Episode Transcript
[00:00:02] Yeah, that's a good question. Aven Maria Mediatrix of all grace, in the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit.
[00:00:08] Amen.
[00:00:11] So that's one of the most important questions anyone can ask himself in troubled times like these. What are we going to do if we don't have access to a priest?
[00:00:25] That's super important for every Catholic to understand, even in the best of times. And you sure aren't the best of times.
[00:00:32] So let's run down all that. Before we do, y'all might want to seriously consider getting a box of hosts from a Catholic supply. They can be little ones. And a box of any California wine. Grape wine, not sangria, grape wine. California has high enough standards that all their grape wine is valid matter for Mass. Okay, why a box? That's a good question. Any California wine will do. A bottle will definitely do. I suggest get a box. Because even if you open it, it still keeps without spoiling for a whole lot longer than a bottle, whether or not you all have refrigeration. Okay, so that's why, anyhow, just stash those hosts in that wine somewhere. In case someday a priest comes wandering along and needs to say Mass. Think of it as a Mass insurance.
[00:01:20] Also, you should have a bottle of holy water and blessed olive oil. And as long as you don't let them go below half, if you fill them back up, they keep the blessing. So that's kind of important to know as well. And some blessed salt. You could have a lot more in your toolkit. But that's for enough for now anyway. Let's talk about the actual topic. What are we going to do if we don't have access to a priest?
[00:01:44] Hopefully this will be a review, but just in case it isn't, we'll cover it. Besides, you've asked.
[00:01:51] So here's what we're going to look at. How can we get by without Holy Communion?
[00:01:56] How can we get by without confession?
[00:01:59] How can we get by without the last rites?
[00:02:02] How can we baptize somebody? And when should we?
[00:02:06] And how can we get married without a priest?
[00:02:11] So how can we get by without Holy Communion? The answer to that is by making spiritual communions.
[00:02:18] Now, hopefully, everyone is very familiar with this idea, but we're still going to take a few minutes to go over it. And I'm just going to read from the work of the Great Holy Father, Stefano Minelli. This little book is called Jesus, our Eucharistic Love. It's an absolute treasure. Jesus, our Eucharistic love. So we'll read excerpts from a chapter entitled Spiritual Communion. Now, how about that? Yeah.
[00:02:42] Spiritual Communion is the reserve of Eucharistic life and love always available for lovers of the Eucharistic Jesus.
[00:02:51] By means of spiritual communion, the loving desires of the soul that wants to be united with Jesus, its dear bridegroom, are satisfied.
[00:02:59] Spiritual Communion is a union of love between the soul and Jesus in the host.
[00:03:05] This union is spiritual, but nonetheless real, more real than the union between the soul and the body, because the soul lives more where it loves than where it lives, says St. John of the cross.
[00:03:18] Now just think about that.
[00:03:21] Spiritual Communion is a union of love between the soul and Jesus and the host, a union which is spiritual, but still real, more real than the union between your soul and your body.
[00:03:34] Because according to that great doctor of the Church, St. John of the Cross, the Soul lives more where it loves than where it lives.
[00:03:43] We turn to Father Minnelli. Spiritual communion assumes that we have faith in the real presence of Jesus in the tabernacle. It implies that we would like sacramental communion and demands a gratitude for Jesus'gift of this sacrament.
[00:03:57] All this is expected simply and briefly in the formula of St. Alphonsus.
[00:04:03] My Jesus, I believe that you are really present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
[00:04:08] I love you above all things, and I desire to possess you within my soul.
[00:04:13] Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.
[00:04:20] I embrace you as being already there and unite myself, holy to you. Never, never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.
[00:04:30] Let's run back through St. Alphonse's way of making a spiritual communion. My Jesus, I believe that you are really present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
[00:04:41] I love you above all things, and I desire to possess you within my soul.
[00:04:46] Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually and in my heart, and we pause there.
[00:04:54] I embrace you as being already there and unite myself, holy to you. Never, never permit me to be separated from you. Amen. Okay, y'all got it?
[00:05:06] Yeah. Okay, good.
[00:05:09] One more time. All right. My Jesus, I believe that you are really present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love you above all things, and I desire to possess you within my soul.
