the PRECEPTS Of the CHURCH

. . the GOD- GIVEN laws



Why the Knights of Columbus

Advertise Catholic Faith

The reason is simple. We Catho-

lics wantour non-Catholic friends

and neighbors to know us as we

really are and not as we are some

times mistakenly represented.

We are confident that when

our religious Faith is better un-

derstood by those who do not

share it, mutual understanding

will promote the good-will which

is so necessary in a predominant-

ly Christian country whose gov-

ernment is designed to serve all

the people—no matter how much

their religious convictions may

differ.

American Catholics are con-

vinced that as the teachings of

Christ widely and firmly take

hold of the hearts and conduct

of our people, we shall remain

free in the sense that Christ

promised (John VIII, 31-38),

and in the manner planned by

the Founding Fathers of this

republic.

Despite the plainly stated will

of the Good Shepherd that there

be "one fold and one shepherd,”

the differences in the understand-

ing of Christ’s teaching are

plainly evident. It has rightfully

been called "the scandal of a

divided Christianity.”

If there is anything which will

gather together the scattered

flock of Christ, it is the nation-

wide understanding of the

Savior, what He did and how He

intended mankind to benefit by

the Redemption.

To this end, we wish our

fellow-Americans to become ac-

quainted with the teachings of

Christ as the Catholic Church

has faithfully presented them,

since the day the apostles in-

vaded the nations of the world

in willing and courageous obedi-

ence to Christ’s command: "Go,

therefore, and make disciples of

all nations . . .” (Matt. XXVIII,

19).

SUPREME COUNCIL

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
Religious Information Bureau

4422 LINDELL BLVD. ST. LOUIS 8, MO.

© Knights of Columbus, 1961



"Let everyone be subject to

the higher authorities, for

there exists no authority ex-

cept from God” (Romans

13:1). All authority, whether

ecclesiastical or civil, has for

its final sanction the divine

law. All authority of Church

and State ultimately comes

from God. And, as everyone

knows, if any law given by

Church or State is to be true and just,

it must conform with the mind of

God. These are the two perfect so-

cieties which exist in this world: the

civil society, which goes by the name

of the State, whether it be a nation

or a sovereign federated commu-

nity, and the Catholic Church.

In the words of Pope Leo XIII,

"The Almighty, therefore, has ap-

pointed the charge of the human

race between two powers, the eccle-

siastical and the civil, the one being

set over divine, the other over hu-

man things. Each in its kind is su-

preme, each has fixed limits within

which it is contained, limits which

are defined by the nature and spe-

cial object of the province of each,

so that there is, we may say, an orbit

traced out within which the action

of each is brought into play by its

own native right” (From the famed

Encyclical, Immortale Dei).

These two societies exist

for different purposes. The

Church exists for man’s sanc-

tification and eternal happi-

ness. "Whatever, therefore,

in human things is of a sacred

character, whatever belongs

either of its own nature or

by reason of the end to which

it is referred, to the salva-

tion of souls, or to the worship of

God, is subject to the power and

judgment of the Church. Whatever

is to be ranged under the civil and

political order is rightly subject to

the civil authority. Jesus Christ has

Himself given command that what

is Caesar’s is to be rendered to Cae-

sar, and that what belongs to God is

to be rendered to God” (Encyclical,

Immortale Dei).

The goal of the State is to make

it possible for men to live together

in this life, to protect them in their

lives and property, to smooth out

conflicts of interest, to judge dis-

putes, to advance prosperity and

public morality, to safeguard its peo-

ple’s position among the nations. All

this is what we call the temporal

welfare of man, because it begins

and ends with time, with this life.

To ensure the temporal welfare of

1



men the State exists. For this it must

make laws.

What, then, is law? A law is a
reasonable ordering of things for the

general good, made by the supreme

authority in a sovereign community.

In the past this supreme authority

was a monarch; now it is commonly,

at least in theory, a legislative as-

sembly. But it is well to bear in

mind the idea of a monarch, for the

One Who gives the first and most
essential laws, on which all others

rest, is a Monarch—God.

God in creating must intend or-

der in what He creates, and thereby

He becomes the author of the nat-

ural law. This natural law can be

determined simply by examining

things as they are, just as we can

determine the order an automobile

designer imposes on his product by

examining the machine.

God Will Judge

Paul in his Epistle to the Romans

points out that the Gentiles could

have known God by the light of

natural reason (Romans 1:18-23).

Furthermore, Paul says, "When the

Gentiles who have no law do by

nature what the Law prescribes,

these having no law are a law unto

themselves. They show the work of

the Law written in their hearts.

Their conscience bears witness to

them, even when conflicting

thoughts accuse or defend them.

This will take place on the day when,

according to my gospel, God will

judge the hidden secrets of men

through Jesus Christ” (Romans 2:-

14-16). The Gentiles will be judged

by God according to the natural

law: for the Gentiles or nations who

sinned apart from the written Law

of Moses shall perish or be judged

by the natural law, written on every

man’s heart.

Thus, simply stated, a natural

moral law is one that is evident in

the nature of man, and evident to

his own reason and understanding.

Examples of such natural moral laws

are the basic commands: adore God

only; honor your father and mother;

you shall not kill; you shall not mis-

use the faculty of generation; you

shall not steal; you shall not lie. All

these laws, and the primary conclu-

sions that can be drawn from them,

are written into man’s nature in such

a way that so long as he possesses

human nature he is bound by these

laws.

Of course God did more than

write these laws into man’s nature.

He also put them into words and

into positive teaching, as through

the commandments He gave to

Moses for the Chosen People, and

through the frequent repetitions of

natural laws that came from the lips

ot Christ. Over such laws the Cath-

olic Church has no authority other

than that of manifesting how clearly

they stand out in human nature and

repeating them to the end of time.

The Divine Law

When God speaks directly to

mankind through revelation and

thus makes known His will, He be-

comes the author of the divine posi-

tive law, that could not necessar-

ily be determined simply by reason.

An example is the law that Baptism

is necessary in order to enter the

Kingdom of Heaven. A positive law
is always one that you have to be

2



told about to know, while a natural

law is one that you could learn about

by using your reason. Christ told us

many things that we must do for

our salvation that we could never

have learned except through His

words. The Catholic Church never

has changed, does not assume that

she can change, and never will

change the positive divine laws laid

on mankind by Jesus Christ.

The thought bears repeating that

since it is of the essence of law to be

reasonable and productive of order,

it follows that no law made by man

can be really law unless it corre-

sponds to the will of God, Who is
Supreme Governor and Orderer.

Generally there is no difficulty in

distinguishing laws from other rules

for the guidance of life. Laws are

distinguished from mere precepts

chiefly by two things: they are made

for a sovereign community, and in

themselves laws are permanent or

stable. They last beyond the author-

ity of the lawgiver, at least until

such time as lawful authority sees

fit to repeal them.

We do not call the commands of
a parent laws, though they are cer-

tainly binding in conscience. Nor do

we call laws the directives of a busi-

ness executive or the constitutions

of a particular organization. We do
not normally call law even the en-

actments of a municipality. The rea-

son is that these entities, though they

have power to command, are not

sovereign communities, governing

all the people.

Hence to make laws is the same

as to be a perfect society. The State

is a perfect society because it is com-

plete for its own purposes and self-

sufficient. For everything that has

to do with directing people in refer-

ence to their interests here and now,

the State is the supreme authority

and for that purpose it is sovereign.

When we speak of the State as
concerned with the here and now,

we do not mean to say that it has

no interest in furthering man’s high-

er destinies. The State, being an

outgrowth of man, is, like man, a

creature of God and owes Him hom-

age and obedience, and the State is

bound to do all in its province that

will help man along his road to the

other life. The State is bound to pro-

tect the whole man, and therefore it

must uphold public morality and put

no blocks to man’s spiritual pursuit,

not precisely in order to get man to

heaven, but for its own welfare; for

the State cannot flourish unless it

has the protection of God and the

support of citizens of moral fiber.

But its laws are never directed to the

other world, in and for itself.

Authority of Church

This purpose of advancing man’s

spiritual welfare is the business of

the Church. The preaching of the

Gospel, the administration of the

sacraments, the celebration of divine

worship, the final judgment with

respect to the morality of human

acts are within the legitimate prov-

ince of the Church. Besides these

spiritual functions, there are other

matters, in themselves temporal but

consecrated to God by reason of the

uses to which they are put, which

are subject to ecclesiastical authority.

For example, Church buildings and

all articles are set apart for divine

worship, as well as the sources of

3



income appropriated to the upkeep

of God’s ministers.

In actual practice the division be-

tween the respective provinces of

Church and State is not absolute and

clear-cut; there is a "mixed” cate-

gory, pertaining to the Church from

one point of view, to the State from

another. The marriage contract and

education are conspicuous examples

of this. Marriage is a sacrament, and

as such pertains exclusively to

Christ’s Church; but it is also a social

contract, and under this aspect the

State rightly takes cognizance of it.

Education, fostering as it does the

growth and development of a free

individual human person, potential-

ly or actually a member of Christ’s

Mystical Body, must always be

among the chief preoccupations of

the Church. But the State, respon-

sible in large measure for the welfare

of its future citizens, may also legis-

late within the sphere of education,

provided that in doing so it does not

override, but rather respects and

reinforces the freedom and spiritual

interest of those chiefly concerned.

Church and State

The Church, being a perfect so-

ciety, and hence having the right to

make true laws, might be expected

to bear some analogy to the State.

In truth, anyone who takes a first

glance at the organization of the

Catholic Church will note some re-

semblances to a state—some of them,

indeed, consciously copied from the

civil sphere. Her dioceses and other

jurisdictions were imitations of old

Roman provinces. Much in her

canon law was modeled after or sug-

gested by the civil law in various

ages. And in fact some civil laws, like

that making legal adoption an im-

pediment to matrimony, have been

"canonized” or taken over bodily by

the Church as her law for the region

in which the civil law is in force.

The Church, naturally, depends on

the State for making tolerable the

conditions of her existence. But the

Church does not depend on the State

in any other way. Laws that reach

far deeper into a man’s life than civil

laws ordinarily go, laws such as that

commanding celibacy for the clergy

and those declaring the conditions

under which marriage is valid, laws

commanding the specific confession

of sins or regulating the amount and

kind of food that may be taken on

certain days— all these are generally

observed with a far greater sense of

obligation than are the most strin-

gently sanctioned civil statutes. Ob-

viously, the Church would have long

since had to give up making laws if

her members did not realize that she

is a perfect society which is sover-

eign in the spiritual sphere.

Now how did the Catholic Church
come to have this peculiar position?

This Spiritual Kingdom had its fore-

runner in a Kingdom both spiritual

and temporal, known as the carnal

Israel. Moses became the first law-

giver of that Kingdom when he was

commanded by God to enact laws

minutely regulating the life of the

Chosen People. The carnal Israel

continued until the time of Christ-

down those centuries when the spir-

itual and temporal interests of the

Jewish people were fused together

in one theocratic state, which served

both as Church and as State.

The coming of Christ brought

4



into the world a division between

religion and the State that had exist-

ed nowhere before. Christ made it

known that He had come to estab-

lish a "kingdom”; but it was not to

be a continuation of the carnal Israel.

"My kingdom is not of this world”

(John 18:36). It was to be a king-

dom in the realm of the spiritual

life. Christ had often described to

the people the nature of this king-

dom—in this world, but not of it.

And He had taken the steps to pro-

vide those who would represent Him

in His absence, when He had re-

turned to the Father. In no case did

He surrender to them His supreme

right of kingship as the Son of God.

But He did choose men to whom He

gave the power to rule in the king-

dom—under Him and with the au-

thority He would give and within

the limits He would set.

In the Church, all would be sub-

ject to the one who in his own per-

son would be the visible representa-

tive of Christ on earth—Peter and

his successors. To Peter, He said: "I

will give thee the keys of the king-

dom of heaven; and whatever thou

shalt bind on earth shall be bound

in heaven; and whatever thou shalt

loose on earth shall be loosed in

heaven” (Matthew 16:19). The pow-

er of binding and loosing was the

power to impose an obligation or

to remove it; it is the power of mak-

ing laws for the whole Church and

of imposing special obligations on

single individuals. That this is a

power coming from God and lead-

ing to God is clear from the fact that

God Himself promised to back the

decisions of Peter and his successors

by His divine confirmation.

The "keys” were the symbol of

authority over a household or a king-

dom. Hence when Christ promised

Peter the keys to the kingdom of

heaven, He promised to make the

Apostle His administrator or His

visible representative in governing

the power to make official decisions

regarding faith and morals—for this

the kingdom. This promise entailed

is the purpose of the Church which

is in this world but not of it. Hence

to Peter, as chief of the Apostles,

were given the powers to make laws,

to enforce these laws, and to judge

in disputes.

