The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-05-14
PHASES OFnc II ARIsTaYs
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collected a heritage for the poor,
This same heritage had been seized
in other parts of Europe some two
hundred and fifty years previously
just according as the revolt against
the Church prevailed. Christian
charity, therefore, is not modern.
Aim of Christian Charity.
In the second place, Christian char
ity aims directly at the benefit OF the
>individual and through the betterment
of the individual at the betterment of
the State, and the uplift of humanity
Each individual is capable of glorify-
ing God forever, is redeemed by the
precious blood of Christ. is made into
the image of God. 1t is just as wicked
to trample upon crucitiX of wood as
upon crucifiX of ivory or OF gold.
In the same way we cannot desplse or
MAIN or kill off for the sake of the
god, humanity the weaklingS OF the
race. These are often more precious
in the sight of God than many vigor-
Gus and sound good citizens" and
far exceed the latter in the exercise
of virtue, as Mother Mary Alphonsa
testifies But even at the worst they
are made into the image of God and
must be treated with reverence. Nay,
they must be treated with that love
with which God treats them. ITO
whom shall | have respect" says the
Lord through His prophet, ito whom
lAn I I,,t 10 hn
is poor and little and contrite of
heart?" Therefore, Christian charity
in the strict and the broad sense OF
the term must be always deeply re-
ligious. I'VE have never encouraged
Catholics to form associations fC1 the
assistance of the poor" says Leo
KILL" without at the same time warn
ing them that such things must be
attempted only under the auspices OF
religion, she being at once helpmate
and companion"
Take away God and His rights and
you take away man and his rights.
You open the door to all the crushing
inhumanities of the sCience-driVen ma
chine No doubt you ladies of the
then, had markedly good results when
you were able to clear the ashes
from the dying embers and cause re-
ligion to flame up once more IN the
hearts of your protegees. In our
Catholic institutions the results of re-
ligiof are plainly visible. The aged
become saints, the incurables mar
tyrs; fallen women return to spend
their lives and end their days in holy
and happy repentance; we have
priests and bishops graduates from
our orphan asylums; and when our
charges imbibe the religious atmos-
phere of these institutions they be-
come automatically the best of citi-
zens. We hold that religion, instead
of being eliminated, should be consti-
tuted the great factor of reform, and
that drastic measures, if used at all,
should be used with extreme caution
and moderation.
Solid Christian Benefits.
= Christian charity in the third place,
benefits the worker, not temporarily
or financially, but eternally and spir-
itually. / need not enlarge on the
e., merit of all social service done for
Gods sake. ''He who giveth to the
poor lendeth to the Lord" | need
only say: Blessed are those who have
such a Debtor. But what an exercise
of self-condemnation we can find in
the improvident-an exercise that we
should not fail on all occasions to
turn to account.
The poor, who, shiftless and bedrag-
gled after squandering wealth and
health, knock at our doors, are but a
picture of ourselves before the
Throne of God There is not a
charge of prodigality, that We can
bring in one sense against them, but
that in a higher sense with more
rigor Divine Justice can bring against
us. If we resent their squanderings
of the things of earth, how much
more will Divine Justice resent our
sQuanderings of grace and light and
mercy,-the things of Heaven Their
goods were their own and they were
insignificant in value; but the goods
we squander are Gods, and they are
PllNCiCSo' llC pun piO OIICh
less, indeed, but what economy have
we made of Heavens favors? They
are often bedraggled, but what is the
condition of that robe of innocence
which we received in Baptism? They
are appareled in torn and frayed gar
ments, but what is the condition of
our habits of prayer and of faith? In
bloated cheek and sodden eye they
often present marks of corporal dis
sipation, but what spiritual maladies
do we not present before Him, in
whose presence the angels are not
pure?
Can there be anything in worse
form than as improvident mendicants
to present ourselves daily before the
Throne of Grace and then to turn
out the poor beggar and with bitter
words reproach him for his dissipa.
ton and improvidence? 'In thy good
deeds,'' says the Holy Spirit, make
no complaint, and when thou givest
anything add not grief by an evil
word Nowhere in Scripture do we
find that the manner of life of the
poor conditions the obligation of aims
deeds. On the contrary, unless we