What is Baptism? Baptism is the Sacrament which makes you a Christian and a member of the Catholic Church and gives you the right to receive the other Sacraments.

 

What does Baptism do to your soul?

1. It takes away all sin:  Original Sin, plus mortal and venial sins. "Do penance and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins."    (Acts 2:38)
2. It puts Sanctifying grace into your soul for the first time.
3. It brings the Holy Ghost to dwell in your soul.
4. It makes you a member of the Catholic Church.
5. It enables you to receive the other Sacraments.

 

Why do you have to be baptized?  Because Jesus Christ said: "Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."    (John 3:5)

 

What kind of sin is it to delay your Baptism? A serious (mortal) sin. "Why tarriest thou?  Rise up, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins."    (Acts 22:16)

 

What do you have to do to be baptized?

1. You have to take a full course of instructions in the Catholic religion;
2. Give up all seriously sinful habits;
3. Have the right intention. The "right intention" means that you wish to become a Catholic because the Catholic Church is the only true Church.

 

Who gives Baptism? Ordinarily, the priest, but anyone can baptize in an emergency.

 

How is Baptism given? It is given by pouring water over the forehead of the person to be baptized and, while pouring the water, saying, "I baptize thee in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost"  (Matthew 28:19), while having at least the minimum intention to do what the Church wants you to do by performing this sacramental act.

        Baptism can also be given by immersion or sprinkling, but in all cases the water has to flow over the head or forehead (not just the hair).

 

What are sponsors (Godparents) for? Sponsors at Baptism are supposed to see that their godchildren stay faithful to their religious duties.

 

Why do you take the name of a Saint at Baptism? You take a Saint's name to have that Saint watch over you and to have someone to imitate.

 

Do babies have to be baptized? Yes, because they have Original Sin on their souls, which means they have no Sanctifying Grace.

 

How soon should a baby be baptized? Within two or three weeks of its birth. It is a mortal sin to delay the Baptism of a baby for a long time.

Make arrangements with your priest a week before the baby's Baptism.  The baby's godfather and godmother should be good Catholics.

 

An expectant mother in a hospital should tell the doctors and nurses that she is a Catholic and that, if there is any danger to the life of the baby, they should send for a priest right away.  In case of real emergency, somebody should baptize the baby.

 

If your were baptized in a Protestant church, you will probably still have to go through the Catholic ceremony of Baptism.  This is called conditional Baptism.  The reason for this is to make sure that you are really baptized.  It is practically impossible to find out if your Protestant Baptism was done according to the intention of Christ, since many Protestant ministers consider Baptism merely a sort of initiation ritual or symbol that produced no effect in the soul.

The Manner in which a Lay Person is to Baptize in Case of Necessity
Pour common water on the head or face of the person to be baptized say while pouring it:
"I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."

Why did God the Father send His Son into the world?  To save man from his sins. "Thou shalt call His name Jesus.  For He shall save His people from their sins."    (Matthew 1:21)

 

Does Jesus Christ have the power to forgive sins? Yes, Jesus has the power to forgive sin because He is God.

 

Did Jesus Christ forgive sins while on earth? Yes, He forgave the sins of the paralyzed man (Luke 5:18-26), the woman taken in adultery (John 8:1-11), the sinful woman (Luke 7:39-50) and the good thief (Luke 23:39-43).

 

Did Jesus Christ give anyone the power to forgive sin? Yes, to His Apostles on Easter Sunday night.

"Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained."    (John 20:23)

 

Did Jesus want His Apostles to hand down this power to others? Yes, because He died to save all men from their sins.

"This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, Who will have all men to be saved."    (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

 

How did the Apostles hand down this power to others? By making other men bishops and priests. After the Apostles died, the bishops have continued to hand down the power of forgiving sin, during the past 2,000 years, through the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

 

Who has the power to forgive sin today? All bishops and priests of the Catholic Church can forgive sin.

 

What is the Sacrament of Penance? Penance is the Sacrament by which the sins committed after Baptism are forgiven.

 

What do you have to do to have your sins forgiven?  You have to be truly sorry for them and confess them to a Catholic priest.

