CHIEF EVILS 
 THE TIMES 
 
 A LENTEN COURSE OF SEVEN 
 SERMONS 
 
 BY 
 
 Rev. H. NAGELSCHMITT 
 
 New York 
 
 JOSEPH F. WAGNER (Inc.) 
 
THE CHIEF EVILS 
 OF THE TIMES 
 
 LENTEN COURSE OF SEVEN 
 SERMONS 
 
 Rev. H. NAGELSCHMITT 
 
 New York 
 
 JOSEPH F. WAGNER (Inc.) 
 
IQtMI ©bfitat 
 
 Jmprimatttr 
 
 New York, 
 
 RBMIGIUS LAFORT, S.T.D. 
 
 Cens0r 
 
 4- JOHN CARDINAL FARLEY 
 
 Archbishop of New York 
 
 September 18, 1916 
 
 Copyright, 1917, by Joseph F. Wagner (Inc.)> New York 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 I. Recklessness and Frivolity 1 
 
 II. Unbelief 10 
 
 III. Disobedience 21 
 
 IV. Selfishness and the Love of Money 30 
 
 V. Ambition 40 
 
 VI. The Love of Pleasure and Luxury 50 
 
 VII. Human Respect 60 
 
 i 
 
THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 I. Recklessness and Frivolity 
 
 “This then I say and testify in the Lord, that henceforward 
 you walk not as also the gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind, 
 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the 
 life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of 
 the blindness of their hearts.” — Ephes. iv, 17, 18. 
 
 The holy season of Lent reminds us that it is our duty to examine 
 ourselves, to think over our sins and shortcomings, and by means 
 of penance and amendment of life to turn again to God, whom we 
 have forsaken. The Church calls to us at this season: “Behold, 
 now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” 
 (2 Cor. vi, 2). “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found; call 
 upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and 
 the unjust man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and 
 He will have mercy on him ; and to our God, for He is bountiful to 
 forgive” (Is. Iv, 6, 7). 
 
 Lent is a time for penance and conversion ; but we ought to know 
 for what it behooves us to do penance, and in what respects we 
 require to be converted. We ought of course to do penance for our 
 sins, abandon the path of wickedness, and return to the way of 
 righteousness and justice. Every man's own conscience will tell 
 him how to act, if only he examines himself honestly in the presence 
 of God, who sees and knows all things. But, just as each individual 
 has his besetting sins, so has every age its peculiar vices, which give 
 rise to all our prevalent misery and suffering, and are difficult to 
 detect because we are so entangled in them. Every one can dis- 
 cover and amend his own personal defects, if only he earnestly 
 endeavors to do so; but it is less easy to perceive the vices of the 
 age, for we are all more or less infected with them, and consequently 
 are blind to their results; moreover each person has his own 
 opinion regarding them, and many fail to grasp the prevalence of 
 the evil. 
 
 I purpose to address you during Lent on the subject of the vices 
 of the age and the disasters to which they lead, suggesting, as far 
 as I can, remedies for them. The chief failings of the age in which 
 
 I 
 
3 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 we live appear to be: recklessness, unbelief, disobedience, selfish- 
 ness, ambition, love of pleasure, and, human respect. 
 
 In the course of my sermons I may perhaps allude to sins and 
 defects from which you are free; and you may therefore feel 
 inclined to say that my words are not applicable to you, for those 
 that are whole need not a physician, but rather those that are sick. 
 I should have good reason to rejoice and to thank God if my whole 
 congregation could speak thus. We are, however, all more or less 
 infected with the follies of the age, and we should only aggravate 
 the evil if we deceived ourselves and protested that we were free 
 from it. It is well for us to know and recognize the enemy who is 
 incessantly trying to undermine our peace and welfare, for other- 
 wise we shall not be on our guard against him. Whenever an epi- 
 demic breaks out in a town or village, the inhabitants take care to 
 ascertain its symptoms and to learn the best manner of protecting 
 themselves against it. Let us show equal care and conscientious- 
 ness in examining tlie causes underlying the spiritual evils of the 
 time, evils that become more deadly day by day, and threaten to 
 destroy the whole moral and social order. I will take as to-day’s 
 subject recklessness, and discuss (i) its nature and (2) its con- 
 sequences. 
 
 I. It is impossible to read a newspaper or to associate with 
 people without becoming aware of the fact that all classes are 
 oppressed by a sense of discomfort, discouragement and uncertainty. 
 No one is contented with the present state of affairs, and all dread 
 the future, unless some efficacious form of help is forthcoming. 
 Almost everyone, whether he be learned or unlearned, politician or 
 businessman, is engaged in devising some remedy for the general 
 distress. All agree in thinking some change to be absolutely 
 necessary, but there are innumerable opinions regarding the manner 
 in which this change can be effected, and the form that it should 
 take. I have no intention of discussing the various proposals made 
 in newspapers and magazines, or at public meetings ; I wish merely 
 to point out that most people look for amendment from without, 
 not from within. This is the feature that presents itself whenever 
 there is a general conviction that some change in condition and 
 in the social life is absolutely necessary. Men seek the cause of 
 
RECKLESSNESS AND FRIVOLITY 
 
 3 
 
 all the evils from which they suffer in external circumstances, not 
 in themselves. They hope to find a remedy in something outward, 
 and have no idea that they must begin by reforming their own dis- 
 orderly and sinful way of life, if a general improvement is to be 
 effected. At the present time there is only too much reason for 
 complaints, and for fears of what may yet be in store; mankind is 
 in urgent need of help, but, before it is capable of receiving assist- 
 ance, each individual ought to begin by God's grace to amend and 
 cure himself. 
 
 Yes, we may well turn upon those who clamor for reform, and 
 say to them: “Physician, cure thyself; cast out the beam from thine 
 own eye, before thou attemptest to remove the mote from thy 
 brother's eye." This one consideration is enough to show how 
 rightly recklessness may be described as one of the chief faults of 
 our age. Every one is anxious to improve the world, and sets to 
 work knowing very little about the sins and passions prevalent 
 among mankind, and incapable of correctly ascertaining the source 
 and extent of the evils of the age. Hence he talks at random, and 
 all his proposals for reform fall wide of the mark, or actually aggra- 
 vate the malady that they are intended to cure. A man may rightly 
 be described as reckless who judges of important matters without 
 adequate knowledge, without serious reflection, without due con- 
 sideration of the arguments for and against. A reckless person 
 gives advice offhand; he speaks and acts without thinking of the 
 consequences of his words and deeds, whereas he has no business 
 at all to express an opinion, and is incapable of making any useful 
 suggestion. 
 
 This kind of recklessness in judgment, speech and action is ex- 
 tremely common at the present day, and is especially characteristic 
 of popular agitators and socialistic leaders. We may perhaps say 
 that it is the chief source of the evils from which we suffer, for 
 there are few among these men whose thoughts and desires, whose 
 words and works are controlled by the dictates of Christianity and 
 of reason. There are few who consider the results that may follow 
 sooner or later from what they proclaim and do; they are deaf to 
 the voice of reason, that priceless gift which distinguishes man from 
 all other creatures, and enables him to know God; they refuse to 
 obey the Divine law, that enlightens our understanding and guides 
 us through the maze of this life, and they listen only to the prompt- 
 ing of their own unruly passions and desires. Instead of refrain- 
 
4 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 ing from action until circumstances and probable results have been 
 properly 'weighed, men allow themselves to be influenced by mo- 
 mentary impressions and by the impulses of their senses. This 
 is what I mean by recklessness, and you will be convinced that it is 
 a very prevalent fault, if you take the trouble to observe the actions 
 of those about you. 
 
 Recklessness is generally assumed to be a fault peculiar to the 
 young, and it is an undeniable fact that the young people at the 
 present day are reckless. Many throw away their opportunities of 
 acquiring education, and of developing their faculties of heart and 
 mind, because they will not study with perseverance. Many plunge 
 into vice and folly, and associate with bad companions, because they 
 are carried away by sensual pleasures, and are not guided by con- 
 science and God's precepts. Many a young girl gives herself up 
 to vanity and frivolity, and runs after silly amusements, simply for 
 want of thought, yielding to whims and fancies instead of acting 
 on sound principle. 
 
 But though the young are undoubtedly thoughtless, those of 
 maturer years are perhaps equally guilty. Many a man forgets 
 duty and family, when he is with companions who encourage him 
 to drink and gamble. Many throng to hear an agitator preaching 
 atheism and emancipation from lawful restraint, and utter no word 
 of protest when he ridicules all that is most sacred. They are reck- 
 less, caring only for what amuses them at the moment, and never 
 giving a thought to the future. Others undertake to discuss matters 
 of great importance, and talk pompously, without having taken the 
 trouble to gain any real knowledge of the subject on which they are 
 so ready to lay down the law. In their thoughtless vanity and the 
 desire to be like other people, many join associations in which 
 Christianity and the Church are held up to ridicule, and so they 
 gradually lose their faith, and fall an easy prey to the pernicious 
 doctrines of Socialism, abandoning altogether the practice of re- 
 ligion. 
 
 Need I allude to the overhasty judgments pronounced so fre- 
 quently upon the actions and lives of neighbors? It is a matter of 
 everyday occurrence to hear all sorts of suspicions and slanders 
 uttered without a moment's reflection. Some who could not answer 
 a single question in the catechism, do not hesitate to criticize and 
 discuss religious topics, although they are quite indifferent to religion 
 and everything connected with it, — is not this recklessness? And is 
 
RECKLESSNESS AND FRIVOLITY 
 
 5 
 
 it not the very height of recklessness for a man to go on heaping 
 sin upon sin, without ever giving a thought to penance and amend- 
 ment of life? 
 
 Enough has been said to show you that recklessness, or want of 
 thought, is really a malady, or rather a sin, very prevalent at the 
 present day. People are superficial in their judgments, and in- 
 capable of devoting their attention seriously even to important mat- 
 ters and of exerting themselves to accomplish anything. They 
 take everything lightly, and fail to appreciate both the evil of sin 
 and the excellence of virtue, and consequently they care very little 
 about either. It is to them a matter of complete indifference 
 whether their words and actions accord with the duties of their 
 station, and their position, as men and Christians, as fathers, citi- 
 zens and subjects, nor do they trouble about the results of what 
 they say and do. They are quite ready to play the part of saints 
 or sinners, as best suits their convenience and advantage; they at- 
 tend to the present and disregard the future. 
 
 Such are the characteristics and outward manifestations of reck- 
 lessness; we shall have no difficulty in tracing its disastrous and 
 injurious results. 
 
 II. A reckless man shrinks from all earnest thought and exertion 
 of good judgment, and therefore he never acquires a thorough 
 knowledge of anything, for knowledge and efficiency are not gained 
 without industry, thought and practice. How can a persop. even 
 learn a trade or business thoroughly, unless he is industrious and 
 persevering? Perhaps he attains to a superficial general knowl- 
 edge of things, in order to better enjoy life, but he is anxious for 
 enjoyment, not for the solid instruction; he is incapable of appre- 
 ciating true, permanent happiness, and does nothing likely to pro- 
 mote it, but everything calculated to destroy it. In the homes of 
 reckless men, such as I have been describing, disorder, discontent, 
 poverty and want often prevail. Many a man makes speeches about 
 reforms in the government and the condition of the working classes, 
 but he does nothing at all towards reforming his own household, 
 or adding to the family income by displaying more industry and 
 self-denial. Many a youth is persuaded to join the ranks of the 
 socialists, and contributes liberally out of his wages to their funds, 
 whilst his parents are actually in want. Some live on from day 
 to day, either doing no work at all, or spending their earnings on 
 drink; they let the future take care of itself. Thoughtlessness has 
 
6 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 brought thousands of young men to ruin, so that they have become 
 a burden on society. Perhaps, when it is too late, they see that 
 youth ought to be, not a time for sowing wild oats, but a time of 
 preparation for the serious business of life. Young men, who 
 can barely support themselves, often rush into matrimony, and, as 
 soon as the first child is born they are reduced to beggary. We 
 see persons, devoid of all necessary training and experience, trying 
 to set up a business, and plunging themselves and their families into 
 debt and misery. It is impossible to give an adequate description 
 of the wretchedness that a reckless individual brings upon himself 
 and others. He loses the esteem of all about him, and meets with 
 nothing but trouble. Worse still is the plight of one who, by his 
 reckless words, has induced even others to do wrong, and has 
 robbed them of honor and reputation. A reckless mode of life often 
 leads to the loss of a man’s good name, health and happiness, and 
 his misery involves that of his wife and children. Those who 
 habitually live a reckless life become a plague to the whole com- 
 munity. 
 
 What prospect of*future happiness do such people possess? Since 
 they are deficient in serious industry and common sense they know 
 practically nothing about the way of salvation and the doctrines of 
 faith. They are too careless, and too idle, to care for their temporal 
 interests, on which their earthly prosperity depends, but still less 
 do they trouble about their immortal souls and their ultimate sal- 
 vation. Their hold upon the truths of religion is inevitably weak*, 
 and consequently they have no firm convictions. Their disinclina- 
 tion to think things out thoroughly makes them sway to and fro, 
 ready to be misled by every false teacher who comes their way. 
 They are apt to be influenced by illogical arguments, and, as St. 
 Paul says, to be carried about with every wind of doctrine. An 
 unbeliever has no difficulty in persuading such people that the 
 truths of religion are merely human inventions, which an enlight- 
 ened person is bound to set aside; and, as they have no real con- 
 victions, they are easily induced to believe that virtue and the fear 
 of God are things that should be dispensed with. They accept 
 every infidel suggestion indiscriminately, and end by thinking it a 
 mark of mental weakness to feel reverence and trust in God, to 
 love parents and children. Nothing is easier than to lead a friv- 
 olous, reckless man into every kind of folly, sin and crime. His 
 ideas of right and wrong, of good and evil, are so confused that 
 
RECKLESSNESS AND FRIVOLITY 
 
 7 
 
 his balance is quickly overthrown, and from evil thoughts he 
 easily proceeds to evil deeds. It is only necessary to represent vice 
 as something pleasant and attractive, to declare all that good people 
 say against it to be absurd nonsense, and forthwith he will aban- 
 don himself to it, until finally there is no folly, no sin, of which he 
 is not capable. All efforts to make him realize his errors and to 
 recall him to the way of justice and virtue will usually fail. 
 
 It is useless to speak to a frivolous and thoughtless person 
 of God’s omnipotence, mercy and justice, or of the atonement 
 effected by Christ; it is a waste of time to reproach him with his 
 ingratitude to God for the countless benefits received at His hands, 
 or to remind him that he will have to give an account, at an hour 
 when he least expects it, of all his actions ; it is vain to implore him 
 to amend his way of life and to seek after those things that tend 
 to peace. As St. Paul says, '‘the sensual man perceiveth not the 
 things that are of the Spirit of God; for it is foolishness to him, 
 and he cannot understand” (i Cor. ii, 14). He behaves like Felix, 
 the governor, who, when St. Paul spoke of justice, chastity and 
 the judgment to come, said: "For this time go thy way; but when 
 I have a convenient time I will send for thee” (Acts xxiv, 25). 
 Such truths make no impression upon the frivolous, and even if 
 they did, it would soon be obliterated by worldly amusements. 
 
 At times, however, even the most frivolous people are depressed, 
 for misfortunes compel them to reflect, and the consequences of sin 
 draw their attention to the sin itself. At these moments they feel 
 a desire to be good and to pray, but they cannot; they long for 
 release from their misery, but they are in bondage to sin, and with 
 sorrow they realize that they are no longer free. Yet their sor- 
 row does not last, and leads to nothing, for it is soon stifled by 
 worldly amusements. To such people we may apply the words of 
 St. James: "If a man be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he 
 shall be compared to a man beholding his own countenance in a 
 glass. For he beheld himself, and went his way, and presently 
 forgot what manner of man he was” (James i, 23, 24). 
 
 A reckless and frivolous man not only pays no attention to God 
 and His Commandments, he does not merely neglect his own soul, 
 but he mocks at those who value their faith and try to lead a good 
 life. By his frivolous words he often undermines the religious 
 convictions and dispositions of others, and his bad example pro- 
 motes the evil induced by his suggestive remarks. The young, who 
 
8 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 have no experience, and the old, who already have one foot in the 
 grave, are often equally indifferent to the things that are of real 
 importance in life; they never give a thought to the salvation of 
 their immortal souls; they even drag others with them to destruc- 
 tion. 
 
 I have shown you the dangerous and deadly results of reckless- 
 ness, and have pointed out how they affect our bodies and souls, 
 our families and our country, our present and future life. How 
 can the conditions of life be improved, unless we improve our- 
 selves and put aside our frivolity, recklessness and want of 
 thought, striving rather to bring order into our lives, according to 
 the laws of reason and of Divine revelation, which is able to make 
 those happy who believe in it? 
 
 It behooves us to be in earnest and to make a wise use of our 
 time. This life is a preparation for eternity, and what we sow here 
 we shall reap hereafter; our wages will be precisely what we have 
 earned. Pay attention therefore to St. Paul’s admonition: ^‘This 
 then I say and testify in the Lord, that henceforward you walk, not 
 as also the gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind, having their 
 understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God 
 through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of 
 their hearts (Ephes. iv, 17,18). Follow the advice of the same 
 Apostle, when he says: “See, therefore, brethren, now you walk 
 circumspectly; not as unwise, but as wise; redeeming the time, 
 because the days are evil. Wherefore become not unwise, but 
 understanding what is the will of God” (Ephes. v, 15-17). 
 
