An examination of conscience for adults

I believe in a loving Savior Who forgives my sins and Who gives me the grace to become a saint. Jesus Christ, through the ministry of His priests, does both in the Sacrament of Penance.

"As the Father hath sent Me, I also send you ... Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained." (John 20:21-23)

"If your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow." (Isaias 1:18)

"I am not come to call the just, but sinners." (Matt. 9:13)

"Men have received from God a power not granted to angels or archangels. Never was it said to the heavenly spirits, 'Whatsoever you shall bind and unbind on earth shall be bound and unbound in heaven.' The princes of this world can only bind and unbind the body. The power of the priest extends further; it reaches the soul, and it is exercised not only in baptizing, but still more in pardoning sins. Let us not blush, then, to confess our faults. He who blushes to discover his sins to a man, and who will not confess, shall be covered with shame on the Day of Judgment in the presence of the whole universe." (St. John Chrysostom, Treatise on Priests, Bk. 3)

PRAYER BEFORE CONFESSION: O Lord, grant me light to see myself as Thou dost see me, and the grace to be truly and effectively sorry for my sins. O Mary, help me to make a good confession.

HOW TO CONFESS: First examine your conscience well, then tell the priest the specific kind of sins you have committed and, to the best of your ability, how many times you have committed them since your last good confession. You are obliged to confess only mortal sins, since you can obtain forgiveness for your venial sins by sacrifices and acts of charity. If you are in doubt about whether a sin is mortal or venial, mention your doubt to the confessor. Remember also, confession of venial sins is very helpful for avoiding sin and advancing toward Heaven.

Necessary conditions for a sin to be mortal:

1. Serious Matter
2. Sufficient Reflection
3. Full Consent of the Will


Preliminary Considerations:

1. Have I ever deliberately failed to confess a past serious sin, or have I willfully disguised or hidden such a sin?
Note: The deliberate concealing of a mortal sin invalidates one's confession and makes the person guilty of another mortal sin. Remember that the confession is private under the Seal of Confession, i.e., it is a mortal sin for the priest to reveal the matter of one´s confession to anyone else.
2. Have I been guilty of irreverence for this sacrament by failing to examine my conscience carefully?
3. Have I failed to do the penance given to me by the priest?
4. Have I any habits of serious sin to confess first (e.g. impurity, drunkenness, etc.)?


FIRST COMMANDMENT: I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not have strange gods before Me. (Including sins against Faith, Hope and Charity)

1. Have I neglected the knowledge of my faith as taught in the catechism, such as the Apostles' Creed, the Ten Commandments, the Seven Sacraments, the Our Father, etc.?
2. Have I deliberately doubted or denied any of the teachings of the Church?
3. Have I taken part in any non-Catholic worship?
4. Am I a member of any non-Catholic religious organization, secret society or anti-Catholic group?
5. Have I knowingly read any heretical, blasphemous or anti-Catholic literature?
6. Have I practiced any superstitions (such as horoscopes, fortune telling, Ouija board, etc.)?
7. Have I omitted religious duties or practices through motives of human respect?
8. Have I recommended myself daily to God?
9. Have I been faithful to my daily prayers?
10. Have I abused the Sacraments in any way? Received them irreverently.
11. Have I made fun of God, Our Lady, the Saints, the Church, the Sacraments, other holy things?
12. Have I been guilty of great irreverence in church, e.g., conversation, behavior, or dress?
13. Have I been indifferent with regard to my Catholic Faith - believing all religions are equal?
14. Have I presumed on God´s mercy at any time?
15. Have I despaired of God´s mercy?
16. Have I hated God?
17. Have I given too much importance to any creature, activity, object or opinion?


SECOND COMMANDMENT: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

1. Have I sworn by God's name falsely, rashly or in slight and trivial matters?
2. Have I murmured or complained against God (blasphemy)?
3. Have I cursed myself or others, or any creature?
4. Have I angered others so as to make them swear or blaspheme God?
5. Have I broken a vow made to God?


THIRD COMMANDMENT: Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.

1. Have I missed Mass on Sundays or Holy Days of obligation?
2. Have I been late for Mass on Sundays or Holy Days of obligation or left early through my own fault?
3. Have I made others miss Mass on Sundays or Holy Days of obligation, leave early or be late for Mass?
4. Have I been willfully distracted during Mass?
5. Have I done or commanded unnecessary servile work on Sunday or Holy Days of Obligation?
6. Have I bought or sold things not of necessity on Sunday and Holy Days of obligation?


