| OCR Text |
Show A 1 -CXM Universal 1. - . j THE TEACHING OF THE CHURCH. ) jt iF worthy of note how closely pub- Ji(, ,. pinion : approaching to the teaoh- j j ;C f the church on some important uUr.t;i,,i,s. Scarcely i a f week passes vi;iiout cur hearing of some Protest- .,nt c: vent ion or similar body or l,,:r.c lia'line thinker taking the atti- ' , which the church has always pre- yi ix'1! upon, divorce, temperance, pub- I jj,. t-oiication or some other matter of f , s-isnifioaiK-e. " Now is the time to I c.i'v;kc while the iron is hot. The Cath- i ',:, teacher cannot do belter than to J I J j a clear, pimple exposition of , the ' I f , hurcli's position on these questions, so f ;!int th'- faithful may not be moved by 1 ,'x?:mists on either hand, but may al-vavp al-vavp hold to the rock of Peter, so that I 01 id may recognize the fact that I t!,,. always has and always will, having .; , for her guide, be on the right ; f .. . K lesiastical Review. j THE FIVE WOUNDS. I Kr. , a crucifix and kiss and adore I .-:y day the five precious wounds. I ...t vnur kisses and your prayers be I 1 ,x. j ai ls and precious stones, which j ; vr tire of setting in each of the I i. '. mnds of your Savior in the j v.i:i. is of ihe feet for having so long S F ,i ..i wearily followed you. in the j r. !ii;.-l if thr. left hand for having so ! : ;! Titteu you up ana carried you, in "i wound of the right hand for having j s,, 1: blessed and absolved you. in t... ..uiid of the Sacred Heart for be- l 1 t: a f innate of hive, always open to ? : you with love and forgiveness. I LIQUOR'S CURSE. S T! :p hardly a crime committed or t p made in human life that is 'liiei tly or indirectly traceable to I i: :ium-e of liquor. The vast num- i :s w ho every year go down to graves I failure, ruin, sin and disgrace, have ! nearly eveiy instance to thank th" j : . . iirscd dvil of drink for the wreck I disaster of their lives. Only when I ...!!. horrible case is presented in the I nuns of the press does the world J mo;, to .-onsidor the full significance of' ' I v. i.isk.-y's terrible curse. And surely j j 1 who reads finds no lack of horrible j iir'l'''f!. for seldom does a day pass j ;'...! I -?. not have its gruesome chron- i ! of murders and suicide .directly I to drink-inaddened brains, j Ni l only does o er-indulg-nee in in- i :icating drink rob its victim of time, I Money, prosperity, opportunity and f '-iture. but it in very many cases hands I 1 im over to disgrace, misfortune and I i':e liangmnn's noose, or the dreaded j '.,., -trie . hair." As Shakespeare says j "thello:" "Oh that men should put j enemy in their - mouths to steal f .ca their brains." Many delude j tivm.-elvt s with the idea that "one r.iass" is -no harm": but it is "harm." I :;n l very serious harm, for it weakens i " e will so that another and another follow, till ihe victim wakes us to find J himself perhaps a ruined man or a con- ! .icnincd felon.. Obsta prineipii.s fight j the b ginnings. is the motto to rely on. ! 5 Hi il by avoiding the first step it willj ! I :et be necessary to guard the second. j 'it 'ailioj,- Hecord. j I j BE A MAN. i J When a great man w as asked as to ! " hat one thing he most attributed his j s-neess, he answered: "To the simple I almonition of my father to be "a man.' I Vhen started to country school he f v:id to me. "Jim. be a man.' and when I I left for college he said. "Good-bye, j .'i:v. : be a man,' and when I left home I for mj- life work he said. Well. Jim. j l- a man.' and when living he gave me I lis feeble hand and said. "Farewell, I .':m: he ;1 man.' and in trying to follow I that brief injunction of my good fa- ? 1her.ij1.aJl places and circumstances I I have attained to all the success that i o-d has given me." j PRIEST'S SENSE OF DUTY. j "'iied for Benefit of Anti-Clerical?.) I Ala lime when organized attacks are v::,b' in so many quarurs upon what is i j:c, clericalism, says the London I ''aiholic Times, two incidents which I iiiusi rate clerical ideas of duty are I w ! 1 hy of record. ! 1 ; one i-a.e the Rev. Father Dentinal. I parish priest of Neuvilly, in the depart- I !) of the Xord. France, was suffer- I i: - from a severe attack of influenza, j !! had passed through the most acute j :ni!i of the illness, but the doctor en.