The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-02-17
PAsT0RA
LETTEE THE MOST
REVEREND ARCHBISHOP

THE DUTY OF CATHOLICS TO BE
wELL-lNsTRucTED IN THEIR
FAITH-HEARlNG SERMONS
READING CATHOLIC LlTERA-
TuRE. ... -...
To the Clergy and the Lalty Of the
Archdiocese of St. Paul.
Beloved Brethren:
Writing to the Christians of Rome,
st. Paul says of them: "And myself,
also, am assured of you that you are
full of love, replenished with all knowl-
edge, so that you are able to admon-
ish one another" The knowledge, of
which the apostle speaks, is the knoWl-
edge of the Gospel which he and his
fellow apostles were preaching, the
Gospel of Jesus Christ: the love of
which the hearts of the disciples In
Rome were brimful is that love, which
| is "the fulfilling of the law" the plen-
ary love of the Almighty God, that
| follows upon the plenary knowledge of
| His divine perfections and of the rela-
tions between Him and the human
| soul: the admonition of one by the
other, to which he refers as duty
incumbent upon them, is the strength
ening in the Christian faith of such
other persons as each one of the dis
ciples is able to influence duty
which, it is plain, cannot be efficiently
| put into practice, unless the one who
is to give the admonition is himself
well instructed i'm the religion that
Jesus Christ has Instituted upon earth.
It is the wish Of my soul and the
prayer I address to Heaven, that /
be able to repeat with regard to the
Christian flock entrusted to my care,
the words written by st. Paul to the
Romans, that may say of them:
| "And I myself, also, am assured of
you, that you are full of love, replen-
ished with all knowledge, 50 that You
are able to admonish one another"
Be you, therefore, I entreat of you,
Brethren, "replenished with all knowl-
edge" full of love- and SO thoroughly
instructed in your holy faith, SO ia
miliar with its dogmas and it's pre-
cepts, that your souls be made radiant
of it's divine light, and from them it's
saving influences be spread out even
| to the souls of others.
knowledge of the Church's Teaching
Imperative.
The Incarnate God was the teacher
HE taught the multitudes": HE was
teaching them as one having power"
! The Incarnate God had come to earth
to open to men the pathways to the
skies, by having them know the truths
and counsels hidden from eternity in
the bosom of the Almighty God, and
the means and methods by which they
may live the divine life, which later
they are to live more fully in Heaven.
That His teachings be heard by all
nations and through all ages, He insti-
| tuted the Church, with mission to re-
| peat, under His own guidance, His
| words until the contamination of the
world: "Going, therefore," He said to
the Chieftains of the Church, teach
We all nations teach
ing them all things whatsoever have
commanded you, and behold am with
you all days, even unto the consum-
nation Of the world"
The duty of the disciple is to learn
and to believe. What Christ taught
long ago, what the Church in His
name teaches today, we must learn
and believe: else we are making vain
and proftless, so far as we are con-
cerned, the divine teachings. Nor is
a vague general acceptance of the
Christian religion what is demanded:
we must know it's meaning and believe
1t in all it's bearings. We cannot
believe unless we first learn. No part
of the teaching of Christ is without
it's purpose, and, consequently, with
out the obligation ON our part to re-
ceive it, and i'm order to receive IL
with reasonable faith, to know it.
Christ is most explicit: Teaching
them all things whatsoever I have
commanded YOU: no one part OF the
teachings is to be omitted by the
apostles: no one part is to be unheard
and unknown by the disciples. A
plenary knowledge Of the Christian
faith is for all Christians, SO far as
ability and circumstances permit, an
imperious duty.
An Incarnate God, Church divine
from the divine life within 1t, is our
teacher! How precious must be the
message! How anxious we should be
to hear 1t, to know it! Carelessness
in instructing ourselves I'm the teach
ings Of Christ is the spurning of the
gift OF Gods wisdom and love, the
casting away OF the riches OF divine
light and grace brought from Heaven
for the Transformation OF our souls
lcontinuedcn page5)