Catholic Problems in Western CanadaDaly, George Thomas
Religion
Catholic Problems in Western Canada
Daly, George Thomas
Catholic Church -- Canada
The great error in connection with this matter is to expect immediate
results from such work. Truth and Divine Grace work slowly. To
measure the success of a lecture or a mission to non-Catholics by the
number of immediate converts is completely unfair and against reason.
The main and direct object of these lectures is to combat the three
obstacles in the way of conversion, indifference, ignorance, and
prejudice, and to prepare the soil for the Great Sower. The important
point we should not forget is that, as in all propaganda, the
"_systematic follow-up work_" counts. The persistency and recurrence
of the message give it its strength and influence.
In all we have said and suggested it must not be supposed that we
forget Faith to be a gift of God . . . _Donum Dei_. The salvation and
sanctification of a soul are essentially a supernatural process. We
can no more trace the ways of God than we can forecast the ways of the
wind. Therefore the greater our activities are, the greater should be
the supernatural force behind them. Prayer, constant and fervent
prayer, for the conversion of our separated brethren should be ever on
our lips and in our hearts. Yet, strange thing! We hardly ever hear
of public prayers and masses said for this great work. If our desires
were more real, should they not find expression here and there in some
public form of prayer.
We should close this chapter with the instructive and inviting example
that comes to us from our Catholic brethren in Protestant England. A
wonderful Catholic campaign is now on through Scotland and England.
Various societies have grouped the active Catholic laity into various
units, with the one great object in view, to give back to England the
faith she has been robbed of centuries ago.
The "Catholic Truth Society" stands in the background as the heavy
artillery that has been firing at long range at positions the enemies
are gradually leaving. For the last thirty years it has been breaking
the way to victory. "The Catholic Evidence Guild" and "Social Guild,"
like the light cavalry are reconnoitering the lines and positions. The
"Motor Chapel" and "The Bexhill Library"--that Catholic Post-Library,
with its 16,000 volumes--are what we call the flying corps of this
great Catholic army. And while the various militant units are pushing
forward their lines, the members of "Our Lady of Ransom's League" are
praying on the mountain with up-lifted hands for the conversion of
their Country.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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