The Hail Mary

THE ANGELIC SALUTATION

This salutation has three parts. The Angel gave one part, namely: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women." The other part was given by Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, namely: "Blessed is the fruit of thy womb." The Church adds the third part, that is, "Mary," because the Angel did not say, "Hail, Mary," but "Hail, full of grace." But, as we shall see, this name, "Mary," according to its meaning agrees with the words of the Angels.

"HAIL, MARY"

We must now consider concerning the first part of this prayer that in ancient times it was no small event when Angels appeared to men; and that man should show them reverence was especially praiseworthy. Thus, it is written to the praise of Abraham that he received the Angels with all courtesy and showed them reverence. But that an Angel should show reverence to a man was never heard of until the Angel reverently greeted the Blessed Virgin saying: "Hail."

THE ANGEL'S DIGNITY

In olden time an Angel would not show reverence to a man, but a man would deeply revere an Angel. This is because Angels are greater than men, and indeed in three ways. First, they are greater than men in dignity. This is because the Angel is of a spiritual nature: "Who makest Thy angels spirits." But, on the other hand, man is of a corruptible nature, for Abraham said: "I will speak to my Lord, whereas I am dust and ashes." It was not fitting, therefore, that a spiritual and incorruptible creature should show reverence to one that is corruptible as is a man. Secondly, an Angel is closer to God. The Angel, indeed, is of the family of God, and as it were stands ever by Him: "Thousands of thousands ministered to Him, and ten thousand times a hundred thousand stood before Him." Man, on the other hand, is rather a stranger and afar off from God because of sin: "I have gone afar off." Therefore, it is fitting that man should reverence an Angel who is an intimate and one of the household of the King.

             Then, thirdly, the Angels far exceed men in the fullness of the splendor of divine grace. For Angels participate in the highest degree in the divine light: "Is there any numbering of His soldiers? And upon whom shall not His light arise?" Hence, the Angels always appear among men clothed in light, but men on the contrary, although they partake somewhat of the light of grace, nevertheless do so in a much slighter degree and with a certain obscurity. It was, therefore, not fitting that an Angel should show reverence to a man until it should come to pass that one would be found in human nature who exceeded the Angels in these three points in which we have seen that they excel over men--and this was the Blessed Virgin. To show that she excelled the Angels in these, the Angel desired to show her reverence, and so he said: "Ave (Hail)."

"Full of Grace"

"FULL OF GRACE"

The Blessed Virgin was superior to any of the Angels in the fullness of grace, and as an indication of this the Angel showed reverence to her by saying: "Full of grace." This is as if he said: "I show thee reverence because thou dost excel me in the fullness of grace."

             The Blessed Virgin is said to be full of grace in three ways. First, as regards her soul she was full of grace. The grace of God is given for two chief purposes, namely, to do good and to avoid evil. The Blessed Virgin, then, received grace in the most perfect degree, because she had avoided every sin more than any other Saint after Christ. Thus it is said: "Thou art fair, My beloved, and there is not a spot in thee." St. Augustine says: "If we could bring together all the Saints and ask them if they were entirely without sin, all of them, with the exception of the Blessed Virgin, would say with one voice: 'If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.' I except, however, this holy Virgin of whom, because of the honor of God, I wish to omit all mention of sin." For we know that to her was granted grace to overcome every kind of sin by Him whom she merited to conceive and bring forth, and He certainly was wholly without sin.

VIRTUES OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN

Christ excelled the Blessed Virgin in this, that He was conceived and born without original sin, while the Blessed Virgin was conceived in original sin, but was not born in it. She exercised the works of all the virtues, whereas the Saints are conspicuous for the exercise of certain special virtues. Thus, one excelled in humility, another in chastity, another in mercy, to the extent that they are the special exemplars of these virtues--as, for example, St. Nicholas is an exemplar of the virtue of mercy. The Blessed Virgin is the exemplar of all the virtues.

             In her is the fullness of the virtue of humility: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord." And again: "He hath regarded the humility of his handmaid." So she is also exemplar of the virtue of chastity: "Because I know not man." And thus it is with all the virtues, as is evident. Mary was full of grace not only in the performance of all good, but also in the avoidance of all evil. Again, the Blessed Virgin was full of grace in the overflowing effect of this grace upon her flesh or body. For while it is a great thing in the Saints that the abundance of grace sanctified their souls, yet, moreover, the soul of the holy Virgin was so filled with grace that from her soul grace poured into her flesh from which was conceived the Son of God. Hugh of St. Victor says of this: "Because the love of the Holy Spirit so inflamed her soul, He worked a wonder in her flesh, in that from it was born God made Man." "And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."

MARY, HELP OF CHRISTIANS

The plenitude of grace in Mary was such that its effects overflow upon all men. It is a great thing in a Saint when he has grace to bring about the salvation of many, but it is exceedingly wonderful when grace is of such abundance as to be sufficient for the salvation of all men in the world, and this is true of Christ and of the Blessed Virgin. Thus, "a thousand bucklers," that is, remedies against dangers, "hang therefrom." Likewise, in every work of virtue one can have her as one's helper. Of her it was spoken: "In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue." Therefore, Mary is full of grace, exceeding the Angels in this fullness and very fittingly is she called "Mary" which means "in herself enlightened": "The Lord will fill thy soul with brightness." And she will illumine others throughout the world, for which reason she is compared to the sun and to the moon.

"The Lord is with Thee"

"THE LORD IS WITH THEE"

The Blessed Virgin excels the Angels in her closeness to God. The Angel Gabriel indicated this when he said: "The Lord is with thee"--as if to say: "I reverence thee because thou art nearer to God than I, because the Lord is with thee." By the Lord, he means the Father with the Son and the Holy Spirit, who in like manner are not with any Angel or any other spirit: "The Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." God the Son was in her womb: "Rejoice and praise, O thou habitation of Sion; for great is He that is in the midst of thee, the Holy One of Israel."

             The Lord is not with the Angel in the same manner as with the Blessed Virgin; for with her He is as a Son, and with the Angel He is the Lord. The Lord, the Holy Ghost, is in her as in a temple, so that it is said: "The temple of the Lord, the sanctuary of the Holy Spirit," because she conceived by the Holy Ghost. "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee." The Blessed Virgin is closer to God than is an Angel, because with her are the Lord the Father, the Lord the Son, and the Lord the Holy Ghost--in a word, the Holy Trinity. Indeed of her we sing: "Noble resting place of the Triune God." "The Lord is with thee" are the most praise-laden words that the Angel could have uttered; and, hence, he so profoundly reverenced the Blessed Virgin because she is the Mother of the Lord and Our Lady. Accordingly she is very well named "Mary," which in the Syrian tongue means "Lady."

"Blessed art thou among women"

"BLESSED ART THOU AMONG WOMEN"

The Blessed Virgin exceeds the Angels in purity. She is not only pure, but she obtains purity for others. She is purity itself, wholly lacking in every guilt of sin, for she never incurred either mortal or venial sin. So, too, she was free from the penalties of sin. Sinful man, on the contrary, incurs a threefold curse on account of sin. The first fell upon woman who conceives in corruption, bears her child with difficulty, and brings it forth in pain. The Blessed Virgin was wholly free from this, since she conceived without corruption, bore her Child in comfort, and brought Him forth in joy: "It shall bud forth and blossom, and shall rejoice with joy and praise."

             The second penalty was inflicted upon man in that he shall earn his bread by the sweat of his brow. The Blessed Virgin was also immune from this because, as the Apostle says, virgins are free from the cares of this world and are occupied wholly with the things of the Lord.

             The third curse is common both to man and woman in that both shall one day return to dust. The Blessed Virgin was spared this penalty, for her body was raised up into heaven, and so we believe that after her death she was revived and transported into heaven: "Arise, O Lord, into Thy resting place, Thou and the ark which Thou hast sanctified." Because the Blessed Virgin was immune from these punishments, she is "blessed among women." Moreover, she alone escaped the curse of sin, brought forth the Source of blessing, and opened the gate of heaven. It is surely fitting that her name is "Mary," which is akin to the Star of the Sea (Maria --maris stella), for just as sailors are directed to port by the star of the sea, so also Christians are by Mary guided to glory.

"Blessed is the fruity of thy womb"

"BLESSED IS THE FRUIT OF THY WOMB"

The sinner often seeks for something which he does not find; but to the just man it is given to find what he seeks: "The substance of the sinner is kept for the just." Thus, Eve sought the fruit of the tree (of good and evil), but she did not find in it that which she sought. Everything Eve desired, however, was given to the Blessed Virgin. Eve sought that which the devil falsely promised her, namely, that she and Adam would be as gods, knowing good and evil. "You shall be," says this liar, "as gods." But he lied, because "he is a liar and the father of lies." Eve was not made like God after having eaten of the fruit, but rather she was unlike God in that by her sin she withdrew from God and was driven out of paradise. The Blessed Virgin, however, and all Christians found in the Fruit of her womb Him whereby we are all united to God and are made like to Him: "When He shall appear, we shall be like to Him, because we shall see Him as He is."

             Eve looked for pleasure in the fruit of the tree because it was good to eat. But she did not find this pleasure in it, and, on the contrary, she at once discovered she was naked and was stricken with sorrow. In the Fruit of the Blessed Virgin we find sweetness and salvation: "He that eateth My flesh . . . hath eternal life."

             The fruit which Eve desired was beautiful to look upon, but that Fruit of the Blessed Virgin is far more beautiful, for the Angels desire to look upon Him: "Thou art beautiful above the sons of men." He is the splendor of the glory of the Father. Eve, therefore, looked in vain for that which she sought in the fruit of the tree, just as the sinner is disappointed in his sins. We must seek in the Fruit of the womb of the Virgin Mary whatsoever we desire. This is He who is the Fruit blessed by God, who has filled Him with every grace, which in turn is poured out upon us who adore Him: "Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with spiritual blessings in Christ." He, too, is revered by the Angels: "Benediction and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving, honor and power and strength, to our God." And He is glorified by men: "Every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father." The Blessed Virgin is indeed blessed, but far more blessed is the Fruit of her womb: "Blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord."

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

THE APOSTLES' CREED

WHAT IS FAITH?

             1. What is the threefold division of the Apostles' Creed?

             2. In what way is faith a union with God?

             3. Explain these words: "Blessed are they that have not seen and have believed."

             4. Explain the fourth effect of faith, viz., by it we overcome temptations.

             5. Discuss these questions: Why do we believe that which we cannot see? Does all our knowledge come solely through our senses? Do we take nothing in the natural order on faith?

             6. Explain St. Thomas' statement that the spread of Christianity was a great miracle.

THE EXISTENCE OF GOD

             1. Either we believe in God or in chance. Develop, therefore, the argument: "All nature operates with a certain definite time and order, and is subject to the rule and foresight and orderly arrangement of someone."

             2. How does the Providence of God account for the fact that the good often are afflicted, and that the wicked often prosper?

             3. Give one reason why there can be only one God.

             4. Discuss any one of the causes or motives which led men to believe in many gods (polytheism).

             5. What is astrology, and what is wrong about it?

             6. Discuss fortune-telling, palm-reading, etc.

ONE GOD, THE CREATOR

             1. St. Thomas here states the argument from causality or the First Cause for the existence of God. Can you restate it in your own words?

             2. Note that the errors of which St. Thomas speaks are similar to certain views held to-day. Thus, the Manicheans and modern "reformers" who consider legitimate pleasures to be evil. Can you think of any errors to-day which correspond somewhat to the other errors mentioned in the text?

             3. How does consideration of God as our Creator lead us to greater knowledge of God?

             4. Gratitude, patience, and the right use of created things are taught us by our belief in the Creator. How?

             5. Where does man belong in relation to the rest of God's creation?

             6. Make personal the proof of the existence of God, the Creator: that He created me and is interested in me.

THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST

             1. From the words of St. Peter how does the Transfiguration prove the Divinity of Our Lord?

             2. Do you see a similarity between the beliefs of some men to-day and the error of Photinus?

             3. Arianism was one of the great heresies which still exists to-day (only less philosophically) in the Unitarian religion. Discuss this.

             4. Did not the great English poet, John Milton, hold views similar to Arianism?

             5. The eternal generation of the Word or Son of God is likened by St. Thomas to the generation of the word in the mind of man--a thought conceived in the intellect. Can you explain this?

             6. In what ways are we told to give adoration and honor to the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Word of God?

THE INCARNATION

             1. Explain the third article of the Creed by telling the story of the Annunciation by the Angel to the Blessed Virgin.

             2. What do you mean by the Virgin Birth?

             3. How is our faith strengthened by these considerations of the Incarnation?

             4. What do you understand by the words of St. Thomas: "He [Christ] became man in order that He might make man divine"?

             5. In what way does the thought of the Incarnation enkindle our charity?

             6. Explain the words: "Christ our brother."

THE PASSION OF CHRIST

             1. Why is it that we cannot fully understand the tremendous fact of the passion and death of Christ?

             2. "He [Christ] did not die as God, but as man." Explain these words of St. Thomas.

             3. Why did the Son of God suffer and die for us?

             4. Discuss the various effects of sin, and observe how the passion of Christ is a remedy against sin.

             5. How can our consideration of the passion and death of Our Lord bring about a complete reformation of our lives?

             6. What are some of the virtues of which Our Lord is the supreme Exemplar and Model?

THE DESCENT INTO HELL

             1. What are the three meanings of "hell" used by St. Thomas?

             2. Where was Christ from the Death on the Cross until the Resurrection?

             3. How does the descent of Christ into Limbo differ from that of the just men who died before the crucifixion of Our Lord?

             4. Discuss a few of the reasons why Our Lord "descended into hell."

             5. From a consideration of the descent of Christ into Limbo, hope, fear, and anxiety should be aroused in us. Explain.

             6. How can we rescue the souls detained in purgatory?

THE RESURRECTION

             1. What does the Resurrection of Christ really mean?

             2. In what ways did Our Lord's Resurrection differ from the resurrection of Lazarus?

             3. What was the actual number of days from Good Friday to Easter Sunday?

             4. St. Thomas says: "Let us endeavor to arise spiritually." Discuss this.

             5. What is the relation of the Resurrection of Our Lord and our own future resurrection?

             6. Does the Resurrection prove the Divinity of Christ?

THE ASCENSION

             1. Discuss the place, time, and other circumstances of Our Lord's Ascension into heaven as it is described by St. Luke in the Acts of the Apostles (chapter i).

