South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-10-23
DIVORCE WILL Be
SUBJECT TONIGHT
Fr. Conway Will End Series of
Sermons TomorroW-0iS-
cuSSeS the Hereafter.

With a lecture on Divorce" this
evening and on Why / am a Cath
oifc" tomorrow evening at the high
school auditorium and a sermon Sun
day morning at 1890 o'clock at St
Patrick's church on The Church's
Divine Mission" Rev Bertrand l..
Conway. c. s. p, will conclude his ex-
cellent course of talks on the Cath
Ollie doctrine
The lecture which he will give this
evening is one Of the most popular Of
his series and that scheduled for Sun
day evening one of his most inter-
esting. Both Catholics and non-Cath-
olics will be welcome at st. Patricks
church Sunday morning.
Without any knowledge of Christ
ian principles, it would seem at first
sight that infinite goodness and mercy
are incompatible with eternal punish
ment. But. on the other hand, the
denial of eternal punishment cannot
be reconciled with the justice OF God,
said FIR. Conway last evening in his
lecture on The Hereafter" at the
high school auditorium.
Can a just God give His kingdom
to one guilty of unrepented murder,
adultery, avarice or drunkenness?
Can Jesus Christ say, Come we blessed
u
law, hates God and dies obstinate in
his sin?", continued the speaker.
Man is not a mere automaton nor
mere animal nor an independent be-
ing, but a creature responsi Die to God
with an intellect to know the good.
a free will TO choose il and a sufficient
grace from God to attain salvation.
The Catholic church teaches that
there is a purgatory and that the
l.. 4 IL.
suffrages of the faithful, but chiefly
by the acceptable sacrifice of the altar.
Proofs of Purgatory.
The strongest argument for the eX-
istence of purgatory and the practice
of praying for the dead is the uni
versal and constant witness of divine
tradition, to be found in the writings
of the early fathers the ancient east
ern and western liturgies, the cate
comb inscription. and the councils of
the church. At the end of the second
century Tertullian, a writer of north
Africa, says that prayers for the dead
was an apostolic ordinances; in an
other work he tells a widow to pray
for the soul of her husband, begging
repose for him and participation i'm
the first resurrection; to make obla-
tons for him on tie anniversary of his
death. In the third century we find
st. Cyprian forbidding the customary
prayers TO be said for a man who had
violated the law of the church. our
predecessors prudently advised that
no brother, departing this life. should
nominate any church man as his exc
cutor; and should he do it, that no
oblation should be made for him, nor
sacrifice be offered for his repose
Another writer of that same century.
Origen. of the famous cathchetical
school of Alexandria, says that if a
man depart this life guilty of slight
sins he is condemned to fire which
burns away the lighter materials and
prepares the soul for the kingdom of
God. where nothing defiled may enter
ST. Cyril of Jerusalem, in the fourth
century. thus speaks of prayers for
the dead in the church's liturgy of that
day: then we prayed for the holy
fathers and bishops that are dead;
and short for all those who have de-
parted this life in our communion;
believing that the souls Of those for
whom prayers are offered receive very
great relief. while this holy and ire
mendous victim lies upon the altar
Inscriptions Found.
The early Christian monuments
also speak OF prayers for the dead.
In the catecomb inscription we find on
the tombs of the faithful words of
hope. and petitions for peace and rest;
on their anniversaries the people
gathered about their graves to pray
for the repOse of their souls
The Catholic church declares that
there is hell. and proof of the doc
trine quotes the clear word Of the
Sacred Scriptures. Again and again
the Bible declares that the pains of
hell are eternal, that the fire will not
be extinguished, that the worm Of re-
morse will not die. and that the wick-f
ed shall never enter the kingdom Of
God. Depart from me, you cursed.
to everlasting fire. The worm dieth
not, and the fire is not extinguished
II is better for thee to enter into a life
manned than having two hands to go
into hell. He that shall blaspheme
against the Holy Ghost shall be guilty
of an everlasting sin. Who shall suf-
fer eternal punishment III destruction
from the faith OF the Lord
1T Is common with unbelievers to
throw dust into the eyes of the ig-
porant by presenting one side OF a
question and ignoring the other, for
getting that Christianity is one great
harmonious system of the whole rev.
elation Of God. One moment the
argument runs: God - too good to
punish His creatures for all eternity
the next minute. TO deny Gods proyl-
dence, the same man viii argue.
The world is too fun OF misery and
Indebtedness "a be the creation Of an
all good creator.