FEAST OF ST. ANDREW THE APOSTLE. NOVEMBER 30.

FEAST OF ST. ANDREW THE APOSTLE.

NOVEMBER 30.

ANDREW, a brother of St. Peter, born at Bethsaida, was first a disciple of John the Baptist. Afterwards both the brothers were called by Christ, on the Sea of Galilee, before all the other apostles, with the words : “Come after Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men” (Mark i. 17). Immediately they left all, and became faithful disciples of Jesus, arid witnesses of His deeds and sufferings, of His resurrection and ascension. After the descent of the Holy Ghost Andrew travelled through Scythia, Epirus, and Thrace, and by his teachings and miracles converted vast numbers to Christ. As he was preaching at Patras, a city of Achaia, he was violently pressed by the proconsul, Aegeas, to offer sacrifice to the idols; but he nobly answered him, “I daily offer sacrifice to God ; not the flesh of oxen, nor the blood of rams, but an unspotted Lamb ; and although all the faithful may have partaken of His flesh, yet the Lamb remains as before He was offered, alive and undivided.” Aegeas, enraged, committed him to prison, and on the following day caused him to be scourged; and as he persevered in his declaration, condemned him to be put to death by crucifixion. When he saw the cross, the instrument of his death, he greeted it with joy, embraced it, and said, “O good cross, that was adorned with the limbs of Christ, thee have I long desired; thee have I fervently loved; thee have I continually sought. Now thou art made ready for me, according to the wish of my heart. Take me away from men, and restore me again to my Master, that through thee I may come to Him Who through thee has redeemed me.” After this he was nailed to the cross. Two days he remained hanging thereon, preaching faith in Jesus, until his soul was taken up to Him Whom he had so ardently desired to resemble in the manner .of His death.

In the Introit of the Mass the Church announces to us how greatly the apostles were exalted by God, Who made them teachers and fathers of the whole world. She cries out, therefore, “To me Thy friends, O God, are made exceedingly honorable; their principality is exceedingly strengthened. Lord, Thou hast proved me and known me ; Thou hast known my sitting down and my rising up “(Ps. cxxxviii.). Glory be, etc.

Prayer.

We suppliantly beseech Thy majesty, Lord, that as blessed Andrew the apostle was both a preacher and ruler of Thy Church, so he may be with Thee as a perpetual intercessor for us. Through Christ, etc. Amen.

EPISTLE. Rom. x. 10-18.

Brethren: With the heart, we believe unto justice; but, with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture saith: Whosoever believeth in Him, shall not be confounded. For there is no distinction of the Jew and the Greek : for the same is Lord over all, rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him, in Whom they have not believed? Or how shall they believe Him, of Whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear, without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they be sent, as it is written : How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, of them that bring glad tidings of good things ! But all do not obey the gospel. For Isaias saith : Lord, who hath believed our report? Faith then cometh by hearing : and hearing by the word of Christ. But I say : Have they not heard? Yes, verily, their sound hath gone forth into all the earth and their words unto the ends of the whole world.

GOSPEL. Matt. iv. 18-22.

At that time: Jesus walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishers). And He saith to them: Come ye after Me, and I will make you to be fishers of men. And they immediately leaving their nets, followed Him. And going on from thence, He saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets: and He called them. And they forthwith left their nets and father, and followed Him.

Explanation.

The alacrity with which Andrew followed the call of Jesus teaches us: 1. That we should, on the spot, give ear to God when He inspires us with a good thought, or calls us to a better course of life. 2. That, in order to follow His voice, we should cast behind us all desires for temporal goods, and even leave our parents, if they should prove a hindrance to us, for “ he that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me”
(Matt. x. 37).

Aspiration.

Mayest Thou be forever praised, most amiable Jesus, that Thou didst choose, not the wise, the mighty, or the rich, but, what in the eyes of the world was foolishness, to confound the wisdom and power of the world, and didst accordingly graciously look upon poor fishermen, and exalt them to the height of the apostolic dignity. Look also with fatherly regards upon us, Thy frail children ; call, nay, draw, us in such manner to Thee that, after the example of St. Andrew, we may suffer nothing in the world to detain us from following Thee, and may always glory in Thy cross, which is our salvation, our life, and our resurrection.
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Next-Feast of St. Francis Xavier, December 3

THE INVOCATION OF THE SAINTS.

THE INVOCATION OF THE SAINTS.

