' tooU\ e\r A A X CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENCE COURSES KENRICK SEMINARY Webster Groves, Missouri Published By “Our Sunday Visitor Press” Huntington, Indiana FATHER SMITH INSTRUCTS JACKSON By The Most Rev. John F. Noil, D. D. Father Smith In^lrudts Jackson THIRTEENTH LARGE EDITION 150,000 To the pupils in the higher grades of our schools; to the thousands, who never enjoyed the advantages of daily religious instruction at school; to the many, who have received their (mis) information abouu the Catholic Church from those who know her not,—this little book is respect- fully dedicated. ( Pastors using this volume in instructing converts may combine two or three Instructions for one lesson . ) OUR SUNDAY VISITOR LIBRARY HUNTINGTON, INDIANA Nihil Obstat RT. REV. MON. QECHTERING, V. G, Censor IMPRIMATUR -p HERMAN J. ALERDING Bishop of Fort Wayne JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I—God’s Church and Her Teachings. page Jackson Applies for Instruction and Learns Much at First Visit to Priest 6 The Fundamentals of the Christian Faith 9 The Fall of Man and Original Sin 11 God’s Plan to Save Man After the Fall 15 The Principal Events in Christ’s Life 18 Proof That Christ Was Truly God 21 Jackson Receives a Correct Conception of God’s Church 24 The Relation of the Bible to the Church 27 The Church of Christ Was to Be “One Fold Under One Shepherd”. . 30 The True Church Must Be Infallible 33 The “Bible Only” Theory Does Not Work Out Well 35 If the Catholic Church Cannot Decide, None Can 38 Heaven a Reward for Definite Service of God 41 Hell, Not Pleasant to Believe, But Most Reasonable 44 Purgatory, the Plainest of the Church’s Teachings 46 PART II—The Commandments of God and His Church. Does the First Commandment Forbid the Making of Images? 51 What the First Commandment Enjoins—Catholic Devotion to Saints Explained 53 What the Second Commandment Forbids and Enjoins 55 Instruction on the Third Commandment 58 Requirements of the Fourth Commandment 60 The Fifth Commandment Forbids More Than Murder 62 Sixth and Ninth Commandments Deal With the Violation of Holy Purity 64 The Seventh and Tenth Commandments Are Concerned About Justice and Honesty 66 What the Eighth Commandment Forbids Fully Explained 68 How Sundays and Holy Days Should Be Kept 70 Jackson Instructed on the Laws of Fasting 72 An Instruction on the Support of Religion 75 Some Marriage Regulations—Mixed Marriages 77 PART III—The Means of Grace. The Clear Meaning of Sanctifying Grace 82 Jackson is Ready to Receive Baptism 84 Now Eager to Become a “Soldier of Christ” 86 The Holy Eucharist the Church’s Greatest Possession 89 Our Savior’s Words Could Have None But a Literal Meaning 91 The' Mass the Only Form of True Worship 94 The Wonder Is That All Catholics Are Not Frequent Communicants . 96 Confession is Easy to Believe In, Says Jackson 98 Scripture Proof for the Sacrament of Penance 101 An Instruction on Indulgences 103 Extreme Unction, a Sacrament for the Dangerously Sick 106 Holy Orders Necessary for Continuation of Christ’s Work in the World 108 Christian Marriage One of the Seven Sacraments 110 The Purpose of Sacramentals 112 The Necessity and Benefits of Prayer 114 The Beauties of the Lord’s Prayer and the Hail Mary 116 PART IV—Approved Devotions, ReligiousAssociations. All About the Rosary 121 The Way of the Cross 123 Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament 124 The Confraternity of the Scapular 125 The Apostleship of Prayer 126 Some Scripture Texts Ovtrlooked by Protestants 128 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. INTRODUCTION TO FIRST EDITION. The instructions contained in this little volume were run serially in “Our Sunday Visitor,” and were written by the editor, one at a time, with a lapse of a week’s interval between each writing. The careful reviewer will, therefore, discover im- perfections; but both priest and lay-reader de- manded that they be put in book form for the in- struction of Catholic and non-Catholic in a popular, interesting, and up-to-date way. Upon the announcement through “Our Sun- day Visitor” that the editor would comply with so urgent a request, he received orders for nearly 20,000 copies before a single page of the book was made up. Set in the ordinary way, the instructions would have filled 300 pages, but the author preferred to set the columns wide and deep, being of the opinion that a small volume would serve the pur- pose best. We believe that converts studying catechism will know their lessons better if they use this little book as an auxiliary. The reader is en- treated to pray whilst he studies, and if “assisted unto conversion” through the instructions of Father Smith,” to remunerate by a prayer, the author, J. F. NOLL. PREFACE TO TWELFTH EDITION The reception given to this book of instruc- tions, and the cheerful reports received from priests concerning its helpfulness to people under instruction, prove its timeliness beyond all doubt. J. F. N. JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. ft PART I. God’s Church and Her Teachings. “The Church of the living God , the pillar and ground of truth ”—I Tim. Ill,'1® /S • “If he will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican”—Matt. ^yTj^r, >v/// ^ % “Re that heareth you, heareth me”—Luke X, 16. “Going teach ye all nations . . . and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world”—Matt. XXVIII, 19, 20. 6 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. INTRODUCTION Jackson Applies for Instruction and Learns Much at First Visit to Priest MR. JACKSON. Good evening, Father. FATHER SMITH. Good evening; come in. I am not ac- quainted with you, am I? MR. J. No, Father; my name is Jackson. I came to see you about taking instructions in the Catholic religion, if you can af- ford to waste the time on me. FATHER S. It will not be time wasted. In the first place, it is a part of our work, and secondly, I feel it will do you some good. Have you ever been baptized? Mr. J. No, sir. I have never belonged to any church. FATHER S. Are you going with one of our good Catholic girls? MR. J. No, sir; I wish I were; but the observation of the lives of some Catholics set me thinking. You will pardon me for forget- ting to address you with your proper title. You know, I am not accustomed to address a priest. FATHER S. That's all right; that's all right. But do you know why Catholics call their priest “Father?” MR. J. No, I do not; though I heard a Catholic friend give a good answer to a Protestant, who contended that the priest had no right to that name. FATHER S. What was the answer? MR. J. Well, the Protestant stated that Christ said: “Call no man Father,” and the Catholic answered: “What do you call your ‘daddy?' ” FATHER S. That was pretty good. It is plain that Christ’s words are not to be taken literally in this case. St .Paul furnishes the principal reason why the priest is called “Fatherj” “In Christ Jesus, by the gospel, I have begotten thee” (1 Cor.1g|§?)^T priest's office is the same as was that of St. Paul—he is an instru- ment in God's hands to impart a new kind of life, a supernatural life, to the soul, just as the parent whom you call “Father,” was God's instrument for conferring natural life on you. God is the principal agent in both instances, and that is what Christ meant when He said: “One is your Father, Who is in Heaven” (Matt. XXIII. 9) . The priest's very calling is to serve the spiritual needs of his parish, just as a father does the temporal needs of his family, and hence merits the appellation “Father” much more than a married minister does, whose first concern must be his own household. This reminds me of an answer made by an Indian to an Episcopalian minister, an answer which beats the rejoinder of the Catholic friend you referred to. MR. J. What was it, Father? JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. FATHER S. Why, a minister who wore a Roman collar like ours, visited an Indian village and asked the chief for permission to address the people in some house. The minister wore a mus- tache, which made the chief suspect that he was not a Catholic priest, so he addressed him thus: “You are a minister?” “Yes,” answered the gentleman. “No priest?” “Yes, but not Roman Catholic.” “Are you married?” “Yes.” “Oh, then,” answered the Indian, “we do not want you ; you could be no more than a step-father to us. Our priest is a father to every one in this vil- lage.” MR. J . That was fine ; and, by the way, it supplies one reason why ministers should not be married. Father, whilst we have touched on this subject, would you mind giving the Church’s rea- sons for requiring her priests to remain single? Understand me: if I asked you why you are not married, you might tell me that it is “none of my business,” but I suppose it’s legitimate for me to ask why the great body of Catholic priests does not marry? Pro- testants do not understand this requirement of your Church and most vehemently express their disapproval of it. FATHER S. I am glad to explain this to you at this juncture because the removal of prejudices against some points of our dis- cipline will dispose you for a clearer understanding of the Church’s teachings. In the first place, you will understand this exaction of the Church better after you become more familiar with the real nature of God’s Church and the office the priest fills in the same. He is more than a mere preacher of the gospel. He is dedicated to God by a special consecration; he may never be anything else ; he regards himself as specially called by God from entanglements with the world and human ties. In the words of St. Paul.. Every Yiig\i-priest taken from among men , is ordained f°r in the things that appertain to God, that he may offer up gifts and sacrifices for sins” (Heb. V. 1). He is ordained for men, and hence his time, his talents, his life should be at their dis- posal. To be free from all earthly ties is quite essential for whole- heartedworkinthe cause of God, * St. Pauland't^e' oTher anostl*^ * Their work would have been far less were (hot married? priests, successful had they been. St. Paul himself' posTtlvely^taterthis'.. 1 _ c^et r f°r the things that belong to the^ J 1®. ™, aj l please , t} ? e Lor< ?; but he that is married careth ytfrnr vu g^\ hatr S? the. world, how he may please his wife’ n ™(I Gor. VII. 32). Oh, there is no doubt about it, that an unmar-/Zi „ned clergyman can imitate Christ more closely, can be more spir- itual, can minister, to people afflicted with contagious diseases , oetter. than a married minister. He can also get along with less financial support. MR. J Those are certainly strong arguments in favor of celibacy, and I do not believe they are considered by Protestants who seem to condemn celibacy only because they regard its ob- servance impossible. ,, This again because they do not comprehend the difference between our office and that of the Protestant minis- ter. Our daily Mass and breviary, which take up over two / A If flus K 8 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. hours time each day, would alone keep the priest virtuous. Then the priest, after ten or twelve years of training (during which time he reflects well on what is required of him), takes a solemn vow to remain ever chaste and pure in thought, word and deed. MR. J . But there is so much literature which represents the priest and nun as being anything but virtuous. FATHER S. Yes, and it is traceable to men and women whom the Catholic Church cast off because of their wicked propensities. Maria Monk, Margaret Shepherd, Helen Jackson, Mabel McClish, and others, who represent themselves as ex-nuns, were never nuns. They were fallen women, who were detained in reform schools conducted by Sisters, and who, because of their depravity, were released as incorrigible, and saw a chance to make a living by writing for and lecturing to that element which would believe any lie told on the Catholic Church. There have been priests who were untrue to their vow, but they have been the rare exception. They constitute the ex-priests of today, some of whom make a shame- ful living by imposing on the many who are easy “to take in.” Why is it that when a priest does fall, the whole world is shocked, if instances were not so rare? When a minister goes wrong, comparatively little is made of it. His own parishioners often condone the scandal ; whilst a priest’s usefulness would be totally destroyed. Catholics, who should know their priests better than Protestants, would have a far less regard for a married priest- hood. But this will be plainer to you when you will have finished your instructions. You take this catechism and read over the first few lessons very carefully, and one night this week come back for your first instruction. You will notice that its first pages contain prayers, some of which we should like to have you learn by heart. You need not commit them to memory at once, but read them every night as a night-prayer, and in a short time you will know them without much study. ' I want you to do some praying whilst taking instructions, because faith is a gift of God, which you must try to merit by prayer. The Lord’s prayer, the Hail Mary and the Apostles’ Creed practically came from heaven. That is why we want Catholics to know these by heart. The Lord’s Prayer was taught by Christ Himself ; the first part of the Hail Mary contains the words, which the angel, as a delegate of God, addressed to Mary; and the Apostles’ Creed is the most ancient Christian profession of faith. Hence we cannot improve on these three prayers. In addition, we like to have our people know some form of an act of Faith, Hope, Charity, and Contrition. You not only may, but are urged to ask many questions dur- ing your instructions. We have nothing to hide and would not re- ceive you into the Church unless you were thoroughly convinced. MR. J. Well, Father, I am certainly much obliged to you for the information you have given me tonight, and look with interest to my first instruction. FATHER S. Can you come on Tuesday night? MR. J. Yes, that will suit me. JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. INSTRUCTION! 9 The Fundamentals of the Christian Faith FATHER S. Well, have you been doing any praying? MR. J. Yes, I have prayed in my own way for heavenly dir- ection and have committed to memory the Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary and the Apostles’ Creed. I do not yet know those other forms called the “Acts.” FATHER S. That’s fine. Learn the “Acts” by reading them once a day from your Catechism. MR. J . The first few pages of the little book treat of what, i* seems, should be known by everybody: the existence of God, our relation to Him, and the purpose for which we live. FATHER S. Yes, but religion, like everything else, must have a foundation, and at the bottom of all religion is the ac- knowledgment of a Supreme Being, so it is proper that the Cate- chism should begin with a lesson on the existence of God. You entertain no doubt concerning the existence of an almighty all- holy, all-wise, and a just God? ’ Mr. J. No, Father; I do not see how any one could, but I would, nevertheless be pleased to hear you state a few arguments in defense of this primary truth. . FATHER S. Well, in the first place, it is one of those truths which it is so natural to believe, that the mind is forced to accept it unless the will deliberately opposes it. Not since the appearance of man upon earth has there ever been a nation, cultured or bar- barous, that did not recognize some sort of Supreme Being and you know what is natural to believe must be founded on fact: “all the people all the time” could not be misled. Secondly it is a thousand times easier to admit a God than to account for the uni- verse without God. Every person who has attempted to explain the universe without God has only given new reasons whv a God is required. J MR J. I have heard people say that everything can be ex- plained by Evolution. . FATHER S. That is, you have heard it said that plants, animals, and man could exist today without the necessity of hav- ing a direct Creator such as the Bible represents? MR. J. Yes, I suppose that is what they mean. even if Evolution were correct, a Creator would be needed. It supposes a first something, which might de- velop or evolve into something else. How account for that first thing, without a God? Every effect must have a cause; the first thing must have been produced from nothing, which onlv a God could accomplish. MR. J. An unbeliever of my acquaintance calls himself an Agnostic. What is meant by that? FATHER S. One who does not deny God’s existence, but contends that he does not know whether there is a God or not. He is not very anxious to know. In fact, he is not only indisposed to 10 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. believe in a God, but positively disposed against believing in such a Being. It is strange that in this thirst-for-knowledge age there should be men who want to remain ignorant of this fundamental truth. A German writer, named Dennert, recently published a book in Berlin, in which he shows that of three hundred of the greatest scientists of the last three centuries, two hundred and forty-three were firm believers in God, and saw harmony between science and revelation. Herbert Spencer says : '‘The existence of this inscrutable Power (God) is the most certain of all truths.” Weismann, who does declare himself an atheist, says: "Creation cannot be disproved, but it must be rejected to escape the super- natural.” The question of God’s existence is not a question for science to solve at all. The scientist’s work is to study things as he finds them and not to be concerned about their origin. Another most convincing proof of the existence of God is that voice within us which tells that certain things are wrong, and which disturbs our peace when we do certain evil things. If there were no God, to Whom we are accountable, there would be no reason to be thus disturbed. Now, whilst reason postulates the existence of a Supreme Being to Whom we owe our life, on Whom we are dependent for all things, and Whom we must serve, it cannot determine what the nature of God is, nor the precise service which He wants from us. The latter depends wholly on His will, which it was necessary for Him to make known to us. We call this divine Revelation. I pre- sume that it is plain to you that the Almighty should want to be known alike and served alike by the whole human family? MR. J. Yes, Father, it seems that He should. FATHER S. Then He would have to tell us enough about Himself for the purpose, and define in pretty clear terms what He wants of us. He revealed Himself to the first human creatures, and frequently thereafter to their descendants, and 1900 years ago, when the world was in sore need of a teacher, He appeared on earth in human form, and organized a Church, which was to be an authoritative teacher of mankind until the end of the world. Now, in the course of instructions, my aim is to acquaint you with the nature of this Church, with her teachings, her requirements, and the God-given helps which she possesses to lead men to eternal happiness. But before proceeding to this, we shall see what revelation (most of which is contained in the Bible) says about God’s creation of, and His dealings with, the first intelligent cieatuies He made. Before creating this world, the temporary home of man, He made what are known as "angels.” You have often heard of angels, have you not, Mr. Jackson. , i' Yes > Father ; and 1 have often seen them pictured as beautiful figures with wings. FATHER S. But they have no wings: they have not even bodies, which could support wings. They are pure spirits, re- sembling God much more closely than a human soul, which is al- so a spirit. They were made for the twofold purpose of being as- JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 11 sociated with God in glory and of being guardians and protectors of us here below. Heaven, however, was to be given them as a reward won by voluntary compliance with some expressed wish of God. They were tried, and whilst most of them cheerfully obeyed God, and were at once admitted into God’s presence and happiness some, in their pride, refused to obey. These were rejected by the Almighty. It could not be otherwise, because God could not sanc- tion and reward rebellion. Speaking of these fallen spirits the Bible says: “In His angels He found wickedness,” (Job. IV, 18), and of their rejection: “I saw Satan like lightning falling from heaven, (Luke X, 18) ; and “God spared not the angels that sin- ned, but delivered them, drawn down by infernal ropes to the lower hell, (2 Pet. II, 4). These fallen angels are known as “evil spirits” or “devils.” Hell was created when they sinned. We shall treat the subject “hell” later. MR. J. But why are angels pictured with a body and with wings ? FATHER S. Well, they could not be represented at all with- out a body; we cannot picture an invisible spirit. Then, angels have frequently been sent as messengers of God to man, at which times they appeared with human form. They are represented with wings to convey to us the passage 'from heaven to earth and the swiftness with which they carry out God’s wishes. MR. J. If the devils are fallen angels, they have no bodies either? FATHER S. No; though they are often represented as hide- ous figures, with horns, cloven feet, etc. Of course, the devils have become as hideous and deformed by their fall as the angels have become beautiful and god-like by their loyalty to God. Hence devils cannot be pictured too ugly. MR. J. But do the evil spirits strive to deceive and mislead us? FATHER S. Yes; St. Peter (I Pet. V. 8) says: “Be sober and watch . because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion goeth about, seeking whom he may devour.” The evil spirits are totally perverted, and hence hate God and the souls destined like they were, for eternal happiness in Heaven. They are filled with envy toward all who have it in their power to reach the Heaven that even they were made for. This explains the temptation of Eve by the devil in the guise of a serpent, which we shall refer to in our next instruction. INSTRUCTION II. The Fall of Man and Original Sin FATHER S Well, Mr. Jackson, have you had any difficulty MR ? gJ h8 £ =K U were , taught in the ]ast instruction ? MR. J. No, Father ; only I have pitied the fallen angels,—thepoor devils, who have lost Heaven for good. FATHER S. It does seem sad, but it was all their own fault. 12 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. They knew what would be the consequences of their rebellion, and possessing free-will, could have chosen to obey the Almighty. They surely could not have expected to be rewarded, and reward- ed eternally, for rebellion against their Creator, their only Lover, the One, Who drew them out of nothingness, clothed them with beauty, and offered them happiness indescribable in His own Heavenly home. Eternal reward had no alternative but eternal separation from God; if they could not have Heaven, they must be excluded from Heaven, which is the worst torment of hell. The Almighty dealt quite similarly with the first human creatures He made ; that is, He put them on trial with a promise of Heaven for fidelity and a threat of hell for disobedience. We shall take this up presently. This world and the whole visible creation came into being after the fall of the angels. According to the Bible (book of Genesis), God made the universe and what it contained in six days, beginning with pure material things, followed by the lower kind of living things, then animals, and finally man, who was to have only a temporary home here below. His final destiny, like that of the angels, would be Heaven, but, like the angels, he would receive it only as a reward for service. God could deal honorably with man in no other manner and still leave him what he is, a free-being. MR. J. Was the whole structure of creation really formed in six days? FATHER S. Well, geologists contend that the word “day,” u^td by Moses, could not have been the brief period spanned by twenty-four hours. Not that God could not have produced all in s' x days or even in six seconds, but they say facts are against the literal “day.” The Church does not oppose this view. The ques- tion before us is that man, who appeared on the scene, differs from all other living creatures here below in this, that he was made to serve God and win for himself eternal happiness with God. . The Bible says that the Almighty created him after His own image (Gen. I, 27), which refers altogether to the soul be- cause God has no body. Man’s soul is like God in this, that it is a spirit, immortal, has understanding and free will. MR. J. Do not some say that man’s body evolved from an ape? FATHER S. They say it, but offer no proof. They say that an ape s body is similar in construction, but that does not mean anything. It would be about time that the family of apes should be extinct,—-all should have evolved into human bodies long ago. But even if the evolutionists were right, wp are not contending that man differs from the animals as to body, but as to soul Our very conversation proves the spirit within our bodies. Every ef- fect shows the nature of its cause. Our thoughts, whether ex- pressed m word, or not, come from a thinking subject. ’ But thoughts are spiritual ; they cannot be seen or handled. Therefore their source, the soul, must be spiritual. And a spirit cannot die. t is not made of parts into which it can dissolve or corrupt, ence, whether God made Adam’s body out of the earth or not, it matters little. The Bible says, and reason proves it, that God JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 13 breathed into his body a living soul, a soul that would ever live, and hence excelling in value the whole material creation. This consideration alone explains why God should have so interested Himself in man. MR. J. Doesn't the Bible say that God formed Eve’s body from a rib of Adam? FATHER S. Yes; and this is easy as well as pleasant to be- lieve. If Adam’s body was made directly by God, Eve’s had to be. If she was the first woman, she could not have been born as other people are. God intended to make Adam and Eve husband and wife immediately upon their creation, and in what better man- ner could He emphasize the oneness that should characterize the married pair than by building up one from the other : “They two shall be one flesh?” MR. J. There is surely something very fitting in that. FATHER S. Now I must inform you what God’s original intention was concerning all mankind, providing our first parents would not grieve Him. God not only gave to them all that belong- ed to a perfect human nature, such as keen intelligence of mind, health, and sharp senses of body, but He clothed their souls with a supernatural beauty, which the Catechism refers to frequently as “sanctifying grace.” In this condition, their souls bore God’s own image, reflected His own divinity, and hence were objects of His intense love. But this was not all God did for our first par- ents. He intended that earth should be a veritable paradise for them. They would never experience sufferings nor hardships, would.never die. However, these gifts, which in no wise belonged to their nature, would be withdrawn from them and would not be given to their descendants, in case they, representing human na- ture, should, like many of the angels, sin. . MR - J- Does the Bible really say that we should not have to die, had Adam not sinned? FATHER S. Yes. In the Book of Wisdom, II, 23, 24, we read: ‘God created man incorruptible, * * * but by the envy of the devil, death came into the world.” And St. Paul, Rom. V. 12, speaks most plainly: “By one man sin entered into this world, and by sin death : and so death passed upon all men ” That death would only follow as a consequence of sin is evident from the very threat of God to Adam: “In what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the death.” (Gen. II. 17) . Even the necessity of labor for the maintenance of life is a consequence of our first parent’s sin : “Because thou hast eaten of the tree * * * In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to earth/' (Gen. III. jj-y J MR. J. But, Father, to me this sin does not appear to have been so terrible. If I understand the case right, our first parents plucked from a tree and ate fruit, which God forbade to them. Or is the eating of fruit a figurative expression for something more vile? FATHER S. No, in the literal sense, they ate fruit, which God forbade them to eat. But, it must be remembered that their loyalty was on trial ; it was a matter of principle ; God was testing 14 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. their obedience, and purposely made the trial easy. God in effect, said to them : “I am the Lord,your God,Who made you for Myself ; Heaven is offered to you in reward for a slight act of obedience; but as free-beings you are at liberty to disobey. The consequences of disobedience will be the loss of My friendship and the with- drawal of immunity from death, pain and other evils for your- self and descendants.” Now, God permitted one of the fallen an- gels, who envied man’s chance for Heaven, to tempt Eve, who succumbed, in disregard of God’s orders, as we read in Gen. Ill, 6 : “And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold : and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband, who did eat.” MR. J. But does it seem just that the whole human race should be punished for this disobedience of Adam and Eve? FATHER S. We are not, strictly speaking, punished. All God owes to the soul are its natural endowments, namely: im- mortality, free-will and understanding. The supernatural beauti- fication of the soul by grace, the preservation from death, sick- ness, labor, etc., were gifts, which God was free to give or with- hold; and He chose to withhold them from the posterity of our first parents, if the latter proved themselves unworthy of the same. Then, in that one act, human nature was on trial. We have inherited our human nature from them in its fallen state. Had Adam committed many other sins we would not be affected thereby. An example or two will clear this up. What if I, as a personal friend of you, of my own free will presented you with a large farm which would remain yours and go to your children on a certain condition? You do not fulfill this condition, and hence lose the farm. Your children are also deprived of the same They cannot blame me, whilst they might blame you. I did not owe the xaim even to you. Its retention by you, and its transmission to your children, depended wholly on your conduct. By your refusal to comply with my terms, you forfeited the same for yourself and descendants. at When our congressman votes on any measure in the National Legislature, it is recorded as the vote of the whole dist- rict from which he comes, because he represents the thousands of voters of said district. God constituted Adam the representative oi us all m that one matter. not our eternal weal. MR. J. But only our temporal welfare, was affected by