Realities of life


/'

REALITIES OF

REV. VINCENT F. HOLDEN, C.S.P. FAITH



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REALITIES DF LIFE





REALITIES OF LIFE
A series of Sunday morning talks given in 1947 on “The Hour of Faith”

a coast-to-coast religious broadcast produced by the National
Council of Catholic Men in cooperation with the

American Broadcasting Company.

BY

REV. VINCENT HOLDEN, C. S. P.
Director Paulist Information Center

New York City

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CATHOLIC MEN
1312 Massachusetts Avenue N. W.

Washington 5, D. C.

Printed and distributed by Our Sunday Visitor
Huntington, Indiana



Imprimatur:

»f« JOHN FRANCES NOLL, D.D.
Bishop of Fort Wayne

Nihil Obstat:
REV. T. E. DILLON

Censor Librorum



TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Castles In The Clouds 7

Our - Common Conflict 12

The Human Revolt , 17

The Restoration 22





CASTLES IN THE CLOUDS
Talk given on January 5, 1947

While I was in college, I had

a professor of sociology who had

what we students called a “pet

theory.” To explain his thought

he would take a seemingly unim-

portant, commonplace fact, such

as a postage stamp, and analyze

it, saying: “Look at the wealth

of human development reflected
in this stamp. There is trade,

communication, color, design,

scientific advance, yes, even ref-

erence to historical events.”

After discussing these factors,

he would conclude with his fa-

vorite thesis : “Details have uni-

versal meaning.”

This thought occurred to me
when 1947 was ushered in with

much joy and jubilation. There
were the usual shouting and

cheers, the customary horns and

bells. For many, this was the

noisy, the surface welcome. But

it soon gave way to the more
serious meaning of the dawning

year. New Year's Day among
us is not only a day for merri-

ment and partying, it is also a
day of making good resolutions,

a time when so many of us build
gleaming, golden castles in the

clouds.

A resolution, that's a detail,
and I asked myself: “What is

its universal meaning?” As I at-

tempted to answer that ques-

tion, I found myself face to face

with some tremendously impor-

tant realities.

The first rather obvious one

was an acknowledgment that

mistakes have been made and

need to be corrected. But this

immediately created other
issues. Mistakes mean that a
person has failed to measure up

to a given definite standard.

Well, what is this standard, and

what is of far greater impor-

tance, who is its author? This
is undoubtedly the most impor-

tant question behind a resolu-

tion. Indeed it is one of the most

tremendous realities in all life.

Who has the authority to deter-
mine whether a person's actions

are right or wrong?

Certainly there are any num-

ber who claim this right. There
is the educator who, during the

formative years of the child,

makes very clear to the young-

ster that he is not to lie or steal.

He reminds the student that in
all his contacts with his com-



3 REALITIES OF LIFE

panions he should act with kind-

ness and consideration. And so
the teacher attempts to instill

into the mind of the child cer-

tain principles of conduct that

will act as a guide for daily

action.

Then there is the philosopher

who, in his study on human con-
duct, gives not only principles

for right living, but the reason

for these principles. He usually
begins with the desire deep in

the human heart for happiness.
He points out further that when
man violates these principles of
good living he creates unhappi-

ness, not only for himself but

for others as well. Quite fre-

quently he claims to base his

principles on a knowledge and

understanding of man's human
nature.

To these teachers, as well as
to countless self-styled or recog-

nized moralists, we cannot help
asking the same question—what
is the source of your principles?

Where did you derive them? If
your only foundation is your

own unaided mind, if your only
criterion is human experience,
then we cannot be too secure in
your findings. You are only hu-
man, you can be mistaken, and

time can change your conclu-

sions. What you decide today is

morally wrong, perhaps twenty-

five years from now you may
change, and admit that it is per-

fectly all right.

I remember reading an ex-

pression of this idea by the late

William Graham Sumner of Yale
who held that morals are, after
all, only customs, and that as

customs change, morals and

moral codes change with them.

If morals and human conduct are
based solely on the findings of a

human mind and human experi-
ence, if, after all, morals are

only customs, then there is some-

thing to what the learned gen-

tleman has said. But, I cannot

admit the if.

Morals and the principles of

right living should never be

merely the expression of a hu-

man mind. No human being, no
matter how learned and clever,
no matter how well versed in
human affairs, has the right of
himself and by himself, to tell

another how to live. There is
only one Who can—Almighty
God. He made man, and He is
the only one Who knows how
man should live. He has given
us the principles of correct liv-

ing in those fundamental rules

of right conduct—the Ten Com-
mandments. They are our guides

because they are the expression



CASTLES IN THE CLOUDS 9

of the divine mind of God. And

what comforting and consoling

guides they are ! They have two

supremely satisfying realities

that are sadly lacking in any

human standard.

