The Seven Sacraments

What is the Sacrament of PENANCE?

0 comments on this article Posted by admin in The Sacrament of Penance, The Seven Sacraments on April 29th, 2011 , tagged with , , .

Penance is the sacrament by which sins committed after Baptism are forgiven through the absolution of the priest.

Penance prompts the sinner to detest his sins, and incites him to offer satisfaction for them, and to amend his life in the future.

1. Penance has the three essentials of a sacrament.

(a) It is a sensible sign; i.e., the words of absolution and the act of confession.

Our Lord promised to give Peter the power to forgive sins, saying to him, “And whatever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19). Christ later made the same promise to the other Apostles, saying, “Amen, I say to you whatever you bind on earth shall be bound also in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed also in heaven” (Matthew 18:18).

(b) It was instituted by Jesus Christ on the First Easter Sunday night.

On the first Easter Sunday night, Our Lord fulfilled His promise to give His Apostles the power to forgive sins. Jesus appeared to His Apostles and said: “Peace be to you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” When He had said this, He breathed upon them and said to them: “Receive the Holy Spirit; whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained” (John 20:21-23).

(c) It confers grace. It is the way by which after Baptism sanctifying grace is restored to the penitent who has committed mortal sin.

2. On the part of the penitent, the sacrament of Penance includes three distinct acts:

(a) contrition or sorrow for his sins;

(b) confession or telling them to the priest; and

(c) satisfaction or performance of the penance imposed by the priest.

A penitent is absolved IF he confesses his sins with sorrow, makes a resolution to atone for them, and promises to amend his life.

3. The practice of confession and sacramental remission of sin has been continuous in the Church from the beginning, though the manner of administering this sacrament has evolved through the centuries.

In the writings of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, in the very first centuries of the Christian era, the faithful are often advised and exhorted to confess their sins. St. Augustine says, “It is not enough that one acknowledge his sins to God, from whom nothing is hidden; he must also confess them to a priest, God’s representative.”

St. John said in encouragement: “My dear children, these things I write to you in order that you may not sin. But if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the just” (1 John 2:1).

WHEN IS MASS OFFERED?

0 comments on this article Posted by admin in The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, The Seven Sacraments on April 29th, 2011 .

Mass is offered every day of the year except Good Friday and Holy Saturday, the vigil of Easter.

In the first centuries, bishops and priests celebrated Mass together; this is called concelebration. Our present Masses, when priests are ordained, and bishops are consecrated, are similar to those early Masses.

1. Ordinarily a priest is permitted to say mass only once a day. On Christmas and All Souls’ Day, however, he may say three Masses.

On Sundays, holydays, first Fridays, etc.., a priest with permission may say two, and even three, Masses when the people’s needs so require.

2. Mass is usually said in the morning; with the approval of the bishop, it may also be said in the afternoon and evening.

In the early days of Christianity Mass was said in the evening, after the example of the Last Supper, when the Mass was instituted. Later it was thought better to have it said in the morning, for a greater respect to the Holy Eucharist. In these our days, Mass may said at practically all hours of the day, in order to facilitate attendance and the receiving of Holy Communion.

WHAT MATERIALS ARE USED for consecration at Mass?

0 comments on this article Posted by admin in The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, The Seven Sacraments on April 29th, 2011 .

Bread and wine are used for consecration at Mass; a few drops of water are mixed with the wine, because Christ did so.

1. The bread for consecration is made from pure wheat flour mixed with water and baked. No other flour may be used.

2. The wine for consecration must be the pure juice of grapes fermented.

WHY IS AN OFFERING MADE to the priest who says Mass?

0 comments on this article Posted by admin in The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, The Seven Sacraments on April 29th, 2011 .

An offering is made to the priest who says Mass, to provide for the things necessary for the Sacrifice, and to assist in the support of the priest.

1. Since the early years of the Church the faithful, wishing to participate more fully in the oblation, made offerings of bread and wine for the consecration.

Today offerings are also made of vases and flowers, candle and candlesticks, altar linens, vestments and sacred vessels as well as monetary donations for the Mass.