 Yes, my brethren, let us no longer walk as unwise, — as foolish 
 children snatching at everything that can afford them enjoyment, 
 but let us walk as wise and reasonable people who consider before- 
 hand what they ought to desire, to say, or to do. When the ad- 
 vocates of this or that way of thinking try to win you over to their 
 views, test their doctrines and principles, compare them with those 
 of Christianity, and I have no fear of your being led astray. Do 
 not be influenced too much by outward appearances, nor by the 
 allurements of the world, nor by the feelings of your own weak 
 and foolish hearts, nor by the suggestions of others; but take as 
 your guide the law of God and the voice of conscience, and you 
 will not be at a loss how to act. All who have ever won the re- 
 spect of their fellow-creatures by their learning, skill, generosity, 
 courage or active charity, have done so because they were in earnest, 
 
RECKLFSSNESS AND FRIVOLITY 
 
 9 
 
 and worked with industry, discretion and perseverance. No one 
 secures a comfortable income by frivolity, fickleness, indolence or 
 love of pleasure, but by industry and prudence. The saints did 
 not enter into the joy of their Lord for the reason that they were 
 frivolous, deaf to the voice of conscience and the precepts of the 
 Gospel, and eager to indulge in every amusement that came in their 
 way ; — no, they took pains to grow in the knowledge of Christ and 
 His holy law ; they crucified the flesh with its desires and lusts, they 
 despised the world and its pleasures, in order to win Christ. They 
 were not guided by the false principles and bad example of the 
 children of this world, but followed Him, who is the way, the truth 
 and the life. Let us act as they did, not yielding to every whim and 
 fancy, but clinging firmly to the principles laid down by our Divine 
 Lord. Without good principles no one can persevere in well-doing 
 and resist evil, and a man who drifts along thoughtlessly, without 
 any order and method of life, is carried away by every impulse of 
 passion, and yields to every temptation. But one who directs all 
 his thoughts and actions in accordance with the will of God, will 
 never go astray; he will stand firm, where others stumble; and he 
 will enjoy the peace and happiness that others seek in vain. He 
 will contribute to the welfare of society and will finally obtain the 
 reward promised to those who have fought the good fight and kept 
 the faith. Let me conclude with St. Paul’s words: “My beloved 
 brethren, be ye steadfast and unmoveable ; always abounding in the 
 work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not vain in the Lord” 
 (i Cor. XV, 58). Amen. 
 
20 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 II. Unbelief 
 
 “Now the Spirit manifestly saith that in the last times some 
 shall depart from the faith, giving heed to spirits of error, and 
 doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy and having their 
 conscience seared.” — i Tim. iv, i, 2. 
 
 We saw in our last discourse that the chief source of most of 
 the evils prevalent in our midst is a spirit of recklessness or friv- 
 olity, which prevents men from listening to the voice of God and 
 conscience, so that they fail to regulate their thoughts and actions 
 according to God’s will. Most of the aberrations and excesses of 
 the age are due to this cause. If we are alienated from the life 
 of God” (Ephes. iv, 18) ; if we avoid God and fix our thoughts on 
 the vain things of earth; if we cling to creatures and forget the 
 Creator ; if, instead of busying ourselves with the truths and means 
 of salvation, we turn our attention to profane and dangerous sub- 
 jects ; if we think only of present enjoyment and care nothing for 
 our immortal souls, — then the consciousness of being destined by 
 God for a higher and everlasting life will gradually fade away. 
 We shall forget our relation to Almighty God, and regard ourselves 
 as citizens of this world only. We shall no longer think of our 
 life here as a pilgrimage through a land of exile ; heaven will cease 
 to be, in our eyes, our true home, which we must enter through 
 the portal of death. We shall speak of this world in language re- 
 sembling that of St. Peter in to-day’s Gospel, who exclaimed on 
 seeing our Saviour transfigured in glory : “Master, it is good to be 
 here. Let us make tabernacles in this place” (Luke ix, 33). 
 
 If once we lose sight of our real condition, our hopes and aspi- 
 rations will become confused, our faith will perish, and all our 
 thoughts and desires will be fixed upon what is visible and tem- 
 poral. Then, having fallen away from God, and having shut our 
 eyes to our eternal destiny, we shall imagine ourselves to be lords 
 of creation, owing obedience to none, and we shall aim only at 
 earthly possessions, and seek honor in the esteem of men, and 
 happiness in the gratification of our passions. 
 
 These are the evil results of frivolity, which is like a poisonous 
 well, contaminating all that it touches. The first and most fatal 
 result is unbelief, which is the subject that I have selected for 
 to-day’s sermon. 
 
 I. In the New Testament a time is foretold when the Kingdom 
 
UNBELIEF 
 
 II 
 
 of God is to be threatened with inward and outward perils, and 
 with oppression and conflicts of every kind. It is to suflfer griev- 
 ously, and the temptation will be so great that, if it were possible, 
 even the elect would be deceived (Matth. xxiv, 24). Iniquity will 
 abound and the charity of many shall grow cold (ibid, v, 12). At 
 that time, as St. Peter tells us, ‘'there shall come deceitful scoffers, 
 walking after their own lusts” (2 Peter hi, 3), and, as St. Paul 
 says, men “will not endure sound doctrine; but according to their 
 own desires they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching 
 ears, and will indeed turn away their hearing from the truth and 
 will be turned to fables” (2 Tim. iv, 3, 4). 
 
 If we consider our own age, and the mode of life common at the 
 present day, we shall be inclined to think that these prophecies are 
 now being fulfilled. Socialism is rapidly gaining ground, and it 
 aims at uprooting all faith in God, in the immortality of the soul 
 and in a future life; in fact it seeks to destroy Christianity and 
 everything connected with it, and to substitute for the ten Com- 
 mandments given us by God the one principle: “Enjoy whatever 
 you can enjoy, for everything ends at death.” No one who seri- 
 ously considers age in which we live, and its characteristics, can 
 deny that there are in our midst many deceitful scoffers, who de- 
 spise the truth, and also many who will not endure sound doctrine, 
 and listen to teachers inspired by the devil. 
 
 Everywhere, in every class of society, we meet people who be- 
 lieve nothing themselves, and are doing their utmost to destroy the 
 faith in others. The number of those engaged in spreading infidel- 
 ity is so great that we may fearlessly assert that Christianity never 
 employed so many agents to build up the city of God as are now 
 busied about its overthrow. Centuries ago crusades were under- 
 taken for the purpose of rescuing from the infidels the Holy Land, 
 where our Redeemer has gone up and down teaching, and where 
 by His passion and death He made atonement for the sins of the 
 world. But now a campaign is being carried on against the Cross, 
 against the faith in a crucified Redeemer, and efforts of every con- 
 ceivable kind are made to inspire believers with the spirit of in- 
 fidelity. Sometimes the very existence of God is denied ; some- 
 times the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ is rejected, and He is 
 placed on a level with merely human teachers; sometimes His 
 miracles are called in question; sometimes the Church is described 
 as an obsolete institution, designed to promote ignorance and super- 
 
12 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 stition, and to torture the conscience of men ; sometimes the most 
 solemn and profound mysteries of religion are ridiculed, ' because 
 they are incomprehensible and beyond human understanding ; 
 sometimes the ceremonies of the Church and the practices of re- 
 ligion are condemned as being nothing but meaningless formali- 
 ties; sometimes the immortality of the soul is denied, and we are 
 told that death is the end of all things, and that therefore we ought 
 to get as much pleasure as possible out of this life; sometimes we 
 hear that all belief in revelation is wrong, fit only for ignorant 
 people, and that the cultured and educated classes can well dis- 
 pense with all revealed truths and with the laws of Christianity, 
 because they are guided by the light of reason, — ^because they be- 
 lieve and do only what pleases them, what does not interfere with 
 their disorderly passions and desires. 
 
 Infidelity is inculcated in private conversations and at public as- 
 semblies, by books, newspapers and periodicals, so that every class 
 of society may be imbued with the spirit of unbelief. Moreover, 
 the propagators of these views hold out all manner of specious in- 
 ducements, appealing to the passions of the age. For instance, at 
 the present time they talk much of liberty of conscience, meaning 
 thereby license to sin; they extol equality of rights and of property, 
 freedom from restraint, etc. — things likely to dazzle and mislead 
 superficial minds. This is the line of action pursued by “spirits of 
 error,’' who teach the “doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypoc- 
 risy, and having their conscience seared.” To our sorrow we must 
 confess that they do not labor in vain. 
 
 Alas, too many allow themselves to be led astray by these de- 
 ceitful spirits, and refuse to accept the truth, so that in time their 
 faith dies out and their charity grows cold. There have been un- 
 believers in every age, but formerly unbelief existed chiefly among 
 the rich and mighty, whilst other classes were unaffected by it, 
 and preserved their faith and fervor. But now the darkness of 
 infidelity has spread in every rank of society, and consequently 
 there is an alarming increase in the adherents of socialism. It has 
 penetrated from the mansions of the wealthy to the middle classes, 
 to the factories and cottages of the laborers. There are, thank 
 God, many places where faith still exists and flourishes, where it 
 is still regarded as the greatest treasure in life ; but there are, alas, 
 many places where unbelief abounds, revealing its presence not 
 only in the language, but also in the debased morality of the people. 
 
UNBELIEF 
 
 13 
 
 Divine charity, which is the outcome of faith, has there grown cold, 
 if it has not actually been replaced by hatred of Christ and His 
 Church. Is this accusation against our age not fully justified? 
 Do you not know by experience that there are many who care 
 nothing for the truths of faith and the practice of religion, who 
 maintain that each man^s religion is his own private aflfair, not to 
 be displayed publicly? Do you not know that many have ceased 
 to regard religion as of supreme importance, and subordinate it 
 to temporal advantage ? Is not piety growing rare, and do not men 
 transgress God’s Commandments with ever-increasing recklessness? 
 Are not Sundays and holidays desecrated by work and by sinful 
 excesses? Where shall we find the steadfast faith, manifesting 
 itself in active charity, such as our forefathers possessed? Is their 
 faith still our guide through life, our support, and our consolation 
 in sorrow? Are there not thousands in whose hearts it no longer 
 exists? Are there still amongst us men like the heroic confessors 
 of old, who endured insult, mockery and persecution, rather than 
 abandon their faith? Where is faith to be found? Not in society, 
 for it is no longer the fashion to profess one’s Christian; 
 
 the name of God is hardly ever mentione^^^e%CW,y^«i^iculed 
 and has ceased to exert any influence ovei^^j^^^iaifnrjnif^/^ Tf^rfaith 
 to be found in the hearts of the young ? ^^feVfor they are'.i^j many 
 cases defiled by the seductive argument^kcSi bad ekampfle ,of their 
 elders ; the children grow up without e^e^ beifig taught /to. pray. 
 Even in our churches faith seems absent*in some people/if >Ye are 
 to judge by their behavior, and there are feWxvvhd,' likp the pubH 
 in the parable, strike their breast and say : “G6d be^meroiful to me, 
 a sinner” (Luke xviii, 13). Rare indeed is it to find faith in all its 
 beauty, vigor and efficacy ; it is more frequently trodden in the dust, 
 hated, slandered and persecuted even by its own children. Relig- 
 ion is no longer regarded as indispensable, and we are told that 
 it does not matter what a man believes, if only he is upright in his 
 dealings. Those who openly profess themselves unbelievers are 
 looked upon as broad-minded. Among non-Catholics, crowds 
 throng to hear preachers who deny the inspiration of the Bible, 
 and speak of it as a collection of writings of merely human author- 
 ship, having no higher value than any other ancient compilation. 
 Such preachers inculcate what they call a rational form of Chris- 
 tianity, which has nothing in common with real Christianity, and 
 consists of doctrines pleasing to the ears and flattering to the senses. 
 
14 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 Men who boldly reject the truths of faith, and ridicule any public 
 profession of religion, are extolled as the heroic champions of 
 human liberty. Yes, even Catholics have been known to join the 
 ranks of socialism that is threatening to overthrow the entire social 
 order, because they hope thus to win a reputation for broad-minded- 
 ness and intelligence. 
 
 It almost seems as if our Saviour had the present generation in 
 view when He asked: “The Son of man, when He cometh, shall 
 He find, think you, faith on earth?” (Luke xviii, 8). It seems as 
 if the time had come of which St. Paul was thinking when he said : 
 “The Spirit manifestly saith that in the last times some shall depart 
 from the faith, giving heed to spirits of error and doctrines of 
 devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy, and having their conscience 
 seared” (i Tim. iv, i, 2 ). 
 
 You wonder, perhaps, why infidelity is so prevalent, and why so 
 many people reject sound doctrine, and are led astray by free- 
 thinkers and atheists. It is not because of any difficulty in proving 
 the doctrines of Christianity to be of Divine origin — they have 
 stood the keenest criticism of scholars in every age — but infidelity 
 is the outcome of pride, which refuses to submit to authority, and 
 of sensuality, which rejects what Christianity teaches of self-denial, 
 mortification, chastity and justice. As a rule infidelity begins in 
 the heart, not in the intellect; it is due to the absence of a good, 
 honest will, and not to any lack of convincing arguments. Truth is 
 ignored as something troublesome and inconvenient ; it is not loved, 
 because it is not always easy to declare oneself its champion. Con- 
 sequently, men cease to believe, because they have not the will to 
 believe, and prefer to listen to those who preach a religion that 
 requires belief only in what one chooses to accept, and that im- 
 poses no obligations beyond what each individual is willing to incur. 
 
 St. Jude gives an excellent description of unbelievers in the fol- 
 lowing words : “These men blaspheme whatever things they know 
 not ; and what things soever they naturally know, like dumb beasts, 
 in these they are corrupted. . . . These are spots in their banquets, 
 feasting together without fear, feeding themselves, clouds without 
 water which are carried about by winds, trees of the autumn un- 
 fruitful, twice dead, plucked up by the roots, raging waves of the 
 sea, foaming out their own confusion, wandering stars, to whom 
 the storm of darkness is reserved for ever. . . . These are mur- 
 murers, full of complaints, walking according to their own desires. 
 
UNBELIEF 
 
 15 
 
 and their mouth speaketh proud things, admiring persons for 
 gain’s sake.” 
 
 This passage reveals the unspeakable misery that unbelief inev- 
 itably brings upon individuals and society at large. It destroys 
 happiness, by opening the door to sin, and it undermines society by 
 removing its strongest supports, viz., virtue and fear of the Lord. 
 
 II. The weakening of a man’s sense for truth has the lamentable 
 result that he ceases to be influenced by the teaching of religion; 
 but still more disastrous consequences ensue, if he deliberately 
 embraces error, turns away from the light and silences the voice of 
 conscience. Worst of all is it if he falls into infidelity, for, as a 
 learned man has said, “the surest symptom of an unhealthy condi- 
 tion in a generation is the rejection of truth, rather than the ac- 
 ceptance of error.” A man who clings to some error feels at 
 least some need of religion; and one whose conscience is uneasy, 
 knows that he is doing wrong. But one who no longer believes 
 anything has no sense for truth, uprightness or virtue. Unbelief 
 is an inexhaustible source of evil, and has in every age been a 
 poison, affecting human life in all its relations and causing in- 
 describable misery. From it results a state of sinfulness in which 
 a man shrinks from nothing, since he fears nothing, God and con- 
 science having been set aside. His will tends always to evil, and 
 no sense of honor or decency deters him from gratifying his de- 
 sires; he sins without realizing what he does, and without scruple. 
 
 This may seem a harsh opinion, but it is not unfair. What power 
 is there able to keep a man from sinning, when he has no belief in 
 a just and omniscient God, in the immortality of the soul,- and in a 
 judgment to come? Will his reason check him? No, for reason 
 may err, and may even become the slave of passion. “I know,” 
 says St. Paul, “that there dwelleth not in me, that is to say, in my 
 flesh, that which is good. For to will is present with me, but to 
 accomplish that which is good, I find not. For the good, which 
 I will, I do not; but the evil, which I will not, that I do” (Rom. vii, 
 18, 19). Can his conscience restrain him from wrong-doing? No, 
 for it is unhappily often silenced by disorderly desires, and if it 
 comes into conflict with worldly interests, its warnings and threats 
 fall on deaf ears. Is a sense of honor capable of guarding man 
 from sin and the shame attached to it? No, for in proportion as 
 the passions increase in violence and man yields to sin, so do his 
 nobler instincts vanish and cease to influence his actions. Human 
 
i6 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 laws and public opinion are of no avail in making a man refrain 
 from excesses, injustice, sin and vice. The cleverer men are, the 
 better do they know how to evade the restrictions imposed by law. 
 Where there is no thought of a Judge, who searcheth the heart, or 
 of a general judgment, when the thoughts, words and works of all 
 mankind will be weighed impartially in the balance, or of a life 
 beyond the grave, when every man will be rewarded according to 
 his works, — where all these are forgotten, then it is a waste of time 
 to look for justice among men, for the best laws cease to have any 
 force. In a word, — by robbing a man of his faith, you open the 
 door to sin and injustice of every kind, and deprive him of all 
 motive and strength to do right, and of all consolation in times of 
 suffering and adversity. 
 
 If a man has no faith, whence can he derive courage to resist 
 the temptations of this life, or patience to endure pain and sorrow, 
 or submission, peace of mind and composure under all circum- 
 stances, or humility and self-denial, and every other virtue? His 
 faith teaches him that the path of suffering is also that of glory, 
 and that our heavenly Father enables us to will and to perform all 
 good works; that He is unchanging in His wisdom and love; that 
 without His consent not a hair can fall from our heads; that all 
 the thoughts, desires and needs of our hearts are known to Him, 
 and that He disposes everj^hing for our good. Whence shall the 
 poor find comfort in their labor and distress if they have no faith in 
 Jesus, who Himself had not where to lay His head, and who said : 
 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” 
 (Matth. V, 3) ? What consolation is there for the sick, the perse- 
 cuted and the despised, if they have no faith in Jesus Christ, who 
 bore His heavy Cross for us, and drained the cup of suffering to the 
 dregs, and promised the joys of heaven to those who should bear 
 their crosses after Him with patience and resignation, and endure 
 persecution for justice’s sake? What hope is there for a desolate 
 widow, or for orphan children, left alone in this unkind world, if 
 they do not believe in our heavenly Father, who feeds the young 
 ravens, if they cry to Him, and clothes the flowers of the field, and 
 cannot possibly forsake those who are of more value than birds and 
 flowers? Surely the downtrodden and unfortunate, whose best en- 
 deavors are unsuccessful whilst the wicked prosper and live in 
 luxury, would despair, unless they were upheld by their belief in' 
 God’s justice and a future reward. Faith alone makes men really 
 
UNBELIEF 
 
 17 
 
 just and good, and thus it is the foundation and support of all 
 peace and happiness in this world ; it restrains and checks pride and 
 the disorderly desires that are the chief sources of all the evils 
 afflicting mankind, and it implants in men’s hearts all the qualities 
 that make for peace, viz., humility, charity, gentleness and patience. 
 It secures to each his property, his honor and all that is advan- 
 tageous to him. Faith renders men truthful in speech, honest in 
 business and faithful to their promises, whilst it guards them from 
 envy, malice and all uncharitableness, — in a word, from all sin. 
 What a happy place the earth would be if every one acted accord- 
 ing to the precepts of the Gospel. Each would be contented with 
 his position and with the circumstances assigned him by Providence, 
 and so he would feel neither discontent nor envy. The poor man 
 would bear his lot with patience, and the rich would not be proud 
 or disdainful. Those in authority would show mercy and justice, 
 and the working classes would be industrious, peaceable and happy. 
 There would be no jealousy, no disputes, no tricks or deception in 
 trade, no evil speaking, but each would seek what is to the ad- 
 vantage of his neighbor, as well as himself, and all would walk in 
 justice, purity of heart, and sanctity, worthily of their high calling, 
 and rejoicing that their labor was not vain in the sight of God. 
 “This is,” as St. John says, “the victory which overcometh the 
 world, our faith” (i John v, 4). 
 
