A Handbook of Prayers

Handbook of Prayers

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Handbook of Prayers

The Order of Mass is taken from The Roman Missal, Third Edition

MIDWEST THEOLOGICAL FORUM CATHOLIC TRUTH SOCIETY

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CTS

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First Published 1992 in the United States of America

by Midwest Theological Forum, 1420 Davey Road, Woodridge, Illinois 60517. Copyright © 1992–2011 Rev. James Socias. All rights reserved. This co-edition published 2013 by The Incorporated Catholic Truth Society, 40-46 Harleyford Road, London SE11 5AY Tel: 020 7640 0042 Fax: 020 7640 0046. Copyright © 2013 The Incorporated Catholic Truth Society.

Concordat cum originali: Paul Moynihan CTS Code: D755

ISBN 978 1 86082 814 0

Printed by L.E.G.O. Spa, Vicenza, Italy.

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To Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, the Holy Family of Nazareth, that from them we may learn to pray so that our family may become a truly Christian one.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The English translation, original texts, general introduction, pastoral notes, arrangement, and design of Order of Christian Funeral © 1989, 1985, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. (ICEL); excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, ICEL; excerpts from the English translation of Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist outside Mass © 1974, ICEL; excerpts from the English translation of The Liturgy of the Hours © 1982, ICEL; excerpts from the English translation of Book of Blessings © 1987, ICEL; excerpts from Pastoral Care of the Sick © 1982, ICEL [Geoffrey Chapman, 1982; repr Burns and Oates, 2011]; The Divine Office, © 1974, the hierarchies of Australia, England and Wales, Ireland. All rights reserved.

Scripture readings (excepting Psalms texts) from The Jerusalem Bible, © 1966, Dartman Longman & Todd and Doubleday & Company Inc. Psalm texts from The Psalms: A New Translation © 1963, The Grail (England).

Text for the Stations of the Cross and for the “Consideration” of the Ten-Day Devotion to the Holy Spirit (text of the homily “The Great Unknown”), both by St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer in The Way of the Cross and Friends of God, respectively. Excerpts from Holy Rosary also by St. Josemaría Escrivá. © Originals—Scriptor, S.A. (Madrid) © Translations—Scepter Ltd., London 1981 Latin text of the Order of Mass from Missale Romanum, ed. typ. tertia © 2002, Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See. Full-page illustrations were taken, by kind permission, from the book My Forgotten Prayers and My Forgotten Saints, by the Benziger Sisters, Publishers. Used by permission.

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CONTENTS 1 Lord, Teach us to Pray

How to Be a Better Catholic 3 7 8 11 15 16 17 18 19 20 26 29 29 30 32 32 33 34 34 34 35 36

Universal Call to Holiness Summary of Christian Beliefs Spiritual Game Plan The Seven Sacraments The Ten Commandments of God The Precepts of the Church Holydays of Obligation Days of Penance Works of Mercy Church Laws Concerning Marriage Indulgences Sacramentals Cardinal Virtues Theological Virtues Gifts of the Holy Spirit Fruits of the Holy Spirit Mortal and Venial Sins Capital Sins and Opposed Virtues Sins against the Holy Spirit Sins that Cry to Heaven Beatitudes Christian Prayer

Basic Prayers 39 39 40 41 42 42 42 42 43 43 43

The Sign of the Cross The Lord’s Prayer The Hail Mary The Glory Be (The Doxology) Morning Offering Consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary Act of Faith Act of Hope Act of Charity Prayer before a Day’s Work Abandonment to God’s Providence

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43 44 44 44 45 45 45 46 47 48

Prayer to Keep the Presence of God Angele Dei Symbolum Apostolorum Oratio Pro Pontifice Prayer to One's Guardian Angel The Apostles’ Creed Prayer for the Pope Psalmus 94 (95) Psalm 94 (95) Liturgy of the Hours (Morning Prayer)