- f -d the strictest care assuring him j h.ii his life would be endangered by a j V'l.ipse. .lust after he had received I this caution he got notice that a dying I ''onian was anxious to be visited by a I Miesi. No other prirst was at hand, I :.d in order to meet her. wish Father T' i in.al faced 1 he risk to his health. j y ' hi:- retudti home from her house he j 1 v s -iz-d w ith f ; ver and he died the I o j 1. the second case Father Lemmius I w. "Uffering- as the result of an out- Mi;., iiy Anarchisi.s at Liege a year ago. I ! na: ly escaped with his life, and !": .1 lonp lime has been under medi-1' medi-1' -are. rpon his recovery recently I ' e ,,f the first acts he performed was I tisii th" three men imprisoned for I ' vim-, and to offer them spiritual I o: soiation. All three have been so I mm. ;,y his kindness that they have I ;,, heroine practicing "atho- i . f OUR RELIGION. I' m peculiar and distingui!-hii;g trait 'l.iistiai.ity "is that it is insepara-'on: insepara-'on: iis Diine Founder." Be- I m. ' "hi istianity and Christ,, there is j mmv: . ;j,,n not eeii mental. Every ! ; ' v j iKi' can be distinguished from f r - ; i.ilo-ophy. every scientist can be I M;';ished from his science, and j ' loci can be distinguished from I ;""!? y. 1 .lit betxveen Christ and his j ' x . no distinction is possible. So I o ac.-ejit Christianity is to accept j WAIT UPON GOD. I "'' m:!. wait thou upon God with the in equation which makes a man Hi.- heart and strong for all j ' ? of th,. living. There is res-1 I ' ' c,..,ter. Thou losest nothing if I i s v-t not God. Let the world go I - :th its dust and noise, with its 1 m f:;nic. My soul, wail thou upon 3 j THE MIND OF THE POPE. I ' vr -riiit page pamphlet, innocent i m-'v, hiiii, place. authM-s signature, I ;' ;i. primatur. recently appeared in I !'' Though bereft of these time- I r credentials, tlie document has j ;" f'-clesiastical Rome in a ferment. : ' l"tr.- corresnondent of the New 1 ''M World says that "the impression I w,j ir.ro i,y ,he anonymous publica- I ' " i- something wionnouF." The cor- , S'-viem 0f tho Iondon Tablet de- y iiiat -within tweiTty-four hours j ' its appearance, all ecclesiastical J i.Mn ,. ,Vil!S flIji of jt- I !'r," brochure appeared under the ti- I ' lv.ux X, His Acts and His Intent I s." From this caption one would I j i is:if,r., in declaring that the work 'en, the pen of. the Holy Father or! "r,, ,hr )((!1 of FOnlo onp deputed by p;r' lOach of these alternatives has j vUpf,sl;)(j 0lle Roman journal j -s'l-ied tliat the pamphlet was actual- 1 'v written by the pope. Another de- I ' .Href) that j w-as inspired by him, re- I , sr"i hy him. corrected by him. and I I'l'inved by him. The correspondent of j '; P Tablet feels persuaded that "it is I vork of some ve-r important . ' ''' '"'' hinati, with an extraordinary 1 "o ledge of the Curia, and a very 4 ' L,1" acquaintance with the ideas of I P:us x." J The writer, whoever he may be, is I i 'emaikably -outspoken,, and there are those who regret that his pages have ever seen the light. The book is. how-eer. how-eer. being translated into manv languages lan-guages and it will no doubt shortly '"?e us in English dress. The pamphlet purports to give the de-11 de-11 11 the Pntiff'f Plan "to restore all things in Christ." He is to begin th the clergy, and more specifically, with the clergy of ' Italy. He is not satisfied with the work done in the seminaries of that country. There are three hundred of these institutions. That s altogether too many, and much more than can be run with advantage, as Italy is not able to supply first-class professors for more than forty or fifty, uhat the pontiff wants are zealous,! practical, learned and energetic priests. He is going to see if the theological ! schools of his native land cannot become be-come more efficient in supplying them, ne fancy that if he reduces the number num-ber of ecclesiastical seminaries from three hundred to fifty, he will have taken a long step towards the desired end. Italy ought to be able to worrv along with fifty theological schools. , even if she is divided and subdivided into two hundred and eighty bishoprics. The pontiff . then-calls upon the bishops bish-ops to exercise a most special care and fatherly vigilance over the younger clergy. He. exhorts the members of re- ',iou oroers "io return- to the most perfect kind of life."' He would have their superiors allow up money, not even the most trifling sums to individual individ-ual religious: he would prohibit them