UCSB LIBRARY AN EXPLANATION OF THE Baltimore Catechism FOR THE USE OF Sunday-School Teachers and Adyanced Classes, BY REV. THOMAS L KINKEAD. NEW YORK, CINCINNATI, CHICAGO: ZIOER BROTHERS, PRINTERS TO THE I PUBLISHERS OF HOLY APOSTOLIC SEE I "vz tstat- D, J, McMAHON, Censor MICHAEL ADGUSTINE, Archbishop of New York. NEW YOKK, September 5, 1891. Copyright, 1891, by BENZIO"" BBOTHJTJIS. APPROBATIONS. His EMINENCE CARDINAL GIBBONS: " I thank you for the copy of ' The Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism' which has just reached me. A Religious spoke to me in very high terms of your book. I regard the opinion as of great value." MOST REV. M.A.CORRIGAN, D.D.. ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK: " I congratulate you on the good which it is likely to do." MOST REV. WILLIAM HENRY ELDER, D.D., ARCHBISHOPOP CINCINNATI: " I think the work will be a very serviceable one. I hope it will meet with great success." MOST REV. THOMAS L.GRACE, D.D., ARCHBISHOPOT SIUNIA: "Your book entitled 'An Explanation of the Baltimore Cate- chism' supplies a want which is generally felt by the clergy and others engaged in teaching Catechism. Apart from the very satisfactory development of the answers to the questions and apt illustrations of the subjects treated, the additional questions in- serted in your book give fc a special value." MOST REV. P. J. RYAN, D.D., ARCHBISHP r PHILADELPHIA-. M Your explanation of the Baltimore Catechism is excellent and must be of very great service to teachers of Sunday-schools and to all who desire a clear exposition of Catholic doctrine, either for themselves or to communicate k to others. We giv the work our cordial approval." A I APPROBATIONS. MOST REV. WILLIAM J. WALSH, D.D., ARCHBISHOP of DUBLI*, PRIMATE or IRELAND: " I have had a copy of your admirable work for some weeks past, and on several points it has been of very great use to me and to the committee [a committee of professors of theology, moral as well as dogmatic ; priests of long and of wide experience in the work of instructing children in the Catechism ; experienced examiners of children; accomplished scholars and writers of English; members both of religious and of secular collegiate communities; and representatives of the missionary priesthood, secular and regular, appointed to draft a new Catechism]." Rcv.O. M. BRADLEY. D.D.. BISHOP OF "1 Kta sure this ' Explanation ' will be welcomed by the teachers In our schools and indeed by all whose duty it may be to instruct others in the teachings of the Church." RIGHT REV. THOMAS F. BRENNAN, D.D., BISHOP OF DALLAS: " I like the book very much and will not only recommend it to the priests and good sisters of my diocese, but will also use it myself at catechism every Sunday in the Cathedral. The list of questions and general index render its use very easy." RIGHT REV. M. F. BURKE, D.D., BISHOPOF CHEYENNE: " Your ' Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism ' is excellent, and it supplies a much needed means of useful and necessary catechetical instruction for our Sunday-schools. It will be found an excellent text-book for Catholic schools and academies through- out the country and a most useful manual for all who are engaged in the instruction of our children." RiGHTREV.L.DE GOESBRIAND, D.D. BISHOPOF BURLINGTON! " I consider your book, the ' Explanation of the Baltimore Cate- chism,' as an admirable work. Nothing can be found more clear, more satisfactory." APPROBA TICKS? RIGHT REV. JOHN FOLEY, D.D.. BISHOP OF DETROIT: " I congratulate you upon producing a work so useful to thong baving charge of souls in such clear, concise, and instructive a style. I shall gladly commend it to the Rev. Clergy." RIGHT REV. H. GABRIELS, D.D., SISHOP-ELECTOFOGDENSBURQ: " Your book will furnish solid material to priests who wish to preach at low masses the catechetical instructions prescribed by the council of Baltimore. A rapid perusal of some of its pages has convinced me that it is just what was often looked for in vain in this important branch of the holy ministry." RIGHT Rev. N. A. GALLAGHER, D.D., BISHOP OF GALVESTONI " Having read your ' Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism, I wish to say that it is in my opinion a very useful book for priests as well as for teachers ; and that it is a valuable book to place in the hands of those who wish to become acquainted with the teachings of Holy Church. I have just ordered ten copies from the Publishers for my own distribution." RIHT REV. LEO HAID, O.S.B., D.D., VICAR APOSTOLIC OF NORTH CAROLINA: "I am very glad you gave us such a sensible, simple, and complete explanation of the Baltimore Catechism. I wish it were in the hands of every teacher of Christian doctrine. In this Vicariate, where priests are few, and often obliged to receive con- verts into the Church without that thorough instruction which resident pastors can give, your book will be hailed with joy. I will do my utmost to make it known. Please send me one dozen copies." RIGHT REV, JOHN J.HENNESSY, D.D., BISHOP OF WICHITA: " From what I have seen of your book I am delighted with the method which you have adopted for explanation. It makes the Catechism easy and interesting to both teacher and pupil. I shall heartily recommend your book to our clergy for introduction into our <*choola ' APPROBATIONS. RIGHT REV. )C. JUNGER, D.D., BISHOP OP N ESQUALLY : "I am sure your work will not fail to obtain its object. There is not the least doubt that it will be of the greatest and best use for Sunday-school teachers and advanced classes who will make use of it, and to whom we highly recommend it. Such a work was needed, as our Baltimore Catechism does not and cannot contain all the necessary explanations.** PIOHT REV. JOHN J. KEANE, D.D.. RECTOR OP THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON: 'The character of the work speaks for itself." &KMT Rev, W. G. McCLOSKEY, D.O., BISHOP OP LouisviLit.- " What I have already seen of it gives me the impression that it is a meritorious work which ought to be encouraged." BIGHT REV. JAMES McGOLRICK, D.D.. BISHOP OF DULUTH . " I think you have prepared a thoroughly practical work in your Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism.' You have in well- selected and plain English enabled teachers to give useful lessons from the text itself without the need of resort to other books. Your book will find its way to the desk of every Catholic teacher, and we hope to the home of every Catholic family. I am glad you marked the Scripture references, for the higher classes after confirmation can unite their Scripture lessons with such study of your book as to prepare themselves for teaching. Your series of questions and good index are certainly very useful" RIGHT REV. CAM ILLUS P. MAES, D.D., BISHOP OF COVINGTON: "I have examined your 'Explanation of the Baltimore Cate- chism' on some of the most important points of doctrine and morals. I find its teachings sound, and the manner of presenting them practical. I take pleasure in commending your book to priests and teachers, and in congratulating you for having bestowed so much time on the greatest of all pastoral work, viz. : giving the children a thorough and sound knowledge of Holy Church and of her divine teachings." RIMT RCV. c, e. MCDONNELL. D.D.. BROOKLYN " I beg you to accept my hearty congratulations, RIGHT Rev. P. MANOGUE. D D., BISHOP OF SACRAMENTOI "We have ponderous works from distinguished authors on the Catechism in general, but yours ' An Explanation of the Balti- more Catechism ' is the simplest, most concise, most natural and instructive I have yet encountered. It is good not only for advanced pupils, teachers, preachers and priests, but also for the sacred precincts of every Catholic family." RIGHT REV. TOBIAS MULLEN, D.D., BISHOP OF ERIC: " Your book appears to me a very meritorious production. In your preface you observe it has been designed for the use of Sunday-school teachers and that it 'should do good in any Catholic family.' I think you might have added that any clergy- man having the care of souls, whether giving private instructions or preparing for the pulpit, would derive great benefits from its perusal" RIGHT REV. H. P. NORTHROP, D.C> . EISHOKOF CHARLESTON : "The 'Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism,' plain and practical, clear and comprehensive, was a work very much needed. From a general examination, I think you have done your work well, and you deserve the thanks of all teachers of catechism and those who have charge of our schools. You have simplified the work of the teacher by putting in his hand such a ready handbook and commentary on the text he is supposed to explain. If they do what they expect their pupils to do study the lesson with such a help as you have furnished them, the work of the Sunday-school will be much more satisfactory. ' I hope the hearty appreciation of those for whom you have labored will crown your work with abundant succeSo" vi APPROBA TIONS. RIGHT REV. HENRY JOSEPH RICHTER. D.D., BISHOP or GRAND RAPIDS: " The aim of your book is excellent. To judge from the por- tions which I have read, your labor has been successful. I rec~ ommend the book to all Catholic adults, but especially to teachers and converts, as a convenient handbook of appropriate, plain, and solid instructions on the doctrines of the Catholic Church." RIGHT REV. S. V. RYAN, D.D., BISHOP OF BUFFALO: " I think your work fully meets all you claim for it. It will serve as a good text-book for an advanced catechism class, and a very useful handbook for catechists in instructing converts or our own people what they should know and what they are bound to believe in regard to our holy faith, The book will, I think, do good in any Catholic family." RIGHT REV. L. SCANLAIM, D.D., BISHOP OF SALT LAKE: " I consider it a most useful if not necessary book, not only for Sunday-school teachers and for advanced classes, but for all who may desire to have a clear, definite knowledge of Christian doctrine." PREFACE. .1 must be evident to all who have had experience in the work of our Sunday-schools that much time is wasted in the classes. Many teachers do little more than mark the attend- ance and hear the lessons; this being done, time hangs heavily 071 their hands till the school is dismissed. They do not or cannot explain what they are teaching, and the chil- dren have no interest in the study. The " EXPLANATION OF THE BALTIMORE CATECHISM" is intended for their use. The explanations are full and sim- ple. The examples are taken from Holy Scripture, from the parables of Our Lord, from incidents in His life, and from the customs and manners of the people of His time. These are made applicable to our daily lives in reflections and exhortations. The plan of the book makes it very simple and handy. The Catechism is complete and distinct in itself, and may be used with or without the explanations. The teacher is sup- posed, after hearing the lesson, to read the explanation of the new lesson as far as time will allow. It may be read just as it is, or may be learned by the teacher and given to the children in substance. The " EXPLANATION OF THE BALTIMORE CATECHISM" will be found very useful also for the instruction of adults and converts. The priest on the mission is often called upon to instruct persons who can come to him but seldom, and only for a short time; and who, moreover, are incapable of using with profit such books as "The Faith of our Fathers/' 3 4 Preface. ''Catholic Belief," or works of controversy. Irioy are simply able to use the Child's Catechism when explained to them. If the " EXPLANATION OF THE BALTIMORE CATECHISM" is in their hands, they may read the explanations and study the Catechism with pleasure. Indeed the book should do good in any Catholic family. The majority of our people are children as far as their relig* ious knowledge goes. They may, it is true, have books Ou particular subjects, such as the " Duties of Parents to their Children," " The Sure Way to a Happy Marriage," etc. ; but a book that explains to them in the simplest manner all the truths of their religion, and applies the same to their daily lives, ought to be useful. The chief aim of the book is to be practical, and to teach Catholics what they should know, and how these truths of their Catechism are constantly coming up in the performance of their every-day duties. It is therefore neither a book of devotion nor of controversy, though it covers the ground of both. As in this book the explanations are interrupted by the questions and answers of the Catechism proper, it will, it is hoped, be read with more pleasure than a book giving solid page after page of instruction. Wherever a fact is mentioned as being taken from Holy Scripture, it will generally be given in substance and not in the exact text; though the reference will always be given, so that those wishing may read it as it is in the Holy Scripture. The children are not supposed to memorize the explanation as they do the Catechism itself, yet the teacher, having once read it to them, should ask questions on it. The book may be used as a text-book or catechism for the more advanced classes, and the complete list of numbered questions on the explanations given at the end will render it very service- able for that purpose. As the same subject often occurs in different parts of the Catechism, explanations already given may sometimes be repeated. This is done either to show the connection between the different parts of the Catechism, or to impress the Preface. 