our first parent’s sin. ,n, r . L^HER S. No, our souls, being deprived of the supernat- ural beauty of grace, are not in a condition to be admitted to the presence of God—-not even the soul of a little child who has 1 com- mitted no personal sin, but has inherited “Original Sin.” tion ” tR ' J ’ 1 never knew that Catholics taught “infant damna- , CITHER S. We do not. We do not believe that the soul of 2 child, not m grace, will be consigned to positive punishment Infact, we believe that it goes into possession of a happineTs whichfar exceeds any natural happiness here,-but it can be only Inat- JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 15 ural happiness, one commensurate with the sours capacity, since the soul was never elevated to the supernatural condition. MR. J. Well how is it that grown-ups can fare better than children, since you surely intend to teach me that it will be within my power to attain Heaven and enjoy the Vision of God? FATHER S. All grown-ups do not fare better than children, and most of them, probably, not as well. I stated that children, who die before their souls have Original Sin removed by the in- fusion of sanctifying grace, cannot go into the presence of God; neither could any adult. But God in His goodness and mercy, has come to our rescue. Original Sin can be removed, and the soul of man clothed with the beauty of God's grace. In our next instruc- tion we shall explain what God did to reinstate us in His friend- ship, and how we may regain the supernatural condition of soul. INSTRUCTION III. God’s Plan to Save Man After the Fall FATHER S. Well, Mr. Jackson, where did we leave off with our instructions? You, See I have a number going through the Catechism, and they are all at different parts of the book. MR. J. Why, you told me that you would explain how it be- came possible for the human soul, which inherited Original Sin, to recover the supernatural life or sanctifying grace. FATHER S. Oh, yes; and this lesson will present the Almighty to you as a good, a loving, a merciful God. But for a proper understanding of the matter it will be necessary for you to know something about the Trinity. Do you know what that w^ord means ? MR. J. No, Father. FATHER S. It means that the One God exists in three Per- sons, called respectively, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. MR. J. You are telling me two things which I do not quite see through: (1) That God is a person; I thought only human be- ings were persons. And (2) That the One God is Three. FATHER S. In answer to your first difficulty, let me say that not only human beings are persons, but pure spirits , possess- ing understanding, are persons. The angels, therefore, are per- sons, and so is God. As to the second difficulty, you do not quite catch the teaching of the Church : God is ONE in essence, in na- ture, but He exists in three Persons. MR. J. You will have to express yourself somewhat more clearly, Father ; you are aware, by this time, that I am a little dull of intellect. FATHER S. No, Mr Jackson, you grasp things very readily. Not only you, but I, the most learned theologians, the very angels with God, fail to fully comprehend the teaching of revelation about the Trinity. It is one of the few revealed Truths which we cannot grasp. No created intelligence could understand God's na- ture fully. God would not be God, He would not be infinite, put 16 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. finite, if one whose powers of intellect are limited could compre- hend Him. I said this is one of the few teachings of faith which we cannot grasp, since considering the thousands of things in na- ture which we do not understand, we should expect to find very much of the mysterious in the supernatural order. The Trinity is a mystery, or a truth which we accept on faith, but cannot fathom with our reason. MR. J. Where does the Bible refer to the Trinity? FATHER S. In 1 John V, 7, we read: “There are three that give testimony in Heaven : the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost ; and these three are one.” Christ instructed His Apostles to baptize “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matt. XXVIII, 19). Then we read in Mark 1, 10, 11, that when Christ was being baptized the Holy Ghost appeared over His head in the form of a dove, and that the Father spoke : “This is my beloved Son.” In these passages the three Persons are mentioned. MR. J. Then, it seems that they are separate Persons ! FATHER S. Yes, the Father is not the Son, neither is the Holy Ghost the Father or the Son. In our soul the understanding is not the will, neither is the memory, yet each of these powers be- longs to the very nature of the one soul. But as I have said, you must not expect to grasp this, or that I should be able to explain the “how” to you. Now, we can get at the promised instruction. After Adam, representing the human race, sinned, and involved all in his loss of God's friendship and grace, Heaven was closed against all man- kind, because, as we have already seen, grace is a condition for the enjoyment of the Vision of God. Had the Almighty shown no mercy, Adam and Eve would have met the same miserable eternal fate as the rebellious angels, since they knowingly committed a similar sin. However, because our first parents were tempted from without, and there was question of billions being involved who did not sin actually, God opened a way for the possible salvation of the human race. MR. J. This is certainly a consolation. FATHER S. A consolation to us, but oh, what it cost God to accomplish it ! MR. J. What it cost God ! Could He not simply have par- doned man and let that end it? FATHER S. He could have; but because God cannot be in- different to sin, He demanded justice; He required that the sin be fully atoned for, and Adam could not do it. MR. J. Why could not Adam do it? It would seem that the one who sins could undo his sin by repentance. FATHER S. No, Mr. Jackson, a creature endowed with rea- son and free-will can disobey God, but only a God can repair the same. MR. J. I do not grasp that. FATHERS. Well, you see, the malice and extent of a sin against God is measured by the greatness and dignity of that God, Who is offended. And God's dignity is limitless and infinite. Now, JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 17 no good work of man can be greater than man’s own powers, which are limited ; and there will always be an immeasurable chasm and distance between man’s best works and what God is ac- tually entitled to by justice. MR. J. It is plain to me, now. How then did God intervene? FATHER S. The Son of God, the Second Person of the Trin- ity, offered to assume man’s nature : that is, to unite a human body and soul to His own divine Person, and here upon earth to offer an adequate atonement to the Father. By a God atoning for sin, the reparation was as infinite and limitless as the sin which at- tacked His infinite majesty. St. John calls the Second Person of the Trinity “The Word,” and refers to the “Incarnation,” thus: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God * * * and the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us” (John 1). MR. J. This was surely mercy and goodness on the part of God, of which man was wholly unworthy. Was He who is known in history as “Christ,” the Son of God in the flesh? FATHER S. Precisely. MR. J. But did not thousands of years elapse between Adam and Christ’s time? FATHER S. Yes, according to the Bible reckoning, over 4,000 years. MR. J. This is another puzzle to me. How did all the descend- ants of our first parents, who lived during those centuries, get the benefit of God’s atonement? FATHER S. Well, God revealed to Adam and Eve, and often thereafter to others, that one of the Persons of the Trinity would become man at a future day, and in anticipation, He applied the atonement of Christ to their souls on a condition of belief in this promise and the fulfillment of other terms. MR, J. I now understand Christ in a new light! I never fully grasped His position nor the significance of His work on earth. I believe I see through one other thing : does not the Bible say that Christ was born of a virgin ? FATHER S. Yes. I am pleased to know that you have a proper sense of the fitness of things. Coincident with the deci- sion of the Son of God to become man was the thought of the one from Whom He would take His flesh and blood. She must be as worthy of her dignity as a creature could be. Hence at the moment He would create her soul, He would apply to it the merits of His atonement and preserve it from Original Sin. It would not be fit- ting that she, from whom He would take the human nature, in which He would atone for sin, should herself ever be infected with sin. Your Catechism speaks of Mary’s “Immaculate Conception,” by which we express her preservation from Original Sin at the moment of her soul’s creation. MR. J. I now understand better that little prayer called “Hail Mary there Mary is spoken of as being “full of grace.” FATHER S. Yes, those are the words of the Angel Gabriel, who was sent by Almighty God to announce to Mary her exalted vocation, and receive her consent to the will of God. I wish yeq 18 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. would read this incident in the first chapter of St. Luke’s gospel. There it is recorded that Mary was a “virgin”, and blessed among all women—both because she did not inherit Original Sin and be- cause she was chosen from among all women to be the Mother of the Son of God. There it is told how Mary hesitated to believe the angel’s message, because she could not understand how she could become a mother and still remain forever a virgin consecrated to God. Then the angel revealed that by a mirarle, by the power of the Holy Ghost, she would conceive and bring forth a Son, Who would be called “Son of the Most High.” The Apostles’ Creed ex- presses this mystery by the words “Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.” MR. J. Father, you told me at the beginning of this instruc- tion that you would present God as a good and loving God ; He must certainly be that. I would not leave off this study for any- thing, for whilst God seems greater and holier to me than ever be- fore, yet I feel nearer to Him. I begin to picture Him as intensely interested in me. INSTRUCTION IV. The Principal Events in Christ’s Life FATHER S. Well, Mr. Jackson, have you acquainted your- self with the principal events in the life of Christ? MR. J. Yes, Father. However, not all the Catechism relates about Him is new to me. Whilst, as I told you the other night, I did not know that Christ was the God of Heaven in human form, I was aware that Christmas commemorates the birth of Christ, Whoever He was, and that Good Friday recalls His death, etc. FATHER S. The Bible is quite silent about the greater part of Jesus’ life. It makes mention of only a few incidents up to the time He began His public teaching, when He was thirty years old. So I am going to question you concerning these few particulars. You know where He was born, Mr. Jackson? MR. J. Near a little town called Bethlehem. But, Father, didn’t Mary live at Nazareth? FATHER S. Yes. I suppose you are not acquainted with the sad circumstances associated with the birth of the Savior. It must be remembered that He came from Heaven not only to teach man and to give to the human race divine helps for theC^jfej? ktTaim ment of salvation, but He came to atone for sin by suffermgT^ He wanted that suffering to begin with His entrance into th« world, and continue uninterruptedly until He would die in the\ acutest agony on the cross. Hence, it was providentially arranged • that He should be born away from home,—be born in a stable or cave outside of the town of Bethlehem, whose every house on that day was filled with people, who like Joseph and Mary, went to register their names for the census. The census then was not taken* up like it is here in our country. Instead of agents going from house to house to get the information, people went to what we might call the “County Seat,” and registered. Bethlehem was JACKSON UNDEH INSTRUCTION. IS the town to which Joseph had to go; Mary went with him, and whilst away on this mission, the birth of Jesus took place. Do you know how Heaven showed its interet in the birth of the Savior ? M. J. Do you refer to the singing of the angels and the ap- pearance of an angel to the shepherds? FATHER S. Exactly. And the angel announced that this event would give great glory to God, and peace to men on earth. It was the first time since the dawn of creation that God was fittingly honored; it was an infinite honor. And it opened the way for peace between the human race and God. MR. J. Did not the Son of God do enough by the mere act of assuming human nature, without subjecting Himself to thirty- three years more of humiliation and sufferings? FATHER S. It would have been sufficient to redeem man, but did not satisfy God’s love. God would furnish further proof of His unlimited love for man, and impress on us forcibly the les- son of the awful malice of sin. Hardly was Christ born when there was scheming for His death. King Herod, who ruled over Judea at the time, fearing that Jesus wanted to become an earthly king *nd might dethrone him, ordered a massacre of all the infant boys as a sure way of killing the child Jesus. Mary and Joseph re- ceived a warning from Heaven to this effect, and escaped with the Child from Herod’s frightful anger. They went over into Egypt, where they endured the terrible affliction of living for sev- eral years amid Pagan wickedness, and where they likely suffered the severest poverty and privations. It is true that as a God, Christ could have prevented all this, but it was part of His plan for a superabundant satisfaction of the justice of God. Now, Mr. Jackson, what is the next reference to Christ in the Catechism? MR. J. I believe it bears on His coming up to Jerusalem with His parents at the age of twelve. FATHER S. Yes, and His stay there for three days after Joseph and Mary had left for home. He intentionally allowed Himself to be lost from them. MR. J. What was His purpose in doing this ? FATHER S. The Savior wished to teach people for all time that the “Father’s business” must have our attention before any- thing else, even if we must slight our nearest relatives or our dear- est friends. It was the Father’s will that Jesus should avail Him- self of this opportunity to prove to the Doctors of the Jewish Law thaCtfc^as time for the appearance of the Messias, by which name the Jfews referred to Him, Who was to come. It was also the Father’s will that He should teach all of us how we should love to spend time in the house of God. MR. J. But I cannot understand how Joseph and Mary could have gone so far without missing Jesus? FATHER S. The city of Jerusalem was surrounded by a wall, as were almost all cities of that time, and there were roads which went out over the country from different gates; and it was cus- tomary for the men and women to go in separate groups. Joseph was with the men and Mary with the women. The children could go with either parent, and Joseph surely thought that Jesus was 20 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. That’s right. And after His baptism, what did with Mary, as Mary thought that He was with Joseph, until they met at some point after having walked a whole day. Then upon discovering that Jesus had not accompanied either, they returned together to Jerusalem, probably stopping at every house to inquire whether a boy answering His description had been seen “Sor- rowing” they sought Him in vain until they had returned to the temple, where Jesus was enlightening, by His heavenly wisdom men who were supposed to be well versed in the Old Testament Scripture, etc. Just as it was the Father’s will that Jesus should have remained there for a purpose, so now it was the Father’s will that He should teach the lesson of obedience and respect to parents by returning home with them; in fact, the Bible sums up the home life of Jesus by the words: “He was subject to them ” y. 1 . 2 *, His parents. After this there is no allusion to our Lord—un- til when? , MR. p Until He was baptized by St. John in the river Jor- dan alter He had spent forty days of fasting in the desert. I do see, bather, that Christ was most severe with Himself, and of course, for our sake, because He stood in no need of such works of penance. FATHER S, Christ do? ^ P uUlic ministry lasting three years, b AiHLK S. Thats correct. During this time it was not so much His aim to be a true teacher for, and assist the people withwhom He came m contact, as to prove His divinity and prepare theway for the instruction and sanctification of the people of everv nation until the end of the world. We shall treat of this later. But God? U kn°W SOme of the ways in which Jesus proved that He was MR. J. Yes, if they can be believed. FATHER S. Why you startle me, Mr. Jackson. You have fn human?orm Sed y°Ur^ behef that Christ was the Son of G°d FATHF^q’ F v ther ’ a ? d LanI^ beginning to doubt it now. enc^ofTh^^ ^ into°^ dumb?JteSfte,£d,tlKCriPPled> the d6afand things SeG m ,! hat i f P? was God > He could do thesethings as well as He could have fashioned the universe But I have heard that there are no such things as miracles: b AlHLR S. You should rather have said that you want to doubted whether^® actua Jty ^ rou^t the miracles, not that youaounted whether He was able to or not; because, there can be no limit to the power of God ; if He chose to raise to life every person not be God. mSeCt that 6Ver llV6d ’ H® certainly could else He P would MR. J. I see. “-'S'name, well, this will be very easy to do, and we shall take it up JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 21 in our next instruction. For the present, let us suppose that the New Testament relates true history. And what does the cate- chism, basing its teaching on the Gospels say about Christ's death? * MR. J. It tells that He wanted to die, that He was nailed to a cross, following terrible tortures ; ; He sweat blood ; caused espe- cially by mental agony ; He was scourged, His head crowned with thorns ; He was mocked, and cursed, and died on the cross, between thieves, after three hours of intense suifering. FATHER S. You have learned the lesson well. And after His death what? MR. J. He arose again, remained on earth forty days, then returned to Heaven. FATHER S. Whither did His soul go when He died? MR. J. The Apostles' Creed says it went to Hell; but the Catechism explains that the word is not to be understood as mean- ing the place to which the wicked go. I think the place is called Limbo. FATHER S. Yes. You have already learned that Heaven was closed against all people until Christ’s death; but that those who lived holy lives, believed in the Redeemer to come, and dedi- cated themselves to Him, would not be lost. Since their souls went neither to Heaven nor to hell, there must have been another place to which the good went, where they were happy, but did not enjoy the supernatural Heaven, the vision of God. St. Peter called them “the souls in prison." To them Christ’s soul descended to bring the happy tidings that they were now redeemed and were ready for Heaven. INSTRUCTION V. Proof That Christ Was Truly God. FATHER S. Tonight, Mr. Jackson, I am going to present to you proof, plain and convincing, that Jesus Christ was truly Cod. MR. J. Why, Father, I believe that now ; I have no doubts whatever. FATHER S. That may be true, but I want you to be able to defend your faith by arguments. Moreover, the divine origin of the religion you are embracing will be firmly established if we prove that Christ was God. Even if a person did not believe that the Bible was inspired you could prove your point from it, because it is certainly reliable as history. You would refer to Old Testa- ment prophecies, to New Testament miracles, and especially to Christ's Resurrection from the dead. And if your objector was so unreasonable as to spurn any argument taken from the Bible, you could prove the divinity of Jesus from what he is prepared to admit concerning His character. MR. J. I need just such argument for a man who works with me at the store. He contends that ignorant and too credul- ous men wrote the Bible, and that their testimony cannot be relied upon. 22 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. X FATHER S. They were far from being too credulous. They were accused by Christ frequently of being too slow to believe they wanted to see and feel, and even then doubted; they would have been fools” to doubt longer. Regarding the charge of ig- norance, this was in their favor. God purposely chose the un- learned to convince the learned, because it would better prove that the cause they advocated was divine. It is easy for sharp and learned men to “take in” others, whilst there is no testimony so strong as the convincing kind which comes from the illiterate and simple-minded. Unlearned and simple witnesses at a court trial always testify best when they relate what they actually saw or heard. Beware of the sharp-fellow, if he has no conscience „ .. M £; J- What proof of Christ’s divinity do the prophecies of the Old Testament furnish? FATHERS. In harmony with the traditions of every nation of antiquity, they tell of a Redeemer Who would descend to earth from Heaven, and they describe His person, character the prin- cipal circumstances of His life and death so clearly that there could be no mistaking the Prototype. M £‘ 1 J V„ Ho f do the miracles related in the New Testament prove that Christ was God? FATHER S. As seen above, a miracle can be worked only by the power of God. Now the New Testament records dozens of miracles which were performed by-Gferist with a view to prove His divinity. They were wrought in open day, and almost alwaysm the presence of a large number of people; yea, most of them were wrought m the presence of His very enemies—the Scribes and Pharisees—who did not doubt the genuineness of His mir- acles, but were envious of His success when they saw the people come to Him from far and near with their blind and deaf, their paralytics and lepers. For the past eighteen hundred years, criticism the most se- vere has been occupied with the miracles of Christ, but only with one result namely, of establishing their truth. Well could the b -fV/r° r e ^ em ies : “The works that I do give testimony of Me, that the Father hath sent Me * * * If I do not tho works of My Father, believe Me not. But if I do though vou will ^ el . leve the works, that you may know and believe that 5ro F T ath ^ IS m .Me > and 1 in the Father.” (John^fc X S'!"?? proof*** J# Y°U Said that the “Resurrection” offers the best . .. FATHER S. Yes, Christ’s own Resurrection, in support of ^ere h is h for anfntWf iden^nd more weighty testimony thanmere is tor any other fact of history, ought to establish His Hi vimty beyond a doubt for the most skeptical. For how couldChrist, in accordance with His prediction, return to life of Hisown power, unless He were God- His Resurrection is attestedby nearly a dozen contemporary historians, who either witnessed as ZZ SrtlVe °f His d6fth ’ and then sa^ Him alive liter And ?f„t a iv’ ?e,T weJ e men who themselves were slow to believe • in ^ Vud only after they saw Him, spoke to Him, ate withHim, touched Him. After they were convinced they appealed to JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 23 in Christ; they who could bear the Resurrection as the foundation of all faith would accept no successor to Judas except one witness to Christ’s death and Resurrection; they braved every danger and cheerfully laid down their lives m defense of their Master’s glorious triumph over death. . MR J. What plain Bible utterances are there concerning the divinity of Christ? _ _ , FATHER S. 1. Those by which God the Father gave tes- timony concerning Him. (Cf. Matt. iii. 17 ; Mark ix, 6 ). 2. Those by which Christ testified concerning Himseli. Though all the evangelists quote* our Savior speaking of Himself as God, it will suffice to refer to St. John’s gospel, which was pro- fessedly written to make plain Christ’s divinity. (Cf. John iv. 26 ; viii. 58 ; ix. 35, 38 ; x. 30, 38 ; xiv. 11 ; xvii. 5) . . 3 . Those by which the apostles (who were His daily com- panions for three years, and St. Paul, who received a revelation from Christ Himself) refer to His divinity. The following are only a few such references : Matt. viii. 16 ; Mark vf? ; vm 29 ; Luke vii. 16 ; John i. 1-4 ; iii. 16 ; 14, 70 ; xx 28 ; Acts viii 37 ; xiii. 23 ; iii. 15 ; Rom. viii. 34 ; i£3-5 ; Col. 1. 16, 17 ; n. 19 ; Philip, ii. 6 , 7 ; Hed. v. 8 £Tim. ii. 3 ; 1 Pet. i. 18, 19. 4 . Those by which strangers and even Christ’s enemies de- clared Him to be God : Matt.^xxvii. 54 ; Mark i. 24 ; v. 7 ; Luke iv. 41 ; John i. 49 ; .$+*«**' , if « MR. J. This is sureljrabundant proof for anyone willing to believe, but what if my objector refused to believe that the Bible was written by the ones to whom we ascribe the various parts? FATHER S. Then, from profane history you could prove that the historical character, called Christ, actually lived, and was regarded as the most perfect character ever known to the world. Infidels admit this much, and this admission alone contains proof that He was God. MR. J. How so, Father? FATHER S. Well, they grant that He was everything short of God, a model of the highest perfection, the holiest person that ever lived, etc. Now if Christ was not what He claimed to be, viz., God, how could He have been “a model of perfection?” Would He not rather have been 'The most impious, the most irreverent, the most blasphemous man that ever lived” if His very profession was a lie? If Christ was not God then He was not only a false teacher but the very greatest of the world’s imposters. We cannot weigh the beautiful things the enemies of Chris- tianity say about its Founder without discovering the clear, even if implicit, admission they contain of His divinity. And hence logic forces us to conclude that if His enemies do not, like Peter, recognize in Him the "Son of the living God,” it is because they c re not willing, like Peter, to fall down on their knees and worship Him as their Lord and Master. To sum up: The gospel relates how on one occasion Christ asked the apostles what the people had begun to believe concerning Him. The people were aware of Christ’s sanctity and of His mir- acles, and hence knew Him to be an extraordinary personage ; but X v X 24 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. seeing that m His exterior He resembled other men they took Him to be a prophet, John the Baptist, Elias, or Jeremias. Then Jesus asked the apostles what they, by this time, believed concerning Him; whereupon Peter, speaking for all, answered: "Thou art Christ, Son of the living God.” Both the apostles and the people were right, for Christ was both God and man. Had He not been God He could not have redeemed the world from sin; and had He not been man He could not have lived on earth, among men nor have died for them. _ When we weigh the evidence furnished by holy scripture hiSuory, and reason in favor of Christ’s divinity, and the shaky arguments adduced by the infidel to disprove the same, we become convinced that it requires vastly stronger faith to be an infidel than to be a believer in Christ’s divinity. The Christian sees Jesus foretold hundreds of years before He was born upon earth; sees the whole world anxiously awaiting His coming; hears even pagan philosophers tell that the world must have a teacher from Heaven ; sees fulfilled, in Jesus all that the prophets had fore- told concerning the Messiah; has before him the incomparable personality and the sinless life of Christ; hears of His many mir- acles and of His Resurrection from a dozen simple-minded, holy men, who were His daily companions for several years ; seesHis religion planted, though all the powers of kings and emperors were employed to prevent it; sees millions of men and women of every condition of life not only honor His memory, but seek their happiness and find it m surrendering to Him their entire hearts. . . -J ^ innaels belief is not arrived at by a process of reason- not the result of irreligious training or of an unchris-* mi J • rests on faith m some infidel writers. v lf . e infidel accepts his faith from Hume, Huxley, Darwin, Voltaire, Renan Spencer, Bolingbroke, etc. The Christian ac- cepts his faith from Christ, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John Paul Peter, James, etc. The Christian may believe that the whale swallowed Jonas, but it would be much easier to believe that Jonas swallowed the whale than in the face of the above arguments to discredit the divinity of Christ 8 10 INSTRUCTION VI. Jack f°A " ? eceives a Correct Conception of God’s Church ,,, FATHER S. Now, Mr. Jackson, you are convinced that it hr Rnt t fhp trU 7 GTVhcat “ He so loved the world” as to die for MR*! ™re f,act of Christ’s death will not save all people.Father; if people should all be saved now no matter how they live, merely because Christ died for all the Re Godmus" haTe ^ encoura»t to sin, which I understand , i, ?