"He that hideth his sins, shall not prosper:  but he that shall confess, and forsake them, shall obtain mercy."    (Proverbs 28:13)

 

Why do you have to confess your sins to a priest? This is the way Jesus Christ wants sin to be forgiven.  Otherwise, Christ would not have given His priests the power to forgive sin.

 

Why does the priest have to know what sins you have committed? He has to know whether he is to forgive your sins or "retain" them. If you are truly sorry, he will grant you forgiveness (called "absolution"); if not, he must retain them (that is, refuse to give you absolution).

 

Does the priests only pray that your sins will be forgiven? No, the priest, by the power given him, actually takes the sins off your soul (called "absolution"). "For what I have pardoned...  I have done it in the person of Christ."    (2 Corinthians 2:10)

 

Can you be sure that your sins are forgiven in Confession? Yes, if you have properly confessed them and are sorry for them.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity."    (1 John 1:9)

 

What does Confession do for your soul? Besides taking sin off your soul, Confession also--

1. Puts Sanctifying Grace back into your soul, if you were in mortal sin, absolution of sin
2. Makes the grace grow in you, extra strength to stay away from the same or similar sins in the future.
3. Gives you an exorcism, to keep evil spirits away from you

 

Can all sins be forgiven in Confession? Yes, if you are truly sorry for them.

 

What is meant by "being sorry for your sins"? "Being sorry" means--

1. that you wish you had not committed the sins
2. that you sincerely promise not to commit those sins again
3. that you promise to stay way from any person, place, or thing that easily leads you into sin.

 

What kind of sorrow do you have to have to be forgiven? Religious sorrow, that is, you must be sorry because you dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell (imperfect sorrow), and/or because you have offended the infinitely good God (perfect sorrow). Therefore, to have your sins forgiven, it is not enough to be sorry because your sins have caused you to lose your job or some money.  The sorrow has to be religious.  Sorrow for sin is called contrition.  You do not have to feel the sorrow with your emotions.

 

Why do you not have to be afraid of Confession? You do not have to be afraid because--

1. you may go to any priest you want
2. in the confessional, a screen hides you from the priest
3. the priest is never allowed to tell anyone any sin he has ever heard in Confession.  This secrecy is called the "Seal of Confession."

 

What sins do you have to confess? All your mortal sins.

 

What kind of sin is it deliberately to omit telling a mortal sin in Confession? A mortal sin of sacrilege.  This is called making a bad Confession. To undo a bad Confession, you have to confess that you made a bad Confession, confess the omitted mortal sin (s), and confess any other mortal sins you have committed since then (including Communions received in the state of mortal sin).

 

What should you do if you forget to confess a mortal sin? You must tell it in your next Confession and tell the priest that you forgot it. But the sin is forgiven and you may receive Communion in the meantime.

 

What do you do if you have no mortal sins to confess? Tell your venial sins and/or mention some sin already told in a previous Confession.

 

How often do you have to go to Confession? At least once a year during Lent.

If you ever commit a mortal sin, say the Act of Contrition right away and go to Confession as soon as possible.  If you have  perfect contrition for the mortal sin and intend to confess it in Confession, God forgives you and takes away the sin right away,  but you may not receive Holy Communion until you confess it in Confession.

 

How often does a good Catholic go to Confession? Once a week, if possible, but at least once a month. Remember that in Confession you receive grace from the Sacrament of Penance.  Besides, in Confession you receive special helps to overcome the temptations that bother you most.

In Confession the eternal punishment (Hell) is taken away, but all of the temporal punishment due to your sins is not always taken away.  "Temporal punishment" means that, even though all your sins are forgiven through the Sacrament of Penance, God still requires that you be punished for your sins, either in this life or in Purgatory.  So, Confession does not make sinning easier.  One of the chief ways by which you can make up for your sins is by gaining indulgences.

 

If you are in danger of death and cannot go to Confession right away, be sure to make an act of perfect contrition; say the Act of Contrition, or simply tell God you are sorry for all your sins because they offend Him, Who is all good, and beg His mercy.  If somebody else (whether Catholic or not) is in danger of death, it is a great act of charity to help him to be sorry for offending God and to beg God's mercy.

