The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1953-10-09
just Among Ourselves
Passing Comment Considered or Ineensidsrass

down
right scandal Of much of the queer absurdty called
religious advertisng?" Our concerted action might
take the form Of loud and continuing shout,-by
way of letters to editors,-aganst the folly of our
own Catholic press in printing the trash.
There are certain secular magazines of low estate
which publish stories ntended.-ostensiby at least
and by the repeated assurances of their authors
to show that crime does not pay, and that carna
sin brings only misery. Yet these same magazines
psnder to carnality in their advertisements, and
the tone of some of the stories makes crime sinRu-
larly attractive We may be shocked at the conflict
between claim and performance in such secular
publications. But what words have we to express
the shock when comparable conflict appears in
publication of our own?
For there are Catholic papers and magazines
which labor we'll and constantly in their articles
essays stories and departments 10 make people know
and understand the truth and the unique glory Of
the Faith And yet the advertising pages of the same
publications too frequently carry matter which
falsifies djsorts Catholic belief and practice to
such an extent that these must appear TO nonCa-
thocs as supersttious or. merely silly.
What must an honest inquirer into Cathocity
think when he picks up Catholic magazine and
finds page after page of advertisements for voca-
ti0ns? Likely enough. the magazine will have some
reference in its readng-matter 10 vocation as call
from God. the sds seem to indicate that II comes
from printed appeal What must the uninStructed
reader think of when he finds that he can store
up endless spiritual profits by sending quarter
to McGilicudy's Corners where there is "a shrine?"
Our own beloved Times has recently come
cropper in this business. Two weeks ago II printed
a quarter-page advertisement for rosary-beads-at
S49a~-wth the amazing. wonderful, colossal stu
pendous unbelievable charm, feature and irresist-
ible attraction Of Loprdes mater ~ three Of the
beads Imagine" cries the ad (Which is sprink.
led with exclamation points or "astonishers" as
Bill Nye aptly calls them Imagine praying TO Our
Blessed Mother and actually touching beads con
tanning water from The miraculous spring created
by Holy Mary"
Any Catholic knows that il was not Catholic
who wrote that line But that fact is beside the
point The point is that the presence OF few
drops Of water from Lourdes is here made TO
important as or more important than the devout
praying OF the rosary. OF course, no sane Catholic
believes anything of The kind But what win those
outside the faith-whom we are 10 bring 10 the
knowledge OF the fath-what will they think Of
our devotion 10 the rosary and the Blessed Mother
as they read this silly advertisement?
@~A
The purpose Of our religion Is TO make us holy
and get us to heaven. TO this end we cherish the
true doctrine By faith we offer 10 God true wor-
and the saeraments. Beyond this. and in line with
this. We have piouS practices and we use sacra-
mentalS. But we never mix up essentials and non
essentials as to put minor things IN the place of
major things. TO do so would be denial of the
faith itself
And yet there are people among our own who
are all aeog with the importance Of this little pill
grmage or that largely attended novena. There are
people who are ready 10 travel at great expense
and Inconvenience to see spot where true or
even questionable apparition has occurred; the
same people usually refuse to make the slightest
sacrifice to be present al Holy Mass, or TO visit
Our Lord, not in appariton but IN Real Presence
in the nearest parish church.
There are people. even among own, who
are unwilling TO devote ten twelve honestly
praverful minutes to the saying Of the rosary Many
of these will be eager to possess beads with Lourdes
water in them And these are the people who give
to others. ill-nstructed outside the Church, an
utterly misleading notion Of what the Catholic re
eion u.s.
ST. Paul writing under the divine inspiration,
tells The Corinthians that hey-and we,--are to
give offence TO no "lest our ministry be
blamed" We have all the ministry of showing by
life and practices the truth of necessary relie
ion; through others are to come to the knowl-
edge of the truth. Our ministry is to be blamed
nnefd II We pui III tne WsN OI OtHEES ANS
block the scandal OF false representation of what
We truly believe. Thus VIC turn them from God
instead of drawing them to Him.
Water from the spring at Lourdes is something
TO use with reverence as distinctly minor object
which may remind us OF the loving and powerful
intercession of the Blessed Mother; II may help us
to seek that ntercesSion, and thus it may arouse
or increase our devotion II Is the devotion tha,
counts not the water itself A sick person cured IN
the spring at tourdes does not pray 10 the water
either before his cure after II Is effected; hs
prays to God through Mary, first IN petition, ant
then in thanksgiving He may not even think o
the water itself al all
II offends Catholic sensibility to have Lonrde
water advertised as a kind of charm, or gadget o
something TO carry around enclosed IN beads As
sort of super-duper rabbits.foot Against such &C
yertisine We must make effective protest for
can do and is doing, incalculable HARM .Sentir
cum ecclesio' is the sane direction for Catholl
living the phrase means to conform with min
and spirit Of the Church. Let us keep first thing
first A ss.#