A Guide for Confession

The basic requirement for a good confession is to have the intention of returning to God like the "prodigal son" and to acknowledge our sins with true sorrow before the priest.

Sin in my Life

Modern society has lost a sense of sin. As a Catholic follower of Christ, I must make an effort to recognize sin in my daily actions, words and omissions.

The Gospels show how important is the forgiveness of our sins. Lives of saints prove that the person who grows in holiness has a stronger sense of sin, sorrow for sins, and a need for the Sacrament of Penance or Confession.

The Differences in Sins

As a result of Original Sin, human nature is weakened. Baptism, by imparting the life of Christ's grace, takes away Original Sin, and turns us back toward God. The consequences of this weakness and the inclination to evil persist, and we often commit personal or actual sin.

Actual sin is sin which people commit. There are two kinds of actual sin, mortal and venial.

Mortal sin is a deadly offense against God, so horrible that it destroys the life of grace in the soul. Three simultaneous conditions must be fulfilled for a mortal sin: 1) the act must be something very serious; 2) the person must have sufficient understanding of what is being done; 3) the person must have sufficient freedom of the will.

Remember

If you need help–especially if you have been away for some time–simply ask the priest and he will help you by "walking" you through the steps to make a good confession.

Before Confession

Be truly sorry for your sins. The essential act of Penance, on the part of the penitent, is contrition, a clear and decisive rejection of the sin committed, together with a resolution not to commit it again, out of the love one has for God and which is reborn with repentance. The resolution to avoid committing these sins in the future (amendment) is a sure sign that your sorrow is genuine and authentic. This does not mean that a promise never to fall again into sin is necessary. A resolution to try to avoid the near occasions of sin suffices for true repentance. God's grace in cooperation with the intention to rectify your life will give you the strength to resist and overcome temptation in the future.


Examination of Conscience

Before going to Confession you should make a review of mortal and venial sins since your last sacramental confession, and should express sorrow for sins, hatred for sins and a firm resolution not to sin again.

A helpful pattern for examination of conscience is to review the Commandments of God and the Precepts of the Church:

Have God and the pursuit of sanctity in Christ been the goal of my life? Have I denied my faith? Have I placed my trust in false teachings or substitutes for God? Did I despair of God's mercy?

Have I avoided the profane use of God's name in my speech? Have I broken a solemn vow or promise?

Have I honored every Sunday by avoiding unnecessary work, celebrating the Mass (also holydays)? Was I inattentive at, or unnecessarily late for Mass, or did I leave early? Have I neglected prayer for a long time?

Have I shown Christlike respect to parents, spouse, and family members, legitimate authorities? Have I been attentive to the religious education and formation of my children?

Have I cared for the bodily health and safety of myself and all others? Did I abuse drugs or alcohol? Have I supported in any way abortion, "mercy killing," or suicide?

Was I impatient, angry, envious, proud, jealous, revengeful, lazy? Have I forgiven others?

Have I been just in my responsibilities to employer and employees? Have I discriminated against others because of race or other reasons?

Have I been chaste in thought and word? Have I used sex only within marriage and while open to procreating life? Have I given myself sexual gratification? Did I deliberately look at impure TV, pictures, reading?

Have I stolen anything from another, from my employer, from government? If so, am I ready to repay it? Did I fulfill my contracts? Did I rashly gamble, depriving my family of necessities?

Have I spoken ill of any other person? Have I always told the truth? Have I kept secrets and confidences?

Have I permitted sexual thoughts about someone to whom I am not married?

Have I desired what belongs to other people? Have I wished ill on another?

Have I been faithful to sacramental living (Holy Communion and Penance)?

Have I helped make my parish community stronger and holier? Have I contributed to the support of the Church?

Have I done penance by abstaining and fasting on obligatory days? Have I fasted before receiving communion?

Have I been mindful of the poor? Do I accept God's will for me?
During Confession

After examining your conscience and telling God of your sorrow, go into the confessional. You may kneel at the screen or sit to talk face-to-face with the priest.

Begin your confession with the sign of the cross, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. My last confession was _________ weeks (months, years) ago."

The priest may read a passage from holy Scripture.

Say the sins that you remember. Start with the one(s) that is most difficult to say. (In order to make a good confession the faithful must confess all mortal sins, according to kind and number.) After confessing all the sins you remember since your last good confession, you may conclude by saying, "I am sorry for these and all the sins of my past life."

Listen to the words of the priest. He will assign you some penance. Doing the penance will diminish the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven. When invited, express some prayer of sorrow or Act of Contrition such as:

An Act of Contrition

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell. But most of all because I have offended you, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life. Amen.

At the End of Confession

Listen to the words of absolution, the sacramental forgiveness of the Church through the ordained priest.

As you listen to the words of forgiveness you may make the sign of the cross with the priest. If he closes by saying, "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good," answer, "For His mercy endures forever."

After Confession

Give thanks to God for forgiving you again. If you recall some serious sin you forgot to tell, rest assured that it has been forgiven with the others, but be sure to confess it in your next Confession.

Do your assigned Penance.

Resolve to return to the Sacrament of Reconciliation often. We Catholics are fortunate to have the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It is the ordinary way for us to have our sins forgiven. This sacrament is a powerful help to get rid of our weaknesses, grow in holiness, and lead a balanced and virtuous life.

Ecumenical Christian Creeds

Dennis Bratcher

The first creeds of the Christian Church are called ecumenical creeds because they were decided upon in church councils that represented the entire church at the time before the church permanently spilt into Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Roman) factions in AD 1054. Later creeds reflect the diversity of the Christian tradition and tend to become more specialized expressions of particular doctrines for various groups.

The Apostles' Creed:

The Apostles' Creed is one of the oldest creeds of Christianity, dating in an early form to at least the middle second century with roots in the biblical traditions of the Gospels. Some phrases were added for clarity as late as the fourth century, but the basic creed remained intact. The clearly Trinitarian structure was likely intended to counter the teachings of Marcion who denied that the God of the Old Testament was the same God revealed in Jesus the Christ. This Trinitarian formulation would remain the basic structure of all the early creeds. The Apostles' Creed has often been divided into 12 sections for catechesis, instruction for new converts or children.

There has been some misunderstanding surrounding the phrase "he descended into hell." In fact, some church traditions omit this phrase from public recital of the Creed because some see this phrase as confirming an early belief that Jesus preached to the dead during the time between his crucifixion and resurrection (cf. 1 Peter 3:19, 4:6). However, many biblical scholars do not agree that the biblical traditions actually describe Jesus preaching to the dead, and therefore understand the phrase to be a metaphor for burial: "he descended into the realm of the dead," that is, that he spent the time among the dead (see "He Descended into Hell": Sheol, Hell, and the Dead). Some Protestants have also objected to the phrase "holy catholic church," assuming that this is a reference to Roman Catholicism when in fact the term simply means "universal," "inclusive," or "unified" (see Catholic Spirit).

1. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth,
2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord,
3. Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell.
5. The third day he rose again from the dead;
6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
7. From there he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
8. I believe in the Holy Spirit,
9. I believe in the holy catholic church, the communion of saints,
10. The forgiveness of sins,
11. The resurrection of the body,
12. And the life everlasting. Amen.

The Nicene Creed:

The Nicene Creed was developed by the early Church largely in response to the teachings of Arius. Arianism taught that Jesus was not truly divine and of a different "substance" than God, which challenged the developing doctrine of the Trinity in the early church. The emperor Constantine, newly converted to Christianity, called a Church Council at Nicæa in AD 325 to bring some unity to the church amid developing controversies and false teachings. The Council at Nicæa adopted an early form of the creed, although the basic present form emerged from the Council of Constantinople in AD 381. It was officially adopted by the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451.

A major controversy in the church has swirled around one phrase of the creed, the so-called filioque clause. In the phrase, "We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son" the debate concerned whether the Holy Spirit proceeded from only the Father, or from the Father and the Son [filioque in Latin]. The phrase "and the Son" was not in the original Greek version of the Creed accepted at Nicæa and Constantinople. It was added in the Latin versions used in the Western (Roman) church in AD 589 as an attempt to clarify the relationship of the three persons of the Trinity. The concern was that the original wording made Jesus the Christ subordinate to the Father, a view that the Western church felt endangered the doctrine of the Trinity.

However, the Eastern tradition was committed to the earlier Greek version of the Creed and resisted any change. This highlighted the growing rift between the Eastern and Western traditions that would eventually lead to a permanent break in AD 1054. As a result, the Eastern Church has never used the version with the filioque clause, while most churches that derive from the Western tradition use the creed with the filioque clause. However, the Episcopal Church has recently approved omission of the filioque clause in new editions of the Book of Common Prayer.

The Church has widely used the Nicene Creed since the fifth century. In some liturgical churches, for example the Episcopal/Anglican Churches, it is recited every Sunday. In others, the Nicene Creed is alternated with the Apostles’ Creed for Sunday worship, although the Apostles’ Creed is more often used at Baptismal services. The Eastern Orthodox tradition uses only the Nicene Creed. While most non-liturgical Protestant churches prefer the shorter Apostles’ Creed, none would object to the doctrines the Nicene Creed summarizes. It is the only creed accepted by all three major branches of Christendom: Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox.

We believe in one God the Father, the Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, and of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen

Adapted from a translation by the International Consultation on English Texts, 1975

The Athanasian Creed:

While the Athanasian Creed is one of the three most important Creeds of the early Church, its author and origin remains a mystery. It is named after the well known fourth-century apologist and theologian Anathasius who played an important role in defining and defending the orthodox doctrines of the Trinity and the person of Christ, which are central features of this creed. However, Anathasius died in AD 373 and the Athanasian Creed closely reflects wording of the Nicene Creed adopted by the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451, suggesting that it was written sometime after that. It is not mentioned in historical documents until the later seventh century, and was likely written in the Western Church sometime in the sixth or early seventh century. However, since the first work on the Nicene Creed began at the Council of Nicæa in AD 325, it is likely that Anathasius helped shaped much of the Trinitarian language that the fourth and fifth century church used in both creeds.

Whoever wishes to be saved must, above all else, hold to the true Christian Faith. Whoever does not keep this faith pure in all points will certainly perish forever.

Now this is the true Christian faith: We worship one God in three persons and three persons in one God, without mixing the persons or dividing the divine being. For each person -- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit -- is distinct, but the deity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, equal in glory and coeternal in majesty. What the Father is, so is the Son, and so is the Holy Spirit.

The Father is uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated; The Father is eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal. And yet they are not three who are eternal, but there is one who is eternal, just as they are not three who are uncreated, nor three who are infinite, but there is one who is uncreated and one who is infinite.

In the same way the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, and the Holy Spirit is almighty. And yet they are not three who are almighty, but there is one who is almighty. So the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God. So the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord; yet they are not three Lords, but one Lord.

For just as Christian truth compels us to confess each person individually to be God and Lord, so the true Christian faith forbids us to speak of three Gods or three Lords. The Father is neither made not created, nor begotten of anyone. The Son is neither made nor created, but is begotten of the Father alone. The Holy Spirit is neither made nor created nor begotten, but proceeds from the Father and the Son. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.

And within this Trinity none comes before or after; none is greater or inferior, but all three persons are coequal and coeternal, so that in every way, as stated before, all three persons are to be worshiped as one God and one God worshiped as three persons. Whoever wishes to be saved must have this conviction of the Trinity.

It is furthermore necessary for eternal salvation truly to believe that our Lord Jesus Christ also took on human flesh. Now this is the true Christian faith: We believe and confess, that our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son, is both God and Man. He is God, eternally begotten from the nature of the Father, and he is man, born in time from the nature of his mother, fully God, fully man, with rational soul and human flesh, equal to the Father, as to his deity, less than the Father, as to his humanity; and though he is both God and Man, Christ is not two persons but one, one, not by changing the deity into flesh, but by taking the humanity into God; one, indeed, not by mixture of the natures, but by unity in one person.

For just as the reasonable soul and flesh are one human being, so God and man are one Christ, who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty, and from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. At his coming all people will rise again with their own bodies to answer for their personal deeds. Those who have done good will enter eternal life, but those who have done evil will go into everlasting fire.

This is the true Christian Faith. Whoever does not faithfully and firmly believe this cannot be saved.

A Brief Overview - The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church

(Some of the following is excerpted from "The Catholic Encyclopedia": http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13295a.htm)

I. NECESSITY AND NATURE

(1) In what sense necessary

Almighty God can and does give grace to us in answer to our internal aspirations and prayers without the use of any external sign or ceremony. This will always be possible, because God, grace, and the soul are spiritual beings. God is not restricted to the use of material, visible symbols in dealing with us; the sacraments are not necessary in the sense that they could have been dispensed with. But, if it is known that God has appointed external, visible ceremonies as the means by which certain graces are to be conferred on us, then in order to obtain those graces it will be necessary for us to make use of those Divinely appointed means.
In this sense the Council of Trent (1545-1563, Sess. VII, can. 4) declared heretical those who assert that the sacraments of the New Law are superfluous and not necessary, although all sacraments are not necessary for each individual. It is the teaching of the Catholic Church and of Christians in general that, while God was not bound to make use of external ceremonies as symbols of things spiritual and sacred, it has pleased Him to do so, and this is the ordinary and most suitable manner of dealing with men. Writers on the sacraments refer to this as the necessitas convenientiae, the necessity of suitableness. It is not really a necessity, but the most appropriate manner of dealing with creatures that are at the same time spiritual and corporeal (human). In this assertion all Christians are united: it is only when we come to consider the nature of the sacramental signs that Protestants (except some Anglicans) differ from Catholics.