Midday Prayers

55 Angelus 56 Regina Cæli (Easter Time)

Evening Prayers 57 58 58 59 59 62 62 62 62 63

Brief Examination at Night Confiteor Psalmus 50 (51) I Confess Psalm 50 (51) Act of Contrition Prayer for Vocations Acceptance of Death Jesus, Mary, and Joseph Liturgy of the Hours (Evening Prayer)

Preparation for Mass 69 72 74 75 76 77 80 80 81 81 82 83 84

Introduction Internal Preparation Oratio S. Ambrosii Prayer of St. Ambrose Oratio S. Thomæ De Aquino Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas Oratio ad Beatam Mariam Virginem Formula Intentionis Prayer to the Virgin Mary (for priests) Statement of Intention (for priests) Preces ad S. Ioseph Prayer to St. Joseph Vesting Prayers (for priests)

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Contents

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The Eucharistic Sacrifice 86 86 87 89 90 92 94 95

This is the Mass The Mass: Christ on the Cross The Mass: The Sacrifice of the New Covenant The Mass: The Sacrifice of the Church The Mass: The Life of Each Christian The Mass: External Participation The Mass: Communion and Thanksgiving Receiving Holy Communion

The Order of Mass (Ordo Missæ) 96 Ordo Missæ 97 Order of Mass

Prayers After Mass 236 236 237 237 238 239 240 241 242 242 243 243 244 245 248 248 249 249 250 251 252 253 256 257 258

Placeat Oratio S. Thomæ de Aquino Prayer to the Blessed Trinity (for priests) Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas Oratio S. Bonaventuræ Prayer of St. Bonaventure Aspirationes ad S. Redemptorem (Anima Christi) Prayer to The Most Holy Redeemer Oblatio Sui Ad Iesum Christum Crucifixum Prayer of Self-offering Prayer to Our Lord Jesus Christ Crucified Oratio Universalis The Universal Prayer Oratio ad Beatam Mariam Virginem Oratio ad S. Ioseph Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary Prayer to St. Joseph Canticum Trium Puerorum Canticle of the Three Young Men Psalmus 150 Psalm 150 Psalmus 2 Psalm 2 Oratio ad S. Michael Archangelum

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259 Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel 260 Litany of Humility

Communion Outside Mass

261 Short Rite 265 Communion of the Sick or Elderly 268 Viaticum

Eucharistic Adoration 270 276 277 278

Rite of Exposition and Benediction Adoro Te Devote I Devoutly Adore You Visit to the Blessed Sacrament

Guide for a Good Confession 279 287 288 290 291 292

Examination of Conscience Shorter Examination of Conscience Before Confession During Confession After Confession The Sacrament of Confession

Devotions to the Blessed Trinity 293 300 301 308 309

Te Deum Quicumque Athanasian Creed Angelicum Trisagium Angelic Trisagion

Devotions to Our Lord Jesus Christ 313 319 321 323 352 354 354 355 355 356 356

First Friday Devotion Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Stations of the Cross Acceptance of Death Oratio S. Augustini Fiat, adimpleatur Prayer of St. Augustine Acceptance of Divine Will Sonnet to Our Lord on the Cross Prayer of St. Andrew (O Bona Crux)

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Devotions to the Holy Spirit 357 384 385 386 386

Ten-Day Devotion Veni Creator Come, Holy Spirit Prayer for Purity of Body and Mind Prayer in Octave of Christian Unity

Devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary 387 389 391 392 393 398 426 427 428 428 428 429 429 429 430 431 434 434 435

The Holy Rosary Structure of the Rosary Mysteries of the Rosary We Fly to Your Patronage (Sub Tuum PrĂŚsidium) Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary Meditations on the Mysteries of the Rosary Salve Regina Hail Holy Queen Memorare Alma Redemptoris Mater Ave Regina CĂŚlorum The Memorare Loving Mother of the Redeemer Hail, O Queen of Heaven Stabat Mater Dolorosa At the Cross Her Station Keeping Consecration to the Blessed Virgin Blessed Be Your Purity Blessing and Imposition with the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel 437 Litany of Our Lady of Walsingham 439 Month of Mary (May Devotions) 456 Novena to the Immaculate Conception

