The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-03-25
Paulist Mission.

The Paulst mission for non-C Catholics
was resumed at st. Paurs last night. The
edifice was filled to overlooking. Cues
tons found in the query box included
these:
Does the Catholic church teach that
God has predestined some souls for
eternal damnation? If so Is this just?'
"All services in the Catholic church are
in Latin why not in the language of the
respective countries, since Latin is UNI
known to the majority of the public?"
Father OHern answered these questions
as follows: Regarding predestination
some one, in the sixteenth century,
taught that God created some souls for
eternal perdition, but this has never been
the teaching of the Catholic church. In
the council of Trent, the Catholic church
condemned most strongly this doctrine
of predestination by declaring that God
sincerely wills the salvation of all. This
is evident from the scriptures: He Is
the propritiation for our sins; and not
for ours only, but also for those of the
whole world q. John H., %; Behold
him who taketh away the sin of the
world John l., 29) And Christ died for
ALL III. Cor, V. 15; God our Savior,
who will have all men to be saved, and
to come to the knowledge of the truth,
q. Tim. H., A.
at is undoubtedly true that God fore
knows the eternal loss of the unrepent-
ant sinner. Why, then, continued the
questoner, did he create such one?
There is great mystery involved
herein, yet 1t is wrong to acuse God OF
this evil. God is the eternal present,
with him there is no past, there is no
future. He is the all-lknowing one, or
he ceases to be God. He knows the
event. therefore, because it occurs; but it
does not occur because God knows It,.
His fore-knoYedge in no way affects our
freedom of will.
I'VE are created by God with intellect
to know the good, and free will to choose
it. Moral creatures, therefore, with a
conscience within us Judging knowingly
the right and the wrong, we are responsible
for the wrong freely chosen If we die
in sin, we choose the wrong for all eter-
nifty; and having had the sufficient grace
of God to the last, we are guilty of our
own damning. We cannot lay the re-
sponsibiity of it upon him. That is COM
mon sense. This is the teaching of the
church.
I'm things human, we readily see now
fore knowledge does not imply the causing
of the thing foreknown. l warn poor
swimmer not to venture In an angry sea,
for | am certain he will drown II he at
tempts it, Am l responsible for his death
because he went counter to my bidding
God warns soul He loves not TO
see him venture in the sea of grievous sin,
for he is certain that If he persist therein
he will perish for life everlasting Is God
responsible for the sinners eternal death.
because freely and deliberately he re-
fused to obey the bidding of his Lord
and Master?
But you will tell me the comparison is
faulty. You could not help your stubborn
friend. but God could help the sinner
by giving him more grace, so that he
must needs repent. Why does he do it
No one can answer this question. The
distribution of Gods grace is an incom-
prehensible mystery. We know, however
that God had given the sinner sufficient
grace to save him. and that If he is lost
he used his free will to resist grace, and
so fell short of his eternal destiny.
Use of Latin.
AS to Latin, all services of the Cath
Ollie church are not said altogether in
that language The epstle and gospel are
read to the people, prayers are said,
humns sung and sermons preached In
their own language. The words of the
mass and other official services are heard
only in the Latin tongue.
There are certain reasons why the
church has preserved Latin in some o.
her services, and principally because:
Il. Historically it bears witness to the
origin of the church, for Latin was the
spoken language of Rome when the
church was established. The Catholic