A silver crown; twenty-five subjects of interest and instruction in defence of the church; a plea for truth, justice and fairness ...

Front matter

Class BX (7 S

GopyrightN .

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT.

Preface

loyal servants, her Bishops and Priests, who are called upon to vindicate the honor of her divine Founder and to proclaim His glory. They are clothed with the powers of Jesus Christ. The credentials of a divine embassy they have received, with express conditions to go forth into the world, teaching all nations and to reconcile the people with God, and with a discretion to judge and to decide who do and who do not come within the terms and conditions of their commission. The twenty-five subjects that are treated in so many chapters, the reader will find highly interesting, and at the same time they will place him in a defence to meet the objections of those who, from a motive of curiosity or from a genuine motive desire to be made acquainted with and to be instructed in such matters as this work conveys. The information embodied in these twenty-five chapters has been taken from the most approved sources, as the reader will learn, whenever a quotation has been made, that said quotation is taken from an authority most reliable. Every chapter has been treated as fully as possible by itself, to convey a clear and complete knowledge of its particular subject. My

Preface, purpose was to make this book profitable to my kind reader, to acquaint him with the sublimity of our holy Church and her many excellent and salutary teachings; likewise with her beautiful and impressive ceremonies. It is a well-known fact that the great majority of the objections against our holy faith and the practice of our holy Church come from a misunderstanding of our holy religion. If our enemies only knew the teachings of our Church, there would be a complete eradication of prejudice; we would then have no reason to complain of unkind and bigoted utterances and writings in opposition of our holy faith. Of late years, however, much opposition has ceased, and the present age is marked by a greater and more extended refinement than any that has preceded it, since the records of history have been preserved. This is due to the willingness and eagerness of becoming instructed on all the vital points of Catholic dogma and morals; and correspondingly with this refinement, with this softening of manners, has come a softening of prejudices; our principles have become better known. We must, however, not forget that all prejudices have not passed viii

Preface.

away, that many are deeply rooted in the minds and hearts of those not of our faith, who are outside the fold of Christ. For the exposition of our Catholic teachings and that it may fall into the hands of those principally who still carry sentiments of prejudice and to liberate them if possible from misconceptions due to a lack of instruction on questions relative to our faith and practice, this book I send forth. I confidently hope, dear reader, that you may derive some benefit from this little work, and whoever may be fortunate enough to possess a copy of this instruction, kindly remember that this work has not been launched with any feeling of hostility in the treatise of its subjects in the various chapters, far has it been from my mind to wound the feelings of anyone,, even of our most bitter enemies, who malign the Church and her priesthood. Nothing, therefore, but the love of God and an ardent desire to work for the salvation of souls prompts and urges me on to state the truth without fear and with all sincerity. It is a well-known fact, too, that many who do make objections are not guided by a motive to become instructed, when such objections are answered satisfactorily and in

Preface.

ix a manner most correct; they are not sincere, a certain bitterness and bigotry with an underlying malice has taken possession of their hearts, and, in consequence, all the proofs and best reasoning would in these cases be altogether fruitless. This latter class are sectarians and our sworn enemies; in their blind zeal they will disguise themselves in every possible way to attain their mischievous purpose; and it becomes necessary to tear the mask from them and to show them in clearest and most emphatic terms and colors where their fault lies. Frequently we are attacked in romances, in pamphlets and pictorials, and even in the pulpits of some churches, which, in fact, should be consecrated to truth, charity and brotherly love, but instead are used to exploit falsities and calumnies. The true and faithful Christian has imbibed the doctrine of his Church with the regenerating waters of baptism, his loyalty to Church and fealty to God have been transplanted from a parent's love and devotion into his pure and tender heart. The priests of his Church, ministers unto salvation, have made her history and theology the study of their lives. I, dear reader, feel in the depth

X

Preface.

of my heart as a Catholic and as one of her sons of the holy priesthood, that I possess a treasure compared to which all things earthly are but dross. Our enemies, who rejoice in malignity towards the teachings and practices of our Church, are really surprised when those who are made the target of their false accusations feel indignant, and they tell us that we are too sensitive. Many and varied are the slanders that have been made, and are still fabricated, that we, most assuredly, have a just cause to utter complaint at times. The offense of those who give vent to calumnies against our holy Church cannot be exaggerated nor too deeply deplored. There is a commandment which tells us: ' 'Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." Why should there be any reason to malign the Church ? Were not the ancestors of those who are inimical to us rescued from spiritual and temporal misery; did not our holy Mother, the Church, bring peace and happiness for time and eternity to so many rising generations ? Some accuse the Church of having become a sink of corruption; her rulers, the vice-gerents of Christ, were monsters of iniquity; that ignorance and immorality pre-

