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We have uploaded an updated file for our Study Guide on the Mass. When I printed it for my children I found that the file was not printing right. I hope that I have fixed the problem. You can find the file here.
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Grant me, O God, thy grace that in these evil days of false doctrines I may remain steadfast to Thy holy gospel which in the holy Catholic Church remains pure and unchanged; never let me be deterred from obeying its precepts, neither by the charms of the world nor by the mockery and reproaches of the wicked.
Source: Goffine's Devout Instruction, Imprimatur 1896 30. Q. What did the pagan world do in order to check the rapid spread of Christianity?
R. The Roman emperors, who governed the world, decreed ten great and bloody persecutions. 31. Q. Name these persecutions. R. First persecution, under Nero, about the year 64. He had set Rome on fire, but cast the blame on the Christians. They were killed by thousands in the streets; many were sewed in sacks, besmeared with pitch and burned alive at the nightly garden feasts of Nero. St. Peter and St. Paul died in this persecution. Second persecution, under Domitian, about the year 95. During this persecution St. John was cast into a caldron of boiling oil, but was miraculously preserved. He was then banished to the isle of Patmos, where he received divine revelations about the future of the Church and the glory of Heaven, and wrote the Apocalypse. Third persecution, under Trajan, about the year 107. Pope St. Clement was one of the first victims; Simeon, second bishop of Jerusalem, was crucified; St. Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, was cast before the lions in the amphitheatre at Rome. The Christians of Rome gathered the bones of St. Ignatius and sent them to Antioch with the message: "We have made known to you the day of his death, so that we may unite on his anniversary to celebrate his memory, hoping to share his victory." (A. D. no.) This proves the veneration of martyrs and relics in the ancient Church. Pliny, governor of Bithynia, sent to Emperor Trajan a remarkable report about the Christians, in which he said: "They assemble on certain days before sunrise to sing hymns of praise in honor of Christ, their God, they take an oath to abstain from certain crimes and partake of a common, but blameless meal" (i. e, holy communion). This persecution was continued under Hadrian, who condemned St. Symphorosa and her seven sons to death. He profaned the holy places in Jerusalem and erected statues of false gods on Calvary and over the holy Sepulchre of our Lord. Fourth persecution, under Marcus Aurelius, about the year 167. St. Polycarp, a disciple of St. John and bishop of Smyrna, suffered martyrdom at the stake in the 86th year of his life. The persecution was terrible in Lyons and Vienne, France, where St. Pothi- nus, first bishop of Lyons, and Blandina, a heroic young slave, were martyred. Although the famous Christian legion called "Fulminatrix" saved the army in a miraculous manner by its prayers, the emperor remained unrelenting towards the Christians. The influence of St. Polycarp was so great, that his pagan and Jewish accusers stated: "He is the teacher of Asia, father of the Christians and destroyer of our Gods." When asked to deny Christ, he answered: "I have served Christ for six and eighty years, and never has he done me evil. How, then, can I blaspheme my King and Saviour." His ashes were gathered by the Christians and placed in a tomb, where they annually celebrated the day of his martyrdom. Fifth persecution, under Septimius Severus, about the year 202. This emperor had been cured by a Christian; nevertheless he turned against them. St. Clement of Alexandria said of this persecution: "We see daily many martyrs burned and crucified before our eyes." St. Irenaeus suffered at Lyons, St. Perpetua and St. Felicitas at Carthage. Perpetua's father, a pagan and senator of Carthage, begged her on his knees to abjure Christ for the sake of his gray hair and her own little babe, but with heroic fortitude the noble Christian lady refused. She was led with St. Felicitas into the arena, where they suffered a glorious martyrdom by the horns of a maddened bull and the sword of the executioner. Sixth persecution, under Maximinus Thrax, about the year 236. On account of repeated earthquakes, which the heathens ascribed to the neglect of their gods, they demanded another persecution of the Christians with the cry: "The Christians to