[00:05:20] Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. We pause here.
[00:05:27] I embrace you as being already there and unite myself, holy to you. Never, never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.
[00:05:38] Okay. Father Minelli. Spiritual communion, as St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Alfonso de la Gori teach, produces effects similar to sacramental communion. According to the dispositions with which it is made, the greater or less earnestness with which Jesus is desired, and the greater or less love with which Jesus is welcomed and given due attention.
[00:05:59] A special advantage of spiritual communion is that we can make it as often as we like, even hundreds of times a day, when we like, even late at night, and wherever we like, even in a desert or in an airplane.
[00:06:15] So there you have it. Father Minnelli also has many stories of saints practicing this devotion. Here's a few.
[00:06:22] Jesus himself told St. Catherine of Sienna in a vision how precious a spiritual communion is.
[00:06:28] The saint was afraid that his spiritual communion was nothing compared to a sacramental communion.
[00:06:33] In the vision, our Lord held up two chalices and said, in this golden Chalice I put your sacramental communions. In this silver Chalice I put your spiritual communions. Both chalices are quite pleasing to me.
[00:06:47] It is not hard to see how much spiritual communion has been loved by the saints. Spiritual communion, in part at least, satisfied their ardent desire to be united to their beloved. Jesus himself said, abide in me and I in you, and spiritual communion helps us stay united to Jesus even when we are far from a church. There's no other way to appease the fond yearning consuming the heart of the saints. As Psalm 41 Two says, o God, my whole soul longs for you as a dear for running water. My whole soul thirsts for God.
[00:07:18] Doug Blessed Agatha of the Cross felt such an acute yearning to live, always united to Jesus in the Eucharist that she remarked, if the confessor had not taught me to make spiritual communion, it would have been impossible for me to live.
[00:07:30] Padre Pio told one of his spiritual daughters, in the course of the day when has not permitted you to do otherwise, call on Jesus, even in the midst of all your occupation, with a resigned sigh of the soul, and he will come and will remain always united with your soul by means of his grace and his holy love.
[00:07:48] Fly with your spirit before the Tabernacle when he cannot stand before it bodily, and there pour out the ardent longings of your soul and embrace the beloved of souls even more than if you had been permitted to receive him sacramentally.
[00:08:02] Let us too, profit by this great gift. This holy practice can easily fill our days with acts and sentiments of love. It can make us live in an embrace of love solely conditioned by a renewal so frequent that it seems uninterrupted.
[00:08:17] St. Angela Marici was passionately fond of spiritual communion. Not only did she make it often and exhort others to do it, but she went so far as to get her daughter's special heritage, because she wanted them to ever after practice it.
[00:08:31] What shall we say of St. Francis de Sales? Does not his whole life seem like a chain of spiritual communions? He resolved to make a spiritual communion at least every quarter of an hour. So too, St. Maximilian Colby. Even from his youth, the saints were eager to make use of these in similar holy means, to provide outlet for their overflowing hearts. For they never felt they had gone far enough in their endeavors to love. The more I love you, the less I love you, exclaimed St. Francis Xavier Cabrini, because I would like to love you more, but I cannot.
[00:09:02] Oh, enlarge, enlarge my heart.
[00:09:05] St. Bernadette eventually begged Naphilo's sister to wake her up during the night hours when normally she would sleep. Why?
[00:09:12] Because I would like to make a spiritual communion.
[00:09:16] Let us learn from the saints. They would like to pass on to us some spark of their love burning in their hearts. Let us undertake to make many spiritual communions, especially during the busiest moments of the day.
[00:09:30] Then soon the fire of love will enkindle us. For what St. Leonard of Port Maurice asserts us of is most consoling. If you practice the holy exercise of spiritual communion several times each day, within a month, you will see your heart completely changed, less than a month. Clear enough, is it not?
[00:09:50] If you practice the holy exercise of spiritual communion several times each day, within a month, you will see your heart completely changed.
[00:10:00] So start now.
[00:10:02] Get the habit now. Don't wait. And especially don't wait till it gets worse. Start now.
[00:10:10] Now. There's a lot more that could be said there, and especially about making Thanksgivings. You all can listen to my sermons on that.
