THE PRIEST ON THE BATTLEFIELD

New Zealand Tablet, 20 May 1915, Page 23

THE PRIEST ON THE BATTLEFIELD

THE , APOSTOLATE OF THE CATHOLIC r: : ::: CHURCH. -.•; -. 'The following is a reprint of the latest publication of the Australian Catholic Truth Society, The Priest on the Battlefield, by the Rev. W. J. Lockington, S.J.: CHAPTER I.—OUR FAITH. One of the most striking features of the present stupendous war is the changed attitude of the world towards the Catholic patriot and his practice of his religion. For long years past a powerful propaganda has been carried on against the' sacred teachings of Christ by men of narrow vision and downward gaze, whose aims all tend to the mud of the earth. These Mudmen shouted of ' uplift' that meant degradation, of ' liberty' that meant slavery, of ' progress ' that meant retrogression. Forgetting that they were but clay vivified by the breath of God, they raised impious hands against sacred things, and boasted of the results of their teachings upon the human race. Poor Mudmen ! how lonely they are to-day! Teachings such as theirs cannot stir the deeps of the human soul, though foolish men, forgetful of their destiny, often listened to and followed their seductive appeal. To check their folly and show the latent grandeur of the human heart, God sent the scourge of war. It broke like a thundercrash in a clear sky, and its lightnings flashed bitingly among the nations. The cry went forth for men —strong, resolute men. At the call, the flower of our manhood sprang forward, trampling the doctrine of the sensualist underfoot, and turned to the only Teacher whose doctrine makes for fearless and perfect manhood. Effects of Great Crisis. In times of great crisis the innate nobility of the human heart shines out, conventions and prejudices shrivel and die, and man takes his stand firmly and unhesitatingly upon the rock of Truth and Honor. In such times Truth stands in the naked light of Life, clear for all to see, and there is no place for those whose gospel, however disguised, means that the highest ideal of man cannot lift him above the mud. Religion has come into her own again. No longer sneered at, it is recognised as the foundation of the highest form of bravery, enabling men to attain sublime heights of selfless heroism. On every side men have turned in reverence to Godßussian and Austrian, Belgian and German, French and English. All Christians have bowed before their Leader and King, Christ Jesus. Man, when he looks eye to eye at death, stands free from folly, and turns instinctively to his Creator with a heartfelt cry for aid. This is especially true of the children of Holy Mother Church, the guardian of the whole Truth of God and the dispenser of His miraculous sacramental gifts to mankind. Power of the Church. When tins Truth, of which our Holy Mother is the guardian, is allowed to shine, undimmed and undistorted, upon the world, then it is that we see, as we see to-day, that her miraculous power over the hearts of men is strikingly manifested. As that bright ray strikes into their gloom, those in the darkness of unbelief gaze in wonderment at it, marking, as it does so plainly, the path leading man to the fulfilment of his. high destiny, and they are irresistibly moved to admiration of the treasure of which she is the custodian —our Holy Faith. Times of great crisis such as we are passing through to-day are times of great sacrifice, and sacrifice uplifts and purifies the heart of man. This uplifting causes him to see with clearer vision and look to things eternal. He seeks now the basis of truth, finds it founded firmly on man's relation to his God— practical in his religion—and there he rests strong and secure. For us Catholics this light -is always shining. In time of