             2. What was the length of time between Easter Sunday and Ascension Thursday?

             3. "And sitteth at the right hand of God." What does this mean?

             4. Discuss the reasonableness of the Ascension of Our Lord.

             5. What are the benefits to us of the Ascension?

             6. If the other mysteries (incarnation, passion, death, etc.) of Our Lord manifest His humility and meekness, what is demonstrated by the Ascension into heaven?

THE LAST JUDGMENT

             1. Does St. Thomas speak here of the general judgment of all men on the last day, or of the particular judgment which all of us will undergo immediately after death?

             2. "God decreed a general judgment in addition to the particular judgment to show forth His glory and also that of Christ and of the just, also to put the wicked to shame, and in order that man might receive, both in body and soul, the sentence of reward or punishment in the presence of all" (Cardinal Gasparri's Catechism, chap. iii, sect. ii, art. 4). Discuss this.

             3. Some do not hesitate to accuse God of injustice when they see the wicked prosper and the good suffer. Does not the last judgment show God's justice? Discuss this point.

             4. What meaning do you attach to the phrases, "the living" and "the dead"?

             5. Discuss the four classes of those to be judged.

             6. What sentence will be pronounced at the last judgment? (See Matt., xxv, 34-41.)

             7. Why should we have a wholesome fear of the judgment?

             8. Note the remedies against fear of the judgment?

THE HOLY GHOST

             1. Why is it necessary that there be will and love in God?

             2. "The charity of God is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost who is given to us." In what way is this statement of St. Paul a definition of the Holy Ghost?

             3. What was the purpose of placing five articles on the Holy Ghost in the Nicene Creed?

             4. Explain how each of these five articles indicates that the Holy Ghost is not a mere angelic minister but is truly God.

             5. The Holy Ghost is love, and therefore He cleanses us from sin. Discuss this.

             6. Name two ways in which the Holy Ghost aids the intellect or mind of man.

             7. Discuss the role of the Holy Ghost in the attainment of our eternal salvation.

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

             1. What is meant by the expression, "the Church"?

             2. How do the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity give unity to the Church? Would you say that another source of her unity or oneness is sanctifying grace?

             3. St. Thomas says the faithful are sanctified (that is, made holy) in four ways. What is the Source of this holiness? Discuss this.

             4. Show that the Catholic Church merits the title or mark of "catholic," despite the fact that there are non-Catholics.

             5. St. Thomas classifies the elements which make up the mark, "apostolicity." Discuss how these elements are contained in the text of St. Matthew, xvi, 18 (see footnote 29).

             6. Why is it necessary that the Church of Christ have marks?

SAINTS--SACRAMENTS--SINS

             1. Discuss the similarity between the natural body with its head and members, and the spiritual body, the Church, with its Head and members. Why is the Church called the Mystical Body of Christ?

             2. The Communion of Saints means that between the members of the Church--in heaven, in purgatory, and on earth--there exists, by reason of their close union with one another under Christ their head, a mutual communication in spiritual riches or "good." Discuss this doctrine.

             3. Why does St. Thomas give us a review of the seven Sacraments in treating of the Communion of Saints?

             4. Trace the origin and growth of the life in the Mystical Body by its analogy with the life of the physical body in each of the Sacraments.

             5. Discuss St. Thomas' answer to the objection: men cannot forgive sins committed against God.

             6. Some day I shall be thanking people whom I never knew existed. Explain and discuss this.

RESURRECTION OF THE BODY

             1. Show that the Holy Ghost sanctifies (that is, makes holy) the whole man.

             2. Discuss the practical effects of belief in the resurrection of the body.

             3. How can a strong belief in the resurrection help us to attain salvation?

             4. What will the body be like after it arises from the dead?

             5. Discuss what St. Thomas calls the "perfect age" of thirty-three years.

             6. Compare point for point the condition of the resurrected body of the blessed and that of the damned, showing in what they are alike and in what they differ; and also point out that these differences conduce to the happiness of the saved and the misery of the damned.

EVERLASTING LIFE

             1. Discuss how in this article of the Creed, the dignity and destiny of man are set forth and defended.

             2. The true end of love is union with the beloved. Will this be realized in heaven? If so, how?

             3. Show that in heaven there are no unfulfilled desires.

             4. If there is no heaven, earth is a hell. Explain this.

             5. In what will the punishment of the damned consist?

EXPLANATION OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT

             1. Recall in detail the circumstances when God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses; and also when Christ confirmed them (see Exodus, xx. 2-17; Matt., v. 17-18, xix. 17-20).

             2. Discuss how all the Commandments are founded on the two precepts of love of God and love of neighbor.

             3. Would you say that the Ten Commandments constitute the very foundation of society? In what way?

             4. How was the First Commandment violated by the ancient peoples?

             5. Discuss the dignity of God and the necessity of adoring Him only.

             6. What are some of the ways of refusing to give due adoration to God?

             7. Does the First Commandment forbid veneration to the Saints, their relics, pictures and statues? Explain and discuss this.

THE SECOND COMMANDMENT

             1. What is actually forbidden by the Second Commandment?

             2. What is the positive side of this precept, i.e., what does it tell us to do?

             3. Read the words from the "Roman Catechism" in footnote 1. Do you think it exaggerates conditions?

             4. Discuss one or two of the meanings of "in vain."

             5. Discuss the conditions of a lawful oath.

             6. "There can be no lasting society unless men believe one another." Explain and discuss this statement.

             7. What is the relation of the Holy Name Society to this commandment?

THE THIRD COMMANDMENT

             1. Explain the first reason which St. Thomas gives for observance of the Sabbath or Sunday, i.e., to remind us of the creation of the world.

             2. Why do we keep holy the Sunday and not Saturday? Explain this as though you were talking to a Seventh Day Adventist.

             3. The third reason for the Third Commandment refers to "the promise of rest." Is rest for the body alone meant here?

             4. What is the spiritual condition of men who do not keep one day "to praise and pray to the Lord"? Discuss this.

             5. Just what does "holy" mean in this Commandment?

             6. What is understood by "servile works," and when may one work on Sunday?

             7. St. Thomas tells us not to work and not to be idle on Sunday. Do you think that he advocates a "blue Sunday"?

             8. To assist at Holy Mass (see footnote 37) and to hear a sermon are the best ways to keep the Sunday in a proper way. Observe the references from the Scriptures in support of this.

             9. There is also a "Spiritual Sabbath" for those who lead saintly lives (the "more perfect" of the text). This is a continual rest for the soul while it is still here on earth. Explain this.

10. What is meant by the "Heavenly Sabbath"?

THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT

             1. Notice the difference as to object (God--neighbor) between the first three Commandments and the last series of seven Commandments.

             2. Discuss some of the reasons which St. Thomas gives us to honor our parents, such as birth, nourishment and care, education.

             3. Discuss a number of the references from the Scriptures which support this Commandment.

             4. Although the obligation to honor our parents rests upon the natural law, yet observe the rewards which are promised those who keep this precept.

             5. Our superiors in the Church, our temporal rulers, and our benefactors are called by the name "father." Discuss the obligation of giving them reverence and honor.

             6. Parents also have an obligation to supervise the religious and moral education of their children; and if they find it insufficient in school, they must supply it. Discuss this teaching of the "Roman Catechism."

THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT

             1. What does this precept forbid, and what positive virtue does it command?

             2. What does St. Thomas say about killing of animals?

             3. How do you justify the killing of criminals, killing in a just war, killing by accident?

             4. "But to repel force by force against an unjust aggressor, while careful to preserve due moderation in a blameless self-defense is permitted by every law and right" (Gasparri's Catechism, chap. iv, Sect. ii, art. 2). Discuss this principle.

             5. Why is suicide prohibited?

             6. What is the relation between killing and anger? (See footnote 27.)

             7. What are some ways of avoiding anger?

             8. What is the difference between righteous anger and anger that is sinful?

             9. Discuss St. Thomas' reasons why we should not get angry easily.

THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT

             1. How does St. Thomas distinguish between stealing and robbery?

             2. Discuss the forms of theft enumerated by St. Thomas which to-day would be listed as: paying starvation wages; cheating; "graft."

             3. Explain the obligation of restoring to the rightful owner what is stolen.

THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT

             1. Perjury is defined in civil law as the crime of willfully uttering false evidence while one is under oath to tell the truth. Recall the references from the Scriptures which support this definition.

             2. Since calumny refers to spreading what is untrue about our neighbor, and detraction refers to spreading what is true but otherwise unknown about him--which seems to be the greater evil?

             3. St. Thomas says this precept is violated by detraction, by listening to detractors, and by gossipers. Discuss this.

             4. Why is lying in all its forms forbidden by this Commandment?

             5. Some will tell a falsehood for their own advantage, viz., out of humility, out of shame, to gain or to avoid something, or even to benefit some one else, and even out of vanity. Give examples of these points, and discuss the wrongfulness of all such motives.

NINTH AND TENTH COMMANDMENTS

             1. Covetousness--wrongful desires and longings--destroys a man's peace of soul. Discuss this.

             2. Notice the similarity between the Seventh and Tenth Commandments, and also between the Sixth and Ninth Commandments (see footnote 16).

             3. Discuss the differences which St. Thomas gives between human laws and divine laws.

             4. Observe the differences between the Ninth and Tenth Commandments (see footnote 4 under Tenth Commandment).

             5. Explain how love of God and neighbor is the one principle or force underlying all the Commandments.

THE SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH

SACRAMENTS IN GENERAL

             1. "A sacrament is a visible sign of invisible grace." Explain these words of St. Thomas and give some Sacraments as examples (see footnote 3).

             2. One Sacrament pertains to society, another to the entire Church, and five Sacraments perfect the individual. Explain this.

             3. Discuss the parallels between the physical and the spiritual life.

             4. Discuss the three elements that go to make up a Sacrament: (1) certain things as the matter; (2) certain words as the form; (3) a minister.

             5. What is common to all the Sacraments?

             6. What is characteristic of each individual Sacrament?

THE SACRAMENTS. PART I

             1. What is Baptism?

             2. Discuss the matter and the minister of Baptism.

             3. How would you administer Baptism in case of necessity?

             4. Discuss the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles on Pentecost Sunday, and relate it to the Sacrament of Confirmation.

             5. Discuss the matter and form of Confirmation.

             6. Why must we be confirmed?

             7. Discuss the matter and form of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

             8. St. Thomas says the chief effects of the Holy Eucharist are: (1) the change of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, and (2) the union of the soul of a communicant with Our Lord. Discuss these effects.

             9. Discuss the Last Supper and the institution of the Blessed Sacrament. What is the relation of the Last Supper to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass?

10. Explain the two separate consecrations, one of the bread and one of the wine, in the Mass (see footnote 21).

THE SACRAMENTS. PART II

             1. Discuss the three parts of the Sacrament of Penance.

             2. What is the form of the Sacrament of Penance?

             3. Our Lord instituted this Sacrament when, after the Resurrection, He breathed upon the Apostles and said: "Receive you the Holy Ghost; whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven, and whose sins you shall retain they are retained" (John, xx. 22-23; Matt., xvi. 19). Did Christ mean that this power would cease at the deaths of the Apostles?

             4. Discuss the practical value of the Sacrament of Penance.

             5. Discuss the words of St. James regarding the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, and point out in these words the different effects of this Sacrament.

             6. Why does the priest anoint on "the places of the five senses"? What are they, and what does the priest say?

             7. Discuss the view that the last anointing is a sure sign of death.

THE SACRAMENTS. PART III

             1. Name and discuss the various orders according to their importance (see "Roman Catechism" for special treatment of each order).

             2. Our Lord instituted the Sacrament of Holy Orders when He gave the Apostles and their successors in the priesthood the power to offer the Sacrifice of the Mass (at the Last Supper: "Do this for a commemoration of Me," Luke, xxi. 19), and when He breathed on the Apostles and gave them the power to remit or to retain sins (on the day of the Resurrection, John, xx. 23). From this discuss the power and dignity of the priest.

             3. What is the effect of the Sacrament of Holy Orders?

             4. How many years are required for the education of a priest?

             5. The Sacrament of Matrimony is marriage validly entered upon between Christians, that is, all who are baptized. Does the Church legislate for marriage between non-baptized persons? Explain and discuss this.

             6. Who are the ministers of the Sacrament of Matrimony, and what is its form?

             7. Discuss the importance of consent in the Sacrament of Matrimony.

             8. What is the threefold "good" or purpose of marriage?

THE LORD'S PRAYER

PRAYER

             1. Why should prayer be "confident" and "suitable"?

             2. May we not pray for temporal things? Explain.

             3. Discuss the connection between "fervor" and "brevity" in our prayers.

             4. Discuss the qualities of the prayers made by the Publican and the Samaritan (Luke, xviii. 10-14).

             5. Enlarge upon the three effects of prayer mentioned by St. Thomas.

             6. Why is the Our Father called the "Lord's Prayer"?

             7. How should we honor and imitate God our Father?

             8. In the Lord's Prayer, why not say "my Father" instead of "our Father"?

WHO ART IN HEAVEN

             1. "Who art in heaven" in general signifies heaven where God dwells, and also the good things of heaven. Explain how this is an incentive for us to use this prayer.

             2. We are told that "in heaven" also refers to devout persons in whom God dwells by sanctifying grace. Explain this, and cite the references from the Scriptures in support of it.

             3. St. Thomas says that the phrase "who art in heaven" gives us confidence in our prayer because of God's power, our familiarity with God, and because we feel our petitions are good for us. Explain this and discuss it.

HALLOWED BE THY NAME

             1. There are seven petitions in the Lord's Prayer. Can you think of other series (such as Seven Sacraments) which are seven in number?