absolutely from visiting private families fami-lies and would have them exercise the utmost care In, the selecting of -subjects. Turning from the clergy at large to those who are more or less identified with the Roman Curia, the writer points out schemes of reform that are at once far-reaching and radical. As. Pius X has already incorporated the congrega-j congrega-j tion of Indulgences and Relics with that of the Rites, so he would identify the Index and the Holy Office, givfng to the consolidated congregations the title "Do Fide Tuenda" Congregation for the Conservation of the Faith. Other plans of consolidation are suggested. The Holy Office is to have no part in trying matrimonial cases, and the bishops and regulars are held to eschew es-chew matters belonging to the council. These and other matters especially in-teiesting in-teiesting to the Roman clergy are discussed. dis-cussed. The. correspondent of the 'Tablet declares de-clares that the document is "terribly drastic about bishops 'who, through infirmity, in-firmity, or old age. have become in-I in-I capable of performing their duties in person.' Coadjutors will not serve the purpose, the bishops 'should be made by law to resign and give way to other prelates able to procure the welfare of the diocese. Neither does the writer believe that one bishop should ever be transferred to another diocese, unless for the gravest reasons. It would be very advisable, in his view, to re-establish the observance of the decrees of the Council of Trent with regard to the rights and duties of metropolitans towards to-wards their suffragans, especially concerning con-cerning the obligation of regulars and the visitation of the dioceses, and put ! into full force the .canonical prescriptions prescrip-tions affecting the right of appeal to the metropolitan from the diocesan court." . . As the publicatipn of this pamphlet has produced a nrofound imnression in Rome and has as yet been visited with 1 no official disclaimer, it seems right to conclude that it enjoys pontifical tolerance, toler-ance, if not approval. It would seem I that Pius X has been thinking out loud j and that his sentiments have been re-J re-J duced to writing either audaciously or 1 by his own direction. Catholic Tran-J Tran-J script. A PENITENTES OUTRAGE. 1 The following press dispatch made its appearance on the 22d instant: "Nailed to the cross, just as the Sa-j Sa-j vior died centuries ago. a fanatical member of the Penitentes is reported to have died yesterday at Torres. Las I Animas county, Colo. "The victim is j reported to have died in agony which I he willingly suffered, being -wrought 1 up to a delirium of religious fervor. The story comes from Mexicans who had witnessed the tragic scene. In old days, it is said, the actual crucifixion was not uncommon among" Penitentes, but was supposed to have been aban- doned long ago. though the practice of self-torture is still carried out among I the members of the order during Holy j week." j Concerning this incomprehensible j outrage as a .result of religious frenzy, j the following, Avhich appeared in the l Ave Maria of last week, is timely and I interesting: "The reiteration of calumnies against the church in connection with the Penitentes Pen-itentes of New Mexico induced the Rev. Father Ilainault of the diocese of j Syracuse to investigate the history of those strange fanatics, of whom travelers, trav-elers, and especially sectarian preachers, preach-ers, tell such wondrous tales the annual an-nual crucifixion of a Penitent on Good Friday, etc. The following information informa-tion was furnished by the superior of he Jesuit mission at Las -Vegas, New I Mexico: j " 'It is unhappily true that there ex-j ex-j ists in our midst a class of fanatics calling themselves Penitentes. and practicing, especially during Holy week, such acts as are described, in the clipping you have sent me, except the hanging of one of them on a cross and ! leaving him to die. The church has I done all in her pcrwer to suppress j them. Archbishop Salpointe went even 1 so far as. to excommunicate some of j their lodges. . or moradas, but to no purpose. They are stubborn, and ' would sooner leave the church than the 1 brotherhood. And no wonder, since they are abetted in their resistance to I ecclesiastical authority by crafty pol-I pol-I iticians, who need their votes on eleci tion days, and' so exert themselves to 'keep them together -by every possible j way. But the Penitentes are no more the people of New Mexico than the (lynchers of some southern states are I the people of Kentucky, Tennessee or I Texas. They form a despicable minority, minor-ity, a mere fraction" of the population.' "The Penitentes are sometimes re- ! ferred to by ignorant non-Catholic writers as 'a religious order of the ! Roman Catholic church existing in ! Mexico and elsewhere.' It will be seen j that ihe sect is Catholic in -the snse I that Christian Scientists are .scientific." j THE PRIEST'S SUBSTITUTE. 