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<0ue$ttonsi of Catholic*
UnStoerefc
By
The Rev. Winfrid Herbst, S. D. S.
Fourth Edition
Published by
THE SOCIETY OF THE DIVINE SAVIOR
(Salvatorian Seminary)
PUBLISHING DEPARTMENT
St. Nazianz, Wisconsin
1946
imprint $ote*t:
Ralph M. Fontaine, S. D. S.,
Superior Provincialis.
Jfrtfttl (^bsiat:
imprimatur:
W. J. Luby,
Censor Librorum.
* Paul us Petrus,
Epps. Sinus Viridis.
Sinu Viridi,
d. IX Sept. 1937.
y-
Copyright, 1938, by
The Society of the Divine Savior
(The Salvatorian Fathers)
St. Nazianz, Wisconsin
jforetoorb
This book is published because there are many
who will be glad to read it and who will derive
great benefit from its perusal.
The eagerness and intellectual pleasure with
which Catholics are wont to read the question-
box departments conducted in various Catholic
periodicals, and the splendid attendance of
interested listeners at the question-box dis-
cussions or conferences during missions and re-
treats, are proof positive of the appropriateness
and utility of this form of instruction. This
predilection for the question box is likewise a
gratifying proof that our Catholic people hunger
for information on religious subjects and are
eager and willing to be enlightened. It is a good
sign. To meet this willingness by giving more of
what is wanted, this book is now added to the
excellent question-box books already in circula-
tion. It is not intended to replace, but in its
modest way to complement them.
The purpose of this book is to instruct and help
its readers. From the thousands of questions
the author has answered in various ways and
diverse circumstances he has selected those in
the following pages in order to present them in
convenient and attractive form to Catholic
readers, — or to men of good will in general. He
has tried to arrive at some semblance of order;
and, though the result is but a semblance and the
information given under each chapter heading
does not pretend to be at all complete, since in-
numerable questions could still be asked regard-
ing each subject, he is content; and the very
fact that there is no regular sequence will break
the monotony of the reading and lead the reader
on. Sometimes similar questions are repeatedly
013 3'S3 0CT 9 1981
iv FOREWORD
answered with modifications or amplifications.
But varied repetition only makes for better
instruction.
It will be noticed that questions are answered
as fully as possible in view of the conciseness
aimed at. In compiling the answers, approved
theological, catechetical, and religious books and
periodicals of all kinds were freely used. It is
to be regretted that the mention of sources of
information was frequently omitted, since there
was orginally no intention of publishing the
questions and answers in book form, and cannot
now be accurately supplied. Sincere thanks are
extended to all whose works have in any way
helped to answer in a popular way these simple
yet oftentimes vexing questions.
Winfrid Herbst, S. D. S.
Salvatorian Seminary,
St. Nazianz. Wis,
Feast of the Assumption,
August 15, 1938
Sntrobuction
In the present volume, arranged in questions
and answers, the reader will find a rich mine of
information on the teachings and practices of
the Catholic Church as applied to a great variety
of practical doubts and difficulties that arise in
daily life, a sure guide in the many intricate
circumstances of life when one looks for the
ascertainment of the proper Catholic attitude in
thought and action. The main topics stand out
boldly in the table of contents in order that the
reader may see at a glance the important subjects
concerning which he may expect to find satis-
factory explanations. A complete general index
is added, by referring to which the subject
whereon the reader seeks information can quickly
be found, if that subject is discussed in the pages
of the book. Each question is presented in plain,
everyday thought and expression, just as it was
asked, and the answers are given with frankness,
clearness and exactitude. We have carefully
read every line of this book of valuable informa-
tion and have found it both interesting and exact
in the manner in which Catholic doctrine is ex-
plained and put in terms that can be understood,
so far as it is possible to understand God's revela-
tion in this life, by people who have had no
special training in religious knowledge.
The reader should not expect to find here
information on every possible aspect of the
Catholic faith and its principles, for they enter
into all human activity in one way or another,
and it would require a work many times the size
of the present volume to apply religion to every
phase of life and to the endless variety of persons
and their doings. In fact, no one book or work
can ever be absolutely complete in the application
INTRODUCTION
of the principles of religion to all human activi-
ties. However, most of the things on which re-
ligious information is frequently desired will be
found here and in an intelligent, dignified and
instructive form. This volume will add to the
knowledge and love and service of God in the
hearts of all who use it as their guide. May it
go on its mission of thus increasing in the minds
of all people of good will the knowledge and love
and service of God.
Stanislaus Woywod, O. F. M.
Holy Name College,
Washington, D. C.
Content*
Tage
Foreword in
Introduction V
Baptism 1
Chastity 35
Communion 69
Confession Ill
Courtship 168
Duties of Catholic Parents 200
Fast and Abstinence 227
Indulgences 246
Marriage Questions 286
Mass 350
Participation in False Worship 393
Prayers and Devotions 414
Priests 466
Purgatory, Heaven, and Hell 486
Precepts of Various Kinds 544
Teachings of Various Kinds 632
Various Questions 708
Vocation 746
General Index . ■ 789
V1J
BOYHOOD'S HIGHEST IDEAL
CHATS AND STORIES ABOUT
THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
CHRIST'S LITTLE ONES
COURAGEOUS CHILDREN
THE DIVINE SAVIOR
EUCHARISTIC WHISPERINGS (Eight Volumes)
EXHORTATIONS AND ADMONITIONS
FALLEN LEAVES
FOLLOW THE SAINTS
GIRLHOOD'S HIGHEST IDEAL
HOLY MASS
JESUS AND HIS MOTHER
JUST STORIES
THE LIFE OF FATHER FRANCIS JORDAN
PRIEST'S SATURDAY PAMPHLETS
ANSWERS
READINGS AND REFLECTIONS
ON THE GOSPELS
READY REPLIES ON RELIGION
REAL LIFE STORIES
SAINTLY CHILDREN
THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD
SPOTLIGHTS ON MATTERS SPIRITUAL
TALKS TO BOYS AND GIRLS
TELL US ANOTHER
VOCATION LETTERS
©ue3tton3 of Catf)oltc3&n3toereb
PERTAINING TO BAPTISM
A young lady who has never been
taught to believe in any religion and never
seems to care, tells me she has never been
baptized. Suppose she dies in that state?
What will become of her soul? If un-
baptized babies cannot go to heaven, how
can she? Please answer this in detail.
The teaching of the Church is simply this:
Baptism is necessary for children as well as for
adults, in order that they may be saved. "'Amen,
amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again
of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter
into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5.) These
words of Christ are very plain. He likewise
commands universal Baptism. "Teach all nations,
baptizing them." "He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth
not shall be condemned."
However, as you doubtless know, children who
die without Baptism do not suffer any punish-
ment. They are indeed excluded from heaven
and the supernatural vision of God; for they
have not fulfilled the conditions laid down by
Christ. This privation, as is evident, is not un-
just on God's part; for the glory of heaven is a
free supernatural gift not due to human nature.
This privation does not imply suffering; for the
little ones perhaps do not even know that there is
such a thing as the Beatific Vision, and hence
know God and rejoice in Him "by a natural
knowledge and love," as St. Thomas teaches.
But can an adult who dies without Baptism be
saved? Manifestly — no. Both for children and
for adults, Baptism is necessary for salvation.
i QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
The Catholic Church has so defined in the Council
of Trent.
Still, that necessity is not strictly absolute, as
we learn from the same Council of Trent, which
declared that "since the promulgation of the
Gospel there is no translation from the state of
Old Adam to the state of grace . . . without
the laver of regeneration, or the desire of it." So
Baptism of water is not the only Baptism.
This brings us to the important point of Bap-
tism of desire. In case of necessity this B iptism
will suffice for salvation. (But only Baptism by
water can confer the baptismal character and
render a person capable of receiving the other
Sacraments.) And it is consoling here to recall
the teaching of St. Augustine and St. Ambrose
that the perfect love of God and sorrow
for sin surely include the desire to fulfil
Christ's every command. That is Baptism of
desire. We need not mention martyrdom, or
Baptism of blood, which is also equivalent to
Baptism of water.
But what about this young lady, "who has
never been taught to believe in any religion and
never seems to care"? There are millions like
her. Hence we give a number of important
Catholic doctrines and principles.
1. The Catholic Church teaches that no one
is condemned to hell, unless he has freely and
deliberately turned his back on God and died
guilty of unrepented mortal sin.
2. The Catholic Church has always believed
that men outside her fold might live in error and
still be saved; that men outside of her visible
organization, through invincible ignorance, might
still be in the soul of the Church, by a true spiritual
communion of faith and charity.
3. Every anathema or condemnation by the
Church relates to error itself or false principles
contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and does
BAPTISM 3
not concern the interior guilt of men or women
in error.
4. No Catholic has the right to judge of the
guilt of any individual.
5. In his Allocution of December 9, 1854,
Pope Pius IX says, "Far be it from us to dare
set bounds to the boundless mercy of God; far
be it from us to desire to search into the depths
of the hidden counsels and judgments of God,
an abyss that the mind of men cannot explore . . .
We must hold as of faith, that out of the Apos-
tolic Roman Church there is no salvation; that
she is the only ark of safety, and whosoever is
not in her, perishes in the deluge; we must also,
on the other hand, recognize with certainty that
those who are in invincible ignorance of the true
religion are not guilty for this in the eyes of the
Lord. And who will presume to mark out the
limits of this ignorance according to the character
and diversity of peoples, countries, minds, and
the rest?"
6. In his Encyclical to the Italian Bishops,
August 10, 1863, this same great Pope writes
with unmistakable clearness, "It is known to us
and to you that those who are in invincible
ignorance of our most holy religion, but who
observe carefully the natural law and the pre-
cepts graven by God upon the hearts of all men,
and who, being disposed to obey God, lead an
honest and upright life, may, aided by the light
of divine grace, attain to eternal life; for God,
Who sees clearly, searches and knows the heart,
the disposition, the thoughts and intentions of
each, in His supreme mercy and goodness by no
means permits that anyone suffer eternal punish-
ment who has not of his own free will fallen
into sin."
I am a Catholic, and my friend is a
Baptist. He often asks me questions.
He asked me if I ever saw in the Bible
4 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
where they baptized with water. He says
he doesn't believe in baptizing with water,
but that the persons to be baptized
should be put into the water. Please
tell me why Catholics baptize with water.
Your friend (naturally enough, for such argu-
mentation is usually confused) maintains that
he doesn't believe in Baptism with water and in
the same breath admits that water is necessary,
inasmuch as he says that the persons to be
baptized should be put into the water. This
admission saves us from further theological
discussion relative to the matter of Baptism.
We both agree that water is necessary. Indeed,
it is hard to imagine any real Baptism without
water. The very word "baptize" comes from a
Greek word meaning "to dip into water." Again,
as regards Baptism with water and the Bible,
we wish to say that wherever Baptism is men-
tioned in Holy Writ, there water is indicated or
implied as the proper matter for its administra-
tion. You might refer your friend to St. Matthew,
Chapter the Third, as just one example of what
the Book says about Baptism. This chapter
speaks about the Baptism of John, the prelude,
the figure of the Christian Baptism. In the
eleventh verse of this chapter John the Baptist
says, "I indeed baptize you with water unto
penance."
So as regards the use of water and its mention
in the Bible, your friend does not and cannot
disagree with us. He evidently means that he
does not believe in Baptism by pouring> but by
immersion. Catholic teaching is that Baptism
both by pouring and by immersion is valid;
and even in the catacombs both forms are repre-
sented as being used. In former times Baptism
by immersion was very common in Holy Church;
but in the course of centuries Baptism by pouring
has become the common practice because it
BAPTISM
obviates numerous inconveniences. How could
tender babes, the sick, the dying, those in water-
less places, etc., otherwise be baptized?
Your friend, like all our good Protestant
friends, looks upon the Bible as the sole rule of
faith. Catholic teaching is based on the Bible
and tradition as interpreted by Christ's infallible
Church. But since your friend ever falls back
upon the Bible and sticks so much to the letter,
ask him kindly to read from its pages that
Baptism by immersion alone is valid. After he
has done that we will answer further questions.
If a child just born or born out of time
should suddenly die without any chance
of Baptism, would it be eligible to enter
the kingdom of heaven? Has every child
when it enters this world a sin upon its
little soul?
Yes; every child born into this world has the
guilt of original sin upon its soul. Original sin
is the sin that we inherit from our first parents.
It is called original, because it comes to us from
the source and origin of the human race, from
our first parents, Adam and Eve, and because
we are brought into the world with its guilt
upon our souls. Original sin excludes from
heaven unless forgiven. It is forgiven only by
Baptism. Hence when an unbaptized child dies
it cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.
It is deplorable that babies sometimes die
without Baptism. Yet, though it never should,
it sometimes happens even in Catholic families,
without any fault at all of the parents. In such
a case the matter calls for nothing else than con-
formity to the holy will of God. The soul of the
child will not go to heaven, it is true; but neither
will it go to a place of torments ; it will go to what
is called the limbo of infants, where it will enjoy
natural happiness in a high degree, in a higher
6 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
degree than is tasted by children or men in
general on this earth. This is an opinion quite
commonly held by theologians, and not at all
frowned upon by the Church. At any rate,
such a child is immensely better off in being as
it is than if it had never been born at all. So
its parents who, as we suppose, were not guilty
of any negligence, have no cause for worry.
Still, great care should be taken in this regard.
In case of danger private Baptism should be ad-
ministered; when no one else is at hand to ad-
minister it the parents may and must do so. The
same person should pour common water over the
head of the little one and say, while pouring the
water: "I baptize thee in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." In case
of involuntary miscarriage, Baptism should be
administered to the prematurely ejected foetus,
if possible. The mother, for instance, taking
notice of it, opens the involucrum and pours
water over the contents whilst saying the words:
"If you are living, I baptize you in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost." Life may still be there. If so, the
Baptism will open the gates of heaven to the
child's soul.
Does the Catholic Church consider a
person baptized who has been baptized
by a minister ? Take, for instance, a non-
Catholic baptized by a minister. If he
wanted to become a Catholic would the
priest have to baptize that person again?
I have always been under the impression
that a non-Catholic person baptized by
a minister is baptized in the eyes of the
Catholic Church.
The Church holds that such persons are bap-
tized, provided the Baptism was validly per-
formed. If there is certainty about the validity
BAPTISM 7
of the Baptism administered by a minister,
such a person is not rebaptized; for Baptism
can be received only once. When there is no
such certainty non-Catholics are baptized con-
ditionally on entering the Catholic Church, that
is, with the form, "If thou art not baptized, I
baptize thee," etc. In case the original Baptism
was validly performed, then this ceremony is
not a Sacrament at all.
When a non-Catholic is received into the
Church and is uncertain about his former Bap-
tism, he is thus conditionally baptized. In this
case the Sacrament of Penance is also given con-
ditionally, so that a convert is certain of the for-
giveness of sins, either through one Sacrament or
through the other. If he is absolutely sure of his
Baptism and that it was valid, he cannot be re-
baptized, but is bound to confess all grievous sins
committed after Baptism. If he is absolutely
sure that he never was baptized, he is given
Baptism unconditionally and his sins are, of
course, blotted out without confession.
The conditional Baptism mentioned above must
very often be resorted to in our day because of
the lax views and careless practice regarding
Baptism that prevail quite generally outside the
Catholic Church. Some, for instance, deny
altogether its sacramental character; others, in
baptizing a number at once, sprinkle the water
so carelessly that it merely touches the clothes
of some; and, again, others use a form different
from the one prescribed by our Lord. For ex-
ample, we have read of a case in which one
minister immersed the subjects for Baptism in
a large tank near the pulpit, while another from
a distance repeated this form, "I baptize thee in
the name of the Lord Jesus." — It is not hard,
then, to understand why the Church is often
distrustful of Baptism administered by those
outside the fold.
8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Must a non-Catholic who was once
baptized be again baptized at his recep-
tion into the Catholic Church?
It is of faith, as can be seen from the Council
of Trent, that Baptism conferred by heretics is
valid, if everything requisite for the valid ad-
ministration of the Sacrament is duly observed
by them. But in our day and country it is much
to be doubted whether those requisites are duly
observed by the non-Catholic ministers who
profess to administer the Sacrament of Baptism.
Hence it is commonly held by theologians that
when a convert enters the Church he should
be conditionally rebaptized, unless the validity
of his former Baptism be established beyond
reasonable doubt. We wish it to be well under-
stood that the first Baptism, when questionable,
is not considered invalid in itself, as though
non-Catholics could not administer the Sacra-
ment validly, but because something essential in
matter or form was omitted in its administration.
What, then, is to be done in the case of a con-
vert to the Catholic Church? The Congregation
of the Holy Office has thus decreed: "If Baptism
is to be repeated conditionally the following order
is to be followed: 1. Abjuration or profession of
faith. 2. Conditional Baptism. 3. Sacramental
confession with conditional absolution." This is
the order to be followed in the case of a convert
who was (as most non-Catholics are generally
considered to be) doubtfully baptized. It is clear
that confession is not necessary in the case of one
who was never baptized at all ; for when Baptism
is conferred absolutely no abjuration follows and
no absolution because the Sacrament of Re-
generation washes everything away. In the case
of adults it is understood that they are baptized
with their own knowledge and of their own free
will and after having been duly instructed and
exhorted to be sorry for their sins.
BAPTISM 9
When, however, the convert's former Baptism
is judged to have been valid, the abjuration or
profession of faith alone is received after which
absolution from censures follows.
What must the sponsors do at Baptism ?
The answer to this question is of still greater
practical importance. We will make it very
practical. In the first place and as the thing
that essentially constitutes them sponsors, they
should, either personally or by proxy, at the
moment when Baptism is conferred, while the
water is poured, hold or touch the person bap-
tized, or at least take him out of the font, or
receive him from the hands of him who adminis-
ters the Sacrament.
We will give a brief summary of just what is
to be done by the sponsors, taking it for granted
that there are two, though the same holds good
if there be only one.
At the appointed time they will be present in
church with the child and, if this has not been
arranged beforehand, will give the priest their
names, the Christian name to be given the child,
the names of the child's parents, the day of its
birth, and any other information the priest may
deem it necessary to ask.
During the ceremony of Baptism the godfather
stands at the right of the godmother, who holds
the child on her right arm.
When the priest asks of the child, "N., what
dost thou ask of the Church of God?" they answer,
both together, "Faith."
"To what doth faith bring thee?" the priest
asks. They answer, "Life everlasting."
The godmother should always hold the child
conveniently when the priest goes through the
various ceremonies, for instance, when he places
the blessed salt into the child's mouth, makes
the sign of the cross on its forehead.
io QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
When he places the end of the stole upon the
child (or upon the first one, if there are more)
and admits it to the font, the sponsors, together
recite in clear tones, in the language they speak,
the Apostles* Creed and the Our Father.
Afterwards when the priest moistens his thumb
with spittle and touches the ears and nostrils of
the child, the godmother should conveniently
turn the child, if necessary, and uncover the
ears.
The priest then asks of the child, "N., dost
thou renounce Satan?" In the name of the child
the sponsors answer, "I do renounce him."
"And all his works?" he asks. They answer,
"I do renounce them."
"And all his pomps?" The sponsors answer,
"I do renounce them."
The priest then dips his thumb in the Oil of
Catechumens and anoints the child on the breast
and between the shoulders in the form of a cross.
Here again the godmother should be handy and
turn the child slightly and loosen the clothing if
necessary. Then she should wait until the priest
wipes with cotton the parts anointed.
The priest then changes the purple stole for
a white stole and asks of the child, "N., dost
thou believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator
of heaven and earth?" The sponsors answer for
the child, "I do believe."
Then, "Dost thou believe in Jesus Christ, His
only Son, our Lord, Who was born into this
world, and Who suffered for us?" The sponsors
make answer, "I do believe."
Again, "Dost thou also believe in the Holy
Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion
of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection
of the body, and life everlasting?" The sponsors
answer, "I do believe."
The priest then asks, "N., wilt thou be bap-
tized?" For the child the sponsors say, "I will."
BAPTISM ii
Then the godmother conveniently holds the
child over the font while the godfather touches
the child's shoulder with his right hand and the
priest pours the baptismal water on the forehead
of the child and pronounces the sacred words.
The priest then anoints the top of the child's
head with Holy Chrism and wipes the part
anointed. Thereupon he lays a white linen cloth
on the head of the child. Lastly he gives the
child a lighted candle, which the sponsor (the
godfather) holds.
The priest concludes with the words, "N., go
in peace, and the Lord be with thee. Amen."
It is customary for the godfather to give the
priest a free-will offering after the ceremony.
The sponsors will then take the child, now
truly a child of God and a joy to heaven, home
to its happy mother.
What are the obligations of godfather
and godmother (sponsors) in Baptism?
Your question is one of great practical im-
portance. We, accordingly, answer it at con-
siderable length. And we begin by saying that
the obligations of both godfather and godmother
are the same.
As regards the obligations of sponsors towards
the baptized person, it is to be remembered that
the sponsor must consider the baptized person,
for whom he is security, as a novice in the Faith,
whom he has to instruct in spiritual matters and
in all that pertains to a Christian life. Since this
obligation belongs primarily to fathers and
mothers, the sponsor is bound only when the
father and mother are unwilling or unable to
perform their part, or if they die. Likewise the
sponsors are free from this obligation when they
know that their godchild attends the catechism
classes in church, or is a pupil of a Catholic
12. QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
school or college, where Christian instruction is
a part of the curriculum.
Godfathers and godmothers, as the name itself
implies, stand between God and the child, or
better, that they are the guarantors of the
spiritual union that must exist between a baptized
person and God, the Author of Baptism. They
share only the religious side of the parent's duty;
for the duties of parents extend to the temporal
as well as to the spiritual life of the child.
The Council of Trent decreed "that only one
man or woman, or at most one man and one
woman, stand as sponsors in Baptism." In the
latter case, as is clear, the sponsors should be of
different sex, while in the former case it is ad-
visable, though not obligatory, that the sponsor
should be of the same sex as the child. Here
again is implied the real obligation of sponsors.
It is forbidden to have more than one godfather
and godmother in Baptism because, as popular
opinion has it and as is well known, the obligation
of many is the obligation of none. And here
there is a real obligation.
From the grave obligation sponsors undertake
towards their godchild it is clear that not every-
one is a fit person to act as sponsor. The parents
or guardians have the right to select the sponsors
for the child. If they cannot do so the priest
who administers Baptism has the right.
We now briefly mention who may not act as
sponsors. 1. Those who have not the use of
reason. 2. Non-Catholics, infidels, heretics;
Catholics who have been excommunicated by
name, etc., who are living in public sin, etc.
3. The father, mother, husband, or wife of the
person to be baptized.
And now, for the sake of greater clearness, we
likewise briefly mention under what condition one
may lawfully act as sponsor. 1. The sponsor
must be at least fourteen years old, unless for
BAPTISM 13
some good reason the priest who baptizes rules
differently. 2. He must not have committed
any public crime that entails excommunication
or other public stigma. 3. He must know at
least the rudiments of faith. 4. He must not be a
member of a Religious Congregation (neither
novice nor professed) or in Holy Orders. If
there is some real necessity, express permission
of Superiors or of the Ordinary must be obtained.
We may here add that a spiritual relationship
which is an impediment to marriage arises be-
tween the sponsors on the one side and the god-
child on the other, but not between the sponsors
themselves.
A certain lady wishes to have a baby
baptized in the church of which she is a
member. She would like two relatives of
hers, a man and a woman, to stand for
the child. But, since they live far away
and cannot come to church to hold the
baby, may others hold the baby for those
two and they still be the real sponsors?
Yes. Godfathers and godmothers are to be
chosen for their office by the person to be baptized,
by his parents or guardians, or by him who ad-
ministers Baptism. But when so chosen they
may select a substitute or procurator, who in
their stead will answer the questions at Baptism
and hold the child or touch its body while Bap-
tism is being administered. Such substitutes or
procurators do not, of course, contract the spiri-
tual relationship created between the godfather
and his goddaughter, between the godmother and
her godson, nor do they assume the obligations of
the sponsors. That relationship is contracted
and those obligations are assumed by the real
sponsors, who were properly chosen and then
selected substitutes to act for them.
That sponsors may act by proxy is absolutely
i4 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
certain. Canon 765, Section 5, says of sponsors:
"They should, either personally or by proxy,
hold or touch the person baptized, or at least
take him up out of the font, or receive him from
the hands of him who administers the Sacra-
ment."
Can parents have a child baptized out-
side their own parish?
Canon Law tells us that the right of baptizing
is reserved to the proper pastor or to another
priest commissioned either by him or by the
Bishop. In other words, the pastor of the parish
in which the parents have their home is the one
to administer solemn Baptism. (Anyone may
administer private Baptism in danger of death.)
The same holds good as regards those who have
no fixed residence anywhere, but are actually
staying in his territory. But outside his own
parish a pastor may not, without permission,
administer solemn Baptism, not even to his own
parishioners.
As regards strangers, or travelers, strictly
speaking they cannot be lawfully baptized by the
pastor of the place in which they happen to be,
because they are not his parishioners; nor can
they be baptized by their own pastor, so long as
they are outside his parish, since he may not ad-
minister solemn Baptism outside the limits of
his own parish. Such are to be taken to their
own parish and baptized by their own pastor.
However, if this cannot be done easily and with-
out delay, any pastor in whose parish they may
be, may administer solemn Baptism. (Canon
738, n. 2.)
This is a case which often occurs, for instance,
when a mother has her confinement in a hospital
in a different parish. Since the father's residence
is also the residence of the child, it is a stranger
in the territory in which the hospital is located.
BAPTISM 15
Hence, strictly speaking it ought to be taken into
its own parish for Baptism. It really cannot be
lawfully baptized by the pastor of the hospital or
his delegate; nor can the child's own pastor law-
fully come to the hospital and baptize it without
the consent of the pastor of the hospital. But
if the child cannot easily be brought to its own
parish, then the pastor of the hospital may bap-
tize it, but he will have to inform its proper
pastor of the Baptism.
We deem it wholly unnecessary and out of
place further to mention exceptions due to pecu-
liar circumstances in mission districts, in our
large cities, etc., etc. Suffice it to say that
ordinarily parents have a serious obligation to
have a child baptized within their own parish
and by the pastor or his delegate.
Would you kindly tell me if it is a law
of the Church that in baptizing a baby
one must give it a saint's name?
Yes; it is a law of the Church. Canon 761 of
the New Code states: "Pastors should see to it
that a Christian name is given to all whom they
baptize. If they cannot obtain this, they shall
add to the name given by the parents the name
of some saint, and enter both in the baptismal
record." The Church has always insisted upon
this pious custom; and now that it is a law that
priests must obey, they may no longer be ac-
cused of "strange notions" when they do so.
The name of the patron saint should remind the
faithful Catholic of the example he is to imitate
and the protection he may expect through the
intercession of his patron. Hence, Catholics
should try to know all they can about the lives
of their patron saints.
What is the meaning of the salt used in
Baptism ?
In the administration of the Sacrament of
1 6 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Baptism, among the other beautiful ceremonies
that take place before going nearer to the font,
there is the ceremony of placing a little salt in
the mouth of the person to be baptized. When
putting this blessed salt in the mouth the priest
says: "Receive the salt of wisdom; may it be a
propitiation for thee unto eternal life." That
salt is a symbol of Christian wisdom, and a pro-
tection from the foulness of sin. As can be seen
from the prayers the priest says before and after
this ceremony, this salt, blessed in the name of
the Most Holy Trinity, is to be for all who re-
ceive it a salutary remedy for putting to flight
the assaults of the devil. It is the salt of wisdom
indeed; and the priest prays that he who tastes
of it may be quickly filled with heavenly food,
inasmuch as he may be fervent in spirit, happy
in hope, and zealous in serving the Lord God,
the Author of universal truth
If a priest is called to the house to bap-
tize a sick child and then when the child
gets better the parents do not take it to
the church for Baptism again, is the child
thus baptized at home considered baptized
according to the Catholic Church? Does
it matter whether the baptizing was
done at home or in the church? The
child is baptized, isn't it, if it was baptized
at home?
Of course the child is validly baptized. Ordi-
narily, outside of danger of death, private Bap-
tism may not be conferred, except on non-
Catholic adults who are baptized conditionally.
By private Baptism we mean Baptism that is
not conferred in a church or oratory.
But in danger of death Baptism may be pri-
vately administered. If this is done by one who
is neither a priest nor a deacon, then no cere-
monies or rites are +o be used, but only what
BArriSM 17
strictly belongs to validity. In that case the
person baptizing takes natural (not holy) water,
pours it over the head of the one to be baptized
(whether once or three times does not matter),
and says, while pouring the water: "I baptize
thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost."
But if the person who baptizes privately, for
instance, at the home of the person baptized, is
a priest or a deacon (and such may not ad-
minister private Baptism outside of danger of
death), he must administer the Sacrament with
the prescribed ceremonies and rites, unless there
should be no time to apply all the ceremonies,
or there be some other good reason for omitting
them. Apart from cases of necessity, solemn
Baptism may not be administered in private
houses except in circumstances mentioned by
Canon Law. (Canons 759 and 776.)
If some ceremonies are for any reason omitted
and the person, as in the case in question, re-
covers, those ceremonies must be supplied in
church as soon as possible, except the case of
non-Catholic adults who are baptized condition-
ally. The infant must then be brought to a
church or oratory as soon as time and occasion
are favorable, not to be baptized again, for it is
already validly baptized and Baptism may not be
repeated, but that the ceremonies omitted may-
be supplied. Parents are, of course, under seri-
ous obligation to bring the child to the church
for the supplying of ceremonies when the priest
tells them to do so.
In the formula for lay Baptism it is
said that we should pour common
water over the head of the person to be
baptized and say, while pouring the water,
"I baptize thee in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.' '
1 8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Holy water is not common water. Would
it be wrong for one to use holy water for
baptizing ?
In a case of necessity, when Baptism has to
be administered urgently because of danger of
death, and a priest is not available, lay persons
may and absolutely should baptize the child.
The parents themselves should (and must) per-
form the Baptism only when there are no other
reliable persons at hand to do it. Care must be
taken that the water — not holy water, but ordinary
clean and fresh water — be poured on the head of
the infant and not merely sprinkled, whilst the
one who pours the water at the same time says
distinctly and entirely the words: "I baptize
thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost." In case the child ser-
vives it should in due time be taken to church,
so that the priest can supply the other ceremonies
of holy Baptism. But every time Baptism has
been administered or only attempted at home,
mention of this must be made to the priest when
the child is brought to the church, so that he does
not confer Baptism a second time, supposing
that the first administration was valid.
Holy water is, of course, valid material for
Baptism; and it would not be wrong to use it
for any good reasons, for instance, if it were
the only water at hand. However, ordinary
pure water should be used, if possible, in the lay
Baptism we are discussing. Even the Roman
Ritual, when speaking of water to be added to
the specially consecrated baptismal water used
in solemn Baptism, says that the water should
not be holy water.
There is an admixture of salt in holy water.
Moreover, it is blessed with quite a special bless-
ing that has no direct reference to Baptism.
Holy water is a sacramental, whereas Baptism
is a Sacrament. We might perhaps say that it
BAPTISM 19
is incongruous to use the one as the essential
material for the other.
May an adult who is in a dying condition
be baptized without his or her permission ?
In order to answer this question fully we begin
by saying, with Canon 752, that adults who are
physically and mentally normal cannot be bap-
tized except with their own knowledge and free
will and after having been duly instructed and
exhorted to be sorry for their sins. This law is
based on the necessity of co-operation in the
work of salvation. The extent of the instruction
here mentioned may be thus summarized (from
various decisions of the Holy See) : The mysteries
of the Blessed Trinity and the Incarnation;
express belief in our Lord Jesus Christ; the
Apostles' Creed; instruction regarding the
Eucharist, unless prudence suggests that it be
postponed; the Our Father; the effects of Bap-
tism; the acts of faith, hope, charity, and con-
trition, or at least attrition; the Ten Com-
mandments; the precepts of the Church.
Speaking of adults in danger of death, Canon
752 says that such as cannot be more carefully
instructed in the principal mysteries of the faith
may be baptized if in any shape or form they show
their readiness to assent to the truths of the Cath-
olic religion and promise to observe its precepts.
Furthermore, the Canon continues, if in danger
of death an adult can no longer ask for Baptism,
but has either previously or in his present state,
in some probable way, expressed his intention of
receiving Baptism, the Sacrament should be ad-
ministered conditionally. If he recovers and
there is a doubt as to the validity of the Baptism
conferred, he must be rebaptized conditionally.
Certainty regarding the existence of the dis-
positions necessary for the valid and fruitful re-
ception of Baptism (intention, faith, knowledge,
io QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
attrition) is not required. Probability suffices,
even if slight; for, since the Sacraments were
instituted for the sake of men, they may be ad-
ministered to those who are in danger of death
even with a slight probability as to their validity.
A Catholic marries against the laws of
the Church and in later years wants to
send his child to a Catholic school. May
he do so? How about this child's Bap-
tism ? Would there be any difficulty about
a couple of this kind having their children
baptized by a Catholic priest?
He surely may and should send his child to a
Catholic school. It is not at all an infrequent
occurrence to find even non-Catholic children
in Catholic schools. They have everything to
gain and nothing to lose thereby.
As regards the Baptism of his children, we
mention the following: If Catholic parents who
now profess no religion at all request that their
children be baptized, the promise that their chil-
dren will be educated in the Catholic religion is
to be demanded; however, the children may and
must be baptized, unless an almost certain danger
of perversion is foreseen. Inasmuch as a decision
relative to the gravity of such danger is often
fraught with serious difficulty, the pastor will
consult his bishop before he settles the matter.
In a marriage where one party is not a Catho-
lic, the pastor may baptize the child, with the
consent of the Catholic party, even if he knows for
certain that the other will afterwards have the
child baptized by a Protestant minister. But the
Catholic party is obliged to tell the non-Catholic
party that the child has already been legitimately
baptized. Such a disposition on the part of the
Catholic party furnishes a sufficiently well
grounded hope of the future Catholic education
of the child.
BAPTISM 2.1
We are taught in school that without
Baptism no one can see God and that
little children dying without that Sacra-
ment go to Limbo, but never to heaven.
Then again we are told that at the end of
the world there will be only heaven and
hell. What will happen to the souls in
Limbo then?
Baptism, that Sacrament whereby we are
cleansed from original sin and made Christians,
children of God, and heirs of heaven, is indeed
absolutely necessary for salvation. And it is
indeed true that little children dying without
Baptism will not see the face of God in heaven.
But neither will they go to the hell of the damned;
they will go to the Limbo of Children, which
means the state of natural happiness enjoyed by
those who die in original sin, without ever hav-
ing been guilty of grievous personal sin. St.
Thomas holds that the children there enjoy a
positive happiness, being united to God by a
knowledge and love proportionate to their
capacity. To Limbo we refer when in the Apos-
tles' Creed we say of Christ, "He descended into
Hell." "Hell," as we read in the catechism of
the Council of Trent, "here signifies those secret
abodes in which are detained the souls that have
not obtained the happiness of heaven."
St. Thomas, by the way, says that hell is four-
fold: the hell of the damned; the hell which is
called the Limbo of Children; the hell which is
called purgatory; and the hell which is called the
Limbo of the Fathers, where the just were de-
tained until ascension day. However, usage has
it, except in the Apostles' Creed, that hell in-
variably means the hell of the damned.
The Limbo of the Fathers was changed into
heaven as soon as Christ "descended into Hell"
and no longer exists. Purgatory will cease to
exist after the Last Day. Then only heaven and
2.i QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
hell will remain (the hell of the damned and the
hell called the Limbo of Children, which, as ex-
plained above, is really not hell at all and is a
place of natural happiness).
Suppose a little babe, either before or
after birth, dies without Baptism, through
one's own fault. Will such a babe ever
reach heaven? What could one do to
right the wrong ?
Such babes will not see the face of God in
heaven; and yet they will live forever, enjoying
a certain natural happiness, theologians tell us.
No power on earth can undo the terrible wrong
done. And, though oceans of tears may be shed
over the sins committed, they can never accom-
plish what a little water and the words of Baptism
would have done. However, the wrong can be
righted in a consoling, and withal practical and
tangible, way : by procuring the baptism of other
children who would otherwise never be baptized
and thus sending them to the throne of God to
take the place of those who will never get there.
One way of doing this (not to mention prayer
for the missions) is to help support foreign
missionaries, who baptize so many dying pagan
children and who could not continue their great
work without material help from generous Catho-
lics. Another way is to ransom heathen babes:
a certain sum (five dollars) enables the mission-
aries to take one such child. The majority of
the cast-off babes thus taken by the missionaries
and baptized die shortly after Baptism, because
of poor care or exposure before the missionaries
receive them, and thus go straight to heaven.
If so many Catholics throughout the world,
who never even dreamt of a thing such as your
question implies, are so zealous in aiding the
missionaries and in procuring the ransom of
heathen babes, how much more zealous ought
BAPTISM 13
those to be who have sad lapses to make amends
for?
Can such Catholics as do not make
their Easter duty act as sponsors in Bap-
tism?
They evidently may do so legitimately and
licitly, provided that they are not expressly ex-
cluded by the terms of the law. And they are
not so excluded. But whether those who are so
careless in the practice of their religion should
be admitted as sponsors in Baptism is another
question. It is not seemly, to say the least.
Canon 766, n. 2, states that the sponsor may not
(licitly) be one who is excommunicated for a
notorious crime; or excluded from legal acts;
or rendered infamous by law, without a sen-
tence having been issued to that effect; or inter-
dicted; or a public criminal ; or infamous in fact.
Now, Canon 769 tells us that it is the duty of
god-parents, arising from sponsorship, to regard
their spiritual children as their perpetual charges
and to instruct them carefully in the obligations
of the Christian life, in order that they may
prove themselves such as they solemnly promised
by their baptismal vows to be. (This obligation
binds chiefly when the parents neglect their duty.)
Hence it is evident from Canon 766, n. 2, that
the Code wishes to debar from the honor of
sponsorship all whose moral character and repu-
tation do not guarantee fitness to raise a Catholic
child, which, as sponsor, one would be expected
to do in case of necessity. Though a Catholic
who does not make his Easter duty is not ex-
pressly excluded, it would seem to be the mind
of the Church that such a one is wholly unfit
to act as sponsor. Sponsorship is an honor that
should not be conferred on such unworthy persons.
Only good, practical Catholics should be chosen
as sponsors in Baptism.
X4 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Catholics claim that their Church is the
only true Church. Then why do they
accept the non-Catholic Baptism? Are
certain parts of other religions recog-
nized by the Catholic Church?
Catholics indeed claim and convincingly prove
that the Catholic Church is the only true Church,
founded by Christ Himself on His Apostles. All
other churches are man-made churches, es-
tablished at least about fifteen hundred years
after the Catholic Church ; for instance, the Ana-
baptists, founded in Germany by Nicolas Stork
in 1521; the Lutherans, founded in Germany by
Martin Luther in 1524; the Episcopalians,
founded in England by Henry VIII in 1534.
And thus their story runneth. The first ones
broke away from the Catholic Church and re-
tained some of its teachings, but even those they
garbled and changed in the course of time.
Others broke away from each other, following
the false principle of private interpretation.
And thus we have a multiplicity of sects in the
world today.
The Catholic Church adheres in every detail
to the teaching of the Apostolic Church, with
which it is identical. What the sects teach it is
hard to say, their teachings being subject to
constant change, founded as they are on the
shifting sands of private interpretation and not
having that apostolic authority which is resident
in the Catholic Church alone and which is de-
rived from God Himself.
Since it is impossible to say what our separated
brethren do believe, because each one believes
what he pleases and as long as he pleases, if the
fundamental principle of Protestantism is main-
tained, it might be instructive to mention a
number of Catholic and apostolic truths and
teachings that they do not believe.
1. All non - Catholic sects practically deny
BAPTISM 2.5
Peter's supremacy over the other Apostles.
2. All Protestant churches repudiate the claim of
infallibility. They deny that such a gift is pos-
sessed by any teachers of religion. The ministers
pronounce no authoritative doctrines but ad-
vance opinions as embodying their private inter-
pretation of the Scripture; and their hearers are
never required to believe them, but are to draw
their own conclusions from the Bible. 3. Protest-
ants have no law prescribing fasts, though some
may fast from private devotion. They even try
to cast ridicule on fasting as a work of superero-
gation, detracting from the merits of Christ.
4. Women, especially, in this country, publicly
preach in Methodist and other churches. 5.
No denomination performs the ceremony of im-
posing hands in this country except Episcopalians,
and even they do not recognize Confirmation as
a Sacrament. 6. The Protestant churches, ex-
cept perhaps a few ritualists, condemn the doc-
trine of the Real Presence as idolatrous and say
that in partaking of Communion we receive only
a memorial of Christ, notwithstanding the fact
that they cannot show any text of Scripture,
which declares the Eucharist to be mere bread
and wine. 7. Christ says: "This is My Body."
They say: "It is not His body." 8. Protestants
affirm that God delegates to no man the power of
forgiving sin. 9. The Protestant churches, as is
well known, have so far relaxed the rigorous law
of the Gospel as to allow divorced persons to
remarry.
And thus we might go on endlessly almost.
Some have even gone so far as to deny the
divinity of Christ, thus rendering their very appel-
lation of Christian denomination a farce.
No doubt, some shreds of true Christian faith
have still been retained by some sects, such as
belief in one God, in the divinity of Christ, in
heaven, and in hell. Some have also retained a
i6 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Sacrament or two, rejecting the rest of the
seven. And one of the Sacraments retained is
that of Baptism. But if any parts of other re-
ligions are recognized by the Catholic Church,
it is only because they are parts of Catholic
truth retained and kept intact.
Hence, if Baptism is properly administered as
regards intention, matter, and form, as it is and
has ever been administered in the Catholic and
Apostolic Church, it is recognized as valid, no
matter by whom conferred.
"The usual Protestant belief," to quote
Stoddard, "is that Baptism bestows upon the
infant a capacity for receiving this grace when
it shall at the proper age have ratified the vows
made for it by its sponsors. The Catholic
doctrine, on the contrary, is that the grace is
bestowed upon the baptized infant then and there.
While many Protestants, principally Anglicans
and Episcopalians, adopt this custom, fully as
many reject it. Some even consider Baptism to
be no Sacrament at all, but merely a rite, con-
nected with admission into the Church! Others,
although the institution was indubitably es-
tablished by the Son of God, have actually con-
demned it as sinful! Great numbers of Protestants
have, therefore, never been baptized." (Rebuild-
ing a Lost Faith. Page 4.)
You say, "Then why do they accept the non-
Catholic Baptism?" They accept it only after
careful investigation has shown beyond any
doubt that the Baptism was validly administered,
as adverted to above. If it is certain that the
Sacrament was validly administered it cannot
be conferred again. But if there is any reason-
able doubt, and such is ordinarily the case, due
to various circumstances touched upon above,
Baptism is administered conditionally. Thus, for
instance, if a convert about to be received into
the Catholic Church is certain of the validity of
BAPTISM z7
his Baptism he is bound only to confess the
mortal sins he has committed after Baptism.
If, however, he is not certain of its validity, he
is baptized conditionally with the words, "// thou
art not baptized, I baptize thee in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost." He then receives the Sacrament of
Penance conditionally likewise, so that he is
certainly forgiven by one Sacrament or the other.
In my position I have had occasion
secretly to baptize a number of dying
infants of non-Catholic parents. But one
child that seemed to be dying and was
thus baptized by me recovered. A friend
told me that I am now responsible for
that child, somewhat as a sponsor would
be. Is that true?
Ordinarily it is not allowed to baptize the
children of non-Catholics without the knowledge
and consent of the parents. But there are cases
where such children may and must be baptized
without the parents' knowledge and consent,
namely, when the child is in such danger of death
that it can be prudently foreseen that it will die
before it has reached the use of reason. Outside
of danger of death such a child may be baptized
only if its Catholic education is provided for and
its parents or those who take the place of parents
are wanting or have lost their rights to the child
or can in no way exercise such rights.
If they are in proximate danger of death, the
precept of charity obliges one to baptize such
children, if the occasion presents itself of doing
so without exciting the ill will of non-Catholics
against the Catholic religion. If they are in
probable danger of death they may, with like
precaution, be licitly baptized, even if death is
still remote. But the danger of death must be
proper to the one baptized, that is, it would not
2.8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
be allowed indiscriminately to baptize such
children because there is a pestilence around and
one foresees that most children will die from it.
But if Baptism could not be conferred upon a
non-Catholic child or adult without arousing the
ill will and persecutions of non-Catholics against
the Catholic religion, it is not allowed to confer
it either in danger of death or outside it; in such
a case Baptism is to be deferred or entirely
omitted, since the common good of the Catholic
cause must be preferred to private good of even
the greatest kind. If a child thus secretly bap-
tized recovers, prudence usually requires that
nothing be said of its Baptism, since civil authority
now prevents one from taking such a child from
its parents and having it brought up a Catholic.
About all that can be done is, as far as possible
(and this is ordinarily quite impossible), to keep
track of the child and, in case it should later be
offered or offer itself to be baptized a Catholic,
to give the information that it is already baptized.
That is all that can be done, at the most. The
rest we may quietly leave to God. You have not
the obligations of a sponsor. No wrong was
done. You only did your duty. Continue so to
do it, if occasion offers.
In a case of emergency, can any other
fluid besides water be used for a Baptism
of necessity? If a glass containing fluid
which was thought to be water were used,
and the mistake not known until after
the child died, would that Baptism be
valid ?
The remote matter of Baptism is water, that
is, any and every form of liquid that in common
estimation is pure and unchanged water, for
instance, water taken from the ocean, from
streams, fountains, or wells — water melted from
ice, snow, or hail — water gathered from steam,
BAPTISM 2.9
dew, or mist — chemical and mineral water.
Animal and plant fluids, though they contain
water, are looked upon as distinct substances,
and hence Baptism cannot be administered with
milk, blood, spittle, sweat, oil, flower or fruit
juices (e. g., wine, cider), or extracts of barks or
roots. Doubtful matter are liquids that, while
in large part composed of water, seem to be
generally regarded as not water, for instance,
thin soup, tea or coffee, light beer; hence only in
uecessity can these be lawfully used for Baptism.
If, in Baptism of necessity, matter that is
certainly valid cannot be had, any material what-
soever, as long as it is not certainly invalid, may
and must be used, with this condition prefixed
to the formula of Baptism: "If this matter is
valid, I baptize . . . ." If the one thus baptized
survives and matter that is certainly valid can
be had, he should be again baptized (except in
the case mentioned in the answer above), with
this condition: "If thou are not baptized, I
baptize . . . ." Just as for conferring Baptism
under the first condition any least probability as
to the validity of the matter is sufficient, so too
for rebaptizing under the second condition any
slight probability as to the invalidity of the
Baptism suffices: for we have to do here with the
most necessary Sacrament.
Is it really true that infants who die
without Baptism shall never see the face
of God in heaven?
Yes; it is really true. If to some this is a
"hard saying," let them take to heart the words
of the learned Cardinal Bellarmine, now a
canonized saint: "Our pity cannot benefit these
little ones, nor can our severity hurt them;
but it may injure us very gravely if, through a
mistaken pity for them, we assert anything re-
pugnant to Holy Scripture and the doctrine of
3o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
the Church. We must not listen to our own
hearts, but to the clear statements of Holy
Scripture, the Councils, and the Fathers"
(De amiss, gratiae et statu peccati, VI, c. 2).
These infants cannot enter heaven, but they
do not go to hell. It is generally held that they
do not feel pain at their loss. We here give a
rather lengthy but very enlightening quotation
about this matter from Bishop William Schnei-
der's masterful work, "The Other Life" (Joseph
F. Wagner, Inc., Publishers, New York City) :
"These infants lead a painless existence, and
in this respect are happier than any one on
earth; they delight in the perfection of their
human nature, the harmonious development of
their bodily and mental powers, and the fulfil-
ment of their natural craving for happiness.
They recognize God as their Lord and Creator,
as the Author of all things, preserving the uni-
verse and directing the laws of nature. In com-
parison with their knowledge all the science on
earth is as the babbling of children. They love
God with a natural love proportionate to their
knowledge, and this love is deep and eternal.
They extol His might, that called them into ex-
istence, and they honor His providence, that
orders and directs everything with loving wisdom,
and perhaps allowed them to die young that so
they might escape everlasting death.
"For them, too, God is the final end and the
supreme good; He is near them, not, indeed,
in the sense in which He is with the saints in
heaven, to whom He reveals the unfathomable
depths of His being, and not in the sense in which
He is near to the lost in hell, who feel the force
of His just vengeance. He draws the little ones
so close to Him that the impulse of the creature
to turn to the Creator — the impulse that He
planted within them — is fully gratified, and with
it their natural desire for happiness. He lets
BAPTISM 31
them taste His light, love, and joy, so that they
perceive Him to be their kind and loving Father.
In some way even unbaptized infants have ac-
cess to God, not as children of the promise, like
Isaac, but as heirs of the natural blessing, like
Ishmael. They walk in His presence, contem-
plate His attributes and perfections, as reflected
in His works, and thus they are confirmed in
natural justice and virtue.
"Finally, we need not assume that they are
cut off from all intercourse with the saints. An
infant at his mother's breast is everywhere at
home; and so every place is heaven for the
elect in glory, provided that God is with them,
and He is present everywhere. They can tra-
verse space freely, and be now here, now there,
and yet always with God, and always in heaven;
always receiving the measure of light and joy
that they have deserved. Intercourse between
them and unbaptized infants is neither incon-
ceivable nor impossible; in fact we may reason-
ably think that it exists. The little ones derive
their natural happiness not so much from God
as from His works; why, then, should they
not see His perfect creatures, and in them behold
the results of His power, wisdom, and love?
Why should they not be instructed by them in
the mysteries of His being? They do not see God,
but they see those made in His image, radiant with
glorious light; they do not see the Sun, but they
see millions of little suns that derive their light
from Him; they walk not in broad daylight, but
in a starry night ; uncreated beauty is hidden from
their gaze, but they behold its reflection; their
eyes are not, indeed, transformed, but still they
can perceive and delight in the glorious figures of
the blest; they rest, not on our Lord's bosom, but
in the arms of His disciples and rejoice with them.
"That millions of other children, by no merit
of their own, have received the grace of Baptism
3i QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
and enjoy eternal salvation, does not trouble
them, any more than the fact that they were not
created angels. They feel no envy or ill-will at
the greater happiness of others. They survey
and extol the harmony and order among God's
creatures, submit to His inscrutable decree, and
adore His supreme majesty and glory, and the
perfect and unlimited power with which He
rules and orders all things. Intercourse with the
happy saints in glory is to some extent a com-
pensation for missing the joys of heaven.
"Suarez asserts that our Lord's resurrection
was the exemplar and pattern also of the resur-
rection of the bodies of children stained with
original sin. Their bodies will, however, not
partake in the supernatural gifts, but in respect
of their natural perfection they will resemble the
bodies of the just. We may assume that in
stature and appearance they reach the stage of
development that they would have attained in
the prime of manhood. There will be nothing
ugly or deformed, no sickness, hunger, or thirst,
nothing to disturb their perfect well-being. They
have no need of food or drink, they feel no in-
ordinate desires and no passion. They possess
the moral, mental, and corporal maturity that
befits human nature when it is neither corrupted
by sin nor raised by grace.
"In this state of natural perfection and com-
parative bliss they await their parents, to whom
they owe their birth. Therefore, to those also
whose child has died unbaptized, we may say:
'Do not despair; your child is safe and happy,
and you will see him again; be will recognize
you, and rejoice at being with you. You need
not pity him; he will gaze at you with admiration
at your glory, but he will feel no envy'."
I am a convert to the Catholic Church.
My father is a non-Catholic. He was
BAPTISM ft
never baptized. He is living with me now.
Suppose he gets seriously sick or has a
serious accident. Would it be all right
for me to baptize him before he dies?
Remember, first of all, that adults who are
physically and mentally normal cannot be bap-
tized except with their own knowledge and free
will and after having been duly instructed and
exhorted to be sorry for their sins (Canon 752,
n. 1). As regards the instruction, bear in mind
that the Apostles' Creed contains the principal
mysteries of the faith. Old people whose memory
is failing may be baptized if they give assurance
of their belief and profess it (S. O., March 8,
1770, n. 2).
Canon 752 further states, speaking of adults,
that in danger of death , if they cannot be more
carefully instructed in the principal mysteries
of the faith, it is sufficient for the conferring of
Baptism that they show in any way their readi-
ness to assent to the truths of the Catholic
religion and seriously promise to observe its
precepts.
Finally, it is stated in the same Canon that if
the adult in danger of death can no longer even
ask for Baptism, but has either previously or in
his present state in some probable way expressed
his intention of receiving Baptism, the Sacrament
should be administered conditionally; if he then
recovers and there remains a doubt as to the
validity of the Baptism conferred, he must again
be baptized conditionally. (Conditionally, that
is, the one who baptizes must use some such
words as: "If thou art capable, i. e., if sincerely
thou wilt be baptized, I baptize thee in the name,
etc.")
In a case such as you suggest, one should call a
priest if time and circumstances permit; for lay
people are to administer Baptism only in case of
necessity. Otherwise be guided by the above. If
34 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
nothing else can be done, if, for instance, because
of various circumstances it would be unwise even
to suggest Baptism to the dying person (e. g.,
because it would harden his heart), one should
always urge and help him to make acts of faith,
hope, love, and sorrow. He may thus be saved
through Baptism of desire, an act of perfect con-
trition. Such acts are contained in the following
approved prayer, which you might write out and
preserve for use in the assistance of the dying:
"I believe in one God. I believe that in God
there are three Divine Persons — God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. I be-
lieve that God the Son became Man, without
ceasing to be God. I believe that He is my Lord
and Savior, that He died on the cross for the
salvation of all mankind, that He arose from the
dead, ascended into heaven, and will come at
the end of time to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in heaven and hell — that God will re-
ward the good with perfect happiness forever,
and punish the wicked with never-ending pain.
I believe also everything else that God has taught
and revealed.
"O my God, Who art all-good and merciful,
I hope to be saved and want to do all that is
necessary for my salvation according to Thy holy
will. I have committed many sins in my life,
but I am very sorry for them. I detest and hate
them, because by them I have offended Thee,
my God, Who art all-good, all-perfect, all-holy,
so merciful, so kind, Who died on the cross for
me and Whom I love with all my heart. I ask
Thy pardon, O my God, and I promise Thee,
by the help of Thy grace, never to sin again.
My Jesus, have mercy on me."
PERTAINING TO CHASTITY
How can a person who is continually
troubled with impure thoughts and de-
sires actually know whether he has con-
sented to them or not?
First of all, as a matter of common sense, we
must remark that it is entirely natural for a
normal person with greater or lesser frequency
to experience carnal imaginations, thoughts,
feelings and desires. It would be a sign of ab-
normality or constitutional disorder if one did
not experience them. But those experiences are
not yet a temptation by any means. They be-
come a temptation only when there is added to
them the approach of lust, or the lure to indulge
them unlawfully. This lust constitutes the
temptation. As long as it is not responded to or
dallied with there can be no question of sin,
however strong the natural phenomena may be.
Secondly, we make the following observations
as to how to behave when assailed by temptations
against chastity:
1. It is certainly not sinful to have bad
thoughts, or to suffer inordinate movements of
the flesh. We must only not yield our consent
to them, or take wilful pleasure in them, or cause
them either directly or indirectly. Hence, do not
in any way give occasion to the temptation. Re-
move even all perverse, frivolous, and idle
thoughts and keep in your mind only holy and
useful thoughts. Guard the eyes especially.
Everyone knows how dangerous, for instance,
suggestive pictures can be.
2. As soon as you notice an impure thought,
or impure movement of the flesh, turn away your
mind from the object that excites you; shake
off the impure thought as you would a fiery coa'
35
36 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
falling upon your garment. Turn your mind
upon something that is apt to distract you from
the bad thought. Remember that a good way of
stifling evil thoughts is to fill our minds with
good ones. Think of death, judgment, hell, eter-
nity, the Passion of Christ.
3. Should the temptation still continue, have
recourse to prayer, and make a most positive act
of resistance. "Watch and pray" the Savior ad-
monishes us. Have some ejaculatory prayer
ready and whisper it devoutly as soon as you
notice that the thought grows vivid, for instance,
"My Jesus, mercy!" "Mary, help me; I am in
temptation!" Or invoke the holy name over and
over again — "Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!" This is a
very consoling practice; for it is afterward proof
positive that you did not want the thought,
since you thus prayed. Do not manifest your
interior struggle by outward signs, shaking of
the head, etc.
4. Should the temptation become more vio-
lent, pray more fervently still. Invoke Jesus, the
Blessed Virgin, the saints. Especially, if circum-
stances permit, take your rosary and recite it,
endeavoring to force yourself to meditation on
the mysteries. And then be not overanxious.
The more fierce the battle, the more glorious the
victory. Only one thing is necessary: If you can
say with your whole heart, "I would rather die
than be defiled by sin," all hell becomes power-
less. "God is faithful, Who will not suffer you
to be tempted above that which you are able."
Thirdly (and now we are drawing nearer to a
direct answer to your question), in case a person
who is habitually conscientious in the practice of
virtue doubts if he committed a mortal sin of
impurity in a given instance, whether in thought,
desire, or deed — if he is not at once sure, or
fully conscious and convinced that he sinned
grievously — he can assume, without any fear or
CHASTITY 37
remorse, that he did not sin mortally; he can
take as addressed to himself the words said to
have been spoken by the Savior to St. Teresa,
"No one loses Me by mortal sin, without knowing
it for certain"; and he can and should dismiss
the matter categorically from his mind, without
ever recalling it again for special examination or
adjudication, either in his daily examens of con-
science or in his preparation for confession. He
will do the best, the wisest, and the most virtuous
thing by ignoring it completely once for all.
The unpleasant incident will stimulate him,
however, to keep up his habit of frequently re-
newing the acts of perfect love and contrition.
In case he had any guilt at all in the matter —
even though it was in reality a grievous guilt —
it will all be attended to sufficiently, and wiped
out entirely, by his aspirations of perfect love
and sorrow.
This practice is universally followed by all pi-
ous and saintly persons, lay people, religious, and
ecclesiastics, with much spiritual comfort and
success. It is the only method to follow for such
conscientious persons who are afflicted or threat-
ened with the bane of scrupulosity: it is best
for them to make no mention whatsoever of
doubtful sins in confession. Persons who are
conscientious and not scrupulous may confess
their doubtful sins with no little profit; whereas
lax and habitually unscrupulous persons ought
to confess doubtful sins, as the evidence is all in
their disfavor.
What can I do to drive the devil away
when he tempts me so much?
We must expect temptations and consider
them as unavoidable and even necessary for us.
We may always expect to meet the devil on our
way through life. Never be surprised at his
assaults; they are your glory and your merit;
3 8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
he persecutes you because you are virtuous.
Never be afraid of temptations; always be cour-
ageous and cheerful; and resist temptations
chiefly by despising them. The great masters
of the spiritual life agree in saying that contempt
is the shortest and most effective means of resist-
ing the devil and keeping from sin, more effective
even than the words and acts of the contrary
virtues. This means has the immense advantage,
in the first place, of not engaging in actual com-
bat with the devil and thus not getting tired or
defiled by struggling with him; and, in the
second place, it has the effect of discouraging the
devil and putting a speedy end to his temptations
and assaults. It is indeed good to put temptation
to flight by considering, for instance, the hideous-
ness of sin, or by imploring the Blessed Virgin's
protection; but it is better merely to despise the
devil, to make no account of his suggestions,
and to continue quietly to keep oneself in the
presence of God.
As regards temptations, we must, in general,
always be on our guard ; we must fly from every
occasion which, though not sought, may happen
to arise. We must pray and thus bring God to
our assistance and His holy angels to shield us.
We must frequent the Sacraments, those channels
of grace that diminish the force of concupiscence
and increase our union with God and our conse-
quent separation from sin. Acts of self-denial in
the time of temptation are a great help. Prompt
resistance at the beginning is of utmost importance;
the evil suggestion should be crushed at once;
there should be no dallying with temptation.
The recollection of the presence of God, of the great
truths of salvation, of the horrible deformity of sin,
will always serve as a secure defense.
We are not alone in the struggle. God and
His angels are standing by and are on our side.
It is well here to recall the words of Holy Writ:
CHASTITY 39
"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation;
for when he hath been proved, he shall receive
the crown of life, which God hath promised to
them that love Him." (James 1:12.)
What is to be said as regards women's
styles and the fads and follies of female
attire ?
It appears that not only the so-called flapper
but all who imitate her fads and follies, be it but
from a distance, as it were, are entirely oblivi-
ous of these words of Holy Writ, "Many have
perished by the beauty of a woman, and here-
by lust is enkindled as a fire." There are those
who have wondered, in a dim and giddy way,
why the Holy Father, why prelates and priests
the world over, have been compelled repeatedly
to denounce in no measured terms the trend of
modern fashions. It is because they are a first-
class net the devil uses to catch souls with. But
the above quotation is bitingly clear. It is a
thousandfold answer.
It seems that the modern flapper, without
the bob maybe, and changing what is to be
changed, is not so modern after all. In one of
his letters St. Jerome describes Mary Mag-
dalen wiping the Savior's feet "with the same
hair with which she had before deceived many.
She does not wear a waving headdress or creak-
ing boots; she does not darken her eyes with
antimony; yet in her squalor she is lovelier
than ever."
And he goes on to say, "What place have
rouge and white lead on the face of a Christian
woman? The one simulates the natural red of
the cheeks and of the lips; the other the white-
ness of the face and neck. They serve only to
inflame young men's passions, to stimulate lust,
and to indicate an unchaste mind. How can a
woman weep for her sins whose tears lay bare
4o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
her true complexion and mark furrows on her
cheeks? . . . With what confidence can a woman
raise features to heaven which her Creator must
fail to recognize? It is idle to allege in excuse
for such practices girlishness and youthful
vanity.''
Those are hard sayings. But take them from
a saint! "Today," he continues, "you may see
women cramming their wardrobes with dresses,
changing their gowns from day to day, and for
all that unable to vanquish the moths ....
Parchments are dyed purple, gold is melted into
lettering, manuscripts are decked with jewels,
while Christ lies at the door naked and dying."
Again, St. Cyprian bluntly names the devils
as the inventors of dress, painting, and orna-
mentation. "It was they," he says, "who taught
to draw a circle of black round the eyes, to paint
the cheeks with dishonest tints, to dye the hair
with lying colors, to make away with all truth of
face and forehead by the inroads of their corrup-
tion. And on this point, in the fear which faith
suggests to me, and the love which brotherhood
demands, not virgins and widows only, but I
consider that the married also and all females
whatever, ought to be cautioned that what God
has formed, what He made and fashioned, ought
in no wise to be tampered with, whether with
yellow dye, or black powder, or rouge, or any
other preparation at all, which undoes the linea-
ments of nature."
And in the Prophecy of Isaias we have other
scathing words applicable to the modern extremist
in artificial beauty. In chapter the third we read,
"And the Lord said: 'Because the daughters of
Sion are haughty and have walked with stretched-
out necks, and wanton glances of their eyes, and
made a noise as they walked with their feet, and
moved in a set pace, the Lord will make bald
the crown of the head of the daughters of Sion,
CHASTITY 41
and the Lord will discover their hair. In that
day the Lord will take away the ornaments of
shoes, and little moons, and chains, and neck-
laces, and bracelets, and bonnets, and bodkins,
and ornaments of the legs, and tablets, and sweet
balls, and earrings, and rings, and jewels hanging
on the forehead, and changes of apparel, and
short cloaks, and fine linen, and crisping pins,
and looking glasses, and lawns, and head-bands,
and fine veils. And instead of a sweet smell
there shall be stench, and instead of a girdle,
a cord, and instead of curled hair, baldness, and
instead of a stomacher, hair cloth.'
But there is likewise true beauty in woman.
It is when she combines virtue with loveliness
— and virtue is loveliness. Then "she is grace
upon grace"; then "the grace of her modesty is
above gold."
"The woman that feareth the Lord, she shall
be praised"; for as everlasting foundations upon
a solid rock, even so the commandments of God
in the heart of a holy woman.
* * *
Regarding cosmetics, if they are used with the
intention of arousing impure passions in others it
is, of course, a very serious matter. When used
out of real vanity and to deceive, it is a venial
sin. If their use is not excessive and it is done
just to be neat and attractive or to conceal some
defect or because it is a harmless custom, it is
no sin at all. And this last is often the case.
The use of these things, however, has come to
be rather ridiculous of late, with young ladies
daubing or touching up their faces in all kinds
of public places and at all occasions. Natural
beauty is the most attractive after all. After
marriage young men often complain that they
married a mask, a false face. The poet aptly
says: "Behold, God gave you one face, and you
make yourself another!"
4i QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Cosmetics have a long prescriptive use and
place, from Egyptian antiquity down to the
vanishing creams and lipsticks of our day. The
art that should (but seldom does) conceal art
may afford a temporary external remedy for the
shortcomings of an ofttimes niggard Mother
Nature; and the man who would too sweep ingly
condemn them would do well to take lodgings in
a tall tree or a flight in a waiting aeroplane. Even
so great a churchman and bishop as St. Francis
de Sales looked upon cosmetics with smiling
benevolence. To a lady who consulted him as
to the propriety of rouging her cheeks, he laugh-
ingly replied:
"Some persons may object to it. Others may
see no harm in it. But since you ask my advice,
I shall take a middle course by allowing you to
rouge only one cheek."
Someone has said: "The Almighty never made
ugliness. All women are beautiful if their souls
are clean." The soul is more than its fleshly
overcoat; and have we not scripture authority
that the body is more than its raiment? Women
who are wise will do nothing to forfeit the place
— a little less than the angels — which they hold
in the minds of all clean and chivalrous Christian
manhood.
Since so much is said and written about
indecent dress of women, will you tell
me what is really considered indecent
dress by the supreme authority of the
Church? What are Catholic women to do,
or not to do?
We have an authoritative statement in the
Instruction on this matter issued by the Sacred
Congregation of the Council, January 12, 1930.
That Instruction incorporates by reference a
letter of the Sacred Congregation of Religious,
August 23, 1928, to the religious communities
CHASTITY 43
in the city of Rome conducting girls' schools.
In that letter specific directions are given as to
what the Holy See considers unbecoming dress
for Catholic women and girls. We quote the
following as given in a leaflet published by the
Central Bureau of the Catholic Central Verein,
with the Imprimatur of the Most Rev. John J.
Glennon, Archbishop of St. Louis: "In order
that uniformity of understanding prevail in all
institutions of religious women regarding the
cases in which the afore-cited prescriptions of
the Congregation of Religious apply, we recall
that a dress cannot be called decent which is
cut deeper than two fingers' breadth under the
pit of the throat, which does not cover the arms
at least to the elbows, and scarcely reaches a
bit beyond the knees. Furthermore, dresses of
transparent material are improper, as also flesh-
colored stockings, which suggest the legs being
bare."
Even ordinarily good Catholic women and
young ladies are often unconscious of the in-
decency of modern dress and its offence against
public Christian morality, due to the prevailing
spirit of liberty in its exaggerated form and the
lack of delicacy of Christian modesty lost through
contact with life in the midst of an overwhelm-
ingly large neo-pagan population that is mostly
Christian in name only. What is necessary is
persistent and uniform teaching of the high sense
of Christian morality evidenced in the lives of
the saints and the vast majority of our Catholic
ancestors and corresponding practice by our
Catholic women. The following dialogue illus-
trates what we mean:
"Yes, I know, I think I really could dress a
bit more modestly if I just wanted to, but, really,
I don't see why. Everybody's doing . . ."
"Now, now!" I admonished her. "Don't say
anything silly. You don't see why you shouldn't
44 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
be a slave to extreme fashion. Why, even you
must have read those forceful words spoken by
Pope Pius XI not long ago. Remember them?
Listen: 'The unfortunate mania for fashion
causes even honest women to forget every
sentiment of dignity and modesty. The decrease
of womanly reserve has always been a sign of
social decadence. The vanity of woman causes
the disintegration of the family. An immodest
mother will have shameless children. A shame-
less girl cannot be a good wife. It is possible to
dress with ladylike decorum without imitating
monastic severity.' "
"Yes, I know. But I don't see why ..."
"But I see why — why you should always be
careful not to offend in the matter of dress,
regardless of what others may do or say. If
your dress is of such a kind as to constitute a
sensual appeal to men and to encourage other
girls to follow your bad example, you are both
directly and indirectly giving scandal and lead-
ing others into temptation. Of course, a girl
may dress well and attractively, if she does not
offend against the laws of modesty. But charity
demands that she assist others in their struggle
against sin and shield them from temptation,
instead of doing just the opposite. If she boldly
displays her seductive charms, then she has no
reason to resent it if insult is offered. She
throws out a challenge. She has freely given up
her right to be treated as a lady."
"But one gets used to it. So I don't see
why . . ."
"You say 'one.' Who gets used to it? When
a girl first appears in an immodest costume she
feels very guilty and embarrassed. But soon
she does, alas! get used to it : her sense of modesty
becomes blunted, her maidenly reserve gradually
vanishes. Then her love of chastity dies out,
and sin and vice are not far off. Alas for those
CHASTITY 45
who force themselves to cast away that saving
sense of shame, virtue's greatest protection in
this regard! Who get used to it? Do the men?
Some do, perhaps, others don't. Immodest
dress, as being co-operation in sin, may earn for
its wearer a long and painful purgatory. Of
course, I cannot give any universal rule as to
how far you can go without offending God.
Time and place and different circumstances —
all must be taken into consideration. More-
over, we shouldn't try to see how close we can
get to a mortal sin without falling into it. We
should rather try to see how far we can remain
from even venial transgressions."
She was silent now. Poor girl! Why hadn't
some sensible mother told her these things long
before — and taught her how to dress? I continued,
"And think of this, the immodestly dressed girl
even comes to church to distract and tempt
those who are praying in the holy place. What
a mockery prayer is on such lips! 'Hail, Mary,
full of grace,' sh< says. 'And I am full of sin,'
she might add, if she be a seductress in the house
of God. In improper costume such a girl will
even approach the table of the Lord. But God
forbid that I should think it is done out of malice.
Rather let me call it ignorance and weakness of
the saddest kind.
"After all, real beauty is not in the outlines
of the body, but in mind, personality, and heart —
the cultivated mind, the head for sensible think-
ing, the engaging personality, the sterling
character. Beauty of soul, reflected from the
eyes, radiating from the countenance — that is
true beauty. And where we find sterling character
there the laws of health are not defied in slavish
obedience to«the caprices of fashion ; there natural
physical beauty adds modest charm to the al-
ready engaging personality.
"Disregard all comment. Avoid all excess.
46 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
You can dress attractively and yet in an in-
conspicuous manner. If others offend God,
that is no reason why you should offend Him
by following their pernicious example.
"Start a new movement. Set a good example.
You will soon have imitators. Resolve: 'I will
never dress in such a way as to feel ashamed of
myself. I will never dress to kill — to kill the
souls of men.' "
A friend of mine was talking religion
with me the other day. 1. He claims that
there is no truth in the story about Adam
and Eve eating the forbidden fruit, but
that theirs was simply a sin of impurity.
Is that true? 2. He likewise argues thus,
4 'If that was not the sin they committed,
why did they afterwards clothe themselves
with fig leaves because they were
ashamed?"
1. The sin of our first parents was the eating
of forbidden fruit, just as the Bible tells it. The
Bible's words must here be taken literally; they
are no allegory, no myth, no fable, no figure of
speech. To look upon them as such would be to
distort the obvious meaning of the sacred text;
and it would also be adverse to the opinion of
antiquity and to the general teaching of theo-
logians. Once admit such an interpretation, and
there would be nothing in Holy Writ that could
not be similarly twisted out of shape and sense
and distorted at the whim of the individual —
for his own ends. 2. Adam and Eve
clothed themselves with fig leaves because
after they had sinned they lost their original
innocence and were punished by darkness of
understanding, weakness of will, inclination to
evil. That inclination to evil made them clothe
themselves: their passions were no longer under
control, and they were ashamed. This rebellion
CHASTITY 47
of the passions continues today as an awful
punishment in the human race.
Is it a sin to play (game mentioned)?
We will assume that by this term one of the
many petting or necking parties is understood.
Such parties are usually nothing else than sinful
flirtations, whose one purpose seems to be to
drain the body of its healthy vitality, while the
heart is drained of virtue and honor, and the soul
is made a stranger to innocence and grace. They
are an abomination to God and men. "Puppy
love," it is called. But, in view of its harmful
effects upon the emotional, spiritual, and moral
life of the parties to it, this behavior, instead of
being called "puppy love," ought to be called
"the devil's game," since it is one of the most
common and crafty tricks by which Satan
gradually and insensibly lures innocent boys and
girls into ugly sin and filthy vice under the
guise of love.
Is it a mortal sin if, when seeing immo-
dest pictures at a movie, you try to avoid
seeing them and banish sinful thoughts
from your mind?
No; it is not a mortal sin, since no consent is
given to the temptation. Indeed, you act in
quite the proper way when these suggestive scenes
suddenly turn up, — and how few are the motion
pictures where, in one form or other, they do
not turn up! But why court danger in this way?
Why attend such movies at all ? If such a large per
cent of the movies shown are not fit for children
to see, how many are fit for anybody to see?
Guard the treasure of holy purity: it is worth
any and every sacrifice and deprivation. And we
know that the concupiscence of the eyes, or want
of watchfulness over them, has been the cause
of thousands of deplorable falls.
4S QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
I heard a priest say that every sin of
voluntary and deliberate impurity is a
mortal sin. Is it so bad? And how about
those thoughts that come so often?
Yes; that is true. Remember well, however,
that the priest said voluntary and deliberate. In
these sins there is no smallness of matter, but
every act of wrongful indulgence in venereal
pleasure, if directly sought or consented to, is
grievously sinful. (We are not speaking of the
lawful use of matrimony.) No sin against chastity
is venial except that which remains internally
incomplete, not on account of outward circum-
stances, but because the will resists.
Therefore, it is also evident that not all sins
against the sixth and ninth commandments are
mortal. If an impure thought, word, or act is
freely willed or if it is deliberately excited, it is
a mortal sin. Not so if it arises in the mind
against one's will or without one's deliberate
consent. External acts, such as immodest
touches, looks, etc., are mortally sinful if due to
lust; they are venially sinful if due to curiosity
or inadvertence, and are transient in character;
and they are not sinful at all if performed for
some reasonable cause, even though accompanied
by venereal pleasure, provided, of course, no
consent is given to such pleasure.
As regards those thoughts, normal people, and
youth in particular, cannot help it if they are
more or less attacked by foul thoughts, unseemly
imaginations, immoral feelings, salacious im-
pulses, and obscene desires. But they can always
refuse them admittance or endorsement. They
can resolutely refuse consent, ignore them,
turn the mind away in disgust, direct the thoughts
to honorable and interesting subjects, which
.need not necessarily be holy subjects, or call
quietly upon God and His Blessed Mother.
Impure thoughts and imaginations are in them-
CHASTITY 49
selves indifferent, but they can be very dangerous;
for they tend to excite lustful feelings that can
lead to complete sin, and they tend to allure the
mind to consent so that it takes pleasure in that
which is immodest and freely desires its perpetra-
tion. Hence it is of such importance to regulate
one's thought -life.
So we may briefly say that, as pointed out
above, to admit impure thoughts out of lust, or
for the purpose of enjoying the venereal pleasure
they excite, is a mortal sin. So, too, it is a mortal
sin to let the mind rest with complacency on the
pleasure caused by such thoughts when they
come involuntarily.
But to admit to the mind and dwell upon
immodest thoughts out of levity or idle curiosity
(not out of lust), provided they do not excite one
much, is a venial sin, because they do not place
one in grave danger of consent in venereal pleasure
or of committing the complete sin. But if they
excite one much, to admit them is usually mortal
because of such danger, provided there be ad-
vertence to the grave danger of sinning.
Finally to admit into the mind or to foster
immodest thoughts for a good and honorable
reason (study, nursing, etc.), is allowed, even if
venereal pleasure arises, provided no consent is
given to such pleasure. Watchfulness, prayer-
fulness, and the remembrance of the presence
of God are then recommended.
As a little caution we would append the re-
mark that herein also, though most sensitive
and watchful and quick to resist, we should
likewise be sensible. We will accordingly re-
member that things necessary, things that just
happen, things for which we are not responsible,
things not voluntary and deliberate are not
grievous sins.
That particular course which I am tak-
5o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
ing in art requires also the drawing of
figures in the nude. Will you tell me
whether it is sinful to make nude draw-
ings that are necessary in art, as a study?
I am a student at the Art Institute and
I am being taught (before draping) figure
drawing which I think is disgraceful
because of its nudity. I have no intention
of committing sin. It is a part of my
course.
Images of the nude in the studio of an artist,
and anatomical charts, figures, or illustrations
in a book intended for the instruction of medical
men, are not classed as obscene, nor is the making
of them in itself sinful; for the persons for whom
they are made and by whom they are made are
supposed to be so much under the influence of
the esthetic or scientific principles of their pro-
fessions that no harm will be taken. This is one
general principle.
But here we must at the same time condemn
the view of modern aestheticians which would
have us believe that the representation of the
nude is the highest ideal and triumph of art.
This contention is opposed to the Christian view.
Esthetics are not above ethics, as some moderns
would have it. This theory is opposed both to
morality, since all conduct should be guided by
reason, and to art, inasmuch as the highest
beauty is that of virtue and the spirit of purity.
Statues, pictures, drawings, diagrams, etc., of
the naked body or its parts have generally the
same danger as the originals, though the allure-
ment is in itself less vivid. Hence the Church,
while it has never regarded the naked body in
itself as unchaste, has consistently disapproved
of the freedom and promiscuity with which nude
sculptures and paintings are publicly exhibited.
It is, accordingly, lawful for you, in view of
your disposition, to frequent that Art Institute
CHASTITY 51
and take the lessons you mention, inasmuch as
such drawings are necessary or very useful for
the course. If impure thoughts or feelings arise,
no consent may be given to them. If unusual
circumstances arise, consult your confessor.
That you are quite justified in the above can
be seen, too, from the fact that to gaze upon
thoroughly artificial statues and pictures that
represent nude persons is ordinarly not a grave
danger to purity for adult persons of a serious
cast of mind. The reason is because such repre-
sentations are in our day, alas! so frequent that
they no longer move such adult persons. We say
ordinarily; for sometimes they are not so arti-
ficial and may then constitute a grave danger to
certain temperaments. This paragraph suggests
which attitude to take in visiting art museums,
for instance.
Since we have entered upon this matter, we
may touch upon another point. In the field of
so-called art it has become the custom every-
where for artists and sculptors to employ nude
persons of either sex to pose as models. The
artists maintain that this is absolutely necessary
for the perfection of art. If that be really true,
then it is allowed thus to employ living models,
since such action is not in itself illicit and there is
sufficient reason therefor. Abuses, however,
frequently creep in and sin is committed. The
persons concerned must then be treated as those
who live in the proximate occasion of mortal sin.
It is hard to be precise about these things.
We are merely giving principles taken from
authorities in Catholic moral theology. We now
add a somewhat stricter view and say that to
look upon entirely nude statues and pictures
(adult) of either sex, unless it be done cursorily
for reasons of great utility, may easily be a mortal
sin. Also that the custom existing in many art
academies of exhibiting to artists, as a model,
5i QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
nude women with only the most private parts
covered, is gravely reprehensible, though painters
who cannot avoid such academies without grave
inconvenience would seem to be excused, pro-
vided they take all due precautions. Nor are
women who thus exhibit themselves because they
are in great need of the remuneration received to
be at once and without exception held guilty of
grave sin, provided due precautions are observed.
Furthermore, as regards living persons in par-
ticular, that recent theory and common assertion
so redolent of the lustf ulness of modern paganism,
that the eyes grow accustomed to the sight of
nakedness, is to be emphatically rejected.
What is to be thought of young ladies
who go about during hot weather wearing
no stockings?
It is necessary again and again to remind
girls of their sacred responsibility as to modesty
of dress; and here it likewise becomes necessary
to repeat that sin can easily be committed and
scandal given by those who seek to attract
through lack of dress — not enough of it. They
must be on their guard, lest their dress, or lack
of dress, be strongly suggestive of, or tempting
to, indecency. A good and pure girl will rather
forego the empty pleasure of being admired for
her dress, or rather endure the discomfort that
may incidentally arise from proper dress, than
run the risk of being, even though but indirectly,
a cause of ruin to the virtue of others. More-
over, no apparel so much brings out the real
beauty and charm of a noble girl or woman as
a modest apparel. Christian modesty, sensible
withal and not prudish, is one of the great safe-
guards of chastity.
Is it a sin to look at improper pictures
at the movies, when you do not want to
offend our Lord?
CHASTITY 53
This is, without doubt, a very practical ques-
tion. Only too often alas! the movies are posi-
tively suggestive and indecent; and even at
their best they are none too free from a certain
dangerous sex element. In replying to this ques-
tion we must however, distinguish. If the film
is wholly immoral or suggestive one who attends
it can hardly be excused from serious sin and has
the obligation to leave. But if the picture or
theme is not in itself immoral or suggestive,
even though one or the other objectionable scene
is thrown upon the screen, it is not necessary to
leave. In this case it is clear that one need not
look upon the objectionable features. Look
away. Let your glance wander over the audience.
Or close your eyes. And deplore the fact that one
cannot even have a few hours of all-clean amuse-
ment and relaxation in the modern theater —
and wish you were home.
Is it a sin to wear sleeveless dresses, if
you do not wear them in church?
In answering a former question about decency
of dress we quoted from an Instruction on this
matter issued by the Sacred Congregation of the
Council, January 12, 1930, wherein we read,
"that a dress cannot be called decent which is
cut deeper than two fingers' breadth under the
pit of the throat, which does not cover the arms
at least to the elbows, and scarcely reaches a
bit beyond the knees. Furthermore, dresses of
transparent material are improper, as also flesh-
colored stockings, which suggest the legs being
bare."
Now, this clearly shows the mind of the Holy
See (and what a blessed thing if it were uni-
versally followed by Catholic girls and women!)
but it is not a law. Hence, when it is a question
of sin, it depends very much upon whether in a
certain country or at a certain time certain
54 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
fashions are considered unbecoming or offensive
or indecent or not — always abstracting from
outright immodesty and excessive nudity that
no custom can condone. Were we to judge from
facts and general observation, we would have to
say that respectable and practical Catholic
young women of our day and country do not,
generally speaking, consider the dress described
above immodest.
But to come to your question, let us take, for
example, the matter of the sleeveless dress. It
has frequently been quite common throughout
the country. We would not want to say that
the wearing of such dresses is sinful, unless an
evil motive prompts the wearing of this particular
style. Those who are wearing such dresses,
however, should not appear in church without
having on a coat. And this really shows they
are not dressed just as they ought to be. Their
attire is not nice. It is not as truly attractive
and pleasing as dresses which have sleeves —
often generous, flowing sleeves — that come to
the elbows, of which delightful kind many are
worn. And how agreeable it is to see the full-
length sleeves that are still frequently in evidence!
Nakedness is attractive only to a class of persons
whom no good Catholic girl would want to at-
tract. Any girl can attract by lack of clothes.
But no Catholic girl or woman wants to do that.
They will strive to render themselves genuinely
attractive by a tasteful use of clothes, mindful
of the fact that clothes have a threefold purpose:
to cover the body, to protect it, and to adorn it.
It were indeed difficult, if not impossible to
give general rules for the whole world as to
what is modest or immodest relative to styles of
dress for women. Climate, customs, times, etc.,
have to be considered. But all in all the norm
established by the Holy See, as quoted above, is
an ideal to strive for and is not really difficult,.
CHASTITY 55
much less impossible, of realization. Guided by
these directions, Catholic ladies everywhere
ought to be able to devise a practical way of
creating fashions that are according to the mind
of the Church and at the same time beautiful,
modern, attractive, and artistic. If artistry of
dress were emphasized as much as nakedness
of body, how much of real beauty there would
be in the world around us!
What is the sin of Sodom?
When the people of Sodom and Gomorrah,
and other neighboring cities, had given them-
selves up to sins of impurity, the malice of their
crime was so great that, as the Scripture says, it
cried to heaven for vengenance (Gen. 18:20;
19:13). In consequence of this Almighty God, to
show His detestation of that vice, rained down
fire and brimstone from heaven upon them.
He "destroyed these cities, and all the country
about, all the inhabitants of the cities, and all
things that spring from the earth" (Gen. 19:25).
Thus that country, which before was "as the para-
dise of the Lord" (Gen. 13:10) was turned into
a lake of stinking water, as tradition has it,
which remains to this day an eternal monument
of the detestation God has for the sins of un-
cleanness.
So we answer your question by saying:
"Sodomy is the sin for which Sodom and Gomor-
rah were destroyed by God. The term includes
all sins of unnatural lust, particularly those
committed between persons of the same sex, and
all practices aiming at the prevention of con-
ception." (Koch-Preuss, Vol. 2. p. 88.) Various
distinctions, of no consequence here, are made
by moral theology. But always it remains
hideous, unnatural lust that cries to heaven for
vengeance.
5 6 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
What should one do when immodest
talk is carried on in one's presence?
If you can easily leave such company, leave it
at once. If you cannot leave, show by your
silence and serious demeanor (unless circum-
stances indicate that a spoken rebuke would be
in place) that you are displeased. One sins griev-
ously if by one's words or conduct one provokes
talk that is grievously impure or if one voluntarily
takes impure pleasure therein. One who, out of
human respect, smiles at such talk or adds a word
or two, likewise one who listens to such things
out of curiosity when one might easily go away,
does not sin grievously. But such a one is a
coward; he manifests a weak character; and he
is in greater danger of sin. Be such a person in
conduct and reputation that no one will ever
venture to speak immodestly in your presence.
The devils that so quickly and so gladly gather
round impure talkers take to flight at the ap-
proach of one who is chaste and pure.
Can you tell me how one can know if a
story or joke is impure or only improper?
An improper joke will become impure, we fear,
if you think of it long enough to make a distinc-
tion between the one and the other. As the words
impure and improper are usually understood in
this connection, the one is perhaps less gross
than the other. But the two are more or less
interchangeable. In our day improper covers a
multitude of hideous sins. Our answer to your
question is this: Let's not do any hair splitting
as regards the wrong and the more wrong.
Avoid both the one and the other.
Is it a sin to go to a love or petting
movie after going to confession and then
to go to Communion the next morning?
You doubtless want to know whether you then
CHASTITY 57
receive Holy Communion unworthily the next
morning. You do not, unless you commit a
mortal sin and do not again go to confession
before Communion. But a movie such as you
mention may easily give rise to sinful thoughts,
desires, or even worse things that can be mortal
sin.
At the very, very least, it is a case of being
very ungenerous with God and shows a sad lack
of appreciation of the Sacraments. What a
strange preparation for receiving the Bread of
Angels! Such movies should be avoided always
and at all times — and absolutely so when you
ought to be quietly at home and thinking of
Him Who is coming in the morning.
My Protestant friend told me that in a
certain convent she saw a picture of the
Christ Child with very little clothing on.
She said that she thought it was just
terrible and that she did not believe that
Our Lady dressed Him that way. What
should a Catholic answer? Please explain.
What your friend saw must have been an art
picture, — an artistic representation of the nativity
of Christ, for example. Your friend was quite
right in saying she did not believe Our Lady
dressed Him in that way, or, rather, left her
Child undressed. Indeed, we have the clear
testimony of Holy Writ for the fact that she did
not. There can be no doubt about the matter.
In the Gospel of St. Luke (2:7) we read: "And
she [Mary] brought forth her first-born Son,
and wrapped Him up in swaddling clothes, and
laid Him in a manger."
So your friend was quite right in her first re-
mark. But when she said she thought it was
"just terrible" she was quite wrong. By that
remark she evinced an oversensitiveness that is
not at all in keeping with the common estimation
5 8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
of men in this matter and with the principles of
Christian art. In innumerable Christian paint-
ings and masterpieces the Christ Child, cherubs,
or children are represented partly or even wholly
nude; yet no sensible person takes offense at
that nor are such paintings reprobated by the
Church, the mother of true Christian art. Repre-
sentations of the bodies of undeveloped infants,
even though entirely nude, are not wont to excite
carnal emotions. On the contrary, the paintings
here referred to are ennobling and inspiring and
tend to raise the mind to higher things in the
realms of purity and innocence. This is the
Catholic idea. The object of true art is the
honor of God and the edification of man. Art
has an object beyond itself; and that object
should be — and in the true Christian master-
pieces is — the unostentatious preaching of good-
ness, morality. Msgr. Hettinger says: "Both
religion and art have come forth from God, the
highest ideal; and although their field is different,
both must necessarily lead back to God if the
religion is true and if art has not departed from
its ideal. As all else that serves the truth serves
God, art also must serve Him in representing
beauty; for beauty comes from God and leads
back to Him."
But while it is true that such pictures in the
nude are not "just terrible," it is equally true
that they are not necessary for real art. Nor
are they needed to impress upon us the Savior's
humanity — how He is also true man. There are
perhaps even many more strikingly beautiful and
inspiring pictures of the nativity, for instance,
in which the Baby Jesus is clothed as even we
in this country would expect a baby to be, or
else wrapped in the scriptural "swaddling
clothes." It is worthy of note that in repre-
sentations of the nativity in the Church's princi-
pal liturgical books, the Missal and the Breviary,
CHASTITY 59
the Babe is not nude and the angels are beauti-
fully clothed. (We may remark also that in that
picture most holy and miraculous in its original,
"Our Lady of Good Counsel," the Christ Child is
beautifully and completely robed. And this seems
to be Our Lady's favorite picture.)
We do not wish to be misunderstood. The
dictum of modern art, "There is nothing more
beautiful than the naked body," is utterly false.
Modern aestheticians maintain that the repre-
sentation of the nude is the highest ideal and
triumph of art. This contention is opposed to
the Christian view. The Church has never re-
garded the naked body in itself as unchaste, but
she has always insisted on the great dangers in-
volved in its representation, and consistently
disapproved of the freedom and promiscuity with
which nude sculptures and paintings are publicly
exhibited. Art is not exempt from the observance
of divine and natural law. The moral law must
be observed in works of art. Hence it must be
said that it is forbidden in painting and sculpture
to exhibit those parts of the human body which
commonly arouse the passions of those who gaze
upon them. We have mentioned the exceptions
above and the reason for them. The mind
properly instructed will find Bethlehem's Babe
without the swaddling clothes no more objec-
tionable than Jesus nailed to the cross, stripped
of His garments, — the crucifix upon which we
gaze so often in grateful love.
Is it a Church law that children under
sixteen are not allowed to go to dances?
It is not. And, to begin with, we wish to say
here that dancing is not in itself sinful. It may
be, and for many persons it actually is, an inno-
cent pastime. And if any dances are more inno-
cent than others, they are those held by young
people at our schools, academies, and such like
60 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
institutions, and in private homes, at family
parties. The greatest danger in these informal
dances, it seems to us, is that they may develop
a craze for dancing — a craze that may in time
allure its victim to the public dance-hall. And
the public dance-hall is a place which all people,
but especially the young, should keep miles and
miles away from.
We have said that dancing is not wrong in
itself, that it may be innocent pastime. But at
the same time there can be no doubt that it is a
dangerous form of recreation, dangerous to
morals, to holy purity especially. And the dance-
halls of our day and country aggravate the dan-
ger a thousandfold. We cannot illustrate this
better than by quoting from the letter of a
Bishop to the clergy of his diocese. He says:
"Finally, in view of the present craze for danc-
ing, and in view of the character of many of the
dances, I urge the Rev. Pastors to caution their
young people, in all prudence and earnestness,
against the dangers connected with this form of
recreation. Impress them with the fact that they
cannot follow the riotous example of the pagan
youth in this regard, and at the same time re-
main true children of the Church. They must
at all times be mindful of their Christian faith
and its teachings. As to the dancing-pavilions
which have sprung up on all sides, and remain
in the most part without control, it must be
recognized that we are dealing with an evil that
threatens to sap the very foundations of Christian
morality. With the advent of the automobile and
the building of good roads, these halls in many
instances have become veritable dens of iniquity.
. . . Liquor is passed around to stir up the pas-
sions; lewd men and women of the underworld
here commingle with the general public and seek
their prey; here, too, at times, are found people
otherwise respectable, who imagine that being
CHASTITY 6 1
far from home and their neighbors they are out
of reach of the Lord as well, and conduct them-
selves in a way in which they never would do
in the neighborhood of their home. One can
without fear of contradiction say that many of
the dancing-halls of today are improper places
for Christian young men and women to frequent.
They are justly to be considered approximate
occasions of sin. I expect all Confessors to
question their young penitents as to the conditions
obtaining where the latter seek amusement, and
rigorously to apply the remedies indicated by
Moral Theology."
Is it a sin if you go to confession in the
afternoon and then go to a dance in the
evening, intending to receive Holy Com-
munion the next morning?
Dancing is in itself not sinful, but it is very
commonly a near occasion of grievous sin. A
near occasion of sin is that which always or usually
causes one to fall into mortal sin. It may be a
person, a place, an amusement, etc. This proxi-
mate occasion of sin must itself be avoided under
pain of grievous sin.
We may say again that dancing of the right
kind, under the right auspices, is in itself an
innocent and even beneficial diversion. Danc-
ing is not necessarily in itself sinful; but it may
be sinful because of the occasions of sin connected
with it. or because ecclesiastical authorities have
forbidden certain dances or dancing at a certain
time, or because of the scandal given at certain
seasons or times or under certain circumstances.
From the above our questioner, knowing all
the circumstances of this particular case, will be
able to judge whether it is a sin or not to go to
that dance after confession and before Com-
munion.
We do not like this constant seeking to remain
6-l QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
just inside and within an inch of the dead line
of grievous sin. Whether it is a sin or not in the
case in question, one thing is certain: if it is
not, it is the next thing to it; it is highly im-
proper and something that no Catholic with a
living faith will ordinarily do. After confession
remain as much as you can in retirement and
silence and keep your soul from the least little
stain while thinking longingly of the great grace
that awaits you on the morrow.
But that you cannot do there where virtue
stands but little chance and where holiness is
rather hard to keep or to find — on the dancing
floor.
1. Is it a sin for girls to smoke? 2. Is it
considered sinful for a Catholic girl to
have her picture taken in a bathing suit?
3. Is the (questionable secular magazine
mentioned) a good magazine for Catholic
girls to read?
The picture drawn by these three questions
shows us, by combination, a Catholic girl posing
in a bathing suit, smoking a cigarette, and read-
ing the (questionable magazine). Any Catholic
boy or girl, man or woman, who has had true
Catholic training, would turn from the picture in
utter disgust. Another picture of a Catholic
girl at ease would be that of a young lady on
the family porch, seated in a cozy veranda chair,
comfortably yet attractively and fully dressed,
giving an occasional nibble at a candy bar, and
reading The Messenger of the Sacred Heart. What
a contrast! The difference is as great as between
heaven and earth. It is easy to pick out the
sensible ideal here.
But is it a sin? Sin is an offence against the
law of God. Go through the Commandments of
God and the precepts of the Church, which
every Catholic ought to know by heart. See if
CHASTITY 63
you can find any offence against the law of God
as regards the things you mention. If not, go
into detail; examine the matter more thoroughly,
keeping in mind the fact that many things not
in themselves sinful may be sinful because of
circumstances; go through the table of questions
for the examination of conscience. At the fifth
commandment you might come across questions
like these: "Have you seriously injured your
health in any way? Have you been guilty of
the rash use of opiates? Have you caused the
spiritual death of others by occasioning the
commission of a mortal sin? Have you in a
conversation, or by any other means, taught
others evil of which they were ignorant? To how
many? What was the evil? Did you give bad
example? Did others follow it?" Against the
sixth and ninth commandments you might find
questions like the following: "Have you offended
against decency? Have you acted with levity,
forgetful of reserve and modesty? Did you,
through vanity or any other motive, transgress
the rules of modesty in dress? Have you read,
circulated, or listened to bad books or magazines?
Have you taken wilful pleasure in the thoughts
caused thereby? Have you looked at immodest
pictures?"
Smoking is not sinful in itself; to have one's
picture taken in a bathing suit is not sinful in
itself; to read a love story in a non-Catholic
magazine is no sin in itself. It would be ridiculous
to say that. But circumstances alter cases.
As St. Aloysius, St. Anthony, St. Agnes, St.
Teresa and countless others in the past, so there
are innumerable Catholic young men and women
today who say: "I am young but once; hence
I am going to make the most of it. I am going
to be young in such a manner that I shall always
be glad and proud of it; so I can recall it with
sincere pleasure and self-congratulation as long
64 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
as I live. Having but one youth, I am going to
give it to God, Who has given it to me. He will
be the object of my thoughts, my first and
greatest love, the subject of my dreams, the
goal of my ambitions. I will keep my Divine
Model ever before me and never act in a manner
that would be in the least displeasing to Him."
Speak thus and act accordingly.
I have an important question. St. Paul
says (Cor. 6:9, 10): "Know you not that
the unjust shall not possess the kingdom
of God? Do not err: neither fornicators,
nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor the
effeminate, nor Hers with mankind, nor
thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor
railers, nor extortioners, shall possess the
kingdom of God." Does this mean that
even if you repent of your sins you shall
not enter into the kingdom of heaven?
It means no such thing. If repented of and
sincerely confessed all sins can be forgiven (and
even by an act of perfect contrition when one
cannot get to confession, in which case one has
the implicit intention of going). They form no
obstacle to salvation. All sins will be forgiven,
if men turn to God in true sorrow and do what
He bids them do to the best of their power.
Indeed, you should have read on. St. Paul
answers your question in the very next verse of
this chapter of his First Epistle to the Corinthians.
He says quite plainly: "And such some of you
were; but you are washed, but you are sanctified,
but you are justified in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and the Spirit of our God."
Is it a mortal sin to laugh at an impure
joke which is being told to you?
To constitute a mortal sin of impurity the
three elements required for every mortal sin must
be conjointly present; that is, (1) the trans-
CHASTITY 65
gression must be grievous; (2) it must be clearly
recognized as such at the time of its perpetration;
and (3) in spite of this distinct knowledge the
transgressor must commit it with full consent.
In other words, there must be a grievous matter,
sufficient reflection, and full consent of the will.
The transgression is always grievous matter if it
is downright unchaste.
As regards obscene talk, suggestive stories,
conversations, songs, jokes, it is sufficient to say
that to speak thus is generally a serious matter
when the persons are a group of young people
of the same sex, more serious when they are a
mixed group, and still more serious when they
are a boy or a girl or a young man and a young
woman. The fact that our young people often
do not admit this, does not change its abiding
truth. The reason is clear to all who know how
impressionable youth is and how swiftly drawn
into the vortex of wilful thought, feeling, and
action.
To listen to impure speech (jokes) or songs is
a grave sin if the listener by his conduct en-
courages talk that is gravely impure or delights
in such talk out of depraved affection. But if
one laughs along at such things out of human
respect (for fear of giving offense or being
ridiculed), or even adds a word or two to show
what a "regular fellow" he is, or if one merely
listens (without delight) to such things when one
might easily go away, one does not commit a
mortal sin.
The thing to do is never to stain one's lips with
a single word that is not pure; and when one is
obliged to listen to such talk, e. g., in factories,
offices, etc., among fellow- workers, and cannot
leave, one should take no part therein and mani-
fest by one's deportment the displeasure felt.
The disgusting talk just mentioned is not,
however, always mortally sinful, since it fre-
66 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
quently does not excite the hardened speakers
much and they are speaking to their own kind!
I never could quite understand why im-
purity is so strictly forbidden, since God
made us as we are. Can you explain?
We answer this question by quoting a page or
two from The Spiritual Life, A Treatise on
Ascetical and Mystical Theology by the Very
Rev. Adolphe Tanquerey, S. S., D. D., trans-
lated by the Rev. Herman Branderis, S. S.,
A. M. (Desclee & Co., Tournai, Belgium, 1930.)
It is a clear and concise answer to your legitimate
inquiry.
"Just as God has willed to attach sense-
pleasure to the nutritive functions in order to
help man's self-preservation, so He has attached
a special pleasure to the acts whereby the propa-
gation of the human species is secured.
"This pleasure is permissible to married people,
provided they use it for the purpose for which
marriage was instituted; outside of this it is
strictly forbidden. In spite of this prohibition,
there is in us an unfortunate tendency, more or
less violent, especially from the age of puberty
or adolescence, to indulge in this pleasure even
out of lawful wedlock. This is the tendency
that is called lust and which is condemned by
the sixth and ninth commandments:
'Thou shalt not commit adultery/
'Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.'
"It is not merely exterior actions that are pro-
hibited, but also interior acts, fancies, thoughts,
desires. And this rightly so, for if one deliberately
dwells upon impure imaginations or thoughts,
upon evil desires, the senses become excited,
whilst an organic disturbance is produced, which
is too often but the prelude to actions against
purity. Therefore, if we wish to avoid such acts,
CHASTITY 67
we must fight against dangerous thoughts and
fancies.
"When one seeks and directly wills the evil
pleasure, there is always mortal sin, for to en-
danger the preservation and propagation of the
human race is a grave disorder. Now, were
the principle to be admitted that one may seek
voluptuous pleasure in thoughts, in words, or
in actions otherwise than in the right use of
marriage, it would be impossible to restrain this
passion, the demands of which increase with the
satisfaction accorded, and soon the purpose of
the Creator would be frustrated. This is what
experience shows: there are but too many young
people who render themselves incapable of trans-
mitting life, because they have abused their
bodies. Hence, as regards evil pleasure directly
willed, there is no lightness of matter.
"There are cases in which this pleasure is not
directly sought; it may follow from certain
actions otherwise good or at least indifferent.
If one does not consent to this pleasure, and has,
besides, a reason sufficient to justify the per-
formance of the action, there is no guilt and no
cause for alarm. If, on the other hand the actions
that give rise to such sensations are neither
necessary, nor really useful, like dangerous read-
ings, shows, conversations, lewd dancing, then
it is evident that to perform such actions is a sin
of imprudence, more or less grave, in proportion
to the gravity of the disorder thus produced and
of the danger of consent to the evil pleasure.
"From the point of view of perfection, there is,
next to pride, no greater obstacle to spiritual
growth than the vice of impurity, a) When it is
question of solitary acts or of faults committed
with others, it is not long before tyrannical habits
are formed which thwart every impulse towards
perfection, and incline the will towards debasing
pleasures. Relish for prayer disappears, as does
68 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
love for austere virtue, while noble and unselfish
aspirations vanish, b) The soul becomes a prey
to selfishness. The love once borne to parents
and friends gradually dies out; there is but the
desire which becomes a real obsession to indulge
at any cost in evil pleasures, c) The balance of
the faculties is destroyed; it is the body, it is
lust that takes command; the will becomes the
slave of this shameful passion and soon rebels
against God, Who forbids and punishes these
unholy pleasures."
The remedies needed to withstand so dangerous
a passion are deep convictions, protection against
dangerous occasions, mortification, and prayer.
Another simple yet sufficient answer to your
question might be worded as follows: Impurity
is the indulging in any way, by thought, desire,
word, or deed, in that sensual, that sexual, grati-
fication which is allowed only to persons in law-
ful wedlock. The craving for such gratification is
one of the most constant and powerful instincts
of human nature. For only thus could God
procure the natural propagation of the human
race. Were it not for this powerful passion, men
would shun the burden of bearing and rearing
children. In itself it is good. But if allowed
outside of lawful wedlock it would quickly lead
to the destruction of the race, would defeat
God's plans for the creation of immortal souls.
Therefore it is most strictly forbidden, as ex-
plained in detail above.
PERTAINING TO HOLY COMMUNION
I cannot seem to believe in the Real
Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacra-
ment. Can you help me in any way? I
so long for the gift of faith, since I wish to
be very pleasing to the Lord. I am a
Catholic, and am proud of it, too.
You do not seem to believe, you say. From
your letter, which we refrain from publishing,
we are inclined to think that you actually do
believe but that you are severely tempted in this
particular matter. Open your heart to your con-
fessor and then follow his advice with childlike
faith and confidence.
One of the simplest modes of procedure when
thus tempted is to remember that Christ has
said, "This is My Body"; and Christ is God;
He is Eternal Truth; He can neither deceive
nor be deceived. Take His word for it. Do not
dally with the temptation. Just say, "I believe
— I believe all that the Holy Catholic Church
believes and teaches." Then turn your thoughts
to other things.
Take Our Lord's word for it. He promised
the real and substantial presence of His Body
and Blood in the Holy Eucharist in the famous
sixth chapter of St. John's Gospel. Therein we
read that after the multiplication of the loaves,
by which several thousand people were fed, many
of them sought Jesus again the next day and
found Him at Capharnaum, near Lake Tiberias,
and there they asked a sign of Him, so that they
might believe in Him. "Our fathers," they said,
"did eat manna in the desert, as it is written:
'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' ' To
which Jesus answered, "I am the living bread
which came down from heaven. If any man
69
7o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
eat of this bread, he shall live forever; and the
bread which I will give, is my flesh, for the life of
the world." At this the Jews said, "How can
this man give us his flesh to eat?" Then Jesus
said to them, "Except you eat the flesh of the Son
of Man, and drink his blood, you shall not have
life in you. He that eateth my flesh, and
drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life . . . For
my flesh is meat indeed; and my blood is drink
indeed." We learn that because of this hard
saying, as many of Christ's hearers called it,
some of the disciples were scandalized and ceased
to follow Him; and when Jesus was alone with
the twelve Apostles He asked them, "Will you
also go away?" And Simon Peter answered Him,
"Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the
words of eternal life."
No explanation of that glorious promise is
necessary. It is unmistakably clear. We merely
ask, "Did Jesus mean what He said or did He
not?" If not, that is, if He meant to convey
something different from the obvious sense of
His words, He owed His disciples an explanation
or correction in order to rectify their misunder-
standing. He did not do so, and hence His words
must be taken in their strictly natural and obvi-
ous sense. Therefore, Christ promised to give
His body to eat and His blood to drink.
That promise was fulfilled when, at the Last
Supper, according to the Gospels of St. Matthew,
St. Mark, and St. Luke, He said over the bread
and wine, "This is my body," "This is my blood."
And with the words, "This do for the commem-
oration of me," He empowered His priests to do
what He had done.
Where is there room for doubt? Who can
doubt the veracity of God? Believe what Holy
Mother Church, infallible in her teachings, be-
lieves and teaches.
COMMUNION 71
My friend was asked by a non-Catholic,
"Why is it that Catholics are forbidden to
eat meat on Friday when they are allowed
to receive Holy Communion on that day
and at the same time believe it is the true
Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ?"
It is not surprising that non-Catholics should
ask such absurd questions. They have not that
fine sense of spiritual things which we imbibe, as
it were, from very childhood on. Therefore the
Catholic doctrine of the Eucharist is repugnant
to them; therefore they have such a coarse con-
ception of what we mean when we say that
Christ's real Body is given to us as food. Your
question is a common objection, though oddly
presented.
The Savior did indeed say, in unmistakable
terms, "My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood
is drink indeed." But Christ was not then speak-
ing of "flesh" as we understand the word in its
natural sense, as the meat which we are forbidden
to eat on Friday, as the above mentioned ques-
tioner offensively suggests. No; He spoke of a
spiritualized, transfigured Body, of that higher,
supersensible form of existence which charac-
terizes Christ's Body and Blood in the Holy
Eucharist.
But it is really and truly His Body and Blood.
We believe; and we adore this profound mystery.
We cannot fully understand it, and we cannot
fully explain. But we know that our holy re-
ligion is full of unfathomable mysteries. And,
what is more, we rejoice thereat.
We cannot here enter further into these sacred
mysteries — so sacred that in the early ages of
the Church they were carefully concealed from
the uninitiated. But, as a last indirect answer
to a question it would be irreverent to answer
otherwise, we again ask you to bear in mind that
the Body of Christ, present under the sacramental
7i QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
species, or under the accidents of bread and wine,
is His glorious Body, impassible and spiritualized.
To form an idea of how our Lord can truly and
really exist under visible accidents or appearances,
without being seen, is easy enough if we remem-
ber that Christ, after His resurrection and before
His ascension, made Himself at will either visible
and palpable, or invisible and impalpable, never-
theless preserving His Body and Blood intact;
for both were clothed with spirituality and in-
corruptibility, that is, they were endowed with
properties similar to those of a spirit.
I do not think my little boy of nearly
eight years has a good understanding of
the Holy Eucharist. He goes to Holy
Communion often, but he does not seem
to take it very seriously. But they say
God does not require so much of children.
Will you please explain?
In the first place, it is not allowed to give
Communion to tiny children, that is, to those
whom the infirmity of their age prevents from
having even an imperfect knowledge or even a
vague desire for Communion. In our days chil-
dren are not permitted to receive Communion
before they have reached the age of reason, which
is to be presumed at the age of seven years com-
pleted, unless there is proof to the contrary. If
the use of reason comes before this age, say at
six or even sooner, the child has the right to
communicate. The Church does not here require
in children the full use of reason ; it suffices that
they have a certain use of reason which permits
them to distinguish good from evil and which
consequently makes it possible for them to com-
mit sin. And we may mention that the use of
reason in question is such as is sufficient for the
commission of venial sin; in order to be per-
mitted to receive Communion the child need not
be capable of committing a mortal sin.
COMMUNION
73
This discretion of mind required by the Church
for the reception of Holy Communion by children
varies according as the child is or is not in danger
of death.
When a child is in danger of death, that is,
when it is suffering from a disease, or has met
with an accident, that endangers its life, it is
enough, in order that it may be permitted to re-
ceive Holy Communion, if it can distinguish the
Eucharistic bread from ordinary bread and can
receive it with the respect, adoration, and other
dispositions that are in keeping with its age,
without any inquiry being made as to whether
or not it knows the other great religious truths.
If the child is not in danger of death the Church
demands only a greater knowledge and a more
thorough preparation than for children who are
in danger of death. And that, as we have seen,
is not demanding so very much.
As regards the knowledge such a child must
have, the Code of Canon Law says that it "must
know, according to its capacity, those mysteries
of faith whose knowledge is necessary necessitate
medii" (necessary for salvation). Hence, it must
know that God exists and that He will render to
every man according to His works; that in God
there are three persons subsisting in one nature;
and that one of these persons, the Son of God,
became man to save us. This knowledge must be
proportioned to the intellectual capacity of the
child, and therefore it may be extremely sum-
mary and superficial.
As regards devotion, which your question men-
tions in particular, the Code demands that the
child receive the Eucharist with piety, it is true,
but with a piety that is in proportion to its age.
Pro suae aetatis modulo, says the Code, which
phrase we might translate thus, "According to
the small capacity of its age." This Latin
diminutive indicates very plainly that even very
74 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
imperfect dispositions will suffice, and that the
child is not required to manifest a recollection
and ardor of which it is incapable. According to
Msgr. de Segur, a child has a "taste for the
Eucharist" when he "loves Jesus and desires
Him"; according to St. Thomas, "when he begins
to conceive for this Sacrament a devotion that
is in proportion to his age."
The question of confession may here come to
mind. It is plain from her utterances on this
subject that it would be contrary to the mind and
the will of the Church to make a distinction be-
tween the age required for confession and that
required for Communion. There is only one age
of reason.
In Holy Communion we are intimately
united with Jesus Christ. How long does
this union last? How long is Jesus ac-
tually within us?
All theologians treat of the question as to how
long a time the sacramental species (here the
sacred Host, that which appears to be bread)
remain in the stomach without being corrupted.
By the phrase without being corrupted we here
mean the length of time the species of bread re-
main what they seem to be, or the length of time
an unconsecrated host would retain the nature of
bread within the body; for just that long the
Savior is really and truly within us.
In reality, it is impossible to give any general
rule; the answer will vary with the individual
and with the actual condition of each stomach.
Physicians tell us that, in a healthy stomach, the
corruption of a small host demands at least a
half hour, and of a large host a full hour. But in
the case of a certain class of sick persons it would
take at least two or three hours (Gasparri, De
Eueh., n. 1196).
COMMUNION 75
From this we may draw some practical con-
clusions.
1. Though the efficacy of this Sacrament of
itself (ex opere operato), abstracting from indi-
vidual dispositions provided the soul is in the
state of grace, should not be forgotten, it is well
to remember that these special effects increase
according to the fervor and dispositions (ex opere
operantis) of the recipient. One thing is certain:
we can, by our own endeavors and disposition,
secure more graces while the Body of our Lord
is within us than at any other time. Hence,
those who receive Communion should make a
most devout thanksgiving and endeavor to
multiply the acts of faith, hope, charity, humility,
contrition, that they may more abundantly re-
ceive the graces of the Sacrament. There are
many degrees of Eucharistic fruitfulness. No
one, indeed, can exhaust all the grace this Sacra-
ment contains; but all should strive to derive
as much fruit from it as possible.
2. Still, lack of time for an adequate thanks-
giving in church should not deter anyone from
Holy Communion. Though a special thanksgiv-
ing of fifteen minutes at the very least is to be
most highly recommended, if one has no special
time, no special time is required. If, because of
modern conditions in this workaday world of ours,
you have no special time, know, as Alphonsus
says, that if you discharge your different duties
with the intention of pleasing and thanking God,
all will serve you for thanksgiving.
3. When you leave the church after Holy
Communion you are bearing Christ with you.
You are, as it were, a tabernacle wherein He re-
poses. Act accordingly. And remember, one
need not be on one's knees in order to speak
with the Savior. Continue your intimate con-
verse with Him and your thanksgiving as you
go home or about your work, whatever it may be.
76 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
(If, out of charity, you must speak with others,
offer this charity to the God Who is with you.)
After all, the best prayers are those we say
without a prayerbook, if we exclude the Church's
official liturgical prayers. Ordinarily, according
to the above, the Savior will be within you even
when you sit down to breakfast. Offer Him some
little restraint or self-denial as a token of love
and gratitude. Parenthetically, we may here
mention that there is no Eucharistic fast pre-
scribed after Holy Communion. It is not wrong
to eat or drink at any time after Communior*
but it is more seemly to wait, if possible, at least
ten or fifteen minutes.
4. With special care avoid the commission of
any mortal sin during this time; for, because of
the corporal presence of our Lord, the sin would
be one of special malice. It might even be a
sacrilege, a desecration of the temple wherein
the Lord actually dwells.
5. As regards the sick, avoid washing out the
stomach for two or three hours after Communion.
Do not forget that, even several hours after Com-
munion, a sick person may throw up fragments
of the Host which are not corrupted. If visible,
such fragments should be taken up with all
respect and the priest summoned. If there is
no discernible evidence of the sacred species and
still there is good reason to doubt whether they
are yet corrupted, the whole mass is to be burnt
and the ashes put into the sacrarium, which is a
special place at church into which is poured the
water used in liturgical ablutions, etc.
When the priest comes to the house
with the Blessed Sacrament for the sick,
which way is the proper way — to be kneel-
ing and to say nothing while the priest is
passing, or to say ''Praised be Jesus
Christ' ' when the priest enters the room?
COMMUNION 77
A sick-room table should be prepared near the
bed of the sick person. It should be covered with
a clean white cloth and on it there should be a
crucifix, two candlesticks with beeswax candles,
a finger bowl with water, a glass of water, a spoon,
holy water and sprinkler, and a napkin. All this
is for Holy Communion. If Extreme Unction is
also to be administered add to the above a clean
saucer with six small balls of cotton and another
saucer with salt or pieces of bread and lemon;
and somewhere nearby have a basin of water and
a towel for the priest to use in washing his hands.
Someone should light the candles before the
priest arrives at the house and see to it that
everything is in its place on the table and that
everything in the room, including the bed and the
sick person, is as neat and tidy as possible. There
should also be a chair at the bedside for the priest
when he hears the patient's confession. It is
most embarrassing, not to say disgraceful, when
people must run around in confusion, looking
for matches and this and that, after the priest is
in the room with the Blessed Sacrament. Have
everything prepared well in advance. When the
priest is at the door someone should meet him
with a lighted candle and, after he has vested
or removed his overcoat,- escort him to the sick-
room. The always beautiful greeting, "Praised
be Jesus Christ," may be said when meeting the
priest at the door; but it is not necessary to say
anything. The reverential silence that shows the
quiet adoration of the heart is more impressive
than anything else and is a token of grateful
welcome. The other members of the family,
unless duties require their absence, should be in
the room kneeling and silently praying. They
should not be sitting or standing around in other
rooms as though they had no faith and piety.
No one should speak to the priest unless abso-
lutely necessary. They should remain kneeling
78 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
until he bids them retire. They remain out during
confession, until given a sign by the priest to
return. Even while outside they should kneel
and pray and not stand or sit around and talk.
Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, God Himself,
is in the house! While in the sick-room all should
follow the priest in prayer. All kneel for the
blessing which the priest imparts to the sick
person before he leaves. If he still has the Blessed
Sacrament it is unbecoming to detain him with
conversation. After he has gone the water in
which he washed his fingers should be poured
into the fire. It is no longer prescribed that it
be given to the sick person. But water may and
should be given if the sick person has difficulty
in swallowing the Host. In case Extreme Unction
was administered the salt, or bread and lemon, as
also the pieces of cotton, should be burnt, so that
the holy oil on them be not desecrated. In many
cases, however, the priest will take these things
along, at least the cotton.
Why, in the Catholic Church, does the
priest partake of the chalice and the com-
municants do not? Is there any text in
the Bible that would answer our question ?
This is a matter of the discipline of the Church,
which teaches: "If anyone saith that by the
precept of God, or by necessity of salvation, all
and each of the faithful ought to receive both
species of the most Holy Sacrament of the
Eucharist, let him be anathema." (Council of
Trent, Sess. 21, can. 1.) The Church was moved
by weighty and just reasons when she approved
the custom of communicating under one species.
St. Thomas gives these reasons as follows: (1)
the difficulty of providing the requisite number
of vessels; (2) the danger of spilling the Precious
Blood, save in very small and select congre-
COMMUNION 79
gations; (3) the danger of giving rise to false
opinions.
We know that the Real Presence is whole and
entire under either kind. Hence, he who com-
municates under the species of bread alone, truly
receives the Flesh and Blood of Christ, that is,
the living Christ whole and entire, with Body and
Soul, Divinity and Humanity and, together with
the whole Sacrament, all the graces necessary for
salvation.
As regards Holy Writ, it is impossible to prove
from Scripture that the laity or non-celebrating
priests are bound to receive the Holy Eucharist
under both kinds. (And tradition shows that
Communion under one kind has always been
practiced within the Catholic Church.)
The adversaries of this doctrine and discipline
of the Church are wont to base their contention
principally on John 6:54: "Except you eat the
flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you
shall not have life in you."
The Council of Trent explains this text as fol-
lows: "He who said: 'Except you eat the flesh
of the Son of man and drink His blood, you shall
not have life in you' (John 6:54), also said:
'He that eateth this bread shall live forever'
(verse 59); and He who said: 'He that eateth
My flesh and drinketh My blood hath ever-
lasting life' (verse 55) , also said: 'The bread that
I will give is My flesh for the life of the world'
(verse 52); and, in fine, He who said: 'He that
eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood, abideth
in me and I in him' (verse 57), said nevertheless:
'He that eateth this bread shall live forever'
(verse 59)."
Is it a law of the Church (Canon Law)
that Holy Communion should not be
given in the afternoon? If it is, may a
priest obtain a dispensation from the
L<c QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
same for a grave reason? And, if he may,
from whom must he obtain such dis-
pensation?
The normal time for the giving of Holy Com-
munion corresponds with the normal time for the
celebration of Mass, that is, from one hour before
dawn until one hour after mid-day (Canons 867
and 821). It is, of course, preferable and more in
keeping with the nature of the Sacrifice and the
intimate relation between the Sacrifice and the
Sacrificial Banquet to distribute Holy Com-
munion after the Communion of the priest.
But (except in the case of the celebrant's distribut-
ing Holy Communion immediately before or
immediately after the Solemn High Mass, the
High Mass, or the Low Conventual Mass) the
law of the Church does not require any special
reason for giving Communion either before, or
after, or outside the time of the Mass.
Any reasonable cause, even though slight, is
sufficient to justify the giving of Communion
outside the prescribed time. This cause may
come from the part of the priest or from the
part of the communicant, for instance, physical
or moral impossibility, a contemplated journey,
greater convenience. The farther the time of
Communion is removed from the normal time,
for instance, in the evening or during the course
of the night, the more important should be the
excuse. Of course, the communicant must be
fasting from twelve o'clock midnight, except in a
case of receiving Communion in dangerous illness
or by way of Viaticum.
No dispensation of any kind is required. And
the fact that a person, prevented from receiving
Communion at the usual time, desires to receive
the Bread of Life is reason enough to justify
the priest in giving it.
Is a lay person, under certain circum-
COMMUNION 81
stances, permitted to touch the sacred
vessels and the Sacramental species? Is
such a person ever allowed to give Holy
Communion to others?
Canon Law tells us that care must be taken
that the chalice and paten, and unwashed purifi-
cators, palls and corporals used in the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass shall not be touched by
others than clerics or those who have custody of
them.
According to reliable writers on the Code the
phrase "by others than clerics or those who have
custody of them" means, to give a practical and
definite answer to one part of your question,
that lay men and women, including Brothers
and Sisters, of course, who have been placed in
charge of the sacristy or other place where the
sacred utensils are kept, may touch the chalice
and paten (when they do not contain the Holy
Eucharist) and also used sacred linens.
Lay persons may touch the Sacred Host or
sacred vessels containing the Blessed Sacrament
only in cases of real necessity and when a priest
cannot be had in time. For instance, it might be
necessary to save the Blessed Sacrament from
fire, flood, sacrilegious plunderers, etc. In such
cases, in the absence of a priest, all not only may
but even must reverently bear the Sacred Species
to a place of safety. We mention one particular
case where the Host may be touched even when
the priest is present. It is when the Host falls
on the bosom of a woman about to receive Holy
Communion. She must remove it herself and
give it to the priest who will then give it to her
in Communion. If it cannot be easily removed,
she should go aside alone, into the sacristy, for
instance, and remove it. We mention this most
painful instance to show how careful women
should be to dress properly, especially when they
approach the altar rail, and also to hold the com-
8i QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
munion plate (unless it is held by the accompany-
ing deacon or server) in the right way, well under
the chin, so that if by chance any particles fall
they will drop upon it.
During the persecution in Mexico some years
ago, to give only one example, a Sister, in order
to save the Sacred Hosts from desecration by
brutal soldiers, took them from the tabernacle
and gave them as Communion to innocent little
children. Nothing could have been more proper
than that, under the circumstances. This suf-
ficiently answers your question regarding lay
persons giving Communion.
When receiving Holy Communion dur-
ing the midnight Mass on Christmas, how
long should one fast beforehand?
The general law is that those who receive Holy
Communion should be fasting from midnight.
There is no special universal law for the Christ-
mas midnight Mass. If there were any good
reason for it, one might take food or drink just
before twelve o'clock and yet receive Com-
munion during the Mass. No sin would thereby
be committed.
However, it is to be strongly recommended
that those who receive Holy Communion during
the midnight Mass be fasting from at least 8:00
p. m., out of reverence for the Blessed Sacrament.
One should have enough spirit of sacrifice to
offer the Eucharistic Savior this little tribute of
respect.
We say 8:00 p. m., because when permission
was granted some years ago that a Mass begin-
ning at midnight might be regularly said at a
certain famous European shrine, at which Mass
the faithful might also receive Holy Communion,
it was expressly prescribed that they be fasting
from 8:00 o'clock on. We here see the mind of
the Church, legislating in a particular instance;
COMMUNION 83
and we may say that this is at least the earnest
wish of the Church in all instances, unless other-
wise specified.
How many times may one receive Holy
Communion after confession without go-
ing to confession again? I mean for how
many Sundays or weeks after that, if one
does not sin?
You may receive Holy Communion any num-
ber of times without going to confession again,
if you remain in the state of grace, that is, if
you do not commit grievous sin. Though it
would be very useful to be exempt from venial
sins, at least from such as are fully deliberate,
as well as from all affection for these sins, it
nevertheless suffices for frequent Communion
to be exempt from every mortal sin and to have
a firm resolution never to sin grievously again.
However, it would be well to try to go to con-
fession at least once every two weeks, even if
you have not sinned grievously. If there are no
sins, mention some from your past life and have
them forgiven over again and thus get the ever
more purifying and strengthening grace of the
Sacrament. Simply say, "I again accuse myself
of all the sins of my past life, especially those
committed against the First (or any other) Com-
mandment." But if you are in the state of grace
never omit Holy Communion because you cannot
or do not wish to go to confession; for remember
that only two dispositions are required for a
worthy Communion; namely, the state of grace
and a right and pious intention. The right in-
tention consists in approaching the Holy Table
not through routine, nor through vanity, nor
through any other human motive, but with the
aim to please God, to unite ourselves more closely
to Him by charity, to apply a remedy to our
spiritual infirmities, and to correct our defects.
84 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Our intention is always good when we communi-
cate to obey the Savior's invitation and, by His
grace, to become better.
I went to confession and Communion
at Christmas time. Then I put off my
Easter duty until about two weeks before
the close of the Easter season, when I
intended to make it. But then sickness
prevented my making it. Was that a
mortal sin and must I confess it? I did
not mean to neglect my Easter duty.
You did not commit a sin, since you did not
wish to neglect your Easter duty and you did
not think of asking the pastor to bring you Holy
Communion, which should always be done in a
case of this kind. In this matter it is well to
recall that every Catholic is bound by a two-
fold obligation: Communion at least once a year
(the divino-ecclesiastical and principal obliga-
tion), and Communion during the Easter time
(the ecclesiastical and secondary obligation).
Both obligations bind under pain of mortal sin.
Therefore, anyone who, through forgetfulness,
as in your case, or through deliberate neglect
fails to receive Communion at Easter time, is
still bound, under pain of mortal sin, to receive
Communion during the year. But this latter
precept does not contain the obligation of re-
ceiving Communion as soon as possible. It merely
demands that the Catholic receive Communion
sometime during the year. The faithful are not
to be left under the impression that they then
commit a sin every time they neglect the op-
portunity of receiving Communion.
Can a person make his Easter duty
outside of his own parish?
It is a commandment of the Church that every
Catholic, of either sex, who has reached the age
of discretion, i. e., attained the use of reason,
COMMUNION 85
must receive the Holy Eucharist once a year,
at least during Easter time, unless his own priest
should, for a reasonable cause, advise him to
abstain from it for a time.
The New Code likewise says that it is advisable
for the faithful to receive the Paschal Com-
munion in their own parish church; and those
who have received it in another church, should
take care to notify their pastor of the fact. It is
advisable; therefore it is no longer a strict com-
mand.
It is to be remembered that the precept of re-
ceiving the Paschal Communion obliges even
after the lapse of the prescribed term. It should,
therefore, be complied with as soon as possible;
and one may not wait until the next Easter time
if he has neglected this duty.
There are some authors who maintain that the
words of the Code "they should see to it," that
the pastor is informed are a counsel. According
to this view such action is not binding under
pain of sin. Others, on the contrary, maintain
that the prescription of the Code is a real precept,
but one that binds under pain of venial sin only.
We are inclined to agree with the former.
It would seem that various circumstances are
to be taken into consideration, especially circum-
stances of place and practice. The advisability or
relative necessity of so informing the pastor dif-
fers greatly, for instance, in a small country
parish where the pastor knows his parishioners
personally and in a large parish with a shifting
congregation, many of whom are more or less
unknown to the pastor.
Can I do good to the soul of another by
offering up Holy Communion for him?
You surely can. Strictly speaking, of course,
you cannot, as regards the inherent effects of the
Sacrament, receive Holy Communion for another,
86 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
no more than you can take food for another.
Holy Communion is the spiritual nourishment of
the soul. But here we are considering the fruits
which every good work produces in virtue of the
disposition of the one who performs it. These
fruits are meritorious, impetratory, and satis-
factory. Of these fruits the meritorious are
always personal and cannot be given away.
But the others can be applied to souls, the
impetratory fruits to the living, and at least
the satisfactory fruits to the dead.
Hence, inasmuch as Holy Communion is a
good work far more excellent than others, and
inasmuch as the prayers that accompany and
follow Holy Communion are more pleasing to
God, the custom of offering Holy Communion
for others is to be recommended to the faithful.
Is it necessary to genuflect before leaving
the altar railing after having received
Holy Communion?
No; it is not necessary. You genuflect before
kneeling at the railing, but not before you leave.
But, of course, it is not wrong to do so; and if
it is the custom in your church you may adapt
yourself. Often, however, because of the many
receiving, the genuflection is disturbing and
annoying at that time. Just arise and with
folded hands and downcast eyes return to your
place. Your God is with you; you are one with
Him; adore Him in your heart.
For those who are interested we wish to illus-
trate this by way of analogy. When the priest
goes on a sick call he takes the Blessed Sacra-
ment from the tabernacle and places it, enclosed
in its sacred case, on his heart. Then, without
making any genuflection, which is unusual when
leaving the altar, he walks away. Why is this?
He is carrying His Lord with him and in spirit
COMMUNION 87
must be lovingly adoring Him always. So it is
after receiving Holy Communion.
Is biting and swallowing little pieces of
skin from the fingers or blisters from the
hand, breaking the Eucharistic fast?
As regards the Eucharistic fast before Holy
Communion, it is broken only when the three
following conditions are realized at one and the
same time: 1. It is required that the substance
taken, received into the stomach, shall come from
the exterior. 2. It is required that there shall
be the act of eating or drinking and not merely
aspiration or simple swallowing of saliva which
may have entailed, without any intention of
taking nourishment, the absorption of some
slight amount of solid or liquid substance.
3. Thirdly, it is required that the object swal-
lowed be digestible, even if it has no nutritive
value. The second of these three conditions is
presumably not realized in the case in question
and so the fast is not broken. Whenever one
voluntarily takes even a slight quantity of any-
thing digestible from the exterior, the fast is
broken. However, when the quantity is insig-
nificant it is the intention alone which makes of
the absorption a separate act, — separate from
the swallowing of saliva.
On this principle it is, then, permitted, without
breaking the Eucharistic fast, to wash out one's
mouth, to put in false teeth that are wet with
water, to taste wine or other liquid and spit it
out at once, to gargle the throat, even though
by chance some drops of the substance may mix
with the saliva and pass into the stomach. Nor
is any account to be taken of an insect, a drop
of rain, a snowflake, etc., which the respiration
may draw, without premeditation, into the
oesophagus, or of a drop of blood or sweat which,
trickling into the mouth, is involuntarily mixed
with the saliva. It is also permitted to smoke.
88 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
to take snuff, to chew tobacco (without swallow-
ing the juice), even though some fragments may
mix with the saliva and enter the stomach.
However, unless there be a legitimate excuse, to
chew tobacco before Holy Communion would be
a venial sin because of the unseemliness of the act.
To break this fast it is required that the sub-
stance taken be received into the stomach and
also that the object swallowed be digestible. So
even if one should swallow things not digestible
it would not break the fast. Among such things
not digestible we may mention metals, stone,
glass, dry wood, hair, finger nails (in spite of the
contrary opinion of modern chemists), threads
of silk or wool, the pit of fruits, etc. For the sake
of completeness we may add that the following
are digestible and, if swallowed, would break the
fast: pieces of bone, beeswax, earth, chalk, green
wood, linen threads, gum, paper (in all proba-
bility), etc.
If I swallow blood from bleeding gums
or lips or from nosebleed, does it break the
fast required before Holy Communion?
How about chewing gum?
It is not breaking the fast to swallow, even
voluntarily, blood that flows from the gums or
from the nose through the back of the mouth
or from a wound in the interior of the mouth it-
self; but the fast would be broken if the blood
came from the outside, for example, from the
lips or from the nose (blood flowing into the mouth
from the outside). The reason is because the
Eucharistic fast is broken only when the sub-
stance received into the stomach shall have
come from the exterior. For the same reason
the fast is not broken by swallowing the frag-
ments of food that may remain in the mouth
from the meal of the night before or by taking
food or drink into the mouth (tasting soup,
for instance) and spitting it all out at once.
COMMUNION 89
By chewing a new stick of gum you would,
of course, break your fast and then you could
not go to Holy Communion. If the gum were
a piece you had chewed thoroughly the day
before, you would not break your fast. But
we would not advise you to chew any at all.
It is not quite decent, and you might swallow a
little piece.
Is it a bad sign when the Sacred Host
slips from the priest's fingers when one
is about to receive Holy Communion?
Does this show that the person receiving
is unworthy?
It is not a bad sign of any kind, nor does it
show that the person receiving is unworthy.
To believe anything of the kind is the purest
nonsense, if not actually sinful. It is something
that can easily happen and occasionally does
happen, in spite of the greatest care. It always
pains the priest when he drops a sacred Host, and
he picks it up reverently and with a feeling of
regret, blaming himself in his heart for his care-
lessness, even though he was as careful as careful
could be.
We take this opportunity to say that when
communicating each one should observe a number
of little things. Be sure to raise your head —
slightly and gently — far enough back, but not
too far — not with a jerk. Open your mouth just
moderately wide. Let your tongue rest naturally
on your lower lip — do not stick out your tongue,
as they say. Keep your head and tongue mo-
tionless while receiving: do not bring them
forward to meet the Host. Promptly and rev-
erently draw in your tongue when the Host has
been placed upon it. Do not let it dissolve in
the mouth, but swallow it as soon as possible.
We may add that the Communion paten should
be held properly under the chin, so that if the
Host should drop it may fall thereon.
9o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
On Holy Thursday the Blessed Sacra-
ment is taken from the high altar and
placed in the tabernacle of a side altar
that is beautifully decorated. Is it cus-
tomary during this day to genuflect on
both knees on entering or leaving the
pews?
While the Blessed Sacrament is in the Reposi-
tory, as that altar is called, on Holy Thursday
it is to be adored as though it were publicly ex-
posed, e. g., as during the Forty Hours. Hence
a double genuflection is to be made upon entering
or leaving the church.
There are, by the way, two kinds of genuflec-
tions. A simple genuflection is made by bending
the right knee to the floor. The body should be
held erect, and the right knee should touch the
floor near the ankle of the left foot. No inclina-
tion of the head is to accompany the simple
genuflection. A double genuflection is made by
bending first the right knee to the floor and then
the left, by kneeling down, in other words; then
make a medium inclination of the head and
shoulders; then arise, bringing the left foot into
position first and then the right. A little practice
would enable Catholics to make this beautiful
act of adoration gracefully and in a more worthy
manner.
Is the general absolution and the bless-
ing which are given by the priest before
distributing Holy Communion intended
only for those who communicate?
Yes; they are intended only for them. Just
before Holy Communion the server, in the name
of all those who are about to receive Our Lord,
recites the Confiteor. This general confession
and expression of sorrow is an excellent im-
mediate preparation for Communion. After it
has been made, the priest gives the general
COMMUNION
9i
absolution and the blessing, thus praying that
the Lord God may purify still more those who
are about to receive Him. This, however, is not
a sacramental absolution, as in confession; it is
only deprecatory, i. e., a prayer that they may
be forgiven. It produces its effect to the extent
in which the person concerned is open to it inas-
far as it is received with sorrow and in faith.
At the blessing the priest makes the sign of the
cross over those about to communicate, to sig-
nify that as once the cross wrought our salvation
so now in virtue of the cross the absolution may
be more efficacious.
Suppose a person, went to confession
and then committed the sin of impure ac-
tion and the voluntary and deliberate en-
tertainment of impure thoughts. Would
that person have to go to confession again
and confess the above before he received
Holy Communion?
Yes; such an act of impurity, being voluntary
and deliberate, is a mortal sin and must be sin-
cerely and contritely confessed. Nor would
it be sufficient to make an act of perfect contrition
(sorrow from the motive of the love of God, so
very good in Himself). An act of perfect con-
trition does not suffice when it is a question of
receiving Holy Communion, except in a case of
necessity or when a confessor cannot be had.
When in mortal sin one must go to confession
first. Even if one has just been to confession
one must go again in a case like the one mentioned
above, saving the exception just mentioned.
X has already left his pew and is ap-
proaching the Holy Table. At the Com-
munion railing he recollects that he is
in the state of mortal sin. Is he obliged
to return to his place? May he not re-
92. QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
ceive with an act of contrition in order to
avoid public shame?
This is one case in which the omission of con-
fession would be allowed. He should promptly
make an act of perfect contrition with the reso-
lution to confess the sin as soon as practicable.
His Communion will then be worthy. But we
find it hard to imagine how X could forget all
about his sad state, prepare to go to Holy Com-
munion, and then suddenly remember it again.
We think the questioner wishes to say X sud-
denly remembered a mortal sin that he forgot
to confess. In that case he may receive; for he
is not in a state of mortal sin; forgotten sins are
forgiven, but must be mentioned in the next
regular confession.
Or perhaps X suddenly began to doubt about
the character of a sin committed since his con-
fession. He is afraid it may be a mortal sin.
Must he leave the railing without receiving? No.
Only certain mortal sin on the soul can make a
Communion unworthy. He may communicate
with the doubt.
Must I have my confessor's or pastor's
permission to receive Communion fre-
quently or daily on week days?
In the Decree on Receiving Daily the Most
Holy Eucharist, issued Dec. 20, 1905, we read,
"That the practice of frequent and daily Com-
munion may be carried out with greater prudence
and more abundant merit, the confessor's ad-
vice should be asked. Confessors, however, are
to be careful not to dissuade anyone from fre-
quent and daily Communion, provided that he
is in a state of grace and approaches with a right
intention. " The same Decree thus defines a right
intention. "A right intention consists in this:
that he who approaches the Holy Table should
do so, not out of routine, or vain glory, or human
COMMUNION 93
respect, but for the purpose of pleasing God,
or being more closely united with Him by charity,
and of seeking this divine remedy for his weak-
nesses and defects." Nothing could be more
clear than this authoritative teaching of Holy
Church.
Accordingly, it would be well to ask the con-
fessor's advice occasionally, say at the beginning
of each year.
A person arrives in church, through no
fault of his own, at the Agnus Dei of the
Mass on a Sunday and is unable to assist
at another Mass. May he receive Holy
Communion ?
Yes; he may, if he is in the state of grace, is
fasting, and approaches the Holy Table with
devotion and a right intention. The state of
grace, that is, freedom from mortal sin, and a
right intention, for instance, to honor God and
nourish the soul, and to be fasting from midnight
are the only three things necessary for a most
worthy Communion. Those who go to Com-
munion often can prepare themselves well in a
few moments in such a case of necessity.
May a person receive Holy Communion
twice on the same day?
Your question, of course, refers to the laity;
for, as you know, when a priest celebrates two
or three Masses on one day (two when he binates
on Sundays and feast days, three on All Souls'
Day and on Christmas Day), he receives Holy
Communion at each Mass. As regards all, any
person who has received Communion out of de-
votion in the morning may, in danger of death,
receive again during the same day in the form of
Holy Viaticum, in which case the person need
not be fasting. Relative to this matter Canon
Law says that, even if they have been nourished
with Holy Communion that same day, it is greatly
^4 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
to be desired that, in danger of death, they com-
municate again.
If I am uncertain whether I swallowed
this or that after midnight or if I am
uncertain whether it was after midnight
or not, may I receive Holy Communion
in the morning?
You are obliged to refrain from receiving Holy
Communion only when you are certain that you
have taken something after midnight. So long
as doubt exists, whether concerning the fact of
having eaten or drunk, or concerning the exact
moment (before or after midnight), it is permis-
sible to receive Communion. But, of course, this
does not mean that it is permitted during the
night to neglect to ascertain the time, to take
some food or drink, and then to allege ignorance
as a justification for receiving Communion.
Before taking the food or drink you must, for
reasons that are at least probable, have con-
cluded that it is not yet midnight.
It is permissible to receive Communion even
though, on awakening, we recall that when we
went to bed we took a cough lozenge and are not
certain that it was entirely absorbed before mid-
night; or if it is quite certain that the lozenge,
though kept in the mouth all night, is still prac-
tically intact.
To your other question we must answer: Yes;
beeswax is digestible and is, therefore, con-
sidered as food. Hence, to swallow wax means
to break the fast.
Certain relatives say that the reason my
husband and I go to confession and Holy
Communion so frequently is because we
must be awful sinners ? Shall we listen to
them and stop going?
Absolutely no! Let them talk. Go to the
Sacraments devoutly as often as you can, to
COMMUNION
95
Communion at least every two weeks, every
week if possible, and even every day if you can.
It is what our dear Lord and His holy Church
ardently desire. They may say that you just
want to ''show off." It is indeed a wonderful
way of "showing off," if we consider that as
giving a good example to others and of encourag-
ing timid souls that are kept from the Holy
Table by human respect. It is also a splendid
way of "showing off" to the Divine Savior, of
showing Him how glad we are to follow His
invitation to receive Him frequently, how happy
we are to come to Him because He wants us to,
and how much we feel the need of receiving this
"antidote whereby we are cleansed from daily
faults and preserved from deadly sins."
They say you must be "awful sinners." Well,
we who communicate daily are the first to admit
that we are sinners. We realize our sinfulness,
our weakness, our inborn inclination to evil.
And just because of this vivid Christian realiza-
tion we make haste to receive the Bread of the
strong frequently or daily. And the result is
that, though frequent communicants are sinners
indeed, mortal sin rarely or never defiles their
souls, and in the sight of God and His holy angels
they are the purest of the pure.
Those who go to confession and Communion
oftenest are the best, the purest, and the holiest
people in the world.
I was taught that if one is in doubt as
to whether or not he committed a mortal
sin, he could go to Communion; for it is
perhaps the devil who is tempting him, to
keep him away from the Holy Table. Is
that true?
With reference to God-fearing souls, those
that have a delicate conscience and are habitually
in a state of never wishing to commit a grave sin,
96 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
St. Alphonsus teaches that the doubt alone of
having sinned mortally, is a certain sign that they
have not sinned; and he applies to them these
words of the Savior to St. Teresa: "No one loses
Me" (by mortal sin) "without knowing it for
certain." (Theol. mor. lib. vi, n. 476.)
Furthermore, the Council of Trent has not
forbidden Holy Communion, whether it be re-
ceived rarely, frequently, or daily, to those that
doubt, but only to those that are certain, that are
conscious of having committed mortal sin. This
is also the teaching of St. Alphonsus : "If a person
is in doubt as to having sinned mortally or not,
he may lawfully approach the Holy Table with-
out confessing, let the doubt be negative or posi-
tive, that is, whether there is or is not a serious
reason for the doubt." In order the more surely
to receive the fruit of the Sacrament it suffices to
make an act of perfect contrition; for the pre-
scription of the Apostle, "Let a man prove him-
self," by which we understand that confession
is commanded, binds only, so the Council of
Trent tells us, those who are conscious, that is to
say, certain of mortal sin committed and not
confessed. "The precept of the Apostle, then,"
says St. Alphonsus, "is imposed only on him who
has consciousness, that is, who is certain of his
sin."
However, in case of a real doubt, if you are
not scrupulous, it were evidently better to confess
before communicating, if it could be conveniently
done. But if you could not easily go to confession
and it were a question of communicating with the
doubt or remaining away from the Holy Table,
then it were better to communicate with the
doubt. In such a case make acts of perfect
contrition; if mortal sin should be on the soul,
it will then be forgiven because of your perfect
contrition.
In order to avoid all misunderstanding, we
COMMUNION 97
here repeat that in case of mortal sin of which
one is certain, though perfect contrition would
blot it out indeed, still one may not go to Com-
munion before going to confession. Such is the
strict precept of the Church.
Is it a sin for one who is in a state of
mortal sin to make a spiritual com-
munion ?
Spiritual communion is the desire to receive
Christ sacramentaily. Since He cannot at the
moment be so received, the soul beseeches the
Savior to come spiritually instead, that is, in
love and heavenly condescension. Strictly speak-
ing, only members of the Church militant can
thus communicate spiritually. It is a very
meritorious and most commendable practice often
to make spiritual communions.
Even one who is in mortal sin can make a sort
of spiritual communion, as is easy enough to
understand, for also a sinner may have an earnest
desire to be united with Christ and even to
receive Him in the Sacrament (after first having
gone to confession) . Of course, the state of mortal
sin makes this impossible, nor can he really
acquire the benefits of spiritual communion,
though this pious wish will not be without some
benefit to his soul.
Be that as it may, the statement that the
spiritual communion of one not in the state of
grace is a sin, because it is an unworthy Com-
munion, is, if not positively ridiculous, at least
manifestily untenable. For the sinner who
actually longs for the reception of the Eucharist
does not want to receive Jesus into his heart,
stained as it at the moment is. He yearns for a
reception that will bring him blessings. His
desire proceeds from a very good motive. He
does not think at all of .the state of grace necessary
for the reception of the Sacrament itself; or if
98 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
he does think of it his earnest desire for the
Sacrament is at the same time directed to the
recovery of the state of grace. (Heinrich, Dog.
Theol., Vol. XI, Bk. 5, §550.)