Power Is Delegated

Christ later promised to the group

of the Apostles the power of bind-

ing and loosing which He had first

promised in a most special way to

Simon Peter (Matthew 18:18). He

fulfilled this promise shortly before

His Ascension into heaven, when He

told them: "All power in heaven

and on earth has been given to me.

Go, therefore, and make disciples

of all nations, baptizing them in the

name of the Father and of the Son

and of the Holy Spirit, teaching

them to observe all that I have com-

manded you; and behold, I am with

you all days, even unto the consum-

mation of the world” (Matthew

28 : 19 -20 ).

In other words, the power that

the Son of God Himself had over

the souls of men He transmitted to

the twelve whom He had chosen to

extend His kingdom. They were to

have a share of His authority until

the end of time. This meant, natural-

ly, that they were to communicate

5



that authority to successors.

That the Apostles actually exer-

cised this power, and transferred it

to others even in their lifetime, can

be seen from any reading of the

Acts or Epistles. At the first Church

council on record, held in Jerusalem

about 50 A.D., the great question

was decided whether or not a Chris-

tian had to retain Jewish practices

in order to be a Christian: "The Holy

Spirit and we,” the council answered,

"have decided to lay no further bur-

den upon you but this indispensable

one, that you abstain from things

sacrificed to idols and from blood

and from what is strangled and from

immorality...” (Acts 15:28-29).

*

'Ruled the Unruly”

The council of the Apostles thus

could impose burdens, and remove

them. In other words, they had the

right to make true laws in order to

direct the Christian people to sal-

vation. Their power was not con-

fined simply to reaffirming or in-

terpreting the laws God had given

directly.

Again, we read in 1 and 2 Corin-

thians that Paul ruled the unruly

Christian community of Corinth

with a firm hand and threatened its

disobedient members with the rod

of authority (1 Corinthians 4:21).

This authority with which he was

invested, he transferred to Timothy

(1 Timothy 5:17-20) and Titus,

whom Paul exhorts to "speak and

exhort and rebuke, with all author-

ity” (Titus 2:15). These men were

Bishops, who had the Apostles’ own

authority to rule the Church and

make laws for her. They in turn

were to consecrate other Bishops,

with similar lawmaking authority,

and there were to be successors of

Peter who were to rule the entire

Church as he had ruled the Church

of the Apostles. The primitive

Church was a lawmaking Church,

as is the Catholic Church today.

The Church Christ founded was

therefore given the power to make

laws, and she actually exercised that

power. The reason why she used

that power then, as she uses it now,

is obvious from the nature of the

Church, which must do for its mem-

bers all that is necessary for the end

for which they are members.

The laws of the kingdom of

Christ are made by the authority

which Christ gave to His Church.

They are not mere human inventions

intended to supplant the law of God.

They are made to point out the

means in the succeeding ages of

Christianity by which the members

of the Church can best observe these

laws of God Himself. They are not

to turn men away from God, but to

turn- men to Him. Their effect is to

make the whole Christian commu-

nity strive together in harmony for

the final end of the kingdom of

Jesus. They produce in men those

dispositions by which each man

helps himself. And besides helping

himself, through his prayers, his

reverence for sacred things, his ac-

ceptance of the guidance and the

means of holiness in the kingdom,

each man draws down greater bless-

ings of God upon all the members

of the Church and helps others to-

ward the final goal of salvation.

6



"He therefore said to them

again, 'Peace be to you! As

the Father has sent me, I also

send you’” (John 20:21).

When Christ gave authority

to His Church, He certainly

gave her the right to make

whatever laws would be nec-

essary at any given time to

fulfull her mission of glori-

fying God and leading men

to salvation. All such laws, based on

special circumstances and needs, are

positive ecclesiastical laws. Though

they may bind the faithful under

pain of excommunication or of mor-

tal or venial sins, they can be lifted,

altered, or abrogated by the same

authority that made them.

No person should be in the least

disturbed by the fact that the Cath-

olic Church sometimes changes the

laws she is competent to make. It

must be remembered that the law-

making authority of the Church

never embraces natural moral laws

and positive divine laws. The

Church can call to mind those things

that are already prescribed by the

divine law, natural or positive; and,

although she cannot dispense in

these laws, she can interpret them

authoritatively.

In our day, when the notion of

natural and divine law has

become dim and confused

in the minds of so many;

when written man-made law

is made to stand for all law,

it is difficult for some people

to realize that there are many

laws that the Church upholds

but which she did not make

and cannot alter, and which

are not, in the strict sense.

Church laws at all.

Often mistakenly considered

Church laws, because the Church is

the only considerable force that now

defends them, are such laws as those

forbidding contraception, and at-

tempted remarriage when already

validly married. Actually, these are

divine laws and would be in force

even if the Church did not exist. The

divine natural law forbidding the

direct and deliberate frustration of

the God-given faculty of procreation

exists because order could not be

maintained in creation if it were not

in force. God must sanction order

and condemn disorder or cease to

be God. He could no more permit

sex-perversions, which involve mis-

use of the faculty of generation and

are intrinsically immoral, than He

could command a lie, which is a

perversion of the gift of speech.

7



Hence it is idle to look for a time

when the Church first condemned

contraception, or consider whether

the documents in which it is con-

demned are infallible, or wonder

whether the Church at some future

time will modify her position on this

immoral practice. The law always

existed and always will exist. The

Church must uphold it because she

is the agent of God’s will. But she

did not make it. The birth control-

ler’s quarrel is not with the Church

but with his own Creator, the author

of human nature.

The Church has authority to

determine those things that were

left undetermined in the divine law,

as for example the manner in which

the Lord’s Day is to be sanctified,

the times and frequency with which

the divine law of communion is to

be fulfilled, the way in which the

obligation of fasting is to be com-

plied with, etc. Moreover, the

Church can make laws in matters

that were left free by our Lord when-

ever this will promote the better

observance of His law, as for exam-

ple laws regulating clerical life, laws

for the administration of the Church,

laws for the conduct of worship.

"Whatsoever you shall bind upon

earth, it shall be bound also in heav-

en; whatsoever you shall loose upon

earth, it shall be loosed also in heav-

en” (Matthew 16:19). The Church

has power not only to make laws, but

also authority to change or repeal

laws she has herself made. Some

laws the Church has made will prob-

ably never change. An example of

such a law is the one whereby all

who aspire to and are accepted for

the priesthood in the western rite

take a vow of celibacy before their

ordination. That this is a Church law

and not a direct command of Christ

is clear from the fact that in the first

two centuries of Christianity the

clergy were not required to be celi-

bate and nowhere in the Bible is it

stated that they are. Yet celibacy

was so highly praised both by Christ

and St. Paul and proved to be so

great a help to the holiness and fruit-

fulness of priests, that it is very

doubtful this particular law will

ever be changed.

Church Laws Change

There are many examples of pure-

ly positive ecclesiastical laws that

have undergone changes throughout

the years of the existence of the

Church. There have been, for exam-

ple, many changes in the laws made

by the Church concerning fast and

abstinence. Christ gave only a gen-

eral command to do penance. "Un-

less you shall do penance, you shall

all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).

The Church has full authority to de-

cide what form the penance of the

faithful should take, and to change

her decisions from age to age ac-

cording to circumstances.

Changes which the Church makes

in her law's should come as no sur-

prise to anyone. Outside the realm

of divine commands and the natural

moral law, the Church is bound to

use her authority to meet given

situations by different laws. The

Church is an organism filled with

vitality to effect through the ages

the glory of God and the salvation

of men. The Church would be stag-

nant and dead if her own legislation

was never altered to respond to

8



changing social conditions.

By whom is this right to make

laws exercised? This right is exer-

cised by the Bishops, the successors

of the Apostles, and especially by

the Pope, who as the successor of

the chief of the Apostles, Saint Peter,

has the right to make laws for the

universal Church.

As Vicar of Christ and Visible

Head of the Church the Pope has

supreme legislative power in the

Church. Thus, the Pope can legis-

late either alone or in concert with

a general council. Of course, to exer-

cise his jurisdiction, the Pope makes

use of congregations and tribunals,

roughly comparable to cabinet of-

fices. These various departments of

Church government make laws in

the name of the Holy Father, who

in turn passes on and approves their

suggested decrees.

Bishops, "placed by the Holy

Spirit to rule the Church of God”

(Acts 20:28), have legislative power

within their own territory and de-

pendently on the Pope. Each can

make laws for his own diocese.

When gathered together in council,
Bishops can legislate for provinces or

for all the faithful of their country.

Bishop Decides

There is little variation among

the laws of different dioceses since

the universal laws of the Church

tend to bring the local into con-

formity, just as federal laws tend to

standardize state laws. One Bishop

may, for good reason, give a dis-

pensation from a law of fast or ab-

stinence on a certain day, although

the general law obliges elsewhere.

Because of the sensational impact,

the public is occasionally made

aware of the particular laws of a

Bishop against participating in

bathing beauty contests or against

segregation in Catholic schools or

churches. These, however, are rather

decrees specifying a natural law than

true Church laws.

Bound by Law

The general laws of the Church

oblige all and only such persons as

are at once subjects of the Church

and capable of receiving a law. By

Baptism one becomes a member of

the Church, and hence it is the bap-

tized who are subject to Church

laws. By her laws the Church com-

mands only human and deliberate

acts or omissions, and therefore it

is only those who can reason that

are subject to those laws. Persons

habitually unable to reason are all

those who have not yet learned the

difference between right and wrong

(infants or idiots) or who have per-

manently lost all knowledge of right

and wrong (the hopelessly insane).

These persons are not bound by

Church laws. Moreover, unless the

law expressly rules otherwise, those

who, although they have attained

the use of reason, have not yet com-

pleted their seventh year are not

bound by purely ecclesiastical laws.

It is a principle in all law that

no one should receive a benefit from

his rebellion to law. No member of
the Church can put himself out of

reach of Church laws by "resigning”

from the Church, by living in ha-

bitual sin (as does a Catholic in an

invalid marriage) or even by being

excommunicated by the Church.

Such members of the Church still

9



gravely sin when they do not obey

the Church’s laws, such as the com-

mand to receive worthily Holy Com-

munion once a year, to hear Mass

every Sunday, or to observe the laws

of fasting and abstinence. In point

of fact such persons are seldom men-

tally or spiritually prepared to obey

such precepts, but they are not re-

leased from their obligations to

them. In the case of the excusably

ignorant, they would not commit

formal sin, but they are under the

law nevertheless.

Ordinarily, when Church laws

are mentioned, the following six

precepts of the Church come to

mind:

1. To assist at Mass on every Sun-

day and on all holydays of obli-

gation.

2. To fast and to abstain on the days

appointed.

3. To confess our sins at least once

a year.

4. To receive Holy Communion

during the Easter time.

5. To contribute to the support of

the Church.

6. To observe the laws of the

Church concerning marriage.

Each of these commandments of

the Church will be explained in sub-

sequent articles of this booklet. Be-

sides these precepts there are many

other laws regulating the govern-

ment of the Church and the admin-

istration of her affairs. The collec-

tion of such laws binding the Latin

Church is contained in an official

book called the Code of Canon Law.

The vast majority of the 2414

canons (rules or laws) which make

up the Code have no direct and im-

mediate relationship with the life

of the Catholic laity in general. Most

of the regulations in the Code per-

tain to the following: clerical life,

ecclesiastical offices, religious state,

sacrament of orders, matrimonial

contract, sacred places, seminaries,

church property and spiritual pen-

alties. Texts and commentaries on

the Code of Canon Law are avail-

able from Catholic book stores, pub-

lishers and libraries.

The present collection of Church

law has been in force since 1918.

Like the civil law, the present col-

lection did not appear full grown

but was the outgrowth of laws that

gradually developed through the

ages and at length was systematized

into a code. Canon Law is a wonder-

ful embodiment of tradition.

Since the Church today is the

same in essentials as it was in Apos-

tolic times, Canon Law could not

avoid a great respect for tradition.

The Church serves men, and as men

change in accidentals through the

ages so also the laws of the Church

will change. The forthcoming ecu-

menical (universal or general) coun-

cil of the Church will probably in-

troduce minor revisions into the

Code to adopt it better to the needs

of modern society. The Church is

never afraid to clear away excess

lumber. But there is in Canon Law

nothing entirely new and much that

has been handed down with little

change from* the first centuries.

Canon Law is one of the great stabil-

izing forces in a turbulent world.

10



Worship of God

Man is bound by the natural

law itself to give public and

social worship to God. Rea-

son itself teaches that man

set aside some time for the

external worship of his Crea-

tor, and avoid those things

that distract him from such

worship. The exact manner

in which that worship must

be rendered is a matter for

determination by positive law.

In the Old Testament economy

the Jews were commanded by God

to set apart and sanctify, by prayer

and rest, one day of the week—the

Sabbath. "Remember to keep holy

the Sabbath day . . . the seventh day

is the Sabbath of the Lord, your God.