2. Many Catholics have the laudable custom of leaving a certain amount of property or money in their wills, in order to have Masses offered for them after their death.

A requiem Mass is said in black vestments, and with special prayers for the dead. Masses said for the dead for thirty consecutive days are called Gregorian Masses.

What is THE VALUE OF A MASS?

0 comments on this article Posted by admin in The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, The Seven Sacraments on April 29th, 2011 .

A Mass has infinite value, because it is the renewal of the sacrifice of the cross.

The value of a gift is proportionate to the dignity of the giver and the cost of the gift. The Mass, the only worthy gift for God, is offered by Christ, the Son of God; it cost Him His very life.

1. Therefore to assist or offer Mass is a good work of greater excellence than any other.

By other good works we offer to God gifts that are human. In the Mass we offer Him gifts that are divine: His own only-begotten Son. There is no more holy and divine act that can be performed on earth than the sacrifice of the Mass.

2. The efficacy of the holy sacrifice does not depend on the worthiness or unworthiness of the priest; he is only the minister of Christ, Who is both Priest and Victim.

The virtue of the Mass is of itself, quite apart from the worthiness of the priest. For this reason, we do not lose the merits of Mass if it is offered for us by a priest who is not worthy, since Mass has its intrinsic value; in a similar way, a diamond is a diamond, even if the jeweler selling it be a bad man.

3. However, as a good work, the graces and favors are limited, partly by the will of God, and partly by the dispositions of those to whom the fruits are applied. Therefore, the more devotion we have at Mass, the greater will be the profit we derive.

Two young men went to visit Rome. Their schedule limited their stay there to one day. The first young man, upon arrival, immediately visited all the famous portions of the city, finally ending with a visit to the Holy Father and the Vatican. The second young man, being fatigued by the journey, lay down to rest. He fell asleep and awoke only when it was too dark to go anywhere. Both went to the same city, but one did not profit from his journey.

[picture]

The most impressive of all solemn Masses is the High Mass of the Pope. The Holy Father says Mass facing the people. The Pope is the only one that can say Mass on the high altars of the four basilicas in Rome. St. Peter’s, St. Paul’s, St. John’s (the Lateran Church), and St. Mary Major.

[picture]

The hosts, consecrated at Mass, taken by the priest and people, are made of pure unleavened wheat flour mixed with water and baked. They are prepared by chosen persons, usually religious.

WHAT FRUITS ARE DERIVED from holy Mass?

0 comments on this article Posted by admin in The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, The Seven Sacraments on April 29th, 2011 .

By means of the Mass, the fruits of the sacrifice of the cross are applied to our souls.

The sacrifice on the cross–the passion and death of Christ–is the gold mine of graces; Holy Mass is the machinery that takes the gold out for us. At Mass a torrent of graces flows from the altar of God to enrich men. God makes use of other means of grace, such as prayer; but in no other means are graces applied to us so generously.

1. AT MASS we particularly obtain:

(a)  Grace to repent of mortal sin.

  • It is not necessary to be in the state of grace to hear Mass; the sinner does not commit a fresh sin by doing so; on the contrary he obtains the grace of conversion. Upon the cross Christ cried: “Father, forgive them;” at Mass He utters the same prayer on behalf of those present.

(b)  Forgiveness of venial sins for those who are in the state of grace.

  • St. Augustine said that one “Our Father” prayed with devotion would expiate the venial sins of a whole day; how much more effective would be the Mass, which is the supreme prayer offered to God!

(c)  Remission of the temporal penalty due to sin.

  • The penitent thief, who was present at the Sacrifice of the Cross, was quickly admitted into heaven, with the penalties due his sins all forgiven.

2. At Mass we are sure that our prayers are heard in the Mass, because in it Our Lord Himself prays for us.

The fruits of the Mass are granted to the person hearing it devoutly, not only in answer to his prayers, but directly, in virtue of the Sacrifice itself, through which the merits of Christ are applied to his soul.