In short, it is no sin for one not in the state of
grace to make a spiritual communion.
Why do Jesus Christ and the Church
desire all the faithful to communicate
frequently, even daily?
Our dear Lord and His Holy Church so ar-
dently desire it because in thus uniting themselves
to God by His Sacrament the faithful find therein
the pardon of their venial sins, the strength to
resist their passions, and preservation against
the grave sins to which human nature is exposed.
Let us repeat, since in a matter so all important
repetition is not tedious. In the Decree on Daily
Communion, issued in 1905, we learn the will of
the Savior in this matter, speaking through His
Holy Church. Therein we read: "Frequent and
daily Communion, as a thing most ardently de-
sired by Christ Our Lord and by the Holy Catho-
lic Church, should be open to all the faithful, of
whatever rank and condition of life; so that no
one who is in the state of grace, and who ap-
proaches the Holy Table with a right intention,
can lawfully be hindered therefrom." This right
intention consists in approaching the Holy Table
not through routine, nor through vanity, nor
through any other human motive, but with the
aim to please God and to unite ourselves more
closely to Him by charity, to apply a remedy to
our spiritual infirmities, and to correct our de-
fects. We may add that these two dispositions,
the state of grace and the right intention, which
are required for every Communion, whether once
a year or once a month, are equally sufficient for
frequent and daily Communion; and only one
thing is absolutely necessary for a worthy Com-
COMMUNION 99
munion — the state of grace. The soul in the
grace of God cannot make a sacrilegious Com-
munion. But, of course, good Catholics do not
rest content with that; they also wish to make
their Communions as devout and fruitful as
possible.
In connection with this it is well to recall the
effects which Holy Communion produces by itself.
Holy Communion (1) brings about the real and
intimate union of our soul with Jesus Christ.
It (2) increases grace and charity within us.
It (3) remits all venial sins to which we have not
an actual affection. It (4) remits, in whole or in
part, the punishment due to past sins, according
to the greater or less fervor with which we ap-
proach the Sacrament. It (5) preserves us from
the curse of mortal sin — the only thing that can
cause us to be lost.
So we conclude as we began. We should re-
ceive Communion frequently and even daily in
order that, thus united with God, we may derive
strength to resist our sensual passions, to cleanse
ourselves from our daily faults, and to avoid
those graver sins to which human frailty is liable.
This is the primary reason for daily approach
to the Sacred Banquet; for the Eucharist, as
the Council of Trent says, is "the antidote
whereby we are delivered from daily faults and
preserved from deadly sins."
May one go to Holy Communion if one
had an impure dream during night while
asleep ?
A person who is asleep certainly cannot sin,
since there can be no real consent of the will.
So in the case you mention no sin is committed.
Hence there is no reason why the occurrence
should keep one from Holy Communion.
Whatever of this nature takes place when asleep
is no sin at all. If it occurs when half-awake or
ioo QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
if one is awakened by the carnal sensations, it is
ordinarily no sin either and certainly no mortal
sin, since there is neither sufficient reflection nor,
as we suppose, full consent of the will. The best
way to deal with these things is to ignore their
coming and going as much as possible and to
turn the mind quietly into other and honorable
channels. Involuntary impure feelings, thoughts,
desires, imaginations, and impulses are only
sources of great merit for the pure souls that
keep close and true to God, no matter how
violently and persistently they may be tempted
to unlawful delights of the flesh.
It may happen that such dreams and carnal
sensations, entirely involuntary and guiltless as
they are under the supposition, nevertheless, ow-
ing to the powerful manner in which they enlist
the entire nervous system and whatever stands
in close relation to it, have a tendency to make
their subject depressed and uneasy of mind for
fear of having in some degree or other given
consent to the violent commotions of sensuous
pleasure one could not help experiencing. But,
supposing the subject to be habitually conscienti-
ous in practicing holy purity, as long as one is
not completely sure of having yielded to the
pleasure (when half-awake, for instance) consci-
ously and unresistingly, one need not entertain
any worry regarding the matter; nor need one
mention a word about it in confession or allude
to it in any manner at all. However, in such a
case one will do well by humiliating oneself before
God and making an act of perfect contrition for
all one's sins. Then, in case one was guilty of
some lighter or grosser venial sin in the matter,
for having to a degree invited, or for having been
somewhat remiss or tardy in banishing, the un-
chaste allurement, it will be forgiven at once.
It is highly advisable to be more recollected
than ever in the morning, to keep one's thoughts
COMMUNION 101
more steadily fixed on God, to make many
ejaculatory prayers, and thus to offset the effects
of the disagreeable dreams or occurrences. In
this way one can approach the Holy Table with
even greater humility, longing, and fervent love
of God, Whom we receive because He wants us
to and, also and primarily, in order to overcome
our sensual passions, to cleanse ourselves from
daily faults and to preserve ourselves from
deadly sin.
When we receive Holy Communion we
receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ ;
but do we also receive God the Father and
God the Holy Ghost?
The Council of Trent, speaking of the Holy
Eucharist, says: "This faith has ever been in
the Church of God, that immediately after the
consecration the veritable Body of our Lord and
His veritable Blood, together with His Soul and
Divinity, are under the species of bread and wine;
but the Body indeed under the species of bread,
and the Blood under the species of wine, by the
force of the words ; but the Body itself under the
species of wine, and the Blood under the species
of bread, and the Soul under both, by the force
of that natural connection and concomitance
whereby the parts of Christ our Lord, Who
hath now risen from the dead to die no more,
are united together; and the Divinity, further-
more, on account of the admirable Hypostatic
Union thereof with His Body and Soul."
Now, because the Divinity is present, the
Father, too, and the Holy Ghost are present.
But, as can be deduced from the closing words
of the above quotation, they are not present by
concomitance in virtue of the words of consecra-
tion. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost
are all three present in the Holy Eucharist by
virtue of the divine attribute of omnipresence,
ioi QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
by their consubstantiality, and, more especially,
by virtue of Trinitarian Perichoresis or mutual
inexistence. As only the Son assumed flesh and
blood in the Hypostatic Union He alone is present
with flesh and blood such as the sacramental
species signify; the other two Divine Persons
are not sacramentally present; they are present
because all three Persons are omnipresent, con-
substantial, and mutually inexistent. In this
way the Father and the Holy Ghost are also re-
ceived. (See Pohle-Preuss: The Holy Eucharist.)
I have heard it said in a sermon on Holy
Communion that one should be careful
to swallow the Host immediately after
receiving. "Swallow it as soon as you can.
Do not let it dissolve entirely in the
mouth.' ' Why is this advice given?
The reason is evident. Though we may hear
contrary opinions, still we may state in the words
of The Ecclesiastical Review for May, 1932: "All
theologians affirm that, in order to receive the
sacramental effects of the Holy Eucharist, a person
must swallow the Sacred Host before it has been
entirely dissolved in the mouth. See Tanquery
(Tractatus de Eucharistia, Cap. II de Sacramento
Eucharist iae, Art. I de existentia et natura huius
sacrament i, last corrollary)." The passage re-
ferred to is as follows in English: "In order that
the Sacrament may be truly received, it is neces-
sary that the consecrated species reach the
stomach before they are dissolved; for since this
Sacrament has been instituted by way of nourish-
ment, it follows the laws of material refection;
one must accordingly be careful lest the sacred
species dissolve in the mouth."
Hence, according to this opinion, though there
are some who maintain the contrary, he does not
receive the Sacrament validly who allows the
Sacred Particle to dissolve wholly in the mouth.
COMMUNION 103
By this we mean that he does not really receive
Communion at all, as regards its effects. It is
well, therefore, always to bear this matter in
mind. As regards the sick, help them to swallow
the Host at once by giving them a sip or two of
water. Those who have the privilege of baking
the altar breads should be careful not to make
the hosts so thin that they dissolve almost as
soon as they touch the tongue. In view of the
above explanation, the matter becomes one of
no little importance.
The Savior said: "Take and eat." Eating
implies the swallowing of the food. The Real
Presence is then actually with you, or, better, you
are transformed into Him, one with your God,
for at least half an hour, ordinarily.
What should one do if a child takes a
little something to eat in the morning
and then nevertheless goes to Holy Com-
munion ?
Children are often very thoughtless and may
do such a thing without thinking that there is
anything wrong about it. They should then be
kindly admonished, carefully instructed anew,
and told that if ever they break the fast before
Holy Communion they should simply say so and
remain away from the Holy Table that morning.
If it is found that the child was quite innocent
in the case, he need not confess the matter.
But if he was in doubt, or if there is reason to
think that now that he has been informed he
may begin to worry about the matter and imagine
that he has committed a terrible sin, it would be
well for his peace of heart prudently to induce
him to tell about it in confession before going to
Holy Communion again. Assure him that the
priest will not scold. Children sometimes go on
in uneasiness and anguish of mind for years and
years because they committed, or think they com-
io4 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
mittedy this grave sin and were (and are) afraid
to tell it. They feel that they are committing
sacrileges every time they receive the Sacraments
and yet they receive them. This is deplorable.
Often enough this trouble begins on First Com-
munion Day. It is very important to instruct
such little ones that if they break the fast they
should not hesitate to tell it before they receive.
No one will blame them. Then the pastor should
be informed and his advice and arrangements
followed. Yes; make it plain to the little ones
that it is no disgrace to be obliged to say "I
broke the fast" and to stay away from Com-
munion on that day. Ask them to be sure to
tell even if it happens on First Communion Day.
Tell them that if this should happen the priest
will know how to arrange things nicely for them,
and that it would displease Jesus if they would
not at once tell mother, for instance, or Sister.
Because of throat trouble which leaves
my mouth so dry, I have great difficulty
in swallowing the Host after receiving
Holy Communion. May I take a sip of
water after receiving or, for instance, a
pinch of salt to start the saliva flowing?
Would that be breaking the Eucharistic
fast?
Yes; you may take something, as you suggest,
though it would be well to do so unnoticed, in
order not to give possible scandal. Be careful
not to touch the Host with the finger or glass.
No; that would not be breaking the fast. That
which is taken together with the sacred species
does not break the fast. Thus, for instance,
Holy Communion is often given to the sick, also
to those not seriously sick, with a little wine or
water. Again, on Good Friday the priest con-
sumes a particle of the Host together with wine
(not consecrated on this day). It may, of course,
COMMUNION 105
happen that in the two instances just mentioned
the water or wine enter the stomach before the
sacred species; but that would not be wrong in
such cases nor would it be breaking the fast.
(Cf. Noldin III, 151, 17th Ed.)
After Communion everything is to be avoided
that is not in keeping with the respect demanded
by the Presence of Our Lord. It is proper, in
particular, to refrain from spitting, or from eating
and drinking, for ten or fifteen minutes, that is,
during the time usually consecrated to thanks-
giving. There might be a sin in the case of
spitting, if there were any danger of ejecting
portions of the consecrated species, — a very
improbable thing. As for eating and drinking,
all authors agree that any reason (faintness,
fatigue, a journey to be made at once, the ob-
servance of the rule of a community, etc.) is
sufficient to justify eating or drinking immedi-
ately after Holy Communion. In other words,
there would be no irreverence and no sin what-
soever.
In this place where we have no resident
priest it was very much left to me to in-
struct and prepare my little son, seven
and a half years old, for his first Holy
Communion. I used a little book called
4 'Our First Communion," by Father Kelly,
and also taught him the simple meaning
of the Commandments, the Sacraments,
etc. Do you not think that was enough?
I intend to keep on instructing my boy
more fully as he grows older.
We are sure it was quite sufficient. You have
a real Catholic understanding of your duties as
a mother and are evidently doing all things well.
By way of instruction we may say that little
children who are to be admitted to First Com-
munion should be taught the Sign of the Cross,
106 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
the Our Father, and the Hail Mary, care being
taken that they make the Sign of the Cross
correctly and pronounce the words of these
prayers distinctly. It is not necessary that they
then learn by heart the Apostles' Creed, the Act
of Contrition, and the Sacraments, though they
should study them and these should be explained.
A fuller knowledge is to be obtained as they grow
older. With the aid of a Catechism and a Bible
History and simple explanations and illustrations
the little child preparing for First Communion
is to be taught that God made him; who God is;
why God created him; how God rewards and
punishes; where God is; that He had no begin-
ning; that He sees all things; that God is one
by unity of nature in three distinct Persons;
that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity was
made man; how and when He was made man;
why He was made man; how Jesus Christ re-
deemed us. Then the child should be taught what
a Sacrament is; what the Sacrament of Baptism
did to him; what Sacrament he is now going to
receive. He should be taught what the Sacrament
of Penance is; what five things are necessary to
receive it rightly; what sins must be confessed.
He must be taught that the Holy Eucharist is
the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Jesus
Christ; that Jesus Christ, as God, is everywhere,
and that as God and man He is in heaven and in
the Holy Eucharist; that Holy Communion
means to receive Jesus Christ Himself, really and
truly present in the Sacrament of the Holy
Eucharist; that he should wish to go to Holy
Communion because Jesus Christ loves him and
therefore desires him to come and because he
loves Jesus and therefore earnestly desires to
receive Him; that to receive Holy Communion
rightly he must be in the state of grace, that is,
of friendship with God, must be fasting from mid-
night until the moment of Communion, and must
COMMUNION 107
make a careful preparation and a good thanks-
giving.
That preparation and thanksgiving may be
very simple for little children. One may read
the acts to them slowly and get them to repeat
them after him. Such prayers are found in many
excellent little books written for this purpose.
Cardinal Gennari in his Commentary on the
Decree of Pope Pius X on First Communion
suggests the following acts:
BEFORE HOLY COMMUNION
An Act of Faith: O good Jesus, I firmly believe
all that Thou hast said to me through Thy
Church, especially that Thou are really and
truly present in the Consecrated Host.
An Act of Hope: O good Jesus, trusting in
Thy goodness and Thy promises, I hope to re-
ceive from Thee grace, all good things needful,
and eternal life.
An Act of Charity: Because Thou art infinitely
good I love Thee, Jesus, with all my heart and
soul and strength.
An Act of Contrition: O my God, I repent of
all my sins because they have deserved Thy
punishments, but especially because they have
offended Thy infinite goodness.
An Act of Humility: O good Jesus, I am Thy
creature, full of misery and sin and unworthy
to receive Thee.
An Act of Desire: O good Jesus, I earnestly
desire to receive Thee into my heart; come to
me quickly and do not delay.
AFTER HOLY COMMUNION
An Act of Adoration: I adore Thee, O good
Jesus present in my soul, I humble myself be-
fore Thee. I am astonished at Thy wonderful
goodness.
An Act of Gratitude: O good Jesus, how can I
thank Thee properly? I offer Thee all the thanks-
io8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
givings of Thy saints, especially of the Blessed
Virgin, and of all who love Thee.
Should a person stay away from the
Sacraments because he is always troubled
with impure thoughts, even about holy
things, and when going to the Sacraments,
although he tries hard to lead a good life?
In that excellent little book called Vain Fears
and published by The Sentinel Press, 194 East
76th St., New York City, there is an answer to
a similar question regarding the frequent or daily
reception of Holy Communion. We here repro-
duce that answer in full, at the same time heartily
recommending the book itself to all, especially
to such as have vain fears. The quotation follows.
Let us examine this difficulty in its several lights.
In the first place, you do not communicate
every day, nor even frequently, on account of the
great temptations that assail you.
I reply : Precisely because Satan prowls around
you like a roaring lion, tempting you against
faith, purity, etc., you have all the more need,
by frequent and daily Communion, to "put on
the armor of God that you may be able to stand
against the deceits of the devil" (Ephes. 6:11).
In effect, this Sacrament, being a sign of the
Passion of Christ, by whom the demons have
been vanquished, triumphs over all his assaults
(St. Thorn. III. q. lxxix, art. 6). Therefore, St.
Chrysostom says: "When we have participated
in the Divine Banquet, we become terrible to the
demons as lions breathing flame" (In Joan,
horn. 45).
If, then, in spite of your frequent, and even
daily, Communion Satan does not desist from
tempting you, will he not attack you with still
greater fury should you abstain from a Sacra-
ment which is so dreaded by him?
But you say, my temptations attack me with
COMMUNION 109
redoubled violence on the eve of my Communions
and even at the moment of receiving the Holy
Eucharist. — I believe what you say, and I am
not astonished at it. The demon, well knowing
the effects of the Holy Eucharist, fears you after
you have fed on that Divine Food; hence, his
rage and his efforts to keep you away from the
"living Bread come down from heaven" (Joan.
6:51), the pledge of our victories, and the cause
of his own defeats.
See, O Christian soul, with what good reason
the author of the golden book of the Imitation
of Christ says: "When some are disposed to
prepare themselves for the Sacred Communion,
they suffer the worst assaults and illusions of
Satan. That wicked spirit himself, as it is written
in Job, cometh among the sons of God to trouble
them with his accustomed malice, or to make
them over-fearful and perplexed; that so he may
diminish their devotion, or by his assault, take
away their faith, if haply they may altogether
forbear Communion, or approach with tepidity"
(Bk. iv, 10:2), that is, by neglecting to combat
their distractions.
And you, O Christian soul, would you by
yielding to his perfidious suggestions abandon
daily Communion? Woe to you if you realize
the desires of your implacable enemy! On the
contrary: "Not the least regard must be paid
to his wiles and suggestions, be they ever so
shameful and abominable; but all such imagi-
nations are to be turned back upon his own head.
The wretch must be contemned and scorned;
nor is Holy Communion to be omitted on account
of any assault and commotions which he may
awaken" (Ibid).
Again, you say: "I am afraid to communicate
badly, by approaching the Holy Table in the
midst of temptations so violent." I reply that,
your fear is not only vain, but still more, dia-
i to QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
bolical. A vain fear, for what are the most hor-
rible temptations if we do not wish them, if we
endure them against our will? Are they sins?
Quite the contrary, they are for us an increase
of grace and merit.
And it is by communicating with this increase
of grace and merit that you fear to do so un-
worthily? Oh, what a vain fear! what a chimerical
fear! You may fear to communicate unworthily
only when you are certain, that is, when you can
swear, that you have consented to these grave
temptations, and that you are thereby in the
state of mortal sin.
Still more, it is a diabolical fear, for, I repeat:
"The enemy, knowing the very great fruit and
remedy contained in the Holy Communion,
striveth by every method and occasion, as far
as he is able, to withdraw and hinder faithful
and devout souls from It" (Ibid).
Christian soul, turn indignantly against the
tempter and say to him: "Begone, unclean
spirit! Be ashamed, miserable wretch! Most
unclean art thou to suggest such things in my
ears! Depart from me, thou most wicked se-
ducer, thou shalt have no part in me. But Jesus
(Whom I desire to receive daily in spite of thee)
will be with me as a valiant warrior, and thou
shalt stand confounded. I prefer to die, and to
undergo any torment whatsoever, rather than
consent to thee. Hold thy peace and be silent.
I will hear thee no further, although thou many
times molest me. The Lord (Who daily nourishes
me with His immaculate Flesh) is my light and
my salvation. Whom shall I fear? If armies
should stand together against me, my heart shall
not fear. The Lord (Whom in Communion I
daily press to my breast) is my helper and my
Redeemer" (Imitation. Bk. Ill, 6:4; Ps. 26:1,
3; Ps. 17:2ss).
PERTAINING TO CONFESSION
I am a frequent communicant; and I
have read much about the habit of going
to confession weekly. But this is rather
difficult for me in my circumstances. Is
it necessary for me to go to confession
weekly when I wish to receive Com-
munion? Or is it wrong for me to go to
Communion weekly, or as often as I can,
without going to confession before, if I
am sure that I did not sin?
It is not necessary to go to confession weekly
in order to receive Communion weekly, fre-
quently, or daily. No theologian has ever taught
that, and the Church has never imposed it.
Catholics should communicate joyously and
fearlessly every day they can for weeks, for
months even, if necessary, without confession
when they are certain of not having sinned
mortally since their last confession. And they
should not omit Communion because of their
inability to approach more frequently the
tribunal of penance. As the Council of Trent
says, there is only one case in which we are
obliged to confess before communicating, and
that is when we are conscious, in other words,
when we are certain of having committed a mortal
sin. Strictly speaking, the Church does not
forbid Communion to him that does not commit
mortal sin, even if he does not go to confession
once a year, since, as St. Alphonsus teaches, the
precept of annual confession is made only for
those who are certain of having sinned mortally.
As regards venial sins, let us bear in mind that
it is the teaching of the Church that, though
the confession of venial sins before communicat-
ing is useful, it is not necessary. It is better to
zzx
in QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
go to Communion without confessing venial sins
than to stay away. St. Alphonsus* writes: "Down
to the eighth century, the usage was to confess
only mortal sins." Venial sins are likewise for-
given in many other ways, e. g., by prayer,
especially the Our Father, by the use of sacra-
mentals, etc. The pious and learned Frassinetti
says: "I wish we would reflect sometimes that,
among the first Christians, the more frequent the
Communions, the more rare the sacramental
confession. As a general thing, they confessed
only when they had fallen into some mortal sin,
as all theologians commonly observe." Paren-
thetically, the following excerpt from Canon 931
of the Church law is in order here: "The faith-
ful who are in the habit to confess twice a month
unless legitimately impeded, or who receive Holy
Communion daily in the state of grace and with
a good and holy intention, though they may
abstain from receiving once or twice a week, can
gain all indulgences without actual confession
for which otherwise confession would be a neces-
sary condition. The indulgences of an ordinary
or extraordinary jubilee, and those granted in
the form of a jubilee, are excepted from this
concession." As regards indulgences, daily Com-
munion makes confession unnecessary. In this
Canon we can detect the mind of the Church
relative to what we have said above.
We have dwelt at length upon this because
there are some erroneous, Jansenistic notions in
vogue regarding the matter. We repeat that
there is no need to confess every week in order
to communicate every day. The practice is very
laudable, but not necessary. Yes; it is very
praiseworthy to go to confession every week or
two and such a practice properly adhered to is a
great aid in striving for Christian perfection,
as we see from the fact that the Church, through
their Constitutions, requires members of religious
CONFESSION 113
Congregations to confess as a rule weekly; but
lay people who cannot or do not wish to do so
are perfectly free in the matter, as long as they
keep themselves from mortal sin.
I am worried and anxious and feel
miserable when I think of my past life.
What shall I do?
Look to the present; make good use of it; d(
not let it slip through your fingers! The past i
gone; the future is still in the hands of God, th
present alone is yours. Be wise and remembe
that what matters most to you and to God and
those around you is really what you are now,
not what you were or shall be, what you do now,
not what you did or shall do.
It is too bad that so many people let the
thought of past miseries spoil their whole lives.
It is a great delusion to think that our past has
ruined our present and our future, that the mis-
takes or sins we have committed have made all
further hope impossible. Full of much practical
wisdom and no little instruction are these words
of St. Paul: "When I was a child I spoke as a
child, I understood as a child, I thought as a
child. But when I become a man I put away the
things of a child." So we, when we were children,
may indeed have done evil as children; but let
us remember that it was "as children," and not
as mature men and women. And the same we
may say of every step afterwards; we are always
older than we were; and the good resolve now,
in the precious present, if only we make it, is the
act of a more matured creature than was the evil
we did yesterday. No matter who we are, it is
always in our power to restore the balance.
This is a most sensible course to follow, the
only thing to do. Every morning we should cry
out with St. Paul: "Now is the acceptable time,
now is the day of salvation!" Doing this, we shall
1 14 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
ever be beginning anew in the present. At the
end we will find, to our eternal joy, that our
many beginnings have enabled us to fight the
good fight, to complete the course, and to win
the prize.
Even those who must worry about the im-
mediate past need but use the present for a speedy
elimination of that worry and for beginning anew,
to the exclusion of all vain and useless regrets
and with only that calm and sensible act of
general sorrow embodied in words like these:
"Dear God, how much better I would feel, how
much less ashamed of being Thy creature, had
the miserable things of the past never happened.
Accept this my Christian regret for what it really
is: a sign of my love for Thee. And let me be
happy in the blessed thought that I love Thee
now!" tmiM'LM
Some time ago I did something which
I now know was very wrong; for I have
read since that it is sinful. It has worried
me very much. Am I bound to confess it
now, and, if so, do I have to repeat all the
confessions I have made since then?
You acted with an erroneous conscience. To
find out how erroneous it was, two questions
must be asked and answered. Did you, when
you placed that action, feel that there was any
moral indecency in the act or did you at least
doubt about its lawfulness? Did your conscience
tell you that you ought to ask someone — your
confessor, for instance — about it? If to both of
these questions you can truthfully answer "No,"
your error was invincible and you committed
no sin. You acted with an invincibly erroneous
conscience; and, though you have a sure con-
science and perfect knowledge of the matter now,
nothing can ever make that particular matter
subjectively sinful which was not formally sinful
CONFESSION 115
when you placed the action. You are not bound
to confess it now and you need not repeat your
confession.
But if to either one of the above questions, or
to both, you must answer "Yes," then your error
was vincible and culpable; but it was grievously
culpable only if the matter in question was ap-
prehended by you as a matter of great importance.
In this latter event a brief statement of the case
in the confessional, a statement as concise as
your question, for example, will lead to a simple
and easy adjustment of the whole affair. When
such doubts arise Catholics should give a candid
explanation in their next confession, follow the
advice of the priest, and be through with it. That
is the only proper and sensible way, — a way that
makes for peace of heart always.
As regards things long passed, if you were
always reasonably careful to confess what sins
you knew you were guilty of, you may quietly
dismiss the whole matter from your mind.
Whenever you go to confession God only expects
of you that you do the best you can in your con-
dition, in view of your actual knowledge and
understanding of sin and the circumstances of
sin at the moment you confess. In the past God
did not expect you to confess with the knowledge
and precision you are possessed of today. If
you did what you could, you did your duty in
the confessional, and all your sins were forgiven;
and there is no obligation on your part to repeat
or improve such confessions now. "I committed
so many mortal sins in my past life and I never
even knew it," is rather a silly assertion. They
may indeed have been mortal sins objectively
and materially; but because you were ignorant
of them when you did them you were not in
reality guilty of them, as no one can be guilty
of a specified sin without being somehow aware
of it while he is doing it.
n6 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
When I was young I committed many
sins, not knowing they were so terrible
and never thinking that the circumstances
made them worse still. Of course I con-
fessed them as I thought was right at the
time. But now I have learned how terrible
those sins were and how some of those
circumstances even changed the nature of
the sins, that is, made two grievous sins
out of one. I now feel uneasy about my
past confessions. Were they invalid?
Must they be repeated?
They were not for that reason invalid. They
need not be repeated. Here you should remem-
ber that whenever you go to confession God only
expects of you that you do the best you can in
your condition, taking into consideration your
actual knowledge and understanding at the
moment you confess. When you do this you have
done your part and God does the rest.
As a child or young person, with your age's
defective knowledge of religious things in general
and the requirements of confession in particular,
God did not expect you to confess with the
knowledge and precision you are possessed of
today. If then you did what you could, you did
your duty in the confessional, and all your sins
were forgiven, without any ulterior obligation on
your part to repeat or improve their confession
later on.
Moreover, since you were ignorant of the
substantial circumstances of your mortal sins
when you confessed them, the supposition is
warranted that you were equally ignorant of them
when you did them; and consequently, not hav-
ing a clear knowledge of the various or additional
mortal sins you were objectively or materially
doing, because of the attending circumstances,
you were in reality not guilty of them, as no one
can be guilty of a specified sin without being
CONFESSION 117
somehow aware of it whilst he is doing it. You
have, then, no cause for worry and no obligation
to repeat those confessions or even to supplement
them by the accuracy you are capable of now,
but were incapable of then.
Only in case you are certain that one or more
of your former confessions were substantially in-
complete, considering your actual obligation at
the time of their performance, are you bound
to remedy or supply the defect whenever you be-
come conscious of it. With the assistance of the
confessor this is so easily and readily done that
there is no reason why you should not gladly
submit to it on behalf of your peace of mind and
joy of heart.
Why does the priest in the confessional
sometimes ask the penitent to include
some sin from his past life? It seems so
strange and even frightens one.
It should not be strange, and there is no cause
for fright. The reason is very simple. Many
people go to confession and do not confess any
real sins; and the priest cannot absolve them
unless they have confessed something that is
really sinful. Suppose, for example, that a pious
old lady comes into the confessional and accuses
herself as follows: "I had involuntary distrac-
tions at Mass. I several times put off my morning
prayers until almost noon. I worried too much
about my son's lack of success in business. I
complained about my rheumatism. I forgot that
it was Friday and ate meat for lunch once. I
missed Mass on Sunday twice because I was
sick. That's all, Father." Now, we could hardly
call any of those things sins. Some of them may
be imperfections at the most. And the priest
cannot give absolution unless the penitent has
manifested some sin, great or small. So he asks
the penitent to mention some real sin or sins from
n8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
the past life; for, though such sins have already
been confessed and forgiven, we know that also
forgiven sins are valid matter for absolution —
they may be forgiven again. But a real sin
should be mentioned, not something like the
things enumerated above, otherwise the priest
will still be doubtful about giving absolution.
It is probably sufficient to say, for instance,
"For these and all the sins of my past life I am
heartily sorry." Still this is too general. You
ought to be more explicit than that; you ought
to mention at least one real sin that you were
guilty of. Every confession ought to end some-
what like this: "I accuse myself of these sins and
of all the sins of my past life, especially for once
deliberately doing so and so, — a sin that I con-
fessed before and for which I am heartily sorry."
Or you may say, "I include the sins of my past
life, especially those grievous sins already con-
fessed that I deliberately committed against such
and such a commandment." Then the priest
can at once give absolution, without first asking
and asking and fishing for valid matter and
frightening the penitent by probing into the past.
This is of great importance. The practice of
always including a sin of the past helps the priest
immensely; and it helps the penitent, too, mak-
ing his confession more satisfactory. For sorrow
and a purpose of amendment are essential for
valid absolution in every case. Sometimes,
when the faults committed since the last con-
fession, even though they may be certainly sinful,
are slight and our customary, habitual, or pet
little sins, it is not so easy to awaken real sorrow
and purpose of amendment for them. But if
one recalls a graver sin from his past life, a sin
for which he is conscious of being truly repentant,
he will be saved from any misgiving as to whether
or not he was truly sorry. This practice cannot
be too much recommended to all Catholics.
CONFESSION 119
Even if one has no sins at all to confess since
the last confession, it is well to go to confession
frequently, even every week, mentioning some
sin of one's past life, as suggested above, and
exciting true sorrow; for one of the effects of
the Sacrament of Penance is sacramental grace,
or a right to the helps of grace. And since the
end of this Sacrament is to blot out sins, these
helps are given that man may satisfy for his past
sins and may avoid committing sin in the future.
When a person commits a deliberate
mortal sin and then waits two weeks
before going to confession, is it an extra
sin for waiting that long or is it enough
to say how long since the last confession?
The divine precept of confession binds all the
faithful who have fallen into mortal sin in the
following instances. 1. At the hour of death,
very probably when in danger of death, and
perhaps a number of times during one's life.
2. Whenever one is about to communicate or to
receive any other of the Sacraments of the living,
if one cannot make an act of perfect contrition;
and also as often as one cannot otherwise avoid
a new mortal sin.
The ecclesiastical precept determines the divine
law and obliges one who has fallen into mortal
sin to go to confession before celebrating Mass or
receiving Holy Communion; and it also obliges
such a one to go to confession at least once a
year.
But, abstracting from the letter ' of the law,
which prescribes the bare minimum, what an
immense spiritual loss it is to live for any length
of time in mortal sin! That means precious
time irretrievably lost; for one devoid of the
grace of God cannot merit anything for eternity.
The utter spiritual destitution of such a one is
terrible. He is in the devil's power, a pre-
no QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
damned soul in the sense that there is nothing
between him and the everlasting fires of hell but
the slender thread of life. What a terrible state,
to be obliged to say: "This day (this night) I
may die and if I die I am going straight to hell."
Wise Catholics who have the great misfortune
to fall into mortal sin will make haste to go to
confession with the least possible delay and will
in the meantime make acts of perfect contrition
over and over again. To let even a minute pass
without making the first such act, combined with
the resolve to confess the sin, is running a fearful
risk. That minute may be the last.
When going to confession I am some-
times worried about my contrition,
whether I am sorry enough for every
single sin. Can you give me some advice?
As you know, our contrition must be universal
that is, we must be sorry for all our mortal sins
without exception. This, of course, does not
mean that we must make a special act of con-
trition for every single sin that we have com-
mitted. We should recall our sins as best we
can and then make an act of contrition that in-
cludes them all. This will also include those that
we may have forgotten. It is sufficient if our
act of contrition arises from a general motive,
such as the fear of hell, the loss of heaven, or from
love of God. Therefore, when we say, "O my
God, I am sorry for all my sins, because by them I
have offended Thee and have merited Thy just
punishments," or, "0 my God, I am heartily
sorry that I have ever offended Thee, because
I love Thee, my Lord and my God," our contrition
is sufficient. If you really commit sins you will
have no difficulty in recalling at least some of
them.
Our contrition for venial sins need not be uni-
versal. We may be sorry for one or the other
CONFESSION in
and not sorry for the rest. Our confession is
nevertheless good. If we confess mortal sin, we
need not be sorry for any of the venial sins,
though it is well to try to be sorry for them all.
After confessing grievous sins a person
is asked by his confessor whether he says
his prayers. The person answers, "Yes,"
although he has really not said them very
often. Granted that he then receives
absolution, is his confession bad? Was
it a mortal sin for him thus to tell a lie
in the confessional? Concealing a mortal
sin in confession is a serious matter, but
how about this?
This question is one of considerable practical
interest and of no little importance, inasmuch as
wrong conceptions in this regard may do much
harm and cause anxiety and confusion in the af-
fairs of the soul. Briefly stated, the question is
this: Is it always a mortal sin to tell a lie in
confession ?
We answer with like brevity. 1. To tell a lie
in confession regarding a matter that is grave
and that must necessarily be told, is a mortal sin.
It is a sacrilegious lie, since it is opposed to the
truth and to the reverence due to the Sacrament.
Such a lie makes one's confession invalid or, as
we say, bad, unworthy. 2. To tell a lie in con-
fession as regards a venial matter or as regards a
grave matter that need not necessarily be told
(for instance, regarding a past mortal sin already
forgiven in confession), is of itself only a venial
sacrilege. Such a lie, deplorable as it is, does not
make one's confession invalid or unworthy. 3.
To tell a lie in confession as regards a matter that
does not pertain to confesssion is a mortal sin or
a venial sin, according to the circumstances of the
case. But this lie, since it does not directly
affect the Sacrament, does not come under the
iii QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
name of sacrilege, at least not grievous sacrilege.
But one who lies grievously in this way is surely
not properly disposed and so commits a grievous
sacrilege by receiving the Sacrament unworthily.
The person in question did not commit a
mortal sin. His confession was not bad.
But he committed a venial sin and sacrilege, if
he gave that answer deliberately; and we
should not treat venial sin lightly, least of all in
connection with the reception of the Sacraments.
Venial sin, though it does not separate us from
God, is so great an evil that if by a single one we
could empty all hell or save the souls of all man-
kind, we would not be permitted to commit it.
It is an offense against God!
We say above, "if he gave that answer de-
liberately." Sometimes penitents are confused
or embarrassed or abashed and give answer
without thinking; and then they do not find an
opportunity or do not want to correct themselves.
In that case, in a small matter, they probably
do not sin at all and should forget about the
affair. Resolve always to be frank and open and
absolutely truthful in the confessional. Then
you will not need to make distinctions and try
to ease your conscience.
What is meant by "A person in danger
of death may make his confession to any
priest"?
In ordination the priest receives the power to
forgive sins, but not the jurisdiction. He has to
exercise his power over others, and if these are
not subject to his authority, he is not authorized
to pronounce judgment on them; and if he does
so, his absolution is invalid. Hence the cate-
chism says that confession is the telling of our
sins to a duly authorized priest, for the purpose of
obtaining forgiveness.
By Christ's institution there are in the Church
CONFESSION
113
two kinds of jurisdiction, taken in the restricted
sense of exercising the priestly functions. The one
is general and supreme, belonging to the Pope,
the Vicar of Christ, whose jurisdiction is unlimited
as to place or person; and the other is a sub-
ordinate jurisdiction, that is, one limited to place
or persons, belonging to the bishops within their
respective dioceses. The Pope can subdelegate
his power to any person within the Church, who
is capable of it; and likewise the bishop can sub-
delegate his jurisdiction to anyone of his subjects
that is capable of it, but only within the limits of
his diocese. The Pope may except from the
jurisdiction of any priest or bishop any place,
person, act or sin; and the bishops also have the
right to withhold some grave sins from the juris-
diction of their priests, but their power is subordi-
nate to that of the Supreme Pontiff and to the
general laws and dispositions of the Church.
Hence the priests of one diocese cannot validly
absolve in another diocese without the authoriza-
tion of the bishop of the diocese wherein the priest
hears confessions.
But in danger of death the Church, like a good
Mother, supplies all the defects of jurisdiction,
so that a person in such danger may validly be
absolved by any priest, not even excepting a
schismatic or excommunicated priest.
Are any of the confessions at the hour
of death — in the so-called deathbed re-
pentance— good, or is it then too late?
As long as life lasts it is never too late to turn
to God in sorrow for sin. God, Who, in His
infinite mercy, does not wish the death of the
sinner but rather that he be converted and live,
is quick to forgive even the greatest sinner if he
turns to Him with a contrite heart. Numerous
heartening examples might be cited of God's
mercy in this regard.
ii4 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
The question is doubtless prompted by the fact
that, due to physical weakness, pain, mental
anguish, the concentration of the mind on re-
sistance to death, etc., the dying do not seem to
be well disposed to make a good confession after
years spent in sin and far away from God. To
those who are presuming on God's mercy and
who rashly postpone amendment to the hour of
death, warnings without number have been
uttered. The grace of final reconciliation may
not be granted them. But we must hold that the
presumption is all in favor of those whom God
has given the grace of a sincere deathbed re-
pentance.
I was told once not to think of my past
sinful life any more, and, although it is
about four years since the priest told me
that, some new things will come to my
mind of which I am not certain whether I
told them at all or whether I told them
right. Is it sufficient if I just say, after
my ordinary confession, "I include all
the sins of my past life which I may have
forgotten' ' ? Would I be doing right then?
Yes; and you have no obligation even to say
that. It would be better to include again some
real already confessed sin of which you are certain.
Forgotten sins are forgiven along with the other
sins; and the obligation of mentioning them in
confession if they again come to your mind refers
only to mortal sins of which you are absolutely
sure both that you committed them and that you
did not confess them.
If the priest tells you never again to think of
or repeat your past sins, follow his advice with
the calm and happy assurance that in doing so
you are obeying Christ Himself, Whose place the
confessor takes in your regard, and Who has
said, "Who hears vou, hears Me." Be sure that
CONFESSION 12.5
your absolute, blind, unhesitating obedience to
the priest in this matter will never be held against
you but will rather be much to your credit.
"My dear friend," Pope Benedict XV once
wrote to an overanxious soul who had written
to him, saying the confessor would not allow a
repetition of sins and asking what to do, "there
is only one thing to do, and that is all sufficient:
obey your confessor, do just as he tells you."
As we all know, a person cannot gain
any merit for his soul while not in the
state of grace. Some people live a great
portion of their lives in the state of mortal
sin. After making a good confession,
does all the merit for the good they had
done, while not in the state of grace,
come back, that is, are these merits ap-
plied for their benefit? Or is it, once lost,
always lost, in this regard?
There is a manifest contradiction in the above
question. You say that we all know that a person
cannot gain any merit while not in the state of
grace; and then you immediately ask whether
merit for good done while not in the state of
grace comes back after a good confession. Since
no merit was gained while one was in mortal sin,
how could it come back?
Let us make this quite clear. By mortal sin
the soul is stripped of the merits of its good
works, of its devotions and prayers, of its vigils
and fastings, of the graces and merits received
in the Sacraments, and of all other graces, vir-
tues, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, all of which
things it merited and had in the state of grace.
Everything is lost by mortal sin. But — and how
consoling this truth of our holy religion! — meri-
torious works revive when, through the forgive-
ness of mortal sin, grace is again restored to the,
soul. All the merits of the pious works performed
ii6 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
before the sinner fell, while he was in the state
of grace, are restored to the soul. So good is
God.
And now we come to another point. The soul
is dead by mortal sin; it cannot by right gain one
single favor from heaven. All the good works
performed during the time a sinner remains in
the state of mortal sin cannot condignly merit
any graces, not even that of conversion. When
we say "condign merit," we mean a merit due to
the sinner's good works by any claim, including
the claim arising from God's promise. Still, the
good works performed during the time the sin-
ner is deprived of God's grace are not wholly
useless; for, if they are performed with a view
to forgiveness, they will probably obtain the
grace of conversion; for our God is a merciful
God. But the good deeds performed in a state of
mortal sin are not restored (are not made meri-
torious); for no condign merit belongs to them.
They are lost, and lost forever. How miserable,
how unhappy the state of the sinner in mortal sin!
If you go to confession knowing that
the priest will ask you to go oftener, and
you promise, knowing that you probably
won't go oftener, is that lying and does
that make your confession bad? Is it
necessary to tell the priest about this
broken promise?
It is not a lie to make a promise without
knowing whether one can fulfil it. If the priest
asks you to make the promise referred to in your
question he does not intend the promise to bind
under pain of sin; nor do you intend so to bind
yourself. Suppose, for example, that after con-
fession you renew your good resolutions and say
to God, "Dear Lord, I am going to be different
now. I promise Thee that I will henceforth avoid
the near occasion of sin and say three Hail Marys
CONFESSION
12-7
daily in order to keep my resolutions of leading
a pure life." Then in the course of time you do
not avoid the near occasions, you stop saying
the three Hail Marys, you fall into sin. But the
fact that you broke your promise is no additional
sin. You did not intend to bind yourself under
pain of sin — you did not make a vow. You
merely repeated your good resolutions.
The case in question is neither lying nor does
it make one's confession bad. It is not necessary
to tell the priest about this broken promise.
Suppose you go to confession and con-
fess a mortal sin that you have com-
mitted, knowing that you will soon be
committing that same sin again and
again. Does that make your confession
bad?
How do you know that you will commit the
same sin again? If you are quite positive, then
you are already planning to commit the sin
again and your professions of sorrow and purpose
of amendment are a mockery. But that is not
what you mean. You wish to say that, because
of former sad experience with your strong pas-
sions or an enslaving habit, you are apprehensive
that you will fall back into your former sins.
But this apprehension need not interfere with
your firm purpose. Your purpose of amendment
is sufficiently firm when you are sincerely de-
termined to avoid sin in future, your frequent
relapses notwithstanding. You will never be
able to foresee with certainty whether you will
really carry out your resolution or not, since you
cannot foretell the future. The principal point
is that you have at least the honest intention to
do your best to avoid sin in the future. Ac-
cordingly, if the priest would ask the penitent
about his purpose of amendment and the latter
would honestly answer, "I am weak, I'm afraid
1x8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
I'll fall again, but I don't want to now," that
penitent would have a true purpose of amendment.
We must remember that powerful passions
and strong and habitual inclinations to sin are
not, properly speaking, sins. Like temptations,
they are an incentive to sin and must be manfully
and prayerfully resisted when they urge to sin.
I have a friend who knows a priest who
is very easy in confession. But she will
not go to him because she thinks she
would not be confessing properly but only
1 'getting away with it," as she calls it.
Is this true?
From what you say it is clear that your friend
is simply scrupulous. We go to confession chiefly
to tell our sins with sorrow and to receive abso-
lution from the priest, who takes the place of
Christ. It seems that there are overly pious souls
who constantly seek mainly direction and who,
though they may never have thought of it, seek
to direct the priest in the amount and kind of
direction he is to give them. Leave it to the
priest to exercise his sacred office as he sees fit.
Can a person make a good confession if
he does not resolve carefully to avoid the
occasions of sin?
The catechism tells us that in order to make
a good confession we must also have a firm
resolve or determination of the will to avoid
not only such mortal sins as we have committed,
but also all mortal sins, without excepting any.
The penitent must truly be able to say: "I do
will to shun mortal sin; I do will to flee all the
near occasions of any and all mortal sins; and
I will do so at whatever cost or sacrifice of friend-
ship, honor, worldly good, yes, even of life itself."
This firm purpose excludes cowardice, but it does
not exclude fear or timidity based on our weak-
ness and experience of the past; for this fear is
CONFESSION iz9
often well grounded and may spring from a
humble diffidence in our individual ability to
resist all temptations. We should resolve to make
diligent use of prayer and the Sacraments that
we may say with St. Paul: "I can do all things in
Him Who strengthened me."
Now, as regards the occasions of sin we must
remember that there are two kinds: proximate
occasions and remote occasions. Proximate or
near occasions are those persons, places and
things that always or usually lead us into sin;
remote occasions are those which may, indeed,
but seldom really do cause one to fail into mortal
sins. To make a good confession one must resolve
carefully to avoid the near occasions of sin; but
we need not make such a resolve to avoid the re-
mote occasions. God is not unreasonable and,
therefore, cannot will that we should shun these,
unless, on account of peculiar circumstances they
should become proximate. For instance, on ac-
count of a particular evil inclination in an indi-
vidual person, what is a remote occasion for
others may become a proximate occasion for him.
From this we see that those who have been
guilty of mortal sin are obliged in conscience to
shun the proximate or near occasions of sin,
which to them are such, even if to some others
such occasions be only remote. The reason is
evident; for he that loves danger shall perish
therein. He who is in the proximate occasion
of sin is in great danger of sinning. Hence the
sinner who is not willing to shun and remove as far
as he can the proximate occasion of sin has no sin-
cere contrition and, therefore, cannot be absolved.
But what is to be done if the occasion is abso-
lutely unavoidable, or at least morally so, that is,
if it cannot be shunned without great incon-
venience or loss? State the whole case clearly to
your confessor. If he judges that the near occa-
sion can be made remote by prayer, the frequent
130 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
reception of the Sacraments, mortification, or
other means that he may suggest, then you may
abide by his decision. But if the confessor de-
cides that you absolutely remove the occasion
or flee from it, then you, of course, must promise
to do so. And remember that you must make
your promise to God, Who sees the inmost secrets
of the heart.
What we have said above applies to mortal
sin. We are not obliged to shun all the proxi-
mate occasions of venial sin, for that were quite
impossible. Still, he that confesses only venial
sins must purpose and be prepared either to avoid
the proximate occasion of one species of venial
sins or to diminish the number of his venial sins;
for otherwise he would place himself in danger of
being deficient in his good resolution, because he
would abandon the desire of advancing or of
removing the impediments to spiritual progress,
namely, venial sins. (St. Thomas. P. Ill, q.
87, a. 1, to 1.)
Is it permitted to take your prayerbook
into the confessional with you, if it helps
you to make an entire confession?
Yes, of course; it is always permitted. It
might even be advisable in the case of a long and
difficult confession, being then most helpful.
For a similar reason it is allowed to write down
your sins on a piece of paper and read them off
in the confessional. But always be sure to
destroy the paper afterwards; for confession is
a sacred, secret thing.
We would not, however, advise the use of
either prayerbook or paper for ordinary weekly
or monthly confessions. For such it is easy and
better, as a rule, to confess by heart, so to speak.
Would it be in keeping with the eti-
quette due to religious observance for a
lay person to choose for a Father Confassor
CONFESSION 131
a priest of some other station or church,
instead of the priest of the parish church
where one attends regularly at divine
services on Sundays ?
Canon 905 declares that all the faithful are
free to go to any lawfully approved confessor
whom they prefer, even though he belongs to
another rite.
It has always been the practice of the Church
to allow the greatest possible liberty in the deli-
cate matter of going to confession. The choice
of a confessor is perfectly free; and neither the
higher nor the lower clergy are empowered to
forbid their subjects to go to another approved
confessor. To show the mind of the Church in
this matter, we may add that the practice of
obliging parishioners to make their paschal con-
fession to their pastor or his substitute has been
officially declared intolerable.
In making a general confession of the
sins of one's whole life, must one mention
all the grievous sins of that life, as nearly
as he can, or need he mention only those
he chooses to mention?
Here we must first define and then distinguish.
What is a general confession? A general con-
fession, broadly speaking, is the repetition of
the sins of one's whole past life or of any part
thereof. Such a repetition may be necessary,
unnecessary, useful, or harmful. It is necessary
whenever a person knowingly made a bad con-
fession and has not yet straightened matters out.
Such a one must repeat all the mortal sins com-
mitted since his last good confession. A general
confession is unnecessary in all other cases. It
is useful at certain times and at certain periods
of life. It is harmful for those who are inclined
to be scrupulous and overanxious. Such should
never repeat their confessions once they have
i3i QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
been told that all is in order. Absolute obedience
is their only safety.
Now, to answer your question with the utmost
possible brevity, we distinguish: If it is a neces-
sary general confession, all the mortal sins back
to the last good confessions must be told as nearly
as possible. If it is an unnecessary general con-
fession, i. e., one made out of devotion, to begin
a new life, etc., then you need tell only those sins
which you wish to tell. Nor need you give the
number even.
And here is the reason for this difference. In
a necessary general confession, according to the
above explanation, none of the sins committed
since the last good confession have been forgiven.
Hence the number and changing circumstances
must be mentioned. In the unnecessary general
confession all the sins repeated have already been
forgiven; you are merely telling them in order
to have them forgiven over again; for God can
forgive over and over again just as you or I.
Hence you need mention only those you wish to
mention.
If one were to commit a mortal sin,
make an act of imperfect contrition, with
the intention of confessing on the follow-
ing day, and then die before he had con-
fessed, would he be saved?
Imperfect contrition, the catechism tells us,
is that by which we hate what offends God,
because by it we lose heaven and deserve hell;
or because sin is so hateful in itself. Imperfect
contrition is sufficient for a good confession;
but it does not obtain the forgiveness of sins
outside of the Sacrament of Penance. The
answer to your question, accordingly, is, "No;
he would not be saved — not because of his im-
perfect contrition."
Is, then, imperfect contrition of no use what-
CONFESSION 133
soever in a case like the above? We do not say
that. Nothing prevents us from arriving at a
perfect contrition by an imperfect one. Let us
suppose that a sinner begins by detesting his
mortal sins, because by them he lost heaven;
this contrition is imperfect, but it is sufficient
for the remission of sins in the Sacrament of
Penance. But before he can go to confession he
thinks about what heaven is, about God, the
angels, the saints, eternal bliss. How beautiful
that God must be, he thinks. How amiable and
lovable! The best of Fathers, Whose child I am!
And I turned against this good, loving Father,
ungratefully! Never again! Good Father, for-
give me! And before he goes to confession that
sinner perhaps has perfect contrition, which we
should endeavor to have even for confession.
And perfect contrition is that which fills us with
sorrow and hatred for sin, because it offends
God Who is infinitely good in Himself and worthy
of all our love.
If the person in your question were thus to
arrive at perfect contrition and then die before
confession, he would be saved
Some time ago I made a difficult con-
fession. Afterwards I remembered that
I had forgotten to mention a grievous
sin. What was I to do?
All mortal sins committed after Baptism must
be submitted to the power of the keys, as the
theological expression reads, that is to say, they
must be told in confession. Even when forgiven
because of an act of perfect contrition, they are
forgiven only because in such an act of sorrow
there is always an implied or expressed intention
to tell them in confession. But if a mortal sin
is not confessed because of inculpable forgetful-
ness, it is forgiven together with the other sins.
However, the obligation to tell it in confession
i34 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
remains. Such a forgotten sin need not neces-
sarily be confessed at once, nor even as soon as
possible, but it must certainly be told in the
next confession. Should it come to your mind
after confession and before Communion, you may
communicate, nor is an act of contrition neces-
sary: the sin is forgiven. The obligation is to
mention it in the next confession as forgotten.
If when going to confession you intend
and wish to confess all your sins but after
confession there are some mortal sins you
cannot remember whether or not you
mentioned, what should you do?
As the question stands, you either confessed
those mortal sins or you did not. If you did they
are forgiven; and if you did not, they are like-
wise forgiven, because they were forgotten; and
mortal sins forgotten are all indirectly remitted
by sacramental absolution. Such is the teaching
of the Church. St. Alphonsus di Liguori says:
"He who, after confession, remembers some sin
omitted through forgetfulness, is not bound to
confess before communicating. It suffices for
him to declare it in his next confession."
But if you do not know whether you confessed
them or not — what then? You are not obliged to
confess them; but it might be well to repeat
your confession for the sake of peace of mind,
unless you are scrupulous and would thereby
add anxiety to anxiety, in which case you should
forget all about the matter and rest assured that
all is well.
Must the sins of your past life be con-
fessed if you cannot remember whether
or not they have been confessed?
You have no certitude in this matter; you
cannot swear to it that your sins have not been
confessed; therefore you must hold that all
your confessions were well made. Be at peace;
CONFESSION 135
remain tranquil; put away all thoughts of a
general confession on this account.
We here copy a paragraph from Vain Fears.
It explains once for all what perhaps all our
readers have already wondered about:
" 'But,' you insist, 'supposing a case in which,
without having certainty, I have, nevertheless,
made my confession badly, either from want of
contrition, or from not having accused myself of
all my mortal sins, or from not having sufficiently
explained them, what ought I to do?5 According
to the teaching of all theologians, this is the way
it would stand with you: The last absolution re-
ceived would remit not only the mortal sins com-
mitted since your last confession, but still more,
it would remit indirectly those of your whole life
without your having to renew the accusation.
Thus with regard to that sin, you would leave the
confessional as pure as the newly baptized. O
my Jesus, how good Thou art! How great are
Thy mercies!"
(1) If, in examining his conscience be-
fore confession, a person thinks of a
mortal sin of his past life, of which he is
not sure that he confessed it, is he obliged
then to confess it? (2) If he confessed
the sin itself but forgot to confess a
circumstance of importance, is he obliged
to repeat the sin and the forgotten cir-
cumstances ?
That confession be entire it is necessary that
all mortal sins committed after baptism and not
yet directly remitted be told, in kind and in
number; it is also necessary that the circum-
stances changing the kind of sin be told, as well
as the outward acts.
Having premised this statement we say in
answer to the first part of the question that the
mortal sin mentioned as probably already con-
136 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
fessed need not necessarily be told in a future con-
fession. It need not be, but it may be declared;
for there is nothing to prevent its being told as
doubtfully accused in a former confession. But
we would forbid it to persons who are anxious
and inclined to worry; for there is no obligation,
and it would only lead them on to greater
scrupulosity. In a case of this kind the pre-
sumption is all in favor of the one who doubts.
In the second part of this question it is clear
that the circumstance was forgotten; there is no
doubt about it. This circumstance must be told
if it was grievous and of a kind that changed
the nature of the sin. For example, a murder
committed in a church ; here we have the circum-
stance of place making of this murder also a
sacrilege : a sin against the first as well as against
the fifth commandment. But if the circumstance
was of a kind that merely aggravated, increased,
the sin, even greatly, it need not be told. Ag-
gravating circumstances need not be mentioned
unless the confessor should ask about these cir-
cumstances, in which case the penitent is obliged
to answer. The sin mentioned in this second
part of the question was already confessed; so
it will only be told inasmuch as the circumstance
cannot be told without the sin.
Is it wrong to speak to others of what
the priest tells me in confession, or of
what I tell the priest, or to tell the penance
received ?
You are the penitent; and it is also for the
penitent's sake that the sacred seal of confession
must be kept inviolable. Of course, you may
tell your sins to the whole world if you want to,
but you certainly do not want to. You yourself
are not bound by the secrecy of the confessional
as regards your own sins. Nor are you thus
bound as regards what the confessor tells you.
CONFESSION 137
But you are obliged (often most strictly) to keep
as a natural secret:
(a) Whatever would unjustly injure the con-
fessor;
(b) Whatever you believe he would not want
you to make known;
(c) Whatever would render his ministry diffi-
cult or embarrassing;
(d) Whatever partakes of the nature of ridi-
cule or contempt of the Sacrament.
From this you see that you can speak about
your confession without sin — that sometimes,
however, it would be the sinful violation of a
natural secret, that always, unless your confessor
asks you to speak of something to somebody, it is
apt to be imprudent. We hope that many will
take this to heart and not go on giving them-
selves away.
Is it a sin not to follow the advice of
the priest in the confessional?
That depends upon the character of the advice
given. But we should not seek to draw the line
at sin in everything. Let us rather ask, "Is it a
virtue to follow the priest's advice?" It em-
phatically is. You go to confession to have your
sins forgiven and to amend your life. With
such a disposition you will be anxious to hear
from your confessor — called by the Fathers
Another Christ — and the physician of your soul
whatever may tend to your spiritual welfare and
save you from a relapse. The priest is your
friend and father. He can compassionate with
your misery, being himself subject to the same
trials and temptations. Hence, whatever advice
he gives comes from a friendly and fatherly
k heart.
Is one's confession good when the act of
contrition is not finished in the con-
fessional, if one has made an act of con-
i3 8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
trition during the preparation or after
leaving the confessional?
Sorrow for sin is so important that without it
God cannot forgive us. But by an act of con-
trition is not necessarily meant any set form
of words. As the catechism says, "Contrition, or
sorrow for sin, is a hatred of sin and a true grief
of the soul for having offended God, with a firm
purpose of sinning no more." Hence, we can
have sorrow without vocal prayer. However, it
is well, in addition to this interior sorrow, to
recite an act of contrition in some set form,
which we ought to know by heart.
It is recommended to make the act of contrition
before entering the confessional and again after
the priest has given you the penance and while
he is giving you absolution.
You certainly have the requisite sorrow if you
elicit an act of contrition at any time from the
beginning of your preparation up to the actual
absolution. But you have not the requisite
sorrow if you first make an act of contrition after
confession.
I went to Holy Communion without
saying all my penance; there were still
a few prayers left, I think. And then
again I think I did say them all once, but
I am not sure. I think it happened this
way: I said them once and did not say
them right. It is this way : I did say them
and I didn't say them. What can I do
when a thing like that comes to my mind ?
You are doing something which no one should
ever do, much less one who is over-anxious about
little things: you are repeating your prayers
because you do not think you said them well
enough. Involuntary distractions do not de-
prive prayer of its value and efficacy. What
should you do? Never repeat any prayers for
CONFESSION 139
that reason! As regards your penance say it
just once, no matter how distracted you may be;
say it in connection with your thanksgiving after
confession, if possible, and then forget all about it.
Even a little such repetition easily leads to
endless repetition and then to worry and scru-
pulosity and all that. It even weakens the mind.
Be sensible and practical. Our good God under-
stands. He knows of what clay we are made.
He does not expect the impossible.
Has a priest the right to refuse a girl
absolution because she goes out with a
divorced man or has him come to see her
about twice a week ? This girl knows that
she cannot marry him, as he was validly
married in the eyes of the Church. But he
understands and has never asked her to
leave her Church and marry him. He is
just a good friend that anyone would be
proud of.
We fail to see how a Catholic girl can thus be
proud of a divorced man whose lawful wife is
still living. But that is not the question.
A priest absolutely and always has not only the
right but also the sacred duty to refuse absolu-
tion to any penitent not having the requisite
dispositions for the worthy reception of this
Sacrament. The confessor is the judge, Christ's
visible representative. He must hear the case
as stated by the self-accused, inquire as to the
penitent's dispositions, and then pass sentence.
Bear in mind that his is the power to forgive sins
or to retain them. "Receive ye the Holy Ghost.
Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven
them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are
retained."
We cannot refrain from remarking here, in an
impersonal way, that there are only too many
Catholics who are inclined to those godless utter-
140 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
ances and deadliest of criticisms in which people
rashly indulge when they act as self-appointed
judges of sacred persons and things as though
they would improve upon the all-wise rulings
of God, upon the teachings of Christ, upon the
doctrines of Holy Church — even dragging the
sacred person of the priest in the dust!
To make a good confession is it neces-
sary to confess more than the sins one is
certain are mortal sins?
All mortal sins of which we are conscious, of
which we are certain that they are mortal sins,
must be confessed. This is of strictest obligation.
Such is the teaching of Holy Church.
There is no such strict obligation to confess
doubtful mortal sins and venial sins. However,
unless a person is overanxious or scrupulous, it
would be well to mention doubtful mortal sins as
doubtful. If it is a doubtful mortal sin it is
probably a certain venial sin, and we are advised
to confess venial sins, at least the more de-
liberate ones; for it makes us more careful to
shun them, helps us to avoid mortal sin, and
opens the way to more abundant sacramental
grace.
When we say that doubtful mortal sins should
be confessed, we mean that this practice should
generally be followed; but people that have not
confessed a doubtful mortal sin should not think
they have made a bad confession on that account,
if in their conscience they thought there was no
obligation to confess the doubtful mortal sin.
"No one," declares the Council of Trent, "if
he is conscious of mortal sin, ought to approach
the Eucharist." Therefore, the confession com-
manded binds only those who are conscious, that
is to say, certain of a mortal sin committed and
not yet confessed. ,
For the assurance of the overanxious we give
CONFESSION 141
the following from St. Alphonsus, "If a person
is in doubt as to having sinned mortally or not
he may lawfully approach the Holy Table with-
out confessing, let the doubt be negative or
positive, that is, whether there is or is not a
serious reason for the doubt." The more surely
to receive the fruit of the Sacrament it suffices to
make an act of contrition.
May a priest hear the confessions of
his relatives within the third degree of
blood relationship?
We make it a point to answer questions in this
book of information in all seriousness, carefully
abstaining from all sarcasm. Were it not for
this principle of ours we would be tempted to
smile a little here. This is not a question of blood
relationship nor of licitness. There is no ecclesi-
astical law or ruling which forbids a priest to
hear the confessions of his relatives. But it
is customary for priests not to do so, excepting
under unusual circumstances. This is due to a
certain natural delicacy. Why do people prefer
to go to confession to a stranger and why is
there less danger of making a bad confession
when going to such a confessor? For very much
the same reason a priest prefers not to hear the
confessions of relatives and intimate friends and
of those with whom he comes into daily familiar
contact.
Why must one avoid a wilful near
occasion of sin?
Just as the resolve to put your hand into the
fire is proof positive that you are willing to burn
it, so the fact that you refuse to avoid a wilful
near occasion of sin (that which always or usually
causes you to fall into sin) is proof positive that
you are willing to offend God. And sin is in
the will. Therefore, wilfully to place yourself
in a proximate occasion of mortal sin is itself a
1 4i QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
mortal sin. This question reminds us of the
little girl who was anxious enough to go to
heaven, "but could she have a little devil to play
with" when she got there?
Is it necessary to correct anything said
thoughtlessly or jokingly about others,
unless you are certain that it has injured
anyone quite seriously? How can one
know if one has thus injured another
seriously ?
Those who have maliciously and seriously
injured their neighbor by slander or detraction
must repair the injury they have done as far
as they are able, or must at least promise to
repair it, otherwise they will not be forgiven.
If, however, you are not certain that you have
injured anyone's character seriously, you have
no serious obligation to make restitution of good
name. If you do not know how to make restitu-
tion, ask your confessor. In this difficult matter
each case must be considered in all its individual
bearings.
But how can one know if one has injured
another seriously. It is sufficient to mention
that malicious detraction and calumny, in matters
of great importance, are, by their very nature,
mortal sins; for both are sins against charity
and justice. Detraction, or backbiting, in its
strictest sense, is distinguished from calumny,
or slander, by this, that a detractor tells the truth,
and that a calumniator wilfully lies about his
fellow man. Both aim to injure the good name
of the neighbor, but calumny, or slander, is the
more grievous sin.
Space forbids us to enlarge upon this subject
here. The difficulty of making due restitution
for blasted and broken names and fames should
make us resolve anew each morning to keep these
CONFESSION 143
three golden, peace-bringing rules for the govern-
ment of the tongue:
1. "If you cannot speak well of your neighbor,
do not speak of him at all."
2. "Do not say in the absence of your neighbor
what you would not say in his presence."
3. "Say not of another what you would not
have another say of you."
What is the meaning of restitution, and
how far is it obligatory?
By restitution is meant the restoring to the
true owner of the goods that belong to him,
either in kind or value, and the making up of
the unjust loss he has sustained, whether in his
person, in his goods, or in his reputation.
Restitution is a duty of strict obligation.
Therefore, whosoever has taken away anything
from another unjustly, whether by force or fraud,
or has been the guilty cause of its being so taken
away by others, or has in his possession, against
the owner's will or knowledge, the goods which
he knows belong to him, is bound by the strictest
laws of justice to restore the said goods to the
true owner, either in kind or in value; as also
to make up the loss the owner has sustained for
want of them, through his fault, if he be able;
otherwise he is incapable of receiving pardon for
his own sins. Likewise, whosoever has injured
his neighbor or unjustly occasioned any loss to
him, whether in his person, goods, or reputation,
is bound by the same laws of justice to make
compensation for the said loss, otherwise his sin
will never be forgiven him. The law of restitution
includes also the obligation of paying one's debts.
If you do not know how to make restitution,
consult your confessor and so avoid endless
troubles of conscience.
When going to confession I always feel
very nervous and forget most of the things
i44 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
I wish to say. Others seem to go with
ease, but I become so nervous otherwise,
too. Do you think this is the cause? Can
you give me some information?
The inordinate excitement you experience when
going to confession is evidently due to your
nervosity. There is naturally some uneasiness
or agitation of mind in all sincere penitents who
approach the tribunal of penance; but it is
very moderate in ordinary confessions and should
not be so extreme as your case suggests. We
here give some general directions which may
help you very much.
1. Be calm and quiet and go about your pre-
paration in a sensible, childlike way. Re-
member that you are merely going to tell God,
through His representative, what He already
knows.
2. Do not spend too much time in examining
your conscience. If you go to confession every
week, give yourself just five minutes, at the
most, for the examination and then gently force
yourself to stop. Nor need you in this case use
a long table of questions. Just ask yourself:
"How did I sin in thought? In word? In deed?"
If you go once a month or so, never use more than
ten or fifteen minutes. If we are trying to lead
good lives, no long searching is necessary in order
to discover the grievous sins we may have com-
mitted. They are ever before us. They haunt
us, as it were.
3. Remember that mortal sins forgotten in
confession are indirectly forgiven by sacramental
absolution. There remains only the obligation
to mention them as forgotten in the next regular
confession. But we assume that the many things
you wish to say and then forget are not grievous
sins at all. So bear in mind that only mortal sins
of which you are certain that they are mortal sins
need be confessed. There is no obligation to
CONFESSION 145
confess venial sins, though it is well, as a rule, to
do so, at least the more deliberate ones. But they
are forgiven in other ways, too, especially in
Holy Communion.
4. The rule for those in your condition should
be to confess only what must necessarily be con-
fessed, i. e., mortal sins; and if there are none,
which is often the case, to pick out two or three
more deliberate venial sins or faults, to resolve
to better yourself in their regard, and to confess
them with sorrow. This means a short examina-
tion of conscience, a brief confession, and greater
progress in perfection. Do not try to find sins
where there are none.
We have purposely enlarged somewhat upon
this subject. For we are sure that many pious
souls give themselves headaches because they do
not observe the advice so often given them and
now briefly contracted in the above paragraphs.
Is it necessary in confession to tell the
time of your last Holy Communion, by
saying, for instance: "My last confession
was two weeks ago. I received absolution
and went to Holy Communion.'1
Abstracting from unusual circumstances, it is
quite unnecessary to use this formula. There are
still many different and some rather lengthy
formulas in use, which were taught people per-
haps years ago, when confessions were not nearly
so numerous as they are now since the re-intro-
duction of frequent Communion and the Com-
munion of little children. It is very advisable
to use a more abbreviated formula now. It is not
even necessary to say, "Bless me, Father,*' since
the priest blesses you as you enter the con-
fessional, before you can say a single word.
Hence, the following is a sufficiently thorough
and a pleasing way of making your confession,
though you are at liberty to follow any form to
146 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
which you are accustomed or which you may
find in any good prayerbook or in your catechism:
Enter the confessional. Kneel down. Make
the sign of the cross without saying the words.
Say "Father, my last confession was a week —
a month — etc. — ago. I have" . . . Here tell
your sins. You finish by saying: "I include
from my former life the sin of ''missing Mass —
impurity — ) which I confessed before. I am
sorry for all my sins." (Mention some deliberate
past sin already confessed and forgiven. Be
sorry for it once more.)
If you confess in this way you will hasten
slowly. And that is the golden mean in con-
fession. Some are slow, sluggish, and hesitant
about saying things in the confessional. Others
are wont to confess with too great haste and
precipitancy, so that one almost questions their
sincerity. Festina lentel make haste slowly.
Since we are speaking about this matter, a few
more hints about confession itself may be in
place. 1. Do not speak too softly and do not
speak too loud. Follow the golden mean: a
distinct and audible whisper. 2. Do not hesitate
to ask questions and do so immediately after
your confession proper, before receiving absolu-
tion, by saying, for instance, "Please, Father,
is it wrong," etc. 3. If the confessor finds it
necessary to ask you questions, answer in a
reverent, humble, brief, and candid manner.
4. If the priest gives you advice, pay attention
to his words and treasure every one of them.
Do not keep thinking of your confession.
5. When the priest gives you a penance say,
"Thank you, Father." You thus also show that
you have understood it. If you have not under-
stood it, humbly ask the priest to repeat it, saying:
"Please, Father, what is my penance?" If you
fear you cannot perform the penance given,
mention it respectfully to the priest, saying:
CONFESSION
i47
"Father, I fear I may not be able to say or do
this penance, because," etc. 6. While the priest
says the formula of absolution renew the act of
contrition and purpose of amendment with all
fervor and directness. 7. Do not arise to leave
the confessional until the confessor says "God
bless you" or gives some similar word or sign.
Then say again "Thank you, Father."
What a wondrous gift confession is! How
salutary its effects! By the few sacred words of
absolution all the confessed mortal sins, all the
forgotten mortal sins, all the doubtful mortal
sins, all the doubtful confessions and Com-
munions, and all the deprecated venial sins of
the penitent's entire past life are completely
forgiven once for all. "I absolve you from your
sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."
Is the amendment of our lives the surest
sign that our confessions were good?
This question, as we understand it, has refer-
ence to the contrition and firm purpose of amend-
ment necessary for a good confession. These
two qualities are so closely connected that one
cannot exist without the other. Contrition, we
might say, is the detestation of past sins, whereas
the firm purpose of amendment is the detestation
of future sins.
There is only one really evident and conclusive
sign that our contrition is good, namely, the
change of our conduct for the better after con-
fession. (Note well that we here have in mind
mortal sin.) Tears, of course, are good in their
way; so are sobs of grief over sin; a humble and
candid manner in the confessional also speaks
well in our behalf; but the only convincing
symtom of genuine contrition is if, according to
the Savior's recipe, it brings forth "fruit worthy
of penance"; if it improves our morals; makes
148 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
us careful to avoid the occasions of sin, to make
a better use of prayer and the Sacraments;
makes us satisfy for the injuries done and repair
the damages inflicted; if it intensifies our love
for God and the neighbor. Some change for the
better must take place in your conduct if your
contrition has been more than an idle fancy.
Indeed, it is quite clear that there is cause to
doubt about the genuineness of your contrition if,
soon after confession, you again commit the same
grievous sins you proposed to be sorry for; with
the same nonchalance and without a semblance of
resistance; with the same frequency and regularity;
without making any effort whatsoever to avoid the
occasions of sin or to use the means of grace,
prayer and the Sacraments; without making an
effort to repair the injury done by your sins and
to satisfy the demands of justice and charity.
Of course, as every confessor knows, even the
best and most sincere penitent may relapse into
mortal sin again after the best and most sincere
confession. But if he sins again, it will seldom
be very soon after confession; it will never be
without some initial resistance; and his falls will
gradually become less frequent and not so heavy
as they were before. St. Philip Neri, we are
told, had a penitent who confessed the solitary
sin. The saint helped him make an act of con-
trition, absolved him, and had him promise that
he would return to confession as soon as he
sinned again. For thirteen consecutive days he
had to come and ruefully admit that he had
fallen back into his fleshly weakness. Each time
St. Philip absolved him — and each confession
was good. After the thirteenth the young man
was strong and never fell back into his besetting
sin again. This example ought to encourage many
a poor and seemingly helpless sinner. Because
of many relapses, due in most cases to weakness
of the flesh, he has lost all reliance on his acts of
CONFESSION 149
contrition and purpose of amendment; and yet,
in the light of the aforesaid incident, he has
reasons to assume that, weak as he may be in
the time of temptation, he may still be sincerely
and resolutely set against sin when the tempta-
tion is remote. Consequently, his contrition and
purpose of amendment preparatory to confession
and in the confessional may be genuine and even
perfect. But if so they will exert their strength
unto victory over whatsoever grievous sin sooner
or later.
Now a word about those who confess only
venial sins. If since your last confession you
have been guilty only of venial sins, then include
a grievous sin of your former life in your act of
contrition and confess the same again in a general
manner. Choose such sins as you have really
committed and for which you are truly sorry,
otherwise the including of the same in your con-
trition and confession would be of little use. At
the end of your confession say: "I also include
all the sins of my past life, especially such or
such a sin (mention the sin), and again am sorry
for them with all my heart.*'
In this way you will always make a good con-
fession, even if your sorrow concerning the faults
committed since your last confession should be
somewhat wanting; and you need not then be
disquieted about your confessions if, later on,
doubts should arise whether you had sufficient
sorrow for them. Still, it is best always to excite
oneself to a sincere sorrow even for venial sins
and to form the resolution of never offending God
willingly.
A priest, in confession, advised me to
avoid a certain thing that is not a sin. I
find it extremely difficult to do so. Would
it be a sin to disregard the wishes of the
priest in this matter?
i5o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Assuming that what you are asked to avoid is
neither a sin nor a proximate occasion of sin for
you, we answer your question with a simple,
"No." It no doubt frequently happens that a
confessor advises penitents, for their greater
spiritual progress or for the more certain preser-
vation of grace, to avoid certain things that are
not in themselves sinful. So, for instance, he
might advise one to remain away from the movies,
not to frequent dances, to stay at home more,
etc., etc. Again penitents are repeatedly asked
to avoid neglecting the frequent reception of the
Sacraments, sermons and instructions in Christian
Doctrine, the reading of Catholic books, daily
prayers. These are exhortations to greater
spiritual perfection and do not of themselves
bind under pain of sin. As long as we do that
which is good we are not bound to do what is
better. But ah! what wisdom in the Holy Ghost,
were we ever to strive for the better things! One
way of remaining in the grace of God is to strive
continually to grow in His grace.
I can speak well, but I am deaf. I am
afraid to speak in the confessional be-
cause, not being able to hear myself, I
fear to speak too loud and so be under-
stood by those outside the confessional.
Is it all right to write out my sins and hand
the paper to the priest in the confessional
without saying anything and then get the
paper back and receive absolution?
The telling of one's sins belongs to the Sacra-
ment of Penance, which is the forum of conscience,
and hence the penitent accuses himself, submits
to the judgment of the confessor, and is heard
in secret. Public confession is, therefore, valid
but not obligatory in any case. Likewise, one
who does not speak the language of the con-
fessor is not bound to use an interpreter.
CONFESSION 151
Regularly, confession should be vocal, i. e.,
sins should be made manifest by spoken words.
This, indeed, does not belong to the essence of
confession, since any sign by which sins are
sufficiently made manifest would suffice, and
there is no divine precept to confess orally;
but from the custom of the Church, which has
obtained the force of law, confession must sub
gravi be made orally by those who can speak,
unless a serious reason excuses from this obliga-
tion, though in certain cases not all the sins
need be told vocally; for instance, if they are
already known to the confessor the words, "I
accuse myself of the sins already known to you,"
would suffice.
Hence, though one is in no case bound to confess
by writing, confession may be made by signs or
in writing for grave reasons, e. g., if the penitent
is dumb, or the confessor is deaf; or if there is
danger of being heard by those nearby; or if one
sick with throat trouble finds it very hard to
speak; or if one, out of excessive shame, cannot
explain his sins; or if one fears that because of
scruples or temptations to conceal sins he cannot
make a complete confession ; or if there are similar
grave reasons. But in these instances it is ad-
visable, if possible, that before absolution the
penitent say these or similar words: "I accuse
myself of the sins which I have written down and
am sorry for them." But this is not strictly
necessary since, in circumstances like those
mentioned above, he is simply excused from oral
confession.
From the above you can gather how to make
your confession in writing. But since you can
speak well, it is highly to be recommended that
you let the confessor know you are deaf and have
him hear your confession in the sacristy or some
other place appointed for the deaf, where there
i5x QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
is no danger of being overheard. There you can
confess in the ordinary way.
We spoke above about the dumb. They may
and must, of course, go to confession; that
precept binds all who can in any way manifest
their sins; and by signs the dumb can in some
way manifest their sins or at least that they are
sinners. They are not obliged to use the extra-
ordinary means of writing, even if they can,
though they should gently be urged to do so.
Yes; those who are dumb or who cannot speak
the language of the confessor may be absolved
by the priest, but only three or four times a year,
if they make at least a general accusation and ask
for absolution, because moral necessity excuses
that often from integrity. Because of that one
ignorant of the language of the confessor may
confess by signs as best he can, as the dumb do,
provided that he simply cannot find a confessor
who speaks his language. This, by the way, is
of rare occurrence, though there may easily
enough be death-bed cases of this nature. In
such cases the priest may validly absolve even if
he does not understand the penitent's language.
Why do confessors sometimes ask if
one is married, or has a boy or girl friend,
or works, etc. ? Do they realize that some-
times they ask such questions of boys and
girls thirteen or fourteen years of age?
Yes; the confessor realizes that and often
hesitates before asking. But he usually cannot
see the penitent and cannot always tell by the
voice, whereas the nature of the sins confessed
seems to demand an inquiry. The priest never
asks questions through curiosity, but from a
sense of duty. He feels that he ought to have
additional information regarding your state or
manner of life, especially your disposition of soul
with reference to the reception of the Sacrament.
CONFESSION 153
Then, too, he may be convinced, or have good
reason to suspect, that you have omitted some
essential point in your confession, which it is
his obligation to assist you in supplying. Hence
his questions. His one aim in making inquiries
is your spiritual cure and advancement. Do not
take them amiss or grow nervous or upset, let
alone hurt or insulted, because you are questioned.
Answer in a reverent, humble, calm, easy, and
brief manner.
It would really be a great relief for the con-
fessor and greatly expedite matters if those who
are about to confess mortal sins would mention
their age and state of life, e. g., "Father, I am a
young man twenty years old and single. My last
confession was . . ."
When a woman or young lady wants to
go to confession to a certain pastor he
sometimes says, "Men only, please !"
Has he a right to say this?
He certainly has a perfect right to make certain
disciplinary regulations in his parish, as long as
he gives his parishioners an opportunity to go to
confession to some priest in the church, which as
a matter of fact is always provided for. Various
circumstances or certain local customs may call
for this "Men only" arrangement. We recall a
case where all the confessionals were occupied
by visiting priests and the pastor was hearing in
a temporary confessional in the front aisle of the
church. He announced "Men only!" The reason
was very simple. He had just a kneeling-bench
for the penitents — no screen, no grate. And
Canon Law '(Cartons 909 and 910) says that the
confessional for hearing women s confessions must
always be placed in an open and visible place,
and it must have an immovable grate with small
holes. This grate is not necessary for hearing
men's confessions, and men's confessions may be
i54 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
heard also in private homes. Women's con-
fessions should not be heard outside the con-
fessional, which must be furnished with a grate,
as mentioned above, except in case of sickness
or for other reasons of necessity. The term sick-
ness includes old age, decreptitude and deafness,
A person goes to confession and, with-
out any fault on his part, forgets to con-
fess a mortal sin. But he thinks of it when
the priest is giving absolution. What
should one do in such a case, tell the sin at
once, or tell it after absolution, or let it go
and mention it as forgotten, in the next
confession? There was no intention to
conceal the sin.
This is a practical question. Such forgetfulness
happens often enough. The confessor will no
doubt appreciate it if you respectfully interrupt
him by saying, for instance, "Please, Father, I
forgot a sin."" Then tell him the sin. But if
he has already given you absolution, tell him the
sin then in the same simple and respectful way;
and do not leave the confessional before you
have done so. He can then give you absolution
once more, thus directly including this sin. You
should not let the matter go until your next con-
fession, since you can so easily settle it then and
there and get it off your mind.
Should the forgotten mortal sin come to your
mind after you have left the confessional, it
might be well to go back again if it can be con-
veniently done. But you have no obligation to
do so or to confess it before you receive Holy
Communion. Forgotten mortal sins are indirectly
remitted by the words of absolution and your
only obligation — a grave obligation — is to tell
them as forgotten in your next regular confession.
What is the good of going to confession
every two weeks or so if one has no mortal
CONFESSION
i55
sins to confess? Was not confession insti-
tuted principally for the forgiveness of
mortal sin?
Yes; the Sacrament of Penance was instituted
principally for the forgiveness of mortal sin ; and
every mortal sin committed after Baptism must
be submitted to the power of the keys, must be
told with sorrow in the confessional for purposes
of forgiveness. This is so true that there is no
law in the Church which commands the con-
fession of venial sin, even though it is praise-
worthy and, of course, permissible to confess
venial sins that they may thus be more directly
remitted; it is so true that the precept of the
Church requiring the faithful to confess at least
once a year would not apply to one who has com-
mitted no mortal sin. But this is merely theo-
retical; for one who, through his own fault,
is so careless in the use of the means of grace as
to go to confession but once a year can hardly
expect to keep his soul from mortal sin, as ex-
perience amply demonstrates.
But what we may call devotional confession,
that is to say, confession made by one in the
state of grace, confession of venial sins, faults,
and imperfections, is highly recommended by the
Church and is a great means of Christian per-
fection. We see the mind of the Church in this
matter in Canon 931, for instance, wherein we
read: "The faithful who are in the habit to con-
fess at least twice a month unless legitimately
impeded . . . can gain all indulgences without
actual confession, for which otherwise confession
would be a necessary condition. The indulgences
of an ordinary or extraordinary jubilee, and those
granted in the form of a jubilee, are excepted
from this concession."
The assertion that devotional confession is a
great means of Christian perfection is supported
by the following considerations: 1. For one not
156 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
in mortal sin the Sacrament of Penance gives
"second sanctifying grace,* ' that is, an increase
of sanctifying grace; and sanctifying grace is
that supernatural gift of God, bestowed on us
through the merits of Jesus Christ, which makes
the soul holy and pleasing to God. So here we
have greater holiness at once. 2. The venial
sins contritely confessed are forgiven; for, as
everybody knows, venial sins can be remitted in
confession, since Christ did not make any dis-
tinction when He said: "Whose sins you shall
forgive, they are forgiven." 3. Sacramental
grace is received, which is that special help which
God gives to attain the end for which He insti-
tuted each sacrament; for instance, Penance
gives grace to detest past sins, to satisfy for them,
and to avoid their proximate occasions. 4. In
each devotional confession, also, there must be
sorrow for sin, and if no sins at all are confessed
as having been committed since the last confes-
sion, one or more sins of the past life, real, de-
liberate sins even if only venial, should be specifi-
cally mentioned and an act of sorrow made for
the same. For sorrow is an integral part of con-
fession and not even God can forgive sins without
sorrow. So that unless something either already
confessed or not yet confessed be told, and unless
there be real sorrow for it, the Sacrament cannot
be fruitfully received. Hence, we repeat, it is a
simple case of telling some real sin, even though
already confessed, and of being sorry for that sin.
And, since sorrow is so utterly important, it js
well to recall that contrition or sorrow for sin is
a hatred of sin and a true grief of the soul for
having offended God, with a firm purpose of
sinning no more. Or, as the Council of Trent
says (and this applies to contrition in general,
whether perfect or imperfect): "Contrition is a
grief of the soul and a detestation of the sin
committed, with the purpose of sinning no more."
CONFESSION 157
And this brings us to a very easily understood
explanation of how devotional confession is a
great means of spiritual progress. Take that
purpose of amendment. Suppose that in your
accusation you say that you have several times
been impatient and unkind towards others, and
that you have been guilty of slight detraction.
Already in your preparation you picked out just
those two kinds of venial sins and made an act
of sorrow for them and resolved that you would
watch over yourself and simply avoid them in
future. You keep your resolution in mind after
your confession; you actually do better yourself
in these two points; and you make just that
much progress in virtue. Due to this watchful-
ness, you are actually striving after perfection
day by day, until your next confession, and you
actually grow in holiness, even though you may
not realize it. Thus, every week or every two
weeks you approach the Sacrament of Penance,
get the graces and helps mentioned above, purify
yourself anew in Christ's precious Blood, and
fix upon one or the other sin or imperfection that
you seek to eradicate. Thus your whole life will
be a constant striving after greater perfection;
and, if it has no greater effect, it will keep you
at least as near and dear to God as you are now.
It will keep you in His grace. But it will do more:
you will grow in His love and His grace. You
will be going forward on the path of holiness.
He that does not go forward in perfection,
spiritual writers tell us, will slip backward.
There is no such thing, we are assured, as a stand-
still in the service of God.
In conclusion, we wish to say that since sorrow
is so necessary for a fruitful reception of the
Sacrament of Penance, even in devotional con-
fession, and since it is not always so easy to be
sorrowful for the little sins and imperfections of
everyday life, which will be with us as long as
158 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
we live, it is highly advisable always to include
in one's confession some real, deliberate, sin from
the past, to mention it by name, and to make
one's act of contrition center especially around
that also.
So here is a sort of a model of a devotional
confession: "Father, my last confession was a
week ago. Since then I have been slightly angry
and have given expression to my feelings in un-
kind words. I have told three lies in unimportant
matters, just to elevate myself in the estimation
of others. And I wish to include in this confession
all the sins of my past life, especially the mortal
sins which I deliberately committed against the
sixth commandment. I am sorry for these sins
I have now mentioned and I propose to do better."
That is all you need to say, changing what is
to be changed. It is not necessary, nor even
advisable for the ordinary weekly confession, to
tell all your venial sins and imperfections. Pick
out one or two each time and make a firm purpose
of amendment as regards the same. Then let
that be your special work for the week to come.
Thus you will continually advance in goodness
before God and man.
Is it right for young people to go to con-
fession on Saturday night, then attend a
dance until two or three o'clock in the
morning, and then go to Holy Com-
munion? Would it not be better if they
would go to Communion less often and
then stay quietly at home the evening
before they do go?
Dancing all night is certainly no preparation
for Holy Communion; and the conduct of such
young people as you mention merits the severest
condemnation. We are inclined to think that
there are in reality few Catholics who evince such
a sad lack of faith and piety as is implied in
careless conduct of this nature.
CONFESSION 159
Though we are so much in favor of frequent
Communion, at least once a week, and though
it is true that one cannot receive Communion
unworthily if one is in the state of grace, we
nevertheless feel that the dispositions of such
Saturday night dancers are questionable. We
would not, however, say that they should go less
often to Communion; we maintain that they
should eliminate Saturday night dances absolutely
and for all time and go to Holy Communion
every Sunday after a quiet night at home, spent
in part at least in good reading, and after a de-
vout and recollected preparation in the morning.
To go less often to Communion because they
wish to go to the dance would certainly be play-
ing into the hands of the devil.
Confession Saturday afternoon or evening, a
quiet night at home, falling asleep with the
thought of the Guest Who is coming on the mor-
row, loving thought of and desire for the
Eucharistic Savior on awakening in the morning,
doing the early morning tasks in a spirit of
recollection and remote preparation, a wide-
awake attendance at Mass and a fervent im-
mediate preparation for the Bread of Life: that
is the beautiful, ideal, soul-satisfying, and sancti-
fying way of receiving Jesus. Such souls taste
and see how sweet is the Lord; and the deep
spiritual peace and joy that is theirs is more
precious than all the amusements in the world.
I wonder whether I have true sorrow
when I go to confession. Can you give
me some principles in this matter?
We can. Here you have a dozen of them.
1. The state of the soul is measured not by feel-
ings, but by the attitude of the mind and will.
If the will is calmly determined to do the right
thing, whatever it may be, it is not only in a
good state but in the best possible state. 2. Re-
i6o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
ligion essentially consists in an attitude of the
mind and will, and not in feelings, which are ac-
cidental and secondary. 3. "You may be as dry
as bone, and you may feel as wicked as Old
Nick himself; but as long as you stick to what
you know to be the right thing, your soul is as
safe as a house." 4. Sorrow for sin is a spiritual
attitude (regret) of the mind and will, based upon
the realization that by certain acts I have offended
God and deserved punishment. 5. This attitude
once formed is something that abides in the soul.
6. Therefore, one who is in ordinary good dis-
position before confession, need not be in the
least degree anxious during confession itself.
7. The very fact of a man's sincerely preparing
for confession and then going into the confessional
is proof of his sorrow. 8. To repeat, the mere
fact of seriously coming to confession after a
reasonable amount of preparation is proof posi-
tive that the necessary contrition is there, though,
of course, one may make his sorrow as explicit
as possible at the moment of confession.
9. Scrupulous people who think their confessions
are bad for want of sorrow are ignorant of the
fact that contrition is simply an attitude of the
mind and will, and not a feeling at all. 10. The
purpose of amendment is sorrow reaching out
into the future. A man must remember that
every effort after moral improvement is a virtue,
that the very essence of the Christian life con-
sists, not precisely in what we achieve, but in
trying to achieve it. 11. A man must be able
to say, no matter how sure he may be that he
will fall again, "I will at least throw my good
will into it, and try again, no matter whether I
succeed or not" — he must at least form an earnest
purpose of trying. 12. It is this earnest purpose
to do what one can, and not the actual success
in carrying it out afterwards, which constitutes
the purpose of amendment.
CONFESSION 161
I do not think I ever felt sorry enough
for my sins to make an act of perfect con-
trition. And yet they say it is not difficult
to make one. Please make that clear to
me. My contrition seems always im-
perfect.
You seem to have an incorrect idea of the dif-
ference between perfect and imperfect contrition.
You apparently think that perfect contrition
means an intense and emotional contrition and
that imperfect contrition means a state of wanting
in intensity or emotion. This is not correct.
Perfect contrition is just as independent of feeling
as imperfect contrition is. The real difference lies
in the motive that gives rise to that act. If you
are sorry for your sins only because they involve
the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, this is
imperfect contrition, no matter how intense and
emotional it may be. If you are sorry for sin
because it is an offense against the good God and
contrary to His will, this is perfect contrition, no
matter how devoid of emotion it may be. Both
motives can, of course, exist together in the mind;
and the presence of the lower motive does not
spoil the higher one, so long as the higher one is
really there. The meaning of an act of perfect
contrition is really very simple. The following
ordinary formula, whenever it is said, and seri-
ously meant, is an act of perfect contrition:
"O my God, I am heartily sorry for my sins
because Thou are infinitely good and sin is dis-
pleasing to Thee."
If one has forgotten what the priest has
given him for penance, would it be all
right to say the penance that is usually
given him ?
If you forget what penance was imposed upon
you in the confessional and you think the con-
fessor still remembers it, you are obliged to go
i6i QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
back and ask him, if it can be conveniently done,
since the performing of the penance is still morally
possible. If this cannot be done, you are not in
any case obliged to repeat the confession in order
to get another penance. The obligation of the
penance then ceases, because its performance be-
comes morally impossible. Its non-performance
does not make the confession invalid.
You cannot impose a sacramental penance
upon yourself, nor may you change it even for
something greater or better. But you may add
some penance of your own to it. If you forget
your penance and cannot go back, as mentioned
above, you may say the penance that is usually
given you for such sins. This has a peculiar
advantage, inasmuch as if a penitent forgets the
penance and then out of devotion by chance
says the prayers or performs the good work
enjoined by the priest the obligation is satisfied,
since the only intention of performing the penance
required is that which the penitent has when
accepting the penance.
Going to confession every two weeks
seems to become a routine. It seems use-
less to go when one has not committed
any mortal sin. How can one overcome
this feeling and have more satisfaction in
going to confession?
Consider what frequent confession really means
for you and you will always find deep spiritual
satisfaction and consolation in going. Every time
you receive absolution you get sanctifying grace.
If you were in mortal sin you are cleansed from it
and restored to God's friendship. If you were
not in mortal sin, you gain an increase of sancti-
fying grace, become more a friend of God, and
have a right to a higher place in your heavenly
home. So even if you have no mortal sins, con-
fession always has a lasting and most precious
CONFESSION 163
effect. It gives you courage to continue your
good life and to live up to your duties. It keeps
you from committing sins and gives you actual
graces when the need comes. It is one of the
most powerful means for perseverance in good-
ness, for the attainment of Christian perfection.
A fault immediately repaired is not long an
obstacle to our spiritual progress; it hardly
leaves its trace upon the soul. Hence the wisdom
of going to confession even every week. The
Sacrament of Penance always purifies our souls
in the Blood of Jesus Christ, provided that we
be well disposed, that our confession be sincere,
and that our contrition be true and genuine.
It is not a question of mortal sin here, as you
say. Take then, deliberate venial faults. Make
a full avowal in confession of those most humili-
ating to you, as well as the causes that make you
fall into such sins. Make a firm resolution to
avoid those causes entirely. In this manner
each confession will be a step forward in the way
of perfection.
Or take sins of frailty, indeliberate venial sins,
which we cannot avoid altogether, though we
can gradually diminish their number. You may,
of course, mention all you can remember, though
ordinarily it is hardly advisable to do so, and
never necessary, but even if you do, stress some
particular fault. Say, for instance, "I have been
distracted or careless" during such or such a
spiritual exercise, because I did not recollect my-
self beginning it, because I did not at once repel
the first distractions, because of attachment to
study, to a friend, because of some petty griev-
ance, etc. A corresponding resolution will then
be taken. Then in your next confession render
an account of your efforts. Say, for instance,
"I had taken such a resolution, I kept it so many
days, or kept it only in this regard, but I failed
in this or that point."
164 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
It is evident that confession, practised in this
manner, will not be a matter of routine. It will,
on the contrary, be taking constant steps forward
in the spiritual life. The grace of absolution will
confirm the resolutions taken and will not only
increase sanctifying grace within us, but will
multiply our energies, causing us to avoid in the
future a certain number of venial faults and to
grow in virtue with a greater measure of success.
We may add that also in frequent confession
stress must be laid on contrition and a purpose
of amendment. Excite these dispositions by the
consideration of supernatural motives. Reflect
that every sin, no matter how trivial, is an offence
againstGod, an act of hurtful ingratitude towards
our most loving Father and Benefactor; that
venial sin cools the intimacy of the soul with
God, hampers its spiritual activity, weakens its
power for good, and, if deliberate, predisposes to
mortal sin. It is thus not difficult to conceive
sincere regret and desire to do better. Let the
good purpose take an actual, definite form.
In order to insure still further the presence of
contrition, it is a good practice to include one of
the more serious faults of the past for which we
are surely sorry, especially a fault that is of the
same species as the venial sin we deplore. Here
we must be on our guard against two defects:
routine and negligence. The first would make
this accusation a mere empty formula devoid of
any real sentiment of sorrow; the other would
render us unmindful of any actual regret for the
venial sins of which we have just accused our-
selves.
We repeat that the practice of confession in
the manner described, the advice of the con-
fessor, and, above all, the cleansing power of ab-
solution are effectual means of disentangling our-
selves from the meshes of sin and advancing in
virtue. (Cf. Tanquerey: The Spiritual Life.)
CONFESSION 165
How would you make a general con-
fession? I have some friends that haven't
been to confession and Communion for
about two years. Would it be all right for
them to make a general confession?
A general confession is the necessary or de-
votional repetition of the (mortal) sins of one's
whole past life, or of a certain period of one's
life. It is necessary when one is sure that one's
confession or confessions have been unworthy
and consequently invalid, in which case one
must cover again the entire period comprised
by those null confessions, telling all one's mortal
sins according to kind, number, and circum-
stances that involve additional mortal sins, to-
gether with the sacrileges of unworthy con-
fessions and Communions. If one is not sure,
but only in doubt, regarding the validity of one's
past confessions, one need not repeat them or
mention a word about them in one's next con-
fession, since they are included in one's ordinary
recital of sins. However, if one is not inclined to
scrupulosity, one may make a devotional, i. e.,
unnecessary, general confession. It is often
spiritually helpful.
What your friends need, and need badly, is
not a general confession, as we will suppose,
but a confession extending over the past two
years. This will not be as difficult as they may
imagine. With good will on their part, prayer,
the table of questions for the examination of
conscience as found in prayerbooks, sincere re-
pentance, and a desire of amendment, they can
happily come back to God. The confessor will
help them to supply anything that may still be
wanting. — Be an apostle and get them to go and
show themselves to the priest.
In conferring upon the Apostles and
their successors the power to forgive sins
166 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Christ said: "Whose sins you shall for-
give, they are forgiven them; and whose
sins you shall retain, they are retained.'"
What does this mean — to retain sins?
When does the priest do that?
The confessor forgives sins through sacra-
mental absolution, that act whereby in the name
of Jesus Christ, by pronouncing the proper form
of words, he remits the sins duly and with true
sorrow confessed by the penitent. He retains
sins when he refuses or defers sacramental abso-
lution. A confessor can and ought to refuse
absolution only when he arrives at the prudent
decision that it is not certain that the penitent
has the requisite dispositions. Sometimes, too,
he can for a good reason defer absolution for a
time, especially if the penitent agrees to this with
a view to preparing himself better.
Whose sins are to be retained? The Roman
Ritual, III, 1, 23, says: "Those are incapable of
absolution who give no sign of sorrow for their
sins, who refuse to lay aside some hatred or
enmity, to restore when they can someone else's
property, to avoid some proximate occasion of
sin, or who are unwilling to give up their sinful
lives and amend them; those again who have
given public scandal but refuse to make public
reparation and remove the scandal. Finally, a
confessor should refuse to absolve sins reserved
to a higher authority."
If a priest tells a person in the con-
fessional to go to confession once a month,
is that person obliged to do so?
If he imposes this salutary practice upon you as
your sacramental penance — and this is not of
frequent occurrence — you are, of course, strictly
obliged to perform your penance for the length
of time mentioned. Otherwise there is no obli-
gation arising from the fact itself that he tells
CONFESSION 167
you to go once a month. However, since the
priest, after hearing your confession, frequently
considers it necessary or advisable to give you
some good advice or an admonition, you will
listen to it with attention and accept it with
docility. As a matter of fact, all Catholics will
benefit immensely by monthly, and even more
frequent, confession; and many positively need
it in order to keep themselves in the grace of
God. Why not listen to the physician of your
soul when he tells you of a remedy that will in-
crease your spiritual well-being or preserve you
from spiritual death? If it were a case of a phy-
sician of the body and physical life, no one would
think of asking: "Am I obliged to do so?" All
would scrupulously obey the doctor's orders. No
one would dream of talking about obligations.
The object is to save one's life. Apply this to
the case under discussion.
PERTAINING TO COURTSHIP
Is it a sin to keep company with a man
without any intention to marriage?
We give a number of guiding principles, re-
peating one for the sake of emphasis:
1. Young people should not be in too great a
hurry to start regular company-keeping. Begun
too early and unduly protracted, courtship is
fraught with great dangers to the innocence and
virtue of the parties concerned and not seldom
ends in a non-marriage and consequent unhappi-
ness and hard feelings.
2. Without any intention of marriage regular
company-keeping is quite senseless, always out
of place, usually wrong, and often sinful.
3. But young people in their later teens need
not avoid all society and company of the oppo-
site sex. A wise and well supervised mingling
of the sexes in a social way is helpful to both —
decidedly and variously so. But it is one thing
for boys and girls to meet in wholesome and pru-
dently chaperoned frolic and pastime, and an-
other thing for a boy and a girl to yield, wit-
tingly or unwittingly, to a sexual attraction for
each other, and start an actual courtship, formally
or informally. Marriage is a full-grown man's
and woman's job; and courtship is a preliminary
to marriage and should be properly conducted
by those who are old enough and sensible enough
and virtuous enough to know what they are
doing and how to do it.
4. Hence we repeat that company-keeping, or
courtship, is permissible only when there is at
least a possibility and some prospect of a mar-
riage ensuing between the partners of the court-
ship. When marriage is out of question entirely,
company-keeping is an unjustifiable exposure of
168
COURTSHIP 169
oneself to moral dangers, and consequently repre-
hensible and forbidden in every instance. When
marriage is excluded it is not in keeping with the
standard of Christian virtue and decency for a
young man and a young lady "to go together"
merely for the sake of company in social diversion
and pleasure.
5. Once or again for a girl to be honorably
escorted to a party or a theatre by a young man
does not fall under the caption of company-keep-
ing, and is of itself not wrong. But even this
should not be of frequent occurrence with the
same person when there is no thought of marriage
between them. Near relatives who know that
they cannot or will never be married have no
privileges in this matter. Only too often, under
the cover of relationship, they are beguiled into
lewd and incestuous thoughts, desires, and
practices.
6. You may not keep company with a person
who is married to another or, what amounts to
the same thing, with a divorced person. This is
self-evident, but not always observed, to the
unspeakable ruination of many.
Is company-keeping wrong? If so, how
is it that so many Catholic boys and girls
indulge in this pastime?
What is company-keeping? It is association
between young men and young women who con-
template entering the state of Holy Matrimony
and who wish to learn each other's character
and to ascertain whether they will make
suitable partners for life. As such it is quite
lawful, of course; but even as such it should
not be protracted too long, because of the grave
dangers of sin that easily spring up in this familiar
association. Six months, or, at most, a year, is
considered a sufficiently long time.
But unnecessary company-keeping, that is, be-
x7o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
tween those who have not the intention of marry-
ing or who are too young to think of marriage,
is wrong. To repeat, company-keeping just for
the fun of it, for the pleasure that is in it, is sinful.
For, in view of the facts that human nature,
weakened by original sin, is exceedingly prone to
the sin of impurity, and that this proneness is
exceedingly strong in the years of youth when
the passions are developing, — we say that, in
view of these facts, unnecessary company-keep-
ing is a wilful near occasion of mortal sin.
We are well aware that many Catholic boys
and girls do indulge in this pastime, as you call
it. But because others wilfully get too near the
chained dog that is the devil is no reason why
you should do so.
This may seem severe; but it is not a fraction
as severe as Our Lord's doctrine about avoiding
the occasions of sin. He says, "And if thy eye
scandalize thee, pluck it out. It is better for
thee with one eye to enter the Kingdom of heaven,
than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of
fire, where their worm dieth not and the fire is
not extinguished. For every one shall be salted
with fire." (Mark 5:46-48.)
In other words, to apply this passage to the
matter under discussion, even if keeping away
from a certain person that is a proximate occa-
sion of mortal sin to you should be as hard and
painful as tearing out your eye would be, you
must make the sacrifice in order not to incur
the risk of being condemned to suffer the eternal
pains of hell.
How about kissing? Will you kindly
explain why it is so dangerous and all that ?
A woman has written this article on a subject
that is of interest to young men as well as to
young women, and it is so sensible, so clear, so
COURTSHIP
instructive, that it deserves to be widely circu-
lated :
I get a great many letters from young girls
who want to know what they shall do about the
kissing proposition. They say that it is prac-
tically a case of no kiss, no beau, for the young
men who take them about demand a good-night
kiss as pay for their courtesies, and if they refuse
it is, indeed, good-night, in the slang phrase, for
they never see these osculatory youths again.
Now the innate modesty and delicacy of those
girls revolt at yielding their lips to men to whom
they are not even engaged; to men who do not
even pretend to be in love with them. It violates
their sense of what is proper, but, at the same
time, they do not want to be regarded as prudes
or Puritans. Still less do they desire to be wall
flowers left out of all the fun and parties, and
numbered with those forlorn damsels who never
have any attention from men.
So the girl is torn between her instinctive
sense of what is right and her knowledge of ex-
pediency, and she wants to know what she shall
do and how she shall answer the eternal argument
of man when he is trying to persuade a woman
into doing the thing that he knows she should
not do. To kiss or not to kiss, that's the question
that troubles her.
There can be but one answer to give a girl to
this problem. It is no, no, no! A maiden's lips
should be kept inviolate, and the first man's kiss
that is pressed upon them should be the kiss of
love from the man she expects to marry. For
a girl to give her lips to every Tom, Dick and
Harry who takes her to a moving picture show
or escorts her home from a dance is something
unthinkable. It is as much of a desecration as
if she trailed a white rosebud through a sewer.
It is a pity that girls can never be made to
realize that the most alluring and attractive thing
1 72- QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
about them is the aura of innocence and un-
sophistication that surrounds them. It is the
whiteness, the untrodden snowness of their souls
that is their chief charm, and they never make
so fatal a mistake as when they throw this away.
If girls were only wise enough to realize how
fascinating aloofness is, and what an appeal
unsullied purity makes to the masculine imagina-
tion, they would keep every man at arm's length
at least until he had come out and popped the
question. They would not think for a minute
of putting up with cheap familiarities from men
that rob them of their freshness and make them
little shop-worn bits of humanity that have been
pawed over like the goods on a bargain table.
Girls should never forget that it is the shy and
shrinking violet that is man's favorite flower,
not the brazen sunflower.
My girl correspondent says that she does not
knowT how to answer a man when he begs her
to kiss him and tells her that there is no harm
in it, and that his arguments make her feel foolish
because she seems to be making a great ado over
a very little matter. There is one answer that
every girl can make to a man's request for a kiss.
She can ask him if he would like his sister to
kiss any man good-night who happened to call
on her. She can ask him what he would advise
his sister to do if his sister were in her place. And
she can ask him if he would like to think that the
girl that he is going to marry some day had kissed
a hundred men who were mere casual ac-
quaintances.
Such questions will make any decent man
writhe. A man will tell his own sister quickly
enough what he thinks on the subject, and his
own lips would grow cold and stiff on his sweet-
heart's if he remembered that her soft young
mouth had belonged to a long procession of men
before him.
COURTSHIP 173
Girls can never bear in mind too constantly
the fact that men never play fair with women,
and are never just or logical in judging them.
A man will spend hours, days and months per-
suading a girl to do something that is wrong, and
have a contempt for her ever afterwards for
yielding to him. He will argue down her every
instinct and scruple and principle against kissing
him, and the minute she does he will lose his
reverence for her as for something utterly fine
and delicate. It has been his hand that has
brushed the dew off the bud, but, none the less,
it is henceforth a shattered rose for him.
Girls should also bear in mind that a wedding
ring on the hand is worth a peck of them in the
dim distance, and that the girls who have the
most beaux generally get the fewest and the
poorest makeshifts of husbands. A girl observes
that those girls who are free and easy in their
manners, who exact no sort of respect from men
and permit them to indulge in familiarities and
take liberties with them, girls who drink and
smoke with men, and listen to and tell off-colored
stories, girls who are good sports, are what we
call popular, and are generally surrounded by
a horde of men. Especially while they are young
and good looking, and full of high spirits.
But what the girl does not notice is that this
type of young girl very seldom marries, and when
she does she almost invariably marries a crooked
stick who wasn't worth picking up. The fast
girl, the girl without modesty or delicate womanly
reserve, may be the kind of a girl that men like
to play with, but she isn't the sort of woman that
they want for a wife and for the mother of their
children.
That is why you are so often surprised at the
marriages that men make. Men whom you have
known of as gay rounders bob up with a wife
who is a Sunday school teacher. Men who have
i74 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
been noted as chorus girl chasers go to some
country village and marry girls who never saw
a brighter lamp than a kerosene lamp. They
don't want the lips on which a thousand kisses
have rained. They want the lips that have never
been kissed at all.
And don't be misled, girls, into making the
mistake of believing that because a man asks
you to kiss him it is any indication of his being
in love with you. A kiss is no guarantee of affec-
tion. Judas betrayed his Lord with a kiss, and
every black-hearted traitor of a man who ever
betrayed the faith of an innocent and trusting
young girl began his devil's work in the same
way with a kiss.
The primrose path that leads to perdition for
women is paved with the kisses of men. The
thing that no money could have hired them to
do, that no arguments could have persuaded them
to do, they have been kissed into doing. For it
is no flight of the poet's fancy when he speaks
about women being made drunk on kisses. It
is a literal fact, and that is why no girl is safe
who permits men to kiss her.
Can a girl be too strict as regards kisses,
caresses, and other familiarities with the
young man she is keeping company with?
Are long courtships forbidden?
First of all, here is a big, general rule for
company keeping. Such things as holding one
another's hands, sitting on one another's lap,
kissing, caressing, fondling, embracing, and other
familiarities, are very dangerous. Such actions
work slyly though directly on the nerves of the
body and render them morbidly sensitive; they
arouse emotions and passions that are anything
but proper, but waken and stimulate thoughts,
instincts, feelings, desires and, but too often, even
actions that are positively indecent. It is a clear
COURTSHIP 175
case of leading oneself into serious temptations,
which frequently end in a fall. That is why these
things are usually sinful, that is why there is no
truth in the assertion that: "There is no harm in
it." Now, that is the big, general rule.
That is why it is clear that no girl can be too
strict in these things. If a young man is dis-
satisfied with the maidenly modesty and prudence
of a good girl and insists upon tokens of affection
of the kind mentioned above and will break off
his friendship if he does not get them, then
simply let him go. The true Christian gentleman
will admire and love a g..i all the more for her
firm stand in matters of modesty. And such a
one will be an ideal husband. It is perfectly
right for you to be very strict. May God bless
such girls! They are truly wise.
However, we would make a little exception.
If a couple are engaged to be married,
some modest familiarities are allowed. For
them a gentle kiss is allowed as a little token
of special affection. Also the light embrace you
mention, sitting with arms lightly thrown round
each other's neck. But nothing more than things
like that, and with no intention of forbidden
pleasure and no consent should it arise.
Courtships that last for several years are to be
condemned as dangerous and improper. But also
here there are exceptions. It happens sometimes
that with the best will in the world a young man
cannot offer a real home to the girl he loves. And
it takes years before he is in a position to do so.
In such a case, if the young man is a practical
Catholic and if he makes no improper advances,
they may just wait, not seeing each other too
often in the meantime. Here each girl must
decide for herself, from the circumstances that
she alone knows best.
When a young man is keeping company
176 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
with a girl with the intention of marriage,
does he do wrong in kissing her? Is it a
mortal sin to kiss in a passionate way
when keeping company? When is a kiss
a sin and when is it not? Will you kindly
give your views, from all angles, on this
subject of kissing in company keeping?
When a person asks whether lovers are allowed
to kiss one another, that asking at least indicates
a certain delicacy of conscience. You seem to
want to do the right thing; and for this you are
to be commended. We will answer your question
briefly, yet clearly.
Lovers who are engaged to be married may
exchange respectable marks of affection and love,
in a moderate degree. A modest kiss is one such
mark of affection. But it must remain modest,
and must not become wilfully passionate and
sensual, and, hence, grievously sinful. It will
easily become thus sinful, if repeated often at
the same meeting. One friendly and pure good-
night kiss is not dangerous for engaged couples.
But it ought to be sufficient. The passionate
and lingering kiss, or the so-called soul kiss be-
tween lovers, is a mortal sin, because it offers
the occasion and inducement to grievous sensual
emotions and gratifications.
Relative to the question as to when kissing is
sinful and when it is not, it may in general be
said that whatever conduct exposes you or your
partner to the proximate danger of yielding to
impurity in thought, desire, feeling, or action, is a
mortal sin. And if you say that passionate kisses
do not involve this danger for you or your com-
panion you are grossly deceiving yourself. Such
an assertion makes one think of a dulled con-
science and a blinded soul.
Incipient or advanced lovers who are not yet
engaged to be married should not at all indulge
in kissing and similar demonstrations of intimate
COURTSHIP 177
and ardent love, since their relations are not close
enough to warrant it. If they embark at so early
a stage upon these amorous practices, there is
every danger that they will proceed from what
appears innocent and modest to what they know
is not, and the magnitude of the harm and
disaster that will ensue to both parties will prob-
ably outrun all their calculations.
We believe that the above treats of our subject
from all necessary angles and gives principles that
will enable you to act rightly in all circumstances
that may arise. We add, however, as a serious
warning, that, though there may be some who
have no evil thoughts or desires whatsoever in
kissing, and petting, they may be the occasion of
gross sins of immoral thoughts, desires, and emo-
tions to their partners. Remember this safe and
simple rule: "Never do anything, when the two
of you are alone, which you would be ashamed
to do in the presence of your parents; or which
you would be ashamed to reveal to your parents."
Is it a sin to give a boy friend a good-
night kiss after you have spent a pleasant
evening together?
That depends upon many things. If it is a
pure, modest, friendly, passing kiss and does
not give rise in either party to impure thoughts,
desires, or feelings that are consented to, it is
not a sin. But those who are not yet engaged
to be married should not indulge at all in kissing
or in similar demonstrations of intimate love.
Don't, don't! It is dangerous. Protect your-
self and the young man you love by refraining
from all undue familiarities. If not sinful now,
it may soon become so and lead to harm and
disaster that will far outrun all your calculations.
Don't! A young man with the proper sense of
virtue and honor will always respect his girl
friend's concern for her modesty and innocence
178 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
as manifested in the observance of this important
"Don't!" He will love her all the more for it.
He will look upon her declining even "a mere
kiss" as a convincing sign of her great shyness
and fear of being gradually beguiled into the loss
of what she considers — and what he also considers
— her greatest treasure. Be sure of this: a girl
who is easy and ready to grant unmaidenly
privileges to a young man loses just that much
of his respect — and rightly so. Such a young
man will just naturally conclude that she is ready
to lend her lips to anybody who comes along — and
has doubtless already done so. No good Catholic
gentleman wants such a girl.
Is a girl allowed, without sin, to go with
a boy to dances, if she doesn't intend to
get married to him?
Of course, she may go to a dance with him
without committing sin, as far as the fact of her
going is concerned. But whether it is advisable
to go with him is another question. Certainly
a girl should not go out regularly with any young
man if she has no intention of marrying him.
Where there is no intention of marriage steady
company keeping is never right and is usually
wrong and sinful. But going out in a respectable
way from time to time with a respectable young
man, or even different young men, to respectable
places and wholesome, innocent amusements, is
not wrong. Young people must, of course, meet
and learn to know and appreciate each other's
characters before they can love each other.
In our day and country it is hard to be precise
in this matter. Our Catholic young people are
facing many new and perplexing questions as
regards courtship and marriage. One thing,
however, in spite of its being so out-of-date and
sometimes almost or wholly impossible, is much
to be desired, namely, that young people meet and
COURTSHIP 179
enjoy each other's company at home. And one
thing a wise and prudent Catholic girl will never
do is this: she will never "go out," not even once,
with a young man who is not a Catholic.
Is it necessary for those who enter the
married state to love each other?
Yes, absolutely, if they wish to be happy.
Marriage should never be entered into hastily,
but only after mature deliberation and prayer.
Those who embrace the married state should
realize full well what they are doing. It is not
for a few years, until they want a change, as the
neopagan world would have it, but until death.
They must, accordingly, love each other; and
the love must be mutual, not one-sided. They
must, however, be truly in love with each other;
for only that love will enable them to be what
they ought to be in the state on which they are
entering. "A loveless marriage," says a learned
author, "is a ghastly horror." So be sure, quite
sure, that it is love and not some passing emotion,
some transitory fascination, or sudden welling
up of passion. Be sure that it is true love; and
true love is the unchanging direction of heart and
will to one single person. True love is something
that cannot be mistaken; it is the electric action,
so to speak, set up between two, which draws
them to unity. The two who are really in love
come more and more to see everything through
the eyes of each other.
Remember well that it is not enough to love;
you must be loved in return. This mutual love
must last a lifetime. If you have it, no matter
what sufferings may befall you in the future, this
love will carry you triumphantly through all.
The married life is indeed a life of sacrifice, but
it is sacrifice made sweet by love. That is why
love is essential to its success. If you have not
true and mutual love, all the wealth in the
universe cannot make up for its absence.
r8o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
I am keeping company with another.
We are soon to be married. I used to go
with others. Must I tell my partner every
detail about my former company-keep-
ing?
Courtship must, above all, be sincere. The
parties to it should be mutually frank and candid
in apprising one another of their true status re-
garding their health, religion, economical con-
dition, freedom from encumbering obligations of
a personal or financial nature. (We take for
granted that marriage is seriously intended,
otherwise regular company-keeping is simply not
allowed.) A person who would hide from the
partner the fact of a serious secret illness, of a
social nature, for instance, or of an important
disability referring to sexual life, or of heavy
debts clamoring for payment, or of previous
convictions in court on criminal charges involving
considerable dishonor, or of a breach of promise
of marriage to another, entailing possible ar-
raignment in court or other very unpleasant
after effects, would be unfair, dishonest, and
unjust. It might even happen that, owing to
the concealment of a diriment impediment, the
subsequent marriage would be invalid, and a
serious injury to the innocent party.
But (attention, please!) this does not mean
that every personal and intimate revelation is
mutually required or desirable on the part of
lovers. For them, too, before and after marriage,
there remains a hallowed domain of personal
secrets, the revelation of which is made only to
God and His personal representative. This
refers to secret individual lapses and sins which
are past and, presumably, through a good con-
fession, forgiven and forgotten by God, and which
should consequently be forgotten by the perpe-
trators themselves and never be individually
recalled or referred to again. Girls are more
COURTSHIP
prone than men to err in this regard. (Men are
wise enough to keep their secrets.) When they
are in love some girls grow too confidential and
trusting and, to show their lover that they are
hiding nothing whatsoever from him, they tell
him of their more or less serious transgressions
with one or more other men, or even alone.
These are most unwise and altogether unnecessary
revelations, imprudent confidences, and may lead
to a breaking off of courtship or at least a marring
of the bliss of the ensuing marriage. Thus, too,
some women who are already married are so
utterly unwise and foolish as to manifest their
sexual transgressions, committed before or after
marriage, to their husbands (who are wise enough
not to do the like). By these uncalled-for mani-
festations they jeopardize what marital love and
well-being they possess. Some women are so
stupid! Sins of a personal nature, without damag-
ing consequences to the other party, are to be
revealed only to God and His official delegate for
purposes of forgiveness.
I am a lonely girl working out with very
nice people. I am not quite satisfied. I
never go out much, and when I go to a
show now and then, I always have to go
alone. I have no friends, neither girls
nor boys. I don't know why, except that
they seem to lead a more fast life than I
ever care to lead. They seem to snub me
because I seem old-fashioned to them.
And I have no desire to be a Sister, though
I have prayed and prayed. Now, is it true
that if I sit at home every day and never
go out the right young man will come to
me just the same ? Is it true that there is
a partner for everyone? Must I go half
way in finding a good Catholic boy? Is it
right to pray for a good Catholic husband ?
i to. QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
One often hears it said nowadays, by those
who know, that marriage "is not such an easy
job" as some people seem to think. It is full of
hardships and disappointments, burdens and
responsibilities. In the light of such assertions,
it ought not to be difficult for a girl to reconcile
herself with that state of life which the Church
calls single blessedness in the world, if that state
seems to be the holy will of God for her. After
all, a good Catholic life, a life of virtue and holi-
ness and prayer is the best thing in the world,
no matter in which state it is lived.
If you sit at home and never go out it is quite
probable that the right young man will never
come along. A girl who wishes to enter the mar-
ried state must ordinarily, to some extent at
least, associate with others in an honorable way;
and she must endeavor to attract others to her,
without, however, in any way paying the dreadful
price of impropriety in order to do so. In this
sense a girl must indeed go half way in finding a
good Catholic boy, always with the modesty
that attracts more than anything else.
It is, of course, not true that there is a destined
partner for everyone. Many God calls to His
special service in a life of consecrated virginity.
Many more live a single life in the world, either
out of personal preference, from selfish or un-
selfish motives, as the case may be, or out of
simple necessity. In the latter case, it is but
wise to make a virtue of necessity, to offer one's
virginity to God, and to devote oneself to some
useful career for God and the good of human
society.
It is quite right and most praiseworthy to pray
for a good Catholic husband; and it were to be
wished that more girls would thus pray and con-
sult and, in general, proceed wisely in a matter
as highly important as marriage. Marriage means
much more for a woman than it does for a man.
COURTSHIP 183
In the life of the Little Flower's mother we read
that, after she had been told by spiritual advisers
that it was not her vocation to become a Sister,
she turned her thoughts towards holy matrimony
and constantly prayed to God that He would
send her not only a good, but a fervent Catholic
husband. And God answered her prayer.
Keep the golden mean. Don't be a frivolous
gadabout, like so many of our girls, and don't
be a recluse either. But if you must do either
the one or the other, then choose to be more a
home girl than anything else. And just quietly
pray, trusting that, if it be for your good and for
His glory, God will in due time provide.
I am keeping company with a young
man who becomes intoxicated from time
to time. I told him if he does that I won't
keep company with him any longer. He
never promised me he wouldn't drink
any more and yet he don't want to break
up our company-keeping. What shall I do?
Dismiss him for good. Have nothing more to
do with him. Marriage is not a reformatory,
and he will be worse afterwards than before. The
life of a drunkard's wife is one of untold misery.
It is a hideous nightmare. A young woman
should study the man who offers her attentions.
She should study him more carefully than any
other matter in life, remembering that there is
more camouflage in courtship than in anything
else, not even excepting war. When a girl has
found, as you surely have, that a man is unde-
sirable she should absolutely and resolutely dis-
continue to accept his attentions. If all girls
would follow this rule we would not hear so many
married women exclaim: "Oh, if I had only
known him, I never would have married him!'*
All of which advice, with the necessary changes,
may also be given to young men.
184 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Is it wrong for a Catholic party to keep
steady company with a non-Catholic?
Yes; it is wrong. Canon 1060 of the Church
law says: "The Church most strictly forbids
mixed marriages everywhere." And if explic-
itly she "most strictly forbids mixed marriages,"
she implicitly forbids courtship between Cath-
olics and non-Catholics. Such courtship on
the part of a Catholic is the wilful and
unwarranted exposure of self to the loss of the
faith; and, since the Catholic faith is divine,
any such exposure of it to the danger of loss is
forbidden by divine and, we may add, by the
natural law, which latter commands us to strive
for our last end by employing means propor-
tionate to it, which end can be obtained in the
supernatural order only by divine faith. Hence,
needlessly to endanger this bulwark of salvation
is contrary to the divine and to the natural law.
Such company-keeping is, accordingly, against
the First Commandment of God. That com-
mandment enjoins upon us the worship of God;
whatever contravenes the true worship of God
is a sin against the First Commandment.
This is a practical matter the importance of
which is apparently only too often not fully
realized by our Catholic young people and their
parents. We therefore repeat that the Church
earnestly warns her children against mixed mar-
riages and even strictly forbids them. No sensi-
ble Catholic will marry a person belonging to
another religion. The nature and purpose of
marriage demand true piety and virtue in both
parties, in order that they may assist and sanctify
each other. Therefore, the Catholic who know-
ingly and willingly marries a person having no
religious or moral convictions, or professing a
false religion, does wrong. There can be no true
unity of mind and heart, no harmony between
husband and wife, least of all in the up-bringing
COURTSHIP 185
of children, if they differ in this most essential
matter of religious belief. But the Church's
opposition to mixed marriages rests upon a more
important consideration even than that. She
regards the Sacrament of Matrimony as a sym-
bol of Christ's union with His Church and a
nursery of souls. Hence she is perfectly justified
in disapproving of mixed marriages and for-
bidding them. When she does permit them by
granting special dispensation, it is only with the
greatest sorrow and reluctance and under certain
well defined conditions. We say: only under
certain well defined conditions; for the divine
law forbidding these marriages when there is
proximate danger to the faith of the Catholic
party or the children cannot be dispensed by
any human authority whatsoever.
Mixed marriages being so serious and deplorable
an evil — how serious and deplorable it would
take whole pages to tell — it can be easily under-
stood that the Catholic person who listlessly and
wantonly keeps company with a non-Catholic,
caring little or nothing about the jeopardy in
which his or her own faith is thereby placed, is
often guilty of a mortal sin against the faith by
starting and nursing such a dangerous association
which very likely, developing into a mixed mar-
riage, will ultimately destroy the faith, as it is
known to do in so many sad cases. Not only the
final apostasy is a sin, but also the incipient
dallying with the danger of it by thoughtlessly
or frivolously courting or encouraging one not
of the faith towards a dangerous and baneful
mixed marriage. It must be admitted that not
all mixed marriages are of this stamp; some,
though comparatively very, very few, develop
fortunately for both parties; but for the luke-
warm and heedless Catholic a mixed marriage
is usually synonymous with the Catholic party's
defection from the faith. This defection practi-
1 86 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
cally begins the first day of the ill-fated courtship.
It is, therefore, ordinarily wrong and sinful for
a Catholic party to keep company with a non-
Catholic; and such company -keeping is matter
for the confessional. If all Catholics, as soon as
\'A they are aware that they are keeping company
with a non-Catholic, would mention this in the
confessional, whether they feel guilty of sin or not,
many a fatal mixed marriage would be nipped in
the bud through the kindly advice of the experi-
enced priest, to the temporal and eternal welfare
of the penitent.
A certain man made this statement:
"A young man that cannot look at a young
lady without experiencing some lustful or
sexual attractions, whether this be on the
street or otherwise — with that man there
is something wrong, abnormal." Is this
statement correct? Would you kindly
give me complete information on this
question ?
In answer to this we would say that the state-
ment is not exactly correct. God, you know, has
given certain instincts and passions for a wise
purpose. Man is drawn strongly and agreeably
towards woman (and woman towards man) for
the purpose of honorable marriage. Were a
man without these passions and instincts he
would never marry — and the human family
would perish. Man is supposed to master his
passions in accordance with God's law; and no
man is tempted beyond his strength. God has
said it. The sexual instinct is so strong in man
generally because it is God's way in bringing man
and woman to be husband and wife. The sexual
instinct in man goes out to woman generally,
just as in woman it goes out to man generally.
But it may be indulged only towards the one
woman who is his wife and has won his love in
COURTSHIP 187
honorable marriage. Any sexual indulgence out-
side matrimony is condemned by the Almighty
God. To employ it otherwise is to disobey the
orders of nature's God.
Is it sinful, if I like a person of the op-
posite sex, to pray that that person will
keep company with me? I am single and
feel that marriage is my vocation.
No; it is not sinful. On the contrary, it is a
good and a virtuous thing to do. We should
turn to God for everything, in everything, just
as a child turns to its father. Of course, we
take it for granted that the person you refer to
is a good Catholic. We cannot utter too many
solemn warnings against mixed marriages and
all associations that lead thereto. Here especially
the principle holds good, "Resist the beginnings."
Love makes blind. Pray that God may let you
contract a good Catholic marriage and that He
may preserve you from the great evil of a mixed
marriage.
Must a girl obey her parents as to whom
she marries if the man is a Catholic?
Parents and other superiors may exceed the
limits of their lawful authority by interfering with
their children's vocation, namely, by forcing or
unduly urging their sons to enter the priesthood or
a religious community, or their daughters to enter
a convent, or both the one and the other to enter
the married state; or by preventing their sons and
daughters from embracing a state of life to which
their vocation leads them, be it the priesthood,
the religious life, virginity in the world, or the
married state. In this, children are not obliged
to obey anyone, for it belongs to them by right to
choose that vocation which, according to their
judgment and inclination, may best help them to
become useful members of society and. what is
1 88 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
more important than all, to make sure of their
eternal destiny.
Of course, as in the case in question, it is only
the part of prudence to consult the parents.
Two heads are better than one.
Would a girl do wrong by keeping up
correspondence with a boy against her
mother's wishes?
Of course, she would. The fourth Command-
ment, "Honor thy father and thy mother," com-
mands, among other things, obedience to parents.
Children must obey their parents in all that is
not sin; and in this obedience must be included
a prompt and willing desire to do, not only what
is explicitly commanded, but also what the
parents desire and what the children know would
please them. Parents take the place of God
Himself, and, therefore, to disobey them is to
disobey the Father in heaven. Hence, when the
parents' will is made known by command or by
prohibition (as in your case), the children should
consider it as sacred as if God had commanded
it by an angel from heaven. If they truly love
their parents, and esteem them as representatives
of God, they will hold nothing more sacred than
to follow all their parents' wishes and avoid what
would displease them, whether the parents be
present or absent. Such is the will of God. God
never blesses a disobedient child.
Is it a sin if when a young man takes
you out he puts his arm around your
waist feelingly against your will?
In this connection we would say that, generally,
a young man will take all the liberties a girl will
allow, but the more she gives in the less he will
think of her. We often hear it said, "I would
never marry a girl that allows undue familiar-
ities."
A girl should remember that true love and
COURTSHIP 189
willingness to take liberties rarely go together.
At the first attempt to take liberties a girl should
put her foot down hard. A man never loves a
girl so much and so truly as when she keeps him
at the proper distance and makes him respect and
reverence her — makes him feel that when he is
in her presence he is in the presence of something
almost sacred. A girl should never make con-
cessions to her lover. By this we mean that she
should never do anything that she would hesitate
to do in the presence of her sister or her mother.
With this all sensible girls — and there are
many such — will wholly agree; according to this
they will conduct themselves.
Those that foolishly scorn such sane advice,
because of girlish silliness and giddiness must
needs pay for their rashness with misery — misery
that, so to speak, exacts compound interest,
often for life.
As regards the question — no; it is not a sin
if it is really against her will and she emphati-
cally lets it be known as such. She should see to
it that it does not happen again.
A Catholic girl intends to marry a non-
Catholic man. Ought she to take this
non-Catholic to the priest a while before
the marriage or wait until just before
the marriage? He does not intend to join
the Church.
She should, of course, take him to the priest
at least six weeks before the marriage, that there
may be ample time to give him those instructions
so important even if he does not intend to become
a Catholic. He must at least know what his
future wife believes, that is to say, something
about the Catholic religion, what promises he
must make, the nature of marriage, its duties,
responsibilities, and privileges.
But so many girls seem to think they can just
i9o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
pick out their non-Catholic friend and take him
to the priest with a brazen: "Well, here we are;
marry us quick!" What folly! What right has
a girl to do anything like that when mixed
marriages are strictly forbidden by the Church?
If she thinks she simply must have that non-
Catholic for her husband, she should first go alone
to see the priest, without taking her friend along
and before making him any promises; and,
having stated the case to her priest or confessor,
she should unhesitatingly and generously follow
his advice. That will mean much for her happi-
ness,— everything, in fact. And that is what
every good Catholic girl will do.
Would it be wrong for a Catholic girl to
keep company with a non-Catholic man
with the intention of marriage, if she
knows that she can persuade him to turn
Catholic before marriage?
If experience teaches us aright, those con-
versions before marriage are often more or less
pretended. Often enough they are due only to
a desire of contracting the marriage; and they
would never be as much as thought of apart from
it. Hence, not being the fruit of sincere convic-
tion, the products of the conversion are usually
far below par. We admit that there are excep-
tions, but these merely confirm the rule. While
some of these matrimonial converts become
veritable saints and even put to shame the
Catholic party, many of them — if we are to
believe those who know — are no credit to the
religion they espouse merely to obtain a certain
partner in matrimony. Surely, between a mixed
marriage and a convert marriage there is a
world of difference: the latter is by far the lesser
evil; but the best and only thing is for Catholics
to marry their own. This may be stating the mat-
ter rather plainly and boldly; but it is for the
COURTSHIP 191
instruction of our young people, whose life is
still before them and whose happiness is yet in
the making. Only some time ago we inquired
about a good Catholic girl who, about fifteen
years back, entered a convert-before-marriage
matrimonial contract. We learnt that neither
she nor her husband nor her children are known
as Catholic. They are all irreligious to the core.
It is but one case of thousands.
He is* an excellent young man in every
other way. Drinking is his only fault.
He has even been drunk once that I know
of. But I think the world of him. Would
you advise me to marry him? I think I
could reform him easily.
Absolutely no! On the contrary, we strongly
advise you to break with him at once. Marriage
is no reformatory, as you may learn to your
lifelong regret. It is hard to conceive of any
creature on earth more miserable than the wife
of a drunkard. The late saintly Father Elliott,
of the Paulist Fathers, in one of his mission
sermons on intemperance, lets such a wife speak
to us. Her words are the best answer to your
question:
"Listen to my sermon. Once I was free; I
was a pure and affectionate girl and my com-
panions said I was handsome. I loved God and
kept the rules of His Holy Church. Oh, how
happy I was! I had the happiness of religion,
the happiness of home and of loving friends;
all peace and joy were mine. And now look at
me; I am a drunkard's wife. Notice how shame-
faced I am. The name I bear is a badge of infamy;
and I could show you scars and bruises that are
the badges of my slavery. Oh, what a fool I
was! When that man asked me to marry him.
my father turned him out of doors, for he smelled
drink upon him. My mother's very tears pro-
i$i QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
tested against him; my priest warned me to give
him up. But he deceived me. He swore to me
that if I married him, he would never drink
again, and he swore that he loved me and would
be a true, a loving husband. Was there ever a
lie so deadly as his lie to me? He never really
loved anything as he loved drink; he has never
loved wife or child or his own immortal soul
half as much as he always has loved drink."
"Thus far the drunkard's wife," says Father
Elliott. "See her as she slouches away, bent with
premature age, shrinking from the sight of men,
and looking forward to her early and miserable
death."
A girl who would take such a step as you are
contemplating is not only consummately silly;
she is, in the expressive slang of the day, positively
crazy.
Of the modern world's amusements
and entertainments for young people,
which ones would you consider all right
and clean for Catholic young folks to at-
tend?
Young people must have their amusement;
and it is often quite puzzling in our day to de-
termine the character of that amusement. How-
ever, the question has been asked, and we pur-
pose to give a brief answer. But first of all we
must say that it is difficult to be precise about
amusements. A safe rule to follow is this: if
after any amusement you feel less like looking
into the face of God or, let us say, into the face
of a good and loving mother, abstain from that
amusement thereafter.
Though dancing always contains an element of
danger for the angelic virtue and each one must
know whether for him or her it is an occasion of
sin which necessitates abstaining from it at times
or always, still our Catholic young folks may go
COURTSHIP 193
to dances of the right kind, under the right
auspices, at the right time. Since young people
will dance, home dances, or dances in private
halls, under good supervision, are greatly to be
encouraged. They can be quite innocent and
socially beneficial.
Wholesome movies that are or could be on the
"white list" may be attended, though it is a
deplorable fact that the majority of motion
pictures have been unwholesome, to say the very
least, — nay, a soul-killing plague. Great care
must be exercised in the selection of only good
shows.
Parish "sociables" and entertainments and
plays are among the very best forms of amuse-
ment for our Catholic young people. There they
meet each other and get acquainted; and the
result is an increased number of good Catholic
marriages, to the most desirable decrease of the
number of mixed marriages and broken lives.
One of the best places for amusements is the
home, the Catholic family circle. Parents should
encourage and provide for amusements there.
We enumerate a few: music, books, various
games, conversations, the visits and entertain-
ment of Catholic friends and neighbors. Ail
such amusements can be made joyous, beautiful,
and never-to-be-forgotten in their salutary in-
fluence on mind and heart, when indulged in
with Christian restraint and virtue.
Playing cards at home or in the parish hall for
amusement and competition in skill is a perfectly
innocent and proper social entertainment, even
on Sunday. Nor is there anything wrong in
playing for small sums. It lends interest to the
game. Of course, moderation is necessary. One
can go to excess in everything. Gambling, by
the way, might be defined as playing for stakes
at the risk of losing what may be required for the
maintenance of oneself and family.
i94 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
St. Aloysius was once engaged in a game of
checkers when he was asked what he would do
if he knew he were to die in five minutes. "I
would keep right on playing," he answered. He
was doing it in the right way, with a good inten-
tion, for God; for even amusement of the right
kind in due season may help us save our souls.
We can make everything, even our innocent good
times prayer. "Whether you eat or drink, or
whatever you do, do all for the glory of God,"
says Holy Writ.
What is the proper age for a girl to go
with boys? At what time should she re-
turn home?
To go out with boys occasionally under proper
auspices is one thing and to keep steady company
with a boy with the intention of marriage is
another. In both cases it is highly advisable to
meet your company in your own home and in
the presence of the family, — not to "go out" at
all or very rarely Any other way savors of
recklessness, to say the least. When going out
such should always return at a reasonable hour,
say, ten o'clock.
But you wish to know when. No girl should
accept the attentions of a young man until
(1) she has become a good housekeeper, until
(2) she has become a fairly good seamstress, until
(3) she has acquired the virtue of staying at
home, until (4) the young man is able to support
a family and has saved at least something to
start with, and, finally, unless (5) there is some
intention of marrying him.
It may be, however, that you want the exact
age. That is difficult to determine, since it
depends upon so many circumstances. We might
say, for the sake of definiteness, that since in
this country girls rarely marry before the age of
eighteen and boys are usually a few years older,
COURTSHIP r95
and since steady company-keeping, or courtship,
should ordinarily not be longer than six months
or a year, the proper age for going with a boy is
about eighteen at the very earliest. But even
that is rather too early. The longer a girl under
twenty keeps her heart and mind love-proof,
that is, in easy possession and full control, the
better for her present and future happiness.
The above is about regular and honorable
courtships. The irregular courtships of young
people in their teens are usually nothing else
than sinful flirtations. Such "puppy love" ought
rather to be called "the devil's game," since it
is one of the most common and crafty ruses by
which Satan gradually and insensibly lures inno-
cent boys and girls into ugly sin and filthy vice
under the guise of love.
Could a dispensation for first cousins
to marry be obtained if there were danger
to the man's soul on account of this
disappointment in love, e. g., if the young
man would resume his courtship with a
non-Catholic girl after his cousin gave
him up, or if he would take to drink and
get reckless and not care what happened?
These reasons for dispensation might be suf-
ficient for presentation to the proper ecclesiastical
authorities. If they are accepted as sufficient,
steps may then be taken to obtain the necessary
dispensation.
We may remark, however, that it is to be de-
plored whenever the above mentioned dispensa-
tion must be obtained. St. Thomas gives a num-
ber of reasons why the Church has enacted re-
strictive laws against marriages between blood
relations. 1. The reverence which kindred owe
to each other, being offspring of one common
stock or progenitor. If relatives could freely
intermarry, the feeling of respect which now exists
196 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
between near relatives would soon change to
indifference. 2. Charity is another reason; for
good Catholics by marrying those of their own
religion, but of different families, extend the
influence of Catholic principles, the natural
consequence of a virtuous and holy wedlock.
3. Free and common intermarriage would un-
doubtedly open the door to a frightful laxity of
morals among relatives; if they lived under the
same roof or exchanged frequent and unrestricted
visits, an undue and dangerous familiarity would
necessarily spring up. This is the natural out-
come of the loss of respect, mentioned as the
first motive. 4. Intermarriages between persons
of the same blood are, according to physicians of
high standing, fraught with dire consequences to
the health of their children. (Cf. St. Thos. II.
2, q. 154, a. 9.)
I am a married woman, but I have been
separated (not divorced) from my husband
for some years, with the permission of
the proper ecclesiastical authorities. I
have a very dear man friend. He under-
stands my situation in life and knows
we can never be anything more than
friends; and he respects me in every way.
Is it a sin for us to kiss?
Such conduct and that whole "honorable and
platonic" friendship which you question implies is
absolutely and utterly to be condemned. You
are a married woman. A learned author, speak-
ing of the heinous crime of adultery, says: "When
David cast that one wanton look and nursed the
thoughts and imaginations it engendered, he did
not suspect that within a short time he would
be both an adulterer and a homicide. It would
have been easy for him to resist the temptation
from the very start; but once he allowed his low
passion to be inflamed, resistance was out of
COURTSHIP 197
question. From this reflection you will learn to
be as cautious against danger as you must be
distrustful of yourself in it. Resist manfully and
decidedly at the beginning, and the sequel will
create no difficulty." — You are playing with fire.
I am keeping company with a good
young man and would like to marry him.
I am sure he would make me happy and
I could make him a happy home. But he
is not a Catholic. What should I do?
What are you to do! The answer is obvious.
Keep this commandment of the Church: "Not
to marry persons who are not Catholics ..."
And remember that it is already an initial break-
ing of that commandment to keep company with
a non-Catholic and a matter for advice in the con-
fessional.
What are you to do? When he calls on you
again say something to this effect: "John, I have
been acting wrongly all the while. I cannot and
I may not marry you, so I should not have been
keeping company with you. You are not a Catho-
lic, you see. So it must all be over between us.
You may not come to see me any more. If I
ever marry, that man must be a devout and prac-
tical Catholic. So please go. This is final.
But if you wish to study the Catholic religion,
here are some books I got for you. In case you
are interested and wish to take instructions with
a view to embracing the Catholic religion out
of conviction that it is the true religion. I can refer
you to Father Brown. He would be glad to ex-
plain everything to you. And, John, after you
have joined the Church and faithfully practiced
your new religion and received the Sacraments
frequently, I will be glad to see you again; for,
you know, I hope to marry a good Catholic man
some day. So good-bye, and — I hope it will not
be forever, John."
i98 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
If two Catholic persons are divorced,
but do not marry again, are they excom-
municated from the Church?
We know (Canon 11 28) that there is a grave
obligation for the married couple to live together,
unless there be a legitimate reason for the con-
trary. Sometimes it becomes simply impossible
to live together and a temporary or perpetual
separation must be effected, in which case the
matter should be submitted to the proper pastor,
who will refer it to the bishop should circum-
stances so demand or permit. Sometimes even
a so-called divorce may be secured, with the
parties' understanding that they are still married
none the less, only living apart, and provided
scandal is removed. However, before applying
for divorce it is well for such Catholics to remem-
ber that mere separation can give them, from the
civil point of view, the same advantages, and that
it safeguards the demands of Catholic teaching.
Having thus explained away any misunder-
standing about divorced Catholics, we answer your
question by saying that divorced Catholics are
not excommunicated unless they attempt to
marry again. They are not excommunicated
because of the divorce. But the Plenary Council
of Baltimore III, 124, places under excommuni-
cation reserved to the Ordinary "Catholics who,
after a civil divorce, shall have attempted to
contract a new marriage, the legitimate consort
still living."
Can a non-Catholic man and a Catholic
girl contract a mixed marriage before a
priest if the man cannot produce a bap-
tismal certificate but knows he was bap-
tized?
The baptismal certificate is the most important
document to be furnished before the celebration
of marriage. As occasion requires, the pastor
COURTSHIP 1 99
should also demand the baptismal certificate of
the non-Catholic party. In case it cannot be
secured because the records have been lost, or
if in that case parents or sponsors or some trust-
worthy witness refuse to give their testimony as
to the moral certainty that baptism was ad-
ministered, or unless the man was baptized as
an adult and can take an oath to that effect, a
dispensation must be secured ad cautelam (to
make sure) for disparity of worship at the same
time as for mixed religion. This should be done
in every case of serious doubt, since many of the
Protestant sects no longer believe in baptism or,
if they do, they administer it in a very doubtful
manner.
Is it dangerous or wrong to correspond
with a non-Catholic boy, just for friend-
ship's sake, nothing more, or is it classed
under company-keeping?
Your question implies that you know what
many seem to forget, namely, that, since mixed
marriages are forbidden, mixed company-keep-
ing is forbidden also. We might classify such
letter-writing as you mention as incipient com-
pany-keeping. We cannot exactly see the why
and the wherefore of this correspondence. If
it is to instruct him in the Catholic faith, it were
better to send him Catholic books of instruction.
Then follow those up by sending him — to the
pastor.
PERTAINING TO DUTIES OF PARENTS
Are we obliged to send our children to a
Catholic school? Has the priest a right
to refuse parents absolution just because
they send their children to a public school ?
In view of the fact that over two and a half
million Catholic pupils attend our public elemen-
tary schools and higher institutions of learning, it
is well to recall a number of things regarding the
Catholic school. And first of all come to our
mind the pronouncements of the Church with re-
gard to the obligations of Catholic parents to pro-
vide for the religious and moral training of their
children in schools approved by the local authori-
ties of the Church. In this matter Holy Church
takes a positive and unchanging stand; it is an
unswerving position taken in a concern of vital
importance. It may be briefly summarized thus:
"Every Catholic child in a Catholic school!"
What those obligations are regarding the
Catholic education of their children is clearly
defined in the New Code of Canon Law (Canon
1113): "Parents are bound by a most grave
obligation to provide to the best of their ability
for the religious and moral as well as for the
physical and civil education of their children,
and for their temporal well-being."
Religious and moral training is here stressed;
for therein lies the potency and the necessity of
the Catholic school. Strange that parents should
so often forget their sacred trust and duty of
guiding their children heavenward; strange that
they should forget the value and destiny of the
human soul; strange that they should forget
that they must render to God an account of the
souls entrusted to their care! And yet only too
often they do- So serious is this neglect of duty
ZOO
DUTIES OF PARENTS 101
that, as we read in the Instruction of Pope Pius
IX, issued in 1864, and restated again and again
since, and that with the greatest emphasis: "All
parents who neglect to give their children this
necessary training and education, or who permit
their children to frequent schools in which the
ruin of souls cannot be avoided, or, finally, who,
having in their locality a good Catholic school,
properly appointed to teach their children, or hav-
ing an opportunity of educating their offspring in
another place, nevertheless send them to public
schools, without sufficient reasons and without the
necessary precautions by which the approximate
danger may be made remote — these, as is evident
from Catholic moral teaching, if they are con-
tumacious cannot be absolved in the Sacrament
of Penance."
