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Show DECLARES DIVORCE " 15 BLACKEST EVIL The Rev. Patrick Flannigan Takes Marriage as Mission Mis-sion Service Sermon. SCORES RACE SUICIDE Warns Young Women That Many Mixed Alliances Are Failures. Declaring divorce to- be the "blackest evil In the world today" and vigorously assertlnp the. Catholic doctrine of the indissolubility in-dissolubility of marriage, the Rev. Patrick Pat-rick Flannlgan, C. M., delivered a powerful power-ful and eloquent sermon on marriage at the mission service last evening in the Catholic Cathedral of the Madeleine. , No poji: on earth had the right to dissolve fZ sacramental marriage performed by the church, Father Flannlgan said, because, lie added, Christ had warned, "What God hath Joined together let no man put asunder." In addition to decrying the evils of divorce, Father Flannlgan took occasion occa-sion to give some advice especially to young women who are marriageable. He directed his advice particularly to young women, since the mission this week is Leing gi en especially for women. "I have been to'd, though 1 cannot vouch for the truth of the statement," said Father Flannitran. "that marriageable marriage-able young men in Salt Lake are so scarce that many young women so around flirting flirt-ing witii the wax figures in the store windows. And I might add that J would miirli rather see them marry these wa x figures than some of the figures they do marry." Condemns Race Suicide. Father Flannigan also vehemently condemned con-demned race suicide practices, warning his hearers that such practices were in direct violation of God's commandment, "Thnu shall not kill." "The crime of race suicide as practiced prac-ticed today is a deadly blow to the human hu-man race." said th missionary. "A nd unless you are morally, men t a 11 y and physfCHliy prepared to fulfill the first obligation ob-ligation of the state of matrimony the obligation of bearing children at the risk of your very life you have no right to enter it." Father Flannigan said in part: Once a marriage Is completed according ac-cording to the laws of God, no power on earth, no law. can break that bond. Heme the Catholic church has always regarded marriage as an Indissoluble contract. Christ has clearly stated that "what GoJ has Joined together let no man put asunder." The church, following the teachings of Christ and of St. Paul and other great doctors, has always opposed divorce. It has n I way 8 looked upon divorce as licensed li-censed immorality. Divorce is the blankest, the worst, the most danger-cjf danger-cjf in the world today. -'Recalls History. You student of history will r- ' y5J member that Henry WW. a king of "Tl Kngland who was for many years a kloyal son of the church of Rome, was Tnored with the title of "Defender . . ovje, Fnllh" for his opposition to the reformation of the sixteenth century. Put he became enta ngied with a woman of his court by the name of Anne Boyleyn. From Rome he sought a divorce from his lawful wife and queen and permission to marry this other woman. Me was told that the church had not the power or the right to grant his request, and because of this decision u whole nation was lost to the faith. Yet the churHi did not hesitate, in the face of such a. terrible terri-ble blow, to proc'aim the indissolubility indissolu-bility of marriage. But there are two words which are s o m etimeH misunderstood these r'q ys d Ivoree and- separation. Divorce Di-vorce gives one permission to marry aga In, a nd t here fore the church cunnot sanction divorre. Put for good and sufficient reasons the church does permit separation, of husband nd wife. The church teaches that , the rights of men and women are equal. If the husba nd is cruel, or refuses adequate support, the wife may obtain a legal separation with the permission of the church. But she cannot remarry while the man lives. Legislation for Church. You occasionally read of the ecclesiastical eccle-siastical court s pronouncing a marriage mar-riage Invalid, and permitting the parties par-ties to remarry. This is only done in cases where it is carefully determined deter-mined that the first marriage was not complete, where there was some technical tech-nical fault, where the church is convinced con-vinced that tho marrlnge was not permissible in the first place, and therefore was Invalid. The state has certain rights of legislation leg-islation in marriage. It has the right to legislate as to all the simple effects ef-fects of marriage, but as to the sacramental sac-ramental rights of marrimre, God's church, and God's church alone, has the power lo legislate. Marriage is a sarred instltut Ion. The state never a ttrmp' s to legislate regarding bap- tism, confirmation, the sacrament of holy communion and the like. A nd "the state has no more right to legis-regarding legis-regarding sacramental marriage. The church Is obliged to protect and safeguard you from dangers to your soul. When Christ said "he tlm t heareth you heareth me," be conferred upon his apostles and their lawful successors a divine power in ma tiers renting to spiritual welfare. The i hurch has seen fit to make laws pmiectlng Its children In all Important Impor-tant matters. Forbids Mixed Unions. fine of the Inws relating to matrimony matri-mony forbids mixed marriages, unless hv dispensation granted by the church aut horil les. Outsiders are often under the Impression that the church exceeds its authority in this mat I or. Put t he church makes this law for three reasons: To protect Its Catholic subjects, to protect the children