The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-08-10


to make laws regarding marriage?
The position of the Catholic Church
is a true and real and visible society;
il has therefore the right to make
laws regarding those things that are
of sacred. religious nature, or that
affect religion. Among these sacred
things is the sacrament of matrimony.
The Church, therefore, has the right
to make laws regarding the religious
side of marriage. Marriage also has
civil effects, regarding which, the
State. and not the Church, legislates.
If the Church were content to be
merely a department Of state, an es-
tablishment of human origin, crea-
ture of politicians, it would be pre-
sumption to claim any authority over
the sacrament of marriage. But the
Catholic Church is a society estab-
lished bv God. endowed with the au-
thoritv of Christ. and guided by the
presence Of the Holy Ghost; it has
real authority over things sacred and
religious. Marriage, according to
Catholic belief. is not a mere natural
contract between husband and wife;
II is a sacrament established by Jesus
Christ. In fact, matrimony always
had sacred character, a divine i'm
nrpss. God is its author, for He
united the first man and woman in
lawful wedlock; and in the Old Law,
marriage was always considered a
1nion subject to Gods laws and the
regulations of His religion. In the
New Testament, Christ raised mar
riagc to the dignity Of a sacrament.
He began His public mission at the
wedding at Cana in Galilee: He fire.
oucntlv legislated for marriage; and
st. Paul compares the union OF hus-
band and wife TO the union CT Christ
with His Church-a union that is eff
Sectcd and perpetuated through the
fndweIling of the Holy Ghost, the
author OF grace. Christian marriage,
therefore. is a channel of divine grace,
Is sacrament. Therefore, in those
things that effect its divine character
il rightly comes under the jurisdiction
of the Church. The state has full
power over its civil effects, and Cath
Olics are bound in conscience to obey
all just laws regarding the civil effects
Of matrimony. In our country, the
position Of the Catholic Church in this
matter is recognized.
If one Is making the nine First
Fridays, may he offer up his Com
munion for special intention?
Our CommuniOns and the indul
genccs which may be gained through
them may be offered for any particu-
lar intention. The devotion of the
nine First Fridays means that the
nine Communions are offered in repa-
ration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The promise which our Lord made for
those who receive Communion on nine
consecutive First Fridays is a per
sonal one and cannot be transferred.
Please explain the law of making
restitution.
The law of restitution is enunci-
ated and explained in four words,
and they are the words Of Our Lord:
Pay what thou owest.' The Old
Testament gives the law as follows:
If any man hurt a field or a vine
yard, and put his beast to feed upon
that which is anOthers: he shall re-
store the best Of whatsoever he hath
in his own field, or in his vineyard,
according to the estimation Of the
damage" EXODUS XXI, -. No man
rrav keep what belongs to another;
If he does so knowingly, he is thief.
If / steal what is my neighbours, l
must restore that same article, ard
in the same condition in which it was
at the time Of the theft; or at least,
| must restore the equivalent Of that
article If | steal a hat worth five
dollars, and wear out the hat l must
restore the five dollars; if l steal
goods to the value of ten dollars and
eat the goods, must restore ten dol
lars. No one, of course, is obliged
to do the impossible, and if the guilty
party is unable to make restitution,
then he is freed so long as that i'm
possibility last. But the most salts
factory and most thorough eXplana-
ton is contained in the words: Pay
what thou owest."
Why do so many non-Cathoics be-
Iieve that Catholics are more con-
Cerned with creeds and dogmas than
with good conduct? One Protestant
said to me that some Catholics would
sooner go to Mass than he sober and
honest.
We have no obligation to explain
or defend the Vagaries of the critics
Of cur Church; common sense as well
as common justice dictates that those
who throw mud explain where they
found the dirt they cast. One can
indeed conjecture whence the calumny
comes. In this instance, it may be
recrUdescence of the old non-Catholic
doctrine, that faith, and not good
works, is the all important item for
the Christian. 1t is, of course, known
that at the beginning of the revolt
from the true faith, the leaders taught
that faith was the one thing neces-
sary, and that good works do not lead
10 Justification; it was faith alone"
Now the pendulum has taken the OPP