5 explanation more deeply on the minds of the children, or to save the teacher the trouble of always turning back to pre- ceding explanations. The numbering of the questions and answers throughout the C.-techism, and the complete index of subjects and list of questions at the end, will, it is hoped, make these comparisons and references easy, and the book it- self useful. With the hope, then, that the "EXPLANATION OF THE BALTIMORE CATECHISM" may do all the good intended, I com- mend it to all who desire a fuller knowledge of their holy religion that thoy may practise it more faithfully. FEAST OF ST. ALOYSIUS, 1891. CONTENTS. PRAYERS. PAGE Tut, Lord s Prayer, t .... 9 Thb Angelical Salutation, 14 The Apostles' Creed, 17 The Confiteor, 28 An Act of Faith, 4 .... 80 An Act of Hope, . . . . , 80 An Act of Love, 81 An Act of Contrition, 82 The Blessing before Meals, 33 Grace after Meals 83 The Manner in which a Lay Person is to Baptize in Case of Neces- sity, ... . 33 CATECHISM. Lesson First On the End of Man 86 Lesson Second On God and His Perfections, ..... 45 Lesson Third On the Unity and Trinity of God, .... 50 Lesson Fourth On Creation 54 Lesson Fifth On our First Parents and their Fall, . . .59 Lesson Sixth On Sin and its Kinds, ,- 67 Lesson Seventh On the Incarnation and Redemption, . . 79 Lesson Eighth On Our Lord's Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, 92 Lesson Ninth On the Holy Ghost and His Descent upon the Apos- tles 106 Lesson Tenth On the Effects of the Redemption, .... 117 Lesson Eleventh On the Church, ....... 124 Lesson Twelfth On the Attributes and Marks of the Church, . 134 Lesson Thirteenth On the Sacraments in General, . . 151 7 8 Contents. PAGE Lesson Fourteenth On Baptism . .158 Lesson Fifteenth On Confirmation, 169 Lesson Sixteenth On the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Ghost, . 172 Lesson Seventeenth On the Sacrament of Penance, . . . 178 Lesson Eighteenth On Contrition, 192 Lesson Nineteenth On Confession, 198 Lesson Twentieth On the Manner of Making a Good Confession, 213 Lesson Twenty-first On Indulgences, 216 Lesson Twenty-second On the Holy Eucharist, .... 221 Lesson Twenty-third On the Ends for which the Holy Eucharist was Instituted, . 232 Lesson Twenty-fourth On the Sacrifice of the Mass, . . . 236 Lesson Twenty-fifth On Extreme Unction and Holy Orders, . 243 Lesson Twenty-sixth On Matrimony 255 Lesson Twenty -seventh On the Sacramentals 265 Lesson Twenty-eighth On Prayer, 276 Lesson Twenty-ninth On the Commandments of God, . . 284 Lesson Thirtieth On the First Commandment, .... 268 Lesson Thirty -first The First Commandment. On the Honor and Invocation of the Saints, 302 Lesson Thirty-second From the Second to the Fourth Command- ment, ..... 310 Lesson Thirty-third -From the Fourth to the Seventh Command- ment 318 Lesson Thirty-fourth From the Seventh to the End of the Tenth Commandment, ... 326 Lesson Thirty-fifth On the First and Second Commandments of the Church 334 Lesson Thirty-sixth On the Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Com- mandments of the Church, 340 Lesson Thirty-seventh On the Last Judgment and the Resurrec- fi on, Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, 847 AN EXPLANATION OF THE CATECHISM OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE, PRAYERS. THE LORD'S PRAYER Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. This is the most beautiful and best of all prayers, because Our Lord Himself made it (Matt. vi. 9; Luke xi. 2). One day when He was praying and explaining to His apostles the great advantages of prayer, one of them said to Him: "Lord, ceach us to pray." Then Jesus taught them this prayer. It contains everything we need or could ask for. We cannot see ite full meaning at once. The more we think over it, th more clearly we understand it. We c6tild write whole pages on almost every word, and still not say all that could be said about this prayer. It is called " the Lord's, " because He made it, and sometimes the " Our Father," from the first words. We say " Our, " to show that we are all brethren, and that God is the Father of us all, and therefore we r r av not for ourselves alone but for all God's children. 10 The Lord's Prayer. 'Vt say "Father," because God really is our Father. W uo not mean here by Father the First Person of the Blessed Trinity, but the Blessed Trinity itselfone God. What does a father do for his children ? He gives them their natural existence, provides them with food and clothing, teaches, protects, and loves them, shares with them all that he has, and when he dies leaves them his possessions. Ifow, in all these ways, and in a much truer sense, God is our Father. He created us and gives us all that is necessary to sustain life, He gives light, heat, and air, without any one of which we could not live. He provides for us also food and clothing, and long before we need or even think of these things God is thinking of 'them. Did you ever reflect upon just how much time and trouble it costs to produce for you even one potato, of which you think so little ? About two years before you need that potato, God puts it into the mind of the farmer to save the seed that he may plant it the following year. In the proper season he prepares the ground with great care and plants the seed. Then God sends His sunlight and rain to make it grow, but the farmer's work is not yet ended : he must continue to keep the soil in good condition and clear away the weeds. In due time the potato is taken from the ground, brought to the market, carried to your house, cooked and placed before you. You take it without even thinking, perhaps, of all this trouble, or thanking God for His good- ness. This is only one article of food, and the same may be said of all the rest. Your clothing is provided for you long before you need it. The little lamb upon whose back the wool is growing, from which your coat is some day to be made, is even now far away on some mountain, growing strongei with the food God gives it till you need its wool. The little pieces of coal, too, that you so carelessly throw upon the fire were formed deep down in the earth hundreds of years ago. God produces all you use, because He foresees and knows you will use it. Moreover He protects us from danger; He teaches us by the voice of our conscience and the minis- ters of His Church, our priests and bishops. He loves us too, aff The Lord's Prayer 11 we may learo from all that He does for us, and from the manj times He forgives us our sins. He shares what He possesses with us. He has given us understanding and a free wilj resembling His own. He has given us immortality, i. e., w'nen once He has created us, we shall exist as long as Himself- that is, forever. When Our Lord died on the cross, He left us His many possessions, His graces and merits, the holy sacra- ments, and heaven itself. It is, surely, then just and right to call God Father. Our natural fathers give us only what they, themselves, get from God. So even what they give us also comes from Him. Before the time of Our Lord, the people in prayer did not call God Father. They feared Him more than they loved Him. When He spoke to them as He did when He gave the commandments to Moses it was in thunder, lightning, fnd smoke (Exodus xix.). They looked upon God as a great and terrible king who would destroy them for their sins. He sent the deluge on account of sin, and He destroyed the wicked city of Sodom with fire from heaven (Genesis vii.; xix.) They called Him Jehovah, and were afraid sometimes even to pronounce His name. But Our Lord taught that God, besides being a great and powerful king the Ruler of the universe and Lord of all things is also a kind and good Father, "Who wishes His children not to offend Him because they love Him rather than because they fear Him, and therefore He taught His disciples and all Christians to call God by the sweet name of Father. " Who art in heaven." The Catechism says God is every- where. Whv then do we say, "Who art in heaven," as if He were no place else ? We say so to remind us, 1st, that heaven is our true home, and that this world is only a strange land in which we are staying for a while to do the work that God wishes us to do here, and then return to our own home; 2d, that in heaven we shall see God face to face and as He is; 3d, that heaven is the place where God will be for all eternity with the blessed. "Hallowed" means made holy or sacred. Halloween is 12 TJie Lord's Prayer. the name given to the evening before the feast of Ail Hallows or All Saints. " Thy kingdom come." This petition contains a great deal more than we at first see in it. In it we ask that God may reign in our hearts and in the hearts of all men by His grace in this life, and that we and all men may attain our eternal salvation, and thus be brought to reign forever with God in heaven the kingdom of His glory. As the Church on earth is frequently called the kingdom of Christ, and as all the labors of the Church are directed to the salvation of souls, we pray also in this petition that the Church may be extended upon earth, that the true religion may be spread over the whole world, that all men may know and serve the true God and cheerfully obey His holy laws; that the devil may have no dominion over them. While saying this petition we may have it in our minds to pray even for particular ways in which the true religion can be spread; for example, by pray- ing that the missionaries may meet with success and all the missions prosper; that priests and bishops may be ordained to preach the Gospel; that the Church may overcome all her enemies everywhere, and the true religion triumph. " Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." In heaven all the angels and saints obey God perfectly; they never offend Him; so we pray that it may be on earth as it is in heaven, all men doing God's will, observing His laws and the laws of His Church, and living without sin. "Give us this day our daily bread." In this petition "bread" means not merely bread, but everything we need for our daily lives; such as food, clothing, light, heat, air, and the like; also food for the soul, i.e., grace. If a beggar told you that he had not tasted bread for the whole day, you would never think of asking him if he had eaten any cake, because you would understand by his word bread all kinds of food. We say " daily," to teach us not to be greedy or too careful about ourselves, and not to ask for unnecessary things, but to pray for what we need for our present wants. " And forgive us our tresuasses as we forgive those whi The Lord's Prayer. 18 trespass against us." "Trespasses" means here our sins, our offences against God. When we trespass we enter places we should not, or where we are forbidden to go. So when we sin we go where we should not go, viz., out of the path of virtue that leads to God, and into the way of vice that leads to the devil. " As we forgive them." We take this to mean : we forgive others who have offended us, and for that reason, God, You should forgive us who have offended You. Our Lord told (Matt, xviii. 