the lions." The two popes, Pontianus and Antherus, and many others suffered martyrdom. Seventh persecution, under Decius, about the year 250. This most bloody and systematic persecution which was directed especialy against the bishops and the clergy, was decreed by Decius on the plea that Christianity and the Roman Empire could never be reconciled. Among the holy victims were the virgins St. Agatha and St. Apollonia. St Cyprian wrote at that time : " Emperor Decius had become so jealous of papal authority that he said: I will rather have a rival in my empire, than hear of the election of the priest of God (Pope Cornelius) in Rome." Eighth persecution, under Valerian, about 258. In Rome, Pope Sixtus II. and his deacon St. Lawrence were martyred. When the treasures of the Church were demanded from him, St. Lawrence assembled the poor and showed them to his persecutor with the words: "Behold the treasures of the Church." He suffered death with serene fortitude, being roasted alive on a gridiron. At Utica, Africa, 153 Christians were cast alive into pits and covered with quick-lime. Ninth persecution was ordered by Emperor Aurelian, but soon came to an end on account of his violent death. Tenth persecution, under Diocletian, about the year 303. It surpassed all others in violence and cruelty. St. Sebastian, tribune of the imperial guard, suffered a lingering death, being shot with arrows. St. Anastasia, the youthful St. Agnes of Rome, St Lucia of Syracuse, and many other consecrated virgins obtained the martyr's palm. St. Catherine, a noble and learned virgin of Alexandria, who had fearlessly reproached Caesar Maxentius for his cruelty against the Christians and refuted the pagan philosophers of his court, died by the sword. When Bishop Felix, who had refused to deliver the sacred books, was led to execution, he said: "It is better that I be cast into the fire, than the sacred volumes. I thank Thee, O Lord, for fifty-six years of my life were spent in Thy service. I have preserved sacerdotal chastity, have guarded the holy gospels, and preached Thy truth. For Thee, O Jesus, God of Heaven and earth, I offer myself as victim." So great and general was the bloodshed, that Diocletian had a coin struck: "Diocletian, emperor, who destroyed the Christian name." A vain boast. His favorite, Caesar Galerius, was attacked by a loathsome disease, and, fearing the vengeance of God, he repealed the edict of persecution. 32. Q. How did the popes rule the Church during these persecutions? R. The popes stood at their post and died for the faith as true shepherds of Christ's suffering flock. Although persecution rendered the ruling of Holy Church extremely difficult, the records of the time bear witness to the authority and watchfulness of these martyr pontiffs. See list of popes, Sts. Clement, Anicetus, Victor, Cornelius, Stephen. 33. Q. What torments did the Martyrs suffer? R. They were scourged, put to the rack, cast before wild beasts, burnt at the stake, crucified and tortured in many other ways, according to the cruel custom of pagan times. The acts of the martyrs furnish reliable accounts of the glorious confession and death of these Christian heroes. They were either copied from the records of the imperial law courts or written down according to the testimony of eye-witnesses. Pope Clement had divided Rome into seven districts, with notaries appointed to keep these sacred records. A large number perished during the persecution of Diocletian, but many have been preserved to the present time and are of great value as proofs that the faith of the early martyrs was that of the Church of today. 34. Q. What did these persecutions prove? R. These persecutions proved that a religion, which for three hundred years passed safely through such trials and victoriously withstood the bloody onslaught of the world's greatest empire, must be from God. 35. Q. How did Almighty God avenge the persecutions of His Church? R. 1. Nearly all of these persecutors died a miserable death. 2. Barbarian nations laid waste the frontiers and the distant provinces of the Roman empire. 3. Earthquakes, floods, droughts, famines, and dreadful diseases visited the nation. Nero had to fly before the open revolt of the people and stabbed himself in despair. Domitian was assassinated. Hadrian became insane from despair. Marcus Aurelius, heart- broken over the ingratitude of his profligate and only son Commodus, starved himself to death. Septimius Severus, whose life had been attempted by his own son, died in despair. Decius ended miserably in a swamp during an unlucky battle with the Goths. Valerian was taken prisoner by Sapor, king of Persia, and flayed alive. Maxentius was drowned in the Tiber, and Diocletian starved himself to death. 