Devotions to St. Joseph

480 Seven Sundays Devotion 499 Litany of St. Joseph

Various Prayers 501 501 502 502 503

Personal Meditation Spiritual Reading Blessing Before a Meal Thanksgiving After a Meal Some Aspirations

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Prayers at the Time of Death 505 516 519 521

Viaticum Commendation of the Dying Litany of the Saints Prayer of Commendation

Prayers for the Dead 525 526 531 534

Prayers After Death Gathering in the Presence of the Body Prayers at the Graveside Additional Prayers for the Dead

Blessings

435 Blessing and Imposition with the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel 502 Blessing and Thanksgiving at Meals 537 Blessing of Holy Water Outside Mass 541 Blessing of an Advent Wreath 543 Blessing of a Christmas Crèche or a Manger Scene 545 Blessing of a Christmas Tree 546 Blessing of a New Home 552 Blessing for a Place of Work 555 Blessing of Travellers (Shorter Rite) 556 Blessing of a Mother Before Childbirth 556 Blessing of a Mother After Childbirth 557 Blessing of Rosaries (Shorter Rite) 558 Blessing of Rosaries (Short Formulary) 558 Blessing of Religious Articles (Short Formulary) 559 Blessing of a Means of Transportation

Sacraments When in Danger of Death 560 560 561 562 562 562 563

Baptism Confirmation Sacramental Absolution Absolution of Censures Dispensation from Irregularity Anointing of the Sick Apostolic Pardon

Index

564 Index

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LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY This handbook is a compilation of prayers that will help us talk to God in a confident and intimate way.

Most of these prayers are traditional and are thus grounded in the piety of the communion of saints.

Some are the fruit of meditations of St. Josemaria Escriva from his book The Way of the Cross and from his various homilies that deal with devotion to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph — the trinity on earth. Others — such as the excerpts taken from the Order of Mass, the Prefaces, and the Liturgy of the Hours — draw upon the rich liturgical tradition of the Church. As Pope Benedict XVI said in Jesus of Nazareth, in the public prayer of the Church, “God has come to our aid: He himself provides the words of our prayer and teaches us to pray.”

We entrust this treasury of prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary. May she, who needed only to embrace her Son to make her prayer heard, teach us to pray as she prays — with the utmost confidence, not rooted in our own worth, merit, or devotion, but rather in the love and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Some words of Pope Benedict XVI regarding prayer: “This is what prayer really is — being in silent inward communion with God. It requires nourishment, and that is why we need articulated prayer in words, images, or thoughts. The more God is present in us, the more we will really be able to be present to him when we utter the words of our prayers. But the converse is also true: Praying actualises and deepens our communion of being with God.

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“Our praying can and should arise above all from our heart, from our needs, our hopes, our joys, our sufferings, from our shame over sin, and from our gratitude for the good. It can and should be a wholly personal prayer. But we also constantly need to make use of those prayers that express in words the encounter with God experienced both by the Church as a whole and by individual members of the Church. For without these aids to prayer, our own praying and our image of God become subjective and end up reflecting ourselves more than the living God. “In the formulaic prayers that arose first from the faith of Israel and then from the faith of praying members of the Church, we get to know God and ourselves as well. They are a ‘school of prayer’ that transforms and opens up our life.”1 “The great men and women of prayer throughout the centuries were privileged to receive an interior union with the Lord that enabled them to descend into the depths beyond the word. They are therefore able to unlock for us the hidden treasures of prayer. And we may be sure that each of us, along with our totally personal relationship with God, is received into, and sheltered within, this prayer.

“Again and again, each one of us with his mens, his own spirit, must go out to meet, open himself to, and submit to the guidance of the vox, the word that comes to us from the Son. In this way his own heart will be opened, and each individual will learn the particular way in which the Lord wants to pray with him.”2

1. Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, 130.

2. Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, 133.