23) a beautiful parable, i.e., a story by way of illus- tration, to explain this. A very rich man had a servant who owed him a large sum of money. One day the master asked the servant for the money, and the poor servant had none to give. Now the law of the country was, that when any one could not pay his debts, all that he had could be sold and the money given to the one to whom it was due, and if that was not sufficient, he and his wife and his children could be sold as slaves. The servant, knowing this, fell on his knees and bogged his master to be patient with him, and to give him time and he would pay all. Then his master was moved to pity, granted not only what he asked, but freed him from the debt altogether. Afterwards when this servant, who had just been forgiven the large sum, was going out, he found one of his fellow- servants who owed him a very small sum of money, and taking hold of him by the throat, demanded payment. Now, this poor servant, having nothing to give just then, implored his assailant to be patient with him and he would pay all. But the hard-hearted servant though he himself had a little while before asked and obtained the very same favor from his own master would not listen to the request or wait longer, but went and had his fellow-servant cast into prison till he should pay the debt. The other servants, seeing how unfor- giving this man was who had himself been forgiven, went and told all to their master, and he, being angry at such conduct, had the unforgiving servant brought back and cast into prison. "And lead us not into temptation." "Temptation" means a trial to see whether we will do a thing cr not. Here it 14 The Angelical Salutation. means a trial made by some person or thing the devfl, the world, or our own flesh to see whether we will sin or not. God does not exactly lead us into temptation ; but He allows us to fall into it. He allows others to tempt us. We can overcome any temptation to sin by the help or grace that God gives us. Therefore we ask in this petition that God will always give us the grace to overcome the temptation, and that we may not consent to it. A temptation is not a sin. It be- comes sin only when we are overcome by it. When we are tempted we are like soldiers fighting a battle : if the soldiers are conquered by their enemy, they are disgraced; but if they conquer their enemy, they have great glory and great rewards. So, when we overcome temptation, God gives us a new glory and reward for every victory. " Deliver us from evil." From every kind of evil, anc*, especially the evil of being conquered by our spiritual enemier, and thus falling into sin, and offending God by becoming Hfa enemy ourselves. It would be a sin to seek temptatior, though we have a reward for resisting it when it comes. " Amen " means, be it so. May all we have asked 1; v granted just as we have asked it. THE ANGELICAL SALUTATION. Hail, Mary, full of grace ! the Lord is with thee : blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of th7 womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Next in beauty to the Lord's Prayer comes this prayer It is made up of three parts: " Hail, full of grace ! the Lord is with thee : blessed art thou amongst women " was composed by the angel Gabriel, for these are the words he used when he came to tell the Blessed Virgin that she was selected to be the Mother of God (Lukel. 28). All her people knew that the Redeemer promised from the time of Eve down to the time of the Blessed Virgin waK The Angelical Salutation. 15 now to be born, and many good women were anxious to be His mother, and they believed the one who would be selected the most blessed and happy of all women. " Th Lord is with thee " by His grace and favor, since you are the one He loves best. He is with all His creatures, but He is with you in a very special manner. After the visit of the angel, the Blessed Virgin went a good distance to visit her cousin, St. Elizabeth, who was the mother of St. John the Baptist (Luke i. 39). When St. Elizabeth saw her, she, without being told by the Blessed Virgin what the angel had done, knew by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost what had taken place, and said to the Blessed Virgin : " Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb." That is, "blessed" because, of all the women that have ever lived or ever shall live, you are the one selected by God to be the mother of His Son and Our Redeemer, and blessed is that Son Himself. This is the second part of the prayer. The third part, from " Holy Mary " to the end, was composed by the Church. "Hail." This was the word used by the people of that country in saluting one another when they met. We say when meeting any one we know, " Good-day," or " How do you do ?" or some such familiar expression used by all in salutation. So these people, instead of saying, "Good-day," etc., said "Hail," i.e, I wish you health, I greet you, etc. The angel did not say ( ' Mary," because she was the only one present to address. " Full of grace." When anything is full it has no room for more. God's grace and sin cannot exist in the same place. Therefore when the Blessed Virgin was full of grace, there was no room for sin. So she was without any sin and gifted with every virtue. " Holy Mary," because one full of grace must be holy. " Mother of God," because her Son was true God and truo man in the one person of Christ, Our Lord. " Pray for us," because she has more power with her Son tba-p- all the other saints. " dinners/' and therefore we need forgiveness. 16 Tlie Angelical Salutation. "At the hour of our death" especially, because that is the most important time for us. No matter how bad we have been during our lives, if God gives us the grace to die in His friendship, we shall be His friends forever. On the other hand, no matter how good we may have been for a part of our lives, if we become bad before death, and die in that state, we shall be separated from God forever, and be con- demned to eternal punishment. It would be wrong, therefore, to live in sin, with a promise that we shall die well, for God may not give us the grace or opportunity to repent, and we may die in sin if we have lived in sin. Besides this, the devil knows how much depends upon the state in which we die, and so he perhaps will tempt us more at death than at any other time; for if we yield to him and die in sin, we shall be with him forever it is his last chance to secure our souls. Besides the Hail Mary there is another beautiful prayer on the same subject, called the Angelus. It is a little history of the Incarnation, and is said morning, noon, and evening in honor of Our Lord's incarnation, death, and resurrection. It is made up of three parts. The first part tells what the angel did, viz.: "The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary. And she conceived of the Holy Ghost." After saying these words, we say one Hail Mary in honor of the angel's message. The second part tells what Mary answered, viz. : " Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to thy word." "We say another Hail Mary in honor of Mary's con- sent. The third part tells how Our Lord became Man, viz. : " And the Word was made flesh. And dwelt among us." The "Word" means here the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity ; and " made flesh " means, became man. Then another Hail Mary is said in honor of Our Lord's goodness in hum- bling Himself so much for our sake. After these three parts we say : " Pray for us, Holy Mother of God ! that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ;" and, finally, we say a prayer in honor of Our Lord's Incarnation, Passion, and Resurrection. This beautiful prayer is said three times a day in all seminaries, convents, and religious houses. The time for saying it is made known by the ringing of a bell. The Apostles' Ureed. 17 called the "Angelus bell." In many parishes the church bell rings out the Angelus. In Catholic countries the people stop wherever they are and whatever they are doing, and bow ing their heads, say the Angelus when they hear its bell. It is a beautiful practice and one most pleasing to our Blessed Lord and His holy Mother. Good Catholics should not neglect it. I might mention here another kind of prayer often said in honor of our blessed Mother. It is the Litany. In this form of prayer we call Our Lady many beautiful names which we know are most dear to her, asking her after each one to pray for us. We address her first by names reminding her that she is the Mother of God and has therefore great in- fluence with her divine Son. We say: Mother of Christ, Mother of Our Creator, Mother of Our Redeemer, etc., pray for us. Next we remind her that she is a virgin and should take pity on us who are exposed to so many temptations against holy purity. We call her virgin most pure, virgin most chaste, etc., and again ask her to pray for us. Lastly we call her all those names that could induce her to hear us. We say: health of the weak, refuge of sinners, help of Chris- tians, pray for us. In addition to the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, we have the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus, the Litany of the Blessed Sacrament, the Litany of the Sacred Heart, the Litany of St. Joseph, and many others all made up in the same form. We have also the Litany of all the Saints, in which we beg the help and prayers of the different classes of saints the apostles, martyrs, virgins, etc. THE APOSTLES' CREED. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth ; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified ; died, and was buried. He descended into hell ; the third day He arose again from the dead ; He ascended into heaven, sitteth at 18 The Apostles" Creed the right hand of God, the Father Almighty ; from thbiiot He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy Catholic Church, the commun- ion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. A creed is a definite list or summary of all the things one believes. The " Apostles' Creed " is therefore a list or col lection of all the truths the apostles believed. The "apostles' 1 were the twelve men that Our Lord selected to be His first bishops. We know they were bishops because they could ordain priests and consecrate other. bishops. They lived with Our Lord like a little family during the three and a half years of His public life; they went with Him and learned from Him wherever He preached. Besides these He had also His dis- ciples, i.e., followers who went with Him frequently but did not live with Him. Our Lord wished His doctrine to be taught to all the people of the world, and so He told His apostles that they must go over the whole world and preach in every country. During the life of Our Lord and for a short time after His death they preached in only one country, viz., Palestine now called the Holy Land in which country the Jews, up to that time God's chosen people, lived. Since the apostles were to preach to all nations, the time came when they must separate, one going to one country, and another to another. In those days there were no steamboats or railroads, no post-offices, telegraph-offices, telephones, or newspapers. If the apostles wished to communicate with any one they had either to go to the place themsplves or send a messenger. By walking or riding it might have taken them months or years in those days to make a journey that we can make now in a few days; and for an answer to a message which we can get now by telegraph in a few hours they might have had to wait months. The apostles knew of all these inconveniences, and before leav- ing the places they were in pointed out the chief truths that all should know and believe before receiving baptism, that Christian teachers who should come after them might neglect nothing just as we use catechisms containing all the truths The Apostles' Creed. 19 of religion, for fear the teachers might forget to speak of some of them. There are " twelve articles" or parts in the Apostles' Creed, and each part is meant to refute some false doctrine taught before the time of the apostles or while they lived. Thus there were those as the Romans who said there were many gods; others said not God, but the devil created the earth; others taught that Our Lord was not the Son of God: and so on for the rest. All these false doctrines are denied and the truth professed when we say the Apostles' Creed. Just as in the Lord's Prayer we do not see all its mean- ing at first, so in the Apostles' Creed we find many beau- tiful things only after thinking carefully over every word it contains. " I believe," without the slightest doubt or suspicion that I might be wrong. " In God " by the grace that He gives me to believe and have full confidence in Him. "God," to show that there is only one. " The Father," because He brought everything into exist- ence and keeps it so (see Explanation of the Lord's Prayer). " Almighty," i.e., having all might or power; because He can do whatever He wishes. He can make or destroy by merely wishing. "Creator." To create means to make out of nothing. God alone can create. When a carpenter makes a table, he must have wood; when a tailor makes a coat, he must have cloth. They are only makers and not creators. God needs no material or tools. When we make anything, we make it part by part; but God makes the whole at once. He simply wills and it is made. Thus He said in the beginning of the world : " Let there be light; and light was made." For example, suppose I wanted a piano. If I could say, " Let there be a piano," and it immediately sprang up without any other effort on my part, although neither the wood, the iron, the wire, the ivory, nor anything else in it ever existed till I said, " Let there be a piano," then it could be said I created it piano. No one could do *.his, for Gml alone has such power. 