From IHM School » Jesus

May Procession – 2011

Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 00:07:44 +0000

Bring flowers of the fairest; bring flowers of the rarest . . .

The May Procession is an important highlight of our school (and community) year. The event allows us to honor our heavenly Mother is a special way, and the procession is the impetus for us to get the grounds cleaned up after the winter storms. The Sisters beg the flowers from vendors of a flower market and the girls come to help them make crowns and bouquets.

First Holy Communions – 2011

Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:39:44 +0000

Mary Grace & Brendan -- happy to have Our Lord in their hearts!

Two of our first graders and one guest from out-of-town made their First Holy Communions this past May 22. Here are some pictures.

He is risen! Indeed He is risen!

Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 19:53:15 +0000

The triumph of the Cross . . .

A most blessed and glorious Easter to you all!

Hyacinths

Please click on this link to see a special Easter message from the Sisters. Gaudete, alleluia, alleluia!

Tulips near our altar

New Member for the Sursum Corda Society

Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 17:11:32 +0000

On March 6, Maria Bosonetto, grade seven, made her final promises as a member of the Sursum Corda Society. This sodality-like prayer group is run by Sister Marie Therese (our prioress and school principal) and Sister Maria Perpetua (the seventh and eighth grades’ teacher). The Society is for young ladies who wish to work and pray for the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the lives of themselves, their families, and the religious and laity at Saint Benedict Center. Thank you, Maria! For pictures, please

March 25 – The Biggest Day in World History

Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:55:24 +0000

The rainbow, the sign of God's promise and a symbol of hope, is also a type of Our Lady.

March 25 is the feast of the Annunciation, when Almighty God sent Saint Gabriel to ask Our Lady if she would be the Mother of God (and she said yes!). The Center follows an old tradition that March 25 is also the sixth day of Creation (the Creation of Adam) and the Redemption (Good Friday of 33 AD). Saint Louis Marie de Montfort recommends this feast day as the most important for Our Lady’s slaves of love because we are imitating Our Lord in the Incarnation by making ourselves entirely dependent upon the Virgin Mary. The religious, Brothers and Sisters, renew our consecration on this day — as do many of the lay people as well. Today two of our sixth graders, Lucia and Tavin, and well as the parents of one of our seventh graders, Mr. & Mrs. Baird, made their consecration to Jesus through Mary for the first time. Congratulations!

Another reason this feast day is a big one for us is that many of the Sisters (six out of eight) made our Profession of Vows on March 25. Here is a list of today’s anniversaries:

Sister Marie Therese, M.I.C.M. — Twenty-first Anniversary

Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — Thirteenth Anniversary

Sister Maria Perpetua, M.I.C.M. — Fourth Anniversary (Seventh from Temporary Vows)

Sister Mary Joseph, M.I.C.M. — Fourth Anniversary (Seventh from Temporary Vows)

Sister Maria Rosaria, M.I.C.M. — Second Anniversary from Temporary Vows (one more year to Final Vows)

Sister Marie Gabrielle, M.I.C.M. — Second Anniversary from Temporary Vows (one more year to Final Vows)

Congratulations, Sisters! Happy Feast Day!

2010 Christmas Program

Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 17:31:43 +0000

Mother and Child

Here are pictures of this year’s (well, this past Christmas’, anyway) simple but lovely Christmas Program. The Nativity Scene was provided by our youngest students, from kindergarten through second grade.

Merry Christmas from IHM

Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 18:48:24 +0000

With Christmas only three days away, our Sisters, students, families, and faculty wish our readers and benefactors a most blessed Christmas season! You are all in our prayers. A special thank you to everyone who sent a Christmas donation (see button in margin) or helped us acquire something on our wish list (see right margin). Your support is essential to our apostolic educational work. Puer natus in Bethlehem, alleluia!