             2. God's name is: wonderful, venerable, ineffable. Explain this and observe the Scriptural references.

             3. The word "hallow" comes from Anglo-Saxon, meaning "to honor as holy," and is preserved in "Hallowe'en," etc. Discuss the other meanings of the word "hallow" in reference to God.

THY KINGDOM COME

             1. St. Thomas joins the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost with the seven petitions of the Our Father. How does he bring in the gifts of fear and piety?

             2. Why do we pray that the "kingdom of God may come," since it has always existed?

             3. The word "kingdom" here means the rule of God in the hearts of men by His grace, and the reign of God in all society and in every nation by His law. Discuss this.

             4. How do we assist the foreign missions when we pray "Thy kingdom come"?

             5. In another sense, "kingdom" means the glory of heaven. Explain.

             6. We also pray that we may one day live in the kingdom of God because of its perfect justice, its perfect liberty, and its great riches. Explain and discuss this.

             7. In what ways can we cooperate in the advancement of the kingdom of God on earth?

THY WILL BE DONE

             1. Explain how the gifts of knowledge and wisdom teach us to pray that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

             2. God wills of us that we gain eternal life, and that we keep the Commandments. Discuss this.

             3. "God has made man without the help of man, yet He cannot save man without his cooperation." What does this mean?

             4. "Thy will be done" is our prayer that we obey the will of the spirit and not the will of the flesh or of the world. Discuss this.

             5. The final object of this petition is that we pray for the bliss and happiness of "those who mourn." Explain this and notice the references from the Scriptures.

OUR DAILY BREAD

             1. What is the relation between the gift of fortitude and this petition of the Lord's Prayer?

             2. Notice how we ask only for spiritual things in the first three petitions of this prayer, and we ask for our temporal necessities in the fourth petition.

             3. "Give us this day our daily bread" includes our prayer to avoid five sins associated with the temporal needs of man. What are these sins, and what are the means of avoiding them?

             4. What does St. Thomas say about excessive solicitude for the things of this world? What well-known sermon of Our Lord does he recall? (See Matt., vi. 24-34.)

             5. "Bread" here means all our temporal wants and our spiritual needs as well. Explain how this refers particularly to the Holy Eucharist.

             6. Does the "Word of God" also have a share in this petition? How?

FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES

             1. Through the gift of counsel we pray that God may "forgive us our trespasses." Explain this.

             2. Discuss how "trespasses" are our debts or sins.

             3. Explain how the virtues of fear and hope arise out of this petition.

             4. The answer of this prayer for forgiveness is had first of all in the Sacrament of Penance. Discuss this.

             5. Discuss the means of remitting the temporal punishment due to sin.

             6. Explain the last part of this petition, viz., we pray to forgive others the offenses they commit against us. Is this not included in a good confession?

WHAT IS TEMPTATION?

             1. How is this petition connected with the previous petition?

             2. What is temptation? Discuss how it refers to performance of good and to avoidance of sin.

             3. Discuss the ways in which man is tempted by the world, by the flesh, and by the devil.

             4. What is the chief safeguard against temptation?

             5. Do we ask to be delivered entirely from temptations? Or do we pray that God may give us grace to overcome temptations?

             6. Does God actually lead us into temptation? Explain this.

DELIVER US FROM EVIL

             1. In this final petition do we not pray for deliverance from all sins and from all conceivable evils?

             2. How does St. Thomas explain our deliverance from adversity and afflictions in this world?

             3. What is the virtue of patience, and how do we practise this virtue?

             4. How does this prayer secure peace for us?

             5. Explain the meaning of "Amen."

             6. Discuss how the Lord's Prayer contains all that we ought to desire and all that we ought to avoid.

             7. Discuss how the Our Father has all those excellent qualities of prayer which St. Thomas says belongs to all prayer. The qualities are: confident, ordered, suitable, devout, and humble.

THE HAIL MARY

             1. What parts of the Hail Mary were contributed by the Angel Gabriel, by St. Elizabeth, and by the Church?

             2. Recall the words of the "Angelus" prayer, and discuss how it recalls the Annunciation.

             3. Discuss how the Blessed Virgin was truly "full of grace" (see footnote 11).

             4. Explain the difference between the Immaculate Conception and the Virgin Birth.

             5. How is Mary the "Mother of Christians"?

             6. Explain and discuss the title: "Mediatrix of all graces" (see footnote 20).

             7. "The Lord is with thee" are words of greatest possible praise and honor to Mary. Explain this.

             8. Discuss the Angel's words: "Blessed art thou among women."

             9. What are the penalties of sin, and how was the Blessed Virgin entirely free from them?

             10. Explain Mary's beautiful title: "Star of the Sea."

             11. Make a comparison between Mary and Eve.

             12. Describe the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, and explain the words: "Blessed is the fruit of thy womb."

             13. The last part of the Hail Mary was added by the Church. Explain this prayer.

             14. How is the Mother of God also our Mother? Recall the words of Our Lord to Mary spoken while He was dying on the cross (John, xix. 25-27).

Notes

Footnotes

   P. Mandonnet, "Date de la naissance de S. Thomas d'Aquin," in Revue Thomiste (1914), 652-662.

   G. K. Chesterton, "St. Thomas Aquinas" (1933), 43.

   J. Maritain, "The Angelic Doctor," 35.

   For the vexed question of exact dates in the life of St. Thomas, I have relied chiefly on Cayre, "Précis de Patrologie" (Paris, 1930), II, pp. 526-536, who in turn is largely indebted to the researches of Mandonnet.

   Pope Leo XIII in Encyclical, "Æterni Patris," August 4, 1879.

   For a complete list of St. Thomas' writings: Cayre, loc. cit.; Maritain, "The Angelic Doctor," pp. 179-183; "Catholic Encyclopedia," XIV, 666 sqq.

   Cf. Hugh Pope, O.P., "On Prayer and the Contemplative Life by St. Thomas (Benziger Bros., 1914).

   It contains the Pangua lingua with the "Tantum ergo" among its verses, Sacris Solemnis with the lines of "Panis angelicus," Verbum supernum with its concluding verse, "O salutaris hostia." The antiphon of the Office is the beautiful "O Sacrum Convivium." The Prayer said by the celebrant at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, "Deus qui nobis sub Sacramento mirabili, etc.," is also part of this Office. The Eucharistic poem, Adoro te devote, is also probably by St. Thomas, who is rightly called the Doctor of the Eucharist.

   The authoritative studies on the authenticity of the Opuscula are: M. Mandonnet, O. P., "Des Ecrits Authentiques de S. Thomas d'Aquin" (Fribourg, 1910), and "Les Opuscula de S. Thomas d'Aquin," in Revue Thomiste (1927), 121-157; M. Grabmann, "Die echten Schriften des hl. Thomas v. Aquin" (Münster, 1920).

   Mandonnet, "Des Ecrits," etc., 66: Grabmann, op. cit., 232-337.

   "Enchiridion Symbolorum," n. 695.

   "By the catechism of St. Thomas is generally understood his explanation of the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Hail Mary, and the Decalogue" (Gatterer-Kruz, "The Theory and Practice of the Catechism," 1914, p. 47).

   Spirago-Messmer, "Spirago's Method of Christian Doctrine" (1901), 508.

   John Gerson, the saintly chancellor of the University of Paris, wrote "On Leading the Little Ones to Christ" in the early fifteenth century. St. Charles Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan, was one of the founders of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and one of the authors of the Roman Catechism. St. Peter Canisius, the great Jesuit teacher of religion in the Counter-Reformation, wrote the well-known Canisian Catechisms.

   Cf. Callan-McHugh, "Catechism of the Council of Trent," Introduction, xiv and xvi. See also Spirago-Messmer. op. cit., 507.

   Spirago-Messmer, op. cit., 513-514.

   Ibid.

   "The Catechism of the Council of Trent," known as the "Roman Catechism" (and so called throughout this book), thus introduces the explanation of the twelve Articles of the Creed: "The Christian religion proposes to the faithful many truths which either singly or all together must be held with a certain and firm faith. That which must first and necessarily be believed by all is that which God Himself has taught us as the foundation of truth and its summary concerning the unity of the Divine Essence, the distinction of Three Persons, and the actions which are by particular reason attributed to each. The pastor should teach that the Apostles' Creed briefly sets forth the doctrine of these mysteries.... The Apostles' Creed is divided into three principal parts. The first part describes the First Person of the Divine Nature and the marvellous work of the creation. The second part treats of the Second Person and the mystery of man's redemption. The third part concludes with the Third Person, the head and source of our sanctification. The varied and appropriate propositions of the Creed are called Articles, after a comparison often made by the Fathers; for just as the members of the body are divided by joints (articuli), so in this profession of faith whatever must be distinctly and separately believed from everything else is rightly and aptly called an Article" (Part I, Chapter I, 4).

   Osee, ii. 20.

   In the ceremony of administering the Sacrament of Baptism, the priest asks the sponsor: "N., do you believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth?"

   Mark, xvi. 16.

   Heb., xi. 6.

   Rom., xiv. 23.

   John, xvii. 3.

   Heb., xi. 1.

   John, xx. 29.

   Hab., ii. 4.

   Isa., xi. 9.

   Heb., xi. 33.

   I Peter, v. 8.

   I John, v. 4.

   Eph., vi. 16.

   Job, xxxvi. 26.

   Ecclus., iii. 25.

   I Tim., vi. 4.

   II Tim., i. 12.

   Ecclus., ii. 8.

   For the meaning of the word "faith" see the "Catholic Encyclopedia," vol. V. The necessity of faith is explained in St. Thomas, Summa Theologica, II-II, Q. ii., 3, 4.

   Ps. xiii. 1.

   Job, xxii. 14.

   Job, xi. 5-6.

   Ps. xciii. 7-11.

   Heb., iv. 13.

   "There is but one God, not many gods. We attribute to God the highest goodness and perfection, and it is impossible that what is highest and absolutely perfect could be found in many. If a being lack that which constitutes supreme perfection, it is, therefore, imperfect and cannot have the nature of God" ("Roman Catechism," The Creed, First Article, 7).

   Wis., xiii. 2-3.

   Judith, v. 29.

   All this is fully explained in the fourteenth chapter of the Book of Wisdom, verses 15-21.

   Wis., xiv. 21.

   Isa., xiv. 14.

   Matt., iv. 9.

   Ps. cxv. 5.

   I Cor., x. 20.

   Jerem., x. 2-3.

   Acts, v. 29.

   Phil., iii. 19.

   Wis., xiii. 1, 5.

   In the Nicene Creed.

   Gen., i. 1.

   John, i. 3.

   II Peter, iii. 4.

   In the Nicene Creed.

   Ps. cxlviii. 5.

   Wis., xii. 18.

   Ibid., xiii. 3-4.

   Job, xxxvi. 26.

   I Cor., iv. 7.

   Ps. xxiii. 1.

   Ps. cxv. 12.

   Job, ii. 10.

   Prov., xvi. 4.

   Deut., iv. 19.

   I Paral., xxix. 14.

   Ps. viii. 8.

   Gen., i. 26.

   II Peter, i. 16.

   "Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and true God, like the Father who begot Him from all eternity. We also believe that He is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, in all things equal to the Father and to the Holy Spirit. Since we acknowledge the essence, will and power of all the Divine Persons to be one then in them nothing unequal or unlike should exist or even be imagined to exist" ("Roman Catechism," Second Article, 8).

   John, i. 18.

   John, viii. 58.

   John, viii. 16.

   "Symbol" (from the Greek, Symbolon, and the late Latin Symbolum) is a formal authoritative statement of the religious belief of the Church, referring here to the Nicene Creed. This treatise of St. Thomas is indeed called by him an "Explanation of the Symbol of the Apostles," or the Apostles' Creed.

   John, x. 30.

   ". . . We believe Him [Christ] to be one Son, because His divine and human natures meet in one Person. As to His divine generation, He has no brethren or coheirs being the Only-begotten Son of the Father, and we men are the image and work of His hands" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 9-10).

   "Among the different comparisons brought forth to show the mode and manner of this eternal generation, that which is taken from the production of thought in our mind seems to come nearest to its illustration, and hence St. John calls the Son 'the Word.' For our mind, understanding itself in some way, forms an image of itself which theologians have called the word; so God, in so far as we may compare human things to divine, understanding Himself, begets the Eternal Word. But it is more advantageous to consider what faith proposes, and with all sincerity of mind to believe and profess that Jesus Christ is true God and true Man--as God, begotten before all time; as Man, born in time of Mary, His Virgin Mother" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 9). St. Thomas treats more fully the eternal generation and Sonship of Christ in the Summa Theol., I, Q. xxvii, art. 2; Q. xxxiv.

   John, i. 1.

   Ibid.

   Ibid.

   An accident is an attribute which is not part of the essence.

   John, i. 3.

   Eph., iii. 17.

   John, v. 38.

   Ps. cxviii. 11.

   Ps. i. 2.

   Luke, ii. 19.

   Eph., iv. 29.

   Colos., iii. 16.

   II Tim., iv. 2.

   James, i. 22.

   Luke, i. 35.

   Luke. i. 38.

   Fourth Responsory, Office of the Circumcision, Dominican Breviary.

   John, i. 1-13.

   Ibid., i. 14.

   See above, p. 17.

   Baruch, iii. 38.

   Hypostasis is person distinct from nature, as in the one hypostasis of Christ as distinct from His two natures, human and divine, also distinct from substance, as in the three hypostases of the Godhead, which are the same in substance.

   Isa., viii. 1.

   Matt., xxv. 41.

   John, vi. 38.

   Luke, xxiv. 39.

   "We believe and confess that the same Jesus Christ, our only Lord, the Son of God, when He assumed human flesh for us in the womb of the Virgin, was not conceived like other men, from the seed of man, but in a manner above the order of nature, i.e., by the power of the Holy Ghost; so that the same Person, remaining God as He was from all eternity, became man, what He was not before" ("Roman Catechism," Third Article, 1).

   Matt. i. 20.

   Luke, i. 35.

   Gal., iv. 4.

   John, xii, 27.

   Matt., xxvi. 38.

   Phil., ii. 7.