20 The Apostles' Creed. "Heaven and earth" and everything \Vv. ou see or know of. "Jesus Christ." Our Lord is called by many names, but you must not be confused by them, for they all mean the sama person, and are given only to remind us of some particulai thing connected with Our Lord. He is called " Jesus," which signifies Saviour, and " Christ," which means anointed. He k called the " Second Person of the Blessed Trinity," and when we call Him "Our Lord," we mean the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity after He became man. He is called the " Mes- sias" and the "Son of David" to show that He is the Re- deemer promised to the Jews. Also at the end of all our litanies He is called the " Lamb of God," because He was so meek and humble and suffered death so patiently. In the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus we will fird many other beautiful names of Our Lord, all having their special signifi- cation. "His only Son," to show that God, the First Person of the Blessed Trinity, was His real Father. We are called God's children, but we are only His created and adopted children. "Who was conceived," i.e., He began to exist by the power of the Holy Ghost in the womb of His Mother, the Blessed Virgin. " Suffered." We shall see in the explanation of the Pas- sion what He suffered. " Under " means here, at the time a man named Pontius Pilate was governor. If any one were put to death to-day in this country, we should say he was executed under Governor or President so-and-so. " Crucified," i.e., nailed to a cross. We say "died," because Our Lord is the Giver of Life, and no one could take His life away unless He allowed it Therefore we say He died, and not that He was killed, tc show that He died by His own free will and not against His will. " Was buried." This we say to show that He was really dead; because if you bury a man who is not really dead he must die. The Apostles' Creed. 21 " Hell " here does not mean the place where the damned are, but a place called " Limbo." You know that when our first parents sinned, heaven was closed against them and us, and no human being could be admitted into it till after the death of Our Lord; for He by His death would redeem us make amends for our fall and once more open for us heaven. Now from the time Adam sinned till the time Christ died is about four thousand years. During that time there were at least somegood men, like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and others, in the world, who tried to serve God as best they could keeping all the divine laws known to them, and believ- ing that the Messias would some day come to redeem them. When, therefore, they died they could not go to heaven, because it was closed against them. They could not go to hell, because they were good men. Neither could they go to purgatory, because they would have to suffer there. Where coiild they go ? God in His goodness provided a place for them Limbo where they could stay without suffering till Our Lord reopened heaven. Therefore, while Our Lord's body lay in the sepulchre, His soul went down into Limbo, to tell these good men that' heaven was now opened for them, and that at His ascension He would take them there with Him. " The third day." Not three full days, but the parts of three days, viz., Friday afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday morning. " He arose " by His own power: and this was the greatest jf all Our Lord's miracles. Some others, like the prophetg and apostles, have, by the power God gave them, raised the dead to life; but no dead person ever raised himself. Our Lord is the first and only one to do this, and by so doing showed they could not take away His life unless He wished to give it up; for since He could always take back His life, how could they destroy it ? " He ascended " forty days after His resurrection. fi Right hand of God." We know God is a pure spirit having no body; and if He hns -no bodv. He can have narts of them are in one place and parts in another, how is this possible ? Very easily, with God. If He in the beginning could make all the parts out of nothing, with how much ease can He collect them scattered here and there ! When God made man He gave him a body and a soul, and wished them never to be separated. Man was to live here upon earth for a time, and then be taken up into heaven, body and soul, as Our Lord is there now. But when man sinned, in punishment God commanded that he should die; i.e., that these two dear friends, the body and the soul, should be separated for a time. Death is caused by the separation of the soul from the body. The body and soul together make a man, and neither one alone can be called a man. A dead body is only part of a man. At the resurrection every soul will come from heaven, purgatory, or hell, to seek its own body ; they will then be united again as they were in life, never to be separated to be happy together in heaven if they have been good upon earth, or miserable together in hell if they had been bad upon earth. " Life everlasting" either, as we have said, in heaven or hell. There was a time when we did not exist ; but it can, never be said of us again we do not exist. When once we have been created, we shall live as long as God Himself, i.e., forever. When we have lived a thousand years for every drop of water in the ocean ; a thousand years for every grain of sand on the seashore ; a thousand years for every blade of grass and every leaf on the earth, we shall still be existing. How short a time, therefore, is a hundred 'years : even if we live so long and few do compared with all these millions of years ! And yet it depends upon the time we live here whether all these millions of years in the next world will be for us years of happiness or of misery. The whole life of a man extends through the two worlds, viz., from the moment of his creation through all eternity ; and surely the little while he stays upon earth must seem very short when, after spending a million of years in the next world, he looks back to his earthly life. There is a good examole to illustrate 28 The Confiteor. this. If you stand on a railroad, and look away down the track for about a mile, it will seem to you that the rails come nearer and nearer, till at last they touch. It seems so on account of the distance, for where they seem to touch they are just as far apart as where you are standing. So, also, when you look back from eternity, the day of your birth and the day of your death will seem to coincide, and your life oil garth appear nothing. Then, if you are among the lost souls, you will think, What a fool I was to make myself suffer all this long eternity for that silly bit of earthly pleasure, which is of no benefit to me now! And this thought will serve only to make you more miserable. But, on the other hand, if you look back from a happy eternity, you will wonder at God's goodness in giving you so much happiness for so short a service upon earth. THE CONFITEOR. I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and to all the saints, that I have sinned exceedingly, in thought, word, and deed, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Arch- angel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, to pray to the Lord our God for me. May the Almighty God have mercy on me, forgive me my sins, and bring me to everlasting life. Am^n. May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant me pardon, absolution, and remission of all my sins. Amen. This is another beautiful prayer. In it we can imagine that we are permitted to enter heaven. What do we see there ? God, the Blessed Virgin, the thousands of angels, the apos- tles, all the saints, martyrs, confessors, doctors, and virgins. They cease singing God's praises, as we enter, and fix their eyes upon us. Our guardian angel conducts us before the great throne of God* and we kneel down in the presence of The Confiieor. 29 the whole court of heaven, to acknowledge our sins and faults, while all listen attentively. Touched by so sublime a sight and the thought of having offended a God of so much glory, we begin our accusation of ourselves. We fix our eyes first upon God, and say : " I confess," i.e., accuse myself "to Almighty God." Then we look upon the rest of the blessed, and say : " to the blessed Mary ever Virgin," etc. Thus we call the whole court of heaven to be a witness of the fact that we "have sinned," not lightly, but " exceeding- ly," i.e., very greatly, and in three ways : " in thought," by thinking of things sinful and forbidden ; "in word," by lies, curses, slanders, etc. ; " in deed," by every bad action that we have committed ; and each of us can say : I have done all this " through my fault," i.e., willingly and deliberately ; and it was not a small fault, but an exceeding great fault, because God was helping me by His grace to overcome temptations and avoid bad thoughts, words, and actions, and I would not accept His help, but willingly did what was wrong. What am I to do, therefore ? Will God pardon all these offences if I alone ask Him, seeing that all the angels and saints know that I have thus offended Him ? What shall I do ? I will ask them to help me by their prayers, and to beg God's pardon for me. He may grant their prayers, especially those of the Blessed Mother and of the saints, when He would not grant mine. " Therefore I beseech the Blessed Mary ever Virgin/' etc., " to pray to the Lord our God for me." When we kneel down to say the Oonfiteor, if we could imagine what I have just described to take place, how well we should say it! With what attention, respect, and sorrow we should ask the prayers of the saints! When we say the Confiteor, and indeed any prayer, we say it in the presence of God, and of the whole court of heaven, though we are not in heaven and cannot see God. The angels and saints do hear us and will pray for us. When, therefore, you are saying the Confiteor, imagine that you see all I have described^ and you will never say it badly. . n Act of Hope. AN ACT OF FAITH. O my God ! J. firmly believe that Thou art one God ic three divine persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ; I believe that Thy divine Son became man, and died lor our sins, and that He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches, because Thou hast revealed them, Whc canst neither deceive nor be deceived. An "act" i.e., a profession, of faith. The whole substance of the act of faith is contained in this: I believe all that God has revealed and the Catholic Church teaches. We might mention one by one all the truths God has revealed, i.e-, made known to us, and all the truths the Catholic Church teaches as revealed by God. For example, we might say, I believe in the Holy Trinity, in the Incarnation of Our Lord, in the Holy Eucharist, in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin, in the infallibility of the Pope, and so on, till we write an act of faith twenty pages long, and yet it would all be contained in the words: I believe all God has revealed and the Catholic Church teaches. Hence we find in prayer-books and catechisms acts of faith differing in length and words, but they are all the same in substance and have the same meaning. The act of faith in our Catechism gives a few of the chief truths revealed, that it may be neither too short nor too long, and that all may learn the same words. AN ACT OF HOPE. O my God ! relying on Thy infinite goodness and prom isDs, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of Thy grace, and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer. The substance of this act is: I hope for heaven and the means to obtain it. The means by which I will obtain it are the pardon of my sins by God, and the grace which He will give me in the reception of the sacraments and in prayer; fry An Act of Love. 31 which grace I will be able to know Him, love Him, and serve Him, and thus come to be with Him forever. Here again we could make a long act by mentioning all the things we hope for; viz., a good death, a favorable judgment, a place in heaven, etc. AN ACT OF LOVE. O my God! I love Thee above all things, with inj whole heart and soul, because Thou art all-good and worthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself for the love of Thee. I forgive all who have injured me, and ask pardon of all whom I have injured. The substance of this