They were not ‘officially’ promulgated as "The Seven Sacraments" until the Council of Trent, although they were always taught and mentioned since the first A.D. by Pope St. Peter and various Popes, saints, and theologians. Many Protestants point this out as proof of the Church "inventing" the Sacraments, but many times issues were officially declared in Councils to clarify/iterate Church Teachings that have been attacked/incorrectly taught by heresies, etc. Except for Baptism, one does not fully receive the Graces from the Sacrament if they are in a state of mortal sin; however, when they make a true, contrite confession after receiving the Sacrament, they then receive the Graces from it.


The Seven Sacraments
1. Baptism

SIGNIFICANCE The Roman Catechism offers the following definition: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration by water in the word" (per aquam in verbo). Baptism was instituted to confer upon us the beginnings of the spiritual Life, to transfer us from the state of enemies of God to the state of adoption as sons and daughters of God. This definition combines the physical and metaphysical definitions of baptism. "The sacrament of regeneration" is the metaphysical essence of the sacrament, while the physical essence is expressed by the second part of the definition of the sacrament (i.e. the washing with water (matter), accompanied by the invocation of the Holy Trinity (metaphysical form)). Baptism is, therefore, the sacrament by which we are born again of water and the Holy Ghost, that is, by which we receive in a new and spiritual life, the dignity of adoption as sons and daughters of God and heirs of God's kingdom.
MANNER Baptism is conferred on the recipient when a Priest or Deacon pours water over their forehead and recites the words of Baptism: I baptize you in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
MATTER The matter of baptism is water, and this taken in its usual meaning. Theologians have said that "what we would ordinarily declare water" is valid baptismal material, whether it’s salt/fresh water, from a fountain/well/marsh, whether it’s clear/turbid hot/cold, colored/uncolored. Water from melted ice, snow, or hail is also valid. However, unmelted ice, snow, and hail are not considered "water". Dew, sulfur or mineral water, and condensed water from steam are also valid. If the water is a "mixture" with something else, it is held as proper matter if the water predominates and the mixture would still be called water. Invalid matter is every liquid that is not usually designated true water, such as: oil, saliva, wine, tears, milk, sweat, beer, soup, the juice of fruits. The vast majority of the time, Baptism is conferred by pouring water over the forehead and reciting the words of Baptism; sometimes partial immersion is preferred by the baptizee.
VALIDITY If it’s doubtful whether a liquid is considered "water" or not, it is not permissible to use for baptism except in case of absolute necessity when no certainly valid matter can be obtained. On the other hand, it is never allowable to baptize with an invalid liquid. There is a response of Pope Gregory IX to the Archbishop of Trondhjem in Norway where beer (or mead) had been employed for baptism. The pontiff says: "Since according to the Gospel teaching, a man must be born again of water and the Holy Ghost; those are not to be considered validly baptized who have been baptized with beer". The "formula" used for Baptism must be "I baptize thee in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost" (or similar variant). If some other variant is used in a Protestant "baptism", a person entering into the Catholic Church must be rebaptized with the correct words. The normal baptizer is a Priest or Deacon, but in emergencies any person (lay Catholic, heretic, gnostic, etc.) can baptize AS LONG AS they intend to do what the Church does.

2. Reconciliation/Penance/Confession

SIGNIFICANCE The Sacrament of Confession is the manner in which we reconcile ourselves with God after we commit the heinous act of sin and, having a contrite heart, truly desire to be reunited fully with God.
VALIDITY In order to obtain a valid confession, the penitent must have true sorrow for committing their sins, and must confess all mortal sins which they are aware of at the time of the Confession after examining their conscience. In addition, one of the Precepts of the Church require that it is the duty of the Faithful to confess one’s sins at least once a year. Although you are only required to confess mortal sins, there is no reason why you shouldn’t also tell God your sorrow for committing venial sins.
The Council of Trent (1551) declares: "As a means of regaining grace and justice, penance was at all times necessary for those who had defiled their souls with any mortal sin…The Lord then principally instituted the Sacrament of Penance, when, being raised from the dead, he breathed upon His disciples saying: 'Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained' (John, 20:22-23). By which action so signal and words so clear the consent of all the Fathers has ever understood that the power of forgiving and retaining sins was communicated to the Apostles and to their lawful successors, for the reconciling of the faithful who have fallen after Baptism." Farther on the council expressly states that Christ left priests, His own vicars, as judges (praesides et judices), unto whom all the mortal crimes into which the faithful may have fallen should be revealed in order that, in accordance with the power of the keys, they may pronounce the sentence of forgiveness or retention of sins" (Sess. XIV, c. v)

It is noteworthy that the fundamental objection so often urged against the Sacrament of Penance was first thought of by the Scribes when Christ healed the sick man with palsy and says: "Thy sins are forgiven thee." When Jesus felt the scribes asking in their hearts "Why doth this man speak thus? he blasphemeth. Who can forgive sins but God only?" But Jesus seeing their thoughts, said to them: "Which is easier to say to the sick of the palsy: Thy sins are forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, take up thy bed and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he says to the man with palsy,) I say to thee: Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house" (Mark, 2:5-11; Matt., 9:2-7). Christ wrought a miracle to show that He had power to forgive sins and that this power could be exerted not only in heaven but also on earth.

This power, moreover, He transmitted to Peter and the other Apostles. To Peter He says: "And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven" (Matt.,16:19). Later He says to all the Apostles: "Amen I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven" (Matt., 18:18).


