The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-03-31
Catholic Thought And Opinion
By REV. JOSEPH ?. DoNNELLY

icism. Of course there is 8 reason able explanation of this delicacy in that we have lived for generations now with the constant necessity of defending Christ's teachings and His Church against criticism mo- tivated by ill-will. The Church and its teachings belong first to Christ and we shall brook no attack upon | 1t.
 But what of criticism of our atti- tude, of our faithfulnesS, our living of the teachings of that Church? Have we lived our Catholic life to the full? How much more effective it would be and how much more honest, if we admit that we Cath olics have often times fallen far short of the Church's high ideal? Acknowledging this we raise the Catholic ideal far above our weak and often half hearted interpreta- ton of it. In entrusting member ship in His Church to men Christ has placed the divine reality in frail, human hands, hands that some times fail, hands that sometimes betray.
 ERIC GILL'S COMPLAINT
 In one of the chapters of his Au- photography Eric Gill, the English artist and convert states: "When I consider how we Christians exhibit our Christianity-making it appear that there is not a ha'-porth of diff ference between Christians and any one else-neither in our daily life and behaviour nor in our political and economic theory-when con- sider this, I say, don't see how we can expect to convert the world. Perhaps we don't expect to; we are quite comfortable with our accus- toned manners and customs |. by our lukewarmness and com placency and blindness we have be- trayed our own cause. think we have got to learn our Christianity over again"
 Learn our Christianity over again! Perhaps that's it. We have to awake to a realization of the high state of our calling. We have to realize that we in the world not only to believe in Christ but to be like Christ. We must realize that to be like Christ we must be apostles of Christ with consuming fire in our hearts-a fire that will enkindle similar fires in the hearts of other men.
 Christianity has not failed but we have failed Christianity. The old comfortable, often compromising in- depreciation of Christianity, the Christianity that identified itself too closely with the world-indeed that has failed. But that is not the Christianity of Christ; that is no the Christianity that made martyrs and saints.
 WHAT OF THE FUTURE?
 The Bishops have called our day the day of Christianity's greatest crisis. Then we Catholics of today have been entrusted with the respon- sibility of guiding Gods Church through the days of its greatest peril. A terrifying responsibility! It is responsibility which demands wholehearted surrender to Christ. Only this will conquer the world for Christ.
 The world is through with milk and-water religion. That was never the religion of Christ Our day is day of fire, of blood, of violence. It is a day that will respect loyalty and sacrifice, a day in which only the apostle who is willing to sacri- flee and if need be to die will be given a hearing. In the fullness of our service and the examples of our lives we Catholics have the obliga- tion of winning that hearing for the Church of Christ.
 How pressing is that obligation? Douglas Jerrold, one of the keenest of Catholic observers in England, concludes his book on The Future of Freedom with these words: We must force the modern world, so restless, SO dissatisfied, so eager for something it can never find, to be- lieve. We can do that only by pro- claiming our own belief from the housetops If we do not believe enough for that then our belief is worthless and Christianity will fail. The days of minority religion are over. We must conquer or be con- quered."