act is : I love God above all things for His own goodness, and my neighbor as myself for the sake of God. An act of love and an act of charity are the same thing with different names. We are accustomed to call such things as the giving of alms or help to the poor, the doing of some good work that we are not bound to do for another, charity. Surely there are many motives that may induce persons to help others in their distress; but what is the chief Christian motive, if it be not the love we bear our brother- man because he is, like ourselves, a child of God, and the desire we have to obey God, Who wishes us to help the needy? The sufferings of others excite our pity, and the more we love them the more sorry are we to see them suffer. Thanks to God for all His mercies to us; He might have made us, instead of this man, poor and in suffering, but He lias spared us and afflicted him; we know not why God has done so, and there- fore we help him, moved by these considerations even when we feel he is not deserving of the help, because we know his unworthiness will not prevent God from rewarding our good intention. We may be charitable to our neighbor by saying nothing hurtful about him, by never telling his faults without necessity, etc. Therefore real Charity, in its widest sense, and love are just the same. 32 An Act of Contrition. AN ACT OF CONTRITION. O my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they ofiend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserv- ing of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help ci Thy grace- to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. The substance of this act is: my God! I am very sorry for all my sins, because by them I have offended Thee, and, with Thy help, I will never sin again. It is well to know what the acts contain in substance, for we can use these short forms as aspirations during the day, when we probably would not think of saying the long forms. A fuller explanation of the qualities of our contrition will be given in Lesson Eighteen. THE BLESSING BEFORE MEALS. Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts which we are to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ Our Lord. Amen. GRACE AFTER MEALS. We give Thee thanks for all Thy benefits, O Almighty God, Who livest and reignest forever. And may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. " Grace" means thanks. We saw in the explanation of the Our Father how God provides us with all we need, and most frequently with food. It is the least we can do, therefore, to thank Him for it, when it is just placed before us. We should thank Him also after we have eaten it and found it good, pleasing, and refreshing. When God provides us with food He thereby makes a kind of promise that He will allow us to \ivc awhile longer and give us strength to serve Him. How shameful it is, th^n, to turn God's gifts into a means of offend- Grace after Meals. 33 ing Him, as some do by the sin of gluttony! Again, it is very wrong to murmur and be dissatisfied with what God gives us. He does not owe us anything, and need not give unless He wishes. What would you think of a beggar of this, kind? He comes to your door hungry, and you, instead of simply giving him some bread to appease his hunger, take him into your house and give him a good dinner, new clothing, and some money. Now, instead of being thankful, suppose he should complain because you did not give him a better din- ner, finer clothing, and more money, and should look cross and dissatisfied; what would you think of him ? Would you not be tempted to turn the ungrateful fellow out of your house, with an order never to come again, telling him he de- served to starve for his ingratitude ? W* are not quite as ungrateful as the beggar when we neglect grace at meals, because in saying our daily prayers we thank God for all His gifts, our food included, and hence it is not a sin to neglect grace at meals. But do we not show some ingratitude when we murmur, complain, and are dissatisfied with our food, clothing, or homes ? God, even when we are ungrateful, still gives ; hence His wonderful goodness and mercy to us. THE MANNER IN WHICH A LAY PERSON IS TO BAPTIZE IN CASE OF NECESSITY. Pour common "water on the head or face of the person to be baptized, and say while pouring it : "I baptize thee, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." N. B. Any person of either sex who has reached the use of reason can baptize in case of necessity. CATECHISM. Questions marked * are not in No. 1 Catechism. A catechism is any book made up in question and answe. form, no matter what it treats of. We have catechisms of history, of geography, etc. Our Catechism is a book in the same form treating of religion. It is a little compendium of the trutho of our religion, of all we must believe and do. It contains, in the simplest form, all that a priest learns dur- ing his many years of study. The theology he learns is only a deeper and fuller explanation of the Catechism. A whole book might be written on almost every question. For exam- ple, might we not write a book on each of the first three ques- tions the World, God, and Man? There is consequently much meaning in the Catechism, which must be made known to us by explanation. You should therefore learn the Catechism by heart now, even when you do not fully dnderstand it ; be- cause afterwards, when you read books on religion or hear ser- mons, aU these questions and answers will come back to your rniud. .Sermons will help yon to understand the questions, or the questions will help you to understand the sermons, 3-5 36 On the Ena of Man. LESSON FIRST. ON THE END OF MAN. f THE end of a thing is the purpose for which it was made. The end of a watch is to keep time. The end of a pen is to write, etc. A thing is good only in proportion to the way it fulfils the end for which it was made. A watch may be very beautifully made, a very rare ornament, but if it will not keep time it is useless as a watch. The same may be said of the pen, or of anything else. Now for what purpose was man made ? If we discover that, we know his end. When we look around us in the world, we see a purpose or end for every- thing. "We see that the soil is made for the plants and trees to grow in ; because if there was no need of things growing, it would be better to have a nice clean solid rock to walk upon, and then we would be spared the trouble of making roads and paving streets. But things must grow, and so we must have soil. Again, the vegetables and plants are made for animals to feed upon ; while the animals themselves are made for man, that they may help him in his work or serve him for food. Thus it is evident everything in the world was made to serve something else. What then was man made for ? Was it for anything in the world ? We see that all classes of beings are created for something higher than themselves. Thus plants are higher than soil, because they have life and soil has not. Animals are higher than plants, because they not only have life, but they can feel and plants cannot. Man is higher than animals, because he not only has life and can feel, but he has also reason and intelligence, and can understand, while animals cannot. Therefore we must look for something higher than man himself ; but there is nothing higher than man in this world, and so we must look beyond it to find that for which he was made. And looking beyond On the End of Man. . 37 it and considering all things, we find that he was made for God to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him both in tins world and in the next. Again, we read in the k Bible (Genesis 5.) that at the creation of the world all things were made before man, and that he was created last. There- fore, if all these things could exist without man, we cannot say he was made for them. The world existed before him / and can exist after him. The world goes along without any particular man, and the same may be said of all men. Nei- ther was man made to stay here awhile to become rich, or learned, or powerful, because all do not become rich some are very poor ; all are not learned some are very ignorant ; all are not powerful som^ are slaves. But since all men are alike and equal in this, that they have all bodies formed in the same way, and all souls that are immortal, they should all be made for the same end. For example, you could not make a pen like a watch if you want it to write. Although pens diifer in size, shape, etc., they have all one general form which is essential to them. So, although men differ in many things, they are all alike in the essential thing, viz., that they are composed of body and soul, and made to the image and likeness of God. Hence, as pens are made only to write with, so all men must have only one and the same end, namely, to serve God. 1 J. Who made the world? A. God made the world. The " world " here means more than the earth more than is shown on a map of the world. Tt means everything that we nan see sun, moon, stars, etc. ; even those things that we can see only with great telescopes. Everything, too, that we may be able to see in the future, either with our eyes alone, or aided by instruments, is included in the word "world." We can call it the universe. 2 Q. Who is God ? A. God is the Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things 38 On the End of Man. 3 Q. What is man ? A. Man is a creature composed of a body and soul, and made to the image and likeness of God. "Creature," i.e., a thing created. Man differs Irom any- thing else in creation. All things else are either entirely matter, or entirely spirit. An angel, for example, is all spirit, and a stone is all matter; but man is a combination of both spirit and matter of soul and of body. *4Q. Is this likeness in the body or in the soul? 1 A. This likeness is chiefly in tlio soul. * 5 Q. How is the soul like to God ? A. The soul is like God because it is a spirit that, will never die, and has understanding and free will. My soul is like to God in four things. (1) It is " a spirit." It really exists, but cannot be seen with the eyes of our body. Every spirit is invisible, but every invisible thing is not a spirit. "We cannot see the wind. We can feel its influence, we can see its work for example, the dust flying, trees swaying, ships sailing, etc. but the wind itself we never see. Again, we never see electricity. We see the light or effect it produces, but we never see the elec- tricity itself. Yet no one denies the existence of the wind or of electricity on account of their being invisible. Why then should any one say there are no spirits no God, no angels, no souls simply because they cannot be seen, when we have other proofs, stronger than the testimony of our sight, that they really and truly exist ? (2) My soul will " never die," i. e., will never cease to exist: it is immortal. This is a very wonderful thing to think of. It will last as long as God Himself. (3) My soul "has understanding," i. e., it has the gift of reason. This gift enables man to reflect upon all his actions the reasons why he should do certain things and why he should not do them. By reason he reflects upon the past, and judges what may happen in the future. He sees the con- sequences of his actions. He not only knows what he does, but why he does it. This is the gift that places man high Questions marked with an asterisk (*) are not in No. 1 Catechism. On the End of Man. 39 above the bx-ate animals in the order of creation; and hence man is not merely an animal, but he ~ v a rational animal an animal with the gift of reason. Brute animals have not reason, but only instinct, i. e., they follow certain impulses or feelings which God gave them at their creation. He established certain laws for each class or kind of animals, and they, without knowing it, follow these laws; and when we see them following their laws, always in the same way, we say it is their nature. Animals act at times as if they knew just why they were acting ; but it is not so. It is we who reason upon their actions, and see why they do them ; but they do not reason, they only follow their instinct. If animals could reason, they ought to improve in their condition. Men become more civilized day by day. They invent many things that were unknown to their forefathers. One man can improve upon the works of another, etc. But we never see anything of this kind in the actions of animals. The same kind of birds, for instance, build the same kind oi' nests, generation after generation, without ever making chango or improvement in them. When man teaches an animal any action, it cannot teach the same to its young. It is clear, therefore, that animals cannot reason. Though man has the