   John, viii. 40.

   Ibid., i. 18.

   Thus, in the Mass, when the Priest puts wine and water in the chalice, he says: ". . . Grant that by the mystery of this water and wine we may be made partakers of His Divinity who vouchsafed to become partakers of our humanity, Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord."

   "Et sic factus est homo, ut hominem faceret Deum."

   John, iii. 16.

   "The Word, who is a Person of the divine nature, assumed human nature in such a manner that there should be one and the same Person in both the divine and human natures" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 2).

   "And after I had heard and seen, I fell down to adore before the feet of the Angel who showed me these things. And he said to me: 'See thou do it not'" (Apoc., xxii. 8).

   II Peter, i, 4. "God deigned to assume the lowliness and frailty of our flesh in order to lift man up to the highest degree of dignity. . . We may now glory that the Son of God is bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, a privilege which is not granted to the Angels" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 11).

   Matt., xxiv. 28.

   Phil., i. 23.

   Acts, xiii. 41 (quoting Hab., i. 5).

   "As Christ was true and perfect man, He was capable of truly dying. Now, man dies when the soul is separated from the body. When, therefore, we say that Jesus died, we mean this, that His soul was disunited from His body. We do not admit however, that the Divinity was separated from His Body. On the contrary, we firmly believe and profess that when His soul was dissociated from His body, His Divinity continued always united both to His body in the sepulchre and to His soul in limbo" ("Roman Catechism," Fourth Article, 6).

   See above, p. 6.

   Bar., iii. 10-11.

   Apoc., i. 5.

   Heb., x. 28-29.

   Wis., xiv. 9.

   Rom., v. 10.

   Rom., vi. 6.

   I Pet., ii. 24.

   Luke, xxiii. 43.

   Heb., x. 19.

   John, xv. 13.

   Ps. cxv. 12.

   Lament., i. 12.

   I Pet., ii. 23.

   Isa., liii. 7.

   Matt., xxvi. 53.

   Heb., xii. 1-2.

   Job, xxxvi. 17.

   Wis., ii. 20.

   Phil., ii. 8.

   Rom., v. 19.

   Ps. xxi. 19.

   Heb., xii. 2.

   "Hell here means those far-removed places in which are detained those souls that have not been awarded the happiness of heaven. . . These places are not of the same nature. There is that most abominable and most dark prison where the souls of the damned, together with the unclean spirits, are punished in eternal and unquenchable fire. This is gehenna or the 'abyss,' and is Hell, strictly so-called. There also is the fire of Purgatory, in which the suffering souls of the just are purified for a definite time in order that they be permitted to enter into the everlasting Fatherland, where nothing unclean is admitted. . . The third and last place is that in which the souls of the just before the coming of the Lord were received; there without any pain, sustained by the blessed hope of the redemption, they enjoyed a quiet repose. It was to these just souls who waited in the bosom of Abraham that Christ the Lord descended, and whom He delivered" ("Roman Catechism," Fifth Article, Chapter VI, 2-3). Therefore, "He descended into hell" means that the soul of Jesus Christ, after His death, descended into Limbo, i.e., to the place where the souls of the just who died before Christ were detained, and were waiting for the time of their redemption. St. Peter writes: "He was put to death indeed in the flesh, but enlivened in the spirit, in which also coming, He preached to those spirits that were in prison" (I Peter, iii, 18-19).

 "We profess that immediately after the death of Christ, His soul descended into hell, and remained there as long as His body was in the sepulchre; and we believe also that the one Person of Christ was at the same time in hell and in the tomb" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 1).

   See last footnote. This place is also called Limbo.

   Ps. lxxxvii. 5. "They descended as captives; He as free and victorious amongst the dead, to overcome those devils by whom, in consequence of their guilt, they were held in captivity" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 5).

   Ecclus., xxiv. 45.

   This refers to the temptation of Our Lord in the desert.

   John, xii. 31.

   St. Thomas says that the soul of Christ descended to the hell of the just or to Limbo per suam essentiam, but to the hell of the damned only per suum effectum (Summa Theol., III, Q. lii, Art. 2).

   Col., ii. 15.

   Phil., ii. 10.

   Mark, xvi. 17.

   Zach., ix. 11.

   Osee, xiii. 14.

   Italics added.

   Wis., x. 13-14.

   Ecclus., xxxiv. 16.

   Matt., xxv. 46.

   Isa., xxxviii. 10.

   Ecclus., vii. 40.

   Job, xix. 21.

   II Mach., xii. 46.

   Wis., ix. 16.

   John, iii. 31.

   Wisd., ii. 1.

   John, xi. 1-44.

   Luke, vii. 11-16.

   Mark, v. 35-43.

   John, x. 18.

   Matt., xxvii. 50.

   Matt., xxvii. 54.

   Ps. iii. 6.

   Acts, ii. 32.

   Rom., vi. 4.

   Matt., xxviii. 52.

   I Cor., xv. 20.

   Luke, xxiv. 26.

   Acts, xiv. 21.

   From the Nicene Creed.

   "Christ did not remain in the grave during all of these three days, but as He lay in the sepulchre during an entire natural day, during part of the preceding day, and part of the following day, he is said, in very truth, to have lain in the grave for three days, and on the third day to have risen again from the dead" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 10).

   Eph., v. 14.

   John, xx. 6.

   Ecclus., v. 8.

   Rom., vi. 9, 11-14.

   Ibid., 4.

   Eph., iv. 10.

   Ibid., i. 20-22.

   Dan., vii. 13.

   Mark, xvi. 19.

   "In these words we observe a figure of speech, that is, the changing of a word from its literal to a figurative meaning, something which is not infrequent in the Scriptures; for when accommodating its language to human ideas, it attributes human affections and human members to God, who is pure spirit and can admit of nothing corporeal. For, just as among men, he who sits at the right hand is considered to occupy the most honored place; so, transferring the idea to heavenly things to express the glory which Christ as Man enjoys above all others, we say that He sits at the right hand of His Eternal Father. Now, this does not mean actual position and figure of body, but declares the fixed and permanent possession of royal and supreme power and glory which Christ received from the Father" ("Roman Catechism," Sixth Article, 3).

   Isa., xiv. 13-14.

   Ps. cix. 1.

   John, xvi. 28.

   Ibid., iii. 13.

   "He ascended by His own power, not by the power of another as did Elias, who was taken up into heaven in a fiery chariot (IV Kings, ii. 1); or as the prophet Habacuc (Dan., xiv. 35); or Philip, the deacon, who was borne through the air by the divine power and traversed the distant regions of the earth (Acts, viii. 39). Neither did He ascend into heaven solely by the exercise of His supreme power as God, but also, by virtue of the power which He possessed as Man; although human power alone was insufficient to raise Him from the dead, yet the virtue with which the blessed soul of Christ was endowed, was capable of moving the body as it pleased, and His body, now glorified, readily obeyed the soul that moved it" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 2).

    Cant., i. 3.

   Matt., xxiv. 28.

   Apoc., iii. 21.

   Phil., ii. 8.

   Luke, xiv. 11.

   Eph., iv. 10.

   Mich., ii. 13.

   John, xiv. 2.

   Matt. vi. 21.

   Col., iii. 1.

   Prov., xx. 8.

   Acts, i. 11.

   Acts, x. 42.

   John, v. 27.

   Job, xxxvi. 17.

   Luke, xxi. 27.

   II Cor., v. 10.

   John, iii. 18.

   Rom., vi. 23.

   Matt., xix. 28.

   I Cor., vi. 3.

   Isa., iii. 14.

   Eccles., xi. 9.

   Ibid., xii. 14.

   Matt., xii. 36.

   Wis., i. 9.

   Heb., iv. 13.

   Prov., xvi. 2.

   Wis., i. 10.

   Jerem., xvii. 9-10.

   Rom., ii. 15-16.

   Isa., xl. 10.

   Wis., v. 21.

   Job, x. 7.

   Ps. cxxxviii. 8.

   Ps. lxxiv. 3.

   Prov., vi. 34-35.

   Isa., xxxiii. 17.

   Apoc., vi, 16.

   Rom., xiii. 3.

   Luke, xvi. 9.

   I Peter, iv. 8.

   See above, p. 17.

   "So faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself" (James, ii. 17).

   Heb., iv. 12.

   De Trinitate, ix. 10.

   Rom., v. 5.

   "And I believe in the Holy Ghost, (1) the Lord and (2) Life-giver, (3) who proceeds from the Father and the Son: (4) who together with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified: (5) who spoke by the Prophets" (The Nicene Creed).

   Heb., i. 14.

   John, iv. 24.

   II Cor., iii. 17.

   Ibid.

   "Cum ipse Deus sit vita animæ, sicut anima vita corporis."

   John, vi. 64.

   John, iv. 23.

   Matt., xxviii. 19.

   "The Holy Ghost is equally God with the Father and the Son, equally omnipotent, eternal, perfect, the supreme good, infinitely wise, and of the same nature with the Father and the Son.... If the Father is God, and the Son, God, we must confess that the Holy Ghost, who is united with them in the same degree of honor, is also God.... The Holy Ghost is God, the third Person in the divine nature, distinct from the Father and the Son, and produced by their will" ("Roman Catechism," Eighth Article, 4-5).

   II Peter, i. 21.

   Isa., xlviii. 16.

   Wis., xi. 25.

   Div. Nom., IV.

   Ps. ciii. 30.

   Luke, vii. 47.

   Prov., x. 12.

   I Peter, iv. 8.

   John, xiv. 26.

   I John, ii. 27.

   John, xiv. 23.

   Ezech., xxxvi. 26-27.

   Eph., i. 13.

   Rom., viii. 15-16.

   Gal., iv. 6.

   Apoc., ii. 7.

   Isa., l. 4.

   "For as the body is one and hath many members; and all the members of the body, whereas they are many, yet are one body, so also is Christ. For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body.... For the body also is not one member, but many" (I Cor., xii. 12-14). For St. Paul's admirable description of the Church, Christ's mystical body, see all of this chapter.

   "The word ecclesia (church) which is borrowed by the Latins from the Greek, has been applied since the preaching of the Gospel to sacred things. The word ecclesia (church) means a calling forth, but writers afterwards used it to mean a council or assembly. . . . However, in the ordinary sense used in the Scriptures, the word was afterwards used to designate the Christian society only, and the assemblies of the faithful; that is, of those who were called by faith to the light of truth, and the knowledge of God" ("Roman Catechism," Ninth Article, 2).

   Ecclus., li. 31.

   "The distinctive marks of the Church are also to be made known to the faithful, that they thus may be able to appreciate the extent of the blessing conferred by God on those who have the happiness to be born and educated in her fold" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 2).

   Cant., vi. 8.

   I Cor., i. 10.

   Eph., iv. 5.

   Ibid. 4.

   John, xvii. 22.

   Eph., iv. 15-16.

   Ps. xxv. 5.

   I Cor., iii. 17.

   Apoc., i. 5.

   Heb., xiii. 12.

   II Cor., i. 21.

   I Cor., vi. 11.

   Josue, v. 16; cfr. also Gen., xxviii. 16.

   Ps. xcii, 5.

   Jerem., xiv. 9.

   I Cor., iii. 16-17. "It should not be considered surprising that the Church, although among her children are many sinners, is called holy. For as those who profess any art, even though they may violate its rules, are still artists, so the faithful, although offending in many things and violating the promises which they have made, are still called holy, because they are made the people of God, and are consecrated to Christ by baptism and faith" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 15).

   A sect which existed chiefly in Africa for about a century (311-411).

   Rom., i. 8.

   Mark, xvi. 15.

   Gal., iii. 28.

   Matt., xxviii. 20.

   I Cor., iii. 11.

   Apoc., xxi. 14.

   As it is spoken of by Our Lord: "And I say to thee that thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt., xvi. 18).

   That is, enemies of the Church who in one or other ways resisted the authority or teachings of the Church.

   Matt., xxi. 44.

   II Tim., iii. 8.

   Prov., xviii. 10.

   Matt., xvi. 18.

   Luke, xxii. 32.

   Rom., xii. 5.

   "The evangelist St. John, writing to the faithful on the divine mysteries, tells them that he undertook to instruct them on the subject; 'that you,' he says, 'may have fellowship with us, and our fellowship be with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ' (I John, i. 3). Now, this fellowship consists in the Communion of Saints. . . This Article is, as it were, a sort of explanation of the preceding one, which takes up the unity, sanctity, and catholicity of the Church. For the unity of the Spirit, by which she is governed, establishes among all her members a community of spiritual blessings, whereas the fruit of all the Sacraments, particularly Baptism, the door, as it were, by which we are admitted into the Church, are so many connecting links which bind and unite them to Jesus Christ." The "Roman Catechism" makes the Communion of Saints the last part of the Ninth Article of the Creed; and the Tenth Article is the Forgiveness of Sins ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 24-25).

   Eph., i. 22.

   John, iii. 5.

   Rom., vi. 3.

   Immersion is the act of dipping or plunging the subject into the water used in the administration of Baptism. It was a method generally employed in the early Church, and was still in vogue at the time of St. Thomas. The Greek Church still retains it; but though valid for obvious reasons immersion is practically no longer employed in the Latin Church It is practised by some sects to-day in America.

   Luke, xxiv. 49.

   John, vi. 54.

   I Cor., xi. 29.

   Ps. cii. 3.

   James, v. 14-15.

   I Cor., iv. 1.

   See the "Explanation of the Sacraments," p. 130; and "The Commandments," p. 99.

   Baptism and Penance are called Sacraments of the dead, because they take away sin and give the first grace of justification. The other five Sacraments are called Sacraments of the living, because one who receives them worthily is already living the life of grace. But the Sacraments of the living produce the first grace when the subject, guilty of a grievous fault, approaches the Sacraments in good faith, that is to say, with the invincible ignorance of his fault, and with attrition (cfr. Pourrat, "Theology of the Sacraments," St. Louis, 1914, p. 201).

