INSTRUCTIONS ON THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS.
PART FIRST.
THE SUNDAYS OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL YEAR.
The Ecclesiastical Year.
What is the ecclesiastical year?
The ecclesiastical year is the order of seasons and holy- days, beginning with the first Sunday of Advent and ending with the last Sunday after Pentecost, during which the Catholic Church commemorates in her public worship the mysteries and events of redemption.
Which are the chief holy-days and seasons of the ecclesiastical year?
The holy seasons are:
1. Christmas, for which Advent is the preparation.
2. Easter, for which Lent is the preparation.
3. Pentecost, extending to the first Sunday in Advent. "What does the Church commemorate at Christmas?
The infinite love of God the Father, Who, according to His promise, sent His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem mankind. This holy season begins with the first Sunday in Advent, and ends with the sixth Sunday after Epiphany.
What does the Church commemorate at Easter?
The infinite love of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who, by His life, His works, His passion, death, and resurrection, accomplished our redemption, and then ascended into heaven there to be our mediator. This holy season begins with Septuagesima Sunday, and ends at the vigil of Pentecost.
What does the Church commemorate at Pentecost?
The infinite love of God the Holy Ghost, Who imparts to the faithful the fruits of the redemption purchased for them by Christ. This holy season begins with Pentecost Sunday, and ends with the last Sunday after Pentecost.
How is the ecclesiastical year divided?
The ecclesiastical year is divided into :
1. The fifty-two Sundays. 2. The week-days. 3. The feasts. 4. The fast-days.
Sunday
What is Sunday?
Sunday, also called the Lord s Day, is the first day of the week.
Why has God reserved to Himself one day in each week?
In order that man should rest from work at least one day out of the seven, and dedicate it to the special service of God, and to the salvation of his own soul.
Why do we Christians keep Sunday as a holy- day instead of Saturday, which was the day observed under the Old Law?
The apostles kept Sunday, the first day of the week, as a holy-day for these reasons: 1. As the Sabbath was a memorial of the consummation of the work of the creation, so the Sunday was to remind us of the consummation of the redemption. 2. On that day Our Lord arose from the dead. 3. On that day the Holy Ghost descended on the apostles. 4. To intimate that a new dispensation took the place of the old; and the diver sity of the time of divine worship drew a line of distinction between Christians and Jews.
How should we spend Sunday?
As the design of its institution requires; that is, holily.
How is Sunday kept holy?
Sunday is kept holy by abstaining from servile labor, and by works of piety, such as hearing Mass with devotion, listening to a sermon, receiving Christian instruction, reading good books, visiting the sick, or other works of spiritual or corporal mercy. How is Sunday profaned?
Sunday is profaned by unnecessary servile labor ; by neglecting to hear Mass; by intemperance and idleness; by spending the day in frivolous, dangerous, and sinful pleasures; and in general by sinful acts.
Prayer.
O God, Who hast appointed Sunday that on that day we should serve Thee, and make ourselves partakers of Thy grace, grant that we may always on that day renew our faith, and be incited to the praise and adoration of Thy majesty. Through, etc.
Feast-days and Holy-days
What are feasts and holy-days?
Days on which the Church celebrates either certain mysteries of religion, or some passage in the life of Our Lord, or the memory of the saints.
Why has the Church established these holy-days?
She has instituted the feasts of Our Lord that we may be led to remember God s love and mercy to ward us; to meditate upon the mysteries, truths, and benefits of the Christian religion; and to contemplate Jesus as the perfect pattern of a Christian life, On the feasts of the saints our minds are directed to those heroes of Christianity, that we may keep in veneration the lives of the friends of God, and be encouraged to imitate their example.
Has the Church authority to establish holy-days?