36. Q. What was the attitude of the first Christians during these persecutions? R. While thousands of martyrs bore torture and death with heroic fortitude, the Christians worshipped in hidden places (catacombs) with unflagging zeal, and their learned men defended the faith in numerous writings. Catacombs are underground passages and rooms, carved into the soft rocks, outside the gates of ancient Rome. They were used by the early Christians for burial and for the celebration of the holy mysteries. Pictures, medals, and inscriptions which were found there, prove the identity of the faith in that age with ours; f. i. prayers for the dead, invocation of the saints, and the Real Presence. Remarkable is the emblem of the fish, used during that perilous time to designate our Lord; for the Greek word "ichthys" means fish, and its composing letters are the initials of the words : Jesus Christ, God's (theou) Son (yios), Saviour (soter). To "receive the fish" meant, for the initiated, Holy Communion. 37. Q. Name some of the early writers, or apologists. R. St. Justin, a philosopher and afterwards martyr, wrote two excellent apologies and presented them to the Emperors Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. (A. D. 150.) St. Clement of Alexandria and his great disciple Origen, refuted* in profound works the teachings of Celsus and other philosophers, who had assailed Christianity. Tertullian, formerly a Roman lawyer and later a Christian, and St. Cyprian, bishop of Carthage and martyr, showed in learned works the emptiness of paganism and the just claims of the Christian religion to philosophical and political recognition. St. Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons and disciple of Bishop Polycarp, (who was a disciple of St. John, the Apostle), wrote a famous work against the heresies of his time. (A. D. 180.) In order to show the importance of St. Irenaeus as a witness of divine tradition, we quote from his letter to Florinus, an imperial courtier, written about the year 177 : "I saw thee in thy youth with Polycarp in Asia Minor, and I remember so well, that I can describe the place in which he sat and preached, and his walk and face, and how he related his fa- miliar intercourse with St. John and others who had seen the Lord, how he recalled what he had heard about the Lord, his miracles and teaching from those who had beheld the Word of Life with their own eyes,— all in accordance with Holy Scripture." From the first apology, delivered by St. Justin (A. D. 147) before the Roman Emperor, we quote the following description of holy Mass, as celebrated at that early age: "After the reading of the writings of the prophets and the apostles, followed by the bishop's address and prayers, bread and a chalice, containing wine mixed with water, are handed to the bishop. He, taking it after praise and thanksgiving to God, the Father, through the Son and the Holy Ghost, continues the sacrifice for some time. "Then the deacons give to the faithful of this food which we call Eucharist; and nobody is admitted to partake, unless he believes our teaching and has been baptized to the forgiveness of sins and to regeneration. "For we do not receive these things as common- bread and drink, but as Jesus Christ, our Saviour was made flesh by the word of God, even so we have been taught, that this food, blessed by prayer, is the flesh and blood of the same incarnate Jesus; for the Apostles have recorded in their memoirs, which we call Gospels, that the Lord said over this food and drink: 'This is my body; this is my blood' and commanded us: 'Do this for a commemoration of Me.' " 38. Q. What heresies afflicted the Church in those times? R. 1. Gnosticism, which claimed to possess the secret of a higher knowledge and taught the eternity of matter, its formation into the world by an evil spirit, and the sinfulness of material things. 2. Manicheism, which assumed two eternal principles, light and darkness, or good and evil, and taught that all material things come from the evil principle. NOTE.— Persecutions and martyrdom are distinguishing traits in the history of the Church and will continue as long as time will last, because Christ has said: "The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you." (St. John XV, 20.) But from every persecution the Church has risen in new, divinely infused vigor and sanctity; and the blood of the martyrs became, as Tertullian has written, "the seed of Christians. CHAPTER I
