The Irish standard., 1915-09-11

of the selfish man who repents and
goes to live in slum, counts-as
serving the purpose Of paying the tenn
poral penalties which we still owe to
God for our forgiven sins. Is not that
reasonable? Would you not treat your
own child in the same way? If he
had disobediently broken window,
let US say, and then been honestly
sorry for 1t, and told you so. Well,
of course you would very likely make
him pay for the window. But sup
pose he came to you with a little pre-
sent he had bought out of his pocket
money from pure love to you, would
not you probably let him off from pay
ing for the window? OF course, you
would, If you really loved him. Well,
then. that child would have won an
indulgence" from you. No present
would do If you knew he was not sor-
~ in his heart; but If he were, and
you knew it and had forgiven him,
surely the little gift would touch you
and you would do exactly as / have
said. Well, God is our Father, and we
are His children.
But that is not quite all.
In the case of most of us, nothing
that we could do in the way of hero
ism could ever pay of the frightful
debt of temporal penalties that we
still owe to God. It is not mere pane
of glass we have broken; we have
smashed nearly all the precious things
within our reach. One of US has in
suited the Holy Ghost by refusing to
follow his leading; another has bias
phemed Gods holy name; another has
lost his purity; another has led some
other soul into deadly sin. How in
the world can our little gifts to God,
our tiny acts of generosity, ever ray
off the ruin we have caused? We
are very sorry, of course, and Our
Father has forgiven US, but what about
the paying?
. All Gods children, however, are
not so outrageously bad as we have
beer. There are the martyrs, for in.
stance. who have shed their blood for
Christ; the virgins who have lived
spotlessly, the noble missionaries, the
saints Of all ages and all lands. Above
all, there is Immaculate Mary, who was
heroic always; and above even her.
infinitely above her, since He was
God, is her Son Jesus Christ, with
His definite merits and His incalcul
able heroism and His uubounded love
who has descended to our humanity
and united US to Himself
Do you see what am about to say!
Our heroism is nothing; the saints
heroism and supremely Christ's, is ev.
erything.
Look them" cries the Church to
God, ION this infinite treasury OF
merits; on the Blood of the Son OF
God; on all the things He need not
have done for us which He chose to
do; on the glory of the martyrs and
the heroism Of the saints. This poor
little child can do little or nothing
now; he has ruined his life, but al
least he has repented, and at least
he is anxious and willing to do what
he can make up. Out of his love
such as it is, at any rate, he says hit
Rosary every day; at any rate, he hat
been to Holy Communion; at any rate
he has given of his pocket money tt
help to build a church for Thy glory
Then look down, o Father, not merel.
on his little efforts of love, but on THU
glorious treasury of the merits o.
Christ and the saints, and since he Il
their brother. and one with them ii
grace. have pity on him for the SAX,
of their merits, and let not only tn,
Precious Blood of Christ forgive hi
soul-for that it has done already, bu
let that flood of love and heroism g,
to pay his debt"
eau you doubt that when the Churcl
, of God prays that prayer it will not b,
, answered? At any rate, the Churcl
does not doubt It.
Well, that is the doctrine of indul
gences. Does it not seem to 20,
reasonable and in full accord with al
|, that we know of Christ and His love
am yours very truly,
ROBERT HUGH BENSON.
Il vINcENrIANe, AE.I LEAN