The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-12-11
The Punishment For Sin.


morrow, the Feast of the Assumption.
The father in the adjoining parish
has been taken suddenly i'll. 1t is
impossible to secure another priest,
so / shall have to go and say one of
my Masses for the poor people there.
We will, therefore, have but one Mass
here tomorrow And it must be at a
late hour-9 o'clock-because most of
the people in x being working peo-
pie and obliged to attend to their
daily labor, it is but just that / offer
for them the early Mass at s o'clock,
so that all may have the opportunity
OF fulfilling their obligation of as
sisting at the Holy Sacrifice. Then I
shall return to you. / am sorry that
you must be deprived of your 6
o'clock Mass, especially on this our
patronal feast, but since you are,
mostly, persons of leisure, l know
you will generously make the sacri-
flee. And we shall have the addi-
tional devotion of Vespers and Bene-
diction of the Most Blessed Sacrament
in the evening"
This announcement was made by
the pastor of the Chapel of Our Lady
of the Assumption, erected to meet
the spiritual needs of the large num-
Der of Catholics who came each year
to spend the summer in pleasant
little village.
To the greater number of the par
ishioners it was received with the
generosity anticipated. The devoted
pastor was greatly loved by his flock,
and this new act of zeal for souls
but increased their admiration. To
some few, however, it was a disap-
pointment. Especially to the Manet-
tes, who had planned to leave on the
8 o'clock train for an excursion to
the seashore.
ct is too bad that the Father at
x is sick, and that Father Brown
must go there to offer Mass, especial
ly at the early hour" Mrs. Manette
remarked, as she and her children
were vending their way home from
the chapel. ''It makes us give up
our excursion tomorrow; and that's
great disappointment.
Mother! Give up the excursion!
You don't mean to say that we shall
have to stay home tomorrow And
Jean stood still in the road in sheer
surprise.
'Well, my son, l don't see how it
is to be arranged otherwise, with the
Mass at 9, and the only train leaving
at s. We couldn't go to x for
the o'clock Mass and be home in
time for the train. Can you think of
any other way?"
"Mightn't we miss Mass just for
this once, mother? l can't see where
it would matter much, when our
tickets are all bought, and"
Jean! Matter much to miss Mass
on HOLIDAY? Commit mortal sin
just for pleasure? You don't mean
Jean, that you would consider such
thing, surely?"
But, mother, how could it be a
mortal sin when we had all our plans
made before the change had to be
made? When there's only one train
leaves the village? When it's the only
chance we may have to- get to the
shore? And when l have entered for
the yacht race on the bay? / don't
see how we could be expected to give
up all that just to hear Mass. We
certainly would go to Mass if we
could. When we arranged for the
excursion we were sure of getting to
Mass first. 1t certainly isn't our fault
that the Father in the next town had
to get sick and oblfge Father Brown
to take his place."
Mrs. Manette waited until the boy
had finished his remarks. Then she
turned to him quietly.
Jean, boy" she said, with great
amount of sympathy in her voice, II
can realize that, certainly, it is not
a little thing to give up this days
pleasure to which you have looked
forward with so much anticipation. 1t
is hard for all of us. And yet it
grieves me to discover that you place
so little value upon the Mass that
you would be willing to give it up
Just for the sake of enjoying one day
at the SSdSuOF0. but L Shall pass
that by and come to another point.
You know quite we'll that to delib-
erately miss Mass on a Sunday or
holyday without the very best excuse
is a mortal sim And you know, too,
that making train for pleasure
trip is not the very best excuse. You
say that it may be the last oppor-
tunity you will have to get to the
shore Perhaps it may. But what of
the Mass? Are you quite sure that
it will not be the last chance you
are given to assist at Holy Mass? You
certainly are not. No one can be abb
solutely sure of living until the next
Mass is celebrated. And particularly
is that person in grave danger who
sacrifices the assisting at Mass to his
own pleasure God will not have His
gifts set aside so carelessly. He has
been known to refuse His grace to
such souls at the end. Indeed, / re-
call one example of that very nature,
an incident related by the celebrated
Irish Dominican, Father Tom Burke.
1t is a terrible tale, but the great
preacher vouches for its truth, de-
claring that it occurred in the very
monastery in Ireland in which he was
q monk"
"Oh, mother! tell US, do" pleaded
\