does about certain political events taking place in
our country, for we are not sure that we do. The Holy Father knows the
past history of nations; he knows the nature of mankind; he knows that
what takes place in one nation may, and sometimes does, take place in
another under the same circumstances. Thus the Holy Father has greater
foresight than we have, and we should be thankful when he warns us
against certain dangers in politics or other things. He does not teach
politics; but as everything we do is either good or bad, every statesman
or politician must consider whether what he is about to do be right or
wrong, just or unjust. It is the business and duty of the Holy Father to
declare against the evil or unjust actions of either individuals or
nations, and for that reason he seems at times to interfere in politics
when he is really teaching morals. At times, too, governments try to
deprive the Church or the Holy Father of their rights; and when he
defends himself against such injustice and protests against it, his
enemies cry out that he is interfering with the government.
You understand now what the infallibility of the Pope implies, and that
it does not mean, as the enemies of the Church say, that the Pope cannot
sin, cannot be mistaken in anything. The Pope can sin just the same as
anyone else; he could be a very bad man if he wanted to be so, and take
the punishment God would inflict for his sins. Could he not be very
angry, entirely neglect prayer, or pray with willful distraction; could
he not be proud, covetous, etc.? And these are sins. Therefore he could
sin; and hence he has to go to confession and seek forgiveness just as
we do. Therefore remember this: whether the Pope be a bad man or a good
man in his private life, he must always tell the truth when he speaks ex
cathedra, because the Holy Ghost is guiding him and will not permit him
to err or teach falsehood in faith or morals.
We have examples in the Bible (Numbers 22, 23) where God sometimes makes
even bad men foretell the truth. Once He gave an ass the power to speak,
that it might protest against the wrongdoing of its wicked and cruel
rider.
We have seen how governments interfere with the rights of the Holy
Father, and thus he has need of his temporal power that he may be
altogether independent of any government. Now let me explain to you what
is meant by the Temporal Power of the Pope. Well, then, the Holy Father
should have some city or states, not belonging to any government, in
which he would be the chief and only ruler. Up to the year 1870 the Holy
Father did have such states: they were called the Papal States, and the
power he had over them--just like that of any other ruler--was called
the temporal power. Now how did he get those states and how did he lose
them? He got them in the most just manner, and held possession of them
for about a thousand years.
Hundreds of years ago the people of Rome and the surrounding countries
elected the Pope their sole ruler. He was already their spiritual ruler,
and they made him also their temporal ruler. Then the Pope protected and
governed them as other rulers do. Later, kings and princes added other
lands, and thus by degrees the possessions of the Pope became quite
extended.
How did he lose these possessions? The Italian government took them from
him in the most unjust manner. Besides the lands, they deprived the
Church of other property donated to it by its faithful children. No
ruler in the world had a more just claim or better right to his
possessions than the Holy Father, and a government robbed him of them as
a thief might take forcibly from you whatever had been justly given to
you, when he found you were unable to defend yourself against him.
But has the Holy Father need of his temporal power? Yes, the Holy Father
has need of some temporal power. He must be free and independent in
governing the Church. He must be free to say what he wishes to all
Catholics throughout the world, and free to hear whatever they have to
say to him. But if the Pope is under another ruler he cannot be free.
That ruler may cast him into prison, and not allow him to communicate
with the bishops of the world. At least, he can say nothing about the
injustice of the ruler who is over him. Therefore the Pope must have
some possessions of his own, that he may not be afraid of the injustice
of any ruler, and may speak out the truth boldly to the whole world,
denouncing bad rulers and praising good ones as they deserve.
Mind, I do not say what possessions the Holy Father should have but
simply that he should have some, in which he would be altogether
independent. In justice he should have all that was taken from him. We
have a good example here in the United States to illustrate the need of
the independence of the Pope. You know every State in the United States
is a little government in itself, with its own governor, legislature,
laws, etc. Now over all these little governments or States we have the
government of the United States, with the President at its head. In the
beginning the members of the United States Government assembled to
transact the business of the nation sometimes in one State and sometimes
in another--sometimes in New York and sometimes in Pennsylvania, etc.
But they soon found that in order to be independent of every State and
just to all, they must have some territory or possessions of their own
not under the power of any State. So some of the States granted them
Washington and the country about it for ten miles square--now called the
District of Columbia--which the United States government could freely
perform its duties. In a similar manner the Holy Father is over all the
governments of the world in matters of religion--in matters of justice
and right; and just as the United States government has to decide
between the rights of one State and the rights of another, so the Holy
Father has sometimes to decide between the rights of one government and
the rights of another, and must, in order to be just with all, be free
and independent of all.
