San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-02

The Lenten pastoral or letter of the
Ri. Rev. Arthur j. hrossaerts, DID,,
Bishop Of San Antonio, for the OBJ
Servance of the Lenten season has been
issued. This letter is issued annually
on the Sunday before Lent to be read
in all of the Catholic churches under
the jurisdiction of the bishop.
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday
and ends with Easter.
The letter which Bishop Drossaerts
has issued for the Lenten season which
begins Wednesday and which will DC
read Sunday at all morning masses in
all of the Catholic churches OF San
Antonio is as follows: .
To the Clergy and the Faithful OF
Our Diocese: Greetings in the
Lord:
At the approach Of the Lenten sea-
son, when the church is pleading so
earnestly with her children. ito cast
off the works of darkness and put on
the armour of light" ROM xiii, I'D,
we wish to warn you. dearly beloved,
against the most insidious enemy OF
alyation-worldlines Between the
GospeI of Christ and the maxims OF
the world there is a chasm, deep and
wide. which nothing can fill, nothing
can bridge over. The spirit Of God
and the spirit of the world are deadly
enemies. Like fire and water they
are destructive of one another. mo
man can serve two masters says our
Lord. ave must needs love the one
and hate the other" "know We not,
ouoth st. James (iv. A., ".that the
friendship of this world is the enemy
of God?" "Love not the world, thus
warns st. John, NOR the things
which are in the world. II any man
love the world, the charity OF the
Father is not in him." John II, lol;
Satan, tempting Our Lord, showed
Him all the kingdoms OF the world ana
the glory of them and said: All
these will / give Thee, if falling down
Thou wilt adore me-" Matt. "; ~.
Is not worldliness with its un-Chris-
tan retinue of pride, vanity, fashion,
society, love of riches. the gratifica-
ton Of the senses, divorce. birth con-
troll; with its animal savage Dances
the abolition of Christian modesty,
with its cult of nakedness, the pecu-
liar temptation of our times!
"Take up they cross, deny thyseiI
and follow Me-" such is the LOVING
invitation of the Saviour. But thou
San0S SHEER ut IliS NVtuSs ee~' ~"''-
err follow the siren song of pleasure
and with the pagan epicures of old
answer: "Let us eat and drink and
he merry and crown ourselves with
roses. for tomorrow we shall die"
Pleasure, boundless and licen'
tious. is the god of our day. Thou
sands worship at his shrine, and with
abiect. slavish subservience obey his
most tyrannical dictates. Duties, the
most sacred, the health of body ana
soul. all claims to Heaven are sacri'
ficed to this Moloch who lures his
devotees to madness, death and de-
struction. How many are there to-
day who look upon the life as hardly
worth living unless it be a high car
niyal of amusements, an endless vi
cious cycle of parties and outings and
movies and dancing and dissipation,
a continual merry-go-round OF FEAST
ing, .,, -
madness leading? Remember the
prodigal son. He. too, had wasted
bis substance in riotous living, in the
whirligig of pleasure. And such mis-
cry came over him that he would fain
have stilled his hunger with the
husks of the swine. And so today.
Worldliness is sure TO undermine all
faith and love of God; sure to dry up
the fountains of happiness; sure to de-
stroy the peace of our soul: sure TO
leave us in the end but misery, desc
lation and despair. There is no peace
no happiness to be found away from
God and duty. Let us therefore,
drink of the cup of even innocent
pleasure always with caution, always,
with moderation: taking but small
draughts lest it turn into a deadly
poison that will kill both soul and
body. Listen to st. Paul: Live
soberly and justly and .godly in tins
world denying all ungodliness and all
worldly desires" Tit. ii. 12).
Learn during this holy season OF
Lent the practice of Christian hu,
mility. Of modesty, of -penance ana
modification, so opposed to the dan
gerous spirit of the world. Let us
initiate Him of Whom it is written
that shaving joy set before Him. he
endured the cross" (Heb. xii, -. Re
member that We can reach Heaven
only by the steep and narrow path
through suffering we shall come to Joy,:
through penance to Heaven; through
the cross to glory everlasting.
"And let the peace of Christ re-
ioice in your hearts" (Col. iii. 10.
ARTHUR J. DROSSAERTS..
Bishop of San Antonio.
} By order of the Bishop.