No work may be done . . .” (Exodus
20:8-10). The Old Testament Law

observed the Sabbath or last day of

the week in memory of the creation

of the world, and it abstained most

rigorously from work on the Sab-

bath because there was a divine pro-

hibition and because this rest was a

figure of things to come.

But in the New Law the cere-

monial precepts of Judaism no long-

er have force, and the Christian pre-

cepts substituted for them were not

instituted by Christ Himself but

arose from the custom of the Church.

During the life-time of the Apos-

tles Sunday (or the first day

of the week) came to be ven-

erated as the Lord’s Day in

memory of the Resurrection,

which completed the work

of Redemption. (For addi-

tional information on the

"Sabbath Question,” we rec-

ommend our booklet en-
titled, Remember the Sab-

bath . . . Keep It Holy, which

will be sent free of charge

upon request.)

From the earliest days of the

Church also, various special holydays

were appointed and made days of

obligatory worship, as had been the

case with certain feasts in the Old

Testament. These holydays were in-

stituted by the Church to recall the

principal mysteries or truths of our

faith, to give emphasis to the im-

portant events in the lives of Christ

and of His Blessed Mother, and to

bring to mind the virtues and the

rewards of the saints. As early as the

third and fourth centuries laws were

made by the Church confirming the

primitive customs of assisting at

Mass and resting from labor on Sun-

days and holydays.

The general law of the Church

(Canon 1248) prescribes that on all

Sundays and holydays of obligation

the faithful are bound to assist at

11



Mass and to abstain from servile

work and certain other activities.

Thus the law has a positive and a

negative aspect—but, of course, the

two aspects are closely interconnect-

ed. The fundamental purpose of the

law is to secure the sanctification

of the prescribed days of precept—

particularly by the devout assistance

of the faithful at the sacrifice of the

Mass. Accordingly, one of the pur-

poses of the prohibition of servile

work and other activities is to en-

sure that the people generally may

be freed from their ordinary week-

day occupations and thus have the

opportunity of rendering to God the

public worship which is His due.

The Holy Days

The affirmative part of the first

precept of the Church commands

the hearing of Mass on all Sundays

of the year and on holydays of obli-

gation. The holydays in the United

States are these six: Christmas, the

Nativity of Our Lord, December

25; Octave of the Birth of Our Lord,

January 1; Ascension of Our Lord,

40 days after Easter; the Assumption

of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August

15; All Saints’ Day, November 1;

and the Immaculate Conception of

the Blessed Virgin Mary (designat-

ed by the American Bishops in 1846

as the Patronal Feast of the United

States), December 8. In addition to

these days, there are four other holy-

days of obligation in the universal

church: Epiphany, January 6; St. Jo-

seph, March 19; Corpus Christi,

June 16; and Sts. Peter and Paul,

June 29. By reason of social condi-

tions, these four feasts are not at

present holydays of obligation in the

United States.

The Church chooses the Mass as

the obligatory way of worshipping

God because the Mass is the perfect

act of worship. The Mass is the Holy

Eucharist as a sacrifice, the sacrifice

of the New Covenant in which
Christ through the ministry of the

priest offers Himself to God in an

unbloody manner under the appear-

ances of bread and wine. An expla-

nation of the Mass, the principal act

of Catholic worship, is given in our

pamphlet entitled "The Holy Sacri-

fice—the Catholic Mass” which will

be sent free upon request.

Any Catholic who does not at-

tend Mass through his own fault and

without sufficient reason on the

days prescribed commits a grave or

mortal sin. Mortal sin is a grievous

offense against the law of God. This

sin is called mortal, or deadly, be-

cause it deprives the sinner of sanc-

tifying grace—the supernatural life

of the soul. Mortal sin makes the

soul an enemy of God, takes away

the merit of all its good actions, de-

prives it of the right to everlasting

happiness in heaven and makes it

deserving of everlasting punishment

in hell. The guilt of sin is removed

through the proper use of the Sacra-

ment of Penance. Likewise they

commit a mortal sin who, with-

out sufficient reason, make it impos-

sible for other Catholics—such as

their children or their employees—

to assist at Holy Mass on the days

commanded.

The grave obligation to hear

Mass on Sunday and holydays of

obligation does not bind the follow-

ing: those who must care for the

12



sick; those whose illness does not

permit them to go outdoors; those

who live a considerable distance

from a church; those who must give

immediate attention to urgent work.

A person in doubt about this obliga-
tion should consult a priest.

Worship of God

In reference to the person who

hears Mass, the precept requires ex-

ternal assistance and internal devo-

tion. Bodily assistance must be such

that one can be said to take part in

the divine worship. There is not

sufficient presence when the Mass

is seen by television or heard over

the radio. Moreover, the mere pres-

ence in body in the church does not

satisfy either the requirements of

worship of God or of the law of the

Catholic Church. He who goes to

church merely to hear the music or

look at the pictures does not hear

Mass, for lack of intention. He who

sleeps soundly all through the serv-

ice does not hear Mass for lack of

attention. One who wills to perform

what the Church requires, and who

knows what is going on before him,

either by thinking on the Mass itself

or on other pious subjects, satisfies

his obligation of hearing Mass.

A whole Mass must be heard—
that is, all the ceremonies from the

prayers at the foot of the altar until

the blessing at the end, and it is

irreverent to leave church without

necessity before the priest has left

the altar. It would be a serious sin

to miss without good reason an im-

portant or principal part of the

Mass, as for example the Consecra-

tion. Those who for good reason are

unable to fulfill the precept of the

Church are not excused from the

divine precept of worshipping God.

Hence, those who are really obliged

to miss Mass should sanctify the

Lord’s Day by whatever private

prayer or devotion they may wish

to substitute.

The negative part of the first pre-

cept is concerned with servile works,

that is, labor of a kind that tends to

make one unfit for devotion or that

shows disrespect for the sacredness

of the day. In the first centuries of

Christianity the term servile work

was not used in relation to the Sun-

day observance. But the faithful felt

that it was fitting to abstain on the

Lord’s Day from any work which

might impede the due fulfillment of

the obligation of religious worship.

Out of this original voluntary and

almost instinctive abstention the

custom of the Sunday rest grew and

developed and later found expres-

sion in positive law. It was only

about the sixth century that the obli-

gation of the Sunday rest came to

be compared with the law of the

Sabbath observance formulated in

the Book of Leviticus 23:7: "You

shall do no servile work therein.”

Thus, and henceforth, the familiar

term servile work found a place in

Christian theology.

The Lord’s Day

Through the subsequent centuries

various attempts were made to de-

fine the term "servile work”. The

most commonly accepted description

today is to say that servile work is

that which is done principally by

bodily labor, is intended immedi-

ately for the utility of the body, and

is the kind of work which was done

13



by slaves (hence the adjective ser-

vile) in times past. In the common

estimation of men, the kind of work

which is generally prohibited on

Sundays and holydays is the daily

toil or occupation which is engaged

upon as a means of livelihood. It is

this toil which constitutes the servi-

tude of man to his fellow-men and

which normally inhibits or endan-

gers that freedom and rest which

are necessary for the due exercise of

divine worship. Sunday is a day of

rest, and if one does his regular

weekday work on Sunday, he is not

resting. He is making Sunday a

workday, just like any other day. The

purpose of the precept is to set one

free from his routine, daily cares of

the world so that he may devote

himself to divine things. In prac-

tice, a member of the Church in

doubt about a particular kind of

work should consult a priest. In de-

termining what is servile work, the

priest must consider not only the

nature of the work itself but also

the way in which it is done, the light

in which it is commonly regarded

and other circumstances.

Greed ... or God?

During World War II and since,

there has become observable a ten-

dency to encroach more and more

upon the Sunday rest. It is true, in-

deed, that the encroachment was to

a large extent unavoidable, and so

excusable, owing to the exigencies

of war and war conditions. But we

should not allow ourselves to be de-

luded into thinking that what was

excusable and justifiable in such

times should remain the rule when

the world and our lives have reverted

to some degree of normality.

Millions of people today work on

Sunday who are only the innocent

victims of an ever-increasing lust

for material wealth. The greedy own-

ers of a big chain-store or super-

market decide to stay open on Sun-

day to grab more business; and then

the other merchants of the commu-

nity feel that they must do business

as usual, in self-defense. Christians

must make it a matter of conscience

to do what is possible to bring the

world back to the full and traditional

observance of the law of Sunday

rest. Each thoughtless and unneces-

sary purchase forces someone in turn

to give up his Sunday rest, and con-

tributes to the growing abuse of

public merchandising, which is for-

bidden on Sunday. Those under

Communist domination are not per-

mitted a Sunday rest, a time to wor-

ship God. Labor unions in America

are finding it increasingly difficult

to negotiate contracts not requiring

Sunday labor. Only a necessary or a

proven public good should permit

business to be conducted on Sunday.

Christians should make every effort

to keep ordinary stores and business

houses closed on Sunday so that this

special day to worship God will not

be lost.

Those who must labor on a Sun-

day in order to live, or to perform

services necessary for the good of

society are excused from the nega-

tive part of the precept and per-

mitted to work. Reasons that excuse

from part of the precept do not ex-

cuse from all of it. Hence, those who

must labor are still obliged to assist

at Mass, unless a serious reason like-

wise excuses from this obligation;

14



those who are unable to hear Mass

are not thereby justified in doing

servile work. When a Catholic is in
doubt about the morality of a par-

ticular action, the priest should be

consulted so that in the light of all

the circumstances the proper spir-

itual advice may be obtained.

Sports or amusements, as such,

are not prohibited on Sundays or

holydays by the general law of the

Church. Of course, if indulgence in

forms of amusement is such that

thereby the sacred atmosphere of

the Sunday is completely destroyed

and the minds of the faithful are

entirely distracted from religious

aspirations and obligations—such in-

dulgence would stand condemned.

The Catholic Church, mindful of

the advice of her Divine Founder,

recommends joyous and cheerful

service of God. A dreary, joyless
Sunday of a puritanical Sabbatarian-

ism, which is really a throwback to

the pharisaic observance against

which Christ so frequently in-

veighed, is not a part of Catholic

life. "Rest, combined with religious

observances,” said Pope Leo XIII,

"disposes man to forget for a while

the business of everyday life, to turn

his thoughts to things heavenly and

to the worship which he so strictly

owes to the Eternal Godhead. It is

this, above all, which is the reason

and the motive of the Sunday rest.”

How much do you EARN . . . how much do you GIVE?

If you give 1 -hour’s pay weekly If you tithe, give 10% of salary

Weekly Weekly Annual Weekly Weekly Annual

Wages Donation Total Wages Donation Total

$ 50 $1.25 $ 65.00 $ 50 $ 5.00 $ 260.00

60 1.50 78.00 60 6.00 312.00

70 1.75 91.00 70 7.00 364.00

80 2.00 104.00 80 8.00 416.00

90 2.25 117.00 90 9.00 468.00

100 2.50 130.00 100 10.00 520.00

110 2.75 143.00 110 11.00 572.00

120 3.00 156.00 120 12.00 624.00

130 3.25 169.00 130 13.00 676.00

140 3.50 182.00 140 14.00 728.00

150 3.75 195.00 150 15.00 780.00

160 4.00 208.00 160 16.00 832.00

170 4.25 221.00 170 17.00 884.00

180 4.50 234.00 180 18.00 836.00

190 4.75 247.00 190 19.00 988.00

200 5.00 260.00 200 20.00 1,040.00

Be generous to God — He will be generous to you

!

15



Fast and Abstinence

"Time now,” the Lord says,

"to turn the whole bent of

your hearts back to me, with

fasting and with mourners’

tears. It is your hearts, not

the garments you wear, that

must be torn asunder. Come

back to the Lord your God;

he is ever gracious and merci-

ful, ever patient and rich in

pardon; even now he is ready

to forgive” (Joel 2:12-15).

Abstinence from food was rec-

ognized in the Old Testament as a

means of penance and reparation,

propitiation (1 Samuel 7:6), peti-

tion (Baruch 1 : 5), mourning (1 Sam-

uel 31:13), and grief. "And when I

had heard these words, I sat down,

and wept, and mourned for many

days: and I fasted, and prayed before

the face of the God of heaven” (2

Esdras 1:4).

Fasting was undertaken as a prep-

aration for a great work (1 Esdras

8:21), to secure victory (Judges 20:-

26), to avert disaster (Esther 4:3),

to please God (Judith 8:6), and to

receive divine light. "And I set my

face to the Lord my God, to pray

and make supplication with fasting

and sackcloth and ashes” (Daniel

9:3).

Among the Hebrews the Day of

Atonement and almost all other

fasts were observed from

sunset to sunset (Judges 20:-

26). No food or drink was
taken on these days. If the

fast lasted longer than a day,

a little nourishment, enough

to maintain life, was allowed.