[00:10:17] I'll just make one remark here. The basic idea of thanksgiving after communion is the same whether it's spiritual communion or sacramental communion. And that's easy to understand. We plan out exactly what we're going to ask our Lord to do for us before we go to communion. And then afterwards, we spend some time talking with him about our problems and begging him for mercy. That's it. With spiritual communions, when we're busy working, it could be something as easy as asking him to stay with us and guide us in our work so we can give him more honor and glory of our actions. Anyone can do this. All right, okay, that's enough there. We've got to keep moving or we're never going to get through all this.
[00:11:00] Next question.
[00:11:03] What if we have to get to confession but there is no priest?
[00:11:09] How can we get our sins forgiven. If we can't find a priest, especially if you found yourself dying without a priest and you had mortal sins on your soul, could you be saved?
[00:11:19] This is super important to understand.
[00:11:22] We'll spend some time right now talking about that, and to do that, we'll rely largely on two works, a booklet entitled Perfect Contrition by Father Quiring, SJ. And a booklet entitled the Golden Key to Heaven by Jay de Drish.
[00:11:37] Both these are readily available for download on the Internet. Perfect Contrition by Father Quiring, SJ. And the Golden Key to Heaven by J. Derice might be a really good idea to download those perfect contrition by Father Queer and Jen, SJ. And the Golden Key to Heaven by Jay de Drish okay, so let's quickly review our catechism. What is contrition or sorrow for sin?
[00:12:05] Contrition or sorrow for sin is a hatred of sin and a true grief of the soul for having offended God with a firm purpose of sinning. No more.
[00:12:14] Now, supernatural contrition may be either imperfect or perfect.
[00:12:20] Contrition is imperfect when we're sorry through fear of God. We're sorry for having offended God because we fear his just anger and punishment.
[00:12:28] Contrition is perfect when we're sorry through love of God, because sin offends him, who is so infinitely good and lovable. And perfect contrition is what we're going to be talking about. Now, perfect contrition springs from the perfect love of God, and our love for God is perfect when we love him because he is infinitely good and worthy of all love, or because by his innumerable gifts to us, he has shown his love for us. On the other hand, our love for God is imperfect when we love him because we hope for some benefit from Him.
[00:13:00] When our love is imperfect, we love the gifts we've received. When it's perfect, we love the giver of these gifts. Not so much for the gifts he gives us as for the love and goodness that these gifts manifest in Him.
[00:13:12] The effects of perfect contrition suppose a man is in the state of mortal sin, and then he makes an act of perfect contrition. At that instant, all his sins are forgiven. He's back in the state of grace instantly, even before he goes to confession, as long as he has intention of going when he has the opportunity.
[00:13:34] Yeah. Do you all hear that?
[00:13:37] If a man is in the state of mortal sin, and then he makes an act of perfect contrition, all his sins are forgiven. He's back in the state of grace instantly, as long as he has intention of going to confession, if and when he has opportunity.
[00:13:52] Perfect contrition is a fantastic help to all those who really want to stay in that state of grace, but who, through weakness and in spite of their good intentions, fall occasionally into mortal sin. Let's just note here that in the case a priest does show up, even if he's made an act of perfect contrition after mortal sin, he still shouldn't go to communion before he's made a good confession. Okay, now suppose a man is already in the state of grace when he makes an act of perfect intrigue. Then what?
[00:14:20] Well, his soul is strengthened against future temptations, his venial sins are forgiven, his purgatory time is decreased, and he grows in the virtue of charity. And the more fervent the act, the more his purgatory time is reduced and the greater the growth in charity.
[00:14:39] Is it easy to have perfect contrition?
[00:14:43] It's true that it is more difficult to make an act of perfect contrition than to make an act of imperfect contrition. And fervent Christians can make acts of perfect contrition more easily than lukewarm Christians. But perfect contrition is not difficult for someone who has begun to be sorry for his sins. Perfect contrition is not beyond the power of the ordinary man of goodwill, who is trying to live well but is too weak always to avoid mortal sin.