IHM School - September 2010

Students paint new “stained glass” windows

Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 21:44:23 +0000

Detail of the Immaculate Heart

As part of the renovations to Saint Paul’s House (which includes the chapel and the elementary and junior high schools, new windows were installed. This meant that our old “stained glass” (painted with Gallery Glass) was taken out and the new windows needed to be done. The junior and senior high school students spent several art classes working on the windows. First, we salvaged the central medallions from the old windows, then designed the new windows, and here is the result! If you have been watching Mr. Clayton’s Way of Beauty Program, you will note the different important numbers that have been incorporated (especially eight!).

Most Pure Hear of Saint Joseph

Immaculate Heart of Mary

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Christian Training of Children – Preparation for Holy Communion

Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — Sun, 16 May 2010 14:47:38 +0000

Table of contents for Mother Love

Little Book of Instructions for Christian Mothers [continued]
(from Mother Love – A Manual for Christian Mothers – by Rev. Pius Franciscus, O.M.Cap., 1926)

On the Christian Training of Children

Chapter XIV – How a Christian Mother Should Assist Her Children to Prepare for Holy Communion.

The next great event in the young life of your child is its first Holy Communion. Until comparatively recent times it was the common practice of pastor and people to postpone this event to a time when the child was considered to be of a clearer understanding, and thus it would happen that children of thirteen and fourteen years had not yet received their first Holy Communion and many had not even made their first confession. Generally a child was not admitted to Holy Communion until it had reached the age of twelve years or had graduated from the parish school. This practice was introduced because it was deemed unwise and even wrong to allow children of a more tender age to approach the Table of the Lord, as they were considered too thoughtless for so holy an action.

But this practice was not at all in accord with the law of the Church, which had been promulgated by the Fourth Lateran Council in the year 1215, and which reads as follows: “All the faithful of both sexes, after coming to the use of reason, shall confess their sins alone to their own priest, at least once a year and devoutly receive Holy Communion at least at Easter time, unless upon the advice of their own priest and for some reasonable cause it should be deemed wise to abstain for a while.” This law was not only approved and confirmed by the Holy Council of Tent, about three hundred years after, but this Council even pronounced anathema on those who hold a contrary opinion: “If any one shall deny that all the faithful of both sexes, who have attained the use of reason, are obliged to receive Communion every year, at least at Easter time, according to the precepts of Holy Mother Church, let him be anathema.”

Therefore, Pope Pius X of happy memory, who deeply deplored the above mentioned custom which deprived children of Holy Communion, though they had attained the age of reason, once more promulgated the old law of the Church and condemned all contrary opinions. Then he also declared at what age a child should be considered as having attained sufficient use of reason for Holy Communion in the following words: “The age of discretion required for Holy Communion is that at which the child can distinguish the Eucharistic bread from common and material bread, and knows how to approach the altar with devotion.” Finally he approved and commanded to be observed throughout the world the following rules:

1) The age of discretion required both for confession and Communion is the time when the child begins to reason, that is about the seventh year, sometimes after, sometimes even before. From this time on the obligation of satisfying the precepts of both Confession and Communion begins.

2) Both for First Confession and First Communion a complete knowledge of Christian Doctrine is not necessary. The child will, however, be obliged to gradually learn the whole catechism according to its intellectual ability.

3) The knowledge of Christian Doctrine required in children in order to be properly prepared for First Communion is that they understand according to their capacity those mysteries of Faith which are necessary as a means of salvation, that they be able to distinguish the Eucharist from common and material bread, and also approach the Sacred Table with the devotion suitable to their age.

4) The obligation of the precepts of Confession and Communion which rests upon the child, falls back principally upon those in whose care they are, that is, parents, confessors, teachers and their pastor. According to the Roman Catechism, however, it belongs to the father or to the person taking his place, as also to the confessor, to admit the child to First Holy Communion.

5) The pastors shall take care to announce and distribute General Communion once or several times a year to the children, and on these occasions they shall admit not only First Communicants but also others who with the consent of their parents or their confessors, have already been admitted to the Sacred Table before. For both classes several days of instruction and preparation shall precede.

