THE

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

A COURSE

OF LENTEN SERMONS

BV

Rev. H. NAGELSCHMITT

NEW YORK

JOSEPH F. WAGNER, Inc.













THE

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

A COURSE

OF LENTEN SERMONS

BY

Rev. H. NAGELSCHMITT

NEW YORK

JOSEPH F. WAGNER, Inc.



0bstat

REMIGIUS LAFORT, S.T.D.

Censor Librorutn

^mprtmatttr

‘^JjOHN CARDINAL FARLEY

ArcMisho/ of New York

Nkw York, December 8, 1915

Copyright, 1916, by Joseph F. Wagner, New York

Printed in the United States of America



CONTENTS
PAGE

I ReKgion is Indispensable to Man 1

II Reason and Revelation 11

III Stability and Progress 20

IV The Position and Prospects of the Catholic Church at the

Present Day 29

V Liberty 37

VI Equality 47

VII Fraternity, or Brotherly Love (Good Friday Sermon) ... 59





THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

I. Religion is Indispensable to Man

When it is evening you say: '"It will be fair weather, for the sky is red/'
And in the evening: “To-day there will he a storm, for the sky is red
and lowering/* You know then how to discern the face of the sky, and
can you not know the signs of the times/—Matt, xvi, 2-4.

You will wonder, no doubt, at my choosing for my Lenten

sermons a text that has apparently no bearing at all upon this holy

season, when the Church desires us to be recollected, making it a

time of meditation, prayer, penance and amendment of life. A

preacher is accordingly bound to conform to the wish of the Church,

and to supply his people with the means of making a good use of

this acceptable time, this day of salvation (II. Cor. vi, 2). I have

no intention of neglecting this duty, but I shall, I think, fulfil it best

by pointing out to you the Signs of the Times, and suggesting how

they may be interpreted, so that you may not incur the reproach:

“You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you do not

know the signs of the times.’’

I invite you therefore now, at this holy season, to consider these

signs, so that we may be able to answer the cry uttered by the

prophet: “Watchman, what of the night?” Would that we could

truthfully reply: “I behold the dawn of a bright and joyful day.”

Alas, we ought rather to say with the prophet: “The morning

cometh, also the night.”

Wherever we look we find enemies, we find signs foreboding

tempests and storms, famine, and war with all its horrors. Yet still

worse than all these perils are the doctrines and principles of the

socialists—doctrines which threaten to undermine all human
society and the Church herself, and to bring about the overthrow

of all existing relations between men and nations. These people

deny the very existence of God, and reject all Christian teaching

on matters of faith and morals. They wish to abolish all authority

in State, Church and family; they have no respect for the mar-

riage bond, nor for the rights of property; they will not ac-

l



2 RELIGION IS INDISPENSABLE TO MAN

knowledge that it is the duty of parents to bring up their own chil-

dren, and they assert the absolute equality of all men with regard

to their mutual relations, rights and obligations. Many even go so

far as to renounce all law, both human and Divine, and to declare

God, or rather faith in God, to be the source of all evils in human

society, and so they assign to man, as his sole duty on earth, the

task of seeking in every way to satisfy his own desires and passions.

Those employed in diffusing these false and revolutionary doctrines

and principles are incessantly active, and carry on their propaganda

at public and private meetings, as well as in books, periodicals and

newspapers, so that at every turn we are reminded of our Saviour’s

warning to beware of false prophets.

This is the reason why I wish to lay before you, in this course

of sermons, the doctrines and principles current at the present day,

in order to put you on your guard and to supply you with the means

of refuting them; at the same time I hope to show you where to

find guidance in the troubles that beset us, so that you may not lose

hold of the anchor which alone can prove your salvation. With

one hand we must ward off the enemies’ attacks, and with the

other build up the walls of the heavenly city.

I intend to begin my sermon to-day by considering a man who

denies that religion is indispensable, and thinks it enough to lead

an honest life in the world. I have undertaken a difficult task in

proposing to discuss these subjects, a task that can not be ac-

complished without God’s assistance and your good will; I can

rely upon the latter, and trust that by your prayers you will help me

to obtain the former. Let us therefore implore the Holy Spirit, the

Spirit of truth and strength, to aid us, and enable us to begin, con-

tinue and end the work for the edification, encouragement and sanc-

tification of God’s faithful people.

I. At the present day, and especially among the upper classes

there are many who maintain religion to be something superfluous,

and say that it is enough for a man to lead an honest life. For

this reason they cease to attend public worship, or attend it only

for the sake of appearances and as a matter of form, whilst they

look down with contemptuous amusement on such of their fellow

creatures as still possess and profess some religion. They regard

themselves as wise and enlightened, and others as ignorant and be-



THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES 3

hind the times, and whilst they are very anxious to have a good

reputation as men of honor, they cast doubts upon the honesty,

uprightness and virtue of their neighbors. These are the people

who by word and example have sown among the lower classes the

seed of unbelief and indifference to religion, thus encouraging the

socialists, who now boast of having conquered the religious

feelings of their hearts and of having discarded the Church, that

gloomy relic of mediaevalism

!

But is it possible to conquer all religious feeling, and to dispense

with religion? By religion I mean the sense of our possessing a

finite nature dependent upon an infinite Being; I mean the recog-

nition of God, and the worship of Him that results from such

recognition
;
I mean the light from above that illumines our under-

standing and reveals to us God and the relation in which we stand

to Him; finally I mean the bond uniting the creature with the

Creator, man with God and earth with heaven. Innate in every

human being is a sense of dependence upon some higher power,

and this sense influences every mind not corrupted by evil doc-

trines. A child lifts its little hands in prayer to God, of whom it
knows nothihg, but whom it already fears. Go where you will, even

to the backwoods of savage countries, whither Christianity has not

yet penetrated, and everywhere you will find that men believe in a

Supreme Being, who governs them and controls their destiny;

everywhere some kind of worship, though it may be barbarous and

very imperfect, is paid to this Being. No race exists either in the

Old or in the New World devoid of all religion, and can we suppose

it not to be indispensable, when every simple, uncorrupt individual

nature, as well as all the nations of the earth, possesses an innate

sense of religion? Men, beasts and plants require the light of the

sun, if they are to live, grow and thrive, and in the same way we

require religion, the light from above, to enlighten our minds and

ennoble the feelings of our hearts. The knowledge and worship

of God are as indispensable to the spiritual life of our souls as are

food and drink to our physical life. “This,” says our Saviour, “is

eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus

Christ, whom Thou hast sent” (John xvii, 3). “The bread of God

is that which cometh down from heaven and giveth life to the

world. ... I am the bread of life” (John vi, 33, 35). “He that

shall drink of the water that I will give him, shall not thirst for

ever” (John iv, 13). The greatest and most learned men in every



4 RELIGION IS INDISPENSABLE TO MAN

age have always recognized and insisted upon the necessity of

religion. Who are those who nowadays maintain that they can do
without it, and can be contented and happy when they have neither

faith in nor love of God, and do no fear and reverence Him? They

are ignorant, mad and unconscientious people, or else foolish wind-

bags, unworthy to be mentioned in the same breath with the really

great men to whom I have referred. But why, it may be asked,

need we assert so emphatically that religion is absolutely indispens-

able to mankind? It is not merely for the reason already stated,

but also because, without religion, it is impossible for men to be

truly wise, good or happy.

II. I. They can not be truly wise, for none deserve to be called

wise who know nothing of God, in spite of His revealing His exist-

ence, His omnipotence. His wisdom and His goodness in all the

wonders of the universe. How can a man be truly wise, who fails

to see what God has done and still does, day by day, for the welfare

of the human race? How can he be wise, who is ignorant of the

relation in which he stands to the one great God, and of the way

in which he ought to act towards Him, and of what he may rightly

hope or fear to receive from Him? A man may be learned in

worldly matters and in scientific knowledge, but unless he under-

stands the things of God, he is not truly wise. Just as God is

highly exalted above men, and the heavens above the earth, so does

the knowledge of things Divine and heavenly far surpass that of

earthly and human afifairs. The wisdom of this world is enmity

against God because it aims at limiting His glory, and it is harmful

to men because it originates in pride and ends in wickedness and

shame. God is constrained, for the sake of His own majesty and

glory, to overthrow this wisdom, and in His holy anger He has

sworn to destroy it: “Wisdom shall perish from their wise men, and

the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid” (Is. xxix, 14).

“Where is the wise?” asks the Apostle, “where is the scribe?

Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish

the wisdom of this world?” (I. Cor. i, 20). God effected this, first,

by means of revelations given to the patriarchs and prophets, and

afterwards through His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, “who of

God is made unto us wisdom, and justice, and sanctification, and

redemption” (Ibid, v, 30). He alone is truly wise who knows God,

and Jesus Christ, whom He hath sent. “The testimony of the Lord

is faithful,” says the Psalmist, “giving wisdom to little ones, . . .



THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES 5

the judgments of the Lord are more to be desired than gold and

many precious stones, and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb”

(Ps. xviii, 9-1 1). Wisdom such as this is bestowed upon those only

who are guileless as children, since it is the reward of humble piety.

A man who possesses the wisdom derived from religion may not
perhaps make a great display, as do those versed in the knowledge

of this world, but he knows how to lead a good. God-fearing life.

He may not be able to calculate the course of the stars, but he

knows who spread out the heavens like a tent, and created sun,

moon, and stars. He may not have read the records of history or

the works of learned men, but he realizes that here below all is

vanity and that whatever takes place in the world is subject to

God’s guidance. In short, those trained in the school of religion

may not be wise in the sense of discussing every imaginable topic,

nor do they possess a knowledge of a great many unprofitable, if not

harmful things, but they are wise because they understand the most

important thing of all, viz., how to please God and act rightly.

Solomon was the wisest of men, and yet he acknowledges that it

was the teaching of religion that made him wiser than his elders

and more learned than his teachers.

2. Without religion a man can not be truly good and honest, for

whoever cuts himself off from God, and severs the bond of union

between himself and his Creator, is abandoning himself to his own

perverse inclinations and to the dictates of a will ever prone to

evil. By ceasing to think of the God who rewards the good and

punishes the wicked, he throws off all restraint capable of curbing

his disorderly desires and passions, and thus becomes liable to com-

mit even the greatest crimes. Of course our conscience tells us

what is right and what is wrong, but men devoid of religion are

Godless, and consequently soon become deaf to the voice of con-

science, which ceases to make itself heard as soon as it ceases to be

regarded as the voice of God. Godless men, heedless of conscience,

are little better than the beasts
;
in fact they are still lower than the

brutes, inasmuch as they do more harm and are more prone to

every form of wickedness, and at the same time less amenable to

law and discipline.

It is useless to maintain that reason bids man act morally, for

reason is often deceived when it no longer has a hold upon God,

and then it accepts falsehood as truth and declares what is evil to

be good. How often is it blinded by self-love and self-interest!



6 RELIGION IS INDISPENSABLE TO MAN

Nothing hinders a man with no religion from overreaching, deceiv-

ing, robbing, slandering, persecuting and crushing his neighbor.

Reason is often pressed into the service of disorderly cravings, for

the flesh is ever apt to rebel against the spirit, and to impel man,

against his better judgment, to gratify the lusts of the flesh.

know,” says St. Paul, “that there dwelleth not in me, that is to say,

in my flesh, that which is good. For to will is present with me, but

to accomplish that which is good, I find not. For the good which

I will, I do not; but the evil which I will not, that I do” (Rom. vii,

i8, 19). Religion alone tells us authoritatively what we ought to

do and what not to do
;
it supplies us with the best means of living

good and upright lives
;

it awakens within us true love of God by

representing Him to us as merciful and holy, hating iniquity and

loving righteousness
;

it deters us from evil by the threat of terrible

punishments which God in His justice will inflict upon wrong-

doers, and it stimulates us to do good, by promising us a reward

that is indescribably great and imperishable. If men are deprived

of religion they will act as they please, each will give free rein to

his passions and use his strength to crush the weak, his cunning to

outwit the simple, his eloquence to mislead the credulous and his

power to stir up fear and bloodshed in every direction. St. Paul

gives us an account of the condition of men without religion before

our Saviour’s coming. He says that they were filled with all

iniquity, malice, fornication, avarice, wickedness
;
they were full of

envy, murder, contention, deceit and malignity; they were whisper-

ers, detractors, hateful to God, contumelious, proud, haughty, in-

ventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, foolish, dissolute,

without affection, without fidelity and without mercy (Rom. i,

29-31). Yes, indeed, if ever God’s enemies should succeed in

making all men socialists, human society would ultimately be noth-

ing but an ungovernable rabble of savages.

It is impossible, in the short time at my disposal, to give you

historical proofs of the manner in which up to the present day all

this has repeated itself in the case of men, whenever they have

fallen away from God and lost the restraint of religion. It is all

recorded in history, where you can read it for yourselves, and I

will merely quote a very remarkable utterance made by one who

perhaps hated and injured Christianity more than any of those who

preceded or succeeded him—I mean Voltaire, the famous philoso-
pher of the i8th century. He said; “Unbelief is the vice of fools.



THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES 1\

and a mistake that can have originated only in the darkness of

prisons. It is not merely opposed to morality and the welfare of

mankind—for, where no God is recognized there is no obstacle to
secret vice. An unbeliever’s heart is capable of all baseness and

of the vices of the most abandoned among men.”

Experience will have taught you all more or less the truth of

these words. Are those who go about ridiculing religion and the

Church, and openly boasting that they believe in nothing, are those,

as a rule, good, honest, gentle, chaste and amiable people ? As far as

my knowledge of the world and of men goes, I must deny them to

be such, and I think you will agree with me. With whom do you

prefer to have business dealings? Whom do you trust in every-

day life? A godless man or one with some sense of religion? Are
you not afraid lest a Godless man should cheat you, simply because

he has no religion and consequently no conscience? I have no

desire to accuse anyone, but it is a fact that those who believe in

nothing and do not care for the Church, are as a rule people

capable of and even prone to every kind of injustice, sin and vice.

They may proclaim their honesty and respectability, but those who

know them will not believe them
;
and even if they are really worthy

people, their goodness generally consists merely in avoidance of

flagrant vice and of transactions which would bring them under the

censure of the law.

It is because men devoid of religion can not be good and upright,

that no civil society or state has ever been able to exist long with-

out religion, for peace, order, personal safety, regard for the rights

of ownership and for honor, and respect for the law can not exist

without it, and they are the very foundations of society and the

state. The pagans of old, recognizing this fact, declared faith in

their gods to be the foundation of their government; and at the

close of the i8th century the moving spirits of the French Revolu-

tion learned by experience that religion was indispensable to the

settled order of the State. No sooner had they forbidden the

French nation to believe in God and immortality, no sooner had

they destroyed the churches, overthrown the altars and killed the

priests, than the terrible results of their action filled them with

alarm, and they were forced hastily to withdraw their prohibition

and to allow the people to believe in God and immortality and to

restore the churches and altars. The present French Republic

is on the way to unbelief; it has banished religious instruction from



8 RELIGION IS INDISPENSABLE TO MAN

the elementary schools, under the pretext of thus securing more

time for subjects of greater importance, it has secularized educa-

tion, driven out the religious orders and severed all connection with

Rome, and all this has produced a terrible increase in the number

of juvenile criminals. According to official statistics in one year

almost 29,000 children under 16 years of age were convicted

of serious offences, and 443 children committed suicide. If such

is the case with the green wood, what will become of the dry? And

what will be our fate when our people have lost all religion ?

3. Finally, men devoid of religion can not be happy. It is not

necessary for me to say much in proof of this statement; I need

only appeal to your experience and ask whether you have ever felt

any happiness to compare with that which you feel when, with

hearts cleansed from sin, you approach the table of the Lord and

receive the Bread of angels. The happiness afforded by religion

differs from that afforded by the pleasures, wealth and enjoyments

of the world as widely as heaven differs from earth. St. Paul, in

writing to the Corinthians, says: ‘‘Our glory is this, the testimony

of our conscience, that in simplicity of heart and sincerity of God,

and not in carnal wisdom, but in the grace of God, we have con-

versed in this world, and more abundantly towards you” (II. Cor.

i, 12).

Let me ask you another question : What gives you strength and

courage in trouble and adversity? What comforts you in sorrow

and supports you in misfortune? What enables you to bear poverty

and trials with patience and composure ? What makes you suppress

your feelings of anger and vindictiveness when you are persecuted,

insulted and slandered, and renders you calm and peaceable ? What

supplies you with fortitude in time of danger and temptation and

in your struggles to resist sin? It is not your reason, not your pas-

sions, not your fellow men—it is nothing but religion, which teaches
us that happiness and adversity both come from God, and that He

who formed the light and created darkness is also He who makes

peace and allows evil, and that there is no misfortune but with

the Lord's permission. Religion tells us that God punishes us for

our good, for “that which is at present momentary and light of

our tribulation, worketh for us above measure exceedingly an

eternal weight of glory” (II. Cor. iv, 17).