Again, the temporal power of the Pope is very useful to the Church; for
with the money and goods received from his possessions the Holy Father
can educate priests and teachers, print books, etc., for the foreign
missions. He can also support churches, school, and institutions in poor
countries, and especially where the missionaries are laboring for the
conversion of the native heathens.
When the Holy Father had his own possessions he could do much that he
cannot now do for the conversion of pagan nations. At present he must
depend entirely upon the charitable offerings of the faithful for all
good works, even for his own support. The offering we make once a year
for the support of the Holy Father is called "Peter's pence," because it
began by everyone sending yearly a penny to the Pope, the successor of
St. Peter.
*126 Q. What do you mean by the indefectibility of the Church?
A. By the indefectibility of the Church I mean that the Church, as
Christ founded it, will last till the end of time.
Therefore indefectibility means that the Church can never change any of
the doctrines that Our Lord taught, nor ever cease to exist. When we say
it is infallible, we mean that it cannot teach error while it lasts; but
when we say it is indefectible, we mean that it will last forever and be
infallible forever, and also that it will always remain the same as Our
Lord founded it. There are two things that you must clearly understand
and not confound, namely, the two kinds of laws in the Church--those
which Our Lord gave it and those which it made itself. The laws that Our
Lord gave it can never change. For example, the Church could not abolish
one of the Sacraments, leaving only six; neither could it add a new one,
making eight. But when, for example, the Church declares that on a
certain day we cannot eat flesh meat, it makes the law itself, and can
change it when it wishes. Our Lord left His Church free to make certain
laws, just as they would be needed. It has always exercised this power,
and made laws to suit the circumstances of the place or times. Even now
it does away with some of its old laws that are no longer useful, and
makes new ones that are more necessary. But the doctrines, the truths of
faith or morals, the things we must believe and do to save our souls, it
never changes and never can change: it may regulate some things in the
application of the divine laws, but the laws themselves can never change
in substance.
*127 Q. In whom are these attributes found in their fullness?
A. These attributes are found in their fullness in the Pope, the visible
head of the Church, whose infallible authority to teach bishops,
priests, and people in matters of faith or morals will last to the end
of the world.
128 Q. Has the Church any marks by which it may be known?
A. The Church has four marks by which it may be known: it is one; it is
holy; it is catholic; it is apostolic.
*129 Q. How is the Church one?
A. The Church is one because all its members agree in one faith, are all
in one communion, and are all under one head.
The Catholic Church is "one," first in government and second in
doctrine. In government every pastor has a certain parish or territory
in which all the people belong to his congregation--they form his flock.
He has to take care only of these, to teach them, give them the
Sacraments, etc. He has not to be responsible for those outside his
parish. Then over the pastor we have the bishop, who looks after a
certain number of pastors; then comes the archbishop over a certain
number of bishops; next comes the primate, who is head of all the
archbishops in the country; and over all the primates of the world we
have the Holy Father. Thus, when the Holy Father speaks to the bishops,
the bishops speak to the priests, and the priests to the people. The
Church is therefore one in government, like a great army spread over the
world. We can go up step by step from the lowest member of the Church to
the highest--the Holy Father; and from him to Our Lord Himself, who is
the invisible head of all. This regular body of priests, bishops,
archbishops, etc., so arranged, one superior to the other, is called the
hierarchy of the Church.
The Church is one also in doctrine--that is, every one of the three
hundred million of Catholics in the world believes exactly the same
truths. If any Catholic denies only one article of faith, though he
believes all the rest, he ceases to be a Catholic, and is cut off from
the Church. If, for example, you would not believe Matrimony or Holy
Orders a Sacrament, or that Our Lord is present in the Holy Eucharist,
you would not be a Catholic, though you believed all the other teachings
of the Church.
Therefore the Church is one both in government and teaching or doctrine.
Now, has any other Church claiming to be Christ's Church that mark? No.
The Protestant religions are not one either in government or belief. The
Protestants of England have no authority over the Protestants of
America, and those of America have nothing to say over those of Germany
or France. So every country is independent, and they have no chief head.
Neither are they one in belief. In the same country there are many kinds
of Protestants--Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists, etc., who do
not believe the same thing. Even those who attend the same church and
profess the same religion do not all believe the same. Everyone, they
say, has a right to interpret the Holy Scriptures according to his own
views, so they take many different meanings out of the very same words.
There must be some chief person to tell the true meaning of the Holy
Scriptures when there is a dispute about it; but they have no such
chief, and the result is they are never done disputing.
