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A SIMPLE EXPLANATION

OF THE CHIEF POINTS

OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE

CW>AVIS.





WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE

A SIMPLE EXPLANATION OF THE CHIEF POINTS

OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE

BY

MOTHER MARY LOYOLA

THE PAULIST PRESS
401 West 59th Street

New York 19, N. Y.



Nihil Obstat.

Arthur J. Scanlan, S.T.D.,

Censor Librorum.

Imprimatur:

© Patrick Cardinal Hayes,
Archbishop of New York.

New York
,
August 5

,
1925 .

PRINTED AND PUBLISHED IN THE U. S. A.

BY THE PAULIST PRESS, NEW YORK 19
,
N. Y

^SCfiSIfJgcf



CONTENTS

PAGE

Faith: God—Jesus Christ—The Holy Ghost—My
Soul—The Particular Judgment—The General
Judgment — Life Everlasting — The Catholic
Church—Marks of the Church—The Office of
Peter—Peter’s Office continued in the Papacy

—

The Communion of Saints—Purgatory—Sin 5-15

Hope: Prayer — The Angels and Saints — Mary,
Mother of God 16-19

Charity: The Ten Commandments of God—The
Commandments of the Church 20-33

The Sacraments: Baptism— Confirmation— Holy
Eucharist — Penance — Indulgences — Extreme
Unction — Holy Orders — Matrimony — Sacra-
mentals 34-48





WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE
By MOTHER MARY LOYOLA

FAITH

God

The Church teaches that there is but one God, the Creator

of all things. He is supreme, that is, over all other beings, for

He alone exists of Himself. He had no beginning; He will have

no end. He is everywhere. He knows and sees all things, even

our most secret thoughts. He can do all things; nothing can

resist His will.

God is a Spirit. He has no form, and therefore we cannot

see Him in this life. But He is a real Person, containing in

Himself all that is good. All power, wisdom, holiness, beauty,

goodness—everything that calls for adoration, for praise, for
love and service, is found in Him. Because He is infinitely

above us, He is incomprehensible. We cannot understand Him,
and many of the things He does and permits are a puzzle to us

now. But because of His infinite wisdom and goodness we

know that all He does is right and good, and we adore what we

cannot understand. The day will come when all men will see

the reason of God’s ways with His creatures, and will own that

“He has done all things well.”

In this one God there are three Persons, equal in all things

—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. How these three
Persons are all one and the same God is a mystery, that is, a

truth above reason, but revealed by God. Many people
nowadays refuse to believe what they cannot understand. This

is foolish, for how many wonders there are around us and

within us that our reason cannot grasp! The midnight skies,

the flowery fields, the soul which checks and approves us by

turns—all these things are full of mystery. To deny what they
cannot comprehend is to act against the very reason freethinkers

pretend to stand by. In all things relating to God we have to

remember that He is a Being infinitely above us. He would not

be God if we could understand Him. But in reward for our

5



6 WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE

faith during this time of trial, we shall one day see far into the

mysteries that perplex us now. The mystery of Three Persons

in one God is called the mystery of the Blessed Trinity.

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, has

two natures, the nature of God and the nature of man. He is

truly God because He has one and the same nature with God

the Father. He is truly man because He has the nature of man,

having a body and a soul like ours. He was always God, born

of the Father from all eternity. He has been man only from

the time of His Incarnation, when He took to Himself the na-

ture of man in the womb of Mary ever Virgin. He has a true

human Mother and because He is God, His Mother is truly

Mother of God. He had no father on earth; St. Joseph was

only His guardian or foster father.

Jesus Christ became man to redeem us from sin and hell,

and to show us the way to heaven. During thirty-three years

He gave us for our imitation an example of every virtue. He

preached His divine doctrine, trained His Apostles, and founded

His Church; then He laid down His life on the Cross for our

redemption. On the third day after His death He proved Him-

self to be God by rising from the dead by His own power.

Forty days after His Resurrection He remained on earth, teach-
ing the Apostles how they and their successors were to carry on

His work to the end of time. On the fortieth day He ascended

into heaven in their presence, and ten days later He sent down
upon them His Holy Spirit, Who was to lead them into all
truth and to abide with them for ever.

The Holy Ghost

The Holy Ghost is the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity.

He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and is the same
Lord and God as they are. He came down upon the Apostles
on Whitsunday to enable them to preach the Gospel and to

plant the Church. He is the Lover and Sanctifier of out souls,
cleansing, strengthening, comforting them, helping them to

deserve by good works the rewards of heaven.



WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE 7

My Soul

God has loved each one of us from eternity. We had no
claims on His love. He drew us out of nothing. He gave

us all that we have and are—our body with all its senses, our
soul with its three powers, memory, understanding and will.

He made this soul to His own image and likeness. Like Him,

it is a spirit and can never die. The body will soon be a little

dust in the grave, but the soul will live on for ever, for it is

made for eternity. At the Last Day it will be joined again

to the very same body it had in life, and body and soul will

begin a new life which will never end. What will this new life

be like? To answer this question, we must ask another: Why
did God make us?

God, Who is infinitely wise and good, must have a noble
end in all His works, and the higher the work the nobler must

be the end. Man is the highest of His visible works, therefore
man must have the highest of all ends. God made me, not to

live simply for myself, not for the service of those around me,

not for any creature, however high, however dear, but for Him-

self. He has made this soul of mine to know, love, and serve

Him, and to enjoy the same happiness He has Himself. Since

this is its end, it can never be satisfied and at rest unless it

is carrying out this end. As God’s creatures, belonging com-

pletely to Him, we should be bound to serve Him without any

reward, but He has promised us the grandest of rewards for

serving Him during the short time we have to spend here on

earth—no less than the possession of Himself, with all that
He has; the satisfying of every desire of our soul; joys that

eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor heart of man conceived

—and this for ever.
The chief thing, then, that I have to do in this world is to

secure for myself the everlasting happiness of the world to

come—to save my soul. But this word “to save” brings
a solemn, even terrifying, truth before me. God is infinite in

all His perfections—infinitely good and loving, and infinitely
just. He cannot make a creature for an end, and give it every

help to reach that end, and then leave it to itself without caring

whether it reaches the end or not. He cannot command it to



8 WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE

know, love, and serve Him, and not mind if it disobeys His

command. He must either reward or punish. If I save my

soul, my whole self, body and soul, are saved from utter and

hopeless ruin. If I lose my soul, all is lost.

The Particular Judgment

In the moment of death our time of trial will be over, and

we shall be called to give an account of the use we have made

of it. Trembling and alone, our soul will be presented before

the judgment seat of Jesus Christ to give an account of every

thought, word, and deed of its life on earth. “It is appointed

unto men once to die; and after this, the judgment” (Heb. ix.

27). The judgment is followed by the sentence which fixes

the state of the soul for eternity. If it is found free from the

least stain of sin, and with no debt of punishment owing to

the Divine Justice, it passes at once to its place in heaven.

If there is on it the guilt of even one grievous offence against

God, it is banished from His presence for ever. Hell must be

its abode for eternity, for only in this life are repentance and

change possible. If it is free from grievous but stained with

venial sin, or has a debt of punishment still due for forgiven

sin, it will be saved, “yet so as by fire” (Matt. xvi. 27; Apoc.

xxi. 27; 1 Cor. iii. 15). It will be sent to Purgatory, the place

of suffering and expiation, where it must remain till it has

paid the last farthing. The judgment immediately after death

is called the Particular Judgment, because each soul appears

singly before Christ our Lord, and alone with Him the life is
examined and the sentence passed.

The General Judgment

But there is a General Judgment to come at the Last Day,

that the sentence passed on each may be made known to all;
that the Justice of God, which so often allows the good to

suffer in this life whilst the wicked prosper, may be made
known to all men; and chiefly, that Jesus Christ, so humbled

and despised on earth, may be glorified in the sight of all man-
kind. At the sound of the Archangel's trumpet all men will



WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE 9

rise from their graves with the same bodies they had in life, but

very different from what they are now. The bodies of the

just will be beautiful and glorious
;
those of the wicked hideous

and loathsome. “Then shall appear the Sign of the Son of

Man,” that is, the Cross, “in heaven, and they shall see the

Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with great power
and majesty; and all nations shall be gathered before Him,”

Then every thought, word, and deed shall be made known, and

the secrets of all hearts shall be revealed. Then will Christ

say to the wicked, “Depart from Me, ye cursed, into ever-

lasting fire”; and to the just, “Come, ye blessed of My Father,
possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation

of the world.” The Angels will separate the good from the

bad, “and these shall go into everlasting punishment, but the

just into life everlasting.

Life Everlasting

Life everlasting means the glory and happiness of heaven,

where the good shall see, love, and enjoy God for ever. This

happiness is so great that the Scripture says of it, “Eye hath

not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart

of man to conceive what things God hath prepared for them

that love Him.”

There is another eternity which the Scripture calls “eternal

death.” It is the eternity of those whose names are not in the

book of life; who have been too busy with the things of this

world to attend to “the one thing necessary”; who have died

the enemies of God. Men try to keep the awful fact of hell
out of mind, as if this would prevent its being a reality. Or

they try to believe it will not last for ever. Yet what can be

plainer than Our Lord’s words, repeated again and again:

—

“Where the fire is not extinguished”; “Depart from Me, ye

cursed, into everlasting fire.” He bids even His friends think

of that terrible eternity with fear. “Fear Him Who after He
hath killed hath power to cast into hell, yea, I say to you, fear

Him.” It is especially when temptation is strong that we need

this check of holy fear. A saint used to pray, “My God, if ever
Thy love should grow cold in my heart, at least let the thought
of Thy punishments keep me from falling into sin.”