• , Exactly, Mr. Jackson. But there are those wil? be 6 saved tha F by merely recognizing Christ as Savior, they will be saved. Even some ministers “preach anybody intoHeaven, if he had been a professed Christian 7 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 25 MR. J. As I understand it, the Redeemer’s death merely gave man a new chance for Heaven, made the attainment of eter- nal happiness with God possible. FATHER S. And you understand it rightly. If our town were to install a system to furnish electric light or drinking water to the citizens, many people might still have no benefit from the same. Even if the town erected a huge reservoir, capable of sup- plying much more water than every family would need, the indi- vidual would still have to go to the trouble and expense of hav- ing his home piped and of making connections with the main pipes which bring the water to consumers. In like manner, Christ’s merits are more than ample to save all mankind, but the individ- ual must comply with certain conditions before he can have con- nection with and profit by the same. MR. J. I see the point, Father. Even such people as are good in their own way might not benefit by Christ’s merits, be- cause they have not complied with conditions which He Himself has laid down ? FATHER S. Exactly; and doctrine which contradicts this, forms one of the greatest errors of our day. MR. J. I myself have been like a house wired for electric light, but never connected with the Wire which brings the cur- rent. The house might just as well have never been wired as far as benefit goes. FATHER S. You grasp the idea well. The world is filled with people who contend that they can work out their salvation in their own way. They fail to recognize that Heaven is a super- natural reward, which can be attained only by works having supernatural value ; and that the best works of man have only a natural value unless certain conditions laid down by Christ are complied with. Now Mr. Jackson, I should like to know whether you understand in what manner the Savior provided for the sal- vation of us people who live in America in this twentieth century? MR. J. Well, the impression I have received is this: Christ came not only as Redeemer, but as a Teacher. He had a message which He wanted to reach all people until the end of the world, while He Himself only taught in the little Kingdom of the Jews. And if I understood it rightly, He spent most of His time instruct- ing twelve men, whom He intended to send to other nations with His message. Am I correct, Father? FATHER S. As far as you have committed yourself ; you have told how the people of the first century might come into pos- session of the teaching of Christ. But how would the same come down through the centuries to our day with the stamp of absolute genuineness on it? MR. J. Well, the twelve apostles instructed by Christ wrote down what they were taught and left it for future generations in the Bible; didn’t they, Father? FATHER S. No, Mr. Jackson. I feared that you might have a wrong idea here, as most non-Catholics have. Because Protes- tants constantly appeal to the Bible in support of their personal beliefs, those who have given no extensive study to religion get 26 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. X X the impression that the Founder of Christianity wrote this book Himself, or ordered His apostles to write it for the instruction of ail future generations everywhere. MR, J. That was my impression, Father. FATHER S. It is wrong. Christ did not write a word of the Bible, nor did He order His apostles to write ; and as a matter of fact, only six of the twelve did write. Because most of the New Testament was written by apostles, it is inspired, or in other words, it is as reliable as if God Himself wrote it, but it was never intended that the nations should be taught and led to salvation by it. I do not want you to get the impression many people have namely, that the Catholic Church makes little of the Bible. I sup- pose you have heard this, have you not? MR. J. Yes, Father, I have heard that Catholics are not even allowed to read the Bible. FATHER S. I have heard worse than that; I have heard that we priests burn Bibles. Any student of history should know that the Catholic Church gave the Bible to the world ; that only on her authority the world knows that this book contains inspired writing; that her most learned sons in the early ages of Chris- tianity spent their lives copying by hand the whole Bible and translating the same into different languages. But we shall come back to the subject “Bible” later. For the present I want you to have the proper conception of God’s plan for the salvation of all pe ,? p , , i ou were , rieht ’ Mr - Jackson, when you said that Christ schooled the apostles for three years, in order that they might be able to present His true teaching to the people of other lands in their day. But these twelve men were the first teachers of a real and visible organization, society, or Kingdom, which was to have concrete existence until the end of the world: “Of His Kingdom there wili be no end (Luke I, 33). Christ called this Kingdom His Church: I will build My Church” (Matt. XVI, 18), and promised to be ever with it : “Behold I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world” (Matt. XXVIII 20). You see, Mr. Jackson, the Church was to represent Christ not only as Teacher; it was to perpetuate all His work—which the Bible ™°u } d be fncaPable of doing. The Church created the Bible, and not the Bible the Church. The New Testament was written only after the Church was fully organized and hard at work. Christ organized the “body” of the Church during His three years’ min- istry, and ten days after His return to Heaven, the Holy Ghost lif^ e tn nrr!t to ammate it, to be the source of its divine hfe to protect it from error, etc. Well then does this Kingdom of nf ll P i- ai 'r h ^, er /T t^e appellation of Saint Paul: “The Church “the h n;iil mg < a° d ^ J 1 ”}' m ’15 ) ! and how plain that it must be itt, of P ,t nd .F°T d of t^th” (Ibid.) ? How plain that “the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matt.XVI, 18) ? How tbe S Wi! e: lf a he T? no > t , hear the Church, let him be to thee asthe heathen and publican” (Matt. TT. II II „ reasonable-He that heareth you, heareth Me” (Luke xTiefp’ -££22r /? ’ . , cou d this “Church of the living God,” with cfirist’s identical mission, have less authority to teach than Christ Him- JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 27 self? less power to remove sin? How could it lack divine helps to sanctify man? “As the Father hath sent Me, I also send you” (John XX, 21). MR. J. Since it is explained, it Is all so reasonable, so beau- tiful, Father. See if I grasp it now : Christ was to continue His work of teaching, forgiving sins, and sanctifying man through an institution, which would be divine, not only because He started it, but because the Holy Ghost would dwell therein. And even He would ever abide with it, operating through such men as were clearly commissioned to do His soul-saving work. FATHER S. Now you have it, Mr. Jackson. The Church would be international, and her mission explained to all people; on all would rest an obligation to affiliate with her and comply with her requirements, and in return they would enjoy her divine helps and be led to eternal salvation. MR. J. Whilst I have in my mind now what I believe to be the correct conception of the nature of God’s Church, it does not seem to tally with present-day religion. Can all the denomina- tions be The Church in any true sense? And could The Church teach differently through the many sects? FATHER S. No, Mr. Jackson; the Church of Christ today must be in nature, in power, in teaching, what it was when it served man through the twelve Apostles. In our next instruction we shall continue this argument. INSTRUCTION VII. The Relation of the Bible to the Church. FATHER S. We have seen, Mr. Jackson, that just as Christ was God and Man, divine and human, so the institution, which He established to continue His work, is divine and human. Just as Christ “was sent” by the Father, to perform divine works through His human nature, so He in turn would “send” others, and through them continue His God-glorifying and soul-saving mission. By this arrangement, those who were the objects of Christ’s personal ministrations 1900 years ago, were no better off than we of today, to whom the same divine help comes from Him through others: He was to be “Jesus Christ yesterday, today, and the same for- ever.” MR. J. Yes. Father; whilst I never formerly understood it was thus, it seems so reasonable that it should be so. Why should Christ have been partial to the people of one century? Father, I wish this true conception of God’s Church were possessed by all ; I do not believe that a single human could remain out of it. I am getting impatient to become affiliated with this institution, in or- der to partake of its divine helps. When are you going to admit me, Father? FATHER S. Well, Mr. Jackson, it is customary for us first to acquaint a convert with most of our teachings and important practices, in order that he may embrace the faith only after thorough conviction. You might be slow to accept some of our 28 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. doctrines, such as Infallibility, Holy Eucharist; and unwilling tc day MasT^tc 80™6 °f °Ur practices ’ like Confession, regular Sun- MR J. I do not believe I would, for here is how I look at the Se Holvrw? S n0Wn 2?at *he Ckurch is God ’ s institution, that the Holy Ghost dwells within it as its soul and source of life, thatHe protects the Church from teaching error, so that He “Who hears the Church hears God.” Now, if I believe the Church to be this, must not Her teachings be true, whether I like them or not?And must not her requirements, her laws, be for the best? Then can I not say I believe all that this Church teaches even before Iknow what the precise teaching is on every point? FATHERS. Yes, Mr. Jackson, you reason well. Like the Sv nU “WW°a ^\ Ap f tle Phi i ip instructed a short time, you canS V, What doth hinder me from being baptized” (Acts VIII, finished ^ baptize you before our instructions are completely :J; f shah be pleased, Father, because I want to be con- some ofTts coSentl 1116 ReSerV01r: 1 am getting v«y thirsty for feSSS” u^„Tu“feSyou will be expected to attend Mass every Sunday to abstain^rom meat on every Friday, and to obey the other laws of the ChuS f , 1 as well begin now as a few weeks later; infact> I have been doing that for the last month. loot f ATHER s. Now let us get back where we left off in our someTen™eT%ChZh ^ M denominations to^y were in rh a a” a o b f e the Church* SaJ they^base £££]&^ S° **«""»’ aad • The term “Church” has a very indistinct mean- o W +i h m ?f t Pr°testants. A simple trust that Jesus’ merits willsave them if they lead a decent life—especially, if they publiclvprofess that they want Jesus to be their Savior—makes them thougMf^heyhwnf^o m 0t wP*? a relig,ious denomination, Methodist * p “w t-he better; only they may select thevieinoaist, uaptist, Presbyterian, or any one of the bnndroria other forms of religion. These denominations are all united i ? none thing .—in directing their members to read the Bible for guid f”?. e the development of the Christian life. They teach that the liev'JcertainES^ that to bS - g lmP°se.a creed, is to restrict his liberty of , , that to require certain observances, is to interfere with Jd to b th r e%hu?ch 0 viz T tn e h Se f- onIy a twofold commission imparti nuren, viz., to baptize and to preach; and “to nreacti”means to announce Christ as the Savior and to stimulate peopleto lead good lives. Little attention is paid to “Teaching thenAoobserve all things whatsoever I have commanded you” Theycontend that Christ enjoined the laity to “search the scriptures ” JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 29 Yet as a matter of fact, He was telling the Jews to examine the Old Testament for testimony concerning His divine mission. These people never saw the New Testament, which has to do with His Church, nor did the Apostles themselves ever see the whole New Testament, nor did people for four hundred years after Christ, though the Church had enjoyed her golden era,—the days when people died for their faith by the thousands. And during the next one thousand years, the generality of Christians could not read the Bible, not because the Church kept the Bible from them, but because the art of printing, by which books are now multiplied, was not invented until the year 1438. We wonder how, in “search- ing the scriptures,” our separated brethren do not feel the force of such texts, as “if he will not hear the Church” (Matt. / *) ; “I shall build My Church” (Matt. XVI, 18) ; “there shall be one fold and one shepherd’’ (John X, 16). We wonder why they do not recognize the visibility of the Church, when it is compared to “a Kingdom,” “a city on a mountain,” “a house,” “a sheepfold,” etc. MR. J. It resolves itself into what I have said : they have a wholly erroneous conception of God’s plan of salvation. FATHER S. “Searching the scriptures” independently of a divinely protected Church, to which difficult passages should be referred for correct interpretation, has produced the hundreds of " contradictory sects which make Christianity ridiculed by the in- fidel. The Catholic Church cherishes the Bible, supports her Teachings by it, and offers special favors to the laity who read it every day; but she, like St. Peter, reminds her people that in it “are certain things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest to their own destruction” (2 Pet. Ill, 16). MR. J. A friend of mine is a great Bible reader, and when a few days ago, I asked him if he was sure that he understood its difficult passages, he answered : “Yes, the Holy Ghost assists the reader to understand its true meaning.” FATHER S. And you should have asked another question; you should have asked : “if that be true, how is it that such as- sistance of the Holy Ghost does not lead all Bible readers to un- derstand the same pasages alike.” There are several other ques- tions which would be pertinent : “How do you know that the book you are reading is actually the “Word of God?” “Since it is a translation, how do you know that it is a reliable version?” “Since it was translated only from a copy of the original, how do you know that even the copy is true, or that something was not omit- ted or changed?” On the authority of the Catholic Church alone, which does not mean much to a Protestant, he believes that the Bible contains the word of God ; and without any warrant from the book itself, he assumes that the Bible only is a sufficient Rule of Faith. MR. J. Is the Catholic Bible the same, in all things, as the one used by Protestants? FATHER S. No, ours contains seven more books in the Old Testament. Protestants are not consistent in rejecting these, be- cause the same authority, on which they believe what they have to 30 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. be the Word of God, also declared these seven to be inspired. Christ recognized these, which they call “apochrypha,” because He frequently quoted from the Old Testament version which con- tained them. At His time there were two versions of the Old Testament, the one in Greek, containing these seven, the other in Hebrew, not containing them, but out of about 350 quotations which the New Testament uses from the Old, 300 are taken from the Version, which the Catholic Church uses. INSTRUCTION VIII. The Church of Christ Was to Be “One Fold Under One Shepherd.” FATHER S. Knowing what you now do concerning the na- ture of Christ’s Church, what kind of an institution would you look for today, were you not already convinced that the Catholic Church is that one? MR. J. At this late day, I would expect to find that Church spread throughout the world, all her people believing exactly the same, the successors of the Apostles teaching with unmistakable certainty, applying divine helps for man’s spiritual advancement, forgiving their sins, etc. FATHER S. You would therefore pass by any religious de- nomination which made its appearance as a separate body after the first century ? MR. J. Yes, Father; for how could such a one claim Christ as its Founder? FATHER S. That’s right. And you would give no hearing to a church, which points to Mr. or Rev. So and So as its founder? MR. J. No, Father; for how could anyone but God establish a church which would lead to Heaven? If Heaven belongs to God, only a God could offer it to man on any terms. FATHER S. Good. I might promise you the court house in this town on certain conditions laid down by me, and no matter how well you fulfilled such conditions, you would never get the re- ward promised, since “no one can give what is not his own.” I presume you would also pass by a church, whose teachers do not agree among themselves on every point of belief ? MR. J. Yes, Father; because if they received their teaching from a divine Church, from the same source, they would have to agree. FATHER S. Then, you would have to eliminate from your consideration all churches but one. MR. J. Surely; even if Christ never stated that His Church would be one and the same for everybody, everywhere, at all times ; because I could not conceive of God establishing two or three churches. FATHER S. You have not yet read the Bible sufficiently to quote any passages, which tell that the Church should be one? JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 31 MR. J. No, Father ; but I remember the substance of a few texts which you have already quoted : Christ spoke of The Church and of building My Church, not churches. Then, didn’t He say there would be one fold and one shepherd? FATHER S. Yes; and the Apostle affirms that as there is only one Lord, there could be only one faith, and one baptism (Enh. IV. 5). Jesus declared that “a house divided against itself^ yjr~ cannot stand” (Matt T®p»^UhrisT prayed that all His follow^ ers “might be one as He and the Father are One” (John, XVII, 11). Non-Catholics might argue that the men who were the founders of other churches were moved by God to do so, but St. Paul says that “even if an angel from Heaven” made such a pre- tension, he should not be listened to (Gal. I, %) ; “He that is not MR. J. Oh, you need not go farther. To me nothing is more plain than that Almighty God would want no division among His children. There is such harmony in all the lesser works of God, and He surely would want it in His human family, when there is question of knowing and serving Him. FATHER S. Well now, Mr. Jackson, outside the Catholic Church, there is no united Christianity. In our own country alone, according to the Government census of 1916, there are 200 denominations among which the 24,000,000 Protestants are di- vided, and they differ woefully. Only in very few points could they agree to teach the same. Each of the larger denominations is rent by many divisions, so that separately any one of them has a very limited membership here, and only a few followers in other nations. Contrasted with them is the Catholic Church, which has at least 270,000,000 members and is represented everywhere on earth. Its followers are many in all civilized countries, and tho differing in race, color, language, habits, etc., are “one -Old under one shepherd.” MR. J. It is strange that this marvelous oneness of Catholics in belief and the lack of it among non-Catholic religions is not considered by learned Protestants, for it is surely the plainest argument in favor of the Catholic and against the other churches. FATHER S. It is ; but they fail to see its force, because of ^aeir erroneous conception of what God’s Church was to be. Students of history are aware that for centuries the Catholic Church was the only Christian Church on earth, and that the old- est Protestant church is less than 400 years old. The word “Pro- testant” was coined in the sixteenth century. MR. J. This ought to be another telling argument ; because if the Catholic was the first Church, it must have been the one Christ established. And a church that had no existence for a thousand years or more after the Apostles could not be the same church that the Apostles propagated. FATHER S. You will make a good defender of the Church you are embracing, Mr. Jackson. But what would you answer a zealous Protestant who should contend that, whilst the Catholic Church was once the true Church, it fell into error and became with Me is against Me.” s 32 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. quite corrupt, and men like Luther, Calvin and Henry VIII, left it, to re-establish the pure Christianity of the first centuries ? MR. J. I would say that either Christ or these men are de- ceivers, for Christ declared that He would be with His Church all days, and that the Spirit of Truth would keep it in truth. If Christ was God, He must keep His promise to preserve His Church from error. In fact, I know He would, even if He made no such prom- ise. FATHER S. Good answer. MR. J. Then I would ask if those men they speak of, Luther, Calvin, Henry VIII, etc., agreed among themselves. If they did not, who was the true teacher ? And since you say that other de- nominations are constantly changing and subdividing, they surely need a reform to make them what the parent body originally was. FATHER S. Very good. There never could be a reforma- tion of the Creed of the Church. An individual might fall into error, even a bishop, or a number of bishops, but not the Church as a ^hurch* Granting that people’s lives needed reforming, it would not be an argument against the divinity of the religion which they professed. Even the successors of the Apostles could break the Ten Commandments, but to believe that they as a body could teach error would be to lose all faith in God, to discredit the promises of Jesus, to blaspheme the Holy Ghost, Who was sent by Christ to protect the Church from falling into error. • Ibave been wondering how the Church speaks her mind, settles disputes, defends herself ; I know that you regard the Pope as a kind of Head, but have not been told what his real position is. FATHER S. Oh ! I believe I forgot to tell you that the twelve Apostles constituted the primitive teaching body of the Church, whmh of course had to have a “head,” a spokesman, and Chiist chose St. Peter for that. Today the one whom we call Pope holds the same place among the bishops as St. Peter did among the Apostles. His office is not merely honorary, but he is I? a R? c . a] T manner Christ’s vicar or representative. It is true L hat 1S the . r.eal “Head of the body, the Church”; but this +w.f ^ bTgA V1Slbl? organization, must have a visible head, sP?ak audibly and with authority. St .Peter was hwhe n+be A hat +? ce h i s day ’ and was recognized as the head soJm °f h fiU^ostles - ,So today, the bishop of Rome, his succes-* filUhe sal?e place - (The Latin word for Pope is “Papa,” do no+bL +w Ce de ?& lte tjjefaot that our non-Catholic friends ke the term Pope, they call their own fathers “popes” infalHhWbPo 7w eSlthen?, “PaPa-”) And since the Church is hplfpvp toV h a teaches all her children what they must do or that we had hXd ’ S° muSJ the Church ’ s spokesman be. ' I feel “InfaUibRitv^ ” rve f°r our next instruction the lesson on iniaiiiDinty, since it is an important one. JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. INSTRUCTION IX. 33 The True Church Must be Infallible FATHER S. In our last instruction we referred to the beau- tiful harmony of belief among Catholics. Now, this is made pos- sible by an infallible authority behind the teaching of the Church. If there be a ‘“'Church of the living God” upon earth ; if it has been commissioned “to teach the nations,” then it must be able to speak with infallible authority. The Church’s voice must be God’s voice, her teaching must be His teaching, her authority must be His au- thority ; this means that the Church is infallible. MR. J. That is what “Infallible” means? FATHER S. Yes ; but our Protestant friends think it means something else. When we say that the Pope, who speaks for the infallible Church, is “infallible,” they surmise that we regard him as a kind of God, who cannot sin, nor make a mistake. But we merely mean that when he speaks for the Church on matters per- taining to what must be believed or done for salvation, he is pro- tected by the Holy Ghost from teaching error. MR. J. That seems to me to be a self-evident truth. If the spokesman for the Church taught all the members error, God would be sleeping. FATHER S. That’s right. Stop and think, then see if you could really believe that the Church of God could teach error in matters that concern what man must believe and do to save his soul. Can you really believe that the Church has been commis- sioned to teach the nations, and yet that she can err in matters pertaining to faith and morals? Can you conceive of God com- manding man to hear the Church, and yet allowing him to be taught falsely? Our non-Catholic brethren do not see the neces- sary connection between an infallible Church and some living voice to speak for her. They would rather believe in an infallible BOOK, not considering that the Bible’s infallibility rests on the infallibility of the voice which declared it to be the word of God. And whilst deprecating the infallibility of one representative of Christ in the Church, they go to the extreme of ascribing infalli- bility to every Bible reader. MR. J. Yes; as I told you before, a friend of mine contends that the Holy Ghost protects him from misunderstanding the Bible. If this were true, for his own use, he would be infallible, would he not? FATHER S. Yes. Applied to the Pope, infallibility is nothing more than freedom from error in his teaching, when, in the name of God, he defines for the people of the whole world what the pre- cise revelation of God has been? Infallibility is not for the Pope, it is nothing that the Church glories in for her own sake ; it is for the people. MR. J. Plain as all this is to me, I am interested in having the Bible proof. 34 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. FATHER S. Exactly. Different passages of scripture would prove the infallibility of the twelve Apostles ; in fact, no Protestant could attach weight to New Testament teaching and deny infallibility to the Apostles. '‘Go, teach all nations, and I am with you.” “He who hears you hears Me.” Yet they were not to go to work independently, but were to constitute the teach- ing body of the primitive Church under the leadership of one who would be spokesman in the Church. Christ addressed Himself to the twelve as a corporate body, but He addressed Himself more emphatically to the one whom He constituted the first visible Head of His Church. Since Christ was to confer a new office on Peter, He changed his name. His name had been Simon. But now that the Church was to look to him for correctness of teaching, Christ gives him a name which expresses his new position; Christ calls him a “Rock” ; that is what “Peter” means. In the language Christ spoke, He said : “Thou art a Rock, and upon this rock I shall build My Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it; and I shall give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven : and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound also in Heaven; and what- soever thou shalt loose upon earth shall be loosed also in Heaven ” (Matt XVI, 18, 19). The force of this text is so strong that our enemies try to minimize it by giving it a different interpretation. Whilst there is only one interpretation to “Peter and the Rock,” we shall not press it here, since the rest of Christ’s utterance fur- nishes conclusive proof of the primacy of Peter in Christ’s Church. The phrase “Kingdom of Heaven” used by St. Matthew invariably means the Church: he speaks of scandals existing in the Kingdom of Heaven ; the Kingdom of Heaven is compared to a net containing good and bad fish ; it comprises wise and foolish virgins, etc. Hence, St. Gregory " says that the Kingdom of Heaven often refers to God’s Kingdom on earth, the Church. To one alone Christ handed over the keys of this Kingdom, or in other words, committed full authority. “To thee I shall give the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.” “To thee’ has converted many a non-Catholic, MR. J. This is interesting, Father. FATHER S. There are other scripture texts to prove the same. Christ frequently referred to His followers as sheep, and called Himself the Shepherd. Now, in John XXI, 15-17, Christ tells Peter to be the shepherd in His place : “Feed MY lambs, feed MY sheep,” preside over My whole sheepfold. Satan would use all his power to defeat the Apostles, “but I have prayed for THEE, that THY faith fail not * * * con- firm thv brethren” (LukeXXII, 32). Christ taught the people out of Peter’s ship; He ordered the same tribute to be paid for Himself and Peter. MR. J. Well, was Peter the acknowledged head of the infant Church ? FATHER S. The Protestant says: “No, Paul was a greater Apostle ; Paul worked harder than Peter ; Paul resisted him to his JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 35 face; Peter denied Christ.” But he is not talking to the point Caiphas, who assisted in bringing about the condemnation of Christ was the High-priest of the Jewish Church. The Scribes and Pharisees were condemned severely by Christ, yet He tells the people their authority must be respected, for “they sit on the chair of Moses.” The dispute of Peter and Paul was not about a question of faith ; nor was Peter speaking in his official capacity when alone his verdict would be held as infallible. Peter had re- pented of his denial before he was actually told to be the Shep- heid. St. Paul might just as well be accused, for he was a per- secutor of the Church only a few years previous. ., MR. J. If I understand it right, the personal, private life of the Head of the Church is to be kept apart from his representative character ? , S * Surely* The President’s signature to a bill would be official even if he had “cussed” and “drank” the day be- fore as Mr. Harding. In listing the Apostles the evangelists give the names of all others without order, but are careful to head the list with Peter. After the reception of the Holy Ghost on Pente- cost, Peter is the first to address the people. Peter works the first miracle. In the first twelve chapters of the “Acts of the Apostles” Peter’s name occurs fifty-three times, far oftener than all the other Apostles taken together. Peter presided at the Council of Jerusalem, a sure evidence of his acknowledged position When Peter was imprisoned, all prayed for him. From the very first centuries, the Primacy and Supremacy of the Bishop of Rome has been recognized, but whether Peter or his successors lived at Rome is a matter of no consequence. Of course, he did live there and died a martyr there. Deny a Supreme Ruler in the Church here below, and how are disputes to be settled? MR. J. Yes, even a baseball game needs an umpire FATHER S. Deny Infallibility to the head of the Church on earth, and there is no possibility of a man knowing whether he believes right or wrong. MR. J. Even a dictionary is regarded as infallible. FATHER S. Deny divine protection to the voice that speaks in God s name, and the Church has no right to command submis- sion. MR. J . Oh, it is so plain ; if I were a member of no church and wanted to know the truth, none but an infallible Church would have any attraction for me; not to claim infallibility would be equivalent to an admission that the Church might teach me wrong. INSTRUCTION X. The “Bible Only” Theory Does Not Work Out Well PROTESTANTS MISUSE THE BIBLE FATHER S. Well, were you at Mass yesterday, Mr. Jack- son? MR. J. Yes, Father; my only difficulty is there. I find it 36 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. harder to understand your services than to see through the Church’s teachings. FATHER S. Take it easy. Before we get through, you will understand the Mass, too. . . , , , MR. J. I have no doubt about that. Divine wisdom must be as evident in your services as in your doctrines. FATHER S. We have seen, Mr. Jackson, that the Church s last word, when determining a matter pertaining to faith or mor- als must be infallible, otherwise the millions who would follow Christ’s injunction to “hear the Church” might be led into error. The need of this seemed very plain to you, did it not? MR. J. Yes, Father ; if the Church’s word were not final and infallible, it would surely be impossible to keep all the nations united in the identical belief. In the state we have a supreme tribunal, to which people may submit disputed questions for a final decision, and by whose judgment the litigants must abide. And I see a greater need of such a tribunal in the Church, because there is so much more at stake. FATHER S. That’s right. What if there were no supreme court to determine the precise meaning of obscure passages in the Constitution? What if the general government