Volume Iii Part 33 (1/2)
Q. 969. {274} Which are the effects of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction?
A. The effects of Extreme Unction are: 1st, To comfort us in the pains of sickness and to strengthen us against temptations; 2d, To remit venial sins and to cleanse our soul from the remains of sin; 3d, To restore us to health, when G.o.d sees fit.
Q. 970. Will Extreme Unction take away mortal sin if the dying person is no longer able to confess?
A. Extreme Unction will take away mortal sin if the dying person is no longer able to confess, provided he has the sorrow for his sins that would be necessary for the worthy reception of the Sacrament of Penance.
Q. 971. How do we know that this Sacrament, more than any other, was inst.i.tuted to benefit the body?
A. We know that this Sacrament more than any other was inst.i.tuted to benefit the body (1) From the words of St. James exhorting us to receive it; (2) It is given when the soul is already purified by the graces of Penance and Holy Viatic.u.m; (3) One of its chief objects is to restore us to health if it be for our spiritual good, as most of the prayers said in giving this Sacrament indicate.
Q. 972. Since Extreme Unction may restore us to health, should we not be glad to receive it?
A. Since Extreme Unction may restore us to health, we should be glad to receive it, and we should not delay its reception till we are so near death that G.o.d could restore us only by a miracle. Again, this Sacrament, like the others, gives sanctifying and sacramental grace, which we should be eager to obtain as soon as our sickness is sufficient to give us the privilege of receiving the last Sacraments.
Q. 973. {275} What do you mean by the remains of sin?
A. By the remains of sin I mean the inclination to evil and the weakness of the will which are the result of our sins, and which remain after our sins have been forgiven.
Q. 974. {276} How should we receive the Sacrament of Extreme Unction?
A. We should receive the Sacrament of Extreme Unction in the state of grace, and with lively faith and resignation to the will of G.o.d.
Q. 975. {277} Who is the minister of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction?
A. The priest is the minister of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction.
Q. 976. What is the final preparation we should make for the reception of the last Sacraments?
A. The final preparation we should make for the reception of the last Sacraments consists in an earnest effort to be resigned to G.o.d's Holy Will, to excite ourselves to true sorrow for our sins, to profit by the graces given us, to keep worldly thoughts from the mind, and to dispose ourselves as best we can for the worthy reception of the Sacraments and the blessings of a good death.
Q. 977. At what time should persons dangerously ill attend to the final arrangement of their temporal or worldly affairs?
A. Persons dangerously ill should attend to the final arrangement of their temporal or worldly affairs at the very beginning of their illness, that these things may not distract them at the hour of death, and that they may give the last hours of their life entirely to the care of their soul.
Q. 978. {278} What is the Sacrament of Holy Orders?
A. Holy Orders is a Sacrament by which bishops, priests, and other ministers of the Church are ordained and receive the power and grace to perform their sacred duties.
Q. 979. Besides bishops and priests, who are the other ministers of the Church?
A. Besides bishops and priests, the other ministers of the Church are deacons and sub-deacons, who, while preparing for the priesthood, have received some of the Holy Orders, but who have not been ordained to the full powers of the priest.
Q. 980. Why is this Sacrament called Holy Orders?
A. This Sacrament is called Holy Orders because it is conferred by seven different grades or steps following one another in fixed order by which the sacred powers of the priesthood are gradually given to the one admitted to that holy state.
Q. 981. What are the grades by which one ascends to the priesthood?
A. The grades by which one ascends to the priesthood are (1) Tonsure, or the clipping of the hair by the bishop, by which the candidate for priesthood dedicates himself to the service of the altar; (2) The four minor orders, Porter, Reader, Exorcist, and Acolyte, by which he is permitted to perform certain duties that laymen should not perform; (3) Sub-deacons.h.i.+p, by which he takes upon himself the obligation of leading a life of perpetual chast.i.ty and of saying daily the divine office; (4) Deacons.h.i.+p, by which he receives power to preach, baptize, and give Holy Communion. The next step, priesthood, gives him power to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Ma.s.s and forgive sins. These orders are not all given at once, but at times fixed by the laws of the Church.
Q. 982. Are not the different orders separate Sacraments?
A. These different orders are not separate Sacraments. Taken all together, some are a preparation for the Sacrament and the rest are but the one Sacrament of Holy Orders; as the roots, trunk and branches form but one tree.
Q. 983. What name is given to sub-deacons.h.i.+p, deacons.h.i.+p and priesthood?
A. Sub-deacons.h.i.+p, deacons.h.i.+p and priesthood are called major or greater orders, because those who receive them are bound for life to the service of the altar and they cannot return to the service of the world to live as ordinary laymen.
Q. 984. What double power does the Church possess and confer on her pastors?
A. The Church possesses and confers on her pastor, the power of orders and the power of jurisdiction; that is, the power to administer the Sacraments and sanctify the faithful, and the power to teach and make laws that direct the faithful to their spiritual good. A bishop has the full power of orders and the Pope alone has the full power of jurisdiction.
Q. 985. How do the pastors of the Church rank according to authority?
A. The pastors of the Church rank according to authority as follows: (1) Priests, who govern parishes or congregations in the name of their bishop; (2) Bishops, who rule over a number of parishes or a diocese; (3) Archbishops, who have authority over a number of dioceses or a province; (4) Primates, who have authority over the ecclesiastical or Church provinces of a nation; (5) Patriarchs, who have authority over a whole country; and last and highest, the Pope, who rules the Church throughout the world.