Part I, Chapter V: 1. General Dispositions for the Administration of the: Sacraments (1)

1. General Dispositions for the Administration of the

Sacraments

CULTIVATE a high esteem and respect for all the sacraments, looking upon them as the most efficacious means of God's infinite power, wisdom and goodness. Realize that the Heavenly Father employs them continually to give birth to Christ in the souls of His people. Realize also that through the sacraments He sanctifies the holy and restores to life the sinner whose soul is dead. Thus, St. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, says: "Sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts" (1 Peter 3, 15). Moreover, the Saviour uses the sacraments to multiply the numbers of His subjects on earth, to extend His Kingdom and consummate His love in each individual soul.

Think of the sacraments as the fountains of the Saviour in whose waters Christians find grace and strength to attain eternal salvation.

Know that the sacraments are the divine instruments of the Holy Spirit through which are applied to souls the fruits of the Life and Death of Jesus, supplying what is needed to complete the Passion of Our Lord, namely its application to those for whom it was offered.

Treat the sacraments as treasures of God's house which contains infinite riches hidden from the wise and prudent of this world, but manifested to the lowly and humble. Revere them as sacred vessels i n which the Church preserves the Precious Blood, the Holy Spirit and the divine grace of her Spouse for the nourishment and sanctification of her children.

Seek to instil in the hearts and minds of Christians these sentiments of esteem and reverence for the sacraments.

Treat them with the utmost veneration, keeping particularly neat and clean all things used for their administration. When a sacrament is given, show the utmost respect, gravity, modesty and devotion.

Instruct the faithful fully regarding the sacraments. Point out that their origin depends on the goodness and mercy of God, and that their merits come from the Passion and Death of our Saviour. Explain their significance and their effects. Let it be understood that through the sacraments are accomplished the sanctification of the Church, the destruction of sin and the establishment of the reign of God on earth.

Impress upon your congregation that the sacraments are so noble and so lofty in themselves, that they should be shown the utmost reverence. Consequently, they should be received only with complete purity of body and soul. From them should be drawn fruits for spiritual advancement. All things that might profane them should be avoided. Worldliness and dangerous amusements should, therefore, be eradicated from one's life, particularly at the time of the reception of the Sacrament of Marriage. Certainly there are many who, entering into that holy state and receiving that sacrament, act as if they wished to disavow their baptismal promises and to contract marriage like pagans rather than Christians. Priests, therefore, must be on guard to preserve the sanctity of so great a sacrament as Matrimony: Sacramentum magnum i n Christo et in Ecclesia (Eph. 5, 32).

Besides these general dispositions, teach your parishioners the meaning, the effects and the dispositions for each individual sacrament. Above all else. be sure that they understand Baptism and its obligations. Unfortunately in our day, many Catholics have forgotten the meaning of the solemn promises made at the time of the reception of that first and all-important sacrament.

When you are about to administer Baptism or any other sacrament, adore Our Lord Jesus Christ as the author who Instituted that particular sacrament. Thank Him for all the glory He has brought to His Eternal Father and for all the blessings granted to the Church through the sacrament. Ask Him to forgive all the sins committed against Him through its unworthy reception. Prostrate yourself humbly before God, realizing that being a sinner you are unworthy to administer this sacrament.

Give yourself wholly to our Lord to formulate within yourself the holy dispositions with which He was filled as He instituted the sacrament you are about to administer, so that you may capture the spirit of worthiness He would have you bring to the treatment of His sacraments and all holy things. Unite yourself also to the whole heavenly company of those saints who, like yourself, were entrusted with the administration of Christ's sacraments.

Offer to Our Lord, to His Blessed Mother, to the guardian angels and patron saints, the souls of those to whom you are about to give the sacraments, praying that they may receive them worthily and be preserved in grace through their merit.

After you have administered the sacrament, thank God for His godness in permitting you to be His minister and pray that the recipients may persevere in His divine grace.

2. General Disposition. for the Administration of the Sacrament of Penance

Consider the grandeur and the importance of the action you are about to perform. You are to take the place of Christ, representing Him. acting in His name, clothed with His authority, continuing His office as Saviour, exercising His.power as judge, pronouncing judgments in His sacred name. Hence, the Holy S pirit cries: "Take heed what you do: for you exercise not the judgment of men, but of the Lord: and whatsoever you judge, it shall redound to you" (2 Par. 19, 6). Moreover, by this action you blot out sin, spread the grace of God and pour it into the hearts of the faithful. You apply to them the merits of the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. This function is, therefore, so great and holy that it must be exercised with the utmost care.