First, they are eternal. It

doesn’t make, a particle of differ-

ence how customs or manners

may change. Divine principles

go on forever since they mani-

fest the unchanging mind of

God. Man from day to day, or
from year to year, may vary his
way of living. He alters his ac-
tions because he doesn’t know

the future. Our forefathers,

when they set out across the

perilous waters to come to these

shores, could not imagine that

some three hundred years hence

human beings would span these
same waters in much less time

by plane. They could not even

suspect that, because they could

not tear away the veil of time

and see the result of human in-
vention. Neither can man, by

his own unaided mind, form

rules of conduct which will al-

ways apply in every day and

every age. No, man couldn’t do
this because he can never bridge

the gap of time and space. But

God can. With Him there is no
one hundred years from now.

He knows all things. He knows

conditions that will arise long

after you and I are locked in the

silence of the grave. And with
this knowledge, He has given us
the principles by which not only

you and I should live, but all

men down to the very end of
time itself. The Comipandments,

the reflection of God Himself,

are indeed ancient, since they

issue forth from the timeless,

ageless mind of God, but they

are always new, since they

spring from the eternally con-

stant and ever vigorous nature

of God Himself.

Secondly, these divine prin-

ciples of human action perfectly
satisfy the needs of human na-
ture.

At times, people have a very

strange notion of the origin of

the Commandments. They seem

to imagine that God, as it were,

from the height of His celestial

home looking down upon man on
the face of the earth, observed

his actions. Then, almost as a

whim or fancy, or perhaps even
as an afterthought, He said

:

“Oh! It is better for these crea-

tures to be honest, so I will make
a seventh commandment. It is

good for them to be pure, so I
will order the sixth and ninth

commandments.” Such an atti-
tude reveals a false understand-



LO REALITIES OF LIFE

ing of the very nature of a

divine and perfect being, and

certainly could never account for

the Commandments.

God, when He created man,
made him in His own image and

likeness. He fashioned the hu-
man soul in the likeness of His
divine nature, giving man mind
and will, as well as a human
body. From all eternity, He was
divinely conscious that there are

certain things which, by their

very nature, are so definitely

opposed to His divine nature,

that He and they could not exist
side by side. He could never
tolerate, for even one tiny split

second, the presence of lying

and injustice in the pure bril-

liance of His infinite and dazz-

ling truth and justice. He could
never allow the slightest stain

of immodesty in the clear and

brilliant glory of His ever spot-

less purity. Such things as these

are infinitely more repulsive to
His divine nature than the dis-

gust we would experience if we
saw a human being wallowing
in the mire of a pig sty. Why,
even the most nauseating stench

from a decayed and diseased ani-
mal body is not nearly so revolt-

ing to the most delicate of

nostrils as is the odor of injus-

tice, dishonesty, or impurity, to

the all-pure and holy God. His

divine nature could never toler-

ate any of these things. And
since our soul was created in

the image of His divine nature,

it too can never be happy with

them. To warn us against their

false attraction, jGod has given

to mankind rules of conduct.

When we follow these rules we
have the greatest possible guar-

antee of happiness because we
are living in accord with the re-

quirements of our nature. But

when we go against them, we
create our own misery because
we are acting contrary to the in-
terests of that nature. We be-
come dissatisfied, disillusioned,

discontented, terribly unhappy,

not simply because we have
broken a law, but because in

breaking God's law we have done
violence to our own nature. We
have hurt ourselves.

That is why the only source
for the correctness of human
actions is the divine nature of

God, not human standards. We
can measure our success or our

failure, by our obedience to His

law, or our violation of that law.

And remember, it is not merely
progress or failure that we
chart, it is our own happiness
that we evaluate.
Has the past year been a



CASTLES IN THE CLOUDS 11

happy, successful one for you?

I am not now speaking of hap-
piness or success in the sense of

material values. I mean peace of

mind, deep, sincere happiness

which is beyond the touch of

human hands
;

that happiness

which the world cannot give nor

can it take away. Only you can

answer whether you have had it

or have lost it. And it is only
after you have analyzed that

question and examined your

conduct, that you can make a

satisfactory, worthwhile New
Year's resolution. Such a reso-

lution will not be merely a pass-

ing fancy, an idle grouping of

words. It will be, in a true sense,

building your castle in the

clouds, high above the tantaliz-

ing, fleeting shadows of human
follies and fancies. Then your

resolutions will be founded not

on whim, nor in the changing

customs of the day, but on the

unchanging and everlasting

mind of God.