The United States has a constitution and laws. Now, suppose every
citizen was allowed to construe the laws to suit himself, without any
regard for the rights of others, what a fine state of affairs we should
soon have. But the wise makers of the constitution and laws of the
United States did not leave us in such danger. They appointed judges to
interpret or explain the laws and give the correct meaning when disputes
arise. Then in Washington there is a chief judge for the whole United
States; and when he says the words of the law mean this or that, every
citizen must abide by his decision, and there is no appeal from it. Just
in the same way Our Lord made laws for all men, and while He was upon
earth He explained them Himself. He never left all men free to take
their own meaning out of them. He appointed judges--the bishops; and a
chief judge for the whole world--the Pope. The Holy Ghost guides him, as
we have seen above, so that he cannot make mistakes in the meaning of
Christ's laws; and when he says, this is what the words of Our Lord in
His law signify, no one who is a true Christian can refuse to believe,
or can appeal from his decision.
*130 Q. How is the Church holy?
A. The Church is holy because its founder, Jesus Christ, is holy;
because it teaches a holy doctrine, invites all to a holy life, and
because of the eminent holiness of so many thousands of its children.
Protestant religions have not holy doctrines if we examine them closely.
They teach, for example, that faith without good works will save us, and
thus take away the motives for doing good; that marriage is not binding
for life--the husband and wife may for some causes separate, or get a
divorce, and marry again. This would leave the children without the care
of their proper parents, sometimes without a home, and nearly always
without religious instruction. The same persons might separate again and
marry another time, and thus there would be nothing but confusion and
immorality in society. Again, some of their doctrines teach that we
cannot help sinning; so everyone could excuse himself for his sins by
saying he could not help them, which you can easily see would lead to
the worst of consequences. Lastly, their doctrines have never made one
saint--acknowledged as such from miracles performed. Protestants are so
called because, when their ancestors rebelled against the Church about
three hundred years ago, the Church made certain laws and they protested
against them, separated from the Church, and formed a new religion of
their own.
*131 Q. How is the Church catholic or universal?
A. The Church is catholic or universal because it subsists in all ages,
teaches all nations, and maintains all truth.
"Subsists" means to have existence.
"Catholic." The word catholic signifies universal. The Church is
universal in three ways, viz.: in time, in place, and in doctrine. It is
universal in time; for from the day Our Lord commissioned His Apostles
to preach to the whole world down to the present, it has existed,
taught, and labored in every age. It is universal in place; that is, it
is not confined to one part of the world, but teaches throughout the
entire world. It is universal in doctrine, for it teaches the same
doctrines and administers the same Sacraments everywhere; and its
doctrines are suited to all classes of men--to the ignorant as well as
the learned, to the poor as well as the rich. It teaches by the voice of
its priests and bishops, and all, civilized or uncivilized, to whom its
voice reaches, can learn its doctrines, receive its Sacraments, and
practice its devotions.
It has converted all the pagan nations that have ever been converted,
and the title catholic belongs to the Roman Catholic Church alone. All
Protestant churches that claim this title do so unjustly. They are not
universal in time, and cannot be called the Church of all ages, because
they were established only three hundred or four hundred or less years
ago. They are not catholic in place, because they are mostly confined to
particular countries. They are not universal in doctrine, because what
they teach in one country they reject in another; and even in the same
country, what they teach at one time they reject at another. Wherever it
is possible for civilized people to go, there you will find a priest
saying Mass in just the same way you see him saying it here. It is a
great consolation for one in a strange country to enter a church and
hear Mass, perceiving no difference in the vestments, ceremonies, or
language of the priest. A little altar boy from the United States could
serve Mass in any part of the world. See, therefore, the great advantage
the Church has in using the Latin language instead of the vernacular or
ordinary language of the people. If the Church used the usual language
of the people, the Mass would seem different in every country; while
natives would understand the words of the priest, strangers would not.
The Latin language is now what we call a dead language; that is, it is
not the common language of any country; and because it is a dead
language does not change: another reason why the Church uses it, that
nothing may change in its divine service. The prayers used in the Church
are exactly the same today as they were when they were written many
centuries ago. The living languages--that is, those in use, such as
English, French, German, etc., are always changing a little--new words
are being added, and the meaning of old ones changed. The Church uses
the same language all over the world to show that it is not the Church
of any particular country, but the true Church of all men everywhere.
Again, using only one language, the Church can hold its great councils,
call together all the bishops of the world, that they may condemn errors
or make wise laws. When the Holy Father addresses them in Latin they can
all understand and answer him. If, therefore, the Church did not use the
same language everywhere how could this be done, unless everyone present
understood all the languages of the world--which is a thing nearly
impossible. But someone might say, if the Mass was said in English we
could follow it better. You can follow just as well in Latin, for in
nearly all prayerbooks you have besides the Latin said by the priest the
meaning of it in English on the same page, or you have the English
alone.
*132 Q. How is the Church apostolic?