Is it lawful to call upon the saints for their intercession?
If a man may call upon his brothers and sisters for help, and upon pious people yet living for their prayers to God in his be half, as God advised the friends of Job to do (Job xlii. 8), as St. Paul did (i. Thess. v. 25), as non-Catholics themselves do, why should not a man invoke the intercession of the saints in the presence of God, who are our brethren?

But is not the invocation of the saints opposed to trust in God, and to the mediatorship of Christ ?
No; for we do not address ourselves to the saints in any such sense as we would address ourselves to God ; but, confessing ourselves to be sinners, and unworthy to appear before God, we betake ourselves to these friends of God and glorified brethren of ours, that through their intercession, which prevails much before Him, He may be gracious to us, and bestow upon us His favors. Christ is and remains our only mediator through Whom we have access to the Father (Eph. ii. 18) ; the saints are only intercessors who must pray to God for us through Jesus Christ.

Do the saints know of our prayers ?
If the holy angels rejoice over the conversion of the sinner (Luke xv. 10), and offer up the prayers of the saints as pleasing incense before the face of God (Apoc. viii. 3), ought not the same privilege be allowed to the saints, as being the friends of God and of Jesus Christ, and as being partakers of the same glory as the angels? (John xv. 14, 15.) Did not Onias and Jeremias, after their death, know of the sad condition of the Jewish people, and zealously pray for them ? (n. Mach. xv. 12,et seq.) God has a thousand ways of making known to them our prayers.
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 Next- Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle-November 30

THE VENERATION OF THE SAINTS.

THE VENERATION OF THE SAINTS.

WHAT is it to venerate the saints?
To venerate the saints is to show veneration, love, and confidence towards these friends of God and coheirs with Christ who, out of love for Him, have gone through the fight, are now honored by Him (Ps. cxxxviii. 17), and reign with Him in eternal happiness.

Does not the veneration of the saints infringe upon the honor due to God?
No; it is rather a confirmation of it, since it refers only to God, and, in the saints, honors only Him.

Are we permitted, then, to venerate the saints?
Yes ; and not only permitted, but it is good and useful to do so if we would honor God.

Is it also lawful to venerate the relics of the saints that is, their bones, and articles that belonged to them?
Without doubt it is. This, indeed, has been the unbroken practice, both under the Old Law and the New, from the earliest times; and God has sanctioned it by the most remarkable miracles. Thus He brought a dead man to life by the bones of Eliseus (iv. Kings xiii. 21). The woman troubled with an issue of blood was made whole by barely touching the garments of Christ (Matt. ix. 22 ; Mark v. 29 ; Luke viii. 47). By the shadow of St. Peter (Acts v. 15), and the handkerchiefs and aprons of St. Paul (Acts xix. 12), different diseases were cured, and evil spirits expelled.

Why ought we to venerate the relics of the saints?
The reason is well given by the Council of Trent (Sess. xvi.).They are precious remains of those bodies which, in their life time, were members of Christ and temples of the Holy Ghost, and which shall one day be raised up and glorified.
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Next-The Invocation of the Saints

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

This is the first day of the ecclesiastical year; on it the Church begins to contemplate the coming of Our Saviour, and, with the prophets, to long for Him ; she exhorts the faithful to true penance for their sins, which oppose Christ s entrance into their hearts; she sings, therefore, at the Introit of the Mass, in the words of the psalmist :“ To Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul.”

Prayer.

Raise up Thy power, O Lord, we pray Thee, and come, that by Thy protection we may deserve to be rescued from the threatening dangers of our sins, and to be saved by Thy deliverance. Who livest and reignest, etc. Amen.

EPISTLE. Rom. xiii. 11-14.

Brethren : Knowing the season, that it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep. For now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. The night is passed and the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly as in the day: not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and impurities, not in contention and envy; but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is understood here by sleep?
Sin, in which man, as if sunk in a torpor, no longer sees the light of the Gospel, no longer hears the warning of his conscience, neglects the means of salvation, and lives without care, until he awakes, alas ! too late, as from a dream.

What is understood by night and day?
By night is to be understood ignorance, infidelity, and sin. The day represents faith, grace, and reconciliation with God.

What are the works of darkness?
All sin, especially that which is unknown to men, but seen and known by God, of Whose grace it deprives us.

What is the armor of light?
It consists in faith, hope, charity, and good works, the spiritual arms with which we have to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil.

What does it mean to put on the Lord Jesus Christ? It means that Christians should think, speak, and act like Jesus, adorning themselves by the imitation of Him as with precious garments.
Prayer.

