The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-05-22

how, for such enunciation, He founded
a society-give proofs from scripture,
history, reason-tell them Of the teach
ing church, Of the primacy Of Peter. OF
the institution Of the Blessed Sacrament
and they will listen to you as long as
you are willing to talk to them.
Experience has taught me that firm
convictions expressed in good language
will never lack an audience. Topics
such as the origin of the church, the
communion Of saints. prayer for the
dead, purgatory and the real presence
cannot fail to hold an audience when
expressed with clearness, elegance and
deep convictions. All the legitimate pas
sions and powers and emotions Of the
human heart and soul have been there
in planted by the Creator for the Cath
olic church, and they cannot but re-
spond to the chord which she strikes.
Christ has said: GAIL power is given
to me in heaven and on earth; go ye
therefore, teach ye all nations, baptiz-
ing them in the name of the Father,
and Of the Son, and Of the Holy Ghost;
teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever have commanded you;
and behold am with you always, even
to the contamination of the world"
(Matt., xviii, 18-20.)
Just think of that-all power, all
truths, all nations, all days. No room
for pettiness, for sectionality, for ma
tionality there! The divine heart of
Jesus would enfold all within it's en-
brace. And SO the priest claims all
the people of his parish for his own
Catholics and mont Catholics. He tells
them that his church belongs to them,
invites them into it, talks to them, in
structs them, converts them, even while
seemingly teaching and guiding those
already in the fold.
And as to the moral responsibility of
non-Catholics for being without the true
fold-who, over-stepping prudence and
charity, shall Judge it?
For my part am convinced that the
large majority are honest and earnest.
Many may seem to hang back, to delay,
to dilly-dally even when there seems to
be every reason why they should accept
the true faith, but this does not argue
insincerity. Newman waited two years
after burning the bridges behind him.,
before the final step, and when asked
why he SO long hesitated replied, II was
powerless to do otherwise, my mind
was stunned, Frustrated, paralyzed."
What, then, is to be done? Simply to
get an audience get pamphlets, lec-
lures, liberalism. Not the liberalism
that minimizes doctrine, but the liberal:
ism that minimizes hot words and harsh
prejudices and social sentiments. We
know not how many non-C Catholics are
lost to salvation; but we do know that
for every one that is lost for impugning
known truth, a thousand are lost
through mortal sin of lust, of sensual
ity, of bestial sloth.
Thousands of Catholics, after life
OF sin, are saved at the eleventh hour
by confession and attendant contrition.
But what about Protestants whose buSi-
ness, whose leisure, whose thoughts are
infected with immortality, and who die
as they ive-in mortal sin? Speak not
to me, then, of their salvation through
good faith" for what does it avail q
man to be in such good faith" who
plumbers, and lusts, and sins and dies
impenitent? Can you doubt that hell is
his eternal abode? cannot.
The women, perchance, because of
their position, weaker passions and the
requirements Of sex, are less liabH to
sin. But, oh! the enormity of the sin
Of men! I speak not from ignorance,
theory or prejudice, but from a life
long experience with this class of peo-
pie. What glorious opportunity we
have to lead these people to God, to
convert the nation! Our country has
been set apart by God as choice arena
for the entire subversion of Protestant
ism and the universal acceptance of the
one true faith. Discovered by a Catho-)
lie, inspired by Catholic motives; ac-
knowledged as a gift from God; divided
among the nations by Christ's vicar on
earth; every part Of it begotten of reli-
gious sentiment-New England of
fercely intolerant Puritanism, Penn
sylvania of brotherly love, Maryland of
all-intolerant Catholicism, this great
country was and is and ever shall be for
God and truth.
L know not what will be the effect of
higher education outside of the church.
It may, as in Germany and continental
Europe, enfeeble orthodoxy and lead to
infidelity. But this much do know
that within the last ten years the
strength of agnostJcism has waned. It
is almost extinct at Harvard, it has
been stamped out at Yale, it never
gained a foothold at Princeton or the
great western universities.
Tho ffmo ia rino then for missions IN