THE REASONABLENESS

PRACTICES

OF

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

HE

By Rev.
J. J.

BURKE

New York, Cincinnati, Chicago

BENZIGER
Printers to the Holy Apostolic See

1892

BROTHERS





THE REASONABLENESS

OF

THE PRACTICES

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

By Rev.
J. J.

BURKE

New York, Cincinnati, Chicago

BENZIGER BROTHERS
Printers to the Holy Apostolic See

1892



Copyright, 1892, by Benziger Brothers.

DeacWHfetf i



PREFACE.

By the Practices of the Catholic Church we mean

those devotions and usages characteristic of her.

Hence in these pages we do not treat of matters

common to all Christians
;
but we endeavor to give

a brief and clear statement of those religious obser-

vances that are especially Catholic.

This little work is intended as a companion and

sequence to “ The Reasonableness of the Ceremo-

nies of the Catholic Church,” published some time

ago. The principal object in preparing them has

been to explain (for the benefit of those unable to

have more complete works) some matters much

misunderstood.

It is the sincere desire that from these brief ex-

planations some may gain such benefits as will as-

sist them on the journey to their Eternal Home.

Chebarise, III., Feb. 25, 1892.



CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I.—Vespers and Benediction, 5

II.—Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, ... 8
III.—Holy Communion, 13

IV.—Confirmation, 14

V.—Honoring the Blessed Virgin, . . . .17

VI.—Confession of Sin, 21

VII.—Granting Indulgences, 28

VIII.—The Last Sacraments, 32

IX.—Praying for the Dead 33
X.—Praying to the Saints 37
XI.—Crucifixes, Relics and Images, . . . -39
XII.—Some Sacramentals— The Books Used by the

Priest, the Sign of the Cross, Holy Water,

Blessed Candles, Palm and Ashes, Holy Oils,

Scapulars, Medals, Agnus Dei, Prayers, Lita-

nies, Rosary, Angelus, Stations, Funeral Ser-

vice AND VARIOUS BLESSINGS, . . . .42

XIII.—The Celebration of Feasts, 49
XIV.—Infant Baptism, 51
XV.—The Marriage Tie—One and Indissoluble, . . 53
XVI.—Respect Shown to Ecclesiastical Superiors, . 56
XVII.—Celibacy, 58
XVIII.—Conclusion 61



The Reasonableness of the Practices

of the Catholic Church.

I. VESPERS AND BENEDICTION.

“Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day” (Exodus

xx. 8).

HIS 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 hear-

ing Mass on Sunday morning, which is obligatory

on all Catholics, there is no better way of sanctify-

ing 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; Con-

fitebor tibi, ps. no; Beatus vir, ps. in; Laudate

pueri, ps. 112; In exitu Israel, ps. 113, or Laudate

Dominum, ps. 116), a hymn, the Magnificat, or



6 Reasonableness of the Practices

canticle of the Virgin Mary, from the first chapter

of St. Luke, and some prayers. Is it not reasona-

ble thns 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 Sac-

rament, the Church has appointed solemn rites to

show publicly our faith and devotion toward the

Real Presence of Jesus Christ. These rites are pro-

cessions on Corpus Christi, the Forty Hours devo-

tion, 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, un-

necessary, and meaningless. But the candles we

light, the incense we burn, the flowers and other

ornaments we use to decorate the altar, and all

that we do for Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

cannot be too much.

Everything being prepared, the priest takes the

Blessed Sacrament out of the Tabernacle, and.



of the Catholic Church. 7

placing It in the ostensorium, exposes It on an ele-

vated throne, while the choir sings in honor of the

Blessed Sacrament the hymn “O Salutaris Hostia,”

“O Saving Host.” The priest incenses Our Lord

in the Blessed Sacrament, as, according to the

Apocalypse, angels do in heaven. Another hymn

or a litany follows
;
after which is sung the “ Tan-

tum Ergo,” “Down in adoration falling,” followed

by a prayer by the priest. Then in the midst of a

solemn silence (except that a small bell is tinkled)

the priest takes the monstrance, or ostensorium,

containing the Blessed Sacrament, and, turning

toward the people, makes with it the sign of the

cross over them, thus blessing the faithful with the

Most Holy One.

This is certainly a most touching and impressive

rite even to those who do not believe in it. Cardinal

Newman calls it one of the most beautiful, natural,

and soothing practices of the Church. No one

will deny that this practice, or rite of the Church,

is reasonable, if Jesus Christ is really present in the

Blessed Sacrament. That He is really present is

our belief. This being our belief, is it not reason-

able to light candles as a sign of spiritual joy, and

thus to show our faith in Him Who is the light of

the world? He gave us all that we have. He

gave us the beautiful world we dwell upon with its

variety of scenery—with its snow-capped moun-
tains, its green-carpeted hills, and its blooming

valleys. He has no need of our gifts
;
for the earth

is His “and the fulness thereof.” Yet as He was

pleased to receive the gifts of the Magi and the

precious ointment of Mary, so, too, is He pleased



8 Reasonableness of the Practices

to receive our offerings. And is anything too

good, too beautiful, too precious, for Him? Can

the altar on which He dwells be too richly adorned ?

Are the pure candles we light, the sweet incense

we burn, the choice flowers and costly ornaments

with which we decorate the altar, too much to use in

honor of Our Lord and Our God? Yes, the Catholic

practice or rite of Benediction is dictated by right

reason. Everything connected with Benediction

is reasonable, beautiful, and suggestive of the

noblest sentiments of the heart of man.

II. DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED SAC-
RAMENT.

“And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed,

and broke, and gave to His disciples, and said : take ye and eat.

This is My body” (St. Matt. xxvi. 26)

.

P
ERHAPS no mystery of revelation has been so
universally attacked as the Real Presence of

Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.

By the Real Presence is meant that Jesus Christ

is really and truly, body and blood, soul and di-

vinity, present in the Blessed Sacrament, under the

form and appearance of bread and wine.

This teaching of the Church is in perfect agree-

ment with Scripture, tradition, and reason.

If the reader will take up his Bible and read care-

fully the 6th chapter of the Gospel according to

St. John; the 26th chapter, 26th, 27th, and 28th

verses of St. Matthew; the 14th chapter, 22d verse

of St. Mark
;
the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Cor-



of the Catholic Church. 9

inthians, ioth chapter, 16th verse, as well as other

portions of the New Testament, he will certainly

see that the Catholic teaching- and practice concern-

ing the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed

Sacrament are founded on Scripture. In this 6th

chapter of St. John, we learn that before instituting

the Blessed Sacrament Our Saviour wished to an-

nounce or promise it to His disciples in order to

prepare them for it. He first gave them a figure of

the Blessed Sacrament in the multiplication of the

five loaves of bread by which He fed five thousand

persons. After this miracle He told them that He

would give them bread superior to that which they

had eaten, and that this bread was His own flesh and

blood. “ The bread that I will give is My flesh, for

the life of the world. ” It is almost impossible to un-

derstand these words of Our Lord in any other than

a literal sense. He was so understood by those

who heard Him. “ How can this man give us his

flesh to eat?” they said, and many withdrew from

Him. It is but reasonable to believe that if He did

not wish to be understood in a literal sense He

would have told his hearers so, rather than have

them leave Him.

This promise of a doctrine so difficult to under-

stand was fulfilled at the Last Supper.

Then Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke,

and gave to His disciples, and said : “ Take ye and

eat. This is My body.” And taking the chalice
He gave thanks; and gave to them, saying:
“ Drink ye all of this. For this is My blood of the
new testament which shall be shed for many for

the remission of sins.”



10 Reasonableness of the Practices

“ Do this for a commemoration of Me.”

These are substantially the words of Sts. Matthew,

Mark, Luke, and of the apostle Paul.

In the ioth chapter of the First Epistle to the Cor-

inthians, St. Paul says: “The chalice of benediction

which we bless, is it not the communion of the

blood of Christ? And the bread which we break,

is it not the partaking of the body of the Lord?”

Any one of these texts abundantly proves the

Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence, and shows

the reasonableness of the Catholic practice regard-

ing the Blessed Sacrament. Reflect upon them.

Reflect especially upon the words of Christ, “ This

is My body.” Think what an insult it is to the

divinity and veracity of Christ to doubt His word,

because you cannot understand how what appears

to be bread is in reality His own body and blood.

If you remember that Jesus Christ is God, that

He had the power to make this change, that He

could confer this power on others, as the apostles

and their successors, that He did so when He said:

“Do this in commemoration of Me,” and that this

change at the present time as at the time of the

apostles is made by His Almighty power, you will

have no difficulty in believing it.

The belief and practice of the Catholic Church

of to-day regarding the Blessed Sacrament is the

same as it was in every age since the time of Christ.

The history of every century tells us this. The

fathers, doctors, and Church writers of every age

say the same. If it were not so, some one ought

to be able to find the time when the doctrine was

invented, and the person who invented it. But,



of the Catholic Church. II

since no one has been able to find the inventor

of this doctrine and practice, the time or place

of the invention, we rightly conclude that they

came down to us from the time of Christ, and had

Christ for an author. (Berengarius, in the eleventh

century, was the first who denied this doctrine.) If,

then, Christ is the author, is not the Catholic prac-

tice reasonable?

But I don’t understand the Catholic doctrine re-

garding the Blessed Sacrament, some one may say;

therefore it is contrary to reason. Dear reader, did

the consummate puerility, silliness, foolishness of

such an objection ever present itself to you? Do

you understand the Blessed Trinity? And is it

contrary to reason? No. Although above reason,

it is not against it. Do you understand how Jesus

Christ is both God and man ? Do you understand

any mystery? No. If you did it would no longer

be a mystery. For a mystery is something above

human intelligence. It is something incompre-

hensible to us, for it pertains to the divine intelli-

gence. And as well might you attempt to pour the

mighty ocean into a small hole on the shore, as

attempt to hold with your limited capacity the

illimitable ocean of divinity. The proper office of

reason is to examine the evidences of revelation,

and see if God has spoken. But it constitutes no

part of its office to dispute the word of God. That

God has spoken is evident from the fulfilment of

many prophecies and the authority of many mira-

cles. That these prophecies have been fulfilled,

and these miracles performed, is as certain as is any

historical fact. Reason teaches us this. It teaches



12 Reasonableness of the Practices

as, too, that no one but God (or by the power of

God) can prophesy; no one but God can derogate

from the order of nature, by the performance of a

miracle. Reason teaches us, then, that God has

spoken. When we know God speaks, genuine

reason will dictate that we humbly believe His

holy word. Thus will true reason ever act. And

when God says, “This is My body,” it will not

hesitate to believe.

