A CATHOLIC VOICE FROM MEXICO.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume III, Issue 135, 3 December 1875, Page 8

A CATHOLIC VOICE FROM MEXICO.

Operilus oredite et non verlis. (Translated from ffl Mensajero Catolico for the Freeman's Journal) The apostles of infidelity, the progressists, those who desire at any cost to reform the world, not in the manner that would be most useful and "beneficial to humanity, but as will most readily square ■with the interests of modern philosophy and error ; those strong minds, in a word, those propagandists of evil doctrines, and declared agents and workers of the Prince of Darkness, have said to us : " Let us un-Caiholicize the world," and to this end they devote all "their energies, all their labors, all their systems, and all their most effective combinations. Well, let us for a moment suppose (what fortunately for mankind is impossible, because the words of Jesus Christ cannot fail, and He has said that the " gates of HpII shall not prevail" against His Church) ; let us suppose that the enemies of religion were to realize their object, and that by virtue of their pernicious and diabolical propagandism, men were to lose their faith, that faith which is the beacon light that guides society into the sure way, the end of which is supreme happiness. What would they have gained by all this ? What advantages would they see themselves in having nn- Catholicised the world / Ah ! blind and insensate mortals ! who cannot understand that they would be the first victims of their deadly teachings, and that if they do not reap and gather in all the most bitter fruit of the fatal and deadly seed they planted, it will be because it does not grow tip everywhere, and because those who believe in the religion of Chrisb, and in His maximsj must model their conduct accordingly, and observe His wise, holy, and beneficent teachings. Un-Caiholicize the world, and dare to make enemies of those who deny God and His holy law, which is observed and practised as the faithf ul depository of a most priceless treasure, by the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church, and then see how your enemies will deal with you. Un-Catholicise the world, and happen to find yourselves in great danger, in grave need, or in the deepest affliction, and if your fellow-men see no advantage in coming to your rescue, they will leave you to perish — they will look with utter indifference and selfishness upon your afflictions. JJn-C'alholicize the world, and be stricken down by sickness, become unable to work, or be in good health but unable to find work, and without bread for yourself, for your wife and children, and go and ask assistance of the man who has no faith in charity, nor in the rewards which Heaven promises to those who practise this Christian virtue ; go to him whose heart is cold, withered, dried up by the fire of covetousness, and you will see how he will shut the door in your f ace, while he denies you the crumbs that fall from his table, you will see how much more carefully he will minister to the wants of his dog and horse than ho will to yours, who are his fellow-being, who are a man like himself, but, tinhappily, a poor and unfortunate man. Tin- Catholicize the world, and, although you may be rich and powerful, you will never experience peace of heart ; men will serve and fawn around you for your riches, for what they realise from you or from yotir influence, for their aggrandisement or advancement; but the moment they find your interests conflict with theirs, as soon as they become convinced that the one must be sacrificed to advance the other, you will find neither fidelity nor graditude, "because these virtues do not exist, in hearts in which ideas of justice and well-doing have no abiding place. Un- Catholicize the world % and instead of advancing it, of making it progress, of filling it with happiness, you will make it go backwards until it reaches barbarism, chaos and darkness ; you will transform it into a premature hell ; because, just imagine a man attending only to his own interests, without restraint, without any "bridle to°check him in his efforts to gratify all his desires, of satisfying his every appetite, of realizing all his expectations, and you •will see what lie will com© toIn Catholicity are to be found true guarantees, sceurity for the peace of families and for material resources ; that equilibrium born of the conviction which the knowledge of God gives to men, that everything in this world is wisely provided, and wisely distributed by an Omniscient Providence ; and that he who is a Christian on earth receives a hundredfold of glory in heaven ; and that he who suffers on earth is superabundantly rewarded in heaven. These are golden truths, truths which the Catholic religion teaches and practises j they are, therefore, positive truths, and not Utopian, nor sterile and fruitless idealities. Let us now, for a very few moments, turn our eyes to the modern doctrines, the ideas of the Propagandists of the New Dispensation which the sectaries of error are anxious to establish amongst us. Liberty of conscience, liberty of ciiUus, free education, free labor, free thought, free love — freedom in everything, and for all. These are the doctrines put forth, published, propagated and taught in the most plausible and attractive manner. But, what about their application ? Let us see its practical workings : The Christian's, the Catholic's conscience tells him that he must not do what is forbidden by the Scriptures, by the laws of Jesus Christ j and modern progress, enl\gb.tment, liberty, obliges him to do all this, however revolting it may be to his conscience, however much it may be forbidden by God ; and in the name of that liberty, he is persecuted, imprisoned, exiled, and compelled to end his days in a foreign land, separated from his family. Wonderful liberty ! Free Religion. — It exists upon the statutes, in Constitutions, in Executive Messages, in newspaper editorials ; it is proclaimed in official and parliamentary speeches, and it is the subject of general conversation ; but about the practice of it ? Oh ! that is another thing. By virtue of the freedom of worship, the Catholic is forbidden to practise his relig ion, his churches are razed to the ground,

his priests are hunted down ; his religious meetings are watched ; and in the name of the separation of Church and State, the latter persecutes and subjugates the former. Magnificent liberty ! Free 'Education. — In the name of freedom of education, in all State schools religious instruction is suppressed; and although the parents of the children desire them to be instructed in the truths and principles of Catholicity, teachers of both sexes are squarely forbidden to give any such instruction, to teach children the Catechism of the Christian Doctrine ; biit they do permit^ and in some places it is commanded, that text books be used which contain maxims opposed to the teachings of the Scriptures — antiCatholic Catechisms. O ! Wonderful Liberty ! Freedom of Labor. — Not to dwell too long on this subject, it is enough to say that in virtue of this liberty men are compelled to voluntarily become food for cannons. Beautiful and comforting liberty ! It is enough to meditate for a moment, to fully realize what v the world would be if it were entirely un-Catholicised. How many wants would arise ? What anarchy ! What confusion ! We repeat it — what a hell ! Turn yoxir eyes, on the other hand, to what society is with the Catholic faith, with the teachings of the Church, with the doctrine and the morals of Jesus Christ. She teaches us to forgive our enemies ; she tells us to return good for evil ; she forbids us to hate, but on the contrary, to love our enemies as ourselves. Dost doubt it ? Open the Bible, that sacred Book, that fountain of the purest doctrines, and thou wilt be convinced of these holy and sublime truths, beautif ul and full of consolation, like their Divine Founder. And if the weakness of our nature, if the obstinacy of the flesh, if the voice of our passions dispose ris to hatred, and cry out to us for vengeance, there is within our very selves a. voice, conscience, that whispers : " Thou art going io commit sin" And without ourselves Religion says to us: "Forgive that thou too maysi be forgiven." And then the Christian forgives, even if he does not forget, and making superhuman efforts, he prays to God for Ms enemy, because God so wishes him to do. He implores mercy and forgivei ness for the one who has done him so much injury, for him who has disturbed his soul, and has inflicted the deepest wounds upon his heart. And, wherefore, this conduct ? Because the Catholic religion is purely a religion of love.