A. The Church is apostolic because it was founded by Christ on His
Apostles and is governed by their lawful successors, and because it has
never ceased, and never will cease, to teach their doctrine.
"Apostolic," which means that the Church was founded at the time of the
Apostles, and has been the same ever since. Since the time of St. Peter,
the first Pope, there have been 261 Popes. You can go back from our
present Holy Father, Pius XI, to Benedict XV, who was before him, to
Pius X, who was before him, to Leo XIII, before him, and so on one by
one till you come to St. Peter himself, who lived at the time of Our
Lord. Thus the Church is apostolic in its origin or beginning.
It is also apostolic in its teaching; for all the doctrines it teaches
now were taught by the Apostles. The Church does not make new doctrines,
but it teaches its truths more clearly and distinctly when someone
denies them. For example it would not be necessary for you to prove
yourself good and honest till somebody said you were bad and dishonest.
You prove your honesty when it is denied, but both you and your friends
believed it always, though you did not declare it till it was denied. In
just the same way the Church always believed that Our Lord is the Son of
God; that there are seven Sacraments; that the Pope is infallible, etc.
These truths and all the others were believed by the Apostles, and the
Church proclaimed them in a special manner when they were denied. Then
it called together in council all its bishops, and they, with the Holy
Father, proclaimed these truths--not as new doctrines, but as truths
always believed by the Church, and now defined because denied.
Protestants have not for their churches the mark apostolic. How could
their churches be founded by the Apostles, when the Apostles were dead
more than fourteen hundred years before there were any Protestant
churches? What is more, they have changed the teachings of the Apostles;
and so they have not the mark apostolic either in their origin or
teaching.
But they say the Catholic Church fell into error and made mistakes, and
that God wished reformers to correct these errors. How could the Church
fall into error when Our Lord promised to remain always with it, and to
send the Holy Ghost to guide and teach it forever? And, secondly, if God
sent the Protestants to correct the mistakes of the Catholic Church,
what proof do they give us that they have such power from God? When, as
we have seen, God sends anyone to do a special work, He always gives him
power to prove his mission. When He sent Moses, He gave him signs--the
plagues of Egypt. When He sent His prophets, they called down fire and
rain from Heaven. (3 Kings 18). But Protestants have shown us no signs
and performed no miracles; therefore we cannot believe their assertion
that God sent them to correct the Catholic Church. Neither can we
believe that Our Lord broke His promise to stay with the Church. We
shall see the whole truth of the matter if we go back to the
establishment of the Protestant religion and consider the life of Luther
and the others who founded it.
Luther, then a young man, while out one day saw his friend killed at his
side by a stroke of lightning. Much affected by that sad event, Luther
became a priest in the order of the Augustinians. He was a learned man
and a great preacher, but very proud. The Holy Father was completing St.
Peter's Church in Rome, and about that time granted an indulgence to
those giving alms for the purpose, just as pastors now offer Masses for
those who contribute means to build a new church, or hospital, asylum,
etc.
The Holy Father sent Dominican priests to preach about this indulgence
and collect this money. Then Luther, when he found that he, a great
preacher, was not appointed, was probably jealous. He first began to
preach against the abuses of indulgences: but pride made him go further,
and soon he began to preach against the doctrine of indulgences, and
thus became a heretic. Then he was condemned by the Pope, and cut off
from the Church. Being proud, he would not submit, but began to form a
new religion, now called Protestant. But how did he get the people to
follow him? Oh, very easily. Then, as now, there were plenty of bad and
indifferent Catholics. At that time the Church was rich and had much
property and lands; because when rich Catholics died they often left to
the Church property for its own support and the support of its
institutions. Even during their lifetime kings and princes sometimes
gave the Church large donations of lands and money. The Church then was
supported by these gifts and the income or rents of the lands, and did
not need to look for collections from the people, as it has to do now.
Here, then, is how Luther got many to follow him. He told greedy princes
that if they came with him they could become rich by seizing the
property of all the churches, and the greedy princes, glad of an excuse,
went with him. Then he told the people--the bad Catholics--that fasting
was too severe; going to confession too hard; hearing Mass every Sunday
too difficult; and if they renounced their faith and embraced his new
religion he would do away with all these things: so they also followed
him. He himself broke his solemn vows made to God, and the people easily
followed his example.
Those attending the Protestant churches in our times are generally rich
and refined people, but you must not think that the first Protestants of
three hundred years ago were just like them. No. Many of them were from
the lowest and worst--I do not say poorest--classes in society; and when
they got an excuse, they went about destroying churches and
institutions, burning beautiful statues, paintings, music, books, and
works of art that the Church had collected and preserved for centuries.