These longer fasts were of

three days, or seven days, or

many days, or forty days

(Exodus 24:18), or perhaps

for life (Judith 8:6).

Fasting under the Old Law did

not consist merely in the privation

of food and drink. The Hebrew ex-

pression for fasting, innah naphsho,

is best translated by the words "to

afflict one’s soul,” "to humble one’s

soul,” and means the willful depriva-

tion of what is pleasing to the body

and gratifying to self-love. It was

customary to refrain, while fasting,

from bathing, anointing the body,

wearing shoes, exercising the mar-

riage right, etc. Sometimes the rend-

ing of garments, the sprinkling of

ashes on the head, the wearing of a

hair-shirt were outward expressions

of fasting. But the Jews were re-

minded that the spirit of sorrow for

sin must prevail and must be accom-

panied by prayer and works of alms-

giving, justice, and mercy. "Prayer

is good with fasting and alms: more

than to lay up treasures of gold”

16



we are told in Tobias 12:8.

As in the Old Law so in the New
Dispensation of Christ, fasting con-

tinues as a means of atoning for sin,

controlling disordered desires, and

obtaining Divine assistance. To be

acceptable to God, fasting must be

performed out of love for God and

be accompanied by true sentiments

of sorrow for sin and charity to-

wards others. The Apostles do not

fast as long as the Bridegroom

(Christ) is with them, but they will

fast when He is gone. "Can the wed-

ding guests mourn as long as the

bridegroom is with them? But the

days will come when the bridegroom

shall be taken away from them, and

then they will fast” (Matthew 9:15).

In the early days of the Church

fasts were frequently observed: dur-

ing a fast the Holy Spirit made

known the divine will in regard to

Saul and Barnabas, and after fasting

and prayer they received a special

blessing for their new work (Acts

13:2-3). St. Paul advised fasting and

practiced his own recommendations

(2 Corinthians 6:4-5; 2 Corinthians

11:27). The custom of fasting was

common among Christians from the

beginning and this fact is evidenced

by the many references found in the

very earliest writings of the Fathers

of the Church.

Fast and Abstinence

The second precept of the Church

may be concisely stated as follows:

to fast and abstain on the days ap-

pointed. The easiest way to know

the "days appointed” is simply to

obtain a Church calendar each year.

Most parishes give away such calen-

dars free of charge. The regulations

of the Church regarding fasting and

abstinence will sound a little in-

volved to one hearing or reading

them for the first time, but the same

is true for a beginner reading an in-

structional manual on operating an

automobile or an expensive camera.

Actually, the ordinary Catholic has

little difficulty understanding or

even fulfilling these laws. Parish

priests announce ahead of time when

appointed days will occure and re-

call the manner of fulfillment.

Who Must Fast?
All members of the Church seven

years of age or over who have at-

tained the use of reason are obliged

to observe the abstinence days of the

Church, unless they are excused or

dispensed. Regulation number one

:

complete abstinence binds on all

Fridays.

Early Christians seem to have

made no distinction between fasting

and abstinence. It took time for the

precise theological distinctions we

have today to come into existence.

In the early Church the reference

was more often to the general term

"fasting” and this term could mean

no food at all, or very little food, or

restricted kinds of food. At the pres-

ent time, abstinence refers to the

quality (what kind) of food that may

not be eaten; and fasting is primarily

concerned with the quantity (how

much) food may be eaten.

The law of abstinence forbids the

eating of meat and soup, gravy or

sauces made from meat. On days

of complete abstinence, these foods

may not be eaten at all; on days of

partial abstinence, they may be eaten

17



once, at the principal meal.

The question often arises, "Why

Friday as a day of complete absti-

nence?” From earliest times Friday

was the usual fast day among all

Christians. It was observed in mem-

ory of the death of Christ on Friday,

in an effort of the faithful to unite

their penance and self-denial with

those of the Savior. The process by

which fasting on Friday became less

strict until finally it was reduced to

mere abstinence from meat was a

gradual one.

In a letter to St. Augustine of

Canterbury (604), Pope St. Gregory

the Great announced the final form

of abstinence which soon became

the law: "We abstain from flesh

meat and from all things that come

from flesh, as milk, cheese, eggs.”

For almost a thousand years this

remained the norm of abstinence

for all except those who were ex-

cused for reasons of ill health. Dur-

ing the time of Pope Nicholas I

(858-867) a law was made forbid-

ding meat on Friday for the whole

Church.

Abstinence from "milk foods”—

milk, butter, cheese — was never
strictly enforced in some European

countries because of the lack of sub-

stitute foods. The Church granted

many dispensations in this matter.

The present regulation on absti-

nence, explained above, was issued

in 1918. Catholics abstain from meat

on Friday to recall Christ’s supreme

act of self-denial—His death on the

cross.

Another question which arises is

"Why meat?” Here again the an-

swer is not very profound. The

avoidance of meat was traditionally

an integral part of fasting. Meat is

is a common food of the great gen-
erality of mankind and thus is a

good item which members of the

universal Church can collectively

deny themselves in a spirit.of Chris-

tian self-denial. The Church could

have chosen bread or any common

food. It is interesting to note that

Catholics are not obliged to eat fish

but only to abstain from meat on

Friday and fast days.

Lenten Fasts

The second precept of the Church

also commands that on the week-

days of Lent all those between the

ages of twenty-one years completed

and sixty years begun shall eat not

more than one full meal a day. Reg-

ulation number two: fasting binds

on all days of Lent. As mentioned

previously, fasting is primarily con-

cerned with "how much” food may

be eaten. On a day of fast, we may

(1) eat one full meal without re-

striction as to amount and kind

of food; (2) eat two other meat-

less meals, sufficient to maintain

strength, taken according to each

one’s needs; but, together, they

should not equal a full meal; and

(3) drink liquids between meals.

Many early Christians kept a strict

two-day fast from Good Friday to

Easter Sunday and did not eat or

drink at all during this "Passion

Fast.” Eventually a longer period of

fasting was introduced in prepara-

tion for Easter, although its observ-

ance varied widely in the early cen-

turies. Sunday was always excepted

from the fast (as it still is today).

During the third and fourth cen-

turies most churches adopted a forty

18



days' fast, in imitation of Christ

Who had fasted forty days in the
desert (Luke 4:2). St. Athanasius

(373), Patriarch of Alexandria,

Egypt, after having traveled to

Rome and over the greater part of

the Roman Empire in Europe, wrote

in the year 339 that "the whole

world” fasted forty days. The official

term of the forty days’ fast, Quadra-

gesima (fortieth), is first mentioned

in the fifth canon (decree) of the

Council of Nicaea (325). At the

time of St. Gregory, sixth century,

the word "Lent” was generally ap-

plied to the period of Lenten fast.

The observance of Lent in its

early practice consisted of eating

only once a day, toward evening;

nothing else except a little water

was taken all day. After the eighth

century, the time for this one and

only meal was advanced to the hour

of the None in the liturgical prayer

(meaning the ninth hour of the Ro-

man day, which is three o’clock in

the afternoon). This meal was grad-

ually transferred to the middle of

the day (hence our word "noon”

from None). The noonday meal did

not become a general practice until

the fourteenth century.

For 1,200 Years

And it was not until the ninth

century that less rigid laws of fast-

ing were introduced. It came about
1

in 817 when the monks of the Ben-

edictine order, who did much labor

in the fields and on the farms, were

allowed to take a little food in the

evening, while they listened to the

daily spiritual reading of the Colla-

tiones (collected instructions). Our

word "collation” meaning a slight

repast comes from this.

Eventually the Church extended

the new laws to the laity as well

and by the end of medieval times

they had become universal practice;

everybody ate a light evening meal

in addition to the main meal at noon.

The present custom of taking some

breakfast on fasting days is of very

recent origin, the beginning of the

nineteenth century.

Exceptions

One final regulation of the second

precept has to do with those few

days each year when Catholics are

expected to do double duty—fast and

abstain. Regulation number three:

(a) fast and complete abstinence on

Ash Wednesday
,
Holy Saturday, and

the vigils (days preceding) of the

feasts of the Immaculate Conception

and Christmas; (b) fast and partial

abstinence on Ember Wednesdays

and Ember Saturdays and the vigil

of Pentecost.

Neither fast nor abstinence

obliges when a vigil falls on Sun-

day, or when a holyday of obligation

falls on Friday.

While on active service, all mem-

bers of the Armed Forces are dis-

pensed from the Church precept of

fast and abstinence except on Ash

Wednesday, Good Friday and the

vigil of Christmas. The dispensation

is personal and applies to the indi-

vidual wherever he may be. It also

applies to his wife, children, parents

and servants if he is habitually resid-

ing with them, whether on or off

the post.

The regulations of the Church on

fast and abstinence are serious laws.

They bind under the pain of grave

19



sin. One cannot be frivolous in find-

ing reasons to excuse himself from

them. There must be a serious, real,

grave inconvenience — something
similar to the inconvenience which

would excuse one from attending

Mass on Sunday. It need not be over-

whelming or extreme hardship but

neither may it be something silly or

trivial in comparison with the im-

portance and severity of the law.

Dispensation

Saint John Chrysostom (407),

Patriarch of Constantinople, gave

this instruction: "If your body is not

strong enough to continue fasting

all day, no wise man will reprove

you; for we serve a gentle and merci-

ful Lord who expects nothing of us

beyond our strength.” When health

or the ability to work would be seri-

ously impaired, the regulations re-

garding fast and abstinence do not

oblige. In doubt concerning these

regulations or their application, one

should consult the parish priest or

his confessor. For a just cause, a

parish priest can dispense his sub-

jects from the law of fast or of absti-

nence, or of both, in particular cases.

He can dispense individuals or par-

ticular families of his parish. Fur-

thermore, the bishop of the diocese,

when there is a gathering of many

people, or when there is question of

public health, can dispense a par-

ticular locality or even the whole

diocese from the law of fast or absti-

nence, or of both.

Pope St. Leo I (461) pointed out

that fasting is a means and not an

end in itself; its purpose is to foster

pure, holy and spiritual activity. The

• - Church requires her members to fast

and to abstain in order that they may

control the desires of the flesh, raise

their minds more freely to God, and

make satisfaction for sin. It is not

because meat and other foods are

evil in themselves that the Church

prescribes days of fast and absti-

nence. The Church commands us to

deny ourselves for the glory of God

and the good of our souls. Just as

the physician can forbid certain

food to his patient for the sake of

temporal good, so for the sake of

spiritual good God forbade to Adam

the fruit of one tree, and to the Jews

the flesh of certain animals; and the

Church from the days of the Apos-

tles (Acts 15:29) has exercised the

same right.

There are a number of interesting

questions which arise regarding the

regulations of the Church on fast

and abstinence. Perhaps a brief an-

swer to a few such questions would

be of interest to our readers.

What is Meat?

What is to he understood by the

term "meat”? Under the name flesh

meat are included all land and warm-

blooded animals. Moreover, under

the name meat are included all the

parts of an animal, but not its fruit:

eggs, milk, and things made from

milk, such as butter, cheese. The law

of abstinence forbids the eating of

flesh meat and broth made from

meat. Under the name broth is in-

cluded any liquid made from the

juice of meat, such as beef tea, mut-

ton soup, chicken broth, etc. The

law does not forbid condiments

made from animal fats, as for exam-

ple, margarine, lard, suet, bacon drip-

pings, etc.

20



If a Catholic dines in the home

of a non-Catholic friend on Friday

and meat is served, may he partake

of it on the score that the embarrass-

ment he would cause his friend by

a refusal would constitute a suffici-

ent inconvenience to excuse him

from the law of abstinence? In

America, where the regulations of

the Church are generally well

known, a Catholic should act in ac-

cord with the dictates of his con-

science and courteously decline the

meat portion of the dinner. The host

might be slightly embarrassed but

at least he will not be scandalized.

Moreover, in this country, there

would be little inconvenience in

providing the Catholic guest with

an adequate meal of abstinence food.

How is the term "liquids” to be
understood which are permitted on

days of fasting? Lenten and other

similar fasts are not broken by

liquids which are beverages rather

than food, or which are used to allay

thirst, or assist digestion, and not

chiefly to nourish, such as water,

teas, coffee, light cocoa, wine, beer,

lemonade, fruit juice, milk, etc. Milk

shakes, malted milks, soups, and

similar liquids which are food equiv-

alents are not permitted between

meals on a day of fast.

Is gelatin permitted on Friday or

days of abstinence? Yes. While gela-

tin is a meat product, it is not pop-

ularly considered as meat. The

Church accepts the general popular

judgment as to what things are to

be considered "flesh meat.”

