BALTIMORE CATECHISM
The Catechism Explained: An Exhaustive Explanation of the Catholic Religion, page 542 (excerpt):
THE PROFIT TO BE DERIVED FROM THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.
"By means of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass the fruits of the Sacrifice of the Cross are applied to us in most abundant measure; more particularly we obtain thereby forgiveness of sin, certitude that our prayers are heard, temporal blessings and eternal rewards.
Every Mass is productive of the same fruits, the same profit to the souls as that which resulted from the death of Our Lord on Good Friday. And since the Sacrifice of the Mass is identical with the Sacrifice of the Cross, it follows as a necessary consequence that its effects are the same (Cochem). The death and Passion of Christ are the treasury, the Mass is the key that unlocks it. The Cross is the tree of life laden with celestial fruits, and by the Mass those fruits are given to us. In the Sacrifice of the Mass we are made partakers of the merits of Christ; they are, it is true, applied to us by the other means of grace, but far less freely and abundantly. At the time of Mass, God gives lavishly; from no other source do the streams of grace flow so copiously as from the Altar. In the Mass, the Son of the Most High God comes down from the gardens of paradise bringing to us from thence celestial riches and treasures of infinite value. In the Mass the heavenly Father gives us His Son; "and hath He not with Him, also given us all things?" (Romans 8:32). If you O Christian, knew how to profit by the Mass, by it you might become richer than all the creatures of God can make you! One must be in a state of grace in order to receive most of the Sacraments, otherwise one cannot share in Christ's merits, and one incurs the guilt of mortal sin; but it is not necessary to be in a state of grace to hear Mass (no Holy Communion); the sinner does not commit a fresh sin by doing so; on the contrary he gains the grace of conversion."
BALTIMORE CATECHISM
The Catechism Explained: An Exhaustive Explanation of the Catholic Religion, pages 690-691 (excerpt):
THE AVE MARIA
"The principal prayers to the Mother of God which are in common use are (1), The Ave Maria, or the Angelical Salutation; (2), The Angelus; (3), The Rosary; (4), The Litany of Loretto and the Salve Regina.
Catholics almost invariably add the Ave Maria to the Pater Noster.
The Ave Maria is also called the Angelical Salutation, because it commences with the words of the Archangel.
1. The Ave Maria consists of three parts: The salutation of the Archangel Gabriel, the greeting of Elizabeth, and the words of the Church.
The salutation of the Archangel runs thus: "Hail, full of grace the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women" (Luke 1:28). The greeting of Elizabeth is this: 'Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb" (Luke 1:42). The remaining words were added by the Church. The first and second parts are an ascription of praise, the third part is a supplication. The first and second parts were recited by the faithful in the earliest ages of Christianity in their present form, while the concluding words were varied. St. Athanasius used to add: "Pray for us, Patron and Lady, Queen and Mother of God." From the time of Luther, it was customary to end with the words: "Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us." The final clause now in use dated from the reign of Pope Saint Pius V., who directed it to be printed in all the authorized prayer books. After the heretic Nestorius denied the right of the Blessed Virgin to the title of Mother of God, the Ave Maria was more frequently on the lips of Christians than it was in earlier times. And when, in the thirteenth century, other sects arose who refused to give the saints the veneration due to them, the devotion to Our Lady assumed a more and more prominent place, and from that time forth the Ave Maria became an invariable adjunct to the Pater Noster in all the public services of the Church.
2. The Ave Maria is a most potent prayer, and one which is full of meaning.
The Ave Maria is especially efficacious in time of temptation; many saints recommend the faithful to recite it, when evil thoughts assail them."
TO BE CONTINUED...