Can an)i;hing but religion give us strength, comfort and hope

at the last fearful conflict between life and death, when we have



THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES 9

to leave everything, our dear ones, our possessions, our business and

honors, when our intellect fails, the world with its deceptions and

vain joys passes away, and the grave is ready to receive us? What

can be our aid when we have to appear before the tribunal of our

just but inexorable Judge? Religion robs death of its sting, the

grave of its terrors, and hell of its victory, since it strengthens

the inward man when the outward man perishes. It teaches us that

after this fleeting life is over there will be another life that will

last for ever, when God will wipe away all tears from our eyes,

gratify all our desires and be Himself our reward exceeding great.

It tells the anxious, though penitent sinner: “Blessed are the dead

who die in the Lord” (Apoc. xiv, 13).

It is a remarkable fact that almost all those who fancied them-

selves able to live happily without religion in the days of health

and prosperity, evince very different sentiments when sickness lays

its hand upon them. Then they are glad to see a priest and to re-

ceive the consolations of that religion which they used to ridicule.

I myself have often visited sick persons who had previously re-

garded all religion as superfluous, and I know the truth of my

assertion.

Enough has, I think, been said to prove to you that men need

religion, and can not be truly wise, good or happy without it. How

grievously, therefore, do those people sin who at the present day go

about declaring religion to be unnecessary, and trying to destroy

all reverence for what is holy and Divine ! They are robbing man-

kind of their most precious possession, of their safest guide amidst

the bewildering deceptions of the world, of their sole consolation

in the sorrows and suffering of this life and of their sweetest hope

for the world to come. They are depriving virtue of its sole sup-

port, severing the bond between earth and heaven, giving men over

to their disorderly lusts and desires and thus plunging their fellow

creatures into ruin and bringing down upon themselves the curses

of their contemporaries and posterity.

Beware of letting yourselves be led astray by these false prophets,

these wolves in sheep’s clothing; they are enemies of God and aim

at the destruction of your souls. Hold fast to the faith of your

forefathers, and be careful, each according to his power, to cling

to the doctrines of the Church, to respect her principles and teach-

ing, to obey her commandments, and avail yourselves of her aids

and consolations. In these gloomy, ominous times nothing but re-



10 RELIGION IS INDISPENSABLE TO MAN

ligion can bring salvation, comfort and hope to the human race.

It is the only anchor capable of keeping us safe amidst the waves

that rage around us, and of preserving us from ruin. I trust most

earnestly that you are still all true to your religion; cling to it,

cherish it as the most precious treasure of your souls, and let it

influence your whole life and all your thoughts and actions. If you

do this, thrones may totter, the social order may be shaken to its

very foundations and great disasters may come upon us, but you

will always have a firm anchorage and will derive thence comfort,

courage, help and hope whilst the ungodly fear and despair. Then

will our Lord’s promise be fulfilled : “Every one that heareth these

My words, and doth them, shall be likened to a wise man that built

his house upon a rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and

the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell not, for

it was founded upon a rock” (Matt, vii, 24, 25). Amen.



THE SIGNS QF THE TIMES 11

II. Reason and Revelation

Beware lest any man cheat you by philosophy and vain deceit, according

to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not

according to Christ, for in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead
corporally—Col. ii, 8, p.

The Christian community at Colossa had been founded by Epaph-

ras, one of St. Paul's disciples, but false teachers soon arose, who

attempted to mislead the Christians. Like the socialists of the

present day, they maintained that no one ought in his religious

opinions or in his life to be influenced by the Divine revelation of

Christianity, but by the dictates of human reason or by philosophy.

St Paul was at this time undergoing his first imprisonment in

Rome, and, on hearing the state of affairs at Colossa, he determined

to write to the Colossians, to warn them most emphatically against

these false doctrines. I have taken as my text one of the many

beautiful and vigorous passages contained in this epistle: “Beware

lest any man cheat you by philosophy and vain deceit, according to

the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and

not according to Christ
;
for in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the

Godhead corporally.” That is to say: Beware of human wsidom

that is not concerned with revealed truth, for human wisdom is

vain, with no firm basis, and revelation comprises in itself all truth.

Human wisdom is deceptive, resulting in error and falsehood more

often than in truth, depending upon the judgments of men liable

to error, and still at the stage where they need to be instructed like

children in the fundamental teaching of religion, whereas this is no

longer seemly, now that the world has come to maturity and has

been enlightened by Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The words addressed by the Apostle to the Colossians are equally

applicable to you. There are amongst men many who declare that

there is no need for a Divine revelation, since the reason of each

individual tells him what to believe and what to reject, what to do

and what to avoid. They openly say that the doctrines taught by

Christ were suited only to the childhood of the human race, and

now, when men have attained to self-consciousness and have

reached a higher stage of civilization and education, these doctrines

ought to be superseded by the light of reason; religion is a matter

for the individud in his private life, and churches and public wor-



12 REASON AND REVELATION

ship are altogether superfluous. It may seem to you strange and

incomprehensible that after 1900 years of Christianity there should

still be people who refuse to admit its authority, and yet such is

the case. You have only to look at one of the works written by

modern unbelievers or to come in contact with these men in every-

day life, and you will soon find that statements, such as I have men-

tioned, are made quite openly. They are put forward even from

the pulpit in many churches professing to be Christian, though not

Catholic, and this, too, is one of the signs of the times, to which I

must draw your attention. To-day I wish to discuss (i) the weak-

ness and untrustworthiness of human reason, and (2) the benefits

of Christian revelation. Let us begin by invoking the assistance

of the Holy Spirit of God.

I. Human reason is a precious gift bestowed on us by God, and

we can not be thankful enough for it. By its aid men have ac-

complished many great, glorious and admirable works; the most

useful inventions, the most exquisite works of art, the treasures of

science and learning and the innumerable things that contribute so

much to the comfort, welfare and prosperity of mankind are all the*

result of human reason. It can reach up and calculate the magni-

tude, course and distance of the stars in heaven, and it can also

descend into the depths and investigate the hidden secrets of the

earth. It can control the waters of the ocean and subjugate the

forces of lightning, steam and wind. It searches out the cause and

action of things, and makes all creation serviceable to men.

Yet, however great may be the achievements of human reason,

we must beware of idolizing it and of shutting our eyes to its limi-

tations. There are indeed many things which it is capable of in-

vestigating and establishing, but there are still more which it is

powerless to examine or test. As soon as reason passes from what

is earthly and finite to what is eternal and Divine, its strength

fails, its insight is obscured, its judgment is shaken, and it becomes

involved in a web of difficulties that it can not solve. Man is finite

and unable to know fully the Infinite God, who dwells in un-

approachable splendor. The vast, inexplicable, all-embracing Being,

who first created, and still preserves and governs the world, is

invisible to our eyes, intangible to our hands; none of our senses

can perceive Him. We see His works, but He who designed them

remains hidden from us. That there is a God is made known by our

reason, felt by our heart, acknowledged by our conscience and pro-



THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES 13

claimed by all the wonders of the universe. “Ask now the beasts,

and they shall teach thee, and the birds of the air, and they shall

tell thee
;
speak to the earth, and it shall answer thee, and the fishes

of the sea shall tell. Who is ignorant that the hand of the Lord

hath made all these things?” (Job xii, 7-9). “That which is known

of God is manifest in them, for God hath manifested it unto them,”

says St. Paul, “for the invisible things of Him, from the creation

of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that

are made. His eternal power also and Divinity, so that they are

inexcusable” (Rom. i, 19, 20). “Only the fool hath said in his

heart : ‘There is no God.’
”

If, however, we go further and try to find out what God is,

where He dwells, why He created us and in what relation we stand

towards Him, reason either is silent or suggests only hypotheses.

King Croesus once asked the famous philosopher, Thales, what the

Deity was. Thales begged for a day in which to consider the mat-

ter. At the end of that time Croesus repeated his question, and

Thales asked for a further delay of two days. When these were

over, and the same question was again propounded to him, he beg-

ged for four days, then for eight, then for sixteen, and so on. At

last the king grew impatient and wanted to know why he thus

delayed giving an answer, so Thales replied : “Marvel not, O great
king, that I am so long in answering your question. It is too vast

for my feeble intellect. The more I ask myself what God is, the

more do I perceive my own inability to give an adequate answer.

Fresh difficulties continually present themselves, and the further

I carry my investigations, the greater becomes my lack of com-

prehension.”

We have here an explicit acknowledgment, made by one of the
greatest philosophers of antiquity, that human reason is too weak

and powerless to probe the depths of the Godhead. Thales’ words

are in complete harmony with those of the prophet Isaias : “Verily

thou art a hidden God, the God of Israel,” and with St. Paul’s ex-

clamation: “How incomprehensible are His judgments and how

unsearchable His ways! For who hath known the mind of the

Lord? Or who hath been His counsellor?” (Rom. xi, 33, 34).

You need only read the history of the human race to' be convinced

that the reason of man is weak, blind, untrustworthy and apt to

make innumerable mistakes. Have not men at various times be-

lieved the most absurd and foolish things ? The pagans worshipped



14 REASON AND REVELATION

not only sun, moon and stars, but also dead persons notorious for

their outrageous vices, and Divine honors have been paid to brute

beasts, and lifeless stones and images. The early Germans regarded

the oak as a sacred tree and thought the rustling of its branches

betokened the presence of some Deity. Men often fashioned for

themselves gods of wood or stone, and in their honor temples were

built and altars set up, upon which not only animals, but even

human beings were offered in sacrifice. Mothers often slew their

children, hoping thus to appease the anger of some offended god.

O, what terrible mistakes have been made by the intellect of man!

Not only individuals or isolated nations have blundered, but all

the nations of antiquity went astray, with the exception of the

Jews, and this state of error was not a passing phase, lasting a few

years only, but it continued during 4,000 years, until the coming

of Jesus Christ. Even the most highly civilized races, whose in-

tellect had been very perfectly developed, fell into the most de-

plorable mistakes. As long as the world lasts the writings of the

Greeks and Romans will be considered models of style, and it is

a difficult matter for the most brilliant scholars at the present day

even to approach them; they need not hope to surpass them. If,

therefore, the human intellect was ever capable of evolving a ra-

tional religion, it must have been amongst these people. And yet

their religion was a mass of folly and inconsistency, when it was

not actually vicious. In proof of this statement, I need only remind

you of the hundreds of gods whom they worshipped, whilst at the

same time they ascribed the most shameful actions to these gods,

or performed such actions in their honor.

There were, of course, amongst these pagans some wise men

with greater insight, who perceived the absurdity of idolatry and

abhorred the vices prevalent in their time, but they too often made

mistakes, did not agree with one another, and were always in a state

of uncertainty. The most enlightened among them realized their

own ignorance, and those who were honest confessed that it was

impossible for men to arrive at certainty and truth, unless God

Himself spoke and instructed them.

But some one may say that he is willing to grant Divinely given

instruction to have been necessary for the ancients, who were still

at a low stage of civilization, yet, at the present time, when every-

one is enlightened and educated, such instruction can no longer be

needed. In reply, let me ask whether the enlightened scholars of



THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES IS

the present day can be compared with the Greeks and Romans. Is

the human reason now less liable to error than it was 4,000 years

ago ? Is there less folly and senseless behavior now than there was

of old? No one can read the history of our own times without

seeing that even men of vigorous intellect often fall a prey to

lamentable errors. The writings of modern philosophers show

them to be involved in a bewildering confusion of opinions, and

each one accuses the other of being mistaken, each is eager to de-

molish the other’s theory, and no one is able to discover in his own

intellect any firm foundation or certainty.

How could it be otherwise? Ever since Adam’s fall there has

been inherent in the human race a kind of corruption that paralyzes

the faculties of our souls. Our understanding is clouded by sensu-

ality, and borne down and thwarted by our passions and worldly

interests, whenever it attempts to soar aloft, and to rise to the light

of truth.

If our own reason fails us, whither can we turn for a certain

trustworthy answer to all the questions suggested by our thirst for

truth ? Who can solve our difficulties and give peace to our hearts ?

Who can teach us to know God in His essence and perfections?

Who can tell us whence evil originates, and how shall we be pre-

served from despondency and despair, when it weighs us down with

its burden? Who can instruct us as to the reason of our creation

and our final end? Is man, like the beasts, destined to toil and

labor during his brief span of life simply in order to supply his

bodily needs, and then, when at last he rests in the grave, is every-

thing at an end for him? Have all his interests, joys, sorrows,

memories and hopes perished with him? Who can assure us of the

forgiveness of sins, when, like Cain, burdened with guilt, we wander

in despair? Who can lift for us the dark veil separating this world

from the next? We long for answers to these and many other
questions

;
we want certainty, and if our own reason fails to supply

it, how should that of other mortals give us what we desire? What

man is infallible and free from the influence of his passions? No

matter whither we turn, we must be afraid of falling into the hands

of one who is either deceived or a deceiver. Those who trust the

wise men of this world are themselves blind, at the mercy of blind

guides
;
and we know that when one blind man leads another, both

will probably fall into the pit. Where, then, can we find heip?

Where shall we discover an infallible teacher, able to dispel ^



i6 REASON AND REVELATION

darkness of our minds, to solve our difficulties, to support our weak-

ness, and to answer those questions, which, as long as they remain

unanswered, leave us no peace or happiness?

2 , Bless the Lord, O ye people, and praise His mercy without

end; He hath sent forth His spirit and renewed the face of the

earth! He could not behold with indifference the countless errors

of mankind, and none but God Himself was able to teach us aright

what we ought to know about God and our relation to Him, since

“the things which are of God no man knoweth, but the Spirit of

God; no one knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whom it

shall please the Son to reveal Him.” Consider how God first loved

us, and gave us His only-begotten Son. The Word that in the be-

ginning was witli God, and that was God, was made flesh, and dwelt

among us, and we saw His glory. He was the light of men, the

light shining in the darkness, the true light, which enlightened every

man that cometh into this world; and to as many as received Him,

He gave power to be made the sons of God (John i). The dark-

ness of ignorance was thenceforth removed, for the light, the Sun

of Righteousness, had dispelled it; Jesus Christ, the Son of God,

blessed for evermore, appeared upon earth, and all obscurity van-

ished when the Divine Master came down from heaven, speaking

the truth and being Himself the way, the truth and the life. For

three years He went up and down Judaea, teaching in the towns and

villages, in the fields and on the sea, in synagogues and houses,

wherever there were people willing to listen to Him. He sent His

Apostles forth into all the world to preach the Gospel, the good

tidings of the Kingdom of God, and He gave them at Pentecost

the Holy Ghost to teach them the truth and to comfort, counsel

and sanctify them, promising that He should remain with them and

their successors to the end of the world. Christ founded the in-

fallible Church, which, being guided, governed and protected by

Him and the Holy Ghost, was to keep His doctrine pure and un-

alloyed for ever and make it known to men, as well as administer

the Holy Sacraments, the channels of grace. This Church is, as

St. Paul says, “the pillar and ground of the truth” (I. Tim. iii, 15).

We can dispense with Moses and the prophets
;
we need not have

recourse to philosophers and ask them to deliberate, to lay down

hypotheses and deduce conclusions. We understand now the nature
of God, for His voice has gone forth to the ends of the earth, and

from His own lips we have learned all truth. It has been revealed



THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES VT

to US that ouf soul is not liable to death, that our hopes do not perish

when we die, that a better home than the grave awaits us. We are

quite certain as to our destiny, and as to the ways and means of

attaining it. We have no doubt regarding our fate, the value of our

joys and the significance of our troubles. We now know more of

God than our reason could tell us; we know Him as our Father,

ready to guide, console and reward us; we know that Jesus Christ,

His only-begotten Son, became Man, in order to redeem us and

bring us to eternal happiness; we know whither to betake our-

selves when our conscience is burdened with sin, and where to ob-

tain pardon; we know that the Holy Ghost enlightens, comforts,

strengthens and sanctifies us. A Christian possesses assurance and
knowledge on the points where the wisdom of our ancestors so

often went astray, and a Catholic child can tell us more about God

and the destiny of man than the greatest of the Greek philosophers

could have done.

Is it not true that ‘‘He that is mighty hath done great things to

us?” and may we not apply to ourselves the words addressed by

our Saviour to His disciples : “Blessed are your eyes, because they

see, and your ears, because they hear. For amen, I say to you,

many prophets and just men have desired to see the things that

you see, and have not seen them; and to hear the things that you

hear, and have not heard them” (Matt, xiii, i6).

All these blessings are secured to us in the greatest abundance

by Christianity, which you all profess, and which affords you so

much happiness that it is impossible for you to understand what

evil spirit can have taken possession of those who reject it, trample

it under foot and venture to substitute for it their own reason as

the sole teacher of truth and lawgiver. Christianity has for nearly

1900 years been extolled by countless millions as the light of the

world, and regarded as the only anchor in time of tempest; it has

stood firm, and proved its truth and Divine origin, in spite of all

the attacks of scholars and the most cruel persecutions on the part

of the world
;
and yet now men dare to assail her. I will tell you

what impels them to do so. It is not that they are convinced that

the doctrines of Christianity are untenable, for they have often no

convictions of any kind, but it is pride that prevents them from

obeying Christ, and it is sensuality, intolerant of the yoke that H»
Commandments would lay upon them.

(a) Because the greatness and glory of Jesus Christ are offensive



REASON AND REVELATIONi8

to their pride, they heap insults and scorn upon Him who for 1900

years has been the object of reverent worship of mankind, whose

Cross they have embraced with love and veneration as their sole

token of salvation and whose Name overshadows all human fame.

