The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-09-03

more radical sectarian lives in history than Jesus
Christ the central figure III all religion and all sec
tarianism-an institution that has had to deal WIN
the wandering savage from Greenland to SANDY
Point from the land OF the orange blossoms to those
shores which battle in the cool waters of the Yellow
sea: an institution, whose children read by every
kind of light from the torch to the lncandescent
taught the forest toiler to improve upon the raft
and the arrow and stand today behind the Mausser
and man the ironclad; is there in such an lnStltu-
ton nothing laudabe, nothing admirable!
The work of the Catholic church today for the
lcpers of Mandalay, Moloki and Columbia Is ali
important as illustrating her universally benehccnt
character as showing that the church IS Cathollc
not only in regard to time, race and dogma, but
especially in regard to the needs OF men.
The good priest who during the bubonc epl-
demic in Portugal. few years ago, took upon his
shoulders the body of plague stricken man aban-
doned by his plague-scared wife and children, and
gave it Christian burial his charity costing him his
life; the bishop in Chicago last winter who rushed
into the roaring flames of the lroquois to comfort
his dying co-regionists; the priest, who overcome
by foul odor, was conveyed four times III succession
from the bed of dying leper whose confession he
was receiving; the Catholic priest, who knowingly
and willingly enters the homes OF contaglon and
death to console the dying, with every probability
that his action means certain death for himself arc
imperceptibe links III an unbroken cham OF
Catholic charities: minor illustrations OF the
L.
trouble and helpessness infused into the church by
the Man of Sorrows who healed the lepers, fed the
hungry, comforted the afflicted and died, victim OF
sin, upon the gbbet of infamy for love of men,
Christ is charity itself, hence the Catholic
church more than any other may call Him her own
and herself Christs spouse. Charity Is the essence
of Providence it begot creation and redemption and
it nourishes Gods infinite patience towards men,
Charity begot the man Christ and high above the
ordinary stands his life in point of charity and
so alone that it would seem rather dream than
reality of the most sublime philanthropy
The idea may seem narrow, yet acquaintance
with the lives of those who best represent the spirit
of other creeds reveals absence III them OF certain
virtues or better degrees of virtue, certain powers
and qualifications indispensable in who would be
saint of our fold Though another church might
perhaps be able, none has produced men Christ
like as the least of our saints.
Since men today value any religious institution
by the extent to which it is power in benefcent
Deeds shall still dwell upon the charitable char
acter of the church. say at that as no other
church claiming Christ as her head, has so effect
ively made Jesus live, move speak and operate IN
her members; so in like manner no other church
has come so close to practical charity of Him,
whose kind deeds alone prompted his triumphant
reception at the gates of Jerusalem
The Catholic church has identified herself
with all movements conducive to Increase OF
human happiness; she went forth to meet the wild
inhabitant of the woods she made herself all things
to him. she got to love him more than herself ana
communicated to him the advantages and blessings
of more enlightened humanity with sweetness and
patience like that of the Master instructlng the
fishermen OF Galilee
And were mems wants tfeblcd the church would
treble her energies to meet them. In her Catholl-
city, inclusyeness, eXpanslYeness, she VIII continue
her mission to heathcndom, her work Tor Gods
kingdom and the welfare of humanity. And If IN
H. oft bo
| loathsome than Ieprosy shall to afhict men,
the church will be there III her members to labor
and to die for the comfort and salvation of the I'M
happy victims.
Time and talent failing me to do full justice to
this feature of our church's life would close re-
marking that her Catholic critics at times but
little big men. 3.
Youth and sometimes young heads on old
shoulders indulge in profanity, because to them 1t
seems smart, although that pleasure of fools IS
purchased at the expense of God Almighty.
Wishing to arrive prematurey to manhood, they
SOW during youth the seed of vices, which need but
! time to assume gigantic proportions. What these
| do is to proclaim from the turrets and the hltops
their own lack of sense, for profanity is not great
ness but indicates mean, paltry disposition, and
vicious manhood is largely fraudful and always
despicablc
Of the same type he is, who exaggcrates the
shortcomings of his church, backbites and ISLANDERS
MS m0Iler, III Uue pItcCllCC VI llOil NiA"iANS' "
whom lack of manhood makes him cater
How little he has in common with those beautl-
full characters who though perhaps none too practl-
cally religious, yet realizing that enough are the
offenses of human frailty without adding the
wanton sins of wilful malice, will even expose their
body to defend the fair name of their church and
priesthood.
Her members being human, the church Is not
perfect; ay one of the worst palpabe evidences OF
her divinity lies in the fact that being governed by
men, she has not, long ago, landed in destruction
He realizes this; who realizes that he Is yet {
Catholic in spite of himself
No she is not perfect; when she attains pertec
ton her mission may cease.
But the ablest minds arc today engaged IL
entering her fold; ministers Of tho gospel, who re
nounce comfort and ease for the truth, people Of
every age, every sex and every rank, who III thu
purity of their lives abandon an easier code o
morals to accept the Catholic, compensate abund
antly for few desertions no one regrets.
When the number and Importance of our acqus1
tions arouse an interest in the church which Otter
ends in conversion, shall we her children only SCI
and speak of her faults. Had Newman and
Manning and a Brownson and Ripon and al
that noble host of glorious acquisitions stopped t
observe only her shortcomings and her mistakes
they never would have east in their lot with US.
Oh, what would the infdel Proudhon think o
Il |.