And yet there are those who wonder why ab-
solution is denied them, seeing that the public
school is "more convenient for the children, you
know!" What a strange misconception of life's
serious purpose: "To know God, to love Him, to
serve Him, and so to reach heaven."
They "cannot be absolved." The Instruction
does not say that they "may not be absolved."
Why blame the priest? Contumacious persever-
ance in grievous sin makes absolution out of the
question. They "cannot be absolved." In vain
to go elsewhere, then; in vain to pass the matter
over in sacrilegious silence. God's holy Church
must be obeyed. To repeat, in the words of the
New Code of Canon Law (Canon 1374), "Cath-
olic children must not attend non-Catholic, neu-
tral, or mixed schools, that is, such as are also
open to non-Catholics. It is for the Bishop of
the place alone to decide, according to the in-
structions of the Apostolic See, in what circum-
stances and with what precautions attendance at
such schools may be tolerated, without danger of
perversion to the pupils." Says the Code, "It is
loi. QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
for the Bishop of the place alone to decide." And
that decision is ordinarily made known to the
people through or by the pastor. From which it
is easy to see the error of the laity who would
take upon themselves the making of such de-
cision— often with an ignorance and arrogance
that is disgusting in the extreme. Yes; it's
another case of the parents' three I's: Ignorance,
Indifference, and Incompetence.
But why all this insistence upon the erection
and maintenance of Catholic schools, as thus ex-
pressed by the First Plenary Council of Balti-
more, "We exhort the Bishops that they take
steps to establish a parish school in connection
with every church in their diocese!" Why this
insistence upon the sacred duty of Catholic
parents to send their children to Catholic schools?
The reasons are concisely given thus in the N.
C. W. C. Catechism of Catholic Education:
"Because the Catholic Church is the divinely
appointed custodian of the whole body of re-
vealed religious truth and is charged with the
duty of teaching it to all men and to all nations,
'Going, therefore, teach all nations.' To do this
adequately, a separate system of schools in our
country is necessary. Because the child is a
moral agent, and his education must therefore
be moral in the sense that it must recognize the
fact that the child is endowed with an immortal
soul and is answerable to God for all his actions.
Because will-training is looked upon by the Church
as no less important in the educative process than
physical or intellectual training. Because re-
ligious knowledge is itself intrinsically valuable
in the process of education. Because religious
training is the best training for a citizen. Because
the Church has, by positive law, made the
establishment of schools a matter of religious
policy."
Cogent reasons these. They speak for them-
DUTIES OF PARENTS 103
selves and must needs be all-convincing to men
of good will.
We add that no charge could be more unjust
than to say that Catholic schools are un-Ameri-
can, that they are inimical to the spirit of Ameri-
can citizenship. "Our Catholic schools," we read
in the 1919 Pastoral Letter of the Archbishops
and Bishops of the Catholic Church in the
United States, "are not established and main-
tained with any idea of holding our children
apart from the general body and spirit of Ameri-
can citizenship. They are simply the concrete
form in which we exercise our rights as free citi-
zens in conformity with the dictates of conscience.
Their very existence is a great moral fact in
American life. For, while they aim, openly and
avowedly, to preserve our Catholic faith, they
offer to all our people an example of the use of
freedom for the advancement of morality and
religion."
That Catholic schools have also a legal right
to exist is manifest anew from the decision ren-
dered by the United States Supreme Court in-
validating the Oregon anti-private school law.
By way of a conclusion to our remarks we quote
from this decision: "The fundamental theory of
liberty upon which all governments in this union
repose excludes any general power of the state
to standardize its children by forcing them to ac-
cept instruction from public teachers only. The
child is not the mere creature of the state; those
who nurture him and direct his destiny have the
right, coupled with the high duty, to recognize
and prepare him for additional obligations."
Even the United States Supreme Court, it
would seem, must admonish some of our parents
of their "high duty to recognize and prepare him
for additional obligations"!
Are Catholic parents bound under griev-
2.o4 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
ous sin to send their children to a Catholic
school ?
Yes; a positive and grave obligation rests
upon Catholic parents to send their children to
a Catholic school. Of this obligation there can
be no doubt. The legislation of the Church in
this matter is cleanly expressed in Canon Law.
Canon 1113 says, "Parents are bound by a
most grave obligation to provide to the best of
their ability for the religious and moral as well as
for the physical and civil education of their
children, and for their temporal well-being."
The obligation under consideration is ex-
pressed more clearly still by Canon 1372, which
states, "From childhood all the faithful must be
so educated that not only are they taught nothing
contrary to faith or morals, but that religious and
moral training takes the chief place."
And Canon 1374 is more definite still. It de-
clares, "Catholic children must not attend non-
Catholic, neutral, or mixed schools, that is, such
as are also open to non-Catholics. It is for the
Bishop of the place to decide, according to the
instructions of the Apostolic See, in what cir-
cumstances and with what precautions attend-
ance at such schools may be tolerated, without
danger of perversion to the pupils."
Such is the general legislation of the Church.
However, conditions vary so much in the United
States that no general legislation fits the needs
of every diocese. We note, by way of illustra-
tion, that the Most Rev. Hugh C. Boyle, the
Bishop of Pittsburgh, once issued the following
regulations for the conduct of the people of his
diocese relative to Catholic education. We quote
them at length because they serve to bring out
most clearly the gravity of the obligation in
question :
"I. In places where there is a Catholic school
within two miles, with buildings, grades, teachers
DUTIES OF PARENTS zo5
and discipline up to the standard required by
the Diocesan School Board, parents and guar-
dians are forbidden under pain of mortal sin to
send their children to any non-Catholic school;
and confessors are forbidden to absolve those
who do not obey.
"II. In places where there is no Catholic
school within two miles, and parents are obliged
to send their children to a non-Catholic school,
the loss of religious training must, as far as
possible, be counteracted by diligent instruction
at home, and regular attendance at catechism
on Sundays and one other day during each week,
at the place and hour appointed by the pastor.
"III. Parents and guardians who neglect these
regulations concerning the religious education of
children for whom they are responsible, and who
send any of their children of school age to a non-
Catholic school when a Catholic school can be
reached without great expense or hardships, or
who neglect to send all children of school age to
catechism as prescribed above, can not be ab-
solved by any confessor until they are ready to
obey the Church.
"No pastor can make an exception to these
rules, and every person who believes he has suf-
ficient reasons to send his child to a non-Catholic
school must submit his reasons in writing to the
Bishop."
My niece is ten years old, and she has
asked me about the origin of life two or
three times during the past three years.
I have told her how she was born; but in
order to answer any further questions of
hers that might be of a more delicate
nature, will you please recommend a book
that I might buy which would help me
to convey to her any such information in
the proper light.
loS QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
"Watchful Elders" is the title of one such book.
It can be obtained from the Bruce Publishing
Co., Milwaukee, Wis. The author is the Rev.
Kilian J. Hennrich, O. M. Cap., M. A.
This is a book that each and every Catholic
parent in the country should have and read and
prudently use. Father Kilian gives them the
exact words to use in explaining to children the
mystery of procreation, the secrets of sex, and
the beauty of the holy virtue of purity. It con-
tains everything average children and adolescents
might be told until the time comes when they
earnestly consider the establishment of a family.
The author sees everything God made as good
and holy, and his booklet presents the subject of
sex from that point of view. It is not a physician's
scientific discussion of sex, nor is it a parent's
evasive answer to an adolescent's queries. It is
a straightforward, gentle treatment of this deli-
cate subject, and one that any parent can give
his children without embarrassment. (The book,
however, is for parents only.) It will lead
Catholic youth on to grasp the supernatural and
also material significance of cultivating clean
habits preparatory to the all-important gradua-
tion into manhood and womanhood.
Two other books of this nature are "Safe-
guards of Chastity" (instructions for young men)
and "Helps to Purity" (instructions for adoles-
cent girls). They can be obtained from St.
Francis Book Shop, 1615 Republic St., Cincin-
nati, Ohio. The author is the Rev. Fulgence
Meyer, O. F. M.
Parents who find it their sacred duty at the
right time to impart pure Catholic sex instruction
to their children, as well as adolescent boys and
girls who feel the need of salutary instruction in
this regard, will surely be forever grateful to
Father Fulgence for placing within their reach
this delicately chaste and pure and wholesome,
DUTIES OF PARENTS 2.07
and at the same time plain and open, exposition
of the mysteries of life and the preservation or
recovery of the pearl of virtues. There are two
books, one for the young men and the other for
adolescent girls.
We believe no books have ever been published
for our times that can excel or even compare
with the above-mentioned volumes in imparting
chaste Catholic sex instruction. A careful
perusal of one of these books cannot but inflame
every noble and generous heart with a love for
holy purity. It is, in the last analysis, a book of
purity; and after reading it one is filled with
the holy sentiments thus expressed in the Book
of Wisdom (4:1, 2): "O how beautiful is the
chaste generation with glory; for the memory
thereof is immortal: Because it is known both
with God and with men. When it is present they
imitate it; and they desire it when it hath with-
drawn itself; and it triumpheth crowned for-
ever, winning the reward of undefiled conflicts."
Our young people, sooner or later, as they
grow up, need and want just the information that
Father Fulgence imparts with matchless skill and
candor. If they do not get it from sources pure
and undefiled they will procure it elsewhere, to
their own corruption in all probability. Hence
our sincere recommendation that these books be
read by those for whom they are intended and
our urgent request that they be ordered by the
same.
I had a good mother and I do not want
to think anything wrong about her, but I
have learnt much from good, elderly
people that mother never taught me.
Mother never had a heart-to-heart talk
with us as we grew up to be girls and young
women. And now I realize that we were
ignorant of many things that we should
2.o8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
have been told about. I think that many
girls, as they grow up, should have more
instruction from their mothers on matters
that may greatly influence their future
lives. Am I right or wrong?
You are right. Mothers should be the visible
guardian angels of the home and of their children.
They should be the constant teachers of their
boys and girls (and what we say here applies to
fathers, too, though perhaps to a lesser extent).
Catholic mothers should be able to give and, at
the right time, should actually give pure Catholic
sex instruction to their children. The school is
ordinarily not the place for such instruction.
And when the children reach the age of puberty
practical and helpful instructions should be given;
still later they should be given good, saving
advice as regards courtship and marriage. Many
warnings will be in place; and they may save
from physical and moral contamination, or at
least from misery and unhappiness. This is
surely not an easy subject nor a pleasant one.
Yet this part of the parents' duty cannot be
avoided without neglecting one of the most
sacred of their obligations. It is sad indeed that
in after years many must think back with useless
regret, "Oh, why didn't they warn me?"
A mother should be her child's confidante from
its earliest years. When questions are asked in
childish simplicity she should not rebuke the
child but take a little time to think of the best
answer and then instruct the little one in the
matter, treating it as something secret and sacred,
but nothing to be ashamed of, and telling no
fibs. The instruction should be adapted to and
follow the development of the growing child.
As children grow older parents need not expect
them to ask for advice in delicate matters. They
must be on the alert and give the proper in-
struction at the proper time, before it is per-
DUTIES OF PARENTS zo9
haps wrongly given by their companions. Such
instruction should always be given without a
third person present.
But so many parents know not what to do nor
how! They should inform themselves.
In the Gospel for the last Sunday after
Pentecost we read, "Woe to them that
are with child and that give suck." Being
a Catholic mother, I do not see why woe
should be foretold to those trying their
best to do their duty. Will you please
explain ?
"Woe to them that are with child, and that
give suck, in those days." These words from
the Gospel of the last Sunday after Pentecost
seem to puzzle you. You were apparently so
struck by the first words of the text that you
paid no attention to the last ones, "in those days."
But the greatest stress is to be placed by you
upon just those words.
In this solemn Gospel the Savior speaks both
of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans
in the year 70 and of the last day. The above
words of Holy Writ have particular reference to
the destruction of Jerusalem.
Alas for those women who were with child or
who were nursing children in those days. They
could not flee away when the enemy came. Hence
they were captured by the Romans, who were
furious and savage because of the stubborn re-
sistance offered by the Jews, and they were
cruelly put to death. Thus St. Chrysostom, St.
Hilary, and others explain the passage. The-
ophylactus adds that allusion is here made to
the fearful famine that came upon the besieged
city of Jerusalem. The historian Josephus re-
lates in detail of one woman in particular (and
there were doubtless other similar cases) who,
driven to desperation by the pitiable moans of
no QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
her suffering babe and almost maddened by tne
hunger that tortured her, killed and roasted the
infant, ate of it, and offered some of it to the
brutal soldiers, who, however, turned away in
horror at such an unnatural deed. It is revolting
to think of; but unutterably fearful was the
destruction of the city that had crucified its
God.
In the passage you mention the Savior declares
the dreadf ulness of the punishment and slaughter
at the destruction of Jerusalem, so dreadful that
not even pregnant and nursing women were
spared, not even children, — for usually mothers,
women, and children are spared in war.
So you see that the passage you mention does
not at all refer to the mothers we see around us.
Indeed, God has abundant blessings for the brave
and dutiful wife and mother. And no wonder:
she is co-operating with Him in a most intimate
way in His all-wise designs for the peopling of
heaven with immortal souls. God has a high
place in heaven for the good Catholic wife and
mother.
I have been told that a child dedicated
to the Blessed Virgin must be dressed in
blue and white for seven years. Is this
correct? If so, what is the reason?
This is nothing more than a pious fancy,
beautiful indeed, since white and blue are Mary's
colors, symbolizing purity and modesty, but not at
all practical and rarely, if ever, done. A child
can be consecrated to our Lady in the most perfect
way without any of the sentimentality (silly or
otherwise) suggested by your question. The
only special Marian garment the child needs is
the scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Mothers
should have their children invested with it and
insist upon their wearing it. Mary has attached
DUTIES OF PARENTS
numberless graces to the wearing of this privileged
scapular.
A mother, desiring to consecrate her child to
Mary, simply goes to the altar of the Blessed
Virgin. There she offers, consecrates, and gives
her child to our dear heavenly Mother that she
may accept it as her own property ; and she prays
and beseeches the Queen of Heaven to take this
child under her special protection and lead it to
life eternal. The pious mother promises Mary to
raise the child conscientiously and early to
instil into its heart a tender love for its heavenly
Mother. On the day of the consecration the
mother, if she has the means, may give an alms
or have a Mass offered for her child in honor of
Mary.
That is all that is necessary. And, of course,
boys may be consecrated to the Blessed Virgin as
well as girls. It is a most praiseworthy practice,
and we may be sure that a child consecrated to
the Mother of God has its soul and body placed
under her special care during life and in death.
There are numerous examples to show that
such children do not easily lose their innocence,
or, if they fall, they do not fall so deeply and
sooner or later return to true repentance. Mary
has ways and means of saving her own.
In a word, the most sublime means, the best
way for a mother to make sure of the temporal
and eternal happiness of her children, consists
in consecrating them to their heavenly Mother —
and then bringing them up accordingly. "En-
deavor to make thy children become also my
children" was the advice given by the Blessed
Virgin to St. Bridget.
Just what is meant by the ceremony of
churching ?
The month of February is introduced by the
feast of the Presentation of Jesus and the Purifi-
rii QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
cation of His Blessed Mother. With this feast
the ceremony of churching has an intimate and
significant connection.
Everybody loves to recall the joyful events of
his life. Such events in the life of a Christian
mother are the hour in which her child was born;
the hour, too, in which that child was, by Baptism,
made an heir of heaven and a child of God;
and such is also the day and the hour in which
the mother brings her child to church for the
first time, to be blessed herself and to offer to
God that which He entrusted to her care. And
as she stands before the altar of the Most High
she may truly call upon Mary, with the beautiful
and consoling prayer of the Church: "Mother of
Perpetual Help, pray for us."
Sorrow and pain have turned into joy. Does
not God in His inspired book tell us that such
should be the reward for a duty fulfilled? The
happy mother rejoices because her sufferings are
over. And because she has a heart filled with
joy she is thankful, brings her child to the temple
of her Lord, there to thank Him for having given
it. The priest approaches her and gives into her
hand a lighted candle. "Our help is in the Lord;
Who created heaven and the earth," he prays.
Having recited one of the psalms of joy, he leads
mother and child to the altar, bidding her adore
the Son of the Blessed Virgin Mary: "Who hath
given thee fruitfulness of offspring." Having
reached the altar the priest continues the beauti-
ful prayers of Holy Mother the Church, con-
cluding as follows: "Almighty, Everlasting God.
Who, through the Delivery of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, hast turned the pains of the faith-
ful at childbirth into joy, look mercifully on this
Thy handmaid, who cometh in gladness to Thy
holy temple to offer up her thanks, and grant
that after this life, through the merits and inter-
cession of this same Blessed Virgin, she may
DUTIES OF PARENTS
prove worthy to obtain together with her off-
spring the joys of everlasting happiness. Through
Christ our Lord. Amen."
In some places the child is then placed upon
the altar of Mary and both mother and priest
pray that God deign to give Mary a special
charge over this child.
Such a ceremony took place in the life of our
Lord, when His Blessed Mother took Him into
the temple after forty days. Remember the
scene. The child Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the
offering — a pair of turtle doves, the Prophet
Simeon foretelling the Sorrows of Mary. The
Christian mother only follows this beautiful
example when she brings her child at the church-
ing. And as she follows the external example of
this good Mother, how can she help but be ani-
mated with the same lofty sentiments that filled
the heart of Mary on that memorable occasion?
Mary gave thanks for the priceless treasure
confided to her care. The Christian mother
gives thanks because God has entrusted to her
care a soul created by Himself and consecrated
to Him in Baptism. The Christian mother
realizes that it is only Mary who can help her
to be true to this trust, and it must be the Mother
of Perpetual Help, because constant watchfulness
is necessary. Hence she will repeat time and
again: "Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for us."
In her days of expectation she called upon Mary
for aid and protection. Now she calls upon Mary
in order that her mother-joy may be full.
Is it well to pray that the good God may
take one's children to heaven, as the world
is getting so bad?
Such a prayer is allowed and is certainly not
wrong, if it springs from a spirit of charity such
as the question suggests. At least, parents
should be most resigned to the will of God when
ii4 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
their children die young in His grace and in His
love, or in their baptismal innocence. How true
it is that many die to earth and live to heaven
who, were they to live to earth for life's short
span, would die to heaven for the endless ages
of eternity. But let us not forget that a long
life spent in the loyal service of God means
eternal treasures of merit in heaven. Each act
of virtue means an increase of everlasting bliss.
A long and holy life is, accordingly, the greatest
blessing.
Is it enough to warn our children to be
good and not to do wrong, or must parents
pry into their affairs to see that they
really do right? They are all out of school.
One of them is seventeen years old and
ought to know what to do. They were
told of things in school.
Some young people keep late hours, frequent
questionable places, spend all their money on
pleasures, ignore their parents and treat them in
a harsh and sulky manner, and live as though
there were no Fourth Commandment. They
even add to their blameworthy and sinful conduct
by not going to Mass on Sunday and by neglect-
ing Holy Communion. If these and many
similar things constitute "their affairs" parents
must indeed pry into them and never cease by
word and by example to instruct and correct
them. Such young people are inviting the just
judgments of God upon themselves; and for
parents to pass over these things is to be negli-
gent in their sacred duty and guilty of co-opera-
tion in evil.
"They were told of things in school." This.
we presume, is an explanation, not an excuse.
And yet we know that there is a tendency among
many parents to leave everything to the school;
they simply will forget that home-training comes
DUTIES OF PARENTS 2.15
before school-training and lasts long after the
latter has ceased; they forget that the school
does not supplant the home but only aids it
(a few hours each day for some days each week
for some months of a number of years) in its
paramount duty of educating the child. A grave
responsibility rests upon parents of pointing out
to their children, young and old, from the sacred
citadel of the home, the road that leads to
heaven. In a thousand and one ways, by correc-
tion, exhortation, admonition, dissuasion, en-
couragement, instruction, good example, pious
reading, family prayers, frequentation of the
Sacraments, perusal of Catholic books and papers,
etc., etc., etc., it must be unceasingly impressed
upon them that they are here on earth to know
God, to love Him, to serve Him, and so at last
to reach heaven.
We wonder whether Catholic parents suffici-
ently realize the value of a human soul, particu-
larly the value of those souls whom God has so
wondrously confided to their care? And do they
realize their primal responsibility in their regard?
A mother has an eleven-year-old boy.
Once in a while she goes to a show and
takes him along, since she does not want
to bother the neighbors by leaving him
with them. The boy goes to confession
every week and to Communion daily.
Is it a sin for him to attend the show like
that and must he confess it?
No. If the play is decent in every way it is
not sinful for the boy nor for his mother to
attend. If the play is objectionable, the boy is
hardly at fault, since he is simply taken along;
the responsibility rests upon the mother.
Very probably the shows here mentioned are
the movies. See to it that they are really fit for
children to see. If they go to the movies it is
zi6 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
surely the ideal thing for parents who are good
and sensible enough to patronize only what is
worthy of their patronage to accompany them.
This letting the little ones run indiscriminately to
the movies is the bane of childhood in our country.
No wonder that American children are only too
often so sadly premature, that child marriages
are so numerous, that the juvenile courts are full
of child delinquents, that we are beginning to
read about boy bandits, too! The silver screen
is a mighty eloquent and effective teacher, as
Catholic parents learn to their sorrow when they
neglect the sacred duty of prudently supervising
their children's amusements.
The indifference of most Catholic parents in
this regard has been shocking. Instead of writ-
ing the name of God deep in the plastic hearts
of their little ones by sound Catholic training
and truly Christian vigilance, they have calmly
let those hearts be saturated with the malodorous
spirit of the world as depicted on the screen.
Yes; there are good films. But choose from
these the number of those that are good for
children. Such selection will keep parents busy
in a matter in which "busyness" is of the utmost
importance.
I have a boy of eighteen who stays out
nights until 12 :30 or 1 :00, and sometimes
until two o'clock. All our pleading is in
vain. When he comes home he has to
ring the bell, for his father won't give
him a key. Is it wrong for me to go to
bed and rest or must I stay up and wait
for him? Do you think I am too easy
about his welfare?
The father does not give him the key, but we
feel that he ought to give him something else, —
nothing less than the strap. In case he is reluctant
to do so, you yourself might play the man of the
DUTIES OF PARENTS
117
house by a seasonable and vigorous application
of the slipper! "But oh, that would never do,"
you say. "Why, he would — " So what is to be
done? There does seem to be a trace of parental
overfondness. Misguided affection is very subtle.
May it not be that a lack of home training is
at the bottom of it again? Still, even the very
best of parents must sometimes endure much at
the hands of the most disobedient of children.
Such is the spirit of the times. Children forget
the Commandment that God gave amid the
lightnings and thunders of Mt. Sinai: "Honor
thy father and thy mother, that thou mayest be
long-lived upon the land which the Lord thy
God will give thee." They forget that in Holy
Writ God curses disobedient children in no less
than thirty-three different passages. This is
the Commandment with a curse for its violators.
There is no escaping the inspired words: "He is
cursed of God that angereth his mother." "He
that afflicteth his father, and chaseth away his
mother, is infamous and unhappy."
Is it a sin for children to go to school
on a holyday of obligation, if they attend
Mass before going to school? We have
no Catholic school here.
Generally speaking and under the circum-
stances here mentioned it is no sin for the children.
They have attended to the strict obligation of
hearing Mass. And study, not being servile
work, is not forbidden on Sundays and holy days
of obligation.
Two things, however, ought to be taken into
consideration. The first is the danger of scandal
to others and to the little ones themselves; the
second is the peculiar impression that attendance
at a non-Catholic school on the big feast days of
the year may give them. For both these reasons
we would suggest that whenever possible, if it
zi8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
does not cause grave inconvenience, the children
be kept at home. They will thus learn from
their youth not only to do what they must do,
i. e., attend Mass, but also otherwise to keep
holy the Sundays and festivals of the Church.
In the Gospel of St. Matthew (Chapter
XV) we read of a woman of Chanaan who
asked Our Lord to have mercy on her and
cure her daughter, who was grievously
troubled by a devil. But the Savior said
to her: "It is not good to take the bread
of the children and to cast it to the dogs."
To which she replied: "Yea, Lord; for
the whelps also eat of the crumbs that fall
from the table of their masters.' ' And
then Jesus said: "O woman, great is
thy faith ; be it done to thee as thou wilt."
And from that hour her daughter was
cured. What does all this mean?
That woman was not of the Jewish race. She
was a Gentile and a Phoenician. Our Lord's
words to her were only apparently harsh and
discouraging: He wished to elicit a strong proof
of her great faith and humility. And His words
came to this: Is it fair for Me Who am sent
especially to the Jews, the chosen children of
God, to transfer My miracles, until the Jews are
fully satisfied, to the Gentiles, who hold no other
place than that of dogs in the family or house-
hold of God? Not to be baffled, the woman
replied, so to say: You call me a whelp, a worth-
less dog, and I know that the bread of the children
is not to be cast to me; but however mean I am,
I have some claim of attention. You call me a
whelp; and so I am; nourish me, therefore, as
whelps are nourished, with a crumb of the bread
that falls from my master's table. Great was her
faith, great her profound humility, and great her
reward.
DUTIES OF PARENTS 2.19
From this bit of Bible history we can clearly see
how parents should have recourse to the Savior
in all the necessities of their children and should
implore His divine assistance in their favor. We
are also taught how our Lord frequently puts off
hearing us in the first instance, in order to test
our humility, our faith, and our perseverance and
thus to render His gifts more acceptable in the
end. From it we also see the efficacy of persever-
ing importunity in prayer, of firm, unfaltering
faith, confidence, and humility.
Is it the duty of a teacher to help, outside
of school time, children who are slow in
learning or who do not apply themselves
while at school?
Teachers are obliged (the fourth command-
ment) in loving service, or dutifulness, to instruct
and educate their pupils, inasmuch as they take
this obligation upon themselves in the parents'
place; and they are obliged to do so in justice
both by reason of their office and of the salary
which they receive. There is thus a mutual rela-
tion and contract between parents and teachers.
But this relation and contract, unless it were
otherwise expressly specified, holds good for the
appointed school time only as regards actual
supervising and teaching of the children. It is,
accordingly, not of obligation for the teachers to
instruct backward or lazy children outside of
school hours. Indeed, since teachers must also
perfect themselves in knowledge as well as pre-
pare for their classes as a whole, such additional
attention to the few would be of detriment to the
many; and thus the common good would no
longer prevail over the individual good. After
school hours the children are again returned to
the parents, whose duty it then is to attend as
best they can to backward and indolent children.
Are parents allowed to let their children
xro QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
look at the daily newspapers? Sometimes
there are objectionable pictures — not ex-
actly what you would call immodest, but
yet indecent. What should we do about
it?
Good Catholic parents are confronted with
many such questions in our day and are often
puzzled. Though they cannot altogether prevent
the children from seeing and reading things that
are not really good for them, they can do much
by making everything in the home thoroughly
Catholic, — also the reading matter. A secular
daily is not at all indispensable in the Catholic
home, though one would almost think so from
the way Catholics only too often cling to the
same, to the utter neglect of Catholic papers.
Subscribe to a Catholic daily newspaper, to
Catholic weeklies and other periodicals; have
Catholic books in the house; accustom the chil-
dren from their earliest school days to reading
and appreciating Catholic literature. Why, for
instance, must the trashy Sunday paper be the
bible not only of non-Catholics but also of so
many Catholics? It is really deplorable. Much
can be done by early training and the good ex-
ample of Catholic parents.
Can parents be refused the Sacraments
for neglecting to send their children to
a Catholic school?
To begin with, we may say that absolution
must be denied to all who are unwilling to
comply with some serious obligation. Further-
more, if it is a sin that makes the case reserved
to higher authority, the priest needs special
faculties in order to absolve, even if the penitent
is properly disposed and capable of receiving
absolution.
Each bishop generally has his own ordinances
regarding this matter. It is for him to determine
DUTIES OF PARENTS ixi
under which circumstances Catholic parents
may send their children to the public school.
If parents are acting within their rights, accord-
ing to the laws of the diocese, they cannot for
this reason justly be refused absolution, much
less may the children be refused absolution. If,
however, the parents are manifestly disregarding
the laws of the Church and the diocese it is left
to the priest prudently to determine the guilt of
those parents by reason of disobedience, scandal,
and the danger to which they expose their
children; having determined this, it is up to him
to ascertain their disposition and, with all due
deference to the mind of the bishop, to gather
from thence whether absolution is to be given
or withheld.
We consider it rather deplorable that questions
of this kind should be asked at all. They imply
that there is at least a possibility of sending the
children to a Catholic school; and where there
is even a remote possibility Catholic parents
should have the faith and the sound common
sense to send them there, no matter what the
sacrifices. The shocking indifference of so many
Catholic parents in this matter is proof positive
that they little realize their tremendous responsi-
bility before God. They must one day give an
account of the souls of their children and woe
to them if they did not do all they could to give
them a good Catholic start in life, to form and
inform them aright, to show them the way to
heaven from the Catholic home and the Catholic
school. How terrible if they would have to hear:
"As long as you did it not to one of these least,
neither did you do it to Me." (Matt. 25:45.)
Is a mother too easy with her children
if she allows a boy of fourteen to remain
out until 9:30 or 10:00 o'clock in the
evening? He is hard to manage if we do
not let him go out.
2.2.2. QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
A boy should not be permitted regularly to
be out until such a late hour. It may be permitted
by way of exception from time to time, but in
this case his parents should know where and with
whom he is and what he is doing. This is the most
dangerous time of youth, when evil associates
only too often corrupt good manners, when, in
other words, bad companions are the living snares
of the devil. It is above all at this time, when the
boy changes into the man, that he needs the
shelter of a good Catholic home and the guidance
of prudent and watchful elders. If he is hard to
manage, parental authority must nevertheless
be upheld with kindly yet firm and unyielding
hand. We are not saying that a boy of that age
must be in bed by nine o'clock, though even this
were to be recommended, but that he should
find his pleasure at home in music, reading, recre-
ation, and happy association with the members
of the family.
All of which holds good, word for word, for
girls at a similar age — at all ages, really, up to at
least eighteen and twenty-one. To the wise
this is sufficient.
A Catholic mother is in great trouble.
Her only child, her lovely daughter, mar-
ried a non-Catholic boy before a Justice
of Peace. They were never married over
by a priest. Now they have had a quarrel
because he doesn't support her but drinks
up all his money. He is living up north
and she is staying at home. The mother
wants to know if anything can be done
for her. Can she get a divorce? And can
she later be married to another in the
Catholic Church? She was born and
raised a Catholic and is really a well-
meaning girl. She now bitterly regrets
the step she took when she listened to
his deceitful promises.
DUTIES OF PARENTS 113
The girl was not married by a priest. Hence
it was (present legislation) no valid marriage in
the eyes of the Church. But, of course, she is
married in the eyes of the state because of the
civil contract. To avoid various dangers she may
(and on good grounds, according to your question)
get a divorce and thus extricate herself from the
mess into which her folly precipitated her. But
she should do nothing without first consulting
the pastor and having the matter properly sub-
ordinated to ecclesiastical authority. It is some-
times necessary to proceed with great prudence,
lest manifold scandal be given and misunder-
standings arise. We hope this is quite clear.
In order to preclude any misunderstanding even
here, we repeat: The Church does not recognize
divorce, strictly so called. But from the beginning
that marriage was null and void before the
Church. When the girl gets a divorce their
legal marriage will be legally dissolved by the
state and she will be legally free to marry (again) .
Do you think God will hear my prayer
if I pray for priestly or religious vocations
for my children?
Such prayers are surely most pleasing to God.
Will He answer them? Who could doubt it.
The following examples are exceedingly interest-
ing and truly encouraging. They constitute our
answer.
In the "Life of Cardinal Vaughan" we read:
"It was a favorite saying of Mrs. Vaughan that
she had received all from God, and so must be
ready to give everything back to Him. And
what more precious had she to give and surrender
than her own children? She wanted them all to
become priests and nuns. She besought God to
send vocations to them all. For nearly twenty
years it was her daily practice to spend an hour —
from five to six in the afternoon — before the
zi4 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Blessed Sacrament asking this favor, that God
would call everyone of her children to serve Him
in the Choir or in the Sanctuary. In the event
all her five daughters entered convents, and of
her eight sons six became priests. Of these six
three also became bishops." Examples teach.
Again, even before her marriage to the saintly
Louis Martin the Little Flower's mother was
wont to pray thus: 4'0 my God, since I am un-
worthy to be Thy spouse, like my dear sister, I
shall enter the married state to fulfill Thy hoJd
will; and I beseech Thee to make me the moth^f
of many children, and to grant that all of them
may be dedicated to Thee." The holy couple
were blessed with nine children. Four of them
died in infancy, two boys and two girls. The
remaining five, all girls, entered convents. The
last of these girls, the ninth child, was St. Teresa
of the Child Jesus, the Little Flower. Examples
speak louder than words.
And yet again, that authoritative Catholic
newspaper, the Osservatore Romano, in its issue
of August 29, 1930, tells of a certain district in
Italy, called Lu, in the diocese of Casale Mon-
ferrato, which district has a population of 4,000.
From this district with the aforesaid population
500 priests or religious of both sexes have gone
forth (12.5 per cent) during the past fifty years
or so. How are we to account for this extra-
ordinary fecundity in vocations? The answer
is: Prayer. In 1870, we are told, ten or twelve
mothers began to get together once a month on
Sunday afternoon and pray to God that He give
many good priests and religious to His Church.
For eleven years, up to 1881, though the place
did not have a pastor of its own, those good
mothers continued their monthly supplication.
Then their regular pastors fostered the move-
ment and got all the mothers of the place to
attend the monthly conference and prayers for
DUTIES OF PARENTS 1x5
vocation. This assembly always took place on
the first Sunday of the month, after Communion
had been received and Mass and other prayer
offered for the same intention in the morning.
It is to be noted that in Lu frequent Communion
was already practiced in 1870, so that forty
Communions were given daily. Today there are
70,000 Communions in a year; there are 160
daily communicants. God has blessed this
parish abundantly indeed. Five hundred priests
and religious!
In the face of such facts, who can for a moment
doubt the efficacy, nay, even the necessity of
prayer in the matter of vocation?
My little boy is now seven years of age.
He has not yet made his first confession
and Communion. Do I commit a sin if
I keep him away from Mass on a Sunday
or holyday of obligation?
According to Canon Law (Canon 88, No. 3)
the use of reason is to be presumed in children
at the age of seven years completed. This was
the rule formulated in the decree Quam singulari
(Aug. 8, 1910) on the age for the Communion of
children. "The age of discretion," we read
therein, "both for confession and for Communion,
is that at which the child begins to reason, that
is, about seven years. It is at this moment that
the obligation begins to bind concerning the ful-
fillment of the two-fold precept of confession and
Communion." However, so long as children
have not reached the age of puberty (fourteen
years for boys and twelve for girls) the obligation
of the precept of Communion (and confession)
binds also and in a special manner those who
have charge of them, that is, parents, guardians,
confessors, teachers, and the pastor (Canon 860).
In your case, accordingly, as regards your boy's
observing the precepts of annual confession and
ix6 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
paschal Communion, the boy himself would sin
only in the measure in which he would evince
malice by his abstention, which would ordinarily
not be grave; whereas the parents, in neglecting
to see, either on their own behalf or through
someone else, that he does his duty, would sin
mortally against natural piety, except, of course,
when there are excusing circumstances , ignorance,
prejudice, etc.
The same holds good with regard to your boy's
going to Mass on Sundays and holydays of
obligation.
PERTAINING TO FAST AND ABSTINENCE
When is a person excused from the law
of abstinence on Friday?
Your question is very practical. Since this
law binds all Catholics under pain of mortal sin,
except children under seven years of age, it is
important to know when you are considered
excused by Holy Church. We will briefly mention
some cases:
1. All those are excused who, on account of
serious infirmity or natural weakness, cannot
digest their food when it is prepared without
meat. Such, if they are fully convinced that they
cannot abstain without serious injury to their
health, do not need any dispensation; they are
exempt, excused. But if it is not quite clear that
they are exempt, it is advisable that they consult
their confessors, to get a safe assurance of their
exemption or to procure a dispensation. Gener-
ally speaking, a more serious reason is required
to be excused from abstinence than from fasting.
2. Likewise all travelers who cannot find a
sufficiency of other substantial food than meats
are excused from the law of abstinence. But
they should abstain if without much difficulty
they can find a hotel or restaurant where fish or
eggs can be procured.
3. On Fridays or other days of abstinence
Catholics should not, as a rule, accept invitations
to dine out with non-Catholics. But if from some
unexpected cause they are at a table on which
no other substantial food than meat is served
they may consider themselves excused from
abstinence, provided they do not thereby scandalize
their neighbor, as religious or priests surely would,
and provided that they be not on sufficiently familiar
terms with their host to ask that lawful food be pre-
«.7
lz8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
pared for them. From this can be deduced the
falsity of the absurd assertion that just because
you happen to be with a non-Catholic family
you may eat meat on Friday!
4 In many isolated places in the United
States it is practically impossible to procure
substantial food other than meat. In such a
locality workmen and their families, like miners,
wood-cutters, loggers, and those working in saw-
mills, etc., may freely eat whatever can be bought.
They, too, are excused.
5. Other extraordinary cases may arise in
which the good sense of the Catholic household
will give assurance of exemption. But the loyal
child of Holy Mother Church is ever slow to
avail himself of freedom from a practice of
penance that is actually dear to the Catholic
heart.
May one use bacon grease in preparing
food on Friday?
Yes. But all noticeable particles of meat
should be removed.
It might be well to mention the new Canon
Law of the Church, as touching upon this point:
"The law of abstinence forbids the eating of
flesh-meat and broth or soup made of meat; but
it does not forbid eggs, lacticinia, and seasoning
with fat of animals." The term lacticinia in-
cludes everything that is produced from milk as
well as the milk itself; cheese, butter, margarine,
etc. These may therefore be used even on days
of abstinence. Fat of animals was defined as the
fat, grease, or lard of any animal, not only of hogs.
In order to settle an argument will you
please answer the following question: If
people are exempt from fast at sixty years
of age, are they also exempted from ab-
staining from meat on Ember Days or on
other fast days throughout the year?
FAST AND ABSTINENCE 2.2.9
The law of fast, which obliges one to control
one's appetite for food by eating only one full
meal a day, binds all adults between the ages of
21 and 59, who are neither exempt, excused, nor
dispensed from the law. The law of abstinence,
which commands one to abstain from flesh-meat
on certain days, binds all those who have arrived
at the age of seven years, no matter how old
they may be. Old age does not give any special
privilege in the matter of abstinence, with the
exception of the following exemption: On days
when meat is allowed all under 21 years of age
and all over 59 years of age may eat meat as
often as they choose. This exception has reference
to the fact that on fast days those who are actually
bound to fast are allowed to eat meat only once
on such a day and that only at the full meal.
Who are excused from fasting?
The law of fasting binds the faithful only after
they have attained the age of twenty-one and
until the beginning of the sixtieth year, that is,
until one is fully fifty-nine years old. But many
who would be bound to fast are excused by virtue
of a dispensation. Dispensations from fasting as
well as abstinence may be obtained for any good
reason from the bishop, or the pastor, or some
other priest having ordinary, quasi-ordinary, or
delegated jurisdiction.
Inability to fast may be physical or moral. It
excuses the sick, convalescents, pregnant and
nursing women, all who are in delicate health,
the poor who cannot obtain enough food at any
time to eat a full meal, as well as those who are
obliged to perform hard bodily labor in fields,
mines or workshops, or severe mental work, such
as teaching, frequent preaching or hearing con-
fessions; also physicians, judges, travelers (under
certain circumstances), and those whom fasting
would hinder in the performance of pious and
i3o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
charitable works. The Church imposes fasting
and abstinence as a means of furthering good
works, and therefore does not wish this law to
stand in the way of anything that is better or
more necessary.
It may be further remarked that if the reasons
why one is excused are clear and undeniable, for
instance, serious injury to his health; or that if,
on account of physical or mental labor or his
peculiar constitution, one is fully convinced that
he cannot fast; or if, on account of his exertions
for the spiritual or temporal welfare of his neigh-
bor, he would be forced by fasting to abandon
his duties or could not perform them properly;
such a one does not need a dispensation, does
not need express permission; he is by that very
fact excused. Nevertheless, unless he is clearly
exempt from the fast, it is advisable that he
consult his pastor or confessor and lay the case
before him and get either a declaration of exemp-
tion or a dispensation. The priest may — but
is ordinarily not obliged to — impose upon him
some other good work of supererogation, such as
alms, prayers, Stations of the Cross, etc.
Speaking of abstinence, will you kindly
answer the question, "Why isn't fish
meat?"
Simply because in the common estimation of
men it is not considered so. As regards the law
of abstinence, the flesh of animals is divided into
meat and fish. Meat is forbidden on days of
abstinence, but it is allowed to eat fish, because
the flesh of fish is less nourishing and less tasty
than meat. Thus the taste is mortified and the
body is weakened through the deprivation of a
bit of nourishment, making it easier for the
soul to handle it.
The ecclesiastical distinction between meat and
fish is not based on the theories of the medical
FAST AND ABSTINENCE rii
profession. To know what is fish and what is
meat we must have recourse to custom and com-
mon consent among the faithful.
The flesh of mammals and birds is meat, with
the exception of those that ordinarily live in
water and are, at least presumably, nourished by
fish. The flesh of all animals that have cold
blood is called fish, for example, fish strictly so
called, frogs, turtles, snails, oysters, crabs.
When an animal falls under the class of meat,
all parts of that animal are included in the law
of abstinence, e. g., the blood, the marrow of the
bones, etc., unless through custom or special in-
dult the use of some part is permitted. However,
the fat of these animals (when melted, as lard
is in preparing food) and things produced by
them, such as eggs, milk, butter, are not for-
bidden on days of abstinence. Likewise mar-
garine is not forbidden.
When in doubt as to whether a thing is meat
or fish, it is allowed to eat it. Only that is for-
bidden which is with certainty known to be meat.
Is it allowed on a day of abstinence to
partake of food of which you have a doubt
whether little particles of meat are in it?
For instance, while preparing a meal little
pieces of meat will sometimes get mixed
up with the other food that is afterwards
eaten on a day of abstinence?
Theologians distinguish between positive and
negative doubt. When there are no reasons, or
very slight reasons, on either side, there is a
negat've doubt. Such doubts, which calm con-
sideration generally shows to be unfounded,
must be treated like temptations and quietly
dismissed from the mind.
We are here confronted with a case of negative
doubt. "Am I eating meat or not?" That is
the doubt; and it is negative because there is
132. QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
no reason for thinking that you are — the reason
that you give being so small as to be equivalent
to nothing.
If you have a doubt of this kind in matters
such as the one brought out in your question,
remember that, in spite of the doubt, you can
always say, "I am sure in conscience that it is
not wrong." No attention is to be paid to such
doubts. Indeed, he would act most imprudently
who for no reason or for a very light reason
would let himself be determined to do or not to
do a thing. Hence in a case like the above you
should calmly act as though there were no doubt
at all.
It is most certainly allowed to partake of such
food as you mention on days of abstinence.
Is it allowed to eat marshmallows on
Friday and other days of abstinence? As
marshmallows contain gelatine, what
about desserts containing gelatine on the
days mentioned?
A marshmallow is a confection in the form of
a sweetened paste; also, a similar confection
made from gum arabic or gelatine, confectioners'
sugar, and white of egg. Even though gelatine
goes into the composition of this delicacy it is
permitted to eat it on Fridays; for gelatine,
according to reputable authority, is not for-
bidden on days of abstinence.
Gelatine, by the way, is animal jelly, a glutin-
ous material obtained from animal tissues by
prolonged boiling. A similar preparation can be
made from fruit only, by boiling down fruit juice
with sugar, and we then, as a rule, simply call it
jelly. The question here is about gelatine, or
animal jelly.
Desserts containing gelatine may, accordingly,
be eaten on Fridays and days of abstinence.
If the hired help, such as those working
FAST AND ABSTINENCE z33
in the fields, are Protestant men, is it a
sin to serve meat for them on Fridays and
other days of abstinence?
Strictly speaking, all who are baptized, whether
they be heretics, schismatics, non-Catholics, or
anything else whatsoever, are bound by the laws
of the Church. But in view of the strange mix-
ture of crass ignorance in religious matters among
those not actually Catholics, the vast numbers of
unbaptized, the questionable validity of baptism
in the sects, and the merely material heresy in
which the majority of sincere Protestants find
themselves, we may say that, as regards certain
ecclesiastical laws that pertain to the sanctifi-
cation of souls, for instance, the laws of fast,
abstinence, keeping holy the Sunday, the Church
does not wish them to be so bound.
Hence it may be reasonably supposed that
Holy Church, being a good Mother, and most
wise and prudent, though she could, does not
wish to bind the baptized outside her communion
by the law of abstinence.
This being the case, it is no sin for Protestants
to eat meat on Friday.
Therefore it is no sin to serve meat for them
on Fridays and other days of abstinence.
May gelatine be eaten on a day of absti-
nence ?
Gelatine is formed by the hydrating action of
boiling water on the collagen of tendons, bones,
ligaments, etc. As a food its use is permitted on
days of abstinence, despite the fact that many
who are misinformed hesitate to eat or serve it
on such days. While the original substance is
taken from animals, scientific analysis of the
food produc called gelatine shows that a chemical
change is effected and a new substance results
which cannot be included in the abstinence pro-
hibition. (Various food products that boast of
x34 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
some patented name with the syllable "Jell"
are simply gelatine dessert preparations.)
Gelatine and similar preparations may be eaten
on days of abstinence. "Substances that are not
commonly regarded as meat and have no taste
of meat do not seem to fall under the Church's
prohibition to eat meat." (Vermeersch-Creusen,
Epit. Juris Can. II, p. 330.) We are under no
obligation to inquire how such substances are
prepared.
Why is it a sin to eat meat on Fridays ?
Because the Church commands us not to do
so. The second commandment of the Church is
this: "To fast and abstain on the days ap-
pointed." And one of those days is the Friday
of each week. The Church commands us to
abstain from flesh-meat on Fridays in honor of
the day on which our Savior died — as a little
sacrifice on the day on which the God-Man
sacrificed His life for us.
Is it a mortal sin for one who is fasting
to eat two full meals a day?
One who is obliged by the law of the Church
to fast and who is not excused from fasting for
some reason or who has not obtained a dispen-
sation therefrom commits a mortal sin by wilfully
and knowingly eating two full meals on a fastday.
Only one full meal is allowed.
It were well to recall from time to time that
the Church commands us to fast and abstain in
order that we may mortify our passions and
satisfy for our sins. Take, for instance, the
sensual appetites, called the concupiscence of the
flesh. They often enough revolt against reason;
and often enough it becomes a necessity and a
duty to chastise the body and bring it under
subjection by fasting and abstinence.
The fellows at the shop say that a hard-
FAST AND ABSTINENCE 135
working man may eat meat on Friday.
I say they are dreaming. How about it?
If the individual in question has received a
dispensation from his pastor or confessor he may
eat meat on Friday. Otherwise he is bound by
the law of abstinence, unless perchance he should
be in a locality where it is practically impossible
to secure substantial food other than meat, in
which case he is by that very fact excused.
Are brains and frog legs classed as fish,
or meat?
The brains of animals whose flesh is forbidden
on days of abstinence are classed as meat. Frog
legs are classed as fish.
May beans baked with pork be eaten
on Friday, if the pork is removed before
eating? May sauerkraut that has been
cooked with meat be eaten on Fridays, if
the meat is removed?
Canon 1250 of the Code of Canon Law states
that soup or broth made of meat is forbidden
on days of abstinence. The same Canon Law
allows the seasoning of food with animal fats.
In all animals we find layers of tissues or lumps
of fat distinct from the flesh itself. Out of these
lard and other animal fats are gained. The white
flesh of animals, which is also called fat, is flesh
just the same as the lean or muscular tissues.
When meat is fried (especially if it contains layers
of the white or fatty flesh, e. g., in bacon), grease
flows from it, usually called drippings. Drippings,
lard, and other animal fats may be used in frying
potatoes and in cooking other foods on days of
abstinence. But the eating of food on days of
abstinence in which flesh meat has been cooked
is not allowed, even if the particles not "cooked
up" have been removed; for we nevertheless
have much of the juice of meat in the food, which
j.36 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
juice, as said above, makes it unlawful to eat meat
soup on Fridays.
Hence, it is not correct to say that preparing
foods in this way seems to be no more than
seasoning them with the meat flavor; for a great
part of the substance of the meat has been cooked
into the beans, sauerkraut, etc. And Canon
1250 certainly forbids us to eat the juice of meat
as strictly as it forbids the eating of meat itself.
Even those who cannot fully see the reasoning
that leads to the above answer must at least ad-
mit that the eating on Fridays of such food as
mentioned in the above question is an abuse and
surely does not give evidence of the spirit of
mortification implied by abstinence.
I am twenty-one and thus bound in
conscience to fast on the days appointed.
Now, the parish I belong to is a mission,
the priest coming only once in two weeks.
Should fast days come when one is not
able to ask for a dispensation, what
penance should a person do or say to
dispense himself from fasting?
You cannot dispense yourself from fasting,
even though there is no priest at hand. But it
may be that you are excused from fasting be-
cause of illness, weakness, hard work, or some
of the many other reasons. Those who are thus
excused from fasting need no dispensation. If
you are in doubt as to whether you are excused
or not, ask your confessor. No special obligatory
prayers are prescribed for those who are simply
excused from fasting or dispensed from it by the
priest. But it is well to do some extra good work
to show God one's good will and to do penance
for one's sins.
Nowfthat Christmas is coming again I
have a hard question to ask. On the vigil
of Easter Sunday the law of fast and absti-
FAST AND ABSTINENCE 2.37
nence binds only until 12:00 o'clock noon.
Does the vigil of Christmas continue until
midnight? Or may one partake of a
lunch, including meat, before twelve
o'clock midnight? You see, we consider
Christmas as beginning during the night
and have our little family festivities begin
around 9:00 or 10:00 o'clock. And one of
our Christmas dishes is a meat-pie.
The vigil of Easter is anticipated and hence is
liturgically all over by twelve o'clock noon. As
regards the vigil of Christmas, it is an entire
day of fast and abstinence, unless it falls on a
Sunday. The regular fast is to be observed, i. e.,
only about two ounces of solid food in the morn-
ing, a full meal at noon, and a collation of about
eight ounces in the evening. But for the vigil
of Christmas a universal custom permits the
taking of double the usual amount, about sixteen
ounces, at the evening collation. This is called
the ieunium gaudiosum, the joyful fast. How-
ever, this joyful fast does not dispense one from
abstinence on this day. Hence, meat may not
be eaten unless one is dispensed or excused from
abstinence on other grounds. Even those who
are benefited by the Workingmen's Indult, which
has reference to abstinence only, may not par-
take of meat on the vigil of Christmas. How-
ever, we refrain from entering further into this
matter and refer you to the respective (Lenten)
regulations issued by your Bishop. You might,
by the way, have your collation at noon and take
your full meal at any time in the evening, when
you have your Christmas festivities. That is
quite permissible and is a convenient solution
in this and many similar circumstances. When
all is said, we ought joyfully to embrace every
opportunity for self-abnegation, in the spirit of
Holy Church. Fasting may at times be well-
nigh impossible; abstinence is rarely so.
138 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Does chewing gum break the fast before
Holy Communion when all the sweets
have been extracted by long chewing. I
have heard "Yes" and "No."
The fast is not broken by what comes from
within the mouth (e. g., blood from the gums,
food remaining between the teeth from the previ-
ous day) or by what is taken into the stomach in
the way of saliva (e. g., the accidental remnants
of a mouth wash or of brushing the teeth or of a
throat gargle or spray or of a chew of tobacco
or gum, when one has spit out the contents as
much as possible, though it is not necessary to
spit out the saliva caused by chewing gum from
which absolutely nothing more can be extracted,
provided care be taken not to swallow any pieces
of the gum); nor is the fast broken by what is
taken in the way of breathing (e. g., snuff, tobacco
smoke inhaled, an insect or raindrop blown
into the mouth).
The *'Yes" you mention no doubt refers to the
swallowing of the sweets extracted from a new
piece of gum or to swallowing fragments of the
gum. The "No" is our answer given above.
But, after all, why chew gum before receiving
Holy Communion?
Please answer the following questions
about the Eucharistic fast: (1) Does one
who accidentally swallows a mouthful of
water when brushing the teeth break the
required fast for Holy Communion? (2)
Suppose one has a very special intention
for receiving Communion and forgetfully
takes a swallow of water, just how grave a
matter is it to receive that morning? (3)
Suppose one accidentally swallows a drop
or two of water while cleaning the teeth,
is that considered as breaking the fast?
(4) To receive Communion at Midnight
FAST AND ABSTINENCE z39
Mass what fast must be observed before-
hand?
Since we have answered similar questions re-
peatedly before, we merely give a concise reply
to them now. (1) Yes; such a one has certainly
broken the fast. (2) The special intention makes
no difference. It would be a grave matter, a
mortal sin, to receive that morning. (3) In
order to break the fast the act of eating or drink-
ing is required and not merely aspiration or simple
swallowing of saliva which may have entailed,
without any intention of taking nourishment, the
absorption of some slight amount of solid or
liquid substance. When the quantity is so in-
significant, it is the intention alone which would
make the absorption a separate act. Barring
such intention, it is identical with a mere swallow-
ing by way of saliva, and a drop or two thus
accidentally swallowed does not break the fast.
Naturally, that would not hold with a consider-
able quantity of food or drink which is absorbed
even involuntarily, since that is a vital act in
which it is impossible to see a simple swallowing
of saliva. (4) The person must be fasting from
twelve o'clock midnight on. It is, however,
proper and reverential to fast from 8:00 or 9:00
P. M. on, unless there is some reason for the
contrary, in which case no sin is, of course, com-
mitted.
If a Catholic is at a picnic where non-
Catholics are present, :s it a sin for him
to eat meat sandwiches on Friday, if they
are passed to him?
In commanding us to abstain from flesh-meat
on Fridays the Church asks but a little sacrifice
on the day on which the God-Man sacrificed his
life for us, dying upon the cross in untold agony.
Therefore, only absolute necessity that knows no
law should be invoked as a valid excuse for not
i4o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
observing abstinence on Friday, unless it ceases
to be a day of abstinence because a feast of
obligation (except within the Lenten season)
falls on it or because a general dispensation has
been given or a particular dispensation obtained.
It is hard to imagine a case of absolute necessity
in the above question. If a cheese sandwich or
some other lawful refreshment cannot be obtained
then and there, it surely would not be an un-
endurable sacrifice to wait until it could be pro-
cured. In case of actual necessity he could eat
the bread, putting the meat aside. By thus show-
ing his loyalty to the Church he would merit the
respect of all right-minded non-Catholics, whereas
by showing himself a coward and a traitor he
would rightly deserve (and probably get) their
scorn and contempt. A man who stands up for
his principles in the face of possible ridicule is a
hero every time.
Catholics should make it a point not to dine
out, on Fridays and days of abstinence, with
non-Catholic friends that do not understand.
But if for some unexpected cause they are at a
table on which no other substantial food than
meat is served, they may be dispensed from
abstinence, provided they do not thereby scan-
dalize their neighbor, as religious and priests
surely would, and provided they are not on
sufficiently familiar terms with their host to ask
that licit food be prepared for them.
On the whole we are inclined to think that some
Catholics take this matter of abstinence too easily.
Is the law of abstinence to be observed only
unless some one hands me a meat sandwich?
After all, in case of necessity, the pangs of hunger
can be stilled for twenty-four hours by dry bread
alone, if there is any real spirit of mortification
and self-denial in a man. There are millions of
people in the world at all times who would be
happy if they were sure of their daily bread.
FAST AND ABSTINENCE z4i
If a person were to forget that it is
Friday and sitting down to a meal would
take a bite of meat into his mouth, then
suddenly remember that it is a day of
abstinence, how should he proceed? a)
May he finish the meat he has started to
eat? b) Is he allowed to finish the piece
of meat on his plate?
What would a good Catholic instinctively do?
He would quietly remove the bit of meat from
his mouth and leave the rest untouched on his
plate. Nor would he find this little mortification
so crushingly hard. Even if he were not at home
but at table somewhere with non-Catholics, he
would leave the meat uneaten and remark with
a quiet smile: "I had almost forgotten that this
is Friday." All would understand and honor
him for his steadfast observance of the Second
Precept of the Church.
That is what he would do. What could he do?
He could without any sin swallow the bit of meat
he has in his mouth; for, since such a small
amount (anything less than two ounces) is for-
bidden only under pain of venial sin, a reasonable
cause would make it entirely licit to eat the same :
and here the reasonable cause is the slight in-
decency of spitting out a mouthful of food. He
could without sin finish the piece of meat on his
plate if (when away from home) that flesh meat
were the only food he had before him and he
could neither procure other food nor leave with-
out grave inconvenience; or if (when at home)
it were the only food and no other could be pre-
pared, or the meat could not be kept until the
following day without notable detriment.
Catholics must be on their guard not to take
the matter of Friday abstinence too lightly. It
should be a mortification. Still, if it is impossible
to abstain, if one is morally forced to eat meat,
but not as a sign of contempt of the law, one is
142- QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
excused for that time from the observance of
the Second Precept of the Church.
I have a non-Catholic friend who asks
me many questions. Among others he
once asked: "How is it that on days of
abstinence you may use drippings for
cooking and may not eat soup made from
meat?'' I could not answer.
The answer is simple enough. We are per-
mitted by Canon Law to use drippings but not
to eat meat soup. In virtue of Canon 1250
(formerly by Apostolic Indult) lard and drippings
of the fat of any animal are allowed in the prepa-
ration of food on all fastdays; but in this permis-
sion is not included the use of meat -juice or soups
made from flesh -meat on days when meat is not
allowed. Here we again see the considerateness
of Holy Mother Church. She realizes how
difficult it would be to prepare food without
drippings and allows their use. The Canon
mentioned is substantially as follows: "The law
of abstinence forbids the eating of flesh-meat and
broth or soup made of meats; but it does not
forbid eggs, lacticinia (milk and its products),
and seasoning with fat of animals."
On Fridays and fastdays may I eat:
doughnuts or fried cakes, ice cream,
French fried potatoes, German fried pota-
toes, potato chips, fried fish, shortcake,
jello, mayonnaise? May I use tooth paste
and cold cream?
Yes; you may, of course, eat or use all these
things on Fridays and fastdays. The foods you
mention are all abstinence foods. The quantity,
however, may have to be limited on fastdays,
as you are aware. You also know that the fat
of animals may be used in the preparation of
abstinence foods ; and the fat of animals has been
defined as the fat, grease, or lard of any animal,
FAST AND ABSTINENCE 143
not only of hogs. The use of tooth paste does
not break even the strict fast to be observed
before receiving Holy Communion, provided you
are reasonably careful to spit out everything
while brushing the teeth. The preparation known
as cold cream, for use on the face, hands etc.,
is quite outside the question here.
Since you are inclined to be overanxious in this
matter, we give the following rule: In doubt
whether a food is fish or flesh (abstinence food or
not), it may be judged to be fish, for in doubts laws
are to be interpreted benignly.
When a Catholic man marries a Protes-
tant woman and never goes to his church
again but to her church, is he still con-
sidered a Catholic? Is he still bound to
fast and abstain on the prescribed days
and to keep the holy days?
Such a person is, to use a general term, a fallen-
away Catholic; he belongs to a class for whose
salvation we may well fear. Canon 1325, n. 2,
defines three classes of Catholics who have suf-
fered "shipwreck in the faith." Those who,
having been baptized, retain the name of Chris-
tians, but obstinately deny or doubt some of the
truths that must be believed by divine or Catholic
faith are heretics. Those who have given up the
Christian faith entirely and fallen away from it
are apostates. Those who refuse to obey the
Sovereign Pontiff or to live in union with those
who submit to him are schismatics. (Schism
hardly ever occurs without heresy.)
A fallen-away Catholic is bound to observe
the laws you mention, also in case he is excom-
municated, with the exception of acts that may
then be forbidden him. And apostates, heretics,
and schismatics from the faith incur by that
very fact excommunication reserved in a special
manner to the Holy See. (Canon 2314.) In
144 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
order that a delict be established, the adherence
to a doctrine at variance with the teaching of
the Church, or an obstinate doubt, must be mani-
fested externally by speech, writing, conclusive
action, as by formal communication. Since an
excommunicated person loses, among many other
things, the right of active and passive participa-
tion in the divine service, he is of course not
bound to assist thereat; but things that are not
forbidden him, such as fast and abstinence, are
binding still. Otherwise such a one would derive
advantage from his delict.
In the Calendar section of a Catholic
magazine for January after the feast of
the Epiphany, we read the words, put in
parenthesis, "Abstinence dispensed." The
feast fell on Friday that year. Did this
mean that we could eat meat on that
Friday ?
Canon 1252, n. 4, says that on Sundays and
holydays of obligation the law of abstinence, or
of abstinence and fasting, or of fasting alone,
ceases, except on holydays in Lent; nor need
vigils that fall on a Sunday be observed on a
preceding day. And the Lenten fast and absti-
nence cease on Holy Saturday at 12 o'clock noon.
Now, the holydays of obligation for the uni-
versal Church are ten in number: Christmas, the
Circumcision, the Epiphany, the Ascension,
Corpus Christi, the Immaculate Conception, the
Assumption, St. Joseph's Day (March 19), the
feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, and All Saints' Day.
(Canon 1247.) But in the United States there
are only six holydays of obligation, by special
decree of the Holy See: the Immaculate Con-
ception, Christmas, the Circumcision, the Ascen-
sion, the Assumption, and All Saints' Day.
The others are suppressed, as we say.
The exception made at the beginning of this
FAST AND ABSTINENCE 145
answer is restricted to those days which are
really days of obligation in the respective place,
so that neither the law of fasting nor of absti-
nence ceases in places where a holyday of obli-
gation is suppressed. (AAS, X (1918), p. 170.)
The feast of the Epiphany is suppressed in the
United States. Hence one may not, in the
United States, eat meat on that day if it occurs
on a Friday.
The words to which you refer, "Abstinence
dispensed," simply meant, "Abstinence dis-
pensed in countries where this is a holyday of
obligation." The parenthetical reminder may
have been put in especially for readers in Canada,
where the Epiphany is a holyday of obligation.
PERTAINING TO INDULGENCES
What is meant by gaining an in-
dulgence ?
An indulgence is a remission in whole or in
part of the temporal punishment due to sin.
Often temporal punishment remains due to a
sinner after eternal punishment has been re-
mitted. That temporal punishment consists in
sufferings which God will inflict upon the soul in
this life or in purgatory, until it has paid all its
debts and is quite free from stain.
But this debt of temporal punishment can also
be paid by gaining indulgences. Indulgences are
plenary or partial and can be gained by perform-
ing certain good works under certain conditions,
as prescribed by the Church.
The following excellent quotation beautifully
brings out the great utility of the consoling
doctrine of indulgences: "Today more than ever,
people love comfort and ease, and shrink from
all kinds of sacrifices, such as fasts, macerations
of the body, hair-shirts and all other mortifica-
tions, and notwithstanding they are not more
God-fearing, nor freer from sin, nor more pious,
charitable and devoted to God's service. How
then can we hope to satisfy for the temporal
punishments due to our mortal and venial sins,
even if we may trust in God's mercy, that our
mortal sins have been forgiven as to the eternal
punishment due to them? The Church offers
numerous indulgences both plenary and partial
to remit all or a part of the temporal punishment
due to our sins, and if we shrink from bodily pains,
the Church aims to make us more spiritual,
although not less perfect, by exciting in our
hearts an ardent love of God, devotedness in His
service and perfect conformity to His holy will
246
INDULGENCES 2.47
For the pious works, exercises, prayers and
practices to which rich indulgences are attached,
tend to render Christians more fervent and de-
voted in their filial piety towards their infinitely
bountiful God, as well as more holy and perfect;
for, if in this world we wish to be free from great
afflictions and tribulations, pains and mortifica-
tions— and God so disposes it — we are bound
to make up for the defects of our past by the
sanctity of our lives."
Kindly tell me what is meant by an in-
dulgence of one hundred days.
An indulgence is the remission, in whole or in
part, of the temporal punishment due to sin,
that punishment which remains after the eternal
punishment has been remitted. How much such
punishment is remitted by an indulgence of one
hundred days? We give the following popular
explanation :
In the early ages of the Church the penances
imposed for sin were much more severe than
are those now usually given. There were public
penances, severe fasts, wearing of sackcloth and
ashes, and such like severities. Some penances
were called canonical, because they were imposed,
not at the mere will of the confessor, but ac-
cording to certain canons, or laws, of the Church.
So, for instance, for breaking the Sabbath one
had to fast three days on bread and water; ten
days for talking in church. A penance of from
three to ten years was imposed for disobedience;
of ten years for adulterers; of a lifetime for
murderers. Such penitents were, moreover,
excluded from church or made to stand at the
door in penitential garb. By doing this penance
they obtained remission of temporal punishments
due to their sins. Now, when we say that one
gains an indulgence of one hundred days we mean
that as much temporal punishment is remitted
z48 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
by God as would have been remitted by one
hundred days of the severe canonical penance
of the early ages of the Church.
This being so, what a treasure indulgences
really are! Those are, indeed, wise in the Holy
Ghost who strive to gain as many as they can.
What is the difference between a plenary
indulgence and an indulgence of days (a
partial indulgence)?
We all know what an indulgence is. It is not
a pardon of sin or a license to commit sin, but a
remission in whole or part of the temporal
punishment due to sin.
Now, an indulgence is plenary when all punish-
ment due to sin may be remitted by it. Not-
withstanding the enormity of our indebtedness
to God for our sins, even for mortal sins already
forgiven, if we gain one single plenary indulgence
all the temporal punishment due to our sins is
remitted. Hence, in case one would die immedi-
ately after gaining a plenary indulgence, he would
go directly to heaven; he would not have to pass
through purgatory to make any further satis-
faction.
A partial indulgence, on the other hand, is a
remission of a part of the temporal punishment
due to sin. This means that, as a plenary in-
dulgence cancels all our indebtedness to God, so
a partial indulgence cancels only a certain amount
of our indebtedness. But nevertheless — as a
little reflection shows — the partial indulgence
gained may be sufficient or more than sufficient
to pay one's entire debt. Suppose you owe
someone a thousand dollars. And because of
your pleading a friend sends you a check for
$900.00 or $1,000.00 or $1,500.00 with which to
pay your debts. The first sum would leave your
debt unpaid to the amount of $100.00; the
second would pay the full debt; the third would
INDULGENCES 149
leave a surplus of $500.00. This is just an illus-
tration. By means of it we see that a partial
indulgence may pay all our debts to God, whereas
we know that a plenary indulgence, if gained,
does pay them in full. Plenary means full,
complete.
If a person is saying the rosary is it
necessary, before saying each Our Father
and Hail Mary, to think or to say, "I
want to gain the indulgences attached to
this prayer"?
No; such an explicit intention is not necessary
to gain the indulgences attached to rosaries.
But an implicit and virtual intention, what you
might call a general intention, is required. Hence,
it is advisable to make an intention to gain the
indulgences in the beginning of the recitation of
the prayers. It is also to be recommended that
every morning we make the intention to gain all
the indulgences attached to the prayers and de-
votions and good works of the whole day.
Suppose I be eligible in various ways
to gain, we will say, six plenary in-
dulgences in one day ; all other conditions
being fulfilled must I pray six different
times for the intention of the Holy Father
or does once suffice in this regard?
Once does not suffice, nor does one visit to a
church or public oratory. To gain a number
of plenary indulgences for which a visit to a
church is prescribed, it does not suffice to repeat
the prayers as many times as there are indulgences
to be gained, but you must also make as many
visits as there are indulgences to be gained, that
is, just that often must you leave the church and
enter it again. (S. C. Indulg., Feb. 29, 1864, n. 399.)
You seem to be under the impression that for
gaining any plenary indulgence one must pray
for the intentions of the Holy Father. That is
i5o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
a wrong impression. This condition must be
fulfilled whenever prescribed, of course, but it
is not always prescribed. Thus, for example,
by a Brief of Sept. 4, 1927, the Holy Father has
granted to those who recite a third part of the
rosary (five decades) before the Blessed Sacra-
ment, either publicly exposed or prese ved in
the tabernacle, as often as they recite it, a plenary
indulgence if, in addition, they have gone to
confession and received Holy Communion. There
are no other conditions prescribed. This, by the
way, is an extraordinary privilege that the faith-
ful should know.
What prayers and how many must be
said for the gaining of a plenary in-
dulgence which is granted on certain
occasions as often as one visits a church
and prays for the intentions of the Holy
Father?
This is a matter that has now been definitely
settled. For a long time there was a considerable
difference of opinion, inasmuch as Canon Law
does not specify the prayers to be said. As regards
the Portiuncula indulgence the question was
settled July 10, 1924, when the Sacred Peni-
tentiary, Office of Indulgences, authentically de-
clared that at least six Our Fathers, Hail Marys,
and Glorys are required. As regards all other
similar indulgences to be gained as often as
(toties quoties) a church is visited, the Holy
Father, Pope Pius XI, on July 4, 1930, for the
sake of uniformity and to remove all doubt about
the matter, deigned to decree that in future at
least six Our Fathers, Hail Marys, and Glorys
are required and sufficient for all indulgences to
be gained toties quoties for which a visit to some
church is prescribed. And these prayers must be
said anew in each single visit.
This decree was published in the Acta
INDULGENCES 151
Apostolicae Sedis, the Official Commentary of
the Holy See, for August 7, 1930.
It is to be noted that at least the above-
mentioned prayers are required and sufficient
for plenary indulgences to be gained as often as
a church is visited, e. g., the Fortiuncula in-
dulgence and the indulgences that can be gained
on All Souls' Day.
As regards other plenary indulgences the fol-
lowing holds good:
Sacred Apostolic Penitentiary (Office of In-
dulgences). Decree of September 20, 1933, de-
termining the exact meaning of the conditions
often annexed to a decree granting indulgences,
viz., "to visit a church or public or (in the case of
those enjoying that right) semi-public oratory/*
and "to pray for the intentions of the Sovereign
Pontiff:'
The first condition is fulfilled by "entering the
church or oratory with the general or implicit
intention of worshiping God either in Himself
or in His Saints (in se vel in Sanctis suis), by the
recitation of some prayer — that prescribed, if
one has been imposed by him who granted the
indulgence or any other prayer whether vocal or
mental according to each one's piety and devo-
tion." The second condition "is fully satisfied
by adding to the other works prescribed, one
Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be to the Father
for the intentions of the Sovereign Pontiff,
everyone being free, however, conformably with
Can. 934, n. 1, to recite any other prayer according
as his piety and devotion toward the Supreme
Pontiff may suggest."
In offering up Communion for a living
person, who gains the plenary indulgence
for saying the prescribed prayers?
When you offer up Holy Communion for a
living person you simply apply to that person
i52- QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
the impetratory fruits which this good work
produces in virtue of your dispositions. The
meritorious fruits are always personal and can-
not be given away. The satisfactory fruits can
be applied to the dead.
No indulgence can be gained for the living.
Canon 930 of the Church law expressly says that
no one who gains indulgences can apply them to
other living persons; but he may apply all in-
dulgences granted by the Roman Pontiff to the
poor souls in Purgatory, unless a contrary pro-
vision has been made.
Can a daily communicant who is en-
titled to numerous plenary indulgences
each day (from various scapulars, sodali-
ties, etc.) gain all these indulgences by
simply making the intention each day to
gain them and saying a certain prayer,
for instance, the rosary, according to the
intentions of the Holy Father?
To gain an indulgence the state of grace, at
least a general intention of gaining it, and the
performance of the good works enjoined are
necessary. To gain a plenary indulgence, con-
fession, Communion, a visit to some church or
public oratory, and pious prayers are usually
prescribed.
Regarding confession, be it noted that accord-
ing to Canon Law those who are accustomed to
go to confession at least twice a month, or to
communicate daily in the state of grace and with
an upright and holy intention, although they do
not receive one or the other time a week, may
without confession gain all the indulgences for
wh ch confession is prescribed as a necessary
cordition. From this favor are excluded in-
du'gences of the ordinary and the extraordinary
Julilee. (Canon 931, 3.)
Regarding Communion, be it noted that one
INDULGENCES 153
Communion will serve for many plenary indul-
gences that may be gained on the same day, even
though Holy Communion be prescribed for each
one of them, provided, however, that all the other
conditions assigned for each indulgence be com-
plied with.
A common condition is a visit to a church or
public oratory and prayer, vocal, not mental,
prayer, for the intentions of the Pope.
One visit with long prayer for the usual in-
tentions would serve for one indulgence; but the
longer prayer would not replace the visit required
for the other indulgences, if that is what you
mean. Conditions prescribed for gaining a
plenary indulgence must be strictly complied
with. If a visit is prescribed for gaining a certain
indulgence, the visit must be made.
A magazine agent, for example, a
Brother getting subscriptions, offers me
from a supply he carries with him a blessed
rosary, highly enriched with indulgences,
as a premium if I subscribe. In a former
reply you said that indulgenced articles
lose their indulgences when sold. Isn't
this the same as selling? I would not get
the rosary if I would not subscribe.
No; it is not a case of selling, and the in-
dulgences are not lost.
Not long ago some doubt was raised as to this
important matter. This doubt was caused by
the following question submitted to the Sacred
Congregation of Indulgences and its answer:
"Whether (1) objects enriched with indulgences
are to be given to the faithful entirely gratis;
so that (2) the indulgences would be lost if under
any title whatsoever, whether of price, or ex-
change, or gift, or alms, anything would be de-
manded?" The Congregation of Indulgences
2.54 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
answered "Yes" to both parts, July 16, 1887.
(Beringer.)
To settle this question definitely, we wrote to
the Procurator General of the Society of the
Divine Savior, in Rome, asking him to ascertain
authoritatively whether the giving of rosaries as
premiums in the manner mentioned above is
included in the question and response of July 16,
1887, or whether we may look upon that decree
as to some extent revoked by section 2 of Canon
924 of the New Code of Canon Law, which states :
"Indulgences attached to rosaries or other ob-
jects then only cease when the rosaries or other
objects entirely cease to be or are sold."
The question thus put was submitted by the
Procurator General to the proper Congregation
(Office of Indulgences) and he got as reply:
"Tuto fieri potest quia rosaria non venduntur."
Literally translated, the answer is: "It may be
safely done because the rosaries are not sold."
This, of course, applies also to other indulgenced
articles thus given as premiums.
We are pleased to be able to communicate this
information to you. It was our anxiety to insure
to our friends the spiritual benefits of indulgenced
articles that prompted the question; and we are
glad that every vestige of doubt has been re-
moved.
I often say my rosary in parts, a decade
at a time, so that I finish the five mysteries
some time during the day. Can I gain the
rosary indulgences by saying my beads
in this disjointed manner?
Yes; you can; but you should say at least
one complete decade at a time. In order to
gain the rosary indulgences it is now not neces-
sary, as formerly, to recite five or fifteen decades
in continuity. One may separate the decades
at pleasure, provided at least five decades, which
INDULGENCES 155
we ordinarily call the rosary, are recited within
the same day. Pope Pius X so decreed, July 8,
1908.
It may be remarked here that the Creed, Glory,
Our Father, and the three Hail Marys for the
three theological virtues are not necessary for
gaining the indulgences. However, it is praise-
worthy to begin the rosary in this way. Of
course, the indulgences are not lost thereby.
The same is to be said of the Glory at the end of
each decade or the words, "Eternal rest give
unto them, O Lord," etc., when the beads are
recited for the departed. Indeed, as can be seen
from the above, at the end of a decade any prayer
or prayers may be said without the indulgences
being therefore lost.
Must a crucifix contain wood or have a
certain size in order to receive the indul-
gences of the stations or the indulgence
for the dying?
No; in order to be enriched with the above-
mentioned indulgences a crucifix need not be
inlaid with wood nor need it have a determined
size. It may be made of any solid material and
be of any size. Also the crucifixes attached to
rosaries may be so enriched. It may be well to
mention that, as regards the indulgences of the
stations, the crucifix must be a real crucifix, not
merely a cross. It must bear an image of the
Crucified, not necessarily detachable, but yet
standing out somewhat in relief. A mere en-
graving or painting on the cross would not
suffice.
As regards the indulgence for the dying, either
a cross or a crucifix strictly so-called may be en-
riched therewith; a crucifix only, when the par-
ticular toties-quoties indulgence is applied; both
crucifix and cross, when the papal blessing, now
practically equivalent to the special toties-quoties
156 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
indulgence for the dying, according to Canon No.
924, Section No. 2 and Acta Ap. Sedis, 1921,
page 164, is bestowed. The Apostolic Indulgence
which can be attached to cross or crucifix (and to
other objects, which one must at least have near
oneself when dying) reads, "Whosoever at the
point of death devoutly commends his soul to
God, and being ready to accept death peacefully
and willingly from the hands of God, and truly
penitent, and having been refreshed, after con-
fession, with Holy Communion, or, if this be not
possible, at least contrite, shall invoke the name
of Jesus with the lips if possible, or, if not, at
least with the heart shall receive the fruit of a
plenary indulgence." It can be attached to a
cross or crucifix of any size of any solid material.
Both the blessings in question can be given to
one and the same crucifix.
How about blessed rosaries that are
received as gifts from such places as your
Seminary, magazines, etc. Do they lose
the indulgences by being given in this
way?
First of all you ought always to ascertain
whether they are blessed or not. If they are
blessed the indulgences are certainly not lost.
Here are some guiding principles.
1. Dealers in church goods cannot have cruci-
fixes, rosaries, medals, etc., enriched with in-
dulgences and then sell them, even if they sell
them at cost. The indulgences are lost and the
one who buys such articles cannot gain them but
must have the objects blessed anew. Remember
that the indulgences are lost, not necessarily the
blessing; for blessed articles may be sold, provided
no higher price is charged because of the blessing.
2. If anyone buys crucifixes, rosaries, etc., and
requests the seller to have them blessed and en-
riched with indulgences, the indulgences are not
INDULGENCES z57
lost, even if the buyer pays the price and carriage
for the same only upon the delivery of the blessed
articles. The Sacred Congregation so declared
July 10, 1896.
3. The difference between 1 and 2 above is
quite plain. In the first case the articles are
sold after having been enriched with indulgences;
in the second case the buying and selling takes
place before the objects are so enriched.
4. If one would have an indulgenced rosary
newly chained, for instance, the indulgences would
remain, even if one would pay the price for the
work done.
I was presented with a rosary as highly
indulgenced as possible. Could others
receive those indulgences by praying on
my rosary if I were willing to lend it to
them to gain the indulgences?
Before the New Code of Canon Law (May
19, 1918) indulgences on religious articles could
not be transferred from the persons to whom
those articles were first distributed to others.
Such articles could not be lent to others to enable
them to gain the indulgences thereon. When
so lent the indulgences were simply lost, and the
articles had to be blessed over again.
But it is not so now. Canon 924, section 2,
states: "Indulgences attached to rosaries [beads]
and other objects are lost only if the beads or
objects are entirely destroyed or sold." From
this it follows that such indulgences cease when
the objects to which they are attached are en-
tirely destroyed or sold (or traded) ; but they do
not cease when the object is lent, or lost, or given
as a present, or inherited. Hence, since they do
not cease in these last-mentioned cases, they may be
gained by those who use the articles as well as by
the former owner, should he get them back again.
However, there is perhaps one exception:
i5 8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
when an article together with the indulgences is
the exclusive property of any one person; when
the indulgences are of a personal nature, such as
those one may gain because of membership in
some confraternity, etc. As can easily be under-
stood, in such a case, though not gained by
another, they are not lost and can be gained
again by the owner.
From what we have said it is evident that
blessed articles do not lose their indulgences by
passing through the hands of others before be-
coming the property of a definite person.
The Code says, "entirely destroyed." Hence,
if a small portion is destroyed, this part may be
renewed without losing the indulgences. Take
beads, for instance. If the single beads are torn
asunder but collected again and put on a new
string or chain, the indulgences are not lost,
even if four or five new beads would have to be
added.
When a group is praying the rosary
together and the leader has a highly in-
dulgenced rosary, do all who are praying
receive the indulgences or only the leader,
if the others aren't holding rosaries?
In order to gain rosary indulgences it is ordi-
narily necessary, when one recites the rosary
alone to hold the blessed beads in the hand and
use them in the customary way. But when two
or more persons say the rosary together it is
sufficient, according to a concession made by
Pope Pius IX (Jan. 22, 1858), if one of them hold
the beads in order to regulate the prayer, and
the others, after discontinuing all occupation
that hinders interior recollection, unite in prayer
with the person who holds the rosary. Hence
when the rosary is said in common, for instance,
in the family or in church, all those who pray
along, even without rosaries, may gain the in-
INDULGENCES 159
dulgences, provided one person, the leader at
home, the priest in church, etc., uses his blessed
rosary for the regulation of the prayer.
Still it is better to have your own blessed
rosary; for what we have said does not hold for
all indulgences. A special concession is neces-
sary; and it has been given for the Dominican
rosary indulgences, for the rosary of the Seven
Sorrows and for the rosary of the Seven Joys;
the same concession has been granted for the
crucifix enriched with the indulgences of the way
of the cross. But it has not been given for all,
though there is also a decision which says that
those who thus recite the rosary in common can
gain other indulgences, in addition to the Do-
minican rosary indulgences.
Some imagine they must whisper the leader's
part of the prayer also, and vice versa. This,
however, is not the case. Canon 932, section 3,
says: "To gain an indulgence it is enough to
recite the prescribed prayers alternately with a
companion or to follow it in one's mind while
another recites it." Thus by reciting the rosary
or the Angelus in common or together with
others the indulgences may be gained by all
who participate in the recitation, and even by
those who follow only mentally, not orally, the
one who recites the prayers. Thus, too, with the
prayer after Communion, "Behold, O good and
most sweet Jesus" . . . ., sometimes recited
aloud by one for all after general Communion.
At the beginning of this answer we say ordi-
narily. But the following generous concession is
to be noted. The Office of Indulgences of the
Sacred Apostolic Penitentiary (Nov. 9, 1933)
decrees that the faithful may gain the rosary
indulgences or the indulgences of the Way of
the Cross attached to a crucifix blessed for
Stations (on condition of reciting the Our Father,
Hail Mary, and Glory be to t he Father twenty
2.6o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
times) without holding the rosary beads or crucifix
in their hands, provided that they have the beads
or crucifix on their person during the recitation
of the prayers, and provided they are hindered
from holding in their hands the beads or crucifix
on account of some manual occupation or other
reasonable cause.
Can a person know for sure whether he
gains an indulgence or not? Or may one
simply take it for granted that one gains
the indulgence if all the conditions have
been properly complied with? A friend
said to me that I may pray to the end of
my life and not know whether I gained a
single indulgence. Is he right?
We cannot, indeed, be absolutely certain that
we gain the indulgences for which we place the
prescribed good works, but we can have moral
certainty, i. e., certainty supported by reason
and having a high degree of probability. If we
do our best to fulfill the conditions we may
simply take it for granted that we gain the in-
dulgences granted by Holy Church. If a certain
indulgence is not gained, it is due to deficiency
on our part. The Church says that for such and
such a good work, performed as prescribed, such
and such an indulgence can be gained. But now,
the Church, in the person of her Supreme Head,
has the power to grant indulgences; for to Peter
and his successors, and to them alone, did Christ
give that power when He said: "I will give thee
the keys of the kingdom of heaven .... what-
soever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed
also in heaven." (Matt. 16 :19.) And the Church
cannot err or fail in matters practiced at all
times with her consent. In the person of St.
Peter she received infallibility: "I have prayed
for thee, that thy faith fail not." (Luke 22:32.)
And, therefore, the granting of indulgences can-
INDULGENCES Ui
not be a useless practice and the indulgences
granted are truly received if the prescribed con-
ditions are fully complied with. As St. Thomas
says, speaking of the validity of an indulgence:
"It must be said that indulgences are simply
worth what they are proclaimed to be, provided
that on the part of the giver there be authority,
on the part of the recipient there be charity, and
on the part of the cause there be piety, which
includes the honor of God, and the spiritual
welfare of the members of the Church." (Supp.,
q. 25, a. 2.) In other words, we are taught that
if the Holy Father proclaims a plenary indulgence,
it is plenary; if he or one that has been delegated
thereto by him proclaims a partial indulgence,
it is partial; provided always that the recipient
be in the state of sanctifying grace and, in case
of a plenary indulgence which the recipient de-
sires to gain fully and absolutely for himself, free
from the guilt of all sin, even of venial sin, which
sins are forgiven, not by the indulgence of course,
for an indulgence is not a pardon of sin, but by
the good works and exercises of piety that precede
it; and provided, too, that for the gaining of
both plenary and partial indulgences the recipient
comply with all the conditions of the indulgence
as to time, manner, or place.
How true is it that by abstaining from
eating meat on every Wednesday, Friday,
and Saturday, a person can escape purga-
tory and go directly to heaven?
There is no truth in it. However, the some-
what strange assertion suggested by the question
may have "the first Saturday" as a foundation;
it may be a distortion of that promise. The
Blessed Virgin promised Pope John XXII "that
she would rescue from purgatory as speedily as
possible, and especially on the first Saturday
after their decease, the members of the Con-
l6i QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
fraternity of the Scapular," that is, those who
have been properly enrolled in and who wear the
scapular (or blessed scapular medal) of Our Lady
of Mt. Carmel. But to obtain the privilege of
"the first Saturday," according to the "Bulla
Sabbatina," it is requisite that you should
practice the virtue of chastity according to your
state, and recite every day the Little Office of
the Blessed Virgin, if not bound to the Divine
Office. Those who cannot read must abstain on
Wednesdays and Saturdays, unless the rule be
dispensed with, or commuted for other works of
piety by a duly qualified superior. We have an
inkling that the words we have italicized above
have in some way given rise to your question.
What, then, are the more ordinary advantages
to be derived from wearing the scapular? They
are enumerated in these words that Our Lady
addressed to Blessed Simon Stock when she gave
him the scapular, July 16, 1251: "Receive, my
dear son, this scapular of your order, in token of
the privilege which I have obtained for you and
for the children of Carmel; he who at his death
shall be found clothed in this habit shall be pre-
served from eternal flames: it is a sign of salva-
tion, a safeguard in time of danger, and a pledge
of special protection."
The learned and illustrious Pontiff, Benedict
XIV, in his Treatise on the Feasts of the Blessed
Virgin, declares that he fully believes in the vision
of Blessed Simon as well as in the above-men-
tioned revelation to Pope John XXII, made
half a century later.
If a child does not attain the use of
reason until its seventh year, are then the
prayers which it says before this age of
no value? Can it gain no indulgences
granted for such prayers as " Jesus, Mary.
Joseph"?
INDULGENCES x63
The Code of Canon Law states that to be
capable of gaining an indulgence for oneself one
must be baptized, not excommunicated, in the
state of grace at least when he complies with the
last work prescribed, and a subject of the grantor.
To really gain the indulgences the capable sub-
ject must have at least the general intention of
gaining them and comply with the conditions
prescribed at the t me and in the manner pre-
scribed by the grant.
Your question seems to imply that a child does
not attain the use of reason until its seventh
year. It would be better to say that a child
ordinarily does not reach the use of reason be-
fore the seventh year. Some children reach the
use of reason before that time, others perhaps
after that time. In canonical legislation the
Church has taken seven years as the fixed time.
Are the prayers it says before this age of no
value? Why, they are of supreme value! Good
authorities on child psychology and pedagogy
have made the statement that the main part of
a child's education is achieved from its birth
unto its sixth year. In this period the child's
mind is most observant, plastic, acceptive,
formative, and imitative. For this reason it is
so important in the child's presence to avoid
everything that might exert a harmful influence
upon it, such as cursing, swearing, abusive and
immodest language, violent anger, quarreling,
fighting, drunkenness, and the like; and on the
other hand to provide it with the best elements
of discipline by word and especially by example.
The child learns its religion and morality in the
best, quietest, and most lasting way by sight-seeing,
namely, by receiving practical demonstrations
of them from its parents, early and continuously.
By all means teach the child to pray. Its
prayers are truly pleasing to God. Write the
name of God deep in its plastic heart and that
r64 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
name will never be effaced. "As the twig is bent
the tree's inclined," says the proverb. The first
things the little one learns by heart should be
the names of God, of Jesus and Mary, the Sign
of the Cross, the Our Father and the Hail Mary.
Is it true that Pope Eugenius III, at the
request of St. Bernard, granted an in-
dulgence of three thousand years to all
who with contrite heart recite the Lord's
prayer and the Hail Mary three times in
honor of the wound in the shoulder of
our Blessed Redeemer?
This is a spurious indulgence, one that has
been specifically rejected during the last centuries,
but which in some way or other is still being
published. This so-called indulgence was again
condemned by a Decree of the Congregation of
Indulgences of May 26, 1898 (Acta S. Sed.
XXXI, 727 sqq.).
In general, we may remember that all indul-
gences of a thousand or several thousand years
are either false or have been revoked, so that they
no longer hold good. We are also to look with
suspicion upon indulgences granted for an un-
usual number of days or years. Some numbers
and periods of time at once strike us as out of
the ordinary.
I often say the Litany of the Blessed
Virgin, found in all prayer-books. This
litany is, of course, approved and indul-
genced (300 days, every time). In saying
this litany I always add the invocation:
41 Queen of love, pray for us." Am I doing
wrong ?
There is nothing wrong about it, though it
might be better to add your private prayers after
the officially approved prayers. In reply to the
question put to the Sacred Penitentiary Apos-
tolic: Whether the words of Canon 934, n. 2, of
INDULGENCES 165
the Code of Canon Law, indulgences (annexed to
prayers) entirely cease because of any addition,
subtraction, or interpolation whatsoever, are to be
understood rigorously of any kind of additions,
subtractions, or interpolations or rather of those
only which alter the substance of the prayers,
the Sacred Penintentiary replied, on Nov. 26,
1934, that those words of Canon Law are not to
be understood rigorously of any additions, sub-
tractions, or interpolations whatsoever, but
rather only of those which alter the substance of
the prayers.
I have been told by a friend that I can-
not gain a plenary indulgence unless I
go to a church and make a perfect visit.
What he means by a perfect visit is that,
if while I am praying, even though I have
my mind on the Lord and the saints, I
happen to think of something else just
for a moment, I do not gain the plenary
indulgence. Is that true?
There are some plenary indulgences that can
be gained without a visit to a church. One must
always attend carefully to the conditions pre-
scribed for gaining a certain plenary indulgence.
Those conditions must be fulfilled just as pre-
scribed.
For many plenary indulgences the reception of
the Sacraments, a visit to a church, and prayers
for the intentions of the Holy Father are pre-
scribed. It is in regard to the way in which you
say these prayers that you are in doubt. Must
they be just perfect, without the least little dis-
traction? That were impossible. For who can
say a number of Our Fathers, Hail Marys, and
Glorys without the least involuntary distraction?
Hence, we must say that prayer is the lifting
up of the mind and heart to God. It is vocal or
mental, words being used in the former, the mind
2.66 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
in the latter. Essentially prayer consists of two
things: the intention, or will, to pray and due
attention. When it is a case of vocal prayer, this
attention may be directed (a) either to the mere
correct pronunciation of the words, or (b) to the
meaning of the words, or (c) to the object of the
prayer, namely, to God or to the thing prayed
for. Each one of these three modes of attention
is sufficient for good prayer.
When it is said that devout prayer is necessary
for the gaining of an indulgence, it is not meant
that any new or special obligation is thereby
imposed. All that is required is that one pray
with the above-mentioned intention and atten-
tion, in other words, that one pray from the
heart and try to avoid distracting thoughts.
So your friend is not at all right when he so
positively assures you that you may pray all
your life long thinking that you are gaining in-
dulgences and you do not gain a single one. He
still has to learn sentire cum Ecclesia — to think
with the Church.
You also wish to know whether the same
holds good with respect to partial indulgences.
(A partial indulgence is the remission in part of
the temporal punishments due to our sins. A
plenary indulgence is the full remission of the
temporal punishments due to our sins.) It does.
In conclusion we wish to make these important
remarks as to whether one may use either mental
or vocal prayer in the matter of gaining in-
dulgences. Canon 934, 1, states: "If prayer in
general for the intention of the Supreme Pontiff
is required, mental prayer only does not suffice.'*
In this case vocal prayer is clearly required, at
least in part, that is, the words must be uttered
exteriorly, though they need not be audible, —
one need not even hear oneself.
A very generous concession was made by the
Office of Indulgences of the Sacred Apostolic
INDULGENCES 167
Penitentiary (reply of Dec. 7, 1933) to the effect
that the indulgences attached to the recitation of
invocations and of so-called ejaculatory prayers
may be gained by all the faithful, even when only
repeated mentally, provided the other conditions
are fulfilled.
What is the requirement of the Church
as regards the gaining of the Plenary In-
dulgences on All Souls' Day in reference
to the making of visits to a church? In
making a succession of visits is it required
to go off the church grounds, or is it suf-
ficient to go down the steps that are
usually in front of the church, or is it
enough to go just outside of the door and
then turn round and go back for another
visit?
The requirement, as regards the visit, is that
you step out of the church and then enter it
again. You need not leave the church grounds
and you need not descend the steps. It is
sufficient to step outside the door. If you then
turn round and go in again you make another
visit.
The visit to the church should be made from
motives of faith and to render due homage to
God. You should have the intention of honoring
either God Himself or God in His saints. When
other conditions are prescribed (on All Souls'
Day Confession, Communion, and prayer for the
Holy Father's intentions) they must be complied
with.
The above also holds good, for instance, for the
Portiuncula Indulgence, in churches where it
can be gained.
Must the brown scapular of Mount
Carmel be blessed?
The scapular with which one is enrolled must
be blessed. Also the first scapular you wear must
2.68 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
be blessed. When you replace that first scapular
by others they need not be blessed, though, of
course, they may be. A scapular medal, however,
worn by those who, having been properly en-
rolled with the cloth scapular, wish to wear a
medal instead, must be blessed by a priest having
the faculty to enroll you in the confraternity of
the scapular. And each time you get a new
medal it must be blessed, if you wish to partici-
pate in the benefits of the confraternity.
Does it make any difference regarding
the indulgences whether a scapular be
worn round the neck or pinned onto the
clothing ?
A scapular is really a habit of a religious order,
in diminutive form. Therefore, as to the mode of
wearing it, one piece of cloth must hang from the
shoulders on the back and one in front. How-
ever, it is not necessary that the scapular should
touch the body; it may be worn over other
garments. It would not do to pin both pieces of
cloth on your breast, as you would a Sacred
Heart badge, for instance. But a scapular medal
may be pinned onto the clothing; it need not be
worn around the neck.
Kindly mention what indulgences are
attached to a rosary enriched with the
following blessings: Brigittine, Crosier,
Dominican, and Papal.
We reply to this question with the utmost
brevity, giving the chief and more general
partial indulgences only. Space forbids us to
enter into detail. Moreover, it is quite unneces-
sary to do so. The pious mind would soon be
weakened, we fear, were it to attempt to add up
all the indulgences gained. WTe accordingly re-
peat that a specific knowledge of the indulgences
is not necessary for their acquisition. Make the
intention, each morning, for instance, to gain all
INDULGENCES 2.69
that you can, and you will gain them, all other
conditions being fulfilled. But, to show what a
treasure a rosary enriched with the four greatest
rosary blessings really is, we will mention the
chief partial indulgences attached thereto.
1. Brigittine: One hundred days for every
Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father,
when saying the rosary. Not only the special
Brigittine rosary of six decades, but also the
ordinary rosary of five or fifteen decades can be
enriched with this indulgence.
2. Crosier: Five hundred days for every Oar
Father and Bail Mary, when holding the beads
in your hand. One need not be saying the rosary
nor meditating on its mysteries.
3. Dominican: One hundred days for every
Our Father and Hail Mary, when reciting the
rosary with meditation on the mysteries, provided
one says at least five decades on the same day,
even though they be disjointed.
4. Papal: One hundred days for each recita-
tion, if it is said at least once a week.
We add that in 1907 the extraordinary privilege
was granted that both Dominican and Crosier
indulgences can be gained at one and the same
recitation of a rosary which has these two preci-
ous blessings.
Is it allowed to buy or sell blessed
articles such as rosaries, medals, etc. ?
To sell an object for a greater price, on account
of the blessing or consecration attached to it,
for instance, to sell rosaries or medals above
their material value, simple because they are
indulgenced, is simony. And simony, which, as
St. Thomas defines it, is a deliberate intention
to buy or sell something spiritual or annexed to
something spiritual, is a sin against the First
Commandment. But it would not be simony to
sell a rosary already blessed, at its material worth,
though the indulgences are lost by so doing.
2.7c QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Are all indulgences applicable to the
Souls in Purgatory?
Yes; unless otherwise stated in the decree
whereby the Roman Pontiff grants them. Need-
less to say, the intention of applying them to the
Poor Souls is also necessary. When we thus
gain indulgences for the Souls in Purgatory, we
beg of God to apply those indulgences to them if
He sees fit.
We may add that those who have made the
Heroic Act in Favor of the Holy Souls in Pur-
gatory have a special privilege here. All in-
dulgences granted or to be granted, even though
not applicable to the dead, gained by the faith-
ful who have made this offering, may be applied
to the Holy Souls in Purgatory.
Has the Jubilee Indulgence the same
effect as Baptism, provided the person
who intends to gain it has the proper dis-
position?
You mean "provided the person gains it."
No; it has not the same effect as Baptism. An
indulgence is not a remission of sins, whereas in
Baptism all sins are actually remitted, blotted
out forever.
What you are thinking of is that the Jubilee
Indulgence is something extraordinary. So it is,
to a certain extent. We cannot better enlighten
you, however, than by quoting Father E. J.
Mahoney, D. D., writing in the Homiletic and
Pastoral Review on the Holy Year of Jubilee.
". . . An indulgence is a remission not of
sin, but of the temporal punishment which re-
mains due after the guilt has been forgiven. We
cannot enter now on the doctrine of indulgences.
The doctrine is based on the fact that all the
faithful are bound together as one body in Christ;
He is the Head, we are the members; He is the
Vine, we are the branches. Through this
INDULGENCES 171
mystical union, the merits of Christ and the
saints are applied to our souls; and the Church,
the dispenser of the mysteries of God, uses the
power of binding and loosing by applying these
merits to us, authoritatively remitting the punish-
ment due to our sins. The Jubilee indulgence
is a plenary one entailing a full, not merely a
partial remission of the punishment due to for-
given sin.
"To any Catholic the meaning of indulgences
is quite familiar, but to most of us a certain
difficulty will arise with regard to the Jubilee
remission. Why, you will ask, all this unusual
commotion and ceremony over the indulgence
of the holy year, since a plenary indulgence can
be gained practically at any time and on far less
arduous conditions? The answer is simple. The
doctrine is clear and positive, and it is the in-
tention of the Church in the grant of all plenary
indulgences, that the penitent should obtain full
remission of punishment. But it is extremely
uncertain, and a matter of speculation to what
extent the individual actually benefits. In the
first place the indulgence is only absolutely
plenary when a person is contrite for all the sins
he has committed. In the second place — and
far more to our present question — every indul-
gence depends on definite conditions being ob-
served; these conditions are always human
actions, such as prayers or the reception of the
sacraments, which can be performed with more
or less fervor and with varying degrees of per-
fection; the way in which these conditions are
observed must evidently have a great deal to do
with gaining the favor promised on their observ-
ance. So the average Catholic is content to gain
indulgences to the extent intended by the Church
in the divine plan of our salvation, and he knows
that if his fulfillment of the conditions is not
171 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
sufficiently fervent, he will benefit according to
his dispositions.
"The ordinary plenary indulgence may perhaps
be gained by comparatively few people, owing
to the imperfection of their dispositions, but on
the unique occasion of the Jubilee conditions are
imposed, which are sufficiently penitential in
character to bring the full effect of the remission
within the reach of the majority of the faithful
who will fulfill them. . . ."
I was told that if there is a bead missing
from an indulgenced rosary the indul-
gences are gone. Is that true?
You were wrongly informed. The indulgences
do not cease even if a few beads, say four or five,
are entirely lost, since the rosary remains morally
the same; and these beads may be replaced by
others, the rosary nevertheless retaining its in-
dulgences and not requiring a new blessing.
Similarly the beads may be put on a new chain
without prejudice to the indulgences.
I have heard that now we know what
indulgences can be gained for making the
Way of the Cross. Will you please en-
lighten me?
Heretofore it was neither permissible nor
possible to give the number of indulgences at-
tached to this pious practice, because certain
authentic documents had perished. But the
matter is clarified now. By a decree of October
2, 1931, of the Sacred Apostolic Penitentiary
(Office of Indulgences) the Sovereign Pontiff,
exercising his supreme authority, abrogated each
and eve y indulgence granted up to that day for
the pious practice of the Way of the Cross and
replaced them by the following concessions:
The faithful who, individually or in group,
and at least with contrite heart, perform, accord-
ing to the instructions laid down by the Holy
INDULGENCES
173
See, the Way of the Cross, provided it has been
lawfully erected, may gain: (a) one plenary
indulgence each time; (b) another plenary in-
dulgence if they have received Holy Communion
on the very day on which they make the Way of
the Cross, or if they have received it in the month
after performing the exercise ten times; (c) a
partial indulgence of ten years for each station,
if after having begun the Way of the Cross,
they are, for some reason, unable to continue
to the end.
The indulgences may be gained by those also
who cannot visit a place where the Stations are
erected, if they say twenty Our Fathers, Hail
Marys, and Glorys while holding in their hands a
crucifix especially blessed to that effect (Decree
of August 8, September 16, 1859, and of March
25, 1931); in such a way, however, that, whoever,
for some reasonable motive, cannot recite all
the (twenty) Our Fathers, Hail Marys and Glory
be to the Fathers prescribed, shall gain, instead
of the plenary indulgence, a partial indulgence of
ten years for each Our Father, Hail Mary
and Glory be to the Father he recites.
Nevertheless, they who, because of the gravity
of their illness, can only kiss or even only gaze at
their crucifix, without any ejaculatory prayer,
are not excluded from the gaining of the plenary
indulgence.
So now the matter is quite clear. The old
indulgences, whatever they may have been, are
entirely abrogated. The above-mentioned in-
dulgences can be gained, if the prescribed con-
ditions are fulfilled.
Some difficulties regarding these indulgences
are now solved as follows (Cf. The Ecclesiastical
Review for March, 1932): 1. It is now certain
that those who repeat this devotion on one and
the same day gain the plenary indulgence men-
tioned in the first section each time. 2. To gain
174 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
the plenary indulgence mentioned in the second
section (as also the one mentioned in the first)
neither a special visit to a church nor a special
prayer according to the intention of the Pope is
required. 3. One who for a reasonable cause
does not complete the devotion gains the partial
indulgence mentioned for every station made.
but one who interrupts the Way of the Cross
but later continues and completes it, need not
begin the stations afresh to gain the plenary in-
dulgence, but may continue where interrupted,
provided the break was only for a short time,
e. g., to hear Mass, receive Communion, go to
confession (former decision, which still holds
good). 4. Those who lawfully make use of the
two concessions previously made in favor of the
sick and certain other persons gain, not the in-
dulgences formerly attached to the Way of the
Cross, but those granted by the new decree (meant
are those who cannot make the stations in the
usual way and who, holding a specially blessed
crucifix, say twenty Our Fathers, Hail Marys
and Glorys — and those too sick to say even these
prayers). 5. In virtue of the concession of
March 25, 1931, in favor of those who are so
sick that they cannot recite the twenty Our
Fathers, Hail Marys, and Glorys without grave
inconvenience or difficulty, those thus sick can
gain all the indulgences of the Way of the Cross,
if they kiss or even gaze upon a crucifix enriched
with the blessings of the Stations of the Cross
and which is offered them by a priest or other
person, provided they add a prayer or short
ejaculation in honor of the passion and death of
Christ. This new decree allows even greater
relaxation of the latter condition. The in-
dulgences of the Way of the Cross may be gained
by those who are so weak that they cannot
recite even an ejaculatory prayer, provided they
INDULGENCES 2.75
kiss or at least gaze upon a crucifix that is enriched
with the blessing of the Way of the Cross.
Thus also the very sick can more easily gain
these rich treasures of indulgences.
What is the Crosier Rosary Indulgence?
It is an indulgence of five hundred days for
each Our Father and Hail Mary that are counted
on the rosary. The ordinary rosary is meant;
but it must be enriched with this most precious
indulgence by one having the special faculty to
do so. To gain these indulgences it is not required
that one say the whole rosary or have the inten-
tion of doing so; it is not required that one
meditate on the mysteries; it is not required that
the rosary be said as is usually done. All that
is required is that Our Fathers and Hail Marys
are recited and counted on the rosary held in the
hand. Of course, these indulgences are also gained
when a part or the whole of the rosary is said in
the ordinary way, in which case, if duly blessed,
both the Crosier and the Dominican indulgence
can be gained for one and the same recitation.
(Dominican indulgences: 100 days for each Our
Father and Hail Mary, and five years and five
quarantines for the five decades said privately,
and, if said in common, ten years and ten quaran-
tines additional to be gained once a day. Greater
still can be gained if said by members of the
rosary confraternity.)
Can I gain a plenary indulgence more
than once a day for reciting the rosary
before the Blessed Sacrament, if I fulfill
the requisite conditions?
Yes; this is h plenary toties-quoties indulgence
and can be gained as often as the rosary is there
recited. The "Collection of Prayers and Good
Works" states: "To those who recite a third
part of the rosary (five decades) before the Most
Holy Eucharist publicly exposed or even reserved
i76 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
in the tabernacle, as often as they do so: Plenary
indulgence, if they have also confessed and ap-
proached the Holy Table."
We may note (1) that those who confess at
least twice a month or who are daily communi-
cants fulfil the condition of confession here
mentioned (Communion must, it seems, be re-
ceived each day you wish to gain the indulgences),
and (2) that the decades may be separated, pro-
vided the chaplet of five decades be recited within
the same day.
How often can I gain the indulgence
attached to the prayer "My Lord and my
God," when looking upon the Sacred
Host?
This is a very precious ejaculatory prayer.
It is highly indulgenced. The faithful who with
faith and loving devotion, at the time when the
Sacred Host is elevated at Mass, or when it is
solemnly exposed, e. g., at Benediction, during
the Forty Hours' Adoration, recite the ejacula-
tion, "My Lord and my God!" can gain an in-
dulgence of seven years. This partial indulgence
can be gained each time they say the prayer under
the circumstances mentioned.
A plenary indulgence under the conditions of
confession, Communion, and prayer for the Pope's
intentions can be gained once a week if the
above-mentioned practice had been adhered to
every day.
It is to be noted that, as can be seen from the
above revised explanation, nothing is said about
looking upon the Host while saying the prayer.
This change appears in the new official Raccolta,
issued by the Holy See on Dec. 31, 1937.
Can anybody gain the plenary indul-
gence on All Souls' Day by visiting the
chapel in a Sisters' convent, or even the
INDULGENCES 2.77
chapel in the house of the Sisters teaching
at the parish school?
Not anybody; but the Sisters themselves can
certainly gain it by visiting their chapel, even if
it is only a little chapel in the Sisters' house;
and it does not matter how near the church may
be to the convent. The concession states that
the plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful
each time they visit any church, public oratory
or (for those who have a right to use it) semi-
public oratory, on the second of November for
the purpose of helping the faithful departed. So
we may say that anybody who has the right to
use the Sisters' chapel, which is a semi-public
oratory, can gain the indulgence there, under
the prescribed conditions of confession, Com-
munion, and six Our Fathers, Hail Marys, and
Glorys. To repeat, in semi-public oratories only
the inmates of the institution (and those who
stay there at least overnight) can gain the in-
dulgence. (See "The Pastoral Companion,"
page 132.)
As regards other indulgences, it is sufficient
to note that, according to Canon 929, the faith-
ful of either sex, who, either for the sake of re-
ligious perfection, or study and education, or
for the sake of health, lead a community life in
houses established with the consent of the Ordi-
nary of the diocese, and all other persons living
there to do service, can gain the indulgences for
which the visit to some church or public oratory
in general is required by visiting the chapel in
the house, where they can by law satisfy their
obligation of hearing Mass on Sundays and
holydays of obligation, if this house has no public
oratory or church attached. If a special church
is designated, the visit must be made in the
specified church, unless by a special concession
an exception has been made or the confessor has
dispensed according to Canon 935.
178 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
An indulgence is not a remission of
sins but of the temporal punishment due
to them. If one dies in mortal sin he goes
to hell. If one dies in venial sin he goes
to purgatory. When and how will his
venial sins be forgiven then? They must
be forgiven somehow, it seems, before the
temporal punishment due to these for-
given sins can be remitted.
Just as soon as the soul of the just is freed from
the body, it is drawn towards God by a most
vehement love, thus all the inordinate affections
it may have are straightway extinguished. There-
fore all venial sins are instantaneously forgiven,
but in such a manner that the soul must still
suffer the punishment due to them. This is quite
evident; for if God can forgive venial sins with-
out any act on the part of man, how much more
can He do so for a soul that is thus drawn towards
Him. St. Thomas says: "Venial sins are forgiven
them also after this life in the same way, as re-
gards guilt, as they are forgiven in this life,
namely, through an act of the love of God in-
consistent with the venial sins committed in this
life. Nevertheless, because after this life there
is no condition of merit, that movement of love
in them does indeed remove the impediment of
venial fault, but does not merit absolution or
diminution of the culpability as in this life.'*
(Cf. Hurter, Twelfth Edition. Varia de pur-
gatorio. Vol. Ill, n. 672, 9.)
Is one plenary indulgence, gained by
me and applied to a soul in purgatory ,
sufficient to release that soul from pur-
gatory ?
First of all we wish again to define an in-
dulgence. It is not the forgiveness of sin, but
the remission of the temporal punishment we
have to suffer for our sins that are already for-
INDULGENCES 179
given; it is a remission granted us on account
of the penitential works of the Savior and the
saints. Indulgences are plenary and partial.
When we gain a plenary indulgence the Church
gives us as much of the satisfactory works of
Christ and the saints as is sufficient fully to
satisfy God for all our sins; when we gain a
partial indulgence she gives us as much as will
satisfy God for our sins in part. Thus, for ex-
ample, an indulgence of three hundred days will
give to God the same satisfaction for our sins as
three hundred days of those severe penances
would have done that used to be imposed upon
sinners in the early ages of the Church.
Accordingly, a man who dies at the moment
when he fully gains a plenary indulgence goes
directly to heaven. If nothing to the contrary
is stated in the decree that grants an indulgence,
all indulgences can be applied to the suffering
souls in purgatory. We may apply them either
to all the poor souls in general or to any soul or
souls in particular. But — and now we are getting
to the direct answer to your question — though
it is sure that the punishment for our sins is
lessened or entirely taken away if we gain in-
dulgences for ourselves, it may not be so sure as
regards indulgences for the poor souls; for the
Church has no longer that power over those
souls which she has over us. But it is the teaching
of the Church that the indulgences we offer for them
will also help them. We know that assisting the
poor souls is one of the greatest acts of charity.
Performing it, we have nothing to lose and every-
thing to gain. Be zealous always in the gaining
of indulgences.
Can one who has made the Heroic Act
in favor of the poor souls gain for himself
the plenary indulgence which Holy Mother
Church grants to the faithful at the hour
2.8o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
of death or does this also go to the poor
souls, even though this is an indulgence
which cannot ordinarily be applied to
the dead?
This cannot be definitely answered but must be
left to Divine Providence. The Sacred Congre-
gation of Indulgences, asked about this, declined
to give a decision (Jan. 23, 1901).
What is really necessary in the way of
the cross, as regards construction, in
order that the indulgences may be gained ?
Fourteen crosses (not crucifixes) of wood are
necessary. To these alone the indulgences are
attached. The pictures or representations are
not necessary for the gaining of the indulgences;
but they are customary and very helpful in medi-
tating on the passion and hence should not be
dispensed wTith except for serious reasons. The
crosses may be on the picture (on the frame)
or on the wall. It is perhaps better to put them
above the pictures. If the blessed crosses are all
or more than half broken or taken away, either
at one time or gradually, the stations must be
newly erected, otherwise the indulgences are not
gained. But if not more than six are broken or
taken away, they may be replaced by others,
without loss of indulgences and without a new
erection. (Cf. Beringer, Vol. 1, 1922 Ed.)
What indulgences can be gained for
visits to the Blessed Sacrament?
"All the faithful, who are at least contrite of
heart, may gain an indulgence of 10 years every
time they pay a visit to the Blessed Sacrament and
recite the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be to
the Father five times and add one Our Father,
Hail Mary and Glory be to the Father for the
intention of the Holy Father. Furthermore, a
plenary indulgence can be gained once a week
INDULGENCES 181
by those who are truly penitent and have received
the Sacraments of Confession and Communion
and have visited the Blessed Sacrament daily
throughout the week and said the prayers
mentioned above." (Pius XI, June 3, 1932.)
Will you please tell me all about in-
dulgences?
It would take whole volumes to tell you all
about indulgences. But what you perhaps want
is a brief summary of the doctrine of indulgences.
We will present that according to The Catholic
Catechism (English translation published by P. J.
Kenedy Bnd Sons, New York):
When absolution has been given and the
penance performed the whole debt of temporal
punishment for sin is not always paid; but it
may be paid by other voluntary penances,
especially by gaining Indulgences.
By an Indulgence we mean the remission by
God of the temporal punishment due to sins
whose guilt has already been forgiven; such
remission the Church grants apart from the
Sacrament of Penance.
The Church by means of Indulgences remits
the temporal punishment due to sin by applying
to the living, by way of absolution, and to the
dead, by way of suffrage, the infinite satisfaction
paid by Jesus Christ as well as the super-abun-
dant satisfaction wrought by the Blessed Virgin
Mary and the Saints; these constitute the
spiritual treasury of the Church.
The Roman Pontiff can grant Indulgences,
since to him was committed by Christ the ad-
ministration of the entire spiritual treasury of
the Church ; others, too — for example the Bishops
— have this power conceded to them either by
the Roman Pontiff or by Canon Law.
There are two kinds of Indulgences: (1)
plenary, whereby the entire debt of temporal
2.82. QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
punishment is remitted; (2) partial, whereby a
portion only of the debt is remitted.
A Plenary Indulgence is said to be granted in
the sense that if a person cannot gain it in full or
plenary fashion, he can yet gain it partially,
according to his dispositions.
The conditions for gaining an Indulgence are:
(1) the person must be baptized and not ex-
communicated; (2) he must have at least the
general intention of gaining Indulgences; (3)
he must duly perform the good works demanded;
(4) he must be in a state of grace, at least when
he finishes the works prescribed, and — if it is a
question of gaining a Plenary Indulgence — he
must not have his affections set on any venial sin.
Unless the contrary is stated we can apply the
Indulgences we gain to the souls detained in
Purgatory when such Indulgences have been
granted by the Roman Pontiff; but no In-
dulgences can be applied by us to other people
still living.
Does a plenary indulgence, when ap-
plied to a soul in purgatory, have the
same efficacy for that soul as a plenary
indulgence has for a living person, e. g.,
when one gains a plenary indulgence for
oneself, that is, does it in both cases
mean the complete remission of the
temporal punishment due to sin?
We may believe that it does have the same
efficacy. However, we add the following ex-
planation. To the living an indulgence is granted
by way of absolution, but to the dead by way of
suffrage, or supplication; for the living are under
the jurisdiction of the Pope and he can, therefore,
in virtue of the power of the keys, absolve them
from temporal punishment, paying their debt by
drawing from the spiritual treasury of the Church.
Hence an indulgence granted to the living is
INDULGENCES
essentially an absolution to which is annexed pay-
ment from the spiritual treasury of the Church.
But the dead are not the Pope's subjects; and
hence he can apply indulgences to them only
inasmuch as he offers to God the satisfactions of
Christ and the saints and begs and confidently
hopes that God in His mercy and liberality will
kindly accept them. Thus an indulgence granted
to the dead is essentially a payment made by
offering to God the price of their debts.
The following illustration, used in substance
by some theologians, may serve as an explana-
tion. Suppose that the Governor of the State
of Wisconsin wished to pardon two brothers,
both his subjects, both imprisoned for the mis-
appropriation of entrusted funds, but one legally
detained in his own state and the other in the
Federal District, Washington. If the former re-
paired by himself or through others all the in-
justice done by both, the Governor of his state
has the best of right to pardon him; but the case
is different with the latter culprit, over whom
the President of the United States has jurisdic-
tion. What can be done? The Governor can
petition the President to free him, and, offering
satisfaction for his subject's indebtedness, he
can try to obtain by supplication what he cannot
do by his own authority.
As regards the efficacy of indulgences applied
to the poor souls, the eminent theologian Suarez,
appealing to the authority of the greatest and
most ancient princes of science, does not hesitate
to affirm: "I believe that this satisfaction of the
living for the dead is a matter of simple justice,
and that it is infallibly accepted with its full
value, and according to the intention of him
who applies it. Thus, for instance, if the satis-
faction I make would, if kept for myself, avail
me in strict justice for the remission of four
degrees of purgatory, it will remit exactly the
2.84 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
same amount to the soul for whom I choose to
offer it" (De Suffrages, Sectio VI). Elsewhere
he again says that an indulgence ceded to the
dead loses nothing either of the security or of the
value it would have had for ourselves who are
still militant.
Must a dying person be conscious of
the fact that he is holding a crucifix with
a plenary indulgence attached to it?
One plenary indulgence which can be gained
at the point of death is that attached to the
ritual Apostolic Blessing. Canon Law (Canon
468, n. 2) gives to the pastor or to any other
priest who assists the sick the faculty of impart-
ing the apostolic benediction with plenary in-
dulgence at the point of death, according to the
form given in approved liturgical books, which
benediction he should not omit.
To gain this indulgence the dying person must
renew his sorrow for sin and fervent love of God;
and especially he must accept death from the
hands of God with resignation and in conformity
with the divine pleasure, invoking the holy name
of Jesus at least in his heart, if unable to do so
with his lips. This indulgence is not suspended
in the year of Jubilee. It is usually conferred
after the Sacrament of Penance, Holy Eucharist,
and Extreme Unction, to those who ask or would
ask for it if they could, or who show signs of con-
trition, and should be imparted to such even
if they have lost consciousness or the use of
speech. The priest always gives this precious
blessing to the dying, unless they are excom-
municated, impenitent, or dying in manifest
mortal sin. It is not necessary to have or to
hold a crucifix for this indulgence when imparted
by the priest.
This indulgence, imparted in solemn form by
priests who attend sick persons on their death-
INDULGENCES 2.85
bed can also be gained at the hour of death even
if there is no priest present by those who have an
article enriched with the Papal indulgences, be
it a cross, medal, rosary, or statue, near their
person. They need not be holding it in the hand
at all. The conditions are that with at least a
contrite heart they be resigned to God's holy
will and piously pronounce with the lips, or if
that is not possible, at least in the heart, the holy
name of Jesus. There is no priest nor anything
else needed to obtain this indulgence. Hence
one should never fail to pronounce the holy
name of Jesus over and over again to the dying,
even if they are seemingly unconscious. They
may hear it still and repeat it in their hearts,
as we should ask them to do.
From this you may gather that the dying
person need not be conscious that he is holding a
crucifix enriched with the Papal indulgences,
since he need not hold it at all. It should at
least be near him.
In connection with the above we may add that
to the faithful who, at any time during life,
with true love of God, having fulfilled the usual
conditions (confession, Communion, visit to a
church, and prayer for the Pope's intentions),
express the purpose of accepting from the hand of
God willingly and cheerfully whatever kind of
death it may please Him to send, with all its
anguish, sorrow and pain, is given a plenary in-
dulgence to be gained at the moment of death.
(S. C. Indulg., March 9, 1904.) Do this and have
that precious indulgence in reserve, so to speak
PERTAINING TO MARRIAGE
Ours was a Catholic marriage — my hus-
band was a Catholic also, and we were
married in church, but in the afternoon.
So I did not get the nuptial blessing.
Can I get it now? We have been married
several years.
Yes; you may still receive the nuptial blessing.
It is very praiseworthy and much to be recom-
mended that you do, although the Church does
not make this a strict obligation. How im-
portant the Church considers this blessing can
be seen from Canon 1101 of Church law, where
it is stated that this blessing may be imparted
to a couple that never received it, no matter
how long the parties have lived in the married
state. But in such a case the couple should re-
member that this has nothing to do with the
validity of their marriage and they need not
renew their marital consent. Hence, the question,
"Wilt thou take . . ." etc., and the "I unite
you," etc., must be omitted by the priest.
Three other points are to be noted as regards
the giving of this blessing to a couple already
married. 1. This blessing may not be bestowed
upon such a couple during the forbidden seasons
of Advent and Lent. 2. The blessing may be
given only during Mass (except by virtue of a
special indult), with both parties present. 3. It
may be imparted only by the priest or his dele-
gate who is validly and licitly authorized to as-
sist at the marriage — also when the blessing is to
be imparted to a couple already married.
When the parties receive this blessing after
their marriage (even several years after), the
priest may say the Nuptial Mass in their pres-
ence, which enjoys the same privileges as on the
z86
MARRIAGE 2.87
day of their marriage. You will find how beau-
tiful and appropriate the Nuptial Mass is if you
read through the various proper parts in your
English missal. After the "Pater Noster" the
priest stands at the Epistle corner of the altar
and, turning towards the kneeling couple, says
over them the Nuptial Blessing as follows:
"Let us pray
"Favorably attend to our supplications, O
Lord, and graciously favor Thy institution, by
which Thou hast provided for the propagation
of mankind; that what is joined together by
Thy authority, may be preserved by Thy help.
Through our Lord . . . Amen.
"Let us pray
"O God, Who by Thy mighty power hast made
all things out of nothing; Who, in the begin-
ning, having set up the world, didst bestow on
man, whom Thou hadst created in Thine own
likeness, the inseparable help of woman, fashion-
ing her body from his very flesh, and thereby
teaching us that it is never lawful to put asunder
what it has pleased Thee to make of one sub-
stance; O God, Who hast consecrated the bond
of matrimony by a surpassing mystery, since in
the nuptial contract Thou didst foreshow the
union of Christ with the Church; O God, by
Whom woman is joined to man, and that alliance
which Thou didst ordain from the beginning is
endowed with a blessing, which alone was not
taken away, either in punishment of original
sin or by the sentence of the flood, look down in
mercy upon this Thy handmaid who, being
about to enter upon wedded life, seeks to be
strengthened by Thy protection; may the yoke
she has to bear be one of love and peace; true
and chaste may she marry in Christ, and be a fol-
lower of holy women; may she be pleasing to
her husband like Rachel; prudent like Rebecca;
2.88 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLTCS ANSWERED
long-lived and faithful like Sara; may the author
of sin have no share in any of her actions; may
she remain firmly attached to the faith and the
commandments, and being joined to one in wed-
lock, may she fly all unlawful addresses; may
she fortify her weakness by strong discipline;
may she be respected for her seriousness and
venerated for her modesty; may she be well
versed in heavenly lore; may she be fruitful in
offspring. May her life be pure and blameless;
and may she attain to the rest of the blessed in
the kingdom of heaven. May they both see their
children's children even to the third and fourth
generation and arrive at a happy old age; through
our Lord . . . Amen."
Near the end of the Mass, before he blesses
the people, the priest turns to the couple and
blesses them in particular, saying:
"May the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob be with you, and may He
fulfil His blessing in you; that you may see
your children's children even to the third and
fourth generation, and thereafter without end
have life everlasting by the help of our Lord
Jesus Christ, Who, with the Father and the Holy
Ghost, liveth and reigneth God for ever and
ever. Amen."
The priest then sprinkles them with holy
water and gives the usual blessing of the Mass.
If the Catholic Church is against di-
vorce, and she is, what remedy can she
suggest in the case where after marriage
a couple are found to be ill-matched and
living an unharmonious life?
Christ raised the marriage contract to the
dignity, and gave it the efficacy, of a Sacrament.
It is only under the dominion of grace that the
beautiful ideal, the true Christian conception of
marriage, can be realized. It is the supernatural
MARRIAGE 189
element that solves all those problems (or rather
leaves none to be solved) that agitate the un-
believer in his practical study of human nature.
Fixing his gaze exclusively on human nature
with all its imperfections, he considers a uni-
versal law of permanence for the marriage bond
an unnatural and rigorous condition under which
to live, and regards it as the source of so many
evils that the possible enacting of it cannot be
worthy of the Divine Wisdom. He forgets that
it is precisely Divine Wisdom that has supplied
a remedy for human imperfections by a special
sanctification of matrimony. He knows nothing
of sacramental grace.
But how about those who know nothing of
Sacraments or their effects? Are such, when
conjugal happiness ceases, to remain the victims
of an unnatural union? True, the fullest measure
of grace is given to those within the pale of the
Church. But the divine aid is always at hand
to assist the wedded in overcoming the difficulties
of married life; and to those who live according
to their lights and observe the natural law,
which is written in every human heart, grace is
given in exceptional abundance. Not even for
anyone outside the Church is there any excuse
for breaking the marriage bond.
And yet the cry comes: Is there no means of
escape from their unhappy lot when some are
the innocent victims of an unnatural or an un-
happy marriage? We answer that both divine
and human law provide for separation, without
divorce, in cases where exceptional suffering,
guiltily inflicted, is endured by either of the
parties at the hands of the other. This should
be a satisfactory solution of the difficulty to all
right-minded persons. It secures the happiness
of the innocent party and is no injustice to the
guilty. The Catholic Church forbids divorce,
strictly so-called in all cases, when both parties
i9o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
are baptized and have lived together as husband
and wife.
A is in love with B, a Protestant girl, and
expects to marry her. She will not give
up her religion. Having been going with
her for two years, he has gradually drifted
away from his own religion (Catholic),
much to the distress and sorrow of his
family. They have done everything in
their power to persuade him not to take
such a dangerous step, but he will not
heed. What would you advise them to
do or say to him?
It is probably too late to do anything now.
Such friendship should be nipped in the bud,
utterly discouraged and forbidden from the first,
before the two are head over heels in what
they call love and before (as in this case) faith,
already weak enough perhaps, has become still
weaker by association with a determined non-
Catholic.
It seems that the best thing in the case is to
try to have them at least get married before a
priest, in a mixed marriage. That would neces-
sitate the girl's coming to instructions for a cer-
tain number of times and her signing of the re-
quisite promises as regards the children, etc. But
even then, from the state of the question, we see
more misery than anything else ahead for the
couple so married. We cannot help our pes-
simism. Experience teaches.
What is a companionate marriage, of
which one sometimes reads?
A companionate marriage may be defined as
an agreement to live together as man and wife
for a time; and, if the arrangement proves
satisfactory, the illicit union is to be followed
by formal marriage. If unsatisfactory to one or
both parties, they simply go their own way and
MARRIAGE r9i
form a more agreeable union if they can find
fellows in folly, which is easy enough these days.
A companionate marriage is, therefore, no real
marriage at all, but just a modern way of trying
to make shameful living together in grievous sin
respectable. The devil, always active, seems to
be unusually active and successful in these days.
We must all condemn such practices. They tend
to the demoralization and destruction of the
home, the state, and of all Christian society.
Can a Catholic party marry a non-
Catholic party who has been divorced and
still remain a Catholic?
We give but a general answer. A Catholic
can licitly and validly marry a divorced non-
Catholic only if (1) the divorced partner no
longer lives or it can be proven beyond a doubt
that the marriage was for some reason invalid,
and if (2), the necessary instructions having been
given, the promises made, and the dispensations
obtained, they are duly married before a priest.
The Catholic partner of such a mixed marriage
would still be a Catholic. But how long? Not
very long, we sadly fear. Would to God that our
Catholic young people could realize, without
first getting the personal experience of ruined,
unhappy, miserable lives, the evils of mixed
marriages! Of all the blind folly, this is the
blindest.
If a Catholic girl marries an unbaptized
man before a priest in a parish rectory, a
dispensation for the impediment of dis-
parity of worship having been obtained,
and has a Catholic girl and an unbaptized
man for witnesses, is the marriage recog-
nized as valid by the Catholic Church?
This question has reference to the witnesses
in their relation to the validity of marriage.
In addition to the proper priest two witnesses
2.91 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
are required for a valid marriage where at least
one party is a Catholic. Anyone who is able to
testify concerning the act accomplished may be
a witness. Hence it makes no difference as re-
gards the validity of the marriage whether the
witnesses are male or female, Christians or in-
fidels, relatives or strangers, whether they have
reached the age of puberty or not, if only they
have the use of reason and can testify concerning
the marriage contracted. However, though non-
Catholic witnesses do not make the marriage
invalid, it is not allowed to use them where
Catholics can be had, unless serious inconvenience
would result from a refusal to admit them.
The marriage mentioned in your question was
accordingly valid as far as the witnesses were
concerned. Moreover, it having been performed
in a rectory, no additional scandal was given by
the presence of a non-Catholic as witness.
I have heard that a divorced person
cannot be married in the Catholic Church.
But I know of a woman who married a
divorced man. The priest got a dispen-
sation from the Bishop and married them.
The man's first wife is still living. This
first wife was a Protestant woman and
they were married by a Protestant minis-
ter about ten years ago. He was a Catholic.
Shall I tell this second wife to leave him
because she is living in sin, her marriage
being null and void?
You may do nothing of the kind! Here is an
example of how much harm can be done by
interference in matters that do not concern you.
What a blunder you would make were you to tell
that lady to leave her husband because they are
not validly married! The fact is, their marriage
is valid, — a thing that you ought not for a moment
to doubt when you know they were married by a
MARRIAGE 2.93
priest. You may always be sure that the priest
knows what he is about.
How is it to be explained? You say that he
was a Catholic and she a Protestant and they
were married by a Protestant minister. But a
Catholic cannot now be validly married except
before a priest. Hence that marriage was null
and void before the Church, though legally
recognized as valid by the state. Then those
two got a divorce: their legal marriage was
legally dissolved by the state and ceased to exist.
So the man, never married before the Church,
ceased also to be married before the state. He
was legally free to marry (again). In the eyes of
the Church he was not a divorced man, having
never been really married. So when you read
that a Catholic cannot marry a divorced person,
always make the proper distinctions. When it
comes to contracting another marriage there is
a great difference, for a Catholic, between an
actual divorce and a seeming divorce. Consul-
tation is important.
You say the priest got a dispensation from the
Bishop and then married them. He did not get
a dispensation properly so called. He ascertained
the facts of the case, saw that the former mar-
riage had doubtless been null and void and that
a legal divorce had fortunately made the man free,
and then prudently referred the case to the
Bishop and the matrimonial court of the diocese.
The case was then carefully examined by experts
who verified the facts, found that the man was
free to marry, and gave a declaration of nullity
regarding the first marriage. The priest having
given due attention to the avoidance or the
reparation of scandal, was then free to officiate
at the marriage ceremony, there being no ob-
stacles in the way.
It was a good Catholic marriage, albeit after a
sad lapse on the part of one. But God is good;
2.94 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
He forgives and forgets if we turn to Him in true
sorrow and repentance.
So let's remember that babbling is bad enough,
but meddling is often worse.
A Catholic friend of mine goes with a
Protestant divorced woman whose Protes-
tant husband is still living. Will he under
any conditions be allowed to marry her in
the Catholic Church? Will he still be a
Catholic if he marries her outside the
Catholic Church?
The Catholic Church does not acknowledge
such a thing as divorce. Hence this question
naturally resolves itself into that diriment
(diriment — making null and void) impediment
known as the bond of previous marriage. Hence
we need only say that as long as the bond of a
previous marriage, even though not consum-
mated, persists, the contracting parties can not
validly conclude a second marriage. This im-
pediment is based on the unity and the indis-
solubility of marriage, both of which are of divine
right.
As regards the second part of your question,
we regret to give the following answer: Yes;
he will still be a Catholic and one of the worst
kind imaginable: a f alien-away Catholic! Not
only will he get a woman to live with (not a
wife) but in all probability eternal hell fire be-
sides. These endless queries about Catholics
marrying married ("divorced") persons positively
sicken us. We would suggest that all such persons
call at the houses of suffering and the homes of
the dying or that they visit the abodes of the
dead, e. g., the morgue, the graveyard; and then
let them ask themselves why it is, after all, that
people make such a fuss about living this life
in sin. The only true life is a holy preparation
for the everlasting life to come. But talking is
of no use where faith is dead and gone!
MARRIAGE
-95
Can a Catholic girl marry a man who is
a non-Catholic and is divorced, providing
he joins the Catholic Church? And can
a Catholic man that married a non-
Catholic girl and is now divorced from
her go back to his Church and marry a
Catholic girl? I know several people that
have married in cases such as this; and
still they say they are doing the right
thing according to the laws of the Church.
It is impossible to answer these questions
categorically with a "Yes" or "No". You are
well aware that the Catholic Church does not
acknowledge divorce, strictly so called. If the
couples mentioned above as divorced were validly
married, they are married until death do them
part; and even if the civil law grants them a
divorce, the one cannot, in the eyes of the Church,
enter validly into a second marriage during the
lifetime of the other.
But this is all on the supposition that the mar-
riages were valid. On that supposition the
answer to the above two questions would simply
be "No!"
However, for one or more of a variety of
reasons (impediments, etc.), the marriages above
alluded to may have been invalid, no real mar-
riages at all, at least not in the eyes of the Church.
Then, of course, the divorce obtained just legally
places them where they ought to be — apart — and
makes them what they really are — free. In that
case, being free to marry they may seek a Catholic
marriage. If all is well and there is nothing
else in the way and the necessary steps have been
taken (all of which the priest who witnesses their
marriage will duly attend to beforehand), they
can be married in the Catholic Church.
So it is quite possible that the people you refer
to are doing the right thing according to the laws
t96 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
of the Church. Certainly everything is in order
if they were married by a priest.
They are a Catholic couple, married in
the Catholic Church. But the husband
has repeatedly deserted her, obliging her
to work for the support of the children.
At times he returns and causes trouble
in the home, etc., etc. The wife feels
it is impossible (also for moral reasons)
to live with him again. May she secure a
divorce ?
She may not secure a divorce strictly so called.
Before God two who are validly married are
married until death separates them. In case
they should separate neither may marry again
during the lifetime of the other.
We must now speak of this separation of the
body, or separation from bed and board, as it is
sometimes called. Canon Law says that there is
a grave obligation for the married to live together,
unless for a legitimate cause. When it has be-
come impossible to live together, as in the case
in question, the parties, who may be tempted to
apply for a divorce, should remember that mere
separation can give them, from the civil point of
view, the same advantages, while at the same
time it safeguards the demands of Catholic
teaching.
The chief cause of perpetual separation results
from the adultery of one of the parties. After
the separation because of adultery, the innocent
party is not bound ever (but has the right) to
take back the guilty party and resume their
common life.
There are other causes of separation which per-
mit the injured party to have recourse to the
Ordinary (Bishop) to obtain a separation or even
to leave the offending party by his or her own
authority, if the reasons are evident and there is
MARRIAGE 2.97
danger in waiting for a decision from the Ordi-
nary. The Code of Canon Law mentions the fol-
lowing. We give it concisely. 1. Affiliation of
the other party with a non-Catholic sect. 2.
Criminal and shameful conduct, such as habitual
drunkenness, adulterous actions, theft. 3. Edu-
cation of children in schism or heresy. 4. Grave
peril of soul or body. 5. Harsh treatment that
makes the common life too difficult, such as hard
work, continual bickering, compelling the inno-
cent party to remain shut up in the house, re-
fusing to furnish the necessaries of life, etc., etc.
But in all these five cases the separation is only
temporary and must cease with the cause which
justifies it, unless the separation has been pro-
nounced by the ecclesiastical judge. In that case
the innocent party cannot be compelled to resume
the common life except by a decision of the
Ordinary, or by the expiration of the time that
was specified for the separation.
However, we wish strongly to emphasize that
the proper method of procedure is for the married
in question to state their grievances to their pas-
tor. If the subject of disagreement is an adultery
that is certain, the pastor can declare that there
is a cause for separation. If another motive is
in question the matter should be submitted to the
Ordinary, unless there be grave danger in await-
ing his decision.
Since, in our country, the decision of the Ordi-
nary has no effects in the civil forum, the Church
permits the securing of a separation from the
civil courts, when there are serious causes for it
and the judgment allows only a separation
properly so called.
But in this matter we should always urge
charity, patience, forgiveness whenever possible,
and more strongly still if there are children. If
there are children, in case of separation, their
education must be entrusted to the innocent
2.98 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
party, or to the Catholic party if the other party
is not a Catholic. The Ordinary, however, may
impose another solution, if the welfare of the
children demands it, provided that it safeguards
the education of the children.
Why does the Church object to mixed
marriages ?
The Church does not merely object to them;
she strictly forbids her children to marry one who
is not of the true faith. When she almost must,
she sometimes gives a dispensation, under certain
strict conditions, trying to save what may be
saved.
It is easy to understand the attitude taken by
Mother Church in this matter. How can a Cath-
olic live with a non-Catholic in that perfect unity
required for a happy marriage? "How shall two
dwell together except they be agreed?" True of
natural things, this is still more true of the super-
natural. Unless both have the same faith, there
is little hope of unity; for nq^n^_u^ites_and
nothing djyides^so much asfdoes religion. Cath-
olic marriages are sometimes unhappy, but mixed
marriages are almost invariably so. As the years
pass the gap between the two widens rather than
lessens. Religious unity is more necessary than
anything else in the married state; the upbring-
ing of the children and the unity of the family
depend upon it. The Church realizes this well
and therefore looks askance upon a union between
those who are divided in the most essential thing
of all.
Catholics who marry non-Catholics prepare for
themselves dreary, heartbreaking periods of lone-
liness. They must keep all the joys of their re-
ligion to themselves. To a certain extent they
cannot move freely in Catholic circles. New trials
and miseries come with the coming of children.
They, too, are divided.
MARRIAGE z99
But it is not only religion that divides the minds
and hearts of the parties to a mixed marriage.
The very nature and meaning of marriage is a
subject for disagreement. To the Catholic mar-
riage is a Sacrament; to the non-Catholic it is
merely a civil contract. To the Catholic it is a
union that can be broken by death alone; to the
non-Catholic it can be dissolved by the simple act
of the divorce court. To the Catholic the primary
object of marriage is to bring children into the
world, and the unlawful frustration of this pur-
pose is grievously sinful; to the non-Catholic
what we know to be sinful birth control is simply
an indifferent matter of choice and circumstances.
One wants children and the other does not; and
bitterness, misunderstandings, quarrels without
end are the result. And the pangs of a tortured
conscience add to the complicated misery of this
little hell upon earth.
No wonder Holy Church forbids mixed mar-
riages; and when she must witness them does so
in mourning, as it were, without even a blessing.
We think that for a Catholic to contract a mixed
marriage is an act of consummate folly.
A Protestant girl who is a very dear
friend of mine expects to be married soon
and has asked me to be her bridesmaid.
The wedding will take place at the bride's
home. Would I be committing a sin if
I acted as her bridesmaid, as I would not
have to enter the church?
Your question shows that you have the proper
Catholic consciousness, the feeling that you
should have nothing to do with what concerns
the Protestant religion. This is very praise-
worthy. In our day and country (when, for in-
stance, the radio brings non-Catholic preachers
even into our very homes) we Catholics cannot
be too careful in preserving untarnished the
3oo QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
purity and freshness of our faith. There is
constant danger of that fatal broadmindedness
which would make one religion as good as another.
Holy Mother Church is very solicitous in this
regard. In Canon 1258 we read, "It is unlawful
for Catholics to assist actively in any way at, or
to take part in, the religious services of non-
Catholics. A passive or merely material presence
may be tolerated, for reasons of civil duty or
honor, at funerals, weddings, and similar celebra-
tions, provided no danger of perversion or scandal
arises from this assistance. In doubtful cases the
reason for assisting must be grave, and recognized
as such by the bishop."
From this law of the Church it can be seen
that a passive or merely material presence may be
tolerated on certain occasions. One such occasion
is the case in question. Provided there be no
danger of scandal or perversion, you would not
be committing any sin by acting as your friend's
bridesmaid. This would be true even if the wed-
ding were held in church. However, the fact that
the wedding is to take place at the bride's home
is an extenuating circumstance.
Accordingly, with the modifications mentioned
above, it is no sin. But Holy Church, even while
tolerating it, frowns upon all such participation,
and so do we. Catholics should be so trained
as to feel uneasy and unhappy at anything like
a Protestant service and hence never participate
in it.
We believe that this breaking down of barriers,
this ultrabroadmindedness, this meeting each
other half way, is the cause of many of our mixed
marriages with their attendant train of miseries
and defections from the true Church. This is
one way of explaining our lamentable "leakage,"
which is perhaps greater than our gains.
Is birth control a mortal sin?
MARRIAGE 301
We have repeatedly answered this question.
In his great Encylical on Christian Marriage,
issued Dec. 31, 1930, Pope Pius XI also treats of
this matter and declares to the whole world that
those who indulge in such use "are branded with
the guilt of a grave sin." This answers your
question with a plain "Yes."
We here give that part of the Encyclical in
which the Holy Father speaks of birth control.
It is a complete treatise in itself — and none could
be better:
And now, Venerable Brethren, We shall explain
in detail the evils opposed to each of the benefits
of matrimony.
First consideration is due to the offspring,
which many have the boldness to call the dis-
agreeable burden of matrimony and which, they
say, is to be carefully avoided by married people
not through virtuous continence (which Christian
law permits in matrimony when both parties
consent) but by frustrating the marriage act.
Some justify this criminal abuse on the ground
that they are weary of children and wish to
gratify their desires without their consequent
burden. Others say that they cannot on the one
hand remain continent nor, on the other, can
they have children because of the difficulties,
whether on the part of the mother or on the part
of family circumstances.
But no reason, however grave, may be put
forward by which anything intrinsically against
nature may become conformable to nature and
morally good. Since, therefore, the conjugal
act is destined primarily by nature for the be-
getting of children, those who in exercising it
deliberately frustrate its natural power and pur-
pose sin against nature and commit a deed which
is shameful and intrinsically vicious.
Small wonder, therefore, if Holy Writ bears
witness that the Divine Majesty regards with
3ox QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
greatest detestation this horrible crime and at
times has punished it with death, as St. Augustine
notes. Intercourse even with one's legitimate
wife is unlawful and wicked where the concep-
tion of offspring is prevented. Onan, the son of
Juda, did this and the Lord killed him for it.
Since, therefore, openly departing from the
uninterrupted Christian tradition, some recently
have judged it possible solemnly to declare
another doctrine regarding this question, the
Catholic Church, to whom God has entrusted
the defense of the integrity and purity of morals,
standing erect in the midst of the moral ruin
which surrounds her, in order that she may pre-
serve the chastity of the nuptial union from being
defiled by this foul stain, raises her voice in token
of Divine ambassadorship and through Our
mouth proclaims anew: Any use whatsoever of
matrimony exercised in such a way that the act
is deliberately frustrated in its natural power to
generate life is an offense against the law of God
and of nature, and those who indulge in such are
branded with the guilt of a grave sin. We
admonish, therefore, priests who hear confessions,
and others who have the care of souls, in virtue
of Our supreme authority and in Our solicitude
for the salvation of souls, not to allow the Faith-
ful entrusted to them to err regarding this most
grave law of God; much more, that they keep
themselves immune from such false opinions, in
no way conniving in them. If any confessor or
pastor of souls, which may God forbid, lead the
Faithful entrusted to him into these errors or
should^at least confirm them by approval or by
guilty silence, let him be mindful of the fact
that he must render a strict account to God, the
Supreme Judge, for the betrayal of his sacred
trust," and let him take to himself the words of
Christ: "They are blind leaders of the blind.
MARRIAGE 303
And if the blind lead the blind, both fall into the
pit" (Matt, xv, 14).
As regards the evil use of matrimony, — to pass
over the arguments which are shameful ones, —
not infrequently, — others that are false and
exaggerated are put forward. Holy Mother
Church very well understands and clearly ap-
preciates all that is said regarding the health of
the mother and the danger to her life; and who
would not grieve to think of these things; who
is not filled with the greatest admiration when he
sees a mother risking her life with heroic fortitude,
that she may preserve the life of the offspring
which she has conceived? God alone, all bounti-
ful and all merciful as He is, can reward her for
the fulfillment of the office allotted to her by
nature, and will assuredly repay her in a measure
full to overflowing (Luke vi, 38).
Holy Church knows well that not infrequently
one of the parties is sinned against rather than
sinning when for a grave cause he or she re-
luctantly allows the perversion of the right order.