10 WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE

The Catholic Church

How are men to escape the punishments of the life to come,

and reach the eternal happiness prepared for them? Our Lord

tells us. “Hear the Church,” He says (Matt, xviii. 17). He

knew that learning and study are not enough: He knew that

most of His followers would be poor and simple, bound to

work all day and every day for their daily bread, and unable

to puzzle out hard questions. So He made an easy way to

heaven for all men. He did not say “Read the Bible,” but

“Hear the Church.” The Bible is the holiest of books, and

of inestimable worth to the disciples of Christ. But because

it is the word of God, it is too deep to be understood through-

out by anyone, however spiritual, however learned
;
and Christ

never meant it to take the place of the living voice of His

Church. There must be an authority to tell us that the Bible

is the word of God, and to decide important and difficult ques-

tions as they arise. A mother in the midst of her little children
teaches by word of mouth. She may open a book before them

and encourage them to read, but they read under her guidance

and for the explanation of hard passages they turn to her.

Catholics are encouraged to read the Scriptures: her priests

and religious read them daily, but they read as children of the

Church.

The Marks of the Church

The Catholic Church is the union of all the faithful under

one Head, Jesus Christ our Lord. She has four marks by

which we may know her: she is One

;

she is Holy; she is Catho-

lic; she is Apostolic. The Church is One because all her mem-

bers agree in one Faith, have all the same sacrifice and

Sacraments, and are all united under one Head. There is no

difference among Catholics in matters of faith. In habits and

tastes, in pious practices even, there is plenty of variety; but in

questions of faith they are absolutely one. Catholics in Ireland

and in Japan, in the university and in the factory, hold precisely

the same doctrines—not because they seem reasonable, but
because they are the teaching of the Church, which Christ has

commanded them to hear. Catholics worship God everywhere



WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE 11

by the offering of the same Sacrifice, the Holy Mass; they are

all brought on their way to heaven by the same seven Sacra-

ments, and all acknowledge as their supreme Head on earth

the Vicar or representative of Christ, the Bishop of Rome.

The Church is Holy because she teaches a holy doctrine,

offers to all the means of holiness, and is distinguished by the

eminent holiness of so many thousands of her children. She

leads all to the faithful observance of God’s commandments,

to an uninterrupted fight with the* devil, the world, and their

own corrupt inclinations and passions, to a hatred for sin, and

to the practice of good works. She not only exhorts us to

holiness, but by her Sacraments, her feasts, and devotions she

helps us to become holy. And she proves her right to the mark

of holiness by the multitude of her saints. There are bad

Catholics no doubt, as there was cockle among the wheat in

Our Lord’s parable, but they are bad because they disobey

the Church and neglect the means of grace she offers them.

The Church is Catholic or Universal because she subsists

in all ages, teaches all nations, and is the one Ark of Salvation

for all. She is the only Church that can go back nineteen

hundred years to the time of Jesus Christ; the only Church

that has preached to all nations, and is found in every country

of the world; and the only Church appointed by God to bring

men to eternal salvation. This does not mean that none but

Catholics get to heaven
;
many Protestants are saved and many

Catholics are lost. But since Christ has appointed a Church

as the great means for the salvation of men, it follows ( 1 ) that

all men are bound to make use of this means, and to enter the

Catholic Church as soon as they recognize her as the Church

founded by Christ; and (2) that it is far easier to be saved

within this Church than without, even though a man may be

in good faith without.

The Church is Apostolic because she holds the doctrines

and traditions of the Apostles, and because through the un-

broken succession of her Pastors, she derives her orders and her

mission from them. Scripture is the written, tradition the

unwritten word of God. The Apostles taught chiefly by word

of mouth, as they had themselves been taught by Our Lord.

During the forty days after the Resurrection He told them



12 WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE

many things concerning “the Kingdom of God” which are not

contained in Scripture, but which have come down to us in

various ways—by the teaching of the Church everywhere and
always, in creeds or professions of faith, in holy rites and cere-

monies, in the prayers of public worship, and in the writings

of the holy Fathers and Doctors, for tradition is written as

well as unwritten. This teaching of tradition has the Holy

Ghost for its guardian, and is as inspired and binding as the

written words of Scripture. Through the unbroken line of

her chief Pastors, from Peter to Benedict XV., our Bishops and

Priests derive their sacred orders and their right to teach the

faithful from the Apostles, who received these powers from

Our Lord Himself.

The Office of Peter

To the Apostles Christ said, “Go, teach all nations.

He that heareth you heareth Me.” And that all might teach

the same thing, He put one of them, Peter, over the rest. He

made him the visible Head of the Church on earth when

He said to him, “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will

build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it; and to thee I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven”

(Matt. xvi. 18, 19). “Feed My lambs; feed My sheep” (John
xxi. IS, 16, 17). He also prayed that his faith might never

fail, and commanded him to confirm his brethren (Luke xxii.

32). Peter was to tend the whole flock; the sheep as well as the

lambs, those who have to feed—or the Church teaching, and
those to be fed—or the Church taught—all were to depend
on Peter.

Peter's Office Continued in the Papacy

And as the office of Peter was not to expire with him, his

successors have exercised the same supreme authority from

his time down to the present day. The Bishop of Rome, the

Pope, has ever been regarded as the lawful successor of St.

Peter and the visible Head of the Universal Church. A General
Council has never been held which was not presided over either

by the Pope or by his delegates, nor has a decision of a Council



WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE 13

ever been universally accepted unless it has received the Pope’s

confirmation. “Where Peter is, there is the Church,” is an

ancient axiom, in which Peter stands for the successor of St.

Peter the Pope, the Bishop of Rome. Rome, Peter’s See is the

only one of the Sees founded by the Apostles that has kept

the Faith, and that has come down to our own days in the

unbroken succession of its Bishops. And because God is faith-

ful, He has taken care that Peter and his successors, the Bishops

of Rome, shall not lead the flock astray. For the sake of the

Church, therefore, the Pope is preserved by God from error

whenever he defines a doctrine concerning faith—that is, what
we have to believe—or morals—that is, what we have to do

—

to be held by the whole Church. This is what is meant by the

Pope’s Infallibility. It does not mean that the Pope cannot

do wrong. A Pope might do great wrong; he might even lose
his soul. But no Pope can teach wrong when speaking to the

whole Church as its Head. Although the doctrine of the In-

fallibility of the Pope was only defined in 1870, it has always

been the implicit teaching of the Church, though not binding

on Catholics before 1870. The definition of a doctrine is not

the invention of a doctrine, but merely its clearer manifesta-

tion. The Divinity of Our Lord was not defined till the fifth

century, yet, surely, it was held by the Church from the

beginning. As new needs and errors arise, the Church declares

more fully what has always been part of Catholic truth.

The Communion of Saints

The Church is in Heaven, where it is called the Church

Triumphant, and in Purgatory, where it is the Church Suffer-

ing, and on earth, where it is the Church Militant, or fighting.

All its members, in Heaven, on earth, and in Purgatory, are in

communion with each other, as being one body in Jesus Christ;

that is, there is a holy friendship between them, a loving inter-

course, and an interchange of good offices. The faithful on

earth are in communion with each other by professing the same

faith, obeying the same authority, and assisting each other by

their prayers and good works. We are in communion with
the saints in Heaven by honoring them as the glorified mem-



14 WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE

bers of the Church; and also by our praying to them, and by

their praying for us. And we are in communion with the souls

in Purgatory by helping them with our prayers and good

works. “It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the

dead that they may be loosed from sins” (Macch. xii. 46).

Purgatory

We know that there is a place of temporal punishment
after death, from the constant teaching of the Church; and

from Holy Scripture, which declares that God will render to

every man according to his works; that nothing defiled shall

enter Heaven; and that some will be saved, “yet so as by fire”

(1 Cor. iii. 15). Those souls go to Purgatory that depart this

life in venial sin; or that have not fully paid the debt of

temporal punishment due to those sins of which the guilt has

been forgiven. Temporal punishment is that which will have

an end, either in this world or in the world to come.

Sin

Sin is an offence against God, by any thought, word, deed,

or omission against the law of God. There are two kinds of

sin, original and actual.

Original sin is the sin of Adam when he ate the forbidden
fruit. Every child of Adam, with one exception, the Immacu-

late Mother of God, has inherited the guilt or stain of original

sin from him who was the origin and head of all mankind.

Actual sin is that which we ourselves commit. Actual sin is

either mortal or venial.

Mortal or deadly sin is so called because it kills the soul

by taking away sanctifying grace, which is its supernatural life.

The soul has a natural life, which enables us to move, think,

and speak, and a supernatural life, which is the friendship

of God, given to it by sanctifying grace. It is its supernatural

life that makes it beautiful and pleasing in the sight of God.

This is the life that is destroyed by mortal sin. Men see no
change after mortal sin; we walk, work, laugh as before. But

in the sight of God and His Angels there is a terrible change



WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE 15

—our soul has become hideous and loathsome. All the reward
laid up for us in Heaven by our good works is forfeited, and

no good work done in the state of mortal sin can merit an

eternal reward. We deserve eternal punishment, and if we die
in this state our soul will fall straight into the flames of hell,

where the body will join it on the Last Day.

Three things are required to make a mortal sin: (1) grave

matter, (2) full knowledge, (3) full consent.

