The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-03-21
PAULIST MISSION
WELL ATTENDED
FATHER HEALY ANSWERS CUES.
TloNS-FATHER o'HERN DIS.
cUssEs CHURCH AS TEACHING
BODY ESTABLISHED BY CHRIST.

The Paulst mission at St. Pauls church
continues to be well attended. Last night
the Rev. Father Healy answered ques-
lions which had been written and placed
In the query box. The first question was
with regard to the Catholic church s
teaching about hell. Father Healy an
swered: 1.-THE doctrine of everlasting pun
ishment is taught, not because it may in
fiuence mems lives, but because it is
the teaching of Christ. For instance in
Matthew xxv.-46, And these shall so
into everlasting punishment"
The next question: ''Why does your
church put it's ban on the Masonic or
der?"
Answer: 1.-The Catholic church forbids
her members to join the Masonic frater-
nifty because Masonry is essentially re-
li9ious institution, and in assuming to
teach men moral and religious duties to
God and their fellowmen, is assuming to
itself a work given by Christ to His
church. These teachings are good, but the
church says that the lodge is trespassing
on her domain. In the second place the
Masonic oath cannot be justified on ethi-
cal grounds. No man may justifably take
an 9th that binds him to absolute secrecy
and obedience concerning a matter of
which he is yet, and must be, i'm total ig-
norance This is said without any inten-
ton to criticise individual Masons or TO
provoke ill feeling. ] am simply stating
the reasons for the church law, and it
is well that all should know Them
Question: why are Catholics forbid
den to read the Bible? What about the
Chained Bible In the middle ages?'
Answer: 1t is not true to say that the
Catholic laity are forbidden to read the
Bible. On the contrary, they are most
earnestly encouraged to familiarize them
selves with the scriptures. They hear
scripture read every Sunday and are
encouraged to read 1t themselves daily. 1t
is true that the Bible was chained in
the middle ages. 1t was pretty much as
| city directories are chained in drug
stores today or tincups to the town pump,
to make certain that they will always be
handy for public use and to prevent their
being carried off by some 'absent-minded
beggar.
Father Healy said. that other ques-
tions found In the box related to sub
iects which would be ex'haustvey treated
! in lectures to follow in the mission course.
The Rev. Father 0Hen delivered the
lecture of the evening: He spoke In sub
stance as follows:
Did Christ leave a teacher on earth to
! perpetrate His doctrine, and Is the Bible
that teacher? Assuming as a matter of
Justice that Christ owed 1t to mankind
to have remained on earth to teach and
guide, or else to have provided an equiv
alent to His personal presence, what Is
that equivalent? Is the Bible prayerfully
read and privately interpreted, that equiv
alent?
First of all he explained the attitude
of the church toward the Bible. He
showed that 1t was she who gathered to-
gether the gospels and epistles, separa-
ated the true from the spurious; collect
ed them into canon and sent them
down the centuries with the impress OF
her credentials, and hers alone. For four
teen centuries before the invention OF
printing did her monks and writer's care
fully and with reverence copy and re-
| produce the sacred text, with infinite Ia
Dor and pains A modern authority has
calculated the cost of producing one OF
these Bibles before the invention OF
printing and book-malling at $1,000. No
| wonder we hear of the "chained Bible. "
| They could hardly afford to be thrown
about like the modern penny tract. But
the Popes have always promoted the
reading of the Bible, and it is the Cath
Ole church today which is the most UNI
compromising defender and champion OF
the Bible against the attacks of rational
lists and unbelieyers.
Granted that the Bible is inspired, that
1t is profitable to be read" the question
remains: Is the private reading and in
| depreciation of that book the means
Christ provided for teaching mankind
His saving doctrine?
THE question must be answered mega
lively" said Father o'Hern. Private
reading OF the Scripture has not been
the means in the past whereby man was
led TO the knowledge Of Christianity.
For some years after Christs ascen-
sion there was no Bible. because none
of His teachings had been committed to
| writing. lie Himself had neither writ
ten nor directed the writing of any part
| of it. For over three centuries more
there was no Bible as a teaching unit,
because its fragments were scattered
through the churches. Then, for over
a thousand years more before the inven-
ton of printing, its necessarily limited
production prevented its widespread use.
But all the while teacher had existed.
The church had conquered the Roman
empire and had Christianzed Europe
In the second place, private reading Oh
the Scriptures cannot be that equivalent
which Christ was bound to leave to man,
for it cannot give that unity and infalll-