The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-10-17

should retire from the world merely to pray Ri4
to the Christian, who knows the value and eficar,-
of prayer as witnessed to III the Old and New Tos.
amens there is no difficulty. He realizes the great
lack of prayer in the world. lie knows that these
contemplative orders make atOnement for the SIN,
of many ask Gods mercy upon His people. anil
give Him the glory, the praise and the honor de-
MED by those who will not serve, like Satan OF od
The efficacy of such prayers Will not be known until
the Day of Judgment
In conclusion let men dvest themselves of their
prejudices and study the history of the saints Of
the religious orders, Is being done today By
many outside the Catholic church, and all his %.
ections Will disappear like mists before the rsts
SUM- One does not learn the beauties of the land
scape from a blind man, or the blessings of cou.
trvs institutions from one who has proven traitor
to it, So fair-minded men should not listen to the
false and impure utterances of a wicked priest who
has been false to his Church, or an Outcast woman.
who. in return for the charity of the Sisters who
rescued her from the streets, poses impudently to
curious world as an escaped num- and calUmuIatcs
for a price the Church that helped her in her need
To me indulgences are destructive of true religion
bv freeing one from the necessity of repentance.
Do not fndulgences make Catholics trust too much
in externals set prayers visiting churches process
sonaIs etc?
why should not man suffer all the punishment
due his sins?
Inasmuch as indulgences necessarily suppose ON
q part heartfelt SOrrOWful confession or
his grevous sins, and his restoration to Gods grace
and friendship, they cannot help fostering true love
of Jesus Christ
By what right does a man judge his neigh6or'
guilty of exernalism, Pharisaism, when he prays
to God fasts in obedience to Chrst's word and the
law of His Church, or visits Jesus Christ really
present on the Catholic altar
A true Christian, realizing the infinite malice
of sin and Gods offended justice, is thankful
only for Christ's institution of the Sacrament of
Penance for the pardon of grievous sin and the
remission of external punishment it deserves, but
also for that extra-sacramental remission of the
temporal punishment which, according to the
Scriptures, may remain even after the punishment
is remitted.
have frequently met non-CathoHcs who in
breath found fault with the dogma of indulgences
as not allowing full scope to Gods justice, and the
next not scruping at all to declare eternal punish
1nent incompatible with Gods mercy Is not this
straining at a gnat and swallowing came2 (llatt.
xiii. 24)
Indugences, as a matter of fact, are great helps
to true devotion, for they foster the spirit Of
prayer, encourage almsgiving in the name of Christ
Guke XII Al xii, 33; Matt. vi, y, cause Catholics
to mediate upon the Passion and death of Christ,
through whose infinite merits they avail insist on
the reception of those wonderful helps to Gods
love and friendship the Sacraments of Penanco
and the Eucharist; bring vividly before men the
dogma of the Communion of Saints, ETC.