OUR COMMON CONFLICT
Talk given on January 12, 1947

On the 9th of November of
this past year, the now famous

Yankee Stadium in New York
City was filled to capacity. More

than seventy thousand people

were jammed into that huge

structure to see the thrilling

football game between the
mighty unbeaten teams of Army
and Notre Dame. Some months

previous that same stadium held

a record crowd watching the

crucial baseball series between

the league-leading Red Sox and

the challenging Yankees. Time

and again this arena, as well as

similar ones throughout the

country, has played host to

thousands of spectators alter-

nately thrilled and excited by

the sight before their eyes.

What is it that fascinates these
fans? What is it that draws
them in huge numbers, often-

times at considerable cost and

difficulty? A game, you say?
That is quite true, but what is

in a game that fascinates hu-
man nature? It is the age-old
interest of man—a conflict. Two
teams, or even two individuals,

fairly evenly matched, no matter

whether they be battling in a

carefully maintained ball park,

or in a sorely neglected sand lot,

whether they be squaring off in

a resin treated canvas ring, or

on a paved, slippery city street

—

it makes no difference where

—

two opposing forces attract at-

tention. People pause to ob-

serve. It is a contest. Their at-

tention is captured.

Now of all the conflicts in the
various fields of human happen-
ings, none is more interesting

and at the same time more

puzzling than the one that is

waged within the confines of the

human soul. It is not a struggle
that is experienced by only one

or two people, it is the lot of

mankind—our common conflict.
You have noticed it, I am sure,

many times. It is felt in a va-
riety of ways. How often when a
person is tempted to do some-

thing wrong, he becomes acute-

ly aware of two forces within

him. One draws him towards

evil, the other urges him to
good. Almost immediately the

battle begins. The arguments

are hurled back and forth, now
for one side, then for the other.

This pleading and counter plead-



OUR COMMON CONFLICT 13

ing happen so frequently that at

times we feel almost as though

there is an ever-present Dr.

Jekyll and Mr. Hyde contesting

vigorously within us and we are

at a loss to explain it. It mysti-

fies us. It worries us. Yes, at

times it torments us so that we
cry out in the words of St. Paul:
“

. . . the good which I will, I do

not; but the evil which I will

not, that I do . . . Unhappy man
that I am, who shall deliver me
from the body of this death ?”

(Romans 7: 19-24). Yes, St.

Paul was very well aware of

this conflict. He had come to
grips with it many times. But
he also knew the explanation for
it, an explanation which is root-

/ ed deep in human nature.

When God created man, He
gave him a soul and a body,

each of which has distinctive

powers. The soul is endowed

with intellect and will. The

function of the intellect is to

form ideas, to generate
thoughts, to pass opinions. The

will is the power within man
which chooses, which brings

him to that stage where he says

:

“I will” or “I will not.” But no-

tice that before man exercises
this power of choice he must

have a reason for acting.

Haven't you noticed that when

you do something, you -always

have a reason for what you do,

even though you may not ex-
press it or think about it? Be-

fore you listened to your radio

this morning, you had some mo-

tive for turning the dial. It

might have been for diversion,

it might have been from curi-

osity to hear what was on the

air at this hour, it might have

been because of interest in this

program, it might have been

out of habit, it might have been

for any one of many reasons.
But whatever it was, you had

some purpose. The will is, as it

were, blind and it must be led

into action. That is why we need
justification for our conduct—to
gain consent of the will—be-
cause until this power in us has

some motivation we refuse to
act.

Now besides the soul, with its
faculties of intellect and will,

we also have a body. That is
rather obvious. With some peo-
ple it is more obvious than with
others, but in every case quite

apparent. Deeply rooted in this

body of ours there are appetites.

With all our appetites there are
three things that are important:

an object, a purpose, and a plea-

sure. Just notice this in the case

of hunger. What do you want



14 REALITIES OF LIFE

when you are hungry? Food, of

course. That is the object of

the appetite. Why do you seek
food? To keep alive. That is

the purpose of the appetite. Do

you find it a difficult task to eat

a good meal? Of course not, you

enjoy it. That is the pleasure

associated with it.

If we had more time we could

make the same analysis of all

our appetites, since they follow

an identical pattern. All have an

object, a purpose, and a plea-

sure. Now let us study the in-
fluence of these factors in that

fascinating conflict which is

ever present in man. The mind

and the appetites are really the

Jekyll and Hyde that frequently

come into sharp conflict. Each

appetite is essentially selfish

since it looks solely for its own

pleasure without any concern for

the entire good of man. The

satisfaction it finds in the pos-

session of its own object is the

only interest it has. The mind,

on the other hand, considers the

whole field of the individual’s

welfare. It realizes what is the

entire good of man. It looks be-

yond the particular satisfaction

of any one appetite to man’s real

and lasting happiness.