[00:15:07] Before Christ came, the only means for adults to have their sins forgiven was perfect contrition. And even now, that's still the case for all those who, for whatever reason, do not have access to the sacraments.
[00:15:19] God has not imposed on mankind a requirement for sorrow, for sins that's beyond the power of even the weakest man of goodwill.
[00:15:27] Anyone who wants to really wants to make acts of perfect contrition can with the grace of God. Now that's really important to remember. Everyone needs to burn this into his mind. God has not imposed on mankind a requirement for sorrow, for sins that is beyond the power of even the weakest man of goodwill.
[00:15:44] Anyone who really wants to make acts of perfect intriguing can with the grace of God.
[00:15:50] Only one thing can make perfect contrition difficult to us, and that's a lack of trust in God's mercy. But is not the Lord calling us to trust him completely? Trust in him with his message of divine mercy. Jesus, I trust in you.
[00:16:07] Okay, let's talk about how to obtain perfect nutrition.
[00:16:12] First off, we have to remember that perfect nutrition is a gift of God. It's a great grace. We should therefore constantly pray for it. Ask and you shall receive. When we beg God for some worldly favor, he may refuse to give us what we ask for, but a prayer for perfect nutrition will always be heard.
[00:16:31] Again, that's something really, really important to remember. Everyone needs to burn this into their minds. When we beg God for some worldly favor, he may refuse to give us what we ask for. But a prayer for perfect contrition will always be heard.
[00:16:46] A prayer for perfect contrition will always be heard.
[00:16:50] Okay, here's an easy way of making an act of perfect contrition.
[00:16:54] Kneel down before a crucifix, or imagine yourself to be at the foot of the cross. And while looking at our Lord's wounds, think about all that for a few months, and then pray along these lines.
[00:17:05] Who is this nailed to a cross?
[00:17:09] It's Jesus, my God and savior.
[00:17:13] And see how he suffers.
[00:17:16] Look at those wounds.
[00:17:19] Why does he suffer?
[00:17:21] For the sins of man.
[00:17:24] For my sins, I have sinned against him. And yet, as he hangs there in such agony, he is thinking of me.
[00:17:35] He is suffering for me.
[00:17:39] He is making reparation for my sins.
[00:17:45] He is loving me.
[00:17:49] Remain there at the foot of the cross while the blood of your savior falls drop by drop on your soul.
[00:17:56] Ask yourself how you've returned those proofs of love.
[00:18:00] Call to mind your past sins and forgetting for a moment both heaven and hell. RepeNt because your sins have caused your savior to suffer so terribly.
[00:18:10] Promise him you will not crucify him again. Then slowly and fervently repeat the act of contrition. Or better yet, repeat those words of sorrow that rise up in your heart as you kneel. There.
[00:18:25] Now, how hard is that?
[00:18:29] Each one of you can do that?
[00:18:35] Another easy way of making an act of perfect nutrition is to turn to our lady of sorrows and picture on Mount Calvary holding the dead and mangled body of our Lord on her knees.
[00:18:44] Just look at her in the mangled body of our Lord and say with her, a blessed mother, pray for me.
[00:18:51] Obtain for me the grace never to sin again.
[00:18:56] My Jesus, mercy, my God, have mercy on me, a sinner. My God, I love thee above all things.
[00:19:08] That's not hard either.
[00:19:11] Anyone can do it.
[00:19:15] Okay, so now we've answered the question as to what we to do if we have to get confession. But there's no priest of how we can get our sins forgiven even if we can't find a priest. Especially we find ourselves dying without a priest. We had mortal sins on our soul.
[00:19:32] The answer is, we make acts of perfect contrition.
[00:19:39] Now, let's apply what we just learned to another situation.
[00:19:43] How can we help someone die if there's no priest?
[00:19:47] We'll look at three different situations. One, helping a dying Catholic make an act of perfect contrition. Two, helping a dying non Catholic Christian make an act of perfect contrition. And three, helping a dying nonchristian make an act of perfect contrition.
[00:20:07] So what should we do?
[00:20:11] It's actually very helpful and consoling to keep a few scriptures in mind. One, Timothy two four says that God desires all men to be saved.
[00:20:21] God desires all men to be saved.
