Chapter XXIII. Of the Festivals of the Catholic Church; Where Also of the Holy Week, and the Ceremonies Thereof

Q. What are the days which the church commands to be kept holy?

A, First, the Sundays, or the Lord's day, which we observe by apostolical tradition, instead of the sabbath. Secondly, the feasts of our Lord's Nativity, or Christmas-day; his Circumcision, or New-Year's day; the Epiphany, or Twelfth-day; Easter-day, or the day of our Lord's Resurrection; the day of our Lord's Ascension; Whit-Sunday, or the day of the coming o^ the Holy Ghost; Trinity-Sunday; Corpus Christi, or the feast of the blessed Sacrament. Thirdly, we keep the days of the Annunciation, and Assumption of the blessed Virgin Mary. Fourthly, we observe the feast of All-Saints'.

Q. What warrant have you for keeping the Sunday, preferable to the ancient Sabbath, which was the Saturday?

A, We have for it the authority of the Catholic Church and apostolical tradition.

Q. Does the scripture any where command the Sunday to be kept for the Sabbath?

A, The scripture commands us to hear the church, St. Matt, xviii. 17. St. Luke x. 16. and to hold fast the traditions of the Apostles, 2 Thess ii. 16. but the scripture does not in particular mention this change of the Sabbath. St. John speaks of the Lord's day, Rev. i. 10. but he does not tell U3 what day of the week this was, much less does he tell us that this day was to take place of the Sabbath ordained in the commandments: St. Luke also epeaks of the disciples meeting together to break bread on the first day of the week, Acts xx. 7. And St. Paul, 1 Cor. xvi. 2. orders that on the first day of the week the Corinthians should lay by ia store what they designed to bestow in charity on the faithful in Judea: but neither one nor the other tells us, that this first day of the week was to be henceforward the day of worship, and the christian Sabbath: so that truly, the best authority we have for this is the testimony and ordinance of the church. And therefore those who pretend to be 80 religious observers of the Sunday, whilst they take no notice of other festivals ordained by the same church-authority shew, that they act by humour, and not by reason and religion; since Sundays and Holidays all stand upon the same foundation, viz. the ordinance of the church.

Q. But ought it not to be enough to keep one day in the week, according as it was prescribed in the commandments, without enjoining any other festivals or holidays; especially since it is expressly said in the commandment, 'Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work,^ Exod. xx. 9?

A, God did not, in the Old Testament, only appoint the weekly Sabbath, which was the Saturday, but moreover ordained several other festivals, commanding them to be kept holy, and forbidding all servile work on them; as the feast of the Pasch or Passover; the feast of Pentecost; the feast of the sound of Trumpets, on the first day of the tenth month; the feast of Atonement, on the tenth day of the same month, the feast of Tabernacles, on the fifteenth day of the same month, &c. See the 23d chapter of Leviticus. So that when it is said in the law, six days shalt thou labour,' &c. this must needs be understood, in case no holiday came in the week; otherwise the law would contradict itself.

Q. But does not St. Paul reprehend the Galatians, Gal. iv. 10, 11. for observing days, and months, and times, and years?

A. This is to be understood either of the superstitious observation of lucky or unlucky days, &;c. or, as it is far more probable from the whole context, of the observation of the Jewish festivals; which, with the old law, were now abolished, but were taken up by the Galatians, together with circumcision, upon the recommendation of certain false teachers: but far was it from the design of the Apostle to reprehend their observation of christian solemnities, either of the Lord's day, or of other festivals observed by apostolical tradition, or recommended by the authority of the church of Christ. For these come to us recommended by Christ himself, who says to the pastors of his church, 'he that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me,' St. Luke. x. 16.

Q. What was the reason why the weekly Sabbath was changed from the Saturday to the Sunday?

A. Because our Lord fully accomplished the work of our redemption by rising from the dead on a Sunday, and by sending down the Holy Ghost on a Sunday: as therefore the work of our redemption was a greater work than that of our creation, so the primitive church thought the day, in which this work was completely finished, was more worthy her religious observation, than that in which God rested from the creation, and should be properly called the Lord's day.