We may obtain eternal rewards provided we are in the state of grace. We also obtain temporal blessings, such as help in our work, and protection.

3. The whole Church on earth and in purgatory participates in the general fruits, for the Mass is offered for all. The special fruits benefit:

(a) The priest who celebrates the Mass.

(b) The person or persons for whom it is offered.

(c) Those who serve or assist at the Mass.

(d) Those for whom the faithful present pray and offer the Mass in union with the priest.

What are THE PURPOSES for which the Mass is offered?

0 comments on this article Posted by admin in The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, The Seven Sacraments on April 29th, 2011 .

1. To ADORE God as our Creator.

The Mass is the ONLY worthy gift we can offer God; in it we offer to Him His own Son. Having a perfect sacrifice in the Mass, Christians need, and have, no other sacrifice to offer to God but this one.

2. To THANK God for His many favors.

In the Mass Jesus Christ the Son of God speaks for us to His eternal Father; we have an advocate with Him. Can we fail but speak well, having this instrument of thanksgiving?

3. To ASK God to bestow His blessings on all men.

Holy Mass may be offered for the living of whatever creed. It may be offered for departed Catholics. The priest may not offer Mass publicly for departed non-Catholics, but the persons hearing the Mass may do so. Persons hearing Mass may have their own private intentions for offering it, aside from the intention of the priest. Mass may be offered for any intention except that which is in itself bad.

4. To SATISFY the justice of God for the sins committed against Him.

The Mass reconciles man with God, as we learn from the words of Christ uttered at the Last Supper, “This is my blood, which is being shed  for many unto the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). We are not redeemed all over again by the Mass, for we were redeemed once on the cross; but the Mass applies to our souls the fruits of redemption gained for us on the cross. As a perfect propitiatory sacrifice, the Mass satisfies the justice of God.

[picture]

Holy Mass may be offered to God with a fourfold intention: by way of adoration, thanksgiving, petition, and atonement. It is for the spiritual and temporal welfare of the living, and for the eternal repose of the dead. Every day of the year Holy Mass is offered, except Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

[picture]

There are different kinds of Masses: (a) low Mass, read or recited by the priest; (b) high Mass, sung by priest and choir; and (c) solemn high Mass, with deacon and subdeacon assisting the celebrant. These are not really different; they differ only in the elaborateness of the ceremonies used. A pontifical Mass is a high Mass said by a bishop. A bishop puts on his vestments and takes them off before the altar, unlike the priest, who vests himself in the sacristy. Above is a pontifical Mass.

What is the DIFFERENCE BETWEEN the Sacrifice of THE CROSS and the Sacrifice of THE MASS?

0 comments on this article Posted by admin in The Mass and Calvary, The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, The Seven Sacraments on April 28th, 2011 .

The manner in which the sacrifice is offered is different: on the cross Christ shed His blood and was put to death, while in the Mass there is no new immolation of the Victim, but only a new offering. On the cross Christ gained merit and satisfied for us, while in the Mass He applies to us the merits and satisfaction of His death on the cross.

1. Christ was immolated on Calvary, once and for all; He is now in glory, and can die no more. How then can we say that He is continually sacrificed on our altars? Because, as we just explained, Christ the Victim of Calvary is offered anew.

It is clear that the Mass is a unique kind of sacrifice–a sacramental sacrifice, essentially related to the Cross and depending on it. It is on the Cross that Christ became the Victim of salvation; now He is glorified, but as the Victim who has offered Himself, has been accepted, and can now apply the merits of His sacrifice.

2. The sacrifice of the Cross is the fountain of all grace and salvation. The Mass applies to us the power and merit of that sacrifice.

The sacrifice of the Cross is all-sufficient. The Mass adds nothing to it, but unfolds its riches, it brings Calvary within the reach of all men in every clime and age, in order that all men may unite themselves with it and draw upon its infinite treasures.

3. The sacrifice on Calvary was offered up by Christ for us; while at Mass He offers Himself through us.

By changing our gifts into His body and blood, Christ puts, as it were, His precious sacrifice into our hands that we may present it to the heavenly Father. In this act He “appears before the face of God on our behalf” (Hebrew 9:24).