[00:20:25] Acts 221, whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
[00:20:32] So God desires all men to be saved. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. So that's God's word. So that's foundational, and it's encouraging. If we ever have to face these kind of challenges. Okay, then no matter what you're dealing with, you should start by praying to your angel and the angel of the Dying man and ask them to help intercede with St. Joseph and our Lady. That's first.
[00:20:56] Then, if he's conscious and responsive, follow the advice of St. John Utes and say something like, I'll pray with you. Pride doesn't matter much to you, but would you mind if I prayed your name? It would sure make me feel better.
[00:21:10] I'll repeat that. I'll pray with you. It probably doesn't matter much to you, but would you mind if I prayed in your name? It would sure make me feel better.
[00:21:18] Now, don't worry if he refuses to let you pray in his name. But if he does let you, he just agreed to make you his advocate before God, and you really have some leverage now. But if he doesn't, don't worry. Just stay calm. The devil works in stormy waters, not the Lord, so stay calm.
[00:21:36] Okay, so no matter what the situation, start by playing your angel and the angel, a dying man, and ask them to help intercede with St. Joseph and our Lady. Then if he's conscious and responsive, follow the advice of St. John Hudes and say something like, I'll pray with you. It probably doesn't matter much to you, but you'd mind if I prayed in your name. It sure made me feel better.
[00:21:56] Now that we've done that, let's go through the possibilities. First, helping a dying Catholic make an act of perfect contrition.
[00:22:03] If you have any holy water, sprinkle it around. Generally speaking, you don't have to be sneaking about this with a Catholic. It's holy water. The reason we want to sprinkle it around is to keep devils away. But if you don't have any holy water, don't worry. Just stay calm. It'll be all right.
[00:22:18] If you have some blessed olive oil, you can just trace a little sign of the cross on his forehead, and that'll really bless him as well. But if you don't have any of that, don't worry. Just stay calm. It'll be all right. Once you've done all that, then just ask him to repeat with his heart what you're about to pray.
[00:22:35] Ask him to repeat in his heart what you're about to pray.
[00:22:39] Then slowly and distinctly ask our lady to help. Ask St. Joseph to help. Then ask our Lord to have mercY, blessed mother, help St. Joseph. Help my Jesus. Have mercy. My Jesus. Mercy. My Jesus, Mercy. Okay, after this, then just say an act of contrition very slowly and deliberately.
[00:23:03] If he isn't actually in the throes of death, this can be repeated periodically. But don't allow yourselves to get excited and think that you have to keep doing this to the point of exhausting the dying man. Just stay calm. It'll be all right. Ask him to squeeze your hand if he wants you to pray it again for him. Okay.
[00:23:20] If he's unconscious, you do exactly the same thing. The last sense to go is a sense of hearing, so make sure you're slowly and clearly pronouncing each word. When you ask him to repeat with his heart what you're about to say.
[00:23:34] Then slowly and distinctly ask our lady to help. Ask St. Joseph to help. Ask Lord to have mercy, and very slowly and distinctly repeat the act of contrition, even though the dying man may not seem to hear or understand you. Okay, so that's the first case. How to help a dying Catholic make an act of perfect contrition.
[00:23:55] Second, helping a dying non Catholic Christian make an act of perfect nutrition. If you have any holy water, you may have to be a bit careful about using it, but that's pretty easy. Our Lord tells us to be gentle as doves, but as wise as serpents. So just wet a cloth with it and gently wipe off his forehead. Then tell him you just want to pray with him. You want to help him. Call in the name of the Lord again, just ask him to repeat with his heart what you're going to say. Do not say anything about an act of contrition. This is super important. You don't want to spook a dying man with a strange vocabulary. This is important in your heart. Ask Our lady to help you. But don't say that out loud. Since he's dying, you don't want to get into all that with him, right? Then he'll meet her soon enough.
[00:24:39] Okay, so you tell him you just want to pray with him, that you want to help him. Call in the name of the Lord and ask him to repeat with his heart what you're going to say. Then slowly and distinctly ask our Lord to have mercy, my Jesus. Have mercy, my Jesus. Mercy, my Jesus, Mercy, my Jesus. I'm sorry for any and all the ways I've ever offended you in my life and I beg you to have mercy on me. I'm truly sorry, and I love you. Have mercy on me, Jesus.