In such a case, there is no sin, provided that,
mindful of the law of charity he or she does not
neglect to seek to dissuade and to deter the part-
ner from sin. Nor are those considered as acting
against nature who in the married state use their
right in the proper manner although on account
of natural reasons either of time or of certain de-
fects, new life cannot be brought forth. For in
matrimony as well as in the use of the matri-
monial rights there are also secondary ends, such
as mutual aid, the cultivating of mutual love, and
the quieting of concupiscence which husband and
wife are not forbidden to consider so long as they
are subordinated to the primary end and so long
as the intrinsic nature of the act is preserved.
We are deeply touched by the sufferings of
those parents who, in extreme want, experience
great difficulty in rearing their children. How-
304 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
ever, they should take care lest the calamitous
state of their external affairs should be the
occasion for a much more calamitous error. No
difficulty can arise that justifies the putting aside
of the law of God which forbids all acts intrinsi-
cally evil. There is no possible circumstance in
which husband and wife cannot, strengthened by
the grace of God, fulfill faithfully their duties and
preserve in wedlock their chastity unspotted.
This truth of Christian faith is expressed by
the teaching of the Council of Trent (Trid.
Cone, sess. vi, chap. 11).
Let none be so rash as to assert that which the
Fathers of the Council have placed under ana-
thema, namely, that there are precepts of God
impossible for the just to observe. God does not
ask the impossible, but by His commands, in-
structs you to do what you are able, to pray for
what you are not able, that He may help you.
This same doctrine was again solemnly re-
peated and confirmed by the Church in the con-
demnation of the Jansenist heresy which dared to
utter this blasphemy against the goodness of
God: "Some precepts of God are, when one con-
siders the powers which man possesses, impossible
of fulfillment even to the just who wish to keep
the law and strive to do so: grace is lacking
whereby these laws could be fulfilled. "
At what age does the Church consider
it the proper time to marry?
The express law of the Church (Canon 1067)
states that a boy cannot validly contract marriage
before he has completed his sixteenth year, and a
girl before she has completed her fourteenth year.
Although marriage contracted after the aforesaid
age is valid, pastors of souls should deter from it
young people who have not reached the age at
which, according to the custom of the country y
MARRIAGE 305
marriage is usually contracted. Such is the law
of the Church.
In this country girls rarely marry before the
age of eighteen, and boys are usually a few years
older.
How soon does God create a soul in a
baby ? I was told four or five months be-
fore birth.
The human soul is created directly by God.
God gives existence to the soul at the very
moment when it is to be united to the body
produced by generation, because it is designed
by God to form with that body one human nature.
The Council of Vienne in 1311 defined that "the
rational or intellectual soul is directly and es-
sentially the form — i. e., the life-giving principle
of the body." This is a fundamental doctrine.
It gives the lie direct to the theory of atheistic
evolution, and invests paternal authority with a
religious and a sacred character.
The soul is created at the very moment when
it is to be infused into the body. Just when is
that? The medieval theologians generally fol-
lowed the physiological teachings of Aristotle,
who held that the human embryo during the
early history of its existence passes through a
series of transitional stages in which it is suc-
cessively informed by the vegetative, the sentient,
and, finally, by the rational soul. It may be this
ancient theory which caused others to tell you
"four or five months before birth." However,
that theory is abandoned by many modern
theologians; they maintain that a fully rational
(immortal) soul is infused into the embryo at
the first moment of its existence. The opinion
which prevails today, and which is theologically
"certain," is that the rational soul is created and
infused at the moment of conception; and con-
ception, the union of male and female elements of
3o6 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
generation, may take place at any moment after
the marriage act. From this something very im-
portant follows. As Holy Church teaches, "it
follows that married persons who, to prevent
conception or procure abortion, have recourse to
medicine" or other means, "are guilty of a most
heinous crime, nothing less than premeditated
murder."
A and B get married to each other. A
is a baptized non-Catholic, B was never
baptized. They are married before a
Justice of the Peace. Is their marriage
valid? Would it be valid if both were
baptized non-Catholics? If both were
unbaptized ?
If one is baptized or if both are baptized and
there are no impediments (for example, the bond
of a previous marriage still existing, very close
relationship, etc.), the marriage is valid. After
they have lived together (consummated marriage)
it can be dissolved only by death. This answers
your first and second questions.
Now we come to the third. If both are un-
baptized the marriage is likewise valid — a valid,
natural contract. But it can be dissolved if one
of the partners becomes a Catholic and the other
will not live peaceably with that partner. Then
the Catholic may make use of the Pauline Privi-
lege and marry in the Catholic Church. Of
course, each case of this kind (and such cases
can easily arise in our day and land of innumer-
able unbaptized persons) must be properly sub-
mitted to the Bishop's matrimonial court. It is
to be noted that the Pauline Privilege can be in-
voked only when the two were unbaptized at the
time of their marriage.
Would the fact that one of the con-
tracting parties, in a Catholic marriage,
was never baptized be sufficient grounds
MARRIAGE 307
to have the marriage annulled and to
permit a remarriage of either to another
party in the Church?
Yes; the grounds would be sufficient, according
to the present marriage legislation of the Church;
for the case as it stands would be equivalent to
the impediment of disparity of worship from
which no dispensation had been obtained.
This impediment of disparity of worship exists
when one of the parties has not been baptized,
and the other was either baptized in the Catholic
Church or was converted to the Catholic faith
from schism or heresy.
Now, if at the time of the marriage the parties
were commonly regarded as baptized, or even
if their baptism was doubtful, their marriage is
to be regarded as valid. There is a presumption
in favor of its validity until certain proof is ad-
duced of the disparity of worship. (This, in-
cidentally, explains why the certificate of one's
baptism is required before marriage.) But if,
after the marriage, the disparity of worship is
duly proven, the marriage is to be regarded as
null and void and must be revalidated.
Above we used the words, according to the
present marriage legislation. Marriage legisla-
tion is rather complicated, and present discipline
differs in many cases from former discipline.
We do not presume in this answer to decide any
particular case. All matters of this kind must
be placed before the proper pastor, who will
institute the requisite inquiries and see to it that
the proper mode of procedure be followed. No
one should be so rash as to attempt in any way
independently to solve cases such as the above.
I would like to know under what con-
ditions a Catholic can marry a divorced
Protestant that has not been baptized.
From the frequency with which this question
3o8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
is asked in a variety of different ways, we are led
to make a number of sad conclusions:
First — As everybody knows, there are divorced
Protestants, baptized and unbaptized, though
only with difficulty can we understand how they
can be unbaptized and yet Protestants. Their,
number is legion.
Second — There are, strange to say, Catholics
to whom marriage with such a one would seem
desirable.
Third — These Catholics are apparently so
ignorant of the teachings of their religion as not
even to know that the Church recognizes no such
thing as divorce. Once lawfully married means,
in the eyes of God and the Church, "until" death
do us part," no matter what the state may say.
Fourth — These Catholics are likewise alto-
gether forgetful of the fact that a Catholic is
absolutely forbidden by ecclesiastical law (not to
mention divine law, in case of danger of perver-
sion) to marry anyone who is not a Catholic.
Fifth — They apparently imagine that all that
is necessary is just to "get a dispensation," for-
getting that, in cases where a dispensation can be
given or is wont to be given, the Pope alone, or
his delegates by virtue of common law or of an
apostolic indult, can, as a general rule, dispense
from matrimonial impediments.
But be it remembered that an anterior and still
existing marriage bond is one of the three impedi-
ments from which the Church never dispenses.
And this is the case in question.
Must a non-baptized Protestant be
baptized before a priest is allowed^ to
marry him or her to a Catholic in the
priest's parlor?
A non-baptized Protestant is an anomaly in-
deed! But what is here meant is simply an un-
baptized person, an infidel.
MARRIAGE 309
A marriage contracted by a non-baptized per-
son with a person baptized in the Catholic Church
or converted to it from heresy or schism is no
marriage. Such is the law of the Church. This
is what is known as the diriment impediment of
disparity of worship. To contract such a mar-
riage a dispensation is absolutely necessary.
Everything that is prescribed for mixed mar-
riages is likewise to be applied to marriages that
are under the impediment of disparity or worship.
A dispensation must accordingly be obtained.
And the conditions on which the Church dis-
penses from these two impediments are:
1. There must be just and serious reasons.
2. The non-Catholic party must promise to
shield the Catholic party from all danger of per-
version, and both must promise that their chil-
dren shall be baptized and brought up in the
Catholic faith alone.
3. There must be a moral certainty that these
promises will be kept.
No; the non-baptized party need not be bap-
tized before the priest witnesses their marriage
in his office; but the Catholic party is bound to
labor prudently for the conversion of the non-
Catholic party.
Such marriages are highly to be deplored. The
Church performs them in mourning, as it were,
trying to save what can be saved.
Suppose I and the girl to whom I am
engaged act as groomsman and brides-
maid at the marriage of a young couple of
our acquaintance. Will we contract a
spiritual relationship that will prevent us
two from getting married?
No spiritual relationship whatsoever is con-
tracted in this way. Hence there is no objection
to your thus assisting at your friends' wedding.
Spiritual relationship results from Baptism or
3io QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Confirmation, and is similar to the bonds of
relationship resulting from community of blood.
As a consequence of Baptism spiritual rela-
tionship exists between the one baptizing and the
baptized, between the godfather and his god-
daughter, between the godmother and her god-
son. As a consequence of Confirmation spiritual
relationship exists between the person confirmed
and his sponsor.
Spiritual relationship, since the New Code,
constitutes a diriment matrimonial impediment
only when it is the result of Baptism, that is, be-
tween the one baptizing and the person baptized,
between the godfather and his goddaughter, be-
tween the godmother and her godson.
You are probably wondering whether this
spiritual relationship is contracted by private
Baptism. Yes, it is.
If second cousins should marry and be
blessed with children, is there a possible
danger of the children being unhealthy
or deformed in any way?
To begin with, it is understood, of course, that
second cousins cannot marry without a lawful
dispensation from the diriment impediment of
consanguinity. The law of the Church declares
that marriage within the third collateral degree
of kinship, inclusive, is null and void. The re-
lationship known as second cousins is the third
degree.
If we search for the reasons for the Church's
legislation in this matter we find three that strike
us as very clear and important. (1) The wel-
fare of the social order, according to St. Augustine
and St. Thomas, demands the widest possible
extension of love and friendship among all human-
kind, to which desirable aim the inter-marriage
of close blood-relations is manifestly opposed
(2) In the moral order the prohibition of marriage
MARRIAGE 311
between near relations serves as a barrier against
early corruption among young persons of both
sexes brought habitually into close intimacy
with each other, as it also tends to strengthen
the natural feeling of respect for closely related
persons. (3) Nature itself seems to abhor the
marriage of close kin, since such unions are often
childless and their offspring seem subject to
grave physical and mental weakness (epilepsy,
deaf -muteness, weak eyes, nervous diseases), and
incur easily and transmit the defects, physical
or moral, of their parents, especially when the
interbreeding of blood-relations is repeated. Note
the emphasis we place on these last words.
The answer to your question accordingly is:
Yes; there is a possible danger, greater or lesser,
according to the circumstances.
Will you kindly tell me if the Church
would consider as valid a marriage per-
formed by a priest, in a case where one of
the parties had previously been a Protes-
tant, and had been married to a Protes-
tant, and then divorced, and then had
become a Catholic, and wanted to marry
a Catholic. This is not being recited as
a case in point, but just a supposition,
for I have no record that such a marriage
has ever been performed. However, I
would appreciate it very much if you
would be kind enough to advise me of
the Catholic Church's ruling in a matter
of this kind.
If a Protestant person is validly married to
another Protestant, said person cannot validly
marry a Catholic (nor anyone else, for that mat-
ter) during the lifetime of the other party in the
marriage contract. And neither so-called di-
vorce nor conversion can alter matters. Previous
marriage that is a sacrament and has been con-
3 ix QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
summated by conjugal intercourse, is a diriment
impediment of the most absolute kind and no
such thing as a dispensation is possible.
This question seems to be based on the false
supposition that the marriages of non-Catholics
among themselves are not valid before the
Church. This is an utterly wrong notion which
only too many people still have. Hence we would
repeat that marriages of non-Catholics among
themselves are valid, real marriages; also in the
eyes of the Church. And they bind the parties
until death parts them. In Canon 1099 the law
of the Church clearly states that "non-Catholics,
whether baptized or not, who marry among them-
selves are nowhere bound to observe the Catholic
form of marriage." The oft -repeated assertion
that "the Church brands Protestant marriages as
invalid" is a base slander and a lie of the blackest
kind.
But as regards Catholics, even if only one party
is a Catholic (and even this seems to be often
forgotten), Canon 1094 states that only such
marriages are valid as are contracted before the
pastor, or the Ordinary of the diocese, or before
a priest delegated by either the pastor or the
Ordinary, and at least two witnesses, in con-
formity, however, with the rules laid down in
the two following Canons, and with the exceptions
(e. g., danger of death, when pastor cannot be
had) mentioned in Canons 1098 and 1099.
I have a very complicated question
which I am unable to solve. I'm sure
you will help me out of my trouble. If
Adam and Eve were the first two people
created by God, and Eve conceived and
bore two sons, Cain and Abel, and it came
to pass that when they were in the field
Cain rose up against his brother Abel and
slew him: how did Cain know his wife
MARRIAGE 313
in the land of Nod, when Adam and Eve
were the first two people on earth? How
did Cain get his wife? When Abel was no
more there were only Adam, Eve, and
Cain.
The difficulty is not so great after all, nor is
the question so complicated. Cain and Abel
were not the only children of Adam and Eve.
Had you read a little further in Genesis you
would have found (Genesis 5: 3, 4) the following:
"And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years,
and begot a son to his own image and likeness,
and called his name Seth. And the days of Adam,
after he begot Seth, were eight hundred years:
and he begot sons and daughters." Hence, after
the death of Abel there were others besides
Adam, Eve, and Cain. Who was Cain's wife?
Manifestly, she was a daughter of Adam and
Cain's own sister, God dispensing with such
marriages in the beginning of the world, as man-
kind could not otherwise be propagated.
A Catholic girl friend of mine has just
married a non-Catholic before a minister.
Would it be wrong for me to give her a
wedding present? Would that be giving
scandal ?
Good Catholic sense ought at once to tell you
that such an action, if it in any way manifests
approval of her rash conduct, is a species of co-
operation in evil and of scandal, more or less grave
according to circumstances. To us it is unthink-
able that a good Catholic should wish to give a
wedding present, that is, a token of esteem and
congratulation, to one who has thus shamelessly
and openly flouted the laws of the Catholic
Church and is living in sin and under sentence of
excommunication. Such a one is not validly
married in the eyes of Holy Church. What
cause for congratulation then? To lend even
314 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
seeming approval to such flagrant disobedience is
a thing no Catholic may do.
Manifestly, we cannot bring ourselves to think
that this would be formal co-operation, that in
which the sin itself is willed. But is it not material
co-operation? Material co-operation is that
which takes place when a person participates in
a wicked deed without sharing the evil intention
of the principal. Such co-operation is permitted,
however, only if the act co-operated in is in itself
good, or at least objectively indifferent, or when
it is dictated by a just cause, e. g., great utility,
necessity, avoidance of serious inconvenience.
All of which it is difficult to imagine here.
A Catholic should have the courage of his
convictions and stand resolutely on the side of
God and His holy Church. It is all very well
to be tolerant and broadminded, but we must
avoid that false tolerance which is synonymous
with indifference to error. It is a Christian duty
to pity the erring and the sinful and treat them
charitably, yes; but it is equally a Christian
duty to hate and combat error and sin. However,
in the case at hand it is a question whether this
particular and altogether unnecessary charity
towards the sinner is consonant with the combat-
ing of sin.
Two parties, both Catholics, were mar-
ried in court less than two years ago.
Now they wish to have their marriage
blessed by a Catholic priest. Just how
should they go about it? Will they have
to get a new license? Will the priest re-
fuse to bless such a marriage? Will they
have to be married in the church? Please
give all the details.
All the details will be given them by their
pastor, to whom they should present themselves
without delay. Those who are sincerely re-
MARRIAGE 315
pentant and anxious to come back to God and
to do the right thing will not be refused. Christ,
Whose representative the priest is, ever wel-
comes back the sorrowful sinner. A new license
need not be obtained, nor need the priest neces-
sarily witness the marriage in church. He will
prudently handle the whole matter as circum-
stances dictate.
This is another instance of shameless folly
that cannot be too soundly condemned, an out-
growth of crass ignorance or unexcusable weak-
ness of faith. But would to God that such parties
would always come to their senses before it is
too late and would make haste to manifest the
sincere good will suggested by the above question!
Supposing a Catholic woman is now
married to a Protestant man by a Justice
of the Peace or a minister, may she then
obtain a divorce and marry a Catholic
man in a Catholic church?
Yes; in the eyes of the Church she is not
validly married. Hence the so-called divorce
grants her legal freedom and fortunately frees
her from what the rightly formed Catholic
conscience must needs call sinful cohabitation.
She will, of course, consult her pastor about the
matter before acting. And she will make her
peace with God through a contrite confession be-
fore she receives the holy Sacrament of Matri-
mony.
Some years ago a Catholic girl kept
company with and married her uncle, her
mother's brother, who was also a Catholic.
I was a friend of hers at the time and
knew of her friendship for this man;
but I kept silent. Should I have tried to
break their company keeping? Recently
I visited them once or twice, and my
relatives say that it is bad luck for me to
3i6 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
go near them or have anything to do with
them. What would you advise?
They weie related to each other in the second
degree of blood relationship, collateral line. This
they doubtless knew; hence there was no real
obligation of your telling them. They also knew
we will suppose, that consanguinity is a diriment
impediment up to and including the third degree
in the collateral line. We further presume that
they obtained a dispensation from this impedi-
ment. If they were married by a priest they,
of course, did; otherwise he would not have
married them. If things are as here supposed
(for the question is rather general), then pay
no attention whatsoever to the wagging tongues
of babblers who would question the right of the
Church to grant dispensations and would thus,
to use a telling expression, "be more Catholic
than the Catholic Church."
Is it possible for a priest to perform the
marriage ceremony in the home of a
Catholic girl, the groom being a non-
Catholic?
Usually the priest witnesses such a mixed
marriage in the rectory and not in the church.
And there really is no ceremony. The priest is
simply a necessary official witness for validity.
The Church witnesses such marriages in mourn-
ing, as it were. The priest is not vested and gives
no blessing. He merely witnesses the mutual
consent. Hence, under certain circumstances,
if he so wishes and it is not forbidden by Diocesan
Statutes, he may go to the home of the Catholic
girl, though he will rarely do this — and properly
so.
A certain girl intends to marry a
widower, and people tell her not to.
Both are good Catholics. But people tell
her that if they get married, when both
MARRIAGE 317
die and go to heaven her husband will go
to his first wife and she will get left.
What would you advise the girl to do ?
If she loves this man and feels that he will be
a good husband to her, and if there is no impedi-
ment in the way she ought to disregard entirely
the silly tongues and senseless chatter of those
"people."
Perhaps the best answer to this question is the
following from the Gospel of St. Luke, Chapter
20, Verses 27 — 36. "And there came to Him
some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is
any resurrection, and they asked Him, saying:
'Master, Moses wrote unto us, that if any man's
brother die, having a wife, and he leave no
children, his brother should take her to wife and
raise up seed unto his brother. There were,
therefore, seven brothers; and the first took a
wife, and died without children. And the next
took her to wife, and he also died childless. And
the third took her. And in like manner all the
seven, and they left no children, and died. Last
of all the woman died also. In the resurrection,
therefore, whose wife of them shall she be? For
all the seven had her to wife.' And Jesus said to
them, 'The children of this world marry, and
are given in marriage; but they that shall be
accounted worthy of that world, and of the
resurrection from the dead, shall neither be mar-
ried, nor take wives. Neither can they die any
more; for they are equal to the angels, and are
the children of God, being the children of the
resurrection'."
"And after that," says Verse 40, "they durst
not ask Him any more questions."
Has a Catholic divorcee a chance of
heaven ?
A divorcee is a divorced person.
Your questions seems, from your letter, to
318 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
consider a woman who is divorced. We answei
with this in mind, merely remarking that what
we say applies to a man as well as to a woman.
Of course she can save her soul. She must,
however, be repentant for any sins she may have
committed, receive the Sacrament of Penance
worthily, and try her best to make good the
wrong she may have done and the scandal she
may have given, being guided in this by her con-
fessor. From the wording of the preceding
sentence one might gather that perhaps no sin
was committed by her and no wrong done and
no scandal given. Such would be the case where
her husband procured a divorce from her against
her will and without her fault. She is then but
an innocent sufferer.
If the divorcee is truly repentant, she will be
willing to resume the common life with her
husband. But since this is often out of the
question, she will remember that he is still her
lawful husband before God and that she may
not marry another during his lifetime.
If two persons are first cousins, what
relation are their children to each other?
What degree of relationship would that
be? And what degree does it have to be
before they can be married in the Catholic
Church ?
The children of first cousins are second cousins
to each other. They are related to each other in
the third degree of blood relationship. By the
laws of the Church Catholics are forbidden to
contract marriage within and including the third
degree of blood relationship. However, a dis-
pensation could be obtained for serious reasons,
particularly from the degree in question.
May a non-Catholic be the best man at
a Catholic marriage?
He may be, if he is not also one of the witnesses.
MARRIAGE
319
The witnesses at a Catholic marriage must be
Catholics, abstracting from certain exceptional
circumstances. However, it is most fitting and
generally to be insisted upon that the best man
at a Catholic marriage, as well as all others
taking an intimate part in the sacred ceremony,
be good Catholics. It is easy to give scandal in
this matter.
Is it wrong for a girl to marry a man
who was baptized a Catholic but who
never went to confession or Holy Com-
munion? How can such a girl get him to
go to confession and Communion?
It would undoubtedly be very wrong and sur-
passingly silly and the greatest folly for a girl to
marry such a man. She should have nothing at
all to do with him before he has taken instructions
and received the Sacraments and faithfully
practiced his religion for a good length of time.
Indeed, how can they be married by a Catholic
priest before he has done so? Perhaps the best
way in which a girl can get him to practice his
religion is to tell him plainly that until he is a
practical Catholic in every way she cannot even
think of marrying him.
Marriage is not a reformatory; and any young
woman who marries a man, thinking that she will
reform him, is foolish and is blindly wrecking
her happiness. It is not true that if we save
another's soul we save our own. If young girls
would take the advice of a prudent confessor
before marriage, there would be much less un-
happiness and misery in the world.
Under what circumstances, if any, may
second cousins (blood relations) be mar-
ried in the Church?
This question concerns the matrimonial im-
pediment of consanguinity, or blood relationship.
This is a diriment impediment, one that makes
32.o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
marriage null and void, within the limits in which
it is applied. According to the law of the Church,
consanguinity constitutes a diriment impedi-
ment in the direct line (when one person derives
life from another) between all ascendants or de-
scendants, either legitimate or natural, that is,
in all degrees. And it constitutes a diriment
impediment in the collateral line (when the two
have a common ancestor) up to and including the
third degree. It is to be noted that the new
Canon Law makes a change here: formerly it
was up to and including the fourth degree. It is
not so now.
It is only with the impediment of blood rela-
tionship in the collateral line that we are con-
cerned here. Brothers and sisters are related in
the first degree; first cousins are related in the
second degree; second cousins are related in the
third degree. Hence, this impediment extends as
far as, and includes, second cousins. Third
cousins are no longer included in it.
For grave reasons a dispensation may be ob-
tained from the impediment in question. It
falls to the respective pastor, under ordinary cir-
cumstances, to decide whether such reasons exist
or not and to apply to the proper ecclesiastical
authorities for a dispensation. The couple con-
cerned should call upon the pastor and place the
matter before him.
In conclusion we may say that, as far as is
possible, the faithful are to be dissuaded from
contracting such marriages. Those marriages
are naturally to be preferred for which no dis-
pensation is necessary.
Is a f alien-away Catholic validly married
to a Protestant girl when they are only
married by a Protestant minister?
No ; in the eyes of the Church he is not validly
married — that marriage is null and void, the
MARRIAGE 3zi
Catholic form of marriage not having been ob-
served. The legislation of the Church is very ex-
plicit on this point, as can be seen from Canon
1099 of Canon Law. Also fallen-away Catholics
are bound to observe the Catholic form of mar-
riage.
I have a friend who married a Russian
from the Russian Church. But they were
married in the Roman Catholic Church.
Now people tell her that if the priest had
known that he was from the Russian
Church he would not have married them.
People claim that the Russian Church is
not Catholic; but he claims it is. Please
give me some information about this.
In order to give a satisfactory answer to your
question we think it best first to give a bit of in-
formation about certain Churches.
Speaking of the Russian Church, we must dis-
tinguish between the Orthodox Church and the
Uniate Church. The Orthodox Churches are the
national churches of the Near East which fol-
lowed the Patriarch of Constantinople out of the
Church of Rome in the year 1054. Of these the
Russian Church, now in a state of disorganiza-
tion, is the largest body. The Orthodox believe
almost all the articles of Christian Faith, but do
not acknowledge the Holy Father as the Vicar
of Christ. They use the same rite as the Uniate
Church, which is in communion with Rome. Ac-
cording to recent statistics, the Orthodox number
about 150 million, while the Eastern Catholics
with rites other than the Latin rite are only a
little over seven million in number. A vast work
of reunion has been planned and is now under
fair headway, for the success of which we should
all pray.
Now, to come closer to your question, a Rus-
sian of the Uniate Church is really a Catholic,
32.i QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
though of a different rite from the Latin rite.
And since the person you refer to was from a
Russian Church and was married in the Roman
Catholic Church, that person was doubtless a
member of the Uniate Church. You may be sure
that such was the case, otherwise the priest would
never have performed the ceremony.
The point to bear in mind is that the Uniate
Church is strictly Catholic. Only the rite is
different from the Latin rite, that is to say, there
are differences as regards liturgy, ceremony, ritual,
vestments, language. But the Uniate Church is
of the same faith and is in communion with Rome.
How could the Pope declare the nullity
of the marriage of Consuelo Vanderbilt
when she is not a Catholic?
The matter becomes quite clear when you
read the following: "It is an indisputable fact,"
said Msgr. Massimi, Dean of the Rota, the
Roman tribunal that gives final decision of these
matters, when told that Bishop Manning insisted
that Consuelo Vanderbilt willingly agreed to
marry the Duke of Marlborough, "that at the
nullification proceedings the mother testified that
she compelled her daughter, in spite of all objec-
tions, to marry the duke, and she confirmed her
mother's statements."
"Why was it after a lapse of thirty-one years
she applied for a nullification?" Msgr. Burke
asked.
"Because she only recently learned that women
forced against their will to marry could have the
marriage cancelled by the Rota. Desiring to
become a Catholic, she instituted the proceed-
ings," replied Msgr. Massimi.
"How is it possible for the Rota to nullify a
Protestant marriage?"
"The holy Rota," replied Msgr. Massimi, "can
cancel any marriage, Jewish, Mohammedan, or
MARRIAGE
32-3
Protestant, when a principal applies and supplies
convincing evidence such as insanity, use of
force, or unfitness for the married state.
"The Rota is finished with the Vanderbilt case.
The action was taken in the interest of justice to
a woman entitled to justice. No attacks of pre-
lates outside the Church can prevent it from
doing justice."
1. Can a priest marry two non-Catholic
people validly? 2. Can he marry any two
people without witnesses?
1. Yes; he can (notice that I place emphasis
on the word); for if he has duly filed his creden-
tials of ordination at the office of the proper
state or county official he is a recognized minister
of marriage and can officiate at the ceremony
just as can any Protestant preacher or any
Justice of the Peace or other officer. We say
he can; but, of course, he won't — except perhaps
in very exceptional and very extraordinary cir-
cumstances. 2. A priest cannot marry Catho-
lics without witnesses. If we suppose him to
be acting merely as a civil officer in marriages of
non-Catholics, as suggested above, it* depends to
a great extent upon what the respective civil
law demands for a lawful and valid civil marriage.
Which is the best way for a girl to handle
her money after she marries? Is it best
for her to furnish her home with it, or to
give it to her husband and use it together,
or to keep it and have an account of her
own?
Between husband and wife there should be
perfect union, which means that there should be
nothing between them to separate them in the
least. Husband and wife, having been made
one, there should be no more "mine" or "yours"
between them; everything should be "ours," for
they are equal partners. A married man has no
3M QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
right to look upon his earnings as "my money,"
and the same is true as regards the earnings or
inheritance of the wife. All real estate should
ordinarily be owned by both of them jointly.
As to money, neither one should have a private
bank account without the knowledge and consent
of the other. It should be banked or invested to
the satisfaction of both parties. With regard to
small amounts, each one should have the right
to spend them according to their best judgment.
But it is highly proper to report such small
matters to each other. But when it comes to
buying furniture, clothing, supplies for the
season, property, or to make investments and
fhe like, when larger sums are in question, neither
thould act without consulting and obtaining the
sull approval of the other.
Having given the above general principles, we
answer that the girl should talk the matter over
with him and handle her money in a way that is
satisfactory both to him and to her. We take it
for granted, of course, that the girl is not marry-
ing a spendthrift, or a lazy, shiftless, good-for-
nothing fellow, or a drunkard. In that case
she would be very wise were she carefully to invest
her money in her own name and likewise so re-
tain her property.
Is there a special saint I can pray to for
overcoming nervousness and great fear of
approaching motherhood?
Why not have recourse to Mary, the Mother
of God? "Endeavor to make thy children be-
come also my children," was the advice given
by the Blessed Virgin to St. Bridget. Christian
mothers should consecrate their children to the
Mother of God even before birth. We read in
the lives of many saints that before their birth
their pious mothers consecrated them to God and
to the Blessed Virgin. Mary will take care that
MARRIAGE 32.5
a child consecrated to her be not robbed of the
inestimable grace of holy Baptism. When St.
Aloysius was born his mother's life was imperiled.
She then made a vow to take the child with her
on a pilgrimage to Loretto, if safely delivered.
Mary granted her special assistance. In these
dangers a mother should always take her refuge
to Mary. This heavenly Mother revealed that
mothers would be protected from danger who,
before childbirth, say the Hail Mary nine times
daily in honor of the nine months during which
she bore her divine Child in her virginal womb.
St. Anna, the Mother of the Blessed Virgin,
also obtains great favors for Christian mothers.
She protects the birth of children in an extra-
ordinary manner.
If a family having a large number of
children would give a child to a good
Catholic childless couple, would the
parents of the child be to blame if the
child would not be saved?
Perhaps. Only the gravest reasons would
justify parents in thus shifting their solemn
parental obligations (the duties they owe to
their children's bodies and, above all, to their
souls) upon others. And we are convinced that
this unnatural proceeding is rarely resorted to.
Some time ago, when visiting a family consisting
of father, mother, and seven boys and girls, we
were quite delighted with the wonderful home
atmosphere that prevailed among that happy
group. Being so fond of children, we playfully
remarked to the parents: "Think we'll take one
of these along; you have so many that you'll
never miss one." The mother's answer was
quick and striking "No, no! If we had seven
more you couldn't have one for all the money in
the world!" And much as they loved us, the
little ones were frightened at the thought that
3z6 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
we might take one of them along. Naturally,
flesh and blood are stronger ties than bonds of
strongest steel.
When, if ever, are Catholic married
people excused from bringing children
into this world? Under what conditions,
if ever, may conception be prevented?
These questions were a source of argument
among a houseful of people recently and
I would gladly know the correct answer.
Frequent, plain, and pertinent instructions to
the married on the above questions are certainly
imperatively called for under existing conditions.
And, what is more, such is the growing corrup-
tion that something of the kind is also necessary
for the unmarried of both sexes. For them the
practice is no secret, as you yourself demonstrate
when you speak of an "argument among a house-
ful of people." Deplorable as it may be, they
discuss it; they justify it; they tell one another
how they intend to act when married. These
should be taught with all authority the inevitable
obligations of the married state, and that unless
they are ready to fulfill them they had better
remain single.
Let all remember and take well to heart that
to give children to be regenerated to Christ in
the Church is the glory of Christian marriage.
The thought of using it and of preventing its
fruit fills the true Catholic husband and wife
with horror. "Is it possible," they ask, "to turn
to mere carnal pleasure this Sacrament which
carries grace for the performance of every con-
jugal duty? Can the creature dare to frustrate
the Creator's processes of life?" How will such
bear the awful reproach of the great Judge:
"Again and again you robbed Me of those I
would have created, redeemed, sanctified, and
saved to swell the number of heaven's citizens
MARRIAGE 317
rejoicing in the light of My presence forever!
Soul, give an account of your stewardship!
Answer Me!"
The crime of contraception denounced by Holy
Church is grievous from every point of view.
It is grievous in its unnatural commission. It is
grievous in its lamentable consequences. It dries
up natural affection by depriving it of its object.
It obscures the natural perception of the Creator
by frustrating His institution for the perpetua-
tion of the creature. In strangling the primary
parental instinct it confuses the whole field of
conscience. It generates a hardness of heart,
despising the supernatural life, in those who re-
fuse to minister to the new natural life. It builds
up a wall to separate from their Savior those who
wantonly impede His work of redemption. In a
word, it blinds the understanding to the malice
of evil and hardens the heart against the call to
good. Alas that there should be Catholics who
dare even to think of such a crime! We recall
the words of St. Peter: "Be sober and watch:
because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring
lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour.
Whom resist ye, strong in faith." (I Peter 5:8.)
We have said that this crime is grievous in its
commission. It is a sin of many names; birth
control, contraception, prevention, and the like;
and it is perpetrated in various ways. Suffice it
to say that whatever is done and howsoever it is
done, when nature is purposely defeated of its
design in marriage, whilst the privileges of
matrimony are being enjoyed, the parties con-
cerned are guilty of mortal sin every time they
thus wantonly waste the God-given powers of
nature. Every timel there can be no justifica-
tion for this act under any circumstances imagin-
able. It is an unnatural act, or a sin against
nature, and hence of itself and in its very essence
abominable and wicked — in the eyes of God and
3i8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
His Church "a detestable thing" forever! Under
what conditions, if ever, may this crime be com-
mitted? Under no conditions and never!
You ask, "When, if ever, are Catholic mar-
ried people excused from bringing children into
this world?" This query might also be put in
the way it is often asked in utter perplexity and
distress by married people: "But what are we
to do? To have more children is out of question
in our present circumstances."
Here we must remark that it is quite a wrong
notion to say that the Catholic Church insists
that the married must have as many children as
possible. That is not what the Church means
when she denounces contraception. Hence, to
the anxious query, "What are we to do?" we
can sincerely say, "Do what many other couples,
similarly situated as you are, are doing and have
been doing, with the help of God's grace, for a
long time: practice self-control — at certain
times, or for a definite time, or for an indefinite
time. Sacrifice courageously accepted for the
love of God leads to charity that is more
generous and more constant. Self-control is the
only virtuous birth control. If the flesh is
weak, remember that God never asks the
impossible, but always supplies the grace to
do what He asks you to do, and that you
can do all things in Him Who strengthens
you. If others can do it, why not you? St.
Augustine, who was, no doubt, as well acquainted
with the weakness of human nature as any other
Father of the Church, declares that unquestion-
ably those are the happier marriages, the parties
of which either live in virginity, by mutual con-
sent, or, after having procreated children, agree to
live together in virtuous continency. The union
of spirits and minds in true friendship and love
is much dearer and more satisfying than the union
of bodies. Hence we repeat that in itself it is
MARRIAGE 32.9
not wrong for the married not to have children,
or not to have more children, or even, with due
resignation to God's will, to pray that there be
no more, as long as nothing sinful is done to pre-
vent their coming. It is, however, to be remarked
that ordinarily it will be advisable to let nature
take its course and to trust in the Fatherly
providence of God, Who watches over His own,
filled with an ideal Christian sense of the in-
estimable distinction of the stupendous and
almost divine privilege of parenthood.
Why is the Church against birth control
when oftentimes one sees a destitute
family burdened with as many as ten
children?
This question seems to imply that the Catholic
Church advocates what her enemies call the reck-
less propagation of children. The Catholic
Church does not advocate, much less demand,
any such thing. She teaches Catholic parents
that conjugal abstinence is the only virtuous
method of birth control. Birth control by con-
traceptive methods is for the Catholic a nasty
thing, — a stench in the nostrils. It is more than
that. It is a sin against nature; it is a sin against
the state of matrimony; and for the Catholic it is a
sin against the Sacrament of Matrimony as well.
The Catholic position on the question of birth
control is a clear-cut one. No apology is needed
for dealing frankly with an unpleasant subject,
which has passed from the phase when it was
whispered about in secret, and in shame, by those
to whom it was an experiment for which apology
or denial was publicly expected. The Catholic
Church has ever spoken with a certain voice on
this as on every other moral or ethical question.
Consequently, now that birth control has become
a subject of public discussion, apology would
rather be in order if we kept silent.
330 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
First of all, let us define our terms. What is
"Birth Control"? Properly speaking, birth con-
trol is that form of self-control on the part of
husband and wife, whereby they mutually and
voluntarily refrain from the marital relation for
any time, whether short or long, and, by ob-
serving continence, limit or control the procre-
ation of children. To this form of birth control,
properly so-called, we will return for further
explanation of the Church's view in its regard.
But, we will say now, it is obvious that no
interference with conception arises from this
self-controlled birth control, as conception is not
in contemplation, since the act by which concep-
tion becomes possible is wholly refrained from.
Nor, it follows, can intentional frustration of
the effects of that act be in contemplation, since
the act itself is not performed.
Secondly, "Birth Control" in the popular mean-
ing of that term is a negation of words. By it, is
meant indulgence in the sex relation, while, at the
same time, chemical, mechanical, instrumental or
other means are employed to prevent the concep-
tion that is a normal consequence of sex relations.
In the first place, births are not so controlled, but
are actively and intentionally prevented. Again,
the individual practitioners of this form of birth-
prevention, indulge their sex functions without
any control at all, since they, by the very fact of
their employing means to remove every limit of
indulgence, are thereby uncontrolled in their indi-
vidual sex-relations. For purposes of clarity, we
will refer to this form of "Birth Control" as
"Contraception," and thereby eliminate one of
the various means of camouflage with which sin
is disguised.
The Catholic Church provides a sane system
of human conduct, as she provides suitable and
effective means to enable the indivudual to deal
with the problems and difficulties of life: a prac-
MARRIAGE 531
tical working programme, whereby each man or
woman can, with reasonable diligence, save his
soul from sin, lead a pure and honest life, and
thus secure eternal salvation. Christian marriage
is an indissoluble state of life wherein a man and
woman agree to give each other power over their
bodies for the begetting, birth, and upbringing of
children. The essence of marriage as St. Thomas
teaches, is in the indissoluble union, and, second-
arily, in the begetting of offspring. Now, what is
freely given by mutual agreement can be with-
held only by a like agreement. Therefore,
voluntary continence by mutual consent is per-
missible; this form of controlling births is neither
contrary to the law of God nor an infringement of
the rights of the parties to the marriage union.
It follows that the husband and wife, with such
mutual consent, may abstain from the marriage
act during periods wherein conception is possible,
or for longer terms. But, it must be noted, this
is not a frustration of the purpose or the con-
sequence of such act. It is a logical exercise of
the joint rights of the parties. In St. Paul's
words, it is a use of marriage, "honorable and
undefiled."
While living a normal married life, self-restraint
of the kind mentioned may be found difficult by
husband or wife, or by both. (We here are
taking no cognizance of the strengthening effects
of supernatural grace.) But all self-restraint is
difficult, even if no moral purpose is the incen-
tive. That is not to say that self-restraint is
impossible: to admit this, would be to admit
that moral and social self-indulgence, or that
moral and social anarchy, are normal conditions.
They become abnormal, only when the individual
or the community throws self-restraint to the
winds.
Nor is this mutual forbearance from the exercise
of mutual marital rights harmful. To regard it
33i QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
as such, is to proclaim that any form of conti-
nence is harmful. To regard it as impossible, is
to deny the possibility of any sexual morality.
Everyday human experience revolts at such a
conclusion.
The obligation to exercise such self-control
rests on all unmarried persons: that is but the
proclamation of one of the common standards of
human conduct. Since many remain single
throughout their lives, this obligation of conti-
nence is for them life-long. No one will deny
this elementary expression of everyday morality.
For the married, too, there is often a similar obli-
gation, as when the parties are separated through
the exigencies of business, illness, war, and other
circumstances. No sane person will suggest thai
adultery in these cases is a necessary alternative.
Consequently, in the light of purely human
reasoning and experience, the Catholic Church
is completely logical when she considers that,
when married persons desire to limit their families
for reasons that seem advisable to them, they
may freely do so by abstaining by mutual con-
sent from the act whereby conception becomes
probable, as this is a natural consequence from
mutually-given rights. What is freely and
mutually granted as a right, may be freely and
mutually abstained from whenever the parties
so wish, and mutually agree.
The Catholic Church looks on contraception,
or birth control in the contra-conception sense,
as always and without any exception morally
wrong. The Church in this matter is not ad-
ministering ecclesiastical (or Church-made) law,
but applying Divine Natural Law. Her attitude
in condemning contraception is not parallel with
her condemnation of the eating of meat on Friday,
for example. The latter is a matter of Church
legislation only; in individual instances, or under
certain circumstances, the Church can dispense
MARRIAGE 333
from the prohibition against the eating of meat
on Fridays. Theoretically, she could repeal the
law in its entirety. But the Church cannot re-
peal the Commandment against theft or that
against murder; she cannot dispense individuals
from the sin of adultery. Neither can she make
any exceptions and permit the practice of con-
traception or the use of contraceptive media on
account of circumstances of personal hardship,
or for any other reason at all. She must uphold
the Divine law, come what may.
Every human law for the public welfare is
hard on some individual or another. If any
such human law could be set aside because of its
hardship in individual cases, there would be no
law or order in the universe or in the nation.
There is no law on the statute book that does net
cause individual suffering occasionally or fre-
quently. But if law permitted exemption when-
ever individual hardship were pleaded, there
would soon be no law left to administer. When
the Catholic Church condemns contraception as
a mortal sin, the gravest form of infringement of
the Divine law, her condemnation is absolute;
there are no exceptions possible. To permit the
individual Catholic to apply his own standards
of exemption, is unthinkable in so serious a
matter.
When the Church condemus contraception as
a mortal sin, for the Catholic that is the end of
the matter. If a Catholic wants to practice con-
traception, he can assuredly do so; but he there-
by deliberately takes the law into his own hands,
just as he would do if he committed adultery or
premeditated murder. And, in the case of contra-
ception, as in the others mentioned, he incurs
the penalties attached to the commission of
mortal sin: and he sets himself up in the place of
God, the eternal Lawgiver. (The Month.)
}34 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
At a Parent and Teacher Association
Meeting held at a Public School where
my two children attend the kindergarten
they had a young lady sent out by the
Board of Education to discuss affairs con-
cerning the welfare of children. When
our meeting came to a close the speaker
asked whether there were any Catholic
mothers present. I was the only Catholic
mother that stood up, and she asked me
this question: "If a mother were in danger
of death, the Church would not allow an
abortion to save her life, but would save
the life of the child. Is that true?" She
said she had read an article to that effect
in the morning paper, which the Pope
had written. And she said that she did
not agree with him. I said I had not read
the article and really could not say much
about it. Then she said: "Please find out
about this subject and let me know at
our next meeting." Will you be kind
enough to answer this question for me?
We can hardly expect those outside the Church
to agree with us to any great extent in matters
of faith and morals. There is a wide gulf between
us Catholics and the rest of the world and, some
say, it is widening continually. So, of course,
non-Catholics for the most part are at variance
with the Pope in the teachings of the Church as
expressed in that sublime and immortal Ency-
clical on Christian Marriage issued in January,
1931. But to reject such teaching without
deep study and reflection seems to show a vast
amount of disgustingly shallow self-sufficiency
and self-conceit.
No less than twenty scholars, theologians,
canonists, etc. collaborated in making the first
rough draft of the Encyclical on Christian Mar-
MARRIAGE
335
riage, and it required two full months for the re-
search division at the Vatican to prepare it. The
Holy Father had outlined to his staff the tone and
general tenor on each point to be included, and a
mass of material was assembled and digested.
This was studied by the Pontiff who then gave
specific instructions to his assistants. Eventually,
the work prepared by individual staff members
was put together under the direction of the
Secretary of Letters to the Princes, and thus a
long Latin document was presented to the Pope.
He himself then worked it over, and reworked it,
editing and writing in his study until a few days
before the Encyclical was issued. Yet, there are
persons with "little Latin and less Greek" who
think they can tear it to pieces in five minutes, —
like the young lady mentioned in your question.
We here give that part of the Encyclical which
directly pertains to the question asked. It speaks
for itself in words of supreme authority:
But another very grave crime is to be noted,
Venerable Brethren, which regards the taking of
the life of the offspring hidden in the mother's
womb. Some wish it to be allowed and left to
the will of the father or the mother; others say
it is unlawful unless there are weighty reasons
which they call by the name of medical, social
or eugenic "indication." Because this matter
falls under the penal laws of the State by which
the destruction of the offspring begotten but
unborn is forbidden, these people demand that
the "indication," which in one form or another
they defend, be recognized as such by the public
law and in no way penalized. There are those,
moreover, who ask that the public authorities
provide aid for these death-dealing operations;
a thing which, sad to say, everyone knows is of
very frequent occurrence, in some places.
As to the "medical and therapeutic indication"
to which, using their own words, We have made
336 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
reference, Venerable Brethren, however much we
may pity the mother whose health and even life
is gravely imperiled in the performance of the
duty allotted to her by nature, nevertheless what
could ever be a sufficient reason for excusing in
any way the direct murder of the innocent?
This is precisely what we are dealing with here.
Whether inflicted upon the mother or upon the
child it is against the precept of God and the law
of nature: "Thou shalt not kill." The life of each
is equally sacred, and no one has the power,
not even the public authority, to destroy it.
It is of no use to appeal to the right of taking
away life, for here it is a question of the innocent,
whereas that right has regard only to the guilty.
nor is there here question of defence by bloodshed
against an unjust aggressor (for who would call
an innocent child an unjust aggressor!).
Again, there is no question here of what is
called the "law of extreme necessity" which
could ever extend to the direct killing of the in-
nocent. Upright and skilful doctors strive most
praiseworthily to guard and preserve the lives of
both mother and child; on the contrary, those
show themselves most unworthy of the noble
medical profession who encompass the death of
one or the other, through a pretence of practising
medicine or through motives of misguided pity.
All of which agrees with the stern words of the
Bishop of Hippo in denouncing those wicked
parents who seek to remain childless and failing
in t.6 is are not ashamed to put their offspring to
death. (St. Aug., de Nupt. et Concup. cap. XV.)
Sometimes this lustful cruelty or cruel lust goes
so far as to seek to procure a baneful sterility,
and if this fails the fetus conceived in the womb
is in one way or another smothered or evacuated,
in the desire to destroy the offspring before it
has life, or if it already lives in the womb, to kill
it before it is born. If both man and woman are
MARRIAGE 337
party to such practices they are not spouses at
all; and if from the first they have carried on
thus they have come together not for honest
wedlock, but for impure gratification. If both
are not party to these deeds, I make bold to say
that either the one makes herself a mistress of
the husband, or the other simply the paramour of
his wife.
What is asserted in favor of the social and
eugenic ''indication" may and must be accepted,
provided lawful and upright methods are em-
ployed within the proper limits; but to wish to
put forward reasons based upon them for the
killing of the innocent is unthinkable and contrary
to the divine precept promulgated in the words
of the Apostle: "Evil is not to be done that good
may come of it." (Rom. 3:8.)
Those who hold the reins of government should
not forget that it is the duty of public authority
by appropriate laws and sanctions to defend the
lives of the innocent, and this all the more so
since those whose lives are endangered and
assailed cannot defend themselves: among whom
we must mention in the first place infants hidden
in the mother's womb. And if the public magis-
trates not only do not defend them, but by their
laws and ordinances betray them to death at the
hands of doctors or of others, let them remember
that God is the judge and avenger of innocent
blood which cries from earth to heaven. (Gen.
4:16.)
The above eight paragraphs are from the Holy
Father's Encyclical on Christian Marriage. To
answer your question still more fully, we give the
following paragraphs from the splendid Moral
Theology, A Complete Course, by Fathers
McHugh and Callan, O. P. (Joseph F. Wagner,
New York):
Destruction of the Unborn. — (a) Direct and in-
tentional destruction of this kind is unlawful
338 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
and homicidal, if done after animation, which
according to many today is simultaneous with
conception. Hence, even the reputation of a
girl who has been seduced, or the health or life
of a mother, does not justify the killing of the
embryo or fetus within the womb (e. g., by
craniotomy), nor the ejection or abortion or
miscarriage of an immature fetus (i. e., one which
is not six or seven months old and which will die
if ejected). This applies to ectopic or extra-
uterine, as well as to normal fetuses.
(b) Indirect and unintentional killing, or rather
permission of death, is not unlawful in such a
case, when there is a proportionate grave reason,
such as the life of the mother. Thus, it is permis-
sible to give the mother a remedy necessary to
cure a mortal disease (e. g., medicinal drugs,
baths, injections, or operations on the uterus),
even though this will bring on abortion or the
death of the fetus; for the mother is not obliged
to prefer the temporal life of the child to her own
life. But the baptism of the child must be at-
tended to, for its salvation depends on the Sacra-
ment, and the eternal life of the child is to be
preferred to the temporal life of the mother, if
the conditions of 1166 are verified.
It is unlawful positively to kill the mother in
order that the unborn child may be saved or
baptized. Thus, it is not lawful to perform the
Caesarean operation, when it is likely that the
mother will die from it. Indeed it seems that
the mother is not obliged to undergo this opera-
tion for the sake of saving her own life, since it
appears to be an extraordinary remedy, not even
for the sake of the child's baptism, since the hope
that the child will be able to receive baptism and
will be saved is doubtful, to say the least.
Direction in Cases of Doubt, Ignorance, or
Error. — (a) In case of doubt, if there are positive
and solid reasons for believing that an operation
MARRIAGE
339
performed to save a woman's life will not be
destructive of the life of a fetus (e. g., if it seems
that the source of her trouble is not an ectopic
fetus but a tumor, or if it is more probable that
a fetus is already dead), the operation seems
lawful; for in doubt, the woman, as the certain
possessor of life, has the presumption.
(b) In case of ignorance or error (e. g., when a
penitent asks whether a certain operation is
permissible, or a surgeon in good faith performs
an operation that is not lawful), either a truthful
answer should be given to questions, or silence
should be observed when an admonition would
only be harmful (e. g., if to require the Caesarean
operation from a dying mother would have no
result than to make her die in bad faith instead
of good faith).
A Catholic woman married a non-
Catholic man, a dispensation having been
properly secured. Now her husband can-
not understand why it would be wrong
for her to go to his church after she has
fulfilled her obligation by attending Mass
in the morning in her church. Her
husband is a very fine young man; but
he simply cannot see why his religion is
not as good as hers and why she cannot go
to his church as well as he can go to hers.
Of course, as a Catholic I feel that she may
not go to his church; but I cannot say
just why. Will you enlighten me?
It is a Protestant principle that one religion is
as good as another; no Protestant claims that his
church is the only true church. According to
principle every honest Protestant must admit
that the Catholic Church is as good as the
Protestant church. Therefore, according to his
own principle, he can with a good conscience go
34o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
to Catholic services. This explains why that
husband may go to his wife's church.
But the Catholic Church does not and cannot
admit that one religion is as good as another.
In fact, the assertion that one religion is as good
as another is irrational. It is a first principle of
reason that two contradictory statements cannot
both be true. If one is true, the other is un-
doubtedly false. For example, either there are
many gods or one God; either Jesus Christ is
God or He is not; divorce is either allowed or
prohibited by Christ; either the living Jesus is
in the Eucharist or it is mere bread.
To say that one religion is as good as another,
is to say that a false guide is as good as a true
guide. It is manifest and as clear and plain as
that two plus two make four, that if one religion
in the world is true, every religion that differs
from it is false. But now, the only religion in the
world which even claims to be exclusively true is
the Catholic religion. Christ established a Church
and guaranteed it against error; and the only
Church which claims not to err is the Catholic
Church, which is, therefore, the one true Church
of Christ. (Of course, numerous other proofs can
be adduced.) Thus we see that every Catholic
must hold that the Catholic Church is the only
true Church and all other religions are false and
that it is accordingly sinful actively to partici-
pate in non-Catholic religious services.
It is well to bear in mind here that when we
say that all other religions are false we are not
necessarily condemning the adherents of such
religions. We must distinguish between a creed
and the believer in a creed. A creed may be
wrong, but a believer in it may be very sincere.
To illustrate further, the Republican party for
instance, may be wrong, but the individual
Republican may be most worthy of our esteem
MARRIAGE
341
and respect. We may condemn idol worship
without condemning the poor idolater.
But to return to your question. That Catholic
wife may not actively participate in the religious
services of her husband's church because to' do
so would be, according to Catholic teaching and
her own personal conviction, to participate in
false worship.
All of which is unmistakably clear in Canon
Law. Canon 1258 says that "it is unlawful foi
Catholics to assist actively in any way at, or
take part in, the religious services of non-Catho-
lics. A passive or merely material presence may
be tolerated, for reasons of civil duty or honor
at funerals, weddings, and similar celebrations,
provided no danger of perversion or scan dal
arises from this assistance. In doubtful ca es
the reason for assisting must be grave, and rec g-
nized as such by the bishop."
Great stress must be placed on the words
"provided no danger of perversion or scandal
arises."
We would like to have a quiet wedding
with a Nuptial Mass. We neither want
nor can we afford much outward show.
Would that be all right ?
Certainly. No lavish expenditure is necessary
or even desirable. The garments of both bride
and groom should be in harmony with the solemn
occasion. Even when they wish to have some-
thing a little better, they should remember that
anything loud or silly or unbecoming is clearly
out of place in the church. Let the bride wear a
respectable hat, or, if she prefers, especially if
the marriage is not of the quietest, a veil, which
is more solemn and becoming. The wedding
party should bring their prayer books and beads
and make good use of them during the Nuptial
342. QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Mass. The best attire of all consists in a good
reputation, a pure heart, and the grace of God.
Follow the directions of the pastor as regards
what is to be done and how, and do not attempt
or let anyone else attempt to introduce any new
and foolish frills. Says a wise and experienced
author: "The people who allow themselves to
be foolishly on exhibition and cater to silly
novelties at their wedding are most liable to
make a more serious exhibition of themselves
later on; for freaks will be freaks both at and
after the marriage feast."
May a Catholic girl be a bridesmaid for
a non-Catholic couple married in a Protes-
tant church?
If a non-Catholic marriage is a religious rite,
it is not lawful for Catholics to take part therein
as groomsman or bridesmaid. If it is not a re-
ligious affair, but rather a mere civil contract,
to assist at it in this capacity is not unlawful
for Catholics on the ground of participation in
false worship. But there may, even in that
case, be other grounds that make it unlawful thus
to take part, for instance, if such conduct gives
scandal (as it easily does), if it creates danger for
the Catholic's faith, if it has been forbidden by
the diocesan authorities. Hence each case must
be considered on its own merits. In any case,
to come more directly to the answer to your
question, we would strongly advise against such
participation and would tolerate it only when
there is a serious reason for a Catholic girl to act
as bridesmaid at such a marriage, when she
cannot decline without serious inconvenience to
herself and to others, and when she has consulted
her pastor and obtained his approval.
1. If a widow remarries is she supposed
to wear a white dress and a veil or just an
ordinary dress and hat? 2. Is she sup-
MARRIAGE 343
posed to have bridesmaids? 3. Can a
wedding ring that is lost be replaced?
1. As regards the dress and head covering, that
is at most a matter of local custom, not a matter of
rule. However, the use of the veil goes back to
the days of the early Christians when a veil was
extended over the heads of the couple during the
nuptial blessing. Both parties were also crowned
with flowers when they left the church after the
marriage. There is a special ceremony for this
"coronation'' in some old liturgies; and a week
after the marriage the couple brought back their
crowns to the church and the priest recited other
special prayers. Among the early Christians
there was a strong aversion to second marriages
and when they were performed the marriage
rites were shortened. It may be that the custom
prevailing in some places of widows who marry
again wearing a hat instead of a bridal veil and
floral crown is a survival of the ancient customs.
2. There is no liturgical ruling on the subject
of bridesmaids. All that the Church requires is
two witnesses, and these are necessary both at
first and subsequent marriages.
3. If the wedding ring is lost or destroyed, a
new ring may be blessed privately with the same
form as the one used in the course of the marriage
ceremony.
Just what is meant by saying that birth
control is an unnatural, irrational, and
moral evil?
People do sometimes wonder just what this
means, even when they do not question the truth
of the assertion. Father H. Davis, S. J., in the
Bombay Examiner for January 25, 1930, explains
this in an argument that is irrefutable and that,
as a matter of fact, birth controllers have never
attempted to refute. This argument requires
344 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
careful thought; but to the thoughtful it carries
conviction. We quote as follows:
"This article undertakes to show that birth
control is an evil against human nature, i. e., a
moral evil. It does not concern itself with
economic evil, nor physical, nor hygienic, nor
social evils. These aspects of the matter are
altogether outside the purpose of the writer.
Widespread birth control would doubtless be all
of these, but a particular act of birth control
might not be an economic evil, just as any other
immoral act might conceivably not be such an
evil. Indeed, medical science might progress so
far as to secure that no great physical harm
should arise from even repeated acts of birth
control. Even if it proved to be generally ad-
vantageous to a nation by reducing the popula-
tion and thus adding to the comfort of the rem-
nant, it is still true to say, and this is the con-
tention of this article, that even one act of birth
control is an immoral act, a moral evil, unnatural
and therefore contrary to rational nature.
"Now, it is important to say at once that we
cannot suppose that anyone is willing to regard
an irrational act as of no consequence, for in the
first place, by so regarding it, a man would render
himself the slave of appetite or caprice, a pro-
cedure that is both unworthy of a human being,
and is an offense against God, Who necessarily
wishes us to act in accordance with the rational
nature that He has given us; and secondly, if he
elected to act against his rational nature, he would
have to extend the same license to others, with
appalling consequences to himself, the human
race and all ordered society.
"In what sense, then, must we say birth con-
trol is unnatural, irrational and a moral evil?
"We may answer the question by considering
two examples.
"The natural purpose of the faculty of speech
MARRIAGE ^45
is to express one's interior conviction to others,
just as the natural purpose of the eye is to see.
If speech be employed to express what we believe
to be false, the faculty is then used unnaturally
and irrationally, and the action is morally bad,
precisely bee ause it is irrational. The reader will
not, it is hoped, object that certain conventional
expressions such as, 'Not at home,' are used every
day, and that therefore a lie is permissible on
occasion, for these expressions are employed in
a definite and intelligible and true sense.
"The second example is that of suicide. Every
appetite and capacity in man tends to the main-
tenance and perfection of the agent, and man's
rational nature prompts him to use all his facul-
ties for his own preservation and perfection. It
is natural and rational that this should be so.
The suicide uses the faculties of his body and will
to destroy himself. This is a moral evil, because
it is unnatural, irrational and an offense against
God who has given us life for the achieving of our
perfection.
"Now the sexual faculty is on an exact level
with the faculty of speech and the general capacity
of maintaining life. The sexual faculty has a
purpose. That purpose, in the last analysis, is
one only, namely procreation. No other purpose
can be imagined as final and primary. No other
purpose is implied, in point of fact, in the sexual
act. If anyone were to say that the purpose of
the act is the expression of love, or of natural
sexuality, that is, the alleviation of concupiscence,
he must admit that these purposes are secondary,
they presuppose the other purpose, and without
it they simply do not exist and cannot be con-
ceived to have any raison d'etre. If then the
faculty is used in such a way that in the actual
exercise of it on a given occasion, the primary
purpose of the act, where that purpose is realiz-
able, is frustrated, however much the secondary
346 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
purposes may be achieved, we must say that
nature is frustrated, that such an act is irrational,
unnatural, a moral evil and an offense against
God, for it is a cutting out from the act the very
purpose for which the capacity for the act is
given.
"If any man defended the act of contraception,
even on one occasion, he would have to con-
done the act of unnatural vice between two men,
for in this latter case, precisely the same purposes,
namely love and the alleviation of sexuality, may
be expressed just as readily and as effectually as
they are expressed between man and wife. No
one could defend unnatural vice. Why not?
Because the vice, that is the vicious act, does
exactly what the contraceptive act between man
and wife does, namely, it frustrates the very
purpose for which the sexual function is given
and for which the sexual act itself is seen to be
natural. If the immorality in the case of un-
natural vice is what it is, is the contraceptive
act between a man and his wife different in any
way? The man and wife who practice birth
control in whatever form, and even if on one
only occasion, are doing precisely the same as
those who do an unnatural act of sexual per-
version. They are acting unnaturally, they are
frustrating nature, they are acting irrationally,
they are guilty of moral evil.
"The birth controller will not, we trust, appeal
to cases of sterility, and maintain that man and
wife may then exercise their function, though the
primary purpose of the act is impossible of
realization. Married persons who are sterile may
indeed have intercourse, but it is not they who
cut out the primary purpose of the act; nature
does so. They put no positive obstacle in the
way of nature realizing those purposes and effects
that can be realized. The failure is here natural;
the failure achieved by a contraceptive method is
MARRIAGE ^47
imposed on nature, it is unnatural in the moral
sense. It may be said that one act of contracep-
tion does no great harm, and that in the sterile it
does no harm at all, in respect of the primary
purpose of the sexual act. That is true; but
such a way of looking at the matter is to appeal
to results, and it would have to be admitted that,
provided no great harm results from one lie or
one act of theft or of unnatural vice, there is
no moral evil in any of these. Furthermore, we
could imagine circumstances in which no harm
at all in the social or physical orders would result
from a single act of lying or theft. But are we
to say, therefore, that the one act of lying or
theft is not irrational and is not an offense against
nature? We do not, therefore, judge of the moral
evil of birth control by the evil results it has,
though these results show the magnitude of its
unnaturalness ; we judge of its moral turpitude
by looking at the act itself before any result at
all has ensued. Is the act unnatural or is it not?
Is it contrary to right reason? Is it the frustration
of an act and the misuse or rather the abuse of
a function? If it is not all of these in the married,
neither is it in the unmarried. But in truth it
is all of these even in the married, and therefore
it is always and under every circumstance and
even in a solitary case essentially evil.
"The state of marriage does not give man or
woman any right to abuse their faculties; they
do not possess their sexual powers for their own
sakes, but for the sake of the race, and it is con-
trary to reason and to nature to seek pleasure in
the functioning of sex except in the due func-
tioning of it between man and wife without let
or artificial hindrance or outside true sexual
union. Contraception in the married cannot be
less unnatural than it is in the unmarried; the
contraceptive act is unnatural of its very nature.
No extrinsic circumstance can possibly change
348 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
its nature. Therefore, to express love, to safe-
guard a wife's life, to make provision for children
already existing, to avoid probable death in a
subsequent case of childbirth, all of these are
laudable motives for continence, but none of
them can justify that which is unnatural. It is
true that it is natural for a man and wife to have
an outlet for their sexual urge; the God who
made man and woman has supplied them with
the outlet, namely natural and untrammeled
sexual union in marriage. He impresses the
human mind with the conviction that the union
is good and honorable, but the human mind does
violence to itself when it tries to blind itself to
the palpable facts of nature, when it becomes so
far sophisticated as to pretend that what is
immoral and irrational is good and virtuous and
true.
"We have presented a valid argument against
birth control without appealing to authority.
If any non-Catholic or non-Christian reader, who
chances to read these lines, wishes to attempt to
refute it, he will be making the first attempt that
has ever been made, for birth controllers shirk
this argument."
Can a woman marry her deceased sis-
ter's husband if she is godmother in
Baptism and sponsor in Confirmation for
that sister's child?
The diriment impediment of spiritual relation-
ship, now resulting from Baptism only and not
from Confirmation, forbids marriage only be-
tween (1) the baptized and the person who
baptizes, and (2) the baptized male and his
godmother or the baptized female and her god-
father. This impediment also results from private
Baptism in case of necessity; but for this it is
necessary that the person who holds the child
shall truly assume the role of sponsor. When the
MARRIAGE 349
office of sponsor is discharged by a proxy, not
the proxy, but the sponsor contracts the impedi-
ment, provided he accepted the function in ad-
vance and personally designated the proxy. The
most common kind of impediment in former
times, that between the sponsors and the parents
of the baptized person, no longer exists. So this
is no obstacle to the marriage.
But there is here present the diriment impedi-
ment of affinity. This impediment is the alliance
established between the husband and the blood
relations of his wife or between the wife and the
blood relations of her husband. It makes mar-
riage null in any degree in the direct line, and in
the first and second degree in the collateral line.
Here we have the first degree in the collateral
line, the husband being thus related to the sister
of his wife.
A dispensation is needed. But the Holy See
quite readily grants dispensation from the im-
pediment of affinity in the collateral line, even
for the first degree. See the pastor.
PERTAINING TO MASS
I was told that at Mass you have to read
Mass in a prayerbook in order to hear
Mass. Is that true?
Questions such ,as this are being asked more
frequently now than ever before. It may be
that such misunderstandings are caused by over-
emphasis in instructions and sermons on the use
of the missal by the faithful during Mass. Thus
some good, simple souls actually come to believe
that they must use a prayerbook and even a
missal in order to satisfy the obligation of hear-
ing Mass. This is, of course, not true. No
prayerbook of any kind need be used. As a
matter of fact there were few books in the first
centuries of Christianity, and even up to the
invention of printing, and fewer still could read
them; and in our day there are hundreds of
thousands of Catholics throughout the world,
chiefly in mission countries, but also elsewhere,
who do not use a prayerbook because they never
learnt to read. Yet they hear Mass and hear it
well.
Assist at Mass in that way in which, according
to your experience, circumstances, training, edu-
cation, custom, you can do so best; whether you
say the rosary or other vocal prayers, meditate
on the passion or on the four ends of sacrifice, use
an ordinary prayerbook or a missal, matters little,
provided that at the beginning of the Mass and
at the principal parts, Offertory, Consecration,
and Communion, you devoutly unite yourself
with the priest who is offering his sacrifice and
yours at the holy altar.
Bear in mind what we have just said and then
always assist at Mass according to this teaching
of the Church as expressed in the Council of
MASS 351
Trent, Sess. 22: "If we must needs confess that
no other work can be performed by the faithful
so holy and divine as this tremendous mystery
... it is also sufficiently clear that all industry
and diligence is to be applied to this end, that it
be performed with the greatest possible inward
cleanness and purity of heart, and outward
show of devotion and piety." Golden words
these, that ought to be enshrined in the hearts of
all the faithful! If they are observed our Catholic
people, letting themselves be guided by the in-
structions of their pastors, will naturally find
themselves hearing Mass in the manner best
suited to each one's abilities.
Why are the hosts for Mass and Com-
munion always round? Of what size are
they?
This circular form has always been used in
the Latin Church. It is significative of the
infinite and eternal God. We say "significative,"
inasmuch as a circle has no beginning and no end.
The hosts for Mass and for the monstrance are
from two to three inches in diameter; those for
distribution in Holy Communion about one inch
in diameter.
They say that when a priest says two
Masses he does not receive Communion
at the first one. Why is it, then, that he
consumes the host and drinks the wine
and only puts away until the next day the
water that he washes the chalice and his
fingers with, instead of the host and wine
also?
What a strange question! And how poorly
instructed those who say such things! There is
a twofold consecration in each Mass; this is the
very essence of the Sacrifice; and hence the priest
receives Communion under both kinds (under
the species of bread and under the species of
352. QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
wine) in each Mass. That is necessary for the
completion of the Sacrifice. The priest may, with
due permission, say two Masses (binate) on
Sundays and holydays of obligation in order to
enable the faithful to fulfill their obligation of
hearing Mass. Moreover, on Christmas Day, as
well as on the feast of All Souls, all priests may
(but are not in any way obliged to) celebrate
three Masses.
Whether he says one, two, or three Masses,
the priest receives Communion in each and every
Mass. He partakes, not of bread and wine, but
of the Body and Blood of Christ under the ap-
pearances of bread and wine. After the first
Communion when he celebrates two Masses
(and also after the second, if he offers three
Masses) he does not purify the chalice and his
fingers with wine and water and then drink the
ablutions as he does when he says only one Mass
or at the last Mass, because that would be break-
ing his fast, since those ablutions after Com-
munion are merely wine and water. When a
priest says two or three Masses in the same
church he usually does not purify the chalice
after the first and second Masses but merely
washes his fingers in a little vessel of water near
the tabernacle; but when he is going to say
another Mass in another church he pours some
water into the chalice after Communion, then
tips the chalice from side to side, causing the
water to flow over all the parts of the cup which
the sacred species had touched, and then pours
the water into a vessel that has been prepared
beforehand. Then he wipes the chalice with the
purificator and covers it as usual. The water he
may take along and consume after the Com-
munion of the last Mass, when he would not be
breaking his fast, or he may leave it there for
after the Communion the next day, or it may be
poured into the sacrariumf a special place, usually
MASS 353
in the sacristy. We hope we have made this
very clear. People often have the queerest ideas
of things they see so frequently but do not
understand.
Is it permissible for a Catholic to have
Masses offered for the soul of a deceased
non-Catholic? May one offer his prayers
and indulgences for a deceased non-
Catholic?
As the Sacrifice of the Mass may be offered
for living non-Catholics, either for the purpose
of imploring their conversion, or to obtain for
them useful spiritual and temporal helps, so, too,
it is permitted to offer Mass for them even after
their death, and even if they gave no signs of
repentance or conversion. But in this case
the priest will probably refrain from saying a
Requiem Mass, or at least the special oration
for the dead. In both cases he may accept a
stipend. In both cases the danger of scandal on
the part of the faithful must be avoided and also
all danger of error or superstition on the part
of unbelievers. Moreover, the celebration of the
Mass must be private; and it is private, or occult,
when the priest accepts the stipend and promises
to say Mass for the person named, without
making the intention known publicly.
As regards these Masses for the dead, all should
know that they can be of service to the souls
for whom they are offered only if those persons
died in the state of grace, and if God deigns to
permit the fruits of the sacrifice to be applied
to them.
As regards your second question, the answer
is a simple "Yes." Pray much for all the souls in
purgatory.
Is a High Mass for the dead better than
a Low Mass?
Father Augustine, 0. S. B., in his Liturgical
354 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Law (Herder), says: "The answer is intimated
by the Psalmist when he says: 'The sacrifice of
praise shall glorify me: and there is the way by
which I will show him the salvation of God*
(Ps. 49:23). The more God is honored and
praised, the readier He is to grant mercy and
bestow blessings. Hence a High Mass, in which
God is more eminently glorified, should bring
more abundant fruits to the departed soul than
a Low Mass. The essence of the Sacrifice is, of
course, the same; yet the additional accidental
honor voluntarily and cheerfully offered must
needs be acceptable to God."
Which is the better way of attending
Mass, using the missal and saying the
same prayers as the priest or listening to
the choir and watching the priest?
Let us remember, first of all, that the duty of
hearing Mass, of satisfying the obligation of the
first commandment of the Church, requires a
bodily presence that is both moral and con-
tinuous. It should be continuous. One should
assist at a whole Mass. He who is unable to hear
a whole Mass, should try to be present at least
at the essential and integral parts of the Holy
Sacrifice, namely, consecration and communion.
If he is legitimately prevented from being present
at these essential portions, he is under no obliga-
tion to assist at the remaining ceremonies. A
person is morally present if he is morally united
with the priest or if he kneels, stands, or sits
somewhere within the church or near it in a place
from which he is able either to see or hear the
celebrant, or at least to follow the sacred rite
by watching those who can see or hear the priest
at the altar. This last sentence contains the
solution of many cases, the answer to many
questions. Its every word must be taken into
consideration.
MASS 355
In the second place, Mass must be heard with
a right intention, that is, at least religiously, with
a view to worship (one need not have the formal
intention of complying with the commandment
of the Church); and it must be heard with due
attention. External attention at least is neces-
sary to hear Mass, that is, the avoidance of every
activity incompatible with internal attention, or,
positively, a certain vague consciousness at
least that one is assisting at the Holy Sacrifice.
The ecclesiastical precept does not demand
internal attention. Hence one would satisfy his
obligation under the law even if he were, either
voluntarily or involuntarily, distracted during
Mass.
This is the assistance required at Mass, that is
to say, this is all that is commanded under pain
of the sin of not hearing Mass. The Church does
not prescribe any particular prayers to be recited
by the people during the sacred ceremony. But
every Catholic will endeavor to assist at Holy
Mass with the utmost recollection and devotion.
In the following answer we shall outline the
various good, better, and best ways of assisting
at the adorable Sacrifice. We need not repeat
them here. Suffice it to say that there are many
ways of hearing Mass well, and none are to be
ridiculed or belittled, since it were to be wished
that all would hear Mass at least in a good way.
But the best of all ways is joining the Savior
Himself in all the sentiments that prompted Him
to renew the Sacrifice of the cross upon our altars,
and to go to Holy Communion, which partaking
of the sacrificial banquet is the most perfect
manner of identifying ourselves with the priest
at the altar, Christ's visible representative and
the secondary offerer, and through Him with
Christ, the High Priest, Principal Offerer, and
Victim.
Yes; the use of the missal by the faithful (and
35 fr QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
first the gradual learning of its use) is highly to
be recommended. Our presence at Mass should
be official; it should have the character of a
celebration. Saying irrelevant prayers indeed
suffices for fulfilling the obligation; but the best
way to celebrate is to follow the liturgy closely,
with Mass prayerbook or missal. Thus the
altar will be brought nearer to us; we shall
become instructed in the mysteries of faith;
we shall learn to pray; we shall hold ourselves
in honor as sacrificers and victims. But (where
this is done) the very best attendance is at High
Mass where the members must openly assume
the office of co-celebrant by chanting the responses
to the priest's petitions and salutations and by
singing the sacred formularies with the congre-
gation.
"The missal is the eminently liturgical book,"
says Dom Gueranger. It should be one of the
prayerbooks most esteemed and loved by Catho-
lics.
In conclusion, we cannot refrain from giving the
following beautiful passage on the missal from
"Catholic Liturgy," by the Very Rev. Gaspar
Lefebvre, O. S. B.: "Let this golden book,
therefore, from some points of view the most
beautiful in existence, be our friend, the book
always beside us, which we read with holy
eagerness every day of our exile, for in it the
Church, with the infallibility she possesses in
matters of faith and morals, points out to us the
way to heaven. There will then be continuity
in our spiritual life; we shall have greater esteem
for our holy Mother the Church, who gives us
the missal and speaks to us through it; we shall
drink in the Christian spirit from its primary and
indispensable source; we shall love the Holy
Eucharist, set before us every day in a new light,
and our devotion will accord more and more with
that of our priests. Thus we shall be fully united
MASS 357
with the whole of Christ's mystical Body in the
infinite worship given by its Head our Lord
Jesus Christ, to His Father, and after beginning
this worship in this present life, we shall take
part in it forever in eternity."
When assisting at Mass is it necessary
to use a prayerbook all the time? And
will a rosary do?
No; you need not use a prayerbook all the
time; in fact, you need not use one at all. One
method of hearing Mass is that of using any
vocal prayers such as litanies, the rosary, etc.
But such should unite their intention, their mind
and heart with the priest who is celebrating Mass,
taking care always to make an explicit act of
union with the Sacrifice at the Consecration and
at least a spiritual communion at the priest's
Communion. They thus become united with
Jesus Christ, the invisible Priest and Chief
Offerer.
Another and a better method is to use your
prayerbook, saying the prayers for Mass and thus
following the prayers said by the priest, at the
same time dividing your attention between the
prayers and the progress of the ceremonial of
the Mass. This is a very good way of hearing
Mass, even though it may be somewhat fatiguing.
But if the prayerbook you use is a translation
of the missal (the book the priest uses at the
altar), and if you know how to use it properly
and can understandingly say the very same
prayers that the priest is saying and at the same
time when he is saying them, you are assisting
at Mass in a still better way. Indeed, your as-
sistance is then perfect, if you also receive Com-
munion during the Mass. However, if you
cannot receive Communion the intelligent use
of the missal is still a truly excellent way. Good
missals can now be procured everywhere at the
353 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
price of other good prayerbooks. Those who
procure a missal should read all the instructions
contained therein both in the general introduc-
tion and for particular parts and festivals.
There is another way which some call still more
perfect. It is to fix the mind upon what the
Mass really is, the Sacrifice of the Passion and
Death of Our Lord. That is what the Savior
desired when He demanded that the Mass should
be offered "in remembrance" of Himself. In
this method you read three letters as it were
during Mass. The first letter is black. You
occupy yourself with the consideration of your
sins and make acts of humility and contrition
until the Offertory. The second letter is red.
The passion of Jesus Christ then forms the sub-
ject of your contemplation and prayers from the
Offertory to the Communion. The third letter
is white. From the Communion to the end of
the Mass you unite yourself in mind and heart
with the infinite purity and holiness of Jesus
Christ, beseeching the Divine Victim to take
possession of your soul; and you place your
petitions before Him, especially the petition
that after death He may give you eternal glory
as the fruit of the Holy Sacrifice.
St. Alphonsus and Blessed Leonard of Port
Maurice say that the best method of hearing
Mass is to divide it into four parts, devoting
each part to one of the four ends of sacrifice.
You may make the following division:
1. From the beginning of the Mass to the
Gospel employ yourself in acts of propitiation:
sorrow for sins — fear of punishment — begging God
to accept the innocence of Jesus in atonement
for them, to wipe out the punishment due to them,
not to afflict you or withdraw graces from you
because of them, etc. All this you ask in virtue
of the passion of Christ.
2. From the Gospel to the Consecration em-
MASS 359
ploy yourself in thanksgiving. Thank God for
the benefits of creation, redemption, sanctifica-
tion — for the gift of faith — for the benefits de-
rived from the Savior's sufferings — for temporal
and spiritual favors and graces granted to you
and your loved ones. Thank Him again and
again. And offer up Jesus Christ, the Victim of
the Mass, as the only worthy thanksgiving you
can make to God.
3. From the Elevation to the Communion
occupy yourself in adoration. Adore the infinite
majesty of God hidden under the sacred Species.
Say the Glory be to the Father, etc., over and
over again in honor of the Blessed Trinity. Adore
the sacred Humanity of Jesus Christ your Savior.
In spirit kiss His sacred feet. Beseech Him to
offer your feeble adoration with His and thus
obtain its acceptance before the throne of God.
4. From the Communion to the Last Gospel
occupy yourself in supplication, remembering that
we can obtain all things through Holy Mass.
To make your petitions more graciously heard,
receive Holy Communion or at least make a
spiritual communion. Then implore the Savior's
human nature to make intercession for you with
the Father. Ask Him for virtues, graces, blessings
— for anything and everything that you want
for yourself or for others.
By hearing Mass in this way you will discharge,
in union with the Divine Savior, your four great
obligations to God.
What parts of the Mass does the choir
sing and when may it sing?
1. The choir sings the Introit, the Kyrie
eleison, the Gloria, the Gradual, the Alleluia, the
Tract, the Sequence, the Credo, the Offertory,
the Sanctus, the Agnus Dei, the Communion,
and whatever is to be sung in response to the
Celebrant. Some of these parts, e. g., Gradual,
360 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Offertory, Communion, when not sung are to be
distinctly recited.
2. The choir should not begin the Introit be-
fore the priest has reached the altar to begin the
Mass; and the Communion is not to be begun
before the priest has taken the Precious Blood.
3. In Requiem Masses, if only a part of the
Sequence is sung, the rest must be recited. The
whole of the Offertory is to be sung.
4. The Sanctus should be finished and there
should be no singing at the Elevation. Immedi-
ately thereafter the Benedictus is sung.
5. After the Offertory as well as after the
Benedictus some appropriate hymn (in Latin)
may be sung, provided that nothing prescribed
by the Liturgy is on that account omitted.
6. It is not allowed to sing anything in the
vernacular during High Mass, nor during a
lengthy distribution of Holy Communion in that
Mass. This is expressly forbidden. From this
ruling one may deduct that it is allowed to sing
Latin hymns during the distribution of Holy
Communion in High Mass, and also that it is
allowed to sing hymns in the vernacular during
Low Masses and during the distribution of Com-
munion in the same.
7. The choir is forbidden to omit in the least
part the words that are to be sung. Excessive
repetition of words (for instance, Amen) is to
be avoided.
The rules concisely given above have reference
chiefly to Solemn Masses and High Masses. Out-
side of strictly liturgical functions the custom of
the place should be followed.
When may the organ be played during
Mass ?
1. The organ may be played during Mass on
all the Sundays and feast days of the year, except
the Sundays of Advent and Lent. But on the
MASS 361
third Sunday of Advent, the fourth Sunday of
Lent, and in both Vespers of these Sundays, on
the vigil of Christmas and on Holy Thursday up
to the end of the Gloria, as also on feasts and
ferias celebrated with solemnity by the Church
in Advent and Lent, the organ may be played.
2. In Requiem Masses the organ may be
played only during the singing or recitation of
the choir. The same is to be recommended for
ordinary weekday Masses in Advent and Lent.
3. The organ may not be played in accom-
paniment to the priest's singing of the Gospel,
Orations, etc., at the altar. In the Masses where
the organ may be played (excepting No. 2 above)
those are really the only times when it must be
silent. It may even be played at the Elevation
"with harmony more sweet and solemn," as the
Caeremoniale Episcoporum says, from which it
is easy to deduce that it may be played during
the distribution of Holy Communion.
4. In case of necessity, to support and sustain
the choir, the organ may even be played on the
days in which it is forbidden as mentioned in
No. 1 above, excepting the last three days of
Holy Week.
5. All playing of a profane, worldly, dance-
music, jazzy, ridiculous kind should be carefully
avoided. All semblance of the theatrical must
be shunned in church.
What should one do at Mass when the
bell is rung and the priest elevates the
Host?
One should look upon it and also upon the
chalice when the priest elevates that. The
purpose of the elevation of the Host and of the
chalice after consecration is plainly expressed in
the rubric of the Missal: "Ostendit populo,"
"The priest shows it to the people/' This rubric
is given both after the consecration of the Host
361 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
and after the consecration of the chalice. But,
surely, if the priest is directed to show both the
Host and the chalice to the people, they are to
look at them.
The manner in which this rubric was introduced
may help us to understand it better. We are in-
formed that up to the eleventh century the eleva-
tion did not take place until about the end of the
Canon. But, towards the year 1047, Berengarius
began to preach his heresy concerning the Real
Presence, that Christ was not in the Host or in
the chalice. As an answer to this false teaching
the people demanded that the Host and the
chalice should be shown to them immediately
after the consecration for their adoration. Then
was introduced our present rubric.
Thus in a little chapel on the west coast of
Ireland a visitor once noticed that, immediately
after the consecration, the whole congregation
saluted their Lord in the beautiful Gaelic tongue :
"A hundred thousand welcomes, O Lord!*'
In a letter written by the great Cardinal
Mercier to his priests we read the following ex-
cellent instructions as regards this matter. And
what we here quote for the elevation of the Host
is to be repeated at the elevation of the chalice:
"When the celebrant has accomplished the
liturgical act of highest excellence, the consecra-
tion, and when, according to the rubrics, he ele-
vates the Sacred Host in a manner so as to ren-
der it visible to the assemblage of Christians, it
is not fitting that they should remain with heads
bowed to the earth. The elevation is made for
them — tell them, therefore, that they should
humbly follow with their eyes the Sacred Species,
at the elevation of the Sacred Host and of the
chalice containing the Precious Blood as well.
"The faithful should incline the head as long
as the priest, with knees bent and eyes lowered,
MASS 363
is engaged in his first adoration, but when he
lifts his head and elevates above him the Body of
the Lord, all should gaze with loving looks upon
the Savior of mankind, repeating with great
fervor the words of the Apostle Thomas, 'My
Lord and my God!' after which they may again
incline the head during the second genuflection
of the priest."
We may here mention that it is also a false
custom to bow the head when before the Com-
munion of the faithful the priest, holding a Host
above the ciborium says, "Ecce Agnus Dei"
"Behold the Lamb of God!" This is clearly an
invitation and a command to see and adore.
And yet it is a common custom to bow pro-
foundly and refuse to see! Look at the Lord!
And then bow your head slightly in adoration
and strike your breast in humble contrition, as
the words suggest, when the priest pronounces
the "Domine, non sum dignus." ("O Lord, I am
not worthy!") It is quite proper to bow then;
but not so when you are bidden to behold.
And how about the actual reception of Holy
Communion? Then, too, the communicant
should keep his eyes fixed lovingly on the Sacred
Host. That too general custom of closing the
eyes when receiving is said to be based on "rever-
ence" for our Lord. But why should it be ir-
reverent to see and adore the Body of Christ and
to acknowledge Him with our noblest sense, the
eyes? It is no more irreverent to look at the
Sacred Host when presented to us at the moment
of Holy Communion than at the moment of con-
secration or during exposition, when we are even
earnestly exhorted to gaze upon it, as we have
seen.
And if the expression "to keep your eyes
closed" means simply "to keep your eyes cast
down," it is still not the best thing to do. The
best thing is to look at the Host. (We mention,
364 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
by the way, that one must not look up at the
priest.) In the "Larger Catechism, Part Second,
for Higher Classes, Prescribed by His Holiness,
Pope Pius X, for All the Dioceses of the Pro-
vince of Rome," we find the following question
and answer: "Q. How should we go to receive
Holy Communion? A. In the act of receiving
Holy Communion we should be kneeling, have
the head slightly raised, the eyes modest or fixed
on the Sacred Host, and the tongue slightly over
the lip." Here we have Pope Pius X as our
authority that the eyes should be "fixed on the
Sacred Host" at the moment of reception; for
by "eyes modest" is not here meant eyes closed,
but rather what religious call "custody of the
eyes," a modest demeanor; and, surely, it is the
very perfection of modest demeanor at the altar rail
if the eyes are "fixed on the Sacred Host," on God.
As regards the moment of Benediction with
the monstrance, it would seem most proper to
gaze reverently upon the Host while the priest
blesses the faithful therewith, making the sign
of the cross, and then bow the head moderately
in adoration and thanksgiving. Striking the
breast is required neither at the elevation nor at
Benediction.
Here on earth we see God "through a glass
and in a dark manner," as St. Paul expresses it.
But in heaven we shall see Him "face to face."
We ought to accustom ourselves to look upon
Him now hidden under the Sacred Species, while
we wait for the time when "we shall see Him
as He is."
Why does the priest wear vestments at
Mass? What are the vestments called?
What do they signify?
Just as kings and magistrates (the judges of
the Supreme Court of the United States, for
instance) do not wear their common, everyday
MASS 365
garments in solemn public functions, but other
more striking, more distinctive robes, so priests,
when offering up the Adorable Sacrifice, wear
the sacred sacerdotal garments, called vestments.
They have come down to us from Apostolic
discipline and tradition. Thus the August
Sacrifice is fittingly presented; and by these
visible tokens of religion and piety the minds
of the faithful are raised to the contemplation
of the sublime mysteries hidden in this holy
oblation.
During Holy Mass the priest wears six dif-
ferent vestments.
1. The amice, or shoulder-cloth, which is first
laid upon the head and then upon the neck and
shoulders of the priest. It signifies the crown
of thorns, or, in a moral sense, the "helmet of
salvation," with which the priest arms himself
against the assaults of the evil spirit.
2. The alb, so called from its color, white;
it signifies the white robe with which Herod
clothed the Savior. It is a symbol of the spot-
less innocence and perfect purity of soul with
which the priest should approach the altar. Its
length also denotes perseverance.
3. The cincture, the cord around the waist,
signifies the ropes with which Jesus was bound.
It is a symbol of priestly continence and chastity.
4. The maniple, worn on the left arm, signi-
fies the cords with which Christ's hands were
tied. It is a symbol of sorrow and penance, of
labor and of good works.
5. The stole, suspended from the shoulders
and crossed upon the breast, signifies the cross
placed upon the shoulders of the Savior. Being
a beautiful vestment, it signifies the sweet yoke
of the Lord, and obedience. It is fastened with
the extremities of the cincture, signifying chastity,
to denote that virtues are all associated with each
other.
3 66 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
6. The chasuble, the splendid outer garment,
signifies the purple robe which Pilate put onto
Jesus. It is a symbol of holy love and of the
yoke of the Lord which the priest joyfully bears.
The covering for the head often worn by the
priest when approaching or leaving the altar at
Mass is called the biretta. It is not a strictly
liturgical vestment, as are the others used at
Mass, and is not destined for sacred functions
only.
When permission is granted that Mass
may be said in a private home, why may
it not be said in a bedroom?
The Canon Law of the Church says that the
local Ordinary, or, in the case of an exempt re-
ligious house, the higher superior, may grant
permission to say Mass outside a church or ora-
tory, upon a consecrated altar stone, provided
the place is decent, but never in a bedroom.
The answer to your question, accordingly, is:
"Because the Church forbids it." Manifestly, a
bedroom is not considered a decent place for
saying Mass, as a little reflection will show. In
a case of this kind the living room or the sitting
room should be used for saying Mass. When
permission is granted to say Mass in the bedroom
of the sick, everything must be arranged accord-
ing to special instructions. But this permission
is granted only for quite exceptional reasons.
Why is the Kyrie of the Mass said in
Greek?
Greek and Hebrew words are retained in the
Roman liturgies in order to signify that there is
but one Church, originally formed out of three
different nations, namely, the Latin, the Greek,
and the Hebrew. In those three languages were
the Sacred Mysteries first celebrated. Those
three languages were hallowed by being used to
MASS 367
inscribe the title on the cross. "It was written
in Hebrew, in Greek, and in Latin."
What is the special good of offering a
Mass, either said or heard, in honor of a
particular saint?
Holy Mass gives to God infinite honor, because
therein a God offers Himself to God. All the
prayers and good works that have ever been or
that ever will be are as nothing in comparison
with one Holy Mass. Now, how unspeakably
it must honor a saint to be made the indirect
cause of one more such sacrifice being made to
God! And will not such a saint, in the bliss of
seeing infinite adoration, thanksgiving, repara-
tion, and impetration given to the Almighty in
connection with his or her name, obtain for the
offerer an abundance of heavenly blessings in
return?
Is a High Mass of greater assistance to
the departed than a Low Mass?
The fruits of the Mass offered up by Christ as
Priest and Victim are always infinite and always
the same, whether the Mass be a High Mass or
a Low Mass.
But we must remember that the Mass is like-
wise a Sacrifice of praise, thanksgiving, propitia-
tion, and petition offered up by the priest in the
name of the united Church. The nature of the
sublime prayers of the Mass and the whole rite
of that sacred action naturally exert an influence
upon the measure and the nature of these peti-
tionary fruits of the Sacrifice. It accordingly
follows that, on the part of the Church, a High Mass
has greater value and efficacy than a Low Mass.
This more solemn celebration of the Sacrifice,
with its greater outward liturgical splendor, is
more acceptable to God; and it is, therefore,
better calculated to prevail upon God, in His
mercy, to grant the favor asked. In plain words,
368 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
that greater external solemnity will impart greater
efficacy to the prayers and supplications of the
Church.
That is why it has always been the spirit of
the Church to have also High Masses offered up
for the dead — and likewise for other intentions.
The custom of having High Masses sung is in
itself a proof of Catholic sense and instinct in
this matter. Everyone feels that there is cer-
tainly some (though non-essential) difference be-
tween a High Mass and a Low Mass; for in the
Mass, as St. Thomas says (Suppl., q. 71, a. 9),
we are to consider not only the Sacrifice, but
also the prayers — and, we add, the external
solemnity. Hence, if the giver of a stipend has
asked for a solemn or sung Mass, the application
of a simple Mass would certainly be valid; but
the priest would not satisfy his obligations. And
ihe priest would subsequently have to celebrate
a solemn or sung Mass and apply to the intention
of the giver of the stipend the special fruit result-
ing from the solemnity.
What is the difference between High
Mass and Low Mass? What changes are
made?
High Mass is celebrated with greater external
solemnity than Low Mass. In the latter all
parts are merely recited by the priest, whereas
in the former some parts are sung by the priest
as well as by the choir. The prayers are the
same and the Mass is the same. No changes are
made therein.
This gives rise to the question whether all
Masses are of equal value. In answering this
question we must distinguish between the Victim
and the sacrificial act as such. The Victim is the
same in all Masses, none other than Jesus Christ
Himself, and so far all Masses are equally good,
equally precious, of infinite value. But as regards
MASS 369
the sacrificial act, the offering of the Victim,
the more devoutly the priest says Mass the more
acceptable to God is the Sacrifice he offers, and
the more abundant are the graces it brings down
from above, both upon the priest who celebrates
the Mass and the person for whom he offers it.
That is the reason why the priest, in the Mass,
frequently beseeches God graciously to accept
his oblation and to vouchsafe that it may be con-
ductive to his own salvation and that of the
people. Cardinal Bona says, "Just as other good
works performed by a pious man gain merit in
proportion to the zeal and devotion wherewith
they are performed, so Holy Mass is more or less
profitable both to the priest who says it and the
persons for whom it is said according as it is
celebrated with more or less fervor."
Again, relative to the sacrificial act as such, a
High Mass gives additional external honor to
God and it is in that way more precious than a
Low Mass.
Must the priest always wear black
vestments when he says Mass for a de-
ceased person?
No; he need not wear black vestments. In
fact, he is not always allowed to do so. The
greater part of Mass intentions are, no doubt,
for deceased persons, and quite properly so, since
Holy Church teaches that the souls in purgatory
are especially aided by the most efficacious
Sacrifice of the altar. But there are many days
on which the rubrics do not permit a Requiem
Mass. The priest then offers the Mass of the
day, of whatever color the vestments may be,
for the deceased person, if such is the application.
It is really the same, as far as the substance of
the Mass is concerned, viewing its efficacy as a
Sacrifice; but we may say that there are acci-
dental advantages in a Requiem Mass derived
37o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
from its special prayers and particular orations.
But the devotion of the priest can supply the
defect of those special prayers. When Mass is
asked for a dead person the Church recommends,
but in no way commands, the saying of a Requiem
Mass, when the rubrics permit it. Since, there-
fore, the Church leaves it to the priest to de-
termine, within the rubrics, the quality of the
Mass, the faithful should do the same and should
not insist upon having just such and such a Mass
said.
Holy Mass is in substance always the same
renewal and continuation of the one all-availing
Sacrifice of the cross, no matter what the quality
of the Mass may be. The quality of the Mass,
though equally sacred in all the various festive,
ferial, and votive Masses, is only accidental com-
pared with the essence of the Sacrifice. This is
well brought out by the fact that a Requiem Mass
in black vestments may (though this is seldom
done) be offered for the living, provided the one
who gives the offering does not expressly request
the opposite.
Please explain what is meant by the
Gregorian Masses.
The Gregorian Masses are a series of thirty
Masses celebrated without interruption of days
for the soul of one specified dead person.
From this it follows that these Masses cannot
be said for the living, though the living may
arrange to have the Gregorian Masses said for
themselves after their death. It also follows that
these Masses must be said for one specified dead
person, not for two or more.
The name of St. Gregory the Great became
attached to this practice in the following way.
At the death of one of his monks, who was named
Justus, he requested another monk, named Pre-
tiosus, to say thirty Masses in succession for the
MASS 371
dead man. At the end of thirty days, Justus ap-
peared to one of his brothers in religion and told
him that he was delivered from the flames of
Purgatory. "The religious," said St. Gregory,
"remarked that this deliverance took place on
the day when the thirtieth Mass was celebrated."
Such is the origin of the Gregorian Masses.
No indulgence is attached to the Gregorian
Masses as such. The faithful who ask to have
them said feel confident that these Masses, either
by the repetition of the expiatory power of the
Holy Sacrifice, or through the intercession of St.
Gregory, have a special efficacy to secure the
immediate deliverance of a soul from Purgatory.
The Church does not condemn this belief, and
the Congregation of Indulgences (March 11, 1884)
has declared "pious and reasonable" this con-
fidence of the faithful. However, this declara-
tion does not, of course, justify the considering
of the Gregorian Masses as an infallible means of
freeing the soul. Good Catholics will avoid all
such exaggeration.
The Gregorian Masses are ordinary Masses,
without any special commemoration of St.
Gregory. The Requiem Mass is not at all obli-
gatory, but is fitting, on days when it is permitted.
Nor is it required that the Masses be said at the
same altar.
The special nature of the Gregorian series de-
mands that the Masses shall be celebrated in
thirty days, without interruption and on thirty
different days (one Mass each day)y whether by
the same priest or by different priests. Hence a
priest cannot say more than one of the Gregorian
Masses on the same day; nor can he, on Christ-
mas, say two or three Masses of the Gregorian
series. However, during the last three days of
Holy Week, the series may be interrupted, pro-
vided that it is resumed on Easter Sunday.
The stipend is either the usual stipend for each
372- QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Mass or a special compensation is given in the
form of a larger stipend, due to the fact that the
binding obligation of the Gregorian series entails
considerable inconvenience. In this matter, the
diocesan regulations of the respective locality are
to be duly observed.
The above is a reliable summary of all the
practical information available on the Gregorian
Masses.
If a Catholic is excommunicated, may
he still assist at divine services in a
Catholic church?
Canon 2259 clearly says that no excommuni-
cated person has the ri^ht to assist at divine
services, the only exception being the hearing of
sermons, which is not forbidden. By divine
services we mean, for example, Holy Mass, the
canonical office publicly recited, public prayers,
processions, blessings and consecrations performed
according to the liturgical books of the Church.
Many popular devotions, like the Rosary, the
Stations of the Cross, etc., even if recited under
the leadership of a priest, are not divine services
in the sense of the canon mentioned, and there-
fore an excommunicated person is not debarred
from them.
Yes; excommunicated persons may enter a
church privately to pray there. But how strik-
ingly this simple sentence brings out the sad con-
dition of one punished with the inseparable
effects of excommunication, — the total exclusion
from the communion of the faithful.
What is the usual offering for having
Mass read? Can one have Mass read for
oneself?
The offering differs in different countries and
sometimes even in different dioceses of the same
country. It is determined by diocesan regula-
tions. A larger offering is given for a High Mass.
MASS 373
Let it be remembered that the offering of a
stipend is a disciplinary regulation; for if a Mass
could as a rule be had for the mere asking there
would be endless requests and consequent con-
fusion.
And as an admonition to our readers we make
bold to say that there are still Catholics up and
down the country so rudely thoughtless as to put
the offensive question, "How much does it cost?"
when requesting a Mass. The Holy Mass is of
infinite value, not to be purchased by the treas-
ures of a billion worlds like ours. By the disci-
pline and practice of the Church a Mass offer-
ing is required of those who are able to make it,
which offering obligates the priest in strict justice
to apply the ministerial fruits of the Mass for the
intention of the donor. The Mass stipend is a
contribution towards the support of the priest;
and in mission districts it is often their only sup-
port and one for which they plead continually.
Certainly one may have a Mass read for oneself.
Mass may be offered for the living or the dead,
or for any special intention. Many Catholics
would do well oftener to secure for themselves
the ministerial fruits of the Adorable Sacrifice.
I am looking for a little information
about High Masses. A larger stipend is
always given for a High Mass than for a
Low Mass. Why is that? Is a High Mass
of greater value than a Low Mass?
Larger Mass offerings are usually requested for
High Masses than for Low Masses because this
surplus is intended to serve as a compensation
for what is called the extrinsic labor of the Mass.
We may consider such extrinsic labor the special
fatigue which is entailed by singing the Mass,
or by saying it at a later hour, or by enduring
some other inconvenience.
The amount of the Mass stipend is variously
374 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
fixed by episcopal decree or, where there is no
such decree, by legitimate custom.
Of course, a High Mass has greater value and
efficacy than a Low Mass. The fruits of the Mass,
as offered by Christ as Priest and Victim, are
always the same and always infinite; but on
the part of the Church the more solemn celebra-
tion of the Sacrifice, with its greater outward
liturgical splendor, is more acceptable to God and
is more calculated to prevail upon Him to grant
the favor asked. That is why Catholics like to
have High Masses and gladly give larger stipends
therefor.
When a priest says two Masses is he
allowed to eat lunch after his first Mass ?
In this country it frequently happens that the
priest must say two Masses on Sundays and
holydays of obligation or must celebrate Mass at
a late hour, and that for the spiritual welfare
of the faithful. Fasting is then often attended
with great hardship. Accordingly, Holy Church
has (since March 22, 1923) made it possible for
such priests to obtain a dispensation from the
strict Eucharistic fast, for reasons of poor health,
strenuous work, and for other weighty reasons.
This dispensation can be obtained by the indi-
vidual priest through his bishop.
Hence, a priest who has received such a dis-
pensation may take a little lunch, by way of
liquid food, between his two Masses or before a
late Mass. He may also consume the ablution
after the first Mass.
It is well for the faithful to know this, lest they
be scandalized at a thing that the priest may
lawfully do, having special dispensation from the
Holy See.
Nor is it correct for the faithful to argue that
the same privilege should be theirs, when they
receive Holy Communion at a late hour, for
MASS 375
instance; for this dispensation is given to the
priest, not that he may satisfy his private de-
votion, but that the faithful may have an op-
portunity of satisfying their obligation of hearing
Mass on Sundays and holydays.
If a Catholic is excommunicated is he
still bound under pain of mortal sin to
attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of
obligation?
Canon Law says that no excommunicated
person has the right of assisting at divine services.
The first of all divine services is the adorable
Sacrifice of the Mass.
There is, accordingly, no obligation for an
excommunicated person to hear Mass on Sundays
and holydays of obligation. The most that can
be said is that such a person might be guilty of
the sin in causa, that is, if he should refuse to
ask for absolution for a considerable length of
time.
Those who are in the sad state of excommuni-
cation should have no rest until they have made
their peace with God through absolution from
censure and sin and are again in the ranks of the
faithful.
Is there a special dispensation from
hearing Mass or being late at Mass for
those living in the country at a great
distance from a church?
There is no special dispensation. But great
distance is one of the causes which simply excuse
a person from the obligation of hearing Mass.
Just how great the distance must be cannot be
absolutely said. It depends upon persons, places,
times, means of conveyance, etc. Many theo-
logians call a trip of one hour by foot an ex-
cusing distance; and we might say: if you must
walk, an hour's walk; if you have a horse, an
hour's drive; if you have a car, an hour's ride
376 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
etc. Of course, in case of stormy weather, bad
roads, rain, snow, bitter cold, etc., a lesser dis-
tance would already excuse one from the obliga-
tion in question.
Since we are speaking of the obligation of
hearing Mass, we think it useful here to add the
following practical remarks:
1. Physical inability or impossibility excuses
from that obligation the sick, the lame, sailors or
passengers on ships where no Mass is said,
prisoners and all those who live in communities
or localities where no Mass is said, provided the
latter have a good reason for dwelling there.
2. Moral inability excuses those who live so
far from church that it would be considered a
serious hardship to be obliged to go to Mass, on
account of the distance, the heat, the bad weather,
or other serious reasons.
3. Charity excuses in many instances. Thus
those are excused from hearing Mass who have
to take care of the sick; likewise mothers with
young children they cannot leave alone. Even
wives may be excused if their husbands become
furiously angry when they go to church. Danger
of serious loss to ourselves or to others excuses
those who help put out fires, etc., etc.
4. There are also certain occupations which
often make attendance at Mass impossible and
thus excuse one from going.
However, in our day it is easier to satisfy this
obligation than ever before; and every Catholic
should try to make it his boast that he never
misses Mass.
Does a fever excuse one from attending
Mass on Sunday ? In general, what degree
of sickness dispenses one from this obli-
gation ?
We answer this question briefly and in a general
way, including fever and all other ailments!
MASS 377
The sick or convalescent are excused from
hearing Mass when they fear that such attendance
would cause serious injury to their health or
retard their recovery. It is clear that if the
physician, the confessor, the nurse, superiors, or
such like responsible persons advise against
going to Mass or say it is out of the question,
the matter is settled and the patient in question
may be at ease. But, of course, the sick person
may judge the case for himself, if he is capable
of passing prudent judgment.
The simplest, most helpful, most general rule
to follow is this: Are you so unwell that, fearing
serious consequences or grave inconveniences,
you omit other affairs that would require about
as much exertion as assisting at Mass, for instance,
going out to transact business, to do shopping,
to spend an hour in the class room, etc.? Then
you are excused from going to Mass. You may
remain away without sin.
Kindly explain what would have to be
done should a priest take sick or fall
dead while saying Mass.
If a priest takes sick or has a stroke or dies
suddenly while saying Mass, nothing at all need
be done regarding his Mass, if he has not yet
reached the Consecration. The Mass is simply
not said. But if the priest has already spoken
the words of the Consecration over the bread or
over the bread and the wine, the Mass must be
finished by another priest beginning at the place
where the first one left off. And this is so im-
portant that in case of necessity the Mass may
even be continued and finished by a priest who
is not fasting.
Is it a sin to miss Mass when it really
takes an effort to avoid hearing it?
To the casual reader your question is a puzzle.
But all grows clear when we understand that
378 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
you mean a Mass that is not of obligation. Let
us take a weekday Mass. You are in an immense
crowd, and the surging mass of devout worship-
pers bears you along towards the doors of the
Church in which the famous Cardinal is about
to offer up the Holy Sacrifice. With difficulty
you extricate yourself from the throng and go
your way, with nothing particular to do. That
is your case, oddly stated. Do you sin thereby?
No; not in the case outlined above, unless you
sin by laziness, spiritual sloth, in which sup-
position it is nothing grievous. Similar situ-
ations are easily conceivable in which a person
could sin by omitting good works that are not of
precept, by giving scandal, for instance.
Must one make a double genuflection
when passing an altar where Holy Mass
is celebrated?
No; unless the Blessed Sacrament is exposed
you should make the simple genuflection, with
one knee, even though it be after the Consecration
and before the Communion. The same holds
good for those who for any reason leave the
sanctuary (or church) or return to it during
Mass, e. g., torch-bearers.
Why does the priest mix a small amount
of water with the wine to be consecrated
at Mass?
This mingling signifies the union of the divine
and human natures in Christ, as is beautifully
expressed in the prayer then said by the priest,
"O God, Who in creating man didst exalt his
nature very wonderfully and yet more wonder-
fully didst establish it anew; by the mystery
signified in the mingling of this water and wine
grant us to have part in the Godhead of Him
Who hath vouchsafed to share our manhood,
Jesus Christ Thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy
MASS 379
Ghost ; world without end. Amen." This
mingling also signifies our union with Him in
Holy Communion.
I have missed Mass for some of the
reasons you mentioned as excusing
reasons, and I have confessed those omis-
sions as sins. Is it not necessary to
confess them as sins?
If for a good reason such as those mentioned
above, to which you refer, you cannot attend
Mass on Sundays and holidays of obligation you
commit no sin. And what is not a sin you need not
confess. If you are in doubt as to the sufficiency
of the reason, we recommend you to mention the
omission in confession and the reason. How
often the confessor may ask, "Did you miss
Mass through your own fault?" And how often
the answer is truthfully, "No, Father." If you
were simply excused, as in sickness and many
other cases, there is nothing to be mentioned.
If you mention it, say how it was, whether it was
wilful, or whether you had some good reason.
What is a privileged altar?
A privileged altar is one to which, by Apostolic
Indult, a plenary indulgence is annexed in favor
of the souls in purgatory. In other words, when
Mass is said at such an altar for a certain deceased
person, a plenary indulgence is likewise gained
for that person, that is, the full remission of the
temporal punishment due to that person's sins.
In order that this indulgence may be gained it
is not necessary that a Requiem Mass be said;
any Mass said at such an altar carries with it
this great privilege. Some priests have what is
called an indult of a privileged altar, personally,
every day in the year. Every day when such
say Mass, no matter where it may be, the altar
is privileged for them. This privilege is enjoyed,
for instance, by those priests who have made
380 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
the heroic act, by offering, through the hands
of the Blessed Virgin, all their satisfactory
merits for the poor souls in purgatory. It does
not require much reflection to convince us what
a blessed privilege a privileged altar really is.
A little over a year ago an infant of only
five weeks died. She was baptized before
she died. Her parents were both Catho-
lics. A Mass was said for her on the
anniversary of her death. I would like to
know if it was right for those parents to
have the Mass said.
We are sure you are mistaken when you say
that a Mass was said for her. She needed no
Mass; for her lily-like soul, clad in the fair robe
of baptismal innocence, went straight to God.
When baptized infants die a Mass is said at their
burial, called the Mass of the Angels. This Mass
is said in white vestments, and the whole service,
as well as the funeral prayers, breathe of joy,
not sadness. And, surely, there is nothing wrong,
rather it is most praiseworthy and consoling, to
honor God by having such Masses said later on
in remembrance of the blessed little one>.
Is there a greater effect at the Mementos
during Mass for the living and the dead
than on other occasions, i. e., will the
persons prayed for be more helped?
They most assuredly will be more greatly
benefited; for everything in connection with
Holy Mass is of the highest possible efficacy.
Catholics, by the way, should always include by
name, at the Memento for the Living during
Mass, the living for whom they wish especially
to pray; and at the Memento for the dead they
should in the same way include their dear de-
parted. At these two parts of the Mass the
priest pauses to include special intentions; each
and every one of the faithful should do the same.
MASS j8i
It is especially during Mass that God can refuse
us nothing; for Jesus, His only -begotten Son, is
pleading for us in the humility of oblation.
Would it be sinful if one did not take
the proper posture during certain parts
of the Mass, for instance, if one remained
kneeling during the Gospel?
If there is any reason for not taking such
posture, it is not sinful to take some other. If
there is no reason, it is not in itself sinful either,
inasmuch as we might call these merely directive
regulations. It might be sinful if done out of
stubbornness, contempt, or any such like motives,
or if it would give scandal to others. Always
adapt yourself as far as possible to the practices
prevailing in the church where you happen to be.
A person of much authority in such
matters says that a young couple who are
about to be married are not obliged to
attend Mass on the three Sundays on
which the banns are proclaimed. Is that
true?
Simply to say they are not obliged to attend
Mass on those days is rather too general a state-
ment. We must distinguish. If there is only one
Mass at the church and their names are announced
during the same, they are excused by legitimate
custom from attending that Mass. If there are
more Masses than one they will, of course, arrange
to go to one of the others. If there are no others,
they could probably easily arrange to go to some
other church for Mass. This is often done.
Some time ago a young lady wrote to us: "The
banns of marriage will be published for us on the
next three Sundays. Edmund and I have ar-
ranged to go to Mass elsewhere on those days."
That was very sensible. ' i.
If such arrangements as mentioned cannot b
made without considerable inconvenience, the
381 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
persons may remain away from Mass without
committing sin. Why? Because of legitimate
custom, which is one of the things that excuse
one from hearing Mass. Other and more com-
mon excuses are moral impossibility, charity,
duty.
When I was visiting my aunt last sum-
mer during vacation I could not go to
Mass on Sunday, because the family is
very large and I had to stay home. Was
it a mortal sin for me to miss Mass that
Sunday ?
Wilfully to miss Mass on Sundays and holy-
days of obligation is a mortal sin. But there are
certain reasons that excuse one from going to
Mass on those days. When so excused, no sin
is committed. But who are excused? We have
not space to enter into this matter here; but,
to answer your question, we give four classes of
persons excused, though there are many others.
1. The sick, the infirm, the convalescent, and
those who must care for them.
2. Those who have to keep house while the
others are away, prepare dinner, and do other
necessary things at home.
3. Mothers and nurses who have no one to
leave the children with and cannot take them to
church,
4. Often those who are very far from church
and have no way of getting there without great
difficulty, as when they have to walk a long
distance, especially in bad weather or when the
roads are bad.
Now, from your question I must conclude that
you either (1) had to care for some one at your
aunt's place; or (2) you had to "watch the
house" or get dinner or do some such thing; or
(3) you had to stay with the children; or (4)
there was no room for you in the car, and it was
MASS 383
too far or too hard for you to walk. If for any
of these reasons you stayed home that day you
were excused and committed no sin at all.
I was visiting at a Catholic friend's
home one Sunday when the whole family
was reverently hearing a High Mass broad-
casted over the radio. They were very de-
vout about it, even kneeling down and
making the sign of the cross at the Conse-
cration. Can Catholics hear their Sunday
Mass over the radio?
No; a Catholic cannot satisfy his obligation
of hearing Mass on Sunday or on a holyday of
obligation over the radio. There must be a
moral unity between the celebrating priest and
the faithful assisting at the Mass; and this moral
unity is not present between, let us say, a priest
celebrating Mass in New York and a man who
listens to the service over the radio, while seated
in an easy chair in San Francisco. It is well to
bear this in mind, as many poorly instructed
Catholics may have or acquire erroneous notions
in this regard.
Parenthetically, we may remark that still less
may one receive sacramental absolution by radio,
since this cannot be given even by telephone.
Does one derive any benefit from at-
tending a Mass that is being said for the
repose of a certain soul?
Why, certainly. Without mentioning the fact
that when assisting at Mass you offer to God the
glory that is due Him by virtue of His sovereign
dominion and give Him infinite thanks for His
many blessings and the merciful pardon of your
sins, — without mentioning these things, we say,
but considering only the many blessings which
Holy Mass procures for us, we state that the
fruits of the Mass, considered in themselves, are
impetration (obtaining of blessings), propitia-
384 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
tion (appeasing the wrath of God), and satis-
faction (blotting out, both for the living and the
dead, the temporal punishment due to their sins).
But if we consider the fruits of the Mass in
relation to the persons who receive them, we may
make a fourfold division.
1. The general fruit goes to all the members of
the mystical body, the Church, living or dead,
who are not unworthy. This is the will of the
Church and the contrary will of the celebrant
can in no wise change it.
2. Though all those mentioned above share
in the general fruit, nevertheless those who
assist at Mass or co-operate in any fashion
whatsoever are the most highly favored; and their
participation in the fruits of the Sacrifice is in
proportion to their co-operation and to their
dispositions. They enjoy the special fruit of the
Mass. So those who assist at Mass do indeed
benefit in a special way, no matter for whom the
Mass is being offered in particular.
3. But more abundant still is the fruit which
accrues to the priest who says the Mass. This is
called the personal or very special fruit.
4. Then there is the ministerial fruit, which
accrues to those for whom the Sacrifice is in
particular offered and for whom the celebrant
applies the Mass. This power of applying the
fruits of the Mass is inherent to the sacerdotal
character, as is plain from the words of ordina-
tion: "Receive the power of offering sacrifice
both for the living and for the dead." The
application made by the priest is, therefore,
always valid, and no one on earth has the power
to prevent its efficacy. This precious ministerial
fruit is satisfactory for the temporal punishments
due to sin, propitiatory for sins, and impetratory
for spiritual and temporal blessings. But that
it may accrue to certain persons it is absolutely
necessary that the celebrant make that intention,
MASS 385
which we call the application of the Mass. It is
this application of the ministerial fruit which the
priest promises when he accepts a stipend for a
certain intention.
Is it true that when a priest reads his
first Mass the angels in heaven weave a
wreath of myrtle for him?
We wouldn't be a bit surprised. This pious
and quite legitimate fancy reminds us of the
beautiful words of St. John Chrysostom. With
astonishment he praises the dignity of the
Christian priesthood, which, "not a man, not an
angel, nor an archangel, nor any other power
than the Holy Ghost Himself instituted." He
shows what purity and fear of God are required
in order that the priest may worthily celebrate
the holy and tremendous sacrifice. "When you
behold how the Lord is sacrificed and laid there,"
he says, "and how the priest stands and prays
during the Sacrifice, do you still imagine your-
self to be among men and on this earth?"
Is it a sin if we come to Mass after the
priest is at the altar on Sunday?
If this coming late for Mass is not at all your
fault, you do not commit any sin. But since the
church commands us to hear Mass on Sundays and
holidays of obligation and not to hear a part of
Mass, one who wilfully omits a portion of it
commits a sin, venial or mortal. You commit a
mortal sin if you thus omit a third part of your
Mass of obligation, for instance, everything up to
and including the Offertory; you commit a
venial sin if you thus omit a small part of that
Mass, for instance, from the beginning to the
Gospel or from the Communion to the end. To
leave the church after the Ite missa est is not
considered a sin; but, unless there is a good
reason, it is very impolite and a shame, just as
coming a moment late to Mass is likewise dis-
3 86 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
graceful. When the priest ascends the altar for
the Adorable Sacrifice everybody should be in
church; and no one should be so inconsiderate
as to move from the pew before the priest has
disappeared into the sacristy.
How can one show a non-Catholic the
difference between High Mass and Low
Mass?
Essentially the Mass is always the same,
whether it be a High Mass, a Missa Cantata
(sung Mass), or a Low Mass. The difference is
merely accidental — i. e., non-essential.
The High Mass, also called the Solemn Mass, is
the complete rite of the Mass, in which the priest
is assisted by a deacon and subdeacon, and all
the rubrics of the Order of Mass are observed,
such as chanting the Gospel, incensing the altar,
the ministers and the people. It is now usually cele-
brated only on more solemn or festive occasions.
The Missa Cantata (sung Mass), generally,
though less correctly perhaps, called a High
Mass, is celebrated by the priest without the
sacred ministers, and parts of the Mass are sung
by him and by the choir or the people.
The Low Mass is a shortened and simplified
form of the High Mass, said by the priest with
one or two servers only. No parts of the Mass
are sung.
Is it a sin if one wilfully avoids hearing
the Sunday sermon, for instance, by going
to an earlier Mass at which a sermon is
not preached?
We must distinguish. For some Catholics
the hearing of sermons is a matter of strict obli-
gation, for others it is not. It is a duty in the
strict sense of the word for those who do not
possess the knowledge necessary for the leading
of a Christian life, as well as for those who need
instruction and encouragement because of their
MASS 387
necessary intercourse with non-Catholics or their
ina voidable association with men of bad mora
character. Such should be regular in their at-1
tendance at sermons and explanations of Christian
doctrine. If they have not the time or the op-
portunity for the hearing of sermons, they should
read religious books and Catholic papers. In
fact, in our day they ought to do both the one
and the other. We might also remark that the
more educated a man is, the more he should
know about his faith.
There are many careless and fallen-away
Catholics, and many who have fallen into sin
and are living without the grace of God. who
would be practical Catholics and living in the
state of grace, had they listened with eager at-
tention to the sermons that are preached on
Sundays with the intention to profit thereby.
There may also be cases where one is obliged to
hear sermons in order to avoid giving scandal.
This is especially the case in small parishes.
The Savior tells us: "He that is of God, heareth
the words of God. Therefore you hear them not,
because you are not of God." (John 8:47.)
Is it a sin for a lay person to touch the
tabernacle on the outside, for example,
when decorating the altar?
No; it is not a sin. There can be no question
of sin here. So, too, it is ordinarily quite proper
and even a matter of duty for sacristans to re-
move the key from the tabernacle door in case
it was forgotten. In this case it is well to make
sure that the tabernacle is locked.
We may here repeat, for the sake of general
information, that the Code of Canon Law re-
quires that the necessary precautions be taken
to see that the sacred vessels and the sacred
linens which have been used in the Holy Sacrifice
shall not be touched except by clerics (at least
3 88 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
tonsured) and by those entrusted with their
care. (Canon 1306, No. 1.)
For the sake of clearness we divide our expla-
nation as follows:
1. Without any special permission from the
Ordinary all clerics as well as persons (lay or
religious) who have been given charge of the
sacristy have the right to touch the sacred vessels,
when they do not contain the Holy Eucharist and
when they have been purified.
2. Said persons have the right to touch the
sacred linens, even though not yet purified.
3. However, lay sacristans and religious not
clerics should in all cases refrain from publicly
touching the sacred vessels and the sacred linens
with bare hands. Let them (as some do) then
wear white gloves reserved for such use only, or
let them use a clean linen cloth always kept at
hand for just that purpose. And if the sacristan
is a layman, he should (in case of handling
publicly) first put on cassock and surplice.
4. However, if persons not mentioned in Nos.
1, 2 and 3 above were to touch what the persons
mentioned have the right to touch, they would
not commit any sin, except in case of scandal;
but reverence for the objects connected with the
Holy Sacrifice should make them respect the
wishes of the Church.
5. It is not wrong for anybody to touch a
corporal which has served for the exposition of
the Blessed Sacrament, or the sacred linens after
they have been purified. Nor is it wrong to touch,
even without a linen cloth, the monstrance or
the ciborium or the pyx (custodia) when they do
not contain the Blessed Sacrament. But here,
too, reverence should lead to the use of white
gloves or linen cloth as suggested above, for all
who are not clerics.
6. On the other hand, when the sacred vessels
contain the Sacred Species, it would be a mortal
MASS 389
sin for anyone who has not received the order of
deaconship to touch them. (Without necessity,
of course, as might happen in case of accident,
fire, etc. If one accidentally touches such a
sacred vessel, as sometimes happens in the dis-
tribution of Holy Communion, no sin is com-
mitted.)
7. It is expressly forbidden (but only under
pain of venial sin) to permit lay persons, even re-
ligious, unless they have a special indult from the
Holy See, to wash purificators, palls, and corpo-
rals which have been used in Holy Mass, before
they have been purified one first time, that is,
given the first ablution or rinsing, by a cleric who
is at least a subdeacon. Anyone may perform
the second or third ablutions; as a matter of
fact, these second and third ablutions are not in
any manner prescribed. (Canon 1306, No. 2.)
8. The above precautions about touching in
no way refer to the priestly vestments, the altar
cloths, the veils for the ciborium or monstrance
or tabernacle, the antipendium, the cross, the
candles and candlesticks, the missal, altar cards,
and other furnishings of the altar, though all
objects necessary for the Sacrifice will ever be
treated with due reverence by the good Catholic.
Sometimes on Sunday one priest says
Mass and another priest comes out to
read the Gospel. Then the celebrant sits
during the reading of the Gospel. How
is it that he does not arise when the
congregation does so?
While the Gospel is read by another priest the
priest who is saying the Mass sits. During the
reading of the Epistle he wears his biretta (ecclesi-
astical cap) but when the Gospel is read he un-
covers his head, without, however, arising. While
the sermon is being preached by another he also
sits with his biretta on, removing it (as is the
39o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
custom in many, but not all places) whenever
the name of Jesus is pronounced. The priest
thus sits because that is prescribed in the cere-
monial books of approved liturgical writers of
the Church. (Cf. J. B. Mueller, S. J. Booh of
Ceremonies.)
If a person is obliged to leave the church
after Consecration and before Com-
munion, must one make a "double genu-
flection," or is the Blessed Sacrament
considered covered as such and would it
be the same as if it were in the tabernacle ?
There are two kinds of genuflections, namely,
a double genuflection, when both knees are bent
to the floor and a slight bow of the head and
shoulders is made; and a simple genuflection,
when only the right knee is bent to the ground
without being accompanied by a bow of the head
or the body. The faithful should make a double
genuflection on entering or leaving the church
when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed, as during
Benediction or the Forty Hours. Also when
Holy Communion is being distributed. If one
should enter a church or pass an altar at the
Consecration of the Mass, one should make a
double genuflection and remain kneeling until
the chalice has been replaced upon the altar.
When entering the church between the Conse-
cration and the Communion only a simple genu-
flection is made, as when the Blessed Sacrament
is enclosed in the tabernacle.
Also the simple genuflection, being an act of
adoration, should be devoutly made. The body
should be held erect, and the right knee should
touch the floor near the ankle of the left foot.
The genuflections made by many of our Catholics
are disgraceful. Moreover, during the Forty
Hours, for instance, many of our people simply
will forget to make the double genuflection. We
MASS 391
here give the manner of making it. Bend first
the right knee to the floor and then the left (in
other words, kneel down), make a medium incli-
nation of the head and shoulders; then arise,
bringing first the left foot into position and then
the right. Do not hold on to anything when
making a genuflection, unless you must do so
because of some infirmity or disability.
If there are two Masses at the same
time, one at the high altar and one at
the side altar, can you hear two Masses
at the same time or only one?
Father Cochem thus answers this question in
his popular Explanation of the Mass:
"The reader may now ask what it behooves
him to do in order to participate in many Masses
at the same time. Let him observe that it does
not suffice to be present while several Masses are
being said unless he unites his intention to each
one; that is to say, he must adore Christ on each
altar, and offer Him to God the Father with the
desire to hear each Mass severally. When,
therefore, thou seest the priest go up to the altar,
say in thy heart : 'I will hear this Mass and offer
it as an oblation to God'; and repeat this when-
ever Mass is begun. And if, when thou enterest
the church, several Masses are going on, make a
general intention to assist at them all.
"At the commencement of the Mass one's daily
prayers, the Rosary, or confraternity prayers
may be said up to the time of the consecration.
Then it is well to leave those orisons, and make
an act of faith in the presence of Christ upon the
altar, to adore Him in all humility when the priest
genuflects, to implore His mercy at the elevation,
and during the consecration of the chalice de-
voutly offer to God the sacrifice of His Son. The
same may be done at the elevation of the chalice.
After that we may proceed with our private de-
39i QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
votions till another priest comes to the consecra-
tion; they should then be again broken off, to
give place to acts of adoration and oblation.
This should be done whenever the sacred elements
are consecrated and elevated at any of the altars;
for our bounden duty requires that we should
adore our God present on the altar, and our own
interest demands that we should offer to God the
Father this precious gift, for which a rich rec-
ompense awaits us."
PERTAINING TO PARTICIPATION IN
FALSE WORSHIP
May Catholics listen to Protestant
radio sermons?
The Church has not as yet issued any special
prohibition against Protestant radio sermons,
but, to thinking minds, that prohibition is self-
understood. Listening to such sermons is surely
a grave danger to the faith of weak or poorly
instructed Catholics, perturbs the minds of even
the well-instructed, and to some extent spoils the
fair freshness of Catholic faith in every Catholic
listener. In such a sermon we may find, for
instance, great eloquence, artistic form, — and
much talk of purely interior divine worship, and
incidentally ridicule of the exterior formalities
such as Holy Mass, auricular confession, etc.
Some such sermons, indeed, are open slurs upon
the Church; but the majority hiddenly contain
the insidious poison of heresy and administer it
with a skillful hand.
Now, under pain of excommunication the
Church forbids Catholics to read books that
defend heresy, or apostasy, or schism, if they
have been forbidden by name. (Canon 2318.)
And with full right the Church also forbids the
reading of Protestant books which treat of re-
ligion, unless it is certain that they contain
nothing against the Catholic faith. (1399, n. 4.)
Does she not by these same Canons logically
and implicitly forbid Catholics to listen to
Protestant radio sermons? All the more so, one
would think since books have but a limited
circulation and require special time and money,
whereas the radio sermon (the book read to you,
so to speak) is inexpensive, always at hand,
easily and comfortably listened to.
393
394 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Catholics who go to listen to Protestant
sermons in their churches quickly give grave
scandal too. Is it not giving scandal to the mem-
bers of the family, especially to the children, and
to visitors, to listen to these sermons over the
radio? Such listening will, no doubt, lead to many
a defection from the faith, mixed marriage, etc.
Hence, it may be set down as a rule that Catho-
lics must shut off broadcasting stations during
Protestant radio sermons. No member of a
Catholic household should listen to such sermons.
"But," you may say, "I only listen out of curi-
osity, just for fun, just to see how they talk, just
to find out what they believe. I have no intention
of believing what Protestants teach.' * You might
say the same about reading this or that Protestant
book which defends error or attacks Catholic
faith; and yet the Church forbids such reading,
under all circumstances, unless you have ecclesi-
astical permission and read it in order, at a given
opportunity, to refute its views and defend the
Catholic faith. For the same reason, we may
add, a scientifically educated and staunch
Catholic may listen to a Protestant radio sermon;
but a large proportion of Catholic radio listeners
lack such scientific theological training and
firmness of faith. To them the prohibition doubt-
less applies: "Listen to no Protestant sermons. "
To quote Dominic Pruemmer, O. P., S. T. D..
verbatim now: "A much milder judgment may
be pronounced when, not Protestant sermons,
but musical programs in Protestant churches are
being broadcasted, even during the course of
Protestant services. For such musical programs
involve no serious danger for the Catholic faith."
Why is a Catholic not allowed to take
part in Protestant services?
By taking part in Protestant church services
a Catholic participates in a false religion and
PARTICIPATION IN FALSE WORSHIP 395
therefore sins against faith. One religion is not
as good as another. There is only one true re-
ligion— the Catholic religion.
The law of the Church says that the faithful
may never take active part in the religious services
of non-Catholics. However, under certain con-
ditions they may assist passively at such services :
1. At funerals, marriages, and other cere-
monies of like nature.
2. For a serious reason of "courtesy," which,
in case of doubt, should be submitted to the
judgment of the bishop.
3. On condition that there be no danger of
either perversion or scandal.
If a non-Catholic church gives a play
for the benefit of their church, could it
be called charity for Catholics to attend
that play during Lent? I, for one, would
call it very wrong to help another church
at any time.
It could hardly be called true charity at any
time. That would be helping along what we must
needs call a false religion. There is but one
true Church and that is the Catholic Church.
Hence, non-Catholics may come to the bazaars,
suppers, plays, etc., which we give for the benefit
of the church, but we may not go to theirs. Our
separated brethren sometimes find it hard to un-
derstand this, and yet it is all very logical. They
claim that one religion is as good as another, that
the Catholic Church is therefore just as true as
theirs. So they may support it as much as they
wish. With us, however, it is different. We know
that our Church is the one true Church; hence
to aid any other church is to favor heresy and to
abet error.
You take the right stand and show real Catholic
sense in the matter in question. However, in our
country we come into such intimate and constant
396 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
social contact with non-Catholics, and their re-
ligion, as a rule, has so little of religion left in it,
that when it is manifest from the various circum-
stances that Catholics by attending such bazaars,
fairs, suppers, plays, etc., do not wish to show
favor to any sect but merely wish to give ex-
pression to their good will and general social
benevolence, they do no wrong.
Much depends upon local circumstances, the
way in which your action will be interpreted, the
danger of giving scandal, etc.
Hence, while we should always be properly
conservative and careful in this regard, we should
also be prudent and discriminating. Above all,
let us not be too quick to condemn others if they
find they can conscientiously go a little farther
than we would care to go.
Can a Mason become a Catholic?
Remaining a Mason, he can never become a
Catholic. Fremasonry, besides being a secret
society condemned by the Church, is likewise a
religious body having a religion of its own. As
we read in the Masons' own words, "The right to
membership in the Masonic fraternity is very
much like the right to membership in a church.
Each requires a candidate for admission to
subscribe to certain articles of religious belief as
an essential prerequisite to membership. Each
requires a member to conduct himself thereafter
in accordance with certain religious principles.
Each requires its members to adhere to certain
doctrines of belief and action.''
A Mason can become a Catholic (or can return
to the Catholic religion) only if he renounces all
connection with freemasonry and is duly received
by the Church.
May a Catholic woman join the Royal
Neighbors of America?
This Society, the female auxiliary to the
PARTICIPATION IN FALSE WORSHIP 397
Modern Woodmen of America, was incorporated
March 21, 1895. In 1923 there were 7,367 lodges,
with 404,278 benefit and 69,284 social members
in almost every state in the Union.
Prayers and hymns are sung at the meetings.
A careful analysis of their secret ritual (older
edition) shows that the Royal Neighbors have an
altar, a religious test, a chaplain; that a divine
blessing is asked and passages from Sacred Scrip-
ture are read at the meetings; that one of the
basic principles of the organization is "Faith."
From this it seems quite evident that the R. N.
of A. is equivalent to a religious sect, a false
religion, with which no Catholic may associate
himself. Its religious principles are seemingly
Universalist or Utilitarian. According to the
burial rite, every Royal Neighbor goes to heaven
after death, whether she believes in Jesus Christ
or not.
At the initiation all members take upon them-
selves the "obligation" and absolute secrecy.
In addition to the fact that it constitutes false
religion the R. N. of A. is likewise forbidden be-
cause of the affiliation with or imitation of the
Freemasons. In 1922, Bishop V. Wehrle, of
Bismark, N. Dak., in a letter published in the
Volksfreund, of Richardson, N. Dak., warned his
flock "against joining the Royal Neighbors, the
Modern Woodmen, and all other organizations
that are either affiliated with the Freemasons or
imitate them."
We fear that many Catholics are inclined to
fraternize with those outside the Church in ways
that are extremely dangerous, if not absolutely
sinful and subversive of faith. Catholics, we re-
peat, should join Catholic societies.
May a Catholic student who belongs to
a graduating class attend the Bac-
calaureate Service held in a Protestant
church ?
398 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Where there is a good reason one may attend
school exercises or purely civil celebrations held
in non-Catholic churches, provided they have no
religious feature attached. Where there is such
relig ous feature attached we must be guided by
Canon 1258, which says that it is unlawful for
Catholics to assist actively in any way at, or to
take part in the religious services of non-Catholics.
A passive or merely material presence may be
tolerated, for reasons of civil duty or honor, at
funerals, weddings, and similar celebrations, pro-
vided no danger of perversion or scandal arises
from this assistance. In doubtful cases the
reason for assisting must be grave, and recognized
as such by the bishop.
Whenever a passive or merely material presence
may be tolerated, it is understood that no re-
ligious act or ritual participation is permitted
and that there is no danger of scandal or per-
version.
Can a Catholic save his soul in a
Protestant religion when he leaves his
Church?
No. And God pity the f alien-away Catholic!
If 'or anyone there is no hope of salvation, it is
surely so for him. He is a dry branch, a dead
member of the Church; and he will be cut off
and thrown into the fire. He has despised and
turned his back upon the Mother that bore him,
— Holy Mother Church. There may, of course,
be extenuating circumstances, such as gross
ignorance, for instance, though this is hard to
imagine in one who was brought up a Catholic.
But, generally speaking, such a one will be lost
if he does not come back to God before he dies.
He knew the truth (deep down in his heart he
knows it still) and he deliberately closed his
eyes to it. Let us pray often for f alien-away
Catholics, of whom there are so many, that God
PARTICIPATION IN FALSE WORSHIP 399
in His mercy may give them the grace of re-
pentance before they die.
If a Catholic family lives in a city
where there is no Catholic church or
school, is it better for the children of that
family to attend a Protestant Sunday
School than not attend any?
Absolutely no! It would be a crime against
God and against the children to have them
thus imbued with the teachings of a Protestant
sect. Such a proceeding could not be justified
under any conditions whatsoever.
I have been told that a Catholic may be
a Mason if his business affairs so oblige.
This seems hard to believe. Please en-
lighten me on the matter.
Canon Law says that those who enlist in
Masonic sects or other associations of the same
kind, which plot against the Church or against
lawful civil authority, by that very fact incur ex-
communication simply reserved to the Apostolic
See.
Your question shows that you are properly
aware of this. You find it hard to believe the
contrary, and rightly so. Catholics should take
this matter very seriously. They should neither
enroll in secret societies, nor frequent the meet-
ings of these societies, nor favor them in any way.
However (and this is doubtless what your in-
formant had in mind) there are sometimes diffi-
culties in abjuring forbidden secret societies, as
Catholics who have joined them must do, on ac-
count of the serious temporal disadvantages in-
volved. For such cases the Holy Office gives the
following answer: Repentant members of such
societies may be admitted to the Sacraments if
they really withdraw from the secret societies in
question; if they promise never to take part in
any secret or public act and not to pay the dues
400 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
or fees; if they repair the scandal given as well
as they can; if they are really disposed to with-
draw their name from the roster as soon as it can
be done without serious loss.
A careful consideration of these four con-
ditions makes it quite clear that a Catholic can-
not be much of a Mason and in communion
with the Church at the same time. All that
remains is his name on the roster, and even that
must be withdrawn as soon as it can be done
without serious loss.
Would you please tell me what a Protes-
tant woman would have to do to become
a Catholic?
All she need do, as a preliminary, is to call on
a Catholic priest and ask to be given instructions
in the Catholic faith with a view to joining the
Church, should she be convinced that it is the
true Church of God. She will be kindly received
and all arrangements will be made for regular
instructions. In the course of these instructions
she will learn what is to be done when she is re-
ceived. Such a person should not cease to pray
for the grace of faith. "Lead, kindly Light,
amid the encircling gloom, lead Thou me on!"
"I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou
shouldst lead me on."
Is it wrong to attend Protestant services
as an indifferent onlooker ? I have a friend
who gets a free cup of wine every week at
the last supper services in a Protestant
church. He takes it as a joke. May he
do that?
Though it is not sinful to enter a Protestant
church out of mere curiosity when no services
are going on, provided there be no danger of
scandal or perversion and provided, further-
more, that there be no special law forbidding it,
it is generally sinful to enter such a church out
PARTICIPATION IN FALSE WORSHIP 401
of mere curiosity when services are going on.
Active assistance at such services is never allowed
to Catholics, and passive presence is allowed only
for reasons more or less grave, according to the
prevailing customs and interpretations of the
place.
To partake of the last supper as your friend
does is far from the joke that some giddy young
men imagine it to be. It is a clear case of active,
formal, and implicit communication with heretics.
It is a sin against faith.
Is it a sin to take part in a non-Catholic
church service by standing when the other
people stand and by taking part in their
prayers, after you have attended Mass
that day?
Yes; it is a sin, nor does the fact that one first
went to Mass make any difference in the case,
unless it makes the sin all the greater because
one ought to know all the better. This is an
inexcusable case of participation in the religious
services of non-Catholics. Such participation is
a sin against faith and, not to mention the danger
of perversion, may be a sin against charity, too,
because of the scandal given.
It is allowed, under certain circumstances and
for a good reason, to attend non-Catholic burial
services and weddings, for instance; but such
attendance must be passive, not active, as sug-
gested by the question here asked.
In this matter the simplest and safest mode of
procedure is to have nothing to do with non-
Catholic religious services. The vast majority
of good Catholics have probably never been in-
side a Protestant church and never want to be.
However, we ought to mention that, if there
be no danger of scandal or perversion, there is
nothing wrong about going into a Protestant
church to look it over out of curiosity, when no
*uz QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
religious services are going on. That is just an
indifferent act, like going into any building, and
in no way signifies approbation of a false religion.
Would it be proper to go to a church of
one of the sects just to see how things go?
No; it would not be proper; nor would you
be just fied in going for that reason. As regards
this matter the Canon Law of the Church rules
that it is not allowed to the faithful in any way
actively to assist at, or take part in, the religious
services of non-Catholics. But Canon Law
states that mere material or passive presence can
be tolerated at times, that is, it is sometimes
allowed that one be present, without participat-
ing actively in any way, because of some official
capacity or to show honor. But even then all
danger of perversion or scandal must be obviated.
May a Catholic belong to a secret society
such as the Masons, Odd Fellows, etc?
If it is forbidden him, under what penalty
is it forbidden?
We give the following plain, comprehensive
answer.
A. Societies which it is forbidden to join under
pain of excommunication are the following:
1. Societies of Freemasons and of Carbonari.
2. Societies of Fenians, Nihilists, and Anar-
chists.
3. All societies of the same kind as Free-
masons and Carbonari, i. e., societies that have
secret statutes and secret leaders, and the aim
to attack and subvert Church and state.
4. All societies that are known to have as their
definite aim the subversion of the Church and
the Catholic religion or whose aims are subver-
sive of legitimate government, whether such
societies be strictly speaking secret or not.
5. Societies that have their own chaplain or
other minister of religion, and that make use of
PARTICIPATION IN FALSE WORSHIP 403
a ritual and religious ceremonies proper to them-
selves. Such societies are simply heretical sects.
B. Societies which it is forbidden to oin under
pain of mortal sin are the following:
1. Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Sons of
Temperance.
2. The Independent Order of Good Templars.
3. Biblical societies.
4. Societies whose aim it is to promote cre-
mation.
5. Societies which through oath or affirmation
bind their members to such secrecy that matters
could not even be revealed with impunity to the
proper ecclesiastical authority upon request, as
well as those which bind their members to un-
limited, blind obedience.
C. Societies which are not in themselves for-
bidden, but the joining of which may mean more
or less danger to faith and morals, are:
Societies which, though having none of the
exclusive objections mentioned above, are never-
theless non-Catholic and accept men of all creeds
and of no creed. There are innumerable such
societies in this country. They aim at the general
betterment of society, morality, etc. Because
they are indifferent in matters of religion, Catho-
lics had best avoid them. There are many
thoroughly Catholic organizations doing the same
things and doing them better. Each Catholic
should join one or more of them.
When non-Catholics are selling dinner
or entertainment tickets or giving food
sales for money to benefit their churches,
is it all right for a Catholic to buy from
them?
It is ordinarily not all right but all wrong.
Contributions to false worship are unlawful if
there is a bad intention on the part of the con-
tributor; if there is danger of scandal or per-
4o4 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
version; if, on account of the circumstances, the
contributions are signs of sympathy with religious
error; if, though they manifest no such sympathy
with religious error, there is nevertheless no
reason for the co-operation. In all these cases
contributions are unlawful, like the buying of
tickets for bazaars, lawn fetes, oyster suppers,
dances, picnics, and other entertainments held
for the benefit of non-Catholic churches.
From what we have said it is evident that, if
there is no bad intention on the part of the con-
tributor, and if the danger of scandal or perversion
is excluded, the contributions of which we are
speaking may be permitted under the following
two conditions, both of which must be present at
the same time: 1. The contribution must not
be a mark of sympathy with religious error.
2. There must be sufficient reason for making
it, such as the common good or great private
necessity.
May a Catholic who is a member of a
music band play at a Protestant open-
air church service, accompanying their
church songs, and play their church
music ?
It can hardly be called permissible, to cite a
rather lenient view, for Catholics in this country
to play musical instruments or to sing in the
churches or assemblies of non-Catholics, except
perhaps in very rare cases and on condition that
(1) there be nothing in the hymns which is op-
posed to the true faith, that (2) no scandal be
given and there be no danger of perversion,
that (3) there be a very grave and urgent neces-
sity. All these conditions being verified, the co-
operation would be merely material, not formal;
and material (passive) co-operation may be per-
mitted for a just cause. Such is the more lenient
view of the matter.
PARTICIPATION IN FALSE WORSHIP
405
To come to the stricter opinion, which we are
inclined to favor, we must say that for Catholics
to play or sing at services such as mentioned
above is not to be tolerated at all, is in itself un-
lawful. For to sing or play in connection with
religious services in churches is taking an active
part in the cult of that particular sect, then and
there worshipping God with religious rites; and
actively to participate in heretical worship is in-
trinsically evil. In the minds of men such an act
is looked upon as approbation of the cult. More-
over, singers or players attract people to these
heretical churches and thus favor heresy. Hence,
to sing or play in non-Catholic churches during
religious services is intrinsically evil and may
never be permitted. He who does a thing that
here and now, intrinsically and of its own nature,
directly and immediately tends to a wrong action,
formally co-operates in that action. Wherefore
the intention of the one who thus sings or plays
does no change the significance of the action
then and there placed by him.
All this every true Catholic feels — he does not
feel right about any communication in heretical
religious rites. It was perhaps such a feeling of
uneasiness which prompted the above question.
Can the Catholic Church be called
narrow-minded or bigoted because she
does not allow her children to attend
Protestant services?
No; the Church cannot be rightfully so called.
The Catholic, as you know, resting not on the
varying, contradictory human and fallible views
of men, but on the uniform, certain, divine, in-
fallible witness of Christ's Church, is possessed
of an absolute divine certainty that his Church
alone has the true religion that Jesus Christ gave
to the world. A Catholic can never have the
slightest doubt. Catholics, therefore, could not,
406 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
without violating the essential principles of Chris-
tianity, take part in religious services they know
to be alse. The truth is but one, and it is theirs.
It is not a question of liberality or broad-
mindedness; for Catholics maintain that no man
can without sin deny the doctrines of the Savior.
To countenance the teaching of a false gospel is
practical denial of the Church; to take part in
a false worship is sinfully to declare all worship
equally pleasing to God. And the saying that
one religion is as good as another must be abso-
lutely rejected, as it is quite manifest that two
contradictory statements cannot both be true;
for example, Jesus Christ is God, or He is not.
One statement must be true, the other false. God
is one; His truth is one; hence the true religion
is one.
Of course, our spirit is one of kindliness to
all and hatred towards none, and utterly devoid
of that bigotry which implies an irrational belief
in a doctrine one cannot prove, together with the
hatred of all others who believe differently.
Catholics hate none who profess a false religion,
but rather compassionate them and pray for them.
But one's good will is never shown by the
sacrifice of principle; one's kindliness is never
manifest by declaring that essential differences
do not exist. We cannot be "liberal" with the
doctrine of the Savior; for it is God's truth.
We would not call that man liberal who is lavishly
spending his employer's money.
A Catholic girl married a non-Catholic
man. Though he joined the Church to
please her, he never did believe all that
the Church requires a good Catholic to
believe. Now, let us say that he will
continue going to her church to please
her, if she will consent to his also going
to his own church occasionally. He also
PARTICIPATION IN FALSE WORSHIP 407
asks her to accompany him to his church.
Should she do this? Is it not better for
her to go with him once in a while than
to refuse him, in which case he may not
go with her? This will make their home
unhappy. What would you advise that
she do?