FOURTH COMMANDMENT: Honor thy father and thy mother.

1. Have I been disobedient or disrespectful to my parents, or have I neglected or refused to aid them in their wants or to do their last will?
2. Have I shown irreverence to others in positions of authority?
3. Have I maligned or insulted priests or others consecrated to God?
4. Have I failed in due reverence to aged persons?
5. Have I mistreated my spouse or my children?
6. Have I been disobedient or disrespectful to my husband?
7. Regarding my children:
- Have I neglected their material needs?
- Have I failed to care for their early baptism? *(See below.)
- Have I failed to care for their proper religious education?
- Have I allowed them to neglect their religious duties?
- Have I allowed them to date/go steady without the prospect of marriage within the near future? (St. Alphonsus says 1 year maximum.)
- Have I failed to supervise the company they keep?
- Have I failed to discipline them when they need it?
- Have I given them a bad example?
- Have I scandalized them by arguing with my spouse in front of my children?
- Have I scandalized them by cursing or swearing in front of them?
- Have I guarded modesty in the home?
- Have I permitted them to wear immodest clothing (mini skirts; tight pants, dresses, or sweaters; see-through blouses, short-shorts, revealing swim suits, etc.)?
- Have I denied their freedom to marry or follow a religious vocation?

*Infants should be baptized as soon as possible. Apart from particular diocesan prescriptions, it appears to be the general view . that an infant should be baptized within about a week or ten days after birth. Many Catholics defer Baptism for a fortnight or a little over. The view that Baptism should be administered within three days after birth is considered too strict. St. Alphonsus, following common opinion, thought that a delay, without reason, beyond ten or eleven days would be a grievous sin. In view of modern custom, which is known and not corrected by local Ordinaries, a delay beyond a month without reason would be a serious sin. If there is no probable danger to the child, parents cannot be convicted of serious sin if they defer Baptism a little beyond three weeks at the outside, but the practice of having an infant baptized within about a week or ten days of birth is to be strongly commended, and indeed an earlier date may be rightly recommended. - H. Davis, S.J., Moral and Pastoral Theology, Vol. III, pg. 65, Sheed and Ward, New York 1935


FIFTH COMMANDMENT: Thou shalt not kill.

1. Have I procured, desired, or hastened the death or bodily injury of anyone?
2. Have I borne hatred?
3. Have I oppressed anyone?
4. Have I desired revenge?
5. Have I caused enmity between others?
6. Have I quarreled or fought with anyone?
7. Have I wished evil on anyone?
8. Have I intended or attempted to injure or mistreat others?
9. Is there anyone with whom I refuse to speak, or against whom I bear a grudge?
10. Have I taken pleasure in anyone's misfortunes?
11. Have I been jealous or envious of anyone?
12. Have I had or attempted to have an abortion or counseled anyone else to do so?
13. Have I mutilated my body unnecessarily in any way?
14. Have I entertained thoughts of suicide, desired to commit suicide or attempted suicide?
15. Have I become drunk, used illicit drugs?
16. Have I overeaten or do I neglect to eat properly, i.e., nutritious foods?
17. Have I failed to correct in Charity?
18. Have I harmed anyone's soul, especially children, by giving scandal through bad example?
19. Have I harmed my own soul by intentionally and without necessity exposing it to temptations, e.g.: bad TV, bad music, beaches, etc.


SIXTH AND NINTH COMMANDMENTS: Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor´s wife.

1. Have I denied my spouse his or her marriage rights?
2. Have I practiced birth control (by pills, devices, withdrawal)?
3. Have I abused my marriage rights in any other way?
4. Have I committed adultery or fornication (premarital sex)?
5. Have I committed any unnatural sin against purity (homosexuality or lesbianism, etc.)?
6. Have I touched or embraced another impurely?
7. Have I engaged in prolonged or passionate kissing?
8. Have I engaged in petting?
9. Have I sinned impurely by myself (masturbation)?
10. Have I entertained or taken pleasure in impure thoughts?
11. Have I indulged in lustful desires for anyone, or willfully desired to see or do anything impure?
12. Have I willfully indulged in any sexual pleasure whether complete or incomplete?
13. Have I been an occasion of sin for others by wearing tight or otherwise revealing and immodest clothing?
14. Have I done anything to provoke or occasion impure thoughts or desires in others deliberately or through carelessness?
15. Have I read indecent literature or looked at bad pictures?
16. Have I watched suggestive movies, TV programs, or Internet pornography or permitted my children to do so?
17. Have I used indecent language or told indecent stories?
18. Have I willingly listened to such stories?
19. Have I boasted of my sins or taken delight in past sins?
20. Have I been in lewd company?
21. Have I consented to impure glances?
22. Have I neglected to control my imagination?
23. Have I prayed at once to banish such bad thoughts and temptations?
24. Have I avoided laziness, gluttony, idleness, and the occasions of impurity?
25. Have I attended immodest dances or indecent plays?
26. Have I unnecessarily remained alone in the company of someone of the opposite sex?