[00:25:08] See, that's an act of perfect intrigue, but it isn't using our vocabulary. This is not the time to get into that.
[00:25:18] So I'll just repeat that.
[00:25:22] My Jesus, have mercy, my Jesus, Mercy, my Jesus. I'm sorry for any and all the ways I've ever offended you in my life and I beg you to have mercy on me. I'm truly sorry and I love you. Have mercy on me, Jesus.
[00:25:36] Again, if he is an action that throws a death that can be repeated periodically, don't let yourself get excited. Think you have to keep doing this and exhaust the dying man. Stay calm. Ask him to squeeze your hand if he wants you to pray it again for him. Okay.
[00:25:52] If he's unconscious, you do exactly the same thing. Make sure you're slowly and clearly pronouncing each word. When you ask him to repeat with his heart what you're about to say. Then slowly and distinctly ask our Lord to have mercy and repeat the same themes. Even though the dying man may not seem to hear or understand you. My Jesus, Mercy, my Jesus. I'm sorry for any and all the ways I've ever offended you in my life and I beg you to have mercy on me. I'm truly sorry and I love you. Have mercy on me, Jesus. Okay, so that's the second case. How to help a dying non Catholic Christian make an act of perfect contrition. Finally, helping a dying non Christian make an act of perfect contrition.
[00:26:37] Again, if you have any holy water, you're probably going to have to be sneaky about using it. Just wet that cloth with it and wipe off his forehead. Do not baptize him. If he doesn't want to be baptized, it won't work. Don't baptize him if he doesn't want to be baptized, it won't work. What you're going to try to do is obtain from the grace to obtain a baptism of desire.
[00:26:57] We are assuming they didn't show any desire to be baptized. If he wants to be baptized, well, then just do it. There's nothing to worry about. He's good to go. We'll get to baptism in a minute or two, but that's not what we're talking about right now. Okay, so here's a dying nonchristian. There's no time to catechize. Tell him you want to pray with him to help him have a peaceful death. Obviously, there's a much more dicey situation because it doesn't explicitly believe the four truths that are necessary for salvation. There's one God, that God rewards the good and punishes the evil. That there are three persons, the one God and the second person, our Lord Jesus Christ, became man and died for our sins. He doesn't know all that or yet believe it. If he can explain those four points and he's receptive to it, well, then by all means do so, because then you wouldn't be dealing with non Christian.
[00:27:42] But the situation that we've proposed right now is a non Christian who's dying, which in this scenario means he doesn't know that Jesus is God, or at least he doesn't profess that. And you don't have the time to get into all that. Now that's the scenario we're using. What are you going to do? Well, what you are going to do is bank on the marvelous mercies of God, which is really all we can do in such a dire situation.
[00:28:03] You're going to start by seeing that God has allowed you to be present in this situation and recognize that if with God's grace you can get this man to make an act of perfect nutrition, he will then be in the state of grace. So you're trusting that God will in some way enlighten him, enlighten this dying man as he dies. Okay, so you're shooting for last minute save. You've already prayed to the angels. They're busy talking things over with St. Joseph and our Lady. God desires the salvation of all men. He doesn't want this man to go to hell and he's looking for an excuse to save this soul for whom he shed his precious blood. And so with the grace of God, you're going to do your best to open that soul to the movement of grace. Okay, so that's the goal.
[00:28:42] So unite yourself to our lady and just lean on her. AnD tell your dying friend you want to pray with him to help him have a peaceful death. Then ask him to repeat in his heart what you're going to say. Again, don't say anything about an act of contrition. Slowly and distinctly, pray something along these lines. Have mercy on me, God. Have mercy on me, God. O God, I'm sorry for any and all the ways I've ever offended you in my life, and I beg you to have mercy on me. I'm truly sorry and I love you. Have mercy on me, O God.
[00:29:09] If he isn't in the throes of death, this can be repeated periodically. Don't get excited. Don't exhaust him. Whatever you do, remain calm. Ask him to squeeze your hand if he wants you to pray it again. Okay? If he's unconscious, you do exactly the same thing. Slowly and clearly pronounce each word. When you ask him to repeat with his heart what you're about to say.
