Part III, The Means of Grace: The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. 1. on Sacrifice in General

Since the most important of all the means of grace, the holy Mass, is a sacrifice, it is necessary first of all to speak of sacrifice in general. The word " to sacrifice " means to offer something valuable to some person as a token of affection for, or dependence 011 that person ; or to surrender something that we prize for the sake of another. If a father gives all he has to his sons to enable them to pursue their studies, and himself lives in straitened circumstances, he is said to make a great sacrifice for his children. When a soldier marches to battle for the defence of his country at the risk of life and limb, he is said to sacrifice himself for his country. By a sacrifice to God is signified something given up to God. Out of love to Him the poor widow cast into the treasury the last two mites which she possessed; in doing this she made a great sacrifice for God's sake (Mark xii. 43). Tobias did the same, when in captivity he distributed alms to his poorer fellow-countrymen, and at peril of his own life buried the bodies of the slain (Tob. i.). The Jews made a sacrifice, when after the giving of the law, they brought gold, silver, precious stones, purple, etc., to Moses for the making of the tabernacle (Exod. xxxv.). We are told in Holy Scripture that to keep the commandments, to depart from injustice, and to do mercy, is to offer sacrifice (Ecclus. xxxv. 2-4). The essential part of a sacrifice is the surrender or renunciation of some object which we highly prize. Of old, if any one desired to accentuate his surrender of the object he valued, he used to destroy it completely; thus rendering it impossible for him ever to recover possession of it. The sacrifices offered by Cain, Abel, and Noe, were of this nature. Abel slaughtered and burned the firstlings of his flock; his brother Cain offered of the fruits of the earth gifts unto the Lord (Gen. iv. 3, 5). Noe, on leaving the ark, took some of the animals and offered them as holocausts upon the altar he had built (Gen. viii. 20).

1. Hence the word sacrifice signifies the voluntary surrender

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or the destruction of an object which we. value, to give honor to God as our supreme Lord.

It is no uncommon thing among men to present a valuable present to some one as a sign of respect or an act of homage. Subjects not unfrequeiitly offer the best produce of their land or their skill to their monarch. So we ought to give to God what we most value. And as in a State there are certain honors which it is the exclusive prerogative of the ruler to receive, so the offering of sacrifice is an act of homage which can be paid only to God.

2. There are bloody and unbloody sacrifices.

As may be seen from the sacrifices of Cain and Abel, the oblation offered in sacrifice varied according to the nature of the possessions of him who offered it. Either a victim, such as an ox, a lamb, a dove, was taken from the animal kingdom (this was a bloody sacrifice, because the blood of the victim was shed), or an oblation was taken from the vegetable kingdom, some species of food, such as flour or fruit, or drink, wine, for instance (this was an unbloody sacrifice, because it was without shedding of blood). The animals used to be slaughtered, their blood poured upon the altar, and their flesh either consumed entirely by fire, or eaten in part by the priests and Levites. The fruits of the earth were either burned or eaten; wine was poured as a libation on or before the altar.

3. The intention of a sacrifice may be to give honor to God, to give thanks to Him, to entreat a favor, or make propitiation.

The offering of a sacrifice gives outward expression to the feelings of the heart. The man who has a due knowledge of God, who knows Him to be the almighty Creator, the wise and bountiful Preserver and Euler of the world, will be penetrated with sentiments of respect, of gratitude, of confidence, and of contrition. And since it belongs to the nature of man to manifest outwardly what he feels inwardly, he will evince these sentiments by the surrender, — the renunciation or destruction — of some object that he values. These sentiments are essential to a sacrifice — without them it would be mere hypocrisy— consequently the sentiment of compunction is of itself sometimes designated a sacrifice (Ps. 1. 19). Sacrifices of praise used to be offered daily in the Temple ; Noe's sacrifice was a sacrifice of thanks giving, while the sacrifices which Judas Machabeus caused to be offered before going to battle were deprecatory sacrifices; those offered for the warriors who fell in the fight were expiatory sacrifices (2 Mach. xii. 43).

4. The custom of offering sacrifices has existed in all times and among all nations of the world.

Sacrifices have been customary from time immemorial. They were offered by Cain and Abel, the children of the first man and the first woman. 'They are found among Jews and Gentiles. The Jewish high priest offered an oblation morning and evening in the name of the people; first he burned incense upon the altar, then he offered an unbloody sacrifice consisting of flour, oil and frankincense (Lev. vi.

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14), and finally a sacrifice in which was shedding of blood, the victim being a lamb of one year old, without blemish, together with an oblation of food and drink (Exod. xxix. 38). On the Sabbath day two lambs of a year old, together with bread and wine, were immolated in addition to the daily oblation (Numb, xxviii. 9). Special sacrifices were also appointed for certain feasts. The heathen nations also offered sacrifices, but their ideas on the subject were perverted, for they offered human sacrifices, and not to the true God, but to idols. Hence St. Paul says : " The things which the heathen sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils and not to God " (1 Cor. x. 20). We read in Holy Scripture that the King of Moab took his oldest son and offered him for a . burnt-offering upon the wall, in order to obtain help against the Israelites (4 Kings iii. 27). The Phoenicians and other Asiatic people used yearly to immolate young children to their god Moloch, the brazen statue of the deity being made red-hot, and the children cast into its arms. The custom of offering human sacrifices formerly prevailed to a great extent in Mexico; it is said that the number of victims slaughtered yearly amounted to no less than twenty thousand. Human sacrifices are not yet entirely abolished, they are still customary among savages, notably among some African and Indian tribes. How sad is the condition of man without the Christian faith !

5. The chief motives which urge mankind to offer sacrifice are: The consciousness of sin and the desire for reconciliation with God and because God often required or sanctioned the sacrifice.

The consciousness of sin was a powerful incentive to man to offer sacrifices. St. Paul says : " In them there is made a commemoration of sins every year" (Heb. x. 3), and again: "Without shedding of blood there is no remission" (Heb. ix. 22). God not unfrequently showed His approbation of sacrifice; He testified His acceptance of Abel's offering (Gen. iv. 4). Of ISToe's (Gen. viii. 21), of the holocaust offered by the prophet Elias, which was consumed by fire from heaven (3 Kings xviii. 38). On many occasions God required a sacrifice, as that of Isaac (Gen. xxii.). He gave minute directions concerning the sacrificial offerings to the Jews by Moses' lips (Lev. i.-vii. ; xvi. ; xxii.). The knowledge that God approved of and even* demanded sacrifices from man was a potent motive inducing him to offer them.

6. The sacrifices of the Jewish nation, more particularly that of the paschal lamb and the victim of expiation, were typical of the great sacrifice that the Redeemer was to offer on Mount Calvary.

In the Old Testament everywhere there is shedding of blood ; this was typical of the blood of Christ, whereby we are purified. On the great Day of Atonement one of the ceremonies consisted in this : The high priest laid both his hands upon the head of one of the goats which were to be offered up for the people, confessing at the same time the iniquities of the children of Israel, and praying that they might light upon the head of the animal; thereupon the goat was turned out into the desert, to express symbolically that the sins of the

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people were taken away out of God's sight. Since the Jewish sacrifices were but a foreshadowing of Our Lord's expiatory sacrifice, they ceased after this was offered, as had been foretold by the prophets (Dan. ix. 27; Osee iii. 4). Nor were the sacrifices of the heathen anything more or less than a seeking after the true sacrifice of atone ment ; the victims were without blemish, a pure and spotless oblation ; moreover everywhere the persuasion seemed to prevail that " it is impossible that with the blood of oxen and goats sin should be taken away" (Heb. x. 4), or that the Deity should be propitiated by any other similar victims. A victim of infinite value was needed to reconcile God with man.

2. The Sacrifice of Christ upon the Cross

1. The sacrifice which reconciled God with man was that which Christ offered upon the cross.

The life of Our Lord upon earth may be said to have been one uninterrupted sacrifice. This sacrifice was commenced at the In carnation, for then He divested Himself of His divine dignity that was His as Son of God, and took the form of a servant (Phil. ii. 7). He gave up His free will, becoming obedient to His heavenly Father unto death, even to the death of the cross (v. 8). This sacrifice was continued throughout His whole life. He relinquished all earthly possessions ; He Himself says : " The foxes have holes arid the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head " (Matt. viii. 20). He often denied Himself the food of the body; for instance, on the occasion of His converse with the Samaritan woman, He said to His disciples, when they pressed Him to take some refreshment : " My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, that I may perfect His work" (John iv. 34). Even when wearied with His apostolic labors He denied Himself rest; w^e read that not unfrequently He went up into a mountain, and passed the whole night in prayer to God (Luke vi. 12). He willingly renounced honor, saying: "I seek not My own glory" (John viii. 50). He bore scorn and derision in silence, especially when brought before His judges (Luke xxiii. 11). He allowed Himself to be put on a par with murderers, and crucified between two thieves (Mark xv. 27). He suffered a notorious criminal to be preferred to Him (Matt, xxvii. 17). Finally, upon the cross, He surrendered all that He had, even His life itself, for He said : " Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down His life for His friends" (John xv. 13). Well might He exclaim immediately before His death : " It is consummated ! " The actual sacrifice of propitiation began with Our Lord's Passion, and ended with His death upon the cross. On the cross He gave His body to be offered up. It was not, it is true, slain, divided and burned with fire like the bodies of other victims, but it was cruelly tortured and deprived of life. While hanging upon the cross the Redeemer might echo the words of the Psalmist : " I am a worm and no man. I am poured out like water, and all My bones are scattered " (Ps. xxi. 7, 15). It was in reference to this expiatory sacrifice made by the Redeemer that the prophet spoke of the Messias as a

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lamb brought to the slaughter. When John the Baptist saw Christ approaching, he exclaimed : " Behold the Lamb of God ; behold Him Who taketh away the sins of the world! " (John i. 29.) And St. Paul says : " Christ, our Pasch,, is sacrificed."

The sacrifice of the cross is, however, differentiated from every other sacrifice by the fact that in it the officiating Priest is the Victim Himself; also because the value of this sacrifice is infinite.

Christ Himself, as St. Augustine says, was both Priest and Victim. The soldiers were only instruments of which it pleased Him to make use. Had He willed otherwise, they would have had no power at all over Him. This He made manifest on Mount Olivet, for at the word : " I am He," they fell to the ground. The soldiers could not indeed have been the sacrificers, because by putting Christ to death they did not perform a work pleasing to God, but committed one of the greatest of all crimes. Christ was immolated, because it was His will to be immolated (Is. liii. 7). Not all the sacrifices offered under the Old Testament had power to reconcile God and man ; their value was but finite. St. Paul says : " It is impossible that with the blood of oxen and goats sin should be taken away" (Heb. x. 4). These sacrifices could only serve as a means of recalling sin to men's minds, and awakening compunction; they had no cleansing power. With the sacrifice Christ offered it is quite otherwise.

2. The sacrifice of Christ upon the cross was a vicarious sacrifice for the sins of all mankind, and a sacrifice of superabundant value.

Christ suffered in our stead. Of Him the prophet spoke when he said : " He was wounded for our iniquities, He was bruised for our sins" (Is. liii. 5). Christ, the second Adam, the Head of the human race, suffered for His members. The Good Shepherd gave His life for the sheep (John x. 15). We know by the experience of daily life that vicarious atonement is possible. ISTot only property, but disgrace or glory may be bequeathed to posterity. A family, nay more, a whole nation, will be proud of a great man born in their midst, and on the other hand, nations are sometimes severely chastised for the sins of a single individual. Original sin has become the heritage of humanity, and in like manner the merits of one man may become the heritage of all mankind. Christ made atonement for the sin of the whole human race, original as well as actual sin. The apostle says : " He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world " (1 John ii. 2). Christ is the true Paschal Lamb, the sacrifice of which did not liberate one nation from the yoke of Pharao, but the whole human race from the servitude of Satan. Although Christ died for all, yet all do not receive the^benefit of His death: only those to whom the merit of His Passion is communicated (Council of Trent, C. 6, 3). Christ's atonement was more than sufficient; He suffered beyond what was necessary. A single drop of His blood would have sufficed to wash away the sins of all mankind, for He is very God, and the least of His actions is of in finite value. Christ suffered more than it is possible for any human

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being to suffer. Hence He cried aloud upon the cross : " My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? "

Our Lord suffered so much in order to show how much He joves us, and how greatly God is offended by sin.

A single word of Christ would have fully sufficed to redeem us, but it was not enough to make manifest the love of God. It is because of the great love Christ displays towards us, that we venerate the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The heart is the centre of the physical life; from it the blood flows into every part of the body, maintaining its vitality. And since there is an intimate connection between body and soul, the heart is spoken of as the centre of the spiritual life, whence all the thoughts and feelings take their rise. Hence we say: "My heart rejoiced, my heart is grieved, etc." The heart is regarded pre-eminently as the seat of love. When we venerate the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we call to mind His exceeding great love for us, and are stimulated to return love for love. God made use of a French nun at Paray-le-Monial, named Margaret Mary Alacoque, to propagate this devotion. Our Lord appeared to her repeatedly, showing her His Heart pierced by the lance, emitting flames of fire, surrounded by a crown of thorns — to signify the pain sinners cause to Our Saviour — and surmounted by a shining cross. Our Lord intimated His desire that pictures of this Heart should be exposed for veneration, and promised signal blessings to all who should practice this devotion. He also commanded the festival of the Sacred Heart to be kept on the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi. This day is a most appropriate one, for it was on a Friday that Our Lord by His death gave the greatest possible proof of His love, and His Heart was pierced by^the lance. Moreover the Adorable Sacrament of the Altar affords abundant testimony to the love of the Saviour, for as the sun's rays are focussed in a lens, so the rays of the sun of divine love are concentrated in the Sacrament of the Altar. Hence the feast of Corpus Christi is a special memorial of the love of Christ for man. The devotion to the Sacred Heart, opposed at the outset, as are all works that are of God, spread rapidly over all the earth, and was attended by signal blessings. Another reason why Our Lord suffered so much was that He might be a pattern to us in suffering : " Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example" (1 Pet. ii. 21). He Himself said: "I have given you an example" (John xiii. 15).

3. The graces which Christ merited for us by His death are communicated to us by the means of grace; that is to say, the holy sacrifice of the Mass, the sacraments, the sacramentals, and prayer.