placed copies of this Constitution in every home and expected each person to read it and apply it as he should understand it? What if hundreds of divergent opinions existed concerning some of its clauses, and the state permitted all lawyers and others to sustain and act on such opinions? It would never do. We would have no United States, but barbarous confusion in the land. MR. J. And such a principle the members of other churches defend in religion? FATHER S. They do. They believe in placing Bibles in every home and permit all readers to stand by their own interpre- tation thereof. This unreasonable theory is still advocated even though it has split up Christianity into a thousand divisions. Act- ing on this theory not even the minister is sure that he is right. Some time ago I attended a meeting of a ministerial association and explained the attitude of the Catholic Church toward the Bible. Then I asked the reverend gentlemen some questions. I picked up the Bible and asked them if they all believed it to be the Word of God. Ministers representing nine different denomina- tions, said : “Yes, we do.” Then I replied : “I believe it to be the Word of God from cover to cover, but I do not understand how any of you can consistently believe that.” They asked: “Why not?” To which I responded: “Well, prove to me that the con- tents of this book are inspired in any other manner than by saying that the Catholic Church said so. Now, the Catholic Church either was infallible when she said so, or she was not. If she was not, she might have been mistaken ; and in such case you do not know whether the book contains the Word of God or not.” MR. J. What did they reply to that argument?. FATHER S. One of them said : “Why, the writings bear up- on their very face plain marks of their inspired character.” To this I replied by opening the book and reading something from the JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 37 Old Testament which had rather the appearance that the devil wrote it. Then I told them that the Koran, which the Moham- medans regard as inspired, contains some most edifying reading, so does Smith’s revelations, which the Mormons reverence, but that "hey would never concede that these writings were the “Word of G A” MR. J. What did they say then? FATHER S. They were silent. But one of them, to change the subject, and probably to get me in a corner, asked if we did not have the “apocrypha” in our canon? MR. J. What do you mean, Father, by “apocrypha” and “canon” ? FATHER S. By “apocrypha” Protestants understand books which are in the Bible regarded by them as doubtfully inspired. And by “canon” is meant the collection of writings which con- stitute the Bible. MR. J. And what answer did you give? FATHER S. I told him that if they deny the infallibility of the Catholic Church their whole Bible contained apocrypha, for the same voice which declared to be the Word of God the books they accept as inspired, also declared the other seven books, which we have, to be inspired. To be consistent, they would have to ac- cept all. MR. J. Were they convinced? FATHER S. They seemed to be, for they asked no more questions. But I asked them a few. MR. J. What did you ask? FATHER S. First, I asked if they really believed the “Bible only” to be the rule of faith; and three of them answered “Yes.” Then I asked why they do not observe the Saturday instead of the Sunday ; why they do not believe in the absolute necessity of bap- tism for salvation ; why they do not anoint the sick with oil ; why they permit remarriage after crivorce ; what St. Peter meant when he declared against private interpretation of the Scriptures (2 Pet. I, 20) ; what about the things which St. Paul said should be observed though he did not deliver the same in writing (2 Thess. y Y II, island III, J6 ; what Christ meant by the words “hear the ^ * Church” (Matt. XVIII, 18) ; “he that despises you, despises Me” (Luke X, 16) ; what St. Paul meant by anathematizing even an angel from Heaven who would differ from his teaching (Gal. I, 8) ; how they could hold that the Church fell into error, against the plain promises of Christ to protect it from error (Matt. XXVIII, ^fMatt. XVI, 18; John XIV, 16; XVI, 13; Tim. Ill, Jf 15) ; how they deny to any the power to forgive sins in God’s name (Matt IX, 6; John XX, 21; Matt. XVIII, 18) why they do not regard marriage as a sacrament (Eph. V, 32), etc. MR. J. I should say you did show where they do not follow the Bible. FATHER S. Then I said to them: Your presence here as ministers of nine different denominations evidences that you do not all understand the Bible alike ; your discussions prove that you are not sure that your particular belief is correct. 38 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. MR. J. What did they say to that? FATHER S. One of them stated: “No, but we are sincere and honest in our inquiries ; we meet to exchange views on obscure things.” I smiled and rejoined: Then of what use is an inspired book, if you are not sure of its meaning? Christ declared: “You shall know (not search for) the truth.” I told them that they sorely needed a Pope, even if they gave him another name ; I ask- ed each to tell me his precise understanding of Christ’s few words : “This is My body.” There were four views quite conflicting among the nine. I reminded them that correct belief on this point was surely essential, for what if Christ actually meant what He said? Before leaving I declared : “Gentlemen, your ‘Bible only and pri- vate interpretation’ theory is certainly flimsy and has ill results ; you had better weigh the ‘Hear the Church, divinely protected from error’ theory, and see if it is not safer.” MR. J. Did they express a willingness to do so? FATHER S. No; one of them manifested a little bitterness. He said: Why, Paul was a greater Apostle than Peter; he did more work ; Peter denied Christ ; was corrected by St. Paul ; Peter was never in Rome ; some of your Popes were bad men : MR. J. I cannot see how any of these charges, even if true, could militate against the Catholic teaching that Peter and his successor at any time, represented Christ, as the visible Head of the Church. FATHER S. No, they could not; but I took pains to remove his wrong impressions. There is no need of rehearsing my re- plies, because we dwelt on them substantially in our last instruc- tion. INSTRUCTION XI. If the Catholic Church Cannot Decide, None Can. FATHER S. Well, where did we leave off with the last in- struction ? MR. J. You told about the minister’s irrelevant reply to your remark that the other churches need a pope. FATHER S. Oh, yes. He said that Paul called St. Peter down, meaning thereby that Paul did not recognize him as infallible. He was not acquainted with the Catholic teaching on this point. No Catholic believes that the pope is infallible in mere matters of policy, of which there was question on that occasion. We do not believe that the pope is divinely protected from error even in mat- ters of faith when he acts in his personal, private character, but only when he speaks officially for the Church, when he speaks “ex cathedra,” as theologians term it. MR. J. What about his contention that St. Peter was never in R'mie? FATHER S. _ It is absurd. No historian pretended to make such a charge until this last century, not even the Church’s great- JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 39 est enemies ; and even now, reputable historians all agree that St. Peter was bishop of Rome, and with St. Paul suffered martyrdom there. But even if it were true that he was not bishop of Rome, what would it prove? The point at issue is: Was he appointed visible head of the Church by Christ ? Even if years after his death his successors moved to Rome, future bishops of Rome would be his successors. MR. J. Of course, the place of residence is not essential. But is it true that some popes were not good men ? FATHER S. So few, that one must marvel thereat, especially when one takes into account that in the middle ages wicked kings and emperors did their utmost to have men raised to the papacy, who would not disturb them. Forty popes died martyrs for the faith, and about ninety are canonized saints. Even if every twelfth one was privately bad, the proportion would be no greater than among the twelve apostles chosen and schooled by Christ Himself. Moses, whom God chose to be the leader of His people in the Old Law, with whom God conversed personally, through whom He gave His commandments to the world, committed a sin for which he was punished by being denied his ambition to reach the “Promised Land.” But he continued to be God's representative in the world, nevertheless (Exod. XVIII, 15) ; even Caiphas, who participated in the execution of Jesus, was God’s representative among the Jews (John XI, 49, 50) ; the scribes and pharisees were wicked men, yet Jesus tells the people to listen to their teaching because “they have sitten on the chair of Moses” (Matt. XXIII, 2, 3). Paul himself had been one of the worst persecutors of the Church. MR. J. I understand, Father. Whilst the Church herself must be holy, because it is the work of God, because Christ has promised to be with it until the end of the world, and because the Holy Ghost is its principle of supernatural life, still its members are men, whose wills are not forced to keep God’s commandments. FATHER _S. Exactly. Christ compared His Church to a field in which the wheat and cockle would exist together until the har- vest ; to a net, which would contain both good and bad fishes. The Church, as a whole, is holy; the popes, as a body, have been the world’s holiest men. Why do our enemies judge the representa- tives of Christ by the three or four unholy ones, instead of by the two hundred and fifty holy ones ? They do not condemn the twelve apostles because of the sins of two or three of them. They would not refuse to accept a decision of the Supreme Court if the private life of one of its members were not commendable. MR. J. That point is clear to me. But I have been wanting to ask another question: If I grasp the situation correctly, Christ did not formulate a creed; how, then, is it that the Church’s teachings are precisely defined and put together in a systematic way, such as they are contained in the Catechism? FATHER S. It is true that Christ did not do that personally. But He certainly taught definite truths to the apostles, and ordered them to teach others to observe all things whatesoever He had taught them (Matt. XXVIII, 20). Moreover, the Savior told them 40 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. that He had not instructed them fully: “When He, the Spirit of Truth is come, He will teach you all truth” (John XVI, 13). What the Church has crystalized in a creed has been taught from the be- ginning, but was prominently stated only when someone in the world preached doctrines that were at variance with what the Church held to. In nearly every century from the time of Christ, successors of the apostles, the bishops of the world, were sum- moned together to meet like the apostles themselves met at the Council of Jerusalem, and express the mind of the Church for the people of their day. And if some false teacher had been propagat- ing an error, the same was condemned and the precise truth con- cerning the matter stated. For instance, in the beginning of the fourth century, a man, who had a considerable following, denied that Christ was truly God. Then the pope convened the Council of Nice, in the year 325, and authoritatively declared that Christ was as truly God as the Father. In the same century, to dissolve an- other heresy, and to state the truth officially, the Council of Con- stantinople was held; and so on through the centuries. Even as late as the last century two other truths of faith were solemnly defined,—that of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin, and the Infallibility of the Pope. There was no occasion for the Church to express these truths explicitly before, because no Cath- olic had openly denied them. MR. J. Well, have the Church's infallible decisions always been given through such General Councils? I thought that the pope was divinely assisted, so that he could make such decisions without convoking a council of all other bishops. Christ surely meant this when He said: “To thee I shall give the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound also in Heaven.” FATHER S. You have the correct understanding. But greater external solemnity is given the Church’s decrees when all her bishops, jointly with the pope, make the decision. Then this mode of procedure is more conformable with that of the apostles, who met at the Council of Jerusalem in the same way, in the year 51. Moreover, it is certainly beneficial to all the bishops to meet in such a convention. The written records of such Councils from the earliest centuries are a grand treasure, and with them, how easy is it for the Church today to determine whether the prevalent be- lief is identical with that of the remote ages ! These records con- stitute the Church’s diary, and make her authority in matters of faith so weighty that it is silly for any modern church to question it. How can any religious organization founded during recent cen- turies prove a single claim, if the same differs from what General Councills, held fourteen and fifteen hundred years ago, decided was the teaching of Christ. Is the Infallibility of the Church sufficiently plain to you now, Mr. Jackson ? MR. J. The plainest of all I have learned about the Church: for, if man must accept certain truths, is it not absurd to suppose that God would leave to each individual to determine what these truths are? How could doubts or disputes be settled, if there was JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 41 no divinely constituted authority outside the Bible,—since people make the Bible mean anything? If the Catholic Church fell into error, how am I to be sure that any of the reformed religions is correct, because only infallible authority could determine that, and none of them claim such authority? FATHER S. There is nothing shaky about your faith, Mr. Jackson. MR. J. Not any longer, Father. There is only one other mat- ter I want a little light on at this juncture. Christ commissioned His Church to convert the nations ; was any nation converted by a Protestant church? FATHER S. Not a single one. Every nation in Europe and Asia received Christianity first from missionaries, who were under the pope. For centuries the people of all Europe were Catholic Christians. INSTRUCTION XII. Heaven a Reward for Definite Service of God. FATHER S. Now, Mr. Jackson, since you have a clear comprehension of the Church's nature, organization and mission, we shall take up one by one those teachings of the Church, which we have not already touched on. You will recall that we believe in God, Who exists in three Persons ; that the second Person be- came man to atone for mankind^ sin, and to establish in the world a spiritual kingdom, for the proper teaching of the nations and blessed with divine helps to assist the soul of the individual in its strife for salvation. Incidentally we have referred to the reward which is in store for those who faithfully observe God’s commandments and “hear His Church,” and to the punishment which awaits those who disregard either. Now let us take up the several doctrines of the Church specifically. MR. J. Very well, Father, I am ready for them. Let us be- gin with the pleasant teaching concerning Heaven. FATHER S. Yes, I presume you are most ready to believe that there exists a place of eternal happiness? MR. J. I am ready for the pleasant and unpleasant. You only need to tell me what God’s Church, taught by God Himself, declares. FATHER S. Well, concerning Heaven, the Church teaches, that it is God’s own home, where the saved are associated with the angels, see God face to face, and enjoy a happiness beyond the conception of any human being, and one that will never end. MR. J. That’s worth working for, Father. FATHER S. Indeed it is. If happiness, such as the Al- mighty Power of God can prepare, were to be only of one or ten years’ duration, it would be worth a lifelong struggle; but con- sidering that it will last as long as God Himself will endure, — 42 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. eternally—its attainment should be the one great concern of ev- ery human being. No one should be willing to run even the re- motest risk of losing it. MR. J. But no one who dies in sin can enter this happiness of God, can he? FATHER S. No. MR. J. But you are going to show me that the loving God has empowered His Church to forgive sins? FATHER S. Yes, but we shall take this up later MR. J. It does not seem to me that any man could be worthy of such a reward as you describe Heaven to be. FATHER S. Surely no man could be tvorthy of it, but God chose thus to honor and reward those who love and serve Him here on earth. I am glad that you are not so presumptuous as some people, who believe that whether a man does God’s will or not, he will be saved. MR. J. That would be unreasonable. It is against all jus- tice to reward the wicked. Think of a person being rewarded for ever and ever for breaking God’s laws throughout a long life, and not even seriously repenting ! FATHER S. I see that it will be easy to prove to you the ex= istence of hell ; you are touching upon it already. MR. J. Well, isn’t Heaven to be a reward for virtue and the service of God? FATHER S. Yes, except for babes, who die in their bap- tismal innocence; they receive it as a gift. But those who come to the use of reason earn Heaven by complying with God’s re- quirements. MR. J. That seems just and right. Since God does not owe Heaven to anybody, it surely rests with Him to dictate the terms on which it is to be attained, and man has no one to blame but himself if he refuses to comply with such terms. FATHER S. Exactly. MR. J. On this same principle, I presume that there are de- grees of reward in Heaven, for surely some deserve more than others ? FATHER S. Oh, yes; the person who gives his best years to the devil, but repents before death, will receive less reward than those who were devoted friends and lovers of God through- out life. MR. J. But all are called saints, are they not? FATHER S. Yes, all the saved are called saints; but they came into possession of Heaven by different claims. Some, in days of persecution, gave up their lives, rather than betray Christ; they are called martyrs. Millions won Heaven in this way during the first three centuries. Others consecrated them- selves, soul and body, to Christ ; they sacrificed chances to marry, in order that they might expend all their heart’s love on Jesus ; they would have been ready to die a thousand times rather than to offend God by the slightest sin ; many of them went to the desert to live amid privations and to devote their whole lives to prayer and quiet meditation. But still others lived like the ma- JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 43 jority of us, in a world of sin, subject to thousands of tempta- tions. They cared for their families, attended to their work but did not wholly neglect their souls. They prayed, submitted to Christ s easy yoke, and employed the means of salvation placed by God’s Church at their disposal. MR. J. But only the spirits of the good go to Heaven? FATHER S. Until the general Resurrection day, at the end of the world. In the Apostles’ Creed we say: “I believe in the resurrection of the body.” By His Almighty power God will re- produce the bodies of every human being, and reunite the same to the souls which from the time of their separation by death were in Heaven, Hell or Purgatory. Then the whole assemblage of human beings will be judged by God (cf. Matt, xxiv) ; and thereafter, as human beings—body and soul united—they will be* welcomed into Heaven, or sentenced everlastingly to Hell. The bodies of the saved will be like unto Christ’s risen body, glorious, radiant with heavenly beauty, spiritualized, and no longer cap- able of the slightest suffering; whilst the bodies of the wicked will be hideously ugly, because of their union with a soul which has lived in Hell and was branded with God’s curse. As the body participated in many good works, and in many evil deeds, it is fitting that it should be rewarded or punished with the soul. MR. J. Is not the soul judged at death and its fate settled? FATHER S. Yes; this is called the particular judgment. MR. J. Why, then, another judgment at the end of the world ? FATHER S. For several reasons, two of which are: 1. To glorify Christ before the whole world. On earth He was unjustly judged by men and sentenced to death; 2. To vindicate the jus- tice of God. On earth people frequently accuse God of being un- just and criticize His Providence, which they do not understand. Here we frequently see poverty and trials, sickness and misfor- tune associated with virtue and holiness, whilst the wicked often prosper. God will show that He wTas a just God nevertheless. MR. J. Does anybody know when the end of the world will be, Father? FATHER S. No; so don’t be alarmed at the prophesies of Adventists, Dowieites, etc. MR. J. Will relatives and friends know each other in Heaven ? FATHER S. Assuredly; anything which would conduce to the greater happiness of the blessed will be granted by God. MR. J. Don’t you think that the ones whose happiness is in- ferior will envy those who are rewarded more? FATHERS. No; those who have the least reward in Heaven, possess all that they could contain. Each saint has a certain capacity for heavenly joy, and is filled to overflowing. A bucket rising over with water would not envy the barrel, which contains more ; it has all it can hold. 44 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. INSTRUCTION XIII. Hell, Not Pleasant to Believe, But Most Reasonable. FATHER S. I presume you have had dreams about your fu- ture happiness in Heaven, Mr. Jackson? MR. J. I have tried to represent Heaven’s joys to myself, as you described them, but I am not so sure of coming into possession of them ; you see, I am far from being a saint as yet. FATHER S. Well, whilst I am sure that you will hence- forth be as earnest in the service of God as you have hitherto been neglectful it is proper to entertain a little fear about your ulti- mate success ; the Bible declares that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” MR. J. The Catholic Church, then, does not believe that any are “sanctified” in the sense that they cannot be lost, —as some churches hold ? * FATHER S. No. St. Paul tells us that even he was not sure of his salvation : “I am not conscious to myself of anything (any sin) , but in this I am not justified” ; and in another place the Bible says that no one is certain whether he be worthy of love or hatred. We are not sure how we shall correspond with God’s graces in the future. But the Bible tells us that “he who pre- severes to the end (in living right) will be saved.” MR. J. Now, Father, what does the Catholic Church teach about hell? FATHER S. She teaches: 1. that there is a hell; 2, that it will last forever, and 3. that those detained therein endure a ter- rible twofold punishment,—the privation of the vision of God, and some form of torment. MR. J. I suppose hell is quite the opposite from Heaven? FATHER S. Exactly; the blessed in Heaven see God, are free from every form of pain, and have no fear of losing their happiness ; the damned do not see God, endure acute pain, and have no hope of ever being liberated therefrom. MR. J. If I did not believe in the infallibility of the Church, Father, this teaching concerning eternal torture would be most difficult to accept ; up to this point God has always appeared to me as the good God. FATHER S. Well, express your objections, and see if they cannot be removed even by logical reasoning. MR. J. Very well: I want answers for “Church defense.” Now, first of all, it seems repugnant to believe that God would punish a man so terribly. FATHER S. It did not seem repugnant to believe that God would reward so munificently, did it? MR. J. No, Father, because I had known Him to be such a good God,—by creation, and especiallv by redemption. - FATHER S. He rewards the very good eternally, because His goodness is infinite, or without limit. * MR. J. Yes, Father. JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 45 FATHER S. Then He should punish the very wicked eter- nally, because His justice is infinite, or without limit. All His at- tributes must be equally infinite. . God cannot be any more indif- ferent toward evil than toward virtue. MR. J. I guess you have me. FATHER S. Let us suppose a case which is quite common: A highway robber holds up a man by pointing a revolver at his head, and demands his money: robbery and murder (if neces- sary) are in his heart, but the man whom he “holds up” bests him, and shoots him, killing him instantly. This man, guilty before God of robbery and murder, goes into eternity without the slight- est repentance. Surely he will not be “rewarded” forever? MR. J. Impossible. FATHER S. Then there is no alternative but hell. Ex- clusion from Heaven is the worst kind of hell. And if the ex- clusion were not eternal, that man would one day be saved. If hell’s punishment were not eternal, the sinner could, to use a homely expression, “put one over” on God ; for God could say in a hundred commandments: “Thou shalt do this; thou shalt not do that,” and the sinner could reply: “I shall not do this, I shall do that throughout my life, and You must save me, because my soul is immortal and hell is not eternal.” Thousands of sinners do defy God in this manner by acts. MR. J. It is plain enough, Father. FATHER S. People are led more by sentiment than by reason when considering this subject. If these same people were dealing with offenders against themselves, they would not be all mercy. What if a man assaulted your daughter? What if some one accused you of some awful crime, whilst you were wholly in- nocent? The law punishes some criminals as long as it can pun- ish them. People are often so impatient to mete out justice rather than mercy, that they take the law in their own hands, and “lynch” the criminal. Now since we are made for God alone, are placed here to serve Him, are aided by God’s grace to avoid sin, are called to Heaven, which we can attain if we will,—is it not reasonable that if we choose to do everything else but “the one thing necessary,” we should be cast aside as “worthless servants?” MR. J. It is, Father. FATHER S. God would be cruel and eternal hell would be impossible of belief if we could not escape hell. But remember, if the sinner be lost, it is wholly his own fault. God has done more than His part to save the sinner. He underwent a cruel death to bring salvation to the sinner, but does not rob him of his free- will. Good people are not afraid of hell, because they have firmly decided to escape it; just as you and I would not care if this state had a thousand penitentiaries, because we intend to stay out of them. Hell exists for the violators of God’s laws, just as the penitentiary exists for the violators of man’s laws. Both can be avoided,—so where is the injustice? MR. J. I don’t see that there is any. JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. FATHER S. Now, let us see what the Bible has to say on this matter. Matthew (xxv. 41) records the words which Christ Himself will address to the wicked after the General Judgment: Depart from Me, ye cursed, int oeverlasting fire.” This sen- tence expresses the three points which I declared the Church to teach about hell: “Depart from me,” expresses the loss of God; “into fire,” the torture; “everlasting,” the eternity of the punish- ment. The same truths are clearly contained in the parable of the “Rich Man and Lazarus” (Luke xvi). Our Saviour declared: “The rich man died and was buried in hell ;” there he pleads for a drop of water from Abraham, “for I am tormented in this flame.” But Abraham answers : “Between us and you there is a fixed great chaos ; so that they who would pass from hence to you cannot, nor from thence come hither.” This parable, therefore, emphasizes the existence of hell, its torments, its eternity. MR. J. So the Catholic Church really believes that there is fire in hell ? FATHER S. She has never defined as an article of faith that there is actual material fire, such as we have on earth, but she in- y dines strongly to this belief, because Scripture repeatedly calls /I the pain of sense “fire;” it speaks of “everlasting fire” (Matt. xxv)^ unnnenrhflhlA firp” CfHarFixl> a “furnace of fire” (Matt. _ X11I )> an abyss filled with fire,” “devouring fire” (Isai. xxxiii), #l 12) speaks of a prison housem the other world, from whi h the soul will be not be freed until it pays the last farthing ” Now, there is no last farthing to pay in Heaven, and from hell there is no liberation at all - hence the reference must apply to a third place. The same evan- gelist m Chapter xii, 32, speak; of a sin against the Holy Ghost which shall not be forgiven, neither in this world, nor in the world to come.” The implicat ion is that some sins can be for- given m the woTld to come. • But not in hell, from which there is no redemntion; nor in Heaven, for "there shall not enter into it anything defiled (Apoc. xxi, 27). St. Paul (I Cor. iii, 15) speaks of one being saved "yet so as by fire.” Then the Bible insinuates a place for temporary punishment after death in the many passages which tell that God will reward or punish accord- ing to man’s ivorks. Let us suppose, Mr. Jackson, that there is no Purgatory, and what will become of me and you? On the one hand, the Bible declares that nothing defiled can enter Heaven 2? t 2. e o2^ ei^at an idle word (httle faults) defiles the soul (Matt, xn, 36) ; if there be no place of temporary punishment, the one guilty of little sins would be consigned to hell. Who would be saved? MR. J. That s so, Father. Now, you spoke of a common custom to pray for the dead. Do you mean that we can assist those m Purgatory by prayer? FATHER S. Yes; by prayers, good works, indulgences and especially by the Church’s divinely instituted sacrifice, called the Mass. We shall talk later about Indulgence and the Mass. MR. J. This is surely consoling teaching—that we can be of help to our dead. Su is * T ™s teaching alone has converted many to the Catholic faith. Just as I can pay your grocery and butcher debt, so I can offer up my good works to be applied towards the payment of the last farthing which a soul in Purga- tory might owe to the Almighty. Christ Himself says that what we do for the least of His brethren, we do for Him, and the soulsm Purgatory are, m a sense, the least of Christ's brethren, be- cause, whilst they can help others by prayer, they cannot help p Ŷ ° U See, « dea ^ h 5 nded the time of mercy for them*; fng^must^e p^ exercises justice only; that is why the last farth- mu'rpf ve Bi^le Jt1e11 us that prayer helps the dead? 7 eS ' , In . the second book of the Macabees, xii, read °f the Jews having sacrifice offered for those of their brethren who had lost