Naturally, there are any num-

ber of occasions when there is

no opposition between these

forces, but there are also many
times when the appetite becomes
too imperious and demands an

immediate satisfaction not in-

tended by God and, therefore,

not for man’s total welfare. In-

tellect objects, and this provides

the clash. And each one of these
forces seeks to influence the will

in its favor. The appetite re-

sorts to very deceptive techni-

ques when it senses defeat. Take

the instance of the alcoholic. On
his way home from work he is
conscious of his desire for a

couple of drinks. Conscience,

which is nothing more than the

intellect judging the morality of

the act, reminds the man that he
should go straight home and

avoid his favorite haunt. But

then the desire starts working,

and the old appetite, not wishing

to come into open conflict with

conscience, falls back upon a

tricky bit of ’strategy. “Why
not,” urges this force, “just go

down toward the tavern and

walk right past it. Then you

show how strong you are.” This

seems like a good idea so the

man falls in with it. But as he
gets a little closer to the pitfall,

conscience again warns him of

the danger and urges him “keep

going.” Then Mr. Appetite deep-



OUR COMMON CONFLICT 15

ens his deception and coaxes

:

“Just show how strong you

really are. Stop in, see your

friends, and come right out.”

That seems like an inviting chal-

lenge, so in goes the man, only

he doesn’t come right out. When
he does finally stagger out, the

appetite has been completely

satisfied. Conscience has lost

the appeal, but it doesn’t cease

to reproach the will for having

followed the wrong direction.

That is why, after acting con-

trary to the good, the sinner ex-

periences remorse of conscience.

The appetite has had its object

and its pleasure. It is quiet. But

conscience is not. It says again

and again with accusing tones:

“You should not have done

that.”

However, so long as a person

follows conscience, the result is

quite different, for when the ap-

petite is held under proper con-

trol over a period of time and is

not given its way, it learns to

obey. This side of man’s nature,

which is really the animal side

of him, can be trained. It can

be controlled. For just as we im-
press upon a dog that he must

not snap at passersby, so we can
insist with this part of our na-

ture, that it must not seize un-

lawful pleasures. If we keep it,

as it were, on a leash, and rein

it in when it attempts to go into

forbidden fields, then it will soon

realize who is master.

The conflict in man is impor-
tant. It is fundamental. But what

is of far greater importance,

is not so much the battle, as the
winner. Who is going to be
master ? If the appetites gain

the upper hand, the person will

be ruled by an imperious, domi-

nating force that constantly

craves more and more satisfac-

tion. The individual will no long-

er be a free man, but a tortured

slave, bound hand and foot,

muscle and sinew, by the ter-

rible force of ravenous, raging,

tormenting impulses and de-

sires.

If, on the other hand, con-

science holds sway, and if that

conscience is ennobled by the

grace of God, then the person

will be in the fullest sense of the

words, captain of his fate and

master of his destiny. He will
not be driven heedlessly this

way and that, but will chart his
course through life fully aware

of the good and the true, fol-

lowing it faithfully and con-

stantly with peace and calm and

courage. His life will be full

and rich and meaningful.

Certainly you want peace and



16 REALITIES OF LIFE

happiness in life. You wish to things. They are yours, depend-

have your days filled with a feel- ing on the answer that you, and

ing of loyalty and sincerity and only you, can give to the ques-

honesty, without any remorse or tion: Who shall be your master,
regret. You can have all these conscience or appetite?



THE HUMAN REVOLT
Talk given on January 19, 1947

I wonder if you heard the

broadcast of Pope Pius XII to

the Congress of the Confrater-

nity of Christian Doctrine meet-

ing in Boston during October of

last year? If you didn't, perhaps

you may have read his message
in the press. It was a very in-

teresting and thought-provoking

talk that included a rather start-

ling sentence. "Perhaps," said

the Pope, "the greatest sin in

the world today is that men have

begun to lose the sense of sin."

I am sure his words must have
sounded strange to many a per-
son who would view the rise of

totalitarianism, and spread of

communism, or the triumph of

fascism as the greatest evil.

And, when the Pope later on in

that same broadcast, indicated

that a sense of sin was even

more necessary in our modern

world than "human legislation,

or compacts or treaties," some

people would find it very hard to

agree. They might be inclined

to view these ideas of Pius XII

as theoretical, but not at all

practical; the natural reaction

of a man deeply steeped in re-
ligion, However, I recall a very

shrewd and successful statesman

of the nineteenth century who
voiced almost the same senti-

ment. William Gladstone, four

times Prime Minister of Great

Britain, once declared that he

considered one of the great

needs of our modern world, a

sense of sin.