The means of grace are the channels whereby the divine Redeemer conveys to us the graces He merited for us upon the cross. His side was opened that the means of grace might thence flow out. It is because the Church, through the medium of the appointed means of grace, communicates to the faithful the graces flowing from the cross of Christ, that in dispensing them she always makes use of the sign of the cross.

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He who neglects the use of the means of grace cannot be saved, in spite of Christ's death.

Medicine cannot work a cure unless the sick man swallows it. " He Who made thee without thyself," says St. Augustine, " will not save thee without thyself." The devil makes strenuous efforts to deprive men of the means of grace. He acts like the General Holofernes, who when besieging the town of Bethulia cut off the aqueducts, in order to reduce the inhabitants through want of water; for he deters the faithful from drinking from the channels of grace, by inspiring them with indifference or aversion towards them.

3. The Institution, Nature, and Principal Paris of the Mass

At the Last Supper the Son of God changed bread into His body, and wine into His blood; He then gave both to the apostles, bidding them eat and drink the same.

We are told that after the washing of the feet Our Lord sat down at the table, took bread in His hands, looked up to heaven, gave thanks, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to His apostles, saying : " Take ye and eat; this is My body." And after the apostles had received the body of Christ, He took the chalice in which was wine, gave thanks, blessed it, and gave it to His disciples, saying : " Drink ye all of this, for this is My blood ; the blood of the new, the eternal covenant, the mystery of faith (a mystery for the trial of our faith), which shall be shed for you and for many for the remission of sins. Do this for a commemoration of Me." (These are known as the words of consecration.)

After the consecration, the species or appearance of the bread and wine still remained the same.

The body of Christ had not the appearance of flesh, but the appearance of bread; it had the smell, the taste, the color, the weight, etc., of bread ; the species was in fact retained. Nor did the blood of Christ bear the appearance of blood, but of wine; it had the smell, the taste, the color, etc., the ordinary appearance of wine. (This subject will be enlarged upon in the instructions concerning the Adorable Sacrament of the Altar.)

1. The Son of God offered a sacrifice at the Last Supper, because He gave His body and blood to be offered up, in order to reconcile His heavenly Father with man.

At the Last Supper our blessed Lord instituted a visible sacrifice, in order thereby to represent the bloody sacrifice which was to be offered once upon the cross, and to preserve the memory thereof unto the end of the world. Our Lord indicated to us that He intended at the Last Supper to institute a sacrifice, by choosing for this act the very time when the paschal lamb was slain and eaten. Moreover the words He made use of were almost identical with those which Moses

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spoke on the institution of the Old Covenant. We read that Moses, after the giving of the law on Mount Sinai, slaughtered an animal, and sprinkled the blood upon the people, saying : u This is the blood < of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you " (Exod. xxiv. j 8). As Our Lord's words were similar to these, it follows that in His \ case also there was a sacrifice. Again it is a significant fact that Our Lord caused His Passion and death to follow immediately after the Last Supper ; by this He would have us know that they were one and the same act. The sacrifice begins with the consecration, when Christ assumes the form of bread and wine; for lie then divests Himself of the splendor of His divine glory, and conceals His infinite majesty. Nay, more, not only does He conceal His divine grandeur, He also conceals His human presence. " Christ, the King of heaven and of earth, reduces Himself by the words of consecration to a condition of abasement which is almost equivalent to annihilation. Not even a trace can be perceived of that regal dignity with which His humanity was invested, and which inspired men with reverence and awe. At His birth at Bethlehem He was at least in the likeness of man, but here He seems to be nothing but a morsel of bread." By this profound self-abasement Our Lord reconciles us to His Father, Who is justly angry with us; for there is no better means of appeasing one whom we have offended than by humbling ourselves before him. King Achab averted the punishment of which he was warned by the prophet Elias, by humbling himself before God (3 Kings xxi. 27) ; the Ninivites did the same. The sacrifice is not consummated until the species of bread and wine are consumed. Thus it was with the sacrifice Our Lord made upon the cross; He suffered first, His body being torn and mangled; then death came, and His human existence was ended. The sacrifice was accomplished; He spoke the words: " It is consummated ! " Hence it will be seen that the unbloody sacrifice of the altar is in every respect a faithful representation and a true repetition of the bloody sacrifice of the cross. What the death of Christ was then, the reception of the sacred elements is now. Thus St. Paul says that those who eat this bread and drink the chalice show the death of the Lord (1 Cor. xi. 26). Moreover the separate forms of bread and wine symbolize the destruction of Christ's human nature, for the body and blood of Christ are separated one from the other upon the altar, as they were upon the cross, when the blood flowed out of His body through the countless wounds. We also gather that the object of this unbloody sacrifice is the reconciliation of man with God, from the words Our Lord uttered at the Last Supper. " This is My blood," He said, " which is shed for the remission of sin." This unbloody sacrifice is therefore like the sacrifice of the cross, truly a propitiatory sacrifice (Council of Trent, 22, 2). We are not, indeed, redeemed anew by it, for we are redeemed by the bloody sacrifice, but the fruits of redemption are applied to our souls bv this unbloody sacrifice. Nor is this unbloody sacrifice of itself sufficient to reconcile men to God without their own co-operation: but it has the effect of awakening them to a sense of sin, exciting them to contrition, inducing them to confess their sins and avoid them in future.

1 . The apostles had, and their successors have, the power of peering the same sacrifice, for the Son of God at once com-

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manded and empowered them to do so, when He said: "Do this for a commemoration of Me" (Council of Trent, 22, 1).

When Christ gave His twelve apostles His flesh to eat and His blood to drink, He commanded them to immolate Him in lieu of the usual sacrificial victims. God had enjoined upon the Jews to slay a paschal lamb every year, in remembrance of their deliverance from Egyptian slavery, and in like manner it was His will that a special sacrifice should be offered in commemoration of the death of Christ upon the cross, and the redemption of mankind from the servitude of the devil (Council of Trent, 22, 1).

2. This sacrifice was foretold in the Old Testament both by types and prophecies.

Several sacrifices in the Old Testament were types of the true sacrifice; the offering made by Abel, to which the Lord had respect (Gen. iv. 4), because it was offered by faith in the future Redeemer and His true oblation (Heb. xi. 4) ; the sacrifice of Abraham, who in obedience to God's command offered his son Isaac upon Mount Moria, without shedding his blood (Gen. xxii.), and above all, the sacrifice of Melchisedech, the King of Salem (i.e., the king of peace), who offered bread and wine (Gen. xiv. 18). These three sacrifices are mentioned in the Mass, immediately after the consecration, when the priest beseeches God to look propitiously upon our gifts, as He was graciously pleased to accept the gifts of Abel, Abraham, and Mel chisedech. The holy Mass was also foretold by prophecies. David predicted that the Messias would be a priest forever, according to the order of Melchisedech (Ps. cix. 5). The prophet Malachias foretold the holy Mass to the Jews who, after their return from captivity, performed the sacrificial ceremonies in a careless manner, saying: " I have no pleasure in your sacrifices, saith the Lord of hosts ; I will not receive a gift of your hands. For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, My name is great among the Gentiles; and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to My name a clean oblation" (Mai. i. 10, 11).

3. This sacrifice was offered by the apostles, and it has since been offered by their successors, the bishops and priests of the Church.

Even in apostolic times the Christians were accustomed to as semble together, on Sunday particularly, for breaking of bread (Acts xx. 7, 11). St. Paul repeatedly mentions the chalice of benediction which was blessed and given to the faithful, and the bread whereof they partook (1 Cor. x. 16; xi. 26). He says: "We have an altar whereof they have no power to eat who serve the tabernacle " (Heb. xiii. 10). It is recorded that the Apostle Andrew when urged by the proconsul to offer to the gods, said to him : " I offer daily to the almighty and true God, not the flesh of oxen or the blood of rams, but the immaculate Lamb of God ; and when all the congregation of the faithful have received His sacred body, the same Lamb that was immolated is still unconsumed and lives forevermore." St. Justin, in one of the apologetic writings he addressed to the Roman emperor, speaks of the different parts of the Christian sacrifice, the reading and ex-

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planation of Holy Scripture, the oblation of bread and wine, the consecration and transformation of the sacred elements, and their distribution to the people. The oldest of the Fathers of the Church mention the sacrifice of the Mass. St. Irenseus, Bishop of Lyons (202 A.D.), says : " The oblation of the New Covenant is the Lord's Supper; Christ instituted it as at once a sacrifice and a sacrament, and throughout all the world the Church offers this sacrifice." St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage (258 A.D.), says: "In the Church the priest offers the same sacrifice which Christ Himself offered," and again: " Day by day, in times of persecution and of peace, we offer the sacrifice whereby the faithful are prepared to give themselves as sacrificial victims by a martyr's death." Pope Leo the Great says : " The one oblation of the body and blood of Christ is substituted for all the former sacrifices." The frescoes in the Catacombs bear witness to the offering of the holy sacrifice, likewise the most ancient liturgies, the altars, chalices and vestments, which would not have been needed had not the Mass been celebrated. Some of these are still preserved, among them the wooden altar at which St. Peter and his successors for nearly three centuries said Mass. Until the tenth century no heretic dared to impugn the holy sacrifice. Luther attacked it most vehemently, at the instigation of the devil, as he himself confessed.

2. We call the sacrifice instituted by Our Lord at the Last Supper holy Mass, or the sacrifice of the Mass.

In the first centuries of Christianity the catechumens and penitents used to be sent away out of the church at the commencement of the sacrifice. The Latin for dismissal is missio (raissa).* Hence it came to pass that the ceremonies consequent to the dismissal of the catechumens were called the missa, the Mass. This expression is used by Pope Pius I. as early as the second century; it also occurs frequently in the writings of St. Augustine and St. Ambrose. An other explanation of the word missio (mission) is that it denotes the sending of Our Lord from heaven to earth at the moment of the consecration, and again the sending of the sacred Victim up to heaven by the faithful in the hands of angels; as St. Bonaventure says: " First of all God sends His Son down to us upon the altar, then the Church sends Him up to the Father, to make intercession for sinners." The sacrifice of the Mass must be clearly distinguished from the Sacrament of the Altar. In the latter Christ is present as an object of our worship and as our spiritual sustenance; in the former He is also our Victim and the means of our salvation.

1. The sacrifice of the Mass is the chief and central act of Catholic worship.

Several of the sacraments and the sacramentals can only be administered in connection with the Mass. It stands in the same relation to the other services of the Church as a jewel does to its setting. It is a reservoir wherein the streams of grace are collected which flow from the sacrifice of the cross, and whence they are r>oured out upon mankind through the channels of the sacraments. The holy Mass is

* The true derivation of the word mtssa is wrapped in obscurity. The derivations given in the text are conjectural.

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the sun of grace, day by day rising upon the world, the bright rays of which, in the prismatic colors of the seven sacraments, form the fair rainbow, the emblem of peace, the connecting link between heaven's riches and earth's poverty. The dignity of holy Mass surpasses by many degrees that of the sacraments, for they are only vessels of mercy for the living, whereas the Mass is an inexhaustible ocean of divine liberality for the living and the dead. In the holy Mass man has a foretaste of heaven upon earth, for in the sacred Victim he has before him the Creator of heaven and of earth, he even holds Him in his hands. The sacrifice of the Mass contains in itself as many mys teries as there are drops in the ocean, stars in the firmament, flowers upon the earth. Take this sacrifice away from the Catholic Church and you leave nothing but unbelief and error. Were holy Mass not of such surpassing excellence the devil would not have aroused so many enemies against it among heretics.

2. The sacrifice of the Mass is a catholic sacrifice in the true sense of the word,, for it is and will be offered unceasingly throughout the whole earth until the end of time.

At the present time some 350,000 Masses are celebrated daily on our globe ; there is not an hour in the day in which Mass is not being said. Thus the words of the prophet are literally fulfil led : " From the rising of the sun until the going down, in every place there is sacrifice" (Mai. i. 10). Mass will be celebrated until the Day of Judgment (1 Cor. xi. 26). Not any or all of the adversaries of the Church, not Antichrist himself, will be able to suspend the offering of the holy sacrifice. The last Mass said will be on the last day of this world's existence. This is what Our Lord meant when He said : " I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world " (Matt, xxviii. 20).

3. What takes place in the sacrifice of the Mass is this: The priest at the altar, as the representative of Christ, offers up bread and wine to almighty God; he changes these substances into the body and blood of Christ, and destroys them by consuming them.

Thus it is not the priest, but Christ Himself, Who in the Mass is the sacrificing Priest.

From the words of the consecration it is evident that the priest is only an instrument of which Our Lord makes use, for the priest says : " This is My body, this is My blood," although he does not change the bread and wine into his own body and blood. It is not the man who causes the oblation upon the altar to be changed into the body and blood of Our Lord, it is Christ Himself; Christ, our High Priest, Who is holy, innocent, undefiled, separate from sinners, purer than all the celestial spirits (Heb. vii. 26). Hence the sacrifice of the Mass does not lose its value, supposing the officiating priest should be living in sin. The Council of Trent declares that the sacrifice of the Mass cannot be defiled through the unworthiness or malice of him who offers it. " This oblation is holy," says St. John Chrysostom, "be the priest what he may; for man does not consecrate, but Christ."

Christ is also the Victim which is immolated in the Mass.

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Christ is the Priest Who offers the sacrifice, and He is likewise the Victim which is offered. The Priest and the Victim are one and the same. Christ our Paschal Lamb, once immolated upon the cross, is daily immolated anew upon our altars. Christ offered Himself, because among all the treasures of heaven and of earth He could find nothing that could serve as a worthy oblation to be offered to the Blessed Trinity. The sacred humanity of Our Lord is the most precious, the most perfect work of God. Even the inexpressible beauty of the Mother of God is, in comparison to the humanity of Christ, as a flaming- torch beside the noonday sun. Even the graces and prerogatives which God has bestowed upon the angels and the saints, all taken together, fall far short of the graces and excellences appertaining to the sacred humanity of Christ. By reason of its intimate union with the Godhead it is enriched with boundless treasures and endowed with infinite dignity.

4. There are three distinct parts in the sacrifice of the Mass: the offertory, the consecration, and the communion.

The sanctuary bell is rung at the consecration and the communion, and also between the offertory and the consecration, at the Sanctus.