As long as He is great, they are nothing; as long as He is the

Teacher of the world, they, with all their boasted wisdom, are but

pupils; as long as He rules the world they are His subjects, and

this they refuse to be. They will not accept anything that they are

required to believe, and so, setting up their own reason as supreme,

they fall down and worship it. A man dominated by pride has no
God but self, and hence the socialists maintain religion to be

the private concern of the individual
;

hence, too, men boast

nowadays of despising religion, and the denial and rejection of

Christianity is considered the mark of an enlightened intellect.

Any foolish, ignorant speaker can now win a cheap reputation by

railing against what he calls the obscurantism and spiritual con-

straint and tyranny of the papacy. There is a certain pleasure

in being known as a free-thinker, and many a person, who would

otherwise never become in any way conspicuous, can not resist

the temptation to win fame in this manner.

{h) Self-indulgence and sensuality also cause men to rebel

against the yoke of Christ. “Men,” says St. Augustine, “love

truths that attract, but they hate the truth that amends.” Chris-

tianity is the truth that aims at amending mankind. People want

to have and enjoy all that their unbridled fancy suggests, but

Christianity interposes her veto, and condemns luxury, drunken-

ness, envy, avarice, fraud, guile and malice, in short it abominates

all evil inclinations, habits and passions, all sins and vices, and

praises those only who are pure in heart. The socialists and

others like them can not endure this, for they wish to be left

free to act and think as they choose. Hence they shut their eyes,

lest they should see the light, and stop their ears, lest they should

hear the precepts, warnings and threats of Christianity. When

the voice of conscience is utterly stifled by their sins and enormi-

ties, they speak of Christianity as a superstition, of conscience as

a delusion, of virtue as folly, of obedience as slavery, and then

by means of their reason, corrupted as it is by their self-love and

passions, they devise for themselves a religion that sanctions all

their wildest extravagances and sets no limits upon their evil de-

sires.



THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES 19

**The sensual man,” says St. Paul, “perceiveth not these things

that are of the Spirit of God, for it is foolishness to him, and

he can not understand it” (I. Cor. ii, 4). Two ne’er-do-wells

were once talking about religion, and after they had both told

several abominable stories regarding it, one said to the other:

That’s enough; after all what is the good of our stupid doubts?

We should have more faith if we were not such rascals. A very
true remark, worthy of careful consideration! No one recognizes

the truth of Christianity who is unwilling to act according to its

laws
;
and nothing strengthens our faith so much as living in con-

formity with it. This is why Christ said to the Jews: “My doc-

trine is not mine, but His that sent Me; if any man will do the

will of Him (the Father), he shall know the doctrine, whether

it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself” (John vii, 16, 17).

After what has been said, need I give you any further warning

against those who put human intellect in the place of Divinely

revealed religion? You are aware that there are men corrupted

in mind, who are destitute of the truth; to them may be applied

our Lord’s words: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites;

because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men, for you

yourselves do not enter in, and those that are going in, you suifer

not to enter” (Matt, xxiii, 13). If such people had honestly

examined themselves and discovered their own weakness and

misery, they would never have been puffed up with pride and

imagined that intellect alone was sufficient and required no assist-

ance from God in order to understand what is Divine.

If, however, we too are to realize what the royal prophet meant

when he said: “In Thy light, O God, we shall see light” (Ps.

XXXV, 10) ; if we are to recognize the truth, we must henceforth

not rely merely on our own intellect or take counsel of men like

ourselves, but we must be enlightened by the Divine light that

shines in the Church of Jesus Christ, and submit our intellect in

obedience to Him, for “God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace

to the humble” (James iv, 6). In all humility let us hear and

follow Him who is the way, the truth and the light, since those

that follow Him, walk not in darkness, but shall have the light

of life (John viii, 12). Then we shall be safe from error and

deception, for we shall know the truth, and the truth shall make

us free (John viii, 32) ; for the Gospel is the power of God unto

salvation to everyone that believeth (Rom. i, 16).



20 STABILITY ANL PROGRESS

III. Stability and Progress

Walk worthy of God, in all things pleasing; being fruitful in every good
work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.—Col. i, lo.

There are many people who are quite ready to admit that re-

ligion is indispensable, who even declare it to be of the utmost

importance to man, and who are willing to accept the Christian

revelation, at least in as far as it contains exalted moral teaching,

but they maintain that Christianity and the Church ought to move

with the times and adapt themselves to the spirit of the age. They

say that everything is in a constant state of evolution and progress,

and that consequently our religious principles need to be refined

and perfected; that what is accepted by a child, is unsuitable for

a full-grown man, and so on. It is of course true that in no age

has so much been done as in the present to add to the comfort,

charm and refinement of life and to develop trade and industry;

great and beneficial discoveries are continually being made, and

never before have men penetrated so deeply into the secrets of

nature; never have the arts and sciences reached a higher pitch of

perfection
;
never has education been more universal or civil liberty

more complete. It is not therefore at first sight unreasonable to

demand that religion should keep pace with this general progress.

There are many who share this opinion, and they tell us frankly

what they want. They say that the Church ought to conform to

the feelings of the age, and abandon doctrines that are not uni-

versally acceptable, such as those of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, the

One infallible Church, the Sacrament of Penance, and the real

presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Moreover, she ought

not to insist so much upon morality, and would do well to give

up ordering men to be chaste, humble, obedient and Just, since each

individual ought to be free to act as he thinks best or in accordance

with the customs of the age. This is one of the many demands

made by the children of this world, and, in making it, they believe

themselves to be demanding only what is just. What should we,

as Christians, think on the subject? Is it the duty of the Church

to advance like everything else, and adapt herself to the spirit of

the times? This is the question that I intend to discuss to-day.

The answer may be given at once—it is simply “No; (i) the



THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES 21

Church can not and must not participate in the general advance,

but (2) it is our duty to increase in our knowledge of Christian

truth and in the practice of Christian virtues.”

I. Before proving the truth of my assertion that the Church can

not advance with the times, I must, in order to avert misunder-

standings, point out that we have here to distinguish between essen-

tials and non-essentials. As non-essentials we may regard varia-

tions in the outward forms of worship, in prayers, hymns, external

customs and arrangements, and in Church discipline as a whole.

These things can of course be modified and ordered in accordance

with the circumstances of time, place and individuals; for what

once tended to edification may now have a contrary effect, and what

once was unnecessary may now be of great importance. The ex-

ternal discipline of the Church has therefore always been liable to

modification. For instance, the last day of the week used to be

observed as the Lord’s day, but now we observe the first day;

formerly Holy Communion was celebrated in connection with so-

called love feasts, at which the poor were entertained by the rich,

but in course of time these feasts were abolished. These things are

non-essentials, and as such are subject to change and modification,

not of course effected arbitrarily at the caprice of individuals, but

by the governing authorities in the Church.

It is quite otherwise with doctrines regarding faith and morals,

which are essential and unalterable. The Church’s teaching on

faith and morals consists of truths that had their origin in God,

who is truth itself, and who can neither err nor be deceived, and not

in the brain of any frail human being, prone to error and deception.

The opinions and devices of men are subject to change and amend-

ment, but what comes from God, is, like God Himself, perfect and

unchanging. An edifice, reared to-day by one man, may to-morrow

be overthrown by another, but the building that God erects is

founded upon a rock, and is able to defy all the storms and changes

of time.

The Church derives her teaching from the everlasting source,

and it is the teaching of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was

sent to preach the Gospel to the poor, and to make known the

perfect law of God. He said: “My doctrine is not Mine, but His

that sent Me; if any man will do the will of Him (the Father), he

shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I

speak of Myself” JJohn yii, i6, 17). Our Lord and His Apostles



^2 STABILITY AND PROGRESS

proclaimed this doctrine, not as a matter of opinion, but as Divine

truth. “I give you to understand,” says St. Paul, “that the Gospel

which was preached by me is not according to man, for neither

did I receive it of man, nor did I learn it, but by the revelation of

Jesus Christ” (Gal. i, ii, 12). If, then, the Church's teaching on

faith and morals is derived from God Himself, this Divine revela-

tion can not possibly admit of any improvement. God is truth,

and can not wish to deceive mankind, and the truth made known

by Him is as unchanging as He is Himself. Supposing that the

Catholic teaching or faith and morals were subject to change,

would not God have given us a mere imperfect fragment, and have

plunged us into an ocean of doubts and difficulties? And should

we not in that case have to acknowledge that Jesus Christ, the Son

of the Father, “yesterday and to-day and the same for ever,” and

also the Holy Ghost had taught us in an imperfect and fallible

manner? Even to think of such a thing as possible is blasphemy.

God has at all times desired men to be saved and to come to a

knowledge of the truth. It was for this reason that He sent His

only-begotten Son into the world, and for the same reason that

Christ after His ascension sent the Holy Ghost to teach truth and

establish an infallible Church, with which He and the Holy Ghost

were to abide until the end of the world, to teach her all truth and

to guard her from all error and corruption. This Church is em-

powered to preserve and proclaim the living word of God, and she

is bound to hand it on in all its purity, integrity and truth, just as

she received it from above; it is her mission faithfully to make

known on earth what she has received from heaven, and therefore

she labors incessantly to sow the Divine word of truth on the earth,

which is God’s field; this is the seed that she distributes with

loving zeal to all generations of men.

Is it conceivable that any mere man could improve the utterances

of God, and reduce religion to a matter of private judgment? Be-

fore a man could do this he would have to share God’s counsels,

and see what is hidden in God
;
he would have to fathom the depths

of the Godhead, and possess an intellect more vast and penetrating

than that of God Himself, for otherwise he could never improve

what proceeds from God. It is only possible to improve a thing

if we are cleverer than the person who made it. Now look, I beg

you, at the people who say that religion ought to be adapted to the

spirit of the age, and progress with it. Can you imagine them to



THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES 23

be capable of Improving and perfecting the works of God? Are

they not all weak, powerless, shortsighted and prone to error and

deception, like all other human beings ? How could proud, sensual,

fickle and deluded mortals be in a position to alter arbitrarily the

truths of faith and adapt them to the spirit of the age? A man’s
religion is the dearest and most sacred of his possessions, and can it

be at the mercy of the prevalent love of change and innovation?

No, the Church can never adapt herself to the spirit of the age,

for what is that spirit? It is a spirit of pride and falsehood, a

spirit that denies and contradicts the truths revealed by God, a

spirit of disobedience, license and frivolity; it is, in short, the

spirit of the devil, the prince of this world and the enemy of God

and holy Church. How could religion adapt itself to such a spirit

as this? No, it is impossible, for religion is, like God, eternal and

unchanging, and, as our Lord said, “Heaven and earth shall pass

away, but my words shall not pass away;” “it is easier for heaven

and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.” St. Paul, too,

says: “God is faithful, for our preaching which was to you was

not 'It and 'It is not/'' The Apostle means that he did not to-

day proclaim as true what to-morrow he would have to deny, for

such a proceeding could only give rise to fresh anxieties, since

every one would fear that what had been asserted, might be re-

tracted. St. Paul even goes so far as to curse any who dare to

tamper with the truths of Christianity. “Though we, or an angel

from heaven, preach a Gospel to you besides that which we have

preached to you, let him be anathema” (Gal. i, 8).

It seems as if men who have cut themselves off from Catholi-

cism and fashioned for themselves a religion in accordance with the

spirit of the age were destined never to prosper. Every religious

sect that has abandoned the Catholic Church has lapsed into error

and split up. What one man accepts as true, another rejects as

false; what one believes, another condemns, until finally there is

nothing left of the truths of Christianity. If the founders of the

various sects could be restored to life, they would be astonished

to see how little of their doctrine is still retained by those pro-

fessing to be their followers. It is a lot common to all human insti-

tutions to be liable to continual change and alteration, whereas

what is Divine is eternal and unchanging, like God Himself.

This truth was boldly proclaimed by Pope Gregory XVI., when

the Emperor Nicholas of Russia came to Rome and demanded that



34 STABILITY AND PROGRESS

he should sanction what had been done in Russia against the

Catholics. The valiant old man replied: “In your country laws

made by men can be altered, precisely because they were made by

men, but the Divine laws of the Church are unalterable.”

The teaching of the Church on matters of faith and morals can

not be altered like a garment, to suit the prevailing fashion. Men

can neither add to nor take away from the truth of our faith, and

even the Pope, the visible head of the Church, is powerless to

effect any modification. What the Apostles taught is taught at the

present day and will be taught to the end of the world, and we have

the strongest possible proof of the truth and Divine origin of our

religion in the fact that the Church has withstood so many attacks

and still stands firm, although storms rage on all sides, and every-

thing else seems tottering to ruins.

We may say fearlessly and with full confidence that, when the
passion for change and progress has destroyed all permanence, the

Catholic Church will still be strong and vigorous; it will be to her

that anxious souls will have recourse amidst the disasters threaten-

ing them, and she will be the sole fountain of truth and salvation,

whither they will hasten to quench their thirst.

Do not be misled, therefore, by the specious arguments used by

the so-called progressives and especially by the socialists. They

wish to deceive you and to throw dust in your eyes, so that

you may not detect their evil designs. What they really aim

at is to ruin all existing order, to turn everything upside down, and

then, profiting by the downfall of others, to raise themselves to

supremacy. This will be possible, however, only if men lose all

hold upon religion, which is so great a stumbling block to their

designs that they are doing their utmost to bring it into contempt

or disrepute. With this end in view they clamor for the modifica-

tion or rejection of the Church’s teaching on faith and morals, and

for a religion suited to the age, so that finally there may be nothing

left except what each man can accept or reject at will. But, as I

have shown, there is and can be no progress possible in the teaching

of the Catholic Church on faith and morals, because it proceeds

from God, the everlasting Truth, and is therefore, like Him, per-

fect and unchanging.

The Church does not, however, fail to appreciate progress in

art and science, but tries to avail herself of it, and in this sense it

is possible to say that she moves with the times. She makes use



25THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

of the achievements of art and science in defending and promul-

gating the truths of faith, in public worship and in every case where

she sees that they can benefit the faithful. But she does not and

can not surrender the ancient truth; she may, in accordance with

the needs of society and individuals, clothe it in a new and more

beautiful garment, to which art and science contribute their part,

and she thus obeys the rule laid down by our Saviour for the

preachers of the Gospel, who were to bring forth out of their

treasure new things and old, and become all things to all men, in

order to bring light and salvation to all.

You see, then, that the teaching of the Church on faith and

morals can not make progress, but it behooves us to go forward

and increase in the knowledge of the truths of Christianity and in

the practice of virtue.

2. (a) It is our duty to increase in knowledge of the truths of

Christianity. In my first sermon I showed you that no art or

science could be compared in importance with the knowledge of

Divine and heavenly things, and you can easily understand that a

man can not strive after anything more worthy, more necessary

and more profitable than after a more perfect knowledge of the

truth. Truth is the greatest and noblest possession that we enjoy

in this life. Solomon valued it far above wealth, and deemed it

worthy of all his endeavors. "T wished,'’ he writes, “and under-

standing was given me, and I called upon God, and the spirit of

wisdom came upon me. And I preferred her before kingdoms and

thrones, and esteemed riches nothing in comparison of her. Neither

did I compare unto her any precious stone, for all gold and com-

parison of her is as a little sand, and silver in respect to her shall

be counted as clay. I loved her above health and beauty and chose

to have her instead of light, for her light can not be put out”

(Wisd. vii, 7-10).

You see how highly Solomon valued the truth, and how earnestly

he strove to attain to it, setting us all an example that we should

follow. As children you were trained in the truths of Christianity,

but knowledge acquired in childhood is inevitably imperfect, and

you have probably forgotten a good deal of what you then learned.

You have good reason to exert yourselves and to make up for lost

time by supplying deficiencies in your knowledge and increasing it.

Our Saviour and the Apostles all insisted that this was needful,

in almost every one of the epistles the faithful are urged to grow



26 STABILITY AND PROGRESS

in the knowledge of Christ and of His doctrine, to search the

Scriptures and try to understand them, so as to be able to give to

every man a reason for their faith and hope. Are you exempt from

this obligation? You advance day by day in your business or

trade
;
as soon as any fresh discovery, bearing upon it, is made, you

are eager to learn all about it. If, then, you are so anxious to ad-

vance in worldly matters, ought you not to show equal zeal in in-

creasing in the knowledge of Divine truth? *‘What shall it profit

a man,” exclaimed our Saviour, “if he gain the whole world, and

suffer the loss of his soul?” (Mark viii, 36).

Many people at the present day are trying to falsify and mis-

represent the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and therefore we are more

than ever bound to possess a thorough knowledge of the truths of

Christianity, and every one who cares for religion and the salvation

of his soul ought to aim at increasing this knowledge. Whoever

does not thus advance is slipping back into indifference or unbelief.