Adore all the divine plans of Our Lord embodied in this holy sacrament and thank Him for the mercy He displays through it. Humiliate yourself at the remembrance of your unworthiness and the realization that you cannot perform so holy. a function unless you are aided by God's grace and help. Purify your mind, your heart and your soul, protesting that you desire only the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Give yourself completely to Christ as Supreme judge and Saviour

that you may enter fully into the holy dispositions with which He Himself exercises these sacred offices, praying for the light and graces necessary to discharge your responsibilities according to His holy will.

Invoke upon yourself and upon the souls to whom you will administer the sacrament the powerful assistance of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints, especially the patron saint of the church in which you are receiving your penitents.

3. the Priest in the Confessional

Try to observe the spirit of piety and concentration of mind upon God and His works. Lift up your heart to Him especially as you begin to hear each individual confession, meditating on various pious thoughts connected with the liturgical season or feast day to be observed.

For example, the first confession you hear on entering the confessional should be sanctified by elevating your heart to the Eternal Father, offering Him what you are about to do in union with the great love which prompted Him to give His Only-Begotten Son to all mankind, but especially to the person whose confession you are about to hear. In union with that great love, you shall give your heart, your soul and your mind, as well as your time, to the soul before you, to cooperate in his salvation by every means at your disposal.

As you hear the second confession, give yourself to the Son of God to share the holy dispositions of love and charity which prompted him to shed His Precious Blood for the soul of the penitent entering the confessional. In union with our Saviour's love, you shall not spare yourself in giving your penitent whatever instructions you can to save his soul.

The third confession will impel you to give yourself to the infinite love of the Holy Ghost for all souls, but particularly for that of your penitent.

At the fourth, offer yourself to the Heavenly Father in honor of the Incarnation of His Divine Son and in union with the infinite love whereby God effected this mystery for souls. The realization of His great love will serve as an impelling motive to help you to accept with patience and meekness whatever crosses you may have to bear, what

ever pains and hardships you may endure in your work of saving souls, and particularly this soul now before you.

At the fifth, let your soul be filled with the memory of Our Lord's Birth, His Circumcision, His Presentation in the Temple and the other mysteries of His life on earth.

Offer yourself likewise to the Blessed Virgin and pray thus:

"0 my God, I offer Thee this confession I am about to hear in honor of and in union with the great charity the Blessed Virgin Mary cherishes for the soul before me. 0 Mother of Fair Love, make me share i n thy charity. Virgin most merciful, show thy great mercy towards this sinner and to thy humble servant." It is useful to have a crucifix in the confessional to show the hardened sinner when occasion demands. It is an invaluable help in leading the sinner to understand Christ's unbounded love for every soul, and likewise it serves as a most potent means of reminding yourself of the zeal you should have for souls.

Besides the above mentioned dispositions, the confessor should have three other qualities on entering the tribunal of penance:

1. He should be clothed with mercy and compassion that like his Divine Master he may have pity on those who come to him

2. Cognizant of his own nothingness and sinfulness, he should humble himself profoundly with the realization of the fact that but for God's grace he, too, would be guilty of all the sins that are committed throughout the world. So, he should see in the penitent at his feet an image and reflection of himself as he would surely be if it were not for Christ's infinite mercy. The priest, like every man, has within himself the roots of sin and is saved from falling only because God became man for us and saved us by His grace. Therefore, he should say with St. Augustine: Domine, videam te in omnibus bonis, videam me in omnibus malis.

3. The priest should be adorned with justice that he may render to God His just due and to the penitent that which is appropriate, He should be fortified with zeal, inflamed with hatred against sin and fired with the determination to help the penitent to use the means to avoid sin.

On leaving the confessional; thank God for the favor of having

heard the confessions you have listened to, and for the graces imparted to yourself and to your penitents.

Ask Our Lord's pardon on behalf of yourself and your penitents for the sins committed by each in the past, begging Him to act as mediator in satisfying the divine anger.

Offer to God all the souls that have had recourse to you in the sacred tribunal, beseeching the Master to turn their hearts and minds from sinful ways to the knowledge of Himself and the love of His holy grace so that they may seek to die rather than offend Him.

Offer them to the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Gabriel and all the saints, especially the guardian angels and patron saints of the penitents.

Do not be satisfied merely to pray for these souls at this time, but all through life cultivate a special place in your heart for your penitents, remembering them constantly at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

4. Administering the Blessed Eucharist

In addition to the general dispositions pertaining to the administration of all the sacraments, the Holy Ghost will inspire you with particular devotion and lofty sentiments concerning the Blessed Eucharist.

Enumerated here are certain dispositions suggested as being efficacious in your distribution of the Bread of Life to God's chosen ones.

