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Show CATHOLIC FAITH AND , PERSONAL VIEWS Some Objections Answered Opinions May Differ fundamental Dogmas Primary Dogmas In Apostles' Creed. ',; ' Iniorin'HHitain Catholic: I have read your communist ions on faith, ro-v, ro-v, :,!,.! religion, dogmas and olivine authority. I ! in my intercourse with Catholics a divergency . ; l li, f, some maintaining what others deny. '"-- vli have at limes shared in ihose arguments , intelligent members of the Church, and as far . - i could learn, well ver.-ed in the teaching of the 1 1 iii-eh. They certainly are not ONE in their bc- Oiiiy rc-cntly I listened to a heated argument . ,i die Pope's temporal possessions Avhich Avere con-. ;i fed by the Italian Government. One devoted t:i. nihcr of the Church maintained that the quos-i quos-i 11 e" th los of secular power in Italy was bene-1 bene-1 io the Church at large, whilst the other con-:eii.ed con-:eii.ed that validity of the Supreme Pontiff's title v 1 he Papal States was simply a question of fact, .m.! t deprive him of his rights was to impugn his liority. Is this a change of dogma? Similar this were arguments regarding certain devotions ;;,(! pilgrimages to certain shrines. I Jo- question which I have frequently asked, ;ind to which I could get no satisfactory answer, is: "Name some of the fundamental truths, or what term dogmas of your faith?" This letter is not -c hi from mere curiosity or for the sake of cont.ro-' cont.ro-' m r -v. hot for the enlightenment, of one who is in . iiivh of trtilh. 1 will siirn myself what 1 am, XO REL1GI0X. Suit Lake. May i'o, 1!.05. The ohjections of our esteemed correspondent are not against what constitutes the real teaching or dogmas of the church, hut what is not a defined f article of faith. The difference of opinion even ; ,'iiong Catholics to which ho refers and which he claims is denial of the authority of the Supreme P"iiliff. as well as of all dogmatic teaching, is not a tact, and has no hearing on the divine authority . I the Pope in spirituals, much less in defined article arti-cle of. faith. One of ihe marks of the Church is that she is one. and this unity ineans,,aucjn,, faith, , ia charity, in the sinio sacraments, and submis- j -i'Mi to one and the same authority. In all ques- I iin not pertaining to faith, and defined as such, 'In re are differences of opinion, to which the writer doubtless refers. A good Catholic may be a devoted and staunch Republican in politics, and another equally so as a Democrat, but both, as j 1 Caiholics are and must be. united in this, that ! I'M ry devoted citizen must loyally obey the govern-i:i govern-i:i nt ;inl defend its integrity, if,. needs be, by sac-ri sac-ri ti.-i nu' all he possesses. The writer implies that the divine right, by vl.ieh ihe Pope claimed to rule as a secular prince, '.is no longer a dogma of faith after Victor Kman-i;. Kman-i;. !"s tpMip.. look forcible possession of Rome and ''; Papal States. Was it ever an article of Catholic Cath-olic faith that the Pope should be a secular ruler? I; s,,. whi-n and by whom was it defined? In Catholic Cath-olic teaching then1 are no dogmas outside of or in-o in-o pendent of the revealed word, and to believe v hat (;.. h;is revealed is most reasonable. The Catholic Church exacts "obedience of the subject 1 the ruling power, or giving to Caesar what be-l-'hj-- to Caesar." Hence the hostility of advanced iniism 1o her unchangeable attitude. But the v -lit of the Holy Father to rule the Papal States 1 a- no mi. re a part of Catholic dogma than it is to .;. iliat a monarchical er republican form of gov-' gov-' nt is ;i part of revelation. ' A eMinj'lete answer to the question propounded, C'.: "Wjiai arc the fundamental dogmas lhat are ' 'nod r'--jmnot be given in a short newspaper ar-They ar-They are briefly summed up in the Apostle's ' '!. "1 believe in God. ihe Father Almighty. Cre-' Cre-' ' 'of heaven and earth.7' is an article of faith, and ' i:s thai heaven and earth, and all things visible invisible, were in the beginning created by Hut it is not a part of faith that this earth - ':' ate, about 7,0) years ago, or that when it K; i: into existence bv the "fiat" of the divine i hat it was exactly as it is now, habitable and M'ed by living creatures. It simply means ' l ,ses wished to proclaim to the Hebrews as '-"'.tic. namely, that God did not merely form, !.. L'eiierate. or evolve the universe from Ilim- ' but created it from nothing. All questions ' i by Geologists as to the age of the world and ' h.