Choose a topic from Vol 2:

God

Proof of God's existence
God's nature
Supreme control over all things and the problem of suffering and evil

Man

Destiny of man
Death
Immortality of man's soul
Pre-existence denied
The human free will
Determinism absurd

Religion

Necessity of religion
Salvation of the soul
Voice of science
Religious racketeers
Divine revelation
Revealed mysteries
Existence of miracles

The Religion of the Bible

Gospels historical
Missing Books of the Bible
The Bible inspired
Biblical account of creation
New Testament problems
Supposed contradictions in Sacred Scripture

The Christian Faith

Source of Christian teaching
Jewish rejection of Christ
Christianity a new religion
Rational foundation for belief
Causes of unbelief

A Definite Christian Faith

Divisions amongst Christians
Schisms unjustified
Facing the problem
The wrong approach
Is one religion as good as another?
Obligation of inquiry
Charity and tolerance

The Protestant Reformation

Meaning of "Protestant"
Causes of the Reformation
Catholic reaction
Reformers mistaken
The idealization of Protestantism
The Catholic estimate

The Truth of Catholicism

Meaning of the word "Church"
Origin of the Church
The Catholic claim
The Roman hierarchy
The Pope
The Petrine text
St. Peter's supremacy
St. Peter in Rome
Temporal power
Infallibility
Unity of the Church
Holiness of the Church
Catholicity of the Church
Apostolicity of the Church
Indefectibility of the Church
Obligation to be a Catholic

The Church and the Bible

Catholic attitude towards the Bible
Is Bible reading forbidden to Catholics?
Protestant Bibles
The Catholic Douay Version
Principle of private interpretation
Need of Tradition
The teaching authority of the Catholic Church

The Dogmas of the Church

Revolt against dogma
Value of a Creed
The divine gift of Faith
Faith and reason
The "Dark Ages"
The claims of science
The Holy Trinity
Creation and evolution
Angels
Devils
Man
Reincarnation
Sin
Christ
Mary
Grace and salvation
The Sacraments
Baptism
Confession
Holy Eucharist
The Sacrifice of the Mass
Holy Communion
The Catholic Priesthood
Marriage and divorce
Extreme Unction
Judgment
Hell
Purgatory
Indulgences
Heaven
The resurrection of the body
The end of the world

The Church and Her Moral Teachings

Conscience
Truth
Charity
Scandal
Tolerance
Censorship
The Inquisition
Astrology
Other superstitions
Attendance at Mass
Sex education
Attitude to "Free Love"
Abortion
Suicide

The Church in Her Worship

Magnificent edifices
Lavish ritual
Women in Church
Catholics and "Mother's Day"
Liturgical Days
Burial rites
Candles and votive lamps
The rosary
Lourdes water
The Scapular

The Church and Social Welfare

Social influence of the Church
The education question
The Church and world distress
Catholic attitude towards Capitalism
The remedy for social ills
Communism condemned
The Fascist State
Morality of war
May individuals become soldiers?
The Church and peace
Capital punishment
Catholic Action

Comparative Study of Non-Catholic Denominations

Defections from the Catholic Church
Gnosticism
Manichaeism
Arianism
Nestorianism
Eutychianism
Coptic Church
Greek Orthodox Church
Anglican Episcopal Church
The "Free" or "Nonconformist" Churches
Presbyterianism
Methodism
Church of Christ
Baptists
Seventh Day Adventists
Plymouth Brethren
Catholic Apostolic Church or Irvingites
Salvation Army
Spiritualism
Christian Science
Christadelphians
British Israelism
Liberal Catholics
Witnesses of Jehovah
Buchmanism or the "Oxford Group Movement"
From Protestantism to Catholicism

To and From Rome

Conversion of Cardinal Newman
Why Gladstone refrained
The peculiar case of Lord Halifax
Gibbon the historian
Secession of Father Chiniquy
Father Tyrrell, the modernist
Bishop Garrett's departure
Judgment on lapsed Catholics
Protestant apathy towards conversion of Catholics
Principles for converts to Catholicism
God's will that all should become Catholics

