The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-01-19
What do you think of the doctrine
of total depravitY?

Calvin that human nature, because OF
original sin, became essentially cor
rurt, so that men could neither think,
speak, do, or love anything but evil
Sin is not an act or phenomenon
of our nature" taught Luther; 1T is
our very nature, and our whole be
ing itself" "All that you can do be-
gins in sin, remains in sin; it may
appear ever so good and pretty; you
can do nothing but sin, act as you
please"
And Calvin saws: There remains
this indubitable truth which no art
ifice can shake, that the mind of man
is so far alienated from Gods justice
that he violently conceives, desires,
and strives after nothing that is not
impious, fallacious, filthy, impure.
His heart is so filed with poison,
that it breaths forth nothing but
stencil"
The Catholic Church in the Council
of Trent condemned this dreadful
doctrine of Reformers, which made
God the author of evil. She declares
likeness of God, essentially good, with
reason to know the truth and free
will to choose the good, and that the
fall left mans reason and free will
essentially uninjured. The super
natural always builds upon the nat
ural. If human nature were essen
TALLY corrupt man would be incapable
of the supernatural.
OF course Protestants Of today, as
a rule, repudiate the teachings of
Luther and Calvin regarding total
depravity, and the sinfulness of good
works. Indeed, thousands have by
an inevitable reaction from this fear
full doctrine come to deny altogether
the fact of original sin, the necessity
of faith, or the existence of super
natural order. This is the Nemesis of
error.
What do Catholics mean by works
Of supererogation?"
Works of supererogation are those
not positively commanded, but coun-
selled by the law of Christ. Such, for
example, are the three counsels of
poverty, chastity, and obedience free
ly embraced by those who wish more
perfectly to follow the Master. Thus,
the early Christians were not obliged
to sell their possessions and hand
over the proceeds to the Apostles, but
they did so out of love for Jesus
Christ, Who declared voluntary pow
erty to be a counsel of the perfect
life.
1.-THE consciousness of being in the
possession of an all-sufiicing, infinite
power ever discloses the tenderers
and nobler relations of man to God,
and to his fellow-creatures SO that
the man sanctified in Christ, and fill
ed with His spirit, ever feels himself
superior to the law. 1t is the nature
of heaven-born loye-which stands
so far, 50 infinitely far above the
claims of the mere law, never to be
content with its own doings, and
ever to be more ingenious in its de-
vices; so that Christians of this stamp
not infrequently appear to men of a
lower grade of perfection as enthusi-
asts, men of heated fancy and dis
tempered mind. 1t is only in this way
that remarkable doctrine can be sat
isfactorily explained, which certain
ly, like every other which has for
centuries existed in the world, and
seriously engaged the human mind, is
sure to rest on some deep foundation
the doctrine, namely, that there can
be works which are more than suffi-
cient--a doctrine, the tenderness and
delicacy whereof eluded, indeed, the
perception of the Reformers; for they
could not even once rise above the
idea that man could ever become free
from immodesty, unjust wrath, ayar-
ice, and the rest.
Catholics know full we'll that the
love of God essential for salvation is
comprised in the words of the Saw
Jour: If thou wilt enter into life,
keep the commandments" that Chris
tian humility demands of every one
the recognition of his sins against
God; that no good works of their
OWA OetAA CNC1 HE'LL slIIG SIdCGS I'll JUS
LITIGATION, and the right to Gods
Kingdom, which come through
Christ's passion and death upon the
cross But, on the other hand, the
Scriptures clearly teach, and Chris
tian antiquity is witness thereof, that
there is an essential distinction be-
tween the commandments of God and
the evangelical counsels, and that
many saints by the following of pow
erty, chastity, and obedience, and the
practice ofN7heroic virtue, have OBJ
tanned many graees and helps for
their weaker brethren of the Com-
munion of Saints. In this sense st.
Paul could says 'Who now rejoice
in my sufferings for you, and fill up
those things that are wanting of the
sufferings of Christ in my flesh for
His body, which is the Church"
Does the Church know when the
end Of the world will come?
No; the Church knows nothing
about the time of the end Of the
world. You nay remember that
when the Apostles asked our Lord
when that day would come, He an
swered them: "Of that day and
horr M one lxnowefh. M mt fhn