 The reason why human society is now so far removed from this 
 happy condition, is that faith has grown cold, and religion has 
 ceased to govern men’s thoughts and actions. Infidelity infects 
 mankind, and where it prevails, no health remains. It is the 
 source of disorder, discontent, rebellion, insecurity, attacks on the 
 person, honor and property of others, pride, envy, ambition and 
 lust ; it is like a mighty torrent threatening to overwhelm all orderly 
 existence. 
 
 The socialists aim at depriving men of all faith in an almighty, 
 good, wise, holy and just God, who rewards the good and punishes 
 the evil, and if they succeed, they will have torn down the supports 
 on which all social order rests. Men will cease to concern them- 
 selves about their neighbor’s welfare, and will consider only how 
 to procure the greatest amount of enjoyment for themselves. 
 They will cherish ill-will and hatred against those who can afford 
 luxuries, and, being desirous to obtain them by some easy method, 
 not by honest hard work, they will have recourse to trickery, theft 
 
i8 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 and murder. If a man does not believe in God, in Jesus Christ, the 
 Son of God, our Redeemer, in the immortality of the soul and in 
 life eternal, he 'will act according to the suggestion of his evil pas- 
 sions, and will not scruple to sin. Should mankind in general act 
 in this way, a state with the best possible form of government would 
 not be habitable for reasonable, moral beings, but would be the 
 abode of savage monsters. 
 
 St. Paul has given us a terrible but true description of the condi- 
 tion of men who have no faith. He says : “Men shall be lovers of 
 themselves, covetous, haughty, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to 
 parents, ungrateful, wicked, without affection, without peace, slan- 
 derers, incontinent, unmerciful, without kindness, traitors, stub- 
 born, puffed up, and lovers of pleasures more than of God, having 
 an appearance indeed of godliness, but denying the power thereof” 
 (2 Tim. iii, 2-5). 
 
 That a society made up of such individuals cannot be happy, and 
 must sooner or later perish, is self-evident. Even the heathen rec- 
 ognized this fact, and made faith in the gods the foundation of their 
 constitution. History shows that those nations have grown great 
 and prosperous in which religion, virtue and fear of the Lord have 
 flourished. But where faith has ceased to leaven domestic and pub- 
 lic life, all those virtues have disappeared on which depends the 
 happiness both of individuals and of society. We have all heard 
 of the horrors of the French Revolution; they were the lamentable 
 outcome of the infidelity then rife among the people. Where God 
 is forgotten and unbelief prevails, immorality, injustice, cruelty and 
 violence will soon appear openly. As we read in Holy Scripture 
 “Justice exalteth a nation, but sin maketh nations miserable” (Prov. 
 xiv, 34). Experience proves the truth of these words. For years 
 false prophets have been sowing the seed of unbelief and indiffer- 
 ence to the teaching of Christianity, and now it is bringing forth 
 fruit, and we have in our midst much discontent and many divi- 
 sions; workmen are on bad terms with their employers, injustice 
 and deceit are common in business, and all who love their country 
 must inevitably watch with apprehension the growth of these and 
 similar evils. 
 
 I need scarcely point out that an infidel has no hope for the life 
 to come. Our Saviour said : “This is eternal life, that they may 
 know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast 
 sent” (John xvii, 3). “He that believeth and is baptized shall be 
 
UNBELIEF 
 
 19 
 
 saved, but he that believeth not shall be condemned” (Mark xvi, 
 16). “He that believeth in the Son of God is not judged; but he 
 that doth not believe is already judged, because he believeth not in 
 the name of the only-begotten Son of God” (John hi, 18). 
 
 Therefore, I implore you, my brethren; listen not to the false 
 prophets, the enemies of our faith. “Let no man deceive you with 
 vain words, for because of these things cometh the anger of God 
 upon the children of unbelief. Be ye not partakers with them. 
 For you were heretofore darkness, but now light in the Lord. 
 Walk then as children of the light; for the fruit of the light is in 
 all goodness, and justice, and truth” (Ephes. v, 6-9). As you would 
 flee from fire, so should you avoid men whose tongues are like flames 
 devouring your faith, your most precious possession. You are 
 careful to keep aloof from a person with a contagious disease; be 
 equally careful not to come into contact with the emissaries of the 
 devil, whose deceitful words might destroy the life of your souls 
 and plunge you into ruin. What is more valuable than eyesight? 
 Yet these people deliberately try to destroy your sight and lead you 
 into darkness. Cherish with jealous care the faith of your fathers! 
 Cling to it, for the way of faith is also the way of life, on which 
 you will find forgiveness of sins, strength to persevere in what is 
 good, help in distress, counsel in difficulty, comfort in affliction, 
 peace amidst all trials, and, finally, the salvation of your immortal 
 souls. Do not be contented with merely preserving your faith, but 
 strive to learn its truths more and more perfectly, that it may grow 
 stronger and be a living faith, manifested in a truly Christian way 
 of life. Order all your actions in accordance with the teaching of 
 this faith; shun the works of darkness and everything opposed to 
 the claims of religion; keep your conscience clear, that you may 
 have no reason to fear the chastisement with which the ungodly are 
 threatened, but may look forward with confidence to the rewards 
 promised to the righteous. “Let your light shine before men, that 
 they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in 
 heaven” (Matth. v, 16). “Every one that shall confess me before 
 men,” says our Saviour, “I will also confess him before my Father 
 who is in heaven” (Matth. x, 32)'. If you conscientiously keep the 
 Commandments, you will, by God’s grace, be so thoroughly con- 
 vinced of the truth and happiness of faith, that all the crafty de- 
 signs and allurements of the enemies of religion will be powerless 
 to move you, and will never cause you to fall into infidelity. Christ 
 
20 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 said- “If any man wiU do the will of Him that sent me, he shall 
 know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of 
 
 myself” (John vii, 17). ^ v r r . *4- 
 
 I have now pointed out to you the bitter fruits of unbelief; it 
 
 remains for each of you to do his utmost to prevent this wil from 
 spreading amongst us. It is above all the sacred duty of Christian 
 parents to watch carefully over their children, for the teachers o 
 infidelity aim particularly at leading the young astray. Never al- 
 low your sons and daughters to neglect their religious duties, or to 
 associate with immoral and irreligious persons. Do not shrink 
 from remonstrating with them seriously, if you detect m them any 
 tendency to indifference towards religion, and, above all, set them 
 a good example by yourselves leading a pious. God-fearing life an 
 
 doing your duty as Christians. ^ 
 
 Let no one be satisfied with possessing faith himself, and disre- 
 gard the welfare of others. Do your best to secure the pnceless 
 gift of faith to all your relatives and dependents, so that none may 
 rob them of their crown. May the kingdom of God increase in and 
 around you, and may you all be firmly established m Jesus Chnst 
 our Lord, the Author and Finisher of faith. Amen. 
 
DISOBEDIENCE 
 
 21 
 
 III. Disobedience 
 
 “Be ye subject^ therefore to every human creature for God’s 
 sake ... for so is the will of God, that by doing well you may 
 put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.” — I Peter ii, 13, 15. 
 
 Some years ago there was an outbreak of cholera in a certain 
 town, and the government cautioned the people against eating raw 
 fruit, since experience showed that those who did so usually con- 
 tracted the disease. Every sensible person will admit that this 
 was a wise regulation, but some of the people in the town consid- 
 ered this warning an interference with their personal liberty. One 
 man, in order to win the applause of the people, proceeded to eat 
 publicly a quantity of raw fruit, washing it down with cold water, 
 and almost immediately after he was seized with the disease, and 
 died of it. This man exemplifies the view held by many at the 
 present day, and his terrible punishment will be duplicated, though 
 in another form, both in the case of individuals and in that of 
 society as a whole, if respect, reverence and obedience to authority 
 disappear, and every person claims the right to act as he pleases. 
 The prosperity, peace and security of mankind depend upon obe- 
 dience to authority in family. Church and State. I know that now- 
 adays the authority of these three institutions is constantly called 
 in question, and that any one upholding it is liable to criticism, but 
 this fact shall not deter me from giving utterance to the truth, and 
 from trying to show you that disobedience to authority is' opposed 
 (i) to the needs of mankind, and (2) to God's order. 
 
 I. Wherever we go, we hear a great deal about liberty; and 
 many would not be sorry if all mention of obedience were removed 
 from our laws, both Divine and civil. Man is indeed free ; he can 
 determine his own actions, and choose between good and evil; he 
 can decide to do one thing and refrain from doing another. But 
 he has unruly inclinations, desires and passions, which are often so 
 strong as to overpower his free will. Reason bids him do good and 
 not evil, but reason is often in error, and even when her judgment 
 is right, she is apt to be dominated by desires and passions, and a 
 man does what he knows to be wrong. 
 
 We read in the Book of Wisdom (ix, 15) that “the corruptible 
 
22 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 body is a load upon the soul, and the earthly habitation presseth 
 down the mind that museth upon many things.” St. Paul, too, says : 
 “I do not that good which I will, but the evil which I hate, that I 
 do” (Rom. vii, 15). 
 
 In his sober moments the drunkard perceives that he is ruining 
 his health, wasting his substance and bringing misery upon his 
 family, but nevertheless he cannot abstain from drink. Sometimes 
 a tradesman discovers a way of making money by fraud. His 
 reason tells him that he ought not to do it, but his covetousness 
 overpowers the voice of reason, and he acts in the wrongful manner 
 to promote his worldly advantage. It would be easy to multiply 
 similar instances, for men are prone to be dominated by their 
 passions, which carry them away and implicate them in irrational 
 and perilous courses. What is the consequence ? Must there not be 
 a law that restricts their freedom and that controls men’s unruly 
 appetites and passions for the benefit both of the individual and 
 of society, and must it not be a punishable offense to transgress this 
 law ? Where shall we discover the law and its guardian ? A Chris- 
 tian will not be at a loss, but will reply at once : “God is the supreme 
 lawgiver, and He makes His will known through revelation and 
 through the human conscience; He has appointed rulers to safe- 
 guard His laws and see that they are observed.” Unbelievers, how- 
 ever, deny all this, and consider conscience to be the sole rule of 
 action. Let us put ourselves for a moment at their point of view, 
 and see where it leads. 
 
 Conscience undoubtedly exercises a controlling force over a 
 man, stimulating him to do good and warning him against evil; it 
 commends him when he does right, and upbraids him when he does 
 wrong; it admonishes, approves, rewards, condemns and punishes 
 him. Every one claims liberty to follow the dictates of conscience) 
 and pleads its bidding in justification for his actions. On conscience 
 ultimately depend the sanctity of- marriage and of oaths, respect 
 for parents, fair dealing in business, security of ownership, obedi- 
 ence on the part of subordinates — in short all the relations of life. 
 But although conscience tells us how we ought to act, its decision 
 is by no means invariably right, nor can it always enforce its 
 decrees ; moreover, men do not, as a rule, habitually act in accord- 
 ance with their conscience. Sometimes the consciences of different 
 people do not agree; and men often abuse their liberty for the 
 purpose of deceiving, or misleading others, and they commit many 
 
DISOBEDIENCE 
 
 23 
 
 sins whereby they injure their neighbors’ honor and property. Yel 
 conscience is powerless to check them, though it may raise its voice 
 in protest. Frequently, too, is conscience asleep, and a man sins 
 without being aware of any remonstrance; his dealings with others 
 are characterized by selfishness, and wounded pride often impels 
 him to disparage his neighbors, while, blinded by passion, he deludes 
 himself with the thought that he is only asserting his own rights, 
 when he tramples on those of others. 
 
 Such being the case, how could conscience ever be the sole coun- 
 sellor directing our actions? We require another lawgiver and 
 ruler, able to control our passions and prevent them from harming 
 society; and if this lawgiver does not reside within us, there must 
 be some authority external to ourselves. No one doubts that parents 
 naturally possess authority over their children, whose duty it is to 
 obey them. But what supreme authority is there over mankind 
 in general? It can not be in the hands of men like ourselves, in 
 fact, unless we accept Christian principles, we shall refuse to admit 
 that any one in the world has a right to impose laws upon us, for 
 one man is as good as another, and all possess equal dignity and 
 equal rights. This is the teaching of the socialists. Now think on 
 the one hand of man, with his reason subject to error and decep- 
 tion, with his conscience either enslaved or distorted, and with all 
 his passions and evil tendencies ; think on the other hand of sin, as 
 the only force dominating mankind, and you will see that the in- 
 evitable consequence will be war, war waged by every individual 
 against all others — a conflict of pride, avarice, ambition, lust and all 
 the passions — and then nothing will save society from destruction, 
 because each man will appeal to his own reason, conscience and 
 liberty, and will refuse to yield to and obey others. 
 
 Human society will at last fall a prey to all these intolerable evils 
 if men despise and ignore God’s institutions, and if the superman 
 claims an absolute right to govern himself, thus usurping the 
 rights of God, our supreme Lord and Lawgiver, and of His In- 
 carnate Son, in whom we believe. If liberty of conscience, as it 
 is called, were to take the place of all law, each individual would be 
 free to injure another, and would claim the right to punish wrong- 
 doers, since there would be no visible authority charged with the 
 protection of innocence and the chastisement of vice. 
 
 According to these theories, even the human laws have no firm 
 basis, no weight and no higher sanction ; they are devised by men 
 
24 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 for themselves, and are binding only to the extent that each indi- 
 vidual allows. If he can evade them, or use them as a cloak for 
 injustice, so much the better for him; there is no judge to whom he 
 is answerable. Conscience can not be invoked in support of the 
 law, for conscientiousness can not exist where there is no fear of 
 God, and no belief in future retribution. When his own personal 
 advantage, pride and self-indulgence are concerned, man disregards 
 law, and acts as he chooses, and thus the peace and happiness both 
 of individuals and of society as a whole are constantly endangered. 
 
 Nothing but the teaching of Christianity on the subject of 
 authority can guard us from all these evils, and permanently ensure 
 the safety and prosperity of our country. 
 
 II. Christianity tells us that God is our supreme Lawgiver, and 
 that His will should regulate all our actions. This will is made 
 known to us through the voice of conscience and by means of 
 revelation, and it affects the well-being of the family, the Church 
 and the State, these three indispensable supports of the social 
 order. Christianity regards marriage as instituted by God, and as 
 indissoluble by man ; married people are required to care for their 
 children and dependents ; children are ordered to treat their parents 
 with affection, respect and obedience, and servants are called upon 
 to be faithful, obedient and industrious. Christianity declares the 
 Church to have been founded by God for the good of mankind, 
 and her members owe her obedience. Our Saviour said to His 
 disciples : “He that heareth you, heareth me ; and he that despiseth 
 you, despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that 
 sent me” (Luke x, i6). Christianity bids us regard the secular 
 government as God's servant and representative. On this topic 
 St. Paul writes: “Let every soul be subject to higher powers, for 
 there is no power but from God, and those that are, are ordained 
 of God. Therefore he that resisteth the power, resisteth the 
 ordinance of God; and they that resist, purchase to themselves 
 damnation. For princes are not a terror to the good work, but 
 to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that 
 which is good, and thou shaft have praise from the same. For he 
 is God's minister to thee for good. But if thou do that which is 
 evil, fear; for he beareth not the sword in vain, for he is God's 
 minister, an avenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil. 
 Wherefore be subject of necessity, not only for wrath, but also 
 for conscience' sake” (Rom. xiii, 1-5). The Apostle lays down 
 
DISOBEDIENCE 
 
 25 
 
 clearly in this passage the principles inculcated by Christianity on 
 the subject of secular government and the obedience due to it. He 
 insists that every existing form of government was instituted by 
 God for the benefit of men and for the maintenance of peace, order 
 and harmony, to restrain the evil passion of men and punish the 
 transgressors of the law. Everyone is bound to submit to the gov- 
 erning power of the State, not only to avoid punishment, but as a 
 matter of conscience, because to obey is a duty laid upon us all by 
 God. You see therefore that Christianity confers upon the govern- 
 ment a dignity and an authority which it would never have in 
 virtue of a compact made by men; its claim to our respect and 
 obedience is so strong and universal, that no one can disregard 
 it without at the same time failing in the reverence and obedience 
 due to God, and incurring the punishment imposed on all who 
 despise His Commandments. “He that resisteth the power, resisteth 
 the ordinance of God; and they that resist, purchase to themselves 
 damnation.” 
 
 The Gospel teaches us to render to Caesar the things that are 
 Caesar’s, but it also requires rulers to treat their subjects justly. 
 A ruler ought to display justice, moderation and love in his deal- 
 ings with his people ; he is God’s representative, and is bound there- 
 fore to govern, as God governs, so as to promote the happiness and 
 prosperity of the nation committed to his care. God’s wrath will 
 light upon all rulers who oppress and enslave their subjects, waste 
 the revenues of their country and the money earned by the labor 
 of the poor, and use their high position as a cloak for malice and 
 wickedness. Such rulers are influenced by their fancies and 
 passions, and display no justice, impartiality or charity in their 
 actions. “Hear, therefore, ye kings, and understand; learn, ye that 
 are judges of the ends of the earth. Give ear, you that rule the 
 people, and that please yourselves in multitudes of nations; for 
 power is given you by the Lord, and strength by the Most High, 
 who will examine your works and search out your thoughts. Be- 
 cause, being ministers of His Kingdom, you have not judged rightly, 
 nor kept the law of justice, nor walked according to the will of 
 God, horribly and speedily will He appear to you, for a most severe 
 judgment shall be for them that bear rule. For to him that is little, 
 mercy is granted, but the mighty shall be mightily tormented. For 
 God will not except any man’s person, neither will He stand in awe 
 of any man’s greatness ; for He made the little and the great, and 
 
26 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 He hath equally care of all; but a greater punishment is ready for 
 the more mighty” (Wisd. vi, 2-9). 
 
 Thus both rulers and ruled are protected by the doctrines of 
 Christianity. They should be united by a bond of love, and vie 
 with one another in promoting their mutual happiness and the 
 prosperity of their country. Of course instances occur of corrup- 
 tion in the ruling class, so that it abuses its power and arbitrarily 
 oppresses the people, even tampering with their faith, their most 
 sacred inheritance. How does it behoove us to act in such a case? 
 Ought we to rebel, to refuse obedience and to raise the standard 
 of revolt? No; such action would be unworthy of Christians; we 
 are entitled to express our opinions freely to the government, but, 
 having done so, we should endure with patience and pray, knowing 
 that God in His wisdom and power is able to bring about another 
 better state of affairs, if it be His will. 
 