   "For Our Lord did not give the power of so sacred a ministry to all, but to bishops and priests only. The same must be said regarding the manner in which the power is to be exercised; for sin can be forgiven only through the Sacraments, when duly administered. The Church has received no power otherwise to remit sins. Hence it follows that in the forgiveness of sins both priests and Sacraments are, as it were, the instruments which Christ, Our Lord, the Author and giver of salvation, makes use of to accomplish in us pardon of sin and the grace of justification" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 6).

   Ps. cxviii. 63.

   "But there is also another Communion in the Church which demands attention: every pious and holy action done by one belongs to and becomes profitable to all through charity which 'seeks not her own'" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 25).

   "The advantage of so many and such exalted blessings bestowed by Almighty God are especially enjoyed by those who lead a Christian life in charity and are just and beloved of God" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 26).

   Rom., iv. 24.

   I Cor., xv. 21. "In this Article the resurrection of mankind is called 'the resurrection of the body.' The Apostles had for object thus to convey an important truth, the immortality of the soul. Lest, therefore, contrary to the Sacred Scripturess, which in many places clearly teach the soul to be immortal, any one may imagine that it dies with the body, and denies that both are to be raised up, the Creed speaks only of 'the resurrection of the body'" ("Roman Catechism," Eleventh Article, 2).

   I Thess., iv. 12.

   Heb., ii. 14.

   I Cor., xv. 19.

   John, v. 29.

   I Cor., xv. 53.

   Job, xix. 26. "The identical body which belongs to each one of us during life shall, though corrupt, and dissolved into its original dust, be raised up again to life.... Man is, therefore, to rise again in the same body with which he served God, or was a slave to the devil; that in the same body he may experience rewards and a crown of victory, or endure the severest punishments and everlasting torments" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 7).

   I Cor., xv. 53.

   Matt., xxii. 30.

   Job. vii. 10. "To omit many other points, the chief difference between the state of all bodies when risen from the dead, and what they had previously been, is that before the resurrection they were subject to dissolution; but when reanimated they shall all, without distinction of good and bad, be invested with immortality. This marvellous restoration of nature is the result of the glorious victory of Christ over death" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 12).

   I Cor., xv. 52.

   "Not only will the body rise, but it will rise endowed with whatever constitutes the reality of its nature and adorns and ornaments man.... The members, because essential to the integrity of human nature, shall all be restored.... For the resurrection, like the creation, is clearly to be accounted among the chief works of God. And as at the creation all things came perfect from the hand of God, so at the resurrection all things shall be perfectly restored by the same omnipotent hand" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 9).

   Eph., iv. 13.

   Matt., xiii. 43. "This brightness is a sort of refulgence reflected from the supreme happiness of the soul; it is an emanation of the beatitude which it enjoys and which shines through the body. Its communication is like to the manner in which the soul itself is made happy, by a participation of the happiness of God" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 13).

   I Cor., xv. 43.

   Apoc., xxi. 4. "The first is impassibility, which shall place them beyond the reach of pain or inconvenience of any sort. . . . This quality the Scholastics called 'impassibility,' not incorruption, in order to distinguish it as a property peculiar to a glorified body. The bodies of the damned shall not be impassible, though incorruptible; they shall be capable of experiencing heat and cold and of feeling pain." ("Roman Catechism," ibid.).

   Wis., iii. 7. "Agility, as it is called, is a quality by which the body shall be freed from the heaviness that now presses it down; and shall acquire a capability of moving with the utmost ease and quickness wheresoever the soul pleases" ("Roman Catechism," ibid.).

   I Cor., xv. 44. "Another quality is that of subtility; a quality which subjects the body to the absolute dominion of the soul, and to an entire obedience to her control" ("Roman Catechism," ibid.).

   Isa., xiii. 8.

   Ibid., lxvi. 24.

   Ps. cxlix. 8.

   Joel, i. 17.

   Ps. xlviii. 21.

   Wis., ii. 22-23. Note also: "And though in the sight of men they suffer torments their hope is full of immortality" (ibid., iii. 4).

   Gen., xv. 1.

   I Cor., xiii. 12. "The blessed always see God present, and by this greatest and most exalted of gifts, 'being made partakers of the divine nature' (II Peter, i. 4), they enjoy true and solid happiness" ("Roman Catechism," Twelfth Article, 9).

   Isa., xxxi. 9. Note: This second consideration is found in the Vives edition, Chapter XV.

   "Ibi vacabimus, et videbimus: videbimus, et amabimus: amabimus, et laudabimus" ("There we shall rest and we shall see; we shall see and we shall love; we shall love and we shall praise," in "The City of God," Book XXII, Chapter xxx).

   Isa., li. 3.

   "Confessions," Book I, 1.

   Matt., xxv. 21.

   Ps. xvi. 15.

   Ps. cii. 5.

   Job, xxii. 26.

   Ps. xv. 11. "To enumerate all the delights with which the souls of the blessed will be filled, would be an endless task. We cannot even conceive them in thought. The happiness of the Saints is filled to overflowing of all those pleasures which can be enjoyed or even desired in this life, whether they pertain to the powers of the mind or the perfection of the body" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 12).

   Apoc., v. 10.

   Wis., v. 5. "How distinguished that honor must be which is conferred by God Himself, who no longer calls them servants, but friends, brethren, and sons of God. Hence, the Redeemer will address His elect in these infinitely loving and highly honorable words: 'Come, ye blessed of My Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you'" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 11).

   Wis., vii. 11.

   Prov., x. 24.

   Isa., xxxii. 10. This is in the Vives edition, Chapter xv.

   Prov., i. 33.

   Ps. lxxxvi. 7.

   Matt., xxv. 30.

   Ps. xlix. 21.

   Wis., v. 3.

   Ps. xlviii. 15.

   Isa., lxvi. 24.

   Exod., xx. 2-17, and Deut., v. 6-21.

   "The Decalogue is the summary and epitome of the entire law of God," is the opinion of St. Augustine (Quest. cxl super Exod., lib. ii). "Although the Lord had spoken many things, yet He gave only two tablets of stone to Moses.... If carefully examined and well understood, it will be found that on them depend whatever else is commanded by God. Again, these ten commandments are reducible to two, the love of God and our neighbor, on which 'depend the whole law and the prophets'" ("Roman Catechism," The Decalogue, Chapter I, 1).

   Ps. xcv. 5.

   I Cor., x. 20.

   Wis., xiii. 2.

   Deut., iv. 15, 19.

   Wis., xiii. 2.

   Eph., v. 5.

   Wis., xiv. 15.

   Ibid., 17.

   Matt., x. 37.

   Ps. cxlv. 3.

   Ezech., xxviii. 2.

   Phil., iii. 19.

   Rom., i. 23.

   Isa., xlii. 8.

   Ibid., xli. 23.

   Heb., iv. 13.

   Isa., viii. 19.

   Ps. ciii. 28.

   Osee, ii. 5.

   Ps. xxxix. 5.

   Gal., iv. 9, 10.

   Heb., x. 28-29.

   Rom., vii. 3.

   III Kings, xviii. 21.

   Jerem., xvi. 13.

   John, viii. 34.

   Super Ezech., xi.

   Matt., xi. 30.

   Rom., vi. 19.

   Wis., v. 7.

   Jerem., ix. 5.

   Matt., xxii, 30.

   John, vi. 69. "The faithful should continually remember these words, 'I am the Lord thy God.' They will learn from these words that their Lawgiver is none other than their Creator, by whom they were made and are preserved.... 'Who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage' appear at first to relate solely to the Jews liberated from the bondage of Egypt. But if we ponder on the meaning of the salvation of the entire human race, these words will be seen to apply still more specifically to all Christians who are liberated by God, not from the bondage of Egypt, but from the bondage of sin and 'the powers of darkness, and are translated into the kingdom of His beloved Son' (Col., i. 13).... And when it is said, 'Thou shalt not have strange gods before Me,' it is the same as to say: 'Thou shalt worship Me who am the true God; thou shalt not worship strange gods.' . . . It should be accurately taught that the veneration and invocation of the Angels, of the Saints, and of the blessed souls who enjoy the glory of heaven--and, moreover, the honor which the Catholic Church has always paid even to the bodies and ashes of the Saints--are not forbidden by this Commandment" ("Roman Catechism," First Commandment, 1, 2, 5, 8).

   "He who requires that honor be paid Him, also demands that we speak of Him with reverence, and He forbids the contrary.... There are those who are so blinded by darkness of error as not to fear to blaspheme His name, whom the Angels glorify. Men are not deterred by this Commandment from shamelessly and daringly outraging His divine majesty every day, or rather every hour and moment of the day. Who does not know that every assertion is accompanied with an oath and teems with curses and imprecations? To such lengths has this impiety been carried that one scarcely buys or sells, or transacts ordinary business of any sort, without having recourse to swearing, and who, even in matters the most unimportant and trivial, does not profane the most holy name of God thousands of times" ("Roman Catechism," Second Commandment, 2). See also teaching of St. Thomas in Summa Theol., II-II, Q. lxxxix, art. 3, 5, 6.

   Ps. xi. 3.

   Zach., viii. 17.

   Ibid., xiii. 3.

   Heb., iv. 13.

   Ps. v. 7.

   Heb., vi. 16.

   Ps. xciii. 11.

   Deut., v. 11.

   Matt., v. 33-34.

   James, iii. 8.

   Matt., v. 34, 37.

"It cannot be stated that these words condemn oaths universally and under all circumstances, since the Apostles and Our Lord Himself made frequent use of oaths (Deut., vi. 13; Ps. lxii. 12; II Cor., i. 23; Philem., 8; Apoc., x. 6). The object of the Lord was rather to reprove the perverse opinion of the Jews, which was to the effect that the only thing to be avoided in an oath was a lie.... For oaths have been instituted on account of human frailty. They bespeak the inconstancy of him who takes it or the stubbornness of him who refuses to believe without it. However, an oath can be justified by necessity. When Our Lord says, 'Let your speech be: Yea, yea; No, no,' He evidently forbids the habit of swearing in familiar conversation and on trivial matters" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 19).

   Matt., v. 37.

   Ecclus., xxiii. 9, 10.

   Ps. iv. 3.

   Mark, vi.

   Jerem., iv. 2. "Although to constitute an oath it is sufficient to call God to witness, yet to make a holy and just oath many other conditions are required.... The words [of Jeremias, cited above] briefly sum up all the conditions that constitute the perfection of an oath, namely, truth, judgment, justice" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 11).

   Wis., xiii. 1.

   Levit., xxiv. 16.

   Deut., vi. 13.

   Exod., xxiii. 13.

   II Cor., i. 23.

   I Cor., vi. 11.

   Jerem., xiv. 9.

   Isa., iv. 1.

   Rom., x. 14.

   Ibid., 13.

   Isa., xliii. 7.

   Matt., v. 16.

   Rom., ii. 24.

   Prov., xviii. 10.

   Mark, xvi. 17.

   Acts, iv. 12.

   Col., iii. 17.

   Ps. cxxiii. 8.

   Eccles., v. 3.

   Ps. lxxv. 12.

   Eccles., v. 3.

   St. Thomas also treats of this Commandment in the Summa Theologica, Q. cii, art. 4, 10; ibid., II-II, Q. cxxii, art. 4.

   II Peter, iii. 3-5.

   Gal., vi. 15.

   Rom., vi. 4-5.

   "The Apostles, therefore, resolved to consecrate the first of the seven days of the week to the divine worship, and they called it 'the Lord's Day.' St. John makes mention of 'the Lord's Day' in the Apocalypse (i. 10), and St. Paul commands collections to be made 'on the first day of the week' (I Cor., xvi. 2).... From all this we learn that even then the Lord's Day was kept holy in the Church.... The Church of God has thought it well to transfer the celebration and observance of the Sabbath to Sunday. On that day light first shone on the world when the Lord arose on that day, and the gate of eternal life was thrown open to us and we were called out of darkness into light.... We also learn from the Holy Scriptures that the first day of the week was held sacred for other reasons, viz., on that day the creation began, and on that day the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles" ("Roman Catechism," Third Commandment, 7, 18).

   Ps. xv. 9.

   Ibid., 10.

   Isa., xiv. 3.

   Ibid., xxxii. 18.

   Matt., xi. 28-30.

   Ecclus., li. 35.

   Wis., ix. 15.

   Ps. xxxiii. 2.

   I Thess., v. 17.

   Ps. cxviii, 164.

   Isa., lviii. 13-14.

   Job, xxii. 26.

   This is a reference to the great public spectacles and games.

   Deut., v. 12-14.

   I Cor., vi. 11.

   Jerem., xvii. 22.

   Levit., xxiii. 25.

   John, vii. 22-23.

   Jerem., xviii. 21.

   Ps. xxxvii. 5.

   John, viii. 34.

   Levit., iii. 25.

   St. Thomas' comparison of sin and servile work follows from the words: "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin," quoted above. This does not mean that commission of sin on the Sabbath changes the species of the sin or gravely increases its malice.

   This refers to the celebration and special sacrifices offered on the first day of the month. The Lord here is displeased not with the external ritual itself, but with the lack of proper internal dispositions on the part of the Jews.

   Isa., i. 13.

   Ecclus., xxxiii. 29.

   Ep. ad Rusticum.

   Ps. xcviii. 4.

   I Mach., ii. 31-38.

   Lam., i. 7.

   I Mach., ii. 41.

   For the Catholic, of course, the great Sacrifice is that of the Mass. And we are bound to assist at Mass on Sundays and Holydays of obligation unless we are excused for serious reason. "The pastor should not omit to teach the faithful what works and actions they should perform on the festival days. These are: to go to church and there with true piety and devotion assist at the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; and to approach frequently the Sacraments of the Church which were instituted for our salvation" ("Roman Catechism," Third Commandment, 25).

   I Paral., xxix. 14.

   Ps. l. 19.

   Ps. cxl. 2.

   St. Thomas here refers not to the "fast of affliction" (jejunium afflictionis) but to the "fast of joy" (jejunium exultationis), which is a joyful lifting of the mind to higher things and proceeds from the Holy Ghost who is the spirit of liberty (cfr. Summa Theol., III, Q. cxlvii, art. 5).

   Rom., xii. 1.

   Ps. xlix. 23.

   Heb., xiii. 16.

