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Show WIS HIS HEARERS HGIW1 Sll Vincentian Priest Points ; Out Danger of Contact With Evil Associations. MISSION IS CONTINUED i ' Class for Non-Catholics to Be Opened in Cathedral Rectory Tonight. Some people have a great horror ut" certain crimes against the government, against the laws of the country' saiil the Very Rev. Fre-lerirk Mamie, C. T.. in a sermon on "Mortal Sin'' which he preached in the Catholic cathedral of the Madeleine "last night. "Many people would not rise up in revolt against the president, or violate the laws of the country, and yet they think nothing of opposing the A lmighty they treat as meaningless laws with which God himself him-self haa'declared He cannot dispense.'' Father Manne's sermoD last night was the second evening sermon of f he mission mis-sion he and two other Vincentian missionaries mis-sionaries are giving in the cathedral. Tonight, at 7:45 o'clock, the sermon will be ' Death and Judgment. ' ' At 7:2o o'clock this evening, in the cathedral rectory,, a class for non-Catholics who are interested in- knowing something about the fundamental doctrines of the Catholic, church will be opened. Men and women, generally, are invited to attend this class, which Father M.aune said would continue through this week and next, with half-hour sessions each evening. Preaches on Mortal Sin. "Last night I told you of the thing that would make a success of your life salvation," said Father Maune in opening open-ing his sermon on sin. "Tonight I am going to tell you of the one thing that will make a failure of your life mortal sin." The missionary then drew a vivid picture of a "nauseating monster from nell, ' ' which he called ' mortal sin, ' ' and said that, while most people hated sin, they could hate it more. "It is interesting to study the two general attitudes of men toward the evil of sin," be said. 'It is a tragic truth that many men have no horror of sin, and make no effort to protect themselves them-selves from it. There are many evils of a physical character which people make everv effort to keep away from. What sensible person would needlessly go to a house where there was a contagions con-tagions disease such as smallpox or diphtheria, diph-theria, for instance? And yet there are mauv who breathe in mortal sin that pestilence which the very instant it is contracted causes the death of the soul. How careful people are to guard against the coming of thieves who would take their earthly treasures." Become Spiritual Bankrupts. "And yet there are men and women who shrug their shoulders and are at perfect ease when they see sin jimmying its way into their very souls, stealing the treasures of years' of hard-earned virtuous living, and leaving them spiritual spirit-ual paupers, spiritual bankrupts! If you were in danger of losing your eyesight you would spend the last penny you had io save it; and yet there are those who would do nothing to save themselves from the utter, appalling paralysis of sin. "God alone ca.n make us happy. When, therefore, you seek happiness from some person or thing of earth you are making that person or thing the god of your heart. ' Speaking of a certain class of sinners, the lowest class, Saint Paul tells us: 'Many walk whom I have told you of, whose god is their belly, whose glory is their shame.' By that word 'belly' you must understand that it means animal nature. We are all flesh in part, and unless we keep the flesh subject to the spirit we will then live the animal life. There are many today who simply lead animal lives, who live only to satisfy animal cravings, and it is true to say of them that their god is their belly. They sacrifice everything every-thing to their animal naturefl. "God says: ' I have brought up children and, behold, thev have despised de-spised me.' When you despise any law you despise Hun who made the law. Henco, when you despise God 's law yon despise God.' Jesus Christ said t'hat 'no man can serve two masters.' You cannot serve God and Mammon. Again Christ' says 'he who is not with Me is against Me.' Either yon are free from sin or you are atjainst God. There is no middle ground, you are either with Him or against Him. "Mortal sin means spiritual suicide. A sinner strikes his or her soul dead. That is the Catholic doctrine. You know what the soul does to your body. You ony have to contrast tlie body o'f a living liv-ing man with the body of a "dead man. Now, mark you. just as the soul gives light to the body, so there is a heavenly heaven-ly force that gives light to the soul. Mortal sin kills the soul; expel from it this heavenly light, and in the eves of God it becomes dead." |