 When St. Paul wrote the words that I have just read to you, 
 the Jews were dissatisfied with the Roman government, and had 
 rebelled against it, but the Apostle did not sanction their rebellion, 
 and impressed upon the Christians in Rome the principles by which 
 they ought to be guided with regard to authority. At the time when 
 the books of the New Testament were being written, the secular 
 government was as bad as it could possibly be, and the profession 
 of Christianity was enough to cost a man his life ; nevertheless the 
 New Testament contains no instigation to revolt, nor do we read 
 that the Christians refused to obey the tyrannical rulers of the 
 pagan empire. They did indeed remonstrate respectfully, but when 
 no attention was paid to their words, and efforts were made to 
 force them to deny their faith and sacrifice to false gods, they 
 only said: “We ought to obey God rather than men,’’ and preferred 
 to endure horrible tortures and an agonizing death, rather than be 
 false to their Saviour and His Gospel. In all secular matters, there- 
 fore, it is our duty to obey those in authority; only if they order 
 us to do anything contrary to the teaching and principles of our 
 faith, we must not obey, for in that case obedience would be sinful ; 
 “we ought to obey God rather than men.” 
 
 Such are the Christian principles regarding the relation that 
 should exist between rulers and ruled. Would not society be more 
 settled and peaceful, if these principles were universally recognized 
 and respected? Wherever history records that princes and peoples 
 have adhered to them, there has been prosperity, order and dis- 
 
DISOBEDIENCE 
 
 27 
 
 cipline; rebellions have been unknown and the rights of property 
 have been upheld. Princes have ruled with justice and mercy, and 
 their subjects have obeyed them from a sense of duty. 
 
 No reasonable, impartial observer can deny that our faith, the 
 one, true, ancient faith of Christianity, is the sole safeguard of the 
 happiness and welfare of nations. This faith affords a firm founda- 
 tion to society; it corrects all errors and removes all doubts; it 
 regulates all disorderly desires and passions, and holds them in 
 check; it directs the human conscience and enforces its decisions; 
 it upholds parental authority and teaches that the secular govern- 
 ment is no mere tyrannical force, but an ordinance of God, entitled 
 as such to make laws and to punish wrongdoers. Those who 
 attempt to rob mankind of their faith, are actually destroying the 
 foundations of all order. Nowadays atheists and socialists 
 have lost all belief in God and His government of the universe, 
 they have no faith in revelation or in any future life, consequently 
 their one aim is to enjoy their present existence, and they shrink 
 from no means towards attaining this end. The poor are antago- 
 nistic to the rich, the miserable to the successful, and no one is at 
 peace, no one's tranquility is assured. If conscience has ceased to 
 be the voice of God, admonishing us to remember our responsibili- 
 ties, it is nothing but a pre-conceived opinion, and a man will be 
 guided by it only as long as its decisions do not clash with his own 
 advantage, interests and passions. Then an oath will no longer 
 be binding, there will be no safeguard for any man's honor or 
 property, and the law will lose all its weight and force. If you 
 reject Divine revelation and the authority of the Church, and 
 declare reason, left without guidance, to be the sole source of truth 
 and justice, you will plunge into a maze of erroneous opinions, 
 doubts and false claims, until at last the words truth and justice 
 will convey no meaning to you, and you will be bewildered by 
 innumerable conflicting theories. If you say that man is autono- 
 mous, and that it is beneath his dignity for him to obey another, 
 no one's person, life, reputation or goods will be safe ; children will 
 rebel against their parents, students against their teachers, servants 
 against their masters, and all social order will perish. In a word, 
 as soon as you assert that there is no God, no Divine revelation 
 that men are bound to accept, no immortality, no judgment and no 
 eternity of bliss or misery, you have actually declared war upon 
 all existing authority and all law ; you have taken away from all the 
 
28 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 relations of life their validity and justification, and eventually all our 
 social order will fall into ruins. 
 
 Let me sum up shortly what I have been saying: We are human 
 beings whose minds are liable to error and deception, whose cons- 
 ciences may be silenced, whose hearts are full of unruly desires 
 and passions, whose wills are prone to evil — therefore there must 
 be some visible authority to preserve order, to restrain our passions, 
 to direct our wills and to punish wrongdoers. Infidel doctrines and 
 principles regarding authority are opposed to the nature of man 
 and the ordinance of God, and, instead of promoting the happiness 
 and prosperity of society, tend inevitably to its overthrow, whereas 
 the teaching of Christianity is not only adapted to all circumstances 
 of human life, but affords the strongest guarantee for the welfare 
 both of the individual and of the State. Hence we are led to the 
 conclusion that reason and conscience both constrain us to submit 
 to the rules laid down by religion, and to be subject to authority, 
 in family life, in the Church and in the State. 
 
 In the words of St. Paul I exhort you : “Bear not the yoke with 
 unbelievers, for what participation hath justice with injustice? or 
 what fellowship hath light with darkness? And what concord hath 
 Christ with Belial?” (2 Cor. vi, 14, 15). The doctrines taught by 
 infidels on the subject of authority lead, not to liberty, but to 
 bondage, the shameful bondage of sin; for “whosoever committeth 
 sin is the servant of sin” (John viii, 34). They produce confusion 
 and disorder, not peace and harmony ; they promote, not the welfare 
 of nations, but the decay of all morality, learning, trade and inter- 
 course, and destroy all ownership and earthly prosperity. If the 
 consideration of the fatal results of infidelity fails to inspire you 
 with horror, look at the teachers of these doctrines — “by their fruits 
 you shall know them” (Matt, vii, 16). They talk much of liberty, 
 yet they are the slaves of their own evil passions, in a bondage 
 more harsh and shameful than any to which even a most over- 
 bearing government could subject them, for their fetters eat into 
 their very flesh, destroying all their health and happiness. They 
 profess a desire for autonomy, yet they blindly follow every agitator 
 who flatters their pride, greed and ambition, and knows how to play 
 upon their feelings. They say that they will not be kept in leading- 
 strings, yet they put faith in every scurrilous newspaper, full of 
 blasphemous falsehoods regarding religion and the religious life, 
 and of slanderous statements regarding their fellow creatures. 
 
DISOBEDIENCE 
 
 29 
 
 They preach peace and independence for all, and yet they persecute 
 unmercifully any who dare to contradict them, or to hold an 
 opinion opposed to their own. They call upon the masses to rid 
 themselves of an unpopular government, intending to grasp the 
 reins of office as soon as those who now hold them have been driven 
 jut. Experience shows that there is no more oppressive and un- 
 endurable form of tyranny than that which the so-called Apostles 
 of Freedom would fain exercise. 
 
 We may apply to them our Saviour’s warning : “Beware of false 
 prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly 
 they are ravening wolves; by their fruits you shall know them” 
 (Matt, vii, 15). Bear not the yoke with such as these, but submit 
 rather to the easy yoke of Jesus Christ, wherein alone true freedom 
 is to be found; “If, therefore, the Son shall make you free, you 
 shall be free indeed” (John viii, 36). Let us submit always to God’s 
 ordinances, for He is our Creator, our Lord, our King and our 
 supreme Lawgiver, who makes His will known unto us through 
 our own conscience and His Commandments, and who has instituted 
 holy Church to be the interpreter to us of His will, and has ap- 
 pointed those in authority over us to be His ministers. If parents 
 take His holy will as their rule of life, morality, peace and happi- 
 ness will prevail in every home; if children act in accordance with 
 this will, they will honor their father and mother, and live long and 
 happily on earth, whilst their parents will no longer have cause to 
 complain of disobedience, ingratitude and want of affection on the 
 part of their children, and will not be forsaken by them in old 
 age. If masters and servants think of God’s holy will, the former 
 'will be just and merciful, and the latter contented, industrious and 
 faithful. If subjects remember that it is God’s will that they 
 should obey those in authority, the peace of society will be undis- 
 turbed, and the prosperity of all classes will be promoted. What- 
 ever our circumstances may be, let us act in conformity with this 
 Divine will, and then we shall be happy both in this life and in 
 eternity. Amen. 
 
30 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 IV. Selfishness and the Love of Money 
 
 “Let your manners be without covetousness, contented with 
 such things as you have ; for He hath said : I will not leave thee, 
 neither will I forsake thee.” — Hebr, xiii, 5. 
 
 When Noe’s descendants dispersed after the deluge, the chil- 
 dren of Sem settled in a plain in the land of Sennaar, and they said 
 to one another : “Come, let us make a city and a tower, the top 
 whereof may reach to heaven, and let us make our name famous 
 before we be scattered abroad in all lands.” But the Lord saw 
 the city and the tower that they were building, and said : “Behold, 
 it is one people, and all have one tongue, and they have begun to 
 do this, neither will they leave off from their designs, till they 
 accomplish them in deed. Come ye therefore, let us go down, and 
 there confound their tongue, that they may not understand one 
 another’s speech.” So the Lord scattered them from that place 
 into all lands, and they ceased to build the city; and therefore the 
 name thereof was called Babel, i. e., confusion (Gen. xi, 4-1 1). 
 
 This story is a type of the state of affairs at the present time. 
 Men have fallen away from the one true faith, and the Gospel has 
 ceased to be regarded as the guide of their life and the source of 
 salvation ; and consequently a sense of discontent and a foreboding 
 of impending misfortune weigh them down, and they devise means 
 of averting disaster and of securing peace and happiness. Yet 
 they fare like the children of Adam, who wanted to build a tower 
 that they might always keep in sight, and thus avoid being scattered ; 
 the Lord confounds their tongue, and not only do their opinions 
 as to the means of securing happiness differ very widely, but all 
 their efforts are without result, since they do not proceed from the 
 source whence alone flow streams of living water, that is to say, 
 from faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in whom alone we find 
 salvation. 
 
 We have seen that the happiness neither of individuals nor of 
 society can be promoted by disobedience to authority and general 
 freedom from restraint. We have still to discuss selfishness, ambi- 
 tion and love of amusement, other faults characteristic of our age, 
 and we shall find that they are equally incapable of leading to true 
 happiness. To-day let us consider selfishness, its consequences and 
 the means of curing it. 
 
SELFISHNESS AND THE LOVE OF MONEY 
 
 31 
 
 I. If a man no longer believes that he- will be judged after death, 
 and live for ever in bliss or in misery, or if his belief is too weak 
 to exert much influence over him, he will certainly try to derive 
 as much happiness as possible from this present existence, and his 
 first idea will be to aim at acquiring riches. As soon as the supreme 
 Lord of heaven and earth, the most holy and perfect Being, ceases 
 to be his God and the goal of his life. Mammon, i. e., earthly wealth, 
 will become the object of all his endeavors, and the master whom 
 he serves. Hence St. Paul calls such a man an idolator. 
 
 The desire to make money is not in itself sinful or reprehensible; 
 in fact we are impelled to do so by the instinct of self-preservation 
 and by the sense that it is our duty to provide for others. There 
 are many passages in Holy Scripture encouraging us to industry, 
 and we are told that he who is too lazy to work, is unworthy to live. 
 Moreover, we are taught to use carefully what we earn by our 
 industry. “Remember poverty in the time of abundance, and the 
 necessities of poverty in the day of riches” (Eccles. xviii, 25). 
 
 It often happens, however, that a man’s selfishness urges him to 
 go too far, and he wishes for earthly possessions, not in order to 
 use them properly, but simply for their own sake and because they 
 further his own selfish aims. He does not think of spending his 
 money according to the dictates of reason and Christianity, or of 
 discharging his obligations to his friends and relatives, but his one’ 
 idea is to become rich and powerful, and to be in a position to 
 gratify all the desires of his selfish and covetous heart. 
 
 I think this is one of the chief faults of our age; it is certainly 
 more common now than it has ever been before, and it gives rise 
 to many abuses and to many legitimate complaints. I need scarcely 
 point out to you how universal is the desire to make money and to 
 acquire property. It is a fault common to people of every age. 
 The young are dazzled by the glamor of worldly possessions; their 
 elders are unwearied in their efforts to get rich and to add to what 
 they already have, whilst even the old still cling to their riches, 
 and delight in the sense of ownership, long after they are unable 
 to enjoy them. Different people have different ideas of happiness. 
 Those in a high social position wish for more money in order to 
 live in a style in keeping with their rank. They never say : “I have 
 enough,” but plan and labor to increase their wealth. Those of 
 lower rank regard money as a means of pushing themselves for- 
 ward, and of getting more influence and power, and they exert 
 
52 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 themselves to the utmost in order to attain this end. The poor 
 are particularly eager to acquire worldly possessions, and regard 
 the lack of them as a very great misfortune. They look with envy 
 and ill-will at those who are better off, and think that happiness 
 is impossible unless they can be rich. 
 
 If we think of the feelings predominant among men, we shall find 
 that they all lead to a desire for money. A lover of luxury wants 
 to be rich, that he may satisfy all the fancies of his self-indulgent 
 nature. A lazy man wants to be rich, that he may live in comfort 
 without exerting himself. An ambitious man wants to be rich, 
 that he may rise to a higher position. A debauchee wants to be 
 rich, that he may indulge in all kinds of sinful excesses. In a word, 
 men of every class and age are in restless pursuit of earthly 
 possessions, so that we may apply to them the words of Holy 
 Scripture: ‘^All have turned aside into their own way, every one 
 after his own gain, from the first even to the last” (Is. Ivi, ii). 
 “Blessed is the rich man that is found without blemish, and that 
 hath not gone after gold, nor put his trust in money nor in treasures. 
 Who is he, and we will praise him? for he hath done wonderful 
 things in his life” (Eccles. xxxi, 8, 9). The eagerness to gain 
 wealth is universal, though some desire money only in order to 
 hoard it, whilst others seek it in order to spend it in gratifying their 
 taste for self-indulgence; both classes alike are influenced by a 
 spirit of selfishness, and are often guilty of gross injustice to 
 others, being unwilling to allow anyone else to share their posses- 
 sions. 
 
 It would be impossible to enumerate all the varieties of injustice, 
 fraud and imposture to which a selfish man has recourse in order 
 to get the better of his neighbor. “He that maketh haste to be 
 rich shall not be innocent” (Prov. xxviii, 20). “They that will 
 become rich fall into temptation, and into the snare of the devil, 
 and into many unprofitable and hurtful desires, which drown men 
 into destruction and perdition” (i Tim. vi, 9). -Any one who con- 
 siders the usual behaviour of men will quickly be convinced of the 
 truth of St. Paul's words. There are, thank God, many who are 
 honest in their dealings and avoid all injustice to others, but there 
 are also many who accumulate wealth by means of sharp practices 
 in trade, by fraud, usury and cunning, or by taking good wages 
 for bad work. Many employers of labor, in factories, mines and 
 shops, oppress their working people and force them to work for 
 
SELFISHNESS AND THE LOVE OF MONEY 
 
 33 
 
 minimum wages, and the poor are reduced to such straits that 
 they have neither courage nor means to assert their rights.* 
 
 Some spend their money in ensnaring the weak, simple and down- 
 trodden, who then become victims of their lust and ambition. But 
 enough of this : the wages of the selfish are as a rule paths of 
 injustice, cunning and malice, and can seldom be reconciled with 
 the precepts of reason and Christianity. 
 
 Another evil resulting from selfishness is that those who think 
 only of their own advantage, are hardhearted and uncharitable 
 towards the poor and needy. They resemble Judas, who betrayed 
 our Saviour; for St. John records that when Mary, the sister of 
 Lazarus, anointed our Lord's feet with precious ointment, Judas 
 exclaimed: “Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred 
 pence and given to the poor?" (John xii, 5). He did not say this 
 because he cared about the poor, but because he was thinking of 
 his own advantage, since he had charge of the purse in which were 
 carried the alms bestowed on our Saviour and His disciples, and 
 Judas used the money for his own purposes. Hence St. John adds: 
 “He said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he 
 was a thief, and, having the purse, carried the things that were put 
 therein." No, a selfish man is not interested in the poor ; no matter 
 how great their distress may be, he is cold and indifferent, either 
 because he cannot bring himself to part with his money, or because 
 he is afraid of being obliged to deny himself some luxury, if he 
 were to give anything to his starving brother. There are very many 
 nowadays, like the rich man in the Gospel, ready to spend large 
 sums on dress, amusements and luxuries, whilst the poor in their 
 misery would gladly eat of the crumbs that fall from their em- 
 ployer's table. There are many who talk about the necessity of 
 improving the condition of the working-classes, and yet forget all 
 their fine theories the moment that a poor man asks them for some 
 food or for a worn-out garment. Many are willing to contribute 
 towards the support of some partisan, who has come down in the 
 world, but they allow widows and children to suffer hunger. 
 Others who earn more in a day than one of their own workmen 
 earns in a month, nevertheless try to cut down the wages that they 
 pay, and when their men are past work, trouble no more about those 
 to whose labor they owe their wealth. Hard, indeed, is the lot 
 of a man unfit for further employment, and if he is left unaided we 
 can not wonder if he cherishes feelings of resentment against a 
 
34 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 master in whose service he has worn himself out, and who neglects 
 him and his family in their distress. Some employers begrudge 
 food to their servants, whilst they and their children live in luxury. 
 I should never finish, were I to attempt to make a complete list of 
 the sins committed throught selfishness. It causes the fulfilment 
 of our Saviour’s prophecy: “Because iniquity hath abounded, the 
 charity of many shall grow cold” (Matt, xxiv, 12). 
 
 Those who are self-interested have a bad disposition, and it is 
 inevitable that in their case charity must grow cold; and when a 
 man ceases to have charity towards his neighbors, they will come 
 to hate him for his selfishness, and will be discontented with their 
 position, especially if they have been robbed of their religion, which 
 taught the poor to be patient and submissive for God’s sake, and 
 promised them the joys of heaven in compensation for the sorrows 
 of life. The chief causes of discontent, especially among the lower 
 classes, are selfishness and want of charity, which reveal themselves 
 both in word and deed. “The desire of money,” says St. Paul, “is 
 the root of all evils” (i Tim. vi, 10). 
 