"And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke:  and gave to His disciples, and said:  Take ye, and eat.  This is My body.  And taking the chalice, He gave thanks, and gave to them, saying:  Drink ye all of this.  For this is My blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto the remission of sins."  (Matthew 26:26-28)

	What is the Holy Eucharist? The Holy Eucharist is the Sacrament in which Jesus Christ is really and physically present under the appearances of bread and wine. "The chalice of benediction, which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?  And the bread, which we break, is it not the partaking of the body of the Lord?"    (1 Corinthians 10:16)
	Why is it also called "the Blessed Sacrament"? Because it is the most blessed of all the Sacraments, since it is Jesus Christ Himself.
	When did Jesus make this Sacrament? At the Last Supper, on the night before He died.
	How could Jesus change bread and wine into His Body and Blood? Jesus Christ is God and therefore can do anything. He told the Apostles that this was His Body and Blood. It also shows God's example of humility, by using bread and wine for our consumption as a way to come directly to his children.
	Did the bread and wine change their appearance? No, the appearances of the bread and wine (taste, smell, color, size, shape, weight) did not change, even though the bread and wine were actually changed into the Body and Blood of Jesus. The entire substance of the bread and wine are changed into the substance of the Body and Blood of Jesus; thus the bread and wine no longer exist.  This change is called Transubstantiation.
	Are both the Body and Blood of Christ present under the appearances of bread alone? Yes, it is the living Christ who is present; that is, His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity are present both under the appearance of bread and under the appearance of wine.
	Did Jesus give anyone the power of changing bread and wine into His body and Blood?  Yes, to His twelve Apostles at the Last Supper, when He told them, "Do this for a commemoration of me."
	Did Jesus ordain that His Apostles hand this power down to others? Yes, because He wanted all men to eat His Flesh and drink His Blood. "Amen, amen, I say to you:  Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you shall not have life in you."    (John 6:54)  (Here, "Life" means Sanctifying Grace.)
	How did the Apostles hand down this power? They handed it down by making other men priests and bishops through the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
	When does the priest change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ?    At Mass, when he says, "This is My Body," and "This is the chalice of My Blood..."
	Where is the Blessed Sacrament kept? In a little safe (called a tabernacle) on the altar. "And my tabernacle shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."    (Ezechiel 37:27)
	What is Holy Communion? Receiving the Body and Blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.
	What is necessary to receive Holy Communion worthily? You have to be a baptized Catholic... have no mortal sin on your soul... be fasting.
	Do you have to go to Confession first every time you receive Communion?  No, unless you have mortal sin on your soul.
	What kind of sin is it to receive Communion unworthily? To do so knowingly and willingly is a mortal sin called a sacrilege.
	What does "fasting" mean? "Fasting" means that, for three hours before receiving Communion, you have to stop eating solid food and drinking all liquids except water. You may take water, and if sick, medicine any time before receiving.  You must stop chewing gum at least one hour before.  Until the 1950s, the Church required fasting from midnight before Communion; this rule was later shortened to three hours for food and one hour for liquids (with water being allowed at any time). It is very praiseworthy to continue observing the traditional fast from midnight.
	How often do you have to receive Communion?  At least once a year, during the Easter Season, that is, any time from the 6th Sunday before Easter to the 8th Sunday after Easter.  This is called your Easter Duty. The 6th Sunday before Easter is called the First Sunday of Lent; the 8th Sunday after Easter is called Trinity Sunday.
	What kind of sin is it to miss your Easter Duty? A mortal sin.
	How often does a good Catholic receive Communion?   A good Catholic receives Communion every Sunday, or every day, if possible, but only once on the same day.
	What does Holy Communion do for your soul? It makes the Sanctifying Grace in your soul grow. "Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you shall not have life in you."    (John 6:54)
	What else does Communion do for you?   Communion unites you with Jesus. "He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, abideth in Me and I in him."    (John 6:57) It is food for your soul, to help you love God and obey His laws. "Give us this day our daily bread."    (Luke 11:3) It is a promise of your resurrection and future glory in Heaven. "He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood hath everlasting life:  and I will raise him up in the last day."    (John 6:55) It weakens your sinful inclinations.
	PRACTICAL POINTS
	Ordinarily, you receive Communion during Mass. However, the priest may bring you Communion when you are sick at home or in the hospital.
	Communion is called Viaticum when received when a person is in danger of death.
	After receiving Communion, you should spend some time praying to Our Lord, adoring Him, thanking Him, loving Him, and asking His help.
	You are not forbidden to receive Communion with venial sins on your soul, but you are advised to recite the Confiteor or the Act of Contrition before receiving.

