The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-21
Vigorous Sermon at St. Mary's On
the Prevailing Vice.
AN AGE OF IRRELIGION
IMMORTALITY PROCEEDS FROM
RELIGIOUS INDIFFERENCE.
The Reign of sin-Marriage Bargain
Counter Sixteen Divorces One
Day, Fourteen the Next-Father
Kiely Presents Pointed Contrast
What Constitutes True Liberty.

At st. Mary's yesterday. during the
high mass, Father Kelly delivered a
discourse which struck home at the
prevailing vice of the day. He said:
In this days epistle we are told that
st. Paul prayed that the faithful at
Colossi would presevere in their good
works, reminding them of the blessings
they enjoyed in their Christian state,
these blessings came to all men when
Jesus was born.
On next Sunday win begin the season
OF advent, when we are called upon to
prepare for the coming of Christine
prince of peace. His coming as 9. peace
maker preSuppoSes or tells OF an exist
ing contest. That conflict has always
existed; was before his time, has eX-
listed since and viii continue to the end
of the world. What is the nature of
this everlasting strife? 1t is that Which
exists between good and evil, virtue and
sin; between GODS law and mans un-
ruly passions. This continued war is
waged within US and outside of us
within US because of our dual nature,
carnal and spiritual; outside Of US be-
cause there are two worlds, che for the
children OF God, the other for the fol-
lowers of the age.
THE REIGN OF SIN.
4 It is not the same in every age. Dur
ing the lifetime of Christ we see him,
the great peacemaker, sacrificed on
the wood Of the cross. The same was,
TO certain extent, true of his follow
erS during the frs three centuries. Pa
gan superstition was one Of the lead
ing factors in those early prosecutions.
Soon after the Christians emerged
from the catacombs. another conflict
arises. 1t is a strife between error and
truth. Heresy proclaims itself. Our
Augustines, GregOries, Basils, Crysos-
toms and many other learned doctors
stay the tide. We have next that uber-
ty which Christ guaranteed to his fol-
lOwers-"the truth shall make you
free" endangered. 1t was an age of
righteousness; but this license to sin,
obtained through imperial supremacy
and applicable to European princes,
meant slavery for the common people.
We come down to our own time, and
ask, What is the contest of today? It
is SO plain that no one can fail to real
jze what it is. 1t is Indifference; and
this religious Indifference, whilst max
ing no open fight on religion, is none the
less evil in its tendency. Dishonesty is
widespread, immortality unchecked. the
Christian law ignored and conscience
is dead as to the consequences. Peo-
pie, it is true, profess a certain respect
for religion. so much so that the cry of
the French infdel in the last century
''let US crush the Infamous One"-wou'd
not be tolerated; but the inroads made
through religious Indifference are none
the less fatal.
MARRIAGE BARGAIN COUNTER.
was in one of the courts on bust
ness Wednesday. A lawyer said to me:
Rather, there are sixteen divorce cases
on the docket this morning and four
teen for tomorrow" Now. the minis ]
i ter who would fearlessly defend the in
J dissolubility of Christian marriage
J and denource the laxity of our age
would be very unpopular But that
: word is too mild. He would be looked
upon as an enthusiast or fanatic as
was Savonarola when he preached
Christian purity and morality to the
voiuptuous. levd and dissolute inhab-
itants Of Florence four centuries ago.
One of Salt Lakes editors last Friday
faceiously but very pointedly wrote on
this subject: Twelve divorces a day
in Judge Hiles' court. That is awful
Would there be so many misfits if
there was not so good market for
the goods after they get away from the
bargain counter?'
Compare this record with an account
/ read this past week in foreign pa
per Of divorce case that came before
the courts in q little Catholic country
beyond the Atlantic. 1t was the first
IN a quarter of a century The learned
jurist asked counsel on both sides
whether they might not be able to come
to some arrangement. In the interest
OF the children and public morality
that would be the best thing to do
They did. and the judge congratulated
them for not bringing the case into
open court. What d contrast
POPULAR PREJUDICEs.
Yet we are told that our age is not
s tncredulOus or un-ChIistian; that peo-
pie profess a deep respect for religion
but owing to certain preiudices will
not embrace it. What are these preju-
dices which keep mems souls away
from God? They are too numerous to
be given in detail, and in many instan-
ces the individual has his own peculiar
prejudice. Among the many diversi-
fed preiudices, there is one which is
very popular with a large class of peo-
PIE, and one, too. which does not fail
hto deceive. It is that religion is oppOS-
4 ied TO liberty and favors despotism"
Is this charge true? The Catholic
church, following in the footsteps of
the divine founder, authoritatiVely tells
her children that they must render
unto Caesar the things which are Gaze
sar," and Caesar, according to Catho-
lie teaching, is the legitimately estab-
lished authority. No matter what the
IOItu Dl SONCtliliSul may De, the cnurch
commands submission and respect and
like the good masteT-the prince of
peace-sets the example by being the
first to submit. Religion the foe of lib
erty? Impossible. Did not Christ say.
1.-The truth shall make you free? Be
fore he came on earth, in vain Will YOU
search for liberty. You found it not in
Rome the home of the Caesars The
Roman mobiles were noted for their ty-
ranny. In ancient Greece, with its cul-
ture and refinement, liberty meant os-
tracism. When Christ came on earth
slavery and oppression existed every
where, and it was his power and teach
became the sponsor of true liberty
Could religion, then. the mother OF lib
erty, become its foe? Again | answer:
Impossible. You have but one master
and one father, who is Cod said Jesus.
you are all equal in Gods sight. be-
cause you are his sons
REAL LIBERTY.
he who iGaugurated reign of equal
ity was the first, by his example, TO in
culcate its necessity. Unlike the proud
Pharisees. he serves at the most me-
NAL Offices He did not disdain manual
labor for we are assured he worked at
the carpenters bench with his foster
father, Joseph. The gospel tells us he
\ washed the feet of his apostles On
Calvary with his hands extended.
though nailed to the cross, he blessed
ali mankind. Then began the reign OF
real liberty, i. e., liberty Of soul, which
is the very essence of the Christian re-
IgiOn and which il Will have aft any