The Irish standard., 1904-03-05
PAYMENT or DEBTS.

PAYMENT OF DEBTS.
A Forceful and Practical Sermon OF
an Important Subject.
The following sermon, which recent
ly appeared in the Michigan Catholic
was delivered by Rev. S. NJ. Lyons
and will be found most interesting
and instructive reading:
Render to all their uues.-Rom. Xiii.
{.
In these words the Apostle com
mands us to pay our debts to all
whether they are rich or poor, whether
they need it for their support or not
whether they press us for it or not
This sacred obligation is founded on
the virtue of justice which demands
that we give to others what belongs
to them. Ihe divine law as we'll as
TIE natural law require that we do un-
to others as we would have others do
unto us. Who is willing to wait for
months and even years for the pay
ment Of debts overdue? Hence each
one should be prompt in paying his
debts. Again. St Paul declares: lowe
no man anything" Rom. xiii, 81
note the strict duty imposed on all
by these words Of our Lord. Pay all
your debts without exception, pay
them according to contract so as to
cause no disappointment or loss to
those you owe. Refusing to pay law
full debts is the same as stealing The
thief takes secretly what belongs to
another and thereby deprives the
owner Of the benefit of his property.
Those who do not pay their debts re-
tain unlawfully what belongs to 9TH
ers and thereby cause them disappoint-
ments and losses. The one takes Sc
cretly, the other takes publicly, and
both keep what does not belong to
them.
Our Lord declares that calamities
shall fall on those who keep what
does not belong to them. Hear His
own words: Woe to him that heapeth
together that which is not his own"
Those who refuse to pay their lawful
debts heap together what is not their
own and are certain to incur sooner or
later the miseries pronounced against
them by our Lord. Again God de-
clares: "a kingdom is translated from
one people to another, because of in
justices, and wrongs, and injuries and
divers deceits." QIccl. ", 81 This
divine decla ration is carried out in the
cases of families and individuals who
are guilty of injustices, wrongs in
juries and fraud against Others God
has solcmnly pledged His word to pro-
tect the property rights of all, rich and
poor, high and low, and He will per-
NIT no injustice, no wrong, no injury.
no fraud to so unpublished. Again
hear His words: Some distribute
their own goods and grow richer; 9TH
ers take away what is not their own,
are always in want" prov. XII. -
God increases the store of the gen
erous hearted as He multiplies the
seed sown i'll the ground, whereas
those who owe bills everywhere and
refuse to pay them are afflicted with
want. AS the proverb says, they
have no luck, things go wrong wages
are spent foolishly, there are disap-
pointments, mfseries and unhappiness,
and they are always in want because
they take what is not their own. The
dreadest punishment awaits them in
the next world "Know you not that
the unjust shall not possess the King
dom Of God" U. Cor. VII, 81 Inc
Church teaches that we are obliged
at the peril Of our salvation to pay our
just debts. No power on earth can
absolve from this sacred duty There
can be no forgiveness in the holy tri-
bunal of reconciliation for the person
who culpably refuses to pay his debts.
Lven in the dread hour of death alb
solution cannot be impaired to such a
person unless he makes good the in
justice done others. God has made
the conditions of forgiveness, no pow.
er on earth can change them, and resti.
tuition for every injustice is one of
those condiuons. The Catechism
teaches, 1--WE are bound to restitution
if we are able, else the sin will not
be forgiven" eff we are able" does
not mean If we can restore without
saving, self-denial and sacrifice. There
are but few cases where cutting down
expenses, as regards. dress, drink
pleasure, travel, etc, would not enauit
people to pay their debts. 1t is pos
sible to deceive men, but there is
one (the Lord "who seeth and judg
eth" and who cannot be deceived
and unless the Lord ratifies the abso
luton given by the minister Of recon
Citation there can be no forgiveness
The payment of debts is sacred
duty; eternal salvation depends on it
"He that will not render what he haiti
robbed shall die everlastingly.'
(Ezech. XXXiii., 49,
To culpably let debts run on fol
months and years is positive dis