3. Holy Eucharist

SIGNIFICANCE The Greatest Sacrament, the Holy Eucharist—the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, of Jesus Christ—was given to us by Christ so that we may enter into union with Christ Himself and His Love, as when Jesus says "He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh blood, abideth in me, and I in him" (John, 6:57) The Eucharist removes our venial sins from our soul, and is a great aid in avoiding the temptation to commit mortal sins. It is because of this that many Saints have said that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (particularly the Eucharist) is "the perfect prayer".
MATTER/VALIDITY The Holy Eucharist is composed of two elements: the bread and the wine, which are later Consecrated by the priest into the Body and Blood of Jesus. The bread (in the Latin Rite) must be composed of only unleavened wheaten flour and water, and then baked. The importance of wheaten bread is deduced immediately from the words of Institution: "The Lord took bread" (ton arton), in connection with which it may be remarked, that in Scripture bread (artos), without any qualifying addition, always signifies wheaten bread. No doubt, too, Christ adhered unconditionally to the Jewish custom of using only wheaten bread in the Passover Supper, and by the words, "Do this for a commemoration of me", commanded its use for all succeeding times. In addition to this, uninterrupted tradition, whether it be the testimony of the Fathers or the practice of the Church, shows wheaten bread to have played an essential part.
The other Eucharistic element is wine, which must be from grapes. Any other juice from fruits is not allowed. The necessity of wine from grapes is not so much the result of the authoritative decision of the Church, as much as it is presupposed by her (Council of Trent, Sess. XIII, cap. iv), and is based upon the example and command of Christ, Who at the Last Supper converted the natural wine of grapes into His Blood. This is deduced partly from the rite of the Passover, which required the head of the family to pass around the "cup of benediction" (calix benedictionis) containing the wine of grapes, partly, and especially, from the express declaration of Christ, that henceforth He would not drink of the "fruit of the vine" (genimen vitis).

MANNER Concerning when the Consecration of the bread and wine can take place, Canon Law states: It is absolutely wrong, even in urgent and extreme necessity, to consecrate one element without the other, or even to consecrate both outside the eucharistic celebration (Mass). (Cannon 927) Only a priest can consecrate the Eucharist, although a Deacon can assist at various points in the Celebration of the Mass.
Due to the extreme holiness of the Sacrament as well as its symbolism of being in full communion with the Church, only Catholics may enter into the Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is a mortal sin to receive the Eucharist while you knowingly have an unconfessed mortal sin on your soul.


4. Confirmation

SIGNIFICANCE Confirmation imparts 1) an increase of sanctifying grace which makes the recipient a "perfect Christian"; 2) a special sacramental grace consisting in the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost and notably in the strength and courage to confess boldly the name of Christ; 3) an indelible character by reason of which the sacrament cannot be received again by the same person.
Confirmation can be conferred only on those who have already been baptized and have not yet been confirmed. In the early years of the Church, when only adults were usually baptized, confirmation was administered immediately after; however, when infant baptism was the predominate custom, confirmation (in the Latin Rite) was kept at the "age of adulthood", which in the US is usually around age 14/8th grade. Its reception is obligatory (necessitate præcepti) "for all those who are able to understand and fulfill the Commandments of God and of the Church. This is especially true of those who suffer persecution on account of their religion or are exposed to grievous temptations against faith or are in danger of death. The more serious the danger so much greater is the need of protecting oneself". (Trent)

MANNER The bishop alone is the ordinary minister of confirmation. This is expressly declared by the Council of Trent (Sess. VII, De Conf., C. iii). Simple priests may be the extraordinary ministers of the sacrament under certain conditions (during the Easter Vigil Mass). In such cases, however, the priest cannot wear pontifical vestments, and he is obliged to use chrism blessed by a Catholic bishop. In the Greek Church, confirmation is given by simple priests without special delegation, and their ministration is accepted by the Western Church as valid. They must, however, use chrism blessed by a patriarch.
The Bishop/priest takes Chrism, makes the sign of the Cross on the forehead of the recipient, and says "Receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit".


5. Matrimony

Contrary to popular misconception, the priest does NOT confer the sacrament of Holy Matrimony—the priest is merely the ‘witness’ to the man and woman making their vows before God. It is the husband and wife who ‘minister’ the Sacrament to themselves from God. However, the fact that a husband and wife make the sacrament between themselves and God does not mean that they can ‘unmake’ this union, as it is an agreement until the death of one of the parties.

6. Holy Orders

In the Latin Rite, the current discipline is for only non-married Catholics may be ordained priests; however, converts to the Catholic Faith who are married may later become ordained because the Church recognizes their marriage as valid and does not want to deny them the opportunity to serve the Church as a priest if they had previously joined in marriage in another Church before knowing the fullness of the Catholic Faith.

7. Extreme Unction(Anointing of the Sick)

Administered to a person who is dying, it may be given to both Catholics and non-Catholics who truthfully declare (in danger of death) to have a desire to enter into the Catholic Church and profess the Faith that the Catholic Church teaches.
First, the Sacrament of Penance is administered, then the anointing with the oil, and then the giving of the Eucharist (called Viaticum for this Sacrament)

As administered in the Western Church today according to the rite of the Roman Ritual, the sacrament consists (apart from certain non-essential prayers) in the unction with oil, specially blessed by the bishop, of the organs of the five external senses (eyes, ears, nostrils, lips, hands), of the feet, and, for men (where the custom exists and the condition of the patient permits of his being moved), of the loins or reins; and in the following form repeated at each unction with mention of the corresponding sense or faculty: "Through this holy unction and His own most tender mercy may the Lord pardon thee whatever sins or faults thou hast committed [quidquid deliquisti] by sight [by hearing, smell, taste, touch, walking, carnal delectation]".

The unction of the loins is generally, if not universally, omitted in English-speaking countries, and it is of course everywhere forbidden in case of women. To perform this rite fully takes an appreciable time, but in cases of urgent necessity, when death is likely to occur before it can be completed, it is sufficient to employ a single unction (on the forehead, for instance) with the general form: "Through this holy unction may the Lord pardon thee whatever sins or faults thou hast committed." By the decree of 25 April, 1906, the Holy Office has expressly approved of this form for cases of urgent necessity.



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I speak with the successor of the fisherman...Though I acknowledge none as first except Christ, I am joined in communion with your Holiness, that is to say, in communion with the Chair of Peter. I know that it is upon that rock that the Church has been built.
– St. Jerome, Ad Damasum, circa 420 A.D.

The Holy Priesthood

By Bishop Mark A. Pivarunas, CMRI

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Dearly Beloved in Christ,

In the Gospel of St. Matthew, we read of the call of the two first Apostles, St. Peter and his brother St. Andrew, by Our Divine Lord Jesus Christ:

“As He was walking by the sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen). And He said to them, ‘Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ And at once they left their nets, and followed Him” (Matt. 4:18).
That which Jesus Christ did some 1900 years ago, He has continued to do in every age, that is, to call men to leave all things behind to follow Him and to become “fishers of men.”