1. What takes place at the offertory is this : Bread and wine are offered to God and blessed.

The priest takes the paten whereon the Host is placed, and elevates it, offering the Host to God. Then he takes the chalice, pours into it wine and a little water, elevates it, and offers it likewise to God. He next invokes the Holy Spirit and blesses the oblation with his hand- This is called the offertory, because the actual sacrificial act does not begin until the consecration. Eor if the priest who was celebrating should chance to fall sick, or any accident should occur, if it was before the consecration he could break off the Mass, but Dot after the consecration ; in that case he must take the communion immediately, and then leave the altar. And supposing the priest were to die after having consecrated, another priest must proceed with the Mass, even were he not fasting; but if the priest who was celebrating died before the consecration, it would not be necessary to go on with the Mass. What does this prove ? The name of offertory is given to this part of the Mass because in early times the offerings of bread and wine were made by the faithful. The bread is prepared from wheaten flour; it is unleavened, because the bread Our Lord used was unleavened, and also because it denotes the purity of the body of Christ; it is round in shape, to symbolize the eternal nature of Christ, without beginning and without end. A large Host must be used at Mass, unless only small ones can be had. The wine must be prepared from the juice of grapes; a little water is mixed with it, because this was done by Christ. The water and the wine are also in commemoration of the water and blood which flowed from His riven side.

2. What takes place at the consecration is this: The bread is changed into the body, and the wine into the blood of Christ; and they are then elevated in the sight of the people.

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The consecration is effected by means of the words Oar Lord uttered at the Last Supper.

At the consecration something similar occurs to that which occured when Elias offered sacrifice on Mount Carmel, when the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the holocaust (3 Kings xviii.) ; in that case however the agent was natural fire, whereas at Mass it is the supernatural fire of the Holy Ghost. As natural fire changes wood into glowing embers, so the Holy Spirit effects the transubstantiation of the oblation by words of fire. Hence from the earliest times it was customary in the East — as we learn from ancient liturgies — to call upon the Holy Ghost to come and effect the change. At the moment of consecration the heavens are opened at the word of the priest, and Christ, the King of heaven, descends from above with His courtiers, the angels, who wait upon their Monarch. He descends from heaven upon our altars as swiftly as the eyes on being opened perceive at once the most distant objects. At the moment of consecration, the Incarnation of the Son of God takes place anew, and in the same manner as when, at the salutation of the angel, Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Ghost. As the Blessed Virgin then spoke but a few words, so now the priest utters but a few words, and the Son of God comes down from heaven at his summons. It is because Christ becomes man again in the Mass, that at the conclusion the words : " The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us," are read; and when the Credo is sung at High Mass, special emphasis is given to the sentence: Incarnatus est, de Spiritu Sancto, ex Maria Virgine; et homo factus est. The birth of Christ is also repeated in the Mass, with this difference, that Christ is not born corporally, as at Bethlehem, but spiritually; that He is not now clad in mortal flesh, but arrayed in His glorified body, resplendent with the five sacred wounds. It is on account of this spiritual birth that the Church appoints the Gloria in excelsis, the song of praise sung by the angels at Bethlehem, to form part of the Mass, and that Our Lord has appeared many times after the consecration under the form of an infant. An appearance of this kind is said to have been the means of converting the Saxon chief Wittekind, who, when at war with the Emperor Charlemagne, entered the enemy's camp in disguise, and was present when Mass was said. The same announcement may be made to us Christians as was made by the angels to the shepherds of yore : " Behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy, for to-day is born to you a Saviour."

3. What takes place at the communion is this: The priest receives the body and blood of Christ, and oftentimes administers the body of Christ to the faithful.

Before the priest communicates the people, the Confiteor is repeated and at the end he absolves and blesses the faithful ; then taking the sacred vessel containing the Hosts in his hand, he holds one up in the sight of the people, saying : " Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him Who taketh away the sins of the world ;" and then repeats three times : " Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof ; say but the word and my soul shall be healed." To each of the communicants, when administering holy communion to him, he

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says : " May the body of Our Lord Jesus Christ preserve thy soul to life everlasting, Amen;" having previously made the sign of the cross over him with the sacred Host, to signify that it is the crucified Kedeemer Whom he gives to him. The Hosts that remain after the communion of the people are reserved in the ciborium, which is placed in the tabernacle. In each of these Hosts which were consecrated in the Mass Our Lord remains present. They are used to give communion at other times than in the Mass. Communion may be given at _ any time when it is allowable to say Mass; but not on Good Friday, nor on Holy Saturday until after the communion of the priest. If there should not be enough Hosts for the intending communicants, the priest may divide them, or in extreme cases, a particle may be broken off the large Host.

4. The Ceremonial of the Mass

1. In the course of time many ceremonies of deep significance grouped themselves around the holy sacrifice of the Mass, which were not to be omitted without absolute necessity.

As early as the third century, certain prayers and ceremonies were added to the essential part of the sacrifice of the Mass. The service began with psalms sung by the people (at the present time the priest says the psalm Judica me at the foot of the altar) ; this was followed by the petition for mercy (the priest now recites the Confiteor at the foot of the altar, and the Kyrie Eleison standing in front of the altar). Then came the thanksgiving for the pardon of sin (now the Gloria is said immediately after the Kyrie). The officiating bishop next turned to the people and pronounced the salutation: Dominus vobiscum, " the Lord be with you," and then with extended arms offered a prayer in the name of the people (the collect). After this one of the acolytes read a portion of one of the epistles, then a portion taken from one of the gospels, as is done in the present day, the congregation standing meanwhile, and the bishop gave a short explanation of the gospel of the day. When this was ended, one of the ministers, generally the deacon, called upon the catechumens (i.e., the Jews or heathen who were under instruction for Baptism) to leave the church-; if he did not feel sure about any one who remained, he required the watchword of him, that is, he made him repeat the confession of faith, that was known only to the Christians. This division of the Mass, up to the Creed, was the preparatory part, and used to be called the Mass of the catechumens. At this point the actual sacrifice of the Mass began. The faithful presented offerings of bread and wine, from which the deacons took what was required for the Mass; this the bishop then offered to God and blessed (the offertory). He then washed the fingers with which he had touched the bread, and one of the acolytes called upon the people to pray for the catechumens who had just departed, for the clergy and the Church in general, for friends and for foes. (The Orate Fratres is now said by the priest.) Then followed a prayer of thanksgiving, in imitation of Our Lord, Who gave thanks before consecrating the elements (the preface of the present day, which ends with the Sanctus, an ascrip-

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tion of praise to the Holy Trinity), and all present prayed, as had been enjoined upon them, for the Pope, the bishop, the emperor, invoking the intercession of the Mother of God, of the apostles and holy martyrs. Then came the consecration, the ceremonial for which was the same as it is now; the people prostrating themselves in lowly adoration at the elevation of the Host and of the chalice. The prayer for the dead came next, some of the martyrs being commemorated; the Pater Nosier was said aloud, and the Agnus Dei three times: " O Lamb of God, Thou that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us." Upon this the communion followed, the bishop received the body and blood of Christ, and gave communion to the faithful ; they crossed their hands, the sacred Host being placed on the palm of the left hand. During the communion appropriate psalms were sung (the priest now recites some verses from the psalms at the right hand side of the altar, which are called the post-communion). The Hosts that remained over were placed in a chest, or a vessel in the shape of a dove beside the altar. After a concluding prayer, the bishop saluted the people with the words, Dominus vobiscum, and dismissed them, saying: Ite, missa est : "Depart, the Mass is ended." The blessing being given, the commencement of St. John's Gospel was generally read, in which occur the words : " The Word was made flesh," and : " He came unto His own, and His own received Him not," the former being an allusion to the presence of Our Lord in the holy sacrifice, the latter having reference to the sin of those who, without good reason, absent themselves from Mass. In the course of the Mass, which, if a low Mass, lasts from twenty-five to thirty minutes, the celebrant has to observe no less than five hundred ceremonies, such as bowing down, smiting his breast, making the sign of the cross, etc. All this ceremonial is intended to impress the faithful more deeply with the majesty of so great a sacrifice; also to incite them to the contemplation of those most sublime things that are hidden in the Mass (Council of Trent, 22, 5). Each of the ceremonies has its own special meaning.

2. The whole story of the Redemption is symbolically represented by the ceremonies of the Mass.

The opening prayers, said by the priest at the foot of the altar, and at a little distance from it, are emblematic of the 4000 years during which man was comparatively far from God, and looking for the redemption. The Kyrie, repeated nine times, and the Gloria, signify the book of Christ, and the song of praise sung by the nine choirs of angels at Bethlehem; the Orationes, the youth of Our Lord, which was passed in prayer and seclusion from the world. The Epistle, the carrying across of the missal, the Gospel and the Creed, are to remind us that the Gospel was first preached to the Jews, and being rejected by them, was proclaimed to the Gentiles, many of whom believed and were baptized. The offertory represents Our Lord's preparation for His Passion and His willingness to surrender His life. The preface, which ends with the words : " Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest," represents Christ's entry into Jerusalem; the prayer for the living, His prayer for the Church before the Last Supper. The five crosses which the priest makes over the oblation are symbolical of the five times that

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Our Lord was mocked, before Annas, Caiphas, Herod, Pilate, and once again before Herod. The elevation of the bread arid wine, of His lifting up on the cross; the five crosses made from time to time over the elements, of the five sacred wounds. The seven petitions of the Lord's Prayer represent the seven wounds upon the cross; the breaking of the Host, the death of Christ, when His soul and body were parted. When the priest says the Agnus Dei and strikes his breast, it recalls the action of the soldiers and others present upon Calvary, who, amazed at the stupendous convulsions of nature, struck their breasts, while the centurion exclaimed : " Indeed this man was the Son of God! " (Luke xxiii. 48; Mark xv. 39.) The communion represents the burial of Christ; the Dominus vobiscum, twice repeated, His salutation of the apostles on His twofold appearance to them after His resurrection; the words of dismissal, lie, missa est, His ascension, when He sent His apostles forth to evangelize the world, and blessed them for the last time ; and the Last Gospel, the propagation of the Gospel after the descent of the Holy Ghost. Thus the Mass is seen to be a brief compendium of Our Lord's life ; in one half hour all is depicted which He did during thirty-three years upon earth (Cochem).

5. The Relation Which the Mass Bears to The' Sacrifice of the Cross

1. The sacrifice of the Mass is a living renewal of the sacrifice of the cross, for in the Mass, as upon the cross, Christ immolates Himself.

Only in the Mass He sacrifices Himself in an unbloody manner under the appearance of bread and wine, whereas on the cross He sacrificed Himself in a bloody manner as man.

Since it is impossible for the faithful to be present at Our Lord's sacrifice of Himself upon the cross, He has provided a means whereby they can at least assist at the repetition of that sacrifice, and gain the same merit that would have beer; theirs had they actually stood beneath the cross on Calvary. The Son of God foresaw that, despite all His bitter Passion, many millions of mankind would not be saved ; for their sake He offered Himself to His heavenly Father, expressing His readiness to hang upon the cross, not for three hours only, but until the Last Day; and as this could not be, He devised in His wisdom a plan whereby He could daily suffer anew in a mystical manner, in the holy sacrifice of the Mass, and anew move His Father to compassion. The Mass is consequently no mere image of the sacrifice of the cross; it is not a bare memorial of it, it is the selfsame sacrifice which was consummated on Calvary (Council of Trent, 22, 3), and accordingly it is of the self-same value and of the selfsame efficacy. In the Mass the Passion and death of the Son of God take place again in a mystic manner, His blood is shed afresh. In it He displays His wounds to His heavenly Father, to save man from perdition; He sets before Him the bitter anguish He endured at His death as vividly as if His Passion were but just ended. To

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say Mass therefore, is to immolate the Son of God anew in a mystic manner. The principal ceremonies of the Mass demonstrate, as we have seen, that the oblation once offered upon the cross is renewed upon the altar.

2. In the sacrifice of the Mass all the sacrifices made by Our Lord are also renewed.

In the Mass Christ does not only sacrifice His humanity, as upon the cross, but with it He offers all that He did and suffered during the thirty-three years of His life on earth, placing it all forcibly before the Holy Trinity, though with all lowliness. The prayers which He sent up to heaven while on earth are all repeated and summarized, as it were, in the Mass, and presented to God the Father with the same urgency as if they were but just uttered. All this He offers for the salvation of each individual who is present at the Mass. Our Lord said once to St. Mechtilde : " I alone know and fully under stand how I offer Myself daily upon the altar; it surpasses the comprehension of the seraphim and cherubim, and all the heavenly hosts."

6. The Profit to Be Derived from the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

1. By means of the holy sacrifice of the Mass the fruits of the sacrifice of the cross are applied to us in most abundant measure; more particularly we obtain thereby forgiveness of sin, certitude that our prayers are heard, temporal blessings, and eternal rewards.

Every Mass is productive of the same fruits, the same profit to the soul as that which resulted from the death of Our Lord on Good Friday. And since the sacrifice of the Mass is identical with the sacrifice of the cross, it follows as a necessary consequence that its effects are the same (Cochem). The death and Passion of Christ are the treasury, the Mass is the key that unlocks it. The cross is the tree of life laden with celestial fruits, and by the Mass those fruits are given to us. In the sacrifice of the Mass we are made partakers of the merits of Christ; they are, it is true, applied to us by the r-ther means of grace, but far less freely and abundantly. At the time of Mass God gives lavishly ; from no other source do the streams of grace flow so copiously as from the altar. In the Mass, the Son of the most high God comes down from the gardens of paradise, bringing to us from thence celestial riches and treasures of infinite value. In the Mass the heavenly Father gives us His Son ; " and hath He not with Him, also given us all tilings?" (Rom. viii. 32.) If you, O Christian, knew how to profit by the Mass, by it you might become richer than all the creatures of God can make you ! One must be in a state of grace in order to receive most of the sacraments, other wise one cannot share in Christ's merits, and one incurs the guilt of mortal sin; but it is not necessary to be in a state of grace to hear Mass; the sinner does not commit a fresh sin by doing so; on the contrary he gains the grace of conversion.

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1. The forgiveness of sins consists in this: Through the saerifice of the Mass sinners obtain the grace and gift of penitence (Council of Trent, 22, 2), while the just obtain the remission of venial sin, and of the temporal penalty due to sin.

