The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-03-04

Question and Answer, care The Cath
Is a girl of twenty-six too old to en-
ter convent?
No; provided she is otherwise quail
flied.
Where do you find authority for hap
tizing infants?
The Church bases her practice of
infant baptism on the teaching of our
Lord and the constant tradition of the
ages. 1t is also a consequence of the
belief in original sin. All sinned in
Adam. Therefore, all are born "chil-
dren of wrath" If we take the words
of Christ: Unless a man is born
again of water and of the Holy Ghost
he cannot enter into the Kingdom of
God" we must deduce therefrom the
necessity of baptizing children, for
they have been born and need re-birth
The word man" in the text does not
mean an adult of the male sex, but
means "one," or anyone" The learn
ed Origen in his work on baptism
says: "Since baptism is given for the
remission of sins and even to infants
as is the practice of the Church, it
follows that there is, even in infants,
something to be RENTED and pardon
ed; for otherwise their baptism would
be useless. st Augustine says of in
FAINT baptism: "This the Church has al
ways had, always held; this she re-
ceived from the faith of our ancestors;
this she perseveringly guards even to
the end" We read, too, in Acts xvi.
Is: "She was baptized and her house
hold, and xvi. Is: Himself was bap-
tized and all his house Immediately"
st. Paul, l. Cor. 1, 16: says: II bap-
tized the household of Stephanus."
Surely in so many households there
were some little ones.
Did the Blessed Virgin Mary know
that her Son was Divine Person?
She certainly did. The conversa-
ton between the Blessed Virgin and
the Angel Gabriel as given by ST. Luke,
informs us that the Son whom the
Blessed Mother was to conceive and
bring forth was not the child of hui
man father. Some think that the
whole conversation is not given: that
the Blessed Virgin kept much in re-
serve bordering them in her heart, ="
as was her wont.
1t stands to reason that before the
Blessed Virgin put her seal to the con-
tract in her final: Behold the hand
maid of the Lord; be it done unto me
according to Thy word" she had full
understanding of her Office and was
fully satisfied on all it's bearings. She
was not machine, but a woman Her
will was asked to consent to the ire
mendous mystery, and, consequently,
her mind had to comprehend what
was asked of her will. She never forgot
the details of the angelic interview and
it was from her lips that St. Luke
learned that the Archangel Gabriel had
told her that her Son shall be great
and shall be called the Son of the Most
High" This "Son of the Most High
was not figure of speech, for of this
Son it was predicted "of His kingdom
there shall be no end"
Is it possible to receive dispense.
ton to marry non-Catholic if the lat
ter is willing to be married by priest
and to have the children, if any, hap.
tized in the Catholic church,
The concessions made by the non.
Catholic are absolutely necessary con.
ditions, but they are not reasons for
granting a dispensation. A dispense
ton cannot be granted without rea
sons. Another condition is that the
non-Catholic must study Catholic doc
trine and discipline. A well-founded
hope of conversion has strong force
in obtaining a dispensation. Call on
your pastor and he will give more de
tailed information
If st. Peter was infaIlibIe, how could
he deny our Lord?
So long as our Lord was on earth
He was the infallible teacher. St
Peters prerogative, which was con
ferred actually after our Lords Res
direction, was not exercised by him
until after our Lords Ascension and
after the day of Pentecost. The fall
Of st. Peter occurred before our Lords
death
You have wrong conception Of in
fallibility. Infallibility attaches only
to teaching, not to acts. st. Peter il
denying our Lord in saying: II know
not the man." committed a great sin
but he was not teaching that Chris
was not the Son of the Living God.
Our Lord never promised St. Peter tina
he would never sin, but He laid on hin
the Office of feeding His lambs anc
sheep, that is of laying down true doc
trines and of condemning false ones
When Christ said to Peter "Thou ar,
Peter and upon this rock / will bulk
My Church" Peter was not then ant
there made the foundation of tn,
Church; for the words of our Lord re
fer to future: Il will build" TIL