their lives in battle,—for "it is a holy and SmT”¥ t0 P/ay f°r the dead > that they may be loosedirom sin. These words were so plain m favor of the Catholic custom, that the whole book containing them was removed from Br- 55 FATHER S. We have been talking about the things for- by the first commandment; now a word about what it requires of us. It requires (1) worship of God; (2) prayer, by which we acknowledge our dependence on the Almighty; (3) acceptance of His revelation, or in other words faith; (4) a trust in promises, or hope ; (5) the love of a child, or charity . MR. J. It is a sin then not to pray? FATHER S. Surely. MR. J. How often should a person pray? FATHER S. It is difficult to determine when sin begins owing to neglect of prayer. But the least people can do is to pray morning and night. St. Paul tells us that we should pray always; and he means that besides saying actual prayers, we should perform our work, enjoy our recreation, take our meals, etc., in the name of God : “Whether you eat or drink, or whatso- ever you do, do all for the glory of God.” This constant union with God is so easy to enjoy, and it takes away all bitterness from our work and crosses. MR. J. It is a beautiful idea. FATHER S. Since the first commandment enjoins service of God according to His requirements,palov” when you hear a person indulge in such conversation, vouhave I reason to conclude that his thoughts are unclean be- you nave a reabo before he speaks. Everyone must at BSSJS^K SSISMSTpS“*S« courage his or her partner to be equally pure. INSTRUCTION XXII. The Seventh and Tenth Commandments Are Concerned About Justice and Honesty. U A TITER S As we combined the sixth and the ninth com- for the same reason. , FATHER™"'Wdb ttatU (orbids »S to de.ire to do seventh and^tenth“““1/ >' and “Thou shalt not covet thy neigl^^s^ods. ^ y0U know what the word “covet” means? father's 0 The seventh commandment forbids stealing or SSoS«oSnUh» tom the man who must h„s mo- ney ’MR. J. In giving this commandment, Almighty God ap- proves of the possession of private property. MR T ?. E Then many Socialists must repudiate the command- ment EATHER S They do. Whilst it was not God’s will that a few shtuld own almost ing, God sanctions the ownership by people of property «»«»^ l“r “P"“le P0S' JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 67 sessions ; the patriarchs bequeathed their property to their eldest sons by a solemn benediction. MR. J. Violations of the seventh commandment are very common, I think; especially by cheating, misrepresenting goods, and by neglecting to pay debts. FATHER S. That is true; and petty thieving by children seems to be growing ; it is due to a lack of conscience-training in the schools. Then big thieving, known as swindling, is also on the increase. The penitentiaries contain some of the big thieves, but only a small portion of them. MR. J . Can the sin of theft be forgiven if the guilty one re- fuses to make his injustice right? FATHER S. No. The thief must return the article or its equivalent in money to the rightful owner, or to his heirs. MR. J. What if these cannot be found ? FATHER S. Then he must give it to the poor, or devote it to charity. No one is allowed to be personally benefited by his dis- honesty. MR. J. Must the thief go to the owner in person, and ac- knowledge his theft? FAHER S. No. He may return the money or whatever it be, by mail or express, or in any other way; he has done his duty when he sees that the property is restored to its proper owner MR. J. I presume that a merchant who has cheated his customers may make the wrong right by giving over-weight to these same people in the future? FATHER S. That would be all right; and clerks in stores, who have helped themselves at the money-drawer, may return their stealings, little by little, until all is returned. MR. J. What if the thief has become impoverished, and can- not restore what he has stolen ? FATHER S. Of course, no one can do what he simply can- not do ; but he must be resolved to pay back when able, and, of course, must economize in order to be able to meet this obligation some day. MR. J. Must a person return what he has found? FATHER S. Surely, if the owner can be located. MR. J. What if a person should unwittingly buy an article which was stolen ? FATHER S. Even then he would not be allowed to retain it, if he knew its lawful owner. Such a one sustains a loss, it is true, but no greater one than the person from whom it was stolen. The property remains the possession of the real owner until he relinquishes his claim thereto. MR. J. I see that “honesty is the best policy.” FATHER S. Indeed. Even if one were not so strictly obli- gated to restore stolen property, theft would not pay. A person will never prosper on ill-gotten gain. We are at the Lord’s mercy, and He is sure to take from us by doctor’s bills, or by other “bad luck, ’ as much or more than we have acquired wrongfully, and will punish us besides in eternity: “He that will not render what he hath robbed, wTl die everlastingly” (Ezech. XXXIII 15) 68 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. INSTRUCTION XXIII. What the Eighth Commandment Forbids Fully Explained. FATHER S. We have seen, Mr. Jackson, that it is a sin to rob our neighbor of anything which is his property. But it is even a more serious sin to rob him of his good name (Piov. XXII, U > this is what the Eighth Commandment primarily forbids. It toi- bids all kinds of false witness, such as common lying, but moie especially such falsehoods which blacken our neighbor s charactei or sully his good name. MR. J. What do we call this kind of falsehood? FAHTER S. Calumny, slander, or libel . . . MR. J. I have always regarded it as wrong to talk injurious- ly about another, even if I were telling the truth, but I did no know against which commandment the sin would be. FATHER S. Against this eighth commandment ; foi it in- iures vour neighbor in his character and is called Detraction. Untended to Snd you of this. Now let us get order to our in- struction: (1) We are obliged to respect the name and charactei of another; (2) It is wrong even to suspect wrong of anothei without good grounds; (3) We are never allowed to tell a willful falsehood ; (4) There is such a thing as lying by action as well as by words; (5) If we shall have seriously hurt our neighbor in his reputation, we must make it right. aT1ntw? MR. J. Is it always a sm to speak of the faults of another . FATHER S. Not if they be already publicly known, or known to the people with whom we converse; though, even then, it is a failing against charity. The one who has fallen may rise, and become better than we are; and we, against whom there is no evil report, may fall some future day. Disclosing another s mistakes or expressing our suspicion about another are faults all too common. ^ hardly believe that a day passes in which we do not fail at least slightly, in this matter. FATHER S. That is true. . MR. J. Is it allowable to tell a lie to keep a person from being punish^.^^^ g No, eyen one couid saVe him from eternal punishment. You see, to lie is intrinsically wrong ; that is it is an evil in itself, and hence God, Who is Truth itself, 1 : MR. J. According to that, it must be wrong to lie even m ^ GSt FAHTER S. It would be, if you saw that the person with whom you joke were actually deceived. Of course, if what you told were wholly incredible, or you supposed the person knew you to be joking, it would be different. A good definition of a lie is the intention to deceive,” whether by word, or by act ; m the lattei case it is called hypocrisy or dissimulation. The Pharisees spoken JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 69 of in the gospels were denounced severely by Christ because of “acting” lies. MR. J. Of course, some falsehoods are much more sinful than others? FATHER S. Yes, according as great or little harm is done thereby. MR. J. We are, then, obliged to tell our business to everyone who inquires about it? FATHER S. Not necessarily. There is a difference between telling a lie and evading the question. We are under no obligation to answer a question which another has no right to ask. We may decline to answer, or give an evasive reply. MR. J. You said that if we injured our neighbor by Lying or Detraction, we must repair the injury. It seems to me that it would often be impossible. FATHER S. You are right. You might correct the matter as far as the one you told it to is concerned, but what if he told ten others, and they spread it more widely? You must correct the evil as far as you are able In the case of Calumny that actually injured another, you should inform the ones to whom you spoke that the charge made was not true, and ask them to help you to clear the unjustly accused party. If what you reported was true, but it was not known to many, and hence the person spoken of was injured in his good name, you should report something good about the injured person, and this might offset the evil believed concerning him. ? MR. J. This appears to be so serious that a fellow should cer- tainly think twice before he speaks. FATHER S. That’s right. Now, I would not want to make you scrupulous on this subject; that is, I would not want you to worry about how you might correct mistakes made under this head. If you can recall having seriously injured another by false- hood or detraction, follow the directions just given in trying to correct it. In minor matters, do not worry; only resolve to be a little more careful in the future. Lying often arises from jealousy. People see the mote in the eye of those they do not like and make a beam out of it. They ex- aggerate, and even invent charges against their enemy; they would be only too pleased if their enemy’s good name were in- jured. This is a bad passion to be possessed by. It was jealousy or envy which prompted the devil to lie to our first parents. If lying could be tolerated, there would be no public confi- dence, which is so necessary for the welfare of human society. How grand it would be if we could place perfect reliance on every utterance of our fellow-citizen! “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord” (Prov. XII, 22). 70 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. INSTRUCTION XXIV. How Sundays and Holy Days Should Be Kept. FATHER S. We are now about to close our instructions on the second part of the catechism. You are well acquainted with most of the truths of faith, with all those which are contained in what is known as the “Apostles' Creed"; and you have learned what God requires you to do and to avoid, as outlined in the com- mandments. However, God’s Church has found it necessary to make a few laws to promote Christian life, and they are contained in the “Precepts or Commandments of the Church." MR. J. It seems reasonable that the Church, which is a vis- ible society, needs laws for the proper government of its members, who belong to every race under the Sun., And I have already learned that the Church, representing God", 'is vested with divine authority. But are the laws of the Church so binding on the con- science that a person actually sins if he obey not her laws? FATHER S. Indeed. Christ said to the first teaching and governing body of His Church : “He who hears you, hears Me, and he who despises you, despises Me." (Luke X, 16) ; again He said to the first Pope, Peter : “Whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth shall be bound also in Heaven" (Matt. XVI, 19). Hence, the Church’s laws are God’s laws, and equally binding. There is this difference, however, that the Church can dispense from obedience to her own laws, whilst she cannot dispense from obedience to the laws given directly by God.—Have you learned the commandments of the Church from your little catechism? MR. J. Yes, Father, I think I can state them. FATHER S. Try it. MR. J. (1) To rest from servile.work and to hear Mass on all Sundays and Holydays of obligation; (2) To fast and abstain on certain days specified by the Church; (3) To confess one’s sins at least once a year; (4) To receive Holy Communion once a year during Easter time; (5) To contribute towards the support of religion; (6) The sixth forbids Catholics to marry those who are not members of the same faith ; it forbids blood-relations down to the fourth degree to marry, and forbids a solemn marriage during what are called “forbidden times." FATHER S. Good. How many precepts of the Church are there, then? MR. J. Six. FATHER S. I presume you have observed the similarity be- tween the first commandment of the Church and the third com- mandment of God? MR. J. Yes; I was going to remark it. FATHER S. You see, the third commandment of God does not declare explicitly enough how the Sabbath day should be kept holy ; hence the Church determines it. She tells us that we must assist at that form of worship which honors God more than any other, the Mass. Then the Church has instituted some fes- JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 71 tivals, called holydays, which must be observed, if possible the very same as the Sundays. MR. J. Why these holydays? FATHER S. They are to commemorate and keep fresh in our memories the great events or truths, which have meant so much to God’s people. Holydays in the Church are kept for much the same purpose as holidays in the State. You know why the Fourth of July, Decoration Day, Washington’s Birthday, Thanks- giving Day, are kept, and what they commemorate? MR. J. Yes, Father. FATHER S. Well, in the Church we have Christ’s Birthday, Chustmas, the day on which He received His Heaven-given name Jesus, called the feast of the Circumcision, and which coincides with our New Year’s Day; the day on which Christ returned to His heavenly glory, after having suifered here for 33 years called Ascension Day. Then we keep two feasts of Christ’s Mother, that of the Immaculate Conception and that of her Assumption into Heaven. I explained, when speaking of Original Sin and the In- carnation, the significance of the “Immaculate Conception.” It honors Mary’s most highly prized prerogative, and holds up her sin essness, purity and virtue for the imitation of her spiritual children. The Assumption” honors the reward paid to Marv’s pure, virginal body by being preserved from corruption and taken to heaven. MR. J. So Catholics believe that Mary’s body has already been taken into heaven ? J FATHER S. Yes. It was soon after her death. From the very first century this was believed by the Universal Church so that there was no need for the Church to make an official declara- tion concerning it. Does this belief surprise you? MR. J. Not exactly, though I was not aware of it No I would not be surprised to hear that Jesus did anything for her who was His Mother, and who was so loved by God. FATHER S.. Since St. Paul assures us that death is a con- sequence of Original Sin, which Mary did not inherit, we would not even be surprised if she had been taken to heaven without dying. Her Son died, so she did not expect exemption from death. But as her bon s body did not see corruption, neither should her’s have, who gave that Son His human body, and the very blood with which He redeemed mankind. Then, could you believe that Christ would permit the pure body of His good Mother to become the food of worms? ., . J * would be repugnant to our religious sense, to think it. ’ FATHER S. Just as the Redemption was anticipated for the preservation of her soul from Original Sin, so was the Resur- rection of the Dead anticipated for the reward of her body. MR. J. Nothing seems more congruous. FATHER S. Then one holyday is kept in memory of all God s saints. It is the Church’s “Decoration or Memorial Day.” Just as on May 30, all patriotic Americans honor the memorv and love to extol the valiant deeds of our soldier-dead, so does the JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION.72 Church ask her people to honor the memory of and praise God for the grand and holy lives of those heroes of Christ, the saints and martyrs of 1900 years; this occurs on November 1. MR. J. A beautiful thought. There are then six holydays of obligation? FATHER S. Yes, in the United States. MR. J. Are there more or fewer in other countries? FATHER S. Yes. In countries, which are nearly wholly Catholic, there are more holydays kept. . You see these are of ecclesiastical institution, and hence the Church adapts herself to the conditions which obtain in different countries. Here, where the majority of people are non-Catholic, it would work a hardship on Catholics, if they were required to lay off from work so often. MR. J. The Church is surely thoughtful. Does the law re- quiring attendance at Mass on Sundays and holydays obligate all Catholics? „ ... FATHER S. All who are seven years of age and older. Ol course it does not obligate those who cannot go because of sick- ness, or great distance from a church, or those who absolutely must work on those days. MR. J. In many railroad shops men are expected to work on Sundays; are they excused? FATHER S. Not if their employer only wishes them to work. God and soul must be considered first. It would be differ- ent if they had to work or lose their job. INSTRUCTION XXY. Jackson Instructed on the Laws of Fasting. FATHER S. You have learned, Mr. Jackson, that Catholics do not eat meat on Friday, and that they both fast and abstain on certain days, especially during Lent. MR. J. Yes, Father, but I have never learned the precise rea- son why. flil _ , p FATHER S. This is a requirement of the second precept ot the Church and is based on reasons both biblical and rational. Ev- eryone who has sinned must do penance, “Unless you do penance, you shall all likewise perish” (Luke XIII, 3) . Now, there are dif- ferent ways of doing penance, but no method so pleasing to God as that by fasting and abstinence. “To chastise one’s body and bring it under subjection,” like St. Paul did, is the surest way to cure its evil tendencies. The very first law given by Almighty God was one of abstinence; then the Jews were forbidden altogether to eat cer- tain meats. Christ, our Divine Model, fasted rigorously for forty days; so did the great Moses, and the holy prophet Elias ; St. John Baptist set this kind of an example to the people to whom he preached penance. Christ declared that His followers would fast, and gave good advice on the manner of fasting (Matt. IX, 15 ; VI. 16). JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 73 MR. J. I see that the reasons behind the Church law are as strong as could be. FATHER S. Now the particular reason why every Friday is a day of abstinence is that Christ died for the world on that day. —Catholics may eat meat on Friday when any of the six holydays enumerated above fall on Friday. The Church wants the holy- days kept in a joyful rather than in a penitential spirit. Could you conceive of a prettier practice than that, according to which Catholics show their gratitude every Friday to their divine Savior for the Redemption He brought to the world? MR. J. No, indeed, Father; it is a wonder that the Christians of all denominations do not do that much for Jesus. FATHER S. The day before certain holydays we fast and ab- stain also as a preparation for the feast. These fast-days are call- ed “Vigils.” Then there are three days at the beginning of each season of the year, known as Ember Days, which are observed in the same manner. MR. J. What is the significance of Ember Days? FATHER S. On these days it was customary to ordain men to the priesthood, and people are expected to fast and pray for God’s blessing on those who were to spend their whole lives in this holy state. It is a practice suggested by our Savior’s words : “Pray ye the Lord of the harvest that He send forth laborers into His Vineyard” (Matt. IX, 38). In the Old Law the Jews were ac- customed to keep a special fast four times a year (Zach. VIII, c MR. J. I am learning that all Catholic practices as well as^ Catholic teachings, have a scriptural foundation. FATHER S. Yet ours is called the unscriptural Church bv those who do not know us. MR. J. What is the difference between fasting and abstin- ence? FATHER S. The law concerning “fasting” allows those, who are bound by it, to eat but one full meal on the fast-day. The law concerning “abstinence” has reference to meat only. MR. J . The regular Friday, then, is not a fast day, but an abstinence day? FATHER S. Exactly. MR. J. Which meal is supposed to be the full meal on a fast- day? FATHER S.. The noon-meal. But if there be a good reason for taking the principal meal in the evening, that may be done. MR. J. And how much is allowed at the other meals? FATHER S. Strictly speaking, we are not supposed to eat any other meal, but the Church allows us to eat a piece of unbut- tered bread and to take a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, and to eat about one-fourth of a full meal in the evening. To be more precise, the Church allows about two ounces in the morning and eight ounces in the evening. Then, in case the principal meal be taken in the evening, the eight ounces are allowed at noon. MR. J. May these eight ounces consist of any kind of food? FATHER S. Of anything except meat. *74 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. MR. J. So while fast-days are also abstinence days, abstin- ence days are not fast-days? , , FATHER S. That's right, generally speaking; but, though all days of Lent, except the Sundays, are fast-days, we may have meat at the principal meal, save on Wednesdays and Fridays. But this is by dispensation. j ^ , n ,, MR J In your last instruction you stated that every Catn- olic, who has attained the age of reason, must Hear Mass on Sun- days ; do the laws requiring fasting and abstinence also bind ehildrof his country’s flag, so must the Christian soldier be proud of the standard under which he must fight, the cross ; hence it is marked on his very forehead. The blow on the cheek is to re- mind the one confirmed that he must be ready to endure suffering for the Leader, Whose cause He espouses. JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 89 MR. J. The ceremony is certainly significant. Of course, I know that Christ instituted all the sacraments, but does the Bible refer to instances when the Apostles confirmed ? FATHER S. Oh, yes. It is usually referred to as the “lay- ing on of hands,” which today is the most significant and the ef- fective part of the ceremony. It is spoken in Acts VIII, 11-17, XIX, 6, and in several other places. MR. J. So there is considerable difference between a merely baptized and a confirmed Catholic? FATHER S. Yes, there is; and in Heaven the difference will be noticeable in the souls of the two. Confirmation leaves an indelible impress on the soul, which marks it for added glory. The three sacraments which may be received but once imprint this supernatural character ; they are Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders. MR. J. I did not know that Confirmation was so significant. FATHER S. In your next instruction you will have the greatest treat you have yet received in your lessons. MR. J. What will it be? FATHER S. “The Holy Eucharist.” It is the best thing the Church has ; read up on it in your catechism and in the “Fair- est Argument.” MR. J. I shall do that and await the next instruction with pleasure. INSTRUCTION XXXI. The Holy Eucharist the Church’s Greatest Possession. FATHER S. Well, what do you think of the Catholic teach- ing concerning the Holy Eucharist? MR. J. After reading the mere questions and answers of the little catechism, I must confess that I wondered if it could really be true, but when I read the explanation in the “Fairest Argument,” my difficulties vanished quickly. Understand me: I do not mean that I actually doubted the correctness of the Cath- olic teaching, because it is based on a divine authority, but I mean that it appeared to be too good to be true. FATHER S. Can you state what the Church understands by the Holy Eucharist? MR. J. I think so : It is a sacrament instituted by .Christ, wherein the Son of God is ever present with the Church under the appearance of bread and wine. FATHER S. That’s correct. You will understand the doc- trine better after you will have had an instruction on the “Mass,” for it is in the Mass that the sacrament is effected. But even now you can learn all that the Holy Eucharist implies. In the first place, who instituted it? MR. J. Christ did ; He instituted all seven sacraments. FATHER S. And when? 90 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. MR. J. At the Last Supper, the night before His crucifixion. FATHER S. Who saw Him do it? MR. J. The Apostles witnessed the institution of the sacra- ment, received it, and were commissioned to prepare it for others. FATHER S. That’s very good. Now tell me “how.” MR. J. The Son of God took some of the bread and wine used at the table, divided the same into portions, and, by His Al- mighty Power, changed the same into His own living Person. He said: “Take ye and eat, for this is My body; take ye and drink, for this is My blood.” FATHER S. Do you really think Christ’s words and actions are to be taken literally? Of course, we know that, had He so wished, He could have produced such a change. He was the same God, Who created the universe by a mere word, Who changed water into wine at Cana, Who multiplied the presence of five loaves of bread so that they were adequate to feed thousands ; but as a matter of fact, were His words not to be taken figuratively? MR. J. No, Father. In my reading I learned that a whole year before the Last Supper He promised that He would give to man His real flesh and blood, and that His hearers, including the Apostles, surmised that He was talking figuratively, but He in- sisted that His words be accepted literally. FATHER S. Do you know some of His utterances at that time? MR. J. He said that He was the “living bread,” “the bread of life,” that the bread He would give would be “His flesh,” for the life of the world ; that His flesh would be a real meat, and His blood a real drink ; that those would have “everlasting life,” who would eat His flesh and drink His blood, and that those who should not eat the same, would not have life in them,—of course, He meant supernatural life. FATHER S. Those utterances are surely plain; but you said His hearers were not inclined to accept Him literally. MR. J. No; they argued the question: How can He give us His real flesh to eat. FATHER S. Then they must have understood Him to mean what He said. MR. J. That’s right, but I mean they were not disposed to believe Him. Many of them even went away because Christ in- sisted on being understood literally. FATHER S. Now, what if Christ had referred fo a figurative eating of His flesh, and these people misunderstood Him, and went away deceived? MR. J. As God, Christ could not have allowed that ; He could not countenance deception. FATHER S. How about the Apostles? How were they im- pressed by Christ’s declaration? MR. J. Christ demanded a profession of faith from them. When He saw some of the disciples walk away, He said to the apostles: “Will you also go away?” Then Peter made an open acknowledgment of the Savior’s divinity, and, of course, of His JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 91 power to do what was not real plain to them—to give His real flesh and blood as nourishment of the soul’s supernatural life. FATHER S. I presume that this explains the absence of sur- prise in the apostles at the Last Supper, when the Holy Eucharist was instituted ? MR. J. Yes, Father; I imagine that the twelve often wonder- ed when their Master was going to give what He had so solemnly and emphatically promised. FATHER S. But granting that our Savior favored the apostles in such a manner, explain how members of the Church to- day can be similarly favored? MR. J. Christ empowered and commissioned the apostles to work the same wonder ; after He had given them Himself as spir- itual food, He said to them : “Do ye this in commemoration of Me.” FATHER S. That would only explain that the power was conferred on the apostles ; but they are no longer alive. MR. J. But the power conferred on the apostles was for the Church for all times; they were a corporate body which was to exist in their successors, just as the powers conferred by the con- stitution on the Senate 145 years ago are possessed by senators today. FATHAR S. Why is it that Protestant churches do not claim this power, then, because surely it is something so important? MR. J. They would have some difficulty in proving that their ministers are the rightful successors of the apostles; the gap of time between the apostles’ day—the first century—and the ap- pearance of the founders of their churches, is too big. FATHER S. Well said; break the cable that unites this country with Europe, and communication ceases. Your family might claim connection with Napoleon’s family, but if you are in no sense a lineal descendant of Napoleon, your claim is futile. MR. J. The old example comes up to me: I might build a beautiful home, furnish it elegantly, and have it wired for elec- tricity, but if I am not connected with the Power House, I can- not have electric light. FATHER S. Your faith will be a reasonable faith, Mr. Jackson. Now, since the lesson on the “Holy Eucharist” is too long for one instruction, we shall continue it at your next visit. INSTRUCTION XXXII. Our Savior s Words Could Have None But a Literal Meaning. MR. J. I have been pondering over our Savior’s words relat- ing to the institution of the Holy Eucharist and cannot conceive what figurative sense they could have. FATHER S. You are right. Cardinal Wiseman took the trouble to examine all the Oriental languages to ascertain what “to eat one’s flesh” might mean in a figurative sense; the result of his 92 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. thorough research was that they could have but one meaning, viz. : to calumniate or backbite. This would represent Christ as utter- ing the unimaginable and blasphemous assertion: “Unless you calumniate the Son of God, you shall not have life in you ; he that backbite :h Me hath everlasting life, and I shall raise him .p on the last day.” MR. J. But Protestants surely do not attach such a meaning to our Lord’s words? FATHER S. No; but it is the only figurative meaning they could have. Being unwilling to accept the literal sense of Christ’s words quoted by St. John (Chap. VI), they seem to ignore the same and contend that Christ was merely insisting on faith or belief in His divinity,—which in a sense might be a spiritual eat- ing. It is true Christ insisted on such faith on the occasion of the Promise of the Holy Eucharist, in order that there might be no place for the question: “How can He give us His flesh to eat?” It was to prepare His hearers for such belief that He wrought two miracles the day before : He multiplied the loaves and He walked upon the waves. The feeding of thousands by a miraculously multiplied bread was the most fitting introduction possible for the promise to give His flesh as a meat, a bread to promote “super- natural life.” Then by walking on the waves, and alluding to His ascension into heaven, He would show that His body (glorified as it would be after the resurrection) would not be subject to the laws governing material bodies, that the horror of “eating His flesh” would thereby be removed. . MR. J. But how do non-Catholics get around the plain words used by Jesus at the Last Supper: “This is My body; this is My Wood?” , , . ^ FATHER S. So frequent and persistent have their efforts been to repudiate the literal meaning that there are now on record over two hundrd different interpretations of the four simple words : “This is My body.” MR. J. There is such an immeasurable difference between the literal acceptation of Christ’s words and any other meaning, and the matter strikes me as being of such infinite importance, that Christ surely could not have permitted a misunderstanding. No matter which of the two hundred different interpretations of His words be accepted, there will always be the same unbridgeable difference as there is between : “This is My body” and “This is not My body.” FATHER S. You are right. No one, who believes in Christ’s divinity could conceive how He could set the whole Christian world in uncertainty concerning a matter of supreme importance. On the other hand, there is every evidence that He meant actually to give “His flesh for the life of the world” : 1. We have seen that the Jews understood Him literally, left Him rather than believe,—but instead of recalling a word, Christ reiterated His utterance, and emphasized His clear words by an oath ; 2. At the Last Supper He used the plainest words that even JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 93 a God could employ, and since He was making His last will to man, He would not speak in obscure terms ; 3. That the apostles understood Him as Catholics do is evi- dent from I Cor. XP^He that eateth and drinketh unworthily, ~ eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord.” ' These words of Paul would have no meaning if Christ s actual and real body were not present in the Eucharist. How could one eat bread “unworthily?” How could he eat damnation to him- self by merely eating commemorative bread? How could he be blamed for “not discerning the body of the Lord,” if it were not there ? 