The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-06-28
STERLING CHRISTIANITY.

many persons look upon the Cath
Ollie Church from a purely ethical
standpoint? They admire the
Scriptures as they do the works
of Homer, the dramas Of Shakes
peare. They consider the work
Of the Church a noble undertake
ing worthy to rank with the great
est philanthropic enterprises Of
the ages. Their practical adher-
ence to the tenets of that Church
they profess to love, however, is
but too often confined to a, "Lord,
Lord" of the man in the Gospel.
Christianity is nothing if not
practical. What avails it to pile
up learned works on doctrines,
and theories, and PHILOSOPHERS,
and esthetics, if the children
of God are being deprived
Of the blessings Of God? What
boots it to scatter Bibles
broadcast, when the souls of men
are hungering for spiritual pabu-
lum? For nourishment that new
er can be drawn from a mere
book, unless the grace Of God ac-
company it?
Along with our systems of
learning we have the practical
works that bring us into close
touch with the children Of God.
There are certain traits about
our dear Lord in His intercourse
with men that speak as loudly as
did the words Of wisdom that flow
ed from His sacred lips. His in
effable tenderness towards the suf-
fering and towards abandoned
sinners seems to have been the
distinctively practical mark in
His relations with men. On the
other hand, there is perhaps moth
ing that society shuns more sedul-
ously and more scrupulously than
contact with the fallen. The
Magdalens Of a great city consti-
tute the social scum that often
evokes a perfect TRADE from the
fair ones of the exclusive set.
Picture certain social leaders as
with averted eye and sweeping
skirts they scorn to breathe the
same mephitic atmosphere as the
unfortunate child Of sin who has
dared to cross their path. The
sins Of the fallen among the lower
class are indeed great; but can
they equal the depravity that
often exists and thrives higher up
"a depravity all the more ap-
palling in that it has no real
grounds on which to build the
fabric of excuses that ever are in
evidence to extenuate wickedness
Of any kind?
Some there are, nevertheless,
who though examples of virtue of
the rarest and noblest quality
nay, because of that-do not dis
dain to enfold in loving en-
brace those who have fallen by
the wayside in climbing the hills
Of God.
The House of the Good Shep-
herd is one of the nOblest and
most convincing proofs of the
strength Of sterling Christianity
that we have in our midst today.
Platitudes have no place there
sterile maxims and trite fippan-
cies cannot there exist. But the
child Of God, after having fallen
perhaps to the very lowest depths,
is there received with a truly
divine benignity. Noble-minded
women of the most exalted virtue
and sound, common sense make
the poor derelict feel that she has
indeed returned to her Father s
house. All is calm, charity, and
encouragement. What cares the
unfortunate If some whitened
sepulcher, with scornful gaze, tits
the nose with supercilious air I
What matters it il some so.
cial Jezabel casts upon her the
whitening glance of virtuous hor-
ror! Not all the hypocritical in
dignation possible to selfish mind
can alter for single moment the
sweetness or the strength of those
words: eco, my child, and sin
no more
During your mad rush for pleas
ure, preferment. or wealth, pause
from time to time and give a
thought to those works that truly
deserve a word of sympathy or a
material assistance. Do not be
afraid to contribute now and then
your mite towards these grand
works. Do not allow the oppor-
tunity to slip by of taking a hand
In some way towards assisting In
the good cause. After all, the
only things that will prove of last
ing benefit are the works of char
ity and of faith; not necessarily
charity In the strictest sense OF
the term, but that wide, unbound
ed, all-embraeing charity that
knows no distinction OF race