The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-12-05
''ca.holicity Never weaker Than i, is Now

Baltimore Mirror.
Who 10 there that has not heard that
cry7 From all sides it resoupds, from the
enemy without the camp to the false friend
within" Cathoicity never was weaker
than it is now !"
"Oh, ye, of little faith.' How old is
the rebuke, how often has it crossed the
ages, and how often will it cross the ages |
again Was not Catholicity weak to the
eyes OF men but strong to eyes of God,
when Nero reigned and Vespasian ruled in
Rome7 Was it not weak when the Saints
were dragged from the depths of the Cata-
combs and driven into the arena where the
lions waited to devour them, and day after
day beheld them still slaughtered and still
= increase, whilst not only beasts, but the
axe and the sword, and all manner of tor
ture deprived them of their existence
Was it not weak when Sebastian fell
pierced by arrows, and Januarius was torn
to pieces by the tigers in the Amphithea-
tre2 Was it not weak when there was no
living symbol of it's existence or no living
exponent of it's doctrines publicly known
in Rome, the city and centre of civilza-
toni
When the neophytes and catechumens
we're slowly and gradually indicted into
its holy mysteries, was it not weak When
heresies arose, and the Arians, the followers
Of gifted and graceless man, attacked it
HISTORIANS and Eutychians and Monopoly
sites aud Manicheans poured forth their
dazzling and delusive doctrines to destroy
il whilst it was yet nascent from the airs of
Bethlehem, and the bloody baptism of
Calvary, was it not weak When for
moment such followers of its doctrines as
Origen, the De Lammenais of his age, but
unlike him the Penitent and sorrowful
OrigeD, poured out it's unrivaled genius to
destroy the doctrine in which he believed
and for awhile forgot the fealty that lie
owed to heaven, was it not weak When
hat afkprwaTda
the name of the Apostate, SO terrible were
his talents, aud 80 inveterate his hatred,
and SO influential his power as Emperor
turned against Catholicity, was it not weak 7
the errors of HISTORIAN Monk, composed
that shocking and brutal compendium of
vice and sensuality, the Koran bidding the
hordes that followed his diabolical fanati-
cism to invade the hottest shrines Of the
East, where the light of truth first dawned
churches that tie Apostles founded, the
churches of Alcppo, and Damascus, and
jerusalem, and Alexandra, was it not
weak7 When PEotius arose and estab
lished the Greek schism, and swept with
him in his departure the regnant
power that lad held high state in Con
stantinople, when the Emperors of the
East and West, the Comneui and Pa'1'og'
those born to the purple, followed his
errcrs, and nearly the half of the Christ
ran ~0Tlu WaikcQ III MS IOOlskepsS uidi
from the Pa;rimony of ST. Peter, was not the
Church weak then7 VAST not weak when
Luther with his eloqueDce and determine
ton and diabolical influence gained the
most powerful Sovereign of the West to his
purpose, and broke the heart of the faitt
in Germany and the North of Europe
when Europe was as the whole world to
day, was it not weak Weak, most certainly
weak to the eyes of men, but strong to the
eyes of GOd.
Catholicity has ever been weak to tn
consideration of humanity in the world, TO
Catholicity is the contest of virtue agatns
vice, and vice most abounds.
Let us take a look at the nations tina
have cherished it the most, and we will
and that they have met the fate which the
love of God entails upon all those who arr
devoted to His service. ireland has suffered
stripes innumerable. Poland, ali POLAND
10 no more! These are the martyr hationi
of the world, and their names are writer
in its history with pen of iron, blurred
with tears of blood. But ia Catholicity
weaker to day than she was then3 The
Pope is q pSeoner in Rome, aud the city
is in the hands of King Victor Emmanuel
This is a specious argument, indeed. Die
no invader ever hold Rome before W.
will not allude to Attila, but did not thu
Constable De Bourbon sack the city of thu
Caesars, and did not Napoleon drag Piu
the Seventh from the Vatican to the prlsol
that ho had prepared for him in Fontan
bleau. The Ropes nave oeeh PRISONERS eNc'
before the time of Plus the Seventh, ant
the capital of Catholic Chrstendom ha
more than once been prey in the hands o
the CONC eror long before the days that be
held the freebooters of Piedmont dashin
through the breach that they had made a
the Porto Pia.
But there are those who do not know that
There are those who do not know the ana
logies OF history when Prince Bismarc!
cries out " We will not go to Canossa,
and proceeds to Cypress monks and nun
indiscriminately, and to imprisOn Prelatea
aud to exile priests. When Mr.. Gladstone
a disappointed Prime Minister of England
writes against CathOlicity, there are thos
who do not remember the powerful attack
of Lucien, the Greek writer upon Chris
tianity, seventeen hundred years ago.
Catholicity has always been "Weak," ant
always living, living amidst the cTash o
thrones that had attempted to crush it b.
their weight, and the disappearance o
dypaaties which vainly strove to WELD