St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-28

quent expression to the dim realities of
the other world. ALI men admire noble
churches, its heavenly music, its per-
feet sculpture and painting; to say moth
Ing of its sympathy for the poor and the
fallen and for the world weary its
clustered cities of refuge. To the low
down races and the weaker classes of
mankind and to all imaginative and
benevolent spirits, Catholicity, it is adj
mitted, is great boon. But put that
Thought into the rough speech of plain
men, and 1T is this: Cath0licity is
garden for the butterflies of humanity,
and is a refuge for timid natures who
had rather be ruled by majestic author
ity than face the terrible problems of
the sonl-a sanatarium for the victims
of doubt.
Strong and independent natures have
no use for Catholicity, because it is es-
sentially a ritualistic and autOcratic re-
ligivn; they dislike to he dazZled by
gorgeous symbolism, and they
RESENT HUMAN AUTHORITY
in the domain Of conscience. Such is
the affirmation of many intelligent non
Catholics. Furthermore, there is often
a lurking suspicion that this organiZa-
tlon, whose conspicuous trait, they say.
is the blind obedience of its members,
IS threat to free civil institutions.
Cath0licy, they affirm, is always the
power OF religious caste, it will soon be
the power of money, it is always the
power of discipline; and when it has be-
come the power of numbers, IT will de-
your this land and its liberties and its
government. This sentiment is the
main obstacle to Catholicity i'm America.
TO remove 1t is the foremost duty of the
hour. The men who are to-day madp
Catholic bishops have distinguished
themselves as rcmoverS of obstacles to
the truth and grace of God. They have
been the enemies of ignorance and
vice, builders OF Christian schools and
churches, apostles OF temperance
Nothing has better helped to make the
Catholic religion understood in their
cities by nOn-Catholics than their career
as priests. But there remains the Stum-
bling block of the delusion about ritual
and autocracy. 70 them the words of
Isaias applied: "And will say: Make
way; give free passage take
the stumbling blocks out of the way of
the people," The public life of an
American bishop should be the exposi-
tlOn OF authority serving the ends of
freedom. He should show that the
ritual is the caszet and liberty of spirit
is the jewel; that the very meat of
religion is union of the individual soul
with Gods spirit, and that ritual is its
symbol and authority its safeguard:
that the use of noble and
expressive symbolism helps to ex-
plain doctrine. chastens, and
yet stipulates devotional sentiment:
is model of public fraternity:
and as a historical fact is in all its es-
Sentials chosen and instituted by the
divine founder of the Christian religion
Himself. Religion is both common and
personal. 1t is the main business of the
church to so use the common external
order of worship as to contribute to the
personal in religion. 10 participate
heartily In the outward sacramental
life of the church is to be made more
manly as well as more religious; to con-
form to the legitimate authority of the
church in religious matters is making
freedom more enlightened; it contrib
utes to that Independence of character
essential to good citszensfip. Author
ity and ritual i'll religion are means to
an end;
THE END OF RELIGION
is not the show OF ceremonial, nor the |
outward conformity OF the multitude.
The end of religion is the elevation of |
the individual soul to union with God. |
The founder of Christianity has made it |
a sacramental religion and invested |
with external order because the gener- |
ality of men need these things to help |
their inferior life toward divine union. |
The relative Importance of the outer |
and Inner life elements of Catholicity is
shown by this decree of the council of /
Trent: "lf any one shall say that
man can believe or hope or love 1I I i,1 ia /
pent, SO that the grace of justification
may be given to him, without the IN
spiratiOn of the Holy Ghost going be-
let him be anathema." The
mission of the church is to guide the |
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