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HOW TO BE A BETTER CATHOLIC UNIVERSAL CALL TO HOLINESS “All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity.”1 “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”2 God wants us to be holy. One must try to sanctify oneself in one's place within the Church of Christ.

“[Lay Christians] live in the ordinary circumstances of family and social life, from which the very web of their existence is woven.”3 “By their very vocation, they seek the Kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the plan of God. They live in the world, that is, in each and in all of the secular professions and occupations.”4 “Hence the laity, dedicated as they are to Christ and anointed by the Holy Spirit, are marvellously called and prepared, so that even richer fruits of the Spirit may be produced in them. For all their works, prayers, and apostolic undertakings, family and married life, daily work, relaxation of mind and body, if they are accomplished in the Spirit — indeed even the hardships of life, if patiently borne — all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God 1.

2.

3.

4.

Vatican Council II, Lumen Gentium (=LG), 31.

Mt 5: 48.

LG, 31.

Ibidem.

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through Jesus Christ. In the celebration of the Eucharist these may most fittingly be offered to the Father along with the body of the Lord. And so, worshiping everywhere by their holy actions, the laity consecrate the world itself to God, everywhere offering worship by the holiness of their lives.”5 “Priests will acquire holiness in their own distinctive way by exercising their functions sincerely and tirelessly in the Spirit of Christ.

“Since they are ministers of the Word of God, they read and hear every day the Word of God, which they must teach to others. If they strive at the same time to make it part of their own lives, they will become daily more perfect disciples of the Lord. . . .”6 In order to sanctify ourselves in the ordinary circumstances of our life, we need to grow in our spiritual life, especially through prayer, self-denial, and work.

Life of Prayer “We learn to pray at certain moments by hearing the Word of the Lord and sharing in his paschal mystery, but his Spirit is offered us at all times, in the events of each day, to make prayer spring up from us.”7 “Prayer in the events of each day and each moment is one of the secrets of the kingdom revealed to ‘little children,’ to the servants of Christ, to the poor of the Beatitudes. It is right and good to pray so that the coming of the kingdom of justice and peace may influence the march of history, but it is just as important to bring the help of prayer into humble, every5. Catechism of the Catholic Church (=CCC), 901, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994; cf. LG 10, 34; 1 Pt 2: 5.

6. Vatican Council II, Presbyterorum Ordinis (=PO), 20; cf. 1 Tm 4: 15 – 16.

7. CCC, 2659; cf. Mt 6: 11, 34.

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day situations; all forms of prayer can be the leaven to which the Lord compares the kingdom.”8“But do not imagine that prayer is an action to be carried out and then forgotten. The just man ‘delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on his law day and night. Through the night, I meditate on you’ and ‘my prayer comes to you like incense in the evening.’

Our whole day can be a time of prayer — from night to morning and from morning to night.”9 Life of Self-Denial “The way of perfection passes by way of the cross.

There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle. Spiritual progress entails the ascesis and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes.”10 “Without mortification there is no happiness on earth.”11 “Let us listen to our Lord: ‘He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little thing is dishonest also in much.’ It is as if he were saying to us: ‘Fight continuously in the apparently unimportant things which are to my mind important; fulfil your duty, punctually; smile at whoever needs cheering up, even though there is sorrow in your soul; devote the necessary time to prayer, without haggling; go to the help of anyone who looks for you; practice justice, and go beyond it with the grace of charity.’”12 8. CCC, 2660; cf. Lk 13: 20– 21.

9. St. Josemaria Escriva, Christ is Passing By (=CPB), 119, Princeton, N. J.: Scepter Publishers, 1974.

10. CCC, 2015; cf. 2 Tm 2: 4.

11. St. Josemaria Escriva, Furrow (=FW), 983, Princeton, N. J.: Scepter Publishers, 1988.

12. CPB, 77.

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Self-denial will be more precious if it is united to charity according to the teaching of St. Leo the Great: “Let us give to virtue what we refuse to self-indulgence. Let what we deny ourselves by fast be the refreshment of the poor.”

