The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-09-12

The Catholic Church has always Deon etyic1
the Mother of the faithful; and in every period
OF her eventful career we find her exercising /
towards her children the duties OF this sacred
character, in the suppression Of vice and in the
Of virtue; but in no act Of hers
10 there q maze striking proof of this than in |
that wise regulation, callsd in the Middle Ages
tho Trace Of God.
In order to understand this privilege Of peace, |
aa IL IL called by the learned AalmeS, and to
realize the great need of its exercise, we must
remember that Christian society was formed
originally from two races OF people; one, col-
sivated bat corrupt; the other, fierce and vim
dictive: the Roman and the Barbarian. Their
minds, it 10 true, were imbned with Christian
precepts, but their hearts were filed with
savage passions. Their ideas were good and
pure, for they were inculcated by the religion
OF love but their habits and inclinstions, even
their laws, were opposed to charity and justice
Public Law, for the well-being Of the indi-
vidual, did not exist, or was entirely ignored.
Private hatred stirred up the vengeance OF the
ssrong or dallied with the revenge Of the weak.
The Frank went armed oven into the house OF
God and the Roman was slow to learn that
forgiveness was q virtue.
For centuries the Church preached to her
restless children the divine command which
obliges them to love even their enemies; but
the aeroe passions Of their nature still urged
| them to resent an injury, to deepoiI the weak,
to rob the poor, to slsy the helpless and to
| conquer right by might.
Like mother, who, knowing that her turbu-
lent sons will not obey her in all things, and
yet feeling sure of their love and veneration,
| en- 40 fnv for a .
90 the Church, in those early days Of her law
less children, not being able to curb their fierce
Wills to her gentle precepts, bids them observe
under pain of her displeasure, given time Of
peace-called by her, the Truce of God-whioh,
in the year lO41, extended from Friday even
ing to the morning Of Monday.
During this time, NO one could take any
thing by force, or revenge an injury, or require
any pledge, without mourning excommunica-
ton or other spiritual penalties. In 1oAS, we
see that the Truce Of God had gained ground
and was made to include certain festival days
and periods of special devotion, suoh d from
the first Sunday Of Advent to the octave Of the
Epiphany, from Ascension till Pentecost, the
Feasts Of Our Lady, Of st. Peter. st. Lawrence.
of st. Michael, All Saints, and certain fast
days, on which any violation OF the Trace WA
punished by anathema and Punishment. Thii
last penalty shows that the Church had the
privilege Of using the secular power for tbs
purpose of enforcing her censures, and honct
she was able to make herself Obeyed by hel
, stiil barbarous and unconquered sons.
It makes one smile to read the canona Of thu
Eleventh Century in regard to this pruden
discipline Of the Church. These laws forbii
; the robbing of merchants and pilgrims, AND
the attacking Of men who were going to church
or returning from it, or who were accompany
q ing women.
What . lswless state society was in, to cal
for such regulationsl But how wisely and pru
: IDENTIFY the Mother Church labored to bull
> upon these surging elements her own divinel
given peace and prosperity.
. = In 1905, at the Council of Clermont, wher
we hear of thirteen Archbishops, two hundre
=, and twenty Bishops and great number c
- Abbots being present, the first canon oonirme
the Truce for Thursday, Friday, Saturday an
= Sunday; and all days of the week sritk respect
romen. Here We see the Church speaking MOI
- positively, extending her restrictions, an
gradually but surely winning souls over to th
y laws OF Christ. At this same Council, it va
ordered that any man taking refuge near.
cross from his eneny's pursuit, should be
. safety as though he had found asylum in
- church.
Beautiful and sublime teaching of Christ
:" Spouse, mother of all men and protectress
the oppressed! Beneath the image of tn
Gross upon which the Saviour died, the do0mC
- victim was sheltered from his enemNs reveng
and each had time, through GodA inhni
mercy, to re-swaken in his heart the Teelinl
Of forgiveness, peace and brotherly Affection
and thus, while one life was spared, perhal
., two souls were gained for Heaven.
- In 113O, accommodation was also pr
~ nounced against incendiaries, who, not !
stricted by the Truce, were thus brought und
ecclesiastical watchfulness and prevented,
long as their conscience spoke it's {. still sm,
voice." from doing harm to their neighbo
90 goods or their own souls.
ara In Italy, the Eleventh Council of Latera
tv convoked in 1l79, fOrbids in it's twenty-seco
10 canon, to maltreat monks, clergy, pilgrim