Note Well: Do not be afraid to tell the priest any impure sin you may have committed. Do not hide or try to disguise any such sin. The priest is there to help you and forgive you. Nothing you say will shock him, so do not be afraid, no matter how ashamed you might be.


SEVENTH AND TENTH COMMANDMENTS: Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods.

1. Have I stolen anything? What or how much?
2. Have I damaged anyone's property?
3. Have I negligently spoiled anyone's property?
4. Have I been negligent in the stewardship of other people's money or goods?
5. Have I cheated or defrauded others?
6. Have I gambled excessively?
7. Have I refused or neglected to pay any debts?
8. Have I acquired anything known to be stolen?
9. Have I failed to return things borrowed?
10. Have I cheated my employer of an honest day's work?
11. Have I cheated my employees of their wages?
12. Have I refused or neglected to help anyone in urgent need?
13. Have I failed to make restitution for my stealing, cheating and frauds? (Ask the priest how to go about making restitution, that is, returning to the owner what you unjustly took from him/her.)
14. Have I been envious of another because I don't have what he has?
15. Have I been jealous of what another has?
16. Have I been stingy?
17. Have I been grasping and avaricious, placing too great importance upon material goods and comforts? Is my heart set on earthly possessions or on the true treasures of Heaven?


EIGHTH COMMANDMENT: Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

1. Have I lied about anyone (calumny)?
2. Have my lies caused them any material or spiritual harm?
3. Have I rashly judged anyone (i.e. believed firmly, without sufficient evidence, that they are guilty of some moral defect or crime)?
4. Have I injured the good name of another by revealing true but hidden faults (detraction)?
5. Have I disclosed another's sins?
6. Have I been guilty of talebearing, (i.e. reporting something unfavorable said of someone by another so as to create enmity between them)?
7. Have I lent an ear to or encouraged the spreading of scandal about my neighbor?
8. Have I taken false oaths or signed false documents?
9. Am I, without necessity, critical, negative or ever uncharitable in my talk?
10. Have I flattered others?


THE SPIRITUAL AND CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY

Have I neglected to do the following whem circumstances obliged me:

The Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy

1. To admonish sinners.
2. To instruct the ignorant.
3. To counsel the doubtful.
4. To comfort the sorrowful.
5. To bear wrongs patiently.
6. To forgive all injuries.
7. To pray for the living and the dead?

The Seven Corporal Works of Mercy

1. To feed the hungry.
2. To give drink to the thirsty.
3. To clothe the naked.
4. To visit and ransom the captives.
5. To harbor the harborless.
6. To visit the sick.
7. To bury the dead?

Remember our Holy Catholic Faith teaches us that . as the body without the spirit is dead; so also faith without works is dead. (James, 2:26)


THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS AND THE OPPOSITE VIRTUES

1. Pride..........................................................Humility
2. Covetousness...........................................Liberality
3. Lust............................................................Chastity
4. Anger.....................................................Meekness
5. Gluttony...............................................Temperance
6. Envy..................................................Brotherly love
7. Sloth.........................................................Diligence


FIVE EFFECTS OF PRIDE

1. Vainglory: a. Boasting b. Dissimulation / Duplicity
2. Ambition
3. Contempt for others
4. Anger / Revenge / Resentment
5. Stubbornness / Obstinacy.


NINE WAYS OF BEING AN ACCESSORY TO ANOTHER'S SIN

a. Have I knowingly caused others to sin?
b. Have I co-operated in the sins of others: 1. By counsel. 2. By command. 3. By consent. 4. By provocation. 5. By praise or flattery. 6. By concealment. 7. By partaking. 8. By silence. 9. By defense of the ill done?


THE FOUR SINS WHICH CRY TO HEAVEN FOR VENGEANCE

1. Willful Murder.
2. The sin of Sodomy or Lesbianism.
3. Oppression of the poor.
4. Defrauding the laborer of his just wages.


