╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ An Explanation of the
Baltimore Catechism ║
║ of Christian
Doctrine ║
║ For The Use
of ║
║ Sunday-School Teachers
and Advanced Classes ║
║ (Also known as Baltimore
Catechism No. 4) ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════╝
by
Rev. Thomas L. Kinkead
Table of Contents
APPROBATIONS
His Eminence Cardinal Gibbons
Most Rev. M. A. Corrigan, D.D., Archbishop of New York
Most Rev. William Henry Elder, D.D., Archbishop of
Cincinnati
Most Rev. Thomas L. Grace, D.D., Archbishop of Siunia
Most Rev. P.J. Ryan, D.D., Archbishop of Philadelphia
Most Rev. William J. Walsh, D.D., Archbishop of Dublin,
Primate of Ireland
Right Rev. D.M. Bradley, D.D., Bishop of Manchester
Right Rev. Thomas F Brennan, D.D., Bishop of Dallas
Right Rev. M.E. Burke, D.D., Bishop of Cheyenne
Right Rev. L. De Goesbriand, D.D., Bishop of Burlington
Right Rev. John Foley, D.D., Bishop of Detroit
Right Rev. H. Gabriels, D.D., Bishop-elect of Ogdensburg
Right Rev. N.A. Gallagher, D.D., Bishop of Galveston
Right Rev. Leo Haid, O.S.B., D.D., Vicar Apostolic of
North Carolina
Right Rev. John J Hennessy, D.D. Bishop of Wichita
Right Rev. A. Junger, D.D., Bishop of Nesqually
Right Rev. John J Keane, D.D., Rector of the Catholic
University, Washington
Right Rev. W.G. McCloskey, D.D., Bishop of Louisville
Right Rev. James McGolrick, D.D., Bishop of Duluth
Right Rev. Camillus P Maes, D.D., Bishop of Covington
Right Rev. C.E. McDonnell, D.D., Bishop-elect of Brooklyn
Right Rev. R Manogue, D.D., Bishop of Sacramento
Right Rev. Tobias Mullen, D.D., Bishop of Erie
Right Rev. H.P. Northrop, D.D., Bishop of Charleston
Right Rev. Henry Joseph Richter, D.D., Bishop of Grand
Rapids
Right Rev. S.V. Ryan, D.D., Bishop of Buffalo
Right Rev. L. Scanlan, D.D., Bishop of Salt Lake
An Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism
The Lessons of the Catechism
LESSON 1: ON THE END OF MAN
LESSON 2: ON GOD AND HIS PERFECTIONS
LESSON 3: ON THE UNITY AND TRINITY OF GOD
LESSON 4: ON CREATION
LESSON 5: ON OUR FIRST PARENTS AND THEIR FALL
LESSON 6: ON SIN AND ITS KINDS
LESSON 7: ON THE INCARNATION AND REDEMPTION
LESSON 8: ON OUR LORD'S PASSION, DEATH, RESURRECTION,
AND ASCENSION
LESSON 9: ON THE HOLY GHOST AND HIS DESCENT UPON THE
APOSTLES
LESSON 10: ON THE
EFFECTS OF THE REDEMPTION
LESSON 11: ON THE
CHURCH
LESSON 12: ON THE
ATTRIBUTES AND MARKS OF THE CHURCH
LESSON 13: ON THE
SACRAMENTS IN GENERAL
LESSON 14: ON
BAPTISM
LESSON 15: ON
CONFIRMATION
LESSON 16: ON THE
GIFTS AND FRUITS OF THE HOLY GHOST
LESSON 17: ON THE
SACRAMENT OF PENANCE
LESSON 18: ON
CONTRITION
LESSON 19: ON
CONFESSION
LESSON 20: ON THE
MANNER OF MAKING A GOOD CONFESSION
LESSON 21: ON
INDULGENCES
LESSON 22: ON THE
HOLY EUCHARIST
LESSON 23: ON THE
END FOR WHICH THE HOLY EUCHARIST WAS INSTITUTED
LESSON 24: ON THE
SACRIFICE OF THE MASS
LESSON 25: ON
EXTREME UNCTION AND HOLY ORDERS
LESSON 26: ON
MATRIMONY
LESSON 27: ON THE
SACRAMENTALS
LESSON 28: ON
PRAYER
LESSON 29: ON THE
COMMANDMENTS OF GOD
LESSON 30: ON THE
FIRST COMMANDMENT SAINTS
LESSON 31: THE
FIRST COMMANDMENT -- ON THE HONOR AND INVOCATION OF SAINTS
LESSON 32: FROM
THE SECOND TO THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT
LESSON 33: FROM
THE FOURTH TO THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT
LESSON 34: FROM
THE SEVENTH TO THE END OF THE TENTH COMMANDMENT
LESSON 35: ON THE
FIRST AND SECOND COMMANDMENTS OF THE CHURCH
LESSON 36: ON THE
THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH, AND SIXTH COMMANDMENTS OF THE CHURCH AND HEAVEN
LESSON 37: ON THE
LAST JUDGMENT AND THE RESURRECTION, HELL, PURGATORY, AND HEAVEN
Nihil Obstat: D.J.
McMahon
Censor Librorum
Imprimatur:
*Michael Augustine
Archbishop of New York
New York, September 5, 1891
Nihil Obstat:
Arthur J. Scanlan, STD
Censor Librorum
Imprimatur:
*Patrick J. Hayes, D.D.
Archbishop of New York
New
York, June 29, 1921
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., Archbishop of
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., Archbishop of
Siunia: "Your book entitled An
Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism 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 inserted in your book give it a special value."
Most Rev. P.J.Ryan, D.D., Archbishop of
Philadelphia: "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 it to others. We give the work our cordial approval."
Most Rev. William J. Walsh, D.D., Archbishop of Dublin,
Primate of 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]."
Right Rev. D.M. Bradley, D.D., Bishop of Manchester: "I am 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.E. Burke, D.D., Bishop of 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 textbook for
Catholic schools and academies throughout the country and a most useful manual
for all who are engaged in the instruction of our children."
Right Rev. L. De Goesbriand, D.D., Bishop of
Burlington: "I consider your book,
the Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism, as an admirable work. Nothing can be found more clear, more
satisfactory."
Right Rev. John Foley, D.D., Bishop of Detroit: "I congratulate you upon producing a
work so useful to those having 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., Bishop-elect of
Ogdensburg: "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
Galveston: "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"
Right 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
converts 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
schools."
Right Rev. A. Junger, D.D., Bishop of Nesqually: "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."
Right Rev. John J. Keane, D.D., Rector of the Catholic
University, Washington: "The
character of the work speaks for itself."
Right Rev. W.G. McCloskey, D.D., Bishop of
Louisville: "What I have already
seen of it gives me the impression that it is a meritorious work which ought to
be encouraged."
Right Rev. James McGolrick, D.D., Bishop of Duluth: "I think you have prepared a thoroughly
practical work in your Explanation of the Baftimore 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. Camillus P. Maes, D.D., Bishop of
Covington: "I have examined your
Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism 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 children a thorough
and sound knowledge of Holy Church and of her divine teachings"
Right Rev. C. E. McDonnell, D.D., Bishop-elect of
Brooklyn: "I beg you to accept my
hearty congratulations."
Right Rev. R. Manogue, D.D., Bishop of Sacramento: "We have ponderous works from
distinguished authors on the Catechism in general, but yours-An Explanation of
the Baltimore 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 Erie: "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 clergyman 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.D., Bishop of
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 success."
Right Rev. Henry Joseph Richter, D.D., Bishop of Grand
Rapids: " The aim of your book is
excellent. To judge from the portions
which I have read, your labor has been successful. I recommend the book to all Catholic adults,
but especially to teachers and converts, as a convenient handbook of
appropriate, plain, and solid instructions on the doctrine 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
textbook 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. Scanlan, 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
It 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 attendance and hear the lessons; this
being done, time hangs heavily on their hands till the school is dismissed. They do not or cannot explain what they are
teaching, and the children have no interest in the study.
The
Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism is intended for their use. The
explanations are full and simple. 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 supposed, 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, Catholic Belief, or
works of controversy. They 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 religious
knowledge goes. They may, it is true,
have books on 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 everyday 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 instructions.
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 textbook 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
serviceable 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 explanation more deeply on the minds of the
children, or to save the teacher the trouble of always turning back to
preceding explanations. The numbering of
the questions and answers throughout the Catechism, 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 itself useful.
With the hope,
then, that the Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism may do all the good
intended, I commend it to all who desire a fuller knowledge of their holy
religion that they may practice it more faithfully.