Is one dispensed from the Church

regulations of fast and abstinence

free of all obligation regarding

works of self-denial? Since the pre-

cept of the Church is in substance

based upon the natural law, those

who are dispensed from Church law

are not dispensed from the natural

law of temperance. Such dispensed

persons should practice some acts of

self-denial according to their abil-

ity. Acts of sacrifice by self-denial in

alcoholic beverages, tobacco, sweets,

etc., or by mortification in the quan-

tity or quality of food taken, enable

us to strengthen our character, gain

a mastery over our passions and de-

sires, satisfy for past offenses, and

win a higher degree of friendship

with God. "Now he (God) calls upon

all men everywhere to repent; inas-

much as he has fixed a day on which

he will judge the world with justice

by a Man (Christ) whom he has

appointed, and whom he has guaran-

teed to all by raising him from the

dead” (Acts 17:30,31).

”0 almighty and everlasting God, Who by salutary

abstinence dost heal us both in soul and body; we

humbly beseech Thy majesty, that appeased by the

fervent devotion of those who fast, Thou wouldst

grant us help now and in time to come

Prayer for Ember Saturday, from the Roman Missal

21



Annual

CONFESSION

The third precept of the

Church commands that every

baptized person who has en-

tered the Church through

valid baptism and who has

the use of reason, which be-

gins usually at the age of

seven, go to confession at

least once a year. Infants are

incapable of committing sin,

and the unbaptized are in-

capable of receiving the sacrament

of penance or confession.

In our pamphlet entitled, "Yes . .

.

A Priest Can Forgive Your Sins ”

which is sent free of charge upon

request, we have presented an ex-

planation of the sacrament of Pen-

ance. Here it suffices to briefly

review the teaching of the Church

on confession and to explain the

Church precept which specifies the

divine law.

The word "penance” has various

meanings. It is a moral virtue, a good

habit which inclines the sinner to

turn away from his sins, to repent

them when they are past and to

avoid them for the future. Penance

often means reparation. We do pen-
ance for our sins: we deny ourselves

by fasting, accept sufferings, and

perform acts of devotion to expiate

our guilt. But here we are speaking

of Penance as a sacrament:

an external sign instituted

by Christ to give us grace.

Christ conferred upon the

Apostles the power to for-

give sins, and thereby raised

the virtue of penance or re-

pentance to a sacrament of

the New Testament.
Christ promised to confer

upon the Apostles the gen-

eral power of the keys and also of

binding and loosing (both of which

powers include the power of forgiv-

ing sins), likewise the special power

of forgiving sins. The supreme

power of the keys and of binding

and loosing were promised to Peter

(Matthew 16:19), whereas the pow-

er of binding and loosing was prom-

ised to all the Apostles (Matthew

18:18). Although these passages do

not fully prove the existence of the

sacrament of Penance, yet they clear-

ly demonstrate the universal reli-

gious powers that Christ conferred

upon His Apostles.

In a most solemn manner Christ,

after His resurrection, bestowed

upon the Apostles the power of for-

giving sins: "Peace to you! As the

Father has sent Me, so I send you . .

.

Receive the Holy Spirit; whose sins

you forgive they are forgiven them;

22



and whose sins you retain they are

retained” (John 20:21-23). It im-

mediately becomes obvious that here

is a specific application by Christ of

the general power of binding and

loosing as referred to above.

In bestowing this power upon the

Apostles, it must be taken for grant-

ed that Christ permits and accepts

in His Church on earth the presence

of sinners who are in need of for-

giveness after they have received the

sacrament of Baptism. The Apostles

made use of this power to forgive

sins through the administration of

Baptism (Acts 2:38), and also after-

wards in regard to those already bap-

tized (1 Corinthians 5:4-13; 2 Co-

rinthians 2:7-11; 1 Timothy 1:20;

Titus 3:10).

The words by which Christ con-

ferred upon the Apostles and the

Church the power to forgive sins are

of a general nature, admitting of no

exceptions: whatever they bind or

unbind on earth will be ratified by

God; whose sins they forgive these

sins are forgiven them, and whose

sins they retain these sins are re-

tained. Thus, Christ put no restric-

tion upon the Apostles as to either

persons or sins.

To Bind or Loose

The power to forgive sins is a

true judicial power and is exercised

in judicial form. "To forgive and to

retain sins,” "to bind and to un-

bind,” are judicial acts. They require

a judgment to be made according to

the worthiness or unworthiness of

the penitent. Sin is a type of crime;

it is a violation of law; and crimes

are tried in court. There is a for-

mal process: accusation is brought

against the criminal, evidence is pre-

sented, pleas are made, and a judg-

ment is given, after which sentence

is pronounced or a pardon or parole

is granted. It is fitting that such

judicial process should be chosen as

the external sign for the forgive-

ness of sin.

In the sacrament of Penance ac-

cusation is made by the penitent

himself. Circumstances are given.

The sinner frankly admits his guilt,

but expresses sorrow and throws

himself on the mercy of Christ. Then

judgment is rendered on the basis

of the evidence at hand. It is not

arbitrary judgment; it is based on

the penitent’s own accusations and

pleadings and particularly upon his

evidences of sorrow and also of good

intention from this time on.

Christ gave the Apostles power to

forgive sins for the good of souls.

He gave it to them in their capacity

as priests; it was needed for the spir-

itual work of the Church. And it is

evidently needed as much today as

in the first century. There are as

many sinners now as then, and they

have as much need of forgiveness.

Christ is a God of infinite wis-

dom. He knew the weakness of hu-

man nature, its temptations and

trials. He saw that the vast majority

of adults are not only in danger of

sin but actually do sin, and griev-

ously. He saw that if He did not give

man some hope of recovering sanc-

tifying grace after Baptism, His suf-

fering and death might be in vain.

Hence He instituted a sacrament

that would give us the definite as-

surance of pardon without its being

left to our private presumption.

Penance is a sacrament; it gives us

23



graces once it is received worthily.

It is not the emotional intensity of

our own repentance which obtains

forgiveness, but the sacrament. It is

not our own merits which produce

graces, but the merits of Christ

which are brought to us through the

sacrament. However, in many re-

spects, the graces of the sacrament

can be increased by the intensity of

our devotion, by the sincerity and

thoroughness of our repentance, and

by the honesty and practical firmness

of our good resolutions.

In a very true sense it is the priest,

acting in the name of Christ, who

forgives sins. The priest pronounces

the judgment of forgiveness, and by

giving that judgment he confers the

sacrament. He forgives as the min-

ister of the sacrament. When the
priest baptizes he forgives sin by

administering the sacrament of Bap-

tism. In confession he forgives sin

by administering the sacrament of

Penance.

True Contrition

In order to make a good confes-

sion, the penitent must know his

sins and be honestly sorry for them;

he must make a firm proposal of

amendment and be willing to enter

into the spirit of reparation for his

sins. And he must confess his sins

frankly. All grace comes from God

alone. Only when the penitent goes

to confession with the proper dispo-

sitions can the graces of this sacra-

ment be enjoyed. The graces of the

sacrament come directly from God.

The notion that one can "buy for-

giveness” is erroneous—in fact, im-

possible. The sinner might misuse

the sacrament and deceive the priest,

but God cannot be deceived. Any

serious misuse or abuse of the sacra-

ment of Penance only results in the

committing of the greater sin of

sacrilege.

Too often the sacrament of Pen-

ance is viewed only as a mere dec-

laration that God has forgiven us.

In reality the sacrament gives us

many graces. Here are some of the

things the sacrament of Penance does

for our souls:

(1) It restores sanctifying grace,

if we have lost it by mortal sin. In

other words, it revives supernatural

life in our souls when we have de-

stroyed that life by separating our-

selves from the friendship of God

through serious sin.

(2) It increases the degree or in-

tensity of sanctifying grace in our

souls, if we receive the sacrament

while we are still in the state of

grace. Little differences or venial

sins cool the intensity of our love for

God; the sacrament of Penance heals

such misunderstandings and warms

the affection existing between God

and ourselves.

(3) If through mortal sin, we

have closed heaven to ourselves, the

sacrament opens it up to us again.

We are restored to our adoption as
the sons of God. As sons of our heav-

enly Father we are invited to come

and live in His home.

(4) The eternal punishments of

hell are taken away. If we should die

in a state of serious sin, of enmity

with God, we would remain His

enemies forever. We would be sep-
arated from Him, from Whom pro-
ceeds all that is good, and beautiful,

and orderly.

(5) At least a portion of the

24



temporal punishment due us for

sins is taken away. We do not go en-
tirely free when the guilt of our sins

is forgiven; God’s justice still re-

quires a token payment for the harm

we have done. The sacrament of

Penance does not take away all such

satisfaction due to God; it does not

relieve us of all need for penance,

prayer, sacrifice, and indulgences.

The sacrament prepares the way

rather for all these to be effective.

(6) The sacrament of Penance

brings those graces which incline us

to works of reparation and atone-

ment. It gives us the supernatural

incentive to do penance for past

sins, so that all the enduring effects

of them may be taken away.

God’s Grace

(7) The sacrament gives us the

graces we need to avoid sins for the

future. All of us have daily need of

God’s help to avoid sin, just as we

have need of vitamins each day to

stay healthy. This sacrament brings

such strengthening graces that the

Church encourages frequent confes-

sion, even though we have not been

guilty of serious sin. Temptations

are a part of daily life and only with

God’s grace can we avoid them.

(8) It restores the supernatural

virtues which we have lost by serious

sin; or it strengthens these virtues

when they have been weakened by

venial sin. Faith, hope, charity, pru-

dence, justice, fortitude, temperance,

obedience, patriotism, patience, hu-

mility, chastity ... all these super-

natural virtues are necessary if we

wish to live in accord with the will

of God.

(9) The sacrament of Penance

restores the merits of our past good

actions. We diminish these merits
by our venial sins and we throw

them away entirely when we com-

mit mortal sin. Merits are a share in

the good works of Christ; they are

given us when we do works of love

in union with Him. They have much

to do with determining our eternal

status in heaven.

(10)

Besides all these supernatur-

al benefits, we get much natural help

from the sacrament. In the confes-

sional we often find advice and en-

couragement, a solution to our prob-

lems, or a frank warning about the

dangers we face. The certainty that

the guilt of one’s sins is removed

forever, through the sacrament,

brings a conviction of well-being

that is experienced nowhere else in

the realm of human activity.

For almost every member of the

Church, there is always some natural

feeling of reluctance to the confes-

sion of sins in the sacrament of Pen-

ance. The basic reason for such an

emotion is simply pride. One who

thinks seriously about the spiritual

life knows that it takes more cour-

age to break the laws of God than

to humbly confess such failings. As

long as the sinner has courage to

resist human pride, which is often

encouraged by the devil, and to

make sincere and humble use of this

sacrament, he need have no fear of

the final and eternal judgment. Ac-

tually, the many beneficial graces

and true consolations mentioned

above, which come with the proper

use of confession, are more than

enough to compensate the brief mo-

ments of "unwillingness” which

may precede the use of this needed

sacrament of penance.

25



The precept of annual confession

obliges under pain of mortal sin, for

its purpose is of vital importance.

The purpose of the law is to ensure

the use of the sacrament instituted

by Christ for forgiveness and to keep

sinners from delaying their repent-

ance too long. If a good business

man takes stock of his assets and

liabilities at least once a year and

those who are careful of their health

have medical attention or examina-

tion at least yearly, it is most rea-

sonable that the faithful should

settle their spiritual accounts and

attend to the well-being of their

souls within an equal period of time.

In the early centuries when fervor

was greater and conditions differ-

ent, no general law on the frequency

of confession was needed; but there

is no doubt that the present precept,

which dates back to the Fourth Lat-

eran Council (1215), met well the

need that began after the gradual

change from the early penitential

discipline.

The Church encourages frequent

use of the sacrament of Penance.

Those in the religious life—Pope,

Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, Sisters,

Brothers—are expected to go to con-

fession weekly. Confession at least

once a month is ordinarily expected

of a good Catholic layman. Members

of the Church can best be guided

about frequent confession by their

own confessor. "If we say we have

no sin, we deceive ourselves, and

the truth is not in us. If we acknowl-

edge our sins, he is faithful and just

to forgive us our sins and to cleanse

us from all iniquity” (1 John 1:8-10).

EUCHARISTIC FAST
Regulations for those receiving the Sacrament of Communion

Persons Food and Drink Allowed Time Allowed*

The Faithful

in General

Solid food and

alcoholic liquids

Non-alcoholic

liquids

3 hours

1 hour

Non-alcoholic liquids No time

The Sick
Medicine, liquid or solid limit

Solid food and

alcoholic liquids

3 hours

* Period of time prior to reception of Holy Communion. Water never

breaks the fast for anyone.

26



Easter

COMMUNION

Since Our Lord willed the

Eucharist to be the necessary

nourishment of the soul’s

journey (John 6:54), and the

perpetual memorial of Him-

self (1 Corinthians 11:24),

the Church in her fourth pre-

cept has prescribed that all

the faithful who have at-

tained the use of reason go

to Holv Communion at least

Hiry/

Wjf..
W

the anniversary of Christ’s

sacrifice and of the institu-

tion of the Holy Eucharist,

it is the time most fitly chos-

en for the annual obligatory

Communion.