There is no lack of evidence proving this to be the case. We know
that many make shipwreck of their faith, and become indifferent

to it if not absolute infidels, ridiculing and despising religion;

many, too, join the ranks of the socialists simply because

they were satisfied with the meagre amount of religious knowledge

that they learned as children, and not only failed to preserve it,

but made no attempt to renew and increase it. Being insuffi-

ciently instructed in the truths of faith, they could not defend it,

and were unable to solve difficulties when they arose, or to refute

the arguments of unbelievers and to repel their attacks, and thus

finally, for want of knowledge, many have fallen victims to unbe-

lief or indifference.

It is most important for you to strive to increase your

knowledge of the doctrines of Christianity, that you may be able

to resist in the evil day . . . taking the shield of faith, wherewith

you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked

one, . . . and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”

(Eph. vi). No one nowadays has any excuse for remaining ig-

norant. The word of God is preached every Sunday, everyone can

read and there is no lack of good books.

It behooves you, as Christians, to avail yourselves of your oppor-

tunities, to listen to sermons and instructions, doing your best to

impress what you hear upon your memory. You ought to read

good books, if you have time, and you all have time on Sundays and



THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

holidays, letting prayer accompany your reading, and asking God

to give you understanding and wisdom. “If any of you want wisdom,”

says St. James, “let him ask of God, who giveth to all men abun-

dantly and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James i, 5).

(h) Faith requires us to advance also in the practice of virtue.

St. Paul, in writing to the Thessalonians, says : “We pray and be-

seech you, brethren, in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received of

us, how you ought to walk, and to please God, so also you would

walk, that you may abound the more. ... For this is the will of

God, your sanctification” (I. Thess. ivv, i, 3). We have here in-
deed unlimited scope for advancement! It is our duty continually

to become more perfect and more holy, in order that we may grow

more like God, our great Example. This is the great aim of our

existence, and no form of progress in the whole world can be more

rich in blessings and rewards than progress in what is good. “He

that hath looked into the perfect law of liberty, and hath continued

therein, not becoming a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work,

this man shall be blessed in his deed” (James i, 25). But on the

other hand, he who does not advance in keeping the Command-

ments, in virtue and in perfection, must inevitably fall back into

sin and destruction. “No man putting his hand to the plough, and

looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” “Be ye therefore

perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.” “If thou wilt

enter into life, keep the Commandments.”

How few there are who advance in goodness ! Many think that
everything in the world is wrong, and are willing to criticize and

improve everything except themselves. They always look at others,

never at themselves, and expect happiness and salvation from with-

out and not from wdthin
; they talk of reforms and improvements,

but they never reform or improve themselves. For this reason

they are on bad terms with themselves, with their own conscience

and with God Himself, and transfer their inward discontent to the

world around them, with which they never seem to cease to find

fault. Let us be on our guard against becoming people of this sort.

If we want to improve others, let us begin by improving ourselves,
xf we desire others to make progress, let us lead the way by keeping

the Commandments and increasing in virtue and perfection; let us
“follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man
shall see God” (Heb. xii, 14).

I have shown you wherein true progress consists. Let the chil-



28 STABILITY AND PROGRESS

(Iren of thi§ world persist in their quest of vain and fleeting things,

and if they try to ensnare you by their specious arguments and seek

to make you follow their example and adapt your religious prin-

ciples to their views, say, like St. Peter : “Lord, we will never for-

sake Thee,” we will hold fast to Thine eternal, unchanging truth,

“to whom should we go ? Thou hast the words of everlasting life.”

Like Mary Magdalen sit at our Lord’s feet, listening to His

words, and, like our Lady, keeping them in your hearts, that they

may be your guide, and that you may conform with ever greater

perfection to His doctrine. The true sort of progress, which will

make a man happy at the last, is to gain a thorough knowledge of

one’s religion, to make it a guide amidst the darkness of the world,

to advance daily on the path of virtue, to win fresh victories daily

over the world, the flesh and the devil, and to be able to say with

St. Paul : “Now I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” If you

make it your aim to live thus, increasing in righteousness of life,

I have no fear of your falling into the hands of the socialists,

and you will be able to fulfil the law of charity, by instructing

and warning others, so as to prevent their joining this party and

so making shipwreck of their faith and of their temporal and

eternal happiness.

Well for you, if you resolve during Lent that this shall be your

aim ! Well for you, if you grow in the knowledge of the truth, as

you will do, if you avail yourselves of the opportunities offered you

so abundantly in the Lenten sermons! Well for you, if you ad-

vance in self-denial and mortification, in prayer and penance, in

virtue and holiness! You will be more and more convinced that

the Catholic Church has no need to fear the light and to advance

with the times, because she is already in full possession of the truth,

and, if you search for them, you will daily discover fresh beauties

in her. In the acceptance and practice of her doctrines you will

find peace that the world can neither give nor destroy, and you

will at last attain to that happiness which is promised to all who

believe in and love our Lord, Amen.



THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AT THE PRESENT DAY 29

IV. The Position and Prospects of the Catholic Church at

THE Present Day

**And other sheep 1 have, that are not of this fold; them also I must

bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall he one fold and one
shepherd” {John x, 16).

I wish to address to-day on the subject (i) of the present posi-

tion, and (2) of the prospects of the Church. Let us begin by

invoking the aid of the Holy Ghost.

I. In my last sermon I showed you how the Catholic Church

adheres with inviolable fidelity to her Divinely taught doctrines

regarding faith and morals, not allowing them to suffer the smallest

modification. In this way she is the sole teacher of truth, the sole

source of salvation, and the firmest anchorage of hope, and she

will continue to be such, even if everything else crumbles into ruin.

This loyal adherence to the deposit of truth that she preserves is

the most certain token of her Divine origin, but at the same time

it gives rise to many attacks on the part of those outside the Church,

and even on that of her own children, so that her position is

rendered very perilous.

(a) Heresy is the first antagonist assailing the Church on account

of her loyalty; and heresy assumes so many forms that it is im-

possible to enumerate them. However widely these forms may

differ from one another, and however bitterly they may be opposed,

they all agree in hatred of the Catholic Church. Most teachers of

heresy at the present day refuse to acknowledge any God, any truth

and any religion that is not the outcome of their own intellect, and

whatever stands as an obstacle in the way of their arrogance, incurs

their hatred and hostility. As they cannot actually attack Jesus

Christ, who sits at the right hand of God, His heavenly Father,

they do their utmost to undermine all faith in His Divinity and in

the redemption that He accomplished, and they reject His promises,

His teaching and His Sacraments. Above all do they direct their

fury against the Church that He founded, because she preserves

and proclaims the faith, and administers the means of salvation.

I need hardly remind you of the efforts that are being made to

injure, and if possible to annihilate, the Church. No method is

too foul for the various heretical teachers to employ in order to



30 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

attain their base and godless aims. Sometimes they represent the

Church as an obsolete institution, that has lost all efficiency with

lapse of time; sometimes they accuse her of shrouding men in

darkness and of tyrannizing over conscience
;
and they never weary

of trying to injure her by means of lies, calumnies, ridicule and

all sorts of diabolical devices. Go where one will, everywhere one

encounters these lying slanders and suspicions of the Church;

they meet us in the streets and highways, in books and newspapers,

and it is hardly possible to join in any conversation or to take up

a paper without having cause to remember our Saviour’s warning

to beware of false prophets. But this is not all. These enemies

of the Church are not content with attacking the Church herself,

but they assail her members individually, and try in every way to

make them turn against her, or at least become indifferent to her

teaching. They assign to her children inferior positions in civil

life and undermine their reputation and fortune, whilst those who

are lukewarm or apostates are loaded with favors and honors. In

order to ensure the success of their plans, our enemies ally them-

selves with men of every class, high and low, rich and poor, learned

and simple, and often with the secular government.

Sometimes, however, they do not appear as ravening wolves, nor

do they assail us openly, but they put on sheep’s clothing and look

like innocent lambs, and then they are still more dangerous to the

Church and her children. They know how to disguise their false

doctrines under a semblance of Christian charity, and pretend to

have at heart nothing but the welfare of mankind and the good of

the whole human race. Hence they profess to believe in Jesus Christ

and to desire to uproot unbelief
;
they say that they have no wish to

limit the work of Christ, but only to purify it from human prin-

ciples and additions; they maintain that it is their intention to

reform, but not to destroy, the Church. They make these and many

similar assertions, hoping thus to lure the unsuspicious into their

snares and bring about their ruin. You must all know by experi-

ence that my account is not exaggerated, and you will agree with

me in thinking that all this constitutes a grave danger to the Church

at the present time. The socialists are now among the worst and

most dangerous enemies that she has to encounter. Their first

article of faith is: “There is no God;’' the second is: “There is no

future life,” and the third makes pleasure the supreme law. Hence

all their efforts are directed primarily at robbing men of faith



THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AT THE PRESENT DAY 31

God and Christ and in all that the Catholic Church requires us to

believe. When faith is gone, the ten Commandments must also

cease to be the rule governing the thoughts and actions of men, and

in their place is propounded to us as the one supreme law: “Enjoy

all sensual pleasures to their fullest extent, since everything ends

at death.”

If the leaders, who have been initiated into the secrets of so-

cialism, were to state this rule, and others derived from it, in plain

and unmistakable terms to those whom they wish to win over to

their party, all who still have in their hearts even a spark of Chris-

tian feeling would turn away from them in horror. So they begin

by destroying the faith of Christians and by making them in-

different to religion; they speak of all kinds of advantages and

enjoyments to be derived from socialism, and unhappily they find

among ignorant and credulous people only too many who follow

their leaders like a flock of sheep.

(b) In addition to the heresies assailing the Church from with-

out, there is another no less deadly foe, that carries on his evil

work within her very bosom. This is the spirit of worldliness,

which ever since the time of St. John has been like a venomous

serpent, trying to undo the work of God. This spirit is one of

pride, avarice, and sensuality, and many Catholics who have be-

come infected with it grow indifferent to the doctrines, command-

ments and practice of our holy religion. Their hearts, con-

taminated with this worldly spirit, seem almost incapable of aiming

at anything higher than the gratification of their own selfishness

and sensual desires. They look upon life as an amusement, and

think of nothing but how to derive the most enjoyment from it;

they love and value nothing that does not satisfy their whims and

fancies, and on the other hand, they fear and depreciate all that

runs counter to these fancies.

Can we wonder that such people care very little about the Church,

which incessantly impresses upon the minds of her children the

fact that life is a serious matter and that death and immortality are

inevitable? The Church insists upon humble faith and opposes

private judgment; by her strict moral teaching she condemns lives

of sinful frivolity, and puts definite restraints upon the audacity of

men's minds, the insolence of their hearts and the corruption of

their morals, saying sternly: “Thus far and no further.” With

aching heart she calls upon her imruly children and implores them.



32 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

by all that is sacred, to abandon their wicked ways and return to

God
;
but only too often they are deaf to her entreaties, and openly

go over to the camp of the enemies, with whom they unite in assail-

ing their Mother the Church. Is not this literally true ? Are there

not many who have given up going to church, and who for years

have not received the Sacraments? Are there not many in public

life who are ashamed of their religion, and if they do not actually

join in ridiculing it, at least utter no word in its defence? Are

there not many whose evil, godless mode of life brings shame and

dishonor upon the Church ? Are there not many who have publicly

renounced her and joined the ranks of her enemies?

It is true that at the present time the Church is in a precarious

position; as in the past she is still misjudged, calumniated, falsely

accused and persecuted. The Bride of Christ encounters opposition

on all sides, and the Cross which she sets up above each of her build-

ings is still to the Jews a stumbling-block, to the heathen folly,

and to unbelievers an object of ridicule and scorn. Her members

still experience the lot foretold by our Saviour to His disciples

when He said : “Behold, I send you as lambs among wolves.” “You

shall be hated by all nations for My Name’s sake.” “They will
put you out of the synagogues: yea, the hour cometh, that who-

soever killeth you will think that he doth a service to God.” It is

no longer with fire and sword that men attack the Church; no

longer do hordes of barbarians threaten to overwhelm her; no

longer are schisms the only evil devastating Christianity; the

standard of Antichrist has been raised and acclaimed in our day,

and there is a countless host of men, calling themselves Christians,

who rally round this standard in order to oppose their own mother.

There are deadly weapons employed to spread abroad indifference,

worldliness, unbelief and godlessness. We have indeed great
reason for anxiety, and it is a disgrace when the Church is in peril

for any Christian to look on with indifference, and not lift a hand

to defend her. We may well fear for ourselves; for our intellect,
that it may not be led astray; for our heart, that it may not be

deceived; for our courage, that it may not fail; for our constancy,

that it may not waver; a**d for our crown, that it be not lost. But

for the Church we have no right to fear. In spite of all perils we

must not feel alarm on her account, but cherish the fairest hopes,

as I am about to show you.

2. Although, as I have said, the Church is at the present day



THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AT THE PRESENT DAY 33

in a dangerous position ; we need not fear for her, but we ought to

look forward with hope and confidence to her increasing growth

and prosperity. We are justified in so doing because hitherto she

has invariably come forth triumphant from the worst persecutions

and struggles, and so the most violent attacks upon her have only

served to multiply her victories. The position in which she now

stands is nothing new to her; she was in worse plight when pagans

raged against her children with fire and sword, inflicting in-

describable tortures and slaying thousands for their faith. She

was in worse plight when heretics, in league with the secular

power, tried by violence to rob her of her members. She was in

worse plight in the i6th century, when millions fell away and

rebelled against her, causing a terrible war that raged for thirty

years, and brought unspeakable misery upon Europe. The Church

was founded at the foot of the Cross, persecutions could not check

her growth or dim her glory, and the holy age when the martyrs

shed their blood and the Church groaned under the oppression of

cruel tyrants, was nevertheless the period of her greatness and

triumph. The blood of martyrs was the seed whence fresh con-

verts sprang, and persecutions aroused the sluggish and indifferent

from their inactivity, steeled their courage and kindled the sacred

fire of zeal for and loyalty to the faith. If the Church is robbed

of many of her children in one country, others are born to her

elsewhere, who console her for the losses she has suffered. In

spite of incessant persecutions the Church of Christ, so small at

the first Pentecost that one room in Jerusalem contained all her

members, now numbers about 300,000,000, spread over the whole

world. How, then, is it possible to be anxious as to her future?

Although, as the prophet says (Ps. ii, 2) : “The kings of the earth

stood up and the princess met together, against the Lord and

against his Christ,” He frustrates all their plans. A host of
enemies may assail the Church, but she will never perish, for with

her is He to whom all power is given in heaven and on earth. The

devils in hell may employ all their cunning and all their weapons

against her, but she will not be overthrown, because “she is built

upon a rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against her.”

Christ founded her at a time when everything was against her
;
He

caused her to grow and increase, when circumstances seemed

utterly opposed to her progress
;
He has preserved her for nineteen

centuries, and whilst empires and kingdoms have risen and fallen,



34 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

she has remained unchanged; surely He will keep her safe and

protect her from the dangers now threatening her. He is bound

to do so, for He said : “Behold, I am with you all days, even to the

consummation of the world.” Heaven and earth may pass away,

but His Word will not pass away.

The coming of the happy time when, in accordance with our

Saviour’s promise, there shall be one fold and one shepherd, is

continually drawing nearer, so many are the converts to Catholicism

in all countries. And who are these converts? Are they people

devoid of faith, intelligence, fear of God and virtue, as are most

of those, who in the last few years have left the Church? No,

they are the best and noblest of the nation, men who, after spending

years in study, have arrived at the conviction that the Catholic

Church is the true Church of Christ. And why have they forsaken

the Church to which they belonged? Many who leave the Catholic

Church do so in order to be free from restraints upon their pas-

sions, or to draw attention to themselves and gain credit for being

men of intellect. Is this the case with converts to the Church?

Or do they expect to derive any prestige from joining her? No,

indeed; they are well aware that the laws of the Catholic Church

are far stricter than those of any other religious body, and they

know that their conversion will bring upon them hatred, ridicule

and contempt, and, if they have hitherto been ministers or teachers,

they have to sacrifice their position and income. Nevertheless they

come into the Church, renouncing all that the world can offer them,

impelled of course primarily by God’s grace, but also by their love

of truth, the force of their conviction and desire to save their

souls. They prefer to lose wealth and honor rather than to imperil

their salvation; they choose to be objects of contempt and ridicule

to men rather than to be abandoned by God; they think it better

to reduce themselves and their families to poverty, than to live in

luxury and suffer the loss of their souls.

When men such as I have described, occupying prominent posi-

tions, are received into the Catholic Church, she feels such intense

joy that it consoles her in her sorrow over the apostasy and in-

difference of others, and justifies her hope that their example may

induce many more to follow them.

During the last few years a new and vigorous spirit has pervaded

the Church, heralding the coming of a second spring. The attacks

upon the Church have certainly caused some unworthy sheep to



THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AT THE PRESENT DAY 35

<]uit the fold, but they have also aroused many who were indifferent,

and recalled to their allegiance many who were wayward. Many

waverers have been confirmed in their faith and many lifeless mem-

bers have been quickened to that fresh life, which makes itself

felt in the Church and gives rise to fair hopes for the future.

Moreover, many associations have recently been formed, having as

their aim the religious education of children, the promotion of

religion among girls and boys, men and women, the publication and

circulation of good books, the support of missions, the erection of

churches and the maintenance of priests and teachers in districts

where Catholics are few, and without priest, church or school. The

existence of such associations augurs well for the future.