By offering, we appropriate the treasures of Christ’s sacrifice. But if our offering is sincere, it expresses our own interior self-oblation to God. Thus the Mass becomes the oblation of the whole Mystical Body, the Church offering herself through and with Christ, her Head and Saviour. Thereby she draws upon the treasures of the Cross, in proportion to the fervour of her offering.

Thus the Mass is the sacrifice of the Cross communicated to the Church.

Why is THE MASS the same Sacrifice as THE SACRIFICE OF THE CROSS?

0 comments on this article Posted by admin in The Mass and Calvary, The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, The Seven Sacraments on April 28th, 2011 .

The Mass is the same sacrifice as the sacrifice of the cross, because in the Mass the Victim is the same, and the principal Priest is the same, Jesus Christ.

1. The Mass is the very same sacrifice which was offered up at the Last Supper and on Calvary; it is the living presence of the sacrifice of the Cross.

On Calvary, Christ offered Himself up by accepting a cruel death out of obedience to the heavenly Father and for our redemption. At the Last Supper, He offered Himself for the impending immolation: “This is my body. . .  This is my blood of the new covenant, which is being (or will be) shed for many.” He added: “Do this in remembrance of me.” At Mass, the Victim immolated on Calvary is offered anew, by the priest repeating the same words with which Christ offered Himself at the Last Supper.

The Mass does not, strictly speaking, renew the sacrifice of the Cross. Christ has been immolated once for all. The Church, by the symbolic separation of body and blood (in the double consecration), represents the historic sacrifice and offers it anew to the heavenly Father. As St. Paul writes: “For as often as you shall eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord, until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

2. The Mass is no mere remembrance or memorial of Calvary. Christ, the Victim of Calvary, is really present, and with Him the permanent power or efficacy of His great sacrifice. Through the new offering that power is now communicated and applied to the Church, to all of us. In this sense, the sacrifice of the Cross is present (sacramentally) in the Mass.

The priest offering the mass is Christ’s minister and representative. He utters the words of consecration in the name and person of Christ, saying: “This is My Body. This is My Blood;” not, “This is Christ’s Body, etc.”

[picture]

The Mass is the chief and central act of Catholic worship, the greatest act of worship that can be offered to God, an infinite ocean of graces for the living and the dead.

[picture]

The illustration shows the solemn blessing of the grapevines from which the grapes are taken to prepare wine for the consecration during the Sacrifice of the Mass.

Who offered THE FIRST MASS?

0 comments on this article Posted by admin in The New Sacrifice, The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, The Seven Sacraments on April 28th, 2011 .

Our Divine Saviour offered the first Mass, at the Last Supper, the night before He died.

1. At the Last Supper, Jesus Christ offered Himself up as a sacrifice to the Eternal Father, under the appearances of bread and wine.

“And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessing it, he broke and gave it to them, and said, ‘Take; this is my body.’ And taking a cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank of it; and he said to them, ‘This is my blood of the new covenant, which is being shed for many’ ” (Mark 14:22-25).

2. The following day, Jesus Christ freely submitted Himself to His Passion and death by crucifixion at the hands of his enemies.

After the first consecration, having offered Himself under the appearances of bread and wine, Christ turned to His Apostles and said, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). By those words, He told them to do as He had done, offer in sacrifice to God His body and blood under the appearances of bread and wine; he commanded them in those words to offer Mass, as the perfect sacrifice to God.

3. The Mass is a real sacrifice, for in it a Victim is offered up for the purpose of reconciling man with God. It is, however, a unique kind of sacrifice–the sacrifice of the Cross, communicated to the Church.

At the Last Supper Our Lord evidently meant to institute a visible sacrifice. He chose for the act the very time when the old sacrifice of the Paschal lamb was celebrated. The very words used by Christ in instituting the sacrifice of the Mass, the “new covenant” or “new testament,” were almost identical with those used in the institution of the sacrifice of the Old Law.

Previous entries