The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1886-12-12

good man or the good woman being in
| Heaven. How much better would it not
be to use portion of the money so fool
ishly spent aud SO often, in order to have
grand display on the day of the fu-
neral for the purpose Of hav-
ing Mass offered up from
time to Time for the repose of the souls
of their relatives. A few weeks ago an old
parish priest called to see me. In the
course of conversation he remarked, s'this
morning l said the anniversary Mass for
my mother" / asked how long she was
dead. He replied, sforty years" And
still that good son remembered his mo-
Tiers soul and prays for her every day. Do
you not suppose, beloved brethren, that he
also wishes and hopes that the soul of his
mother has long since gone to heaven?
Bat that. does not prevent him from offer
| ing up the holy sacrifice to keep the poor
| soul that may be in Purgatory. Daily, as
a good Christian son or daughter should
do, daily does he offer up prayers to AL.
mighty God, for the repose of his fathers
or his mothers soul. The church wants
all her children, dearly beloved brethren,
to be buried, at their decease, in conse-
Grated ground. She wants all her children,
and also those who have been disloyal and
dKobedient to her-provided that at their
death they received the sacraments, or at
least that they did not refuse that privi-
lege; and also that they did not give pub
lie scandal: also those unfortunate chill
dren of the church who during life came
not to Mass, but at the end have received
the last rites of the church, or at least did
not refuse to receive them. The s'honors"
of the church, however, are the bringing
in to the church of the bodies,
and having prayers offered over them,
sprinkling them with holy water, &c.
These honors are reserved for her good and
obedient and loyal children; those who in
life have honored the Church; Catholics
not merely in name, but in real truth. BY
decree OF the last Diocesna Synod, those
disobedieDt children who IN life did not go
to mass on Sundays or Holy days of obi
cation, who did not receive the saoraments,
who despised the laws of the Church, are
forbidden to receive those honors. Those
unfortunate Catholics who were too care
less to receive the sacraments during life,
or who have dishonored the Church, have
no right to such honors. Having refused
to enter the church during their lives. their
bodies shall not be permitted to enter it
after death. Dearly beloved brethren,
please tell any such whom you may know
that unless thcy become real practical
Catholics, even If they be fortunate enough
to receive the last sacrament, they shall
not receive the honors of the Church, or be
admitted into the church at their death.
One more point, dearly beloved brethren,
wish to touch upon, and will close. 1t
seems unnecessary for me to dwell ST
length upon it, because l know, speaking
in general, that you have been taught the
doctrine and the truths of our holy religion
from your childhood up. The question |
wish to touch upon has become so general
in these United States, and is discussed in
all the newspapers of the land, that deem
it my duty to speak of it, because 1
have taken the oath on the day of
my conservation TO defend the Church,
and the doctrines of our holy religion. The
question I refer to is the question of prop
erty. Some persons have recently and
foolishly maintained that nan has no
right to property, except what they call,
think, ssnatural property" whatever that
| may mean. The Church of God has always
taught and will always teach, for the
| Church never changes in her doctrines and
| teachings, but always proclaims the eternal
| truth, and she can never change-the
| Church has always taught that man has a
| right to property; that what he inherits
| from his parents or relatives belongs to
him, to the exclusion of every other person
that what he earns belongs to him, and that
no persen IN the world may deprive him of
it against his will without doing him an in
justice that the fruits of his labor belong
to him and to NO other person; that the
poor man who has with his earnings bought
piece of land and built house on il fer
his family, his wife and children say
that man has right to that land or to that
house, and that no person-be he rich or
In ha nan Of Ir,A ~,
fuence-king or emperor-can deprive him
of 1t without doing him injustice and COM
hitting crime against God. This is the
teaching of the Catholic Church, dearly be-
loved brethren; and when any man
comes before you and teaches
different doctrine on this subject
be sure it is wrong and heretical, and must
be spurned away from you. Aany of
those persons who talk so much about this
question are not sincere in what they say
They talk glibly and eloquently Of the
wrongs and sufferings of the poor; but fol-
low them and you will find that they live
luxuriously. They do not giys up what
Is their own to the poor whom thew
seem to pity go much. All the poor get
from them is their words. consider them
hypocrites, who never give cent to help
the poor. Do not be deceived by those
men. First ask your priest whether these
principles are in accordance with the teach
ings of the infallible Catholic Church The
priests and bishops of the church have re-
ceiyed q commission to teach the people the
doctrines of Christ our God. Be assured
that the principles enunciated bysuch per-
sons are false. Have nothing to do with
them. They will do you no good On the
contrary they will do you much harm. l
thought it we'll and necessary TO say these
few words with regard to this question. I
am satisfied you are all well instructed on
that question from your childhs cd up.
Yon have learned from the Catholic Church
the principles of the right of property. I
exhort you to be and to remain during your
iiues loyal and obedient children of the
church founded and established by Jesus
Christ our Lord, to be and to re.