(1) Grave matter.—The sinful thought, word, deed, or
omission must be something of very great importance, e . g.,

injuring our neighbor’s character in a serious matter, stealing

a huge sum, or a small sum from a very poor person.

(2.) Full knowledge.—Not done by mistake, or before
we knew clearly what we were about. The mind must think of

the sinfulness of the act at the time it is done.

(3) Full consent.

—

The will must deliberately agree to

the temptation, whether of thought, word, or deed. If there

was not full knowledge or full consent, but hesitation in re-

jecting the temptation, the sin is venial, the soul is injured

but not killed.

Venial sin means pardonable. This sin is so called because

it is more easily pardoned than mortal sin. A lie of excuse, a
small injury to our neighbor, do not make us enemies of God,

or take away sanctifying grace. Nevertheless, venial sin is a

great evil, the greatest of all evils after mortal sin, and we

should be heartily sorry for it. It deprives us of many graces,

it lessens our fear of offending God, and in this way often leads

us to mortal sin. No one ever comes to mortal sin except
through carelessness about venial sin. Every venial sin will

be punished, either in this life or in the next.



HOPE

Besides believing what God has told us, we are commanded

to hope for what He has promised us and to show our love for

Him by doing what He requires of us. In other words, we have

to worship Him by Faith, Hope, and Charity. Because God is

infinitely powerful, infinitely good and faithful to His prom-

ises, we are bound to hope that He will give us eternal happi-

nss in the life to come, and all things necessary to obtain it, if

we do what He requires of us; and that He will provide the

things necessary for this life if we ask for them as we ought.

Hope brings such brightness and happiness into our lives, that

we might have thought a command concerning it would be

unnecessary. But God knows how ready we are to despond

whenever trouble or difficulty comes in our way. Hence He

has laid it upon us as a command to hope in Him and to hope

always. More than this, we may not weaken our hope by

giving way to discouragement. God is always merciful. He

will forgive us whenever we turn to Him with sorrow after

falling into sin, and He will never let us be tried beyond our

strength.

But we must not sin by presumption. To expect that He

will give us Heaven when we are breaking His Commandments,

or that He will preserve us from sin when we willfully go into

the occasions of sin or live in mortal sin relying on His mercy

for the hour of our death—this is not the virtue of hope, but
a sin against the First Commandment. We are bound to make
acts of hope, especially in time of temptation, and at the hour

of death, and to show our hope in God all through life, by

Prayer

To do any good work towards our salvation we need the

help of God’s grace, which we obtain chiefly by prayer and

the holy sacraments. “Ask and you shall receive,” says our

Blessed Lord. Prayer is the raising up of our mind and heart

to God, by thinking of Him, by adoring, praising, and thanking

Him, and by begging of Him all blessings for soul and body.
Prayer, then, is not all asking . To lift up our hearts to God

16



WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE 17

in joy and thankfulness when things go well with us, is prayer.

To bow our heads and our hearts in patient resignation in our

hours of trouble and of mourning, is prayer. To praise God

for what He is in Himself, for His goodness, His glory, His

mercy, this is the highest prayer. In the Our Father, the best

of all prayers, Our Lord teaches us the chief things to be

desired and prayed for.

To pray well we must think of God or of what we say.

If our mind wanders we must recall it as well as we can.

Willful distractions are sinful, and displease God. This does

not mean that we are never to think of our business or our

worries when we speak to God. Prayer is a loving conversa-

tion with our Heavenly Father, Who bids us ask Him like little
children for all we want. If we are tired or anxious, if we

cannot see how to make ends meet, if a coming trial frightens

us, we may take our trouble straight to Him, Who can and will
help us. Above all, we should turn to Him when sin weighs us

down. He does not want even mortal sin to hinder us from

turning to Him with loving trust. Whatever we have done,

and however often we have done it, He loves us still, and

forbids us to be discouraged and think it is no use trying.

He holds out His arms to us; He calls us back to Him, He

promises to forgive us and restore to us all we have lost. How-

ever far a sinner may have wandered, he can always pray, and

prayer is a certain means of recovering the friendship of God.

Therefore, we must never give up prayer; it is the rope thrown

out to the drowning man, to which he must cling if he would

be saved. And we must never think God does not hear us

because the answer is long in coming. He always hears. But

He expects us to wait and to trust. If what we ask is good for

us, He will give it sooner or later. If it is not good for us, He

will give us something better instead.

The Angels and Saints

Because our prayers are poor and weak, the Church encour-

ages us to ask the Saints and Angels to pray for us. They

stand in the presence of God, they are very dear to Him, and

He willingly hears their prayer for their poor brethren who are



18 WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE

still in the midst of trouble and danger. It is a great joy to

them to pray for us, and we should be foolish indeed to neglect

such a means of grace.

Some people tell us that they go straight to God. So do

Catholics; none go straighten but sometimes they act like the

so-called friends of Job. God was angry with these men

for their cruelty to His afflicted servant, and when they went

straight to Him for forgiveness, He said to them, ‘‘Go to My
servant Job, and My servant Job shall pray for you. . . . And
the Lord accepted the face of Job when he prayed for his

friends.” We go straight to God, but we take the advice of
God Himself and go in good company.

Mary, Mother of God

Among our intercessors in Heaven is one whose office,

holiness, and power with God place her far above the Angels

and Saints. It is Holy Mary, the Mother of God. Mary is

truly Mother of God because she is Mother of a Divine Per-

son, because her Son Who took His human nature from her is
truly God. In raising Mary to so wonderful a dignity, God

has exalted her above all other creatures; the highest angel

is His servant; she is His Mother.

Because of her nearness to Him, He was bound for His

own sake to save her from all that could displease Him in

her, and to enrich her with all the grace that would make her

pleasing in His sight, and worthy, as far as a creature could

be worthy, of the relation in which she was to stand to Himself.

Would He endure sin in one who was to be so closely united to

Him? Must He not do for His Mother what He had done

for the angels and for Adam and Eve—create her soul free
from sin and in friendship with Himself? The Church teaches

that no stain of sin, original or actual, ever touched her. She

was brought into being like other children, but, unlike all

others, she was preserved from the original stain, and came

into existence fair and pleasing in God's sight. The Precious

Blood of her Divine Son, that was to win pardon for us, did

more for her by preserving her from sin. Christ died for Mary

as for us, and so in her hymn of praise she says, “My spirit



WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE 19

hath rejoiced in God my Savior.” She is the first among the
saved, only saved more grandly than any other. This privilege

of exemption from original sin is called the Immaculate Con-

ception.

It is God we glorify in honoring Mary. We praise Him for
His one perfect creature, for her privileges, her dignity, her

holiness, and for the power He has given her with Himself.

For He Who came to us by her, has willed to show us favor
through her. Because she is so near and dear to Him, the

Church would have us reverence and love her, and in all our

necessities fly to her as to a mother. This we do whenever

we say the Hail Mary. We ask her who is blessed among
women to pray for us sinners

;
to pray for us now, in the needs

of the present day and hour; to pray for us above all, in that

hour of our death which is to decide our eternity. The Church

never separates the Mother from the Son. Three times each

day she calls her children by the Angelus bell to thank God for

the Incarnation of His Son, and to bless her by whom God
made Man was given to us. Thus, in every age and land
and tongue, do Catholics fulfill Mary’s own prophecy, “All

generations shall call me blessed.”



CHARITY

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF GOD

We are bound to love God because He is infinitely good in
Himself and infinitely good to us. The love we are com-

manded to have is not an affectionate feeling, but a preference

of Him above all things, so that we would not lose His friend-

ship for the love or fear of anything whatsoever. We show
that we love God by keeping His Commandments. Of these

the first three concern our duty to God, the seven others our

duty to our neighbor and to ourselves.

The First Commandment

By the First Commandment we are commanded to worship

the one true and living God, by Faith, Hope, Charity, and

Religion. The sins against Faith are—all false religions, will-
ful doubt, disbelief, or denial of any article of Faith, and also

culpable ignorance of the doctrines of the Church. We expose
ourselves to the danger of losing our Faith by neglecting our

spiritual duties—the Sacraments, Mass, morning and night
prayers, daily examination of conscience, grace at meals, etc.,

by reading bad books, going to non-Catholic schools, and taking

part in the services or prayers of a false religion.

The sins against Hope are despair and presumption. The

chief sins against religion are the worship of false gods or idols,

and the giving to any creature whatsoever the honor which

belongs to God alone. The First Commandment forbids us to

give divine honor to the angels and saints, but we should give

them the inferior honor due to them as the special friends of

God
;
and we should give to relics, crucifixes, and holy pictures

a relative honor, as they relate to Christ and His Saints, and

are memorials of them.

This Commandment forbids all dealing with the devil

and superstitious practices, such as consulting spiritualists and

fortune-tellers, and trusting to charms, omens, dreams, and

suchlike fooleries. We must hold in horror anything that
might weaken our Faith. Cheap books that attack the very

20



WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE 21

foundations of Faith—belief in God, the soul, the life to come
—are scattered broadcast over the land. Men and women of
every class, boys and girls, read them, and to thousands such

reading means the loss of all Faith. We should not thus en-
danger our soul, and risk what is more precious than life. If

Hope and Charity are lost, we may recover both by means

of Faith. But if Faith itself fails, only a miracle of grace can

restore it, and set our feet again in the way of salvation.

