177. Q. Which are the gifts of the Holy Ghost?
A. The gifts of the Holy Ghost are Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fort.i.tude, Knowledge, Piety and Fear of the Lord.
178. Q. Why do we receive the gift of Fear of the Lord?
A. We receive the gift of Fear of the Lord to fill us with a dread of sin.
179. Q. Why do we receive the gift of Piety?
A. We receive the gift of Piety to make us love G.o.d as a Father and obey Him because we love Him.
180. Q. Why do we receive the gift of Knowledge?
A. We receive the gift of Knowledge to enable us to discover the will of G.o.d in all things.
181. Q. Why do we receive the gift of Fort.i.tude?
A. We receive the gift of Fort.i.tude to strengthen us to do the will of G.o.d in all things.
182. Q. Why do we receive the gift of Counsel?
A. We receive the gift of Counsel to warn us of the deceits of the devil, and of the dangers to salvation.
183. Q. Why do we receive the gift of Understanding?
A. We receive the gift of Understanding to enable us to know more clearly the mysteries of faith.
184. Q. Why do we receive the gift of Wisdom?
A. We receive the gift of Wisdom to give us a relish for the things of G.o.d, and to direct our whole life and all our actions to His honor and glory.
185. Q. Which are the Beat.i.tudes?
A. The Beat.i.tudes are:
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
2. Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the land.
3. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.
4. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice, for they shall be filled.
5. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
6. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see G.o.d.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of G.o.d.
8. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
186. Q. Which are the twelve fruits of the Holy Ghost?
A. The twelve fruits of the Holy Ghost are Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Benignity, Goodness, Long-suffering, Mildness, Faith, Modesty, Continency, and Chast.i.ty.
LESSON SEVENTEENTH ON THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE
187. Q. What is the Sacrament of Penance?
A. Penance is a Sacrament in which the sins committed after Baptism are forgiven.
188. Q. How does the Sacrament of Penance remit sin, and restore to the soul the friendship of G.o.d?
A. The Sacrament of Penance remits sins and restores the friendship of G.o.d to the soul by means of the absolution of the priest.
189. Q. How do you know that the priest has the power of absolving from the sins committed after Baptism?
A. I know that the priest has the power of absolving from the sins committed after Baptism, because Jesus Christ granted that power to the priests of His Church when He said: "Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; whose sins you shall retain, they are retained."
190. Q. How do the priests of the Church exercise the power of forgiving sins?
A. The priests of the Church exercise the power of forgiving sins by hearing the confession of sins, and granting pardon for them as ministers of G.o.d and in His name.
191. Q. What must we do to receive the Sacrament of Penance worthily?
A. To receive the Sacrament of Penance worthily we must do five things:
1. We must examine our conscience.
2. We must have sorrow for our sins.
3. We must make a firm resolution never more to offend G.o.d.
4. We must confess our sins to the priest.
5. We must accept the penance which the priest gives us.
192. Q. What is the examination of conscience?
A. The examination of conscience is an earnest effort to recall to mind all the sins we have committed since our last worthy confession.
193. Q. How can we make a good examination of conscience?
A. We can make a good examination of conscience by calling to memory the commandments of G.o.d, the precepts of the Church, the seven capital sins, and the particular duties of our state in life, to find out the sins we have committed.
194. Q. What should we do before beginning the examination of conscience?
A. Before beginning the examination of conscience we should pray to G.o.d to give us light to know our sins and grace to detest them.
LESSON EIGHTEENTH ON CONTRITION
195. Q. What is contrition, or sorrow for sin?
A. Contrition, or sorrow for sin, is a hatred of sin and a true grief of the soul for having offended G.o.d, with a firm purpose of sinning no more.
196. Q. What kind of sorrow should we have for our sins?
A. The sorrow we should have for our sins should be interior, supernatural, universal, and sovereign.
197. Q. What do you mean by saying that our sorrow should be interior?
A. When I say that our sorrow should be interior, I mean that it should come from the heart, and not merely from the lips.
198. Q. What do you mean by saying that our sorrow should be supernatural?
A. When I say that our sorrow should be supernatural, I mean that it should be prompted by the grace of G.o.d, and excited by motives which spring from faith, and not by merely natural motives.
199. Q. What do you mean by saying that our sorrow should be universal?
A. When I say that our sorrow should be universal, I mean that we should be sorry for all our mortal sins without exception.
200. Q. What do you mean when you say that our sorrow should be sovereign?
A. When I say that our sorrow should be sovereign, I mean that we should grieve more for having offended G.o.d than for any other evil that can befall us.
201. Q. Why should we be sorry for our sins?
A. We should be sorry for our sins, because sin is the greatest of evils and an offense against G.o.d our Creator, Preserver, and Redeemer, and because it shuts us out of heaven and condemns us to the eternal pains of h.e.l.l.