4. The whole Christian world for fifteen centuries believed as Catholics do today ; so do all the Eastern Christian religions, which are one thousand years older than any form of Protestant- ism. The whole Church could not have been in error from the beginning. MR. J. Those are arguments irrefutable. But I am impress- ed even by the reasons which make the Holy Eucharist fitting. The big price paid by the Son of God to redeem the human soul is evidence that He prizes and loves it beyond description; and if there be no limit to God's personal love for the soul, it seems fit- ting that He should prepare a way for personal union with it; perfect love surely tends to union. FATHER S. That's right. After believing that the Son of God condescended to become man and to be murdered by man, it is not difficult to believe that He would go one step further and unite Himself to the soul that loves Him. It is far more difficult to believe in the Incarnation than, after believing in it, to believe in the Eucharist. We of the New Law were to have far more than the people who lived before Christ's coming. But if in the Eucharist, we have only bread representing Christ's body, we have far less than the Hebrew people of old ; they had real bread from Heaven (Manna) ; they ate real flesh in their communion services (the paschal lamb), which represented Christ’s flesh far better than bread and wine would. MR. J. I believe firmly that Christ actually gave His flesh and blood to the apostles, but surely not a portion of His body to one, and a portion to another? FATHER S. No. As Christ multiplied the presence o± the loaves, so He multiplied the presence of His body. Christ did not create new loaves, but miraculously rendered the same loaves present in different parts of the assemblage. The Bible distinctly says that the twelve baskets of fragments, gathered after all had eaten, were of the five loaves. In the same manner, Christ's liv- ing body, whole and entire, was received by each apostle. Biloca- tion, or the presence of an object in two or more places at once, is a characteristic of a spiritualized body, as Christ’s would be, and as the bodies of the saved will be, after the Resurrection. MR. J. Then, afterwards Christ empowered the apostles to effect the same change from bread and wine? Jr 94 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. FATHER S. Yes. Immediately after Christ gave Himself in holy communion to the apostles, He said: “Do ye this in com- memoration of Me;” “As often as you shall eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you shall remember the death of the Lord, until He come” (to the end of the world). MR. J. Hence the power to effect the Holy Eucharist, like other powers bestowed on the apostles, was to be transmitted to their successors, in order that Christ’s followers in every age might be equally favored? FATHER S. Exactly ;—but this touches on the Mass, which we shall take up in the next instruction. INSTRUCTION XXXIII. The Mass the Only Form of True Worship. FATHER S. Well, Mr. Jackson, our instruction tonight will be on the Mass. , MR. J. Very well; I shall be glad to know all about it, since I have been attending the same for several months. FATHER S. Considering that the Almighty is a Being in- finitely great, I presume it is plain to you that no form of worship could be too good for Him. MR. J. That’s clear. FATHER S. And since God is in a class by Himself, it seems that the honor due to Him should differ in quality from any- thing which we may bestow upon anyone else. MR. J. That is also plain ; the worship directed to Almighty God should be the highest, both in quality and quality. FATHER S. I am glad that you so readily perceive thisT\ We are accustomed to bestow different marks of honor even on people according to their rank. We merely bid the time of day to an acquaintance, but we clasp the hand of a friend and entertain him at our homes ; to honor the visit of a President we decorate our houses, we appoint committees to entertain him, acclaim him with cheers; yet we are still honoring a man. What homage would we bestow upon an angel of Heaven, one who is so far su- perior to a King or President? And even the most exalted angel and the whole assemblage of angels dwindle into insignificance when compared to their Creator, God. His majesty is infinite, and hence He can be honored adequately only by a worship of in- finite value ; and this no man is capable of inventing. Man’s best gifts and worship can never be more than finite. Hence we should surely expect that the Son of God before leaving earth would institute for His perfect religion a form of worship which would honor the Trinity as it deserves to be honored. MR. J. That certainly seems reasonable. FATHER S. But God can be worshipped adequately only by a God ; hence the Catholic teaching concerning the Mass is easy to accept. You know what this teaching is? JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 95 MR. J. That the Mass is a repetition of the unbloody offer- ing which Christ made of Himself at the Last Supper, with the difference that Christ then offered Himself with His own hands , whilst in the Mass He offers Himself through the hands of the priest. FATHER S. You grasp it all right.. Immediately after the Savior pronounced over the bread and wine the words which changed them into His body and blood, He said to the Apostles : “Do ye this.” They were to be God’s instruments for effecting the presence of Christ under the form of bread ; then, after He would be present, He would repeat the same offering of Himself to the Father, thus rendering in our name a worship of infinite value. MR. J. You call this worship “Sacrifice,” do you not? FATHER S. Yes. From the beginning of the world the form of worship known as sacrifice was the kind by which the Almighty was adored. You see, sacrifice contains an acknowledg- ment of the creature’s relationship to the Creator, as does no oth- er form ofworship. In sacrifice a visible object is offered to God, then destroyed, to denote that we owe everything to Him, and that we deserve to be destroyed because of our sins. The Old Law sacrifices were instituted by God Himself, but they were to be only figures or shadows of the great sacrifice of the New Law. Christ was called the “Lamb of God,” because in the Old Law a little lamb was daily immolated after the people prayed that God might regard it as loaded with their sins, and accept its life in lieu of the lives of the people. God saw in this figurative sacrifice His be- loved Son, burdened with the load of mankind’s sins, and slaught- ered in lieu of the real sinners, and hence it had value. MR. J. But I do not quite see how these bloody sacrifices are related to the Mass, though they seem to point clearly to the bloody murder of Christ on Calvary. FATHER S. You are right. I was only showing that the form of true worship of God was by sacrifice. The Old Law had bloody and unbloody sacrifices. For instance, in Genesis we read that Melchisedech, “a priest of the Most High God,” was accus- tomed to offer a sacrifice of bread and wine. This was also a figurative sacrifice. David (Ps. 109) fortold that Christ would be a “priest forever according to the rite of Melchisedech,” and St. Paul (Hebr. VII) refers to Christ as exercising the priesthood, foreshadowed by Melchisedech’s sacrifice. This priesthood was inaugurated by Jesus at the Last Supper, and its continuance pro- vided for “until He come” (namely at the end of the world) . David prophesied that Christ would be such a priest “forever;” another prophet foretold that the sacrifice would be offered in every place (Mai. I, 11) ; St. Paul calls the attention of the people of his day to it (I Cor. X, 16), and argues that this priesthood of Christ would be “everlasting” (Hebr. VII, 24). MR. J. It all becomes clear with a little explanation. 1 had supposed that the one immolation of Christ on Calvary set man- kind right with God, and gave to the Almighty the infinite wor- ship which His justice demanded. 96 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. FATHER S. You reasoned correctly as far as the atoning effect of that sacrifice was conecrned. But Christ having institu- ted His religion first of all for His Father’s glory, gave it a sacri- fice, by which His Heavenly Father would be fittingly honored every day until the end of the world. Then this same Son of God wished to dwell forever among men. The institution of the Mass made both these grand aims possible. MR. J. Christ’s wisdom and goodness are most evident in this great gift to His religion. Father, it is difficult not to become indignant when one thinks how many millions know nothing of this. As I see it the Heavenly Father is honored by every Mass with a worship of no less value than the Sacrifice of the Cross, be- cause the same Person, His beloved Son, does the worshipping. It is of secondary importance, whether the offering is bloody or un- bloody; the main consideration in worship is “Who worships?” and it is Christ in both cases. FATHER S. That’s correct. INSTRUCTION XXXIV. The Wonder Is That All Catholics Are Not Frequent Communicants. FATHER S. We have seen that the Mass is the divinely established sacrifice by which Christ’s followers were to worship God in the New Law. Had not the world this sacrifice of infinite value, it would be difficult to explain how the Almighty would tolerate the sin and the infidelity of the past nineteen centuries. The sins of man outweigh the good works of man, because the former are measured by the infinite dignity of a God, against whom they are directed. But Christ’s daily self-immolation on the altar, and His daily repeated prayer : “Father, forgive them,” render God’s mercy intelligible. MR. J. Yes, this consideration clears up a matter, which has often perplexed me. FATHER S. But the secondary purpose of the Mass is to render Christ persent under the form of food, in order that He might be “God with us,” and be for our souls the “bread of life.” You have read in the Catechism that according to the Council of Trent four especial effects are produced by Holy Communion? MR. J. Yes, Father; and I believe I can state them. FATHER S. Try it. MR. J. (1) It unites us intimately with Christ, and thereby produces a great increase of grace in the soul. This effect is seif evident ; because if all the sacraments impart grace, that one sure- ly does, which unites the soul personally with Christ. FATHER S. That’s good. Now, which are the other effects? MR. J. (2) It makes us more eager to do good and strength- ens our wills in that direction. FATHER S. Is that effect plain also? JACKSON” UNDER INSTRUCTION. 97 MR. J. It is. For after we are united to Jesus, and possess an abundance of grace, we should not only be careful not to be separated from Him, but eager to perform good works, which, when we already possess grace, bring additional grace. If bodily food strengthens us for physical work, this spiritual food must strengthen us for spiritual work. FATHER S. That’s correct also. Go ahead. MR. J. (3) It cleanses from venial sin and preserves from mortal sin. FATHER S. Do you see through this? MR. J. I think so. We fall into grievous sin because we are not strong enough to resist it. But with the divine help received from Holy Communion we should be stronger and better able to withstand temptation. Then if God removes venial sin even upon our heartfelt expression of sorrow, His entry into our hearts, filled with sorrow and love, should surely cancel the smaller sins. FATHER S. An excellent answer. Now for the fourth ef- fect. MR. J. (4) The one who receives Holy Communion worth- ily is promised a glorious resurrection and everlasting happiness with God in Heaven. FATHER S. You have no difficulty in accepting that? MR. J. It is the easiest declaration of all to believe. FATHERS. How so? MR. J. Well, if all who die in the state of grace are to be raised to life at the end of the world and enter Heaven with body and soul, those most certainly will be thus favored, whose bodies were made holy by visits of Jesus in Holy Communion It would hardly even seem fair for them to miss Heaven, provided they re- main true to Christ throughout life. Father S. I see that we shall never have to urge you to re- ceive Holy Communion often. MR. J. Do you find it ncessary to urge on any Catholic to receive ? FATHER S. Yes, unfortunately, we do. Some seem to have no relish for the Holy Eucharist ; they don’t receive oftener than once in three months : there are even some who will come to the Holy Table only once a year. MR. J. They must go that often to be regarded as Catholics, must they not ? FATHER S. Yes. MR. J. They certainly do not realize what they believe, or there would be more consistency between their belief and their practice. I should not even think that they would derive much benefit from Holy Communion, because surely Christ will do most for those who long for union with Him and accept His invitation to come to Him often. FATHER S. You reason rightly. Christ wanted to be for man’s soul what food is for his body,—a “daily bread.” The first Christians received Him daily, the Council of Trent urges people to receive every time they attend Mass, and Pius X asked that we 0g JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. admit children to Holy Communion at an early age, and then in- culcate on them the practice of weekly or even daily communion. MR. J. As I look at it, man should need no invitation, be- cause the benefits are all one-sided,—they are in favor of the one who receives ; man should regard it as his greatest privilege to receive. , . _ _ _ FATHER S. Is there anything under this head about our teaching and practice, which you want to know more about? MR. J. Yes, Father, one more thing. You do not give the people Holy Communion under the form of wine, do you? FATHER S. No. And that this is not necessary should be plain from the Catholic teaching that the Christ, in Heaven “Who can die no more/' is received. Therefore it is the living glorified Christ—body, blood, soul and divinity. The separate consecration at the Mass is necessary to denote Christ’s death, but since body and blood are not separated by an actual death, under whatsoever form Christ be present, He must be present whole and entire. Hence it cannot be necessary to receive under both forms. MR. J. I presume, then, that whilst the Church would not declare wrong the practice to give Holy Communion under both forms, she has adopted a course which is more prudent? t FATHER S. Exactly, and at the same time, a course which eliminates irreverence. In large parishes hundreds receive Holy Communion every Sunday, and many every day. If only one drop of the Precious Blood were spilled on the floor or cn the clothes ot the communicant, the stain would have to be removed with great care This constitutes the principal objection against Holy Com- munion under both forms. The scarcity of wine in some coun- tries, and the great cost for the quantity needed wherever Cath- olics are many, might be alleged. Prohibitionists cannot raise valid objections against Catholics demanding fermented wine for Communion service, because the laity do not receive under the form of wine. Of course, if Communion under the xorm of wine were yiecessary, none of those objections would have weight. But St. Paul tells us that it is not necessary: “Whosoever shall eat this bread or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty •yt the body and the blood of the Lord” (I Cor. XI, 27). MR. J. That’s plain enough. INSTRUCTION XXXV. Confession Is Easy to Believe In, Says Jackson. FATHER S. Now, Mr. Jackson, we shall give some study to Jie sacrament, which non-Catholics are most prejudiced against. MR. J. The Sacrament of Penance? FATHERS. Yes. MR. J. Outside the Holy Eucharist I regard it as the best thing Christ gave to His Church. JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 99 FATHER S. But most non-Catholics are not prepared to admit that Christ gave it at all. MR. J. That must be because of unreasonable prejudice, or because of a misunderstanding of the sacrament. FATHER S. Why does it so appeal to you? MR. J. Because the Church is to continue Christ's work, which was preeminently to remove sin, the only real obstacle to salvation. FATHER S. But they argue that the merits of Christ's death cover up the sins of the one who believes and trusts in his Savior. MR. J. That would mean that the believer is given greater liberty to sin than the unbeliever. How God could institute any plan of salvation in which sin might appear less grievous I can- not comprehend, because, by His very nature, God must abhor sin. FATHER S. That's logical, but a Protestant would answer you that confession is also necessary, but confession to God, not to man. MR. J. Well, that's the question at issue. I think the Cate- chism proves conclusively that delegates of God were to forgive sin in His name the same as they were to teach and baptize in His name. FATHER S. You are right. It has always been God's policy to deal with man through man. God gave His primitive revelation through the patriarchs and they were commissioned to impart the same to others. He gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, who was delegated to acquaint the people with them. He wrought His miracles through Moses. The Son of God became the Son of man, in order to establish His Church among men, and the Bible emphasizes the fact that He forgave sins as the “Son of Man," as a delegate of God. (Matt, ix.) When Saul was con- verted miraculously, Christ spoke to him, and when Saul asked: “Lord, what will Thou have me to do?" Christ answered: “Go to the city, to Ananias ; he will tell thee what to do." When the lepers implored Jesus to heal them, His condition was: “go show yourselves to the priest," etc. MR. J. Since God is in Heaven and His people on earth, and His Church is a divine institution through which the Holy Ghost acts on individual souls, it seems to me that sin should be removed by commissioned delegates of God on earth, they acting, of course, as the instruments of the Holy Ghost; because any one is aware that no man could forgive sins of His own power. To my mind, the Church would lack what she needs most, if she had no com- mission to remove sin. FATHER S. And there seems to be equal need for a sacra- ment to. forgive sins committed after baptism as for baptism it- self, which removes the sins committed prior to its reception. MR. J. Surely.. Why should God institute a sacrament to forgive sins a first time, if there were not another sacrament to forgive the sins committed after one is baptized? Then, man wants external conditions to comply with. When the ceremony *00 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. of baptism is performed we feel that our souls are cleansed Few of us would rest secure enough in a baptism of desire. So tor a feeling of security that the sins committed after baptism are for- given we want certain external requirements to comply with, it I were to confess to Almighty God, and not hear m an audible way that I am forgiven, I would not be satisfied. I might hope that I am forgiven, but I should want greater certainty m a mat- ter of so great importance. When I am told that I must examine my conscience, be truly sorry, confess my guilt, resolve to amend, and then, by a delegate of God, have words of absolution pro- nounced over me, I feel that I can go away happy. FATHER S. You reason well. MR J Then, it is somewhat natural to tell our conscience troubles to somebody, even if we have confessed to God. I know that I formerly begged God’s pardon for faults committed, but was not restful, until I told them to some friend also. FATHER S. That is true; many a non-Catholic unburdens himself to a priest, because he wants to tell some one, and has heard that the priest is not permitted to reveal what is connded to him as a confession. Qnl^_recenlty a gentleman sat down with me in the train, and after a halThour conversation said : You are used to hearing confessions, and I am going to tell you some things, which have been troubling me; I know that I shall feel better ” , MR J. I have studied the lesson on "Confession” thorough- ly and being convinced that Christ actually commissioned the Apostles to forgive sins in His name, and that the priest is bound to the strictest secrecy, I see everything in its favor. # . FATHER S. You do not believe, then, that the priest ever reveals anything he hears in confession? MR. J. No, because he would be violating a most sacred trust : only a devil would do that. . , _ , . FATHER S. Nor do you believe that the priest abuses the confessional to satisfy a curiosity? . . MR. J. No, unless he utterly lacked the Christ-like spirit. FATHER S. So sacredly is confession regarded that it my father had been recently murdered, and you confessed to me that you were the murderer, I would not be allowed to report you ; more than that, I would not be permitted to allude to. it, nor act differ- ently towards you, if you called at my house, immediately after the confession. Information, which I receive m the confessional, I am not allowed to use, to act on, nor to be influenced by at all. MR. J. This circumstance takes all fear away, and estab- lishes confidence. What more does a man want? FATHER S. Then we are not obliged to ask a single ques- tion in the confessional, and do not, unless we feel that the Pei^" tent has not properly examined his conscience. Our non-Catholic friends should get their information about the confessional from the people who go to confession, and not from the ones who find it profitable to misrepresent it. I presume you know that the priest himself goes to confession? JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 101 MR. J. I suppose he does, if he sins. FATHER S. Priests, bishops, and the pope go to confession often. Since the Sacrament of Penance, like the other sacra- ments, confers grace even when the penitent has but little to con- fess, it is to be supposed that even the holiest people go to con- fession frequently. Now would priests themselves go to con- fession, and would they go miles in bad weather, to hear the con- fessions of the sick, go even to the bedside of a man dying of small- pox or cholera, if they did not believe in the divine institution and the forgiving power of this sacrament? MR. J. They would be fools if they did. FATHER S. Before you go home today, I shall take you over to the church, and show you the confessional. Any of your Protestant friends are also welcome to examine it. They will find that it offers no occasion for evil, that the priest would not even know who is the peniteni unless he actually tried to look into his face,—which he does not. I did not intend to dwell so long on the reasonableness of the sacrament and on these many side issues, but probably it is good that I did. In our next instruction, we shall talk about the divine institution of the same. INSTRUCTION XXXVI. Scripture Proof for the Sacrament of Penance. Father S. Since you are so favorably disposed towards be- lief in a power within the Church to forgive sins, the Scripture authority for the same will have great weight. Do you know which passages in the New Testament might be quoted in support of the Sacrament of Penance? MR. J. I cannot quote the precise references, but I believe St. John speaks of the direct institution of this sacrament. FATHER S. Yes. In chapter XX, verses 21, 22, 23, St. John tells of our Savior's appearance to the Apostles on the day of His Resurrection, when He greeted them with words He had never used before : “Peace be to you." From the time of Adam’s sin until Christ’s death on the cross, God and man were not at peace; but by His death, Jesus established peaceable relations. After repeating the greeting “Peace be to you,’’ the Savior trans- ferred to the Apostles the great mission which He descended from Heaven to perform : “As the Father hath sent Me, so do I send you." MR. J. And if Christ had not uttered another word, any unbiased mind would have to concede that the power to forgive sins was contained in that commission. FATHER S. Explain yourself. MR. J. Well, was not Christ sent by the Father primarily to reconcile man with God by removing sin? FATHER S. Surely. By His words and parables He made that plain. “I came not to call the just, but the sinners to pern 102 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. A ance;” “He that is well needeth not a physician, but he that is sick ;” “I was sent to save the lost sheep.” In the parables of the “Prodigal Son,” of the “Good Samaritan,” of the “Good Shep- herd,” etc., He taught that His mission was to call to repentance and to forgive the individual sinner. MR. J. Well now, if that was Christ's mission, and He ex- pressly stated that He was transferring the same to the Apostles would I not be justified in concluding from the words quoted from St. John, that the Apostles were empowered to forgive sin? FATHER S. You certainly would. But the plainer declar- ation of Christ following immediately upon these words removes all doubt from you, does it? MR. J. Most assuredly. St. John then tells how Christ pre- pared them for that office : “When Fie had said this, He breathed 07i them, and He said to them: “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” To my mind this was so significant that Protestants should see thru ;die institution of the Sacrament of Penance with their eyes shut. The word “Spirit” means breath; by breathing on the Apostles Christ communicated to them the Holy Spirit; in fact He express- ly says so : “Receive ye the Holy Ghost,” whilst m the act ot breathing on them. This was evidently to empower them to ful- fill their God-given mission. Then pursuant to these words and this act came the clearest transfer of power: “Whose sms you shall forgive they are forgiven them, and whose sms you shall re- tain, they are retained.” A man who cannot be convinced by the argument contained in this passage of Scripture surely does not want to be convinced. . . FATHER S. You had better become a missionary to non- Catholics, Mr. Jackson. Mr. J. I wish I could. FATHER S. What if your Protestant friends should argue that whilst Christ did confer such a mission on the Apostles, He promised nothing to bishops and priests of a later age? MR. J. It would be a silly objection. I would not care whet- her successors of Apostles were called “bishops and priests .or whether they were called by some other name. Christ surely in- tended that His work of absolving repentant sinners should be continued until the end of the world. Following the.death ot the Apostles, others must succeed to this office, otherwise one must admit that the Church of Christ was to endure only through one generation of people. . „i FATHER S. This should be patent to everybody. The rem- edy for sin must last as long as the disease, sin, exists in the world, and that will be until the world’s end. There is a scripture text, which shows so well that the Apostles were to exercise the power of Christ to remove sin : “He hath reconciled the world to Himselt through His Son, and hath committed to us the ministry of recon- ciliation” (2 Cor. V, 18) . > MR. J. I don’t need further Scripture proof, Father. FATHER S. Have you ever heard that Catholics pay for the forgiveness of sin? .Jackson under instruction. 