ns, and there are penitent
sinners; but out of these many minds rises one Eucharistic hymn, and the
great action is the measure and the scope of it."

The Practices of the Catholic Church

I. Vespers and Benediction

"Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day" (_Ex_. xx. 8).

THIS commandment teaches us that God wills the whole Sunday to be spent
in His honor. We should sanctify it by good works, and by assisting at
divine service. On that day servile works and improper amusements are
forbidden. A salutary rest and moderate recreation are allowed, but
never at the expense of duties of obligation. After hearing Mass on
Sunday morning, which is obligatory on all Catholics, there is no better
way of sanctifying the remainder of the day than by attending Vespers
and Benediction.

The Vesper service is a small portion of the divine office, which
priests must recite daily, for God's honor and glory. It consists of
five of the psalms of David (Dixit Dominus, Ps. 109; Confitebor tibi,
Ps. 110; Beatus vir, Ps. 111; Laudate pueri, Ps. 112; In exitu Israel,
Ps. 113, or Laudate Dominum, Ps. 116), a hymn, the Magnificat, or
canticle of the Virgin Mary, from the first chapter of St. Luke, and
some prayers. Is it not reasonable thus to praise God in psalms and
hymns and spiritual canticles?

Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament usually follows Vespers. The
Catholic Church teaches that Jesus Christ is really present in the
Blessed Sacrament. The reasonableness of this teaching will be seen in
the following article.

Since Jesus Christ is present, He ought to be adored by the faithful.
Faithful adorers frequently visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament and
worship Him in "spirit and in truth." Hence, the Blessed Sacrament is
kept in the Tabernacle on our altars to soothe our cares, answer our
prayers, and be ready at any time to be administered to the sick and
dying.

Besides our private devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, the Church has
appointed solemn rites to show publicly our faith and devotion toward
the Real Presence of Jesus Christ. These rites are processions on Corpus
Christi, the Forty Hours' devotion, and, especially, the rite called
Benediction.

When it is time for Benediction many candles are lighted on the altar.
This is done to show our faith in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ. If
He were not present, this display would be unreasonable, unnecessary,
and meaningless. But the candles we light, the incense w