"The bread which I will

(

give is My flesh for the life
of the world . . . unless you

\
eat the flesh of the Son of

J Man and drink His blood

once a year and that during the

Easter time. Ordinarily the Easter

time is the Paschal Season, from

Palm Sunday to Low Sunday; how-

ever, in the United States, by priv-

ilege, Easter time begins on the first

Sunday of Lent and ends on Trinity

Sunday, or the First Sunday after

the Feast of Pentecost.

In order to fulfill the precept, a

worthy Communion must be re-

ceived. Since the law requires that

the Easter duty be made, not only

within the Easter time, but also once

a year, it follows that he who neg-

lects Communion during the Easter

period is still bound by the law to

go to Communion before the begin-

ning of the next Paschal season. The

Eucharist is a daily bread, and the

law does not permit it to be neg-

lected by anyone beyond a year;

and, since the Paschal Season brings

you have no life in yourselves ... for

My flesh is real food, and My blood

is real drink” (John 6:52-56). The

strictly literal interpretation of these

words follows from the entire con-

text of the passage; the attitude of

the Jews in murmuring against

Christ and that of some disciples in

leaving Him are clear evidence that

they had understood Him literally

and not figuratively.

At the Last Supper the Holy Eu-

charist was instituted. The words of

the institution have come down to

us in four different versions, and of

these the two which are more de-

tailed are called "Pauline” (Luke

22: 19ff; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25),

while the other two are called "Pe-

trine” (Matthew 26:26-28; Mark

14:22-24). In the accounts of the

consecration of the bread the four

texts have the same decisive read-

27



ing: "This is My body”; then Luke
adds, "which is given for you,” and

Paul, "which is for you,” to empha-

size the sacrificial character of the

consecrated bread.

In the consecration of the wine

the decisive words of Matthew and

Mark are, "This is My blood of the
(New) Covenant”; whereas Luke

and Paul give substantially the same

in the words, "This cup is the New
Covenant in My blood” (that is, the
wine contained in this cup is the

beginning or cause of the New Cov-

enant through the agency of My
blood). Again to emphasize the sac-

rificial character of the consecrated

wine, Matthew adds to the formula

of consecration of the blood of

Christ the words: "which is poured

out for many for the remission of

sins”; Mark: "which is poured out

for many”; and Luke: "which is

poured out for you.” Furthermore,

Luke and Paul have the command

of Christ to the Apostles: "Do this

in remembrance of Me” . . . words as

uttered at the consecration of the

bread; Paul inserts them a second

time at the consecration of the wine.

The decisive words in these pas-

sages: "This is My Body, this is My
blood,” must be understood in the

literal sense. In other words, when

Christ made this pronouncement the

entire substance of the bread was

changed into His body and the en-

tire substance of the wine was

changed into His blood, there re-

maining only the appearances of

bread and wine. In the Eucharist

Christ is really, truly and substan-

tially present with His flesh and

blood, body and soul, humanity and

divinity. Additional information on

this sacrament of the Eucharist is

available in our pamphlet, "Christ’s

Seven Sacraments.”

The ministers of consecration or

of offering the Sacrifice of the Mass

are the Bishops and priests of the

Church. By the words, "Do this in

remembrance of Me,” Christ insti-

tuted the priesthood and command-

ed His Apostles and their successors

in the priesthood to change bread

and wine into His Body and Blood.

The recipients of this sacrament are

all the faithful who, having attained

the proper age, are in the state of

sanctifying grace.

Greatest Graces

With the consecration of bread

and wine, during the Holy Sacrifice

of the Mass, the sacrament of the

Holy Eucharist comes into being.

The sacramental reception of the

Holy Eucharist by the faithful is

referred to as "receiving Holy Com-

munion.” The fourth precept of the

Church regulates the minimum in

the use of the Eucharist. It is the

ardent desire of the Church that her

members receive Holy Communion

frequently, and even daily if possible.

The Church encourages the use of

this sacrament because, of all the

sacraments, the Eucharist brings the

greatest graces. Some of its effects

are:

(1) It unites our body and soul

to Christ in an intimate union of

friendship and love. This love which

we share with Christ in Communion

extends itself to all His brethren.

(2) It increases sanctifying grace

in the soul. As food sustains and in-

creases vital human functions, so the

Eucharist enhances the spiritual life.

28



(3) It cleanses the soul of venial

sins, of lesser faults, just as food

repairs the minor ailments of our

bodies. The Eucharist is then the

remedy of our daily weaknesses.

(4) It fortifies the soul against

mortal sin. Just as the proper food

keeps the body from sickness, weak-

ness, and early death, so the Holy

Eucharist gives us the grace to resist

temptations which could produce

sickness and death within the soul.

(5) It lessens the temporal pun-

ishment due to past sin. The recep-

tion of Christ, sacramentally present

in the Holy Eucharist, increases char-

ity in the soul, and as the love of

friendship with God burns brighter,

past and forgiven misunderstandings

are healed completely.

(6) It assures the glorious resur-

rection of our body. Our Lord prom-

ised that if we would eat His flesh

and drink His blood He would raise

us up on the last day (John 6:55).

(7) It is a pledge of our future

glory and happiness in heaven. "If

anyone eat of this bread he shall live

forever” (John 6:52).

To bring the faithful to Mass and

Holy Communion with ever increas-

ing frequency, the Church adjusts

her own regulations in accord with

notable social changes.

At the present time, Bishops may

permit the daily celebration of Mass

in the hours after midday whenever

the spiritual good of the faithful re-

quires it. Evening Masses are becom-

ing more common with time, enabl-

ing many working people to assist

at Mass and to receive Holy Com-

munion after working hours.

Regulations pertaining to the Eu-

charistic fast are now simple, uni-

form, and easy to remember. The

faithful need only fast or refrain

from solid food and alcoholic liquids

for three hours and from non-alco-

holic liquids for one hour before

receiving Holy Communion.

Exceptions

For the sick, even though not con-

fined to bed, the rule regulating

solid food and alcoholic liquids is

the same as above, that is, fast from

such for three hours. However, the

sick may take non-alcoholic liquids,

and true medicines in liquid or solid

form without any time limitation,

that is, up to the time of Commu-

nion. Just prior to the actual recep-

tion of Communion, the sick could

use such non-alcoholic beverages as

fruit juices, milk, tea or coffee, and

medicine in liquid or solid form.

Since water does not break the

Eucharist fast, it may be taken by

anyone at any time before the re-

ception of Holy Communion.

The purpose of the fast before

receiving Holy Communion is to

make one mindful of the great sac-

rament about to be received. Jesus

Christ, true God and true Man, is

present in a sacramental manner in

the Holy Eucharist. By an act of

self-denial, members of the Church

prepare themselves for the sublime

moment of intimate union with God

Himself in the reception of Holy

Communion.

In the fourth century St. Ambrose

wrote, "If it (the Eucharist) is daily

bread, why do you take it once a

year? Take daily what is to profit

you daily. So live that you may de-

serve to receive it daily” {On the

Sacraments).

29



Church Support

welfare, whether in spir-

itual or in temporal matters,

should be supported by those

whom they serve; for, as
their time and labor is given

to others, it is a duty of jus-

tice that these latter make a

return for the benefits re-

ceived. Hence, just as citi-

zens are naturally bound to

contribute to public officials,

The fifth precept of the

Church requires the faithful

to contribute to the support

of the Church. This com-

mandment of the Church

means that each member of

the Church is obliged to bear

his fair share of the financial

burden of the Holy See, of

the diocese, and of the par-

ish. This universal law of the

Church does not specify the amount

that must be given, nor does it de-

termine the precise manner in which

support is to be obtained. Members

of the Church are to give in accord

with their means. The manner of

giving is left to the special statutes

and customs of each country.

This obligation binds in con-

science, and at times even under the

pain of serious sin. Though formu-

lated by the Church, this precept is

basically a commandment of God,

for it is a divine ordinance which

requires us to support those who

preach the Gospel and serve the

altar. Since we are creatures of God,

the very law of our being demands

that we make provision for the giv-

ing of public and social worship to

God. For this worship pastors, as

well as churches, are necessary.

Those who serve the common

so are the faithful naturally bound

to contribute to support necessary

for the ministers of religion.

Sacred Scripture expressly states

that there is an obligation to support

the ministers of religion. The Mo-

saic Law prescribed a tithe (a tenth

part) in a form of land tax on the

chief products of the soil (grain and

fruits) as a means of support for the

Levites (Leviticus 27:30), who were

responsible for services connected

with the worship of God. Malachias

pointed out that the failure to ob-

serve this law meant disloyalty to

God and had a disastrous effect upon

the temple worship. "Will a man

rob God? Yet you have robbed me.

But you say, Wherein have we

robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

You are cursed with a curse; for you

have robbed me, even this whole

nation. Do but carry your tithe into

30



the tithe-barn, for my temple’s needs,

and see if I do not open the windows

of heaven for you, rain down bless-

ing to your hearts’ content” (Mala-

chias 3:8-10). Jesus Sirach taught

that a man should dedicate his tithe

with gladness, "in every gift show

a cheerful countenance, and sancti-

fy thy tithes with joy” we read in

Sirach 35:11.

The Church of the New Testa-
ment is by divine institution and

constitution a perfect and independ-

ent society. It has a right to ask of

the faithful the means necessary for

divine worship, for the suitable sup-

port of the clergy, and for the attain-

ment of its other particular pur-

poses. The Pauline principle (1 Co-

rinthians 9:13-14) that "they who

serve the altar should partake with

the altar” and "they who preach the

Gospel should live by the Gospel”

was fully accepted by the faithful

from the earliest years of the Church.

As a matter of fact, the right of the

Church to require support, and the

corresponding obligation of the

faithful to provide it, have hardly

ever been questioned within the

true fold. Of course, the manner and

the measure in which the support

was given have indeed varied down

through the ages.

Church’s Needs

In the early centuries of the

Church, the influence of the meth-

ods of support current under the

Old Dispensation was strong. Hence

we find reference to the giving of

offerings, first fruits, and tithes—

particularly to the last mentioned.

At the end of the sixth century, the

custom of tithes was given the status

of law; and by the eighth century

the tithe was fully recognized as a

fiscal obligation confirmed by civil

law. Later, as happened in many

other spheres, the tithes were

usurped and laicized by the secular

princes and gradually fell into dis-

use almost universally. The law of

the Church today simply states that

in regard to the payment of tithes

and first fruits, the particular sta-

tutes and laudable customs of each

country are to be observed, which is

another way of saying that where

the practice of such payment still

exists it may be preserved.

But tithes as such are for the most

part no longer paid. In their place

we have, in this and many other

countries, the free will offerings of

the faithful. In regard also to vol-

untary offerings, the particular sta-

tutes and laudable customs of the

place are to be observed. With due

regard for the requirements of

equity, the Bishop can determine

the manner and the measure in

which the means necessary for the

support of the clergy and the Church

will be provided by the faithful un-

der his jurisdiction. In the absence

of written statutes or episcopal reg-

ulations, it is custom which deter-

mines the manner in which the nec-

essary support will be provided for

the upkeep of religion.

The obligation of contributing to

the Church is one of justice as well

as of religion, for there is a quasi-

contract between the faithful on the

one side and the Church and its

ministers on the other side, the lat-

ter being obliged to give spiritual

ministries and benefits, the former

to supply the temporal sustenance

31



and means. Hence St. Paul compares

the salaries given to the clergy to

the wages paid to the laborer ( 1 Co-

rinthians 9:4 ff). He who refuses to
contribute to the Church evades pay-

ment for services given him and

also denies to divine worship his

share of support. Moreover, if a large

percentage of the faithful fail to

make a just contribution, then an

undue burden is placed unjustly on

the other members of the parish or

the Church.

Voluntary Gifts

Each parish is a unit in the Church

for the purpose of saving souls.

Church buildings are a necessity.

Catholic children have a right to an

education in which they can learn

about God and about their religion.

This right means school buildings

and teachers. A parish plant—rec-
tory, school, church, convent—is a

business operation. But the parish

has no product or service on sale

for a price. The parish depends on

the voluntary contributions of the

parishioners to meet its numerous

bills. Such contributions are ordi-

narily collected immediately preced-

ing the offertory of the Mass on

Sunday, and hence called the "of-

fertory collection.”

A pastor is fortunate if the Sun-
day collection is sufficient to meet

the various financial responsibilities

of his parish. Regrettably, some pas-

tors must depend on bazaars, din-

ners, raffles, bingo, pew rent, rum-

mage sales, seat collections, etc., to

keep the old parish going. Direct

contributions, conscientiously and

cheerfully given, are the only means

of Church support worthy of a per-

fect spiritual society.

