Baltimore Catechism Volume I Part 5

LESSON EIGHTEENTH ON THE HOLY EUCHARIST

238. Q. What is the Holy Eucharist?

A. The Holy Eucharist is the Sacrament which contains the body and blood, soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ under the appearances of bread and wine.

245. Q. What do you mean by the appearances of bread and wine?

A. By the appearances of bread and wine I mean the figure, the color, the taste, and whatever appears to the senses.

249. Q. When did Christ give His priests the power to change bread and wine into His body and blood?

A. Christ gave His priests the power to change bread and wine into His body and blood when He said to the Apostles, Do this for a commemoration of Me.

250. Q. How do the priests exercise this power of changing bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ?

A. The priests exercise this power of changing bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ through the words of consecration in the Ma.s.s, which are the words of Christ: This is My body; this is My blood.

LESSON NINTEENTH ON THE ENDS FOR WHICH THE HOLY EUCHARIST WAS INSt.i.tUTED

251. Q. Why did Christ inst.i.tute the Holy Eucharist?

A. Christ inst.i.tuted the Holy Eucharist--

1. To unite us to Himself and to nourish our soul with His body and blood.

2. To increase sanctifying grace and all virtues in our soul.

3. To lessen our evil inclinations.

4. To be a pledge of everlasting life.

5. To fit our bodies for a glorious resurrection.

6. To continue the sacrifice of the cross in His Church.

253. Q. What is Holy Communion?

A. Holy Communion is the receiving of the body and blood of Christ.

254. Q. What is necessary to make a good Communion?

A. To make a good Communion it is necessary to be in the state of grace and to be fasting for one hour from food and all drinks, except water.

[This answer has been changed in the 1977 edition to bring it up to date with the current rules.]

255. Q. Does he who receives Communion in mortal sin receive the body and blood of Christ?

A. He who receives Communion in mortal sin receives the body and blood of Christ, but does not receive His grace, and he commits a great sacrilege.

LESSON TWENTIETH ON THE SACRIFICE OF THE Ma.s.s

262. Q. When are the bread and wine changed into the body and blood of Christ?

A. The bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ at the consecration in the Ma.s.s.

263. Q. What is the Ma.s.s?

A. The Ma.s.s is the unb.l.o.o.d.y sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ.

265. Q. Is the Ma.s.s the same sacrifice as that of the cross?

A. The Ma.s.s is the same sacrifice as that of the cross.

269. Q. How should we a.s.sist at Ma.s.s?

A. We should a.s.sist at Ma.s.s with great interior recollection and piety, and with every outward mark of respect and devotion.

LESSON TWENTY-FIRST ON EXTREME UNCTION AND HOLY ORDERS

271. Q. What is the Sacrament of Extreme Unction?

A. Extreme Unction is the Sacrament which, through the anointing and prayer of the priest, gives health and strength to the soul, and sometimes to the body, when we are in danger of death from sickness.

274. Q. Which are the effects of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction?

A. The effects of Extreme Unction are: 1st, to comfort us in the pains of sickness and to strengthen us against temptation; 2d, to remit venial sins and to cleanse our soul from the remains of sin; 3d, to restore us to health, when G.o.d sees fit.

278. Q. What is the Sacrament of Holy Orders?

A. Holy Orders is a Sacrament by which bishops, priests, and other ministers of the Church are ordained and receive the power and grace to perform their sacred duties.

LESSON TWENTY-SECOND ON MATRIMONY

282. Q. What is the Sacrament of Matrimony?

A. The Sacrament of Matrimony is the Sacrament which unites a Christian man and woman in lawful marriage.

285. Q. Which are the effects of the Sacrament of Matrimony?

A. The effects of the Sacrament of Matrimony are: 1st, to sanctify the love of husband and wife; 2d, to give them grace to bear with each other's weaknesses; 3d, to enable them to bring up their children in the fear and love of G.o.d.

286. Q. To receive the Sacrament of matrimony worthily is it necessary to be in the state of grace?

A. To receive the Sacrament of Matrimony worthily it is necessary to be in the state of grace, and it is necessary also to comply with the laws of the Church.

LESSON TWENTY-THIRD ON THE SACRAMENTALS

292. Q. What is a sacramental?

A. A sacramental is anything set apart or blessed by the Church to excite good thoughts and to increase devotion, and through these movements of the heart to remit venial sin.

294. Q. Which is the chief sacramental used in the Church?

A. The chief sacramental used in the Church is the sign of the cross.

295. Q. How do we make the sign of the cross?

A. We make the sign of the cross by putting the right hand to the forehead, then on the breast, and then to the left and right shoulders, saying, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.