   II Esdras, viii. 10.

   Acts, xiii. 27.

   John, viii. 47.

   Eph., iv. 29.

   Jerem., xxiii. 29.

   I Cor., xv. 33.

   Ps. cxviii. 11.

   Ibid., 105.

   Ps. civ. 19.

   "The spiritual Sabbath consists in a holy and mystical rest wherein, the carnal man (vetus homo, Rom., vi. 4) being buried with Christ, the new man is renewed to life and carefully applies himself to exercise the spirit of Christian piety" ("Roman Catechism," Third Commandment, 15).

   Ps. xxxiii. 9.

   Ps. xxx. 3.

   Heb., iv. 9-10.

   Wis., viii. 16.

   Isa., lvii. 20.

   Gal., v. 17.

   Luke, x. 41.

   "The heavenly Sabbath, as St. Cyril observes on the words of St. Paul, 'There remaineth therefore a day of rest for the people of God' (Eph. v. 8), is that life in which, living with Christ, we shall experience all joy, and all sin will be wiped away (In Joan, lib. 4). And in this vision of God the souls of the saints shall obtain every good" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 16).

   Isa., lviii. 13-14.

   Matt., xiii. 44-46.

   Ps. cxxxi. 14.

   Exod., xx. 12; Deut., v. 16.

   I John, iii. 18.

   I Tim., v. 8.

   St. Thomas also treats of the Fourth Commandment in Summa Theol., II-II, QQ. cxxii, ci.

   Aristotle, "Ethics."

   Ecclus., vii. 29-30.

   Heb., xii. 9.

   Ecclus., vii. 25.

   Prov., xxii. 6.

   Lam., iii. 27.

   Ecclus., iii. 10.

   Ibid., 13.

   Ibid., 14, 15, 18.

   Epist., lib. II.

   Col., iii. 20.

   Ad Heliod.

   Luke, xiv. 26.

   Deut., xxxii. 6.

   Ecclus., iii. 9-10.

   Deut., xxvii. 16.

   Luke, xvi. 10.

   Ecclus., iii. 7.

   Wis., iv. 13.

   Prov., xxx. 17.

   Ecclus., xxxiii. 20.

   Ibid., iii. 6.

   Matt., vii. 2.

   Ecclus. iii. 13.

   Ibid., 18.

   Ibid., 11.

   I Cor., iv. 15.

   Ecclus., xliv. 1.

   Heb., xiii. 7.

   Luke, x. 16.

   Heb., xiii. 17.

   Prov., iii. 9.

   IV Kings, v. 13.

   Rom., xiii. 1.

   Ibid., 7.

   Ibid.

   Prov., xxiv. 21.

   Ecclus., iv. 10.

   Ibid., xxix. 19.

   Wis., xvi. 29.

   Deut., xxxii. 7.

   Lev., xix. 32.

   Ecclus., xxxii. 13.

   Ibid., 9.

   Luke, x. 16.

   St. Thomas also treats of this Commandment in Summa Theol., II-II, Q. lxix. art. 2, 3; Q. cxii, art. 6. "The Lord points out (Matt., v. 21) the twofold force of this Commandment. The one is prohibitory and forbids us to kill; the other is mandatory and commands us to cultivate charity, peace, and friendship towards our enemies, to have peace with all men, and finally to suffer all things with patience" ("Roman Catechism," Fifth Com3mandment, 2).

   Gen., ix. 3.

   Aristotle, "Politics," I.

   I Cor., x. 25.

   Deut., xxxii. 39.

   Prov., viii. 15.

   Rom., xiii. 4.

   Exod., xxii. 18.

   Rom., vi. 23.

   Killing in a just war and killing by accident are among the other exceptions to this Commandment. "The soldier is guiltless who in a just war takes the life of an enemy, provided that he is not actuated by motives of ambition or cruelty, but by a pure desire to serve the interests of his country.... Again, death caused, not by intent or design, but by accident, is not murder" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 5-6).

   Book I, xxvii.

   Ibid.

   "It is not lawful to take one's own life. No man possesses such power over his own life as to be free to put himself to death. We find that the Commandment does not say, 'Thou shalt not kill another,' but simply, 'Thou shalt not kill'" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 10).

   Isa., i. 15.

   I John, iii. 15.

   Ecclus., xiii. 19.

   Exod., xxi. 12.

   De Animal., IV.

   Ps. lvi. 5.

   Prov., i. 15-16.

   Rom., i. 32.

   Prov., xxiv. 11.

   John, viii. 44.

   II Cor., ix. 6.

   Isa., i. 19.

   Matt., v. 21-22.

   Exod., xxi. 14. "The Gospel has taught us that it is unlawful even to be angry with anyone.... From these words [of Christ, cited above] it clearly follows that he who is angry with his brother is not free from sin, even though he does not display his wrath. So also he who gives indication of his anger sins grievously; and he who treats another with great harshness and hurls insults at him, sins even more grievously. This, however, is to be understood of cases in which no just cause of anger exists. God and His laws permit us to be angry when we correct the faults of those who are subject to us. But even in these cases the anger of a Christian should spring from stern duty and not from the impulse of passion, for we are temples of the Holy Ghost in which Jesus Christ may dwell" ("Roman Catechism," loc cit., 12).

   James, i. 19.

   Mic., vii. 9.

   Prov., xxvii. 4.

   Ibid., 3.

   Ps. iv. 5.

   Eph., iv. 26.

   Matt., v. 25, 26.

   I John, iii. 15.

   Epist., cxi.

   Prov., xv. 18.

   Gen., xlix. 7.

   Prov., xii. 16.

   Matt., v. 22.

   Ibid.

   Prov., xv. 1.

   James, i. 20.

   Prov., xxvii. 4.

   Gen., xlix. 6.

   Gen., ii. 24.

   "The bond between husband and wife is one of the strictest union, and nothing can be more gratifying to both than to realize that they are objects of mutual and undivided affection. On the other hand, nothing inflicts greater anguish than to feel that the legitimate love which they owe to each other has been transferred elsewhere. This Commandment which prohibits adultery follows properly and in order that which protects human life against the hand of the murderer" ("Roman Catechism," Sixth Commandment, 1). St. Thomas treats of this Commandment also in the Summa Theol., II-II, Q. cxxii, art. 6; Q. cliv.

   Ecclus., xxiii. 32, 33.

   Matt., xix. 6.

   Mal., ii. 14.

   I Cor., vii. 4.

   Prov., ii. 17-18.

   I Cor., vii. 4.

   I Peter, iii. 7.

   I Cor., xiv. 34-35.

   Heb., xiii. 4.

   I Cor., vi. 9.

   I Cor., vi. 15.

   "By the prohibition of adultery, every kind of impurity and immodesty by which the body is defiled is also forbidden. Nay more, even every inward thought against chastity is forbidden by this Commandment. . . . 'You have heard that it was said to them of old: Thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say to you, that whosoever shall look on a woman to lust after her, hath already committed adultery with her in his heart' " ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 5).

   Heb., xiii. 4.

   Prov., vi. 32.

   Luke, xv. 13.

   Ecclus., ix. 6.

   Wis., iii. 16-17.

   I Cor., vii. 14.

   Ecclus., ix. 10.

   Prov., vi. 33.

   Ps. xlviii. 21. "If the occasions of sin which we have just enumerated [viz., idleness, intemperance in eating and drinking, indulgence of the eyes, immodest dress, immodest conversation and reading] be carefully avoided, almost every excitement to lust will be removed. But the most efficacious means to subdue its violence are frequent use of confession and reception of the Holy Eucharist. Unceasing and devout prayer to God, accompanied by fasting and giving of alms, has the same salutary effect. Chastity is a gift of God. To those who ask it aright, He does not deny it, nor does He allow us to be tempted beyond our strength" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 12).

   St. Thomas also treats of this Commandment in the Summa Theol., II-II, Q. cxxii. Art. 6.

   Matt., xxiv. 43.

   Ecclus., v. 17.

   Job, xxiv. 9.

   Soph., iii. 3.

   Prov., viii. 15.

   Isa., i. 23.

   Ibid., x. 1.

   "The City of God," IV, 4. "It must be seen that the word 'steal' is understood not only of the taking away of anything from its rightful owner privately and without his consent, but also the possession of that which belongs to another, contrary to his will, although not without his knowledge. Otherwise we would say that he who forbids theft does not also forbid robbery, which is accomplished by violence and injustice.... So robbery is a greater sin than theft, inasmuch as it not only deprives another of his property, but also offers violence and insult to him. Nor can it be a matter of surprise that the Commandment is expressed in the lighter word, 'steal,' instead of 'rob.' A good reason for this is that theft is more general and of wider extent than robbery" ("Roman Catechism," Seventh Commandment, 3-4).

   Lev., xix. 13.

   Rom., xiii. 7.

   Deut., xxv. 13.

   Lev., xix. 35-36.

   Ps. xiv. 1, 5.

   Job, xx. 15.

   John, x. 1.

   Ecclus., xxxiv. 25.

   Ibid., 27.

   Hab., ii. 6.

   "The possession of other men's property is called 'thick clay' by the prophet because it is difficult to emerge and disengage oneself from [ill-gotten goods].... What shall we say of the obligation imposed by God on all of satisfying for the injury done? 'Without restitution,' says St. Augustine, 'the sin is not forgiven'" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 8).

   Prov., x. 2.

   Ibid., xiii. 8.

   Isa., lxi. 8.

   Ecclus., xxxiv. 24.

   Job, xv. 34.

   St. Thomas also treats of this Commandment in the Summa Theol., II-II, Q. cxxii, art. 6.

   "The Commandment specially prohibits that species of false testimony which is given on oath in a court of justice. The witness swears by the Deity and thus pledges God's holy name for the truth of what he says, and this has very great weight and constitutes the strongest claim for credit. Such testimony, therefore, because it is dangerous, is particularly prohibited. When no legal exceptions can be taken against a sworn witness, and when he cannot be convicted of open dishonesty and malice, even the judge himself cannot reject his testimony. This is especially true since it is commanded by divine authority that 'in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall stand'" ("Roman Catechism," Eighth Commandment, 3).

   Lev., xix. 16.

   Matt., xviii. 15.

   Prov., xix. 5.

   Deut., xix. 18-21.

   Prov., xxv. 18.

   Lev., xix. 15. "This Commandment prohibits deceit, lying, and perjury on the part of witnesses. The same prohibition also applies to plaintiffs, defendants, promoters, representatives, procurators, and advocates; in a word, all who take any part in lawsuits.... Finally, God forbids all testimony which may injure others or do them injustice, whether it be a matter of legal evidence or not" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 6).

   Rom., i. 30.

   Prov., xxii. 1.

   Eccles., x. 11.

   Ecclus., xxviii. 28.

   Prov., xxv. 23. "This Commandment not only forbids false testimony, but also the abominable sin of detraction. This is a moral pestilence which is the poisoned source of many and calamitous evils.... That we may see the nature of the sin of detraction more clearly, we must know that reputation is injured not only by calumniating the character, but also by exaggerating the faults of others. He who makes known the secret sin of any man at any time or place unnecessarily, or before persons who have no right to know, is also rightly regarded as a detractor and evil-speaker, if his revelation seriously injures the other's reputation" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 9).

   Prov., vi. 16, 19.

   Ps. ix. 24.

   Isa., iii. 12. "Flatterers and sycophants are among those who violate this Commandment, for by fawning and insincere praise they gain the hearing and good will of those whose favor, money, and honors they seek" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 11).

   Ecclus., vii. 14.

   Matt., xxvi. 73.

   John, viii. 44.

   Gen., iii. 4.

   Eph., iv. 25.

   Ecclus., xxxiv. 4.

   Wis., i. 11.

   Ps. v. 7.

   II Peter, ii. 1.

   Col., iii. 9.

   Job, xiii. 7.

   Ecclus., xix. 23-24.

   Ibid., iv. 30.

   Isa., xxviii. 15.

   Prov., x. 4.

   Ecclus., iv. 26.

   Wis., iv. 12.

   St. Thomas places the Tenth Commandment (in the present traditional enumeration) before the Ninth. The Tenth Commandment is wider in extension than the Ninth, which is specific. The "Roman Catechism" (Ninth and Tenth Commandments, 1) treats both the Ninth and Tenth Commandments together, and remarks that "what is commanded in these two precepts amounts to this, that to observe the preceding Commandments we must be particularly careful not to covet. For he who does not covet, being content with what he has, will not desire what belongs to others, but will rejoice in their prosperity, giving glory to God."

   Ps. lxxii. 26.

   I Kings, xvi. 7.

   Eccles., v. 9.

   "Confessions," I.

   Ps. cii. 5.

   Eccles., v. 11.

   Matt., vi. 21.

   Luke, viii. 14.

   Ecclus., xiv. 3.

   Exod., xxiii. 8.

   Ecclus., xxxi. 5.

   Ibid., vii. 20.

   Matt., vi. 24.

   I Tim., vi. 9, 10.

   "Another reason for these two Commandments is that they clearly and in definite terms forbid some things not expressly prohibited in the Sixth and Seventh Commandments. The Seventh Commandment, for instance, forbids an unjust desire to take what belongs to another; but the Tenth Commandment further prohibits even to covet it in any way, even though it could be acquired justly and lawfully--if we foresee that by such acquisition our neighbor would suffer some loss.... Another reason why this sort of vicious desire is condemned is that it has for its object that which belongs to another, such as a house, maidservant, field, wife, ox, ass, and many other things, all of which the law of God forbids us to covet, simply because they belong to another. The desire for such things, when consented to, is criminal, and is numbered among the most grievous sins. When the mind, yielding to the impulse of evil desires, is pleased with evil or does not resist it, sin is necessarily committed" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 11).

   John, ii. 16.

   The text of Exodus, xx. 17, which contains the Ninth and Tenth Commandments, reads as follows: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house: neither shalt thou desire his wife, nor his servant, nor his hand-maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is his."

   Ps. cxi. 3.

