The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1910-02-04
"PU RGATORY"

Father Bresnahan spoke to Il good
sized audience last night in the court
house on the above subject. a belief
and one of the tenets of the Catholic
church. is purgatory. He opened the
question box and answered the fol-
lowing questions:
why does the Catholic church per
nit it's members to join some of the
secret orders in the United States and
not the MasOns? He answered this
question in substance in the same
manner as he did the night prey Gus.
because the order believed in natural
religion; a person religion and it led
to personalism and losing of faith
in the holy apostolic church. Because
they took an oath and only the state
and the church could administer this
sacred word. He admitted the assert
i've form of initiation into Masonry
had been modified in late years; that
Catholics did join other secret orders
because no oath was required just a
pledge TO be faithful to their vows. If
we understood the father correctly, the
orders excepted were the knights of
Pythas. the Odd Fellows and the Elks.
who do not require oaths. He admit
ted the church tolerated the secret or
der of the knights of Columbus. but
said in reality this was not a secret
order in the usual acceptation of the
term, as those belonging We're Cath
olics and the church knew all about
the order. He said the Catholic
church forbid secret societies because
their charities and benefactionS We're
given solely TO it's members and not in
the spirit of the church, that exhorted
its members to be charitable to all
people in want or distress.
Why do Catholics burn candles over
the bodies of their dead? 1t was not
from superstition. but because the
early Christians of Rome. who were
sorely prosecuted. hid in the cataCombs
of that city and because of their dark
ened surroundings. had to use tapers
or candles. After the persecution
ceased the church in recognition of
their sufferings and martydOm insti-
tuted the lighting of tapers and can
dies and the custom was also typical
of Christ being the light of the world.
He took for his text the 18th chap
ter and cath verse of St Paul: You
come to Mount Zion. to the city of the
living God" etc. etc. He introduced
his subject by referring to the church
triumphant church militant and the
church prayerful. He then proceeded
to show from various passages OF
scripture, why the Catholic church be-
lieved there was such a place as pur-
gatory. In the first place there were
beings so good that when they dice
they went to heaven. There were be
ings so stepped in sin. guilty of muir
der and worse crime in the dccalogu,
of wickedness. they went to hell There
was a large class Of people. really goo'
and desirable citizens. who strove al
through life to be fair and just TOWARD
their fellow men. honest and honorab l
in all their relations of life, but VIII,
sometimes erred. did wrong, prsvori
Gated and INDUCED in scandal and I'M
Just criticism of their neighbors. Now
common sense and reason would die
tate that an all merciful and indulgen
God would not condemn such souls t
eternal punishment and make ther
associates with the inCarnate ttend
and murderous outCasts to perditlor
hence the Catholic church believed an
taught there was an lnttrmedlat
stage where those souls could tafr
and purify themselves: do penanc'
seek and, obtain the forgiveness {
God Hence the church teaches prayt
for these unfortunates. but does NJ
make il obligatory.
But how does the Catholic churc
reconcile what the Bible teaches abou
nell. a heaven ana al men ''i''' =
righteous and those seeking the fave
of God during life entering HeaNe'
and the ungodly departing into ne
fire. In explanation of this he asai
reiterated what he had stated on se>
eral occasions. that the tathot
church received its doctrine dlre'
from Christ and il has been TRANSMIT
ted ever since through the apostle
and the vice regent of the churc
while the writing OF the Bible was II
work Of many men and was compile
| and given TO the world hundreds =
years after Christ's. death, and a
these writings"Were simply the opil
ions of men.
Tonight the father will speak
catholic Doctrines.