The Second Commandment

The Second Commandment requires us to speak with rev-

erence of God and all holy persons and things, and to keep our

lawful oaths and vows. It forbids all false, rash, unjust, and

unnecessary oaths, as also blaspheming, cursing, and profane

words.

The Third Commandment

The Third Commandment requires us to keep the Sunday

holy. The Church tells us this is to be done by hearing Mass

and resting from servile works. Unless excused by some lawful

reason, such as sickness, or grave danger of sickness, the neces-

sity of remaining with little children, very bad weather, or

great distance from church, every Catholic, who has come to

the use of reason is bound under pain of mortal sin to hear

Mass on Sundays and Holydays of Obligation. The duty of

hearing Mass is not fulfilled by hearing a part of a Mass or a

part of two. We are bound to be present at all the principal
parts of one Mass, that is, from the Offertory to the Priest’s

Communion. It is a venial sin to be absent or late through our

own fault during a less important portion of the Mass. Masters

and mistresses are bound to see that those dependent on them

are able to hear Mass on days of Obligation. Children of

seven years of age are as much bound to hear Mass on Sundays

and Holydays as grown-up people. If they miss Mass or are

late through their parents’ neglect, how can such parents be

excused from the guilt of mortal sin?

Of course, it is not enough to be bodily present at Mass.

We must unite ourselves in some way with what the priest is



22 WHAT- CATHOLICS BELIEVE

doing at the altar and raise our minds and hearts to God in

prayer. We may follow the words and actions of the priest,
and it is well to unite with him at least at the chief parts of the

Mass—the Offertory, Consecration, and Priest’s Communion.
We may say our beads or other prayers, or think of the suffer-
ings and death of Christ which the Mass commemorates. But

there must be reverence, attention, and prayer of one kind or

another. It is a sin to talk, laugh, eat, sleep, or allow our

minds to be filled with willful distractions.

We are commanded to rest from unnecessary servile work
on Sunday. Servile work is that in which the body is chiefly

engaged. Liberal works which engage the mind more than

the body are not forbidden. Innocent recreation that does not

draw us from religious duties or give reasonable scandal is

allowed. But we must remember that we are commanded

to rest from servile work that we may have time and oppor-

tunity for prayer, going to the Sacraments, hearing instruc-

tions, and reading good books. Therefore, if we can hear a

sermon or go to Benediction it is well to do so. Children who

need instruction in Christian doctrine should be sent to Cate-

chism. Priests are obliged to instruct their people, and remind

them frequently of the things they are bound to remember

if they would save their souls. What, then, is to be said of

those who avoid such reminders, and never hear a sermon

if they can help it?

The Fourth Commandment

The love of our neighbor proves our love of God. Among

those whom we are bound to love, our parents hold the first
place. Children who love, honor, and obey their parents are

in a marked degree protected and blessed by God. Undutiful

children are often signally punished by Him. We have to love
our parents not with a natural affection only, because of all

they have done for us, but because they hold the place of God,

and He commands us to honor and to love them.

We are bound never to sadden our parents by neglect or by
unkind behavior. We are forbidden to speak rudely to them,
and still more to ridicule, threaten, or strike them. We should



WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE 23

hide and excuse their faults, and help them in their needs both

of soul and body. In serious sickness we must redouble our

care, warn them of their danger, and get them the Sacraments

in good time. After their death we should, if we are able, have

Masses said for the repose of their souls, and pray much for

their deliverance from Purgatory.

Children are bound to obey their parents in all that is

not sin. Even when of age, married, or independent, they are

bound to love and reverence them. Those commands of parents

are of most importance which concern the salvation of the

soul, such as religious duties, companions, amusements, late

hours, and the like.

We are commanded to obey, not our parents only, but also
our Bishops and pastors, the civil authorities, and our lawful

superiors. Our Bishop is appointed by the Vicar of Christ

to govern the diocese to which we belong; we are bound, there-

fore, to reverence and obey him as the shepherd of our souls.

We owe a like duty to priests sent by the Bishop to administer
the Sacraments, to teach us the truths of our Faith, and to

guide us to eternal life. The priest makes us children of God

by holy Baptism, feeds us with the Bread of Life in Holy Com-

munion, heals the wounds of our souls in the Sacrament of

Penance, teaches us in sermons and instructions, comforts us

in sorrow, counsels us in doubt, encourages us in temptation,

visits our sick bed, and soothes our last moments with the

consolations of religion. We are bound to honor him as the
minister of God, to treat him and speak of him with respect,

to be guided in what concerns our soul by his advice.

Respect and obedience are also due to the civil authorities.

We are forbidden to rebel against our rulers, and to belong to
any Society that plots against the Church or State, or to any

Society that by reason of its secrecy is condemned by the

Church. We are bound to pay the taxes, and to obey the laws
of our country as long as these are not against the Command-

ments of God. This duty of obedience to lawful superiors does

not cease because those superiors are bad, so long as they

do not call on their subjects to do what is bad.

Wives are commanded to be subject to their husbands.

Servants are bound to respect, obedience, and fidelity to



24 WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE

those whose service they have entered. They may not be inso-

lent to their master or mistress, or expose their faults or family

secrets. They are bound to obey their lawful commands in the

duties for which they are engaged, and to take care of all

intrusted to them.

Masters and mistresses are bound to treat with kindness

those subject to them, to provide them with proper food and

lodging, and to give them opportunity for religious instruction,

hearing Mass, and going to the Sacraments. They are obliged

to protect them from dangerous occasions of sin, to require

only reasonable work of them, and to pay them just and

reasonable wages.

By the Fourth Commandment parents are bound to provide

for their children, to instruct and correct them, to give them

good example, and a good Catholic education. A first duty
after birth is immediately to have the child baptized. It is a

duty that is frightfully neglected. There are mothers who

keep a child for days and weeks without baptism, though they

know that if it dies without the Sacrament it will never see God.

To keep a child without baptism for any length of time, unless

for some very grave reason, is a serious sin. The Church says,

“Babes are to be brought to the font for baptism as soon as

it can possibly be done, that a Sacrament without which no one

can be saved may not be put off, to the danger of the child’s

soul.” “As soon as possible” means when there is some one

to bring the baby, and the baby can safely be brought.

The training of little children cannot begin too early, and

it is a duty on which the salvation of parents as well as of

their children may well depend. From their earliest years they

must be taught the law of right and wrong, and be kept as far

as possible from seeing or hearing evil. A child begins to
notice and to imitate long before it can speak. How terrible
will it be for the father or mother whose example has given

it is first lesson in wickedness, who have set the little feet on

the road that leads straight down to hell! But how happy are

those parents who, remembering that God will require a strict

account of the precious souls intrusted to them, guard them,

from the beginning, from all that could bring them harm!

Very early the mother should guide the little hand to make the



WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE 25

Sign of the Cross. Very soon should she lead her child to

the love of Jesus and Mary. On her knees, from her lips, it

should learn its first prayers and the first simple lessons of the

Catechism. She must be on the watch as its natural disposition

begins to appear. It must be gently but firmly checked as

naughty ways show themselves. It must learn that the word

of father or mother is to be obeyed at once, that it will not

get what it wants by temper or by tears. As it grows older

it must be taught its duties as a Catholic—Mass; prayer,
morning and night; examination of conscience—and be trained
to habits of truthfulness, industry, reverence for God and holy

things, obedience to the laws of God and the Church. All this

it should learn at home, and more by example than by word.

When the time comes for First Confession, First Communion,

Confirmation, it is the mother’s place to see that the child is

properly prepared; and she must take care that it afterwards

goes regularly to its religious duties. Parents are bound to

give their children a good Catholic education, and to guard

them against companions, amusements, and reading, that

might be occasions of harm. Children should be in bed early,

and ought never to be out in the streets at night. In dealing

with their children parents should avoid harshness and abuse,

dislikes and partiality, and should spare no effort to make a

comfortable and happy home for them. Corrections must

be just and moderate, not given when the parent is in temper,

not injurious to the child. Above all, parents should set an

example to their children in the practice of morning and eve-

ning prayer, going to Mass and the Sacraments, the observance

of honesty, sobriety, and the Church’s law of abstinence. Let

them avoid quarrelling, bad words, and words that injure their

neighbor’s character, and remember that what a child learns at

home is, good or evil, learned for life.

The Fifth Commandment

This Commandment forbids all willful murder. Except in

just war, in self-defense, or in the name of the law, we may
not take the life of another. Neither may we take our own,

either by direct suicide or by such vices as shorten life. The

drunkard sins against this Commandment.



26 WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE

Not murder only, but the sins that lead to it—fighting,
quarrelling, anger, hatred, and revenge—are forbidden by the
Fifth Commandment. Scandal, also, and bad example, by

which is meant any word or deed calculated to lead another

into sin. All these come under sins against this Command-

ment, because they lead to the injury and spiritual death of

our neighbor’s soul.

The Sixth and Ninth Commandments

These Commandments forbid whatever is contrary to holy

purity in thoughts, words, or actions. With regard to thoughts,

it is important to remember that what is not willful is not

sinful. A thought may haunt us for days, but as long as we
would gladly be rid of it, and try to turn our mind away from

it, there is no sin. Immodest plays and dances are forbidden

by the Sixth Commandment, and it is sinful to look at them.

This Commandment also forbids immodest songs, books, and

pictures, because they are dangerous to the soul and lead to

mortal sin. We must deny ourselves such companions and
amusements, such newspapers and novels, as we know to be

dangerous. And we must avoid idleness and curiosity.

