The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-05-13

and at the time of Benedicton?
At the elevations Of the Host and
Chalice proper, the head should be
raised until the eyes are able to gaze
for n moment On the sacred species.
The rest of the time the head should
be lowered in token of humility of
heart During the time OF the actual
Benediction, when the priest is form
ing the sign of the cross over the
kneeling congregation, the head
should be bowed except for the inter
val required for the prOnouncing of
the words, My Lord and my God.
This prayer reCited with faith, piety
and love, while the eyes are resting
on the Blessed Sacrament, either at
the elevation in Mass or at Benedic-
ton, will yield an indulgence of
seven years and seven guarantees
every time, and a plenary indulgence
once a week under the one condition
of receiving Holy Communion if
practiced every day. A rescript OF
May IS, 1907, from the late Pope Plus
X, thus enriched this prayer.
The papers often speak of the
"Union of Church and State" and of
Separation of Church and State"
Have we either of these in the United
States?
There is no union Of Church and
State in the United States, there is
separation, but not in the sense that
separation is usually found in En-
ropean countries We have on earth
two real societies, Church and State,
both perfect in themselves and in
dependent in obtaining their respcc-
tive ends. The social instinct in
human nature makes the State a
necessary society, and that instinct
has God for it's author; the foundation
of the Church by Jesus Christ makes
il a necessary society. These two
societies have different GndS-thc one
temporal, the other eternal. But both
exist in the same world, and both
embrace, to a certain extent, the same
members The benefccnt work Of the
Church upon the souls OF men is of
unreasonable assistance to the State,
for when men are good, practical
Christians, they are also loyal, obedi-
cnt citizens Hence the State should
assist the Church whcn and in SO far
as, this assistance is feasible. Where
all the citizens, or the vast majority
of them, are members of the True
Fold, and the State recognizes the
Catholic Church as the one, true
Christian Church, we often have a
union of Church and State, and an
agreement, or Concordat, is entered
into whereby the State co-operates
with the Church, rendering such
assistance. as is required. In our
country there is no such union, but
rather complete and real separation
Our Constitution requires that Con
gress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibit.
ing the free exercise thereof" The
Catholic Church, therefore, enjoys
full liberty in the country and re.
ceives no special assistance. In this
consists our state Of separation. The
Pope may establish, divide or sup
press dioceses; bishops may erect new
parishes and build schools; pastors
may exercise all the parochial rights
conceded to them by canon law. Thus
the Church is unfettered, and while
granted no special civil protection, is
free to develop and has done SO to a
remarkable extent. This state of sep
aration may not be the ideal one; but
when we consider that union Otter
means subserviency, that Catholic
rulers are often Catholic only in name
that the agreements are often disre
garded, that powerful State OTTER
places unjust, restrictive measures or
the spiritual activities of the Church
that the Church is often forced, fol
the common good of her children, tt
accept a lesser evil to avoid a greater
one-when we take all these facts
into consideration, we readily see why
the Church accepts and blesses he1
position in the United States.
In the event of a newborn chile
falling suddenly SICK should priest
be called, or should a lay person at
tempt to perform the ceremony Of
Baptism? Is a priest bound to come
under the circumstances?
The priest, by virtue of his ordina
ton, is constituted the ordinary min
lister of the sacrament of Baptism. i
there is reason to believe that priest
can be summoned in time to baptiZt
a sick baby, the call should be for
warded to the rectory and the pries
is bound to respond to it. In fact
the idea of being bound does no
come in good taste into any writing
about a Catholic priest, since he
stands ready to do all things in the
interests of religion from the pure
motive of zeal. Since, however, there
is peculiar danger of death attend
ant on newborn children, care SHOULD
be taken not to risk the eternal harm
of an unbaptiZed child by waiting
the coming of a priest. Any la!
person familiar with the manner o
administering Baptism can officiate
even if he be Protestant or Jew.
How can the Church he indefectiblt
when she has certainly changed will
the lapse of time?
Even a cursory glance over the
past nineteen hundred years will con
vince you that the Church is substan
TALLY the same as Christ founded her
Has she not the same creed, the same