chil-dren of its Catholic subjects, and to make sure that peace will reign In th homes of her Catholic subjects. Statistics gathered hy the Catholic church show tiiat 70 per cent of the mixed alliances ar'e failures. In the majority of cases where the wife is a Catholic, her husband has little or , no definite religion, or even belief in I God. Hence, she generally becomes careless or negligent. The church is your spiritual mother, and she cannot stand Idly by and see you go Into relationships re-lationships that will endanger your faith. Churn statistics further prove that 60 to fio per cent of children of mixed marriages are lost to the church. Causes Unhappiness. t'nhappiness is often caused in the homes of mixed marriages, because the church is criticised or belittled by the non-Catholic party. T5t Baptist marry Baptist, let Methodist marry Methodist, let Presbyterian marry Presbyterian, let Mormon marry Mormon, Mor-mon, and let Catholics marry Catholics: Catho-lics: for by such marriages there is a greater possibility of their supporting their faith and happiness in then-homes. then-homes. Now. understand me. T do not mean to say that your non-Catholic friends are not as good as you are. They may be a thousand times better. it is not a. question of morality, it is a question of obeying, because your happiness depends upon it. I have been told, though T cannot vouch for the truth of the story, that marriageable young men are so scarce in Salt Lake that many girls flirt with the wax figures in the store windows. win-dows. I would rather see them marry the wax figures than some of the figures fig-ures thev lo marrv. at that. They say love is blind: T think It is alpo deaf and dumb, for unless marriage is based upon the laws of God it is dangerous. dan-gerous. The normal state of happiness is ! marriage. But zirls who are contemplating contem-plating marriage should consider seriously several questions. -A nd I want to make a few suggestions. In the first place. I urge girls to marry men of their own faith. Or. if the young man becomes a convert to their faith, let them make sure that he becomes a convert through conviction, and not through sentiment, senti-ment, for the sentimental convert does not usually persevere long. "Look Up Man's Record." Another important question to ask yourself is this: "Is the young man industrious?" Is able to work, and does he work? Of course, if you don't mind taking in washings for the rest of your life, it may be all right to marrv a man who is not industrious. Again, is he addicted to excessive drinking? Some of you young people try to convince yourselves that after marriage you can effect reformations that God apparently cannot accomplish. accom-plish. Do yon young women know the lot of a drunkard s wife? It is estimated that 3000 wives go down to premature graves every year because be-cause of broken hearts caused by drunken husbands ! T attribute the failure of so many marriages to three reasons: First, the lark of proper motives: second, thev do not prepare themselves" prop-erlv; prop-erlv; and third, some do not live up to the laws of marriage within the bounds of reason. Liberties of Marriage. Those who take the liberties ' of marriage and not Its obligations are not fit for it. Policemen are shot down in the performance of their duty: firemen are killed by falling walls; soldiers today in the trenches of Europe face the cannon's mouth as a patriotic duty. And so you will find that In every state of life there are certain obligations along with the privileges of that state. This is true with the state of matrimony, and it is incumbent upon you to assume both the privileges and the obligations. obliga-tions. And the same is true of the single state. The primary obligation of the married mar-ried state is the propagation of children. chil-dren. No pure woman will fall to fulfill this obligation. There are thousands and millions of women who hp.ve fulfilled this obligation, and I say God bless them. And there are thousands thou-sands of childless wives who have fulfilled this obligation, but whom Ood lies not seen fit to give children, and 1 say God bless them. But there are thousands of homes which are chlld-leFS chlld-leFS because women have been conniving con-niving with the demons of hell to prevent pre-vent conception. : Obligations of Matrimony. A violation of this law is a viola-t viola-t ion of the law of nature, and the guilt v one will suffer the penalty. The crime of race suicide is a deadly I blow to the human race, a violation of the commandment of God. "Thou shalt not kilt." Unless you are mentally and morally and physically prepared to fulfill the obligations of the state of matrimony, at the risk of your life, you have no right to enter It. I say that many do not prepare themselves properly. Their conduct before marrlnce Is not such as to make them ready to enjoy the privileges privil-eges and meet the obligations of marriage. mar-riage. That causes many failures. And many do not live up to the Jawy of the marriage state within the bounds of reason. Tou are rational animals, and as such are supposed to regulate, your desires. An old philosopher. Aristotle, said that each mornlnir he thanked God for two thines: that he was not born j a slave, and that he was not born a ! woman. In his days woman was the sport of passion. Christ and Chrlst- Iinnlty has placed woman on the high pedestal where she stands today, and I which she has occupied for 1 9"0 years, And H Is only In proportion to the . strength of Christianity that woman j is going to maintain that respect. |