Preface.

xi vail among her clergy; that superstition and idolatry had supplanted true Christianity. In this book, my kind reader will ascertain that such enormities are but fanciful flights from the fertile imaginations of those hostile to the Church. Since such charges are denied by the faithful of our religion, and if a gentleman denies a slander, the person who offered it, to be fair and just, is supposed to withdraw it and to apologize for the insult wantonly uttered or written, and if this is not done, it is his duty to prove it true. Neither is done; the lie goes on, on the principle, "Fling dirt enough; some will stick." Thus this stream flows on; by new rivulets of falsehood it is fed. The promoters of calumny, the adherents of such a system, in order to live and spread, had to discard the eighth commandment, which tells us that false witness borne against our neighbor is sinful and malicious; yet such bear false witness on their so-called principle; it seems often that their hostility, vituperation, rancor and malice is the result of a most depraved heart and mind, and, it seems that a possibility of surrender for an entrance into the rank of truth and justice is out of the question. Cardinal xii

Preface.

Newman says: "Falsehood succeeds for a generation, or for a period; but there it has its full course and comes to an end. Truth is eternal; it is great and will prevail. The end is the proof of things. " If anyone, perchance, should read this book, whose mind has been poisoned against the Catholic Church, her Clergy and practices, kindly remember that all our teachings and doings are open and above-board. No manhood or dignity is surrendered w r hen you study our religion by the careful perusal of these pages. The whole truth is conveyed, the beauty and sanctity of our doctrine you w T ill learn, and by the possession of truth a profound peace of heart is your portion. Oh, if but one soul be gained to our holy Mother, the Church, from the lessons in this book given, my labor will not be in vain. We are working in the cur a animarum, the care of souls namely, and we pray the good Lord that He may give you light to see the truth, that you may faithfully work in His vineyard with true perseverance and, when the evening of life comes, be called to receive the penny of an eternal reward.

Author.

Chapter I. What The Catholic Church Is

THE Church is the society of the faithful, who profess the same faith, and partake of the same sacraments, under the authority of the lawful pastors, the successors of the apostles, and under the supreme direction of the Holy Father, the successor of St. Peter. She is the faithful depository of the doctrine of Jesus Christ, as well as of His sacraments and all the means of salvation which He has bequeathed to humanity. Various names she is known by, according to sacred scripture: the House of God, the Holy City Jerusalem, the Kingdom of Christ, the Fold of Christ, the Spouse of Christ, the Kingdom of Heaven, a Paradise, the City of God. She is represented and known as a

a)

A Silver Crown.

society under those different names, a society enjoying a heavenly origin, perpetual in duration and of universal extent. Thus it is easily understood that the word Church signifies a reunion, an assembly, a society. Of this society of the faithful Jesus Christ is the invisible head, and the Pope the visible head. When we say that a person is the head of a society, we mean thereby that he is the leader and director. Jesus Christ is the head of the Church because He is its founder, preserver and sanctifier. Since the ascension of Christ into heaven, He is no longer visibly present upon this earth, yet at the same time He watches over His Church from the right hand of His Father in heaven, and this Church He governs and preserves through the light and unction of the Holy Ghost. In consequence Jesus Christ being the head of the Church, because He is its founder, the institution of the Church is not due to the apostles, but to Jesus Christ. They were but the executors of the will and orders of their divine Master. The apostles proclaimed themselves and constantly acted as servants or ministers of Christ and dispensers of the mysteries of God (I Cor. iv, 1). Their mission to found the

What the Catholic Church is. 3

Church was given them by Jesus Christ. He disposed, regulated, ordained all for the execution of this plan. It was His will that all who believed in Him should form a religious society, which was to last to the end of time; and in this society He established an authority to govern it. When Jesus Christ ascended into heaven He did not leave His Church, for, besides being always with her, although in an invisible manner, through the assistance of the Holy Ghost, He gave to His Church a visible head who holds His place, and who acts in His name and with the same power and privileges. This head was St. Peter, the prince of the apostles, to whom Christ gave the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whom He charged to feed both the lambs and the sheep, that is, the pastors and the faithful, or the entire Church; today this shepherd of all the faithful is our Holy Father, the Pope, who is the successor of St. Peter. The faithful, therefore, form the flock, the apostles were the subordinate pastors, and Peter the supreme pastor, invested with unlimited power by Jesus Christ. In founding on St. Peter His spiritual empire, or, which amounts to the same, in placing the keys of

A Silver Crown.