This you may read in any of the histories of the Church and times. The
Protestants of the present day praise all these works of art now; but if
their ancestors had had their way every beautiful work of art would have
been destroyed.
Some persons say they would not be members of the Catholic Church
because so many poor people attend it. Then they do not want to belong
to the Church of Our Lord, because His Church is the Church of both poor
and rich. When St. John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Our Lord
if He were really the Messias, Our Lord did not say yes or no, but told
them to relate to John what they had heard and seen (Matt. 11:5),
namely, that He (Christ) cured the blind, the lame, and the deaf, and
preached to the poor. Therefore Our Lord gave preaching to the poor as a
proof that He is the true Redeemer; and since Our Lord Himself had the
poor in His congregation, the Church everywhere must have the poor among
its members, for it must do what Our Lord did. So if you see a church to
which the poor people never go, in which they are not welcome, you have
good reason to suspect it is not the Church of Our Lord--not the true
Church. Again, poverty and riches belong only to this world and make a
distinction only here. The one who is poorest in this world's goods may
be richest in God's grace. Indeed, if most Protestants studied the early
history of their religion they would not be proud, but ashamed of it.
How little they would think of their ancestors who gave up God for some
worldly gain, while the Catholic martyrs gave up everything, even their
lives, rather than forsake God and the true religion.
133 Q. In which church are these attributes and marks found?
A. These attributes and marks are found in the Holy Roman Catholic
Church alone.
We have seen that some religions may seem to have one or two of the
marks; but the Catholic Church alone has them all, and is consequently
the only true Church of Christ. The other religions are not one--that
is, united over the world; they give no proof of holiness, never having
had any great saints whom God acknowledged as such by performing
miracles for them. They are not catholic, because they have not taught
in all ages and nations. They are not apostolic, because established
hundreds of years after the Apostles. They are not infallible, for they
have now declared things to be false which they formerly declared to be
true; they are not indefectible--they are not as Our Lord founded them,
for He never founded them; and they are constantly making changes in
their beliefs and practices.
The marks of the Church are necessary also because the Church must be a
visible Church, that all men may be able to see and know it; for Our
Lord said, "He that will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as the
heathen and the publican." (Matt. 18:17). Heathens were those who
worshipped false gods. Publicans were men who gathered the taxes from
the Jews for the Romans; they were generally very cruel to the people,
and were much hated and despised by them. Therefore Our Lord meant: if
anyone will not obey the Church, you should avoid him as you avoid the
heathens and the publicans, whom you despise. Now no one can be blamed
for not obeying a church that is invisible and unknown. Therefore the
true Church must be a visible body and easily known to all who earnestly
seek it as the Church of Christ. But if some shut their eyes and refuse
to look at the light of truth, ignorance will not excuse them; they must
be blamed and fall under the sentence of Our Lord.
*134 Q. From whom does the Church derive its undying life and infallible
authority?
A. The Church derives its undying life and infallible authority from the
Holy Ghost, the spirit of truth, who abides with it forever.
*135 Q. By whom is the Church made and kept One, Holy, and Catholic?
A. The Church is made and kept One, Holy, and Catholic by the Holy
Ghost, the spirit of love and holiness, who unites and sanctifies its
members throughout the world.
Lesson 13
ON THE SACRAMENTS IN GENERAL
This lesson does not speak of any Sacrament in particular, but upon all
the Sacraments taken together. It explains what we find in all the
Sacraments.
136 Q. What is a Sacrament?
A. A Sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace.
Three things are necessary to make a Sacrament. There must be: (1) "An
outward," that is, a visible, "sign"; (2) this sign must have been
instituted or given by Our Lord; (3) it must give grace. Now, a sign is
that which tells us that something else exists. Smoke indicates the
presence of fire.
A red light on a railroad tells that there is danger at the spot.
Therefore, the outward signs in the Sacraments tell us that there is in
the Sacraments something we do not see and which they signify and
impart. For example, the outward sign in Baptism is the pouring of the
water on the head of the person to be baptized, and the saying of the
words. Water is generally used for cleaning purposes. Water, therefore,
is used in Baptism as an outward sign to show that as the water cleans
the body, so the grace given in Baptism cleans the soul. It is not a
mere sign, for at the very moment that the priest pours the water and
says the words of Baptism, by the pouring of the water and saying of the
words with the proper intention the soul is cleansed from Original Sin;
that is, the inward grace is given by the application of the outward
sign. Again, in Confirmation the outward sign is the anointing with oil,
the Bishop's prayer, and the placing of his hands upon us. Now what
inward grace is given in Confirmation? A grace which strengthens us in
our faith. Oil, therefore, is used for the outward sign in this
Sacrament, because oil gives strength and light.