We all believe that at the baptism of Our Saviour
by St.John Baptist, the Holy Ghost appeared in

the form of a dove. Now, is it not as reasonable

for Jesus Christ, the second person of the Blessed

Trinity, to appear in the form of bread as it was

for the Holy Ghost, the third person of the Trinity,

to appear in the form of a dove? We must there-
fore admit that the Catholic doctrine of the Real

Presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament

is reasonable; that it has been believed by the

Christian Church of every age from the time of

Christ until the present time
;
and that it is taught

by Sts. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and by St.

Paul in clear and unmistakable terms.

Now, dear reader, since Jesus Christ is really

present, is not the Catholic practice regarding the

Blessed Sacrament reasonable? Should we not

honor Our Lord and Our God ? Should we not adore

Him as really present in the Blessed Sacrament?

Should we not frequently receive Him with pure

and contrite hearts? Should we not, when we en-

ter the church, genuflect, bend the knee in His

honor? Should we not show Him every mark of

respect and devotion? Can we do too much in



of the Catholic Church. 3

His honor? Let us, then, adore Our Lord and Our

God, for we are His people and the sheep of His

pasture. Let us return love for love to the great

King of suffering Who was born for love of us, Who

died for love of us, and Who, for love of us, remains

ever with us in the Blessed Sacrament. Let us

ask that our faith and love may persevere to the

end; that loving and adoring Him here in the

Blessed Sacrament of His love, we may be united

with Him forever hereafter.

III. HOLY COMMUNION.

“ He that eateth this bread shall live forever ” (St. John vi. 59)

.

H
OLY Communion is receiving the body and

blood of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. The

clergy when saying Mass, except on Good Friday,

receive under both forms. When not celebrating

Mass, they receive only the one kind, the conse-

crated bread. In the early ages of the Church

Communion was given to the people under both

forms.

The faithful, however, could, if they wished, dis-

pense with one form and receive under the form of

bread. This shows that the Church always taught

that Christ is entire both under the form of bread

and under the form of wine. At one time the faith-

ful received under both forms
;
now they receive

under one form, the form of bread. It is merely

a matter of discipline, which the Church could

change, if circumstances demanded it. Whether

you receive under one form or both, you receive



14 Reasonableness of the Practices

whole and entire the body and blood of Christ.

This is clearly taught by St. Paul in the nth

chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, where

he says: “Whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink

the chalice of the Lord unworthily
,
shall be guilty of

the body and blood of the Lord.”

How could a person eating that bread unworthily

be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, un-

less the body and blood of the Lord were there un-

der the form of bread?

Since Jesus Christ is whole and entire under the

form of bread, as well as under the form of wine,

the practice of the Catholic Church of giving Holy

Communion under one form is reasonable.

Good Christians frequently receive their Lord

and their God in Holy Communion. He inspires

them with feelings of love, gratitude, and adoration.

He reminds them to think frequently of their

Creator—to give Him their first thoughts in the
morning and their last in the evening. He gives

them strength to restrain their guilty passions.

Holy Communion is the seed of immortality.

“ He that eateth this bread shall live forever
''

IV. CONFIRMATION.

“Then they laid their hands upon them, and they received the

Holy Ghost "(Acts viii. 17).

B
EFORE the coming of the Holy Ghost on Pen-

tecost, the apostles were weak and vacillating.

One of them betrayed his Master for thirty pieces

of silver; another—the Prince of the Apostles, he



of the Catholic Church. *5

whom Christ afterward made head of His Church

—

thrice denied his Lord and his God.

After -the descent of the Holy Ghost, what a

change ! What a wonderful transformation ! They

who before had been as timid as the lamb, as

changeable as the chameleon’s hue, became now as

bold as the lion, as firm as Gibraltar’s rock.

In a similar way does confirmation act on the

receiver. Confirmation is that sacrament in which,

by the imposition of the bishop’s hands, we receive

the Holy Ghost to make us strong and perfect Chris-

tians and soldiers of Jesus Christ. It is the second

m the order of the sacraments, because the early
Christians were accustomed to receive it immediately

after baptism. In the 8th chapter of the Acts of

the Apostles we find the first recorded instance of

the administering of confirmation by the apostles.

Here we are told that St. Peter and St. John con-

firmed the Samaritans who had been baptized by

Philip. “ They prayed for them that they might re-

ceive the Holy Ghost. . . . Then they laid their

hands upon them, and they received the Holy

Ghost.” In a similar way does the bishop, the suc-

cessor of the apostles, administer confirmation at

the present day. First, he turns toward those to

be confirmed and says : “ May the Holy Ghost come

down upon you and the power of the Most High

keep you from sin.” Then extending his hands

over them he prays that they may receive the Holy

Ghost.

In the 6th verse of the 19th chapter of the Acts

the sacred writer, after telling about the baptism of

the disciples at Ephesus, adds: “And when Paul



1

6

Reasonableness of the Practices

had laid his hands upon them the Holy Ghost came

on them.” In the 6th chapter of the Epistle to

the Hebrews St. Paul mentions confirmation, the

laying on of hands, with baptism and penance, as

among the principal practices of Christianity.

The Sacrament of Confirmation has been adminis-

tered to the faithful of every age from the time of

Christ until the present. We learn this from the
fathers and writers of the various ages. Among

them St. Clement says: “All must make haste to

be confirmed by a bishop, and receive the seven-

fold grace of the Holy Ghost.” The practice of

administering confirmation is founded on tradition,

then, as well as on Scripture. Is it not reasonable to

believe that, to practise that which the Christian

Church of every age believed and practised?

The apostles of Christ administered confirmation

by praying that the faithful may receive the Holy

Ghost and laying their hands upon them. The

successors of the apostles do likewise. Who will

say that this practice is not reasonable? Baptism

gives spiritual life; confirmation increases it.

Baptism makes persons children of God
;
confirma-

tion strengthens them, causes them to grow, and

makes them strong men and soldiers of Jesus Christ.

All the morality of life is implied in the Sacra-

ment of Confirmation. It strengthens man, gives

him courage to confess God
;
and as sin is the de-

nial of God, whoever has courage to confess God

willpractise virtue .



of the Catholic Church. 17

V. HONORING THE BLESSED VIRGIN.

“ The angel Gabriel was sent from God ... to a Virgin . . .

and the Virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel being come

in said to her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee;

blessed art thou among women ” (St. Luke i. 26, 28).
“ From henceforth all generations shall call me blessed ” ("St.

Luke i. 48)

.

HESE words from St. Luke show that the Catho-

lic practice of honoring Mary is scriptural.

We alone fulfil the prophecy, “From henceforth all

generations shall call me blessed.” If Mary was so

pure that the archangel Gabriel could salute her

as full of grace; if she was so perfect as to be

honored, respected, and loved by her divine Son,

Jesus Christ, is it not reasonable that we, too, should

honor, respect, and love her?

How we honor the sword of Washington ! What

a cluster of tender recollections clings to the staff

of Franklin! Is there a loyal American citizen

who does not think with feelings of love and respect

of the mother of our Revolutionary hero, or who

would not doff his hat at the unveiling of a statue

of the sage of Monticello? And why? Is it on

account of their intrinsic merit? No. We honor
them principally on account of the relation they

bear to those three brightest stars in the American

firmament. So it is with the honor we show to

Mary, the Mother of God. Although she was an

example of all virtues, we honor her principally

because it was through her instrumentality He was

born by Whom we achieved not civil liberty, but the



Reasonableness of the Practices

liberty of the children of God. She did not draw

lightning from heaven, nor the sceptre from

kings
;
but she brought forth Him Who is the Lord

of heaven and King of kings.

The principal reason, then, why we honor Mary

is because she is the Mother of Our Lord and Sav-

iour Jesus Christ. This honor consists in love, re-

spect, and veneration. We love her with an in-
terior love, a love proceeding from the heart; nor

should we fear to let this love appear outwardly.

When others revile her, speak disrespectfully of

her, we should shrink from the very idea of acting

similarly toward her. We should then remember
that she is the Mother of Our Saviour, and should

ask ourselves how we would have acted toward

her had we lived in her day and been witnesses of

the honor shown her by her divine Son. By so

doing we will show her that love which is her due.

Our respect, our veneration for her, should be affec-

tionate and deep. When we remember that it was

her hand that first lifted from the ground and re-

ceived in maternal embrace the sacred body of Jesus,

just born and just dead; when we think how re-

spectfully Elizabeth greeted her; when we recall

to mind the reverent salutation of the archangel;

when we consider the honor shown her by the

apostles and by her own divine Son, can we help

feeling a deep love, respect, and veneration for her?

You see, dear reader, honoring Mary is scriptural

and reasonable.

But if we should honor her principally because

she is the Mother of God, we should also honor her

Ibecause she is the peerless glory, the matchless



of the Catholic Church . 19

jewel of her sex. She constitutes a sole exception

to a general law. Sin never contaminated, never

touched her fair soul. This is what we mean by

the Immaculate Conception.

God created the first man free from sin. But he

transgressed the law of God, and, by his transgres-

sion, all his posterity are born in sin and conceived

in iniquity. For St. Paul says: “ By one man sin

entered into this world, and by sin death
;
and so

death passed upon all men, in whom all have

sinned” (Rom. v. 12). But God promised that the

woman, Mary, should crush the head of the serpent.

Now if she was to crush the head of the serpent, it

was fit that she should never be under his power,

that she should be pure, free from sin of every kind.

There have been exceptions to all general laws.

At the time of the deluge Noe was saved.

Lot was saved from the destruction of Sodom.

In like manner, the Blessed Virgin is an excep-

tion to the general law that all sinned in Adam.