[00:29:30] Slowly and distinctly, pray something along these lines. Have mercy on me, God. Have mercy on me, God. O God, I'm sorry for any and all the ways I've ever offended you in my life. I beg you to have mercy on me. I'm truly sorry and I love you. Have mercy on me, O God. Now, if he actually cooperates with you, he's going to be moved in the state of grace, and we can trust the mercies of God that somehow that poor dying man will receive the knowledge he needs to be saved before his soul leaves his body.
[00:29:59] So that's the third case. How to help a dying nonchristian make an act of perfect attrition, which is by far and away the most dicey of these three scenarios. But if God allows us to be in such a situation, he also expects us to do what we can. Okay, so now let's look at the questions of how do we baptize someone and when should we?
[00:30:19] There's a lot more details than we're going to cover here. While we're having coffee, y'all can just listen to my sermons on topics like baptism, desire, baptism, blood, et cetera. Right now, all we're trying to do is give you some sort of a toolkit and the knowledge to use it if and when y'all find yourselves without a priest at hand, okay? Because we're going There and we're going there fast. I'm a priest, so I won't find myself without a priest in that sense, although I still need them for confession and so forth.
[00:30:47] And I would need one for the last rites.
[00:30:50] So I need to know some of this stuff.
[00:30:54] Know I'm not dealt out of this. We're all in this together. Granted, there's some differences here, but we're going there fast.
[00:31:02] So men are born without supernatural life. Thanks a lot, Adam. But in order to live the life of heaven, in order to be saved, we have to be supernaturally alive. Which means we have to be baptized. That being said, we'll review the basic aspects of baptism. The matter, form, minister and intention. So the matter, the stuff of baptism is water. Natural water. It can be holy water, can be river water, it can be pool water. It can be distilled water, not snow, not beer, not amniotic fluid, not spit, not fruit juice, whatever we commonly regard as water. That's what we can use for baptism. Okay, the form. The words are, I baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son, the Holy Ghost. Not names, there's only one God in the name. I baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit. Or in the name of the Father, Son, the Holy Ghost. Doesn't matter. Okay, the ministers, anyone having the use of region who intends to do what the Church does.
[00:31:51] It's such an important sacrament that Christ made it possible for anyone to baptize anyone. Even a pagan can baptize anyone. You do not need a priest. Now, let's make sure you all understand how to baptize in the case of emergency. In other words, the case of someone dying.
[00:32:06] So, as we've just seen, anyone over the age of reason could do this. You need to intend to do what the Church does. In other words, you just need to intend to baptize this person, if they're not already baptized. Let's look at five cases.
[00:32:18] First case, an unconscious, dying adult that you're not sure is baptized. Just take some water, and while you're pouring it, say the words if you're capable. I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, the Holy Spirit. Same person is pouring, has to say the words. If possible, the water should be poured over the forehead. Don't pour it on the hair, pour it on the skin. Let it flow. The water has to move over the skin. Even if all you have is a drop that dribbles down the forehead. That's sufficient. As the water's flowing, you have to say the words if you're capable. I baptize you in the name of the Father and Son, the Holy Spirit. If forehead's not there. Pour the water on any other exposed skin.
[00:32:53] As the water is flowing, you have to say the words, if you're capable, I baptize you in the name of the Father and Son, the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[00:33:00] And you can just mean, if you're capable. If you're so excited in an emergency.
[00:33:06] Second miscarriage, here's the basic idea. Fill a bowl with lukewarm water. Break open the sack that surrounds a little baby. If it's not broken, then there's no baptism. Okay? So break open the sack that surrounds a little baby. Then gently swirl it around the water while you say the words, if you're capable, I baptize the name of the Father, Son, the Holy Spirit. Amen. Okay, bowl of lukewarm water. Open the little sack, gently swirl around the water while saying the words, if you're capable. I baptize in the name of the Father, Son, the Holy Spirit. Third case, newborn baby. Having problems or dying, take a cotton ball, get it wet with lukewarm water, depending how he's laying there, place the cotton ball right up here on his forehead or temple.