Another circumstance that may well make us hopeful for the

Church and very thankful to God, is that the Holy Ghost has given

the Church, in the person of Benedict XV, a sovereign pontiff

uniting in himself many most excellent qualities, and capable of

coping with all the demands made upon him. Let us offer our

homage to him, the supreme ruler and head of the Church! May

God destroy his enemies and crown with success his noble efforts

for the welfare of the nations and of holy Church I May He hear

the prayer that rises daily from the hearts of millions of Catholics

all over the world, imploring God to grant happiness to the Pope

and growth and prosperity to the Church

!

There is then good reason even at the present time for being

hopeful, and our hopes will not be shattered, if only we stand firm

with unwavering faith, and in loyal obedience to God and His

Church, and if we persevere in earnest, fervent prayer.

Let us with heart and voice echo the following beautiful words,

uttered by a great man (Ventura) in his enthusiasm for the faith:

“O holy Roman Church, Mother of Churches and of all the faith-

ful, and chosen by God to unite all His children in the same faith

and the same charity; we will ever maintain thy unity from the

very depths of our souls. If ever I forget thee, O holy Roman
Church, may I forget myself, may my tongue wither and cleave

to my mouth, if I think not first of thee, exult not in thee, and

regard it not as my chief glory to be thy child. Hail, holy Church,

great mother of us all 1 At our entrance into the world thou wel-

comest us, thou upholdest us in this vale of tears, where we are

exiles from our true home, and thou keepest us in safety. May

none of us ever be so unhappy as to forsake or scorn thee, espe-



36 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

cially at this time when many of our brethren, once cut off by

heresy from thee and us, are stretching out their hands to the see

of Peter, and coming to thee, who wast of old their mother, and

who, despite their errors, hast not ceased to call them back. O
tender mother, open thine arms and receive thy wayward children,

returning from the paths of error to cast themselves at thy feet,

may thy prayers, thy power and thy strength hasten the ardently

desired moment, when for all Christians there shall be but one fold

and one Shepherd!”

May that happy day soon dawn which shall bring back faith,

peace and religious and political unity to all the world. We can

hasten its coming, by the steadfastness of our faith, by our spirit

of union and obedience, by the fervor of our prayers and the purity

of our lives, so that at last we may see the fulfilment of our

Saviour's promise: ‘‘Other sheep I have, that are not of this fold;

them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there

shall be one fold and one Shepherd” (John x, i6). Amen.



LIBERTY, 37

V. Liberty

‘Tf you continue in My word, you shall be My disciples indeed. And
you s^ll know the truth and the truth shall make you free’’ (John viii,

31, 32).

Liberty, equality and fraternity! These words rang from one

end of the world to the other at the time of the French Revolution,

and had a magical eifect in kindling enthusiasm in the minds of

men, and we still hear them employed by those who, professing to

be friends of the masses, strive to win the people over to their ways

of thought.

I do not know why so much fuss is made about these ideas, as

if they had never been heard of before. Christianity has been

preaching these three things for 1900 years. The ideas of liberty,

equality and fraternity owe their introduction into the world to

Christianity, and having thriven under her protection, they have

been the cause of countless blessings to the human race. This is a

fact, but it is also true that in course of time these ideas have been

lamentably distorted and misused by those who pretend to wish

to promote the happiness of the people. I desire to put you on

your guard against a wrong use of these precious gifts bestowed

by Christianity, and to supply you with a true comprehension of

them, whilst at the same time I hope to show you what blessings

result from putting them to their proper use.

You must not expect me to discuss these matters from the

political point of view; the pulpit is a place, not for political

speeches, but for the exposition of Divine truth, and I propose to

deal with my subject only from this standpoint. To-day I mean to

speak of liberty, and to show you (i) in what it consists and (2)

where it is to be found. Let us begin by invoking the aid of the

Holy Ghost.

I. Reason and free will are the most precious possessions that

we enjoy in this life, and nothing else distinguishes us so com-

pletely from the brutes as our having these gifts, which are tokens

of our Divine origin, and enable us to enter into communion with

God and gradually to grow more like Him, the most perfect of all

beings. A beast must follow the prompting of its instinct, but man
does only what he wills to do

;
by means of his reason he can de-

termine to do or not to do an action, and no power on earth can



38 THE SIGNS OP THE TIMES
1

violate his will. He may be tortured or even killed, but he cannot

be forced to do anything that he wills not to do. In the first three

centuries of the Christian era the pagans had recourse to every

imaginable means of compelling the Christians to do sacrifice to

false gods and deny their faith, but it was all in vain; they pre-

ferred to die rather than give up their liberty. In the same way

you too may be oppressed and persecuted, or even imprisoned, but

you cannot be compelled to tell lies, to steal, or to deny your faith.

Many people believe that true liberty consists in freedom to act

as they like, and that they are as free to choose evil as to refrain

from it and to choose good. A child supposes himself to be free,
when he is out of his parents's sight, and doing what he fancies.

A young man supposes himself to be free, if he can follow his
impulses without any let or hindrance. A socialist supposes him-
self to be free, if he can cast aside the laws of Church and

State whenever it pleases him 'to do so, discard all morality and

order, and gratify his sensual desires undisturbed. But is this real

liberty? No; it is license, want of discipline and the enslavement

of the spirit to the flesh. God gave us reason to guide us in our

actions and to control and direct the lower impulses that we possess

in common with the beasts. But if we allow ourselves to be di-

rected and controlled by our sensual instincts and the desires of

the flesh instead of by reason, we have ceased to be free, and have

become slaves to the flesh.

How shameful and dishonorable is this slavery! Which is more

noble, the flesh or the spirit? You answer without hesitation: “The

spirit, for it is the breath of God; it bears the impress of God’s

likeness
;
it is able to know and love God

;
it is immortal and destined

for eternal life, whereas the body is nothing but dust, and must

return to the dust of which it was formed.” If such is the case,

can anything be more shameful and lowering to human dignity

than that a man should allow his immortal spirit to be enslaved and

subjugated by his sinful body?

We certainly have the power to choose between good and evil,

and if we decide in favor of evil, we cease to be free and become

its slaves, for, as our Saviour said: “Whosoever committeth sin,

is the servant of sin” (John viii, 34). We are truly free only if

we decide in favor of good, freely, and not under compulsion from

within or from without, but following the voice of reason. The

ability to choose between good and evil is innate in us, and we re-



LIBERTY 39

quire to be trained in true liberty, which is, as I have said, freedom

to decide for oneself to do what is right.

You know that Adam’s fall into sin brought inward corruption

upon the whole human race, and that in consequence our evil de-

sires strongly oppose reason and conscience, the voice of God

speaking within us, telling us what is good and what is evil, stimu-

lating us to do right and warning us against sin. As a result of

Adam’s fall our reason is weakened and obscured, our hearts are

filled with selfishness, pride, sensuality and avarice, and our will

is enfeebled to such a degree as to do what it rejects, and not to

do what it wills. *‘I know,” says St. Paul, '‘that there dwelleth not

in me, that is to say, in my flesh, that which is good. For to will

is present with me, but to accomplish that which is good, I find not.

For the good which I will, I do not; but the evil which I will not,

that I do. Now if I do that which I will not, it is no more I that

do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that when

I have a will to do good, evil is present with me. For I am delighted

with the law of God, according to the inward man, but I see an-

other law in my members, fighting against the law of my mind,

and captivating me in the law of sin that is in my members” (Rom.

vii, 18-23).

This is the case with every human being, however freely he may

be able to choose the good, he is hindered and thwarted by the evil

concupiscence that dwelleth in him, and frequently obtains the

mastery over his will and reason, so that he can no longer do what

he wills, but is obliged to do what he wills not. A pagan poet says
very truly : “I perceive the better course and assent to it, but I fol-

low the worse.” You need only read the history of the human

race to see to what terrible errors and sins this enslavement of the

will by selfishness and sensuality has led mankind. Idolatry in all

its horrible forms, the innumerable vices by which men degraded

themselves lower than beasts devoid of reason, the slavery and

other kinds of bondage that prevailed in olden times and were an

outrage upon all Christian sentiment—these are the consequences
of this subjugation of the will and intellect resulting from sin.

All these evils would recur if men with one accord made use of the

license offered them by those who wish to ensnare them in their toils.

If you want to know how a free man can be enslaved by selfish-

ness and sensuality, you have only to look around you. Here is

one who is a slave to drunkenness; when sober he has reproached



40 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

himself times without number: he has wept tears of repentance,

and sworn to his wife tUat ne will amend, and give no more scandal

to his innocent children—but his oaths are vain; he goes out sober
and comes back drunk; he is weighed down by the fetters of his

evil habit, and can no longer do as he desires, but is constrained

to satisfy his craving and do what he wishes not to do.

Another is so much entangled in the snares of debauchery that

he cannot free himself, however much he tries. He makes fresh

resolutions daily, prays, and imposes on himself various mortifica-

tions
;
but it is all in vain

;
to-morrow he will break the resolutions

that he makes to-day! It would be an endless task to enumerate

all the forms of captivity in which men lie bound. St. Antony,

being once in a dreary desert, had a wonderful vision, in which

he beheld the whole world covered with traps, snares and toils.

These were anger, envy, greed, avarice, lust, falsehood, deception

and the countless other sins in which men entangle themselves and

lose their freedom of will. “His own iniquities catch the wicked,

and he is fast bound with the rope of his own sins” (Prov. iv, 22).

2. (a) How can these fetters be broken, and the darkness of our

understanding be scattered, so that we once more become able to

recognize the truth? How can our will be strengthened so as to

shake off the bonds of pride, ambition, avarice and lust, and be

free to choose what is good? Who can restore our liberty, that we

have lost through sin? Only our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ,

can do these things; He can deliver us from doubt and error, to

which sin had subjected our understanding, and He can bring us

the Divine light of truth, which enlightens every man that cometh

into the world. Hence He said : “I am the way, and the truth and

the life” (John xiv, 6). “He that followeth Me walketh not in

darkness, but shall have the light of life. You shall know the truth,

and the truth shall make you free” (John viii, 12, 32).

Christ is called our Saviour and Redeemer because He released

us from the bondage of sin and death, and we ask Him daily to

deliver us from evil. “Because the children (of men) are partakers

of flesh and blood, Christ also Himself in like manner hath been

partaker of the same, that through death He might destroy him

who had the empire of death, that is to say, the devil, and might

deliver them who through the fear of death were all their lifetime

subject to servitude” (Heb. ii, 14, 5). “But now being made free

from sin, they have become servants of God” (Rom. vi, 22).



LIBERTY 4i

True Christian liberty exists therefore for the man in whose heart

Christ has destroyed the power of darkness and the reign of sin,

so that, the tyranny of his passions being broken, he is free to take

up his stand on the side of truth and goodness. In other words,

Christian liberty is childlike submission to the will of God as made

known by Christ. This is why St. Paul says: '‘Where the Spirit

of the Lord is, there is liberty” (II. Cor. iii, 17).

The more completely you are delivered from sin and sinful de-

sires, and the better you serve God in the spirit of love, the greater

is your liberty. Those pious souls who serve the Lord in simplicity

of heart, who struggle to resist temptations, who crucify their flesh

together with its vices and concupiscences, who with patience and

submission bear the burden and heat of the day, who loyally and

conscientiously fulfil in their home life the duties of their rank and

calling, these are truly free, and these enjoy the glorious liberty

of the sons of God.

But our Saviour did more than make known to us God’s will, to

guide us in all our actions
;
He merited for us God’s grace, to sustain

us in our weakness and strengthen our will, so that we might obey

the dictates of conscience and God’s Commandments, and be thus

delivered from the bondage of concupiscence. “It is,” says St. Paul,

God who worketh in you both to will and to accomplish” (Phil, ii,

13), and although the same Apostle confesses that he saw in his

members another law, fighting against the law of his mind and

captivating him in the law of sin (Rom. vii, 23) he was none the

/ess convinced that by God’s grace it was possible for him to shake

off the bonds of sin. “I can do all things in Him who strengtheneth

me” (Phil, iv, 13).

You see therefore what is the source of liberty. It is a heaven-

sent gift, bestowed upon us through the Son of God, who Himself

took the form of a servant in order to deliver us from the bondage

of sin. As He said : “If the Son shall make you free, you shall be

free indeed” (John viii, 36).

Liberty was given to the world through Jesus Christ, and it is

through Christianity, or rather through the Catholic Church, that

it has obtained supremacy in the world, and it is in the Church that

it has found the surest guarantee for its preservation.

(b) For over nineteen hundred years the Church has toiled in-

cessantly, by means of instructions, commands and Sacraments, to

deliver men from sin and error, from disorderly desires, passions



42 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

and habits, and to establish the Kingdom of God, which is the rule

of truth and liberty. During the present season of Lent, when she

calls upon us to deny ourselves and mortify our flesh, she has no

other end in view than to release us from the bondage of sin and

the flesh, under which all mankind is groaning, and to give us the

liberty of the sons of God. “Whosoever committeth sin is the

servant of sin” (John viii, 34).*

The Church of Christ has always safeguarded external, personal

and civil liberty as well as the internal or moral liberty of man.

Let me quote a few instances in proof of this assertion: A father
formerly possessed absolute rights of life and death over his

children, and could dispose of them as he chose, giving them up to

a life of shame or killing them; treating them in fact like cattle,

that he could sell in the same way as a house or field. To what

do children owe their liberty from this tyranny? To the Gospel,

that has declared a child to belong to God, and his father to be

responsible for the child’s welfare and upbringing. Women at the

present day cannot realize the harsh and degrading treatment

suffered by their sex everywhere before our Saviour’s birth, and

still suffered in countries to which the light of His Gospel has not

yet penetrated. Among non-Christian nations women are regarded

as inferior creatures
;
a maiden is supposed to have no will of her

own, so that she can be sold by her parents or bought by a suitor,

as they think fit. A wife is merely a household drudge, to be ill-
treated or turned out, according to her husband’s fancy. How

different is the position held by women in Christian lands! Here

a maiden is looked upon as a child of our heavenly Father, as one

redeemed by our Lord, as consecrated by the Holy Ghost, and as

an inheritor of eternal life, and ever since the most glorious of all

virgins conceived and gave birth to the Saviour of the world, vir-

ginity has been highly esteemed, and a virgin is regarded as an

ornament to the Church of God, and shares in all the grace and

truth of the Gospel. As a result of Christianity the wife now

occupies a place of honor beside her husband; they are two in one

By proclaiming the truths of faith and inviting us to frequent the Sacra-

ments, the Church is in no respect interfering with our liberty. She says:

“You must believe this if you wish to be saved; but it rests with you to be

saved or to perish; you can choose which you like.” It depends, therefore,

altogether upon a man’s own will whether he obeys or rejects the call of

(grace; he is perfectly free to accept or to deny the truth. Faith is in any

»::ase a gift of God, but man’s free will has to cooperate in it, for the simple

u‘eason that no one receives a gift which he is unwilling to accept



LIBERTY 43

flesh, and their union is a type of the relation existing between

Christ and His Church.

The socialists, however, set no value upon virginity, and re-

ject marriage and family life. To them a woman is nothing but

a prostitute, and when she has borne and suckled a child and taught

it to eat and drink, they require her to hand it over to the State

for education. Among people holding such opinions there can be

no thought of love and duty between parents and children, for

these things simply do not exist. Could any doctrines tend more to

drag men down below the level of beasts?

Christianity has done much to alleviate, improve and sanctify the

lot of the working classes. In the ancient world men were divided

into masters and slaves. The slaves were the chattels of their

masters, their property, to be dealt with as they chose, as slaves

could have no liberty, no rights and no possessions. They were not

looked upon as beings of the same kind as their masters, but as

creatures of a lower order, destined by nature, like the domestic

animals, for the service and use of their owners. A master could
sell his slaves as he pleased, or ill-treat them according to the

prompting of his bad temper, striking them as he would strike a

dog or an ass; he might even blind or kill them, and no one had

any right to find fault with him, far less to punish him. To give

you some idea of the terrible lot of these unhappy people, it is per-

haps enough to tell you that slaves used to be sacrificed to the gods,

fattened and thrown into ponds to feed the fish, and forced even to

attack and slay one another for their master’s amusement. One

master often owned several thousand slaves, and one great Roman

lady frequently required the services of two hundred female slaves.

What did Christ do for these wretched creatures? He destroyed

slavery altogether, by proclaiming that all men were equal, that all

alike were children of God, who has no respect of persons. But He

did more than this, for He laid down the law of brotherly love, to

which there are no exceptions, and finally He died on the Cross

for all men, including slaves, and opened the gates of eternal hap-

piness to slaves as well as to their masters.

Has not civil liberty always been upheld and defended by the

Church ? and has it not often been assailed and destroyed by secular

princes, who have aimed at increasing their own power and reputa-

tion, and, in order to accomplish this, have oppressed their sub-

jects? Por centuries the Catholic Church alone, with all the re-



44 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

sources at her disposal, opposed the tyranny of princes and the

oppression of the poor, and did her best to support the liberty of

nations. It was under the influence of the Church that the consti-

tutions securing most freedom came into being. England boasts of

being the freest country in the world. From what period does her

freedom date? From the age of the vaunted Reformation? No,

certainly not; it dates from the time when every Englishman used

to hear holy Mass daily.