6) Those who have the care of children should use all diligence so that after First Communion the children shall often approach the Holy Table, even daily, if possible, as Jesus Christ and Mother Church desire, and that they do it with a devotion becoming their age. They should bear in mind their most important duty which obliges them to have the children present at the public instructions in catechism, otherwise they must supply this religious instruction in some other way.

7) The custom of not admitting children to confession, or of not absolving them when they have attained the age of reason, is absolutely condemned. Wherefore the Ordinaries, using those means which the law gives them, shall see that it is done away with.

8) It is an utterly detestable abuse not to administer Viaticum and Extreme Unction to åof infants. The Ordinaries shall proceed severely against those who do not abandon this custom.

The foregoing are the instructions of the Holy Father, the representative of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in His name repeats in other words the rebuke of Christ to His apostles: “Let little children come to Me, and forbid them not.” We all have been too stingy in allowing children to get closer to the love of Christ and in union with Him; and it surely was the spirit of Christ that urged the Pope to be the champion o f the little ones. God be praised!

Now, dear Christian mother, after your duty has been so clearly defined by the Father of Christendom, can you hold back in lending your aid to lead that innocent boy or girl of yours nearer to Christ through Holy Communion? Oh, let it not be said, that you are less anxious to have your children in the arms and in the heart of Jesus, than those Jewish mothers of yore, who brought their children to Jesus for His blessing!

Yes, Christian Mother bringing your children nearer, closer to Jesus—this must be the object of all your efforts in promoting their proper education. These efforts must begin early in life. But with the dawn of reason they must be directed towards arousing in your child a deep appreciation of Christ’s love for all of us and, indeed, for each one of us in particular. As has been remarked before, this does not mean that a long elaborate narration of all that Christ did for us is to be told the little one, but it means that, whenever an occasion presents itself, you should use it to give the child a short explanation.

A few examples will indicate to you what I mean. For instance, you are taking your child out for a little walk in the fresh air. (I presuppose here that your child is about four or five years old, and is an average child.) On your walk you pass a church. Like every good Catholic you ought to stop in and pay your respects to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and, certainly, you will take your child along. After you have made a devout genuflection and have taken Holy Water and made the Sign of the Cross, which you have your child do also, you will kneel down and make a brief act of faith and adoration of our Blessed Lord in the tabernacle. Then it might be well to lead your child up to the Communion railing and call its attention to the Sanctuary Lamp and explain briefly the meaning of it, that it burns day and night to show the constant presence of Our Lord in the tabernacle. Point to the tabernacle door and tell the child that Jesus is locked in behind that door, because He loves us and wants to be with us always. This might be enough for one time. At some other time you might tell the child that Jesus is there in the tabernacle just as He was here on earth when He lived among the Jewish people in the Holy Land. Again you may tell it how we cannot see Jesus there because He hides Himself under the cover of bread, because we might be afraid of him if He were there with all of His Greatness and Power. Never keep the child in church too long, so that it does not become weary.

In these and similar ways the child should be taught to love the Prisoner of the Tabernacle, so that by the time it starts to school, it may be acquainted with the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist, and may more intelligently follow the instructions on this subject by the priest. Parents that seldom or never direct their children’s attention to this mystery as well as other mysteries of our Holy Faith, need not be surprised if the priest sometimes finds it necessary to postpone the First Communion to a later age than the accepted age of seven years, when every child should have so much understanding as to distinguish good from bad, and the Eucharistic bread from common bread.

But mother should not only be interested in this remote preparation for the child’s First Holy Communion, she must also interest herself in the proximate preparation. As soon as she hears that her boy or girl is one of the privileged First Communicants, she should aid the priest by every means in her power. In the first place, she should add a special prayer to the child’s regular morning and evening prayer to obtain from the Divine Goodness the grace that the child may make a worthy and devout First Communion. An Our Father and a Hail Mary will serve as well as any other prayer, if only each time the Our Father and Hail Mary is preceded by the words “for the grace of a good communion” or some similar words. The following prayer may be recommended for its simplicity:

