The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-08-15

rare, though happily not altogether
unknown. Let us hope, brighter days
are rising upon the horizon.
An obedlent Faith.
Active your faith must BEGGING
out in radiant hue from the fulness OF
it's internal life, but, always, in sub
mission to the rulers of the Church. |
The strength of the Church is her
unity, through which her sons and SOL
diers move as one well-ordered army. |
Far from lessening personal initiative,
the large-drawn lines of direction,
coming from authority, strengthen 1t,
by restricting it to channels through
which flows the full stream of Catholic
faith and preventing it from wasting
itself in rash overflow. The chief au-
thority in the Church is the Bishop
of Rome, the Vicar of the Divine Mas
ter. What he commands or forDlds is
the supreme law from which the loyal
Catholic will never swerve. Now and
then, perhaps, the individual will not
grasp the reasons of the law. Yet,
he must obey. The general-in-chief
sees farther than the individual SOL
der and knows of arguments beyond
the ken of the latter. This is true in
America, where certain societies have
been put under the ban of the Church,
as it is true in Europe where different
forms of social and semi-political work
recently have been proclaimed as
perilous to faith and unity of action.
The Personal Life of Faith.
What of the typical Catholic in his
personal life? What of him in his
public American citizenship?
Evidently, in his personal life, the
| typical Catholic will be all that is
purest and best within the reach OF
heart and hand The Saviour came to
earth to cleanse humanity of sin, to
pour into it the graces of Heaven:
the Church was founded to continue
through the ages the mission OF the
Saviour. Are you the son of the Cath
Ole Church-your personal life is
adorned with the fairest flowers of ma
ture and of grace Moral blemish is
impossible: beauty, from the skies,
superadded to the best that is in ma
ture, is the vesture of your soul.
The means to cleanliness and beau
ty of soul are ordered by Christ and
His Church. | name, especially, the
Mass and the Sacramento. 1t is the
imperious command of the Church that
on every Sunday and holy-day the
Catholic shall be present at the Mass,
the sacrifice of the New Law. He
who, without clear necessity, fails to
hear Mass on Sundays and hOly-days,
forswears his Catholic faith. And he,
too, forswears it, who fails in obedi-
ence to this other imperious command
of the Church, that he receive the
Sacramento of Penance and the Eu'
charist at least once year, within
; the Paschal season. Mass every Sun
day and holy-day, the Sacramento
within the Paschal season are vital
conditions of practical Catholicity.
The Citizenship of the Catholic.
What will the typical Catholic be as
the citizen of America? The most
loyal of Americas citizens-loving
deeply his country, giving gladstone
obedience to it's laws, prompt to up
: hold it's honor and security in peace
and in war. For the son of the Church
patriotism is no mere sentiment, nc
; mere consideration of personal inter
est: it is a duty of conscience, of re
ligion, for the fulfillment of which &C
count must be given to the Almight!
, Judge, the Lord Of men and of ma
tions. The mandate of Scripture i:
plain: LET every soul be subject tt
higher powers: for there is no power
but from God"
The Catholic conscience compel'
obedience to the laws of the land:
: compels, also, righteousness in the us'
of the privilege allowed by the con
stitution of the land in the making o
it's laws. The privilege is sacred
trust, upon the proper use of which
!, depend the safety and the life of tn,
country. 1t is to be exercised to thu
full intent of the power that grants ii
the welfare and sound government o
the nation.
1t is we'll to freshen in our remem
brance the obligation of conscience
resting upon citizens to serve CO.
while serving the country in front o
. the electoral urn or in the halls o
state and national legislature. 1t i
sometime said, all is fair in politics
and the citizen is to be found, who,
strict believer in conscience with re
: gard to private conduct and the imme
y diate commands of religion, imagine
Il that the moment he steps into tn
political field as elector or as publ
official, conscience ceases? This is
: notion most false, most perverse. ]
is, indeed, fundamental point in tn
Il teaching of the Church that the tw
! principalities, the civil and the eccles
Z iastical, are distinct and separate i
their spheres, the one having no RICH
of control whatsoever over things al
pertaining to the other But in on
sphere as well as in the other, tn
Eternal God reigns, and man mus
y hearken to the laws of Righteousness
. and of justice of which conscienc
e makes proclamation Conscience eve
= reigns and ever must obtain reverend
. and submission wherever man act!
w Txy11n Al nT in r11.iEy 70