What should she do? First of all, she should
never consent to his going to a non-Catholic
church occasionally. He was, presumably, re-
ceived into the Catholic Church. Being a
Catholic, it is sinful for him actively to take part
in non-Catholic church services. Above all, she
should absolutely refuse to accompany him, as
her guilt in such co-operation would be greater
still and would only confirm him in that utterly
false tenet that he brought over with him from
Protestantism: "One religion is as good as an-
other." As you know, we Catholics cannot for a
moment admit such a principle, either in thought,
word, or action; for us there is but one true
Church, the Catholic Church, and all others must
necessarily be false religions.
As regards this matter, the Canon Law of the
Church rule> that it is not allowed to the faith-
ful in any way actively to assist at, or take part
in, the religious services of non-Catholics. But
Canon Law states that mere material or passive
presence can be tolerated at times, that is, it is
sometimes allowed that one be present, without
participating actively in any way, because of
some official capacity or to show honor. But
even then all danger of perversion or scandal must
be obviated.
Giving in to him in any way will not make their
home at all happier. Indeed, it will only be
getting just so much farther from that thing with-
out which true happiness is unthinkable in the
home: oneness of faith and unity in the practice
thereof.
4o8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
We would suggest that in some tactful way she
get him to study his (the Catholic) religion and
thus learn to know it better and to be a Catholic
out of conviction and not to please her. How
many good books like "The Faith of Our
Fathers," "The Rebuilding of a Lost Faith,"
the Paulist "Question Box," etc., has she at home
for him to read?
If a person belongs to the Catholic
Church and gives up faith in it, abandons
it, is this wrong?
It is hard to think of a more grievous sin than
that of one who has thus suffered shipwreck of
the faith. Such a one is either a heretic, an
apostate, or a schismatic. A heretic is one who,
having been baptized, retains the name of a
Christian, but obstinately denies or doubts some
of the truths that must be believed by divine or
Catholic faith. An apostate is one who has given
up the Catholic faith entirely and has fallen
away from it. A schismatic is one who refuses to
obey the Sovereign Pontiff or to live in union
with those who submit to him and who is, ac-
cordingly, outside the communion of the faithful.
All these presuppose valid baptism.
It is quite natural that the Catholic Church,
which is the one true Church instituted by Jesus
Christ, should direct severe penalties against
crimes that subvert its very foundation, that is,
the divine and Catholic faith. Hence, all apos-
tates from the Christian faith and all heretics and
schismatics by that very fact incur excommuni-
cation reserved in a special manner to the
Apostolic See.
Moreover, if apostates heretics, or schismatics
have joined a non-Catholic sect, or publicly pro-
fessed themselves members thereof, they are not
only excommunicated but are also by this very
fact infamous.
PARTICIPATION IN FALSE WORSHIP 409
Unspeakably sad and miserable is the state of
a Catholic who for the sake of marriage joins a
non-Catholic sect. "Will such a one regret the
change?" your letter asks. Yes; not only during
an unhappy, guilty life on earth but also during
an eternity of regret, remorse, and punishment,
unless such a one sincerely repents and comes
back to God and to God's holy Church.
You further ask, "Has anyone anything to say
or talk against a Catholic who thus changes his
Church of his own accord?" Not only must all
Catholics condemn such a traitorous desertion of
the true Church, but even right-minded non-
Catholics despise such perfidious conduct. We
ask, "Has anyone anything to say or talk against
Judas, who betrayed his Master?" The whole
world turns from him in disgust; and even those
who erect a statue in his honor out of hatred for
the name of Christ detest him in their hearts.
Is it not better to serve God in a Protes-
tant Church than not to serve Him at all ?
Doubtless many of our separated brethren are
serving God to the best of their knowledge and
ability and pleasing Him, because they are quite
ignorant of their error and are acting in good
faith. If they knew the Catholic Church to be
the one true Church they would at once join it.
They belong to the soul of the Church, as we say.
Surely it is better for them to serve God thus
than not to serve Him at all.
But that can never be said of one who knows
the Catholic Church to be the true Church — and
every one brought up in the Church knows it to
be true and can never eradicate that knowledge
from his heart. One religion is not as good as
another. If one is true, the other must be false.
God is the essential, absolute, and eternal truth.
Of necessity he must hate error and wickedness,
and those who knowingly adhere to it dishonor
4io QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
and blaspheme God and merit only His anger
and condemnation.
Could you give me any fundamental
difference between a Catholic and a
Methodist?
What you are seeking is some fundamental
difference between the Catholic religion and the
Methodist religion. There are many fundamental
differences. It suffices to enumerate a few of
them.
First of all, Methodism is a man-made religion;
for this religious movement was originated in
1739 by John Wesley. The Founder of the
Catholic religion, which is the only true religion,
is Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Methodism, originated by John Wesley, has up
to the present day given rise to numerous separate
and varying denominations. As in all the sects,
it may be difficult to find just what it does teach
and what it holds.
But, just to show the 'undamental difference
between the two religions, we may say that in
Methodism only two Sacraments are admitted:
Baptism and the Lord's Supper, as it is called.
As you are aware, the Catholic Church teaches
that there are seven Sacraments.
But even of the two that Methodism admits,
it has quite a different and wrong conception.
Baptism, it teaches, does not produce sanctifying
grace in the soul, but strengthens its faith, and is
the sign of a regeneration which has already
taken place in the recipient. The Eucharist, it
falsely teaches, is merely a memorial of the
Passion and Death of Jesus Christ, Who is not
really present under the species of bread and wine,
but is received in a spiritual manner by believers.
Again the "witness of the Spirit" to the soul
of the individual believer and the consequent
PARTICIPATION IN FALSE WORSHIP 411
assurance of salvation are distinctive doctrines
of Methodism.
Furthermore, Methodism rejects the invoca-
tion of the saints and the veneration of relics and
images.
Likewise, the existence of Purgatory is denied
in the Twenty-five Articles, though an intermedi-
ate state of purification for certain persons is ad-
mitted today by some Methodists.
There are numerous other differences, among
which we might mention the absence of a real
priesthood and a true sacrifice, but we believe
that the above is a sufficient answer to your
question.
A Protestant argued with me and told
me that the very first church was the
Lutheran church. Is that true?
Every Catholic, and every student of history,
knows that it is not true. Lutheranism, the
religious belief of the oldest of the Protestant
sects, was founded by Martin Luther. Lutherans
keep the date of the founding of their church as
October 31, 1517. The Catholic Church was
founded in the beginning of the first century. It
was founded by Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
Himself and propagated by His Apostles. But
all this is so evident that we need not dwell
further upon the matter.
What answer should be given if asked,
41 Why are you a Catholic ?"
This question can be answered in many different
ways. You might say, "I am a Catholic because
I know that the Catholic Church is the true
Church, because I believe all that the Holy
Catholic Church believes and teaches, and be-
cause I live up to my belief.,, If asked just what
that belief is, recite the Apostles' Creed. It is a
splendid summary of what a Catholic believes,
4ii QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
though it does not explicitly mention all the
articles of faith.
The following words from the pen of a convert
to the faith contain many thoughts for an answer
to the question, "Why are you a Catholic?"
"When I am asked what I have found within
the Catholic Church superior to all that Protest-
antism gave me, I find that language is inade-
quate to express it. One thinks of the familiar
metaphor of a stained-glass window in a vast
cathedral. Seen from without by day, this seems
to be an unintelligible mass of dusky glass.
Viewed from within, however, it reveals a beauti-
ful design, where sacred story glows resplendently
in form and color. So is it with the Church of
Rome. One must enter it to understand its
sanctity and charm. When I reflect upon that
Church's long, unbroken continuity extending
back to the very days of the Apostles; when I
recall her grand, inspiring traditions, her blessed
Sacraments, her immemorial language, her
changeless creed, her noble ritual, her stately
ceremonies, her priceless works of art, her
wondrous unity of doctrine, her ancient prayers,
her matchless organization, her Apostolic author-
ity, her splendid roll of Saints and Martyrs reach-
ing up like Jacob's ladder, and uniting earth and
Heaven; when I reflect upon the intercession for
us of those Saints and Martyrs, enhanced by the
petitions of the Blessed Mother of our Lord; and
last not least, when I consider the abiding Pres-
ence of the Savior on her altars; — I feel that this
One, Holy, Apostolic Church has given me cer-
tainty for doubt, order for confusion, sunlight
for darkness, and substance for shadow. It is the
Bread of Life and the Wine of the Soul, instead
of the unsatisfying husks; the father's welcome,
with the ring and the robe, instead of the weary
exile in the wilderness of doubt. It is true, the
prodigal must retrace the homeward road, and
PARTICIPATION IN FALSE WORSHIP 413
even enter the doorway of the mansion on his
knees; but, within, what a recompense!" (Stod-
dard, in Rebuilding a Lost Faith, a splendid book,
highly to be recommended to anyone. Published
by P. J. Kenedy and Sons, New York City.)
Do you think that associating a great
deal with Protestants is harmful?
It all depends upon your own character and
upon the character of such association. It might
be harmful; and it might be beneficial. Ordi-
narily it would tend to dim the fair freshness of
faith. By way of analogy we may take reading.
How different the inner spiritual life of the Catho-
lic who reads only Catholic books, periodicals, and
newspapers, from that of the Catholic who is
mostly absorbed in books, periodicals, and news-
papers of a kind not Catholic, even though con-
sidered respectable enough. It is with our as-
sociations as with our reading, to a great extent.
What a blessed thing if all were Catholics! We
marvel at the deep, simple faith in Catholics
who come from localities where Protestanism is
unknown.
We have said it might be beneficial. Catholics
in a country like ours, if they are what they ought
to be, through study, fair example, tolerance, etc.,
will be able to stand on their own feet and quick
to give courteous reason for the faith that is in
them.
PERTAINING TO PRAYERS AND
DEVOTIONS
In a recent discussion among a number
of friends this question arose, of which
everyone seemed to have a different
opinion: Are Catholics allowed to read
the Bible?
The Bible is the best and the greatest book in
the world ; and of all people in the world Catholics
ought to be the most assiduous in their perusal
of this Book ©f books. It is the word of God and
a revelation of everlasting truth and life. Inci-
dentally, it is also the supreme achievement of
all literature.
The Catholic Church is the greatest friend and
the divine custodian of the Bible. Her first
Leaders wrote the New Testament, God inspiring
them to do so. She spread it. She protected it
from errors in copying — and from the persecutors.
She preserved it unchanged. She made many
translations before Protestantism was born. In
England alone between the years 700 and 1300
there were at least ten translations in whole or
in part. Between 1450, the date of the invention
of printing, and 1522, the date of Luther's trans-
lation of the New Testament into German, there
were printed 626 editions of the Bible — all Catho-
lic— in various languages. Of this number
seventeen were in German prior to Luther's,
— nine before Luther was born! Parts of the Bible
are read daily at Mass. Priests have to read
their breviaries (made up greatly from Holy Writ)
daily for from one to two hours. Catholics
usually quote Scripture to prove their doctrines.
Yes indeed; Catholics are allowed and en-
couraged to read the Bible. The Church has
never prohibited the reading of the Catholic
4i4
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS
4i5
Bible, i. e., those versions in the vernacular
which have been approved by the Bishops of the
various countries and have been edited with
explanatory notes by Catholic scholars.
On the title page of some English Bibles we may
read the letter (April, 1778) of Pius VI to the
Archbishop of Florence, wherein he urges Catho-
lics to read the Bible. He writes: "At a time
when a great many books which grossly attack
the Catholic religion are being circulated even
among the unlearned, to the great destruction of
souls, you judge exceedingly well that the faithful
should be urged to read the Holy Scriptures; for
they are the most abundant sources which ought
to be left open to everyone, to draw from them
purity of morals and of doctrine, and to eradicate
the errors which are so widely spread in these
corrupt times."
Pope Pius VII, a few years later, wrote in the
same strain. So did Pope Leo XIII in his Ency-
clical on the Bible in 1893. So did Pope Benedict
XV in his Encyclical on St. Jerome, in which he
said among other things: "No one can fail to see
what profit and sweet tranquillity must result in
well disposed souls from a devout reading of the
Bible. Whoever comes to it in piety, faith and
humility, and with a determination to make
progress in it, will assuredly find therein and will
eat 'the Bread that cometh down from heaven';
he will, in his own person, experience the truth of
David's words: 'The hidden and the uncertain
things of Thy wisdom Thou hast made manifest
to me.' "
All Catholics should read the Bible. It should
be in every home. Especially to be recommended
is the New Testament, which is easier to under-
stand and more abundantly gives practical
instructions and imparts heavenly wisdom. An
indulgence of three hundred days is granted to
all the faithful who read the books of Sacred
4i6 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Scripture with due devotion and by way of
spiritual reading for at least a quarter of an hour.
(See Preces et Pia Opera, issued Dec. 31, 1937.
No. 645.)
Is there a special feastday in honor of
God the Father?
There is not; and Pope Innocent XII abso-
lutely refused the petition of those who desired
a special festival in honor of God the Father.
The reason is evident. "This is the Catholic
faith, that we should adore one God in Trinity
and Trinity in Unity." The dogma of the Blessed
Trinity is called by the Doctors of the Church
"the substance of the New Testament," that is
to say, the greatest of all mysteries, since it is
the fountain and origin of them all. Our holy
religion teaches that there is but one God; and
that in this one God there are three Divine
Persons, really distinct and equal in all things,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and
that the three Divine Persons are one and the
same God, having one and the same divine nature
and substance.
Hence, there is no special festival in honor of
God the Father alone; nor is there a special feast
in which God the Son is honored according to His
divine nature alone, though the separate mysteries
connected with the Incarnate Word are celebrated
on certain fixed days; nor is there a separate
festival in honor of God the Holy Ghost alone,
even the Feast of Pentecost having been insti-
tuted, not simply to honor the Holy Ghost in
Himself, but to commemorate His coming, or
His external mission. All this has been wisely or-
dained, lest from distinguishing the Persons men
should be led to distinguish the divine essence.
Thus to preserve in her children the purity of
faith, the Church has likewise established the
feast of the Most Holy Trinity and has in every
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 417
way given prominence to this great mystery of
one God in three Divine Persons. In prayers ad-
dressed to one Person, mention is also made of
the others; in the litanies, after the individual
Persons have been separately invoked, a com-
mon invocation of all is added; all psalms and
hymns conclude with the doxology to the Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost; blessings, sacred rites, and
Sacraments are either accompanied or concluded
by the invocation of the Blessed Trinity.
What is Easter water ? Is it the same as
holy water?
What is called Easter water is not the same as
what we know as holy water. We have been asked
this question so often that we think it well to
answer it more fully here.
Easter water is water blessed by the priest on
Holy Saturday, after the Prophecies and before
the Mass. The priest, with his servers bearing
the paschal candle, approaches the font, or vessel,
containing water. Many beautiful prayers are
said or sung. With his hand the priest divides
the water in the form of a cross. Again, he
touches the water with his hand. He makes a
threefold sign of the cross over it. He parts
the water with his hand and casts it to the north,
south, east, and west. He breathes upon it three
times in the form of a cross. He immerses the
paschal candle three times in the water of the
font, each time more deeply. Again he breathes
thrice upon the water and then withdraws the
paschal candle. (Each one of these actions is
accompanied by prayers of a most sublime and
expressive kind.)
And then — to be quite clear — that water is
Easter water. For the rubric which comes next
in the Roman Missal says, "Thereupon some of
that blessed water is sprinkled upon the people.
And meanwhile one of the servers of the church
418 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
takes some of that same water into a vessel, to be
sprinkled in homes and in other places." So we
see that this devout use of Easter water has the
express sanction of the Church, and is not merely
a pious custom.
The priest then pours some of the oil of
catechumens and some of the consecrated chrism
into the font (not into the water which was taken
out as Easter water) and it becomes baptismal
water — that which is used in Baptism.
We think we have made quite clear just what
Easter water is. It is solemnly blessed and
should be devoutly used. It should not be kept
to take the place of holy water, properly so called,
because it is not such holy water. Holy water,
which is blessed by the priest from time to time,
as needed, has quite a different blessing, one
most efficacious in obtaining God's special as-
sistance and in protecting us against the wiles
and the wickedness of the devil.
In case one's novena isn't answered,
may one renew it and join in the next one?
Certainly; we should pray with perseverance.
Our good Father in heaven requires perseverance
in prayer — not that He is unwilling to grant our
petitions, but that He often delays His gifts
because He wishes to test our patience, our
humility, our trust in His goodness. Or He may
defer granting our requests in order that He may
grant us what we desire more liberally at a future
time. More frequently, too, He delays granting
our request because what we ask would be
prejudicial to our spiritual welfare.
Persevere in prayer. In due time God will
give you what you ask for or give you something
better. St. Monica, St. Augustine's mother,
prayed for years and years that her son might
become a Christian. He became not only a
Christian, but a zealous and holy bishop, a
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 419
religious, and one of the greatest lights of the
Church. Thus God hears and answers prayers.
Is there any saint I could pray to for the
conversion of someone very dear to me?
Why not go to the Blessed Virgin, omnipotent
in her intercession? She is more powerful in her
intercession than all the angels and saints to-
gether. It sometimes seems to us that this truth
is often forgotten. And go to St. Joseph next;
for after Mary he is the greatest saint in heaven;
and next to her he is our most powerful advocate
at the throne of God. We do not wish to belittle
the veneration of the other saints; but let us
view all things in their proper light and not seek
anxiously for a saint to help us when we have
Mary and Joseph ever ready to assist us by their
most powerful intercession. Let every Catholic's
foremost devotion, after God and the Divine
Savior, of course, be Mary and Joseph. Then
come the Apostles, and others.
Many people are easily distracted, even
irritated, when during Mass some people
noisily move their lips in praying. Is it
not better to recite prayers by not moving
one's lips?
Often it would indeed be better. We mean
for those good souls who in their great fervor
unknowingly disturb others by their audible
whispered prayers. We should never disturb
others in this way by our prayers. Though one
may say vocal prayer (prayer according to a
fixed formula, as distinguished from mental
prayer) without using the tongue and lips at all,
it is usually better and an aid to recollection and
devotion to pronounce the words with the lips.
But this can and should be done so gently and
softly that others do not hear us, — indeed, we
need not even hear ourselves. It is quite possible
to form the words with the tongue and the lips
4xo QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
without hearing ourselves; if we do that others
will scarcely notice that we are praying with the
lips, even if they watch us. It is important in
this connection to remember that all prayers
that are indulgenced (except ejaculatory prayers)
must be said in the strictly vocal way (though
we need not even hear ourselves), if the in-
dulgences are to be gained. In like manner
(Canon 934) must the prayers for the Holy
Father's intentions be vocal, "mental prayer
alone does not suffice."
Hence we see how important it can be to pray
with the lips. But we must examine ourselves
and catch ourselves often, that we may never
disturb others in the least. And it is well charitably
sometimes to remind others, when opportunity
presents itself, of how noticeable they are making
themselves. Usually they are quite unaware of it.
What prayers should be said on entering
a church?
No particular prayers are prescribed. But let
your whole bearing be a prayer, showing forth
the respect and reverence, the humility and
meekness that should adorn a Catholic in an
edifice dedicated to the worship of the Most
High and sanctified by the presence of Jesus in
the Blessed Sacrament. When entering the
church there should be no talking, no whispering,
noise, or disturbance, no gazing about, no greeting
of acquaintances. Silence should reign supreme
and a devotional bearing should be manifested by
all. Take holy water at the entrance and de-
voutly make the sign of the cross. Then go
quietly to your pew. Before entering it make a
respectful genuflection by touching the floor with
the right knee near the heel of the left foot. Do
not slight our Lord by that joke of a genuflection
so often made. The genuflection is an act of
adoration. When making the genuflection you
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 411
may say that beautiful indulgenced prayer,
"Jesus, my God, I adore Thee here present in
the Sacrament of Thy love."
Is it true that if a person keeps praying
faithfully and earnestly for a favor, the
person will receive this favor? I have
been praying for a favor for a long time,
but it seems that my wish will never be
granted. Should I stop praying or con-
tinue to ask for this favor?
Our good Father in heaven wants us to perse-
vere in prayer; not that He is unwilling to grant
our petitions, but because He often delays His
gifts in order to test our patience, our humility,
our trust in His goodness. Or He defers acceding
to our requests in order at a future time to grant
more liberally whatever we desire; or, as is more
frequently the case, He delays granting our re-
quest because what we ask is prejudicial to our
spiritual welfare. It is indeed true that Jesus
has said, "If you ask the Father anything in My
name, He will give it to you." But it must be
"in My name." Anything that would not be
for our spiritual welfare also, would not be
asked in the name of the Savior. In the Savior's
name no one can ask for a thing not conducive to
salvation.
Hence, we have no assurance that God will
hear our prayers for any other object than for
our spiritual welfare, if it be good for us spirit-
ually also; for, as we have seen, the Savior has
taught us to seek first the kingdom of God and
His justice, or justification through a holy life.
Again, nowhere has God promised to hear us at
once. He sometimes concedes what we ask after
our first prayer, but He may wait days and
months and years. He acts in all cases according
to the impenetrable counsels of His all- wise Provi-
dence. He seeks, we know, in all that He does,
4z2. QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
His own glory and our spiritual welfare. We
should, then, remain convinced that God will
never fail us in His promises and will grant us,
at least by degrees or little by little, all that is
not an obstacle to our salvation, provided we
persevere in resigned, attentive, humble, trust-
ing, and longing prayer, — provided we ask in
the Savior's name.
When entering a church and kneeling
down and striking the breast thrice what
is said? Which prayer is the most proper
to say?
The practice is not prescribed in any way and
hence there are no prescribed prayers. This
practice is not general by any means; and
perhaps most of those who practice it because
they were taught it in childhood would do better
to omit it — they go through it so mechanically
(while gazing around the church) that one can
easily see that they do not know what they are
doing. Striking the breast is a sign of humility,
compunction, admission of guilt, a plea for mercy.
When doing so as mentioned in the question,
one should endeavor to be imbued with the
sentiments of the humble Publican in the Gospel
story who struck his breast, exclaiming, "O God,
be merciful to me, a sinner!"
Sometimes one says prayers and almost
all the while one's mind is on one's work.
Are such prayers any good?
Voluntary distractions, such as we bring on
ourselves, lessen the value of our prayers and
often destroy it altogether.
But involuntary distractions do not interfere
with the efficacy of our prayers. Here is what
St. Francis de Sales tells us: "If we were doing
nothing else during our prayers but fighting dis-
tractions and temptations, our prayers would
nevertheless be good ones, for the Lord is pleased
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 42.3
with our good will." And St. Augustine assures
us that sincere sorrow over our inability to pray
well is in itself a prayer. "Dear Lord, I simply
cannot pray!" What a real prayer that is, — one
that comes right from the heart!
From the above it can easily be seen how un-
wise it is to worry because of those crowds of
distracting thoughts. Never, under any con-
sideration give up prayer because of distractions
and imperfections. You may have to say your
prayers while going to work or while at work.
In that case you will not, of course, be able to
give your full attention to prayer, as you would
like to do; but, nevertheless, an imperfect prayer
is ever so much better than no prayer at all;
and involuntary distractions are not sinful.
If we intend to remember certain
persons at our daily Communion but
occasionally forget, does our intention
hold good?
You cannot really say that you remembered
them in a special way to Our Lord — not on the
days when you forgot them altogether. It
would be otherwise were you to say a little prayer
like this after each Holy Communion, "Dearest
Savior, bless those for whom I promised to pray,
for whom I ought to pray, for whom I would
like to pray, for whom I intended to pray."
Some similar prayer is surely to be recommended.
In Holy Communion the Savior's generosity
knows no bounds.
In praying, is it necessary to think of
the exact meaning of the words or may
one meditate on some mystery of the
Faith, as in saying the rosary? I am
nervous and am always afraid of not
saying my prayers well enough.
No; you need not think of the exact meaning
of the words of prayer. Yes; you may meditate
414 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
as you say. There are four ways in which you
may occupy your mind in vocal prayer:
1. By paying attention to the literal sense of
the words of prayer;
2. By attention to the mystical sense;
3. By concentrating your thoughts upon God ;
4. By paying attention to the words them-
selves, inasmuch as they contain the praises of
God and various acts of virtue.
For this you will see there is no reason at all
to worry about your prayers. Remember, too,
that involuntary distractions do not deprive
prayer of its value and efficacy. Pray in the
darkness, if there be no light. When distractions
assail us we should recollect ourselves each time
and place ourselves again in the presence of God;
and by this means, although the distraction may
come back a hundred times, our prayer will not
be the less acceptable to God.
How much should one pray for morning
and evening prayers?
We think one of the best ways of saying
morning and evening prayers is to use some good
prayerbook. Kneel down and say the given
prayers with devotion and recollection, and you
will be performing an important duty in an
excellent way. You will likewise have made all
the good intentions that make each day count
for heaven.
Or say the Our Father, Hail Mary, Apostles'
Creed, Acts of Faith, Hope, Charity, and Con-
trition. Then add the good intention to do
everything and to suffer everything, during the
day or night, in honor of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus through the immaculate heart of Mary.
Add other intentions, if you have any. Also
make the intention to gain all the indulgences
you can gain.
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 415
Is a person bound in conscience to
kneel while saying morning and evening
prayers ? Would it be a sin to say them in
bed?
No; you are not bound in conscience to say
your prayers kneeling; nor would it be a sin to
say them in bed if there were any reason. No
person who really wants to pray would say the
prescribed prayers in bed without reason. We
say prescribed prayers, meaning formal devotions;
for it is surely a good thing to pray in bed before
falling asleep and before arising. We may pray
to God always and everywhere and in every
posture. Prayer is the raising of the mind and
heart to God.
Why are the Angelus bells rung morning
noon, and night?
In most places the world over the Angelus
bells are rung three times a day, calling upon the
faithful to recite the beautiful prayer known as
the Angelus. This is done in grateful memory of
the Incarnation. It reminds us of how the Second
Person of the Blessed Trinity, Jesus Christ,
became Man in the womb of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, in order that, as God-Man, He might
redeem us. It was in 1096, in the Council of
Clermont, that Pope Urban XI decreed this
practice. Several Sovereign Pontiffs have since
enriched the devotion with many indulgences.
Please tell me what is the best thing
to do with old religious articles, such as
broken rosaries and statues, tarnished
medals, etc.
The best thing to do with such articles is to
burn them, if they can be burnt. Otherwise
one may throw them into a river or lake or some
other secluded place where there will be no
danger of irreverence being shown them. Or
4x6 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
they may simply be buried. There is no irrever-
ence in thus disposing of these objects, none
being intended. We once saw a pious person
kiss an old stained picture of the crucifixion and
then regretfully put it into the fire. That is the
proper spirit; we naturally love these sacred
things.
Is there any merit for an ordinary
Catholic in reciting the Divine Office.
In such recitation there is surely great merit for
anyone. There is in it the merit of prayer, and
not of ordinary prayer either. It is the Church's
official prayer, truly divine, and in sacred
sublimity and beauty next to the heavenly
prayers of Holy Mass, with which it is intimately
connected.
If we pray for an intention and it is
not answered, are we to think God did
not hear our prayers?
This question is often asked. Many favors are
asked which God does not seem to grant. What,
then, can Jesus mean when He says, "Ask and
it shall be given to you?" Holy Church gives a
perfect answer to this difficulty in the Catechism
of the Council of Trent: "Our prayers are some-
times unheard. True, and God then consults
for our interests in a special manner, bestowing
on us other gifts of higher value than those we
asked, and in greater abundance; or with-
holding what we ask, because far from being
necessary or useful, it would prove not only
superfluous but even injurious. 'God,' says St.
Augustine, 'denies some things in His mercy,
which He could only grant in His wrath'."
Moreover, we must always remember that de-
lay is not refusal. We must be patient. As the
Rev. Walter Elliott, of the Paulist Fathers, says:
"This patience with God in our prayers is es-
pecially proper in begging for the salvation of
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 4x7
others. This high duty, this primary act of
brotherly love, often seems to be a hopeless
task, years and years passing away without any
visible results. But, my brethren, a soul's sal-
vation cost Jesus Christ thirty-three years of the
prayer of patient waiting, and then the infinite
oblation of His life upon Calvary. Shall not you
be content to wait?"
Kindly explain the meaning of the
blessing the priest gives fruits and herbs
on the feast of the Assumption. What
benefits are derived from the same. Please
explain in like manner the blessing of
eggs, fruit, etc., on Easter Sunday.
The power to bless is given to bishops and
priests, and is exercised by them in general and
in special cases to produce a certain efficacy in-
tended by the Church. As we know, the blessing
of God's priests on earth is ratified by God in
heaven.
What is that efficacy in the blessing of herbs
on the feast of the Assumption? The priest prays
that to the natural good and healing qualities
of the fruits and herbs there may be added a
new grace, so that when these things are used by
man or beast, they may be a safeguard against
disease and all adversity, against poisonous
things, the deceits of the devil, etc. The prayers
are most beautiful. The blessing takes place at
this time of the year because then the fruits are
usually gathered, and on this feast because they
are symbolical of the communication to us by
God of Christ, His Son, the fruit of Mary's womb.
A similar answer applies to bread, eggs, and all
other things that are made holy by the Church's
special blessing.
Can it be possible that the robe of Christ
at Trier is really His robe? How is it pos-
sible that this cloth should last so long ?
4i8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
It is a fact that since about the year 1100 the
people of Treves, Germany, have been fully con-
vinced that they possess the seamless garment of
Christ and that it came to them from St. Helena.
This, of course, is not a matter of faith but it is
a very venerable and reliable tradition, the more
so because an ivory tablet bears witness to it.
This tablet is preserved in the cathedral treasury
of Trier and dates from as early as the fifth or
sixth century, according to some.
The only arguments that the opponents of the
relics can advance are their own opinions. Ob-
jectors can furnish no substantial proof of their
contention. Surely, the relic itself gives no one
reason to doubt its genuineness, regarding which
scientific, archeological investigations were made
in 1890 and 1891. They proved that "the ma-
terial of the plain brownish colored fabric is to
all appearances linen or cotton." It was not
possible to discover traces of any original seams
on the relic, "which is covered on both sides by
protecting veils." This investigation furnished
no reason at all to doubt the ancient tradition of
the Holy Coat of Treves.
And why should it not be possible that the
cloth in the Holy Coat should last so long?
Always esteemed as a priceless treasure, was it
not jealously guarded and preserved from the
elements? Moreover, those who see the relic and
its apparent newness may forget that it "is
covered on both sides by protecting veils."
Is it a good practice to invoke more
than one saint to obtain a very urgent
request? I have eight saint friends whom
I invoke every day, and I make novenas
to each of them every now and then. Is
that correct? or should I practice de-
votion to only one?
Surely it is correct. You may invoke as many
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 42.9
saints as you please. In the Litany of All Saints
we invoke them all. Many of us have a special
devotion to one or more, just as you have eight
to whom you pray in a special way for their
intercession at the throne of God. From the
wording of your question we gather that you are
sensible in your devotions. You "make novenas
to each one of them every now and then." That
sounds good. Were you to make novenas to all
of them at the same time you would be heaping
up practices of piety in a way that would not be
sensible, but rather imprudent.
Is it true that if one asks St. Gregory
for a favor he goes to the throne of the
good God and simply remains until God
grants what he asks for? If so, when is
the feast of this St. Gregory?
That is just a pious saying of a somewhat silly
kind. We should not pay too much attention to
such oddities. Our piety must be solid and
sensible. But by all means let us honor the
saints: because they are the friends of God,
princes of the heavenly court, benefactors to us.
We can obtain great graces from God through
venerating the saints; and we venerate them if
we entreat their intercession with God, if we
celebrate their feasts, reverence their images and
their relics, bear their name, claim their protec-
tion in matters of importance, and praise them
in word and song. But the best way to venerate
the saints is to imitate their virtues. "Imitation
is the sincerest flattery."
However, it is surely commendable and ad-
visable under different circumstances of life to
invoke certain saints. Thus we invoke St. Joseph
as the patron of a happy death, St. Blase for
diseases of the throat, St. Ottilia for eye diseases,
St. Anthony for lost articles, etc, etc. Since we
always have good reason for such special invo-
4}o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
cation, some certified incident from the lives of
those saints, for instance, such particular prac-
tices belong to sound and sensible piety.
When saying prayers before and after
the meal at a large reception, e. g., a
wedding, should one stand while praying ?
Who should say the prayers? What
prayers should be said, the Our Father or
the regular prayers before and after meals ?
It would be more proper for all to stand at
their places; but since it is in so many places
customary to say table prayers when seated at
table, confusion may often be avoided by having
the guests seat themselves and then having the
prayer said. The one who says the prayer should
stand at his place. The most prominent person-
age present is usually requested to say the prayer,
or the one at the head of the table. It is most
appropriate to say those short but beautiful
prayers given in prayerbooks and catechisms;
as for instance before meals: "Bless us, O Lord,
and these Thy gifts, which we are about to re-
ceive from Thy bounty. Through Christ our
Lord. Amen."
Will you please tell me why non-Catho-
lics have no saints, but only the Catholics?
A non-Catholic friend wants to know.
The true Church has four marks by which it
may be known: it is one; it is holy; it is Catholic
(universal); it is apostolic. The Church is holy
because her Founder, Jesus Christ, is holy; be-
cause she teaches a holy doctrine; invites all to
a holy life, and because of the eminent holiness of
so many thousands of her children. That is why
the Catholic Church alone has saints: because
the Catholic Church alone is the true Church
and one of the marks by which the true Church
may be known is holiness — and the eminent
holiness of so many thousands of her children.
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 431
Protestant churches, of course, have not the
four marks by which the true Church may be
known. Hence they have no saints. If we con-
sider the Anglicans, who seem, to have saints, we
must remember that all the saints whose names
are mentioned in their Prayer-Book and whose
prayers are found in their devotional books,
were Catholics. Since the date of their with-
drawal from the Mother Church, the Protestants
have had no saints; at least they have claimed
none. But even in comparatively modern times
the Catholic Church has numbered in her fold
such holy men and women as St. Ignatius Loyola,
St. Francis Xavier, St. Vincent de Paul, St.
Philip Neri, St. Aloysius, St. Charles Borromeo,
St. Francis of Assisi, St. Theresa of Avila, St.
Catherine of Siena, the Little Flower, and many
more.
Is it a very meritorious custom to visit
a church when work is over?
We can think of few more beautiful and more
meritorious customs than that. But alas! it
is one that is neglected with a universality that
may well make one wonder whether or not it is
allowed or, at least, whether it is proper. It is
this neglect of such visits to our best Friend,
Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, that doubtless
prompted your question.
Why is it that we make the sign of the
cross?
Our Lord's death sanctified the symbol of the
cross, which, from being regarded with horror
as an instrument of ignominy, became, under the
teaching of the Apostles, the symbol of the
Savior's triumph and victory over sin and a
sign of faith in Jesus Christ. That is why we
make the sign of the cross. If done with reverence
and thought, the holy sign of the cross is not
only a protection from the powers of darkness
4}z QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
but it is also a reminder of the power of our
Faith. "In the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Ghost'* is a protestation of
our belief in the Trinity and the Unity of God.
In this "name" is a declaration of the Unity of
God in the three Persons. The signing is also
important. The touching of the forehead is to
show that the Son proceeds from the Father,
and that the Holy Ghost proceeds from both the
Father and the Son is signified by touching the
heart and the two shoulders; whilst the form of
the cross tells us of the redemption by the cross.
Make it well and devoutly always. It is one of
the greatest sacramentals of the Church.
In the evening of three days during
Holy Week there is a service called
Tenebrae, which word I know means
"darkness.1 ' But why are the candles
put out one by one, every few minutes?
On the evening of Holy Wednesday, Holy
Thursday, and Good Friday, Matins, or Tenebraey
are sung as an evening devotion. This service is
called Tenebrae (darkness) because formerly it
was held during the night and a part of it without
light. Tenebrae consists of psalms and lamenta-
tions and lessons having reference to the suffer-
ings of Christ.
At the beginning of the Tenebrae fifteen candles
are burning on a triangular candlestick in the
sanctuary. At the end of each psalm one candle
is extinguished, until only one is left burning, at
the point of the triangle. At the Benedictus the
candles on the altar are extinguished and the one
remaining burning on the triangle is taken by
a server, lifted on high, and then concealed behind
the altar. Suddenly a loud noise is made in the
darkness. Then the server returns with the
candle still burning.
Why are candles put out, one by one? This
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 433
gradual extinction of the lights has a beautiful
meaning. Light bespeaks joy, darkness sorrow.
Our sorrow deepens and deepens at the thought
that soon the Light of the world will be extin-
guished upon the cross. Christ, the Light of the
world, is represented by the one candle left
burning. Its being carried behind the altar re-
minds us how Christ in His bitter sufferings and
death concealed His power and majesty from the
world. The noise made with the wooden clappers
represents the confusion and the earthquake that
took place at the death of Christ. The bringing
of the candle, still burning, from behind the altar
reminds us of how the Savior, glorious and im-
mortal, came forth from the tomb on the morn-
ing of the third day.
In saying my prayers I do not always
concentrate as I should. Lots of times,
without my really wanting it, my mind
wanders far, far away. Do I gain the in-
dulgences attached to prayers, if I say
them that way?
Essentially, prayer consists of two things:
the intention, or will to pray, and due attention.
This attention may be directed (a) either to the
mere correct pronunciation of the words, or (b)
to the meaning of the words, or (c) to the object
of the prayer, namely, to God or to the thing
prayed for. Each one of these three modes is
sufficient for good prayer. Pray thus from the
heart and try to avoid distracting thoughts and,
other conditions being fulfilled, you will gain the
indulgences.
I often have opportunities of saying the
rosary and other prayers while sitting
down, for instance, at the place where I
work. But I say them so as not to attract
attention. Then, too, while driving team
or while working I say several litanies that
434 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
I have learned by heart. I say these
prayers with my cap on, without folding
my hands, etc. Sometimes I also pray
after I go to bed, until I fall asleep. Is
there anything wrong in praying like that ?
No; to pray like that is surely commendable,
pleasing to God, and good for the soul, provided
it does not cause you to neglect your duties,
provided, too, that you are sensible about it
and prudent and do not go to harmful extremes.
We can pray well without kneeling down, without
folding the hands, without uncovering the head;
and surely it is most praiseworthy to fall asleep
in bed with prayers to God upon the lips. Let's
by all means try to pray always, in a calm, quiet,
sensible way, especially by doing what we do for
God, by making the good intention often, thus
transforming our work and our meals and our recre-
ation and everything that is not sinful into prayer.
Are you supposed to pray to the saint
you light a candle to? What are the
prayers ?
Of course you will pray to that saint. Any
prayers may be said, especially approved prayers
to that particular saint. But perhaps the very
best thing to do is to tell the saint in your own
words just what you beg his or her intercession
for. The light you burn will be a sort of a con-
tinuance of your prayer after you have gone.
A lamp, a light, a candle, is a symbol of the
Christian soul. Thus the sanctuary lamp, to
adduce the best example, is a symbol of the Chris-
tian soul consuming itself in adoration before the
tabernacle. As the Abbe Durand says: "In
honor of Jesus Christ, a lamp burns perpetually
before the altar. The Christian soul longs to
remain in constant adoration at the feet of Our
Lord, there to be consumed by gratitude and love.
In heaven alone will this happiness be given us,
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS
435
but here below, as an expression of our devout
desires, we place a lamp in the sanctuary to take
our place. In this little light St. Augustine shows
us the image of the three Christian virtues. Its
clearness is faith, which enlightens our mind;
its warmth is love, which fills our heart ; its flame,
which, trembling and agitated, mounts upward
until it finds rest in its center, is hope, with its
aspirations towards heaven, and its troubles out-
side of God."
So too, in a similar way, do "Vigil Lights"
symbolize the Christian soul. They are the ex-
pression of the devout desires of the one who
lights them or has them lighted by another.
They take the devout client's place. They are,
as it were, a continuance of the pious prayers
made at the shrine or altar. Long after the
worshipper has been called away by the thronging
demands of life that flickering light is a reminder
to the Savior or His saints of his earnest petition.
What prayers should one say when
visiting the graves of the dead?
You may say any prayers for them, for instance,
the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Rosary, etc.,
etc. But perhaps the best thing to do is to say
over and over again the following venerable
prayer of the Church: "Eternal rest give unto
them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon
them. May they rest in peace. Amen." This
prayer is enriched with an indulgence of 300 days,
every time, applicable, however, only to the dead.
(Pius X, February 13, 1908.) You can thus
scatter the flowers of peace-bringing prayer upon
the graves of your dear departed.
I saw a priest bless a person the other
day. It was in a private home and he
didn't bless any of the others who were
present. Did he bless that person as an
436 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
encouragement or to drive the devil out?
Why does a priest bless a person?
When a priest blesses a person in the way you
mention he usually says, and in Latin, "May the
blessing of Almighty God, the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Ghost, descend upon you and re-
main with you always. Amen." This is a short
and devout prayer said while he makes the holy
sign of the cross. By it, we may say, he places
the person thus blessed under the special protec-
tion of God and confidently supplicates Him,
through the merits of Jesus Christ, that the person
blessed may be preserved from all harm of body
and soul and may in all things have the grace of
conformity to God's holy will. The blessing is
of special efficacy since it comes from the priest,
who has been given special power to bless.
We presuppose that the devil is not in and hence
there is no intention to drive him out. But the
blessing keeps him away; and we know that he
flees in fear from this chief sacramental used in
the Church — the sign of the cross.
•I received a long prayer which begins
like this: "The following is a copy of an
oration that was found in the Holy Sepul-
cher of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Jerusalem
and preserved by His Holiness, the Pope,
and Charles II." It then goes on to say
that Christ has revealed certain particu-
lars regarding His passion to various
saints and gives all the particulars. Then
it continues: "The drops of blood I lost
were 38,430. Whoever will repeat 7 Paters,
7 Aves, and 11 Glorias for fifteen years in
succession in order to equal the drops of
blood I shed, I will grant their prayers.
First — There is a plenary indulgence and
full remission of all their sins. Second —
They will be free from the pains of Purga-
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 437
tory. Third — If they die before complet-
ing fifteen years they will have the same
privileges as the martyrs who shed all
their blood for their faith. Fourth — I will
descend from heaven to take their kindred
even. Fifth — Whoever carries this oration
shall not be drowned. They will be free
from all contagious diseases and pesti-
lences, and from lightning. They shall
not die without a confessor. They will be
free from all enemies and from the power
of earthly laws. In houses where this
oration is kept there shall be concord
amongst them, and forty days before
their death they shall see the Blessed
Virgin Mary." Then there is a lot more
strange and terrible talk in the prayer,
which finally comes to an end as follows :
"They who say that the original copy of
this was not written by the most Sacred
Mother of God, and they who maliciously
and willingly keep this concealed without
publishing it, will be confounded on the
last day of judgment. On the contrary,
they who publish it, if their sins were as
numerous as the stars in heaven, they
shall be forgiven, provided they are sorry.
Whoever shall copy or say this oration in
their house shall not perish. Every time
it is recited, it will be the means of de-
livering a soul from Purgatory.' ' I
thought I would tell you just what the
letter was like. Now, what shall I do
with it?
This is a typical example of a fake chain-
prayer — and there is nothing like prayer in the
whole disgustingly superstitious conglomeration.
Our Lord has told us that the devil is the father
of lies. We might, accordingly, say that such
letters as this are the work of the devil, here
438 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
disguising himself as an angel of light. Treat all
such chain-prayers with the contempt they de-
serve. Destroy them as soon as you receive them.
Pay no heed to their promises and none to their
threats. Burn them with the calm assurance that
you are preventing the spread of an evil thing.
When saying the rosary must one
always have one's mind on the respective
mystery ?
One should endeavor to do so always. It is
just the meditation on the mysteries in the life
of the Savior and His Mother that makes the
recitation of the rosary also mental prayer and so
enhances its value. The saying of the rosary is
thus vocal prayer (the Our Fathers, Hail Marys,
Glorys) and mental prayer (meditation on the
mysteries). Suppose you say the fifteen decades
of the rosary and quietly, as best you can,
think of the respective mysteries, the joyful,
the sorrowful, and the glorious: the Annunci-
ation; the Visitation; the Nativity; the Presen-
tation; Jesus with the Doctors in the Temple;
the Agony; the Scourging; the Crowning with
Thorns ; the Carrying of the Cross ; the Crucifixion ;
the Resurrection; the Ascension; the Descent of
the Holy Ghost; the Assumption; the Coronation
of the Blessed Virgin. You then recall briefly the
whole life of Jesus and Mary. No wonder that
the Blessed Virgin said to St. Dominic, "Thou
shalt inform my people that it is a devotion most
acceptable to my Son and me."
Nor is it difficult to say the rosary thus. It is
adapted alike to the learned and ignorant, to the
cloister and to the world, and to every capacity,
the words being so easy that the most illiterate
may learn them and the mysteries so sublime as
to afford matter of contemplation and enter-
tainment to even the highest intellects. Of
course, one should often read the life of Christ
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 439
and other spiritual books and frequently and
gladly listen to sermons and religious instructions.
The mind will then be full of thoughts for medi-
tation.
I was never enrolled by a priest in the
confraternity of the scapular. Where and
by whom can I be enrolled? Is there such
a thing as enrollment through the mails?
No; there is no such thing as enrollment
through the mails; for the scapular must actually
be placed upon the person enrolled. But you can
be enrolled anywhere and at any time by a priest
who has the faculty to receive persons into the
confraternity of the scapular. Do not hesitate
to be enrolled. Remember our Lady's promise,
"He who, at the hour of his death, shall be found
clothed in this habit shall be preserved from
eternal flames."
What about the Heroic Act? Some
people say that they would not do it while
others speak for it. I made it some thirty
years ago and I feel that I would never
want to take it back.
The Heroic Act of charity towards the poor
souls in purgatory consists in this, that Catholics
offer to Almighty God, for the poor souls, either
by using some formula or by merely a mental
intention, all the works of satisfaction they will
perform as long as they live as well as all the
prayers that will be offered up for them in any
way after their death. Many (and this is com-
mendable, though not necessary) make this act
through Our Lady, placing all their satisfactory
works in her hands that she may distribute
them among the holy souls as she, in her merciful
kindness, sees best. The Heroic Act has been
enriched with many favors by the Supreme Pon-
tiffs. Some of the favors are as follows:
A plenary indulgence applicable only to the
440 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
departed, is granted to all the faithful who have
made this offering, whenever they go to Holy
Communion, provided they visit a church or a
public oratory (or semi-public chapel for those
who have the right to use it) and pray for the
Pope's intentions.
A plenary indulgence every Monday is granted
to all who hear Mass in suffrage for the souls
in purgatory, provided they moreover fulfill the
usual conditions.
All indulgences granted or to be granted, even
though not applicable to the dead, gained by the
faithful who have made this offering, may be
applied to the holy souls in purgatory.
The Heroic Act is really something heroic.
Even good souls are not always prepared for such
heroism. There is no obligation. And those who
have made the Heroic Act may, without any sin,
take it back at any time. We think you are quite
right in feeling as you do about never taking it
back. God will never let Himself be outdone in
generosity.
What is the meaning of the death bell?
I mean, why is the church bell rung when
someone dies ? Is it also rung for infants
who are not baptized?
This is usually called the passing bell. The
Roman Ritual mentions it twice. After giving
some ejaculatory prayers to be said when a
person is actually dying, it states, in a rubric,
"Then where the pious custom prevails, the bells
of the parish church are rung a number of times,
to let the faithful know that the sick person is
now dying, that they may pray for him to God."
After giving the prayers to be said when the soul
has left the body, another rubric directs, "Mean-
while, if it be the custom of the place, the bells
are rung as a sign of the passing of the deceased,
that those who hear may offer prayers to God for
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 441
his soul." The Ritual says, "Where the pious
custom prevails. " Where the practice is cus-
tomary it is surely praiseworthy and truly
Catholic.
Children who die without Baptism do not
really belong to the Church at all. It is Bap-
tism that makes us members of the Church,
Christians, children of God, and heirs of heaven.
Of course, no bells are rung when such children
die. Prayers cannot help them. They should
be baptized!
Speaking of the funerals of baptized children
the Roman Ritual says, "At the funeral of chil-
dren the bells, if rung, should not be rung in
mournful tones but rather in festive manner."
The reason is evident: these little ones are in
heaven.
Suppose I am making the Way of the
Cross and am just half through, at the
seventh station, when I am called from
the chapel for a few minutes. Must I, in
order to gain the indulgences, begin again
at the first station or may I continue
where I left off?
For gaining the indulgences of the Way of the
Cross, where the stations have been canonically
erected, the following conditions must be fulfilled.
1. Each single station must be visited, that is,
you must actually move from one to the other,
as much as the crowd of people or the size of the
place permit. Where the stations are made
publicly, so that there would be too much dis-
turbance if all were to move around, even if that
were possible, it suffices if the priest with two
servers or chanters goes from station to station
alone. When the church is very large, one priest
may go around and another read the prayers from
the pulpit. In the chapels of religious houses it
suffices if one person, not necessarily a priest,
441 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
goes from station to station and says the prayers.
The rest should stand and kneel or genuflect at
each station.
2. All the stations must be visited at one dura-
tion of time, without notable interruption. But
if a rather long interruption were caused by some
spiritual exercise, for example, by hearing Mass
or by going to confession, the indulgences could
nevertheless be gained without beginning over
again. The same, however, can not be said of
ordinary actions of similar length. This para-
graph has reference to the plenary indulgence
that can be gained. A partial indulgence can be
gained for each station made, when the whole
Way of the Cross cannot be completed.
3. At each station you must meditate, ac-
cording to your ability, no matter for how short
a time, on that part of the passion corresponding
to each station or on some phase of the passion,
or on the passion in general. So you must think
of the passion. Vocal prayers, like the Our
Father and Hail Mary, are not necessary, though
you may add them to your meditation. Neither
are genuflecting or kneeling necessary, when you
yourself move from station to station. You may
stand all the while if you prefer.
Besides these, there are no other conditions
for gaining the indulgences. Of course, to gain any
indulgence you must be in the state of grace.
And you should make the intention to gain them.
Confession and Communion are not prescribed,
nor is prayer for the Holy Father's intentions,
some books to the contrary notwithstanding.
The indulgences attached to the Way of the
Cross are very precious. (One plenary indulgence
each time, etc.) But since they are so precious
it may be well to remark here that priests who
have the special faculty can enrich crucifixes of
any solid material with all the indulgences of the
Way of the Cross, so that those indulgences can
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 443
be gained by the sick, those at sea, those in prison,
those in heathen lands, and by all others who are
legitimately prevented (who cannot for any reason
easily go to church, who have not time to go
during the week, etc., a moral impossibility
suffices) from visiting the stations of the Way of
the Cross, provided that with at least a contrite
and devout heart, they hold the crucifix and re-
cite twenty times the Our Father, Hail Mary, and
Glory (all three) : once for each station, five
times in honor of the five wounds, and once for
the Pope's intentions. If one member of the
family, for instance, holds such a crucifix and the
others join in the prayers all (if they are legiti-
mately prevented, as explained above, and any
good reason suffices) can gain the indulgences.
Think of the passion while saying these prayers.
Should one kneel or stand while the
Pater Noster is being sung at High Mass?
To the individual we must here say, "Do
what the rest of the congregation does, follow the
custom in your church." The rubrics give no
directions for the ceremonies for the laity during
High Mass. According to Gervantus and Pouget,
however, to mention only two authorities, the
people may conform to the rules given for those
who are in choir, that is to say, the clergy in the
sanctuary. How splendid it would be if those
rules were uniformly observed in all our churches
and how greatly it would add to the edification
of the people and enhance the sacred functions!
We deem it useless to mention those rules here,
since you can do little or nothing to introduce
the change. These ceremonies, which can be
found given in detail in some missals and in other
books, could, with the approval and by the
authority of the pastor, be taught in school and
in the meetings of the various sodalities, or even
444 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
printed on leaflets and placed in pews for the
guidance of the congregation.
But to return to your question, in a High Mass
that is not a Requiem or Ferial High Mass, all
would, according to the above, arise when the
celebrant has placed the chalice on the altar
after the Elevation and remain standing until
he has consumed the Precious Blood, and even
during the Confiteor, except those about to re-
ceive, who then kneel. Hence all would be stand-
ing at the Pater Noster also. But where is this
done? However, it would be as impressive as it
is rare. The people stand in the offering of the
Mass together with the priest who stands at the
altar. Standing is a posture of sacrifice. For-
merly standing was more in vogue during divine
services than it is today — for the laity.
Do not let yourself be confused by the various
different rules in different books. Simply do as
others do. Only concerted and authoritative
action can introduce a change. Bear in mind
that these rubrics for the laity, even those ex-
pressly mentioned for a low Mass in the Rubricae
Generates, Tit. XVII, n. 2, namely, that the
faithful always kneel except while the Gospel
is read, are not preceptive, but directive only,
and hence do not of themselves bind under pain
of sin. (De Herdt, Vol. I, No. 146.)
How can a person know whether he is
receiving the Sacraments in the proper
way?
Catholics ought to be well instructed in their
holy religion and its salutary practices. Both old
and young should look upon it as their sacred
duty often to read the catechism through, to be
present and attentive at sermons and instructions
in their churches, to read popular books on re-
ligion, to read their prayer-books and the splendid
exhortations continued therein ; and they ought to
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 445
subscribe to Catholic periodicals and read them
from cover to cover each time they come. Then
they will know what to do and how to do it.
When going out at night, knowing that
when you return home it will be late and
you will be tired, is it all right to say your
evening prayers before leaving?
It is a most commendable practice indeed.
Say your prayers slowly and devoutly before
going. Examine your conscience carefully. If
you are in mortal sin make acts of perfect con-
trition with a promise to go to confession as soon
as possible. In fact, in that case it would be bet-
ter to go to confession before you go out. In our
automobile age, with its shocking toll of sudden
deaths (40,300 killed in U. S. in 1937), it is sheer
folly, absolute madness, and eternally dangerous
to go out at any time without that most necessary
of all things : the state of grace. A thousand times
rather stay home and spend the whole night in
prayer and preparation for confession than rashly
expose yourself to the loss of your immortal soul.
The dance hall, the theater, the automobile, etc.,
are not known to be conductive to the forgive-
ness of sins. They are likewise a poor preparation
for death. But they are the only preparation
thousands have had.
Is the book called " Confessions of St.
Augustine" fit to read? I read a little of
it and must say that I suffered internally
.... I thought maybe it was fancy
. . . I had such temptations!
"The Confessions of St. Augustine" is an
autobiography supplemented by psychological
and theological analyses, written by St. Augustine
about the year 400 and giving an account of his
early and spiritual development until shortly
after his conversion. For candor (also as regards
the sinful part of his life) and self -appreciation
446 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
without conceit it is admirable; it contains many
sublime passages about the relation of the soul
with God. In this book the innermost thoughts
of a great soul are laid bare, as well as the affec-
tions of his heart, both good and evil. All this
has made the "Confessions" one of the most
excellent, instructive, and widely read spiritual
books of all the Christian centuries. Earnest
readers, all who feel the need of doing penance
(and who does not feel that need?), have from
time immemorial found themselves in this book of
St. Augustine's: their aberrations and falls;
their own helpless strivings after peace of heart,
satisfaction, and happiness through creatures;
their own enervating struggles with sinful incli-
nations and the spirit of worldliness — for all of
which there was no victory until they were con-
quered by the grace of a merciful God, relent-
lessly pursuing them like the "Hound of Heaven."
Is it fit to read! There is nothing objectionable
in it anywhere — quite the contrary, as stated
above. Of course, you must be sure that you
have the real "Confessions," as sold by Catholic
publishers, and not some garbled or fake edition,
for even the best things have been abused.
We can only account for the terrible things
that you claim to have experienced in reading this
book (if you had the genuine edition) by ascrib-
ing it to some unusual pathological or sexually
abnormal mental or physical condition. Such
may, of course, place the book aside and read
something else.
Why is the Angelus to be said standing
on Sundays? Must it be said when the
bell rings in order to gain the indulgences ?
As a rule the Angelus is to be said kneeling;
but it is to be said standing every Sunday of the
year, beginning from first Vespers, that is, from
Saturday evening. On Saturdays in Lent (Pope
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 447
Leo XIII, May 20, 1896) the Angelus is also to
be said standing at noon. In Eastertide, that is,
from Holy Saturday at mid-day to mid-day on
Saturday before Trinity Sunday inclusive (Pope
Leo XIII, May 20, 1896), the Regina Coeli is
said instead of the Angelus, always standing.
The Angelus is said standing on Sunday because it
was so prescribed by Pope Benedict XIV in 1742
and, we may say, because of the resurrection of
our Lord. He arose from the dead on Easter Sun-
day; and because of this (and also because on
Sunday the Holy Ghost came down upon the
Apostles) the Sunday was made to supersede the
Sabbath. Hence every Sunday should remind us
of the resurrection. This seems to be the natural
explanation of the above-mentioned prescription.
The Angelus need not be said when the bell
rings in order to gain the indulgences. The
new regulations are simply these: The faithful
who, morning, noon, and evening, say the
Angelus or the Regina Coeli, or who devoutly
say the Hail Mary five times, gain an indulgence
of ten years every time they do this and a plenary
indulgence once a month under the usual con-
ditions, if they did so each day. (See Preces et
Pia Opera Indulgentiis Ditata, issued by the
Holy See Dec. 31, 1937. No. 300.)
What are the effects of an act of perfect
charity (and consequently an act of
perfect contrition)?
Such an act of perfect charity:
1. Induces God to restore the sinner to His
grace and friendship.
2. It wins pardon for the mortal sins commited
whatever their number and heinousness.
3. It obtains the total remission of eternal
punishments, sometimes even the remission of the
whole temporal punishment, and always a part
of it at least.
448 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
4. It wins all this in an instant and forever,
without any possible reviviscence of past sins,
even in case of another fall, and no matter under
what circumstances and conditions this act of
perfect charity is made.
5. It restores to the soul all its merits; and if
a person dies in this state of grace he will possess
for all eternity that degree of glory due to the
merits acquired by him in his life. It restores not
only all the sanctifying grace that was the soul's
before the sin, but something more besides.
6. It effaces venial sins entirely if the sinner
disowns and detests them.
And all the effects produced in a soul by an
act of perfect charity are there produced in
exactly the same way by an act of perfect con-
trition. Every act of perfect contrition contains
an act of perfect charity. An act of perfect con-
trition is sorrow for sin through pure love of God,
on account of God's infinite goodness. It has three
degrees of perfection: a) When the resolution of
amendment is confined to mortal sins; b) when
it extends to venial sins also; c) when for God's
sake the soul would embrace every kind of sacri-
fice and suffering, even though there may not be
the slightest imperfection in avoiding them. The
lowest degree suffices.
What is an act of perfect contrition? I
know it is an act of sorrow for having
offended God because He is all good in
Himself. But is it perfect contrition if I
am sorry merely because of God's good-
ness to me, in creating me, redeeming
me, giving me Himself in the Blessed
Sacrament, etc., etc.?
The following, when seriously meant, is an act
of perfect contrition: "O my God, I am heartily
sorry for having offended Thee, because Thou art
so very goody and I firmly purpose by the help of
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 449
Thy grace not to offend Thee again." It is
highly to be recommended that everyone sincerely
say this or a similar prayer many times each
day.
Now, by way of explanation, we must begin by
saying that perfect contrition is sorrow out of
the love of God above all else. There are two
different kinds of love. There is, first of all, the
love of concupiscence, or of desire, also called
interested love. This love, in which interest holds
so large a place, is the one that leads us to attach
ourselves to some person or thing for our own
ends, that is, for the personal advantage we hope
to derive from them. The second kind of love is
the love of benevolence, or of friendship where this
love is reciprocal. And this perfectly disinterested
love is the one by which we love a person, no
longer for our own advantage, but for himself,
consequently not for anything we may gain, but
solely to give him pleasure or honor and because
of the beauty, virtue, perfection to be admired in
him. For instance, suppose you become ac-
quainted with a man in whom you see many good
qualities; you admire his honest, open character,
his noble mind, and the wealth and fullness of
his intellectual gifts. All this makes such a deep
impression on you that you are simply constrained
to love him. You may have received no favors,
nor do you look for any advantages from your
friendship with him; you merely love him be-
cause of his noble qualities. This is the love of
benevolence.
Well, perfect charity is the love of benevolence,
this second kind of love, whereby God is loved
above all else and for Himself alone, that is, be-
cause of His infinite perfections. This charity
cannot, therefore, proceed from an interested
love, which were too unworthy an origin for such
a grace, it must of absolute necessity be rooted
in the love of benevolence or friendship. (But
45o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
interested love may be mingled with it.) And
sorrow for sin out of this perfect charity is perfect
contrition.
You ask whether it is perfect contrition if
you are sorry for your sins merely because of
God's goodness to you, in creating you, redeem-
ing you, giving Himself to you in the Blessed
Sacrament, etc. If this sorrow proceeds from a
motive of love — yes; for the motive of love is
constituted not only by the infinite goodness of
God, or the sum of all His infinite perfections, but
also by His single perfections, which as being
infinite are not distinguished from the essence of
God, but are the very essence of God perceived
in some certain aspect. For God is supremely
amiable not only because of the sum of His
infinite perfections, but also because of any
particular perfection, for instance, His power
(in creating you), His mercy (in redeeming you),
His love (in giving you the Blessed Sacrament).
So if you are sorry for your sins because you love
the almighty God who created you, or if you are
sorry out of love of friendship for the merciful
God Who died on the cross for you, or out of
love for the loving God who gave you Himself in
the Blessed Sacrament, or for any such like
motives, you make an act of perfect contrition.
Thus it is that even ordinary people can make
an act of perfect contrition. In this way, for
instance, it is really easy to love God when con-
templating Jesus dead upon the cross and to be
sorry for sin because of this love for Him — be-
cause He is the Friend who died for you. Of
course, to love God because of the sum of His
infinite perfections is a greater love, but it can-
not be elicited by all. The lesser love just men-
tioned can, on the other hand, be elicited by all
and it suffices for an act of perfect contrition.
God has placed this treasure within the reach of
all.
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 451
We have said that to love God perfectly we
must love Him for Himself and above all things.
We now understand what it means to love Him
for Himself. But what does it mean to love God
above all else? It does not mean that we must
love Him as much as He is absolutely capable of
being loved; it does not mean that we must love
Him continually and without intermission; and
it does not mean that we must love Him with all
the fervor and intensity of which we are capable
by means of the sanctifying grace and the actual
graces bestowed upon us. No; to love God above
all things means so to love Him that in our in-
telligent appreciation of Him, we esteem Him for
what He really is, the sovereign, the supreme
Good; and consequently of our will we place
Him above all that we possess on earth, and, as
a result, rather than to lose Him by committing
a mortal sin we steadfastly resolve with the aid
of His grace to sacrifice all we possess. Hence,
to love God above all things is essentially an act
of the will, and it matters little whether this act
is accompanied by any interior feeling.
And we repeat that an act of perfect contrition
is an act of sorrow out of the perfect love of God
defined above.
Why must one confess behind the con-
fessional grate? Why can't one kneel by
the priest and confess that way? I think
I would like that better.
Perhaps you would like it better, but the vast
majority of Catholics prefer the closed confes-
sional. Even the partly open confessional is not
generally popular. The present arrangement of
the confessional, with doors or curtains, grate or
screen or cloth, is intended, by the privacy and
secrecy that it affords the individual, to render
the recital of sin easier than it would be if it had
to be made in the open, or face to face, albeit pri-
452. QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
vately, as was the case in olden times and as is
still the case in the confessions of men in some
places — Rome, for instance. The Church en-
joins that the confessions of women, outside of
cases of sickness or other grave necessity, must
be heard only in the confessional (furnished with
a grate). The confessions of men and boys may
be heard in any respectable place, even outside
the confessional.
After a priest gives you absolution T or
just before you leave the confessional he
says "God be with you," or "God bless
you, my child," or "Go in peace," or
something like that. What am I to
answer him before I leave?
You may say "Thank you, Father," or, as
many do, "God reward you, Father." Perhaps
it would be well to mention here, by the way,
that when, in speaking the words of absolution,
the priest makes the sign of the cross over you
— a solemn reminder that all the divine efficacy
of the Sacrament is derived from the Savior's
death upon the cross for you — it is quite fitting
that you devoutly bless yourself by making the
sign of the cross. Many never think of this.
Is it hard to make an act of perfect
contrition ?
Constant prayer gradually makes it easy for
us to love God above all things, to keep the first
and greatest commandment. In "Comfort for
the Faint-Hearted," by Ludovicus Blosius, we
find the following explanatory note to Chapter
VII, where he speaks of perfect contrition. It
is so excellent and helpful that, though rather
lengthy, we give it in full. The note includes all
that follows in this answer:
This comforting doctrine about the power of
contrition to obtain from God the perfect for-
giveness of the guilt of sin, and also of all penalty
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 453
of sin, and also of all penalty due to it, is taught
by St. Thomas (Sum. Ill, qu. 30, art. 1 and 4,
and Supplement qu. 5, art. 2).
There is no question here as to the kind and
amount of sorrow necessary for the sacrament of
penance. What is called "attrition" — that is,
sincere hatred of sin for some supernatural motive
not so perfect and disinterested as the love of
God for His own sake — is sufficient to obtain
pardon of mortal sin in the sacrament of penance.
For example, if a man sincerely detested sin
because it would deprive him of heaven, or be-
cause he feared hell or purgatory, this "attrition"
would be sufficient to obtain pardon from God
in the merciful tribunal of penance.
But, in Chapter VII, Blosius and Tauler are
speaking of the power of an act of contrition to
obtain from the merciful and loving God pardon
of the guilt of sin, and at the same time of all the
temporal punishment due to it. Contrition means
the sincere hatred of sin because it displeases and
opposes God, Who is good. If we love God's
Will and hate sin because it is contrary to God's
Will, then we hate it for the love of God, and we
make an act of contrition. This act, being an act
of supernatural charity, "obtains at once from
God the pardon of the guilt of all sin"; and, if
the act of the will turning from sin to God be
sufficiently intense, it obtains also the pardon of
all the temporal penalty due to sin.
In this matter there is a common confusion of
ideas which does considerable practical harm.
People do not distinguish between two things
that are widely different — namely, the act of
contrition and the act of intense and perfect
contrition. The consequence is that they imagine
it to be exceedingly difficult to make an act of
contrition, and therefore consider it hopeless to
try to do so.
We must understand therefore that an act of
454 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
contrition, however remiss and imperfect it may
be, as long as it is really contrition, is sufficient
to obtain forgiveness of mortal sin. Directly
the love of God is the chief and predominant
motive of our hatred of sin, God forgives it.
We may at the same time have many other less
perfect motives — desire of heaven as a good for
ourselves, a fear of hell as an evil for ourselves —
but immediately the love of God is the chief and
predominant motive, His mercy forgives us. If
we are able, by God's grace, to say to Him
sincerely: "0 my God, even without thinking
of reward or punishment, because sin is contrary
to Thy Will a nd displeasingto Thee, I hate it
and turn away from it," we make an act of con-
trition and the guilt is immediately forgiven.
In the case of mortal sin the obligation of con-
fession remains, though the guilt of the sin has
been forgiven and is utterly and eternally blotted
out. If the man afterwards refused to confess
the sin he would commit another mortal sin, but
the guilt of the one blotted out by contrition can
never revive. Such is the mercy of God, our
Father.
As God's grace and help is necessary for this as
for every other supernatural act, before making
an act of contrition we must ask God to help us;
but, with this help, who can think that for a man
of good will it is difficult to hate sin, and to turn
the will from it, because we love God?
It is, no doubt, difficult and rare for a soul to
make so pure and intense an act of contrition as
to obtain at once from God the pardon not only
of all guilt, but of all temporal punishment also;
but it is easy, if we implore God to help us, to
make an act of contrition, the predominant and
real motive of which is the love of God, Who is
so infinitely good, though this act of contrition
may be greatly wanting in intensity of will. St.
Thomas distinctly teaches that, "however remiss"
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 455
may be the charity of the soul to God, on which
the contrition is founded, the soul is restored to
grace. The reason is that charity is the life of
the soul; if, therefore, there is real charity in the
soul it must be alive, that is, in grace. The soul
cannot be alive by charity, however slight and
remiss, and at the same time dead by mortal sin.
If contrition can thus blot out. mortal sin, how
much more easily venial sin!
This is an exceedingly practical point, and the
common confusion of ideas produces lamentable
consequences.
From it comes (1) the idea that if a man has
unhappily fallen into mortal sin he must live in
that dreadful state till he can get to confession. He
should instantly turn to God by acts of contrition.
(2) Constant discouragement arising from con-
sidering God to be a hard Master instead of a
tenderly loving Father, and imagining it to be so
difficult to regain His grace if in a moment of
weakness it has been lost.
(3) Want of effort to cleanse the soul by acts
of contrition, imagining that these acts can only
be made by very saintly people.
May the devotion of the twelve preroga-
tives be held publicly in church ?
Canon 1259 tells us that prayers and devotions
are not to be permitted in churches and oratories
without previous revision by, and express per-
mission of, the local Ordinary (Bishop) and that
the local Ordinaries cannot approve new litanies
which are to be publicly recited.
The Raccolta, official collection of indulgenced
prayers and good works, contains a devotion in
honor of Mary's twelve prerogatives under the
title "The Crown of Twelve Stars." This, being
approved, could be recited publicly.
It would be a public recitation if several persons
would gather in a church or public oratory to
456 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
recite a prayer together, even if a priest were to
assist only as a private person and not as a
minister of the Church. (It is quite evident that
it would be public recitation if the priest were
officially to assist.)
The approved litanies at present are: the
Litany of All Saints, the Litany of the Holy Name
of Jesus, the Litany of the Sacred Heart, the
Litany of the Blessed Virgin, the Litany of St.
Joseph, and the Litany for the Dying (as found
in the official prayers for a departing soul).
Individual persons may recite other litanies for
their private devotion in church or elsewhere,
and many are very beautiful and devotional.
But in church only the approved litanies may be
recited in common.
Is there any special saint to whom
expectant mothers pray?
The patron of women who wish to have children
is St. Felicitas, whose feast is November 23.
The patron for women in labor is St. Anne, the
mother of the Blessed Virgin, whose feast is
July 26. To these we may add St. Elizabeth, the
mother of John the Baptist, whose feast is No-
venber 5. And above all the saints is the Blessed
Mother of God, our Mediatrix in every need. The
following simple prayers, by the way, are to be
recommended. They have ecclesiastical appro-
bation :
PRAYER FOR A HAPPY DELIVERY
St. Elizabeth, through the great blessing which,
at the birth of thy son John, thou didst receive
from God, I beseech thee to obtain for me the
grace that I may be preserved from all danger,
and happily bring my child into the world. Amen.
Venerable mother St. Anne, obtain for me,
through thy ever-blessed child, the Blessed Virgin
Mary, that no accident may befall me, but that
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 457
my child may come safe and sound into the world.
Amen.
O Mary, Mother of my Redeemer, through thy
high prerogative and thy divine Son, I pray thee
to obtain for me the help and blessing of God,
that I may happily survive the pains of delivery,
and that my child may receive the grace of holy
Baptism. Amen.
THANKSGIVING FOR HAPPY DELIVERY
0 Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost, I, Thy unworthy servant, with my whole
heart and soul praise and thank Thee for this,
that Thou hast, in Thy goodness and mercy,
preserved me in so great a danger and rejoiced
me with this dear little babe. I magnify Thy
infinite love and gracious providence, and offer
to Thee, for the dear child Thou hast given me,
all the pains and sufferings that I have endured.
I am firmly resolved to rear it for Thee, to train
it in the faithful observance of Thy Command-
ments. O good God, bless me and my little one!
Preserve us from all evils of soul and body.
May it ever be Thine, and may we love Thee
with all our hearts! Amen.
Sometimes when reading the lives of
the saints we are told that such and such
a one had the "gift of tears." What
does that mean?
When certain pious thoughts cause a person
to weep often and abundantly, and when this
facility can only be attributed to the divine action,
that person is said to have the gift of tears.
This has been the case with many saints.
We must bear well in mind the words italicized
in the definition just given. Tears may come
from other causes than the divine action. In
rare cases the devil may produce them either to
enfeeble the health or to give rise to pride or »
as St. Teresa says, "to weaken them so that they
458 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
become unable to pray or to keep the Rule"
(Interior Castle, Sixth Mansion, ch. vi. 7). Much
more frequently, however, they may be the result
of an oversensitive nature, which often happens
with women or persons of a neurotic condition.
Such have not the gift of tears in the spiritual
sense.
If these tears have for their immediate origin
solely the emotions produced by a religious
thought, for instance, love, joy, sorrow for sins,
gratitude, compassion for our Lord's sufferings,
then they are tears of real value. Without this
circumstance they would be an unimportant
physiological phenomenon.
May the devotion in honor of the twelve
prerogatives of the Blessed Virgin be held
privately only? May one practice it, for
instance, on the twelve Saturdays pre-
ceding the feast of the Assumption for
the grace of a happy death and entrance
into the company of Jesus and Mary in
heaven ?
Our Lady's twelve prerogatives, symbolized
by the crown of twelve stars on the head of the
woman mentioned in the Apocalypse, clothed
with the sun and with the moon beneath her
feet, are variously enumerated. They are usually
mentioned as follows, and all flow from that
greatest of her prerogatives, the divine maternity,
Mary's being the Mother of God: 1. Her
Plenitude of Grace. 2. Her Immaculate Con-
ception. 3. Her Sinlessness. 4. Her Inability to
Sin (Impeccability). 5. Her Freedom from Con-
cupiscence. 6. Her Full Use of Reason from the
First Moment of Her Existence. 7. Her Vir-
ginity at the Conception of Christ. 8. Her
Virginity at the Birth of Christ. 9. Her Vir-
ginity after the Birth of Christ. 10. Her Painless
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 459
Death. 11. The Incorruptibility of Her Body.
12. Her Assumption into Heaven.
This beautiful devotion may be practiced
privately at any time and in any good way;
for instance, by thinking gratefully of each
prerogative and saying a Hail Mary in its honor.
This may assuredly be done on the twelve
Saturdays preceding the feast of the Assumption
for the grace mentioned or for any other grace,
though this particular practice is not indulgenced.
I have a statue of the Sacred Heart and
always keep a vigil light burning before
it. I also have a grotto of the Little
Flower and burn a light while making a
novena. Is it just as well to burn the
light at home, or is it better to burn one
in church?
It is a most praiseworthy practice to have
statues, grottoes, or little altars in the home and
to keep a vigil light burning there. It reminds
you so much of the Savior's injunction: "Watch
and pray." The nickering flame of the vigil light
is a constant reminder of God and His saints;
it is an incentive to prayer and recollection; it
is a reminder that we should often renew the
good intention. In this sense it is better to burn
vigil lights at home. But there are special
shrines where we would like to pray, or special
altars in the house of God, where the Lord has
been pleased to answer prayers in a particular
way. Often we cannot be there at all, or we can-
not remain long, and so we leave a burning light
to signify the desires of our heart and the perse-
verance of our prayers. We are often thrilled
at the mere sight of burning vigil lights. What
tales they could tell! How humbly they seem
to plead. May God hear the prayers of all who
thus come to Him in simple, trusting piety!
460 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Can you recommend some special prayer
for nurses to say each day?
The following prayer, given us by a certain
Mother Superior with the remark that it is daily
recited by their nurses, is much to be recom-
mended :
The Nurse's Prayer
I offer to Thee, O Heavenly Father, all the
services which I may render this day to the sick
and dying. That my actions may be more
pleasing to Thee I unite them to Thy infinite
merits. I humbly implore Thy assistance to
overcome every obstacle, such as self-love,
vanity, disgust, sloth, which may oppose the
fulfilment of my duties. I wish to renew my con-
secration to serve and assist the sick and dying
with the same love and faith as if I saw Thee
really present. Give me, 0 Lord, strength and
courage to accomplish my desire. Amen.
0 Mary, Immaculate Mother of Jesus, offer,
I beseech thee, to the Eternal Father the Precious
Blood of thy Divine Son, to prevent at least one
mortal sin from being committed somewhere in
the world to-day. Amen.
1 read in the Catholic papers last year
(1932) that the Cardinal Vicar of Rome
forbade the use of vigil lights in churches.
Is that really true?
By the ruling to which you refer the Cardinal
Vicar of Rome did, as a matter of fact, virtually
suppress the use of votive candles within the
limits of his juristiction (Rome). But this pro-
hibition does not extend to other places; it does
not, for instance, forbid their use in our churches
in this country. When this ruling was made for
Rome the Rev. Herbert Thurston, S. J., noted
English priest-historian, contributed an article on
votive candles in The Month. Among other
interesting things he states that we can "affirm
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 461
quite definitely that votive candles in the modern
sense were known at least as early as the sixth
century." At the conclusion of his article Father
Thurston says: "It may readily be admitted that
both in the present and the past this matter of
votive candles has been subject to many abuses,
and it would be in the highest degree presumptu-
ous to offer any criticism upon the course which
the Cardinal Vicar, knowing the local conditions
as no one else can know them, has adopted by
his late ordinance; but amid all the tawdriness
and commercialism and, it may be, the unpleasant
atmosphere created by cheap substitutes for the
wax of the 'argumentosa apis,* there is a certain
pathos associated with the solitary candle breath-
ing out its life before the shrine as a symbol of
prayer and self-sacrifice."
What are the best motives for perfect
contrition?
There is only one motive for perfect contrition
and that is charity, or the love of benevolence or
of friendship towards God. This love is had,
whether the object of one's affections is the divine
being or persons, the divine and infinite perfec-
tions, or a single attribute; for all these are really
God Himself. So for instance, if you are sorry
for your sins because you love the almighty God
Who created you, or if you are sorry out of the
love of friendship for the merciful God Who died
on the cross for you, or out of love for the loving
God Who gave Himself to you in the Blessed
Sacrament, or for any such like motives, you
make an act of perfect contrition. St. Thomas
distinctly teaches that "however remiss" may be
the charity of the soul to God, on which contrition
is founded, the soul is restored to grace; for
charity is the life of the soul. All the guilt of sin
is pardoned. And the greater this charity is in
46x QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
intensity of will, the more will also the temporal
punishment due to sin be remitted.
The following explanation and acts of contri-
tion from "The Reign of Jesus," an abridgment
of the work of St. John Eudes, will prove helpful:
Perfect contrition is a hatred and horror, a
grief and repentance, for the sin one has com-
mitted, because it is displeasing to God. It is,
therefore, an act of our will, by which we protest
to God that we desire to hate and detest our sins;
that we are grieved at having committed them;
that we renounce them, and that we mean to
forsake them, not so much because it is our own
interest to do so, but for the love of God. I
mean, not so much on account of the harm,
wrong, and injury which we have done to our-
selves by our sins, but on account of the insult,
the dishonor, the torment, and the cruel death
which we have inflicted on our Lord by these
same sins.
It is well to notice that, in order to have a
perfect contrition, it is not necessary to shed
tears, or to feel deep grief for one's sins; for
contrition, being a spiritual and interior act of
the will — which is a spiritual power of the soul
independent of the senses — one can make an act
of contrition without being sensible of any grief.
It is sufficient to protest to our Lord, by an act
of the will, that we will to hate and detest our
sins and to renounce them for the future because
they are displeasing to Him.
ACTS OF CONTRITION
O my most love-worthy Jesus, my will is to
hate and detest my sins for love of Thee.
O my Savior, I renounce all sin for ever be-
cause it is displeasing to Thee.
O my Jesus, my will is to hate and to abhor
my sins, because of the insult and dishonor which
Thou hast endured by their means.
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 463
O my God, would that I had never offended
Thee, for Thou art worthy of all honor and love.
O my Lord, I desire to have all the contrition
for my sins which it shall please Thee to give me.
O my God, I would that I could have in my
heart all the grief and contrition that the holy
penitents ever had for their sins.
O good Jesus, make me to share the grief which
Thou hast for my sins; for I desire to have the
same grief that Thou hast, as far as is possible.
O Father of Jesus, I offer Thee the contrition
and the penitence which Thy beloved Son had
for my sins.
O most love-worthy Jesus, grant that I may
detest and abhor my sins, because they were the
cause of Thy torments and of the death Thou
didst suffer on the Cross.
O my God, I desire to hate my sins, as Thy
Saints and Angels hate them.
0 my God, I desire to hate and detest my sins,
as Thou dost hate and detest them.
1 know a boy who wears six different
kinds of medals and one crucifix. A friend
of mine said he is crazy for wearing so
many when one scapular medal with one
of some other kind would be enough. He
said that so many medals make a person
look funny. He even said that all the
priests he ever saw wore two medals at the
most. Please explain.
Perhaps the boy wears his medals too ostenta-
tiously, makes too much of a show. They could,
for instance, be neatly sewed into a Sacred Heart
Badge and the badge pinned under the vest.
Many devout people are, no doubt, wearing six
or more medals and they neither are nor are looked
upon as funny or crazy. They are simply wise
in cherishing these blessed objects. But, while
not in the least ashamed of their devotions and
464 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
medals, they yet avoid showing off. Your
critical friend has, apparently seen few priests or,
rather, has not seen their medals, though it is
quite possible that there are holy priests and
others who do not wear even "two medals at the
most."
What is the Rosary of St. Bridget and
how is it recited?
This Rosary is said in honor of the sixty-three
years which, it is said, the Blessed Virgin lived
on earth. It is composed of six divisions, each
division consisting of the Our Father once, the
Hail Mary ten times, and the Apostles' Creed
once; after this one Our Father more is said
and the Hail Mary three times. Thus in all the
Our Father will be said seven times, to mark
the number of the seven dolors and the seven
joys; and the Hail Mary sixty-three times, to
make up the full number of sixty-three years.
Most of the indulgences can be gained by saying
five of the six decades. To gain the indulgences,
the Rosary, being made of either six or fiv«
decades, must be blessed by a priest of the Order
of St. Savior, or by another priest with the
necessary faculties.
No meditation is necessary to gain the indul-
gences of this Rosary. The indulgences may be
attached to the ordinary rosary, such as everyone
has. There is one hundred days' indulgence for
each Our Father, each Hail Mary, and each
Apostles' Creed, for those who say at least five
decades; and there are many other indulgences.
We have mentioned Our Lady's seven joys.
They are: the Annunciation; the Visitation;
the Nativity of Christ; the Adoration by the
Magi; the Finding in the Temple; the Resur-
rection; and the Assumption.
What is the Rosary of the Seven Dolors
and how is it recited?
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS 465
This is a chaplet of special form (beads for the
Hail Marys and usually medals for the Our
Fathers) and consists of seven divisions, in
memory of Our Lady's seven sorrows, on which
we are to meditate, if we can, saying the Our
Father once and the Hail Mary seven times at
each division, then ending with the Hail Mary
three times in honor of Our Lady's tears.
Most of the indulgences can be gained by
merely reciting the above-mentioned prayers, if
for any reason one cannot meditate on the mys-
teries of the seven dolors. To gain the indul-
gences the beads must be used; and they must
have been blessed by a Servite Father or by
another with special faculties. One hundred days
for each Our Father and each Hail Mary, if the
entire chaplet is said, is but one of the many
precious indulgences attached to this Rosary.
The seven sorrows are: the Presentation of
Jesus in the Temple; the Flight into Egypt;
the Loss of Jesus in the Temple at the Age of
Twelve; the Meeting of Jesus Carrying His
Cross; the Standing Beneath the Cross; Jesus
Taken Down from the Cross and Placed in the
Arms of Mary; the Burial of Jesus.
PERTAINING TO PRIESTS
When doctors disagree men die, but
when priests disagree what are we to do?
You refer to advice and decisions given in the
confessional and to pronouncements made in
conversations, from the pulpit and elsewhere.
As regards advice, decisions, and directions given
in the confessional it cannot well be asserted by
anyone that there is disagreement, for the simple
reason that no one can say with certainty that
there is. Only the priest and the penitent know
what is there revealed, what is asked and how
it is answered, what circumstances are or are
not mentioned. In the confessional the priest
deals with the individual soul as it is laid open
to him and with no other. Hence the informa-
tion and direction given to one may be very
different from that given to another in a seemingly
similar case. No two souls are alike. "He said
this," says one overtalkative penitent. "And
he said that," says another. But neither of the
two ever tell all that they said and directly or
indirectly revealed concerning themselves. Lay
people simply do not understand, as we say.
Most people have doubtless never heard of
probabilism, for instance, the name applied by
moralists to the system which holds that, with
the exception of certain cases, whenever a doubt
exists concerning the licitness or illicitness of
an act, and the doubt cannot be resolved, one
is permitted, but not obliged, to follow a solidly
probable opinion in favor of liberty, even if the
opposite opinion in favor of the law is more
probable. So it is better not to talk in matters
where talk may but betray ignorance and mani-
fold incompetence.
Again, as regards disagreements and seeming
466
PRIESTS 467
disagreements, and conflicting and seemingly
conflicting utterances, made in the pulpit or
elsewhere, it is well to recall how various are the
legitimate opinions, principles, and convictions
of men. It is, of course, not permissible even to
distinguish between essential and non-essential
dogmas. That were an absurdity. Our faith
must extend to everything revealed by God;
and to believe some of the truths revealed by
God and to reject others would be to have no
faith at all, because the motive of credibility is
the authority of God, Who is absolute Truth.
Hence there can be no disagreement or doubt
touching those things of which God, Who is
Truth Itself, is the Author.
However, as regards things not revealed there
is and has always been great diversity of opinion,
even of theological opinion, among Catholics,
especially Catholic scholars. In one sense we
may truly say that the Catholic is an investigator
in matters of faith. He does not, of course, seek
to discover a new God, a new Church, or a new re-
ligion; but, while giving his absolute adherence
to matters of faith, he seeks to discover, if possible,
more cogent reasons for accepting in belief and
practice the truths once revealed to the Apostles
as well as the best methods of expounding re-
ligious truth and making it vital in the lives of
men. The works of Catholics in this field are
numerous and scholarly, and they contribute to
genuine progress, moral and spiritual. But
when the Church has spoken, there is no diversity
of belief as to what is the truth revealed by God.
And, anyhow, we cannot agree with your
statement, "When doctors disagree men die."
Very often that is the very reason why they live.
Recently everybody was talking about
a certain Catholic priest who was deliver-
ing a sermon over the radio every Sunday
afternoon. A friend of mine who loves
468 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
his pastor much and appreciates his
simple sermons said to me that, in his
opinion, these high-class Catholic sermons
do more harm than good. What could he
have meant?
Your friend was rather extreme in his views.
Catholic sermons over the radio, especially those
that take the form of instruction and exposition
of doctrine, can do no end of good; and just
because the radio is such an important factor in
education it is being utilized more and more by
Catholic bodies and selected speakers, — and
rightly so. Thus, for example, we have the
deservedly popular "Catholic Radio Hour." It
is a source of untold good.
Your friend doubtless meant to say that even
Catholic and absolutely orthodox radio sermons
may be indirectly harmful. It is true. They
may exercise a prejudicial influence. We our-
selves have observed cases where people would
absent themselves from the simple yet so salutary
and spiritually practical Sunday sermon of the
parish priest and openly express their preference
for the renowned and eloquent Catholic radio
preacher. "He's a mighty fine speaker and I can
sit comfortable in my arm-chair (and take a
smoke) while I'm listening. What should I go
to church and hear our priest for? He's a poor
speaker anyhow, compared with this man. I
can get my sermons right here at home." Such
is the gist of many a thoughtless one's argument.
Anyone can see the harm that can follow from
such a state of mind: unfair criticism based on
faulty judgment, strained and distant relations
between the pastor and his flock, the impairment
of the religious life of the parish, the uneradication
of abuses. Catholic sermons over the radio are
good, very good things indeed; but they are not
intended to, and never should, replace the regular
Sunday sermon, no matter how simple it may be.
PRIESTS 469
It is the pastor speaking to his people, to whom
no one can speak as he. Allowing for reasonable
exceptions, every Catholic should hear a sermon
every Sunday and that in his parish church.
Having done that, let him get all the Catholic
sermons he can over the radio — the more the
better.
Do all Order priests have to take the
vow of poverty?
Yes; all priests of a religious Order or Congre-
gation properly so called must make a vow of
poverty, though there are various degrees of
strictness in its observance, according to each
institute's Constitutions. The religious state,
says Canon 487, is a permanent mode of living
in common, by which the faithful, besides obey-
ing the commandments, also observe the evan-
gelical counsels through the vows of obedience,
chastity, and poverty. This state is to be held
in honor by all, says the Canon.
I am the only Catholic in the office,
and the others always bring up some
questions for me to answer. Please help
me answer this one. A young man goes to
the Seminary and studies for the priest-
hood and likes his studies very well. After
twelve years of study he is ordained.
But when he is a priest he does not feel
happy and wishes to ask for permission
to leave the priesthood. If he leaves, does
he have to give up his religion or can he
still be a Catholic? And can he marry?
He cannot leave the priesthood. Once a priest >
he is a priest forever. Holy Orders is a Sacrament
by which bishops, priests and other ministers of
the Church are ordained and receive the power
and grace to perform their sacred duties. In
addition to the effects of sanctifying grace and
sacramental grace, this Sacrament likewise im-
47o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
'prints an indelible character upon the soul. Hence,
one who is validly ordained priest cannot be de-
prived of his priesthood, even though he can be
suspended from the exercise thereof; nor can he
by his own free will, by heresy or apostasy, for
example, lose the character imprinted on his
soul. Therefore, he who attempts to give up his
priesthood and accordingly turns his back on
his religion and the Catholic Church is the most
miserable and pitiable of creatures. What a
terrible thing: a f alien-away priest and yet a
priest forever! And no; he can not marry.
This may seem very severe. In reality it is not
so. Such a young man knows perfectly well what
he is doing. He has twelve long years in which to
reflect upon his vocation. He is not chosen
lightly for his sacred office, but is watched over
for years by intelligent and pious seminary pro-
fessors, who, only after a most careful judgment,
declare him worthy of the sacred ministry. As
the time of his ordination draws near he is again
and again officially reminded of the seriousness
of the step he is taking, of the fact that there can
be no going back afterwards; and he is solemnly
asked not to approach for Holy Orders without
his full consent ("attentively to consider, again
and again, what a burden they this day freely
seek"); told that he may freely turn back before
it is too late. Surely, if such a one proves a
traitor to his sublime calling he is alone to blame.
If he is unhappy afterwards, as you say, he can-
not do better than give heed to the Apostle's
admonition: "Wherefore, brethren, labor the
more, that by good works you may make sure
your calling and election." (2 St. Peter 1:10.)
May a priest refuse to baptize a child if
the parents of that child do not pay any-
thing towards the support of the church,
providing the godfather and godmother
PRIESTS 471
answering for the child are good Catholics ?
If the priest refuses and the child dies
without baptism, who is responsible, the
parents, the godparents, or the priest?
Canon 463, §4, says that parish priests should
never refuse to serve the poor who cannot pay,
free of charge. That same Canon states that
every parish priest is entitled to the income
established by approved custom and legitimate
taxation. We know, too, that the fifth command-
ment of the Church is this, "To contribute to
the support of our pastor." Rights connote
duties.
We may mention that already the Third
Council of Baltimore established that priests
should remember that ecclesiastical services
should be given gratis to the poor and that this
law should be re-enforced at diocesan synods.
Surely, no one can be poorer than the poor child
mentioned in the above question. It has not
even supernatural life, is not even a child of
God and an heir of heaven. We cannot think
that a priest would punish such a child for the
sins of its parents, all the less so since the god-
parents are good Catholics, and, as we suppose,
fully alive to their obligations as regards the
child. Were a priest to refuse to baptize such a
child, we would say there must be some ex-
ceptional and weighty circumstances that de-
cide him in this course of action.
Who would be responsible? We must leave
that to the infallible judgment of God. How-
ever, we do not see how the godparents-to-be
could be held responsible.
Let us remember that we are obliged to con-
tribute to the support of our pastors and to bear
our share in the expenses of church and school.
Public worship is a natural consequence of our
social nature and our dependence upon God; and
the expenses of such public worship must be de-
472. QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
frayed by the contributions of the people at large.
In the Old Law God commanded, "Thou shalt
not delay to pay thy tithes and thy first fruits."
(Exod. 22:29.) We gather from different other
references made to the subject that the Levites
received the tithes, or tenth part, of all animals,
crops and fruits raised by the Israelites, as well
as the firstlings of their flocks. With the advent
of Christianity this law (of giving tithes) ceased
to be binding, except in as far as the Church re-
enacted it in its entirety or in part. As a matter
of fact the payment of tithes was observed in
nearly all Catholic countries from the first
establishment of Christianity until the French
Revolution. St. Augustine (d. 430 A.D.) teaches
that tithes should be paid as a debt and that
those who refuse to give them forcibly enter the
property of others, i. e., they steal their neighbor's
goods, or rather, they steal what belongs to God.
And the Council of Trent, which finished its
labors December 4, 1563, decreed that tithes are
to be paid in full, "and they who either withhold
them or hinder their payment shall be excom-
municated; nor shall they be absolved from this
crime until full restitution has been made." (Sess.
25, ch. 12.)
In our day Catholics (except, perhaps, in
certain limited localities) are no longer bound to
set apart for the support of religion one-tenth of
their income. We have, indeed, the fifth com-
mandment of the Church, but the amount to be
given is not mentioned. The Church leaves it to
the ability and to the generous religious spirit
of the Catholic, guided by particular needs of
time and place. Surely, each should give in pro-
portion to his income. All should help to defray
the expenses of all that regards the maintenance
of our holy religion. Home and foreign missions
should also appeal to the Catholic spirit of each
individual. This work cannot be imposed as a
PRIESTS 473
duty of justice, like the obligation to contribute
towards the maintenance of the public worship
and of the parochial school; but it is of all char-
ities the most excellent and meritorious; for
there can be nothing more acceptable to God than
to co-operate in the salvation of souls for which
the Savior bled and died.
Why do priests, generally, not wear a
beard? Is it forbidden them?
Since this question has been asked so often we
here give a brief answer, even though it be of
little practical value. In the Oriental Church
the wearing of a beard by priests is customary;
in the Western Church, due to a kind of unwritten
law prevailing heretofore, the law of custom, it is
not customary, with the exception of members of
certain religious orders. This custom of priests
generally not wearing a beard dates from the
year 1700. Today the wearing of the beard is
not forbidden by common law, that is, by the
New Code of Canon Law. The Code does not
say a word about it. Hence, some were led to
think that the matter is now quite optional.
But upon a certain inquiry made, the Sacred
Congregation of the Council gave an answer
(January 10, 1920), which was expressly confirmed
by the Pope, to the effect that the Code does not
without more ado leave the secular clergy free to
wear a beard and that it is within the province of
the bishops to keep in force in their respective
dioceses the custom heretofore existing of not
wearing the beard.
But strict law there is none. Doubtless the
reason why the Code is silent in the matter is the
fact that the reason for the former law no longer
exists. This prohibition, like the prescriptions
regarding the tonsure and clerical dress, had for
its object to distinguish priests from lay people,
among whom the wearing of a beard was quite
474 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
common in former times. But in our day, as is
evident, the prohibition no longer thus dis-
tinguishes, since almost every man shaves.
Indeed, just the contrary: today the wearing of
a beard would differentiate the priest from the
layman. Hence the Church no longer formulates
a law that would be meaningless in view of the
changed times.
May priests wear rings? It seems they
never do.
No; Canon Law expressly forbids it. Rings,
either with or without gems, are permitted only
to those whom the law or an Apostolic privilege
has endowed with the right of wearing them.
Hence only cardinals, bishops, and blessed
abbots are allowed to wear them always, also at
Holy Mass, while non-participating prothono-
taries, and doctors, and other abbots are allowed
to wear them except at Mass.
I have often seen priests saying their
Office, and while saying it they walked
back and forth. I have been told that
priests have to say their Office walking
back and forth. If they have to do this,
what does it signify?
They do not have to do this. It is a matter of
choice to the priest whether he shall say his
Breviary kneeling, sitting, standing or walking.
Priests often say their Office while slowly walking
to and fro. Some find this an aid to devotion
and recollection, and at the same time it gives
the busy priest an opportunity to get a bit of
fresh air and a little exercise and relaxation.
That is what it signifies — and nothing more.
Is a Catholic bound to obey his pastor
in all things relating to the church or
only in spiritual affairs — affairs of the
soul?
PRIESTS 475
The catechism asks a similar question: "Are
we bound to honor and obey others than our
parents?" And the answer is: "We are bound
to honor and obey our bishops, pastors, magis-
trates, teachers, and other lawful superiors."
The reason for this answer is evident to anyr
one who considers that superiors should be in ou^
eyes what they are in the eyes of God. Goo
order demands that some should command, other
obey; that some should govern and others b^
governed. Some govern for the temporal welfar'
of their subjects and others for their spiritua
welfare. The Church was founded by Christ to
bring all her members to their ultimate end.
Hence it is that all spiritual authority justly de-
mands from its subjects co-operation in action
for the individual and general welfare in things
spiritual. The Pope and the bishops are the
established rulers of the Church, and we owe
respect and obedience to them; and not only to
them, but to all those appointed by them, such as
are our pastors. To all so appointed by them over
usy we owe respect and obedience. Of course, we
must honor all priests because they are Christ's
ambassadors, but we owe them no obedience
unless they be our lawfully appointed superiors.
This duty of respect and obedience extends
also to all orders, directions, and teachings,
emanating from the lawfully established author-
ity, the Pope and bishops (and the pastor, who
represents the bishop), and that not only in
matters strictly spiritual, but also in matters that
are in any way connected with what is spiritual.
How does the Church insure the in-
fallible Word of God being given to us?
When and how, for instance, is the priest
the voice of the Church?
This brings us to another attribute of the
Church, its authority. By the authority of the
476 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Church we mean the right and power which the
Pope and bishops, as successors of the Apostles,
have to teach and govern the faithful. Priests
are the assistants of the bishops, empowered by
them to preach the word of God to the faithful.
Inasmuch as they announce the teachings of the
infallible Church they may be called the voice
of the Church.
Given two men, one a religious priest
and the other a lay Brother, who both do
work relative to their vocation for the
same length of time, with the same good
intention, the same love and ardor, and
who both make sacrifices of the same
degree of heroism. Will they both receive
the same reward in heaven or will the one
receive more than the other?
There will undoubtedly be many a surprise in
store for us when we get to heaven. We will
then realize the folly of human wisdom and how
true it is that God's ways are not our ways.
Taking your question as it stands, we must say
that the priest will receive the greater reward;
for his is the most sacred of all callings, with
most sacred duties and functions. To mention
only one thing, there is the fructus specialissimus
of the Mass, the very special fruit of the Mass,
which belongs entirely to the priest who offers
the August Sacrifice.
As for the rest, we quote St. Paul. Writing
to Timothy, he says, "Let the priests that rule
well be esteemed worthy of double honor , especially
they who labor in the word and doctrine."
If a person gives nothing to the church
except Mass intentions or other offerings
promised in thanksgiving for favors re-
ceived, has he fulfilled the commandment
of the Church which bids us contribute to
the support of the pastor?
PRIESTS 477
That depends upon a number of things, the
circumstances of the person concerned, the
circumstances of the pastor, of the parish, etc.
Generally speaking, we would say it is hardly
sufficient.
We believe that a few concise remarks about
this important question would not be out of
place here. As regards supporting the Church,
all should know the following:
1. The Church has the right to demand that
the faithful support church and pastor.
2. Corresponding to this right, there is the
duty on the part of the faithful of providing the
means necessary for the public worship of God
and for the support of those engaged therein.
3. The manner of complying with this obliga-
tion is determined by the Church for every age
and country.
4. The obligation of meeting this duty is one
of both religion and justice. The obligation is,
accordingly, grave, though it is not easy to say
just when a mortal sin is committed by failure
to meet it. Archbishop Kenrick, having in mind
particularly conditions in this country, says:
"All must be convinced that each individual
Catholic is in duty bound to contribute some-
thing on his part towards the necessary support
of the clergy; but as long as this obligation is
not enjoined and defined by any definite law,
we would not venture to condemn anyone as
guilty of mortal sin who neglects to contribute a
fair share, provided there is no danger that the
clergy suffer want and provided others are not
unduly burdened on this account. However,
those who, in the circumstances just described,
refuse to give anything out of avarice, seem to
be guilty of a grave fault and unworthy of sacra-
mental absolution, because they transgress the
law of Christ our Lord concerning the support
of the ministers of the Gospel and endanger their
478 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
own salvation and that of others." (The italics
in this quotation are ours.)
We cannot refrain from the additional remark,
not made as a reflection upon the questioner, but
for the enlightenment of the general public, that
to be "stingy towards the church" is "mighty
mean stinginess."
In Catholic magazines I have often
read about the faults of the people, such
as using the name of God in vain, etc.
There are some priests who have such
faults, too. I hear other things. I read
somewhere that once a priest, forever a
priest. Why then ask a pastor to resign?
We note that you say some priests have such
faults. That, after all, is to be expected, since
the priest is a man, taken from amongst men.
But every priest, each morning at the foot of the
altar, in the Confiteor of the Mass, makes a
public, spontaneous, sincere, and honorable con-
fession that he is a sinner. Then the people,
represented by the servers, do the same. And
mutually priest and people pray for each other —
they actually do: "May the almighty God have
mercy on you, and forgive you your sins, and
bring you to life everlasting. Amen." Since you
pray for him thus at Mass, why does the echo of
those words already die away at the very entrance
of the house of God, perhaps, to give place to
talk that scourges the poor priest and drags his
sacred person in the dust? Have you, for instance,
a Miser eatur for him when in your presence
others speak of the possible sins or the known
failings of a priest? Do you defend him when
devilish, character-killing calumnies raise their
serpentine heads and do all in their power to
strike priest and Church with the deadly sting
of evil suspicion? When you hear that papers
bring hateful, disgusting articles against him?
PRIESTS 479
When the murderous whisperings of evil tongues
hiss in your ears? When evil reports brazenly
besmirch the fair name of the representative of
Christ? Others simply repeat everything, with-
out worrying in the least whether what it thus
said about the priest is true or not, but you —
what stand do you take in this matter? Does
your answer then resemble a Miser eatur or is it
rather like a fierce Crucifigatur ("Let him be cruci-
fied!"), inasmuch as you join in with the others?
And what happens in families? We will not
say in godless families, but in families that still
wish to be considered as sterling Catholics and,
indeed, very religious — what happens there when
by chance the conversation turns upon a priest
who unfortunately, being but human, has made
a mistake, or who has laid himself open to re-
proach, or who has not been an honor to his
exalted calling? Alas! how roughly the priest is
treated even in such a "genuinely Catholic" circle!
What harsh judgments are passed upon him!
How sadly he is torn to tatters; and that often
in the presence of guileless little ones! What is the
refrain of such like talk? Is it the soothing music
of the Misereatur ("May the almighty God have
mercy" . . . .) or the hellish discord of the
blood-curdling Tolle, tolle, crucifigatur! ("Away
with him, away with him, let him be crucified!")?
Alas! is there not a vestige of fraternal charity
anywhe re?
And it is just such Christians who never have
a word of sympathy to spare for the priests; it is
just such as these who demand that everywhere
and at all times he manifest the most heroic spirit
of self-sacrifice; that he live on fastings and
scourgings; that he never indulge in even the
most innocent pleasure; that he possess the very
highest degree of perfection; in a word, that he be
an angel and not a man. It is just those who de-
light the most in robbing him of his good name.
480 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
who criticize his every little fault in the family
circle — it is just those who themselves need the
Miser eatur more than anyone else! And for their
own persons they are the very first to demand it
from the lips of the priest. But theirs is not the
magnanimity to pronounce it for others — theirs is
not even the common politeness to do so!
But early in the morning they shall hear from
the lips of the priest whom they so shamefully
berated in their talk or whom, without a word of
protest, they permitted others to malign — from
his lips they shall hear the beautiful lesson of
Christian charity that gladly forgives and forgets.
Misereatur vestri . . . Indulgentiam, absolutionem
. . . "May the almighty God have mercy on
you," he will say, "may He grant you pardon,
absolution, and remission of your sins." But
they will not understand that sweet lesson of
brotherly love. When, O when will the faithful
finally understand the far-reaching lesson of these
simple words! When will they finally take to
heart the wondrous lessons of Holy Mass and
make practical application?
Of course, you understand that a priest who
resigns is still a priest; resignation is usually a
transfer. But even if a priest were suspended or
excommunicated, forbidden to exercise his sacred
office, he would still be a priest with the indelible
mark of the priesthood upon his soul. "Thou art
a priest forever." Moreover, we must not forget
to add that the Savior tells us scandals are sure
to come, but woe to him by whom the scandal
cometh!
I was told that one cannot go to con-
fession to a priest of a different diocese
until he first receives permission from his
bishop to hear confessions of those out-
side his diocese. Is that true?
The question is rather confused and shows
PRIESTS 481
that you have been wrongly informed. First of
all, this matter does not refer to the faithful at
all — they may go to confession anywhere; it
refers to the priest. Again the bishop of diocese
A cannot give permission to a priest to hear con-
fessions in diocese B. The faculties must be
obtained from the bishop of that diocese in which
the priest hears confessions. The faithful need
never trouble themselves in the least about this.
They may always be assured that the priest has
all ordinary requisite faculties, otherwise he would
not be hearing confessions.
Perhaps a little explanation may be repeated
here. Remember that the priest who hears con-
fessions must be duly authorized, as the cate-
chism says, for simple ordination confers the
power only, but not the jurisdiction: he has to
exercise his power over others, and if these are
not subject to his authority, he is not authorized
to pronounce judgment on them; and if he does
so, his absolution is invalid.
By Christ's institution there are in the Church
two kinds of jurisdiction, taken in the restricted
sense, of exercising the priestly functions: one,
general and supreme, belonging to the Pope, the
Vicar of Christ, whose jurisdiction is unlimited as
to place or person; and the other, a subordinate
jurisdiction, that is, one limited to place or
persons, belonging to the bishops within their
respective dioceses. The Pope can subdelegate
his power to any person within the Church, who
is capable of it, and likewise the bishop can sub-
delegate his jurisdiction to any one of his subjects
that is capable of it, but only within the limits of
his diocese. The Pope may except from the
jurisdiction of any priest or bishop any place,
person, act or sin, and the bishops also have the
right to withhold some grave sins from the juris-
diction of their priests, but their power is sub-
ordinate to that of the Supreme Pontiff and to
482. QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
the general laws and dispositions of the Church.
Hence the priests of one diocese cannot validly
absolve in another diocese without the authoriza-
tion of the bishop of the diocese wherein the priest
hears confessions. But in danger of death, the
Church, like a good mother, supplies all defects
of jurisdiction, so that a person in such danger
may validly be absolved by any priest, not even
excepting a schismatic or excommunicated priest.
Yesterday I attended a Pontifical Mass
celebrated by a Rt. Rev. Abbot and in the
afternoon a Benediction at which a Cardi-
nal assisted. On both occasions I noticed
that before the priest preached the sermon
he knelt down and kissed the hand of the
Abbot and of the Cardinal. Am I taking
too much liberty if I kiss the hand of a
priest when I meet him? I did it once
and his look seemed to say: "You must
not do that."
In the cases you mention about the Abbot
and the Cardinal it was a part of the ceremony
that the preacher ask for the blessing and then
kiss the ring of the Abbot or Cardinal respectively.
Thus, too, it is customary to kiss the ring of a
Bishop when meeting him personally. We may
add here, by way of instruction, that the pontifical
ring conferred at the consecration of a Bishop or
the blessing of an Abbot, indicates the recipient's
betrothal to the Church. An indulgence is
granted to the faithful who devoutly kiss the ring
of the Pope, a Cardinal, a Patriarch, an Arch-
bishop, or a Bishop. (Cf. Preces et Pia Opera,
issued Dec. 31, 1937.)
As regards kissing the consecrated hand (he
wears no ring) of a priest out of reverence for his
sacred dignity, instead of shaking hands in the
ordinary way, there is surely nothing wrong about
it. It is a truly Catholic custom, where it is
PRIESTS 483
found. In some countries or localities it is the
general practice to kiss the priest's hand when
meeting him. In our country it is frequently
done by those who are accustomed to the practice
from elsewhere. However, it is somewhat un-
usual and hence may attract too much attention
and thus be embarrassing to the priest. That is
doubtless why his look seemed to say: "You
must not do that." But a look is not a command
in this case, though respect and appreciation
will naturally result in such conduct towards the
priest as will not embarrass him or be open to
comment or misunderstanding. | pKr7.
A friend of mine told me that Alexander
VI was a morally bad Pope and that Julius
II was a rascal. That certainly sounds
rather fantastic to me, but, nevertheless,
I would appreciate details concerning the
above. Also tell me, is the "History of
the Popes," by Pastor, authentic?
There was a Judas among the Apostles, and,
therefore, the proportion of unworthy Apostles
was one out of twelve. The proportion of un-
worthy Popes is much less. Out of an illustrious
line of two hundred and sixty -two Popes, seventy-
six of whom are reckoned among the saints, only
a few were unworthy of their high office, such as
John XII (955-964), Benedict IX (1024-1032),
and Alexander VI (1492-1503). Pope Julius II
is not enumerated among the unworthy; his was
an illustrious reign. Some historians have tried
to whitewash Pope Alexander VI, but we hold
with Pope Leo XIII: "The Church has no need
of any man's lie." The most scholarly Catholic
historian of the Popes, Ludwig Pastor (whose
masterly "History of the Popes," now translated
into English, is most authentic and highly to be
recommended), grants that Alexander lived the
immoral life of a secular prince of his day, both
484 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
as Cardinal and Pope, and that he was guilty of
simony and lack of moral sense. He frees him,
however, from the calumnious charges of incest
and poisoning.
Catholics will do well always to distinguish
between the infallibility of the Popes, that is,
their freedom from error in declaring to the
world the Gospel of Christ, and impeccability,
freedom from sin. These are two entirely different
things. We naturally expect the Popes to be of
the highest moral character — and, as a matter of
fact, most of them have been; and yet we know
that the prerogative of infallibility has nothing
whatever to do with the Pope's personal goodness
or wickedness.
In this connection it might also be well to recall
that the Church teaches that a temporal or an
ecclesiastical superior does not lose his authority
whilst he is in a state of mortal sin. It may also
be well to remark that Dean Maitland, an honest
non-Catholic historian, says: "It appears to be
the testimony of history that the monks and
clergy were at all times and places better than
the people." Voltaire, archenemy of Christi-
anity, makes the same admission.
We sometimes hear it said in sermons
that the people are priests too. It is
rather puzzling and I do not understand.
Can you explain?
St. Peter, addressing Christians in general,
says: "Be you also ... a holy priesthood, to
offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by
Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5). These words, often
quoted, must be properly understood. The
spiritual sacrifices here mentioned, to give an
obvious explanation of the text, are all the actions
we perform to pay to God the homage due to
Him. As St. Augustine says: "Everything that
we do for the purpose of uniting ourselves to God
PRIESTS 485
in a hallowed union, directing our attention to
Him, the sovereign Good, the source of all happi-
ness, is really and truly a sacrifice."
Of course, the faithful are not priests in the
sense that they have the power and the right to
celebrate the adorable Sacrifice of the Mass. To
assert this would be a heresy, since that privilege
belongs solely to those who have received Holy
Orders. But the faithful are "a holy priesthood"
in the sense that, by corresponding faithfully to
the grace of their baptism, they sacrifice them-
selves continually to the glory of God, immolat-
ing their unruly passions by perpetual mortifica-
tion and giving themselves, of their own free will,
to be consumed in a furnace of ever-increasing
charity.
These words of St. Peter are often used in ex-
planations of Holy Mass, especially in instruc-
tions regarding the assistance, the active partici-
pation, of the faithful at Holy Mass. Christ is
the Head of the Mystical Body of His Church;
we are the members. Christ is the great High
Priest and Principal Offerer in every Mass;
the priest we see at the altar is the secondary
offerer, who makes Christ visible, so to speak.
We are co-offerers with Christ, inasmuch as the
members participate in the action of the Head.
In this sense, too, we are "a holy priesthood."
That is why every Mass at which you assist is
truly your Mass also. How often during Mass
the priest says we, us, our. "Pray, brethren,"
he says at the Orate Fr aires, "that my sacrifice
and yours may be acceptable to God the Father
almighty." Assist at Mass in this spirit always.
PERTAINING TO PURGATORY,
HEAVEN, AND HELL
Why is there so much writing and
preaching on subjects that tend to fill the
soul with fear? I believe man's worst
enemy is fear. Fear weakens the mind
and body and makes us incompetent.
I sometimes wonder how we can keep well
at all when we are so fearful : fear of sick-
ness, fear of sufferings, fear of death, fear
of purgatory, and fear of hell!
Fear of death and purgatory and hell does not
seem to disturb people overmuch, to judge from
the fact that so many are not even enough afraid
of these terrible things to refrain from com-
mitting grievous sin. An increase of a salutary
fear of God were, indeed, much to be desired.
Says the Savior: "Fear ye not them that kill
the body and are not able to kill the soul: but
rather fear Him Who can destroy both soul and
body in hell." (St. Matthew 10:23.) The love
of God grows mighty weak at times, and only
fear can save us then. No wonder holy men
have ever prayed: "O God, if ever my love for
Thee does not keep me from sin, grant that at
least the fear of hell may do so!" It is surely
better to serve God out of love. "Perfect charity
casteth out fear." (I St. John 4:18.) But even
if a man were to say, "Were it not for the punish-
ment, I would not restrain myself from evil,
nor would I do good," his fear, though servile
and imperfect, would nevertheless be substantially
good; for it recognizes infinite justice. Still,
what we should strive after is filial fear. "For
you have not received the spirit of bondage
again in fear; but you have received the spirit
486
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 487
of the adoption of sons, whereby we cry Abba
(Father)." (Rom. 8:15.)
And yet how truly we should fear! Indeed,
as you know, the fear of the Lord is one of the
seven gifts of the Holy Ghost. We receive this
gift in order that we may be filled" with a dread
of sin. "The fear of the Lord driveth out sin."
(Ecclus. 1:27.)
We enlarge upon this subject because the
ignorance shown by the above question is only
too common — and a very successful trick of the
devil in these days. "A wise man feareth and
declineth from evil," says Holy Writ (Pro v.
14:16); and, "By the fear of the Lord every
one declineth from evil" (Prov. 15:27). From
this we understand that the first step by which
the sinner is ordinarily converted from his evil
ways is the fear of God, Who, being all-wise and
all-holy, punishes all sin in justice and truth,
that is, according to His infinite justice and His
infinite wisdom. But we must not conclude from
this that anyone may abandon all fear of the
Lord when he has abandoned a sinful life. The
wise man continues to dread the great evil of
sin, in order to expiate it the more, and to keep
away from all danger of it. He knows full well
that he is prone to evil; he is, therefore, diffident
of himself; but the more he advances in wisdom
the more he confides in the goodness of God.
And his fear of God is tempered by a firm con-
fidence in his Savior's merits and by a sincere
and consoling trust in God's mercy. The fear of
the Lord is then what it should be: a reverential
fear, by which we subject ourselves to the will
of God and, as a consequence, dread sin, which
He detests and abhors.
Such should be our fear of the Lord. Such
fear leads us to hate and avoid the occasions of
sin; deepens the consciousness of our frailty
without rendering us pusillanimous; reminds us
488 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
of past failures without lessening our hope;
warns us of future dangers without impairing our
spirit of holy enterprise; induces us to guard the
senses, to mortify the flesh, to bridle the imagina-
tion, and to keep the affections of the heart first
and last for God. No; there is no danger of
arousing too much of this salutary fear of the
Lord. On the contrary, there is not enough of it.
Heaven, hell, and purgatory are con-
ditions and not places, are they not? In
that case they may be anywhere and all
around us. In that case couldn't spirits
be seen or heard, or am I right in my
belief that a soul is permitted by God to
return to this earth and appear only for
a specific reason beneficial to the one to
whom that soul appears?
As regards heaven, we may say that it is not
only a state but also a place, the dwelling of
God and the blessed. Some, indeed, are of the
opinion that heaven is everywhere, as God is
everywhere. According to this view the blessed
can move about freely in every part of the uni-
verse and still remain with God and see Him
everywhere. In general, however, theologians
deem it more appropriate that there should be a
special and glorious abode, in which the blessed
have their peculiar home and where they usually
abide, even though they be free to go about in
this world. Hence there seems to be no sufficient
reason for attributing a metaphorical sense to
those numerous utterances of Holy Writ which
suggest a definite dwelling-place of the blessed.
Theologians, therefore, generally hold that the
heaven of the blessed is a special place with
definite limits. Naturally, it is held that this
place exists, not within the earth, but, in ac-
cordance with the expressions of Scripture, with-
out and beyond its limits. All further details as
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 489
regards its location are quite uncertain. The
Church has decided nothing on this subject.
As regards hell, it, too, is not only a state but
also a definite place. Some, indeed, were of the
opinion that hell is everywhere, that the damned
are at liberty to roam about in the entire universe,
but that they carry their punishment with them.
However, that opinion is universally and de-
servedly rejected. As to its locality, Holy Writ
seems to indicate in many passages that hell is
within the earth. Nor need we look upon these
passages as merely metaphors to illustrate the
state of separation from God, of being hidden
away from high heaven above in the dark abysses
of the earth. Hence, some theologians accept
the opinion that hell is really within the
earth. The Church has decided nothing on this
subject ; and so we may say that hell is a definite
place; but where it is we do not know. St.
Chrysostom reminds us: "We must not ask
where hell is, but how we are to escape it."
Relative to purgatory, we can only say that it
is a place or condition of temporal punishment
for those who, departing this life in God's grace,
are not entirely free from venial faults, or have
not fully paid the satisfaction due to their trans-
gressions. Regarding the place we may distin-
guish, according to St. Thomas, and say that
purgatory is one place according to general law,
and thus the location of purgatory is a lower
place joined to hell, so that one and the same is
the fire that torments the damned in hell and
purifies the just in purgatory. But another is
the place of purgatory according to dispensation;
and so sometimes we read of those who are
punished in diverse places, either for the instruc-
tion of the living or for the aid of the dead,
that their punishment being known to the living
it may be mitigated through the suffrages of the
Church.
490 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Of course, a spirit cannot be seen or heard,
unless God permits it to appear upon the earth or
to manifest itself in some way that we cannot
explain.
Where in the Bible does it say that
there is a Purgatory ? As far as we can see
it only speaks of a Heaven or Hell. Please
give us references in the Bible.
Catholics are bound to believe that "there is a
purgatory and that the souls detained therein
are helped by the suffrages of the faithful, but
principally by the acceptable Sacrifice of the
Altar." (Council of Trent, Sess. 25, On Purga-
tory.) This doctrine of the Church is also the
doctrine of Holy Scripture and of Tradition.
You ask for the Scripture texts.
We will mention but two such passages. In
the Second Book of Machabees, Chapter 12,
Verses 43-46, we read: "Judas making a gather-
ing sent twelve thousand drachmas of silver to
Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for sins of
the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning
the resurrection. (For if he had not hoped that
they that were slain should rise again, it would
have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the
dead.) And because he considered that they who
had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace
laid up for them. It is, therefore, a holy and
wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that
they may be loosed from sins."
And St. Paul in the first Epistle to the Corin-
thians, Chapter 3, Verses 14-15, says: "If any
man's work abide, which he has built thereupon,
he shall receive a reward. If any man's work
burn, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be
saved, yet so as by fire."
If a person dies, does that soul see what
goes on on earth? It has been said that if
we pray for a soul, it in turn prays for us.
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 491
How do they know we are praying for them
and who is praying for them?
We answer the last part of your question first.
They know it in God's way and as God lets them
know. And in the same way do the souls in
purgatory know what is going on on earth.
It is of faith that we can help the souls in
purgatory by our prayers and good works and
especially by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass;
and we may piously believe that they can pray
for us, though they can in no way help themselves.
However, of the other life we know few par-
ticulars, so to express it. God finds it well for
us not to know them. We know all we need to
know; and if we live accordingly we shall one
day be blissfully surprised.
Do the poor souls know what the other
members of the family are doing on earth ?
That we do not know. Certainly God may let
them know many things. And some pious
writers give it as their private opinion that the
Guardian Angels of the holy souls have wondrous
ways of knowing what is happening on earth and
of communicating that knowledge to their suffer-
ing charges. One thing is comparatively sure:
the poor souls know when we pray for them and
when, alas! we do not.
Is it right to sprinkle holy water for the
souls in purgatory, morning and night?
Holy water is a sacramental of the Church.
It might be well to recall that a sacramental is
anything set apart or blessed by the Church to
excite good thoughts and to increase devotion,
and through these movements of the heart to
confer grace and to remit venial sin. The priest
blesses holy water with prayers that are strikingly
beautiful and solemn. Its devout use brings
down upon us God's blessings. But especially
49^ QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
does it protect us from the powers of darkness,
the powers of hell — from the devil. No Catholic
family should be without holy water fonts and
holy water. And it should be frequently used.
"I have often found by experience," says St.
Teresa, "that there is nothing from which the
devils fly more quickly and return not again
than from holy water; they fly also from a cross,
but they return again immediately. Certainly,
the power of holy water must be great; for my
part, my soul feels particular comfort in taking
it, and very generally a refreshment and interior
delight which I cannot express and which com-
forts my soul."
Yes; it is a beautiful and commendable practice
to sprinkle holy water for the souls in purgatory.
We sprinkle them with it, as it were; and the
prayers of the Church, ascending to heaven,
draw down blessings upon all who are sprinkled
with holy water. This sacramental may be used,
not only for ourselves, but also with the intention
of procuring blessings for the absent, whether
living or dead. At funerals, for instance, we may
say that the priest sprinkles the soul of the de-
parted with holy water when he blesses the mortal
remains. Use holy water frequently to bless the
home and the things of home and the dwellers
therein; and use it often for the solace of the
souls in purgatory.
We have enlarged upon this matter purposely.
It is sad how, in our days, Catholics are drifting
away from the dear old pious practices which
their ancestors learned from Holy Mother Church
and loved so well.
After the General Judgment there will
be but heaven and hell. How about those
who will be living at the end of the world
and who will not have blotted out the
temporal punishment due to their sins?
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 493
It is certain that there will be no purgatory
after the Last Day. As regards the just who are
living then, St. Thomas tells us there are three
reasons why they will be purified quickly — sud-
denly perhaps. (1) There will be little to be
cleansed from, inasmuch as they will have been
purified by the dreadful terrors and persecutions
that precede the Last Day. (2) The living will
voluntarily endure pains, from the fire that will
then consume the earth, for instance. But pains
voluntarily suffered in this life purify much more
than those inflicted after death. (3) The purging
fire can make up in intensity what it loses in
time.
Do spirits appear on earth after death?
If so, is it God's wish?
Spirits can and sometimes do appear on earth
after death, assuming some form that can be
seen with bodily eyes. If they are good spirits,
as in the apparition of angels and saints., of which
all have often read or heard, or if they are the
souls of the departed in purgatory, of whose
appearance there are numerous well authenticated
instances, it is surely God's wish that they should
appear. He wills their appearance for His own
wise and good purposes.
But if they are evil spirits, fallen angels, for
instance, it would perhaps be better to say that
they appear with God's concurrence and per-
mission. The Church teaches that the evil spirits
are entirely subject to God and can do nothing
unless He permits them. The Church further-
more teaches that the evil spirits can work no
miracles, but because of superior insight and a
certain control over the powers of nature, they
can do things that seem to us wonderful; she
teaches that they cannot, by themselves, produce
any good effects, but habitually practice false-
hood and deception.
494 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Apropos of this, we add that if spirits some-
times actually appear in the spiritistic seances
of Spiritism, despite the fact that most of those
phenomena are trickery and deception, they
are evil spirits. It is quite incredible that God
would permit angels or good spirits to serve for
the sinful amusement of those who practice
things that are so unlawful, childish, unbecoming,
vainly curious, useless, injurious, and all that.
Is it true that when you pray for the
Poor Souls in Purgatory they pray for
you also?
Yes; such is the pious belief of the Catholic
faithful. Though in their sufferings they cannot
help themselves, they can help others, even
though they are in purgatory. They can pray
for others; for they are in the grace of God. In
fact, according to the holy Fathers, that is one
of the greatest joys and consolations of the Poor
Souls in their night of pain; already from
purgatory they can help us and repay us by their
intercession. St. Catherine of Bologna, says:
"When I wish to be sure of getting a favor I have
recourse to these suffering souls, that they may
intercede for me with our common Father; and
usually I feel that I have them to thank for the
answer to my prayer." "0 if we but knew,"
says the sainted Cure of Ars, "the power that
these good souls have over the heart of God and
what graces we can get through their intercession,
we would not so often forget them. We must
pray much for them that they may pray much
for us." This is, indeed, a Christian thought of
olden times, one that is brought home to us even
from the inscriptions in the Roman catacombs.
I never could understand where the soul
of Lazarus was between the time of his
death and his being recalled to life by the
Savior — and the souls of the other dead
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 495
raised to life by Christ and the saints.
Will you please enlighten me?
The life beyond the grave is full of mysteries
which we seek in vain to fathom. In an elegant
poem entitled Phanuel, published some time ago
in The Magnificat, Lazarus is made to say, "I
died." And when asked to state what happened
then, he answers:
"I know not, cannot tell.
But gladly would I give thy longing peace,
And tell thee what thou cravest; but if aught
I saw or heard, beyond the grave, God chose
To blot it out. There's nothing in my memory.
But that I lay upon a couch, o'erwhelmed
With pain. It ceased — and then I found that I
Was standing in a tomb, clad as the dead,
And heard Him calling me. Yet for thy peace,
Take courage, and remember, Phanuel,
He's come from out the tomb these seven days,
As He had said He would. 'Tis not too late
To ask Him. He hath proved Himself the Master
Of death and Lord of the hereafter. So
'Tis not too late to ask Him. For He lives."
In last Sunday's Gospel we heard the
words, "Heaven and earth shall pass away,
but My words shall not pass away."
What does this mean? Will not heaven
always remain?
These solemn words mean that the heaven
which we see, the firmament above us, the uni-
verse, shall pass away with the passing of this
earth, but the words of Christ, the truths of His
pure and holy Gospel, shall be vindicated on the
Last Day and shall be effective forever and
forever. The spiritual heaven is not meant here,
but the heaven which we have in mind when we
say, for instance, "Behold the beautiful heavens
besprinkled with glowing stars!"
496 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
How are the words, "Many are called,
but few are chosen1 ' (Matth. 20:16), to be
understood ? I have read so many different
explanations of them.
This text has been much discussed by exegetes
of all times; and theological discussion is, of
course, here allowed, since these words do not
touch upon an article of faith. The text is given
diverse applications in sermons and spiritual
books, all of them undoubtedly useful. We
select one that is very probable and not too harsh.
"Many are called" to the Gospel and the ob-
servance of God's Commandments, but few are
chosen for extraordinary graces and the ob-
servance of the Evangelical counsels. Or, to
cite another moderate opinion, based on Suarez,
"It is no wonder that of those who are called,
some do not obtain the first place, although they
receive life eternal; since even of those who are
called many are excluded altogether."
This, however, is a salutary text. It has a
magic way of reminding us of the "one thing
necessary," the salvation of the soul. It stimu-
lates us to "work out our salvation with fear and
trembling."
If I were to die a martyr's death, could
I go to heaven with sins on my soul?
Nothing impure shall enter into the Kingdom
of heaven, and the soul that is stained with sin
is impure in the eyes of the all-holy God. Souls
that are in mortal sin at death shall be con-
demned to hell forever. Souls that appear before
the judgment seat of God stained with venial
sins or the remains of sin shall be purified in the
cleansing fires of purgatory before they are ad-
mitted into heaven.
Accordingly, no matter what death you were
to die, you could not enter heaven with sin upon
your soul. Your question is rather odd. To die
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 497
a martyr's death would cleanse your soul as
efficaciously as the Sacrament of Baptism; for
true martyrdom is of no less efficacy than Bap-
tism. To suffer true martyrdom implies perfect
love of God and perfect contrition in a soul;
hence by that very act all sin and punishment due
to it would be blotted out and the soul, being
thus purified, would enter directly into heaven.
Who were created first, man or the
angels ? By man I refer also to the creation
of the world. I have heard it said that
angels were created after man.
It is the common teaching of theologians that
angels were created simultaneously with the
material universe, though even that is uncertain.
However, it would be unreasonable to assume
that an immoderately long interval of time
elapsed between the creation of the angels and
that of the physical universe. The only thing
we know positively is that the angels existed at
the time of Adam, whence it follows that they
were created no later than the sixth "day."
When we die and get to heaven will we
find out why things happened the way
they did on this earth?
We know that the blessed in heaven enjoy the
beatific vision; they behold the divine essence and
the three divine Persons and their essential attri-
butes. But we must also hold that they see and
understand many, many other things, especially
those things which they first believed because of
God's own revelation, and created things in which
divine perfections shine forth more resplendently,
and those things the knowledge of which is of
great interest to these blessed. This is the general
teaching of theologians. It comprises about all
we can say about the knowledge of the blessed
regarding things that happened or are happening
or will happen on earth.
498 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
As it is understood, the nature of the
angels is such that they can have no
passions, angers, jealousies, or strife.
How, then, did it happen that some of
the angels became jealous and their
leader, Lucifer, wished to make himself
like God?
We must, of course, exclude from the angels
the idea of jealousy, anger, etc., as found in
man, with whom these are among the lower
passions. But at the same time we must re-
member St. John Damascene's definition of an
angel as "A rational, intelligent, free nature, with
a mutable will." He adds, "Every being that is
endowed with reason is likewise equipped with
free-will. Consequently, an angel, being a nature
endowed with reason and intelligence, is also
equipped with freedom of choice. Being a crea-
ture, he is mutable, because free either to per-
severe and progress in what is good, or to turn to
the bad." We add, "Unless constituted in the
state of glory; for then his will cannot turn to
what is bad." We must keep in mind the dis-
tinction between "spirit on the way" and "spirit
at the terminus."
The sin of the angels is an article of faith, but
it is one of the hardest problems of theology to
explain it, as Dom Anscar Vonier, 0. S. B., says
in a chapter on angelic sin. Fathers and theolo-
gians quite generally hold that it was a sin of
pride. This one sin exceeds in guilt millions of
sins committed by men. From pride followed
jealousy; and jealousy, with Satan, could only
mean spiritual sorrow and opposition at seeing
beings lower than himself, such as man, exalted
above himself through the grace of God.
A non-Catholic lady asked me if I knew
that the Bible says that illegitimate
children can never enter the kingdom of
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 499
heaven. I told her, 4 'No." Will you please
explain.
This is nowhere stated in the Bible; and if
certain expressions of Holy Writ are so in-
terpreted, the interpretation is wrong; and
Catholics do not admit the private interpreta-
tion of the Scriptures. The Catholic Church is
divinely instituted expounder of the Word of
God.
Sad indeed is the lot of such a child. Though
an innocent victim of nefarious sin, it may suffer
the stigma of ignominy and social ostracism for
life. But if such a child is baptized and dies
before it has reached the use of reason, it will
directly enter the kingdom of heaven, just as
any other baptized child.
The Church is willing to administer to the child,
even as to any other, the holy Sacrament of Bap-
tism, and thereby make it. in spite of the hideous
brand resting upon its birth, a child of God, a
brother or sister of Jesus Christ, a temple of the
Most Holy Trinity, and an heir of heaven. Later
on the Church will gladly give it the benefit of
the other Sacraments, outside the priesthood;
and if a dispensation is warranted, she will not
withhold the priesthood.
In heaven will we know others besides
the members of our own families?
We know little about the joys of heaven.
"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it
entered into the heart of man, what things God
hath prepared for those that love Him." How-
ever, we may say that among all the joys outside
the Beatific Vision there will certainly be none
so sweet as those which arise from our social
intercourse with the blessed — the social joys
of heaven; for we are all social beings by nature.
But those will be the purest and most perfect of
social pleasures. In heaven neither selfishness,
500 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
nor uncharitableness, nor any unruly passion can
exist. There we will have no differences, no short-
comings. We will be loved and liked by all,
even as we will love and like all. We will have
no differences; for all shall be gazing upon In-
finite Truth. And think of the company we will
be in in heaven. There all shall be of exalted
virtue; all of great knowledge; all of rare personal
beauty; all of most cultivated refinements; all of
most perfect, most amiable character. But the
greatest social joy of heaven is the meeting there
of those whom we loved so well here, because they
were bound to us by the sacred ties of kindred, or
of true friendship. As glory does not destroy our
nature, neither does it destroy our natural virtues,
but perfects them. Hence we shall take along our
natural love for our relatives and friends, only
elevated and ennobled in a marvelous way.
It is hard to speak fittingly of heaven. But
suppose you could say with truth here on earth:
"Every one of my acquaintances loves me with
the purest charity; and every stranger who is in-
troduced to me loves me immediately with the
purest affection. I have no enemies; no, not one.
No one is ever envious or jealous of me; no one
ever says an unkind word of me, nor has anyone
even an unkind thought of me. All seem to
take a singular pleasure in speaking well of me,
and in doing me all manner of kind services;
and, in return, I sincerely love all, and take a
singular delight in doing good to all." How
wonderful that would be. Well, that, and in-
finitely more, is the blessedness that awaits us in
heaven.
Will God make clear the mystery of the
Holy Trinity and the other mysteries of
our Faith to the souls that reach heaven?
Here below we see darkly, obscurely. In
heaven we shall see God face to face, as He is.
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 501
We shall be enlightened beyond our fondest ex-
pectations. But the finite creature can never
comprehend the infinite Creator. God alone can
know Himself as He truly is, the Supreme Good,
the Beauty ever ancient and ever new. For all
eternity we shall be inundated with thrills of un-
utterable rapture, as the beauties and splendors
of the Triune God unceasingly reveal themselves
to us. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor
hath it entered into the heart of man."
Will tne just receive their own bodies
at the resurrection on the last day?
The just shall arise with their own bodies;
but those bodies will then be spiritual, immortal,
agile, impassible, lucid. Every defect and im-
perfection will likewise be removed. Theologians
tell us that the just shall arise in the perfection
of manhood or womanhood, according to the
promise that we shall arise as Christ arose.
According to this, infancy and old age shall arise
in the bloom and beauty of life's prime.
But when speaking of heaven, the eternal in-
heritance of the just, we seek in vain to describe
it. St. Paul, who was taken up into the third
heaven, could not express what he saw there.
"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it
entered into the mind of man what things God
hath prepared for them that love Him."
How can I be happy in heaven if I know
that one of my children is in hell?
It is hard for human nature to be convinced
that one can be happy in heaven, though those
near and dear to us are in hell. Let this help
you : When you are in heaven you will see things
as they are; you will have all the gifts of a glori-
ous body enabling you to perceive and under-
stand things with a clearer vision; you will see
things from God's viewpoint. Saturated with
the love of God and devoid of all other attach-
5o2. QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
ment you will love what He loves and disdain
what He disdains.
I have reference to the souls of the just,
who are with God in heaven. Are they
not unhappy because they are without
the body?
These souls have indeed a desire to regain the
gifts of their body. But this does not make
them unhappy, because no bliss is thereby lack-
ing to them; on the contrary, they rejoice in
tasting the desire, from the certainty they feel
of having it fulfilled. We must not think that
the bliss of the body after the resurrection gives
more bliss to the soul; for if this were so it would
follow that, until they have the body they have
imperfect bliss, which cannot be because no per-
fection is lacking to them. So it is not the
body that gives bliss to the soul, but
the soul will give bliss to the body, because
the soul will give of its abundance, and will
reclothe itself on the last day of judgment in the
garments of its own flesh which it had quitted.
For as the soul is made immortal and stayed and
stabilized in God, so the body in that union
becomes immortal, and spiritual, and agile, and
bright.
A missionary in our church recently
mentioned that a good non-Catholic can
be saved just like a good Catholic, pro-
viding he were baptized and performed
his duties according to the dictates of his
church and conscience, in all sincerity,
and if he believed that he had the true
faith (not having been given the gift of
true faith). In that case, would the non-
Catholic, whose life had been an easy one
in comparison with that of the Catholic
duties, experience the same reward in
heaven ? If not, what of the belief that in
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 503
heaven all things are equal and that
there are no differences of any kind?
The belief mentioned in your last sentence is
not Catholic belief. The Catholic belief is that,
though persons in heaven of very inferior virtue
are perfectly happy too, they enjoy a vastly
inferior degree of blessedness than the more
virtuous. All the just are to arise in glory, but
each one in his own degree of perfection. St.
Paul says: "For, one is the glory of the sun,
another the glory of the moon, and another the
glory of the stars. For star differeth from star
in glory. So, also, in the resurrection of the
dead." Here the Apostle of the Gentiles teaches
us, in the plainest manner possible, that among
the saints there is a very great difference in the
degrees of personal beauty, grace, and splendor.
There is as much difference between the beauty
and splendor of the highest and those of the
lowest, as we now see between the dazzling
splendor of the sun and the pale light of the
moon. As the resurrection is a portion of heaven's
rewards, it follows that the more completely we
have mortified our inordinate passions and made
our life conformable to that of Jesus Christ, the
more also of personal beauty and splendor shall
we possess in heaven, and, consequently, the more
of heaven's happiness we shall enjoy. Each one
is happy in the degree and sphere which his life
has deserved for him; but in that degree each
one will and must remain forever.
But, you may ask, will not these different de-
grees cause envy? No; there is no envy in
heaven. If there were envy there, then farewell
to the happiness of heaven! St. Augustine says:
When a tall man and a little boy are both dressed
in a suit of the same precious cloth, each is suited
and fitted to his satisfaction. The little boy is
neither envious nor unhappy because the tall man
has more cloth than he; and he certainly would
504 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
not exchange with him. So also in heaven.
Everyone is there satisfied with his own degree of
glory, because it suits himself and gratifies all the
rational cravings of his nature. Not only are
the lowliest without envy and perfectly satisfied
with their degree of glory, but they even rejoice
at the higher glory of others. For they see that
those who enjoy the highest glory of heaven have
deserved it by the heroic virtues they practiced
while on earth.
Who will occupy in heaven the throne
of the fallen Lucifer?
This question is asked on the supposition that
man was created to take the place vacated by
the fallen angels. This, we deem it well to
mention, is merely a theological opinion. To
discourse upon the probability of this opinion
would lead us too far. Suffice it to state that,
inasmuch as many theologians hold the opinion
that the test to which the angels were put was
the adoration of the God-Man Who was revealed
to them as the Savior of fallen man, and since
this implies that the angels were created before
the creation of man, we may piously say that
man's destiny is to inherit the thrones the angels
lost through pride.
Who, then, shall occupy the throne of Lucifer?
His Eminence, Alexis Cardinal Lepicier, O. S. M.,
author of a large Latin work on St. Joseph and
numerous other excellent books and who for
years held the chair of dogmatic theology in the
college of Propaganda, Rome, answers that ques-
tion in this beautiful way: "But who will that
favored man be who shall merit the throne of
Lucifer, and possess in heaven the primacy over
men and angels? Who but the humble St.
Joseph, the chaste spouse of Mary and foster-
father of Jesus. He it is who, after Mary, came
nearer than any other creature to the well-spring
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 505
of all graces, and who always perfectly corre-
sponded with the graces he had received. Where-
as Lucifer, in his pride, incited his partisans to
disloyalty and rebellion against their God and
Maker, St. Joseph, on the contrary, by his shining
example invites the whole world to follow and
revere Jesus Christ our Lord. He thus deserves
to occupy the throne left vacant by that proud
spirit."
My brother lost a baby boy by death,
fifteen months old. We were always told
that baptized babies were angels when
they died. But now some one tells us
they are not angels, but saints. To settle
the argument — which is right?
The baby boy's soul is in heaven, with the
angels and saints. He is a saint, of course, and
not an angel. Angels are pure spirits, you know,
created without a body. They are spirits without
a material body and therefore different from
man, who is composed of body and soul. They
are beings superior to man, beings approaching
nearer to God's own nature. Men will always
remain men, and angels always angels.
When we say that the departed little one is now
an angel we merely make use of a common figure
of speech. We mean he is now with the angels
and saints of God. On the last day that body will
arise, perfect in every way, and then body and
soul, the complete man, will enjoy eternal bliss
in heaven. We often use that same expression
when denoting great goodness in others; so
nursing Sisters are often called "Angels of
Mercy"; so you yourself sometimes press a child
to your bosom with the exclamation, "Oh, you
little angel!" It is because of the great goodness
or happy state of an angel. Force is lent to the
expression, doubtless, by the fact that the soul,
by nature incorruptible, like the angels, is without
5o6 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
the body after death, and cannot be seen or
heard or felt.
We Catholics believe in the resurrection
of the body. However, in your answer
regarding the body of a babe, as to whether
it became a saint or angel, you mention
that uon the last day the body arises,
perfect in every way, and then body and
soul, the complete man, will enjoy eternal
bliss in heaven." Further on you state
that "the soul, by nature incorruptible
like the angels, is without the body after
death, and cannot be seen or heard or
felt." Isn't that contradictory? Doesn't
the body arise until the last day? And is
it only the soul which suffers in purgatory ?
What of a soul, lost, which immediately
goes to hell?
There is nothing contradictory in the answer
you refer to. After death the soul is without
the body until the last day, when all the dead
shall rise again, when the body and soul of every
man, woman, and child that ever lived shall be
reunited. Body and soul shall then live in bliss
forever in heaven or in misery in hell. After
the last day purgatory will no longer exist.
Hence, it is only the soul which suffers in purgatory.
What we have here said is Catholic teaching.
It is succinctly expressed in the closing words of
the Athanasian Creed: "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. At Whose coming all
men have to arise with their bodies: and they
shall render an account of their own deeds.
And those that have done good shall go into
everlasting life; but those that have done evil,
into everlasting fire. This is Catholic faith:
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 507
unless each one faithfully and firmly believes it,
he cannot be saved."
Do we know whether God has ever
annihilated any souls?
We know with all the infallibility of revelation
that He has not and that He never will. No
soul will ever be annihilated, i. e., absolutely
destroyed, so that it ceases to be. The human
soul is immortal: it shall live forever. It were a
waste of time to enlarge, in these pages, upon the
philosophical and theological proofs of a fact so
manifestly revealed by God and one that is the
very foundation of all religion and all morality.
Can a Christian become possessed by
the devil and, if so, what are the signs?
Let us first give a few definitions. Obsession
is that action of the devil whereby he assails
the body of a man from without, by subjecting
it to various vexations and at the same time
troubles the soul with serious temptations, as we
read in the life of St. Anthony the hermit, for
instance. Possession is that action of the devil
whereby he enters into the body of a man,
dwells in it, and acts in it, using the senses and
the members thereof for the production of un-
usual actions.
The signs of diabolical possession, according to
the Roman Ritual, are "to speak many words in
an unknown tongue or to understand one who so
speaks, to make known things distant and hidden,
to give evidence of powers surpassing one's
natural age or condition, and other such like
things. The more of such things occur, the greater
the signs." But the Ritual wisely admonishes
the exorcist "not easily to believe anyone to be
obsessed by the devil, but to note well those
signs whereby an obsessed person is distinguished
from those who are suffering from atrabile
[melancholy] or from some other sickness."
508 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Yes; we must admit the reality of diabolical
possessions, not only before, but also after the
time of Christ. This is certain.
In the Gospels mention is often made of pos-
sessed persons, as distinguished from the sick.
(Read Matt. 4:24; 8:16.) Christ addressed the
devils, reproved them, commanded them to go
out. (Mark 1:34; 9:24; Luke 8:30.) He gave
the Apostles power to cast out devils, as distinct
from the curing of diseases. (Matt. 10:1; Mark
16:17.)
We know from tradition, the innumerable testi-
monies of the Fathers, that there were numerous
cases of diabolical possession in the first centuries
and that Christians had the power of driving out
the unclean spirits. All of which is confirmed by
the practice of the Church, which has instituted a
special order, that of the Exorcist, and has special
prayers in the Ritual for freeing the possessed
from the devil. History, too, records many cases
of possession of which one cannot well doubt.
And there are cases of possession today.
Even reason shows the possibility of possession
by the devil, since the devil exists. Inasmuch as
the devil, a fallen angel, possesses great sagacity
and power, he can certainly bring about far more
stupendous phenomena than those who practice
hypnotism, for instance. But we know that
hypnotists can have the hypnotized so thoroughly
in their power that they are able to direct their
physical and psychical powers at will, even
contrary to their inclinations. All the more so,
then, can this be done by the devil.
You may ask why God permits this. — for it
can be done only with the permission of God.
St. Bonaventure answers: "God permits it,
either for the manifestation of His glory (John
9:3), or in punishment of sin, or for the correction
of the sinner (lCor. 5:3), or for our instruction."
(We suggest that you take your Bible — there
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 509
should be one in every household — and read the
various passages indicated above.)