That remission of sin is effected by the Mass, we learn from Our Lord's words when He consecrated the chalice (Matt. xxvi. 28). The Mass is above all a propitiatory sacrifice; thereby it is differentiated from the Old Testament sacrifices. They only cleansed from legal impurities, not from sin (Heb. x. 1) ; the oblation of the New Testa ment alone has power to remit sin (Heb. ix. 9). Upon the cross Christ cried: "Father, forgive them" (Luke xxiii. 34), and at Mass He utters the same petition on behalf of all who are present. As the blood of Abel cried to heaven for vengeance, so the blood of Christ calls to heaven in the Mass for mercy, and the voice of His wellbeloved Son has more power with God than that of Abel had (Heb. xii. 24). In the Mass Christ is our Advocate with the Father, the propitiation of our sins (1 John ii. 1). Our Lord once said to St. Mechtilde: "My condescension in the Mass is so great, that there is no sinner, however great, there present, to whom I will not gladly grant forgiveness, if only he asks Me for it." Just as men are pacified by a gift, and induced thereby to condone offences committed against them — remember how Jacob on returning home approached his brother Esau with a present, to allay his wrath — (Gen. xxxii. 20) — so God allows His anger to be appeased by the oblation of holy Mass. That holy sacrifice rescues the sinner from eternal perdition. As the sun disperses the clouds and makes the face of nature bright, so holy Mass gladdens the Church of God. The effect of holy Mass upon the sinner is not immediately perceived ; God brings about his conversion in an opportune moment, when his heart is open to the influence of grace. At the time of Our Lord's crucifixion few were moved to repentance ; not until Pentecost, when the hearts of many were softened by the preaching of Peter, did the effect of the sacrifice of the cross become apparent. Many are gradually converted through divine grace, without knowing that this is owing to the power of holy Mass. The Holy Ghost acts upon the hearts of those who assist at Mass as He acted upon the centurion and some others who stood beside the cross of Christ, and who acknowledged : " Indeed this man was the Son of God." The lights about the altar are emblematical of the graces of the Holy Spirit, which are communicated in rich abundance to those who hear Mass devoutly. It would not be meet for one who had served at the table of a monarch to go away hungry, and it cannot be supposed that one who had heard Mass piously should be allowed to depart without spiritual nourishment. As when the mouth eats the whole body is refreshed, so the faithful communicate spiritually at the communion of the priest, although they do not actually receive the Lord's body. The just obtain remission of venial sin through the sacrifice of the Mass, because the treasures of the infinite satisfaction Our Lord made to His heavenly Father are offered for them in it. " Venial sins," says Cochem, " melt away at Mass like wax before the fire." The Council of Trent (22, 1), declares that by the sacrifice of the Mass we obtain the remission of the sins we daily

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commit. If, as St. Augustine asserts, one Our Father said from the heart will expiate the venial sins of a whole day, how much the more are they expiated by the holy Mass? The Mass is also a sacrifice of atonement for sins of which we are not conscious. Father Cochem tells us that one Mass will do more to pay the temporal penalty due to sin than the severest penances. Moreover the divine chastisements are averted by holy Mass. When God sent a pestilence upon Israel during David's reign, and seventy thousand of the people died, the prophet told the sorrowing king to offer a holocaust and burnt-offer ings to appease the anfrer of God. No sooner was this done than the plague was stayed. ^!N"ow if the sacrifice of oxen and sheep availed to arrest the divine judgments, what cannot the sacrifice of the Mass effect ? " If," says Cochem, " thou dost often hear Mass, thou mayst hope that thy purgatory will be short and not severe, because by frequently assisting devoutly at holy Mass, thou hast to a great extent expiated thy sins." Consider how quickly the penitent thief, who witnessed the sacrifice of Our Lord upon the cross, was admitted to heaven.

2. The prayers we offer during Mass will surely be heard, because they are aided by the prayer of Our Lord and of the angels who are present.

When we hear Mass, our prayers are strengthened by Our Lord'sprayers, and His prayers are never offered in vain, for the Father heareth Him always (John xi. 42). The holy angels await the time of Mass, in order to proffer their petitions on our behalf with greater urgency and more hope of success. As the sacrifice of the Mass is more excellent than any other act of worship, so the prayers offered during Mass are more efficacious than any others. St. Francis of Sales says that prayers offered in union with the divine Victim have an inexpressible power; favors can be obtained at the time of Mass which can be obtained at no other. "Let him who is always complaining that he cannot pray aright," says Cochem, " go to Mass, that Christ may pray for him and instead of him, and supply what is wanting to his prayers." How foolishly those act who say at home the prayers they might say at Mass!

3. Through the holy sacrifice of the Mass temporal blessings are obtained, especially these: God protects us from misfortune, assists us in our work, and blesses us in our temporal substance.

He who has heard Mass devoutly will succeed in all things during the remainder of the day. The favorite servant of Queen Elizabeth of Portugal escaped apparently certain death through hearing Mass. St. Philip Neri was accustomed to offer the holy sacrifice before commencing any important undertaking, because he thereby insured its success. You are strengthened to meet the troubles of the whole day, if you have been near your Redeemer in the morning at holy Mass. God assists those in their work who have heard Mass with devotion in the early morning. St. Isidore, a farm-servant at Madrid, used to rise daily at a very early hour, in order to hear Mass before going to his work. When his master, at the instigation of his fellow servants,

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blamed him for doing this, he replied : " If you find that I get through less work than the others, take something off my wages." The master observed him narrowly, and was soon convinced that Isidore did a great deal more than the other men, for an angel at his side assisted him in his labor; and thenceforward he did not attempt to hinder him from going daily to Mass. God also adds to the worldly posses sions of those who make a point of hearing Mass. By increasing their property He gives them the occasion of earning more merits. He does not fail to recompense even unrepentant sinners who go to Mass. Since they are not in a position to receive an eternal reward, God, Who of His infinite bounty does not permit the least good work to go unrewarded, either confers some good fortune upon them, or protects them from misfortune.

4. We cannot obtain an eternal recompense through hearing Mass unless we are in a state of grace.

" Every Mass thou nearest," says Father Cochem, " perceptibly in creases thy future felicity." As one who is mounting a flight of stairs comes higher at each step, so he who hears Mass ascends one degree higher in heaven. The higher he mounts, the nearer he comes to God; the more clearly he knows Him, the more dearly he loves Him, the more ineffable is his enjoyment of Him. And for all the hardships you have to endure by reason of going to Mass, early rising, exposure to cold, etc., you will be abundantly requited in heaven. A man who had given up going to Mass on week-days for some time, on account of the distance, once beheld in a dream an angel follow ing him on the way to the church, and counting every step he took, in view of his future reward. After he had that dream, he again at tended Mass regularly. How unwise are those who neglect the holy sacrifice of the altar ! The early Christians valued holy Mass aright, and were ready to lay down their lives rather than be deprived of it. What a responsibility for us, now that it is such an easy matter, that it costs us nothing to go to Mass. The burnt-offerings of the Jews were costly ; they were required to sacrifice at once a sheep and a goat, or if poor, two doves ; and we have an all-efficacious sacrifice without price. " Let us therefore go with confidence to the throne of grace " (Heb. iv. 16).

2. Those who participate in the fruits of the holy sacrifice of the Mass are: First, the individual for whom it is celebrated; then the priest and all who are present; finally, all the faithful, both living and dead ; moreover the holy sacrifice gives joy to all the angels and saints.

First and foremost, the individual for whom the Mass is said benefits most by it. The priest is at liberty to apply the actual fruit of the Mass to whomsoever he will. From time immemorial it has been customary in the Church to give a fixed sum to the priest, that he may say the Mass for a certain intention. The money is not given to pay for the Mass, for the value of the Mass is beyond all price, but as an alms towards the maintenance of the priest, and to defray the expenses of divine worship ; to pay the server, to purchase candles, etc. In early times the priest was not paid in money, but in kind;

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the people brought him wine, oil, bread, etc.; not until the Middle Ages did it become usual to give money. The amount to be given is fixed by the bishop ; it varies in different countries. No priest is allowed to ask more, unless the Mass is wanted at a very early hour, or a sung Mass is desired, or the priest has to go a long distance. The priest who celebrates Mass derives greater benefit from it than do those who hear it, because of his closer proximity to the Author of all grace. A monarch pays more attention to the envoy of his subjects than he would to one of the people who have deputed him to speak for them; and God, in like manner, regards the priest at the altar not as a sinful mortal, but as the ambassador empowered to speak in the name of the Church and as the representative of His Son; consequently his prayer has more power with God. All who are present at Mass are spiritually sprinkled with the blood of Christ. Could you see the beauty and the brilliancy of a soul thus sprinkled with His blood, you would be ready to fall down and adore it. By reason of the communion of saints, the whole Church is benefited by the holy sacrifice. It is an embassy to the Holy Trinity, bringing a gift of inestimable value. If a deputation from a town offers a present to their monarch, all the inhabitants take part in offering it. So all Christendom has its share in the Mass, although at the sacrificial act its representatives are few in number; on this account the priest says in the prayers of the Mass that he offers up this sacrifice of praise for the whole Church, for all who pay their vows to the eternal, living and true God (prayer after the Sanctus). Every priest offers the sacrifice of the Mass for the salvation of the whole world; without it, destruction would long ago have come upon the earth by reason of the multitude of man's transgressions. The faithful departed benefit more particularly by holy Mass. Our Lord's death upon the cross was of immediate profit to the dead, for He directly went down to limbo, to set free many who were there. It is the same now ; whenever a Mass is said, several souls are released from purgatory; the angels hasten to open for them the gate of their prison. Moreover the holy sacrifice gives joy to the angels and saints. Since the blessed desire above all things the glory of God and the salvation of mankind, they experience inexpressible delight when they see that in the Mass highest honors are paid to the Holy Trinity, and the spiritual welfare of man is powerfully promoted. The angels and saints also rejoice because their names occur in the holy Mass ; they exult with the exultation of warriors who, having been companions of their monarch in the fight, are not forgotten in the triumph of his victory. And if even from the Jewish sacrifices a most sweet odor rose up to heaven (Numb, xxviii. 2), how much more must this be the case with the oblation of Christ. The fragrance of His blood goes up on high to refresh and invigorate the blessed denizens of heaven. For this reason the angels descend from the realms above to assist at Mass ; as on Christmas night they came down to Bethlehem, singing songs of praise, to adore the new-born Infant in the manger, so now they stand around the altar at the time of Mass, because the only-begotten Son of God is again made flesh. When God brouc-ht in the first begotten into the world, He said : " Let all the angels of God adore Him" (Heb. i. 6). Remember, when you hear Mass, that you are in the company of countless celestial spirits.

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7. The Celebration of Holy Mass

1. The holy sacrifice of the Mass is only offered to God; it may be offered to Him with a fourfold intention; by way of atone ment, of petition, of praise, or of thanksgiving.

When we offer sacrifice, we acknowledge that He to Whom we offer it is the Author of all being-, the sovereign Lord of all things, and that we consequently owe Him homage. The sacrificial act is therefore an act of adoration, which can be offered to no created being, be he saint or angel. No one has ever offered sacrifice except to the true God, or to one whom he erroneously supposed to be the true God. Under the Old Dispensation there were various sacrifices : Sin-offerings, burnt-offerings, sacrifices of praise, etc. ; we have but one sacrifice, which answers all these ends. To make atonement is pre-eminently the object of the sacrifice of the Mass ; this is the chief intention for which it is celebrated. The sacrifice of the Mass has also an immense potency if we would ask for anything; no gift or favor is too great to be obtained by means of it. For what we implore is something finite, something created, whereas what we offer is something divine, something infinite. It cannot be imagined that God, Who is so generous that He richly rewards a cup of cold water given in His name, will not reward us when we offer Him the chalice containing the blood of His divine Son. St. Bonaventure says : " If a commander is taken prisoner, he is not liberated until a large sum has been paid for his ransom ;" now in holy Mass we can say : " Behold, O eternal Father, Thy only-begotten Son, Whom all the earth cannot contain, is now a prisoner in our hands: we will not release Him until that which we earnestly implore of Thee has been granted to us for His sake." The holy sacrifice of the Mass is also a sacrifice of praise. That alone can be praised which is praiseworthy; the more good there is in a man, the more praise can be given to him. God is the supreme and infinite Good; all the creatures He has made cannot praise Him enough. " Glorify the Lord, exalt Him as much as you can, for He is above all praise " (Ecclus. xliii. 32). Yet there is one means whereby we can worthily praise God, and that is by the sacrifice of the Mass. Fpon the altar Christ praises the Godhead as He ought to be praised, as neither angel nor saint, much less mortal man. is able to praise Him. One single Mass gives more glory to God than all the angels and saints in heaven are capable of rendering Him : the glory given Him is as much greater as God is more exalted than His creatures (Cochem). In no way can God be more honored than by the spotless Victim upon the altar; Christ instituted the Mass for this end, to enable the Church to give glory to God. An other intention for which Mass may be celebrated is to give God thanks. " If any one has done thee a kindness," says Cochem, " thou art bound to make him a fitting return, unless thou wouldst appear ungrateful." Now consider what countless benefits we have received from God; think how admirably He has made the earth, fashioned man ; how He provides continually for our sustenance. Think, above all, of the work or redemption, the institution of the sacraments, and of the many graces He has conferred on us. Will we not

548 The Means of Grace.

say with Tobias : " What wages shall we give Him, or what can be worthy of His benefits ? " (Tob. xii. 2.) See, you have the sacrifice of the Mass ; therefore it is in your power to make a worthy return for the divine benefits. For as Our Lord gave thanks to God at the Last Supper, so He now gives thanks in the Mass ; and the thanksgiving offered by God is infinite, surpassing in value that of all angels and all mankind. If the whole company of heaven and all good men on earth were to unite with you in one unceasing act of thanksgiving, you would not give God as much thanks as is rendered to Him in one Mass by His divine Son. How great is the love of God towards us ! Not only does He lavish innumerable benefits upon us. but at the same time He places within our reach an excellent means of repaying worthily the great blessings we have received.

2. The holy sacrifice of the Mass may also be offered in honor of the angels or saints.

When we offer holy Mass in honor of the saints, it is the same aG when a play is acted in honor of a prince. Although no allusion may be made in it to the prince, yet he accepts it graciously. Even so the blessed take special delight in the Mass when it is celebrated in their honor, although the Passion of Christ alone is re-enacted in it, and it is offered solely to God (Cochem). When offered in honor of the saints, the Mass is essentially a sacrifice of thanksgiving and of petition; for we give thanks to God for the graces bestowed on the saints, and beseech Him to grant us grace through their intercession. When Mass is celebrated with this intention, the accidental glory of the saints is increased, but not the degree of happiness they enjoy. St. Gertrude often had Mass said in honor of the saints, and they generally appeared to her to thank her. During the Mass she was permitted to see them shining in greater glory, arrayed in garments more resplendent. The renewed presence of her Son upon earth also gives the Mother of God a thousand times more joy than all the psalms, litanies, prayers, you could recite in her honor; and doubt less she will show you special favor if you hear or celebrate Mass in her honor.

