Los Angeles herald., 1910-04-18
POOR
FAITH SAYS kEANE
Declares Definite Religion NeceS-
sary in Order to Give
Believers Information

"a church without a real presence
doesn't compare with temple Of Jeru-
salem. There, at any rate, they heard
the visitation of Jehovah and saw the
signs of his good pleasure. The Chris
tian temple that cannot give such evil
dence of Gods nearness has not the
real worth. A reading desk and bread
table are not even decent substitutes
for the holy of holies of the Jewish
temple. We have the reality, the Per
petual Presence. Jesus Christ, the Goo
man, is not everywhere, but he is yon-
der 2beneath the cross in the little taper-
nacle of the church really present"
These were the expressions of the
Rt. Rev. John J. Keane. bishop of
Cheyenne, Wyo., in his closing lecture
of a series of seven given during the
week at the Mason opera house. why
1 Am a Catholic" was the subject of
the lecture.
Bishop Conaty presided and made the
opening remarks, speaking of the splen-
did work of the Knights of Columbus
in arranging the series of lectures by
Bishop Keane, and said that any one
interested through the lectures would
find any priest ready and willing to
give at any time authentic inform9tion
regarding Catholic doctrines.
Bishop Keane spoke of the impossi-
bility of an indifference to God, saying
that the religion of Indifference was a
false principle.
'I must have definite religion" said
the bishop, zone that will give informa-
ton on vital questions-what l am,
whence I came and whittier / go. A
religion of negatives and philosophers
has no value. Life is a warfare, and
the soldiers must not be mystifed as
to the commands. We want to hear
the commanders voice and want
definite information.
"A religion cannot. deny it's history
If you are to judge Christianity by its
history, then it is Catholic 1t is con-
tinual in name and institutions. Do you
think that a religion diluted in litera-
ture as volatile as the air, susceptible
to changes of private opinion, would
have met the difficulties met by the
Catholic church? Think you it would
have carried Christ in persecution and
lifted the cross in pagan Rome?
"Go back to the year 1900 and ask
for the work of the Anglo German
Christianity. What power; where was
it? AS an organization it was not. The
church of history is not Protestant,
it is Catholic. A religious system to be
with Christ. In order to reach London
by cable the line must be intact. What
of those 1900 years when you had no
existence, when no creed was known
except the condemnation of private in
terpretatioin.
"It looks unkind to tell a man who
processes to be a Christian that he is
not. 1t seems hard, and don't want
to seem harsh. Kindness is not Chris
tianity, but one of it's fruits. 1 say in
all charity that am interested in your
salvation. 1 ask you to look at facts.
There Is only one way of truth, and
may we all come to him by faith in
him.
Catholicism is a living organization.
1t grows, but lit does not lose its
identity. She took all good people, laws
and philosophy, and consecrated them
to her use for the home of the eternal
Emmanuel She stands before the
world creative because divine, beautiful
because creative, new though un-
changing"
At the close of the lecture the bishop
extended his thanks to Bishop Conaty,
the knights of Columbus, DR.. Glass
and the press for kindnesses shown him.