It is really a terrible thing; and we shudder at
the thought of those who freely give themselves
to the devil by mortal sin. Let us make diligent
use of the usual means of keeping the devils away :
the cleansing of conscience by sacramental con-
fession; the frequent reception of Holy Com-
munion; the pious use of the sacramentals,
especially of holy water. Exorcism itself is to be
used with the utmost caution and only with the
special permission of the Bishop, when it is pub-
licly and solemnly performed.
Are there bad spirits on earth? Who
are they?
Yes; there are. They are Lucifer and the
fallen angels, the devils. As faith teaches us,
countless angels sinned and were cast into hell.
Many roam about the world seeking the destruc-
tion of souls. God, in His inscrutable providence,
permits them the use of certain powers, though,
we must remember, He never suffers us to be
tempted above that which we are able. The
invisible world is more real, if possible, even than
the visible world. It were well to remember this
and keep clear of the infernal powers.
How is it consistent with God's infinite
goodness and mercy to let so many men
(the greater part, it is alleged) perish for-
ever in hell?
You believe all that Holy Church believes and
teaches. And the Catholic Church teaches that
God in no way wills sin. Human ignorance
cannot explain the complete working out of the
divine plan. We are here face to face with what
we must call, in the last analysis, the mystery
of the existence of moral evil, — evil, however,
that is in no way referable to God. The pages
of Holy Writ abound in passages that show how
5io QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
God detests sin; how He wills the salvation of
all men; how great is His infinite goodness and
love. And if you wish further proof, go to the
cross, go to the tabernacle.
Does God cease to be infinitely good because
the creatures He endowed with free will in order
that they might merit heaven and to all of whom
He gives grace sufficient for salvation abuse their
free will and reject the proffered grace? No one
is obliged to sin. He who freely chooses evil and
its consequences hereafter, can he rightly blame
God?
But why, then, did God make us free? We
grant that He could have created a world free
from evil, but, as a matter of fact, He has not
done so; and no one can say that He was bound
to do so.
As regards the suggestive parenthesis in your
question, we wish to point out that there are
theologians who maintain that the great majority
of mankind will be saved. And others maintain
that the great majority of adult Catholics, perhaps
nearly all of them, will be saved. To this opinion
the gentle Father Faber strongly adhered. We
know, too, that the number of the elect is in itself
great. St. John saw "a great multitude which
no man could number" (Apoc. 7:9). We know
that God is almighty, "whereby He is able to
save for ever and ever" (Heb. 7:25). We know
that He is infinitely just, "wherefore He can
condemn no one without guilt," as St. Augustine
says.
What is most important, however, is for us to
bear well in mind that "the kingdom of heaven
suffereth violence and the violent bear it away"
(Matt. 11:12).
Why do Catholics believe in eternal
punishment in hell ?
Catholics believe in eternal punishment in
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 511
hell because such is the infallible teaching of the
Holy Catholic Church. It is the teaching of the
Church that all who die at enmity with God,
that is, with mortal sin, unrepented and un-
forgiven, upon the soul, are going to hell. The
meek and forgiving Jesus proclaimed this doc-
trine in His Gospels no less than fifteen times;
as in the words, "Depart from Me, you cursed,
into everlasting fire, which was prepared for the
devil and his angels."
I cannot conceive of a God of love and
mercy torturing His children in hell. Why
do you tell us these things? Maybe they
are so; but why frighten us by telling us
these things?
The Catholic dogma teaches that there is a
hell, or state of eternal punishment. Thus we
read in the Athanasian Creed: "And they that
have done good shall go into life everlasting,
and they that have done evil, into everlasting
fire." The proof of this doctrine is found in the
clear texts of Holy Writ and in the constant
witness of the Church of God from the beginning.
Without any knowledge of Christian principles,
it would seem at first sight that infinite goodness
and mercy are incompatible with eternal punish-
ment. Though it is true that after all explana-
tions the element of mystery must remain when
finite man considers the infinite counsels of God,
still reason likewise has an answer.
You say that you "cannot conceive," etc. Can
you, then, conceive how a just God, Who is the
Lawgiver and the Lord of men, can give His
kingdom to one guilty, for instance, of unrepented
murder, adultery, seduction, or drunkenness?
Can you conceive of a just God Who can give
eternal happiness to one who all his life long has
despised and set at naught His mercy and who
has died obstinate in evil? You are forgetting
5ii QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
that God is not only infinitely lovable and merci-
ful but also infinitely just.
Man, you must remember, is not a mere auto-
maton, nor a mere animal of sense and instinct,
nor an independent, self -ruling being, but a crea-
ture created after God's image and likeness, with
intellect to know the good and free will to choose
it; and with sufficient grace always to know
God's revelation and to do God's will. If such a
being deliberately refuses these gifts and graces,
refusing to acknowledge his dependence on God
his Creator and Lawgiver, freely choosing mere
creatures in place of his God, and dies insolently
refusing to fulfill his destiny — what else can God
do to this adorer of self than to leave him to his
choice for all eternity? It is easy to see how
utterly out of place the unrepentent sinner would
be in heaven. A son has rebelled against a father;
a friend has turned traitor against a friend; a
creature has proved false to a Creator; and yet,
forsooth, Jesus Christ, the God of all justice,
must say to the rebel creature that still hates
Him: "Come, you blessed of My Father, pos-
sess you the kingdom!" This is only thoughtless
sentimentality, which, having altogether lost the
conviction of the malice of sin, refuses to see
God's justice in punishing the sinner.
"Very well," you say, "it is true; but why
frighten us by telling us these things?" We need
that terrible sanction. "Put heaven ahead of a
man and hell behind him," someone has said, "and
you can get him to do anything to avoid the one
and obtain the other." True, the fear of hell is
not the highest motive on which to base our
moral life; the highest motive is service of God
out of pure love for Himself alone. But all men
are not saints, nor are all striving after perfection.
Hence the motive of fear is not to be despised
or called low and unworthy. "The fear of the
Lord is the beginning of wisdom," says Holy
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 513
Writ. (Prov. 9:10.) So in the Old Law God
continually appeals to this motive. And the
Savior is equally explicit. "Rather fear Him
Who can destroy both soul and body in hell,"
He says. fMatt. 10:28.)
In this life men value the motive of fear very
highly, as is evident from the punishments in
every law code of the world. There are only too
many who are law-abiding only because they
fear the punishments resulting from the violation
of the law. It is a simple matter of reason to
apply this motive to the moral order.
What do souls suffer for in purgatory?
If your question means on what account do they
suffer, we reply that they suffer either for venial
sins that are not repented nor forgiven before
death, or for sins whose guilt was forgiven in
this life but whose punishment, if any is still
due, must be completed after death. If it means
why do they suffer, the answer is that they suffer
in order to make atonement to God and to remake
their souls. We cannot imagine a soul that
defies its Maker basking unrebuked in His love —
reason rebels against the thought. There must
be a penalty, punishment. — the offence must in
some way be paid for. Reason tells us that.
A reasonable boy who is punished for a fault by
his father takes the punishment understandingly,
even though it is hard; and one who knows that
he ought to be punished and is not instinctively
feels that something is not in order, since right
is not being done and wrong is being let go free.
Suffering remakes our souls, heals them. Let
us say that in this life it brings back the bodily
appetites, overgrown and unhealthy, to their
natural limits, restores the soul's control over the
body, and frees the soul from wrong habits and
desires; and through suffering, willingly endured,
we can have our purgatory, or a part of it, in this
514 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
life. If at the hour of death the soul is not pure
enough to enter heaven at once, it will burn out
all unworthiness by suffering willingly in pur-
gatory. Willingly, we say; for in purgatory the
soul realizes what is due to God and desires
wholly to repair the wrong done to Him. In
its great love it longs to suffer in order to be clean,
in order to reach God, in order to make amends
to Love. This willing love is beautifully expressed
in Newman's "The Dream of Gerontius" in which
the soul "with the intemperate energy of love,
flies to the feet of the Emmanuel," but, realizing
its unworthiness, speaks thus to the Guardian
Angel :
"Take me away, and in the lowest deep
There let me be,
And there in hope the lone night-watches keep,
Told out for me.
There, motionless and happy in my pain,
Lone, not forlorn, —
There will I sing my sad perpetual strain,
Until the morn.
There will I sing, and soothe my stricken breast.
Which ne'er can cease
To throb, and pine, and languish, till possest
Of its Sole Peace.
There will I sing my absent Lord and Love: —
Take me away,
That sooner I may rise, and go above,
And see Him in the truth of everlasting day "
Is not the Sacred Heart in the highest
place in heaven in which It can be?
The dogmatic truth of the Catholic Church
teaches that Jesus Christ is God Incarnate and
that by the union of the human nature with the
divine in the one Person Christ, Who is Man, is
adorable as being divine. It further teaches
that He is our Savior and worthy of all our love
and gratitude. Hence arises devotion to Our
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 515
Lord; and under whatever name it is called it is
essentially the same and directed to the same
Person.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart is that worship
in which we honor the Person of Jesus Christ with
that same worship due to God alone, since He
is God and adorable in all that is united to His
Person — especially so in the noblest part of His
sacred humanity, His Heart, the natural seat of
all His virtues and the symbol and emblem of
His love. In other words, it is an intense ap-
preciation of the human nature of Him Who is
God, recognizing that the love of any part of
Christ is the love of the God-Man Himself. This
devotion to the Sacred Heart rests on the funda-
mental dogma of all Christianity, the Incarnation
of the Son of God, that manifestation of divine
love which rightly, fittingly and justly calls for
a return from the hearts of men.
The Sacred Heart is inseparably united with
the adorable humanity of Christ. Christ ascended
into heaven and "sitteth at the right hand of
God the Father almighty," as we say in the
Apostles' Creed. By this we mean that Christ as
God is equal to the Father in all things, being
the same God as He is, and that as man He is in
the highest place in heaven next to God; for
God, as St. Paul says (Eph. 1:20, 21), raised up
Christ from the dead and set Him at his right
hand in the highest heaven, above all celestial
spirits and above all that exists on earth or in
heaven.
Hence the Heart of Jesus, inseparably united
with His sacred humanity, is in the highest place
in heaven in which It can be.
Does a person who receives Extreme
Unction before death go straight to
heaven?
Yes; if he receives it with the proper dis-
5i6 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
positions. As confession is designed by God to
save souls from hell, so Extreme Unction is de-
signed by Him to enable them to escape purga-
tory. But let us take a concrete case. A man is
seriously sick. The priest is called. He finds
him sincere, well-disposed, and able to make a
good confession. He tells his sins and then
finishes with an act of imperfect contrition
directed to all his sins, mortal as well as venial.
He then receives absolution. So the guilt of his
sins has been removed. Extreme Unction is
then administered, not to remove the guilt of the
sins, for they have already been forgiven, but to
remove the remains of the sins of his whole life,
in other words, to blot out the full debt of tem-
poral punishment due to his sins. Thus Extreme
Unction removes the only obstacle between his
soul and heaven. That is what we mean by
saying that, administered in time to one properly
disposed, Extreme Unction prepares the sick
person for immediate entrance into heaven.
(Vide Noldin, Vol. Ill, 430 [d], 1925.)
Hence, though it is never too late to call the
priest and Extreme Unction can be given even
to the unconscious, it is not difficult to see the
great advantages of having this Sacrament ad-
ministered in time. No wonder, than, that
Canon Law says: "Great care and solicitude
must be used to have the sick persons receive
Extreme Unction while they are fully conscious. "
But how sick must one be in order to receive
this sacrament? "The degree of the danger of
death," says Father Woywod, O. F. M., in his
Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, "is an
element which is incapable of precise definition.
It is, however, certain that the danger need not
be imminent, nor the malady so serious that
there is little or no hope of recovery. The
ancient practice of the Church teaches that any
ailment which may be fatal to the patient is
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 517
sufficient ground for administering Extreme
Unction, and one need not wait until the sick-
ness takes a fatal turn. In several rituals of the
ninth and following centuries we read that the
sick person should stand or kneel, or recite the
Our Father and answer the questions addressed
to him, all of which supposes that the sick person
was not so close to death."
By all means, let us get rid of the silly notion
that when the priest comes to administer Extreme
Unction it is a sign to make arrangements for
the funeral. And the best way to get this non-
sensical, superstitious, ignorant notion out of
people's (and sick persons') heads is to call the
priest as soon as there is a serious sickness, thus
making Extreme Unction what it really is, the
Sacrament of the sick, not the Sacrament of the
dying. "Is anyone sick among you? Let him
call in the priest."
Moreover, one of the effects of Extreme Unction
is to restore the body to health, if God sees fit.
Also, this effect can be more readily expected if
the priest is called before the disease has made
notable progress. Many, even non-Catholic,
physicians have the laudable custom of sum-
moning the priest at once when a Catholic patient
is dangerously ill; and their experience is that
then the largest percentage of cases get well
after Extreme Unction.
Are the damned in hell with the devils?
It is an article of Catholic faith that the demons
and men who die in the state of mortal sin are
punished with eternal pains. In the Athanasian
Creed it is said: "Those who have done good
shall go into life everlasting; but those who have
done evil, into eternal fire." And the Fourth
Lateran Council expressly teaches "... those
receive eternal punishment with the devil."
Our Lord will say: "Depart from Me, you cursed
5i8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
into everlasting fire, which was prepared for the
devil and his angels." The best thing to ask
about hell, by the way, is not where it is, what it
is, who is there, etc., etc., but "How can I escape
it?" Let us at least have the spirit of the saints,
who were always intent upon expiating their
sins by the most severe penances.
Could you give me, briefly, the Church's
teaching on the devil and diabolical
possession?
The Catholic Church expressly teaches the
existence of the devil and of evil spirits. They
are personal beings, spirits without a body. They
were created by God as good angels, in the state
of sanctifying grace, and were destined for ex-
alted glory in heaven. But God, Who does not
crown anyone "except he strive lawfully" (2
Tim. 2:5), subjected all the angels to a test, that
they might merit the reward of everlasting happi-
ness. However, many angels failed in that test.
They wished to be like God; and through their
pride they lost the Holy Ghost and sanctifying
grace. Their sin was open rebellion against God,
a formal break between the creature and the
Creator. That sin was committed with the full
light of angelic intelligence, with all the vigor
of angelic free will, and with the intention of
irrevocable adhesion to their deliberate revolt;
and this made it a sin of purest malice, one that
could not be excused on the plea of ignorance or
weakness. That is why they were forthwith
rejected by God, without being given any op-
portunity for penance. Their whole spirit-life
was utterly corrupted by the darkening of their
understanding and the hardening of their will.
To this was added the loss of heavenly bliss and
their damnation to eternal hell-fire. As the
Apostle St. Peter writes: "God spared not the
angels that sinned, but delivered them, drawn
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 519
down by infernal ropes to the lower hell, unto
torments, to be reserved unto judgment" (2
Peter 2:4).
The evil spirits are our enemies. They envy
us: for, according to the teaching of St. Thomas,
we are destined to take their places in the realms
of everlasting bliss. And since they can do
nothing against God Himself, they try to lure
us into temptation and sin and thus separate us
from God for time and eternity.
They began this nefarious work with our first
parents and succeeded in leading them into the
sin of disobedience to God. Through this sin
Adam and Eve and all their descendants, with
the sole exception of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
fell into the power and servitude of the devil,
until the Divine Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, came into the world and by His Incarnation
and His death upon the cross destroyed the works
of Satan, broke his power, and freed fallen man-
kind from the chains of his slavery. So now it is
possible for man, with the grace of God, to over-
come all the temptations of the devil and to attain
everlasting happiness.
Belief in the existence of devils is as old and
as widespread as the human race itself. Even
the pagans believed in the existence of evil spirits,
though they distorted this truth inasmuch as
they generally paid them divine honors, out of
fear. In the Bible history of the Old Testament
we find very frequent mention made of the spirits
of hell, their fatal influence upon man is pointed
out, and their wickedness branded. And here,
first of all, one naturally thinks of the history of
the patient Job and the terrible afflictions that
Satan heaped upon him with the permission of
God.
At the time of Christ the faith of the Jewish
people in the existence of the devil and his perni-
cious doings was universal. Jesus Christ and His
5io QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Apostles confirmed this faith by word and deed.
They gave instructions as to how to resist the
temptations of the evil spirits; and they drove
the devils out of persons who were possessed.
The Catholic Church, the ground and pillar
of truth, acts likewise. She requires of all Catho-
lics belief in the existence of these fallen angels.
For their protection she gives to the faithful
special weapons: the sign of the cross, holy
water, and other sacramentals. She prescribes
exorcisms to be pronounced over the possessed
and gives her priests the authority to crush the
power of the evil spirits and to drive them out
of the bodies of possessed persons.
For reasons unknown to us, God sometimes
permits the evil spirits to injure or to plague man
by troublesome or painful interference in his
external activities or to inflict damage upon him
in his temporal goods. This is called obsession.
We read of such obsession in the lives of Holy
Job, St. Anthony the Hermit, St. Theresa, St.
John Baptist Vianney of Ars, Mary of Moerl,
Crescentia of Kaufbeuren, etc. Occasionally it
even happens that God permits the devil to enter
the body of a man, to unite himself with it, and
to exercise a tyrannical power over its senses,
limbs, and organs. Because of this mysterious
indwelling and this tyrannical power the devil
is then able to use the senses of a man for his
own ends and to confuse the spiritual actions of
the soul, so that he can bring about the most
unusual and marvelous manifestations in the
individual. This is called possession, as dis-
tinguished from obsession, mentioned just above.
Signs of true possession are the following:
1. A knowledge of foreign languages that the
possessed had never learnt.
2. Scientific insight into matters — striking
facility in the discussion of scientific and learned
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 511
questions — in the case of those not otherwise
scientifically trained.
3. The knowledge of distant and mysterious
things. The reading of the thoughts of others.
4. Manifestations of physical strength that are
far beyond all human and natural powers.
5. The deadening of certain organs (blindness,
deafness, or dumbness).
We know from Holy Writ and from Church
History that possession was very frequent in
former times. Many and many a time did the
Savior deliver men from their evil spirits. "And
He cast out many devils, and He suffered them
not to speak" (Mark 1:34). — "And devils went
out from many, crying and saying: Thou art
the Son of God" (Luke 4:41). Well known also
is the history of the two possessed of Gerasa
(see Luke 8:27 sqq.) and of the possessed man
at the foot of Mt. Thabor (see Matthew 9:32, 33).
The Divine Master gave to the Apostles the power
also to cast out devils (Matth. 10:1). The Church
in unison with the apostolic Fathers and her
Doctors of all times, has retained her faith in
her power over the possessed. This we can see
from the Church's exorcisms, solemn commands
to the devil, given in the holy names of Jesus
and Mary, that he depart from the possessed or
refrain from all attacks upon man. The Church
has instituted a special order of clerks, ordo
exorcistatus, or exorcists, to practice the exorcism
on those most pitiable of mortals — the possessed.
Since the death of Christ upon the cross cases
of possession occur comparatively seldom in
Christian lands, but are still rather frequent
among the heathens, as the missionaries tell us.
But though rarely, it does occasionally happen
that God permits the infernal enemy to take
possession of the body of an individual and do
his disorderly work therein.
5ii QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
It is said that one who dies wearing the
Scapular will not go to hell. Does this
hold also if I put one on a sinful man
shortly before he dies?
The Blessed Virgin appeared to St. Simon
Stock, the sixth General of the Carmelites, in
1251, at Cambridge, England, and said: "Who-
soever shall die clothed in this Habit shall not
suffer the eternal fires." Thus was the great
promise concerning the Scapular given.
At first sight this promise is unconditional;
but theologians hold that it must not be in-
terpreted too unconditionally. This is a revela-
tion promising a special favor: and we may
believe that all such promises are conditional.
Speaking of this revelation, Benedict XIV says:
"She does not say that those who have worn the
Scapular will be preserved from eternal fire by
this means alone, without having done anything
else. Good works and perseverance in well-
doing are necessary to eternal salvation" (De
festis, Part II, No. 96).
It is true that very great graces are attached
to the wearing of the Scapular, and that we
thereby create a kind of right to the special
protection of the Queen of Heaven. But it is
clear that if anyone were to reject the aids of re-
ligion on his deathbed he would not merit this
protection and, were he to die in mortal sin,
would be lost. It would be the same, and another
case of strange presumption, if a man relied
upon this promise in order to plunge more com-
pletely into vice. The mere wearing of the
Scapular is not sufficient; co-operation is taken
for granted. Pope Benedict XIV points out, with
Cardinal Bellarmine (now St. Robert Bellarmine,
Doctor of the Church), that Holy Scripture some-
times promises salvation in connection with
practices that cannot suffice by themselves, such
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 52.3.
as faith, hope, almsgiving, Holy Communion.
Other conditions are presupposed.
Shall we see the Triune God, the Blessed
Trinity, after death, in heaven, or only
God the Son?
In heaven we shall indeed see the Blessed
Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost;
and we shall see the Sacred Humanity of Christ.
The essential happiness of heaven consists in the
sight of God, in the beatific vision, and in the
enjoyment of His beauty Who is the source and
principle of all goodness and perfection. The
Savior says: "This is eternal life: that they
may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, Whom Thou has sent" (John 17:3).
And St. John seems to explain these words when
he says: "Dearly beloved, we are now the sons
of God; and it hath not yet appeared what we
shall be. We know that when He will appear,
we shall be like to Him: because we shall see Him
as He is" (1 John 3:2). Yes; we shall behold
God as He is, in His own nature and substance.
All the other joys of heaven, unspeakably great
though they be, are secondary to this.
There have been holy men and saints
who foretold the end of the world, to come
even during their generation, and the end
has not come yet. Were those false
prophets ?
No; they were not necessarily false prophets.
Their revelations, predictions, prophecies, what-
ever you wish to call them, may have been con-
ditional. In fact, we may believe that all such pro-
phecies of punishments to come are conditional.
Jonas, when preaching the destruction of Ninive
after forty days, was persuaded that it would
be destroyed even if the inhabitants repented. But
God had decided otherwise. Repentant Ninive
was spared. And Jonas "was exceedingly-
5M QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
troubled and was angry" (Jonas 4:1). Jonas
was not a false prophet. His prophecy was con-
ditional, though he did not know it himself and
was accordingly angry when he thought his repu-
tation as a prophet was lost.
We have a still more striking proof of this in
St. Vincent Ferrer. He spent the last twenty-
one years of his life (1398-1419) announcing that
the Last Judgment was at hand, in the everyday
sense of the word. He had learnt this by a very
clear vision, the truth of which he proved by
more than three thousand miracles. And at
Salamanca (in 1412) he brought to life for the
space of fifteen minutes a woman who was being
carried to the cemetery, and who confirmed his
predictions. And yet this prophecy has not yet
been fulfilled. Why? Because it was conditional.
The time of the great Western Schism truly
merited the end of the world as a chastisement.
But this misfortune was averted by the wholesale
conversions wrought throughout Europe among
Catholics, heretics, Jews, and Moslems by the
saint's threats and miracles. As Fr. Fages, O. P.,
says in his life of the saint: "The preaching of
Jonas saved Ninive, that of Vincent Ferrer saved
the world."
Have those who are in heaven any
knowledge of us who are on earth?
They have. All doubt about this matter is
dispelled by quotations like the following from
Holy Writ. A few moments' reflection will con-
vince you of this. 1. The Archangel Raphael
said to Tobias: "When thou didst pray with
tears, and didst bury the dead, and didst leave thy
dinner, and didst hide the dead by day in thy
house, and bury them by night, I offered thy
prayer to the Lord." (Tobias 12:12.) 2. In the
Prophecy of Zacharias we read: "And the
angel of the Lord answered, and said: *0 Lord
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 515
of hosts, how long wilt Thou not have mercy on
Jerusalem, and on the cities of Juda, with which
Thou hast been angry? this is now the seven-
tieth year'." (Zach. 1:12.) 3. Again, we are
told how Jeremias, about five centuries after his
death, was interested in the welfare of Israel:
"Now the vision was in this manner: Onias who
had been high priest, a good and virtuous man,
modest in his looks, gentle in his manners, and
graceful in his speech, and who from a child was
exercised in virtues, holding up his hands, prayed
for all the people of the Jews. And after this
there appeared also another man, admirable for
age, and glory, and environed with great beauty
and majesty. Then Onias answering said:
'This is a lover of his brethren, and of the people
of Israel: this is he that prayeth much for the
people, and for all the holy city, Jeremias the
prophet of God.' Whereupon Jeremias stretched
forth his right hand, and gave to Judas a sword of
gold, saying: 'Take this holy sword a gift from
God, wherewith thou shalt overthrow the ad-
versaries of my people Israel'." (2 Mach.
15:12-16.)
Why does God permit innocent persons
to be possessed by the devil?
As regards demoniacal possession, the Church
teaches (1) that it is possible, (2) that it can be
reconciled with divine wisdom and providence,
(3) that it took place before the coming of Christ,
and (4) that it still takes place now after the time
of Christ.
In answer to your question it is sufficient to
state that God's permission that a person be
possessed by the devil is not contrary to divine
providence. We know that when God permits
diseases, temptations, illusions, persecutions, se-
ductions, even sins, etc., it is not repugnant to
divine providence, which knows how to draw
5i6 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
good out of evil; and we know that the things
just enumerated can injure bodies and souls
more than possession and that, as Holy Scripture
testifies, they are often brought about by the
devil. Since those things are not adverse to the
providence of God, so neither is the permission
of demoniacal possession, which is not a sin and
often scarcely differs from certain diseases. And,
as regards innocent persons, we may recall how
often, for instance, innocent children are born
blind or are crippled for life without any fault of
their own or of others. Whenever we reflect
upon the mystery of evil we must also bear in
mind original sin and its sad consequences to the
human race.
St. Bonaventure gives the following reasons
why God permits diabolical possession: "The
Lord permits this either for the manifestation
of His glory (cf. John 9:3), or as a punishment
for sin or for the correction of the sinner (cf.
1 Cor. 5:3 ss.), or for our instruction. But for
which of these causes it is particularly permitted
is concealed from human discernment, inasmuch
as the judgments of God are hidden; but this
much is nevertheless clear: they are not unjust,
and therefore such things are not permitted
without cause."
We must, of course, be very slow in thinking
that any certain person is possessed by the devil,
and reasonable incredulity about specified cases
is a good Catholic characteristic. At the same
time, however, we must not be led astray by the
ridicule of a materialistic world. In this matter
Holy Church takes us by the hand, as it were,
and constantly reminds us of the existence of the
devil and of his efforts to do us harm. Every day
of the year, with but few exceptions, she has her
priests read, in the Compline of the Divine
Office: "Brethren: be sober and watch : because
your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 517
goeth about seeking whom he may devour. Whom
resist ye, strong in faith." (1 Peter 5:8, 9.) And
the Church directs that every day, after Low
Mass, priest and people say also the following
prayer, of which there are various versions:
"St. Michael, Archangel, defend us when we are
attacked; against the crafty and corrupting de-
vices of the devil be thou our safeguard. That
God may restrain him we humbly pray; and do
thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by thy
God-given power, force back into hell Satan and
all the other spirits of evil who are now over-
running the world, seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen."
Catholics would do well often to recall what
a great virtue it is to think with the Church —
sentire cum Ecclesia.
Why does the Church so often fill one
with fear of God's punishments, for
instance, of purgatory, of hell and eternal
damnation? Is not our religion a religion
of love and is not God all-good?
Yes; God is all-good. To quote Tertullian:
"God is always good in Himself; it is we alone
who compel Him to make use of the severity of
His justice." But, of course, nothing is more
false than Jansenism, that heresy which exploits
the fear of God; it dries up and desolates the
soul, frightens people away from the Sacraments,
and leads them at last, says St. Vincent de Paul,
"to deny a God Who would be no longer the
good God" Exaggerated language about the small
number of the elect and the exercise of God's
justice is a fatal error that must be avoided. This
earth of ours did not drink in the Blood of Christ,
and is not watered every day by the saving
virtue of that Blood, in order that He may only
reap a miserable harvest, which shall be as "the
shaking of the olive-tree, two or three berries
5x8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
on the top of a bough, or four or five upon the
top of the tree" (Isa. 17:6). The Church does
not forbid us to believe that besides "the elect" —
who represent special vocations, eminent gifts,
heroic sanctity, and those "sealed ones" of each
tribe — there will still be room for "that great
multitude which no man can number" (Apoc.
7:9), of which St. John speaks, and which will
include the remainder of the redeemed and saved
souls. They also are saints; but having come
late the distribution of divine gifts, or having
only been "faithful in a few things," they are
destined to occupy a lower place in those
"many mansions" in the kingdom of our heavenly
Father. We must not exaggerate in the question
of the number of the saved and the lost, lest, as
St. Cyril says, "we disfigure the sweet Face of
the Gospel."
"Nevertheless," says St. Ignatius, "we ought
to value highly a right fear of the Divine Majesty.
Even servile fear, when a man is unable to raise
himself to anything better or more useful, helps
him very much in his attempt to give up mortal sin;
and when this is accomplished, he easily goes on
to filial fear." And, as "The Imitation" says:
"It is good, however, if love as yet reclaim thee
not from evil, that at least the fear of hell do
check thee." "There are days," says St. Teresa,
"when even those who have given their whole
will to God — in order to escape the peril of of-
fending Him — ought to make a fortress for them-
selves of the great truths of Faith, considering
that all created things come to an end, and that
there is a hell." Again, "Charity," says Bossuet,
"is better nourished and grows more rapidly
when guarded by holy fear." And St. Hilary
assures us that "true fear of God leads to love."
We must not be afraid of God. Filial fear
means to love God as a Father and obey Him
because we love Him. "The fear of the Lord is
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 52.9
the beginning of wisdom," Holy Writ tells us;
but the perfect flower of wisdom, "the fulfilling
of the law, is love." If we have this loving fear,
we are responding to the intentions of our good
God and we may rest secure on the bosom of
the Master always merciful, always gentle,
always loving.
Are the souls in purgatory purified by
real fire or is this only a figure of speech?
The Church, which teaches that the fire of
hell is really fire, has not said the same of
purgatory. St. Catherine of Genoa, whose
teaching was examined and approved before she
was canonized, says: "This sense of the grievous-
ness of being kept from beholding the Divine
Light, coupled with that instinctive longing which
would fain be without hindrance to follow the
enticing look of God — these things, I say, make
up the pains of the souls in purgatory."
The definitive teaching of the Church with
reference to purgatory is very limited. The
Council of Trent decreed: "Whereas the Catholic
Church, instructed by the Holy Ghost, has from
the Sacred Scriptures and the ancient tradition
of the Fathers taught in Councils and very
recently in this Ecumenical Synod that there is
a purgatory and that the souls therein are
helped by the suffrages of the faithful, but
principally by the acceptable Sacrifice of the
altar; the Holy Synod enjoins on the Bishops
that they diligently endeavor to have the sound
doctrine of the Fathers in councils regarding
purgatory everywhere taught and preached, held
and believed by the faithful."
Points of sound doctrine are the following:
1. It is absolutely certain that the souls in pur-
gatory are sure of their salvation and can no
longer sin. They "rest in Christ" and "sleep in
the sleep of peace." 2. It is likewise certain that
530 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
they suffer the pain of loss, temporary depriva-
tion of the Beatific Vision, the sight of God, and
that this pain is very great. 3. It is the common
teaching that they likewise suffer the pain of
sense and it is the more common opinion in the
Latin Church that they suffer by fire. 4. As
regards the gravity of the pain, nothing certain
is known. Theologians differ. St. Thomas
Aquinas, after pointing out that Scripture re-
veals nothing on this question and that no
decisive argument can be brought forward to
settle it, considers it more probable and more
in accordance with private revelations to hold
that, as a rule, souls suffer their purgation in
the fire of hell itself. And he applies the illus-
tration of St. Augustine's, "In one fire, gold
glows and straw smokes," to show how the fire
which endlessly torments the devils can purify a
soul that dies in the charity of God. St. Thomas
thinks that the least pain of purgatory is greater
than the greatest of this life: while St. Bona-
venture thinks that the greatest, but not the
least, pain of purgatory is more bitter than the
pains of this life. But all theologians hold that
the suffering souls bear these pains patiently, in
great resignation and hope, and that this hope
affords them immense joy. 5. There is likewise
nothing certain as regards the duration of the
pains. But all Fathers and theologians are
unanimous in teaching that purgatory will not
endure beyond the last day. Those who live
at the end of the world will be quickly cleansed
of their light stains by means known to God.
6. The suffering souls are also helped by the
prayers of the saints in heaven, as can be seen
by the prayers of the Church, for example:
"That they may come to share eternal bliss
through the intercession of the Blessed Mary
ever Virgin and of all the saints."
That, briefly, is about all we know of purgatory.
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 531
It remains to help the holy souls by prayers,
Masses, good works, indulgences. "It is a holy
and wholesome thought to pray for the dead."
They will fervently pray for us after their re-
lease and, very probably, also while still in pur-
gatory.
What is the Heroic Act? May I pray
for others if I make it?
The Heroic Act is explained in the following
decree of the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences
dated Dec. 18, 1885, and confirmed the following
day by Leo XIII: "The Heroic Act of Charity
in favor of the souls detained in purgatory con-
sists in this, that a member of the Church militant,
either using a set formula or simply by an act of
his will, offers to God for the souls in purgatory
all the satisfactory works which he will perform
during his lifetime, and also all the suffrages
which may accrue to him after his death. Many
Christians devoted to the B. V. Mary, acting on
the advice of the Theatine Regular Cleric, Father
Gaspar Olider, of blessed memory, make it a
practice to deposit the said merits and suffrages
as it were into the hands of the Blessed Virgin
that she may distribute these favors to the souls
in purgatory according to her own merciful
pleasure." The italics are ours.
The Heroic Act is not a vow, but an offering,
and may be revoked at will and without sin.
This point was decided by an answer of the Sacred
Congregation of Indulgences Feb. 20, 1907. It
always remains doubtful to what extent God
accepts this oblation or pious desire. The prac-
tice is based on the communion of saints; it is
meritorious because of the more intense charity
(love of God and His suffering friends) which
inspires it; it is heroic because of the willingness
it involves to take upon oneself the dreadful
sufferings it implies for the love of one's neighbor,
531 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
though there remains the reasonable hope that
God in His goodness and the sainted souls in
their gratitude will not suffer themselves to be
outdone in generosity. The Heroic Act has been
enriched with numerous indulgences.
Vermeersch says that the placing of our satis-
factory works in the hands of the Blessed Virgin
is not essential to the Heroic Act; that one may
give them to souls that one in some way desig-
nates, either once for all or successively; that by
the Heroic Act one is not forbidden to offer to
certain definite deceased suffrages that are pre-
scribed or otherwise due. (Theol. Moralis, Tom.
Ill, 619.) Note this paragraph well. It answers
many little difficulties.
It is stated above that in the Heroic Act we
offer all our satisfactory works. For the better
understanding of this we mention that every good
act freely done by a soul in the state of grace
and with a supernatural intention possesses a
threefold value. It has (1) a meritorious value
(giving an increase of sanctifying grace and a
corresponding right to a higher degree of glory
in heaven); and merit is condign when a recom-
pense is due in strict justice or in less strict justice
also presupposing a favor, and congruous when
its claims are simply those of a certain fitness,
because of the friendship or liberality of God.
For example, a soldier acquitting himself bravely
on the battle-field has a strict right to his pay,
but he can only lay a claim of fitness to a cita-
tion or decoration. It has (2) a satisfactory value
when it possesses the elements of propiation,
expiation, and satisfaction rendered. It has (3)
an impetratory value when it embodies a request
to God for new graces.
Now, we cannot at all give away the condignly
meritorious value of our good works; and we
cannot entirely give away the congruously meri-
torious value of our good works nor their im-
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 533
petratory value, since we ourselves continually
need the helps of divine grace and are obliged to
implore them for ourselves. But we can give
away all the satisfactory value of our good works,
as in the Heroic Act we are speaking of. In fact,
to do this, since it is a most excellent act of
charity, greatly increases our condign merit
(which always remains our own) and renders
our impetration advantageous to us.
It is to be further noted (Lehmkuhl, Theol.
Moralis, Vol. 1, 261) that all the good works of
a just man, whether they be meritorious, satis-
factory, or impetratory, also possess a satis-
factory value (inasmuch as all are laborious,
says Vermeersch) by which we may satisfy for
the punishments due in purgatory either to our
own sins or to the sins of others. All this satis-
factory value is what we give to the poor souls
through the Heroic Act, in addition to the suf-
frages offered for us after our death. Nor does
this satisfactory value in any way diminish merit.
Moreover, it purifies the soul of man and makes
him more acceptable to God.
The conclusion we draw from this is that there
is nothing to prevent one who has made the
Heroic Act from praying (sacrificing, suffering,
working) for any and every grace and blessing,
be it for oneself or others, living or dead, since
every good work of what kind soever possesses
some satisfactory value and he has offered all
such value to the poor souls. Indeed, this should
be an incentive to multiply his good acts for his
spiritual growth. Without his even adverting to
it, he will then be constantly offering his gifts
to the holy souls.
Sometimes one wonders whether pray-
ing for a certain person who died after a
careless, sinful life will help that person
much if he is in purgatory. What do you
think?
534 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
We do not know. Certainly, some souls during
their life on earth earned that they should be
helped by the prayers of their friends after death ;
and others did not. For the former class, God
has willed that their purification in suffering
should be aided by the prayers offered for them
by the Church on earth; and when we pray for
them we are simply carrying out His plans. As
regards the second class, we may say that the
fruit of our prayers for a particular soul depends
on the fitness of that soul to receive grace or
mercy. For it may be that some souls have on
earth deserved to suffer the whole of their penance
themselves and receive no relief through the
prayers of others, like the servant in the parable,
who refused mercy to others and asked it for
himself. We do not know. So the thing to do
is to pray for them and above all to live so that
we may deserve to be helped ourselves once we
are in that state of painful purification. Better
still, let us purify ourselves here below by living
wholly in the love of God, a burning love that
will make us fit to enjoy His presence at once or
at least with as little delay as possible.
Will you please tell me if the souls that
are condemned to hell will go there right
after death, as the souls of the just at
once go to heaven, or have they to go to
Limbo until Judgment Day?
Limbo is quite out of the question here. You
are correct in intimating that the souls of the
just, if wholly purified, go directly to heaven.
It is of faith that the souls of the just who have
been purified from all stain, without awaiting the
resurrection of the body and the general judg-
ment, immediately after death enter into the joy
of the beatific vision.
Again, the just who are sentenced to purgatory
in the particular judgment go thither at once, as
( PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 535
can be seen from the practical faith of Holy
Church, which prays for their deliverance im-
mediately after death.
As regards the wicked the Church has fre-
quently defined "that according to the ordinance
of God the souls of those who depart in actual
mortal sin immediately after their death descend
into hell where they are tormented with infernal
pains." Pope St. Gregory the Great says: "As
beatitude rejoices the elect, so we must believe
that from the day of their departure fire burns
the reprobate."
Finally, it is the common teaching that the
demons already now, before the general judg-
ment, suffer the pains of hell. Now, indeed,
many of them prowl about the world seeking the
ruin of souls; but this partial liberty, of which
they will be deprived at the end of the world,
will then add to their punishment. St. Robert
Bellarmine gives a number of reasons for this.
1. They will no longer be able to do harm to men.
2. They will no longer be able to get for them-
selves worship that is due to God, as they get it
now from devil worshippers. 3. Their deceits and
weakness, and how they were overcome by men,
women, and children, will be known to all. 4.
They will be judged not only by God, but also
by men.
What does the Catholic Church teach
about hell?
1. The Catholic Church teaches that there is
a hell, and that hell is primarily the permanent
deprivation of the Beatific Vision, everlasting
separation from God, inflicted on those who die
in mortal sin. This greatest pain of hell is called
the pain of loss. God is the end of man; and to
have lost this end through one's own fault consti-
tutes the very nature of hell. The word "dam-
536 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
nation" comes from the Latin word damnum,
which means simply "loss."
2. It is well to try to understand that the
punishment is necessarily everlasting. One over-
taken by death in mortal sin is found preferring
a created good to God; and he abides in his
final choice, can no longer change his mind, con-
tinues to reject God. After death there is no
change for merit. The damned is eternally
punished because he is eternally in the state of
sin. The Catholic Church teaches that the
human soul remains in that state in which death
finds it; if death finds it averted from God it
will remain so forever.
3. The damned at the judgment do not for
a moment see God; but some flash of light must
pierce their darkened minds so that they realize
the tremendousness of their loss; and every
instant of their eternity they want God and at
the same time feel a disgust, a hatred, which
turns them from what they want; theirs is a
never-ending life of appalling aimlessness, an
eternal knocking at a gate eternally closed.
They are truly "the lost." The journey will
never end; home and rest — God and His heaven
— will for them never be; they are lost with a
darkened mind and a perverted will.
4. The Church teaches that in addition to
the pain of loss, which is a negative punishment,
there is also a positive punishment, the pain of
sense, commonly referred to as hell-fire. The
reality of hell-fire as an instrument of the sense
of pain has never been solemnly defined as an
article of faith, though it is said that if the Vatican
Council had not been interrupted it would have
been so defined; but meanwhile it is clear that
no one may doubt the reality of hell-fire without
grievous sin. It would not be formal heresy to
deny it, but wilful error and temerity; and no
Catholic can deny it without grave sin against
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 537
the faith. It is not the fire we have on earth, but
only analogous to it. Our word fire expresses
most nearly this instrument of pain, wherefore
it is referred to in the New Testament no less
than thirty times by the word fire. By God's
omnipotence hell-fire will also act directly on a
pure intelligence, causing it to suffer a pain to
which the only parallel we possess on earth is the
sensation of burning. Thus this fire can burn
not only bodies, but also spirits.
5. Though no one could say that it is a part
of revelation, yet it was always held within the
Church that hell is a place as well as a state.
This is a most natural inference from the texts
of Scripture. Where in the universe hell is no
one can say. It has not pleased God to reveal
this. However, the mode of speech that refers
to hell as below will no doubt remain always
customary.
6. No doubt the pains of hell have sometimes
been described with a crude realism that is re-
volting to the mind. But it were well at all times
to remember that the pains of hell exceed in
horror all that men can imagine. We therefore
say that it is right and just and sometimes even
a duty to call in even the imagination to warn
men against the supreme and last danger that
awaits them all.
7. In heaven there are different degrees of
happiness. So in hell there are different degrees
of punishment, but the least degree will exceed
in horror all that we can imagine on earth. Hence
Dante's play of imagination in his Inferno, where
he describes all kinds and degrees of sufferings,
is not idle and useless. It keeps before the mind
that for the lost, in some unique way, the punish-
ment will always fit the crime.
8. A few disjointed remarks may still be made.
(a) The expression "the undying worm" may be
taken figuratively, as a symbol for remorse, for
538 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
instance, (b) In hell the devils will exercise
cruel tyranny over the damned forever. How,
we do not know. The use of chains, pitchforks,
pinchers, etc., is a mere play of the imagination
and a rather childish supposition, (c) There is
no time in hell; both the blessed and the damned
have entered a changeless world, eternity. When
the hour of death strikes, the hands of the clock
of time stop and move no more, (d) It is utterly
useless and opposed to the spirit of the Church
to pray for the lost; their state can in no way
be changed after the judgment nor their punish-
ment mitigated; they are "outside the bond of
charity," says St. Thomas Aquinas, "by which
the works of the living extend to the dead."
(e) The lost will never have the least joy or
satisfaction, even in evil. Dives was "tormented
in this flame," but not even the petition that a
finger dipped in water should be laid on his tongue
was granted, (f) The guess that the pain of sense
will sometime come to an end must be definitely
rejected. "Everlasting" is the word most often
attached to the word "fire." (g) The devils roam
through the world seeking the destruction of
souls. Revelation tends to show that no such
influence is normally granted to the damned.
Also, if in a spiritistic seance an evil spirit presents
itself, the presumption is that it is a devil and
not a damned soul; and it is certain that it is
not a soul in heaven or in purgatory.
We admit that the doctrine of hell is a mystery;
but it is a lesser mystery than Bethlehem or
Calvary. The human mind can more easily
understand that God should punish sin eternally
than that the Eternal God Himself should die
upon the cross to save man from eternal punish-
ment. (Cf. J. P. Arendzen, D. D., Eternal
Punishment. Macmillan.)
I have been reading of a person who
died in mortal sin and who was recalled
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 539
to life by the prayers of some saint and
given another chance of earning heaven.
Are such things true? Where was that
person's soul in the meantime?
There may be some truth to the fact of these
stories, though sober historians would perhaps
say it is very little. In case such things happened,
where was the soul? We do not know. It had
not yet undergone the particular judgment, which
normally succeeds death, else its fate would have
been eternally decided.
We know that the particular judgment im-
mediately follows death. But manifestly there
have been exceptions, in which the particular
judgment was suspended. In the Gospel we
read of Christ raising from the dead the daughter
of Jairus, the son of the widow of Nairn, and
Lazarus. These are such exceptions. Also, some
dead have been raised to life since Gospel days.
Very probably all consciousness ceased between
the moment of death and the moment of resur-
rection. Be that as it may, by a special ordi-
nance of God the divine judgment on these
souls did not take place at the instant of their
bodily death; for their allotted time of trial was
not yet completed.
As regards your question, it is certain that if
ever an unrepentant sinner has returned to
earthly life, that sinner was not yet in hell. Both
revelation and reason make this obvious. Out of
hell there is no redemption. (Cf. J. P. Arendzen,
D. D., Eternal Punishment, Macmillan.)
Is Christ coming for a thousand years
before the end of the world?
No. The Chiliasts (from the Greek word for
thousand) seem to expect a coming of Christ and
His presence in glory and majesty on this earth
which would not be the consummation of all
things but would still be a portion of the history
54o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
of mankind. This is not in accord with Catholic
dogma, according to which the coming of Christ
in the second Advent is the consummation of
all things, the end of human history. If before
the end there is to be a period of triumphant
sanctity, it will be brought about, not by the
apparition of the Person of Christ in majesty,
but by the Holy Ghost and the Sacraments at
work in the Church. Chiliasts have still to learn
the meaning of the Savior's words: "It is ex-
pedient to you that I go; for if I go not the
Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go, I
will send Him to you" (John 16:7).
In what does the Last Day, "the day of
the Lord," consist?
According to Catholic teaching it certainly
consists of these four manifestations of God's
omnipotence, whose literal reality cannot be
doubted by any Catholic.
1. The destruction of the physical world
through fire. "The Lord delay eth not His
promise, as some imagine, but dealeth patiently
for your sake, not willing that any should perish,
but that all should return to penance. But we
look for new heavens and a new earth according
to His promises, in which justice dwelleth"
(II Peter 3:9 and 13).
2. The raising up of all the dead. "Who
shew the work of the law written in their hearts,
their conscience bearing witness to them, and
their thoughts between themselves accusing, or
also defending one another. In the day when
God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus
Christ, according to my gospel" (Rom. 2:15, 16).
3. The revelation of all the hidden things of
man's conscience and of God's providence.
"Wonder not at this; for the hour cometh,
wherein all that are in the graves shall hear the
voice of the Son of God. And they that have
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 541
done good things, shall come forth unto the
resurrection of life; but they that have done
evil, unto the resurrection of judgment" (John
5:28, 29).
4. The separation of the good and the wicked.
"Then shall the king say to them that shall be
on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my
Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for
you from the foundation of the world. Then he
shall say to them also that shall be on his left
hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into ever-
lasting fire which was prepared for the devil and
his angels" (Matt. 25:34 and 41).
What is meant by the New Testament
expression: "Judge of the living and the
dead"?
As used in the Creed these words may be said
to refer to two classes of human beings, namely,
those who shall be found alive (an opinion some
theologians hold, though the scholastics teach
that all shall die) at Christ's coming for the
General Judgment and the dead who will come
forth from their tombs. At any rate, in the
passages in Holy Writ these words do not always
mean a twofold classification of human beings but
the complete career of the same beings, whose
life and death, in all their conditions, happenings,
and details are equally in the scales of divine
justice. It is a kind of universal visualizing of
the whole human race. "For to this end Christ
died and rose again: that He might be Lord
both of the dead and of the living" (Rom. 14:9).
There are no new judgments; the one judg-
ment is progressive until it reaches consumma-
tion on the Last Day; the Last Judgment is
truly a manifestation of all the judicial acts of
God that have gone before. The special func-
tion of the Last Judgment is to make clear be-
fore all creation that not one evil thing has re-
542. QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
mained unvisited, not one good thing has passed
unrewarded, in all the vast history of the human
race.
Will the last judgment be given by
word of mouth?
We believe that God will make all things
manifest to all men as we believe that in the
beginning He created light. As regards this
question, St. Thomas has this dignified answer:
"It is difficult to say with any certainty what is
true in this matter; however, it seems more
probable that all judgment from the point of
view of the discussion, from the point of view of
the accusation of the wicked, and of the praise
of the good, and from the point of view of the
sentence pronounced over both classes, will be
carried out only mentally. For if the deeds of
every one were spoken orally, a length of time
would be necessary, great beyond all concept"
(Suppl. 88, art. 2).
Is it not strange that a less guilty man
(say one mortal sin) should be lost ever-
lastingly as much as one who may be a
million times more guilty?
St. Thomas Aquinas most profoundly says:
"Eternity of pain does not correspond to the
gravity of the guilt but it corresponds to the
irreparable nature of the guilt" (Summa I-II,Q.
87, art. 5). The soul at death is fixed in its
state, unchangeable. If that state be mortal sin
it is eternally fixed in evil, in enmity with God.
The real punishment imposed by divine justice
does not lie in the fact that it is everlasting, for
everything spiritual is necessarily everlasting,
but in a special burden laid on the reprobate
spirit corresponding to his guilt.
What happens in the particular judg-
ment?
PURGATORY, HEAVEN, AND HELL 543
For the elect that moment when the soul leaves
the body, that moment which constitutes the
soul in eternity is an overwhelming revelation of
God's fidelity. Not only does it become im-
mensely clear to the soul that it is saved, that it
is in the grace of God, that it belongs to God
forever and forever, but all the good works done
during the mortal life are remembered by God,
even the least of them, and are rewarded as only
God can reward. One of the greatest surprises,
no doubt, of the elect at that moment will be to
find how God has remembered the very least of
their good works, how things long forgotten by
themselves are truly recorded in the book of
life. The reward may, however, be delayed by
purgatory.
PERTAINING TO PRECEPTS OF
VARIOUS KINDS
I am making some altar linens for a
missionary, as a little work of charity for
the missions. Of course, I do not get
paid for it. I would like to do a little work
of this kind on Sunday afternoons. Do
you think it would be wrong for me to do
sewing like that on Sundays? Is it a sin
to do fancy embroidering and crocheting
on Sundays?
We must first make a number of distinctions
and explanations. Servile labor is forbidden on
Sunday; and the same must be said of business
and court proceedings. But so-called liberal
works, and common works, and domestic labors
are not forbidden. We now proceed to define
each of these four kinds of work.
Servile labor is that rough and harder kind of
work which is ordinarily done by common work-
men and which used to be done by servants.
Liberal works comprise all work predominantly
intellectual and aiming at the development of
the mind, such as reading, writing, instructing
others, etc.
Common works comprise all mixed work that
serves both the bodily and the spiritual interests
of man, such as traveling, fishing, hunting, etc.
Domestic labors are those that cannot be post-
poned or performed in advance, such as cooking
food, feeding cattle, etc.
It may be of importance to remark here that
any work that is in itself servile retains this
characteristic even if performed for pleasure or
to while away the time. And, on the contrary,
any occupation that is not in itself servile does
not become such if performed for material gain
544
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 545
or accompanied by bodily fatigue; for the in-
tention of the doer does not change the nature
of the work.
Again, in determining what is servile work
and therefore forbidden, as Fr. Slater says, "we
must consider not only the nature of the work
itself, but also the way in which it is done, the
light in which it is commonly regarded, and other
circumstances. Thus it is usually held that
although the rougher work of the sculptor is
servile and unlawful, the more delicate is liberal
and may be done on a Sunday. Similarly, fishing
with rod and line is not unlawful, but going out
to sea with a fishing smack and plying the trade
in the ordinary working-day way is forbidden.
In the same way one who lives by photography
should not ply his trade on a Sunday, but it
would not be wrong for an amateur to do the
same work on that day by way of recreation and
amusement."
Having made these general remarks, we are
now in a position to approach your questions
with a better understanding of the subject. You
wish first to know whether it is allowed to do
fancy embroidery and crocheting on Sunday, it
being understood that it does not constitute
one's daily work.
Generally speaking, such manual work of
women as can also be done by machine, even if
less well, like spinning, weaving, patching, is
servile and therefore forbidden on Sunday. That
which must necessarily be done by hand may be
considered as liberal and allowed. It depends,
too, upon what skill or at least what attention
is required for the work. If in performing some
such woman's work practically no skill or special
attention of the mind is necessary, e. g., to knit,
such work is servile and forbidden; but if the
work requires special attention of the mind and
artistic skill, like, let us say, fancy embroidery
546 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
and crocheting, it is enumerated with liberal
works and therefore allowed.
Then there is your question about making
altar linens on Sunday. Here we may simply
drop the inquiry whether that is servile work or
not (we may say that it is) and turn to the reasons
that make servile work lawful on Sunday. One
of them is the reason of piety, the service of God.
Servile work, even when accompanied by bodily
labor, is by no means prohibited, but rather
recommended, if it proximately conduces to the
service of divine worship and is free of material
charge, for instance, adorning of altars, washing
of purificators, making of vestments, etc. We
say 'proximately; servile work that conduces re-
motely to divine worship, like hauling material
for a new church, is not allowed. (Pruemmer.)
By reason of piety it is accordingly allowed on
Sunday to make vestments and ornaments for
some poor church or chapel. By vestments and
ornaments (ornamenta — articles of equipment) we
mean chasubles and other vestments, flowers,
purificators, corporals, altar linens, tapestry, etc.
(Noldin.) When done from motives of piety
and charity as stated above, far from being sinful
on Sundays, such work is even commendable.
What are the regulations as regards
Catholics who must work on Sundays
and holydays?
There are no special "regulations" for them.
The precept of abstaining from servile work
ceases for them by reason of necessity. We
do not wish to enumerate instances. It were
impossible to enumerate all possible contingen-
cies. Generally speaking, those who must sup-
port themselves by their daily labor and who
would suffer a considerable and extraordinary
loss of wages, were they to give up positions re-
quiring Sunday work, are allowed to work on
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 547
Sundays. Such occupations can easily be called
to mind; e. g., engineers, firemen, motormen,
conductors, etc.
It is, of course, rather to be deplored that so
many Catholics have positions of the Sunday-
work kind. If they could at least arrange to go
to an early Mass on Sundays and holydays of
obligation; or if they at least had every other
Sunday for God and their souls! How sad it is
to hear a Catholic say that he can never go to
Mass, hasn't been to Mass for months, because
of his necessary work. Such positions should be
abandoned as soon as possible, by all means!
Life's greatest business is not to toil and moil
three hundred and sixty-five days in the year.
The business of businesses is, "Save your soul!"
As for the rest, consultation with your pastor
or confessor will remove all scruples and anxieties.
As regards the command to abstain
from servile work on Sundays, may I ask
whether it is allowed to leave till Sunday
the preparing of Sunday's meals which
you could have done on Saturday or even
before ?
Among the causes that excuse one from the
obligation of not working on Sundays we find
dispensation, piety, necessity, and custom. By
reason of custom (though it is also classed among
domestic labors, which are permissible on Sun-
days) it is allowed to prepare food on Sundays,
even if, as is often the case, more labor may be
required than on ordinary days, inasmuch as
more sumptuous meals are sometimes prepared.
Those tasks that are more servile, like the killing
and skinning of smaller animals, the killing and
picking of chickens, the scaling of fish, etc., should
be attended to the day before, if that be con-
veniently possible. But even if they were
culpably, purposely, not done the day before
548 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
they can be done without sin on the Sunday or
feastday.
Parenthetically, we may remark that it is
allowed by custom to make the beds on Sunday
and to brush one's clothes. Where it is the
custom, it is likewise allowed to water the lawn
and the plants in the garden.
I am a school boy. During the school
year I attend Mass every morning. But
last vacation I did not attend Mass on
weekdays at all. Here is the reason.
Mother told me I would be foolish to
attend weekday Mass during vacation
time and forbade me to go. She said
vacation time is a time of rest, but I told
her it was not in the sight of Almighty
God. Was I right? I think I was, but
mother did not know it. So instead of
disobeying her, I stayed at home, as I did
not like to commit that sin of disobedi-
ence. I could not go when she told me
not to go, could I?
It was quite right and proper for you to obey,
since children are bound to obey their parents
in all that is not sin, and it is not a sin to stay
away from Mass on weekdays. So you have
nothing to reproach yourself for; on the con-
trary, both your heroic obedience and your
sensible view to the effect that there should be
no vacation from God and spiritual things, are
most praiseworthy.
We cannot, however, speak such words of
praise for mothers who so forget themselves as to
tell their children it is foolish to go to Mass on
weekdays. What a worldly spirit that! What
ill regulated affection! What culpable bad ex-
ample! Have they forgotten that they are re-
sponsible for the souls of their children? that
they cannot train them too much to habits of
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 549
prayer and piety, to a love of the Mass and a
frequent, even daily, reception of Holy Com-
munion? that from the citadel of the home they
must point out to their little ones the way that
leads to heaven? Alas, alas for the silly mothers
whose misdirected love is harming so much the
souls of their children and even interfering with
the salvation of the souls of others — by their
opposition to their children's vocation to the
priesthood or, especially, the religious life! They
are blind and see not.
What is a resolution ? a promise? avow?
I would like to know how these things
differ from each other.
The answer to this question will doubtless
be helpful to many. We give it with the utmost
brevity that is compatible with clearness.
1. A resolution is a purpose made before God
to do better. It is the will to do something or
to omit something. For example, after having
gone to confession you say, "Lord, I am going
to be different now. I promise Thee that I will
henceforth live a better life and in order to do
so I will say three additional Hail Marys every
day." This is a resolution, not a vow. You
have no intention of binding yourself under pain
of sin. Such a resolution does not of itself bind
under pain of sin. If afterwards you do not lead
a better life and do not say the three Hail Marys,
you do not thereby sin. You may by chance
commit a venial sin of sloth or negligence, but
the breaking of your resolution is in itself no sin.
2. A promise is merely a free and sincere
declaration of one's willingness to do something
gratuitously for another person. A promise im-
poses an obligation in conscience, either of justice
or of fidelity. When an obligation of justice is
imposed the obligation binds under pain of griev-
ous sin in a serious matter. Where the obliga-
55b QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
tion of fidelity only is imposed it is otherwise .
Of itself the virtue of fidelity binds only under
pain of venial sin. Of a simple promise Father
Slater, S. J., says: "A promise will cease to bind
if some event takes place or becomes known sub-
sequently which would have prevented the
promisor from making the promise if it had
happened or been known beforehand. For a
simple promise is essentially conditional; the
promisor binds himself to do something under
certain suppositions and in certain circumstances;
if those suppositions are not verified, or if the
circumstances become changed, the promise no
longer obliges. All the more will a promise cease
to bind if what was promised becomes unlawful
and wrong, or useless, or impossible."
3. A vow is a voluntary promise made to God,
by which one obliges oneself under pain of sin
to do something that is pleasing to God. Hence,
a vow is not a mere honest intention. It is more :
it is a resolution to bind oneself under pain of sin
to do that which one is about to promise. It
matters less what form of words one uses; it is
the intention that counts. A vow is, as it were,
the voluntary taking upon oneself of a debt
towards God. It is an act of the virtue of religion.
And so the keeping of a vow is an act of divine
worship.
To promise something to a saint to whom you
have special devotion, without special reference
to God, would not be a vow, but a mere promise.
A vow is a promise made to God.
Vows must, of course, be religiously kept. To
break a vow is either a mortal sin or a venial sin,
depending especially on how you wished to bind
yourself and upon the importance of the matter
concerning which you made the vow. It is to be
noted here that if the matter which you wish to
make the object of your vow is something unim-
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 551
portant and small, you can bind yourself to it
under pain of venial sin only.
If one had made a promise to perform some
good work, but later on does not remember
whether it was merely a promise or a vow, one
may generally take if for granted that he made
a promise and not a vow.
Those who are anxious and confused about
resolutions, promises, and vows should consult
their confessor. If they have really made vows
and if there are good reasons for it, they may
perhaps have the obligation of the vows removed
altogether by dispensation or changed to some-
thing that can be more faithfully performed.
Consult your confessor!
In conclusion we would simply advise all to
weigh the matter well before making a vow of
any kind. Before you bind yourself to a difficult
work, seek the advice of your confessor or pastor.
This is especially necessary for those who wish to
take a vow of chastity or of perpetual virginity.
Those who take such an important step without
consulting their spiritual superiors may later on
regret it bitterly.
Is it a sin for one to be angry, and
against which Commandment?
Yes; it is a sin, and against the Fifth Com-
mandment of God. A brief explanation will be
very helpful here.
Anger is one of the capital sins. Intemperate
anger is such a deformity in man and renders
him so beastly that common parlance likens it to
the rabies, common to dogs; as in the improper
expression, "He got mad."
Everybody is subject to anger. Tiny children
sulk and get spunky; the little girl makes faces
and calls names; the boy fights and throws
stones; the young lady gets huffy and spiteful
and won't speak; the man fumes and rages and
55x QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
swears; the woman's tongue becomes sharper
than a serpent's tooth. A little reflection should
make everybody blush for shame!
What is anger? It is a feeling of displeasure
and discontent arising in our hearts against an
offender, with a desire to punish him for the
injury done.
What is anger? There's a powder magazine
in the human heart, it seems. Now, from that
heart the little devil of pride sometimes peeps
out. Injure his feelings ever so little, and he will
spitefully draw in his head, and spit fire right and
left into the powder, and it will explode, and —
that's anger!
What is anger? It is a stone cast into a wasp's
nest. It is the last argument in a lost cause:
"You are angry; therefore you are wrong."
"Flying off the handle," flaring up, losing one's
head — that's anger. It is a case of throwing the
reins to the animal instincts and allowing them
to gallop away with the better man in a mad
career. Anger is sometimes less fiery, but more
bitter; not bellicose, but choleric. That inordi-
nate love or desire of revenge is often quiet and
deep and dark and broods out well-laid plans in
a devilish way.
There are two kinds of anger, just and unjust.
Anger is just when the commotion within the
heart is moderate and subject to reason; when
the punishment we desire is proportioned to the
offense; when we are actuated by no ill-will or
spirit of revenge, but by zeal for the glory of
God. In fact, this holy anger is simply zeal for
the things of God; and it is directed only against
sin. Hence, he that would be angry and sin not
must not be angry with anything but sin; for
instance, excesses, injustices, scandals, frauds.
Just anger, far from being sinful, is often a
sacred duty, especially for those in authority.
Passionate anger, which implies a desire of
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 553
revenge, is of its own nature a mortal sin : because
it is contrary to the spirit of the Gospel, which
is a spirit of meekness and patience; because
Jesus says, "Whosoever is angry with his brother
shall be in danger of the judgment," and that
he who goes so far as to call his brother offensive
names shall be in danger of hell fire; because it
is the source of so many other sins, leading even
to murder; because wrath is numbered by St.
Paul among the works of the flesh that exclude
from heaven. However, anger is not always a
mortal sin. As in all other vices, there are in
anger various degrees of malice.
Anger is usually looked upon too lightly. But,
as Holy Writ tells us, WA stone is heavy, and
sand weighty; but the anger of a fool is heavier
than them both." (Prov. 27:3.) Countless evils
follow in the wake of this so common sin; for
"As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire,
so an angry man stirreth up strife." (Prov.
26:21.)
And alas! hot-tempered people simply will use
their mouths as safety valves to let off the steam
of offensive utterance when the pressure of anger
becomes too great. They simply will let their
tongues generate bile faster than their mouths
can let it out. And we know, the voice of an
angry man is the death rattle of reason in the
throat. Oh, what a shame!
And the remedy against anger? The remedy
is delay. The remedy is repression of first
movements. The remedy is the imitation of
our Model, the meek and humble Savior. The
remedy is the salutary remembrance that God
will take us at our word when we say, "Forgive
us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass
against us."
"To be angry about trifles is mean and childish;
to rage and be furious is brutish; and to main-
tain perpetual wrath is akin to the practice and
554 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
temper of devils; but to prevent and suppress
rising resentment is wise and glorious, is manly
and divine."
Is it right or wrong to use holy water in
the following ways: in a homemade eye-
wash, in a liniment, a few drops in a bath?
It is quite possible that there is a tinge of
superstition in this practice, a slight irreverence,
which a person's good faith and simplicity would
render without all sin. Here it might be well to
be properly conservative and to remember what
is meant by superstition of superfluous cult. It
means to worship God in things superfluous and
useless, contrary to the approved practices of the
Church. (Here we might add that superstition
of false cult, a much more serious matter, is to
inject into the worship of the true God some-
thing false or deceitful.) Hence we must say
that every inordinate devotion which certain
pious souls excogitate contrary to the prescrip-
tions and customs of the Church, even though
they are not in themselves ridiculous and inane,
are nevertheless useless, superfluous, and super-
stitious, simply because they are contrary to
the decrees and usages of the Church.
We do not wish to discountenance the use of
holy water; on the contrary, we declare that it
should be in every Catholic home and should
there be used daily. Holy water is the first and
in many ways the most important of the sacra-
mentals instituted by the Church in order to
fortify the souls of the faithful by increasing in
them supernatural grace, which is the life of the
Christian soul. But it should be used rightly.
Thus, speaking of individual use, as distinct
from liturgical use, holy water may and should
be used when entering God's house. We should
then bless ourselves with it as a symbol of the
due cleansing of our minds from every stain
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 555
before entering the sacred presence of God. We
may thus bless ourselves with it at any time and
place. It may be used in sprinkling the dead
body of a departed one. In many places we find
the pious and approved custom of sprinkling the
graves of relatives and friends with the blessed
water. In some places it is the custom to place
on the graves a vessel for holy water to be thus
used by the friends and relations of the departed.
From very early times it has been the custom
for Catholics to keep blessed water in their houses
and to make constant and reverent use of it (by
blessing themselves with it or by sprinkling rooms,
persons, the dying, etc.), especially before re-
tiring at night; a prayer was said that God
would drive away all snares of the wicked spirits
and protect all dwelling therein during the hours
of darkness.
We here give one of the prayers which the
priest says when blessing holy water. Even from
this one we can clearly see what a treasure we
have in this sacramental (and what a shame if
it is not to be found in your home!): "O God,
Who for the benefit of mankind hast made use of
the element of water to signify so many and so
great mysteries, mercifully hear our prayers and
impart the power of Thy blessing to this element
prepared by manifold purifications, that this Thy
creature may receive the effect of Thy divine
grace, for the chasing away of devils and the
curing of diseases; and that whatsoever shall
be sprinkled with this water in the houses and
places of the faithful may be freed from all un-
cleanness and delivered from all evil. Let no
pestilential spirit reside therein, no infectious
air remain about. Let the snares of the hidden
enemy be removed, and may whatever is found
to be opposed to the safety or repose of those
dwelling therein be banished by the sprinkling
of this water; that the welfare we seek by the
556 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
invocation of Thy Holy Name may be given to
us, and that we may be protected from all man-
ner of attacks, through Our Lord, Jesus Christ."
Is it a sin to have an analysis of one's
handwriting made? Does this come
under fortune telling?
Peculiarly enough, we can give a brief but
sufficiently comprehensive answer to this twofold
question by replying conditionally to both parts
at once. If such analysis would partake of the
nature of fortune telling or allied superstition it
would be a sin; otherwise, abstracting from cases
where it is merely a cheap fraud, there would be
no sin connected with it. Test your analysis in the
light of these remarks.
Those who make use of spells and charms or
who believe in dreams, in mediums, spiritists,
fortune tellers and the like sin against the first
commandment of God, because they attribute to
creatures perfections that belong to God alone.
Thus, to advert to fortune telling, it is a case of
attributing to creatures a knowledge of future
events, fortuitous in their nature, or such as de-
pend on the free will of God or man, or events in
distant lands. It is a species of divination and
the employment of means disproportionate to the
knowledge to be obtained. Those guilty of such
a practice sin grievously, unless it is mere jest.
We may add that fortune-tellers in general are
mere impostors, and those who consult them are
merely their dupes. Yet, as Holy Writ calls it
an abomination to consult them, we must con-
clude that it is a mortal sin seriously to have
recourse to them for advice. Who can say
whether the fortune-teller believes in his own
secret power or is only a deceiver? Fortune-
telling is still, strange to say, a rather frequent
imposture. Even many Catholic people continue
to insist on being duped and humbugged in this
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 557
way and will part with good money for the
privilege.
I have asked God for a favor and, since
my prayers have always seemingly been in
vain, I have this time made a resolution
not to give a single charitable donation
any more until God grants my prayers.
Is it wrong to do this?
This is surely a strange thing to do. Such
conduct is suggestive of sin against the first
commandment, against the virtue of religion, a
sin that is known as tempting God, that is, try-
ing to find out by word or action whether God
possesses or will exercise a certain perfection such
as knowledge, power, mercy. Only here you are
not so much trying to find out as trying to make
God do as you wish. It surely is not right to act
thus. But just as an earthly father often treats
a spunky child indulgently and does not take its
whims seriously, so too our heavenly Father will
overlook many such faults in His children. But
faults they really are. How big depends upon
circumstances.
A man drinks to excess at a party on
Saturday night. He gets sick and is un-
able to go to Mass on Sunday. Is this
very wrong?
Let us say that he gets so sick that he is even
obliged to vomit. Even then, contrary to a
somewhat common opinion, he does not commit
a grievous sin by his voluntary excess, unless
he gives serious scandal, or seriously injures his
health or his family, or has some grievously sin-
ful intention, or causes serious affliction to wife,
children or parents, as the case may be. How-
ever, if a man drinks to such excess as to deprive
himself of the use of reason he commits a griev-
ous sin.
Being sick he is excused from going to Mass
558 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
and does not commit a grievous sin by missing it,
unless, indeed, he intentionally makes himself
sick in order not to be obliged to go, which is
ordinarily not to be supposed. If he does, how-
ever, he grievously sins by missing Mass, inas-
much as he voluntarily places the cause.
I have often heard that when a woman
is pregnant she should never be sponsor,
as there would be one of the four that
would die. Is that true?
This is simply a bit of silly superstition. No
Catholic may believe anything like that. Reject
and ridicule the notion. To let this saying in-
fluence your actions is as irrational as to be scared
to death because you are one of a group of thir-
teen seated at table. So ridiculous is the assertion
mentioned in your question that it must arise
either from ignorance, invincible stupidity, or
unbelief, for, as Pascal says, "Unbelievers are
the most credulous of men."
Superstition, which is the vice of excess in
religious worship by honoring God in the wrong
way or by giving to other persons or things the
worship due to Him alone, entails many evil
consequences. Under the influence of fear and
terror it produces fanaticism and fatalism, makes
men hard and cruel, and thereby corrupts indi-
viduals and endangers society. Superstition is
both foolish and dangerous.* It is folly to say
that because it leads people to believe too much,
it is apt to strengthen religion and piety. Super-
stition means not merely to believe too much,
but to believe what is false, and therefore is
essentially inimical to true piety.
If a mistake is made in your favor in
a public restaurant or in a store, for
instance, in giving back too much change,
is it necessary to correct this error? I
received also two copies of last month's
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 559
magazine instead of merely the one to
which I am a subscriber. In this and
similar instances what should guide me
as regards honesty? Maybe I am a little
scrupulous about this point.
The answer to this question is very simple.
You can hardly be too honest. The seventh
commandment forbids all unjust taking or keep-
ing of what belongs to another. Hence the two
general divisions of theft are these: The taking
or the keeping unjustly what belongs to another.
He who keeps another's property, although it
may not have come into his possession through
any fault of his own, becomes a thief as soon as
he becomes aware that it belongs to another and
takes no means to notify the owner, if known, or
to find the owner, if unknown.
If given too much change, if given more goods
than you paid for, etc., always practice the
strictest honesty, even if you must go out of your
way to do so. Correct the error every time and
without delay. We know that is not the way of
the world; but even the world must admire and
applaud such a fine sense of honor as is mani-
fested in conscientious honesty.
As regards the two copies of the magazine,
we may safely say that in case two copies of a
magazine are sent you, you may simply keep
them. Perhaps it was an error, perhaps the extra
copy was sent you purposely. In such a case the
publishers do not want you to send the magazine
back. Should you get two copies regularly it
would be well simply to write to the publishers
and tell them so.
Those who find small coins on the street, in
the church, in public places, where many people
gather together, may simply keep them, since
there is no hope of finding the owner. Such
coins are to be looked upon as simply abandoned
by the owner with a tacit "Whoever finds it may
560 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
keep it." If, however, that which is so found
is of considerable value, one should try, in ordi-
nary ways, to find the owner. If after about two
months the owner does not appear, it belongs to
the finder.
Can a Catholic love Jesus Christ and
hate his brother (neighbor)?
Love, in general, is an affectionate inclination
of the will towards the object we love, by which
we desire its welfare and are readily disposed to
do it good. There are various kinds of love:
Natural love; interested love; carnal love;
national love; the love of gratitude; the love of
one's neighbor.
This charity towards our neighbor, which is
in question here, is the love we bear him for
God's sake. The motives on which it is founded
are all taken from God and are of a supernatural
kind. And the goods which it wishes and tends
to procure for its object are principally such as
concern its eternal salvation, though not to the
exclusion of all other good things.
The other kinds of love mentioned are based
on natural motives; charity towards one's
neighbor is based on supernatural motives,
motives, which belong to man as a Christian
and which have been made known to him by
revelation. Love of our neighbor, thus properly
understood, is but a branch of the love of God,
inasmuch as we love our neighbor for God's sake,
as belonging to God, as connected with Him.
Accordingly, here is the answer to your ques-
tion. St. John says: "This is the charity of God,
that we keep His commandments." And our
Lord Himself assures us, "He that hath My
commandments and keepeth them, he it is that
loveth Me." In a word, the love of God is the
keeping of His commandments, as the Savior
has told us over and over again.
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 561
But now that same Divine Savior repeatedly
says, "This is My commandment, that you love
one another, as I have loved you." "I give you
a new commandment," He says, "that you love
one another as I have loved you, that you also
love one another. By this shall all men know
that you are My disciples, if you love one
another." What could be more clear?
Therefore, as we read in the First Epistle of
St. John, "7/ any man say, I love God, and hateth
his brother, he is a liar. For he that loveth
not his brother, whom he seeth, how can he love
God, Whom he seeth not? And this command-
ment we have from God: that he who loveth
God love also his brother."
Is it an act of cruelty and matter for
confession, for instance, to set traps for
mice, knowing that they do not always
die instantly and sometimes escape and
leave trails of blood behind, or to remove
insects from the screen with a pin, etc.?
No; it is neither cruelty nor matter for con-
fession. We are entirely justified in protecting
ourselves from such creatures by exterminating
them. Of course, no one wishes to subject them
to needless cruelty or to torture them. To in-
dulge in such pastime is indicative of a depraved
mind and cannot but have a degrading influence
upon one's character. Hence the universal
insistence upon kindness to animals. Hence,
too, children who are prone to take a certain
unnatural and savage delight in subjecting
creatures to needless pain should be properly
instructed and, if necessary, punished.
The priest administers Extreme Unction
by anointing the five senses of the sick
person with holy oil. Thus he anoints the
nostrils, too, and says (in Latin, however) :
1 'Through this holy unction and His most
56z QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
tender mercy, may the Lord pardon you
whatever sins you have committed by
smell. Amen." But how can one sin by
the sense of smell?
The pleasures of this sense are indeed less
dangerous to our soul than those of our other
senses. We may, however, apply to this sense
the general rule concerning the mortification of
the senses: "Every sensual pleasure, with
which we flatter our body through a sensual
motive, cannot be free from sin" (Scaramelli) .
As desire is awakened by beauty, touch, voice,
etc., so even by the sense of smell, for instance,
of the exhalations of the body. The sense of
smell thus conveys thoughts to the mind and may
be the cause of sin. Even perfumes used to con-
ceal the odors of the body may excite desires;
for the mind may realize that they manifest the
presence of what they are (at least seemingly)
used to conceal. There is, by the way, much
room for beneficial mortification in the use of
perfumes, etc., while maintaining the greatest
cleanliness without them, which is quite possible,
of course. A good old proverb says, "Cleanliness
is next to godliness.' '
Is it possible to commit a mortal sin in
four or five minutes?
To commit a mortal sin is hardly a matter of
time. It is a matter of willing to offend God in
a grievous matter, after sufficient reflection.
And we can will to do a thing in a very short
time indeed. For the reflection, it is true, more
or less time may often be needed — in certain
cases. Yes; it is possible to commit a mortal
sin in four or five minutes — and less!
Sin is an act of the will; and such an act can
be made in "a second or two." Take a man who
has been in great temptation for some time.
For ninety-nine seconds, let us say, he has been
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 563
tempted to commit a grievous sin and has not
consented. In the one hundredth second he
wilfully yields; he consents; the will says, "I
will." In that second he commits a mortal sin.
Should St. Patrick's Day fall on Friday,
would it be allowed to eat meat? Are we
allowed to go to dances on St. Patrick's
Day, even though it is in Lent?
You would not be allowed to eat meat unless
such permission had been expressly given by the
proper ecclesiastical authority.
As we have mentioned time and time again,
dancing is not sinful in itself, though the motive
that urges a person to dance may make it sinful,
or the manner in which the dance is performed,
or the kind of dance, or an expressly forbidden
time or a forbidden place. Some dances are
nothing but occasions of sin. Dancing in Lent is
forbidden by no law of the Church, nor is dancing
on St. Patrick's Day, though, because of the good
Catholic sense of the generality of our people, it
might give great scandal. It is not at all proper
to go to dances during Lent. One who takes his
religion seriously and reflects on the necessity of
doing penance will enter into the spirit of the
Church during Lent and will try to retrench his
pleasures out of love for the Savior.
In answer to a former question you
stated that after a man has committed
a mortal sin his prayers, good works, etc.,
do not count for heaven. But now if such
a man cannot go to confession for a long
time and has perfect sorrow for his sins,
does not this alter the matter ? Are not his
sins forgiven? I suppose such a one, if he
died in this state, would only be punished
in purgatory for his sins.
Yes; if a person has perfect contrition and
cannot go to confession, the matter is quite
564 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
different. By perfect contrition all sins are for-
given. All eternal punishment due to them is
remitted. The soul recovers the grace of God
and its former merits are restored to it. It can
again heap up treasures for heaven.
What a wonderful thing perfect contrition
(contrition made out of love for God infinitely
lovable) accordingly is! Yes; it obtains the for-
giveness of sins even without confession, pro-
vided, of course, that the intention of confession
be not absent, which intention need not neces-
sarily be explicitly made; it is sufficient if it be
implied. Says the Council of Trent: "Perfect
contrition, from love of God, justifies man and
reconciles him with God even before the recep-
tion of the sacrament of penance." (Sess. 14, c. 4.)
To make an act of perfect contrition, by the
way, is not as hard as most people think it is.
It requires no sentimentality, no feeling. It is
an act of the will. We might say that any words
that come from the heart and have the following
characteristics constitute an act of perfect con-
trition. 1. The words should embody the super-
natural motive of divine love. 2. They should
express sorrow grounded on that motive. 3. They
should contain a resolve to sin no more. A prayer
containing these three essentials and one
which we should say with the greatest possible
fervor is this: "O my God, I am heartily
sorry for having offended Thee, because Thou
art so very good, and I firmly purpose by the help
of Thy grace not to offend Thee again."
You think such a one would be punished only
in purgatory. Probably some temporal punish-
ment would remain to be expiated. But an act
of perfect contrition does even actually remit a
part of the temporal punishment due to mortal
sins forgiven or to venial sins. Indeed, very
intense perfect contrition can even remit all
temporal punishment due to sin, so that were a
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 565
person to die after such an act of sorrow he
would go to heaven directly. We say can; it
has not, of its nature, necessarily this effect.
Is suicide permissible for honorable
motives, e. g., through patriotism, or
thereby to save the life of a friend?
Suicide, as such, is never permissible. The
body was created by God as the abode of the
immortal soul; and since the life and health of
the body are of great importance for the life
of the soul and for our eternal salvation, we are
bound, not only not to destroy the life of the
body, but also to take precaution for the preser-
vation of our health and of our life. Our body
is not our own; it belongs to God. It belongs to
Him, not only because He created it, but also
because Christ purchased it with a great price.
We are bound to take care of what is the property
of another; and our body is God's property.
We may not do with it what we will, but what
God wills. Consequently, it is a sin to take one's
own life; and it is also a sin rashly to hazard
one's life or wantonly to injure one's health.
However, it is not merely right, but even
meritorious, to sacrifice one's bodily health or
life in order to gain everlasting life, or to rescue
one's fellow man from physical or spiritual death.
Thus the martyrs preferred to sacrifice their
lives rather than commit sin; missionaries in
heathen lands are in constant danger of death,
many of them ruining their health by the sacri-
fices and exertions they undergo; priests, doc-
tors, and nurses expose their lives by attending
those that have infectious diseases. All that is
not wrong but most praiseworthy. One may
risk one's life to save another from death, for
instance, by fire or water. One may expose one's
self in battle for the defense of one's country
And a human soul is of such value that every-
5 66 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
thing, even life itself, should be sacrificed to save
it. Christ gave us an example when He died
upon the cross for the salvation of mankind.
Of course, in performing an heroic act of that
nature we may not seek death — that would be
sinful. We should think only of the deed itself,
of which death may be an accidental accompani-
ment.
(1) What kind of a sin is it wilfully to pray
without devotion? (2) Is it a greater sin
if one prays an important prayer, like the
penance received in confession? By the
way, would the penance be performed in
this case?
(1) To pray with wilful distractions is a venial
sin. Then, too, as the catechism says, prayers
said with wilful distractions are of no avail.
(2) Of course, if the prayer is more important
the wilful distractions constitute a greater venial
sin. The penance would be performed, unless,
which is hard to assume, the distractions were so
great that the saying of the prayer would cease
to be a human act, i. e., an act that proceeds
from the deliberate will of man.
When taking meals at a restaurant or
at the home of a non-Catholic, is it neces-
sary to make the sign of the cross before
saying the blessing?
It is not necessary. One can pray without
making the sign of the cross, without showing it
in any external way, in fact. Being ostentatious
in our pious practices in public places only too
often attracts attention and provokes ridicule,
which should be avoided. As, under ordinary
circumstances, we are not obliged to tell every-
body we meet in so many words that we are
Catholics, so we are ordinarily under no obliga-
tion to tell them so by particular actions.
Some, because they instinctively shrink from
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 567
thus making the sign of the cross in public, think
they are ashamed of their faith. That is usually
not the case. It is merely a natural repug-
nance to demonstrativeness in religious
matters. The Savior tells us to go into our
chamber and pray in secret. In this case we may
apply His words to the secret chamber of the
heart. He also says: "Cast not your pearls
before swine," which words contain a world of
thought.
However, we do not wish to be misunderstood.
People of education and refinement are slow to
ridicule in these matters. Many, too, are greatly
edified by little practices such as that here under
discussion. Even such a seemingly insignificant
thing makes men pause and reflect. But, in it-
self, this question of the sign of the cross is an
indifferent matter. Each one may do as he thinks
best. And no one should consider it sinful to
omit the sign of the cross in the circumstances
described above, unless such omission is an
evident denial of faith or is clearly looked upon
as a sign that one is ashamed of his faith.
Is it allowed for physicians to administer
chloroform, morphine, ether, etc., to
patients? Are there any rules about this
in Catholic teaching?
The narcotics you mention, as also opium,
cocaine, chloral, nitrous oxide, have entered into
the current practice of medicine and are of in-
contestable utility and even necessity. Their
use is lawful and excellent; for the immediate
task of the physician is not so much to cure the
disease as to alleviate the unfortunate patient's
suffering. "The physician shall alleviate thy
pains," we read in Holy Writ (Ecclus. 38).
But just because narcotics are of such appreci-
able advantage they are only too frequently and
often fatally abused. Pain must be combated;
5 68 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
but the narcotics chosen should be the safest and
least dangerous, administered in moderate doses
which are repeated only when necessary. Great
care must be taken not to continue their use
indefinitely, except in cases of extreme necessity.
To do so is dangerous and may create a need that
becomes a craving and a veritable mania for the
drug; and the formation of the drug habit is
one of the greatest curses that can be inflicted
upon any man.
However, narcotics that plunge them into a
coma may not be given to the dying. Even if
they loudly demand narcotics the physician
should content himself with giving them light
palliatives, which will suffice to assuage their
pain, but will not deprive them of feeling. The
Bishops of the Province of Quebec, in one of their
Councils, condemned the administration of nar-
cotics to the dying and stated: "Since the eternal
fate of the soul may depend upon the last mo-
ment of life, physicians must resolutely abstain
from administering remedies which are by their
nature apt to render the patients unconscious
and rob them of the power of making acts of
devotion, and to deprive them of the last merits,
which they can still gain, and perhaps expose
them to eternal death."
As regards total anesthesia (to put under ether,
for example), it should not be undertaken except
for serious operations, and it would be imprudent
to have recourse to it in cases of slight accidents
or merely to overcome a passing pain. Further-
more, the patient must in all cases first be ex-
amined, and it must be ascertained whether he
suffers from any affection of the heart or lungs,
for in that case anesthesia would be dangerous,
if not impracticable, and the case would call for
special treatment.
In short, as the Fathers of the Council of
Quebec wisely decree:
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 569
"1. Physicians are allowed to put a person to
sleep by means of narcotics, such as chloroform,
morphine, etc., if it be but for a short time and
there is no danger of death. There must also be
sufficient reason, e. g., to relieve pain or especially
to perform a surgical operation.
"2. This is permitted also in a desperate case,
when there is some hope of saving the life of the
patient.
"3. It is never permitted in danger of death,
for the sole purpose of taking away the feeling
of pain.
"4. Especially do we call the attention of
physicians to the fact that they should make
every effort to deter their patients from making
use of narcotics which produce such pernicious
effects."
I got hold of a book one day that had a
chart of the palm of the left hand and
gave the meaning of the different lines.
It showed the head line with a sort of an
island on it and said a head line with this
was a sure sign of insanity. My head line
is like that; and ever since that day I
am living in constant fear of going insane.
Do you think it's true?
It is not true. It is all nonsense and quackery
and, if believed in, is divination, sinful supersti-
tion. If this palmistry would confine itself to
the comparative study of hands it would be
harmless enough; but it proceeds to divination,
to the pretended forecasting of future events
by means of the lines or marks of the palm, a
common way of fortune telling. As in astrology,
which is the pretended forecasting of future
events by means of the stars, we are here in
touch with an ancient superstition of the East.
In China palmistry is said to have existed three
thousand years before Christ. The gypsies
57o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
brought it to Europe in the sixteenth century.
The marks and swellings on the hand are plainly
caused by the mechanical arrangement of the
bones and sinews; and so it is hard to see how
sensible people can be led astray by the fantastic
claims of the palmists. You should not have read
that book at all.
Perhaps the next thing you will do is practice
phrenology, which is another form of divination,
the study of the bumps of the skull as an index
of future events or of character. Modern medical
science condemns phrenology as quackery and
tells us that the gray matter on the surface of the
brain cannot be mapped out into thirty or forty
areas corresponding to mental or moral qualities,
such as intellectual acumen, benevolence, venera-
tion, etc. The outer table of the cranial bones
does not accurately represent the contour of the
brain surface; the thickness of the skull varies
in different individuals; in short, the "brain
bumps" mean nothing. An expert on the brain
says: "Psychology, physiology, and experience
alike contribute to discredit the practical working
of phrenology and to show how worthless the
so-called diagnoses of character really are."
As regards divination, express or tacit, it is
frequently only a venial sin on account of the
ignorance of those who indulge in it, or because
they do not entirely believe that the future can
be known by such methods (also signs, omens,
laying of cards, interpretation of dreams), or be-
cause they use them in joke or out of curiosity.
Was the fall of Adam and Eve a mortal
or a venial sin?
The sin which Adam and Eve committed by
eating the forbidden fruit was a mortal sin; for,
because of their superior intelligence and their
freedom from the intellectual and sensual
appetites, any sin committed by them could not
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 571
but be a mortal sin. (St. Thomas.) Moreover,
the punishment with which they were threatened,
namely, the death of the body and the spiritual
death of the soul, is of itself proof that the com-
mand not to eat of the forbidden fruit was en-
joined under pain of mortal sin. In the sin of
our first parents, we must remember, a deep in-
terior pride or presumption, the desire to be like
gods, to possess omniscience, preceded their ex-
terior act of eating the forbidden fruit, and even
their deception by the devil. The personal sin
of Adam and Eve, therefore, deserved eternal
punishment. But a Redeemer was promised to
them and to their children, the human race.
What are we to think of Spiritual
Mediums or so-called Spiritual Healers
(not Christian Scientists) ? The treat-
ments are given by the laying on of hands
and the healing power is supposed to be
given by spiritual forces. These forces
are friends and relatives that have passed
into the great beyond. The mediums
claim they come back to minister to our
wants. They also give what they call
spiritual readings. I know there are quite
a number of Catholics go there for treat-
ments. Is it sinful for a Catholic to be
treated for an illness by one of these
healers ?
What you here describe is manifestly a form
of Spiritism, one of its many ramifications. To
have anything to do with any of these so-called
healers is a sin against the virtue of religion, a
sin against the first commandment of God.
Catholics should bear well in mind that the
Church forbids them to have anything to do with
Spiritism, which she condemns as a superstition,
destructive alike of morals and religion. The
Holy Office has repeatedly issued decrees for-
57i QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
bidding Catholics "to be present at spiritistic
communications and manifestations of every kind,
with or without a Medium, even though they
appear to be good and honest; either by interro-
gatings, or hearing their answers, or by simply
looking on, even though one tacitly or expressly
protests that he does not wish to have anything
to do with evil spirits." (April 24, 1917.)
Spiritism, which originated in the United
States, quickly spread throughout all Europe,
and became common in the years 1852-1854, is
anti-Christian in character, a pagan superstition
which, when subjected to critical analysis, denies
every dogma of the Catholic religion, making
out of an imagined communion with the dead a
cruel parody of the Communion of Saints. Ex-
perience shows that it has frequently destroyed
the physical health of its adepts, unbalanced their
minds, and deprived them of the true faith.
Through it the devil gets many thoughtless souls
in his snares.
What are we to think of it as regards the
phenomena it produces? The following thesis,
proven by Tanquerey in his Dogmatic Theology,
gives a concise yet sufficient answer: "Those
phenomena of magnetism, spiritism, or hypno-
tism by which things hidden, remote, and future
are uncovered are diabolical; the others, however,
do not seem to transcend natural laws." There is,
we may add, no little fraud, trickery, and deceit
connected with this superstitious cult.
Was St. John the Baptist conceived
without original sin?
No; the Blessed Virgin alone, of all God's
creatures, was conceived without original sin.
St. John the Baptist was sanctified in his mother's
womb on the occasion of Mary's visit to her
cousin Elizabeth, which we recall in the second
joyful mystery of the rosary, the Visitation.
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 573
The Baptist was, accordingly, born without
original sin, though he was not conceived with-
out it.
Must your night prayers be said before
midnight if you are not retiring until late ?
No; it is sufficient to say them before retiring,
no matter how late it may be. But say your
night prayers, no matter how tired you are, just
as you must try to say your morning prayers,
no matter how many things claim your attention.
You lose much by omitting these important little
devotions. We add that, since both in the
morning and in the evening one is liable to be
tired and sleepy, it is advisable to use a prayer-
book for the devotions in question. At least,
everybody has time to kneel down before a cruci-
fix and say the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the
Apostles' Creed, and the Acts of Faith, Hope,
Charity, and Contrition, with great faith, devo-
tion, and humility. Also make all your special
intentions for the day or for the night. How
strange that people have time for a thousand and
one things else, but no time to pray! Without
prayer there is no salvation. And morning anol
evening prayers are about the least one can do, , 1 j
Is a sacrilege always a mortal sin?
No; a sacrilege is not always a mortal sin.
A sacrilege belongs to that class of sins which
are mortal in a grievous matter and venial in a
matter of lesser importance.
A sacrilege, by the way, is the violating of a
sacred thing, of something set aside by the
authority of the Church or of God for holy
purposes, for divine worship. A sacrilege is per-
sonal if a consecrated person is violated; local,
if a sacred place is violated; real, if a holy
article is desecrated.
Does a person who receives Confirmation
574 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
with mortal sin upon his soul commit a
sacrilege ?
He does; for Confirmation is a Sacrament of
the living and can be worthily received only by
those who are in a state of grace. The Sacra-
ments of the living, remember, increase sancti-
fying grace in the soul that is already robed
therein; whereas the Sacraments of the dead, as
they are called, namely, Baptism and Penance,
give sanctifying grace to the soul that has it not.
On New Year's Day I made some good
resolutions; I resolved to do certain good
works during the year. Some of these
resolutions I've kept, and some I haven't.
One that I didn't keep is the promise to
say the Stations of the Cross every Friday
during the year. Now I'm somewhat
worried as to whether I committed sin
by not keeping my promises.
Your good resolutions were, it seems, just
promises you made to yourself to do good works
which you were not obliged to do. In that case
you just made a little contract with yourself;
and if both you and yourself agreed to dissolve
the contract it by that very fact ceased to exist.
You did no wrong and no harm, in that case,
except, perhaps, you weakened your will power
a little. We should, of course, always try to
keep our good resolves, if possible. If we promise
to do things that we must do anyhow, because
God commands them, then it is different.
Perhaps God was the other party in your
little contract. But when people promise God
such free things as you mention, they do not
usually wish to bind themselves under pain of
sin. Nor is it wise so to bind themselves. More-
over, for a real promise one condition is that
your promise is accepted by him to whom you
make it. But if you make God a promise to do
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 575
some unnecessary good thing which He foresees
you cannot keep, may we not think that He,
though pleased with your good will, does not
accept your promise as binding? Let us also
remember that a good resolution is not always
even a promise and that a simple promise is not
a vow. You have no cause to worry.
Will you kindly enumerate the seven
deadly sins and their opposite virtues?
The seven deadly sins, more commonly and
properly called the seven capital sins because
they are the chief sources of sin, are the follow-
ing: Pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony,
envy, and sloth. Their opposite virtues, here
mentioned in the same order, are these : Humility,
liberality, chastity, meekness, temperance,
brotherly love, diligence.
It is to be noted that there are many sources
of sin and that all sins have not necessarily their
sole source in the seven capital sins. The sources
of sin are not always sins. Our passions, for
instance, are sources of sin, but a passion is not
always sinful. But when speaking of capital
sins we speak of sources of sins that are sins in
themselves and are often the cause of many other
sins. Capital sins are so called, because, being
sins, they are most frequently causes or sources
of many other sins; therefore many moralists call
the sins which have their source in the capital
sins, the daughters thereof. Capital sins are not
necessarily the most grievous sins; for some of
them are in themselves only venial sins. Hence,
as we have said above, the appellation "Deadly
Sins" is less good and is apt to lead to a wrong
understanding of the nature of capital sins. We
go even further and say that it is a mistake to
call them deadly sins.
Someone recently sold me a costly art
painting at "a greatly reduced" price — in
576 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
feigned appreciation of hospitality shown
him. Later I discovered that it was stolen
from a certain store. Must I return it to
the store?
Certainly you must. You have no right to it.
The rightful owner is entitled to his property,
no matter into whose hands it has fallen. This
law follows necessarily from the nature of property
and ownership. You were indeed a possessor in
good faith, that is, you were convinced that the
picture rightfully belonged to you; for you had
acquired the title to it in a legitimate way, by
purchase. But even a possessor in good faith, as
soon as he discovers that the property is not his,
is bound to restore it to the rightful owner, or at
least give the owner notice to get it, at his own
expense. You are then the victim of the middle
man's injustice.
This may seem to be "a hard saying," but it
is justice. We need only place ourselves in the
position of the one from whom things are first
stolen in order to understand.
Does the Fourth Commandment oblige
one to obey his parents after he has grown
up and is of age ? Would it be a venial sin
to slam the door in their faces and must
such an act be mentioned in confession?
"Honor thy father and thy mother" is a com-
mandment, we repeat, that must be obeyed
whether a person be sixteen or sixty. When of
age the obedience required takes on a more inde-
pendent character, but disrespect is never lawful.
God has uttered dreadful words about the un-
natural, rebellious son or daughter. To slam
the door in their faces must indeed be mentioned
in confession, since it is quite probable that it is
even more than a venial sin.
We will enlarge somewhat upon this all-im-
portant matter. Surely, the United States is one
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 577
of the most independent countries in the world;
but we must not forget that the very Declaration
of Independence, which declared this country
free from one government, proclaimed a new
government to which its citizens were subject.
Self-reliance is one thing; independence is an-
other. We can never be independent of God, of
the law of conscience, of the Ten Command-
ments, of the laws of the Church. And one of
the commandments is, "Honor thy father and
thy mother." The worst of ingrates is an un-
grateful child, one who shows disrespect, diso-
bedience, opposition, and even defiance to his
parents. This disobedience is a real menace in
our day. Says Holy Writ: "Of what evil fame
is he that forsaketh his father; and he is cursed
of God that angereth his mother."
As young people grow older they may have
greater freedom; but they are never free to be
disrespectful. They may honestly differ with
their parents; but they can differ and show
honor. How many older children simply break
their parents' hearts! They will not speak with
their parents; they keep late hours; frequent
questionable places; spend all their money on
pleasures; neglect to go to Mass and Holy
Communion. What wonder if God should strike
such dreadfully! God, at least, never blesses
such. (Cf. You and Yours by Fr. Scott, S. J.)
Is it a sin not to defend a friend when
he is spoken ill of in your presence?
He who listens to detraction in such a way
as to encourage and to give a new stimulus
to the tongues of the detractors, sins against
justice and takes upon himself the guilt of the
detraction. But he who, when he becomes aware
of the detraction, leaves, or changes the subject,
or turns away, or shows himself displeased or
sad, commits no sin at all. As we read in the
578 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Book of Proverbs, "The north wind driveth away
rain, as doth a sad countenance a backbiting
tongue." (Prov. 25: 23.)
Ordinary persons, those who are not responsi-
ble for others, or who are not in official position,
generally do not sin at all, surely not mortally,
when out of shame, or fear, or even out of negli-
gence they do not stop detraction even when
they could, provided they do not rejoice at it
and provided no other injury is added to the
ill fame. The reason for this is evident: it is
ordinarily useless to rebuke the detracting tongue;
nay, a correction is wont to make it go awagging
on still faster.
When dining with non-Catholics is it
advisable to say grace before and after
meals ?
We should always ask God to bless our meals
and thank Him afterwards. This, however, can
be done in a moment's time and from the heart
without anybody noticing it. There are really
places and situations where it would not be
advisable to make the sign of the cross, fold the
hands, and pray as we would do at home. It
might bring religion into unnecessary ridicule.
At such times prudence suggests that we refrain
from all outward show. Nor can anyone brand
such refraining as a denial of one's faith. Some
have very foolish notions as regards these little
prayers, which can readily be omitted altogether
without the slightest sin and yet ought never to
be so omitted, because that would lead to a
gradual neglect of prayer. If such people would
live up to the conclusions of their peculiar logic
they would have to be going about making the
sign of the cross from morning to night and telling
everybody what they believe, lest they deny
their faith. But we know how ridiculous and
harmful that would be. Failure to show one's
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 579
faith does not by any means constitute a denial
of it, unless a direct, serious, and reasonable
challenge be given.
However, we believe Catholics are rather too
backward in these matters. A little thing like
the sign of the cross before and after meals is
generally the source of genuine edification to
others. It usually redounds to the honor of the
maker.
Can you tell me in how far mental
reservation is allowed? Is it always al-
lowed on lawful motives?
Sometimes we wish to keep a secret which we
are allowed to keep or even must keep. There
is a way in which we can then answer unduly
inquisitive persons without giving the desired
information and without lying. The first way
is the use of equivocal or ambiguous expressions
with the intention of being misunderstood by
others. The second is called broad mental
reservation. The latter is employed when words
are used which are capable of being understood
in different senses, either because they are
ambiguous in themselves, or because they derive
a special meaning from the circumstances of time,
place, or person, in which they are spoken; as,
for example, when a servant says his master is
"not at home," which may mean either that he is
absent or that he does not wish to receive visitors.
Both equivocation and mental reservation, as de-
fined, are lawful when the statement does not
embody a positive untruth ; when the true nature
of the statement is recognizable; and when there
is a morally justifiable reason for keeping a secret.
But when there is a positive duty to tell the
truth and no obligation of keeping a secret,
equivocation or mental reservation may not be
employed.
Father Joseph Rickaby, S. J., in Political and
580 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Moral Essays, gives a lucid explanation when he
says, " 'What news, my Lord, from France?'
some one asked of a cabinet minister. 'I don't
know,' was the reply, 'I have not read the papers.'
The story is Cardinal Newman's. Here the
sense of the I dont know is restricted and re-
served, internally in the mind of the speaker, and
externally in the words added about the news-
papers. It is a mental reservation of the broadest,
such as no Pharisee could call a lie. Now suppose
the reference to the papers be omitted. It would
still be very hard to call the don't know a lie.
The reservation of official knowledge is still
sufficiently apparent: no sensible man would ex-
pect that to be communicated by way of ordinary
chitchat. Above all, when a topic has been forced
upon one, and questions put that admit of no
evasion, by an inquirer who has no right to ask,
then surely my denial or disclaimer, however
direct the form of words, must be qualified by
the outward circumstances in which it is spoken.
This qualification, unspoken, but not unsigni-
fied, will be 'secrets apart'."
How about this matter: People fre-
quently ask me questions that I cannot
answer. In such cases I merely reply in
an off-hand way, "Oh yes" or "Oh no.'1
Is that what you would call a lie? There
is really no intention of making a lie out
of it. Is that a mortal sin?
To lie is knowingly to tell an untruth in order
to deceive others. To tell a lie, accordingly, the
false declaration, whether made in word or deed,
must be opposed to the interior conviction or
belief of him who makes it, and further, it must
be inspired by the intention of deceiving and
misleading others, especially those who have a
right to know the truth.
From this definition it would appear at first
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 581
glance that there is no lie in the practice in
question. Yet a little study seems to reveal
therein those subtle species of lying known as
simulation and hypocrisy, which may be defined
as the act of assuming a false form, appearance,
character, or condition in order to deceive others
as to one's real thoughts or intentions, and
especially in regard to one's true character. Here
a false appearance of knowledge is evidently
assumed. Else why not simply say, "I cannot
tell you that"?
Though every lie is a sin, not every lie is a
mortal sin. The gravity or guilt of a lie is to be
gauged by the general criteria of mortal and
venial sin, by its subject matter, by the objective
and subjective importance of the truth involved,
by the end or object aimed at, and by the cir-
cumstances of the case. For example, the denial
of a revealed truth of great importance for the
eternal or temporal welfare of man is always a
mortal sin. Lies told for the purpose of injuring
others are, under certain circumstances, grievous
sins. A jocose lie, or one told to get out of a
scrape, may generally be classed as a venial sin.
The so-called "little white lies" of social inter-
course likewise are usually venial sins.
A Catholic must ever be firmly convinced that
no lie can be of real advantage and that God
will turn the damage that one fears from the
truth into an advantage. "We know that to them
that love God, all things work together unto
good." (Rom. 8:28.)
When a conflict arises between duty and truth
on the one side and various other interests on the
other, the injury done to the soul by a lie cannot
be compared to any temporary disadvantage.
In a conflict between truth and charity, e. g., in
the case of a sick person, a conscientious man will
always, if necessary, find a way to disguise the
truth so that it will not bear the character of a
582. QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
lie. We must always tell the truth, but we are
not always bound to tell all the truth that we
know.
Is it proper to ask God for a certain
favor as a sign that he wishes a person to
do a particular good work?
It is surely quite proper, if the petition be re-
signed and humble; but you must leave it to
God to grant the favor or not. A refusal on the
part of God would not necessarily mean that He
does not wish you to do the good work. We
have no right to demand that God work wonders
for us. There are other and more natural means
of ascertaining what is His holy will in our
regard, consultation with one's confessor or
spiritual director, for instance.
Is it a sin to read letters of a person,
e. g., of a friend, sister, brother, after they
have been opened, provided one does not
make known having read them, or what
they contained?
Yes; this might be a serious sin. Nor does
the fact that the letters have already been
opened make any difference. Cases, however,
in which it would not be a sin, at least certainly
no grievous sin, are the following: (1) when you
know or can take it for granted that the sender
or the recipient would have no objection; (2)
when you are sure or think you are sure that
they do not contain matters of any importance;
(3) when you have a good and a just reason for
reading them in order to avoid public or private
harm, provided that in such a case you read
only what is quite necessary.
Why can the sin of despair not be for-
given ?
That the sin of despair cannot be forgiven, is
something quite new to us; in other words, it is
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 583
not true. It is the teaching of the Church that
the power of the keys extends to all the sins of
the faithful, so that there is no sin which cannot
be forgiven those who are rightly disposed.
This answer is clear and definite. What we add
is merely a bit of instruction.
What is despair? Despair is a deliberate re-
jection of hope, inasmuch as a person judges
that eternal happiness cannot be attained by
him. In itself it is a mortal sin, though often,
because of the imperfection of the act, it is but
a venial sin. Like any other sin it can be forgiven
if confessed with true sorrow.
Perhaps the questioner has in mind death-bed
despair. Then it is merely a case of sin not
repented of and not confessed and hence not
forgiven. But it would be forgiven if the sinner
would turn back to God.
Is it easy to commit a mortal sin against
humility, i. e., by being proud?
Pride is inordinate self-esteem or love of one's
own pre-eminence, coupled with a desire of in-
ducing others to accept the exaggerated opinion
one has formed of oneself. It may take the form
of ambition, vainglory, presumption, boasting,
vanity, hypocrisy. In these forms it is usually,
in itself, only a venial sin. It may also take the
form of arrogance. Arrogance may be called
complete or perfect pride, and is that haughti-
ness and proud contempt of others which leads
a man to despise and transgress human and
divine laws. Such pride, by which a person
indulges so much in inordinate self-esteem as to
be willing grievously to transgress a law rather
than obey the legitimate authority of God or
man, is a mortal sin.
Pride strikes at obedience towards God, at the
love of one's neighbor, at truth. It strikes at
584 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
truth. No man who is strictly honest with him-
self can be proud.
Some prayer-books state that you
should examine your conscience in regard
to saying your morning and evening
prayers. Is this not an error? Would it
be a sin to omit morning or evening
prayer ?
It is not an error. For to omit morning and
evening prayers, though, in itself, it may be no
sin, is certainly not a virtue. We say "in itself."
It doubtless usually is a venial sin of sloth to
omit these and similar prayers. Sloth, which
generally begins with lukewarmness, especially
neglect of prayer and religious exercises, later
manifests itself as indifference to virtue and the
things of God and then as disgust for the moral
and religious duties which every man is bound
to perform.
Those prayers are important. They are
the key that opens the door of the day in
the morning and closes it at night — the
day's Baptism and its Extreme Unction, some-
one has called them. "Give me a man who
prays well every day and I will answer for his
salvation," said a saint. Prayer is necessary for
salvation. Said another saint, "Without prayer
it is impossible to lead a virtuous life." But
now, we can hardly do less than say a good morn-
ing and evening prayer. Those who omit these
prayers usually do not pray at all; and sad
indeed are the consequences. "Think not," says
Cassian, "that one who falls deeply, strikes the
bottom at once. Do you wish to learn the cause?
For a long time this man was very lukewarm,
and as a consequence his soul lost strength un-
noticed, while the evil inclinations grew stronger."
We have spoken of this at length because we
are firmly convinced of the great importance of
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 585
absolute faithfulness to morning and evening
prayers. We would shout it into the ears of the
whole world, "Never omit your morning and
evening prayers!"
Many people have remarked that a
certain young man has a poor complexion.
I know that by thus speaking they have
hurt his feelings. Is it wrong to make
such remarks? Is a bad complexion sent
by God? Is it a sin to feel ashamed of
having it?
Politeness, which is nothing less than Christian
charity, forbids one to make uncomplimentary
remarks about the personal appearance of
another. To do so in his presence shows an abso-
lute lack of good breeding.
God has made us as we are, unless by careless-
ness or dissipation or excess we ourselves have
changed ourselves.
Doubtless, an unlovely exterior has been a
blessing in disguise for many a one, just as a
beautiful face has been the cause of the down-
fall of many.
It is not exactly a sin to be ashamed of having
a poor complexion, though it would seem to hint
at a lack of solid humility and Christian self-
knowledge.
Is it sinful to be discouraged and dis-
contented?
Discouragement is not generally sinful in the
ordinary affairs of life. But it is, of course, more
or less sinful when it assumes the nature of a
sin against hope and trust in God. Such dis-
couragement is a sin for which there can be no
excuse whatsoever. Likewise, in the ordinary
affairs of life discontent is hardly sinful. But
when it takes on the nature of murmuring against
God, of rebellion against Him, of lack of sub-
5 86 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
mission to His holy will, it, too, becomes more
or less sinful.
Is it well to do a good deed, an act of
charity or the like, with a good intention,
even if one would afterwards think it
done out of vain glory, or if others should
think so? Or should one rather omit
good deeds, so that one may have nothing
to doubt or fear?
Do good by all means! And always make the
good intention. To be deterred therefrom by
human respect were to play the part of a coward.
If thoughts of vain glory creep in at the doing,
say with the saints, "Begone, Satan! I did not
begin for you (but for God) and I will not stop
for you!"
Is it easy to commit a grievous sin
through laziness?
When sloth, or laziness, is so great that it
leads to the neglect of duties that bind one under
pain of mortal sin, it is itself a mortal sin; other-
wise it is a venial sin.
An illustration of what we mean is this. Sup-
pose that, through simple laziness, a man would
lie abed on a Sunday morning and thus neglect
to go to Mass. Such laziness is of itself a grievous
sin. Sloth, as a matter of fact, usually begins
with lukewarmness, especially neglect of prayer
and spiritual exercises.
Are those who work for the spread of
Catholic literature forbidden to do that
work on Sunday? If not, why not?
No; they are not forbidden to do that work
on Sunday. For, opposed to servile labor, and
consequently permitted on Sundays are the
so-called liberal works, that is, all work pre-
dominantly intellectual and aiming at the de-
velopment of the mind, such as reading, writing,
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 587
instructing others, etc. Work for the spread of
Catholic literature comes under this category.
Does a person commit a sin who eats of
a certain food which the doctor tells him
will shorten his life?
The principle of the conservation of life is here
concerned. The law of nature declares that man
is not the lord and master of his life, but merely
its administrator. God is the Master, the Owner.
Hence, he is obliged by ordinary means to con-
serve the health and integrity of his body and
its members. We say ordinary means. He is
not obliged to have recourse to extraordinary
means.
This question furthermore reminds us that by
the fifth commandment we are commanded,
among other things, to take proper care of our
own life and health. We preserve our own life
by promoting all that contributes to the health
and strength of our body and of our soul. Moder-
ation is, accordingly, enjoined in the matter of
food and drink; sleep and healthful exercise are
imperative for recreation and relaxation of the
body and the mind; the body must be cared for
in sickness and so forth.
But does the person in question commit a sin
if he eats the food which the doctor tells him
will shorten his life? That depends upon how
much it will shorten his life and his conviction of
the truth of the doctor's statement. To the
question, as it stands, we answer that such a
person does certainly not commit a mortal sin
and probably no sin at all.
It is surprising to how much scrupulosity such
things give rise in certain individuals. Let us
use common sense. Few people err by culpable
neglect of due care of the body. More sin the
other way; but we know that even to shorten
5 88 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
one's life somewhat by excess of food, drink,
tobacco, etc., is, in itself, certainly not a mortal sin.
Is it a sin to keep the (secular maga-
zine named) merely for the recipes and
advertisements and not for the stories
contained therein?
No one considers it a sin to keep and read such
magazines as the one you mention. They are
usually at least respectable and can hardly be
listed as objectionable. Each one must know
for himself when that insidious sex element is a
source of danger, just as each one must be quick
to detect stupid, ignorant, or insulting mis-
representations of Catholic belief. This being
presupposed, it is not wrong to keep such maga-
zines. However, Catholic magazines should be
given the preference in all cases.
The question here asked causes us to wonder
whether the advertisements in questionable maga-
zines are not as suggestive as the stories them-
selves.
Readers in our day should be judicious in the
selection of their reading. Speaking of non-
Catholic literature, "We are newspaper ridden,
flooded with magazines, overwhelmed with books;
and while most of this material is so inaccurate,
repetitious and frivolous that it is not worth a
glance, there is mixed with it a good deal of the
best human thought and feeling. In consequence
there is danger of waste of time and corruption
of interest, through inability to discriminate be-
tween the wheat and the chaff." Most of the
welter of weekly and especially monthly maga-
zines with glaring covers contain nothing worth
reading, though a few are really educational.
As regards our daily newspaper reading, it should
be an exercise of sifting the wheat from the chaff,
the events of real import from those that are
trivial. On the other hand, Catholic periodicals
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 589
should be read with thought and care and from
cover to cover — also the newspapers.
Does a person who, for virtue's sake,
undergoes privations and penances that
will shorten his life, commit a sin? If
not, does he gain merit?
To shorten one's life by penances that are
positively immoderate and indiscreet is not
allowed for any reason. There can be no merit
for such unlawful zeal. But to perform ordi-
nary penances or to lead an ordinary penitential
life, for virtue's sake, even though one knows
that it will shorten his life for a number of years
is no sin at all. On the contrary, such a one will
heap up great treasures of merit in heaven. For
the sake of such merit or for the prudent morti-
fication of corrupt nature, so theologians teach,
one may well despise the years of life lost thereby.
A friend of mine asks: "Name three
things sacred to man that the twentieth-
century woman has not followed.' ' I
answer, "The sanctuary, the spittoon,
and big feet." Have I touched upon
sacrilegious ground? Have I sinned?
You very probably spoke thoughtlessly and
from a desire to appear clever or witty. We are
sure you did not think of the irreverence until
the words had escaped you. If that was the case,
you did not sin at all. It was only afterwards
that you realized the peculiar offensiveness of the
association of those three ideas.
We will here remark that Catholics are often
guilty of contempt of sacred things when they
speak with disrespect of holy things or of the
practices of Holy Church, of devotions approved
by the Church, and especially of the Sacraments
and of the ceremonies that accompany them.
Levity may sometimes excuse them from mortal
59o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
sin, when they ridicule devout persons or prac-
tices; but when to ridicule there is joined real
contempt of holy things as such, like the Mass
and the Sacraments, such contempt can never be
excused from mortal sin.
Is it a sin if children talk unnecessarily
in school?
The fourth commandment forbids all dis-
obedience, contempt and stubbornness towards
our parents or lawful superiors. Teachers are
the lawful superiors of children under their
charge; and if silence is wilfully and unneces-
sarily broken when it has been seriously com-
manded, it may indeed be a sin. But it is not
a grievous matter.
Are persons who have attained legal age
(e. g., 18 for girls, 21 for boys) bound to
obey their parents under pain of sin?
It is quite clear that as long as they are under
their parents' authority they are obliged to obey
under pain of sin. However, this obligation, in
its strict sense, ceases when they become of age
or enter the married state or embrace the religi-
ous life. But, though the obligation of obedience
then ceases, the obligation of filial love and
reverence never ceases.
When a son or daughter of age stays with his
or her parents, the obligation of obedience to-
wards the head of the house does not cease in
those matters which pertain to domestic order.
This is something for many to remember.
Is it possible for a Catholic to be re-
leased from a pledge which was made for
life, before a Catholic priest, to abstain
from all intoxicating liquors? I argue
that this can be done if the person who
has taken the pledge for life is released by
a Catholic priest. Am I correct?
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 591
This pledge of which you speak is not a vow.
In itself it is not binding under pain of mortal
sin. It is a promise binding out of fidelity and
hence under pain of venial sin at the most, unless
unusual circumstances make the matter grave.
Of course, a Catholic priest can release you
from such a promise. Or, rather, he will merely
tell you that such a promise or pledge simply
ceases to bind you when circumstances change
so that had you foreseen them you would not
have made the promise. Every free promise is
supposedly made with the implicit condition,
"If it can be done without grave inconvenience."
Hence, ordinarily, you do not even need to be
released by a priest.
We might remark that the pledge is often
taken too seriously — and broken in spite of every-
thing. Let us not make sin where there should
be no sin.
Is it sinful to sell chances on a piece of
fancy work, for instance, and keep the
money for oneself? Is it a just way of
earning one's daily bread?
The disposal of an article by the selling of
chances is of itself lawful, provided the requisite
conditions are present. The conditions are that
no deceit be practiced in the raffle itself and in
the awarding of the prize; and that the owner of
the article does not derive from it profit in
excess of that which would be derived from an
ordinary successful and proportionally financed
business venture. The profit may be greater if
the chances are sold for the promotion of some
good work or public utility. For these latter
reasons chances are usually sold; they are
purchased out of benevolence and charity. That
is commonly understood. Hence there is nothing
unlawful about it. We would add, however,
that human laws may affect this decision.
59i QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
To sell chances for one's daily bread is afvery
questionable mode of procedure. However, in
the case of one who is crippled or infirm it would
merely be a form of charitable donation, j as
above. But here again we would add that human
laws may have to be taken into consideration.
Must one who is of age and is working
at home without any regular salary -be
obedient to parents in all things?
Generally speaking — yes. All children, whether
sixteen or sixty years of age, owe love and
reverence to their parents. And as long as
children are under their parents' authority, and
in their family, they are obliged to obey their
parents in all things that are not against the
law of God. This particularly holds good in all
family concerns, which are entirely subject to
the parents' management and authority. This
obedience should be cheerful, ready, pleasant,
and patient in receiving reproof and correction.
However, all children are independent of their
parents in the choice of their state of life.
Must a Catholic pray before and after
meals? I have been in many Catholic
homes where no prayers were said before
and after meals. I'd like to know if this
is right.
It is not right. Catholics should pray before
and after meals. Not to do so is suggestive of
little sins of spiritual sloth, carelessness about
the blessing of God, ingratitude, bad example,
and such like things. We say "Please" and
"Thank you" to everybody else. Why not be
just as polite with God?
Is it proper for prison authorities, for
instance, to give their subjects any drug
that is harmless in itself, but at the same
time deadens their vigor, vim, and vi-
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 593
tality? If so, on what ethical grounds
can they justify themselves?
We take it for granted that when such unusual
means are resorted to they are made necessary
by unusual circumstances. When so necessary,
they are justified by the principle that, though
every man is bound to respect the bodily welfare
of his fellowmen by protecting and promoting
their life, health, and liberty and abstaining from
whatever might unjustly injure these possessions,
yet life, health, and liberty are not supreme
blessings and may consequently be sacrificed
whenever higher interests require or permit it.
In other words, it is morally permissible, for the
sake of some higher good, — for example, the public
welfare, — to employ compulsion towards one's
neighbor, to deprive him of minor goods, to
subject him to bodily suffering, or to take away
his liberty. Such higher goods are, for instance,
education, life, health, and the public order.
Is it wrong to burn vigil lights for one's
departed mother if she was not a Catholic ?
It is not wrong; it is good and praiseworthy.
The burning of vigil lights with a devout inten-
tion is a form of prayer. And we may and should
pray for those who are not, or who were not, of
the household of the faith. Let us pray often
for the conversion of those outside the Church
and for those who may be in purgatory and have
no one to pray for them.
Is it wrong to give to non-Catholic
charitable societies? If it is, why does
the Catholic Church ask for and accept
donations from non-Catholic people?
Catholics may not contribute to the support
of false worship. Therefore, whenever any special
contributing ceases to be merely an act of courtesy
and general charity and good will and becomes a
594 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
participation in a false religion, Catholics are
bound under pain of sin not to give.
But Catholics ask from non-Catholics! Oh!
that's another matter. Non-Catholics maintain
on principle, that all churches are equally good
and true; they accordingly admit that the
Catholic Church is as true as any of them. So
they may in conscience contribute to its support
as to the support of true worship of God. But
we Catholics know that our religion is the only
true religion, that all others are false. This is
our firm stand, the only stand we can take. We
eannot, therefore, in conscience contribute to the
support of other religions, whereas non-Catholics
may in conscience contribute to ours.
Does the Church permit the dissecting
of human bodies for scientific purposes?
Yes. The Church is the mother of all true
progress. And it is quite evident that the lawful
dissection of human bodies is of prime importance
to the science of medicine and surgery, just as
the lawful vivisection of animals results in in-
numerable blessings to the human race. Un-
doubtedly, both the one practice and the other
have been abused; but the mere abuse of a thing
is not by any means sufficient justification for
its prohibition.
If I furnish music for a dance, do I also
share in the scandal given?
You are thinking of co-operation in all the
sins committed because of the dance at which
you play. The musicians at a dance, of course,
sin and co-operate in sin by playing at indecent,
immoral dances. If the dances are proper and
decent they are allowed to play for any good
reason.
I ask this question abstracting alto-
gether from Prohibition. Suppose I serve
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 595
intoxicants to intoxicated persons for
peace' sake, being too timid to refuse
them, or just to get rid of them, but not
for gain. Is it ever permissible in the
sight of God to do this?
The general principle is that it is never allowed
to give liquor to a man when you foresee that it
will certainly make him drunk. That would be
formal co-operation in sin.
The person of whom you speak is not yet com-
pletely intoxicated. You may not give him the
liquor he requests for the sake of gain nor because
he would merely become indignant at the refusal.
A more serious reason is required to make such
co-operation lawful. You know, for example,
that he would start a rumpus or a fight, or that
he would begin to curse and blaspheme and
vomit forth a stream of disgusting profanity, or
that you would lose a goodly number of your
customers: in such cases it would be peimissible
in the sight of God to give him the liquor.
From this answer it is clear that also the saloon
business is not to be recommended to Catholics —
nor to anyone. It sorely taxes the moral the-
ologian's ability to extricate the consciences of
such from the entanglements of the trade!
Is it a sin to dance on Sunday afternoon
or night?
We simply say, "Don't." And if you must,
because it is the only time you have to enjoy a
dance, by all means avoid public dances on
Sunday. Always dangerous, they are particu-
larly so on that day, when dissolute scum from
everywhere is apt to float thither. Keep holy
the Sunday! If you can keep it holy even at a
decent dance in an entirely respectable place,
we do not see any sin therein, unless Sunday
dances are expressly forbidden by local ecclesi-
astical authorities.
596 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
"If the Sunday dance (it makes no difference
whether it is by day or by night) is prohibited,
why is it, generally speaking, prohibited?" Be-
cause— under the supposition — it profanes the
Lord's Day. Yes; there is indeed a danger. We
quote from the Third Plenary Council of Balti-
more, or, rather, from the Pastoral Letter of the
Archbishops and Bishops of the United States
assembled there:
"In this country, there are tendencies and in-
fluences at work to bring about a similar result
[profanation of the Lord's Day] ; and it behooves
all who love God and care for society to see that
they be checked. As usual, greed for gain lies
at the bottom of the movement. Even when
the pretense put forward is popular convenience
or popular amusement, the clamor for larger
liberty does not come so much from those who
desire the convenience or the amusement, as
from those who hope to enrich themselves by
supplying it. Now, far be it from us to advocate
such Sunday laws as would hinder necessary work,
or prohibit such popular enjoyments as are con-
sistent with the sacredness of the day. It is well
known, however, that the tendency is to rush far
beyond the bounds of necessity and propriety,
and to allege these reasons only as an excuse for
virtually ignoring the sacredness of the day al-
together. But no community can afford to have
either gain or amusement at such a cost. To
turn the Lord's Day into a day of toil, is a blight-
ing curse to a country; to turn it into a day of
dissipation would be worse. We earnestly ap-
peal, therefore, to all Catholics without distinc-
tion, not only to take no part in any movement
tending toward a relaxation of the observance of
Sunday, but to use their influence and power as
citizens to resist in the opposite direction."
Is it a sin to dance in Advent or in Lent
and also on March 17?
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 597
Says Father Scott, S. J., in his excellent book
You and Yours: "We must take human nature
as it is, and conditions as we find them, and then
do our best under the circumstances. Dancing
is widely popular among the young. Dancing
of the right sort is innocent and beneficial. In-
stead of condemning it fruitlessly, let us safeguard
it and make it the means of serving a good social
purpose among our people. There are bad dances,
and bad effects from good dances. That does not
condemn dancing any more than unfortunate
marriages condemn matrimony. There are good
dances with good results. We should encourage
these."
We quote this paragraph by way of repeating
that dancing is not, in itself, sinful; and, in itself,
it is not more sinful in Advent or Lent or on
March 17 than at any other time. But just as
dancing, which is in itself not sinful, may become
sinful because of other circumstances (e. g.,
dancing on forbidden days, certain forbidden
dances, dancing by one for whom it is a near
occasion of grievous sin, etc.), so, too, it may be
more or less sinful because of the circumstance
of time that you mention, i. e., Advent or Lent.
Good Catholics will entirely abstain from this
amusement during these solemn seasons of prayer
and penance. Not to do so shows an utter
disregard of the fitness of things. It shows dis-
respect and disobedience as regards the wishes of
the Church during these holy seasons and almost
always gives scandal to Catholics and non-Catho-
lics alike. To go to dances during these times
shows a dangerous spirit of levity and not a
spirit of Christian faith.
And all honor to St. Patrick, great, great saint
that he is! But is he not rather dishonored by
the dances that are given on his feastday — in
Lent? We honor the saints most of all by imi-
tating them. Read his life and see how he prayed
598 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
and fasted and performed almost unbelievable
penances — and was an obedient child of Holy
Church. — even of her wishes.
Is it wrong to play for dances on Satur-
day nights after twelve at midnight? and
what about Sunday nights?
Generally speaking, and at such dances
where it is allowed to play at all, and
unless there is some special prohibition, it is
not wrong. Only servile works (those that re-
quire labor of body rather than of mind) and
forensic works are forbidden on Sundays. The
playing of musical instruments belongs to what
are called liberal works, such as study, teaching,
writing, etc. These are not forbidden on Sundays
and holydays of obligation.
But suppose the musicians in question are paid
for their services? That does not change the
matter. The third commandment does not forbid
us to do things on Sunday for which we are paid,
but it forbids servile and forensic works. By
forensic works are meant regular court proceed-
ings, public business, buying and selling, (com-
merce and trading), unless made lawful by custom
or special indult. Common works, those that are
of advantage partly to the body, partly to the
mind, such as hunting, playing, traveling, neces-
sary household tasks, chores, etc., are allowed
on Sundays.
I never dance the immoral dances of
today, but even the ordinary decent
dances, which I am just crazy about, give
rise in me to many temptations and even
to sins in thought and desire. What
must I do?
These decent dances, which are not sinful in
themselves and which are for many no source of
grave temptation and sin, are evidently for you
an occasion of serious sin. You must avoid
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 599
them. Owing to diversity of temperaments,
that which is entirely harmless for one may be
absolutely forbidden for another.
Would it be a sin for a Catholic girl to
let a friend join her Church if it is against
his parents' will?
It certainly is not a sin! Indeed, once he is
convinced that the Catholic Church is the true
Church, and that only therein can he save his
soul, he is obliged to join it, even though the
whole world rise up against him. He must obey
God rather than men.
Of course, your friend should join the Church
out of conviction. There are only too many
young men who are willing to become Catholics
"just to get the girl." The motive is wrong.
Such marriages are generally unhappy.
When a young man expresses the desire to
become a Catholic in order that he may be of
the same religion as the girl he loves, she should
simply take him to see the pastor. During the
course of instruction the priest will let him know
over and over again that he is to join the Church
out of conviction only. We would also suggest
that a wise and prudent girl will let him practice
his religion for some months after he has been
received — will let him show what a good, prac-
tical Catholic he can be. If she marries him
only then, it will be a more genuine Catholic
marriage, with a minimum of risk.
Is a prize-fighter barred from the Sacra-
ments ?
No; he is not. Why should he be? The prize-
fighter is not even culpably exposing his life to
unnecessary danger; for very rarely indeed are
the consequences of boxing fatal. And suppose
such a one did sin by neglect of his bodily wel-
fare— isn't the Sacrament of Penance just for
sinners? Here there is no question at all of
6oo QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
excommunication or anything like that, as you
evidently think. If the prize-fighter were barred
from the Sacraments, then with far greater
reason would the football player have to be
barred, too — likewise the baseball player — save
the mark! No; he is not barred — not because
he is a prize-fighter.
Is it a sin not to speak to your brother
if he is older than you and treats you in
a mean way and calls you ugly names?
Though not in the strict and ordinary sense of
the word, your brother is yet in a certain sense
your enemy; and charity towards our neighbor
shines forth in its brightest splendor when
exercised towards our enemies, towards those
who do evil to us, who are disagreeable to us,
offend us, hate us, wish us ill. If we love only
those who love us, if we greet only those who
greet us, what reward shall we have? "Do not
also the heathens the same?" the Savior asks.
The love of one's enemy is the distinguishing
character of a true Christian, a wholly super-
natural virtue, one of the brightest ornaments of
the soul in the sight of God, the truest imitation
of Christ, Who even laid down His life for His
enemies.
As regards your brother, and also in any other
case of like nature, be mindful of what our gentle
Savior commands: "I say to you, love your
enemies; do good to them that hate you, pray
for them that persecute and calumniate you, and
bless them that curse you." Here you are told
just what to do: to love your brother, to do
good to him, to pray for him, to bless him. In
your heart you must forgive him, as God forgives
you your sins.
If he does or says anything to you that is
wrong or sinful respectfully tell your parents all
about it at once, that they may charitably cor-
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 60 1
rect him. Of course, you need not speak to him
if it causes him to become rude or still more rude,
but you should always be willing to speak to
him and never be stubborn when you see that
he wants to be a gentleman. Then you will not
sin at all.
Try always to love him in your heart. But
how can you do that when you feel dislike and
almost hatred for him? Well, often we cannot
help feeling , but we can help consenting to the
feeling. Just say to God, "I don't want to feel
that way, I ivant to love him." If you mean it,
you will have the requisite love for your neighbor
for God's sake. Love is chiefly in the will, not
in the emotions.
I have been told by some learned man
that the expression "Damn it" is no sin
at all. Is this true?
There is such a thing as profane language, as
distinguished from cursing properly so called.
With most people such words as "damn," "hell"
are considered profane language; but, excluding
the intention of shocking the sensibilities of a
well-bred neighbor, there is no particular sin in
using such words, excepting the sin of possible
scandal or of disobedience to parents and other
superiors who have forbidden their use. How-
ever, no Christian gentleman will use such ex-
pressions, and for a lady to use them is positively
disgusting.
Now, the Second Commandment is broken by
blasphemy, cursing and swearing, profanity, the
irreverent use of the Name of God or other sacred
names, perjury, and the violation of an oath or
a vow.
Blasphemy is an injurious utterance against
God or sacred persons, places, or things, for ex-
ample, "God is cruel and unjust!" Of itself it is
a mortal sin; but it often happens that people
6ox QUESTIONSTOF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
do not mean what they say when they utter such
words and are not really angry at God and hence
are hardly guilty of a mortal sin under the cir-
cumstances. But they do not thereby lighten
their troubles. They ought to turn to God in
humble prayer and resignation.
Cursing and swearing mean, in common par-
lance, the abuse of God's Name in any way, often
simply called profanity, though to curse, in the
strict theological sense, means to wish some one
evil. If a curse is meant and the evil wished
another is great and serious, it is a mortal sin
against charity. Take, for instance, that so
sadly frequent American curse, "God damn you!"
Think of what that means: "May God consign
you to hell for all eternity!" People ordinarily
do not mean that. Hence it is then not in itself
a mortal sin, though it may be a mortal sin of
scandal. But it certainly is a serious venial sin.
Vulgar expressions, like "darn it," "the darned
thing," "by gosh," "by golly," "ye gods," "the
dickens," "the deuce," etc., are not exactly nice
words to say, being perhaps reminiscent of cerntai
forms of profanity, but they are not curse words
and are not sinful. To say "O hell," or "the
devil," or even "damn it," without any particular
reference, are not curse words either, just in-
elegant, unbecoming, vulgar expressions. But
"Go to hell!" or "Go to the devil!" if meant, are
real curses.
The abuse of the Holy Name by saying "Jesus,"
"God," "God damn," etc., is a venial sin, unless
such use in anger against God partakes of the
nature of blasphemy or contempt of God. But it
is an irreverence at which all Catholics ought to
be shocked, of which everyone ought to be
thoroughly ashamed. Of all the countries of the
world the United States of America takes the
lead for ordinary cursing and swearing. There
may be more horrid blasphemy in other countries,
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 603
but for the abuse of God's Holy Name in a com-
mon, vulgar, thoughtless way, American people
seem to be first, as in so many other things.
The Holy Name Society is doing much to stem
the tide of this godless habit. If there were
more love for Jesus, there would be more rever-
ence for His sacred and adorable Name. Some
of our Catholics might well blush at the thought
of their little love.
Perjury, to swear falsely, or to take a false
oath is of itself always a mortal sin. When we
call upon God to witness what we say, what we
are saying must be, as far as we know, the truth.
Otherwise we make of God a liar. Frivolously
to swear to the truth where there is no sufficient
reason for it is a venial sin. To break a promise
made under oath in good faith is a mortal sin
in a matter of great importance. If it is only
slight affair, it is venial sin.
A vow is a definite promise made to God by
which one binds himself under pain of sin to do
something that is pleasing to Him. If one has
not the intention of binding himself in conscience,
it is not a vow but a resolution. If the vow refers
to something of importance and the one making
it did not specify otherwise, it is a mortal sin to
break it; if it involves some light matter, it
binds under venial sin. Vows must, of course,
be kept. They should never be thoughtlessly,
hastily made in the first place, and never without
first getting the consent of one's confessor or
spiritual director. If it is impossible or very
difficult to keep the vow the person in question
should ask the confessor in the next confession
for a dispensation or commutation into some
other good work.
Thus, briefly, we may now sum up. We honor
the Name of God by pronouncing it reverently,
we dishonor it by using it in vain; we honor it
by invocation and praise, we dishonor it by
604 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
blasphemy ; we honor it by a vow, we dishonor it
by a violation of the vow; we honor it by an oath,
we dishonor it by perjury and unlawful swearing.
We wish to say that we feel a certain repug-
nance to thus distinguishing between venial sins
and mortal sins. True it is that there is a great
and awful difference. But all who are trying to
serve God faithfully should know that any sin of
omission or commission, whether venial or mortal,
is opposed to the love we owe to our good God;
for there can be no sin unless we omit or neglect
what God commands or do what He forbids in
thought, word, or deed. We repeat — it is un-
worthy of a Catholic to speculate whether this
or that act or omission constitutes a mortal sin
or a venial sin, with a view to committing it if it
be the latter. Is it not his duty to serve God in
small as well as in greater things? Has sin,
whether mortal or venial, ceased to be the
greatest evil in the world? It is true that a
thousand venial sins will not make one mortal
sin; but venial sin leads to mortal sin. And
everyone that has his salvation at heart avoids
not only what damns his soul forever, if not
remitted before death, but also every wilful act
that offends his Master and may finally lead to
eternal perdition.
Is it a sin to call a person a name such as
pill, egg, dog, etc., if it should hurt that
person's feelings? And would you confess
it as calling someone injurious names?
We may say that calling offensive names of
this kind is a sin against the fifth commandment,
but ordinarily not a serious sin, of course. Such
injurious words are to be classed with idle
disputes, contentions, strife, quarrelling, beating,
fighting, and the like. All of which are im-
mediately forbidden by this commandment. The
reason is because these things are of their own
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 605
nature injurious to our neighbor's person, as
well as to our own, either by giving displeasure
and vexation to the mind and thus exciting anger
and hatred, or by hurting the body. As a little
reflection will show, these things also have a
natural tendency to murder; and experience
demonstrates full well that murder has arisen
times without number from these beginnings.
Holy Writ says: "As the vapor of a chimney
and the smoke of the fire goeth up before the
fire, so also injurious words, and reproaches, and
threats, before blood." (Ecclus. 22:30.) More-
over, such behavior is directly opposed to the
charity, concord, and brotherly love that the
Savior so strictly requires in His followers, — the
Savior Who said: "Learn of Me." He has given
us striking examples. If you call names, unless
it is done in a peculiar spirit of mutual playfulness
and jokingly, you must know that "Out of the
abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."
Yes; you may confess it as calling someone
slightly or very injurious names.
Is it wrong to say I cannot get along with
a certain person?
It is better not to give expression to such
sentiments. It might lessen the esteem of others
for that person. You would not say this in the
person's presence, would you? Well, then just
apply this golden rule, "Never say in the ab-
sence of others what you would not gladly say
in their presence."
Is it true that God inflicts special punish-
ment on those who speak evil of religious
persons ?
To speak evil of religious persons means to
speak evil of God's best friends, of souls inti-
mately united to Him, consecrated to Him.
This naturally offends God more; and the
greater the offence, the greater the punishment
606 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
inflicted, unless the wrong be repented of and
satisfaction made.
Speaking evil of priests and religious is a
greater sin than many believe, because of the
official position and the sacred duties of these
leaders in Holy Church. The slightest remark
may reduce, even cripple, their power for good.
If you say something about someone,
meaning no harm, and afterwards are
afraid it might have been understood in-
juriously but do not know that it has been
so understood, is it necessary to do any-
thing about it?
If you were taking little pecks at somebody's
reputation, meaning no harm, it is necessary to
make a generous resolution to keep better watch
over that slippery little tongue. Picking at
people is a most odious fault — and so common!
If you were not doing that, it is unnecessary to
do anything about it. We are not responsible
for other people's misunderstanding us.
What is slang? I cannot get an idea of it.
Why is it sinful? What really is provoking
language? Is it a sin thoughtlessly to call
another person a name when you never
mean anything by it?
Webster says that slang is language or words
consisting either of new words or phrases, often
of the vagrant or illiterate classes, or of ordinary
words or phrases in arbitrary senses, and having
conventional but vulgar or inelegant use. There
is nothing sinful in using slang, unless the words
and expressions are so vulgar and inelegant as
to be indecent and suggestive of the impure.
Slang is less than profane language. With most
people such words as "damn," "devil," "hell"
are properly considered profane language; but,
excluding the intention of shocking the sensibili-
ties of a well-bred neighbor, there is no particular
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 607
sin in using such words, excepting the sin of
possible scandal or of disobedience to parents
and other superiors who have forbidden their
use. The use of profane language is shockingly
ungentlemanly and disgustingly unladylike. The
use of slang is an indifferent matter as regards
conscience.
Provoking language consists of words or re-
marks that irritate or excite another to im-
patience, anger, cursing, etc.
To call a person a name quite thoughtlessly
when you never mean anything by it can hardly
be a sin. Still it depends upon the name. Some
names are very offensive. They offend against
charity. You should get rid of the habit of
thoughtlessly calling others names, even if they
are only nicknames they don't like. Let charity
govern all your words and actions.
Is it a sin if by chance one person should
tell you something another person said
about a first person and you repeat what
the second person said about the first
person?
This question sounds very much like harmful
gossip, tale-bearing, back-biting, detraction, etc.
You have to untangle it first. We take it for
granted that this is a question of telling things
about another that are not to that other's credit.
And we know that the eighth commandment
forbids all rash judgments, back-biting, slanders,
and lies.
By way of much needed instruction we give the
following rather lengthy extract from Msgr. P. J.
Stockman's excellent "High School Catechism":
Detraction is the unjust and secret blackening
of another's reputation. (Cf. St. Thos. II. 2, q.
72, a. 1.) To speak of another's faults to a friend
or to a superior with a view to his correction, or
to give testimony against anyone in a court of
608 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
justice, is not unjust, and, therefore, is not
detraction; to speak of anyone's faults within
his hearing is contumely or reviling, and ^adds
insult to back-biting; to speak of one's ^own
faults, if not done in boasting and in contempt of
virtue, but for the sake of humility, is not sinful
and is often praiseworthy, as when we accuse
ourselves in confession. Detraction or back-
biting in its strictest sense is distinguished from
calumny or slander by this, that a detractor tells
the truth, and that a calumniator or slanderer
wilfully lies about his fellow-man: both aim to
injure the good name of their neighbor, but
calumny or slander is the more grievous sin.
Malicious detraction and calumny, in matters
of great importance, are by their very nature
mortal sins; for both are sins against charity
and justice. It is to be noted, however, that
while truthful revelation of another's faults is
sometimes lawful and even obligatory, in self-
defense, or in defense of others, calumny or
slander is never allowed. "A detractor is the
abomination of men" (Prov. 24:9), and he is,
according to St. Paul, "hateful to God . . . and
worthy of death." (Rom. 1:30-32.) That the
tradition in the Church conforms to Holy Scrip-
ture and condemns all kinds of wanton and unjust
detraction as an abomination, need hardly be
mentioned, for our reason and our whole nature
rebel against even the simple detractor who
makes free to speak ill or contemptuously of us.
As there are several different ways of back-
biting or of slandering another, we add the
following: (a) Simple detraction, for a just cause,
offends neither charity nor justice, if our own
good, the good of others or of society at large, or
God's honor require it, e. g., if we divulge a secret
sin of another for the sake of fraternal correction;
or for the sake of asking advice — omitting in
that case, if possible, the name of him we defame
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 609
— or in order to warn others against the pernicious
influence of the wicked; or for the sake of de-
nouncing criminals dangerous to the community;
or with a view to upholding law and justice,
when called as a witness before any legally
established court; or if we make known a secret
sin of another to the proper ecclesiastical authori-
ties in order to avoid a sacrilege, or in order to
prevent the ordination of an unworthy applicant,
or the celebration of an unlawful marriage, etc.
In all these cases, if the intention is pure and
holy; the defamed person has no right to ask
that his reputation be respected; for the spiritual
and temporal welfare of the innocent is to be
preferred to the good name of the sinner, (b) It
is always sinful, and in matters of importance it
is a grievous offense, to exaggerate another's
defects. Likewise, it is equivalent to calumny
materially to diminish the praises given to any-
one, by denying them or by attributing selfish or
other evil intentions to him who is praised.
Although it is not a sin against justice to mention,
in the locality where it is known, a crime for which
someone has been condemned, or which has
otherwise become public, it is nevertheless de-
traction, if the charge is true, or slander if un-
true, to manifest another one of his defects or
vices, e. g., if he has been found guilty of theft,
and is accused besides of adultery, (c) There
are also many other ways of detraction, as by
reporting what one knows as public talk e. g.;
"It is said, whether truly or not, I cannot say,
that Mrs. B. is not very strict in her morals";
or by insinuation, e. g. : "I know Miss D. very
well, but I do not wish to injure her good name
by saying what I know"; again, "Mr. N. seems
to be a good man, and I wonder why no one will
trust him," etc.
Is it a sin to listen to a detractor or slanderer?
It is undoubtedly sinful to encourage him by
6io QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
asking questions, or by showing any approbation ;
it is also sinful to rejoice in his detraction or
calumny; and if injury be intended to another
by anyone in our presence, it would be against
charity and justice not to prevent it, when it
can be done without great inconvenience to
ourselves or injury to the listeners. They who
lend a willing ear to a detractor, or show no
disapprobation are severely reproved by St.
Bernard, who, following St. Jerome, says:
"Whether the detractor or the listener is the more
criminal it is not easy to decide; if there were no
listeners there would be no detractors. "
Superiors are in duty bound to prevent the
detractions or calumnies of their inferiors, but
not vice versa, if the inferiors fear the ill-will of
their superiors. As to the deplorable custom of
gossiping, back-biting and slandering, among
acquaintances and friends, it is to be regretted
that there are not a sufficient number of charitable
and resolute Christians in every community to
root out the prevalent evil; the few who detest
the vice must unfortunately either eschew the
society of their friends or choose to tolerate the
evil: usually, the most that can be done by them
is to show that they dislike the evil reports, or to
turn the conversation to another subject, or, if
several are present, to begin a conversation on
a new topic with one of the nearest members of
the group. Holy Scripture teaches one of those
ways when it says: "The north wind driveth
away rain as doth a sad countenance a back-
biting tongue." (Prov. 25:23.) But this counsel
of mere silence does not apply to superiors, nor
does it suffice in the case of slander or calumny,
if the listener is persuaded of the innocence of
a slandered neighbor.
On account of the great prevalence of the sin
of back-biting, it would seem that he who repeats
a defamatory conversation to several people can
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 611
hardly be judged guilty of a mortal sin of injustice.
He is not the original detractor, and the report
would most probably spread without him. The
one who first spread the news is the only one
guilty of a grievous injustice, even when matters
of importance are concerned. But the hearers,
who delight in the defamation of another's
character, as well as he who repeats the evil
report, commit sin also, but against charity
alone. Gossipers and defamers, if not always
guilty of mortal sin, are seldom free from venial
sin.
Why is the sin of scandal so serious?
Falling from the Divine Savior's lips, there is
an awful significance in the little word woe.