-.nges lhat it underwent are purely matters ' ' -nee. atid in no sense pertain to the question : ; or fhignia. A'!iM,y creatures, the product of creation, it is ' ::;.!,. of faith that angels are the noblest of 1 ;"- ereatures; but it is not of faith that, they ; ' "iporeai. The second article of the Creed ' - v ih our Plessed Iord. ''1 believe in Jesus ( ' in- only Son who was conceived by the Holy - a:,d boi-n of the Virgin Mary." etc. Jt is of thiit .lesu.s was the Messiah for whose advent ' - si-h'd and prayed: therefore, the Savior : !.V loonier of lh' human race. It is of faith ' !h had 1wo natures, yet only one subsistence, ' .. i.- was only one person, and that personality ; " hine. u,,( human, or not under a human form. ! " . v he said ihat person is not separable from - - a- it is impossible to conceive nature with-' with-' 1 ' Tsumdiiy. But this Catholic truth does not '!,e human nature of our Lord. of personal- i; v- 1 'io leaches that his person is divine, not hu-'' hu-'' i. In ihis sense the doctrine, that in Christ v."' distinct natures in one person, which di-M di-M iM,n is God. the second person of the Tllo,., Trinity is reasonable, and being a revealed '!;!! b.cmes a matter of faith. It shows that TM whilst inseparable, is distinguishable, from ui-. . J,, ihis, sense, too. bolh human and divine J.re attributed to our Lord. The sufferings s ''i'li he endured during his passion were borne J ''' Ins human nature, but the same sufferings, 1 V i" li he endured in b:s human nature, were the k y'itferii,gs of God. Therefore, they were ample to J s:,,i.-fy infinite justice, redeem the human race and I r'"-'"',e to man his lost inheritance. J " " " 1 f i ii I,. . .. . ii n . i i i - i. - ..I- in. . THE SACRED HEART r - ' , , . ts . ' ' ' ) if " ' ' ' ; ' ' i A Heart that hath a Mother, and I ft , ' " , A" a" t 1.1 j ' Ifi ' J that blessful Vision last, a treasure of red blood, c "V ' 3, , ;tV c Z ifi, ; " And its brightness o'er immortalized A Heart that man can pray to, and t - V , O-'L C. C J" i l - t , , r ,. !r ' A ,s' "t ' A creation will it cast; feed upon for food! 1 fh ' . . . v ' r 4i u i x .ci . I . ' ' if i J 0 ' "v Ungrowing: and unfading, Its pure In the brightness of the Godhead ii I j rf w;4;, ; . i . . , , l l i' - 'K J ' ' Essence doth it keep, its marvelous abode, . i - , f -y ' , , tt , t Ml x!'1 1 X . In the deepest of those depths A change in the Unchanging, crea- - y p x 1 1 tion touching God! j I j I i ' 1 I where aU arC infhlitely deep; Ye spirits blest, in endless rest, who F '! t U ( ' 1 Uchan and changeable, as It on that vision gaze, NLlt?iA f '' hath ever been, Salute the Sacred Heart with all H . j As was before that Humatt Heart your worshipful amaze, RW ' I was there by angels seen, And adore, while with ecstatic skill 1 So it is at this very hour, so will the Three in One ye can, j ' . ever be' The Mercy that has planted ffcert jC I With that Human Heart witMn !t' that blessed Heart of Man I j ? : bcating hot with love of me! i V I V"-s vh If From hymn by Father Faber. vmumjm . writer, who holds fast to the faith, does not propose pro-pose to defend what Catholics as individuals, may do. say or practice. They belong to the human side of the Church and may, like Judas, betray their Master. To all dogmatic teaching, the Church-and all members-are held-fast, heeause-that is unchangeable. aJid as God has revealed it, and it is so announced by the head of the Church, whom he has commissioned and authorized to feed, rule and govern the Church, both clergy and laity, it must be true. F. D. |