THE PRIEST AND THE DOCTOR

New Zealand Tablet, 29 April 1915, Page 7

THE PRIEST AND THE DOCTOR

‘ Father Timothy Casey/ cried the faithful old housekeeper, who had, by the authority of long service, acquired a sort of suzerainty over the good priest’s wardrobe, ‘ you’re not dreaming of going out to the grand banquet in honor of President Wilson in that horrid green coat!’ ‘ Why, Hannah,’ said Father Casey, looking regretfully at the old coat which had been his companion for many a season in sunshine and storm, and which had such a comfortable and homelike feeling about it, ‘ sure you don’t mean to tell me that green is a color to be ashamed of!’ • To this tantalising remark Hannah’s only answer was a disdainful sniff, as she bounced out of the room to fetch his new broadcloth Prince Albert, a recent gift from the sodality. Father Casey put on the grand coat with a sigh and left the house. The banquet was a success beyond the fondest hopes of the entertainment committee. Next to Father Casey sat one of the leading physicians of the city, the renowned Doctor Pustanoby. Though a non-Catholic, he had been for years on moderately intimate terms with the priest. This evening the doctor had given himself up for the first hour or so to the pleasures of the table, and now lie felt in prime condition for a. spicy little discussion of some kind. He saw the opportunity he sought in Father Casey. Pushing his chair in a chummy way nearer the priest, he said ; ‘ Father Casey, you and I have met amid at least a thousand varying circumstances during the past years. 1 say without flattery that you have always and invariably impressed me as a clear-headed, straight-forward American. And therefore how you of all men can actually believe a word from you will take away a man’s sins is something thatthat—well, that gets my goat!’ 'lndeed!’ was Father Casey’s illuminating reply. Clearly, the chances for a discussion were not promising ; the doctor tried again. ‘ Don’t hesitate to call me to task, Father Casey, if I am going too far, but honestly it would interest me deeply to hear how you satisfy your mind on a belief which appears diametrically opposed to modern learning and common sense.’ Now it should be observed that Father Casey had a few inflexible principles, and one of them was,this: never to tolerate the popular fallacy that a Catholic must do nothing but meekly strive to answer the questions and refute the objections of his non-Catholic adversary. : Indeed, the good priest believed in carrying

the war into the enemy’s country and doing a fair share of the quizzing and objecting himself. |; . • ‘ Doctor, supposing a man knowing absolutely nothing about gasoline engines were to ask you how on earth you expected to start your big car by standing in front of it and turning a crank; and even after you had .told him that that was the natural way to start such -a machine, suppose he would laugh at your explanation* what would you answer ?’ -:" r //;Alt //, It would be useless to answer anything to such a fellow until he had first learned the fundamental principles of gasoline engines in general.’ / ‘ Doctor, the Catholic Church is, so to speak, a great gasoline engine. Go and learn the fundamental principles upon which she works; then come to me, and I shall gladly explain to your complete satisfaction the forgiveness of sins in confession or any other of her numerous operations. To try to explain it to you before that would only cause us both to lose our time and perhaps our temper into the bargain.’ ‘ Father Casey,’ said the doctor, drawing himself up while there was evidence of a strong outward pressure on his broad white shirt front, * I have long ago mastered the fundamental principles of the Catholic religion.’ ‘Congratulations!’ cried the priest; 'I had never dreamed that your education extended thus far; we now have one topic in common which both thoroughly understand. Let me seesome of the principal points wherein Catholics and non-Catholics differ are: the doctrine on grace, free-will, and predestination, the doctrine on the infallibility of the Pope, purgatory, indulgences, the veneration of saints and images, Holy Mass, the Real Presence, and your besetting difficulty, the forgiveness of sin in confession. So you know, at least in substance, what the Catholic Church teaches on all these points. Now, for instance, state briefly what she teaches on the celebrated question of grace, free-will, and predestination.’ ‘ Aw, come now, Father Casey, you know I don’t mean that I have made a thorough investigation of all such fine, technical points as that!’ Fine, technical points! Why, man, don’t you know that it was precisely on this point that the socalled reformers broke away from the Catholic Church and founded Protestantism! Well, then, since you know nothing about that you may try your luck at Papal infallibility.’ ‘ Ah, that’s an easy one. Papal infallibility means that the Pope can’t make a mistake.’ ‘ To go out without an umbrella and get soaked in a shower is a mistake; couldn’t the Pope do that?’ ‘ Oh, that’s not it. Infallibility means that he cannot make a mistake about religion—morals and religion.’ ‘ My morals and religion are all right—at least for the sake of argument we’ll suppose they are. Does the doctrine of infallibility teach that the Pope couldn’t make a mistake and judge me a criminal and a heretic, and— V ‘ That’s it; that’s an example of what your Church teaches by Papal infallibility !’ ‘ Slowly, doctor; that’s an example of your ignorance. The Church teaches nothing of the kind. One more chance: What does the Church mean by purgatory V * She means a place where Catholics go after they’re dead.’ ‘ All Catholics?’ 1 No—not all Catholicsthe bad ones—-the bad ones go there—and then you buy Masses to bail them out, cried the doctor, triumphantly. ‘ The Church teaches that all who die as bad Catholics go to hell. Once there nothing in existence will ever bail them out. Doctor, you have not correct ideas about a single Catholic doctrine. Any child in the catechism class could show you where you are wrong ! ‘Well, Father Casey, I suppose I must admit the impeachment,’ cried the doctor with a hearty laugh. Give me a black mark in catechism, and send me to the foot of the class. However, I have one little excuse to