	What is Confirmation? Confirmation is the Sacrament which gives you the strength to be a good Catholic. This Sacrament completes and perfects the Christian life you begin at Baptism.
	Who comes into your soul when you are confirmed? The Holy Ghost, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. "Or know you not, that your members are the temple of the Holy Ghost?"    (I Corinthians 6:19)
	What does Confirmation do to your soul? Confirmation gives you more Sanctifying Grace... It gives you more strength to stay away from sin and lead a Christian life... It helps you to be a loyal and faithful follower of Jesus Christ... It gives you the strength to profess your Catholic Faith openly and not to hide it.
	Can you get to Heaven without Confirmation? Yes, but it is more difficult.
	Is it a sin to neglect Confirmation? Yes, it is a sin to neglect Confirmation.
	Who gives Confirmation?  Usually a bishop.
	What do you have to do to receive Confirmation worthily? You have to be a baptized Catholic, and... have no mortal sin on your soul. You should also be well instructed in the Catholic religion.
	Do you have to have a sponsor for Confirmation? Yes, but usually not the same one you had for Baptism.
	How many times can you be confirmed? Only once.
	What is expected of a confirmed Catholic? A confirmed Catholic, by his prayers and words and good example, should try to lead others to the True Church.
	How is Confirmation given? In the traditional rite, the Bishop, holding his hands over those to be confirmed, prays for them and then makes the Sign of the Cross on the forehead of each one with the holy oil of Chrism.  He then taps each person lightly on the cheek.
	What words does the Bishop say while confirming? He says:  "I sign thee with the Sign of the Cross, and I confirm thee with the Chrism of salvation, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
	What is Holy Chrism? A mixture of olive oil and balm, consecrated by the Bishop on Holy Thursday; it is a symbol of the strength received in Confirmation.
	Why does the Bishop tap each one on the cheek? The tap on the cheek is to remind those confirmed that they must be ready to suffer all things, even death, for the sake of Jesus Christ. "Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake."    (Matthew 5:11)

	Choose a good Catholic for your sponsor.  You also have to select the name of another Saint for Confirmation (not the one you had for Baptism).
	The Holy Ghost comes into your soul more fully when you are confirmed.  He brings to your soul His Seven Gifts, which are:  Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Counsel, Fortitude, Piety and Fear of the Lord.
	A dying parishioner may receive Confirmation from his pastor if the Bishop cannot be reached in time.

 

The Sacrament of Extreme Unction & Last Rites

"Is any man sick among you?  Let him bring in the priests of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer of faith shall save the sick man:  and the Lord shall raise him up:  and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him."  (James 5:14-15)

 

HOW TO PREPARE FOR EXTREME UNCTION

THE CATHOLIC WAY OF DYING

Click Here

 

