The Catholic bulletin., 1914-06-13

wine at the LorQS table ought TO be
taken by the priest alone? 8. That
there is such thing as the Roman
Mass? 4. That the priest has power
to change the bread sand wine into
the body and blood, soul and divinity
of Jesus Christ? S. That there are
seven Sacraments?
l.. One does not need to be very
familiar with the Gospels to be con-
vinced that Christ Himself forgave
the sins of those who came to Him
repentant, and that He bestowed this
power upon the Apostles whom He
commissioned to preach the gospel.
St. John (XX, 21-23): Peace be to
you AS the Father hath sent Me,
also send you. When he said this,
he breathed on them; and he said to
them; receive ye the Holy Ghost.
Whose sins you shall forgive they
are forgiven them; and whose sins
you shall retain, they are retained"
From this it is evident that Christ
conferred upon His apostles, the first
priests of the New law, the power to
forgive sin, and this power was trans
mitted to their successors in the long
line of the Christian priesthood. 2.
The receiving of Holy Communion by
the laity under the form of bread
alone is a disciplinary regulation of
the Church. In early days the laity
received Holy Communion under the
form Of wine as well as under the
form Of bread, Just as the priest does
when he celebrates Mass. There
were good reasons for making the
change, among which may be men,
toned the danger of spilling the Sa-
cred Blood when passing it from one
communicate to another, the nausea
which some, at least, would feel, il
Obliged to drink from a common cup,
and the difficulty in some countries
CT procuring sufficient supply of
wine for all the communicates. This
regulation forbidding the laity to re-
ceive Holy Communion under the
form of wine, imposes no hardship
upon them nor are they deprived Of
anything to which they have right.
Our faith teaches that Christ is whole
and entire, body and blood, soul and
divinity, under the appearance of
bread as we'll as under the appear
ance of wine, because His is a living
body in which flesh and blood are
united, and those who receive Holy
Communion under the form of bread
,sr,A al -
gifts and graces just as fully as those
who receive Him under both forms.
The priest at Mass receives the
Saviour under both forms in order
that he may complete the sacrifice
according to the method prescribed by
the Church showing that it is the
came sacrifice as that of the cross
ITSELF 3. The Mass is the same
everywhere, but it is celebrated ac-
cording to different rites and in diff
ferent languages. The Roman"
Mass, if such it may be called, is the
Mass as celebrated according to the
rite prescribed in the Western Church.
4. This power was conferred upon
the Apostles at the Last Supper on
Holy Thursday night when Christ,
after changing the substance of the
bread and of the wine into the sub
stance of His own body and blood,
Eaid to them: do this for a COM
memoration Of Me-" BY these words
He gave them power to do what they
had seen Him 90, namely, speak the
words of conservation over the sub
stance of the bread and of the wine
and change it into the substance of
His body and blood. This is the
essential power conferred upon the
priesthood, for it was by these words
that Christ ordained His apostles the
first priests of the new Law. Later
on He gave them the other powers
which they exercised. 5. We find
reference to the Geven Sacraments of
the Church in Holy Scripture. The
essentials of two of them, namely,
Baptism and Holy Eucharist, are plain
ly set forth in the New Testament.
When the Saviour commissioned His
apostles to preach the Gospel He said
to them, according to st. Matthew
4 t(XXVIII, 19): Going therefore,
teach ye all nations, baptising them
in the name of the Father and Of the
Son and of the Holy Ghost" At the
Last Supper the institution of the
Holy Eucharist is clearly set forth in
Matt 26 and Mark Il. Next to Bap-
tism and the Eucharist the Sacrament
of Extreme Unction, that is the anoint-
ing of those who are dangerously i'll,
is the one most clearly set forth.
ST. James in the fifth chapter of his
Epistle asks: ''Is any man sick
among you? Let him bring in the
priests of the Church and let them
pray over him amounting him with oil
in the name of the Lord And the
prayer of faith shall save the sick
man; and the Lord shall rise him up;
and if he be in sins, they shall be
forgiven him." The Sacrament of
Penanee is expressly alluded to in
the Gospel according to ST. John and
quoted in the foregoing. With refer
ence to Confirmation, the imparting
of the Holy Ghost to those who are
baptized is distinctly set forth in the
Acts of the Apostles (VIII, 15-17),
who, when they (Peter and John)
were come, they prayed for them,
that they might receive the Holy
Ghost. J. Then they laid their
hands upon them, and they received
the HOLY Ghost" Holy Orders. which