BEGINNING OF THE CHURCH 16. Q. How did the Church begin her divine mission to the world? R. On Pentecost day, after the miraculous descent of the Holy Ghost St. Peter and the other Apostles began to preach the gospel in Jerusalem and converted 3000 Jews. The number of believers grew daily, and the Church spread steadily over Judea, Samaria, Galilee, and into the surrounding countries. At Antioch, the capital of Syria, the faithful were first called Christians. 17. Q. Did the Apostles confine their labors to the Jews? R. No; they taught the gentiles also; for 1. Christ had commanded them to go into the whole world and teach all nations; and the Holy Ghost bestowed upon them the gift of preaching in divers tongues. 2. St. Peter was instructed by a heavenly vision to baptize the gentile captain Cornelius. 3. The council of the Apostles, held at Jerusalem about the year 51, decreed that converted gentiles should be dispensed from observing the mosaic rites. Thus the Church showed from her very beginning the mark of Catholicity, so that St Paul could truly say: "There is neither Jew nor gentile, barbarian nor Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all in all." (Col. 3.) 18. Q. Describe briefly the career of the Apostles? R. St. Peter labored in Palestine, Syria, and Asia Minor. As head of the Church, he presided over the election of Matthias to the apostleship left vacant by Judas, and over the first council held at Jerusalem. He established his see at Antioch; but removed it about the year 42 to Rome, the capital of the world, which became the seat of the papacy and the center of Christendom. There he died the death of a martyr, being nailed to the cross, as he had humbly requested, head downward. (June 29, A. D. 67.) St. Paul, formerly called Saul, and a persecutor of the Church, was converted near Damascus by the voice of Jesus speaking to him from heaven. Having become a zealous apostle, he made four great voyages and brought the gospel to Cyprus, Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, and Spain. After a life of labor and trials, he obtained the crown of martyrdom, dying by the sword at Rome on the same day on which St. Peter was crucified. St. John, the beloved friend of our Lord, took under his care the Blessed Virgin, entrusted to him under the cross. He became bishop of Ephesus and directed the churches of Asia Minor, until his holy death about the year 100. A burning love for God and man filled his great, innocent soul, and he constantly repeated the sublime admonition: "My little children, love one another." St. James, the brother of St. John, labored in Judaea, and as tradition states, also in Spain. He was beheaded under King Herod Agrippa (A. D. 43). St. James, the Less, became bishop of Jerusalem and was called the Just on account of his Holiness. For professing that " Christ sitteth at the right hand of God," he was cast from the wall of the temple and slain with a fuller's club in the year 63. St. Andrew preached in Southern Russia and on the coast of the Black Sea. He was crucified at Patras in Greece. When he beheld the cross, he greeted it with the beautiful words: "O dearest cross, honored by the body of my Master, long desired by me, take me hence from men and give me to my Lord !" St. Philip died at Hierapolis in Phrygia, Asia Minor. St. Bartholomew went to Armenia, where he received the crown of martyrdom, being flayed alive. St. Thomas is said to have gone to India; St. Jude Thaddeus to Syria, Mesopotamia, and Persia; St. Simon to Egypt, Northern Africa, and Babylon. St. Matthias is said to have come into the countries south of the Caucasus, and St. Matthew to the countries south of the Caspian Sea. 19. Q. How was the preaching of the Apostles confirmed? R. The preaching of the Apostles was confirmed by numerous miracles, by the sublime holiness of their lives, their heroic sacrifice of all earthly things, and especially by the shedding of their blood in testimony of the truth. 