A special collection for the Holy
Father, often referred to as "Peter’s

Pence,” is taken up each year

throughout the Church for the ex-

penses and charities of the Holy See.

This collection originated in eighth

century England as a tax of a penny

on each household and was collected

on St. Peter’s day, whence came the

name. Such a collection lapsed after

the Reformation but was revived

again in the form of a free will offer-

ing about the middle of the nine-

teenth century. After local expenses

have been covered, the funds col-

lected are used for world relief serv-

ices without regard for religious af-

filiation. Annually, the Pontifical

Relief Committee distributes tons

of clothing, provides funds for food

and lodging, subsidies for hospitals,

staffs for schools in refugee camps,

programs for youth, and takes ref-

ugees into orphanages and hospitals

and aids numbers of them in effect-

ing emigration.

Collections

In the United States three general

collections are usually made annual-

ly. These are the Catholic University

of America, the Propagation of the

Faith, and the Catholic Bishops’

Thanksgiving Collection for the

needy in other lands. In the past

fifteen years, the Bishops’ collection

has made possible the shipping of

over 5 billion pounds of goods, val-

ued at over one billion dollars, to

war ravaged and needy countries.

This material is distributed on the

basis of need alone.

32



Ordinarily, a particular diocese

will have annually a general dioces-

an collection to support their sem-

inary and another to maintain a reg-

ular building program. The central

office of a diocese is called a chan-

cery office. At this office all the

official records of the diocese are

preserved and all the general paper-

work for the whole diocese put into

proper channels and processed.

As the official office of the

Bishop, the decisions of the chancery

office naturally reflect the mind of

the Bishop. Diocesan statutes, made

known and interpreted by the chan-

cery office, will specify the offer-

ings ordinarily expected for Masses

(Mass stipends) and a few spiritual

ministrations (stole fees), for the

salaries of pastors, assistant priests,

and religious teachers. As offer-

ings and salaries vary in different

dioceses, definite information on

such matters can be obtained from

the diocesan chancery office.

Stole fees or free will offerings

made by the faithful on the occasion

of baptisms, marriages and funerals

are a special discharge of part of the

layman’s general duty of supporting

his pastor. Stole fees constitute part

of the general support of a parish.

Such offerings are ordinarily deter-

mined and regulated by diocesan

statute; therefore, one in doubt

about such offerings should either

consult a priest of the diocese or

the diocesan chancery office. A pas-
tor may not refuse his free service

to persons who are unable to make

such offerings.

Stole fees and Mass stipends are

not payments for spiritual func-

tions. Spiritual things cannot be sold.

Can a man sell his heart and remain

alive? Can we traffic with the things

of God and expect the Source of all

grace to bestow His blessings? There

may have been some attempts in

this regard in the past, but it is

foolish to think that those concerned

were able to take advantage of God.

Stole fees and Mass stipends began

in ancient times as voluntary offer-

ings for the support of religion. In

the course of centuries, these offer-

ings became so sanctioned by cus-

tom or by particular law that they

are now obligatory when one’s

means permit.

"It Shall Be Measured"

"Give to the most High according

to what he hath given to thee, and

with a good eye do according to the

ability of thy hands: For the Lord

maketh recompense, and will give

thee seven times as much” (Sirach

35:12-13). Thus spoke God in the

Old Law. What says He in the New?

"Give, and it shall be given to you;

good measure, pressed down, shaken

together, running over, shall they

pour into your lap. For with what

measure you measure, it shall be

measured to you” (Luke 6:38).

If every member of the Church

followed these divine directives, no

pastor would find it necessary to

preach about money or lie awake

nights attempting to find ways

of meeting parish responsibilities.

There exists an old proverb which

contains much food for thought:

"The only thing a dead man holds

in his hands are the things he has

given to God.”

33



MARRIAGE

-

a Sacred Vocation

The essence of the marriage

contract and the sacrament

it may form is found in the

expression of mutual con-

sent. "Adam, will you take

Eve for your lawful wife.”

'I will.” A similar question
is asked of Eve, and she too

answers, "I will.” They are

now man and wife, for the

rest of their lives. Because

marriage is a contract and, between

the baptized a sacrament, both the

State and the Church have a right

and obligation to legislate concern-

ing its administration and reception.

"But from the beginning of the

creation, God made them male and

female. For this cause a man shall

leave his father and mother; and

shall cleave to his wife. And they

two shall be in one flesh. Therefore

they are not two, but one flesh. What

therefore God hath joined together,

let not man put asunder” (Mark 10:

6-9/>. Marriage is the religious and

legal bond uniting husband and wife

for the begetting and rearing of off-

spring, for mutual help and assist-

ance, and, after the fall of our first

parents, for the regulation of the

sexual instinct in accordance with

the dictates of reason.

God planned marriage as an es-

sential part of His over-all

project for the human race;

so He designed its nature to

fit in with that project. Mar-

riage has purposes. Its first

and primary purpose and

privilege is joining with God

in the formation* of a new

living body, the creation of

a new human soul, and the

beginning of a new person-

ality which will live forever. Al-

though this creative purpose can be

achieved outside marriage, still the

completion and perfection of it de-

mands the permanency, love, and

security of the home. So marriage is

intended for the proper care, love,

and formation of the children who

are conceived and created in it.

God’s second purpose for marri-

age is also achieved in the home.

God wants man and woman to be

happy together, to find in each other

a completion of their individual per-

sonalities, a total expression of their

love and emotional needs, and mu-

tual help to attain that sanctity

which is their purpose in life and

eternity. For the proper attainment

of these purposes the home must

have order, peace, love and perma-

nence. So marriage must exist be-

tween one man and one woman, ex-

34



clusively; and it must last as long as

they both remain alive. Without

these features the home will be di-

vided, selfish and insecure.

Since God has planned the nature

of the marriage contract, determined

its purposes, and established its es-

sential features of unity and indis-

solubility, the Church can only ac-

cept God’s plans and laws, teach

them to the world and insist that

they be honored. By the sixth pre-

cept of the Church, Catholics are

obliged to observe the laws of the

Church concerning marriage. Since

there are a number of regulations

which pertain to marriage, only

those more commonly affecting the

laity will be briefly explained.

Marriage Regulations

The Church tries constantly to

make people aware of the sacred-

ness and seriousness of marriage so

that they may enter this vocation

calmly and carefully and thus ex-

perience a state of life which is

happy, secure, and a means to eternal

life. With these purposes in mind,

the Church has laws on engagement,

prenuptial instructions, investiga-

tion of freedom and intention, pub-

lication of banns, and marriage be-

fore a priest.

Engagements are encouraged as

a sane preparation for marriage, but

they should not last too long be-

cause of their moral dangers. Though

the Church has specific regulations

regarding formal engagements, still

she leaves the parties free to break

the engagement for good reason.

The pastor is required to instruct

the parties to be married on the

sanctity of matrimony, the mutual

obligation of the spouses, and the

obligation of parents toward their

children. When it is a case of mixed

marriage, most Bishops require a

series of six instructions before the

marriage may take place. In general

a mixed marriage is one between a

member of the Catholic Church and

one who does not accept the doc-

trines of the Catholic Faith, even

though perhaps validly baptized.

To avoid invalid and unhappy

marriages, the Church requires pre-

liminary investigations. The pastor

shall ask the bride and groom sep-

arately whether they are under any

impediment, whether they give con-

sent freely, etc. Ordinarily, docu-

ments of Baptism and Confirmation

are requested.

The pastor must publicly an-

nounce the parties between whom a

marriage is to be contracted. This

ancient custom is called "announc-

ing the banns” of marriage, and or-

dinarily takes place on the three

Sundays immediately preceding the

date of the wedding. All the faithful

are bound, if they know of any

serious reason why the marriage

should not take place, to make

known this information to the pas-

tor before the celebration of the

marriage. The purpose of such a reg-

ulation is to prevent irreverence to

the sacrament, sin, and harm to the

neighbor, some or all of which evils

necessarily result from an unlawful

or invalid marriage.

The Church law requires that a

Catholic must be married before a

priest and two witnesses, and no

Catholic—even a fallen-away one-

can be married in any other way, at

least in normal circumstances. The

35



Catholic Church alone has the right

to make laws regulating the marri-

ages of baptized persons because the

Church alone has authority over the

sacraments and over sacred matters

affecting baptized persons. Although

the Catholic Church has the right to

make laws regarding the marriages

of all baptized persons, the Church

does not in all cases bind baptized

non-Catholics by these laws. Non-

Catholics are bound by the laws

when, for example, they freely de-

cide to marry Catholics.

Priest Must Witness

A Catholic must be married "be-
fore a priest.” The attempted mar-

riage of a Catholic before a minister

or a civil official, such as a judge, a

justice of the peace, a squire, or any

clerk of court, is not really a marri-

age. A Catholic who remains in such
an unlawful union is living in sin

just as much as if he or she had never

gone through such a ceremony.

Regarding the marriages of bap-

tized persons, the State has the au-

thority to make laws concerning

their effects that are merely civil.

By the civil effects of matrimony

are meant the rights and obligations

of husband and wife as citizens: for

example, the right to share in the

property of the other.

When no invalidating impedi-
ment exists, the Church recognizes

the marriage of a non-Catholic as

valid. The marriage of two baptized

non-Catholics is also a sacrament,

just the same as the marriage of any

Catholic couple. Moreover, such a

marriage, once consummated, can

never be dissolved by any power on

earth. The marriage of two non-bap-

tized persons is a valid marriage too,

but it is not a sacrament. Such a

valid contract of marriage can never

be dissolved as long as both remain

unbaptized. The Catholic Church

teaches, therefore, that two non-

Catholics, whether baptized or not

baptized, who without any impedi-

ment of divine or civil law give the

proper consent of marriage to each

other are validly married. Their chil-

dren are legitimate in the eyes of

the Catholic Church and their mar-

riage ordinarily binds them for life.

If a non-Catholic couple, validly

married for many years, become

Catholics, must they be remarried in

the Church? Do they have to go

through any ceremony at all? The

answer is NO to both questions. It
might only be suggested that they

receive the nuptial blessing of the

Church, but no serious obligation

exists to so act.

Impediments

The Church has laws which for-

bid marriages between certain indi-

viduals. We call these laws impedi-
ments. One such impediment is age.

A man before completing his six-
teenth year and a woman before

completing her fourteenth cannot

contract a valid marriage. These ages

are very low, but the Church’s laws

are for the whole world and cus-

toms differ in various countries.

Pastors of souls are required to

deter young people from marrying

before the age at which, according to

the received customs of the country,

marriage is usually contracted. In

America the civil law of our states

varies not only regarding the mini-

mum age for marriage, but also con-

36



cerning the effect of marriage under

that age. Hence the civil laws of the

place must be consulted. Church law

forbids pastors to assist at the mar-

riage of minors—under twenty-one—

unless the parents give their consent

or the Bishop is consulted.

"Ungodly Children"

Mixed marriages with the orig-

inal inhabitants of Palestine were

forbidden by the Mosaic Law as a

proximate occasion of idolatry and

polytheism. "You shall not inter-

marry with them, neither giving

your daughters to their sons nor tak-

ing their daughters for your sons.

For they would turn your sons from

following me to serving other

gods...” (Deuteronomy 7:1-5; Ex-

odus 34:11-16). To prevent marri-

ages which have little hope of true

happiness and stability, the Church

forbids unions between parties of

different religious convictions and

practices. Mixed marriages often

bring about family discord, loss of

faith on the part of the Catholic, and

neglect of the religious training of

the children. "And it is better to die

without children, than to leave un-

godly children” (Sirach 16:4).

For grave reasons—hope of con-

version of the non-Catholic, the

avoiding of public discord, the fear

of a mere civil marriage, the fewness

of Catholics in the district, etc.,—the

Church sometimes permits mixed

marriages and such a permission is

called a dispensation. Before grant-

ing the dispensation for a mixed

marriage, the Church demands that

the danger to the faith of the Cath-

olic party or of the offspring be

removed and asks that guarantees

to that effect be given by explicit

promises made before a representa-

tive of the Church.

The non-Catholic party must

promise not to endanger the faith of

the Catholic; both parties must

promise that the children born of

the marriage will be baptized in the

Catholic Church alone and educated

solely in the Catholic religion. The

Catholic party, moreover, must

promise to strive for the conversion

of the non-Catholic party by prayer

and good example. Unless these

promises are made, the Church will

grant no exemption from her law;

and unless the Bishop is convinced

that the promises are made in good

faith and will be kept, he may not

grant the dispensation.

Happy Union

Those who do not understand that

marriage is a sacrament divinely in-

stituted and that only one Church

was established by the Lord are apt

to consider these regulations of the

Church rigorous and unreasonable.