Life of Work “Human work proceeds directly from persons created in the image of God and called to prolong the work of creation by subduing the earth, both with and for one another. Hence work is a duty: ’If any one will not work, let him not eat.’ Work honours the Creator’s gifts and the talents received from him. It can also be redemptive. By enduring the hardship of work in union with Jesus, the carpenter of Nazareth and the one crucified on Calvary, man collaborates in a certain fashion with the Son of God in his redemptive work. He shows himself to be a disciple of Christ by carrying the cross, daily, in the work he is called to accomplish. Work can be a means of sanctification and a way of animating earthly realities with the Spirit of Christ.”13 “In work, the person exercises and fulfils in part the potential inscribed in his nature. The primordial value of labour stems from man himself, its author and its beneficiary. Work is for man, not man for work.

“Everyone should be able to draw from work the means of providing for his life and that of his family, and of serving the human community.”14

13. CCC, 2427; cf. Gaudium et Spes (=GS), 34; Gn 1: 28; 9: 14– 18; Centesimus Annus (=CA), 31; 2 Th 3: 10; 4: 11; Laborem Exercens (=LE), 27.

14. CCC, 2428; cf. LE, 6.

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SUMMARY OF CHRISTIAN BELIEFS We are required to know and to believe: • That there is one supreme, eternal, infinite God, the Creator of Heaven and earth.

• That the good will be rewarded by him for ever in Heaven, and that the wicked who die unrepentant will be punished for ever in Hell.

• That in the Holy Trinity there are three Persons, coeternal, coequal: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

• That the Second Person of the Holy Trinity became man and died on the Cross to save us.

• The tenets of the Apostles’ Creed.

• In the Commandments of God and of the Church.

• That the Seven Sacraments were instituted by Christ to give us grace; especially, that Baptism is necessary and that the Eucharist is a pledge of our future glory.

• That Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, which together form one sacred deposit of the Word of God, are entrusted to the Church.

• Whatever God teaches us by his Church, who in her teaching cannot deceive us or be deceived.

“The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys [this] infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful, he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals. . . . The infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops when, together with Peter’s successor, they exercise the supreme ‘Magisterium,’ above all in an Ecumenical Council. When the Church through its supreme Magisterium proposes a doctrine ‘for belief as being divinely revealed’ and as the teaching of Christ, the definitions ‘must be adhered to with the obedience of faith.’”15

15. Cf. CCC, 891.

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SPIRITUAL GAME PLAN Do you want to be a good Christian? The first of your battles will be to enter into and remain in the state of grace, to avoid any mortal sin. And, then, because you want to love God above all things, you will also try not to commit venial sins.

The practice of some acts of piety throughout the day will help you to have a divine contemplative life in the midst of the daily routine. The habitual performance of these acts will also be the foundation for growing in Christian virtues. Most important is to be consistent in your daily schedule, in your spiritual game plan, so that you will live as a child of God.

Daily • Get up at a fixed time, as early as possible. Eight hours of sleep should be enough. More than this or less than six hours of sleep is usually not healthy.

•

Offer your day to God through the intercession of our Lady.

•

Work with order and intensity during the day as a way of serving God. Set goals and establish priorities in order to develop a practical schedule.

Sanctifying ordinary work is the goal of our life.

•

Try to attend Mass, receiving Holy Communion, as often as possible. This is the best sacrifice we can offer to God. Prepare yourself for Mass by spending some time in prayer.

•

Spend some time in mental prayer before the Blessed Sacrament (15 minutes, if possible).

•

Pray the Angelus. Traditionally, the Angelus is prayed at sunrise (6:00 a.m.), noon, and sunset

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(6:00 p.m.). (During Easter Time, say the Regina Cæli instead.)

•

Pray the Rosary, if possible, with your family, offering each decade for a specific intention.

•

Do some other spiritual reading. Start with the New Testament or some well-known spiritual book. Ten to fifteen minutes is sufficient.