gift of reason by which he can learn a great deal, he cannot learn all through his reason; for there are many things that God Himself must teach him. "When God teaches, we call the truths He makes known to us Revelation. How could man ever know about the Trinity through his reason alone, when, after God has made known to him that It exists, he cannot understand it? It is the same for all the other mysteries. (4) My soul has " free will." This is another grand gift of God, by which I am able to do or not do a thing, just as I please. I can even sin and refuse to obey God. God Him- eelf while He leaves me my free will could not oblige me to do anything, unless I wished to do it; neither could the devil. I am free therefore, and I may use this great gift either to benefit or iniure myself It J \vre no* trae \ ^'oulsj **ct da* 40 On the End of Man. servo reward or punishment for my actions, for no one is of should be punished for doing what he cannot help. God would not punish us for sin if we were not free to commit or avoid it. I turn this freedom to my benefit if I d^ what God wishes when I could do the opposite; for He will be more pleased with my conduct, and grant a greater reward than He would bestow if I obeyed simply because obliged to do so. Animals have no free will. If, for example, they suffer from hunger and you place food before them, they will eat; but man can starve, if he wills to do so, with a feast before him. For the same reason man can endure more fatigue than any other animal of the same bodily strength. In travelling, for instance, animals give up when exhausted, but man may be dying as he walks, and still, by his strong will-power, force his wearied limbs to move. But you will say, did not the lions in the den into which Daniel was cast because he would not act against his conscience, obey the wicked king and offend God as we read in Holy Scripture (Daniel vi. 16) refrain from eating him, even when they were starving with hunger? Yes; but they did not do so of themselves, but by the power of God preventing them : and that is why the delivery of Daniel from their mouths was a miracle. It is clear, because the same lions immediately tore in pieces Daniel's enemies when they were cast into the den. 6 Q. Why did God make you ? A. God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him for ever in the next. "To know" Him, because v/e must know of a thing before we can love it. A poor savage in Africa never longs to be at a game or contest going on in America, because he does not know it and therefore cannot love it. We see a person and know him; if he pleases us we love him, and if we love him we will try to serve him ; we will not be satisfied with doing merely what he asks of us, but will do whatever we think might give him pleasure. So it is in regard to God. "We On the End of Man. 41 must first know Him, learn Who He is from our catechisms and books of instruction, but especially from the teaching of God's ministers, the Holy Father, bishops, and priests. When we know Him, we shall love Him. If we knew Him perfectly, we should love Him perfectly; so the better we know Him the more we shall love Him. And as it is our chief duty to love Him and serve Him upon earth, it becomes our strict duty to learn here whatever we can of His nature, attri- butes, and holy laws. The saints and angels in heaven know God so well that they must love Him, and cannot therefore offend Him. You have all seen some person in the world, or maybe several persons, whom you have greatly admired; still you did not love them perfectly; there was always some little thing about them in looks, manners, or disposition that could be rendered more pleasing ; some defect or want you would like to see supplied ; some fault or imperfection you would like to see corrected. Now suppose you had the power to take all the good qualities you found in the persons you lovod and unite them in one person, in whom there would be nothing displeasing, but everything perfect and beautiful. Do you not think you would love such a person very much indeed ? Moreover, suppose you knew that person loved you in- tensely, would it not be your greatest delight to be ever with such a friend ? Well, then, all the lovable qualities and beauties you see in created beings come from God and are bestowed by Him; yet all the good qualities on earth and those of the angels and saints in heaven, and even of the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph, if united in one person would be nothing compared to the goodness and beauty of God. How good and how lovable, therefore, must He be! And what shall we say when we think that He loves us with greater love than we could ever love Him, even with our most earnest efforts ? Try then first to know God and you will surely love and serve Him. Do not be satisfied with the little you learn of Him in the Catechism, but afterward read good books, and above all hear sermons and instructions. 42 On the End of Man. "In this world." Because unless we do what is pleasing to Him in this world we cannot be with Him in the next. Our condition in the next world depends entirely upon our conduct in this. Thus we have discovered the answer to the great question, What is the end of man ; for what was he made ? * 7 Q. Of which must we take more care, our soul or our body? A. We must take more care of our soul than of our body. * 8 Q. Why must we take more care of our soul than of our body ? A. We must take more care of our soul than of our body, because in losing our soul we lose God and everlasting happiness. Every sensible person will take most care of that which is most valuable. If a girl had a hundred dollars in a ten- cent pocket-book, you would consider her a great fool if she threw away the hundred dollars for fear of spoiling the pocket-book. Now, he is a greater fool who throws away his soul in order to save his body some little inconvenience, or gratify its wicked desires or inclinations. Wherever the soul will be, there the body will be also; so we should, in a certain way, try to forget the body and make sure of getting the soul safely into heaven. You would not think much of the wisdom of a boy who allowed his kite to be smashed in pieces by giving his whole attention to the tail of the kite. If he took care to keep the kite itself high in air and away from every danger, the tail would follow it ; and even if the tail did get entangled, it would have a good chance of being freed while the kite was still flying. But of what use is it to save a worthless piece of rag, if the kite the valuable thing is lost? Just in the same way, of what use is our body if our soul is lost? And remember we have only one soul. Therefore, make sure to save the soul, and the body also will be saved that is, the whole man will be saved; fcr we ca- On the End of Man. 43 not save the soul and lose the body ; they will both be saved or both be lost. 9 Q. What must we do to save our souls? A. To save our souls, we must worship God by faith, hope, and charity ; that is, we must believe in Him, hope in Him, and love Him with all our heart. "Worship," that is, give Him divine honor. We honoi persons for their worth and excellence, and since God is the most excellent, we give Him the highest honors, differing from others not merely in degree but in kind divine honors that belong to Him alone. And justly so, for the vilest animal upon the earth is a thousand times more nearly our equal than the most perfect creature, man or angel, is the equal of God. In speaking of worship, theologians generally distin- guish three kinds, namely: latria, or that supreme worship due to God alone, which cannot be transferred to any creature without committing the sin of idolatry ; dulia, or that secondary veneration we give to saints and angels as the special friends of God; hyper dulia, or that higher veneration which we give to the Blessed Virgin as the most exalted of all God's creatures. It is higher than the veneration we give to the other saints, but infinitely inferior to the worship we give to God Himself. We show God our special honor by never doubting anything He reveals to us, therefore by "faith"; by expecting with certainty whatever He promises, therefore by "hope"; and finally by loving Him more than any one else in the world, therefore by " charity," But some one may say, I think I love my parents more than God. Well, let us see. Suppose your mother should command you to commit a sinful act (a thing no good mother would do) and you have therefore to choose between offend- ing her or Almighty God. Now, although you love your mother very much, if in this instance you prefer to displease her rather than commit the sin that offends God, you show that you love God more than her. Again, many who dearly love their parents leave them tha* they may consecrate 44 On the End of Man, their lives to the special service of God in some religious com- munity and thus prove their greater love for Him. The love we have for God is intellectual rather than sentimental ; and since it is not measured by the intensity of our feelings, how are we to knc A that we love Him best ? By our deter- mination never to offend. Hin ? or any person or thing in the world, however dear to us, a-no. oy ou Yefl.r!inesp to obey and serve Him before all others. 10 Q. How shall we know the things which wt* are ui believe ? A We shall know the things which we are to believe from the Catholic Church, through which God speaks to us. " Catholic Church " in this answer means the Pope, coun- cils, bishops, and priests who teach in the Church. 11 Q. Where shall we ilnd the chief truths which the Catholic Church teaches ? A. We shall find the chief truths which the Catholic Church teaches in the Apostles' Creed. "Chief," because the Apostles' Creed does not contain in an explicit manner all the truths we must believe. For example, there is nothing in the Apostles' Creed about the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, about the Immaculate Con- ception of the Blessed Virgin, or the infallibility of the Pope; and yet we must believe these and other articles of faith not in the Apostles' Creed. It contains only the " chief" and not all the truths. 12 Q. Sev the Apostles' Creed. A. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth ; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended into hell; the third day He arose again from the dead ; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty ; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy Catho- lic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting, Amen. " Descend " means to go down, and " ascend " to go up. On God and His Perfections. 45 LESSON SECOND. ON GOD AND HIS PERFECTIONS. A "perfection" means a good quality. We say a thing is perfect when it has all the good qualities it should have. 13 Q. What is God ? A. God is a spirit infinitely perfect. " A spirit " is a living, intelligent, invisible being. It really exists, though we cannot see it with the eyes of our body. It has intelligence and can therefore think, understand, etc. It is not because we cannot see it that we call it a spirit. To be invisible is only one of the qualities of a spirit. It is also indivisible, that is, it cannot be divided into parts. God is such a being. He is "infinitely perfect," that is, He has every perfection in the highest degree. " Infinite " means to have without limit. If there were any perfection God did not have, He would not be infinite. He is unlimited in wisdom, in power, in goodness, in beauty, etc. But you will tell me persons on earth and the angels and saints in heaven have some wisdom and power and beauty, and therefore God cannot have all, since He has not the portion with which they are endowed. I still say He is infinite, because what the angels and others have belongs to God, and He only lends it to them. "Perfect" means to be without any defect or fault. 14 Q. Had God a beginning? A. God had no beginning ; Ho always was anJ always will be. Was there ever a time when we could say there was nc God ? There was a time when we could say there was no heaven or earth, no angels, men, or animals; but there was never a time wbfi" there wa.s no God. We mav go back in 46 On God and His Perfections. thought millions and millions of years before the creation, and God was then existing. He had no beginning and will never cease to exist. This is a mystery ; and what 8 mystery is will be explained in the next lesson. 