Baltimore Catechism No. 4 (of 4) | Page 8

may not give us the grace or
opportunity to repent, and we may die in sin if we have lived in sin.
Besides this, the devil knows how much depends upon the state in
which we die, and so he perhaps will tempt us more at death than at any
other time; for if we yield to him and die in sin, we shall be with him
forever--it is his last chance to secure our souls.
Besides the Hail Mary there is another beautiful prayer on the same
subject, called the Angelus. It is a little history of the Incarnation, and
is said morning, noon, and evening in honor of Our Lord's Incarnation,
death, and resurrection. It is made up of three parts. The first part tells
what the angel did, viz.: "The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
And she conceived of the Holy Ghost." After saying these words, we
say one Hail Mary in honor of the angel's message. The second part
tells what Mary answered, viz.: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be
it done unto me according to thy word." We say another Hail Mary in
honor of Mary's consent. The third part tells how Our Lord became
Man, viz.: "And the Word was made flesh. And dwelt among us." The
"Word" means here the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity; and
"made flesh" means, became man. Then another Hail Mary is said in
honor of Our Lord's goodness in humbling Himself so much for our
sake. After these three parts we say: "Pray for us, O Holy Mother of
God! that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ"; and,
finally, we say a prayer in honor of Our Lord's Incarnation, Passion,
and Resurrection. This beautiful prayer is said three times a day in all
seminaries, convents, and religious houses. The time for saying it is
made known by the ringing of a bell called the "Angelus bell." In many
parishes the church bell rings out the Angelus. In Catholic countries the
people stop wherever they are and whatever they are doing, and bowing
their heads, say the Angelus when they hear its bell. It is a beautiful
practice and one most pleasing to our Blessed Lord and His holy
Mother. Good Catholics should not neglect it.
I might mention here another kind of prayer often said in honor of our
blessed Mother. It is the Litany. In this form of prayer we call Our

Lady many beautiful names which we know are most dear to her,
asking her after each one to pray for us. We address her first by names
reminding her that she is the Mother of God and has therefore great
influence with her divine Son. We say: Mother of Christ, Mother of
Our Creator, Mother of Our Redeemer, etc., pray for us. Next we
remind her that she is a virgin and should take pity on us who are
exposed to so many temptations against holy purity. We call her virgin
most pure, virgin most chaste, etc., and again ask her to pray for us.
Lastly we call her all those names that could induce her to hear us. We
say: health of the weak, refuge of sinners, help of Christians, pray for
us.
In addition to the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, we have the Litany of
the Holy Name of Jesus, the Litany of the Blessed Sacrament, the
Litany of the Sacred Heart, the Litany of St. Joseph, and many
others--all made up in the same form. We have also the Litany of all the
Saints, in which we beg the help and prayers of the different classes of
saints--the Apostles, martyrs, virgins, etc.
THE APOSTLES' CREED
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord, Who was conceived by the
Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified; died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third
day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, sitteth at
the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come
to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy
Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
A creed is a definite list or summary of all the things one believes. The
"Apostles' Creed" is therefore a list or collection of all the truths the
Apostles believed. The "Apostles" were the twelve men that Our Lord
selected to be His first bishops. We know they were bishops because
they could ordain priests and consecrate other bishops. They lived with
Our Lord like a little family during