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who became man for us, grant that we may in all things comply with the admonitions of this epistle; that we may arise from the slumber of our sins, and walk in the light of grace by the diligent performance of good works, and adorn our souls by putting on Thee, through the imitation of Thy virtues.

GOSPEL. Luke xxi. 25-33.

At that time Jesus said to His disciples: There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars, and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roar ing of the sea and of the waves: men withering away for fear, and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world, for the powers of heaven shall be moved ; and then they shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud with great power and majesty. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand. And He spoke to them a similitude: See the fig-tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth their fruit, you know that summer is nigh. So you also when you shall see these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is at hand. Amen I say to you, this generation shall not pass away till all things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away.

Why does the Church cause this Gospel concerning the Last Judgment to be read to-day?
To prepare our hearts by penance for the coming of Jesus as our judge.

What signs shall precede the Last Judgment?
The sun shall be darkened, the moon shall not give light, the stars shall fall from heaven ; the heavens themselves shall pass away with a great noise, the elements shall melt with heat, and the earth with all that is in it shall be burned up. At the command of God the world shall be shaken to its centre ; fearful tempests shall arise ; the sea and wave? shall roar, and wild struggle and destruction take the place of quiet and order. Men shall wither away with fear, not knowing whither to fly. Then shall appear the holy cross, the sign of the Son of man a terror to sinners who have hated it, a consolation to- those who have loved it.

How will the Last Judgment begin?
At the command of God the angels, with the sound of the trumpet, shall summon all men to judgment (i. These, iv. 15).The bodies and souls of the dead shall be again united, and the wicked shall be separated from the righteous, the just on the right, the wicked on the left (St. Matt. xxv. 33). The angels and the devils will be present, and Christ Himself will appear in a bright cloud with such power and majesty that the wicked,
for fear, will not be able to look at Him, but will say to the mountains, “Fall on us,” and to the hills,”Cover us”(St.Luke xxiii. 30).

Why will God hold a general and public judgment?
1. That all may know how just He has been in the particular judgment of each one. 2. That justice may at last be rendered to the afflicted and persecuted, while the wicked who have oppressed the poor, the widow, the orphan, the religious, and yet have often passed for upright and devout persons, may be known in their real characters and be forever disgraced. 3. That Jesus Christ may complete His redemption, and openly triumph over His enemies, who shall see the glory of the Crucified, and tremble at His power.

How will the Last Judgment proceed?
The books will be opened, and from them all men will be judged; all their good and bad thoughts, words, and deeds, even the most secret, known only to God, will be revealed before the whole world, and according to their works men will be rewarded or be damned forever. The wicked shall go into everlasting punishment, but the just into life everlasting (St. Matt. xxv.46).

Exhortation.

The Church, during the season of Advent, reminds thee, O Christian, of the coming of Christ to judgment, that thou mayest with the more zeal apply thyself to profit by His first coming ; for they only will be justified and glorified who have acknowledged and received Him as their Redeemer. Examine thyself, therefore, to-day, and during this week, whether thou hast believed in Him, loved Him, admitted Him into thy heart, and kept His holy commands. Begin at once penance and good works, that thou mayest with confidence await the judgment-day of the Lord.

Aspiration.

Thou art just, O Lord! and just is Thy judgment. Oh, penetrate my soul with holy fear, that I may be kept from evil deeds, and incited to good works. Would that I could say, with St. Jerome, “Whether I eat or drink, or whatever I do, it is as if I heard the awful summons of the trumpet, ‘Ye dead, arise, and come to judgment!’”

Next-Veneration of the Saints

ADVENT

ADVENT

What does Advent mean?
Advent means the coming, and is used by the Church to represent the four thousand years of preparation for the coming of the Redeemer, and at the same time points us to His second coming as our judge.

When is the season of Advent?
The season of Advent comprises the four weeks preceding Christmas.

When was the first coming of our Redeemer?
When the Son of God was conceived by the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and was made flesh, to sanctify the world by His coming.

Was a redeemer necessary?
Yes ; for all men sinned in Adam, and needed to be reconciled to God.

Could not the just under the Old Law be saved before the coming of Christ?
Yes; through the expectation of Him and through His future merits all might be saved under the Old Law who made themselves worthy of the grace of Christ by innocence and penance, though they could not be admitted to heaven until Our Lord’s ascension.

When will be the second coming of Christ?
At the end of the world, when Christ will come with great power and majesty to judge the living and the dead.