20. Q. What was the success of the Apostles among the Jews? R. Although many were converted, the majority and the leaders of the nation not only remained obstinate, but even persecuted the Christians. Therefore they were rejected by God and delivered into the hands of their enemies. In the year 70, Jerusalem was destroyed by a Roman army under Titus. A million of Jews perished in the war, forty thousand were crucified, many were sold as slaves, and the rest were scattered throughout the world. With the destruction of Jehovah's temple, the divinely ordained worship of the Old Law ceased for ever, to make room for that of the New Law of which it had been the type. Since that time Israel, exiled from the land of promise, its priesthood extinguished, and its sacrifices at an end (as Malachy prophesied), has lived dispersed among the nations. But Divine Providence keeps it in existence, an unwilling witness to the revelations, prophecies, and judgments of God, until shortly before the end of the world, He will lead back in mercy His repentant people to the faith. 21. Q. What was the success of the Apostles among the heathens? R. The Apostles converted great numbers of heathens in many lands. In the prominent cities of the Roman empire congregations were formed over which they placed their disciples as bishops and priests, and from these the Christian religion spread in ever-widening circles. For instance, St Paul appointed his disciple Titus as bishop of the island of Crete, and instructed him to ordain and send bishops to the different districts. St. Peter sent his disciple St. Mark to Alexandria, whence Christianity spread over all Egypt. St. John ordained Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, and St Ignatius, bishop of Antioch. Maris, a disciple of St. Jude, established the Church in Seleucia and among the Chaldeans. From Rome disciples of the Apostles spread the faith to the cities of Italy, Sicily, Northern Africa, Gaul, Spain, and even to parts of Germany and Britain. St Justin wrote about the year 150: "There is no people, neither among the barbarians, nor the Greeks, nor any known tribe, where prayers and thanksgivings are not offered to God in the name of Christ Crucified." 22. Q. From whom came this wonderful success? R. Such wonderful success could come from God alone; for to the proud and immoral heathen the doctrine of Christ Crucified seemed folly, and the practice of humility and Christian virtue, a moral impossibility. Acts 24. St Paul was invited to preach the faith before Felix, pagan governor of Syria, but "as he treated of justice and chastity and the judgment to come," Felix, being terrified, answered: "For this time go thy way." 23. Q. How was divine worship practiced by the first Christians? R. We learn from Holy Scripture, and Tradition, that Holy Mass with Communion and instruction was regularly celebrated: "They were persevering in the doctrines of the Apostles and in the communication of the breaking of bread and in prayers " (Acts 2. 42). After Baptism the sacrament of Confirmation was conferred by imposing hands and invoking the Holy Ghost as St. Peter and St. John did in Samaria and St. Paul in Ephesus (Acts 8. 17 and 19. 6). The sacrament of Penance included Confession of sins. "Many of them that believed came confessing and declaring their deeds " (Acts 19. 18.) The sacrament of Holy Orders was conferred, as in the case of Saul and Barnabas, by " fasting and praying and imposing their hands upon them" (Acts 13. 3). St Paul called Matrimony " a great sacrament in Christ and in his Church," and admonished such as married to "marry in the Lord" (Eph. 5. 32, I. Cor. 7. 39). St. James describes the sacrament of Extreme Unction (St James 5. 14). Fasting was practiced at certain times, so that St. Augustine traced the Lenten fast back to apostolic institution. St. Ignatius (fA. D. 107) wrote about the hierarchy of the apostolic age : " Let all be obedient to the bishop as Jesus to the Father, to the priests as to the Apostles, and to the deacons as God's law." He calls the Church of Rome the head of the great union of Charity (i. e. the head of the whole Church). 24. Q. Which of the Apostles have left sacred writings? R. St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John, St. Matthew, St James, St. Jude Thaddeus, and two disciples of the Apostles, St. Luke and St. Mark. Their writings form the New Testament, and have been placed by the Church on her list of inspired books, called the " Canon." Four gospels by St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, St. John. The acts of the Apostles by St. Luke. Fourteen epistles of St. Paul: To Romans (1), Corinthians (2), Galatians (1), Ephesians (1), Philippians (1), Colossians (1), Thessalonians (2), Timothy (2), Titus (1), Philemon (1), Hebrews (1). I epistle of St. James, 2 of St. Peter, 3 of St John, I of St Jude. Apocalypse of St John. 25. Q. About what time were they written? R. The Church had been evangelizing the world for about 17 years, St. James and St. Stephen had been martyred, and