15 Q. Where is God? A. God is everywhere. " Everywhere " not spread out like a great cloud, but whole and entire in every particular place: and yet there is only one God, and not as many gods as there are places. How this can be we cannot fully understand, because this also is a mystery. A simile, though it will not be perfect, may help you to understand. When we speak of God, we can never give a true and perfect example; for we cannot find anything exactly like Him to compare to Him. If I dis- charge a great cannon in a city, every one of the inhabitants will hear the report; not in such a way that each hearer gelu his share of the sound, but each hears the whole report, just is if he were the only one to hear it. Now, how is that ? There are not as many reports as there are persons listening; and yet each person hears the whole report, 16 Q. If God is everywhere, why do we not see Him? A. We do not see God, because _'_o is a pure spirit and cannot be seen with, bodily eyes. " Pure spirit," that is, not clothed with any material body spirit alone. 17 Q. Does God see us? A. God sees us and watches over us. "Watches" to protect, to reward or punish us. He watches continually; He not only watches, but keeps us alive. God might have created us and then paid no more attention to us; but if He had done so, we should have fallen back again into nothingness^ Therefore He preserves us every moment of our lives. We cannot draw a breath without Him. On God and His Perfections. 47 If a steam-engine be required to work ceaselessly, you cannot, after setting it in motion, leave it henceforth entirely to itself. You must keep up the supply of water and fire necessary for the generation of steam, you must oil the machinery, guard against overheating or cooling, and, in a word, keep a constant watch that nothing may interfere with its motion. So also God not only watches His creatures, hut likewise provides for them. Since we depend so much upon Him, is it not great folly to sin against Him, to offend, and tempt Him as it were ? There are some birds that build their nests on the sides of great rocky precipices by the sea-coast. Their eggs are very valuable, and men are let down by long ropes to take them from the nest. Now while one of these men is hanging over the fearful precipice, his life is entirely in the hands of those holding the rope above. While he is in that danger do you not think he would be very foolish to tempt and insult those on whom his life depends, when they could dash him to pieces by simply dropping the rope? While we live here upon earth we are all hanging over a great precipice, namely, eternity; God holds us up by the little thread of our lives, and if He pleased to drop it we should be hurled into eternity. If we tempt or insult Him, He might drop or cut the thread while we are in mortal sin, and then, body and soul, we go down into hell. 18 Q. Does God know all things? A. God knows all things, even our most secret thoughts, words, and actions. Certainly God "knows all things." First, because He is infinitely wise, and if He were ignorant of anything He would not be so. Secondly, because He is everywhere and sees and hears all. Darkness does not hide from His view, nor noise prevent Him from hearing. How could we sin if we thought of this! God is just here, looking at me and listening to me. Would I do what I am going to do now if I knew my parents, relatives, and friends were watch- ing me? Would I like them to know that I am thinking about things sinful, and preparing to do shameful acts? 48 On God and His Perfections. No! Why then should I not feel ashamed to let God see and know of this wicked thought or action? They might know it and yet be unable to harm me, but He, all-powerful, sould destroy me instantly. Nay, more: not only will God see and know this evil deed or thought; but, by His gift, the Blessed Mother, the angels and saints will know of it and be ashamed of it before God, and, most of all, my guardian angel will deplore it. Besides, this sin will be revealed to the whole world on the last day, and my friends, relatives, and neighbors will know that I was guilty of it. 19 Q. Can God do all things P A. God can do all things, and nothing is hard or im= possible to Him. 20 Q. Is God just, holy, and merciful ? A. God is all just, all holy, all merciful, as He is in- finitely perfect. " All just " that is, most just. " Just " means to give to every one what belongs to him to reward if it is merited or to punith if it is deserved. "Holy" that is, good. "Mer- ciful" means compassionate, forgiving, less exacting than severe justice demands. In a court a just judge is one who listens patiently to all the arguments for and against the prisoner, and then, comparing one with the other, gives the sentence exactly in accordance with the guilt. If he inflicts more or less punishment than the prisoner deserves, or for money or anything else gives an unfair sentence, then he is an unjust judge. The judge might be merciful in this way. The laws say that for the crime of which this prisoner is proved guilty he can be sent to prison for a term not longer than ten years and not shorter than five; that is, for any- thing between ten and five years. The judge could give him the full ten years that the law allows and be just. But sup- pose he believed that the prisoner did not know the law and did not intend to be as wicked as he was proved ; or that it was his first offence, or that he heard the prisoner's mother, who was old and infirm, pleading for him and saying he was her only On God and His Perfections. 49 support; or other extenuating circumstances that could awaken sympathy: the judge might be merciful and sen- tence him for the shortest term the law allows. But if the judge dismissed every prisoner, no matter how guilty, with- out punishment, he would not be a merciful but an unjust judge, who would soon be forced to leave the court. In the same way, God is often merciful to sinners and punishes them less than He could in strict justice. But if He were to allow every sinner to go without any punishment whatsoever as unbelievers say He should do, by having no hell for the wickeO then He would not be just. For as God is an Infinite Being, all His perfections must be infinite ; that is, He must be as infinitely just as He is infinitely merciful, true, wise, Oi 1 powerful. Now He has promised to punish sin; and since He is in finitely true. He must keep His promise. 60 On the Unity and Trinity of LESSON THIRD. OFT THE UNITY AND TRINITY OF GOD. " Uiiity '' menus to be one, and " Trinity," three in one. 21 Q. Is there but one God? A. Yes ; there is but one God. 22 Q. Why can there be but one God? A. There can be but one God because God, being supreme and infinite, cannot have an equal. "Supreme/' that is, the highest. "Equal," when two are equal one has everything the other has. ' You could say one pen is the equal of another if it is just as nice and will write just as well; one mechanic is the equal of another if he can do the work equally well. Two boys are equal in class if they have exactly the same marks at the end of the month or year. Yon could not have two persons chief. For example, you could not have two chief generals in an army; two presi- dents in the nation, or two governors in a state, or two mayors in a city, or two principals in a school, unless they divide equally their power, and then they will be equals and neither of them chief. God cannot divide His power with anyone so as to give it away entirely because we say He is infinite, and that means to have all. Others have only the loan of their power from God. Therefore, all power and authority come from God; so that when we disobey our parents or superiors who are placed over us, we disobey God Himself. 23 Q. How many persons are there in God? A. In God there are three divine persons really dis- tinct and equal in all things the Father, the Son. and the Holy Ghost. On Vie Unity and, Tnntfy of God. 51 "Distinct/' not mingled together. We call the first and second persons Father and Sou, because the second is begotten by the first person, and not to indicate that there is any dif- ference in their age. We always see in the world that a father is older than his son, so we get the idea perhaps that it is the same in the Holy Trinity. But it is not so. God the Father, and God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost existed from all eternity, and one did not exist before the other. God the Son is just as old as God the Father, and this is another great mystery. Even in nature we see that two things may begin to exist at the same time, and yet one be the cause of the other. You know that fire is the cause of heat ; and yet the heat and the fire begin at the same time. Though we cannot understand this mystery of the Father and Son, we must believe it on the authority of God, Who teaches it. First, second, and third person in the Blessed Trinity does not mean, therefore, that one person was before the other, or brought into existence by the other. 24 Q. Is the Father God P A. The Father is God and the first person of the Blessed Trinity. 25 Q. Is the Son God? A. The Son is God and the second person ol the Blessed Trinity. 26 Q. Is the Holy Ghost God? A. The Holy Ghost is God and the third person oi the Blessed Trinity. 27 Q. What do you mean by the Blessed Trinity? A. By the Blessed Trinity * mean one God in three Divine Persons. 28 Q. Are the three Divine Persons equal in all things? A. The three Divine Persons are equal in all things. 29 Q. Are the three Divm** ^arsons one and the same Ctod? 52 On the Unity and Trinity of God. A. The three. Divine Persons are one and the same God, having one and the same divine nature and sub- stance. Though they are one and the same, we sometimes attrib- ate different works to them. For example, works of creation we attribute to God the Father; works of mercy to God the Son; and works of love and sanctification to the Holy Ghost; and you will often find them thus spoken of in pious books ; but all such works are done by all the Persons of the Trinity; because such works are the works of God, and there is but one God. *3O Q. Can we fully understand how the three Divine Persons are one and the same God? A. We cannot fully understand how the three Divine Persons are one and the same God, because this is a mys- tery. "Fully" entirely. We can partly understand it. We know what one God is and we know what three persons are : but how these two things go together is the part we do not understand the mystery. *31 Q. What is a mystery P A. A mystery is a trnth which we cannot fully MR- elerstand. "A truth," that is, a revealed truth one made known to ns by God or His Church. It is a truth which we must be- lieve though we cannot understand it. Let us take an exam- pie. When a boy goes to school he is taught that the earth is round like an orange and revolving in two ways, one caus- ing day and night and the other producing the seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter. The boy goes out into the country where he sees miles of level land and mountains thousands of feet in height. Again he goes out on the ocean where sailors tell him it is several miles in depth. JTow he may say : how can the earth be round if deep 7 leys, high mountains, and level plains prove to my senses the On (he Unity and Trinity of God. 53 very opposite, and the countless things at rest upon its surface tell me it is motionless. Yet he believes even against the testimony of his senses that the earth is round and moving, because his teacher could have no motive in deceiving him; knows better than he, having learned more, and besides haa been taught by others who after long years of careful study and research have discovered these things and know them to be true. If therefore we have to believe things that we do nol understand on the authority of men, why should we not be- lieve other truths on the authority of God ? Yes, we must believe Him. If a boy knew all his teacher knew there would be no need of his going to school; he would be the equal in knowledge of his teacher, and if we knew all that God knows we. would be as great as He. As well might we try to empty the whole ocean into the tiny holes that children dig in the sand by its shore, as fully to comprehend the wis- dom of God. This is the mistake unbelievers make when they wish to understand with their limited intelligence the bound- less knowledge and mysterious ways of God, and when they can- not understand refuse to believe. Are they not extremely fool- ish ? Would you not ridicule the boy who refuses to believe that the earth is round and moving because he cannot under- stand it ? As he grows older and learns more he will com- prehend it better; so we, when we lea\utuis world and come into the presence of God, shall see clearly many things that are unintelligible now. For the present, we have only to believe them on the authority of God teaching us. Another