You see, therefore, that the Catholic Church has always led the

way in safeguarding civil liberty. She has never, however, en-

couraged rebellion and revolution, but she has invariably condemned

them and admonished the nations to make for freedom by legal

and constitutional methods. She has always insisted upon obedience

to authority, and has taught that without law, discipline and order

liberty cannot thrive or even exist. ^‘Render to Caesar the things

that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s”—^this is the
teaching of the Divine Founder of holy Church, and St. Paul says

:

**Let every soul be subject to higher powers, for there is no power

but from God, and those that are, are ordained of God. Therefore

he that resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God; and

they that resist, purchase to themselves damnation” (Rom. xiii,

I, 2). It is impossible to dispense with civil authority, as the so-

cialists desire, for authority and laws are needed to check the

vagaries of men’s minds and hearts, and to prevent free will from

degenerating into, license, violence, tyranny and outrages upon the

person, property and honor of others. Although the socialists

declare man to be free and subject to no authority, yet their leaders

regard themselves as having a right to control their followers, and

tolerate no arguments or expression of contrary opinions, so that

bitter quarrels happen at their meetings. They refuse to acknowl-

edge any authority in State, Church, community or family, and yet

they usurp it themselves. They say to the powers that be: “Give

place to us ;” but, as matters stand, we are far better off under the

existing government than we should be under that which the social-

ists wish to introduce.

(c) We have seen that Christianity gave liberty to the world,

and it cannot thrive or even continue to exist apart from Chris-

tianity, which is its surest guarantee, for where Christianity docs

not prevail, men are dominated by their passions and are under the

bondage of sin. What must we not therefore expect from those



LIBERTY 45

who talk much about liberty, but discard all the principles of Chris-

tianity? We know by sad experience that what they desire is not

liberty for all men, but only for themselves and their comrades;

they wish to be free, in order to rule over others more absolutely;

they do not want liberty for truth and goodness, but liberty to

spread abroad their false and pernicious doctrines
;
they want to be

free, unfettered and unrestrained, in the gratification of all their

passions. If another claims the right to have his own opinions and

convictions, and reproaches them with their injustice, cunning and

double dealing, they are infuriated against him, and employ all

possible means of silencing him.

Beware, therefore, of these false prophets, and do not assent to

their arguments, which are un-Christian and consequently evil and

destructive; such men are aiming at enslaving you, not at setting

you free. We too wish to enjoy liberty of conscience, of faith and
of speech; we too desire to have liberty in civil life, but we want

no license, no wanton violence and no rebellion; we have no wish

to see one man tyrannize over another and reduce him to slavery
;
we

insist upon freedom for all, for we desire the liberty of the children

of God, for “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

We have now seen in what true Christian liberty consists, to whom
we owe it and how we should use it. Let me conclude with

St. Peter's words : “So is the will of God, that by doing well you

may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men
;
as free, and not

as making liberty a cloak for malice, but as the servants of God”

(I. Peter ii, 15, 16). If we remember that we are all God’s ser^^^ants

and children, we shall not encroach upon our neighbor’s rights and

liberty; for the sake of God and conscience we shall respect

authority, and peace and order will reign in our midst.

Above all let us strive to cast off the fetters of pride, avarice,

envy, selfishness and lust. As long as we are bound by them, we

are not free men, but slaves of sin; for whosoever commits sin,

is the servant of sin. How many of us are still in bondage ! Let
us arise, and obey the call of the prophet who exclaims: “Shake

thyself from the dust, arise, sit up; loose the bonds from off thy

neck, O captive daughter of Sion!” (Is. lii, 2). O captive sou\
shake off the dust of earth which obscures thy beauty; arise and

loose the bonds of sin, death and Satan by the threefold force of

contrition, confession and satisfaction, for what is loosed on earth,

shall be loosed also in heaven. Hasten, before the snares of death



THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

and the terrible bonds of hell, from which there is no escape, en-

tangle thee. Easter is at hand, the holy season when our Lord and

Saviour invites us all to cleanse ourselves from sin, and to come

and keep the Pasch with Him. Come, therefore, all ye who are

weighed down with sin and misery, groaning under the load of

your disorderly inclinations, passions and habits, the Lord will set

you free. He calls you, saying : “Come to Me, all you that labor and

are burdened, and I will refresh you.”

But when you are released from sin and made children of God,

^e careful to walk thenceforth as free men, guided by the Spirit

of God, and not dominated by impure passions
;
be no longer slaves

of sin, but servants of God. “Brethren,” says St. Paul, “you have

been called unto liberty; only make not liberty an occasion to the

flesh, but by charity of the spirit serve one another” (Gal. v, 13).

To serve the flesh is slavery, to serve Christ is to rule. “O, let

us,” exclaims St. Bernard, “remain bound by God’s holy Command-

ments ! The bonds of love constrained Him to come down to earth

and submit to suffering; we on the other hand, who desire to be

raised from earth to heaven, must first submit to the bonds of

suffering, patience and obedience, that we may be one with Him,

as He and the Father are one.” Let us remain free from sin and

sinful desires, let us be ever guided by the Spirit of the Lord, and

subject only to His Commandments, and then we shall be free

indeed, and at last for us, too, the golden gates of heavenly liberty

will be opened, and we shall enter in and enjoy perfect freedom

forever and ever. Amen.



EQUALITYi 47

VI. Equality

^The rich and the poor have met one another; the Lord is the maker

of them both’* (Prov. xxii, 2).

Of the many non-Christian doctrines that, like parasitic plants,

shoot up again from time to time, there is perhaps none that attracts

so much attention, and that is so likely to undermine the whole social

order as the statement, put forward by the socialists, that all men

are equal, and therefore all class distinctions must be abolished and

property distributed equally among all human beings. The advo-

cates of these views go from country to country, seeking to confuse

men’s minds and to win adherents, and they succeed, partly because

their doctrines appeal to the pride, greed, and natural indolence

of mankind, especially of the working classes and the poor, and

partly because they give a very specious and attractive expression

to their opinions. It cannot be denied that from the purely human

standpoint they seem to have much right on their side, and so, wish-

ing to be regarded as benefactors to the people, they are wise when

they make the most of the facts that appear to support their theories.

No words ring more sweetly in the ears of men, or appeal more

directly to their hearts, than “liberty and equality,” and although

many so-called friends of the people are far from wishing to ob-

literate all class distinctions and to distribute their goods to the

poor, they know that the masses delight in hearing of such things

and will applaud them loudly if they discuss how all men can be

made equal, but they have no intention of suffering any loss them-

selves in the process. These false principles are promulgated

therefore by men of two kinds
—

^by those who really are convinced

that universal equality ought to be brought about, and also by

those who preach this doctrine only in order to win popularity, or

rather to secure influence and authority over the people.

Under these circumstances there is much reason to fear lest

Christians, too, should be led astray by false prophets, who lay

their snares and insinuate themselves everywhere. Hence I wish

to show you to-day what we, as Christians, are bound to think of

the doctrines that all men are equal, and that all distinctions of rank

and property ought to be abolished. Let us, however, first invoke

the assistance of the Holy Ghost.



THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

If we look about us, we cannot fail to perceive the great in-

equality that exists among men with regard to their rank, posses-

sions, talents, capabilities and happiness. One is of noble, another

of lowly birth
;
one has many intellectual talents, another has few

;

one is poor, another rich; one has to labor daily in the sweat of

his brow, another spends his time in idleness; one has to provide

for wife and children, another is unmarried, and has few needs;

one is a master and another a servant; one is healthy and another

diseased; one is happy and another miserable. Do you suppose

that it is in our power to remove this inequality, or that we ought

to remove it, if we could? No, we neither can nor ought to remove

it. Men are so constituted that they cannot be independent of one

another; they are obliged to depend upon one another’s help, and

none can say to his fellows: require you not.” Life would be

an unending series of miseries, if none of us helped his neighbors.

How wretched would be the lot of the sick, if they received no

skilful treatment from the physician, and no tender care from their

friends ! How unhappy would the weak be if they derived no sup-

port from the strong! What confusion would prevail in human

society, and what dangers would threaten our persons, property and

reputation, if there were no authority able to control the follies of

undisciplined hearts and minds, and to govern the passions of men

!

Do you imagine that, supposing one man possessed as much money

as another, he would be satisfied? The desires of the human heart

are insatiable; never has it enough, and though it may possess

abundant wealth, its craving for more continues. Assuming that

all the money in the world were distributed equally to all men, what

would happen when one had wasted his share? Would he not in-

sist upon a re-distribution as often as his own supply was exhausted?

And would not this give rise to the greatest confusion and disorder

in society, and ultimately effect its ruin?

As long as we are imperfect creatures, liable to sin and error,

perfect equality, at which the socialists aim, can never be se-

cured, and there must be inequality in rank and property. This

inequality is in accordance with God’s will, is recognized and pro-

tected by His express commands, and therefore man has no right

to remove it. The spirits in heaven are arranged by God in different

classes, and it is the same with men, and just as there are many

mansions in the kingdom of heaven, so are there many ranks on

earth. ‘‘The rich and the poor have met one another, and the Lord



EQUALITY

is the maker of them both.” These words of Holy Scripture mean

that rich and poor, masters and servants, rulers and ruled, learned

and ignorant, wise and simple, must all live together; God has

created them all, and prescribed and sanctified their differences in

rank and property. St. Paul writes : “There are diversities of

graces, but the same Spirit; and there are diversities of ministers,

but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but the

same God, who worketh all in all. And the manifestation of the

Spirit is given to every man unto profit. To one indeed by the

Spirit is given the word of wisdom, and to another the word of

knowledge, according to the same Spirit. To another faith, in the

same Spirit
;
to another the grace of healing in one Spirit. . . . But

all these things one and the same Spirit worketh, dividing to every-

one according as He will” (I. Cor. xii, 4-11).

You see, then, how God in His unsearchable wisdom distributes

His gifts and favors to mankind. To one He gives much, to an-

other little
;
one He orders to rule and another to serve

;
to one He

imparts many intellectual talents and abilities, and to another very

few, but to all He gives what they require in order to work out

their salvation. As, therefore, differences in rank and property are

ordained by God, how can it be right for us to rebel and to seek

violently to overthrow this order? To do so would be to outrage

God’s rights, for He alone is Lord, able to do and to bestow what

He will; it would be to assail His majesty and to offer Him an

insult, which He must speedily punish.

Who can argue with God or complain of having received at His

hands gifts of body and mind in less abundance than another? Our

temporal and eternal happiness does not depend upon these gifts

—

if it were dependent upon them, then perhaps those to whom less

is given might with some justice complain
;
but you know the value

of earthly possessions, and are well aware that they are accidental,

non-essential, deceptive and transitory. Only the possessions of

the soul are essential, valuable and permanent. Hence St. John

writes : “Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world.

If any man love the world, the charity of the Father is not in him

;

for all that is in the world is the concupiscence of the flesh, and the

concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life, which is not of the

Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away and the

concupiscence thereof; but he that doth the will of God, abideth

for ever” (I. John ii, 15-17).



50 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

However great may be the unequality between men in respect

of their rank, property, abilities and happiness, there is one point

on which they are all on one level, viz.: that they are all human

beings, and, if they profess Christianity, there is another point of

equality, viz.: that they are Christians. All of us, rich and poor,

high and low, great and small, are alike in possessing a human body

and an immortal soul; we are all made in God’s likeness; all are

His children, destined for eternal life. All have to bear, in different

degrees, the same weaknesses, sufferings and annoyances; we all

must some day die and be buried. Neither riches, nor power, nor

honor can protect us from death.

But we weak, mortal creatures all resemble one another in more

respects than in being children of God, made in His likeness
;
there

is a far higher equality, consisting in the fact that we are all Chris-

tians, the brethren and disciples of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,

and redeemed by Him
;
we are temples of the Holy Ghost and heirs

of heaven.

Men may belong to various ranks and classes according to

their wealth, reputation and talents, but they are all equal as re-

gards what is of supreme importance, viz. : their dignity as children

of God, redeemed of Christ, temples of the Holy Ghost, participa-

tors in all the graces and truths of the Gospel and heirs of eternal

life. The point of view of Christianity is not the same as that of

the world, and he is not regarded as great who has money and

wealth and high position, so that he can satisfy all the cravings of

his nature, but he who is adorned with many virtues, that make

him resemble God, the all-perfect. In the fact that we are Chris-

tians and children of God, we all, rich and poor, high and low, enjoy

the same dignity, and we all possess similar rights, on which no

one is entitled to encroach. The poorest and most miserable of

men, the very sight of whom arouses feelings of disgust and horror

in one more happily situated, has a right, equally with a rich man,

of aspiring to the highest and most glorious possessions. He has a

right to lift his thoughts and send up his prayers to the throne of

the Most High, feeling sure that God in all His majesty and glory,

amidst the praises of His elect, will nevertheless look mercifully

upon him and hear his requests. The poor man is justified in saying

to himself : “Although the Lord of heaven and earth has to govern

the universe, this does not prevent Him from remembering me, and

from caring for me, my children and family, my salvation, my



EQUALITY SI

sustenance and for even the smallest thing that concerns me, even

the hairs of my head. Such a man is justified in calling God by

the most tender and familiar names, such as one gives otherwise

only to one’s intimate friends
;
he may speak of Him as his Master,

his Friend and his Father, and of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as

his Brother. This poor man is entitled to kneel with princes at the

Lord’s table, and to receive His sacred Body, the Bread of Angels.

He has a right to all the comfort and refreshment oifered so

abundantly by the Church of Christ, and to say to himself : “It was

for my sake that the Son of God became Man, to teach us and to

suffer a death of agony on the Cross. It was for my sake that He

instituted the holy Sacraments, founded His infallible Church, and

sent down the Holy Ghost to teach us all truth and to counsel,

comfort and sanctify us.” When death comes, the poor man has a

right to the last consolations of religion. He may live in a gloomy

shed, and have no other bed than a little straw; he may be

suffering from some disgusting, infectious disease and be abandoned

by all his friends, but God’s servant will not forsake him, and will

bring him the Lord’s Body as Viaticum and strengthen him with

all the rites of the Church before he enters upon his last agony, the

last struggle between life and death. Finally, at the moment of

his departure hence, he has a right to knock at the gate of heaven,

and ask permission, and it may well be that they open to him more

readily than to the rich and arrogant man, who goes about in

fashionable attire and has never troubled so much as to look at the

beggar. At least we read in Holy Scripture that “it is easier for a

camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to

enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt, xix, 24). To show you

what will be the end of those who deny God’s existence—and we
must class the socialists amongst them—let me quote to you what
Chateaubriand, a famous Catholic writer of France, says of a phy-

sician, who had been an atheist, and spent his life in a career of

vice. As he grew old, and could no longer seek amusements, he

declared that he was far from regretting the time wasted in ex-

cesses, for he was going to die, and hoped to greet death as his

last friend. “However,” says Chateaubriand, “I witnessed the piti-

ful tears that he shed when dying; it was impossible for him to

conceal his despondency. Only the unbeliever is really unhappy

when he quits this earth; to him earthly existence ends in the ter-

rible fact of annihilation ; if he had never been born, he would not



THE SIGNS OF THE TIMESSa

have to face the awful fate of ceasing to exist. The life of such

an atheist is like a flash of lightning, only serving to reveal to him

the abyss awaiting him. O God of mercy and compassion, Thou
hast placed us in this world, not that we may suffer aimlessly, nor

that we may enjoy a meagre portion of happiness. The disenchant-

ment that is inevitable at death proves our destiny to be of a loftier

nature.”

Do you understand this, you who work in our mines, factories

and shops, you who labor in the fields, you who are servants, poor

perhaps as regards earthly possessions, intellectual endowments and

reputation; do you appreciate your privileges, dignity and rights?

Can kings and princes lay claim to anything higher or more glorious ?

Do their luxuries, their fine houses, their extravagant feasts, or

their proud titles really give them any advantage over you, who

may not indeed enjoy their pleasures in this life, but can proudly

boast of the dignity and rights which I have tried, though in a very

imperfect way, to describe to you? The great ones of earth as a

rule care nothing for these rights, and treat you as if you were

beings of a lower sort, altogether inferior to themselves, but in so

doing they prove their own pettiness, and their inability to judge

things at their true value. Each of you, no matter how poor,

wretched and degraded, can with justice claim from every man

recognition of and respect for his dignity and rights; he can de-

mand to be treated by all as a brother partaking in the benefits of

Christ’s redemption. “In order that we may all be of one accord,”

says St. John Chrysostom, “we have all received the same nature,

we all have a body and a soul, we inhabit the same earth, and we

are fed with the same fruits that the earth brings forth.”