In this pastoral letter, let us admire the goodness and mercy of God in the institution of the Sacrament of Holy Orders by which men are ordained to continue the mission begun by Christ here on earth — to glorify the Father (by the renewal of the Sacrifice of Calvary at Holy Mass) and to work for the salvation of souls (by the administration of the Sacraments and by preaching the Gospel).

When we consider the Sacrament of Orders, the very first question which comes to our minds is, what is a priest? A priest is properly defined as an alter Christus — another Christ. He continues the life of Christ here on earth by his earthly ministry; by his priestly ordination, he acts in persona Christi (in the Person of Christ). St. Paul tells us in his Epistle to the Hebrews:

“For every high priest, taken from among men, is appointed for men in the things pertaining to God....” (Hebrews 5:1).
And what are these “things pertaining to God”? First and foremost, the priest offers the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass — the unbloody renewal of Calvary. Sacrifice is something synonymous with religion; for without sacrifice, there is no religion. In the Old Testament, we frequently find reference to the offering of sacrifices to God to atone for sin. In the Book of Exodus, we read of Moses:

“And he took the blood and sprinkled it upon the people, and he said: ‘This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words’” (Exodus 24:8).
How similar are these words of Moses, “This is the blood of the covenant,” to the words of Christ at the Last Supper, “This is the Chalice of My Blood.” Yet, these Old Testament sacrifices were but a prefigurement of the one and only acceptable sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and the unbloody renewal of that same sacrifice at Holy Mass. At the Last Supper, Our Divine Lord took bread and wine and by His Almighty power changed it into His Body and Blood, when He said:

“Take and eat; This is My Body....

“All of you drink of this; for this is My Blood of the New Covenant, which is being shed for many unto the remission of sins” (Matt. 26:26).

And immediately after the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into His Body and Blood, Our Lord commanded His disciples,

“Do this for a commemoration of Me” (Luke 22:19).
By these words, Christ commanded His Apostles, His first priests, to do exactly the same thing as He did — to change mere bread and wine into His Own Body and Blood. And we know that the Apostles fulfilled this command, for St. Paul in his first Epistle to the Corinthians reminds them that,

“As often as you shall eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord, until He comes” (1 Cor. 11:26).
And that,

“The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not the sharing of the blood of Christ? And the bread that we break, is it not the partaking of the body of the Lord?” (1 Cor. 10:16).
What a wonderful condescension! Our Lord gave to His Apostles, and through them by the Sacrament of Orders, to those ordained to the priesthood in the future, the power to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and to consecrate bread and wine into His Own Body and Blood. The Council of Trent was very clear on this matter:

“Although Christ our Lord was to offer himself once to his Eternal Father on the altar of the Cross by actually dying to obtain for us eternal redemption, yet as His priesthood was not to become extinct by His death, in order to leave His Church a visible sacrifice suited to the present condition of men, a sacrifice which might at the same time represent to us the bloody sacrifice consummated on the Cross, preserve the memory of it to the end of the world, and apply the salutary fruits of it for the remission of the sins which we daily commit; at His last supper, on the very night on which He was betrayed, giving proof that He was established a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedech, He offered to God His Body and Blood, under the appearances of bread and wine, and, under the same symbols, gave them to the apostles, whom He constituted at the same time priests of the New Law. By these words , ‘Do ye this in remembrance of Me,’ He commissioned them and their successors in the priesthood to consecrate and offer His Body and Blood, as the Catholic Church has always understood and taught.”
And further on the Council declares that Our Lord, appeased by the oblation of the Sacrifice of Mass, grants us His graces and the remission of sin. It says:

“It is one and the same victim; the one that offers sacrifice is the same one who, after having sacrificed Himself on the Cross, offers Himself now by the ministry of the priest; there is no difference except in the manner of offering.”
The sacrificial nature of the priesthood and the doctrine that the priest acts in the Person of Christ are very important aspects for us to remember, especially in our times, when the modern Church has mutilated the Mass and has replaced it with the Novus Ordo (the New Modern Mass). In the true Mass, the priest consecrates the Sacred Species by the power he has from his sacred ordination, by which he acts in the Person of Christ. Thus the priest says in the Consecration at Mass, “This is My Body;” “This is the Chalice of My Blood,” and not, “This is the Body of Christ,” nor “This is the Chalice of His Blood.” In the Novus Ordo Mass, we find a new definition of the Mass in the General Preface, which reads:

“The Lord’s Supper is the assembly or gathering together of the people of God, with a priest presiding to celebrate the memorial of the Lord. For this reason the promise of Christ is particularly true of a local congregation of the Church: ‘Where two or three are gathered in my name there am I in their midst’” (General Instruction to the Novus Ordo, April 6, 1969).
Notice the terminology “priest presiding” and the Scriptural reference, “where two or three are gathered in My Name.” In the Novus Ordo, no longer does the priest offer the Holy Sacrifice and consecrate the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ in persona Christi (in the Person of Christ); now he merely presides over the assembly, and the assembly, the people gathered together, bring about a spiritual presence of Christ. This new definition of the Mass is a Lutheran definition!

When we read in ecclesiastical history of the destruction of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in Germany by Martin Luther, and in England by Archbishop Cramner, we find that history has repeated itself in the late 1960’s with the introduction of the Novus Ordo Missae, but on a far wider scale. And included in this repetition of history is the serious doubt that exists in the “ordinations” which take place in the Conciliar Church of Vatican II.

With this new definition of the Mass according to Luther, the very aspect of the priesthood has changed. This was one of the reasons that Pope Leo XIII declared in his Apostolic Constitution, Apostolicae Curae, the Anglican orders to be invalid — the lack of intention to ordain the priests to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Once again, let us appreciate the inestimable gift of the holy priesthood, by which we have the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

The secondary role of the priest is the salvation of souls, especially by the administration of the sacraments. In the Gospel of St. John, we read how our Divine Lord, after His Resurrection, appeared to His Apostles:

“He therefore said to them again, ‘Peace be to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed upon them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit; whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; whose sins you shall retain, they are retained’” (John 20:21).
Here, we must reiterate that the priest, acting in the Person of Christ, says, “Ego te absolvo a peccatis tuis,” — “I absolve thee from thy sins,” and not, “Christ absolves thee from thy sins.” By his ordination, the priest identifies himself with Christ. Where would we be spiritually without the Sacrament of Penance? How burdened our souls would be without the reassurance and certainty offered us by the words of the priest:

“Ego te absolvo a peccatis tuis....” (I absolve thee from thy sins).
In the beginning of our spiritual life, it was the priest who cleansed our souls of original sin and gave us the life of God — sanctifying grace — through the sacrament of Baptism. By this most necessary sacrament, we become children of God and heirs of heaven, as Our Lord said:

“Amen, amen, I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).
And when our lives draw to their end, once again, the priest is there to assist and support us by means of the sacrament of Extreme Unction. In the Epistle of St. James, we find the scriptural reference for this sacrament:

“Is any one among you sick? Let him bring in the presbyters of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up and if he be in sins they shall be forgiven them” (James 5:14).
Having briefly considered the necessary role of the priesthood in the Church, is it any wonder, then, why the devil hates priests, why he would desire their downfall, why he would do his utmost to divert young men from pursuing their vocation to the priesthood? Let us pray for our priests, and also pray that God will send more laborers into His harvest! This month of June marks the 10th anniversary of my priestly ordination. Please remember me in your prayers on June 27, the feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help.

