The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-09-18

Church?
The Liturgy of the Church" in
cludes all the public functions OF
Catholic worship, the sacraments, the
Sacrifice of the Mass, the Canonical
Office, On each of these subjects
many books are written Unfortunate
ly, practically all of them are written
in other languages than English. 1t is
probable that the inquirer has in mind
chiefly the Mass. On this simple
and popular treatise entitled, "The
Catholics Treasure" is published in
Spring Lake, N Y. The author is
Rev. Stephen M. Lyons. A more
thorough and dogmatic treatment of
the same question in English will be
found in the second volume of Man
ual of Catholic Theology" by Wilhelm
and Scannell. This last work gives
a good general treatment of Catholic
Theology that will prove Ineligible
to the ordinary reader if he will read
the contexts chiefly in the Scriptures
to which numerous references are
made.
Can person be practical Catholic
who refuses to believe in InduIgences?
How can answer him?
The Church has declared two
things in regard to Indulgences to be
of faith. If one refuses to believe
either of these, he cuts himself off
from the Catholic Church. The two
points of faith are: LIST, that the
Church has power to grant Indulgen-
ces; End, that the use of Indulgences
is salutary. These two points are all
that a Catholic lis obliged to believe
about Indulgences. The Church does
not say that Indulgences are necessa-
ry to salvation; nor does she oblige
one through obedience to try to secure
Them, nor even to desire them for one
self or others. But we must believe
that they are not useless and that the
Church has power to grant them. To
anyone who will consider the matter
even briefly there is very little of
mystery in this doctrine of the
Church. In fact, civil society follows
out in material things the same theory
that is contained in the doctrine of
indulgences. In any large community
there are some dependent members
who are relieved of want through the
superabundance of other members of
the same community. Indeed, the
civil law will oblige the city or state
to protect its INDECENT members from
extreme want. She will even take
away from their parents children not
properly fed and clothed. In this the
civil law is doing more in it's sphere
than the Church by Indulgences at
tempts to do in spiritual matters. For
an Indulgence is merely giving to her
members who are in need what the
Church has already received from the
superabundance of other members.
The State says such a course must be
followed; the Church says it is useful.
Does not this position seem most con-
sonant with civil society? The wants
that the children of the Church are
relieved from are the temporal pun
ishments held against them by just
God for the sins they have committed,
after He has, through His mercy, par
doned the guilt of these sins and the
eternal punishment attached to NOR
tai sin. That God frequently requires
temporal punishment for sin after
He has forgiven the guilt is evidenced
in many parts of Scripture; witness,
the punishment that Gods prophet,
Nathan, imposed upon David after the
King had been pardoned his sin; also,
inthian. When the Church cancels
this punishment by an Indulgence she
does not deprive Gods justice of the
satisfaction that is due. She merely
gives the one in debt the means of
paying his debt, by supplying him with
the wherewithal. How is this treas
ury of the Church supplied? We
know that the resources of the State
rest chiefly on taxation. In the COM
munity of the Church, however, char
ity has kept the treasury overlooking
and provided abundantly for all future
wants. Many members of the Church
have undergone more suffering than
was necessary to satisfy for the tenn
poral punishment due their own sins.
The riches they acquired and could
not use are not wasted but are added
to the treasury of the Church, the So
ciety of which they were members.
The Blessed Virgin Mary, for instance,
who had no sin, suffered so much that
she is rightly called the Queen of Mar.
tyrs. The merits attached to her suf.
ferings rebound to the benefit of the
Church. But above all the members
of the Church is the head, Jesus
Christ. His sufferings were infinite,
The treasury of merits supplied by
Him can never be, exhausted. 1t is
these the Church puts within our
reach when she grants an Indulgence.
But can the Church on earth open to
us this treasure-house of merits? 1t
is Jesus Christ himself the Head of
the Church who gives the answer. To
His chosen representative, Peter, He
said, ITO thee / give the keys of the
kingdom of heaven. Whatsoever thou
shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed
also in heaven"
Should the wound on Our Lords
side be shown on the right or the left
side Of the crucifix?
The question though interesting is
really of no vital Importance. The
truth that is of value is expressed in
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