The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1958-08-01

suffer persecution for Justices
Matt. 5, 10); He "dees not
in His promises" (I Pet.
3, 81, but will finally console
His sons with the just reward.
We exhort therefore with pa
affection in particular
those venerable brothers and
Our beloved sons who are press
ed in every manner, even under
and insidiously, TO
loose the firm, solid and con-
slant union with the Church
and the most strict loyalty with
that Apostolic See on
which such unity cannot have a
sure foundation.
No one in fact is unaware that
in some places this unity is plot
ted against and attacked with
deceiving opinions and all the
arts.
But let all remember that
the Mystical Body Of Jesus
Christ. the Church. must be
closely Joined and knit TO-
gefher through every joint Of
the system according TO the
function, in due measure, Of
each single part tEph. A. 16I
until We all attain to the
unity Of the faith and Of the
deep knowledge Of the Son Of
God, to perfect manhood, to
the mature measure Of the
fuIIness Of Christ tEph. 4. 13I
Of which fhe Roman Pontiff
as successor Of Peter is by d.
vine disposition established
vicar on earth.
Let them reflect and remem-
Der these very wise words of st.
bishop and martyr:
1.-THE Lord spoke thus to Pc
ter: / say to you that thou art
Peter and upon this rock / will
build my church Matt. Is,
18). On him alone He erects the
Church We must firmly
hold and defend this unity, par.
ticularly we bishops who govern
in the Church Also the
Church is one and it extends
widely over a great multitude
with the amending increase OF
its fruitfulness; in the same
way as rays of the sun are many
but the light is only one; and
many are the branches of the
tree but the trunk is only one
which goes deep into the ground
with strong roots; and when one
spring of water produces sew
eral r~ivulets, though it would
seem that their number divides
with the abundance of the over.
flowing water, there is however
only one source.
"You can pluck a ray of the
sun but the unity of the light is
not divided. You can tear q
branch from a tree but it car
no longer bear fruit. You Car
cut off a stream from its source
but it will dry up.
Thus also the Church, inun
dated by the light of God, casts
its rays throughout the whole
world, but there is only one
light, that which spreads every
where, and the unity of the or
ganism is not divided. 1t extends
its branches over the whole
world with luxurious richness
it pours out abundantly flowing
streams everywhere, but the
trunk is one and the spring is
"And he who has not the
Church as a mother cannot
have God as a father Who
does not preserve this unity
does not preserve the law oil
God, does not preserve the
faith of the Father and of the
Son, and has not life and saliva
ton" Cyprian, De Initiate Ec
clesiae, Az.
These words Of the sanity
martyred Bishop will be of
comfort, Of exhortation and Of
defense, especially for those
who. not being able to be in
contact with the Holy See, or
having it only with difficulty,
find themselves in danger and
have TO overcome various OBJ.
stscles and deeeits.
However they must trust ir
the help of God and not neglect
to invoke Him with ferven1
prayer. They must remember
that all the prosecutors of the
Church - as history teaches
have passed as a shadow, where
as the sun Of divine truth never
sets, because "the word of the
Lord endures forever" q Pet. /
25).
The society founded by Christ
can be attacked but not defeat
ed because it derives its strength
not from men, but from God.
Indeed, there is no doubt