If you, who are wealthy and exalted, despise, oppress, ill-treat, de-

fraud and trample down those whom Providence has set in a lower

position, you are not only despising yourselves and renouncing

your dignity, but you are insulting God, the Creator of these people,

Christ, their Redeemer, and the Holy Ghost, their Sanctifier. By

looking down upon others and humbling them, you hope to win

honor and glory among your fellows, but you are showing that you

have no conception of the real meaning of honor and glory. A

man’s true glory does not consist in being a gentleman, rich, aristo-

cratic and respected, but rather in having been created in the

likeness of God, in being a child of God, a brother of Jesus Christ

and an heir to the kingdom of heaven ; it is his true honor to recog-



EQUALITY, S3

nize, respect and uphold this dignity in those about him. We read

in Holy Scripture that “The fear of God is the glory of the rich,

and of the honorable, and of the poor. . . . The great man, and

the judge and the mighty is in honor, and there is none greater than

he that feareth God’^ (Eccl. x, 25, 27). St. Augustine writes:

“Do not fancy that you are not bound to love your neighbor because

he is poor and you are rich. It is true that you have no need of

him, because you have wealth, but he, though poor, wretched and

needy, is a man as you are; he is like you. It rested with God to

make him rich and exalt him above you, and perhaps he would have

deserved it better. What greater service did you render to God,

that you should possess riches, which your neighbor possesses not?

Could not God have placed you in the position which he occupies?

Therefore you should see yourself in him whom you despise. He

is your brother, a part of yourself, and as such he deserves your

love.’*

You see, then, that, looked at in the light of Christianity, differ-

ences of rank and property are not very important, though they

certainly exist by God’s ordinance. They are something non-

essential and accidental, on which we should not lay too much

stress, since men are all equal in what is essential, viz.: in their

imperishable dignity and glorious destiny. Moreover, Christianity

sanctifies differences of rank and property, and makes them a

source of merit and of eternal salvation.

In the ancient world, before Christianity existed, the outward

inequality prevailing among men was the reason why some should

enslave, oppress and ill-treat others, and thus it caused a great

aggravation and intensification of the inevitable sorrows of life.

Although this inequality was not removed by Christianity, it was

nevertheless not only rendered bearable, but turned into a source

of merit.

Christianity teaches that the outward inequality of men, and their

mutual dependence upon one another, are intended by God to be

means of carrying out His designs with regard to the human race.

Inequality is a consequence of sin, but it may now become a means

of salvation. God has given to every human being a temporal exist-

ence, that he may employ it in meriting eternal life; and in the same

way He prescribes to each individual the path that he must follow

in order to perform his allotted task. Every one of us ought to use

the position assigned him and the temporal gifts bestowed upon



54 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

him, as means and sources of his own salvation; one should thus

avail himself of his poverty, another of his wealth, one of his

exalted and another of his lower rank, but all should tend to sancti-

fication.

The Gospel teaches us that God gives wealth to the rich that they

may spend it in the service of the poor, not that they may regard

it as their own property, of which they are free to dispose as they

please, to gratify their pride, ambition and lust. God destines the

wealthy to be the instruments of His mercy and stewards of tem-

poral goods for the benefit of their neighbors; hence He does not

merely remind them to give alms of their superfluity, but He lays

it down, as an absolute law, that they are to help the poor. Speak-

ing through Moses, He said: 'T command thee to open thy hand

to thy needy and poor brother, that liveth in the land” (Deut. xv,

ii). The Hoiy Ghost makes almsgiving a duty, and bids us give

what we owe to the poor, signifying that it is not left to our dis-

cretion whether to give alms or not, but it is an absolute obligation

to do so. In order to make us more ready to be charitable, we are

reminded in Holy Scripture how God daily opens His Hand and

fills all living things with blessings
;
and our Divine Saviour bids us

to imitate Him, when He says : “Be ye merciful, as your Father in

heaven is merciful.” It was through charity and mercy that Jesus

Christ came down from heaven, became Man and went about doing

good. “He that giveth to the poor shall not want
;
he that despiseth

his entreaty shall suffer indigence” (Prov. xxviii, 27). This is the

teaching of Holy Scripture, which assures us that “by mercy and

truth iniquity is redeemed” (Prov. xvi, 6) ; and promises to the

merciful that they shall find mercy at the judgment seat of God.

Christianity tells the poor that they are God's children, the breth-

ren of Christ, temples of the Holy Ghost, and destined, equally with

the rich, for eternal happiness, since God has no respect of persons.

They are urged to work out their salvation in patience, humility

and obedience, looking constantly at Christ, the Son of God, who

left the glory that He enjoyed with the Father, and became poor,

in order to make us rich. He was bom of a poor maiden in a

wretched stable, and had not where to lay His head ; He who hung

on the Cross for our sakes, abandoned by all, calls upon the poor

to take up their cross and bear it after Him, and He tells them:

**Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Jhe Gospel bids masters, employers and those in authority not



EQUALITY 5S

to forget that they too have a Father in heaven, to whom they will

have to answer for the use made of their power and influence, and

whose representatives they should be on earth, by their justice,

mercy and goodness; it reminds them that as Christians they are

the brethren of those under them, and ought to respect and love

each of their subordinates as a brother and an equal.

Christianity admonishes servants and workpeople to be patient,

obedient, and contented with their lot, following the example of

Christ, who came, not to be served, but to serve, and said : have

given you an example, that as I have done to you, so you do also’*

(John xiii, 15).

You see, therefore, that although the world contains rich and

poor, high and low, strong and weak, they are all brethren in Christ,

and the greatest is the servant of the least; every rank is sanctified

and should be a source and means of merit and of eternal salvation.

Do not despond if God has not lavished earthly possessions upon

you, nor placed you in a lofty position, nor bestowed outward

honors upon you; submit with all humility to His ordinances. A
pot cannot blame a potter for not having fashioned it otherwise,

and we too cannot murmur against God for having created us as

we are, and for not arranging things in another way. He would

only say : “Have I not power to act as I will ?” Bear ever in mind

that riches, high rank and exalted position are not the greatest

advantages in life, nor are poverty, lowly birth and obscurity the

greatest evils. Instead of being deceived by the specious appear-

ance of transitory things, and instead of complaining like angry

children of your inferior position and poverty, you should each of

you strive to sanctify yourselves in your own station, and to dis-

charge the duties assigned to you for the honor of God, your own

good and the welfare of your fellow men. Remember St. Paul’s

words: “As the Lord hath distributed to every one, as God hath

called every one, so let him walk” (I. Cor. vii, 17). “With fear

and trembling work out your salvation” (Phil, ii, 12).

In order to sum up shortly and give you a clear impression of

what I have been saying, let me have recourse to an allegory. The

human race resembles a body with many parts, all of which are

equally useful, but they are not all equally honorable. The eye

ranks higher than the mouth, the mouth than the ear, the ear than

the hand, and so on. Now it is the same with mankind—they are
§l11 equally good, because they were created by God as His children,



THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

but they are not all equally rich or equally honorable. In the body

each member has its own place and the eye cannot complain of

being an eye, nor the ear of being an ear. In the same way a posi-

tion is assigned to every human being; one is a master, another a

servant; one is a father, another a son, and no one has any right

to grumble. In the body each member has its own function; the

eye has to see, the mouth to speak, the ear to hear. In the same

way every human being has his own peculiar duties, indicated by

his rank and calling. In the body one member supports another, and

when one suffers, all suffer with it
;
when one is at ease, all the rest

share its comfort. The same ought to be the case with men; one

ought to support another, and help him to the best of his abilities,

sharing his joys and sorrows. “Rejoice,” says St. Paul,” with

them that rejoice, weep with them that weep” (Rom. xiii, 15).

Henceforth let none of you look down upon his neighbors nor

encroach upon their rights. The laborers, the workers in mines and

factories, toiling to provide for themselves and their families and

giving their strength and health to increase their employers’ capital,

even the beggars in ragged clothing and with careworn faces, going

from door to door in quest of food, all are God’s children, all are

your brethren, loved by God and destined for as glorious a future

as yourselves. Do not follow the example of many wealthy and

respectable people, who talk a great deal about the dignity and

rights of men, whilst actually trampling them under foot; or who,

when a poor man asks bread for his starving children, or employ-

ment for himself, question him at once as to his religious views,

and should these not coincide with their own, refuse him all

assistance. Others pamper their cats and dogs with delicacies, and

refuse even the crumbs that fall from their table to their poorer

fellow creatures
;
others again avail themselves of their intellectual

superiority to outwit and ridicule the simple, and employ their

strength in oppressing the weak.

Treat your workpeople and the poor as your brethren in Christ,

show them mercy and love, and their complaints of harsh and unjust

dealings on the part of employers will gradually die away. These

complaints are the cause of much discontent and bad feeling and

drive many to adopt the doctrines of socialism. If you despise your

fellow-creatures, you are despising not only your own flesh and

blood, but also Him who created them, and God will not suffer you

to escape punishment. “Go to now, ye rich men,” writes St. JameS;^



EQUALITY S7.

“weep and howl in your miseries, which shall come upon you. Your

riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten ; your gold

and silver is cankered, and the rust of them shall be for a testimony

against you, and shall eat your flesh like fire. You have stored

up to yourselves wrath against the last days. Behold the hire

of the laborers, who have reaped down your fields, which by

fraud has been kept back by you, crieth; and the cry of them

hath entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have

feasted upon earth, and in riotousness you have nourished your

hearts in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to

death the just one, and he resisted you not” (James v, i-6).

In the book of Ecclesiasticus we read : “The Lord will not be slack,

but will judge for the just, and will do judgment; and the Almighty

will not have patience with them, that he may crush their back ; and

he will repay vengeance to the gentiles, till he have taken away the

multitude of the proud and broken the sceptres of the unjust; till

He have rendered to men according to their deeds. . . . till He have

judged the cause of His people, and He shall delight the just with

His mercy” (Eccl. xxxv, 22-25).

If then you are masters, treat your workpeople with Christian

charity and justice, not forgetting that they are your brethren in

Christ. If you are subordinates, accept your lot with patience, and

walk worthily of your high calling. If you are rich and respected,

remember that your position requires you to be generous, accessible

and abounding in good works. Practise these virtues and let your

hearts be ever ready to sympathize with the miserable, and your

ears be open to their cry for help. Especially at the present time,

when destitution stares so many in the face, “let your abundance

supply their want,” as St. Paul says, “that there may be an equality”

(II. Cor. viii, 14). Never say that you are tired of giving, and will

furnish no further help. Ought your charity to diminish when

need increases? Do not complain that business is bad, and that it

behooves every one to keep what he has. Of course the times are

bad
;
poverty, distress and want prevail in every direction, and many

are out of work. But who knows whether God will not have mercy

on those whom He has stricken; and whether the sword, that He

has brandished over our heads, may not be restored to its scabbard,

when He perceives our charity and sees that we have mercy on

others? “Son, defwaud not the poor of alms, and turn not away

tiiy eyes from the poor; despise not the hungry soul, and provoke



THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES3^

not the poor in his want
;
afflict not the heart of the needy, and defer

not to give to him that is in distress. . . . And thou shalt be as

the obedient son of the Most High, and He will have mercy on thee

more than a mother” (Eccl. iv, 1-4, ii).

You who are poor, and forced to toil for your daily bread, endure

your poverty and labor for the sake of God and our Lord Jesus

Christ, and do not lose your courage and confidence. You are God's

children, brothers of Christ, who was Himself poor, and so knows

what it means to suffer want; you are temples of the Holy Ghost,

in short, you enjoy the same dignity, privileges and rights as the

exalted on earth. God, your heavenly Father, will never forsake

you. He who feeds the birds of the air and clothes the flowers of

the field, will give you food as you need it
;
He will open His hand

and bestow abundant blessings upon you and your families. “The

Lord is nigh unto them that are of a contrite heart, and He will

save the humble of spirit. Many are the afflictions of the just, but

out of them all will the Lord deliver them” (Ps. xxxiii, 19, 20).

I acknowledge that it is galling to a man to have to occupy an

inferior position, whilst he is aware of his own dignity
;

it is galling

to owe his support to one who is only a man like himself
;

it is gall-

ing to have to carry out instructions given by one no better than

himself. But, after all, the present order will soon pass away, and,

if we have borne our cross patiently here on earth, and worked out

our salvation with fear and trembling, we shall reach the place

where there are no such conditions, and where whatever greatness

each human soul possesses will shine forth in perfect splendor. Let

us look forward to this time, and strive to do our best here, so that

we all, rich or poor, high and low, masters and servants, may gain

admission to our heavenly home. Let us look forward to the time

when earthly things will have passed away, and when our good

works alone will be seen to have any true value. Then, when each

man’s reputation depends upon his goodness, when his greatness

depends upon his humility, his possessions on his hope, and his

happiness on his charity and mercy—when all human respect, all
differences of rank, and all subordination of one to another are at

an end; we shall all with one accord rejoice in the contemplation of

God in His infinity, and together with the choirs of Angels and the

countless multitude of the elect, we shall praise and adore Him

for ever. Amen.



FRATERNITY, OR BROTHERLY LOVE $9

VII. Fraternity, or Brotherly Love

GOOD FRIDAY SERMON

**A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another, as

I have loved you, that you mso love one another. By this shall all men

know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for anotheV* {John
xiii, 34, 35)-

Good Friday, the day when our Saviour hung wounded and

dying on the Cross, is the day in all the year when we ought par-

ticularly to remember this new Commandment. Look at the Cross

!

On it, between two malefactors, hangs One who is all love, more

holy, more innocent than any other who ever lived on earth. He,

the Son of the Most High, for love of us left the glory that He

enjoyed with the Father, before the world was made, in order to

redeem His people and make them happy for ever. He loaded

them with benefits. He embraced and blessed their children. He

healed their sick, He raised their dead to life, and desired in His

unspeakable love to gather all around Him, even as a hen gathers

her chickens under her wings—and, in return for all this, the men
of His own nation nailed Him to the shameful wood of the Cross.

See how His head is bent, to give us the kiss of peace; His arms

are outstretched to embrace us; His side is opened to show us the

way to His heart; His hands and feet are pierced with nails and

fastened to the Cross to assure us of the fidelity and permanence

of His love; His sacred Blood streams from countless wounds in

order to wash away the guilt of our sins, and He dies that we may

live. How infinitely great is His love ! Was it not right that, when

He, the most faithful of all lovers, the chief of benefactors, died,

the sun should veil its face, and the very Angels weep for sorrow?

Was it not right that when He, who was innocence itself, was over-

whelmed with shame and suffering, the earth should be moved in

its innermost depths ? Was it not right that the graves should open

and allow the dead to proclaim the love which men in their ingrati-

tude refused to recognize? Even the murderer on the cross cried

out: *Tord, remember me, when Thou comest to Thy Kingdom,”

and the pagan centurion in horror exclaimed: “Truly, this man

was the Son of God.” How is it possible for o^ir hearts to remain
cold and unmoved? My intellect is too mean my speech too



6o THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

feeble for me to say what I fain would say on the subject of Christ’s

love, but He, as He hangs dying upon the Cross, teaches more

emphatically than any words could do, “Love one another, as I have

loved you.” Surely you will not refuse to listen to this. His dying

utterance; surely, you will reply with all the earnestness of which

you are capable: “Yes, Lord, we will love one another, as Thou

hast loved us. In return for Thy love we can offer nothing but

love.”

This new Commandment given by our Saviour is to be the subject

of our meditation to-day. I desire, after invoking the aid of the

Holy Ghost, to speak of our Lord as (i) the source and
(
2
)

the

example of love.

I. We hear a great deal nowadays about brotherly love; it is
extolled to the clouds and described in the most exquisite and

enthusiastic terms. In the sixteenth century the Reformers repre-

senred faith alone as the chief ground of all salvation, and con-

demned active charity as actually wrong; but now the reverse

doctrine is inculcated, and faith, we are told, is of quite subordinate

importance, whilst charity is essential. Men say it is a matter of

indifference whether or no we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of

God, and Redeemer of the world
;
and maintain it to be impossible

for mankind to be united in a common faith, hence all must adopt

as their bond of union the law of charity, to which everything

worth keeping in religion inevitably tends. Of course this law of

charity was the first great Commandment laid down by Jesus Christ;

it is His bequest to us, and the fulfilment of the whole law, and

in this sense those outside the Church have adopted the principle of

chanty as their entire creed. But this principle, though easily

recognized and enunciated, is not thereby put into practice. A

reign of love cannot suddenly be established in this world. No

one intending to build a house begins with the gables, but with the

foundations, and if we want to gather fruit, we must first have a

tree to bear it. This remark applies also to charity, which is, as it

were, the gable, necessitating the previous existence of the founda-

tions, and the fruit, that can never be produced without a tree.

Now the foundation and root of charity is the Christian faith.

This faith teaches that God is the Father of all men, that we are

His children, and that no one can love Him, who does not also love

his neighbor. St. John writes: “If any man say, T love God,’ and

hateth his brother, he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother.



FRATERNITY, OR EROTHERLY LOVE 6i

whom he seeth, how can he love God, whom he seeth not? And

this Commandemnt we have from God, that he who loveth God,

love also his brother” (I. John iv, 20, 21),

Faith teaches that Jesus Christ redeemed us all with His most

precious Blood, so that we might be His brethren and members of

that sacred body, of which He is the Head, and for this reason we

all ought to love one another. “You are the body of Christ,” says

St. Paul, “and members of members,” i. e., members of it. “He that

saith he abideth in Christ, ought himself to walk, even as He walked”

(I. John ii, 6). “This is His Commandment that we should . . .

love one another” (I. John iii, 23).