Prayer for the Grace of a Worthy Communion

O my dearest Jesus, soon I shall be allowed to receive You into my heart. You, O Jesus, Who are my God, my Lord, my Redeemer and Savior. I am glad, because I love You and want You always. But, dear Jesus, my heart is so small and so poor, that it makes me afraid to take in so great a Lord. I wish I could make it as rich and as great as heaven, then, I know, it would be worthy. I cannot make it so worthy. Still, I need You, Jesus, and You want me; otherwise You would not have said: Let the little children come to me, and forbid them not. Therefore I come to open my heart, so that You can live in it forever. Oh, keep it clean and pure and make it rich with Your heavenly Grace, and it will always be a worthy dwelling-place, until at last You will take it with You into Your own happy home in heaven. Help me to be good and to keep me from every sin, even a little one.

O Blessed Mary, Mother of Jesus and my Mother, dear Guardian Angel, Protect and help me. Amen. Hail Mary.

Besides such daily prayer, mother should also drill her child in those fundamental truths which all must know to save their souls These are six, namely,

1)    There is only one God.

2)    In God there are three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

3)    God created all things, and rules and governs them.

4)    The Son of God became man and died on the Cross to save us.

5)    God rewards the good and punishes the wicked.

6)    The human soul will never die, and grace is necessary to be saved.

Then help to get a clear idea into the mind of your child about the Holy Eucharist. This is not so hard, if you will tell the child again and again the story of the Last Supper, and show from Christ’s many miracles how nothing is impossible to the power of God. Tell those miracles also in a child-like way and in deep faith, and the child will soon grasp that under the appearances of bread and wine the body and blood of Jesus Christ does exist in the Holy Eucharist.

As the day of its Holy Communion approaches, mother will do well also to speak of the First Holy Communions of the Saints and of other good, great men, and how they considered no day of their lives happier than the day on which they were privileged to receive into their souls for the first time the Lord of Heaven and Earth. Who will describe the joys of a mother’s and a father’s heart, when their little one in all its innocence and purity of the baptismal graces goes forward to the altar-steps to receive? Many a good father and mother have shed tears of joy and happiness on such an occasion, and surely they experienced at those moments a foretaste of the heavenly reunion in Christ in the next world. Indeed, in comparison to this happiness of having their innocent children united with their Divine Savior in the Holy Eucharist all other earthly joys must seem to them like so much dross and vanity. A warm, sincere faith in the mysteries of our holy religion, united with a supreme confidence in their fulfillment on occasions like the first Confession and the First Communion of their own child, will surely make life’s burdens and trials seem lighter and easier to bear.

After its first Holy Communion mother should frequently recall to the child’s memory the extraordinary grace which it received and strive also to urge it on to keep itself worthy of enjoying the same great happiness even every day. If parents and children would become more devoutly familiar with the Holy Eucharist through frequent and even daily Communion, there can be no doubt that ultimately the peace of Christ would reign in their homes and only rarely would the devil of discord and jealousy and hate gain an entrance there. The Holy Eucharist is the center of life in the Church, and the Holy Eucharist must also become the center of life in every Catholic home, if the principles of Christ are to bring forth there worthy fruits of virtue and perfection.

Previous in series Next in series

The Christian Training of Children – Catechetical Instruction

Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:44:29 +0000

Table of contents for Mother Love

Little Book of Instructions for Christian Mothers [continued]
(from Mother Love – A Manual for Christian Mothers – by Rev. Pius Franciscus, O.M.Cap., 1926)

On the Christian Training of Children

Chapter XII. – Catechetical Instructions Which a Christian Mother Should Frequently Explain to Her Children and upon Which She Should Often Question Them.

[This chapter is a lovely summary of the penny catechism.]

The Holy Sign of the Cross:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen

The Our Father:

The Our Father consists of one address, “Our Father, Who art in heaven,” and seven petitions. The first three, “Hallowed by Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” refer to the honor of God; and the last four, “Give us this day our daily bread, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.”— bear reference to our own and our neighbor’s temporal and spiritual welfare. The word “Father” is placed first because we should never repeat the Our Father without a filial turning of our heart to God. The mother should accustom her children to this.