To the first person you should give Holy Communion in honor of and in union with the infinite love of the Eternal Father in giving us His Divine Son.

The second communicant will personify the immense love of God the Son giving Himself to us as our spiritual food and drink.

The third communicant will represent the. incomprehensible love of the Holy Spirit, forming the Flesh of the Son of Man within the womb of Mary Immaculate that we might be nourished thereby.

The fourth will symbolize the unutterable love which prompted the divine humanity of the Son of God to give Himself to us from the first moment of the Incarnation, continuing to give Himself daily to us i n this Sacrament.

The fifth will recall the ardent love with which the Blessed Virgin

Mary gave us Jesus, her beloved Son, at the moment of His birth, and still gives Him to us in Holy Communion.

To the sixth communicant, you shall give Christ's Body and Blood in union with the great devotion, the purity and the sanctity with which the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, John, James and the others administered this Holy Sacrament.

As the seventh communicant receives Our Lord from your hands, you shall unite your soul with the blessed dispositions of all the saintly pontiffs, priests and deacons of Holy Church who, like yourself, administered this Sacrament during their lifetime.

Finally, you should unite yourself to the love of the Eternal Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

You may also follow another method in administering the Blessed Eucharist. In giving the Precious Body and Blood to the first i:communicant at the altar railing, you may offer to Jesus the infinite love of the Eternal Father in satisfaction for the sins committed by the person before you, for any defects in his reception of the Blessed Eucharist, and for a more perfect preparation for the coming of Christ into his heart may be more perfect.

In giving Holy Communion to the second communicant, you may offer God His infinite love for His own All- perfect Self.

As you approach the third recipient, you may offer up to Jesus the all consuming love of the Holy Ghost.

The fourth person will be a signal to offer Christ the love and holy dispositions with which the Blessed Mother received Him at the moment of the Incarnation and many times after His Ascension.

St. Joseph, St. Gabriel, St. Michael, the Seraphim and the Cherubim and all the orders of angels i n heaven will join you as you offer their love when the fifth soul receives the Body and Blood of the Saviour.

The Patriarchs, the holy Prophets, St. John the Baptist, and all the saints of the Old Testament will walk beside you and offer their love to Jesus as you continue your priestly ministration at the holy table.

Then you shall offer up the devotion and holy dispositions with which Our Lord was received in Holy Communion by the Apostles, by the Martyrs, by saintly pontiffs and priests, confessors and virgins, as

well as by the holy souls now in heaven, who received with so much love and piety when they were on earth.

5. Visiting the Sick

Offer this priestly function to our Lord Jesus Christ, in honor of and in union with His abiding love for His children. Give yourself to Him that you may enter into that sublime spirit of love wherewith He bore in His Sacred Heart all our infirmities, our maladies and our afflictions. "He took our infirmities and bore our diseases," says St. Matthew (8, 17). join yourself in spirit to the sentiments which filled the Heart of Christ as He visited the sick and the infirm. join also with the saints in doing this act with the same holy dispositions and intentions with which they did this same act.

Greet the sick with charity, remembering that they are members of the Body of Christ and your brothers. Show them compassion and sympathy. Speak to them with discretion, cordiality and gentleness.

Try to make them understand the two causes of all mankind's afflictions.

The first is the Providence of God and His holy will, disposing and ordaining all things, for the best, if we will but accept them in the proper spirit, which we can do with the assistance of His holy grace.

The second cause of suffering is sin. In this regard, three things should be done in time of sickness.

1. We should humble ourselves in the presence of the offenses by which we have merited hell and the tribulations of this life. 2. We should give ourselves with confidence to the will of God. 3. We should suffer with patience for the love of our Saviour, who endured all for us, and offer ourselves and our sufferings i n union with Him.

Having gently reminded the sufferer of these truths, teach him to put them into practice, thus:

"Try, my child, to follow my advice. Do you not wish really to humble yourself before your Maker? Do you not realize that even though you had never committed a single sin, God could send you sufferings and ills just the Same and you would have absolutely no cause to complain?

"Will you try to adore His divine will for sending this sickness and give yourself completely to Him, even blessing and thanking Him for this affliction?

"Surely, you are willing to suffer for Him, who suffered so much for you? Will you not try to offer to Him the pains you are undergoing in return for all the torments He endured for you, so that He may reward you in heaven?

"Will you not offer to the Blessed Virgin Mary all your sufferings, asking her to offer them in turn to her Son, supplying any defects, substituting them for the duties you would be performing if you had your health and strength? Will you not likewise lay your heart and will before her?