His Church, the symbols of supreme power, in the hands of Peter and his successors, Jesus Christ made the prince of the apostles the founder of a spiritual dynasty. This dynasty of the true Church has been perpetuated without interruption by the 260 successors of Peter, the last of whom is now seated on the pontifical throne under the name of Pius X.

It forms the trunk of the mystical tree which has since spread its branches over the whole world. Let us sav with Bossuet, the great bishop of Meaux: "O holy Church and Mother of all the faithful, Church chosen by God to unite all his children in the same faith and in the same charity, we shall ever hold fast to thy unity by our very heartstrings. If I forget thee, O Church of Rome, may I forget myself! In gratitude for the gift of God, the seal of which is impressed upon you, pray without ceasing for the Church. Tremble at the very shadow of division; think of the misery of the nations. Think of the misery of the nations which, bursting the bonds of unity, break up into so many fragments, and behold at last in their religion the confusion of hell and the horror of death.

What the Catholic Church is. 5

Against these fickle minds and this deceitful charm of novelty, let us oppose the rock on which we are built, and the authority of our tradition, which includes all ages past, and the antiquity which connects us with the very origin of all things. Let us walk in the paths of our fathers, but walk with their pure and simple life, as we desire to walk in the purity of the ancient faith. 5 '

A Silver Crown.

Chapter II. What Is A Priest ?

HE IS a man consecrated exclusively to God, and this by the august sacrament of Holy Orders, which by the imposition of the hands of the Bishop is imparted, and gives to the priest, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, a character holy and indelible, he receives the power and commission to teach all mankind, to celebrate the holy Sacrifice, to pardon in the sacrament of Penance the penitent sinner, and to administer the sacraments, to impart blessings, for the sanctification of the faithful. It is of divine faith that our Lord ordained the apostles to be priests when by the words, " Hocfacite in meam commemorationem" the power to offer the holy Sacrifice was conferred upon them. Three days later he breathed on 'them, saying, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." The power of absolution he gave them by these words.

What is a Priest?

Both these utterances of our divine Saviour are of divine faith. In these two powers the priesthood was complete. The sacramental character of the priesthood is further manifest in holy scripture by the words of the illustrious apostle St. Paul in his Epistles to St. Timothy, where it is said, "Neglect not the grace that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with imposition of the hands of the priesthood." (I St. Timothy iv, 14.) "I admonish thee that thou stir up the grace of God which is in thee by the imposition of my hands." (II St. Timothy i, 6.)

From the words of the apostle, therefore (the priests, in a legitimate line of succession to Christ's disciples), it is seen, that they are clothed with the powers of Jesus Christ, as they are the successors of the apostles. It is likewise a manifestation of the eminent dignity of the priestly character. In fact, this dignity is not derived from personal merits, but from the sublime functions which he is called upon to perform.

Considering a priest from a natural viewpoint, as a man namely, he is like other men, but, looked upon from the standpoint of grace, he is exalted above the angels, because such

A Silver Crown.

powers are exercised by him which it is not given unto angels to exercise. The priest is the ambassador, the plenipotentiary of God. He is also the cooperator and the assistant of God in the great work of redemption. He is appointed to work for the honor and glory of God. "We are ambassadors for Christ," says the apostle; "God, as it were, exhorting by us." (II Cor. v, 20.)

Jesus commissioned His apostles to go forth into the world, to teach all nations, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever He had commanded, and He conveys the promise that He will be with them all the days unto the consummation of the world.

We glean from this charge of Jesus to His disciples that their authority and power was not to be limited, but to be extended over the whole earth. Due respect and reverence should be manifested by all to His ministers who are sent forth to preach in His name and the multitude Jesus commands to listen and obey. It is plainly stated in the Bible, "He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth Me; and he that despiseth Me, despiseth Him that sent Me.

Priests have the credentials of a divine

What is a Priest?

embassy, with express conditions on which to call upon men to reconcile themselves with Him, and with a discretion to judge and to decide who do and who do not come within the terms and conditions of their commission.

Sacred scripture terms priests fellow-workers with God in the field of the world and in the vineyard of the Church. They are ploughers, and sowers and reapers.

Priests are also fathers of all who are born again by water and the Holy Ghost; but in a special sense, and with a more intimate and an eternal relation, they are fathers of those whom they have regenerated by the saving waters of baptism. The title of father is the most simple and intelligible to all, old and young, learned and unlettered. Beautifully it is said by a famous writer on the sublimity of the priesthood, "The relation between priest and the faithful is a relation of father and child which is universal in the order of nature, and it becomes a spiritual instinct in the order of grace. The title of father is the first, the chief, the highest, the most potent, the most persuasive, the most honorable of all the titles of a priest." He might receive ever so many titles and honors from noble in-

A Silver Crown.

stitutions of learning, and ever so many degrees, but none has so deep and so high a sense as father.