Rev.
Thomas L. Kinkead
June 21,
1891,
Feast of
St. Aloysius
Basic Catholic 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. 6:9; Luke 11:2). One day when He
was praying and explaining to His Apostles the great advantages of prayer, one
of them said to Him: "Lord, teach
us to pray." Then Jesus taught them this prayer. It contains everything we need or could ask
for. We cannot see its full meaning at
once. The more we think over it, the more clearly we understand it. We could 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 pray not for ourselves alone but for all God's
children.
We say
"Father," because God really is our Father. We do not mean here by Father the First
Person of the Blessed Trinity, but the Blessed Trinity itself-one 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. Now, 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 goodness. 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 someday to be made, is even now far away on some mountain, growing
stronger 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 ministers of His Church, our priests and bishops. He loves us too, as we may learn from all
that He does for us, and from the many times He forgives us our sins. He shares what He possesses with us. He has given us understanding and a free will
resembling His own. He has given us
immortality, i.e., when 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 Sacraments, 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, and smoke. (Ex. 19 ). 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. (Gen. 7:19). 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 everywhere. Why then do we say, "Who art in
Heaven," as if He were noplace else?
We say so to remind us, first, 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; second,
that in Heaven we shall see God face to face and as He is; third, that Heaven
is the place where God will be for all eternity with the blessed.
"Hallowed:" means made holy or sacred. Halloween is the name given to the evening
before the feast of All 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 praying 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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us:"
"Trespasses" means here our sins, our offenses 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 a beautiful parable, ie., a story by way of illustration,
to explain this. (Matt. 18:23). 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 anyone 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 begged 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 unforgiving
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 or not. Here
it means a trial made by some person or thing-the devil, 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 becomes 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 temptations, God gives
us a new glory and reward for every victory.
"Deliver
us from evil:" From every kind of evil, and especially the evil of being
conquered by our spiritual enemies, and thus falling into sin, and offending
God by becoming His enemy ourselves. It
would be a sin to seek temptation,. though we have a reward for resisting it
when it comes.
"Amen:" means, be it so.
May all we have asked be 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 thy 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 (Luke 1:28). All her people knew that the Redeemer
promised from the time of Eve down to the time of the Blessed Virgin was 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.
"The 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
1:39). 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 anyone 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 true man in the one person of Christ, Our Lord.
"Pray for
us:" because she has more power with her Son than all the other saints.
"Sinners:" and therefore we need forgiveness.
"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 condemned 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 consent. 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
humbling Himself so much for our sake.
After these three parts we say:
"Pray for us, O 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 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 bowing 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
influence 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 Christians, 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 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 Catholic Church, the communion 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 collection of all the truths the Apostles
believed. The "Apostles" 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 disciples, 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
anyone they had either to go to the place themselves 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 leaving 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 the truths 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 meaning at first, so in the Apostles' Creed
we find many beautiful 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 existence 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 a piano. No one could do
this, for God alone has such power.
"Heaven
and earth:" and everything we can see or know ofi "Jesus Christ:' Our
Lord is called by many names, but you must not be confused by them, for they
all mean the same person, and are given only to remind us of some particular
thing connected with Our Lord. He is
called "Jesus' " which signifies Saviour, and "Christ ' "
which means anointed. He is 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
"Messias" and the "Son of David" to show that He is the
Redeemer 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 find many other beautiful names of Our Lord, all having their special
signification.
"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 Passion
what He suffered.
"Under:" means here, at the time a man named Pontius Pilate
was governor. If anyone were put to
death today 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, to 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.
"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 some good 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 believing 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 could 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 of all Our Lord's miracles.
Some others, like the prophets 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.
"Right
hand of God:" We know God is a pure spirit having no body; and if He has
no body He can have no hands. Why then
do we say right hand? When the President
of the United States invites anyone to dine at his house, he makes the invited
guest sit at his right hand, and thus shows his respect by giving him the place
of highest honor.
When Our Lord
ascended into Heaven, He went up in the human body He had upon earth, and His
Father placed Him as man, in His glorified body, in the place, after His (the
Father's) own, the highest in Heaven; but remember, only as man, because as God
He is equal to His Father in all things.
"From
thence" that is, from the right hand of God.
"To
judge:" To examine them, to pronounce sentence upon them; to reward them
in Heaven or punish them in Hell.
"The living
and the dead:" We may take this in a double sense. As the general judgment will come suddenly
and when not expected, all will be going on in the world as usual--some
attending to business, others taking their ease as they do now, or as they were
doing when the deluge came upon them.
Just when the judgment is about to take place, God will destroy the
earth; and then all those living in the world will perish with its destruction
and then be judged. The "dead"
means, therefore, all those who died before the destruction of the world, and
the "living" all those who were on earth when the time of its
destruction came. Or the
"living" may mean also those in a state of grace, and the "dead"
those in mortal sin; for God will judge both classes.
"Holy
Ghost:" i.e., the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. Ghost is an old word meaning spirit. When persons say that a ghost appeared, they
mean that the spirit of some dead person appeared. These stories about ghosts are told generally
to frighten children or timid persons.
If those who thought they saw a ghost always examined what they saw,
they would find that the supposed ghost was something very natural; probably a
bush swayed by the wind, or a stray animal, or perhaps some person trying to
frighten them. Ghost here does not mean
the spirit of a dead person, but the Holy Spirit, which is the proper name for
the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity.
"The
communion of saints:" There are three parts in the Church. We have, first, the Church Militant, i.e.,
the fighting Church, made up of all the faithful upon earth, who are still
fighting for their salvation. The Holy
Scripture tells us our life upon earth is a warfare. We have three enemies to fight. First, the devil, who by every means wishes to
keep us out of Heaven-the place he once enjoyed himself The devil knows well
the happiness of Heaven, and does not wish us to have what he cannot have
himself; just as you sometimes see persons who, through their own fault, have
lost their situation trying to keep others out of it.
Our second
enemy is the world. This does not mean
the earth with all its beauty and riches, but the bad people in the world with
their false doctrines; some telling us there is no God, Heaven, or Hell, others
that we should pay no attention to the teaching of the Church or the laws of
God, and advising us by word and example to resist our lawful superiors in
Church or State and give free indulgence to our sinful passions.
The third
enemy is our own flesh. By this we mean
our concupiscence, that is, our passions, evil inclinations, and propensity to
do wrong. When God first created man,
the soul was always master over the body, and the body obedient to the soul. After Adam sinned, the body rebelled against
the soul and tried to lead it into sin.
The body is the part of our nature that makes us like the brute animals,
while the soul makes us like to God and the angels.
When we sin,
it is generally to satisfy the body craving for what it has not, or for that which
is forbidden. Why did God leave this
concupiscence in us? He left it, first, to keep us humble, by reminding us of
our former sins, and, secondly, that we might overcome it and have a reward for
the victory.
The second
branch of the Church is called the Church Suffering. It is made up of all those who have gone
through this world and are now in Purgatory.
Some of them
while on earth fought well, but not as well as they could have done; they
yielded to some temptations, fell into some small sins, received some slight
wounds from their spiritual enemies, or they have not satisfied God entirely
for the temporal guilt due to their great sins; therefore they are in Purgatory
till they can be completely purified from all their sins and admitted into
Heaven.
The last or
third branch of the Church is called the Church Triumphant, and is made up of
the angels and all those who have lived at one time upon earth and who are now
in Heaven with God, enjoying their rewards for overcoming their spiritual
enemies and serving God while upon earth.
They are triumphant or rejoicing because they have reached their
heavenly home.
You must not
think that those only are saints who have been canonized by the Church and
whose names are known to us; for all in Heaven are saints, as we also shall be
if admitted into that happy eternity.
God wishes all to be saints, for He wishes all to be saved. You know we can pray to the saints and ask
their help and prayers; but how could we know that certain men or women are
really in Heaven? We can know it when
the Church canonizes them, and thus gives proof that they were great spiritual
heroes in the service of God and can be more confidently appealed to on account
of their eminent sanctity and powerful intercession.
Therefore the
Church by canonization tells us for certain that such and such persons are
truly in Heaven. But might not the
Church be deceived like ourselves?
No! for Christ
has promised to be always with His Church, and the Holy Ghost is ever directing
her, so that she cannot err in faith or morals.
If the Church made us pray to persons who are not saints, she would fall
into the worst of errors, and Our Lord would have failed to keep His promise-a saying
that would be blasphemous, for Christ, being God, is infinitely true and could
not deceive or be deceived. To canonize,
therefore, does not mean to make a saint, but to declare to the whole world
that such a one was a saint while upon earth.
