[This answer has been changed in the 1977 printing to bring it up to date with the current rules.]
258. Q. Is any one ever allowed to receive Holy Communion when not fasting?
A. Any one in danger of death is allowed to receive Holy Communion when not fasting or when it is necessary to save the Blessed Sacrament from insult or injury.
259. Q. When are we bound to receive Holy Communion?
A. We are bound to receive Holy Communion, under pain of mortal sin, during the Easter time and when in danger of death.
260. Q. Is it well to receive Holy Communion often?
A. It is well to receive Holy Communion often, as nothing is a greater aid to a holy life than often to receive the Author of all grace and the Source of all good.
261. Q. What should we do after Holy Communion?
A. After Holy Communion we should spend some time in adoring our Lord, in thanking Him for the grace we have received, and in asking Him for the blessings we need.
LESSON TWENTY-FOURTH ON THE SACRIFICE OF THE Ma.s.s
262. Q. When and where are the bread and wine changed into the body and blood of Christ?
A. The bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ at the Consecration in the Ma.s.s.
263. Q. What is the Ma.s.s?
A. The Ma.s.s is the unb.l.o.o.d.y sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ.
264. Q. What is a sacrifice?
A. A sacrifice is the offering of an object by a priest to G.o.d alone, and the consuming of it to acknowledge that He is the Creator and Lord of all things.
265. Q. Is the Ma.s.s the same sacrifice as that of the Cross?
A. The Ma.s.s is the same sacrifice as that of the Cross.
266. Q. How is the Ma.s.s the same sacrifice as that of the Cross?
A. The Ma.s.s is the same sacrifice as that of the Cross because the offering and the priest are the same--Christ our Blessed Lord; and the ends for which the sacrifice of the Ma.s.s is offered are the same as those of the sacrifice of the Cross.
267. Q. What were the ends for which the sacrifice of the Cross was offered?
A. The ends for which the sacrifice of the Cross was offered were: 1st, To honor and glorify G.o.d; 2d, To thank Him for all the graces bestowed on the whole world; 3d, To satisfy G.o.d"s justice for the sins of men; 4th, To obtain all graces and blessings.
268. Q. Is there any difference between the sacrifice of the Cross and the sacrifice of the Ma.s.s?
A. Yes; the manner in which the sacrifice is offered is different. On the Cross Christ really shed His blood and was really slain; in the Ma.s.s there is no real shedding of blood nor real death, because Christ can die no more; but the sacrifice of the Ma.s.s, through the separate consecration of the bread and the wine, represents His death on the Cross.
269. Q. How should we a.s.sist at Ma.s.s?
A. We should a.s.sist at Ma.s.s with great interior recollection and piety and with every outward mark of respect and devotion.
270. Q. Which is the best manner of hearing Ma.s.s?
A. The best manner of hearing Ma.s.s is to offer it to G.o.d with the priest for the same purpose for which it is said, to meditate on Christ"s sufferings and death, and to go to Holy Communion.
LESSON TWENTY-FIFTH ON EXTREME UNCTION AND HOLY ORDERS
271. Q. What is the Sacrament of Extreme Unction?
A. Extreme Unction is the Sacrament which, through the anointing and prayer of the priest, gives health and strength to the soul, and sometimes to the body, when we are in danger of death from sickness.
272. Q. When should we receive Extreme Unction?
A. We should receive Extreme Unction when we are in danger of death from sickness, or from a wound or accident.
273. Q. Should we wait until we are in extreme danger before we receive Extreme Unction?
A. We should not wait until we are in extreme danger before we receive Extreme Unction, but if possible we should receive it whilst we have the use of our senses.
274. Q. Which are the effects of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction?
A. The effects of Extreme Unction are: 1st, To comfort us in the pains of sickness and to strengthen us against temptation; 2d, To remit venial sins and to cleanse our soul from the remains of sin; 3d, To restore us to health, when G.o.d sees fit.
275. Q. What do you mean by the remains of sin?
A. By the remains of sin I mean the inclination to evil and the weakness of the will which are the result of our sins, and which remain after our sins have been forgiven.
276. Q. How should we receive the Sacrament of Extreme Unction?
A. We should receive the Sacrament of Extreme Unction in the state of grace, and with lively faith and resignation to the will of G.o.d.
277. Q. Who is the minister of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction?
A. The priest is the minister of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction.
278. Q. What is the Sacrament of Holy Orders?
A. Holy Orders is a Sacrament by which bishops, priests, and other ministers of the Church are ordained and receive the power and grace to perform their sacred duties.
279. Q. What is necessary to receive Holy Orders worthily?
A. To receive Holy Orders worthily it is necessary to be in the state of grace, to have the necessary knowledge and a divine call to this sacred office.
280. Q. How should Christians look upon the priests of the Church?
A. Christians should look upon the priests of the Church as the messengers of G.o.d and the dispensers of His mysteries.
281. Q. Who can confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders?
A. Bishops can confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
LESSON TWENTY-SIXTH ON MATRIMONY
282. Q. What is the Sacrament of Matrimony?
A. The Sacrament of Matrimony is the Sacrament which unites a Christian man and woman in lawful marriage.
283. Q. Can a Christian man and woman be united in lawful marriage in any other way than by the Sacrament of Matrimony?
A. A Christian man and woman cannot be united in lawful marriage in any other way than by the Sacrament of Matrimony, because Christ raised marriage to the dignity of a Sacrament.
284. Q. Can the bond of Christian marriage be dissolved by any human power?
A. The bond of Christian marriage cannot be dissolved by any human power.
285. Q. Which are the effects of the Sacrament of Matrimony?