The priest is a blessing to our home, to our family. Many graces and blessings are conferred upon us through his holy ministrations. The poor sinner finds comfort and consolation in the sacred tribunal; he has been unfortunate enough to leave the path of virtue and wander upon the one that leads to ruin. He says to himself, "I must regain God's love and friendship; I cannot continue this course of life"; and thus by the closest bond of mutual confidence and charity between priest and penitent, he confesses his trespasses with contrite heart, and by the power of the sacred priesthood is again restored to God's love and friendship.

Sisters and Convents.

Chapter III. Sisters And Convents

IN CLOSE connection with the priest of God, the consoler of all who suffer, and the friend of all the friendless, we next in turn cannot fail to speak of the good sisters, who by learned theologians and eminent writers are called angels of mercy, charity and benevolence.

Oftentimes, even by those who are not of our faith, have the heroic deeds of our sisters been praised and chanted, many persons have been witnesses from time to time of noble acts of charity on battlefields and in hospitals; they have noticed the pleasant smile on their lips; clearly manifest are their simple and unaffected ways in the service of the sick and poor.

A sister, then, is a virgin, who has consecrated herself to the service of God by the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and bound herself to live in a religious

A Silver Crown.

house under a certain rule. Nearly all nuns are bound to the recitation of the divine office in choir, and take their meals in common, but each has a separate, most humble apartment, commonly called cell.

The life of a sister is contemplative; she realizes that God is her most gracious and benign Saviour amidst all the perils of human life, that our holy religion is made up of a succession of obligations, which form one complete whole, and are closely attached, one to another. To break one single link, to violate one single precept of religion, is to separate ourselves from God, to lose the life of the soul, and to jeopardize our eternal salvation.

To a higher perfection and closer union with God she has been called. She is one whom the Heavenly Bridegroom invites by the words of the Psalmist, "Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thy ear: and forget thy people and thy father's house. And the King shall greatly desire thy beauty; for He is the Lord thy God." (Ps. xliv, 11, 12.)

The good and kind sister has heeded the invitation; many things near and dear to her heart she makes a sacrifice of for the honor and glory of God, for the welfare and salva-

Sisters and Convents.

tion of her soul. Father and mother, home, and, in fact, all things that lend a charm and pleasure to life, she has left behind. She fully understands that this terrestrial kingdom of ours is a mere probation, where we are called upon to do all we possibly can, in order thereby to gain eternal happiness.

These good women do a great deal towards prosperity, and the many blessings received in this glorious land. Their occupations vary. Some devote themselves to the work of education, to nursing the sick, or the care of the poor. Their lives are consecrated to the best interests of religion, and in their various occupations they are wives and mothers of a higher order, because they belong to the spiritual; they are the brides of the Holy Spirit; they become the teachers and instructors of the ignorant, well knowing that by imparting an education all the influences which go to form the character are brought out.

Sound education which these consecrated women of God bestow, stands before us symbolized by a tree planted near fertilizing waters, The good influence conveyed by their beautiful and exemplary life increases, and like the little seed which contains the design

A Silver Crown.

of the tree, its form and proportions, this benign influence makes us better; we become more and more virtuous, more and more acceptable, due to greater conformity to God's holy will. As instructors, too, they know that the various faculties or capacities await development and that education aims at developing a noble type of manhood'.

Man has various labors and duties to perform in this world, which, too, as in the vocation of our noble sisterhood, require special training, and a wide range of knowledge.

Bountifully has Nature endowed the noble sister with gifts well suited for the performance of a duty as an instructor and educator. Love, gentleness, goodness, tenderness, patience, watchfulness and the like are among the endowments that have been conferred upon her, and this in an eminent degree in order to fit her for educational work.

She is like a good, virtuous and conscientious mother, and on the maternal bosom the mind of nations reposes; their manners, prejudices, and virtues, in a word, the civilization of the human race, the development and enlightenment of the same, all depend upon maternal influence, whose position she assumes.

As nursing the sick and caring for the poor,

Sisters and Convents.

their Christian lives and Christian virtues are exemplified in all plenitude. To their indefatigable labors in the many sick-wards of our country, as also in the many institutions of poverty and charity, much of the great development of our country is due. When we enter any of our hospitals, there we find in these angels of mercy and love a patience that we cannot help admiring. We find, too, that their kindness is universal, and without any ostentation this great work is performed from day to day.