3. The holy sacrifice of the Mass can also be offered for the souls of the departed, who have been members of the Catholic Church, and have not died in a state of mortal sin.

The Council of Trent expressly declares that the sacrifice of the Mass may be offered for the dead (C. -22, 2). It is unquestionably true that the departed may be assisted by holy Mass; that God is thereby induced to deal with them more leniently than their sins deserve (St. Augustine). From the earliest ages of Christianity it was customary to offer the holy sacrifice for the faithful departed, and give them a memento in every Mass, as is done now after the consecration. Tertullian states that this was the practice of the apostles themselves. We know that Monica begged St. Augustine to remember her at the altar of God after her departure. " She was not concerned," says St. Augustine, " about the embalming or preparing of her body for burial ; she was not solicitous about her sepulchre or the monument to be raised to her memory ; her only anxiety was that intercession should be made for her at the altar." What a contrast

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to Christians in the present day! Holy Mass may not be publicly celebrated for non-Catholics, such as Jews and Protestants, after their death. " We cannot," says Pope Innocent III., " hold communion after their death with those with whom we held no communion during their life." To offer the holy sacrifice for such persons byname, as we do for Catholics, would be out of harmony with Catholic teaching. It is, however, permitted to offer up holy Mass privately even for non-Catholics, and it will avail them if they were free from mortal sin at the time of their death.

4. The holy sacrifice of the Mass can, however, be offered for the living, whether Catholics or non-Catholics.

Holy Mass may be said for the living; we know that it is well to pray for our brethren when we are present at the holy sacrifice, and in every Mass a memento is made for the living. Father Cochem tells us that prayer for others is far more efficacious if offered during Mass, and we can even obtain the conversion of sinners by saying Mass, or having Mass said for them. No better assistance than this can be given to the sick and dying. We may also offer the holy sacrifice for unbelievers during their lifetime, because Christ died for all men, and the Church intercedes for infidels, e.g., on Good Friday. The greater the number of persons for whom a Mass is said, the less profit does each individual derive from it. For this reason priests are strictly forbidden to accept more than one gratuity for one Mass. From time immemorial Mass has been offered for individuals, for it could not be supposed that a Mass which is said for hundreds or thousands of people could profit each one as much as if it were said for him alone.

5. Not the priest alone, but all the faithful who are present at Mass, may offer the holy sacrifice for a special intention.

The people who are present when Mass is celebrated offer it with the officiating priest. The priest offers the sacrifice in his own person, the people offer it by his hands. Hence St. Peter speaks of Christians as a kingly priesthood (1 Pet. ii. 9), and the Jews of old were called a priestly kingdom (Exod. xix. 6). In the prayers of the Mass the priest includes the people with himself as those who offer the oblation (Orate Fratres} ; in fact the priest must of necessity have some one to offer it with him, for on no account is it permitted to say Mass without a server, who represents the people. And as those who assist at Mass are fellow-sacrificers with the priest, it follows that their prayers have the same power as his. The faithful ought therefore, whenever they hear Mass, to offer it for some definite intention. This may be done either at the commencement of the Mass, or at the offertory, or immediately after the consecration. Take heed, O Christian, that in the Mass you frequently offer up the divine Victim to His heavenly Father ; the more often you do this, the more abundantly will you be enriched. Those who neglect thus to offer the holy Mass in word or in thought, lose much that they might gain. The due blessing of Mass does not consist in merely being present at it, but in uniting one's self in spirit to the priest who offers it.

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8. The Value of the Sacrifice of the Mass

1. As the holy sacrifice of the Mass is an oblation of infinite value, to celebrate or to hear Mass is a good work which surpasses all other good works in excellence.

An oblation is nothing else than a gift we offer to God. Now the value of a gift is proportionate to the dignity of the giver and the costliness of the gift. Thus it is with a sacrifice ; the more holy the sacrificer and the more precious the victim, the greater is its importance in God's sight. Hence it is that the value of the sacrifice of the Mass is infinite, for the priest and victim are none other than He of Whom God the Father said : " This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased " (Matt. iii. 17). The glory given to God in the Mass is greater than that which accrues to Him from all the good works of the saints, for the glory they give Him is finite, whereas the glory He receives in the Mass is infinite; it is an honor paid not by angels or men, but by Christ Himself. " Christ alone," says Cochem, " knows the greatness of the divine majesty ; He alone knows what is due to the Most High ; He alone is capable of rendering to the divine majesty the honor that appertains to Him ; all that angels and men can do for the glory of God scarcely deserves notice in comparison with what Christ does." No sacrifice is an act of such profound abasement as the sacrifice of the Mass, for in it the all-glorious Son of God abases Himself to the utmost upon the altar, making Himself appear less than man. In presence of the sacrifice of the Mass, all the sacrifices of the Old Testament vanish as do the stars when the sun rises, for those sacrifices were only acceptable to God inasmuch as they foreshadowed the oblation of Christ on the cross, with which the Mass is identical. Therefore to hear or celebrate Mass is a good work of greater excellence than any other. As the sun exceeds the planets in radiance and vivifying power, so to hear Mass devoutly is much more important, more profitable to us, than any other good work. " If," says St. Laurence Justinian, " you place all your good works, prayers, fasts, alms, mortifications in one scale, and a single Mass in the other, you will find the latter far outweighs the former." For by the practice of penance we offer to God gifts that are purely human, but when we hear Mass with due devotion, we offer Him gifts that are divine; we offer Him the body of Christ, the blood of Christ, the wounds of Christ, the Passion of Christ — nay, the onlybegotten Son of God Himself. The Council of Trent declares that no more holy and divine act can be performed by the faithful than the sacrifice of the Mass. To hear Mass, as a good work, is more profitable than mental prayer, which is the highest form of prayer, because in meditation we represent to ourselves Christ as present, whereas in the Mass He is really present in person.

2. Offering or hearing Mass has more value as a good work in proportion to the worthiness and devotion of priest and people.

The sacrifice of the Mass has a twofold virtue. The one it has of itself, quite independently of the worthiness of the priest. By the

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sacrifice of the Mass the virtues of Christ's Passion and His merits are applied to our souls in a totally different manner to that of any other works. Hence a man in no wise loses the fruit of the holy sacrifice if it is offered for him by a priest who is unworthy. Just as the efficacy of the sacraments does not depend upon the character of the priest who dispenses, so the oblation of a bad priest has the same intrinsic value as that of a good priest (St. Thomas Aquinas). Yet on the other hand, the Mass regarded as a good work performed by a believing Christian, has a secondary virtue which depends upon the sanctity and fervor of priest and people. The holier the priest, the more profound his devotion, the mo^ acceptable is the sacrifice he offers, and the greater is the benefit accruing from it. Thus it is far preferable to hear the Mass of a good priest than of a careless one, for the piety _ and sanctity both of the minister himself, and the faithful who join with him in offering the sacred oblation, enhance its beneficial effect as a good work and incite those present to greater devotion.

9. Devotion at Holy Mass

When we are conversing with any one, we give him our whole attention, and do not think of other people. So when we hear Mass, when we are in the presence of God, we should fix our thoughts on Him, and for the time forget everything else. This we should do all the more because to hear Mass is the highest and holiest act of worship we can perform, and if we do this carelessly, it will be without benefit to ourselves.

We ought to be very devout at Mass; that is, we ought to banish from our minds all that may cause distraction, and endeavor to unite our supplications to those of the priest, especially in the three principal parts of the Mass.

As it is only at the cost of great toil that miners extract precious stones from the bowels of the earth, so we cannot make the hidden treasures of grace contained in the Mass our own unless we take pains to assist at it with the utmost attention and devotion.

1. Whispering, laughing, looking about at the time of Mass must be carefully avoided; moreover it is unseemly to come to Mass overdressed.

It may be said of our churches, where God is present upon our altars, what God said to Moses out of the burning bush : " The place whereon thou standest in holy ground" (Exod. iii. 5). We gather from the indignation Our Lord manifested in regard to those that bought and sold in the Temple (Matt. xxi. 13), how abhorrent to Him is indecorous behavior in the house of God. The house of God is a house of prayer. You would not allow yourself to chatter and laugh, nor even to sit down in the presence of an earthly monarch; with how much greater awe and reverence ought you to behave in the presence of Him Who is above all kings and emperors, the Son of the most high God ! Seven hundred priests and Levites ministered in the

552 Ttte Means of Grace.

Jewish Temple of old; they slaughtered victims daily for the burntofferings; and all went on in silence so profound that it might have been imagined that one priest only was in the Temple. Alexander the Great once was offering sacrifice to one of the heathen gods ; a young nobleman stood by holding a lighted torch; before the function was ended the torch burned down and scorched his hand, but such was his reverence for the act of sacrifice that he would not allow himself to fling it away. How much more ought Christians to avoid everything that would disturb the solemnity of this sublime sacrifice ! The early Christians remained motionless at Mass, so that it was as still as if no one were in the church. It has always been customary to kneel during Mass, at any rate from the consecration until after the communion. A pious empress, who was in the habit of kneeling through out the Mass, was once begged not to fatigue herself in this manner : " What," she replied, " would you have me sit in the presence of my Lord and God, when my servants do not venture to sit in my presence ? " St. Elizabeth of Hungary used always to remove her crown while she heard Mass. Those who behave irreverently at the holy sacrifice deserve condign punishment; they certainly derive no profit from it. It is also most unseemly to come to Mass dressed to excess, in the height of the fashion. St. John Chrysostom animadverts severely upon women who apparently go to Mass to attract attention, and show off their fine clothes. " Thou popinjay ! is this finery," he says, " befitting a contrite sinner, who comes to entreat pardon ? Such garments are more suitable for the ballroom than the church." St. Ambrose says the more admiration such persons gain from men, the more they are despised by God. Some Popes and holy bishops have ordained that women should come veiled to church: St. Paul seems to have made the same rule for his converts, remarking that nature provided them with a veil, by giving them long hair (1 Cor. xi. 5, 14).

2. When assisting at the holy sacrifice, we ought to unite our supplications to those of the priest, but it is not necessary to use the same prayers as he does,

Meditation upon Our Lord's Passion is the best method of hearing Mass, because in holy Mass the sacrifice of the cross is re-enacted, and it was instituted as a commemoration of the death of the Redeemer.

Those do wrong who repeat the prayers of the Mass out of a prayer-book in a formal manner, with their lips, not with their heart. There is nothing reprehensible in refraining altogether from vocal prayer during Mass if we substitute for it mental prayer. Those who repeat vocal prayers must take care not to disturb others by whispering. The five sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary are a very suitable devotion for Mass, because Our Lord's Passion is thus set before us.

It is well to have a little singing during Mass, as it is conducive to devotion, is in itself a prayer, and promotes the glory of God.

Sacred music is most useful in exciting devotion. St. Augustine

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says : " How many tears I have shed, when hymns and canticles were sung to Thee, O my God! What emotions were aroused within me, when the church re-echoed with sweet melodies ! Each note fell upon my ear like soothing balm, carrying conviction of Thy truth to my heart, and kindling within me the ardor of devotion." Music is, moreover, an efficacious prayer; it is a heartfelt and fervent prayer, for the feelings of the heart gain force when the voice expresses them in song. The Fathers of the Church cannot say enough in commendation of the use of vocal music in church; they say that it appeases the wrath of God, drives away the spirits of evil, attracts the angels, and leads the Holy Spirit to visit the heart of the singers; that on the wings of song the soul is aided to soar on high, that the voice of song awakens in the mind a longing for heavenly things, that it melts the heart and causes the sinner to shed tears of contrition and compunction. Vocal music is also an appropriate accompaniment to the sacrifice of the Mass ; for it affords a means of expressing and manifest ing the intense feeling, the deep emotions evoked by an attentive consideration of what is being enacted upon the altar. And since it is in song that the heart gives vent to her inmost feelings most freely and touchingly, it is the most perfect and fitting means of honoring the divine majesty. As often as Holy Scripture speaks of giving glory to God by the lips of angels or saints, it is described as a sublime and exalted song of praise. Therefore vocal music may almost be said to be an integral part of the solemn celebration of the holy sacrifice; the Church could more readily dispense with magnificent structures, rich coloring, costly vestments, precious vessels, than with singing, for it is the language in which utterance is given to her prayers. We read that at the Last Supper Our Lord and His apostles sang a hymn, after which they went out unto Mount Olivet (Matt. xxvi. 30). And we know, from the testimony of the earliest writers, that the Christians of primitive times were wont to sing during the celebration of holy Mass ; for the first Christian annalists employ the expression : " Sing to Christ a canticle of praise," as synonymous with offering the holy sacrifice. In the present day some parts of the Mass are appointed to be sung by the priest. It is, however, important that the singing at Mass should be as far as possible in harmony with the prayers recited by the priest and with the festival of the day; for congregational singing is not a mere accompaniment to, an accessory of the Mass, but a means whereby the people take part in the service and join with the priest who officiates at the altar. But the singing should not be continuous, for this is disturbing to devotion. The Holy See has expressly forbidden the singing to go on during someparts of the liturgy, as at the consecration, and when benediction is given with the Blessed Sacrament.

3. At the three principal parts of the Mass we should to a certain extent suspend our private devotions, and fix our attention upon what is done upon the altar.

It is evidently the intention of the Church that we should discontinue our private prayers or singing during the canon of the Mass and at the communion, as a bell is rung to call our attention to it. At the offertory the priest says : " We offer unto Thee, O Lord,

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the chalice of salvation," and the faithful ought on their part to make an act of offering, to verify his words.

In the course of the Mass we are required to do as follows: When the priest commences the Mass, we should make the sign of the cross, and direct our intention.

The priest also offers the Mass for a definite intention. Ask yourself for what intention you should offer the holy sacrifice. In someplaces it is customary for the people to stand when the priest goes up to the altar, as a mark of reverence to him as Christ's representative.