't . . Ought . to Be a .Welcome Weekly Guest in Every Catholic Home. ' The solemn injunction laid by our Lord ' upon His apostles of preaching the Gorpel to all the nations is a matter mat-ter quite familiar to every Catholic. To the llmjts of their power and the; time allotted them "on earth they com- plied in the fullest measure with the J 'divine command. But the task was not to cease with their death. The Gospel was also to" be preached to the yet unborn un-born generation. Otherwise our Savior's Sa-vior's passion and death would.be in vain. Hence He imported to them the power of consecrating their successors, who in unbroken line are the bishops and priests of our own. day. Today however, much of the world sjts in the shadow of -idolatry. Heresy i stalk boldlv where the truth once reigned, and false teachers have led millions away into erroneous notions of our Lord's sacr?d doctrines. Out-own Out-own beloved country has not escaped the contamination. In the beautiful southland live a. multitude of souls to whom God's proper Gospel is-almost as much unknown as it to to th,lr ancestors an-cestors in the interior of Africa. In the west southwest and other sections conditions, though not" so bad; art still in urgent need of betterment. Collectively, Collec-tively, thousands of our own seldom see a priept nnd are in danger of losing the faith. - To our mind there is a substitute and an excellent substitute. It is a good Catholic paper. Furthermore, we feel safe in the assertion that where regularly regu-larly read it is a preservative of the faith under the most adverse conditions. There is little danger of loss of faith in the homes into which it goes and is read faithfully, even if these homes be absolutely isolated from church and priestly visitation. No one knows this better than the priest of many and greatly scattered missions. But its influence in the populous parish par-ish of the metropolis is in nowise different. dif-ferent. Here it lighten? the labors of pastors and keeps the people in closet-touch closet-touch with their many duties. The late holy father, of most happy memory, called it a perpetua'l mission in every parish. Hence further proof that it is en excellent aid to the priest. In the light of such facts is it not strange that the Catholic paper receives such scant endorsement and such little encouragement en-couragement from the altar? Church Progress. PATIENCE. It must not be forgotten that one of the chief foes upon whom patience must wage war is sadness or affliction of spirit: It is principally concerned, says St. Thomas of Aquin, with sadnesses. sad-nesses. We are depressed and afflicted when things go wrong, or we meet with opposition, or we suffer injustice. And sadness, we are told bv St. Ignatius, in his spiritual exercises, is the ordinary instrument employed by the devil to rinder good, especially in men and women of good will. Christian patience therefore, shakes off sadness, goes directly di-rectly and f?arle.ssly and constantly against it, does the very opposite of what sadness suggests. When tempted to give up, we become all the more constant: con-stant: we pray more, examine more carefully, do more, good, perfor meven some acts of mortification. CATHOLICS LOYAL TO LAW. In those qualities and characteristics that touch the interests and affect the permanent welfare of the country, I venture to declare as my honest conviction con-viction that the Catholic population stand on the right side. This will ever be found defenders of the constitution and laws. They stand for order against anarchy, for the rights of property against confiscation. They will support authority in maintaining main-taining the public peace against the schemes and plottings of dreamers and conspirators. They stand for the marriage tie and the