danger we turn to it _ for safety, secure in the knowledge ..> that nothing can ever . extinguish it, and that, we can -K: follow \it through- all dangers, through life, through Wt death, until we reach our God, Who sends it. CHAPTER OUR' MEN. ' ' This certitude of belief is the reason ,why to-day, ; among so many brave men, the bravery of the Catholic shines conspicuous. Our Catholic soldiers are facing grim death in defence of home and country, and their fear- ~ less facing of it is making the whole world gaze with ever-growing respect as well as admiration; and one thing which singles them out, and compels the respect of all beholders, is the glorious way in which their deep | love of Christ and their complete reliance on His religion r blazes forth. ■ An Irish Regiment. Listen to this letter from the front, telling of the 11th Hussars, most of whom are Irish: ' Nearly every man here is wearing some sort of Catholic medallion, or a Rosary that has been given him, and he would rather part with his day's rations or his last cigarette than part with his medallion or Rosary.' And this from an English officer, a Protestant: 'As an officer in his Majesty's service, may I say how impressed I have been by the extraordinary re-; ligion of the people among whom we have been campaigning ? I have seized every opportunity of attending churches wherever we have been, and of observing the people in their habits. I find everywhere a magnificent piety, a religion that fills out and guides the" lives of these people. The French soldiers go into the trenches, each with his little medal of our Lady hung round his neck. They pray aloud in action, not in fear, as we very well know, but with a high courage and a* great trust. It is my grief that our poor boys have not the same knowledge to lean on, the same precious comfort in their times of trial and need. On All Souls' Day I saw the village priest come out and bless the graves of our poor lads —the graves, mark you, of rough Protestant soldiers, decorated with chrysanthemums by the villagers. These poor dead were blessed and called the 'faithful departed," and wept over, and prayed for so strongly and deeply. I think the women of England—the mothers, sisters, wives of our dead—would be glad. What they have seen here will leave its mark on many of our soldiers. My servant, a Wesleyan, an artillery , driver, is craving to know more of what he tells me he thinks must be the true faith.' Does it not make your heart thrill with pride at the thought of the bond that joins us to those heroes? Pray God to fill that officer's heart with the same craving that moves his Wesleyan servant, and bring him back to the faith of his forefathers. Here is an account of an Army Mass, by a French officer : ' Near a bridge over a river, in a wood, chaplains and soldier-priests sat to hear confessions, and a long file of soldiers came there throughout the hours of the night. After Mass next morning the Magnificat was sung after that two officers held the flag of the dead, and the absolutions were given. After the ceremony I heard such words as the following:— -'How happy my mother would have been if she had seen me assisting at such a Mass! It is a great comfort to know that one is not forgotten after death. lam not pious, but a Mass like that is priceless." Never have I assisted at such a moving ceremony.' , Communion at the Front. On the eve of the Assumption they crowded to confession, and how the following must have gladdened the heart of our Blessed Mother: 'No one held back from confession. Nearly all wore pious medals openly, which had not been given to them in the ambulances of the Red Cross. Some Belgians said that they had heard that the French soldiers had no religion but that is false, for we have heard • them and, seen them, and nearly all were wearing medals and scapulars. All communicated before going to' the firing line. The priests had arranged to have

Mass at 3 in: the morning, but at 6 on the ,evening before word was brought that they must leave at 1 : in the .morning. \ ,The soldiers, however, did not want to be deprived of Holy. Communion, and matters were quickly t arranged. So, profiting by the permission of the Pope,_ the church bell was rung at 8 o'clock in the evening, and the Cuirassiers went to the church and received Holy Communion.under the form of Viaticum. Numbers of soldiers say their night prayers in common, and piety shows itself everywhere.' Look at that Communion in the immense hangar at the back of the lines. - 5.30 a.m., and in total darkness the men assemble. There is no time for Mass, but the priest had promised them Communion. Rain is ■> sheeting down, wind tears across the water that covers the deep mud in which the men are standing. The candlelantern of the priest is the only light. The Confiteor is said, and though the men have been told they may remain standing, at the words ''Ecce Agnus Dei/' down on their knees in the mud and water they fall, before the King of Earth and Heaven. There is no altar—no tableand Christ rests on a clean corporal on a soldier's inverted cap. As each received he left the hangar, and went straight to his duty, making his thanksgiving as he marched or worked. Happiness and fearlessness shone on every face. ' They are strong now for the fight, and careless of danger, for Christ is with them as He has promised.' r - His experiences at the front have drawn these words from an army chaplain:—■ ' The cannon is indeed a preacher that converts many who are indifferent. There are many who, sceptics while in garrison, are becoming believers in the fighting line. It is the officers who set the example of piety, and it is in their train that the soldiers come to the minister of God. From a spiritual point of view, this war is the most successful mission that ever was preached. The lesson that is being brought home to me is that the spiritual benefit is worth all the temporal calamities of which we are witnesses.' And a Belgian priest, with his land smoking around him in blood, can write with a heart full of the confidence in God that arises from a knowledge of eternity 'Europe will be purged of much evil, of disbelief, of indifference, after this fiery trial. There will be a great revival of religion. In the fulness of time it will be seen that all the wrong that man has done will be repaired, and only the good will remain.' The True Solution. This breadth of vision is to be found in all ranks, as the following incident shows. One poor fellow, who had been careless in times of peace, writing from the firing line to his parents, who were anxious about him, says:— ' Don't worry about me. I am resigned, because I have been to confession. My religious question is, therefore, settled, and I see that it is really from faith that one draws courage and resignation.' He had been to confession, and ' my religious question is therefore settled.' Here, bluntly put by an honest man, we have the solution of many of the socalled ' religious questions ' of to-day—namely, the possession of a clear conscience and a soul that can look to its Creator with perfect confidence. France at the Feet of Christ. Thus does France, the eldest daughter of the Church, turn to her Mother in time of danger. For the army to-day is France, and the attitude of the army towards religion is the attitude of France itself. With that army there are 25,000 of the clergy of France, patriots -all, . whose influence is a mighty leaven for good. As the morning sun rolls back the darkness and lights up the earth, so these sons of heaven have brought the Light of the World to countless hearts, once gloomy with the darkness of sin. From the highest to the lowliest, have turned in salute to the thorn-crowned King of Calvary. Officers have thronged the churches and laid their swords on the altars, consecrating their lives to God and