After death we cannot merit, so our reward in Heaven will be just what
we have secured up till the moment of our death; hence holiness is acquired in
the Church Militant.
How does the
Church canonize a saint? Let us suppose
some good man dies, and all his neighbors talk about his holy fife, how much he
did for the poor, how he prayed, fasted, and mortified himself All these
accounts of his life are collected and sent to Rome, to the Holy Father or to
the cardinals appointed by him to examine such statements. These accounts must show that the good man
practiced virtue in a more than ordinary manner, that he either performed some
miracles while he lived, or that God granted miracles after his death through
his intercession.
These accounts
are not examined immediately after his death, but sometimes after a lapse of
fifty years or more, so that people might not exaggerate his good works because
they knew him personally.
When these
accounts are examined, one is appointed to prevent, if he can, the
canonization. He is sometimes called the
devil's advocate, because it is his business to find fault with all the
accounts and miracles, and prove them false if possible. This is done to make certain that all the
accounts are true and the miracles real.
If everything is found as represented, then the good man is declared
venerable, later beatified, i.e., called blessed, and still later canonized,
i.e., declared a saint. If he is only
beatified, he can be honored publicly only in certain places or by certain
persons; but if he is canonized, he can be honored throughout the whole Church
by all the faithful.
Thus we
understand the three branches of the one true Church-the Church Militant, i.e.,
all those who are on earth trying to save their souls; the Church Suffering,
those in Purgatory, having their souls purified for Heaven; and the Church
Triumphant, those already in Heaven.
The
"communion of saints:" means that these three branches of the Church
can help one another. We help the souls
in Purgatory by our prayers and good works, and the saints in Heaven pray for
us. But "communion of saints"
means still more. Let us take an
example. Suppose there are in a family,
living together, a mother and three sons.
The eldest son earns a large salary, the second son enough to support
himself, and the youngest very little.
They give their earnings to their mother, who from the combined amounts
provides for the wants of all and draws from the large salary of the eldest to
supply the needs of the youngest. Thus
he who has too little for his support is-through his mother-aided by the one
who has more than he needs. Now, the
Church is our mother, and some of her children-the great saints were rich in
good works and did more than was necessary to gain Heaven, while others did not
do enough. Then our mother, the Church,
draws from the abundant satisfaction of her rich children to help those who are
poor in merit and good works. The
greatest treasure she has to draw from for that purpose is the more than abundant
merits of Our Lord and the superabundant satisfaction of the Blessed Virgin and
the greatest saints. Our Lord could have
redeemed us all by the least suffering, and yet He suffered dreadful torments,
and even shed His blood and died for us.
The Blessed Virgin never sinned, yet she performed many good works and
offered many prayers. Therefore "communion of saints" means, also,
that we all share in the merits of Christ and in the superabundant satisfaction
of the Blessed Virgin and of the saints; also in the prayers and good works of
the Church and of her faithful and pious children.
"The
forgiveness of sins:" ie., by the Sacrament of Penance, through the power
that God gave His priests; also by Baptism.
"The
resurrection of the body:" i.e., on the last day (Matt. 24:29; Luke 21:25). When on the last day, at the general
judgment, God's angel sounds the great trumpet, all the dead will arise again
and come to judgment, in the same bodies they had while living. But you will say: If their bodies are reduced to ashes and
mixed with the earth, or if parts 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
have 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 example to illustrate 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 on earth 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 Archangel, 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. Amen.
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 Apostles, 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 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 "exceedingly," 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 9 't 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 offenses 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 Confiteor, 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.
AN ACT OF FAITH
O my God!
I firmly believe that Thou art one God in three divine persons, Father,
Son and Holy Ghost; I believe that Thy divine Son became man, and died for 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, Who 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 prayerbooks 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 almighty power and infinite goodness and promises, 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, by 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 my 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
brotherman 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 has spared us and afflicted him; we know not why God has
done so, and therefore 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.
AN ACT OF CONTRITION
O my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee,
and I detest all my sins, because 1 dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of
Hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and
deserving of all my love. I firmly
resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to
amend my life.
The substance
of this act is: O 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 live awhile
longer and give us strength to serve Him. How shameful it is, then, to turn
God's gifts into a means of offending 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
dinner, 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 deserved
to starve for his ingratitude? We 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
A catechism is
any book made up in question and answer 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 truths of our religion, of all we must believe and
do. It contains, in the simplest form,
all that a priest learns during 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 example, might we not write a book on
each of the first three questions-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 understand it; because
afterwards, when you read books on religion or hear sermons, all these
questions and answers will come back to your mind. Sermons will help you to understand the
questions, or the questions will help you to understand the sermons.
Lesson 1: ON THE END OF MAN
Question 1:
Who made the world?
Question 2:
Who is God?
Question 3:
What is man?
Question 4:
Is this likeness in the body or in the soul?
Question 5:
How is the soul like to God?
Question 6:
Why did God make you?
Question 7:
Of which must we take more care, our soul
or our body?
Question 8:
Why must we take more care of our soul
than of our body?
Question 9:
What must we do to save our souls?
Question 10:
How shall we know the things which we are
to believe?
Question 11:
Where shall we find the chief truths which
the Catholic Church teaches?
Question 12:
Say the Apostles' Creed.
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 fulfills 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 everything. 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 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 this world and in the next. Again, we read in the Bible (Gen. 1) that at
the creation of the world all things were made before man, and that he was
created last. Therefore, 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. Neither 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-some
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 differ 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.
Question 1: Who
made the world?
Answer: God
made the world.
Explanation: The
"world" here means more than the earth-more than
is shown on a map of the
world. It means everything that
we
can 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.
Question 2: Who
is God?
Answer: God
is the Creator of Heaven and earth, and of all things.
Question 3: What
is man?
Answer: Man
is a creature composed of a body and soul, and
made
to the image and likeness of God.
Explanation:
"Creature," i.e., a thing created. Man differs from
anything 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.
Question 4: Is
this likeness in the body or in the soul?
Answer: This
likeness is chiefly in the soul.
Question 5: How
is the soul like to God?
Answer: The
soul is like God because it is a spirit that will never
die,
and has understanding and free will.
Explanation: My
soul is like to God in four things.
Explanation: 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 electricity itself. Yet no
one denies the
existence of the wind or of electricity on account of their
being
invisible. Why then should anyone 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? 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.
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
consequences of his actions. He
not only knows what he
does,
but why he does it. This is the gift
that places man
high above the brute animals in the
order of creation; and
hence
man is not merely an animal, but he is 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
of
nests, generation after generation, without ever making
change 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. 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
Himself-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 injure myself. If I were not free I would not
deserve reward or punishment for my actions, for no one
is or
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 do
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 traveling, 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 (Dan.
6:16)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.
Question 6: Why
did God make you?
Answer: God
made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve
Him
in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in
the
next.
Explanation:
"To know" Him, because we 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 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, attributes,
and holy laws. The saints and angels in Heaven know
God
so well that they must love Him, and cannot
therefore offend Him.
Explanation: 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 loved 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?
Explanation:
Moreover, suppose you knew that person loved you
intensely, 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 a 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.
Explanation:
"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?
Question 7: Of
which must we take more care, our soul or our body?
Answer: We
must take more care of our soul than of our body.
Question 8: Why
must we take more care of our soul than of our
body.
Answer: We
must take more care of our soul than of our body,
because in losing our soul we lose God and everlasting
happiness.
Explanation: 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; for we cannot save the soul and lose the body;
they
will both be saved or both be lost.
Question 9: What
must we do to save our souls?
Answer: 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.
Explanation:
"Worship," that is, give Him divine honor. We honor
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 degrees 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 distinguish 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; hyperdulia, 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 anyone else in the
world, therefore by "charity."
Explanation: But
someone 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 offending 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
that
they may consecrate their lives to the special service
of
God in some religious community 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
know
that we love Him best? By our
determination never
to
offend Him for any person or thing in the world,
however dear to us, and by our readiness to obey and
serve
Him before all others.
Question 10: How
shall we know the things which we are to believe?
Answer: We
shall know the things which we are to believe from
the
Catholic Church, through which God speaks to us.
Explanation:
"Catholic Church" in this answer means the Pope,
councils, bishops, and priests who teach in the Church.
Question 11: Where
shall we find the chief truths which the Catholic
Church teaches?
Answer: We
shall find the chief truths which the Catholic Church
teaches in the Apostles' Creed.
Explanation:
"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
Conception 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.
Question 12: Say
the Apostles' Creed.