THE SIX COMMANDMENTS OF THE CHURCH

1. Have I heard Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation?
2. Have I fasted and abstained on the days appointed and have I kept the Eucharistic fast?
3. Have I confessed at least once a year?
4. Have I received the Holy Eucharist at least once in the year?
5. Have I contributed as far as I must to the support of the Church?
6. Have I observed the laws of the Church concerning Marriage, i.e.: Marriage without a priest present, marrying a relative, or solemnising marriage at forbidden times?


THE FIVE BLASPHEMIES AGAINST THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY

1. Have I blasphemed against the Immaculate Conception?
2. Have I blasphemed against Our Lady´s Perpetual Virginity?
3. Have I blasphemed against Our Lady´s Divine Maternity? Have I failed to recognize Our Lady as the Mother of all men?
4. Have I publicly sought to sow in the hearts of children indifference or scorn, or even hatred, of this Immaculate Mother?
5. Have I outraged Her directly in Her Holy images?


FINALLY:

Have I received Holy Communion in the state of mortal sin? (This is a very grave sacrilege.)

St. Anthony Mary Claret's Examination of Venial Sins

The soul should avoid all venial sins, especially those which pave the way for grave sin. It is not enough, my soul, to have a firm resolve to suffer death rather than consent to any grave sin. It is necessary to have a like resolution to venial sin. He who does not find in himself this will, cannot have security. There is nothing which can give us such a certain security of eternal salvation as an uninterrupted cautiousness to avoid even the lightest venial sin, and a notable, all-extensive earnestness reaching to all practices of the spiritual life - earnestness in prayer, and in dealing with God; earnestness in mortification and self-denial; earnestness in being humble and in accepting contempt; earnestness in obeying and renouncing one's own self-will; earnest love of God and neighbor. He who wants to gain this earnestness and keep it, must necessarily have the resolve to always avoid especially the following venial sins:

1. The sin of giving entrance into your heart to any unreasonable suspicion or unfair judgment against your neighbor.
2. The sin of introducing talk about another's defects or offending charity in any other way, even lightly.
3. The sin of omitting out of laziness our spiritual practices or of performing them with voluntary neglect.
4. The sin of having a disordered affection for somebody.
5. The sin of having a vain esteem for oneself, or of taking vain satisfaction in things pertaining to us.
6. The sin of receiving the holy Sacraments in a careless way, with distractions and other irreverences, and without a serious preparation.
7. Impatience, resentment, any failure to accept disappointments as coming from God's Hand; for this puts obstacles in the way of the decrees and dispositions of Divine Providence concerning us.
8. The sin of giving ourselves an occasion that can even remotely blemish a spotless condition of holy purity.
9. The fault of advertently hiding from those who ought to learn them, one's bad inclinations, weaknesses, and mortifications, seeking to pursue the road of virtue not under the direction of obedience, but under the guidance of one's own whims.

Note: This speaks of times when we might have worthy direction if we seek it, but we prefer to follow our own dim lights.


PRAYER FOR A GOOD CONFESSION

O my God, by my grievous sins I have crucified again Thy Divine Son and made Him a mockery. For this I have deserved Thy wrath and made myself fit for the fires of hell. How ungrateful have I been to Thee as well, my heavenly Father, Who created me out of nothing, redeemed me by the precious Blood of Thy Son and sanctified me by Thy holy sacraments and by the Holy Ghost. But Thou hast spared me by Thy mercy, to make this confession. Receive me back as Thy prodigal son and grant me to confess well, that I may begin anew to love Thee with my whole heart and soul, and henceforth to keep Thy commandments and suffer patiently whatever temporal punishment may remain. I hope by Thy goodness and power to obtain everlasting life in Paradise. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.


A FINAL NOTE

Remember to confess your sins with supernatural sorrow as well as a firm resolution not to sin again, and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Ask your confessor to help you with any difficulties you have in making a good confession. Say your penance promptly.


AN ACT OF CONTRITION

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee. And I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

Compiled from approved sources.

Papal Prayer Intentions for February 2006

Papal Prayer Intentions for February 2006

=========================================

Benedict XVI's special prayer intention for the coming month reflects
the urgency of evangelization in mission lands and the role of the laity
in this task, including in public life.

In February the Pope will pray that lay Catholics in mission lands may
"serve their country with ever greater commitment in every field,
including politics and social assistance."

The Apostleship of Prayer announced the missionary intention, chosen by
the Pope. For this intention he offers his prayers and sacrifices along
with those of thousands of the faithful worldwide.