Isaias and St. John Baptist were sanctified in

their mother’s womb. Was it any more difficult

for God to sanctify Mary at the moment of her con-

ception, at the moment of the union of her soul with

her body? God chose His own Mother. If He had

the power to choose her did He not also have the

power to preserve her from original sin ? And does

it not appear to you most fitting that God, the Holy

Ghost, should preserve His spouse, and God, the

Son, His Mother, from sin of every kind?

“ Hail, full of grace,” the angel said to her. If

she was full of grace, no vacancy was left for sin.

Grace denotes the absence of sin, as light denotes



20 Reasonableness of the Practices

the absence of darkness. Hence if Mary was full

of grace, she was never subject to sin: she was

always pure and her conception immaculate. It is

but natural, then, that we arrive at the belief in the

Immaculate Conception, at the belief in the sinless-

ness, spotlessness of the Blessed Virgin from the

very beginning of her existence. If we honor

Mary principally because the apostles honored

her, because the angel honored her, because

God honored her, we honor her, also, because

of her Immaculate Conception and total freedom

from sin. She was a model of all virtues. Is

it not reasonable, then, to honor Mary, to love

her, and to believe that she loves us? If we honor

the good and virtuous, where can we find a nobler

example of virtue than Mary? What a beautiful

model Mary is for Christians, and especially for

Christian women ! Good Catholic mothers are con-

tinually urging upon their daughters the necessit)T

of choosing as a model Mary, the true type of fe-

male excellence. In Mary you find all that is ten-

der, loving, constant, and true. In her you find

all virtues. In her humility she refused the high-

est honors; while in patience she endured more

anguish and agony than any other creature on

earth.

Mary is a creature of God. As the praise we

bestow on a beautiful picture redounds to the glory

of the artist, so the honor we give Mary redounds

to God, since we honor her for His sake. Let us

honor her. That person who honors the Blessed

Virgin
;
who loves, respects, and venerates her as

the Mother of God
;
who takes her as a model and



of the Catholic Church. 21

imitates her virtues
;
who prays to her in trials and

afflictions and asks her intercession with her divine

Son, does not only act in a reasonable manner, but

such action is certain to make the path through

this world smooth and easy and at the same time safe

to a life of eternal happiness.

“Whom when He saw He said: Go, show yourselves to the

priests” (St. Luke xvii. 14) . “ Receive ye the Holy Ghost ; whose

sins ye shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and whose sins

ye shall retain, they are retained” (St. John xx. 23).

HE whole of the life of Our Lord and Saviour

Jesus Christ may be summed up in these words

of the Acts : “ He went about doing good/’ He

healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, hearing to

the deaf, and raised the dead to life.

The healing of the body, however, was to Him a

secondary object. The healing of the soul was His

mission on earth. He frequently called the at-

tention of His followers to this. For example, He

cured the man -of the palsy to prove that as man

He had the power to forgive sins. Another exam-

ple is when He gives us in the cure of the lepers a

figure of sin and its cure.

Leprosy has always been considered a figure of

sin. As leprosy covers the body and makes it dis-

gusting and frightful to behold, so sin covers the

soul and makes it hideous in the sight of God.

The Old Law required lepers to separate them-

selves from society until their cure was certified to

by the priests who were appointed for this purpose.

VI. CONFESSION OF SIN.



22 Reasonableness of the Practices

Our Lord has been pleased, in the New Law, to

institute a similar method for the cure of the more

fatal leprosy of sin. The spiritual leper, the sin-

ner, is to show himself to the priest, make known

the diseased state of his soul, and submit to the in-

spection and treatment of the priest, who is the di-

vinely appointed physician of the soul. But should

we not go directly to God, since God alone has

power to justify us? It is true, God alone can

effect our justification; but He has appointed the

priest to judge in His place and pass sentence in

His name. To the priests He has said : “ Whatso-

ever you shall bind upon earth shall be bound in

heaven, and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth

shall be loosed also in heaven” (St. Matt, xviii.

1 8) ; and again :
“ Whose sins you shall forgive, they

are forgiven, and whose sins you shall retain, they

are retained” (St.John xx. 23). These two texts

clearly show that auricular confession as practised

in the Catholic Church was taught by Christ. For

how could the apostles and their successors, the

pastors of the Church, know what sins to bind and

retain and what sins to loose and forgive unless

the sins were confessed to them and they were al-

lowed to judge?

No matter how numerous or how great these

are, provided they are confessed with a sincere

repentance, they will be forgiven. And they will

be forgiven by the power of the priest. Properly

speaking, God alone has power to forgive sins.

But no one will deny that He has power to confer

this power on others. He communicated this power

to His apostles and commanded them, in turn, to



of the Catholic Church . 23

communicate it to others by means of the Sacra-

ment of Holy Orders.

That Our Saviour communicated this power to

His apostles is evident from the words of St. John:

“As the Father hath sent Me I also send you.

Receive ye the Holy Ghost; whose sins you shall

forgive, they are forgiven.” But sin was to con-

tinue till the end of the world. Hence the neces-

sity of the means of forgiving sin being coextensive

with sin. As the people receive from the priests

the Word of God and the cleansing from sin in

baptism, so also do they receive from them the

cleansing from sin in confession.

It is certain that the apostles conferred the power

of forgiving sins upon others, if we find that those

whom the apostles ordained exercised this power.

But we find this to be the case.

From the time of Christ until the present the

writers of every age tell us that confession of sins

was practised. St. John, who lived until the begin-

ning of the second century, says in the 1st chapter

of his First Epistle: “If we confess our sins, He is

faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to

cleanse us from all iniquity.”

St. Cyprian, who wrote in the third century, says:
“ Let each of you confess his faults, and the pardon

imparted by the priest is acceptable before God.”

St. Ambrose, in the fourth century, wrote: “The

poison is sin; the remedy, the accusation of one’s

crime. The poison is iniquity: confession is the

remedy.”

St. Augustine, who lived in the fifth century,

seems to be talking to some people of the present



24 Reasonableness of the Practices

day, who say they confess in private to God, when

he says : “ Let no one say to himself, I do penance

to God in private, I do it before God. Is it then in

vain that Christ hath said : ‘ Whatsoever thou shalt

loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven’? Is it in

vain that the keys have been given to the Church ?

Do we make void the Gospel? void the words of

Christ?”

These first five centuries were the golden age of

Christianity. All admit that the doctrines and

practices of those early centuries were pure and un-

defiled, as they came from Christ. But among the

practices of the time we find confession. Hence

it is a reasonable practice, because conformable to

Christ’s teaching. We might continue quotations
from writers of every century from the sixth to the

nineteenth, showing that the teaching and practice

of confession did not vary through the lapse of ages

from the time of Christ until the present day. But

this is unnecessary. The quotations from the first

five centuries show that the power of forgiving sin

was not only communicated by Christ to His apos-

tles, but by them to their successors by means of

the Sacrament of Holy Orders. What would be the

necessity of this power if they could not exercise it

in confession? If, as some say, priests invented

confession, some one ought to find out and tell us

when and where it was invented, and why they

did not exempt themselves from such a humiliating

practice.

Confession alone, however, will be of no avail

without contrition. Contrition is a sincere sorrow

and detestation for sin with a firm determination



of the Catholic Church. 2 5

to sin no more. To the truly humble and sorrow-

ful sinner confession is not a punishment, but a

remedy for a tortured conscience. The most pain-

ful secret to be kept by a heart not yet corrupted by

disease is the secret of sin and crime. The soul

that loves God, hates sin and desires to separate

herself from it. To this desire is associated the

desire of expiating it. All, from the mother who

questions her child about wrong-doing to the judge

who interrogates the criminal, recognize in sponta-

neous confession an expiatory power.

Confession, it is true, is necessarily accompanied

by some^shame and humiliation. This humiliation

is diminished by the knowledge that it is of divine

origin and that eternal silence is divinely imposed

upon him who receives it. Priests never divulge

what they know from the confessional. They have

been ill-treated, as was Father Kohlman in this

country
;
have even been tortured and cruelly put

to death, as was St. John Nepomucene, in order to

extort from them knowledge they gained in the

confessional, but without avail. For what they

knew through the tribunal of penance, they knew

as ministers of God. And as it is better to obey

God than man, no minister of state could force

them to divulge that which the laws of God

forbid.

Only sinners who, after a thorough preparation,

a sincere sorrow, and a good confession, can realize

the soothing and beneficial effects of confession,

and feel with David, “ Blessed are they whose sins

are forgiven.” If you have ever noticed such after

leaving the confessional you could see joy beaming



2 6 Reasonableness of the Practices

on their countenances, as if a heavy burden had

been removed.

Confession quiets the conscience. But this is

only one of the benefits it confers upon those who

practise going to confession. It has also a salutary

influence upon their morals
;
for one of its neces-

sary conditions is promise of amendment.

The pagans of the first centuries were aware of

the guiding and reforming power of the confes-

sional. Voltaire, the leading infidel of the last cent-

ury, one who made sport of everything Christian,

says that “there is, perhaps, no wiser institution,

and that confession is an excellent thing, a restraint

upon inveterate crime, a very good practice to pre-

vent the guilty from falling into despair and relap-

sing into sin, to influence hearts full of hate to for-

give and robbers to make restitution—that the ene-
mies of the Romish Church who have opposed so

beneficial an institution have taken from man the

greatest restraint that can be put upon crime.”

While his every-day experience forced these words

of praise from the arch-infidel, his hatred of the

Church creeps out in the word “ Romish.”

Confession of sin, as we have seen, is a reasonable

practice
,
because it was taught by Jesus Christ, and

by His apostles and their successors from Christ’s

time until the present
;
but especially because it has

the power of soothing and pacifying the conscience

by freeing it from the torture of sin, the poison of

crime. It is not strange, then, that it is so dear to

virtuous souls. It is offensive only to those whose

hearts are so hardened as to blunt the sting of re-

morse. Confession is Christianity using its moral



of the Catholic Church. 27

power to correct and perfect the individual. In

the confessional the minister of God is continually

coming' in contact with hearts in which reigns an

idol that he overthrows, a bad practice that he

causes to cease, or some injustice that he has re-

paired.