The Seventh and Tenth Commandments

These Commandments forbid all covetous thoughts and

unjust desires of our neighbor’s goods and profits, and all un-

just taking or keeping what belongs to another; for example,

engaging in unjust lawsuits, borrowing with no intention or

hope of being able to pay back, extravagance, to the injury

of one’s family and creditors, the taking of perquisites, with-

out permission, by servants and others, negligence in doing the

work which we have undertaken as teachers, workmen, servants,

or in fulfilling the conditions of a contract as to time, mate-

rials, or manner.

The Seventh Commandment forbids all manner of cheating
in buying and selling, such as using false weights and measures,

adulterating goods, also the willful destruction of another’s

goods, the wasting of a master’s time or property, and any



WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE 27

other way of wronging our neighbor. We are bound to restore
ill-gotten goods if we are able, or else the sin will not be for-

given; we must also pay our debts. Those who are careless

in paying their debts should remember that of the four sins

crying to Heaven for vengeance, two are “Oppression of the

poor” and “Defrauding laborers of their wages.” Many a poor

dressmaker has been ruined by the withholding of the money

which she has lost her night’s rest to earn.

It will be no excuse to say we did not think of this. The

poor are timid, and afraid to press for what belongs to them.

But those who, relying on their helplessness, are cruel to

them, will have a terrible account to settle when the day

of reckoning comes.

As restitution of ill-gotten goods is often a matter of great

difficulty, we should consult our confessor on the subject. He

knows what human weakness is, he is our friend, always ready

to put his knowledge and experience at our service; ways of

helping us that we should never have thought of will occur

to them—what a mistake to be afraid to ask the counsel that
we need!

The Eighth Commandment

This Commandment guards our neighbor’s good name. It

forbids all false testimony, rash judgment, and lies.

False testimony is saying in a court of justice what we

know to be untrue.

Rash judgment is condemning our neighbor in our own

mind for a fault for which there is not sufficient evidence.

A lie is any word or act by which we intend to deceive.
There are four kinds of lies: jocose lies, those told in jest; lies

of excuse, told to escape some evil
;
malicious lies, told to injure

another; sacrilegious lies, told to the Holy Ghost in confession,

a false oath. Jocose lies and lies of excuse, that harm on one,

are generally venial sins only. Malicious lies are mortal or

venial according to the harm intended. Sacrilegious lies are

always mortal. If an untruth told in jest is so absurd as to

deceive no one, there is, of course, no sin at all.

Calumny, detraction, and tale-bearing are also forbidden

by this Commandment.



28 WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE

Calumny is taking away our neighbor’s character by telling

lies of him. Detraction is making known his secret faults

without sufficient cause. To publish a fault that is known to

most persons in a place, or to so many that it must soon become

public, is not detraction, but it may be against charity, because

it is not loving our neighbor as ourselves. Any words which

harm a person, and not a person only, but an institution, a

college, a hospital, by lessening without good reason, the good

opinion had of them, are sinful. The guilt of the sin is multi-

plied by the number of persons who hear the harm said.

It is hardly possible to avoid hearing detraction: sin comes

in when we listen to it willingly and encourage it by asking

curious questions that bring out the misdoings of others. We
may not be able to prevent an uncharitable conversation, but

we may at times be able prudently to change the subject;

at least, we can show displeasure by inattention or silence. We
should be much on our guard when talk turns on people whom

we much dislike or of whom we are jealous. A good practical
rule is to try to excuse the absent, and not to say of another

what we should not like said of ourselves.

Tale-bearing to make mischief, or from pure love of gossip,

is wrong. But if we know of any improper conduct being

carried on, we should make it known to those in authority.

To neglect to do this might make us answerable for such sins

by concealment.

When we have injured our neighbor by speaking ill of him,

we are bound to restore his good name as far as we are able.

If we have been guilty of calumny, we must tell those to whom

we have spoken that what we said was untrue. If we have

detracted, we must try to repair the harm we have done our

neighbor by saying some good of him. We should beware,
however, of bringing up again what is forgotten. On this

point it is well to ask the advice of our confessor.

THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE CHURCH

We are bound to obey the Church, because Christ has said
to the pastors of the Church, “He that heareth you heareth

Me; and he that despiseth you despiseth Me” (Luke x.).
There are six chief Commandments of the Church.



WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE 29

The First Commandment of the Church

The First Commandment of the Church is to keep the

Sundays and Holydays of Obligation holy by hearing Mass

and resting from servile works. The Holydays of Obligation

observed are Christmas Day, Circumcision, Ascension Thurs-

day, the Assumption of Our Lady, and All Saints. Persons

who work in places of business are not bound to hear Mass on

the eight Holydays of the Church if this would interfere, in-

juriously to themselves, with their hours of employment.

The Second Commandment of the Church

The Second Commandment of the Church is to keep the

days of fasting and abstinence appointed by the Church, that

so we may mortify the flesh and satisfy God for our sins.



FASTING

By the law of Fasting we are restricted both as to the

quantity and kind of food we may take. It restricts us to

one full meal a day. We are allowed an evening collation
of about eight ounces of solid food, and by approved custom

two ounces of dry bread and something to drink, as tea, with

a little milk, are permitted in the morning. The order of

dinner and collation may be reversed.

At the Chief Meal:—Out of Lent flesh-meat is never
allowed on Friday unless by special Indult. In Lent it is

allowed on all days except Wednesdays and Fridays and Ember

Saturday. Whenever flesh-meat is allowed fish may be taken

at the same meal.

Milk, butter, cheese, eggs, dripping, lard, and in some

dioceses, suet, are allowed on all days at the principal meal,

even on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

At Collation:—Flesh-meat is never allowed. The use of
milk, butter, cheese, dripping, lard, suet, and fish, depends on

the custom sanctioned in each diocese by the Bishop. They are

generally allowed in small quantities only, as part of the colla-

tion and by way of condiment or seasoning. Dripping and lard

are always allowed for cooking.

A drink between meals does not break the fast provided
it remains a liquid and is not anything in itself forbidden, as

broth, milk, or any such nourishing liquid. A cup of tea
or coffee with a little milk may be taken once during the day.

Those who are bound to fast:—Persons over twenty-one
years of age are bound to fast unless they are excused by

physical or moral impossibility, or by dispensation. Thus th

following are excused: those who make their living by hart,

manual work; those who work hard for the sick out of charity;

the sick, the convalescent, and the delicate; very poor people

who seldom get a full meal; and those who have reached their

sixtieth year.

Times of Fasting:—

1

. Every day in Lent from Ash

Wednesday to Easter, except the Sundays, and after mid-

day on Holy Saturday when the fasting and abstinence of

Lent cease.

30



WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE 31

2. The Four Vigils, or Eves of the four great Feasts of

Christmas Day, December 24th; of Pentecost; of the Assump-

tion, August 14th; and of All Saints, October 31st; (except

when these Feasts fall on a Monday).

3. The Ember Days:—Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday
in the first full week of Lent; in Whit-week; after September

14th; after December 13th.



ABSTINENCE

The law of Abstinence forbids flesh-meat to be taken, but

allows the usual number of meals.

In Lent two days of abstinence are prescribed in each week,

Wednesdays and Fridays; the Ember Saturday in Lent is an

abstinence day as well.

Times of Abstinence . Out of Lent , fast days and Fridays.

But the law of fasting, or of abstinence, or of both, ceases

when a fast or an abstinence day falls on any Sunday in the

year, or when, out of Lent, it falls on a Holyday of Obligation

;

hence, if a Feast with a Vigil falls on a Monday, the fasting

and abstinence for the Vigil are not to be anticipated on the

Saturday.

Those who are bound to abstain:—The law of Abstinence
is binding on all who have reached the age of seven years and

have come to the use of reason, unless they are excused by a

just cause, such as ill-health, poverty, or the nature of their

duties. Hence, persons exempt or dispensed from fasting

are still bound to abstain from flesh-meat; if unable to do so

without grave inconvenience, or in cases of doubt, they should

ask their confessor for a dispensation, and should not dispense

themselves. Those are guilty of a grave sin who, without

sufficient reason, break or willfully cause others to break the

laws of fasting or abstinence.

The Third Commandment of the Church

The Third Commandment of the Church is to go to confes-

sion at least once a year. Children are bound to go to confession

as soon as they have come to the use of reason and are capable

of mortal sin. This is generally supposed to be about the

age of seven years.

The Fourth Commandment of the Church

The Fourth Commandment of the Church is to receive the

Blessed Sacrament at least once a year, and that at Easter or

thereabouts. Christians are bound to receive the Blessed Sac-

rament as soon as they are capable of being instructed in this

sacred mystery.

32



WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE 33

The Fifth Commandment of the Church

The Fifth Commandment of the Church is to contribute

to the support of our pastors. It is a duty to contribute to the

support of religion according to our means, so that God may

be duly honored and worshiped, and the kingdom of His

Church extended. How unfair some people are to the priest!

We hear them complain that they have not this or that in
their church—it is cold or draughty, the vestments are shabby,
the flowers are artificial, the singing is bad. But they do not

offer to repair or renew the vestments, or to help in the choir.

They do not give to their priest as they ought; nay, for some

little grievance, many never give to him at all, never go near

him, never speak of him except to injure him in the minds of

those he has to help. Yet for their sake he has studied long

years, and given up the chance of providing for himself in life;

and it is to him they look to bring them the last consolations

of the Church when they lie down to die!