Q. But has the church a power to make any alterations in the commandments of God?

A, The commandments of God, as far as they contain his eternal law, are unalterable and indispensable; but as to whatever was only ceremonial they cease to oblige, since the Mosaic law was abrogated by Christ's death. Hence, as far as the commandment obliges us to set aside some part of our time for the worship and service of our Creator, it is an unalterable and unchangeable precept of the eternal law in which the church cannot dispense: but for as much as it prescribes the seventh day in particular for this purpose, it is no more than a ceremonial precept of the old law, which obligeth not christians. And therefore, instead of the seventh day, and other festivals appointed by the old law, the church has prescribed the Sundays and holidays to be set apart for God's worship; and these we are now obliged to keep in consequence of God's commandment, instead of the ancient sabbath.

Q. What was the reason of the institution of other festivals, besides the Lord's day?

A. That we might celebrate the memory of the chief mysteries of our redemption; that we might give God thanks for his mercies, and glorify him in his saints.

Q. In what manner ought a christian to spend the Sundays and holidays?

A, In religious duties; such as assisting at the great sacrifice of the church, and other public prayers, reading good books, and hearing of the word of God, &c.

Q. Why does the church prohibit all servile works upon Sundays or holidays?

A, That the faithful may have nothing to take them off from attending to God's service, and the sanctification of their souls upon these days.

And certainly a christian that has any religious thoughts, can never think much of devoting now and then a day, to that great business, for which alone he came into this world.

Q. What is the meaning of the institution of Christmas?

A, To celebrate the birth of Christ: to give God thanks for sending his Son into the world for our redemption; and that we may, upon this occasion, endeavour to study and to learn those great lessons of poverty of spirit, of humility, and of self-denial, which the Son of God teaches us from the crib of Bethlehem.

Q. What is the reason that on Christmas-day Mass is said at midnight?

A, Because Christ was born at midnight.

Q. Why are three Masses. said by every priest upon Christmas-day?

A. This ancient observance may be understood to denote three different births of Christ; his eternal birth from his Father, his temporal birth from his mother, and his spiritual birth in the hearts of good christians.

Q. Are all the faithful obliged to hear three Masses on Christmas-day?

A, No, they are not: though it would be very commendable so to do.

Q. What is the meaning of the time of Advent before Christmas?

A, It is a time appointed by the church for devotion and penance, and is called Advent or coming, because in it we prepare ourselves for tht worthy celebrating the mercies of our Lord's first coming, that so we may escape the rigour of his justice at his second coming.

Q. What is the meaning of New Year's day?

A, It is the octave of Christmas, and the day of our Lord's circumcision, when he first began to shed his innocent blood for us: and on this day we ought to study how we may imitate him by a spiritual circumcision of our hearts.

Q. What is the meaning of the Epiphany, or Twelfth-day?

A, It is a day kept in memory of the coming of the wise men of the East, to adore our Saviour in his infancy: and it is called Epiphany, or Manifestation, because our Lord then begun to manifest himself to the Gentiles. The devotion of this day is to give God thanks for our vocation to the true faith, and like the wise men to make our offerings of gold, frankincense and myrrh, that is, of charity, prayer and mortification to our new born Saviour. On this day the church also celebrates the memory of the baptism of Christ, and of his first miracle of changing water into wine in Cana of Gallilee.

Q. What is the meaning of Candlemas-day?

A. It is the day of the Purification of the blessed Virgin after child bearing, and of the presentation of our Lord in the temple; when the just man Simeon, who had a promise from the Holy Ghost of: seeing the Saviour of the world before his death, received him into his arms, and proclaimed him to be the light of the Gentiles. Upon this account, the church upon this day makes a solemn procession with lighted candles, which are blessed by the priest before Mass, and carried in the hands of the faithful, as an emblem of Christy who is the true. light of the world. And from this ceremony this day is called Candlemas, or the Mass of candles.