The Hail Mary:

The “Hail Mary” is composed of two parts. The first contains the salutation, “Hail Mary,” a threefold eulogium of the Blessed Virgin, “Full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women,” and the praise of her Divine Child, “and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.”

The second part contains an address full of reverence, “Holy Mary, Mother of God,” and an humble petition, “pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

Impress upon your children that it should always be said with child-like respect for the Mother of God.

The Six Truths which all must know and believe to gain eternal salvation:

1)    There is but one God, who created, preserves and governs all things.

2)    God is a just Judge. He rewards the good and punishes the wicked.

3)    In God there are three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.

4)    The Son of God became man, and died on the Cross to save us.

5)    The soul of man is immortal.

6)    Grace is necessary to salvation.

The Apostles’ Creed:

This Creed contains twelve articles which are as follows:

1) I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

2) And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.

3) Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.

4) Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

5) He descended into hell, the third day He rose again from the dead.

6) He ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.

7) From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

8) I believe in the Holy Ghost.

9) The holy Catholic Church, the Communion of saints.

10) The forgiveness of sins.

11) The resurrection of the body.

12) And life everlasting. Amen.

The Gloria Patri, or Lesser Doxology:

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The Holy Rosary:

Teach the children at each decade to picture to themselves the mystery honored by the same and dto pray that its corresponding virtue may be impressed upon their hearts.

The five Joyful Mysteries are to be said form the first Sunday in Advent, until the Feast of the Purification; the five Sorrowful Mysteries, from Ash-Wednesday until Easter Sunday; the five Glorious Mysteries, from Easter Sunday to Trinity Sunday. During the remaining part of the year, the Joyful Mysteries are said on Mondays and Thursdays, the Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesdays and Fridays, and Glorious Mysteries on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.

The Rosary is to be said as follows:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

I believe in God, etc.

Our Father.

Hail Mary (three times).

Glory be to the Father, etc.

The Joyful Mysteries (The spirit of joy)

1) The Annunciation of Our Lady (fruit: humility). Our Father, Hail Mary (ten times), Glory be, etc.

2) The Visitation (fruit: love of neighbor). Our Father, as above.

3) The Nativity (fruit: spirit of poverty)

4) The Presentation (fruit: obedience)

5) The Finding of the Child Jesus, twelve years old in the Temple (union of heart with Jesus and Mary)

The Sorrowful Mysteries (the spirit of compassion)

1) Our Lord’s Agony in the Garden (sorrow for sin)

2) The Scourging at the Pillar (fervor of penance)

3) The Crowning with Thorns (mortification of self-love)

4) The Carrying of the Cross (patience in the trials of one’s state)

5) The Crucifixion (love of Jesus and Mary)

The Glorious Mysteries (spirit of reverence)

1) The Resurrection of Our Lord (true conversion)

2) The Ascension (desire of heaven)

3) The Descent of the Holy Ghost (recollection of mind and fervor of prayer)

4) The Assumption of Our Lady (grace of a good death)

5) The Coronation of Our Lady (perseverance, reverence for the glorious Queen of Heaven, and confidence in her prayers)

Conclude with the Salve Regina:

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!

It is not necessary to reflect upon the foregoing virtues. Other meditations may be substituted and other petitions made according to the devotion of the individual.

The Ten Commandments of God:

I. I am the Lord, thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt not have strange gods before Me. Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not adore them nor serve them.

II. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in vain.

III. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.

IV. Honor thy father and thy mother.

V. Thou shalt not kill.

VI. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

VII. Thou shalt no steal.

VIII. Thou shalt not bear false witness against they neighbor.

IX. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.

X. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.

The Six Commandments of the Church:

I. To rest from servile work, and to hear Mass on all Sundays and Holydays of Obligation.

II. To fast and abstain on the days appointed.

III. To confess our sins at least once a year.

IV. To receive worthily the Holy Eucharist during the Easter time.

V. To contribute to the support of our pastors.

VI. Not to marry persons who are not Catholics or who are related to us in the third degree of kindred, nor privately without witnesses, nor to solemnize marriage at the forbidden times.

