The Irish standard., 1897-06-12
A FINE ADDRESS TO MoN.cA1HolIcs
THE TRUE NATURE OF INDULGEN-
CES ABLY EXPLAINED.
CROSS nIscoNcEP 1IoNs CORRECTED
CONCERNING PAPAL INFALLIBILITY
AND OTHER DOGMAS.

past, will close at the Catholic church
this evening, says the Fergus Falls
Journal of May Is. These missions
have been helpful to the entire COM
munity. Father Michael's strong fear-
less moral addresses, his earnestness
and eloquence, have won for him the
admiration of all, regardless of sect OF
creed. Such addresses could not fail to
have good effect in any community. At
the same time he has given to non-Cath-
olics far clearer view of the Catholic
church, and has corrected many false
Impressions regarding its dogmas and
has shown the scriptural foundation on
which these great doctrines rest. Dur
ing his brief visit Father Michael
has won a host of friends here who will
welcome him on his return from the
Perham mission, when he will deliver a
literary lecture In this city on the sub
ject of "Womans WORTH
The subject of the address at the Ly-
ceum Monday evening was "Purgatory,
Indulgences and the Pope" The services
opened with beautiful vocal solo by
Mrs. O'Shaugnessy, and after few in
troductory remarks Father Michael took
up the subject of the evening, speaking
first of purgatory, which, he said, was
condition of purgation or cleansing.
Many will claim that there is no Scrip
tural foundation for a belief in purga-
tory. Take a common sense view of
the matter first. It must be admitted
that nothing impure can enter the king
dom of heaven. 1t requires bold hope
to believe that a man can live in wick-
can then repent on his death bed and go
directly to glory. It is only by perfect
contrition-perfect sorrow and yielding
of the soul to God that such a thing can
be possible, and perfect contrition is
very, very rare. The thief on the cross
and the Magdalene are among the very
few who made an act of perfect contri-
tion.
The punishment of sin is of two kinds
temporal and eternal. God forgives
the eternal punishment but requires
some penance for the temporal punish
ment, unless we have perfect sorrow for
the sin, and as stated, very few have
this perfect sorrow. AS the non -Catho-
lies require no penance, the speaker said
that without a purgatory he could hold
out little hope for them, as they do
not believe in the sacrament of penance
and therefore can only be saved by per-
feet contrition and, as stated before,
this is very rarely obtainable. Turning
to the scriptural foundation for purga-
tory, the speaker referred to the books
of the Maccabees, where the most ex-
plicit references to purgatory are found.
Luther decided to cut these books and
other passages which did not suit him
out of the Bible, but a few references to
it still remain. For instance, Christ's
reference to the prison from which no
one can come until he has paid the ut
termost farthing. The speaker mention
ed this and one or two other passages,
which he said must refer to a middle
state. -.
The brightness of God is beyond com.
prehension and as soon as the soul
leaves the body it seeks God by law
as natural as the law of gravitation.
Were we compelled to look directly at
the sun at midday it would be torture
for our physical eyes, So when the soul
seeks God by the law of it's own impuri-
ties-constantly drawn and repelled this
is punishment punishment.
The difference between purgatory
and hell consists in the fact
that the soul in hell has no hope of
ever being purified and reaching God,
while the soul In purgatory has hope
and knows it will be purified and as it
is purified it's sufferings decrease, it ap-
proaches nearer and nearer to it's God
and finally sees his face.
Father Michael then took up "Indulg-
tions regarding this subject. Some i'm
agine that an indulgence is the forgive
ness of sin and that when the pope
grants an indulgence he forgives mans
sins for consideration. Nothing could
be further from the truth. An indulg-
ence is in the nature Of a penance and
has the same purpose. II the pope
grants an Indulgence he simply takes
away the necessity for certain penances
An indulgence may be granted for
giving to the poor or for contributing
to some other good purpose such as the
building of st. Peters in Rome. The
reformers raised great hue and cry
over this last-named indulgence, and
while some Of those who preached It