"Over two-thirds of the world's 6 billion people ... live without yet
knowing or recognizing Jesus Christ," recalled Archbishop Nicholas
Cheong Jin-Suk of Seoul, in a commentary on the intention, published by
the Vatican Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

The Holy Father also prays every month for a general intention, which in
February will be: "That the international community be ever more aware
of the urgent duty to put an end to the traffic of human beings."

Have a nice Day...

Thanks and Regards

Nivin Felix
Bangalore,
India.

Do Catholics Worship Statues?

Do Catholics Worship Statues?

"Catholics worship statues!" People still make this ridiculous claim. Because Catholics have statues in their churches, goes the accusation, they are violating God’s commandment: "You shall not make for yourself a graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow down to them or serve them" (Ex. 20:4–5); "Alas, this people have sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold" (Ex. 32:31).

It is right to warn people against the sin of idolatry when they are committing it. But calling Catholics idolaters because they have images of Christ and the saints is based on misunderstanding or ignorance of what the Bible says about the purpose and uses (both good and bad) of statues.

Anti-Catholic writer Loraine Boettner, in his book Roman Catholicism, makes the blanket statement, "God has forbidden the use of images in
worship" (281). Yet if people were to "search the scriptures" (cf. John 5:39), they would find the opposite is true. God forbade the worship of statues, but he did not forbid the religious use of statutes. Instead, he actually commanded their use in religious contexts!

God Said To Make Them

People who oppose religious statuary forget about the many passages where the Lord commands the making of statues. For example: "And you shall make two cherubim of gold [i.e., two gold statues of angels]; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end; of one piece of the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be" (Ex. 25:18–20).

David gave Solomon the plan "for the altar of incense made of refined gold, and its weight; also his plan for the golden chariot of the cherubim that spread their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord. All this he made clear by the writing of the hand of the Lord concerning it all, all the work to be done according to the plan" (1 Chr. 28:18–19). David’s plan for the temple, which the biblical author tells us was "by the writing of the hand of the Lord concerning it all," included statues of angels.

Similarly Ezekiel 41:17–18 describes graven (carved) images in the idealized temple he was shown in a vision, for he writes, "On the walls round about in the inner room and [on] the nave were carved likenesses of cherubim."

The Religious Uses of Images

During a plague of serpents sent to punish the Israelites during the exodus, God told Moses to "make [a statue of] a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it shall live. So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live" (Num. 21:8–9).

One had to look at the bronze statue of the serpent to be healed, which shows that statues could be used ritually, not merely as religious decorations.

Catholics use statues, paintings, and other artistic devices to recall the person or thing depicted. Just as it helps to remember one’s mother by looking at her photograph, so it helps to recall the example of the saints by looking at pictures of them. Catholics also use statues as teaching tools. In the early Church they were especially useful for the instruction of the illiterate. Many Protestants have pictures of Jesus and other Bible pictures in Sunday school for teaching children. Catholics also use statues to commemorate certain people and events, much as Protestant churches have three-dimensional nativity scenes at Christmas.

If one measured Protestants by the same rule, then by using these "graven" images, they would be practicing the "idolatry" of which they accuse Catholics. But there’s no idolatry going on in these situations. God forbids the worship of images as gods, but he doesn’t ban the making of images. If he had, religious movies, videos, photographs, paintings, and all similar things would be banned. But, as the case of the bronze serpent shows, God does not even forbid the ritual use of religious images.

It is when people begin to adore a statue as a god that the Lord becomes angry. Thus when people did start to worship the bronze serpent as a snake-god (whom they named "Nehushtan"), the righteous king Hezekiah had it destroyed (2 Kgs. 18:4).

What About Bowing?

Sometimes anti-Catholics cite Deuteronomy 5:9, where God said concerning idols, "You shall not bow down to them." Since many Catholics sometimes bow or kneel in front of statues of Jesus and the saints, anti-Catholics confuse the legitimate veneration of a sacred image with the sin of idolatry.

Though bowing can be used as a posture in worship, not all bowing is worship. In Japan, people show respect by bowing in greeting (the equivalent of the Western handshake). Similarly, a person can kneel before a king without worshipping him as a god. In the same way, a Catholic who may kneel in front of a statue while praying isn’t worshipping the statue or even praying to it, any more than the Protestant who kneels with a Bible in his hands when praying is worshipping the Bible or praying
to it.

Hiding the Second Commandment?