At the Gospel all stand up, out of respect for the word of God; we should at the same time cross ourselves on forehead, lips, and breast, to testify our belief in, and our readiness to confess and follow the teaching of the crucified Kedeemer.

At the offertory we ought to offer to God the oblations upon the altar, ourselves, and all that we possess.

At the Sanctus we ought to give praise to God, and hail the coming of the Son of God Who is about to descend upon the altar. The words of the Sanctus are like the thrice holy of the angels (Is. vi. 3), and the cries of the people at Our Lord's entry into Jerusalem (Matt. xxi. 9).

At the consecration we ought to kneel and adore the Redeemer Who comes down from heaven upon the altar.

Imitate at the consecration what you see the priest do ; he falls upon his knees, and reverently adores the Lord and God Whom he holds in his hands. Do as the three kings did in presence of the Infant Christ, or as the apostles on Mount Thabor. When the priest elevates the Host, look upon it with veneration; Our Lord once revealed to St. Gertrude that those who did so would have greater joy hereafter in the contemplation of God. If looking upon a brazen serpent in the wilderness brought healing (Numb. xxi. 9), what must it not do for us to gaze in faith upon the sacred Host! It is not well to drop one's head immediately, as if one would hide one's self. For what purpose does the priest elevate the sacred Host and hold it up on high but that we may behold it ? Every one should remain perfectly silent, in trembling awe, when the King of kings comes to be immolated for the faithful and given to them as their spiritual sustenance. Before Him the choirs of angels move, covering their faces, singing songs of praise with great jubilation. " The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him" (Hab. ii. 20). Some r>eople keep cold and unmoved at the consecration, just as if Our Lord were not present ; they are like a man who, when a friend comes from a distance to visit him, does not so much as bid him welcome on his arrival, but leaves him standing as if he were a stranger. The whole court of heaven makes preparation for the consecration, and we miserable mortals look on with indifference, scarcely seeming to heed what is enacted upon the altar. Oh! did God but open the

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eyes of our soul, what marvels would be disclosed to our spiritual sight ! But because we do not perceive with our senses the abasement of the Son of God, we think little of it, whereas the angels gaze on it with trembling.

4. It is an excellent practice immediately after the consecration to make to our heavenly Father a definite act of offering of His divine Son sacrificed upon the altar, and of His Passion and death.

The priest officiating at the altar recites a prayer of offering. We may use some such words as these : " I offer Thee, O heavenly Father, Thy well-beloved Son, here present upon the altar; I offer Thee His sufferings and cruel death, beseeching Thee to have compassion upon the souls in purgatory " (or any other intention, such as the recovery of a sick person, or in thanksgiving for favors received). How pleasing it is to the eternal Father, when you honor Him in this manner! How rich a return will He make for the gift you present to Him! If any man possessed the whole world, and offered it to almighty God, he would not give Him so great a gift as when he humbly offers to Him His beloved Son in the Mass. The power of Christ's precious blood is all-prevailing to appease the wrath of God ; by it we can obtain the conversion of sinners and the deliverance of souls from purgatory. Even the most grievous sinner may hope to obtain pardon, if he offers up the Passion and death of Christ to His divine Father. This may be done at other times than at Mass, but with less efficacy.

5. At the communion if we do not communicate actually, we ought to do so spiritually.

The early Christians communicated daily ; but now few Christians lead so perfect a life as to be able to communicate daily. When the priest gives the blessing we should cross ourselves, at the same time imploring the blessing of God and giving thanks for the graces we have received. At the Last Gospel we should do the same as at the first.

6. It is not possible to hear two or more Masses at the same time; therefore when in church we ought to follow one Mass attentively, and not more than one.

We should endeavor, if we are present when several Masses are being said, to hear the one which is said where we can see it best, and follow that alone. In some dioceses it is the rule that if several Masses are celebrated simultaneously, the bell should be rung at one altar only, and that the principal, or at any rate the most conspicuous one. Yet though we cannot hear more than one Mass at the same time, if we are where several are being said, we profit in a certain measure by all, since every priest prays for all who are present.

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10. The Obligation of Hearing Mass

1. Every Catholic is bound, under pain of mortal sin, to hear the whole of one Mass devoutly every Sunday and holyday of obligation.

(See the second commandment of the Church.)

1. Those persons who could not go to church without great injury to themselves, or who have some urgent work of mercy to perform, are excused from hearing Mass.

Those are dispensed from hearing Mass who by going to church would incur serious personal injury. Thus the sick who cannot go to church are excused, likewise those whose health is so delicate that they cannot go without at least the risk of falling ill; or those who by going would be in danger of being set upon by ruffians; others again who live more than three miles from a church, or at too great a distance to go in bad weather. A king once observed that on a stormy December morning the church was almost empty, whereas in the evening, though the snow was falling heavily, the theatre was crowded. " Alas," he exclaimed, " people are ready enough to make sacrifices for pleasure, but for God they will make none." Workingpeople are also excused if they would lose their employment by leaving their work to hear Mass, or they may stay away occasionally, if by going they have great disagreeables to put up with from the people they live with, though they should endeavor rather to bring them to a better mind. One member of a household may remain at home to keep the house; those, again, are excused from attendance at Mass who have works of mercy to perform, such as nursing the sick, taking care of young children, preparing the meals for other inmates of the house, etc.

2. We have not heard a whole Mass, unless we have been present in the church during the three principal parts of one and the same Mass.

It is requisite to be present at the three principal parts of the Mass ; if one of these is omitted through negligence, the obligation is not fulfilled ; if, for instance, we do not come in before the offertory, or if we leave before the communion. It does not suffice to hear one Mass from the consecration to the end, and another from the commencement to the consecration. What Christ has joined together, let not the Christian put asunder. He who comes in after the offertory must stay for the whole of another Mass. Moreover one must be present inside the church; it will not suffice to sit or stand outside, unless the church should be so overcrowded that it is impossible to get inside. How potent is the prayer of an assembled multitude; for where two or three are gathered together in Christ's name, there is He in the midst of them (Matt, xviii. 20). St. John the Almoner, Patriarch of Alexandria in the seventh century, put a stop to the bad habit his flock had contracted of remaining out-

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side during Mass-time. One Sunday, instead of vesting for Mass, he went out and sat with the people outside the church, to their great astonishment. " Where the sheep are, there the shepherd must be," he observed. " While you stay here, I shall do the same ; if you go in, I will go too." After this rebuke no one was to be seen outside the church at Mass-time.

3. Those only can be said to hear Mass devoutly who banish from their mind all that may cause them distraction, and who unite their petitions to those of the priest, especially at the three principal parts of the Mass.

4. It is permissible to assist at the holy sacrifice of the Mass on Sundays and holy days in any church; but it is desirable to go to one's parish church.

The Council of Trent admonishes the faithful to be frequent in their attendance at their parish church, at least oil Sundays and the greater festivals. On those days the priest offers the holy sacrifice for all his parishioners, both living and dead, and adapts his sermons to the needs of his flock ; furthermore in the parish church notices are given out of marriages, of fast days, of ecclesiastical festivals and ordinances. The faithful ought to become acquainted with their parish priest, who is their pastor and spiritual father, in the house of God. There is however no law which makes it binding upon Catholics to hear Mass in their parish church.

2. To hear Mass on week-days, if possible, is a highly commendable practice, for it may be the means of gaining the greatest graces.

If the holy sacrifice were celebrated in only one place in the world, and offered only by one priest, with what longing would Christian people hasten to that spot! But now that there are many priests, and Christ is daily offered up in many places, how much is our lukewarmness and negligence to be deplored, which has thereby arisen (Imitation, Book iv., ch. 1). Some people consider the half hour they take from their work to hear Mass as a loss of time ; this is, however, not so, for they do their work better and more quickly through having been to Mass. Has not Our Lord said : " Seek first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things shall be added unto you " (Matt. vi. 33)? "If," says Cochem, "a shower of gold fell from the clouds, thou wouldst surely leave thy work and hasten into the street to gather up the coins. Only a fool would stop indoors. And thou art a fool if thou dost through indifference or negligence omit to hear Mass, when a stream of heavenly treasures is poured out from on high. Through neglecting holy Mass one loses far more than one would gain by a whole day's work. Arrange thy business therefore, if thou canst, so as to allow of thy hearing Mass daily. And if it is impossible for thee to go thyself, give an alms to some poor person to hear Mass for thee; he will do so gladly, and thou wilt reap the greater benefit." For, as is the case with every good work, we may apply to others the merit of hearing Mass without being losers ourselves. For the priest, in the canon of the Mass, supposes that those who are present who

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with him offer up the holy sacrifice, do so for their families and friends as well as for themselves. Do not allow human respect to keep you from serving Christ, for if you are ashamed of Him, He will also be ashamed of you (Luke ix. 26). When King Louis of France was told that people talked about his habit of hearing one or even more than one Mass daily, he replied : " How careful people are about my time ; if I spent twice as long at play or out hunting, they would not have a word to say about it." The Blessed Thomas More was accustomed to say, in connection with hearing Mass daily, that he esteemed it his greatest honor to render that mark of respect to the King of kings.

11. The Time When Mass is to Be Celebrated

1. The holy sacrifice of the Mass is generally to be celebrated between sunrise and noon, and at midnight on Christmas Eve.

Mass may be said before sunrise under exceptional circumstances, such as the priest's going on a journey, or in order to give workingpeople the opportunity of hearing Mass before commencing the day's labor; or it may happen that after the consecration of a church, or a confirmation, the holy sacrifice is not commenced before twelve o'clock (noon). The early Christians celebrated Mass at night, in order to escape the persecution of the heathen. And in later years it was customary to offer the holy sacrifice during the night several times in the course of the year; at Christmas, on Holy Saturday, on St. John Baptist's Day, and on Ember days.

2. On Sundays and holydays of obligation the holy sacrifice of the Mass is offered at a convenient hour in all parish churches, and almost always on week-days also.

Every Catholic priest is bound to say Mass on Sundays and holydays (Council of Trent, 23, 14). Those who have the care of souls are, in virtue of their office, under the obligation of offering the holy sacrifice every Sunday and holyday for their parishioners, both living and dead. These Masses which are binding on those who have the cure of souls are called parochial Masses, and must be said at the hour when the parishioners are best able to come to church.

3. No priest may, as a rule, say Mass more than once daily; but on Christmas Day all priests are allowed to say three Masses. And by the permission of the bishop some parish priests who have a large congregation are allowed to duplicate, that is, say two Masses on the same day.

In the commencement of the Middle Ages it was customary for priests sometimes to say one Mass after another, but this gave rise to many abuses. By a decree of Pope Innocent III. the clergy were forbidden to say more than* one Mass daily, except on Christmas Day, when three might be said. It is not, however, obligatory on priests to say three Masses on Christmas Day, any more than it is upon the laity to hear three. Priests who have a large parish obtain permission

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from the bishop to duplicate, if the church is too small for all the parishioners to hear one and the same Mass.

On the other hand no priest may say Mass on Good Friday. And on Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday only one solemn Mass is to be celebrated in the parish church.

The only exception to this rule is made when the feast of the Annunciation falls on Thursday in Holy Week. If it falls on Good Friday or Holy Saturday, it is transferred to the Monday in Low Week.

12. The Place Where Mass is to Be Celebrated

1. The apostles offered the holy sacrifice on a table in a dwelling-house.

(See Acts ii. 46; Col. iv. 15.) To this day the table whereon St. Peter offered the holy sacrifice may be seen in the Church of St. John Lateran in Eome. The Council of Nice (325), speaks of the holy table on which the priest immolates without bloodshed the Lamb of God, \Vhose body and blood is the spiritual food of Christians. A table was used because it was on a table that the holy Mass was instituted by Our Lord on Holy Thursday; that table, made of cedarwood, is still preserved in Rome. Another reason for using a table was that it could be easily hidden or removed in times of persecution.

2. In the time of the great persecution of the Christians, the holy sacrifice was offered on the tombs of the martyrs in subterranean passages (the Catacombs).

It is from this that the altar to this day has the form of a tomb, and that relics of the saints are deposited in it. Another reason why relics are placed in the altars is to denote the communion we hold with the saints in heaven, and it is on account of the relics being there that the priest frequently kisses the altar. When the Church had emerged from the Catacombs, the churches were erected by preference upon the spots where the saints and martyrs were interred (witness St. Peter's in Rome), and eminent ecclesiastics were buried in the crypts. Hence arose the custom at funerals of having the body in the church when the requiem is sung. And the lights which are burned during divine worship date from the time when the Christians assembled to hear Mass in dark, subterranean chambers. The burning lights also symbolize divine grace, which enlightens and vivifies, and which is communicated at no time so freely as during holy Mass. The candles upon tH altar signify, furthermore, the presence of Him Who is the Light of the world, the God-man, Who enlightens us by His word.

3. "When the period of persecution was over, the holy sacrifice of the Mass was offered in churches upon altars of stone.

In old times a table or mound was formed of stone, and decked as an altar. !NToe, on coming out of the ark, built an altar, and the

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other patriarchs did the same. In the Temple at Jerusalem there were two altars, the altar of burnt-offering in the outer court, and the altar of incense in the sanctuary. Altars must be either composed entirely of stone, or a stone, blessed by the bishop and containing relics, must be let into the top. On this the chalice and paten are placed, to signify that Christ is the foundation and cornerstone on Y/hich the Church rests (Ps. cxvii. 22), and a threefold linen cloth must be spread upon the altar, both because Our Lord was wrapped in a linen cloth when He lay in the sepulchre, and also to absorb any drops of the precious blood that might perchance fall from the chalice. On every altar there must be a cross, because the sacrifice of the cross is renewed there, and also two candlesticks with wax tapers. The altar is generally placed so that the officiating priest looks towards the east ; the reason of this is because when he celebrates the Mass he lifts his heart and hands to Him Who is the source of spiritual light. The altar is raised, both to denote its dignity, to enable all who are in the church to see the ceremonies, and also because the great oblation of our redemption was offered upon an eminence visible from afar.

Churches are usually built on a height, or in the centre of a township. The styles of ecclesiastical architecture are many and varied.

A hill, or some eminence, usecl to be selected as the site of a church, because of old high places were considered sacred; under the Old Dispensation God frequently manifested Himself to mortals on a mountain; Our Lord often withdrew to a mountain to pray, and the Temple of Jerusalem, the type of the Christian Church, was situated upon a mountain. On an eminence one is more disposed for prayer and recollection; one is further aloof from the noise of the busy world, one feels nearer to God. Christ Himself said His Church was to be built upon a rock, and He was crucified upon Mount Calvary. When churches are situated in the centre of a town or village, it should remind us that in the Blessed Sacrament the Good Shepherd loves to dwell in the midst of His sheep. The Church of St. Peter in Rome is the largest basilica in the world.

