The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-02-26
BISHOP KAHN on "pUaGAroRY,
..And the Catholic Practice Of Praying
for Inc SonI. Of the DeRd."

...And the Catholic Practice Of Praying
for the Souls Of the Dead"
Yesterday afternoon RI Rev. Bishop Kain
delivered his second I.enten lecture, the sub
ject Of his discourse being "Purpatory, and
the Catholic Practice Of Praying tot the
Dead" The Cathedral was packed long be.
fore the hour for the lecture 10 commence,
and during It's delivery the most marked at.
tention was paid.
The Bishop remarked at the outset that a
few years back, the doctrine Of q place OF TEN
porary expiation for sin In the next world,
was regarded as q characteristic tenet OF the
Catholic churcbI whereas, now there are
mary outside the church, who, not reltshing
the dogma OF an eternal hell, believe there
mnst be an end 10 the sinners punishment
This, he added. was q forsaking OF the stan.
dard set up by the Reformers, and u conces.
sion In favor OF the old church. lie then pro.
ceeded TO explain from the standpoint VI the
church The 'twofold effect OF SIM its defling
OF the soul and Its liability to punishment,
maintaining t, at apart from the moral tur.
pitude Of sin and the eternal penalty incur.
red, there was also or might be a temporal
chastisement which the sinner must undergo
either In this world or in the next This
point he illustrated by examples from Holy
Writ. He drew q line OF very marked dis.
tinction between the sinner while in his aims,
when he Is utterly incapable OF aught that
is meritorious Of supernatural reward
or ~expiatory OF sin, and the Chriatiau who
Is a child Of God and a living member OF
Christ. When such o one works, prays and
suffers, said he, 1t Is Christ who works, prays
and suffers. ~ live now; not ], but Christ
liveth in me-" .
When the Christian Is thus vitality united
to the Divine Head, Christ Jesus, continued
the Bishop, be may perform penitential acts
in exp!ation OF that temporal chsstisement
due to sin. But II that expiation Is rot
made before death, can he-must he suffer
beyond the grave and make atonement 10
the Justice Of God2 The affirmative answer
to this query implies The Catholic doctrine OF
euoted,If Maccabees, MI 40 10 10 show that
such was the belief under the old
law; also Matthew v, 1920 and XII 50. to
show that the Lord, far from ~reproving the
Jews for holding this doctrine, rather tacitly
confirmed Il; and l Corinthians, 1GIl1.l6 10
show that such was the teaching Of st. Paul.
Numerous passages were cited from fathers
Of The first centuries In support OF the doc
trine, and all the liturgies VOW extant were
declared to expressly proclaim 1t.
Then taking for his nlsjor premise what he
called unquestioned propositions, the Bishop
argued that reason itself lends Its most pow.
erful arguments 10 sustain the doctrine and
practice OF the Catholic church, and he con-
cluded By drawing q contrast between the
theories OF those who deny, and the consol'
ing faith OF those who believe with the
church In the existence OF 0 middle place oil
suffering and expiation In the other world,
and who admit and follow the kindred prnc'
tice OF praying for their departed friends
and relatives. :,
Next Sunday afternoons lecture will be on
nMonRsticism; It's %origin.n