The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-08-04
ST. STEPHENS ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.


Sermon by tho Rev. Father Nee uiris-
The Triduum-An Indulgence Not
License to Sin-The Church the Dis
pensc- of InIulgencez.
The high mass IN st. Stephens yesterday morn
ing was attended by large and seemingly devout
congregation. The Rev. Father McQurk having
read Archbishop McCoskey's circular letter pro-
claiming the trtduun,, or three days devotion, and
special prayer for the deiverance Of the Church
from her present trbulations preached an nstruc
tive discourse ON the nature of lndulgences and
the power OF the Catholic Church to grant them.
He said The PRONUNCIATION OF the triduu3n by our
venerable Archbishop affords IN appropriate 0cCa-
sion to say something on indulgences There Is
scarcely any dogma OF the Church 80 misunder-
stood or so maliciously mIsrepresentcd by those
who are not OF the fold 1t has been stated time
and again that an indulgence is
LICENSE TO COMMIT SIN
or pardon of sin, while the Church in her author
lied catechsms and through her ministers Is daily
procaiming that an indulgence Is nothing more or
less than 81 remission of the temporal punishment
due TO SIN after the guilt has been RENTED" In
stead of being license to sin, an indulgence pre-
supposcs a freedom from sin, that Is to say, no
person can gain indulgence, unless ne Is heartily
sorry for his sins, conesses them at the tribunal OF
penance aud receives dissolution from the repre-
morta, sin merits II twO-fOd punishment an eternal
and temporal punishment The eternal punish
ment Is RENTED in the sacrament OF penaEce, the
temporal generally by indulgences The realty Of
two-fold punishment is evident from the
Sacred Scriptures. After Adam had repented
OF MS sin and God had forgiven hin,
we find the father of the human race Spending 900
years OF exile on earth as a temporal punishment
for lbs Gisob ed Moses ana Aaron had
miraculously sprung water TO quench the thirst Of
the exhausted lsraeiitcs. God certainly forgave
were condemned to die-Aaron In the wilderness
and Moses within sight OF
THE PROMISED LAND.
When the people OF Israel murmurcd against God
they were forgiven at the urgent prayer OF Moses,
Il have forgiven according to Any word" Num-
bers xiv, 20. Here we have an express declaration
from the mouth of God that He hal forgiven
tie sin; yet. he adds, they shall not see
Say, therefore, to them, GAS I l live, saith
the Lord, your children shall wander in the
desert forty years. and shall bear your fornicatiOn
until the carcasses OF their fathers shall be con-
sumed in the desert" Numbers xiv. 90, 2s 33.
Even alter their sin was forgiven God inflicted a
dreadful temporal pun Shment. II further proof
were necessary to establish the fact OF temporal
punishment being inflicted after the e!erna! Is re-
mitted-the sin i0rgiven.it may be found IN the
spired by God, told David that his sin was forgiv
en-'rhe Lord hath also taken away thy SIN; thou
shalt not die" 2 Kings tSamuep XII, 10. And in
the next verse the prophet adds, "NeverthclesJ,
because thou hast given occasion 10 the enemies of
the LSa SO S@S ta Is
and aniictions are like the premature deaths OF
Moses and Aaron,
THE HORRIBLE FATE
of the lsraeltes IN the desert, the sorrow OF David
at the death OF his child-temporal punishments
inflicted Tor sin.
The power to remit the debt OF the temporal
punishment, which remains due after the sin
itself and the eternal punishment have been re.
mtted in the sacrament OF penance, was given
by Christ to His Church when he said to Peter,
"And will give to thee the keys OF the Kingdom OF
heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth
! shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou
shalt loose upon earth 1t shall be also lOosed in
| heaven.h-Mat., xvi, 10. These words, taken In
| their full and obvious sign1cation, confer the
| power not only to absOve from the guilt OF
| sin and its eternal punishment but also TO remit
| the temporal punishment That these words are
to be understood IN their fullest Specification Is in
consonance with the acknowledged canon OF inter.
pletati0n that, unless there is something in the
context or subject matter TO restrict the meaning
words must be interpreted in their ul and ordi.
nary Specification. The Church, as the guardian OF
''TnE DEPOSIT OF THE FAITH"
| and the divinely constituted expoundcr of the
! Word OF God, has always claimed that in those
| words or Christ she received the power to remit
the temporal punishment due to sin.
The early Christian Church exercised this power,
and her right to 1t was never questioned until the
twelfth century. When the Church grants an in.
the superabundant merits OF Christ, OF the blessed
Virgin, OF the saints and martyrs, In lieu OF the
| temporal punishment which she RENTS. In order
! to gain an indulgence we must be in state Of
! grace: we must receive the Holy Communion and
perform the conditions on which the indulgence IL
iege which His Holiness the Pope has extended tC
all Catholics throughout the world. and let US pray
| that God may grant peace and happiness to His
! Kingdom on earth-the Church.