Both the external and internal arrangements of churches are adapted to awaken and aid devotion.

In regard to the exterior, the church is larger and higher than ordinary dwelling-houses, because it is the house of the most high God. It looks toward the east, because it is destined for the worship of the Sun of justice. It is built in the form of a cross, because the sacrifice of the cross is re-enacted within its walls, and the doctrine of the Crucified preached. It has a spire, pointing to heaven, our home, to admonish us to " seek those things that are above " (Col. iii. 1). Bells are hung in the tower to summon us to divine worship or call us to prayer; the spire is surmounted by a cross, the emblem of salvation, whereby God is reconciled with man. The interior of the church is divided into three parts; the porch, where in former days the catechumens and penitents used to. kneel, and which ought to remind us of the preparation necessary before entering the church;

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the nave, which is the part appropriated to the faithful, wherein, as in Noe's ark, they are saved from eternal perdition; and the choir, where the singers formerly sat, but which is now set apart for the clergy. It is separated from the body of the church by a rail or communion table. At the entrance of the church we see the holy water stoup, reminding us that we ought to approach God with pure hearts; in the interior is one or more altars; over the high altar is the tabernacle wherein the Blessed Sacrament is reserved, and before which the sanctuary lamp is kept perpetually burning, to symbolize the Light of the world there present. There are also pictures and statues of saints and angels, who assist unseen at the sacred offices, besides the font, and all the other furniture of a church, with which every Catholic is familiar. The " dim religious light " that pervades the building, owing to the colored glass of the windows, reminds us that here below we understand the things of God only in a dark manner. Those people who say that it is unnecessary to go to church, because they can say their prayers anywhere, should consider that in the churches Our Lord is actually present upon our altars, that the atmosphere of the sacred edifice disposes us to recollection, and that petitions offered there have more power than those offered elsewhere.

The consecration of a church is performed by the bishop, but a church can, with the permission of the bishop, be employed for divine service without consecration.

By God's command Moses had to anoint the tabernacle with the oil of unction (Exod. xl. 9), and Solomon's Temple was dedicated by that monarch himself. When King Antiochus had profaned the Temple by setting up idols within it, it had to be cleansed and dedicated anew; this was the origin of the feast of the Dedication (1 Mach. iv. 54). It appertains to the office of a bishop alone to consecrate churches, but he may give leave for Mass to be said in any building set apart for the purpose. The principal ceremonies of the consecration of a church are as follows: The bishop first prostrates himself before the principal entrance, and recites the Litany of the Saints ; then rising up, he goes three times around the outside of the building, sprinkling the walls with holy watery each time that he passes the door he knocks upon it with his crozier; finally he makes the sign of the cross upon the threshold with the crozier to signify that nothing can resist the force of the cross, and enters the church, where he falls on his knees and invokes the Holy Spirit. He then draws the letters of the Greek and Latin alphabets upon the pavement of the church, which is strewn with ashes, to signify that all the nations of the earth are called into the Church of Christ; next he goes round the interior of the building three times, sprinkling the walls with holy water, and three times up the centre and across it; this is in honor of the Holy Trinity, and of the crucifixion of Christ ; afterwards he anoints the walls in twelve places, where lighted tapers are affixed, in memory of the twelve apostles who spread abroad the light of the Gospel, and then proceeds to consecrate the altar. From time immemorial the anniversary of the dedication of a church formed a yearly festival in the parish, but abuses having crept in, one festival was appointed for the whole Church, the third Sunday

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in October, to be kept as the feast of the Dedication. If any grievous crime is committed in a church, such as murder, or suicide, and it is known publicly, the sacred edifice must be instantly closed and dedicated anew. This must also be done if a church is rebuilt, either wholly or to such an extent that the walls are in great part pulled down. Only under most exceptional circumstances, in time of war, or if a church is burned down, or at open-air festivals, may Mass be said outside the church, and express permission from the bishop must invariably be obtained. For saying Mass on board ship, the sanction of the Holy See is necessary. On such occasions a portable altar, blessed by the bishop, is used ; that is, a square stone slab, large enough to admit of the chalice and Host being placed upon it.

13. The Vestments and Sacred Vessels Used at Mass

He who is granted an audience of an earthly monarch dresses himself in full dress out of respect to that monarch; and the priest, when he appears before the King of kings at the altar, is arrayed in suitable vestments. These vestments show that he does not act of his own power, but as the representative of Christ. God Himself gave directions concerning the vestments which were to be worn by the priests under the Old Testament (Exod. xxviii. 4). The vestments to be worn by the Christian priests were prescribed by the apostles.

1. The vestments which the priest wears in the celebration of Mass consist of (1), the amice; (2), the alb; (3), the girdle; (4), the maniple; (5), the stole; (6), the chasuble.

The amice is a white linen cloth laid about the head and shoulders. Formerly it used to be placed over the head like a hood, to keep the priest from distractions at Mass. The alb is a white linen garment, reaching from head to foot. In the East it was customary to wear a white robe on festival occasions, as for instance, when invited to a wedding. In the parable of the marriage-feast, Our Lord makes mention of the "wedding garment" (Matt. xxii. 12). The girdle is a cord which fastens the alb together, so that it may not inconvenience the priest in walking. It is said of the young Tobias, when he was seeking a companion for his journey, that he found a young man, standing girded, as it were ready to walk (Tob. v. 5). Our Lord also says: "Let your loins be girt" (Luke xii. 35). The maniple was at first a linen cloth which was worn on the left arm, representing the cloth wherewith Our Lord's countenance was wiped. The stole is a long band of silk which hangs down from the neck and is crossed on the breast. It is the special sign of the sacerdotal office, therefore the priest wears it whenever he exercises his priestly functions. The chasuble is a garment which covers the ^ priest before and behind, reaching down to the knees; in early times it was a kind of mantle, with only one opening, through which the head was passed, whence came the name casula, a little house. At other times than at Mass the priest wears a short alb or surplice, or a cope. At High Mass the deacon and sub-deacon wear special vestments, called dalmatics.

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2. The various portions of the sacerdotal vestments are commemorative of Our Lord's Passion, and also serve to remind the priest of the duties of his office.

The amice represents the cloth with which the soldiers muffled Our Lord's face when they struck Him ; the alb represents the white robe in which Herod arrayed Him in mockery; the girdle, the cords wherewith He was bound ; the maniple, Veronica's handkerchief ; the stole, the rope laid about Our Lord's neck after His condemnation; the chasuble, on the back of which is a cross, the cross He bore on His shoulders. The amice reminds the priest to observe custody of the eyes; the alb betokens purity of heart; the girdle, abstemiousness, purity, and self-control ; while the stole signifies his dignity as a priest, and the chasuble the heavy responsibilities that rest upon him.

3. The principal things which are used in saying Mass are: The chalice, the paten, and the missal.

The upper part of the chalice must be of gold, or silver, gilt in side. The paten is a small plate, whereon the sacred Host is laid; it must be gold or silver-gilt. Both chalice and paten must beblessed by the bishop. The missal contains the prayers that are said in every Mass, and those which vary according to the seasons and days of the ecclesiastical year. The ciborium somewhat resembles a chalice; it has a cover, and in it the consecrated Hosts are reserved for the communion of the faithful. The monstrance is sometimes used for the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Some worldlings are inclined to say as Judas did, when Magdalen anointed Our Lord's feet : " To what purpose is this waste ? " when they see the care and money expended by Catholics on the sacred vessels and furniture of their churches. They should, however, consider how greatly the beauty of God's house impresses the beholder and conduces to devotion ; and that it is, moreover, only right to give what is most precious and beautiful for the service of God. Why should the house of God be less richly adorned than the mansions of the wealthy ?

14. The Colors of the Vestments

The Jews made sacerdotal vestments of various colors by God's injunction for use in the Temple, white, scarlet and purple being the prevailing colors. Among the heathen the priests wore garments of dazzling whiteness, hence the Christians, who were converts partly from Judaism, partly from paganism, wished to provide similar colored vestments for divine worship. Besides, from the revelations of St. John, the Church learned that the celestial spirits who serve God in heaven standing about the throne, are arrayed in brilliant hues, so as to resemble a rainbow (Apoc. iv.). Thus the Church Militant imitates the Church Triumphant in the use of colors in her services. And again, as the face of nature changes with the varying seasons, so the different emotions evoked by the various seasons of the ecclesiastical year find expression in the use of different colors.

1. In the vestments worn by the priest at Mass, the Church makes use of five colors : white, red, green, purple, and black.

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White is emblematic of innocence and purity, and of the eternal bliss to be enjoyed hereafter; red, the color of fire and of blood, betokens love and martyrdom. Green signifies hope, and violet or purple, faith and penance. Black is an emblem of death.

1. White is the color used on the feasts of Our Lord, of the Blessed Virgin, of the angels, and of confessors.

Christ is the Light of the world and perfect purity; the Mother of God was free from the stain of original sin. The angels dwell in everlasting light and perfect sanctity; the confessors let the light of their good works shine before men. On the nativity of St. John Baptist white vestments are worn, although he was martyred, because he was sanctified before his birth.

2. Red is the color used at Pentecost and on the feasts of martyrs.

At Pentecost the Holy Ghost, Who kindles the fire of charity in our hearts, came down upon the apostles in tongues of fire. The martyrs shed their blood for Christ, and thus manifested the great ness of their love for Him. Red is also used on the feasts of the holy cross, because Our Lord shed His blood upon the cross.

3. Green is used on the Sundays after the Epiphany and after Pentecost on which nothing special is commemorated.

On the Sundays after Epiphany the Church commemorates the youth of Christ, and His entrance upon His public ministry, which brought hope to the world; after Pentecost she celebrates her own springtime, the germination of the grain in the kingdom of God.

4. Purple is used in Advent and Lent, and upon vigils and Ember days.

Advent is the season in which faith looks for the coming of the Saviour; Lent is the time of fasting and penance. Purple is worn in administering the Sacrament of Penance, Extreme Unction, and Baptism, until after the anointing of the person to be baptized.

5. Black is used on Good Friday and at Masses for the dead.

There is generally some white about black vestments, to indicate that the souls of the departed will soon enter upon eternal joys. At the obsequies of young children white is used because they die in innocence.

2. These colors not only depict the course of Our Lord's life on earth, but serve as a constant admonition to us to lead a pious life.

The colors in use in the Church, which, as we have seen, coincide with each event commemorated as it recurs in the cycle of the ecclesiastical year, are, besides, a continual lesson to the Christian. Let the white vestments remind you that the Church calls on her children to strive after holiness; let the sight of the red kindle in you the love of God, while the green bids you raise your heart and fix your

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hopes on heaven. The sight of the purple will remind you that you must do penance; the black will recall the thought of death, urging you to prepare for your last end and also to pray for your departed friends.

15. The Language of the Mass

In celebrating the holy sacrifice of the Mass the Church makes use of the Latin language.

1. The Latin language is well adapted for the services of the Church, because it is both venerable and mysterious.

The Latin language is venerable on account of its origin and its antiquity ; it is the language in which the praises of God resounded from the lips of Christians during the first centuries. It is a sublime and solemn thought that the holy sacrifice is now oft'ered in the same language, nay, with the very same words as it was offered in times long past in the obscurity of the Catacombs. There is also an element of mystery about the Latin tongue; it is a dead language, not understood by the people. The use of an unknown tongue conveys to the mind of the vulgar that something is going on upon the altar which is past their comprehension, that a mystery is being enacted. In the first centuries of Christianity a curtain used to be drawn during the time from the Sanctus to the communion, to conceal the altar from the sight of the worshippers. This is now no longer done, but the use of an unknown tongue has something of the same effect, by inspiring awe into the minds of the common people. It is a striking fact that Jews and pagans made use, in the worship of the Deity, of a language with which the multitude were not conversant. The Jews made use of the ancient Hebrew, the language of the patriarchs; we do not find Our Lord or the apostles censuring this practice. The Greek Church, both orthodox and schismatical, employs the old form of the Greek language for divine service, not that spoken at present. The same language is in use in the Kussian (so-called orthodox) Church, not the vernacular, which is a Slavonic dialect.

2. The use of the Latin language in her services is most advantageous for the Church ; it serves to maintain her unity and preserve her from many evils.

The use of Latin is a means of maintaining unity in the Church, as well as uniformity in her services, for the use of one and the same language in Catholic churches all over the surface of the globe, is a connecting link binding them to Rome, and making one nations which are separated by diversity of tongues. Latin, as the language of the Church, unites all nations, making them members of God's family, of Christ's kingdom. The altar on earth is a type of the heavenly Jerusalem where a great multitude of all peoples and tongues stand around the throne, praising God. If Latin were not the official language of the Church, deliberations and discussions among bishops assembled at the councils, the mutual exchange of opinions between

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theologians would be impossible. Moreover, the use of Latin, the language of ancient Rome, is a constant reminder of our dependence on the Holy Roman Church ; it recalls to our minds involuntarily the fact that thence, from the Mother Church, the first missionaries came who brought the faith to our shores. The use of a dead language is a safeguard against many evils; it is not subject to change, but remains the same to all time. Languages in daily use undergo a continual process of change; words drop out, or their meaning is altered as years go on. If a living language were employed in divine worship heresies and errors would inevitably creep into the Church, and sacred words would be employed in an irreverent or mocking manner by the unbeliever. This is prevented by the use of Latin, at any rate as far as the unlearned are concerned. Yet the Church is far from desiring to keep the people in ignorance of the meaning of her religious services; the decrees of the Council of Trent (22, 8), strictly enjoin upon priests to explain frequently the mysteries and ceremonies of the Mass to the children in schools, and to adults from the pulpit. But as a matter of fact, it is by no means necessary for the people to understand every detail of the ceremonial of the Mass. " If," says St. Augustine, " there are some present who do not understand what is being said or sung, they know at least that all is said and sung to the glory of God, and that is sufficient for them to join in it devoutly." Moreover, experience teaches that the fact of the prayers being in Latin does not at all hamper or interfere with the devotion of the faithful, or lead them to absent themselves from the services of the Church. Besides, the sermons are always delivered in the vernacular; it is often used at the opening services and to some extent in administering the sacraments. The reason why the whole of the Mass is in Latin is because it is a sacrifice, not an instruction for the people. The greater part of the prayers are said by the priest secretly, so that were they in the mother tongue, they would be inaudible to the people. Furthermore, the celebration of Mass consists more in action than in words. The actions of the priest, the whole ceremonial, speaks a language intelligible to all. And if, as some would wish, all the services were conducted in the language of the country, persons of another nationality, not conversant with other languages, might be led to drop their religion on leaving their own land. Another evil consequent upon such a change would be a lessening of the respect felt for the holy sacrifice, as was proved at the time of the reformation, when the prayers of the Mass were, to a great extent, translated into German and English.