Q. What is the meaning of the Annunciation, or, Lady-day, the 25th of March?

A, It is the day of our Lord's Incarnation, when he was first conceived by the Holy Ghost in the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary: and it is called the Annunciation, from the message brought from heaven on this day to the Virgin by the angel Gabriel.

Q. What is the meaning of the Holy Week before Easter?

A. It is a week of more than ordinary devotion in honour of the passion of Christ.

Q. What is the meaning of Palm-sunday?

A, It is the day in which our Lord being about to suffer for us, entered into Jerusalem, sitting upon an ass, as had been foretold by the prophet Zachariah, chap. ix. ver. 9. and was received with Hosannas of joy, accompanied by a great multitude bearing branches of palms in their hands. In memory of which we go in procession round the church on this day, bearing also branches of palms in our hands, to celebrate the triumphs of our victorious king.

Q. What is the meaning of the Tenebrae Office in holy week?

^. The Matins of Christ's passion, which formerly used to be said in the night, and are now said in the evening, on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday in holy week, are called the Tenebrae Office, from the Latin word, which signifies darkness; because towards the latter end of the Office, all the lights are extinguished in memory of the darkness which covered all the earth, whilst Christ was hanging upon the cross: and at the end of the Office, a noise is made to represent the earth-quake and splitting of the rocks, which happened at the time of our Lord's death.

Q. What is the reason of Maundy-Thursday?

A. '*< is the day on which Christ first instituted the ^lfc.5sed sacrament; and began his passion by his bitter agony and bloody sweat. From the Gloria in excelsis of the Mass of this day, till the Mass 01 Easter Evo, our bells are silent throughout the Catholic Church, because we are now mourning for the passion of Christ^ Our altars are also uncovered and stript of all their ornaments, because Christ our true altar hung naked upon the cross. On this day also prelates and superiors wash in the church the feet of their subjects, after the example of our Lord, St. John xiii.

Q. What is the meaning of visiting the sepulchres upon Maundy-Thursday?

A, The place where the blessed sacrament is reserved in the church, in order for the Office of Good Friday, (on which day there is no consecration) is by the people called the sepulchre, as representing by anticipation the burial of Christ. And where there are many churches, the faithful make their stations to visit our Lord in these sepulchres, and meditate on the difierent stages of his passion.

Q. What is the meaning of Good Friday?

A. \i is the day on which Christ died for us upon the cross. The devotion proper for this day, and for the whole time in which we celebrate Christ's passion, is to meditate upon the sufferings of our Redeemer, to study the excellent lessons of virtue, which he teaches us by his example in the whole course of his passion; especially his humility, meekness, patience, obedience, resignation, dz;c. and above all, to learn his hatred of sin and his love for us; that we may also learn to hate sin, which nailed him to the cross; and to love him that has loved us even unto death.

Q. What is the meaning of kneeling to the cross and kissing it on Good-Friday?

A, It is to express by this reverence outwardly exhibited to the cross, our veneration and love for bim, who upon this day died for us on the cross.

Q, What is the meaning of Holy Saturday?

A. It is Easter Bf e, and therefore in the Ma^s of this day the church resumes the Alleluias of joy, which she had intermitted during the penitential time of Septuagesima and Lent. On this day is blessed the Paschal candle, as an emblem of Christ, and his light and glory, which burns during the Mass from Easter until Ascension, that is, during the whole time that Christ remained upon earth after his resurrection. This day and Whitsun-eve were anciently the days deputed by the church for solemn baptism,-and therefore on this day the fonts are solemnly blessed.