Answer: 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
Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the
forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the
life
everlasting. Amen.
Explanation:
"Descend" means to go down, and "ascend" to go up.
Lesson 2: ON GOD AND HIS PERFECTIONS
Question 13: What
is God?
Question 14: Had
God a beginning?
Question 15: Where
is God?
Question 16: If
God is everywhere, why do we not see Him?
Question 17: Does
God see us?
Question 18: Does
God know all things?
Question 19: Can
God do all things?
Question 20: Is
God just, holy, and merciful?
Explanation: A
"perfection" means a good quality.
We say a thing is
perfect when it has all the good qualities it should have.
Question 13: What
is God?
Answer: God is a spirit infinitely perfect.
Explanation:
"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.
Question 14: Had
God a beginning?
Answer: God
had no beginning; He always was and always will
be.
Explanation: Was
there ever a time when we could say there was no
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 when there was no God. We
may go
back
in 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 a mystery is will be explained in the
next lesson.
Question 15: Where
is God?
Answer: God
is everywhere.
Explanation:
"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 discharge a
great cannon in a city,
every
one of the inhabitants will hear the report; not in
such
a way that each hearer gets his share of the sound,
but
each hears the whole report, just as 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.
Question 16: If
God is everywhere, why do we not see Him?
Answer: We do
not see God because He is a pure spirit and cannot
be
seen with bodily eyes.
Explanation:
"Pure spirit," that is, not clothed with any material
body--spirit alone.
Question 17: Does
God see us?
Answer: God
sees us and watches over us.
Explanation:
"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. If a steam engine be
required to
work
ceaselessly, you cannot, after setting it in motion,
leave it henceforth entirely to
itsell 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.
Explanation: So
also God not only watches His creatures, but 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
seacoast. 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 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.
Question 18: Does
God know all things?
Answer: God
knows all things, even our most secret thoughts,
words, and actions.
Explanation:
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
watching me? Would I like them to
know that I am
thinking about things sinful, and preparing to do shameful
acts? No! Why then should I 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, could 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.
Question 19: Can
God do all things?
Answer: God can do all things, and nothing is hard
or impossible
to
Him.
Question 20: Is
God just, holy, and merciful?
Answer: God
is all just, all holy, all merciful, as He is infinitely
perfect.
Explanation:
"All just'--that is, most just.
"Just" means to give to
everyone what belongs to him-to reward if it is merited or
to
punish if it is deserved. "Holy" that is, good.
"Merciful" 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
anything between ten and
five
years. The judge could give him the full
ten years
that
the law allows and be just. But suppose
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
offense, or that he heard the prisoner's mother, who was
old
and infirm, pleading for him and saying he was her
only
support; or other extenuating circumstances that
could
awaken sympathy: the judge might be
merciful and
sentence him for the shortest term the law allows. But if
the
judge dismissed every prisoner, no matter how guilty,
without 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 wicked-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, or powerful.
Explanation: Now
He has promised to punish sin; and since He is
infinitely true, He must keep His
promise.
Lesson 3: ON THE UNITY AND
TRINITY OF GOD
Question 21: Is
there but one God?
Question 22: Why
can there be but one God?
Question 23: How
many persons are there in God?
Question 24: Is
the Father God?
Question 25: Is
the Son God?
Question 26: Is
the Holy Ghost God?
Question 27: What
do you mean by the Blessed Trinity?
Question 28: Are
the three Divine Persons equal in all things?
Question 29: Are
the three Divine Persons one and the same God?
Question 30: Can
we fully understand how the three Divine Persons
are
one and the same God?
Question 31: What
is a mystery?
Explanation:
"Unity" means to be one, and "Trinity," three in
one.
Question 21: Is
there but one God?
Answer: Yes;
there is but one God.
Question 22: Why
can there be but one God?
Answer: There
can be but one God because God, being supreme
and
infinite, cannot have an equal.
Explanation:
"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. You could not have two
persons chief
For
example, you could not have two chief generals in an
army;
two presidents 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.
Question 23: How
many persons are there in God?
Answer: In
God there are three divine persons really distinct and
equal
in all things-the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Ghost.
Explanation:
"Distinct," not mingled together. We call the first and
second persons Father and Son, because the second is
begotten by the first person, and not to indicate that there
is
any difference 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.
Question 24: Is
the Father God?
Answer: The
Father is God and the first Person of the Blessed
Trinity.
Question 25: Is
the Son God?
Answer: The
Son is God and the second Person of the Blessed
Trinity.
Question 26: Is
the Holy Ghost God?
Answer: The
Holy Ghost is God and the third Person of the
Blessed Trinity.
Question 27: What
do you mean by the Blessed Trinity?
Answer: By
the Blessed Trinity I mean one God in three Divine
Persons.
Question 28: Are
the three Divine Persons equal in all things?
Answer: The
three Divine Persons are equal in all things.
Question 29: Are
the three Divine Persons one and the same God?
Answer: The
three Divine Persons are one and the same God,
having one and the same divine nature and substance.
Explanation:
Though they are one and the same, we sometimes
attribute 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.
Question 30: Can
we fully understand how the three Divine Persons
are one and the same God?
Answer: We
cannot fully understand how the three Divine Persons
are
one and the same God, because this is a mystery.
Explanation:
"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.
Question 31: What
is a mystery?
Answer: A
mystery is a truth which we cannot fully understand.
"A truth," that is, a revealed truth-one made known to us
by
God or His Church. It is a truth which
we must
believe though we cannot understand it. Let us take an
example. When a boy goes to
school he is taught that the
earth
is round like an orange and revolving in two ways,
one
causing 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.
Explanation: Now
he may say: how can the earth be round
if deep
valleys, high mountains, and level plains prove to my
senses the 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 has 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 not
understand on the authority of men, why
should we not
believe 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 wisdom of God.
This is the mistake
unbelievers make when they wish to understand with their
limited intelligence the boundless knowledge and
mysterious ways of God, and when they
cannot
understand refuse to believe. Are
they not extremely
foolish? Would you not ridicule
the boy who refuses to
believe that the earth is round and moving because he
cannot understand it? As he grows
older and learns more
he
will comprehend it better; so we, when we leave this
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.
Explanation: So if
we refuse to believe everything we do not
understand, we shall soon believe very little and make
ourselves ridiculous.
Lesson 4: ON CREATION
Question 32: Who
created Heaven and earth, and all things?
Question 33: How
did God create Heaven and earth?
Question 34: Which
are the chief creatures of God?
Question 35: What
are angels?
Question 36: Were
the angels created for any other purpose?
Question 37: Were
the angels, as God created them, good and happy?
Question 38: Did
all the angels remain good and happy?
Explanation: This
lesson treats of God bringing everything into
existence. The chief things
created may be classed as
follows:
Explanation: The
things that simply exist, as rocks, and minerals-gold,
silver, iron, etc. Things that exist, grow, and live like
plants and trees. Things that grow, live, and feel, like
animals. Things that grow, live, feel, and understand, like
men.
Explanation:
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.
Question 32: Who
created Heaven and earth, and all things?
Answer: God
created Heaven and earth, and all things.
Explanation:
"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.
Question 33: How
did God create Heaven and earth?
Answer: God created Heaven and earth from nothing, by
His word
only;
that is, by a single act of His all-powerful will.
Question 34: Which
are the chief creatures of God?
Answer: The
chief creatures of God are angels and men.
Question 35: What
are angels?
Answer:
Angels are pure spirits without a body, created to adore
and
enjoy God in Heaven.
Explanation:
"Angels" are not the same as saints. Saints are those who
at
one time lived upon the earth as we do, and who on
account 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.
Explanation: 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
Archangel Michael who
drove
Lucifer from Heaven and the Archangel 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
signifies
messenger.
Question 36: Were
the angels created for any other purpose?
Answer: 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.
Explanation: 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 spiritual and temporal. How
unfortunate
then
must one be to cause him to return to Heaven with
sad
complaints to God; such as: "The
one whom I have
in
charge will not obey Thy laws or use the grace 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.
Explanation: Now,
how do we know that the angels offer our prayers
and
good works to God? We know it from the beautiful
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. Anyone 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.
Explanation: 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 to be his guide and he
consented, and he brought Tobias to the distant 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
flesh
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 works while
he
was burying the dead.
Explanation: When
they heard he was 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 (Gen. 28) in the history 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 taking 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.
Explanation: Again
(Gen. 19) 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 2). 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 punish men for their sins, as the angel
who
killed in one night 185,000 men in the army of the
wicked king, Sennacherib, who blasphemed God, and
was
endeavoring to destroy Jerusalem, God's city. (4
Kgs.