> country, % and in the field have told their men to put themselves under the protection^ of God From Marseilles to Calais, the whole nation kneels in supplication at shrine and ; altar : ; '£■ You , simply can't 1 get into Notre Dame des Victoires,' says .one writer T'yoV have to stay on the square outside and pray there. You feel-that everyone is obeying the call of duty, and obeying it generously.' v "* '.- - . In the centre of Paris, by the side of the curving Seme, towers the mighty Cathedral of Notre Dame. The correspondent of an English newspaper, speaking of the supplicatory devotions held there, says: : -. ' Three o'clock was the hour appointed, but for more than an hour before the Cathedral became ; so densely packed in every part that the great iron gateways had to be closed. People flocked to the church from all parts of the compass, until not less than 20,000 filled the great square outside.' After describing the procession of holy relics, carried by Cardinal Amette, into the open square, the writer continues: ' The priest mounted the tribune, and in a loud voice, which carried out over the square, read a litany, to each invocation of which the multitude fervently responded. Altogether, the gathering evoked a remarkable demonstration of religious zeal.' Of another ceremony in the same Cathedral we read : One seemed to be witnessing a splendid scene of other times, when faith was purer. In the hour of danger France found once more her youthful forces, and took up her ancient virtues as she has taken up arms.' And so through the length and breadth of the land; but when we get near the trenches the light is fairly blazing. One soldier writes: .' Nearly 9000 men were at Mass, and it was very consoling to see these men, drawn from all classes, turn to God in our hour of trial and ask of Him help, protection, and victory for our army. We prayed for the repose of the poor fellows who had been lost in the bloody.battles of this week.' Many who had listened to the insidious call of the Mudmen now make public acknowledgment of their error. One officer, once a prominent Rationalist, writes thus to his family: —■ 'I have just been to Mass. This will probably astonish you, but religion is being restored in this war. I am not the only one who has been won over. When one is face to face with death, as Herve said in his paper last week, in speakinsr of the Socialists, "we do not want to die like beasts." ' The Ireland of France. Those who know Brittanythe Ireland of France —with its cross-road Calvaries and sanctuaries and Catholic atmosphere, will understand the splendid faith that the following, from a dying Breton soldier to his mother, shows: ' Be sure that my last thought was on God, and for you, and that the last beat of my heart was for God, my country, and you, mother dear. Look up till we see each other again.' ' Look up till we see each other again !' The glorious doctrine of the Communion of Saints ! Happy son ! Happy mother ! War is a great mission,' exclaims a priest, in amazement at the number of converted souls. -•' All the men ask for the Sacraments as if they were the most pious of Seminarists. It is almost'incredible. They no longer know what human respect is : they .have become fervently religious. They make their confessions in the streets, on the roadside; they attend service, sing hymns, recite the Rosary. All wear medals, not round their necks or in their pockets,- but in their caps or on their tunics.' - -^ (To be continued.) .-