In Christo Jesu et Maria Immaculata,
Most Rev. Mark A. Pivarunas, CMRI

Vocation: A Call to Serve God

Of perennial interest and importance is the question: How can I know whether I have a vocation to the priesthood or the religious life? It is a mistake to believe that such a vocation must be so absolute and clear that it scarcely leaves any choice to the free will. There are certain absolute conditions for a vocation to such a life — conditions without which one can be sure that God is not calling him. Other signs are inherent in and dependent upon free will, but inspired by the grace of God as an invitation to follow Him. These are the absolutely necessary conditions:

1. Good health. The demands made upon one’s physical condition by a religious vocation necessitate good health.

2. Ordinary talents. One must have at least ordinary abilities in order to follow a religious vocation.

3. Reasonable independence. If one must care for his parents, for instance, he is not free to enter the religious state.

4. Normal piety. If one is not at least ordinarily devoted to religious practices, he or she can hardly be fitted for the more than ordinary religious exercises of a priest or religious.

Besides these essential qualities, other signs are inherent and dependent upon free will, but inspired by the grace of God as an invitation to follow Him:

1. A spirit of sacrifice: an ability to give up lesser but more appealing goods for greater, but more spiritual ones.

2. A spirit of zeal: that special form of charity that inspires one to the work of saving souls.

3. A spirit of detachment: the power that enables a person to be in the world but not of the world, to control the emotions, and if necessary, suppress them, and to be willing to spend the rest of ones life celibate.

4. A desire to be a priest or religious — or a conviction that the religious state is, for him, the surest way to save his soul.

The presence of these eight signs is an indication that one is being invited by God to be one of His own. Their presence, however, will never amount to a certain mandate: the decision is always left to the free will. A vocation is the voice of God, not commanding, but calling. To follow this calling is to follow God’s special plan. A vocation is the particular path in life which will bring one the greatest happiness on earth and in eternity.

It is difficult to enumerate all the gifts and graces that Almighty God lavishes on a religious. Everything in religious life tends towards personal sanctification and the salvation of others: the frequent reception of the sacraments, religious exercises and pious practices, innumerable opportunities for the practice of virtue, the Holy Rule and the customs of the order or congregation, periods of solitude and silence, the holiness of its occupations, the vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience, numerous spiritual instructions.

St. Bernard tells us that religious live more purely, fall more rarely, rise more easily, live more peacefully, are more plentifully endowed with grace, die more securely, and are more abundantly rewarded. A religious vocation is a magnificent grace from God, but it is only the beginning of a long chain of graces they must cooperate with by serving Him with love and fervor. By fidelity to one’s vocation, a religious is able to a degree to change the world — to win the world for Christ, to restore all things in Christ.

If such be the value of the religious vocation, can we begin to appreciate the merit of the priestly calling? Indeed, what would the Catholic Church be without the priest? The confessional would be useless, the church would be empty, the pulpit would be silent. In a moment of sorrow, at the hour of death, there would be no one there to give comfort and assurance of God’s love and pardon. Never before has there been such a need for priests, and never has there been such a shortage of them!

The religious or priestly life appears to be a difficult one. If we look to our own unaided strength, certainly it is. One needs confidence in the goodness and power of God, Whose grace is always sufficient to accomplish what He asks. This trust will be gained by fervent prayer. We must pray in order to know and do God’s Will, and we must also ask for the grace to carry it out promptly. To delay ones vocation without a very good reason is to risk losing Gods special invitation.

One who feels he may be called to the priestly or religious life should seek the wise counsel of a confessor or priest. In the choice of one’s vocation, the essential thing is to understand what is God’s Will, not necessarily what pleases oneself most. The rich young man of the Gospel story certainly loved God, kept the Commandments and was greatly loved by Our Lord. But in his attachment to his riches, he rejected the call to follow Christ and “went away sad.” May God grant many souls the generosity and dedication necessary to meet the crying needs of our times. Behold, the harvest is great, and the laborers few!


Prayer for Choosing One’s State in Life

O my God, Thou Who art the God of wisdom and good counsel, Thou Who readest in my heart a sincere desire to please Thee alone and to direct myself in regard to my choice of a state of life, in conformity with Thy holy Will in all things, by the intercession of the most holy Virgin, my Mother, and of my patron saints, grant me the grace to know that state of life which I ought to choose, and to embrace it when known, in order that thus I may seek Thy glory and deserve the heavenly reward which Thou hast promised to those who do Thy holy Will. Amen.

(Indulgence of 300 days once a day — Pope Pius X)

The Matter and Form of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist

From the Catechism of the Council of Trent


Constituent Parts of the Eucharist

It is particularly incumbent on pastors to know the matter of this Sacrament, in order that they themselves may rightly consecrate it, and also that they may be able to instruct the faithful as to its significance, inflaming them with an earnest desire of that which it signifies.

The first element of the Eucharist is bread.

The matter of this Sacrament is twofold. The first element is wheaten bread, of which we shall now speak. Of the second we shall treat hereafter. As the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark and Luke testify, Christ the Lord took bread into His hands, blessed, and broke, saying: This is My body (Matt. 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19); and, according to John, the same Savior called Himself bread in these words: I am the living bread, that came down from heaven (John 6:41).

The sacramental bread must be wheaten.

There are, however, various sorts of bread, either because they consist of different materials — such as wheat, barley, pulse and other products of the earth; or because they possess different qualities — some being leavened, others altogether without leaven. It is to be observed that, with regard to the former kinds, the words of the Savior show that the bread should be wheaten; for, according to the common usage, when we simply say bread, we are sufficiently understood to mean wheaten bread. This is also declared by a figure in the Old Testament, because the Lord commanded that the loaves of proposition, which signified this Sacrament, should be made of fine flour.1

The sacramental bread should be unleavened.

