The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-10-13


had come along, oh what howl we should
have had about the pastor of the Tabb
Street Presbyterian church who could not
be trusted to tell the simplest story even
when the reputation of his neighbor is at
stake
But he is clearly entitled to his correc-
ton, and in so far as his practice is con-
cerned | accord him the full weight of it,
admit that he receives money for the
prerequisite" to the due and becoming
celebration of the Mass. 1 don't know
what those prerequisites are. 1t may
be for ought l know, altogether right that
they should be paid for, and 1 hope he
makes good use of the money when he
gets it. But now it is very evident that
the money to which Father Muller" re-
fers is not money that is paid for "pre-
requisites" very far from it. 1t is,
quote from his work PURGAToR1AN Con-
soLER, page 40, offering the honoraries
of one or more dollars for the intentions
of the masses of a priest in behalf of the
souls in Purgatory" The money that is
here solicited is not for the prerequisites
to the solemnization of the Mass, but for
the intentions of the priest in it-that is
for his determination that the efficacy of
the Mass shall be applied to the relief of
the particular souls for whose benefit the
money has been paid. Of this supposed
efficacy of the Mass and the power of the
priest of his intention" to apply it to
whom he will, the following incident re-
lated by Father Muller, will best ex-
Plain-though my pen hesitates to write
the words which upon any proper con-
structlon of language cannot be acquitted
of the charge of blasphemy. A priest
is engaged (PURGAToRIAN CoNsoLER,
page 81 in offering the Mass for the soul
of his friend in purgatory. And this is
what is represented as taking place
'"When he came to the moment of con
secration, he took the sacred Host in his
hands and said, o Holy and Eternal
Father, let as make AN EXCHANGED Thou
hast the soul of my friend who is in pur-
gatory and [ have the Body of thy Son,
who is in my hands; well, do Thou de-
liver my friend, and I offer Thee Thy
Son with all the merits of His death and
Passion" We stand aghast at the pre-
sumption that can claim such power, and
propose such barter in the body and blood
OF Gods Eternal Son, but the passage IL
lustrates what is meant by the "inten-
tons of the Mass, and it is for these,
not the prerequisites, that these honor
aries are solicited and must be paid.
This is evidently the meaning of the
author in the passage 1 referred to in the
! same connection as showing that Masses
must be paid for even if it requires the
last dollar" for notice the circumstances.
(Purgatorian Consider, page 1867 A poor
servant girl has been sick and reduced to
extreme poverty. con the day that she
was able to walk about, she had only one
dollar left. She prayed fervently that
God would assist her, and set out in
search of place. Onher way she passed
church and went in to say some prayers.
The priest was just about to say Mass.
The poor girl now remembered that she
had forgotten to have the accustomed
Mass for the poor souls offered up that
month"; and this was the very day on
which she was wont to have Mass said.
But how could she have Mass said on that
day? She was sadly in need of the little
money she had left. There was strug-
gle in her heart for a moment. At last
her love for souls in purgatory conquered
God will provide, she said; and she
went into the sacristy, gave her little
offering to the priest. and requested him
to say Mass for the souls in purgatory. "
You will notice that the priest was about
to say Mass when she came in, and there
fore all prerequisites must have been pro-
vided. There was no additional expense
incurred by him in saying the Mass for
the souls in purgatory. 1t was a mere
matter of intentions" and intentions
cost nobody anything, and yet this girl
felt that if the efficacy of the Mass should
be for the benefit of the souls in purgato-
ry, that dollar must be paid though it
was the last she had
Now, upon this whole subject 1 have,
in conclusion, but two remarks to make.
The first is this If Father Wilson charges
every time he says Mass Just enough to
cover the expense Of its celebration, and
when he has received from one person
enough to cover this expense, declines to
receive more, can see The justice of the
distinction he draws, (although he made
no allusion to it in his public card, as he
ought by all means to have done,) but
this distinction does not apply to the
general usage Of his Church, as stated by
Father Muller" where the money is re-
g.. - r II