"Will you not offer yourself to your Guardian Angel, and to all the angels and saints for this same purpose?" Endeavor to incite in the soul of the sick man the proper dispositions for the Sacrament of Penance, and, if necessary, recall to his mind the conditions necessary for a proper reception of this sacrament. Help him to make a worthy preparation, if necessary, questioning him regarding his past confessions, his relations with his neighbors; whether or not he has always been careful to make restitution, and if he be found wanting in these respects, urge upon him their necessity. Make careful inquiries regarding the occasions of sin with which he may have to contend, suggesting means of avoiding them. If he has fallen into the sad plight of living in continual mortal sin, seek to point out to him the hideousness of his state and encourage him to make a firm purpose of amendment, suggesting means to assist him.

Help him in his preparation for Holy Communion. After he has received the Body and Blood of Christ, encourage him to try in the future always to render to God a full meed of willing service. In this respect, recall to his mind that as a creature he is obliged to give to God complete adoration, praise, thanksgiving, love and penance. Likewise, he must stand ready to sacrifice himself, his life, his will and inclinations and everything the world offers for the glory of the Creator.

Teach the sick person, if necessary, how to elevate his soul to God,

to His Divine Son, to His Blessed Mother and to the saints through acts of faith, hope and charity, patience, humility and submission. Also instil in his heart a lively sense of contrition.

Open to his soul the significance of devout aspirations and recommend their frequent use. Suggest the following as most helpful:

"0 my God, to Thee I give my heart and my soul." "May Thy holy will be done." "0 Heavenly Father, not my will but Thine be done." "0 my God, I realize that by my sins I have deserved thousands of chastisements. Here cut, here burn, but spare me in eternity." "0 Jesus, I give myself gladly to Thee, and sacrifice my all for Thy sake." "0 Jesus, draw me to Thyself in Thy divine sacrifice that I may offer all with Thee for the glory of Thy Father." "0 Jesus, I wish to suffer for love of Thee, everything Thou mayest ask and in the degree that Thou mayest require of me." "0 good Jesus, I give myself to Thee that I may enter into those holy dispositions that marked Thy great suffering." "0 Jesus, be Thou my Saviour." "0 Jesus, be my strength and my patience." "0 my Saviour, render to the Eternal Father on my behalf a full measure of all that is required of me. I give Thee my will in all its entirety for this intention." "0 dear Jesus, I offer Thee all my sufferings which are so insignificant when compared to Thine. Unite them with the truly intense sufferings Thou didst endure for me. Bless and sanctify them; offer them with Thine own to the Heavenly Father." "0 Mother of God, be my mother, unworthy though I am. Unite my sufferings with thine. Offer them to thy Beloved Son. In my name do for me what I am unable to do; sanctify for me this sickness which I am undergoing." "0 my angel guardian, 0 St. Joseph, 0 all ye angels and saints, pray for me, help me, love and praise God for me, and in my stead offer up all that I owe to God.When the sick person's illness is accompanied by great suffering and pain, suggest different episodes in Our Lord's Sacred Passion, that

these may be honored at different times, in the following manner: "My child, try to consecrate this day o r night, this morning or afternoon, this very hour to Our Lord in honor of the first mystery of the Passion, His Agony in the Garden. With the eyes of faith endeavor to know the depth of the sufferings He endured for you at that awful time. Thus, you will find strength to suffer with Him. Thus, too, you will be able to consecrate the day or night, the morning or evening, in honor of those sufferings He knew as Judas betrayed Him.

"Unite your own misery to that which He experienced as He was led as a criminal before Annas, Caiaphas, Pilate and Herod, or was subjected to unspeakable ignominies during His Sacred Passion. In this manner, hour by hour, day by day, from place to place, from mystery to mystery, from suffering to suffering, uniting your comparatively small pains with His overwhelming burden, forgetting your own i n thinking of His, thanking Him for the privilege of sharing His agony, you will know perfect imitation of and conformity to His Divine Passion.', Urge the sick person to adopt the suggestions outlined above, not all at once, of course, but by degrees, using great discretion and care not to tire the patient, letting the tone of your voice reflect your sincere desire to assist him in bearing the sufferings of life.

Intersperse your recommendations with prayer, kneeling at his bedside, reciting with the family o r friends who may be present such prayers as the Litany of the Passion, of the Holy Name, or of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The "Hail, Holy Queen" or a decade of the beads may also be said with much profit.

Enjoin upon the patient obedience to the doctor's orders and conformity with the instructions of the nurses, offering up this tribute in honor of the obedience of the Master, and accepting medicine o r treatments in the spirit of humble surrender with which Jesus Christ drank the gall on Calvary.