Why has the Church appointed the holy season of Advent?
1. That we may consider the wretched state of mankind before the coming of Christ, and bring before our minds the mercy of God, Who sent His only-begotten Son down from heaven for our redemption. 2. That we may prepare ourselves worthily for Christmas, that Christ may then enter our hearts in the fulness of His grace, to renew them and to dwell in them. 3. That we may so prepare ourselves for the second advent that He may be to us a merciful judge.“ Watch ye, therefore, because you know not what hour your Lord will come” (St.Matt. xxiv. 42).

Prayer.

O God, Who hast brought joy to the world through Thy gracious advent, grant us, we beseech Thee, Thy grace, that we may prepare ourselves by sincere penance for its celebration and for the Last Judgment. Amen.

Next-FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

THE BLESSING OF SALT AND OF WATER

THE BLESSING OF SALT AND OF WATER.

Holy water is usually blessed every Sunday before Mass.
How is this blessing done?
First the salt is blessed with prayer and exorcism, whereby the influence of the evil spirit is broken and God s blessing and protection secured for our souls and bodies. Then the water is blessed in like manner. The salt is then mingled with the water in the name of the Triune God, to show that the sprinkling with holy water may preserve us from the corruption of sin.

For what does the Church use holy water?
To sprinkle the faithful, and everything she blesses and consecrates. According to the words of the prayers, the effects of grace should be, cleansing from venial sin and protection of soul and body against the assaults of the evil spirit.

How should we use holy water?
The devout Christian takes holy water not only on entering and leaving the church, but also at home on rising and retiring, going in and going out, and at other times; always beseeching God to cleanse him by the merits of Christ s precious blood, and to protect him from all dangers of soul and body.

Next-ADVENT

BLESSINGS

BLESSINGS

How does the Church sanctify week-days ?
By commemorating on. each week-day some divine benefit or the memory of some saint, and by providing for the offering of the holy sacrifice of the Mass, that whosoever can attend may do so. Every Catholic, therefore, ought each day meditate upon some divine truths; hear Mass, if in his power; and without fail say his morning and evening prayers devoutly, that he may be strengthened to perform his daily labors in a manner pleasing to God, and patiently suffer the trials of life, while through all he ascends from virtue to virtue.


What is a blessing?
A blessing is that holy act whereby the Church calls down the divine blessing on persons and things.

Why does the Church bless water, salt, and other things?
That the things which she blesses may avail to the spiritual and bodily health of those who use them with devotion.

Is there any warrant in Holy Scripture for this custom?
Yes ; we read that Our Saviour Himself blessed little children (St. Mark x. 16), bread, fish (St. Matt. xiv. 19), and other things ; and St. Paul tells us :
“Every creature of God is sanctified by the word of God and prayer”(i. Tim. iv. 4, 5).

Next-THE BLESSING OF SALT AND OF WATER

FAST-DAYS

FAST-DAYS.

What are fast-days?
Those days on which we are allowed but one full meal, in order to present to God a sacrifice of mortification.

Which are fast-days and which days of abstinence?
Those days on which it is permitted to eat but one full meal are fast-days of obligation. Days on which we are forbidden to eat flesh-meat, but are allowed the usual number of meals, are days of abstinence.

Why has the Church appointed fast-days?
In order that her children should, by fasting, mortify the flesh, and overcome sensual inclinations; that by doing penance they should make satisfaction for sin and become reconciled to God; that they should become more fervent in prayer; that by conquering their lusts they should gain greater strength for God’s service; that by denying themselves they should have more for the poor; and that by despising worldly pleasures they should learn to desire only the things of heaven.

Which are the principal fast-days?
1. The forty days of Lent. 2. The ember-days. 3. The vigils or eves of festivals. 4. The Fridays of Advent.

What are the ember-days?
Days instituted to thank God, each season of the year, for the benefits received during that season, and to remind the faithful, each quarter of the year, of the duty of penance; also to pray to God for deserving priests, for on those days the ordination of priests usually takes place.

What are vigils?
The vigils are the days before the feasts. The name means watch, and is taken from the watch-night of the Christians of the first century, who used to pass the night before a feast in the church, with prayer, praise, and fasting. Later this preparation was carried on during the day, instead of the night, and the day
was made a fast- day.

Why does the Church command us to abstain from flesh-meat on Friday?
The Church commands us to abstain from flesh-meat on Friday in honor of the day on which Our Saviour died for us.

