The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1905-10-24
CONFESSION HELPS
BOTH PRIEST AND PENlTENT
SAYS FATHER MlcHAELis.
Delivered His Lecture on Sacrament
Of Penanee" at the Auditorium
Last Niaht.

the Auditorium last night. The lecture
was on the Sacrament of Penance,"
particularly on that feature of 1t known
as confession. Father Michaelis said
a true repentance, coupled with gem
uine resolution of amendment, is re-
Quired on the part of the penitent for
valid absolution. The examination and
self inspection that confession presup-
poses Is the best preparation for the
one and the other. Every step that
leads to confession deepens sorrow.
Confession is helpful to priest and PEN
itent; 1t gives the latter a guide in the
difficult way of the spiritual life and
enables the former to apply the law of
Christ, the morality of the gospel, to
each individual soul
Every one acquainted with confess
sion pronounces It most effective in
strument for good. Confession is prac-
ticed by far the greatest portion OF
Christians today. They have been con-
Tossing from time immemorial, during
every century, even from the days of
the apostles.
Confession was instituted by Christ,
who alone had the right to do it,
will select one of the several passages
out of the New Testament to prove my
assertion, viz, John 20, 81, %: He
Jesus) said therefore unto them (the
apostles) again, Peace be unto you.
AS the Father sent me, l also send
you When He had said this, He
breathed on them and He said to them,
Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose
sins ye shall forgive, they are forgiven
them. Whose sins you shall retain,
they are retained
Being God, Christ Himself forgave
sins, and as God could impart such
power to His ministers is evident from
the passage just quoted. He granted
them a divine power the same that He
Himself came to perform on earth 1t
is not a mere declaratory, but real
absolving power.
"Objecuon is made that nothing is
Baid about confession. True, but Christ
requires a discretionary use of the
power which calls for the manifesto
tion of sins and proper disposition on
the part OF the penitent. The confessor
acts as a judge, and no judge decides
his cases without hearing the evidence.
1t is said that Christ impaired the abb
solving power to the apostles alone and
that the priests of today do not enjoy
that privilege.
The objectors forget that the power
of absolution was an official grant and
must of necessity exist so long as the
nHin x,F h. g,lc
er to baptize and to preach are similar
commissions granted in a similar m IN
ner.
Since Christ has given to His priests
that ministry of reconciliation as st.
Paul calls it, it follows that we must
confess our sins, if we would find par
don for our transgressions. 1t was
shown that this practice could not have
crept in gradually, but goes back TO
the apostles"
The questions were answered oyI
Father Krcss. Among them were the
following:
@. Is it right to build fine churches
with the money of the poor toilerl
A. Our motto is: Nothing is too good
according to their means; the very
poor give nothing; yet these und all
others understand that the church is
theirs as well as that of the richest of
the parish. We hold the poor and are
glad to have them. If they were being
oppressed, they would not be with US.
@. Does the Catholic church consider
tha nihla moral nhilncpnhyo
A. No; II is the word of God, not
system of philosophy.
@. Do you believe in teaching the
demoralizing parts of the Bible?
A. No part of the Bible is demoraliz-
ing, but there is nothing good under
the sun that may not be abused and
may not become a source of danger to
New Testament first, and then, when
ripper years warrant it, also in the Old
Testament.
Q. Were the $4O,OOO,OOO found after
the death of Leo XIII. personal prop
erty?
A. This is fake of yellow journal
ism. According to the story, $40, ,000,-
@. Why has the church always OPP
posed the scientists in their researches
and Investigations, and why was Bruno
put to death?
A. Is It fair to say that the church
has always opposed science, merely
because Bruno was put to death by the
state for atheism?
@. Does the Catholic church uphold
the Spanish inquisition7 ws-
A. The Spanish inauisition was
state institution. Lorente, the reputed
historian of the inquisition, was falls
ifer He burned his documents. Read
the Life of Ximenes," by Hefele,
which had been translated into English.
Q. 1t has been charged by teachers in
The church that Socialism Is anti-Chris-
lion If you hold this view, will you
-