The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-10-24
my RELIGION is TO BE GOOD TO
OTHERS"

Nothing can be better, says Father
Lambert in Short Answers" 1t is
just what the Christian religion most
pressingly commands us to do; even
assimilating this duty to that higher
and more fundamental one of loving
God: Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart" we are told
in the first commandment. And the
second, which is like unto the first,
is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself."
These are the very words of Jesus
Christ est. Matthw, CHI. xXi), but He
adds something of which you do not
take heed: Upon these two COM
mandments hangs all the law"
You, whose religion consists, you
say, only in doing good to others, you
suppress one of the two command
ments, the chief one, from which the
other generally springs, which de-
velops and nourishes it, and alone
raises it up to heroism and to the
height of religious duty-the COM
mandment of the love of God and the
obligation of serving Him.
We must have the use of both legs
to walk, must we not? Just so to fulfil
our destiny on earth and reach heaven,
we must practice both the great
commandments:
/. Thou shalt love thy God.
2 Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
myself
Therefore, the second is rarely OBJ
served where the first is neglected;
the experience of nineteen centuries
proves this Those Christians who
rest the love of their fellow-creatures
on the love of God are the only ones
who love them truly, efficaciously,
purely and constantly.
Who have been the greatest bene-
factors of suffering humanity? The
Saints, that is, men whose hearts were
inflamed with the love of God.
To cite but one of these, look at
St Vincent de Paul, that hero OF
brotherly charity, that father of the
afflicted who continues even in these
times to do good all over the world
by means Of the benevolent institu-
tions he founded! Who was Vincent
de Paul? A priest, churchman! What
was the source of his uneXampled de-
votion to his felloW-creatures? The
love of God, the practice of Christ's
religion.
What are the institutions of benevo
lence which prosper most mot to say
which alone prosper?
What are those which live, which
develop themselves and endure
through all ages? Those which the
religious idea, which are crowned by
the cross of Jesus Christ!
Who founded hispitals? The Church
Who gave refuge in all times-who,
~ in our days, despite the obstacles
which blinded governments have
raised up-still gives refuge to every
kind of misery, whether of the body OF
the soul, of infancy, manhood or old
age? The Church.
Who has founded for the relief OF
each of these miseries, religious or
ders of men and women, some devoted
to foundlings, some to the education
of the poor, some to the nursing OF
the sick, others to the care of luna
tics, to the reclaiming of criminals; tC
sheltering the weary traveller, etc.
etc, etc? The Church, and the
Church alone.
1t is she who gives birth to the
most perfect devotedness to humanity;
she produces the sister of charity, as
she produces the missionary and the
monk of ST. Bernard! Always by
means of the love of God, as the most
solid foundation of the love of man
kind.
In the present age, more than ever
we hear much said about humanity
fraternity, the love of the poor. Sys
TENS are built up; fine words cos
nothing; books are published anC
speeches are made. Why have they
all so little result? Because religion
does not vivify these efforts. No effec
can subsist without it's cause; the
cause, the most fertile principle o.
brotherly charity, is Divine charity
or the love of God.
Distrust these fine systems of fra
ternity, then, which are Independent
of religion. There is no love of oul
fellow-creatures pure, ettfcacious
solid or durable, that is not founded
in Jesus Christ and maintained b!
His religion.