The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-06-19

has an intelligence or reasoning power
and a free will. Through my intelli-
gence am able to abstract the truth
OF matter. There is in my soul a
longing, desire to live on after.the
time when l know shall cease to ex.
LIST here. My mind won't accept the
thought that it is mortal. This desire
on the part of the soul to exist after
the death of the body is tremendous
prayer and do not believe that God
who made me will answer my prayer
with humiliation. Life has no signifi.
canoe except the soul be immortal. I
can think of the time when l shall die.
when my country may pass into the
history of nations, when even the
world on which live shall change it's
form, when even the universe shall
have been recalled into the nothing
ness out of which it was made, but
shall live on and on and on, forever
and forever. Oh, God, who art eter-
nal, because desire to live with Thee
forever, know that Thou wilt not re-
fuse to hear my prayer. The most
awful fact in all the world is that l, as
an intelligent being, can never, never
cease to exist.
Cd am a Catholic because 1 be.
Heve in the necessity of religion,
which is the recognition of God by my
soul of its dependence upon God in all
things. 1t is the duty and destiny of
all creatures to give adequate recog-
milton of their dependence upon God.
"5-I am a Catholic because 1 be-
lieve in a certain kind of religion.
Men have elaborated beautiful, nat
ural religions, but the historical fact
is that none of them ever have been
satisfying even to their formulators
themselves. If God ever has spoken
to man, teaching him His supernatural
law, then in the very nature of the
case that supernatural revelation must
be superior to any and all natural re.
ligiOns.
"6-I am Catholic because the his,
torical evidence proves that that insti-
tuition which He established and to
which l belong, the Roman Catholic
Church, is the same identical institu-
ton which He left on earth as His rep
resentative. He commissioned His
representatives to teach all nations.
He guaranteed His church infallibility
in religious and moral teaching. He
set upon it the stamp of His own au-
thority and He promised to abide with
1t through the ages. How then could
it err? Christ Himself and the Holy
Ghost, the Spirit of Truth, both are
with it. How then is it possible for
this institution to teach a falsehood
since God has established it and prom
Used to remain with it?
"For 1900 years this Church and
this alone was accepted by the vast
majority of Christians as Christ's au-
thoritative representative. Since that
time men have separated themselves
from her and formed independent Or
CARNATIONS of Christian churches, d.
viding and subdividing until now there
are more than 1,75O different Chris
tian sects believing and practicing
different articles of faith and morals.
Would Christ wish 1850 different con-
Trajectory beliefs to be taught as His
religion? If He came to earth today
would He not rather teach one system
to all men in all places? The old
Catholic Church is the only one in
the world today which teaches on
system of faith the world over.
II believe her to be true because
there exists in her everything l need
to be at peace with my God. From
birth even to death l am served by
this Church.
There is not single ceremony in
all the Church but has for it's purpose
the elevation of the soul to God.
"-1 am a Catholic because the
Catholic Church is a standing miracle
witnessing her own divine institution.
We cannot understand her history ex.
cept God has been with her and has
seen her through. Prosecutions of the
most diabolical form and intensity,
heresy and schism within, worldly
philosophy, irreligious science, scan.
dals in high places, all in their turn or
collectively have tried to drag her
down. But she stands today as firmly
entrenched as in the year 80 A. D., the
only representative of God upon earth.
''The battle of the future Is not be.
tween rival camps in religion, but
rather between religion and no re-
ligion at all and that means between
Catholicism and Agnosticism. The
Church that has withstood SO much
and has the Holy Spirit of God within
her will stand triumphant at the end
of time, leading her children unto eter-
nal salvation, which God destined for