The Six Holydays of Obligation [in the USA]:

I. The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin (8^th of December).

II. The Nativity of Our Lord (25^th of December).

III. The Circumcision of Our Lord (1^st of January).

IV. The Ascension of Our Lord (forty days after Easter).

V. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin (15^th of August).

VI. The Feast of All-Saints (1^st of November).

The Seven Sacraments:

The Seven Sacraments were instituted by Jesus Christ, for the salvation of sinners, and the perseverance of the just. They are: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.

1.Baptism remits original sin and every actual sin committed before Baptism by one that has reached the age of reason. It takes away the eternal and temporal punishment due to sin; it pours into the soul sanctifying grace along with the three theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity; and it raises man to the dignity of a child of God, and rightful heir of the kingdom of heaven. In case of necessity, anyone of either sex that has reached the age of reason can and ought to baptize. Pouring common water on the head of the person to be baptized, so that the skin becomes wet, say at the same time the words: “I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

The Baptismal Vows are fourfold:

I. I believe all that the Holy Catholic Church believes and teaches.

II. I renounce Satan.

III. I renounce all his works.

IV. I renounce all his pomps.

By these words the newly-baptized promises to be forever a faithful child of the Catholic Church; resolutely to resist the suggestions and temptations of Stan; perseveringly to shun all sin (which is the work of Satan), and all the occasions thereto; to abhor and never to desist from mortifying in himself the threefold concupiscence in which the world seeks all its pleasure and enjoyment. Never mshould we forget promises so holy, promises made on so solemn an occasion! Never should we violate them!

2. Confirmation confirms the Faith and the life of grace in us, makes us able and strong to battle at the side of Christ against the enemies of the kingdom of God.

3. The Blessed Sacrament of the Altar is the true Body and the true Blood of Jesus Christ under the appearance of bread and wine. It is the nourishment of the soul unto life everlasting for all who receive it worthily and with due preparation. The Holy Mass is the real sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, under the appearance of bread and wine. It is the most worthy act of adoration, praise, and thanksgiving, and the most powerful sacrifice of atonement and petition that we can offer.

The three principal parts of the Mass are:

I.       The Offertory

II.     The Elevation

III.   The Communion of the Priest

4. Through the Sacrament of Penance are remitted all actual sins committed after Baptism, their eternal punishment and, at least, a part of the temporal punishment due to them. Through it Sanctifying grace is restored or, if it was not lost, is increased in the soul; and finally, it confers special graces for the leading of a pious life. For the worthy reception of the Sacrament of Penance, five things are necessary, namely:

I. Devout prayer to the Holy Ghost.

II. A careful examination of conscience.

III. A sincere contrition and a firm resolution.

IV. A sincere confession of, at least, all mortal sins with their number and any

circumstances that materially change their nature.

V. Satisfaction, or the performance of the penance imposed by the Confessor.

5. Extreme Unction is the sacrament of the sick and comforts the soul especially for the hour of death. It often alleviates sickness, and sometimes even restores health itself.

6. Through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, priests receive power to change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, and to forgive sins. It confers on them, also, many other powers and great graces.

7. Through the Sacrament of Matrimony, husband and wife receive the grace to live together in love and peace, and to rear their children in a Christian manner.

Spiritual Communion

Spiritual Communion consists in an ardent desire to receive our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Spiritual Communion can be made at any time, and in any place, and it enriches the soul with many graces according to the intensity of the desire for receiving Holy Communion. The Divine Savior Himself really deigned to teach the devout religious, Maria Lataste, the following simple form. He said: “Recollect thyself for one instant, place thyself in spirit before My tabernacle, and say to Me ‘O Jesus come into my heart!’ That is sufficient.”

But we may also make use of other and more lengthy forms; for instance,

O Blessed Jesus, come to me!

O make me burn with love for Thee,

That I may live and die in Thee!

Mothers, instruct your children already before they have made their First Communion to receive Jesus in this spiritual manner.

