days in Holy Week. On Sundays, even those who are bound to fast may eat flesh-meat at their discretion.

"2. Eggs are allowed at the single meal of those who are bound to fast, and at the discretion of those who are not so bound, on all days except Ash-Wednesday and the three last days in Holy Week.

"3. Cheese, under the same restriction, is allowed on all days except Ash-Wednesday and Good Friday.

"4. The use of dripping and lard is permitted at dinner and collation on all days except Good Friday.

"On those days, Sundays included, whereon flesh-meat is allowed, fish is not permitted at the same meal."

CHAP. LXXV. Who are bound to fast and abstain.

1. THE Church does not intend her laws to bind where their observance would cause serious inconvenience, or where it interferes with duties of a higher kind. Thus the law of fasting only comes into force when persons have completed their twenty-first year, because at an earlier age fasting would often be injurious to the constitution. But no such inconvenience, as a rule, attends the observance of abstinence, and therefore children, no less than adults, are bound to abstain. No age has been fixed by the Church after which fasting ceases to be obligatory; but, according to the opinion of many theologians, those who are past sixty may with a safe conscience consider themselves exempt.

2. Those whose means of support are altogether precarious, or who are seldom sure of a full meal,-those who live by hard labour, and generally those who require to eat several times in the day to enable them to fulfil the duties of their state of life,—are not bound to fast.

3. In times of sickness or of delicate health, where fasting would be injurious, the Church does not wish that this law should bind. Abstinence is not so frequently attended with inconvenience as fasting; and, therefore, those who are dispensed from fasting are still bound by the law of abstinence, unless the contrary is implied.

Where, however, the observance of abstinence is attended with serious inconvenience, it may be dispensed with. If, therefore, there be any who, from the state of their health, or from the nature of the duties in which they are engaged, believe themselves unable to comply with the precepts of the Church, they should, if possible, apply to their parish priest or confessor for a dispensation, and not take the matter into their own hands. They should also bear in mind that a dispensation always supposes a reasonable cause, and therefore they should not seek to obtain it without some proper ground of exemption.

CHAP. LXXVI.

Fourth and Fifth Commandments of the Church: To go to confession at least once a year; to receive the Blessed Sacrament at least once a year, and that at Easter or thereabouts.

It will be shown in its proper place that the Sacrament of Penance is the divinely appointed means for the remission of the sins committed after baptism, and, therefore, that confession, which is a part of this Sacrament, is a matter of strict obligation for those who have fallen into grievous sin after baptism. But though the divine law enjoins the confession of sins, it nowhere determines the time for the fulfilment of this duty. For a long period it was not necessary for the Church to lay down any law on this subject. The necessities of the faithful, and the great benefits to be derived from this divine institution, were sufficient inducements to insure a frequent approach to the Sacrament of Penance. In process of time, however, when the charity of many had grown cold, and a spirit of carelessness and indifference was widely prevalent, many began to neglect confession for years together. It became necessary, therefore, for the Church to impose a distinct command, and to enforce its observance under threat of separation from her communion. The law which is still in force was made at the fourth council of Lateran, 1215, and requires all the faithful of either sex, after they have come to the years of discretion, to confess their sins to their

pastor at least once a year. The council does not determine the particular time of the year at which confession should be made; but as the same decree goes on to enforce the obligation of receiving Holy Communion at Easter, it sufficiently indicates that confession should also be made at Easter, as part of the preparation for communion. But while inculcating the obligation of confession, the Church guards with jealous care the right of the faithful to choose their own confessor. It matters not whether the priest to whom they confess belongs to their parish or not, provided only he be approved by the Bishop in whose diocese he exercises his faculties.