Confession is one of the gates by which Chris-

tianity penetrates the interior man, wipes away

stains, heals diseases, and sows therein the seeds

of virtue. The lives and experience of millions are

witness of the truth of this. Is it not, then, a rea-

sonable, a beneficial practice ? It is only the mali-

cious or the ignorant who calumniate the practice

and the consecrated minister who sits in judgment

in the sacred tribunal. Those who lay aside their

prejudice and study the question soon become con-

vinced of its divine origin. A little study and re-
flection will show them that confession of sin bene-

fits society by preventing crimes that would destroy

government, cause riots, and fill prisons; that it

promotes human justice, makes men better, nobler,

purer, higher, and more Godlike; that it soothes

the sorrowful heart whose crime might make the

despairing suicide
;
and that individuals and fam-

ilies who frequently, intelligently, and properly ap-

proach this fountain of God’s grace will receive

His blessing here and a pledge of His union hereafter.



28 Reasonableness of the Practices

VII. GRANTING INDULGENCES.

“Whatsoever you shall bind upon earth shall be bound in

heaven, and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth shall be

loosed also in heaven” (St. Matt, xviii. 18).

F the many practices of the Church, few have

been the cause of more controversy than that of

granting indulgences. Though not the cause, the

granting of an indulgence furnished a pretext for

Luther’s apostasy. Leo X., who was Pope at that

time, desiring to complete St. Peter’s at Rome, ap-

pealed to all Catholics for financial aid. There was

certainly nothing wrong in this. With these alms

it was intended that the most magnificent Christian

temple in the world would be completed.

“ Majesty, Power, Glory, Strength, and Beauty, all are aisled

In this eternal ark of worship undefiled.”

All who contributed toward the completion of St.

Peter’s and complied with the necessary conditions,

were granted an indulgence.

The alms were not one of the indispensable con-

ditions. Those conditions were a sincere repent-

ance and confession. Hence, those who did not

contribute could gain the indulgence. Perhaps the

Dominican Tetzel, who was chosen to announce

the indulgence, exceeded his powers and made them

serve his own ends.

His action in the affair was not approved by

Rome. If it is certain that the Pope did nothing

wrong in asking for aid to build that beautiful



of the Catholic Church. 29

monument to religion, it is equally certain that he

did nothing wrong, that he did not exceed the lim-

its of his powers when he granted the indulgence.

In order to understand this, we must have a clear

idea of what is meant by an indulgence.

You frequently hear it said that it is the forgive-

ness of sin, or that it is a permission given to com-

mit sin. It is neither the one nor the other. An

indulgence is not the forgiveness of sin. In fact,

an indulgence cannot be gained until sin has been

forgiven. One of the necessary conditions for

gaining an indulgence is confession.

Neither is an indulgence a license, a permission

to commit sin. No one, not even God Himself,

could give permission to commit sin. For God is

all good, and although all powerful, He cannot

sanction that which is evil, bad in itself. It would

be contrary to His very nature. An indulgence,

then, is not what it has been painted. Having seen

what an indulgence is not, let us see what it is.

It is a remission of the whole or a part of the debt

of temporal punishment due to sin after the guilt

and eternal punishment have been forgiven in the

Sacrament of Penance.

In the early ages of the Church notorious sinners,

after being absolved, were sentenced to long public

penances. By sincere sorrow, an indulgence or re-

mission of some of the time was granted them.

Public confession and public penances have passed

away. These public penances are replaced by

pious devotions. Upon the performance of certain

pious devotions the Church at times grants an

indulgence; that is, a remission of such temporal



30 Reasonableness of the Practices

punishment as is equivalent to the canonical pen-

ances corresponding to the sins committed.

Attached to every mortal sin, besides the guilt, is

the punishment incurred. This punishment is eter-

nal and temporal. That there is this twofold pun-

ishment we learn from various places in the Bible.

We have an example in the sin of David. God sent
the prophet Nathan to warn him of his guilt.

When Nathan rebuked the king, he confessed his

sin with signs of true contrition. Then Nathan

told him that God had forgiven his sin, but that

many temporal punishments would follow. When

God forgave the sin, the guilt and eternal punish-

ment were taken away
;
but temporal punishment

remained. Other examples could be cited, but this

is sufficient to show that there is a twofold kind of

punishment—eternal and temporal. In confession
the guilt and eternal punishment are taken away,

but not always the temporal punishment. This

temporal punishment is what is taken away in whole

by a plenary and in part by a partial indulgence.

In a similar manner we have a twofold punish-

ment attached to crime in this world. A man

commits a crime. He is sentenced to a term in the

penitentiary. After spending his time of punish-

ment he comes back to society, but finds he has

another punishment to undergo in being avoided

by his friends and others.

The practice of granting indulgences is founded

on many passages of Scripture, both of the Old and

New Testament. In the 12th chapter of the Book

of Numbers we learn that Mary, the sister of Moses,

was forgiven a sin which she had committed. But



of the Catholic Church . 3

God inflicted upon her the penalty of leprosy.

This was a temporal punishment. By the prayer

of Moses an indulgence was granted; for God took

away the temporal punishment.

Our divine Lord left with His Church the power

of granting indulgences, as we learn from His

words taken from St. Matthew : “ Whatsoever you

shall loose upon earth shall be loosed also in heav-

en.” This promise implies the power of loosing

not only from sin and its eternal punishment, but

also the power of releasing the bond of temporal

punishment, of freeing from everything that would

prevent the soul from entering the kingdom of

heaven. St. Paul granted an indulgence to the

incestuous Corinthian, as we learn from the 2d

chapter of his Second Epistle to the Corinthians.

By the power and authority which he received from

Christ, he granted the Corinthian pardon from per-

forming a certain penance. This penance was a

temporal punishment. The apostle took away the

temporal punishment. That is an indulgence.

Non-Catholics grant a kind of plenary indulgence

to every one by saying that works of penance are

unnecessary. The practice of the Catholic Church

of granting an indulgence only to the deserving is

certainly more conformable to Scripture as well as

more reasonable.

Experience teaches us the utility of indulgences.

They encourage the faithful to frequent the sacra-

ments, to repent, to do acts of penance, and per-

form works of piety, charity, and devotion.

A practice productive of such beneficial results
is reasonable; it is also reasonable because it is



32 Reasonableness of the Practices

sanctioned by Scripture and the Church of every

age. For God would not sanction it nor would the

Church practise it if it were not conformable to reason.

VIII. THE LAST SACRAMENTS.

“ Is any man sick among you ? Let him bring in the priests of

the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil

in the name of the Lord : And the prayer of faith shall save the

sick man, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he be in sins

they shall be forgiven him” (St. James v. 14, 15).

B
Y these words St. Janies admonishes Christians
when sick to do that which Our Saviour had

previously directed to be done. This you will learn

from the 6th chapter of St. Mark : “ And [the apos-

tles] anointed with oil many that were sick.”

The historians of the first centuries tell us that

the early Christians were as anxious to receive the

last sacraments as are the Catholics of our own day.

St. Cesarius, in the fifth century, writes: “As soon

as a person falls dangerously sick, he receives the

body and blood of Jesus Christ. Then his body is

anointed, and thus is fulfilled what stands written

:

‘ Is any man sick among you ? Let him call in the

priests of the Church, and let them pray over him,

anointing him with oil. What the Christians of

the first centuries did, we do; and we do it by the

direction of Jesus Christ and of St. James.

Penance, Holy Eucharist, and Extreme Unction

are administered to the sick and are known as the

last sacraments. The priest first hears the sick

person’s confession, then he administers Holy Com-

munion. Afterward he administers the Sacrament

of Extreme Unction—last anointing.



of the Catholic Church. 33

This sacrament aids the sick to bear their suffer-

ings with patience. It wipes away sin, even mor-

tal sin if the person is unable to confess; and it

purifies the soul for its entrance into heaven. The

other sacraments assist us in making our lives holy

like the life of our divine Model. This sacrament

assists in making our death holy, like the death of

Jesus. The Sacrament of Baptism met us at our

entrance into this world
;
the Sacrament of Extreme

Unction will be our guide at our departure to the

other world. Religion, which rocked us in the cra-

dle of life, will lull us to sleep in the cradle of death.

Go to the bedside of the dying Catholic and you

will see the reasonableness of the practice of calling

the priest to administer the last sacraments. After

the sacraments have been administered, peace and

joy and contentment are visible on the countenance

of the sick person. He clings no more to the

things of earth. His thoughts are centred in

heaven. The minister of God consoles him with

the thought of immortality and the resurrection of

the body. He soo*n hears the singing of the an-

gelic choir; and breathing the sweet names of Je-

sus, Mary, and Joseph, his soul takes its flight to

the regions of eternal bliss.

IX. PRAYING FOR THE DEAD.

“It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the

dead, that they may be loosed from their sins” (II. Mach. xii. 46)

.

N
O one will deny that the practice of praying for

the dead is reasonable, if the dead are bene-

fited by our prayers. That our prayers are ben-

3



34 Reasonableness of the Practices

eficial to the departed we will endeavor to show.

'We are taught by revelation that besides heaven

and hell, a state of everlasting pleasure and a state

of eternal pain, there also exists a middle state of

punishment for those who die in venial sin, or who

have not sufficiently satisfied the justice of God for

mortal sins already forgiven.

The people of God in the Old Law believed, and

Jesus Christ and His apostles in the New Law

taught, the existence of this middle state. In the

Second Book of Machabees, quoted above, we read

that the pious general Judas Machabeus having

made a collection, “sent twelve thousand drachmas

of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifices to be offered

for the dead [soldiers], thinking well and relig-

iously concerning the resurrection [for if he had

not hoped that they that were slain should rise

again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain

to pray for the dead], and because he considered

that they who had fallen asleep with godliness had

great grace laid up for them. It is, therefore, a

holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead

that they may be loosed from their sins. ” If prayers

were not beneficial to the dead, God would not have

sanctioned them.

This is exactly the practice of the Catholic

Church. We pray and offer sacrifices for the souls
in purgatory, just as Judas Machabeus did. Even

if the Books of Machabees were not inspired, it is

historically true that the Jews and almost all na-

tions of antiquity believed in the existence of pur-

gatory and the utility of prayers for the souls de-

tained there. This universal consent is the voice



of the Catholic Church. 35

of nature and of God. Hence we see that the prac-

tice of praying for the dead is reasonable.