19).
Explanation: 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
necessary. 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 satisfied, 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.
Question 37: Were
the angels, as God created them, good and happy?
Answer: The
angels as God created them were good and happy.
Question 38: Did
all the angels remain good and happy?
Answer: 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.
Explanation: God
did not admit the angels into His presence at once.
He
placed them for awhile on probation, as He did our
first
parents.
Explanation: 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, became 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 who accompanied him in
his
fall, devils, or fallen angels.
Lesson 5: ON OUR FIRST PARENTS
AND THEIR FALL
Question 39: Who
were the first man and woman?
Question 40: Were
Adam and Eve innocent and holy when they came
from
the hand of God?
Question 41: Did
God give any command to Adam and Eve?
Question 42: Which
were the chief blessings intended for Adam and
Eve,
had they remained faithful to God?
Question 43: Did
Adam and Eve remain faithful to God?
Question 44: What
befell Adam and Eve on account of their sin?
Question 45: What
evil befell us on account of the disobedience of our
first
parents?
Question 46: What
other effects followed from the sin of our first
parents?
Question 47: What
is the sin called which we inherit from our first
parents?
Question 48: Why
is this sin called original?
Question 49: Does
this corruption of our nature remain in us after
Original
Sin is forgiven?
Question 50: Was
anyone ever preserved from Original Sin?
Question 39: Who
were the first man and woman?
Answer: The
first man and woman were Adam and Eve.
Explanation: In
the beginning God created all things; something
particular on each of the six days of Creation. (Gen. 1).
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.
Question 40: Were
Adam and Eve innocent and holy when they came
from
the hand of God?
Answer: Adam
and Eve were innocent and holy when they came
from
the hand of God.
Explanation: 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.
Question 41: Did
God give any command to Adam and Eve?
Answer: To
try their obedience God commanded Adam and Eve
not
to eat of a certain fruit which grew in the garden of
Paradise.
Explanation: He
told them (Gen. 2) they could take of all the fruits in
the
garden except the fruit of one tree, and if they
disobeyed 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 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 consideration 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. Someone
might say: "Why did
God
not try their obedience by one of the Ten
Commandments?" Let us examine them.
"Remember the
Sabbath." That one would be unnecessary: for every day
was
Sabbath with them; the only work was to praise and
serve
God. "Thou shalt not steal!' They
could not;
everything was theirs; and so for the other
Commandments. Therefore, God gave
them a simple
command telling them: If you
obey, you and all your
posterity will be happy; every wish will be gratified,
neither
sorrow nor affliction shall come upon you and
you
shall never die; but if, on the contrary, you disobey,
countless evils, misery and death will be your
punishment. The earth, now so
fruitful, shall bring forth
no
crops without cultivation, and after years of toil the
dead
bodies of yourselves and children must lie buried in
its
soil. So having the gift of free will
they could take
their
choice, and either keep His command and be happy,
or
disobey Him and be miserable.
Question 42: Which
were the chief blessings intended for Adam and
Eve,
had they remained faithful to God?
Answer: The
chief blessings intended for Adam and Eve, had they
remained faithful to God, were a constant state of
happiness in this life and everlasting glory in the next.
Explanation: Our
first parents and their children were not to remain in
the garden of Paradise forever, but were,
after spending
their
allotted time of trial or probation upon earth, to be
taken
body and soul into Heaven without being obliged to
die.
Question 43: Did
Adam and Eve remain faithful to God?
Answer: Adam
and Eve did not remain faithful to God, but broke
His
commandment by eating the forbidden fruit.
Explanation: As it
is told in the Bible (Gen. 3), Eve went to the
forbidden tree and was standing looking at it, when the
devil
came in the form of a serpent and, tempting, told
her
to take some of the fruit and eat. It
does not appear
that
she went and tasted the fruit of all the other trees and
finally came to this one, but rather that she went directly
to
the forbidden tree first. Do we not
sometimes imitate
Eve's
conduct? As soon as we know a certain
thing is
forbidden we are more strongly tempted to try it.
Explanation: See,
then, what caused Eve's sin. She went
into the
dangerous occasion, and was admiring the forbidden fruit
when
the tempter came. She listened to him,
yielded to
his wicked suggestions, and
sinned. So will it be with us
if
through curiosity we desire to see or hear things
forbidden; for once in the danger the devil will soon be
on
hand to tempt us-not visibly indeed, for that would
alarm
us and defeat his purpose, but invisibly, like our
guardian angels; for the devil is a fallen angel who still
possesses all the characteristics of an angel except
goodness. But this is not all. Eve not only took and ate
the
fruit herself, but induced Adam to do likewise.
Most
sinners imitate Eve in that respect.
Not satisfied with
offending God themselves, they lead others into sin.
Explanation: Why
should the devil tempt us? God created
man to be
in
Heaven, but the fallen angels were jealous of man, and
tempted him to sin so that he too should be kept out of
Heaven and might never enjoy what they lost; just as
envious people do not wish others to have what they
cannot have themselves.
Question 44: What
befell Adam and Eve on account of their sin?
Answer: Adam
and Eve on account of their sin lost innocence and
holiness, and were doomed to sickness and death.
Explanation: They
were innocent and holy because they were the
friends of God and in a state of grace, but by their sin
they
lost His grace and friendship. "Doomed" means
sentenced or condemned. The first
evil result, then, of
Adam's sin was that he lost innocence and made his body
a
rebel against his soul. Then he was to
suffer poverty,
hunger, cold, sickness, death, and every kind of ill; but
the
worst consequence of all was that God closed Heaven
against him. After a few years'
trial, as we said, God
was
to take him into Heaven; but now He has closed it
against Adam and his posterity.
All the people in the
world
could never induce God to open it again; for He
closed it in accordance with His promise, and man was an
exile and outcast from his heavenly home.
Question 45: What
evil befell us on account of the disobedience of our
first
parents?
Answer: On
account of the disobedience of our first parents we all
share
in their sin and punishment, as we should have
shared in their happiness if they had remained faithful.
Explanation: Does
it not seem strange that we should suffer for the sin
of
our first parents, when we had nothing to do with it?
No.
It happens every day that children suffer for the
faults of their parents and we do not wonder at it. Let us
suppose a man's father leaves him a large fortune-houses,
land,
and money-and that he and his children are happy
in
the enjoyment of their inheritance. The
children are
sent
to the best schools, have everything they desire now,
and
bright hopes of happiness and prosperity in the
future.
But alas! their hopes are vain.
The father begins
to
drink or gamble, and soon the great fortune is
squandered. House after house is
sold and dollar after
dollar spent, till absolute poverty comes upon the
children, and the sad condition of their home tells of their
distress. Do they not suffer for
the sins of their father,
though they had nothing to do with them?
Indeed, many
families in the world suffer thus through the faults of
others, and most frequently of some of their members.
Could
you blame the grandfather for leaving the estate?
Certainly not; for it was goodness on his part that made
him
give. Let us apply this example. What God gave
Adam
was to be ours also, and he squandered and
misused it because he had free will, which God could not
take
from him without changing his nature; for it is our
free
will and intelligence that make us men, distinct from
and
superior to all other animals. They can
live, grow,
feel,
hear, see, etc., as we can, but the want of
intelligence and free will leaves them mere brutes.
Therefore, if God took away Adam's intelligence and free
will,
He would have made him a mere animal-though the
most
perfect.
Explanation: When
a man becomes insane or loses the use of his
intelligence and free will, we place him in an asylum and
take
care of him as we would a tame animal, seldom
allowing him to go about without being watched and
guarded.
Explanation: Let
us take another example. Suppose I have
a friend
who
is addicted to the excessive drinking of strong liquor,
and I
say to him: "If you give up that
detestable habit for
one
year, I will make you a present of this beautiful
house
worth several thousand dollars. It will
be yours as
long
as you live, and at your death you may leave it to
your
children. I do not owe you anything, but
offer this
as a free gift if you comply with my
request:' My friend
accepts the offer on these conditions, but the very next
day
deliberately breaks his promise. I do
not give him
the
house, because he did not keep his agreement; and
can
anyone say on that account that I am unjust or unkind
to
him or his children? Certainly not. Well, God acted
in
the same manner with Adam. He promised
him
Heaven, a home more beautiful than any earthly palace
the
place Our Lord calls His father's house (John 14:2)
and
says there are many mansions, that is, dwelling
places, in it. God promised this
home to Adam on
condition that he would observe one simple
command.
He
had no right to Heaven, but was to receive it,
according to the promise, as a free gift from God, and
therefore God, who offered it conditionally, was not
obliged to give it when Adam violated his part of the
agreement.