The Church is the divine guardian

of faith and of the religion estab-

lished by Christ. It can never min-

imize the dangers of a mixed marri-

age. The Church knows that conflict

and argument may result from it,

endangering happiness and peace

and that it presents barriers to a

complete union of hearts, minds,

convictions and sentiments. It often

endangers faith, cools religious fer-

vor, and invites neglect of devo-

tional practices. Its greatest prob-

lems often confront the children,

who may be caught in the midst of

conflict and left bewildered, in-

secure and uncertain.

37



Several non-Catholic leaflets are

in circulation warning non-Catholics

not to marry Catholics and bearing

such titles as "I Married a Catholic”;

"The Mixed Marriage Question”;

"Should a Protestant Consent to

be Married by a Roman Catholic

Priest?” Although these leaflets often

grossly misrepresent the teachings

of the Catholic Church on mixed

marriage, still they agree with the

Church that mixed marriages seldom

contribute to nuptial bliss.

To enable the non-Catholic to

understand the nature and import-

ance of the obligations he is expect-

ed to undertake, ordinarily six in-

structions about things Catholic in

general and marital obligations in

particular are to be taken prior to

marriage. Often the Bishop will re-

quire the Catholic party to attend

the instructions also; this often helps

the two of them to resolve their re-

ligious problems before conflicts

begin. By studying Catholic teach-

ings, the non-Catholic has time to

consider the problems involved in

marrying a Catholic and to freely

change his mind if he so desires.

Even though a dispensation for a

mixed marriage has been obtained

from the Church, the spouses are not

permitted, either before or after the

marriage contracted before the

Church, to go also to a non-Catholic

minister for the purpose of giving

or renewing their matrimonial con-

sent or vows.

Both the State and the Church

have regulations prohibiting close

relatives from entering marriage.

Such laws not only prevent certain

hereditary dangers but also preserve

the wholesome social atmosphere

among the family relationships. Re-

lationship affecting marriage in the

Catholic Church is twofold: by rea-

son of blood (consanguinity), and

by reason of affinity (arises from a

valid marriage). Consanguinity is a

relation between persons, based on

carnal generation. It exists in the

direct line, if one of the persons is

the direct ancestor of the other; in

the indirect line (collateral) if neith-

er person is the direct ancestor of

the other, but both are descended

from a common source.

In the direct line of consanguin-

ity, marriage is invalid between all

the ancestors and descendants; and

in the collateral line, marriage is in-

valid up to the third degree inclusive

(or down to and including second

cousins). The Church never dis-

penses in the direct line nor in the

first degree of the collateral line.

Affinity may be defined as a rela-

tion between two persons of whom

one is joined by a valid marriage to

a blood relative of the other. Affinity

in the direct line in any degree in-

validates marriage; in the collateral

line it invalidates marriage up to

the second degree inclusive (the

man, and the sister, first cousin,

aunt or niece of the woman; the

woman, and the brother, first cousin,

uncle or nephew of the man).

In almost all of the states, the civil

law of consanguinity is similar to

the law of the Church. In those states

where the civil law of affinity is

present, one must study the respec-

tive law to know how it affects a

marriage.

If you baptize a person, or act as

38



sponsor for a person being baptized,

you contract a spiritual relationship

with that person, and it is an im-

pediment to marriage. Dispensa-

tions are readily granted for good

reason from this impediment.

In spite of all the Church’s pre-

cautions some marriages do not turn

out well. Temporary or permanent

separation becomes necessary and

is justified if one of the parties

leads a life of crime, or is so vicious

that the life, health, or spiritual wel-

fare of the partner is threatened, or

commits adultery, etc. In cases of

separation the injured party should

have permission from the Bishop to

live for a long time apart from the

guilty party. Such a permission is

obtained through the parish priest.

The reason for such a permission is

to bring the case to the attention of

Church officials so that every pos-

sible effort might be made to re-

solve the difficulties and restore

nuptial harmony.

Unhappy people separate. Some-

times it is necessary that civil action

be taken to insure property rights,

regulate the support and custody of

the children, etc. Even in such cases,

no civil action should be taken until

the Bishop has been consulted. More-

over, every Catholic must understand

that neither separation nor civil di-

vorce (obtained for its mefe civil

effects) confers the right to remarri-

age while the partner lives.

Some persons desire more than

separation and so they ask, "Can my

marriage be annulled or dissolved?”

An annulment does not mean that

the Church makes null something

that was valid. An annulment in

the Catholic Church—more properly

called a decree of nullity—is a dec-

laration that there was not a true

marriage from the beginning, even

though it may have had all the out-

ward appearances of being one. A
true marriage is never contracted if

some invalidating law makes the

marriage null, if the parties them-

selves make conditions contrary to

the substance of the marriage con-

tract, if one or both are forced to

marry, if one of the parties is a Cath-

olic and the marriage does not take

place before a Catholic priest, etc.

Only when the fact of nullity is

established does the Church give a

declaration of nullity.

Sometimes the Church dissolves

marriages for the good of souls,

when such dissolution is possible.

The only marriages which cannot be

dissolved under any circumstances

are the valid, consummated marri-

iges of two baptized people. Most

Christian marriages are in this class.

No power on earth can dissolve the
consummated bond of a sacramental

marriage. But if the marriage is not

consummated, or if it is not sacra-

mental, then on the authority of the

Church it may be dissolved for good

and sufficient reason, and under lim-

ited conditions.

There are three types of marri-

ages which can sometimes be dis-

solved:

1. Marriages which are valid and

sacramental but have never been

consummated by marital relation-

ship between the husband and wife.

Such cases are rare, and sufficient

proof difficult to establish. When

non-consummation is proven, recon-

ciliation is impossible, and grave

reasons urge, then the Holy Father

39



dissolves the union.

2. Marriages between two unbap-

tized persons. Such marriages can be

dissolved only when one party be-

comes a Catholic and the other party

refuses to live peacefully with the

convert. This is called the "Pauline

Privilege” because St. Paul first pro-

mulgated it as a means of protecting

the faith of his converts (1 Corin-

thians 7:12-15).

3. Privilege of the Faith or the

Petrine Privilege. When one party
to a marriage is baptized and the

other is certainly unbaptized, their

marriage may be a valid contract,

but it is not a sacrament. In theory

it can be dissolved, and in practice

the Church will dissolve it in certain

limited circumstances, usually in-

volving the conversion of one party

to the Catholic Church, the refusal

of the other party to live with the

convert, and convincing proof of the

nonbaptism of one party.

For information on marriage as

a sacrament, we recommend our free

pamphlet entitled, "The Real Secret

of Successful Marriage, free upon

request.

Catholic marriages take place at

Mass. Mixed marriages, between a

Catholic and a non-Catholic, must

take place before a priest but the

Mass is not permitted. The Bishop

is entitled to permit for mixed mar-

riages those ceremonies which he

judges advisable.

Catholic marriages seldom take

place during Lent or Advent because

the solemn nuptial blessing, ordi-

narily given at Mass, is not per-

mitted during those seasons of pen-

ance, though the Bishop may permit

the solemnization of matrimony

(Mass and Blessing) at any period

of the year for a just cause. Catholic

marriages do not usually take place

on Sundays or holydays because the

priests are all busy saying Mass for

the parishioners. Likewise Catholic

marriages are held before noon, be-

cause the nuptial Mass may seldom

begin later than one o’clock.

Can a Catholic couple have non-

Catholic attendants at a marriage

ceremony in the Church? It is the

mind of the Church that non-Cath-

olics should not be attendants, but

the Bishop may permit it for a

serious reason and provided scandal

is not given.

The Church has no law forbid-

ding interracial marriages. There

are no objections to such marriages

on moral or religious grounds. How-

ever, in our country prejudice pre-

sents many practical difficulties to

the success of such a marriage,

particularly between negroes and

whites. These social difficulties, as

well as differences in attitude, back-

ground, and temperament should be

given due consideration. Marriage

is for life, and the odds against its

success should be kept at aminimum.

Though there is a somewhat com-

plicated system of laws in the Church

that govern marriages and marriage

"cases,” still the marriage laws of

the Church are fewer than in any

single American state or foreign

country. In practice, one wishing in-

formation about the marriage reg-

ulations of the Church should simply

consult the parish priest. Only in the

light of all the circumstances which

pertain to a particular marriage case

can the priest provide the informa-

tion desired.

40



KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS - RELIGIOUS INFORMATION BUREAU

4422 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis 8, Missouri

List of pamphlets available at the above address. One title may be requested at a time free

of charge. Several titles, complete sets, and quantities of individual pamphlets may be ordered

at 7$ for each pamphlet, plus postage.

3. The Bible is a Catholic Book

5. Christ’s Seven Sacraments

6. The Holy Sacrifice — the Catholic
Mass

7. Why the Catholic Church says "Inves-
tigate” — Masons, Inquisition, Nuns

8. Speaking of Tolerance — Controver-
sial periods in history

9. These Men They Call "Knights”

10. Why Catholics Believe As They Do
— Existence of God, Immortality

11. A Short Story of the Popes

12. Let’s Stick to Moses — Ten Com-
mandments explained

13. But Can It Be Found in the Bible? —

Bible not sole rule of faith

14. What Happens After Death?

15. Yes ... I Condemned The Catholic

Church

16. What Do You Mean "Only One True
Church”?

17. But How Can Educated People Be
Catholics?

18. No . . . Belief in God is not Enough!

19. The Real Secret of Successful Mar-

riage

20. The Way to Everlasting Life . . . The
Catholic Church

21. Is the Catholic Church a Menace to

Democracy?

22. But Do You Really Understand the
Bible? — Rules for understanding

23. A Letter to Our Non-Catholic Neigh-
bors — Aspects of Catholic faith

24. Yes, the Mother of God Will Help
You!

25. What Makes a Woman Choose Such
a Life? — Life of a Catholic Nun

26. I’ll Tell You Why I Am a Catholic
27. Why So Many Decide to Become

Catholics — Convert stories

28. Let Us Judge Catholics by the Bible
— Prayer to Saints, unmarried priests

29. But Would Christ Call You A Chris-
tian?

30. But Do You Understand What God
Told Us? — Apostles’ Creed

31. Should Children Learn About God-
in School?

32. The Bible Is Not Our Sole Guide

33. This Was the Faith of Our Fathers

34. These Are Our Seven Deadly Enemies

— Seven capital sins explained
35. Let’s Test Catholic Loyalty — A Good

Catholic is a good citizen

36. Remember the Sabbath . . . Keep It

Holy — The "Sabbath Question”
37. I Am a Catholic Priest
38. But Why the Candles, Holy Water

and Beads ? — Sacramentals
39. The Reformation. Was It Reform or

Revolt?

40. Why I Had to Embrace the Catholic
Faith — Convert stories

41. Yes, Miracles Happened at Fatima

42. Does the Bible Contradict Itself? —

Peter the Rock, Faith and/or Works

43. I Was Warned About the Catholic
Church! — Religious Liberty

44. Why a Woman Needs the Catholic
Faith!

45. The Early Years of the Catholic

Church — First three centuries
46. Yes ... A Priest Can Forgive Your

Sins — Sacrament of Penance
47. But Why Don’t You Pray to the

Saints? — Communion of Saints
48. God’s Story of Creation — Genesis
49. Is the Catholic Church Out of Place

Here? — Catholicism and Loyalty
50. This Is the Catholic Church — Creed,

Sacraments, Mass, Commandments

51. Revelation ... A Divine Message of
Hope — Revelations or Apocalypse

52. Does It Pay to be a Catholic? — How
to be a Catholic

53. Think About Death and Start to Live

— Catholic attitude toward death
54. What Do You Find Wrong With

the Catholic Church?

55. His Name Shall Be Called God With
Us — Divinity of Christ

56. The Infallible Church, Truth or Trick-

ery? — Church of the Scriptures
57. Tell Us About God . . . Who Is He?

Existence and nature of God

58. The Word Was Made Flesh-
Humanity of Christ

59. Let Us Pray—Prayer

60. Gift of the Holy Spirit—Confirmation

61. The Church Says — Precepts of The
Church



Learn All About

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

By Mail ... At No Cost!

You can easily investigate Catholic faith and worship

in the privacy of your home.

Just send us your name and address and advise that

you desire to learn about the Church by mail.

We will send you an interesting course of instruc-
tion which is short, yet complete.

The book explaining Catholic faith and worship is

written in an easy-to-understand form, and there are

six tests sheets to be checked. There is no writing to

do, and nobody will call on you unless you request it.

You merely mail your marked test sheets to us. We
correct them and return them to you. This enables

you to determine how well you understand the book

and on what points further explanation by mail may

help you.

There is no cost to you, no obligation.

Write today to:

Supreme Council

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
Religious Information Bureau

4422 LINDELL BLVD.

ST. LOUIS 8, MO.

Imprimatur:

*JOSEPH CARDINAL RITTER

Archbishop of St. Louis

St. Louis, April 26, 1961

Published in the United States of America

1st Printing, June, 1961