This practice is in accordance with the teaching

of Christ. In the 12th chapter, 32d verse, of St.

Matthew, He says : “ He that shall speak against the

Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in

this world nor in the world to come.”

These words teach us that some sins will be par-

doned in the life to come. They cannot be par-

doned in heaven, since nothing defiled can enter

heaven
;
nor can they be pardoned in hell, out of

which there is no redemption, for “ their 'worm

shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched.”

Therefore, there * must be a state in the next world

where sins will be forgiven, and we call that place

or state purgatory. And the existence of purga-

tory implies the necessity of praying for those de-

tained there. The belief in the existence of pur-

gatory and the practice of praying for the faithful

departed have existed in the Church from the time

of its foundation.

Tertullian, who lived in the second century, con-

sidered it a solemn duty,whose obligation came down

from the apostles, to offer sacrifices and prayers for

the faithful departed. St. Augustine says: “The

whole Church received from the tradition of the

fathers to pray for those who died in the commun-

ion of the body and blood of Christ.” The dying

request of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine,

is well known. “I request you,” she said, “that

wherever you maybe, you will remember me at the

altar of the Lord.” And he assures us that he

frequently and fervently prayed for her soul.



36 Reasonableness of the Practices

The teaching of the Church of every age confirms

the teaching of the Old and New Testament regard-

ing purgatory and praying for the dead. To one

who believes in heaven and hell, a place of eternal

pleasure and of eternal punishment, the doctrine

of purgatory must appear as a necessity, and the

practice of praying for the dead reasonable. For

it is certain that nothing defiled can enter heaven.

But it is possible that many die guilty of but slight

sins. Therefore, it must be said that these are

damned, which is impious and absurd; that what

is defiled can enter heaven, which is unscriptural

;

or that there is a purgatory, a state in which such

souls are made pure as the driven snow, so that

they can enter into the presence of their Maker.

For an infinitely just God cannot condemn to the

same eternal punishment the child who dies guilty

of a slight fault and the hardened murderer. No.

He will render to every one according to his works.

The doctrine of purgatory, then, is reasonable as

well as scriptural and traditional. Reasonable,

too, is the practice of praying for the dead, for they

are still members of the Church. All the members

of the Church, consisting of the church militant on

earth, the church triumphant in heaven, and the

church suffering in purgatory, are one family bound

together by the bond of charity. The members of

the Church on earth pray to those in heaven, who

love us and pray for us
;
and we pray for those in

purgatory. They are God’s friends deprived of

heaven for a time. As those in heaven rejoice

when one sinner does penance, so those in purga-

tory hear us, see us, love us, and are helped by



of the Catholic Church. 37

our prayers. We love them and never cease to
pray for them and offer the Holy Sacrifice for

them. Even the unbeliever will stand or kneel by

the remains of his departed friend and offer a

prayer for him thus showing that praying for the

dead is reasonable and the natural dictate of the

human heart.

How sweet the consolation to the dying person

who, conscious of his many imperfections, knows

he will not be forgotten by his friends ! How nat-

ural, how reasonable, how consoling this practice of

praying for the dead ! How beautiful this inter-

course of prayer between the child and the deceased

parent—between husband and wife—between friend
and friend—between life and death ! What a rea-
sonable, what an excellent feature of our holy relig-

ion to impel the heart of man to virtue by the

power of love, and make him feel that his prayers

may assist some rescued soul to an eternal position

at the throne of the Most High !

X. PRAYING TO THE SAINTS.

“And may the angel that delivereth me from all evils bless

these boys” (Gen. xlviii. 16). “So I say to you there shall be joy

before the angels of God upon one sinner doing penance” (St.

Luke xv. io) . “ For in the resurrection they [the saints] shall

be as the angels of God in heaven” (St. Matt. xxii. 30).

T
HE saints are friends of God. They are like
the angels in heaven. We honor them, not

as we honor God, but on account of the relation

they bear to God. They are creatures of God, the

work of His hands. When we honor them, we



38 Reasonableness of the Practices

honor God
;
as when we praise a beautiful paint-

ing, we praise the artist.

We do not believe that the saints can help us
of themselves. But we ask them to “pray for us.”

We believe that everything comes to us “through

Our Lord Jesus Christ.” With these words all our

prayers end. It is useful, salutary, and reasonable

to pray to the saints and ask them to pray for us.

No doubt all will admit the reasonableness of this

practice if the saints can hear and help us.

That they hear and help us is evident from many

passages of Scripture. The patriarch Jacob would

not have prayed to the angel to bless his grand-

children, Manasses and Ephraim (as we learn he

did from Gen. xlviii.), unless he knew the angel

could do so.

We are informed (Luke xv.) that the angels re-
joice when one sinner does penance. We are also in-
formed (Matt, xxii.) that the saints are like the an-

gels

—

i.e., have the same happiness and knowledge.

Hence the saints, as well as the angels, can hear

us, can help us, and are acquainted with our actions,

words, and thoughts.

It is generally conceded that it is reasonable to

ask pious persons on earth to pray for us. St.

Paul, in his epistles, frequently asks the Christians

to pray for him. “Brethren,” he says, “pray for

us.” It is well known that God was pleased to an-

swer the prayer of Abraham in favor of Abimelech.
“ More things are wrought by prayer than this

world knows of.” Now, if we poor sinners here on

earth do not pray in vain for one another, will the

saints in heaven, the friends of God, who rejoice



39of the Catholic Church .

when a sinner does penance, pray in vain for ns?

No. We have hosts of friends in heaven to speak

a good word for us. And as a child who has dis-

obeyed his parents wisely asks a better brother or

sister to intercede with his parents for mercy, so,

too, having disobeyed our heavenly Father by sin,

we have recourse to others better than ourselves,

to our better brothers and sisters, the Blessed A ir-

gin and saints, to intercede with God for us.

Is not this a reasonable practice ?

If your mother or sister crosses the sea she will

continue to pray for you. And if she crosses the

sea of death will she forget you ? No. The love

she bore you here will continue in heaven. She

will pray for you, and the
“ Lord will hear the

prayers of the just.” Ask the saints to pray to

your God and their God for you. Honor God by

honoring His friends and asking their intercession.

And all your friends in heaven will unite in pray-

ing to the Father of us. all that one day all who love

God and His friends, the saints, may be admitted

with them into the company of the Saint of saints ,

Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

XI. CRUCIFIXES, RELICS, AND IMAGES.

“Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the like-

ness of anything that is in the heaven above, or in the earth
be-

neath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the earth.

Thou shalt not adore them nor serve them” (Exodus xx. 4, 5).

T
HIS first commandment teaches us to adore God

alone. It does not forbid the making of images,

but it forbids the adoring of them, worshipping



4° Reasonableness of the Practices

them as gods. This would be idolatry. If the
making of images were forbidden, it would be im-
proper to have images or pictures of our friends.

It has frequently been said that Catholics are

idolaters, because they have in their churches cru-

cifixes, relics, and images of the saints, which they

honor. Perhaps many of those who accuse us of
idolatry, if asked, could not tell what idolatry is.

Idolatry is giving to a creature (whether a crucifix,

an image, or any created thing) that honor which

belongs to God.

The honor we give those sacred things is a rela-
tive honor. We honor them on account of the rela-
tion they bear to God and His friends, the saints.
Every Catholic, even the child, is taught the dif-

ference between the idol of the pagan and a Catho-
lic image. Pagans looked upon their idols as gods.
They thought these senseless objects had power, in-
telligence, and other attributes of the Deity. They
worshipped them as gods and thought they could
assist them. Hence they were image-worshippers
or idolaters.

Catholics know full well that images have no
intelligence to understand, no power to assist them.
They do not adore nor serve them. That would .
be idolatry. It would be breaking the first com-
mandment. They do not say when praying before
the crucifix or image of a saint, “ I adore thee, O
Crucifix;” nor “Help me, O Image.” But they
say, I adore thee, O God, Whose cruel death is rep-
resented by this crucifix,” or “ Pray for me, O saint
represented by this image.”

We have images, pictures, and relics of Our



of the Catholic Church. 4t

Lord, His Blessed Mother, and the saints, for the

same reason that we have relics and portraits of

George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, or of our

relatives and friends. They remind us of the orig-

inal. Who can look upon the crucifix or upon a

picture of the Crucifixion without being reminded

of all the sufferings of Our Lord and Saviour Tesus

Christ?

And who can seriously contemplate those suffer-

ings, borne for us so patiently, without being moved

to pity and to repentance? Such a person will be

moved to say with the heart if not with the lips

:

“ Oh, my God, I am sorry for having offended Thee

and caused Thee such suffering. Grant that I may

love Thee with my whole heart and never more

offend Thee.”

Catholics, as we have seen, adore God alone.

They honor the Blessed Virgin and saints repre-

sented by images. They use these holy pictures

and statues to beautify the house of God. These

pictures are also a source of instruction. They are

a profession of our faith. If you enter a house and

see on one side of the room a picture of the Blessed

Virgin, Cardinal Gibbons, or of Pope Leo XIII.,

and on the other a picture of Lincoln, Cleveland,

or Washington, you will at once know the religious

faith as well as the political belief or patriotism of

the occupant.

By the aid of the relics of the martyrs we are re-

minded of all they suffered for the faith. By the

use of religious pictures our devotion is increased

and we are stimulated to imitate the virtues of the

saints represented.



4 2 Reasonableness of the Practices

If it is reasonable to have pictures of our mar-

tyred President and relics of our Revolutionary

heroes that we maybe reminded of their patriotism,
it is none the less reasonable to have pictures and

relics of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin, and the
saints, that we may be reminded of their virtues.
By imitating their virtues here, we may be happy
with them hereafter .

XII. SOME SACRAMENTALS.

“ Pray without ceasing ” (II. Thess. v. 17) . “ Every creature is
sanctified by the word of God and prayer ”(I. Tim. iv. 4, 5).

