The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1876-09-10
CATHOLIC. UNITY,
Westminster (England) Review

LIS tne foremost question of the day.
enters into almost every political question
and 1t underlies all the ontroverries tha
agltate the human mind and divide polit
Cal society.
Europe is gradually being divided int
two distinct and antagonistic parties-int
those who are obedient in thought and actio
to the Catholic Church, together with sue
as, though unhappily separated from CathC
| lie unity, hold to the principle of Christia
faith, and those who reject altogether dog
matte and revealed religion.
Ihe two opposing hosts are very nearl
matched, though their weapons of offepc
and defence are very dissimllar in characte,
Ihe Church puts lts trust in God and relic
on moral power, on the convictions of tn
heart, on the intelligence of the mind ilu
minated by faith. The enemies of th
Church, the anti Christian state and ciyi
society, 30 far as it has rejected divine truth
appeal to physical force, the com mpulsory law
TO prescription, to persecution. The ds,
mas gone by when the infidel and the ra
tionallst, with arrogant boast or fippan
sneer, claimed to rely for victory over the be
nighted Christian on the power of intellec
tual superiority, and on the effect of knowl-
edge aud its diffusion among the masses
The Church, far from stunning such a tria
OF strength, took the lead in encouragine
study by founding universities and schools
and challenged Materialistic science to com.
ply. BY It's acts the irreligious party has
confessed its own defeat; it dares not awai,
the issue of the moral stuggie. In alliance
with the State 1t every where seeks to close
tue Christian schools; to silence the Chris
tlan champion in science, philosophy aud
relg!on, 1t resorts to physical force. 1t
suppresses the teaching Orders, it drives
into exile the famous Society of ,Jesns. If
tremb!es at the presence of the free and
Catholic universities. Even such dispas
slonate observer of the course of events as
the London Times, has more than once
oeen constrained to acknowledge and to la :
ment that the enemies of Catholic teaching
In Prussia have resorted to oppressive laws.
to prescription aud to high handed despot-
ism instead of trusting to the light of know
leoge, to the spread of education and to mo .
raj suasion fO" the final overthrow of The
Catholic Church.
But to physical force the Church opposes
passive resistance, and meets violence with
patient endurance. 1t knows how TO wait.
and to wait in hope aud silence is to win
Against supernatural faith, against moral
CONVICTIONS, physical force is but an impo.
tent weapon. Under physical coercion.
under persecution, as experience abun-
dainty shows, religious convictions are
never stlded, but strengthened and puri-
heo. Ihe body may be s5rangled, but the
spirit eurvlves. If unity be strength, never
was the Church 30 united as to day; but
never was unity more needed in order
HectoalIy to oppose the wide spread, the
lnsldlous, the INSCRIPTIONS and corruptipp
tofce that ls verywhere seeking to destroy
not only the Christian faith, but the very
idea OF the supernatural. Woe to those
VINO, on the one hand or the other. tanner
with Catholic unity. Woe be to those who
venture with pupy hand To tinker at tie
soIu foundations Of eternal truth, who,
Wise III 'htif own cOncoIt, seek, as the Pope
4ys Ill Brief to the writer's in a Belgian
newspaper, " to reconcile truth with error,
light with dark oess )" but On the other
hand, what condemnation does not fall on
that unchastened spirit which with reckless
ln7ades the sanctuary OF the faith,
lakes authority into it's own hande, distorts,
Catholic teaching, and denounces and con-
leu ns, as 1t 1t were master in Israel. They,
indeed, who be of this spirit, are the verits
Die enemies of Catholic unity, they disturb
ne stream at its source and darken and pol
ute the waters. WrangliDg among Catho- |
lcs Is an offence against Catholic unity-it |
erVee, moreover ss an excuse for the pusil- |
Anilnous majority to suspend their iudR- |
oent and to hold their peace.
ana what is to be said of this pusillani- |
nous majority, which all the day long
tands idly by and leaves to the few the |
eat and burden of the fight Z In the con-
let which the Church and Christian societv
ave to sustain against an active and re-
'ntless foe, the inaction OF the majority in
very country is a source of weakness to
ne faith they have not forsaken, but are too
mid OF too indOlent to defend. Such pur-
Useless inaction, such feebleness of will,
1ch darkened judgment, cannot, in these
arnest days, endure much longer; for as
ne conflict between faith and unbelief, be-
Teen Christian society and modern civiIi-
alton grows in intensity, as the two great
pposing forces approach, no space or
landing ground will be left between them
IT those who now feebly stand aloof from
10 combat. To one side or the other the
ow irresolute majority must unite.
One compensation, indeed-as if divinely
'dained-persecutiOn of the faith ever
rings with it. 1t strikes a spark in the
1llest breast and kindles a fire that before
Nv has renewed the face of the earth. In !
e expectancy of great things at hand, in &
70 knowledge of all that is at stake i n the r
lpending conflict 1t bohOoves us as Catho-
"a in England, where our lot is cast and c
here our inheritance is, to lay hold of all Il
ats good and Christian, to win back our n
Parated brethren, to keep those we can b
It as yet win back, as far as in our power n
,s, at least, on the right side, to be Just @
"a uanarnua in Our ~