a templo sancto quod est in us, from thy holy tempie Jerusalem. R. Gloria Patri. which is in Jerusalem. Then the antiphon Confirma hoc Deus is repeated; after which the Bishop, laying aside his mitre, rises up, and standing towards the altar, with his hands joined before his breast, says: V. Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordiam tuam. R. Et salutare tuum da nobis. V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam. R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat. V. Dominus vobiscum. V. Shew us thy mercy, O Lord. Then, with his hands still joined before his breast, and all the persons confirmed devoutly kneeling, he says: God, who didst give to thine Apostles the Holy Spirit, and didst ordain that by them and their successors he should be delivered to the rest of the faithful, look mercifully on the service of our humility; and grant that the hearts of those whose foreheads we have anointed with the sacred chrism, and signed with the sign of the holy cross, may, by the same Holy Spirit descending upon them, and vouchsafing to dwell therein, be made the temple of his glory. Who, with the Father and the same Holy Spirit, livest and reignest, God, world without end. R. Amen. Then he says: Ecce sic benedicetur omnis homo qui timet Domi num. Behold, thus shall every man be blessed that feareth the Lord. And turning to the persons confirmed, he makes over them the sign of the cross, saying: Benedicat vos Dominus ex Sion, ut videatis bona Jerusalem omnibus diebus vitæ vestræ, et habeatis vitam æternam. R. Amen. May the Lord bless you out of Sion, that you may see the good things of Jerusalem all the days of your life, and have life everlasting. R. Amen. On returning to your place, after having been confirmed, consecrate some moments to thank God for the graces he has so mercifully bestowed upon you in the sacrament of Confirmation. Imagine you are among the Apostles after the descent of the Holy Ghost, and join most devoutly in the transports with which they glorified God. Renew your good resolutions: place yourself under the protection of the most holy Virgin, praying the august Spouse of the Holy Ghost to obtain for you grace to remain faithful to the divine inspirations, and to perform all that you have promised, for the glory of God and your own salvation. Prayer. O Lord, I am about to leave this holy place, in which thy Holy Spirit hath vouchsafed to visit my soul. Withdraw not thyself from me, O most Holy Spirit; but let thy love embrace me on every side. Suffer not that this forehead, on which the holy unction is still fresh, should ever be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, nor the members of my body, which is now become thy temple, should ever be dishonoured and defiled by sin. May my heart never resist thee, O most blessed Spirit, but ever yield to the impressions of thy grace; for thou art the Spirit of wisdom and the Spirit of strength, and thou only canst accomplish in me those good desires with which thou inspirest me. Amen. In this spirit every Christian ought to live after he is confirmed; for to this he is most certainly bound by the perfection of the sacrament. Although weakness, cowar dice, and human respect may be somewhat excused in such as, through no fault of theirs, have not yet been confirmed, there can be no excuse for those who have received this sacrament. For the principal design and effect of this holy ordinance is, to strengthen Christians against the snares and power of the devil, the world, and the flesh; to take from them the fear of men; to enable them to confess openly, and follow perseveringly, the sacred rules of the Gospel, esteem only Jesus to be their Master, and enter into no other warfare but his. To this end they are invested with the whole armour of Christ, that they may stand firm before persecutors and tyrants, who would do violence to their faith, and particularly before the people of the world, who offend against those sacred rules by their actions, by their words, by their excesses, by their vanities, or who otherwise join with the enemies of the Cross in overthrowing that law which the servants of Christ are bound to assert and maintain. SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. The holy state of matrimony was instituted by the Almighty in the beginning of the world, and under the law of nature had a particular blessing annexed to it. "God created man to his own image; male and female he created them. And God blessed them, saying, Increase and multiply, and fill the earth" (Gen. i. 27, 28). Under the Mosaic Jaw the Almighty more distinctly announced its dignity and obligations. Afterwards, under the Christian law, our divine Redeemer sanctified this state still more, and from a natural and civil contract raised it to the dignity of a sacrament. And St. Paul declared it to be a representation of that sacred union which Jesus Christ had formed with his spouse the Church. "This is a great sacrament; but I speak in Christ and in the Church" (Ephes. v. 32). This sacrament was instituted by Jesus Christ, in order It to bestow on those who enter into the married state a particular grace, to enable them to discharge all the duties required of them. It enables them to live together in union, peace, and love. It strengthens and purifies that natural affection, which, founded on virtue, and sanctioned by religion, can alone constitute the happiness of a married life. It corrects the inconstancy of the human heart; it softens down the asperities of temper, and enables each party to bear with the other's defects, with the same indulgence as if they were their own. causes them to entertain sentiments of mutual respect, to preserve inviolable fidelity towards each other, and to vanquish every unlawful desire. It gives grace to subdue or regulate the motions of concupiscence, and to avoid every impropriety inconsistent with the sanctity of their state. For there is an innocence and purity as necessary in a married as in a single life. It moreover gives them grace to discharge well that most important duty of training up their children in the fear and love of God. For these duties annexed to the married state cannot be fulfilled without great exertions, nor will those exertions be successful without the blessing and grace of God. Therefore they who intend to enter into this state ought to proceed with the greatest prudence, and make the best possible preparation, that they may obtain these precious and abundant graces from the Almighty. 1. They ought to implore the Divine assistance, by fervent and devout prayer, to guide them in their choice of a proper person; for on the prudent choice which they make will very much depend their happiness, both in this life and in the next. They should be guided by the good character and virtuous dispositions of the person of their choice, rather than by riches, beauty, or any other worldly considerations, which ought to be but secondary motives. 2. They ought to enter into this holy state with the pure intention of promoting the honour and glory of God, and the sanctification of their own souls; and not from any merely earthly motive, or for sensual gratification. 3. They ought, moreover, to select a person of their own religion; for the Catholic Church has always, by every means in her power, discouraged mixed marriages; and experience shows, that a want of union in faith between the husband and wife is frequently attended with the worst consequences both to themselves and to their children. A Catholic, on marrying a person of another religion, cannot be allowed to enter into an agreement that any of the children shall be brought up in any other than the Catholic faith. 4. Before they make any advance in a matter of such great importance, they ought to ascertain whether there be any impediment to prevent their lawful union; and parents are in duty bound to prevent too great an intimacy between their children and relations within the prohibited degrees of kindred. First, second, and third cousins, are within the prohibited degrees. 5. They who intend to marry ought to ask the advice of their parents or guardians, &c. 6. Those who keep company with a view to marriage should be careful never to take or allow any indecent familiarities; for these are sinful, and draw down upon them the just indignation of God, in place of that blessing of which they then stand so much in need. 7. It is also advisable, some time previous to their marriage, to inform their director of their intentions, that so he may have time and opportunity to point out to them the preparation most useful for them, and instruct them in the duties and obligations of the state of life into which they propose to enter. 8. They must obtain the pardon of their sins by worthily approaching the sacrament of penance; for should they receive matrimony without purity of conscience, they would deprive themselves of the grace of the sacrament, and be guilty of a sacrilegious profanation of this holy institution. 9. The Church, in the General Council of Trent, sess. 24, e. i., ever solicitous for the welfare of her children, exhorts the faithful before their marriage to receive with devotion the Holy Communion. 10. At the time of marriage, they ought to approach |