Of course, Gladstone was not

original in this idea. Neither

was Pope Pius XII. One far

greater than either of these men
stressed this need more than
nineteen hundred years ago in

the countryside of Palestine. I

am sure you remember Jesus
Christ telling the people of His

day that one of the purposes of

His coming here on earth was to
impress upon the mind of man
his terrible character of sin.

Men of His day were well aware
of the existence of sin, but they

were not concerned with its

seriousness. Our divine Saviour
was. He knew that sin was the
greatest evil in the history of

mankind and He sought both by
word and example to impress
this realization upon the entire

world.

Certainly, a sense of the



18 REALITIES OF LIFE

malice of sin is necessary. You

know very well that unless a

man is convinced that something
he is doing is wrong, he will

not be too ready to give it up.

If a business man thinks that it
is perfectly all right to short

change or to short weigh his

customers, he will not discon-

tinue the practice very readily.

Obviously, then, the first step in

any reform is a realization that

sin is definitely wrong.

Now what is this terrible evil
called sin ? What is its true
meaning? Notice I say “-true”

meaning, because as you know,

there are some very vague and

inaccurate explanations of it.

There are those who regard sin

as merely a violation of a law

made by human beings. Then
there are others who, in a some-

what learned fashion, speak of

sin as a “deviation from an es-

tablished pattern of human con-
duct. In plainer language, they

simply mean that over a period

of time, people have agreed that

this is a way men should act.
Then, when one individual steps

out of line and goes contrary to

that set way, he is sinning.

I recall a student at a state

university telling me that sin
was merely a “cultural taboo/’

When I asked him to explain

these words he launched forth

into a long discussion of history

and civilization. Briefly, his idea

was that sin is nothing more

than a person’s refusal to fulfill

what his fellowmen consider the

“nice” way of acting.

These are jpst a few of the

popular notions of sin. Perhaps

it would be more accurate to say

that these are popular misunder-

standings of the real meaning

of sin. They all have one com-

mon fault. They fail to consider
sin in relation to God. Sin is

more than a mistake, more than

a crime. It is an act of hostility

to God, a violation of the moral

law of God. Man recognizes that
the moral law is God’s will; that

this is what God wants him to

do. But, man refuses to follow
God’s way. He deliberately
chooses his own way. When man
does this, he sins. The human
being revolts against his Crea-

tor. That constitutes its great

malice, and unless we view sin

in this relationship to God, we

can never appreciate its gravity.

Very simply, then, we can de-

fine sin as man’s choice to do

something which he knows God

has forbidden, or to avoid some-

thing which he realizes God has

commanded. Has God forbidden

or commanded all actions under



THE HUMAN REVOLT 19

the same penalty? Obviously not.

After all, even in human affairs,

we recognize that there is a dis-

tinct difference in types of

punishment for violation of law.

A man who parks his car in a
non-parking area, isn't given the

same punishment as a murderer

who shoots a man in cold blood.
So too, in the divine plan. Al-

mighty God has forbidden cer-

tain actions under severe pen-

alty, while He has forbidden
others under slight penalty.

Now, what is the basis of the

difference between the grievous

and the less serious?

The distinction is found not

in divine whim or fancy, for
there is no whim or fancy in
God, but the difference is rooted

in the very nature of God Him-

self. There are certain things

which, by their very nature, are

so violently opposed to the di-

vine nature, that God cannot en-

dure them. They are entirely

contrary to His nature and can-

not be otherwise. We can think
of many things in human life as
being quite different from what

they are. You could imagine the

stars moving in larger or small-

er cycles. You could think of

men and animals and plants of

much different size and shape.

You could visualize a far differ-

/

ent world than our present one.

But, could you ever conceive of

God saying: “You may malici-
ously destroy your neighbor's

reputation
;

you may murder
innocent people; you may com-
mit all kinds of vile and impure

actions?" Certainly not. You
can no more think of God doing

that, than you can think of black

being white. These things are

so completely at variance with

His divine, all holy, all perfect

nature, that He tells us very
clearly to avoid them. That is

why sin is an act of direct re-
bellion against God. It is a

choice freely made to do some-
thing which we know is seri-
ously opposed to the divine na-

ture of GGd. Once we make such
a choice, we have definitely
manifested our desire to break

our relationship with God. We
have cut ourselves off from Him.

Notice too, that in this revolt

of the human being against his
Creator, man is doing something
that is harmful to his own na-
ture. Since we have been made
in the image and likeness of

God, whatever is contrary to

His nature, must by that very
fact, be contrary to our own.

