THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE

New Zealand Tablet, 11 May 1911, Page 875

THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE

THE NEED OF TO-DAY : i ‘As Catholics you are loyal to the principles, practise the precepts, and are proud ’of - the traditions - of our oldCatholic, As Australians you are in line and touch with the progress and all the legitimate aspirations of the age, and of our young, vigorous, and progressive country,' said his Lordship Bishop Gallagher, addressing the exstudents of St; Patrick’s College, Goulburn, at their annual dinner in Sydney. ‘“Zeitgeist,” or “Age -Spirit,’’ is, I am well aware, for many, a word offensive to pious ears. And, in truth, there are many things to condemn in the so-called spirit of the age. Yet there are also many things in it to admire. It is by no means altogether bad, this spirit of the age. In spite of all its faults, its errors and mistakes, I love my age as I love my country. I revel in its feats of valor, its industries, its inventions and discoveries. I thank it for its spirit of liberty, its thirst for knowledge, its many benefactions, its elevation of .the masses, its warm affections proffered to the people rather than to despot, or King, or Caesar. The Church and the Spirit of the Age. ‘ There. is nothing, it seems to me, in the leading characteristics of the age that may not be harmonised with the strictest principles and dogmas of oui holy Catholic religion. The Church also understands the needs of the age r sympathises with all that is good and true in its aspirations, and feels that through her, and through her alone, can its hopes, its aspirations, and its ideals be realised to the full. There is nothing again in the activity, energy, and self-reliance of Australian life and character inconsistent with the most stubborn adherence to Catholic faith and morals. These are days of action, days of warfare. Not the timid and fugitive virtue of the Thebaid, but rather the “God wills it’’ battle-cry of the Crusaders defending the faith, protecting the weak, redressing wrongs, is suited for the turmoil , and bustle of Australian life. I know no reason why Catholics may not be as bold, as firm, as manly, in laboring for the interests of the Church and truth and virtue, as statesmen are in laboring to advance the State, or for their own personal aggrandisement. It was the Gabaonites, and not the chosen people of God, who were doomed to be the hewers of wood and drawers of water. .What Australians Should Be. As free-born citizens of Australia, raised in an atmosphere of liberty, in a country where man is man in all the integrity of manhood, your spirit should be lofty, independent, firm, unbending in all that relates to principle; but 1 gentle, compassionate, loving, through the charity of the Gospel. Faith does not destroy reason, nor does grace do away with the natural in man. Faith and the spirit of religion should elevate, purify, and invigorate inborn manliness of character; the love and practice of our religoin should ennoble, intensify, and consecrate natural benevolence and the love of our native land. Again, in all we undertake let us labor earnestly, energetically, strenuously. Let “Age quod agis” be our motto still. The world achieves its victories by titanic efforts, untiring labors, never-ending perseverance. The Need of To-day. ...‘“Fas est et ab hoste doceri” —we should in religious matters take a lesson from the world. The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light. .. Steam and electricity, in Conjunction with God’s revealed. truth and grace, will triumph. Hitch on the cars of progress to the power house of religion. Let us throw into work for the Church, for religion, for securing our country and age to God and revealed truth, that stubborn 'determination which the apostles and missionaries of atheism and immorality put forth, with such heroic malice and Satanic zeal, to destroy the faith and corrupt the morals, and lower the ideals, and annihilate the immortal hopes of our fellow-men. That which we believe we should act out, that which we aim at we should make a strenuous effort to attain. No hot-house plant should our Catholic faith and piety be. We need a virile, manly faith, a robust and masculine piety, to withstand the rude shocks that our religion is heir to in a young, vigorous, non-Catholic, perhaps, one might be inclined to say, non-Christian country, like Australia. Let us not seek to find in God’s providence an excuse for our own indolence, and want of Catholic spirit and neglect of duty. There is nothing in our Cath- < olic religion that requires us to be lazaroni. What we Catholics need in this age and this country is not easygoing men, whose only merit is their inability to do harm; but men of enterprise, of daring enthusiasm, of positive not negative virtues; men who, thinking highly, acting nobly, pouring into feebler breasts ; portion of their own glowing aspirations, can advance the cause of truth, virtue, religion, civilisation. Catholics have, I think, a right to expect that such leaders should be provided for us from the . ex-students of our Catholic colleges. Dry-rot Conservatism. ; _ . ‘That conservatism which wishes always to be safe is dry-rot. As Catholics we must go forward or cease to hold our own in the country. Not to advance is to go

back. n Stagnation means death. It is better sometimes to blunder, it we blunder through disinterested zeal and-, generous devotion, than never -to act. We do not’ wajlttcf: keep things , quiet; ;■ we do ‘ not want to keep things as they are ; ,we want to excite activity; we want progress. The Creation of Catholic Public Opinion. . . ‘ One more suggestion, and I have done. We the’ old pioneers, are passing away. To you, the younger men, the future belongs.; As you make it, so shall it be. Feel act, as Australian Catholics in whose hands the destiny °‘ ia ’. ? s ;f° . faitb and .morals and the preservation or Christian ideals, is placed. Realise that tins country is your country, its institutions are your institutions, its- mission is your mission, its glory or shame is yours'. Let tie lull, warm, current of Australian . life flow in your veins. Drawing big draughts of inspiration from your warm faith’ and worthy reception of the Sacraments, and pure living elevate the standard of intelligence, raise the tone of moral tee ing, direct public and private activity to just and noble ends. By our intelligent advocacy of Catholic interests' whenever occasion arises, by our upright, manly bearing and coquet inwall the relations of life, let us create a Catholic public opinion among Catholics—a Catholic 5 publm opinion which will softs extend beyond Catholics, and exert an influence on . the whole population of the city or district m which we - live. : In one word, let the old motto, “ Pro Deo et Patna; be always ours. God and country, faith and science, spirit of religion and spirit of the age,* modern aspiration and ancient truth, democratic .freedom and spiritual authority harmonised, and drawn into warmest amity| noi king together for the progress, enlighten and hap’ s pmess of , our country—a “ consummation devoutly to be wished, though not easily attained.’ * -