Faith teaches that the Holy Ghost sanctifies the heart of every

Christian and renders it a temple of God, that we are destined for

everlasting happiness, and that one day we shall all be with God,

but all this depends upon our love of one another. “We know,”

says St. John, “that we have passed from death to life, because we

love the brethren. He that loveth not, abideth in death. Whoso-

ever hateth his brother is a murderer, and you know that no

murderer hath eternal life abiding in himself” (I. John iii, 14, 15).

Could there possibly be any higher and more constraining motives

for love than these truths? But true brotherly love cannot exist

and thrive without faith in Jesus Christ, in whom all men are

united. The pagans of old possessed intelligence enough to appre-

ciate the importance of love; they had hearts capable of being

moved by the sufferings of others, but they did not know the law

of brotherly love, proclaimed by Christianity and admitting of no

exceptions. Their love was fickle, self-interested and untrust-

worthy, like that of children. They oppressed, despised and en-

slaved the poor and weak, and there are very few instances of their

practising the virtues of meekness, gentleness, mercy and others

which contribute so much to the charm and happiness of social

intercouse. Even the Jews had a law : “Thou shalt love thy neigh-

bor as thyself but so many additions had been made to it by the

Pharisees, that it was completely altered and deprived of all force

and efficacy. That was why our Saviour said : “A new Command-

ment.”

If the Jews, who had received from heaven the Commandment

of charity, were unable to obey it in all its fulness, it is still less

likely that other non-Christians can do so. Faith is the foundation

and root of charity; so how is it possible for the socialists, who



62 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

do not believe in God, or in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ,

our example in brotherly love, to practise this virtue, and allow it

to influence all their thoughts and actions as it should for the benefit

of their neighbors? Charity is not merely a matter of sentiment,

it concerns chiefly our will and behavior. By nature we are weak

and prone to evil; we desire to do right, but fail to accomplish it.

If we follow the impulse of our own hearts, and resolve to display

by our acts the love that we feel for our brethren, we are often

hindered by self-love and worldly considerations. For instance,

suppose that you suffer some wrong; your own heart perhaps sug-

gests that it is your duty to forgive, but your pride calls for revenge.

What is the result ? Do you offer your hand to the person who has

injured you, and seek to be reconciled with him? Or do you »*equite

evil for evil, and avoid him, plotting vengeance in your heart?

Or suppose that your brother is in great distress, and needs help

at once
;
he comes to you, asking your assistance. Do you give it ?

Do you help him to the utmost of your power, or do you send him

away, pleading that every man ought to look after his own interests,

and therefore you cannot assist him. We must confess that we
are naturally selfish, revengeful and slow to make sacrifices. Where

shall we find a support in our weakness ? What will strengthen our

will and make us comply with the demands of charity, and over-

come the obstacles suggested by our self-love, ambition, self-

indulgence and avarice? Our intellect cannot help us, for it is

weakened and clouded by sin; our hearts are under the sway of

our evil passions, and we find help nowhere, save in the faith of

Jesus Christ and in the efficacy of His merits. ^‘I am the Vine,”

He says, “you are the branches; he that abideth in Me, and I in

him, the same beareth much fruit; for without Me you can do

nothing” (John xv, 5). “Of His fulness we all have received, and

grace for grace” (John i, 16). He shows forth His strength in the

feeble, and enables us to will and to accomplish every good work

through the Holy Ghost, which. He assures us, all shall receive

who believe in Him” (John vii, 39). Now the fruit of the Spirit

is, according to St. Paul, “charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity,

goodness, longanimity, mildness, faith, modesty, continency, chas-

tity” (Gal. V, 22, 23), and we receive this spirit of charity by means

of prayer and the Sacraments, for our Father in heaven gives the

good Spirit to them that ask Him'"'' (Luke xi, 13).

This being the case, how could true brotherly love exist, thrive



FRATERNITY, OR mOTHERLY ZOVE 0i

and bring forth its beautiful fruits among people lil^e the socialists,

who never pray, and who have no faith in Christ and the power of

His grace? A tree cannot produce either blossom or fruit without
nourishment from the soil and sunlight; and in the same way

charity cannot live and bring forth fruit without the Divine stimulus

and constant influence of grace, which is the fertilizing dew of

heaven. The true faith directs and quickens charity; apart from it

we may shed tears of sympathy at the sight of another’s misery,

we may give alms or support some good work in consequence either

of a transitory emotion or of a desire for admiration, we may revel

in pleasing sentiments, we may observe the outward courtesies of

social life, we may even talk eloquently about brotherly love, but all

this is merely the outcome of our natural feelings, which subside

as quickly as they are roused, and not unfrequently change to cold-

ness, indifference, harshness, anger and hatred, when our self-love,

avarice and self-indulgence are awakened. True, universal, un-

selfish charity, that shrinks from no sacrifice, can thrive only in the

sunshine of grace and on the soil of the true faith. ‘This is the

victory which overcometh the world, our faith” (I. John v, 4).

Here, if anywhere, are our Saviour’s words peculiarly applicable:

“By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of

thorns or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth

good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit” (Matt, vii,

16, 17).

It is easy enough to discover the fruit which the Catholic Church,

rooted in the true faith of Jesus Christ, has brought forth. Think

of the Apostles’ love of the brethren! “We are reviled,” says

St. Paul, “and we bless; we are persecuted, and we suffer it; we

are blasphemed, and we entreat” (I. Cor. iv, 12, 13) ; and elsewhere

he writes: “We are in danger every hour; I die daily” (I. Cor. xv,

31). How intensely did the early Christians love one another! We
read in the Acts of the Apostles (iv, 32) that they had but one

heart and one soul, i. e., that all were animated by the same spirit

and the same faith, moreover “neither did any one say that aught

of the things which he possessed was his own, but all things were

common unto them.” They looked upon their own property as

something to which the brethren had an equal right, and distributed

to the poor according to their need, so that the rich felt no pride

and the poor no shame, all being full of charity. Their love for

one another was so remarkable as not only to arouse astonishtRcnt



64 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

©rx the part of their pagan neighbors, but also to make many con-

verts. Tertullian tells us that the heathen used to say: ‘‘Behold

how the Christians love one another, and each is as ready to die

for his brother as if they were all begotten by the same father and

born of the same mother; they are not separated by language, nor

by nationality, nor by the customs of their own countries, nor by

diversity of birthplace.” The sight of this unselfish love existing

among Christians had such an effect upon Pachomius, a pagan

soldier in Constantine’s army, that he was converted, and em-

braced the austere life of a hermit.

Not Christians alone, but also heathens bear witness to the care

lavished by the early followers of Christ upon the sick and poor

in their midst, and regard them in this respect as models for imita-

tion. Julian the Apostate, who persecuted the Christians most

cruelly, writes: “See how the Christians help their poor, and how

they love one another! It is precisely this feature that has chiefly

led to the growth of their superstition (such is the designation given

by the apostate emperor to Christianity). Let us, too, build hos-

pitals, for it would be a disgrace to us not to care as much for our

poor as do the Jews and Galileans.” Even the bitterest enemies of

the Catholic Church acknowledge that she has everywhere erected

hospitals for the sick and refuges for the poor, for widows and

orphans, and that queens and noble ladies have renounced all

worldly honors in order to become angels of consolation in these

abodes of suffering. The same charity has founded many orders

and peopled many religious houses established for the welfare of

the human race; it has carried men over the sea and into pathless

deserts, in order to rescue captives from the hands of the infidels,

and to bring to those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death

the light of the Gospel and the glad tidings of salvation. Thrs

glowing flame of charity has never been extinguished in the Catholic

Church
;

it burns now as brightly as ever, and in token of its per-

sistence I may remind you of the work of foreign missions, that is

increasing day by day, of the hospitals that are continually being

built, and entrusted to the famous congregations of nursing sisters ;

I may point to the various religious associations established for the

mutual advantage, both spiritual and temporal, of their members;

I may mention the money lavished without stint upon the poor, the

oppressed and the suffering. Where will those who are led astray

by the socialists find help in time of old age, sickness and



FRATERNITY, OR EROTHERLY LOVE 6S

poverty? They will find none to assist them except paid officials,

who have no sympathy with their sorrows and pains, and treat

those under their charge with disdainful harshness.

But let us pass on to other topics. I should not have mentioned

these subjects to-day, the anniversary of our Lord’s death, had not

the task which I had undertaken rendered it necessary. You know

that Christianity is called the religion of love, primarily because

Jesus Christ, its Divine Founder, made the law of love His chief

commandment, and the distinguishing mark of His disciples. “By

this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love

one for another” (John xiii, 35). How could anyone devoid of

charity be a follower of Him, who for love of us gave up the glory

that He enjoyed with the Father, and took upon Himself flesh and

blood, “that He might become a merciful and faithful high-priest

before God, that He might be a propitiation for the sins of the

people” (Heb. ii, 17). What man, having no charity or mercy in

his heart, could profess to accept the teaching of Him who had

compassion on the multitude “because they were distressed and

lying like sheep that have no shepherd” (Matt, ix, 36) ; who shed

tears at the grave of His friend Lazarus, and at the sight of Jeru-

salem, the unhappy city, that refused to recognize the things that

were to her peace, and who spent His whole life in going about

and doing good? No one without love could be a true disciple of

Him who bled and died upon the Cross for us. His enemies, the

children of wrath. His last words were words of love and inter-

cession for His murderers: “Father, forgive them, for they know

not what they do.” Therefore instead of exhorting you further to

practise charity, I will only ask you to look up at the Cross, and

learn from Him who hangs there, what kind of love we should

have for our brethren, since without it we cannot be His disciples,

nor can we claim a share in the fruits of His atonement. He says

:

“Love one another, as I have loved you.” We have therefore to
love one another in the way in which He loved us. Now His love

was universal, self-sacrificing and disinterested; so our love ought

to possess these three attributes.

2. (a). Our love ought to be universal, embracing every human

being without exception, because Jesus Christ is the Saviour and

Redeemer of all mankind, and died for all upon the Cross. “He

is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for

those of the whole world” (I. John ii, 2). Hence He could rightly



66 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

say: “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to

myself” (John xii, 32). We need but look at the Gospels, to see
how, during His life on earth. He regarded all men with equal love.

He did good not only to the children of Israel, but also to pagans

who came to Him in their troubles, beseeching His help. He loved

sinners as well as the righteous, and did not refuse to sit at table

with them. He treated rich and poor, high and low all alike, ex-

cluding no one from His love. ‘When He was reviled. He did not

revile; when He suffered, He threatened not;” on the contrary He

prayed on the Cross for those who had injured Him, condemned

Him to death and crucified Him, and He even pleaded for them

in the touching words: “Father, forgive them, for they know not

what they do.”

If you desire to be His disciples, you must act as He did. All

human beings, whether rich or poor, high or low, fellow countrymen

or foreigners, friends or enemies, are God’s children and your

brethren in Christ. How can it be right for you to bestow your

charity on one and refuse it to another? Is it just or Christian to

love those only who profess the same faith and hold the same

opinions as yourselves, and to show no charity to those who think

otherwise and belong to another religion? Ought you to despise

and scorn such people? No indeed; they may look down upon you,

and refuse you a share in social and political life, but you must not

requite evil with evil. Our Saviour’s teaching is: “Love your

enemies, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that

persecute and calumniate you; that you may be the children of

your Father who is in heaven, who maketh His sun to rise upon

the good and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust” (Matt.

V, 44, 45). The law of charity knows no exceptions; it seeks to be

all things to all men for Christ’s sake.

(b) Our love must be self-sacrificing, and, as St. John says, we

must “not love in words, nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth”

(I. John iii, 18). Our Saviour’s love was of this kind, and, as you

know. His whole life, from His birth in the stable at Bethlehem to

His death upon the Cross, was an unbroken series of acts of self-

sacrifice, performed for love of us. If you wish to be His dis-

ciples, go and do likewise ; shrink from no exertion, no trouble, no

sacrifice and no self-denial, when you have an opportunity of doing

a charity to your brother. Do not listen to the suggestions of pride

and passion, when you are slandered and insulted. Overcome your



FRATERNITY, OR FROTHERLY LOVE 67

feelings of aversion, anger, hatred and revenge, and offer your

hand to your brother in token of reconciliation. “If you love them

that love you, what reward shall you have? Do not even the pub-

licans this?” said our Lord. To talk eloquently about brotherly

love, to indulge in pleasing sentiments and to shed tears of sympathy

over the sufferings of others are all beautiful things, but they are

not the love required of us by our Saviour, nor the charity that He

practised Himself. Christian charity should be active, energetic

and self-sacrificing
;
as St. Paul says, it “beareth all things, believeth

all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things” (I. Cor. xiii, 7) ;

it is always ready to help at any cost; it is unwearied, no matter

how many claims are made upon it, and reveals its full strength

when it is most severely tried. It is not discouraged when it is mis-

understood, oppressed and ill-treated, but shines forth then in all

its heavenly purity. If means are lacking to assist the needy, charity

can always have recourse to prayer, and often can offer consolation

and advice.

(c) Finally, our love must be disinterested. Our Lord’s love was

absolutely disinterested; “I seek not My own glory,” are His own

words, and there is not a single passage in the Gospel from which

we can infer that He gained anything by healing the blind, deaf and

lame, the paralyzed or the lepers. We are never told that He helped

others in order to be thanked, or to become famous, or to win popu-

larity; on the contrary, He silenced every loud expression of ap-

plause and gratitude, and when those whom He had cured refused to

hold their peace and desired to make Him king, He fled into the

wilderness. He wished all glory to be ascribed to His Father, not

to Himself, and therefore on the last evening of His life He could

say: “I have glorified Thee on the earth; I have finished the work

which Thou gavest Me to do” (John xvii, 4).
If you will be His disciples, go and do likewise. In all things

give the glory to God and make it your sole aim to please Him;

let love of God be the soul, the motive power and the object of

every thought and action. If you keep nothing but your own ad-

vantage in view, and aim at winning the applause and praise of men

;

if you extol brotherly love, in order to be commended for so doing;

if you are friendly towards your neighbors and contribute liberally

to all charitable works merely for the sake of vainglory—then you
do not resemble Jesus Christ, your Divine Example, but rather the

Pharisees, of whom Holy Scripture tells us that they did all these



58 THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

things. *‘Take heed,” says our Saviour, “that you do not your

justice before men, to be seen by them; otherwise you shall not

have a reward of your Father who is in heaven” (Matt, vi, i).

Our Lord’s Apostles thought at first too much of their own ad-

vantage, and this made them impatient and desirous of earthly

honors. Hence they said : “Behold, we have left all things and have

followed Thee; what, therefore, shall we have?” (Matt, xix, 27),

and they disputed among themselves which of them should be the

greatest (Mark ix, 33). But after they had received the Holy

Ghost, and had been filled with love of God, they displayed the

deepest humility, and not a trace of pride, and instead of asking

who should be greatest, St. Paul writes : “Who shall separate us

from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or famine,

or nakedness, or danger, or persecution, or the sword? . . . But

in all these things we shall overcome because of Him that hath

loved us” (Rom. viii, 35, 37).

Let us, therefore, love one another, as our Saviour hath loved

us; let us have a love that is universal, self-sacrificing and dis-

interested, for then we shall be His true disciples, entitled to share

the glory promised to those who persevere to the end in love and

in keeping the Commandments. Let us often call to mind the love

with which Christ loved us even unto death. Let us hold converse

with Him daily, drawing pure love from Him, the sole source of

love
;
let us daily strive to become more like Him and test our love

by His standard!

A community, all the members of which followed their Lord and
Master in the practise of universal, self-sacrificing and disinterested

charity, would indeed be pleasing to God and the heavenly hosts.

No one would seek his own advantage, but rather that of his neigh-

bor
;
no one would love in word only, but in deed and in truth. There

would be no place for pride, envy, avarice or ambition, since each

would bear the other’s burden, and so fulfil the law of Christ. None

would be offended, slandered or wronged, and should one injure

another, he would at once be forgiven. Each would sympathize

heartily with the joys and sorrows of his neighbor, and give active

expression to his good will. The employer would regard his work-

men with brotherly love, not imposing too heavy burdens upon

them, but giving each sufficient wages to support himself and his

family. Workmen, laborers and servants would trust their masters,

and be faithful and conscientious in the discharge of their duty. A



FRATERNITY, OR FROTHERLY LOVE 69

' poor man would not ask for alms in vain, nor would a sufferer weep

and find none to console him ; no sick man would toss untended on

his bed of pain, no wounded man would lie by the wayside without

the help of a good Samaritan, ready to aid him. Then peace, har-

mony and happiness would prevail, and all would look forward to

the day when the just Judge should say : ‘^Come, ye blessed of My

Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation

of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me to eat; I was

thirsty, and you gave Me to drink
;
I was a stranger, and you took

Me in; naked, and you covered Me; sick, and you visited Me; I

was in prison, and you came to Me. . . . Amen, I say to you, as

long as you did it to one of these. My least brethren, you did it to
Me” (Matt, xxv, 34-40).

O, crucified Love, without Thee we can do nothing, but with

Thine aid we can do all things. O, teach us and help us to love one

another, even as Thou hast loved us. Amen.