B
Y sacramentals we mean the various prayers,

blessings, ceremonies, and pious practices of

the Church. Here mention will be made of some
of the most common of the sacramentals that have
not already been treated. Sacramentals, like sac-

raments, have an outward sign; the latter, how-

ever, were instituted by Christ, the former by the
Church, and while the latter always give grace if

we place no obstacle in the way, the former do not
give grace, but excite good thoughts, increase devo-

tion, and raise the mind to God.

The chief sacramentals that have not been men-
tioned are the books used by the priest in the per-
formance of his sacred duties, the sign of the cross,

holy water, blessed candles, blessed palm and ashes,
holy oils, scapulars, medals, Agnus Dei, prayers,
litanies, rosary, the Angelus, stations, the funeral

service, and various blessings.

The books used by the priest in the performance



43of the Catholic Church.

of his sacred duties are the Missal,
which contains

the Masses for the various feasts of
the ecclesiasti-

cal year; the Breviary , in which is the
office recited

by the priest every day; and the Ritual,
where is

to be found the form of administering
the differ-

ent sacraments, the funeral service,
and the various

benedictions.

The sacramental of most frequent use in the

Church is the sign of the cross. It is used to
remind

us of the Passion and Death of Our Lord
and Sav-

iour Jesus Christ on the cross. The cross
is the

emblem of the Christian, the “sign of the Son
of

man.” It is an act of faith in the principal
truths

of Christianity. When we say the words,
“ In the

name,” we profess our faith in the unity of God,

which means that there is but one God ;
“ of the

Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Ghost,”

are a profession of faith in the Trinity—i.e.,
that

there are three divine persons in one God.
The

form of the cross which we trace with our right

hand from our forehead to our breast, and
then

from the left to the right shoulder, is a
profession

of faith in the Incarnation of the Son of God,
Who

became man and died on the cross for our redemp-

tion. Tertullian and other writers of the
early

ages of the Church tell us that before every
action

before rising or retiring, before meals,
at every

step, “ we impress on our forehead the sign of
the

cross.” The Catholic Church of to-day, in accord-

ance with the teachings of Christ, His apostles,
and

their successors of all time, teaches her
children

to put their trust in the merits of Jesus
Christ s

sufferings on the cross, and to do everything
“ in the



44 Reasonableness of the Practices

name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holv
Ghost.”

Holy water is water blessed by a priest. During
the blessing beautiful prayers are recited. These
prayers express the spiritual blessings the Church
wishes to follow all who use it. The Church uses
holy water in all the benedictions and some of
her sacraments. It is placed at the doors of her
churches, that all who enter may use it and be re-
minded of that purity of heart which it symbolizes.
Holy water is also kept in the houses of Catholics,
to be used in times of trial and when the priest
comes to administer the sacraments.

The blessed candles used in the service of the
Church receive their special blessing on Candlemas
Day. We use these lighted candles at different
times to remind us of Jesus, Who is the “ Light of
the world.” Catholics always keep a blessed can-
dle in the house. The Church puts a lighted can-
dle in our hand at our baptism, and wishes us to die
with one in our hand, to remind us to hope in Him
Who is our Light and the light of the world.
On Ash Wednesday ashes are blessed and put on

the forehead of the faithful in the form of a cross,
with the words “ Remember, man, that thou art dust
and unto dust thou shalt return,” to remind them
that they are only dust and ashes. These are the
ashes of burnt palms blessed the Palm Sunday of the
previous year. These palms are blessed in mem-
ory of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem,
when the people spread palm branches along the way.
This palm should remind us to perform faithfully
our duty if we wish to enjoy the palm of victory.



of the Catholic Church. 45

The holy oils are blessed by the bishop on Holy

Thursday of each year. They are of three kinds

:

oil of the sick, used in the Sacrament of Extreme

Unction
;

oil of the Catechumens, used in blessing

baptismal water and in the Sacrament of Baptism
;

and Holy Chrism, used in the preparation of bap-

tismal water in the ceremonies of baptism, confir-

mation, and at the consecration of a bishop, of

churches, altars, bells, and chalices. The olive oil

used should remind us of Our Saviour s passion in

the Garden of Olives.

Agnus Deis (blessed by the Pope)
,
scapulars

,
and

medals are small articles worn by Catholics to re-

mind them of Our Lord (the Lamb of God), of the

Blessed Virgin, and of the saints. They are em-

blems of the Christian, as the starry banner is the

emblem of the American; and as the flag of our

country shows that we are under the protection of

the Government of the United States, so the Agnus

Dei, scapulars, and medals show that we are un-

der the protection of Jesus Christ, His Blessed

Mother, and His saints.

Prayer is the elevation of our mind and heart to

God to ask Him for all blessings, temporal and spir-

itual. Prayer is necessary to salvation. We are
taught in St. Luke xviii. to pray always and faint

not. We should pray with attention and devotion,
with confidence and humility. We are told in the
Lord’s Prayer to pray for others as well as for our-

selves, and God’s choicest blessings will be granted

us through Jesus Christ Our Lord. The best of all

prayers is the one God taught us—the Lord’s Prayer.
Other prayers common in the Church are Litanies*



46 Reasonableness of the Practices

Rosaries, the Angelus, Stations, and the Funeral

Service for the dead. The Litanies most in use in

the Church are the Litany of All Saints, of the

Blessed Virgin, of the Holy Name of Jesus. In

these Litanies we ask God to have mercy on us and

the saints to pray for us; but we ask everything

through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Few practices

of the Church are more widespread than the Rosary

of the Blessed Virgin. It consists of the best of all

prayers—the Apostles’ Creed, the Our Father,
three Hail Marys, and the Glory be to the Father;

then the Our Father and ten Hail Marys repeated

five times. This constitutes the beads, or one-

third part of the Rosary. During the recitation of

these prayers the mind should be occupied meditat-

ing on the principal mysteries of the life of Our

Lord. These mysteries are divided into the five

joyful mysteries: the Annunciation by the angel

Gabriel, the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin to

St. Elizabeth, the Birth of Our Lord, the Presenta-

tion, and the Finding in the Temple; the five

sorrowful mysteries: the Agony in the Garden, the

Scourging, the Crowning with Thorns, the Carry-

ing of the Cross, and the Crucifixion
;
and the five

glorious mysteries : the Resurrection, the Ascension,

the Descent of the Holy Ghost, the Assumption of

the Blessed Virgin, and the Crowning of the Blessed

Virgin in Heaven. Any one of these mysteries fur-

nishes sufficient material to occupy the mind of man

for hours. These mysteries contain the whole his-

tory of the Redemption. The prayers and medita-

tions of the Rosary satisfy the minds of the humblest,

while they are sufficient to occupy the attention of



of the Catholic Church. 47

the most exalted and most cultivated. The Angelas

is a beautiful prayer, said morning, noon, and night.

In Catholic countries the bell is rung, when all cease

their occupations, kneel, and recite: “The angel of

the Lord declared unto Mary, and she conceived by

the Holy Ghost ”—a Hail Mary. “ Behold the hand-
maid of the Lord—be it done unto me according to
Thy Word”—a Hail Mary. “And the Word was
made flesh, and dwelt amongst us ”—a Hail Mary.
The prayer: “ Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord,

Thy grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the In-

carnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by

the message of an angel, may by His Passion and

Cross be brought to the glory of His resurrection,

through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.” By

this beautiful practice we show in a special manner

our faith in the Incarnation of Our Lord and Saviour

Jesus Christ.

The stations of the cross are fourteen paintings

representing the various stages of the Passion and

Death of Our Redeemer. The faithful pass from

station to station and meditate upon that feature of

the Passion represented by each station. Tradition

tells us that from the beginning pious pilgrims

were accustomed to tread the path and bedew with

their tears the way sanctified by Our Saviour on

that sorrowful journey from Pilate’s tribunal to

Calvary’s heights. But Jerusalem falling into the

hands of infidels, and many being unable to visit

those holy places, permission was obtained to erect

in churches fourteen crosses and pictures commem-

orating these sorrowful acts. From these stations

all can meditate upon the sufferings of Our Saviour,



4-8 Reasonableness of the Practices

and learn from Him submission to God’s holy will,
patience, charity, and forgiveness of injuries.

The funeral service of the Catholic Church is beau-
tiful, touching, and instructive. After blessing,

strengthening, and encouraging us through life with
her sacraments; after fortifying our souls for the

last great struggle, she follows us beyond the grave
with her blessings, her prayers, and her sacrifices.
“ Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord,” she prays;
“and let perpetual light shine upon them. May
they rest in peace.”

There are various other prayers and blessings

used by the Church on special occasions. In
fact, the Church blesses everything she uses.
This blessing of the priest is not such an ab-

surd thing as some imagine it to be; it is rather
a most reasonable practice. It is simply a
prayer said by the priest asking God to send His
blessing upon the person or thing indicated. Peo-
ple of all denominations say grace before meals,

asking God to bless the food they are about to use.
This is precisely what the priest does when blessing
anything. He uses different forms of prayer or-
dained by the Church to implore God’s blessing
upon the water, candles, and other things before
using them. This blessing of churches, water,

candles, and other things has its foundation on

Scripture. We read in the Old Testament of the
solemn blessing of the Temple of Solomon. St.
Paul tells us that “ every creature is sanctified by
the Word of God and prayer.” Churches, water,
candles, bells, books, persons, and other things blessed

by the Church are creatures. Therefore we are



49of the Catholic Church.

following St. Paul in blessing them, for every creat-

ure is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer.

We do not claim that those articles that are

blessed have any efficacy in themselves; but
we

hope and pray that God in His infinite goodness

and mercy may render those blessed articles bene-

ficial to those using them, may protect them
and

lead them to His blessed abode above , where all
is peace

and light and love .

XIII. THE CELEBRATION OF FEASTS.

“Seven days shalt thou celebrate feasts to
the Lord thy God,

in the place which the Lord shalt choose
(Deut. xvi. 15). If he

will not hear the church, let him be to
thee as the heathen and

the publican” (St. Matt, xviii. 17).

F
ROM these texts we learn that besides the

Sunday God wishes certain other days to be

observed religiously, and that the Church has
the

power of designating these days.

As the State sets aside certain national holidays

in commemoration of its founder or of the
Declara-

tion of Independence, so the Church sets aside
these

holidays in honor of Jesus Christ, the Blessed
Vir-

gin, and the saints.