 No one can deny that some classes of society enjoy an unfair 
 advantage over others. There is great inequality in the distribution 
 of wealth, for whilst a few are possessed of immense fortunes, 
 thousands have nothing, and are devoid of all hope of ever being 
 better ofiP. The profits of labor often belong to the rich, whilst the 
 workers are in abject poverty. A wealthy man makes money at 
 the cost of the poor, and as the gulf between them widens, the 
 discontent of the laborer increases. The latter seldom has any 
 support upon which to rely in the misery and injustice that he has to 
 endure. He can not have recourse to the rich, since they are, as 
 a rule, his oppressors, and few of them are charitable enough to 
 be at the pains of advising and helping him. If he seeks the pro- 
 tection of the law, he often fails to obtain it, through lack of means, 
 for it is a notorious fact that legal proceedings are costly. Or he 
 may not win his case, even if it is heard, for laws are like cobwebs, 
 in which the little flies are caught, whilst big flies break a way 
 through. All these things are sources of ill-will and hatred, that 
 ferment in the minds of the poor and oppressed, and reveal them- 
 selves openly on the slightest provocation, so that the discontented 
 masses are ready to believe any one, even the greatest scoundrel, 
 who holds out to them some prospect of an improvement in their 
 circumstances, and they are easily led to rebel against authority. 
 
SELFISHNESS AND THE LOVE OF MONEY 
 
 35 
 
 This is the state of affairs that prevails nowadays more or less in 
 tvery part of the world. 
 
 These, considerations will convince you that I have good reason 
 to include selfishness among the chief faults of the age, and to 
 maintain that no improvement is possible and that we must remain, 
 as it were, on the edge of a volcano, as long as we do not apply 
 the remedies that will avert its eruption and subdue its latent 
 powers of destruction. What are these remedies? How can the 
 evil results of selfishness be averted? Chiefly by means of a con- 
 tented spirit, moderation and charity. 
 
 II. (a) However much we may exert ourselves, and however 
 earnestly we may desire it, we shall never succeed in all acquiring 
 as large a share of worldly possessions as we should like to have, 
 partly because their distribution rests with God, and partly because 
 the cravings of the human heart are insatiable. The world has 
 existed for thousands of years, but we have no record of any period 
 when men all enjoyed equal possessions and were all contented. 
 Whoever therefore demands the gratification of all his desires 
 for worldly goods, demands an impossibility; he is like a dropsical 
 person, whose thirst increases the more he drinks. The more we 
 strive to gratify our desires, the stronger do they become, nor do 
 they cease until they are silenced by death. What does it benefit 
 a man to toil from morning till night, day after day, in a vain 
 attempt to quiet his insatiable craving for riches? What does he 
 gain thereby? Nothing but constant anxiety, trouble and fear; 
 and even should he be successful, death will overtake him unawares, 
 and he will have to leave what he has acquired with so much 
 labor. He fares like the rich man in the Gospel: “The land of a 
 certain rich man brought forth plenty of fruits, and he thought 
 within himself, saying: ‘What shall I do, because I have no room 
 where to bestow my fruits?^ And he said, ‘This will I do: I will 
 pull down my bams and will build greater; and into them I will 
 gather all things that are grown to me, and my goods. And I 
 will say to my soul : ‘Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many 
 years; take thy rest, eat, drink, make good cheer.’ But God said 
 to him : ‘Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee, and 
 whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?’” (Luke 
 jcii, 16-20). 
 
 Let us beware of resembling this fool. Let us not allow our 
 hearts to cling to the vain and perishable goods of this world. 
 
36 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 which can never make us happy. “What doth it profit a man,” said 
 our Saviour, “if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of 
 his own soul?” (Matt, xvi, 26). And St. Paul writes: “Godliness 
 with contentment is great gain ; for we brought nothing into this 
 world, and certainly we can carry nothing out; but having food 
 and wherewith to be covered, with these we are content” (i Tim. vi, 
 6-8). What we possess is ours, not by chance, nor by any stroke 
 of luck, but by God’s ordinance; He is our Father and knows best 
 what is good for us. His children; He gives us what we need. 
 What right have we then to grumble if He assigns to us only a small 
 share of vain, perishable possessions ? God can not make a mistake. 
 Even our Saviour, though He was rich, became poor for our sake, 
 that through His poverty we might be rich (2 Cor. viii, 9). He 
 had not where to lay His head, and lived on alms with His disciples. 
 He endured scorn and contempt, unjust and cruel treatment, and 
 He died in agony on the Cross, and yet He was patient, and, like 
 a lamb led to the slaughter. He opened not His mouth. Let us 
 follow His example and tread in His footsteps. The Apostles, too, 
 were poor men, continually persecuted and oppressed, and yet they 
 rejoiced in tribulation, and were glad when they were deemed 
 worthy to suffer shame for Christ’s sake. Let us be contented 
 with our lot, and satisfied with what God gives us, however little 
 it may be. Then we shall be richer and happier than a millionaire, 
 for true riches depend, not upon worldly goods, but upon a con- 
 tented spirit. “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (i Tim. 
 vi, 6). “Godliness is profitable to all things, having promise of 
 the life that now is, and of that which is to come” (i Tim. iv, 8). 
 A Godly man, who in all things perceives, does and reverences 
 God’s will, and who is content with His ordinances, will be happy, 
 not only in this world, in spite of poverty and want, but also in 
 heaven, where he will receive the imperishable crown promised 
 to those who love God. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs 
 is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt, v, 3). A poor man fulfils God’s 
 will by displaying a contented spirit, and a wealthy man ought to 
 fulfil it by means of charity. 
 
 (b) An unequal distribution of worldly goods is inevitable, be- 
 cause God has ordained it, yet it is not so unfair as it appears to be 
 at first sight. On the contrary, according to God’s design, it may 
 and should be a source of merit to be acquired by the poor by 
 their contentment, patience and resignation, and by the rich by 
 
SELFISHNESS AND THE LOVE OF MONEY 
 
 37 
 
 their active charity, which should bridge over the chasm separating 
 rich and poor; and although they may still differ in respect of 
 worldly possessions, the difference will no longer give rise to 
 hostility between them. God created these possessions that each 
 might have as much as he required for his support ; hence one who 
 accumulates as much as he can, without thinking of his fellow- 
 creatures, interferes arbitrarily with the designs of Providence, and 
 is also guilty of injustice, since other men have as much right as 
 he has to have what is necessary to sustain life. God destines His 
 gifts for all, and man ought to act as His steward, obeying His 
 orders. Although God is absolutely free to dispose of all His 
 creatures. He allows the widest possible scope to the action of 
 man’s free will and independence in using His gifts. If, as most 
 infidels at the present day assert, it were absolutely necessary for 
 all to possess an equal share of earthly goods, liberty would cease to 
 exist. But God, who has given us free will, permits us to make 
 use of our freedom ; it is, however. His wish that in the acquisition 
 and use of worldly possessions, we should be guided, not by a 
 spirit of injustice and selfishness, but by a spirit of charity, that 
 we may be like Him, who is charity itself, and who for love of 
 us has created millions of things, both animate and inanimate, for 
 our benefit and service. St. Paul bids us “be kind one to another, 
 merciful, forgiving one another ... be followers of God, as most 
 dear children, and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us and 
 hath delivered himself for us” (Ephes. iv, 32; v, i, 2). In another 
 place the same Apostle writes : “In this present time let your 
 abundance supply their want, that their abundance also may supply 
 your want, and that there may be an equality” (2 Cor. viii, 14). 
 This does not mean that every rich man is to distribute his goods to 
 the poor, so that all may be equal, but that the rich should help the 
 poor, so that they may be equal, not in the amount of their pos- 
 sessions, but in contentment and in the enjoyment of what is 
 needful. If the rich allow their poorer brethren to share their 
 temporal wealth, they in their turn will benefit by the spiritual 
 wealth of the poor, viz., their prayers and merits, so that all may 
 have what is necessary for their bodily and spiritual welfare. 
 
 I should never have done, were I to enumerate all the reasons 
 impelling us to show active charity towards our neighbors. We 
 can not love God unless we love our fellow creatures. “He that 
 hath the substance of this world, and shall see his brother in need, 
 
38 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 and shall harden his heart against him, how shall the charity of 
 God abide in him?'' (i John iii, 17). Our Saviour insisted so fre- 
 quently upon the necessity of love that it almost seems as if our 
 prospect of salvation depends exclusively upon active works of 
 charity. In their epistles all the apostles urge their disciples to 
 practice mercy and charity, giving as their reason the fact that 
 we are all members of one great body, of which Christ is the 
 head. If I were to discuss all these points in detail, to prove to 
 you tlie absolute need of charity, my sermon would never be 
 finished; but no proof is required, for no one doubts that it is our 
 duty to show love and mercy towards our neighbors. There is 
 within our hearts a natural tendency to sympathize with others and 
 to share their joys and sorrows. The voice of our intellect as well 
 as of our conscience agrees with the teaching of Christianity on 
 this subject, and if we are faithful in the discharge of this duty, 
 we shall enjoy the greatest and purest happiness in this world, and 
 shall look forward with glad assurance to life everlasting. 
 
 Yet, although it is plainly our duty to be charitable, no one can 
 deny that many people disregard this obligation, and that con- 
 sequently selfishness and injustice abound among those with large 
 possessions, whilst the poor are discontented and complain bitterly 
 of their privations and misery. If we desire peace to reign in our 
 midst, we must practise charity, not the sort of charity that is the 
 outcome of a momentary impulse to alleviate distress — for this has 
 no force or permanence, and is not really charity at all — but the 
 charity that proceeds from living faith, and derives all its energy 
 from the same source. This is the charity that prevailed in the 
 early Church, and caused all men to wonder at the self-sacrifice 
 displayed by Christians in their dealings with one another; this is 
 the charity that roused the amazement of the pagan world, and 
 brought the heathen in thousands to the foot of the Cross; this 
 is the charity that has founded and maintained innumerable good 
 works in the Catholic Church; this is the charity that animated 
 St. Francis of Assisi, St. Vincent de Paul and a countless host of 
 men and women who, renouncing all the pleasures of the world, 
 have devoted themselves wholly to the service of the sick and poor 
 for the sake of Christ; this is the charity described by St. Paul, 
 when he says: “Charity is patient, is kind; charity envieth not, 
 dealeth not perversely, is not puffed up, is not ambitious, seeketh 
 not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth 
 
SELFISHNESS AND THE LOVE OF MONEY 
 
 39 
 
 not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth; beareth all things, 
 believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things” (i Cor. 
 xiii, 4-7). 
 
 When this charity once more reigns supreme amongst us, we 
 shall no longer value a man according to his possessions, but accord- 
 ing to the good that he does to his neighbors; each individual will 
 cease to seek exclusively his own advantage, and will strive to 
 benefit others as well as himself ; men that have an abundance will 
 supply the needs of the poor ; there will be no selfishness or injustice 
 on the part of employers, and no discontent and envy on the part 
 of their working people, for each will be satisfied with what he has, 
 and in patience and resignation will submit to God’s holy will. 
 
 We read in history of the pagan emperor Alexander Severus, 
 who was fond of saying: ‘‘Never do to another what you would 
 not like to suffer yourself.” He caused these words to be written 
 up in many parts of his house, so that he might never forget to 
 make them his rule of life. Would that we too impressed this 
 maxim well on our minds, as well as our Saviour’s precept: “All 
 things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye 
 also to them” (Matt, vii, 12). St. Paul, too, says: “Do not forget 
 to do good and to impart, for by such sacrifices God’s favor is 
 obtained” (Hebr. xiii, 16). Surely this ought to be our constant 
 rule, directing all our actions ! It will also ensure our salvation, 
 since, as St. John Chrysostom says: “If the poor plead our cause 
 at the last day, our salvation will be assured ; but if they appear as 
 witnesses against us, our condemnation will be inevitable.” Amen. 
 
40 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 V. Ambition 
 
 “You know that the princes of the gentiles lord it over them, 
 and they that are the greater, exercise power upon them. It shall 
 not be so among you, but whosoever will be the greater among 
 you, let him be your minister, and he that will be first among 
 you, shall be your servant.” — Matt, xx, 25-27. 
 
 Our Saviour uttered these weighty words on the occasion of a 
 noteworthy occurrence that took place whilst He was making His 
 last journey to Jerusalem. The mother of James and John, the 
 sons of Zebedee, approached Him with her two sons, adoring Him 
 and beseeching that He would give them the place of honor in His 
 kingdom, and allow them to sit one on His right hand and the other 
 on His left. It seems strange that these two disciples, who knew 
 our Lord so intimately, should let their mother ask such a favor, 
 and thus reveal an ambitious spirit. We can account for it, how- 
 ever, if we remember that the Holy Ghost had not yet descended 
 upon the Apostles, so that they were not yet filled with humility, 
 and their request shows at least that they deemed it the highest 
 happiness to be near their Master. Our Saviour recognized the 
 love that prompted their petition, and did not reprove them sternly, 
 but said gently: '‘You know not what you ask.” He told them that 
 membership of His kingdom, the Church, did not confer any worldly 
 advantage, but involved on the contrary suffering, endurance and 
 self-denying service, and even were they willing to submit to all 
 these things, the privilege that they sought could be bestowed only 
 by His heavenly Father. When the other Apostles heard these 
 words they were indignant at the ambition of the two brothers, 
 but Jesus said to them: “You know that the princes of the Gentiles 
 lord it over them, and they that are the greater, exercise power 
 upon them. It shall not be so among you, but whosoever will be 
 the greater among you, let him be your minister, and he that will 
 be first among you, shall be your servant.” The Apostles were 
 not to suppose that in their Lord’s kingdom the sovereignty re- 
 sembled that of ordinary states, in which princes issue arbitrary 
 commands to their subjects and exhort obedience from them. Al- 
 though in Chijst’s kingdom there were to be differences of rank, 
 and some were to command and others to obey, yet the superiors 
 were really to serve the inferiors, and devote themselves to their 
 welfare. This is the spirit of Christianity, a spirit of humility, self- 
 denial and self-sacrifice. 
 
AMBITION 
 
 41 
 
 My brethren, if our Lord’s own disciples gave way to ambi- 
 tion, is it any wonder that many people at the present day are 
 addicted to the same vice? “If in the green wood they do these 
 things, what shall be done in the dry?” (Luke xxiii, 31). Like 
 earthly possessions, so do worldly honors exercise an extraordinary 
 fascination over men, turning their heads, and preventing them from 
 ever being at peace, until they have attained the highest social rank 
 and the applause of the multitude. People desire not only to have 
 wealth, but to enjoy great reputation, to be highly esteemed and 
 to possess influence and power. This aspiration is one of the com- 
 monest failings of our age, and I have chosen it as the subject for 
 my sermon to-day, for boundless ambition is due to the suggestions 
 of the evil one. 
 
 I. Innate in every individual is a wish to be like God, and a kind 
 of intolerance of all who are great and powerful. This feeling led 
 * our first parents to disobey God, and their sin has brought inde- 
 scribable misery upon the whole human race. It has been the source 
 of many evils, and especially of ambition and all its unhappy con- 
 sequences. As long as men acknowledge God to be their supreme 
 Lord and Judge, and as long as they take the teaching and example 
 of Jesus Christ, our Divine Redeemer, as the rule of their thoughts 
 and actions, they will keep their craving for earthly grandeur and 
 distinction within reasonable limits, for they will give honor to 
 God in all things, and will walk in humility and contentment along 
 the paths which He assigns to them. But when Jesus Christ ceases 
 to be their Master, Teacher and Guide, self-love will reign supreme 
 in their hearts and dominate all their thoughts, words and works. 
 This self-love, or, as it is called in Holy Scripture, pride of life, has 
 self as its one aim, seeks to exalt self and exacts from all a tribute 
 of praise and adulation. It is completely opposed to the spirit of 
 Christianity, and is a disturbing element in society, for it fills men’s 
 minds with madness and folly. From self-love springs ambition, a 
 vain desire to rise to a level with others, or to occupy a superior 
 position in which applause, fame and glory will fall to one’s 
 lot. Adam was dissatisfied with the dignity conferred upon him 
 by his Creator, and aspired to becoming like God. In the same way, 
 an ambitious man is never contented with the social position as- 
 signed to him, and aspires to something higher, where he will en- 
 joy more honor, influence and glory. I said in our last discourse 
 that greed for money and possessions is extremely common nowa- 
 
42 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 days, and I may assert with equal assurance that ambition has 
 infected every class, and poisons almost all hearts in a greater or 
 less degree. Few are willing to acknowledge that they are in- 
 fluenced by a craving for honor and glory, but whoever carefully 
 and honestly examines the motives underlying his words and actions 
 will probably find that he is not free from a wish to shine in society 
 and to win applause. Of course it is not always wrong to love 
 honor and strive to acquire it. It is natural for every person to 
 wish to stand well in the opinion of others, and to derive pleasure 
 from the consciousness of enjoying their esteem; this feeling is 
 so deeply implanted within us that it is hardly possible for it to be 
 eradicated. Even a criminal tries to hide his repulsive and odious 
 proceedings, since he fears the criticism and censure of those about 
 him. But love of honor, being natural to all men may be a means 
 of deterring them from sin, and of stimulating them to virtue. 
 
 If a man regards himself as made in the image of God, as re- 
 deemed by Jesus Christ and as the temple of the Holy Ghost, and if, 
 in consequence, he not only respects himself but desires others to 
 respect him, this is far from being reprehensible and sinful, and may 
 be the means of urging him on to greater perfection. St. Paul tells 
 us that God will reward with eternal life all who, ‘‘according to pa- 
 tience in good work, seek glory and honor and incorruption” (Rom. 
 ii, 7). Therefore in calling ambition sinful, and in describing the 
 pursuit of honor as reprehensible, I have no intention of con- 
 demning this desire to win recognition for the dignity that man 
 enjoys in consequence of his redemption and sanctification; nor am 
 I referring to any aspiration after virtue and God^s approbation, 
 but only to a vain craving after wordly honors, dignities and dis- 
 tinctions. This latter craving is much more common than the 
 quest of true honor, pleasing in God’s sight, and I can easily prove 
 to you the accuracy of this statement. Let us look first at our chil- 
 dren. Their hearts are still free from many violent emotions that 
 disturb our peace, but they are not free from ambition. They wish 
 to take precedence of others and to be praised by parents and 
 teachers. Older boys and girls want to distinguish themselves and 
 to attract attention by their dress. They are sad if their means 
 do not suffice to purchase finery, and they envy those who can oc- 
 cupy a better position in society. Who does not like to be flattered 
 for some advantage that he happens to possess? Who does not 
 delight in the applause of relations and friends? In riper age 
 
AMBITION 
 
 43 
 
 ambition increases rather than diminishes. Each wishes to sur- 
 pass his neighbor, and to have more reputation and influence. Few 
 are contented with their position and circumstances, if they see 
 that others are better off. In many cases it would be quite possible 
 for a workman to support his family upon his wages, but he knows 
 some one of his own class who can spend more money on comforts 
 and luxuries, and so he is discontented and has no peace of mind. 
 
