CATHOLIC WORD BOOK - Knights of Columbus, Supreme Council

the communicator of religious truth in a
manner adapted to the understanding of
the people of his time. He used
anthropomorphic language, the figure of
days and other literary devices to state the
salvation truths of creation, the fall of man
from grace, and the promise of
redemption. It was beyond the
competency and purpose of the writer(s) to
describe creation and related events in a
scientific manner.
Excommunication: Severe ecclesiastical
penalty imposed by the Church that
excludes a member of the faithful from the
wider community. Excommunication is
today covered in its particulars by Canon
1331 of the new Code of Canon Law,
promulgated in 1983. It exists in two
contemporary forms, ferendae sententiae and
latae sententiae. The former is a penalty
imposed after a formal proceeding
presided over by at least three judges. The
latter is considered an automatic penalty
for certain acts, including the procuring of
a successful abortion (Canon 1398), the
embrace of heresy (Canon 1364), violation
of the Seal of Confession (Canon 1388),
and the blasphemous and sacrilegious use
of the Eucharist (Canon 1367). A person
under the ban of excommunication is
unable to take part in all ceremonies of
public worship, especially the Eucharist,
to receive or celebrate the sacraments, and
to discharge any ecclesiastical offices,
ministries, or functions. (See Censures).
Ex Opere Operantis: A term in sacramental
theology meaning that the effectiveness of
sacraments depends on the moral rectitude
of the minister or participant. This term
was applied to rites of the O.T. in contrast
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with those of the N.T. when it was first
advanced in the thirteenth century.
Ex Opere Operato: A term in sacramental
theology meaning that sacraments are
effective by means of the sacramental rite
itself and not because of the worthiness of
the minister or participant.
Exorcism: (1) Driving out evil spirits; a
rite in which evil spirits are charged and
commanded on the authority of God and
with the prayer of the Church to depart
from a person or to cease causing harm to
a person suffering from diabolical
possession or obsession. The sacramental is
officially administered by a priest
delegated for the purpose by the bishop of
the place. Elements of the rite include the
Litany of Saints; recitation of the Our
Father, one or more creeds, and other
prayers; specific prayers of exorcism; the
reading of Gospel passages and use of the
Sign of the Cross. On Jan. 26, 1999, the
Congregation for Divine Worship and the
Discipline of the Sacraments published a
new rite of exorcism in the Roman Ritual.
[See Special Report for additional details.]
(2) Exorcisms which do not imply the
conditions of either diabolical possession
or obsession form part of the ceremony of
baptism and are also included in formulas
for various blessings; e.g., of water.
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: “In
churches where the Eucharist is regularly
reserved, it is recommended that solemn
exposition of the Blessed Sacrament for an
extended period of time should take place
once a year, even though the period is not
strictly continuous. Shorter expositions of
the Eucharist (Benediction) are to be
arranged in such a way that the blessing