Attendance at Mass

964. Why are Catholics compelled to go to Mass onSundays and Holy Days of Obligation?

Because they owe to God the definite, regular, and publicacknowledgment of their indebtedness to Him by the practice oftheir religion, and because the Sacrifice of the Mass is thehighest act of worship in their religion.You must remember that religion is a form of justice, by whichwe render to God what we owe to Him. Catholics are compelled tofulfill the duties of their religion just as honest people feel compelled to pay their justdebts to their fellow men. Honest people want to discharge theirobligations. And the fact that they have real obligations does notaffect the fact that their fulfillment of them is voluntary. Godexacts religious acknowledgment. He tells us to remember to keepholy the Sabbath day; and that is not permission to forget. NowCatholics don't want to be unjust to God, and their Churchtells them that they will be unjust to God unless they attend Masson the days appointed. They are glad to know their obligations, andattend Mass on those days rather than be guilty of seriousinjustice towards the One to Whom they owe so much. As a matter offact, God is good in Himself; He has been good to us; we have notbeen very good to Him; and we need His constant help. So we owe Godadoration, thanksgiving, expiation of our sins, and theacknowledgment of our dependence on Him by offering prayers ofpetition. And all four obligations are fulfilled by ferventassistance at Mass. The wisdom of the Catholic Church in appointingdefinite times for the fulfillment of these obligations should beevident. A general obligation never to be fulfilled at anyparticular time is often not fulfilled at all. So we see manynon-Catholics omitting duties of religion altogether; or fulfillingthem when they happen to feel like it, or turning to God only whenthings go wrong. But Catholics say, "It's not a matter ofwhat is pleasant, nor merely of what is useful; it's a matterof what is right." Religion is a debt to be paid regularly. Wewant to pay that debt regularly. The Church is there to tell us howregularly we should do so, and we are grateful to her for giving usthe information. And, in a spirit of justice to God and obedienceto our Church we feel compelled to fulfill the obligations of ourreligion. I hope that clears the matter up for you.

965. Why must Catholics be present at Church onSundays or a mortal sin committed?

Because the Catholic Church, to which God said, "Whateveryou bind on earth is bound in heaven" says that any Catholicwho culpably neglects to sanctify Sunday by attendance at Mass isguilty of a mortal sin, refusing to pay his debt of religion to Godand violating a strict law of the Church.

966. Catholics go to Church only because they arefrightened.

People who have no notion of the faith and love and sense ofjustice towards God which the Catholic religion inspires are givento saying things like that. But we must be patient with them. Theysimply do not understand.

967. You have said that the person who goes toChurch because he fears punishment by the Church is better than theperson who does not attend Church at all.

I have never said that. People have often said to me thatCatholics go to Mass on Sundays only because they are taught thatthey commit mortal sin if they do not. The sin is against God, andpunishment by the Church does not, and did not enter into thequestion. In reply to the suggestion I have said that it is mortalsin for a Catholic to miss Mass on Sundays through his own fault;that mere fear of committing that mortal sin, where the majority ofCatholics are concerned, is supplanted by their love of God andpositive desire to fulfill their religious duties to Him; but that,if any individual Catholic went to Mass only because he feared tocommit mortal sin, that would certainly be better than not going atall. For undoubtedly it is better to do right through fear to dowrong, than to do wrong.

968. The person who attends Church in this spirit isa hypocrite.

He is not. Hypocrisy is a lying pretense at a goodness one doesnot possess. The man we are considering possesses a genuinereverence for God at least to the extent of being unwilling tooffend Him seriously. And that unwillingness to offend God takes him to Mass. That there are higher motives, I admit.But I deny that the man has an evil motive. His motive is good asfar as it goes, even if it does not go far enough.

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