 Many business men have all that they need, and could be happy, if 
 they chose; but they are too ambitious to rest as long as others 
 make greater profits than they do. Many want to be thought 
 well-educated and refined, and force themselves into the ranks 
 of those who are really their superiors. The most ignorant people 
 often succeed in their attempts to push themselves forward, be- 
 cause at the present time intelligence, knowledge, modesty and 
 virtue are not as highly esteemed as was formerly the case, and it 
 is the fashion to be self-assertive, to run down others and to adopt 
 a bold and rough manner. Truth can no longer raise her voice 
 without arousing a storm of abuse, and virtue is compelled to with- 
 draw into some secret hiding-place to avoid the risk of being called 
 stupidity and narrow-mindedness, whilst ignorance, error and li- 
 cense triumph openly. Hence it is easy enough nowadays to pose 
 as intellectual and enlightened, and it is no longer necessary to ac- 
 quire knowledge with labor and exertion ; men no longer are at 
 pains of learning by experience before thinking themselves quali- 
 fied to express an opinion on public affairs; they do not care 
 to win the respect and esteem of their fellow countrymen by a life 
 of honest industry ; they are quite content to talk about everything, 
 whether they understand it or not, to proclaim their views on every 
 imaginable topic, and to attract attention by their bold and pre- 
 sumptuous bearing. If they can do this, they are satisfied, for they 
 fancy that they possess the means of ensuring their own happi- 
 ness and of winning applause from others. 
 
 I need hardly point out that their aims are as reprehensible as are 
 the means that they adopt in order to attain them. An ambitious 
 man does not scruple to employ any means, if only he can rise 
 to a more conspicuous position. He stoops to base practices from 
 which a straightforward man would shrink; he has recourse to 
 fraud and hypocrisy that are condemned both by common sense 
 and Christianity ; he disparages and slanders his neighbors ; he is 
 disloyal to duty and religion, and he even sacrifices virtue and in- 
 
44 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 nocence on the altar of his ambition. In a word — to an ambitious 
 man nothing is sacred, if only he can gratify his craving for spuri- 
 ous honors. A workman, for instance, who wishes to rise and at- 
 tract attention, praises his own work and criticizes that of others ; 
 he parades his own honesty and skill, and questions the ability and 
 trustworthiness of his fellows. A vain girl, anxious to curry favor 
 with worldly people, practises the art of pleasing and deceiving 
 others ; she procures all sorts of tawdry finery, and frequently falls 
 into vice, if she cannot otherwise indulge her taste for dress. An 
 ambitious youth runs after men who have made a name for them- 
 selves, for he hopes to learn from them how to do the same; and 
 he soon perceives that he need only run down religion, law and 
 authority, abuse individuals and the general state of affairs, and 
 boldly disregard all order and discipline. He is not slow to prac- 
 tise what he has learnt, and finally outstrips his masters. 
 
 How do the various political parties act at elections? One party 
 decries another, extols itself, and makes the most exaggerated prom- 
 ises as to what it will accomplish, should it win the day. Candidates 
 for office cringe and flatter the electors, and put up with every- 
 thing, if only they can secure votes. If they are elected, they have 
 to exert themselves to the utmost, in order to retain their position. 
 The mob resembled a spoiled child, never satisfied unless his parents 
 give him what it wants. So do the masses applaud their idol as 
 long as he humors their whims and flatters their fancies; but they 
 discard him unmercifully as soon as he ceases to do so, or when a 
 more plausible speaker appears upon the scene. Ambition is the 
 keynote to the actions of both candidates and voters. 
 
 There is perhaps no passion that causes men so much suffering as 
 ambition. It leaves them no rest and is every day the source of fresh 
 bitterness. If after laborious efforts an ambitious man attains his 
 end, and reaches a higher and more honorable position, he at once 
 perceives something else that is still beyond him. The same thing 
 happens again and again; he is always trying to rise, and is rest- 
 less and dissatisfied. Should he, however, fail to secure the coveted 
 promotion, he is sad and depressed, and detests and envies his more 
 successful rivals. Consider, my brethren, what will be the result 
 if this incessant craving for honor, glory, influence and power be- 
 comes universal. What will happen if no one is contented with his 
 position and circumstances, and if all aspire to what is out of 
 their reach, in their anxiety to gratify their ambition? Not only 
 
AMBITION 
 
 45 
 
 men of mature age, but even mere boys, devoid of all experience 
 and knowledge, push themselves forward, and claim a right to di- 
 rect the destiny of their nation, and to interfere in the govern- 
 ment. When such people by their words and writings are con- 
 tinually stirring up the masses, using even the worst means in 
 order to acquire fame and notoriety, it is impossible for any good 
 to result. The more ambition abounds, the more is the peace of 
 nations endangered. Ambition lies at the root of most of the evils 
 so prevalent at the present time among men of every rank and age, 
 and if there were less ambition, we should not have to complain 
 of so much discontent, envy, hypocrisy, fraud, jealousy, vitupera- 
 tion, strife and discord; there would be less foolish emulation, less 
 boastful display, and fewer disturbances, for, as it is, the peace 
 and security, both of individuals and of the community, are con- 
 stantly threatened, and we may well believe that even worse evils 
 are impending. 
 
 If everyone were contented with his lot, he would not think it 
 worth while to envy his superiors. If all were animated with the 
 Christian spirit of humility and charity, we would bless rather than 
 curse, and our blessing would be returned. Inferiors would not 
 murmur at their superiors, nor would the latter despise the lowly, 
 weak and helpless members of society. If we were not ambitious, 
 we should regard those around us as our brethren, loving and re- 
 specting them, and not attempting to raise ourselves above them; 
 there would be no tendency to rebel against law and order, for none 
 would cherish feelings of arrogance and self-assertiveness. Chris- 
 tian humility and faithful, persevering industry in the calling as- 
 signed to us by God are the only means whereby we can protect 
 ourselves against ambition, and the innumerable evils that result 
 from it. 
 
 II. My brethren : if we did our best always to walk in accordance 
 with our high dignity and destiny, and thus to honor God and 
 render ourselves worthy of the esteem of our neighbors, our ef- 
 forts would be by no means rqjrehensible, in fact, they would do 
 much to keep us from sin and to make us persevere in virtue. Few, 
 however, strive after honor in this way ; what the world calls honor 
 is really mere vanity and vainglory. We do not seek to distinguish 
 ourselves by the goodness of our lives and our active, self-sacrificing 
 charity, but we have recourse to pitiable, mean devices, and so we 
 fail to attain our goal ; we may be envied by fools, but we are the 
 
46 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 laughing-stock of the wise. Are the advantages, at which we aim, 
 really so highly esteemed by the world, as to justify the efforts that 
 we make to secure them? Let us look into the matter, and see 
 whether there is any justification for our love of display and for 
 our ambition. 
 
 The chief objects of ambition are, as a rule, high position, repu- 
 tation, knowledge, recognition of merits, external display and 
 wealth. What do all these amount to? Do they really promote 
 virtue and establish a man’s worth? No, his worth is by no means 
 determined by his name and reputation amongst men, nor do they 
 affect his value in God’s sight. Glory and splendor do not promote 
 peace and the happiness resulting from a good conscience. All 
 human life begins and ends in the same way; all, whether kings or 
 beggars, must die. All our knowledge is merely fragmentary, and 
 the more a man learns, the more is he convinced that what he does 
 not know is infinitely greater in amount than what he knows. 
 Much of the learning, of which men boast, is utterly worthless. 
 They think themselves clever if they can criticize or ridicule others, 
 if they can make unseeming jests and defile innocent minds by 
 foul conversations. They are proud of their ability to depreciate all 
 existing institutions and to drag what is sacred down to the dust. 
 In order to be considered broadminded and enlightened a man 
 must be a slanderer, a liar and a hypocrite; he must set about re- 
 forming the universe, jeering at religion and denying all that is 
 holy. Can fame won by such means be worth having? No, my 
 brethren ; if a true reputation for intelligence and broadmindedness 
 were to be gained in such a way, the devil would be more intelligent 
 and broadminded than anyone else, for he is a master of all these 
 arts. Have we any right to boast of our merits? Surely not, for 
 any merit, that we possess, we owe to God’s grace, and it would be 
 the height of folly and presumption to glory in what is not our own. 
 What can be said on behalf of outward pomp and display? They 
 are the adornments of a body that will soon fall a victim to death, 
 and will decay in the grave. Earthly riches can never bestow true 
 dignity and honor, for they are vain, deceitful and transitory. 
 
 Let us never strive after these things in the hope of thus win- 
 ning honor and glory. A craving to be exalted above others mani- 
 fests itself in a disposition to aim at fame, influence, power and dis- 
 play; it is really mere folly and madness, totally opposed to the 
 spirit of Christianity, which inculcates modesty and humility, 
 
AMBITION 
 
 47 
 
 St. Peter was addressing all Christians, when he wrote : “Do ye all 
 insinuate humility one to another, for God resisteth the proud, but 
 to the humble He giveth grace” (I Peter v, 5). We shall discover 
 ground enough for self-abasement, if we consider the inexhaustible 
 source of ruin, that dwells in every human heart, and recall the 
 multitude of evil tendencies to which we are so ready to yield. Our 
 lives are stained with sin; in sin we are conceived, and born, in sin 
 we live and in sin perhaps we shall die. If we boast and extol our- 
 selves, if we fancy ourselves to be something, whereas we are noth- 
 ing but poor, sinful mortals, are we not displaying our folly? Does 
 it not beseem us rather to be humble, instead of trying to exalt our- 
 selves above others and to acquire things, that may be important 
 and valuable in the sight of men, but are absolutely worthless in 
 the sight of God and from the point of view of Christianity? No 
 human being ever possessed greater honor and glory than David, 
 and yet, when he was at the apex of his power, he said: “Before 
 the Lord, who chose me — and commanded me to be ruler over the 
 people of the Lord in Israel, I will both play and make myself 
 meaner that I have done, and I will be little in my own eyes” (2 
 Kings vi, 21, 22). 
 
 Our divine Redeemer set us an example of humility, for al- 
 though He was in the glory of the Father, before the crea- 
 tion of the world. He humbled Himself for our sake, and 
 took upon Himself the form of a servant, and was obedient unto 
 death, even the death of the Cross. He, the Lord and Ruler of all 
 things, came into the world, not to reign as king or to be served, 
 but to be the servant of all, in order to serve, raise and save all 
 mankind. When honors were offered Him, He refused them, and 
 escaped when the people proposed to make Him king. He sought 
 not His own glory, but the glory of His heavenly Father. On the 
 eve of His Passion He gave a most beautiful and touching proof 
 of His humility. Having assembled His disciples, in order to eat 
 the paschal lamb with them for the last time. He washed their feet, 
 saying : “If I, being your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, 
 you also ought to wash one another's feet, for I have given you 
 an example, that as I have done to you, so you do also . . . The 
 servant is not greater than his lord, neither is the apostle greater 
 than he that sent him” (John xiii, 14-16). Jesus, Almighty God's 
 own Son, could say to His enemies : “Which of you shall convince 
 me of sin?” yet He cared nothing for worldly honor and was the 
 
48 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 servant of all. Does it not therefore behoove us to be humble, since 
 we are nothing and have nothing of which to boast, for we are 
 all sinners, devoid of merit in God’s sight? Let us then follow 
 our Saviour’s example; let us humble ourselves before the Lord; 
 let us not trouble about the vain and transitory honors of this 
 world, nor try to raise ourselves above our neighbors, but let us 
 be contented with the position in which Providence has placed us. 
 As St. Paul says, let us not be desirous of vainglory, provoking one 
 another, envying one another (Gal. v, 26). The world would be a 
 paradise if all its inhabitants were humble! 
 
 If we wish really to distinguish ourselves, and to win true honor 
 and lasting glory, let us make it our chief aim to promote God’s 
 honor by doing His will with loyalty and perseverance in the place 
 and circumstances in which He has set us. The light of our good 
 works should shine abroad, so that our heavenly Father may be 
 glorified. 
 
 God assigns to every one his position and calling in society, and 
 it matters nothing whether a man’s rank is high or low ; all that is 
 of real importance is whether he discharges the duties and obliga- 
 tions of his rank with fidelity and zeal. A community is made up 
 of people of all classes, each is required by the rest, just as, in the 
 human body, each member is necessary, however insignificant it 
 may appear. The hand cannot complain of being a hand, nor the 
 foot of being a foot, nor ought any person to complain of the 
 position that he occupies, but it behooves each to do his best to fulfil 
 the duties of his station. Just as in the human body, the foot and 
 the hand cannot be the eye, so in society it is not possible for each 
 man to be great and influential; yet each can win imperishable 
 glory by faithfully doing his duty, not struggling to rise above the 
 position assigned him by God, nor setting his hopes and aspirations 
 on vain and worthless things. 
 
 The chief aim of every man should be to save his soul. “Fear 
 God and keep His commandments, for this is all man” (Eccles. xii, 
 13), i. e., this is all that is required of man, for this alone brings 
 him true honor and eternal life. Hence our Saviour said: “Seek 
 ye first the Kingdom of God and His justice, and all other things 
 shall be added unto you” (Luke xii, 31). We seek the Kingdom 
 of God and secure the salvation of our immortal souls when we 
 obey God’s commandments, and are industrious at our daily work. 
 All, even the poorest and lowest, can do this, for all are God’s 
 
AMBITION 
 
 49 
 
 children, called to inherit His kingdom ; all, both high and low, have 
 been redeemed with the precious Blood of Christ, and with God's 
 aid are able to work out their salvation. “God will have all men 
 to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Per- 
 severe therefore in your daily work, no matter how distasteful and 
 obscure it may be; your station was fixed for you by God, and 
 ordered by Him in His wisdom ; accept it and respect it as coming 
 from Him. “Walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called, 
 with all humility and mildness, with patience, supporting one an- 
 other in charity” (Eph. iv, i, 2). Aim above all things at the one 
 thing needful, viz., the kingdom of God and His justice, and be 
 sure that all other things, especially God’s grace, will be given you. 
 Without grace we can do nothing, but with it we can live at peace, 
 each in his own position and calling, and can work out our own 
 salvation. Amen, 
 
50 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 VI. The Love of Pleasure and Luxury 
 
 “Take heed to yourselves, lest perhaps your hearts be over- 
 charged with surfeiting and drunkenness and the cares of this 
 life, and that day come upon you suddenly.” — Luke xxi, 34. 
 
 To-day we are reminded of our Lord’s solemn entry into Jeru- 
 salem. After raising Lazarus from the dead in Bethany, He went 
 to the holy city for the Pasch, escorted by a great multitude of 
 people, who had witnessed the miracle. As He approached the 
 city, the crowd increased and their enthusiasm for Him rose higher 
 and higher. They desired to form a solemn procession, so Christ 
 ordered His disciples to fetch a she-ass, on which He rode, whilst 
 the people spread their garments on the way, and strewed the road 
 with branches broken from the trees; the multitudes that went be- 
 fore and that followed, cried, saying: '‘Hosanna tq the Son of 
 David; blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Matth. 
 xxi, 9). 
 
 A vivid description of this triumphal procession is given us in 
 the gospel, and the shouts of “Hosanna,” with which the multitude 
 greeted the Prince of Peace, typify the exultation of mankind at 
 their redemption by Christ. He came to remove the curse resting 
 upon our sinful race and to restore peace to men. Hence at His 
 birth the angels sang at Bethlehem: “Glory to God in the highest, 
 and on earth peace to men of good will.” In remembrance of the 
 joys of the true peace brought us by our Saviour, palm branches, 
 a symbol of peace and joy, are blessed each year on this Sunday. 
 
 It is indeed true that Christ established peace between heaven and 
 earth, but many persons are still far from being partakers in it. 
 Deep in the heart of every one of us is a craving for peace, and 
 we all strive to attain it, some in one way, some in another, but it 
 is nowhere to be found save in Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. 
 We have already seen that peace of mind does not depend on earthly 
 possessions or a high position in the world. Let us try to-day to 
 discover whether indulgence in luxury and pleasure is likely to 
 secure for us a true and lasting peace. There are vast numbers of 
 people nowadays who seek happiness in enjoyment, and many 
 would be disposed to say that it constitutes men’s greatest satisfac- 
 tion on earth. We shall see, however, that this is not the case, and 
 that, on the contrary, an inordinate craving for earthly pleasures 
 destroys the peace and happiness of individuals and of society in 
 
THE LOVE OF PLEASURE AND LUXURY 
 
 51 
 
 general. True peace and prosperity are to be found only in Chris- 
 tian self-dnial and moderation. 
 
 I. As soon as a human being becomes capable of serious thought, 
 and of deliberately choosing some pursuit with reference to a 
 definite aim, he is impelled to do his utmost to secure for himself 
 prosperity, peace and contentment. If he is guided by the light 
 of reason and revelation; if he recognizes God as the highest good, 
 and realises that perfect happiness consists in the possession of 
 this good, then he will aim first and foremost at the kingdom of 
 God and His justice, and will strive to live a good life in God’s 
 service. If, however, in his quest of happiness he forgets his high 
 calling, and never thinks of God, of his immortal soul, or of eternity, 
 his instinctive desire for happiness will make him turn to the things 
 of this world, and he will seek it in amusement and luxury. It 
 was thus that the pagans, who knew not God, behaved; and yet 
 God, our highest good, can alone satisfy the craving of the human 
 heart for peace and joy. A Christian knows, or ought to know, 
 that he was created for heaven, not for this world and its enjoy- 
 ments, which can never satisfy him. He will never be at rest unless 
 he possesses God, our supreme and absolute good. 
 
 Hence St. Paul, writing to the Christians at Thessalonica, says : 
 ‘‘Brethren, we pray and beseech you in the Lord Jesus, that as you 
 have received of us, how you ought to walk, and to please God, so 
 also you would walk, that you may abound the more. For you 
 know what precepts I have given to you by the Lord Jesus. For 
 this is the will of God, your sanctification : that you should abstain 
 from fornication ; that every one of you should know how to 
 possess his vessel in sanctification and honor, not in the passion of 
 lust, like the Gentiles, that know not God” (I Thes. iv, 1-5). 
 St. Peter tells us how the Gentiles, who knew not God, sought 
 happiness, for he writes: “The time past is sufficient to have ful- 
 filled the will of the Gentiles, for them who have walked in riotous- 
 ness, lusts, excess of wine, revelling, banqueting, and unlawful 
 worshipping of idols” (I Peter iv, 3). If the Apostle were writ- 
 ing to us, who profess to be Christians, and are well aware that 
 such things are unseemly, I fear he would have just cause for 
 upbraiding us with all these sins and vices, for our age has re- 
 lapsed into the evils of antiquity, and it may well be said of our 
 generation, as of that which existed before the deluge: “All flesh 
 hath corrupted its way upon earth” (Gen. vi, 12). 
 
