The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-05-22
CATHOLIC PRoTEsTANTs


listeners when a kind. upright non
Catholic lady sincerely expressed the
sentiment that she thought that per-
son could be good Protestant and
good Catholic at the same time. She
really had no religious prejudices and
actually went to mass in the Catholic
church as devoutly as she might at
tend a Protestant service. She car
ried out what many her kind pro-
TESS, "That it doesn't make any diff
ference what church you belong to If
you only do right" and the actual
impossibility of more than one being
right is never grasped by them. We
have evidence all around us of the
philanthropic interests that many of
these good people have, of their integ-
rity in business, of their genuine rev.
erence for the Scriptures and of their
splendid family traits. What they lack
is not their fault but their inheritance.
If they were given the grace of CONVEX
sion they would be admirable Cath
olics. And sometimes they afford the
sad contrast that native Catholics are
unequal to them in exemplary conduct.
It is certainly mystery,-the heritage
or call to receive the fullness of faith.
But perhaps, it is even greater mys-
terry that Catholics should ever be out
ranked in good conduct by others so
spiritually favored. The possession of
the truth carries with it the obligation
to give tenfold better example than
If one had never realized what reli-
gion actually means.
Catholics can make no filter OBJ
servance at the coming of Pentecost
than by resolving to do all that is pos
sible to promote the reign of spiritual
truth. Mysterious as conversions. may
be. it is a very probable assumption
that they are more frequently the ef-
feet of somebody's good Catholic life
than of anything else. The magnetic
effect of another's real belief was COM
municated in a subtle, indefinable way
and presently the soul affected would
begin to realize what the truth posi-
lively is and then to follow it up hon
orably to the point of admission and
profession. And then the absurdity
of there being more than one religion
becomes evident and it would sound as
foolish to them to hear that there were
several sciences of arithmetic or many
different attractions of gravitation.
That we owe our lesser favored
brethren the duty of Catholic effect
upon them is undeniable. The best
way to do this is to do to as great
degree as possible what we want
them to do,-to admit the truth. Not
that we need to admit 1t in spiritual
matters when we enjoy the blessed
conviction of being of the household of
the faith. But there is great deal
of other truth that we can acquire the
strength to admit, like the good points
in an adversary, or the actual justice
in claim opposed to us.-more than
all. In espousing what is Just and right
wherever we find it. If we grow into
the habit Of reasoning that it matters
not which side Of the question is right
we are really reasoning exactly like
Professionals who say that 1t is indiffer-
ent which church one belongs to. To
shirk the responsibility of judging of
the merits of the question is to do ex-
actly what they do when they resist
spiritual truth. Our effect for influ-
ence upon those near US is increased
in the measure Of our sincerity. Let
US give them always the benefit of
being sincere.
G.. H. K