The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-02-11
HAND THIS OVER TO YOUR
PROTESTANT NEIGHBOR

God viii not damn me simply foI
eating piece of meat, Flesh meat is
lo worse on Friday than on Thurs
day
This assertion is often made TO ex-
Cusc or to justify the violation of the
law which commands abstinence from
flesh meat on Friday. Those who
make this assertion are right. 1t is not
the meat that damns people In itself
eating Of flesh meat is not more sinful
on one day than on aother.
That which damns people is the dis
obedience which leads them to eat the
meat That which is sinful on Friday
is the violation Of a law which was
enacted only for Friday, not for the
other days of the week. That which
damns people is the rebellion against
the legitimate authority of the pastors
of the Church whom all are bound to
obey as they are to obey Him who sent
them. saying, He who hears YOU
hears Me; he who despises you dis
pjses Me-
1t is not, then, a question of meat
nor of days nor of the appetite; it is
Il question of disobedient spirit
which sins in refusing to obey a COM
mandment which it iseasy to observe.
Aside from the fact that all the laws of
The Church should be obeyed because
they have been imposed upon Catholics
10y legitimate authoritt # must not be
forgotten that the laws of the Church
have not been enacted by accident or
through caprice, but on account of
very grave reasons and for salutary
purposes.
The law of abstinence, which is to be
observed once every week, was enacted
for the purpose of continually remind
ing people of the Passion, the suffer-
ings and death of the Savior and of the
Decessity of doing penance for sin. The
observance of this law is a public pen
ance which Christians practice. Only
the superficial or ignorant can regard
the law of abstinence as useless. PeO-
pie well know that the self denial prac-
ticed on Fridays is an occasion which
leads them to think seriously of religi-
Gus subjects, especially of their sins
and the means of atoning for them
Although the laws of the Church bind
under pain of mortal sin they are not
harsh nor unreasonable. The Church
is d mother not an imperious tyrant. |
Any legitimate and serious reason will |
dispense from the law of abstinence |
whenever people find it difficult 10 OBJ |
serve it. The object of the law is TO |
benefit people, not injure them; to en- |
able people to eXpiate their sins not to |
make people sick. Sickness. bodily |
Iyea kness, extreme poverty, great diff /
fculty i'm procuring abstinence food, |
win dispense from the observance of !
1his law 1t is best always to obtain |
The opinion of the pastor or the con-
lessor as to the sufficiency of the rea-
sons for dispensing, for otherwise
I here is danger of people being too in
duleent with themselves.
As the Church always shows wisdom
and moderation in the enforcement of
Ter laws, people should on this ac-
count be all the more ready to obey
Them They should permit those who
do not understand the laws of the
Church TO laugh at them and those to
murmur against their observance who
fail to see how easy it is to obey the
law Of the Church, how wise her pur-
pose is and how beneficial it is to
souls IN their observance.-Mgr. De
Se2Ur