He used it when foretelling His own base betrayal,
that crime of deepest dye. "The Son of Man
indeed goeth as it is written of Him, but woe to
that man by whom the Son of Man shall be
betrayed. It were better for him, if that man
had not been born." (Matt. 26:24.) He used it,
too, when predicting the heartless deliverance
into the hands of the archenemy of the Most
High of souls for whom He had shed the last drop
of His Precious Blood, "It must needs be that
scandals come; but, nevertheless, woe to that
man by whom the scandal cometh. He that
shall scandalize one of these little ones that
believe in Me, it were better for him that a
millstone should be hanged about his neck, and
that he should be drowned in the depth of the
sea." (Matt. 18:7, 6.) What a striking similarity
between the foretelling of these two crimes!
Surely, then, it were well to recall the nature
of this appalling evil that must needs come, be-
cause of human perversity, in order the more
efficaciously to avoid it and its attendant woe.
Scandal is any word, deed, or omission by which
a man leads his neighbor astray from God and
6n QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
the path of virtue, or incites him to sin. It is
the spiritual murder of the soul. And how
loudly soul-murder must cry to heaven for
vengeance!
This sin is so detestable because it thwarts
God's loving designs for man's salvation and
because it brings upon the soul of its perpetrator
the frightful responsibility of the sins of others.
There are three ways of committing it: by
maliciously leading the innocent into sin and
vice; by facilitating the commission of sin in
those not wholly innocent; by unguarded and
irregular conduct that proves a stumbling-block
to others.
Scandal thwarts God's loving designs for man's
salvation. To save man's soul, what more could
God have done that He did not do? Divine
solicitude and endeavor reached its climax on
Calvary's heights, the continuation of which we
have in the Adorable Sacrifice and the Most
Blessed Sacrament. The scandalgiver snatches
from the very arms of God the soul He died to
save.
Scandal brings upon the giver the frightful
responsibility of the sins of others. In nothing
is retraction and restitution more difficult. How
will he retract? He cannot even check im-
pressions given; he cannot even control their
force! And if the soul of his victim be lost — how
will he make restitution for a lost soul? The
evil caused by bad example gathers momentum
with the passing years, with the accumulating
centuries; from a grain of sand it grows (a
growth without verdure) to a mighty mountain
that may roll upon and cover and crush the giver
at the General Judgment; for only then can the
complete reckoning be made before men.
Scandal is given by maliciously leading the
innocent into sin: alluring words, evil actions,
indecent dress, questionable resorts and amuse-
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 613
ments, the ridicule of virtue, the praise of vice —
and the rest. Man is the devil's most powerful
ally. He made use of the serpent to seduce Eve,
but once she had fallen he used the woman to
seduce the man. "The woman, whom Thou
gavest to be my companion, gave me of the tree,
and I did eat." (Gen. 3:12.)
Scandal is given by facilitating the commission
of sin in those not yet wholly perverted: praise,
flattery, evil advice, connivance, provocation,
instigation — and the rest. And, generally, where
God placed man to save, there he destroys.
"Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander
out of his way." (Deut. 27 :18.)
Scandal is given by unguarded and irregular
conduct that proves a stumblingblock to others:
general bad example and carelessness about the
effects of one's conduct on others. This indirect
scandal is the most common and, alas! the most
effectual. Where one soul is lost through malici-
ous, systematic scandal, tens of thousands are
drawn to perdition by this bad example.
But, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Yes.
God "gave to everyone a commandment con-
cerning his neighbor." (Eccles. 17:12.) And its
least observance is good example.
An ounce of good example is worth a ton of
mere words. It is the force of forces in things
spiritual. "Wherefore, edify one another."
(Thess. 5:11.) "So let your light shine before
men, that they may see your good works and
glorify your Father Who is in heaven." (Matt.
5:16.)
Beware of giving scandal. But, at the same
time, be not quick to take it from others. Such
is Pharisaical scandal. The Pharisees took
scandal even at Christ Himself.
Is it sinful to argue in the following man-
ner about a case in which a woman runs
away from her husband because he mal-
6i4 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
treats her : I claim that she is no saint and
mention some of her family's faults; my
friend says he is a spoilt child and mentions
some of his family's faults.
We refer you to the answer to an above
question. For the sake of warning and instruc-
tion we will here repeat a number of things about
sins of the tongue. By means of the tongue one
can become guilty of calumny by saying evil that
is not true of one's neighbor; guilty of detraction
by saying of him evil that is true indeed, but
secret or at least little known; guilty of back-
biting by speaking with malicious pleasure of
one's neighbor's known faults — to which we might
add the telling of hearsays and reports, true or
false, secret or known, which hurt his reputation.
Thus in few minutes one can do enough calumni-
ating to blacken the whitest name, and enough
detracting to make the blackest blacker still,
and enough backbiting to stain or add a stain
to any other.
All should remember and observe these three
golden rules of speech. 1. "If you cannot speak
well of your neighbor, do not speak of him at
all." Why be like a fly and pass over a man's
good parts to rest upon his sores? 2. "Do not
say in the absence of your neighbor what you
would not say in his presence." The most hateful
snake is the one that lies concealed and stings
you when you are asleep — the one that does not
even sound a warning rattle. 3. "Say not of
another what you would not have another say
of you." "Did you hear what poor So-and-So
did the other day?" Poor So-and-So indeed!
What if it were you?
If Christmas seals or Christmas cards are
sent to a person from a monastery request-
ing him to send a dollar or to return the
seals or cards, does a person commit a
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 615
mortal sin by neither sending a dollar nor
returning the seals or cards? He simply
tosses them into the waste paper basket.
No stamps were enclosed and no business
reply envelope. But suppose stamps were
enclosed? And suppose a person would use
the seals or cards and yet send no money?
Is this a matter of justice and necessary
restitution?
Under no circumstances whatsoever does a
person commit a mortal sin by refusing to send a
dollar or to return the cards or seals. Absolutely
no! There is no question here of mortal sin — God
forbid! Indeed, we fail to see any sin at all in
this connection, whether stamps or business reply
envelopes are sent or not. We cannot imagine a
monastery or any other Catholic concern sending
out unsolicited books of seals or boxes of cards
with the express or implied sanction: "Either
send us the dollar or go to the expense, or at least
to the trouble, of sending these back. If you do
not the one or the other you commit a sin of in-
justice." We cannot conceive of such an arbi-
trary sanction; and if an organization were to
say or imply this, it would be acting most im-
prudently and quite beyond its rights. The
notion is preposterous. The organizations con-
cerned are running certain risks in this rather
popular and not exactly ideal way of eliciting do-
nations for a good cause. They are aware of
those risks and are presumably willing to take
them and consequently cannot be said to be
reasonably unwilling if things work the other way
and certain individuals calmly take a donation
from them instead of giving one to them.
As regards restitution, we believe it sufficient
to say that no organization such as you refer to
can or does bind its addressees in conscience to
return unsolicited matter of the kind in question.
It is a case of tacit condonation as regards those
616 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
who do not in any way respond, even if we were
to admit the presence of an obligation.
We hold, therefore, that it is merely a matter
of politeness and ordinary Christian charity to
return cards or seals that are not wanted, even
at the cost of a little trouble or a few stamps.
But the matter is quite optional. Suit yourself.
We do not even call those mean who make good
use of the cards or the seals and yet send no
money. Such persons are merely very, very cheap.
Personally, we either send a dollar (the usual
thing) or send them back in good condition.
If a person makes a vow of chastity while
in the world, but finds no way of settling his
debts except through a matrimonial dowry,
is it reasonable for him to obtain a dispen-
sation from that vow and marry, should a
rich proposal cross his way ?
It is rather difficult to answer this question in
these pages. It is a matter which should be settled
personally with your confessor. The proper
solution depends upon a number of circumstances,
for instance, the exact nature of the vow, when
it was made, under what influences, from what
motives, etc.
Certainly a dispensation from such a vow can
be obtained if there is a just reason. Dispensa-
tion from a vow is its absolute condonation, made
by legitimate authority in the name of God.
Such a vow, likewise for a just reason, can also
be commuted by authority that has the power
to dispense therefrom. The commutation of a
vow is the substitution in its place of some other
good work. It can be commuted into a better,
into an equal, or into a lesser work.
But is the reason given in your question
sufficient, is it just? It apparently is; but here
again it depends upon the degree of inability to
meet the debts, the character of the same, the
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 617
seriousness of the obligations of justice implied,
etc. Therefore, open your heart to him who takes
God's place — your confessor.
What is the relative responsibility of a
vow and of an ordinary promise, for example,
a promise to do a certain good work should
a favor be granted?
Let us first define. A vow is a promise de-
liberately and freely made to God of some higher
attainable good. A promise is a deliberate
obligation of fidelity made to another with
reference to some attainable good. From these
definitions we see that, strictly speaking, a vow
can be made only to God; it is a solemn promise
to Him. Of its very nature it is more seriously
binding than a mere promise; how seriously, de-
pends upon what it is about and upon the inten-
tion of the one who made it; for it is a private
law, as it were, which one imposes upon oneself.
Usually, in the absence of any determining in-
tention, in a grave matter a vow is presumed to
bind under pain of mortal sin. And herein lies a
difference between a vow and a promise: people
generally do not look upon a promise made in
the ordinary way as binding them in virtue of
religion and under pain of mortal sin.
Suppose a person while drunk commits
sins which, if he were sober, he would not
do for all the money in the world. Are the
things one does under the influence of
liquor sins?
Acts such as blasphemy, impurity, quarrels,
injustice, which are done in the state of intoxica-
tion are voluntary in their cause and are im-
putable as sin when they can be foreseen and
actually are so foreseen by the one who places
the act. They are actually foreseen when one
knows that he is accustomed to do such things in
such a state.
618 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
So we may say that it depends upon whether
a man gets drunk and does things in themselves
sinful, just once or repeatedly. If it happens only
once he probably is not guilty of formal sin by
those acts, since they probably were not foreseen.
But if he becomes intoxicated knowing, from
experience or otherwise, that such things will be
done by him, he is guilty of all those sins before
God. They are then voluntary inasmuch as he
freely and knowingly wills their cause.
Is it a mortal sin to believe in fortune
telling through astrology ? through dreams ?
Astrology is a form of divination implying
only implicit invocation of the evil spirits. It
has recourse to non-human and necessary events
in astrology. This pseudo-science gives predic-
tions about the fortunes of an individual drawn
from the study of his horoscope, that is, the
aspect of the heavenly bodies at the moment
of his birth, and of certain rules of interpretation.
Even if there be no explicit invocation of the
spirits of evil (and all the more so if there be)
the sin of divination is of its nature mortal
because of its implicit commerce with the devil.
However, the sin is usually not mortal because
of the ignorance of the offender or because he
consults divination as a joke or out of curiosity
or has no faith in it. Hence we can say that it is
ordinarily a venial sin. at least in young people,
who do not believe in such nonsense, unless they
give serious scandal or cooperate in the serious
sin of a diviner or let their lives be habitually
directed by superstition.
The same, with the necessary changes, holds
good for dreams. We must warn the faithful
not to go to fortune-tellers of any kind or to put
faith in dreams.
Some people have dreams and then, because
of those dreams, they act or neglect to act in an
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 6i9
indifferent matter. Such are often excused from
all, even venial sin, on account of the fear or
hope which the dreams excited.
Are the Y. M. C. A. (Young Men's
Christian Association) and the Y. W. C. A.
(Young Women's Christian Association)
condemned by the Catholic Church? If so,
why?
These associations are not such as Catholics
should join, and warnings have frequently been
given by the Holy See and members of the
hierarchy. Catholics should join Catholic associ-
ations. The Y. M. C. A. promotes indifference
among its Catholic members and, by gathering
in so many Catholic young men, keeps them
away from the influence of their pastors and of
Catholic organizations.
Of this association the Rt. Rev. T. Corbett,
D. D., Bishop of Crookston, Miss., once wrote:
"The Y. M. C. A. is a Protestant organization,
in which Catholics are only admitted as associate
members. They have no voice in the manage-
ment of its affairs and are not eligible to office.
Catholics are only tolerated, but their money is
welcome. The Y. M. C. A. is essentially a
Protestant institution, with the secret purpose of
proselytizing. Its anti-Catholic spirit appears
now and then in the lectures, bubbling over with
calumnies and lies, delivered in its halls and under
its auspices. Catholic young men should not
suffer themselves, therefore, to be duped by an
organization, for the sake of bodily advantages,
a position or social standing. Catholics possess
the precious heritage of the Faith of nearly
twenty centuries. They belong to the grandest
organization the world ever witnessed. How far,
then, is it beneath the dignity of a Catholic to
forget the tradition of his Church, to disregard
the precious jewel of Faith, unflinchingly held
feo QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
by the blood of his forefathers, amidst the worst
of persecutions, and to trample under foot all
sense of honor by becoming a secondary member
of that Protestant organization called the Y. M.
C. A. No young man with honest Catholic
blood in his veins will suffer the indignity of be-
coming an inferior member of any organization.
The Church cannot compromise with error.
Catholicity is essentially intolerant as truth is
intolerant. The bearer of God's message to man-
kind, she cannot accommodate herself to the
changing modes of human thought to please a
fickle and corrupt world. Her mission is to
correct error, when at variance with the doctrine
of Christ. Let Catholic young men, therefore,
cease to join an organization which will eventually
rob them of their faith, the noblest Christian
heritage. No Catholic, to my knowledge, ever
became a permanent member of the Y. M. C. A.
without growing lukewarm in his faith and finally
descending so low as to abandon the only and
true Church of his forefathers. Catholics who
join that organization soon imagine that one
religion is as good as another and that the Y. M.
C. A. is the best of all."
There is, furthermore, this condemnation by
the Holy Office. In November, 1920, a circular
letter from the Holy Office to the bishops formally
warned them against the Y. M. C. A. and other
similar associations in the following terms:
"Considering that these associations are sup-
ported by the good will, the resources and active
co-operation of highly influential persons, and that
they render efficient service in various lines of
beneficence, it is not surprising that they deceive
inexperienced minds who fail to detect their
inward nature and purpose. But their true
character can no longer be a matter of doubt
for any one who is well informed; their aims,
hitherto but gradually revealed, are now openly
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 62.1
declared in pamphlets, newspapers, and peri-
odicals which serve as their means of publicity.
Under the pretext of enlightening youthful minds,
they turn them away from the teaching authority
of the Church, the divinely established beacon
of truth, and persuade them to seek in the
depths of their own consciousness, and hence
within the narrow range of human reason, the
light which is to guide them. It is chiefly young
men and young women who are drawn into such
snares. They above all others need help and
direction in order to learn Christian truth and
preserve the faith handed down from their fore-
fathers. Instead they fall into the hands of those
by whom they are robbed of their great in-
heritance and gradually led away until they
hesitate between opposing opinions, then come
to doubt about everything, and finally content
themselves with a vague indefinite form of re-
ligion, which is altogether different from the re-
ligion preached by Jesus Christ."
This is not a disapproval of the welfare and
humanitarian work of the Y. M. C. A., but a
condemnation of its attempts to undermine the
Catholic faith. No Catholic can take part in its
activities and hope to remain strong in his faith.
The Y. W. C. A. is the female pendant of the
Y. M. C. A. In the Catholic Encyclopedia (Sup-
plementary Volume, p. 782) we read: "The
direct religious activities of the Y. W. C. A. are
also practically the same as the Y. M. C. A., so
that, all things considered, the question of Catho-
lic membership in this organization is identical
in all respects with that of membership in the
Y. M. C. A., even in the units which allow
Catholics to vote."
Does dreaming of a wedding or of someone
getting married mean a death in the family ?
If a picture falls from the wall, does that
mean death?
fa QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
No; these things (and countless others like
them) mean nothing in particular, except that
you may have been thinking or speaking of a
wedding or that the picture was not well fastened
or the wire broke, etc. To believe in such things
is that sin against religion which is called vain
observance; and vain observance is a super-
stition that ascribes to certain things effects for
which they have no natural or communicated
power. By sins of this kind one lets one's life
be directed or influenced through fortuitous and
impertinent happenings in the belief that they
have power to affect one's fortunes favorably or
unfavorably. Other such vain observances are:
thirteen guests at table; making a journey on
Friday; a black cat crossing the road; beginning
an affair during the dark of the moon; the
"lucky" horse shoe and the four-leaf clover;
and such like silly notions — all too prevalent
among even Catholic people. If taken seriously,
such beliefs are sinful — venial sins, as a rule.
On Sundays I sometimes do a little dust-
ing at home or bake a pie or something,
just for pastime. Is this wrong?
All servile work is forbidden on Sundays and
holy days of obligation. By servile work is under-
stood all physical labor that is ordinarily per-
formed by servants, day laborers, mechanics, etc.
This also includes work in the fields, shops,
factories, etc. To perform servile work on
Sunday, without any necessity whatsoever, is a
sin, though theologians hold that, abstracting
from grave scandal that may be given by work-
ing for even a shorter time, one does not commit
a mortal sin unless he works thus for a con-
siderable time, that is to say, for two hours or
more. And he who makes others perform servile
work without necessity (unless they are infidels,
i. e., persons not baptized, or lack the use of
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 613
reason, in which case they are not bound by the
laws of the Church) sins as though he himself
had done the work.
But those servile works are allowed which are
necessary for our daily needs, such as arranging
the rooms, getting meals, doing chores, and other
such work as could not easily be postponed.
Whether, in order to keep from sheer idleness on
Sunday, it is permitted to knit, to sew, to mend
stockings, to do light work in the garden, etc.,
depends upon conditions and customs in the
respective locality. Care must be taken not to
give scandal; and even when necessity demands
servile work on Sunday, as, for instance, in the
case of poor women who must wash and mend
clothes on that day because they simply have no
time for it on weekdays, it should be kept secret,
so as not to give scandal.
From the above you can deduce your own
answer. Since it is merely a pastime there is
evidently no real necessity for dusting and baking
as you mention. Let it go. If you read an ex-
planation of the Sunday Gospel, the Catholic
weekly, and Catholic magazines and books, as
all Catholics should do on Sundays, in addition
to Holy Mass and devotions in church, there will
be little danger of time hanging heavily on your
hands. Sunday is not only a day of rest; it is
the Lord's day — the whole of it. Give it to the
Lord and refresh your soul by prayer and spiritual
reading. Thus you will make it a day of sancti-
fication.
Is it a mortal sin to envy another because
he can do things better and faster than I
can and also because he can do more praise-
worthy things than I? Would this be a
matter for confession?
Envy is a sorrow over the good fortune of our
neighbor, inasmuch as we consider that it sur-
6x4 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
passes our own good. Such a feeling is, of course,
against the law of charity, which bids us love
our neighbor as ourselves and rejoice at his
prosperity. Therefore, envy is sinful and, if
fully deliberate, a mortal sin. Envy of the
spiritual good of another is a most grievous
offense and is one of the "sins against the Holy
Ghost."
Envy is not a mortal sin if, (1) the object is not
grave, as when one is envious about some trifle,
such as good looks; if (2) the subject does not
give sufficient reflection or full consent, as when
little children are jealous of one another, or
adults feel stirrings of envy. Even holy men are
not above the first movements or inclinations
towards envy; and very many envious thoughts
are not mortal, because not fully adverted to.
We must distinguish carefully between envy
and emulation or zeal, which causes us to grieve
at our neighbor's good, not because he possesses
it, but because we ourselves are wanting in that
good. Such sadness, if it be about spiritual
things, about moral goodness or righteousness, is
not sinful, but virtuous and praiseworthy. St.
Paul says: "Let us consider another, to provoke
unto charity and to good works." (Heb. 10:24.)
Emulation is not harmful, but beneficial, in
spiritual matters. If, however, it be concerned
with temporal matters, it is or is not sinful,
according to circumstances. If it be about
temporal matters, it is lawful to be sorry at their
absence as regards oneself; but if the sorrow
be unreasonable, it is sinful. One may wish that
one enjoyed certain opportunities for good that
others have: this is not envy, but praiseworthy
zeal. Again, James, for example, is not of in-
ferior ability to George, and hence, while not
wanting to be before all others and not dis-
liking competition, he is sorry that he is not so
successful in his work as George is. This is reason-
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 62.5
able emulation and is not sinful. Henry, to give
another example, is very deficient in education,
initiative, and character, while Charles excels in
all these qualities; and yet Henry is discontented
because he does not hold the responsible position
that Charles has, or one just as important.
Henry's emulation is unreasonable.
Your question seems to imply emulation.
Hence it is only necessary to ascertain whether
it is reasonable or unreasonable, if it pertains to
temporal things. If unreasonable it may be
matter for confession, though hardly necessary
matter.
Is lying in bed just because one has no
work to do, though one could find some work
around the place, a venial or a mortal sin?
Does that come under the sin of sloth?
When such are up they just loaf around in
the pool halls and such places, and I don't
know which is the worse.
It is indeed hard to say which is the lesser
of the two evils. Both are to be deplored, since
it is only too true that, as the proverb well says,
"Idleness is the devil's workshop." In that
workshop he does an unbelievable amount of
work for the ruin of souls. There are always
many little things to be done, as you say, if one
would keep everything spick-and-span and in
perfect order in the house, from basement to
attic, and around the place. One should be up
and doing; and when there is simply nothing
to do, one should spend the time in reading
good, or at least indifferent, books and periodicals.
The general atmosphere and company of pool
halls and such like places is only too often
derogatory to true Christian character.
Sloth, as you know, is one of the capital sins.
As such it is a spiritual ailment, a vice by which
one neglects the means of salvation or is loath to
616 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
fight against the enemies of his salvation on
account of the labor involved, and therefore
concerns himself but little about the salvation
of his soul. This sloth is a venial sin when it
consists in a certain torpor or ennui in the exercise
of one's Christian duties, as in prayer, during
Mass, during sermons, etc.; but when it is such
that it becomes a hatred of spiritual things, either
as imposed by God or established for our eternal
welfare, because of the annoyance they bring
with them, it is a mortal sin.
The sloth just defined must be distinguished
from the sloth you mention in your question,
namely, from physical sloth or sluggishness,
which, if not the result of sickness, is pure laziness
or wilful idleness. This laziness can manifest
itself in negligence, which is a want of proper
decision about duties to be performed; in slug-
gishness, which is a tardy performance of duty;
in carelessness, which is a perfunctory discharge
of duties; in indolence, which is an excessive
dislike of labor or exertion, caused by an inordi-
nate love of recreation or bodily rest; in idleness,
which is the actual omission of one's duty because
of indolence. Whether laziness is a mere imper-
fection, a venial sin, or a mortal sin depends upon
the various circumstances, chiefly upon its
consequences.
From the circumstances given in your letter it
is evident that the idleness mentioned is not by
any means in itself a mortal sin. Whether it is
in itself a venial sin again depends upon
circumstances and consequences.
Two of my friends believe heart and soul
in astrology. In fact, they pay good money
to study the subject, which they dignify by
calling it a science. I would like to know
the viewpoint of the Catholic Church on
this subject.
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 62.7
Astrology is a false science which deals with
the influence of the stars on human fate, or on
the weather. We suggest that you read the
article on Astrology in the Catholic Encyclopedia
or even in the New Catholic Dictionary for
further information. It is sufficient here to say
that the victory of the Copernican system, the
recognition of the moral and psychical dangers
of astrology, and the progress of experimental
science finally reduced it to the status of a super-
stition, a status which it occupies today. It
encourages fatalism and leads to the denial of
Divine Providence. Hence the Church condemns
astrology as a pagan superstition. The stars do
not exercise any influence whatsoever upon
human life and human affairs. The calculations
essential to the settling of the position of the signs
of the zodiac and the position of the sun in the
zodiac at the birth of a child, which is said to be
a vital factor in determining its fate, are called
casting the horoscope. This is purest nonsense,
barefaced superstition, and downright folly.
Apropos of this matter St. Thomas writes: "If
anyone applies the observation of the stars in
order to foreknow casual or fortuitous events, or
to know with certitude future human actions,
his conduct is based on a false and vain opinion;
and so the operation of the demon introduces
himself therein, wherefore it will be a superstitious
and unlawful divination" (Summa, Secunda
Secundae, Q. 95, art. 5).
Is it a sin to play cards if one does not
play for money?
It is not a sin in itself to play cards. If the
playing were excessive, dishonest, so conducted
as to give bad example, cause one to neglect one's
duties, injure one's health, sin might be com-
mitted because of those things. You seem to
take it for granted that it is a sin to play cards
62.8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
for money. It is not. One may play for small
sums, if one is so inclined. It usually makes the
game more interesting. That would not be
gambling To gamble, strictly speaking, means
to risk at games of chance or wagers money
that is needed for the support of oneself or one's
family, etc., etc.
I am sometimes filled with angry and re-
bellious thoughts and rash judgments about
others who contradict me or do things I do
not like. Is that a mortal sin? Is the sin
greater if such persons are Religious, priests,
parents, superiors?
It is no sin at all to be filled with such thoughts,
provided you resolutely try to banish them from
your mind. Act against them by charitable
interpretation, by deliberately praying for the
persons concerned, by recalling that in nine
cases out of ten we are mistaken.
Rash judgment, strictly understood, is a firm
assent of the mind, based on insufficient data,
and given to the view that a neighbor is or has
been guilty of sin. Only judgments that mortal
sin has been committed are grave matter; for
only mortal sin is in itself a grave reproach. But
even in this case there must be full advertence to
the judgment itself and to its sinfulness and
gravity; there must be perfect deliberation,
serious rashness, and grave injury and contempt
Moreover, from the circumstances of persons or
acts, even rash judgments of mortal sin may be
only venial. From this it is easy to conclude
that rash judgments, because of the imperfec-
tion of the act or the lightness of the matter,
are ordinarily venial sins.
As regards the aggravating circumstances you
ask about, the Moral Theology of McHugh and
Callan has the following paragraph: "From the
circumstances of persons or acts, rash judgments
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 6x9
of venial sin or what is not sin at all may be
mortal; for to those from whom much is ex-
pected slighter defects may be causes of great
disgrace. Thus, it is very dishonoring to the
parties concerned to think that a prelate is an
habitual liar, that a nun visits too often, that a
public official is illegitimate or stupid or afflicted
with syphilis, and therefore unworthy of his
position."
Suppose I am held up by a bandit. He
takes all the money he can find and then
asks me: "Is that all you have?" I answer:
44 Yes; that is all I have." But I still have
fifty dollars in a secret pocket. Is that
telling a lie? May I do that without com-
mitting sin?
That would evidently be a case of broad
mental reservation, namely, that mental reser-
vation in which the internal modification can
be perceived by a sensible person. In the case
you mention the circumstances indicate that
the words are not to be taken in their obvious
sense. What you mean is "That is all I have
for you." Though strict mental reservation,
namely, that in which the internal modification
is manifested by nothing external, is unlawful
and has been condemned by the Church, broad
mental reservation, as defined above, is lawful
when there is sufficient reason for it, — in this
case financial welfare or the prevention of robbery.
It is likewise lawful and even obligatory when
one is bound to keep the truth from the person
who asks it, as when a confessor, questioned
about what he heard in the confessional, says
"1 do not know" or "No," which means, "I
have no personal or communicable knowledge."
It is lawful when a reasonable local custom
permits one to withhold the truth, as when one
who is guilty pleads "Not guilty," which means
630 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
that he does not confess his guilt; when a person
has a visitor at an unreasonable hour or one whom
he does not wish to see and sends word that he
is not at home, which means that he is not at
home for visitors, etc. These are but a few
examples.
From the above it is clear that what you said
was not a sin. In such cases there is no lie, no
insincerity, and no injury is caused to individuals
or society. There is no lie, because the words
correspond with the thought, either from their
natural or their accidental signification. There
is no insincerity, because the aim is only to con-
ceal a truth that should not be made known.
There is no injury to the questioner or listener,
because if he is deceived it is due to his own
dullness or unjustified curiosity. There is no
injury to society, since the general welfare de-
mands that there be some honest means of eluding
unjust inquiries and of protecting important
secrets.
Someone made a very complimentary re-
mark about me some time ago. It made me
feel good and I like to think about it. What
would you say about such a feeling?
We would say that in such happy circumstances
you have a splendid opportunity to practice
humility. Humility does not consist in having
nothing, but in keeping nothing for oneself.
Receiving everything from God and referring
everything to God, that is humility. Therefore,
she who of all creatures received the most from
God, our Blessed Lady, was necessarily the
most humble. Elizabeth cried ''Blessed art thou
among women," and immediately Mary said
"My soul doth magnify the Lord." To know
that I have nothing of myself, neither existence
nor any of the gifts of existence, to be satisfied
with everything that teaches and reiterates the
PRECEPTS OF VARIOUS KINDS 631
lesson of my nothingness; and at the same time
to recognize the gifts God has given me, to deny
none of them, the better to use them all, to turn
them to good account, not to glorify myself or
to get honor or profit by doing so, but to refer
all to God, to Whom alone be honor and glory, —
that is humility.
To make this still clearer, we repeat that it is
no part of humility to deny that we have gifts.
It is humility's part to see them as God's pro-
duction and property, and thus to admire and
love God in the creature, God in His gifts. We
ought not to cut the good from its source. We
should praise and thank God for all the beauty
of His works in ourselves and in others, and if
others admire and love any good whatever that we
have, this should not disturb us, the admiration
and love may pass through us and go onwards
to God; and if a thought of pride come you have
but to flee to the "intrenchment" of self-
knowledge, and you have nothing in which to
glory there. You may say: "I have much good
in me, but not of me." God's gifts are in you,
but not of you. "What hast thou that thou hast
not received?"
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS
What is the attitude of the Catholic
Church regarding the findings of modern
science relative to the size of the universe
and other modern scientific findings ? Such
findings leave one confused in mind and are
contrary to what the Church has taught.
Notwithstanding the fact that the Church
asserts her right to pass sentence upon any
so-called scientific conclusion conflicting with
revelation, there is absolutely nothing to pre-
vent a Catholic from following any line of
scientific research, or from drawing conclusions
that are solidly supported by well-ascertained
facts.
Within the legitimate domain of any science
a Catholic may proceed with unfettered freedom,
and for the simple reason that he knows that what
is revealed to him by his telescope or by his micro-
scope cannot contradict any truth of the super-
natural order. Science cannot conflict with rev-
elation. Truth cannot be at variance with truth.
By truth he understands, of course, genuine truth,
and not supposed truth. By scientific truth he
understands scientifically demonstrated truth, and
not hypothesis, or crude reasoning upon demon-
strated truth. He is aware, of course, that facts
may be discovered by the scientist whose bearing
upon revealed truth cannot at first easily be de-
termined; or he may be aware that certain half-
demonstrated truths or half-discovered facts may
seem to be inconsistent with certain religious dog-
mas. But he does not allow himself to become
confused in mind. No; he keeps the even tenor
of his way, confident that when the full truth is
known it will be found to accord with the teach-
ings of faith.
63z
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 633
And in this he is never disappointed. The ad-
vances made in sciences — whether in archeology,
geology, biology, paleontology, astronomy, or any
other science — tend to confirm rather than dis-
credit Catholic beliefs.
No; true science is not antagonistic to religion,
but rather a help to it. It was Pasteur, devout
Catholic and illustrious scientist, who said to a
pupil of his who had asked him how it was
possible for one who had studied and reflected so
much to remain a believer in Christianity: "It is
precisely because I have studied and reflected that
I have today the faith of a Breton; and had I
studied and reflected more I should have the faith
of a Breton's wife."
Is it unlawful to cremate bodies and how
serious a crime is it?
The law of the Church declares that the bodies
of the faithful are to be buried; that cremation,
or the burning of dead bodies, is condemned.
Furthermore, should anyone command that his
body be cremated, it is unlawful to carry out
his wishes. Should such a wish be contained in
his will or in a similar document, it must be con-
sidered as not contained therein. Moreover,
such a one, unless before death he gave signs of
repentance, cannot be given Christian burial.
And he who would venture to command or to
use force to procure the Christian burial of such
a one would incur the penalty of excommuni-
cation.
This law binds under pain of mortal sin. One
who orders his own body to be cremated after
death cannot receive the Sacraments, not even
the Last Sacraments, unless he retracts.
It is the freethinkers who urge cremation, out
of sheer folly and hatred towards the Church;
folly, because they imagine that the Almighty
cannot so easily raise up a body burnt to ashes
634 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
as a body that resolves itself into dust; hatred,
inasmuch as this induced the fanatics of the
French Revolution, in 1793, to introduce crema-
tion, and Freemasons to agitate for it from 1848
to the present day.
If we seek for reasons for the Church's con-
demnation of cremation, we find especially three.
1. The first is the Catholic's love for the true
religion, which has ever had an abhorrence for
the cremation of bodies, as we see in the time of
the Patriarchs, in the Old Testament, and in the
New Dispensation. Of course, in times of pesti-
lence or in similar extraordinary circumstances,
the Church makes exception to the rule; she then
allows cremation, for the common good.
2. The second reason is the Catholic's love
for Christ. Christ the Lord was buried; He
sanctified the grave. The Christian's body, made
holy by Baptism and Holy Communion, is as a
grain of wheat placed in the soil. Says St. Paul:
"So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is
sown in corruption, it shall rise in incorruption . . .
It is sown a natural body, it shall rise a spiritual
body." (I Cor. 15:42, 44.)
3. The third reason is the Catholic's love for
the Church. It is not a divine precept that the
body must be buried, but a precept of the Church.
And the Church will never abrogate this law, all
the less so because her enemies demand the
cremation of bodies as a symbol of unbelief.
We might add that the introduction of crema-
tion would give a powerful impetus to criminality,
inasmuch as by the burning of bodies many
crimes could never be brought to light. Again,
the dreadful sight of a body being cremated must
needs fill a man with horror at the thought of
one day being thus burnt to ashes.
In conclusion, we wish to say that the state-
ment that cemeteries are a danger to health is an
ungrounded assertion, and that those who are
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 635
filled with fear at the thought of being buried
alive might well be convulsed with agony at the
more terrible thought of being burnt alive.
It is said that God hates a soul in the
state of mortal sin. How is it, then, that
He still sustains it?
It is true; a soul stained with mortal sin is
more hateful in the eyes of God than would be
to us the sight of a man tied face to face, mouth
to mouth, with a rotting, worm-eaten corpse.
Why, then, does He sustain it? We stand
amazed and ask ourselves why the Omnipotent
Creator does not annihilate such an ungrateful
creature. But God created the soul of man
immortal. It shall never die. Be it for weal or
woe, it shall live forever. And God will not go
back on Himself, so to speak. The designs of
the Almighty will not be thwarted by the wilful-
ness of the work of His hands. He has given
man a free will and an alternative eternity, either
of bliss or of misery. God does not create any
soul for damnation; one 'and all are created for
heaven. No man is obliged to sin. If, by a de-
plorable misuse of the free will God gave him to
merit heaven with, man turns his back on God,
rebels against Him, he has only himself to blame.
God could have ordained otherwise, it is true;
but the fearfully serious fact remains that He
has not done so; and it is not for us to dictate
to Him. Nor is it for us to try to solve the
mystery of evil. Rather should we strive to make
sure our calling and election, and thank God
that He gives us time for repentance.
Is there not a contradiction in the doc-
trine of the Blessed Trinity? How can one
be three and three one?
The doctrine of the Blessed Trinity is indeed
above reason, inasmuch as man cannot come to
a knowledge of it by natural reason, but it is
636 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
not opposed to reason. It involves no contra-
ction. Observe carefully: the Church does not
declare that which is one to be at the same time
three, nor does she teach that which is three to
be at the same time also only one. No. Holy
Church proclaims and enjoins the doctrine of
strict unity in the Supreme Being, only she goes
on to explain that that unity attaches to the
Nature and to the Nature only. At the same time
she proclaims a plurality, but the plurality at-
taches to the Persons and to the Persons only.
Hence it is the teaching of the Church that there
is but one only God, infinite in all perfections,
and that in this God there are three perfect and
distinct persons, the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Ghost.
Though we cannot fully comprehend this
greatest mystery of the Catholic faith, still we
seek reverently to illustrate it. We cannot drink
all the water of the well, it is true, but we can
partake of as much as is needful for us.
We have in mind the distinction given between
nalure and person. I have, for example, an im-
mense audience before me. I see it is composed
of human beings. All have something in com-
mon, a distinguishing mark; something that
separates them from all other creatures, from
the angels in heaven and from other kinds of
beings on earth; something that makes them
what they are — human beings. That something
we call human nature.
I further see that this human nature is com-
plete in each one of my vast audience. Hence
they do not attribute their actions to another, or
to the race in general, but to themselves. Of all
their acts, whether they performed them today
or ten or twenty years ago, they say, "I did
them." They feel that they belong to them
individually. Now, this condition in which a
being is responsible for his actions, whether
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 637
moral, physical, or intellectual, is called person-
ality. All of my immense audience have one
nature in common — human nature. But each is
a distinct person.
Now, in God there is but one Nature — the
divine Nature; there are three Persons — the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Did the Blessed Virgin die ? If so, on what
day, and where?
Yes; the Blessed Virgin did die, though she
did not have to do so; for she was sinless, and
death is a punishment for sin. Our Lady wished
to die in order to be more like her Divine Son,
Who died a cruel death upon the cross for the
redemption of mankind. She likewise wished to
die in order to show us how easy and beautiful
death can be if we are true to God in life. She
died a painless death, died of ecstatic love and
longing for her Jesus, true God and true Man.
After her death she was taken up, body and soul,
into heaven, where she now reigns as Queen of
that blessed abode. Tradition has it that she
died in Jerusalem. Holy Church solemnly com-
memorates her death and assumption on August
15th, the great feast of the Assumption.
Could you please inform me as to the
attitude of the Church relative to organized
labor?
The Catholic Church is very much in favor of
organized labor and encourages the formation
of wisely conducted labor unions. In the En-
cyclical Letter of Pope Leo XIII on the con-
dition of labor, of May 1.5, 1891, we read: "Those
Catholics are worthy of all praise — and there
are not a few — who, understanding what the
times require, have, by various enterprises and
experiments, endeavored to better the condition
of working people without any sacrifice of prin-
ciple. . . . Others, again, strive to unite work-
638 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
ing people of various kinds into associations,
help them with their advice and their means, and
enable them to obtain honest and profitable work
. . . How much this multiplied and earnest
activity has benefited the community at large
is too well known to require us to dwell upon it.
We find in it the grounds of the most cheering
hope for the future; provided that the associa-
tions we have described continue to grow and
spread, and are well and wisely administered.
Let the State watch over these societies of citi-
zens united together in the exercise of their
right; but let it not thrust itself into their
peculiar concerns and their organizations; for
things move and live by the soul within them,
and they may be killed by the grasp of a hand
from without.
"In order that an association may be carried
on with unity of purpose and harmony of action,
its organization and government must be firm
and wise. All such societies, being free to exist,
have the further right to adopt such rules and
organization as may best conduce to the attain-
ment of their objects. We do not deem it possible
to enter into definite details on the subject of
organization; this must depend on national
character, on practice and experience, on the
nature and scope of the work to be done, on the
magnitude of the various trades and employ-
ments, and on other circumstances of fact and of
time — all of which must be carefully weighed. "
In connection with this matter a word about
strikes and boycotts would not be amiss. Both
the strike and the boycott may be just and
necessary; both may be unjust and unnecessary.
Inasmuch as capital needs labor, and labor needs
capital, the two classes being indispensable to
each other, each one has the right to defend itself
against the tyranny of the other.
Strikes and boycotts, however, ought to be
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 639
looked upon only as the lesser of two evils. To
be just and lawful, the following general rules
must apply in their regard:
1. They should not be resorted to when milder
expedients are available.
2. The demands should be reasonable.
3. They should not be accompanied by vio-
lence or by any form of physical coercion.
4. Naturally, there must be at least some
chances of success.
5. If they are merely sympathetic, their justi-
fication becomes the more difficult.
Will you please tell me if Balzac's works
are on the Index?
By decrees of 1841, 1842, and 1864 all the
Balzac's novels are on the Index of Prohibited
Books and may not be read by Catholics. Honore
de Balzac was a French novelist. He was born
in Tours, May 20, 1799, and died in Paris,
August 18, 1850.
A book is prohibited or put on the Index by
decree chiefly of the Sacred Congregation of the
Holy Office, with the approval of the Pope, though,
of course, the Pope may do so alone, in any way
he chooses. Of this Congregation Pope Pius X,
when reorganizing the Roman Curia, decreed as
follows: "Henceforth it will be the task of this
Sacred Congregation not only to examine care-
fully the books denounced to it, to prohibit them
if necessary, and to grant permission for read-
ing forbidden books, but also to supervise, ex
officio, books that are being published, and to
pass sentence on such as deserve to be prohibited.
Its further task is to remind the bishops of their
sacred duty to combat the publication of perni-
cious writings and give information about them
to the Apostolic See, in accordance with the Con-
stitution 'Officioruin ac munerum' of January
25, 1897."
640 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
We here mention that the Sacred Congregation
of the Holy Office has succeeded to the S. C. of
the Index, which is now extinct.
It must not be supposed that books on the In-
dex have been condemned lightly or without most
thorough and serious investigation. The Con-
gregation of the Index consists of cardinals and
their consultors, chiefly bishops. Before a ver-
dict is passed on reported books, such books un-
dergo careful study and full discussion. Some of
the points considered are, for example, ''Does the
book defend heresies? Is it derogatory to God,
to the Blessed Virgin, to the saints? Does it
vilify the Church, or the clerical or religious
state? Is it lewd or obscene?" A book may be
condemned even because of isolated passages.
Nor may it be supposed that only books of-
ficially placed on the Index are forbidden to Cath-
olics. In general, any book, periodical or writ-
ing dangerous to faith or morals — with which
this country is literally flooded — is forbidden
under pain of sin. It would be impossible for the
Congregation to concern itself in particular with,
for instance, the mass of cheap, sensual trash
with which so many of our news stands and book
stores fairly reek.
Some years ago the Masons estimated the
treasures of the Church in Italy at three
hundred billion lire. Why not devote this
fabulous wealth to the propagation of the
faith?
We have in mind just now a splendid parish
the property of which is valued at over half a
million dollars. Why not sell it and devote the
proceeds to the propagation of the faith? Why
not do the same with all other church property?
The very idea is ridiculous. That would be
tearing down in one place to build less securely
in another. Let each Catholic in the United
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 641
States put down one dollar instead and we will
have about $25,000,000 at once for the propaga-
tion of the faith and retain our abiding resources
for further propagation.
Your objection is old. It first fell from the
lips of Judas Iscariot. Listen, "Mary, therefore,
took a pound of ointment of right spikenard, of
great price, and anointed the feet of Jesus."
Then "Judas Iscariot said, 'Why was not this
ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given
to the poor?' " There is a striking similarity be-
tween this question and yours. For the benefit
of the Masons who went to the trouble of adding
up the Church's treasures we might add what
Holy Writ says about the above question of
Judas: "Now, he said this, not because he cared
for the poor, but because he was a thief, and
having the purse, carried the things that were
put therein."
But the Savior was not displeased with Mary.
He was pleased. And Catholics ever show their
love for Jesus by spending their hard-earned
money that their Lord and God may have a fitting
dwelling place upon earth and the best of every-
thing that art and money can procure. It is poor
enough at that — for God!
The Jews of old did not spare gold or precious
stones in the Temple of Solomon. And yet that
Temple was merely a figure of the Catholic
Church, on whose altars Jesus Christ is really
present. Nothing can be too costly, too precious,
too rare for our Emmanuel — God with us.
And at the same time the Catholic Church is
eminently the greatest and most successful mis-
sionary organization in the world. It is also
pre-eminently the Church of the poor everywhere.
From the very beginning charity is written large
on the pages of her history.
When was the word "Roman" first used
641 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
with reference to the Catholic Church?
There are many people outside the Catholic
Church who say the Apostles' Creed, and
they think they are justified in saying, "I
believe in the Holy Catholic Church," as
long as they don't say, "Roman Catholic
Church . ' ' They seem to think that the Holy
Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic
Church are two distinct churches. Please
explain.
It were difficult to say with certainty just
when the term "Roman" was first used with
reference to the Catholic Church. Nor does it
matter much: that question does not merit ex-
tensive research. In the expression "Roman
Catholic" the word "Roman" merely affirms that
the Vicar of Jesus Christ, the Bishop of Rome, is
the head of the whole Church and that all who
are within the true fold are within his jurisdic-
tion. "Roman Catholic" and "Catholic" are
identical and interchangeable terms. The ad-
jective "Roman" merely accentuates the vital
character of Christianity, which has a local
government on earth, whose head is the Pope, the
Bishop of Rome. There is but one Catholic
(universal) Church, and every Catholic is also a
Roman Catholic.
As regards the term "Catholic," it was first
applied to the true Church as early as the begin-
ning of the second century, as can be seen from
a letter of St. Ignatius the Martyr.
Many High-Church Episcopalians of our day
claim that they, too, are Catholic; and it is doubt-
less to them that you refer as feeling justified in
saying, "I believe in the Holy Catholic Church."
But they are manifestly in error. To prove their
error in this particular instance we would, it
seems, have to disprove the so-called "Branch
Theory," by which Anglicans claim that the
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 643
Roman Catholic. Greek, and Anglican Churches
are "Branches" of the one true Church of Christ.
However, let it suffice here to say that both
the Greek Church and the Church of Rome, each
much larger than the Church of England, repu-
diate this theory. Moreover, if those three great
religious bodies are "Branches," where is the
"Trunk" of which they form a part?
No; the Roman Catholic Church is the an-
cestral Trunk, the first and oldest of all Churches,
the one founded by Christ and His Apostles.
And the Catholic Church in the various nations,
and individual Catholics even, we may call the
living branches.
Of the "Branch Theory" Cardinal Merry del
Val once said, "A Branch Theory has been de-
vised as a compromise, with which to satisfy the
yearnings of many an aching heart. But, alas!
without avail. We, too, hold a 'Branch' theory,
but it is the one of which our Blessed Savior
spoke. Branches there are, and must be, in the
One Church, but not branches which have no
stem, and are cut off from the Vine, with their
leaves scattered 'High,' and 'Low' and 'Broad.'
Our Lord spoke of such branches, and said: 'If
any man abide not in Me, he shall be cast forth,
as a branch, and shall wither'."
I have so many crushing trials and
troubles and afflictions of every kind that I
can carry the cross no longer. God is hard on
me after all the good I've done and the good
life I've lived. I haven't it coming to me.
Why does God punish me so? Why must I
suffer — I who have done my best to serve
God and to avoid sin and to grow in love
for Him?
How often rebellious sufferers have uttered
this cry. So deep is the mystery of suffering
that many have lost the faith in trying to solve
644 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
it by human reasons alone. Only in the Passion
of Christ can we find an explanation that brings
comfort.
Both human and divine law speak of suffering as
a punishment; and reason recognizes the justice
of it when inflicted on the evil-doer. But where
there is no guilt — is it not rank injustice then?
No; gaze upon the cross. There we read in letters
of blood that suffering is not always punishment
inflicted on the guilty. The Savior was utterly
sinless. The innocence of His character, the abso-
lute purity of His soul, is something beyond the
grasp of our sin-clouded minds. And yet how
unutterably terrible were the sufferings of Him of
Whom it was said even while He was on the
cross, "This Man hath done no evil"; of Whom it
was said, "Indeed, this was a Just Man — this was
the Son of God!"
If the all innocent Savior suffered so, then
surely the guilty have no cause of complaint:
"If in the green wood they do these things, what
shall be done in the dry?" But how about those
who are relatively sinless, who are above the
ordinary level, like you who ask this question?
Why must they suffer? The Prince of the
Apostles answers the question in words so divinely
full of meaning that they deserve to be engraved
on the walls of every sickroom and in every
home where sorrow has dwelt. "For this is thank-
worthy, if for conscience towards God, a man
endure sorrows, suffering wrongfully. For what
glory is it, if committing sin and being buffeted
for it, you endure. But if doing well you suffer
patiently, this is thankworthy before God. For
unto this you are called: because Christ also
suffered for us, leaving you an example that you
should follow His steps. Who did no sin, neither
was guile found in His mouth. Who, when He
was reviled, did not revile; when He suffered,
He threatened not; but delivered Himself to
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 645
him that judged Him unjustly. Who His own
self bore our sins in His body upon the tree;
that we, being dead to sins, should live to justice:
by Whose stripes you were healed. For you were
as sheep going astray; but you are now converted
to the shepherd and bishop of your souls."
(I Peter 2, 19-25.)
Unto this we are called, this is our sublime
vocation; to suffer with the innocent Christ, not
only because of former sins, but also to become
more like the Sinless Sufferer. "Whom He fore-
knew He also predestinated to be made conform-
able to the image of His Son." (Rom. 8:29.)
"If any man will come after Me, let Him deny
himself and take up his cross daily, and follow
Me." (Luke 9:23.) "Whom God loveth He
chastiseth."
Well pondered, the above words of St. Peter
are capable of changing the anguished question-
ing of innocent sufferers into glad acceptance of a
vocation that is thankworthy before God. With
Christ they can be innocent victims of expiation
for the world's sins, and sinless saviors of the
perishing souls of men.
There is a lady working here who is a Creek
Catholic. She says she is a Catholic just as
well as we and that our Pope is their Pope.
They have priests and the Mass and every-
thing. But their Mass has different cere-
monies. She claims they have different
customs in their Church than in ours and
also says that their priests marry. Is she a
real Catholic?
She is doubtless a member of one of the Uniat
churches and what she says is true. Uniats
(meaning united with the Roman Church) are
Eastern Christians (and there are some in this
country) who hold the same doctrine as the
Western Church, i. e., Catholics of Western
646 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Europe, America, and countries depending upon
them. But they have very different rites and
discipline. Their liturgies follow one or the other
of the great Eastern rites (those of Antioch,
Alexandria, Byzantium, or their derivatives) and
they usually have a married clergy. They
acknowledge allegiance to the Pope and are true
Catholics, in contradistinction to the non-Uniat
churches. There are eight groups of these non-
Uniat schismatical or heretical churches, the
best known of which is the so-called "Orthodox"
Church. Members of the "Orthodox" Church to
which you refer in your letter are, accordingly,
not true Catholics and are not in communion
with the Holy See.
Much has been said and written about the
Papal Encyclical on Christian Education of
Youth, issued Dec. 31, 1929. Is this en-
cyclical infallible?
The masterful Encyclical in question was issued
by His Holiness Pope Pius XI. Now, we know
that the Church is infallible also when it speaks
through the Pope alone, when he proclaims to
all the faithful a doctrine of faith or morals "ex
cathedra," that is, when, as the successor of St.
Peter and the visible head of the Church, in the
discharge of his supreme authority as pastor and
teacher of the whole Church, he decides a doctrine
of faith and morals to be believed by all. Such
solemn magisterial definitions either of revealed
truths or truths connected with revelation are
contained in those dogmatic Constitutions, Bulls,
Briefs, Encyclical Letters, Epistles, Allocutions,
etc., by which the Roman Pontiff intends in-
fallibly to determine or to reprobate some doctrine
for the universal Church. Such solemn utterances
are of themselves irreformable, infallible, and
demand the full and absolute assent of the mind.
They are issued in the Pope's own name because
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 647
he cannot communicate infallibility to the Roman
Congregations.
So much for absolutely infallible pronounce-
ments. But the Pope also exercises the teaching
office in a more ordinary way, that is to say, when
he teaches without intending to pass definite
judgment in doctrinal matters. He thus teaches
either to provide for the security of Catholic
doctrine, e. g., forbidding evil books, condemning
erroneous propositions, and then exercises the
teaching office either personally or through the
Congregation of the Holy Office, or he takes it
upon himself to explain some commonly taught
Catholic doctrine, to impress it upon the minds
of the faithful, or to make it more clear. Thus
he approves catechisms (the Cathechism of the
Council of Trent, for example, also known as the
Roman Catechism) and other books for the
instruction of the faithful, replies to various
questions by decretal letters, publishes Encyclicals,
etc. Such Encyclicals were many of those issued
by Pope Leo XIII, e. g., Immortale Dei, Libertasy
Rerwn novarum. And such an Encyclical is the one
in question, on the Christian Education of Youth.
And now we come to a direct reply. Declara-
tions and Encyclicals such as these latter are not
of themselves infallible but they possess great
authority, as is evident, since they emanate from
the supreme authority in the Church. To such
pronouncements internal and religious assent must
be given, though not absolute assent, unless the
doctrine is known as certain or as of faith from
some other source.
Is the Catholic Church in favor of capital
punishment?
Capital punishment is the infliction, by due
legal process, of the penalty of death as a punish-
ment for crime. Canon law has always forbidden
clerics to shed human blood, and therefore capital
648 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
punishment has always been the work of the
officials of the state and not of the Church. Even
in the case of heresy, of which so much is made by
non-Catholic controversialists, the functions of
ecclesiastics were restricted invariably to as-
certaining the fact of heresy. The punishment,
whether capital or other, was both prescribed and
inflicted by civil government. The infliction of
capital punishment is not contrary to the teaching
of the Catholic Church, and the power of the
state to visit upon culprits the penalty of death
derives much authority from revelation and from
the writings of theologians. The advisability of
exercising that power is, of course, an affair to be
determined upon other and various considerations.
How are problems such as this to be ex-
plained? I have a non-Catholic friend who
is absolutely godless and disregards religion
entirely. I try my best to be a good Catholic,
and yet this friend of mine gets so much
more out of life than I do, is healthy, suc-
cessful, well-to-do, popular and everything
else, it seems, that makes for earthly happi-
ness. I do not mean to doubt the Catholic
faith, but I often wonder.
You are wondering why God allows the godless
to prosper in this world, while the good are
afflicted with misery. But, first of all, we must
say that prosperity is by no means the preroga-
tive of the godless, of the wicked; many of them
receive their punishment in this life in the form
of remorse, poverty, disease, disgrace, imprison-
ment, death. Nor is misery the universal lot of
the good. Many good souls are blessed by God
in this life with health, wealth, social position
and other blessings; and even if the good are
poor and meet with great adversity they fre-
quently possess a happy home, true friends, the
consolations of religion and, above alb the joy
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 649
of a good conscience — that peace of heart which
the world cannot give.
Moreover, we must not forget that the in-
equality of conditions in this life is really a proof
of the existence of an after life, in which an
infinitely just God will right all the injustice of
this earthly life. This life is a time of trial during
which man must prove himself worthy of eternal
happiness. The reward comes only when our
work is done — at the hour of death. Hence, the
sufferings of the good in this life ought to be re-
garded as a part of the punishment due to their
sins and as a chance of merit. And what does
the Savior mean when He says: "If any man
will come after Me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross, and follow Me"? It clearly
means that "through many tribulations we must
enter into the kingdom of God," as we read in
the Acts of the Apostles. St. Paul expressed
the true Christian spirit when he wrote: "For
I reckon that the sufferings of this life are not
worthy to be compared with the glory to come."
Uniting our sufferings with the sufferings of
Christ makes even suffering a deep, spiritual joy,
as can be seen from the motto of certain great
saints, "Lord, let me suffer or let me die!"
As for the prosperity and seeming happiness
of the godless and the wicked it should be looked
upon as their reward here for the good they have
wrought. The Savior's words. "Woe to you that
are rich, for you have your consolation," may
be applied in general to the prosperity of the
wicked. The words are saddening. They fill us
with pity rather than with envy.
We sometimes hear man spoken of as the
highest form of animal life. Is this right?
Can man be called an animal?
An animal is any member of a group of living
beings typically endowed with sensation and
650 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
voluntary motion, as distinguished from a plant.
In this sense man is the highest form of animal
life.
But is man an animal? We have had occasion
at various times to hear young men who were
frequenting high school or college assert with a
vast display of superior knowledge that man is
an animal, to the apparent bewilderment and
consternation of their less "learned" and greatly
shocked listeners. This supersmartness savors
not a little of the spirit of a godless world that
would acknowledge no hereafter.
We accordingly wish to say that man is not
an animal, unqualifiedly so called. According to
the common definition of the Schoolmen, man is
a rational animal. This is a logical definition ex-
hibiting the metaphysical entity of man and sig-
nifying that man is a substance corporeal, living,
sentient and rational. Hence, according to the
principles of sound philosophy, it is not correct
simply to call man an animal; for this enuncia-
tion denotes only the generic and lower consti-
tuent of man's nature and ignores its specific and
higher ingredient, namely, reason, which nobili-
tates his animality.
All of which is implied even in the ordinary
way of speaking. By the word animal we always
mean an irrational, sentient being. We do not
call man an animal. Indeed, since this compari-
son of man with the mere animal is so offensive to
our ears and so revolting to our nature, which is
elevated as high above the mere animal as the
heavens above the earth, we even prefer in the
popular way of speaking to call man a rational
being or a rational creature rather than a rational
animal.
Let us not forget that man has been endowed
by his Creator with an immortal soul, which is
the animating agent of the human body. By
the Christian dispensation of God, man's im-
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 651
mortal soul has, moreover, been raised to a par-
ticipation in the divine life of its Creator, whereby
also the human body is sanctified. At the resur-
rection of the dead on the last day, body and
soul will be reunited; and in the case of the
just the glorified soul will communicate its glory
to the sanctified body; and body and soul, the
whole man, will enjoy the unspeakable blisses of
heaven for all eternity.
Does the Church believe in predestination?
The Catholic Church has always taught the
eternal predestination of the elect as an article of
faith.
But there can be no absolute and positive pre-
destination to eternal punishment and the pains
of hell can only be threatened in view of mortal
sin.
Predestination is a dogma of the Church, but
not in the sense in which that term is more com-
monly understood. The doctrine of predestina-
tion as condemned by the Church is in substance
as follows:
1. That the absolute will of God is the sole
cause of salvation or damnation of the individual,
without regard to his merits or demerits.
2. That the elect lack freedom of will under
the influence of efficacious grace.
The doctrine of predestination as taught by
the Church is briefly this:
1. God predestines from all eternity the num-
ber of the saved; He bestows the graces needed
to obtain eternal life without any respect to merit
on their part, either before or after grace is con-
ferred, so that eternal life is His free gift.
2. On the other hand, no adult enters heaven
except because he has of his own free will cor-
responded to the grace of God, and none are lost
except by the perversity of their own will, since
652. QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
God sincerely desires that all men come to the
knowledge of the truth and be saved.
The Catholic teaching may be still more sum-
marized in this way: From all eternity God in-
tended heaven for merit which He foresaw, and
hell for demerit which He foresaw.
Is it true that at the birth of a child its
whole life is pronounced? I mean what
kind of troubles this person will live through,
whom he will marry, how and when he will
die, whether he will be saved, etc. ?
God knows all things. He, and He alone,
knows absolutely everything that will happen to
a child born into this world. Indeed, He knew it
from all eternity. Nothing is hidden from His
eyes. To Him all things are present.
Man, having a free will, freely works out his
own destiny. But also the free future is known
and present to God. However, it were utterly
sinful and heretical to say that at the birth of a
child its eternal fate is pronounced by the abso-
lute will of the all-knowing God. The fact that
God knows what use a man will make of his free
will does not in the least infringe upon that
free will.
We give a little illustration. Suppose you are
sitting in your room in front of your dresser
with a larger mirror before you. As you look into
the mirror the door behind you opens and your
sister enters. She walks towards you. In the
mirror you see her approaching. Is she approach-
ing because you see her? Certainly not! You
see her because she is approaching.
It is not wise to worry or even to think over-
much about this matter, so shrouded in mystery.
All men can be saved; and it is the teaching of
the Church that to all adult men, also to un-
believers, there is given grace sufficient for sal-
vation. As an old woman used to say with
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 653
splendid simplicity, "Why, of course, I'm going
to be saved, because I want to be saved and God
wants me to be saved, and I'll see to it, with
God's grace, that I will be saved.'\ ;g . ^
Are the teachings of the Councils of the
Church the infallible word of God?
This question is sufficiently answered by the
following question and answer from the little
Baltimore Catechism. "When does the Church
teach infallibly? The Church teaches infallibly
when it speaks through the Pope and bishops
united in general council, or through the Pope
alone when he proclaims to all the faithful a
doctrine of faith or morals."
" Is the Bible the infallible Word of God?
The question might also be put thus: "Is the
Bible and the Bible alone the way to find out the
Gospel of Christ?" The Catholic's answer is a de-
cisive "No!" Indeed, it is only by the divine
authority of the Catholic Church that Christians
know that the Scripture is the Word of God and
what books certainly belong to the Bible. The
Bible is not its own witness. It is like a will
without a signature or probate. It is infallible
only because of and to the extent of the Church's
infallible witness. Deny the Church's infallible
witness, and the Bible is at once reduced to the
level of mere Oriental literature and utterly
devoid of divine inspiration. The Catholic
Church alone guarantees infallibly the authen-
ticity of the Latin Vulgate, the contents of the
Canon, and the inspiration of all the seventy-
two books of Holy Writ. As St. Augustine could
rightly say in the fifth century, "I would not
believe the Gospel unless moved thereto by the
authority of the Church." The Bible, therefore,
is the infallible Word of God only inasmuch as the
interpretation of the infallible Church makes it so.
In this connection it would be well to re-
654 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
member that the Bible was never intended to
take the place of the living, infallible teacher,
the Church, but was written to explain or insist
upon a teaching already preached. "Faith
cometh by hearing" (Rom. 10:17). The Catholic
Church, a divine, living, infallible voice, guaran-
tees to every one not merely the written word,
but also the unwritten teaching of divine tra-
dition.
The Bible is indeed a holy book, the Book of
Books, but in reading it we must be guided by
its divine and infallible interpreter and custodian,
the one Church of Jesus Christ. Speaking of St.
Paul's epistles, St. Peter says, "in which are cer-
tain things hard to be understood; which the
unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the
other Scriptures, to their own destruction" (2
Peter 3:16). All around us we see how this has
been verified by the following of the pernicious
Protestant doctrine of private interpretation.
I have seen that the Pope, speaking in
the name of Christ in the declaration of
some dogma, uses the plural form WE.
Just why does he say WE instead of I, as he
is then speaking in the name of Christ?
The pronoun we is used by the speaker or
writer to denote himself and others, and is there-
fore plural. But it is sometimes used, instead
of the singular, to indicate that the speaker or
writer is not alone in his opinions; or, perhaps
more frequently, to evade the charge of egotism.
Hence this assumption of plurality is really
modest and becoming. It is sometimes used by
rulers for the reasons just cited and as the plural
of majesty. Since this plural is used in place of
the singular we see no incongruity in the Pope's
use of it when he speaks in the name of Christ.
I had a dispute with a non-Catholic party
in regard to the Immaculate Conception.
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 655
This party does not believe that Mary could
be a Mother and at the same time remain a
Virgin. But isn't the Incarnation — the
Word made flesh — a mystery ? Enlighten us.
Both you and your non-Catholic have mixed
things up badly; and it is only with an effort
that we refrain from giving "an exhortation.'*
Instead of that, however, we proceed to en-
lighten you.
First of all, you must distinguish between the
Immaculate Conception and the Virgin Birth.
These two mysteries are quite distinct. The
Immaculate Conception is that glorious privilege
by which, through the merits of her Divine Son,
through the future tears and blood of the life and
passion and death of Christ, the Blessed Virgin
was preserved free from the stain of original
sin. We will explain further. By a universal,
sovereign, unvarying decree of God the soul of
every child of Adam contracts the stain of
original sin at the moment of conception in the
mother's womb. But in Mary's case God sus-
pended this law of His infinite justice. At the
very instant when He united Mary's created
soul to the body it was to animate, that soul did
not only not contract the stain which defiles
every human soul at that instant, but was so
immeasurably filled with grace as to be trans-
formed, from that moment, into a mirror of the
sanctity of God Himself, as far as that is possible
for a creature. This prerogative is called her
Immaculate Conception.
And now comes the doctrine of Mary's per-
petual virginity, which includes the Virgin Birth
of Christ. The doctrine is an article of faith. In
the third canon of the Lateran Council held in
the time of Pope Martin I, A. D. 649, Holy
Church defined under anathema that the Blessed
Mother of Jesus Christ was a Virgin before,
656 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
during, and after the conception and birth of her
Divine Son.
As every Catholic knows, this is the infallible
teaching of Holy Mother Church, of which her
loyal children may not even for a moment doubt.
But, that you may know more clearly what you
believe, we here again explain Our Lady's per-
petual virginity by stating what we Catholics
believe.
We believe that Mary was a Virgin before and
during the conception of Christ. And in saying
that she was a Virgin during the conception we
mean that the matter of the body of Jesus Christ
was supplied by Mary, who co-operated in the
formation of Christ's body as every mother co-
operates in the formation of the body of her child.
But the germ in whose development and growth
into the body of Jesus Mary co-operated was
fecundated, not by any human action, but by
the power of the Holy Ghost. "Pure as the dew
that descends from heaven, and silently fall*
upon the silver fleece, did He come to the Virgin
Mother."
We believe that Mary was a Virgin at the birth
of Christ. The supernatural influence of the Holy
Ghost extended to the birth of Jesus Christ, pre-
serving Mary's integrity, and causing Christ's
birth, or external generation, to reflect His eternal
birth from the Father, inasmuch as "the Light
from Light" proceeds from His Mother's womb as
a light shed on the world. The "power of the
Most High" passed through the barriers of nature
without injuring them. There were none of the
painful, embarrassing circumstances accompany-
ing the ordinary human birth. The body of the
Word formed by the Holy Ghost penetrated an-
other body after the manner of spirits. St.
Augustine beautifully illustrated this. He says
that as the rays of the sun pass through a crystal
vase and leave it unimpaired, as Christ after His
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 657
resurrection passed through closed doors and
stood in the midst of His Apostles, even so Jesus
was born of Mary and left her a Virgin still. As
light leaves the star that loses thereby none of its
brilliancy, so Mary's babe left her womb and
rested on the sacred corporal of her bosom, she
losing none of the brilliancy of her virginity.
We believe that Mary was a Virgin after the
birth of Christ. The very thought of anything
contrary to this express teaching of the infallible
Church savors of blasphemy.
This is what we mean when we reverently,
happily call our Lady "ever Virgin." This is
what was foretold in the famous prophecy of
Isaias predicting the wondrous ways of God in
the Virgin Birth of Christ, "Behold, a Virgin
shall conceive, and bear a Son, and His name
shall be called Emmanuel."
You conclude your question by mentioning
the Incarnation. Please remember that this is
something different again, though it was in the
Incarnation that Mary's fruitful virginity played
so important a part. By the Incarnation we mean
that the Son of God was made Man. In the
womb of the Blessed Virgin Jesus Christ, the
Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, took to
Himself human nature, a body and soul like
ours, becoming true Man and at the same time
remaining true God.
Yes; our holy religion is full of these beauti-
ful mysteries. "A mystery." says the Catechism,
"is a truth which we cannot fully understand."
Try to understand as best you can and leave the
rest to faith. "The just man liveth by faith."
To settle a discussion, will you kindly tell
just exactly what is meant by the words of
Solomon, "Vanity of vanities, and all things
are vanity" (Eccli. 1:2). Does this include
658 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
our ambitions, normal desires, and our
diversions ?
The text here cited is often quoted. It is,
moreover, one that repeatedly forces itself to
the lips of the true Christian from a heart that
is restless ever and that knows and feels it can
find rest in God alone.
The word vanity has many significations. It
means inanity, emptiness; brevity, a thing fleet-
ing and temporal; mutability; that which is
mortal and perishable; that which is deceitful,
lying, fallacious. All these significations apply to
the word in the above text. Everything in this
world is empty, fleeting, mutable, corruptible,
false, and deceitful. On the contrary, in heaven
above, with God, all things are enduring, lasting,
immutable, incorruptible, true, and faithful. The
vanity of earthly things is thus opposed to the
truth of heavenly things. Hence, every creature,
everything that is not God and His heaven, is
called "vanity of vanities," that is to say, most
vain, utterly so, and that for a threefold reason.
The first reason is because, with respect to
God, Who is a very ocean of being and of all per-
fection, the creature is as a being non-existent,
as nothing. "My substance is as nothing before
Thee," says the psalmist. And in numerous
passages Holy Writ tells us that all nations
are as nothing before God, that the sun has no
brilliance and the stars are not pure in His
sight, etc.
The second reason is because no created thing
can make man truly happy or completely satisfy
his unutterable longings and desires for perfect
bliss. True satiety and felicity are found in
the infinite God alone; and if sought elsewhere,
it is sought in vain.
The third reason is because man in his folly
abuses created things for vain purposes, for in-
stance, in order thereby to satisfy his vain con-
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 659
cupiscences, whereby he draws upon himself both
temporal and eternal ruin.
We believe this brief explanation is sufficient.
But we may add that the text does include our
ambitions, normal desires, and our diversions, if
these are not directed to the attainment of life's
great purpose: "To know God, to love Him, to
serve Him, and so to reach heaven."
I would like to know who is more to a
wife, her mother or her husband? My wife
died recently and her mother had her
maiden name alone engraved on her tomb-
stone, omitting my family name, which my
wife received in marriage. We were always
happy together and her last words to me
were: "You have been a good husband to
me." I have two children and it surely
pains me when I take them to their mother's
grave and they do not see my name there.
The husband is, of course, more to the wife
than is her mother. In the Gospel of St. Matthew
(19:3-6) we read: "And there came to Jesus
Pharisees tempting Him, saying: 'Is it lawful for
a man to put away his wife for every cause?'
Who answering said to them: 'Have ye not
read that He Who made man from the beginning
made them male and female?' And He said:
'For this cause shall a man leave father and
mother and cleave to his wife, and they shall be
two in one flesh.' Therefore, now they are not
two, but one flesh. What, therefore, God hath
joined together let no man put asunder."
Relative to your other difficulty, the Code of
Canon Law (1211) merely says concerning funeral
monuments that there shall be nothing in the
way of epitaphs, laudatory inscriptions, or orna-
mentation that is an offense to religion and piety.
In a way we might almost assert that the
omission of your name is such an offense. But
660 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
we can ascertain the mind of the Church by a
less forced mode of reasoning. It follows. Canon
Law (1223) indeed states that even married
women, and children who have reached the
age of puberty, have the right of the choice of
their place of burial, independently of the
authority of husband or father. But in Canon
1229 we learn that a wife is to be buried in the
ancestral tomb of her husband; and, if she had
several husbands, in the ancestral tomb of her
last husband, — always provided, of course, that
she had not chosen another burial place. This
is clearly an index of the mind of fhe Church
as regards the peculiar and unjust state of affairs
disclosed by your question.
Did St. Theresa, the Little Flower, shower
real roses on St. Peter's cathedral in Rome,
when she was canonized, as was told me by
a friend, or were they only spiritual roses?
How did the Holy Father know that she was
a saint in heaven?
They were apparently real roses, as we gather
from the Prologue of the saint's "Autobiography"
by Father Taylor. And we are sure that especi-
ally on May 17, 1925, the glorious day of her canon-
ization, the Little Flower scattered the roses of
her love not only over St. Peter's but over the
whole wide world.
St. Peter's that day was packed with nearly
80.000 people. That great temple was illumi-
nated with from 30,000 to 40,000 lights. The
procession that escorted the Holy Father into
St. Peter's was one of extraordinary splendor.
But we wish merely to quote the words that
infallibly declared the Little Flower a saint in
heaven. To the Cardinal Vicar's final appeal
that she be declared a saint, the Secretary of
Briefs answered: "All things having been rightly
fulfilled which the Roman Church observes in
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 66 x
this grave matter, our Most Holy Lord will give
sentence that Blessed Therese of the Child Jesus
be numbered amongst the Saints. Wherefore,
all of you arise: Peter shall speak through Pius."
Then the Holy Father, in a clear voice, pro-
nounced the solemn words: "To the honor of
the Holy and Undivided Trinity, to the exalta-
tion of the Catholic faith, and the increase of the
Christian religion, by the authority of Our Lord
Jesus Christ, of the Holy Apostles Peter and
Paul, and by Our own, after mature deliberation
and having earnestly implored the Divine aid,
and after consulting Our venerable brethren,
the Holy Roman Church, the Cardinals, Patri-
archs, Archbishops, and Bishops dwelling in Our
City, We define and declare Blessed Therese of
the Child Jesus to be inscribed in the catalogue
of the Saints and her memory to be observed in
the Universal Church on September 30th (her
heavenly birthday) according to the rite of
Virgins not Martyrs. In the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
Tremendous applause followed. Therese was
now a canonized saint. Her virtues and miracles
had been carefully investigated. The prescribed
procedure of canonization had been duly followed.
When the Holy Father said, "We define and
declare," he spoke as the Vicar of Jesus Christ
and under the special guidance of the Holy
Ghost. Both human and divine means con-
tributed to the absolute certainty of the declara-
tion that "Blessed Therese of the Child Jesus
be inscribed in the catalogue of the saints."
There has been an argument at our office
about the burial place of St. Peter. It is
the general belief of Catholics that St.
Peter is buried at Rome. But the opponents
of this belief say that the Rome of today is
not the same as of old. What about it?
662. QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
It is an established historical fact that St.
Peter was the first Bishop of Rome — the same
Rome as the Rome of today — and suffered
martyrdom there. He was crucified under Nero,
with his head downward, June 29th, of the year
64, in the Circus of Nero below the Vatican Hill.
He was buried near the Circus; later (258?)
his body was taken to the Catacomb on the Via
Appia, but was brought back to the Vatican by
Constantine the Great. In 846, his tomb was
strengthened by a heavy wall. Of the fact that
St. Peter lived at Rome, at least during the latter
part of his life, and that he died and is buried
there, we have irrefutable proof.
I have lived such a bad life that I think
God must have cursed me. I have been so
wicked; and now I am looking back when
it is too late. Oh, why didn't I see things
this way years ago ! I have no confidence in
the mercy of God. I wish I could find a
saint who would help. Could you give me
the address of some saint who sees our Lord ?
Abandon hope and cast yourself into despair,
and you show you do not believe that God is
almighty; for you think there are sins that He
cannot forgive. But if you say that He can,
but He will not, you call God a liar; for God
says that as soon as the sinner repents He will
forgive all the sins he has committed.
Only repent in the right way, which implies
that you go to confession and sorrowfully tell
your sins as best you can, and God will not only
forgive, but even forget, all your past sins. He
says (Ezechiel 18:27, 28) : "And when the wicked
turneth himself away from his wickedness, which
he had wrought, and doeth judgment, and
justice, he shall save his soul alive. Because he
considereth and turneth away himself from all
his iniquities which he had wrought, he shall
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 663
surely live, and not die." God does not desire
the death of the sinner, but rather that he be con-
verted and live. "Is it My will that the sinner
should die, and not that he should be con-
verted from his ways and live?" After forgiving,
God crowns the penitent with merits, restoring
to him all the treasures of graces which he had
acquired while formerly in the grace of God.
Christ's whole life, His teaching, miracles, suf-
ferings and death show the abundance of God's
mercy. If you who ask this question and who
seem to be so filled with regret for the past,
could cast yourself at the loving, merciful Savior's
feet and ask His pardon, would you still want
"the address of some saint who sees our Lord"?
But now the priest is Christ's visible representa-
tive; he is an "other Christ." To him Christ says,
"Who hears you, hears Me." So all you need
do is, with proper dispositions of sincerity and
sorrow, to go and "show yourself to the priest"
in the holy Sacrament of Penance. There you
will hear from the lips of the priest those won-
drous words that blot out sin forever and for-
ever: "I absolve thee from thy sins in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost. Amen." And "Who hears you, hears
Me," the all-forgiving Savior says.
If a man has a soul, is that soul mortal
or immortal? Please give Scripture proof to
support your answer.
It is an article of faith that man consists of
but two essential constituents, a body and a
spiritual soul. It is likewise an article of faith
that the human soul is immortal, that it will
never die. Speaking of immortality, we may
recall that it is threefold: the essential im-
mortality of God, the natural immortality of
the soul, and (after the resurrection of the dead
664 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
on the last day) the supernatural immortality
of the body.
Independently even of the clear witness of
Revelation in both the Old Testament and the
New, reason plainly postulates the immortality
of the soul. 1. Everywhere and at all times men
have firmly believed in an after life. This uni-
versal belief in immortality was planted in man's
reason by God, Who made us for Himself. 2.
Many have considered the evident inequality and
injustice of this life one of the strongest proofs
of a life to come. Life were a meaningless, in-
soluble problem, unless we postulate a future life
in which an infinitely just God will make good the
inequality and injustice of this, rendering unto
every man according to his works. 3. Again,
there is the intense craving of man's intellect for
truth and his ceaseless longing for happiness,
both of which are never satisfied in this life. This
life's incompleteness points to a life to come,
where God alone can make man perfectly happy.
As St. Augustine exclaims, "Thou hast made us
for Thyself, 0 God, and our hearts are not at
rest until they rest in Thee!" 4. Conscience, by
its command to do the right and avoid the
wrong, and its reward of peace for good done
and its punishment of remorse for evil, points
clearly to God, Who in the life to come will
eternally reward the good and punish the wicked.
5. The soul does not perish with the body, be-
cause it is not a material, but a simple spiritual
substance, containing in itself no element of de-
struction or disintegration. The soul is not
subject to the laws that govern matter; and,
though united to the body, the soul's life is inde-
pendent of the body. "For the spirit," says St.
Irenaeus, "is incomposite and simple and can-
not be resolved."
The immortality of the soul is the foundation
stone of ethics and of the entire supernatural
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 665
order of salvation. It, therefore, goes without
saying that this truth was unanimously taught,
philosophically investigated, and scientifically de-
veloped by the Fathers.
You wish to have Scripture proofs (proofs
from revelation) to support our answer. Such
proofs are numerous and explicit. We here give
a few passages from Holy Writ.
"Fear ye not them that kill the body, and are
not able to kill the soul; but rather fear Him
Who can destroy both soul and body in hell."
(Matth. 10:28.)
"The dust return into its earth, from whence
it was, and the spirit return to God, Who gave
it." (Eccles. 12:7.) _
"The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and the torment of death shall not touch them.
In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die, and
their departure was taken for misery, and their
going away from us for utter destruction: but
they are in peace. And though in the sight of
men they suffered torments, their hope is full of
immortality." (Wisdom 3:1-4.)
"What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole
world, and suffer the loss of his own soul? Or
what exchange shall a man give for his soul?"
(Matth. 16:26.)
"Let Us make man to Our image and like-
ness." (Gen. 1:26.) (The soul is like to God
because it is a spirit that will never die and has
understanding and free will.)
We know that the good done in the state
of grace merits eternal life. But is there
any reward for good done when not in the
state of grace?
Yes; just as every sin is punished, so is all
good rewarded. The good done by one not in
the state of grace, though it does not merit eternal
life, is rewarded in various ways. Sometimes
666 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
God lends such doers of good time for repentance,
or puts it into the hearts of His faithful servants
to continue intercessions for them, by means of
which they often escape from their sins and
miseries. Sometimes, however, through the
disposition of God's grace, they receive neither
prayers nor time, but are rewarded with temporal
things, being treated like animals that are fatted
for the slaughter. Therefore such as those, who,
having always murmured against God's goodness,
nevertheless do some good, not in the state of
grace, but in sin, and have not profited in their
works either by time or by prayers or by any
of the other ways in which He has called them,
are thus reproved by God for their sins; His
goodness, however, wishing nevertheless to re-
ward their works, that is, the little service which
they have done, they are rewarded by God
with temporal things on which they fatten,
and, not correcting themselves, they arrive at
eternal punishment. How many souls have thus
deceived themselves.
My sins have been so enormous that I
feel there can be no forgiveness for me.
What does the Church teach?
We fear you are on the verge of despair, which
is the loss of hope in God's mercy. Yours is the
general reason why people despair of their sal-
vation; for usually they have the conviction
that their sins are too enormous, or too numerous,
ever to obtain mercy from their just Judge.
Despair, which is a voluntary abandonment of
all hope, whether of salvation or of the means
to obtain it (St. Alphonsus Liguori), is a mortal
sin against the first commandment, as it is directly
opposed to the omnipotence, mercy, and fidelity
of God. It is, besides, a sin against the Holy
Ghost, as it is an implied denial of the power
of grace and of the possibility of our sanctifica-
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 667
tion, a work especially attributed to the Holy
Ghost.
Trust in God, and that a firm trust without
misgivings, is imposed upon us all. The whole
economy of the Christian religion is based upon
the desire and will of God to save all people.
"As I live, saith the Lord, I desire not the death
of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his
way and live." "God will have all men to be
saved," Holy Writ assures us. Christ died for
the salvation of all men. Our hope, therefore,
reposes on the omnipotence, on the mercy, and
on the promises of God, which cannot fail us.
If the sinner, no matter how horrible and how
numerous his sins, be converted to God in sorrow,
he shall live. There is no sin so heinous that it
cannot be forgiven; there is no irremissible sin.
The Church teaches that the power of the keys
extends to all the sins of the faithful, so that
there is no sin that cannot be forgiven the rightly
disposed.
Some think that the sin against the Holy
Ghost is an unpardonable sin. The sin against the
Holy Ghost is generally thought to be the con-
tinued and willful resisting until death of the grace
of God, whether to embrace God's truth or to
obey God's commandments. But this sin is not
unpardonable, absolutely speaking; for God is
always ready to forgive the repentant sinner.
As a matter of fact, it is not pardoned because
the sinner deliberately refuses to co-operate with
God's grace, or to do what he knows is absolutely
necessary for salvation.
May a Catholic act as a public execu-
tioner, as a hangman, for instance?
Yes; he may. There is nothing sinful about
that, if the office has been duly given to him by
lawful public authority. He does not then act
in the capacity of a private individual but in
668 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
the name of the state. Still, we are inclined to
think that few are desirous of such a job.
Apropos of this, however, there are two sec-
tions in Can. 984. The Church law is speaking
of those who are irregular in consequence of a
defect and cannot, without proper dispensation,
be ordained to the priesthood. Among others,
such are a judge who has pronounced the sen-
tence of death, and those who have held the
office of executioner and all their voluntary and
immediate helpers in the execution of capital
punishment.
These two irregularities are supposed to indi-
cate a lack of gentleness. It seems fitting that
the representatives of Christ, Who was the
meekest and gentlest of men, should be imbued
with this preeminently Christian quality, which
seems to be notably wanting in all who co-
operate, although without any fault of their own,
in the infliction of capital punishment. It may
be noted that the assistants must act as helpers
of the hangman or electrocutioner voluntarily,
that is, of their own accord, and immediately,
whereas the job of the hangman is itself sufficient
to involve irregularity.
A man who was lecturing against the
Catholic Church recently said, among other
things: "St. Simeon Stylites lived for
thirty years on top of a sixty-foot pillar, in
full view of men, women, and children, his
flesh putrid with sores, and believed he was
doing God a service P1 How much truth is
there in this, if any?
There is much truth in this intended slur, we
are happy to say. And this great saint was in-
deed doing a service to God, inasmuch as he was
doing God's holy will, was sanctifying himself,
and was saving numerous souls. The world
never could understand "the foolishness of the
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 669
cross." In Vol. I of Butler s Lives of the Saints,
now newly edited, critically revised, and copiously
supplemented by that renowned scholar, Herbert
Thurston, S. J. (P. J. Kenedy and Sons, New
York), we read the following note after St.
Simeon's extraordinary life: "Incredible as some
of the feats of endurance may seem which are
attributed to St. Simeon the Elder and to the
other Stylites, or 'Pillar-Saints,' his imitators,
there can be no doubt that the facts are vouched
for by the best historical evidence." Passing
over St. Simeon's earlier life, we quote as fol-
lows from the above-mentioned most excellent
work — and our lengthy quotation furnishes an
edifying answer to your question.
"After three years spent in this hermitage the
saint removed to the top of the same mountain,
where, throwing together some loose stones, in the
form of a wall, he made for himself an inclosure,
but without any roof or shelter to protect him
from the inclemencies of the weather; and to con-
firm his resolution of pursuing this manner of life,
he fastened his right leg to a rock with a great iron
chain. Meletius, vicar to the Patriarch of Antioch,
told him that a firm will, supported by God's
good grace, would alone enable him to abide in his
solitary inclosure without having recourse to any
bodily restraint; whereupon the obedient servant
of God sent for a smith and had his chain knocked
off.
"But visitors began to throng to the mountain,
and the solitude his soul sighed after came to be
interrupted by the multitudes that flocked, even
from remote and infidel countries, to receive his
benediction; by which many sick recovered their
health. Some were not satisfied unless they also
touched him. The saint, to remove these causes
of distraction, projected for himself a new and
unprecedented manner of life. In 423 he erected
a pillar six cubits high, and on it he dwelt four
670 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
years; on a second, twelve cubits high, he lived
three years; on a third, twenty -two cubits high,
built for him by the people, he spent the last
twenty years of his life. Thus he lived thirty-
seven years on pillars, and was called Stylites,
from the Greek word Stylos, which signifies a
pillar. This singularity was at first censured by
all as a piece of extravagance. To make trial of
his humility an order was sent him in the name
of the neighboring bishops and abbots to quit
his pillar and give up his new manner of life.
The saint at once made ready to descend, but
the messenger seeing it, said that as he had shown
a willingness to obey it, it was their desire that
he should follow his vocation in God.
"His pillar did not exceed six feet in diameter on
the top, which made it difficult for him to lie
extended on it; neither would he allow a seat.
He only stooped, or leaned, to take a little rest,
and often in the day bowed his body in prayer.
A devout visitor once reckoned 1,244 such pro-
found reverences made by him at one time. He
made exhortations to the people twice a day.
His garments were the skins of beasts, and he
wore an iron collar about his neck. He never
suffered any women to come within the inclosure
where his pillar stood. His disciple Antony
mentions that he prayed most fervently for the
soul of his mother after her decease.
"God is sometimes pleased to conduct certain
fervent souls through extraordinary paths, in
which others would find only danger of illusion
and self-will, which we cannot sufficiently guard
ourselves against. We should, notwithstanding,
consider that the sancity of these fervent souls
does not consist in such wonderful actions or in
their miracles, but in the perfection of their
unfeigned charity, patience and humility; and
it was the exercise of these solid virtues which
shone so conspicuously in the life of this saint.
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 671
These virtues he nourished, and greatly increased
by assiduous prayer. He exhorted people
vehemently against the horrible custom of swear-
ing; as also, to observe strict justice, to take
no usury, to be earnest in their exercises of piety,
and to pray for the salvation of souls. The
great deference paid to his instructions, even by
barbarians, cannot be described. Many Persians,
Armenians, and Iberians were converted by his
miracles, or by his discourses, which they crowded
to hear. The Emperors Theodosius the younger,
and Leo, often consulted him and desired his
prayers. The Emperor Mercian visited him in
disguise. By his advice the Empress Eudoxia
abandoned the Eutychian party a little before
her death. His miracles and predictions are
extolled by Theodoret and others. By an in-
vincible patience he bore all afflictions, austerities,
and rebukes without a word of complaint. He
long concealed a horrible ulcer in his foot, swarm-
ing with maggots. He always sincerely looked
upon himself as the outcast of the world and the
last of sinners; and he spoke to all with the most
engaging sweetness and charity. Domnus, Patri-
arch of Antioch, brought him Holy Communion
on his pillar; and he often received the same
sacrament from others. In 459, according to
Cosmas, on a Wednesday, September 2, this
incomparable penitent, bowing on his pillar, as
if intent on prayer, gave up the ghost, in the
sixty-ninth year of his age. On the Friday
following, his corpse was conveyed to Antioch,
attended by the bishops and the whole country.
Many miracles, related by Evagrius, Antony,
and Cosmas, were wrought on this occasion; and
the people immediately, over all the East, kept
his festival with great solemnity.
"The extraordinary manner of life which this
saint led is a proof of the fervor with which he
sought detachment from creatures and union with
67z QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
God in heaven. The perfect accomplishment of
the divine will was the sole object of his desires.
Hence, upon the least intimation of an order
from a superior, he was ready to leave his pillar;
nor did he consider this undertaking as anything
great or singular, by which he should appear
distinguished from others. By humility he looked
upon himself as justly banished from among men
and hidden from the world in Christ. No one
can practice virtue because he hopes to be exalted
thereby. This would be to fall into the snare of
pride, which is to be feared under the cloak of
sanctity itself. The foundation of Christian per-
fection is a sincere spirit of humility. The heroic
practice of virtue must be undertaken, not be-
cause it is a sublime and elevated state, but be-
cause God calls us to it, and by it we do His will
and become pleasing to Him. The path of the
cross, or of contempt, poverty, and suffering, was
chosen by the Father for His divine Son, to re-
pair His glory and restore to man the spiritual
advantages of which sin had robbed him. And
the more perfectly we walk in His spirit, by the
love and esteem of His cross, the greater share
shall we possess in its triumphs. Those who in
the practice of perfection prefer great or singular
actions, because they appear more dazzling, are
the dupes of a secret pride, and they are yielding
to their more ignoble propensities whilst they
affect the language of the saints. We are called
to follow Christ by bearing our crosses after
Him, leading at least in spirit a hidden life, not
without fear through a deep sense of frailty, and
humbled in the abyss of our nothingness, as being
of ourselves the very incarnation of weakness, and
always carrying about us the germ of corruption."
Some time ago we discussed a point in re-
ligion. Will you favor us by giving the cor-
rect answer to the following : A man dies. He
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 673
receives Extreme Unction just before death,
while unconscious and in the state of mortal
sin. Is that sin forgiven him without con-
fession?
The Council of Trent teaches that the effects
of Extreme Unction are (1) to confer grace, (2)
to forgive sins, (3) to relieve from sickness.
Now, in the first place we must remember that
Extreme Unction is a Sacrament of the Living
and that it was not primarily instituted for the
forgiveness of mortal sin. By its very nature
it gives the second grace, as we call it, that is to
say, an increase of sanctifying grace.
We are concerned here with only one of the
effects of this Sacrament, namely, to forgive sins.
Extreme Unction forgives venial sins. It also
forgives mortal sin. if the patient is not conscious
of being in the state of mortal sin, or if having
had such consciousness but having had imperfect
contrition only, he has not had the opportunity
of confessing his sins, as may happen in the case
of an accident, a stroke of apoplexy, etc.; for in
the form, or prayer, of the Sacrament there is
no distinction made between venial and mortal
sins, "May God forgive thee whatever sins thou
hast committed." Neither does the Council of
Trent, nor the text from St. James' Epistle limit
the effect of Extreme Unction to slight offences.
We must here attend to a difference between
Extreme Unction and the other Sacraments of
the Living. All Sacraments of the Living for-
give mortal sin when the recipient is in the state
of mortal sin, provided he be not aware of it
and have at least imperfect contrition. But Ex-
treme Unction will forgive mortal sin even if one
is conscious of it, provided, while having imperfect
contrition, one has not the opportunity to confess.
Indeed, its effects go still further : the patient may
be deprived of his senses, he may not know that
674 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
the Sacrament is being administered to him, but
if at any time, before becoming unconscious, he
had the desire to receive it, the Sacrament would
justify him, provided he had never retracted his
intention to receive it. It is also probable that
Extreme Unction will effect the justification of
the recipient even if he had never had the desire
of it, but would have desired it, if he had known
its necessity. For such an interpretative inten-
tion is sufficient reason for a priest to administer
it; and for the sick person who is unable to
confess, that intention is probably sufficient for
the remission of his sins. Although we cannot
affirm as certain that Extreme Unction will thus
remit the mortal sins of those who are unconscious
and unable to confess even by a sign, since the
Church has not so declared, we may state, as
absolutely certain, that many are saved through
Extreme Unction who otherwise would be lost.
A little boy seven years and nine months
old, who had never gone to confession be-
fore, went to confession on his deathbed.
He could not receive Holy Communion be-
cause of his physical condition, but he did
receive the Sacrament of Extreme Unction.
Just an hour before he died this little boy
said: "Fire! fire! they are throwing down
hot irons!1' Is there anything to this? Do
you think that this boy is lost or that he
must suffer a long time in Purgatory? He
was a good boy and went to Mass every
Sunday after the age of seven, except when
he was sick.
There is absolutely nothing to it. The sick
often say the strangest things in fever and de-
lirium. This boy, so good and faithful, still
almost in his baptismal innocence, purified in
soul by the Sacraments of Penance and Extreme
Unction, must have gone straight to heaven;
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 675
if he went to Purgatory it was surely but a swift
passage through its cleansing flames. That such
a soul should be lost is a thought that is utterly
repugnant to the Catholic heart and may not be
entertained for even a moment. Still, we should
never neglect to pray for even such children.
They may need our help in Purgatory. We
never know.
Parenthetically, we may here remark that this
boy's parents were evidently good, well instructed,
and practical Catholics. They knew that as soon
as a child reaches the age of reason it should go
to Mass at least on days of obligation, that such a
child should go to confession and, if possible, to
Holy Communion, that it should receive the Sacra-
ment of the sick, Extreme Unction, when seriously
ill. Children who have reached the use of reason
and are judged capable of deceit and sin, may and
should, if sick with a disease that gives warning
of danger, be anointed, even if they have not yet
received their first Holy Communion, and even
if they have not yet made their first confession.
Let parents remember this and call the priest in
good time. "It is an altogether detestable abuse
not to administer Extreme Unction to children
after the use of reason," said Pope Pius X, that
greatest friend of the little ones. (Decret.
Quam Singulare.)
And since we have touched upon this subject,
we cannot refrain from quoting the following
illuminating and necessary words of Msgr.
Cortet, late Bishop of Troyes, whom disease had
brought to the very portals of death and whom
Extreme Unction brought back to life: "Many
have a sort of horror of Extreme Unction; they
imagine that this Sacrament is not the Sacra-
ment of the sick, but of the dying, and that those
who have received it are inevitably doomed to
die. This is a fateful error, a prejudice based on
ignorance of the teachings of the Church; and
676 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
if you have no proof of that teaching, let me tell
you that I received the last Sacraments several
months ago, and not only am I not dead, but they
powerfully contributed to bring me back to life."
The same Bishop adds: "Since Our Lord Jesus
Christ, in His infinite mercy, has instituted a
Sacrament so efficacious for the relief of the sick,
and its effects are so admirable and so certain, why
is this Sacrament not zealously requested at the
beginning of a serious illness? Why do the relatives
in their blind and cruel affection, instead of calling
the priest, keep him away until the patient asks
for him? Sometimes someone dares to speak to a
patient of Communion, but Extreme Unction is
frequently postponed to the moment when, hav-
ing lost all consciousness, he is no longer able to
join in the motherly and fortifying prayers of the
Church and to co-operate by his personal dispo-
sition with the efficaciousness of the Sacrament.
Why is this? You hasten to call a physician as
soon as disease appears among you, but you do
not call upon the Supreme Physician of body and
soul, Who holds in His hands the keys of life and
death! You carefully apply to your ills the reme-
dies prescribed, you make the patient take even
the bitterest draughts, you beg him to submit to
the most painful operations; but you do not
procure for him the spiritual medicine of Extreme
Unction, which would vivify him body and soul!"
When a child of six years and three months
dies, is it proper to take it into church be-
fore burial — you know, the way they do
things at the burial of an adult? What
should be done on such an occasion at that
age ? Is it necessary to have Masses said for
a child so young? Is such a child considered
pure enough directly to enter the kingdom
of heaven when it dies?
When a baptized child dies before it has at-
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 677
tained the age of reason, being neither capable
of sin nor of receiving the Sacraments, that is,
ordinarily before its seventh year, it is indeed
taken to the church for burial, but not with the
burial service for adults. There is a special rite
for children, one that is indicative of joy and
gladness only.
What should be done? When a baptized child
has departed this life before having reached the
age of reason, the body should be dressed as
becomes its years, and flowers laid upon it in
token of holy purity and virginity. The priest
should, of course, be informed; and in due time
he will conduct the prescribed services. Joyful
prayers and psalms are said or sung, as given
in the ritual. The body is sprinkled with holy
water at the prescribed times. Candles are used
to show that the body of the little one is to be
honored as a temple of the Holy Ghost and to
signify that its soul lives with God and awaits
a glorious resurrection and the fruition of eternal
light. The Votive Mass of the Angels, in white
vestments, may be read or sung on days when
it is permitted by the rubrics. (The cross car-
ried in the procession is without staff, to show
that the little one is saved solely by the merits
of Christ and by no merits of its own.)
Strictly speaking, it is not allowed to say Mass
for baptized children who have died before reach-
ing the age of reason. When we say Mass for
such baptized children it is to honor God, to
thank Him for the favor He has given them, and
to ask Him, by their intercession, for the graces
we need.
Yes; a baptized child that dies before having
reached the age of reason goes directly to heaven.
I have often wondered why a priest never
administers the Sacrament of Confirmation.
As you know from your catechism, the bishops
678 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
are the ordinary ministers of Confirmation, as
the Council of Trent teaches. But that expression
implies that others are not absolutely excluded.
Hence a priest may validly administer Confirma-
tion, as an extraordinary minister, but only when
he has the jurisdiction to act as such. And who
can supply the priest's deficiency? Only the
Sovereign Pontiff; and the chrism must be blessed
by a bishop, unless the Pope also grant the priest
the power to bless it. Of this we have numerous
examples in the history of the Church, as the
Council of Florence testifies; and even to this
day there have been such extraordinary cases,
for instance, during infectious diseases and in
the missionary countries in distant lands, when-
ever the Holy Father has conferred the power on
a simple priest.
God knew from all eternity that mankind
would fall into sin. He could have saved
mankind from offending Him so much.
Why did He not do so? The fact of evil is a
mystery to me. Please explain.
As regards physical evils, sickness, sufferings,
etc., God certainly does not intend them for their
own sake. An infinitely intelligent God cannot
mistakenly apprehend evil as good. And an
infinitely good God cannot delight in the misery
and suffering of His creatures. So when He
permits physical evils He does it only because
in His divine plan they will further either the
general good or man's good. "He is powerful
enough and good enough to make good even out
of evil," says St. Augustine. Strictly speaking,
it is not then really evil.
As regards moral evil it is of faith that God
does not intend moral evil (sin) but only permits
it. This teaching of the Church is plainly affirmed
in Holy Writ. That sins can be committed with
God's permission is evident from the fact that
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 679
absolutely nothing can happen without God willing
or permitting it; for God is the supreme Ruler
and Governor of all things.
If we ask why God permits sin, we must answer :
"Because He knows how to draw greatest good
out of evil." Hence St. Augustine says:
"Neither would the omnipotent God by any
means allow anything evil in His works, if He
were not so omnipotent and good as to make
good also of evil." The principal goods resulting
from evil are the manifestation of God's justice
in punishing sins, His mercy in pardoning them,
the exercise of the virtues, e. g., patience by reason
of the sufferings inflicted by the impious, humility
from the consideration of one's frequent falls,
etc., etc.
Yes; it is a great mystery. The Catholic
Church does not pretend to give an adequate
but merely a partial solution of the problem
of evil. "For who among men is he that can
know the counsel of God? or who can think what
the will of God is?" (Wisd. 9:13.) She considers
it a stupendous mystery that will be perfectly
understood only in the world to come. But in
the name of reason and of faith she condemns
all false solutions, like dualism, fundamental
pessimism, etc.
Can it be that there are real atheists,
people who do not believe in the existence
of God?
We must make a distinction between atheists
and atheists. There cannot be, except perhaps
for a short time, theoretically negative atheists,
that is, such as are invincibly ignorant of the
existence of God; for men of upright heart can
easily know that some supreme Being exists.
There can be, at least for a time, theoretically
positive atheists, that is, whose reason, crippled
by sophistries, denies or doubts the existence of
68c QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
God. But, sad to say, experience teaches us
that there are practical atheists without number
all around us, that is, men who do not care in
the least for the glorification and service of
God. In his heart of hearts, however, each man
knows that there is a God. Hence we may say
that, though there are material atheists, it is
hard to imagine such a thing as a formal atheist.
St. Paul declares that even the heathen are in-
excusable if they do not believe in God, since
they can know Him by the light of reason alone,
from the things that are created.
If a man lives a clean, upright life and still
does not attend any church, why is it not
possible that he be saved?
It is possible, of course. Though we know that
outside the Catholic Church there is no salvation,
we also know that there may be people who are
in good faith, who are trying to live clean, upright
lives, and who, accordingly, are really Catholics
in spirit and belong to the soul of the Church,
because they desire to believe the truth and to
live by it. We must, however, leave the final
decision to God. Parenthetically, we may re-
mark that we are here considering the man who
does not attend any church as being in the same
position as one who does attend some non-
Catholic church. As far as definite belief is con-
cerned they appear to be on the same plane in
our day and country. Protestant belief seems
to be mostly negative, with exception confirming
the rule.
Apropos of this question we wish to quote an
official statement made to the whole world by
the Vicar of Christ, Pope Pius IX, August 10,
1863: "You know, my most dear children and
venerable brothers, that those who, being indi-
vidually ignorant of our holy religion, observe
the natural law and precepts that God has en-
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 68 1
graven on the heart of every man, and who are
disposed to obey God and live virtuously and
righteously, can, by the aid of divine light and
grace, obtain eternal life; since God, Who
searches the heart, Who sees clearly and knows
the sentiments, the thoughts, and the dispositions
of all, cannot, in His supreme mercy and good-
ness, by any means permit that even one soul
should be eternally punished that has not sepa-
rated itself from Him by voluntary mortal sin."
So you see it is possible that such a man as you
mention in your question may be saved. But, in
spite of all that we would gladly affirm in extenua-
tion of those outside the Church, we must answer
your query by simply saying: "It is possible, but
he will have a hard time of it." We must face
the hard facts. Man is a sinner. He is constantly
tempted. He frequently falls. Unless he has a
helping hand he will fall again and again. A
Catholic may fall, and fall lamentably. But he
has the Sacrament of Penance to put him on his
feet again, the eternal truths to steady him,
Mass and the Sacraments and prayer to
strengthen him. If Catholics sometimes find it
so hard to save their souls, what shall we say of
others? They will have a hard time of it.
It is possible, indeed, but suppose such a man
commits mortal sin. What is going to bring about
his reform and repentance? For if he does not
repent he will not be saved. A man needs some-
thing very definite and effective to make him
turn aside from the broad road of sinful in-
dulgence.
Therefore, while we recognize with certainty
that those who are in invincible ignorance of the
true religion are not guilty for this in the eyes
of the Lord, we must yet hold (even while we bear
in mind the above words of Pius IX) that out of
the Apostolic Roman Church there is no salva-
tion, that she is the only ark of safety, and that
68z QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
whosoever is not in her perishes in the deluge.
Let us thank the Lord that we are in that ark of
safety and, while ceasing not to pray for the con-
version of the world, leave the rest to God.
In conclusion we might ask, Are you so sure
of this man's ethical life? Is his whole character
known to you or only the amiable and righteous
exterior? If a man, for instance, questions even
the fact of God's existence, is utterly indifferent
to His truth, looks upon the Ten Commandments
as temporary laws evolved out of the conscious-
ness of a certain Semitic race, makes little of
immortality, and denies the fact of sin and the
freedom of the will, what basis can he have for
the moral law? May not his be merely the out-
ward respectability so cherished in our day —
expediency? What would we see if we saw what
God sees, if we could look within?
Will you kindly tell me when the feast of
the Archangel Uriel is celebrated. It seems
to me he is slighted whenever prayers are
said to the Archangel Michael, Gabriel, and
Raphael. He is also forgotten in the Litany
of the Saints.
The Archangel Uriel appears to be a rather
doubtful character, when all is said. In his
authoritative "Biographical Dictionary of the
Saints" the Rt. Rev. F. G. Holweck says only
this: " Uriel, the Archangel (Suriel), 'who showed
to Henoch the revolution of the heavenly bodies,'
and taught Esdras. Feast 15 July (22 Jan.)
in the Coptic Church, Cal. Copt."
There are three Archangels, Michael, Gabriel,
and Raphael, mentioned in Holy Writ. To these
three Uriel was added up to the middle ages,
presumably because he was mentioned in the
Fourth Book of Esdras, until then looked upon
as canonical but not included by the Church in
the Canon of the Holy Scriptures, that list of in-
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 683
spired books definitely declared as "sacred and
canonical" by the Fathers of the Council of Trent
in their famous decree of April 8, 1546.
It is well to remark in this connection that the
term archangel, in its wider meaning, may signify
any angel of higher rank and thus all the higher
orders of angels. In this way St. Michael,
though prince of the Seraphim, is called archangel.
In a more restricted sense of the word, arch-
angels are those blessed spirits who compose the
second choir of the lowest order in the angelic
hierarchy. According to diversity of perfection
the angels are classified in three hierarchies,
each hierarchy having three orders, making,
in all, nine choirs, in the following descending
order: (1) Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones; (2)
Dominations, Virtues, Powers; (3) Principalities,
Archangels, and Angels. As distinct from the
guardian angels, who are usually selected from
the lowest choir, the archangels are God's mes-
sengers to man in matters of graver moment,
e. g., Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, Raphael to
Tobias; and to the archangels God entrusts the
care of persons of exalted rank and sanctity.
So it may be that there is an archangel by the
name of Uriel (but what's a name in this case?),
but the only angels mentioned by name in
Scripture are Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.
These are called Archangels, though, according
to Christian tradition, they seem to be three of
the very greatest among the blessed spirits of
heaven.
A person is in a state of mortal sin when
there is a sudden accident or he is suddenly
taken sick and sinks into unconsciousness,
so that when the priest arrives he cannot
go to confession and receive Holy Com-
munion. When the priest administers
Extreme Unction to that person are the
mortal sins forgiven so that he can be saved ?
684 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Extreme Unction is thus defined: "A Sacrament
of the New Law in which, through the anointing
with oil and the prayers of the priest, adult
persons who are in danger of death receive health
of soul, and also at times of body.'* Extreme
Unction is a Sacrament of the living; it was not,
therefore, primarily instituted for the forgive-
ness of mortal sin. By its very nature it gives
the "second" grace — i. e., an increase of sancti-
fying grace. The recipient of Extreme Unction
should, accordingly, be in the state of grace, and
hence, if he has mortal sin on his conscience he
must beforehand make an act of perfect contrition
or receive absolution with attrition, or, if neither
is possible, he must at least make an act of
attrition (attrition is imperfect contrition). The
custom of the Church calls for confession before
Extreme Unction, and divine law commands
confession if one is in mortal sin and in danger
of death.
But, to come to the answer to your question,
Extreme Unction forgives even mortal sin, if the
patient is not conscious of being in the state of
mortal sin, or if, having had such consciousness
but having had attrition only (I am sorry because
I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell),
he had not had the opportunity of confessing his
sins, as may happen in the case of an accident,
a stroke of apoplexy, etc. In such a case Extreme
Unction produces first grace more surely than
does absolution, if the penitent is unconscious,
we mean, since it does not call for any external
manifestation of contrition : hence the importance
of anointing those who are dying but unconscious.
How many a soul has been saved because the
priest was quickly called.
If someone is killed or dies suddenly, can
the priest give Extreme Unction if the body
is still warm?
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 685
The priest may not give Extreme Unction ^to
one who is certainly dead; but, according to the
testimony of learned physicians in our day, a
person may still be living, even when it appears
that he has breathed his last, since (they say)
life but gradually departs from the body. Be-
cause of this (theory), a priest may and more
probably must conditionally anoint (and absolve)
one who after a lingering illness has already
been apparently dead for a half an hour, more
or less, or one who has already been apparently
dead for two or more hours in case of a sudden
accident. Hence, it is never too late to call the
priest. From the answer to the question pre-
ceding this it is easy to see that getting the priest
may mean the eternal salvation of a soul.
What is the law of the Church concerning
the burial of Catholics in Catholic ceme-
teries who have taken their own lives?
Canon 1240, number 3, says that, unless they
have given signs of repentance before death,
those who have deliberately killed themselves
are deprived of ecclesiastical burial. Deliberately
here means from despair or in wrath. But when
insanity has been proved, or was evident, and
attested by the verdict of a conscientious phy-
sician, ecclesiastical burial is permitted with all
its ceremonies. When there is a doubt as to the
suicide's mental state, ecclesiastical burial may
be granted, but all pomp and solemn functions
must be avoided; for instance, the funeral service
may be held from the church, but the Requiem
Mass should be omitted as well as the sermon.
A private Mass may be said in this case. In
cases of doubt, however, says the law, the pastor
will consult the Ordinary (Bishop) if time per-
mits, and abide by his decision. If the doubt
remains, ecclesiastical burial may be granted,
provided that scandal be removed, as can be
686 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
done by divulging the fact that the deceased
gave public signs of repentance, or that, for
instance, the suicide was committed in a moment
of mental aberration, according to the physician's
verdict.
If during a mission the missionary asks
you to sign up on a slip which he places on
the altar railing as to whether you will re-
ceive Holy Communion daily, weekly, or
monthly and you do not keep your promise,
is that a sin?
It most certainly is not a sin. These little aids
may be unobjectionable enough but, as also in the
case of the pledge, it should be made clear that
the breaking of the good resolution is not in itself
a sin. All Catholics in our times should, without
necessarily signing anything, make it a point to
receive Holy Communion at least every two weeks
— and as much oftener as circumstances permit.
On the 20th of December, 1930, the Church
celebrated the silver jubilee of the famous decree
of Pope Pius X on Frequent and Daily Com-
munion, issued December 20, 1905. Now,
though there has since then been a remarkable
change in the Church regarding the frequency
of Holy Communion, authorities think it safe to
say that of those who are classed vaguely but
recognizably as "good Catholics," not more
than fifty per cent receive Holy Communion once
a week and not more than five per cent of this
same class receive daily. The number of daily
communicants might be much greater, above all,
among men. We must strive to bring it to pass
that at the golden jubilee of the decree Sacra
Tridentina Synodus all good Catholics may be
weekly communicants and fifty per cent of them
daily communicants. What a transformation
would thus be effected in the world! What
sanctity there would be! Such a universal in-
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 687
crease in grace and charity would warm the cold
world itself with its glow and would bring in its
train blessings of which we can have but the
faintest conception now, until we ourselves re-
new all things in Christ through Christ.
A man borrowed twenty dollars from
another man ten years ago. He could not
pay it back for a while and later on forgot
about it. The man he borrowed it from
died in the meantime. Now it comes back
to his mind again. Is this man bound to
find out where the heirs of the deceased live
and pay the money to one of them ? Or may
he give it to the poor? It might be rather
difficult to find out where those heirs now
live.
The man who lent the twenty dollars had
right to the money; and this right, like all hia
other rights, was by his death transferred to his
heirs, and to these the money should be paid.s
With death the right of a person to his temporary
possessions ceases. One might say that the de-
ceased would probably want the money to be
given to the poor. But, because his rights cease,
it is not allowed to apply a part of the possessions
of the deceased according to his supposed in-
tentions. Since all rights to his properties go to
his heirs, these have a right to the money owed;
and as long as these claims have not been satis-
fied the demands of justice have not been ful-
filled. The money may be given to the poor or
to pious causes only if, after reasonable effort,
the heirs cannot be found.
I know of a man who led a very wicked
life, was drunk every day for a year, and
then one night was brought home in a dying
condition and unconscious. The priest was
summoned and stayed with him for hours,
often calling him by name. But he re-
688 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
mained unconscious and did not speak.
The priest anointed him. They took him
to the hospital. He died five hours after,
having never recovered consciousness. Please
tell me whether you think his soul was saved.
What an unusually sad death! Surely, no one
would care to die like that. The only consoling
thing about it was the priest at his bedside, — an
unmerited grace of God.
But was this soul lost? No one would dare to
assert that he was. Perhaps he got the grace to
make an act of perfect contrition just before he
lost consciousness. Perhaps he knew the priest
was at his side and heard his voice and exhorta-
tion, even though he could not give any sign of it,
— such states occur often enough. If he did he
perhaps made an act of contrition. If so, his
sins were forgiven by the conditional absolution
which the priest surely gave him.
He received Extreme Unction; and we know
that the effects of this great Sacrament go very
far. So, for instance, the patient may be de-
prived of his senses, he may not know that the
Sacrament is being administered to him; but if
at any time, before becoming unconscious, he
had the desire to receive it, the Sacrament would
justify him, provided he had never retracted his
intention to receive it. It is also probable that
Extreme Unction will effect the justification of the
recipient even if he had never had the desire of
it, but would have desired it, if he had known its
necessity. For such an interpretative intention
is sufficient reason for a priest to administer it;
and for the sick person who is unable to confess,
that intention is probably sufficient for the re-
mission of his sins. Although we cannot affirm
as certain that Extreme Unction will thus remit
the mortal sins of those who are unconscious and
unable to confess even by a sign, since the Church
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 689
has not so declared, we may state, as absolutely
certain, that many are saved through Extreme
Unction who otherwise would be lost.
It is, therefore, never too late to call the priest.
And while there is life there is hope. Pray for
the conversion of sinners.
Is it true that a person who did not have
a Christian death, meaning the Last Sacra-
ments, or a Christian burial cannot obtain
the graces or benefits of Holy Masses,
prayers, vigil lights, etc., offered up for the
good of his soul or her soul? I was always
taught in our parochial school that "It is a
good and wholesome thought to pray for
the dead" and not that "It is a good and
wholesome thought to pray only for the
dead who have been buried from the Catho-
lic Church.'1
With the exception of the inhabitants of heaven,
the damned, and those who are in Limbo, all
men, living or dead, can derive some fruit from
the Sacrifice of the Mass, as also from prayers,
good works, etc., offered up for them.
Take, for instance, persons whom death has
surprised in the act or state of sin. It is allowed
to say Mass for them, even if their sin was pub-
lic and manifest and even if they died without
giving any sign of repentance. We do not know
the secrets of God's justice and mercy. There
is no law which forbids a priest to make private
application of the fruits of the Mass to these
unfortunates. By private application we here
mean that which is not known to the public,
which is not announced to the congregation or
revealed by the external pomp of a ceremony;
and in the Mass itself the one for whom the Mass
is said is not to be named.
What the Church does not allow in cases of
this kind is thus expressed in Canon 1240:
690 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
"Unless they have given signs of repentance
before death public and manifest sinners are de-
prived of ecclesiastical burial." In order that a
sinner may be called "public and manifest" he
must have committed at least one grievous sin,
which is known to the community; and he must
have failed to evince any sign of repentance.
In the class of public sinners are robbers; those
who actually live a sinful and scandalous life,
e. g., in public concubinage; those who have
habitually (for several years), and to the
knowledge of the faithful, violated the precepts
of annual confession and Communion.
If they have given signs of repentance, e. g.,
kissing the crucifix, acts of devotion, oral prayers,
etc., and if these signs, especially in the case of
public sinners, are known to the bystanders and
the faithful, they may be buried like faithful
Catholics, because it is the desire of the Church
that all should return to God's grace by contrition
and be restored to communion with the mystic
body of Christ.
You speak of the Last Sacraments. It is quite
possible to die the death of a good Christian
without the Last Sacraments, of course, though
the spiritual loss is great indeed. Many have
not this opportunity, however, and then such
lack of reception has nothing whatever to say
regarding Christian burial or the offering of
prayers and Masses for their souls. They may
need them all the more then.
Suppose a man dies and leaves his
property, life insurance, etc., to his only
son. But the man we are imagining also
leaves behind unpaid debts, amounting to
over half of the inheritance. Is the son
bound in conscience to pay his father's
debts?
A son to whom a father leaves his property is
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 691
obliged to pay his father's debts as soon as he
conveniently can. This is, first of all, an obliga-
tion of charity, lest the good name of the deceased
should suffer; and, in the second place, it is an
obligation arising from the right of succession.
He who succeeds another in his property suc-
ceeds him also in the encumbrances thereon.
But if the father does not leave the son anything
the latter has no obligation to pay the former's
debts, not even if the father had to borrow
money for the son's education, for instance.
Some things to remember as regards heirs and
inheritances are the following: 1. No one is
obliged to accept an inheritance. 2. An inheri-
tance once accepted, the heirs succeed the de-
ceased in all his rights and obligations, those
alone excepted which, by their very nature or by
special compact, were affixed to the person of
the deceased 3. Having acquired full right to
his property, the debts of the deceased devolve
upon them and they must carry out his wishes
as regards the bequests. 4. If there are a number
of heirs, each one must pay a part of the debts,
in proportion to the share of his respective in-
heritance. 5. An heir may accept the inheritance
with the privilege of inventory, that is to say,
in such a manner that, an inventory of goods
having been made according to legal form, he is
not obliged to meet more liabilities than the
heritage amounts to. 6. One who accepts an in-
heritance without the privilege of inventory is
certainly bound in conscience to pay the debts
as far as the inheritance will reach (should the
debts exceed it), but he is probably not bound
in conscience to pay what is over and above.
Legally, however, he is bound to pay all the
debts, if his was a pure and simple acceptance of
the inheritance without the reservation mentioned
above.
If the Catholic Church is the only true
691 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Church, why does Christ permit so many
other different religions?
We must admit that the existence of so many
religions is a great evil, difficult to explain. Our
finite minds cannot enter fully into the secrets
of the infinite God. The only answer to this
problem lies in the mystery of original sin, which
weakened men's minds and wills and left them
subject to error and sin. Here we are face to
face with the mystery of evil again. But we
are well aware that God knows how to draw
good out of evil.
The existence of so many religions should not
perturb us. A counterfeit coin always points to
the true original; and there is always a way of
telling the true coin from the false. God exists;
He is good and loving; He has spoken through
revelation. What He has said can be found in
the Bible and tradition. Ardent prayer will
enable the thinking mind soon to select the one
only Church of Christ from among the confused
medley of the sects. It is like distinguishing
the living tree from the dry branches that have
fallen from it.
I would like to know what is meant by
our Lord's "descent into hell."
By this is meant that Christ descended into
the Limbo of the Fathers, where the souls of the
just were waiting for the promised Redeemer.
We quote from "The Catechism of the Council
of Trent":
"Hell, then, here signifies those secret abodes
in which are detained the souls that have not
obtained the happiness of heaven. In this sense
the word is frequently used in Scripture
"These abodes are not all of the same nature,
for among them is that most loathsome and dark
prison in which the souls of the damned are
tormented with the unclean spirits in eternal
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 693
and inextinguishable fire. This place is called
gehenna, the bottomless pit, and is hell strictly
so-called.
"Among them is also the fire of purgatory, in
which the souls of just men are cleansed by a
temporary punishment, in order to be admitted
into their eternal country, into which nothing
defiled entereth
"Lastly, the third kind of abode is that into
which the souls of the just before the coming of
Christ the Lord were received, and where, with-
out experiencing any sort of pain, but supported
by the blessed hope of redemption, they enjoyed
peaceful repose. To liberate these holy souls,
who, in the bosom of Abraham were expecting
the Savior, Christ the Lord descended into hell."
Does the guilt of mortal sins forgiven and
the punishment due to them revive if one
again commits a mortal sin?
No; those sins are absolutely and forever for-
given; their guilt does not revive; and the
temporal punishment due to them, as far as it
has been remitted, remains remitted in like
manner.
We may add the teaching of the Church that
if one commits a mortal sin and that sin is duly
forgiven, the good works formerly done in the
state of grace and made dead, as it were, by the
mortal sin that followed, all revive. They are
at once restored to the penitent sinner, be it as
regards glory or as regards grace. Such merits
always remain acceptable to God and are kept
from their proper effect only by mortal sin. If,
therefore, the sin is remitted all past merits im-
mediately attain to their full effect. (Suarez.)
A Catholic young man teaching in a pub-
lic school tells me that he does not teach
from a Catholic standpoint as regards the
creation of the world. He teaches his
694 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
children that the world was made through
a process known as a ball of fire flying
through the air. There are Catholics at-
tending his school. Is he permitted to
continue his teaching? Is he justified in
doing so?
It is the teaching of the Church that God
created heaven and earth out of nothing, by
His word only, that is, by a single act of His all
powerful will. By the words "heaven and earth"
is meant all things whatsoever outside of God,
or all things that are not God; and by the word
"create" we mean the making of something out
of nothing, without any pre-existing material.
God created heaven and earth in six days, says
Holy Scripture (Gen. 1). But of what length
were these days? They may have been periods
of time covering thousands of years. Many
Catholic scientists maintain — and nothing pre-
vents us from following that opinion — that the
universe was created in a chaotic or rather nebul-
ous state, from which the present universe was
slowly evolved up to the creation of man. Scrip-
ture says: "In the beginning God created heaven
and earth," and by that we understand that in
the beginning of time He created all spiritual
and material things and beings; the spiritual
beings, that is, those that inhabit the highest
heavens, and the earth, which at first was void
and without ornament, but which was adorned
during the six days of creation.
Your friend is, therefore, not teaching anything
that is contrary to faith, though it may be that
he occasionally gets on dangerous ground. He
should keep himself well informed regarding these
matters. We suggest that he procure and study
"The Catholic's Ready Answer" by Father Hill,
S. J., published by Benziger Brothers, New
York City.
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 695
What books are forbidden by the Church ?
First of all are forbidden all books that are
enumerated in the Roman "Index of Prohibited
Books," to which additions are made from time
to time. But we must not think that all for-
bidden books are on the Index. Not to mention
the countless bad magazines, periodicals, pamph-
lets, etc., that flood the world, we must remem-
ber that only a very small portion of the books
proscribed by the natural law and by ecclesi-
astical decrees are mentioned in that catalogue.
Nor does it contain the worst books in their
respective classes, as some think, but merely
those that were at one time or another reported
to the Holy See and formally condemned.
"To decide whether this or that particular
book is forbidden by the general laws of the
Church is left to the judgment of the individual,
unless a special declaration exists on the subject.
Hence, when one is in doubt as to the character
of a book, whether it belongs to the category of
forbidden books or not, one is allowed to read as
much of it as may be necessary to form an
opinion. Those who are unable to form a judg-
ment for themselves, should consult learned men,
especially their pastor or confessor.
"Generally speaking, the law of nature forbids
the reading of any book or magazine that one
feels to be dangerous to faith or morals. Nor
does that law make any distinction between bad
books of one kind or another, or between the
manner of reading, whether a book be read in
the ordinary way or by listening to others. The
prohibition ceases with the danger. Conse-
quently, the same book may be prohibited to
one person and permitted to another.
"The gravity of the sin committed by reading
a book forbidden by the law of nature depends,
not on the quality or size of the volume, but
696 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
simply and solely on the danger arising to the
reader from its perusal. If there is proximate
danger of mortal sin, the act of reading such a
book is mortally sinful; but if the danger of
mortal sin is remote, or there is danger of com-
mitting a venial sin only, the act of reading is
venially sinful. Hence it is permitted, for a
proportionately grave reason, to read books from
which only a slight or remote danger of sin is to
be feared." (Koch-Preuss.)
People often tell about certain vivid
dreams they had, for instance, a soul in
purgatory appearing to them and asking
for prayers. May one believe in such dreams,
or at least treat them reverently? Or ought
one to ridicule and condemn all belief in
dreams ?
Dreams ordinarily proceed from natural causes,
e. g., one's daily thoughts, imaginations, occu-
pations, one's temperament and bodily dispo-
sition. Still, dreams may sometimes be brought
about by God; for, though He does not guide
men by dreams, He has at times declared that
He would be the author of dreams, as in the
passage: "Hear My words: if there be among
you a prophet of the Lord, I will appear to him
in a vision, or I will speak to him in a dream"
(Numbers 12:6). Besides we know from Holy
Writ (e. g. Joseph) and from the lives of the
saints that God sometimes sent them dreams.
Also the devil can be and sometimes is the author
of dreams, since he can excite the imagination of
men. But we should be very slow in attributing
natural dreams to the devil.
If dreams are sent by God there are certain
signs by which they can be known as such. These
signs are: (1) It must be a matter worthy of
God and not vain and indecent. (2) It must
be an incentive to good and not to evil and
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 697
presumption. (3) It must produce tranquillity
of soul and fervor in works of piety and not
make one perturbed, earthly-minded, and tardy
in the service of God.
Since dreams sometimes come from God, if
there is a prudent reason for so doing one should
carefully examine whether they really do come
from Him. If it is certain that they do we should,
and if probable we may, believe in them and shape
our actions accordingly.
But to believe in natural dreams with such
blind faith that one ordinarily shapes one's
actions according to them, is a grievous sin of
divination. However, once in a while to place
or omit an indifferent action because of a dream,
or occasionally to be a little afraid lest what one
dreamt of may happen, does not exceed a venial
sin. — In Holy Writ we read: "Neither let there
be found among you anyone that shall expiate
his son or daughter, making them to pass through
the fire: or that consulteth soothsayers, or ob-
serveth dreams and omens, neither let there be
any wizard." (Deut. 18:10.)
Just what is martyrdom and who are
martyrs in the strict sense of the word?
We read of missionaries being killed in
China, for instance, and some say they are
martyrs, at least in the broad sense of the
word.
There are various kinds of imperfect martyr-
dom, for instance, the disposition and will to
die for Christ; to die rather than offend Him;
mortification; the patient endurance of trials
and afflictions. But true and perfect martyrdom
consists not only in suffering, but in dying;
death is of its essence and nature. This means
that to be truly and perfectly a martyr, in the
sense and in the manner in which Holy Church
uses that word, it is necessary to die, and to die
698 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
for Jesus Christ. We must, however, except the
case where for the love of God one is ready to
suffer death and is preserved from it by an ex-
traordinary intervention of divine power, as in
the case of St. John the Evangelist and others
whom the Church honors as true martyrs. With
this exception, we repeat, to be really a martyr
it is necessary to die, and to die for Jesus Christ.
To die for Jesus Christ means to die either for
His Person; or in order to maintain the honor of
some one of His Mysteries or Sacraments; or
for the defence of the Church; or in support of
some truth He taught, or of some virtue He
practiced; or else in avoiding some sin for the
reason that it is displeasing to Him; or in loving
Him so ardently that the sacred force of His
divine love causes death; or in performing some
action for His glory.
This last may seem strange. But the Angelic
Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas (2. 2. 124, 4 ad 3),
assures us that any action — even a human and
natural one — provided that it conduces to the
glory of God and is done for love of Him, may
make us martyrs, and does in fact make us mar-
tyrs, if it prove to be the cause of our death.
Hence, frequently raise your heart to Jesus in
your actions and protest that you desire to do
them for His love and for His glory. Here is an
example: if the spiritual or corporal aid you
give a sick person occasion an illness that causes
your death, and if you have really performed
this action for the love of our Lord, you will be
considered by Him as a martyr and will share
the glory of the holy martyrs in heaven.
The highest and holiest of all kinds of martyr-
dom is had when one loves the Lord so deeply,
so ardently, that the strength and power of this
sacred love consumes and destroys in one the
physical life. This is the martyrdom of the
Motherof love, the Blessed Virgin, the Queen
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 699
of Martyrs. It is even the martyrdom of Jesus,
Who died, not only in love and for love, but also
of the excess of love. (St. John Eudes.)
For my own information please let me
know how long the soul remains in the
body after the heart stops or when a person
seems dead?
Physicians tell us that death takes possession
gradually, life lingering in the body for some
time after its external signs have ceased, for
from about six minutes to half an hour when
the end has come after a long illness, for perhaps
one or two hours when death is sudden or acci-
dental. Hence, during this time it is not too
late to call the priest; for even if a person has
been pronounced dead before the priest's arrival,
he should nevertheless be absolved and anointed
conditionally if the last breath was not long
before.
Perhaps a remark about Catholic scholastic
philosophy and death would elucidate this mat-
ter. This philosophy teaches that death is not,
strictly speaking, the separation of soul from
body; it is, rather, the breaking up, the dissolu-
tion of the body. The soul departs because death
has occurred, because the organism has died, and
not vice versa: man is not dead because the
soul has left the body, but because he is dead the
soul departs. Apply this to your question. The
soul is still in the body if the organism has not
yet died. Christ's death, we may say, is the only
death which consists precisely in this, that the
soul was separated from the body. The process
of organic disintegration is no part in the death
of Christ, Whose holy Body never saw corrup-
tion. We know for certain that the divine Nature
was not separated from Christ's Body at death.
The soul is to the body a formal cause, not an
efficient cause. Just as efficient causes provide
7oo QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
material dispositions in order that the soul can
be the "form" of the body, that is, the principle
of oneness in man's life and personality, so other
efficient causes destroy completely those indis-
pensable dispositions in the action we call death.
Those dispositions gone, the soul can no more
be the "form" of the body, ceases to "inform"
it, begins the other life. Because of material
agencies causing death, the greatest and most
intimate partnership is broken up, namely, the
partnership between the body and the soul that
is more than a dweller in the body, that is to the
body the cause of much that makes it what it is.
(Cf . Death and Judgment by Dom Anscar Vonier,
0. S. B.— Macmillan.)
Js it true that a Catholic is free to hold
as he pleases about evolution?
We might define evolution as those general
and particular theories professing to account for
cosmic processes of orderly change over a long
period of time. A Catholic is most emphatically
not free to hold as he pleases about evolution.
1. He may not hold that the spiritual soul evolved
from a non-spiritual (animal) soul. That is im-
possible and contrary to reason and the data
of faith. Each individual human soul must come
directly from the hand of God. So the whole
man, body and soul, could not have come by way
of evolution. 2. He may not hold the evolution
of many human bodies from many animals. It
is a pivotal doctrine of Catholic faith (the Fall,
Original Sin, Redemption, the Church's existence)
that the entire human race is descended from
one man and one woman. 3. He may not hold
the evolution of Eve's body. It is clearly stated
in Holy Writ that Eve came from Adam — not
from an animal — in a miraculous way. 4. He
may not even hold the evolution of Adam's
body, unless he wishes to be theologically rash;
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 701
for, though on this question the Church has not
spoken with infallible authority, the common
judgment of the foremost Catholic theologians
is that Adam's body was not evolved but that it
was immediately formed by God from the earth.
4. So all that a Catholic may safely hold in the
question of evolution is the evolution of plants
and animals. This is a matter in which a Catholic
is guided merely by reason and science. Faith
gives no added data thereon. He may hold
evolution or special creationism, just as he pleases,
according as the arguments advanced by either
side appeal to him.
Will penitents like Mary Magdalen be
among the virgins in heaven, of whom St.
John writes the mystic words "These follow
the Lamb whithersoever He goeth"?
From no less a personage than the great St.
Augustine, who himself had sad experiences in
this regard before his conversion, we have the
consoling assurance: "Longa castitas reputatur
pro virginitate." Translated from the Latin,
this means: "A long practice of chastity counts
for virginity."
In the life of St. Margaret of Cortona, known
as the Tuscan Penitent, who died Feb. 22, 1297,
we read that "one festival of the royal virgin, St.
Catherine (Nov. 25), Margaret was at the altar
receiving Communion when she heard Christ
say to her: 'My child, thy place shall be among
the Seraphim with the virgins aflame with divine
love.' At these words Margaret was astounded
and replied: 'Lord, how can this be with one so
stained with sin?' But He Who has promised
by the prophet: 'Return to Me and I will re-
ceive thee,' made answer: 'Thy manifold suffer-
ings shall cleanse thy soul from all attraction to
sin, and in thy suffering and contrition thou
shalt be restored to virginal purity.' " Again,
jot. QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
one day this same St. Margaret of Cortona said:
"O Christ, my Master, and is Magdalen among
the virgins in the glory of heaven?" To this
the Savior replied: "Except Mary the Virgin
and Catherine the Martyr (of Alexandria), there
is none amongst the virgins greater than Mag-
dalen." If we ask why, we might receive the
answer that this is because of the heroic penance
her sins stimulated her to perform.
May one or must one believe in private
revelations, e. g., such as were made to some
of the saints?
Private revelations of a genuine kind may be
an object of divine faith and ought to be believed
by those to whom or for whom they are made
and very probably by all to whom they are
known with true certainty. For when God speaks
to one person He is just as truthful as when He
speaks to all.
But however many may believe and be con-
vinced of private apparitions and revelations,
even if the whole Church should do so, as in the
case of the apparitions of Lourdes, the fact re-
mains that this is not a part of the teaching God
gave His Church when He made it. These
private revelations never become a part of the
Catholic faith; and the Church, being the
guardian and organ of public revelation only,
never imposes upon us the obligation of be-
lieving private revelations. But she has the
right of passing judgment upon them, lest the
faithful believe error and be deceived. When
private revelations are approved by the Church,
such approbation merely signifies that they may
be published for the instruction of the faithful,
as being of a kind that may be piously believed
according to the rules of prudence and the
authority of the testimonies upon which they
rest. They are not an object of Catholic faith
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 703
In practice, however, many of the saints and
doctors of the Church have believed in such
visions and revelations. St. Gregory the Great,
for instance, uses them to confirm the Church's
teachings that prayers and Masses help the
suffering souls.
As regards a prudent judgment on each private
revelation, the rules for the discernment of
spirits, as given in mystical theology, should be
observed, for instance: (1) Whether, as regards
the matter, they are conformable to the Church's
teaching and have nothing erroneous or frivolous
about them; (2) whether, as regards the person,
such person be free from disease, especially of an
hysterical kind, and endowed with good judg-
ment, humility, and obedience; (3) whether, as
regards the effects, the revelations leave the soul
in a state of disquietude or foster peace and
Christian virtues, which latter should be a result.
It may be added that when visions show a
bodily form we must remember that these forms
are purely visionary. If a departed soul takes
on a bodily appearance, it is merely as the
angels do when sent to show themselves to men.
Whatever effects they produce on the senses, all
is mere appearance, a parable, a truth shown in
figure, as when we say in ordinary talk that a
soul burns with love, for instance, thus using a
bodily figure to express a spiritual fact that
exists in the soul.
Suppose a person has to have a limb
amputated, should it be buried in a ceme-
tery; and should there be a funeral service?
We read somewhere that when the late Father
Martin, S. J., then General of the Society of
Jesus, had an arm amputated, it was interred in
the vault where the General's body would
eventually be laid. In answer to a question from
a hospital in this country, regarding the manner
7o4 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
of disposing of amputated limbs of Catholics,
the Holy Office replied (Aug. 3, 1897) that they
should be buried, — if possible in consecrated
ground. The advice was added that a small
consecrated plot should be kept in the garden
adjoining the hospital for the purpose of burying
amputated limbs of Catholics. Since the conse-
cration, strictly so called, even of cemeteries is
not so frequent in this country, it might be said
that such a plot should be blessed or at least
strictly reserved for just that use. Of course no
funeral rites are performed over an amputated
limb.
Is it true that Christ made the remark:
"Don't do as I do, but do as I tell you to"?
It is not true. On the contrary, the Savior
repeatedly asked His hearers to follow His ex-
ample. "Learn of Me." "Follow Me." "I have
given you an example, that as I have done to
you, so you do also."
The strange quotation in your question is
doubtless a vague and confused remembrance of
these words once spoken by the Savior: "The
scribes and the Pharisees have sitten on the chair
of Moses. All things therefore whatsoever they
shall say to you, observe and do; but according to
their works do ye not; for they say and do not."
They were teaching the law of Moses correctly,
the letter of the law; but they did not practice
what they preached. Hence Christ admonished
the people to give heed to their words but not to
follow their example. Read the twenty-third
chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew,
in which the above words occur and in which
Christ pronounces many a woe against the hypo-
critical scribes and Pharisees. And when you
read it and note how bitter the meek and gentle
Savior becomes in His just anger, reflect upon
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 705
what a judgment must await those who know the
faith and do not live up to it.
Can the spirit world communicate with
humanity?
Yes; with God's permission. But the Church
forbids us to enter into communication with the
dead. Furthermore, whatever the grade of
spirits responsible for the communications of
spiritism, they are not good but bad spirits,
whether human or demoniac matters little.
Death, we are told, is a punishment; and
yet it is also natural, is it not? How are
these two ideas to be reconciled? Man
would not have died if he had not sinned;
and yet it is natural for man to die.
Yes; Catholic faith teaches that the death
of man is a punishment: "By one man sin en-
tered into the world and by sin death; and so
death passed upon all men" (Rom. 5:12). But
faith also presupposes that God made the bodily
frame of man immortal by a means of a special
gift, a gift added to human nature, even de-
tachable from it. God told man in the garden
of Eden that if he disobeyed a certain command
He would deprive him of the immortality of the
body: "In what day soever thou shalt eat of it,
thou shalt die the death" (Gen. 2:17). St.
Thomas sums this matter up concisely in the
words: "Death is natural on account of the
conditions of matter, but it is penal on account
of the loss of the divine gift which has power to
preserve from death" (Summa II-II, Q. 164).
Will the soul miss its body after death?
Yes ; to a great extent the soul will be in a state
of expectation, awaiting reunion with the body;
for without the body man's life, even his glorified
life, cannot be full and entire. But of souls we
can say that theirs is then a state of supreme
7o6 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
disembodied happiness. What powers do they
possess? We do not know. In our liturgical life
we address the saints in heaven, not as discarnate
spirits, but (necessarily) as fully constituted
human beings.
Does the power of meriting cease at death?
Yes; at death the power of meriting vanishes
as completely as life itself. Man then ceases to
merit, to gain fresh rewards, because death
destroys in him all his true human working
powers. At death his soul becomes unchange-
able, fixed in good or evil, that is to say, as death
finds the soul so shall it forever be.
What do we mean by saying that Christ
overcame, cancelled, swallowed up death?
These expressions, in addition to Christ's
triumph in His resurrection; mean that death
is wiped out by Him inasmuch as after the Last
Judgment the human race, through the power of
Christ as its Redeemer, will be a race of beings
that were dead and live again forever and ever, as
if death had never touched them. So complete
is Christ's mastery over death. It will reach into
endless eternity.
Why cannot the soul of man die?
The soul of man cannot die because it is a
truly spiritual substance. It is superior to all
"sense-life." The evidences which establish the
doctrine that in man there is a truly spiritual
substance, united with the body but independent
of it, are: (1) the whole attitude of the Christian
Church; (2) the natural, historic tradition of
mankind; (3) the conclusions of philosophy con-
cerning the spirit from the Greeks down to our
time.
What is precisely the teaching of the
Church on predestination? Express this
with the u tmost brevity, please.
TEACHINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS 707
Catholic theology upholds the necessity of
predestination. It is Catholic teaching to say
that all who are saved are saved by a direct act
of God; but it is heresy to say that those who
are lost are predestinated by God to so terrible
a fate. Catholic theology, accordingly, knows
no predestination that is not for heaven.
VARIOUS QUESTIONS
In a radio sermon recently a priest stated
that Christianity, and I presume he re-
ferred to Catholicism, was to be credited
for effecting the abolition of slavery. A
listener to this sermon made the statement
that the Church assumed credit for some-
thing it had not accomplished, basing his
statement on the fact that slavery existed
and flourished in a Christian country.
This person also insinuated that Catholic
bishops and priests in our southern states
might have been slaveholders. My question
is this: Did the Church play any active
part in the abolition of slavery in this
country or in any country?
The listener you mention would do well to
read up a bit on the matter of slavery. We refer
him to the two splendid articles on Slavery in
the Catholic Encyclopedia. A visit to the public
library, a half hour's good reading, and the
question will be clarified. But we will make a
few remarks on the subject.
Slavery as an institution seems to have existed
from the earliest times. Mosaic legislation placed
certain restrictions upon it, which were generally
observed. (In earlier times, by the way, the
same disgrace did not attach to slavery as in its
last days.) The Catholic Church did much to
help abolish slavery as a system. Naturally she
had to proceed cautiously in the beginning. To
interfere abruptly with that deeply rooted social
order would have meant anarchy and confusion.
To have attempted to bring about the release of
all the slaves of the Roman Empire would have
meant throwing on the world millions of human
beings without means of support and without any
708
VARIOUS QUESTIONS 709
understanding of civic life. It took St. Melania
many years to release all the slaves on her many
estates, who numbered over a hundred thousand.
The Church has never taken a stand in defense
of slavery. It is indeed true that Las Casas,
seeing how the enslaved Indians were being
treated in Cuba, urged Charles V, in 1507, to
have Negroes from Africa imported as slaves.
But it was done to save the poor Indians. He
little thought of the terrible slave trade that
would result therefrom. It was an unwise
counsel, and Las Casas later admitted his mistake.
No pope gave Charles V approbation for slavery.
The popes were, on the contrary, ever the cham-
pions of the human rights of both Indians and
Negroes. They repeatedly issued decrees against
slavery and the slave trade: Pius II, Paul III
(1537), Urban VIII (1639), Gregory XVI (1839),
Leo XIII (1888). However, not only by par-
ticular decrees but by general teaching and
example as well has the Church combated
slavery. Wherever she ruled in the middle ages
slavery was gradually abolished. Today slavery
(excepting the modern industrial kind) has been
rooted out in all Christian countries. This is
due, if not chiefly to the Catholic Church, then
surely to the Christian ideal, to Christianity.
Yes; bishops and priests may have had slaves.
There is a twofold slavery: one kind considers
the slave as absolutely without any rights what-
soever; the other is voluntary servitude in which
the essential rights of the slave are respected.
The latter kind of slavery is neither unjust nor
unmoral. Even saints have placed themselves
in servitude. But, to come to a conclusion, indi-
vidual churchmen are by no means the Church.
Speaking of the Negro slave trade, during the
three centuries of its existence no less than
30,000,000 slaves were dragged into captivity.
Jn this terrible slave trade both Catholics, as
7io QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
individuals, and Protestants actively participated.
The shadow falls UDon both.
But the teachings of Christ, Christianity,
banished that shadow, just as only the teachings
of Christ and His Church can solve the social
question and do away with the industrial slavery
(an outgrowth of neo-paganism) of our day.
The only effective way, as we heard recently in
another radio talk, to combat the spread of
destructive radicalism, is to reform social abuses
and establish social justice by the application of
the immortal principles of Pope Leo XIII. The
Church again!
Who was St. Blase, and what words does
the priest say when blessing the throat?
St. Blase was Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia.
He was beheaded as a martyr of the Faith during
the persecution of Licinius, in 316. Among other
things we read of him that "he healed many sick
who, attracted by the fame of his sanctity, were
brought to him." He is especially invoked for
diseases of the throat. The miracle which seems
to have given rise to the blessing of throats was
performed upon an afflicted boy, who was brought
to the saint with a sharp bone stuck in his throat.
The doctors could not help him; he was dying.
At the weeping mother's pleading St. Blase,
filled with compassion, placed his hand upon the
boy in benediction and invoked the name of the
Lord. The lad was completely cured on the spot.
The following is the prayer which the priest
says (in Latin, however) when giving this blessing:
"Through the intercession of St. Blase, Bishop
and Martyr, may God deliver you from all
disease of the throat and from every other evil.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost. Amen."
I have a picture of St. Benedict of Nursia.
He holds a chalice in his right hand out of
VARIOUS QUESTIONS 711
which a snake is creeping. What a strange
thing to represent a snake coming out of a
holy chalice. I never saw anything like it.
St. Benedict, Patriarch of the Western Monks,
is often represented holding a chalice, usually
a broken chalice, out of which a snake is creeping.
But this chalice represents a cup, or as we would
say nowadays a glass, and not the chalice of the
Mass, as you seem to think; for St. Benedict,
though an abbot, was not a priest. This symbol
recalls an incident of his early life when certain
monks, admiring the holiness of his life, chose
him as their abbot. But soon tiring of his severity
these unworthy monks tried to kill him by
poisoning his cup of wine at table. When about
to drink it the saint made the sign of the cross
over it, as was his custom, and the glass was
miraculously shattered to fragments. Hence the
broken chalice, or cup, and the serpent, symbol
of poison and perfidy, issuing from it.
Some time ago my little niece died. She
was three years and eight months old. In
her room with her little casket mother had
a blessed candle burning all the time and
two candles in holders, not burning, and a
crucifix. The remark was made by one
person who came that for a child as well
as for a grown person three blessed candles
should be burning all the time until the body
leaves the house. We were not sure about
that, so we would like to see an answer.
Some people seem to know just everything;
and yet they know best of all how to make
people worry because of their wrong statements.
The Roman Ritual says that after death the body
should be properly cared for and laid out in a
becoming place, with a lighted candle placed
near it. The Ritual mentions only one candle.
So it is quite sufficient and better to use just one,
7ii QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
though it would not be wrong to light more than
one. Moreover, lighted candles should be carried
when the body is taken from the house to the
church in organized procession. When the body
is placed in the aisle of the church, lighted
candles must be set around it. The candles
are a symbol of the light of faith, and of the future
life of the faithful departed. Hence candles are
to be used in the manner prescribed above for
all, also for those children who had not yet at-
tained the use of reason.
What is meant by the liquefaction of the
blood of St. Januarius?
St. Januarius, Bishop of Beneventum, in Italy,
suffered martyrdom in the persecution of Diocle-
tian, about the year 305. His body was brought
to Naples. There his holy blood is kept to this
day in a phial of glass, which, being brought near
his head, becomes liquid and bubbles up as though
it were fresh. This miracle takes place each year
on certain days, and is called the liquefaction of
the blood of St. Januarius. For an interesting and
instructive article on this subject, we refer you
to the Catholic Encyclopedia (Januarius, Saint).
The Catholic Encyclopedia is in your public
library, we hope. If not, assert your rights and
see to it that it gets there.
When was the Sacrament of Confirmation
instituted ?"