Q. What is the meaning of Easter?

A, It is the chief feast of the whole year, as being the solemnity of our Lord's resurrection. The devotion of this time is to rejoice in Christ's victory over death and hell; and to labour to imitate his resurrection, by arising from the death of sin to the life of grace.

Q. What is the meaning of Ascension-day?

A. It is the yearly memory of Christ's ascending into heaven, forty days after his rising again from the dead; and therefore it is a festival of joy, as well by reason of the triumphs of our Saviour on this day, and the exaltation of our human nature, by him now exalted above the angels; as likewise, because our Saviour has taken possession of that kingdom in our name, and is preparing a place for us; and in the mean time he there discharges the Office of our High Priest and our Advocate, by constantly representing his death and passion to his Father in our behalf. It is also a part of the devotion of this day, to labour to disengage our hearts from this earth and earthly things, to remember that we are but strangers and pilgrims here, and to aspire after our heavenly country, where Christ our treasure is gone before us, in order to draw our hearts thither after him.

Q. What is the most proj er devotion for the time between Ascension and Whitsunday?

A. To prepare ourselves for the Holy Ghost, as the Apostles did by retirement and prayer, and to purify our souls from sin, especially from all rancour and impurity.

Q. What is the meaning of the solemnity of Whitsunday or Pentecost?

A. It was a festival observed in the old law, in memory of the law having been given on that day in thunder and lightning; and it is observed by us now in memory of the new law, having been promulgated on this day by the Holy Ghost's descent upon the Apostles in the shape of tongues of fire. The proper devotion of this time is to invite the Holy Ghost into our souls by fervent prayer, and to give ourselves to his divine influences.

Q. What is the meaning of Trinity-Sunday?

A. The first Sunday after Pentecost is called Trinity-Simday, because on that day we particularly commemorate that great mystery of Three Persons in one God, and glorify the blessed Trinity for the whole work of our redemption, which we have celebrated in the foregoing festivals.

Q. What is the meaning of the solemnity of Corpus Christi?

A. It is a festival observed by the church, to give God thanks for his goodness and mercy in the institution of the blessed Sacrament; and to this end are ordained the processions and benedictions of this octave.

Q. What is the meaning of the feast of the Invention, or, finding of the cross, May the 3d?

A. It is a day of devotion in memory of the miraculous finding of the cross of Christ, by the empress Helen, mo her to Constantino the Great; and the chief devotion of the church upon this day, as well as upon that of the Exaltation of the cross, Sept. 14, is to celebrate the victorious death and passion of our Redeemer.

Q. What are the days observed by the church in honour of our Lady the blessed Virgin Mary?

A. Besides her Purification and the Annunciation, of which we have already spoken, we observe the day of her Conception, Dec. 8, the day of her birth or Nativity, Sept. 8. and the day of her happy passage to eternity, Aug. 15, which we call her Assumption; it being a pious traditon that she was taken up to heaven both in body and soul, though not till after she had paid the common debt by death. We also keep the day of her presentation or consecration to God in the temple, Nov. 21, and of her visitation, July 2, but only the Annunciation and Assumption are now holidays of obligation.

Q. VVhat is the meaning of keeping the festivals of the blessed Virgin Mary, and of other saints?

A, First, to glorify God in his saints, and to give him thanks for the graces and glory bestowed upon them. Secondly, to communicate with these citizens of heaven, and to procure their prayers for us. Thirdly, to encourage ourselves to imitato their examples.

Q. Does not the church also observe some days of devotion in honour of the Angels?

A, We observe Michaelmas day in honour of St. Michael the Archangel, and of all the heavenly legions. We also commemorate an illustrious apparition of St. Michael, May 8, and we keep the day of our Angels^ guardians, October 2, to give God thanks «for giving his Angels a charge over us; though these are not days of obligation.

Q. How do you prove that we have Angels for our guardians?

A. From St. Matt, xviii. 10. 'Take heed that ye despise not one of these little onesj for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.' Heb. i. 14. ' Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of their salvation?'