[00:33:44] And then, as he squeezed just enough to get a drop or two to flow, say the words. I baptize in the name of the Father, Son, the Holy Spirit. Okay. Make sure a drop of water is moving down his skin as you say the words. I baptize in the name of Father, Son, the Holy Spirit. All right. What if this is a dying newborn of anyone who's not a Catholic? Okay, if he's dying, but only if he's dying, baptize him.
[00:34:06] I want to make sure you understand what I just said. If it's a dying newborn of anyone who's not a Catholic. If he's dying, but only if he's dying, baptize him. In other words, don't go out and baptize a perfectly healthy little heathen baby, because he needs to be raised Catholic if he's been baptized. So that means only if he's a dying baby, then baptize him. He'll be a saint if needs be. You can give some line about cleaning his forehead or whatever. Say the word so quietly that only you can hear. But you get that little guy baptized. Don't let him die without it.
[00:34:35] He can't get to heaven without. It's a salvation issue. There are many little saints in heaven because of good Catholic medical personnel who understand this.
[00:34:44] Fourth, a healthy baby of Catholic parents. That's easy. Catechism of consul Trent states, since infant children have no other means of salvation except baptism. We may easily understand how grievously those persons sin who permit them to remain without the grace of the sacrament longer than necessity may require. That's the catechism of the Council of Trent. So with healthy babies, get her done as soon as reasonably possible.
[00:35:09] Fifth, and finally, how long after death is it okay to conditionally baptize until decomposition sets in? Don't worry. If they're blue, the soul may still be there. The late, great Father Hardin reported a case of a lady in Chicago who was blue and frozen solid for 8 hours by the time she was brought in and she walked out of the hospital. If they're not decomposing, conditionally baptize them.
[00:35:38] If they're not decomposing, conditionally baptize them. All right, quick review. We saw how to baptize an emergency when pouring the water over his skin, the same person says, I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, the Holy Spirit. While squeezing water out of cotton ball, the same person says, I baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. It's easy. I baptize you in the name of Son, Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost. Amen.
[00:36:04] Now, let's look at the question of how can a Catholic get married without a priest, or a deacon, for that matter. We'll start with a real quick review, starting with the marriage cOntract. Here's the traditional description of the marriage contract. A man and a woman give and accept an exclusive and perpetual right for acts which of themselves are suitable for the generation of children.
[00:36:27] A man and a woman given and accept an exclusive and perpetual right for acts which are of themselves suitable for the generation of children. So that's the marriage contract. Okay. If it's properly made, if that contract is validly made, this contract results in the relationship known as marriage. Both the man and the woman agree to the contract. That's why weddings work like they do. You have two witnesses of contract. We usually call them the best man, the maid of honor. The priest is there on behalf of the Church, and with respect to this aspect, he's there as he's supposed to ensure that the contract is properly entered into. Okay. But the man and woman actually are the ministers of the Sacrament.
[00:37:07] Under certain conditions, Catholics can get validly and lawfully married without a priest there to witness the marriage. I'll just summarize some details from the current code of Canon law. And this is just part of the tradition of the Church. I'll simplify this. Feel free to look it up if you want all the legal Jarden and sort of details? Okay. It's Canon 1116. Canon 1116 just summarizes the tradition of the Church in this matter.
[00:37:33] So, Canon 1116, just summarize the tradition of the Church in this matter.
[00:37:40] If the couple prudently estimates that a priest won't be available for a month, then they can validly and lawfully contract marriage in the presence of witnesses only. They stand up there in the presence of their witnesses. They exchange vows. And as long as they intend to enter in a Catholic marriage, in other words, as long as they intend to give and accept an exclusive and perpetual right for acts which are themselves suitable for the generation of children, then they are married. It's that easy.
[00:38:09] Okay, so there it is. You all now know the answers to the questions. What are we going to do if we don't have access to a priest? How can we get by without Holy Communion? How can we get by without confession? How can we buy without the last rites? How can we baptize someone? And when should we? And what about getting married without a priest? There. We got through her.
[00:38:29] Not too tough.