Explanation: The
example is not a perfect one, for there is this
difference in the cases between Adam and my friend:
when
my friend does not get the house, he sustains a
loss,
it is true; but he might still be my friend as he was
before, and live in my house; but when Adam lost
Heaven, he lost God's friendship and grace, and the loss
of
all grace is to be in sin. So that Adam
by breaking the
command was left in sin; and as all his children sustain
the
same loss, they too are all left in sin till they are
baptized.
Question 46: What
other effects followed from the sin of our first
parents?
Answer: Our
nature was corrupted by the sin of our first parents,
which
darkened our understanding, weakened our will,
and
left us a strong inclination to evil.
Explanation: Our
"nature was corrupted" is what I have said of the
body
rebelling against the soul. Our
"understanding
darkened:" Adam knew much more without study than
the most
intelligent men could learn now with constant
application. Before his fall he
saw things clearly and
understood them well, but after his sin everything had to
be
learned by the slow process of study.
Then the "will
was
weakened:" Before he fell he could easily resist
temptation, for his will was strong.
You know we sin by
the
will, because unless we wish to do the evil we commit
no
sin; and if absolutely forced by others to do wrong,
we
are free from the guilt as long as our will despises and
protests against the action. If
forced, for example, to
break
my neighbor's window, I have not to answer in my
conscience for the unjust act, because my will did not
consent. So, on every occasion on
which we sin, it is the
will
that yields to the temptation. After
Adam's sin his
will
became weak and less able to resist temptation; and
as we
are sharers in his misfortune, we find great
difficulty at times in overcoming sinful inclinations. But
no
matter how violent the temptation or how prolonged
and fierce the struggle against it, we can
always be
victorious if determined not to yield; for God gives us
sufficient grace to resist every temptation; and if anyone
should excuse his fall by saying he could not help
sinning, he would be guilty of falsehood.
Explanation:
"A strong inclination" to do wrong-that is, unless always
on
our guard against it. Our Lord once
cautioned His
Apostles (Matt. 26:41) to watch and pray lest they fall
into
temptation; teaching us also by the same warning
that,
besides praying against our spiritual enemies, we
must
watch their maneuvers and be ever ready to repel
their
attacks.
Question 47: What
is the sin called which we inherit from our first
parents?
Answer: The
sin which we inherit from our first parents is called
Original Sin.
Question 48: Why
is this sin called original?
Answer: This
sin is called original because it comes down to us
from
our first parents, and we are brought into the world
with
its guilt on our souls.
Question 49: Does
this corruption of our nature remain in us after
Original Sin is forgiven?
Answer: This
corruption of our nature and other punishments
remain in us after Original Sin is forgiven.
Explanation: It
remains that we may merit by overcoming its
temptations;
and also that we may be kept humble by
remembering our former sinful and unhappy state.
Question 50: Was
anyone ever preserved from Original Sin?
Answer: The
Blessed Virgin Mary, through the merits of her
divine Son, was preserved free from the
guilt of Original
Sin,
and this privilege is called her Immaculate
Conception.
Explanation: The
Blessed Virgin was to be the Mother of the Son of
God. Now it would not be proper
for the Mother of God
to be
even for one moment the servant of the devil, or
under
his power. If the Blessed Virgin had
been in
Original Sin, she would have been in the service of the
devil.
Whatever disgraces a mother disgraces also her
son;
so Our Lord would never permit His dear Mother to
be
subject to the devil, and consequently He, through His
merits, saved her from Original Sin. She is the only one
of
the whole human race who enjoys this great privilege,
and
it is called her "Immaculate Conception," that is, she
was
conceived-brought into existence by her
mother-without having any spot or stain of sin upon her
soul,
and hence without Original Sin.
Explanation: Our
Lord came into the world to crush the power which
the
devil had exercised over men from the fall of Adam.
This
He did by meriting grace for them and giving them
this
spiritual help to withstand the devil in all his attacks
upon
them. As the Blessed Mother was never
under the
devil's power, next to God she has the greatest strength
against him, and she will help us to resist him if we seek
her
aid. The devil himself knows her power
and fears
her,
and if he sees her coming to our assistance will
quickly fly. Never fail, then, in
time of temptation to call
upon
our Blessed Mother; she will hear and help you and
pray
to God for you.
Lesson 6: ON SIN AND ITS KINDS
Question 51: Is
Original Sin the only kind of sin?
Question 52: What
is actual sin?
Question 53: How
many kinds of actual sin are there?
Question 54: What
is mortal sin?
Question 55: Why
is this sin called mortal?
Question 56: How
many things are necessary to make a sin mortal?
Question 57: What
is venial sin?
Question 58: Which
are the effects of venial sin?
Question 59: Which
are the chief sources of sin?
Question 51: Is
Original Sin the only kind of sin?
Answer:
Original Sin is not the only kind of sin; there is another
kind
of sin which we commit ourselves, called actual sin.
Explanation: Sin
is first or chiefly divided into original and actual; that
is,
into the sin we inherit from our first parents and the
sin
we commit ourselves. We may commit
"actual" sin
in
two ways; either by doing what we should not
do-stealing, for example-and thus we have a sin of
commission, that is, a bad act committed; or by not doing
what we should do-not hearing Mass on
Sunday, for
example-and thus we have a sin of omission, that is, a
good
act omitted. So it is not enough to simply do no
harm,
we must also do some good. Heaven is a
reward,
and
we must do something to merit it.
Suppose a man
employed a boy to do the work of his office, and when
he
came in the morning found that the boy had neglected
the
work assigned to him, and when spoken to about it
simply answered: "Sir, I did
no harm"; do you think he
would
be entitled to his wages? Of course he did not and
should do no harm; but is his employer to pay him wages
for
that? Certainly not. In like manner, God is not going
to
reward us for doing no harm; but on the contrary, He
will
punish us if we do wrong, and give no reward unless
we
perform the work He has marked out for us.
Neither
would
the office boy deserve any wages if he did only
what
pleases himself, and not the work assigned by his
master. In the same way, God will
not accept any
worship or religion but the one He has revealed. He tells
us
Himself how He wishes to be worshipped, and our
own
invented methods will not please Him. Hence we see
the
folly of those who say that all religions are equally
good, and that we can be saved by
practicing any of
them. We can be saved only in the
one religion which
God
Himself has instituted, and by which He wishes to be
honored. Many also foolishly
believe, or say they
believe, that if they are honest, sober, and the like, doing
no
injury to anyone, they shall be saved without the
practice of any form of religious worship. But how about
God's
laws and commands? Are they to be
despised,
disregarded, and neglected entirely, without any fear of
punishment? Surely not! And persons who thus think
they
are doing no harm are neglecting to serve God-the
greatest harm they can do, and for which
they will lose
Heaven. God, we are told,
assigned to everyone in this
world
a certain work to perform in a particular state of
life,
and this work is called "vocation." One, for instance,
is to
be a priest; another, a layman; one married; another
single, etc. It is important for
us to discover our true
vocation; for if we are in the state of life to which God
has called us, we shall be happy; but if we
select our own
work,
our own state of life without consulting Him, we
shall
seldom be happy in it. How are we to
know our
vocation? Chiefly by praying to
God and asking Him to
make
it known to us. Then if He gives us a
strong
inclination-constant, or nearly constant-for a certain state
of
life, and the ability to fulfill its duties, we may well
believe that God wishes us to be in that state.
Explanation: After
we have begged God's assistance, we must ask our
confessor's advice in the matter, and listen attentively to
what
the Holy Ghost inspires him to say. The signs of our
vocation are, therefore, as stated:
first, a strong desire,
and
second, an aptitude for the state to which we believe
we
are called. For example, a young man
might be very
holy,
but if unable to learn, he could never be a priest.
Another might be very learned and holy, but if too sickly
to
perform a priest's duties, he could not, or at least
would
not, be ordained. Another might be learned and
healthy, but not virtuous, and so he
could never be a
priest. Aptitude, therefore,
means all the qualities
necessary, whether of mind, or soul, or body. The same
is
true for a young girl who wishes to become a religious;
and
the same, indeed, for any person's vocation.
We
should never enter a state of life to which we are not
called, simply to please parents or others. Neither should
we be
persuaded by them to give up a state to which we
are
called; for we should embrace our true vocation at
any
sacrifice, that in it we may serve God better, and be
more
certain of saving our souls. Thus,
parents and
guardians who prevent their children from entering the
state
to which they are called may sin grievously by
exposing them to eternal loss of salvation. Their sin is all
the
greater when they try to influence their children in
this
matter for selfish or worldly motives.