Next-BLESSINGS

FEAST-DAYS AND HOLY-DAYS

FEAST-DAYS AND HOLY-DAYS

What are feasts and holy-days?
Days on which the Church celebrates either certain mysteries of religion, or some passage in the life of Our Lord, or the memory of the saints.

Why has the Church established these holy-days?
She has instituted the feasts of Our Lord that we may be led to remember God s love and mercy toward us; to meditate upon the mysteries, truths, and benefits of the Christian religion ; and to contemplate Jesus as the perfect pattern of a Christian life. On the feasts of the saints our minds are directed to those heroes of Christianity, that we may keep in veneration the lives of the friends of God, and be encouraged to imitate their example.

Has the Church authority to establish holy-days?
Certainly ; for the power which Jesus Christ gave to His apostles and their successors to bind and to loose upon earth includes the power to make laws and regulations for the salvation of the faithful. There is warrant for it, too, in the Old Law, for under that dispensation the Jews celebrated the Pasch, or Easter, to commemorate their deliverance from Egyptian bondage ;Pentecost to thank God for the Ten Commandments of the Law given to Moses on Mount Sinai ; the feast of Tabernacles in commemoration of the forty years journeying through the wilderness.

Which are the holy-days of obligation?
The Circumcision of Our Lord, Ascension Day, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, All Saints Day, the Immaculate Conception, and Christmas.

Next-FAST-DAYS

SUNDAY

SUNDAY

What is Sunday?
Sunday, also called the Lord s Day, is the first day of the week.

Why has God reserved to Himself one day in each week?
In order that man should rest from work at least one day out of the seven, and dedicate it to the special service of God, and to the salvation of his own soul.

Why do we Christians keep Sunday as a holy-day instead of Saturday, which was the day observed under the Old Law?
The apostles kept Sunday, the first day of the week, as a holy-day for these reasons: 1. As the Sabbath was a memorial of the consummation of the work of the creation, so the Sunday was to remind us of the consummation of the redemption. 2.On that day Our Lord arose from the dead. 3. On that day the Holy Ghost descended on the apostles. 4. To intimate that a new dispensation took the place of the old ; and the diversity of the time of divine worship drew a line of distinction between Christians and Jews.

How should we spend Sunday?
As the design of its institution requires; that is, holily.

How is Sunday kept holy?
Sunday is kept holy by abstaining from servile labor, and by works of piety, such as hearing Mass with devotion, listening to a sermon, receiving Christian instruction, reading good books, visiting the sick, or other works of spiritual or corporal mercy.

How is Sunday profaned?
Sunday is profaned by unnecessary servile labor; by neglecting to hear Mass ; by intemperance and idleness ; by spending the day in frivolous, dangerous, and sinful pleasures; and in general by sinful acts.

Prayer.

O God, Who hast appointed Sunday that on that day we should serve Thee, and make ourselves partakers of Thy grace, grant that we may always on that day renew our faith, and be incited to the praise and adoration of Thy majesty. Through, etc.

Next-FEAST-DAYS AND HOLY-DAYS

THE ECCLESIASTICAL YEAR

THE ECCLESIASTICAL YEAR

What is the ecclesiastical year?

The ecclesiastical year is the order of seasons and holydays, beginning with the first Sunday of Advent and ending with the last Sunday after Pentecost, during which the Catholic Church commemorates in her public worship the mysteries and events of redemption.

Which are the chief holy-days and seasons of the ecclesiastical year?
The holy seasons are :
1. Christmas, for which Advent is the preparation.
2. Easter, for which Lent is the preparation.
3. Pentecost, extending to the first Sunday in Advent.

What does the Church commemorate at Christmas?
The infinite love of God the Father, Who, according to His promise, sent His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem mankind. This holy season begins with the first Sunday in Advent, and ends with the sixth Sunday after Epiphany.

What does the Church commemorate at Easter?
The infinite love of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who, by His life, His works, His passion, death, and resurrection, accomplished our redemption, and then ascended into heaven there to be our mediator. This holy season begins with Septuagesima Sunday, and ends at the vigil of Pentecost.

What does the Church commemorate at Pentecost?
The infinite love of God the Holy Ghost, Who imparts to the faithful the fruits of the redemption purchased for them by Christ. This holy season begins with Pentecost Sunday, and ends with the last Sunday after Pentecost.

How is the ecclesiastical year divided?
The ecclesiastical year is divided into :
1. The fifty-two Sundays. 2. The week-days. 3. The feasts. 4. The fast-days.

Next-SUNDAY