The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-03-14
The sacrament Of Confession.

1
the attitude Of Professionals towards
the sacrament Of penance. His ser.
mon is briefly reported in the London
Catholic Times.
Out Of every hundred Protestants
bordering on Catholicism, said Mon
signor Benson, ninety-nine of them
found their greatest difficulty in the
confessional. He supposed there was
no doctrine Of the Catholic Church
so attacked and spoken against as
this sacrament of confession. II ever
his congregation heard a Protestant
lecturer speak against Catholicism
they would sooner or later hear him
attack confession, and so strong was
this Protestant feeling with regard to
confession that sometimes the most
appalling things were said. Foul and
filthy stories were told by men who
were paid to preach against the Cath
Ole Church and the sacrament of con-
fession.
Let them consider how to answer
those Professionals who say there is no
need to go to confession when they
could confess their sins to God and oh.
tain forgiveness in that way. First
Of all, let them remind themselves that
every good thing which they had came
from God, and from God only. It was
God, and God only, who created them;
and every single thing they needed
to keep alive-their daily bread, their
very necessary food and drink-were
the gifts of God. And when their bod
lily life was in peril of perishing it
was God alone who could restore it.
There was not one thing they possess.
ed, whether in body, mind or soul,
which was not the gift of God. Had
it ever occurred to them that every
one of those gifts of God cane to
them not from God direct, but through
the ministry of man? 1t was God
only who created them, yet it was
through the ministry of their parents
that they came into the world. Their
daily bread was not handed down
from heaven, but God gave them the
power to obtain it from one of His
ministers-the baker. OF course, 1t
was perfectly true that God could give
them their daily bread without the
ministry of the baker, and thousands
of years ago He did feed His people
But would that fact Justify them in re.
fusing to order any more bread from
the baker?
The Protestant was always telling
them something they agreed with
that the Bible was the written Word
of God. If, therefore, God gave them
knowledge of Himself through the
Bible and through the preacher, why
in Gods name, should He not grant
forgiveness Of sins in the same man
ner? If God answered their othel
prayers through the ministry of man
why should He not answer thei1
prayers for forgiveness of sins through
the ministry of man? The Protestant
also claimed that the Catholic coult
not point to any text in the Bible
which showed that God had appointed
any one to be His minister for thu
forgiveness of sins. He would advise
that Protestant to go home to hi
Bible, lift of the antimacassar tha
covers it, open it and in the TWEEN
tieth chapter of st. John he would fine
that God had appointed ministers fol
the forgiveness Of sins. Some O
these Professionals said that what Oul
Blessed Lord meant was that the apos
ties were to go into the world ant
preach the Precious Blood, through
which all sins are forgiven. He would
ask, with all reverence, If He hat
meant that, why did He not say it
The preacher likened the priest tt
a messenger from the King carrying
a pardon to condemned prisoner. l
the prisoner refused the pardon be
cause it was brought to him not b!
the King himself, but one of his min
listers, then he must necessarily re
main condemned. If the Protestan
refused absolution because it wa.
given by one of Gods ministers, h,
must likewise remain condemned. L
was very much easier and less humil
iatfng for the Protestant to persuade
himself that there was no need to con
| fess his sins