	What is the Sacrament of Extreme Unction?  Extreme Unction is the Sacrament which gives health and strength to the soul and sometimes to the body to persons who are in danger of death. The words "Extreme Unction" mean "last anointing."  In Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders, the body is anointed with holy oil.  In the Sacrament of Extreme Unction the body is anointed for the last time.  Hence the name.
	How is Extreme Unction given? After praying over the sick person, the priest anoints (makes the Sign of the Cross with the Holy Oil) on the person's eyes, ears, nostrils, lips, hands, and feet.
	What does the priest say while anointing the sick person? He says:  "Through this holy anointing, and by His most tender mercy, may the Lord pardon you what sins you have committed by sight (hearing, speech, and so on)."
	What does Extreme Unction do for your soul? The Sacrament of Extreme Unction -- Gives you more Sanctifying Grace; Helps you to bear your sufferings; Strengthens you against the temptations of the devil; Sometimes gives back your health; Takes away temporal punishment due to sin; Prepares you for immediate entry into Heaven.
	Does Extreme Unction take away sin? Extreme Unction takes away -- All your venial sins even your mortal sins if you are unable to confess them but are truly sorry for them.
	Who can give Extreme Unction? Only a Catholic priest.
	Who can receive Extreme Unction? Any Catholic in danger of death from sickness, old age or accident not only can, but should receive Extreme Unction. However, it may not be given to infants or to anyone who has never had the use of reason.
	When should you receive Extreme Unction? Whenever the sickness or accident is so serious that it could cause death. Examples:  Pneumonia, heart attack, a serious car accident.
	How often can you receive Extreme Unction? Only once in the same danger of death. However, if a new danger arises, you can receive it again.
	What should be done in case of sudden death? Send for a priest right away, because Extreme Unction may be given even after a person is apparently dead. Even when a person displays all the usual manifestations of death, the soul may still not have departed from the body.  Therefore, the Church allows Extreme Unction to be administered for a time after "death" has occurred.
	Why is it wrong to wait until the sick person is unconscious before sending for the priest?  Because the sick person must be conscious in order to benefit the most from the Sacrament.
	What kind of sin is it to deprive a sick person of Extreme Unction? A mortal sin. It often happens that a convert is the only Catholic in a family.  If this is your case, therefore, you should tell your relatives to send for the priest if you are ever in danger of death.
	What should be done before the priest comes to anoint the sick person? Spread a white cloth on a table beside the bed.  Then put a crucifix, two blessed candles, a bottle of holy water, a glass of drinking water, a spoon and some cotton on the table. A member of the family, carrying a lighted candle, should meet the priest at the door and lead him to the sickroom.  No one should talk to the priest, for he probably has the Holy Eucharist with him.  Everyone should kneel down when he enters.  If you do not have the above items, call the priest anyway.
	What does the priest do when he enters the sickroom? First, he says some prayers, sprinkles the sick person with holy water and hears his Confession.  Then he gives him Holy Communion and Extreme Unction, and finally, the Last Blessing. All of these together are called the Last Sacraments or Last Rites of the Church.  (Everyone else leaves the room while the priest hears the sick person's Confession.)

	Do not worry that a sick person will be frightened by the priest, because Catholics should always be glad to see the priest in order to receive the comforts that only the Sacraments can bring.
	If you are going to be a patient in a non-Catholic hospital, tell your parish priest which one you are going to and how long you expect to be there.  Also, tell the doctors and nurses that you are Catholic and that they should send for a priest if you become critical or serious.
	Catholics should be buried in Catholic cemeteries.  Tell your relatives to see your parish priest about your funeral.  Or, make the arrangements yourself ahead of time.
	Catholics are forbidden to have their bodies cremated, except in case of a serious public necessity.  The Catholic burial service used to be denied to those who give orders to have their bodies cremated. Reason for this is because your body is holy. You have been consuming the Body of Jesus your whole life and this is why you should be buried in blessed soil (Catholic Cemetery) and also the reason you should never consider being cremated unless the state law enforces it on you.

 

The Sacrament of Holy Orders (Priesthood)

"Having therefore a great high priest that hath passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God: let us hold fast our confession.  For we have not a high priest, who cannot have compassion on our infirmities:  but one tempted in all things like as we are, without sin.  Let us go therefore with confidence to the throne of grace in seasonable aid.  For every high priest taken from among men, is ordained for men in the things that appertain to God, that He may offer up gifts and sacrifices for sins:  Who can have compassion on them that are ignorant and that err:  because He Himself also is compassed with infirmity.  And therefore He ought, as for the people, as also for Himself, to offer for sins.  Neither doth any man take the honor to himself, but he that is called by God, as Aaron was."  (Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:1-4)