In olden times the gladiators--men who fought with swords as
prize-fighters do now with their hands--used oil upon their bodies to
make them strong. Oil was used also to heal wounds. Thus in Confirmation
the application of this outward sign of strength gives the inward grace
of light and strength. Moreover, oil easily spreads itself over anything
and remains on it. A drop of water falling on paper dries up quickly;
but a drop of oil soaks in and spreads over it. So oil is used to show
also that the grace of Confirmation spreads out over our whole lives,
and strengthens us in our faith at all times.
Again, in Penance we have the outward sign when the priest raises his
hand and pronounces over us the words of absolution.
If we did not have these outward signs how could anyone know just at
what time the graces are given? We can know now, for at the very moment
the outward sign is applied the grace is given; because it is the
application of the sign that by divine institution gives the grace, and
thus the two must take place together.
"Institution by Christ" is absolutely necessary because He gives all
grace, and He alone can determine the manner in which He wishes it
distributed. The Church can distribute His grace, but only in the way He
wishes. Hence it cannot make new Sacraments or abolish old ones.
137 Q. How many Sacraments are there?
A. There are seven Sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist,
Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.
The life of our soul is in many ways similar to the life of our body.
Our bodies must first be born, then strengthened, then fed. When sick,
we must be cured: and when about to die, we must be taken care of. Then
there must be someone to rule others, and there must be persons to be
governed. In like manner, we are spiritually born into a new life by
Baptism, we are strengthened by Confirmation, fed with the Holy
Eucharist, and cured of the maladies of our souls by Penance. By Extreme
Unction we are helped at the hour of death; by Holy Orders our spiritual
rulers are appointed by God; and by Matrimony families, with a father at
the head and children to be ruled, are established. Thus we have our
spiritual life similar in many things to our physical or bodily life.
138 Q. Whence have the Sacraments the power of giving grace?
A. The Sacraments have the power of giving grace from the merits of
Jesus Christ.
Our Lord died to merit grace for us, and appointed the Sacraments as the
chief means by which it was to be given.
*139 Q. What grace do the Sacraments give?
A. Some of the Sacraments give sanctifying grace, and others increase it
in our souls.
Baptism and Penance give this sanctifying grace when there is not any of
it in the soul. But the other Sacraments are received while we are in a
state of grace, and they therefore increase the quantity of it in our
souls.
*140 Q. Which are the Sacraments that give sanctifying grace?
A. The Sacraments that give sanctifying grace are Baptism and Penance;
and they are called Sacraments of the dead.
"Of the dead." Not of a dead person; for when a person is dead he cannot
receive any of the Sacraments. It is only while we live upon earth that
we are on trial, and can do good or evil, and merit grace. At death we
receive simply our reward or punishment for what we have done while
living. Therefore, Sacraments of the dead mean Sacraments given to a
dead soul, that is, to a soul in mortal sin. When grace--its life--is
all out of the soul it can do nothing to merit Heaven; and we say it is
dead, because the dead can do nothing for themselves. If a person
receives--as many do--the Sacrament of Penance while his soul is not in
a state of mortal sin, what then? Then the soul--already
living--receives an increase of sanctifying grace, that is, greater
spiritual life and strength.
*141 Q. Why are Baptism and Penance called Sacraments of the dead?
A. Baptism and Penance are called Sacraments of the dead because they
take away sin, which is the death of the soul, and give grace, which is
its life.
*142 Q. Which are the Sacraments that increase sanctifying grace in the
soul?
A. The Sacraments that increase sanctifying grace in the soul are:
Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and
Matrimony; and they are called Sacraments of the living.
*143 Q. Why are Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Extreme Unction, Holy
Orders, and Matrimony called Sacraments of the living?
A. Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and
Matrimony are called the Sacraments of the living because those who
receive them worthily are already living the life of grace.
*144 Q. What sin does he commit who receives the Sacraments of the
living in mortal sin?
A. He who receives the Sacraments of the living in mortal sin commits a
sacrilege, which is a great sin, because it is an abuse of a sacred
thing.
"Sacrilege." There are other ways besides the unworthy reception of the
Sacraments in which a person may commit sacrilege. You could commit it
by treating any sacred thing with great disrespect. For example, by
making common use of the sacred vessels used at the altar; by stealing
from the church; by turning the church into a market, etc. You could
commit it also by willfully killing or wounding persons consecrated to
God, such as nuns, priests, bishops, etc. Therefore sacrilege can be
committed by willfully abusing or treating with great irreverence any
sacred person, sacred place, or sacred thing.
*145 Q. Besides sanctifying grace, do the Sacraments give any other
grace?
A. Besides sanctifying grace, the Sacraments give another grace, called
sacramental.
*146 Q. What is sacramental grace?
