South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-10-16
DISCUSSES SIN
AND FORGIVENESS
Father Conway Addresses the
Largest Audience of Week
at High SChOOI-PrOf. Hines
of Notre Dame PreSideS.

The largest audience which has yet
greeted him since the opening or MS
lectures on the Catholic faith heard
Father Conway Thursday evening az
the high school auditorium when ne
discussed the Forgiveness of sins
Prof J. F. Hines Of the Uuiversit. or
NOtre Dame presided and muslcal
numbers were furnished by Miss
Maude Weber who gave an instrument
tai solo and Miss Josephine Decker
who sang very pleasingly Lead
kindly Light"
According 10 his custom Father
Conway preceded his lecture with the
answering OF questions sent 20 MN
by nOn-CathOlic enquirers since the
opening Of his course here. Some rev
Of those which he answered last even
ing were as follows:
why do Catholics kneel 10 inn
ages"
out OF respect. as "a subject might
kneel TO his sovereign We pray not
10 the image. but TO the Christ the
image represents, or TO the So, no
was a perfect follower OF the Lord
Jesus in the way OF heroic saucuty.
HAS the state authority TO Nll2'
A state. like an individual, has the
right OF self-defense. God alone has
dominion over life and death, and
that power is delegated TO a state for
protection against the criminal ele-
ment. According 10 the spirit Of an
age or country the crimes entalling
capital punishment may be more or
less
why do Catholics object 20 the
word ROmanist2"
Because the name Of their church
is The Catholic church, or The Roman
Catholic church, and the words Ro-
mish and ROmanist are used by her
enemies in an insulting sense.
IF my parents forbid me to be-
come a Catholic, am / bound 10 obey
them ?"
a very practical difficulty, and one
that has been given me scores OF
times by timid, doubling souls.
The true follower of Christ dare not
hesitate to obey His teachings once it
IS known. for to be false TO ones con-
science is to instantly imperil ones
eternal salvation. Our Lord speaks OF
this opposition OF relatives, but de-
clares that He and His teaching must
come first
No true parent can find fault with
a child who is loyal TO conscience and
20 truth: no true parent can desire
child 10 commit grievous sin by delib-
erately refusing TO do what he knows
to be the will of God.
The Catholic church interprets the
fourth commandment, Honor thy
father and thy mother" to imPly ODE
dience in all that is good and lawful.
If a parent command or advise some
thing contrary TO Gods law, child
is bound to disObey. on the apostolic
principle.
Did not Jesus rebuke repetitiOns in
prayer, saying, Use no vain repeu-
tions as the heather do?
Our questiOner must distinguish be-
tween two kinds of repetitions. par
rot repeats by the hour, with all the
different changes Of infection and
without the slightest spark OF intelli-
gence. How do you dO2" "Bad-bad-
bad boy" Hello, POllyl" "Good-by,"
etc. So ii is possible some people
pray parrOt-like without thinking of
God at all. This manner of praying
our Lord rebukes.
But there is, on the other hand,
the Oft-repeated "I love you" of the
mother speaking to the babe at her
breast. which loses none of its force
I'm the repeating, but rather intensifies
the love of that mothers heart by
outward expression. Such the repeat
ed prayer TO God Of the devout soul
he II a prayer of praise, alteration
thanksgiving, petition or sorrow for
sin.
Do Catholics believe that mental
reservation is lawful2'
The essence of a lie consists I'm say
ing the contrary of what is thought,
and every lie necessarily implies the
viii TO deceive. The unanimous teach
ing of Catholic theologists from and
before the time of st. Augustine has
been that a lie is intrinsiCally and alb
solutely evil. as opposed 20 the very
nature OF man and society. No rea-
son can ever justify it,
a mental reservation or restric-
ton, is the illustration Of an affirma-
tive or negative. If not verbally eX-
pressed IL can be either known by
the circumstances or else Is purely
mental A purely mental reservation
being equivalent to a lie is never law
ful Reservation not purely mental
that IS, equivocatiOn-is in general
forbidden, because language is intend
ed TO express thoughts. not TO hide
them. II IS, however, allowed for
a Just cause, in virtue OF the principle
OF morals. that we can lawfully per-
form an act having two effects, the
one good and the other evil, whenever
the good effect is paramount TO the
bad. Thus a servant could say 20 n
visitor whom her mistress did not
want to receive. "\ot at home" or q
priest or any professional man when
asked a secret could answer. ct do
not know" in both instances the linn
iting OF the negative can be gathered
from the circumstances.
This evening the subject of the lee