The Sixth Commandment of the Church

The Sixth Commandment of the Church is not to marry

within certain degrees of kindred, nor to solemnize marriage at

the forbidden times, that is, from the first Sunday in Advent

till the day after Christmas and from Ash Wednesday till the

day after Easter Sunday. A marriage contracted during the
forbidden times is valid and even lawful (provided the local

laws of the diocese do not forbid it), but it may not be cele-

brated with the solemn rites of the Church, as nuptial Mass,

bells, etc., nor with special public rejoicings.



THE SACRAMENTS

Our soul, like our body, has a life which begins, grows,

meets with injury, needs food and medicine. To supply these

needs God has provided the Sacraments, which give us spiritual

life, strength, feed, and heal our soul, give it the help of the

Christian priesthood and of the Christian family, and comfort

it in its passage from this world to the next.

All good comes to us from the Precious Blood. Not salva-

tion only, but all we want to save our soul—light to see what
we ought to do, strength to overcome temptation, forgiveness of

sin, grace to take up our cross daily and follow Christ, courage

to bear up against the weariness of well-doing, perseverance to

the end. It is by the Sacraments that the merits of the Precious

Blood are applied to our souls. They are thus the chief means

of our salvation.

There are seven Sacraments—Baptism, Confirmation, Holy
Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and

Matrimony. In every Sacrament there are three things: the

outward sign, the inward grace

,

and the institution of Christ .

The outward sign is something which can be perceived by our

senses. It consists of (1) matter and (2) form. The matter

is the substance used in giving the Sacrament, as the water in

Baptism. The form consists of the words used in applying

the matter, as “I baptize thee,” etc. The inward grace is the

spiritual effect produced. For the Sacraments are not merely

signs of grace, they give the grace they signify. A little water
is poured on the body and the baby’s soul is cleansed from

original sin. A few words are said in the confessional, and
the chains of sin, which made the soul the slave of Satan, fall

off, and it becomes once more the free and happy child of God.

God alone can give to an outward sign the power of giving

grace. Hence every Sacrament must be instituted by Christ.

Because they are His institution there is nothing uncertain

about the effects of the Sacrament. As surely as the sun gives

light and life, warmth and color to the earth, so surely do the

Sacraments give health and spiritual beauty to those who

receive them worthily.

34



WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE 35

Certain dispositions are necessary, but they do not give the

grace, they only take away hindrances to the grace the Sacra-

ment gives. When due dispositions are wanting, the Sacrament

of Penance is not really received; the Holy Eucharist gives no

grace; Baptism in the case of adults, Confirmation, Extreme

Unction, Holy Orders, and Matrimony produce no grace till

the hindrances to grace are removed.

The Holy Eucharist was instituted at the Last Supper;

Penance on the day of Christ’s Resurrection; the time of

institution of Baptism, Confirmation, Extreme Unction, and

Matrimony is not known; probably it was during the forty

days after the Resurrection, when Our Lord spoke to the

Apostles of the “Kingdom of God.” Baptism is the most

necessary of the Sacraments, because without it we cannot

enter heaven. Penance is necessary for those who have com-

mitted mortal sin after Baptism. Confirmation we are obliged

to receive if we have the opportunity. The Holy Eucharist

must be received about Easter; Extreme Unction when we are

dangerously ill. Holy Orders and Matrimony are necessary

for the Church as a body, but not for each individual.

Baptism, Holy Orders, Confirmation imprint a character

upon the soul, that is, they leave upon it a mark which for all

eternity will be for its glory or for its shame. The Sacraments

which give a character cannot be repeated.

All the Sacraments give sanctifying grace, which makes the

soul pleasing in the sight of God. Baptism and Penance are

called Sacraments of the Dead because our souls may be dead

in sin when we receive them. In this case they give grace

where it was not before. The other Sacraments are called Sac-

raments of the Living, because our souls must be alive by

grace to receive them worthily. These Sacraments increase

in the soul the grace they find there. Besides sanctifying

grace, each Sacrament gives its own special grace, called Sac-

ramental, and a title to actual graces. An actual grace is a

help given in a particular need—at one time strength to profess
our faith; at another, sorrow to repent of sin; light to see our

way in difficulties, etc.

To receive a Sacrament unworthily, that is, without due

dispositions, is a grievous sin, called sacrilege. To receive



36 WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE

the Sacraments worthily is the greatest happiness in the world.

Hence we should have a great desire to receive them, and

prepare ourselves earnestly, for the more fervent our prepara-

tion, the greater the grace we shall get, just as a man who

takes a large bucket to the well draws more water than

another who takes a small one.

BAPTISM

Baptism is a Sacrament which cleanses us from original

sin, makes us Christians, children of God, members of the

Church, and heirs of heaven.

Baptism also forgives actual sins, that is, the sins which

we ourselves commit, and takes away all punishment due to

them when it is received in proper dispositions by those who

have been guilty of actual sin. Water is the matter of

Baptism. The form is: “I baptize thee in the name of the

Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” The ordinary

minister of Baptism is a priest, but anyone may baptize in case

of necessity when a priest cannot be had. Unless when con-

ditional or in danger of death, Baptism must always be “sol-

emn” and conferred by the parish priest of the parents.

All should know how to baptize, for any one of us may have to

administer the sacrament when a priest is not at hand. How
many nurses have opened the gate of heaven to dying infants!

And not nurses only. A child in charge of a baby brother sud-
denly taken with a fit, baptized him. An English soldier out in

India used to take his morning walk by the seashore to baptize

the numbers of infants left there to be washed away by the tide.

He could not save their earthly life, but he could bring them

to life everlasting.

Baptism is given by pouring water on the head of the

child, saying at the same time these words: “I baptize thee in

the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy

Ghost.” Notice, the water must touch and flow upon the

body; the same person must pour the water and say the words;

the words must be said at the same time that the water is

poured, not before or after. We must have the intention
of doing what the Church does and Christ ordained. To

receive Baptism worthily, adults must have the beginnings



WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE 37

of faith, sorrow for sin, and the intention of receiving the

Sacrament.

There must be a godfather and godmother, or at least one

godparent who must be a Catholic, appointed by the parents,

and must touch the child at the font. Sponsors undertake to

see, as far as practicable, that the child is brought up in the

Catholic faith and in the practice of its religion in case the

parents die or neglect this duty. When baptized children come

to the use of reason, they are bound to carry out the promises

made in their name by their godfathers and godmothers. The

minister of Baptism and the sponsors contract spiritual rela-

tionship with the person baptized, invalidating any subsequent

marriage between the baptizer and the baptized, or between

the baptized and one of the sponsors.

CONFIRMATION

Confirmation is a Sacrament by which we receive the Holy

Ghost in order to make us strong and perfect Christians and

soldiers of Jesus Christ.

All Catholics who have come to the use of reason and have

the opportunity are bound to receive this Sacrament, for

without it few would avoid mortal sin. They must be in a

state of grace, and sufficiently instructed in the truths neces-

sary for salvation, and as to the nature of the Sacrament they

are going to receive. If possible they should have a good

knowledge of the Catechism.

The matter of the Sacrament consists of the imposition of

the Bishop’s hands and the anointing with holy chrism, a sub-

stance composed of olive and balsam, a fragrant plant of

Eastern lands. The form is: “I sign thee with the sign of the

cross, and I confirm thee with the chrism of salvation, in the

jiame of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.” As the Bishop says these words he makes the sign of

the cross with chrism on our forehead. Then he gives a little

blow on the cheek, saying, “Peace be with thee.” This is to

signify the trials which, as soldiers of Christ, we must expect,

and the peace of God which will enable us to bear them with

patience. No one must leave the altar till the chrism has been
wiped from his forehead.



38 WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE

The special effect of this Sacrament is strength to profess

our faith steadfastly, to lead a life worthy of our faith, and to

suffer for it if needful. A Patron Saint is chosen at Confirma-
tion. We should often invoke his help, and try to imitate
his virtues. One sponsor only is required—a godfather for
boys, a godmother for girls. The same spiritual relationship,

but not the same impediment of marriage, arises in Confirma-

tion as in Baptism. Sponsors should therefore see, as far as

practicable, that their godchildren live up to the practice of

their religion.

THE HOLY EUCHARIST

The Holy Eucharist as a Sacrament

The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is the true Body and

Blood of Jesus Christ, together with His Soul and Divinity,

under the appearances of bread and wine.

The matter of this Sacrament is wheaten bread and wine

of the grape. The form is: “This is My Body,” said over the
bread; and “This is My Blood of the new and eternal testa-
ment, the mystery of faith, which shall be shed for you and

for many unto the remission of sins,” said over the wine.

The change of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood

of Christ takes place by the power of God when the words of

consecration ordained by Christ at the Last Supper are pro-

nounced by the priest in the Holy Mass. This change is called

Transubstantiation, that is a change—not in figure or appear-
ance, but in reality. Our Lord at the Last Supper said: “This

is My Body. . . . This is My Blood.” What looked like
bread and wine were by His word no longer what they

appeared to be, but were His precious Body and Blood. After

the consecration the bread and wine are gone and on the

altar in their stead is He Himself, Body and Blood, and Soul

and Divinity, not perceived by our senses, but hidden under

the appearances of the bread and wine which remain after the

substance has been taken away. Though there are two appear-

ances, or species, there is only one Sacrament, and under each

species Christ is received whole and entire.

This Sacrament exceeds all the other Sacraments in dignity.



WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE 39

It was instituted by Our Lord to be a memorial of His love for

us especially in His sufferings and death
;
and to give us not one

grace, but every grace we need. He gives Himself to us to

be the food and the life of our souls, our Companion and Com-

forter in the troubles of this world, and that the very body by

its union with His may be raised to a glorious life at the Last

Day. “He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood hath
everlasting life, and I will raise him up in the last day.”

It is a great sin to receive Holy Communion unworthily,

that is, in mortal sin. St. Paul says: “He that eateth or

drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh judgment to himself,

not discerning the Body of the Lord” (1 Cor. xi.). To receive

Holy Communion worthily we must be in a state of grace.

If grace has been lost by mortal sin, this must be forgiven by a

good confession. We must also be fasting from midnight.
This means that from twelve o’clock the night before our

Communion we must not eat or drink anything whatsoever

by way of food or medicine.

This Sacrament, which is by excellence the Blessed Sacra-

ment, increases sanctifying grace in our souls, forgives venial

sin, and preserves us from mortal sin. It weakens our evil

inclinations, and is the most powerful means of resisting

temptation. The more fervent the dispositions we bring to

Holy Communion, the more grace we shall receive from the

visit of our Divine Guest.

The Holy Eucharist as a Sacrifice

Sacrifice is the offering to God by a lawful Minister of some

object falling under the senses, to acknowledge by its de-

struction or change God’s supreme excellence and power over

life and death, and our absolute dependence on Him. Hence

sacrifice is the highest act of religion, and can be offered to

God alone. In all ages of the world God has commanded men

to worship Him by sacrifice, and to pay in this way their

fourfold duty and debt to Him.

As His creatures we are bound (1) to adore Him, (2) to

thank Him for all His benefits, (3) to beg pardon for our

sins, (4) to ask Him for all we need for soul and body.



40 WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE

In the Old Law there were different sacrifices for these dif-

ferent ends. In the New Law there is only one sacrifice but,

one of infinite value, for it is the sacrifice of the Body and Blood

of Jesus Christ, true God and true man, really present on the

altar, and offered to God for the living and the dead. This

sacrifice is called the Mass. It is not a different sacrifice

from that of the Cross, but the same sacrifice continued or

renewed in a different and unbloody manner. This sacrifice

was foretold by the prophets. It is the “clean oblation” offered

to God by “the Gentiles from the rising to the setting of the

sun” (Malach. i.). On the Altar, as on the Cross, Our Lord

is both Priest and Victim. But in the Mass Our Lord does not

really die. He is the “Lamb standing as it were slain”

(Apoc. v.). He offers Himself under the appearances of

bread and wine, “a high priest for ever according to the order of

Melchisedech” (Psalm cix.). He offers Himself by the hands

of His priests. “Do this in commemoration of Me,” He said to

His Apostles at the Last Supper. He gave them power to do

what He had done, and to pass on this power of consecrating

bread and wine to their successors, so to “show forth the death

of the Lord until He come” (1 Cor. xi.).

The Mass, therefore, is not simply a prayer in common, like

other public forms of worship. It is an act of awful solemnity

—

God offering Himself to God, to adore and thank for us, to beg

pardon for our sins, and to obtain for us all graces and blessings.

Our Blessed Lord does all this in our name. He does perfectly

for us what we do so imperfectly ourselves. What matter, then,

if we do not understand all the priest is saying at the altar. We
know what the invisible High Priest, Jesus Christ, is doing , and

we offer ourselves, with all our needs and desires, to God through

Him. If we remember what is going on at the altar—that
Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior, is really there, renewing for

us the great Sacrifice of the Cross, and applying to our souls the

merit of that Sacrifice; if we remember what we can do by of-

fering this Sacrifice with Him—how we can worship God per-
fectly, and easily obtain from Him the pardon of our sins, and

all we need for ourselves and for those dear to us—we can hardly
help hearing Mass well, and drawing down great blessings on

ourselves and those we love.



WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE 41

PENANCE

Penance is a Sacrament whereby the sins, whether mortal

or venial, which we have committed after baptism are forgiven.

Besides forgiving sin, it also increases the grace of God in the

soul. Our Lord instituted this Sacrament when He breathed on

His Apostles, saying: “Whose sins you shall forgive they are

forgiven” (John xx. 23).

Of all God’s mercies to us the greatest is His ready forgive-

ness of sin. Whilst our Blessed Lord was on earth He was called

“the friend of sinners.” He tenderly received those who came

to Him for pardon, and He has left in His Church an easy

means by which all may obtain forgiveness of sin. However

many, however great they may be, the Precious Blood of Jesus

will wash them away if only we are truly sorry for them.

The matter of the Sacrament of Penance consists of the acts

of the penitent—contrition, confession, and satisfaction. The
form is the absolution pronounced by the priests: “I absolve

thee from thy sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son,

and of the Holy Ghost.” The effects are to remove all guilt,

both mortal and venial; to remit punishment, more or less ac-

cording to our dispositions; to restore or increase sanctifying

grace; to give us back our right to heaven and all past merits,

which are lost by one mortal sin. The minister is a priest who

has received faculties from the Bishop of the diocese. He for-
gives sin by the power of God in pronouncing the words of abso-

lution. He is bound, under the most solemn obligation, never

to reveal in any way what has been told in confession.

We have four things to do when we are preparing for con-
fession: (1) We must heartily pray to God for His grace to
help us; (2) We must carefully examine our conscience; (3)
We must take time and care to make a good act of contrition;
and (4) We must resolve to renounce our sins and to begin a
new life for the future.

(1) We ask the help of God to know our sins, to be truly
sorry for them, to confess them as we ought, and to have a

firm purpose of avoiding them for the future.

(2) We examine our conscience on the Ten Commandments,
on the Six Precepts of the Church, on the Seven Deadly Sins,



42 WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE

and on the duties of our state of life. We are bound to confess
every mortal sin which, after a careful examination of conscience,

we remember. If we leave one out willfully, or through a care-

less examination of conscience, we make a bad confession; but

if, after trying with reasonable care to examine our conscience,

we still forget some mortal sin, it is forgiven, only it must be

told in the first confession after it is remembered, because every

mortal sin must be confessed once. We are also bound to men-
tion any circumstance that changes a venial sin into a mortal

one. Though we are only bound to confess mortal sins, it would

not be safe to mention those sins only which we know for cer-

tain were mortal, because we are so apt to deceive ourselves.

The only safe practice is to confess whatever is on our con-

science and gives us trouble—certain things as certain, doubt-
ful things as doubtful.

(3) By far the most important part of our preparation is

contrition . Sin, even mortal, may be forgiven without confes-

sion, e. g., if we forget it or are unable to make our confession,

but no sin can be forgiven unless we are sorry for it. We must

have true sorrow for every mortal sin we have committed. If

we confess venial sins only, we must be sorry for at least one of

them. And this sorrow must be supernatural, not from any

temporal loss or disgrace that sin has brought upon us, but

from some motive suggested by faith. There are two kinds of

supernatural sorrow or contrition—imperfect and perfect.
Imperfect contrition is sorrow for sin chiefly for our own

sake because we have lost heaven, or deserved hell or purga-

tory. This sorrow will forgive venial sins, and, when joined

with confession and absolution, is sufficient for the forgiveness

of mortal sin.

Perfect contrition is sorrow because by sin we have offended

so good a God. This is the best of all motives, and is so pleas-

ing to God that by it our sins are forgiven immediately, even

before we confess them; but, nevertheless, if they are mortal,

we are strictly bound to confess them afterwards. We should

often make acts of perfect contrition:
uO my God, because

Thou art so good, I am sorry for having offended Thee.” Many

a man struck down by an accident has been saved by an act

such as this. No one, then, need despair because he is dying



WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE 43

without a priest. Let him turn to God with all his heart by an

act of perfect contrition and a desire of confession, and his sins

will be forgiven.

Both perfect and imperfect contrition remit some of the

punishment our sins deserve, more or less according to our dis-

positions.

We must earnestly ask God to give us a hearty sorrow for
our sins, and we must make use of such considerations as may

lead us to it,» such as the loss of heaven and the eternal punish-

ment of hell which mortal sin deserves; Our Savior’s bitter

sufferings for our sins in the Garden or on the Cross
;
the infinite

goodness of God in Himself, etc.

(4) Lastly, we must have a firm purpose of amendment;

that is, we must determine, with the help of God, to avoid all

mortal sin, and the dangerous occasions of mortal sin—the per-
son, place, or thing that usually leads us wrong. If we confess

mortal sins, we must have a firm purpose to avoid every one of

them for the future. If we confess venial sins only, we must

have a firm purpose to avoid at least one of them. If we have

any restitution to make to our neighbor, whether of goods or of

good name, we must see how this can best be done. It is a use-

ful practice always to accuse ourselves, and to renew our sorrow

for some greater sin of our past life already confessed, in order

thus to make sure of our contrition and purpose of amendment.

Confession is to accuse ourselves of our sins to a priest ap-

proved by the Bishop. A person who willfully conceals a mor-
tal sin in confession is guilty of a great sacrilege, by telling a

lie to the Holy Ghost in making a bad confession.

Satisfaction is doing the penance given us by the priest. It

is well to perform our penance if possible before leaving the

church. This penance helps in a special manner to lesson the

temporal punishment our sins have deserved. But as it does

not generally make full satisfaction for our sins, we should add

to it other good works and try to gain indulgences.