Certainly; for the power which Jesus Christ gave to His apostles and their successors to bind and to loose upon earth includes the power to make laws and regulations for the salvation of the faithful. There is warrant for it, too, in the Old Law, for under that dispensation the Jews celebrated the Pasch, or Easter, to commemorate their deliverance from Egyptian bondage; Pentecost to thank God for the Ten Commandments of the Law given to Moses on Mount Sinai; the feast of Tabernacles in commemoration of the forty years journeying through the wilderness.
Which are the holy-days of obligation?
The Circumcision of Our Lord, Ascension Day, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, All Saints Day, the Immaculate Conception, and Christmas.
Fast-days
What are fast-days?
Those days on which we are allowed but one full meal, in order to present to God a sacrifice of mortification.
Which are fast-days and which days of abstinence?
Those days on which it is permitted to eat but one full meal are fast-days of obligation. Days on which we are forbidden to eat flesh-meat, but are allowed the usual number of meals, are days of abstinence.
Why has the Church appointed fast-days?
In order that her children should, by fasting, mortify the flesh, and overcome sensual inclinations; that by doing penance they should make satisfaction for sin and become reconciled to God; that they should become more fervent in prayer; that by conquering their lusts they should gain greater strength for God's service; that by denying themselves they should have more for the poor; and that by despising worldly pleasures they should learn to desire only the things of heaven.
Which are the principal fast-days?
1. The forty days of Lent. 2. The ember-days. 3. The vigils or eves of festivals. 4. The Fridays of Advent.
What are the ember-days?
Days instituted to thank God, each season of the year, for the benefits received during that season, and to remind the faithful, each quarter of the year, of the duty of penance; also to pray to God for deserving priests, for on those days the ordination of priests usually takes place.
What are vigils?
The vigils are the days before the feasts. The name means watch, and is taken from the watch-night of the Christians of the first century, who used to pass the night before a feast in the church, with prayer, praise, and fasting. Later this preparation was carried on during the day, instead of the night, and the day was made a fast-day.
Why does the Church command us to abstain from flesh-meat on Friday?
The Church commands us to abstain from flesh-meat on Friday in honor of the day on which Our Saviour died for us.
How does the Church sanctify week-days?
By commemorating on. each week-day some divine benefit or the memory of some saint, and by providing for the offering of the holy sacrifice of the Mass, that whosoever can attend may do so. Every Catholic, therefore, ought each day meditate upon some divine truths; hear Mass, if in his power; and without fail say his morning and evening prayers devoutly, that he may be strengthened to perform his daily labors in a manner pleasing to God, and patiently suffer the trials of life, while through all he ascends from virtue to virtue.
Blessings.
What is a blessing?
A blessing is that holy act whereby the Church calls down the divine blessing on persons and things.
Why does the Church bless water, salt, and other things? That the things which she blesses may avail to the spiritual and bodily health of those who use them with devotion.
Is there any warrant in Holy Scripture for this custom?
Yes; we read that Our Saviour Himself blessed little children (St. Mark x. 16), bread, fish (St. Matt. xiv. 19), and other things; and St. Paul tells us: " Every creature of God is sanctified by the word of God and prayer " (i. Tim. iv. 4, 5).
THE BLESSING OF SALT AND OF WATER.
Holy water is usually blessed every Sunday before Mass.
How is this blessing done?
First the salt is blessed with prayer and exorcism, whereby the influence of the evil spirit is broken and God's blessing and protection secured for our souls and bodies. Then the water is blessed in like manner. The salt is then mingled with the water in the name of the Triune God, to show that the sprinkling with holy water may preserve us from the corruption of sin.
For what does the Church use holy water?
To sprinkle the faithful, and everything she blesses and consecrates. According to the words of the prayers, the effects of grace should be, cleansing from venial sin and protection of soul and body against the assaults of the evil spirit.
How should we use holy water?
The devout Christian takes holy water not only on entering and leaving the church, but also at home on rising and retiring, going in and going out, and at other times; always beseeching God to cleanse him by the merits of Christ's precious blood, and to protect him from all dangers of soul and body.