Another charge sometimes made by Protestants is that the Catholic Church "hides" the second commandment. This is because in Catholic catechisms, the first commandment is often listed as "You shall have no other gods before me" (Ex. 20:3), and the second is listed as "You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain." (Ex. 20:7). From this, it is argued that Catholics have deleted the prohibition of idolatry to justify their use of religious statues. But this is false. Catholics simply group the commandments differently from most Protestants.

In Exodus 20:2–17, which gives the Ten Commandments, there are actually fourteen imperative statements. To arrive at Ten Commandments, some statements have to be grouped together, and there is more than one way of doing this. Since, in the ancient world, polytheism and idolatry were always united—idolatry being the outward expression of polytheism—the historic Jewish numbering of the Ten Commandments has always grouped together the imperatives "You shall have no other gods before me" (Ex. 20:3) and "You shall not make for yourself a graven image" (Ex. 20:4). The historic Catholic numbering follows the Jewish numbering on this point, as does the historic Lutheran numbering. Martin Luther recognized that the imperatives against polytheism and idolatry are two parts of a single command.

To make memorization of the Ten Commandments easier, Jews and Christians abbreviate the commandments so that they can be remembered using a summary, ten-point formula. For example, Jews, Catholics, and Protestants typically summarize the Sabbath commandment as, "Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy," though the commandment’s actual text takes four verses (Ex. 20:8–11).

When the prohibition of polytheism/idolatry is summarized, Jews, Catholics, and Lutherans abbreviate it as "You shall have no other gods before me." This is no attempt to "hide" the idolatry prohibition (Jews and Lutherans don’t even use statues of saints and angels). It is to make learning the Ten Commandments easier.

The Catholic Church is not dogmatic about how the Ten Commandments are to be numbered, however. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "The division and numbering of the Commandments have varied in the course of history. The present catechism follows the division of the Commandments established by Augustine, which has become traditional in the Catholic Church. It is also that of the Lutheran confession. The Greek Fathers worked out a slightly different division, which is found in the Orthodox Churches and Reformed communities" (CCC 2066).

The Form of God?

Some anti-Catholics appeal to Deuteronomy 4:15–18 in their attack on religious statues: "[S]ince you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by making a graven image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth."

We’ve already shown that God doesn’t prohibit the making of statues or images of various creatures for religious purposes (cf. 1 Kgs. 6:29–32, 8:6–66; 2 Chr. 3:7–14). But what about statues or images that represent God? Many Protestants would say that’s wrong because Deuteronomy 4 says the Israelites did not see God under any form when he made the covenant with them, therefore we should not make symbolic representations of God either. But does Deuteronomy 4 forbid such representations?

The Answer Is No

Early in its history, Israel was forbidden to make any depictions of God because he had not revealed himself in a visible form. Given the pagan culture surrounding them, the Israelites might have been tempted to worship God in the form of an animal or some natural object (e.g., a bull or the sun).

But later God did reveal himself under visible forms, such as in Daniel 7:9: "As I looked, thrones were placed and one that was Ancient of Days took his seat; his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, its wheels were burning fire." Protestants make depictions of the Father under this form when they do illustrations of Old Testament prophecies.

The Holy Spirit revealed himself under at least two visible forms—that of a dove, at the baptism of Jesus (Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32), and as tongues of fire, on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4). Protestants use these images when drawing or painting these biblical episodes and when they wear Holy Spirit lapel pins or place dove emblems on their cars.

But, more important, in the Incarnation of Christ his Son, God showed mankind an icon of himself. Paul said, "He is the image (Greek: ikon) of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation." Christ is the tangible, divine "icon" of the unseen, infinite God.

We read that when the magi were "going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh" (Matt. 2:11). Though God did not reveal a form for himself on Mount Horeb, he did reveal one in the house in Bethlehem.

The bottom line is, when God made the New Covenant with us, he did reveal himself under a visible form in Jesus Christ. For that reason, we can make representations of God in Christ. Even Protestants use all sorts of religious images: Pictures of Jesus and other biblical persons appear on a myriad of Bibles, picture books, T-shirts, jewelry, bumper stickers, greeting cards, compact discs, and manger scenes. Christ is even symbolically represented through the Icthus or "fish emblem."

Common sense tells us that, since God has revealed himself in various images, most especially in the incarnate Jesus Christ, it’s not wrong for us to use images of these forms to deepen our knowledge and love of God. That’s why God revealed himself in these visible forms, and that’s why statues and pictures are made of them.

Idolatry Condemned by the Church

Since the days of the apostles, the Catholic Church has consistently condemned the sin of idolatry. The early Church Fathers warn against this sin, and Church councils also dealt with the issue.