But as wheaten bread alone is to be considered the proper matter for this Sacrament — a doctrine which has been handed down by Apostolic tradition and confirmed by the authority of the Catholic Church — so it may be easily inferred from the doings of Christ the Lord that this bread should be unleavened. It was consecrated and instituted by Him on the first day of unleavened bread, on which it was not lawful for the Jews to have anything leavened in their houses (Matt. 26:17; Mark 14:12; Luke 22:7).

Should the authority of John the Evangelist (John 13:1), who says that all this was done before the feast of the Passover, be objected to, the argument is one of easy solution. For by the day before the pasch John understands the same day which the other Evangelists designate the first day of unleavened bread. He wished particularly to mark the natural day, which commences at sunrise; whereas they wanted to point out that our Lord celebrated the Pasch on Thursday evening just when the days of the unleavened bread were beginning. Hence St. Chrysostom2 also understands the first day of unleavened bread to be the day on the evening of which unleavened bread was to be eaten.3

The peculiar suitableness of the consecration of unleavened bread to express that integrity and purity of mind which the faithful should bring to this Sacrament we learn from these words of the Apostle: Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new paste, as you are unleavened. For Christ our Passover is sacrificed. Therefore, let us feast, not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (1 Cor. 5:7).

Unleavened bread not essential.

This quality of the bread, however, is not to be deemed so essential that, if it be wanting, the Sacrament cannot exist; for both kinds are called by the one name and have the true and proper nature of bread. No one, however, is at liberty on his own private authority, or rather presumption, to transgress the laudable rite of his Church. And such departure is the less warrantable in priests of the Latin Church, expressly obliged as they are by the Supreme Pontiffs, to consecrate the sacred mysteries with unleavened bread only.

Quantity of the bread.

With regard to the first matter of this Sacrament, let this exposition suffice. It is, however, to be observed, that the quantity of the matter to be consecrated is not defined, since we cannot define the exact number of those who can or ought to receive the sacred mysteries.4

The second element of the eucharistic wine.

It remains for us to treat of the other matter and element of this Sacrament, which is wine pressed from the fruit of the vine, with which is mingled a little water.

That in the institution of this Sacrament our Lord and Savior made use of wine has been at all times the doctrine of the Catholic Church, for He Himself said: I will not drink from henceforth of this fruit of the vine until that day (Matt. 26:29; Mark 14:25). On this passage Chrysostom5 observes: He says, “Of the fruit of the vine,” which certainly produced wine not water; as if he had it in view, even at so early a period, to uproot the heresy which asserted that in these mysteries water alone is to be used.

Water should be mixed with the wine.

With the wine, however, the Church of God has always mingled water. First, because Christ the Lord did so, as is proved by the authority of the Councils and the testimony of St. Cyprian;6 next, because by this mixture is renewed the recollection of the blood and water that issued from His side. Water, also, as we read in the Apocalypse (17:15), signify the people; and hence, water mixed with the wine signifies the union of the faithful with Christ their Head. This rite, derived as it is from Apostolic tradition, the Catholic Church has always observed.

But although there are reasons so grave for mingling it in small quantity, for, in the opinion and judgment of ecclesiastical writers, that water is changed into wine. Hence these words of Pope Honorius7 on the subject: A pernicious abuse has prevailed in your district of using in the sacrifice a greater quantity of water than of wine; whereas, according to the rational practice of the universal Church, the wine should be used in much greater quantity than the water.8

No other elements pertain to this Sacrament.

These, then, are the only two elements of this Sacrament, and with reason has it been enacted by many decrees that, although there have been those who were not afraid to do so, it is unlawful to offer anything but bread and wine.

Peculiar fitness of bread and wine.

We have now to consider the aptitude of these two symbols of bread and wine to represent those things of which we believe and confess they are the sensible signs.

In the first place, then, they signify to us Christ, as the true life of men; for our Lord Himself says: My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed (John 6:55). As, then, the Body of Christ the Lord furnishes nourishment unto eternal life to those who receive this Sacrament with purity and holiness, rightly is the matter composed chiefly of those elements by which our present life is sustained, in order that the faithful may easily understand that the mind and soul are satisfied by the Communion of the precious Body and Blood of Christ.

These very elements serve also somewhat to suggest to men the truth of the Real Presence of the Body and Blood of the Lord in the Sacrament. Observing, as we do, that bread and wine are every day changed by the power of nature into human flesh and blood, we are led the more easily by this analogy to believe that the substance of the bread and wine is changed, by the heavenly benediction, into the real Flesh and real Blood of Christ.

This admirable change of the elements also helps to shadow forth what takes place in the soul. Although no change of the bread and wine appears externally, yet their substance is truly changed into the flesh and blood of Christ; so, in like manner, although in us nothing appears changed, yet we are renewed inwardly unto life, when we receive in the Sacrament of the Eucharist the true life.

Moreover, the body of the Church, which is one, consists of many members, and of this union nothing is more strikingly illustrative than the elements of bread and wine; for bread is made from many grains and wine is pressed from many clusters of grapes. Thus they signify that we, though many, are most closely bound together, by the bond of this divine mystery and made, as it were, one body.9

FORM OF THE EUCHARIST

The form to be used in the consecration of the bread is next to be treated of, not, however, in order that the faithful should be taught these mysteries, unless necessity require it; for this knowledge is not needful for those who have not received Holy Orders. The purpose (of this section) is to guard against most shameful mistakes on the part of priests, at the time of the consecration, due to ignorance of the form.

Form to be used in the Consecration of the bread.

We are then taught by the holy Evangelists, Matthew and Luke, and also by the Apostle, that the form consists of these words: This is my body; for it is written: Whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke, and gave to his disciples, and said: Take and eat, This is My Body (Matt. 26:26; Mark 14:23; Luke 22:10; 1 Cor. 11:24).

This form of consecration having been observed by Christ the Lord has been always used by the Catholic Church. The testimonies of the Fathers, the enumeration of which would be endless, and also the decree of the Council of Florence, which is well known and accessible to all, must here be omitted, especially as the knowledge which they convey may be obtained from these words of the Savior: Do this for a commemoration of Me (Luke 22:19). For what the Lord enjoined was not only what He had done, but also what He had said; and especially is this true, since the words were uttered not only to signify, but also to accomplish.

That these words constitute the form is easily proved from reason also. The form is that which signifies what is accomplished in the Sacrament; but as the preceding words signify and declare what takes place in the Eucharist, that is, the conversion of the bread into the true Body of our Lord, it therefore follows that these very words constitute the form. In this sense may be understood the words of the Evangelist: He blessed; for they seem equivalent to this: Taking bread, He blessed it, saying: “This is My Body” (Matt. 26:26).

Not all the words used are essential.