JESUS COMMISSIONS HIS FIRST PRIESTS

"And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying:  'All power is given to Me in Heaven and in earth.  Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:  and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world."  (Matthew 28:18-20)

 

	What did Jesus do to continue His work on earth? To make sure that His work be continued, Jesus established the Catholic Priesthood, through the Sacrament of Holy Orders. "For Christ therefore we are ambassadors, God as it were exhorting by us"    (2 Corinthians 5:20)
	What is the Sacrament of Holy Orders? Holy Orders is the Sacrament which gives a man the powers of the Catholic Priesthood.
	In general, what is a priest? A man who offers sacrifices to God for the sins of the people. "For every high priest taken from among men, is ordained for men in the things that appertain to God, that he may offer up gifts and sacrifices for sins."    (Hebrews 5:1)
	Was Jesus a priest? Yes, Jesus was and is, the Great High Priest. "Wherefore it behoved Him in all things to be made like unto His brethren, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest before God, that He might be a propitiation for the sins of the people."    (Hebrews 2:17)
	Who were the first Catholic priests?  The twelve Apostles, who were ordained to the priesthood by Jesus Christ Himself.
	When did Jesus make the twelve Apostles priests?  At the Last Supper (Holy Thursday), on the night before He died, when He gave them the power to change bread and wine into His Body and Blood. "Do this for a commemoration of me."    (Luke 22:19)
	Did the Apostles make other men priests? Yes, for example, Paul, Barnabas, Timothy, Titus, and Matthias. See Acts 13:3, 14:22, 1:24-26, and Titus 1:5.
	How did the Apostles ordain other men priests? By praying for them and imposing hands on them. "Then they, fasting and praying, and imposing their hands upon them, sent them away."    (Acts 13:3)
	After the Apostles died, how were the powers of the priesthood handed down? Before they died, the Apostles made other men bishops, who in turn made other men bishops, and in this way the powers of the priesthood have been handed down during the past 2000 years.
	How are the powers of the priesthood handed down today?  Today the bishops hand down the powers of the priesthood just as the Apostles did - by praying over and imposing hands on the candidates for priesthood.
	What are the chief powers of the priesthood? They are -- To offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which includes the power to change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ and... To forgive sins. Other powers of the priesthood are to preach with authority, administer other Sacraments and to bless people and objects.
	Where does the authority of the priesthood come from? From Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. "He that heareth you, heareth Me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth Me; and he that despiseth Me, despiseth Him that sent Me."    (Luke 10:16)
	Who can give the Sacrament of Holy Orders? Only a bishop. "For this cause I left thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and shouldest ordain priests in every city, as I also appointed thee."    (Titus 1:5)
	What is necessary to become a priest? To become a priest, a man has to study for about 6 years in a special school called a seminary and be approved by his bishop as to his learning, health, morals, and character. "Impose not hands lightly upon any man."    (1 Timothy 5:22)
	How does a man become a bishop? The Pope chooses a priest who is known for his learning and holiness and appoints other bishops to consecrate him a bishop by imposing hands and saying the proper words.
	How does a man become Pope? The Cardinals elect a successor to the dead Pope.
	Why do priests not get married? They do not marry because -- The single life is a holier life, recommended by Christ; Being single, they can give themselves entirely to God and the care of the people. "He that is without a wife, is solicitous for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please God.  But he that is with a wife, is solicitous for the things of the world, how he may please his wife:  and he is divided."    (1 Corinthians 7:32-33)
	Why is the priest called "Father"? Because he gives the life of grace to his spiritual children, just as a father gives physical life to his children. "I write not these things to confound you; but that I admonish you as my dearest children.  For if you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet not many fathers.  For in Christ Jesus, by the gospel, I have begotten you."    (1 Corinthians 4:14-15)

 

The Sacrament of Matrimony

"Being subject one to another, in the fear of Christ.  Let women be subject to their husbands, as to the Lord:  Because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the Church.  He is the savior of His body.  Therefore, as the Church is subject to Christ, so also let the wives be to their husbands in all things."