The Second Council of Nicaea (787), which dealt largely with the question of the religious use of images and icons, said, "[T]he one who redeemed us from the darkness of idolatrous insanity, Christ our God, when he took for his bride his holy Catholic Church . . . promised he would guard her and assured his holy disciples saying, ‘I am with you every day until the consummation of this age.’ . . To this gracious offer some people paid no attention; being hoodwinked by the treacherous foe they abandoned the true line of reasoning . . . and they failed to distinguish the holy from the profane, asserting that the icons of our Lord and of his saints were no different from the wooden images of satanic idols."

The Catechism of the Council of Trent (1566) taught that idolatry is committed "by worshipping idols and images as God, or believing that they possess any divinity or virtue entitling them to our worship, by praying to, or reposing confidence in them" (374).

"Idolatry is a perversion of man’s innate religious sense. An idolater is someone who ‘transfers his indestructible notion of God to anything other than God’" (CCC 2114).

The Church absolutely recognizes and condemns the sin of idolatry. What anti-Catholics fail to recognize is the distinction between thinking a piece of stone or plaster is a god and desiring to visually remember Christ and the saints in heaven by making statues in their honor. The making and use of religious statues is a thoroughly biblical practice. Anyone who says otherwise doesn’t know his Bible.

Courtesy : Austine Crasta , http://jesuvera.blogspot.com

CARDINAL IVAN DIAS on Adoration

SUMMARY OF SYNOD OF BISHOPS: OCTOBER 10 - 11
TWELFTH GENERAL CONGREGATION


CARDINAL IVAN DIAS, ARCHBISHOP OF BOMBAY, INDIA.

"In the Synod sessions, among the many shadows in our Church today, the decreasing numbers of church‑goers, the waning interest in sacramental Confession, and the lack of catechesis has been mentioned. These problems have been in the Church always, albeit in different ways. On the other hand, the Church has also had persons who have tackled such situations in ways which can inspire us even today. Everyone knows of the saintly Cure of Ars and great apostle of the confessional, John Mary Vianney, and of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the brilliant speaker who reached millions of people through his television and radio broadcasts, The secret of their resounding success was the many hours they spent in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. They could well be role models for priests and bishops today.

There is a Chinese proverb which says: instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle. As we are immersed in the darkness of spiritual and moral ills all around us, would it not be wonderful if bishops and priests all over the world would spend an hour in praise and worship before the Blessed Sacrament everyday interceding for themselves, for the faithful entrusted to their pastoral care and for the needs of the whole Church? Their flocks would certainly be edified and encouraged at seeing their shepherds practising what they preach on devotion to the Blessed Eucharist."





VATICAN CITY, OCT 10, 2005 (VIS) - This afternoon, the Twelfth General Congregation of the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist was held in the Vatican's Synod Hall in the presence of 242 Synod Fathers. The president delegate on duty was Cardinal Francis Arinze, and the Pope attended for the free discussions at the end of the gathering.

Story of the coal basket.

The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm
in the mountains with his young grandson.

Each morning, Grandpa was up early sitting at the
kitchen table reading from his old worn-out Bible.
His grandson, who wanted to be just like him,
tried to imitate him in any way he could.

One day the grandson asked, "Papa, I try to read
the Bible just like you but I don't understand it,
and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close
the book. What good does reading the Bible do?"

The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal
in the stove and said, "Take this coal basket down
to the river and bring back a basket of water."

The boy did as he was told, even though all the
water leaked out before he could get back to the
house. The grandfather laughed and said, "You
will have to move a little faster next time,"
and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again.

This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket
was empty before he returned home. Out of breath,
he told his grandfather that it was "impossible
to carry water in a basket," and he went to get a bucket instead.

The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water;
I want a basket of water. You can do this. You're
just not trying hard enough," and he went out the
door to watch the boy try again.

At this point, the boy knew it was impossible,
but he wanted to show his grandfather that even
if he ran as fast as he could, the water would
leak out before he got far at all. The boy scooped
the water and ran hard, but when he reached his
grandfather the basket was again empty.
Out of breath, he said, "See Papa, it's useless!"

"So you think it is useless?" The old man said,
"Look at the basket." The boy looked at the basket
and for the first time he realized that the basket looked different.

Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was clean.
"Son, that's what happens when you read the Bible.

You might not understand or remember everything
you read, but, it will change you from the inside out.