As they may
be
selfish and prejudiced without knowing it, they too,
should ask the advice of their confessor, and good
persons of experience. Oh! how many children, sons and
daughters, are made unhappy all the days of their life by
parents or superiors forcing them into some state to which
they
were not called, or by keeping them from one to
which
they were called. This matter of your
vocation
rests
with yourselves and Almighty God, and you are free
to do
what He directs without consideration for anyone.
Question 52: What
is actual sin?
Answer:
Actual sin is any willful thought, word, deed, or omission
contrary to the law of God.
Explanation: Three
ways we may sin, by "thought"--allowing our
minds
to dwell on sinful things; "word"--by cursing,
telling lies, etc.; "deed"--by any kind of bad action. But
to be
sins, these thoughts, words and deeds must be
willful; that is, we must fully know what we are doing,
and
be free in doing it. Then they must be
"contrary to
the
law of God"; that is, violate some law He commands
us to
obey, whether it be a law He gave directly Himself,
or
through His Church. We can also violate
God's law
by neglecting to observe it, and thus
sin, provided the
neglect be willful, and the thing neglected commanded by
God
or by His Church.
Question 53: How
many kinds of actual sin are there?
Answer: There
are two kinds of actual sin-mortal and venial.
Explanation:
"Mortal," that is, the sin which kills the soul. When a
man
receives a very severe wound, we say he is mortally
wounded; that is, he will die from the wound. As breath
shows
there is life in the body, so grace is the life of the
soul;
when all the breath is out of the body, we say the
man
is dead. He can perform no action to
help himself
or
others. So when all grace is out of the
soul we say it
is
dead, because it is reduced to the condition of a dead
body.
It can do no action worthy of merit, such as a soul
should do; that is, it can do no action that God is bound
to
reward-it is dead. But you will say the
soul never
dies. You mean it will never
cease to exist; but we call
it
dead when it has lost all its power to do supernatural
good.
Explanation:
"Venial" sin does not drive out all the grace; it wounds
the
soul, it weakens it just as slight wounds weaken the
body. If it falls very frequently
into venial sin, it will fall
very
soon into mortal sin also; for the Holy Scripture says
that
he that contemneth small things shall fall by little and
little. (Ecclus. 19:1). A venial
sin seems a little thing,
but
if we do not avoid it we shall by degrees fall into
greater, or mortal, sin. Venial
sin makes God less
friendly to us and displeases Him.
Now if we really love
God,
we will not displease Him even in the most trifling
things.
Question 54: What is
mortal sin?
Answer:
Mortal sin is a grievous offense against the law of God.
Explanation:
"Grievous" that is, very great or serious. "Against the
law." If we are in doubt whether anything is sinful or not,
we must
ask ourselves: is it forbidden by God or
His
Church? and if we do not know of any law forbidding it,
it
cannot be a sin, at least for us.
Explanation:
Suppose, for example, a boy should doubt whether it is
sinful or not to fly a kite. Well, is there any law of God
or of
His Church saying it is sinful to fly a kite?
If not,
then
it cannot be a sin. But it might be
sinful for another
reason, namely, his parents or superiors might forbid it,
and
there is a law of God saying you must not disobey
your
parents or superiors. Therefore a thing
not sinful in
itself, that is, not directly forbidden by God or His
Church, may become sinful for some other
reason well
known
to us.
Explanation: We
must not, however, doubt concerning the sinfulness
or
lawfulness of everything we do; for that would be
foolish and lead us to be scrupulous.
If we doubt at all
we
should have some good reason for doubting, that is,
for
believing that the thing we are about to do is or is not
forbidden. When, therefore, we
have such a doubt we
must
seek information from those who can enlighten us
on
the subject, so that we may act without the danger of
sinning. It is our intention that makes the act we perform
sinful or not. Let me explain. Suppose during Lent a
person should mistake Friday for Thursday and should eat
meat-that person would not commit a real sin, because it
is
not a sin to eat meat on an ordinary Thursday.
He
would commit what we call a material sin;
that is, his
action would be a sin if he really knew what he was
doing. On the other hand, if the
person, thinking it was
Friday when it was really Thursday, ate meat, knowing
it to
be forbidden, that person would commit a mortal sin,
because he intended to do so.
Therefore, if what we do
is
not known to be a sin while we do it, it is no sin for us
and
cannot become a sin afterwards. But as
soon as we
know
or learn that what we did was wrong, it would be
a sin
if we did the same thing again. In the
same way,
everything we do thinking it to be wrong or sinful is
wrong and sinful for us, though it
may not be wrong for
those
who know better. Again, it is sinful to
judge others
for
doing wrong, because they may not know that what
they
do is sinful. It would be better for us
to instruct
than
to blame them. The best we can do,
therefore, is to
learn
well all God's laws and the laws of His Church as
they
are taught in the catechism, so that we may know
when we are violating them or when we are not,
i.e.,
when
we are sinning and when we are not.
Question 55: Why
is this sin called mortal?
Answer: This
sin is called mortal because it deprives us of spiritual
life,
which is sanctifying grace. and brings everlasting
death
and damnation on the soul.
Explanation: When
the soul is sent to Hell it is dead forever, because
never
again will it be able to do a single meritorious act.
Question 56: How
many things are necessary to make a sin mortal?
Answer: To
make a sin mortal three things are necessary:
a
grievous matter, sufficient reflection, and full consent of
the
will.
Explanation:
"Grievous matter." To steal is a sin. Now, if you steal
only
a pin the act of stealing in that case could not be a
mortal sin, because the "matter," namely, the stealing of
an
ordinary pin, is not grievous. But suppose
it was a
diamond pin of great value, then it would surely be
"grievous matter." "Sufficient reflection," that is,
you
must
know what you are doing at the time you do it.
For
example, suppose while you stole the diamond pin you
thought you were stealing a pin with a small piece of
glass, of little value, you would not have sufficient
reflection and would not commit a mortal sin till you
found out that what you had stolen was a
valuable
diamond; if you continued to keep it after learning your
mistake, you would surely commit a mortal sin. "Full
consent:' Suppose you were shooting at a target and
accidentally killed a man: you
would not have the sin of
murder, because you did not will or wish to kill a man.
Explanation:
Therefore three things are necessary that your act may be
a
mortal sin:
Explanation: The
act you do must be bad, and sufficiently important;
You
must reflect that you are doing it, and know that it
is
wrong; You must do it freely, deliberately, and
willfully.
Question 57: What
is venial sin?
Answer:
Venial sin is a slight offense against the law of God in
matters of less importance, or in matters of great
importance it is an offense committed without sufficient
reflection or full consent of the will.
Explanation:
"Slight ' " that is, a small offense or fault; called
"venial," not because it is not a sin, but because God
pardons it more willingly or easily than He does a mortal
sin. "Less importance;" like stealing an
ordinary,
common pin. "Great
importance;' like stealing a
diamond pin. Without
"reflection" or "consent," when
you
did not know it was a diamond and did not intend to
steal a diamond.
Question 58: Which
are the effects of venial sin?
Answer: The
effects of venial sin are the lessening of the love of
God
in our heart, the making us less worthy of His help,
and
the weakening of the power to resist mortal sin.
Explanation:
"Lessening of the love;" because it lessens grace, and
grace
increases the love of God in us. It
displeases God,
and
though we do not offend Him very greatly, we still
offend Him. "Weakening of the power to resist:' If a man
is
wounded, it will be easier to kill him than if he is in
perfect health.
Explanation: So
mortal sin will more easily kill a soul already
weakened by the wounds of venial sin.
Question 59: Which
are the chief sources of sin?
Answer: The
chief sources of sin are seven: Pride,
Covetousness,
Lust,
Anger, Gluttony, Envy, and Sloth; and they are
commonly
called capital sins.
Explanation: A
"source" is that from which anything else comes. The
source of a river is the little spring on the Mountainside
where
the river first begins. This little stream runs down
the mountain, and as it goes along
gathers strength and
size
from other little streams running into it.
It cuts its
way
through the meadows, and marks the course and is
the
beginning of a great river, sweeping all things before
it
and carrying them off to the ocean. Now,
if someone
in
the beginning had stopped up the little spring on the
mountain-the first source of the river-there would have
been no river in that particular place. It is just the same
with
sin. There is one sin that is the
source, and as it
goes
along like the stream it gathers strength; other sins
follow it and are united with it.
