The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-08-23

What verse or verses of the Bible
give the Catholic Church the right to
have Sisters and Nuns? Will you
please print them as we haven't
Catholic Bible?
The purpose of the religious state
is to promote spiritual perfection
and a closer imitation of the life of
Christ than is possible in the world.
To do this it removes the chief OBJ
stacles which make holiness so much
more difficult for the ordinary indi-
vidual engrossed in earthly pursuits.
In it's essential elements, the religious
life was instituted directly by Christ
Himself, and, consequently, is of divine
right, not in the sense that God makes
it imperative on all, but gives it as
counsel for those who aspire to
higher degree of spiritual perfection
than is absolutely necessary for sal
vation The fundamental principle of
the religious state is the observation
of the evangelical counsels of poverty
chastity, and obedience, recommended
by our Lord in the gospel. The chief
of these counsels is voluntary poverty
by which one willingly gives up earth
ly goods and possessions in order to
be more free to love and serve God.
Jesus Christ taught that detachment
from worldly possessions was neces-
sary condition for being his disciple
when he said: Every one of you
that doth not renounce all that he
possesseth, cannot be my disciple"
duke xiv:33); eff thou wilt be per-
feet, go, sell what thou hast and give
to the poor, and thou shalt have treas
ure in heaven; and come follow Me"
Matt. xiv: 21). A great blessing is
promised to all who observe this
counsel: "Peter, answering, said to
Him: Behold we have left all things,
and have followed Thee: what there
fore shall we have? And Jesus said
to them: Amen, l say to you, that
you, who have followed Me, in the re-
generation when the son of man shall
sit on the seat of his majesty, you
also shall sit on twelve seats judging
the twelve tribes of Israel, and every
one that hath left house, or brethren,
or sister, or father, or mother, or wife,
or children, or lands for My names
sake, shall receive an hundred-fOld
and shall possess life everlasting. y
Matt. xix: q, %, 29). The second
evangelical counsel is perpetual chas-
tity, that is, a voluntary abstaining
from marriage in order to dedicate
ones self in a more special manner
to the love and service of God, and to
the great work of salvation. This
counsel is recommended in the sacred
scriptures in the nineteenth chapter
of the gospel of ST. Matthew, in which
Christ recommends the making ones
self an eunuch, that is, voluntarily en-
bracing a life of chastity, for the
kingdom of heaven. The third evan
gelical counsel, obedience, is a total
subsection of ones will to that of law
full superiors in all that is not sin.
The scriptural warrant for this is
shown in the life of Christ himself
who was a continual model of perfect
obedience. Obedience is most eff
fectual means of subduing self-will
and self-love which are our most fatal
enemies can obedient man shall
speak of victory prov. xxi: 28)
obedience is better than sacrifices
q Kings XIV: 22). The religious state
of which these counsels are the foun-
dation embraces those who consecrate
themselves to God in the ranks of
the priesthood and of the different
sisterhoods of the Church. We would
recommend you to procure a copy of
the Catholic Bible as soon as possible
and read it attentively. No Catholic
family should be without Bible or,
at least, copy of the New Tesla
ment which can be bought at very
moderate price at any Catholic book
store.
1. II a Catholic marries a non.
Catholic must they promise to bring
up their children, If any, in the Cath
Ollie religion? 2. Can Catholic and
a mont Catholic be married by a priest
outside of the town in which they
live?
/. One of the promises which the
non-Catholic party to a mixed mar
riage performed by a priest is obliged
to make, is that all the children born
of the union be brought up in the
Catholic faith. He also promises not
to interfere in any way with the re-
ligious practices of the Catholic party
while the Catholic promises to do
everything possible, by word and ex-
ample, to bring about the conversion
of the non-Catholic. 2. Yes, if there
be a good reason for it, and if the
priest has the permission of the pas.
tor Of the parish in which the Catholic
party lives.
would like to know If should 90
to an outing at some lake on Sunday
after assisting at Low Mass would
commit a sin? was told that it was
a sin to go to an outing without as.
sisting at High Mass.
A Catholic fulf1ls the obligation OF
assisting at Mass on Sunday or holy.
days of obligation when he is present
at any Mass, whether it be a Low or a
High Mass. There is no obligation to
attend a High Mass in order to fulfil
the Sunday precept. If one attends q
Low Mass on Sunday that is all that
is required of him; and it is no sin