It is not easy to decide when this Sacrament
was instituted by Our Lord as Holy Writ does
not clearly state it. The opinion and judgment
of St. Thomas (P. Ill, q. 72, a 1, to 1) can be
safely followed. He teaches us that Christ
instituted this Sacrament not by exhibiting it, or
by showing how it had to be administered, but by
promising it, when He said: "If I go not, the
Paraclete will not come to you, but if I go, I will
VARIOUS QUESTIONS 713
send Him to you" (John 16:7); for in this Sacra-
ment the plentitude of the Holy Ghost is given,
and this was not to be done before Christ's
Resurrection and Ascension. To carry out this
promise, the Savior before His Ascension bade
the Apostles to go and remain in Jerusalem and
there await the coming of the Holy Ghost.
In speaking of a cemetery, what is the
difference between blessed and consecrated
ground?
In some cemeteries the whole plot of ground
which constitutes the cemetery has been solemnly
consecrated by the Bishop. That is consecrated
ground. In other cemeteries (in most ceme-
teries in this country) the priest blesses each
individual grave just before the body is finally
laid to rest. That is then blessed ground. Places
that are consecrated are much more holy than
places that are only blessed. This simple ex-
planation will suffice.
May one have Masses said for the soul of
a two-months-old baby? Why shouldn't
a baby of this age be buried from the church?
You cannot have Masses said for the baby,
that is, for the repose of its soul; for the pure
little soul is with God in heaven. (We take it
for granted, of course, that the babe was bap-
tized.) But you may have Masses, preferably
votive Masses, said in pious remembrance of
your child; this is a special way of offering infinite
honor to God because of your little darling. The
baby does not need any Masses; it went home to
God in its baptismal innocence, lily-pure.
We do not see why a baby of this age should
not be buried from the church. There is a special
rite for the burial of Christ's innocent little ones,
with the Votive Mass of the Angels, in white,
and prayers and ceremonies that breathe of joy
7i4 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
and exultation. We are sadly aware that often
little ones are not buried from the church; but
we do not at all approve of the practice.
Can a man of illegitimate birth become a
priest ?
Illegitimacy is what Canon Law calls an
"irregularity by defect" and is an impediment
which in itself bars a person from receiving Holy
Orders. We here take it for granted that the
person under consideration can no longer be
legitimated according to the law, in which case
he can obtain a dispensation from the irregularity
and then be ordained priest. The granting of
this dispensation properly pertains to the Holy
See.
Just what caused the darkness at the time
of the crucifixion? Was it due to an eclipse?
At the crucifixion there was darkness over the
whole earth from the sixth to the ninth hour,
i. e., from about noon to about 3:00 P. M. That
darkness was due to a special miracle. It was
not due to an eclipse of the sun; for there was a
full moon at the time.
What do the letters I H S on the priest's
vestments stand for?
They stand for the most Holy Name of Jesus.
These three letters are not three separate initials;
they are the first three letters of the Greek word
Jesus. The second letter is not an H, as is usually
thought. It is Greek capital E. Whenever you
see I H S devoutly pronounce the Holy Name.
It is no wonder the Church uses this sign on
sacred vestments and other things. "There is
no other Name given to men, whereby we must
be saved."
Why is Easter on a different date each
year? Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ
VARIOUS QUESTIONS 715
is on the 25th of December, and we are
taught that the Savior lived thirty-three
years.
Easter is not celebrated on the same day each
year because it is always celebrated on the first
Sunday following the first full moon of the vernal
equinox. And all other movable feasts are
regulated by the time of Easter. |
It is not necessary that Easter be the very day
of Our Lord's resurrection. The season chosen
by the Church is surely most appropriate. When
all nature is awakening to new life and resur-
rection Holy Church celebrates the resurrection
of Christ from the dead as well as the spiritual
resurrection of many of her children.
Christmas is now always and everywhere cele-
brated on December the twenty-fifth. Indeed, it
always was celebrated on this date, even from
Apostolic times, by the churches of the West,
though, previous to the fourth century, the people
of the East celebrated this feast on the sixth of
January, together with the feast of the Epiphany.
The date of the Church's feasts is a matter of
ecclesiastical determination.
It is not said that Jesus lived exactly thirty-
three years, to the day. As the Baltimore cate-
chism has it, "Christ lived on earth about thirty-
three years, and led a most holy life in poverty
and suffering."
A friend told me that it is silly to believe
in miracles. The laws of nature are fixed
and unchangeable, and a miracle, he claims,
would be a violation of such a law.
It is true, the laws of nature are fixed and
unchangeable; but not absolutely so, as are, for
instance, the laws of mathematics. The effects
of laws which are not absolute can be suspended
by the intervention of the Almighty. It is strange
indeed that men will admit their ability to inter-
7i6 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
fere with the laws of nature by their strength,
free-will, and advanced scientific wisdom, and
yet they deny this same ability to Him Who
made those laws!
Did Pope Adrian IV issue a document
giving Henry II of England permission to
invade and subdue Ireland under the pre-
tense of reforming it?
We do not believe there was much of a pretence
at reformation. Actual reformation was neces-
sary at the time. The eleventh and twelfth
centuries were times of weary waste and turbu-
lence and war in Ireland. Finally came destruc-
tion of churches by the rival forces, the appropri-
ation of church lands, the evil of simony, and
chaos and corruption everywhere. Then an un-
expected reformer appeared, Henry II of England.
In the first year of his reign, 1154, he procured a
Bull from the English-born Pope, Adrian IV,
authorizing him to proceed to Ireland, "to check
the torrent of wickedness, to reform evil manners,
to sow the seeds of virtue."
How Henry II, the murderer of Thomas a
Becket, exercised his supposed rights, what he
supposed those rights to be, and what others
have supposed them to be to this day, we will
not now discuss.
Are losses and misfortunes which befall
man sent by God and their duration fixed
by Him?
Nothing happens without God's permissive
will. There is no such thing as chance. God,
Who can bring good out of evil, permits the
misfortunes of men for His own inscrutable, yet
adorable, ends. The Creator, in His all-wise
providence, sees what is best for men and, mostly
through natural agencies, allows just that to
happen. Therefore, when it is a case of evils that
VARIOUS QUESTIONS 717
are not sin, we may say that, indirectly at least,
God sends them all and fixes their duration;
when it is a case of sin, we must say that God
does not will it but permits it. Let us not forget
that there is such a thing as "The Mystery of
Evil."
When a person is in continual disappoint-
ments and failures, never successful, and
in a state of darkness, to what cause can
such a state of misery be attributed? How
can such a one find peace?
Disappointments, failures, lack of success,
melancholy, etc., may be due to a score of causes,
such as poor business ability, want of talent, ill
health, — all of which things may be looked upon
as permitted by God for the soul's greater good.
Spiritual darkness is often sent by God to draw
pious souls nearer to Himself, to get them to
seek and serve Him for Himself and not for His
sweetnesses; for the spiritually inclined only
too often seek the consolations of God and not
the God of consolations. However, as Father
Faber wisely remarks somewhere, our own
spiritual sloth and want of generosity in God's
service are often the cause of our dryness and
desolation of heart.
Souls find true peace by abandoning themselves
to God, Whom they should see everywhere and
in everything, first, last, and always; by repos-
ing confidently in his Fatherly arms; by remem-
bering (what is frequently forgotten) that bear-
ing the cross must we follow the Master along
the road to heaven, inasmuch as without the
cross there can be no crown. The peace of God
that surpasseth all understanding is found in a
good conscience, and it is found there even in
the very midst of the turmoil of earthly strife.
What does A. M. D. G. mean? I have
7i8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
seen it written at the end of a Catholic
story.
These letters are the abbreviation of the Latin
phrase, Ad majorem Dei gloriam, which means,
"To the greater glory of God." It is often
placed at the beginning or end of writings to
signify in so many words that the author sends
out his work to promote the honor and glory of
God. The practice is very praiseworthy. A
similar abbreviation is U. I. O. G. D., Ut in
omnibus glorificetur Deus, which means, in
English, "That in all things God may be glori-
fied."
What is the meaning of the boots and
gloves which the Bishop sometimes wears,
as I saw him do in your monastery chapel
when he administered the Sacrament of
Holy Orders?
By boots you evidently mean the hose and
sandals. The hose are ceremonial stockings
reaching to the knee; the shoes are called sandals.
They signify the pure intention with which the
bishop, as ambassador of heaven, fearlessly leads
the faithful on the way of salvation. The gloves
are worn as a sign that the bishop's hands should
always be pure and spotless, in order to ad-
minister justice and impart blessings to mrnkind.
As regards other ornaments that the b.shop
wears on such occasions, we will say lhat the
pectoral cross, worn on the breast, is emblematic
of the sacrificial love with which the bishop
courageously walks in the bloody footprints of
the Savior. The mitre is a symbol of the bishop's
high dignity as a legislator and guide to the
people of God. As such his office embraces the
revelations of both the Old and the New Testa-
ments; hence the two horns of the mitre. The
ring worn by the bishop signifies his indissoluble
union with the Church of God, whose spouse he
VARIOUS QUESTIONS 719
is. The crosier, or pastoral staff, denotes the
pastoral power bestowed upon him, to lead,
govern, and support the flock entrusted to his care.
Why \#as Jesus tempted by the devil in the
desert?
He was tempted "because it was His own will."
It does seem strange at first sight to see our Di-
vine Savior actually tempted by the devil. But
he submitted to it because He wished (1) to be
like us "in all things, excepting sin," and (2)
because He wished by His own example to show
us how to conduct ourselves under the attacks
of "the most wicked one."
Temptation is no sin. Life is full of tempta-
tions; and the vast difference between the
highest saint in heaven and the lowest reprobate
in hell must be wholly ascribed to the different
ways in which they conducted themselves under
temptation. Temptation is necessary for us and
wholly unavoidable. Hence the Savior places
Himself before us as the Divine Model we should
imitate in combating it.
Why did God ask Abraham to sacrifice his
only son?
God often tests the loyalty of men to Him by
demanding of them things that are hard and
bitter — sometimes more bitter even than death
itself. So by this extraordinary command God
wished to test the faith and obedience of Abra-
ham. Those two virtues were brought out in all
their splendor by the Patriarch's readiness to
sacrifice his only son. As the angel of the Lord
said to him when he stayed the sword that
was raised to slay, "Now I know that thou fearest
God, and hast not spared thy only-begotten son
for My sake."
Did also the good thief revile Jesus at the
crucifixion?
jio QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
St. Matthew uses the word "thieves" in the
plural number. "And the self -same thing the
thieves also . . . reproached Him with." But,
by a figure quite common in Scripture, the plural
is often used for the singular. So, for instance, it
is said that "the soldiers offered Him vinegar,"
whereas only one soldier did so. Commentators
say that only one of the thieves reviled Our
Lord. It is, indeed, disputed whether the peni-
tent thief first joined his companion in reviling
Jesus and was only afterwards converted; but
the most common opinion seems to be that he
did not at all revile Our Lord.
Was Shakespeare a Catholic?
This is the much discussed question of the
religion of that immortal dramatist. We will
not enter into particulars except to say that a
number of documents have been found which,
if they are genuine, seem to attest that he was a
Catholic; that many serious arguments, how-
ever, apparently lead us to believe that he was
not an adherent of the ancient Faith, certainly
not what we would now call a "practical Catho-
lic"; that it is certain he knew much of Cath-
olicism,— so much that he must have been
brought up in a very Catholic atmosphere. It
seems that this point, the religion of Shakespeare
will remain forever uncertain.
Please tell me if there are Orders of priests
and nuns that don't embalm their dead.
It must be remembered that the practice of
embalming the dead is not everywhere as pre-
valent as it is here in our country. In many
places the dead are rarely embalmed and there
are different laws regulating the time of burial,
etc. In this matter, as in many others, Religious
Orders adapt themselves to the practices of the
country in which they live, as far as that is com-
VARIOUS QUESTIONS 7x1
patible with the state of life embraced by the
members thereof.
Was Voltaire an atheist?
Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire (1694-1778),
French philosopher, poet, and historian, was a
deist (one who believes in a personal God, with
disbelief in revelation) in philosophy and an
Epicurean, who treated the most serious subjects
with questionable levity. As regards his character
he is said to have been despicable, unpatriotic,
cowardly, a shameless liar, and irreligious to
the core. He has done incalculable harm; and
the "Voltairean spirit," which mocks all things
sacred, is still abroad in the world. Thirty-one
of his works are enumerated in the Index of
Prohibited Books revised and published in 1930
by order of His Holiness Pope Pius XI.
In a rare old volume entitled Therapie des
Zeitgeistes by Anton Philalethes, we read that
Voltaire lost both faith and innocence, through
the ill regulated study of the classics, — innocence
through Virgil, according to his own admission.
And yet, in one of his unpublished letters (his
10,000 letters, by the way, constitute a history
of his time), Voltaire wrote: "Before God, Who
hears me, I can say that I am a loyal citizen and
a sincere Catholic. I would not say this, were it
not in my heart from the beginning."
But he nevertheless remained heathen in soul
to the end, or, rather, tried to do so, the above-
mentioned authoritative volume tells us. Asked
on his deathbed by the pastor of St. Sulpice
whether he believed in the divinity of Christ, he
replied: "I believe that one ought to let men die
in peace." The rest of his strength he spent on
his heathen tragedy Irene.
Will God have a great reward for those
who care for the sick and sacrifice their all
for them?
/2.z QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
Great indeed will be their reward, even this:
"Come, you blessed of My Father, possess you
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world. For I was . . . sick and you
visited Me" (Matt. 25:34, 36). If even visiting
the sick is one of the corporal works of mercy,
how much more caring for them and sacrificing
one's all for them. Take out of the Savior's
career all that He did for the sick and how big
a gap it would leave. Consider that the first act
inspired by the Holy Ghost in the Christian
dispensation was the Visitation. Mary, the
Mother of the Savior, was inspired to hasten to
Judea, a tiresome journey of many miles, to visit
her cousin Elizabeth, a woman six months gone
in pregnancy. Again, among the Savior's latest
acts was His consoling and saving the dying
thief hanging on the cross beside Him.
What a privilege it really is to be associated
with the Good Samaritan in this wondrous work
of mercy! Truly Christ, the Divine Savior, the
universal Healer, and His Mother and St. Joseph
are in every sick chamber, making it a novitiate
of Paradise. St. Francis de Sales says: "They
who wait upon the sick are at the foot of the
cross with our Lady and St. John, whose com-
passion they imitate; the sick man himself is on
the cross with our Savior, Whose passion he
imitates."
The Master says: "Amen I say to you, as
long as you did it to one of these My least
brethren, you did it to Me" (Matt. 25:40). In
serving the sick we serve Christ in His suffering
members.
Why is it necessary that an odd number
of sanctuary lamps be burned before the
Blessed Sacrament, as is stated in the
Roman Rubricals?
Before the tabernacle where the Blessed
VARIOUS QUESTIONS 713
Sacrament is kept at least one lamp (as in all our
churches) must be kept burning. It must be
kept burning without interrruption day and
night (even when the candles on the altar are
lighted during Mass or during exposition of the
Blessed Sacrament). This lamp is a figure of
the Savior, the Light of the world (John 8:12).
It is also a symbol of Our Lord, Who, like the oil,
enlightens, nourishes, soothes, and strengthens
souls; and it likewise symbolizes the Christian
people, who are consumed in the presence of God.
You mention the ''Roman Rubricals." It is
indeed true that according to the Ceremonial of
Bishops several lamps (an odd number) are re-
quired before the Blessed Sacrament. But this
rule applies only to cathedral churches and to
the feast days when the Bishop officiates; and
it is not even then a formal precept.
A wife in the state of pregnancy wants to
avoid everything that may effect the
normalcy of her child. She asks me to tell
you, however, that she now so easily flies
into uncontrollable rage at the least pro-
vocation and is much embittered because
her husband is out of work and there are
no prospects ahead. Will this have any
effect upon her child? She also wants to
know whether, when she has a great longing
for a certain food and cannot get it or does
not eat it, this will have any injurious
effect upon her child. Also, she desires to
know whether working hard, lifting, etc.,
will be injurious?
We often wonder why all Catholic married
people do not get "Plain Talks on Marriage," by
Father Fulgence Meyer, 0. F. M., (1615 Republic
St., Cincinnati, Ohio) a splendid little book of
almost two hundred pages, which gives chaste,
plain, and practical answers to just about all the
7Z4 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
sincere questions on marriage that can be asked.
The following paragraphs from this enlightening
book give a splendid answer to the question here
asked.
"The nine months of gestation mean a great
deal to the future life of the child. It draws the
gradual formation of its body from the mother,
on whose actual condition the state of the child's
body very much depends. Between body and
soul there is a close interrelation of influence and
condition. Consequently the condition of the
expectant mother is very material to the child's
fate.
"One must not stress the burden of heredity
too far: yet there seems to be ground to believe,
that many convicts who are in our prisons and
penitentiaries today, women as well as men,
would not be there had their parents been in a
more favorable state at their conception and
gestation. The mother, of course, plays the
more important role here. She should therefore
be attentive to herself in this sacred period of
pregnancy. She must avoid every undue agi-
tation and worry of mind, and eschew anything
smacking of excessive or passionate indulgence.
This has reference not only to drunkenness or
lust, but also to violent anger, jealousy, envy,
revenge, and to inordinate anxiety, fear, de-
pression, despondency and melancholy. All these
and similar sentiments, when freely pursued,
are likely to affect the mind and body of the
mother in a sinister manner, and to have a
disastrous influence on the child that is forming
under her heart.
"It will benefit both mother and child, if the
pregnant mother keeps herself well, easy and
happy as much as possible in body and soul, and
nurses feelings of love of God and her neighbor,
of trust and confidence in God's sweet provi-
dence, and of virtuous resignation to His holy
VARIOUS QUESTIONS 715
will in all things. She will foster these feelings
by the regular attendance at Holy Mass and by
the frequent reception of the sacraments. On
his part her husband will assist her towards this
disposition of body and mind by behaving towards
her, in the season of pregnancy, with more than
ordinary love, tenderness, devotion, attachment,
respect and consideration, which prompt him to
anticipate her every want and to meet her most
silent desires as much as his circumstances will
allow.
"As to hearing the obligatory Mass on Sundays
and holydays, some expectant mothers are exempt
or dispensed early in their sacred period because
of peculiar personal conditions : with the best will
in the world they cannot attend Mass, for fear
of nausea or some kindred indisposition. Others,
again, keep on assisting at Mass until almost
immediately before the day of their delivery.
In case of doubt as to the obligation, the pastor
will gladly give a dispensation, or the confessor a
declaration in the matter. To discontinue going
to Mass merely from embarrassment at the ap-
pearances and the consequent comment of others
is hardly commendable, as a rule. It is certainly
no dishonor, but rather an honor and a sign of
God's favor and blessing to be an expectant
mother, and something of which a good woman
has every reason to be justly proud. Of course,
an innate feeling of delicacy will prompt a woman
not to parade her condition unnecessarily before
the world. For very good reasons, God desired
that the origin of human life should be veiled by
a certain mysteriousness that shrinks from notice
and publicity.
"As the pregnancy progresses to the fifth or
sixth month, the mother must be especially
cautious not to exert herself unduly in a physical
way. She will avoid heavy lifting, high reaching
or jumping, and every other unusual tax on her
7x6 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
bodily condition, in order to avoid a miscarriage.
The husband will see to it that his wife is then
excused from all manner of work that is likely
to jeopardize her health and the life of her blessed
charge."
It may be remarked, however, that daily
exercise, as physicians tell us, is highly important.
Ordinary house-work, if not too burdensome, is
quite commendable. Walking in the open air
and auto riding are excellent when the weather
is pleasant.
The question also touches upon the matter of
diet. Physicians say that her food should be
plain, nourishing, and sufficient in quantity.
Unusually rich or highly seasoned dishes should
be avoided. They advise that medical advice
be sought if very unnatural cravings exist or if
nausea be present. Some say that it would injure
the child if the great craving for meat, for
instance, which pregnant women often experience,
were not satisfied; but, on the other hand, good
medical authorities deny this and say that no
danger will be caused thereby, no matter how
much this craving is resisted and disregarded.
Be that as it may, among those who are excused
from the precept of abstinence are pregnant
women, if they are sickly and fear danger to their
health from abstinence foods.
The father of a certain family is in reality
a sick man, but he doesn't show it as yet.
His family will not know what to do without
him. Would it be sinful to have him insured
in a company that does not demand a physi-
cal examination?
Whether or not a physical examination, in
one form or other, is required remains to be seen
upon further inquiry. Life insurance companies,
as is well known, are naturally wont to ask
numerous questions from which they can fairly
VARIOUS QUESTIONS 717
estimate the length of life, under ordinary
circumstances, of the person to be insured. We
believe that when these various questions have
been candidly answered the exact state of
affairs will be sufficiently well known and arrange-
ments made accordingly Certainly no insurance
contract will be drawn up as blindly as the above
question seems to suggest. Without entering
further into this rather complicated matter of
life insurance policies, we deem it sufficient to
say that the sincere method, which answers all
questions to the best of one's knowledge and
neither denies nor conceals any circumstance
that notably diminishes the probability of longer
life on the part of the one insured, is the only
safe method to follow. If circumstances of little
moment are concealed or denied the contract is
not thereby rendered invalid indeed, but even
that were not honest and honorable.
By all means follow the sincere method, a
candid statement of the case and a truthful
answer to the questions asked. This will at once
and for all time obviate all troubles of conscience
and future questions of restitution.
What is the significance of the fact that
so many elements in our faith are calcu-
lated in odd numbers; as, Christ's death
at the age of thirty-three, His public life of
three years, the three divisions of Christ's
holy life, the fifteen mysteries of the rosary,
the seven sorrows and seven joys of our
Blessed Mother, etc., etc.
We are not to suppose that there is any special
efficacy inherent in the choice of a special number,
though at times there is obvious appropriateness
or convenience. Moreover, some number must
be taken or assigned. This is not a case of super-
stitious reverence for mere numbers, but is simply
the recognition of the need of preciseness. con-
7i8 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
lenience, certainty, regularity; for desirable
things are achieved by definiteness of numbers.
Then, of course, we have the mystical sym-
bolism of numbers. To enter at length into this
matter would take us too far afield. We believe
your question will be sufficiently answered by
the following item from The New Catholic Dic-
tionary (The Universal Knowledge Foundation,
New York City), a truly excellent work of 1100
pages and hundreds of fine illustrations that
ought to be in the library of every Catholic home
throughout the land:
"Numbers, Mystical. The Fathers of the
Church have regarded numbers in Scripture as
full of mystical meaning. Three, four, and their
compounds, as well as seven, eight, and forty
have a special spiritual signification. Three
refers to God. He is past, present and future.
He is thrice holy; three times His name is pro-
nounced in the priest's blessing to the people
(Num., 6). Four is the symbol of the material
world, of man, of God's kingdom on earth.
Seven (3— [—4) symbolizes the union of God with
man. The seventh day, seventh year, the forty-
ninth (7X7) year were holy. Eight denotes
perfection and completion. Twelve (3X4) is
the number of the chosen people of God, repre-
sented by the twelve loaves of proposition. St.
Augustine, commenting on the twelve Apostles,
claims great mystery in the signification of the
number twelve. Twelve were chosen because
there are twelve gates through which we enter the
kingdom of God. Christ is the door, Christ is all
the twelve, because He is in all twelve. The
Apostles will sit on twelve thrones, judging the
twelve tribes of Israel. This signifies that they
will judge all men, for there are four quarters of
the world, East, West, North, and South. From
the four winds shall the elect be gathered, for
they are called in the Trinity, being baptized in
VARIOUS QUESTIONS 7z9
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost. Four multiplied by three is
twelve. Pope Gregory the Great, in his Lenten
Hymn of the Divine Office, attaches a mystical
significance to the numbers ten and four:
Ex more docti mystico
Servemus hoc jejunium
Deno dierum circulo.
(Translated: Taught by mystic use, let us ob-
serve this fast which is completed in the well-
known ten-fold round of days taken four times.)
He compares the two and five talents mentioned
in the Gospels to the two mental faculties, intel-
lect and will; and the five senses, sight, hearing,
smell, taste, and touch — i. e., outward knowledge;
all gifts of God, given to merit eternal reward.
St. Ambrose says that St. Luke gives four of
Our Lord's Beatitudes (Luke, 6), St. Matthew
eight (Matt., 5), but in those eight are contained
these four, and in these four, those eight. In the
four are embraced the cardinal virtues, and in
those eight, they are set forth in a number full
of mystery. — C. E.; Messmer, Outlines of
Biblical Knowledge, St. L., 1927. (M. J. W.)"
Why cannot women become priests ? Why
does the Church shut the door of the priest-
hood against them? We read of more and
more lady ministers in Protestant churches.
Your question seems to imply that the door
has been shut against those who have a right to
enter. But the fact of the matter is that the
door of the priesthood has never been opened by
Christ to women, and the Church has no power
in the matter. Women are debarred from the
priesthood by divine positive law, if not by the
natural law even, according to reason. This
has been the constant teaching and practice of
the Church from the time of St. Paul up to our
730 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
day. A woman could not validly receive sacred
Orders.
Indeed, even for men the priesthood is not a
right, but a privilege. There is no question, of
course, of the spiritual inferiority of women;
for all souls are equal. Nor can we say that the
Apostles were affected by the current views of
woman's position at the time. The argument
that woman is unfit spiritually to consecrate the
Holy Eucharist or to give absolution is obviously
destroyed by the fact that Our Lady brought the
Savior into the world.
So, to sum up, by divine law only those of the
masculine sex can receive the Sacrament of Holy
Orders. Women are absolutely incapable of re-
ceiving any Orders.
Can a priest who is excommunicated
validly and licitly administer the Sacra-
ments to a dying person?
Canon 2261 of Church law says that an ex-
communicated person is forbidden to administer
the Sacraments and sacramentals, which also
means that such a priest is forbidden to say Mass.
He may not licitly do so. The Canon expressly
uses that word. The validity is not endangered,
since the power of Order cannot be lost. And,
according to Canon 2264, a simply excom-
municated person can even perform acts of
jurisdiction validly, but not licitly. Hence it
would ordinarily be sinful for an excommuni-
cated priest to administer the Sacraments and
he would incur canonical penalties.
We say ordinarily. Canon 2261 states two
exceptions in which such a priest may administer
the Sacraments without incurring penalty and
irregularity.
The first exception states that, provided the
priest is not a vitandus or under a declaratory or
condemnatory sentence, the faithful may, for any
VARIOUS QUESTIONS 73:
just reason, ask him to administer the Sacraments
and sacramentals to them. This is more specially
true if no other priest is available, in which case
the excommunicated priest thus asked may ad-
minister them; nor is he under any obligation
to inquire why the petitioner wishes to receive
them.
The second exception states that, if the priest
is a vitandus or excommunicated in virtue of a
condemnatory or declaratory sentence, the faith-
ful may demand of him absolution only in danger
of death, even though other priests be present
who are not excommunicated, but other Sacra-
ments or sacramentals they may receive from
such a priest only if no other priests are available,
which can be legitimately interpreted by are not
present. This is another proof of the great kind-
ness of Holy Mother Church.
But this question is impractical. You will
have quite a search if you look for an excom-
municated priest. They are hard to find, being
so rare. Nor will its answer be fully understood.
However, it was probably asked to settle an
argument or to reassure a timid soul.
One sometimes hears it said, by way of
a clumsy joke, that So-and-so need not fear
death by accident, since he is destined to be
hanged, etc. Again people say : 4 'Well, God
knows when and where and from what I
am going to die. So why should I worry.
No matter what I do the decrees of the
Almighty shall be accomplished.11 What
is to be said of this attitude of mind?
We must say that such an attitude of mind
is based upon wrong principles. Without enter-
ing at great length into this abstruse matter, we
deem it sufficient to say that God does indeed
know beforehand what manner of death we shall
die; but that particular kind of death does not
73* QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
happen because of God's knowledge of it; rather,
He foresees it because it will happen through the
operation of causes external to Him. Thus we
may say that God foresees at one arid the same
time that by taking good care of his health a
man would live many years longer and that by
leading a life of intemperance and dissipation he
actually will die so many years sooner. Perhaps
the simplest way of elucidating this is the follow-
ing: Suppose you are seated before a mirror in
your room, with your back to the door. The
door opens and a friend enters and crosses the
room in your direction. You see the friend
coming towards you in the mirror. Is he coming
because you see him? No; you see him because
he is coming. A little reflection upon this will
throw much light on the complicated question
touched upon above.
Is it true that, if one steals or unjustly
injures another in his goods and dies before
having been able to make the intended
restitution, one must suffer in purgatory
until that restitution is somehow made?
Despite the fact that various stories are told
about poor souls returning to earth and asking
others to make restitution neglected by them,
we must say that it is not true that a person
who dies in venial sin on account of restitution
neglected must remain in purgatory until all restitu-
tion is made. The reason is because this would seem
to make the punishment depend on the negligence
of the heirs or on accident, as the case may be;
and this is not consonant with the justice of God.
There may have been other reasons why such
souls are said to have pleaded that restitution be
made. It, no doubt, also shortened their purga-
tory; but that is quite different from saying that
they must suffer until all restitution is made.
In many cases it is never made.
VARIOUS QUESTIONS 733
However, let all be solicitous about making
restitution (the sincere intention to make it when
possible suffices for forgiveness of the sin in the
confessional). The obligation is grave if the
damage and the fault were both grave; it is
light if both the damage and the fault were light.
Sometimes persons who have sinned are
utterly discouraged and say that, even if
God has forgiven them, they cannot forgive
themselves, and that nothing can make
them what they were before they had sinned.
And sometimes such persons even give up
the service of God entirely, saying: "It's
no use," or something like that. What
should we tell such a one?
Such a one should be happy that God has for-
given him. God cannot give him back his pride
in himself, of course, but offers him humility.
The sin, indeed, though forgiven, can never be
undone as a thing that never was; but all its
evil effects are to be undone. Such a one should
be frankly told that this is nothing more than a
subtle species of pride, that what he needs is
humility and perfect truth, that God is all and
he is of himself nothingness and sinfulness, but
that, if he be humble and admit his unworthi-
ness and be submissive, God will purify him till
he is fit to sit with the princess of His people in
His kingdom.
To such a one as you mention Blosius would
say: "Therefore immediately thou seest that
thou hast fallen into a sin, turn thyself lovingly
to God with all the powers of thy soul, and enter-
tain deep displeasure at thine own weakness.
And while turning thy soul thus earnestly from
all sin, mind to think more of this truth, that
what thou hast done, however small it may
appear, has gone against the honor and good
pleasure of God, than of all the confusion, loss,
-/34 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
punishment and disgrace thou thyself hast
merited by thy sin. Thus turn thyself to God
with true love, with a firm and lasting determi-
nation never to sin again. This turning to God
will join thy soul by a kind of immovable love
to God, thy most faithful Friend. His faithful-
ness is in very truth so great that He cannot
desert any one, nor will He ever be able to
abandon any one whatsoever who leans on Him
with full trust."
I bought myself a locket ring, that is, it
opens up and inside there is a scapular
medal. May a scapular medal be worn in
this way to replace the cloth scapular? If
so, I suppose this one can be duly blessed,
as every scapular medal must be blessed.
A scapular medal is one that has on one side
an image of Christ showing His Sacred Heart and
on the other any image of the Blessed Virgin.
Such a scapular medal entitles the wearer, who
must, however, have received the scapular in the
regular form, to all the indulgences and favors
of the scapulars for which it is worn. (And no
special prayers are necessary for any of the
scapulars; though it is a devout custom daily to
say at least one Our Father and one Hail Mary
for the intention of the Confraternity one joins
at the time of investiture, their devout wearing
alone is sufficient.) The blessing is done by
making the sign of the cross over the medal,
pronouncing the usual words, as many times as
there are scapulars for which it is to be worn.
A priest authorized to enroll persons in the
scapulars, can also bless the medal. It should
be worn on one's person in a becoming way and
may be kept in any manner: around the neck,
in one's pocket, on the rosary, in a locket, etc.
Hence it may also be worn in a locket ring.
This has the advantage that it can also be con-
VARIOUS QUESTIONS 735
veniently worn at night; for, though some
authors say it is not necessary to keep the
scapular medal on one's person during the night,
that it is sufficient if it is with one's garments near-
by, yet others hold a stricter view, though also
these say that no attention need be paid to a
brief placing aside of the medal.
Can you give me some information about
scapulars ?
Your question is rather general. But here are
bits of information sometimes sought for. 1. The
material of the scapular must be woven, woolen
cloth (not felt). 2. The shape must be quadrang-
ular. 3. The border of the scapular may be
modestly ornamented with thread of any material.
4. When any Scapular except the Red Scapular
(and its strings must always be of red, woolen
material) is worn the strings may be of any
material. 5. When worn singly the various
Scapulars may be adorned with pictures; but the
Red Scapular must always have a picture of the
crucifixion on the one piece and a picture of the
Sacred Heart on the other. 6. The Scapulars
may be worn over as well as under the garments,
one part hanging in front, the other behind.
7. If so worn, the Scapulars as well as the strings
may be enclosed in some covering to protect
them against wear and soiling. This covering
should not be sewed to the scapular, but be
merely a covering of the same. 8. When the
Scapulars are worn out they should be burnt and
replaced by new ones, which, however, need not
be blessed, so that the privileges be not forfeited
even for a time. 9. Medals, Agnus Dei, a little
crucifix, etc., may be fastened to and worn on
any of the five Scapulars. (Beringer.)
What is the meaning of the skull and
bones shown at the foot of some crucifixes?
Christ was crucified on Golgotha. "They came
736 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
to the place that is called Golgotha, which is
the place of Calvary." The name Golgotha, or
Calvary, is interpreted "a skull." Some say it
was so called because it was a burial place. Ac-
cording to other writers, the origin of the name
is that the skull of Adam given by Noe to one of
his sons was there buried. Such a tradition, it
seems, would account for the name better than
some of the other explanations offered. Then,
too, the skull and bones are significative of death,
and here of the death which blotted out the
handwriting of the decree that was against us
because of the sin of Adam.
A pious author says: "We often see beneath
the crucifix two fragments of bones surmounted
by a death's head. It is not known how this
representation of death became attached to the
crucifix. The lugubrious image was, perhaps,
placed as a trophy at the feet of the Victor, re-
calling those words of Holy Scripture, *0 Death,
where is thy victory?' Or it may have been the
intention of the pious inventor to teach us always
to meditate upon our last end and eternal life
at the foot of the crucifix. If in our reflections
upon death the remembrance of the Cross be set
aside, little consolation will be derived from them,
and still less courage.
"We cannot divest ourselves of this formidable
prospect, nor would it be wise to drown its re-
membrance in worldly pleasures and pursuits.
To borrow the false maxims of pagan philosophy
and act like Socrates with the poisoned cup is
but a hollow deception; such a character can
neither be defended nor imitated.
"As little by little time robs us of everything,
we turn in our extremity to Thee, O Divine
Master, to ponder over Thy supreme call, and
learn from Thee how to prepare ourselves for it.
Thou alone canst invest that hour with dignity,
courage, and hope; Thou alone canst allay the
VARIOUS QUESTIONS 737
fears of the stricken soul. Therefore only in
Thine arms, or at Thy feet, or close to Thy
pierced side will we meditate upon that irre-
vocable decree: 'It is appointed unto men once
to die, and after death the judgment* (Heb.
9:27)."
How soon may a son's marriage take place
after the death of his father, after having
been engaged to be married several years?
This question is only asking how long a period
of mourning ought to be observed. That depends
upon present custom in the respective locality
and the demands of Christian propriety. But
often enough circumstances alter cases; and then
custom, or social usage, especially if it be extreme
or ridiculous or hypocritical, may be sensibly
interpreted or simply disregarded. In some
places an interval of several months is con-
sidered the proper manifestation of filial respect,
though even this time may be somewhat long in
a case such as you mention.
At a funeral one day I heard a Catholic
lady say that one should not give flowers
for the dead, but Masses and prayers.
Flowers, she said, don't help them any,
but our prayers do. What do you think
about this?
Some people still think that flowers for the
dead should be restricted to infants, who need
no prayers. But that is apparently a wrong
view; for the custom of scattering flowers on
the corpse and afterwards on the grave of the
dead goes back to the time of the early Christians
and has, it seems, never been limited to infants.
But this very simple and appropriate mark of
affection has developed into the modern fashion
of multiplying wreaths, crosses, etc., which is
certainly a more clumsy and inartistic form of
738 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
the old custom, and one that is often abused
and easily lends itself to vulgar ostentation. How
often one hears the non-Catholic relative boast
after a funeral, "There were twenty (or fifty, or
whatever the number of) wreaths." The Protes-
tant, of course, has little more he can do than
offer this mark of affection, regret, sympathy,
etc.; but the Catholic knows that he can still
be of real assistance to the holy dead by offering,
not merely flowers that wither, but prayers and
especially Masses that will have permanent effect.
Hence Catholics deprecate excessive expense on
floral tributes, when the money might be used
to much better purpose in having Masses said
for the deceased. It is easy to understand that
a spiritual bouquet of Masses is infinitely better
than the most fragrant bouquet of flowers.
Often enough, too, an expensive wreath is brought
to the cemetery and no thought is given to the
possibility that the poor soul may be yearning
in unutterable pain for Masses and prayers, and
not flowers. Surely, you may give flowers if you
wish; but whenever you do give this solace for
the living, also do that which brings comfort to
the dead. The same rule should be applied when
it is a case of expensive tombstones or monu-
ments. They, too, are but a solace for the
living. Much more must we give solace to the
dead. — It may be remarked in this connection
that all flowers are to be removed from the
casket before it is taken into the church.
If a person makes a promise to say certain
prayers, would it be a mortal sin to dis-
continue them?
When it is a case of a matter that is grave
neither of itself (as, for example, some little de-
votional exercise or prayers such as you suggest)
nor by reason of its attendant circumstances, one
simply cannot bind oneself under pain of mortal
VARIOUS QUESTIONS 739
sin. God, Who is infinitely wise, would not
accept a promise in which there is such a want
of proportion between the matter and the ob-
ligation.
Is Loyola a Catholic name?
When reading this question one first recalls
that Loyola is the name of several renowned
colleges and universities, so named in honor of
St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Founder of the
Society of Jesus, who was born at Loyola in the
Basque Province of Guipuzcoa (Spain). He died
in Rome in the sixty-fifth year of his age, July
31, 1556, and was canonized by Pope Gregory
XV in 1622. His feast is kept on July 31. Loyola
is ordinarily the name of a place, not of a person.
It is not in itself a Christian baptismal name.
When it is so used, the heavenly patron of such
a one is St. Ignatius of Loyola. The name of the
place of a saint's origin is sometimes used,
especially by Religious, instead of the saint's
name. Many readers of good Catholic literature
have no doubt at some time or other come across
writings from the gifted pen of Mother Loyola,
a Religious of the Sacred Heart. Her patron
saint was, of course, St. Ignatius of Loyola.
When such names are chosen all should know
who their patron saint really is. This is in the
spirit of Canon 761, which reads: "Pastors should
take special care that a Christian name is given to
all whom they baptize. If they cannot obtain
this, they shall add to the name given by the
parents the name of some saint and enter both
in the baptismal record."
I often think of Our Lord in heaven and
then I sometimes wonder what kind of
garments He wears there. It may seem like
a foolish thought, but it surely must have
come to almost every one. Can you en-
lighten me in this matter?
740 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
In 1908 Lucie Christine (pseudonym), a French-
woman, a lady living in the world and the mother
of a family, died a most holy death. Lucie's case
was a rare one. At the age of twenty-nine she
attained in a very short time to the highest
mystical graces and quickly became an ecstatic.
She also received the gift of being able to de-
scribe these graces, which she did, at the request
of her director, in her Spiritual Journal. In this
Journal we read a description of the Savior's
garments. Under date of August 22, 1881, we
read: "Once when I was praying before the
Blessed Sacrament and simply contemplating Our
Lord in that peaceful union which it pleased Him
to give to my soul, I suddenly saw with my
interior sight the Vesture of that adorable Master.
I saw it as a whole of which certain draperies
(I use that expression for want of a better) ap-
peared to me with greater distinctness than the
rest. This Vesture was of a dazzling whiteness;
it was not only luminous, but it was light itself,
and as to its consistency it was neither a cloud,
nor a tissue, nor a flame, but something entirely
different which I had never seen and which I
marvelled at without being able to define it.
The brightness which shone from it was other
than that of the light of the day, or of the stars
by night, or of any light we know; it dazzled
without fatiguing. My soul was as though
bathed in this divine atmosphere and wasdeeply
penetrated by an impression of peace and majesty
and innocence. The mere remembrance of the
Vesture of Jesus puts temptations to flight, un-
masks the wiles of the Evil One, and gives peace
to the soul, as I have constantly experienced in
my own case."
In the lives of the saints we sometimes
read how the greatest of saints looked upon
themselves as filthy mire, as the vilest and
VARIOUS QUESTIONS 741
most despicable sinners on the face of the
earth. It is hard to understand how they
could think thus of themselves, since it was
not true, they being in reality such great
saints. Can you explain?
No matter how good we may be, we can and
should have a low opinion of ourselves as of our-
selves. That is only the truth. Of ourselves we
are but nothingness, to which we have added sin-
fulness. All the rest, all the good that is in us,
must be attributed to God. The saints went to
the very depths of humility in self-abasement.
St. Thomas explains as follows both the possi-
bility and the correctness of this opinion of our-
selves: "A man can, without falsehood, believe
and declare himself viler than all others, both on
account of the secret faults which he knows to
exist within him, and on account of the gifts of
God hidden in the souls of others." St. Augustine,
in his work De Virginitate, ch. 52, says: "Believe
that others are better than you in the depths of
their hearts, although outwardly you may appear
better than they." In the same way one may
truthfully both say and believe that one is alto-
gether useless and unworthy in his own strength.
The Apostle says (2 Cor. 3:5): "Not that we
are sufficient to think anything of ourselves, as
of ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God."
I have heard that there is an Apostolate
to Assist the Dying. Can you give me some
information about it?
This Apostolate is a great good work that we
most earnestly recommend to all our readers.
Reflect upon it and see what you can do to save
souls in this manner. The Rt. Rev. Msgr. Raphael
J. Markham, director of the Apostolate, in a
circular explained its object as follows:
"At the suggestion of the Most Reverend Arch-
bishop of Cincinnati, I am sending you the en-
74i QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
closed card in the hope of interesting you in a
new way of reaching the material heretic (well-
meaning non-Catholic) at the time of death. We
all understand that the ordinary means of sal-
vation, according to the will of Christ, is the
Catholic Church, and that all who believe her to
be the true Church are under solemn obligations
to enter her fold. But we must remember that
the vast majority of Americans have never come
in contact with the Catholic Church or her
ministers, and never will, and that they are in
good faith about it. While there are many who
are practically pagans, the non-Catholic for the
most part is a well-meaning person. He wants
to be saved, especially when he sees death
staring him in the face. He hates what he thinks
to be the Church, but he wants what the Church
alone can give him. The Church that he hates,
of course, does not exist. Often he is not even
baptized and never will be. Many know nothing
about baptism; others do not believe in it; others
still have neglected it; not a few have been
baptized invalidly. Their only salvation lies in
making an act of perfect contrition, which is the
baptism of desire, and the only baptism of desire;
a mere desire for baptism does not justify.
"The serious question is — and it is a vital one —
how to reach this large class of people at this most
critical time. If anything even suggesting
Catholicity be placed in their hands, it is rejected
on principle, and in many cases considered a
positive insult. That the significance and
necessity of true repentance for sin is not properly
emphasized in the various forms of the Protestant
religion constitutes another very serious difficulty.
This false idea of justification leads many into
the belief that repentance, in the Catholic sense,
is not at all necessary.
"The card enclosed has been prepared in the
hope of solving the question, at least to some
VARIOUS QUESTIONS 74J
extent. There is no mention made, nor even the
appearance of Catholicity about it, nothing at
all that could possibly offend. We are dealing
with a person, as we have said, who has no in-
tention of becoming a Catholic, but who is in
good faith. It would be far better, of course, if
he would become a Catholic, but our supposition
is that there is no use talking to him about it.
Even the 'Imprimatur,' which has been properly
secured, is omitted, by permission of ecclesiastical
authority. The card has been made attractive,
so that it will not be thrown away. The decorations
are classical; the flower is the acanthus, used
extensively in Greek ornamentation, and the
coloring in red is done by hand. The Acts printed
on the card are exactly those that a priest called
to assist spiritually a material heretic in the hour
of death would implore his patient to make.
According to all theologians, any material heretic,
whether or not he be baptized, who earnestly
makes these Acts will infallibly be saved.
"Any one can do this work. You can send the
card by mail; a little child can deliver it; you
can visit your sick friend and leave it. There is
no trouble in getting it to him, and positively no
danger of offense. You may suggest that he say
the 'little prayer' earnestly several times, and in
many cases this will be done. He may not make
the Acts the first time he reads the card, as he is
prompted by curiosity, but he will perhaps say,
as he finishes reading them: 'These are my
sentiments exactly.' The next time he will really
make the Acts. The plan is simply this: Get the
card into the hands of the one in whom you are
interested, in any way you choose, with the
suggestion that he say frequently this prayer,
entirely suitable for non-Catholics, — then you
yourself pray earnestly to God that he may be
given the light and grace to mean what he says.
"This is not a scheme to make money. The
744 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
only motive is to help to save souls in their hour
of greatest need. Consequently, any one is
perfectly free to reproduce the card if he wishes.
In Cincinnati it has been thought best to omit
the 'Imprimatur.' If the cards be printed in
other places the authorities of each diocese will
naturally make their own decision in this matter.
When cards are desired from Cincinnati it will
be necessary to charge something for them in
order that the Apostolate may grow. Consider-
ing everything — plates, printing, coloring,
postage, etc. — the price will be $1.00 for 25 cards
to all who can afford to pay; those who cannot,
will receive, as far as our resources permit, as
many as they desire entirely free of charge."
You can procure the cards, and also further
information about the Apostolate from the Sisters
of the Poor of St. Francis, St. Clare Convent,
Hartwell, Cincinnati, Ohio.
The card is about the size of a postcard. The
decorations mentioned are at the top and the
left side and the prayer is neatly printed within
these two borders, all on one side. The reverse
side is blank. The prayer is as follows:
I believe in one God. I believe that in God
there are three Divine Persons — God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.
I believe that God the Son became Man,
without ceasing to be God. I believe that He
is my Lord and Savior, that He died on the
Cross, for the salvation of all mankind, that He
arose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and
will come at the end of time to judge the living
and the dead.
I believe in heaven and hell — that God will
reward the good with perfect happiness forever,
and punish the wicked with never-ending pain.
I believe everything else that God has taught
and revealed.
O my God, Who are all-good and merciful.
VARIOUS QUESTIONS 745
I hope to be saved and want to do all that is
necessary for my salvation according to Thy
holy will. I have committed many sins in my
life, but I detest and hate them, and I am sorry,
very sorry for all of them, because by them I
have offended Thee, my God, Who art all-good,
all-perfect, all-holy, so merciful, so kind, Who
died on the Cross for men and Whom I love
with all my heart. I ask Thy pardon, 0 my God,
and I promise Thee, by the help of Thy grace,
never to sin again.
My Jesus, have mercy on me.
PERTAINING TO VOCATION
Is the life of a single person, one who
lives in the world, also a vocation? Can we
not serve God in any state of life in which
we are? Not every one is called to the re-
ligious life in the convent, and not all are
to get married. I have often heard it said
that a single person in the world cannot
be as good as a Sister, for instance, or as
those who are married. Please explain.
We need only say that, as regards vocation, a
person may be called by God either to lead a
single life in the world, or to consecrate himself
or herself to God in the priesthood or in the re-
ligious life, or to be married. One of these three
roles is fixed by God for everyone. It is accord-
ingly clear that the single life in the world is also
a vocation.
As regards the exact teaching of the Church
on the comparative merits of matrimony and
virginity, we need but recall the tenth canon of
the twenty-fourth session of the Council of
Trent: "If anyone saith that the marriage state
is to be preferred before the state of virginity, or
celibacy, and that it is not better and more blessed
to remain in virginity, or in celibacy, than to be
united in matrimony, let him be anathema."
The Church teaches that marriage is good, single
blessedness in the world better, and single blessed-
ness in religion the best. St. Paul mentions vir-
ginity as a special state of life and recommends
it in preference to matrimony.
From all this it is quite clear that the single
life, or celibacy, or virginal life, when embraced
and followed from motives of virtue, is in itself
holier and more acceptable before God than life
746
VOCATION 747
in marriage, since it involves a greater sacrifice
of oneself.
We say, in itself. Remember that the Church
does not here decide upon the respective merits
of individual persons belonging to the two states.
Hence it often happens that a married person
who faithfully lives up to the duties of the married
state is much better in the sight of God than a
celibate or virgin whose devotion to duty is not
so loyal. There are doubtless married women
who are more holy than certain Sisters; and there
are doubtless married men who are more right-
eous than certain priests or Brothers; and doubt-
less, too, there are single people in the world who
are holier than certain people in religion. But
this does not change the relative status of vo-
cation. Virginity in the world is in itself dearer
to God than the married state, good and holy
as the married state is, and single life in the re-
ligious state is in itself much dearer to Him than
either single life in the world or than the married
state.
I cannot understand how it is that the
religious state is higher than matrimony,
since it is no Sacrament. Will you explain?
Religious profession is, of course, not a Sacra-
ment. A Sacrament is an outward sign instituted
by Christ to give grace. In this definition five
things are to be considered: (1) it is an outward
sign; (2) it was instituted by Christ; (3) it was
instituted to give grace; (4) the sign in each
Sacrament must signify or determine the special
grace attached to each Sacrament; and (5) the
Sacrament gives the grace, which it signifies, by
some inherent power attached to the outward
sign by Christ Himself, or, as theologians say,.
ex opere operato, that is, by performing the work
which Christ has instituted. There are seven
Sacraments, no more, no less; Baptism, Confir-
748 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
mation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Extreme
Unction, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. Such
is the dogmatic teaching of God's infallible
Church.
Religious profession, the making of the holy
vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, is an
external act of the mind by which one embraces
the religious state. The ancient ascetics had a
predilection for the word "profession" and de-
fined it as a "covenant with God." This flows
from the very essence of the religious state,
which involves service or worship of God.
As the Sacraments have their visible signs, so,
too, religious profession is clothed with outward
ceremonies. As the "second baptism" (so it was
called), profession has ever been surrounded by
more or less elaborate rites. But, we repeat, it
is no Sacrament; it is nothing else but public
entrance upon the exclusive service of God,
according to a determined rule or constitution.
The Sacrament of Matrimony places one in
the married state; religious profession introduces
one into the religious state. It only remains to
inquire which is the higher state of life. There is
no room for argument here. The religious state
is a state of virginity, and the Church teaches
that it is of faith that virginity is preferable to
matrimony: "If any one saith that the marriage
state is to be preferred to the state of virginity,
or celibacy, and that it is not better and more
blessed to remain in virginity, or in celibacy,
than to be united in matrimony, let him be
anathema" (that is, accursed). (Council of
Trent, 24th session, 10th canon.) Hence it would
be speaking against faith to exhort people in
general (though matrimony may be better for
certain persons) to choose matrimony as a state
preferable to perpetual chastity. The Church
holds matrimony in honor and gives the proper
instructions concerning it; yet she teaches that
VOCATION 749
perpetual chastity is to be preferred to matri-
mony.
It is, accordingly, even as stated in the "Cate-
chism of the Council of Trent": "No greater
happiness can befall the faithful in this life than
to have their souls distracted by no worldly
cares, the unruly desires of the flesh tranquilized
and restrained, and the mind fixed on the practice
of piety and the contemplation of heavenly
things" (the religious state). "But as, according
to the same Apostle (1 Cor. 7:7), 'Every one hath
his proper gift from God, one after this manner,
and another after that'; and as marriage is
gifted with great and divine blessings, so much
so as truly and properly to hold a place among
the other Sacraments of the Catholic Church,
and as its celebration was honored by the presence
of our Lord Himself, it is clear that this subject
should be explained," etc., etc.
I have a leaflet on which it says: "A
thousand evening devotions, a thousand
recitations of the rosary, a thousand lita-
nies are as nothing compared to a single
Mass of half an hour. A pious author says :
fcPlace together the merits of the ever-blessed
Mary, the adoration of the angels, the
labors of the Apostles, the sufferings of the
martyrs, the purity of virgins, the virtues
of confessors, in a word, the good works of
all the saints from the beginning to the
end of the world. You will not even then
have the value of a single Mass.'" If this
is true, Father, would it not be more ad-
visable for a girl to remain in the world
where she can have two Masses every day
and several Masses on Sundays than to
enter the convent where one can hear only
one Mass a day ?
All that you read about the Mass on that
75o QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
leaflet is very true. Holy Mass is the highest
form of worship. It is the Sacrifice of Calvary
renewed. One Mass gives God more praise and
thanksgiving, makes more atonement for sin, and
pleads more eloquently than does the combined
worship of all the souls in heaven, on earth, and
in purgatory. In Holy Mass it is Jesus Christ,
God as well as Man, Who is our Intercessor, our
Priest, and our Victim. Being God as well as
Man, His prayers, His merits, and His offerings
are of infinite value.
Hence, try to assist at Mass every day, at
least as often as possible, perhaps twice on
Sundays. But what a mistaken notion to think
that if you remain in the world you can hear
more Masses than if you would go to the convent.
Where in the world is the Catholic who can
regularly hear "two Masses every day and several
Masses on Sundays"? What a sacrifice it usually
is to take time even for their ordinary prayers!
We venture to say, from our knowledge of this
workaday world or ours, that not one in thousands
of devout souls in the world has the opportunity
of hearing so many Masses as a religious in the
convent; for one of the exercises of piety pre-
scribed for religious by their rules is the daily
attendance at Mass. And often they have a
chance to hear a number of Masses on the same
day. So your little argument does not hold at
all. Indeed, it is so weak that, were we to
abide by what experience teaches, all spiritually
minded girls like you would perforce go to the
convent on the weakness of it.
Is it right to believe that one who law-
fully retracts from a vow of chastity and
marries will never be happy in the second
state of life he chooses?
We take it for granted that the questioner has
in mind a vow of chastity in the world, in con-
VOCATION 751
tradistinction to that vow in the religious state.
Taking this position, we do not think it is right
so to believe. Take, for example, the lawful re-
traction (through dispensation or commutation)
of such a vow made hastily under pressure of
circumstances, or otherwise without due con-
sideration, or — a thing which should never be
done — without first consulting one's confessor.
No; we do not think it at all right so to believe.
What will be my reward if I become a
Sister?
First of all you merit the remission of the
penalty due to your sins; for the giving of your
soul and body to God through the holy vows of
poverty, chastity, and obedience is the greatest
personal sacrifice and most complete act of satis-
faction you can think of. Becoming a religious
is like a second Baptism in its effects, as the
Fathers of the Church tell us. And thereafter
you can more easily avoid all sin, your life being
so full of prayer and meditation. What will you
get? Listen to the Savior Himself, "Every one
that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or
father, or mother .... or lands for My name's
sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall
possess life everlasting." And the happiness of
the good Religious is unspeakably great. "I
would not give an inch of my cord for all the
kingdoms of the world!" one of them exclaimed.
Must I think about it a long time and ask
all kinds of people for advice?
No; you need not think so very, very long
about it. Just consider that to become a Re-
ligious is better than not to become a Religious,
as Jesus Himself advises us. Then consider
whether you have sufficient strength to persevere.
But remember that God, Who calls you, will
give you all the necessary grace and strength.
752- QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
If there are real obstacles in the way you should,
of course, deliberate prudently and follow the
advice of enlightened persons favorable to your
plans. When you are in doubt as to which order
you should enter, again ask the advice of those
who do not oppose your holy desires. When
you feel in your heart the call to be a Sister you
may be sure it is a rare invitation from God.
Follow it without delay, as far as you are con-
cerned. Let nothing come between you and
God.
Must I have the consent of my parents in
order to become a Sister?
Of course it is well to have it and you should
respectfully plead with your parents if they
are opposed to your vocation, and pray much
that they may see and understand. But their
permission is not strictly necessary; and if you
are of the required age. say at least fourteen or
fifteen years, you would be quite justified, after
consultation with others who are able prudently
to advise you, in disregarding their wishes when
they are opposed to the manifest call of God.
In the matter of vocation parents ordinarily have
no right to command. Still this is merely theo
retical, in a way. What can a young girl do if
parents are so forgetful of their duties as to im-
pede her vocation? And a Religious Order would
hesitate and, except in extraordinary cases, even
refuse to take you against your parents' will,
because of consequent troubles that might arise.
However, St. Thomas and St. Alphonsus Liguori,
to mention only two great saints, were bitterly
opposed in their vocation. They listened to God
rather than to man and became shining lights in
the Church of God. Parents or relatives have no
right to keep their children from the Religious
life, unless they have a very just and serious
reason for doing so. And yet, strange to say,
VOCATION 753
in almost all cases they make it more or less hard
for a girl when she wants to go to the convent.
Hence it is often better for a girl not to consult
her parents and relatives at all. They might try
to prevent her from following the divine call or
publish her secret to the world. Even parents
and relatives who are otherwise good and pious
are often the enemies of a vocation to the Re-
ligious life.
May I become a Sister if my parents are
sick or infirm or very poor and I am the only
one to take care of them?
In that case you may not — not if by becoming
a Sister you would leave your parents in extreme
or grave necessity. But this is rarely the case.
Even when parents are infirm and in great
poverty there are usually other members of the
family upon whom the duty of caring for them
devolves as soon as God calls you to a higher
life. The same also holds good with brothers
and sisters. But for these, when God calls, you
need stay home only in case of extreme necessity.
Usually, even when there is real necessity for
staying home, that necessity only lasts a time.
And yet there are some cruelly selfish relatives
who will keep a girl home, doing housework, for
years and years, until it is too late. What an
injustice!
Is it a sin to remain in the world when I
feel myself called to be a Sister ?
No; it is not a sin in itself , because the counsels
do not oblige under pain of sin. But if God has
chosen you for the Religious life and you de-
liberately choose some other vocation, you may
save your soul indeed, but with greater difficulty.
Of such souls it is said, "They will be in the
Church like dislocated members, which cannot
be used except very awkwardly and with great
pain." They will be out of place.
754 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
But we would not stress this too much. The
counsels are to be freely followed, ordinarily.
They are not commandments. And one who
chooses a less perfect state is not guilty of con-
tempt towards God Who calls. It is merely a
case of preferring a lesser to a major grace.
When a certain state is preferred by some indi-
vidual, even despite the ordinary call, it is a
question of following a secondary call to any good
state. As Father Vermeersch says: "Note that
it is not quite proper to say that the ordinary
state, if chosen by one who seems to be called to
a more perfect state, is chosen as one 'less good.'
This would indicate something faulty or bad,
whereas that state must be considered as some-
thing really good. We have the same thing
constantly in the choice of good works, of which
some are better than others but all are good"
But listen to the call of God. Pray. Rejoice
at the Savior's gracious invitation. And when-
ever you can, encourage others likewise to listen
eagerly to the gentle voice of Jesus saying,
"Come, follow Me."
Would you advise a girl to become a Sister
at an early age?
Surely; if possible, as soon as Church law
permits, that is, you may enter the novitiate after
the fifteenth year is completed. And you may
go to the convent as postulant even sooner.
Holy Scripture says, "It is good for a man when
he hath borne the yoke from his youth." St.
Anselm compares those who enter religion young
to angels. But will you not regret it afterwards
when it is too late? That rarely happens. Of
course, the most certain things sometimes fail.
In the matter of Religious life, it is only neces-
sary to exercise proper vigilance and prudence.
"He that observeth the wind, shall not sow;
VOCATION 755
and he that considereth the clouds, shall never
reap," says Holy Writ.
Is it dangerous for me to put off becoming
a Sister for any length of time?
Yes; it is always dangerous for your spiritual
welfare. St. Thomas says that the invitation to
a more perfect state of life should be followed
immediately. Do not delay. Many precious
vocations have been lost through delay. Delays
are dangerous — especially here. It is a clever
trick of the devil to cause the delay that is so
often fatal.
But how do I know whether I am called?
If you are virtuous, that is, if you have solid
sensible piety now, even though in the past it
was not always so; if you have at least fairly
good health, and there are no impediments; and
if you desire to become a Sister out of some good
motive, e. g., to glorify God, to live a holier life,
to help save souls; then you may presume in
favor of your being called. After consulting your
confessor, the best thing is to see some Sister
about your vocation. And the very best thing is
to visit a convent and see for yourself.
I am considering entering a monastery in
September. What in your opinion is the
proper way to conduct myself during the
remaining time?
Remain away from the world and worldly
amusements as much as possible. In addition to
your regular daily prayers, say the rosary every
day. Read good Catholic literature and spiritual
books. Try in every way, as much as circum-
stances permit, to let your room at home be a
preparatory monastery for you. In spirit, quit
the world already now. Remember that priests
and religious receive Holy Communion daily.
Hence, those who desire to become priests or
756 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
religious can do nothing better in the way of
preparation for their high calling than to assist
at Mass and receive their Eucharistic Lord every
day, as far as possible, and to lead a life in ac-
cordance with this pious practice.
May one who in the past has committed
sins against the Sixth Commandment enter
the religious life, provided that person is
now leading a good and holy life and is other-
wise fit?
Certainly such a person may enter the religious
life. Mary Magdalen, because of her sin, or,
rather, because of the penance it stimulated her
to do, got to be a greater saint than she could
have become, had she never sinned. And we
must remember that beneath the cross were
Mary, the Virgin Immaculate, and Mary Magda-
len, the repentant sinner, who after her life of
sin loved the Savior much. Both had a right to
be there; and both kinds have a right to be
near the cross in the religious life. It is true that,
to lose the gift of virginity, it is not necessary to
sin with another. The solitary sin, if completed,
so theologians tell us, puts an end to virginity in
the theological conception of it. But here St.
Augustine, who had sad experiences of his own
before his conversion, gives a comforting assur-
ance when he says: "Longa cast it as reputatur
pro virginitate" — a long practice of chastity
counts for virginity.
Such persons as considered in this question
must be warned against the great indiscretion and
imprudence of telling about the sins of their past
life when applying for admission into the re-
ligious life or at any time afterwards, unless those
sins had become notoriously public. Such a
revelation, outside the confessional, is absolutely
unnecessary and decidedly inadvisable, if not
positively wrong.
VOCATION 757
Of course, true piety of life is a requisite for a
religious vocation. True piety, by way of simple
illustration, means that one should love God and
God's dear Mother, should pray much and fre-
quent the Sacraments. It likewise means that one
should have an honest hatred of sin and be willing
to suffer anything rather than offend God griev-
ously. It does not mean that one must never
have committed any sins. Baptismal innocence
is indeed a precious pearl to offer the Savior.
But one may have sinned in the past and now
have true piety. That can be known by the fact
that one has shown oneself truly sorry. And
some signs of such sorrow are the frequent re-
ception of the Sacraments, victory over any evil
habit, fervor of life. Such a one has true piety.
Also virtue regained is most precious in the eyes
of God.
If a person chooses to lead a single life in
the world, binding himself by vow to observe
chastity, would you take it as a life which
God wishes him to lead? What formula
would you suggest? Is there special merit
in leading such a life?
We certainly would take it so. Such a one
would be leading a life of virginity in the world,
in contradistinction to virginity in religion.
Virginity is a real vocation; and though it finds
its greatest perfection in the religious state, it is,
even in the world, when observed from super-
natural motives, in every way a higher vocation
than is that of the married state. Also St. Paul
tells us that virginity is preferable to the married
state. This is the teaching of the Church and is
of faith. In the tenth canon of the twenty-fourth
session of the Council of Trent we find the fol-
lowing doctrine: "If anyone saith that the mar-
riage state is to be preferred before the state of
virginity, or celibacy, and that it is not better
758 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
and more blessed to remain in virginity, or in
celibacy, than to be united in matrimony, let him
be anathema" (that is to say, accursed).
But as regards binding oneself by a vow, we
would say that this should not be done inde-
pendently of the advice of a prudent confessor or
wise spiritual director; for such a vow is a serious
matter, binding under pain of sin. The father
confessor or director could give you information as
to the formula to be used in making such a vow.
There is, of course, a very special merit attach-
ing to a life of virginity, even in the world; for
virginity is more conducive to salvation and more
pleasing to God. Moreover, we read in the
Book of Revelations: "And I beheld, and lo! a
Lamb stood upon Mount Sion, and with him a
hundred and forty -four thousand, having his
name, and the name of his Father, written on
their foreheads; . . . and no man could say
the canticle but those hundred and forty-four
thousand, who were purchased from the earth
These are they who were not defiled with women;
for they are virgins. These follow the Lamb
whithersoever he goeth. These were purchased
from among men, the first fruits to God and
to the Lamb." (Apoc. 14:1, 3, 4.)
Does a girl commit a sin by entering a
convent without her parents' permission?
My parents do not allow me to enter.
No; she does not sin; for in this matter
children need not obey anyone except God. It
belongs to them to choose that vocation which,
according to their judgment and inclination, will
best help them to become useful members of
society and, what is much more, to make sure
of their eternal salvation.
Parents and other superiors may, and not in-
frequently do, exceed the limits of their lawful
authority by interfering with their children's
VOCATION 759
vocation. Thus some almost force or. at least,
unduly urge their sons to enter the priesthood
or a religious community, or their daughters to
enter a convent; and many more do all they can
to prevent their sons and daughters from em-
bracing the higher life. And the same is true of
the other states of life. There is no obligation
of obedience in such matters, because there is no
right to command.
Should your parents need your help so much
that they would be destitute and utterly forsaken
were you to leave them, you may look upon it
as the will of God that you obey them in this
matter — not otherwise.
Consider these unequivocal words of St. Jerome
to Heliodorus. Aflame with conviction, he wrote,
"I invite you; make haste. You have made
light of my entreaties, perhaps you will listen to
my reproaches. Effeminate soldier' what are
you doing under the paternal roof! Even though
your nephew entwine his arms about your neck;
even were your mother, with streaming hair, to
show you, through her rent garments, the breast
that nurtured you; even though your father were
to throw himself across the threshold of your
house, step over the obstacle and, with un-
quivering eye, rush to take your place beneath
the standard of the cross."
Provided there is a sick person, sick for
months and perhaps for years, in the family,
are those children who are called to a re-
ligious or to the married life bound in
conscience to stay home and help their
parents? Is a person bound in conscience
to stay at home and help his parents, when
he knows he could do more good for his
soul elsewhere?
Children who are not of age must naturally
stay at home and help their parents, if the latter
760 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
absolutely need their help. If the parents are in
real need of assistance; at least one of the children
is in conscience bound to aid them in some decent
way. They are the parents! But if there are
some who wish to enter the religious life or
to marry, they have a right to go, and the greater
burden falls upon those members of the family
who have no special vocation. When it is clear
that imperative duty calls you to stay at home
and support your parents, then you cannot do
more good for your soul elsewhere, because then
the will of God for you is quite manifest ; and the
will of God is your sanctification. When it is a
question of the religious vocation, and, in a
lesser degree, of the call to the married state,
only a case of real necessity can oblige one to
stay at home; and if there are others to care
for your parents, they, in this case, will have to
supplant you.
Would the good God answer a mother's
prayers if she would ask Him to give religious
vocations to her children?
Such prayers are indeed most pleasing to God;
and they are often answered in wonderful ways.
It was the fervent and constant prayer of the
Little Flower's mother that God would call all
her children to His consecrated service. Four
of her little ones died in infancy; but the other
five — all girls — entered the religious life; and
the last of these girls was the Little Flower.
Behold the fruit of fervent and constant prayer
that God may give to one's children the greatest
grace after holy baptism — a religious vocation.
This is but one of many examples that might be
adduced.
It is, in all truth, an incomparable happiness,
a fount of perennial joy and a heaven-sent
blessing of priceless worth, for a Catholic mother
— for a Catholic family— to have one or more
VOCATION 761
children in the priesthood or in the religious life.
"Pray the Lord of the harvest that He send
forth laborers into His harvest," says the Savior.
It is, accordingly, a happy duty leading to the
highest honor for every good mother earnestly to
implore God to grant a religious vocation to one
or more of her children. For this both parents
should pray; and. when God has planted the
tiny seed of a priestly or religious vocation in the
hearts of their children, they should cherish and
foster that little seed, and water it with words
of loving encouragement and gentle, prudent
exhortation, also placing good books on the
subject in their hands, until it grows into a beauti-
ful and hardy plant, a-blooming in the courts of
God's Holy Church.
In the "Life of Cardinal Vaughan" we read
that his saintly mother, for nearly twenty years,
spent an hour before the Blessed Sacrament
every day, asking that God would call every one
of her children to the religious life or to the priest-
hood. As a result all her five daughters entered
convents, and of her eight sons, six became
priests. Of these six three also became bishops,
— one a Cardinal.
Is it all right for a mother to pray for
the religious vocation of her girls?
Most certainly. It is one of the very best
things a mother can do. The religious vocation
is the very highest a girl can embrace; and the
family that gives one or more girls to the Lord
in the sisterhood is indeed blessed by God and
in high honor before men. Pray, by all means,
that your boys as well as your girls may obtain
from God the special grace of a religious vocation.
While parents should never unduly or im-
prudently urge their children to embrace this
calling, they may and they should call their
attention to the more secure and exalted states
y€-L QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
of life. They should ever speak with respect and
reverence of the priesthood, the brotherhood, and
the sisterhood; they should encourage every in-
dication of interest, every sign of vocation. All
children have the almost sacred right at least to
know that those states of life exist and what are
the qualifications therefor. For that reason
parents should place such books in the hands of
their boys and girls, as will enable them to know
before it is too late to what heights they may
ascend by the grace and calling of God. Alas
that parents should have so little of this true
Catholic spirit in our materialistic age!
If a girl feels she has the vocation to em-
brace the religious life and her mother
tries to persuade her to forget about it and
says that she would just die if her daughter
should leave her, and such like things,
should her daughter forget about her vo-
cation or go ahead and leave to become a
Religious? Though I love my home and
parents dearly, I feel that I ought to follow
the vocation that the Savior has chosen
for me.
For the reasons you mention, a girl should
not forget about her vocation. Unless they have
very just and serious reasons, parents have no
right in any way to prevent their children from
entering the religious life when those children
feel that God calls them to it. The will of God
comes first.
Though girls do not need their parents' per-
mission once they are of the proper age, say
fourteen or fifteen years, it is nevertheless well
to have it. One cannot expect them simply to
run away from home. That might cause endless
trouble; and sisterhoods would hesitate to take
them if they did. Respectfully coax your parents
and try in some way to get their permission —
VOCATION 763
at least the permission to let you go against their
will. Above all, have recourse to fervent prayer
that God may give them the grace to see the
matter as He sees it. Strange to say, most girls —
and boys no less — meet with opposition when
they wish to become Religious. But so it has
likewise been with many of the saints. Just to
mention two instances, the great St. Alphonsus
Liguori, Prince of Moral Theologians, and the
illustrious St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic
Doctor, became Religious in the face of bitterest
opposition.
We feel sure that yours is a good and loving
mother; but she finds it so hard to part with the
devoted daughter who is the light of her life.
Proper explanation, prayer, and pleading will
surely make her resigned to the adorable will of
God.
Would you kindly answer the following
question: For the Seminarian, who wishes
to adopt the proper standard towards the
priesthood and who has already spent one
year in the Seminary — what should be his
attitude towards shows, excursions, dances,
and the general spirit of the world in
reference to modern amusements?
Father Albert Rung, in his excellent little book.
The Seminarian, says, "The vacations are the
test of the genuineness of the piety as well as of
the vocation of the young man. His conduct is
under surveillance, it is true, but this is so
superficial that he is practically his own master
A Seminarian must possess nobility of character,
and his conduct must be correct and blameless
whether observed or not. His chosen Master is
always present, and the thought of Him must
ever be in his mind, now to prompt him to fulfil
his duties, again to prompt him to refrain from
764 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
doing what might reflect on the life he has
chosen."
Dances are absolutely, utterly, and always
incompatible with the vocation he has chosen.
This needs no further demonstration.
And spiritual directors will invariably urge
such a young man to remain away from shows
altogether and to be very judicious in his choice
of excursions, if any.
The priest is in the world but not of the world.
The general spirit of the world with reference
to modern amusements is not his spirit. Hence
the youth who treasures his vocation to the priest-
hood will turn away from all those things — will
turn to God with the words, "Those things are
not for me." He will find all happiness and all
joy in his books, his spiritual exercises, and those
refined amusements that are proper to his state
of life. Let him consider himself an incipient
priest, so to speak.
Is it proper for a Seminarian while home
on vacation to bathe at public beaches?
If working during vacation, should he
keep apart from his fellow employees or
join in their conversation and laughter?
No; we do not consider it at all proper for him
to frequent public bathing beaches. What a
dangerous change of environment that and many
similar amusements would be for the Seminarian'
That were clearly trifling with the jewel of a
priceless vocation. Think of the sheltered life
such a young man leads in the Seminary, the
nursery garden wherein vocations grow and thrive
unto self-sanctification and the sanctification of
others, and you will just feel what is proper
and what is improper for him. In the Semi-
nary he is shut out from the contagious, soul-
contaminating air of the world. There he has
nothing to dread from that world, its dissipations,
VOCATION 765
its scandals, its human respect, its perilous
pleasures. There he is free to occupy himself in
prayer, in purifying his conscience, in morti-
fying his passions, in correcting his faults, in
learning earnestly to perform every duty well.
In a word, in the Seminary the Seminarian strives
seriously to create within himself "the new man"
who alone can represent Jesus Christ on earth
and fulfill in a worthy manner the high functions
of the priesthood. Let him act accordingly when
he must depart for a time from that blessed
abode of study, recollection, and prayer.
If his fellow employees and their conversation
are clean and decent, there is surely no harm in
joining them; if they are not, he should remain
aloof. Better still would it be to seek from the
first a position whose surroundings are as much
as possible in harmony with his holy vocation.
What would be the attitude of an aspirant
to the priesthood in reference to the oppo-
site sex, both while he is only a college
student and in the first years of his semi-
nary course?
The lofty calling he has chosen requires the
state of celibacy, freely chosen. Hence the
company of young women is not for him. Aside
from being dangerous, such company is unbe-
coming in one of such high aspirations. But,
nevertheless, he is always to act as a gentleman,
and he will therefore always conduct himself in
the presence of any lady as he would in the
presence of the Blessed Virgin. He will be as
courteous to all as the rules of politeness and
good breeding require. However, he will avoid
familiarity and the exchange of confidences.
What is the difference between simple and
solemn vows?
The division of vows into simple and solemn
766 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
has reference to the vows of the religious life.
The solemnity here implied is not necessarily
external. It consists essentially in the more
absolute surrender of self and in the acceptance
of such surrender by the Church through the
respective religious Order. Only certain Orders
have solemn vows.
The solemn vows incapacitate a person from
performing validly acts that are contrary to those
vows. For example, were a person bound by
the simple vow of chastity to marry (which may
God avert')* that marriage would be valid, sl
real marriage, but it would be illicit, a most grave
sin; whereas were a person bound by the solemn
vow of chastity to marry, the marriage would
not even be valid, would be no marriage, and a
sin still more grave. We might add that, naturally,
there is greater difficulty in obtaining dispensa-
tion from solemn vows than from simple vows.
Both simple and solemn vows are, however, vows
of the most sacred, most binding kind.
When a priest reads his first Holy Mass,
what is the meaning of the flower girls, the
bride, and the wreath she brings him?
We cannot say that the little ceremonial extras
often added to a priest's first Mass have any
special liturgical signification. They are rather
a matter of local custom and differ widely in
different places. When they do not interfere
with rubrical prescriptions, they are touchingly
beautiful and enhance the festivity of the occa-
sion.
As regards the meaning of the flower girls, the
bride, and the wreath, we might perhaps say that
the flower girls just accompany the bride as
flower girls usually do, and that the little bride,
sometimes called "the angel," symbolizes that the
newly ordained is now wedded forever to inno-
cence and holiness of life. The wreath is a symbol
VOCATION 767
of the glorious crown of life everlasting which
the priest of God will one day receive for his
fidelity to his holy vows.
A boy who wanted to become a Brother of
Mary claimed that there was a rule which
forbade speaking. What is the meaning of
the rule? Do Sisters have such a rule too?
The boy was quite right. There is a rule of
silence, more or less strict, in every religious
Order or Congregation. All founders of religious
Orders have inculcated the necessity of observing
silence, because a talkative man cannot be re-
collected, cannot be a man of prayer, and there-
fore cannot make much progress in perfection.
The same holds good for women, of course, in
our case for Sisters. They all have a rule of
silence. Just to show you what is meant by this
silence, we are here giving two rules from the
rule book of a certain sisterhood: "To attain
spiritual perfection the Sisters shall guard their
lips and diligently observe religious silence, which
must always be observed outside the time and
place appointed for recreation." — "The strictest
silence, however, must be kept in church, in the
sacristy, in the refectory, and from evening
prayers until breakfast, inclusively, in all places;
if it is necessary to say anything, it must be done
very briefly and in a low voice."
Since the ceremony of being received into
a Religious Order or of making profession
therein is not a Sacrament, like Holy Orders
or Matrimony, can such a one be said to
have received any sacramental graces? Or
what is the nature of the graces received ?
First of all let us take a glance into our cate-
chism. There is a question of grace here, and
grace is a supernatural gift of God bestowed on
us through the merits of Jesus Christ for our
768 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
salvation. There are two kinds of grace, sancti-
fying grace and actual grace. Sanctifying grace,
also called habitual grace, is that grace which
makes the soul holy and pleasing to God. Actual
grace is that help of God which enlightens our
mind and moves our will to shun evil and do
good. It is called actual because it aids us to
perform supernatural acts and because it, being
transient, does not abide in the soul like habitual
grace. The great means of grace are prayer and
the Sacraments. The Sacraments give grace of
themselves, provided the recipient places no
obstacle to their effect. Baptism and Penance
give sanctifying grace; Confirmation, . Holy
Eucharist, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and
Matrimony increase sanctifying grace in the
soul; but if the soul is already in the grace of
God all the Sacraments give an increase of
sanctifying grace.
There is a third kind of grace called sacramental
grace, that special help which God gives to at-
tain the end for which He instituted each Sacra-
ment (for instance, Penance gives grace to de-
test past sins, to satisfy for them, to avoid
proximate occasions). Sacramental grace is a
distinct manner of being or perfection of sancti-
fying or habitual grace. Three things seem to
belong to sacramental grace. (1) It adds a new
perfection or mode of being to the supernatural
life of the soul. (2) This perfection is bestowed
immediately at the moment a Sacrament is con-
ferred. (3) This perfection of quality of the
supernatural life tends towards the end for which
each Sacrament was instituted.
Now, to get nearer the question itself, we may
say that the ceremony of reception is but the
preliminary to eventual profession. Religious
profession itself is not a Sacrament, of course,
though Holy Communion is often received in
immediate connection with it. Hence, of itself
VOCATION 769
it gives no sacramental grace. But since this
making of the three holy vows of poverty,
chastity, and obedience is a most heroic conse-
cration and prayer it obtains from God an
abundance of other graces. Indeed, St. Bernard
says that after Baptism the greatest grace that
God can confer upon a soul is the religious vo-
cation. Moreover, the Holy Fathers and Doctors
of the Church tell us that in the eyes of God re-
ligious profession is equal to the holocaust of
martyrdom and makes a soul capable of entering
immediately into the bliss of heaven, so that if
one would die immediately after making the
vows he would not have to pass through purga-
tory, since the profession releases the soul from
all debt of punishment, even as Baptism and
martyrdom release it, but would go directly to
heaven. What a grace, i. e., what a supernatural
gift of God, which renders this soul more holy
and pleasing to Him!
1 — Why are there so many Religious
Orders or Congregations for men and
women? 2 — Why do they wear different
habits in each Order ? 3 — Why is a Religious
name given? 4 — Was the Blessed Virgin
Mary a Hebrew the same as Jesus?
1. The great variety of Religious Orders adds
to the strength and beauty of the Church. To
the Church we may apply the words of Holy
Writ: "The queen stood on thy right hand, in
gilded clothing, surrounded with variety." Again,
individuals are thus enabled the more easily to
strive after perfection; for the variety of Orders
accommodates the variety of temperaments,
talents and inclinations. And, yet again, because
the needs of the Church can thus be the more
easily attended to, each Order having to some
extent its own special field of activity. 2. They
wear different habits in order to be distinguished
77Q QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
from each other. 3. A religious name is given,
but only in some Orders, as a sign that they have
put off the old man and put on the new — have
begun a new life in a drastic way, losing even
their former name, so to speak. 4. Yes; also
the Blessed Virgin, as well as St. Joseph, was a
Hebrew, a descendant of the house of David.
Suppose a girl enters a Religious Order
that does teaching and nursing. Do the
Sisters have their choice in the work they
would like to follow or are their occupations
simply assigned to them, with regard to
their likes or dislikes?
A Religious must be ready for any kind of work.
No one would be accepted in a Religious Order
if reservations were made and conditions placed.
In every human institution obedience is of prime
importance. All the more so in religion, where
we give our freedom, our very will, to Jesus
through our superiors. But we find the best and
most considerate of superiors in religion. Their
spirit is the spirit of Christ, in Whose name
they assign the various tasks; and the spirit of
Christ is a spirit of kindness and gentleness. One
would have to look a long time indeed to -find in
religion the harsh and overbearing bosses so often
met with, for instance, on the street and in the
factory. Still, when we enter religion we must
be prepared for anything and everything. That
is the proper spirit and one which excludes all
disappointments. Leave everything to an all-
wise Providence and you will probably get just
that work which you can do best and which you
like most. If not, you will at least get what is
best for you.
Can you tell me about the ceremonies to
be gone through by a young man about to
become a priest?
VOCATION 77i
We give the following rather lengthy, yet con-
densed, explanation:
Behold a youth entering the collegiate depart-
ment of some seminary, inspired by the priest-
hood's lofty ideals. Six years does he spend
therein, engaged in arduous study. He then
enters the seminary proper, a more immediate
candidate for the priesthood. He spends a num-
ber of years in philosophy and begins a four
years' course in theology. Ten years have passed
and his goal is near; he is about to be introduced
into the ecclesiastical state, is about to be made
a cleric.
This is done by giving what is called the Ton-
sure. The Tonsure is not an order, but a prepa-
ration for orders. Our youth kneels before the
bishop and while the latter cuts certain portions
of his hair says, in the words of the Psalmist:
"The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and
of my cup; it is Thou that wilt restore my in-
heritance to me." The bishop cuts the tonsur-
and's hair in four places: from the forehead;
from the back of the head; from each side; and
from the crown. He then vests him with the
surplice. The cutting of the hair in the form of a
cross signifies the renunciation of the world's
vanities and the assumption of the cross of self-
denial; the vesting with the surplice is significa-
tive of the candidate's reception into the clerical
state and his consequent enjoyment of the priv-
ileges and immunities accorded to clerics by
Canon Law, such as are exemption from trial
before a civil tribunal, capability of acquiring
ecclesiastical jurisdiction, consecration to God
so special that anyone who unjustly and gravely
assaults him by that very fact falls under ex-
communication reserved to the bishop. The
Tonsure is ancient. It existed, in one form or
another, among the Levites and the Nazarites of
the Old Testament, and among the monks of the
772. QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
New. It already had ecclesiastical sanction in
the days of Gregory the Great, in the latter part
of the sixth century.
The youthful seminarian is now a cleric. Soon
he shall receive Minor Orders, shall become a
Porter, a Reader, an Exorcist, an Acolyte. Thus
he shall ascend from degree to degree, each order
conferring a certain higher power and grace.
Meanwhile he advances in knowledge and piety.
His soul is sanctified by prescribed retreats,
prayers, and fasts, is made holy and ennobled by
the sacred rite of each individual order, as the
ceremonies ever grow in dignity and gravity.
Formerly Minor Orders conferred certain
special offices; today they are a worthy prepara-
tion for Higher Orders. The rite of each is simple
but impressive, nor may they all be given at the
same occasion. The ordinands, each vested in a
surplice and holding a lighted candle in his hand,
kneel before the bishop and touch the requisite
instruments while he pronounces certain words.
Beautiful, solemn, and expressive prayers are
said in great number. We can merely touch
upon them here. But let us glance at each of
the Minor Orders separately.
Our cleric first receives the order of Porters.
Kneeling before the bishop and holding a lighted
candle in his left hand, he touches with his right
the keys of the church. Meanwhile the prelate
solemnly admonishes them all. saying "Conduct
yourselves as having to render an account to
God for those things which are kept under these
keys." It is the duty of the Porters, as the
bishop tells them, "to strike the cymbal and ring
the bell, to open the church and the sanctuary,
and the book of him that preaches." Theirs is
also the higher duty "of closing to the devil and
opening to God, by their word and example,
the invisible house of God, namely, the hearts of
the faithful."
VOCATION 773
The ordination of Readers now follows. Again
our youthful cleric kneels before the bishop.
He is vested in a surplice and holds a lighted
candle. The prelate offers him the Sacred
Scriptures or the Breviary to be touched with
the right hand, and says, "Receive and be reader
of the word of God, destined if you faithfully
and usefully fulfill your office to have a part
with those who have from the beginning ac-
quitted themselves well in the ministry of the
divine Word." It is the duty of the Readers
"to announce distinctly and clearly the words of
God " "And what you read with your
lips," the bishop tells them, "believe in your
hearts and practice by your works, so that you
may be able to teach by word and example."
Upon them is conferred the power "to read for
him who preaches, to sing the Lessons, and to
bless the bread and all the new fruits."
The third of the Minor Orders is that of the
Exorcists. As in the others so in this our cleric
kneels before the bishop. But now a book con-
taining the exorcisms (it may be the Ritual, the
Pontifical, or the Missal) is presented to him to
be touched while the bishop says, "Take and com-
mit it to memory, and have power to impose
hands on persons possessed, be they baptized or
catechumens." It is the duty of the Exorcists
"to cast out devils, to tell the people that he who
does not communicate must give way to those
who communicate, and to pour water in the
service" for washing the priest's hands during
baptism and at Mass. To this is added the
higher duty of driving "from their own minds
and bodies all uncleanness and wickedness, lest
they yield to those spirits whom by their ministry
they drive away from others." It is incumbent
upon them "to learn by their office to rule over
their passions, so that the enemy may not be
able to lay claim to anything as his own in their
774 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
conduct." In our day this office, in its more
concrete application, may only be exercised by
a priest and that with special authorization from
his bishop.
And now our seminarian is about to receive
the last of the Minor Orders: he is about to
become an Acolyte. With his right hand he
touches a candlestick with an unlighted candle.
At the same time the bishop says. ''Receive this
candlestick and candle, and know that you are
obligated to light the lamps of the church in the
name of the Lord." The bishop then gives him
an empty cruet with the words, "Receive this
cruet for supplying wine and water for the Eucha-
rist of the Blood of Christ in the name of the
Lord." It is the duty of the Acolytes "to carry
the candlestick, to light the lamps and candles
of the church, and to minister wine and water
for the Eucharist." The bishop admonishes
them, saying, "Be therefore solicitous in all
justice, goodness, and truth to illumine yourself
and others and the church of God. For then
will you worthily administer wine and water in
the sacrifice of God when by a chaste life and good
works you shall have offered yourselves as a
sacrifice to God."
A year now passes, though the bishop may
for sufficient reason dispense from the requisite
intervals here mentioned; and our Acolyte ap-
proaches the bishop for Higher Orders, for the
subdeaconship, the deaconship, and the holy
priesthood. Truly, to contract the description
of those solemn, stirring functions into few and
simple words is no easy task. But we shall,
nevertheless, endeavor to do so. These Higher
Orders are also called Sacred Orders, because
they give the cleric a right to handle the sacred
vessels, and consecrate him to God by a solemn
perpetual vow of chastity.
The subdeaconship is first conferred. The
VOCATION 775
ordinands' names are publicly called out together
with the title to which they are to be ordained.
Clad in amice, alb, and cincture, with a maniple
in their left hands, a tunic over their left arms,
and holding a lighted candle, they stand before
the bishop as a sign that they are still free. With
touching words he admonishes them "attentively
to consider, again and again, what a burden they
this day freely seek." The Litany of All Saints
is then recited by the bishop and the clergy,
during which the ordinands lie prostrate before
the altar. When it is almost finished the bishop
rises and, clad in full pontifical robes, with the
mitre on his head and the crosier in his hand,
he solemnly blesses the candidates. As they
kneel before him he explains their duties. "It
is incumbent upon the subdeacon," he says, "to
prepare water for the service of the altar, to wash
the palls of the altar and the corporals, to assist
the deacon and present him the chalice and
paten used in the Sacrifice." Then he presents to
each one an empty chalice with a paten placed
upon it to be touched with the right hand. At
the same time he says, "See whose ministry is
given to you; I admonish you, therefore, so to
comport yourselves as to be pleasing to God."
The archdeacon then presents to them to be
touched with the right hand cruets containing
wine and water, the basin, and the finger towel.
And now the prelate calls down upon them the
seven gifts of the Holy Ghost. He then draws
the amice over the head of each one and puts on
him the maniple and the tunic. He presents the
book of Epistles to be touched, saying, "Receive
this book of Epistles and have power to read
them in the holy church of God both for the liv-
ing and the dead." The ordination is finished.
Our subdeacon now takes part in the Holy Sacri-
fice. He, too, has made a twofold sacrifice. By
the very fact of receiving the subdeaconship he
776 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
has renounced self by a solemn vow of perpetual
chastity, and he has consecrated all his days and
all the hours thereof to God by taking upon him-
self the obligation of reciting the Divine Office,
the Breviary.
Three months pass away. The subdeacon is
to be ordained deacon. The ceremony takes
place during Mass and after the Epistle. The
ordinands' names are again called out and,
vested in amice, alb, cincture, and maniple, with
a stole in the left hand and a dalmatic over the
left arm and holding a lighted candle, they are
presented to the bishop. But he turns to the
clergy and people and in a loud voice invites
"anyone that may have anything against them
to come forward confidently, and to speak before
God and for the sake of God, but to be mindful
of his own condition." Thereupon he confers
ordination with its sacramental grace. Extend-
ing his hands in a most solemn manner, he im-
plores God to "look with a benignant eye on these
His servants, who are now dedicated as
deacons to the service of His holy altars." Then
he places his right hand on the head of each,
and says, "Receive the Holy Ghost in order that
you may have strength to enable you to resist
the devil and his temptations." He now vests
each one with the stole, placing it over the left
shoulder, and with the dalmatic. Lastly he pre-
sents to them the book of gospels or the Missal,
conferring at the same time "the power of reading
the Gospel in the church of God, both for the
living and the dead." It is the duty of the deacon
"to minister at the altar, to baptize and preach."
He waits upon the priest at the altar and dis-
tributes Holy Communion with the pastor's
consent. In case of necessity he may baptize,
and with the bishop's permission he may preach.
Yet another three months now pass away;
the priesthood draws nigh. The cleric is about to
VOCATION 777
be vested with the highest dignity upon earth.
Thus far the ceremonies have been solemn indeed,
but they reach their climax now. The ordinands
are once more called by name. Wearing the
dress of a deacon with a folded chasuble over the
left arm and bearing a lighted taper in the right
hand, they kneel before the bishop in a semicircle.
Again the prelate publicly calls upon those
present, saying. "Whatsoever you know of the
conduct or morals of these deacons freely make
known." He then explains to the ordinands the
office they are about to assume. "It is the duty
of the priest," he says, "to offer sacrifice, to bless,
to govern, to preach, and to baptize
Let your doctrine be spiritual medicine for the
people, let the odor of your life be the delight of
the Church of Christ, so that by your preaching
and example you may build up the family of
God " The essential parts of ordina-
tion then follow. The bishop places his hands
upon the head of each ordinand; after him all the
priests present do the same. Thereupon both
the bishop and the priests hold their right hands
extended and raised over the heads of the kneel-
ing clerics. All this is done amid a most solemn
silence. Now the bishop solemnly implores God
"to pour down upon these His servants the bless-
ing of the Holy Ghost and the strength of priestly
grace," and invests each one with the chasuble,
first arranging the stole over the breast in the
form of a cross. The "Veni Creator" is then
sung while the prelate anoints the thumb and
index finger and the palm of each one's hands
with the oil of catechumens "that whatever they
bless may be blessed, and whatever they conse-
crate may be consecrated and sanctified." After
this he presents to each one the chalice with wine
and water and the paten with the host, saying at
the same time, "Receive the power to offer sacri-
fice and to celebrate Masses both for the living
778 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
and the dead.*' The newly ordained now im-
mediately exercise their office by saying Mass
together with the bishop, thus showing in an
impressive way the unity of sacrifice and priest-
hood, of which latter the bishop is the head.
When the essential parts of the Mass are over,
the power to remit sins is conferred. Even so
the Divine Savior made priests of the Apostles
before He suffered, at the Last Supper, and gave
them the power to remit sins after His resurrec-
tion. The bishop, wearing the mitre and holding
the crosier in his hand, turns to the newly
anointed. These now recite the Apostles' Creed
aloud. Then the bishop, seated, places his hand
upon the head of each one as he kneels before
him, and says, "Receive the Holy Ghost: whose
sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them,
and whose sins you shall retain, they are re-
tained." Thereupon he unfolds each one's
chasuble, signifying thereby that the sacerdotal
power is now fully conferred. — At the close of
the solemn ceremonies he demands a promise of
obedience from the newly ordained. Taking the
folded hands of the priest between his own, he
says, "Dost thou promise to me and my suc-
cessors reverence and obedience?" The priest
answers, "I promise." Then the bishop kisses
him on the right cheek with the words, "The
peace of the Lord be with thee," to which the
answer is, "Amen." This most touching cere-
mony shows forth the tenderest of filial obedi-
ence, paternal love, internal and external peace.
The ordination is now at an end, and the bishop
gives his parting benediction to the clerics raised
to so exalted a dignity, and afterwards enjoins
upon them to say three Masses after their first
Mass, one in honor of the Holy Ghost, another
in honor of the Blessed Virgin, and a third for
the Poor Souls. At his last solemn blessing he
says, "May the blessing of Almighty God,
VOCATION 779
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, descend upon you,
that you may be blessed in the priestly orders,
and may offer propitiatory sacrifices for the sins
and offences of the people to Almighty God, to
whom be honor and glory forever and ever.
Amen."
"The Son of God," says St. Bernard, speaking
of the priest, "in calling man to that eminent
dignity, places him above the kings and em-
perors of the earth; He exalts him above angels
and archangels, thrones and dominations."
Verily, "Honor is he worthy of whom the King
(of kings) hath a mind to honor" (Esther 6:11).
What reward does a Religious (Priest,
Brother, or Sister) receive for thus conse-
crating himself or herself to God by the
holy vows?
"Let us consider the manifold advantages
which this state of life has in preference to any
other. For giving a concise view of its excellence,
we quote St. Bernard. Speaking to his religious
brethren, he says: 'Your state is of all others
the most exalted; it reaches to heaven itself;
it is like the state of angels, resembling the purity
of these spiritual beings. It belongs to others to
serve God, but to you it is given to cling to Him.
I scarcely know by what name I shall most
worthily call you: heavenly men or earthly
angels; for you live on earth, but your conver-
sation is in heaven. What a happiness, to belong
to a state of life in which man lives purer, falls
less often, rises more quickly, walks more cauti-
ously, is oftener watered with the dew of heavenly
grace, rests more securely, dies with greater
confidence, comes quicker to glory and is more
richly rewarded!'
"If we examine for a moment into these latter
characteristics of the religious life, we find that
they are very true.
780 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
" 'Man lives purer,' says St. Bernard. Why?
Because, being more intimately united with God,
he commits fewer sins; because, living only for
God and desiring to please Him alone, he does
everything with a purer intention.
"The Religious 'falls less often/ because by
means of daily meditation and other spiritual
exercises he walks more continually in the
presence of God, and reflects more frequently
upon the momentous four last things.
"He 'rises more quickly,' being under the
watchful care of his Superiors and having op-
portunity of oftener approaching the Sacrament
of Penance.
"The Religious 'walks more cautiously,' be-
cause his conscience is more susceptible; because
the good example of his fellow-Religious is ever
before him, drawing him to greater fervor.
"The Religious 'is oftener watered with the
dew of heavenly grace.' Graces in abundance
flow to him from his various spiritual exercises,
such as meditation, Holy Mass, Confession,
Communion, adoration of the Blessed Sacra-
ment, spiritual reading, conferences.
"He 'rests more securely,' because he is to a
greater extent master of his passions, and because
he sees in all that may happen only the adorable
providence of a good God.
"He 'dies with greater confidence,' because,
having left all things for Christ, there are no ties
which bind him to this world; because he longs
for his heavenly home and for the God for Whom
he so generously sacrificed all.
"He 'comes quicker to glory,' because his re-
ligious profession is as it were a second baptism;
because thereafter his life is more full of good
works performed in a spirit of penence; because
after his death his fellow-Religious the world
over pray for him.
"Finally, the Religious 'is more richly re-
VOCATION 781
warded, * because all his works during life were
done with the best possible intention and because
their merit is twofold, namely, that of the works
themselves and that accruing to them in virtue
of the holy vows.
"From this we can realize to a certain extent
how true it is when we are told that the
vocation to the religious life is the greatest grace,
Baptism alone excepted, which God can bestow
upon a soul.
"But it is only right that we here consider
another phase of the religious life, a phase seem-
ingly far less attractive, but in reality not so.
To quote St. Bernard again: 'It (the religious
life) is a perpetual martyrdom; less terrible,
indeed, than that bloody one in which the mem-
bers are hewn by the sword, but more wearisome
by reason of its duration.' Yes, the religious
life is full of Calvary and the cross; and the
nails which fasten self-sacrificing souls to this
cross are the three vows of poverty, chastity,
and obedience.
"He who voluntarily spurns all that the en-
ticing world can offer him, who casts off the
chains of self-love and renounces his own will in
the religious life makes a generous sacrifice,
does a most noble deed. But God never suffers
Himself to be outdone in generosity. Such a
one 'shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess
life everlasting.' When his every temporal want
is supplied, when graces and blessings are
showered upon him in unspeakable profusion,
when the sweetnesses of divine consolations
well-nigh overwhelm him, then will he feel that
it is good to be with Jesus — on the cross. Exer-
tions, trials, rebuffs, disappointments, misunder-
standings, humiliations — all these will not be
wanting. 'Whom God loveth He chastiseth.'
The crown can not be won without a struggle.
But after the fervent Religious has fought the
78z QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
good fight, the Master he served so well will
place him, crowned with eternal life, 'among the
Princes of His kingdom' and associate him with
Himself in the final judgment of the world."
(W. H., S. D S.)
Why is it that the members of an Order
or Congregation are called Religious, just
as if the rest of us were not?
Of course every Catholic worthy of the name,
that is, one who conscientiously keeps the com-
mandments and who, therefore, practices the
Christian virtues in the degree required of him,
may justly be called religious. But it seems
more natural to apply this word, as a title, ex-
clusively to those persons who aim at the attain-
ment of Christian perfection through the obser-
vance of the evangelical counsels of poverty,
chastity, and obedience in an Order or Congre-
gation approved by the Church. Hence the ex-
pressions: "He has entered religion"; "He has
been so long in religion"; "His name in religion
is this"; "He is a Religious." They deserve the
title. As St. Thomas wisely remarks: "If any-
thing may be predicated of many persons, those
individuals have the principal claim to it who
possess it in the highest degree, or who practice
it in its perfection."
Another reason may be given as follows:
Religion is the virtue that induces us to pay to
God the homage due to Him; and the highest
act of religion, the one which corresponds to all
that God is, is sacrifice; for which reason the
Savior, our Pattern, was above all a living sacri-
fice to His Father.
But now, every soul consecrated to God by
vows is also, in union with the Savior, a victim,
a holocaust, a sacrifice, laid, as it were, upon the
sacred altar, .to be consumed as a whole burnt-
offering
VOCATION 783
Therefore, since in this state and by the dis-
position of this state, the soul consecrated to
God truly fulfils, so far as in her lies, all the
duties of the virtue of religion, her rightful name,
the title that best answers to her state and vo-
cation, is the name and the title of Religious.
How can I know for sure whether I am
called to the religious life?
Meditate, read, deliberate, pray, consult. We
say "deliberate"; and this reminds us that you
should bear in mind that deliberation is not to
be done by you alone, but by the Order as well.
We have been asked this question so often that
we give the following extract from Principles of
the Religious Life (By Fr. Cotel, S. J. Benziger.)
It answers your question concisely, yet clearly
and fully:
"The part of the candidate is solely to dis-
cover whether he have the will, according to our
Lord's words to the young man in the Gospel:
'If thou wilt be perfect' (Matt. 19:21). As,
however, there is question here of a call on the
part of God, and as our Lord says elsewhere:
'You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you'
(John 15:16), the candidate sounds his will to
learn whether God be willing jointly with him,
and in consequence whether he himself be willing
rightly, that is, in response to God's moving grace
which is the principal cause of every good will
in man. 'For it is God Who worketh in you,
both to will and to accomplish, according to His
good will' (Phil. 2:13). Now the ordinary means
of deciding this all-important question is to
examine two things: first, whether his wish to
enter religion be according to right reason, that
is, not a passing whim or a mere emotional im-
pulse, and not contrary to any obligation which
might lawfully retain him elsewhere; and
secondly, whether his wish to enter be purely
784 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
and truly for God, and not the prompting of
human or unworthy motives. At least it is
essential that the dominant motives be super-
natural ones.
"Such is the candidate's part. He may need
a director or superiors to guide him by their
counsel, and to protect him from illusions, but
no one can make up his mind for him except
himself.
"It is the part of the religious society to judge
whether this same candidate be fit for the voca-
tion in question, and to render the final decision
as to whether or not there be really a call from
God. For, to say nothing of possible illusions
proceeding from the devil or from self-love,
illusions which good will alone does not always
dispel, grace itself sometimes inspires a good de-
sire without decreeing its actual fulfilment. The
good desire, in such a case, is already meritori-
ous; but the sacrifice which is made of it in order
to conform to God's will may be still more so.
Religious superiors therefore study the qualities
of the candidate in reference to their institute:
his physical qualities, health and strength of
body; his mental endowments, soundness and
depth of mind, capabilities already acquired and
aptitudes for acquiring new ones; his moral
traits, inclinations, habits, and character. When
it comes to this, the candidate must understand
that he is no longer the judge. Were he to pro-
nounce the decision, he might err through igno-
rance or presumption, or even through excessive
modesty. His sole duty is to answer franky the
questions that are put to him, and to be sincere
in revealing himself.
"The second probation, or the noviceship* gives
the candidate an actual trial of the religious life
with its difficulties according to the particular
institute in question. Its purpose is to provide
a practical confirmation of his election, his ad-
VOCATION 785
mission, and his whole vocation. If the novice
undergo this test faithfully it will furnish a de-
cisive proof of the genuineness of his vocation.
Even though something may have been lacking
in the work of the first probation, if the second
one be well done it will be vain for the tempter
thereafter to seek to disturb the soul. Whatever
may have been the deficiencies of the novice's
first deliberation, one might well say to him now:
'You have knowingly persevered in this vocation
after having a fuller experience of it; you have
sought in it God's will and your own perfection;
not only therefore has the first act been ratified,
but any deficiencies there may have been in it
have now been remedied.' — After the com-
pletion of his first probation the novice's duty is
no longer to deliberate, as though he had still
his choice to make. Such indecision would
paralyze his will. He must now submit courage-
ously to the trials of the novitiate, and acquire the
virtues and habits of the religious life, according
to the institute to which God has called him."
Is there a sisterhood willing to receive
girls who are hard of hearing? One willing
to receive such as are otherwise handi-
capped?
It seems that no order is willing to receive
sickly or crippled or otherwise handicapped
women into its community, except perhaps as
deaf, sickly, crippled, or otherwise handicapped
Oblates. If any one who reads this has infor-
mation to the contrary, we will be deeply grateful
for particulars. About all that can be done by
a woman handicapped by age or physical defects
is to present her case in person to a nearby com-
munity and then await the Superior's or Chapter's
decision pro or con, as circumstances may warrant
in that particular case. She may repeat the
786 QUESTIONS OF CATHOLICS ANSWERED
attempt, of course, if she has reason to think
that she will be accepted elsewhere.
"Many are called, but few are chosen."
Do these words from the Gospel apply to
the call to the religious life, to which call so
few respond?
Those solemn words from the Gospel are
subject to a variety of interpretations and ap-
plications. They can also be applied to the re-
ligious life. Just as among men of this world,
who are called by Almighty God to receive His
faith and grace, the greater part are sinners who
resist this calling, while a comparatively few who
are just respond to it, consent to it, and thus
remain elect for the kingdom of heaven; even so
among the just who are called to a perfect life
(or to the state of perfection which is the re-
ligious life) there are many who resist this calling
and live in lukewarmness, contenting themselves
with mediocrity or with what is absolutely
necessary for salvation, whereas there are but
few who accept this call and thus become the
"chosen" and perfect; for always what is preci-
ous is also rare.
In a sermon at a convent on the day when
Sisters took their vows I heard it said that
"religious profession is a second baptism."
What does this mean?
This is an expression used by the holy Doctors
of the Church. It means that the profession of
religious vows wipes away sins, causes the old
man to perish in us, and imparts new life to the
soul; and these three effects are similar to those
of baptism.
Religious profession remits all sins, as baptism
does, though this analogy must be properly under-
stood, in the sense, namely, that profession remits
only the penalty due to sins whose guilt has already
VOCATION 787
been forgiven either by confession, necessary for
mortal sins, or by contrition, in case of venial
sins. But it is hard to imagine a religious offering
himself as a holocaust without having a great
love of God, which contains at least implicitly
the detestation of his slightest failings. So ac-
cording to the teaching of the theologians, follow-
ing St. Thomas and St. Antoninus, there is on
that occasion such a complete remission of the
temporal punishment due to sin that, if a re-
ligious were to die immediately after pronounc-
ing his vows, he would go straight to heaven with-
out passing through purgatory.
Which profession is here meant, temporary or
perpetual? St. Thomas and most of the other
theologians who have followed him have in mind
only the profession of perpetual vows. But it
would seem that temporary profession should
have the same effect if it is made with intense
fervor and the desire of consecrating one's whole
life to God, since, if so disposed, even in temporary
profession we have the highest act of satisfaction
for sin that it is in man's power to offer to God,
inasmuch as at that moment he sacrifices to God
everything, including himself. And how about
the renovation of vows? Father Cotel, S. J.,
says: "It seems that the fervent renovation of
vows should participate proportionately in this
merit of their first emission; and that every
one may hope for this result, measured by the
fervor of the dispositions with which he renews
his vows." (Cf. Principles of the Religious Life.
— Cotel. Jombart, Bouscaren. Published by
Benziger Brothers.)
' By -J - ' i n'c
T Containing tep-
tt 298 quesuons not
led in "Qnesuons °t
Colics Answered
Abraham's sacrifice, 719.
Abstinence and non-
Catholics, 233.
Acolytes, Order of, 774.
Advice for the overanxi-
ous, 144.
Advice for the scrupulous,
124.
Advice to one going with
non-Catholic, 197.
Affairs of children, Prying
into, 214.
Age for company-keeping,
168, 194.
Alexander VI, 483.
Alb, 365.
Altar furnishings, Touch-
ing, 389.
Altar, Privileged, 379.
Altars, Nothing too preci-
ous for, 641.
A. M. D. G., Meaning of,
718.
Amice, 365.
Amusements, 192.
Anesthetics, Principles re-
garding, 569.
Anesthesia, Total, 568,
Angel, Definition of an,
498.
Angels —
Choirs of, 683.
First Mass and, 385.
Hierarchies of, 683.
Sin of the, 498.
Time of the creation
of the, 497.
Why departed babies
are called, 505.
Angelus bell, The, 447.
Angelus, The, 425.
Posture to take when
saying the, 446.
Anger, 551.
Animal, Man not an, 649.
Anxiety about the past, 113.
Apostate, 408.
Archangels, The, 682.
Art Museums, Visiting, 51.
Assent, Religious and in-
ternal, 647.
Assistance at non-Catholic
religious services, 341.
Active assistance at,
401.
Association with Protes-
tants, 413.
Association of children,
Watching over, 222.
Astrology, 618, 627.
Atheists, 679.
Avoidance of occasions,
128.
B
Baccalaureate service in
Protestant church, 397.
Back-biting, 607.
Seriousness of, 610.
Bacon grease in preparing
food on Friday, 228.
Baking on Sunday, 622.
Balzac, Works of, 639.
Baptism —
Abjuration before, 8.
Adult in danger of
death and, 19.
and dying non-Catho-
lic infants, 27.
and spiritual relation-
ship, 13.
and reception into the
Church, 8.
and strangers, 14.
by immersion, 4.
by pouring, 4.
of adults in danger of
death, 33.
of child whose parents
do not support
Church, 471.
of children, 1.
of converts, 7.
of desire, 2, 742.
of water, 4.
Beer as matter for, 29.
789
79°
GENERAL INDEX
Ceremonies of sup-
plied, 16.
Coffee as matter for,
29.
Conditional, 7, 29.
Duties of sponsors at,
9.
Fluid used in, 28.
Free will necessary
for, 19.
Holy water and, 18.
Hospital and, 14.
How to administer
private, 6.
Knowledge required
for, 19.
Lay, 18.
Milk as matter for, 29.
Miscarriage and, 6.
Modes of outside of
Church, 7.
Name to be given in,
15.
Necessity of, 1.
Necessity of water for,
4.
Obligation of sponsors
at, 11.
Pastor for, 14.
Protestant, 26.
Religious profession a
second, 787.
Salt used in, 15.
Sorrow for sin and, 8.
Sponsors at and
Easter Duty, 23.
Sponsors by proxy at,
13.
What the sponsors at
are to do, 9.
Who may act as
sponsors at, 12.
Who may not act as
sponsors at, 12.
Bazaars, Contributing to
non-Catholic, 395.
Beads missing on rosary,
272.
Beads said in disjointed
manner, 254.
Beard, May priests wear
a, 473.
Beatific Vision, 523.
Beauty of soul, 45.
Bell, The passing, 440.
Benevolence, Social, 396.
Bible—
and the Church, 653.
Are Catholics allowed
to read the, 414.
Difficulties of the, 654.
The Church the cus-
todian of the, 414.
To what extent it is
the infallible word
of God, 653.
Translations of the,
414.
Biretta, 366.
Birth control a mortal sin,
301.
Catholic position on,
329.
Encyclical on Chris-
tian Marriage and,
301.
Legitimate, 328.
_. — jyny unnatural, 343.
Birth, Fate pronounced at,
652.
Bishop and Catholic edu-
cation, 201.
Bishop's mitre, staff, etc.,
Meaning of, 718.
Blasphemy, 601.
Blessed Sacrament, Rosary
said before the, 275.
Blessed Trinity, Doctrine
of the, 635.
Blessed Virgin's death, 637
Blessing of fruits and herbs
on Assumption, 427.
Blessing of St. Blase, 710.
Blessing of preacher, 482.
Blessing, The priest's, 436.
Body missed by soul after
death. 705.
Body, Soul will be happy
without the, 502.
GENERAL INDEX
79i
Books forbidden by the
Church, 393, 695.
Books for sex instruction,
206.
Bowing of head at Eleva-
tion, 362.
Boxing, 599.
Brains, whether meat or
fish, 235.
Branch theory, 643.
Breast, Striking the, 422.
Brethren, Our separated,
409.
Bridesmaid at Protestant
wedding, 299, 342.
Bridget, Rosary of St., 464.
Burial —
Choice of place of, 660.
Deprivation of ecclesi-
astical, 689.
of amputated limbs,
703.
of baptized children,
677.
of baby from church,
713.
place of St. Peter, 662.
Calling names, 604.
Call to a higher life, The,
753.
Calumny, 608.
Candidate for religious life,
784.
Candle to be near dead
body, 711.
Canonization of Little
Flower, 660.
Capital punishment, 647.
Capital sins, 575.
Card playing, 193.
Caresses, 174.
Catholic Church, The
term, 642.
Catholic joining Protes-
tant church, 398, 408.
Catholic, Why I am a, 411.
Celibacy, 746.
Cemeteries, 713.
Chalice of St. Benedict,
711.
Chances, Selling of, 591.
Change, Returning of too
much, 559.
Charity, Effects of act of
perfect, 447.
Charity towards the
neighbor, 560.
Chastity, Dispensation
from vow of, 616, 750.
Chastity regained, 701.
Chasuble, 366.
Child, Giving away a, 325.
Children —
and the movies, 215.
attending Protestant
Sunday School, 399.
Illegitimate, 499.
Number married must
have, 329.
must help parents,
759.
Obligation of to re-
ceive Sacraments,
675.
staying out late, 216.
Choice of work in the re-
ligious life, 770.
Chiliasm, 539.
Christ Child in art, 57,
58, 59.
Christmas cards, Neither
returning nor paying for,
615.
Christmas, Date of, 715.
Church legislation regard-
ing Catholic education,
204.
Church support, Obliga-
tion of, 477.
Church, Treasures of the,
640.
Churching —
Ceremony of, 212.
Meaning of, 211.
Cincture, 365.
Coins found, When one
may keep, 559.
792-
GENERAL INDEX
Commands of God not im-
possible, 304.
Communication with the
dead, 705.
Communion —
Absolution before, 90.
Acts before and after,
107.
Age for confession
and, 225.
Attitude at Holy, 89.
Chewing gum and, 88.
Confessor's permission
for receiving, 92.
and impure dream, 99.
in the afternoon, 80.
on Friday and absti-
nence, 71.
twice on the same day,
93.
under both kinds, 78.
Dispositions for fre-
quent, 98.
Drinking immediately
after, 104.
Duration of Real
Presence after Holy,
74.
Effects of Holy, 99.
Eucharistic fast after,
76.
Frequent, 95, 686.
Genuflection after, 86.
Knowledge required
by children for, 105.
Manner of receiving,
364.
Omitting because of
temptations, 108.
Receiving the Father
and the Holy Ghost
in, 101.
Receiving for another,
86.
Requisites for of
children, 72.
Right intention for
Holy, 98.
Singing during, 361.
Smoking before, 87.
Spiritual Communion
in mortal sin, 97.
Stomach washing after
receiving, 76.
Swallow of water be-
fore Holy, 239.
Swallowing the Host
as soon as possible,
102.
Thanksgiving after
Holy, 75.
Company-keeping, 168.
with a non-Catholic,
184.
Complexion, Remarking
on another's, 585.
Conduct of those planning
on entering the religious
or priestly state, 755.
Confession —
Act of contrition in,
138.
Advantages of fre-
quent, 155.
Amendment of life
after, 147.
Benefits derived from
frequent, 162.
in danger of death,
122.
of St. Augustine, 445.
of the deaf, 150.
of women, 153.
Devotional, 157.
hearing of relatives,
141.
Jurisdiction for hear-
ing, 481.
Liberty of choosing
one's confessor, 131.
Lying in, 121.
Matter for, 140.
Method of making,
145.
Method of making a
general, 131.
Necessity of general,
165.
Omission of, 92.
Postponement of. 119.
GENERAL INDEX
793
Promises made in,
126.
Purpose of amend-
ment in, 127.
Questions put by the
confessor in, 152.
Questioning of peni-
tent in, 117.
Refusing absolution
in, 139.
Retaining of sins in,
166.
Sins forgotten in, 133.
Spiritual direction in,
466.
Uncertainty of having
confessed, 134.
Uncertainty about
having sinned, 36.
Using prayerbook in,
130.
Weekly, 111.
Writing down of, 151.
Confessional —
Advice in the, 137.
Confessional grate,
451.
Secrecy as regards the
penitent in the, 136.
What to say before
leaving the, 452.
Confidence in the mercy of
God, 733.
Confidences in courtship,
180.
Confirmation —
in mortal sin, 574.
Ministers of, 677.
when instituted, 712.
Consent of parent for em-
bracing religious life,
752.
Contraception a grievous
sin, 327.
Contributions towards
false religions, 404.
Contrition —
Act of perfect, 161.
Acts of, 462.
Effects of act of per-
fect, 447.
Excellence of perfect,
563.
Explanation of an act
of perfect, 448, 452.
Imperfect, 132.
Motives for perfect,
461.
Principles on true sor-
row in, 159.
when sufficient, 120.
Contumely, 608.
Conversion —
How to advise one
who is thinking of,
400.
Praying for one's, 419.
Conviction, Joining the
Church out of, 599.
Co-operation in sin, 314.
Correspondence —
against parents'
wishes, 188.
with non - Catholic,
199.
Cosmetics, 41.
Councils, Infallibility of
teaching of, 653.
Counsels to be freely fol-
lowed, 754.
Creation, 694.
Creation of human soul,
Time of, 305.
Creature, Man a rational,
650.
Creed and believer, 340.
Cremation, 633.
Crocheting on Sundays,
544.
Crown of twelve stars,
Mary's, 458.
Cruelty to animals, 561.
Cursing, 602.
Damnation in hell, The,
517.
794
GENERAL INDEX
Dances, 59, 61, 192.
Furnishing music at,
594.
Playing on Sunday at,
598.
Saturday night, 158.
before Holy Com-
munion, 61.
in Advent and Lent,
563, 597.
on St. Patrick's day,
563.
on Sunday, 595.
when an occasion of
sin, 598.
Public dance hall, 60,
61.
Dangers of company-keep-
ing, 170.
Darkness at the cruci-
fixion, 714.
Deaconship, 776.
Dead, Embalming of the,
720.
Deaf, Sisterhood for the,
785.
Death—
and the cross, 736.
a punishment, 705.
Deathbed repentance,
123.
God's foreknowledge
of our, 731.
swallowed up by
Christ, 706.
what it is, 699.
Debts, Paying a deceased
father's, 690.
Decision of Supreme Court
in Oregon school case,
203.
Declaration of nullity, 293.
Dedication of children to
Blessed Virgin, 210.
Delivery —
Prayer for a happy,
456.
Thanksgiving for a
happy, 457.
Description of decent
dress, 43.
Despair, 583, 666.
Destruction of the un-
born, 335.
Detraction, 608.
Listening to or slan-
der, 609.
When to refute, 577.
Devil, Prayers of Church
against the, 526.
Devils on earth, 509.
Discouragement, 585.
Disparity of worship, 309.
Dispensation for first
cousins, 195.
Disregard of priest's ad-
vice, 150.
Dissection of human
bodies, 594.
Divination, 570.
Divine Office —
Merit of reciting, 426.
Posture in reciting,
474.
Divorce —
and the Church, 288.
Remedy for, 289.
Chance of heaven for
divorcee, 317.
Dogmas, 467.
Dolors, Rosary of the
Seven, 465.
Domestic labors, 544.
Doubtful mortal sin, 95.
Doubt, Negative, 231.
Doubt whether food is
abstinence food, 231.
Drawing figures in the
nude, 50.
Dreams, Believing in, 618,
696.
Drinking to excess, 557.
Drippings, 236.
and soup, 242.
Drugs to prison inmates,
593.
Drunkenness, Causing
another to sin by, 595.
Dusting on Sunday, 622.
GENERAL INDEX
795
Dying, Apostolate to As-
sist the, 741.
Easter, Date of, 715.
Easter Duty, 84.
Easter water, 417.
Elevation and playing of
organ, 361.
Emulation, 624.
Encyclicals, Infallibility
of, 647.
Enemies, Love of, 600.
Entering Protestant
church, 401.
Envy, 624.
Envy in heaven, 503.
Epiphany on Friday and
abstinence, 244.
Erroneous conscience, 114.
Eternal punishment, 510.
Eternity of punishment,
542.
Everlasting punishment,
536.
Evil drawn out of good,
679.
Evil, Mystery of, 635.
Evolution, What a Catho-
lic may believe about,
700.
Example, Good, 613.
Example, not words, to be
followed, 704.
Executioner, Catholic as
public, 667.
Executioners and priest-
hood, 668.
Exemption from abstinence
Age for, 229.
Exorcists, Order of, 773.
Explanation of texts —
"Many are called. . .",
496.
"The living and the
dead," 541.
"Vanity of Vanities,"
658.
Expressions —
Ambiguous, 579.
Vulgar, 602.
Extreme Unction, 673.
Apparent death and,
685.
Definition of, 684.
Effects of, 515, 684.
not to be deferred,
675.
of children, 675.
Preparation of sick
room, 77.
Salvation through,
688.
Unconsciousness and,
688. ,
What to do when the
priest comes, 77.
When to receive, 516.
Fads and follies of female
dress, 39.
Fallen-away Catholic, 294.
Falling Host, 89.
Familiarities, 174.
Fashion, Mania for, 44.
Fast-
Age for exemption
from, 229.
before Midnight Mass,
82, 239.
Chewing gum and
Eucharistic, 238.
Children breaking the
Eucharistic, 103.
Condition for Euchar-
istic, 87.
Dispensation from be-
tween Masses, 374.
Doubt about breaking
the Eucharistic, 94.
Gravity of breaking
Eucharistic, 239.
Obligation of fallen-
away Catholic to
observe fast and ab-
stinence, 243.
796
GENERAL INDEX
Vigil of Christmas and
fast and abstinence,
237.
Who are excused from,
229.
Faults, Speaking of one's
own, 608.
Fear of hell, 486.
of the Lord, 486, 512,
528.
Feeling and will, Differ-
ence between, 601.
Fish, Definition of, 230.
Flowers at funerals, 737.
Following of priest's ad-
vice, 166.
Food for pregnant
mothers, 726.
Forensic works, 598.
Forgotten penance, 161.
Fortune-telling, 556.
Fourth Commandment,
Extent of, 576.
Freemasons, 402.
Friday abstinence —
Reason for, 234.
When excused from,
241.
Who are excused from,
227.
Frog legs, how classed, 235.
Gambling, 193.
Definition of, 628.
Garments of Our Lord in
heaven, 740.
Gelatine —
Definition of, 233.
on abstinence days,
232.
Genuflection —
How to make, 390.
on Holy Thursday, 90.
God, Foreknowledge of,
652.
God loved above all things,
449.
God the Father, No special
feastday to, 416.
God will have all men to
be saved, 662.
Going out with boys, 178.
Going out with divorced
person, 196.
Gospel for last Sunday
after Pentecost, 209.
Gospel, Posture of priest
during the, 389.
Grace —
before and after meals,
578.
Definition of, 768.
Gregorian Masses, 370.
H
Handwriting, Analysis of,
556.
Health, Proper care of,
587.
Hearsays, 614.
Heathen Babes, 22.
Heaven —
a place, 488.
Degrees of happiness
of the blessed in,
503.
Joys of, 499.
Passing away of, 495.
The essential happi-
ness of, 523.
When the soul goes to,
534.
Hebrew, Blessed Virgin a,
770.
Heirs, Rights and duties
of, 691.
Hell—
a place, 489.
and the mercy of God,
509.
Hell-fire, 536.
Hell fourfold, 21.
Imagination and, 537.
Teaching of Church
on, 511, 535.
GENERAL INDEX
797
Three kinds of, 692.
Unhappiness at
thought of relative
in, 501.
When the soul goes to,
535.
Heredity, 724.
Heretic, 408.
Heroic Act, 380, 531.
and indulgence at the
hour of death, 280.
does not prevent our
praying for others,
533.
Holding rosary in hand,
259.
Holy Coat of Treves, 428.
Holydays of obligation,
244.
Holy Ghost, Sin against
the, 667.
Holy Orders, 469.
Holy Trinity, No compre-
hension of, 500.
Holy water —
St. Teresa on, 492.
Use of, 554.
Holy Week interruption,
371.
Home amusements, 193.
Home-training most im-
portant, 214.
Home, Vigil lights in the,
459.
Honesty, 559.
Horoscope, 627.
Hosts, why round, 351.
Human nature, 636.
Human respect, 586.
Humility, An explanation
of the virtue of, 630.
Husband more than
mother, 659.
Husband, Praying for a,
182.
I
Idleness, 625.
Ignorance in matters of
sex, 208.
Ignorance of true religion^
Invincible, 681.
Illegitimacy and the priest-
hood, 714.
Immaculate Conception,
The, 655.
Immodest talk, Listening
to, 56.
Immortality, 635.
Scripture proofs of,
665.
Impediment of con-
sanguinity, Reasons for,
310.
Impediment of spiritual
relationship, 348.
Impediments to religious
life, 786.
Impure sins and the king-
dom of heaven, 64.
Impurity is mortal sin, 48.
Impurity, why forbidden,
66-68.
Incarnation, Meaning of,
657.
Index of forbidden books,
The, 639.
Indulgences —
Additions or inter-
polations in in-
dulgenced prayers,
264.
Application of to poor
souls, 283.
Apostolic blessing
and, 284.
Brigittine, 269.
cannot be gained for
the living, 252.
Certainty of gaining,
260.
Chapel of Sisters and
gaining of, 277.
Children under seven
and, 263.
Communion and, 252.
Concise summary of
information about,
281.
798
GENERAL INDEX
Conditions for gain-
ing, 252.
Confession and, 252.
Crosier, 269.
Crosier rosary, 275.
Crucifix with stations,
273, 442.
Difficulty of gaining,
265.
Dominican rosary,
269.
Efficacy of, 282.
Efficacy of plenary,
278.
for gaining for oneself
and for the dead,
282.
for the Angelus, 447.
for the dying, 255.
for the Heroic Act,
439.
for the Stations of the
Cross, 272.
for visiting the Blessed
Sacrament, 280.
Group praying and,
258.
Intention for gaining,
249.
Jubilee, 270.
Loss of, 256.
Meaning of, 246.
Meaning of one
hundred days, 247.
Mental prayer and,
267.
not lost by lending
rosary, 257.
Papal, 285.
Plenary and partial,
248.
Plenary for the hour
of death, 285.
Visits to church for
gaining, 249, 267.
when applicable to the
poor souls, 270.
when vocal prayer is
required for, 253.
when suspicious, 264.
Instruction of self, Catho-
lic, 444.
Instructions in sex matters,
206.
Insurance examination,
726.
Insurance policies, 727.
Intoxication and court-
ship, 183.
Investigation in matters
of faith, 467.
Invocation of saints, 429.
Ireland, Permission to sub-
due, 716.
Irregularity, 668.
Jokes —
Improper and impure,
56.
Laughing at, 64, 65.
K
Key of tabernacle, 387.
Killing, Unintentional,
338.
Kissing, Sensible advice
on, 171.
Kissing the hand of the
priest, 482.
Kissing, when sinful, 176.
Kiss, The good-night, 177.
Knowledge of blessed re-
garding things on earth,
524.
Knowledge of the blessed,
497.
Labor unions and the
Church, 637.
Lamp, Sanctuary, 722.
Last Day, 540.
Last Judgment, how given,
542.
Law of abstinence, 228.
Laziness, 586.626.
GENERAL INDEX
799
Legal freedom, 315.
Legislation on Catholic
education, 200.
Letters I H S, Meaning of
the, 714.
Letters of others, Reading
the, 582.
Liberal in doctrine, 406.
Liberties in courtship, 188.
Life-
Living an upright,
680.
Long and good, 213.
Preservation of, 587.
Shortening of one's,
589.
Limbo, Condition of
children in, 29.
Limbo of infants, 5, 21.
Linens, Touching sacred,
387.
Liquefaction of blood of
St. Januarius, 712.
Liquor, Sins under in-
fluence of, 617.
Litanies, The approved,
456.
Looking upon the Host,
363.
Love, Various kinds of,
560.
Loyola, The name, 739.
Lucifer, Who will occupy
throne of, 504.
Lutheran church, 411.
M
Magazines, 588.
Major Orders, 774.
Maniple, 365.
Marks of the Church, 430.
Marriage —
Abortion, 22, 306.
Adultery, a cause of
separation, 296.
Affinity, Impediment
of, 349.
After divorce attempt-
ing, 198, 295.
Bad Catholic and, 319.
Baptismal certificate
before, 198.
Bed and board, Sepa-
ration from, 296.
before Justice of
Peace, 306.
Blood-relations, 311.
Bond of previous, 294.
Companionate, 290.
Canonical age for,304.
Canonical reasons for
separation, 297.
Civil separation, 297.
Conditions for obtain-
ing dispensation for
mixed, 309.
Conduct during preg-
nancy, 723.
Conversion before,
190.
Customary age in the
U. S., 305.
Dispensation for, 292.
Divorce after invalid,
223.
Encyclical on Chris-
tian, 334.
Essence of, 331.
Excommunication and
divorced Catholics,
198.
Fallen-away Catholic
and, 320.
Form of Catholic, 312.
How to handle money
after, 323.
in home, 316.
Intention of, 168.
License in rectifying
of, 314.
Mixed, 184.
Necessity of love for,
179.
not a reformatory, 183.
of non-Catholics
among themselves,
312.
of non-Catholics
by priest, 323.
8oo
GENERAL INDEX
of second cousins, 310.
Prevention of concep-
tion, 327.
Prevention of mixed,
290.
Principles with di-
vorced person re-
garding, 308.
Promises in mixed,
309.
Relationship and, 318.
Remarriage in the
Church, 307.
Second cousins and,
319.
Second marriage, 317.
Self-restraint in, 331.
Separation, 289.
Sterility, 346.
What to do before a
mixed, 189.
Why Church objects
to mixed, 298.
with divorced person,
291.
Witnesses for, 291,
319.
without love, 179.
with uncle, 316.
Marshmallows on absti-
nence days, 232.
Martyrdom, 697.
and heaven, 496.
Religious life a per-
petual, 781.
Mary ever Virgin, 657.
Mary Magdalen, 701.
Mason and Catholic, 396.
Masonic sects and Catho-
lics, 399.
Mass —
and excommunicated
person, 372.
and the Eucharistic
fast, 374.
Application of, 368.
Assistance at, 355.
Attending weekday,
548.
Attending two or
three, 352.
Banns of marriage and
missing, 381.
Bination, 351.
Bride at first, 766.
Coming late for, 385.
Difference between
High and Low, 368.
Different kinds of,
386.
Elevation of Host and
chalice, 361.
Excommunication and
Sunday, 375.
Expectant mothers
and hearing, 725.
for deceased child, 380.
for non-Catholics, 353.
for oneself, 373.
Fourfold fruits of the,
384.
Fruits of, 367.
Genuflection during,
378.
Hearing Mass over
the radio, 383.
High Mass better,
353.
How to assist at, 350.
How to confess mis-
sing, 379.
in bedroom, 366.
in honor of saint, 367.
Kyrie of the, 366.
Low and High, 367.
Mementoes during,
380.
Methods of hearing,
357.
Nuptial, 286.
Obligation of hearing,
355.
Posture during High,
443.
Prayerbook at, 350.
Presence at, 354.
Priest dying during,
377.
GENERAL INDEX
801
Reasons that excuse
from, 382.
Rosary at, 357.
Rubrics for faithful
during Low, 444.
Simultaneously hear-
ing several, 391.
Solemn, 386.
Spiritual bouquets of,
738.
Stipend for High, 372,
373.
the greatest and best
prayer, 750.
Vestments of, 364.
Votive Mass of the
Angels, 677.
Wearing of black vest-
ments, 369.
What parts the choir
sings at, 359.
When excused from
hearing, 375.
When sickness excuses
from, 376.
When to play organ
at, 360.
Meat —
Amount required for
grievous sin on Fri-
day, 241.
Definition of, 231.
on Friday for working
men, 235.
Medals, The wearing of,
463.
Meddling in affairs of
others, 292.
Meditation when saying
the rosary, 438.
Mental reservation, 579,
629.
Mercy of God, 662.
Merit, 532.
No more merit after
death, 706.
lost by mortal sin, 125.
Reviviscence of, 693.
Methodism, 410.
Minor Orders, 772.
Miracles, 715.
Misfortunes permitted by
God, 716.
Missal, 356.
Use of, 354.
Models, Posing as nude, 52.
Monuments, Funeral, 659.
Moral evils, Why God per-
mits, 678.
Morgue, 294.
Mortal and venial sin, Al-
ways distinguishing be-
tween, 604.
Mortal sin remembered
during absolution, 154.
Mortal sin, Time necessary
for, 562.
Mother, Highest happiness
of a Catholic, 760.
Motherhood, Saint to pray
to at approaching, 324.
Mother of Little Flower,
224.
Mother's duty in training
to chastity, 208.
Mothers, Saints for ex-
pectant, 456.
Mourning, Period of, 737.
Movies, 193.
after confession and
before Communion,
56, 57.
and modesty, 47.
Attending improper,
53.
Musical programs, Non-
Catholic, 394.
Music to be avoided in
church, 361.
Mystery, Definition of a,
657.
N
Name, The religious, 770.
Narcotics, Use of, 567.
Narrow - mindedness and
Catholics, 405.
Nature and person, Dis-
tinction between, 636.
8oi
GENERAL INDEX
Necessity of young people
meeting each other, 182.
Newspaper and children,
220.
Non-Catholic as best man,
318.
Novenas —
Making of, 418.
to different saints, 428.
Noviceship, 784.
Nudity in art, 59.
Number of the saved, 510.
Number of the saved and
lost, 527.
Numbers, Odd, 727.
Nuptial Blessing, 286.
Nurses, A prayer to be re-
cited by, 460.
Obedience and children of
legal age, 590.
Obedience in the family,
592.
Obedience to parents in
matters of vocation, 187.
Obligation of Catholic edu-
cation grave, 204.
Obligation of parents re-
garding children's ob-
servance of precepts,
225.
Obligation of parents to
send children to Catho-
lic school, 200.
Obsession, 507.
Odd Fellows, 403.
Opinions, 467.
Theological, 467.
Oratory, Semi-public, 277.
Ordination, 771.
Original sin, 5.
Original sin and John the
Baptist, 572.
Orthodox Church, 321, 646.
Palmistry, 569.
Parents, Obedience to, 576.
Parents, Taking care of,
753.
Parish Church and Easter
Duty, 85.
Participation in false wor-
ship, 394.
Particular judgment, 543.
Partner for every one, 182.
Pasteur, Saying of, 633.
Pastor —
Contributing to the
support of, 471.
Obedience to, 475.
Pauline Privilege, 306.
Peace, How to find, 717.
Perjury, 603.
Permission of parents to
enter convent, 758.
Personality, 637.
Petting or necking, 47.
Phrenology, 570.
Physical evils, Why God
permits, 678.
Physician, Task of the,
567.
Picking at people, 606.
Picnic and meat on Friday,
239.
Pillar saints, 669.
Playing at Protestant ser-
vices, 404.
Playing cards for money,
627.
Pledge, The, 590.
Plural of majesty, 654.
Politeness, 585.
Poor Souls can pray for
us, 494.
Pope —
Infallibility of, 484,
646.
Impeccability of, 484.
Popes, Good and bad, 483.
Pork and beans on Friday,
235.
Porters, Order of, 772.
Possession —
Diabolical, 507.
GENERAL INDEX
803
Signs of diabolical,
507, 520.
Teaching of the
Church on diabol-
ical, 518.
Why God permits,
508, 525.
Potato chips, etc., on Fri-
day, 242.
Prayer —
Attention necessary
at, 433.
A prayer for the dy-
ing, 744.
at meals, 592.
Chain, 436.
Distractions in, 422,
566.
Disturbing others with
lips in, 419.
before going out even-
ings, 445.
for a husband, 187.
for Holy Father's in-
tention, 25Q.
for non-Catholics, 353.
for the use of the dy-
ing, 34.
for vocations in the
family, 224.
God hears all, 421.
in blessing of holy
water, 555.
How to say, 423.
How to say prayer be-
fore public banquet,
430.
Importance of morn-
ing and evening,
584.
in temptation, 36.
Kneeling at, 425.
Morning and evening,
424.
"My Lord and my
God!" 276.
on entering a church,
420.
Patience in, 426.
Perseverance in, 421.
Posture in, 434.
Promises of, 738.
Public recitation of,
455.
Remembrance of
others in, 423.
Saying prayers in bed,
425.
to be said when visit-
ing graves of the
dead, 435.
unheard, 426.
Vocal, 419.
When and how to say
night, 573.
Predestination, 707.
Doctrine of, 651.
Presence at Protestant ser-
vices, 300.
Pride-
Definition of, 583.
How sinful is, 583.
Priest and Brother, Re-
spective merits of, 476.
Priesthood —
Conferring of, 777.
Leaving the, 469.
Priests —
Disagreements
among, 466.
How a man is made
a, 770.
Speaking of the faults
of, 478, 606.
The people are not,
484.
Women cannot be-
come, 729.
Principle of private inter-
pretation, 407.
Privileges of the engaged,
175, 176.
Prize-fighters, 599.
Profane language, 601.
Promise, 549.
Prophecies unfulfilled, 523.
Prosperity of the godless,
648.
Protestant principle, 339 .
804
GENERAL INDEX
Protestant sects, What
they do not believe, 24.
Provoking language, 607.
Purgatory —
after the Last Day,
21.
a place or condition,
489.
Fire of, 529.
Grievousness of pains
of, 530.
mentioned in Bible,
490.
Points of sound doc-
trine on, 529.
Teaching of Church
on, 529.
to cease after Last
Day, 493.
What souls suffer in,
513.
When the soul goes
to, 534.
Purpose of courtship, 168.
Rash judgment, 628.
Readers, Order of, 773.
Reading questionable
magazines, 62, 63.
Reading, Suggestions for,
588.
Real Presence, Belief in
the, 70.
Reasons for Catholic edu-
cation, 202.
Refusal to speak to, 600.
Relation between Con-
fession and Communion,
83.
Religion, one not as good
as another, 340.
Religions, Mystery of ex-
istence of different, 692
Religious articles, What to
do with old, 425.
Religious life —
and the text "Many
are called...," 786.
How to know whether
called to the, 755,
783.
Religious Orders, Variety
of, 769.
Religious profession, 748.
Religious state, 469.
Advantages of the,
779.
Religious, Why members
of Orders are called, 782.
Reparation for sins of
speech, 142.
Reservations and entrance
into the cloister, 770. .
Resolution, 549.
Resolutions, New Year's,
574.
Restitution, 143.
and Souls in purga-
tory, 732.
by possessor in good
faith, 576.
of borrowed money,
687.
Resurrection of the body,
506.
Revelations, Judgment of
private, 702, 703.
Reward for those not in
state of grace, 665.
Reward of religious, 779.
Ring, Kissing of prelate's,
482.
Ring, Wedding, 343.
Rings, May priests wear,
474.
Rites, Eastern, 646.
Roman Catholic, The
term, 642.
Rosaries given as premi-
ums, 253.
Rosary —
How to say the, 438.
of St. Bridget, 464.
of the Seven Dolors,
464.
What is essential to
the, 255.
GENERAL INDEX
805
Roses, Little Flower's
shower of, 660.
Rota, The Roman, 322.
Rouge, 42.
Royal Neighbors of
America, 396.
Rule for speaking of
others, 605.
Rules of speech, Some, 614.
Sacramental grace, 768.
Sacramental penance, 138.
Sacrament —
Definition of, 747.
Religious profession
not a, 768.
administered by
excommunicated
person, 730.
Refusal of to parents,
220.
Sacrarium, 352.
Sacred Heart, Meaning of
devotion to the, 514.
Sacristans, 388.
Sacrilege, 573.
Saints, Protestants have
no, 430.
Saloon business, 595.
Salvation of the dying,
How to procure the, 742.
Salvation —
outside religious state,
753.
outside the Church, 2,
680.
Sanctuary lamp, 434.
Satisfactory works, 532.
Sauerkraut cooked with
meat on Friday, 235.
Scandal —
by priests and re-
ligious, 240.
The sin of, 611.
Scapular, 262.
Enrollment in the,
439.
How to wear, 268.
Information about
735
medal^ 268, 734.
privilege of the First
Saturday, 261.
The great promise of
the, 522.
when to be blessed,
267.
Schismatic, 408.
School, attendance at on
holydays, 217.
Science and revelation, 632.
Secrets, How to keep, 579.
Selling blest articles, 256.
Selling religious articles
and loss of indulgences,
253.
Seminarian —
Conduct of a, 763.
and the opposite sex,
765.
Vocation of a, 764.
Sermons —
Non - Catholic radio,
393.
Obligation of hearing,
386.
Should one listen to
Catholic, 468.
Services, Attending Protes-
tant, 400.
Servile labor, 544.
Sunday and, 544, 622.
Sexual attraction, 186.
Sexual faculty, 345.
Shakespeare, Religion of,
720.
Sick-
Caring for the, 722.
The Sacrament of the,
517.
Sign, AskingGod for a, 582.
Sign of the cross —
Explanation of the,
431.
The making of in
public, 566.
Silence —
Breaking of, 590.
8o6
GENERAL INDEX
The religious rule of,
767.
Simeon Stylites, St., 668.
Simony, 269.
Simulation and hypocrisy,
581.
Single life in the world, 757.
Sinner, Public and mani-
fest, 690.
Sinners, Saints looking
upon themselves as
greatest, 741.
Sin of Adam and Eve,
Grievousness of the, 46,
570.
Sin-
in the use of cosmetics,
41.
of Sodom, 55.
Sins against sixth com-
mandment and the re-
ligious state, 756.
Sins of youth, 116.
Sister —
Age for becoming a,
754.
Reward for becoming
a, 751.
Six days, The, 694.
Skull and bones, 735.
Slander, 608.
Slang, 606.
Slavery and the Church,
708.
Sleeveless dresses in
church, 53.
Sloth, 625.
Smell, How one can sin by
sense of, 562.
Smoking for girls, 62.
Societies, Forbidden, 402.
Soul—
a spiritual substance,
699, 706.
God will never anni-
hilate, 507.
Immortality of the,
663.
of Lazarus, where it
was, 495.
of those recalled to life,
Where was the, 539.
Souls in purgatory,
Knowledge of the, 491.
Soup or juice of meat, 236.
Speech, Purpose of, 344.
Spiritism, 572.
Appearances in, 493,
494.
Spirits, Power of, 493.
Spiritual Healers, 571.
Spitting out mouthful of
meat on Friday, 241.
States of life, 748.
Stockings, Women going
about without, 52.
Stole, 365.
Strikes, 638.
Subdeaconship, 774.
Suffering —
as punishment, 644.
Mystery of, 643.
of the innocent, 644.
Vocation to, 645.
Suicide, 345, 565.
Suicides, Burial of Catho-
lic, 685.
Sunday —
Gospel, 623.
observance, 596.
Preparing food on,
547.
Spreading good litera-
ture on, 586.
the Lord's day, 623.
work, how long to
make a grievous sin,
622.
Working on, 546.
Superstition, 554, 558.
Support of false worship,
593.
Swearing, 602.
Talk of holy things, Dis-
respectful, 589.
Teacher's duty outside of
school time, 219.
GENERAL INDEX
807
Tears, The gift of, 457.
Temptations, 719.
How to combat, 38.
to impurity, 36.
Tempting God, 557.
Tenebrae service, 432.
Thoughts, Impure, 35, 49.
Tickets for Protestant ba-
zaars, 403.
Time for returning home,
194.
Tithes, 472.
Tonsure, 771.
Touching of Blessed Sacra-
ment, 81.
Touching of sacred vessels,
81, 387.
Trials of the good, 649.
Truth, Telling the, 581.
Twelve Prerogatives, De-
votion of the, 455.
u
Uniate Church, 321.
Uniats, 645.
Universe, Age of the, 694.
Uriel, Archangel, 682.
v
Vain observance, 622.
Vanderbilt marriage, Nul-
lity of, 322.
Vanity, Meaning of the
word, 658.
Vaughan, Mother of Car-
dinal, 223, 761.
Veil at wedding, 343.
Venial sins forgiven after
death, 278.
Vice, Unnatural, 346.
Vigil lights, 435.
forbidden in Rome,
460.
for non-Catholic, 593.
Virgin Birth, Doctrine of
the, 655.
Virginity —
compared with mar-
ried state, 746.
in the world, 747.
Special merit of, 758.
Virgins following the
Lamb, 701.
Visits to the Blessed Sacra-
ment, 431.
Vivisection, 594.
Vocation, 746.
Delay in following
one's, 755.
Mother's prayers for
vocations, 760.
Opposition to religi-
ous, 762.
Piety required for,
757.
Prayers for, 761.
Reflection before
choosing a, 751.
The parents' part in,
761.
Vocations at Lu, Italy, 224.
Voice of the Church, How
the priest is the, 475.
Voltaire, 721.
Vows, 550, 603.
Relative responsibility
of, 617.
Renovation of, 787.
Simple and Solemn,
765.
w
Water mixed with wine,
378.
Way of the Cross —
Construction of, 280.
How to make the, 441.
Wedding —
A quiet, 341.
Attire at, 341.
Wedding present to one
married outside Church,
313.
Wife—
A drunkard's, 191.
8o8
GENERAL INDEX
. Cain's, 313.
Woman of Canaan, 219.
Women's styles, 39.
Wood in crucifix, 255.
Words, Injurious, 605.
Works —
allowed on Sunday,
544.
Common, 544.
Liberal, 544.
Meritorious, 532.
Young Men's Christian
Association, 619.
Young Women's Christian
Association, 621.
Zeal, 624.
5282
00072
0360
DATE DUE
IPl 0'85
BX1754
H4x