103 MR. J. Yes, Father; but I was never fool enough to believe it. FATHER S. Then I presume you have also heard that Cath- olics may run to confession, be absolved, and start out to commit new sins—much like a child can fill his slate with figures, erase them, then fill it up again? MR. J. I have heard that; I have even heard that sins are forgiven in advance, and that license to sin may be granted by the Pope or priest. FATHER S. Yes, this is the Protestant conception of “In- dulgences,” which we shall take up in our next instruction. INSTRUCTION XXXVII. An Instruction on Indulgences. FATHER S. Tonight our instruction will be on the much- misunderstood doctrine of “Indulgences.” I should like to know whether you fully grasp the significance of Indulgences from the Catechism explanation. MR. J. No, Father, I do not. I can define the term, but am not real clear on the subject. FATHER S. It might be best for me to explain first that the conception which the generality of non-Catholics have of In- dulgences is most erroneous. MR. J. What do they believe to be the Church’s teaching? FATHER S. Most of them suppose that an Indulgence is a pardon of sin for money, or even a license to commit sin. MR. J. I told you the other night that I had heard this, but do you really think that they entertain such notions? FATHER S. I am sure of it; recently an aged minister, one who preached for thirty-five years, but who is now drawing a pen- sion as a superannuated minister, told me that the universally ac- cepted definition of “Indulgence” by the non-Catholic world is “a license to sin for a remuneration.” MR. J. Where did they get such ideas? FATHER S. Well, they contend that the so-called Reforma- tion of the Sixteenth century was occasioned by the sale of and traffic in Indulgences ; this is evidence that they are, or were, sold. Then the plain meaning of the word “Indulgence” is, they say, “a yielding to excess,” “a favor granted,” “a license.” Therefore it is a license to sin for a contribution of money. MR. J. How do you answer their charge? FATHER S. The ecclesiastical meaning of the Latin word “Indulgentia” means “pardon,” but not a pardon of sin, much less a license to sin. In fact, it has no reference to sin at all, which is pardoned by the worthy reception of the sacrament of penance. MR. J. Now I am seeing through part of the Catechism definition : it is not a pardon of sin, but of temporal punishment 104 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. due to sin forgiven. However, what is meant by “temporal pun- ishment” still due after the sins are forgiven? FATHER S. Let us suppose a case: You have committed a grievous sin, which renders you liable to eternal punishment. But you sincerely repent of and confess the sin, receive absolution, etc. MR. J. Yes. Father. FATHER S. By your good confession the guilt of the mortal sin was removed, and also the eternal punishment, which you de- served. But you are not sure that your sorrow was as earnest and intense as God would have from you. Possibly He would show His displeasure by sending you a little misfortune, or, if you died after your confession, you might be punished for a brief period in Purgatory. This would be the temporal punishment deserved for your sin. The temporal punishment might ^be averted by jpenaces, good works, prayers, etc.; but by “Indulgense” the Church applies to your soul the merits of Christ for the complete expiation of your fault. A Scripture example will make the case clearer. We read in the Bible that Moses w^as denied his great longing to reach the Promised Land, even after God had assured him that his sin of distrust was forgiven. This was a temporal punishment sent after his sin was repented of and forgiven. Again, David, many of whose psalms are outbursts of repentance for two grievous sins he committed, received assurance from God, through the prophet Nathan, that his crimes were forgiven, but that nevertheless his son would be taken from him. This was to be his temporal punishment. MR. J. The fact of temporal punishment being sent for sins committed, even after the same are forgiven, is plain enough to me now. And if this punishment be not sent here, or be not re- moved by penance or good works, it will be inflicted in Purgatory. FATHER S. Yes. unless remitted through the application of Christ’s merits to the soul by the Church, by the grant of an Indulgence. MR. J. The Indulgence is not granted at the time of con- fession? FATHER S. No ; the Church attaches Indulgences to certain prayers, or good works, which, if performed by a person who is in the state of grace and otherwise properly disposed, become ef- fective. You have seen in the Catechism than an Indulgence is either Plenary or Partial : that is, it is either calculated to remove all or only part of the temporal punishment. Partial Indulgences are usually attached to prayers, whilst for a Plenary Indulgence it is nearly always required that the person receive Holy Com- munion and pay a visit to the church, where he must say some prayers for the success of God’s interests on earth, especially as they are in the mind of the Pope. . MR. J. Compliance with such conditions always secures the Plenary Indulgence? FATHER S. Not always. If the person be somewhat at- tached to the sin for which temporal punishment would be sent, JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 105 if his sorrow be not sufficiently intense, he would not gain the In- dulgence in all its fullness. MR. J. Since an Indulgence can be gained only after the per- son’s sins are wholly forgiven, if a Plenary Indulgence be actually gained before one’s death, thjit one escapes Purgatory, and is sure of immediate entrance into Heaven; am I correct? FATHER S. Yes. MR. J. And money is never paid for an Indulgence? FATHER S. No; as I have said, works of penance, prayers, visits to a church, etc., may be among the conditions connected with the grant of Indulgence; and since the Bible recommends alms as a work pleasing to God, the offering of an alms might be asked, but not in return for the Indulgence. Remember that a per- son who has not confessed and repented of his sin could not gain an Indulgence for any amount of prayers, alms and good works. Let us refute the case of “Indulgence-traffic,” which the so-called Reformers accused the Church of. , Pope Leo X, at the beginning of the Sixteenth century, when all Europe was Catholic, decided to erect in Rome a cathedral church such as should exist in the capital city of the Christian world. He intended to ask for small contributions from Catholics throughout Europe, and issued a grant of a Plenary Indulgence to all who should pray for the suc- cess of the cause, go to confession and receive Holy Communion worthily, and contribute an alms towards the erection of the great cathedral. v Now any instructed Catholic knows that the Indulg- ence could not be given in return for an alms, no matter how great, without the previous confession and communion. I have told you that even today, some good work, such as visiting a church, is re- quired for the gaining of a Plenary Indulgence, even after con- fession and Communion. The good work specified in that instance was an alms, but the papal letter (bull) expressly declared that the poor could gain the same Indulgence by performing good works of another nature. MR. J. To me this instance is much the same as the frequent announcements from Protestant pulpits that Almighty God will grant special favors and blessings to those who contribute for home or foreign missionary work. FATHER S. It was quite the same. But to explain the grounds for the non-Catholic contention that Indulgences were sold : At that time there was no telegraph service, there were no daH^ newspapers to acquaint the people of Europe with the de- sire of Rome. It had to be done by sending preachers to the sev- eral countries. John Tetzel, head of the Dominican order of priests, was commissioned to preach the Indulgence in Germany. It might be that uninstructed Catholics thought that the Indul- gence was given in return for their alms ; we shall even grant for sake of argument that Tetzel himself abused his charge, but that would not implicate the Church. It would never have justified Luther, of the Augustinian order of priests, to repudiate his vows, and attack the Church. MR. J. No; John Tetzel was not the Catholic Church, 106 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. INSTRUCTION XXXVIII. Extreme Unction, a Sacrament for the Dangerously Sick. FATHER S. The Catholic Church has divine helps to bene- fit the soul from the cradle to the grave. It administers a sacra- ment to the babe soon after its birth, and after caring for her children all through life, it has a sacrament for them, often called the “last sacrament,” when the doctor pronounces them danger- ously sick. Do you know the name of this sacrament ? MR. J. Yes, Father : Extreme Unction. FATHER S. Do you know how it is administered? MR J. I know the description which the Catechism gives, but I cannot well picture to myself the manner of its admimstra- tl0n *FATHER S. Well, the priest anoints the sick person with oil which is consecrated once a year for this sacrament by the bishop. The oil is applied in the form of a cross to his closed eyes, to his ears, nose, lips, hands and feet, whilst the anointing is ac- companied by a prayer that God might forgive whatever sms might have been committed through these five senses. . MR. J. This like the other sacraments must have been insti- tuted by Christ. Does the Bible make any reference to the prac- tice of anointing the sick? _ /tt ia FATHER S. Yes. In the Epistle of St. James (V, 14, 15), we read: “Is any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith shall save the sick man, and the Lord shall raise him up ; and if he be m sins, they shall be forgiven him.” » . , 9 MR. J. I wonder why Christ chose oil for this sacrament . FATHER S. Because Extreme Unction was to act spiritually as oil does materially : it strengthens and heals. The Good Samaritan poured oil on the wounds of the man who had fallen among robbers. . . MR J. If I understand its effects correctly, they are these . (1) Extreme Uncticn confers an increase of grace like other sacraments; (2) it even remits sins. ., , ,, FATHER S. Yes ; it does this for the soul, besides strength- mine* the sick person against temptations which assail the dying, ind comforting him in his last illness. But it often assists great- ly toward recovery. It is a preparation for death, if God will i hat the person should die, and it hastens a restoration of heal , if God be pleased to let the person recover. Every priest can re- late numerous instances of immediate changes for the bettei m the condition of the sick after they received Extreme Unction. MR J Therefore, when the priest is called to administer Extreme Unction, the Catholic does not conclude that he is surely )o die? JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 107 FATHER S. Not at all, though some Catholics do surmise this, and their foolish relatives do not send for the priest until sure signs of impending death are evident. MR. J. At what stage of one’s sickness should Extreme Unction be given? FATHER S. Just as soon as the doctor pronounces the sick- ness dangerous, even if he have hope of curing his patient. MR. J. But only the dangerously sick may receive it? FATHER S. Yes ; only those who are in danger of death by illness or accident. MR. J. How old must the person be? FATHER S. Any one who is capable of sinning should re- ceive it, since Extreme Unction completes the work of confession. Usually the sick, because of pain, or half-consciousness, are un- able to make a complete confession ; and Extreme Unction remits the sins which the sick person was unable to confess. MR. J. Extreme Unction may be given only once to the same person ? FATHER S. Only once in the same sickness ; but should the person recover and later be stricken again with a different or the same ailment, Extreme Unction may be given again. MR. J. Has the Church any other help for the dying? FATHER S. Yes ; the Church empowers the priest to impart a Plenary Indulgence by what she calls a “last blessing,” but this is not effective if the person should recover. After receiving this blessing the dying person kisses the crucifix and pronounces verbally, if / pssible, or at least in his heart, the name “Jesus.” MR. J. I presume that certain things must be prepared for Extreme U /tion in the room of the sick person? FATHER S. Yes. There should be a stand or table near the foot of the bed, covered with a clean cloth, and on the table a light- ed candle, crucifix, holy water, cotton, and a little salt or piece of bread. MR. J. What is the bread or salt for? FATHER S. The priest cleanses his thumb from the holy oli by means of this, after which the bread or cotton is burned. MR. J. Is Extreme Unction preceded by Holy Communion? FATHER S. Yes, though not always immediately. We might confer Extreme Unction in the afternoon or evening and bring Holy Communion the next morning. MR. J. What preparation is made at the home when Holy Communion is to be brought to the sick? FATHER S. The table is prepared in the same manner as for Extreme Unction, with this exception : no cotton nor bread is needed ; but there should be a glass of water and a spoon ; more- over, a napkin is placed under the chin of the sick person. 108 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. INSTRUCTION XXXIX. Holy Orders Necessary for Continuation of Christ’s Work in the World. FATHER S. Tonight we shall give some study to the sacra- ment, which is presupposed for the possible reception of most of the other six. MR. J. Holy Orders? FATHER S. Yes. You see no one could forgive sins except by delegated power ; no one could effect Transubstantiation with- out being empowered by a divine commission. Hence it was neces- sary for Christ to institute a sacrament, whereby the authority and power needed to represent Him among people and to carry on His identical work would be conferred. MR. J. I see ; no one could become a self- appointed priest, and presume to forgive sins, etc. FATHER S. Certainly not. Christ said to His Apostles: “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you” (John XV, 16) ; and St. Paul says: “Neither doth any man take the honor to him- self, but he that is called by God, as Aaron was” (Hebr. V, 4) . MR. J. When did Christ institute the sacrament of Holy Orders? „ . . TT . FATHER S. At the Last Supper, when, after exercising His priesthood “according to the order of Melchisedech,” He com- municated the same to the Apostles : “Do ye this in commemor- ation of Me.” Then on the day of His Resurrection, He empower- ed His Apostle-priests to forgive sin in His name : “Whose sms ye shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and whose sins ye shall re- tain, they are retained.” Finally, immediately before His return to Heaven, He commissioned them to teach and baptize in His MR. J. Is there any record of the Apostles conferring Holy Orders on others? FATPIER S. Yes, numerous instances are mentioned m the Bible. In Acts XIII, 3, we read of the Apostles consecrating Paul and Barnabas bishops, and 2 Tim. I, 6, tells of Paul elevating Timothy to the same dignity. Then Paul writing to Titus, says : “For this cause I left thee in Crete, that thou . . . shouldst ordain priests in every city, as I also appointed thee” (Tit. I, 5). Read also Acts XIV, 22. . _ . MR. J. In what manner is the sacrament conferred? FATHER S. A Bishop, who himself is a legitimate successor of the Apostles, lays his hands on the candidate for ordination, calls down upon him the Holy Ghost, anoints his hands, and pre- sents him with the sacred vessels and missal used at the Mass. These actions are accompanied by words which convey the com- mission of the priesthood, and, of course, are only the principal parts of a long ceremony. JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 10S MR. J. How long is the course of training preparatory to Holy Orders? FATHER S. Usually twelve years. MR. J. How old must one be to receive this sacrament? FATHER S. Twenty-four; though a dispensation from one to fourteen months may be obtained. MR. J. The student has to begin his studies pretty young, then ? FATHER S. Well, one may be ordained at any age after twenty-four. But yes, many boys begin their studies for the priesthood soon after they finish the common grades of school. They are good boys then, and perseverance and growth in vir- tue until ordination day become natural and easy. MR. J. What are some of the obligations of the priesthood? Of course, I know that the priest is bound to remain unmarried. FATHER S. Yes; we touched on the obligation of celibacy before. In addition, the priest obligates himself to recite the breviary daily. MR. J. What's that? FATHER S. It is a collection of psalms and other scripture reading, of prayers, and beautiful lessons from the lives of saints, etc. This alone takes up over an hour of the priest's time every day ; he holds public services not only on Sunday, but every day in the week, which is preceded by private prayer. Most priests who must usually be up early, do not get their breakfast until nine o'clock, and on Sundays they must keep a strict fast until noon, no matter how arduous be the morning work. MR. J. The Protestant ministers must not subject them- selves to this inconvenience? FATHER S. No; the reason the priest must fast is that he receives Holy Communion during the Mass. MR. J. Any other burdensome duties? FATHER S. Many other duties; for instance, he must be ready to go on a sick-call at any hour and to any patient, no mat- ter if the dying person be quarantined against everybody else. Then in large parishes, he must hear confessions for hours every Saturday and on other days of the month; and this is really a burden of the priesthood, no matter how non-Catholics may view it. It goes without saying that he must deny himself many world- ly amusements. MR. J. I presume, too, that because of his self-consecration to God’s work, he feels that he has considerable responsibility? FATHER S. Precisely; he feels in a measure responsible for every soul committed to his care, and is pained when"any one of them leaves the path of virtue. Of course be abundant consolation nevertheless. 110 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. INSTRUCTION XL. Christian Marriage One of the Seven Sacraments. FATHER S. Every unmarried person should wish to be Cenversanl with the attitude of the cnurches towards marriage, "ahcTihouid particularly be desirous of knowing how the oldest Christian Church—the Church which did all the marrying for .enturies—views the marriage union. MR. J. That is true, because so very much is at stake. FATHER S. The Catholic Church contends that God Him- self is the author of the marriage bond, and that both parties to the contract are held to the same until death. _ , . MR J. This consideration alone makes it the most serious of all contracts. If I make a bad bargain in buying a house, or m accepting a position, I can try another deal, but if I ac J eP| a certain person as my marriage-partner, I must keep her, whether I continue to like her or not. . . _ ,, , FATHER S. Our first impression might be that this is ex- pecting too much of one, but it must be remembered that if A - mighty God calls a person to the married state, _ He must supply the right partner, provided said person make himself wortny of \ht same. God cannot be inconsistent ; therefore, He cannot per- mit people to be led into unhappiness through marriage, if they ^ ^MR. J. Does the Bible speak of God as the author of mar- iag< FATHER S. Yes: In the book of Genesis, II, 22-24, we reao of God uniting Adam and Eve to be /‘two in one flesh. And m Matt. XIX, 6, and Mark X, 9, Christ is reported as saying that it is God who “joins together” the two who are validly married. MR. J. But, of course, marriage was not a sacrament until the * No ; only baptized people can receive any sacrament, and baptism was instituted by Christ. MR. J. Well, is marriage always a sacrament for baptized people^THER yes. Christ elevated marriage to the dignity of a sacrament, for all those capable of receiving a sacrament. MR. J. Does the Bible allude to the sacred character of Cl11 Father S. g it does. St. Paul, speaking of Christian mar- riage says* “This is a great sacrament ; but I speak in Cnrist, and Church” (Eph V, 32). Then John II, 1, 2, tells us of Christ accepting an invitation to the marriage in Cana at the very beginning of His ministry. He evidently was there the fact that the marriage ceremony should have a religious char- acter, and that God should always be invited to witness and bless the marriage union. JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. Ill MR. J. Is there also Bible authority for the lasting character of the marriage contract? FATHER S. The strongest and most emphatic: “What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder” (Matt. XIX, 6) ; “Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, com- mitteth adultery against her” (Mark X, 11) ; “Everyone that put- teth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery; and he that marrieth her that is put away from her husband, com- mitteth adultery” (Luke XVI, 18) ; “A woman is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband die, she is at liberty” (I Cor. VII, 39). MR J. So there may be no separation for any cause? FATHER S. Separation, for good reasons, is allowable, but the privilege to remarry is not allowed. St. Matthew (V, 32) mentions unfaithfulness as a reason for separation; and many Protestants understand him to mean that absolute divorce might be granted for that cause, but the other plain declarations, which we have just quoted, prove that separation only can be referred to by St. Matthew. From the time of the Apostles until the rise of Protestantism—1,500 years later—the privilege to remarry after separation was never tolerated. MR. J. I have often heard that the Catholic Church defend- ed the marriage bond, even against Kings. FATHER S. Yes, she had to do it to be loyal to Almighty God. The Church can stretch or change her own laws, but is never permitted to tamper with the laws of God Almighty. Hence, even when a King of England threatened to sever a whole nation from the Church unless he were given the permission to repudiate his lawful wife and marry another, the Church denied him his request. MR. J. Then the divorce laws of the different states, and the divorce courts of thousands of counties cannot grant what they actually pretend? FATHER S. Surely not ; a couple validly married in the eyes of God remains validly married despite any laws of man which pretend to annul the marriage. MR. J. That is a terrible indictment, because thousands of divorces are granted in our country every year. FATHER S. Yes, fully 100,000; divorces have been grow- ing three times as fast as our population, until we now have as many divorces as all the rest of the Christian nations combined. MR. J. Is it true that the Catholic Church does not recog- nize as valid any marriage which the priest does not perform? FATHER S. It is not true. The Church legislates only for her own children. For them marriage is a sacrament, and hence should be contracted before the priest, who is the proper person to administer sacraments. MR. J. What is required of Catholics who wish to get mar- ried ? FATHER S. They are required to call on the parish priest* at least three weeks before the date set for the marriage, in ordei 112 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. to have the banns (announcement) published in Church on three consecutive Sundays. Then they are to be married by the parish priest in the presence of two witnesses. MR. J. What if the man and lady belong to two separate parishes ? FATHER S. Then the banns are to be published at both churches, but the marriage-ceremony should take place in the church which the lady attends. MR. J. Marriages are always held in the morning, are they not? FATHER S. The Church wishes her children to be married in connection with a “Nuptial Mass,” and, of course, Mass may be said only in the morning. MR. J. The idea of being present at a Mass immediately following the marriage is grand. FATHER S. Not only is the couple present at Mass, but the Mass is said for them, and whilst Jesus is personally present on the altar, He is implored to bless the union and make it enduring and happy. Moreover, the bride and groom are fasting and re- ceive Jesus as their first food that morning. MR. J. That kind of a wedding surely resembles the mar- riage of Cana, at which Jesus was present, to bless. FATHER S. It surpasses the marriage of Cana, for Christ had not elevated marriage to a sacrament nor did He feed that couple with His own flesh and blood. The Catholic pair is mar- ried when in the state of grace, and the marriage is a sacrament, which confers grace and imparts heavenly aid for the easy fulfill- ment of marriage duties, etc. MR. J. It could not be improved on, Father. I surely would not wish to be married in any other way. INSTRUCTION XLI. The Purpose of Sacramentals. FATHER S. Well, Mr. Jackson, we are nearing the end of our instructions. I am glad that you were so interested in the treasures which the Church possesses in the seven sacraments. To- night our lesson will be on the “Sacramentals,” which, as the wTord implies, must bear a certain likeness to the sacraments. MR. J. Yet there is a considerable difference between the two, according to the catechism. _ FATHER S. That’s correct. Do you know the principal dif- ference ? MR. J. Yes, Father ; the sacraments were instituted by Christ Himself, whilst the Church is the author of the sacramentals. FATHER S. Any other difference? . . v MR. J. Yes; the sacraments give or increase sanctifying grace, whilst sacramentals do not. FATHER S. What are the sacramentals for, then? JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 113 MR. J. The pious use of them disposes the person for grace. FATHER So A clearer way of expressing the difference might be as follows: The sacraments were instituted for the ex- press purpose of conveying sanctifying grace to the soul, and hence always produce their effect on the soul, if the obstacle of mortal sin be not there. Of course, you are aware, that even mortal sin is no obstacle to the workings of Baptism and Penance. Granting the state of grace in the soul, the sacraments produce their effect even apart from any pious disposition in the recip- ient; but the efficacy of the sacramentals depends mostly on the pious sentiments which move the person to use them. MR. J. The number of sacraments, therefore, is fixed for all time; but the Church might introduce new sacramentals? FATHER S. That inference is correct. Now enumerate some of the sacramentals. MR. J. Well, I believe that certain approved prayers should lead the list. The Lord’s Prayer is mentioned in the catechism; then the “Sign of the Cross.” Next come things blessed by the Church, such as Holy Water, Candles, Palms, Ashes. FATHER S. That is sufficient. Now tell me how the use of these things excite pious’ sentiments, which move God to be- stow grace. MR. J. When making the Sign of the Cross, we are moved to gratitude for the great blessings of the Incarnation and Re- demption, and glorify the Trinity; in using Holy Water, we are reminded of the need of being cleansed more from sin; the lighted blessed candle, in the hands of a dying person, for in- stance, revives his faith, and sends his thoughts heavenward. FATHER S. You have the correct conception of sacramen- tals. But there is one more effect, which should be noted. In the blessing of things to be used as sacramentals the Church first exorcises the objects; that is, she prays that they might be with- drawn completely from any power which the evil spirit, accord- ing to the Bible, has over creatures ; then she prays, . that, on the contrary, the blessed objects might have a power against the devil and his temptations. Hence, the pious use of sacramentals is salutary against temptations. MR. J. Is there any biblical warrant for such sacramentals as Holy Water, etc.? FATHER S. There is an abundance of it. In the Old Law, which Christ came not to destroy, but to fulfill, the use of many blessed objects was of obligation, such as holy water, salt, oil, etc. Read Numb. V, 17; Levit. XIV, 51; Job XLII, 6; Dan. IX, 3; Exod. XXX, 31, 35; Levit. II, 13. St. Paul says: “Every crea- ture ... is sanctified by the word of God and prayer” (I Tim, IV, 4, 5). 114 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. INSTRUCTION XLII. The Necessity and Benefits of Prayer, FATHER S. We have seen that the sacraments are the great sources or means of grace. They were instituted by Jesus Christ to convey the merits of His passion and death to individ- ual souls. But there is another means of grace, which all people Catholic and Protestant, Jew and Gentile, are obliged to make frequent use of: it is Prayer. MR. J. Yes, I presume that every human being is under obligation to show his dependence on his Creator, no matter what his views might be concerning the demands of such Creator. FATHER S. That is true; no duty is more imperative than that of prayer, and there is nothing of which man stands in greater need. MR. J. What of those who know not how to pray? FATHER S. It is difficult to conceive of such a person, if he have the use of reason and believe in the existence of a Su- preme Being. One need not be educated in order to pray; you might not understand the meaning of a form of words uttered by an illiterate person, but God surely does: He reads the per- son's thoughts and intentions. MR. J. I hadn't looked at the matter in that light, but it sounds very reasonable. FATHER S. St. Augustine says: “Begin to pray well, and you will cease to sin ; cease to pray, and you will begin to sin." Many prayerbooks are called “The Key of Heaven," because prayer is the key by which we can open the treasures of God's graces and favors. It is the established means of communication with God. Just as I can send a message from New York to San Francisco and reach any given person in that populous city, so I can send a message to my Heavenly Father, and receive a favor- able answer. Prayer resembles the wireless message, and just as government employees at wireless stations must keep in con- stant touch with Washington, so should we be in constant com- munication with God. The words, spoken or sung, over thqRadia, are heard even by people thousands of miles away. So we can never be too far away from God to be heard. MR. J. You are making the idea of prayer appear beautiful. FATHER S. It is beautiful, and if people only realized the power and the pleasure of prayer, they would use it more regu- larly. MR. J. Do you mean to say that all prayers are heard ? FATHER S. Yes: all prayers said in the proper spirit are heard. We might not receive the precise favor we ask for nor reap the benefits of our prayer at once, but.no prayer is altogeth- er lost ; it will bring us some return, sometime. MR. J. What a consolation ! FATHER S. God understands our needs better than we do, and hence will not grant what might appear to us to be good, but JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 115 what He knows would really be harmful to our spiritual welfare. MR. J. Prayers need not be long? FATHER S. No; God cares rather for quality than for quantity. MR. J. Nor they need not be the approved prayers, such as the Lord’s Prayer and Hail Mary? FATHER S. No: these prayers have a great value because they came from Heaven and bear the Church’s highest endorse- ment, but we are likely to say with distraction prayers which we know by heart; hence it is good to pray also in our own words, such as spontaneously spring from the heart. MR. J. Prayers said from memory, I imagine, cannot be worth much, if the mind be not on them. FATHER S. Well, if the distractions be not wilful, the prayer has value. In fact, when we must struggle with distrac- tions in order to pray well, our prayer has a very great value, because of the greater effort it costs us to pray. * MR. J. In case we pray long for a special favor without re- ceiving the same, does that mean that we should cease asking for that particular thing? FATHER S. No; even the saints prayed for years for cer- tain favors before the requests were granted. In that event our prayers accumulate, pile mountain-high, and, as it were, take Heaven by storm ; then the answer will be far beyond our expec- tation, because of having been so long withheld. MR J. Which is the highest form of prayer? FATHER S. Worship of God; its object is to please God first, and benefit us second. By worship we feel our littleness and God’s majesty; we acknowledge His supreme dominion over us, and our entire dependence on Him. MR. J. What is next in order? "FATHER S. Thanksgiving ; by this we give God all the credit for the big and little blessings with which our daily lives are filled ; by it, too, we subordinate self to God. MR. J. Therefore, petition for assistance in which there is principally selfishness, is the lowest form of prayer? FATHER S. Exactly. There is one other form of prayer, which is loftier than petition : it is that of Reparation, whereby we express our regret at having offended God, and determine to serve Him better. Then petition might be concerned about both spiritual and temporal favors. That which importunes God for spiritual help is to be rated higher than that which seeks only worldly assistance. MR. J. I imagine that more prayers for temporal favors go forth to God than of all other kinds. FATHER S. That is true, and it explains why God does not seem to hearken to them. Many people are beggars only; they pray only when they are in need of temporal assistance. They are not concerned about God’s honor and glory, nor about their own soul; when things go smoothly with them in worldly mat- ters, they forget all about God, and what they owe to Him. 116 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. MR. J. Yet I suppose they are the most impatient ones, if they are not heard at once? FATHER S. Your surmise is correct.