The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-08-07

cations Rmusk be signed. though the
@OueStion and Answer, care The Cath
What is the meaning of the text
"and the children of the world are
wiser in their generation than the
children of light" Luke XIV, 8?
If the inquirer had attended Mass
and listened to the sermon on the
eighth Sunday after Pentecost most
probably he would have heard this
text explained quite at length. The
children of this world are those who
have made this world their God, seek
ing the riches, honors and pleasures
of this life as their one and only am
bition. To this work they devote
themselves more earnestly, with more
love and at the cost of greater per-
sonal sacrifice, with more burning de-
sire to possess these things, our Lord
says, than do the children, who pro-
fess to believe in Christ's Gospel seek
the things of eternity. Christ is the
Light of the world, the Light that en-
lightens every man coming into this
world. Those who believe in Christ
are called the children of Light.
These our Lord says do not strive
with the same zeal and love to lay up
for themselves riches in heaven, the
treasures that He teaches His chill
dren to acquire, nor do they accom-
modate the means proportional to this
20 on6 oaaI1pof DIV. G 6n
the children of this world to the end
that these have in view.
Are Catholics bound to believe such
stories in the Old Testament as the
fate of Lots wife, the waters of Egypt
being turned into blood, ETC.?
There are very few words of Scrip
ture that the Church has officially in
terpreted for us. Indirectly we learn
that the Church expects us to inter-
pref passages such as those referred
to in literal sense and to believe the
events narrated there to be historical.
Authors who have presented to the
public theories of so-called higher crit
ments of the Bible as allegory, fiction,
or such like, have found their work
condemned by the Church. Both pa
gan and Christian tradition frequent
ly are found to confirm the view sup
ported by the Church. Compare 10
sephus in his work Antiquities .
1, II; Irenaeus, Adv. Haereses, vi, 81,
who speak of the pillar of salt into
which Lots wife was turned as having
been preserved for long time, read
also, Wis. X, Z, Luke XVII, %, 1882.
If a person receives a penance to
say a prayer a certain number of
times must he say the prayer on con.
tinuous days?
If the confessor does not specify
definitely that the prayer is to be said
every day for a certain number OF
days, the penitent is free to say the
penance the required number of times
either on the same day, or at inter
walls of some days, or he may begin
after the lapse of some days. So long
as he says the prayer the number of
times required before his next con.
fession he will have fulfilled his obi
CATION. 1t is we'll, however, to allow
no unnecessary delay before the pen.
ance is fulfilled lest the penitent by
his personal neglect forget the pen
ance, and thus fail to complete the
sacrament that he received.
Must person confess sin that he
is not sure that he committed?
Doubt whether one committed a sin
may arise from many sources, ignor
ance of the nature of the act, indiffer
ence in ones mode of life, neglect in
examining ones conscience, etc. A
safe rule is to be guided by ones con
fessor. He is best able to distinguish
scrupulousness from Indifference. He
will probably instruct the penitent to
confess such sins as doubtful" Be
sides, if one judges for oneself and de
cides the case wrongly, if the matter
be grave, he will have made an un
worthy confession.
If person took two books from
school because they were not much
used and afterwards gives one of them
to another person, what should he do?
The person is evidently guilty OF
stealing. The sin must be repented
of, and the books restored to the
school,
Is Madeline" the name of saint?
Madeline is a corruption of Magda
lene, the sister of Lazarus and Mary,
She is model saint of perfect con,
triton for sin. The Church celebrates
her festival on July %.
What is the feminine for James7
In French, Jacqueline.
When priest retires from active
duty does he cease to be a priest?
The title Mr.. sometimes applied to
Catholic priest is an evidence of
ignorance, ill-will, or ill-breeding. The
title Reverend Father" is mark OF
respect that belongs to Catholic
priests in the same way as the title
DR." belongs to the physician. The
physician is not always doctoring us,
he may never have given us any pre-
scription, yet we always speak to him
and of him as "Dr" because this word
pyprocroc fha d,,Aioe ~ 1o;c x1-oforns<>,,