the persecution by the Jews had passed, when the Apostles began to write. The gospel of St. Matthew was compiled about the year 50, and that of St. John about the year 96. The other books of the New Testament were written during the intervening time. 26. Q. How were the books of the Old Testament received into the canon of the Church? R. The books of the Old Testament were received into the canon of the Church as they had been handed down by ancient Jewish tradition, recognized by Christ and his Apostles, and sanctioned by the councils. The canon of the Old and New Testament such as it is today, was defined in a council held at Rome under Pope Damasus (A. D. 374) and also in the African councils of Hippo (A.D. 393) and Carthage (A.D. 397). 27. Q. Did the Church have published translations of the Bible for the people? R. Translations of the Bible from the original Hebrew and Greek text were made under supervision of the Church even during the first centuries. The Septuagint or Greek translation of the Old Testament, made about 200 years before Christ, was used by the Apostles and first Christians. For the Roman Empire a Latin translation of the entire Bible, called Itala, and for Egypt an Egyptian or Coptic translation appeared as early as the second century, and an Ethiopian and Armenian in the fourth and fifth centuries. Translations either total or partial followed for the barbarian nations of Europe, after they had been converted, f. i. A Gothic translation was made by bishop Ulfila, who invented the letters of the Gothic alphabet. (A. D. 360.) Sts. Methodius and Cyril, apostles of the Slavs, translated the Bible into Slavic, for which they also invented the characters of the alphabet. Venerable Bede, a learned Benedictine monk in England, finished on his deathbed an Anglo-Saxon translation of the gospel of St. John (A. D. 735). St Bridget of Sweden had a Swedish translation of the whole Bible in her library (A.D. 1373). 28. Q. Did the disciples of the Apostles leave us any writings? R. Several disciples of the Apostles, called also Apostolic Fathers, left important writings; for instance, St. Clement of Rome, third successor of St. Peter, wrote a letter to the Corinthians ; St. Ignatius, bishop of Antioch and disciple of St. John, left us seven letters, and St. Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, and also a disciple of St. John, one letter. There is also a letter of St. Barnabas, the early companion of St. Paul. These writings are the earliest witnesses of Tradition. In regard to the celebration of Sunday, St. Barnabas gives the reason, why Christians discard the Sabbath, and then continues: "But we celebrate with festive joy the eighth day on which Jesus rose from the dead;" St. Ignatius also writes: "They (Christians) have the new hope and do not keep the Sabbath, but regulate their lives according to the Lord's day." Magnesians C. 9.) In the letter of St. Ignatius to the Philaelphians (C. 4) we find the words: "Partake of the one Eucharist; for one is the body of the Lord Jesus Christ and one is the chalice of his blood, one altar and one bishop with the priests and the deacons." 29. Q. Did any heresies arise in the apostolic age? R. Yes; for St Paul warned against false teachers, and St John wrote his gospel against Cerinth and others who attacked the divinity of Christ. St. Peter refuted Simon Magus, who is called the father of heresy. Simon offered money to St. Peter, in order to obtain the power of imparting the wonderful gifts of the Holy Ghost; but he was rebuked with the words: " Keep thy money to thyself to perish with thee." Hence the name " Simony " for the sin of selling and buying spiritual and holy things. NOTE.— The apostolic age has left upon the Church the distinguishing mark of apostolicity. Her popes hold the legitimate and unbroken succession in the apostolic see, which St Peter, as head of the Church, established in Rome; the lines of her bishops can be traced with undeniable certainty to apostolic origin; she received and guarded the writings of the Apostles and thus formed the canon of the New Testament; the bodies and relics of the Apostles rest under her altars. Of her, therefore, St Paul says: "Built upon the founda- tion of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ being Himself the cornerstone," (Eph. II, 20.) I have added a great number of Catholic books to the site. Many more catechisms, sermons and history. I will be adding many more on Sunday. Most of them have the imprimatur near the turn of the century. ENJOY!! You can find them here.