•

Make a short examination of conscience at the end of the day before going to bed. Two or three minutes is enough. Follow these steps: Humble yourself in the presence of God. Tell him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.“ Ask for light to acknowledge your defects and virtues and to see the dangers and opportunities of the day. Ask for repentance, amendment, and encouragement.

Weekly • Centre all activities around the Holy Mass on Sunday, the Lord’s Day. It is also a family day — for rest and spiritual growth.

•

If you do not receive Holy Communion every day, receive at least on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.

•

Saturday is traditionally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Honour her and say some special prayer, such as the Hail Holy Queen.

Monthly Go to confession at least once a month. It is the sacrament of joy. Pope John Paul II says: “God is always the one who is principally offended by sin — ’I have sinned against You’ — and God alone can forgive. He does so through the min-

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istry of the priest in the Sacrament of Penance, which is the ordinary way of obtaining forgiveness and remission of mortal sins. Every mortal sin must always be stated with its determining circumstances in an individual confession.”16 •

Seek and follow the spiritual guidance of a wise, prudent, and knowledgeable priest.

•

Spend a few hours in recollection, best done before the Blessed Sacrament. Consider how you are directing your life toward God.

Yearly • Spend two or three days each year in silence, speaking with God only. A few days of retreat are necessary for the soul in the same way that the body needs a holiday. It is a yearly opportunity for conversion.

Always • Stay in the presence of God: be aware that he is always close to you. Try to please him in everything as a child tries to please his/her parents.

•

Thank God for the graces that he constantly gives you.

•

Do everything for the love of God: this is purity of intention. Always purify your intention. Make acts of contrition and atonement for your sins and sins of others.

•

Try to live as you would like to die. We shall die as we have lived.

16. John Paul II, Reconciliation and Penance (=RP), Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1984.

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THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS “The [seven] sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions.”17

Baptism18 By which we are born into the new life in Christ

The fruits of this Sacrament are: •

Remission of Original Sin.

•

Birth into the new life by which man becomes an adoptive son of the Father, a member of Christ, and a temple of the Holy Spirit.

•

Incorporation into the Church, the Body of Christ, and participation in the priesthood of Christ.

•

The imprinting, on the soul, of an indelible spiritual sign, the character, which consecrates the baptised person for Christian worship. Because of this character, Baptism cannot be repeated.

Confirmation19 By which we are more perfectly bound to the Church and enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit

The fruits of this Sacrament are: •

An increase and deepening of baptismal grace.

17. CCC, 1131.

18. Cf. CCC, 1277– 1279.

19. Cf. CCC, 1303– 1316.

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•

A deepening of one’s roots in the divine filiation, which makes one cry, “Abba, Father!”

•

A firming of one’s unity with Christ.

•

An increase of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

•

A strengthening of one’s bond with the Church and closer association with her mission.

•

Special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the Faith by word and action as a true witness of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and to never be ashamed of the Cross.

•

The imprinting, as in Baptism, of a spiritual mark or indelible character on the Christian’s soul. Because of this character, one can receive this Sacrament only once in one’s life.

The Holy Eucharist20 By which Christ associates his Church and all her members with the sacrifice of the Cross

The fruits of this Sacrament are: • An increase in the communicant’s union with Christ.

•

Forgiveness of venial sins.

•

Preservation from grave sins.

•

A strengthening of the bonds of charity between the communicant and Christ.

•

A strengthening of the unity of the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ.

20. Cf. CCC, 1407, 1413, 1416. The Holy Eucharist is really, truly, and substantially the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, under the appearances of bread and wine. The Holy Eucharist is not only a sacrament; it is also a sacrifice — the holy sacrifice of the Mass.

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Reconciliation or Penance21 By which sins after Baptism are forgiven

The fruits of this Sacrament are: Reconciliation with God: the penitent recovers sanctifying grace.

• Reconciliation with the Church.

• Remission of the eternal punishment incurred by mortal sins.

• Remission, at least in part, of temporal punishments resulting from sin.