A. Sacramental grace is a special help which God gives to attain the end
for which He instituted each Sacrament.
For example, what was the end for which Penance was instituted? To
forgive sins and keep us out of sin. Therefore the sacramental grace
given in Penance is a grace that will enable us to overcome temptation
and avoid the sins we have been in the habit of committing. When a
person is ill the doctor's medicine generally produces two effects: one
is to cure the disease and the other to strengthen the person so that he
may not fall back into the old condition. Well, it is just the same in
the Sacraments; the grace given produces two effects: one is to sanctify
us and the other to prevent us from falling into the same sins. Again,
Confirmation was instituted that we might become more perfect
Christians, stronger in our faith. Therefore the sacramental grace of
Confirmation will strengthen us to profess our faith when circumstances
require it; or when we are tempted to doubt any revealed truth, it will
help us to overcome the temptation. So in all the Sacraments we receive
the sacramental grace or special help given to attain the end for which
the Sacraments were separately instituted.
147 Q. Do the Sacraments always give grace?
A. The Sacraments always give grace, if we receive them with the right
dispositions.
"Right dispositions"; that is, if we do all that God and the Church
require us to do when we receive them. For instance, in Penance the
right disposition is to confess all our mortal sins as we know them, to
be sorry for them, and have the determination never to commit them
again. The right disposition for the Holy Eucharist is to be in a state
of grace, and--except in special cases of sickness--fasting for one
hour.
148 Q. Can we receive the Sacraments more than once?
A. We can receive the Sacraments more than once, except Baptism,
Confirmation, and Holy Orders.
Baptism is so important that if we do not receive it we cannot receive
any other of the Sacraments. Now, to administer Baptism validly, that
is, properly, everything must be done exactly as Our Lord intended and
the Church teaches. The proper kind of water and all the exact words
must be used. Also, the water must touch the body, that is, the head if
possible. Now persons not knowing well how to baptize might neglect some
of these things, and thus the person would not be baptized. The Church
wishes to be certain that all its children are baptized; so when there
is any doubt about the first Baptism, it baptizes again conditionally,
that is, the priest says in giving the Baptism over again: If you are
not baptized already, I baptize you now. Therefore if the person was
rightly baptized the first time, the second ceremony has no effect,
because the priest does not intend to give Baptism a second time. But if
the first Baptism was not rightly given, then the second takes effect.
In either case Baptism is given only once; for if the first was valid,
the second is not given; and if the first was invalid, the second is
given.
Converts to the Church are generally baptized conditionally, because
there is doubt about the validity of the Baptism they received.
The Sacraments may be given conditionally when we doubt if they were or
can be validly given.
*149 Q. Why can we not receive Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders
more than once?
A. We cannot receive Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders more than
once, because they imprint a character in the soul.
"A character." It is a spiritual character, and remains forever, so that
whether the person is in Heaven or Hell this mark will be seen. It will
show that those having it were Christians, who received Baptism,
Confirmation, or Holy Orders. If they are in Heaven, these characters
will shine out to their honor, and will show how well they used the
grace God gave them. If they are in Hell, these characters will be to
their disgrace, and show how many gifts and graces God bestowed upon
them, and how shamefully they abused all.
*150 Q. What is the character which these Sacraments imprint in the
soul?
A. The character which these Sacraments imprint in the soul is a
spiritual mark which remains forever.
*151 Q. Does this character remain in the soul even after death?
A. This character remains in the soul even after death: for the honor
and glory of those who are saved; for the shame and punishment of those
who are lost.
Lesson 14
ON BAPTISM
152 Q. What is Baptism?
A. Baptism is a Sacrament which cleanses us from Original Sin, makes us
Christians, children of God, and heirs of Heaven.
"Christians," that is, members of the Church of Christ. "Children of
God," that is, adopted children. All men are children of God by their
creation, but Christians are children of God, not merely by creation,
but also by grace and union with Our Lord. "Heirs of Heaven." An heir is
one who inherits property, money, or goods at the death of another.
These things are left by a will or given by the laws of the State, when
the person dies without making a will. A will is a written statement in
which a person declares what he wishes to have done, at his death, with
whatever he possesses--the charitable objects or the persons to whom he
wishes to leave his goods. This will is called also the last testament.
It is signed by witnesses, and after the death of the testator is
committed to the care of a person--called the executor--whose business
it is to see that all stated in the will or testament is carried out.
There is an officer in the State to take these things in hand and settle
them according to law, when the amount left is large, and there is a
dispute about it. You can understand better now why we call the Bible
the Old and the New Testament. When Our Lord died we were left an
inheritance and spiritual property. The inheritance was Heaven, which we
had lost through the sin of Adam and regained by the death of Our Lord.