   "He [the pastor] will show how these two Commandments are dissimilar; how one covetousness looks only to utility and interest (the tenth), the other to unlawful desire and criminal pleasure (the ninth). If one covets a field or house, he acts out of desire for gain or utility, while he who covets another man's wife yields to a desire for criminal pleasure rather than monetary gain" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 2).

   "Concupiscence, the fuel of sin, which originated in sin, is always present in our fallen nature; from it we know that we are born in sin, and, therefore, we suppliantly fly to Him who alone can efface the sordid stains of sin" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 5).

   Rom., vii. 18.

   Ibid., vi. 12.

   Matt., v. 28.

   Matt., xii. 34.

   Eph., iv. 29.

   Rom., vi. 19.

   Ecclus., ix. 5-9.

   Prov., vi. 27.

   Gen., xix. 17.

   I Cor., ix. 27.

   Ps. cxxvi. 1.

   Wis., viii. 21.

   Matt., xvii. 20.

   Ecclus., xxxiii. 29.

   Ezech., xvi. 49.

   Ad Paulin.

   Sacramentum est sacrum signum. This is slightly different in the passage quoted in "The City of God," Book X. chapter x. See also Epist. ii. The "Roman Catechism" (The Sacraments in General, Chapter I, 4) seemingly follows St. Thomas here.

   Gal., iv. 9.

   "A Sacrament, therefore, is clearly understood to be numbered amongst those things which have been instituted as signs. It makes known to us by a certain appearance and resemblance that which God, by His invisible power, accomplishes in our souls.... In order to explain more fully the nature of a Sacrament, it should be taught that it is a thing subject to the senses which possesses, by divine institution, the power not only of signifying holiness and justice, but also to impart both to the recipient. Hence, it is easy to see that the images of the Saints, crosses, and the like, although they are signs of sacred things, cannot be called Sacraments. Thus, the solemn ablution of the body [in Baptism] not only signifies, but also has the power to effect a sacred thing which is worked interiorly in the soul by the invisible operation of the Holy Ghost" ("Roman Catechism," Sacraments in General, Chapter I, 6 and 11).

   John, iii. 5.

   Luke, xxiv. 49.

   John, vi. 54.

   Ps. xl. 5.

   James, v. 14.

   "Why there are neither more nor less [than seven Sacraments] may be shown at least with some degree of probability from the analogy that exists between the spiritual and the physical life" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 20).

   In Joan., Tract. LXXX, 3.

   "It should be explained that the pastor will inform the faithful that the 'sensible thing' which enters into the definition of a Sacrament as already given, although constituting but one sign, is of a twofold nature. Every Sacrament consists of two things: 'matter' which is called the element, and 'form' which is commonly called the word.... In order to make the meaning of the rite that is being performed easier and clearer, words had to be added to the matter. Water, for example, has the quality of cooling as well as of making clean, and may be symbolic of either. In Baptism, therefore, unless the words were added, it would not be certain which meaning of the sign was intended. When the words are added, we immediately understand that the Sacrament possesses and signifies the power of cleansing.... Although God is the author and dispenser of the Sacraments, He nevertheless willed that they should be administered by men in His Church, not by Angels. The ministers of the Sacraments, in performing their duties, do not act in their own persons but in that they represent Christ, and hence, be they good or bad, they validly confer the Sacraments as long as they make use of the matter and the form always observed in the Catholic Church according to the institution of Christ, and intend to do what the Church does in the administration of the Sacraments" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 16 and 24).

   Wis., i. 5.

   "This character has a twofold effect. It qualifies us to receive or perform a sacred act, and distinguishes us by some mark one from another. This is seen, for example, in Baptism, whose character first renders one qualified to receive the other Sacraments, and, secondly, by it the Christian is distinguished from those who do not profess the faith" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 31).

   The priest is the ordinary minister of Baptism. In case of necessity, however, anyone who observes the proper form and intention can baptize validly and licitly. If it is not a case of necessity, a layman who baptizes acts validly but not licitly; and an adult who permits himself to be baptized without necessity by a layman would be acting illicitly, but the baptism is valid. For such conduct places an obex (obstacle or hindrance) to the reception of grace. The grace of the Sacrament is revived (reviviscitur) with at least contrition, and probably attrition, or simply by an act of perfect contrition.

   John, iii. 5.

   Eph., iv. 5.

   John, i. 33.

   "Amen" is omitted in the Roman Pontifical.

   The ordinary minister of Confirmation in the Latin Church is the bishop. In virtue of Canon 782, § 3, only Abbots, Prelates Nullius, Vicars and Prefects Apostolic can confer this Sacrament validly and only within the confines of their own territory and during their term of office. Cardinals can confirm validly anywhere.

   A priest of the Latin Rite who has a special indult granted by the Holy See may, confirm Catholics of his own rite only, unless it is otherwise stated (Canon 782, § 4).

   "Hence it also follows that Christ is so contained, whole and entire, under either species that, as under the species of bread are contained not only the body but also the blood and Christ entire, so in like manner under the species of wine are truly contained not only the blood, but also the body and Christ entire. These are matters on which the faithful cannot entertain a doubt. Wisely, however, was it ordained that two distinct consecrations should take place. They represent in a more lively manner the Passion of Our Lord, in which His blood was separated from His body; and hence in the form of consecration we commemorate the shedding of His blood. Again, since the Sacrament is to be used by us as the food and nourishment of our souls, it was most appropriate that it should be instituted as food and drink, two things which obviously constitute the complete sustenance of man.

 "Nor should it be forgotten that Christ is, whole and entire, contained not only under either species, but also in each particle of either species. 'Each,' says St. Augustine, 'receives Christ the Lord, and He is entire in each portion. He is not diminished by being given to many, but gives Himself whole and entire to each' (cited in Gratian, 'De consecratione,' dist. 2). This is also an obvious inference from the narrative of the Evangelists. It is not to be supposed that Our Lord consecrated the bread used at the Last Supper in separate parts, applying the form particularly to each, but that all the bread then used for the sacred mysteries was consecrated at the same time with the same form, and in a quantity sufficient for all the Apostles. That the consecration of the chalice was performed in this manner, is clear from these words of the Saviour: 'Take and divide it among you' (Luke, xxii, 17)" ("Roman Catechism," The Eucharist, 35-36).

   John, vi. 57.

   "Those who receive this Sacrament piously and fervently must, without any doubt, so receive the Son of God into their souls as to be united as living members to His Body. For it is written, 'He that eateth Me, the same also shall live by Me.' And again: 'The bread which I will give is My flesh for the life of the world' (John, vi. 58). . . . For the Eucharist is the end of all the Sacraments, and the symbol of unity and brotherhood in the Church" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 49).

   John, vi. 56.

   Ps. cv. 39.

   Prov., ix. 5.

   St. Thomas uses here the words: quasi materia. The "Roman Catechism" (Penance, 13) follows this teaching. "The faithful should be especially informed on the matter of this Sacrament. That it differs from the other Sacraments in that for them the matter is something, whether natural or artificial; the matter as it were (quasi-materia) of Penance is the acts of the penitent, i.e., contrition, confession, and satisfaction. This has thus been defined by the Council of Trent.... It is not because they are not the real matter that they are called by the Council the matter as it were, but because they are not of that sort of matter which is applied externally, such, for instance, as water in Baptism and chrism in Confirmation."

   "A knowledge of it [the form of Penance] will excite the faithful to receive the grace of this Sacrament with the greatest possible devotion. The form is: 'I absolve thee,' as may be inferred not only from the words: 'Whatsoever you shall bind upon earth shall be bound also in heaven' (Matt., xviii. 18), but also from the teaching of Christ Our Lord, handed down to us by the Apostles.... The minister of the Sacrament of Penance must be a priest possessing ordinary or delegated jurisdiction, as is evident in the law of the Church. Whoever performs this sacred duty must be invested not only with the powers of orders, but also with that of jurisdiction. We have greatest proof of this ministry in the words of Our Lord: 'Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained' (John, xx. 23). These words were not addressed to all, but only to the Apostles, who are succeeded in this ministry by priests" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 54).

   Apoc., ii. 5.

   Anointing of the feet may now be omitted (Canon 947).

   "This Sacrament imparts grace which remits sins, especially lighter sins or venial sins; for mortal sins are removed by the Sacrament of Penance. Extreme Unction was not instituted primarily for the remission of grave offenses; only Baptism and Penance accomplish this directly.... Finally, the recovery of health, if indeed advantageous, is another effect of the Sacrament" ("Roman Catechism," Extreme Unction, 14-16).

   "That the number of ministers was wisely established, is proved by considering the various offices that are necessary for the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the administration of the Blessed Sacrament. This is the chief scope of their institution. They are divided into major or sacred orders (priesthood, deaconship, subdeaconship) and minor orders. . . The bishops are placed over the various dioceses to govern, not only the other ministers of the Church, but also the faithful, and to promote their salvation with supreme care and diligence" ("Roman Catechism," Holy Orders, 26). It is the common opinion to-day that the episcopate is an order.

   "This means that the consent is the effective cause of marriage, . . . because without the consent and the contract, the obligation and the bond cannot exist.... God Himself instituted marriage, and, as the Council of Trent declares, He made it perpetual and indissoluble. 'What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder,' said Our Lord (Matt., xix. 6). It belongs to marriage as a natural contract to be indissoluble; but, above all, its indissolubility arises from its nature as a Sacrament. This sacramental character raises marriage to the highest perfection. Moreover, dissolubility of marriage is immediately contrary to the proper education of children to the other advantages of marriage. Holy Scripture frequently proposes to us the divine union of Christ and His Church under the figure of marriage" ("Roman Catechism," Matrimony, 11-15).

   Cor., vii. 28.

   Heb., xiii. 4.

   I John, iii. 2.

   I Cor., ix. 24.

   Job, xxii. 26.

   For another description of these gifts, see above, p. 61.

   I Cor., xv. 53.

   Matt., xiii. 43.

   Wis., iii. 7.

   I Cor., xv. 14.

   Heb., iv. 16.

   James, i. 6.

   Col., ii. 3.

   I John, ii. 1.

   De oratione dominica.

   Ps. xc. 15.

   Ibid.

   Enchir., lxxviii.

   De fide orthodoxa, III, c. 24.

   James, iv. 3.

   Rom., viii 26.

   Luke, xi. 1.

   Ad Probam, Epist. cxxx.

   Matt., vi. 33.

   Ps. lxii. 5.

   Matt., vi. 7.

   Loc. cit.

   Ps. ci. 18.

   Jud., ix. 16.

   Ps. xxxi. 5.

   Luke, xxiii. 43.

   Ibid., xviii. 14.

   James, v. 13.

   Ps. xviii. 4.

   Mark, xi. 24.

   Luke, xviii. 1.

   II Cor., xii. 7.

   Ps. cxl. 2.

   Deut., xxxii. 6. "The first word which, by the command and institution of Our Lord, we say in this prayer is 'Father.' The Saviour could, indeed, have begun this prayer with some other word more expressive of His majesty, such as 'Creator' or 'Lord.' Yet, He omitted all such expressions as they might be associated with fear, and instead of them He has chosen a word which inspires love and confidence. What name is more tender than that of Father? It is a name which expresses both indulgence and love" ("Roman Catechism," Lord's Prayer, Chapter IX, 1).

   Wis., xiv. 3.

   Ibid., xii. 18.

   Rom., viii. 17.

   Ibid., 15.

   Mal., i. 6.

   Ps. xxix. 13.

   Isa., xxix. 13.

   I Cor., vi. 20.

   Ps. xcviii. 3.

   Jerem., iii. 19.

   Eph., v. 1.

   Luke, vi. 36.

   Matt., v. 48.

   Heb., xii. 9.

   Exod., xxiv. 7.

   Phil., ii. 8.

   II Kings, vi. 21.

   Prov., iii. 11-12.

   I John, iv. 20. "When we call upon the Father, invoking Him as our Father, we are to understand it as a necessary consequence of the gift and right of divine adoption, and that we are all brethren, and should love one another as brothers. 'You are all brethren,' says Our Lord, 'for one is your Father, He that is in heaven' (Matt., xxiii. 8). For this reason the Apostles in their Epistles call the faithful, 'brethren'" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 14).

   Mal., ii. 10.

   Rom., xii. 10.

   Heb., v. 9.

   James, i. 6.

   Luke, ii. 13.

   Ps. cxxii. 1.

   Ecclus., xviii. 23.

   Matt., v. 12.

   I Cor., xv. 49.

   Matt., vi. 21.

   Phil., iii. 20.

   Colos., iii. 1.

   Jerem., xiv. 9.

   Ps. xvii. 2.

   Eph., iii. 17.

   I John, iv. 16.

   John, xiv. 23. "And . . . with him" in Vives ed., omitted in Parma ed.

   III Kings, viii. 27.

   Ps. ci. 20.

   Ps. cii. 19.

   Ps. ci. 13.

   Ibid., 28.

   Ps. lxxxviii. 30.

   Aristotle, De Coelo, I.

   Jerem., xxiii. 24.

   Ps. cii. 19.

   Job, xxxvi. 26.

   Ps. cxii. 4.

   Isa., xl. 18.

   Job, xxii. 14.

   Ps. cxliv. 18.

   Malt.. vi. 6.

   Job, v. 1.

   James, v. 16.

   Col., iii. 1.

   I Pet., i. 4.

   I Cor., xv. 48.

   Mark, xiv. 17-18.

   Acts, iv. 12.

   Phil., ii. 10.

   Matt., xvi. 18.

   Deut., iv. 24.

   Ps. xvii. 29.

   "Confessions," II, x.

   Phil., iii. 8.

   Gen., iii. 18.

   Gen., i. 2.

   Ps. cxxxv. 6.

   Ps. cxlii. 6.

   Apoc., vii. 14.

   Ibid., i. 5.

   Tit., ii. 12.

   Dan., vii. 14.

   I Cor., xv. 25.

   Ps. cix. 1.

   Amos, v. 18.

   "Since . . . Kingdom" in Vives edition; not in Parma.

   I Cor., xv. 26.

   Isa., xxv. 8. This is in Vives edition; not in Parma.

   Phil., iii. 21.

   I Tim., ii. 4.

   Matt., xiii. 41.

