The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-11-11
SERMON BY THE MOST REVEREND ARCHBISHOP

| Ilul6 HIS CT0GU1 his uOSIlIdS. ~ say
for herself that she has no creed were
at once a denial of her divine origin,
reputation of her divine mission.
1t were the reduction of herself to a
mere school of human philosophy, OF
human science, did she teach and
do not believe, take part of my
words or take none of them: justify
them to yourself by your own feel
ings, at your own choice. Thus to
speak were on the part of the Church
a mockery of her Divine Founder. So,
when priest of the Catholic Church
ascends the pulpit, it is to teach, to
teach with authority. re-echoing as he
does the voice of the Church, the
voice of Christ So, when you take in
hand the book of the Church's official
pronouncements, it is that you believe
the message, the gospel that has come
to you from Heaven.
| What is the creed of the Catholic
| Church? What the dogmas that she
teaches? To you it is, children of the
| Catholic Church, to know her creed,
her dogmas, as to you it is citizens of
i the Republic of the United States, to
know the principles of it's Declaration
| of independence and of it's Constitu-
ton. The authorized summary of the
Church's creed and dogmas, not too
| long to be studied and remembered,
| not too brief in it's embrace of the
divine message, is the Catechism.
After sacred scripture, the Catechism
is the most precious, the most valu-
able of books. The word itself,
"Catechism, has significant mean
ing. 1t is Greek word telling of that
which is to be sounded and resounded
l-of that which is to be by constant
repetition drilled into the ears of man
that he may hear and know. Under
one mode of expression or another the
Catechism is as old as the Church.
Writing to Timothy, st. Paul says:
Hold the form of sound words which
thou hast heard through me: in faith
and in love which is in Christ Jesus. "
ST Paul taught: st. Paul had creed:
ST. Paul exacted belief in his creed
Hold the form of sound words which
/, tiISu hast heard fr01n 4fe,.' tfiie. form
of sound words which Timothy was
to hold and teach was his Catechism.
From earliest years of the Church
there was the Apostles Creed. A
"creedless church" was never heard
of in pristine days of Christianity.
The Council of Nicaea in the year 325
was not a creedless church. 1t pro-
mulgated its Nicene Creed, which was
the further unfolding of truths first
compressed into the Apostles Creed,
not an addition of new things into this
/ Creed. The Church always had her
creed, her form of Sound words her
Catechism. To-day in virtue of her
mission to teach until the end of time
she has her creed. This creed is the
Catechism which all should read and
re-read and so far as possible know
in every word, in every syllable.
Read and re-read the Catechism for
. your own enlightenment and sanctif
cation Read and re-read your Cate
J chism that you be able to defend your
| faith and rehearse correctly the teach
, ing of the Church to those who are not
: of her fold. Three-fourths of the OBJ
jections put out against the Catholic
: Church are misapprehensions or mis-
: statements of her creed. The quick
effective answer to such objections is
; to say-Thus, and not otherwise, the
Church teaches: read its Catechism
[ Cardinal Newman relates that at one
, period of his life, when yet an Angli
] can, he met three of his colleagues
; returning from a journey through Ire
land. They related to him how, hay
! ing taken as their guide, across the
, western mountains of Ireland, bo!
+ fourteen years of age, they had no
. resisted the temptation to heckle hin
{ on his Catholic faith. To each state
ment of theirs, however the bo.
!. would simply say-I tell you what m.
Catechism tells me, and the teaching
/. of the Catechism is the teaching of th
2 Catholic Church. The travellers con
!. fessed to Newman that the quotation
t from the Catechism defeated their OF
c jections and opened up to them ney
d mental visions. So should it be, dea
:. Brethren, with yourselves. For iT
) stance you will be told that an il
e diligence is an anticipated pardon TO
IS sin. In answer, quote your Catechisr
e AN indulgence is not pardon G
). sin nor license to commit sin, an
v one who is in the state of mortal 81
h cannot gain an indulgence" You wi
" be told that Catholics worship th
Ie Blessed Virgin and the saints. Quot
IS your Catechisnl-'Th Church honor
r the saints because by honoring th
,s saints who are the chosen friends {
ic God we honor God Himself" Yo
IS will be told that without sorrow,
v virtue of mere priestly absolutiol
j. Catholics think their sins are forgivel
Quote your Catechism on the necessit
le of contrition, "a sorrow for sin.
IS hatred for sin, true grief of the sol
re for having offended God, with fir
ts purpose of SHINING no more. In a
n. swer to innumerable other objection
): arising from ignorance, yincible or i
,e vincible, quote your Catechism. I'll
ii Catechism is the final response to sue
e. objections
iii But you win say-The Catechism
o. a book for children, not for grow
IS men and women. Not for grown me
% continued on page 80