The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-11-14
THE JUBILEE.

This excellent little book, written by gen.
tleman of our city and published by the Morn
ing Star Office, comes to us with its words of
instruction and lessons of encouragement at q
most opportune moment.
There is no subject upon which the world at
large is so wofully ignorant upon that of
Indulgences, for even among Catholics there is
not as clear comprehension of its Importance
as one would expect to find.
The idea of the Protestant mind upon this
subject is very indefinite and always erroneous.
At one time, an Indulgence is an extensive
permission to commit sin in the future; at an
other, it is complete pardon for all sins
that have been committed in the past.
Longfellow, whose genius seems at times to
be truly Catholic, suffers also from this in
definite notion concerning Indulgences, for in
one of his poems, or tales, of Wayside Inn, he
writes these words as spoken to q man about
to do deed most cruel and unnatural:
| q" Complete thy sacrifice. ecen thou lcin,
The Church absoves thy conscience from all guilt! !"
By indulgences are meant no pardon Of sin
at ALL and still less q permission to commit
sin; but simply "a remission of the temporal
punishment that remains due, after the sin and
it's eternal punishment have been RENTED, by
the application, by Church authority, of the
merits of Christ and of the Saints"
Were our Protestant friends willing to en-
tighten themselves upon Catholic doctrines,
they would read q book of this kind, in which
the whole subject is extensively treated in a
clear and scholarly manner. But as none are SO
blind as those who will net see, We fear even
this excellent jewel of instruction will fash it's
light in vain before the eyes of pestilently
blind generation.
AS the Jubilee devotions are now being made
all over the city, and gious PROFESSIONS with
their beautiful emblems of faith are seen to
move alone the highways, it would be we'll for
all Christians to instruct themselves in the
teachings of the Church.
The observances of the Jubilee, as prescribed
by the Holy Father, Plus TX may procure for
us, if We follow them with the proper DISPOSE
tions the same remission of punishment as
though we had performed SO many days or
| years of canonical penances.
A Jubilee, of course, if gained, is an entire
remission of all temporal punishment due to
our sins; and had we hearts of faith we would
eagerly and lovingly embrace this bounteous
means of satisfying our indulgent Father for
our many offenses against Him. That God
always inflcts punishments for sin committed,
ID proved Dy our author In the Work before us.
Who does not remember how terrible was
this punishment in the case of King David,
who, though he bitterly repented of, and was,
no doubt, forgiven his sin, yet was compelled
by the anger of God to choose one of three
evils, or temporal punishments, as an atone
ment for his pridef
Either famine in the land for seven years, OF
to be pursued by his enemies for the space of
three months, or to have q pestilence in the
land. Poor David pitifRlly saying, at is bet
ter to fall into the hands of the living God (tOr