The Irish standard., 1911-11-25

incontrovertibly true, that fact must
be, after the existence of God, the di-
vinity of His Church. At no time in
the history of the human race was
God without a representative on
earth. At first it was the Law, then
the Prophets and in later times His
only Begotten Son, who founded the
Catholic Church and endowed her with
His own divine authority to continue
His mission on earth. GAS the Father
hath sent me, so I send you,' were
the words He uttered when he inaug-
urated the mission of His own Divine
Spouse. He teaches us by the mouth
of His Church, for He has sworn by
His Godhead that He will be with her
all days till the end of time. HE that
heareth you, heareth me be-
hold / am with you all days y
the gates of hell shall not prevail" 1t
is on this divine infallible authority
of the Church that we Catholics found
our belief in the doctrine Of Purga-
tory. BY this we do not mean to say
that the doctrine Of middle state is
not found in the Scriptures, for it is,
though in an indirect manner. In or
der to study the arguments that prove
the existence of Purgatory it will be
necessary to keep before our eyes the
practice of praying for the dead, for
this practice is essentially based on
the belief in a middle state. This doc
trine and practice are SO intimately
related that the arguments that prove
the one must of necessity prove the
other
The practice Of praying for the dead
lis older than Christianity itself, and
may be found far back in the age Of
the world. 1t has been SO universally
adopted by pagans, Jews and Chris
tians alike that we do not hesitate to
affirm that it is one of those essential
truths that belong to a primitive reve-
lation which tradition has conserved
and spread among the nations Of the
earth. There is no people in any age
or cline that have not heard and re-
peated the words Of Judas Macha-
beus, that ut Is a holy and a whole
some thought to pray for the dead that
they may be loosed from their SINS"
Historians did not consider them be-
meath their notice and hence they
chronicled them; philosophers reason
cd on them and have admitted the
truth which they contain; theologians
sec in them the distinction of sins as
well as the justice of God; the whole
world has believed them; sinners find
in them a source of consolation and
hope; and saints rejoice because they
see in them the greater glory Of God.
1t remained for the sixteenth century
to deny their inspiration and proclaim
from the house tops that Purgatory
and prayers for the dead were the in
Vention Of Rome. But what Christian
truth that was ever intended by God
for the uplifting Of the human race,
to the human heart that has not been,
directly or Indirectly, denied by that
coterie Of blasphemers, the so-called
reformers of the sixteenth century,
and by their followers Of today?
Whatever little supernatural trutl,
radiates through their tenets they I'M
justly appropriated from the Catholic
Church. but they have so diluted 1t
that it has altogether lost it's taste,
color and form, and what was Intended
to be a source of health and life has
ease and death. ST quaers monument
tum circumspice. If you do not be-
lieve this look around you and behold
the multitude Of warning sects whose
confused voices proclaim their own
irsutficiency, and whose impotency
fairly atones for their sin of rebellion
against the Church of Christ by the
way they set off it's grandeur and unity,
Its continuous existence and divine
origin. The TRADES they hurl against
her are a most evident proof of their
mephytic makeup. And while they
may disgust and nauseate us, yet we
must not grow weary or faint hearted,
but following the advice Of the apostle,
we should be insistent in season and
out Of season and cauterize every en-
ror with the red-hot iron of truth. We
are aware that there are some among
(. us who advocate more peaceable
( means of dealing with our separated
brethren, but what have they effected
Have they stimulated the non Cath
Y Ollie mind to inquire into the claims of
7 the Church? If we must Judge them
by their fruits we must certainly say.
"a Notwithstanding their asseverations to
X the contrary, that they have not. If