The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-01-20


all men can actually believe word |
from you will take away mans sins |
is something that-that-Well, that |
gets my goat
Indeed" was Father Casey's illum-
mating reply.
Clearly, the chances for discus
sion were not promising; the doctor
tried again.
Don't hesitate to call me to task,
Father Casey, if I am going too far,
but honestly it would interest me
deeply to hear how you satisfy your
mind on a belief which appears diam
| critically opposed to modern learning
and common sense
Now it should be observed that
! Father Casey had a few infiexible prin
| ciples, and one of them was this:
| never to tolerate the popular fallacy
| that a Catholic must do nothing but
| meekly strive to answer the questions
| and refute the objections of his non
| Catholic adversary. Indeed, the good
| priest believed in carrying the war
| into the enemy's country and doing a
| fair share of the quizzing and object
ing himself
Doctor, suppose a man knowing alb
| solutely nothing about gasoline en-
! gines We're to ask you how on earth
| you expected to start your big car
! by standing in front of it and turning
a crank; and even after you had told
| him that that was the natural way to
| start such a machine, suppose he
would laugh at your explanation, what
would you answer"
| 1T would be useless to answer any
thing to such fellow until he had
| first learned the fundamental prin-
ciples Of gasoline engines in general"
Doctor, the Catholic Church is, so
to speak, great gasoline engine. Go
| and learn the fundamental principles
upon which she works; then come to
me, and | shall gladly explain to your
| complete satisfaction the forgiveness
| OF sins in confession or any other of
her numerous operations. To try to
explain it to you before that would
only cause us both to lose our time
and perhaps our temper into the bar
gain
Father Casey" said the doctor,
daWing himself up while there was
| evidence of strong outward pres
sure on his broad white shirt front
Il have long ago mastered the fun
damental principles of the Catholic
religion"
Congratulations cried the priest;
'''I had never dreamed that your edu-
cation had extended thus far; we now
have one topic in common which both
thoroughly understand. Let me see
some of the principal points wherein
Catholic and non-Catholic differ are ::
the doctrine on grace, free will and
predestination; the doctrine on the in
fallibility of the Pope, purgatory, in.
dulgences, the veneration Of saints
and images, Holy Mass, the Real Pres,
ence, and your besetting difficulty, the
, forgiveness of sin in confession. So
you know, at least in substance, what
the Catholic Church teaches on all
| these points. Now, for instance, state
briefly what she teaches on the cele
: brated question of grace, free will
) and predestination.'
"Aw, come now, Father Casey, you
} know | don't mean that l have made
5 thorough investigation Of all such
: fine, technical points as that"
: Fine, technical points! Why, man
g don't you know that it was precisely
t on this point that the so-called re
r formers broke away from the Cath
\ Ole Church and founded Protestan
: tism! Well, then, since you know
e nothing about that you may try YOU
4 luck at Papal infallibility."
: "Ah, that's an easy one. Papal in
e fallibility means that the Pope can
n make a mistake
e Ito go without an umbrella ant
). get soaked in a shower is a mistake
S couldn't the Pope do that?'
ooh, that's not it. Infallibilit!
), means that he cannot make mistake
t about religion-morals and religion.
e MY morals and religion are al
d right-at least for the sake Of argu
( ment We'll suppose they are. Doe
0 the doctrine of infallibility teach tina
l. Tie IOpC COulull d lllloIdhS Ctll'
f judge me a criminal and a hereto
and"
o That's it; that's an example O
what your Church teaches by Papa
# infallibility"
y Slowly, doctor; that's an exampl
< of your ignorance. The Churcl
l. teaches nothing of the kind. On
more chance: What does the Churcl
mean by purgatory?"
'She means place where Catho
lies go after they are dead
"All Catholics?"
''No-not all Charlottesville ba
e ones-the bad ones so there-an
y then you buy Masses to bail then
d out" cried the doctor triumphantlJ
d THE Church teaches that all VIII
l. Gle as bad Catholics go to hell. One
4 there nothing in existence will eve
n bail them out. Doctor, you have no
correct ideas about a single Catholi
y, doctrine. Any child in the Catechisr
1t class could show you where you ar
II wrong
4, We'll, Father Casey, | suppose
d must admit the impeachment erie
u the doctor with hearty laugh. "Giv