Besides the feasts celebrated on Sundays, there

are in this country but six holidays of obligation.

Three of these are commemorative of events in the

life of Our Lord: Christmas, the Circumcision, and

the Ascension ; two, the Immaculate Conception
and

the Assumption, in honor of the Blessed Virgin ; and

one in honor of God’s saints—the Feast of All Saints.
The ecclesiastical year begins in Advent. Ad-

vent is a period of about four weeks of penance and

4



50 Reasonableness of the Practices

prayer preparatory to the great Feast of Christinas

and corresponding to the penitential season of Lent

before Easter. During the ecclesiastical year, the

first of the feasts of obligation in the order of time

is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

It is celebrated on the 8th of December. On

this day we commemorate the time when the

Blessed Virgin received from the archangel Ga-

briel’s lips the message from God that she was

to become the Mother of God the Son, and the

Son of God, assuming human nature, entered her

chaste body. Immaculate Conception, as you will

see in the article on the Blessed Virgin, means that

she was always free from sin.

The great Feast of Christmas, in honor of the

birth of Jesus Christ, is celebrated on December 25.

This feast is a time of joy and peace to all man-

kind, and is celebrated by the Church with much

pomp and ceremony.

The Festival of the Circumcision is kept on the

first day of the new year. It is commemorative of

Our Lord’s strict observance of the law by submit-

ting to the Jewish ceremony of circumcision. We
solemnly celebrate the day in honor of our merciful

Lord, Who is our model in all things.

Next in the order of time is the Feast of the

Ascension. It is kept forty days after the grand

feast of Easter, and is in honor of Our Lord’s glori-

ous ascension into heaven.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, celebrated

the 15th of August, is commemorative of the glori-

ous taking up to heaven of Mary, soul and body.

(This is a pious tradition.)



of the Catholic Church. 5i

All Saints' Day is November 1. Every day is a

saint’s day. There is not a day that the Catholic

Church does not celebrate a feast in honor of some

special mystery or saint. But as there are more

saints in heaven than could be thus specially

honored, she sets aside this one day every year in

honor of all the saints in heaven.

There are various other important feasts, some of

which fall on Sunday
;
but these we have mentioned

being feasts of obligation to be observed as Sunday,

it wras thought that it would not be uninteresting to

give a short explanation of them .

On them we honor God and His special friends.

Let us always, by faith, hope, and love, bear Jesus

in our minds and hearts.

“Amen, amen, say to thee, unless a man be born again of

water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of

God” (St. John iii. 5).

HILE most Christians admit the necessity of

baptism for adults, the Catholic Church is

alone in insisting upon the practice of infant bap-

tism. This practice is in accordance with the

teaching of St. John, quoted above. It is also in

accordance with apostolic teaching and practice.

We read in the 16th chapter of the Acts of the

Apostles that St. Paul baptized Lydia “and her

household,” and that the keeper of the prison was

converted and “ was baptized and presently all his

family.” Among these families it is but reason-

able to suppose that there were some infants.

XIV. INFANT BAPTISM.



5
2 Reasonableness of the Practices

Infant baptism was the practice of the apostles;

it was the practice of the Christians of the early

Church, as Origen tells us. The Church received

the tradition from the apostles to give baptism to

infants, and it has been the practice of the Church

from the time of Christ until the present.

St. Paul tells us that Adam’s sin was transmitted

to all his posterity. “ Wherefore as by one man

sin entered into this world, and by sin death, and

so death passed unto all men in whom all have

sinned” (Rom. v. 12). Every infant, according to

St. Paul, is born in sin—original sin. But as bap-
tism takes away original sin, and as nothing defiled

can enter heaven (Apoc. xxi.), baptism of infants is

necessary to open for them the gates of heaven.

Baptism maybe validly administered by dipping,

sprinkling, or pouring. The method practised in

this part of Christendom is pouring the water on

the head of the person to be baptized, saying at

the same time : “ I baptize thee in the name of the

Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.”

The reasonableness of the practice of baptizing

infants will be evident if we remember that Christ

taught the necessity of baptism for all when He

said: “Unless a man be born again of water and

the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of

God;” and that He declared little children capable

of entering into the kingdom of God when He said

:

“ Suffer little children to come unto Me and forbid

them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

Now, if infants are capable of entering heaven

(and Christ so declares)
,
they must be capable of

receiving baptism, without which Christ says no

one can enter the kingdom of God.



53of the Catholic Church .

While in adults faith and sorrow for
sin are

required before receiving baptism,
no disposition

is required in infants.

They contracted original sin without their
knowl-

edge
;

without their knowledge they are freed from
it.

By baptism they are made heirs of the
kingdom

of heaven.

They can be made heirs of property, of a
king-

dom on earth without their consent; why
not also

of the kingdom of heaven ?

Baptism is the first of the seven
sacraments

which the Church confers upon man.
It cleanses

us from original sin (actual sin
also if the recipient

be guilty of any), makes us Christians,
children of

God, and heirs of heaven. It
prepares us for the

reception of the other sacraments.
By baptism we

all contracted the obligation
of believing and prac-

tising the doctrines of Jesus
Christ as taught us by

the true Church. We fulfil this obligation by lead-

ing a truly Christian life .

XV. THE MARRIAGE TIE—ONE AND

INDISSOLUBLE.

“But I say to you that whosoever shall
put away his wife ex-

cepting for the cause of fornication
makethherto commit adul-

tery ; and he that shall marry
her that is put away committeth

adultery” (St. Matt. v. 32). “What,
therefore, God hath joined

together, let no man put asunder” (St. Matt.
xix. 5, 6).

F
EW practices of the Church have been produc-

tive of more good to society than that
concern-

ing Christian marriage. The Christian
family is the

foundation of Christian society, and Christian
mar-

riage is the basis of the Christian
family. Without



54 Reasonableness of the Practices

marriage neither the family nor society could exist.

Marriage was instituted by God before society ex-

isted, and, as a natural consequence, it is subject,

not to the laws of society, but to the laws of God

and His Church. The principal law and necessary

condition of Christian marriage is its unity and in-

dissolubility. It is the union of one man with one

ivoman for the purposes intended by the Creator,

which union is to last as long as both survive.

Such was marriage in the beginning; to such it

was restored by Our Saviour when He made it a

sacrament of His law and a type of His union with

His Church.

The practice of the Catholic Church in not per-

mitting a divorce that will allow either party to

marry during the life of the other, is clearly taught

by Jesus Christ in the 5th chapter of Matthew:
“ He who puts away his wife maketh her to commit

adultery, and he that marrieth her committeth adul-

tery.”

No human power can break the bond of mar-

riage. “What God hath joined together, let no

man put asunder.” It is the work of God. Let no

man dare meddle with it. St. Paul teaches the

same when he says in the 39th verse of the 7th

chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians:

“ A woman is bound by the law as long as her hus-
band liveth; but if her husband die, she is at

liberty, let her marry whom she will.” The prac-

tice of the Catholic Church is conformable to this

teaching of Christ, St. Paul, the apostles, and their

successors.

In defence of this practice of forbidding divorce,



55
of the Catholic

Church.

since marriage is one and
indissoluble, the Catholic

Church has had many a severe conflict.
And had

she not fought this battle
bravely for the sanctity,

the unity, and the indissolubility
of the marriage

tie, Europe and America
would to-day be in as

degraded a condition as are
the Mahometan and

other nations where the laws of
marriage are dis-

regarded. For divorces are not
only contrary to

Christ’s teaching concerning
the sanctity, unity,

and indissolubility of the
marriage tie, but are

also subversive of society.
They sever the mar-

riage tie in as much as the law of
man can do it.

If the marriage tie is loosened,
the family is dis-

solved
;
and if the family is dissolved,

society, the

state, falls to ruin.
Divorce destroys conjugal

love, causes unhappiness,
renders the proper edu-

cation of children impossible,
and often leads to

terrible crimes. Is it not
reasonable as well as

scriptural to forbid it?

The Christian husband and wife,
knowing the

sanctity, the unity, and the
indissolubility of the

marriage tie, live in love and peace
and honor to-

gether; together they rear the
issue of their union,

teaching them to be good children,
good citizens,

and good Christians; together,
after a long, a pros-

perous, and a happy union, they
return to dust;

and together they will meet again
beyond the con-

fines of the tomb

—

yes, they will meet to
part no

more.



56 Reasonableness of the Practices

XVI. RESPECT SHOWN TO ECCLESI-

ASTICAL SUPERIORS.

“We are ambassadors for Christ; God, as it were, exhorting
by us” (II. Cor. v. 20). “As the Father sent me, I also send

you” (John xx. 21) . “Go ye into the whole world and preach the

Gospel to every creature” (St. Mark xvi. 15).

HE respect Catholics have for the bishops and
priests of the Church is often a matter of sur-

prise to those not of the faith. They do not under-

stand, as Catholics do, that the priests are “ ambas-

sadors for Christ” sent to “preach the Gospel to

every creature.” For Christ instituted the priest-

hood to carry on divine worship, to govern the

Church, to preach His doctrine, and to administer

the sacraments.

As in the Old Law God chose His priests from

among the family of Aaron, so in the New Law

He chooses them from among those whom His

apostles and their successors see fit to ordain.

Priests and other ministers of the Church receive in

the Sacrament of Holy Orders the power and grace

to perform their sacred duties. If we would but

consider seriously for a moment the importance of

these duties and the great dignity of the minister

of God, we would have no difficulty in understand-

ing the reasonableness of the Catholic practice of

showing profound respect to God’s priesthood.

The priest is the minister of Jesus Christ, Who

chose him that he might obtain for himself the

greatest good and in return bestow this good upon

his fellow-man. Jesus Christ chose him that he



of the Catholic
Church. 57

mi„M aid Him in the work
for which He came on

earth. What a noble
mission! What importan

duties! What a great
dignity! To aid Jesus

Christ in saving souls,
to teach them the

truths of

salvation, to loose
them from their sms,

to offe

the Eucharistic
Sacrifice for them,

to pray or

fhL
“

mister -»t° them. »d to 611 .b»

Heaven’s choice blessings;
for such a high

fis-

sion, for such
important duties did

Jesus Christ

choose the priest.
If his duties are

so important,

his dignity must be
correspondingly giea •

O.L Lks of the lake of Go.esa.efk fh. G,=a
Teacher chose Peter as

His vicar and head
of His

Church As the pontiff
could not be everywhere,

Peter and the other
apostles imposed hands

on others

as the needs of
the growing Church

dema
.