We can no more be happy living
in sin, than we could enthusi-



20 REALITIES OF LIFE

astically enjoy the life of the

fish of the sea.

God then, is not a divine dic-

tator, forbidding or commanding

in an arbitrary manner. Not at

all. He is merely making clear
His will, which is based on His

divine nature, and which cer-

tainly, in a very true sense, is

for the best interests of our own

nature. When we ignore His di-
vine warnings, and decide to act

against them, we are sinning

grievously. We can readily ap-
ply the adjective mortal, which

means deadly, to this type of sin,

because it kills the life of God

in us.

This, then, is one kind of sin.

W'hat about the other, or less

serious? I rather hesitate to

speak of this type for fear some-

one may jump to the conclusion
that, after all, since this is not

so serious -it is all right. That, of

course, would be an entirely

wrong way of reasoning. You

certainly would not say that al-

though it is wrong to steal a

man’s car, it is perfectly all

right to puncture one of his

tires. With this in mind, con-

sider for a moment the nature

of sin which is not grievous.

Now, just as there are actions

which are opposed to the very

nature of God, so too there are

others which are not pleasing to

a Perfect Being. They offend

Him. They are displeasing to

Him, but they are not of such a

character as to force Him away.
A sudden flurry of temper, or a
small lie, would be instances of

such sins. Certainly they are

not trivial or unimportant. Defi-

nitely, they are to be avoided

since they weaken our tie with

God. How strong and close
would your friendship be with a

person who did not do anything

to harm you seriously, but who
did small things to annoy you?

If he deliberately did these

things knowing that they would

displease you, the bond of union

between you would be gradually

weakened. So too, if an indi-

vidual lightly tosses off this type

of sin as unimportant and noth-

ing to worry about, he is not

strengthening h i s friendship

with God.

With these ideas in mind, I

think we can understand why
Pope Pius XII viewed with

alarm the loss of the sense of

sin. Was he exaggerating when
he said the world was losing

that realization? If you think so,

just pick up your newspaper and

read the account of current

happenings. Notice the crimes

that are daily committed, and



THE HUMAN KEVOLT 21

particularly observe how calmly

the culprits admit them. Wanton

actions against innocent women
and, at times, even children

;

utter disregard of the marriage

vow; these and countless flag-

rant violations of divine law

which cry to heaven for ven-

geance are casually acknowl-

edged on a witness stand with-

out the slightest tinge of re-

morse. Certainly the world is

losing, if it has not already lost,

its sense of moral guilt.

You and I are living in this

environment, in this atmos-

phere. And there is a great
danger that we might be in-
fluenced by this attitude. We
may be tempted to think that
after all, sin cannot be too bad

since so many are doing it. That
would be false. For the number,

large or small, who may commit
this act, does not change the

malice of sin in the eyes of God.

It is still just as much opposed
to His divine nature whether

one or a million do it.

Neither should we fool our-

selves into believing that since

we may fail to realize why a
particular action is contrary to

God's nature, it is all right for

us. No, of course not. As long

as God has made clear that an

action offends Him, it does not

matter whether or not we under-

stand why it offends Him. We
should accept His will and faith-

fully follow it.

Sin, then, is not to be con-

doned, it is to be condemned; it

is not to be excused, it is to be

accused. Certainly, if we could
only see sin as it is in the eyes

of God, then there would be a

lot less committed. Then it

would no longer be inviting, but

forbidding; it would no longer

attract, but repel. The clear

consciousness of the malice of

sin is the greatest guarantee we
could possibly have against the

terrible evil of the day—the loss
of the sense of sin.



THE RESTORATION
Talk given on January 26, 1947

At the very height of the last

war, one of our fighting ships

was ploughing through the
waters of the Atlantic on her

way back to the States. Stand-
ing on the bridge of this ship

was a young lieutenant, seem-

ingly just staring into space.

Was he plotting a course by the
stars? Was he studying the
horizon? No, he wasn't noticing

either the stars or the horizon,

for his mind was absorbed in

thought. He wasn't counting the
days until he would have his

leave; he wasn't planning on the

things he would do as soon as

he landed; he wasn't even won-

dering how much longer the war

would last. His mind was en-

grossed in a much deeper and

more personal problem. As he

told me later, he kept asking
himself over and over again this

simple question: “How can I be
sure that God has forgiven me
for the wicked things I have

done in the past? How can I be
sure?"

He tried to tell himself that

all he had to do was to look up

into the heavens, talk directly to

God, and tell the divine, all-

merciful Father that he was

sorry. He tried that, but still
the young man could not be sure
that he was forgiven. Was
there no way his troubled soul
could feel satisfied that God had

heard his cry and had restored

him to His divine friendship?