Although in the Evangelist the words, Take and eat, precede the words (This is My body), they evidently express the use only, not the consecration, of the matter. Wherefore, while they are not necessary to the consecration of the Sacrament, they are by all means to be pronounced by the priest, as is also the conjunction for in the consecration of the Body and Blood. But they are not necessary to the validity of the Sacrament, otherwise it would follow that if this Sacrament were not administered to anyone, it should not, or indeed could not, be consecrated; whereas, no one can lawfully doubt that the priest, by pronouncing the words of our Lord according to the institution and practice of the Church, truly consecrates the proper matter of the bread, even though it should afterwards never be administered.

Form to be used in the Consecration of the wine.

With regard to the consecration of the wine, which is the other element of this Sacrament, the priest, for the reason we have already assigned, ought of necessity to be well acquainted with, and well understand its form. We are then firmly to believe that it consists in the following words: This is the chalice of My Blood, of the new and eternal testament, the mystery of faith, which shall be shed for you and for many, to the remission of sins.10 Of these words, the greater part are taken from Scripture; but some have been preserved in the Church from apostolic tradition.

Thus the words, this is the chalice, are found in St. Luke and in the Apostle (Luke 12:20; 1 Cor. 11:25); but the words that immediately follow, of My Blood, or my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for you and for many to the remission of sins, are found partly in St. Luke and partly in St. Matthew (Luke 22:20; Matt. 26:28). But the words, eternal, and the mystery of faith, have been taught us by holy tradition, the interpreter and keeper of Catholic truth.

Concerning this form no one can doubt, if he here also attend in what has been already said about the form used in the consecration of the bread. The form to be used (in the consecration) of this element evidently consists of those words which signify that the substance of the wine is changed into the Blood of our Lord. Since, therefore, the words already cited clearly declare this, it is plain that no other words constitute the form.

They moreover express certain admirable fruits of the Blood shed in the Passion of our Lord, fruits which pertain in a most special manner to this Sacrament. Of these, one is access to the eternal inheritance, which has come to us by right of the new and everlasting testament. Another is access to righteousness by the mystery of faith; for God hath set forth Jesus to be a propitiator through faith in His Blood, that He Himself may be just, and the justifier of him, who is of the faith of Jesus Christ” (Rom. 3:25). A third effect is the remission of sins.

Explanation of the form used in the Consecration of the wine.

Since these very words of consecration are replete with mysteries and most appropriately suitable to the subject, they demand a more minute consideration.

The words: This is the chalice of My Blood, are to be understood to mean. This is My Blood, which is contained in this chalice. The mention of the chalice made at the consecration of the Blood is right and appropriate, inasmuch as the Blood is the drink of the faithful, and this would not be sufficiently signified if it were not contained in some drinking vessel.

Next follow the words: Of the new testament. These have been added that we might understand the Blood of Christ the Lord to be given not under a figure, as was done in the Old Law, of which we read in the Epistle to the Hebrews (9:18) that without blood a testament is not dedicated; but to be given to men in truth and in reality, as becomes the New Testament.11 Hence the Apostle says: Christ therefore is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of His death, they who are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance (Heb. 9:15).

The word eternal refers to the eternal inheritance, the right to which we acquire by the death of Christ the Lord, the eternal testator.

The words mystery of faith, which are subjoined, do not exclude the reality, but signify that what lies hidden and concealed and far removed from the perception of the eye, is to be believed with firm faith. In this passage, however, these words bear a meaning different from that which they have when applied also to Baptism. Here the mystery of faith consists in seeing by faith the Blood of Christ veiled under the species of wine; but Baptism is justly called by us the Sacrament of faith, by the Greeks, the mystery of faith, because it embraces the entire profession of the Christian faith.

Another reason why we call the Blood of the Lord the mystery of faith is that human reason is particularly beset with difficulty and embarrassment when faith proposes to our belief that Christ the Lord, the true Son of God, at once God and man, suffered death for us, and this death is designated by the Sacrament of His Blood.

Here, therefore, rather than at the consecration of His Body, is appropriately commemorated the Passion of our Lord, by the words which shall be shed for the remission of sins. For the Blood, separately consecrated, serves to place before the eyes of all, in a more forcible manner, the Passion of our Lord, His death, and the nature of His sufferings.

The additional words for you and for many, are taken, some from Matthew, some from Luke (Matt. 26:28; Luke 22:20), but were joined together by the Catholic Church under the guidance of the Spirit of God. They serve to declare the fruit and advantage of His Passion. For if we look to its value, we must confess that the Redeemer shed His Blood for the salvation of all; but if we look to the fruit which mankind has received from it, we shall easily find that it pertains not unto all, but to many of the human race. When therefore (our Lord) said: For you, He meant either those who were present, or those chosen from among the Jewish people, such as were, with the exception of Judas, the disciples with whom He was speaking. When He added, And for many, He wished to be understood to mean the remainder of the elect from among the Jews or Gentiles.

With reason, therefore, were the words for all not used, as in this place the fruits of the Passion are alone spoken of, and to the elect only did His Passion bring the fruit of salvation. And this is the purport of the Apostle (Heb. 9:28) when he says: Christ was offered once to exhaust the sins of many; and also of the words of our Lord in John: I pray for them; I pray not for the world, but for them whom thou hast given me, because they are thine (John 17:9).

Beneath the words of this consecration lie hid many other mysteries, which by frequent mediation and study of sacred things, pastors will find it easy, with the divine assistance, to discover for themselves.

1The loaves of proposition, or shew-breads, were twelve loaves of unleavened bread placed in the Holy of Holies and renewed every Saturday. Their purpose was to show forth the gratitude of the twelve tribes to the Lord, their sustenance and strength.
2In Matt. Hom. lxxxi. n.1
3For an explanation of the time when our Lord kept His last Pasch and instituted the Holy Eucharist see Callan, The Four Gospels, pages 167-171.
4On the bread used for the Eucharist see Summa Theol. 3a, lxxiv. 1-4
5In Matt. Hom. lxxxii, n.2
6Ep. lxxii.
7Decret. lib. iii, 41. c. 12
8On the wine used for the Eucharist see Summa Theol. 32, lxxiv. 5-8
9On the necessity and fitness of the matter of the Eucharist, see Summa Theol. 34. lxxiv. I; on the matter of the Eucharist see St. Alphonsus, Theol. Mor. vi. 194-219; Code of Canon Law, canons 814-817.
10Decret. bb. iii. tit. 41. c 6.
11Christ is present in the Eucharist not merely in sign or in figure, but in truth and in reality (Council of Trent, Sess. xiii, cap. 1)