Short Catechism of Church History for the Higher Grades of Catholic Schools - Imprimatur 19048/16/2024 I will be sharing over the next several weeks Church History from the above titled book. Author: Rt. REV. MGR. J. H. Oechtering, V. G. Preface The Catechism of Church History which is herewith presented to the public, will receive a cordial welcome from our Catholic teachers. The educational value of history is universally conceded, and no history has such lessons of wisdom and conduct to teach as that of the Church, which is the continuation of the life and work of Our Divine Lord. It is His permanent, visible presence in the world. It is the continuous verification of His words that the gates of hell shall not prevail. It is all-important, therefore, that the young be made acquainted with the leading facts of Church History, and a Catechism of Church History offers the simplest and most effective means of imparting to them this knowledge. The author of the present volume has had long experience as a pastor and teacher, and it is confidently believed that in publishing this work, he renders a genuine service to our schools. J. L. Spalding, Bishop of Peoria. Peoria, March 10, 1899. INTRODUCTION
CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH 1. Q. What is the central and greatest event in the history of God's dealings with man? R. The central and greatest event in the history of God's dealings with man is the Redemption of the world by Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2. Q. Was this event foretold in ancient times? R. The coming of the Redeemer was promised by God to our first parents after their fall, and this promise was renewed to the patriarchs of old. 3. Q. Did the hope of the Redeemer to come remain alive in the ancient world? R. The heathen nations, who had apostatized from God and fallen into idolatry, retained only an obscure and distorted tradition of the future Incarnation of God and the Redemption. Their ancient belief, that their gods had appeared in human form among men, was such a distorted tradition of the mystery of the Incarnation. The Greeks, for instance, preserved in their legend of Prometheus (their name for Adam) an old prophecy that the son of their highest god would become man and be born of a virgin-mother in order to redeem our fallen race. We read that in the year 64 after Christ Mingdi, emperor of China, sent ambassadors westward to search for the divine teacher, foretold in ancient Chinese books. Having come to India they found there the religion of Buddha, which they embraced, mistaking it for the true. The coming of the wise men from the East proves most clearly that the tradition of a Saviour to come lived among the gentiles. Suetonius and Tacitus, writers of ancient pagan Rome, have left it on record that, at the time of the birth of Christ, the world was full of rumors about a mysterious power, which, according to old traditions, was to rise in Palestine and rule the whole world. 4. Q. Which people was chosen by God in this general apostasy to preserve fully the hope of the coming Redeemer? R. The people of Israel was chosen by God to preserve fully the hope of the Redeemer to come, and to prepare and foreshadow the future kingdom of God on earth. Israel was brought by God to Palestine into the middle of the great historical nations of antiquity. The Babylonian, Assyrian, and Persian kingdoms east and north, Egypt south, the Macedonian and Roman empires west, all made Israel share in their world-moving history. Hence Ezekiel, the prophet, called Jerusalem " gate of the nations." Palestine lay on the great thoroughfare, leading from Africa into Asia, while the Red and the Mediterranean seas gave it a waterway to India and the great nations of the west. Thus Israel's children, bearing the Messianic hope, eventually spread into all lands, thereby preparing the way for the apostles, who set forth from Jerusalem to evangelize the world. 5. Q. How did God sustain Israel in this mission? R. God sustained Israel in this sacred mission by frequent prophecies and by His miraculous protection and guidance of the nation. 6. Q. When did God fulfill His promise concerning the Redeemer to come? R. God fulfilled His promise and prophecies about the Reedemer to come, when He sent His only begotten Son, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary. 7. Q. How did Christ redeem the world? R. Christ redeemed the world by His passion and death on the Cross. 8. Q. What did Christ do in order to insure for all time to the world the fruits of His Redemption? R. In order to insure for all time to the world the fruits of His Redemption, He established His Church. The fruits of the Redemption are two-fold: 1. Divine grace (sanctifying and actual), which is dispensed mainly through the sacraments of the Church. 