The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1897-04-02
Lenten season.
A Brief Resume OF the Purposes and
Faith.-An Able PAPER from n
Learned Gentleman of the Catholic
Denomination.

Lent is most solemn fast oil
forty days observed by the Catho
lie church before the feast OF East
or. Catholics do not pretend tC
claim any scriptural authority fol
a forty days fast. Our Saviour
tasted forty days but He left nc
command to any one to follow His
example in forty days fast. Why
then do we Catholics observe the
Lenten fast? Because the church
commands 1t. And to the mem
bers of her communion the church
holds the place of Jesus Christ.
1t is true that the church has
authority to teach and to command
only what God has taught and com.
manded. Christ defined and limit
ed the power of His church when
He said to the Apostles "Go ye
therefore, teach all nations; teach.
ing them to observe all things
whatsoever l have commanded"
Now there is a general command
obliging all to the practice of fast
ing but without prescribing the
particular times or manner of do
ing it. "Be ye converted to me
with your whole heart in fasting
and in weeping and in mourn
ing" Joel Ii, 81.
Our Saviour assures us that after
His ascension His followers should
fast. "The days will come when
the bridegroom shall be taken from
them, and then they shall fast"
Matthew tx, Is. He also gives us
rules about the intention with
which we ought TO fast. "When
thou fastest, anoint thy head and
wash thy face that thou appear not
to men to fast, but to thy Father
who Is in secret and thy Father
who seeth in secret will repay
thee" Matth. vi, II. st. Paul re-
quires fasting among other virtues
and eXhorts US to 1t. "Let us in all
things exhibit ourselves as the
ministers of God in much patience
in labours, in watchings. in fast
ings." Cor. vi, 4.
Abstinence is so consistent with
the spirit Of religion that nearly
every commandment of God obliges
to some sort of abstinence. The
first and only he imposed on our
first parents was to abstain from
the fruit of the tree Of Knowledge.
When Noah came out Of the Ark
God commanded him to abstain
from flesh with blood. Gen. tx.
When God brought His people out
of Egypt He commanded them to
abstain from leavened bread or 10
even have it in their houses. Ex-
odus xii, Is. He com manded His
priests to abstain from wine and
all strong drink when they Went to
serve in the tabernacle. Lev. X, 8,
He layed a strict command en-
His people to abstain perpetually
from several kinds Of the most del
icate food. After showing what
they should abstain from he says
"Do not defile your souls, do not
touch thereof for l am the Lord
your God. BE holy because 1 am
holy" Lev. XII, 43.
The New Testament as well as
the old is authority for the practice
of Abstinence. The Apostles being
met in council gave out an express
C ,mmand to the new converted
Gentiles Ito abstain from all things
sacrificed to idols and from blood
and from things stangled." Acts
XIV, 20. And they declared that
this command was ic.ated by the
Holy Ghost.
or course everything may be
abused and the practice OF absti-
nence is no exception to this. A
sect sprung up even in st. Paul's
time which taught that flesh and
wine were evil In themselves and
1t was to their doctrine that st.
Paul in his epistle to Timothy re-
ferred when he designated it as the
doctrine of devils.
While Almighty God did not de-
termine the time and manner of
fasting because the circumstances
of times and places and peoples and
constitutions are so various and so
changeable that no particular rule
could be laid down to agree to all.
Hence this general law of fasting
which God enjoins on all was left
TO be determined as to the times,
plans and circumstances OF its full
fillment to His living representa-
tion, the church of Christ. And
the church has almost II not entire
ly fra m Apostolic times included