The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-24
LETTE;R OF POPE LILO
TO THE AMERICANS
Continued from First Page.

is inclined to evil and dfshonor,. yet by
the help of grace Is raised up, is Dorne
along with a new greatness ana strengtn "a,
of nature alone, but of grace also, is made
fruitful unto everlasting life and taxes
on more strong and abiding character,
This overesteem of natural virtue nnds
a method of expression In assuming TO
divide all virtues into active and passive,
and it is alleged that whereas passive
our age is to be characterized by the &C
tive. That such division and distinction
cannot be maintained is patent,for there
is not nor can there be merely passive
Aquinas, ''designates the perfection of
some faculty. but the end of such faculty
else than the good use Of free will" act
God If the act be one of supernatural
He alone could wish that some Chris
tan virtues be adapted to certain times
and different ones for other times who Is
those whom he foreknew he predestined
to be made conformable to the image of
his Son" (Romans, viii:29 Christ is the
teacher and the exemplar of all sanctity
and to his standard must all those con-
form who wish for eternal life. Nor does
Christ know any change as the ages pass,
same forever QIebrews, kills.. To the
men of all ages was the precept given,
Learn Of me, because I am meek and
humble of heart" (Matthew, xi:29).
fest to us as obedient even unto death;
IN every, age the apostles dictum has it's
f2rce These hose Wh9 are Chrsts
concupiscences." Would to God that
more nowadays practiced these virtues In
the degree of the saints Of past. times,
who in humility, obedience and self
restraint were powerful 'in word and in
deed''-to the great advantage not only
OF religion but of the state and the pub
lie welfare.
From this disregard OF the evangelical
virtues, enormously styled passive" the
step was q short one to a contempt of the
religious life which has In some degree
is generally held by the upholders of new
views we infer from certain statements
concerning the vows which religious or
ders take. They say vows are alien to
the spirit of our times, in that they limit
the bounds of human liberty; that they
are more suitable to weak that to strong
minds that so far from making for hu-
organization they are hurtful to both, but
that this is as false as possible from the
clear. since she has always given the
very highest approval to the religious
method of life; not without good cause,
for those who under the divine call have
freely embraced that state of life did not
content themselves with the observance
OF precepts, but, going forward to the
eVangenCal councils, showed themselves
ready and valiant soldiers of Christ.
Shall we judge this to be characteristic
of weak minds or shall we say that 1t is
useless or hurtful to a more perfect state
of life? Those who so bind themselves by
the vows of religion, far from having suf-
fered a loss of liberty, enjoy that fuller
and freer kind, that liberty, namely, by
which Christ hath made us free. And
this further view of theirs, namely, that
the religious life Is either useles or of lit
tie service to the church. besides being in
furious to the religious orders, cannot be
the opinion of any one who has read the
try, the United States, derive the begin
nings both of faith and of culture from
the children of those religious families?
To one of whom but very lately, thing
greatly to our praise, you have decreed
that a statue be publicly erected. And
even at the present time, wherever the re-
ligious families are found how speedy
and yet how fruitful a harvest of good
works do they not bring forth.
How very many leave home and seek
strange lands to lmpart the truth of the
gospel and to widensthe bounds of civili-
cation, and this they do with the greatest
cheerfulness amid manifold dangers. Out
of their number not less, indeed, than
from the rest of the clergy, the Christian
world finds the breaches of Gods word.
the directors of consciences, the teachers
of youth and the church itself, the exam
pies Of all sanctity:
made between those who follow the act
I've state of life from those others who,
charmed with solitude, gave themselves
to prayer and bodily modification. And
how much indeed, of good report these
have merited and do merit, is known