The precept requires us to confess our sins at least once a year, in order to intimate to us that though this is sufficient to comply with the obligation which the Church imposes upon us, it is not sufficient to satisfy her desires. No general rule can be laid down as to the frequency of confession, because much depends on each one's state of life and facilities for coming to confession. This much, however, may be said, that it is very important for each one to have a regularly fixed time for approaching this Sacrament, and not to depart from it without some good reason. There are few, if any, who might not with advantage make their confession once a month; others, by the advice of their confessor, might do so once a fortnight, or once a week. But whatever may be a person's state of life, or whatever may be his regular time for going to confession, he should always make it a point to go as soon as possible, when he has had the misfortune to fall into mortal sin. Knowing, as we do, the uncertainty of our lives, and that we may any moment be summoned before the tribunal of God, it is the height of imprudence to remain a single day in the state in which, were we to die, we should be for ever lost.

As confession is the remedy for sin, it always presupposes its existence. So long, therefore, as children are incapable of sin, they are incapable of confession; but when they begin to come to the use of reason, and are able to distinguish between good and evil, they are able to commit sin, and with the evil comes the necessity for

the remedy. The age of seven is generally considered the time when children are capable of mortal sin, and when, consequently, they should be instructed and taught to make their confession.

Easter Communion. Our Blessed Lord tells us in the most emphatic manner, "Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you shall not have life in you" (St. John vi. 54). So great was the desire of the early Christians to partake of this heavenly banquet, that many of them received the Holy Communion daily. St. Luke tells us of the early converts to Christianity, "that they continued daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house" (Acts ii. 46). As time went on, however, this first fervour began to cool; and the same reason which obliged the great Council of Lateran to enforce the precept of yearly confession, also led to the command to receive the Holy Communion at least at Easter. Many of the observations which have been made in reference to confession- equally apply to the precept of Easter Communion. For example, the command to receive the Blessed Sacrament belongs to the divine law, and the Church only determines the time of its fulfilment. She requires us to receive Holy Communion at least once a year, but her desire is that we should do so much more frequently. But though the explanation of this precept has much in common with that of the foregoing one, there are some points of difference which should not be passed over. Thus, while we are simply commanded to go to confession once a year, the exact time of the year at which the obligation of communion must be complied with is defined. The general law of the Church requires all the faithful to receive the Blessed Sacrament between Palm Sunday and Low Sunday, both days included. In England, however, where, on account of the small number of priests, it would be extremely difficult for all to approach the Sacraments during this fortnight, the time for complying with this obligation has been lengthened so as to include the whole of Lent, beginning with Ash-Wednesday and ending with Low Sunday. Again, the reverence which is due to so great a

Sacrament makes it necessary to put off its reception till children are capable of being well instructed in its nature, and the dispositions which are required to receive it with fruit. While seven is the age at which children should be taught to make their confession, they are not generally admitted to Holy Communion till between the age of ten and thirteen. But it should be carefully borne in mind, that when they are able sufficiently to understand the nature of this Sacrament, they are bound to prepare themselves to fulfil the precept of receiving it.

In Catholic countries, where the regular distinction of parishes exists, each one is bound to make his Easter communion in his own parish church, or at least to ask the permission of the parish priest or Bishop, if he wishes to communicate elsewhere. This practice is important both as an example to the rest of the faithful, and as a means of enabling the pastor to know his flock, and to distinguish those who are living in the neglect of their Christian duties. Though it is not of precise obligation in countries such as our own, still the general law of the Church sufficiently indicates her desires on the subject.

CHAP. LXXVII

Sixth Commandment of the Church: Not to marry within certain degrees of kindred, nor to solemnise marriage at the forbidden times.

THERE are two kinds of impediments or hindrances to the contract of marriage; the one renders the contract unlawful, the other annuls it. Hence the former is called a forbidding, and the latter an annulling impediment. They who marry knowing that their marriage is forbidden by the Church, receive the Sacrament validly, that is to say, they are really married; but they commit a grievous sin. But if they attempt marriage in spite of a diriment impediment, that is, in spite of an impediment which makes the contract void, no matter whether they are aware of its existence or not, they are not really married in the sight of God and of His Church. If they knew of such an impediment and yet persisted in attempting marriage, they would