That is the work of God in our lives. To change
us from the inside out and to slowly transform
us into the image of His son. Take time to read
a portion of God's word each day. For God so loved
the world that He sent His Son for you and me.....

Fast and Abstinence.

Fast and Abstinence.

It is a traditional doctrine of Christian spirituality that a constituent part of repentance, of turning away from sin and back to God, includes some form of penance, without which the Christian is unlikely to remain on the narrow path and be saved (Jer. 18:11, 25:5; Ez. 18:30, 33:11-15; Joel 2:12; Mt. 3:2; Mt. 4:17; Acts 2:38). Christ Himself said that His disciples would fast once He had departed (Lk. 5:35). The general law of penance, therefore, is part of the law of God for man.

The Church for her part has specified certain forms of penance, both to ensure that the Catholic will do something, as required by divine law, while making it easy for Catholics to fulfill the obligation. Thus, the 1983 Code of Canon Law specifies the obligations of Latin Rite Catholics [Eastern Rite Catholics have their own penitential practices as specified by the Code of Canons for the Eastern Churches].

Canon 1250 All Fridays through the year and the time of Lent are penitential days and times throughout the entire Church.

Canon 1251 Abstinence from eating meat or another food according to the prescriptions of the conference of bishops is to be observed on Fridays throughout the year unless they are solemnities; abstinence and fast are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and on the Friday of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Canon 1252 All persons who have completed their fourteenth year are bound by the law of abstinence; all adults are bound by the law of fast up to the beginning of their sixtieth year. Nevertheless, pastors and parents are to see to it that minors who are not bound by the law of fast and abstinence are educated in an authentic sense of penance.

Can. 1253 It is for the conference of bishops to determine more precisely the observance of fast and abstinence and to substitute in whole or in part for fast and abstinence other forms of penance, especially works of charity and exercises of piety.

The Church, therefore, has two forms of official penitential practices - three if the Eucharistic fast of one hour before Communion is included.

Abstinence The law of abstinence requires a Catholic 14 years of age until death to abstain from eating meat on Fridays in honor of the Passion of Jesus on Good Friday. Meat is considered to be the flesh and organs of mammals and fowl. Also forbidden are soups or gravies made from them. Salt and freshwater species of fish, amphibians, reptiles and shellfish are permitted, as are animal derived products such as margarine and gelatin which do not have any meat taste.

On the Fridays outside of Lent the U.S. bishops conference obtained the permission of the Holy See for Catholics in the US to substitute a penitential, or even a charitable, practice of their own choosing. They must do some penitential/charitable practice on these Fridays. For most people the easiest practice to consistently fulfill will be the traditional one, to abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year. During Lent abstinence from meat on Fridays is obligatory in the United States as elsewhere.

Fasting The law of fasting requires a Catholic from the 18th Birthday [Canon 97] to the 59th Birthday [i.e. the beginning of the 60th year, a year which will be completed on the 60th birthday] to reduce the amount of food eaten from normal. The Church defines this as one meal a day, and two smaller meals which if added together would not exceed the main meal in quantity. Such fasting is obligatory on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The fast is broken by eating between meals and by drinks which could be considered food (milk shakes, but not milk). Alcoholic beverages do not break the fast; however, they seem to be contrary to the spirit of doing penance.

Those who are excused from fast or abstinence Besides those outside the age limits, those of unsound mind, the sick, the frail, pregnant or nursing women according to need for meat or nourishment, manual laborers according to need, guests at a meal who cannot excuse themselves without giving great offense or causing enmity and other situations of moral or physical impossibility to observe the penitential discipline.

Aside from these minimum penitential requirements Catholics are encouraged to impose some personal penance on themselves at other times. It could be modeled after abstinence and fasting. A person could, for example, multiply the number of days they abstain. Some people give up meat entirely for religious motives (as opposed to those who give it up for health or other motives). Some religious orders, as a penance, never eat meat. Similarly, one could multiply the number of days that one fasted. The early Church had a practice of a Wednesday and Saturday fast. This fast could be the same as the Church's law (one main meal and two smaller ones) or stricter, even bread and water. Such freely chosen fasting could also consist in giving up something one enjoys - candy, soft drinks, smoking, that cocktail before supper, and so on. This is left to the individual.

One final consideration. Before all else we are obliged to perform the duties of our state in life. Any deprivation that would seriously hinder us in carrying out our work, as students, employees or parents would be contrary to the will of God.

---- Colin B. Donovan, STL

Thanks to Austine Crasta
jesuvera.blogspot.com

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