The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-07-28

partment and use the name ana al
dress of some other persons. TINS is
a very serious matter, and may lead
to unpleasant results if repeated.
Is il a sin to read the books of Edith
Lowry, cd, Condolences"
This book evidently treats OF SUB
iect that the pure of heart will Keep
far from them. There is no one sc
we'll situated, nor so we'll adapted 10
guide the young in such matters as q
prudent confessor Any information
that if is well for the penitent to have
the confessor will give, and he Will
give it without offending even the most
delicate conscience. Further knoWl-
edge Of such matter leads not to edit
cation, but to destruction.
Our catechism teaches us that we
NAV not enter the near occasions OF
sin. To read such literature is a near
occasion of sin. One cannot live with
the prurient and remain clean; no
more than one can handle pitch and
not be defled.
How long a time is required to in
struct a non-Catholic in the faith?
The time will vary with the intelli-
gence, and application Of the catechu-
men. his previous knowledge of the
Christian religion, and the day of Wis
itation. or the time in which God gives
the grace to believe. Ordinarily, one
who is we'll disposed to accept the
teaching of the Catholic Church will
acquire a sufficient knowledge of these
truths in the course of a few months,
receiving two or three instructions
each week. He should, of course, con-
tinue throughout his life systematic,
intelligent and more thorough study of
the same subject Those who have
given their whole lives to this work,
find their days too short to solve all
its difficulties, or exhaust the riches OF
the truth.
Is it necessary for one who has been
baptized in the Lutheran church to
be baptized again when he is received
into the Catholic church?
The Sacrament of Baptism can be
received only once. Because Christ
made it necessary for salvation, he
gave even to lay persons in case OF
necessity the right to administer this
sacrament. Whosoever then admins
ters the sacrament whether he be
priest or layman, and Protestant min
listers have no more authority in spir
itUal matters than ordinary laymen
so long as he baptizes as Christ would
have him baptize and as Christ com
manded His Apostles and their sue
cessors to haptize, the one baptized is
validly baptized, and the sacrament
cannot be repeated, nor may anyone
attempt it without sacrilege. Not onl!
must the right form and matter of thu
sacrament be used, but the right inten
ton also must be present in the mint
of the one baptizing.
This right intention, the prope1
words and the correct matter of thu
sacrament to be used as we'll as thu
due manner of applying the sacramen
are preserved with infallible truth il
the Catholic Church and in no othe
society. Some individuals outside o
the Catholic Church may follow thi
teaching Of the Church correctly
Others, even some who pretend to b.
ministers Of Christ, have not the RICH
intention. This they publicly profess
They consider baptism to be merely
ceremony initiating a person into tn
membership Of the Church, but pre-
ducing no spiritual effect on the SOU
Because if this false conception of tn
nature of baptism, which we knoN
some Protestant ministers have, an
others of the same school may have
q Catholic priest will administer tn
sacrament conditionally to one whor
lie receives into the Catholic Churc
from the Lutheran church. The gray
necessity of baptism for salvation wi
urge both priest and catechumen t
remove any possible doubt as to tn
validity of the first ceremony perform
ed in the Lutheran church. The form
or words that the priest uses in sue
cases, are, IF thou art baptized
do not baptize thee, if thou art nc
baptized, | baptize thee, in the nam
OF the Father and of the Son and G
the Holy Ghost" Thereafter there i
no doubt about the validity of the bal
tism; nor is there any intention on th
part of the priest to attempt to n
peat the sacrament after it has bee
once validity received.
If one enters a church to say som
prayers and finds that Mass is bein
said, or that the Conservation is tai
ing place, is it proper to say the pra.
ers and then leave the church; o
must one remain until the Mass is fiji
ished?
If one enters the church during tn
moments of conservation, one shoul
remain until the conservation is EN-
ed; indeed, one should not even al
vance further in the church durin
these most solemn moments. II
should remain on his knees in the ais
Of the church, or in whatever part {
Thea church he may be until this mo-
sublime act is finished. Though M