• Peace and serenity of conscience, and spiritual consolation.

• An increase of spiritual strength for the Christian battle.

•

Anointing of the Sick22 By which a special grace is conferred during grave illness or old age

The fruits of this Sacrament are: • • • • •

Unity with the Passion of Christ, for the sick person’s own good and that of the whole Church.

Strength, peace, and courage to endure as a Christian the sufferings of illness or old age.

Forgiveness of sins, if the sick person was not able to obtain it through the Sacrament of Penance.

Restoration of health, if it is conducive to the salvation of the soul.

Preparation for entering eternal life.

21. Cf. CCC, 1486, 1497. Individual and integral confession of grave sins followed by absolution remains the only ordinary means of reconciliation with God and with the Church.

22. Cf. CCC, 1527, 1532.

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Holy Orders23 By which the task of serving in the name and in the Person of Christ is conferred

The fruits of this Sacrament are: The mission and faculty (“the sacred power”) to act in persona Christi.

• Configuration to Christ as Priest, Teacher, and Pastor.

• The imprinting, as in Baptism, of an indelible character that cannot be repeated or conferred temporarily.

•

Matrimony24

(See Church Laws Concerning Marriage, pp. 20 ff.)

By which a man and a woman form with each other an intimate communion of life and love

The fruits of this Sacrament for the spouses are: The grace to love each other with the love with which Christ has loved his Church.

• A perfecting of their human love.

• A strengthening of their indissoluble unity.

• Sanctification on their way to Heaven.

• The grace to “help one another to attain holiness in their married life and in welcoming and educating their children.”

• An integration into God’s covenant with man: Authentic married love is caught up into divine love.

•

23. Cf. CCC, 1536, 1591, 1598. It is bishops who confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders in the three degrees: episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate. In the Latin Church, the Sacrament of Holy Orders for the presbyterate is normally conferred on only those candidates who are ready to embrace celibacy freely and who publicly manifest their intention of staying celibate for the love of God’s kingdom and the service of others.

24. Cf. CCC, 1638, 1639, 1641, 1660, 1664. The marriage bond has been established by God himself in such a way that a marriage concluded and consummated between baptised persons can never be dissolved.

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THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF GOD “What good deed must I do, to have eternal life?”

“If you would enter into life, keep the Commandments.”25 Christ — through the example of his own life and by his preaching — attested to the permanent validity of the Ten Commandments.

The Decalogue contains a privileged expression of the natural law. It is made known to us by divine revelation and by human reason.26

1. I am the LORD your God: you shall not have strange gods before me.

You shall not have strange gods before me. You shall not make to thyself any graven thing; nor the likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the earth. You shall not adore them nor serve them.

2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day. 4. Honour your father and your mother.

5. You shall not kill.

6. You shall not commit adultery.

7. You shall not steal.

8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.

9. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife.

10. You shall not covet your neighbour’s goods.

25. Cf. Mt 19: 16– 17.

26. Cf. CCC, 2075, 2076, 2080.

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THE PRECEPTS OF THE CHURCH 27 The obligatory character of these positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities is meant to guarantee to the faithful the indispensable minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbour:

1. “You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labour.”

This precept requires the completion of the Sunday observance by participation in the principal liturgical feasts that honour the mysteries of the Lord, the Virgin Mary, and the saints. It requires, also, abstinence from those labours and business concerns that impede the worship to be rendered to God, the joy that is proper to the Lord’s day, or the proper relaxation of mind and body.

2. “You shall confess your sins at least once a year.”

This precept ensures preparation for the Eucharist by the reception of the sacrament of Reconciliation, which continues Baptism’s work of conversion and forgiveness.

3. “You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season.”

This precept guarantees as a minimum the reception of the Lord’s body and blood in connection with the Paschal feasts, the origin and centre of the Christian liturgy.

4. “You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.”

This precept ensures the times of ascesis and penance that prepare us for the liturgical feasts; they help us acquire freedom of heart and mastery over our instincts.

5. “You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.”