They understood that
it was by a living,

teach g

ministry this work of
salvation was to be

carried

on. For we find it
recorded in the 14th

chapter of

the Acts that Paul
and Barnabas ordame

pries

m
SllsoconlTcmTd Titus Bishop

of Crete, for the

express purpose of
ordaining others.

Thus we see

that as Christ was sent
by the Father, the

apos

by Christ, so, too, is
the priest invested

with the

same power
“ for the perfecting

of the saints, for

Re work of the ministry,
and for the edification

of

the body of Christ”
(Eph.iv. 12) and that

no one

but a priest divinely
called, rightly

ordained and

legitimately sent has
power from God to

tea

God’s words to the
faithful. He is the a™bas

*do

of God, commissioned
to do His work with

His au

thority; the vicar
of Christ continuing

the work



58 Reasonableness of the Practices

He commenced
;
and the organ of the Holy Ghost

for the sanctification of souls. He is ever imitating

his Model, going “about doing good.” He devotes

his life to alleviate the sufferings of men. To

spend one’s life instructing man is but second in

importance to alleviating his sufferings. This the

priest is ever doing. He rescued us from barbar-

ism
;
saved for us at the risk of his life the Holy

Scriptures, the classics of Greece and Rome, and the

writings of the fathers; founded the great universi-

ties of Europe
;
and is to-day, as in the past, the

greatest educator in the world. He does all this

for love of God. Do you wonder, then, that Cath-

olics love and revere their priests?

Nowhere can there be found a body of men or a

series of rulers so venerable, so renowned for wis-

dom, justice, charity, and holiness, as the popes,

bishops, and priests of the Catholic Church in every

age, from the time of Christ until the present.

“He who is unmarried careth about the things of the Lord,

how he may please God” (I. Cor. vii. 32).

HE Catholic Church recognizes matrimony as a
holy state. She recommends celibacy to those

desiring greater perfection, and enjoins it on her

priests because, as St. Paul says, “ He who is un-

married careth about the things of the Lord.”

It is said that the life of the priest is a hard,

lonely one, and that it is unscriptural. Let us see.

That his life is one of hardships is certain. His

XVII. CELIBACY.



of the Catholic
Church. 59

path is by no means one
of roses ; it is

rather one

covered with thorns.
The young man knows this

well before he enters it.
With a full knowledge of

its duties and
responsibilities, he willingly

enters

the priesthood. He knows
well that it is a llfe ful1

of trials and crosses.
He knows, too, that the whoie

life of Jesus Christ,
from the stable of

Bethlehem

to the Cross on Calvary’s
heights, was one continu-

ous trial, cross,
mortification; and that the

life o

every follower, especially
every minister, of Jesus

Christ should be fashioned
after that of his divine

Model “ If any man will
come after Me,” He says

in the 1 6th chapter
of St. Matthew, “let him

deny

himself, take up his cross
and follow Me The

disciple, the minister
of Christ, is not above

his

Master; and it is not becoming
that the path of the

disciple or minister should
be covered with flowers

while that of the Master
was strewn with thorns

and sprinkled with His
own precious blood.

Yes, the priest’s life
is one of trials, crosses,

and

hardships. But the more
trials he has to bear, the

more crosses he has to
carry, the more hardships

he has to endure, the
greater is his resemblance

to

his model, Jesus Christ ;
and if he bears those trials,

crosses, and hardships,
which he shares with his

Master here, with a proper
spirit, the more certain

he is of sharing with
Him a happy eternity here-

But is the life of celibacy
unscriptural? No. In

fact, few questions are more
clearly defined in Holy

Scripture than that of religious
celibacy. St Paul,

in the 7th chapter of the
First Epistle to the

Corin-

thians, says: “I would have
you without solicitude.



6o Reasonable?iess of the Practices

He who is unmarried careth for the things of the

Lord, how he may please God; but he who is mar-

ried careth about the things of the world, how he

may please his wife, and is divided. And the un-

married woman and virgin thinketh about the

things of the Lord, how she may be holy in body

and spirit. But she that is married thinketh about

the things of the world, how she may please her hus-

band. Therefore,” he concludes, “he that giveth

his virgin in marriage doth well
;
and he who giveth

her not doth better.” Could language be clearer?

Marriage is good
;
celibacy is better.

“He that is unmarried careth about the things

of the Lord, how he may please God.” This teach-

ing of St. Paul is the teaching of the Church—that
marriage is honorable, is good, but that there is a

better, a holier .state for those who are called by

the grace of God to embrace it.

Religious celibacy is one of the principal reasons

why the Catholic priest and missionary will risk

all dangers, overcome all obstacles, face all terrors,

and in time of plague expose himself to death in

its most disgusting forms for the good of his fellow-

man.

All are acquainted with the noble examples of

numbers of priests and sisters of charity who, at

the risk of their own lives, voluntarily nursed the

sick and dying during the yellow-fever scourge in

the South a few years ago. Do you think they

would have done so had they families depending

upon them? No: they would have cared for the

things of this world. Jesus Christ has said:

“ Greater love than this no man hath, that a man



of the Catholic
Church. 61

give up his life for his
fellow-man.” This the

good priest is ever doing,
ever ready to do.

Although death stares him in
the face, he never

shrinks from his post of
duty, never abandons his

flock while there is a
wound to heal, a soul to save.

When his duty calls him, he is not
afraid of

death, because St. Paul says:
“ He who is without a

wife is solicitous about
the things of the Lord."

XVIII. CONCLUSION.

“If thou wilt enter into
life keep the commandments"

(St.

Matt. xix. 17).

W
HEN Jesus Christ died on the cross for us,

He

did so in order to lead us
into life, to open

heaven for all mankind. How
important our sal-

vation must be, then, for
which Christ shed^ His

precious blood. If it is
important, He must have

taught us how to attain it. This,
too, He did by

the words, “keep the
commandments.”

To assist us in keeping the
commandments He

left a representative on earth.
His Church, whose

ministers were to teach all nations,
is this repre-

sentative. To her He said: “He that
hears you,

liGcixs Me.”

The night before He died He instituted
the ador-

able Sacrifice of the Mass,
saying: “This is My

body. . . • This is My blood which
shall be shed

for you.” He then gave the
apostles and their

successors power to do what
He had just done:

“ Do this in commemoration of Me.”
He also gave

them power to baptize, to forgive
sins, to bless, to



6 2 Reasonableness of the Practices

be “dispensers of the mysteries of God.” He

gave them power to confer these powers on others.

“ As the Father sent Me
[
i.e ., with the same power]

I also send you.” To these apostles and their suc-

cessors He spoke when He said that He would re-

main with them until the consummation of the

world. To them and the Church He said : “ He

that hears you hears Me.” What the Church teach-

es, then, Christ teaches.

As, in the natural order, man is born, grows to

manhood
,
is nourished, and if sick needs proper food

and remedies: so, in the supernatural order, there

is a birth, it is Baptism; there is a manly growth,

it is Confirmation; there is a nourishing food, it is

the Holy Eucharist, the Bread of Life; there is a

medicinal remedy against death, it is Penance; and

there is a balm to heal the wounds, the scars, of sin,

it is Extreme Unction. These are some of the

channels through which God’s grace flows into our

souls to assist us to keep the commandments.

The practices of the Church naturally flow from

her teachings. She teaches that there is but one

God, the creator and Lord of heaven and earth and

all things; that man by his reason alone can find

out this truth
;
that the order, beauty, and harmony

of the works of nature .show God’s work; but that

there are some truths which the deepest intellect of

man can never fathom. Hence she teaches that

God has revealed certain truths
;
such as the

mysteries of the Holy Trinity, the Incarnation, and

the Blessed Sacrament. When we know that God

has revealed these truths we are acting reasonably

not only in believing them, but also in manifesting



of the Catholic Church. 63

our belief by practices of respect, adoration, and

love.

The Church teaches that we must not only believe,

but practise our religion. For faith alone will not

save us. “ Faith without works is dead.” To have

these works we must “keep the commandments.”

We must love God above all things and our neighbor

as ourselves. All the commandments are com-

prised in this. In fact, the essence of Christianity

is charity.

Where will you find charity practised in reality

except in the Catholic Church ? If you wish to see

the truth of this visit our larger towns and cities,

and you will find hundreds of hospitals, asylums,

schools, and other charitable institutions in which

are thousands of the children of the Catholic Church,

who have left everything to alleviate every ill that

flesh is heir to, and follow the meek and humble

Jesus in His mission of love.

The Catholic Church alone teaches, as Jesus

Christ taught while on earth, the duty of penance.

“ If any man will come after Me, let him deny him-

self, take up his cross and follow Me.” According

to this teaching of Christ, the Church sets aside the

penitential season of Lent and other times of mor-

tification.

The Church also teaches that we must not only

be faithful in the observance of the practices of

religion, but that we must also live in peace and

justice and charity with all mankind, and die with

a hope beyond the grave. If we love God we will

faithfully observe the practices of the Church

;

these practices will assist us in keeping the com-



64 Reasonableness of the Practices of the Church.

mandments. And if we wish to enter into life we

mast keep the commandments.

We have seen that the various ceremonies and
practices of the Catholic Church are dictated by

right reason
;
that they are the rational deduction

from Christ’s teaching; that they obtain for us

divine grace, excite pious thoughts, and elevate our

rninds to God
;
and that a true Christian is one who

not only believes but also practises the teachings

of Christ and His Church. The observance of these

pious practices of the Church makes us Christians in

fact as well as in name. They assist us to keep

the commandments and to live in accordance with

our faith. By faithfully observing them, we show

that we are not ashamed of being followers of

Christ. And if we follow Him, Who is the way,

the truth, and the life, we will not walk in dark-

ness; but will enter by the narrow way into the

presence of truth itself, in the regions of eternal light.

Printed by Benziger Brothers, New York.



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