—Now let me show you how the Lord’s Prayer subordinates man’s needs to God’s great designs, and how spiritual help must be considered before temporal assistance. INSTRUCTION XLIII. The Beauties of the Lord’s Prayer and the Hail Mary. THE LORD’S PRAYER. FATHER S. In our instruction on “Prayer,” I stated thijfc I would show that the Lord’s Prayer was a perfect model for our prayers to copy. Brief as it is, it contains worship of God, peti- tions for the furtherance of the great interests of the Almighty, and for our own spiritual and temporal needs.' Its opening words inspire confidence : “Our Father, Who art in Heaven.” MR. J. That sentiment is certainly beautiful ; it represents the child, who is an exile on earth, lifting his mind and heart to an all-powerful, all-loving Father, Who is in Heaven, yet intensely interested in the welfare of His helpless child on earth. FATHER S. Then it represents the child deeply concerned about the honor and glory of that Heavenly Father : hallowed be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom come,” etc. MR. J. I do not know what the word “hallowed” means. FATHER S. It is an old English word, meaning “honored”; the petition put in other words would be : “May Thy holy name be honored (revered) by Thy creatures.” MR. J. In these days of profanity and blasphemy, such a petition is certainly in order. FATHER S. Those four words, therefore, are a prayer both of petition and reparation. MR. J. I am not sure that I grasp the full significance of the other three-word petition : “Thy Kingdom come.” FATHER S. God’s Kingdom on earth is His Church, which He wishes to come to all people of all nations, in order that, through its help, people might come into eternal possession of His Kingdom in Heaven. MR. J. How significant ! These three words contain a prayer which is concerned about the highest interests both of God and man. FATHER S. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” What love is contained in these words! They ask that we on earth might so love God and serve Him as His angels and saints in Heaven do. MR J. When people are prompted to pray in their own words, they probably seldom think of petitioning for the further- ance of the great interests of God ; but I see not only the proprie- JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 117 ty of this, but how it disposes the one at prayer for a favorable hearing. FATHER S. That’s true. Our own petty interests, no matter how important they appear to be to us, are not worthy of consideration as compared to the great interests which God Al- mighty has in this world. In our prayers God should figure first, then we. MR. J. I comprehend what you mean by saying that the Lord’s Prayer is a model prayer. FATHER S. Now come petitions in our own behalf in the second part of the prayer : “Give us our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” MR. J. Since all the other petitions are so condensed, I won- der why*the words “this day” are used, since the same sentiment would be expressed by the words “Give us our daily bread.” FATHER S. No, the same sentiment would not be express- ed; the words “this day” were designedly used. Christ would emphasize the requirement of daily prayer. We pray for the needs of today : should we want God’s blessings tomorrow, they are worth asking for again. MR. J. I shall take back my remark. FATHER S. It should be unnecessary to remind you that the word “bread” here is not to be taken in its narrowest mean- ing ; it stands for “all our needs,” and, of course, in Christ’s mind the spiritual needs were foremost. . St Cyprian says: “Every day we ask for our daily bread, which is Jesus Christ”; and St. Ambrose declares: “The Eucharist is our daily bread.” MR. J. In the next petition, I presume the word “tresspass” means sin. FATHER S. Yes; we ask God to forgive us on the ground that we forgive the offences which others direct against us.. We, therefore, include love of neighbor in our prayer, which is the surest way to win love and favors from God. I think the balance of the prayer is sufficiently plain, Mr. Jackson. MR. J. Yes, Father ; and I shall try to pattern all my own prayers after that divinely composed prayer, the “Our Father ; that is, I shall first place myself humbly and with recollection in the presence of my Heavenly Father. Then I shall pray for the realization of His great interests in this world, before begging in my own behalf. Furthermore, I shall subordinate my tem- poral to my spiritual interests. FATHER S. Do this, and your prayers “will pierce the clouds,” and your temporal interests will not suffer. Too many people are praying for health, more remunerative work, etc., whilst never putting in a word for the conversion of sinners and for the spread of the Church. Many, otherwise good parents, are greatly grieved when some temporal misfortune overtakes their boy, but are not disturbed when he misses Mass or remains away from the Sacraments for months. We want favors from our Heavenly Father, but forget that He has a standing request for 118 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. us to do some one thing that will please Him. Be good to God, and He will be good to you : “I love those, who love Me.” THE HAIL MARY. FATHER S. Just as the Lord’s Prayer comes from Heav- en, inasmuch as it was composed by Christ Himself, so did a por- tion of the “Hail Mary.” MR. J. I fail to grasp that. FATHER S. The words “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women” are words with which the archangel Gabriel greeted Mary; and the Bible expressly states that the angel addressed Mary as a delegate of God : "The angel Gabriel was sent from God” (Luke I, 26). Then Holy Scripture also declares that Elizabeth spoke under the inspira- tion of the Holy Ghost, when she greeted Mary with the words: “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.” MR. J. Hence, when we say the “Hail Mary,” we are cer- tainly employing words which are pleasing to God. FATHER S. That is the Church’s reason for embodying them in a prayer, which she wishes her children to make daily use of. MR. J. I have observed that Catholics almost invariably say the “Hail Mary” immediately after the Lord’s Prayer ; one would almost suppose that they belonged together. Father S. Their relationship is intimate. We greet our heavenly Father and implore Him to help us; then we greet our heavenly Mother, and entreat her to offer her powerful prayers in our behalf. MR. J. I am sure that this practice is most agreeable to Christ, Who, when dying on the cross, besought us to regard Mary as our mother. FATHER S. There is no question about it. MR. J. The invocation contained in the “Hail Mary,” viz. : “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death,” is a scripture passage too? FATHER S. No, these words were added by the Church. She would remind people of addressing themselves every day to their Heavenly Mother for present needs, and especially for the great- est favor God could grant them, the blessing of a happy death. Left to themselves, people would not pray as regularly as they should for this undeserved grace. JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 119 DATE OF ORIGIN OF THE CHURCHES. THE TRUE CHURCH MUST DATE BACK TO THE TIME OF CHRIST Comparative Statement of the Age of the Catholic Church and of the Non-Catholic Denominations Name Place of Origin Founders Year CATHOLIC CHURCH JERUSALEM . . JESUS CHRIST, A. D. . 33 Lutheran Germany Martin Luther 1517 Anabaptist Germany Nicholas Stork 1521 Calvinists (They are known as Presbyterian in Scot- land and America; Re- formed in Holland; Pur- itans in England; Congre- gationalists in America). . Switzerland .... John Calvin 1534 Episcopalians England .Henry VIII 1534 Unitarian Congregationalists Germany Celarius, about 1540 Presbyterian (Old School) .. Scotland General Assembly 1560 Congregationalists England Robert Browne 1583 Baptists Rhode Island .. Roger Williams 1639 Quakers England George Fox 1647 Quakers America William Penn 1681 Methodist Episcopal England John Wesley 1739 Free-Will Baptists New Hampshire Benj. Randall 1780 Free Communion Baptists . . New York B’jah Corp. . .Close 18th Cen. Disciples, or Christians ....Virginia Alex Campbell 1813 Reformed Methodist Vermont Branch of the Methodist Episcopal Church . . . 1814 Methodist Society New York Do 1820 Methodist Protestant Baltimore Do 1830 Adventists United States . . William Miller 1831 Seven-Day Baptists United States . . General Conference 1833 Presbyterian (New School) . Philadelphia General Assembly 1840 True Wesleyan Methodist . . New York Delegates from Metho- dist Denominations . . 1843 Seventh-Day Adventists Battle Creek,Mich Mrs. E. G. White 1845 Spiritualist Hydesville, N. Y. Fox Family 1848 Christian Scientist Boston, Mass. ..Mrs. Mary B. Eddy ...1879 They were re-organized .... Boston, Mass. . . Mrs. Mary B. Eddy . . . .1892 120 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. PART IV. Approved Devotions and Religious Associations. “Where there are two or three gathered together in My name , there am I in the midst of them” Matt. XVIII, 20. “Magnify His name, and give glory to Him with the voice of your lips”—Eccus. -X X i X . “Therefore I will give glory to Thee , 0 Lord, among the nations, and 1 will sing a psalm to Thy name” —Psalm XVII, 50. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification.” —I Thess. IV, 3 “From henceforth, all generations shall call me blessed.”—Luke I, 48. “Behold thy mother.”—John XIX, 27. “And they shall say to him : what are these wounds in the midst of thy hands ? And he shall say: With these I was wounded in the house of them that loved me.” —Zach. XIII, 6. “1 will set My Tabernacle in the midst of you.” —Levit. XXVI, 11. JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 121 INSTRUCTION XLIV All About the Rosary. FATHER S. Have you learned how to say the Rosary yet, Mr. Jackson? MR. J. I think I say it correctly. I recite the Hail Mary fifty times, but interpose an Our Father at the beginning of every group of ten and the Glory be to the Father, etc., at the end of each group. All this I preface by the Apostles’ Creed, one Our Father and three Hail Marys. FATHER S. You understand the mechanical make-up of the Rosary, but what lends dignity, beauty and value to this form of prayer you are probably not acquainted with. MR. J. No, I was not aware that the form of prayer con- sisted of more than I have mentioned, but candidly, I have fre- quently wondered why there should be such wholesale repetition of the “Hail Mary.” FATHER S. I shall presently answer this, but it will prob- ably be news to you that the fifty “Hail Marys,” separated five times by the “Lord’s Prayer,” constitute only a third part of the Rosary? MR. J. Do you mean that the Rosary, when said in its en- tirety, contains one hundred and fifty beads, on which the “Hail Mary” is to be said? FATHER S. Exactly; they correspond with the one hun- dred and fifty psalms of David, which are a part of the Bible. MR. J. Kindly explain the relationship. FATHER S. Well, from the earliest days of Christianity, the psalter of David formed the main prayer of the monks in monastery and of other pious people, who could read. Those who could not read would recite some other prayer approved by the Church, usually the “Lord’s Prayer,” in the place of the psalms, keeping count of the number by little pebbles or beads. This ex- plains the one hundred and fifty beads. Later the “Beads-prayer” became a devotion in honor of the Blessed Virgin, when the “Hail Mary” was substituted for the “Our Father.” St. Dominic, who lived at the beginning of the thirteenth century, was most fond of this devotion; and a tradition has it that the Blessed Virgin appeared to him, expressed her pleasure thereat, and urged him to propagate the devotion, principally with a view to check a heresy of that age. Then the Church authorities took the prayer in hand, improved its form, made of it more a mental than a vocal prayer, indulgenced it, and urged its general introduction throughout the Catholic world. MR. J. How did the Church improve its form? FATHER S. She divided the complete Rosary into three parts, of fifty beads each, divided the fifty into five decades or groups of ten, headed by a large bead, on which the Lord’s Prayer would be said. Then the prayer of the Rosary would be begun by a profession of faith—the recital of the Apostles’ Creed, and 122 JACKSON UNDAR INSTRUCTION. three times the Hail Mary for an increase of Faith, Hope and Charity. This would constitute the “oral” or vocal part of the Rosary. MR. J. But you say that it is more a mental than a vocal form of prayer? FATHER S. Yes, whilst reciting the prayers of the several decades orally, we meditate on the important mysteries of our faith. We rehearse the whole life of Christ in our thoughts, and draw therefrom salutary lessons. MR. J. Explain this a little more fully. FATHER S. Well, the important events in our Savior’s and His Blessed Mother’s life are reduced to fifteen, and these classi- fied among three groups of five each, which we call the five joyful, the five sorrowful, and the five glorious mysteries. When we re- cite the complete Rosary our meditation covers all these myster- ies ; but since it is customary to carry a string of beads compris- ing five decades only, we choose for our meditation any one of the three groups of mysteries. Those who say the Rosary every day meditate on the five joyful mysteries on Monday and Thursday; on the five sorrowful mysteries on Tuesday and Friday; and on the five glorious mysteries on Wednesday and Saturday. MR. J. You left out Sunday. FATHER S. On Sunday it is customary to meditate on that group of mysteries which corresponds best with the ecclesiastical season at hand ; for instance, during Advent, the five joyful ; dur- ing Lent, the five sorrowful, and during the rest of the year, the five glorious mysteries. MR. J. What a perfect system! To the uninformed non- Catholic there appears to be no sense in what is backed by most excellent reasons. FATHER S. Yes, they ridicule our devotions without even assuming that there might be some reasonable justification for the same. MR. J. What are these mysteries? FATHER S. The five joyful are: The Annunciation, the Visitation, the Birth of Jesus, the offering of Jesus in the Tem- ple, the finding of Christ in the Temple, when He was twelve years old. The five sorrowful are: The Agony in the Garden, the Scourging, the Crowning with Thorns, the Carrying of the Cross, the Crucifixion. The five glorious are: The Resurrection, the As- cension, the Descent of the Holy Ghost, the Assumption of Mary into Heaven, her Coronation in Heaven. MR. J. I must learn these, and quickly. I always regarded the Rosary as your form of prayer for the uneducated, but I see that one must be instructed in his religion before he can say it properly. FATHER S. Indeed, the educated can profit by it most, be- cause they can meditate best; the Rosary has been the favorite prayer of priest, pope and king. MR. J. The oral prayers, however, must be only mechanical, if the mind is to occupy itself with the life, death and glorious life of our Savior. JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 123 T- FATHER S. Not exactly; the oral prayers are those, with whose contents we are most familiar ; it is not the same as if we were reading some prayer which we never saw before, whilst hav- ing our attention elsewhere. MR. J. I see. But can children and the uninstructed de-~* '/T 4***? rive any benefit from the Rosary? / FATHER S. Yes. The Church dispenses the merits of Christ , and adjusts her terms to the capabilities of her people. I The uninstructed may gain the indulgences by the mere oral! si prayers, without meditating, whilst those, who are able to medi-l /U,lc*U4^ tate, must do so in order to gain the indulgences. MR. J. So the Rosary is an indulgenced prayer? FATHER S. Highly so. The string of beads is blessed and at least a hundred days’ indulgence may be gained for every Pater and Ave, if five consecutive decades be said. MR. J. Must the beads be touched as the prayers are said? FATHER S. Yes, at the private recital of the Rosary; if. however, one lead in prayer and many others respond, it is neces- sary only that the one, who leads, have an indulgenced Rosary. MR. J. May one person use another’s beads? FATHER S. Yes, one may use another person’s beads and gain the indulgences attached thereto. MR. J. Which is the best way to meditate? FATHER S. Let your imagination represent to the mind a picture of the mystery under consideration, and when distrac- tions appear, the mind can always go back to the picture. MR. J. Are Catholics expected to say the Rosary every day? FATHER S. There is no obligation for them to do so, but good Catholics recite it daily. In many homes it constitutes a family evening prayer, especially during October, the month ded- icated to the “Mother of the Rosary.” MR. J. I never expected to learn that there was so much of beauty, sublimity and power to the Rosary. INSTRUCTION XLV. The Way of the Cross. FATHER S. You have frequently noticed the set of four- teen framed pictures mounted by crosses of wood which orna- ment the walls of our church? MR. J. Yes, Father. Somebody told me that they are called “Stations,” which word did not bring home much information to me. FATHER S. Well, they represent fourteen scenes of our Savior’s sufferings, including His death and burial, and are more properly called “The Way of the Cross.” Separately the pictures or figures are called “Stations,” because the person, practicing the devotion, known as the “Way of the Cross,” stops and medi- tates briefly before each. MR. J. He meditates on the Passion of Christ? l24 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. FATHER S. Yes, and expresses his sorrow for his sins and his love for Jesus before each. Mr. J. I was present at this devotion several times during Lent ; the priest, accompanied by altar boys, led in prayer, and I was deeply touched by the meditations ; only it looked somewhat like worshipping the pictures, because the knee was bent in wor- ship before each. FATHER S. But did you not observe that when the genu- flection was made, the priest said: “We adore Thee, 0 Christ?” The act of worship was directed to Christ, Who is God, and not t to the picture. MR. J. I must have paid too much attention to the act to catch the words. FATHER S. The Way of the Cross may be made at any time privately as well as publicly, and it is the most richly indulgenced form of devotion the Church has. The early Christians made great sacrifices to visit the Holy Land and follow the way their Redeemer walked under the weight of the cross to Calvary. But, many centuries ago, the enemies of Christianity got possession of the holy places, and it became dangerous for pious people to go thither. Then the Church substituted this beautiful devotion for such pilgrimages to the Holy Land. MR. J. The Church never permits her people to suffer spir- itually on account of the persecutions of the enemy, does she? FATHER S. No, she has the treasury of the merits of Christ to apply to souls in different ways. MR. J. What prayers must accompany the meditations before the Stations? FATHER S. No prayers must accompany taem, though it is customary, in public devotions, to recite the “Our Father,” “Hail Mary,” and “Glory be to the Father,” etc., after each medi- tation. MR. J. Hence, whilst only a few could actually visit the Holy Land to make the Way of the Cross, all Catholics, except the sick, may gain the same profit now in their parish church. FATHER S. There is a substitution offered even to the sick. They may gain the indulgences of the Way of the Cross by re- citing twenty times the “Our Father,” etc., whilst holding the crucifix, properly blessed, in their hands. MR. J. Wonderful privilege, indeed; but why a repetition of these prayers twenty times ? FATHER S. Fourteen times to correspond with the four; teen stations, five times in honor of Jesus’ five wounds, (am ^Tor the intention of the Holy Jb'atner^ INSTRUCTION XLVI. V Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. FATHER S. A regular Sunday service, and next in impor- tance to the Holy Mass, is that known as “Benediction,” JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 121 MR. J. Yes, I hear it announced every Sunday morning as a part of the afternoon services. FATHER S. You have often been present at it have you? MR. J. Surely, I have been going to afternoon services at least every other Sunday. FATHER S. That’s nice. I hope you will keep up that practice. I like to see people generous with God on Sunday ; they neglect Him enough during the balance of the week. Too many Catholics comply only with what is of strict obligation on Sunday. MR. J. What do you call the service, which usually precedes Benediction? It consists mostly of singing. FATHER S. Vespers. The same consists chiefly of psalms and hymns sung in praise of God. The choir occupies itself much like the choirs of angels do incessantly in Heaven. MR. J. I always feel awe-stricken at Benediction ; the peo- ple seem to be so quiet and wrapt in prayer, especially towards the end of the service when they bow thei .. heads and strike their breasts. Then the altar, ablaze with lights and candles, I pre- sume, adds to the solemnity. <- FATHER S. You will not be surprised at this when you are told that the Blessed Sacrament—Jesus Himself in His Eucharistic form—is exposed for the adoration of the people. And the time at which you see the people bow their heads and strike their breasts is the moment when the actual blessing with the Blessed Sacrament takes place ; hence the name applied to the service. MR. J. Is that really what happens? FATHER S. Yes. The priest, who blesses with his own hands at other times, on this occasion covers his hands with the veil, which the altar boy places over his shoulders ; then with hands so covered, he makes the sign of the cross with the mon- strance, Jesus doing the blessing Himself. . MR. J. You call the beautiful receptacle, containing the consecrated Host, the Monstrance? FATHER S. Yes. MR. J. What is the meaning of the smoking vessel which the boy swings? . FATHER S. It contains burning charcoal on which incense is placed. Incense is used at many services as the symbol of prayer ; even in the Old Law, it was so used by the direction of Almighty God Himself. INSTRUCTION XLVII. The Confraternity of the Scapular. FATHER S. Do you know what the Scapular is, Mr. Jackson ^ MR. J. I think I know what the article is, called “the Scapu- lar,” but do not understand its meaning. FATHER S. As it has been in use since the thirteenth cen- tury, the Scapular of Mount Carmel consists of two small pieces JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION.126 of brown woolen cloth, so fastened together by braid that, when worn over the shoulders, one piece hangs on the breast, the other on the back. It is worn in honor of the Blessed Virgin, who, ac- cording to a tradition, is the author of the same. It is related that she appeared to St. Simon Stock, about the year 1250, gave him a scapular, and promised special favors to those who would wear it and live piously. MR. J. I have heard that a medal may be worn in the place of the scapular you describe. FATHER S. Yes, the Church only recently permitted a “Scapular Medal” to be worn or carried as a substitute ; the latter is regarded as more sanitary and clean, but the old form will always be cherished more highly. MR. J. Must the scapular be blessed? FATHER S. The first one worn must be, and the person- must be enrolled in the Confraternity of the Scapular. MR. J. Must it be worn constantly? FATHER S. Yes; of course, laying it aside for a few days or weeks would not deprive you of Confraternity membership. MR. J. People are, therefore banded together, in a certain sense. FATHER S. They form a kind of society, with the Blessed Virgin as patroness, whose protection during life and help after death they enjoy. If the world has its societies dedicated to Pythias, the pagan, and Pocahontas, the Indian, etc., it is surely fitting that Catholics should league together and wear some em- blem in honor of the saintliest and loftiest creature that ever lived, the Mother of Christ. MR. J. A beautiful idea. FATHER S. There are four other scapulars, viz.: that of the Holy Trinity, of the Passion, of the Seven Dolors, and of the Immaculate Conception. The five may be attached to the same strings or bands and worn as one. However, the Confraternity which we speak of is concerned only with the “Scapular of Mount Carmel ^ t MR. J. Must any prayers be said in connection with the wearing of the Scapular? FATHER S. Not for the general protection of the Blessed Virgin; but to obtain the benefits of certain promises reported to have been made to St. Simon Stock it is necessary for one to perform certain good works. INSTRUCTION XLVIIX The Apostieship of Prayer. FATHER S. Have you heard of the “Apostieship of Prayer?” MR. J. No, Father; what is it? FATHER S. It is an association of millions of Catholics leagued in prayer in union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus?” JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. 12? MR. J. What am I to understand by the “Sacred Heart of Jesus ?” FATHER S. It is our pious way of referring to the real, living, human heart of our Savior (united of course to His divin- ity), the source of all His tender love during His career on earth, and the heart, as it now burns with love of God for man from the Tabernacle of every parish church. MR. J. Hence it is the union of Catholics with Jesus Him- self, in prayer? FATHER S. Exactly. MR. J. Say, that looks inviting. How does one become a member, and what is required of members? FATHER S. Where there is a local center established, as in most parishes, you need only to have your name inscribed. Then the sole obligation, which, however, does not bind under sin, is to offer up your daily works, prayers, and sufferings for the intentions of our Savior and for the petitions of other asso- ciates. MR. J. Does not this prevent the application of your prayers to your own intentions? FATHER S. No; if your intentions are for the good of your soul, they are also Jesus' intentions; then 25,000,000 other good people are offering their prayers and good works partly for you. MR. J. Is that all that is required? FATHER S. For active membership, yes. However, the morning offering constitutes the “first degree." There are two other degrees. Those who wish to enjoy second degree member- ship say each day the Lord's Prayer and ten Hail Marys for a special intention, changed each month, which the Holy Father recommends to the prayers of members. Those who are third degree members receive Holy Communion, from a motive of reparation, once a month, or once a week, on days assigned. MR. J. The obligations are so slight, and the benefits, surely, so great, that I want to be a member of this Apostleship. But how are members made acquainted with the special intention, which is recommended by the Pope and changed every month? FATHER S. From the headquarters of the Association, which for us of this country, is in New York City, there are sent out little leaflets to the parish priest. They come in small pack- ages of ten each, and are given to promoters, who oversee a group of ten members. The leaflet announces what the general intention for the month is to be, and explains the same. The Pro- moters are expected to see that members receive this leaflet monthly. 128 JACKSON UNDER INSTRUCTION. Some Scripture Texts Overlooked by Protestants. the By one man sin came into the world ... in whom all have sinned.—Rom. v, 12. I will put enmities between thee and the woman . . . she shall crush thy head.—Gen. iii, 15. . Behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.—Luke i, 48. 7 . , . . , , ,, If he will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as heathen and publican.—Matt, xviii, 17. There shall be one fold and one shepherd.—John x, 16. Thou art a rock ; and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it ; and I will give to thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, shall be bound. also in Heaven. —Matt. XV1> For this cause I left thee in Crete, that thou shouldst . . . ordain priests in every city, as I also appointed thee.—Tit. i, 5. Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.—John iii, 5. By the imposition of the hands of the Apostles, the Holy Ghost was given.—Acts viii, 18. Do this for a commemoration of Me.—Luke xxn, 19. He breathed on them, and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.— John xx, 22, 23. . , - Is any man sick among you? Let him bring m the priests ot the Church . . . annointing him with oil.—James v, 14. What, therefore, God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.—Matt xix, 6. . „ . , This [marriage] is a great sacrament . . . in the Church. —Ephes. v, 32. This is my body . . . this is my blood.—Matt. wkeA, 26, 28. In every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation.—Mai. i, 11. Most holy shall this incense be unto you.—Exod. xxx, 36. And he shall take holy water in an earthen vessel. — • Numb, v, 17. . _ _ ... 0 God is glorified in the assembly of saints.—Ps. lxxxvm, 8. He fasted forty days and forty nights.—Matt, iv, 2. Not everyone that saith to me: Lord, Lord, shall enter inio the Kingdom of Heaven.—Matt, vii, 21. Thou shalt not go out from thence till thou repay the last farthing.—Matt, v, 26. . Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting nre.—Matt. xxv, 41.