The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-05-20
llsrnIng Star and Catholic Messenger
THT oErrAHs. sUspAY, NAY %. ls,1.


wHW oRIEAHs SUNDAY. MAY %. 1sa1.
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For all Catholics, and even for all christians
who admit the divinity Of Christ, praotics a :,
{ history, IL the term may be used, begins vi, \
& tAe coming of the Messiah. All the rest, as
far as theories Of government, Of the relations
Of the Individual to the State are concerned,
may be considered as biotted ont, es taoasa
rosa and the world, In tie moral order, began
RneW. Before the coming OF onr LORD there
'Was NO g0yerpmen In the modern sense OF
the @crd outside Of the jewish nation there
was only brutal force. Jesus Christ laid down
laws which ahould enter into every relation el
the life of man, and could not be mistaken
! These laws were just as binding on the mon
"a che governed: they guided and helped it,
and infased into 1t the first principles of free
dam.
Now it seems obvious to common sense that'
II Ghriet left law to the world, he left IL IN
scnsehody's keeping; he left n government and
. head as the representative of himself. This
representative 10 the Pope. whom oil christen-
King Of this mundane world, hut as the Su-
\ preme head of the universal church OF Christ.
Here 1t is, then. that Catholics bind their iath
In the Pope not in Pins TX. ss ruler of Rome,
bnt In Pius TX. as Vicar of Jesus Christ, AS His
living representative on earth. When. there
fore, christendom departs from christianity,
and devises measures or promulgates doctrines
In opposition to the law OF Christ Cathoiics
Look TO the decision of him with whom the
WORD abides, to say If tbis be true or nntrne,
right or wrong. He pronounoes, and they be-
lievo and obey.
Tho tendency of governments to-day 10 to
ray: 1--WE bow to no law, we recognize nothing
higher than ourselves" This Is going back to
the anti christian era, and reviving the wor
shie Of force. Disbelief in Christ, and conse
guently practical disbelief In His doctrines
sach 10 jtho tendency of the nineteenth century.
.And, therefore, to be Catholic 10 to be anti
national in the eyes of the State, when in
reality IL Is TO ba the most devoted citizen OF
the commonwealth. Rome employed q chris
tiRn legion and though in bravery and fidelity
60 the empire thns legion know no superior,
many Of it's membera were mhrtyred because
they recognized u spiritual power higher than
the State. From tho foregoing considerations
we conclude that Cathoiicity, dating from
Christ, believing in Christ, ard bnltt upon
Christ, will follow the State 10 al things save
where il transsrssses chs commandments OF
Christ: hence the non poSS"nHS
Catholics cannot consent TO the doctrine
that in the dominion of this world, the State
has precedence,
WHAT is THE sTATEf
An accident. The Gear of Russia, the Sultan
of Turkey, Bismarok, the British Parliament,
tho Commune, all these In turn call themselves
the 6tAte. Government, indeed. is supreme,
and TO be oteyed In lie o,on sphere but If there
be NO Law higher than the material laws which
men construct for themselves, and change as
occasion demands, goodbye TO all stable gov
eminent. Its powers are limited as those OF
all human Institutions; once it overstepa these
boundaries 1t becomes tyranny. We are bound
to give thanks to the Infinite Goodness of the
Redeemer, who has left q power above this
world this power is Religion, and the church
IL the embodiment of religion, and the Pope Ia
the head of the corporate body, infsllIble in-
deed when teaching the Universal Church.
aiee ie he an accident nil the Others There
will be always two lava in this world-the law
of God and the law of man the fret is equiva-
lent to right, the second 10 not necessarily so.
The diifionlty between States and the Catholic
Church lies IN the fact that the States consider
legality sy nonimous with right, and that what
IL legal therefore must commend Itself to the
christian conscience.
Here, also, we see the pecnliar mode of per-
aecution against the church, used in modern
times, as i5 was remarked before the brutal
force of former days is Disguised under the
ferns OF legality; the enemy masks It's bat
saries behind tho dazzling names of liberty,
civilization and progress and how many, even
among Catholics and well-meaning men, have
bean Che victims of the fatal illasionl This
nineteenth century, ut least the latter hsif of
il, hes been lauded aud gloriGed as the age of
Sfeedom-ss the liberal age.
Catholics began to forget their history they
began to think the era of Persecution for con-
science sake over, Wben they heard it pro.
aclaimed on ell sides that perfect freedom OF
fhought was the order of she day; there was
70 be NO distinction of persons; the lion wat
{ 70 lie down with the lamb, the world TO become
. haven of brotherly love, and the dawn Of the
EaealsSiiun wac eeen in the Heavens; the Iack
the Gibbot, the fagot aud the hurdle were al
to DO banishsd ont of sight and forgotten, ol
only preserved in museums as evidence of what
( horrible beings our sires could become. II
was all very gushing and nice; the narrow
llnaa OF prejudice were to be softened down
and old.fogy, stiff 'kneed notions 10 be voteG
ont.
Suddenly rang out the voice of Peter's suo
oossor: $500
LIBERALISM Is FAIsEi
beware Of itt 1t 10 only few years back sinc
xhese words startled the world in the Syllabas
A et0FEa of fdFy and hatred arose on aii sides
ondeavoriDg to drown the voice of the church
Who are you that condemn nsf eekea &c
world. Tue infailIble head of the church
REen asserted that Catholics themselves di'
NOT aooept it; and the Catholic church spok
oat boldly in these days. not to proclaim q neV
doctrine, but TO acknowledge before doubt
Jog world what it had always accepted and be
Iieved, that the head of the church upon e9rtI
is infallible. There was no more talk of soft
eninR down lines; Catholics believed this, o
they were not Catholics.
And all the facts in these latter years hav
confirmed the sentence uttered by the Suprem
Pontiff: Liberalism is Jalsei Prince Bismarc
deserted the conservative party to which b
HAD adhered go long, and throw himeelf int
the arms of the liberals, The odous ecclesias