The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-03-02
PASTORAL L 3 I TxE RI

obedient unto death, even unto the
death of the cross.
This reminds us of another impor-
tant truth. The Scripture says: "The
life of man on earth is warfare"
job. VII, /. 1t is warfare against our
own corrupted nature, against the
world and the devil. In the Sacra.
ment Of Confirmation Jesus Christ en-
rolled us as His soldiers; He is our
War Lold, His Cross is our standard.
Jesus Christ, therefore, has the most
perfect right to demand from us, his
soldiers, obedience, and He actually
demands the obedience of 1aith, by
which we subject our intellect and our
heart to His truths; He demands obed.
fence TO, His moral law; we must OBJ
serve the Commandments of God and
the Preccpts of His Church; He de-
mands also obedience in using His
means of grace, that is the sacra.
ments which He Instituted. He de-
mands all this just as general in
the army demands confidence and
trust, obedience to his orders, obedi-
ence in accepting the provision which
the government chooses for the well
fare of the army.
q. Works of 5elf-Dcnial.
Throughout all ages of the Chris
tan era the Catholic Church has COM
mandcd her children to observe certain
days of fat and abstinence, as a prac-
ticc of sGlf.denial and penanCe. The
unchristian world has ever ridiculed
and despised these practices. But now
nearly the whole world must observe
very severe fast not only for few
days but for number of years. Our
own government demands of US GER
tain days of abstinence for the pur-
pose of bringing relief to our asso-
ciatcs. Thus the miseries of war COM
pei the people to do work of pen
ance and of self-dcnial. May we there
by learn to battle courageously against
all love of luxury and ease, to observe
faithfully the laws of fasting and alb
stinence, and thus to heed the invita-.
| ton of our Saviour to deny ourselves
and to follow Him.
S. Suffering in Union with Jesus
Christ. E-!. .
We read in the Gospel that on the
day OF Christs resurrection two of His
disciples while on the way to Emmaus,
spoke of the things which had hap
pened in Jerusalem, namely Christ's
sufferings and death, and expressing
their unbelief in His glorious resur-
rection which had been announced TO
them that Easter morning. And it
came to pass that Jesus himself also
drawing near, went with them. But
! their eyes were held that they should
not know Him" He let them express
/ their sorrows and shattered hopes,
and then said to them: 20 foolish,
and slow of heart to believe in all
things which the prophets have
spoken. Ought not Christ to have suf.
fered these things, and so enter into
His glory?" Luke XIV, rs.
AS it was then, so it is now. Men
do not want to understand what place
God has given to sufferings in the
plan of our salvation, and much less
do they want to walk the narrow and
painful way of suffering. But when
ever God wants to prepare men or ma
tons for some special graces, He usu
ally sends them first some extraor
binary Guffcrings.
4 The history of the kingdom of Cod
on earth teaches the same truths
Gods providence permitted that dur
ing tho first Christian centuries thou
sands and hundreds of thousands Of
Christians should suffer the most ter
iible persecution and die the death o.
martyrs; but the blood of martyrs was
the seed of Christianity, as one of thu
earliest Christian writer's, Tcrtullian
triumphantly declared. In later cen
; turtles God often permitted that Hi:
people should suffer dire affections
but the Catholic Church which is the
kingdom of God on earth has always
gone through them victorious.
Thus also the sufrerings of the pres
ent war have in the designs of God ;
most salutary and beneficial purpose
!, We cannot see into the future; but
enlightened by faith, we know tina
every priyation and hardship, ever.
anguish and suffering, borne in uniol
with Jesus Christ will bring grace
and blessings not only to those VIII
T. thus suffer, but also powerfully il
: saving souls and in spreading tn
kingdom of God.
!, These truths must console an
strengthen all Christians, and the
most strongly urge us to unite our su
;. ferings most intimately with the su
: ferings of Christ. For this reason
beg you all, mediate frequently on tn
:, sufferings of Christ, love the sorrow
: full mysteries of the Rosary and tn
: Way of the Cross, and teach the Gait
: olic soldiers who have to enter int
' the war, to practice these same dew
tons.
: Finally, | beg you all, priests an
:. laypeople, to pray frequently for tn
:, nations, to receive during this wa
! time the Sacramento very often, an
: to practice the greatest devotion fc
= the Blessed Sacrament which is tn
: means, given by God, to overcome th
: mutual hatred of the nations and
: unite all Christian nations again
y low Of (thrict F.