The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-02-19
What do Catholics understand b,

The word faith has various mean
ings, and even in Holy Scripture it is
given many Specifications. In a strict
sense, faith means belief in a truth,
not because we ourselves apprehend
that truth but on the authority of an
other. If that authority is divine, the
faith is divine; if the authority is hui
man, the faith is human. We have
faith in our doctor and our law
yer, not because we can follow the
diagnosis of the one or the legal rea-
soning of the other, but because we
trust their knowledge and probity,
their veracity and honesty.
In the religious sense, faith is belief
in truths on the authority of God
Faith is supernatural virtue, by
which, through the grace of God in
spiring and helping us, we believe as
true all that God has revealed, not on
account of their truth as perceived by
natural reason, but on account of the
authority of God revealing them who
can neither deceive nor be deceived"
Council of Vatican.) This faith is
a gift of God and can not be acquired
by mans natural powers. know that
as / am writing, the sun is shining
brightly, because | have the testimony
of my senses; q friend tells me that
he had an interview with President
Wilson, and believe him, for l have
confidence in his veracity and sanity
II | will trust the testimony of my
senses and the truthfulness of friends,
why not trust my God? God has re-
vealed certain truths. | can not fully
comprehend those truths, although
see that they contain no contradic-
ton. God commands me to give as
sent to those truths, and | obey
Why? Because those truths come
from God, and my reason tells me that
God is infallible in knowing and truth
full in revealing-He is not deceived
Himself and will not deceive others
That is divine faith. When those
truths have been not only revealed by
God, but also proposed by the Church,
then the faith is called divine Catholic
faith. This faith rests on the sound
est possible fOundatiOn-it can boast
of the most trustworthy credentials.
We believe on the authority of God
Himself Who has revealed His truth,
Whose knowledge is infinite and infal-
lible, Who can not be deceived, and
Who will not deceive others. We ac-
cept the testimony of our senses: we
receive the deductions of mathematics:
we admit the conclusions of science
These truths rest on human, natural,
finite authority. Why should any
reasonable man, then, refuse assent to
the truths of faith which rest on di-
vine, eternal, infallible authority? IF
we receive the testimony of men, the
testimony of God is greater" Ct
John V-9). Faith, therefore, is not
opinion, or rumor, or hearsay; it is
not the act of shallow mind, the
sign of a gullible and unsophisticated
intellect. Faith is a divine virtue-a
gift of God which inclines the intel
lect to give assent to certain truths,
not because those truths are clearly
perceived in themselves, but because
the great God of heaven and earth
has revealed those truths. / have posi-
tive, incontestable evidence of that
revelation, and my reason tells me
that God can not be deceived and will
not deceive others. On this authority
of God-the greatest possible author
ity-I give assent to the truths of His
revelation. This is what we under
stand by faith. 1t rests on the author
ity of Gods infallibility and His eter-
nal truthfulnesS.
Who were the five wicked Popes?
The moral character of the Pope
does not affect his official work Many
who are not acquainted with the con-
stitution of the papacy fancy that the
divine guarantees assured the head OF
the Church rest for their fulfillment
upon the moral qualities of the man
who holds the office. The individual
virtues of the man and his author
itative utterances as supreme head OF
the Church are as independent of each
other in the Pope as they are in any
other public official. We do not ask
the postmaster for a bill of particu.
lars as to the morals of his private
life before we accept from him the
currency that he gives US in the name
of the government for the order that
we present to him. The soldiers in
the field do not hold in allegiance the
command of their general until they
have verified the moral worth of their
leader. Neither does the teaching in
faith and morals to which is attached
the guarantee of Divine guidance de.
pend upon the virtuous conduct of the
man who exercises this function. The
Pope whose life would not be consist
ent with the Gospel would be person
ally unworthy to hold so sacred an
office. Nevertheless his personal un
worthiness does not weaken the guar
antee that his official teaching will be
only according to the Revelation that
Jesus Christ has delivered to us. This
is a most important distinction and il
applies with equal fitness to all the
functions of the divine ministry even
to the official acts of the simplest
priest. God has not entrusted ouI
salvation to the moral worth of any
man. That there have been among
the Popes some few whose private
lives were not all that they should
have been, is not wonderful. The
greater miracle would be if the lives
of two hundred and sixty-five men, fill
ing the office of head of the whole
Catholic world, could suffer the exact
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