The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1894-02-24
THE CRIPPLE BOND,.
Rev. John Conway, of st. Thomas
: Seminary, Luoidly Explains: +
2 What Makes a Catholic.

80
Seminary, Luoidly Explains.
= What Makes a Catholic.
A VALUABLE CONTRIBUTION.
Members Of the Church are Linked
Together by Faith, Worship
and Spiritual Rule.
The following is portion OF an inter
esting article on "Whst Makes Gath )
lic' which appears in the February
number Of The Chautauquan from Rev.
John Conway, Professor Of English Lit
erature at st. Thomas Seminary, and
President Of the st. Paul Press Club: !.
We're I to give an off hand answer to
the question, What makes Catholicr"
I should say at once it is the Christian
ity of Christ. By tuis do not mean
that other Christian den limitations have
not the Christianity of Christ, but the
Catholic Church claims that theirs is,
only fragmentary Christianity, that
they have not Ohrist's Christianity in all
it's completeness. A more scientific an
swer to the question is that Catholic ls
Christian belonging to church whose
members are bound together by the
threefold and characteristic bond OF
faith, of worship and Of spiritual rule.
We're to leave these phrases unex-
planned they w uld convey but little
meaning to the average non-Catholic
mind.
The bond Of faith by which all Catho-
lies are bound together consists in this,
that the same confession of Catho ic
faith is received everywhere throughout
the Church. Formally or officially the
Church proposes to her members doc
trines as divinely revealed. Should the
faithful obstinately rejectone Or more of
these doctrines thus formally proposed,
they cease to be members Of the church.
Every Catholic may not know, and
doubtless many do not know, all these
doctrines ID detail, but every Catholic is
prepared to accept the official teaching
of his Church. So that practically the
covering Catholic from the banks of the
Niger holds the same faith as the sun
crowned Catholic gained to the Church
by the traotarian movement Ut Oxford.
And when the Church proposes doc
trine to be received by her children she
does not, and che cannot, add one jot or
little to the original deposit of faith.
The Protestant mind is not repelled so
much by the defined doctrines OF the
Catholic Church as by the teachings of
which she is falsely accused. Catholic
theology does not teach that all who are
outside the visible body of the Catholic
Church will be damned to hell in the
next life. Some are Catholics in spirit;
they belong to the soul OF the Church.
They follow the voice Of conscience, and
that is each ones ultimate rule OF mo-
rality, for conscience is the aboriginal
vicar Of Christ.
Catholic theology does not teach the
awful doctrine that unbaptlzed infants
will be condemned to eternal torments.
nor does it say that exclusion from the
beatific vision implies any suffering
whatever for them.
Catholic theology does not teach that
there is mediator OF redemption other
than Jesus Chriss. Nor is it in any way
true to say that Catholics put Mary the
Virgin on an equal footing with Jesus of
Nazareth. It at times we find the Ian
guage Of deep devotion highly colored
some allowance must be made for the
warm glow Of religious poetry and for
the ardent outpourings Of fervid souls.
Catholic theology does not teach that
any one, priest or Pope, can give permis-
sion to ocommit sin, nor that such permis-
sion can be bought under any circum-
stances whatever: Catholic theology
teaches that indulgences are incentives
to virtue and not licences to commit sin.
And If in days gone by abuses found
their way into the sanctuary in, conneo-
tion with indulgences, it is these which
should be attacked and not the princi-
pies themselves.
Catholic theology does not teach thgt
it is lawful to,tell q lie even for the good
OF the Church herself. It's q stale Sian
der to accuse the Church Of holding that
the end justifies the means,
Catholic theology does not teach that
the Church can add in any way to the
''faith once delivered to the saints" In
fact. an official definition Of doctrine ia
but On authoritative declaration of what
the faith i on the point il question.
Catholic theology does not decry the
Bible, but II states 9 historical fact. when
il says that the Church was organized
before : line ot the New Testament was
WRIT s,.s.
- !