The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-01-02


No. To do so is to take part in
q form of worship different from that
appointed by Almighty God in the
Church which He established, form,
moreover, which was set up in op-
position to the Church and as a pro-
test against the Churchs worship.
Besides, many of their hymns contain
heresy. Scandal would be given to
the Protestants themselves as we'll as
to Catholics. 1t would give counte-
nance to the notion that it is a mat
ter of Indifference what religion one
practices or processes; it would con
firm non-Catholics in this notion,
which is one of the most dangerous
errors of the day. Indeed in most
cases Catholic singers who think it
no harm to take part in non-C Catholic
services, have this notion in a hazy
form in the back of their minds, and
1t becomes definite and fixed when
they have contracted the bad habit
of selling their musical talent for
non Catholic gold or applause.
Why is Rome called the eternal
city?"
This title is not intended to imply
that the city of Rome will last for
ever. Rome is the capital city of the
Kingdom of Christ upon earth; from
1t the visible representative and Vicar
of Christ, the visible head of the
Church gets his title. The Pope will
always be Bishop of Rome. AS long
as there is Catholic Church there
will be Bishop of Rome. The Cath
olic Church will last till the end of
the world; so too, till the end of the
world, there will be a Bishop of Rome.
The Pope may be forced into exile;
Rome itself may be sacked, reduced
to ashes and become wilderness of
ruins; but Rome will always remain
the titular See of the visible head of
the Church. The Church herself is
called the City of God and is eternal
in the sense that at the end of time
she will cease to be militant and be-
come triumphant in all her faithful
citizens, and then endure throughout
eternity in Heaven. 1t is but natural
that her chief city on earth should
be named with title that recalls
this attribute of endurance. 1t is
also allowable to hold that Divine
Providence will protect the city of
Rome as the centre of Christendom
till time shall be no more. The word
eternal in this last connection is
used in a modified sense, somewhat
III the same way as we speak of an
immortal poet" Immortal renown,"
'imperishable glory" it expresses our
feeling that long duration is assured
and deserved.
I. Is it not enough to shake ones
confidence In God to read about the
plight of the poor Nuns in the hands
Of those brutal ruffians? 2. May a
woman kill a ruffian who aims at vio-
lating her honor? 8. May a woman
kill herself if she cannot escape vio-
lation in any other way?
/. The nuns and school girls of
Mexico were not forced to sin; remem-
Der that in the very midst of the
worst horrors, God can and will
strengthen conscience and keep the
purity of the soul unsulled. Vile
brutes in human form may do their
worst and there be no man to protest
or to protect the innocent. So long
as the wretched victims do not yield
consent Of the will, the worst depth
has not been reached Remember, too,
that in this country there is White
Slavery, where the same foul crime
is made matter of business. And
all over the world, from the begin
ming the innocent have been wronged.
So the Mexican horrors, though quite
exceptional in their intensity and in
the deliberateness of their planning
and execution, do not form an excep-
ton in reality; for one such outrage
committed with impunity presents es-
sentially the same difficulty. But the
criminals will not go unpublished.
After all, God is just and good and
in His own good time will render to
every man according to his works.
Some of the poor nuns, no doubt, in
the frenzy of shame and horror,
which must seize upon the gentle and
the pure in such terrible misery, said
wild things, but there is no doubt that
when they spoke they were not re-
sponsible. The misery of their state
drove them mad. Had they sinned
in the slightest degree, their minds
would not have been thus unhinged
Sin is the worst evil. Think what
sin means-an outrage to God Him.
self, and, so, unspeakably worse than
any outrage to man; think of the
pains and humiliations of Jesus
Christ g. If a woman cannot pro-
tect herself in any other. way than by
Staying the brute that attacks her,
then, of course, she may lawfully do
so. But il she can safeguard her
honor without taking his life, she
could not lawfully kill him. 1t is pos
sible at times to put ones assailant
out of action, by inflicting a severe
wound. But of course when one is
threatened with evil and grows ex-
cited with disgust and fear, one is
not likely to be able to balance things
nicely and to aim at just the non
vital spot; if the bullet goes to the
heart of the william, it is probable
that God will not hold the threatened
victim responsible for murder, since
she did not want to kill, had no time
aud Nh fair rhnnoo IN coolly oOd