   "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the Church, and delivered Himself up for it:  That He might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life:  That He might present it to Himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy, and without blemish.   So also ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. ; He that loveth his wife, loveth himself.  For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, as also Christ doth the Church:  Because we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.  for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be two in one flesh.  This is a great sacrament; but I speak in Christ and in the Church.

   "Nevertheless let every one of you in particular love his wife as himself:   and let the wife fear her husband."  (Ephesians 5:21-33)

 

	What is the Sacrament of Matrimony? Matrimony is the Sacrament made by Jesus Christ to sanctify (make holy) the lawful union of a Christian man and a Christian woman.
	Was marriage always a Sacrament? No, marriage, although always a sacred union of man and woman, was raised to the dignity of a Sacrament by Jesus Christ.
	What does this Sacrament do for a couple? It unites them in an indissoluble (unbreakable) union until death It makes Sanctifying Grace grow in their souls It gives them special helps to perform their duties as married people and to overcome the difficulties that may come into their married life.
	Who may receive the Sacrament of Matrimony? Only those who have been baptized and are free to marry.
	What is necessary to receive this Sacrament worthily? You have to be free of mortal sin.
	What kind of sin is it to receive this Sacrament unworthily? A mortal sin of sacrilege. However, the marriage is valid.
	Do Catholics have to be married at Mass? No, but it is certainly fitting that they do so. The special Mass for a Catholic wedding is called the Nuptial Mass.  Traditionally, this Mass was not celebrated for a mixed marriage, nor during Lent or Advent.
	What should a Catholic do who wants to marry? Preparations for the wedding should be made with one of the priests in the bride's parish several months in advance. This time requirement varies from diocese to diocese.
	What is the only way a Catholic can be married? Only in the presence of a Catholic priest and two witnesses. Occasionally other arrangements can be made, but this requires a dispensation in advance from the local bishop and can be done only for a sufficiently grave reason.
	What happens if a Catholic is not married by a priest?  A Catholic who goes through a marriage ceremony before anyone other than a Catholic priest is not married. Such a couple has to separate or have the marriage made valid.
	What if a Catholic goes through a marriage ceremony before a Protestant minister? Such a person is not married and is guilty of mortal sin. Traditionally this sin also carried the penalty of automatic excommunication.  This meant that such a person could not receive any of the Sacraments nor have a Catholic funeral, because they are not putting the Love of God first, yet choose to marry outside of the One True Faith.
	May a Catholic marry a non-Catholic? You should not, except for a very serious reason. A marriage between a Catholic and a non-Catholic is called a mixed marriage. These marriages are plagued with problems, much to do with the difference on how faith should be implemented.
	Why does the Church forbid mixed marriages? Because of the danger of loss of faith on the part of the Catholic and of the children. The different religious beliefs of the parents cause serious arguments on such important matters as divorce, birth control, Sunday Mass, eating meat on Friday, and the Catholic education of the children.
	Were mixed marriages forbidden in the Bible? Yes, mixed marriages were strictly forbidden by God. "Neither shalt thou make marriages with them.  Thou shalt not give thy daughter to his son, nor take his daughter for thy son:  For she will turn away thy son from following Me, that he may rather serve strange gods, and the wrath of the Lord will be kindled, and will quickly destroy thee."    (Deuteronomy 7:3-4)
	Who is the only one who can allow a mixed marriage? Only the bishop, and he can give permission only for a serious reason.
	In a mixed marriage, what must the Catholic promise? The Catholic must sign promises: To remain a Catholic. To see to it that the children are baptized and are brought up as Catholics. Also, the Catholic party must inform the non-Catholic of these promises.
	Are the marriages of non-Catholics valid? Yes, provided all the laws of God concerning marriage are observed, the marriages of non-Catholics among themselves are valid and therefore cannot be broken.

It is not the priest who gives the Sacrament of Matrimony; he is only the chief witness.  The bride and groom give it to each other.  The first gift they give one another is an increase of God's life -- Sanctifying Grace.  It is fitting indeed that this giving be done at Mass.