Again: each of these
"capital sins," as they are called, is like a leader or a
captain in an army, with so many others under him and
following him. Now, if you take
away the head, the
other
members of the body will perish; so if you destroy
the
capital sin, the other sins that follow it will disappear
also. Very few persons have all
the capital sins: some
are
guilty of one of them, some of two, some of three,
but
few if any are guilty of them all. The
one we are
guilty of, and which is the cause of all our other sins, is
called our predominant sin or our ruling passion. We
should try to find it out, and labor to overcome it.
Explanation: Every
one of these capital sins has a great many other
sins
following it.
Explanation:
"Pride" is an inordinate self-esteem. Pride comes under
the
First Commandment; because by thinking too much
of
ourselves we neglect God, and give to ourselves the
honor
due to Him. Of what have we to be
proud? Of
our
personal appearance? Disease may efface
in one
night
every trace of beauty. Of our clothing?
It is not
ours;
we have not produced it; most of it is taken from
the
lower animals-wool from the sheep, leather from the
ox,
feathers from the bird, etc. Are we
proud of our
wealth, money or property? These
may be stolen or
destroyed by fire. The learned
may become insane, and
so we
have nothing to be proud of but our good works.
All
that we have is from God, and we can have it only as
long
as He wishes. We had nothing coming into
the
world, and we leave it with nothing but the shroud in
which
we are buried; and even this does not go with the
soul,
but remains with the body to rot in the earth.
Soon
after
death our bodies become so offensive that even our
dearest friends hasten to place them under ground, where
they
become the food of worms, a mass of corruption
loathsome to sight and smell.
Why, then, should we be
so
proud of this body, and commit so much sin for it,
pamper it with every delicacy, only to be the food of
worms? This does not mean,
however, that we are not to
keep
our bodies clean, and take good care of them.
We
are
bound to do so, and could not neglect it without
committing sin. The one thing to
be avoided is taking too
much
care of them, and neglecting our soul and God on
their
account. The followers of pride
are: conceit,
hypocrisy, foolish display in dress or conduct, harshness
to
others, waste of time on ourselves, etc.
"Covetousness," the same as avarice, greed, etc., is an
inordinate desire for worldly goods. "Inordinate;" because
it is
not avarice to prudently provide for the future either
for
ourselves or others. Covetousness comes
under the
Tenth
Commandment, and is forbidden by it. We must be
content with what we have or can get honestly. The
followers of covetousness are:
Want of charity, dishonest
dealing, theft, etc. "Lust" is the desire for sins of
the
flesh; for impure thoughts, words, or actions. It comes
under
the Sixth and Ninth Commandments, and includes
all
that is forbidden by those Commandments.
It is the
habit
of always violating, or of desiring to violate, the
Sixth
and Ninth Commandments. Lust and
impurity
mean
the same thing. The followers of lust
are,
generally, neglect of prayer, neglect of the Sacraments,
and
final loss of faith.
Explanation:
"Anger" comes under the Fifth Commandment. It is
followed by hatred, the desire of revenge, etc.
Explanation:
"Gluttony" is the sin of eating or drinking too much.
With
regard to eating, it is committed by eating too often;
by
being too particular about what we eat, by being too
extravagant in always looking for the most costly things,
that
we think others cannot have. With regard
to
drinking, it is generally committed by taking too much of
intoxicating liquors. The
drunkard is a glutton and
commits the sin of gluttony every time he becomes
intoxicated. Gluttony, especially
in drink, comes in a
manner under the First Commandment, because by
depriving ourselves of our reason we cannot give God the
honor
and respect which is His due. Think of
how many
sins
the drunkard commits. He becomes
intoxicated,
which
in itself is a sin. He deprives himself
of the use of
reason, abuses God's great gift, and becomes like a brute
beast. Indeed in a way he becomes
worse than a beast;
for
beasts always follow the laws that God has given to
their
nature, and never drink to excess. They
obey God,
and
man is the only one of God's creatures that does not
always keep His laws. Think too
of the number of insane
persons confined in asylums, who would give all in this
world
for the use of their reason, if they could only
understand their miserable condition.
Yet the drunkard
abuses the gift that would make these poor unfortunate
lunatics happy. Again, the
drunkard injures his health
and
thus violates the Fifth Commandment by committing
a kind of slow suicide. He loses self-respect, makes use
of
sinful language; frequently neglects Mass and all his
religious duties, exposes himself to the danger of death
while
in a state of sin, gives scandal to his family and
neighbors, and by his bad example causes some to leave
or
remain out of the true Church. By
continued
intemperance, he may become insane and remain in that
condition till death puts an end to his career and he goes
unprepared before the judgment seat of God. Besides all
this
he squanders the money he should put to a better use
and
turns God's gifts into a means of offending Him. If
a
father, he neglects the children and wife for whom he
has
promised to provide; leaves them cold and hungry
while
he commits sin with the means that would make
them
comfortable. Drunkenness therefore is a sin
accompanied by many deplorable evils.
There are three
great
sins you should always be on your guard against
during your whole lives, namely, drunkenness,
dishonesty, and impurity. If you
avoid these you will
almost surely avoid all other sins; for nearly all sins can
be
traced back to these three. They are the
most
dangerous, first, because they have most followers, and
secondly,
because they grow upon us almost without our
knowing it. The drunkard begins
perhaps as a boy by
taking a little, even very little; the second time he takes
a
little more; the next time still more, then he begins to
be
fond of strong drink and can scarcely do without it;
finally he becomes the slave of intemperance and sells his
soul
and body for it. The passions of
dishonesty and
impurity grow by degrees in the same manner. Therefore
avoid
them in the beginning and resist them while they
are
under your power. If you find yourself
inclined to
any
of these sins in your youth, stop them at once.
Explanation:
"Envy" is the desire to see another meet with misfortune
that
we may be benefited by it. We are glad
when he
does
not succeed in his business, we are sorry when
anyone speaks well of him, etc.
Envy comes under the
Eighth Commandment.
Explanation:
"Sloth" is committed when we idle our time, and are
lazy;
when we are indifferent about serving God; when
we do
anything slowly and poorly and in a way that
shows we would rather not do
it. They are slothful who
lie
in bed late in the morning and neglect their duty.
Slothful people are often untidy in their personal
appearance; and they are nearly always in misery and
want,
unless somebody else takes care of them.
Sloth
comes
under the First Commandment, because it has
reference in a special manner to the way in which we
serve
God. How, then, shall we best destroy
sin in our
souls? By finding out our chief
capital sin and rooting it
out. If a strong oak tree is
deeply rooted in the ground,
how
will you best destroy its life? By
cutting off the
branches? No. For with each
returning spring new
branches will grow. How
then? By cutting the root and
then
the great oak with all its branches will die.
In the
same
way our capital sin is the root, and as long as we
leave
it in our souls other sins will grow out of it.
While
we
are trying to destroy
Lesson 7: ON THE INCARNATION AND
REDEMPTION
Question 60: Did
God abandon man after he fell into sin?
Question 61: Who
is the Redeemer?
Question 62: What
do you believe of Jesus Christ?
Question 63: Why
is Jesus Christ true God?
Question 64: Why
is Jesus Christ true man?
Question 65: How
many natures are there in Jesus Christ?
Question 66: Is
Jesus Christ more than one person?
Question 67: Was
Jesus Christ always God?
Question 68: Was
Jesus Christ always man?
Question 69: What
do you mean by the Incarnation?
Question 70: How
was the Son of God made man?
Question 71: Is
the Blessed Virgin Mary truly the Mother of God?
Question 72: Did
the Son of God become man immediately after the
sin
of our first parents?
Question 73: How
could they be saved who lived before the Son of
God
became man?
Question 74: On
what day was the Son of God conceived and made
man?
Question 75: On
what day was Christ born?
Question 76: How
long did Christ live on earth?
Question 77: Why
did Christ live so long on earth?
Explanation:
"Incarnation" means to take flesh, as a body. Here it
means
Our Lord's taking flesh, that is, taking a body like
ours,
when He became man. "Redemption" means to buy
back. Let us take an
example. Slaves are men or women
that belong entirely to their
masters, just as horses, cows,
or
other animals do. Slaves are bought and sold, never
receive any wages for their work, get their food and
clothing and no more. As they never
earn money for
themselves, they can never purchase their own liberty. If
ever
they are to be free, someone else must procure their
liberty. Now, suppose I am in
some country where
slavery exists. I am free, but I
want one hundred dollars;
so I
go to a slave owner and say: I want to
sell myself
for
one hundred dollars. He buys me and I
soon
squander the one hundred dollars.
Now I am his
property, his slave; I shall never
earn any wages and shall
never
be able to buy my freedom. No other
slave can
&