sanctity of the home against the scandal and abomination of divorce and the disruption of the family to which divorce surely leads. They stand for liberty as against license, li-cense, and, whenever the issue shall be fairly presented, I am persuaded that they will also be found on the, side of temperance and temperance reforms, as against the evil and curse of the drink plague. The Catholic citizen who loves God and faithfully follows the teachings of the church must love his country and cannot be otherwise than loyal to that country's best interests. We know no allegiance that can affect our loyalty and fidelity to the constitution and laws of the United States. The duty of Catholics in public life lies in acquitting 'themselves faithfully of their obligations" as citizens, bearing always iu . mind what that obligation implies and imposes. A faithful regard for the constitution, a proper vigilance for the just administration of government, govern-ment, national, state and municipal: a conscientious exercise of the franchise fran-chise without fear or favor, so as to promote the "welfare of the state and the best interests of the community.' and steadfast adherence to principles of order,-, honor and civic virtue. These qualities and characteristics constitute the ideal of the conduct and career of the Catholic citizen. . "' You cannot "run" a country without God. That experiment has been attempted at-tempted again and again: history abounds in examples and warnings as to the result. "God-and our country" should be our accepted motto. Unfler it all can unite. W. J. Onahan in Chicago Chi-cago Daily Journal. IN MARRIAGE ENGAGEMENTS. It is the correct thing I For a young lady to think well about I what she is doing before engaging her- self in marriage. For a young man to ponder seriously the same subject. For Catholics to, marry Catholics. To ascertain in all cases where a dispensation dis-pensation is required whether it can be procured without any difficulty before announcing an engagement. To know that a dispensation is required re-quired for Catholics to marry-non-Catholics: cousins within and including the fourth degree; persons related by marriage within the fourth degree: persons connected by spiritual affinity sponsors, god-children, etc. To know that dispensations are not mere matters of form, and that they will not be given unless there are grave reasons for doing so. To know that an offering for some charitable object must be given when obtaining a dispensation. To give timely notice of an -engagement to the parish priest, so that the banns may be published three successive succes-sive Sundays. To consult parents, or other persons of sound judgment before entering into an engagement of marriage. ' To remember that the head and heart j should agree in the choice of a companion com-panion for life. For a rich young man to' give his fiancee a diamond solitaire engagement ring. For one who is poor to select an in-j in-j expensive ring, in keeping with his means, and save his money for. the I more necessary needs of housekeeping.; I To insist on a quiet wedding if the I parents cannot afford the expense of j an elaborate one. t For an engaged couple to avoid public ' displays of affection, which are both j vulgar and indiscreet. The Correct I Things for Catholics. j DR. ELIOT'S GENTLEMAN. Discussing the -characteristics of a gentleman in democratic society. President Presi-dent Eliot said that he should be gentle of speech, quiet of demeanor, a ."-erene person who does not bluster or bustle or hurry or vociferate, but who pays attention with the intent mind which is requisite to effectiveness. He accorded ac-corded him the disposition to seeN the superiorities in persons rather than their inferiorities, and a preference for the society of his. superiors. And ho held that he should have a generous spirit, conforming his life to his resources, re-sources, avoiding both lavishness and parsimony. He should be considerate, too, especially espe-cially toward those who are in any way in his power, and should scrupulously scrupu-lously avoid hurtinsr any one weaker than himself. He even denied him the precious privilege of being lazy. His democratic gentleman must be a power, a worker, a distinterested laborer in the service of others: not a weakling or a mere pleasure-seeker, but a strong and hard-working man. Metropolitan Magazine. |