2. Divine truth, entrusted by Christ and his apostles to the Church and called the deposit of faith. It is contained in the Bible or written word of God, and in Tradition or the unwritten word of God, which is handed down in the uninterrupted teaching and practice of the Church. The witnesses of Tradition are the ordinary teaching of the Church, the decrees of the councils and of the popes, the writings of the Fathers and Doctors, the liturgy, the administration of the sacraments, the feasts of the Church, the acts of martyrs, the documents and relics of the past. From these can be gathered what has been believed in the Church always, everywhere and by all. (Vincent of Lerins.) 9. Q. How did Christ establish His Church? R. Christ established His Church by choosing and appointing His apostles as bishops over His flock, making one of their number, St. Peter, the supreme head. "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church." (Matt. 16, 18.) 10. Q. Which powers did Christ give to His Church, in order to bring the fruits of the Redemption to mankind? R. Christ gave to His Church a three-fold power: 1. To teach all nations His divine truth. (Matt. 28, 19-20.) 2. To dispense His grace through the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar and the Sacraments. (St. Luke, 22, 19; St. Matt. 28, 19; St. John, 20, 23.) 3. To guide and rule the lambs and sheep of His flock. (St. Jolin, 21, 17.) 11. Q. How did Christ enable His Church to fulfill this divine commission? R. 1. He promised that He would be with His Church even unto the consummation of the world. (Matt. 28, 13.) 2. He sent the Holy Ghost to abide with His Church forever. (St. John, 14, 16.) 12. Q. What, therefore, is the character of the Church? R. The Church is a divine institution consisting of men, but possessing the abiding presence of Jesus Christ and the continual assistance and guidance of the Holy Ghost. The divine element of the Church appears in her indestructible existence through all ages, in her unchanging and infallible teaching of divine truth, in her uninterrupted dispensation of God's grace, by which innumerable souls obtain holiness, and in the miracles marking her career through history. The human element of the Church appears in the weaknesses and shortcomings of many of her children, especially in the scandals and sins committed by her unworthy members. Christ Himself tolerated Judas for three years amongst His disciples in order to warn us, that scandals will occur in the history of His Church. In spite of sin and scandal and in spite of the law of decay overruling all things human, the Church continues for ever in her constitution and in her sacred ministry of grace and truth; this is another proof of the divine element within her. 13. Q. By what titles has the Church been called in Holy Scriptures? R. 1. In the old testament the prophet calls her the kingdom of the Messias, which is to be without end. (Is. 9, 7.) 2. Jesus Christ calls her His Church, against which the gates of hell shall not prevail (Matt. 16, 18) ; the one fold under one shepherd (John, 10, 16); the light of the world, the city seated on a mountain that cannot be hid (Matt. 5, 14) ; the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 16, 19). 3. St. Paul calls her the ground and pillar of truth (1. Tim. 3, 15) ; the flock of Christ, over which the Holy Ghost hath placed the bishops to rule (Act. 20, 28). In his letter to the Ephesians (Chap. 5) he describes her as the immaculate spouse of Christ, and in 1. Cor. 12 as " the visible body of Christ, of which the faithful are the members." 14. Q. What was the condition of the world, when the Church commenced her mission? R. All nations, except the Jews, adored false gods, idols and beasts. They worshipped them by committing foul crimes and offering even human sacrifices. Immorality prevailed and the rights of God and man were spurned. Even ancient Greece and Rome, the ruling and most cultured of pagan nations, had gods whom they worshipped by impurity (Venus), drunkenness (Bacchus) and bloody revenge (Mars). Family life was totally demoralized by divorceand the degradation of woman. War was merciless according to the rule: "Woe to the vanquished." Slavery held over two-thirds of the population of the ancient world in such misery, that the question was seriously asked : "Is the slave a human being? In the public games of the circus thousands of gladiators and captives were forced to kill one another for the amusement of the people. 15. Q. What was the attitude of the Jews? R. They retained the belief in the one true God, but rejected and crucified the Son of God, the Messias, who had been promised to them by God and announced by their prophets. Note.— The history of the Church is the record of her career through time and of the fulfillment of her divine mission on earth. According to His promise Christ is with her, teaches, gives grace and rules through her; and she shares with Him the hatred of hell and the opposition of the world, but she is also destined to share His eternal glory in heaven. |
Holy Mother Church
dedicates the month of October to the Holy Guardian Angels 
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