RELIGION

Temuka Leader, Issue 2903, 5 December 1895, Page 2

RELIGION

The following is a continuation of the Rev. Father Le Meuant'a lecture on " Indulgences" delivered iu St. Joseph's Church, Temuka, on Sunday evening : Wherefore, it is by good works animated by faith, not by faith ouly, that we may obtain eternal life. " Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but ho who does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew vii., 21.) The unprofitable servant was not condemned for want of faith but for not improving the talent he had received by doing good works. The barren fig tree, a figure of sinners, was cut down simply because it brought not forth good fruits. Let ua now come to our subject. In the sacrament of penance,received with due dispositions, the stain and eternal punishment due to sin, and the displeasure it causes to God, are removed ; but, as a general rule, there is a commutation of pain, that is, instead of the eternal separation from God, the exclusion from paradise, and the torments of hell, which we had deserved by our grievous sins, God requires from us a temporal puuishment, which must be endured voluntarily iu this world, or, through necessity, iu purgatory, whose existence and nature we dhall explain in our next lecture. The ouly exception to this rule is when the dispositions of the penitent sinner are moat perfect, so that God forgives him, at ouce, both the guilt and temporal puuishment ; but alas! it is not often such perfect dispositions are found in penitents. The sacramental penance, given by the priest in confession, is the most effectual satisfaction we can offer to God ; but, even this satisfaction is often inadequate to fully satisfy the divine justice, because, through condescension to our weakness the light penance, given by the confessor, is not in proportion to the enormity of our transgressions, and also, because our sorrow is not as perfect as it should be. In this case, in order to satisfy the justice of God, we must undertake voluntary good works, aud offer them to God, through Jesua Christ, " to fill up," as St. Paul says, " what is wanting in us of the sufferings of Christ." (Col. i., 24). The most meritorious good works are : Prayers, fastings, alms, deeds, and indulgences. The greater our guilt the greater also should our satisfaction be. Jesus Christ wishes us to do all we can, in union with Him, and by the help of His grace, and when we have done all we can He supplies our deficiency out of pure love for us. You see that +.he Catholic doctrine about satisfaction does not, as is pretended by our adversaries, make void the cross of Christ, but quite the contrary. The most liberal means, established by Jesus Christ, to enable us to pay off all our debts and fully satisfy Him, is the granting of indulgences through His holy Church. An indulgence is a partial or total pardon of the temporal satisfaction due to the divine justice for sins forgiven in the sacrament of penance, aa to the guilt and eternal punishment, or little sins, of which we have not repented. It is not in the pardon of the sin itself, which can be remitted to us, as we have explaiuod it, only through the merits of Jesus Christ, applied to the soul in the sacrament of peuauce, actually received, or received in desire with perfect contrition, if we had no possibility to go to confession and receive absolution from an approved priest, or at least, iu cise of extreme necessity, a legitimately ordained priest. Before wo can gain an indulgence we must be free from sin. Au indulgence is a favor which Jesus Christ grants only to His friends, not to His enemies. Indulgences cannot bo an encouragement to sin, because we can never get an indulgence except we be very sorry from our heart for having offended God, and firmly resolve to avoid for the future, with the help of His grace, whatever is displeasing to His Divine Majesty. This is why to gain the indulgences granted on jertaiu festivals Christians are commanded to fast 0Q the eve of such festivals, to go to confession, to receive Holy Communion, and to pray for the conversion of sinners and other intentions recommended. If all these conditions are not fulfilled, the indulgence cannpfc be gained. An indulgence is a remission of the strict law of justice; instead of the greater satisfaction which we flhould haye had to make, either voluntarily in this world or tbroughnecessity in purgatory, God, through His Holy Church, to which He has given power to remove whatever obstacle might prevent or delay our entrance into heavenly bliss, He is pleased to accept of a lesser satisfaction aa as a partial or plenary pardon of all we oweU to Hia divine justice. In every well organised society there is the power of mercy, vested in the person of iLbe supreme head of -the State or his chief representative. 'ln the British Dominions Her Majesty has fche privilege of mercy. She can commute a long and grievous sentence of detention, hard labor, or exjle into a smaller one, or even, if she pleased to do so, grant a complete pardon, and have the criminal get at liberty. Should the Church of Christ, which is tho most perfect and admirable society whiflh can be conceived on earth, not have the same privilege ? Then it would not be the work of an Infinite Wwdom. Should the Vicar of Christ have lesa power in the spiritual order not only than the Queen 0 ? England in temporal matters, but even than the Governor of a Colony / Here in New Zealand the Governor has, as the first representative of Her Majesty, the privilege of mercy. He can under certain conditions relax the severity of fche penal law of the colony, and commute, or even entirely remit, the punishment of a criminal. Our Lord has also given the privilege of mercy to His first representative, aud, through him, under certain restrictions, to bishops, who are with reference to the Pope what colonial Governors are with regard to Her Moiety the Queen. Indulgences derive their virtue exclusively from Christ and the superabundant trier itsof His faithful servants who are reigning with Him in Hcaven(our Blessed Lady aud the Saints) offered in union with His, but never separated from them. Our Blessed Lady never committed the least sin; many saints never committed any grievous sin, and yet led a most hard and painiul life and performed thousands ol heroic acts of penance. Their superabundant satisfactions, joined with those of Christ, form a treasure of inestimable value, which is left at the disposition of the Vioar of Christ on earth, who is guided by the Holy Ghost to wisely dispense it. The reason why the superabundant satisfactions of the Blessed Virgin and the Saints n.re joined with those of Christ is because these satisfactions derived all their merit from His own passion aud death, were inspired by Him, were performed by His grace—or rather it is He who performed - through their agency. He was their theu. - ere uj s jjvjng members, aud Head ; they , TT « wanted (.-hem U-> do. they did only what it „ '— faitkfyj as It is also to encourage us to uo *• w e they wure to His holy inspirations, tun. may one day he like them crowned with immortal glory. ('lo bo continued.)