Catholic Church is the only one that can show these
marks, and is, therefore, the only true Church, as we shall see in the
next lesson.

"Fruits of His redemption"--that is, to receive the grace merited by Our
Lord when He redeemed us by His death.

115 Q. What is the Church?
A. The Church is the congregation of all those who profess the faith of
Christ, partake of the same Sacraments, and are governed by their lawful
pastors under one visible head.

"Congregation." Not the building, therefore; because if Mass was offered
up in an open field, with the people kneeling about, it would still be
the church of that place. The buildings that we use for churches might
have been used for anything else--a public hall, theater, or school, for
example; but when these buildings we call churches are blessed or
consecrated, they become holy. They are holy also because the Gospel is
preached in them, the Sacraments are administered in them, and the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass is offered in them. But they are holy especially
because Our Lord dwells in them in the tabernacle, where He lives and
sees and hears just as truly as He did when He was man upon earth.

In the early ages the Christians had no churches--they met secretly in
private houses. Later, when the cruel pagan emperors began to persecute
and put to death the Christians, they made large tunnels under ground
and in these places they heard Mass and received the Sacraments. These
underground churches were called the catacombs, and some of them may
still be seen at Rome. In these catacombs, too, the Christians buried
their dead, especially the bodies of the holy martyrs. On their
tombs--generally of stone--Mass was celebrated.

In every altar the table, or flat part on which the priest celebrates
Mass, should be of stone; but if the altar is made of wood, then at
least the part just in front of the tabernacle must be of stone and
large enough to hold say two chalices--that is, about ten or twelve
inches square. In this stone are placed some relics of the holy martyrs.
A piece is cut out of the stone and the relic placed in the opening.
Then the bishop puts the little piece of stone back into its place over
the relic, seals the opening, blesses the stone, and gives it to the
Church. This is called the altar stone. You cannot see it because it is
covered with the altar cloth; but unless it is in the altar the priest
cannot say Mass. This stone reminds us of the stone tombs of