The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-12-27
Tnterfiuantaln IleWs
BUTTE, MONT.
A Butte Mans Christmas Thoughtg

Christmas is the greatest of feasts, be-
cause Christianity is the noblest OF facts.
IL is season that summons the thought
Iul soul to reflect on the ideas that under
lie the great religious system that DOM
mates what is best IN the worlds civiliza-
non. There is solid basis in reason for
the mirth which fills mankind during
i ule-tlde. The universal psalm of praise
tnat rises to greet the newborn Christ
Is a FITTING tribute for a great favor.
BEFORE the coming of Christ hayward
whittier he was directed by the religious
inheritance of former times. In those
nations where pure reason was brought
TO a most refined state conditions the
most deplora BILE prevailed Philosophy
falled to link existances to GOD. AS to
man origin and place in nature, theories
were held that to modern minds are
simply groteSque. LIES purpose was not
understood. Whole communities were
sunk in the cess-pool of sensuality. A
moral leprosy was spreading over the
world and the very image of his Maker
seems to have faded from mans soul.
Under such conditions, the race could
not long survive. Oblivion would be more
Kindly than the continuance of such
course. sympathetic God saw the suf
terlng and degeneracy He realized that
the ruin of the human race was the eff
tect of sin. He determined to check the
mighty evil, to stop the awful downfall,
and to raise mankind to plane wnereon
ialr struggle should ensure complete sue
cess. He sends his heavenly Son, and
thereby the worlds destiny was changed.
new order of events is ushered in.
Creation swings on new pivot, and this
earth of ours is changed from a gloomy
grave to a garden of roses Christmas
recalls the transformation, The birth
of Christ marks Il new era; it regenerates
the whole race. and inspires dispondent
humanity with eternal hope.
Is it any wonder, then, that bells of joy
Christmas tide? Is it not fit that young
and old should join in unison TO celebrate
this glorious season? AS Christs coming
inspired the world with a common hope,
so does its celebration write mankind in
bond of brotherhood, But, too often
does thoughtless generation forget the
claims of duty, and Earring notes break
in on the poem of praise that should rise
to heaven from every heart.
The philosophy of Christianity postu
lates that man became estranged from
God through sin. No system can be called
religious that ignores that fact. Then,
by Adams fail, the -fount- of humanity
became defiled. Adam was our federal
head. Through him the race. became sub
ject to sin and death. Thus a savior be-
came a necessity; at least God should do
something to avert the awful doom that
befel the race. Reason was but a dim
light to guide men, to pierce the clouds of
passion that at times shrouded the soul
in impenetrable darkness. But God, ever
willing to aid the erring and to lift the
fallen, took means to repair, in a meas
ure, the dreadful consequences that,
through SIN, Deleis the race. tlNdlly, Tile
incarnation became a fact, and ample
means were given to man whereby he
could become more easily and more close
" united to his Maker than at any time
since Adam S fall
The doctrine or original sin has had and
is having, its opponents But what by
potheSiS can better account for facts than
that dogma. If Adam had not sinned,
surely there would be no reason why God
should treat his descendants as He does.
On that subject. Newman has para
graph of great force and beauty. Though
it is rather lengthy. it is well worth quot
ing. The great Cardinal writes: ITO
consider the world in its length and
breadth its various history, the many
races of man, their start. their fortunes,
their mutual alienation, their conflicts,
and then their ways habits. government,
forms of worship; their enterprises, their
aimless courses, their random achieve
ments ana requirements. the impotent
conclusion of long-standing fact, the
tokens so faint and broken, of a superin-
tending design, the blind evolution of
what turn out to be great powers or
truths the progress of things, as if from
unreasoning clements, not towards final
causes. the greatness and llttleness of
man. his far-reaching aims, his short
duration. the curtain hung over his fu-
turity, the appointments of life, the
defeat of good. the success of evil, phys-I-
cal pain, mental anguish, the prevalence
and intensity of sin, the pervading idola
tries, the corruptions. the dreary, nope
less lrrellRlOll. lldt cOnO1JlOn- or the WHOie
race. so fearfully yet exactly described
in the apostles words having no hope
and without God in the world all this is
a vision to dizzy and appal. and inflicts
upon the mind the sense of profound
mystery, which is absolutely beyond hui
man solution.
what shall be said of this heart
piercing, reason bewildering fact? ] can
only answer, that either there is no Gre
ator. or this living society of men is in
a true sense discarded from His presence.
Did | see a boy of good make and mind,
with the tokens on him of a refined ma
sion. unable TO say whence he came. his
birth place or his family connections,
l should conclude that there was some
mystery connected with his history. and
that he was one of whom, from one cause
or other his parents were ashamed.
Thus only should be able to account for
the contrast between the promise and
condition of his being. And so ] argue
about the world; if there be God, since
there is a God, the human race is i'm
plicated in some terrible aboriginal ca
lamity. 1t is out of joint with the pur
poses of its Creator This is a fact,
and thus the doctrine of what is theolog
ically caller original sin becomes to me
almost as certain as that the world exists,
and as the existence of God.
Thus the doctrine of original sin is per-
fectly reasonable and in full harmony
with facts. Apart from that doctrine,
there is no explanation for the distressing
conditions that hamper human nature.
And God did not come on earth to get
man out of one difficulty and then to let
him fall into another. Surely it is reas-
enable to think that after Christ went to
his Heavenly Father. he should leave
some adequate means to guide men. This
he did when he founded an infallible
church. The Bible of itself could not full
fill the function of a complete rule of
faith. 1t was necessary to have an in
fallible interpreter, and hence our rule
of faith consists of an infallible church
and inspired Bible Opposition to this
difficulties, but to hopeless irreligion.
Many able men who had pinned their
faith to 1.-THE Bible, the Bible only, and
only the Bible" found it insufficient as
a complete guide to the individual. Ca
tholocism they would not embrace; its
appeal they spurned. and for them moth
ing was left but skepticism in regard to
the supernatural. Hence it is that out
side the church there are so many drift
ing. rudderless. helpless, hopeless.
OF all the churches. the only one that
offers to mankind consistent philosophy
is the Catholic church. Her career is
marvellous. Difficulties have strength
ened her position and enhanced her beau
ty. for in overcoming them she proves
that she is divine. The barriers that be-
set her progress could never be overcome
by human learning and human skill. Par
tisans of science tried to prove that man
came from mud that matter possessed
the DOtenllanIleS OF ire Il ne enemies
of religion grew enultant but son of
the church. Pasteur. was one of the first
to show that such a view was scientifical-
ly untenable. Thus was the supernatural
INDICATED. and science was shown not to
he at variance with religion. Each has
her domain. their spheres are separate
1t is the unreasoning thinker that believes
they are in conflict.
The churchs wonderful capability oil
conforming to the needs of the age gives
her the power to keep abreast of the
times. She has a divine and d human ele-
ment. The former is as unchanging as
the eternal Himself. The latter helps to