Indulgences

Sin has two effects upon the soul—the guilt or stain which
it leaves upon it, and the debt of punishment to be paid in this

life or in the next. The guilt of mortal sin is remitted to the



44 WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE

Sacrament of Penance or by perfect contrition. The eternal

punishment is remitted when the guilt is remitted and part of

the temporal punishment into which the eternal has been

changed. More or less is remitted according to the dispositions

of the penitent. The rest of the punishment must be removed

either by works of penance, such as prayers, fasting, and alms-

deeds; by the sufferings of this life borne with patience; by

the extreme suffering of Purgatory; or by Indulgences.

Good works also have two effects; they produce merit,

which is a title to reward, and they make satisfaction for sin.

The good works Christ our Lord did on earth and the satis-

faction He thereby made for all human sin were of infinite

value. These merits belong to the Church and she has power

to apply them to our soul for the remission of punishment no

less than for the remission of guilt. And because all the

members of Christ are bound together in the Communion

of Saints, the good works of the Blessed Virgin and of the

Saints, and their superabundant satisfactions, are also applied

as satisfaction for the debts of each one of us.

No punishment can be remitted till the guilt has been
repented of and forgiven. Then, by fulfilling certain con-

ditions, as prayer, works of charity, visits to churches, we

can gain a remission of the temporal punishment due to

our sins. This remission is called an Indulgence. Hence

we see the ignorance and injustice of those who say that

an Indulgence is leave to commit sin. An Indulgence has

nothing to do with the guilt of sin, but only with its punish-

ment; and no punishment can be remitted by an Indulgence

till the sin is forgiven. How much is remitted we cannot tell.
The judgments of God are an abyss which we must adore

rather than seek to comprehend. We know that indulgences
are a means of lessening the rigor of those judgments. This

should make us try to gain them. The result of our trying

we must leave to God; we cannot know it in this life.

A Plenary Indulgence, if fully gained, remits all the
punishment till then due. It' remits more or less according

to the dispositions of the person gaining the Indulgence. A
Partial Indulgence remits a part of the punishment. A Partial
Indulgence of a hundred or of forty days remits as much as



WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE 45

would have been remitted by the severe canonical penances

of former days, but how this is no one knows.

To gain any Indulgence there is required (1) a state of

grace; (2) at least a general intention to gain it; (3) per-

formance of the works prescribed—Confession once a fortnight
or daily Communion

—

i. e., practically daily, with the omission

of but once or twice a week—suffices to gain all Plenary In-
dulgences. The prayers for the Pope’s intention may be any

kind of vocal prayer, but not mental. Indulgences, unless

otherwise stated, may be applied by way of suffrage to the

Holy Souls in Purgatory, that is, they may be offered to God

for the souls we pray for, to pay their debt and procure them

release from their sufferings.

EXTREME UNCTION

Extreme Unction is the anointing of the sick with holy oil,

accompanied with prayer. The matter of this Sacrament is

oil of olives, blessed by the Bishop, and the anointing by a

priest of the eyes, ears, nostrils, lips, hands, and feet. The

form is, “By this holy anointing and of His own most tender

mercy, may the Lord forgive thee whatever sins thou hast

committed by the sight ... by the hearing,” etc.

The effects of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction are to

comfort and strengthen the soul, to remit sin, and even

to restore health when God sees it to be expedient.

A person in danger of death by sickness who refused to
receive Extreme Unction, would be guilty of grave temerity.

HOLY ORDERS

Holy Orders is the Sacrament by which bishops, priests,

and other ministers of the Church are ordained, and receive

power and grace to perform their sacred duties. The matter of

the Sacrament is the imposition of the hands of the Bishop.

The form consists of the words said by the Bishop in adminis-

tering the Sacrament. This Sacrament; impresses a character,

and therefore, cannot be repeated.



46 WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE

MATRIMONY
Matrimony is the Sacrament which sanctifies the contract

of a Christian marriage, and gives a special grace to those who

receive it worthily. No human power can dissolve the bond

of marriage, and under no circumstances is it ever lawful for

either party to marry again during the lifetime of the other.

The matter of the Sacrament consists of the persons of the

contracting parties, and the mutual consent by which they

take each other for man and wife. The form consists of the

words by which they express this contract. They are bound

to be in a state of grace to receive this Sacrament, and should

prepare for it by a good confession. The effect is a special

grace to enable them to bear the difficulties of their state, to

love and be faithful to one another, and to bring up their

children in the fear of God.

Those who enter into the contract of marriage are both the

ministers and the subjects of the Sacrament. They marry each

other. The priest witnesses, ratifies, and blesses the contract.

Betrothal

Since Easter, 1908, no engagement to marry is canonically

valid and binding unless it has been contracted in writing and

signed by the parties to it, and by a qualified priest, or the

Bishop, or at least by two witnesses. None the less, a man

not keeping a promise to marry a woman is, of course, bound

in conscience to make compensation for any wrong he may

thereby have done her.

Marriage

To receive the Sacrament validly both parties must be

baptized, and free from any of the impediments called diriment
,

which by the law of the Church render marriage invalid

and null. The principal are (1) Holy Orders; (2) Solemn

Religious Vows; (3) Marriage between baptized and unbap-

tized, e. g., Pagans, Jews, Quakers; (4) Consanguinity, i. e.,

relationship by blood to the third degree, that is, to second

cousins inclusively (unless with dispensation)
; (5) Affinity,

i. e., relationship by marriage to the second degree, so that



WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE 47

after the death of husband or wife the survivor cannot (unless

with dispensation) marry a relation of the deceased to first

cousins inclusively; (6) Spiritual relationship, contracted at

Baptism by the minister and the sponsors with the child.

There are other impediments called impediments
,
or for-

bidding, which render marriage unlawful though the marriage

is a real one. These are: (1) Mixed marriages (unless with

dispensation); (2) Solemnization of marriage at the forbidden

times; (3) Espousals to another person (unless annulled by

mutual consent).

Marriage between Catholics, or between a Catholic and a

non-Catholic, to be valid, must be contracted before a duly

qualified priest, or the Bishop of the place, and two witnesses.

When the parties are not able to write, another witness must

be added. A qualified priest is (1) the parish priest or the
Bishop of the place where the marriage is contracted, or (2) a

priest delegated by either. Therefore marriage before a Justice,

or in non-Catholic places of worship, or without the presence

of a qualified priest, is not only unlawful and sinful, but null

and void. However, in case of death, a marriage is valid if

celebrated* in the presence of two witnesses and of any priest.

For a qualified priest to assist lawfully at a marriage within

his own district, one of the contracting parties must have lived

in this district for a month, or must be exempted from so

doing by his or her Bishop or parish priest. The banns must

be published at the principal Mass on three Sundays or Holy-

days of Obligation. If the parties belong to different churches,

the banns must be published in both. The marriage should

be celebrated by the priest in whose parish the bride lives,

unless there is some good reason to the contrary.

Catholics ought to know clearly what they have to do in

order to receive validly and lawfully the Sacrament of Matri-

mony, and should understand that although for all civil effects

marriages are valid in civil law if the conditions and require-

ments of the civil marriage law are fulfilled, they are never-

theless null and void before God
,
and the parties are not in

the sight of God husband and wife, if the said marriages are

not contracted before the Bishop of the place, or a priest duly

authorized for the celebration thereof, and two witnesses.



48 WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE

Mixed Marriages

Mixed marriages are marriages between a Catholic and one

who, though baptized, does not profess the Catholic Faith.

The Church has always forbidden mixed marriages and con-

siders them in principle unlawful and pernicious. When the
Church permits a mixed marriage by granting a dispensation

for very grave reasons and under special conditions, there is to

be no nuptial Mass, no blessing. Her priest stands sadly by

to witness, not to bless. The conditions are: (a) That tne

Catholic party shall have full liberty for the practice of

the Catholic religion, (b) That all the children that may

be born of the marriage shall be baptized, and brought up in

the Catholic Faith, (c) That the Catholic party shall endeavor,

especially by prayer and example, to convert the other to the

Catholic Faith, (d) That no religious marriage ceremony

shall take place elsewhere than in the Catholic church. It is a

sacrilege to contract a marriage in mortal sin, or in disobedi-

ence to the laws of the Church; and instead of a blessing, the

guilty parties draw down upon themselves the anger of God.

Sacramentals

Sacramentals are sacred objects, words, and actions, by

the devout use of which the faithful obtain grace. They are

called Sacramentals from a certain resemblance which they

bear to the Sacraments. But there is a great difference be-

tween the two. The Sacraments were instituted by Our Lord,

and in virtue of His institution give grace by their own power

if on obstacle is put in the way. The Sacramentals are insti-

tuted by the Church, and for their efficacy depend chiefly on

the dispositions of those who use them. Whatever the Church

blesses has a salutary effect on those who use it with faith

and piety. The Sacraments are necessary for us; the Sacra-

mentals, though powerful means of grace, are not absolutely

necessary. The principal Sacramentals are holy water, palms,

ashes, crucfifixes, rosaries, medals, and scapulars.

Prayer and the Sacraments are the chief means for obtain-

ing the grace of God, without which we can do no good work

towards our salvation. Hence our use of these means should

be frequent and fervent. By their help we shall be enabled to

keep the Commandments, and so enter into life everlasting.





A
Catechism for Jnquirers

By Rev. Joseph I. Malloy, C.S.P.

We know of no finer catechism for the pros-
pective convert. If you are not familiar with

this book and are instructing converts, you

are missing a real aid, an indispensable help.

96 pages. Over 500,000 sold.

Paper binding only: 25c, $22.00 the 100

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