This was the problem the

young naval officer wrestled with

on the bridge that night. This

was the problem that he brought

to me, asking if I knew of any

definite, satisfying solution. Of

course, he isn't the only one who

has ever a$ked that same ques-

tion. So often we become con-
scious of the fact of sin in our

lives and we feel a deep need, as
it were, to wipe the slate clean.

And we would like to have defi-
nite assurance that it has been

cleansed. How -can we be sure?
That is a question a human
being of himself could never an-

swer, for it is not up to man to
say how God should grant for-
giveness. It is God's divine right

to tell us how we may receive
His pardon, His love and His

friendship.

Certainly we recognize this

right in human affairs. When



THE RESTORATION 23

someone has hurt you deeply, is

later sorry for what he has done

and asks forgiveness, who is the

one to say how this forgiveness

is to be obtained? Is it he who

offends, or is it he who has been

offended? Obviously, the one who

has been wronged alone has the

right to say how his friendship

can be restored. Well, so too in

this question of sin. God is the

one sinned against by man. He
then is the one to give the con-

ditions for forgiveness. The an-

swer to the problem: “How can
I be sure that God has forgiven

me for my actions against
Him?” must be found in His di-

vine decrees. Did God leave any

means for obtaining forgive-

ness? If He did, then we can
use this means and be sure of

our restoration to divine favor.

If He did not—well, we don’t
have to stop to consider that

possibility, because we know
that God did leave a way.

Come back with me through
the pages of history to a date

some nineteen hundred years

ago, to a fairly secluded spot in

the City of Jerusalem. A ter-
rible tragedy had taken place in

the horribly cruel crucifixion and

death of the God-man, Jesus

Christ. Then three days later,

all the sorrowing and suffering,

all the tears and tragedy had

been wiped away by His glorious

Resurrection. He had come to
bring the glad tidings to His

apostles, His chosen co-workers.

Sweet, soothing words fell from

His lips as He spoke to them:
“Peace be to you.” Then He com-
missioned them to continue His

work—the reconciliation of sin-
ners to their God. And He gave
them the power to bring about

that forgivness when He said:
“Receive ye the Holy Ghost,

whose sins you shall forgive,

they are forgiven. Whose sins

you shall retain, they are re-

tained.”

Notice Christ gave to these

men and to their successors a
two-fold power—to forgive, or
not to forgive. How could they
know when to use this power,

how could they know when to

grant forgiveness, or to refuse

it, unless they heard the case?

Surely we would condemn most

heartily and most' justly any

judge before whom an accused
person was brought, if the judge

pronounced him “guilty” or “not

guilty” without ever hearing the

evidence. So too, would we con-
demn, and rightly, the apostles

and their successors if they were

to grant or refuse forgiveness

without knowing the sinner’s



24 REALITIES OF LIFE

case. And surely the only one
who could disclose the true facts

would be the sinner himself* He
alone of men knows what he has
done and why he has done it.
And he, more than any other
human being, realizes his guilt
and his sorrow. That is why he
must tell thoroughly, clearly,

and truthfully, the entire case to

the priest who has been given
this power of forgiving or no!

forgiving. When this state of
soul of the sinner is known, and

when the priest is assured that

the person is repentant and

worthy of forgiveness, then he

grants that pardon.

Certainly, it is not enough for

the penitent merely to tell what

he has done. Not at all. Could

you forgive an individual who

seriously offended you, told you

about it, and then added: “Of

course I am not one bit sorry
for what I have done, and I will

do the same thing all over

again ?” Why, you could never

forgive anyone who had such an

attitude. Neither could God, act-

ing through the priest, forgive

any one of us if we merely told

what we had done and were not

sorry for it. And surely, when

a person sincerely regrets his

action, he will make up his mind

not to do it again. That is why

the individual, in addition to

telling what he has done, must

be sorry for his sins and promise

not to commit them again. Un-

less he has such sorrow, he can

never obtain forgiveness. But

when he does have such remorse,
and the desire to do better, the

priest, empowered by God and

acting in His name, grants for-

giveness. The sinner hears the

words of pardon : “I absolve you

from your sins in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and

of the Holy Ghost.” He is no
longer doubtful or hesitant. He
knows he has been forgiven.

“But,” you say, “why go to a
priest? He is only human. Why
tell what you have done to a

human being? It is much too
embarrassing and difficult!” The

only answer anyone can give to

this objection is that Christ

wanted it that way. It was His

means of forgiveness. Of course,

He could have left many other
ways, no one would deny that.