The Three Theological Virtues:

The three divine virtues, Faith, Hope, and Charity, are infused into the soul together with Sanctifying Grace. They should be stirred into activity by frequently reciting them according to some definite form and thus they will take firm root in the soul and render it more and more holy. The following forms are recommended.

Act of Faith:

My God, I believe in Thee and in all that Thy Church teaches, because Thou hast revealed it, and Thy word is true.

Act of Hope:

My God, I hope in Thee for grace and for glory, because of Thy promises, Thy mercy, and Thy power.

Act of Love:

My God, because Thou art so good, I love Thee with all my heart, and for Thy sake I love my neighbor as myself.

Act of Contrition:

My God, because Thou art so good,

With sorrow I deplore

That I have ever offended Thee.

I’ll never offend Thee more.

The Confiteor:

I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the Saints, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech the blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all Saints, to pray to the Lord our God for me.

May the Almighty God have mercy on me, forgive me my sins, and bring me to everlasting life. Amen.

May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant me pardon, absolution, and remission of my sins. Amen.

The Four Cardinal Virtues:

1. Prudence. Christian prudence causes us to discriminate in every circumstance the good from the bad, and prevents our being led astray by false appearances.

2. Justice. By the practice of Christian justice, we constantly render to every one, to God, to superiors, to equals, and inferiors, all that we owe them.

3. Fortitude. Christian fortitude enables us to overcome all the difficulties and dangers that might prevent us from doing good.

4. Temperance. By Christian temperance we keep our sensual inclinations and desires in check.

Christian Perfection:

Christian perfection consists in this: That we love God above all things, and all things for God’s sake.

The Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost:

The seven gifts of the Holy Ghost are: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and the Fear of the Lord. They are infused into the soul, together with Sanctifying Grace, and affect us in such a way that, following the inspirations of the Holy Ghost, we dread to offend God (Fear of the Lord); we feel toward Him like children (Piety); we can rightly discriminate between the false and true, the good and the bad (Knowledge); we courageously conquer all obstacles in the serviced of God (Fortitude); we choose what is most advantageous for the honor of God and the salvation of souls (Counsel); we apprehend what is divine and eternal (Understanding); we love and esteem it as our greatest treasure (Wisdom). The Christian needs the first five gifts in order to struggle manfully; the two last, Understanding and Wisdom, are necessary to pray well.

The Merit of Good Works:

All our words and actions as well as our good thoughts and holy imaginations, virtuous desires and resolutions, pleasure in good and fear of evil, briefly all our good works, exterior and interior, when performed in the state of grace, and with a good intention, are meritorious for heaven. They produce in us an increase of sanctifying grace and a greater love of God besides a higher degree of heavenly bliss; they obtain for us the remission of venial sin and of temporal punishment; and, finally, they procure for us and for others special actual graces.

Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving:

The principal good works are prayer, fasting and almsgiving, and comprise in themselves all other good works. Prayer embraces all other religious exercises; fasting, all corporal discipline; and almsgiving, all acts of mercy toward our neighbor. When practiced in their perfection, they lead to the three:

Evangelical Counsels:

Entire obedience to a superior as to the representative of God, perpetual chastity, and voluntary poverty. By the three evangelical counsels, man sacrifices himself entirely to God. By chastity, his body; and by poverty, all his possessions. Only few are called by God to such a life. Members of religious orders bind themselves to it by vows.

The Works of Corporal and Spiritual Mercy:

Christian charity does not consist in mere words and sentiments; it must also become practical in deeds. The ordinary needs of body and soul may be reduced to seven kinds, and hence we distinguish seven corporal and seven spiritual works of mercy.

The Corporal Works of Mercy

I.      To feed the hungry.

II.    To give drink to the thirsty.

III. To clothe the naked.

IV. To ransom the captive.

V.   To harbor the harborless.

VI. To visit the sick.

VII. To bury the dead.

The Spiritual Works of Mercy

I.      To admonish the sinner.

II.    To instruct the ignorant.

III. To counsel the doubtful.

IV. To comfort the sorrowful.

V.   To bear wrongs patiently.

VI. To forgive all injuries

VII.        To pray for the living and the dead.

Point out to the child the works of mercy which are performed on its body and soul by others and which it can and ought to perform itself.

