The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-12-23
CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS.
Continued From PAGE 1.

and land IN a manger'-his infant wall proclaiminc
ms mission to convert the world with twelve OBJ
scure fishermen as his army. the answer Is, that
the INSTITUTION OF Christianity which has endured
TOR twenty centuries is the most direct argument
III favor of he divinity Of Christ. 1t is an argu-
ment that borrows It's weapons of defense from IN
belief against increduity itself
But we have today unbelievers who were born
under Christian influence who have cast aside or
became totally Indifferent to Christian truths
What might be expected if they were born and
raised where all their surroundings we're anti
Christian! To reasoning and inquiring minds
whilst denying the divine origin of Christianity it
must at least appear to them as imposing by It's
duration, its blessings its relations and its glories
With 1t nearly everything grand in art science and
genius is connected. 1t is the worship of the civ
lllzed world. Yet persons insist on calling them
selves lntides. agnOstics, rationalsts If trained
IN pagan ideas, customs and morals and they heard
for the first time that crucified young man asked
to be adored as the only God in place of all the
gods, that his authority is recognized and his
rights acknowledged by all the people, and sane
toned by tradition. What evidence would be
needed under these circumstances to make one ~
Christian 1t would require a miracle to convince
their reason Be IL so. What miracles must then
be needed to convert the pagan world. and what a
great miracle that conversion was.
The nature of the mbelievers in no wise differs
from that of other men. Tracelhis incredulity to
what source he may, he must remember that the
same ideas judgments, and instinct that led up to
his nnbelief are common to humanity. and natural
~ experienced by most men. From his own feel
ings he can, by analogy, judge what the ideas of
the pagan world were in regard to Christianity IT,
under the light of the twentieth century it is un
able to command his belief it must have been
hundred times difficult to command the be
lief of the pagan world. Hence it follows that if
Christianity is Incredible it is equally incredible
that the whole world has believed In it naturally.
We know historically that the pagan world EN-
braced it. Therefore it is credible either naturally
by itself, supernaturaly by the action of God
!, e., miracles.
But miracles, or even their possibility, the IN
believer rejects. How is it then" asks ST. Angus
tine, chat in ages of highly cultured Intellectual
ity the world admitted, without miracles doc
trine which you yourselves proclaim to be incredi
bic! VIII you admit that the Christian doctrine is
by itself worthy of faith2 Then why not embrace
it by your faith? In either case, therefore the un
believer presses the conclusion all the more forciby
against himself, as he proelaims with louder and
prouder voice that it is beneath his reason to be-
lieve in the divinity of our holy religion"
The story of Christmas is old, but always new
It is simple and artess, yet it's beacon light of
ali historical facts. 1t is the winding up of the
history of 1000 years that preceded the event and
the beginning of history which commenced 1906
years ago and as Renan, the French nfdel ex
pressed it. without him Christ the whole of
history is iueomprehensble' 1t is in fine the his
torical bridge over which we pass from the old to
the new world, from ancient to modern times. and
neither the distance of time or place has lessened
the aror and fervor of the hundreds Of millions of
souls who have and ever viii rejoice at the simple
event celebrated on Christmas day. +. D..