53 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 Christians have forgotten that they ought not to love the world 
 or the things of the world, and that he alone, who doth the will of 
 God, hath eternal life. They take no pains to be holy, and so to 
 merit supreme happiness with God in heaven. Like the Gentiles 
 of old they seek happiness here on earth in riotousness, lusts, 
 drunkenness, and all the other enjoyments which the world offers. 
 If we wanted to describe the mode of life of many people at the 
 present day, we might employ the language used by our Saviour 
 in speaking of Dives, of whom He said that he was clothed in 
 purple and fine linen, and fared delicately every day. If you look 
 about you, you will see many who live thus, knowing no greater 
 pleasure than to spend money lavishly on luxury and display. 
 Would that there were amongst us none who belong to this class 1 
 Love of enjoyment is unfortunately so general, that there are very 
 few altogether free from it, though they may seek to gratify their 
 craving in a refined, not in a coarse manner. It would be an end- 
 less task to enumerate the various ways in which people seek en- 
 joyment, and the forms of amusement and luxury that they have 
 devised for their own delectation. There are innumerable things 
 invented for the gratification of the eye, the ear and all the other 
 senses, and all sorts of means for increasing, varying and refining 
 the enjoyment afforded by these things, and for stimulating a desire 
 for them, whenever it grows dull through surfeit and excess. 
 
 The ingenuity of man has produced thousands of things intended 
 to beautify life in this world, and there are other things too, on 
 w’hich I cannot dwell, because St. Paul says they ought not even to be 
 named amongst Christians. No elaborate argument is needed to 
 prove that a taste for luxury and amusement exists among all 
 classes. Millions of workers and machines are at work day after 
 day, producing the means of gratifying this taste, and the materials 
 used are brought from all parts of the world, and are, in many 
 cases, procured with indescribable difficulty and danger. The rich 
 spend extravagant sums on dress and display, and are continually 
 discovering fresh requirements and amusements, whilst the lower 
 classes do their utmost to rival their superiors in all these respects. 
 Our dwelling houses are no longer characterized by simplicity and 
 comfort, and few people prefer quiet domestic happiness to noisy, 
 public entertainments. Every one is incessantly engaged in the 
 restless pursuit of fresh forms of amusement, aiming at the great- 
 est possible variety rather than at permanence. The saddest feat- 
 
THE LOVE OF PLEASURE AND LUXURY 
 
 53 
 
 ure in all this is that no one stops to ask whether these amusements 
 are lawful or not, and whether they will injure himself and others. 
 No one has time for such reflections, which might diminish our 
 taste for enjoyment. young man, for instance, would hardly 
 continue to lead a dissolute Jife, if he realized that he was ruining 
 both his body and his soul. Married men would refrain from drink- 
 ing to excess, if they thought of the scandal thus given to their 
 innocent children, and the misery thus brought upon their families. 
 Who would not break himself of the habit of drinking too much, 
 if he seriously believed that he was shortening his life, and perhaps 
 incurring eternal damnation ? But in their mad desire for pleasure, 
 men do not think of all these things; they do not care about duty 
 or look forward to the future, if only they can have present en- 
 joyment. Many workmen are industrious enough, but their wages 
 are spent in the company of drunkards and gamblers, not on the 
 support of their homes. The week's earnings are often squandered 
 in a few hours, and nothing is left for wife and children. Fre- 
 quently boys and girls are set to work, long before they are strong 
 enough, in order that their parents may be free to enjoy themselves. 
 In many a household there is misery and want, year after year, 
 because sin continues to reign supreme. In every town and vil- 
 lage there are people, who by their industry and frugality have 
 won for themselves a comfortable livelihood and the respect of 
 their neighbors. Those, however, who spend every penny as soon 
 as they get it, will never prosper. Religion dies out, when every- 
 thing has to yield to a love of amusement; and, where men no 
 longer believe in God and in a future retribution, they cease to 
 discriminate between lawful and forbidden pleasures, and act as 
 if they could do whatever they liked. They shrink from nothing 
 that will gratify their passions; they override all obstacles to their 
 self-indulgence. This is an inevitable result of their ceasing to 
 fear God and the judgment, as then there is nothing else to fear. 
 Why should they attend to the voice of conscience, or to the pray- 
 ers of relatives and the warnings to friends? Everything must be 
 sacrificed to their craving for luxury and amusement. On all sides 
 we hear complaints of dishonesty, untruthfulness and theft; the 
 poor grumble at their hard lot, and at their inability to procure for 
 themselves all the comforts enjoyed by the rich. If this state of 
 affairs continues, it will lead to the impoverishment, degeneration 
 and ruin of all classes. The number of idlers will increase in pro- 
 
54 
 
 fflE CHIEF EVILS VF THE TIMES 
 
 portion as that of workers diminishes; and men who are too lazy 
 or too effeminate to work, will soon lay hands on the property of 
 others. 
 
 In recent .^ears we have heard agitators loudly protesting 
 that all ownership is robbery, and that the possessions of all ought 
 to be distributed equally. The same people tell us that only fools 
 hope for a better life beyond the grave, and that therefore a 
 reasonable man must enjoy this present life to the utmost, since 
 death ends everything. They look forward apparently to a golden 
 age, when each man will be as rich as his neighbor, and can take 
 as his motto: “Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die’^ 
 (Is. xxii, 13). Many have been misled by these false prophets, 
 and in anticipation of future prosperity, have parted with their sav- 
 ings, and have given up work, thus plunging themselves and those 
 dependent upon them into poverty. We have great reason to fear 
 that these pernicious doctrines are spreading far and wide among 
 the working classes. 
 
 If any one possesses no hope of future happiness, he must in- 
 evitably fall a victim to despair, which impels him to commit most 
 horrible crimes, if he fails to secure prosperity in this life. It is 
 therefore diabolical cruelty to rob the down-trodden and oppressed 
 of their faith and hope. Alleviation for the manifold troubles of 
 mankind is to be found in firm faith in the teaching of Christianity, 
 not in any revolutionary schemes devised by human beings. Men 
 must be taught that they are created, not for this world nor for the 
 joys that it can offer, but for another better life beyond the grave, 
 where they will be happy for ever in the possession of God, Who 
 is infinite goodness. No one animated by this belief will over- 
 value the good things of this world, but will regard them merely 
 as means for attaining the end for which he is destined, and so he 
 will make use often with moderation and self-control. 
 
 II. Christianity does not forbid all pleasures, but only such as are 
 sinful. As St. Paul says : “Every creature of God is good, and 
 nothing is to be rejected that is received with thanksgiving’' (i Tim. 
 iv, 4). In another passage the same Apostle writes: “Rejoice in 
 the Lord always; again I say, rejoice” (Phil, iv, 4). That is to 
 say: Rejoice in such a way, that in the midst if your enjoyment 
 you can think of God, remember that He is the Giver of all good 
 gifts, and be thankful. “Whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever 
 else you do, do all to the glory of God” (i Cor. x, 31). Yet, 
 
THE LOVE OF PLEASURE AND LUXURY 
 
 55 
 
 though it is true that a Christian may partake in lawful pleasures, 
 it is equally true that he ought to be so far master of himself, as to 
 be able to deny himself even a lawful pleasure for the sake of some 
 higher end. That is why our Saviour said to His disciples: “If 
 any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up 
 his cross, and follow me. For he that will save his life, shall lose 
 it; and he that shall lose his life for my sake, shall find it. For 
 what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the 
 loss of his own soul?” (Matt, xvi, 24). 
 
 From a Christian point of view, what must we think of a man 
 whose mind is set on sensual pleasures, and who is always eager to 
 participate in anything that would gratify >is senses? He is an 
 animal, pure and simple, without higher aspirations and appar- 
 ently indifferent to his true diginty as a being made in the likeness 
 of God, to his position as heir of the kingdom of heaven, and to the 
 glorious destiny that should be his own. Does such a man deserve 
 to be called after One Who said: “If any man will come after me, 
 let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me?” 
 (Matth. xvi, 24). Does he deserve to be included among the 
 members of ChrisFs Church, of which the Apostle writes: “The 
 Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but justice, and peace, and 
 joy in the Holy Ghost?” (Rom. xiv, 17). No, my brethren, one 
 whose whole mind is set upon sensual pleasures and who seeks in 
 them his supreme happiness, has put himself on a level with the 
 beasts, is false to his high calling and dignity, and has become a 
 slave to his desires and passions. He refuses to serve God, but 
 is in bondage to his animal lusts and instincts; he has fallen away 
 from Christianity, since, as St. Paul says, “If any man have not 
 the spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Rom. viii, 9), and the 
 spirit of Christ is one of self-denial and renunciation. Although 
 we are allowed to enjoy earthly pleasures, a Christian ought never 
 to forget his dignity, and should be able to renounce all such joys 
 for the sake of God, and for his own good and that of his neigh- 
 bors. A Christian will act, not according to his animal instincts, 
 but according to the teaching of his religion. He must know how 
 to enjoy and how to refrain, remembering the Apostle's words: 
 ‘The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but justice, and peace, 
 and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Man was not created in order to 
 eat, drink and be merry, nor can he find true happiness in these 
 things; he was made to fulfill God’s Will, and to find thus true 
 
56 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 peace and eternal gladness. “Fear God and keep His Command- 
 ments, for this is all man” (Eccles. xii, 13). On one occasion our 
 Saviour’s zeal in teaching caused Him to disregard the ordinary 
 mealtime, so His disciples besought Him to eat, and He replied: 
 “I have meat to eat which you know not. My meat is to do the 
 will of Him that sent me, that I may perfect His work” (John iv, 
 32, 34). We are not put into the world to eat, drink and be com- 
 fortable, but to do God’s Will, and so work out our salvation. If 
 we know that our treasure is laid up in heaven, we shall not ask 
 for much in this world; our desires will easily be satisfied; we 
 shall not envy those who, like Dives in the parable, are dressed 
 in purple and fine linen and live in luxury, for we shall remember 
 that we have a higher destiny. Dives was cast into hell because 
 he cared for nothing but amusements and luxuries, whilst poor 
 Lazarus, who enjoyed no happiness here below, was carried to 
 Abraham’s bosom, i. e., to heaven. No one, who looks forward to 
 the joys of heaven, repines if he has not so much pleasure here as 
 the children of this world possess ; he will say with the Apostle : 
 “Everywhere and in all things I am instructed, both to be full and 
 to be hungry; both to abound and to suffer need” (Phil, iv, 12). 
 
 Let us look at sensual pleasures from another point of view : 
 a sensual man, who thinks only of enjoyment here below, inevitably 
 shortens his life. Our own experience confirms the medical opin- 
 ion that excessive luxury leads to untimely death. Moreover self- 
 indulgence destroys all generous ardour in the young, and involves 
 them in a career of crime, which leads to ruin here and hereafter. 
 Everyone knows that a drunkard becomes incapable at last of 
 using either his reason or his will ; so that he says and does things 
 utterly beneath the dignity of a human being, that make him a 
 scandal and a laughing-stock to his neighbors. His household 
 gradually falls into want, misery and disorder, and intemperance 
 is a fertile source of discord and sorrow, for it destroys all family 
 life. Many wives and children shed bitter tears over the drunken 
 habits of those who ought to be their support; for when a man 
 thinks about nothing but enjoying hirrtself, he has no energy for 
 work, he wastes his substance, falls deeper and deeper into sin, and 
 finally is lost beyond hope of recover}^ St. Paul tells us that many 
 walk as enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, 
 whose God is their belly, whose glory is in their shame, who mind 
 earthly things (Phil, iii, 19). After all, what is the pleasure so 
 
THE LOVE OF PLEASURE AND LUXURY 
 
 57. 
 
 ardently desired that for its sake a man is willing to sacrifice his 
 own health, position and peace of mind, and the happiness of those 
 dependent upon him? It is a miserable, vain and worthless thing, 
 lasting but a short time and ending in sorrow. A wise man once 
 said : “In the cup of self-indulgence the froth is sweet, the draught 
 itself is insipid, the after-taste is bitter and its effects are painful, if 
 not deadly.” A voluptuary lowers himself to the level of a beast, 
 and the proud spirit within him is crushed and put to shame. 
 When he dies, the channels of the senses are for ever closed, and the 
 soul, tliat still remains alive, passes to a land where there is no eat- 
 ing and drinking, no luxury and adornment. Whoever seeks hap- 
 piness here below, labors in vain, for the world can never satisfy 
 the craving of the human heart. Its gifts soon cease to charm and 
 pall on us by their monotony, and the mere thought of death is 
 enough to deprive them of all attractiveness. Hence St. John ad- 
 monishes us : “Love not the world, nor the things which are in the 
 world. If any man love the world, the charity of the Father is not 
 in him. For all that is in the world is the concupiscence of the 
 flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life, 
 which is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world 
 passeth away, and the concupiscence thereof, but he that doth the 
 Will of God, abideth for ever” (I John ii, 15-17). St. Augustine 
 experienced the truth of these words; he had every talent with 
 which nature can endow a man, and was eager to satisfy his thirst 
 for knowledge and happiness. He exhausted all the resources of 
 the world, and tested its learning and pleasures, and at the end he 
 made this notable confession: “Lord, Thou hast created us for 
 Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.” 
 
 There is nothing better or more expedient than self-denial and 
 moderation. These are virtues inculcated by the Cross of Christ, 
 and all must acquire them, if they wish to be followers of Him Who 
 had not where to lay His head, Who lived on alms, whose thirst 
 was quenched with vinegar and gall, and Who suffered His Flesh 
 to be nailed to the Cross, that we might be able to subdue the im- 
 pure lusts of our flesh, and to triumph over it by His spirit. Self- 
 denial makes a man master over his own desires and passions, and 
 also over all earthly things, and it is a firm basis of happiness 
 and a source of joy and contentment. Similar happiness is en- 
 joyed by those who understand how to use with moderation the 
 lawful pleasures of life. Moderation preserves our health, strength. 
 
58 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 good spirits and energy of body and mind. It makes us ready and 
 able to work with success. A temperate man is capable of dis- 
 charging his duties as a Christian, a citizen and a husband ; he has 
 not only enough for himself, but something for his neighbor, and 
 thus he can contribute toward the well-being of others. 
 
 Let us take to heart our Saviour’s teaching on the subject of 
 luxury and self-indulgence ; let us remember that He said : “Woe to 
 you that are rich, for you have your consolation; woe to you that 
 are filled, for you shall hunger ; woe to you that now laugh, for you 
 shall mourn and weep” (Luke vi, 24, 25), but “blessed are ye poor, 
 for yours is the kingdom of God; blessed are ye that hunger now, 
 for you shall be filled; blessed are ye that weep, for you shall 
 laugh” (ibid, v, 20). 
 
 Do not forget, my brethren, that the good things of this world 
 are only lent us, that we may use them in God’s service, not that we 
 may find in them our happiness ; some day we shall have to account 
 for the way in which we have employed them, and we do not know 
 when that day will come. St. Paul says: “The time is short; it 
 remaineth that they that weep, be as though they wept not; and 
 they that rejoice, as if they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as, 
 though they possessed not; and they that use this world, as if they 
 used it not; for the fashion of this world passeth away” (I Cor. 
 vii, 29-31). Yes, this world with all that it has to offer will soon 
 pass away; the joys of this life vanish like a dream, and even were 
 it possible for a man to taste every imaginable pleasure, he would 
 have to acknowledge at last that “All is vanity.” Goodness and 
 honesty afford a happiness truer and more permanent than the 
 vain joys of this world. This happiness alone can satisfy the 
 heart’s desires, and it will last even in the next life; whereas he 
 who makes pleasure his aim, is the slave of passions that will 
 ultimately prove his destruction. 
 
 Never forget that you are invited to share in the marriage feast 
 of our Lord in heaven, and beware of clinging to the things of 
 earth. “What doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, 
 and suffer the loss of his own soul?” (Matth. xvi, 26). He who de- 
 votes himself to adorning and feeding his body, cares only for the 
 mortal part of himself, the part that sooner or later will be laid 
 in the grave. Walk therefore not as slaves to your lusts, but as 
 free men; not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because 
 the days are evil. Strive to know and do God’s Will, and mortifv 
 
THE LOVE OF PLEASURE AND LUXURY 
 
 59 
 
 the lusts of the flesh, '‘for if you live according to the flesh, you shall 
 die; but if by the Spirit you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you 
 shall live. For whosoever are led by the Spirit of God, they are 
 the sons of God, . . . and of sons, heirs also ; heirs indeed of God 
 and joint heirs with Christ” (Rom. viii, 13-17). Amen, 
 
6 o 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 VII. Human Respect 
 Good Friday Sermon 
 
 “Pilate sought to release Him; but the Jews cried out saying: 
 ‘If thou release this man, thou art not Caesar’s friend.’” — John 
 xix, 12. 
 
 The Church calls upon us to-day to think with sorrow of our 
 Saviour’s death. Who would not grieve over the remembrance of 
 the cruelties inflicted on the most innocent victim who ever lived, 
 the greatest Benefactor of the human race? Jesus Christ, the only- 
 begotten Son of the eternal Father, challenged the ability even of 
 His enemies to prove Him guilty of a single sin. In His love of us. 
 He came to deliver us from the curse of sin, under which all man- 
 kind was groaning; all His works were prompted by charity, for as 
 St. John says, He was charity; and yet He was misunderstood, 
 hated, persecuted and ill-treated by the very people whom it was 
 His desire to render happy ; and finally He died as a criminal on the 
 Cross. Pilate, the Roman governor, knew him to be inocent, and 
 would gladly have released Him, but he feared the Jews, and still 
 more the Roman Emperor. The people, instigated by the priests, 
 Pharisees and scribes, cried out repeatedly: “If thou release this 
 man, thou art not Caesar’s friend,” and this cry drowned the in- 
 ward voice of truth and justice, and finally the fear of losing his 
 position, should the matter be reported to the Emperor, induced 
 him to connive at the murder of One Who was innocent, and he 
 delivered Jesus to the Jews to be crucified. 
 
 We should all without hesitation condemn Pilate for acting in so 
 unjust and shameful a manner; but, in condemning him, we are 
 condemning ourselves. Is it not a matter of every-day occurrence 
 for us to disregard the claims of innocence, truth and religion, be- 
 cause we are afraid of putting ourselves at a disadvantage? Do 
 we not often refrain from doing what we know to be right, thus 
 becoming traitors to our own conscience? We are so weak that 
 we turn a deaf ear to the voice of reason and conscience, through 
 fear of ridicule. Yes, human respect, fear of the opinion of world- 
 lings, is the cause of many sins both of omission and of commis- 
 sion, and I do not scruple to include this fear, and the want of 
 courage and decision to which it gives rise, among the chief failings 
 of the age in which we live. I want (i) to show you to-day how 
 unworthy of a Christian such fear is, and to what disastrous re- 
 
HUMAN RESPECT 
 
 6i 
 
 suits it leads; and ( 2 ) to encourage you resolutely to follow what 
 Christianity teaches to be the right course. May He strengthen us, 
 Who on this day overcame the world, and bore testimony with His 
 Blood to truth and justice! 
 
