The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-05-20

is It always SIN 10 tel tie eNeh
though it does no one any harm and
does some good?
1t is always sinful to tell lie. II
the untruth is OF such iocose nature
that everybody recognizes il as such,
and no one is deceived, it is regarded
as a joke rather than a lie. One may
also make use OF certain, broad, men
tai restriction when he has just and
proportionate reason for so doing. In
this case the speaker does not de-
ceive his neighbOr; he allows his
neighbor to deceive himself, and just
cause may render the mental restric-
ton permissible. In all other in
stances. lie is sin and can not be
INDUCED in even to effect good or
avoid evil. The Scriptures frequently
condemn lies: Thou shalt fly lying.
exodus 23:7D BE not willing to
make any manner of lie tEcclus. Z:
1A. Thou shalt not bear false Wit
ness" Matt 1879 These texts of
Holy Writ without distinction and linn
itation condemn lying. A lie more
over, is contrary to the very end for
which the Creator instituted human
speech: it is detrimental to the com
mon welfare, for if lying were licit and
men could no longer trust one another
all confidence and trust in human so
ciety would he at an end. \ lie is
morally evil in itself, for ii proceeds
from the father of lies'-the devil
and is opposed to the Supreme Truth
God. 1t is the received teaching of
the Catholic Church that a lie is a sin
"A moral evl-and it is never per-
mitted to do evil, even the slightest,
that good may result. Cardinal New
man sums up the Catholic position in
the following words: She 1.-THE Cath
olic church, holds that it We're better
for the sun and moon to drop from
heaven, for the earth to fail and for
all the many millions who are upon it
to die of starvation iii EXTREMIST
agony, so far as temporal a!fliction
goes, than that one soul, | will not say,
should be lost but should commit one
single venial sin, should tell one will
ful untruth though it harmed no one
or steal one poor farthing without eX-
cuSe." tDiff of An@licans l-240D A
lie always does some harm; at least
it always Injuries the one who is guilty
Of it; and if it be deliberate, it ofends
God, Who said: Thou shalt not bear
false witness
| have read that the Blessed Virgin
appeared to Pope John XXI and prom
ised' to deliver from purgatory on the
Saturday after their death all who had
worn her scapuIar and fulfilled certain
conditions. What are those condi-
tions?
The Sabbatine privilege to which
YOU refer is thus explained in Decree
of the Holy Roman Inquisition, under
Paul V, on January 20, 1913: 1T is
permitted to the Carmelite Fathers to
preach that the Christian people may
piously believe in the help which the
souls Of brothers and members may
derive after death-especially on Sat
urdays. the day consecrated to the
blessed Virgin-through the unceaS-
ing intercession of Mary, her piouS pc
titions, her merits, and her special pro
lection" The decree also prescribes
that those who would profit by this
must have departed this life in
charity, have worn Throughout life the
scapular, have ever observed chastity
have recited the Little Hours of the
Blessed Virgin or if they cannot read
have observed the fast days of the
Church, and have abstained from flesh
meat on Wednesdays and Saturdays
except when Christmas falls on such
days