   Isa., lx. 21.

   Rom., viii, 21.

   Apoc., v. 10.

   Isa., xxviii. 5.

   Ibid., lxiv. 4.

   Ps. cii. 5.

   Isa., lxvi. 14.

   Ibid., xxxv. 10. These two citations in Vives edition are omitted in Parma.

   "Confessions," II, 6.

   Rom., vi. 12.

   Matt., v. 4.

   Ibid., xi. 29. "Finally, we pray that God alone may live, alone may reign, within us; that death no longer may exist, but may be absorbed by the victory won by Christ our Lord, who, having broken and scattered the power of all His enemies, may, in His might, subject all things to His dominion.... Let us, therefore, earnestly implore . . . that His commands may be observed, that there be found no traitor, no deserter, and that all may so act that they may come with joy into the presence of God their King; and may reach the possession of the heavenly kingdom prepared for them from all eternity" ("Roman Catechism," Lord's Prayer, Chapter xi. 14, 19).

   Ps. cxviii. 66.

   Prov., iii. 5.

   Ibid., xxvi. 12.

   Ibid., xi. 2.

   John, vi. 38.

   "Now, this is what we implore when we address these words to God: 'Thy will be done.' We have fallen into this state of misery by disobeying and despising the divine will. Now, God deigns to propose to us, as the sole corrective of all our evils, a conformity to His will which by our sins we despised. He commands us to regulate all our thoughts and actions by this standard. And to be able to accomplish this is our aim when we humbly say this prayer to God: 'Thy will be done'" ("Roman Catechism," Lord's Prayer, Chapter xii, 8).

   Ps. cxxxiv. 6.

   Ps. lxxxviii. 48.

   John, vi. 10.

   Matt., xix. 17.

   Rom., xii. 1-2.

   Isa., xlviii. 17.

   Ps. xcvi. 11.

   Matt., v. 48.

   "When, therefore, we pray, 'Thy will be done,' we first of all ask our Heavenly Father to enable us to obey His divine commands, and to serve Him all the days of our lives in holiness and justice. Likewise that we do all things in accord with His will and pleasure, that we perform all the duties prescribed for us in the sacred writings, and thus, guided and assisted by Him, so conduct ourselves in all things as becomes those 'who are born, not of the will of flesh but of God'" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 12).

   Super Verbum Apost., XV.

   Zach., i. 3.

   I Cor., xv. 10.

   Rom., vii. 23.

   Gal., v. 17.

   I Thess., iv. 3.

   I Cor., xv. 44.

   "When we say, 'Thy will be done,' we expressly detest the works of the flesh, of which the Apostle writes: 'The works of the flesh are manifest, which are fornication, uncleanness, immodesty, lust, etc.' (Gal., v. 19); 'if you live according to the flesh you shall die' (Rom. viii. 13). We also pray God not to permit us to yield to the suggestions of sensual appetite, of our lusts, of our infirmities, but to govern our will by His will" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 14).

   Matt., v. 5.

   Ps. cxix. 5.

   II Cor.,  v. 8.

   Ps. cxxv. 6.

   Ps. vi. 7.

   Isa., xl. 29.

   Ezech., ii. 2.

   "The fourth and following petitions, in which we particularly and expressly pray for the necessary wants of soul and body, are subordinate to those which have preceded. According to the order of the Lord's Prayer, we ask for what regards the body and its preservation only after we have prayed for the things that pertain to God" ("Roman Catechism," Lord's Prayer, Chapter xiii, 1).

   Ecclus., xxix. 27.

   I Tim., vi. 8. "We also ask 'our daily bread,' that is, necessary sustenance, and under the name of bread we understand whatever is necessary for food and raiment.... To comprehend fully the meaning of this petition, it is also to be noted that by this word 'bread' ought not to be understood an abundance of exquisite food and of rich clothing, but what is necessary and simple" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 10).

   Epistle cliii, in Migne, P.L., XXXIII, 662.

   Prov., iv. 17.

   Ibid., xxx. 8.

   "We also call it 'our daily bread,' because we use it to regain the vital energy that is daily consumed.... Finally, the word 'daily' implies the necessity of continually praying to God, in order to be kept in the habit of loving and serving Him, and that we may be thoroughly convinced of the fact that upon Him we depend for life and salvation" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 12).

   Prov., xxiii. 21.

   Ecclus., xix. 1.

   I Paral., xxix. 14.

   Eccles., vi. 1-2.

   Ibid., v. 12.

   Job, xx. 14-15.

   Matt., vi. 31.

   John, vi. 51.

   I Cor., xi. 29. "But Christ our Lord, substantially present in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, is preeminently this bread. This ineffable pledge of His love He gave us when about to return to His Father, and of it He said: 'He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood, abideth in Me, and I in him' (John, vi. 57). 'Take ye and eat: this is My body' (Matt., xxvi. 26).... This Bread is called 'our bread,' because it is the spiritual food of the faithful only, that is, of those who, uniting charity to faith, wash away sin from their souls in the Sacrament of Penance, and mindful that they are the children of God, receive and adore this divine mystery with all the holiness and veneration to which they can arouse themselves" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 20).

   Matt., iv. 4.

   "It remains to speak of that spiritual bread which also is the object of this petition of the Lord's Prayer, which takes in everything that is necessary for the health and safety of the spirit and soul. Just as the food by which the body is nourished is of various sorts, so is the food which preserves the life of the spirit and soul not of one kind. Thus, the word of God is the food of the soul" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 18).

   Prov., xx. 18.

   Dan., iv. 24.

   "In this petition we find a new manner of prayer. In the other petitions we asked of God not only eternal and spiritual goods, but also transient and temporal advantages. But now we ask to be liberated from the evils of the soul and of the body, of this life and of the life to come" ("Roman Catechism," Lord's Prayer, Chapter XIV, 1).

   Literally, our debts; that is, the difference between what we ought to give God and actually do not give Him. "The type of offense requiring expiation, a sin" (Oxford English Dictionary). "What we pray for is that God may deliver us from sin. This is the interpretation of St. Luke, who, instead of 'debts,' uses the word 'sins,' because through our sins we become guilty before God and incur a debt of punishment which we must pay either by satisfaction or by suffering.... With regard to serious sins, however, this petition cannot procure forgiveness unless it derive that efficacy from the Sacrament of Penance, received, as we have already said, either actually or at least in desire" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 15).

   De Natura et gratia, XXXVI.

   I John, i. 8.

   Eph., iv. 19.

   Matt., xviii. 32.

   Ps. xxxi. 5.

   See Editor's Note in English Translation of "Summa Theologica Supplement," Q. xviii, art. 1, which says: "St. Thomas here follows the opinion of Peter Lombard.... Later in life he altered his opinion. Cfr. P. III, Q. lxvii, art. 1; Q. lxiv, art. 1; Q. lxxxvi, art. 6." See footnote below.

   The effects of the Sacrament of Penance are: (1) sanctifying grace is imparted whereby the guilt of mortal sin is taken away and at the same time the guilt of eternal punishment; (2) the guilt of temporal punishment is more or less remitted according to the dispositions of the penitent, "and the disposition can be such that in virtue of contrition the entire punishment is removed," says St. Thomas (IV Sent., Dist. xviii, art. 3, sol. 2, ad. 4). The Council of Trent (Session XIV, cap. 2) teaches that this entire remission of punishment, which is obtained through Baptism, is not obtained through the Sacrament of Penance "without much tears and labors" (magnis nostris fletibus et laboribus). For other effects of this Sacrament, such as the bestowal of sacramental grace and the revival of the merits of former good works, see the Manuals of Moral Theology (e.g., Aertnys-Damen, II, lib. VI, tract. v, n. 272).

   See footnote above.

   An indulgence is a remission of that temporal punishment which, even after the sin is forgiven, we have yet to undergo either here or in purgatory. Indulgences derive their value and efficacy from the spiritual treasury of the Church, which consists of the superabundant merits of Christ, His Blessed Mother, and the Saints. This treasury is to be considered as the common property of the faithful, committed to the administration of the Church. In virtue of the Communion of Saints, by which we are united as members of one body, the abundance of some supplies for the want of others. The Council of Trent (Session XXV) points out to all the faithful that the use of indulgences is very salutary.

   Ecclus., xxviii. 3.

   Luke, vi. 37.

   "Nor do we say 'forgive me,' but 'forgive us,' because the brotherly relationship and charity which subsist between all men demand of each of us that, being solicitous for the salvation of our neighbor, we pray also for them while offering prayers for ourselves" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., 16).

   Ps. xxxiii. 15.

   Ecclus., xxviii. 2.

   Isa., i. 16.

   "We should implore the divine assistance in general under all temptations, and especially when we are assailed by any particular temptation" ("Roman Catechism," Lord's Prayer, Chapter XV, 15).

   Ps. xxxiii. 15.

   Gen., xxii; Job, i.

   Deut., xiii. 3.

   James, i. 13.

   Ibid., i. 14.

   Wis., ix. 15.

   Rom., vii. 22-23.

   Matt., xxvi. 41.

   Eph., vi. 12.

   I Thess., iii. 5.

   I Peter, v. 8.

   II Cor., xi. 14.

   I Tim., vi. 10.

   Job, xxxvii. 19.

   II Tim., iii. 12.

   Matt., x. 28.

   James, i. 2.

   Ecclus., ii. 1.

   James, i. 12.

   I Cor., x. 13.

   Ps. lxx. 9.

   Cant., viii. 7.

   Aristotle, "Ethics," III, 1.

   Ps. xxxi. 8.

   Ps. xii. 4-5.

   Matt., v. 8.

   "Our Lord Himself made use of this petition when on the eve of His passion He prayed to God His Father for the salvation of all mankind. He said, 'I pray that Thou keep them from evil' (John, xvii. 15). In this form of prayer He, as it were, summarized the force and efficacy of the other petitions; and He delivered it by way of precept and confirmed it by example" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., Chapter XVI, 1).

   II Tim., iii. 12.

   Apoc., iii. 8.

   Job, v. 19.

   Apoc., vii. 16.

   II Cor., i. 8.

   Ibid., vii. 6.

   Ps. xciii. 19.

   Tob., iii. 22.

   II Cor., iv. 17.

   Rom., v. 3.

   Tob., iii. 13.

   Prov., xix. 11.

   Matt., v. 9.

   "The word 'Amen' which brings the Lord's Prayer to a close contains, as it were, the germs of many of those thoughts and considerations which we have just treated. Indeed, so frequent was this Hebrew word in the mouth of Our Lord that it pleased the Holy. Spirit to have it retained in the Church of God. The meaning of it may be said to be: 'Know that thy prayers are heard.' It has the force of a response, as if God answers the prayer of the suppliant, and graciously dismisses him after He has kindly heard his prayers" ("Roman Catechism," loc. cit., Chapter xvii, 4).

   Matt., vi. 33.

   Job, xxxv. 6, 7.

   Luke, i. 28.

   Ibid., 42.

   The Hail Mary or Angelical Salutation or Ave Maria in the time of St. Thomas consisted only of the present first part of the prayer. The words, "Mary" and "Jesus," were added by the Church to the first part, and the second part--"Holy Mary, Mother of God, etc"--was also added by the Church later. "Most fittingly has the Holy Church of God added to this thanksgiving [i.e., the Hail Mary] a petition also and an invocation to the most holy Mother of God. This is to impress upon us the need to have recourse to her in order that by her intercession she may reconcile God with us sinners, and obtain for us the blessings necessary for this life and for life eternal" ("Roman Catechism," On Prayer, Chapter V, 8).

   Ps. ciii. 4.

   Gen., xviii. 27.

   Dan., vii. 10.

   Ps. liv. 8.

   Job, xxv. 3.

   Cant., iv. 7.

   I John, i. 8.

   De natura et gratia, c. xxxvi. Elsewhere St. Thomas says: "In the Angelic Salutation is shown forth the worthiness of the Blessed Virgin for this Conception when it says, 'Full of grace'; it expresses the Conception itself in the words, 'The Lord is with thee'; and it foretells the honor which will follow with the words, 'Blessed art thou among women'" (Summa Theol., III, Q. xxx, art. 4).

   St. Thomas wrote before the solemn definition of the Immaculate Conception by the Church and at a time when the subject was still a matter of controversy among theologians. In an earlier work, however, he pronounced in favor of the doctrine (I Sent., c. 44, Q. i, ad. 3), although he seemingly concluded against it in the Summa Theologica. "Yet much discussion has arisen as to whether St. Thomas did or did not deny that the Blessed Virgin was immaculate at the instant of her animation" ("Catholic Encyclopedia," art. "Immaculate Conception"). On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX settled the question in the following definition: "Mary, ever blessed Virgin in the first instant of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin."

   Luke, i. 38.

   Ibid., 48.

   Ibid., 34.

   Ibid., 35.

   Cant., iv. 4.

   Eccl., xxiv. 25.

   Isa., lviii. 11.

   "The Blessed Virgin Mary obtained such a plenitude of grace that she was closest of all creatures to the Author of Grace; and thus she received in her womb Him who is full of grace, and by giving Him birth she is in a certain manner the source of grace for all men" (Summa Theol., III, Q. xxvii, art. 5). St. Bernard says: "It is God's will that we should receive all graces through Mary" (Serm. de aquæductu, n. vii). Mary is called the "Mediatrix of all Graces," and her mediation is immediate and universal, subordinate however to that of Jesus.

   Luke, i. 35.

   Isa., xii. 6.

   Antiphon from the Little Office of Blessed Virgin.

   Luke, i. 35.

   "Totius Trinitatis nobile Triclinium."

   Isa., xxxv. 2.

   I Cor., vii. 34.

   Ps. cxxxi. 8.

   Prov., xiii. 22.

   Here St. Thomas compares the fruit of the forbidden tree for Eve with the Fruit of Mary's womb for all Christians.

   Gen., iii. 5.

   John, viii. 44.

   I John, iii. 2.

   John, vi. 55.

   Ps. xliv. 3.

   Eph., i. 3.

   Apoc. vii. 12.

   Phil., ii. 11.

   Ps. cxvii. 26.