16. Singing at Mass

1. The singing of which the Church makes use as an accompaniment to the Mass, is what is known as the Gregorian chant.

This may be heard at High Mass, when the priest sings the preface or the Pater Nosier, and when he begins the Gloria or Credo. This style of music is called Gregorian, because it was brought to perfection and introduced into general use by Pope St. Gregory the Great. It is believed that it was by divine inspiration or through

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direct revelation that the saint did so much in the interests of Church music. This chant is marked by extreme gravity, tranquil solemnity, majestic dignity. It is free from all rapid movements, florid passages, all striving after effect. It is the language of another, a higher sphere, it is truly the voice of prayer and of praise. In the Gregorian style special attention is paid to the text, the words of which are plainly audible; the beautiful, subdued melody holds a secondary place. This style of chanting is not hampered by restrictions of time and measure, and that gives it the irresistible power it possesses over the feelings, as an eloquent discourse carries away the heart. Gregorian music undergoes no change; like Latin, the language of the Church, it is always and everywhere the same. Hence it admirably corresponds to the nature and characteristics of the Church, particularly her unity and universality. Many devout Christians prefer this style of singing to any other, because it is a stimulus to recollection and devotion.

2. In addition to the Gregorian chant we have in our churches congregational singing, hymns in which the people join. Instrumental music, as an accompaniment to the singing, is played on the organ, violin, or other musical instruments.

Congregational singing had its origin in the first centuries, when the vernacular was the language of religion, and the people joined in some portions of the liturgy that was chanted. But when, in the fifth century, the Teutonic tribes overran Italy, and the national languages took a new form, and the people could no longer join in those parts of the liturgy which were sung in Latin, hymns to be sung in the vulgar tongue were introduced. The singing of hymns and canticles was more popular in Germany than elsewhere. Hymns full of sterling piety for processions, pilgrimages, and anthems in honor of Our Lady were composed and set to simple but splendid melodies. Luther was the ruin of Church music. He took advantage of the national love of psalmody and employed it as a means of propagating his erroneous tenets; it is said that he perverted more Catholics by his psalm-singing than by his preaching. The " chorales " to which he gave the principal place in divine worship were of so exciting a nature that it is said that while singing them, many a one felt himself urged to use his fists as well as his voice in spreading the new teach ing. The Catholics of that period met Luther on his own ground; they too composed hymns in defence of the doctrines he attacked. This was the cause of a lamentable deterioration both in the spiritual songs themselves, and in the time and measure of the melodies to which they were sung, an effect which is felt to this day. Congregational singing during Mass should only be allowed in moderation^ so as to leave every worshipper free to enter into the spirit of the holy mysteries, and not interfere with the private devotions of any one present. Instrumental music in churches enables us to lift up the heart to God with greater facility. Delight in the melody disposes the mind of the weaker brethren to deeper devotion, and is an aid in raising the thoughts from the natural to the supernatural. It must, however, be remembered that instrumental music is only an accessory; it is an accompaniment to vocal music, and serves to

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accentuate the words that are sung. In divine worship the simple words of prayer alone, or in their more solemn form of sacred music, are of main importance, because they are the outcome of the heart; the orchestral accompaniment is an accessory that can well be dispensed with. The playing ought never to drown the singing, or render the words sung unintelligible. Still less ought the instrumental music be calculated rather to please the ear than to touch the heart and awaken pious emotions, for in that case it would be a hindrance, not a help to prayer. For the earthly-minded Jews instrumental music was necessary on account of their weakness ; for only through the pleasures of the senses could they be stimulated to strive after nobler aims. In the early days of Christianity no instrumental music was heard at the time of divine worship, for the Christians would not have their prayers mingle with the notes of instruments which were associated with pagan dances and idolatrous ceremonies. Organs were first used in churches in the eighth century; in the sixteenth century, when kings and princes who were patrons of music had orchestras attached to their courts, we find instruments of various kinds, violins, flutes, etc., in the churches. Later on, professional bandmasters were engaged to conduct the choirs in churches, and unfortunately they introduced secular melodies into the house of God, and in the performance of these compositions no heed was paid to the sacred words of the liturgy. Among those who contributed most to the reform of Church music was Palestrina, the Papal choir master in the Vatican; he composed several Masses of a solemn and dignified character, in which due prominence was given to the words. His name is immortalized by the Missa Papce Marcelli. A contemporary of his of Dutch origin, Orlando di Lasso, choirmaster of the Lateran Church in Rome, asserted himself in the same direction. He was called the " king of composers," and was the author of eight hundred secular compositions, besides fifteen hundred sacred works. The finest of the latter is the seven penitential psalms arranged for five voices, in which the feelings of penitence and compunction are expressed in a masterly manner. Gabrieli, organist of St. Mark's in Venice, and Allegri, are also celebrated composers. The Miserere (for Holy Week), written by the last named, with nine parts and a double score is much esteemed. These masters promoted vocal music without an accompaniment, more than instrumental music, for which they did little. Instrumental music owes much to the composer Bach, a native of Eisenach (1750), whose sacred music is distinguished by its serious, religious tone. Towards the close of the eighteenth century instrumental music was brought to great perfection by Haydn, an Austrian, who composed fifteen Masses ; he died in 1809 in Vienna; Mozart, a native of Salzburg, who at tracted attention as a boy by his musical talent, composed fifteen Masses before he was eighteen years old; he died at the age of thirty-five in Vienna; and Beethoven, a native of Bonn, who wrote two Masses of prodigious length; he died in 1827 in Vienna. The works of these composers cannot be considered as models of what sacred music ought to be ; they do not reflect the spirit of the Church in the Gregorian music. They may express feelings of devotion, otherwise they differ little from secular compositions, and bear the stamp of the age in which they were written. In recent times

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much has been done for the improvement of Church music by the Society of St. Cecilia, founded in 1867 at Kegensburg, the object of which is to train choirs, to raise congregational singing to a higher level, and introduce instrumental music of a nature to correspond with the liturgy of the Church. The rules of this Society were confirmed by Pope Pius IX. in 1870.

17. Hearing the Word of God

At the miraculous multiplication of the loaves, Our Lord caused the bread to be distributed to the people by His disciples (Matt. xv. 36). And now He employs His ministers to dispense to the faithful the spiritual bread, the word of God. This bread is given to them freely (2 Cor. xi. 7).

1. The word of God is said to be the food of the soul, because it sustains the life and strength of the soul, as bread does that of the body.

The Fathers of the Church speak of the word of God as the food of the soul. Our Lord Himself says : " Not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God" (Matt. iv. 4). The manner in which the word of God acts upon the soul is by enlightening the understanding and inciting the will to do what is good. In the darkness of this life it shows us the path to heaven, as a lantern enables the traveller to find his way by night. The word of God reveals to us the stains upon our soul, as a mirror shows us the marks upon our countenance. When St. Augustine had attended the sermons of St. Ambrose at Milan, he said : " That man opened my eyes." The word of God stimulates the will to what is good. The fable tells us that Orpheus played the lyre with such a wonderful charm, that the sounds he drew from it fascinated the most savage mortals, tamed wild beasts, and even recalled the dead to life. This is true of the word of God; by it whole nations sunk in heathendom, degraded below the level of the beasts, have been converted, and civilized, and rescued from eternal death. St. Anthony the hermit embraced the life of an anchorite in consequence of having heard a sermon on Our Lord's words to the rich young man. " Are not My words as a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces ? " ( Jer. xxiii. 29.) The word of God strikes the heart like a thunderbolt. The thunder of the divine menaces awakens those asleep in sin, indifferent as to their salvation. The word of God banishes sin. " It acts on the soul," says St. Jerome, " as a plough on the soil, loosening the hardened surface, rooting up the thistles of vice." The word of God kindles the flame of charity in the heart of man ; like fire, it consumes the rust of sin, it promotes the growth of virtue; or it may be compared to the gentle rain that cometh down from heaven to soak the earth and water it, and make it to spring, and give seed to the sower and bread to the eater (Is. Iv. 10).

He who shows indifference towards the word of God exposes himself to the risk of spiritual death and eternal damnation.

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Just as a man who refuses to take food will surely die, so those who do not hear the word of God, which is the food of the soul, incur spiritual death. In this life we are travellers on the long and dangerous journey from time to eternity; and as the traveller who walks by night without a lantern strays from the right road, so we shall not reach the end of our journey without the light of God's word to illumine our mind and guide us to our final end. The word of God is the sun of the soul, without which the spiritual life will droop and fail, as nature would if deprived of the vivifying warmth and radiance of the sun.

2. Hence it is the duty of every Christian either to hear sermons frequently, or to read spiritual books and make a practical application of what he hears or reads.

The Council of Trent orders that there should be a sermon in every parish church on Sundays and festivals. As it has long been customary to have the sermon after the Gospel, all who go to Mass on those days hear a sermon as a matter of course. Consequently there is no special injunction to hear sermons. Preaching was the principal occupation of Our Lord and the apostles (Luke iv. 43; Mark xvi. 20), and the greatest saints have generally been able and zealous preachers. The preached word has more force and effect than what is read in books. The Bible history, the lives of the saints, or books of meditation are much to be recommended ; these are preachers to whom we may listen at any hour. Spiritual books are a mirror in which we discern our own feelings, and the virtues of which we stand most in need. Experience shows how much good may be done by reading them; witness the well-known conversion of St. Ignatius Loyola, or of St. John Columbinus, a nobleman and burgomaster of Sienna. One day, returning home from the town-council at noon, he found dinner was not quite ready. His wife gave him a volume of the lives of the saints to while away the time of waiting; at first he threw it aside, but presently opening it, he read the history of St. Mary of Egypt. This touched him so deeply that he became a changed man; from thenceforth he led an austere and saintly life. If we would profit by what we read, we must read with deliberation, and not too much at a time; and above all, be careful in the choice of books. Many books are like fungi, not food, but poison ; " evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Cor. xv. 33). Moreover one must make a practical application of what one hears or reads. As food only nourishes the body when it is properly digested, so the word of God does not profit the hearer unless it be received into the heart and meditated upon. And as when we have been walking in a beautiful garden, inhaling the perfume of the flowers, we like to take away with us a few fragrant blossoms, so after spiritual reading we should retain a few thoughts as a spiritual bouquet to refresh us during the day. Unfortunately people do not think over what they hear or read ; they are like a man who beholds his own countenance in a glass and goes his way, presently forgetting what manner of man he is (Jas. i. 23, 24). This is so because either they are distracted by worldly cares (the seed falls on the wayside), or they are prejudiced against the word of God (the seed falls upon a rock), or their hearts are full

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of corrupt inclinations and unruly passions (the seed falls among thorns) (Luke viii.).

To apply the word of God to another, not to one's self, is reprehensible; or to listen to a preacher as the Pharisee did, merely in a critical spirit; or again to refuse to obey the word of God, because the example of the preacher does not correspond to his teaching.

We ought to apply the sermons we hear to ourselves. Some are so busy in apportioning what they hear to others, that they leave nothing for themselves. It is recorded in the life of St. Anthony of Padua, and those of other saints, that when they preached against the follies of the day, gambling and love of dress, men brought their cards and dice, women their cosmetics and finery, and burned them in the presence of the preacher. It is not eloquence, but truth, that should attract us in a preacher. If we listen to the simplest discourse in a docile spirit, we are sure to learn something from it. Others will not obey the word of God because the preacher does not practise what he teaches. St. Augustine compares those who will not follow the counsels of a preacher because he himself does not act upon them, to travellers who, coming to a wooden guide-post, will go no further on the road pointed out to them because the guide-post itself is station ary. The preacher is but the instrument of which the divine husband man makes use to sow His celestial seed. Look not at the poverty of the vessel containing the seed, but at the excellence of the grain, and the majesty of the husbandman.

3. Those who are assiduous in hearing sermons or reading spiritual books, will not have great difficulty in attaining eternal salvation.

Our Lord says : " He that is of God, heareth the words of God " (John viii. 47). "Blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it " (Luke xi. 28). We delight to hear men speak of those whom we love; therefore, if we rejoice to hear of God, we must have the love of God in our hearts, and those who have divine charity are in a state of grace. Appetite is a sign of health; so the desire for spiritual nourishment is a sign that the soul is in a healthy condition, that is, in a state of grace. A disgust for food shows the body to be sick, and a distaste for the word of God indicates a bad state of the soul.

The profit to be derived from a sermon is proportioned to the enlightening grace of the Holy Spirit present in the hearts of the preacher and his hearers.

This is why the assistance of the Holy Ghost is invoked before the sermon. It is God, not the preacher, Who speaks to the heart. The preacher planteth only and watereth, it is God Who giveth the increase (1 Cor. iii. 7). However splendid the equipments of a ship, she cannot sail unless the wind is favorable; so it is with the preacher: however great his erudition and eloquence, unless the Holy Spirit imparts unction to his words, they avail nothing. An officer of dis-

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tinction, who had heard all the best preachers of France, once went to hear the sermon of a simple but pious village priest, the Cure d'Ars. When asked what he thought of the discourse, he answered: " Hitherto I have only been pleased with the orator, now I am displeased with myself." It is said that St. Francis of Sales converted seventy thousand heretics by his preaching. When we see a beauti fully executed piece of penmanship, we do not praise the pen, but the hand that guided it; in like manner it is not to the preacher who delivers an excellent discourse that praise is due, but to the Holy Ghost Who spoke by his lips. The word of God does not always bear fruit immediately, it is like the grain of mustard-seed (Matt, xiii.), which after a considerable time grew up and became a large tree. Sometimes it produces no fruit at all. Our Lord speaks of three cases in which the seed perished and only one in which it bore fruit; when it bears fruit the amount is not always the same.