The spiritual property was God's grace, which He merited for us. The Old
Testament contains the promise of what Our Lord would leave us at His
death, and the New Testament shows that He kept His promise and did
leave what He said. The Old Testament was written before He died, and
the New Testament after His death. The witnesses of these testaments
were the patriarchs, prophets, Apostles, and evangelists, who heard God
making the promises through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. The
Church is the executor of Christ's will, and it is its business to see
that all men receive what Christ left them, namely, God's grace and
Heaven. It must also see that they are not cheated out of it by their
enemies--the devil, the world, and the flesh.
153 Q. Are actual sins ever remitted by Baptism?
A. Actual sins and all the punishment due to them are remitted by
Baptism, if the person baptized be guilty of any.
We know that Baptism remits Original Sin. But suppose a person is not
baptized till he is twenty-five or thirty years old; he has surely
committed some sins since he was seven years of age--the time at which
he received the use of reason. Now the question asks, Are all his sins,
those he committed himself as well as the Original Sin, forgiven by
Baptism? The answer is, Yes. All his sins are forgiven, so that he has
not to confess them. But he must be heartily sorry for them and have the
firm determination of never committing them again, just as in
confession. Moreover, that he may not have to confess these sins, we
must be absolutely certain that he was never baptized before. Besides
remitting the sins themselves, Baptism remits all the temporal
punishment due to them.
In the Sacrament of Penance the sinner is saved from the eternal
punishment--that is, Hell--and from part of the temporal punishment. But
although the sins have been forgiven, the sinner must make satisfaction
to God for the insult offered by his sins.
Therefore, he must suffer punishment in this world or in Purgatory. We
call this punishment temporal, because it will not last forever. You can
make this satisfaction to God while on earth, and thus avoid much of the
temporal punishment by prayers, fasting, gaining indulgences, alms, and
good works; and even by bearing your sufferings, trials, and afflictions
patiently, and offering them up to God in satisfaction for your sins.
In Baptism both the eternal and temporal debt are washed away; so that
if a person just baptized died immediately, he would go directly to
Heaven, not to Purgatory: because persons go to Purgatory to pay off the
temporal debt. Neither could that person gain an indulgence, because
indulgences are only to help us to pay the temporal debt. Neither could
that person receive the Sacrament of Penance, because Penance remits
only sin committed after Baptism, and that person had no sins to remit,
because he died just after receiving Baptism. See, then, the goodness of
Our Lord in instituting Baptism, to forgive everything and leave us as
free from guilt as our first parents were when God created them.
154 Q. Is Baptism necessary to salvation?
A. Baptism is necessary to salvation, because without it we cannot enter
into the kingdom of Heaven.
Those who through no fault of theirs die without Baptism, though they
have never committed sin, cannot enter Heaven--neither will they go to
Hell. After the Last Judgment there will be no Purgatory. Where, then,
will they go? God in His goodness will provide a place of rest for them,
where they will not suffer and will be in a state of natural peace; but
they will never see God or Heaven. God might have created us for a
purely natural and material end, so that we would live forever upon the
earth and be naturally happy with the good things God would give us. But
then we would never have known of Heaven or God as we do now. Such
happiness on earth would be nothing compared to the delights of Heaven
and the presence of God; so that, now, since God has given us, through
His holy revelations, a knowledge of Himself and Heaven, we would be
miserable if left always upon the earth. Those, then, who die without
Baptism do not know what they have lost, and are naturally happy; but we
who know all they have lost for want of Baptism know how very
unfortunate they are.
Think, then, what a terrible crime it is to willfully allow anyone to
die without Baptism, or to deprive a little child of life before it can
be baptized! Suppose all the members of a family but one little infant
have been baptized; when the Day of Judgment comes, while all the other
members of a family--father, mother, and children--may go into Heaven,
that little one will have to remain out; that little brother or sister
will be separated from its family forever, and never, never see God or
Heaven. How heartless and cruel, then, must a person be who would
deprive that little infant of happiness for all eternity--just that its
mother or someone else might have a little less trouble or suffering
here upon earth.
155 Q. Who can administer Baptism?
A. The priest is the ordinary minister of Baptism; but in case of
necessity anyone who has the use of reason may baptize.
"Ordinary"--that is, the one who has a right to baptize and generally
does; others can baptize only in case of necessity.
"Priest" and all above him--bishops, and the Pope; for they have all the
power the priest has, and more besides. "Minister" is the name given
here to one who performs any of the sacred rites or ceremonies of the
Church. "Necessity." When the ordinary minister cannot be had and when
Baptism must be given; for if it is not absolutely necessary to give the
Baptism, then you must wait for the ordinary minister.