 1. Although the number of the wicked is no doubt very great, 
 it is certainly exaggerated by some fanatics, who consider them- 
 selves, and those who agree with them, to be just and holy, and 
 God’s elect, whilst they declare all other people to be hopeless sin- 
 ners and children of the devil. Many behave outwardly like the 
 children of this world, but are by no means bad or godless at 
 heart; they are, on the contrary, convinced of the necessity of faith 
 and virtue ; and it is only their fear of the world’s opinion that pre- 
 vents them from living in accordance of Christianity. They are 
 timid by nature, and have not enough courage to withstand the 
 spirit of the age, though they are ready to condemn it. They con- 
 form to the world, either because they are eager to win its applause, 
 or because they dread its censure. They desire to be the friends of 
 God, but at the same time wish to stand well with the world. In 
 short, as Isaias says, they halt between two opinions. Even amongst 
 those who allow themselves apparently to be dominated by the 
 spirit of worldliness, there must be many who accept the truth pro- 
 claimed by Jesus Christ, and desire the salvation that He obtained 
 for us by His death on the Cross. Now and then they feel dis- 
 satisfied with themselves and the life that they are leading, and 
 long for peace and consolation; yet their dissatisfaction and long- 
 ing are not strong enough to enable them to overcome their hu- 
 man respect. They would fain, like Nicodemus, come by night to 
 their Lord and Master, if only by day they could conform to the 
 ways of the world, or if at least they need not openly withstand 
 the spirit of worldliness; if this were possible, they would not 
 renounce Christianity altogether. But, as they have to choose be- 
 tween Christ and the world, and as they must either appear ignorant 
 and narrow-minded in the eyes of men, or slaves of sin in the 
 sight of God, they prefer to incur the censure of Christ and His 
 Church, rather than that of the world. They maintain that, being 
 in the world, it behooves them to adopt its spirit, and they think 
 it unwise to draw upon themselves the ridicule of those with whom 
 they have hitherto been on good terms. Many a man through 
 mere thoughtlessness, has joined the ranks of the socialists, who, 
 having given up all religion, have adopted most dangerous prin-' 
 
62 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 ciples. He sees perhaps that, in associating with such people, he 
 risks incurring grave injury both in body and soul, but he cannot 
 get rid of them, because he dreads their ridicule and hostility. 
 Sometimes in society all that we hold sacred is discussed in a con- 
 temptuous and blasphemous manner; the conscience of some of 
 those present may urge them to speak in defence of God’s honor 
 and of religion, but false shame constrains them to keep silence, or 
 even to acquiesce in what is said. Sometimes slanderous tongues 
 assail our neighbor’s honor and good reputation, but we dare not 
 come forward to bear witness to truth, and to rebuke the calumnia- 
 tors, because we fear to give offence or to draw their ridicule upon 
 ourselves. Others again, through human respect, refrain from 
 acknowledging themselves to be Catholics, and from practising their 
 religion. Others are too timid to resist the disastrous tendencies 
 of the age, to renounce what is forbidden, to correct faults, and 
 to insist upon the discharge of duties. They say that they do not 
 like to hurt other people’s feelings, or to be on bad terms with their 
 neighbors. There are therefore a great many sins of omission 
 due to human respect and fear of the world’s opinion, but the num- 
 ber of the actual sins committed for the same reason is far greater. 
 For fears of the Jews Pilate handed our Divine Lord over to the 
 rabble to be crucified; through human respect Peter denied his 
 Master, and the same motive has induced hundreds, at times of 
 persecution, to be false to Christ. The same dread of criticism 
 impels many at the present day to join in mocking at religion, 
 and in blaspheming what they have hitherto held sacred. Like the 
 Jews of old they take up stones, as it were, to cast at Christ and 
 at those who acknowledge Him to be the Son of God and the Re- 
 deemer of the world, and who cling to Him as their only Saviour. 
 Lest they should cease to be regarded as enlightened and broad- 
 minded, many adopt views that must inevitably lead to destruction, 
 and promote undertakings which aim at the ruin of society. They 
 subscribe toward the support of newspapers and periodicals that 
 are sowing seeds of unbelief and immorality broadcast amongst the 
 people, and are poisoning the minds of both young and old. Fear 
 of being thought bigoted and narrow-minded forces many to imi- 
 tate the behavior of the children of this world, to join in their 
 profane and immoral conversations and songs, and to calumniate 
 their neighbors. Not a few sacrifice their innocence and virtue 
 rather than forego any temporal advantage. 
 
HUMAN RESPECT 
 
 63 
 
 Such dependence upon public opinion and such cringing to the 
 spirit of the age are utterly unworthy of Christians. What would 
 have become of the Church if the Apostles, when brought before 
 rulers and counils, had kept silence or had denied Christ through 
 fear of punishment? They did not fear men rather than God; no, 
 they boldly asked their judges to decide whether it would be right 
 for them to do so. They departed from the judgment hall rejoicing 
 if they were accounted worthy to suffer for the Name of Jesus. 
 When a soldier runs away, fearing to be wounded or killed, we 
 call him a coward. Is not every man a coward who, for fear of 
 others, refrains from bearing witness to the truth, from doing his 
 duty and from standing up for right and justice? Yes, he is a 
 coward, and, what is worse, he is a slave to other men. Slavery 
 is the most degraded and contemptible state in which a man can 
 be, because he belongs to his owner, not to himself, and has to act 
 in accordance with his master's will. Is not a man really a slave 
 who conforms in all respects to the opinion of the world? He is no 
 longer at liberty to control his own actions, but he must yield to the 
 whims of others. He cannot take any step without first consider- 
 ing what others will think of him; he dares not rebuke a knave 
 who mocks at what is sacred and drags virtue through the mire; 
 no, he is silent, when it behooves him to speak out boldly. He 
 adapts himself to the tastes and habits of the majority, and is their 
 slave, when he might and should be free. And who are as a rule 
 the people whose criticism, disapproval, ridicule and ill-will he 
 dreads so intensely as to sacrifice to them his own convictions and 
 independence? They are mostly wicked, shameless, dissolute and 
 immoral ; they have no faith, no fear of God, no love of virtue; they 
 are, in short, sinners, under the control of the devil, in whose service 
 they are luring souls to perdition. These are the people whom we 
 are afraid to offend; we act in accordance with their opinions be- 
 cause we fear their ridicule, threats and hostility; we sacrifice to 
 them our liberty, honor and future happiness. Is this not the most 
 shameful and dishonorable degradation for Christians who at their 
 baptism became children of God, and who ought to fear nothing 
 except offending their heavenly Father? 
 
 You see, my brethren, how disastrous and disgraceful a thing it is 
 for a Christian to fear the judgment of the world and to be a slave 
 to its spirit. We ought to be guided, not by the world, but by our 
 own conscience and the teaching of our holy religion, and tread 
 
64 
 
 THE CHIEP EriLS Of THE TIMES 
 
 the path assigned to us with decision, courage and perseverance. 
 
 11 . History records a touching event in the life of the Frank- 
 ish king, Clodwig. One day St. Remigius was telling him the story 
 of our Saviour’s Passion, and the king, deeply moved, exclaimed: 
 “Had I been present with my warriors, He would never have been 
 crucified.” If we think of our Lord’s sufferings and of His shame- 
 ful death on the Cross, and if we reflect that He underwent so much 
 in spite of His perfect innocence, we shall feel inclined to agree 
 with the Frankish king. Yet every day Christ is crucified anew; 
 He is crucified whenever the truth is persecuted and suppressed, 
 and His holy law is despised and violated. Few are brave enough 
 to defend His honor and to stand up for His cause, and we may 
 actually doubt whether Christ, if He came again, would fare better 
 now than He did 1900 years ago. There is urgent need at the pres- 
 ent time for decision in thought, word and action, since the spirit 
 of worldliness stalks abroad boldly, striving to subjugate the minds 
 of all; and a conflict is raging between this siprit and the Spirit 
 of God, a conflict upon the issue of which depend both the temporal 
 and external welfare of the individual, as well as of the whole hu- 
 man race. Each man has to decide whether he will take up his stand 
 on the side of God or of the world; whether he will be numbered 
 among the followers of Christ or of Belial, among the children of 
 light or of darkness. Lukewarmness and irresolution are always 
 bad, but they are unpardonable where our highest interests are 
 at stake. He is a traitor to the cause of right and justice who does 
 not come forward to defend what is good and holy, who is ashamed 
 of his religion, who takes innumerable things into consideration, 
 weighing all possible arguments for and against, before he ventures 
 seriously to resist evil and to uphold truth, justice and morality. 
 In order to see how fully the children of this world realize the need 
 of courage and resolution in their undertakings, you have but to 
 look at the methods employed by the socialists. They never hesi- 
 tate, they know well enough what they want and what they are 
 doing. Their designs are aimed at getting money, at enjoying 
 luxury, at self-indulgence, at freedom from all restraints upon 
 their passions and desires. They pursue their aims by means of 
 persuasion and threats, by flattery, deception and ridicule ; they 
 display so much energy and perseverance in the dissemination of 
 their doctrines, that one would suppose them to be intent upon 
 founding an earthly paradise. If we fold our hands and do nothing. 
 
HUMAN RESPECT 
 
 65 
 
 being afraid to stand up for the right, whilst the children of this 
 world toil indefatigably on the side of evil, must not the kingdom 
 of God necessarily dwindle away? We ought to defend it; we 
 ought fearlessly to draw attention to the bad intentions and designs 
 of the wicked and Godless men in our midst, and to exert ourselves 
 to frustrate them. We ought to employ all available means of 
 bringing others back to a reasonable frame of mind, and of supply- 
 ing antidotes to the poison that we encounter on every side. No 
 one who is in earnest about his religion, who Icves God and jus- 
 tice ; morality and order, and who desires the happiness and pros- 
 perity of his country, ought to stand aloof, shunning labor and 
 exertion, ridicule and contempt. The children of this world toil 
 day and night in order to attain their earthly goal; they endure 
 hunger and thirst, heat and cold, poverty and danger. If they 
 do and bear so much for the sake of treasures, that rust and moth 
 can consume, and for enjoyments that vanish like smoke, leaving 
 only a bitter savor behind them, how can we drink from hard- 
 ships, when it is in our power to secure far higher and more per- 
 manent advantages, to promote the welfare of God's kingdom 
 and the salvation of immortal souls ? It may be very hard to resist 
 the world, it may cost us a great deal to avoid the bad companions 
 with whom we have hitherto associated and to break off connec- 
 tions of long standing; it may need much self-denial to renounce 
 the forbidden amusements and luxuries in which we have indulged, 
 and to sacrifice our reputation as broadminded and enlightened 
 people; it may be very difficult to abandon the easy path of de- 
 struction, and to follow the steep and narrow way of virtue with 
 stout and resolute hearts, but still we must not shrink from all these 
 things, unless we are willing to be put to shame by the children 
 of this world, to deny our faith, and to lose all prospect of salva- 
 tion. If Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, had feared hardships, suffer- 
 ing and persecution, if He had shrunk from death, we should be 
 still in our sins, with the curse of God resting on us. If the 
 Apostles and their successors had consulted their own comfort, or 
 had taken into account all the hindrances, perils, hostility that 
 they encountered in preaching the Gospel, Christianity would have 
 died out, and we should never have partaken in its blessings. But 
 our Lord knew all this, and yet He said: “He that loveth father 
 or mother more than me, is not worthy of me; and he that loveth 
 son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me; and he that 
 
66 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 taketh not up his cross and followeth me, is not worthy of me” 
 (Matth. X, 37 ). 
 
 We must not avoid hardships and exertion, when we have an 
 opportunity to promote the honor of God and His Church, and to 
 secure the salvation of our souls; the world ought to have no in- 
 fluences over us. In this respect Christ has set us an example that 
 it behooves us to follow. When He was asked : ^‘Is it lawful to pay 
 tribute to Caesar?” He did not consider the danger to which a 
 straightforward answer would expose Him, but said simply : “Ren- 
 der to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” (Matt, xxi, 17, 21). 
 He treated sinners with kindness, sitting with them at table, and car- 
 ing nothing for the remarks made by he Pharisees, whom He openly 
 upbraided as hypocrites, a generation of vipers and whited se- 
 pulchres, fair to behold from outside, but inwardly full of cor- 
 ruption. When men threatened to stone Him or to throw Him 
 down a precipice. He remained calm, for He would far rather have 
 died than have denied the truth or departed from the right way. 
 It is our duty, too, never to surrender truth and justice; we may be 
 despised as ignorant bigots; worldly people may regard us with 
 hatred and scorn, instead of esteeming and applauding us; but 
 truth, a good conscience and assurance of God’s approval ought to 
 be far more precious in our sight than anything that the world can 
 offer. “To me it is a very small thing to be judged by you, or by 
 man’s day,” said St. Paul, “He that judgeth me is the Lord” 
 (i Cor. iv, 3). The Apostle did not look upon men as his judges, 
 nor did he trouble about their opinion. It was to -him a matter of 
 indifference whether he were praised or condemned by them, he 
 cared nothing for their criticism, for he recognized one Master 
 only. Who would be his Judge. If that Master were satisfied, 
 St. Paul was happy; if He found fault, the applause of men could 
 never reassure him. The Apostle’s words reveal that true courage 
 which inspires all who have a good conscience, and enjoy that peace 
 of mind which is proof against all attacks. St. Augustine used to 
 say : “Think what you like of me ; if only I can please my God, I 
 am content.” 
 
 Let us therefore do our best to gain the recognition and respect 
 of the world by leading an upright, honest and Christian life; but, 
 if the world nevertheless withholds its approval, God and our own 
 conscience will still bear testimony on our behalf, and this is worth 
 far more than the favor and applause of people estranged from 
 
HUMAN RESPECT 
 
 67 
 
 Him, for it gives us sure hope of an eternal reward in His kingdom. 
 Let us remember that our Saviour said : “Blessed are ye when men 
 shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against 
 you, untruly, for my sake. Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is 
 very great in heaven” (Matt, v, ii, 12). 
 
 Let us have the courage of our own opinions, and profess our 
 faith boldly and without wavering; let us not be influenced and 
 misled by the children of this world, for neither their favor nor 
 their ridicule can really aifect us. “What doth it profit a man, if 
 he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul?” 
 (Matt, xvi, 26). What good can it do us, if we are extolled as 
 liberal, cultured and broadminded? This will not make us happy, 
 if we win praise at the cost of our own souls. One thing only is 
 needful — to fear God, and to work out our salvation; this brings 
 peace and happiness here below, and everlasting life in heaven. 
 Therefore fear not those who can kill the body, but are unable to 
 injure the soul; fear rather him who has power to cast both body 
 and soul into hell. Bear testimony boldly to the truth and follow 
 the path of justice. The truth, that we profess, has no need to 
 shroud itself in darkness, nor need virtue fear to assert itself in 
 defiance of sin. At baptism we renounced the world, the flesh 
 and the devil, and the cross was traced upon our brows, that we 
 might never be ashamed openly to proclaim ourselves the followers 
 of a crucified Saviour. If we always remembered Him, who shed 
 His Blood and died on the Cross for us almost 1900 years ago, 
 that He might redeem us, and that we, being dead to sin, might 
 live unto righteousness, we should esteem it our highest honor and 
 glory to confess our faith frankly and fearlessly, in thought, word 
 and deed, and we should look for happiness and salvation in the 
 place where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. “Every one 
 that shall confess me before men,” says our Saviour, “I will also 
 confess him before my Father who is in heaven” (Matth. x, 32). 
 But “he that shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall 
 the Son of Man be ashamed, when He shall come in His majesty 
 and that of His Father” (Luke ix, 26). We have therefore to 
 choose between salvation and condemnation. If we decide to stand 
 up for Christ against sin and the world, we shall be saved; if we 
 prefer the world and its advantages to Christ, we shall be lost 
 eternally. How can we hesitate for a single moment? Let us 
 determine to adhere to Christ, who alone can save us ; let us resolve 
 
68 
 
 THE CHIEF EVILS OF THE TIMES 
 
 to confess Him and follow His example, no matter what the world 
 may think. Then we shall each say, as St. Paul did: “I am sure 
 that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor 
 powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor might, nor 
 height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate 
 us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” 
 (Rom. viii, 38, 39). Let us regard our earthly life as a serious, 
 not a frivolous thing, and employ it conscientiously, remembering 
 the ApHDStle's exhortation to “redeem the time, because the days are 
 evil” (Ephes. v, 16). Let us work whilst it is yet day, for the 
 night cometh, when no man can work. Let us not be led astray 
 by those who have lost faith in God, but let us cling to the faith' 
 of our forefathers, which is the power of God to save all who pro- 
 fess it, and refuse to have fellowship with the children of unbelief, 
 whose ways are evil and whose end is destruction. Let us be sub- 
 ject to every ordinance of man for God’s sake, and let us follow our 
 Saviour’s example, for He was obedient unto death, even the death 
 of the cross. Let us resolve not to aim at the worthless honors of 
 this world, nor at its esteem, but let us seek imperishable honor 
 in God’s presence, by the faithful discharge of all the obligations 
 of our calling and position. Let us resolve no longer to make the 
 pleasures and luxuries of the world our aim in life, nor to seek in 
 them our happiness, but to seek first the kingdom of God and His 
 justice, being convinced that then all other things necessary for 
 us will be provided. Let us fear neither the world nor the devil, 
 not quail before the criticism, ridicule and persecution of wicked 
 men, but ever keep our eyes fixed on Him Who is the author and 
 finisher of our faith, and Who has set us an example that we ought 
 to follow. Let us act as trusty servants, who fear nothing except 
 to oflFend and displease God. He will help, support and sustain us 
 by His grace, for the sake of our dear Lord, Who died for us, that 
 we might have life in His Name. 
 
 O crucified Redeemer! By Thy Passion and Death Thou hast 
 redeemed the world, and given us power to become God’s children 
 and heirs of His kingdom. Grant to us all true zeal and a right 
 disposition, that we may live to Thee alone, and may follow Thee 
 faithfully in this world, so that at last, on the great day of reck- 
 oning, we may be worthy to be numbered among Thine elect, and to 
 be admitted to Thine everlasting kingdom. Amen.