example. We take two little black seeds that look just alike and place them in the same kind of soil; we put the same kind of water upon them ; they have the same sunlight and air, and yet when they grow up one has a red flower and one a blue. Where did the red and where did the blue come from ? From the black seed, or the brown soil, or the pure water, air and sunlight? We do not know. It is there, and that is all. We see it and believe it, though we do not understand it. So if we refuse to believe everything we do not understand, we shall soon believe very littla n.nrl make ourselves ridiculous 14 On Creation* LESSON FOURTH. ON CREATION. THIS lesson treats of God bringing everything into _je. The chief things created may be classed as follows: (1) The things that simply exist, as rocks, and minerals gold, silver, iron, etc. (2) Things that exist, grow, and live, like plants and trees. (3) Things that grow, live, and feel, like animals. (4) Things that grow, live, feel, and understand, like men. Besides these we have the sun, moon, stars, etc. ; all things too that we can see, and also heaven, purgatory, hell, and good and bad angels. All these are the works of God's creation. All these He has called into existence by merely wishing for them. *32 Q. Who created heaven and earth, and all things? A. God created heaven and earth, and all things. " Heaven/' where God is and will always be. It means, too, everything we see in the sky above us. "Earth," the globe on which we live. *33 Q. How did God create heaven and earth? A. God created heaven and earth from nothing, by His word only ; that is, by a single act of His all-power ftil will. 34 Q. Which are the chief creatures of God ? A. The chief creatures of God are angels and men. 35 Q. What are angels ? A. Angels are pure spirits without a body, created to adore and enjoy God in heaven. " Angels" are not the same as saints. Saints are those who at one time lived upon the earth as we do. and who on ac On Creation. 55 count of their very good lives are now in heaven. They had bodies as we have. The angels, on the contrary, never lived visibly upon the earth. In the beginning God was alone. We take great pleasure in looking at beautiful things. God, seeing His own beauty, and knowing that others would have* very great pleasure and happiness in seeing Him, determined to create some beings who could enjoy this happiness; and thus He wished to share with them the happiness which He Himself derived from seeing His own beauty. Therefore He created angels who were to be in heaven with Him, singing His praises and worshipping before His throne. The angels are not all equal in dignity, but are divided into nine classes, or choirs, according to their rank or office, and, as theologians tell us, arranged from the lowest to the highest and named as follows: angels, archangels, virtues, powers, principalities, dominations, thrones, cherubim, and seraphim. Archangels are higher than angels and are so called because sent to do the most important works. It was the Arch- angel Michael who drove Lucifer from heaven and the Arch- angel Gabriel who announced to the Blessed Virgin that she was to be the Mother of God. The angels receive their names from the duties they perform. The word angel signi- fies messenger. *36 Q. Were the angels created for any other purpose ? A. The angels were also created to assist before the throne of God and to minister unto Him ; they have often been sent as messengers from God to man ; and are also appointed our guardians. The duties of the angels are many. Some remain always in heaven with God; some are sent to earth to be our guardians and to remain with us. Each of us has an angel to take care of us. He is with us night and day, and offers our prayers and good works to God. He prays for us, exhorts us to do good and avoid evil; and he protects us from dangers spirit- ual and temporal. How unfortunate then must one be to cause him to return to heaven with sad complaints to God ? 56 " Vn L'reation. such as : " The one whom I have in charge will not obey laws or use the graces Thou sendest him : with all my efforts to save him, he continues to do wrong." He will be doubly sad when he sees other angels returning with good reports and receiving new graces for those whom God has committed to their care. If you love your guardian angel, never impose on him the painful duty of bringing to God the report of your evil doings. Now, how do we know that the angels offer our prayers and good works to God? We know it from the beau- tiful story of Tobias, told in the Holy Scripture (Tobias). This holy man loved and feared God. He lived at a time when his people were persecuted by a most cruel king, who wished to force them to give up the true God and worship idols, but many of these good people suffered death rather than deny God and obey the wicked king. When they were put to death their bodies were left lying on the ground, to be devoured by birds of prey or wild animals. Any one caught burying them was to be put to death by the king's servants. Tobias used to carry the dead bodies of these holy martyrs into his house and bury them at night. One day when he returned very tired he lay down by the wall of his house to rest, and, while lying there, some dirt fell into his eyes and he became blind. This Tobias had a young son whose name was also Tobias ; and as he himself was now blind and poor, he wished to send his son into a certain city, at a good distance off, to collect some money that he had formerly loaned to a friend. As the young man did not know the way, his father sent him out to look for a guide. Young Tobias went out and found a beautiful young- man standing on the road near his house. Tobias asked the young man to be his guide and he consented, and he brought Tobias' to the dis- tant city. As they were on their way they sat down by the bank of a river. Tobias went into the water near the edge, and soon a great fish rushed at him. Tobias called to his guide. The guide told him to take hold of the fish and drag it out upon the shore. There they killed it, and kept part of its On Creation. 5? tiesh for food and part for medicine. Then they went on to the city, got the money and returned. The guide told young Tobias to rub the part of the fish he had taken for medicine upon his father's eyes. He did so, and immediately his father's eyes were cured and he saw. Then both the father and son were so delighted with this young guide, that they offered to give him half of all they had. He refused to take it and then told them he was the angel Raphael sent from God to be the guide of this good man's son. He told the old Tobias how he (the angel) had carried up to God his prayers and good Y/orks while he was burying the dead. When they heard he .va. an angel they fell down and reverenced him, being very much afraid. From this beautiful history we know that the angels carry our prayers and good works to God. Again we learn from the Holy Scripture (Genesis xxviii.) in the his- tory of another good man almost the same thing. The patriarch Jacob was on a journey, and being tired, he lay down to rest with his head upon a stone. As he lay there he had a vision in which he saw a great ladder reaching up from earth to heaven. At the top he saw Almighty God standing, and on the ladder itself angels ascending and descending. Now the holy Fathers of the Church tell us this is what is really tak- ing place; the angels are always going down and up from God to man, though not on a ladder and not visibly as they appeared to Jacob. Besides the guardian angel for each person, there are also guardian angels for each city and for each nation. Again (Genesis xix.) angels appeared to Lot to warn him about the destruction of the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrha. Angels appeared also to the shepherds on the night Our Lord was born (Luke ii.). The catechism says angels have no bodies, how then could they appear ? They took bodies made of some very light substance which would make them visible, and appeared just like beautiful young men, clad in flowing garments, as you frequently see them represented in pictures. Angels were sometimes sent to pun- ish men for their sins, as the angel who killed in one night 58 On Creation. 185,000 men in the army of the wicked king, Sennacherib, who blasphemed God, and was endeavoring to destroy Jeru- salem, God's city (4 Kings xix.). But here is a difficulty. If God Himself watches over us and sees all things, why should the angels guard us ? It is on account of God's goodness to us; though it is not neces- sary. He does not wish us to have any excuse for being bad, so He gives us each a special heavenly servant to watch and assist us by his prayers. If a friend received us into his house and did all he could for us himself, we should certainly be sat- isfied, but if he gave us a special servant, though it would not be necessary, he would show us great respect and kindness. Moreover whatever the angels do for us, we might say God Himself does, for the angels are only obeying His commands. *37 Q. Were the angels, as God created them, good and happy ? A. The angels as God created them were good and happy. *38 Q. Did all the angels remain good and happy? A. All the angels did not remain good and happy; many of them sinned and were cast into hell ; and these are called devils or bad angels. God did not admit the angels into His presence at once. He placed them for a while on probation, as He did our first parents. One of these angels was most beautiful, and was named Lucifer, which means light-bearer. He was so perfect that he seems to have forgotten that he received all his beauty and intelligence from God, and not content with what he had, be- came sinfully proud and wished to be equal to God Himself. For his sin he and all his followers were driven out of heaven, and God then created hell, in which they were to suffer for all eternity. This same Lucifer is now called Satan, and more commonly the devil, and those w ^o accompanied him in his fall, devils, or fallen angels. On Our First Parents and Their Fall. 59 LESSON FIFTH. ON OUR FIRST PARENTS AND THEIR FALL. 39 Q. Who were the first man and woman? A. The first man and woman were Adam and Eve. In the beginning God created all things ; something par- ticular on each of the six days of creation (Genesis i.).' On the first day He made light, on the second, the firmament, or the heavens, and on the sixth day He created man and called him Adam. God wished Adam to have a companion ; so one day He caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep, and then took from his side a rib, out of which He formed Eve. Now God could have made Eve as He made Adam, by forming her body out of the clay of the earth and breathing into it a soul, but He made Eve out of Adam's rib to show that they were to be husband and wife, and to impress upon their minds the nature and sacredness of the love and union that should exist between them. 40 Q. Were Adam and Eve innocent and holy when they came from the hand of God? A. Adam and Eve were innocent and holy when they came from the hand of God. God placed Adam and Eve in Paradise, a large, beautiful garden, and gave them power over all the other creatures. Adam gave all the animals their appropriate names and they were obedient to him. Even lions, tigers, and other animals that we now fear so much, came and played about him. Our first parents, in their state of original innocence, were the happy friends of God, without sorrow or suffering of any kind. 80 On Our First Parents and TMr Fatt. *4x vi. Did God give any command to Adam and Eve? A. To try their obedience God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat of a certain fruit which grew in the garden of Paradise. He told them (Genesis ii.) they could take of all the fruits in the garden except the fruit of one tree, and if they diso- beyed Him by eating the fruit of that tree, they should surely die. God might have pointed out any tree, because it was simply a test of their obedience. He gave them a very simple command, for if we are faithful in little things we shall surely be faithful in greater. Moreover, it is not precisely the con- sideration of what is forbidden, but of the authority by which it is forbidden that should deter us from violating the command and prove our fidelity. Thus disobedience to our parents and superiors, even in little things, becomes sinful. Some one might say : " Why did God not try their obedience by one of the ten commandments? " Let us examine them. " Eemember the Sabbath." That one would be unnecessary: for every day was Sabbath with them; the only work was t< praise and serve God. " Thou shalt not steal." They coul