The Imitation of Jesus Christ:

This imitation manifests itself in love of Jesus Christ, reverence for His words, obedience to His will, the following of His example. They follow Jesus Christ who exercise the three Theological Virtues, the four Cardinal Virtues, and the eight Beatitudes, and who cooperate with the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost. Seek ever to understand the Divine Master better and better, for this is eternal life.

The Eight Beatitudes (Matt. V):

I. Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

II. Blessed are the meek; for they shall possess the land.

III. Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.

IV. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice; for they shall be filled.

V. Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.

VI. Blessed are the clean of heart; for they shall see God.

VII. Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.

VIII. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The poor in spirit are they who have no attachment to perishable goods, whether they have earthly possessions or not. The meek are they who gently repay aversion and persecution with kindness and benefits. They “shall possess the land” means they shall gain the love and respect of all good people, shall oftentimes win over their adversaries; but, above all, shall obtain the kingdom of God, namely heaven.

They mourn in a holy manner, who are patient in suffering, who grieve over their own or others’ sins, or who long for the kingdom of heaven.

Hunger and thirst after justice indicate an ardent longing after virtue, after perfection, after grace, after the holy Sacraments, after the word of God, etc.

Merciful are they who are easily moved to compassion, and who love to exercise works of mercy.

The chaste souls detached from earthly things have a pure heart. They cheerfully stand before God here below, praying readily and fervently. And thus they enjoy a foretaste of the eternal vision of God which is prepared for them in heaven.

The peacemakers preserve peace with God by avoiding sin; they guard, as much as they can, against dissensions with and among their neighbors; and, as soon as they can, they restore the peace that may have been disturbed. They bear a special likeness to God, who is a God of peace; they are His well-beloved children, the objects of His special favor.

Ill-will, contempt, and persecution are the portion of all those who would lead a Christian life. What men inflicted upon the Divine Master, even this his disciples may expect: the cross and martyrdom.

The children of this world consider those who follow this road to heaven as fools, ridicule and despise them. This only shows how little the worldling understands what would save him from the eternal perdition into which he is precipitating himself.

The Twelve Fruits of the Holy Ghost:

As the spirit of the flesh and the world can bring forth only evil and bitter fruit, so the Holy Ghost, on the other hand, produces in all souls, that allow Him to work freely in them, a multitude of beautiful virtues and good works, of which the holy Apostle Paul enumerates twelve, as follows:

Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Benignity, Goodness, Long-Suffering, Meekness, Fidelity, Modesty, Continency, Chastity.

The Four Last Things which men should constantly keep before their eyes, are: Death, Judgment, Hell, and Heaven.

The Life-Work of every Christian here below is:

I.    To serve God, by keeping His commandments.

II.   To imitate Jesus Christ, by practicing the Christian virtues.

III. To honor the angels and saints and invoke them.

IV. To save his soul.

V.    To avoid hell.

VI. To gain heaven.

VII. To despise the vanity of the world.

VIII. To atone for his sins.

IX. To overcome evil inclinations.

X. To perform good works.

XI. To edify his neighbor.

XII. To die, and to stand before the judgment-seat of Christ.

The Two Means of Perseverance are watchfulness and prayer. “Watch and pray,” said the Divine Saviour to His disciples, “that ye enter not into temptation. The spirit, indeed, is willing, but the flesh is weak.” We must watch over the evil inclinations of our nature, that we do not fall into sin; over the movements of grace, that we may profit by them; over our love for Jesus Christ, that it may not be lost to us. We must pray, because without the assistance of God we can do nothing toward our salvation, much less persevere in the love of Jesus Christ. We must always watch, always pray, because we are always in danger of being unloyal [sic] to the love of Christ. Those moments in which we gave way to our evil inclinations, were moments of negligence in watchfulness and prayer.

Previous in series Next in series