Evident it is that a supernatural influence gladdens the hearts of these good sisters; poor they are in the goods of this world, and all that kind and generous souls give to their institutions of charity, is utilized for the alleviation of suffering and want; it is simply a continuous performance of corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Their life is a wellregulated life of work and prayer. They are certainly happy in their sacred abodes.

All honor and respect to these ladies of Christian womanhood. We are made happier and our lives made more useful in beholding their influence upon humanity. They are to our lives what sunshine is to an auspicious day and the constellations to a beautiful night.

A Silver Crown.

Chapter IV. Catholics And Protestants

HE term Catholic in its true signification

JL stands for Universal, and when we speak of a Catholic we understand a person who belongs to the true Church, one that is not circumscribed in its extent, one that is spread in all parts of the world, in order that it may be known by all men. The earnest and sincere Catholic is enabled to give an account of his religion. He knows the duties that are incumbent upon him, and with his whole heart he follows its dictates. Many obligations of prayer, sacrifice and self-denial he performs. He knows that every truth of his religion is holy, salutary and full of heavenly wisdom.

A good Catholic is found faithful, benign and assiduous in the multiform works of charity. He seeks, by his noble and Christian life, a closer union with his Creator and Redeemer. A Catholic who is sincere esteems his affiliation with holy Mother Church the greatest of blessings, and in truth the true Church claims justly his deepest love and reverence. "My son," says the wise man, "hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother."

The Catholic knows that the Church acts as a real mother to him from the cradle to the grave. Scarcely has he opened his eyes when she is ready to receive him and by the regenerating waters of baptism to make him a child of God. In course of time, as his mind develops he is made acquainted with her many sublime truths, with the numerous shining examples of virtue and mortification of her devoted children. Saints in all states and conditions of life are unto him a most beautiful example for imitation and emulation.

The sincere Catholic is proud of his religion, for he knows that the Church has held and preserved the deposit of faith for more than nineteen centuries; she alone speaks with the confidence inspired by that deposit of faith; she alone has her worship and her devotions for all mankind; everyone can join, and at her altar you will find men of every race, strangers to one another in language,

A Silver Crown.

government and manners, all can kneel side by side, everyone finds himself at home, Catholics all and children all of the one Church and of the one God.

There are, again, Catholics who are so only in name; you will find them very indifferent about their religion. Many are far from being sufficiently instructed on the evident marks of truth which are offered by the Catholic Church, to which they have the happiness to belong. Some are merely Catholics because they have been raised in the Catholic religion or because their parents are Catholics, or because everything around them is more or less of a Catholic nature and character. This sort of Catholics never prays; there is a lukewarmness in their faith; you never see them approaching the sacraments; they neglect the service of God; there is a practical incredulity in all things religious.

Therefore we must be on our guard, lest we confound the two together; we should never take bad Catholics as the type of Catholics in general. Catholics do not maintain that all her members are good and practical; there is a vast difference between the merely nominal Catholic and the one who is sincere. Corruption of morals is often found among those of the former; instead of being a credit and an honor to their Church, they are a source of scandal and grievance. It is indeed a painful fact. "It must be that scandals come, but woe to him by whom the scandal cometh." Their transgressions are deserving of greater punishment in the sight of God. They know better in the great majority of cases, consequently there can be no excuse on the ground of involuntary ignorance; but, their sin is one of malice on account of the abuse of the grace of God.

The Church, following in the footsteps of her divine Spouse, never repudiates sinners, and she does not abandon the sinner, no matter how great and notorious his faults may be. She is mindful of the saying of her divine Founder, that He desires not the death of the sinner, but that he be converted and live. We should, therefore, not be influenced by these imperfections of human frailty, by these traces of original sin, by the bad examples and crying scandals of wicked Catholics, because all this does not invalidate or impair her claim as the true Church of Christ.

Spots you will find on the sun, yet the

A Silver Crown.

brightness of the sun is thereby not stained. The cockle that grows amidst the wheat does not destroy the beauty of the ripened grain. Behold the great number of her good and saintly children, Catholics in truth and in deed! Especially do we find them in the religious life, where evangelical perfection is practised in so wonderful a manner, and where the charity, the modesty, and all the virtues of the most beautiful times of Christianity seem to be perpetuated. Has not the sanctity of the saints been proven by their beautiful and sweet lives and by numberless and most striking miracles! We should read their lives and it will have the effect of stimulating within our hearts a greater love for our Founder, Jesus Christ.