The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-09-12

cessarily condemns, is not binding, once person
discovers that the Catholic Church is the only
church possessing the entire gospel of the Savior.
He must abandon his heresy and schism once he
discovers them else salvation IS impossible.
Such does not hate his own parents and
other relations simple souls are taught to
believe but rather loves them the more and prays
until death for their conversion. Naturally he will
be anxious for them knowing that possibly they
may be sinfully resisting the grace OF God which
would bring them into the true fold. How strange
y lntolerant are some parents who. contrary to
that first principle of their Protestantisn-private
Judgment with bitter hatred their own
flesh and blood who, obedient to conscience and to
Gods grace embrace the religion of their fore
fathers, in the old Church of Jesus Christ Error
is never consistent.
"The religion of my parents is good enough for
me" say some. Ii YOU born in poverty would
you think the condition of your parents precluded
all notion OF your bettering your condition.! So,
III like manner, once convinced of the poverty of
the partial gospel you possess as Il rational man
you bound to embrace 'the unsearchable riches
of the true gospel of Christ (Eph. iii. s.
Is it true that Catholics bound hate Protest
ants? I read in your profession of faith that every
convert take the following oath the gospels:
With sincere heart therefore, with unfegned
faith detest and abure every error heresy and sect
opposed the said Holy Catholic and Apostolic Ro-
Church."
1t IS not true. The universal love of our fellow
men, matter what their race, color or religion is
the strict commandment of Christ: "Tl1ou shalt
love thy neighbor thyself' (AIatt. xix. 19). And
the beloved disciple, ST. John, teaches "If a man
say. [ love God and hateth his brother he is a liar
For he that loveth not his brother whom he seeth
how can he love God whom he seeth not?" q John
iv 20).
The words of the profession of faith are OBJ
jective and imply that. followers of Christ in
the one divine society which has ever kept His
gospel pure and uncorrupted, we detest, even as He
and His apostles did (Matt vi Is; xii Is. 30: xvi
49,; xviii II: Rom. xvi II; l Cor 10; Gal / 8:
Eph. v 4; Heb xiii 70, etc), all Teresv which is
a denial of Gods truth and schism which is
withdrawal from the one fold of the Good Shepherd
(John 16). They in no way yefer to the individu-
who, through the sins of their ancestors and ig-
norance of the true gospel, are separated from the
Church of the living God
My mother-a good soul and a sincere Protestant
assures me that it will break her heart if become
Catholic believe all the teachings your Church.
but find it hard to pain so dear to me-
a very practica; difficulty and one that has
been given me scores of times by tmid, doubling
souls.
The true follower of Christ dare not hesitate to
obey His teaching it is known, for to be false
to ones conscience is to instantly imperil ones
eternal salvation
Our Lord speaks of this opposition of relatives.
but declares that He and His teaching must come
first:
For [ come to set man at variance against
his father, and the daughter against her mother
He that loveth father or mother more
than Ne, is not worthy of Me" (Matt. 35, 80.