But, it isn’t a question of what

He might have done, but what
He actually did do. Whether we
like it or not, whether His means

is pleasing to us or not, is all be-

side the point. It isn’t up to us

to decide the conditions for for-

giveness. That is the province

of God; He has been disobeyed,



THE RESTORATION 25

and He gives the conditions of
reconciliation. It is the offended

God who dictates the terms of
peace. It is offending man who
must accept and fulfill them,

whether he likes them or not.

But don’t look at this matter

of forgiveness solely from the

point of view of convenience and

personal approval. Look at it

rather from the great assurance

it gives you that sin is definitely

wiped out. No longer do you
have to worry and fret, no long-

er need you be in doubt and un-

certainty. God has seen your

problem; He has known your
difficulty, and He has left a
means to answer that difficulty.

God, as it were, looked down
through the depths of the fu-

ture. He saw the countless thou-
sands of human beings who, in
their frailty and weakness,
would offend Him. He saw too,
how many would stray from the
paths of righteousness even, at

times, through wilfulness and

malice. But He also saw the
number of these who would re-
gret the folly of their ways, and

would long for His love and

friendship. Like the prodigal son

of old, they would sorrowfully

beg forgiveness with the re-

morseful words: “Father, I

have sinned against heaven and

before thee. I am no longer
worthy to be called Thy son”
(Luke 15:21). He, the infinite

and merciful God who had said:
“.

. . there shall be joy before

the angels of God upon one sin-

ner doing penance” ( Luke 15:

10), could never turn a deaf ear

to such a plea. He would for-
give, He would restore man to
His divine friendship in a way
far surpassing human invention.
He would leave a way open that
would give man peace and se-
curity of mind. He would pro-
vide a means that man could
recognize and through which he

could have moral or practical as-

surance that his sins were wiped

away. That means is Confes-

sion, a tremendously gratifying

means, for there the penitent

hears the words of forgiveness.

His doubt vanishes, his uncer-

tainty melts away. He knows
through the words of God that

he has been forgiven, that he is

once again a sharer in the divine

friendship and love.

This is how the young lieu-
tenant regarded it. He could not
be satisfied just telling God he

was sorry without ever knowing

if he had been forgiven. In an

understandable, human way he
wanted to hear the grant of par-

don with his own ears. Count-



26 REALITIES OF LIFE

less millions before his time

have felt the same need, and the

generations yet unborn that will

follow him will also feel it. They

shall not be disappointed for

they shall find in the words of

Christ, a means that will fill this

aching void, a means that is not

a source of contention, nor a

channel to be rejected because of

dislike or difficulty, but a divine

fountain of forgiveness welling

up from the all-compassionate

and merciful heart of God. Mil-

lions have praised our divine

Saviour for his goodness to the

penitent sinner, and at the same

time they are eternally grateful

for His kindness to fallen hu-

manity, for His divine foresight

m leaving to mankind the only
means which can certainly as-

sure us that we have been re-
stored to his divine favor, the

soul-satisfying words : “I ab-

solve thee from thy sins in the

name of the Father, and of th*

Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”



52 STATIONS CARRYING THE HOUR OF FAITH
In 28 States and the District of Columbia

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Arkansas El Doredo i - KELD
California Los Angeles ....KECA

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Pueblo -...KGHF

Connecticut Hartford WHTD
Dist. of Columbia Washington WMAL
Florida Pensacola ... —^ WBSR
Illinois Chicago .....WLS

Springfield WCBS
Indiana .... ...Fort Wayne .....WOWO
Iowa ^.Burlington KBUR

Davenport WOC ........
Dubuque WKBB
Sioux City KSCJ

Kansas Coffeyville KGGF
Wichita , KFBI

Kentucky Lexington WLAP
Louisville WINN

Louisiana New Orleans WDSU* 1280 kc
Massachusetts ....Boston WCOP

Hyannis MOCB
Worchester WORC

..Battle Creek ......WELL
Detroit WXYZ

..Minneapolis-St. Paul WTCN ....v..

..Gulfport J...WGCM
Vicksburg VVQBC

..Columbia KFRU
St. Louis ... KXOK
Springfield KWTO ........

..Las Vegas KENO

..Massena WNSA
New York WJZ
Plattsburg WMFF
Poughkeepsie WKIP
Troy (5th Sun. only) WTRY

..Wilmington ...: ....WMFD

..Cincinnati WSAI
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Oklahoma Ardmore KVSO
Shawnee t KGFF
Tulsa KOME

Pennsylvania Harrisburg WHGB
Pittsburgh WCEA
Scranton WARM

Texas Brownsville KEEW
San Antonio KABC ........

Washington Spokane KGA
West Virginia ....Huntington ... WSAZ

* Delayed Broadcast

(Revised as of November, 1946)

Michigan

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Missouri ..

Nevada
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Ohio

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