This precept requires the faithful to contribute to the Church according to their own abilities.

27. Cf. CCC, 2042– 2043.

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HOLYDAYS OF OBLIGATION The Holydays of Obligation for England and Wales are:

• Every Sunday • Birth of the Lord (25 December) • St. Peter and St. Paul (29 June) • Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (15 August) • All Saints (1 November) The following celebrations have been transferred to the Sunday:

• Epiphany of the Lord • Ascension of the Lord • Body and Blood of the Lord The Holydays of Obligation for Scotland are:

• Every Sunday • Birth of the Lord (25 December) • Ascension of the Lord • St. Peter and St. Paul (29 June) • Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (15 August) • All Saints (1 November) The following celebrations have been transferred to the Sunday:

• Epiphany of the Lord • Body and Blood of the Lord The Holydays of Obligation for Ireland are:

• Every Sunday • Immaculate Conception (8 December) • Christmas Day (25 December) • Epiphany (6 January ) • St. Patrick (17 March) • Assumption of Our Lady (15 August) • All Saints (1 November) The following celebrations have been transferred to the Sunday:

• Epiphany of the Lord • Ascension of the Lord • Body and Blood of the Lord

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DAYS OF PENANCE “Conversion is accomplished in daily life by gestures of reconciliation, concern for the poor, the exercise and defence of justice and right, by the admission of faults to one’s brethren, fraternal correction, revision of life, examination of conscience, spiritual direction, acceptance of suffering, endurance of persecution for the sake of righteousness. Taking up one’s cross each day and following Jesus is the surest way of penance.” “The seasons and days of penance in the course of the liturgical year (Lent, and each Friday in memory of the death of the Lord) are intense moments of the Church’s penitential practice.”28

All members of the Christian faithful are, in their own way, bound to do penance in virtue of divine law. In order that all may be joined in a common observance of penance, penitential days are prescribed in which the Christian faithful, in a special way, pray; exercise works of piety and charity; and deny themselves by fulfilling their responsibilities more faithfully, and especially by observing fast and abstinence according to the following: 29 • The time of Lent and all Fridays of the year are, throughout the universal Church, days and times especially appropriate for spiritual exercises; penitential liturgies; pilgrimages as signs of penance; voluntary self-denial, such as fasting and almsgiving.

• The age at which abstinence becomes binding is fourteen. The obligation of fasting is restricted to those who have completed their eighteenth year and it continues until they have begun their sixtieth.

• Fasting and abstinence are binding throughout the Church on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

28. CCC, 1435, 1438; cf. Lk 9: 23.

29. Cf. Codex Iuris Canonici (=CIC), 1244– 1245, 1249– 1253.

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The law of the Church requires Catholics on Fridays to abstain from meat, or some other form of food, or to observe some other form of penance laid down by the Bishops’ Conference. The Bishops of England and Wales have decided to reestablish the practice that this penance should be fulfilled simply by abstaining from meat and by uniting this to prayer. Those who cannot or choose not to eat meat as part of their normal diet should abstain from some other food of which they regularly partake. In Scotland and Ireland, whilst abstinence is not obligatory on the other Fridays, these are days on which self-denial should be practised. The form of self-denial, to be offered in union with our Lord’s suffering and death on the Cross, is left to the free choice of each individual.

Diocesan bishops can proclaim special days of penance for their own dioceses or territories, but only for individual occasions (per modum actus).

WORKS OF MERCY 30 The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbour’s spiritual and bodily necessities. Giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity; it is also a work of justice pleasing to God. • • • • • • •

Corporal Feeding the hungry.

• Giving drink to the thirsty. • Clothing the naked.

• Sheltering the homeless. • Visiting the sick.

• Visiting the imprisoned. • Burying the dead.

•

Spiritual Counselling the doubtful.

Instructing the ignorant.

Admonishing sinners.

Comforting the afflicted.

Forgiving offences.

Bearing wrongs patiently.

Praying for the living and the dead.

30. Cf. CCC, 2447.

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