offer for my ignorance, and- it is this: I never in my life went to the trouble of ■? taking a course in Catholic doctrine. • ' - 1 t---v-v. ‘ ■ Your excuse, is as poor as your recitation. Your -wilful neglect in this matter is without doubt blamef worthy,’., .- . : *\ , T ‘Blameworthy!’ shouted the doctor. ‘For me,'a . Protestant, , not to study your, religion, blameworthy ! .What do you mean ?’ ‘ .With your permission, doctor, I could show' my meaning better by a similitude.’ ‘ Father Casey, you’re the very deuce for similitudes! Well, fire away!’ Let us try to imagine a man —well educated on most points, possessed of means, fairly influential—let us imagine such a man having at the .same time none but the most hazy, distorted ideas on civil government. Let us suppose that he knows very little about civil government in general and still less about his own, the American Government, in particular. He does not know what bodies make the laws of the country, nor by what power they make them, and he knows very few of the laws that they have made. He has on all sides ample opportunities for learning, but he refuses to make use of them. What would vou think of such a man Such a man, if it were possible for him to exist, would be both a knave and a fool - ‘Why?’ He would be a knave because by his wilful ignorance of the ordinary laws of the land he would put himself in constant danger of violating the strict rights -of others, assured to them by law, and furthermore, being a man of influence, he would by his conduct lead many to practise a like disregard for the law'. He would be a fool, for, knowing nothing of the laws of the laud, he would undoubtedly transgress many of them, and thus bring upon himself heavy loss and punishments in the form of fines arid imprisonment. But, doctor, how can you hold him responsible, since he does not even"know enough about civil government to realise what risks he is taking; by his ignorance of the laws?’ ° ‘lf he does not realise it, it is his own fault. Wherever he goes he sees that the influence of' the government is there in some form or other ; everyone he meets is affected by it; if he does not realise his obligation of investigating what bearing this ever-present power should have upon bis own conduct, it is because he deliberate!}' shuts his eyes to the fact.’ * Doctor, you are strong and pointed in your condemnation of the man who wilfully neglects to learn the principles of civil government, but I tell you honestly that I cannot see how you, yourself, escape the same condemnation for neglecting to study the fundamental principles of the Catholic religion.’ ‘ Why, the comparison is preposterous ! ’ ‘ Listen, doctor, you have had wide experience with men ; among those whom you have met are hundreds, whose intelligence and honesty you cannot doubt, who, being well-instructed Catholics, know exactly what the Catholic Church is, and who are firmly convinced that it is the highest duty of every human being to belong to that Church and regulate his conduct by her teaching. Secondly, you have travelled extensively, and in every country on the face of the earth which you have visited, you have found there the Catholic Church; you have found there men and women devoted heart and soul to her; you have found there her places of worship from the peerless Cathedral that N cost the fortune of a kingdom and centuries of time ■ in building I to the bamboo chapel that cost the life blood ,of a , devoted missionary. Thirdly, you have read history, and there-you have seen that the Catholic Church stands unrivalled —alone— her immense influence in moulding the destinies of men and of nations. ‘ She stood out as the power most loved or most hated in the world during the first 300, years after Christ, when the world empire of Rome strove to crush

her by bloody persecutions; she stood out as the power most loved or most hated in the . world during . the transition of the tribes; of northern " Europe from , barbarism to Christianity— during the life of Arianism ' and the other heresies of early times—during the mighty struggle between Popes arid the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire of Germany—during the crusades when a whole continent united for the recovery of ; the Holy Land—during the Protestant Reformation (or I better, Protestant Revolt) of the sixteenth century— the social revolution that began in France and overran Europe a century ago-during the recent upbuilding of the nations of modern Europe —in fact, even during the year of 1914 that has just closed. Fourthly, you are acquainted with statistics you know that this Church which should, after the manner of other institutions, be now decrepit and dying of old age, this Church oft doomed to death, yet fated not to die, has at present over 301,000,000 members, that 16,000,000 of them are your own fellow countrymen here in free America, and that every day men of intelligence and learning are renouncing their former belie'fs in order to enter the Catholic Church. ‘ These facts prove to any thinking mind that either the Catholic Church is the true Church, upheld and guided by the power of God, or she is the most gigantic fraud ever devised by the mind of man. ‘Which of these two views is the -correct one you do not know, because you have never investigated the doctrines and claims of the Catholic Church. You know that the Catholic Church teaches that every human being is bound by the divine law to believe in her and follow her teaching in all his relations with God,, with his neighbor, and with himself. -.lf she is the true Church then you are sinning against God, your neighbor, and yourself by not obeying her. Hence it is your bounden duty to convince yourself whether she is the true Church or not. But this you can not honestly do without a careful investigation from reliable sources of her doctrines and the grounds upon which she bases them. Neither have you any lawful excuse for neglecting this investigation. There are numberless books, for instance, the well-known Catholic Encyclopedia wherein these things are clearly set forth by men who knew whereof they wrote. Then there is the living voiceevery priest in the land is ready for the asking to give you a detailed course of instruction.’ At that moment the toast-master rapped for silence, and the Mayor rose to address the President. The next morning when Father Casey was sorting his mail, the desk telephone rang. ‘This is Doctor Bustanoby,’ said a voice; ‘I thought of calling on you this evening to arrange for a course in Christian doctrine.’ ‘Come right along, doctor, you’re as welcome as the flowers of May,’ said Father Casey. — C. D. McEnniry, C.SS.R., in the Liguorian. / •